Vula learned something special about Varg that day: Never startle him awake.

It had started out well enough. Vula was more or less tricked into it by Tom and urged to do it by Drog. She was fine enough with it. She managed to get the door open and halfway through the room before she could get a good look at him. Vula then saw a side of him that not many were privileged to. He was sprawled out on his bed, making a total mess of the covers, most of them wadded and here and there.

His mouth was wide open and he was snoring very quietly, body twisted awkwardly and a string of drool dribbled lazily from the side of his mouth before creating a wet spot next to his head. The scene was so comical that Vula gave herself away by clapping her hands over her mouth – in an attempt to stifle her laughter.

Varg’s response was so immediate that Vula had no time to react. The other Mudokon launched himself off the bed and had her pressed against the wall in an instant, right fist aimed at her face – it would’ve been a bit more efficient had he had his crossbow. But Varg recognized her and stepped back, glowering at her.

“What do you want?” he asked.

Vula started gesturing towards her mouth. “You – you got a… a..”

Varg reached up and swiped what was left of his drool away.

“Uh. Dinner’s ready.” And Vula slipped quickly out the door, nearly tripped going through the hallway, and met the others in another room – a dining room. All of them were staring at her. “Ahaha! Don’t make me do that again!”

Varg came down moments later, dressed in the pants and shirt that had been laid out for him. He was no longer painted or decorated. He looked perfectly normal. Each of them were seated, but Anita made Vula serve everyone. And she did so, grudgingly.

Once everyone was seated, Anita turned to Varg.

“So my dear, what brings you all the way across the mountains? I know you couldn’t have just started wandering.”

Varg politely sipped his soup and replied, “We’re looking for someone.”

“Oooh,” Anita grinned, “I thought so. Who are you looking for?”

Vula interjected quickly, glaring at Varg. “We don’t know her name but she’s like us. We need to bring her back becau—“

“Oh, I always new that Casey had a swell future.” Anita giggled. “Eat your soup and I’ll take you to her in the morning. So what’s going on that needs my little Casey’s attendance?”

Everyone fell into an awkward silence. Drog, who wasn’t really used to it all, decided it was his turn to speak.

“Long story short, their queen’s dying and yer female’s the only one left that can have kids. We had Vula here but she can’t do it ‘cuz-“

Suddenly Vula rose. “I need to be excused.” She disappeared down the hall and the others heard a door shut quietly.

The silence became awkward. Drog blinked, looking at the others, who, save for Anita, were eyeing him almost disdainfully.

“What’d I say?” he asked. “I just said she can’t have kids.”

Anita frowned. “Ever notice how when you’re punched in the shoulder it doesn’t hurt so bad… but the bee’s sting hurts more?”

“Yeah, I always wondered why th-“

When Alice left as well, Varg and Tom kept staring. Drog began to feel uncomfortable, until the slig winced and slapped himself in the face.


“Vula,” Alice said as she knocked on the door. “Dear, please open the door.”

“Just come in,” came the disembodied voice behind the door.

Alice opened it quietly and found Vula sitting quietly at her bed, staring towards the window.

“Listen, Vula, I understand what you’re going through.”

“You can’t save your own race because of something you can’t control?” Vula sneered. She wasn’t crying, so much as she was just irritated.

“Well no,” said Alice, “But I can’t have children either. When I found little Casey I was the only one that wanted to take her in. I tried for so many years but … Vula. You are doing a great service to your race anyway. I don’t know what your people are but – you’re leading her back to your home. That’s as good as any. Without you she’d never even know who she was.”

“Tch,” said Vula, “Varg is. Varg’s the one leading the whole thing.. heh.”

“So why the sudden sadness?”

“I don’t know. I just kind of

Vula sighed. “I don’t really want to be queen but I would’ve done it. I’ve never felt complete with anyone… but I thought being queen might change that. Because I would’ve been connected with everyone.”

Alice patted the taller Mudokon’s shoulder.

“Well my dear, remember that each of us has a destiny. I had no idea mine was to raise the future queen of a dying race. Sometimes it’s not going to be what you think it should’ve been.” She smiled. “I promise you, Vula, you’ll be just fine.”



Casey was starving and out of breath by the time the sun set. She was eager to head home and get some grub. As she crept by the one of the windows of Anita’s in, he halted and stared in the window, eyes wide. The familiar shape of her species – whatever she was – was there, next to Anita.

