Author's notes: So I've definitely noticed I have a bad habit of vanishing. I can admit it, but I'm not really sure how to fix it. Just poke me with a stick or something if I ever become inactive on this website. That'll probably get me going again.
All That's Left
"I thought I told you not to get caught by the Tallest..." Bann's voice spoke from somewhere in the darkness.
Laes was sitting huddled by a small fire. He was pretty sure some random bolt of lightning probably started it or something since he was terrible at starting fires.
"You died," he mumbled, curling closer to himself. "You died and I would've died too if your leader hadn't stopped that soldier."
Bann heaved a sigh as he stepped into the light of the fire. He crouched down beside Laes, and the flames reflected in his purple eyes. "That's because I couldn't pick a side... and now you're in the company of a loyal Irken soldier. What about Lard Nar? I thought you wanted to help him."
"I do," Laes replied. "I mean I will... I'm going to help the Resisty. I've already decided." He blinked. "Why am I dreaming you?" He recoiled. "Hold on... how do I know I'm dreaming? I never know that... but you're dead, so this has to be a dream right?"
"Yes, this is a dream," Bann replied. He held out his hands to the fire, taking in the warmth. "And I'm sorry I died alright? It's not like I was planning to just keel over and leave you there with a murderous soldier." The Irken's eyes narrowed. "You could've done a better job keeping a good grip on that weapon I gave you though, especially since it was the only thing you had to defend yourself with."
"Sorry I'm not good at stabbing people..." Laes remarked, turning away a little as he crossed his arms. He glanced down and noticed that his broken arm was fine. He wasn't wearing a sling and his other hand was there too. "So um... are you some kind of figment of my overactive imagination...? Or are you actually Bann?"
"You're resting, so don't think too much about it," Bann told him.
"If you're haunting me I'd kind of like to know..." Laes insisted.
"Don't worry about it Laes."
"Seriously Bann, it's creepy," Laes remarked, and his gaze returned to the fire. The flames were growing low, and it was getting cold. He shivered. It had also started to rain. The fire was quickly going out. Then it went black.
"Bann...?" He called, and he waited for a reply. "Bann?" He tried again.
Laes slowly opened his eyes when he heard a crackling noise nearby. Everything was blurry. He blinked. It smelled like smoke... He tried sitting up but that didn't happen. His arms were tingling, and he couldn't feel his legs at all.
That flower was probably poisonous or something he realized. He was able to move his head a little. The rest of his body was definitely paralysed though. Then he heard someone walking with heavy boot-steps, and an Irken's face peered down at him.
"You could make my job a little easier," the soldier stated with a scowl. "Do me a favour and stay away from paralysis flowers from now on."
Laes blinked. His throat was tingling too, and any words he tried to say wouldn't come out.
"They can stop your breathing without the proper treatment..." the Irken continued.
Laes would have gasped in surprise if he could, but he couldn't.. He blinked again and managed to tilt his head to the side. Hopefully his body was recovering since he didn't think it would be any fun being a living statue, and hopefully there wouldn't be any permanent damage.
The soldier didn't say anything else after, so Laes spent his time staring up at the leaf roof above him. There was a soft orange glow too and some black smoke. The fire must be close by. He could feel a little of its warmth.
By the time it was dark, he was finally able to sit up. His legs had that prickly feeling in them like they were asleep, and he couldn't get them to move very much yet. He could lift his good arm and use it to support himself. His other arm was doing better, but it was also still in his sling, and he figured he should probably leave it alone for a while yet.
Now that he could feel below his neck, he realized he was pretty hungry. He looked around at the low hanging roof made from overlapping leaves and noted the fire was a bit further away than he first thought. The Irken soldier had made the shelter plenty big enough.
It didn't look like the Irken was here right now. He really should ask for the soldier's name again.
"You're finally able to move then?" the Irken questioned, and Laes nearly fell in surprise. The soldier ducked into the shelter behind him and made his way to the low-burning fire.
