Page 5 of Alien Barbarian's Little Human

“The unseen?”

He holds his finger and thumb a brief span apart.

“Tiny plants and animals, if you will, that exist in such a state as to be invisible to us. They can sometimes enter our bodies and breed out of control, which leads to side effects like illness.”

I decide I have to revise my opinion of his culture. He looks like a caveman, but he has knowledge of concepts like microorganisms. Not to mention that amazing crystal…wait, where did the crystal go?

I reach up and stick a finger in my ear.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to dig this thing out! It’s probably covered in germs.”

“What thing? Did you get a desert earwig?”

I gasp.

“Those are a thing? Oh god, I’m going to die on this planet.”

“Not if I can help it.” His eyes widen. “Wait, are you trying to dig out the crystal?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I have good news, the crystal is no longer in your ear.”

“Oh, it’s not?” I sigh heavily. “That’s a relief.”

“Because it has already worked its way into your brain.”

“My…brain?”

I slap my hands on either side of my head.

“I’m a dead woman. Dead.”

CHAPTER 3

GOG

This strange female is bordering on hysteria. My attempts to calm her have failed, utterly. I consider what to do next. She continues to speak in a nearly constant stream.

“What was I thinking? The IHC’s newest ship, equipped with an experimental, ultra powerful superluminal drive? Sure, sign me up! What could possibly go wrong? Other than crash landing on a murder world where things either want to eat you or shove crystals into your brain. Well, this is a fine end to my career. I never even got anything published beyond that pamphlet on Count Vasper my junior year.”

I shake my head in confusion.

“I’m very sorry. I sincerely want to help, but I don’t understand much of what you say. What is the IHC?”

“Interstellar Human Confederation. I know, it’s a clunky mouthful. I didn’t come up with it.”

I try a different tactic.

“That orb which fell from the sky…did you ride down in it?”

It seemed to make sense. The seat was sized to her body, after all, and such a thing was certainly beyond the acumen of the Skuyr to create.

“My escape pod? Yeah, but ride is kind of a loose term. More like crashed.”

She starts, and looks up at the sky.

---