A Blood Feud Revived (An AoU Followup Story)
(N.B. These shorter Slitheen stories are set between the events of the main Aliens of UNIT storyline. They focus on new/recurring characters featuring in standalone tales as well as stories that will tie in with the main narrative arc.).
(N.B. This is a Slitheen story with mature and adult themes. Not for underage readers. Please read at your own discretion.).
(This story is set after the events of: Aliens of Torchwood Parts One and Two. Some plot details from AoU Slitheen Conversion Anthology (3) links well with this story.).
Synopsis: Upon successfully escaping Torchwood during the decisive Battle of Canary Wharf, the surviving remnants of the Vas Bunkin Blathereen Family relocate to the safety of the North Pole. Comfortably out of sight, the aggrieved Raxicoricofalipatorians under their new leader Melon Defart patiently plot their long-term harsh revenge against their detested Star Slitheen rivals.
…
A waxing crescent moon was barely visible despite the pitch black night sky over the city of London. From the surface below at Canary Wharf, a large rocket ship fantastically flew wildly high above the many clouds, dispersing their positions and reformulating their shapely appearances. Its flight path appeared to be aimless, moving all over the space recklessly, but in reality, the intelligent pilots manning the vehicle knew what they were doing. Exiting the atmosphere, the rocket slingshot around the planet a few times whilst its sophisticated anti-electronic jamming systems were activated, misleading all electronic systems on the surface below monitoring it. The Star Slitheen at various UNIT bases around the world who had been carefully observing this unusual spacecraft flight were led to believe that it left the Earth's orbit permanently, heading out into the vast expanses of the Solar System. That's how the extraterrestrials wanted everyone else to think.
Meanwhile, the massive spacecraft successfully re-entered the Earth's atmosphere a few minutes later. Its flight trajectory smoothed out as it purposefully approached the freezing ice caps of the North Pole, an immense landmass which offered a safe haven to anybody brave enough to come to it. Landing brazenly into a frozen pond between two icy cliffs, an invisibility cloak setting was promptly activated, enabling the ship to blend in seamlessly with its natural surroundings. Nobody could possibly detect their presence. The exhausted pilots were relieved to have completed their journey without suffering too many complications.
"That went better than expected." the lead driver commented as he undid his seatbelt that covered his massive pot belly. His co-pilot agreed.
"Indeed. Let's meet up with the others. Quickly". The inhabitants of the spacecraft were Blathereen, eight feet tall like their Slitheen counterparts. The only difference was their skin pigmentation; they had a brown-orange hue. They hailed from the Vas Bunkin branch. This corrupted Family of Raxicoricofalipatorians had recently taken to bounty hunting, targeting notorious criminal members of Slitheen Families across the universe, turning them into law enforcement agencies in return for a tidy sum of money. This spacecraft carried the only free members of this branch left. Extinction into nothingness was a real possibility, a deeply ironic scenario that the Vas Bunkins had always sought to avoid by their own actions. An unforeseen galactic-wide recession led to famine and material hardships back home on Raxicoricofalipatorius, leading to many deaths within that clan. Planet Earth was supposed to represent a fresh restart, a place where the Blathereen could rebuild their stock by converting and replacing the majority native populations. Instead it became the stark scene where the agonies facing the endangered Vas Bunkins was only prolonged. Targeting a notorious rival Family had proven to be a risky gamble that ultimately did not pay off.
Unfortunately for them, the Star Slitheen managed to unveil their presence at Torchwood before their complex plans came to fruition. The outcome of the events taking place at Canary Wharf ensured that Torchwood came under permanent Slitheen control. The Vas Bunkin's grandiose plans for colonising and terraforming the Earth in a bid to convert the land surface into a massive global Rakweed farmland ended in an abysmal defeat. Some other survivors found themselves pledging allegiance to Saba Mahmood El Bul Fashfar Star Slitheen in exchange for amnesty. No profit was made; only severe losses. The depleted bloodline was now on the verge of extinction. Only six born-Blathereen survivors were on board this ship, made in Raxacoricofalipatorius, which boasted impression compression capabilities - everything was paradoxically bigger on the inside. Every Blathereen member met in the Consensus Room on their ship for an emergency meeting. Coming together in a circle spontaneously, they were distraught at what happened at Torchwood. It completely ruined their long-term plans. Survival on a hostile planet was the only thing that occupied their minds. One prominent survivor inaugurated the proceedings with haste.