Laes turned himself a little to see what the Irken was doing. It looked like the soldier was carrying twigs and grass. They were probably really wet though. After placing the stuff beside the fire to dry out a bit, the Irken returned his attention to Laes.
"I saw some tracks while I was out... Your friends are close."
"Yeah, maybe," Laes agreed. He doubted it was Lard Nar or Ixane. Those two had children to worry about. Maybe it was another member of the Resisty who managed to survive in the jungle? Or two of them? "So um... what's your name?"
The soldier's eyes narrowed at him, and the Irken's antennae flattened. "I told you, it doesn't matter."
"I'm Laes," he continued undetoured. "And uh... I think it matters... I mean, all I know about you is that you killed one of my friends... and almost murdered me. That's why... I think maybe a name would be a good step in the other direction..."
He thought this was a reasonable explanation. He did think of Bann as a friend after all... even after everything the Irken had done. The Irken's antennae lifted a little. Maybe he was thinking about it? The soldier wasn't giving him the glare of death anymore anyway...
"You tried to kill me too," the Irken responded. "Both of you did."
That was true... Bann seemed serious about killing the guy, and he'd also admitted to killing several Irken soldiers already. Laes hadn't been very confident about killing anything, like ever, and he hadn't wanted to either, but the soldier didn't know that.
"I uh... yeah... sorry about that... I um... thought you were going to kill me, so I did stab you..." Laes' eyes found the hole in the Irken's armour. It wasn't very big, but it looked like the blade had gone all the way through. "I guess... I was kind of hoping I could help Bann too... but he was probably already dead, right?"
The soldier was quiet for a moment. He sat down by the fire and let out a sigh. "Do you think it was easy for me to kill him like I did?" He asked. "Bandeval was a fellow soldier. He was my comrade. If nothing else he was also my taller."
The Irken's crimson eyes stared past him. Laes chewed his bottom lip and glanced away. Maybe he should change the topic...
"We aren't supposed to kill each other," the soldier continued. His voice became quieter, and his gaze lowered to the ground. "I should have captured him. He would have had a trial on Planet Judgementia... defectives usually get a trial. It's how our laws work, even if it's only a formality. The Tallest are the only ones who can order a soldier to kill themselves or to kill someone else."
He lifted his head a little and frowned at Laes. "Anyway..." he straightened up. "The fact is he attacked me and I attacked back, and the result was his death."
"So... you needed permission to kill Bann?" Laes questioned in his confusion.
"Yes," the soldier gave him a curt reply.
"Oh..." so then... the Tallest ordered the other soldiers to kill Bann? Is that what happened?
"I didn't have permission," the Irken told him.
Something told Laes that it might be a good idea to change the subject now. He looked at the fire, and then at the soldier who was sitting beside it. "So uh... your name?" he tried again.
"It's Darden," the soldier answered. This time the Irken didn't hesitate. "Are you going to try sleeping again? That's what your people seem to do at night."
"I would... but I spent most of the day sleeping already..." Laes said as he reached for one of his tingling legs. He gave it a testing poke and was glad when he could feel it. "I guess there's not a lot to do in the dark though..."
"Not when your legs are paralyzed, no," Darden responded. He moved into a crouching position, and his antennae flicked forward. There was a rustling noise coming from some nearby bushes. Before Laes had time to ask anything, and he would have, the Irken was gone.
There was a startled yelp, breaking branches, and scuffling noises. Laes tried squinting so he could see into the darkness, but this was pretty much impossible because of the bright light of the fire, so he waited. He wouldn't be able to run, but he would try dragging himself with his one arm if he had to. Maybe he could use a stick from the fire to defend himself with. Maybe he should start dragging himself now just in case.
Laes recoiled away when three aliens landed inside the shelter. They were all bruised and unconscious. Their clothes were completely drenched and tattered. One of them had wrapped some cloth around his feet.
Darden ducked back inside and returned to his place by the fire.
"Once they're awake, you can go with them," the soldier informed Laes who was still staring at the aliens in shock.
Laes blinked as he switched his attention to Darden. The Irken soldier could have killed them all easily, but he didn't... maybe the Tallest really had decided to honour their agreement.