Quickly, she ducked down under the window.

“Ugh, great,” she hissed. “Guess I’mma stay out all night then.” Casey crept away quietly before anyone saw her.

“Sir!” said the slig known as Fred to Molluck the Glukkon over the intercom. “Sir, the ship is ready. Would you like to come and see ‘er?”

Molluck grinned and took another puff of his cigar. “Right then, I’ll be down in a minute.”

Sure enough, he was down in the bay – in about ten minutes. The sligs escorting him were too terrified of him to show their displeasure. Glukkons walked much too slowly.

Fred the slig gestured to the great ship. “So how’s she look?”

The ship was a decent size. It couldn’t have held hundreds of sligs – but it was just right for a nice-sized platoon to fill it and still have enough room to accommodate the female. Molluck nodded.

“It’ll work,” he said. “Good, good. Now, have you got the platoon listed yet?”

“Not yet,” said Fred. “General Dripik has mentioned that he’ll have the list in a few more days – he’s not finished drilling the uh, “freshies”.”

Molluck pondered the word ‘freshies’. He’d heard it, and knew what it meant, but it was still an odd word to him. He frowned.

“Tell Dripik I want that list in three days. Oh, and Fred – you, Drog, and Lurdo are going to be my main officers. Ya better bring back that queen – I don’t want nothin’ unfortunate to happen to ya.”

At Molluck’s grin, Fred gulped. “I’ll report it to General Dripik right away sir!”



“Run faster ya slimy worthless insects!” Dripik bellowed into the megaphone a slig was holding in front of him.

Some distance before him, several sligs were sprinting back and forth, armed with consumer goods weapons and packs slung onto their backs, panting heavily as they tried to outrun one another.

“Winner gets ta sleep in an extra half hour – and losers get to have a personal re-evaluation by me – Ge…”

“General Dripik!” hissed the slig.

“General Dripik!” Dripik wanted to smack himself but when you walk with your hands in a tightly bound suit, it’s kind of impossible. It wasn’t like his legs worked anyway.

The sligs were none the less intimidated. They tried forcing themselves to move faster.

The slig next to him tuned into a message through his headphones.

“Sir,” he said. “Gettin’ news from da boss. Says he’s got the ship done and the officers picked – just waitin’ on you. You got three days to have ‘em ready.”

Dripik nodded. “Tell ‘em I said I’ll have ‘em ready by day three at zero eight hundred. They’ll be right next to da ship.”

“Very well.” The slig radioed in his message.

Dripik grinned. Now things were going to be most difficult for his trainees. He could hardly wait.

----

During the night the five of them watched the television in the main room or took short naps so they wouldn’t ruin their sleeping pattern. They waited up mainly for the girl Casey to come home, but she didn’t show.

When sunrise came Varg led them out on a search. Unfortunately, Drog wasn’t allowed to travel alone. He and Suzy stuck with Vula mostly, exploring one section of town.

But it was Varg that caught sight of the bicycle Alice had described to them. He and Tom inspected it and went inside the building it was parked in front of.

The place resembled a tavern of sorts.

“Hey, you guys seen a girl that looks like us anywhere?” asked Tom.

The people in the tavern exchanged glances, shrugged, and went back to talking. Tom rolled his eyes, but Varg spotted someone leave through the back door.

“Aha!” he said,. “Come on!” He grabbed Tom’s wrist and dragged him back towards the back door. Sure enough, they spotted her sprinting around the corner and up the hill. “Let’s go!”

The two of them chased after her, following her around the building and into a network of back alleyways.

“Gah, if only we had Suzy!” Tom complained. “Wait – I think I saw her!”

They rounded the corner and onto the street by the bay, where they spotted her looking at them and sprinting up the hill and into another alley. When they reached the place where she’d turned they ran into Vula and Drog.

“Did you see her!?” Vula asked.

“Yeah!” Varg said. “Get that’s slog’s nose after her!”

Suzy went to work sniffing, and soon they were on her trail.

Casey stopped to catch her breath near a general store. When she heard Suzy’s barking, she cursed to herself and ran inside, ignoring the greeting of the owner, and apologizing quickly as she ran out the back way.

But Suzy was not stupid. She knew there were two doors and if Casey went in one, she would surely go out the other. And when Casey opened the back door she found herself face to face with Suzy’s snarling mug.

“Ugh.. fine, you got me,” she said, raising her hands up.