Alfred Hermanni

Safari of the young predators

 

 

by Alfred Hermanni           June, 10, 2010              All rights reserved

 

With a smacking sound the door opened and released the entrance to the STATION.

Soon it would be time, I would first enter the dimension spin and participate in my first safari.

Goo'laT and me formed one team, Giv'naC and Zarl'deG the other.

Together we would be sent to a different time on a different planet, to “sow our wild oats”, as my parent always used to say.

Our equipment was already there, on arrival we had to send a signal and it would automatically reach us. The pulse was sent out by our implanted BQP. This required only a thought, and the

Biotronic- quantum-positron would command the equipment to transport to us without delay. A little insecure and downright thoughtful, we entered the STATION and admired the fantastic sight

of the black, totally dark energy sphere which we were immediately beamed into to go to our selected target dimension.

When we materialized inside the sphere, the dimension slingshot would throw us without loss of time to the target time and the preprogrammed point of the local space- time.

From the transfer itself we would hardly notice anything. Only for one moment our perception would be exposed and resume it’s function somewhere else in a split second.

We entered the marked area of the teleporter. The reception computer identified us as authorized,

generated the transport beamer and teleported us into the sphere, which was now activated.

Within a split second we were thrown through the various dimensions of the multiverse and materialized at our destination.

 

*

 

“One of you know the code of this planet?”, Goo'laT asked, looking around.

“E/00076482/ar/th/3/6. The natives still believe in gods. They don't even know that they live on a planet. But they can already produce metals, cutting and stabbing weapons of various kinds,

bows and arrows. More we have no reason to fear”, Zarl'deG told us.

“If one uses only the letters of the code, it reads ...Earth. Let us call this planet Earth!”,

I suggested.

“Why not, as far as I'm concerned you can even call it field, mud or clay”, replied Goo'laT.

“Why is it only a planet with level 6? I was hoping for more action, at least firearms or simple

laser light guns. Bow and arrow. Pooh”, Giv'naC grumbled.

“Because it is our first safari. Or do you think we could make a safari on Dar- Scure

or on Feryan 3?”, Zarl'deG replied.

“Would be a good thing”, argued Giv'naC.

“And guaranteed deadly...for us!”, I said.

“We should send the signal for our equipment. Soon it will be night”, reminded Goo'laT.

He was right. I actioned this at once, and the container with our equipment appeared immediately, opened automatically and unloaded its cargo.

By automatic molecular transformation, the container transformed into comfortable accommodation which was big enough for all of us.

We settled on the computer generated beds, laid down to sleep and awaited the events of the next day.

 

During the next morning Zarl'deG and Giv'naC made their own way. Of course we knew where each of us was staying. The BQP ensured that we remained linked to each other at any time and knew about the position of each individual.

In case of emergency we could teleport to each other and support each other; but our energy supply was sufficient only for a few teleports and should not be used carelessly.

Due to our equipment consisting of high technology weapons and energy shields and also in terms of available medical treatment we were not to be beaten by the natives of this planet.

They had no chance.

The safari could begin.

 

*

 

We were on our way. A subtropical desert landscape around us. The sun rose very quickly and soon reached it’s zenith. It was getting very hot. On the horizon we could see a ridge. We wanted to take this direction.

“Would it be preferable to fly?”, Goo'laT asked me.

“Let us save energy, you never know what might happen”, I replied.

“What should be happening here? My parent has chosen our destination wisely, and we are prepared for everything.”

I had nothing to oppose and gave my consent.

“Well than, let us fly.”

With a few simple switches we activated the anti- gravity unit and programmed the course with

the help of the neural hologram in the middle of our visual centre, projected by the BQP.

And so we were floating towards the mountains with moderate speed. On the highest peak we landed.

“Well then, let us see what we find here”, I muttered and observed my surroundings.

Bit by bit I studied my field of view in different frequency ranges of the EM spectrum and zoomed in on something.

“There is a river with a settlement, not very large. Here we could start!”, I announced.

A small hill next to the river provided an excellent observation point.

Goo'laT and me turned on the camouflage and now we were almost invisible.

