Chapter 3

Samuel was flying as fast as he could. Cursing himself for stopping to help Atata and its people.

Sighing Samuel shook his head as he flew into another worm hole. ‘Hmmm,’ he thought, ‘as many as Mello’s ship had taken you’d think that she was trying to lose him.’

Flying onward, he suddenly dropped into normal space. Looking around he blinked his eyes at what appeared to be earth, though shaking his head her knew better. Rubbing them he looked closer as his mouth dropped open.

On the planet he could see very thin though extremely tall human like creatures. Their eyes were huge, and they also appeared to have nothing that looked like a nose. Shaking his head again Samuel was about to leave the strange world when he heard a scream. Trying to refuse to look again Samuel again tried to leave when he heard the scream again.

Sighing Samuel said, “Damn it, why now? I was just starting to get close to finding her again.”

Looking at the energy trail he saw it wasn’t as faint. A third scream finally had him flying planet ward. Cursing under his breath he saw what appeared to be a female trying to hold off a huge crowd of ... were those beetle-like insects?

Landing with a ground shaking thud behind the female, Samuel ducked when the female swung a long, very sharp looking blade at him. “What the hell,” Samuel shouted as she swung again at him even faster.

Growling loudly at him, she swung back toward the insects; in the process decapitating ten or twenty of those that had tried to advance in the front row. “Unless you want to join your headless, dead friends, I suggest you get away from that which is mine!” The female growled louder.

“Yours!?” Samuel asked as he started to look around him. He saw what appeared to be about twenty smaller versions of the female. ‘Why,’ Samuel thought, ‘were they all buried up to their necks in the ground?’

“Yes, my frinklings.” This prompted the forward row of insects to move. The female again swung her blade taking the heads off of about ten more. “Neither you nor who they work for can have them!” The female growled fiercely.

Swinging toward Samuel again the blade actually hit Samuel’s neck his attention momentarily drawn to the smaller versions. There was a clang, and then a gasp from the female as her eyes went wide. “What are you?” The female asked as at first her arms, then the rest of her body started to shake from the vibrations.

There was a loud chirping, clicking issuing from the beetle insects as they started to surge forward. The females eyes got larger (imagine that) as she turned swinging the blade furiously.

Samuel could quickly see that the female was going to be overrun in a matter of no time at all, at this rate. Growling Samuel took to the air meeting the front of the insects pushing back as hard as he could. Catching them off guard he started to move a vast majority of them backwards. The whole time he could hear all of them shouting kill, kill!

Growling loudly Samuel stated, “Unless all of you want to be seriously hurt, I suggest you, BACK OFF!” This last shouted at them the force of Samuel’s voice pushing the multitude of them back even further.

“Who are you to even try to order us?” Several of those on the front hissed at Samuel. “Now you will die with all of these here!” With that a huge wave of a greenish liquid flew from many of the insects covering Samuel. This burned what little was left of his clothes from his body. Looking down his body, his face momentarily twisted into anger.

Shaking what he assumed was a type of acid off himself, he turned to the insects. Growling, Samuel brought his hand down flat on the one in front of him. Smashing it easily to a pulp then turned to the rest. Taking to the air again faster than any could follow Samuel crushed a three foot path in front of him all the way to the back of the mass of insects.

“Were you actual beings, not obviously mindless killers, I might feel remorse for a moment.” Setting in the front again looking hard at the front row he continued. “Though in your case, I’ll make an exception.” This last was issued in a low growl.

“Ha! We are many there is but one of you. Even with the amount that you have destroyed you stand no chance at all of victory.” Several of those in front hissed at Samuel.

Samuel’s eyes narrowed as he whispered, “Wanna bet?” Again Samuel moved far faster than anyone could follow, then even faster. Appearing this time he crushed an even wider swath and then double that as he reversed his path back on the opposite side.

The screams of the dying was almost overwhelming. With only about a hundred left alive the insect beetles slowly started to withdraw then more rapidly. “You will pay dearly for this!” They threw back at Samuel in their retreat.

