The Tiny Terrors Part 1

Once on a distant planet, one quite similar to earth--in fact, it may have been earth in an alternate reality or parallel universe, if such things exist--a certain space commander risks his military career to protect the residents of a planet of enormous insect-like beings (enormous for insects, that is, not gigantic like a 1950's B movie)....

Fumes and flares from all the rocket jets rendered the sky harsh at the Denkbelig military space defense base. Major Biff Rippleton emerged triumphantly from his deep space scout cruiser. At the end of the field stood a girl whom Biff thought might be Annie, as ridiculous as the thought was. Annie could not possibly be here; Biff would soon see her at Dr. Hanchar's not-entirely-legal clinic. Biff began walking across the vast field, blinking in the glare, grateful to finally to be home again. As he came nearer the female figure, he could see it was not Annie, although there was a superficial rememblance. He became so engrossed in looking at this young lady that he failed to notice the Patrol Officer who strode towards him briskly until he heard this young officer saying:

"You're under arrest, sir! Commander Dongal's orders!," the young sergeant barked, his hand whipping to his visor to salute the commissioned officer.

Rippleton bristled as he returned the salute. "Come on, Sergeant! You can't just arrest me and march me off to the brig like a drunken sailor on shore leave! How long have you had those stripes, anyway?"

The young sergeant appeared to be sympathetic and not at all offended. "My apologies, sir, but Commander Dongal went before the Space Commission and had you certified as irresponsible and unreliable."

"Why that son of a--" Biff began. "So that's the problem."

The sergeant, according to regulations, should have handcuffed and 'perp walked' him to Commander Dongal's office right then, but he was awed by the major's sterling military reputation and he hesitated long enough for Biff to catch him squarely on the jaw with a powerful punch that forced the sergeant to go to his knees.

The young lady who vaguely resembled Annie turned and ran. Rippleton did not apologize to her. The saying went that space officers led charmed lives, but Biff knew that his reputation, and perhaps his life, hung by a thin thread that might soon turn crimson.

2

Biff knew that no part of the field was left unguarded. If the guards had been ordered to withhold their fire, he saw half a chance of outwitting them. If not, he was merely running to his inevitable death.

He somehow managed to run even faster, faster than he had ever run. He was about a thousand meters away from his ship when he sensed that many guards, perhaps a dozen, were converging on him from all directions.

Angry shouting whipped through the night air and the field seemed to tilt as the guards overwhelmed him. Somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed.

Rippleton became dizzy from too much exercise after that extended period of flying while seated in his space cruiser. The ocean seemed to be roaring in his head, and his head seemed to be expanding. Biff saw flashing lights, then he saw nothing at all, and then he passed out.

3

When the lights came on again Langford found himself stumbling forward into a blank-walled room with a steady pressure at his back. At first he thought the room was a cell, but when his vision adjusted itself to the glare he saw that he was facing a seated man whose head seemed to be dancing in the air.

"Here he is, Commander!" a harsh voice said. "He blacked out, but that didn't stop him from putting up a terrific fight!"

Langford had no recollection of putting up a fight, but the guard's jaw was bruised and swollen, which seemed to indicate that a struggle had occurred. A massive desk swam into view and the head of the seated man settled down on his shoulders.

Langford blinked. Facing him in the cold light was Commander Dongal, a thin, hollow cheeked man of about fifty whose steel grey eyes behind narrowed lids glittered like glass.

With a curt nod, the commander dismissed the guard, and waited patiently for the massive door behind Rippleton to clang shut.

"You're under arrest, Major," the commander said quietly, "so if you have anything to say you need to say it now. I can spare you--", Dongal looked at his communicator, "precisely twenty minutes."

"Fair enough!," Biff grunted as he took a seat in the small chair in front of the massive desk. For a few moments he collected himself, trying to get over the shock of his commander, in his opinion, betraying and distrusting him.

"Well?," the commander finally asked.

Langford wet his dry lips. He reached inside his silver space suit and removed a small, shiny object which he placed on the edge of the desk. "They shot this out at me when I ordered them to stand by for boarding. No, 'shot' is the wrong word. They FLOATED it towards me. I captured it on one of the ship's outer magnets. It's obviously just a model of what these creatures are, but take a good look at it, sir. How would you like to meet one of these things in real life?"

Commander Dongal's eyes widened and his mouth twitched. He picked up the 'model' and said, "What in the name of all that is holy can this thing be?"

Rippleton shook his head. "Hell if I know. It looks like a cross between a cicada and a honeybee! A six inch tall...cicada-bee...but it sure doesn't act like any insect I've ever seen!"