Tuesday Tales - Gift

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “gift”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

Bobo lowered his catlike head. “It was apparent that my people were aware of the Vigvuth when they arrived. The hosts that they possessed were taken into custody the moment they stepped onto our planet. The Vigvuth did not take kindly to this treatment. It took all their power to escape. They killed six guards in the process. As they retreated to their vessels, they crossed paths with me. My royal garments dictated who I was.”

“They kidnapped you.” Dani’s voice was barely a breath.

“They gave me a gift I did not want. Grarkiel injected me with a whisp of his essence. He needed to do that so I would shape shift into his form, much like his mercenaries. My mother’s screams were the last thing I heard before we boarded and departed.”

“I am so sorry you had to go through all that.”

He gave her a small smile. “You do not have to apologize. Much like that white-haired woman, you are my salvation. You helped me escape Grarkiel.” He nodded to the laser contraption. “You developed a way to keep me safe. Now that I am free, maybe I can find my way home.”

“If I can help, I will.”

“I know. Thank you.”

They sat in silence for a few moments. The quiet was the most comfortable Dani felt in a long time. Bobo trusted her enough to share his past with her. To be taken from his family and home world was devastating. At least for now, she was his new home. 

A ping from her email interrupted the peace. She leaned over and read the screen. 

“What is it?” Bobo questioned.

“It’s an email from my professor.” Dani clicked on the screen and took a minute to read it. “He has been in touch with the archeologist that he knows. The guy’s name is Julian Miles. I have his email, phone number and everything.”

“Are you going to contact him?”

A grin spread across Dani’s lips. “If we can see more of those hieroglyphics and figure out what the Vigvuth want, you bet I’m going to get a hold of him.” 

Tuesday Tales - Baking

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “baking". We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

Dani didn’t notice that she had scooted closer to Bobo until her knee touched his leg. She was that wrapped up in his tale. “What did she do?”

Bobo rubbed his thin, bony hands together. “Her home planet was near ours. She crash landed in the lake near our home. She lacked consciousness for two full days after the soldiers pulled her from the wreckage. When she woke, she warned us of what was coming. Her employment with their armed services involved baking decadent treats for their higher ranking officers. However, in her spare time, she dabbled in engineering, specifically in space flight. She was an apprentice with one of the most renowned builders on the planet.”

“I don’t understand how a baker was able to save your planet.”

“I haven’t finished my story. She finished a few repairs on the space craft she had built by herself with the tutelage of her mentor. She excitedly reported to him that she was finished. He backhanded her for her message. It was unlike him to be violent. He was the most peaceful, gentle soul on their world. It was then she suspected something. She followed him closely to see if there was something troubling him. It was then that she noticed the four dots on the back of his neck.”

Dani gasped. “Like Ezra’s.”

Bobo nodded. “Exactly. She noticed him speak of my home world and how they would attack there next. We had an agreement with them to remain allies. We would send valuable minerals to them in exchange for their main export. She had heard rumors of what had happened to the other worlds that the Vigvuth destroyed. She wasted no time. Without telling anyone, she fired up her machine and took off. Fortunately, it made it to its final destination, even if it ended up in the lake.”

“She saved you all.”

Bobo nodded. “She did.”

“But that doesn’t explain why you are here with me.”

 

Tuesday Tales - Snowy

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “snowy”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

“Infiltrated worlds? What do you mean?” Dani questioned.

Bobo let out what Dani guessed was a sigh. “You see what Grarkiel is doing to…” He motioned with his hand as if he were trying to come up with a word.

“Ezra.”

“Yes, Him. They would do the same with each world they would conquer. Refugees would arrive on a planet seeking sanctuary. I am not entirely sure how, but these individuals would pass close enough to the rich and powerful for the transfer of the Vigvuth to occur. The Vigvuth are sly, manipulative creatures. They promise power and wealth if their victim agrees to take part in the invasion. When this occurs, a blue stone forms over the heart of the one being taken over.”

“Ezra isn’t wealthy or powerful. Why did Grarkiel choose him?”

Bobo shrugged. “I do not know. What I do know is that, when Grarkiel arrived on this planet, there was some sort of urgency to find a host. To continue, when the joining was finished, the Vigvuth would lead their host to take power. They would urge them to lie, cheat, make promises that they had no intentions of keeping. Their hosts would take control of the throne or government by persuading the people to believe their falsehoods. Citizens of the planet were led to believe that they could do whatever they wanted, detest others not like them, discriminate against the less fortunate. When the hate reached a fever pitch, the feeding would begin. It was only a matter of time before that world was a desolate wasteland and the only ones left were the host beings. The Vigvuth would force them onto their vessels and move onto the next planet. They were now the next set of false refugees.”

Dani lost her words. She could only blink at him as horror filled her. Finally she spoke. “Did they do this to your world?”

He gave her a small smile. “They did not. Our salvation came at the hands of a true refugee, a snowy haired young woman.”

Tuesday Tales - Angry

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “angry”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

“What are you doing? You’re still not angry with me, are you?”

Bobo stayed silent. His rubber figure melted into a beam of iridescent light. He wove through and around the metal pipe in her hand, wrapping himself around her fingers before disappearing into the handle over and over again. 

The mechanism for the laser light settled into place, the switch nestling into its new home like it was professionally die cut to be there. She flipped it up and watched the yellow beam of light shine with a pinpoint focus from the top. 

“Wow,” she murmured to herself. 

The tiny Bobo hopped from her thumb to the floor. A moment later, he grew to his full cat-like appearance. “Wield it.”

She stared at him for a moment, then swung her arm like she was in a sword fight. It was a fourth of the weight it had been. Granted, she was still going to have to work on her arm muscles before she met up with Grarkiel and his phantom minions again. 

She nudged to switch off and smiled at him. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome.”

She plopped down on the sofa as she admired the work Bobo had done. The extraterrestrial smoothed his robes and then shuffled across the rug to join her. He was a little more delicate as he descended onto the cushion. 

They sat in silence for a few moments. Dani glanced beside her at Bobo. A question appeared in her mind. She knew she shouldn’t ask him about it. Maybe if he answered it, it could help her in the long run. “What happened when the Vigvuth attacked your home?”

He lowered his head. He did not answer her. 

“I’m sorry. Nevermind. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it is alright,” he assured her. “It is difficult to explain because they didn’t lead with a violent attack. They infiltrated worlds.”