Guardian Awakening by C. Osborne Rapley Page B

subject of having to stay here. Tristan had averted that decision for the present; he knew she could not hide indefinitely.  
    When Tristan returned he sensed something very wrong. Strong feelings of fear, hatred, and anger filled her mind. His chest tightened. Had someone walked by and seen her? Maybe the authorities had been tipped off and had come to arrest them both. He took tight control of his thoughts and with slow deliberation moved around his cottage. No official vehicles parked in his drive, so the source of Aesia’s distress had to be something else, but what? Keeping low he crept up the slope. As he reached the brow of the rise, he dropped down and crept forward on his stomach so he could see her ship.  
    His breath caught in his throat. Aesia was on her knees with her hands behind her head. Standing over her a different alien, with a second standing by a craft much larger than her fighter. The newcomers were slightly reptilian, with a faint, green tinge to their skin. Ridges ran from front to back of their heads where hair would normally be. They both wore dark blue uniforms. The markings on their craft were not the same as on Aesia’s fighter.
    The one standing over her held a gun close to her head. She had a spreading bruise on the side of her face and blood oozing from her mouth. He was going to shoot her! Tristan’s insides twisted up. That is not going to happen!
    The other one lounged against an open door to their ship. It looked more like a shuttle or small scout ship rather than a fighter. He carried what looked like a rifle cradled loosely in his arms. From his obvious nonchalance, he thought there was nothing to threaten them here.  
    Tristan thought quickly; if he went back to the cottage and got her gun, it would be too late. What could he do? The alien could kill her at any moment. He could not sense their minds the same way he could sense hers, so he was at a loss for what to do, but he had to act quickly.  
    He racked his brain; she had disconnected her ship’s computer using its parts for the communicator, so no help there. Suddenly, he thought of her translator. She had it with her all the time. He felt for its presence; yes she had it with her! Holding his breath he sent a question to it, knowing it would translate what he instructed. Can you take the one standing over you if I distract them?
    He noticed her stiffen, and he got a clear Yes from the translator.
    Ignoring the gorse tearing at his exposed skin Tristan dragged himself forward as close as he dared without them noticing him.  
    He saw the alien with the gun pointing at Aesia tense. He had run out of time. With a loud yell he jumped up and ran towards the one with the rifle as fast as he could, closing the distance with large strides, screaming at the top of his voice. He saw the alien fumble with his rifle and start to turn it towards him as if in slow motion. Tristan started to zigzag a little, but kept closing the distance, praying the alien was too startled to take proper aim. He hoped his shout, and sudden headlong rush, had distracted the one standing over Aesia sufficiently for her to take care of him.  
    The short distance seemed like a mile; he half expected to be shot before he reached his target. When he judged distance was close enough, he launched himself at the alien’s legs in a classic rugby tackle. The alien had been taken by surprise. He had taken too long raising his rifle. By the time he was ready to fire, Tristan had him.  
    He fired without taking any aim. Tristan ignored the searing pain and burning on the skin of his left shoulder. They both went down together. The alien, winded by Tristan’s tackle, lay gasping, and with a swift punch, Tristan knocked him out.  

    At Tristan’s yell, the alien standing over Aesia turned, the pistol wavered for a moment, and she lunged forward, twisted and pulled the feet from under him. His gun discharged harmlessly into the sky. With a swinging chop, she knocked