Chapter 3
Chapter Three
*** HESHER ***
T alonia settled, becoming quiet and still.
It cradled the strange spaceship as if rewarding it for sparing its citizens.
Hesher landed a short distance from the wreck and became a man once more.
Confronting the ship's crew as a weredragon would not only reveal Talonia's secret but antagonize an enemy or frighten the innocent.
The security team joined him and followed his cue to appear as men.
They swiftly surrounded the ship, looking for a way in as well as for any occupants disembarking.
Nothing stirred. It was eerily quiet. Unsettled and wary, Hesher entered one of the open outer doors.
The space inside was small, barely big enough for him to stand in.
Whatever it had housed was gone. The inner door had a control panel covered in numbers, much like the ones aboard his own ship.
A code was required to enter, and of course, he had no idea what it might be.
The fact that he could read the numbers was a clue to the species inside.
The occupants were human, unless another world used the same digits.
There were other markings, making him believe that not everyone aboard spoke the same language.
The problem was figuring out how to get in and whether those he found inside, alive or dead, had meant harm.
His logic told him they had not, otherwise why turn the ship away from the city when its crash would have killed so many.
A sudden whoosh as the door slid open had Hesher jumping backward out of the small room.
No one stood at the opening. It must have been some sort of failsafe setting in the ship that released the doors after a crash.
He was not the only soldier sitting in the dirt with a shocked expression.
All of the doors must have opened at once.
Shrugging, he signaled his men to enter with precautions.
Laser in hand, but set on low, he walked into the ship.
The hallway slanted downward to the right.
He chose that direction, assuming the front of the ship would have been facing the planet, although it had been spinning and he could be totally wrong.
Silent laughter emerged as he realized what inane thoughts were running through his mind.
What difference did it make which end he was headed to?
A ship had crashed on Talonia, and all aboard would learn of its existence and that weredragons were more than fantasy.
Life would never be the same. Even if everyone on this ship was dead, others would come searching for it.
One or two missing women could be ignored, but an entire ship could not.
The first room he found was clearly engineering.
Approximately ten bodies were in sight. Most were strapped into seats.
Two lay battered and bruised on the floor.
They were indeed human, though their skin tone varied.
He checked them for signs of life. All of those seated were alive and had steady pulses.
One man on the floor was dead, his vacant eyes staring at the ceiling.
The other was alive, with broken bones from being tossed around during the crash.
Daer would have to return to aid the injured, if he could be found.
Hesher had three choices. He could continue on the same level, use the ladder ahead to go down, or the one on his left to go upwards. He chose up. Surely, the control center would be higher than engineering as it was on the ships he knew so well.
The next two levels held more of the same: people strapped to seats, alive, but unconscious.
The ladders came to an end, declaring he had reached the highest level.
He was confronted with a wider doorway that had not completely opened.
Wedging his hands into the slit in the center, he tried to pry the sides apart.
Minutes later, he had only moved it enough to see inside.
He had been right. It was the control room.
A movement accompanied by groans told him someone was waking up. He needed to get in.
Footsteps came from both directions. Hesher slammed his body against the wall, expecting an ambush.
It was two of his soldiers. They too had chosen to climb upward.
One had a long metal bar in his hands. At Hesher's questioning look he explained, "I ripped it off one of the ladders.
The hole at the top was not fully open, and it gave me leverage. "
"Good idea," Hesher replied. "Use it again to open this door.
Someone inside is awake, and I need to have a discussion with them.
We have to take control of this vessel and consider everyone aboard as prisoners until we discover their intentions.
Of course, the injured will be treated. We are not barbaric.
When I am inside, one of you go signal for reinforcements. "
"There is no need, sir. Dragons swarmed the area as we entered the ship. Every room is occupied by our soldiers. Many of the crew have awakened and are asking questions. They are being ignored while the soldiers await your command."
"Get me inside. Once I have spoken with whoever is in charge, I will send you out with orders."
The metal rod widened the opening easily and was wedged across to ensure it stayed open.
Hesher slid sideways through the doors since it was not wide enough to accommodate his broad shoulders.
He took in the scene before him with eyes trained for details.
There were five people occupying the area.
All but one was rousing, with moans accompanying their movements.
A female lay face down beneath a console of controls, a broken metal seat across her legs.
He rushed to see if she was still alive.
To his relief, she was breathing. A deep gash on her left cheek, from the corner of her eye all the way to her chin, marred a rather remarkable face.
Her hair was golden and slipping out of the loose knot at her nape.
On further examination, Hesher noticed her right arm and leg were bent at unnatural angles.
The bones must be broken, possibly in more than one place.
It was better that she remained unconscious or she would certainly be screaming from pain.
A deep voice yelling, "Get your hands off of me!" claimed Hesher's attention. An angry dark-haired man was struggling to stand, despite his obvious injuries, and did not care for the aid of Hesher's soldier. "Stand back! This is my ship and you will obey my orders!"
Hesher raised his eyebrows in question and walking toward him replied, "You are in no position to give orders.
Your ship is under the control of my armed soldiers until I say otherwise.
After all, it is my planet you have intruded upon and my citizens' dwellings you have destroyed.
Whether you deliberately came here or not is yet to be determined.
If you mean to harm to Talonia, then beware of my wrath.
I will not allow it. However, I am not without sympathy for your plight.
Your crew needs medical care. We have a healer, and he will aid you as soon as he can be found.
Until that time, we have some training and will do our best for you.
