NOVEL WEB Today You, Tomorrow Me.
Kevin didn’t know it yet, but he was about to save the lives of twenty thousand people. He didn’t wake up that morning expecting to do such a thing, nothing more exciting planned in his day than picking up a burrito from a local food truck. Kevin would never know the impacts of his actions, he would never meet the people he saved. There would be no songs written about him or stories told of his greatness, and he wouldn’t even really remember what he did.
Every storm starts with the flap of a butterfly’s wings, every tidal wave emerging from a ripple, and every moment of empathy in the universe starts with a single act of kindness.
Date: 51 PST (Post Stasis Time).
Teresa was not having a good day.
Rain poured down from the heavens as she tried her best to get the vehicle running again, the torrent of water soaking her tiny body as she shivered against the harsh storm raging around her. Hooves, talons and every variety of shoe found in the galaxy thudded around the tiny Kalku, as she tried her best to start the vehicle up once again; puddles kicked up by the foot traffic splashing against Teresa’s tiny 6-inch body, leaving her normally sleek black and white striped fur heavy and sodden.
Tiny grasping hands pulled at various pieces of machinery, a little pointed snout with 6 small whiskers covered in grease as she tried to work out what exactly was wrong with her method of transport, using the propped open hood to try and avoid the worst of the storm. From Teresa’s position, she could see through the glass window to her five small children still sat inside her now broken transport, restlessly fidgeting and fighting with each other as they stayed safe inside the container while the marsupial outside tried her best to try and restart her vehicle.
In a world where the average species is over 5 feet tall, travelling anywhere as a Kalku with a height of perhaps six inches was a dangerous and harrowing experience; the masses of thundering feet and the great distances between locations made even crossing the street a deadly event. That was why most people of such a size travelled in highly armoured transport vehicles, able to withstand an accidental kick or stomp from practically anything the universe had to offer. This worked relatively well with such individuals…
Until the vehicle broke down in the middle of the street, leaving them stranded.
Teresa slumped over in desperation as the foot traffic continued around her, the vehicle refusing to start no matter what she did with it, both a useless hunk of metal and the only safety she had against the rain and getting trampled underfoot. It was supposed to have been a simple day out with her children, visiting the extensive shopping centres the City of New Angelos had to offer. Now she was stuck with nowhere to go, only a dangerous journey through the crowds of people. There was nobody to call on this planet, nobody who could help, the Kalku were hardly common outside of their home systems.
“Hey, you alright down there?”
Teresa glanced up at the mountain of primate that suddenly towered over her, a full 6 foot tall bipedal figure dressed in a brown leather jacket. They carried both a concerned look on their face and a bag full of burritos from a local food stand. It took her a few moments to remember what they were: A Terran, a giant apex predator that sent a small long forgotten part of Teresa’s tiny marsupial brain into an instinctive worry and fear, being pushed away by her more rational sapient thoughts.
“It’s my transport. I don’t know what’s wrong with it, if you know someone who could help, it’s too dangerous for my kids to walk…”
There was a moment as the Terran seemed to look inside the vehicle at the five little tiny Kalku pups, all of whom had stopped fidgeting and were now staring up at the giant now looming over them. The primate gave a large smile, giving a small wave at the children inside the vehicle before turning to stare directly at their mother.
“Well, I don’t know anyone in particular, but my car’s parked not too far from here. I can give you a lift to the embassy sector, someone there will totally know what to do.”
“If you could, that would be a lifesaver.”
The Terran needed no more prompting to spring into action, Teresa jumping back into her vehicle as the giant primate picked the entire thing up in one go, as if something containing her entire family was nothing more than a children’s toy. They were lifted high into the air, or at least high from the Kalku’s perspective, as the children inside giggled and shouted at this sudden new view, faces pressed against the glass.
Then, they were off. What would have been an hour of dangerous travel for Teresa, dodging the crowds of thundering giants, was completed in less than ten minutes, the Terran pushing through the streets while holding their entire vehicle like it was nothing: A torturous trek through a storm for a Kalku was a mere stroll through a slight covering of rain on a gloomy day for the ‘normal’ sized primate.
