The Tale of the Blood Diamond (3 page)

“Gentlemen, let’s take a closer look at our adversary. The Yuledrakes, from a physical aspect, mimic us to some degree.” He pointed at a diagram of the Yuledrake’s body, internal organs included. All of our organs are encased in thick, protective tissue, affording us the benefit of staying farther out of physical harm’s way. However, Yuledrakes do not have that. Instead, they have large incisors as seen here.” Aton pointed his finger at the floating, electronic diagram, drawing the picture closer, enlarging the mouth. They are hidden inside the mouth and released, similar to an Earth cat’s retraction claws, during an attack. These fangs have the penetrating power to perforate our tissue, though it takes quite a bit of work on their part. That is not what kills us however. If we are attacked by a Yuledrake, it is the paralyzing poison that comes out of their mouths once they have successfully sunk their fangs into an organ that causes our lifespan to halt. This poison is injected into the victim, causing excruciating pain along with paralysis; thus, they can finish the attack without a continued struggle.”

“Their jaws separate and drop,” Xzion explained as he, too, pointed to the diagram. “I’ve had my share of encounters with them and initially, it can be quite shocking if you aren’t prepared for it. After a while, however, I found them to be an easy advisory. The key is to not let them get too close. You can wipe out dozens at a time as they tend to drift about in packs, but never take your eyes off of them — that is how they ambush. While you’re focusing on the masses, one or two are slinking somewhere in the distance. If they get their fangs in you, that is pretty much the end. Their mouth widens to the point that it appears it may split; the head almost completely peels back to allow the fangs to come forth. It is unsightly and rather unpleasant to watch. In any regard, this is how they kill and they prefer it over weaponry, at least with us. However, I am certain they are planning to use artillery because first and foremost —”

“They know earthlings will attempt to defend themselves, but more importantly, they know Xzion is there.” Aton sighed, joining the conversation. The man’s hand had not yet steadied. “Xzion, this is the new development our investigative team has discovered.”

And this is why you are so wound up…

“The Yuledrakes have been working on destructive devices. This means they plan to attack other planets by the same means. I believe Earth is a practice run.”

They want to burst their cherry on Earth with the new artillery…

“They’ve apparently been planning this for quite some time but your presence on Earth, due to your former assignment in curtailing the drug trade, put them at a disadvantage. They were not aware of a Zarkstormian on the planet, and once word got out that you’d found a cure for overheating and you were remaining there, it sent their previous plans into a tailspin. I am quite concerned about this weaponry, Xzion,” Aton finally admitted. “This will not stop with Earth. They’ve broken all the treaties from centuries past.”

Xzion swallowed. He sat back down and clasped his hands, leaning ever so slightly forward.

“The motivation? Power and dominance. Greed. They want the diamonds. Now, you informed me of an additional piece of the puzzle I was not aware of. Aton, what is this weaponry made of, and what does it do?”

“That information was obviously harder to obtain, but we’ve got approximately a seventy-three percent accurate picture of the situation at hand. They are missiles embedded into a bomb… filled with uranium.”

“So, it’s plutonium with a graphite reactor.”

Aton nodded. “That is correct.”

“Yes. This is a problem.” Xzion sucked his teeth, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes and tapped his fingers on his thigh as he deliberated. He had extensive bomb training, but no two bombs were the same and if the Yuledrakes came up with something like this, they’d obviously spent quite a bit of time perfecting it. They were no match physically; this was an insurance policy that would have deadly consequences.

“We can diffuse it much quicker if we are aware how much heavy water they are using. Do you know?” Xzion asked, his eyes still closed as his temperature rose.

“No, we are still trying to find that out. Worse yet, we do not know where exactly they have the missile embedded bomb located. What we
do
know is that there are four of them. Three appear fairly simple designs, but the fourth one is advanced and the most lethal. It is powerful enough to wipe out, at the very least, half of the worldwide human population. So, it makes sense to me that they are placed in the four hemispheres and that is what we will investigate.”

