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Counter Earth Chronicles

*Chapter 115: Explaining The Unexplained (Revival Part Six) *

Day 943 (continued)

"Now that is something you don't see every day." The dragon exclaimed as the house shook from a second shockwave.

"Ya, think?" The old man said to the dragon.

"Oh my stars!" Mrs. Frost exclaimed. "What do we do?"

"We better check it out." The bull said. "There could be survivors in need of help."

"Is that wise Tauren? They could be hostile." I countered.

"Perhaps... we should.... notify.... knights." Lurie said searching for the words in english. "My.... lady?" The coyote asked the bear knight.

Lady Ursa failed to respond.

I looked at her, my fierce ursine warrior was trembling- her eyes were wide with terror.

"Mistress?" I asked reaching for her paw. She nearly jumped as I touched her.

"They have come back for me, haven't they?" She gasped.

"I don't know about you, but I think the knights have just been notified." The dragon joked. "Well our resident knight anyway."

"I think we better check this out." Tauren repeated.

"But Tauren what about the curfew?" Mrs. Frost asked.

"I don't think our knight here is in shape to enforce that, she is having a anxiety attack." Mr. Frost said looking at my warrior bear.

"Alex have... you seen her... this?" Lurie asked me.

"No. Never." I said to the coyote. "It really scares me."

Given that our fierce knight of Wundagore was paralyzed with fear, Tauren decided to take charge.

"Sorren protect Gabe, Gabby and Lady Ursa." The minotaur ordered the dragon.

"What if Alex is right and they are hostile?" The dragon said to the bull.

"That is why I am taking our little clairvoyant with is." The minotaur said patting me on the head.

(Oh bother...)

Sorren got up walked over to his boyfriend and girlfriend and hugged them both. "Stay safe." And then myself. "You too little buddy."

"You three be careful." Gabrielle Frost said.

"And remember- the truth is out there!" The goofy dragon quipped.

"Is he like this all the time?" The elderly man asked looking at Sorren.

"Ya, pretty much." The bull said as Lurie and I nodded.

Before leaving the Frost's house, Tauren and Lurie grabbed some supplies including portable lights, a med kit and rope. I also wondered if they should have brought some weapons as well.

Quietly and carefully we made our way southward through the fields and fields of apple and pear trees toward the direction we had seen the sky ships move. Tauren took lead, Lurie followed and I brought up the rear.

"It is a good thing that the Frosts live in the countryside." Lurie said in Animalian. "If we were in the city...."

"Yeah we would have been caught by the knight core and punished severely love." Tauren said as we wandered through the fields during that late summer night. "Fortunately they are more concerned with what is happening in the city than what is going on in the country."

"It is so peaceful and serene out here, you could easily forget your problems, the empire's problems. It is like it is another world."

"Speaking of another world..." The bull said. "Those sky ships we saw were definitely not from this one."

"How so Tauren?"

"They were too big." The minotaur responded.

"Squirt, I noticed that you aren't exactly experiencing abduction anxiety like your master. Why is that?" The 'yote girl asked me.

"I can now put what I have been through in perspective. I have met other extraterrestrials besides the ones that abducted my mistress and myself. I guess what I am saying is that there are good aliens and then there are bad aliens. I just hope what is behind those lights we saw is the former not the later."

"We are about the find out." The she beast said as we reached the edge of the Frost's farmland.

"Brace yourself we are here." The bull said coming to a sudden stop.

Before us at the very edge of the forest were three large orbs they looked liked large oyster perils. Two were attached to a triangular shaped sky craft about 500 feet from us, while the third had separated and was on the ground some distance away from the ship.

"That must have been the explosion we heard." I said examining the large orb- this separating from the ship. "Strange, it is not burning or smoking."

"From the looks of it, the landing was quite rough." Lurie said staring at the triangular shaped craft it was roughly the size of a house.

The 'yote girl motioned me and Tauren. Slowly we approached the triangular shaped craft which was lying on it side just outside the forest. Its surface was black and metallic- some type of material Lurie said that she was not familiar with.

I watched as my two friends carefully examined the sky ship looking for a door or opening.

"I don't see anything at all." The minotaur said.

"Neither do I love." The coyote girl said. "Perhaps this thing is not inhabited?

!!!

"Um guys I found something...."

Tauren and Lurie looked at me.

"I think the occupants already evacuated their ship...."

