|
Short Story: ...to fly ...to be ...to love
  I Ebony
BlackCat now we have an original story written by my human bean, L. E. Shaffer,
and me fur friend, Trouble the cat's human bean, S. La Palme. This story about
how a human bean uses her hate of the ancient dragon race to try to destroy old
dragoness.
Publication date: January 27, 1999
Authors: S. La
Palme & L. E.
Shaffer
Company: Shaffer Novels/Poetry Company
COPYRIGHT: 2000 - 2007, 2008
S. La Palme
& L. E. Shaffer
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FIRST PRINTING
The planet of Churama turned in the sun leaving the
shadows of the two moons. The mouth of the cave expelled a cloud of smoke. A
creature within stirred. She moved slowly and painfully. It wasn't hot enough
to suit her. She longed for high sun and the heat it would bring. Some dried
scales clinked to the oily stone at her talons. Closing her large, red eyes,
she felt a stirring in her mind. Troubling, these thoughts from far off.
Alawndra concentrated and knew something was afoot. Their ancient planet was
about to be visited. She felt the being think and breathe. This being was from
the star she witnessed the birth of ages ago. Now someone was coming...
Captain Sandra Frye stood on the deck of her starship,
the UNS Lightning. With cold eyes, she watched her crew work diligently.
Captain Frye was in complete control. The men and women under her command knew
she took no nonsense. Severe punishment was issued to any who didn't meet her
standards or disobeyed orders. Strict orders were issued publicly to the rest
of the crew, as both an example of being lax and as a lesson. This approach
worked well and as time passed punishments were made. No one wanted to
be humiliated. They didn't want to be seen scrubbing, cleaning, or waiting on
higher-ranking officers. Even though this was not normal on most starships, no
one had ever filed a complaint.
However, the crew of the Lightning knew that
Captain Frye was dangerous, especially when angry. Her anger wasn't an
admirable quality and often brought things quite close to destruction. On rare
occasions when Frye's anger raged and boiled, like water left too long on
intense heat, punishments were issued. Most times they were unfairly issued as
well. None of the crew dared confront the Captain on these unfair acts or on
her intense and frightening anger. Frye was feared like death, not just on the Lightning,
but throughout the entire system. Sandra smiled, and the coldness of it matched
that which shone out of her cobalt-blue eyes. It was all about control.
Satisfied that all was well on deck, Sandra turned away
from her overworked crew and headed for her personal quarters. She walked
stiffly, shoulders back, head held high. It was a silent message that she
demanded respect from everyone and expected to get it. On her way to her
quarters an officer in a white uniform, walking in the same manner stopped
immediately when he saw the Captain. He raised a white-gloved hand in salute.
Sandra passed him without saluting back. It was a common courtesy on other
ships. But as long as Sandra Frye was in control, it was not a courtesy on the Lightning.
It was a sign of respect and those that did not salute were punished. Three
days without a good meal and sleep was the sentence for that crime. Sandra
never saluted. She was much too far above that sort of thing. The officer
remained in his saluting position until the Captain passed by, then proceeded
to his destination.
Sandra entered her private quarters. These quarters were
off limits to everyone. Anyone who entered, even while she was present, was
punished most severely. For that a crew member was locked in a storage vault,
and fed only bread and water until Sandra felt that they could return to their
jobs again. This punishment had never been carried out.
She sat down in front of her console. A message flashed,
indicating that she had messages. Sandra ignored it and entered the password to
gain access to her private files. The files contained all the information she'd
collected over many years. They also contained plans for the secret mission she
was now carrying out. It truly was secret because no one knew of the mission
except her. The crew of the Lightning was under the impression that they
were to safely transport a shipment of mylyn to a star base at the far end of
the galaxy. That was the true mission ordered by the Admiral. Sandra had no
intention of carrying this out.