It wasn’t long before the giant primate’s vehicle was in sight, Teresa’s broken form of transport placed entirely in the backseat. The Terran seemed to rummage around in the back for a moment, before handing her a giant towel to dry herself off with. She gratefully took it as the inferior of the car steamed up slightly, the 7 people taking refuge from the cold and rain outside.
“Thank you so much! I’m Teresa by the way.”
“I’m Kevin, and it’s no problem at all! Do you all want something to eat? I got an extra Burrito you can totally have, they always give me too much food!”
The cheers from the little tiny pups was all Kevin needed to hear as he placed the extra food in front of them, the 5 children needing no encouragement to dig into a burrito literally larger than they were. Teresa fished around inside her belongings before pulling out a credit chip.
“Let me pay you for the ride and food. I don’t have much, but I can give you something for this.”
The Terran just shook his head, holding out a hand to reject the offer as the car started to drive itself towards their destination, its basic self-driving routines taking them towards the district where the City’s many embassies stood, for the many different kinds of people who visited the City of New Angelos.
“Nah, it ain’t nothing. You looked like you were having a ringer of a day, everyone needs a little bit of help sometimes.”
Teresa held out the payment once more, more insistently, now fully dried and the sounds of her children happily eating their body weight in food coming from her side.
“I can’t just leave you with nothing after you’ve been such a help!”
Kevin paused for a moment, before looking down at the little tiny Kalku.
“Save your money and pass it on. We Terrans, we believe in a Karma, that good deeds will eventually come around to you. Next time you see someone in trouble, give ‘em some aid if you can. There’s a saying around my parts. Today you, Tomorrow me.”
—--------------------
Date: 59 PST (Post Stasis Time).
Yulnthak was not having a good day.
“No, no no no no no no!”
The voice cried out with the telltale sound of desperation and despair. A deep voice, a powerful voice, one that emanated out from the mountain of a man that knelt on the ground in despair. The lltama were a herbivorous species, but anyone who knew their biology could tell you that some of the most dangerous beings in the universe ate nothing but plants and fruits. The short pitch black fur was their least intimidating trait. Almost every being had to look up at the massive figure, 9 feet tall if he stayed quadrupedal, four legs and two arms made entirely of dense muscle. Hooves as hard as steel, pointedly deadly horns, all finalized with two deep, red eyes. A Terran might describe them as a bovine centaur made of nightmares and hate, the kind of herd animal that even a hippo would steer clear of.
This one was crying out in despair, kneeling in the gutter as they desperately tried to shove their stubby fingers through the grate, ignoring the mud and dirt soaking into Yulnthak’s finely tailored cream-coloured robes. He gave up on trying to reach their fingers through the metal filter, desperately picking up a random stick from the park path that ran besides him, trying to shove it through the gap as the lltama tried to fish out the item that he’d dropped into the drain.
“Come on, come on, I got you!”
Yulnthak could see it, an emerald green pendant sat at the bottom of the drain, glimmering in the dark and threatening to be washed away to wherever such debris ends up. The lltama desperately tried to angle the stick to hook it back towards the surface, but both the limited space for his tool to manoeuvre and his own lack of dexterity worked together to create an impossible task. Yulnthak couldn’t retrieve the item no matter how hard he tried.
But he couldn’t leave it behind either. that wasn’t an option. It wasn’t just a piece of jewellery shining in the dark, it was a Lurin: The lltama had a special ceremony for their dead, where the horns of a fallen lltama were removed, ground down, and cast within precious stones, forever to remain with those who remembered and loved them.
Yulnthak remembered and loved her. Even after all these years, his one true mate still had his heart, as broken as it was. Time may heal all wounds, but it also erodes and weathers away the memories of those now gone. Her scent was no longer present in the house they had built together. The flowers she’d planted no longer bloomed after many winters. The path she’d made from walking through that door every day had grown over with grasses, as nobody walked it any more.
But the pendent had remained, worn close to his heart every day, a reminder forever eternal of the person he had loved, their memories forever with him. But now even that was gone, the chain holding the pendant together snapping as continual use wore it down and the march of time weakened and broke the bonds; the last physical reminder of who she was to Yulnthak disappearing down the drain, as he’d walked along the park path.
The lltama tossed the stick away, giving a desperate cry of grief as he beat upon the grate, the unyielding metal uncaring about Yulnthak’s loss, unmoved by both the tears he shed and the physical strength he possessed.
