alright, i'll try if i can restart this story from where i left off. I'll try to get this going again when school is over.
Prologue
Joshua was nervous as he approached the phone booth. The sounds of the city vanished as he walked to it. He had nightmares about being here every night, opening the door to hell. He tried (with a trembling hand) to open the door to it but he felt sick to his stomach.
He ran in to the ally in between the two buildings and threw up. Then, wiping the vomit from the edge of his mouth, tried again to open the booth. The booth it’s self was an ordinary one. It was connected to a side of a building and its windows darkened so that the people can easily slip into the stairs behind the phone.
Joshua was about to give up when his instructor’s voice came from the back of his mind. Remember those cages; remember those voices crying. The voice said when you choose to go back down there, you choose to prove to the slugs that you are a human; you choose to prove to them that you are willing to strike back when they took everything from you. Most of all, by this action, you prove that humanity will not give in to alien enslavement, prove to them that we are not cattle that can be butchered and kept on a leash, prove that to them, to you, to the captives, and to your mother
“For the Underground” he whispered. Joshua took a deep breath and opened the booth.
He punched in the six-digit code into the fake phone. The phone melted into the wall and the wall slided up, show a dissenting staircase. Each step he took seemed like eons and gave him time to think. He was one of the controlled once. His parents made him go to the Sharing and proceed to become a full member. He would have never have guessed that he would have guess that he would have spent an eternally a prisoner inside his own head, a slave to the slugs.
He remember the cages… the endless wailing and screaming,
The begging for death. Joshua tried to shake the image of a man who hung himself with his own sock that the train of thought brought up but he could not. “I’ll rather be free and dead than a live and a slave” he told josh before he did the deed. Even now, those dead eyes look at him from the depths of his memory.
However, he was one of the lucky ones. The Underground found him in one of their raids in the pool. They staved out the slug and gave him a home, food, and family but most importantly, they gave him a sense of purpose. They told him that they were resisting the slugs anyway they could and they needed his help. He had a great debt to pay to the Underground and that is why he had volunteer for this mission. He knew that this was a suicide mission but he still volunteered.
The AK slung around his back and under the coat started to move to the right a little bit but hoped that the coat would hide the outline of it. The Underground supplied him with an AK, one frag grenade, and a pistol equip with a silencer. He had something else but he did not want to think about that. The fear turned to anger as he started to hear the screams of the prisoners. I will make them pay for what they did to me and what they did to my family he thought. Joshua then caught site of the pool as he made his way into the light. The pool it’s self was over three blocks long with waves that caused by the slugs within. Three piers hovered over the pool at three separate locations, each with their own cages.
Soon, they will all be free. Beyond that, the architecture changed from alien to metropolitan. Neon lights flashed, McDonalds here and there, back rooms where the voluntary controllers sit and watched TV while the other is screamed for the freedom.
The Underground called them traitors and should be tried as well as the slugs, in josh’s opinion, he agreed. Beyond the flash of the false city laid cranes, bulldozers, and other earth movers.
Toiled away at their ever expansion of complex. In the distance, josh spotted the buildings and trailers that the construction crew used.
Ahead of him, the line to one of the piers formed but he had no interest in it. One of the Hork-Bajir guards took noticed when the human broke from the line and went to him.
Josh stopped as the Hork-Bajir approached him and proceed to do what the Underground told him to do in this situation. he pulled out a clip of papers from his undercoat.
“why are you leaving the line” the guard said in plain english. Josh hand him the papers without saying a word. The guard took the papers and while he was reading them, josh looked him over. Josh’s experience as a former controller help him determine the place that the guard held on the yeerk ranks. The slug that was in the horky’s head was new to the physiology and that showed by the cuts on the top of the legs and on the side of torso. He was also new on the position he held given on the way he holding his dracon beam. Minor guard josh thought, bet it’s his first day on the job. After a few tense seconds, the hork looked up, brought up his radio, squawked in an alien tongue into it, listened to the reply and turned to josh.
