“Did you shine the multicorder light on him?” Morgan asked, her voice in his ear.
“Yeah. I think that’s what made him mad.” Ari made sure the beam was away from the creature.
“The readings I’m getting from your handheld confirm he’s made of the same materials that crystals and glass are on Earth. Of course, with a few alien variations mixed in.” She continued. “If that’s so, I think I know something that will help feed him.”
Ari’s eyebrows rose. “You want to feed this thing?” A bunch of crazy scenarios swarmed in his mind. And most of them ending with him suffering excruciating pain.
“Yes.” Her voice was excited. “If we can get him to trust us, we can make sure he doesn’t go around killing more Ozevroc or sabotaging our systems.”
Watching the alien with its arms around its knees, rocking and groaning, Ari voiced his concerns. “I don’t think he’s smart enough to create the system problems we’ve been having.” He didn’t want to voice his suspicions this was the guy who killed the two Ozevroc. From what he could see, the blocky teeth from the creature fit the indentation on the last furry body they’d found.
“Of course not,” Morgan admonished. “But he can help us find the Ozevroc who are trying to overthrow Welozz. And that kind of revolt will get us killed before we fixElemiand escape.”
Good point. “Okay,” Ari said. “What do you want me to do?”
“See if you can generate that ball of fire again. Then take it close to the creature and see how he reacts to it.”
“Reacts?” He didn’t like the sound of that. “In what way?”
“I’m hoping that kind of heat and energy is what he needs.”
Her calm statement sent a dull throb through his temples.
“So, what do you want me to do? Toss it at him?” Then run like hell.
“Perfect! Yeah, do that!” she exclaimed.
Ari swore to the goddess…if that was her clapping in the background…
With one last look at the simpering crystal giant, Ari put out his hand, palm up. Hey, look at that. He brought the fireball up with barely a thought. His fingers tingled with raw energy as the psychic fireball coalesced in his palm, its heat licking at his skin without burning him.
The ball pulsed with a fierce inner light, swirling and rolling like a contained storm.
Ari focused, shaping the fiery orb with his will. He stepped closer to the cage. “Hey, As’ni? That your name? As’ni?”
The alien’s crystalline body reflected the chaotic glow of the fireball. The bulky creature stopped moaning and looked up, his huge palms falling to his sides. “As’ni. Yes.” He nodded. Then his eyes fixated on the bright ball Ari carried. “Food?”
Ari raised his hand. “Is this what you need, As’ni?” Please let this be what the guy needed. He’d sure hate for him to lose his shizzle again. No telling if the ship could handle another tantrum like that.
As’ni jumped up, hitting his head on the top bars. Not that he seemed to care. He hunched and threw out his massive paw, his fingers opening and closing.
The look of sheer hunger stamped on his face made Ari take a step back. Damn, he’d hate for that creature to look at him like that. But no, the guy remained fixated on the ball of fire.
“Gimme.” As’ni‘s voice wavered. “Give to As’ni.”
No way was Ari going to get close enough for the mammoth creature to grab him. Tossing it might be the chickenshit way to go, but at least it’d give him a chance to survive. His jaw tightened. Okay, let’s see if this worked.
“Okay, As’ni. Catch!” Leaning on one leg, he pulled back his arm, the psychic flames flaring brighter in response. With one a swift motion, he hurled the ball of fire at As’ni.
It soared through the air, leaving a trail of searing light in its wake.
As the fireball struck As’ni‘s chest, something unexpected happened.
The flames didn’t explode on impact. Instead, they paused, hesitating for a fraction of a second before an unseen force sucked them into his body. Then the fireballs of wild energy flowed inward, absorbed into the countless facets of As’ni‘s crystalline form.
Ari sucked in a breath. Wow, that was the weirdest thing he’d ever seen.
As the fiery light spread through As’ni‘s body, it moved like liquid fire. The creature’s translucent surface glowed brighter, the fireball’s energy becoming one with it, refracting and scattering in brilliant patterns. A dazzling light danced within, illuminating every edge and angle until it radiated a steady, blinding gleam.