While we were examining the sky craft, its occupants were watching us from the shadows of the forest and were just now moving in.

Lurie had just enough time to gasp before we were surrounded by three eyeball tentacled creatures.

"Hue? Cassia?" I asked turning to them.

"---(((((((((" The taller of the three said to me in a language I did not understand.

I tried the translator on my PDA as the eyeball approached and spoke again.

"--((((((((("

The being looked like Hue Manassas but was dark grey.

"Alex?" Tauren asked concerned.

"It's ok, they are not hostile, just shaken up." I said studying the extraterrestrial beings who were in turn also studying us.

"Are you hurt? Do you require aid?" Tauren said to the three eyeballs.

")))))) " Came the response from a second creature in a language we didn't understand.

"Do you know them?" Lurie asked concerned.

"They appear to be of the same species as Hue and Cassia Manassas." I said. "In fact, I was hoping it was them."

"You mean that couple that you, Milo and Lee met?" Tauren asked.

"Yes, they were living in a non-discrete neighborhood in World One right beneath everyone's noses. After we discovered who they were, they threatened to erase our memories. Milo and Lee pleaded with them not to."

"I remember you said they disappeared after that." Lurie said as one of the eyeballs moved closer to examine her.

"Um, hi." The 'yote girl said to the yellow eyed grey tentacled creature.

"))))))) " The being said as it ran its appendages over the coyote girl's face and head before touching her on her snout.

"Lurie!!!!" Tauren and I screamed.

The coyote entered a trance like state.

"Better, much better." The she beast said. "Two leggers we are in need of assistance."

"Love?" Tauren asked growing concerned.

"Lurie?" I asked the coyote girl observing the grey tentacles that were touching her head and shoulders.

"She is fine two leggers. We needed a way to communicate."

Tauren and I looked at the eyeballs then our entranced 'yote girl.

"They are using Lurie as their translator." I said.

"Alex?" The bull said uneasily.

"I am not sensing any danger Tauren."

"Very well. I am Tauren, this is Alex and the female you inspirited is Lurie." The minotaur said to the yellow eyeball creature. "Are any of you injured?"

The eyeball that entranced Lurie looked at her companions who then looked back."

(Was that their way of saying no?)

"You may call me, um- Morning. That is my companion- Night and our offspring Noon." The creature said to us through Lurie.

"Really?" I asked.

"There is no proper way to pronounce our names in your dialect. Wait! Your Lurie is asking me a question. What brought the three of us to your world?"

Apparently, our 'yote girl was still conscious and awake as 'Morning' was using her to communicate.

"We were part of what you call a caravan on a migration." 'Night' said speaking to Morning as she translated. "Your world's atmosphere has elements that are vital to us."

Morning's companion looked similar to her but was slightly taller and 'his' eye was red. Their offspring was about half the size of Morning and Night. It's eye was green.

"Can you three tell us what happened?" Tauren asked the eyeball creatures.

"Our propulsion failed." 'Noon' said speaking to Morning who translated.

(That much is obvious.)

"Wow, so you guys were passing through before you broke down by the side of the road in an unfamiliar place?"

The beings looked at each other and then me.

"It is an analogy we use on this world." I said to them.

"You three are lucky we encountered you first." The minotaur said sternly. "This world is quite xenophobic toward off worlders."

"The one called Lurie says that she is a technologist. She would like to help us." Morning announced.

"That would be most kind." Night announced through Morning.

"Lurie do what you can." The bull called out. "We best get our visitors back on the road as soon as possible."

"Why is that?" The yellow eyed creature asked through the 'yote girl.

"Because the world you crashed on has strict laws regarding off worlders." I said to the yellow eyed tentacled creature. "If the knight core had found you instead, you three would have been judged and punished."

So with the eyeball creatures' permission Lurie and I entered their sky ship. Morning and Noon gave us a quick tour. Their craft was quite impressive! Unlike the greys' sky ship which had circular structures with orange highlights, the eyeball creatures' ship was grey, black and metallic with triangular shaped doors and hallways. It was also smaller than the greys' sky craft. Their navigation room consisted of three platforms and a rectangular shaped view screen cut into three halves.

"Very cosy." I said as we were escorted down a hallway to what must have been the engine room. If you can call it that, I was expecting to see a room full of electronics and propulsion equipment of some sort- you know like on one of those space fiction shows. Instead it was a mere closet full of electronics. Lurie took her time examining it while Morning and Noon watched nervously.