“you have an appeal to see Sub Visser Twenty-Four” he said with a grunt “I am to bring you to her, follow me please” josh did as he was told and was led into the neon city. To his left, he saw a pair of people scrubbing away at something on one of the building walls but he could not see until he got closer. The pair’s constant bathing with sponges blurred the image but it was still clear enough the human hand grasping two bolts of lighting going across the palm. It was the unmistakable Icon of the Underground. The two were yammering about how the Vissers would starve them if they had to wash another image but josh didn’t care. His chest filled with pride on the fact that, even here in hell, the Underground was with him.
“That’s the fifth this week that we have found” the Hork-Bajir’s voice made him jump.
The Hork didn’t notice or just didn’t care. “we don’t know how they keep appearing without anyone seeing them but they do it” the hork turn and looked back. “this way”
As they past the restaurant district, conversations came out of the open air restaurant and into josh’s ears. One was about some Hork complaining about it’s host strict diet. “bark, bark they say! To hell with it!” the human that he was talking to was just laughing.
He also heard about complains about the Vissors (Vissor Three in particular), humans, Horks, and pretty anything that they about. but talks about the Underground had stuck out in his mind.
“Five attacks! All Assassination/Death Squads! There wasn’t a piece of the Sub-Vissor left!"
There was a grunt of agreement that came with it. “I don’t know why these humans are so fanatical” he paused and continued on “I have been around many worlds and had to put down many resistance movements but this is the first time that I seen a species that is willing to use such tactics”
Josh guess he was referring to the fact that on every mission that The Underground embarked on, the member wore bombs that they would set off if they were capture.
The other voice chimed in. “my guess is that they are going to continue” he let off a sigh. “The Vissor is so damn determine to find the anidalite bandits that he is blind to the fact that we are being bombed almost every week”
“I’m not surprised, all the Vissors want is glory and they don’t care how many people they have to strew to get it”
By this time, josh had gotten out of hearing range of that conversation and the next one that drifted to his ears disgusted him so much he shut it out. Josh and the guard left the neon atmosphere of that district and started to come up on the construction sites that litter the edge of the pool. There were skeletons of building being put together by large cranes and sublet sparks that come down off them as people wielding welders put the beams together. Massive earth movers and bulldozers tore though the earth at a startling pace. The sounds of machinery that echoed off the cavern both amazed and sicken Josh. So much that he didn’t hear the guard trying to talk to him. Josh turned to the guard that tapped on his shoulder pointed to a construction trailer that was converted into a office.
Josh felt nervous as he walked up the steps. His legs felt like bricks made of lead but the anger and the drive of what he was about to do quickly blocked that out. The guard was left outside. Josh took a deep breath, mutter a prayer, and opened the door.
The first thing that josh saw was maps, graphs and overhead screen shots of the city cover the interior of the office. Josh paused to look at one map that showed a screen shot of the city from space and had what looked to be rings of a tree spreading from the center. His feeling for the slugs only intensified to the point of blind rage when is mind realized what it meant. He took a second to calm himself and continued down the hall into the back of the trailer.
The room in the back had a desk (or what he guess to be a desk base on the shape of the maps and charts that cover it up) in the mist of these data formats, there was a computer on the desk and a holo panel at the end room. Amongst all this, a single female Controller had the job of sorting all it out.
She never stopped working on the futile task, even when she was talking to Josh.
“Ah, are you the assistant that I have been begging the Vissors for?”
Josh said nothing but moved to clear the desk. He used the length of his arm to clear the desk of papers and diagrams and sent them sprawling onto the floor.
“Ah good, you can start by cleaning up the floor around the holo console, we can do the rest later”
All this time she never made eye contact with josh. That was especially important now as josh pulled out his pistol from the undercoat and started towards her.
“There are no good record keepers anymore, most have killed off by the Vissors or”
She was interrupted in mid sentence when josh grab her on the back of her throat, shoved her face down on to the desk and aimed the pistol on the back of her head.
“Scream and I blow your f**king head off” he said in a tone that oozed rage.
For the first time, she made eye contact with him.
“Josh?” she squeaked.
“That’s right, slug” he said calmly. “I am here to deliver a message to you and my mother”.
Now she said nothing.
