They spoke again, this time louder, angrier. This was it. I had to get through the doors if my plan was going to work. My last resort was still in my pocket, and I nearly reached for it with my other hand. I could end them now, show the power at my fingertips. Show them we weren’t to be trifled with. Humans weren’t going to roll over for them. I had seconds to act, and I closed my eyes for a tiny moment, remembering the forest on the way down from the portal just hours ago. Kareem’s last words echoed in my mind as I gripped the Kalentrek with my left hand, and the rifle with my right. Make things different.
My left hand let go and I raised the rifle, pointing it at them before they had time to react.
The guard on the left grunted, his sharp teeth bared at me. He spoke a string of hostile commands, but I didn’t waver. I held the rifle straight between them, waiting for an excuse to shoot. Their armor was thick, matte black, and dangerous-looking. I had to shoot for the head, like Mary had when we’d first encountered them.
I nodded to the door, and they seemed to understand. The one on the right moved to open the door, and the other reached for a gun on his hip. I shot him in the head so quickly, it even startled me.
“Dean!” Leonard shouted behind me, but I didn’t turn or reply. I just motioned for the door again, and the Bhlat guard laid his gun down to open it. Nudging the barrel of the rifle in the air, I waved for the guard to go in first. He did, hesitant to show his back to me.
“Drag him inside,” I said to Leonard, my voice grim.
“Drag… drag him?”
“Do it,” I said, and followed the guard inside. The room was wide, tall panoramic windows letting in red sunlight from a wide angle.
A red-robed female Bhlat sat on a couch with a small alien beside her. They talked quietly and didn’t seem to notice us at all.
Behind me, Leonard groaned as he fought to pull the gargantuan Bhlat in with us. I motioned for the guard to help him, and he obeyed. Soon the door was shut, the dead guard’s blood a smear across the entryway.
“Stay here,” I said to Leonard, and passed him my pistol. He took it with a trembling hand.
He pointed the gun at the remaining guard, who glared at me with hate and distaste. “Don’t let him get too close. If he does, shoot him in the head.”
“Dean, I don’t know if I can.”
“You have to. Do it and let yourself grieve later.”
He nodded, and I turned and walked toward the Empress and the child.
The room had a boardroom-style table in it, and it was uncanny how much their civilization mirrored our own. A holographic video played in the center of the table: images of large Bhlat ships moving around a planet. I watched it for a few seconds and realized it wasn’t just any planet; it was Earth.
I almost grabbed the communicator to make contact, but waited. I stepped toward the couch, and the woman said something quietly to the child before turning to me.
For a Bhlat, she was stunning. Her wide face was framed by thick black braids, and her eyes were a light swirling red, making me think of molten lava. Her lips parted in a thin smile, sharp teeth making her look like a dangerous predator.
“I wondered when someone would make it up here. I expected it from the Kraski, if I’m being honest, but not a human.” She spoke in perfect English, and I was caught off-guard. I closed my mouth, not wanting her to see my surprise.
“We’re craftier than you think,” I said, playing along with her banter.
“Whom am I addressing?” she asked. Beside her, the little girl’s blue eyes danced as she stared at me intently.
“Dean Parker,” I said, glad to get a reaction from her.
“You’re a hard man to kill, it seems. Admiral Blel told me only a while ago he had your friends, and that you were dead. They seemed to want to barter but claimed they wouldn’t talk yet.”
“The timing just had to be right.”
“Yes, so it seems.” She looked over my shoulder to where Leonard was holding a gun to the guard; then she glanced to the floor, where the dead one lay in a pile. “What is it you want?”
“I want peace. I want you to leave Earth and never come back.”
“It’s too late for that. We’ve already begun the harvest. There’s no going back.”
I cringed inwardly. I had to pivot. “Then let us leave, and you can have it.” I was literally bartering away a planet, but given the circumstance, I didn’t have a choice.
She looked intrigued. “Is that so?”
“Yes. Take the planet. Use its water, use its ore, but let us leave. Don’t make contact ever again.”
“Or what?” she asked.
“You don’t want to find out,” I said, almost bluffing, but knowing I could still end their city with the touch of a button.
She stood silent for a minute, analyzing the situation.
“We have a deal,” she said, and I felt a fraction of the tension in my back ease up. She moved for the table and tapped an icon glowing on a built-in screen.
She said something in Bhlat, and I caught the name Blel. A gruff voice called back, and they went back and forth. I heard the name Mary carry over, and I gripped the rifle harder.
“What did he say?” I asked, remembering the dreams I’d had in which Mary was killed in our final confrontation with the Bhlat.
She didn’t say anything for a long minute, and my eyes started to well up. “What did he say?” I yelled.
“He said there was an altercation. One of the human guests has been killed.”
My gut clenched, and my vision went black. “Which guest?” I asked, knowing the answer.
One word escaped through her sharp teeth, her swirling eyes conveying a touch of sympathy. “Mary.”
The door blew open before I had a chance to let it soak in. I almost didn’t turn to the concussion blast. If she was gone, then what was the point?
Leonard’s yelling voice brought me back, and I spun, firing at the incoming guards. Red pulses erupted from my rifle, and Leonard’s pistol joined me as a dozen armed Bhlat raced into the room. I just needed to touch the Empress and Leonard, and we could get out of here. Only when I looked back at her, she and the child were near the window.
We ducked behind the table, trading fire with the newcomers. I made a lucky shot and saw one of them drop dead. Leonard had his hand up over his head, firing backwards with his eyes closed. One of his shots hit, and footsteps started coming our way, closer to us.
The Empress called out a command, and the firing instantly stopped. She said another string of words, and the warriors lowered their weapons. I didn’t do the same. For all I knew, we’d raise our hands and get killed for our efforts.
I stood up, rifle pointed at the eight or so standing guards, and crossed the room to the imposing woman at the window. The Relocator was in my other palm now, and Leonard got close.
The Empress looked at us, and to the dead guards on the floor. She held her daughter’s hand as I reached to touch her and Leonard with my bare hands. I touched the Relocator.
TWENTY-SIX
“If we made a deal, why did we take their Empress?” Leonard asked, his hands still shaking. I was impressed with how well he’d handled himself and told him so.
“For insurance. I don’t trust them, and right before we got rudely interrupted, we heard that… they killed someone.” I wouldn’t believe she was dead or let myself dwell on the implications, because I’d be a mess on the ground if I did.