The Terran
Bobegnop has had it. He tried keeping his damaged shuttle flightworthy while entering the atmosphere of a remote Terran colony. All while the mad Terran was trying to break into the pilots cabin. What started as a simple recon mission ended in utter chaos!
His hive mistress Sbark had found something about a new species in the diplomatic reports, the Terrans. And that the Nacluv Birds where practically shitting themselves even thinking about them. She showed a video where a Terran easily subdued a Nacluv Bird. Tore him apart, without mercy! What past grievance drove the Terrans to such cruelty? The mighty Empire of Nacluv. Fearing a newcomer species. It was too good to be true.
Sbark, that half hatched idiot, was sure they would make for good soldiers for the Retsbol Hive if given the right incentive, giving finally the Hive the power to put down the arrogant Nacluvs for good!
A week later Bobegnop was commanding a light frigate towards Terran space. They looked for a Terran for a while and finally found one taking a sun bath near a grain field. A hideous creature, a mammal, obviously an experienced hunter, deep eyes fixating the landing party, so much different than his insect brothers. They tried stunning the Terran but it knew what they were up to and evaded with ease, hunted them down to the light frigate and only by sheer luck they managed to trap him in the airlock, half his crew badly beaten up. By the good hive mother, if that creature had know where their shells had their weak spots it would have easily killed half his crew!
For days they tried communicating. The creature was obviously very smart and knew exactly they tried to communicate with it. But it also was sneaky, patient, and FAST! Every time it appeared docile, every time it lay sleepy in a corner, every single time it was a ruse! As soon as they opened the door it jumped at them, trying to escape. And after a while it just did. With a mad jump it flew above the experienced hive warriors and vanished into the deeps of the ship.
For a whole week we searched for it. Crawled after it through maintenance tubes. Tried luring it into traps in the storage room. But it evaded everything while tearing the ship slowly apart from the inside. A ripped wire here, a clogged pipe there, a tool hidden somewhere, a cup of liquid carelessly poured into a delicate machinery. And it ate everything. Small critters living in small holes, the grass in the arboretum, once it even ripped of a leg of a soldier which we later found eaten. Horrible!
In the end I had enough. The frigate was considered nearly a total loss, most of my crew were wounded and hiding in the sick bay. So I did what a captain had to do. I lured the Terran into my shuttle by using our last rations and finally managed to trap it. But I was also trapped in the pilot department, the mad Terran in the passenger room behind me.
It deserved death. But I was not the Retsbol able to make his just end. So I took the shuttle craft to the planet where we fetched it. Landed near the field where the horrors began. And finally, just a mere press of a button away, the farce would be over.
I pressed the button but nothing happened. The Terran hat ripped out the power to the shuttle door. I was trapped here forever with this eldritch horror. I made my peace.
…
“Howdy Partner? What kind of critter are you?”
Waking up from an unhealthy sleep, I watched through the windscreen at a strange and big creature which had just knocked at my shuttle and yelled so loud I could hear him inside my shuttle. The translator worked perfectly, so much better than with the Terran. Pointing to where the outside phone was accessible he quickly understood what I tried to do and picked up the phone.
“Howdy, never seen such a creature like you before. You are from the stars?”
“Oh yes. We tried contacting a Terran. But he is so cruel and now I am trapped with him inside this shuttle. Can you see this daemon from the side window?”
The two legged creature stepped to the side window, gazed inside for a moment.
“The orange fellow?”
“Yes, that is him!”
“Oh, I see the problem. I know the little rascal, have been searching for him for days. Just open the door and I will take care of him.”
“You are sure? It is a dangerous being!”
“Nah, I know all his dirty little tricks and actually he accepted me as a friend a while ago. Just open the door, I’ll be good.”
“You need to pull the door open manually, the Terran destroyed the mechanism.”
“Roger that. Pull here?”
The being nearly ripped out the shuttle door, bending it slightly but opened it up halfway. The Terran flexed his muscles and made it to the door, straight at the being, obviously out for blood!
“Hey Garfield you little tomcat! Where have you been? Did you visit some aliens?”
The ‘Tomcat’ was jumping up into the arms of the being but instead of mangling him he started to caress him, started to purr, obviously feeling happy seeing his friend again.
“You are hungry and dirty, what shenanigans did you play with the funny alien? You have been a bad cat?”
“Meow!”
“Yeah, I see. You are happy being home again. Hey Lobster Guy, you can come out now. He is relaxed and I will keep you safe.”
Bobegnop carefully climbed through the half open door, looked up to the two legged creature. Garfield looked back angrily, making a hissing noise.
“Big Being, what are you? You know these Terrans?”
“Sure, we are both from Terra. I am a human, names Jon. That fat fellow here is Garfield, he is a cat. Want me to make contact to out government for a proper fist contact? Or are you just passing by?”
“Uh, well, I think first contact sounds good… what the HELL IS THAT?”
The Lobster Guy pointed at another four legged creature running towards them with his fangs wide open, that monster was easily five times the size of Garfield!
The human looked towards the newcomer with a smile “Ah, that is Lassie. She is a good dog and very protective, she surely missed Garfield even though both of them are constantly fighting. She… where did you go?”
Bobegnop slammed the door to the pilot cabin shut and started the engine, running for his live! No matter how wrecked his shuttle, no matter how busted his frigate was, he would take the risk of limping home! And he would write a strong worded letter to the Hive mistress to completely avoid Terran space at all costs!