One of the aliens had yellow skin and a giant metal screw in its head, like Kish. It was wearing a loin-cloth, and it had wraps around its feet. The second one had a dent in its head, and maybe no mouth, and it was wearing the tattered remnants of something. The third one was a grey alien with two growths on its head. They weren't very long, and they jutted backwards a bit. It also had stripes on its arms. It was taller than the other two, and it wore a ragged vest and muddy dark grey pants.
They looked like they'd been wandering in the jungle for quite a while... they were bruised and they had a lot of cuts on their arms and some on their faces. These were civilians Laes remembered. They didn't know how to fight or survive in the middle of nowhere. How they managed to survive so long in such a dangerous place was a mystery. Maybe he was worse at survival than most people...
"Hey Darn..." Laes tried, realizing a bit too late that he'd automatically shortened the Irken's name. He received a stick to the side of the face. The soldier had actually thrown a stick at him. He covered the sore spot with his hand and shrank down a bit. There was no need to throw a stick...
"If you call me that again I swear I'll smack you," Darden threatened him, and Laes decided maybe lying back down and trying to sleep would be a good idea. He lowered himself onto his side and curled as close to his paralyzed legs as he could.
"Sorry..." he mumbled, shutting his eyes tight as he willed himself to sleep again. After a long time of lying still and pretending to sleep, he cracked open an eye to look at the beaten and battered Resisty members. What would they think when they woke up and saw an Irken? They'd probably panic.
He propped himself up and looked over at the fire where the soldier had been sitting. Darden wasn't there anymore. Maybe the Irken had a similar thought and decided to leave. That was probably for the best.
His stomach growled, and he wrapped an arm around his mid-section. Right. He should probably try finding something to eat... in the dark. Not in the dark. His mouth was dry. He wasn't too sure when he last had a drink, so he was probably beyond thirsty at this point. Water right now was pretty easy to come by though. He just needed to leave the shelter to find that.
Ok. Leaving the shelter shouldn't be too difficult. He tried moving one of his legs and discovered it would in fact move. This was good. The tingling sensation was pretty much gone. He could probably walk now if he tried.
Laes attempted to stand. His legs shook, and then buckled. That wasn't too bad for a first try he decided. Maybe if he had something to hold on to... or he could try standing again. The second attempt went about as well as the first. He sighed. Maybe he should try pushing himself up from his hands and knees? He attempted to do this and he ended up standing. Success! Only, when he tried to take a wobbly step, he collapsed again.
One of the Resisty members groaned. It was the grey one with the vest. The alien slowly opened its eyes before carefully propping its self up. "W-What happened?" it stammered, looking around fearfully.
The green one with the dented head stirred a little. Laes watched them without saying anything. He wasn't too sure he wanted to try standing in front of an audience. At least not right now when he knew he was likely going to fall again.
The grey alien's squiggly purple eyes fell on him. Those were very interesting eyes. They were black with strange looking purple irises... or pupils... or... something. He wasn't too sure.
"You... you're friends with the boss... I mean Lard Nar, right?" the grey alien questioned, sounding uncertain. "Have you seen anymore survivors?"
"Um... yes..." Laes responded, glancing around quickly to make sure Darden wasn't listening from somewhere. "I saw four. They're... safe." At least he was pretty sure they were still safe.
"That's good..." the grey alien let out a sigh. "Good." It rubbed its head and slowly brought its knees closer to its body. It hugged them tightly. "What happened...? Where are we...?"
"Well um... you were kind of knocked out by an Irken soldier... he's um... somewhere," Laes responded, and the stranger's mouth fell open.
"No..." the alien whimpered, burying its face in its hands. "No... no..."
"But the good news is we haven't been killed," Laes remarked, offering the shaken alien a half-hearted smile. "Also the Tallest are gone."
The Resisty member glanced at its two comrades lying close by. It reached out and clasped the green alien by its large circular shoulder. "Are you ok Migal? Please wake up..."
Bright green eyes snapped open, and the other alien sat up. It glanced at its friend before looking around to see where they were.
