The Choices
Laura was more than willing to cooperate with her captors, considering that either one of the Radinri could shred through her like paper, not to mention the leopardtaur's laser rifle. So, without further incident, Alex led her to a small but not intolerable cell at the bottom of the ship.
The cell was furnished with an old, beat-up bed with a lumpy mattress and threadbare blanket, a dirty sink with a mirror over it, and a toilet. As she looked around, she came to the realization that the cell was furnished specifically for humans; Laura wasn't familiar with Radinri lifestyles, but she couldn't imagine human furnishings being even remotely comfortable for taurians. She turned to Alex: "Why is everything--"
"The cells are refurbished for every invasion," Alex cut her off, "every prisoner asks that. Believe it or not, Radinri have a sort of grudging respect for anyone they take prisoner. You've killed two Radinri hunters, so you've proven yourself as a hunter and, therefore, worthy of being a prisoner."
"'Worthy'?"
"Otherwise, you would've just been killed." Laura stepped into the cell as Alex closed and locked it behind her. It wasn't a great situation, but it beat the alternative.
The ship began to hum eerily as it lifted off. Laura looked for something to brace herself with, but she didn't need to--the takeoff was remarkably smooth.
"So," Laura asked, "Where are we going now?"
"Radinri headquarters," Alex answered, "In New--er, what used to be New York City. It'll be about half an hour. After that, well, that depends on you."
"Me?"
"That's right. We've received instructions to take human prisoners to a secret base in Hawaii. But, since you've proven yourself as a hunter, Rysthin Ka'Ar has said you could be converted...if you want."
"Converted?" Laura faltered, "Like...like you?" she asked, looking at his thoroughly mismatched human torso and lion body.
"Right. We have a conversion tank on board, if you want to get it over with right away. You'd be turned into a Radinri, although above the hips you'd be pretty much unchanged. I'm not sure why, but Converts always keep a vestige of their former species."
"What if I don't want to be a Radinri?"
"Laura," Alex's voice suddenly dropped, as if Rysthin Ka'Ar was listening, which perhaps he was, "The Radinri are taking over the planet. They want to use it as a training ground for their young hunters, but since humans have been killing off so many of the more challenging species, the Radinri have decided to eliminate all humans. But not all of them will be killed--that would be a waste, and any good hunter knows not to be wasteful. They're hoping some of the humans can be turned into other animals for hunting, and others--lucky ones, like you--will become Converts, to be their slaves and servants. Anyone who survives this invasion will lose their humanity, one way or the other. You'd be better off joining us. Otherwise, you'll just be an animal, wandering around waiting to get torn to pieces by some Rysthin-in-training. Seriously, take the conversion."
Laura had to admit, Alex made a compelling case. Yes, this former human was totally subservient to that crass leopardtaur, but he was alive, which was more than most humans could say. Still, she wanted a way out, not necessarily because she'd take it, but just to know that it existed. "What about that thing in Hawaii--you said they needed human prisoners for that?"
Alex sighed. "We don't know what's going on there. The decision has come from really high in the Radinri government. We got our order directly from Armak Kilyea, the provisional governor of Earth, and even she doesn't know whaht they're up to."
"But they want human prisoners," Laura cried, desperate now.
"Human when they arrive, yes. But as far as I know, transports only carry humans TO the base, no humans have left. Maybe you'd manage to keep your humanity--it could be a relocation plan, maybe they don't want to kill all the humans after all. But it could just as easily be a mass execution. I make no promises."
Laura was trapped. It seemed like there was no way she could stay human--although that didn't even seem like such a good idea anyway. Still, she wanted to make a more informed choice, and it felt like there was a lot Alex wasn't telling her.
"How long do I have to decide?" she asked. Alex looked at her grimly.
"In 25 minutes, this ship will land at our headquarters. For rather obvious security reasons, humans are not allowed at headquarters. If you're not a Convert, or in the process of changing, by the time we land you'll be considered a spy, and killed. However, I can signal the cockpit at any time and have this ship redirected to the base in Hawaii. I have no idea what will happen to you there, but as far as I know, you won't be shot on sight." With that, he leaned back, with an otherworldly gleam in his eye.
Written by Zodiac on 18 July 2008