“Excuse me, are you OK?”
Yulnthak turned to look at where the noise had come from, seeing a tiny little figure standing in front of him. The black and white striped marsupial was barely half a foot tall, a concerned look upon her pointy snouted face as the giant sobbed in front of her.
“I dropped my Lurin, it snapped off the chain, and it fell down the drain…”
The little marsupial stepped up slowly to be standing level with the giant bovine, the tiny figure dwarfed by Yulnthak as she stared down the grating, squinting for a moment before pointing out the green object.
“Is that it? The emerald hooked on that branch down there?”
“I just can’t get the angle to hook it out. It’s the last thing of hers that I have…”
Yulnthak’s voice had turned from pure anguish to a forlorn accepting tone, as he was starting to accept that the Lurin was gone, while the little marsupial seemed to inspect the grate for a moment. She looked at the small holes in the metal before turning to look at the despairing lltama.
“I think I can slide through the gap here. If you hoist me down I can retrieve it for you.”
“-you’d do that for me? Are you sure?”
Yulnthak’s voice filled with a small amount of hope as this stranger offered to do such a thing for him. The marsupial gave a shrug in response.
“Consider it my good deed of the day, just don’t drop me! I’m Teresa.”
“Yulnthak! Thank you so much, I’ll be careful!”
The lltama quickly retrieved the long stick he’d been using to fish the pendant out of the drain, watching as Teresa grabbed on tight to the end as he carefully lowered it into the damp darkness. It took a mere instant for the tiny marsupial to collect the emerald stone, a simple act for such a tiny creature. Yulnthak liftied both of them back out of the drain slowly, holding his breath until Teresa and the Lurin were safely back on dry land, neither worse for wear, although now a little damp. He took a moment to check that the last remaining monument to his lost beloved was undamaged, before wrapping the tiny creature in a joyous, careful hug.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! You don’t know how much this means, how can I ever repay you?”
Teresa took a moment to think, before the words of a strange Terran came to mind.
“It’s nothing, I don’t need anything. Just next time you see someone who needs aid… pass it on. Today you, Tomorrow me.”
—----------------
Date: 72 PST (Post Stasis Time).
L’tac was not having a good day.
If anything, the Raha wasn’t having a good year. The bipedal insectoid scurried along the streets, the dark blue hoodie covering most of his features as he kept his head down along the dark, dimly lit alleys. Five years ago L’tac had taken a risk, and five years ago L’tac’s life had improved in every way. The Raha wasn’t an important person back home, an insignificant figure, born in the darkest caves of his home world, far from the loving embrace of the sun. That made him… worthless. In a society dominated by caste and punching down on those below you, L’tac had a life full of suffering and tragedy.
Five years ago an opportunity had made itself known to the Raha, an unattended ship, and L’tac had taken a risk. He’d stolen the vessel and made a straight beeline towards the nearest Terran Alliance system, asking for and receiving asylum. His life since then had been easier, enjoying the fruits of a free and open society. Far away from the four terrible species that made up the Estorian Empire, including his own people.
Until one year ago. One year ago, war had broken out between the Estorian Empire and the Terran Alliance, one started by the Raha themselves. One year ago, the Raha royal guard had attacked a Terran scientific station, killing everyone on board, including torturing a canine uplift to death. One year ago, everything had changed for L’tac.
The clothing felt strange, weird, folding his antenna in uncomfortable ways, but it did the job of hiding what L’tac was. From a distance, you could mistake him for any another insectoid bipedal, hiding the fact that he was a Raha from anyone glancing in his direction. Since the war and the details of what had happened were made public, people had become… angry. Scary. A rage building up amongst the Terran and non-Terran population alike. Officially, he was still a refugee in hiding from his terrible government, but unofficially, it was clear from the general populace that L’tac was no longer welcome here.
“Oy, where the fuck do you think you're going you spider fuck?”
The Terran voice shouted out in a drunken drawl behind him, anger and intoxication mixing together into a hate filled cocktail. L’tac ignored the shouts, giving only a momentary glance towards the group of four Terrans behind him, choosing instead to dip his head and move a little faster. The alleyway was mostly empty, only dim neon lighting providing illumination through the dark night, the side streets at this time of night cleared of all traffic. That was why L’tac travelled at this time: he was less likely to meet the many residents of the Terran Alliance who were no longer friendly to someone like him.