Her eyes examined the plans she'd spent years carefully
drawing out. Another cold smile spread slowly across her face. Blue eyes blazed
with hatred and excitement. Hatred for the dragons and the excitement at
finally having the opportunity to destroy them. Secretly, her only ambition for
ever joining the UNSN was to work her way up to Captain, so she could use its
resources to take the act of vengeance she yearned so much for. Long ago in one
of her earlier lives during Earth's pangs of birth, a dragon named Rakdrold had
offered her powers beyond which anyone could ever hope to possess. Rakdrold had
cheated her though. He'd stripped her of all dignity that she had and thrown
her away as his human apprentice. Yet now in this present life, when she joined
the UNE, she returned to Rakdrold's secret chambers one dark night. She went back in time and in a
chaotic outbreak of smoke, fire, shouting, and laser blasts Rakdrold lay in a
heap of smoldering smoke and fiery dragon blood.
Sandra remembered standing over the defeated beast,
breathing heavily and vowing that if she ever came across any other living
dragons she would murder them, as she had Rakdrold. Over eight years ago she'd
learned of an ancient dragon race. Supposedly, the last of the dragons to exist
anywhere. The race was in a hidden part of the galaxy, which couldn't be
located on any charts or maps. However, after gaining information through many
sources including those that were enemies of the UNE, she'd found the
coordinates. These coordinates were the ones currently being piloted. Any day
now they would be upon the dragon race. She would destroy them all, and the
carnage and chaos of this mass murder would be even greater, and more glorified
than that of the evil Rakdrold.
There was one other part of her plan that she was most
looking forward to. This would be the last mission the crew of the Lightning
would ever see. The moment it was discovered that they were off course, she
planned to kill the entire crew. Sandra didn't give a damn for her crew for
this was her battle. She wanted no interference from the little people.
She hated the UNE, she hated everything in this wretched galaxy. Sandra
realized that because she hated everything she was her only enemy. She didn't
seem to care, yet didn't realize that it was the most dangerous position she
could place herself in. When all was finished, she would secretly return and
disappear, never to be found again. Sandra realized the risk she was placing
herself in by taking on these actions. A spark of fear flashed in her eyes, but
the chilling smile remained on her lips . . .
Alawndra's red eyes teared from the vision she had
endured. Rakdrold had been her deranged husband so very long ago. Now her eyes
filmed over and real tears streaked down her neck. That poor dragon had really
thought he could tame the savage evil of the human race. And it killed him most
savagely. Now his murderer reborn a thousand times was on her way to kill
everyone on Churama. And Alawndra was the only one who could do something. The
rest would not believe.
Ah, yes, the rest of the dragons, as the Sandra human
called Alawndra's race. There were so few left on Churama. This planet was more
religious than functional, but its loss would be great. It was the only link of
Alawndra's kind to this galaxy. She thought, that I know of anyway. She
wished she had left when Rakdrold had died, but she had stayed being the High
Groll. Obligations had kept her here and now would kill her most likely. She
sighed as fumes escaped her large nostrils.
So it must start, she thought sadly. Alawndra felt so
awfully tired. She looked around slowly, not having moved this much in a
hundred years. There it was, she smiled, a black glowing ball of power about
the size of pumpkin but would be so tiny near her talon. She ordered it, and it
rose and came to her. Opening her talon, the glowing blackness rested just
beyond it. Suddenly, brilliant light as if from a thousand suns shot hotly out
to the skies into space even through the cave walls. The light pulsated. Then
the ball dropped to the floor. She had sent the message. Alawndra was ready...
In the dream, Sandra walked through the deathly carnage
on the deck of the Lightning. She gripped her smoking laser tightly. Her
face was a mask of solemnity, but the pleasure of what she'd done unmistakingly
shone through her eyes. Sandra knew she was on the lost planet Churama. It was
time to turn the evil dragons to ash. She knew the one titled the High Groll
was waiting for her. Sandra could almost feel the intense heat and smell the
sulfuric breath of the repulsive creature. The damaged hatch of the Lightning
squealed open half way. Sandra stepped out of the ship and walked over crumpled
metal alloy onto the lava-rock surface of the planet.
