The Story Begins
Since this is not a first person story, please choose a character to follow:
Jake Warrens: the leader of a small refugee group that has converted an office building into a hide-out.
Laura Hawkins: a forest-ranger who's avoided detection by avoiding major cities since the invasion. She's mostly a loner.
Rysthin Dor'Vool: A seasoned radinri scout and hunter, recently assigned to earth.
Ry William: A 10-year-old mature kid who trained himself to fight. An excellent fighter, and not too shabby with guns and bows. A kind spirit. Doesn't kill. Is a peace-maker, but likes to punch first and ask questions later. Believes peace can be made between humans and Radinri. Is very good with animals.
Matteus Spail:Survivor from Africa
Written by on 01 July 2008
Laura's Story
It was cold again, but then, it always seemed cold in the Alaskan forests. Laura sipped a hot cup of cocoa and then peered back out the window of the old ranger station. A rifle sat on the bookshelf in front of the window, with a powerful scope attached to it. This was how she had survived thus far, keeping a watchful eye on the horizon and being selective with her targets. For two years she'd done this. In fact, two radinri hunters had fallen prey to her deadly aim in the past month. She worried what the repercussions of killing radinri might be, but after 27 months she no longer really cared.
Written by LorikFurdin on 03 July 2008
Visitors
In a moment, the calm silence of the wilderness was broken.
"Attention, Human," boomed a voice. Laura sprang to find its source. She looked out the window...nothing. She looked out the other window...still nothing. Finally, she poked her head out the door...still nothing. "We are under orders to take you prisoner," the voice continued. It seemed to be coming from above her. She looked up, only to find gray sky. "If you do not comply, we are authorized to kill you. Come out into the open unarmed and you will not be killed," there was a pause, "that is, you will not be killed right away."
Written by Zodiac on 04 July 2008
Prisoner
The choice appeared to be between certain death and probable death. Still, Laura decided she'd rather be a living prisoner than a martyr. So self-preservation won out over honor, and she stepped out of the little house that had been her fortress since the invasion.
There was a shimmer in the sky above her, and a Radinri warship appeared. She recognized the ship--during the earliest hours of the invasion, TV news crews had been on hand to cover the disaster, at least until communications went out at the end of the first day. As the ship descended, Laura was inwardly grateful that she hadn't tried to fight. She would have been reduced to ashes before she even realized what was going on.
A doorway opened on the side of the ship, revealing a pair of Radinri. One was a green camouflage-patterned leopardtaur with suspicious black eyes. The other appeared to be a light brown liontaur, though she couldn't see its face.
A ramp extended from the open doorway, and the pair stepped out of the ship. The leopardtaur was armed to the teeth, with heavy body armor and a vicious-looking laser rifle, as well as a heavy satchel slung over his shoulder. Laura guessed she'd rather not know what was in it. The other was dressed in what appeared to be an ordinary parka and scarf, with an also-ordinary backpack. Laura looked at the second Radinri in bewilderment. This one wasn't even armed, and was wearing decidedly human clothing and had no fur on his upper body. Compared to his companion, he looked almost comical.
The funny-looking Radinri stepped around the warrior, lowered his hood, and untied the scarf, revealing a human face. "Hello," he said, putting out his hand, "I'm Quara Alex, but you can just call me Alex." Laura shook hands with the odd creature.
"I'm Laura Hawkins," she said. "Um...please don't be offended," she said, glancing at the laser rifle, "but you seem awfully--"
"Human?" Alex smiled. "I'm a Convert. One of the first."
"I'm afraid I don't understand," Laura said.
"Right, sorry. You've probably been holed up here for a while. Anyway, before the invasion, my father was--"
At that moment, Alex was interrupted by a sharp growl from his companion.
"Sorry," Alex said, "my master here would like to...politely remind us that we have a schedule to keep, and we can continue our conversation on the ship after I've escorted you to your cell."
"What?" Laura said indignantly, "Your 'master'? My cell?!"
"Quiet," Alex hissed, "The Radinri have a very strict hierarchy. Play along or you'll get killed...or worse." The warrior growled again, this time louder, and Alex grabbed Laura by the arm and led her aboard. "Ah," he went on theatrically, "Forgive me for not introducing my esteemed master. This is Rysthin Ka'Ar. He's actually very kind, once you get to know him. Also, if you make eye contact with him he will rip your throat out. Just so you know."
