CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: THE VOK

Jenner took a few steps back from the creature. "Who are you?"

"I am the maker of the stone," it answered. "The time has come for me to reclaim it. Give it to me."

"No!" Jenner folded his forepaws over the amulet to protect it.

The creature moved toward the rat. Its three legs stepped in a spiral pattern so that the whole thing spun around as it walked. It stopped before Jenner and again outstretched a claw. "Give me the stone."

Jenner lifted the pendant toward the thing. A streak of red light shot out of the stone and hit the creature in its head. It swayed back a little from the force of the blow, then straightened up, seeming to have absorbed Jenner's onslaught with no ill effects. Jenner's mouth fell open in disbelief.

The creature made a triangle with its three arms that were closest to Jenner. A river of red light a hundred times brighter than the streak it had absorbed blasted out at the rat and totally enveloped the animal. It kept up for several seconds, then ceased. When the light cleared, Jenner was flattened against the wall of the shed, apparently lifeless. The body limply fell forward and lay still.

The creature reached down to Jenner and pulled the amulet off over his head. Then, working at it with two claws, it peeled the gold setting away from the jewel and held up the naked stone as if to examine it. Instead, a hole appeared in its head, and it popped the stone in. The flesh closed in around the stone, sealing it in place. The creature now had one more glowing red eye in its head.

Justin made his way to Jenner, keeping sure to give the creature a wide berth. He bent down to his enemy's unmoving form and felt for a pulse.

"He is alive," the creature assured Justin in its many-voices-speaking-as-one manner, "although when he awakens he will be in considerable pain."

"I'm glad to hear that." Justin rose and nervously approached the thing. "What … are you, and where do you come from … if I may ask?"

"You may." The creature casually waved its arms. "I am the Vok, maker of the mind stones. My home is on a distant world, but I visit many planets in my travels."

"How is it that your stone came into our possession?" Justin asked the Vok.

"When I first came to your world," the Vok explained, "I deemed it wise to only contact a few of the higher animals. The humans were obviously unsuitable to learn of my presence, and most of the lower creatures wanted nothing to do with me. But there were a few, and one of them was the Great Owl of the forest near here.

"I met with the Great Owl many times, and we talked of many things. It was during one of these meetings that he told me of Nicodemus and the rats which had been made intelligent due to human experimentation. He told me of their desire to begin their own civilization away from the human world, and he asked me to help them along. I agreed to do so, and sent the stone to Nicodemus for that purpose.

"This year I decided that your people no longer needed the mind stone, and I made an agreement with Jenner for him to get it for me. He did not fulfill the bargain, so I came to take the stone from him myself."

"You're been watching us?"

"I have," the Vok answered.

"Then why in heaven's sake didn't you come forward before now?" Justin cried. "My people are faced with extinction thanks to what Jenner was able to do with the stone."

"I do not act quickly or in haste," the Vok said. "I came when I was ready. Admittedly, it is unfortunate that two intelligent races came into conflict. But the conflict is ended now."

Justin knelt before the Vok. "Without the stone, we are defenseless. The humans will surely destroy us. You helped us before; and I beg of you to help us again. Save the colony, please. That's all I ask."

"The colony is safe," the Vok intoned. "I am protecting it. But I cannot do so much longer. The final decision as to whether there will be peace lies with you and the humans."

"But the humans want to exterminate us!" Justin protested.

"Are you so sure of that?" The Vok pointed at Captain Jameson, who still sat upon the floor of the shed, watching and listening to what was going on but not really believing it. "There is a human right here. Tell him that you want peace. That seems to me the best place to start."

Ian approached the Vok. "Excuse me, but I think I might be of some help in this situation. Could you make it so that I can be understood by humans?"

The Vok regarded Ian. "Why is it not that way now?"

"I'm not like the rest of these rats," Ian said. "My name is Ian Hargraves, and I was a human scientist at NIMH before an experiment moved my mind into this body."

The other rats on the shelf gasped at Ian's revelation, but the Vok was delighted. "A human mind in a rat body! The ideal mediator for these talks!" The alien stepped back. "It is done. The humans can now understand you."

Ian stepped to the edge of the shelf and looked down at Captain Jameson. "You've heard what we've been saying. We want peace, but we're not about to let ourselves be slaughtered. I want you to tell your superiors to have Vincent Hartman flown here."

"I can't do that!" Jameson declared. "The Secretary of State is too busy with international affairs to come here on such short notice!"

"As long as I am here," the Vok reminded the Guardsman, "this is an interplanetary affair."

"But I'm just a captain in the National Guard," said Jameson. "There's no way I can get Secretary of Sate Hartman here. You may as well have asked for a meeting with the President!"

"I was tempted to," Ian told him, "but I think Hartman will be easier to negotiate with."

"Describe the situation to your superiors," the Vok ordered, "and Hartman will come. The entire town - including your troops - shall remain immobilized until I am satisfied that a peaceful solution to this situation has been reached. Go now to your vehicles and radio in as I have told you."

Jameson stood and left the shed. As he watched the human go, Justin said, "How can we be sure that we can trust him?"

"He shall do as I told him," the Vok replied, "because I will him to."

Ian looked at the Vok, then grinned at Justin. "Well, Justin, it seems that miracle I was praying for came through."