The intense heat and the strong smell of sulfur brought
back the terrifying memories of killing Rakdrold. There was something familiar
about this planet. Sandra felt she'd been here before as . . . as somebody
else. That couldn't be possible. She shrugged it off and searched the tall
lava-rock formations. They rose high up disappearing into clouds of red and
seemed to travel onward forever across the horizon. All around her she couldn't
even see where the ground met up with the horizon. Suddenly, a tall, dark
shadow crossed over her. It blacked out all color and except for the dim light
coming from the door of the Lightning, she was in complete darkness.
Blinded.
It seemed to take an eternity for the shadow to cross and
once again give her vision. When Sandra looked up, she saw the immense
creature. The dragon. The High Groll. She knew it was. Although she had come
here with a steel heart fearing nothing, terror filled her. This dragon was
much bigger than Rakdrold. Its wingspan seemed to reach from one end of the
planet to the other. That could only be an illusion. It couldn't be possible.
The dragon landed before her. The ground trembled as its talons dug into the
ground. The High Groll stared at her with red eyes full of sadness and pity.
Sandra immediately sensed that despite this creature’s
size, it was weak. It had little power. It was tired and old, no longer able to
put up the fight it once could. Malice quickly replaced Sandra's fear, as she
remembered the powers stripped from her by Rakdrold. She raised her laser until
it was directed at an area where several protective scales had fallen off the
High Groll due to lack of proper temperature. Before she could squeeze the
trigger of the weapon, an intense pain, pain that would have killed a normal
human shot through her body. Sandra cried out and fell to the ground moaning
and writhing in pain.
She screamed in terror, as through her pained vision she
saw her arms being covered in dark-brown scales. Her fingers curled into claws,
long black nails protruded out of her fingers, spurting out the last bits of
human blood she had. Sandra felt intense heat fill her body till she thought
she'd explode. She heard the High Groll laughing at the human’s stupidity. As
the pain began to subside, Sandra wondered how she could have been so foolish.
Here she lay before the High Groll, a helpless dragon. She was now forever
trapped in this revolting shell. Underneath her the ground began to tremble
violently.
Faults opened up dispersing heat and smoke that would
have burned up a human in seconds. Sandra roared fearfully in her new dragon
voice. She felt herself begin to fall, she remembered she now had wings, but no
one had taught her how to use them. Sandra saw the dragon begin to reach down
to help. She reached out, but had to grab onto the edge of the ground, digging
her talons into the rocky earth. Sandra roared again as her new talons began to
crack. They weren't yet strong enough to hold on. They broke abruptly and she
fell down into the fault. She fell forever because no one had taught her how to
fly . . .
Sandra woke in a sweat. She looked around with wild eyes
and saw that she was in her personal quarters. The room sensed that she had
woken and turned on the lights and warmed the room. It had only been a dream.
Sandra tried to convince herself, but couldn't keep her body from shuddering.
She pulled the sweat soaked sheets away from her body and sat up on the bed.
Sandra pulled on a robe. She got up from the bed and sat down behind her
console. Trying to forget the nightmare, she read the messages she'd ignored
the day before. They were nothing important, just a message from the Admiral
wanting to know how the mission was fairing. She wrote him back with word that
all was well.
As she stood to see about breakfast, the entire ship
rocked violently, sending her sprawling to the deck. Sandra grunted and
immediately stood. She quickly got into her uniform and raced to the bridge.
Lights were flickering on and off. The crew members were frantically trying to
get everything back under control. She stood with her hands on her hips,
staring at everyone coldly, as if the disturbance were all their fault. None of
the crew had even seemed to notice her presence on the deck. This enraged her
even more. Sandra wanted to punish them all, but then there would be no one to
run the ship to Churama.