Only those who looked closely could see perhaps a distortion of air, a flickering light similar to ascending warm air. But one had to look very closely.

What we saw made us smile. It was a simple little village, a few of the native boys were playing by the river. For us, they were not a worthy target. Our traditions rules that we always deal with adult specimens of a species.

Previously, we played with them before they were killed slowly and then we sent them to the other side.

Some of the females came out of one of the simple mud houses and called something to the boys.

They stopped their game and ran into the house- probably for feeding.

Adult males were not yet visible, maybe they were fishing, or working on the fields.

We waited until dusk, when the first male hominid appeared, as expected with tools for farming.

Also, several small wooden boats appeared in the river bend. Taking advantage of the flow,

they reached the shore, where they got help by other natives.

Of course, our code of honour forbade that we simply shot them down.

They had previously been warned, to make sure that they could use their weapons.

I got up to my full height and regulated my camouflage screen down to half power.

Now I was visible as a diffuse, black figure.

My almost double height let even the strongest of its kind shudder.

If they would see my true shape, most of them would pee or die in fear.

Now I had only to attract their attention. My terrible roar, acoustically enhanced, made them fearful and let they look towards our position.

We moved in the direction of their homes.

Some of the adult males ran into the houses and emerged quickly with different weapons.

They wanted to give shelter to the females and their brood.

I brought the camouflage screen back to full power and ran forward. Powerfully, I jumped off and started the anti-gravity unit to half power.

I overcame the distance to the front defensive line with a few jumps and landed a moment later amongst the completely surprised natives.

I turned off the camouflage and let them see my true shape. Most of them seemed paralysed.

Immediately, I started the massacre.

The first two I pierced with my razor steel claws. Before they realized anything, the next two natives died. Goo'laT had cut them in half with his laser whip.

The screams and yells of the natives echoed strangely in my ears. However, it did not stop my doing.

It was finally our safari, after all, the first, the initiation safari.

The natives fled in panic and probably thought they could escape us.

I made some steps and grabbed one of the males. He struggled and pulled at me, but I just threw him high into the air. In the climax I shot him with the plasma emitter.

The hot glowing flash into his body made him literally evaporate.

Goo'laT tore off the head of an armed native and smashed the skull with force against the head of another native. Both skulls cracked and split into pieces.

He has always had a strange way to make a joke.

One native dared to throw his spear at me. The scorching hot jet of my weapon vaporized

the spear – including the natives arm and shoulder.

Another was carved from Goo'laT with his laser whip lengthwise. Yet another only lost his head.

I hurled my razor discus and killed two of the natives in the same moment.

The disc flew through the two consecutive standing bodies, and remained stuck in the trunk of a tree.

My neural hologram flashed in alarm, I had forgotten to turn on my shield. A stupid rookie mistake. An additional warning message was displayed and showed me a flying spear. In the next moment, the emergency automatic had detected it and the reflector laser placed on the left side of my head had destroyed the object with one shot.

Immediately, I activated the body protection screen and was now unassailable to all their

primitive weapons. A little embarrassed I was. Just imagine if the attack of the native had been successful. A loud roar escaped from my throat.

The spear thrower was frightened and ran away, but I watched him, took aim at his head and the laser beam drove into it, melting his brain.

We continued raging. No one who was carrying a weapon survived. It did not take long until all males were killed.

The females and their cubs were hidden. We didn't seek them out, leaving them alone.

We didn't want anything from them.

We looked at our work and collected some trophies. Goo'laT evaporated the meat debris from a skull and put it into his pocket. Some of the bones he hung in his belly strap.

“Let us go to another village”, he suggested, “Or do you have enough already?”

“That was too easy, we should look for a city or a major settlement around here. Maybe there are wars or tribal clashes somewhere which we could exploit”, I replied.

“Yeah, that's great”, said Goo'lat. “That’s definitely a good idea.”

We programmed a course that lead us south along the river, started the anti-gravity unit and flew away.

It was not long before the BQP reported that it had detected the location of a city.

Under the protection of our camouflage screens we explored the area, listened with help of our translators to what people were saying, and after a while we had gathered enough information to plan another funny game.