"Teeka?" The grey alien called to the smallest member of their party who still appeared to be unconscious.
Then the nameless member of the Resisty turned to glare at Laes. "You were with the Tallest..." it remembered, and it pointed an accusing finger at the Vortian. "You were with them!"
This was true. Laes gave the alien a slight nod in recognition. Yes. He had been with the red Tallest for a little while.
"You're probably a spy! You're working for them aren't you!?"
"Um well... I did... just... fixing stuff... not spying..." Laes tried to explain, but his brain was starting to scatter under the accusations being yelled at him. Oh boy... he tried to flinch away when the alien leaned closer, but he didn't flinch quite good enough because the rebel was able to grab him by the neck.
"Fix stuff!? You helped them!? You helped those monsters fix stuff!?"
Laes couldn't say anything. All he could do was grasp uselessly at the alien's hand and make choking and sputtering noises. He knew the Tallest would have killed everyone. The red Tallest had beaten Drent to death. Several members were probably slaughtered by soldiers on the planet. These people were scared and desperate... and he'd just been with the Irkens' leaders, helping them leave.
Oh cripes... that did sound pretty horrible... but he really wanted to help the Resisty. He wouldn't have done anything if the Tallest hadn't agreed to take their soldiers and leave the surviving rebels alone. Maybe. He wasn't sure how he would have reacted if they decided to beat him into a bloody mess though. He would have fainted for sure, but after he did that what would he have done?
"What's going on here?" Darden questioned as he crouched down to peer into the shelter. He looked at the Resisty member, and then at Laes. He didn't seem too interested in breaking up their little fight, maybe because his hands were full, but more likely it was because he was still a bit angry at Laes for the stabbing, or maybe he didn't think the altercation was very serious.
The nameless Resisty member immediately let go, and Laes collapsed and sucked in a much needed breath. After a little while he propped himself back up, feeling light headed and winded but otherwise ok.
Migal was watching the Irken silently. Laes still wasn't sure if this one had a mouth or not, and no amount of looking was going to give him any answers right now. The other one... Teeka? That resister was still not awake.
Darden's eyes narrow at the grey alien, and one of his metal appendages sprang out from his pak. Its sharp tip pressed against the Resisty member's forehead. "I asked you what was going on. Now answer me," his voice sounded calm. Maybe a bit too calm. "I won't give you a second chance."
"I-I..." the grey alien stammered. Its whole body started trembling.
"We were just talking," Laes replied as he tried and failed to move anywhere.
Darden raised an invisible brow. "It looked like that creature," he nodded at the Resisty member he was currently threatening. "Was strangling you."
"We were talking with our hands...?" Laes tried, not sounding very confident with his excuse.
"Listen to me rebel trash," Darden spoke at the cowering alien. "The only reason you and your stupid group are still alive is because Laes spoke with my leaders... if you do anything to threaten his life, I will slaughter all of you myself." He withdrew his Pak leg and placed the arm full of fruit and edible plants and berries down on a large leaf beside the fire.
"Well um... I didn't really..." Laes mumbled to himself. He was weak and cowardly. The only reason he was with the Tallest on this planet was because he got caught. He didn't have a choice.
The choice to help them was his though. He would help anyone it seemed. Sighing, he brought a hand to his forehead. If he didn't assist them in repairing their ship the soldiers would still be here... and who knows how many more people would have died. He did the only thing he could think of doing at the time.
Teeka woke a while later. The alien with the large screw in its head was just as confused and disoriented as his companions had been at first. Then when it realized an Irken soldier was keeping watch it curled into a ball and covered its face.
While that was happening, Laes decided to scootch a bit closer to the food so he could reach it. His legs were feeling completely normal now, but he still wanted to wait a little longer before trying to stand up again.
"Would you feel safe if I left you with these people?" Darden asked him. The Irken was sitting cross-legged, watching the two Resisty members trying to calm their panicked friend.
"Well, out here I don't think I'd ever really feel safe," Laes replied in all honesty. He grabbed a large red fruit off the top of the pile. "Are you hoping to meet up with the other soldiers pretty soon?"
