Alien Alliance (54 page)

“Oh,” said Sarah who had vaguely noticed no
clothes but kept forgetting the significance of that. And she
hadn’t noticed that they had no data bracelets on, “Well that makes
all the difference. You’re free,” she said to them. “Ah, you’d
better find some clothes.”

Memoofyd looked at the woman in a daze.
Fully understanding how she felt, Az grabbed various cloaks off
smaller Keulfyd and brought them back. Carefully and gently, he
placed them on each of the Okme with the statement, “you are free
now,” to each one. Meanwhile Sarah contacted the other leaders and
explained again, telling them to look for Okme and People with no
clothes on and no data bracelets or anything technological. She
directed all the Okme to be taken to Helkmid. She later found out
there were ten to twelve Okme on each ship which greatly increased
the numbers of Okme when they were desperately needed to help
especially with the Cats. Helkmid had another priority however, he
wanted help to finish making up the various cures. He prioritised
the injured but siphoned off a third of these new Okme to help
him.

*

Akira’s Team included Miyuki, Sally, Jolene,
Mayling, Nanelle, Pieter and Rani with Bella and Ali as the snipers
with the blowguns. Akira’s team had several injuries but no deaths
including the Cats.

Due to this, Akira’s Team were the first to
be well organized, Akira’s injury being painful but not
incapacitating. The shot had hit his pack and gone through but the
wound was minor. Militarily speaking. Akira was sore and movement
was painful! Jolene flew Tue to the Healer Machines along with two
badly injured Cats and Bella and Little Ali. Akira then organized
Mayling and Miyuki to start ferrying the survivors to the island
the Priskya had organized. The planes they used took 50 so the job
did not take long. Aliens who were still mobile were organized to
do the loading while the Cats and Terrans guarded. Among the
survivors here were another two Niseyen. After hearing what Sarah
had done, they did the same. They were pulled out and ordered to
strip. Sarah had told them Kaz’s recommendation that they had to
remain naked in order to keep them in their place. So they would
accept their demotion to slave. These were only too happy to help
and worked tirelessly loading bodies, alive or dead. To check their
truthfulness Sally asked them if they were feeling ill but they
both denied any symptoms. All the Terrans were mindful of what they
had done and none were nice to them. Although they hadn’t killed
anyone presumably, since they were medical staff, they had still
participated in the Keulfyd Force.

It was here that the first spaceship landed
three hours after the surrender was accepted. They watched in awe
as it landed and levelled itself, on nine gigantic legs, next to
the city. It dwarfed a cruise liner. Its size was staggering. It
seemed impossible that such a huge structure could fly. Also
staggering was the gentleness with which it landed. Anti gravity in
a practical demonstration.

Akira and Sally went onto the ship. They
were met by a sick Keulfyd that said he was the captain. He asked
about the cure but was told no cure until they joined the others on
the island. Akira stayed to order the ship evacuated and to ensure
they complied. Sally wanted to see one of the medical facilities.
She ordered a Keulfyd near her to escort her. After going up many
levels in a lift, she then walked a considerable distance until she
was shown to a familiar looking set of rooms. Inside were nearly 30
very ill Aliens, mostly Keulfyd. In front of them was a very angry
Keulfyd. He demanded the cure.

“When all of you are on the island and no
further risk to us, you will get it and not before.”

“This is not acceptable,” Isjidakawi said.
“I am a doctor. I demand it now.”

“You are in no position to demand anything.
I have come to show you examples of the cures we have. They are all
colour coded. They are all well labelled with the necessary doses.
I have come to ensure you understand how much to give. Are you
going to listen?”

“Yes,” he spat.

“These are the Races that have been
infected. The disease that hit you this morning is no longer
infectious as we have stopped the cause. There was no cure for that
one. Write on these vials which Race it is for and how much to use
according to the body weight and degree of illness. Write it down
and attach it to each vial.”

Reluctantly he took the vials. These ones
were empty. She did not tell him that the anti virus would not work
for the Keulfyd in the final stages. That was most of these in this
room. She also did not tell him that the cure for the Yakkidimux,
Vubicik, Relogs, Sasgys and Bidifix, was a placebo, especially
since the Yakkidimux and Relogs had never been infected. They had
been shot by children with redesigned drain rods! For all the other
Aliens of several other Races, was another placebo. The doctors had
been shattered by the deaths, from causes unknown, of so many this
morning. At this stage, they weren’t questioning anything.

