Page 2 of Alien Barbarian's Little Human

Most of these smaller micro-meteors burn away quickly. One, however, continues to plunge toward the ground.

It disappears over the sand dunes, and then a muted impact reaches my ears. It definitely hit the ground, but there should be an ever expanding nimbus of debris and sand, perhaps even earthquakes. Or a plume of matter shooting into the night sky.

None of those things happened, as they should with a meteor of that size. My curiosity piqued, I decide to investigate. It could be a threat to the Drokan, or it could be just some celestial oddity.

I estimate it will take the better part of the night to reach the impact sight, if I leave now. I drain my canteen and then refill it, before gathering some edible plants and grubs from the oasis. The grubs are tasty sweet in my mouth, exploding into gibbets of fatty flavor. They will help sustain me on this new hunt.

Traversing the dunes proves difficult. The sand sucks my feet in past the ankles, slowing me down considerably. The first pinkheralds of dawn paint the horizon by the time I reach the impact site.

It looks like the meteor mowed the top off one of the taller dunes then struck in a trough between rises. A twenty foot deep crater now resides in the trough, holding something round at its center.

I frown, because the orb does not look like stone. Its sides are smooth, and reflect the redness of the pre dawn.

I venture down into the crater. The orb has a hole in it. A hole eerie in its round perfection. I thrust my head inside and gasp. Within is a cave of wonders. Strange, flat gemstones and crystals glow with an inner light, much like my own crystal. There’s something that resembles a padded chair, but small, too small for a Drokan to fit comfortably.

Why is there a chair inside of a meteor? And what are all of these flashing stones and lights? Where has this come from?

“Kro…” I say with reverence. This must be the work of the gods, because who else would wield such power? No craftsmen in our village could possibly hope to replicate this strange artifact.

Then I realize, if there is a seat, then there was likely a rider. A rider who is missing.

I go back outside. The floor of the crater has fused to glass. I can follow the broken trail leading out toward the south edge of the crater.

I pick up more signs of passage on the surface. Someone definitely went this way, and recently. Whoever it is, they move without worry of leaving an easy to follow trail. That is a mistake this close to the Skuyr.

The trail leads me to the border of the dunes and the jagged, cracked terrain. The hard, dry stone leaves little to work with for a tracker.

A high pitched cry reaches my ears. A voice quite like a Drokan’s. It is followed a moment later by the screech of an angry Skuyr.

I race along the canyon until I come around a bend and see what’s causing the ruckus. Four spear wielding Skuyr in pursuit of a child.

No, not a child. Something else. Her body bears the marks of a mature Drokan female, though she lacks size and horns. Her golden hair flashes in the early morning sunlight. I can’t make out many more details from here, but her garment is strange and covers her from neck to feet. Not a good idea in the desert.

Of course, in a moment, heat exhaustion will be the least of her worries. I do not know this stranger, or if she might present danger to my people.

But if the Skuyr want her dead, then I will do all I can to keep her alive.

CHAPTER 2

MICAH

My friends told me not to join the Fleet. Now I’m starting to think they were right.

One of the things behind me roars. I don’t know the sapient species. These things aren’t known members of the Coalition or the Alliance. They’re not even part of the League. This is obviously an uncontacted species.

I suppose it’s fitting for an anthropologist like myself to spend her last moments pondering the origins of the monsters about to devour her. I don’t dare slow down enough to look back, but I know they’re getting closer, because they're getting louder.

I thought maybe if I got off the open sand, and into the canyons ahead, I might have a chance. But now I know, I’ll never make it. When I made it to the escape pod, I thought I at least had a chance to survive.

But the planet is even more dangerous than the exploding ship I jettisoned from. The land burns, there’s no water for miles, and the natives are decidedly hostile.

I enter the cool shadow of the canyons. It looks like there are many branching paths. I might survive, after all. I cut around a corner, hoping to lose them…

Only to run right into a sheer wall fifty feet high. My palms slap against the smooth stone, then push back. Spinning around, I prepare to run anew but one of the monstrosities blocks my path.

Its face sort of resembles a Vakutan, but more bestial. Primitive. Those sharp teeth are definitely for eating meat. Its thick limbs support a body the size of an Earth cow.

The spear it wields looks crude, but I’m certain of its lethality. The other two of its party join it, flanking it to either side.

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