According to our information, two feuding tribes not far from here would come together the next morning, to start a debate and probably a clash. The location was perfect for us.

“I have one request to make to you”, Goo'laT opened a conversation.

“Speak”, I replied.

“I would like to fight alone there, but I leave the next fight for you”, he suggested.

“Agreed”, I replied without hesitation and saw the joy in the face of my companion.

“Thank you, I will do something definite.”

“What?”,  I asked.

“I would like to agree on one of the groups, and fight as a huge creature with them, to annihilate all who oppose them. This is the way myths are born.”

“You're crazy, but the game idea is great. Do it. I would like to see it and record it for the others.”

 

*

 

My comrade had done a good job. During the night, he had gone to the leader of one tribal party and offered him the mercy of his powerful divine assistance. The very next morning he was leading the group, riding on a domestic animal, and went to the other group which was waiting at the mountain slope.

Yet his form was only visible as a black shadow. When they were within weapon reach he gave a stop signal and dismounted from his animal.

Threateningly, he posed in front of the opposing tribal group and let them hear his mighty roar, of course acoustically enhanced.

Then he switched off his camouflage screen completely and appeared in his true shape.

The enemy soldiers were terrible frightened, apparently all the horror went through their intestines,

which led directly to their incontinence.

They began to pee, and brown secrete, stinking masses seeped down their legs, some semi- liquid, some solid..

Only one of them stepped a few steps forward, shook his fist and stuck up his left middle finger.

He was not quite a grown up, but clearly past adolescence.

So there were also these people who had youthful recklessness in common with our species, which I had not expected.

Goo'laT went up to him and pushed out his blood curdling battle cry that even many of us found violently impressive.

“You!? You want to fight me, you worm...alone? Why do you want to die? You are not ripe for the other side. Get out of my way! I only kill the adult of your people!”, Goo'laT cried into the translator.

The young native shook noticeably by the volume with which Goo'laT gave emphasis to his words.

But he was brave and showed no fearful response, no ducking, no whining.

Instead, he shouted with all his available power: “I'm not afraid of you, you stinking, ugly monster!”

“Well, if you want to die, worm, I can help! I'll give you a tiny chance, little dwarf. You shall have the choice of weapons. But you will die all the same!”, Goo'laT predicted with booming power.

The warriors from the group of this young challenger showed more signs of anxiety.

Some of them simply fell down or stood frozen. Others retreated further and further back,

and soon the little brave boy stood all alone in front of Goo'laT who was almost twice his size.

In my estimation the young native was dead, he just did not know it.

“Goo'lat! Goo'laT! Goo'laT!”, chanted the crowd in a safe distance behind my companion.

The young boy stepped back and took something out of the pocket of his cloak, it looked like a leather braid, but I could not see exactly was it was.

Then he bent down to the ground and picked up a fist- sized stone. I still could not see what he was going to do with it.

He fiddled around with the stone and the mesh and always kept Goo'laT suspiciously in view.

Goo'laT blurted out a nasty laugh, stretched his massive arms to the side and cried: “ Now you

get your little opportunity, worm, but you will not be able to use it! I will kill you slowly, little dwarf!”

With cold horror I perceived that Goo'laT now switched off his energy shield. Now he was vulnerable to simple weapons too, the fool.

The basic rule of our species is: During a fight never disable the energy shield.

And suddenly I realized what the young native warrior had in his hand. And I saw the rotating movements of the sling. The stone, accelerated by this primitive catapult, flew insanely fast

towards the head of my comrade and hit him right on the forehead.

Goo'laT fell suddenly as if struck by lightning, and he was already dead before he smashed to the ground.

The stone had hit the sensitive spot on his forehead, right where the BQP was implanted. The stone fractured the skull exactly in the very spot of the BQP, which immediately burnt out and destroyed

Goo'laT's nerve centre.

“I am not a worm! You, you...Goliath', or whatever!”, called the young, brave native warrior, confidently and

with pride in his voice.

“My name is DAVID!”

 

THE END

 

 

 

 

All rights belong to its author. It was published on e-Stories.org by demand of Alfred Hermanni.
Published on e-Stories.org on 08/11/2010.

 
 

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