Here's To First Contact

[Ritah Lowen 0]

She knew she was in trouble....big trouble. But Ritah was too ill to be frightened. Besides, there was no reason to waste what time she had left on fear. And she was pretty sure she didn't have much time left.

 

At first, her lucid moments came and went but she had enough of them to figure out what was going on. She'd been poisoned. On a couple of occasions since her assignment to Manticore, she'd given serious thought to how she might die in the line of duty. She and Stefen once had a long conversation on the subject. Never, in her wildest dreams, did she expect her demise would be from poisoning...by a tree frog....no bigger than her thumb.

 

Ritah silently chided herself for her stupidity. Why did she get so close before starting the scan? She should have known better than to walk up on something like that without first determining if it was dangerous. She was vaguely familiar with a few of the poisons from various amphibian species in her home galaxy. Some of them were positively lethal unless treated within a few minutes. She was confident the toxin from this alien frog was among them. She could tell by the decidedly uncomfortable effects as it quickly spread throughout her system.

 

She resigned herself to her fate....she had no chance for survival. To begin with, she wasn't sure they had a drug to counteract the poison. But even if they did, it was a moot point because she was nowhere near her companions on the away team. To add insult to injury, Ritah had been spirited away from the campsite by someone or.....something.

 

She distinctly remembered the frog's surprise attack and a sharp stinging pain in her neck. After that....nothing. When she started regaining consciousness, she was dizzy and nauseous. She was also in an awkward position....slung over something's shoulder....something large and powerful....and covered with soft fur. She bounced and wobbled as the creature ran through the pitch black forest without even rustling a leaf, her cheek rhythmically bumping against the animal's powerful pectorals with each step. Although she couldn't see or hear anything, she somehow sensed she'd been taken by more than one of the furry beasts.

 

The young physician wondered if her captors knew she'd been contaminated by the frog's potent toxins. Would they still want to eat her? She decided it didn't matter one way or the other. She would never know because she would soon be dead.

 

Ritah drifted in and out of consciousness, only vaguely aware of her journey through the forest. At one point, she realized they had stopped running. Now, they were climbing. The furry creatures were probably apes of some kind. They was taking her to their tree top lair. She recalled most apes were vegetarians. But even in her home galaxy, there were exceptions. Again, it didn't matter. The frog's toxin was proving both quick and effective.

 

A strong wave of nausea ripped through her and she started to wretch. Her chauffeur stopped and quickly slid her off its shoulder, holding her away from itself until after she stopped vomiting. Her head was spinning as she was carefully returned to the creature's shoulder and they continued the long climb. Ritah cried out as sharp pains shot through her torso and down both legs. The climbing stopped. She heard strange sounds....like the distant strains of a song....but she decided she was hallucinating. A moment later, they were again climbing, much faster than before. She could still hear the song...more than one song and the notes seemed a little frantic. Now Ritah was absolutely certain she was hallucinating. Maybe this entire drama was nothing more than an elaborate illusion...a figment of her dying brain's imagination.

 

They stopped climbing. She was handed off to another of the creatures. This one cradled her like a small child as it gently laid her in a bed of some kind. It was soft and remarkably comfortable. Ritah dug her fingers into the spongy material. It smelled and felt like moss and tree bark. They had put her in their nest.

 

She shivered and was quickly covered by a blanket of sorts. Someone was beside her, pressing a warm, fragrant paste into the wounds on her neck. Another of the creatures knelt down on the opposite side of the bed or nest or whatever they chose to call it. A strong arm cautiously lifted Ritah to a sitting position and put a small wooden bowl to her lips. Her host insisted she take a sip. She had little choice but to comply. The taste of the warm, pungent liquid made her gag and she turned her head away.

 

Again, she heard the soft melody of an unusual song. It was similar to the one she heard earlier while they were climbing up to wherever this was. But this one was a little different. There was no rhyme or rhythm to it but she was pretty sure the song was meant for her. She pulled away slightly and looked directly at the creature holding the bowl. There was virtually no light but they were so close to each other, she could see the face, especially the eyes....large and dark and....intelligent....very intelligent.

 

The bowl was placed against her lips again. Although unable to communicate, Ritah understood that her host was insisting she drink the remainder of the nasty tasting liquid. She hesitated for a long moment, staring into the creature's expressive eyes. In spite of her diminished mental faculties, she knew these were sentient beings....and they were trying to take care of her.

 

Ritah had no idea what it was they had given her to drink. But these creatures were obviously natives to this world. They might very well posses the cure for what ailed her. "Here's to first contact," she whispered as she held her breath and emptied the bowl of its contents.

 

She was lowered back into the bed and the blanket tucked up under her chin. She turned her head slightly to look at the one treating her wounds. It was a bit further away but she could still make out its eyes.....large and dark and definitely intelligent.

 

She was now very sleepy. The acrid liquid must have contained a sedative, among other things. She fought it for a few seconds, trying to make certain this was really happening and not some spectacular dream. She held the creature's gaze, listening to its quiet song as the herbal drugs worked their magic. Just before she closed her eyes, she managed a slight smile.

 

"Thank you," she whispered softly and then drifted off to sleep still wondering if she would ever again see the light of day.

Edited September 17, 2008 by Ritah Lowen