“As you saw nothing you did affected me at all. Don’t return or the rest of you will perish!” Samuel growled at their retreating forms.

A movement past him caught Samuel completely off guard. The same female with the long blade was giving chase after the rapidly retreating insects; slaughtering all of them as she glided through them with ease.

Returning to stand in front of Samuel after the last fell, she gave Samuel an odd look. Then bowing low she stated, “I wish to thank you for saving my frinklings.” Still bowing she continued on, “I do not know you though your actions seem vaguely familiar. Tell me, just who are you? Exactly where are you from?”

Samuel returned the low bow of the female causing a soft gasp from her. “I am Samuel, though you may call me Sam. I am from a planet called earth, though Mellos Thymp told me that I was not.”

Again the female gasp, “You talked to Mellos and survived?” This time the female looked closer, then even extremely closer to all of Sam. “Yes, I can see that you are exceedingly strong. I am Queen Triada. As I said I do not know you, though for some reason I do feel that I can trust you.”

Shaking his head a thought came to Sam. The Queen was royalty she therefore had access to far more information. “If I may ask Queen, have you ever heard of the Cliveastones?”

The Queen’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide as realization struck home. Nodding the Queen stated, “At one time long ago they were a most noble race. A few of their kind rebelled against what almost all of those in power believed in; although they were also quickly put down by their own people. The Intergalactic Patrol was formed over a three decade period, quiet ‘til they had a chance to strike. Then they began a massive bombardment of the Cliveastone planet.”

“Wait! You’re telling me that the Patrol destroyed them when there was no reason for it?!” Sam cried out in disgust.

The Queen sadly nodded her head. “It wasn’t long after that many worlds were suddenly falling under the protection of the Patrol. It was also about this time that that a great many massive executions took place. All of this was under their protective rules that they quickly installed.”

Samuel’s face quickly twisted into a mask of massive rage, but calming only when the Queen gently touched his arm. “I should crush all of them!” Sam shouted startling the Queen.

“No, not yet. What you did today has possibly saved our planet from them and their agents. Also what you did for the Prodons.” The Queen replied.

This time it was Sam’s turn for his mouth to hang open. That had only been what? A few hours ago at the most? “I knew that they had powerful minds, though not by far this powerful!”

The Queen gave Sam what he guessed was a smile. “All free planets are linked now, it is the only thing that stops them.” Here the Queen sighed, “though we may lose that soon I am afraid.”

“Though I am after Mellos first and foremost, I will do what I can to help.” Sam told the still smiling Queen.

“Thank you Sam of the Cliveastones. It brings me great joy to know that a few of your noble race still exist.” The Queen stated as she bowed again. “You now have all of our loyalty.”

Sam also bowed to the Queen, “I was glad that I could help. If you ever have need of me again, just call I’ll return as fast as I can.”

A third gasp arose from the Queen’s throat. “We are equals noble sir. You’ve no need to bow to me.” The Queen said with a large smile.

“Perhaps, though this is your world. I therefore am only paying you the respect that you deserve in your realm.” Sam said in all honesty, causing the Queen to nod at the wisdom that Sam was showing.

“Ah! I was correct, you are of that most noble race. I am also surprised that you have still have your abilities here.” The Queen asked full of curiosity. “Our atmosphere was one of many that was said to weaken your kind greatly.”

Here Sam smiled, “I lived, well, grew up on a world with an atmosphere not unlike this one. It would appear that I grew an immunity to it so that it no longer affects me.”

This made the Queen smile even larger. Immune? Nodding her head, perhaps this time they’d all have a chance for things to be put right. Not like what had happened with Mellos. The female sighed as she hoped that this one was as strong as she felt he was.

Telling the Queen good-bye Sam was about to leave when half of the smaller versions of the Queen popped out of the ground. Nodding with a shocked smile Sam nodded then took off into space.