Chapter 31: A Bad Feeling

  It took only a few minutes for them to be summoned, the annoyed crystal alien calling them in that same buzzing artificial tone and using one of their crystalline tendrils to direct them to the doorway at the end of the room. In another moment they had stood and walked through the doors, and with this translation the dread that had so gripped Paulie grew tenfold, causing him to stop dead in his tracks as he shivered with the strength of it.

  Mack stopped three paces on, turning to look his way. Those great grey eyes narrowing in either annoyance or suspicion. “What are you stopping for, we are here. No reason to get cold feet all of the sudden now, Paulie.”

  But Paulie didn’t have cold feet, he had realised where the feeling of dread was coming from suddenly. With a small inward glance he rattled the remains of the cage that he had stuffed the jargon worm‘s consciousness into at the back of his mind. It whimpered in a very odd fashion as he did so, crying like a babe when he poked at it and cowering in fear. Now that was odd, he had only ever seen the thing cower like that once before, when he had..

  He got the flash of a great yellow orb opening in a field of utter darkness and he had to suppress the shout that wanted to tear from his lips like a tidal wave of fear at the memory of a voice made from terror and ancient malice older than the stars themselves.

  Mack slapped his arm, hard enough to sting a little as he growled, “Come on, stop worrying. He isn’t really all that bad. He just.. gives me a bad feeling.” Mack said, grumbling to himself quiet enough that even Paulie’s superior hearing couldn't make it out clearly, though he thought he heard something about dark caves or something like that.

  Shaking it off, Paulie nodded and pursed his lips tightly. Pushing the helpless dread down back by the one making it, he followed Mack through a short hall to another set of doors. These were much heavier and looked as if they could be bolted into place in the floor and ceiling like the door to a bank vault. He took a breath as he and Mack stepped through them, and was mildly surprised to see a lavishly furnished office on the other side.

  The walls looked to be real wood, the floor was covered in rich carpet that he veritably sank into as he padded further into the room. The walls were lined with low shelves, many of them bearing items of alien description that Paulie had no concept for the uses of. But more held items of similarly understandable purpose. Books, holodrives and several pieces of what he could only describe as art lined the walls and shelves. Clearly the room was that of one who had a great taste for the finer things life may offer, and given the vastness of the collection it was safe to assume that they had much pride in their collection and maybe even gained some measure of satisfaction by showing off.

  The center of the space was dominated by an enormous desk of some dark material that glinted a faint purple in the half-light of the room. It could have been some stone or synthetic material, but Paulie was unable to make the distinction before a loud and clearly authoritative voice boomed, “Ah, Mack. I see you have brought the strangeling to me. Come, step closer.”

  The command was given and he obeyed alongside Mack almost without thought. The voice was alien, but even so the clear stature of its rumbling bass timbre caused a subtle feeling of awe in his mind. A feeling that very much warred with the waves of terror and dread that his parasite was still giving off.

  The being that had spoken stood halfway from their seat as they beckoned, the large pink-furred alien’s neck slits flared as they spoke again. The voice issuing from these breathing orifices even as their wide maw cracked into a smile to reveal rows of blunt, crushing teeth.

  “Come, come. Don’t be shy, you are the hero of the hour after all, both of you.” They spoke in honeyed tones, but Paulie couldn't help but feel a sort of indirectly implied threat in the undertones of the vekegh’s speech. Almost as if their every uttered word was a warning his mind was desperate to escape.

  Mack clacked over, laying his crutch on the plush carpet as he crouched to rest on the proffered stool. Paulie did the same, crouching and then settling onto the other multi-species chair. Not for the first time wishing that they had backrests he could lean into more securely.

  Mack glanced at Paulie as if in a reminder of their earlier conversation and then spoke quickly. “Yes, indeed, General.”

  Alloen Mauk, for that was surely who the figure must have been, laughed out loud and then slapped the desk in front of them with a clawed hand. The contact sounding like the clattering of stones as their claws rattled against its hard surface. “You and your stiff, no-nonsense demeanour. As I have said to you before, you may address me simply as Alloen, Senior Detective Luemf’gran’taakk.”

  Mack grumbled at the use of his full name and then gestured to Paulie, “This is the Human you had asked to meet. The one who was instrumental in the apprehension of Ooounoo.” Paulie puffed up a bit as Mack said it, there was an obvious hint of pride in the miriamiam’s tone. One that the adjudicator major general seemed to pick up on too.

  Their strange ‘W’ shaped pupils flicked between the two of them and then they smiled again. Those flat, textured molars glinting in the light as they leaned back into their chair and steepled their webbed hands like a businessman in great thought.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “I have heard of this one’s exploits, yes. Indeed the things I have heard border on the obscene, and were it not for the great credibility of those giving the reports as well as the accuracy of their accounts then I myself would hardly have believed it.” Something about the man’s eyes as they bored into him made Paulie swallow heavily. But he couldn't really say what was wrong, just that the feeling of dread in his gut grew slightly under the man’s gaze.

  Alloen themselves seemed to narrow their eyes at him at the same time, almost in a scrutinising manner. Their furred head cocking ever so slightly as if in mild puzzlement.

  Mack broke the pregnant silence after another moment, “Yes. Well, Paulie saved my life at least twice. If not for his quick-witted actions and strength I fear that I might not have had the opportunity to be here, having this conversation. Thank Holy Nastrica..”

  He might have said more, but the vekegh held up a hand, two fingers extended towards Mack as if to order him to be still. And Mack complied instantly, either through respect or fear Paulie could not be sure. But the look on Mack’s face spoke volumes of the detective’s mood. The slight clatter of his sensory spines in the otherwise quiet office told Paulie that his friend was still uneasy. If not why.

