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Glen looked out from the ship’s window to the thousand stars. Seems it just yesterday he fascinated to the same stars from a telescope as a small boy. Now, he is a soldier at a military space expedition Avalon 13 held by the government and the biggest company: Tantarus.

The fleet received a distress signal a few days ago from a commercial space station Tristram, which is belongs to the Tantarus Company. They can’t contact or figure out what happen to the station for the next few hours, until they close enough to send some smaller ships to there.

“See something interesting?”

Glen jumped and startled at the sudden voice. It was his commanding officer; Cecil. Those eyes never seem to fail to make them stare for a few seconds more than necessary.

“There you go again, stop staring at me.”

Glen looked away and gazed back out the window.

“You know they’re going to send you, right?”

“No, they’ll send John,” Glen looked at Cecil.

“Not if with my recommendation,” she replied.

Glen looked at Cecil, puzzled. Cecil starts to walk away ignoring it.

“Falcon, you haven’t been on this squadron as long as John, but everyone can see you have far surpassed everyone else. Get this one right and you might have another stripe,” said Cecil while keeps walking.

Glen just stared her until she out of his sight. Falcon… She always used his call sign whenever she got serious. And Glen knew to not argue with her when she gets serious, that sexy woman had put many man on their knees.

Glen left the window and walk back to his barrack. He only hoped if he would go to there, he don’t have to follow the mercenaries. He never likes those mercenaries, especially their arrogant leader. They also have possibilities to become rebels…

***

Glen walked towards his ship, carrying all his equipments, also his favorite proton rifle.

“Leaving without saying goodbye, Falcon?”

He didn’t even need to turn around to see who it was.

“You really need to stop sneaking up on me like that, Cecil. And why do you use my call sign in every occasion?”

“Relax mister, this is deep space, not the academy,” she replied, walking towards Glen.

Cecil reached inside her uniform and produced a silver necklace. Glen got the to titled his head downward. Cecil reached around his neck to fix the clasp, her hair draped across Glen’s face and he felt nauseated. She moved back and took a look at Glen.

“There you go. For good luck.”

Glen gave her a slight nod before goes and slid into the cockpit. Cecil stepped back behind the protective shielding. Cecil blew Glen a kiss just second before he launched the ship. Glen startled beyond believe, his commanding officer blew him a kiss!

Glen scanned the space station; it looks normal at outside, except some holes and damaged safety shuttles. He landed on the east bridge, where other troopers started to scan around. The officer on command inserted him into Sergeant Newton’s unit, he glad they don’t put him along those mercenaries.

Following the unit from behind, Glen saw a strange auburn furred creature appear in front of them, just fifteen feet away. Glen took aim at the alien but Sergeant Newton saw him and immediately grabbed his weapon and pulled it down.

“You damn fool!” Newton uttered. “Have you forgotten protocols? We can’t be sure if that alien is responsible for any mess!”

Sergeant Newton turned to face the creature and gave the hand signal to the rest of his men to holster their weapons and keep triggers tight. He stared at the creature, it appear to be shaking, as if nervous, or even afraid. He didn’t understand how he had not noticed it before, when he first scanned the hallway. His armor’s sensors didn’t even register the creature as being there.

“Fascinating,” Newton muttered and walked towards the alien, hands well away from his weapon and one hand reaching out to greet it.

The alien is six feet tall, with furs like a cat, face like a snake, yellowish mane runs from its head to tail, a pair of small bat’s like wings, scythe-like claws in its back limb thumbs and a tail with scythe-like spade on its end. The alien moved slow and cautious towards Newton. It stopped just a foot away from Newton and just watching Newton’s eyes before it touched its muzzle to Newton’s hand. Its pointy ears and tail lowered down in fear and it growled in hunger.

Glen starred in disbelief at what the just saw. Not disbelief from the unknown creature, but at the Sergeant’s actions. He reported the incident to control.

“Creature is unknown. Biological threat level unknown. Did you touch it?” replied his commanding officer; Cecil.

“Negative, control,” Glen moved away from the alien.

“Better you protect yourself, Falcon.”

Glen still wasn’t ready to put his life in the hands of this Sergeant. He knew the Sergeant’s actions put the entire crew in danger. This time he is lucky the alien wasn’t aggressive. But still… the alien might have dangerous organisms in its body. Glen moved backward and injected himself with antibody syringes.