"I told you they left," Darden said with a scowl. "They aren't coming back."
"Oh... then..." Laes glanced up from the fruit and met Darden's gaze. "What are you going to do when you're done protecting me?"
Darden smirked. "Self-destruct. What else?"
Laes nearly dropped the fruit he was holding. "Oh um... sorry. But uh... what?"
"Once I'm done here, I've been ordered by the Tallest to self-destruct."
That seemed kind of harsh... but then Vort hadn't had the death penalty in hundreds of years already. They had prisons yes, and something called the pit of self-reflection that was apparently really dark and isolated. Instant incineration wasn't considered ethical even when it was being used, so they'd stopped using it.
"But you aren't actually..." Laes began, but he stopped talking when the Irken glared at him. Darden was serious about this... of course for Irkens whatever their Tallest said was law.
Darden killed Bann... and Laes wouldn't mind at all if the soldier was imprisoned for it, but for him to explode? At least it would be quick, but why did Irkens have to be so strange?
Wait... there might be a way around the Tallests' command. Loop-holes were everywhere really. "Hey um... did the Tallest say anything about when you should stop protecting me?" Laes questioned.
"They said when you were safe... I assume it means when you are with other members of the Resisty, or in a bunker or something."
"Well... you saw how horribly I am at surviving... I mean even crossing a street in a populated place could maybe be dangerous for me," Laes tried, and he watched the Irken's face, hoping to be able to read an expression properly for once in his life. "I mean... I'd probably be the best judge about when I'm actually safe right? And there's still the worms and other things so... just because I'm with other people doesn't mean we all won't get eaten by something right? And a bunker is good, but it won't last forever..."
Darden was frowning now. Was he angry? Oh gosh.
"What are you saying exactly?" Darden asked, and his antennae flattened. "Are you saying you'll never be safe? Are you trying to get me to follow you around for the rest of your life just because my Tallest gave me a vague order to protect you?"
"Um... maybe?" Laes replied. "I mean... if it will keep you from exploding..."
Darden tugged down his uniform so it was around his neck rather than covering his face. Then he leaned back and shook his head. "I thought you would be happy I was going to die for what I did to Bandeval."
"I'm uh... not much of a revenge guy," Laes admitted. "You dying wouldn't bring Bann back... and it wouldn't stop me from feeling sad about him dying... so... yeah. Besides um... Bann killed your frie...um... compan... fellow soldiers. So really you were just reacting in self-defence, uh, sort of."
"Even so, I will still self-destruct," Darden insisted, crossing his arms. "Once I think you're safe enough."
"Alright," Laes smirked, thinking that maybe now it would be ok to joke a little. "I will put myself in a lot of peril until you do that."
Darden huffed and turned away. "Thanks... make me work harder. Fine. Maybe I'll let one of those plants take a few bites before I help you."
"Oh... um..." Laes fiddled with his sling. "Sorry..."
"I'm not being serious."
Laes blinked. Is this how Darden joked? There was no change in the Irken's voice at all.
Whhhooosh!
A large wind swept through the place, bending the tall trees and rustling the leafy plants. The roof of the shelter managed to hold, but it lifted quite a ways. The fire flickered dangerously, and it nearly extinguished.
The three members of the Resisty ducked down and huddled close to each other. They were at the edge of the shelter, just out of the rain. Darden leaped up from his spot and rushed over to them with all four of his Pak legs extended. He stood over them, looking up at the sky. Then the wind stopped, and he ducked and raised one of his arms to shield himself as the leafy roof came crashing back down.
Laes cringed when he saw the make-shift roof falling. The wet leaves surrounded him. He could feel the rain falling over him. At least it wasn't a cold rain.
"All of you, get up and move under the trees!" Darden barked at them. There were vines twisting down from the branches and clusters of leafy vegetation growing around the trunks of the trees nearby.
Now would be a great time to see if his legs would work. He scrambled to his feet and managed to kind of stumble fall into some bushes. Nothing was stinging or biting him, so he assumed this was a safe place to lay low for a little while.
