Lunar Conspiracy

Friends in Strange Places

Tava groaned in frustration as it became clear all her efforts, and those of Kit and Yggdrasil, were refusing to bear fruit.  They hadn't been able to get a scan deep enough to show any subterranean caves and their missing crew mates had apparently gone deep enough below the surface that even trying to get a lock on Kartk's collar was meeting interference.

Yggdrasil softly pat Tava's shoulder, gaining her attention long enough to offer her a cup of coffee.  "Assuming they are in good health, they would still be required to halt for rest.  Allow them time til morning."

Tava sighed, slumping in the seat set in front of the panel with all the scanning functions on it as she sipped her coffee.  "Fine.  But if they still haven't managed to get a message out, or shown up on the scans, after twenty-four hours, we're going in after them."

"We might not have that long," Kit reminded from the gunner's station.  His ears were flicked back to train on Tava while his yellow eyes searched the scans, keeping watch for the reinforcements that the soldiers had undoubtedly called after being attacked in their own base.

Tava frowned down at the screen, hoping for a blip to miraculously appear.  Nothing changed for a long moment.  "Get some rest you two.  I'll keep watch and one of you can relieve me in a few hours.  We'll hold out for as long as we can, and trust that Kartk and Jornea can work together long enough to get back to the surface."

~ ~ ~

The lizard hunting party led Kartk and Jornea through tunnels and caverns until they came to the tribes campsite.  Leather tents were grouped here and there, surrounding a main community space where cook fires burned.  The fires weren't nearly big enough to account for the way the air had grown steadily warmer and less humid however.

That seemed to be an effect of a large vent in the back of the village, releasing hot air and a steady glow that was different from the light produced by the bio-luminescent plants and minerals growing in the walls of the caves.  Kartk guessed that there was molten rock at the bottom of the vent, and that it probably held some fairly large significance to the lizards.  Horrifying thoughts of being thrown into lava as a sacrifice for some god occurred, and the word 'god' echoing from the lizards had his attention snapping back to his immediate surroundings.

"What did they say?"

Jornea shrugged.  "They want us to meet their god.  I think they believe you two should know each other?"  She cocked her head at the look of wide-eyed trepidation that crossed Kartk's face.  "What?  I'm sure it's not an actual deity.  Probably a statue or something.  They promised us dinner after we had met."

Kartk relaxed a little, figuring it was a little hard to feed dinner to someone who had already been sacrificed.  He couldn't relax completely however.  As they walked through the encampment, they were drawing a crowd. 

Females and young males scurried to and fro, completing menial tasks until they were distracted by the arrival of newcomers. Kartk decided the markings on the hunting party were not painted on at all but rather the species way of attracting mates and identifying one another. The females markings were much more muted in color, and no two patterns were the same.

The purple marked lizard man led Kartk and Jornea excitedly up to the grandest tent in the village and quickly ran ahead to duck in. He soon returned, trailing an even more shocking creature.

Where the lizards only stood about four feet tall, this reptile stood at six, able to look Kartk in the eye. His face was more like a snake than a lizard, and his body was much longer and more sinuous. He moved on a coiled tail rather than legs, though he had a pair of arms with delicate hands.  His scales were an iridescent mix of blues and greens with a little silver when the light hit him just right. There was nothing muted about this creature. And most striking, were the feathered wings, in too many colors to name.