Category Archives: alien worlds

The Stargirls Alien Abduction

alien monsters, alien worlds, science fiction

 

CHAPTER 14 pgs. 85-88

…Sade observed Mad standing off alone, scanning the horizon with her back to them. She wondered what seized her attention just as Mad did something peculiar. She tapped her red-crusted boot heels together, which made a clicking sound, and said, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” Mad stood silent—the Stargirls’ mouths were agape—when she spun around and grinned at them. “All my life, I wanted to do that,” said Mad, thinking they would get a kick out of it; but the look on their faces shocked her. Abruptly, the temperature dropped as an enormous shadow enveloped them, turning Bahtra’s daylight into purple twilight.

Sade tried to speak; she frantically pointed behind Mad. “You’re not going to believe this.” Mad turned and gasped at the massive object confronting her, hovering in the sky.

Sade yelled, “It appeared out of nowhere.”

Mad, tongue in cheek, said, “It appeared because I clicked my heels three times.”

“That’s too creepy.”

“Well, it’s not every day you’re rescued by an extraterrestrial.” Before Sade could respond, a beam of intense energy scanned their bodies and transported them onboard the colossal saucer.

* * *

Life by its grand plan is getting better, Lyn thought, as she stood naked and immaculately clean. There was not a lick of Bahtra dust left on her body. All contaminants and clothing were gone, leaving her scrubbed and in the buff.

Naked to the universe, Jill looked around and thought could the Star people be nudists? Her telepathic thought brought smiles to the Stargirls faces. Then a hole opened in the wall and a pile of black silk like material fell to the floor.

Sade sat thunderstruck, realizing she had lost the Golden Star. Mad noticed her grimacing and said, “Sade, I know what you’re thinking— don’t fret. I’m sure it’s secure with our Star guide.”

Sade said, “I’d feel awful if anything happened to it.”

Jill overheard Sade’s lament and said, “Get dressed and we will help,” as she grabbed what looked like pull-on pants and a tank top from the silk mound.

They stood in stunned silence, looking bewildered by their unexpected rescue. Suddenly, the wall behind them glowed and an opening appeared. Large crawly things marched in, shaking the floor and grabbing Lyn from behind with steely pincers that overpowered her. She felt trapped on a UFO the size of Brooklyn, helpless and now in agonizing pain. She knew it was futile to resist. She tried to call out, but searing pain controlled her. The mechanical pincers dug deep into her muscle as it dragged her somewhere.

Ali yelled, “Hey—” as four hairy beasts surrounded her. Instinct took over—she attacked the largest beast with a flurry of blows and kicks that, to her amazement, knocked the large beast to the floor. The other beasts hesitated. She spun, landing hard butterfly kicks under their noses, hitting nerve points with her heel that cut a swathe through them.

When four more beasts charged her before she could strike again, an alarm sounded, sending a hoard of reinforcements to control the unruly aliens.

Ali screamed, “Lyn!” struggling to free herself but out-muscled by the revolting creatures. The more she struggled, the tighter their grip. Ali felt air crushed out of her lungs until she blacked-out.

Jill, defending herself, saw Ali fall limp. Jill yelled, “Let go, you freak,” while leaping on the back of the beast crushing Ali. She applied a shime-waza chokehold on its massive neck. The beast struggled to throw her while letting go of its death grip on Ali who dropped to the floor. The beast flailed its arms, but Jill’s deadly hold caused it to collapse to its knees. Outnumbered, Jill brought down three more beasts with strategic blows, striking vital points at the base of their skulls, temples, and carotid arteries.

Sade and Mad covered Jill’s back, holding off a half dozen attackers with ferocious scissor kicks to their bodies—knees buckled, kidneys went into shock, and throats chopped, gasping for breath.

Suddenly the beasts stopped their attack and retreated. The Stargirls had fought valiantly. Then creepy-crawly things surrounded them and flashes of energy stunned them. They fell to the floor writhing in pain.

Cold steel pincers gripped them with hydraulic proficiency, putting an end to their heroic rebellion and rescue of Lyn.

* * *

Burning, stabbing pain radiated up her arm and shoulder, while being dragged by a cold-blooded machine with no understanding of pain—pain that made Lyn feel faint. She feared the violent twisting of her arm.

