Alien Manifesto Read Online Free Page A

helmet and mouthpiece
I was wearing. As I struggled to regain my senses, I heard the
advice of my sensei, a whisper inside of my poor boggled
brain. The one who is arrogant in his
strength and skill will pause at the moment of truth to brag, that
is when he is most vulnerable, that is when you must
strike.
    Sure enough, the canine was confident
in his dominance of a mere human and he paused to pound his chest
and howl in boast. I rolled left and threw a right leg kick at the
back of his knees, connecting; bringing him down to my level. I
followed with a perfect left leg uppercut kick to the chin,
knocking him backward. Then, putting some distance between us, I
back flipped, landing into my fighting stance.
    The canine fight master was badly
dazed when he landed at the edge of the training mat. Much to
Snarth’s amusement, when he walked into the gym, he saw the canine
fight master flat on his back, just like I had been a minute ago. I
bet the canine fight master would not make that mistake
again.
    “ Well ssstruck my boy, well
ssstruck. You will pay for it when he getsss up, but enjoy your
victory for now,” he hissed from the side of the training mat while
clapping loudly.
    Pay for it I did, spending the next
twenty-four hours in the bacta tank, regrowing the broken rib and
healing the bruises I sustained when the angry and very embarrassed
canine fight master resumed my training. Nevertheless, I had earned
his respect and proved I could take a beating. I didn’t know it
then but the canine and I would become the best of
friends.
    The next few phases went quickly as it
was mostly review with new tools. The last and most difficult phase
was stealth. I had no idea what to expect. A feline stealth master
taught it. One who could not be heard or touched, not even by the
expertise and enhanced senses of the canine fight master. As I
studied, I began to understand the art and philosophy of stealth.
It reminded me of Earth martial arts, on steroids. Soon I excelled,
surpassing all the other team members.
    The last step in stealth training was
the final test. I must steal a preselected object from each of my
instructors without being caught. I must be silent and invisible
otherwise I would fail.
    I easily retrieved the first three
objects from the canine fight master, the Irishman and Snarth. Now
it was time to steal the last object from the stealth master
himself. I selected a personal anti-grav glider for my acquisition
of the last object. It was small, silent, and camouflaged, and
perfect for the task at hand.
    All my anti-detection devices were on
and functioning properly, special clothing to hide my scent,
another one made me invisible by bending light around me as I
moved; I was ready, or so I thought. As I entered what I thought
were the empty quarters of the feline master, I froze. Surprised by
the feline master’s presence, I struggled to control my heart rate
and breathing. The sensors had said this room was empty.
    He was seated on the floor in deep
meditation, still as a stone statue, his eyes closed, and his
ever-twitching tail motionless, curled around his legs. The object
I had to steal lay on the floor in front of him. Slowly so as not
to create air currents, I inched toward the motionless master. I
slowly lowered the anti-grav sled. Carefully, slowly, I stretched
out my camouflaged arm to claim my prize.
    The feline master mewed
ever so softly: “I can feel your presence young one. The penalty
for failure in this trial is death.” I froze, not daring to
breathe, and waited. My heart was hammering in my chest. Only
inches left to go, surely he could not sense my presence. I knew I
could not be seen or smelled, so careful was my camouflage. He must only suspect I am here, I had stifled any reaction that might give me
away, slowing my heart and breathing. Cautious, I must be cautious; I have come too far to fail by
being careless.
    Seconds of stillness turned into
minutes then slowly hours passed. I willed myself