Page 6 of The Death Striker's Partner
“Good morning everyone.” Call it instinctive behaviour, but I threw my left arm out in front of the girls like a barrier and leaned forward defensively. Holycrap.That wasn’t an alien! It was barely humanoid!? What itwas,was a big snake. The massive creature slithered out from the trees with his head high and gleaming orange eyes. His scales were rusty orange with lighter orange spots with brown rings around them covering his body. His thick tail wound slowly across the stage as he took his position around the podium. His upper body was humanoid, I suppose, but barely. He had a torso, pecks, shoulders, two arms, and two hands with five fingers on each. I could see them as they curled around either side of the podium. His face, neck, torso, underbelly, and the underside of his tail were a yellowish cream colour. He wore a golden belt around where I think his ‘hips’ were, and the skirt was made of two pieces of material. Like two brown fabric leaves were wrapped around him, overlapped at the sides, and pointed at the front.
His face was…almost humanoid? He had two eyes, though brilliant orange with black slits for pupils. There were two slits for nostrils on his flat face, and boy did he have amouth. It was wider than ours and curved in parallel to his high cheekbones. Like he was always smiling. Psychotically.
Billie was frozen stiff. Her light brown eyes were wide and she was fixating on the alien. Hannah had paled and she subconsciously leaned closer to her sister to protect her. Our party was all reacting similarly. Hushed worried whispers and leaning away from danger. It was rather apt that the lizard part of our brains was recognising the reptilian creature on the stage as a predator. Ambassador Rerasha ‘stood’ a head taller than Alaric, who stood in support beside the snake man. “Don’t worry.” The giant orange snake with a grinning face chuckled and shrugged with ease. “I have done many of these introductions now, and I am aware that my appearance is rather shocking. You will get used to us, as we have become used to you. Trust me? The first time I saw one of your kind I couldn’t stop staring at your legs.” He tried to break the ice with a joke, but it was hard to relax when he also coiled his long thick orange tail around the podium. Like it was his prey and he was holding it in place to squeeze. “This here?” He raised his right hand to point at a golden necklace around his neck with a red tear-shaped gemstone as the centrepiece. “Is a communication gem. In truth, there are little microchips behind the gem. It’s not magic, it’s technology. We simply found it easier to use two distinct colours to distinguish the species each would work on. If you see an Ucfeni wearing one of these, please feel free to engage them in conversation. If they are not wearing one, I ask that you abstain, as they will not understand you. Nor will you understand them.”
He paused and an honest to Godforked tongueflicked out to moisten his scaly lips. It was black and sent chills down my spine. I lowered my elbows to rest on my knees but remained sat forward. Just in case. “On our planet mammals are simple creatures. Either to be hunted or kept as pets. Yet I understand thatthatis the case for reptiles onyourhome planet. Though,millions of years ago giant reptiles ruled your planet as they did ours.”
“Dinosaurs.” Alaric offered with a chuckle.
“Yes, those.” Rerasha giggled, and I looked between the two of them on the stage. They were more than work colleagues. “On our planet, our ancestors were much larger but much simpler beasts. Like your dinosaurs, but without as many limbs. We evolved from them.” I heard Billie gasp and her timid smile warmed my heart. She was finding this fascinating. “We became smaller but more intelligent. We have been the dominant species on Thelia for 2 million years, according to our archeologists. We were feudal for a long time, before becoming unified under the Grand Monarchy. Now Onra is the shining jewel of our empire and we live in peace and prosperity.” Alaric cleared his throat and took something out of his trouser pocket. He held it up with a smile for the orange snake-man to take. The scales of his creamy neck darkened and he almost seemed bashful as he accepted the folded paper. “Ah yes, of course, thank you. Your brilliant leader is urging me on as I’m waffling on. I’m a historian by trade, before getting into politics, and could therefore talk about our past for days without stopping.”
“Trust me, he’s not exaggerating.” Alaric added with a smirk, and a flutter of laughter spread across the amphitheater. I looked around and noted that wewereall starting to relax. Seeing Alaric interacting with Rerasha like old friends teasing each other did wonders for our mood. Hannah was rubbing Billie’s back but engaged with watching the Ambassador.
“I’ve had Al pass out on my couch many an evening having lost the will to keep listening to me talking about the impact of the renascence period on our intertribal collaboration.” Alaric comically pretended to start nodding off, getting another round of laughter from the group. “It’s alright. He gets revenge. I find his talk of colonial propagation initiativesjust asdull.”Rerasha stuck his forked tongue out like he was pretending to gag, and low and behold? Even I laughed! “It is good to hear your joy. I am excited for you to experience Thelia and reap the benefit of the fulfilling relationship that can be had between our people.” He dropped an orange hand onto Alaric’s shoulder and the man smiled up at him. “In Alaric, I have found a kindred spirit and a good friend.”