Fearing a partial dislocation—or, worse, having it ripped off. She kicked with her feet, pushing hard off the floor, trying to prevent further injury and keep up with the machine’s cruel pace.

Finally, the machine stopped and let go its vise grip. Lyn lay, rubbing her battered arm, fighting off tears. Her arm was black and blue, but nothing felt broken. She lay trembling outside what appeared to be a door, as the agonizing pain in her arm turned to numbness and the horror of what laid behind the door gripped her harder.

She shrieked, “Oh, my God.” as the machine loomed back over her and a ray of light scanned her body. She felt thankful the machine did not tear her apart. It was spider-like—a creepy, crawly thing with a big head and lifeless metallic eyes—while terrifying creatures with huge hairy muscles and burning red eyes stared down at her. Lyn wanted to cry out to the others, to see if they were alive, but she feared treatment more savage. Once the machine finished its examination, it left. She sighed miserably. She sat up, holding her throbbing arm, while glumly thinking, what happened to our Star guide. She stared at the floor to avoid the menacing red eyes.

Violently thrown into a dark cell the others fared no better as expectations of rescue crushed. Hopeful expectations turned to shock, despair, and disillusionment as they softly called to each other; “Are you okay?” as they reached out, hugged each other, and cried over Lyn’s uncertain fate.

 

* * *

Beyond their feeble voices and desperate circumstances, a sinister, commanding voice laughed and said, “Master will be most pleased. I captured the aliens that will power our control of the Star people.” His vulgar laughter rang out again, and the enormous saucer entered Sync-time and accelerated faster than the speed of light toward its home base while dark energy mysteriously propelled it.

The only thing on his mind was domination of the Vaangeez galaxy. Despite an ageless intergalactic war with the Star people, he only grasped its meaning in his own wretched survival and fantasy of ruling the Vaangeez galaxy. The alien beings he captured meant nothing to him, yet they held the means to victory. He put aside his natural desire to ravage and kill them and followed his Master’s orders . . . for the moment.

The Stargirls huddled together in what felt like a cold steel trap. They whispered to each other, wondering what had happened. They felt numb and foolish for falling into a deadly ambush. They were worried sick over Lyn, the loss of the Golden Star, and their freedom.

Mad said, “Someone went out of their way to stop us.”

Ali retorted, “Without the Star and Lyn, it feels like the gates of hell opened and swallowed us.”

Shocked and bewildered by their alien abduction they struggled to comprehend what was happening. Reality no longer made any sense; it was a waking nightmare.Nevertheless, the Stargirls refused to be beaten, falling back on their survival training. They realized it did not matter what happened or how they got there. What mattered was how they were going to get out.

Mad snapped, “You don’t want to mess with a Stargirl and think you’ll get away with it. Our spirits will prevail.” Her words seethed in white-hot fury. “Remember Ping-fa, Sun Tzu,’ Art of War—read between the lines: kick ass and take names later.” With that blunt remark, the Stargirls drew up an asymmetric battle plan. Mad thought hit and run.Jill added, “Deception is Sun Tzu first rule of war. Do not forget what Denham said in King Kong: ‘Oh no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.’” The Stargirls struck by her surprising reflection pondered its meaning for the battle ahead.

ALIEN SOS CALL

alien worlds, Starlight Destiny

Chapter 8 pg. 44-45

BY GRAND DESIGN, the Stargirls were kept entirely in the dark as to their destiny. How an extraterrestrial prepared them, from birth, to journey beyond the Milky Way galaxy to answer an alien SOS call.

The telepathic force guided them in big dreams. One such dream forewarned, “You will face the good and bad in yourselves. Only then shall you embrace your destiny.”

Subconsciously, they knew that humans are not alone and had accepted Earth’s microscopic place in the cosmos as well as an alien prophecy’s call to arms; yet they were consciously oblivious to it and to how it would complicate their lives. The only hint of celestial influence was their burgeoning psychic abilities—obsession with the forces of nature—and haunting childhood dreams.

Lyn had emerged like a cosmic lightning bolt. Her electric powder blue eyes and spirited smile embraced life to explore the universe.

Strawberry-gold hair streamed down her shapely hips. She wore flowers in her hair, love beads, and a silver peace symbol. She preferred a natural look like a 60s hippie—willing to die for freedom.