"What is going on here!" Sandra cried out
angrily. Everyone on the bridge froze. "What was that disturbance?
Somebody better have an answer, or you can all spend time in solitary
confinement. A lot of time!"
A young officer, Steve Earp, who looked like he just came
out of junior high stood reluctantly and faced the captain. He had a chirpy,
pleasant voice that irritated Sandra to her limits. He saluted the Captain
before he spoke.
"To hell with the saluting, little boy!" Sandra
shouted. "Tell me what happened right now." The officer quickly
brought his hand down and composed himself.
"We were hit by an invisible force, Captain. It came
out of no where. We never knew it was coming. We couldn't raise shields."
Sandra's face paled, no one seemed to notice this change.
It was the dragons, she knew it. They'd sent a message to let her know she
should stay away. How could they possibly know she was coming? Fragments of her
dream, flickered in her mind and she shuddered.
"What's that?" one of the crew members said,
excitedly. "Captain, look at this"
Sandra approached one of the monitors that still were
flickering from the power shortage. Her breath caught in her throat as the
monitor displayed the fiery planet of Churama. She could clearly see the bright
sun and the two moons that circled the planet. Excitement filled her. Finally,
her vengeance could be taken. "Stay on course," she demanded.
"We must check out this planet," she turned and raced back to her
quarters to retrieve her laser. No one dared to tell the Captain she was going
against orders. The lost planet grew closer . . .
Alawndra focused all her mental energy on the pinpoint of
light approaching. That little light portended much evil, unless she could
change things. Usually, the other stars at the edge of this galaxy excited her
with hope. Yet now only dread remained. Philia, one of her eager hatchlings
flew by spewing fire across the sky. Alawndra smiled at the boy and laughed. It
had been hundreds of years since her last visit to the night. It was too cold
for her to do so now. Yet this human person tasked her and brought her tired
old body out to study the stars and that pinpoint of light on the darkened
horizon.
Philia and his other hatchling playmates continued their
aerial fireworks in unrestrained joy, the joy of living. Alawndra dozed off her
massive right wing relaxing and drooping slightly. Her oblong head bent from
its own weight. Her three eyelids closed and the mind awakened in dreams,
damnable dreams. Visions hot with death and green blood. Suddenly, she jerked
awake and called to her kind, a sound reaching to the very hills barely seen in
the moonlight. The dream was imprinted on her mind so cold and final.
Philia and the other hatchlings landed stirring up the
dust on the smooth stone outcropping. Alawndra turned and looked deeply into
Philia's purple-stained eyes. And off they all went at the very speed of light
straight out of the planet's atmosphere. Alawndra maintained her mental
connection with her broodling. She gloried in the journey with the steely
streak of stars whipping by. Then the pinpoint of light grew bigger. She hoped
that this would turn the human away.
Philia and the others attacked or rather played with the
starship's shields and weapon’s arrays. The starship shimmied and shuddered.
The hatchlings were having the most fun of their lives. A star burst went off
aft of the ship and a trail of hot debris seemed to ooze out leaving a glowing
string behind. Then Philia's mind exploded in evil pain. They had to retreat to
the safety of Churama and Alawndra. And still the human came.
Alawndra knew this would be the way of it. She had hoped
and that had been dashed. The dream played behind the gleam in her eyes as she
firmed her resolve. Long ago before there ever were humans she had lost a young
hatchling to a strange evil. Off and on across millennia after millennia
Alawndra had vague dreams of this lost one that she had loved and grieved so
much for. This time the dream revealed the human features of the hatchling, and
it resembled the human coming to the planet now. But how can that be?
Captain Frye smiled as the young dragon's head seemed to
explode. This one had been something special to the High Groll. Frye watched as
the other dragons retreated back to Churama. They were small, pathetic
creatures who could do nothing against the powerful Lightning starship.