“Not to mention a drinking partner.” Okay, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all? I mean, sure the Ucfeni looked like Naga from Earth Mythology, minus any hair, but at least they seemed to be relatable. Friendly, even.
“Speaking of which you still owe me a drink. Later?”
There.
Somethingotherin his orange eyes when he looked at Alaric. My gaydar was going gaga. My earlier suspicion that they were more than work colleagues was on the money. The end of Rerasha’s tail coiled around the CEO’s ankle and his hand seemed to be possessive as it still held the man’s shoulder. Alaric chuckled and nodded up at the orange snake with a smile.
“Sure. But first?” He cleared his throat and nodded to the amphitheater. He also reached over and tapped the letter he handed the Ambassador on the podium.
“Ah yes, of course, waffling again.” Rerasha chuckled and placed both hands on the podium, but didn’t take the tip of his tail away from Alaric’s ankle…
Chapter 7
Good news and bad news
Still Charlie
I was sure then. Those two were fucking. But how? I rubbed my chin and exhaled deeply with thought. What were the Ucfeni packing beneath those petal skirts? Did they have two genders? Or one? Did they even have genitals? If so, what was the size difference? None of this should be the focus of my mind, having landed on an alien planet and learning that they were huge snake people, but you know what? I’m tired and this is amusing me. I started to imagine who was top and who was bottom. In my head I conducted a scene where Alaric and Rerasha were an old married couple grumbling over the Ambassador making them late so some important dinner function because he got distracted by something he was reading.
I zoned back in when I realised the presentation had continued without me.
“-assigned to live in Orna, you will need a sponsor. So you don’t get lost or injured. You can tell you’re not as large or as hardy as we are, and this is not your natural habitat.”
“An Ucfeni who has passed the training and is employed by the Monarchy to be a sponsor will take care of you for the first few months. The Ambassador was my sponsor.” Oh, I bet he was, I smirked. “Their CG’s will be connected with yours, so you can find each other easily if you become separated.”
“This is non-negotiable.” The Ambassador’s orange spotted tail tightened around the podium. “If you are to live in Orna, you will have a sponsor and theyareresponsible for you. As such, you will go from here to meet the candidates. You will become close with your sponsor over the next month or two, so it’s important you have good chemistry. If you get along well they will take you on as their charge. They will sign you off as settled after a few months, or when they deem you can be independent within our city. Until then, you will remain with your sponsor whenever you leave your home.”
“If you are assigned to the human compounds outside the city then you will have a human sponsor. The same rules will apply.” Alaric added on a united front. “Most of you will be headed to the compound Delta 4. Please remain seated as you are assigned your communication collar. These do not come off and they are waterproof. They will allow you to talk to our operators and connect to other people, much like a cellphone, to keep in touch. We use the GPS to keep you safe and to respond with emergency services if required. This is non-negotiable.”
I looked across and saw people in grey suits and bright smiles holding stacks of boxes in their arms. The principle of ‘take one pass the rest along’ was being applied, and soon I had 6 boxes in my hands. I took one and bypassed Billie to hand the rest to Hannah. She took 2 and handed the rest to the next person who sat further along. I eagerly opened my box and lifted out a thick gold chain. It was smooth and reminded me of a snake. The blue tear-shaped pendant was like the head biting its tail. As soon as I held it an automated voice spoke to me.
“Handler designation Doctor Charlie O’Hara. This Communication Gem has been registered to your biosignature. Please open the clasp and place the collar around your neck. Do not take it off unless a senior operator instructs you to do so. You are to report to transport bay 2 for deployment to Orna. Detailsof your assignment will be given to you upon arrival.” I expected as much when they said in orientation medical professionals would probably work in medical clinics in the capital city.
“Yes mam.” I chuckled and obediently put the necklace on. It sat heavily around my neck and the blue gem sat below my collar bone.
“Handler designation Hannah Blac. This Communication Gem has been registered to your biosignature. Please open the clasp and place the collar around your neck. Do not take it off unless a senior operator instructs you to do so. You are to report to transport bay 2 for deployment to Orna. Details of your assignment will be given to you upon arrival.” I turned to see Hannah wore hers, but Billie didn’t. She held it in her hands and seemed to be exploring it.
“Handler designation Billie Blac. This Communication Gem has been registered to your biosignature. Please open the clasp and place the collar around your neck. Do not take it off unless a senior operator instructs you to do so. You are to report to transport bay 2 for deployment to Orna. Details of your assignment will be given to you upon arrival.”
“You can’t take it apart.” Hannah whispered with a giggle.
“Yes I can.” Billie countered softly as she felt the weight of the chain and the stone, turning it over to look for any seams or clasps. “With the right tools I can take anything apart.”
