“That explains why my arrows went wide earlier,” Sang said.
“Exactly. We do have an advantage due to the fact that we’ve been out adventuring, so our muscle memory knows exactly how to punch, kick, attack, and dodge. Pros who have been hanging out back here have probably gone soft due to their lack of adventuring.”
“Sounds like good news to me,” Van said. “Nice thinking, Kenwar.”
“Just... please, please don’t die. If you guys die, I guarantee you Neil will beat me to death,” Kenwar said. He grabbed his hand crossbow and loaded it with a bolt. “I’m going to stay out here. If they send reinforcements, I can pick them off.”
“I don’t think—” Van started, but he was cut off by Sang.
“Good thinking,” she said.
“Are you sure?” Van whispered. “What if he runs?”
“That poison is gonna ensure he sticks around,” Sang said. “Plus, we don’t want to get caught off guard.”
Van shrugged. “Okay, it’s your call.”
“Alright,” Sang said. “We’re going in there. Here’s hoping this works.”
Van and Sang walked to the edge of the water, where the ship was waiting for them. They both looked at each other. Sang could feel her heartbeat pounding away, and she felt faint, but there was little choice now. They had to get that information before it was too late. With Draco and the CIA breathing down their necks, she figured they had maybe another hour at best before everything was lost.
Van grunted and gasped as he pushed against the invisible door and, once again, a whoosh emanated from the space as he tumbled in. Sang walked inside the spacecraft after him, her bow at the ready.
“Well, what an interesting surprise,” said a calm voice as they entered. Sang looked up to see that a tall lizard creature was sitting atop one of the consoles. In his right hand was a goblet of wine and in his left hand was a golden staff with an orb atop it. The lizard creature’s tail thrashed up and down. To his right, Dolly and Bidane were lying on the ground, hog tied and gagged.
“It’s rare for someone to get the drop on us,” the lizard creature said with a chuckle.
Sang raised her bow and aimed it at the monster. “Don’t move.”
“Now, now, let’s not be too hasty,” the lizard replied as it leaned forward against its staff. “I’m certainly not here to get into a fight.”
“Why are you here?” Van asked. “What are you doing all of this for? The murders, the conspiracy… what’s the point of all of this?”
“Point? Oh, you simple humans. Always prattling on about things like purposes or points—so strange,” it said with a chuckle. “I suppose you want to know my name. Your vile tongue could never pronounce my name, though, so you may call me King Lemuel.”
“I figured you’d be at the battle,” Sang said as she stepped toward the bound women. They were both very bloodied, but they seemed awake. Dolly was writhing a little more than Bidane.
“I see no reason to visit the fight myself; at least not in this form,” Lemuel replied. “I fear that perhaps my mind has been dulled from years of being in the presence of humans. Which ones are you again?”
“I’m Van, and this is Sang,” Van said. “We’re here for some information. And we’re not leaving without it.”
“Ah yes, Van and Sang!” Lemuel chuckled. “By far, Draco’s favorites!”
“What do you mean, favorites?” Sang asked. She wanted to just shoot the monster, but at the same time, she worried that provoking it would end in disaster.
“Do you think you’re the only ones who are smart enough to learn our plan? The only ones that those foolish Xevov communicated with? There are hundreds of them roaming around this place, desperate to save their planet! But you two? You’re the only ones who have ever gotten this close. I mean, you have one of your government agencies involved, and you were just so close to getting a real investigation done. Draco likes that about you. They love strength.”
“Then you’re gonna love what we have planned for you,” Sang said. “We’re gonna kill every last one of you bastards.”
“Ah, yes, because we would certainly make sure that we are also affected by our biofeedback technology,” Lemuel replied. “Did you see what I did there? I utilized sarcasm. Of all the human inventions, of all of their methods of spiting one another, sarcasm is the one I like the most.”
Sang glanced at Van. He shrugged at her. She tensed her arm to release the bow, but Lemuel held up a hand.
“I would advise against attempting to harm me,” he warned. “You will find it frustrating and fruitless. I wouldn’t want to tear your flesh to pieces without your allowing me to explain why I am speaking to you right now.”
“So, what do you want?” Van asked. “What does Draco have to gain from killing so many innocent people?”
“Well, that’s the tough question, isn’t it?” Lemuel said with a sneer. “Why, oh why, would anyone want to obliterate almost 90% of the population? Allow me to explain it to you in very simple terms.” He paused to stand up and stretch his arms. “You see, when our race long ago achieved the power to traverse the stars, we discovered something terrible. We discovered that there were many other species in this galaxy, and all of them living lives of chaos and madness. Starvation, sickness, war, and violence reigned supreme on most of these planets. A few were peaceful, or at least, they were non-violent, but all of these planets had the exact same predicament: they were planets run entirely without organization.”
Sang looked at Van again, who shrugged. She really wanted to attack the lizard, but she wouldn’t move unless Van did something to distract it.
“And so, what did we do when we realized that an entire galaxy was full of such chaos?” Lemuel said, raising his hands high. “Why, we did what any civil and organized species would do! We decided that we would tend to this galactic garden. You see, all planets are inherently drawn towards chaos because they have not been blessed like we have. Long ago, the Draco race was given the glorious gift of order by the gods. Our species does not have multiple governments, various states, or even what you humans would call independence. Rather, we are all unified to operate in harmony. There are no wars on our planet. There is no violence. Just one society working for the good of all. And as a result, you will find that we are the most advanced of all civilizations out there. We mastered space flight while you were working on the pyramids. By the time you discovered electricity, we had harnessed the power of travelling across the galaxy, and in less than an hour’s work. Because of the gift of order, we have come along much further than any other race.”
“So?” Van asked. “I mean, it’s great for you guys that you’re all holding hands and singing kumbaya, but why did you feel the need to come and bother us? Why meddle?”
“Suppose you were walking along and you saw a child drowning in a lake,” Lemuel replied. “Would you not dive in to rescue him? Your planet is chaos, pure and simple. All other species do not have the gift of order, and so it was our collective realization that we must share what we have with the universe. We tried different ways of bringing about order. One species we approached was… rambunctious. They valued individuality far more than the sanctity of life and, as such, we were forced to eliminate that planet. We found a trend amongst these lesser races. The more we tried to bring order on, the more chaos came. Because all of these races are creatures of chaos. They feed on it, they crave it, they hunger for it. You can make a man sit down and be still, but the moment you turn your back, he will try to murder you and just about anyone else that he doesn’t like.”