It is in your best interests to cooperate. "
"Don't speak to me in such a superior manner! I am the captain of this vessel, and it is you who had better beware," the man shouted.
"You are not the captain, Marcus," a softer voice declared. Hesher was surprised to see that it came from the golden-haired woman.
"I thought you were dead, Lydia," Marcus stated bluntly.
"It's more that you hoped I was dead, I suspect.
This man is correct. We need help, and we are at his mercy.
I'm sorry for my second-in-command's attitude," Lydia said to Hesher.
"We will cooperate as you have asked. You could have killed us while we were unconscious, but you didn't. So, I will trust that you mean us no immediate harm.
I would rise to greet you, but it appears I can't move my right arm or leg. "
Hesher found himself smiling at the courageous woman.
That she was able to use humor when she was surely in great pain attested to her strength.
She was definitely the captain, not the sorry excuse of a man who had declared himself to be.
A good judge of character, Hesher despised the one called Marcus on sight. He did not trust him either.
"If you will trust me, I can straighten your arm and leg, then take you to the city for further treatment. It will be very painful I fear; however, it must be done."
"Don't touch her!" Marcus yelled. "We don't know who or what these people are, Lydia. We can't simply trust that they don't want information from us and will kill us once they have it. You seem to have gone insane. It is my duty to take over."
"Oh, shut up, Marcus!" Sophia exclaimed from the doorway.
She was flanked by two of Hesher's soldiers, though their weapons were not in view.
"Lydia isn't insane or confused. She is, as always, logical and correct.
As medical officer, I will overrule any attempt you make to declare her unfit for duty. "
"Commander, we are sorry to intrude, but we discovered this woman tending to the injured. We thought it a good idea when she asked to see to her captain. We were not trying to disobey orders, we swear," one soldier explained for them both.
"Don't be angry with your men, Commander. I can be very persuasive when I wish to be. I am Sophia, the ship's medical officer. Will you let me care for the crew? I promise we will not try to escape or trick you in any way."
"Your skills will be appreciated. Perhaps you have a way to ease the pain.
I admit that I do not. Our healer is newly mated and has taken his mate on a trip.
Until he can be summoned, your crew would have had to settle for my fumble-fingered skills," Hesher replied.
"Mend your crew; then we must have a long talk with your captain. "
"How are my crew members? Have they been accounted for?" Lydia asked.
"I went through several areas of the ship on my way here. Most were battered and bruised, but alive. I am sorry to say, I found four deceased. While you are being tended, I will search the ship and see what information I can gain for you," Hesher promised.
"You probably killed the four on your way through!" Marcus screamed.
"No, I did not. However, I cannot promise the same for you if you do not stop your ranting. I may be forced to kill you just to shut you up. Keep guard here until I return," Hesher told his soldiers.
As he searched the ship and received reports from his soldiers, Hesher considered the dilemma he was in.
He did not see the humans as enemies, and yet they were a threat to Talonia simply by being here.
What was he to do with them? Should they be kept in their tattered ship like prisoners or brought into the city where they would learn what the Talonians truly were?
After their medical needs were cared for, should he have their ship repaired and send them on their way?
Some of the citizens’ homes lay beneath the wreckage.
They would require somewhere to live until the ship was gone and the homes rebuilt.
How long would that be? How long could the weredragons last without transforming?
Not long, for even now he could feel the pull of his true nature.
The king would have to be consulted of course.
He would not like the choices any more than Hesher.
Then there was Maxxus, the king's youngest sibling and newly appointed heir to the throne.
He distrusted humans, despite the two trustworthy ones living here and Kelan's friendships with others when he was working secretly on Earth.
One step at a time, he decided. The first task was almost completed.
Eight crew members had lost their lives in the crash and twenty were in bad shape.
The rest had small injuries and were more curious about the Talonians than afraid.
Hesher gave them only the barest of facts: the planet's name and that the atmosphere was compatible with humans.
He would not tell them more without consulting the king.
He had reached the last ladder on his ascent to the control room when he heard a familiar voice call his name. Looking down, he spied Daer below him. "How did you get here so fast? I expected to have to send a search party to get you back."
"Did you really think Shara and I would miss a huge silver object falling out of the sky? Love did not completely blind us. We turned around instantly. I sent her to the palace and came to help. Where do you need me?" Daer asked.
"Anywhere there are injured. They have a medical officer, but she is currently treating those in the main control room, including the ship's captain.
I was told she had treated others, though not all.
I am glad you came back. Make yourself useful, and if you have any advice, I would welcome it," Hesher confided.
"Keep your eyes open and watch your back. There are rumblings among our soldiers, and I would imagine among the humans as well. Neither species can truly trust the other without time and proof. You will have to be the go-between and I do not envy that. Are we keeping them on the ship?"
"I have not decided. I guess they must stay until I can speak to the king. I do not know where we could put them all anyway. We already have to find places for the displaced owners of the homes under this ship," Hesher explained.
"I can take that duty, unless Shara has already done so.
She likes to deal with such rearranging.
It would not shock me to learn that my home has been handed over to a family and my things moved to the palace, though I swore we would never live there.
It would be a convenient excuse to overrule my objections.
The king's excuse, not Shara's. She does not want to reside there any more than I do.
She wants freedom to do as she pleases. That is why she refused to be heir to the throne and asked that it be passed to Maxxus.
But discussing such things is not helping those in pain, so we will continue our conversation later.
It seems I have patients to attend. It is a good thing I have some experience with humans," Daer replied.