Little Green Men

His expectations---

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” came Branni’s high pitched scream. Archer snapped to look where the boy pointed, while also nabbing him tight and clamping his hand over the child’s mouth. Holding him so close, he could feel the boy shaking, his heart pounding inside his chest. “He’s green!” Branni hissed when Archer finally relaxed his grip. “Green!”

An Orion!?

“Brannigaan, listen carefully. I’m going to see what he’s doing here. I want you to stay right here, don’t move a muscle. He’s an Orion, a pirate.”

“He’s green!”

“Yes, he is. And big, too. Don’t move, I’ll be right back.”

Archer stayed low in the grass, moving from tree to tree closer and closer to the Orion shuttle. He looked back to make sure Brannigaan was still in place. Looking forward, he saw two Orion men, and luckily no women, going in and out of their relatively large shuttle. Shadows fell heavy in the forest even in the morning light. Archer crept around the back of the craft and made his way to the bow. He heard them talking, of course, but without a UT the words made no sense. They headed for the stern forcing Archer around the front. Looking behind him he made sure the two Orions didn’t see him, and turned around face to chest with a third green man.

“Hello,” Archer stammered, and before the man could react Archer slugged him with a right cross to his chin, which stunned him, but he was still standing. In another swift move he round kicked the man in the stomach, which was enough to knock him to the ground. Surprised, but grateful, he dashed around the front of the pod. He looked around, and with the other two out of sight, he slipped into the shuttle. He knew he didn’t have much time, maybe seconds.

Archer went to the back of the ship. He pushed open a door and crept inside, fumbling for a light control or button. When he found it, he looked around. On both sides of the huge bay he saw small plastic boxes, stacked floor to ceiling. Grabbing the closest box he flipped the latches and the lid opened. Huge crystals: pink, almost glowing crystals. He turned to the other stack and opened another box. Crystals: orange and black, dull and dead, but otherwise the same shape and size of the pink ones.

“Dilithium crystals,” he whispered. “There’s no dilithium on this planet. What are Orions doing here with boxes and boxes of dilithium crystals.” He grabbed a pink one and a black one, stuffed one in each pocket, and turned around.

“Who are you?”

Archer’s first instinct was to run, but after a split second he realized they thought he was an Akalli.

“Sorry, just never seen anything like this before, I’ll be on my way.” He tried to go around the hulking man but he was trapped. The alien put his hands on Archer’s shoulders and pinned him up against one wall of the shuttle. “Uh—“

“Therad, come here, Rhasab is sick,” the second Orion said to the one holding Archer. He dropped his prisoner and joined his associate outside at the bow where Archer had felled the third Orion. Archer knew serendipity when it happened and grabbing his phase pistol he leapt out of the shuttle and ran like hell, dashing around trees and jumping over rocks.

“Hey, you stop!” shouted one of the big green pirates. Archer looked over his shoulder but didn’t stop running. A phase shot streaked by him hitting a tree with a spray of sparks, buzz of plasma, and a small flame. He took quick aim and shot back a couple of times, not sure if he missed or hit anything or anyone.

Damn that was stupid    he thought to himself. What Akalli had a phase pistol? Another shot flew by him, he returned fire. Then he remembered Brannigaan. He skidded to a stop and turned around, ducking in the brush and woodland for cover. He circled back through the trees and caught up with Brannigaan. His eyes were wide and he was frozen to the spot.

               “Come on, let’s go, Branni.”He grabbed the boy’s hand and snatched him up from the nest. “We have to get back to the shuttle.”

Safely inside the shuttle with no sign that the Orions had followed them, Archer called Ensign Samuels on the communicator.

“Orions? Are the Tellarites and Orions in on this thing together?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me. But I can’t get back to the town until at least tomorrow.”

“That’s okay, Admiral. Laskin found out something overnight that might be helpful. Seems the Tellarites showed up at the reactor complex. He said they were all wearing biohazard suits, so they were basically hiding in plain sight. One came into the infirmary by mistake.”

“Any news on the reactor?”

“I heard the word trilithium being tossed about. Maybe that was the bomb?”

“What about thulium? For lasers?”

“I think it’s just a lucky find for them. Maybe that’s what the Orions want?”

“Good work, Laurel, and tell Russell too.” Archer didn’t often call his subordinates by their informal names, but as he’d worked with them over the last month, they’d all become close. Of course, they still called him ‘Admiral’ when no Akalli were present. “I think we’re about to find out just what the Tellarites are doing at the reactor, and why Orions are on the planet. Archer out.”

“Let’s get home, Branni.”

“I think my papa was important, too, like yours,” he said quietly. Archer pulled the boy close to his side, wrapping his arm around the boy’s shoulders, and with a bittersweet smile he nodded.