“I was talking to you, you Raha shit! What, you in a rush to go kill another dog?!”
L’tac moved faster now, hoping that ignoring the drunk Terrans would be the correct response. He just wanted to get home where he’d be safe and away from prying eyes that now hated him. This wasn’t what the now following group wanted, their shouts continuing as they started to follow down the alleyway, each egging the others on as they followed their target, the Raha ignoring their insults until they got bored.
An unsuccessful strategy. With a look of rage, the leader of the group threw the beer bottle he’d been holding, proving correct the old adage that you’re never truly out of range of a human. The sound of shattering glass filling the alley as the empty container crashed against the back of L’tac’s head, the Raha collapsing to the floor in pain, feeling the wet warmth of blood cover his insectoid hands as he grasped his head on the floor.
The four attackers moved towards their downed prey, anger mixing with intoxication mixing with a lack of consequences in this empty alley, creating a final painting of hate and ignorance as they started to surround poor L’tac, one of Terran giving a vicious kick to the side of curled up Raha.
“You some kind of spy? You here to scout out another attack? You ain’t so tough when we fight back, are you!”
“Excuse me, just exactly what is going on here? Why are you making so much noise at this time of night?”
The complete irony of the Terran’s statement would never fully sink in, as the sound of a door opening and a new voice interrupted the proceedings, the four Terrans turning to face this figure. A momentary look of confusion and worry crossed the group’s faces as 9 feet worth of pure bovine muscle exited the back door of a nearby building, the intimidating effect of the deep black centaur from hell only slightly tamed by the floral pattern nighttime robes he wore, as well as the tired look on his face from his disturbed slumber.
“Ain’t nothing to do with you. It’s just some Estorian spy realizing he picked the wrong planet to be on!”
The Terran gave L’tac another kick, this one a far less effective drunken affair, causing a look of worry and disgust to cover the features of the newcomer. The giant man moved towards the commotion, getting in between L’tac and the Terrans. Then he slowly stood to his full height, his head towering further and further over them as a small part of the attackers minds started regretting their decisions to be near this mountain of a person.
“This doesn’t seem like an action befitting civilized beings. This is over, leave.”
“You can’t tell us what to do Mr McDonald, who do you think you- ARGHHHHHH!”
A more intelligent man would have known where and when to pick their battles, and that going up against a 9 foot tall monster was a bad idea. However, alcohol, male bravado and ignorance tend to intersect at Bad Idea Avenue, as the most bold of the Terrans had chosen to enact the very bad idea of jabbing an angry finger into the chest of the bovine. The bovine had taken offence to that, grabbing the offending limb and giving it a painful twist, the sound of the Terran’s agony and the cracking of bone reinforcing the learning effect of how much of a bad idea this entire thing was.
The other three immediately fled, no amount of liquid intoxicated courage giving them the stupid idea to go up against this beast from hell, the fourth following when the bovine finally let his broken arm go, scrambling to catch up with the rest of the stupid group. Now alone, he turned to look at the figure still curled up on the floor: The Raha had a nasty injury to the back of his head needing medical attention, but not life-threateningly so. He reached down, picking up L’tac between his arms as if he weighed nothing.
“Come on, let’s get you to the hospital.”
“Why, why would you help me? Nobody here helps me.”
It took a few moments for the Raha to finally speak up. The bovine took a few moments of his own to consider this as he carried the insectoid in the direction of medical care.
“The universe is not your fault, and I was in the position to help. The world is a better place when people try to help others. As a strange but kind marsupial once told me: Today you, Tomorrow me.
—----------------------
Date: 73 PST (Post Stasis Time).
Empress Katrealla, hunter of beasts, commander of the fourth legion, was not having a good day.
The reptile lay upon the dirt path, writhing in pain and delirium as the world around her faded in and out, the long orange serpentine body of the Dtari convulsing as painful colours flashed around her vision. Pride comes before the fall, and the Empress was nothing but prideful, leading to the litany of mistakes that led to this moment.
She should have brought her royal guards with her, she should have accepted the offer of a local guide, she should have stayed on the main paths, and she should have been more careful. A lot of shoulds, coulds, and would haves if Katrealla had the option to redo things. Based on her heart rate, the leader of the Dtari might not have a lot of time for reflection left.