“You’re going to die here slug.” He said. “You are going to die because you take what doesn’t belong to you and make slaves of people that don’t obey you. We know this is how you do things, enslaving people around the universe.
“and we know that you have come to this world to do that all over again” Josh smiled as he knew what to say next. “but we are not the submissive bunch of monkeys you thought we would be. We are humans have killed each other for the simple fact that we don’t like each other, imagine what we will do you do slugs”
For a second, his hand tighten around butt of the gun then relaxed and bent over her until his head was behind her ear.
“now I have a message for my mother” he said in a softer voice. “don’t worry about me, I have given this one chance and I plan to make the most of it, I always loved you and always will, and know this: we will be together soon”.
In one quick action, he move his head back and pulled the trigger. The silencer let a high pitch squeak and josh winced as the body fell back as it looked alike it was a puppet whose strings where cut. He paused for a moment then walk out of the room.
the guard said something as exited the trailer but Josh said nothing and continued on his way.
he began to make his way out of the construction site when he turned around for one last glance a the trailer.
the guard that had accompany him for his travel to the trailer now came out of it, spoke into the radio and ran towards him.
the hair on the back of Josh's neck stood up as his adrenalin spiked and he took off towards the neon glow of the under city.
his heart began to pound as he ran and the buildings around him became a blur. as he turned into the side streets, he spotted a bunch of humans heading into a fast food restaurant that had golden arch for the symbols. almost instantly, he slowed down and began to follow them into the back room. he worked quickly controlled his breathing and started to listen for what they were saying.
"hear that the Colts won last night against the Redskins?" said the guy that he was behind.
"nah, it would have been won if the coach would have train their QB some more instead of being a ball hog" said the guy ahead of him.
Josh was surprised. these people almost sounded....normal
more reason to hate them more
they proceed into the backroom where there was a t.v. on a stand mounted on a wall, chairs, beanbags, and other types of furnishings around the room. josh took up the chair next to the guy that had been in front of him.
and sat down in it. he paused for a moment to get a better look around the room.
the walls were purple and pictures of unknown lands hung on them. the furnishings themselves alternated the color between them and were positions around a coffee table in the center that held food, movies and all sorts of other things.
Josh was had just finished scanning the room when the door open and a Hork-Bajir came in. Josh sized him up in a second. the Hork had grenades, a radio, a dracon beam and a skull and crossbones tattooed into his left arm.
of all the things above, the skull and crossbones stuck out more to josh than anything else. namely he knew what the meant. the guard was an Executioner and if he was here, then it would be only a matter of time until the slugs find him.
the guard looked around the room and started to scan the room. josh kept his head low as he did. only when did he found nothing of interest, did he speak.
"a few minutes ago, a sub-visser was killed"
a few gasps filled the room but not much.
"we are still investigating what has happened or who was the cause of it but we suspect the rebels were behind it and as such, we are currently searching every possible place that the assassin could have hidden,
so as of right now, we are on lock down and no one leaves this room until i come back" then the guard turned and walked out the door.
for a minute, silence filled the room and no one spoke.
then the guy that had been behind Josh in line spoke up. "why do these rebels just surrender?" those worlds stung like a hornet in Joshua's ears, "i mean like, these guys are going the win no matter what so might as well be with the".
nods and whispers of agreement followed up on that statement. Josh could have no more. he pulled out his pistol from under the coat and aimed it dead center of the speaker's forehead. "traitor" he said. "you are noting but a pig that would love it's master even though you are too stupid to see that they are going to slaughter you in the end" he fired the gun.
the Traitor's body fell back into his seat and josh looked around to see what the rest of the pig were doing. he saw them frozen with shock and disbelief about what just happened. without a moment's hesitation, Josh pulled out his frag grenade, pulled out the pin dropped in the center of the room and walked out the door. once he had walked out the door, he turned and used his body to push/hold it shut. the shock that had taken over within head vanished to be replaced with sheer terror and panic.
1
Josh had to keep pushed with all his might to keep the door shut against the power of the mob inside.
2
he notice that other people were looking at him in the restraint but he didn't care and still he pushed.
