Canto Thirty-One – Moonbase Gundahl
Commander Biznap was a capable pilot and Farbick admired the way he simply turned the Golden Wing in the air and took off towards the mother ship. Simple and elegant was always the mark of skill.
“Now that your commander has gone and left you to die…” said Stabharh, the scrawny little Galtorrian lizard-man enforcer, “you need to show us how to work the space tech devices. And hurry because I know some Galtorrians that are dying to eat you.”
“Have you ever eaten a Telleron before, Stabbie?” asked the cruel and obese Lord Bahbahr.
“Of course not. But we haven’t had food in so long, I was beginning to consider eating you, my lord. And don’t call me Stabbie.”
“Ah, we will have none of that! You are required to lay down your life to serve me. It is the law, and I own you body and soul.”
“Who besides me is left to enforce the law?” asked the skinny lizard with an evil grin.
The smile vanished from the face of the corpulent Galtorrian ruler. Farbick carefully noted the malevolent glares passing between the two lizard-men and vowed secretly to himself to take maximum advantage of such a situation.
“What device would you like to learn about first, my lord?” asked Farbick with a timely interruption. Then he strategically added, “the skortch pistols perhaps?”
“I am much more interested in the force-field thingy that kept the cannonballs from destroying that spaceship. You have no idea how useful that could be if Senator Tedhkruhz learns that we have returned here.”
The little enforcer seemed to whole-heartedly agree with Bahbahr. So Farbick moved near to the force-field control and activator box lying at the foot of the pile of Telleron tech.
“That is a very wise choice,” said Farbick as Starbright looked on encouragingly. “May I turn it on and demonstrate?”
“Please do,” said Bahbahr.
Farbick ignited the control box with the click of a button and a sudden electrical humming noise that sounded reassuring and powerful.
“By adjusting the three-dimensional coordinates like this,” said Farbick, “I can place an invisible shield around you and Stabharh. You can’t see it, but it is impervious to kinetic attacks and weak energy attacks. Gunpowder will never pierce it. Show them, please, Starbright.”
“How?”
“Pick up that chair there and hit Stabharh over the head with it.”
“Now, hold on there, frog-boy!” growled the lizard man.
Before Stabharh could even flinch, Starbright picked up the chair and threw it at him. It shattered in the air as it encountered the generated field.
“Impressive!” said Bahbahr.
“Do you want to know what I find most impressive?” said Farbick, laughing. “It can be shaped in the form of a box. Just as the chair can’t penetrate the walls of the force field, neither can the two of you. You are our prisoners now.”
The two lizard-men seemed stunned. It was entirely possible that Farbick had won the day already. He could now pick up a skortch pistol and finish these two threats in a blink. Yet, somehow, that didn’t feel right. He could not do a deed that was just as bad, if not worse, than what the lizard-men themselves were capable of.
From the courtyard above in the ruined fortress, Farbick and Starbright suddenly heard voices and the sound of someone scrambling hastily through rubble.
“I thought we were alone on this moon,” said Starbright, horrified.
“We were…” said Stabharh with a sneer, “at least we were not burdened with anyone who counts. But the remaining inhabitants of Gundahl are coming now, because of my silent alarm. And hopefully they have weapons to kill you two with. Who is the clever fellow now, hmm?”
*****
Catch a Falling Star 