* * * * *
Inidu proved right.
No sooner had Marna launched one of her turtledoves into the night air than she had assumed a yoga lotus position on the floor of the Noticias family's trailer. Tied to the left leg of that dove was a message--from Fitzhugh to the rest of the Spindrift cast-aways--informing them of Inspector Kobic and his armed search party. And, the highly trained bird was guided to the cast-aways' campsite...
...by Marna's telepathic thoughts.
Needless to say, the first few moments of the dove's landing felt like a sandstorm to the cast-aways and their guests! Once the dust had stopped blowing, however, they were all open-mouthed with astonishment at this normally diurnal passerine just standing there. Its head tilting first left, then right, as it looked down at them.
"Will you look at the size of that thing?" whispered the elephantine Obmuj: "I'm three meters tall. And, yet, I feel so puny!"
It was Barry Lockridge who made the more pertinent observation, however.
"Captain Burton; look! There's a piece of paper tied to its left leg."
"A giant carrier pigeon?" exclaimed Steve: "Just when I think I've seen everything."
"Maybe it's a message from Fitzhugh," Mark Wilson speculated.
"If so," replied his wife, Valerie: "...how do we detach it without being mistaken for birdseed?"
"Obmuj and I will do it," volunteered Logunn.
The Zehethbran looked at his Cragmoloid comrade, who nodded. So, ever so slowly, they advanced on the giant columbiform. With Logunn carefully keeping his blaster aimed right at its head. While Obmuj rubbed his massive hands together, to keep the nervous sweat to a minimum. Yet, the turtledove did nothing but stand there, and stare downward!
A minute later, the giant note was spread upon the ground like a picnic blanket. And the information contained on it brought gasps of alarm from most everyone concerned.
"Is this Kobic the head of local law enforcement for this region?" asked Captain Tocneppil of the Nightshrike.
Dan Ericson (the Spindrift co-pilot) nodded, adding:
"Up to now, he's wanted to capture both us and our ship, as gently as possible. But, if this Empire of yours is here in force...!"
"It's not _our_ Empire," corrected Ta'enka'erf: "But, yes; being caught in the crossfire, between two groups of trigger-happy authoritarians, would not be healthy. Fortunately, this friend of yours warned us in time. And, as we Pho'pheahians like to say; 'forewarned is four-armed.' "
Tocneppil, Logunn, and Obmuj face-palmed themselves in perfect unison.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, since no one was getting a decent night's sleep, anymore, the members of the Llebpmac Circus began to have an early breakfast for themselves. And, needless to say, Inidu, Jodar, and Marna sat at the same table as Lee, Kyle, and Leslie Noticias. The latter pair dipped their right index fingers in their respective glasses of milk. Whereupon, they carefully brought their left hands out of their bathrobe pockets and up above the table top.
Within those left hands were the captive Imperial storm troopers Loogar and Roogar. Each one still bereft of his white battle armor...or any other item of clothing larger than their boxer shorts.
Marna could not help giggling as she watched these two little men suckle on the milky tips of the fingers offered them. Just like newborn babies! At the same time, Lee had just as surreptitiously withdrawn Fitzhugh from _her_ left bathrobe pocket. Only, she was not treating him like a helpless infant. Rather, he looked more like a hungry hamster stuffing his cheek pouches. For, as fast as she gave him a small piece of whole wheat cereal to eat, Fitzhugh would gobble it up!
That was when it happened. An SID man, walking into the circus' mess tent, suddenly started as his walkie-talkie blared to extra-loud life.
"Kobic to Base! Kobic to Base! Lock on to my signal and send reinforcements. Repeat: send reinforcements! The information we received is true. There are hundreds of Little People, now!! And, we're taking heavy fire from them!!!"
tbc
Giantess World
