Mobile Threat

Author : Clint Wilson, Staff Writer

The grand patriarch, Thoxphall The 19th stood in his familiar spot, perched on the cliff’s edge overlooking the thousands of members of his kingdom. Off to the side the tight cluster of his offspring served as advisors while they stood in line as heirs apparent. His speech reached everyone in the throng equally and without mechanical assistance as their way of communication was instant and required no sound to travel across inefficient air.

“After the science advisory’s close attention to incoming intelligent signals from an apparent planet in the dimmest star system of the constellation, Brixphall’s Trunk, we have been able to convert the images into thought patterns and it has now been verified that their populous is under constant attack from a horrific infestation of mobile beings.”

Murmurs of alarm spread instantly through the kingdom.

“Can they reach us here?” asked a citizen.

“It does not appear that they can.”

A sigh of relief came through the masses, but then the patriarch added, “For now that is. Some of our top minds think they may be evolving quickly.”

Alarm ran through the throng once more.

“How long then?” one shouted.

“How dangerous are they?” chimed another.

The patriarch did his best to sooth the worried crowd, knowing full well that what was coming next would do exactly the opposite. “Please remain calm. The greatest minds from all of the world’s kingdoms assure us we are safe for quite some time.”

But by law the elders had to share what they had learned with each and every citizen. “Please be warned however, some of these images are disturbing.”

Suddenly a scene was broadcast throughout the entire gathering, each and every one of them receiving a crystal clear picture in their own mind.

The view was alien and nothing short of spectacular, showing a clearing in the middle of some grand green kingdom on another world, with rows of majestic looking citizens standing tall and proud all around.

But then the strange and small peach colored mobile beings with their odd black and red checkered body coverings were doing something strange. They approached a towering elegant alien of stupendous beauty and then to everyone’s horror, they did the unthinkable. Showing callous disregard for life they used a buzzing mechanical device, by extension of their horrible waving flapping limbs, to slice right through the base of the poor unfortunate being’s trunk. A hush fell over the throng as they collectively watched the freshly cut alien come crashing to the ground with finality.

This was then followed by much more of the same. Tree after glorious tree continuously slaughtered by the creatures without a single thought.

A grove near the cliff base said in unison. “We must do something!”

A lone sapling who stood off from the throng, fighting for moisture at the base of a sandy dune near the kingdom’s border responded sadly, “Yes but what can we possibly do against such a threat as this?”

As the broadcast was ceased the patriarch spoke again, “For now we should remain calm and try to be grateful that we are safe where we stand, and that for the moment nothing threatens branch, trunk or root of our people.”

The crowd seemed to accept this with wariness as they all continued to think of the devastation that was now taking place on that faraway world, where those poor defenseless beings were being slaughtered horrifically, their bodies greedily cut up and consumed by the horrible mobile threat.