“We have ensured that these cures will
degrade quickly so you must use them today and will never be able
to duplicate them. Do you understand?” She did not add that most of
them were useless.

Sally was not happy with this deceit but
knew the danger. If they only knew how few had defeated them. Best
they never did. At least not until a lot of reinforcements arrived.
Being a practical person, Helkmid had not needed to stress to her,
the danger they were still in. Sally understood. Bluff was still
needed.

Sally said, “You will order the evacuation
of this ship. Now.”

The Keulfyd in the medical facility
insisted, “my patients are too sick to move.”

“Then they’ll die here.”

“Give me the cure so I can organise it.”

“No. No cure until you are on the
island.”

The two stood and glared at each. Sally was
disgusted with him. She turned and walked away.

“Take me back to the captain,” she ordered
the Keulfyd that had brought her here. “As soon as you are on the
island, you will get the cure and not before.”

This Keulfyd quickly complied.

A few minutes later as Sally walked back,
she could see that the evacuation was now going at speed. The sick
were being transferred on floating platforms. Anti gravity again?
It certainly gave a smooth ride.

In two hours, all the personnel were off the
ship and waiting impatiently to get to the island and get their
treatment. Sarah had worked out the next phase. One of the Niseyen
slaves was ordered to take the cures across in a boat. He was very
unhappy but when Akira suggested he could shoot him and his
companion might like to go instead, the man got the point and went.
The Priskya towed him across as he cowered in the bottom of the
boat. The vials were delivered as promised.

From there, things did not go well. In the
stampede, some of the vials were broken. Others People took many
times the recommended dose. Some took the wrong ones. Some took
several different wrong ones. The Keulfyd doctor was one of those
who took many times the recommended dose. This was not wise. There
was not enough left to go around. There was also fighting and
several of the ill were just abandoned to die. The Priskya were
guarding the islands. They were sickened by what they saw. The
prisoners were also not happy about their diet. Some of the slave
goop was given to them also via the unhappy Niseyen. They were told
to drink sea water.

By night time the urgent task was completed.
All the sick and dying were on their respective islands and under
guard. Some of the dead had been dumped, many in the same ocean
trenches as their victims. The Terrans were exhausted. It was too
far to return to the Southern continent so they all decided to go
to the city now named Tasha.

The power was on. Kaz and Az showed them how
to use the Cleaners for themselves and their bedding. Kaz and Az
were also required to show them what was fit to eat. Then both had
to leave on more medical flights. Li went with Az but Stella
remained behind as Kelly needed her. Li was so tired she couldn’t
stop yawning and noticed Az was the same. She started to get
worried. She couldn’t stay awake and he was probably more tired
than she was. This wasn’t safe. But they couldn’t land in the dark.
She sat and thought. They should have brought one of the other
pilots with them but all were exhausted. She yawned widely.

“Az.”

“Mmm?”

“We’re both exhausted. This isn’t safe. I
have an idea. Let me fly now while you have a sleep. I’ll wake you,
then I’ll sleep while you fly. We’ll take it in turns.”

Az was not keen on this idea but saw the
wisdom in it. He thought. “You sleep. I’ll wake you when we’re over
sea.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Li noticed that more and more he
was speaking English and she was hearing his voice not the
Translator’s.

She lay down on the bag in the back and was
asleep almost instantly.

Az continued to fly, determined to stay
awake, but the events of the last few weeks and the drain on him
followed then by the release of tension when it was all over and
they had won, was too much. Several times, he drifted off only to
jerk himself awake. This was no good. Li was right.

“Li!”

Li was awake and up in seconds. He was
impressed!

They swapped places and he stood up,
stretching. “We’re here,” he indicated on the screen. “Wake me
here.” He indicated the start of land and went back to lie
down.