They tentacled eyeballs may not have been humanoid, but I could still tell that both of them were quite apprehensive as they awaited the she beast's analysis.

I looked at the coyote girl as she came out of the closet.

"Can you make any sense of that?" I asked her.

"Their technology is amazing! I wonder if they would be interested in a exchange." The coyote said to me.

"For what?"

"A slightly used Solstice Eclipse."

"Lurie? What is the status of their ship?" I asked.

"Not good. This craft isn't going anywhere without its third engine." The she beast responded.

"You mean it can't sustain flight with just two?" I asked the 'yote girl.

"No."

Morning and Noon read our faces.

"Lurie reached for one of Morning's appendages so that she and the creature could communicate."

"Oh no." The yellowed eyed creature said through the coyote while its child looked on.

"Is there anyway you could repair the damage and reattach the engine?" I asked the 'yote girl.

"Your friend says that it would be very difficult, time consuming and involve resources that aren't available." Morning said sadly.

"Um, did you try to call for help?" I said thinking quickly.

"We tried to do that first but our communications were damaged during the landing." Morning announced wistfully.

These travelers were truly up a creek without a paddle.

"Wait, your Lurie is saying she can fix that if she can find the right components."

"That is some good news." I responded.

Lurie and I soon joined Tauren and Night outside who were 'talking' amongst themselves.

"You are too kind." The red eyeball said through the bull.

Morning and Noon spoke with Night about their dire situation while Lurie updated Tauren.

"So you think you can repair their communications?" The minotaur said to his girlfriend.

"We will have to scrounge up some components from the Frosts' but I think we can at least get that up and running." The coyote said to her bull.

"The sooner we get this family on their way the better." Tauren said. "Lurie you and Alex go back to the house and find what you need."

"And you?" I asked the bull.

"I will stay here with Noon and Night." Tauren volunteered. "If this works they are going have to leave their craft here which means what they don't take with them will belong to the empire."

Lurie and I started making our way back toward the Frost's ranch, but Morning decided to accompany us; 'she' wanted to help.

"Your world is very green and very warm..." Morning said through Lurie.

"It is." I said as we walked back through the fields of apple and pear trees to the Frost's ranch.

"What is it like where you are from?"

"Very red and rocky. Alex?"

"Yes?" I said turning to the yellow eyeball.

"The one called Tauren said that inhabitants of this world are fearful of visitors. Yet, you do not seem to be afraid. Why?"

"There is a simple reason for that, I met two of your kind a few years back, they had emigrated to this world and were living in one of the cities to the south." I said to Morning.

"Really?"

"They had disguised themselves to better blend in." I said to the eyeball tentacled creature.

"How did you meet?"

"My friends and I tried to sell them cookies."

"What are cookies?" Morning asked through Lurie. "Oh."

From the sounds of it, the 'yote girl answered the eyeball's question.

"That must have been an interesting exchange." The yellow eyeball said to me.

"As I recalled they tried to make casual conversation, but weren't quite too successful."

Lurie and the eyeball both looked at me.

"Both of them complimented my friends on how symmetrical and shapely their bodies were. It was a long story. As we got to know them a little better, we gave them pointers on how to better blend in."

"How are they doing?" Morning asked me.

"They disappeared shortly after our meeting." I said. "I do wonder what ever happened to them."

"We have heard that some have tried to resettle on this world, but found those in charge here quite hostile."

"Make that unfriendly." I said to Morning. "There is a law here about just showing up without permission, even if it is by accident. That is why we are going to try to get you and your family on your way before you are discovered." I said as we arrived back at the Frosts' house. "Lurie, Morning wait here." I ordered the two. I have to make sure everyone is settled before they meet you."

With that I entered the ranch. I found Gabe and Gabby in their great room. Sorren was again massaging their feet.

"So there you are." The dragon said as I entered. "What did you find?"

"Where is Lady Ursa?" I asked.

"In the closet dearie." Mrs. Frost said.

(The closet?)

"She panicked and hid in there just after you three left." Gabe said. "So how did you make out? What were the lights?"

"Engines from a sky craft. It crashed just past your property not far from here." I said to the retired farmer.

"Well, I will be."

"Mistress!" I said walking to the closet. I opened it and pulled a fearful ursine out of it to join the others in the great room.

"Did I hear you right Alex?" My warrior bear said shaking.