She was a mathematics prodigy at 11 and graduated with a Ph.D. in astrobiology from UC Berkeley. Her specialty was exploring Earth-like planets. Now at 25, she had to accept Max’s death and start all over. She felt lost without him. Sitting at her buttermilk kitchen table drinking coffee, she worried what life.

Ali was jabbering about dolphins she saw on their beach walk while Lyn’s thoughts turned to Desta. She knew Desta’s breakthrough would face opposition in a world obsessed with Earth being the center of the universe. She grumbled how people trapped in Earth-centric beliefs would be the death of us all. She muttered, “Peace on Earth.”

Jill eyed Lyn with interest. “Your dream of peace on Earth should be the world’s mantra and battle cry.”

“Thanks,” she paused. “We are at the mercy of powers beyond us.”

Ali perked up and smiled. “I know how you feel. World dominance and conflicting ideologies are a dangerous stage in our evolution. What can I say? Homo sapiens have a fatal learning disability or errant DNA for mass murder and extinction. The world’s cycle of violence speaks volumes about our evolutionary pettiness. Nevertheless, life at its best is a healing journey to find ourselves—find our truth. The road to peace starts here.”

“Ali, you amaze me; I love you.”

“Sister, love is our bond and the Earth’s only hope.”

Mad sat on the fringe of their conversation, giggling over how Lyn flipped a coin to settle their disputes about the nature of reality. She would say, “Heads, its relativity—tails, it’s quantum mechanics; if the coin lands on its side, we are God’s Pinocchio dancing to superstrings.” Mad loved her analogy for the physics’ thorny questions, because it made them laugh at themselves.

Mad glanced up. “Hey, Pinocchio, lighten up, or your nose is going to grow and grow.”Lyn’s eyes brightened as she smiled thoughtfully. “Thanks.”

 

THE STARGIRLS BECOME STAR WARRIOR MYSTICS

alien worlds, aliens, fantasy, science fiction

Chapter 40 pp. 238-242

THE STARGIRLS’ BODIES SLICED through thin air and a flag of thick white clouds in an extreme freefall, high above the Himalayan Mountain’s northern ice-rock face that rushed toward them. They felt a mixture of fear and exhilaration, plummeting past the mountain’s zenith and the summit ridge, as a pyramid of vast snowfields flashed past them. The clouds suddenly parted, revealing a magnificent view of the Tibetan plateau below that kissed the golden horizon.

Like bird-women, they rode the tumultuous mountain winds, soaring along its breathtaking northeast ridge and legendary death zone, where mountaineers triumphed on the summit . . . or met their fates buried in ice. Gracefully, they sailed as condors over its icy rim and vertical walls, toward the base of Jomolungma, mother goddess of the world—Mount Everest.

Sparkling blue glaciers and the Rongbuk monastery, the sacred threshold to Everest, came in view. The ancient monastery, a Tibetan power spot, was an unforgettable image that flashed through their minds when Mala declared, “Stargirls, you are ready to embrace the Way of the Stars as Star Warrior Mystics and receive your gifts and Star Initiation.” Mala’s riveting words evoked the inspirational image that symbolized their intrepid spirits and the quest awaiting them . . .

* * *

Mala was patiently tapping the Star chart to secure their attention. A crimson blush painted all their faces, faces that seemed to orbit the Star chart like planets. Mala smiled at their awkwardness, remembering her own disquiet when faced with the power and mysteries of the stars.

“I am thrilled by your commitment to step into the unknown without all the answers. Your faith in yourselves will serve you well as you travel uncharted dimensions of time and space and experience the staggering implication of your earthly E = mc².”

Mala lifted the celestial bowl from the jagged Star chart and held it close to her heart. “The ancients understood your fears even before you were born, and they sent this gift to aid your transformation to Star Warrior Mystics.”

THE STARGIRLS’ BODIES SLICED through thin air and a flag of thick white clouds in an extreme freefall, high above the Himalayan Mountain’s northern ice-rock face that rushed toward them. They felt a mixture of fear and exhilaration, plummeting past the mountain’s zenith and the summit ridge, as a pyramid of vast snowfields flashed past them. The clouds suddenly parted, revealing a magnificent view of the Tibetan plateau below that kissed the golden horizon.

Like bird-women, they rode the tumultuous mountain winds, soaring along its breathtaking northeast ridge and legendary death zone, where mountaineers triumphed on the summit . . . or met their fates buried in ice. Gracefully, they sailed as condors over its icy rim and vertical walls, toward the base of Jomolungma, mother goddess of the world—Mount Everest.