"LET US OUT YOU CRAZY-"
3
the door was blown off it's hinges by the force of the Frag and Josh briefly wondered why he was above the floor instead of walking on it, then he black out as hit the polished, white marble floor below.
Blackness was all that Josh could see when he came around. He wondered if he died for a second but then dull pain in his right leg and heavy weight on his back told him that he was very much alive.
For a few seconds, he just laid there, breathing and trying to figure out who he was, and what just happened. Then, like the proverbial light bulb, the memories came rushing back in.
Get up! Said a voice in the back of his mind.Get up or they will kill you!
Then he started to get up. It was straining at first but as he kept pushing up, most of the weight fell to one side, allowing him to finally push the rest of it off.
As he rose, his vision flooded with light and when he finally stood all the way up, it took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust.
When his eyes adjusted, it seemed like he in his worst nightmare or his best dream as he felt the familiar slap of the AK bounce against his leg when he took in the sight.
The sight in front of him was filled with the restaurant and the yeerk pool beyond that that he just came into, filled with Hork-Bajirs and Humans who seem like they were frozen in time. Some sat in the chairs in the bars and booths while others stopped in mid step, their eyes all on him. Their mouths open in disbelief.
The only movement came from hungry Taxxons as they weave and wobbled their way to and fro from the aisles, Too busy stop on their quest for some dropped food to devour to notice that they were in mortal danger.
Josh looked behind him and saw a grisly sight. The weight that he had to push up from was formerly a green door that was stained crimson red but what turn it that color was all over the area behind him.
A torso wearing a blue shirt with an American Eagle logo was lying on the left side of the door. Fresh white bones showing from were its limbs had been. Decapitated limbs and burnt bodies litter showing charred skin and the muscle underneath. A hand was still holding the door handle with a white death grasp.
Josh felt no pity for the people that were inside it but he felt no pleasure out of the sight. The emotional part of his brain refused was still starting up from the dazed state that he was in.
Josh felt something drip down his forehead and wiped it off and looked at it. It was the color of blood and it took a second to realize that it blood. Then he looked at himself.
His trench coat was shredded, and the piece fell off in tatters when he got up. Without the trench coat, what it concealed was revealed to everyone who looked at him.
Two rows of C4 were duct-taped on his chest attached to a detonator in his jean pocket, the AK-47 slung on his back, and the pistol on his side held the room in shock.
He realized all the eyes were on him now and there will be no going back.They are all watching me He thought, like an actor on a stage
He knew he should have been scared, he knew that he should have been trembling with fear. But a feeling of righteousness filled him and drove away the fear as the sun drives away the dark.
He looked outside of the restaurant and saw the people in cages, cowering and screaming. A feeling of hatred filled him. This was a special hatred that only shown it's self in certain times in history. This hatred does not want the enslavement or power over an other but screamed it's annihilation and obliteration of the other. Some call it the fighting spirit while there are others call it jihad.
Joshua looked and bellowed "FOR HUMANITY!” then, in one rapid motion, he took the pistol and fired at one of the onlookers at the register. A .5 inch hole and red mist appeared the man's head and he crumpled to the forum. Limbs twitching and blood dripping from the hole.
As if the gun shot broke some spell, everything fell into chaos. Some people climbed out of their booths and ran, mindless of anyone who was trembled down in their path. the guards that were frozen in shock animated and pulled out their pistols and dracon beams and fired into the fleeing crowd in an effort to get a shot at Josh.
meanwhile, in the confusion, Josh took up position behind a booth, over turn the table there and started to fire. he first tried to target all of the guards but their was simply too many people in the way in his line of fire so he held held his fire for the time being. the guards on the other hand, unleashed a torrent of gunshots and dracon beams into the crowd.
The crowd erupted in screams and attempted to panic as the beams cut into them. Josh took cover in a booth of the restaurant, turning a table on it’s side to grant him cover.
He heard a scream louder than the others and turn to his right to find a Taxxon trying to eat a man that had his leg broken when the crowd trampled on it. It’s jaw going up his right leg with the sicking grinding sound of teeth as it torn into the flesh.