"Yes mistress it is another sky craft. Its occupants were passing through our world on their way to another when their engines failed. As a result of the accident they are stranded." I said holding my warrior bear's paw.

"What no towing service?!" Sorren joked.

"Are they?" My she beast asked horrified.

"No they aren't who you are thinking they are mistress. Everyone, they may look different from us, well extremely different from us, but they are friendly. They are just some people who are in a bad situation and need help." I said signaling to Lurie.

With that Lurie and the eyeball creature entered the Frost's house.

"Land sakes!" Gabby exclaimed.

"Well if you think you have seen everything- keep on living!" Gabe exclaimed.

"Um hi." Sorren said.

"Everyone this is Morning, a friend. She and her family need our help."

There was a extremely awkward pause while everyone studied the eyeball with the numerous tentacles.

"Can we offer you something to drink?" The goofy dragon asked.

Morning moved toward me placing a appendage on my shoulder.

"It is nice to me you." The creature said through me.

That was quite a weird experience, I felt my mouth move and heard my voice, but I was not in control of any of it.

"So how are we helping them?" Gabe asked.

"Their communications.... damaged. I can fix...." Lurie said speaking to the retired farmer in english.

"Where is Tauren?" My she beast asked.

"He is with... family." Lurie said in broken english. "Must... find... supplies."

The Frosts looked at each other. "Sure, we will do anything to help." Gabby said.

And so I 'sat' with Morning, Lady Ursa and Mrs. Frost while Sorren, Lurie and Mr. Frost combed the ranch for spare components.

"I think I will go and get a drink?" The elderly woman said to the eyeball with the six appendages.

"But Morning never answered Sorren's question." My she beast said.

"Then I need something to drink. Gabby said.

The alien stared blankly at Mrs. Frost.

"Unlike Hue and Cassia Manassas they have yet to learn the languages here on Counter Earth." I said to my ursine warrior and the farmer's wife.

"So how do you communicate with them?" My she beast asked.

"They communicate through us." I said touching one of Morning's appendages.

"Thank you um, ma'am liquid would be fine."

"You mean a glass of water?" Gabby asked.

"Yes."

Mrs. Frost went to the kitchen and brought back a pitcher and a few glasses offering it to our guest. Morning stuck a tentacle into the pitcher draining its contents. While we looked on.

"I do something wrong?" She said through me.

"No dearie." Mrs. Frost smiled. We just wondered how you were going to drink that.

My warrior bear just stared as the eyeball continued to communicate through me.

"Mistress it is alright." I said reassuring my she beast who was obviously still freaked out. "Here."

Gently I reached for her paw and placed it on one of Morning's appendages.

"You are one of the enforcers on this world." Morning said through my mistress alarmed.

"Yes, but she is not currently on duty." I said to the eyeball.

"You have also been marked! It is the KLIS!"

"Who are the KLIS?" Gabby asked Morning.

"They are what you would call biologists who intensely study things for their own benefit."

"Are they grey with black eyes, small noses and mouths?" I asked.

"Yes." Morning said through my she beast. "They are a selfish species on a quest to increase their knowledge as rapidly as possible for reasons not known. They refuse to share their discoveries with anyone."

"Well we both have had unpleasant encounters with them. It turns out that they have been studying inhabitants of this planet against their will for quite sometime." I said to the yellow eyeball. "My companion and I had a horrifying encounter with them not so long ago."

"Your companion is still horrified." Morning said speaking through Lady Ursa.

"It is a result of that encounter that she is fearful of all off worlders." I said.

"I see. Is it from their markings?" The tentacled eyeball said through my mistress.

"The beings have said that they will come back for her in a few years." I said as Mrs. Frost looked on.

"I see, she is fearful and saddened that there is no way she can prevent future encounters." Morning said using Lady Ursa's voice. "Have either of you negated the markings?"

"Negate the markings?" I asked the stranded alien.

"That is how they are tracking her." Morning responded.

"Like a wildlife researcher would use a tracking chip." Gabby said.

"You mean erase or eradicate them? We have tried but they keep reappearing." I said to Morning.

"The markings can't be removed but can be made inoperable."

Lady Ursa, Mrs. Frost and I turned to stare at our 'guest'.

"We have encountered the KLIS in the past; they also have similarly tried to study us... Ah your companion has granted her consent."

The yellow eyeball's pupil turned from circular to a straight line then circular again.

"It is done. You will not have any need to fear the KLIS anymore."

