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3
Great billows of smoke were swirling everywhere; it was impossible to see clearly. A red light was blinking on off and it gave everything an unnatural glow. He headed for the front of the ship first, thinking this ‘Mya’ person was a co-pilot. He found the cockpit and was startled to find an exact replica of what he had seen in his dream. The room was empty, and with only one seat in front of the dashboard, it appeared that the man outside was the only pilot. He turned around and headed down the darkened hallway. The smoke was slowly dissipating, and he was able to see his way a lot better. The hallway was short and ended in a juncture.
Okay now, which way, left or right?
Ohhh…came a disembodied voice, Tam... where are you?
Brent damn near jumped out of his skin at the sound; he also noted the voice sounded female and was coming from the right.
“Ok, right it is.”
He made his way to the right and observed the hall curved back to the left.
Tam? Answer me Tam!
He picked up alarm in the voice now. He decided he didn’t need a hysterical female on his hands and decided to chance an answer.
Tam is not here Mya; he is outside in my sled. He was injured; a deep gash on his forehead rendered him unconscious. I’m a friend Mya; an Earth friend. My name is Brent, and I’m here to help, where are you?
There was a long moment of silence. During this time Brent felt a tingling sensation all thru his body. His head felt like a swarm of bees were buzzing about inside. Then it all stopped as suddenly as it began. After a bit he guessed the woman was scared and deciding whether or not to trust him.
Tam is injured?
Yes, but he’s alive.
You are of this world?
Yes.
Your consciousness is vastly superior to most of your kind. You show no fear, only curiosity. I will allow this help due to the mitigating circumstances.
Gee thanks! Answered Brent sarcastically, which was totally lost on Mya.
I am about twenty feet further down the walkway. A beam has trapped me and I am unable to move.
Brent counted his steps down the walkway and stopped and looked around. There was no one on the ground in any direction. He looked carefully moving all sorts of crates and barrels.
I can’t see you anywhere.
I am right above you. (replied an exasperated voice)
Brent looked up and saw nothing. He took two of the crates and positioned them and stepped up. On a ledge outcropping that ran the entire length of the ship he saw to his amazement, a small creature. It was dragon-like in appearance; it’s wing was pinned, and it lay face down, beneath a large steel-like beam.
Oh my God, is that you?
Yes, and it is very uncomfortable, please hurry.
Brent looked over the area and judged quickly that if he removed the metal at the rear he would be able to raise the beam without causing anything else to fall down. He did so quickly and then came back to the creature and lifted the beam. The small dragon-like creature pulled itself free and stood. It tried out its wing several times before turning and facing him.
Thank you Brent of Earth, I am in your debt.
You are most welcome Mya. I think we should move quickly, I wouldn’t want your friend to freeze outside.
First we must go to the pilot’s chair. It was an order – not a request. We must retrieve something before we can leave the ship here.
The creature took off and flew straight to the cockpit with Brent running behind her. As he entered he saw it sitting in the middle of the large console.
Please sit down in the chair and turn it around.
Brent did and the chair moved by itself and slid forward centering him amid the vast array of dials and buttons.
Ship, this is Mya of the First Council, lower the retrieval remote.
ACKNOWLEDGED, MYA OF THE FIRST COUNCIL replied a disembodied voice.
A hidden door slid open and a small platform was lowered from above. On it was a strange looking ‘remote’ with several buttons on it. It was shaped like some weird space gun from a Science Fiction movie.
Please take the device Brent, and place it in your pocket. He did as instructed.
Now we may leave, she announced.
They left the cabin and went directly down the walkway to the door. Outside the wind howled loudly; snow and ice swirled about wildly; the storm had increased in ferocity. The sled bearing the man was completely covered in snow.
We are going to have to hurry if we hope to make it back to my cabin before we freeze. Can you tolerate the cold?
Not really.
If I may so bold, Brandon opened his coat, I can offer you the warmth of my body heat.
It is not permitted; my touch could have an effect on you, physically. We who are paired with a Peacekeeper do not touch other beings.
Brent turned and looked at the creature.
Look Mya, there is a raging storm about to hit us; if we are caught in it we will freeze in a matter of minutes. Your friend needs medical help real soon; and you are worried about touching me? Well don’t; I’ll take my chances. Now please attach yourself to my sweater or by God I will leave you here.
Very well Brent of Earth, your argument is a sound one.
The little creature leaped onto Brent thick sweater and he closed his coat over it and buttoned up. It stretched its head so it could see out over the top button. When they reached the sled Brent brushed off the snow and opened the blanket so the creature could see her friend.
Before we leave Brent of Earth, please take out the device from your pocket and point it at the ship. Brent did as instructed.
Now press the blue button twice.
He did as told and the ship disappeared.
“Son of a ...” he exclaimed.
I beg your pardon?
Sorry Mya, just an earth expression. Let’s get moving.
Thirty minutes later Brent was huffing and puffing and not making much progress. The wind had increased in velocity and the snow was making it difficult to move. He was beginning to realize that he was not strong enough to pull the sled with the man all the way to his cabin. Sensing the same, Mya offered a solution.
Brent of Earth, I can see that you are having difficultly pulling the sled. May I offer assistance?
No offence Mya, but exactly what are you capable of doing?
Normally this would be forbidden Brent, but circumstances dictate that we must reach shelter quickly or we shall surely freeze. Please open your coat and release me.
Brent opened his coat and the tiny dragon flew off about twenty feet. It rose in the swirling snow and began to spin. Faster and faster it spun. A bright light began to form around it and before he could count to ten Brent was looking at a twenty-foot dragon towering above him.
