Thrax

“Yes,” said Meline.  “You have to.  Everything’s going to count on us now, and I need you with me.”

There was just one last thing.  Agena faced Venar again.  “But wait.  What about you?  What happens to you in all this?” 

Soberly, resolutely, Venar replied, “With the rest of my people…I die.”

Suddenly alarmed, Agena raised her voice.  “No!  No, this is wrong!  After everything you’re doing, the way you’re helping us, you can’t just lie down and die!  You have to let us help you!”

“There is no help for me,” said Venar, holding up one hand.  “I cannot leave the ship, and I cannot show to the others that I’ve helped you.  This is the only way to maintain the element of surprise you will need to do as you must…and destroy this armada.  Destroy the Scodax.  The only thing that you can do for me…is to leave me to the fate that my people have earned.  Let me go.  The madness of my race must end – here and now.  Destroy us, and save yourselves.”

Heart breaking, Agena shook her head.  “You’re actually willing to die…for us.”

“I give my life for the only thing that is right,” said Venar.  “The Scodax became a grotesque parody of a civilization.  We must die.  There is not much time now.  Already, your Sir Thrax is about to be pressed into battle with Amlax.  You must shoot the heads of the androids in this room.  Then you must shoot me.  That way, it will appear that you suddenly overpowered me.  I will tell my people that I grew overconfident when I interrogated you, and released you from the restrainer cables. 

I will say that I taunted Dame Meline with her weapon, that she shifted to dragon, seized one of the androids’ weapons, and overpowered us.  My people will be just sane enough to doubt my story, and the distraction of my own interrogation will give you time to do what must be done.” 

She moved one hand to a surface on her sleeve.  “Dame Meline,” she said, “let your badge receive the location of your captured weapons.”  Meline touched her badge at the same time as Venar pressed where she was touching.  Data leapt invisibly through the air from the Scodax female to the dragon woman.  “Now hurry,” said Venar.

Meline said to Agena, “I showed you from our captured data how to work the settings in that rifle.  Use the Kill setting on the androids and the Stun setting on Venar.”  To Agena’s appalled and pained expression, she put a hand on the human woman’s shoulder and said, “You must.”

Agena took one last look at Venar.  Resigned and determined, she said, “You won’t be forgotten.  I’ll make sure of it.”

Trembling, Venar braced herself against the table and pulled herself back to her feet.  Quietly, she faced the other two females and said, “Do as you must.”

Three shots of an energy rifle later, Agena and Meline raced through the corridors of the Scodax mastercraft, back the way they had come.

“We have to find Thrax!” said Agena anxiously.

“We will,” said Meline.