I looked at Lady Ursa as Morning broke the link. My warrior bear's blank stare turned into a huge smile as if a great burden had been lifted off of her; she had been freed from the greys.

"Thank you madam." She said bowing respectfully at the alien as Sorren, Gabe and Lurie re-entered the great room.

"This should do it." The coyote female said in Animalian. "It won't be pretty though."

"What did you say?" Gabe asked the 'yote girl.

Lurie repeated what she had just said as best she could in broken english.

"We better get back to your ship." I said to Morning.

"I would like to come and help as well." My warrior bear said.

"As would eye, err I mean I." Sorren said.

"I seemed to recall you owe me and the Mrs. a back rub dragon boy." Mr. Frost said.

"Weren't you supposed to be protecting us Sorren dear?" Gabby asked. "We elderly are old, feeble and have a tendency to wander off. We need to be watched really closely."

The farmer's wife was laying it on really thick- or perhaps she had taken a liking to the goofy dragon.

"Affirmative." Sorren pouted.

"Keep an EYE on them love." Lurie said to the dragon. "We shouldn't be too long."

The Frosts and Sorren said goodbye to their night guest as we departed to return to the crash site.

Lady Ursa and I carried the box of spare parts Lurie had taken from the Frost's ranch. The trip back to the alien's sky ship didn't take long.

As we arrived we saw Tauren, Noon and Night moving about the ship removing things which were probably the family's travel items.

"Everything ok Tauren?" I asked.

"Yes." The bull said. "I told our stranded tourists what is most likely going to happen to their ship when they leave and was helping them strip it."

"Tauren is assisting us." Night said through the bull.

"Mistress, this is Morning's family. Her companion Night and their um, offspring Noon." I said making introductions while Lurie and Morning started repairing the alien's communication system. Noon and Night assisted as well.

"She was concerned." Lady Ursa said to me.

"Hmm?"

"About her family." My she beast said. "I sensed it while she was talking through me."

"Unlike us when we were stranded, our extraterrestrial friends had someone to help them in their time of need."

Lurie was able to get the ship's communication transceiver working and the family was able to 'call' for help. Another triangular ship showed to collect Morning, Noon and Night about an hour later. The others in their caravan had gotten concerned when they lost contact with the family.

As their ride arrived, the family said their goodbyes to us. They thanked Tauren, Lurie and myself for coming to their rescue. Lady Ursa thanked Morning from freeing her from the pile of fear she had been under.

As they boarded their rescue ship, Morning had a departing gift for the female coyote that had saved her and her family. The eyeball made Lurie bow her head and close her eyes while she gently tapped the 'yote girl on her head and snout.

"My eternal gratitude and everlasting thanks." The yellow eyeball said as she and her family boarded the triangle shaped craft and departed.

"Uh Lurie what was that?" I asked after our extraterrestrial visitors had departed.

"I- I don't know. But it felt nice." The 'yote girl said in perfect english.

"It looked like she blessed you love." Tauren said as he took her paw.

"Blessed how?" Lady Ursa asked.

"I think Morning gave me the ability to speak and understand english."

"Like the translator on my PDA?" I asked.

"The same." The coyote girl blushed.

"Well that is one way to be truly bilingual." Tauren said.

"We better head back, it is past our bedtimes." My warrior bear said.

"Looking forward to having a good night's sleep?"

"Precisely pet, since I am now untrackable." My she beast said as I took her paw,

"What does she mean by that?" The minotaur asked.

"Morning negated the alien markings on her foot paws and armpits. The alien creatures won't be able to track her ever again." Lurie said.

"As long as she stays away from other abducties otherwise they will find her and mark her again." I teased.

"That reminds me, while you and Alex were ransacking the Frosts' house for parts I got to 'talking' to the Noon and Night about why they were migrating." The bull said. "In fact, they and the others of their kind were on a journey."

"What type of journey?" I asked the minotaur.

"They were looking for a new home; a new world to settle."

"What happened to their former planet?" Lady Ursa asked the minotaur.

"They said it was destroyed by something they called the Repurposer of Worlds."

"Hue and Cassia said their world was destroyed by something called The Neo." I said thinking out loud.

"Are those two one in the same or two different threats?" Lady Ursa said.

I looked at Lady Ursa and she at me. At the time we wondered if this threat Morning and her kind had fled from was on its way to our world. As if ONE, The Neo at the giant cloud weren't enough to worry about.

To Be Continued....