"By the ancient right granted to me by our established cultural codes, I declare myself the new leader of the Vas Bunkins upon the tragic death of our previous leader, Jobi Kax Carly Zan Vas Bunkin Blathereen. Does anybody oppose my elevation?", the Blathereen with the short name Melon Defart announced solemnly. He had been a petty Rakweed farmer back home on Raxicoricofalipatprpoius and was a zealous advocate of the vas Bunkins targeting the Slitheen as well as colonising the Earth. For many years, he had coveted the leadership role of the Family. He became the head of his branch though under exceptionally dire circumstances nobody else would envy. Murmurs of agreement could be heard. Nobody really objected as they recognised his seniority and experience approvingly.
"Excellent. I am honoured to serve our branch as we go forwards. What happened at Torchwood was… unforeseen. It was a disaster, nobody can say otherwise. But we have to move on immediately. Build anew. When we boarded this rocket, it was also my definite decision that we remain on Earth for the foreseeable future. We did not have enough fuel for a sustainable trip to another world. We remain unable to leave. For now.", he further clarified. These fugitive Blathereen were on the run. UNIT had happily informed the Judoon about what had happened recently on Earth, passing on the name of the vessel which the space police subsequently began to track and search for across the stars. These Blathereen were to be captured and brought to justice. Capital punishment beckoned for them. The last remnants debated their next steps.
"So Melon, what do you propose we do if we are stuck on this silly rock?" a Blathereen known as Ubar Drezex Sufla Vas Bunkin enquired.
"There is only one thing we can do: we must exact our revenge. Revenge against the Star Slitheen. Nothing else.". The new leader of the Vas Bunkins asserted coldly. He was not going to allow emotions to cloud his judgements. A blood feud cycle had opened up between these two rival Families. Long-standing Raxicoricofaliaptorian tradition demanded that if one member was killed by another Family then the victim had to be avenged by his or her siblings or else risk being seen as weak and dishonoured in public. Money payments as compensation could be accepted to end the feud without further blood shedding. But the Vas Bunkins were no longer motivated by profit anymore. A disturbingly dark desire fuelled their raison d'être. Colonising the Earth to produce resource-rich Rakweed farms was no longer a primary objective. In fact, it was off the table.
"I agree. They killed my wife and three of my brothers - the curse of the Supreme Being be upon them!" the Blathereen who went by the name Nubar Axor Buflow Vas Bunkin hissed in disgust. He felt intensely lonely since leaving Torchwood where the rest of his Family were brutally slaughtered in combat.
"The only thing that the Slitheen deserve is extinction!" the Blathereen woman who identified as Jaxa Raca Brupp Vas Bunkin cried out. She was made a widow after leaving Canary Wharf in a hurry. Detecting her spouse's death from afar hurt her dearly. She wished she could have been at his side during his final moments.
"HARSH REVENGE! HARSH REVENGE! HARSH REVENGE! THE BLOOD OF OUR SLAIN MUST BE RESPECTED!" the other remaining Blathereen who had not yet spoken spontaneously chanted an appropriate chorus of sorts. To compensate for their guilty feelings at surviving whilst everyone else was killed, the survivors were dedicated to seeking out vengeance.
"I am glad that we are already reaching a swift consensus, my remaining brothers and sisters.". Melon was extremely happy with what he was hearing. It would make long-term planning much easier and smoother to conduct and implement practically if everyone was onboard with his leadership. Only one Blathereen present seriously objected to the newfound trajectory of the Family that they loved so much.
"This isn't right! We are not like them!" Lelox Zubar Fas Eew Novi Vas Bunkin Blathereen spoke up loudly and confidently, unable to contain his righteous protest any longer. Unlike everyone else, he was questioning the whole nature of the enterprise. A brave move.
"What do you mean?" Melon was mildly surprised about this oncoming tantrum of sorts from a younger sibling.