With a scowl, Josh took aim and fire the AK, blowing the Taxxon’s head apart. Then he took aim a second time towards the man that had suffered so much agony and ended his suffering.
By the time he did that, the most of the people and creatures in the restaurant were either dead, dying, or being eaten by the Taxxons. The exceptions was Josh and the Hork-Banjir guards that have started too take up positions in the ruins of the booths.
Josh looked up and saw a Hork Banjir guard jump over a booth separating the halls of the booths and open fire upon him. Two thumb size wounds appeared in the huge lizard and it fell over, shrieking in pain.
Josh took out two of his comrades as they rush over to help their fallen friend and took out a third as he tried to rush up the hall towards him.
The guards now started to fire back and Josh was forced to take cover behind his booth.
He shut his eyes briefly as the bullets whizzed above his head. He opened them to see that the wall behind him was full of bullet holes and whipped around to resume fire at the guards.
The firefight continued and the guards were slowly but surly gaining ground on him and he him self was running out of ammo.
He lifted the gun to fire again but only heard a click come from it. The guards (who didn’t know that he was out of ammo) dove to the right side of the isle, the blades on their arms tearing up leather cushions as they hit them. this is your only chance now. he thought, he jumped over the barricades that had preserved his life and ran for the gap that the guards made by dashing to the side. He ran far as he could before a guard tackled him to the ground. He struggled and turned over to face his attack but more guards jump on him and most of his body was rendered immobile by the sheer weight on top of him. His face contorted as he tried to suppress the pain coming from his body from were the blades of the guards cut into him. He felt his own life blood come running out of him. so this is it... he thought, this is how it all ends. one of the guard’s limbs hit him in the jaw and that swung his head around.
The scene gave him a clear view of the yeerk pool. It’s vast city of neon lights, it’s expansive web of support beams, it’s star ships, it’s cages… Josh watched as the people yelled and screamed against the bars of the cages, he watched as those cries for help slowly disappeared. He watched as they were watching him. And they grew quiet as they watched him... That he would become like them… They knew that he failed
Josh felt a soul numbing sense of despair grip him as he also knew that he had failed.
have you failed? said a voice from the back of his mind or are you about to triumph?
As the voice spoke, the detonator fell out of his pocket and into his hand.
have you failed josh? Have you surrendered your freedom? Your soul? Your humanity?
“no” he said, barely audio able over the wave of bodies on top of him.
have you forgotten what these creatures did to you? Have you forgotten what pain they cause you, your mother, and everyone they touch?
“No” he said louder
His head returned to the scene that he saw before. He saw the people in cages, eyes wet with sorrow.
do you remember what it was like to be in there? Do you know what it is like for them? Pain, agony, madness! Have you forgotten?
“NO!” he screamed, his hand curled into a fist until it was white with the button of the facing outwards on the thumb side.
Then prove it! Prove it to them; Prove it to the slugs, Prove to everyone that you will not surrender of which you hold dear! You fight for them! You fight for your mother! You fight for the Underground!
Josh felt the weight that held his arm come free. He seized the chance and his hand shot up through the mass of bodies.
His head swarmed with images, of memories, of people and place. He past friends and family, he saw the life he have had, and the last image he saw was his mother looking at him with a loving smile.
FOR YOUR MOTHER! FOR HUMANITY!
“FOR THE UNDERGROUND!” he screamed.
He pressed the detonator and his life ended in a blinding flash of light.
Post Merged: April 20, 2010, 01:32:40 AM
Chapter 1
A few minutes earlier
Inspector Horal was tired. His host’s eye showed that fact by how red and bloodshot they were. The primitive Gedd mind urged and begged him to rest and sleep. Horal had some sympathy for the poor creature (for he too needed rest) but there is no rest for the wearily and Horal knew that he was going to have to meet with the Vissor as soon as possible.
“So… we are really going to meet the exulted and revered Vissor Three?” Horal’s apprentice Grendal asked in a tone that reeked of sarcasm.
“I don’t know anything about a exulted but yes, we are going to meet with that failure of a Vissor” Horal said without looking from his papers.