“East, West, North and South…” Xzion sighed and shook his head. He ran his heavy hand over his mouth and slowly opened his eyes; the right one was booting up, responding to his angry emotions, engaging in preparation for a possible attack. The room blazed with red light. He reached into a nearby chilled pail, popped a jagged chip of ice into his mouth and calmed his nerves as he ran it over his tongue until it melted from his internal flame.

“Look, you guys find the bomb locations. Tell me where they are and I will handle the rest.” Xzion stood from his seat and grabbed his book bag in preparation to depart.

“Wait!” Aton called out. “Xzion, you can’t do this alone. This is a huge undertaking. Not only do we have the missile-filled bombs to contend with; the Yuledrakes have plans to wreck havoc along the way and they are working with others.”

“Who? Who have they brought on board for their mission?” Xzion’s brows crumpled in the crease between his eyes.

“We aren’t sure. That is still under investigation.”

“Xzion,” Korpin interrupted. The dark-skinned man with velvety skin, glistening white teeth and short, cropped black hair raised his hand. “What do you
personally
know about the Yuledrakes? You’ve dealt with them head on before, been in battle. We need all the information we can get if we plan to fight this and help the Earthlings.”

Frustrated, Xzion turned back around. He slung his book bag onto the table and rested his palms beside it. “Korpin, they like to play games and tricks, like the Morphitians. However, they always have a reason. It’s not just for kicks. They are greedy. This is a ravenousness you couldn’t quite imagine. It is what gives them life. Their main mission is always to obtain. They are quite clever, influential and ruthless. They do not have a conscience. They are immune to mind control, so we can’t even go that route. Jatorn is feared by many due to his influence. He is seen as charismatic. He is also a hell of a fighter, but if I say so myself, he is a deserter. He avoids fighting at all costs, and prefers to send others in on his behalf.”

He paused briefly, scratched his temple and bit his lip.

“When he does fight, however, he doesn’t just use his fangs, but also his bare hands.” He extended his fists as he spoke. “He has killed and ordered the murders of millions across the worlds, for no reason other than wanting the materials they possessed. Yuledrakes are collectors. If they see a resource they want, they grab it. If you’re lucky, first they ask and if they are refused, blood is drawn. Their looks are deceiving so those not familiar with them may mistake them for Ujis or Opas, see them as a non-factor.”

“The Ujis?” Korpin laughed and smirked. “They are completely harmless…remind me of overgrown amphibians.”

“Exactly. Everyone knows the Ujis are not fighters. They live in their swampy environment and stay out of everyone’s way. No one wants anything from the Ujis and the only time we see them is during their mating season, but unlike the Ujis, the Yuledrakes are quite sneaky and deceptive.” Xzion’s face drew stern. “Never believe
anything
they say. They are pathological liars. Opas, however, fight back, though with their big dark brown eyes and soft features, they, too, are mistaken as weak. Opas are peaceful, everyone knows it, but the Yuledrakes took over their planet through force and now the Opas are slaves in their own land. Their population has dwindled considerably. They could no longer keep fighting the Yuledrakes, and this is the end result. No one hardly recalls the Opas anymore and though the invasion happened when I was only four, I think it was an error for us to not intervene and try to help them.”

“It wasn’t our place, Xzion. We had no interest in —”

“And that’s the problem, Aton!” Xzion’s voice rose. “All of these years, we never got involved in helping other planets that were being invaded by the Yuledrakes. By our complacency and non-action, we helped train these bastards into believing they could do whatever they wanted. We are one of the few beings that can beat them. They don’t mess with us unless they are prepared to have a bloody battle, at least, historically. Now, however, since our warrior population has dwindled, they’ve become more aggressive. The writing was on the damn wall!” Xzion slammed his heavy fist onto the table.

“The only thing that saved us from a takeover was our minds.” He tapped his temple with the edge of his fingernail. “This is not bragging; it is simply the truth. Our intellect is superior. We had the forethought and skill to create a protective shield over our planet that they cannot penetrate. Now that they’ve created these sophisticated bombs, they will be at our door next. The only difference is, they know once they get through the force field, we will still fight them, and fight them hard; but Earthlings are physically weaker than we are and they have little to no knowledge of the arsenal required to take down a Yuledrake. If you aren’t ready for them, you’re as good as dead. You have to know in advance how to fight them.”

