A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, except where I have invented original characters and I write purely for pleasure, to keep this fandom alive, in cherished memory of my childhood. I make no money from writing this.
Rise of the Zygots
Chapter 1
Old Friends
It was starting to snow.
Hawk momentarily watched the floating ice crystals that were beginning to fall rapidly from the sky, and then glanced at his companion. "Buck?"
"I was just thinking…"
Hawk waited patiently, anticipating his friend's reaction. The last time they had encountered this particular weather condition, Buck's eyes had glazed over and a wistful expression had appeared on his face. He had remembered an era long gone by in pre-war Chicago, when the first snows of the season heralded the run up to the holiday season. Chicago! The city was now housed under a dome. An artificial environment whose climate was controlled by computers, down to the temperature and every tone and hue of the sunset.
Buck continued, "That it might be an idea to pack up and get out of here before this snow gets any heavier."
Hawk nodded, relieved. "I think perhaps you are right. Those people, I wonder why they stay here when it is so cold."
"Well it's a beautiful place; I guess they just get used to the conditions in order for them to feel free, to be at one with nature. Just like the Indians out in the Smokies, he thought to himself.
"I suppose so," Said Hawk, "but my people lived in the mountains so that we were away from the humans – men," he corrected himself, "who persecuted us. These people don't have to, they could live in more comfortable surroundings, if they so desired."
"Speaking of more comfortable surroundings, we should get moving before we end up grounded.
He picked up his com link. "Searcher this is Captain Rogers, the weather is deteriorating down here so crank up the heating cos we're coming in."
"OK we'll see you back at base." Wilma couldn't help feeling a little relieved that Buck and Hawk were on their way back with no major incidents.
Buck had a habit of getting himself into trouble but he had extraordinary survival skills – as did Hawk, who had survived his whole life on his wits. They made a great team, Buck continuing the Searcher's primary mission of trying to find the lost races of Earth whilst Hawk searched for others of his kin. Unlike his ancestors, Hawk no longer had wings and relied on his Bird of Prey, a Hawk like ship that had retractable talons that could puncture the metal skin of enemy vessels. He was similar in appearance to humans – except that where he should have hair, his head was covered in a fine plume of white feathers. He was a striking man, well over six feet tall and clad in figure hugging black leather armor. Black gloves completed the look.
Most of the women they encountered had been as enthralled with Hawk as they were with Buck, but Hawk still in mourning for his lost love Koori who had been tragically killed in a horrible accident when he and Buck first met, had no interest in them.
A few minutes later they arrived in the clearing where they had left the ships – or so they thought. The entire landscape had now been transformed into a white wonderland and all landmarks were now buried under a blanket of snow.
"Er – I think we might be lost," Buck said sheepishly. "Everything looks kind of different from when we arrived."
Hawk grinned and pressed a button on his sleeve. Moments later, Buck heard the sound of an engine and Hawk's Bird of Prey hovered above them. Buck stared open mouthed at his friend.
"A little present from Dr Goodfellow," Hawk beamed triumphantly. "Just in case anyone ever tries to steal her."
Buck patted Hawk on the shoulder. "Impressive! A remote-controlled ship. They ought to fit the starfighters with them!"
Hawk pressed another control and the ship landed softly a few feet away from them. "Come, we should be able to locate your starfighter from the air."
Buck followed his friend to the metal bird. The canopy popped open and Hawk climbed into the pilot's seat. Buck followed him and settled down into the passenger seat.
-o-o-o-o-
"Did you uncover anything of interest?" Wilma sat on the opposite end of the sofa to Buck. Her poise appeared relaxed, but her arms were folded in front of her chest and her knees were pointing away from him. Buck glanced at her, he knew enough about body language to note her defensive posture. She obviously wasn't entirely comfortable with being alone with him just yet.
"Well we had to abandon the mission half way through because of the weather, but we got a few samples. The inhabitants have been there for a while, but pretty similar to most of the others we've encountered so far."
"Well we're about to go deeper into space in the next few days and we'll be entering a part of the galaxy that little is known about. So…" She shrugged. "Who knows what we'll uncover."
He raised his hands and started to count on his fingers. "Well let me see so far there's been the Guardians, the Goral, the Satyr who infected me, a race of people who are all clones of one another oh and let's not forget your number one fan-club; the seven dwarves Snow White!"
She pursed her lips in mock petulance. "Snow White indeed!" She raised her arms and glanced at her hands." Hmm maybe I need to pay a visit to the solarium sometime soon."
"You're fine as you are," he murmured under his breath.
"Sorry, what did you say?
"I said do they that on the Searcher?"
She shook her head and laughed. "No! That's why I'm getting pale!"
-o-o-o-o-
"Well I guess you're not gonna get much opportunity to top up your tan here."
The planet Buck, Wilma had landed on was extremely picturesque, but of moderate temperature. They had landed in a lush green valley filled with ferns. The valley floor was carpeted with soft moss. Water from a mountain stream trickled over rocks. There was a cool breeze that blew wisps of their hair about their face. The nearby forest was alive with the sound of birds and woodland creatures. The air was crisp and fresh. The planet was rich with new varieties of plant life which Dr Goodfellow was anxious to examine so Hawk had already collected a few samples and taken them back to the ship, leaving the other two explorers behind.