"We are Blathereen, Melon - we are not Slitheen. What we have been doing and what we want to do, this is not the normative Blathereen way of life. Obsessed with profit-making. Killing and skinning innocent natives. Deceitfully posing as our victims. Seeking to convert others against their will into becoming us. Attempting to colonise an entire planet for our selfish gain. We have become corrupted by greed and selfishness, exactly like the Slitheen we claim to oppose. The other clans back home would be rightfully ashamed of our actions. We have tarnished our bloodline's good name. We need to stop and reconsider who we are and what we want to be, whilst we have the luxury of time." Lelox bemoaned palpably, hoping his surviving brethren would see sense at long last. He wanted the Vas Bunkins to return to a more humbler and ethical trajectory, the pathways that their ancestors practised. But it sadly fell on deaf ears.
"I disagree. There is a new normality in play. You are living in the past, brother Lelox." the Blathereen leader countered. He had no time for ethics these days. His worldview was intensely pragmatic and calculating, like a Slitheen. Although he would claim to hate them, Melon covertly admired his adversaries without disclosing this to anyone. In his eyes, they represented a worthwhile model to follow. The Blathereen would be able to revive their bloodline and become exceedingly rich in the process. The leftover Vas Bunkins wanted to achieve this reality by any means necessary. Ethics was an afterthought. An irrelevant obstacle to be sidestepped.
"Come on brother, you know we did everything out of necessity. You cannot blame us for trying to survive in such a cold universe." Nubar added some measure of nuance to his leader's argument. It only made Lelox further enraged.
"NO! YOU ARE DELUDED! WE CANNOT TAKE ON THE STAR SLITHEEN IN SUCH A WEAKENED STATE! WE CANNOT BEAT THE SLITHEEN BY BECOMING THE SLITHEEN OURSELVES!...Brothers and sisters, forgive my outburst. Those of you who will listen to reason, I implore you to go against this unfeasible plan. It will lead to our ultimate destruction, the outcome that we wish to avoid!"
"It will lead to the death of some, certainly." the Blathereen leader replied very coldly. He was already thinking about who to sacrifice. The ends justified the means. The Star Slitheen had to be destroyed to end this burgeoning blood feud in decisive favour of the Vas Bunkins. Melon assumed that conversions of non-Blathereen into the Family could be restarted at some point though he had not given it too much thought personally. In any case, more Blathereen lives would be lost inevitably in this existential Darwinian-esque struggle.
"See, you have gone mad. Blinded by rage and anger! Suffering from Slitheenification! You are totally unfit to be our leader." Lelox screamed boldly. An immediate challenge to his leadership was not music to Melon Defart's hidden ears. He was a person that was hypersensitive to even the smallest of criticisms. Silently, he advanced to where Lelox was standing, swiftly moving a sharp right claw into his direction.
"Aaaargh!". A sharp claw had entered into his right hip, accurately piercing a vital organ. Green blood gushed out like a waterfall. With precision, Melon had struck down a Family member, literally in cold blood. The other Blathereen were shocked and horrified by what they had to bear witness to yet felt absolutely powerless to intervene.
"Forgive me, dear brother. But drastic times call for drastic measures to be employed. I promise that your sacrifice will not be in vain" Melon said as he stood tall over the fatally-wounded sibling, justifying his actions rationally, citing the state of exception to the norm, even though it paradoxically meant further depleting the Vas Bunkin stock. Lelox died quickly from his wounds; unable to utter any final words of protest. Any objection to Melon's rule would automatically be perceived as treason and sedition. It needed to be punished publicly to discipline everyone else who might be inclined to follow such a daring example. The Family had to stay together in these trying times. Dissent could not be tolerated anymore.
"You killed him!" Jaxa screeched hysterically, upset to lose yet another sibling. It was damning to see Blathereen kill their own, ordinarily an unforgivable crime. Lelox was probably right, some of them thought to themselves internally.
"Yes. I am willing to act decisively as any good leader would in this situation. Are you willing to be the next victim?" the Blathereen dictator asked rhetorically, demonstrating his unhinged willingness to kill again, to murder a beloved member. It made all of his subordinate siblings cower in fear. They immediately shut up.
