“We can’t let it happen again, Tamblin,” Jett passionately declared.
“It won’t. We will fight them,” he replied, his eyes glued on Tia and little Arielle’s laughing faces.
“Is there any way to get in touch with the Valdier?” Jett asked.
“They will know. The question is if they will discover it in time,” he reluctantly admitted.
Jett frowned and faced him. “What do you mean?” he asked.
Tamblin sighed. “The Valdier promised to protect our planet. The last time Lord Mandra returned, he asked me if I would agree to the Valdier sending a scientific research ship here to install devices that would monitor the rehabilitation of the moon. I agreed, and now once every new moon, the information automatically transmits to them through these devices,” he asked.
“My parents mentioned it to me when you relayed the message to them, but where did they install them? I haven’t seen any of the devices,” he replied with a frown.
“There are four within a hundred-mile radius. One in each direction. I was told that if there is a dramatic change in the readings, it will trigger an alert, and someone from Valdier will come,” Tamblin explained.
“It will be another thirty days before the moon circles the planet. Our historical scripts state that it took less than half that time for the population of the Tasiers to drop to critical,” Jett growled with frustration.
“There were more ships,” Tamblin pointed out.
Jett shook his head. “There were a lot more Tasiers, too,” he countered.
Tamblin nodded. “Let us hope that these two ships are the only ones and we can discourage them from staying,” he said.
“How do you propose to do that?” Jett muttered.
Tamblin sighed. “By any means necessary. We’ll start with the Guardians,” he said.
Jett shuddered. “Are you sure? Those beasts are as dangerous as the aliens,” he muttered.
“That is what I am hoping,” Tamblin grimly replied.
2
Minor Moon of Leviathan:
Present
Tamblin stared out at the lights flickering across the vast mushroom-covered plains. His heart ached when he heard the frightened squeaks of the Tasiers and the sharp snap of a trap. Despair filled him when he saw the poachers trying to reach the traps before his or Jett’s men could.
The last weeks had grown decidedly more perilous. The two transports had become four, then six, and eight. He had ordered General Brant and his elite squad to disable the transports, but the aliens repaired them almost as quickly as they sabotaged them. It had finally become too dangerous. The poachers had set traps, injuring two of his warriors. Another six men had been trapped inside a transport that was about to leave the planet and they had barely made it out.
Tamblin released a sigh when a furry head nudged him. Oversized brown eyes with gold flecks in them gazed back at him with a solemn, inquisitive expression. He lifted his hand and gently scratched the adolescent bat behind one of its oversized ears.
“It’s alright, Batty. Let’s hope Jett and his teams get to the traps before the poachers,” he tiredly said.
Exhaustion fogged his mind. This was the third week that he, Jett, and a combined force of soldiers from Sandora and Glitter were out all night. The poachers had begun patrolling when they realized that their traps were being sabotaged.
Batty nudged him again and turned his ears in the direction of the bouncing lights. Tamblin nodded his head in acknowledgement. Batty wanted to fly, and Tamblin needed something to lift his spirits.
“Your mistress would be very proud of you,” he affectionately said.
Batty wiggled his ears back and forth, making Tamblin laugh. He stroked the bat for another moment before he turned and climbed onto the saddle strapped between its wings. He reached up and adjusted the night vision goggles over his eyes. With his focus on the vast plains below, he gripped the reins and tapped his heels to Batty’s side.
“Let’s have a little fun,” he said.
Batty twitched his ears back and forth with delight, then jumped off the edge. Tamblin leaned forward and tightened his thighs against the saddle as they soared downward until finally, Batty began flapping his wings.
The wind brushed against his face as they flew through the night. It was going to be another long one. From the air, he followed Jett’s team as they moved quickly to release the Tasiers that had unwittingly entered the traps.
“To the left, Batty,” Tamblin instructed, leaning in the saddle.
The bat darted in front of one massive poacher. The man stumbled back several steps and swiped an enormous hand in their direction. Batty twisted in midair, changing directions. The man tried to follow their movements, twisting around so fast that he lost his balance.
“Damn creatures,” the man growled with frustration.
Tamblin gritted his teeth when the man pulled a laser pistol from his waist and aimed the weapon at them. He leaned forward and Batty swerved. Tamblin winced when the super-heated blast from the laser narrowly missed them.
“Dragon’s balls, Macron! Are you trying to kill me?” another poacher yelled when the blast sent him diving for cover.
“Sorry, Harron. These bats are driving me crazy,” Macron shouted back, quickly holstering his weapon.
“You shoot that thing again and it will be more than the bats you’ll have to worry about. The trap is empty again. I swear when I find out who is releasing the furballs, I’m going to roast them,” Harron said.
“This one is empty too. I hope the others are having better luck than we are,” Macron replied, kneeling next to the trap.
Tamblin saw Jett and Santil crouching behind a large mushroom only a few feet from Macron, which was too close for comfort. They couldn’t keep this up. It was only a matter of time before someone was killed.
The sound of another trap springing and the squeal of a Tasier pulled him away. Batty flew in that direction, trying to reach the poor creature before the two poachers. Tamblin tensed, preparing to jump.
This will be another close encounter, he grimly thought as he released his grip on the reins and fell toward the large mushroom that would soften his fall.
Valdier:
The Hive
Arosa lay along the bank of the river of symbiots and moodily swirled a finger in the flow of gold. Warmth flowed upward through her outstretched arm. She sighed when some of the gold formed into fish and jumped. The scene reminded her of the magical night several months ago.
An uncharacteristic feeling of frustration flashed through her, and she sat up. She growled when the symbiots formed an image of Tamblin. They were reacting to her thoughts—and her longings that were growing stronger every day.
“This should not be happening,” she snapped.
The symbiot gold Tamblin melted back into the river. Arosa stood up. She was alone at the moment—thankfully. With a sigh of resignation, she reached out to her sister.
Arilla, I need your guidance, she confessed.
Silence greeted her, the same silence that had surrounded her since her return from Glitter. She floated over to a boulder. Time normally meant very little to her species, but the last few months had seemed endless.
Her mind had replayed the magical night over and over. She felt guilty for her desire to go back in time to relive it, but a smile played on her lips as she closed her eyes and floated higher in the air. The wind became music in her ears.