Buck picked a handful of moss and deposited it into a jar, then took a cutting from a tree and added it to the samples. Wilma took out a hand-held scanner and waved it around.
"The heat signature is quite high, the oxygen level is breathable, the water seems normal so it could easily sustain human life. There would be plenty for anyone to – eat." She wrinkled her face at the last word. She understood the need for survival on more primitive worlds sometimes necessitated the consumption of animal flesh, but still balked at the idea herself.
They wandered through the valley, picking their way carefully to avoid the spongy ground near the stream until their path led away from the water and deeper into the forest. They chatted pleasantly, collecting samples of the plants and soil as they walked. Buck walked over to a tree and knelt down to dig at the soil at the side of the path. Wilma glanced around and spotted something in the distance. She called to her friend excitedly, pointing to a spot about fifty feet away.
"Look at that."
Buck lifted his head to see what his companion was referring to. It was a mammal, similar to a lemur in appearance, with a prehensile tail and large round eyes. It had auburn fur and had a piece of fruit in its paws that it was nibbling at. It halted when it saw Buck and Wilma and watched them curiously. Its ears were pricked but it did not dart for cover.
Buck glanced at the creature then seemed distracted by something else. Without warning he ran at a startled Wilma and dived to the ground, taking her with him. This sudden movement caused the animal to dash into the undergrowth. The landed in a heap, Wilma underneath Buck, their legs slightly entangled.
"Buck, what…"
Seconds later, a blue bolt of laser fire zapped through the air, followed immediately by another.
Wilma lifted her head. "Someone's firing at us."
"No, I don't think so, I think they are hunters." Buck motioned for her to keep still. He could feel the heat of her body beneath him and tried not to get distracted. Safety was more important. He reached for his pulsar.
Wilma squirmed, trying to reach her laser. She slid her hand down to her hip and came into contact with Buck's thigh. She glanced at him to see if he had noticed but his eye was trained on a spot in the distance. They heard voices from several feet away, getting louder as the hunters moved closer. They recognised one of the voices and exchanged glances.
"Ardala?" Said Buck
"Princess Ardala?" Said Wilma in unison.
They popped their heads up. The Draconian Princess, dressed in a form fitting green cat-suit with a matching cloak edged in gold brocade, was standing a few feet away from them. There was a huge laser weapon in her gloved hands. She was accompanied by three Draconian guards and her body guard, Pantherman. Kane was nowhere to be seen.
"Buck!" She stared at the two Terrans, a look of complete surprise on her face. She glanced at Wilma and frowned. "And Colonel Deering!" She was not happy to notice the close proximity of Buck and Wilma.
Buck grinned and waved a hand. "Your highness." His other hand still held onto Wilma's arm, this did not go unnoticed.
"What's this? Some strange Terran courtship ritual?"
Wilma blushed and pushing Buck away, began to extricate herself from his grasp. "You could have killed us!"
"Well you were the one wandering around my hunting ground Colonel?"
"Your hunting ground? You were going to shoot that little creature, but why? Don't you have enough food on the Draconia."
"We were exploring, taking soil samples that kind of thing." Buck explained to a bemused Ardala. "We are now part of an exploration mission." He holstered his weapon and held his hands aloft. "We come in peace."
"First of all, Colonel Deering I assure you that I had no intention of consuming that thing, however its pelt makes a very good trim for the royal wardrobe."
Wilma grimaced and looked ready to answer but Buck stopped her by placing his hand on her arm. The Draconian peace treaty was tentative, he didn't want to cause an end to it by offending the royal pursuits.
"So you are hunting for pleasure? What happened to Princesses don't fire weapons?"
Ardala batted her long eyelashes at him. "Well I felt quite empowered after we worked together on Pendar, I decided it was time for me to learn to defend myself and besides which I have been quite bored on the Draconia recently. It would have been an excellent shot too, if you hadn't scared the wretched creature away."
Buck raised his eyebrow. ""Well it's good to see you standing on your own two feet Princess."
She looked perplexed. "Why whose feet do you presume I stand on?"
"Just an old expression, means you are more independent."
She laughed, "Yes, exactly. I have learned that unlike my pampered sisters, I am strong and don't need anyone to fire my weapons."
"This is your practice ground? Sorry I didn't realise we were in Draconian territory." Wilma interjected.
Ardala shrugged. "I would say you are the ones far from home Colonel Deering." She smiled then continued, "I know all about your mission - to find the lost races of your planet if I'm correct."
Wilma nodded.
Ardala strode towards Buck, her expression softened. "And so you were on the ground because you thought I was firing at you?"
Buck smirked and glanced at Wilma who rolled her eyes. "Of course your highness, what else would we be doing?"
They were interrupted by a soft rumble coming from the direction of the mountains. The breeze began to blow a little stronger. Ardala removed a strand of hair that had blown about her face.
"It sounds like a storm is coming, may I suggest that we all make haste and retire to our respective vessels." Wilma said.
"I couldn't agree more." She waved her hands and the royal entourage who had been standing patiently, shuffled and began to turn back to the direction they had arrived from.
"Perhaps you would join me Buck on my ship, I'm sure we have lots of things to discuss." She fluttered her eyelashes seductively.
"Well I – er…" He began.
Wilma kept her thoughts to herself. She doubted the Princess would be pleased to hear them.