Page 36 of Alien Peacock

It all happens in a handful of seconds. Arelion finally snaps out of his surprise, runs over, grabs the little alien, and lifts it as if he’s about to slam it across one knee, snapping its spine.

The Bululg squeals in fear and drops the gun to the floor.

Arelion stops his motion at the last moment and tosses the little alien into a wall. “You’re lucky Maeve didn’t kill you.”

The Bululg gets up and scurries away, dragging one thin leg.

Arelion looks at me. “I wonder how many more there are.”

We check the consoles, but that one was the only one that was a camouflaged hiding place.

I look nervously around, not yet allowing myself to think this is over. “What happens now?”

He turns towards me. “Now we have a new ship. One that is much nicer than the garbage hauler.”

I gasp. “Arelion, you're hurt!”

He has two wounds in his chest and one at his hip, all with burned edges.

He gives me a lopsided smile. “That last one was the only one with a weapon.”

My hand runs down my jumpsuit until I find the pocket with the first aid kit. “Are they deep?”

“Can't bethatbad if I'm still standing. Wait here.” He marches out of the room before I can start treating his wounds.

I'm left alone in the control room of a Bululg spaceship, one of the saucers they like so much. Everything in here is slick and clean and chilly, in contrast with the ship we just came from. The projections of space make it look as if this room is all there is, with windows all around, but I know the ship must be much bigger. I just walked through part of it.

Bari comes trotting. “Oh. We have a brand new ship. He's a resourceful one, that feathery male.”

I breathe out, feeling some tension leave my body. I don't know how many more of these nearly-captured situations I can go through before I'll become a nervous wreck. But maybe every new PTSD cancels out all the old ones. “Sure looks that way. Where were you, Bari?”

“Just staying out of trouble. I didn't know these big ships only had a crew of a handful of aliens. But I suppose it makes sense. The Bululg lost their homeworld, and they're getting desperate. There may not be that many of them left.”

I shorten the fighting stick and place it in its holder at my side. “You know a lot about them.”

“Everyone knows that the Earth Resistance somehow ruined the Bululg homeworld. Earth must be the only place where that piece of news isn't widely known.”

Arelion comes walking with Cerak trundling behind him. “That was a good trade. One broken-down garbage hauler in exchangefor a flying saucer in good condition. In fairness, it was they that broke it down, so they got what they deserve. Can you fly this thing, Cerak?”

The robot rolls up to a console. “I won’t need to. I was able to sweet-talk the computer when they docked and plugged their system into ours.”

“You sweet-talked a Bululg computer?” Bari asks with disbelief. “In a fraction of asecond?!”

“Yes, “ Cerak snaps. “Some of us actually know what we’re doing. A strange idea, I know. Arelion, just tell me where you want us to go, and I’ll get us there. Or you can fly this thing yourself if you prefer. Is it still Gigori?”

“It is,” Arelion says. “Actually, wait. Maeve, does your mission have a backup option for where you might meet your contact?”

10

- Arelion-

Maeve looks at the projection of the sky around us. “There was only one option. They said the contact on Pranst Station was hyper reliable and I should hang around until they found me. As a last resort, if for some reason that didn’t work, I should try to do reconnaissance and complete the mission on my own. But they gave me no particular location to go to, and I got the feeling they didn’t believe in that option.”

I nod, relieved that she might stay with me for longer. “So going to Gigori with us is as good a plan as any other?”

She shrugs her thin shoulders. “I think so. I can’t go back to Pranst, and I need to think about what to do next.”

I look at the furry robot. “And you? Any pressing electronic business on the other end of the galaxy?”

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