Grendal laughed softly, his host’s Hork Banjir chest moving up and down as he did.
“I hope we can throw this Vissor in a cell before he buries us with a mountain of crap”
Horal showed a subtle smile before continuing with the paperwork.
Horal always was fond of how easily Grendal shared the Inspector’s view point of Vissors. He also knew that if they can get pass this assignment, Horal will be with Grendal when he becomes a Inspector in his own right. But until then, they have to deal with this Vissor Three.
Tunnels of pipes, lights, and steel surrounded them as they moved through the Vissor’s ship with only colored lights to guided them. Horal gave out a huff of disapproval. He knew what this Vissor was trying to do. these Vissors are all the same he thought, they drag you through their ships to “impress” or try to intimated you. Then they try to act all smug. if this Vissor thought he could do that same, he was going to be deeply disappointed.
Grendal tried to break the silence by doing what he as done before…complaining about his host.
“I should have gotten kept the Gedd” he said for the thousandth time since they arrived. “I didn’t think it was this much trouble putting up with Deinsal”. to put a period in his sentence, he pulled out a injector and stabbed it directly into Deinsal’s leg. They stopped for a second to let Grendal to empty the rest of the injector into blood and muscle. Grendal used to winch as during the first few years with his host but he soon got used to the pain.
After a few minutes, they picked up and moved on.
Grendal always complained about his host whenever he had spare time. He (like many Inspector apprentices) got to choose a host. Most of them pick Gedd’s ( some were Mantles who think that only host that a decent yeerk should have is a Gedd but many of the chose Gedd because simply they didn’t want to deal with the infighting between yeerk and host). But there are some that pick other hosts (the majority of them Radicals who think that yeerks should control every species that they get their hands on, but there are some that just want the thrill of having some new host, Grendal was part of the latter set).
On his initiation day, he was given a choice between a male Gedd or a female member of the newly discovered Hork Banjir. He chose Deinsal and has regretted that decision ever since.
Grendal’s problem with Deinsal wasn’t that she was fighting against him like most of the Hork Banjir hosts (to the contrary, when Horal questioned her about her freedoms, she gave a reply that made Horal question if the young Hork Banjir loved Grendal but he dismissed it as simply affection for Grendal getting rid of her urges) and her being one of the Hork Banjir seers didn’t really add to the problem.
Deinsal’s problem was a genetic disorder that she had that made the poor Hork Banjir crave mating as a Taxxon craves food. The disorder is called Drarodous Appriso but the Hork Banjir simply call it “the wandering” (among other things). The disorder show’s it’s self after the onset of the Hork Banjir puberty has set in. it’s symptoms show in both sexes and both are treated the same in Hork Banjir society. They are thrown out of the villages and tree cities and made to live like outcasts among the deeper forest.
Horal theorized that is may have been one of the reasons why Deinsal was so willing to give her self up to the invaders. It’s hard to stand with people that treat you little better than a dog.
Grendal instantly knew of this problem when he enter Deinsal mind and memory but by then, it was done. He had chosen, papers were signed, seals were stamped and he was stuck with the dysfunctional seer.
Grendal told Horal of this when we had a moment of privacy together. At first Horal didn’t really think anything about it and told Grendal to try to managed it as best he could. For the first few months, Horal noticed that Grendal would have certain ‘ticks’ and involuntary motions at all times of the day. Horal noticed subtle things like how Grendal’s mouth would hang out for about 30 seconds longer when talking to a male of any species, or Grendal trying to fighting to fight the urged to lunged in the direction of the nearby diplomats.
At first, Horal thought it was amusing, then it got annoying, then at 6 months, it got dangerous
The indent that made Horal change his mind was when they were trying to investigate a sub vissor dealing in dead yeerk corpses. During the course in the investigation, a human male happened to walk by and for some reason, that simple act made Deinsal’s instincts flare and by the time the guards had restrained Grendal, the man had died from blood loss from Deinsal’s blades.