  The big alien scratched idly at a long scar that ran the length of their snout and terminated just below their right ear. Shaking their blunt head, the man leaned forwards and seemed to admonish Mack, “Her most Holiness..” the alien’s tone turned more than a little derisive at the comment, “..has sat upon her satin throne and done nothing to aid the sufferings of her own people. How oft do those that walk the streets cry for our brothers to save them from the ravages of those damned Infinite and Divine cultists. Why, just the other day there was another attack in the market near to xent’lekk court. If not for the swift intervention of my officers then the cost in lives would have been exponentially higher.” they huffed, seemingly upset at the mere mention of the great monarch’s name.

  Paulie cracked his mouth to speak, but got the smallest of headshakes from Mack. So he closed his mouth before Alloen could notice his lapse. Mack raised a hand, almost placatingly. “I know that the royal guard has not had much occasion to patrol beyond the walls of the palace. But surely you cannot think that Holy Nastrica has abandoned her people?” Mack seemed genuinely torn at the thought of it.

  The adjudicator major general made a loud coughing sound, the breathing holes at the base of their neck opening wide as they sucked in a large breath and then seemed to close their eyes. In that brief moment he saw a flash of emotion cross Mack’s sallow features. It was anger, hot and dangerous. But it passed almost too fast for Paulie to really register it, and a small part of him was unsure if he had actually even seen it.

  By this time, the vekegh had recovered their composure and nodded to Mack coldly. “I have had occasion to listen to you stubborn loyalty to that useless sack of chiton before, Mack. But I warn you that my patience for that fat worm’s lack of action is nearing its limits. There have been signs of unrest, greater than any we have yet seen before. Near to the outer reaches I have had reports that the scions of the destroyers are gathering in the darkness between worlds.”

  This caused Mack to physically recoil. “No, not..”

  The pink-furred otter-like alien nodded their narrow head slightly as they made another gesture. This one much more like an open fist sweeping upwards towards the ceiling. “Yes, the very same. Elements of the great terrors seem to be stirring in the depths of the old night, another great harvest might be soon coming. And yet does our great monarch heed my warning to reinstate the fleet. To reactivate the ships of the line, to restart the foundries of war?” Mack said nothing, but the man continued regardless. “No, she heeds not the call to arms nor our warning. I will hear no ill spoken of my officers or the planetary defense forces. But the royal guard cannot cover the entire planet alone, nor would they be capable of repelling the hordes of rikken, zennies or worse that may pour from the stars like hungry groons.”

  Paulie wasn’t sure what he could do or say to alleviate the growing tension in the room, but it seemed that it wasn’t needed as the man snapped his mouth shut and then spoke directly at Paulie this time.

  “You, human.” Paulie snapped upright at the sudden attention. “You are the first of your kind to be accepted here, and I find myself still unsure as to the validity of the claims that your kind are capable of sentience, let alone sapience. We have seen near-perfect mimicry before. So tell me, what makes your kind so different from the rest? Better than the savage beasts that crawl and slither across the surface of your cursed home planet?” The question hung in the air, electricity seemingly crackling from the strength of the tension.

  He cleared his throat and spoke slowly, the parasite screeching in his mind as he locked eyes with the other man. Those alien pupils so different from his own, and yet so similar. Windows to the soul they were said to be. “I don’t have an answer for that, er.. sir.” Alloen snorted, the breathing holes at the base of his furred neck flaring at the comment. Paulie continued, “What is the basis for determining the sapience of a species really? Is it simply the act of thinking for oneself? Because if so then I guess you could call a dog sapient just as well as a man.” He spoke as boldly as he could.

  The vekegh squinted at him and then suddenly leaned back, guffawing loudly with those same barking gurgles. Paulie smiled in relief at the alien’s response, if nothing else than laughter was better than simmering rage or outright anger

  The adjudicator major general of the city of Korscam leaned back forwards and gestured to Mack. “Oh yes, entertaining indeed. If for no other reason than the fire in this one I would like them, but they speak true. By what measure can we tell the sapience of another. Is it wisdom? Or the lack of it? Thinking for oneself indeed, I will have to keep a close eye on you, human. May it be that more of your kind grow to show such.. countenance.” The final word was uttered as a guttering hiss that made Paulie’s skin crawl slightly. Those cold eyes still burning into his own.

  It was then that Paulie realised what had been troubling him so about the man, his eyes. Paulie looked at them and saw no light in them. No soul. Those two orbs seemed dead and lifeless to him, devoid of the shine that all living things seemed to have. No spark of light or life. It was as if he were looking into the glassy eyes of some taxidermied beast, an outward display for something that wore the man as one might a cloak or coat. And it caused him to feel that same dread that his own parasite seemed to exude in equal or greater measure.

  There was something wrong with the man, and as they stared into Paulie’s own eyes the vekegh cocked their head a little in the same manner they had earlier. Their face cracked into a wide smile that never reached those dead eyes as they nodded their wide head and repeated, “Oh yes. A close eye. You are dismissed, begone I have much to do.” And with that they turned from Paulie and Mack and towards the screen of the computer that sat at the side of their desk.

  Paulie stood stiffly and gave Mack a long hard look, but Mack just shook his head as if to say ‘not the place’ and then gestured for him to follow. They left that room and its chilling occupant and Paulie let out an explosive breath that he had not realised he had been holding as Mack grumbled once more under his breath.

  The entire experience had been harrowing in a manner that Paulie was having a difficult time explaining to himself. No, even the jargon worm buried deep in his brain had been able to tell that something was very wrong with the man. And Paulie felt a small touch of horror as he realised that in this specific case, he agreed wholeheartedly with that parasite living in his head. Something was wrong here, and Mack knew it too even if he wasn’t saying anything.