Written by Zodiac on 04 July 2008
The Choices
Laura was more than willing to cooperate with her captors, considering that either one of the Radinri could shred through her like paper, not to mention the leopardtaur's laser rifle. So, without further incident, Alex led her to a small but not intolerable cell at the bottom of the ship.
The cell was furnished with an old, beat-up bed with a lumpy mattress and threadbare blanket, a dirty sink with a mirror over it, and a toilet. As she looked around, she came to the realization that the cell was furnished specifically for humans; Laura wasn't familiar with Radinri lifestyles, but she couldn't imagine human furnishings being even remotely comfortable for taurians. She turned to Alex: "Why is everything--"
"The cells are refurbished for every invasion," Alex cut her off, "every prisoner asks that. Believe it or not, Radinri have a sort of grudging respect for anyone they take prisoner. You've killed two Radinri hunters, so you've proven yourself as a hunter and, therefore, worthy of being a prisoner."
"'Worthy'?"
"Otherwise, you would've just been killed." Laura stepped into the cell as Alex closed and locked it behind her. It wasn't a great situation, but it beat the alternative.
The ship began to hum eerily as it lifted off. Laura looked for something to brace herself with, but she didn't need to--the takeoff was remarkably smooth.
"So," Laura asked, "Where are we going now?"
"Radinri headquarters," Alex answered, "In New--er, what used to be New York City. It'll be about half an hour. After that, well, that depends on you."
"Me?"
"That's right. We've received instructions to take human prisoners to a secret base in Hawaii. But, since you've proven yourself as a hunter, Rysthin Ka'Ar has said you could be converted...if you want."
"Converted?" Laura faltered, "Like...like you?" she asked, looking at his thoroughly mismatched human torso and lion body.
"Right. We have a conversion tank on board, if you want to get it over with right away. You'd be turned into a Radinri, although above the hips you'd be pretty much unchanged. I'm not sure why, but Converts always keep a vestige of their former species."
"What if I don't want to be a Radinri?"
"Laura," Alex's voice suddenly dropped, as if Rysthin Ka'Ar was listening, which perhaps he was, "The Radinri are taking over the planet. They want to use it as a training ground for their young hunters, but since humans have been killing off so many of the more challenging species, the Radinri have decided to eliminate all humans. But not all of them will be killed--that would be a waste, and any good hunter knows not to be wasteful. They're hoping some of the humans can be turned into other animals for hunting, and others--lucky ones, like you--will become Converts, to be their slaves and servants. Anyone who survives this invasion will lose their humanity, one way or the other. You'd be better off joining us. Otherwise, you'll just be an animal, wandering around waiting to get torn to pieces by some Rysthin-in-training. Seriously, take the conversion."
Laura had to admit, Alex made a compelling case. Yes, this former human was totally subservient to that crass leopardtaur, but he was alive, which was more than most humans could say. Still, she wanted a way out, not necessarily because she'd take it, but just to know that it existed. "What about that thing in Hawaii--you said they needed human prisoners for that?"
Alex sighed. "We don't know what's going on there. The decision has come from really high in the Radinri government. We got our order directly from Armak Kilyea, the provisional governor of Earth, and even she doesn't know whaht they're up to."
"But they want human prisoners," Laura cried, desperate now.
"Human when they arrive, yes. But as far as I know, transports only carry humans TO the base, no humans have left. Maybe you'd manage to keep your humanity--it could be a relocation plan, maybe they don't want to kill all the humans after all. But it could just as easily be a mass execution. I make no promises."
Laura was trapped. It seemed like there was no way she could stay human--although that didn't even seem like such a good idea anyway. Still, she wanted to make a more informed choice, and it felt like there was a lot Alex wasn't telling her.
"How long do I have to decide?" she asked. Alex looked at her grimly.
"In 25 minutes, this ship will land at our headquarters. For rather obvious security reasons, humans are not allowed at headquarters. If you're not a Convert, or in the process of changing, by the time we land you'll be considered a spy, and killed. However, I can signal the cockpit at any time and have this ship redirected to the base in Hawaii. I have no idea what will happen to you there, but as far as I know, you won't be shot on sight." With that, he leaned back, with an otherworldly gleam in his eye.