Li looked at her iphone, set to ‘clock’ as
usual, which she still wore out of habit. The clock did not have
the capacity to adjust to Torroxell time so it was always wrong and
the phone was useless without cell phone towers so it was turned
off, but she felt naked without it. She had slept just over two
hours. She had an idea. She slipped it off her wrist and adjusted
the alarm clock to vibrate every two minutes. Genius! Her own
‘deadman’ switch. She slipped it back onto her wrist. She checked
the chart and settled in to fly on. She would try to give him at
least two hours.

Two hours later they switched and she showed
Az what she had done with her iphone leaving it with him. She went
into the back to sleep. But Az had forgotten something and finally
remembered. He gained altitude and set the auto pilot, the
destination and the alarm, feeling rather embarrassed.

Li was awake but sleepy as Az joined her on
the bag and told her about the autopilot. She started to laugh and
hugged him. They started kissing and one thing led to another.
Finally, in the back of a speeding plane, they made love.

*

Well after Li had fallen asleep, Az lay
there holding her, thinking about how his life had changed since he
had first seen her. Thinking about what he and Kaz now suspected
about these strange People. Thinking about the only logical,
incredible, likelihood. There was no other sensible explanation for
where they had come from. Tellingly, their body language was almost
identical. The Terrans were making no claims. In contrast, they
were speculating as to where the Niseyen had come from! How were he
and Kaz going to handle this? But they had to be. They were so
different yet so like. And Helkmid was so sure. He looked back down
at Li. What would the Niseyen make of her? Stella would pass for
normal but Li would not. Neither would most of the others. He
wondered if he and Li would ever be able to have children. No
matter. Their destiny was joined now whatever happened. To have
been Chosen was enough. Still thinking, he drifted back off to
sleep until awoken by the alarm. Belatedly he noticed that last
night neither of them had had nightmares.

Arriving back at the Healing Machines, they
picked up the Cats to go back, six of them, plus some Okme who were
going to search for the Healing centre and try to get the Machines
going. There were still a lot of seriously injured Cats needing
treatment. They started back. Az explained to the startled Cats,
set the auto pilot and he and Li cuddled up on the bag and went
back to sleep. The Okme settled into the cabin seats to sleep. The
Cats were not happy. This was not natural in sooo many ways! Two of
them took it in turns to sit up front and guard the auto pilot.

Li, Az and the Okme arrived back, refreshed
and eager to start another day. The Cats were somewhat less than
refreshed after such a scary flight and the effort of supervising
it while the pilot slept on the job. They were not impressed.

*

While Az and Li had been flying the night
before, most of the Terrans were soon asleep. Stella couldn’t
sleep. She didn’t even try. She had fought. She had killed. She had
seen war. She had seen more dead bodies. Plural. She had also gone
to help in the hospital, as she was one of the few that was not
injured. And she had picked up a lot of medical knowledge from
Kelly. She had also helped Kelly on occasion. She was aghast at
Simone’s injuries and more so to hear that Simone had not been
considered sick enough to go to the Healing Machines. The
implications of that frightened her. The death toll frightened her.
Then a few hours later she overheard a remark that Kaz was late
from one of the medical flights. When he casually turned up an hour
or so after that, Stella was overcome by emotions.

First she yelled at him for being overdue,
then before the bewildered Kaz had time to work out what he’d done
wrong, she flew at him and kissed him passionately. Hearing the
yelling, Kelly came over but by the time she reached them Stella
was crying and Kaz was innocently holding her.

“I think it’s all too much for her,” he
said. “I’ll take her to the girls.”

“OK,” said Kelly preoccupied with her
patients and hoping they would all survive the night. She fervently
missed Li’s mother, Bella Chieng who, she thought, would have had a
more intuitive grasp on how to care for the Cats. Kelly was
floundering. Unfortunately, when she had asked the Okme ex slaves,
released from the Keulfyd ships, they didn’t know either. Having
their own doctors, the Keulfyd had only wanted the Okme as Machine
operators and Maintenance staff so these Okme could only help to
nurse as they didn’t know doctoring nor diagnosis either. Kelly
sent them off to sleep. Most seemed beyond exhaustion. They were
skinny, even for Okme, had been working literally around the clock
and she thought they looked defeated and crushed. Okme did not take
well to slavery she surmised.