"As Family leader, I cannot allow anyone to argue with me or my decisions, choices that I know are best for the Family. You are either with me or you are with the Slitheen, our sworn enemies until the end of time. Pick your poison wisely." Melon advised, carefully crafting his words so as to trap his siblings into sticking with him. Authoritarianism trumped old-fashioned egalitarianism and equality. His siblings remained silent until the lack of responses irritated him angrily.
"Well, what choice will it be?!"
"W-We choose y-you, Melon. Until death." Nubar stuttered out the response on behalf of the survivors.
"I am glad you have all come to your senses. We are down. We are not out. The Star Slitheen assume that the Vas Bunkins have been beaten decisively. That those who fled Canary Wharf have left this planet. Once again, we have renewed the element of surprise. Let us keep it this way… Oh, that is awful! Somebody get rid of the body". Melon could not continue as the rotting stench of a dead Raxicoricofalipatorian nearby was too much for his powerful nostrils. Jaxa volunteered on her own, lifting the massive body off the floor on her own before disappearing out of sight momentarily. Meanwhile Ubar felt safe enough to voice his concerns whilst making sure that his speech would not upset his leader.
"Don't get me wrong Melon - I too want my revenge. But is it wise to take on that Family again though? We lack numerical superiority, we are stuck in the North Pole and we are probably wanted already across the stars by numerous law enforcement agencies. The odds do not seem to favour our triumph as things stand.". Revenge did seem a tall order.
"We are obliged by our traditions to seek revenge. This is a vicious blood feud ergo blood must be shed. Our brothers and sisters have been slaughtered en masse. We must honour them by crushing the Slitheen. It will take time, yes. But this will all be a part of the honouring process. I am convinced already that we can win. Slowly but surely."
"How?". The other Blathereen could not see what their leader was envisioning.
"We have a few trump cards of our own to play."
"Such as?"
"For starters, we have a lovely sister who remains well-embedded in human society, undetected by either Slitheen or homo sapien. She is awaiting instructions.". Melon was referring to the Blathereen convert from humanity - Natalie Beckford Fas Eew Novi, a Vas Bunkin Blathereen who posed as a human scientist at Torchwood. Crucially, Yvonne Hartman had sent her away on a mission far away from Canary Wharf by the time the Slitheen stormed it. Nobody knew that she was continuing to operate freely elsewhere on this rock. Naturally, Natalie would be useful in any future plans. Contact would need to be re-established first.
"As well as her, we must not forget that we are not the only Raxicoricofalipatorians who are interested in our enemies. I pledge to invite other allied branches - the Hongaleen, the Rezaleen and the Slovareen in particular - to come to the Earth, to our aid. I am positive that there will be much enthusiasm for a broad anti-Star Slitheen coalition.". Melon revealed. The aforementioned Family branches had their own storied histories with that specific Slitheen clan. Scores had yet to be settled.
"And we have surviving Blathereen who are forced to live amongst the Star Slitheen. We could get in touch with them at some point, turning them back to our side discreetly." Nubar added.
"Correct. Do not forget that there will be many homo sapiens who would be willing to work with us against them. Yvonne was not an anomaly. On the contrary, she was quite representative of how the Earthlings see those different to themselves. Not many will look forward to seeing their home planet become Slitheen-majority. They would be willing to strike another critical alliance with us. I suggest that we consider exploring this fertile ground.". Melon's pragmatic vision appeared sound theoretically. There were lots of ways that the Blathereen could exact their revenge through. He favoured a flexible multi-pronged approach that would change whenever and wherever necessary to benefit his beloved Family.
"What are we going to do about this Slitheen female?" Jaxa asked upon her return as she randomly towed a portable bamboo cage containing a prisoner into the Consensus Room. A humiliated Slitheen woman was sitting inside, handcuffed too. Olivia Jay El Bul Fashfar Star Slitheen had the misfortune of becoming a captive of the Vas Bunkins. She was a leading scientist at UNIT, being behind the proposed Arc Defense Network Grid that the Family wanted deployed above the Earth's orbit, to protect the planet from any unwanted visitors in the future when the Slitheen would be the dominant force on the surface below in the coming future.
