The nine (or debatably ten) planets of Earth's solar system had barely begun adapting to interacting with one another when the strange transmission arrived. Allegedly from the administrators of an alien empire so distant it was as unfathomable as im...
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Park perked up at the distinctive sound of an arrow whistling right past his ear. He stumbled aside, unholstering his laser pistol in one swift motion, but he could spot no attacker. A sharp ring cut through the air as Zanth unsheathed a gleaming blade that appeared to have never seen the light of day. But somehow, knowing her people, Park couldn't imagine that was actually true.
A second arrow came hurtling at Park, but Zanth was swift in taking to flight with her black wings, the span of which was wider than her height. She slashed the projectile right out of the air and then continued on to swoop in on the attacker. A warbling cry followed as she hoisted the archer up and flew him over to the others.
Once Zanth set the chubby native with greenish-brown skin and white face paint down on the ground, Park lunged in and snatched his arrows out of the quiver. Dr. Tate took his bow as well for good measure, a gesture he appeared to find objectionable.
"Why are you shooting at us?" Park asked, but predictably, the man had no comprehension. Two more repeats didn't help matters. Park groaned and scratched his head. "I shouldn't have sent away my linguist."
"Something tells me words mean little to a man like him." Zanth remarked. She twirled her sword once as if to highlight her meaning.
"We're not here to make assumptions, Delegate. Of all people, you ought to be the first to understand that."
Zanth grimaced in distaste. "Your people think of diplomacy as cuddling with the enemy until he becomes a friend. Mine see it as holding a sword to her throat until she sees no other option but friendship."
"I see. Since none of us have wings, could you scout out if there's anybody else like him nearby?"
"Gladly."
While Zanth took to flight again, Park kept an eye on their trembling captive, and Dr. Tate gave him a visual once-over from out of arm's reach. After declaring his only ailment to be a bruise from where Zanth had grabbed him and a nasty scratch from a thorny bush, she appeared satisfied with his condition and set his bow down a ways off. Then she nocked an arrow on her own bowstring and kept an alert stance.
"Remember, if anybody comes, we're not trying to kill unless absolutely necessary." Park ordered, "Aim for legs or arms if you can."
"Yeah, make it hurt but not super bad." Dr. Tate affirmed, the slightest hint of a drawl in her accent, "Got it."
Just then, another native lunged out from the brush with a hefty cudgel in his hand. Park acted reflexively, but not uncontrollably. A brief squeeze of his trigger, and a beam of sizzling heat shot into the attacker's thigh. With a high-pitched squeal of agony, he dropped to his knees, and Park snatched his club away.
The sound of another bow firing caught his attention, and he glanced over to see Dr. Tate had pinned another savage's arm to a nearby sapling with her arrow. But another was lunging in from behind her, and even though Park's aim was true, his laser pistol didn't have the range to hit the target. The medic and her attacker fell to the muddy ground together.