“Yes, and in that is yet another challenge. Like us, you have to shoot them in very specific places for it to work,” Aton explained.

“In our case, it’s our central nerve plex. For them,” Xzion dug his finger into the pit of his ribcage, “it’s right here…right in this hollow spot below the rib cage. It has to be exact. With a Warrior eye however, wherever we cut them is sufficient. Also, Earth weaponry would work on them, so that, at least, is one advantage. Earth guns can’t kill us. They don’t have the right materials.”

“Lead, copper and uranium don’t work on us…” one of the men said.

“Exactly, but they work on Yuledrakes and on humans. Their bodies are fragile so they’ve compensated in other ways. That is the information you need. Now, I must be going. ” Xzion grabbed his bag again. “Aton, you will hear from me first thing tomorrow morning. I am going back to Baltimore to try to find out more information about —”

“Um,” Aton interrupted, running his hand along his jaw, his eyes narrowed. “Before you go, Officer Khrome, Brui would like to show you something.”

“Show me what?” Xzion turned towards the man decked out in his military attire, the glossy plates along his shoulders shining bright.

Aton cleared his throat, bringing the focus back to his original statement. “Xzion, as a token of our appreciation for all that you’ve done, we have something we wish for you to see.”

Xzion shot Aton a bewildered look but remained silent. Brui made short steps towards him. He had a commanding presence. Standing six foot five inches tall with shoulder length wavy brown hair, he ran his large palm smoothly over his boxy shoulder, as if dusting off his metals. He pulled at his military jacket, straightening it, causing the silver buttons to gleam and reflect a tad brighter.

“Officer Xzion Khrome, please follow me,” the man said sternly, his pale skin a contrast to his almond-shaped, black eyes. Xzion remained quiet and followed the man two steps behind until they exited the room. Soon, the two were side-by-side, exchanging glances as they made their trek towards the master morgue and burial site. Xzion had so many questions. He was walking with a man who was almost as revered as much as Aton. A fierce combatant of high esteem. Ironically, Xzion had never shared more than two words with Brui prior to this emergency meeting. The man had been put in power after Xzion left for his first assignment: a skull collection drenched in Rich White Girl and served on silver, cocaine dust line platter…in Columbia.

Before long, a burst of cool air hit him as the door to the mortuary slid open. Xzion stepped over the magnetic threshold and followed Brui far inside, going past the small cluster of scientists roaming about, towards the back in which a golden tomb, adorned with warrior etchings and inscriptions in their native tongue, intricately lined the sarcophagus.

“Xzion, your father is aware you are here today. He believed that you should see this, that it would be a good idea, as a gift to you. We all voted and agreed. Very few have seen him.” The man’s voice was deep, rumbling yet comforting.

Him?

Xzion nodded and waited patiently as Brui made his way around the tomb, unlocking the blue-lit secure seals. The cover slowly rose. Escaping like wisps of cottony clouds, a visible cold blast filled the enclosure. Record-breaking chill encompassed the room as the white smoke continued to pour out. Once it cleared, Xzion found himself face to face with what he presumed was a well-preserved corpse. Only, it looked oddly familiar.

“Xzion, this is your great-grandfather. He was the fiercest, most revered warrior of our time. We’ve preserved his body. As you can see,” Brui pointed to the man’s lips and closed eyes, “your physical resemblance to him is striking.”

Xzion’s mouth suddenly became dry. He stepped closer to his ancestor and leaned in so close to the man, he almost became blurry.

“This is unbelievable. I’d heard stories about Zahar, but I never thought in a million lifetimes I’d see him in the flesh. I just assumed he was buried in the National Zarkstorm cemetery, or kept in an urn, like most others.” Xzion looked at Brui, star struck as he was. “What is he doing here?”