Written by Zodiac on 18 July 2008
Conversion
"Conversion," Laura decided with an air of finality in her voice. "I'll take the conversion."
"Excellent," Alex said with an unsettling smile. "Follow me."
After a brief walk and an elevator ride, the two had arrived at the ship's conversion tank. It resembled an egg, except that instead of a shell it had an amber-colored membrane. It rose from a slightly raised platform on the floor, which was marked only by a large drain grating. Above, the membrane disappeared into a confusing mess of alien machinery.
Alex looked at Laura awkwardly for a moment, and then said, with a sheepish attempt at professionalism, "I'm afraid you'll need to take your clothes off." Laura began to protest, but stopped herself. What did one more indignity matter, really? She undressed hastily as Alex began working at a nearby computer console. He wasn't looking at her, but Laura had never felt more exposed before.
There was a gentle tearing noise, and a hole appeared in the tank's membrane. "Step in, please," Alex said, still engrossed in the computer. Laura did, and the rip closed seamlessly behind her. A tube descended gracefully from the top of the tank and sealed itself over Laura's mouth and nose. She panicked for a moment, trying to force the thing off of her, until Alex spoke from outside the tank: "Stay calm and breathe normally. You'll need that." Laura immediately saw why, as a warm, honey-like liquid began oozing up from the grates in the floor. Another tube descended. This time, the end hovered near her belly button, and then clamped onto her navel with a flourish. An intense stabbing pain accompanied this. She would have doubled over, except that the tube on her face prevented this.
The liquid in the tank was now at about the level of Laura's knees. As quickly as it had come, the pain in her navel subsided. The tube connected to it started throbbing with an almost soothing rhythm. A large helmet-like contraption descended next, and affixed itself over Laura's head. Her ears were completely covered, and there was a visor over her eyes that she could only barely see through in the dim light of the ship. The liquid was at her waste, and rising rapidly.
Dimly, muffled by the helmet, Laura heard Alex's voice once again: "The helmet is going to be giving you a crash course in Radinri life while you change. Don't worry if you don't understand everything right away. The information is supposed to sort of soak into your subconscious and resurface when you need it." The water was over her head, and the soothing throb from the tube in her stomach was stronger and more rapid. Her joints started to ache. Laura was now floating, completely submerged in the viscous goo. The helmet activated, plunging Laura into an unsettling dream.
The world of of the Radinri washed through Laura's mind. The Radinri have a long history. Humans count their history in the thousands of Earth years. Radinri count theirs in the millions. Laura witnessed the hypnotic ebb and flow of time as the fortunes of the Radinri changed. She saw them evolve from startlingly human-like bipeds to the fierce taurs they had become. She watched as they fought each other, in war after war after war, until finally and seemingly spontaneously, they made peace. Almost immediately after unifying the planet, the Radinri boarded their starships and sought to conquer and subjugate all the neighboring planets.
Laura took in the Radinri language, their customs, and their laws. She knew that her new name would be Thess Laura. Thess was her caste-name, denoting her place in Radinri society. She was a slave, owned by the Radinri government for use in menial labor. Still, there was opportunity for advancement--a private citizen could buy her contract from the government, and she would become a Quara, a wage-earning servant.
As her mind grew accustomed to the new world she was entering, Laura's body changed as well. It swelled and reshaped itself in time with the throbbing of the tube, and she began to feel suffused with a strange new sense power. Before, accepting the conversion had been a practical decision. But now, she had seen the creature she would become, and for the first time she was truly glad to join the Radinri.
The twin moons of the Radinri Homeworld whirled past an eerie lava field in her mind's eye for an eternal instant, and then everything went dark.
After all the sensory overload Laura had just experienced, it took a while for her to reacquaint herself with the real world. The ooze was draining out of the conversion tank. It lowered her, slowly, until she touched the bottom of the tank...with her four newly-formed paws. The tubes let go of her and returned to the top of the machine, and for the first time, Laura saw her new body. There was a large mirror set into the wall opposite the conversion tank, for obvious reasons. She studied herself intently as she stepped out of the now open tank. Her body was coated in goo from the tank, but she was able to see herself well enough.