After this, Horal sent for a order of drugs to combat the urges that wracked Deinsal’s mind (and in turn, Grendal’s) it took 5 days to arrived and all the while, Horal confined Grendal to a small room in his ship compete with it’s own yeerk pool. By the time the 3rd day came around , Deinsal had to be hospitalized for a broken arm and a series of deep gashes along her waist. When Horal asked her about why she did this, she replied “it’s better to feel the sting and remind my self of who I am than to give into the lust and forget everything I have fought for”. when Horal later tried to question Grendal about what happen, he would simply turn his head and change the subject.
Regardless of what happened in the locked room, the drugs arrived and the urges that had tormented Deinsal all her life subsided. And for that, Horal mused, She was thankful for Grendal and Horal often thought that the feeling was more than mutual.
“Be thankful that you have a host that will live past 60” Horal replied. “Gedds have a tendency to die before they hit 40”
“true but you already know about all the body functions that happen during their lives, where I am just learn about all the up keeping it to keep a Hork Banjir alive and well.”
Horal laughed, “well, now you know why I am a Mantle now, the Gedds atlest come with a handbook”
“don’t forget that we young people get to find out the hard way and write those handbooks” Grendal said with a faint smile.
“I suppose” was all that Horal could say before rubbing his old eyes and continuing down the metal labyrinth of tunnels of the Vissor’s ship.
Horal’s Gedd host was old. Gravity had taken it’s toll on the it’s skin and now sections of it hung loosely around the face and arms. Age also affected the position of Gedd’s spine so instead of the usual ape stance that most Gedd’s, his was more of a human with both hands free. That helped Horal do his work while walking at the same time. It also gave him the appearance of a little green man walking around.
They continued to follow the lights that supposedly pointed him to the bridge of the ship (Horal simply thought that the Vissor minions were simply changing the color of the lights so that they will delay the him and give the Vissor time to seal away evidence that would connection to illegal activities, he would find out later that there was a perplexing malfunction in the lighting that just started to happen today ) and by the time they arrived to the bridge of the ship, it felt like old Gedd’s legs were about to fall off.
< please take a seat Inspector> said a voice from nowhere. <I hope you find everything in order>
Horal quickly took one of the seats at the center of the bridge and Grendal took the seat right next to him. Grendal pass him a hand held computer. Horal took a disk out from one of his many pockets in his robe and slide it into the computer. It gave a buzzing sound and gave a green blinking screen. Satisfied, Horal proceed to start the meeting with the Vissor.
The Vissor had an andalite for a host (that fact didn’t really scare or impress Horal, since he had the authority to take or kill the Vissor’s host if he wanted to) and from what the inspector could tell, the host was a veteran. Long angry scars crisscrossed around the torso and belly of the host and by the details, they looked like recently healed claw marks.
Horal thought it was a shame that whoever did that didn’t kill him. It would have made his job a lot easier.
Horal also noticed sighs of nervousness.
The way the stalk eyes remained completely still while the tail seemed to have a mind of it’s own, weaving and twisting in the air and sometimes nearly hitting one of the crewmembers.
Horal paused for a second for dramatic effect before calling the meeting to order.
<everything is progressing smoothly> (which the Horal knew from his paper work) <we have had an 30% increase in production and mobilization in the last 3 weeks>
His old Gedd nose twitched as he watched the Vissor. He watched as his tail was moving continually as the “meeting” progressed. He also how noticed the sub Visser and technicians on the bridge started to turn their heads and smirk at the Visser’s nervousness for a second before going back to work.
Horal took a second to absorb the side before him. He was aboard the blade ship’s bridge. The bridge it’s self was a marvel of yeerk engineering . The room was a square but you would never tell that because all the corners came together and rounded off. Around and behind the Inspector were technicians looking at screens that showed a variety of topics such as Heat Input to the engines, Weapon cooling, Reactor Control, and the like. They were like bees, always moving about, never stopping in their task to keep this ship in one piece and working.
Behind the nervous Visser lay a more operators and stations but the view port dominated the scene. It showed the yeerk pool in a in real time. He saw massive city that it had become, every district was shown.
He could even see it grow right before his eyes. While he and the Visser “talked” , the cranes and other construction equipment continued working at a rapid pace.