Without giving any expression she worried about the bigger dragons. If there
were any on this planet, they could easily dismantle the starship with their
strength and powerful fire. Would the High Groll itself come to take vengeance?
No, Sandra sensed that the High Groll was waiting for her. Finally and
instinctively, Sandra knew that the High Groll had given up and was going to
face her to the death.
Abruptly, Sandra's dream of mutating into one of these
horrid creatures filled her mind. For the first time in years, choking fear
returned to her. It filled her until she was nearly sick with it. The meaning
of the dream was filling her mind. Whispers of several different voices raced
through her head. She had once been a dragon many thousands of years ago.
Something--something had happened, it was very bad, but the memory remained
hidden. Lifetime after lifetime she searched for the dragons to destroy them.
Something was happening in this millennium and the dragons had to be destroyed
because of it.
They could not exist when the time of the meetings came.
The meetings of what, though? Sandra struggled to recall. Sweat beaded on her
forehead and she closed her eyes tightly. There was an ancient evil; it was
destruction for all. It had taken her and made her human, cursed her to
lifetimes of being its hunter. Oh, if only she'd paid more attention to the
battles now going on far away on the other side of the galaxy. Giving up, she
opened her eyes. It didn't matter. The whispering voices faded to silence and
she was once again the stone-hearted Captain. Yet, the shock of her memories
remained with her. She could not let this interfere with her duty to this
rediscovered and mysterious ancient evil. Sandra relished in the thought of
murdering the crew and her memories were soon forgotten and locked away for a
time.
Soon enough the delightful time came. The entire crew was
at their general quarter’s stations. She rose quietly from her chair and
removed her laser from its holster, careful not to let any wandering eyes see
this. Grinning merrily she began firing at each crew member. Many jumped up in
surprise, some groped for their own weapons. One by one men and women fell to
the deck in sprays of blood, mouths twisted in oh's of surprise and terror.
Only minutes passed before the entire crew lay dead, but it seemed longer.
Sandra returned her smoking weapon to its holster and walked around and over
bodies. What a useless bunch of creatures--creatures? Sandra's eyes
widened with more shock, and she prayed that the memories would not return. What
a useless crew! She corrected her thoughts and felt that fear rising within
her again. Somewhere deep within herself hot dragon's blood still flowed.
Quickly shedding the thought from her mind, she tried to
concentrate on controlling the starship. It was now hovering above the sulfuric
planet called Churama. Sandra, not able to remember how to land, got close
enough to the surface so that the fall when she cut all power would not be too
great. When all was ready, she switched everything off. The starship hovered
for a while, reserve energy still running through the system. The fact that
she'd forgotten how to land the starship made her think of her falling dream of
the endless pit because no one had taught her how to fly. It was terrifying and
ironic at the same time. Finally, the starship emitted a faded wheezing sound
and fell to the surface of Churama. Sandra fell from the chair in the impact.
Metal crushed and twisted sounding as if it were in agony. This was playing out
too much like her dream. She took her laser out again and pushed the Bridge
hatch open half way, as far as if would go. Fear instead of the anticipated
triumph came to her. She stepped out onto the starship and walked carefully to
the edge and jumped onto the steaming planet . . .
Alawndra gazed at the burning sun on this hot afternoon
and gloried in the heat. One of her three eyelids was closed to filter out the
destructive rays of the star. A shadow plowed through the heat waves, and she
followed it to the rocky ground. The great starship hovered for a second and
seemed to plop in a heap. Super fluid leaks spewed out of every crack. Energy
glows competed with the sun's brightness. Metal fires burned. And a hatch
opened partly, silently. Alawndra tensed and then leapt into the burning sky.
She gave out a long moaning call as hatchlings filled the
sky. Philia, still pained by the near-fatal attack on him by the humans, flew
weakly to her side. Alawndra loved this little broodling and spent all night
healing him. Now they all circled high in the sky watching the tiny human
figure struggle on the hot surface. Alawndra knew she should end it all here
for all time, but just couldn't. Just like Philia, she could not give up any of
her kind to the next step along the great path. There must be some other way.