“Son of a bitch!” he exclaimed grinning.
Mya reached down and picked up the sled and asked Brent to show the way. It took them fifteen minutes to reach his cabin. Mya placed the sled on the porch in front of the door and stepped away. The same bright light appeared and suddenly the tiny dragon appeared again, falling into the snow. Brent ran over and gently picked her up and received a large jolt of electricity for his effort, which knocked him on his ass.
I did warn you, chuckled Mya.
Brent shook his head, rose and went directly to the door, opened it and entered the cabin with Mya in his hands. He went to his bed and pulled the blankets down and laid the tiny dragon on one of the pillows. He removed his headgear and goggles and coat, then went to the sled and pulled it into the house closing the door quickly. He moved the man from the sled and plopped him onto the bed. He went over to the fire and added two more logs.
Rusty, who was curious, rose and sniffing the air started towards the bed.
“We have unexpected guests, Rusty, and they are off limits.”
The tone in his voice told the cat this was a ‘no-no’, and the feline sat down.
Brent looked above at the advancing hawk, who was observing the situation also.
“That goes for you too Red, off limits, you understand?”
The hawk keened once and returned to its original perch.
It appears this human has dominion over the animals of this planet, Mya thought to herself as she watched Brent.
Brent went into the kitchen and filled a large bowl with water and returned. He went to the bed and began to remove the man’s boots and jacket.
Well, he’s humanoid in appearance, he thought with a sigh.
The man appeared quite muscular, his body well toned. He had chiseled facial features with a classic Roman nose; he had the kind of good looks that drive the ladies wild. His white hair was thick and long, and his hands were six fingered. Brent placed him under the covers, cleaned his head wound and used butterfly Band-Aids on the open tear.
Satisfied, he went into the kitchen, threw the water down the drain, rinsed the bowl and washed his hands. He leaned against the sink for a moment, thinking. He reached above one of the cabinets and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels and took a long swig. It burned going down, but seemed to steady him.
Son of a bitch – I’ve got aliens, real aliens, sleeping in my house! I just hope they managed to land without attracting any attention from the feds. Those boys will be all over this mountain by morning if they did. Geese, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here.
He sighed deeply; everything that happened was catching up to him.
God I’m tired, I just want to rest for a bit.
He looked around the corner, both his ‘guests’ were sleeping. Brent pulled out one of his sleeping bags from the storage area and placed it in front of the fireplace. He locked everything up; changed into pajamas, and climbed into the sleeping bag. He took a deep breath and let his mind replay everything from the time he first saw the ship. He drifted off to sleep in a matter of minutes.
In the early morning hours Mya woke and quietly rose checking out her new surroundings. She studied the cabin carefully thinking it primitive at first, but reassessed her judgment when she realized the man wanted it to appear that way. He had taken great pains to conceal the cabin in the midst of a heavy forest, set flat against the side of a mountain. It was simple in design to blend in with the surrounding area. Inside there was the appearance of minimum use of space. Appearances can be deceiving; Mya saw there was a hidden room at the rear of the cabin, behind a bookcase. Mya flew to the bookcase/door at the rear of the cabin and using her mind, opened it. She scanned the interior and ‘saw’ the short-wave radio set; the rifles on the wall; the crossbow; and a well stocked root cellar beneath the floor. This man was well prepared… but for what she wondered.
The hawk perched in the rafters above keened lightly and caught Mya’s attention. Mya returned the great birds glare with distain. A flare of the tail feathers and a challenge and within the blink of an eye Mya was on the beam not five feet from the large bird.
The Hawk lowered his head and stretched his neck.
I will not allow you to hurt this man, he hissed at her.
I have no intention of harming your master, Mya explained, he has a good heart.
You and your friend are not of this world, hissed the hawk again.
It was a statement of fact and Mya quickly realized that the great hawk was a lot more intelligent than she first thought. She was finding that things were not at all as they appeared on this strange planet. She decided to tell the hawk the truth… partially.
She turned and faced the hawk and bowed with great flair.
My friend and I are Peacekeepers, Great One. I am Mya of the First Council.
Mya spread her wings and stood erect in announcing her place.
The hawk flared its wings and lowered its head in reply.
We were attempting to track down a dangerous criminal who was reported headed towards your planet. He attacked, damaging our ship severely and we crash-landed here. My friend was injured and I was trapped. Your master showed up and offered to help us.
Red puffed up his feathers; and what of your quarry?
His ship exploded in space, but as we were busy trying to keep ours from doing the same, I cannot be sure that he died in the ship. If he got away, he will do everything in his power to find us and kill your master.
The great hawk closed his eyes and remained still for some time. Just as Mya was about to give up he raised his head and turned to her spreading his wings wide again.
I am Alpha, First of the Red Hawks that abide in this valley; only the Teacher ranks higher.
Mya bowed in respectful acknowledgement.
For your benefit, and the man’s safety I will call upon my brothers and sisters across this valley to inform me if any strangers approach the mountain. The man has helped many in this valley asking nothing in return. This human is not like other humans; he sees the creators’ beauty and understands. He is under our protection and we will not allow harm to come to him. When the Teacher returns, I will petition him and ask for his help.
Mya picked up the feeling that the great bird thought of the man as one does of a favorite pet.
I thank you Alpha for your generosity and assistance in this matter.
Mya gave a short curtsy and turned around and returned to the pillow on the bed curling up.