It was too dark to see what was going on without the light of the fire. The wind blew over the area again. There was yelling and crashing noises. Laes listened silently as he willed himself to sink further into the plants he was lying in.
"Migal!" Laes heard the most talkative Resisty member shout. "Migal! No!"
There was a crash and the sound of snapping tree branches. Then slicing. Laes covered his head with his good arm and tucked his legs close to his body to avoid anything biting them off.
"Kalja, it's too dangerous!" an unfamiliar voice exclaimed.
"Get out of here!" Darden yelled. "Dlamn it! You're in the way!"
It was daybreak when things went quiet. Laes risked poking his head out of the plants he was hiding in to take a look around. There were a few broken trees, and branches and uprooted plants lay strewn among the large gouges in the earth which had filled with water.
The rain had stopped sometime during the night. All of the plants were dripping with water, and there was a lot of muddy ground. Laes crawled out from his hiding place and realized pretty quickly he was coating himself in mud.
He heard a groan, and he hurried over to where the grey alien was lying. It kind of looked like the Resisty member had been flung into the bushes.
"Are you ok...?" Laes questioned him tentatively.
"Am I ok...?" the alien repeated, cracking open an eye. "My friend was eaten last night... and you're asking me if I'm ok?"
"Oh... um... sorry," Laes apologized. "I didn't know..." That would have explained the yelling... but it was dark and he couldn't see anything. He didn't even know what had attacked them last night. "Is Darden still around...?"
If the Irken was gone then he could lead the others to the Irken base Lard Nar and Ixane were using as a hide-out. That would be a safer place to be since the jungle was filled with frightening things and staying out in the open would likely get everyone killed eventually.
"The Irken?" the grey alien questioned with a scowl. "I haven't seen him. He probably got eaten too."
"I'm not that fragile..." Darden spoke as he dropped down from a tree, startling both Laes and the Resisty member. The other alien, the yellow one with the screw in its head, was missing... but it seemed Migal was the only one known to be eaten, at least right now.
Darden dusted himself off. There was a long scratch on the side of his face, and his armour was badly cracked. There was blood on his pants and his armour. He was probably bleeding pretty good but he wasn't acting hurt at all. "I don't know how badly I was able to injure it... I watched it fly off. There's probably more nearby."
"More of what?" Laes asked, and he forced a smile when Darden frowned at him. Yeah. He should've probably at least tried to look at what was attacking them last night... but he really didn't do that. He didn't even come close to doing that.
"Worms..." Darden responded with little emotion behind his words. "Where there's one there's always more."
"Hold on..." the grey alien's strange looking eyes narrowed as it pointed up at the sky. "How was that thing able to make it through the planet's atmosphere?"
"It has a tough hide," Darden responded, folding his arms. "They've destroyed many civilizations and have eaten hundreds of thousands of Irken soldiers and other things. I would suggest we get away from here quickly, unless you want to be swallowed by one of those beasts."
"How does it not die when it impacts the ground after falling through the atmosphere?" Laes asked, suddenly curious.
"It doesn't impact the ground," Darden explained in a curt manner. "These things fly."
"How does it do that?" Laes questioned, raising an invisible brow. "Does it have wings?"
"Don't ask me how these things are able to defy the laws of nature... and gravity... and normalcy," Darden insisted, rubbing his temples. "I'm a soldier, not a scientist."
"Where's Teeka?" the Resisty member asked, looking all around them.
"The last I saw he was crashing through the jungle," Darden responded, pointing at a trail of broken branches and trampled plants. "That direction."
The grey alien freed itself from some of the plants it was tangled in and began walking towards the trail. "I need to find him."
Darden rolled his eyes and snagged the alien by the wrist. "I'll find him," he insisted. "You two need to stay out of sight." He shoved the member of the Resisty into a thicket.