Philia dived stirring up the sulfuric fumes and spewed
flames all along the human creature's path. Alawndra still hung back. Laser
fire sizzled through the humid air. The great dragoness moved her eyes
examining all the details miles down to the surface. Other hatchlings dived and
called. The sounds vibrated the very atmosphere, they were so loud and
guttural. Smoke filled the barren valley where the spent starship lay dying.
Alawndra felt her chest constrict in twinges of tiny fear, and the fear was
growing. Attack after attack and still Alawndra circled high on the planet's
super winds. She fought back the tears. Then she noticed the glint of scales
upon the flesh of the human. Now she folded her wings and dived...
Sandra panicked when she heard the terrifying cries of
the dragons. When the giant blast of fire surrounded her, she screeched loudly.
To her horrified shock, Sandra's voice was not her own anymore. It was the
voice of these wretched creatures trapping her. The fire crackled and roared
around her. Fiery flames rose high above her, dancing like death in the
sulfuric winds of Churama. Sandra looked down and saw scales popping out all
over her skin. Her thoughts were raging. Things weren't supposed to go this way
. . . they were winning . . . these creatures. They'd caused her torment and
sacrifice millennia after millennia. Now she was here, and they were defeating
her! Sandra's vision blurred, and she blacked out in the circle of burning
flames.
When she opened her eyes, the fire had gone out. Black
ash circled the area where it had been. Sandra felt different, heavier. She
realized that the world around her looked different. It was expanding and
contracting. With this strange, surreal vision, she looked down at herself. Her
body was no longer human; she was a dragon now. Sandra vaguely recalled
everything that happened before she blacked out. It was a distant memory being
carried further and further away, like driftwood being carried out to sea. She
struggled to hold onto what remained of her human mind. After a while she just
let it go. The dragons had won, and there was no point in holding on anymore.
In her new mind, her dragon mind, voices whispered. They
spoke all at once and she had no idea what was being said. Sandra stood up on
taloned feet and looked around. The surreal vision began to clear, but the
planet didn't look hateful to her anymore. It was home. The High Groll appeared
before her suddenly. Sandra felt no fear. The dragon looked down upon her with
love. In her mind a spark of human hatred flared, and then it was gone, carried
off into deep darkness. Sandra heard little screeches around her. Several
little dragons were hopping around her looking at her curiously. Alawndra
brought her long neck down to Sandra's level. Sandra had no idea how she knew
the dragon's name. Alawndra nudged her gently. Was it a gesture of love,
friendship? She didn't know, but nudged the dragon back.
Alawndra kept her head at Sandra's level and began to
speak . "I know you, young one. You were lost to me so very long ago.
Between the hatred of our becoming and what was . . . I don't know how to say
this."
Sandra felt the flashes of long-ago memories. "You .
. . You are my mother?"
"Yes," Alawndra cried out.
Sandra accused, "But you never taught me to fly, to
be, to love."
"I know. Let me fix that now." Alawndra gently
guided Sandra to the cliff’s edge. She looked into those eyes. All that was
left of the human was in those eyes. And then together they leaned forward and
flew to the sky sunward. And, finally, mother and daughter were bonded as it
should have been so many eons ago.
Sandra's last human thought, I can fly!
Publication date: January 27, 1999
Authors: S. La
Palme & L. E.
Shaffer
Company: Shaffer Novels/Poetry Company
COPYRIGHT: 2000 - 2007, 2008
S. La Palme
& L. E. Shaffer
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FIRST PRINTING
[Dragon
Index] [Order of The Rose
Award] [Dragon
Embers] [The Green Dragon series]
[Other Original
Writings] [Runes of Ao]
[The Grey
Dragon series] [Sentinel Dragon
series] [Thangath the Dreamer]
|