Sparkling blue glaciers and the Rongbuk monastery, the sacred threshold to Everest, came in view. The ancient monastery, a Tibetan power spot, was an unforgettable image that flashed through their minds when Mala declared, “Stargirls, you are ready to embrace the Way of the Stars as Star Warrior Mystics and receive your gifts and Star Initiation.” Mala’s riveting words evoked the inspirational image that symbolized their intrepid spirits and the quest awaiting them . . .

* * *

Mala was patiently tapping the Star chart to secure their attention. A crimson blush painted all their faces, faces that seemed to orbit the Star chart like planets. Mala smiled at their awkwardness, remembering her own disquiet when faced with the power and mysteries of the stars.

“I am thrilled by your commitment to step into the unknown without all the answers. Your faith in yourselves will serve you well as you travel uncharted dimensions of time and space and experience the staggering implication of your earthly E = mc².”

Mala lifted the celestial bowl from the jagged Star chart and held it close to her heart. “The ancients understood your fears even before you were born, and they sent this gift to aid your transformation to Star Warrior Mystics.”

Mad, in deference to Mala, promptly followed Jill’s gutsy example. Mad let out a deep sigh of relief after the Giver joined her body without incident.

Oddly, after the emotional and physical bonding with the Givers, Sade’s mind slipped far away to Earth. She wondered what they were about to experience, what their initiation as Star Warrior Mystics really meant. She was thinking about incredible free-dive records humans had reached as they dove to dangerous depths, with only their breath to bring them back to the surface alive. Now she thought of what depths she might plumb unhindered by the ocean’s crushing pressure or need for oxygen. The possibilities made her lightheaded. It all seemed like a dream—until Mala called to her.

“Sade . . . Sade, please come, it is time to meet your destiny.” Sade had not noticed the Stargirls standing around the archaic stone monolith, waiting for her to join them. The critical moment was upon them. Sade trembled, approaching the Star Wheel . . . trembled at the power it would make flesh. She felt the energy of yin yang—the cold stone’s yin energy and hot yang energy of the Golden Star. She felt the power of the universe pulsating before her, a power she desired, yet feared, knowing they would wield powers that no human could foresee. Power, she feared, her human weakness might corrupt.

Mala discerned Sade’s fear, thinking fear a good antidote for impulsiveness and said, “Stargirls, fear not—your Star power will see you through dark moments, a power meant to inspire you to your utmost potential. Your Starlight Initiation will unite the fiery power of the Golden Star with the arctic energy of the Sacred Stone.

“Your bodies and minds are the medium for their cosmic fusion that will generate your Star power, creating a perfect union of cosmic forces.” Her heartening words comforted the Stargirls who were ready to consummate their initiation. They carefully stepped ‘round the mysterious stone and touched its frigid surface. At the stone’s heart, a carved Star caught their eye, encircled by ten expanding rings that symbolized the elemental dimensions of space-time. On its outer edge, five symbols stood out in bas-relief. Mala called them star-points, each one connected to the inner Star by lightning bolts that formed a star-shaped pentagram. The ancient stone’s cosmic gestalt formed a Star Mandala—symbolic of the universe.

Mala instructed the Stargirls to climb onto the Star Wheel at their preordained star-point. She then aligned their bodies, so their heads touched at the stone’s heart, and placed their feet so they rested on their star-points that symbolized their individual Star power. They gazed up into the fiery Golden Star that hovered above them; the freezing stone numbed their bodies.

“Focus your minds on the Star!” She circled the icy stone, placed her left hand on each of their hearts, and said, “See you—in your next glorious life.”

When she finished, the Golden Star transformed into five Light Arrows that shot through their hearts; their bodies arched and convulsed. The Stargirls’ hearts absorbed the formidable power of the Light Arrows that triggered a cosmic chain reaction, the nuclear fusion of a supernova, which exploded inside their bodies.

Starlight radiated from their bodies and filled the chamber. The female principle of Creation—the Big Bang—flooded their hearts and minds. The last thing they recalled was searing white light from a vast cloud of dust and gases, as a brilliant star emerged and consumed their bodies.

A cosmic fire had swept through them that resurrected them on the ancient Star Wheel, creating micro-stars that burned inside their hearts, giving them superhuman powers and eternal life. Once their Star conversion was complete, they lay, comatose, on the frozen stone.