Laes watch Darden leave. The Irken was fast, even though he was probably injured fairly good. Once the soldier was gone Laes switched his attention to the grey alien. "So... I'm Laes," he decided to introduce himself because why not? Also when he thought about it he was pretty sure this race of people had worked in the labs on Vort... he remembered seeing a scientist with the same kind of eyes, only she was female. The member of the Resisty didn't look like she did... so he was going to assume this guy was male probably... because asking was awkward.
If the thought about it longer he wouldn't have realized calling someone the wrong gender would also be awkward, but he didn't let himself think that far.
"Kalja," the alien responded as he struggled against the vines and other plant life he'd been shoved into. When he realized he wasn't getting anywhere he let out a sigh and relaxed a bit. "Is that Irken planning to stick around?"
"I think so," Laes responded as he offered Kalja his hand. "I mean... at least for now, probably."
"I don't trust him," Kalja admitted, and he grasped Laes' hand. "But with those things flying around... running off right now wouldn't be the best idea."
Laes pulled and managed to help Kalja dislodge himself. Fortunately this particular spot didn't seem to have too many carnivorous plants, or spikes, or paralysis flowers.
"Sorry about before... that..." Kalja let out another sigh. "That was uncalled for. You were just trying to survive... We all do stuff to survive, and you know how to fix ships, so it makes sense."
"Yeah, but I understand too..." he smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "After what the Tallest did... and then hearing I helped them... being angry was pretty reasonable."
Laes decided to quickly pick through the remains of their shelter for some of the fruit and berries Darden brought last night. He found a few of them before rejoining Kalja who decided moving away from the initial attack site was the best idea. The member of the Resisty found a particularly tall and leafy plant to hide under, and there was just enough room for Laes too.
As they ate it started to rain again. They were mostly protected by the leaves, but they were still sitting on wet ground and touching wet plants. Everything was dripping with water and even though it wasn't cold it was still uncomfortable.
"Lard Nar and Ixane are both safe," Laes said as he reached into his sling. Even if he couldn't rejoin them because of the Irken soldier, that didn't mean Kalja and Teeka couldn't. He handed the Resisty member his compass. "There's an Irken base disguised as a large rock or uh mound of dirt or something like that... it's South East." Now that he thought about it... the directions he was trying to give sounded very vague.
Kalja stared at the compass for a moment, and his grip on it tightened. "What about you?" He asked, meeting Laes' gaze.
"Oh uh... I'll be fine," Laes assured him, waving away his worries. He offered Kalja a meek smile. Even though a part of him wanted to be free, there was another reason besides wanting to save Lard Nar's life that he hadn't walked out of the prison that day... he just never really wanted to leave Vort. Of course he also wanted to save his coworker, but despite the zappings, and the beatings, and the terrible grey sludge they were supposed to eat, Vort was still home... maybe he was just being overly sentimental because he'd been away from his home planet for a while now.
"Why don't you come with us?" Kalja questioned, squinting an eye.
"I don't think I can..." Laes admitted, fidgeting with his sling. It was soaked and ripped, and he should probably get rid of it. Darden was going to keep following him. The Irken had made that pretty clear, and he doubted the Resisty would appreciate having Darden around.
Kalja stared at him for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I guess you have your reasons... but you know, any friend of the boss' is always welcome to join us."
Laes gave a quick nod to show he understood. "Thanks."
Darden arrived moments later carrying an unconscious Teeka by its head-screw. The Irken dropped the limp alien in a puddle which seemed to revive it somewhat. Teeka coughed and sputtered as it propped itself up from the water.
"It would be safest underground," Darden informed them, looking up at the sky.
"Or a cave?" Laes questioned, recalling the cave Bann had taken him to right after the crash.
Darden placed a hand on his hip and frowned. "If the entrance was small enough maybe..."
Oh... well that cave wouldn't work then. The entrance was much too large... and if the worms could get inside everyone would be trapped and devoured pretty easily. Besides now that he thought about it, he had no idea where that cave was anymore anyway.
Space worm facts: They are eating machines that devour whatever edibles they can find before moving on to the next populated planet. They are carnivores. The Irken Empire recognized them as a threat before anyone else and has dedicated a lot of time and resources to killing them off with very minimal results.