Sure, the planet sized nature reserve she was visiting advertised itself as being dangerous, but that was dangerous to a Terran. Wimpy primates with no natural amour, teeth or claws to defend themselves: regarding their warnings the same way she might regard the cries of mythical monsters in the dark from children. She was Empress Katrealla, hunter of beasts, commander of the fourth legion: nothing these primates could throw at her would be actually dangerous!
In retrospect, she should have taken these warnings more into account. Hindsight was 20/20 after all. Katrealla didn’t really see what had bitten her, something reptilian with a flash of bright colour. Something venomous.
And now Empress Katrealla, hunter of beasts, commander of the fourth legion, lay dying in the dirt. A brief moment of lucidity led her to wonder if the army she controlled would ever find her body.
Movement, the Empress was moving somehow, hands grasping her by the shoulders and dragging her along the ground. She didn’t know what was going on in her delirium, what or who was doing this, but Katrealla could feel the change as the harsh sun became a cool shade. A sharp pain poked the serpentine’s neck, before eventually she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.
Awaking was both a pleasant surprise and a curse as the Dtari felt awful, her head feeling like rocks being ground together and a mouth as dry as the dust on the ground. The sun had dipped slightly since the last time she had awoken, suggesting several hours had passed since her last conscious thought.
Katrealla was laying in the shade of a tree as a figure watched over her. It took a moment for the empress to realize it was a Raha of all people, an oddity in Terran Alliance space. The Dtari tried to speak, but nothing but a harsh whisper emitted from her parched throat. The bipedal insect handed her a container of water in response, which she drank from gratefully.
“I’m L’tac, found you in trouble out there. Looks like you got bit by something nasty, you're lucky I was here. What are you doing out here without any anti-venom on you?”
The Raha explained softly as Katrealla finished drinking, dipping her head in shame at this mention. The diplomat she was meeting here had suggested such a thing, but in her arrogance she had discarded such silly precautions. This entire meeting was to determine if her people would ally with these silly primates who claimed to be warriors, and the Empress hadn’t expected the Terrans to have anything actually dangerous.
“I did not believe it was necessary, since I doubted the danger of anything a Terran world could provide. This was seemingly a mistake.”
“Yeah, if a Terran tells you something is dangerous, listen. The people here are generally nice, that's why I moved here a few months ago, but any world the Terrans create to be specifically dangerous shouldn’t be underestimated.”
Empress Katrealla was many things: Prideful, Arrogant, a fan of shooting enemies. Dishonourable wasn’t one of them. Katrealla slowly and painfully stood up, the Raha taking a step back after realizing just how… big and well-built the Dtari Empress was, as she stood up to her full height.
“I am Empress Katrealla, hunter of beasts, commander of the fourth legion. You, L’tac the Raha, saved my life. We now owe a blood debt to you, my armies, my legion, my strength will aid you in any campaign or crusade until this debt is cleared.”
There was an awkward pause as Katrealla made this declaration, the Raha staring up at her for a moment before giving a shrug.
“Ehhh, don’t really need it. I’m happy on this planet: Cool nature, nice people, don’t really have much of a need for a crusade here.”
The Empress deflated a little bit, looking confused. Being denied the ability to pay her debt to this Raha was not how this was supposed to go.
“You… can’t…. do that? You saved my life, a debt is formed, I can’t… not pay it!”
“Give it to someone else then, pass on the good vibes, save someone else who needs it. Help others and they’ll help you. As they say: Today You, Tomorrow Me”.
—----------------------
Date: 74 PST (Post Stasis Time).
Governor Steven Holden was not having a good day
He sat in the bunker along with the thousands of other people, huddled together and awaiting the end, the harsh concrete walls and bright lighting not doing much to brighten their moods. They could hear the sounds of fighting and war outside the bunker doors, thousands of scared faces and tens of species as diverse as the colony of Little Polonia itself. A few of them were armed, standing ready with weaponry should the enemy breach the bunker, although they knew any resistance would be forlorn.