Awakening, they felt weird and wonderful powers stir within them, powers that no longer alarmed them. What they felt was beyond words when they experienced an epiphany; they realized they were the genetic offspring of the Star people. They were children of the stars, created from love to protect the Earth from evil. In that magnificent moment, the Stargirls comprehended their Starlight destiny as Intergalactic Angels and Guardians of Earth.

The Stargirls lay breathless on the Star stone, while Mala chanted in a bewitching tongue, striking by its rapid rhythmic grunts, obscure syllables, and unintelligible utterances that created an aria that mesmerized them.

Mala’s remarkable chants vibrated deep in their hearts, awakening the highest vibration of being—Love.

Mala said, “Now you understand your sacrifice and are ready to receive your sacred names that embody your Star power.” She stepped around the stone, placing her right hand on each of their foreheads and said, “You are all Star Warrior Mystics.”

“Lyn, Starlight, the flesh of Spirit; Sade, Starwave, the flesh of Water; Jill, Starblaze, the flesh of Fire; Ali, Starquake, the flesh of Earth; Mad, Starbreeze, the flesh of Air.” Once she finished, they rose from the stone and hugged each other, then turned and gaped at Mala.

“You are immortal, yet human and vulnerable. You will face the age- old dilemmas of Earthly desires and attachments. Beware of those who claim you goddesses. This you must forsake. There are forces in the universe that will try to control you. Evil will try to divide and conquer you through treachery and despair. Although you are invincible, the Starlight Prophecy warns of forces that conspire to enslave you.

“You must wield your powers for noble purposes, inspiring peace, equality, and justice for all. You must define yourselves by your actions. You have the power; you can completely change the Earth. Your vision must be bold; offer them the supreme dream of what is possible.

“One last thing—your expedition’s discovery in the Afar Triangle came from the planet you call Mars, a planet our people colonized and later abandoned when life was no longer sustainable. A small satellite of Star people reached Earth but wiped out by a super volcano eruption over 20 million years ago. Aggressive creatures forced the survivors to interbreed. This genetic mixture gave birth to a new hominid family.

“Millions of years of interbreeding led to sexual preferences that created a genetic divergence and the evolution of gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. When you return to Earth, you must tell Desta and Azmera about the origin of your species, and that the extraordinary skeleton found in the Afar is a Star Warrior Mystic. But tell them your world is not ready for the truth until sometime in the future when they are better prepared. Your Star power, for good or evil, is your responsibility.

“Remember, Earth’s physicists faced a similar dilemma when they split the atom and discovered the wonder of its power. Produced in the labs of the Manhattan Project, however, it forged into an appalling reality by the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed over a quarter of a million of innocent humans—ending your Second World War. It was a bittersweet legacy the fathers of ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man’ died knowing. Stargirls, this is your second challenge, to wield your Star power wisely.”

 

The Stargirls Aagaatar’s Slave Goddesses

alien monsters, alien worlds

Chapter 20, pgs. 126-128

AAGAATAR, DEEP IN THOUGHT, stood in the shadow of his scientific marvel. He had irreverently called the holy FIST, the Final Interactive Solution Temple.

FIST was a complex computing system ten thousand times faster and more powerful than any Earth supercomputer and a spatial manipulator that could defy the laws of physics. Furthermore, it could erase the Stargirls’ minds and reprogram them to Aagaatar’s will. He knew microprocessor enslavement, generated by neural implants in the limbic system, was faultless and expedient but futile in this remarkable case.

The artificial mind control would destroy the Stargirls’ brainpower thus rendering them worthless. Their psychic connection and control of the Golden Star’s power would be corrupted and lost, and the Final Solution endangered. He needed their brains intact. Surprisingly, Garlig was the one who pointed out this technical glitch. Regardless, Aagaatar was annoyed with Garlig. He shook his gleaming, bug-eyed head and thought Garlig, if only you had properly tortured them, they would obey me.

Garlig’s failure had forced him to unleash his psychic bloodsucker. Aagaatar realized his actions were desperate and dangerous; the dead one would try to take over the alien’s mind. Yet he felt the alien Sade’s psychic power was potent enough to prevent her mental annihilation. The unspeakable one would only attain a state of symbiosis, enough dark force to influence her actions while leaving her mind intact for his higher purpose. He felt confident that his sadistic assaults on Lyn and Sade’s psyches would eventually bring the Stargirls to their knees and give him the power of the Golden Star.