As Alex had said, Laura was mostly the same above the hips. She ran her hand down the smooth skin until it reached the damp fur where her legs should legs should have been. Beyond that, curving away from her human part, was the sleek yet powerful body of a big cat. A predator. It was almost all black, save for a thin yet unmistakable marble pattern in white. Her hair, too, had changed subtly. Instead of her former dark brown, it too was now jet black, with a single white streak starting around her temple. And, she noticed that even the human part of her was a bit more toned and athletic. There was, undeniably, a strange sort of grace in this new body.
Rysthin Ka'Ar was there now; he must have arrived while Laura was transforming. Alex was still there, too. The two of them stared at the newly formed Radinri in amazement. Ka'Ar turned slowly to Alex. "What did you do?!" He roared. With a flourish, he bared the claws on his humanoid hands. Alex jumped back in shock.
"Nothing, sir," Alex answered, cowering.
"Then why is she--" Laura would have liked to hear the rest of the conversation, but at that moment she passed out. This came as a great relief to Alex, because it gave him an excuse to cut Ka'Ar's tirade short. Alex was sure...well, pretty sure...that he was too expensive a servant to hurt. At least, Ka'Ar had never done more than threaten him before. Still, there's a first time for everything, and Alex would take no chances. He immediately sprang to help the unconscious Laura, hoping the interruption would give Ka'Ar a chance to calm down.
Written by Zodiac on 25 October 2008
Thess
"Laura" a distant voice called, "Laura, wake up. We're there."
Laura stirred sluggishly. She was curled up on her side in a soft bed of some sort. The coat of ooze from the Conversion Tank was gone. She was wearing what felt like a t-shirt but nothing akin to pants on her feline body, and her hair was damp. "Laura!" She opened her eyes. Alex was standing over her. "We've arrived at headquarters. They're coming to take you to market." He held up a silver-colored collar.
Something flashed deep in Laura's subconscious. She knew that all new slaves were taken to market before being sent to the work camps. It was her chance--for many slaves, the only chance--at becoming a Quara. It was still close to the bottom of Radinri society, but it was an escape from slavery. Otherwise...the vision faded, but she didn't need to know exactly what happened to unmarketable slaves, she knew to avoid such a fate.
"If you come quietly," Alex continued, "I won't have to use this," he said indicating the collar. Laura got up slowly, and Alex led her out of the ship, into the ruined cityscape. A pair of Radinri were waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp, armed with laser rifles. One of the guards moved toward Alex and whispered to him nervously. After a brief, hushed conversation, Alex departed back to the ship, and the two guards led Laura onward.
As they walked through the city's wrecked streets, Laura felt curiously numb. Like all the bizarre changes she had experienced hadn't impacted her emotionally. Maybe it was a side effect of the Conversion. Maybe she was a ticking time bomb.
They arrived at the backdoor of a warehouse and went inside. "Wait here," a guard instructed Laura "When it's your turn, you'll be appraised, then sent to the show room." The two guards left and locked the door behind them, and Laura looked around. They were in a small back room of the warehouse, which was filled with other Thess. They were all wearing gray shirts, like Laura, and all appeared to be young and able-bodied. Of course, it was rare for anyone who wasn't able-bodied to have survived the invasion at all. Most of them were sitting or standing in silence, though a few wept softly. Perhaps it was the lighting, but their coloring seemed to be uniformly dull brown or gray.
Laura walked into the room and sat down on the floor (she wasn't sure that Radinri even had an equivalent for chairs, considering their physiology). The door to the outside opened, and a pair of guards ushered another new Convert in. This was a teenage girl with light gray fur. It began to dawn on Laura that her black and white fur, with the unnatural marble pattern, must be unusual for a slave. Perhaps, she thought, that was why Rysthin Ka'Ar was so furious when he saw her. A few minutes later, another door, this one leading deeper into the warehouse, opened. A guard called one of the other Thess.
Laura lost track of how long she waited. Every now and then one of them would be called to leave. No new Converts came from outside. Laura had no idea whether or not that was normal. Some part of her that remembered being human was glad that no more humans were joining the ranks of the conquerors. On the other hand--or paw--the humans who didn't join the Radinri were probably killed. Eventually, Laura was called.