Little Polonia was a new Colony, a mere 15 years old and made up of various races in the Terran Alliance: Hatil, Ritilians, Kirken, and of course, Terrans. One hundred thousand people of different species and backgrounds coming together to create something new, to create something beautiful. The cities and gardens were from a variety of different planets, large Terran Elm trees growing next to Hatil Tutu bushes. The Spiralling floating architecture of Kirken buildings mixing with the Zorthian glass-based aquatic architecture.
There was something pure about the idea, the unity of different cultures and peoples coming together to create something new, something exciting. Travelling across the stars to try something new, a swirling snow globe amongst the stars. Soon be shattered into a thousand pieces, the remnants of the colony hiding in this bunker.
The Terran Alliance war against the Estorian Empire had taken a turn for the worse. The four terrible slaver races that made up the cruel military force had not been doing ‘well’ in their conflicts with the Terrans, each of the races refusing to work with each other over the last three years.
Until now.
It had been a hard fought battle, with both sides trading blows and leaving masses of scrap and debris in the system surrounding the colony, but in the end the Terran Alliance had been forced to retreat from the area, evacuating as many people from Little Polonia as they could, but still forced to leave behind twenty thousand souls. Twenty thousand souls who could do little but wait and watch as death and destruction of all they had built approached. The Estorian Fleet was damaged, but the little colony didn’t have anything to fight back with once the main fleet had retreated with all the civilians they could carry.
The sounds were getting louder now, a few murmurs and whimpers of fear from the people he’d been elected to lead. A macabre wonder started running through Governor Holden’s mind, at exactly which of the four races would burst through the door? Ironically the giant lizard-like Hagorthian’s would probably be best: They didn’t really take slaves, or prisoners, preferring to just kill anyone they met in their ever demanding desire for combat.
The other three were just worse choice after worse choice: The Insectoid Raha were sadistic, enjoying torturing and playing with anything they considered ‘lesser’ than them, which included basically everyone and everything. The Avians who went by the name Lelzoil at least avoided needless pain and suffering. They preferred to tear subjects apart for scientific reasons, tests and processes in their never ending desire for knowledge and growth. Maybe both of them were better than the Uhae, whose XK-wave abilities literally stole your mind away from you, controlling their subjects like puppets for their own desires.
The Governor tensed along with his remaining people as the sound of something cutting into the bunker door’s opening mechanism reverberated around the room, followed by the clunking of metal as someone started opening the heavy metal door using the manual override. Daylight started creeping in under the now widening entrance, shadows of movement from figures visible.
Gunfire. The few armed civilians aiming at the door took fire at the gap, none of them taking any chances, the figures on the other side dove for cover, the opening door stopping in mid-air as the members of the Little Polonia colony defended themselves.
“Stop, stop, stop! What is wrong with you, you idiotic weakling primates! Stop shooting!”
That wasn’t the voice of an Estorian race. It wasn’t even a Terran Alliance race. Steven’s translator helpfully explained the voice was speaking in Dtari, despite the fact that there wasn’t a single Dtari on the planet. Why was there a Dtari on the planet? Confused murmuring spread amongst the people in the bunker as they allowed the bunker door to be opened fully, this time without gunfire.
Yep, there they were. Not just one, but an entire army of the serpentine species. The Dtari were a neutral warrior race, known for their honourable conduct, but not known for getting involved in random wars and helping people.
The scene outside the bunker was also a mystery. Various Estorian and Dtari bodies lay scattered as far as the eye could see, discarded and destroyed weapons of war from both sides sprinkled in between. A battle had clearly been going on, the signs of fighting and warfare evident, thousands of the Dtari legion marching around and securing the end result of their victorious conflict.
In front of them stood the largest of the serpentine Dtari, standing at her full height, armour splattered with her enemies blood and a vicious claw mark running down her side. It was an intimidating sight, and one that the governor wasn’t sure if it was good or bad news.
“Uhm… hello. I’m Governor Holden of this colony and… what are you doing here if you don’t mind me asking? Not that I’m complaining if your intentions are honourable.”
The full level of confusion was on display as the Terran tried to push past the complete lack of information he had, to provide at least an attempt at a polite greeting. In response the large dominating Dtari stood to her full height as she responded.
“I am Empress Katrealla, hunter of beasts, commander of the fourth legion. I am here to aid you as part of my blood debt. My only requested payment is you pass it on to others in need. Today You, Tomorrow Me.”