Sandslash

It was a day like any other day: hot, dry, and still. Among the cacti and tough scrub bush, most of the Pokemon were inactive. When the night cooled the air down, they would be moving about.

Near a group of prickly pear bushes, a Sandslash was quietly guarding her nest. She had an egg to watch over; it'd be a couple more weeks before it was ready to hatch. She dozed in and out of sleep, stirring any time there was movement or strange noises nearby. If it was like any other day, it'd be a lot of nothing going on. Her tan body blended in with the ground well and her spikes and claws usually deterred anything that spotted her. But today would be different.

She stirred once to a sound she had never heard before. It was a blend of a whir and a hum. Coming alert, the Sandslash looked in the direction of the noise. There was a strange being there. Made of white metal, it hovered over the ground, moving its one pale green eye to examine everything in its path. It seemed to be nothing more than a sphere with that oversized eye and eyelid, plus a rim on the bottom. The sand underneath it stirred slightly.

As it came close, she got up and gave a snarl of warning. The metal creature stopped, turning its eye to her. It made no more sound than the hum, made no movement. Hoping to scare it off, the Sandslash moved towards it, raising a clawed paw and swiping it through the air. The metal creature then decided to move along its former path. Unfortunately for it, that happened to be right by her nest.

She wasn't going to take that. The Sandslash backed up, then bounded forward, curling her body tightly into a sphere like it was. Colliding with the creature, her spikes pierced its skin. Giving an unearthly wail, it fired back at her with a strange energy. It was blisteringly hot, more than anything the desert could produce. And it was powerful, lashing across her back and melting her spikes. She screamed in pain.

Without warning, a disorienting feeling struck her. She couldn't quite name it; it was like she didn't exist for a tiny amount of time. But, that was impossible. And when it passed, she was no longer in the desert heat. Instead, she was in a moderately warm place, with air that was neither too dry nor too humid.

"What is going on?" a human voice asked. Footsteps thumped on a hard surface.

"Sorry doctor, but this native creature attacked one of the planet explorer drones," another answered. "It managed to get through its armor and cause its weapon to malfunction."

"I'd say." The metal creature, the drone, was pulled off her spikes and tossed aside. "More like it shredded that drone. What kind of weapon does it have? Computer, scan its DNA and synthesize an appropriate painkiller."

"It has no weapon; it's an animal. Do your best with it."

In a great deal of pain, the Sandslash wasn't sure if she'd die. She also wasn't sure what was going on, aside from the fact that she was no longer near her egg. She snarled at the human as he came close. How had she been taken away from her nest? Was her egg safe? What if there was another of those drone things in the area? Or even just an egg hunting Pokemon? It was midday, but some would take advantage of an unguarded nest.

There was a beep. Shortly after, the human doctor pricked her with a needle. The Sandslash's body abruptly went limp and numb. What was he going to do with her? She looked up at him and gave a faint squeal. He wore strange black clothes with a band of yellow across the shoulders. And he now had an odd machine in his hands.

After looking over her, he activated the machine. "Just an animal, huh? You're pretty powerful and intelligent for being just an animal. Self-aware, but only on the threshold of being sentient. I wonder what else this planet is going to surprise us with."

She murmured. This man had a kind voice at least. Was he trying to help? She couldn't really feel her body to tell.

The doctor patted her snout. "You seem comfortable with me. That's good." He put the machine down, then moved a shell over her. "Fortunately for you, we can repair those spikes of yours. Keep still for a bit longer." Then the shell began to hum.

Closing her eyes, she could feel that it was a great healing power this machine had. She had heard that humans had marvelous healing potions and devices. Was this one of them?

"Doctor?"

"Yes captain?" the man said.

"On a preliminary review of the drone's data, it seems that it drifted too close to her nest. She was guarding an egg, so the sooner you can get her out, the better."

The Sandslash opened her eyes and cooed a question.

"Egg layer? I was fairly certain that the data read her as mammalian. Huh. Might be more common here." He came back into her view. "You seem oddly aware of what we're talking about."

"When can we send her back?"

"In a short while; need to counteract the painkiller first." The hum stopped. "I'll contact you when she's ready."

"Good."

The doctor removed the shell, then injected her again. "Okay, just relax here. We'll get you back home soon."

The Sandslash began to regain feeling quickly. She pushed herself up and tried to shake the last bit of numbness off. To her surprise, the spikes that the drone had melted had grown back already. It was bewildering. Humans had this kind of power? She looked around her new location. It was strange and foreign, all silver and white. There were symbols hanging in the air near her, and large screens on a wall to her right. From her vantage point on the shelled table, she could see a seating area with a table, couch, and chairs, a few doors that seemed to have no knobs, and windows that showed a black sky.

After looking over the floating symbols, the doctor looked back to her. "Your planet's main sentient race has started exploring their star system. We're a scientific vessel that's been sent to do a survey to see if they're ready for contact from the Galactic Federation. The drone was part of the initial scanning. It wasn't supposed to interfere with anything. So on behalf of our ship, I apologize." He offered a hand to her.

The Sandslash sniffed him, then retracted her claws and put her paw on his hand. She then cooed a thanks for the healing. Although she wasn't sure of the specifics going on here, she knew kindness should be acknowledged.

He smiled. "Very social and intelligent, I see. Well maybe this mission won't affect you any more past this day. Or maybe it will. It all depends on the hominoids that we've come to watch. I would consider this a sign that your planet must be fairly peaceful." He tapped a badge that was on his shirt. "Bridge, I've got the patient healed up. You may return her when ready."

"Roger."

"Goodbye, for now," the doctor said. Then that disorienting feeling came back over her.

When it disappeared, she was back in her hot and dry desert home. She sniffed around, making sure that this was her territory. Finding her scent, she turned to see she was indeed right where she had been taken from. And her egg was still hidden.

It had been a strange thing. But in a way, also a good thing. The Sandslash settled back into place and was soon asleep again.

...

Sandslash DPP entry: It curls up, then rolls into foes with its back. Its sharp spines inflict serious damage.

Yup, inspired by Star Trek (although I'm not a Trekkie myself).