She had also been an infiltrator at Torchwood with a special team of siblings, utilising novel neck brace technology that equally matched the Blathereen's ability to slot inside slimmer bodies, something Olivia's brilliant mind had a role in developing alongside her born-Slitheen sister Kay. This enabled the Slitheen to gain secret access to Yvonne's organisation and played the most crucial role in overturning her authority. In the midst of the fierce battle between the rival Raxicoricofalipatorians, Olivia, hunting down Sarah Jane Smith, found herself overwhelmed by numerically greater Blathereen numbers, resulting in her present state of dismal captivity to a rival Family.
"We keep her alive…she could prove to be a useful bargaining chip." Melon suggested immediately as the Family stared at their prisoner in disgust.
"And an involuntary spy?" Jaxa assumed that they could employ the Slitheen as a field agent working on their behalf. Olivia was wide awake but wisely opted not to speak at all. Careful observation was all she could achieve.
"Yes. Absolutely. Are we in agreement with my plan then? Let us place our claws together.". The Blathereen huddled in a group, presenting a united front.
"For the Family. For the slain." Melon began solemnly. Olivia felt immensely unsettled by this scene. Her Family remained in danger as long as vengeful Vas Bunkin Blathereen were around, no matter how relatively weak they appeared to be at this moment in time.
"FOR THE FAMILY!" they screamed together in harmonious unison. The Vas Bunkins put all other considerations to one side. They now existed exclusively to pursue revenge against the Star Slitheen. The defanged Olivia was cruelly beaten to a pulp almost everyday she spent in captivity, barely given enough food, water and respite that enabled her to survive. Every night, a Blathereen male was allowed to 'enjoy' her however he saw fit. Her body repeatedly suffered numerous bruises and cuts over the next few years…
(Three Years Later)
The inhospitable North Pole had enough food and water supplies to replenish the aggrieved Raxicoricofalipatorians. They hunted all wildlife they saw, including polar bears and whales, ironically accelerating their likely extinction as the Blathereen occupied the top of the food chain. Some unfortunate homo sapien travellers and research teams were also ruthlessly slain and eaten from time to time. From the safety of their concealed rocket ship, the Vas Bunkins patiently formulated a new plan, one that was firmly centred around revenge and hatred for the Star Slitheen. They kept abreast over the many developments in human societies and at UNIT bases worldwide. Eventually, they calculated that they could strike at their bitter adversaries through homo sapien societies, socially engineering scenarios that would result in the murders of many Slitheen from behind the scenes. This would continue until the time was ripe for the Blathereen to re-emerge from the shadows into the open once more.
"What is the outcome of your findings, dear brother?" Melon asked one day of Ubar as they sat together before a computer screen. Years of heavy-intensive research had been prepared by the Family. Time, they believed, was firmly on their side. They did not need to rush. Images and videos of current affairs flashed up on the monitor.
"Human societies are currently ridden with so much tension; resurgent nationalisms, deepening social inequalities, racism, cultural wars and the like. We can exploit them to our advantage.". Ubar believed he had detected a potential opportunity for his Family to finally return to action covertly.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Right now, there is this ongoing global phenomenon popularly known as 'The Far Right'. Their opponents say that they are deeply fascistic, chauvinistic and have mass support at the ground level. Overt racists. Highly antagonist. Not like some of their more 'liberal' counterparts who hide their disdain for others a little bit better and subtly. More importantly, members of this faction hate migrants with a passion. Anyone they perceive as 'alien' to their sense of sensibilities, actually. In my opinion, they are the perfect native vehicle by which we can strike the accursed Star Slitheen from. Ideally, we should be inhabiting the leaders of this movement and play everyone behind the scenes.". The Blathereen were content on continuing employing the same tactics that their rival Slitheens typically utilised: killing, skinning and inhabiting the natives of Earth.
"Excellent. I will trust you and Nubar to form some practical recommendations when we convene later this Thursday.".
"Have you heard anything from the other Families?"
"I have received positive communications, yes." Melon responded cryptically, without revealing anymore information to his sibling. The Blathereen leader left the room for another. Jaxa was finishing a fifth bowl of Rakweed consumed this hour. She was a notorious addict to the plant-based drug.