Newton was surprised by how gentle the creature was. His armor’s sensor didn’t detect anything dangerous.

“Scared, huh? That makes two of us,” Newton began to pet the alien while his armor’s sensor did a brain scan.

The sensor shows a high intelligence, around humans’. Newton fascinated more, he felt that he found a new magnificent creature to study.

The mercenaries coming back, several of them were badly wounded, one even missing his arm. The auburn alien starts to squeak like it was frightened.

“Don’t worry, they are our friends,” said Newton while caress its head.

Suddenly the alien disappeared from sight and two other unknown aliens appeared in mercenaries’ back. These one is blue skinned, two legged, two long arms with sharp long claws, dog like emotionless face with mane covered most of the head into its lowered neck, and two small horns between the mane.

Glen took aim quickly and pulled the trigger, a burst of energy launched so fast and hit the alien at its belly. The creature exploded into particles in sudden. The mercenaries’ leader turned back and shot the other one with burst of his rifle.

“Those creatures able to teleport in short distance. We’ve lost ten men out there. I’ve sent in my finest squad to hold sector four and pulled back my other squad to assist with the defense of our ship. If you know something about that creature, better you tell me NOW!” said Hans, the mercenaries leader without respect.

Newton thought for a moment, and then decided the best course of action.

“I’m afraid any chance of finding any survivors has just been dashed… We should evacuate immediately.”

“Anyway… what is that?” pointed Hans to the auburn alien that showed itself again beside the Sergeant.

“A fascinating friendly alien that showed itself to us. We would take it with us.”

Hans approached the alien and grabbed its muzzle harshly. He stared at its eyes and not let it release its muzzle.

“I don’t like it,” said Hans before letting it go.

“You don’t have to,” chuckled Newton. “Okay everyone, let’s moving”

The group dashed into the launch bay, including the auburn alien. The mercenaries had been forced to come with the soldiers instead to their own ship, making the ship overloaded. Sergeant Newton approached Glen and his small ship.

“I guess there is no place for two…” sighted Newton while waiting the others loaded the ship.

He looked at Glen, which has his own, small ship.

“I order you to take this alien and my record files, it have something for us to learn about.”

Glen wanted to protest, he don’t want to get any sickness the creature might cause later. But seeing how the sergeant sacrifice his own life makes Glen salute and promise to kept the creature alive. Newton raised the lightweight creature and put it above Glen. The furred creature stared at Newton and meeped sadly, as it showed concern.

The door sealed behind the Sergeant, the two ships took off without him and flew out of the bay. Sergeant Newton stood there, rifle ready, as the aliens approached. With one final war cry, Newton prepared to meet his doom.

Glen’s heart was heavy. Sergeant Newton had sacrificed himself so they could hopefully learn about the friendly alien that now fascinated with the stars. Glen caress it soft furs, making it purrs like a cat.

Arrive at the flagship, everyone checked for any infections the alien might cause, and the alien chained on its neck and brought to the lab. The commander announce everyone to gather at the conference rooms in their own section for a meeting, not letting anyone, except those who wounded, to relax from the intense.

On the screen, Admiral Razin, the leader of the fleet, make an announcement.

“Today we have encountered two new species, one proving to be aggressive while other is friendly and smart. As it is our duty to dedicate ourselves for mankind, the friendly one now being studied by the scientists,” the Admiral stopped awhile.

“Our proves shown our attackers inhabits the asteroid clusters nearby, although we don’t know in which rocks. Soon, we might be able to ask our little friend about this. While about those insects on Tristram space station, please look at your tactical monitors…”

The flagship launched two clusters of missiles, which streaked towards the idle station. Explosions covered the ruined ship. To ensure total destruction, a proton beam was emitted, and the remains of the ship were vaporized. Everyone cheered as it was a victory before they walked back to their barracks.

Glen visited the lab, finding Cecil also headed to that place. The scientists named the creature as Malloraptor. Scientists announce that it have intelligence higher than humans, based on the computer, and can’t be pinned how high it is. They also test its abilities to survive, such as how it could become invisible, sense dangers ahead, and it paralyzing tail-knob. Since the creature become to cry aloud in cage, they let it be outside, although chained. It was happy to see Glen and purrs at him. Glen approached it and caresses the yellowish mane on its head.

