The Bludonian Exchange
Bludon had been returned to how it was before the Irken Invasion: lush gardens, abundant fountains, stone pillars, and a few modest stone buildings.
The Invaders' main expedition ship was parked in the middle of a large tiled square court that was used by travellers.
Bludonians were naturally very generous, so their planet was accessible to anyone. They offered food and refuge to those who needed it. They made clothes to give away to those who asked.
Their leaders had even given Lard Nar a foreign device that would completely cloak the Resisty's ship, making it untraceable simply because they had it and didn't need it.
Because of their naturally cooperative nature, they easily surrendered themselves to the Irkens during Operation Impending Doom 2.
There had been no bloody battles... only a bloody aftermath when the Irken slaughtered a good number of their kind.
Now they were acting as the mediators between the Invaders and the Irkens.
Half of their population was gone because of the Irken Invasion, yet they would still be able to act as an impartial 3rd party.
Normally this would be very suspicious, however almost everyone in the galaxy thought they were too forgiving.
There had been plenty of instances where the Bludonians had been abused in the past because they simply couldn't turn away someone in need. When this happened, no grudges were ever held. If the same people came again asking for help, the Bludonians would automatically accept them.
"Greetings Lard Nar," one of the Bludonians spoke as he stepped out of the ship Bann was currently using. "It's good to see you again."
Bludonians had big noses, dangling ears, and large tumour like growths all over their bodies. Their clothes were always very plain and basic, and none of them wore anything on their feet.
"Hello Dreegis," Lard Nar greeted, managing a smile. He held both of his hands out, and the Bludonian placed his hands underneath.
This was the official greeting on Bludon.
He withdrew his hands and glanced over his shoulder when he heard the others approaching from behind.
Bann was leading Kosiker who had his arms bound behind his back. There were also two Irkens following behind them.
Bann insisted Sevai remain inside... he was probably keeping the Invader for whenever they met up with the Tallest.
He really didn't agree with Bann allowing Irk's leader take Sevai... the Tallest would probably kill the poor guy out of spite...
Bann wouldn't listen to him however, and he doubted there was anyway to change the stubborn Irken's mind.
He would still try, but right now he needed to focus on getting Laes back.
"There are a group of Invaders waiting for you at the pinnacle of restoration," Dreegis explained. "On our planet, it is where we go to correct a wrong we've committed to someone else... I thought it would be an appropriate place for the exchange."
"Great," Bann responded. His antennae were low, and he was frowning. "Can we go there now?"
Bann didn't care about anything or anyone besides Laes.. hopefully nothing horrible had happened to his former cellmate... oh galre... what if he was dead?
He couldn't let himself think that way. They didn't know what Laes' status was. Even if it was a small possibility, there was a chance the other Vortian might be completely unharmed.
Why would they keep him until now though...?
That was something Lard Nar been worrying about a lot... the Invaders were very advanced... they could have done all sorts of irreversible damage to Laes already... what if one of their experiments didn't work and...
Why would they be here doing the exchange if Laes was dead? Even if they were able to replace him with some kind of AI robot, their ruse would quickly be discovered once he was brought back to Vort.
"Let me explain how the exchange is going to take place before your groups meet," Dreegis spoke.
The Bludonian motioned towards a small dirt path that appeared to be leading towards a nearby mountain.
"At the top of the mountain is the pinnacle. You wouldn't have seen it as you flew in as the Invaders are currently covering it with their cloaking technology, but there is a large pillar there. At the base of this pillar is where the exchange is to take place. You will come up from the path and stand to the left. The Invaders are waiting for you on the right. No weapons are allowed on the premises."
Dreegis turned his attention to Bann. "I'm afraid this means your PAKs are not allowed either..."
"Their PAKs aren't just a weapons container Dreegis..." Lard Nar tried to protest, but Bann was already in the process of removing his. "Bann wait... you don't seriously think you can climb a mountain and make the exchange without your PAK, do you?"
"Watch me," Bann countered.
"I know you're worried about Laes, but we have to remain calm and rational about this..." Lard Nar pressed.
"Your people still have custody of Diu..." Kosiker reminded him. "You have my full cooperation..."
"I'll go," Lard Nar insisted, meeting Bann's gaze. "You and your people should wait here with the ship... the Invaders want it back, and if you aren't here they'll definitely take it."
The Irken defect continued to frown, but he was no longer trying to remove his PAK.