"Finished your meal, Jaxa?"
"Yes, Melon. I have also laid my fifth egg this month, too. What do you want?". Being one of the few adult females left alive, the Family had to preserve Jaxa especially as her biological reproductive capabilities guaranteed a future for newer generations of Vas Bunkin Blathereen to emerge into this universe. Her job was to lay eggs periodically. The males would take turns in fertilising them with their bodily fluids. But a large-scale revival of the Vas Bunkins was way off for now. Conversions would need to restart at some point to augment the planned revival.
"It is time: prepare the Slitheen girl for her mission.".
"Right away.". Licking her bowl clean and unleashing a little necessary flatulence in relief, the humongous Blathereen woman made her purposefully to another area of the rocket, where cargo would normally be kept. There, the bamboo cage containing a demoralised and apathetic Olivia Jay Slitheen stood timelessly. She served as a living reminder to the Blathereen about their burgeoning blood feud. A beating that occurred yesterday from Melon gave her a severe concussion, keeping her asleep. Jaxa walked around the cage in circumambulation, curiously examining the prisoner. A jug of Rakjuice was conveniently sitting on a nearby shelf.
"Wakey Wakey!". Jaxa callously splashed the liquid contents over the unconscious Raxicoricofalipatorian.
"Huh!". Wholly disorientated, Olivia had no idea what was going on. She simply assumed this was yet another innovative form of torture that she would have to endure for today. Unusually though, Jaxa unlocked the doors and forced the handcuffed captive to come out. The Blathereen derived some pleasure in sniffing all over the Slitheen's body as a way to assert some measure of dominance and control. Olivia was incapable of stopping such actions. Traces of multiple male Blathereen body fluids could be detected everywhere.
"Time to put you into action.". Olivia's neck brace was deliberately tampered with by the Blathereen. They placed a tracker on it as well as adding some purposeful adjustments of their own. The Slitheen captive was finally let out of her cage permanently as she was brought forth into the Consensus Room where the Blathereen awaited her in their usual circular makeup. Melon gave her strict objectives.
"You will return to your accursed Family, Olivia. Integrate yourselves amongst them again and await further instructions. Remember, we will be watching you. Every single second. If we detect that you are indicating our survival or whereabouts to any other being, the neck brace that you wear will blow up instantly. Do I make myself clear?". The Slitheen woman looked around the circle. Every Blathereen hated her intensely and made their marks literally onto her body these past few years. It was something that she could never forget.
"Yes." an exhausted Olivia replied monosyllabically. She wanted her freedom back immediately but knew that she had to play the rigged game initiated by these adversarial Raxicoricofalipatorians.
"Good. Now get out of our sight, Slitheen girl.". Jaxa then made her stand on a platform. Within a flash, Olivia was teleported elsewhere. A few seconds later, her large body was facing downwards in the muddy soil of some other terrain on Earth.
"Oooh, my chest hurts!" the Slitheen decried as she slowly returned to her feet. Nubar had violently inflicted a few nasty cuts on that part of her body a few nights ago during an aggressive encounter. The sharp pain had finally caught up with her. Her Blathereen enemies had relocated their involuntary spy in some forestry area, away from human civilisation. A quick whiff of the air made her understand which part of the world she was in.
"England. I am in England." she affirmed with a sigh of relief. Home sweet home for this ex-human convert who now enjoyed relatively more 'freedom'. Better than being stuck in that cage and enduring indefinite amounts of abuse, she thought. The Slitheen also noticed that there was a small cube-shaped electronic device that appeared to have come with her. Picking it up, the device activated itself, revealing a hologram recording.
"Remember, we are watching you. Always. Behave like a good girl. We will be in touch." Melon Defart spoke in a prerecorded message before the device shut itself down automatically and self-combusted into fiery flames.
"Oh shit. How are we going to survive this?". Olivia wondered anxiously as she proceeded to return to the main UNIT base miles away in London. Her own beloved Family was in grave danger and they were not allowed to know about the unfortunate survival of a rather vengeful bunch of Vas Bunkin Blathereen actors who wanted them all dead by their claws.
(The End.)
(To Be Continued).