They took Laura to another room of the warehouse. Two Radinri were waiting for her there. One looked her over briefly and entered something into a wall-mounted computer. The other was wearing an elegant black tunic with a belt designed for holding money. Laura recognized him as a contract salesman. "Thess Laura," the salesman said, "I'm legally required to inform you that it is, technically, up to you who gets your contract." Laura's lesson in Radinri history resurfaced. Thess were slaves, and could be bought and sold. However, each Thess had a standard price, and auctions were impractical given the large numbers of Thess. So in order to one-up each other, rich Radinri had started offering wage-earning contracts to potential purchases. This caused legal awkwardness, since slaves could not technically enter into contracts, but making the slaves into free citizens would give them too much power. So a new caste was created, the Quara, between slave and citizen. Soon, so many wealthy buyers were offering wages, that a buyer who didn't offer a position as a Quara had no hope of making a purchase. Essentially, the slave trade had become economically impossible for everyone except the government, so private citizens created a servant market. If Laura was bought, the government would get the asking price for her, and she would get whatever additional compensation her new owner offered to her.
The salesman Radinri snapped a silver collar around Laura's neck. Although there was no physical connection between the salesman and the collar, Laura felt herself being pulled inexorably after him as they left the room. They entered the main floor of the warehouse, where other salesman with other Thess peddled their Convert contracts. Wealthy Rysthin in their elegant dress armor scrutinized the formerly-human wares. Laura shuddered briefly at the idea of being offered for sale, but she reminded herself that she was essentially interviewing for a job. The alternative was slavery. She straightened the human part of her back and did her best to look appealing, though she realized that she had no idea what appealing was to these aliens. She knew she had until the end of the day to get a job. The pressure was on.
Written by Zodiac on 27 December 2008
Rysthin An-ha
The servant market felt like an odd sort of hybrid between a cocktail party and a ritual dance, oddly enough. The path Laura was being led along seemed to follow some complex pattern, weaving in and out of the crowd of the Radinri elite, each one of them decked out in custom-made dress armor. Accompanying a few of them were Quara servants, although most of the buyers came alone. Laura and her salesman got little more than a few courtesy glances until they stopped, either by coincidence or design, in front of a squat emerald-green lionesstaur with elaborate gold-colored armor. She was staring intently at Laura, although whether out of a desire to hire her or with some more malicious intent, Laura couldn't tell. At any rate, she was being led right up to her.
Laura and the salesman stopped in front of the taur, and the salesman intoned in a grave voice, gesturing toward the warrior: "Rysthin An-Ha of the Radinri Homeworld, Honored Warrior and Skilled Hunter, seeking a Quara," and then, indicating Laura, "Thess Laura of Earth, Slave, seeking standing as a Quara." He then stepped back, crossed his arms and closed his eyes as if meditating.
Rysthin An-Ha spoke quickly and with a hint of a slur: "Listen, Thess. I'll cut to the chase. There's dozens of Converts exactly like you who won't get jobs. Consider yourself lucky you're getting an offer at all, so you'd be a fool to reject this. I want a servant. You'd be looking at cooking and cleaning, dealing with guests at my estate, some basic guard duties, nothing too important of course, clerical duties, occasional courier-type stuff, keeping my wardrobe spotless, and if you're lucky I'll let you follow me on a hunt and clean up after me. I pay an eyestone per moon cycle. You interested?"
Laura's subconscious stepped in to help a bit with this. An eyestone was a Radinri unit of currency; the smallest denomination was the clawstone, an amber spheroid with a claw-shaped marking set into it. Ten of those made an eyestone, a clear spheroid with a black eye set into it. Ten of these made a mooncoin, the base unit. The mooncoin was a large coin. One side was silver with a blue gem symbolizing the Radinri Homeworld's ice moon, the other side was a gold with a red gem, representing the fire moon. The moon cycle was the Radinri base unit for time. Because the Radinri Homeworld was in a tidally-locked orbit with Proxima Centauri, so one side of the planet was always in daytime, the other was always in darkness. This made 'day' a geographical, rather than temporal, distinction for the Radinri. Instead, they marked the time with the orbit of the planet's twin moons. A moon cycle was the time it took them to orbit the planet once, roughly 50 Earth hours. The subconscious tutoring failed, however, to tell her whether the deal she was getting was a fair one, or even a normal one (if all Quara were being exploited, she realized that she'd just have to take it, at least for the time being. If she was getting an even worse deal than the other converts, on the other hand, she felt like she should protest).
This sojourn into the mind apparently irritated An-Ha. "Listen," she hissed, "I don't have forever to wait for you to decide. What will it be, yes or no?"
Written by Zodiac on 31 January 2009