Transmission Lost Read Online Free Page B

light cast by the campfire.
    Three meters tall. Pale orange, black-striped fur. A long tail, nearly half as long as the body was tall. Bipedal, two arms, carrying a rifle only vaguely similar to Jack's own. Clad in a singed red flight suit, bright yellow eyes reflecting the firelight. Female.
    Jack straightened up, trying to fight the urge to panic. He turned towards the figure walking his way, staring right down the barrel of her weapon. He raised his hands, staring.
    The Ailian bared her predator's teeth, and tightened her grip on her rifle, staring right back at him with pure, unadulterated hatred in her eyes.

- 2 -
     
     
    Jack stood there, shaking slightly, facing down the Ailian female who had her rifle aimed straight at his face. She was even larger in person than he had imagined an Ailian would be. He estimated that she was at least three meters tall, putting her height at about three feet above his. The rifle she was holding was pretty big, too, and he didn't really want to imagine the size of the holes it could make through his body. He looked down on the ground where his own rifle lay. For a split second he considered making a go for it, but he wisely thought better of that idea.
    Her long tail twitched, and a breeze ruffled the orange and black-striped fur that was exposed outside of her red flight uniform. “Seresh te a'krai,” she growled, jerking her weapon at him. “Suri te seresh te a'krai.”
    Jack raised his hands higher, confused. He had no idea what she was saying to him, but her eyes were flashing in the firelight, and he had a pretty intense desire to do whatever it was she wanted him to do. He opened his mouth, which was almost completely dry.
    “I don't...I don't, ah...”
    “Ka'sa!” the Ailian snarled, gesturing with her weapon again. “Suri te seresh te a'krai! Suri!” She took a step towards him, her fingers flexing on the rifle grip. Her form towered above his.
    Jack felt himself growing angry, despite his fear. “Listen, I don't understand a fucking word you're saying!” He suddenly remembered that he had a pistol strapped to his waist, and his right hand flinched down towards it before he caught himself. If he grabbed it he would be dead for sure. “You can yell at me all you want, you overgrown housecat, but I don't have a goddamned clue what you want me to do!”
    The Ailian opened her mouth wide, roaring at him. For a moment, Jack was sure that she was about to shoot him, and he stiffened, bracing himself. They faced each other down for a long minute, another breeze rushing through the clearing around Jack's crashed ship. Jack's eyes started to water from being open so long.
    She opened her mouth again. “Seresh te a'kr-” She closed her mouth again, a low growl rumbling in her throat. She shuffled her feet impatiently, and Jack got the strange sense that she was trying to calm herself down. Her tail swished rapidly, dusting through the scattered leaves at her feet. Then she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before speaking again.
    “Sit,” she muttered. Her voice, speaking unexpectedly in English, had a strange accent to it, a trilling tune that emphasized the hard “T” sound of the word. “You sit. Now. With hands on your head.”
    Jack was sufficiently surprised that he immediately sat down. Looking up at the Ailian, he placed his hands on his head, relieved that he finally knew what she wanted him to do. Once he was situated, she advanced on him, kicking his rifle away.
    “You move...,” she said, coming behind him and kneeling, “...and I kill you. You understand now, yes?”
    “Yeah, yeah,” Jack said. “I get it.”
    The Ailian set her rifle down, grabbing one of his arms in a powerful grip and jerking it roughly behind his back. From her belt she detached a length of strong black woven cord, which she used to tie his arms together. Drawing the free end of the cord down his back, she pulled his legs up underneath him so that he was kneeling, and then