He knew the Stargirls were untouchables, meant only for altering the Aagaa’s future—yet personal temptation toyed with him, as unrestrained fantasies sprang from his brooding thoughts. He stood transfixed in the midst of the cavernous FIST as thoughts of the Stargirls stormed in his mind. He had come seeking intelligence from FIST. Instead, his mind dwelled on the aliens, his rational thoughts taking flight, as the aliens’ memory-scent allured him and made his mind play tricks.

FIST programmed to generate whatever his mind focused on— seized his lustful thoughts and brought them to life on the temple’s virtual reality stage. Aagaatar felt searing pleasure, as if the winds of Azonda rained blistering drops of passion down on him while mindless alien bodies whirled around him in an exotic dance of worship. Spiraling, grinding bodies swayed and heaved hypnotically with a powerful snake rhythm and compelling hissing—a primordial song he remembered from his youth—how they knew the song—never crossed his mind.

All he felt was burning passion. He then noticed their singular beauty and intriguing alien faces. As their feverish dance inflamed him, they danced faster with a thrilling tempo and odd movements, something he had never seen before.

Arms were outstretched; hips were gyrating, and legs twitched like Starburst flowers. Their intoxicating movements engaged him on a visceral level he had never felt before. Their alien movements and weird guttural sounds seemed to invite him to join their primal dance. Aagaatar howled, “Aagaa . . . Aagaa . . . Aagaa!” As the frenzy of bodies whirled around him, his own zealous cries made him leap into their midst. His imagined total possession of the Stargirls excited him when he suddenly realized he was alone.

Drenched in sweat, his computer-generated fantasy and ecstasy was gone. As his passion subsided, he remembered the actual aliens rotted in their cell as forbidden fruit. He felt enormous frustration that his fantasy unexpectedly ended. He would hold FIST accountable while he deliberated whether he liked the Stargirls brainless or not. He decided they were more trouble than they were worth.

Begrudgingly, he changed his mind—after all; they were his instruments of destruction and death. The aliens would be his slave goddesses—brainless or not. He was pleased with this thought.

He had discovered cracks in their psychic armor and tortured the one called Lyn, testing her vulnerabilities, looking for weakness he could use against them. Aagaatar knew one day the aliens would worship him and extol his Aagaa Creed:

I bear witness that there is no god, but Aagaatar and that Garlig is His messenger. I will show no mercy; torture and kill in the name of God Almighty Aagaatar.

The beauty and simplicity of his ideology of hatred and death, and the thought the Stargirls would emulate it, brought a cruel smile to his face. He decided that love was their greatest strength and weakness and the key to their ultimate downfall. He knew he could not force them to obey his commands, not even control them—but he also knew he could trick them into doing his will. Love would make them his slaves. Their devotion to each other would conquer them. An amusing paradox of free will he thought . . . not truly free. His whirring scalpel blades seemed to express delight in his wit while the comedy-tragedy of a universe soon created in his image.

Aagaatar wrathfully turned back to FIST, whose advanced artificial intelligence instantly analyzed his enraged face and recognized danger. FIST quickly projected intergalactic battle plans around Aagaatar and downloaded intelligence reports directly into his brain for analysis, thus creating a diversion for his fury toward FIST. Distracted by the cortical stimulation, Aagaatar’s brain tingled with an infusion of biochemical energy and information while his anger subsided.

He reviewed developments from Quadrant 3. He believed the combination of his Zaagon Armada, the Zanoo infinity weapons and Garlig’s shock treatment would be devastating. However, he knew they would be unstoppable with the aliens’ Star power.

Garlig suddenly entered the FIST, bringing stunning news that he knew would anger the Master. The shocking news struck Aagaatar like a knife plunged through his heart. A suicidal attack against Rayton’s Zaagon fleet had killed Rayton, his most esteemed commander, and destroyed his Zaagon fleet. Ten million Silent Killers vaporized, weakening his left flank, leaving Quadrant 4 defenseless, and Aagaatar’s Zaagon Citadel exposed.

“The Western front annihilated—impossible,” Aagaatar bellowed; his saw-teeth buzzed in a fit of rage.