“I don’t like it,” comment Cecil.

Glen laughed in his mind, thinking that Cecil is jealous somehow. He stopped the caress and the creature lay down in the floor while its tail waging.

“By the way, I need your permission to go to those asteroids.”

Cecil surprised and shakes her head.

“Glen… We’re supposed to set up the ambush, not walking into an ambush! Remember what happened at the Tristram? You were all lucky to get out of there alive!”

Glen eyed Cecil carefully. She was standing close in front of him; sweat running down at the side of her face. She seemed a bit more angry then usual.

“I’m not sending you to out there! I would send somebody else!” Cecil prepared to leave as Glen grabbed her arm and some drips that might be tears on her face.

“I’m finishing this mission, Cecil. Whatever you like it or not,” said Glen with a firm voice.

“We even don’t know where those aliens inhabit!”

They caught in silence. Glen going to protest when the Malloraptor showed another ability…

Everyone focused to the creature, eyes wide. It was telepathic, a kind of sound that struck into your mind. One of the scientists grabbed the com-link and announced the discovery to their superior.

“No, Glen. You don’t have enough experiences for this,” she said weakly.

“That’s nonsense, Cecil! You know you have other reasons for doing this, but you have to put that aside for now,” he looked at her straight in the eyes.

“Let me do this… please?” Glen pleaded almost as a whisper.

Cecil gave up and nodded before leaving. Glen looked at the alien that looked back at him with unknown expression before leaving the lab. The alien blinked for a second and curled at the floor.

***

The scout team surprised when reaching the asteroid which shown by the Malloraptor. The supposed primitive aliens HAVE a city with their crystallite buildings. What they saw increase their spirit, the civilization is another new discoveries and they will get promotion for it. Instead bombing the land from above, they landed in the hard rocks.

Glen, who came with the scout team, also brought the Malloraptor with him, without any chain. Approaching the city, Glen saw another species.

“Control, we would encounter another species,” said Glen while showing a video transmits.

The new species stood about eighteen feet with four limbs, It have the same emoteless face with the first ones—although it have smaller eyes, same black hair, brown skin, long tail with, transparence purple bat-like wings, and black mane run down its back.

“Oh my God! Glen, stay away from the auburn alien, it is—“

“Control? What happened control? Cecil!!!”

The connection terminated and Glen can’t figure out why. Glen doesn’t know what Cecil trying to say. He looked at the Malloraptor, only find it looking back at him with serious face.

Glen felt sad, he worry something happen with Cecil. He was regret that he never tried to approach Cecil for once and go with her somewhere, a dinner maybe? He retreat from the team for a while and stood below a rock while the officers started to make a plan for attacking the city.

***

Cecil can’t figure out from where the creature that stood beside her came, but it so clever to destroy her communication link first while its friends attacking other people around.

“I love you…” Cecil whispered at the broken connection, her tears flooding her cheek.

***

asked the Malloraptor in private telepathic.

Glen kept silence and kept working with the tents.

“We are trained to not involve our emotions in battle. I just have another duty, okay?”

chuckled the creature.

“Stop acting like you knew everything!” yelled Glen furiously.

The creature left the upset Glen before he react a bit far and watching the battlefield. Glen’s control-transmitter is blinking, making his heart almost burst out from its place.

“Cecil?”

The Malloraptor started to walk back to Glen and looked at him.

“No, it’s me John,” said the voice on the other side after few seconds delay.

“Where is Cecil?”

Another silent came and Glen holding his breathes.

“I’m sorry Glen. He is gone. The aliens killed everyone in the room…”

Glen turned his transmitter off and sat there numb.

asked the Malloraptor while licking Glen’s hand in concern.

“No, I’m not ok!” Glen pulled his hand. “Damn it! We will take that city and send those wrecked creatures to their death or most painful experiments!”

<… How about me?>

The Malloraptor lowered its ears.

“You would be studied, for the future of both our races. Don’t worry, we will treat you well.”

“Well yeah… But I’m sure we won’t treat you like we treat those aliens,” pointed Glen to the battlefield.

“That’s wrong,” Glen tried to pet the creature but it moved back. “We tried for our best,” the creature stepped further.

“Damn it! You…!” Glen moved backward and raised his rifle.

Six aliens teleported and no one there to help. Glen could see the grin from those emoteless faces.