But the inspector knew the real reason why the visser want to talk here. Vissers wanted to show their power of to Inspectors, thinking that their prestige will cover up their failings. And so far, Horal was unimpressed.
“That may be but I am not here for that,” he watched the Vissor’s tail blade come an inch from smacking one of the sub vissors when Horal let that bomb drop. “I am hear to take an inquiry of the protection and security of this facility and if necessary, take control of it and to investigate any illicit activities in this facility, particularly dealing with contraband and pleasure groups.”
Horal took pressed a button on his hand handle device and a hologram appeared showing a dark haired 17 year old male human in the process of fighting a male Hork Banjir. The Hork was a guard (Horal could tell by the color of the blades) and for some reason, he had a stun mace instead of the usual Dracon beams that they are issued. The human was clearly unshaven, it’s eyes more glowed with evil and malice and had a wicked smile that only blood lust and insanity could create to complete the set. The size of the monster was average for a male of that age. The human also wear a long coat that weaved and swayed as it moved, giving him the appearance of a ghost as the dodged to guard.
The guard tried to grab the beast but before he could raise his arm to strike him with the mace, the human pounced on him much like a cat and knocked the guard down on the ground. The camera angle of the hologram showed the Demon directly on top of the guard but it’s coat had covered up everything except for the lower part of the guard who’s legs squirmed in a desperate effort to get away then stopped suddenly moving only with the occasional twitch.
The Demon continued to tear into the guard in a method that the hologram could not show (since the camera angle was facing the back of the Demon) and in a last final show of triumph, got up, ripped the guard’s heart out from his chest, raised above his head, and (in full view of the camera), ate it. The Demon then got up, turned his head, wiped the blood from his mouth, smiled that insane smile, and leapt out of the hologram. Leaving the mutilated corpse of the guard to be shown to the camera. Many of the crew members that have been watching the hologram dashed outside the bridge, grabbing the buckets that the maintenance crew left behind after their shift.
“and this has gone on for 7 months now?” Horal turn the hologram off and looked directly at the Vissor.
Horal saw the gears turn as the Visser’s mind try to understand how the Inspector could have know this fact and to come up with some new excuse. Horal chose to push onward before waiting for an answer
“and I might add that you are diverting a large part of our forces in a wild goose chase for the “andalite bandits" while leaving a human resistance to grow unchecked”.
The Visser’s eyes lit up and he stomped his front right foot into the metal hull.
<I have taken the precautions necessary to go after the greatest threat first> he said, choosing his words carefully.
Horal scoffed “These humans have done more damage in a 3 week period than the andalite bandits could have done in a year!” Horal was starting to see that this visit was going to turn into a permanent stay.
<I have everything undercon->
“LOOK OUT!”
The crew members barely had time to duck before something came crashing through the glass that overlooked the pool. The guards took little time in taking out their guns and tracking what ever came through. Horal and Grendal stood up and pulled out their own firearms. Horal could see that the object wasn’t a bomb or wasn’t even electronic for that matter. It continue roll toward Horal and it stopped at his feet. It took a second before Horal realized that he was looking into a human face.
Joshua looked up at Horal with eyes that had glowed with peace and serenity, the lower part of Joshua’s head was burned beyond recognition.
Horal took a second to absorb what happen then glared back at the Vissor who stood in shock over the whole ordeal.
“it has become apparent to me the human rebels have grown unchecked and seeing your incompetence in dealing with the matter, I hereby use the Council authority to take control of the forces here to deal with this matter” Horal glance back the stunned Vissor and watched as the Vissor’s hope to get rid of the Inspector as quickly as possible come crashing down.
Horal got up, ejected the disk out of his handheld, put back in one of the pockets of his many robes, and gave the hand held back to Grendal who put in a pocket in the pouch that contained Deinsal’s meds. After this was done, both started the long trek back to the Inspector’s ship. When they pass beyond the bridge and when the air lock doors closed behind them, Horal thought he heard the Vissor screaming in a rage and a series of thumps hit the bridge floor. But he put them out of his mind as he continued down the metal labyrinth.