"I know you have some combat training... but if the Invaders decide to turn you into a burnt smudge on the ground, you won't be able to put up a fight," Bann informed him.
Lard Nar's eyes narrowed at the Irken. "I'm aware of that..." he admitted before glancing at the Bludonians who were beginning to gather. "But I have allies here..."
"We'll go with him and make sure everyone remains diplomatic," Dreegis assured the Irken.
Bann breathed. "I'll get two soldiers to go with you..."
"They cannot have..." Dreegis began, but Bann interrupted him.
"I'll have them remove all of the weapons being stored in their PAKs," Bann crossed his arms. "All that's left in there will be our communicators and our force fields. Will that be acceptable?"
Dreegis was quiet for a few moments as he thought it over. "Yes. That will work..." He rubbed his chin. "Your people really can't survive without them?"
"Not for very long..." Bann admitted before turning towards the stolen ship. "Don't let the Invaders steal those soldiers... they already have enough of them for whatever stupid experiments they're planning."
"Your friend seems a little uptight," Dreegis spoke as he led the small group up the side of the mountain. It was fairly steep.
Lard Nar was trying his best not to show how tired he was already feeling. He kept looking ahead hoping to see some sign that they were nearing the top... they probably hadn't even reached the half-way point yet.
"He is... worried about his friend..." Lard Nar breathed. His legs were starting to hurt quite a bit but he forced himself to keep walking. "Laes isn't... he's not a fighter..."
He glanced over his shoulder at Kosiker who appeared to be having even more difficulty. He was breathing heavily and he was beginning to stumble.
Since the Invader's hands were bound behind his back he wouldn't be able to catch himself if he fell.
The two Irkens Bann sent along were keeping close to the Invader. They were keeping him from falling, but they were also pushing him to continue moving at their pace.
The soldiers didn't appear to be tired at all. They spent their most of their lives in military training, so a mountain wouldn't be much of a challenge for them.
No... the problem Irkens had was with patience and understanding... they didn't know how to wait... they didn't care about anyone outside of their Empire.
Everything they wanted up until now they could take without any consequences.
"You two... could you stop pushing him so much...?" He decided to address them since it didn't look like they were going to stop pestering the tired Invader anytime soon.
"Our boss said to do this quickly," one of the Irkens said.
"He's concerned about the state of the Vortian they've captured," the other one explained.
"The boss knows a lot about them since he hacked all their files, so if he's worried you know there's a good reason for it."
"I'm as eager... to be away from your company... as you are... to have me gone," Kosiker breathed.
He was nearly doubled over, but he wasn't stopping.
Invaders were even more reliant on technology than Vortians. Kosiker had probably never gone anywhere without his technology... maybe there was some kind of anti-gravitational device they used to make themselves lighter? They could also use holograms to avoid physically leaving their ships.
It was no surprise that their physical abilities weren't very dependable.
At the very top of the mountain was a large plateau with a tall stone pillar in the middle. It was rising out of a glowing electric blue force-field. Nothing inside of this barrier was visible... it must be the cloaking mechanism the Bludonians mentioned earlier.
There was no time to study it. Laes was being held prisoner, so the sooner the exchange happened the better. There was just one problem...
"This seems like a set-up for an ambush," Lard Nar said as he turned to Dreegis who'd stopped just outside of the barrier.
"I allowed the Invaders to place the barrier so your Irken friends wouldn't be tempted to shoot them upon entree," Dreegis admitted. "But now that everyone is here, I will ask them to lower it."
The Bludonian stepped through the barrier.
Lard Nar glanced over his shoulder at the two Irken guards who were watching the barrier intently.
Hopefully they would be able to keep themselves under control.
The force-field looking wall fizzled out quickly, revealing a group of six Invaders standing close together on the right side of the pillar. There were two other Bludonians besides Dreegis standing a short distance away in order to keep watch over the proceedings... but where was Laes...?
If Lard Nar was remembering Bludonian customs correctly, their group would be expected to stand on the left side. Then a person from each side would step forward and do the exchange. It would be done without speaking to reduce the chances of an argument breaking out.
Lard Nar sucked in a breath and squeezed his hands into fists. It would be alright... the agreement had already been made... still, the Bludonians didn't have weapons.
If anything went wrong, not only he would die, but Laes could die too.
"Please take your place," Dreegis prompted, motioning to the left side of the pillar.
