Chapter 165: Karashel Cashes in a Favor (And Gets a Fun New Hat)

Chapter 165: Karashel Cashes in a Favor (And Gets a Fun New Hat)

“Here you go, Karashel,” the Baleean doctor said as he handed her a small spray bottle.

“Thanks, doc,” Karashel said happily, “You are a lifesaver, again, hee hee.”

“I just have to know,” the doctor said in confusion, “What do you need a kttscrit tranquilizer for?”

“Well,” Karashel replied, “I’m going to go out into the garden, catch a few, knock them out... and then stick them all over my naked body.”

“Fine,” the doctor snorted wetly, “Don’t tell me.”

***

Trooper Kva grumbled as they tried to get comfortable behind their wall of dirt bags.

Dirt bags... he thought, just like those void worshiping humans in the locus and the accursed Kalent for not letting them just bomb the place.

“I can’t believe they have us sheltering behind bags of dirt,” he muttered to his comrade.

“It’s not like force fields did any good,” a squat scaly Makkan replied, clutching his needler. “They say a human is who told them to use these. I just wish we didn’t have to fill them.”

“Oh, that makes me feel so much safer,” Kva said, flicking out his long tongue to indicate humor, “Just like the humans, tricking us into digging our own graves.”

The Makkan poked a wooden box above the sandbags and peered into a little hole.

“What’s that?” Kva asked.

“It’s a light bender,” the Makkan replied. “It’s an old trick from my homeworld. It has two mirrors in it that let me look in this little hole and see what the top of the box sees.”

“That’s stupid.”

“Is it?” the Makkan asked. “It doesn’t use any power, is easy to make, and I don’t oblige the humans, or the eels for that matter, by presenting my anterior segment for them to excise.”

“See anything?”

“Just those shiny Kalent grav-tanks.. or drop ships... or fighters... or whatever the filth they are.”

The scanner between the pair beeped.

”What’s that?” the Makkan whispered urgently as he pulled down his periscope and flattened against the ground.

“Relax, Hyy,” Kva replied, “It’s just some local wildlife.”

***

Inside the brightly lit white interior of the Sharpscale, one of the noble and venerable “longspine” class ground effect craft surrounding the Great Lord and the loathsome humans that his Holy Excellency had deigned to humor for some unknown reason, Fast Strike Captain Ukovvan glanced over at his second.

“Analysis?” he asked as he floated in his command pod.

“It is an assembly of reflectors set in a box of some natural material,” his second replied, her beautiful scales catching the light as they always did. “I believe it’s some sort of sky gazer, sir.”

“Sky gazer?”

“They used them to look above the water in ancient times,” his second replied with her lovely voice. “I saw one in a museum when I was a child. I can see a Makkan’s eye looking at us through it... See?”

She zoomed in on the end of the periscope.

Captain Ukovvan laughed.

“Hey, if it works,” he bubbled trying not to look at his second’s posterior fin.

There was a sharp tone from the console.

“It’s nothing,” his second said with a dismissive flick of her gorgeous tail, “Just some kttscrit, a local vermin species.”

As laughter pealed from Colonel Laurent’s office, the Colonel and the Sarcophagus loitered nearby.

The Colonel looked over at his mysterious sort of friend. He had been very quiet ever since he and Karashel returned.

“So, how did your little visit with squirrel girl go?”

“Squirrel... girl?”

“Karashel,” the colonel clarified, “I was referring to her novel camouflage.”

“She’s...” the sarcophagus paused, searching for the right word, “She’s evil. I... regret... issuing her a favor. She came to collect, in case you were wondering.”

“Well,” the colonel shrugged as he nodded towards his office, “she’s in good company, then. I guess there’s two of them now.”

“No, Colonel,” the sarcophagus replied, “She is quite possibly worse... And the true horror of it...”

Colonel Laurent could feel whatever creature in that black box shudder.

“... she’s right. She is absolutely correct. Her logic is... horrifyingly perfect... I tried to assail it, to find some fault, some flaw... I... failed... I’ve consulted with my kind...”

The sarcophagus paused.

“We are going to honor her request. May whatever looks over this madness forgive us.”

***

Colonel Laurent raised his eyebrow as he tried to hand Karashel a sleeping kttscrit and failed.

It remained stuck to his hand.

“Oh!” Karashel said brightly, “Sorry! Let me just...”

The Colonel stiffened as Karashel “licked” him, causing the sticky goop around the unfortunate critter to loosen.

“Perhaps,” the colonel said, still a bit shaken (Christ, was that thing weird!), “you could knock next time?”

“I’m reeeeelly sorry about that, Colonel,” Karashel said sheepishly, “I just needed absolutely nobody to see me come in here. I want it to be a surprise!” she exclaimed brightly as if she was planning a birthday party...

Something that the colonel seriously doubted.

“Thanks for not shooting me!” Karashel said happily, “I was kinda worried about that.”

“I was kinda considering it,” the colonel smiled. “However, I should thank you.”

“What for?” Karashel said as she stuck the kttscrit on the top of her head.

“It’s good to remind the men, and myself, that we aren’t perfect. Normally these lessons are a bit more... costly.”

“Maybe I should send you a bill then!”

“Don’t push it, beanbag,” the colonel chuckled.

“Ok!” Karashel smiled a gooey smile, “Bye!”

***

As Karashel undulated along the passageway leading to the exit, she paused.

Better than bitter-snot...

It wasn’t like she was going to have another chance at this, most likely...

“What the hell...” she muttered and turned around.