Unwanted Visitors

In the deep blackness of night, something lurched deep within the Earthling. Sam gasped in terror, twisting and turning from an unimaginable pain that made every other ache numb by comparison. Her eyes bulged, her teeth clenched, and her legs curled in as if trying to hold in this invader, but to no avail. She spasmed in her bed, begging to move. It had to be the worm meat, the Z35B. It was either invoking a change she wasn't prepared for or unleashing a demonic parasite ready to eat her alive from the inside. She was sure it would burst from her chest like the movies.

The worst part was that out of the two available beds, she chose the one with the snuggler, and Snu had her coiled like a lamia. It took several minutes until Snu stirred from his sleep."Bathroom?" he mumbled. "It out back around the corner."

Now free, Sam rushed outside, turned the corner to find relief, and found a three-walled stall with a hole in the middle. This was the bathroom. There were even two flat stones on which to place her feet.

Sam twitched. If this was Pandema, then it was a horrifying planet.

Sam woke up to a simmering summer morning. It was a far cry from the stable climate of the Betelgeuse. One minute, she was bundled up in blankets made of soft cloth, and the next was sweating through her hand-me-down clothes. She felt the sun's rays some time ago, but her exhaustion took precedence, whereas Vinisnu left at the first crack of dawn. It did feel good to rest, though, to have real gravity pulling her down and to feel the rays. Her wounds needed healing, and every passing minute was rejuvenating.

Snu prepared breakfast slowly and quietly to not wake Sam. A difficult gesture, given she was a few meters away. His cooking was simple and handmade, nothing as fancy as was made the night before. Their limited storage allowed vegetables and meat to be kept in a salted mineral container, and liquids had to be boiled to become clean again. Still, he did it with love, though he snuck a few bites.

Occasionally, Snu's eyes were drawn back to his new friend. His heart pounded. She was beautiful even in her sleep. He could only imagine the adventures they'd be on. Perhaps they could do that one thing.

"Snu, the rifles!"

Vinisnu's trance burst. "Sam, wake up! Hurry!"

By the time Sam was conscious enough to know her location, she was standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking the canyon. The morning heat was slowly cooking her brain. Some heat stroke would've been the clincher to put her back to sleep, but the roar of a Redstreak fully awoke her.

"They're coming for another pass," Maed-Laio said. "Steady."

They were the size of ants at this height, but their shape and sound couldn't be mistaken. Three sand boats were coasting down the canyon's length, a familiar sight for the Vinisoyas. A bullet whizzed past the three, missing by several meters, but Sam dove to the ground.

"Stand back up!" Maed shouted as another shot found itself closer to its mark. "The Vinisoyas do not hide from thugs."

"Why are they shooting at us!?"

The answer was poaching, the hunt for valuable Redstreak meat. A dangerous profession given the size and ferocity of these forty-meter worms, but one with a high capacity for reward. It wasn't technically illegal by Rydian law. Any man with the means could hunt Pandema's mightiest megafauna, but that stopped as soon as they stepped on Vinisoya land."Here you go, Mom." The boy had three on hand, two flintlock rifles, and a percussion-style rifle, all preloaded and ready to fire.

The mother snatched the percussion rifle and took up a firing stance, ignoring the bullets attempting to end her. Despite the weight and length of the iron weapon, Maed tracked the lead boat with a smooth swing and, with a pull of the trigger, loosed a smooth bore hunk of metal into a poacher's chest. A crack echoed across the farm. Sam flinched as he saw the man fall. "Oh my god."

Maed took Snu's extra rifle. "Take the next shot,"

"Got it!" The boy took his chance and took aim. Sam watched as her new friend giddily prepared to fire on his fellow man. However, she didn't expect his shot to bounce harmlessly off the desert dunes. The closest boat was a hundred meters off. "Sorry, I'm still not good at this."

Sam sighed in relief, only to be spooked by the rustling of bushes. Were the poachers flanking them from the rear? With panicked vigor, a pair of old wives emerged from the oasis armed to the teeth, running as fast as their frail legs could take them.

"Have they turned back yet?" One of them asked. "Didn't they try this yesterday?"

"The Redstreaks were too rowdy yesterday," Snu replied, helping Sam up. "Thanks to a certain someone here!"

The two ladies were old and hunched Pandemians, grizzled veterans of Pandemian frontier living who have seen everything it offers. This new specimen was not one of those things. Their distrust was evident.

"She's one of Devol's creations, isn't she?"

"Auntie!"

Maed-Laio redirected the conversation by putting a rifle in Sam's hand. "It's your turn. Stand out there."

The girl attempted to protest but was given no opportunity. There was no debate. At the least, the rifle was remarkably light at 20 kilograms, and Sam, to none of their knowledge, was a solid marksman. Several years of practice with Earth's military had assured that. The rifle was a different beast, though, much longer than a standard-issue BR.

Sam remained at ease. She didn't have to actually hit anyone. She just needed to look like she was trying. It was her mission, after all, as a member of the Betelgeuse, to foster peace between Earthlings and Pandemians. Killing a resident of this planet would be a low blow to her reputation, so she took aim but purposefully aimed for a rudder or hull, hoping to have it bounce off harmlessly. Her aim was true as she pulled the trigger, and the smooth bore ball lodged itself squarely in the boat's engine turbine.

A second later, the loud and unstable machine exploded, dashing half a dozen men out into the sands dead or wounded. Their screams could be heard from the top of the canyon. Vinisoya Manor was alight with cheers.

"You did it!" Snu cheered. "You're a way better shot than I am!"

"Very impressive," Maed nodded, keeping an eye on the scene while she reloaded. "I didn't think you knew how to shoot."

Sam fell back to her knees with a cry. That was an accident. She didn't expect something like that to happen. All the while, the canyon stirred, and an enraged pod of Redstreaks burst from the ground. Whoever was still on the boat was consumed by the first gulp of the serpent. Anyone left alive on the dunes tried scrambling for another boat before their footsteps made them the target of another hungry worm. Six, seven, eight. Sam had killed nine people with one bullet. The only saving grace was that the other poachers were so demoralized they turned tail and ran. Maed and the old ladies gave them some parting shots as a gift.

Snu knelt next to her. "That was great, Sam! You should teach me how to shoot like that."

Sam vomited into the sand. "Why!? Why did I have to kill them!?"

"Don't you know who they are!?" Snu asked. "They've been threatening us for months! If they knew dad and the others weren't here right now they'd try to slit our throats at night for the-." He paused only to realize Sam was actually crying, and he wasn't helping. He hugged her. "It's okay, Sam. Do you want to go pet the Kukchis? I do that when I feel sad."

"Sure," Sam said, but didn't really mean it. She could only imagine the suffering she just caused those strangers and what her dad would think. Nothing would be able to relieve her of this shame.

She was presented with Pandema's premier riding animal, the Kukchi. It was a guinea pig with big bulging eyes and funny whiskers. It was also the size of a pony. It even had a saddle on its back.

Snu put Sam's hand on its fur to stroke it. It was soft and luxurious, and the alien rodent sniffed and licked Sam like a puppy dog. She hated to admit it, but this made her feel better.