Page 30 of My Tiny Giant
“Voranian?” Rick seemed to regain his composure during Agan’s report.
“Was he alone?” the general asked.
“There were quite a few yirzi ,” I added. “They remained behind the glass, though. None of them actively participated in the actual experiment. The Voranian was the only one who operated the equipment.”
“Did yirzi force him to comply?” Rick asked.
“It didn’t appear that way,” I replied.
“Voranians are our allies,” the general muttered. “This shouldn’t have happened...”
“Do you know anything about the lab, General?” Now that the initial shock had passed and the tension in the room had eased a bit, I sat down again.
Rick followed, taking his seat, too.
“No.” The general energetically shook his head. “I am not aware of any labs here.”
“Then, the Voranians may be conducting secret research on your planet.” Rick steepled his fingers. “We’ll need to report this.”
“No.” The general shot him a look. “Since it happened in our country and to one of us, this is an internal issue. We will deal with it locally.”
Did the general want to keep the matter private for Agan’s sake? If so, shouldn’t he explore all resources available to reverse what had happened, not try to hide it from the world?
“With all due respect, General,” I straightened in my seat, “This hardly is a local issue. Other species are clearly involved here. I believe both the Voranian and the Earth authorities should be informed. Besides, humans and Voranians are much better equipped to figure out what happened to Lieutenant Drankai and, hopefully, bring him back to his own size. Our knowledge base—”
“According to you, Voranians are the ones who have done this to him.” The general sharply gestured at Agan. “And Earth is too far away to involve humans in this.”
I stared at him in disbelief. Did the general not want to help his own man? Or maybe he simply didn’t believe that help was possible.
“The travel time between our planets is five months—not that far away,” I insisted. “What are five months if the lieutenant may be facing spending the rest of his life in this condition?”
Agan swayed on his feet at my words, then plopped down to sit on the table.
I tried to imagine what was going through his head. Could he really be facing a lifetime of being this small? For a man like him, it must be devastating. I hoped for his sake that the effects of the experiment were reversible.
“I request to remain at the base, on active duty,” Agan demanded grimly.
“Absolutely, soldier.” The general nodded. “Your place is here.”
His words seemed to relax Agan somewhat, but I couldn’t give up that easily.
“But what if there was a way to reverse this, Agan?” I implored. “You may need to go to Neron or even Earth, for tests and examinations.”
Agan looked at me with a new expression in his eyes. It was the one I hadn’t seen yet—warmth with a hint of sadness.
“General, do you think there is a chance for this to be reversed?” Agan asked, keeping his gaze on me. “Here on Tragul?”
“We will explore every possibility of bringing you to your former shape and size, Lieutenant,” General Trulgadi assured him confidently. Rising to his feet, he signaled the end of the discussion. “I insist all of you leave the other governments out of this. The incident happened on our planet, to one of our own. It does not concern humans in any way at all. Since Voranians are the ones who conducted the experiment, I suspect a foul play on their part. For the lieutenant’s protection, he will remain at the base, out of their reach. And all of you will remain quiet about everything that’s happened here.”
* * *
A GAN
“We’ll have to leave, Pixie,” the human captain clamped his hand around Emma’s arm the moment the three of them left the general’s quarters.
“Can I have a minute, Rick, please?” She glanced at Agan who was sitting in her hand. “To say goodbye?”
“Sure. Go ahead.” The captain stared at him too, as if waiting for something to happen.