 

The Stargirls rise from the Dead

alien monsters, alien worlds, teleportation

Chapter 13 pgs. 70-72

CHILDHOOD DREAMS AND FORGOTTEN MEMORIES collided as they awoke with a start from their harrowing experience. They found themselves back in their physical bodies as they came to their senses, still at a loss over what had happened.

Mad broke the silence. “I know we survived an appalling reality, real or imagined, but can anyone say what happened? We were dead and now risen from the dead. That’s beyond fantastic.”

Ali said, “Yeah, what the devil? The last thing I remember is feeling overwhelmed by love and terror, as we stood shoulder to shoulder and faced down death . . . then nothing.”

Jill calmly said, “No, not nothing—it has something to do with what we have felt all of our lives; but now it’s manifesting itself with frightening speed. All I remember is we’re the chosen ones.”

Lyn replied, “You’re right—we survived a monster quake, a brush with a watery grave, faced our inner fears; and now destiny calls, for better or worse, and we have embraced it. We’ll have to feel our way, one step at a time.”

Ali said, “I feel something was fixed inside us to face what’s ahead.” The Stargirls felt it too but could think of only one thing—survival.

Sade gasped, noticing their surroundings. “How did we get here?” They were sitting at the base of King Kong’s wall, in their climbing gear.

Lyn sighed, “I haven’t the foggiest, so let’s get back to reality, if it exists.”

Sade looked at the still water reflecting her cave light and felt a pang of guilt. She felt she had let the Stargirls down; it bothered her. Mad noticed her distressed expression and fixed her with a stare. “Don’t even go there,” she said.

Their inexplicable materialization was unsettling—it defied the laws of physics. They began their ascent to the surface, two at a time. What choice did they have?

The strange events entangling them crossed Sade’s mind on the way up. She knew facing death had the power to alter brain chemistry, change perception and consciousness, and boost psychic powers. However, she had no idea whether what they had encountered had changed anything.

Ali’s thoughts were on a shower and soft bed as she eased herself onto the cavern floor and yelled to Sade. “Let’s get home to a hot shower.”

Sade reached up for Ali’s hand. “Forget the shower; any diver worth her salt wants a steamy perfumed bubble bath.”

Ali hauled her up and said, “Something’s not right.”

“What?” Sade asked.

“I don’t know.”

Gathering her gear, Ali brooded over what was not right when it hit her. “Sade, the alabaster rose disappeared.”

“What?”

“The gypsum rose chandelier.”

“That’s odd, what do you make of it?”

“No idea.”

Out of the gloom, a horrific sound caused the cavern to shake and hair on the back of Ali’s neck to stand up. The ghastly banshee sound pierced Jill like the death rattle of some monster about to strike. The ground jolted beneath them as the sound drew closer and louder; and there was a sharp guttural roar, broken up by wild snorting and sucking sounds.

Jill yelled, “Something smells us, stalking us.”

Ali shouted, “Run … come on, follow my headlamp!”, and quickly guided them out of the cave; the horrendous sound pursued them. They ran and ran until Sade, winded, stopped.

Gasping, she said, “I think we lost it. Did anyone get a look at it?”

Jill, panting hard, was last out of the cave and said, “No, but I smelled its putrid breath.” She hooked an arm around Ali and squeezed her. “Thanks heroine.”

“Ah shucks, it was nothing. But let me check my underwear.” Muted laughs silenced when Jill fretfully said, “Has anyone seen my baby?”

Lyn bearer of bad news said, “Never mind your old battle-axe. You should be asking where in the world Earth is,” as she pointed to the night sky. Jill rubbed her eyes with grimy knuckles, wondering if what she saw was a dream as she scrutinized two alien moons.

Mad said, “Where are we?”

“Maybe heaven or hell—who knows.” Lyn wished she knew.

Ali edgily said, “Defense is our offense. I don’t want anything else mistaking us for a midnight snack.”

Lyn, deep in thought, assessed their situation. The alien planet’s circadian rhythms were unknown—when dawn would come, or whether there would be a dawn was anybody’s guess—let alone fluctuations in temperature and its source of water and food. She was grateful for the oxygen they breathed and the cool climate, given the hostile terrain. She decided higher ground was their best hope. There they could find shelter and steal precious sleep they needed to keep an edge. Thinking would be their most effective weapon. They must think clearly to survive.