Alright... he could do this.
Lard Nar led Kosiker and the two Irkens to the indicated spot.
Then he stepped forward with Kosiker following close behind. They stopped at the center of the pillar.
As one of the Invaders stepped forward, Laes was finally brought into view. The vibrant green and blue Invader, who seemed to stand a little taller than Kosiker, shoved Laes forward...
There was something strange about the way his former co-worker was moving. Laes was staring straight ahead, and he hadn't acknowledged anyone.
The Invader stopped in front of Lard Nar who stared up at... her? He was pretty sure the females were the ones with brighter colours...
She was scowling down at him.
Again she pushed Laes forward.
Lard Nar grabbed him by the arm before looking back at Kosiker and giving him a 'go ahead' nod.
The Invader stared at him for a moment... was he hesitating?
Kosiker was worried about his son. That look the Invader was giving him was one of concern.
Lard Nar offered him a reassuring smile and nodded again.
This seemed to satisfy Kosiker who moved to stand in front of the other Invader.
Smack!
Kosiker had shut his eyes as he accepted the blow without protest.
The female Invader had just struck him across the face.
Everyone remained silent while Kosiker was led over to the group of Invaders waiting on the right side of the pillar.
Lard Nar guided Laes over to the left side.
With this, the transaction was considered complete. They could talk among themselves, but no one was supposed to talk to the opposite side until everyone was down from the mountain.
When he turned to see what the Invaders were doing however, they were already gone.
–
"Laes? Laes look at me... shlit Laes..." Bann spoke, giving the Vortian a rough shake.
He was kneeling on the ground so he was eye-level with Laes, but so far the Vortian wasn't responding to anything.
"How is he...?" Lard Nar asked, rubbing his arm as he slowly entered the room.
"He's not talking, or moving," Bann admitted, sitting back on his heels. He rubbed his temples. "He's not even blinking."
Lard Nar turned to face the other Vortian. There were no obvious signs that Laes had been through any kind of trauma.
"Did you bring Sevai?" Bann questioned.
"Yes... he's waiting in the hallway."
Bann rose to his feet and balled his hands into fists while clenching his teeth. Right now he wanted to punch the stupid Invader in the face... even though it wasn't technically Sevai's fault... but the Invader must've known something like this would happen. Even then, that stupid parasite had chose to keep quiet about it.
"Get in here," Bann spoke loud enough for Sevai to hear.
Sevai entered and hurriedly crouched down beside Laes.
The Invader took a moment to study the impassive Vortian. Then he turned to Lard Nar and looked him in the eyes with an expression of concern.
"This is a reaction to my peoples' venom," he stated with confidence.
He must have seen this many times before.
"I thought your venom paralyzes your..." Lard Nar hesitated.
The Vortian was probably going to say 'victims.' It was a fitting word, but he decided to substitute it with "subjects."
"It depends where the dose is administered," Sevai explained. He carefully turned Laes around and pointed at a tiny prick in the base of his neck. "If the dose is administered near the brain, then it will numb most of the brain's functions rather than the muscles in the body."
"The more I learn about you people, the less I like about you," Bann stated, flattening his antennae with a scowl on his face.
Sevai dipped his head a little. "I apologize..."
"Is there a way to decrease the affects now?" Lard Nar interjected.
Vortians were always seeking answers... Lard Nar didn't even look angry.
"You could synthesize an anti-venom, but to do this you would have to extract the venom from his brain which is already under duress..." Sevai said as he carefully turned Laes back around. "I strongly suggest letting the venom disperse naturally... It will cause less complications that way..."
"There's no other way for us to get the anti-venom then?" Lard Nar asked.
"Only the females have venom..." Sevai explained. "But I assure you the venom will disperse naturally on its own. It will just take a bit of time..."
"Will it cause anymore damage?" Bann demanded.
"No," Sevai responded, again without hesitation. "The venom will not cause any harm to the subject. It simply paralyzes."
Bann's eyes narrowed. "You're sure about that?"
"Yes... this information hasn't been taken from me."
The Irken virus ground his teeth. "Leave."
Sevai dipped his head before turning to leave the room.
Lard Nar also left to give Bann the space he needed to calm himself down.
Random Info: Bann definitely wouldn't have made it up the mountain without his PAK, though he likely would have made it most of the way through sheer determination and stubbornness.
Also something tells me the hesitating Kosiker was doing wasn't just about his son.