Who Knew Lizards Were the Smart Ones...

"I assume that the Sisalik were the lizard guys?" I asked, trying to get things straight in my head. Don't get me wrong, they will always be referred to as lizard guys by me… but I should know what the others around here call them.

"Lizard guys?" came the confused voice of Jun Li. "According to the limited information that I was able to gather about Earth, yes, the Sisalik do have a strong resemblance to Earth lizards."

"Alright… so the Sisaliks stole from a lot of different planets?" I continued, trying to get as much information as I could. I thrived on knowledge and a whole new universe literally just opened up before me. I was going to jump in with both feet and love every minute of it.

"Yes. The only species that the Sisalik did not acquire anything from is the Saalistaja. But then again, not many are willing to cross that species," explained Jun Li.

I got up from my couch and went to the far wall. "Any food in here?" I asked, my stomach growling. Mind you, I have yet to come across anything even remotely palatable in this place so far… one of the reasons for a pit stop at Earth. I have eaten edible food; my last meal was a case in point… but it only satisfied my hunger and nothing more.

When a bowl appeared behind a white panel, I opened the door and grabbed it. It was an oatmeal-type consistency of what… I wasn't sure… and really, I didn't ask. I was assured by the bot last night that it would provide me with everything that I needed to maintain the "health requirements as was determined by the scientists," … whatever that meant.

I figured I would put it in the same categories as camping food and leave it at that. Thanking Jun Li, I took my… breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? Back to the couch. There were so many things that I would have to get used to… but I would give myself time to do that.

"Ok," I said as I got comfortable and picked up my spoonful of mush. "Lay it on me. Why is no one willing to cross the Saalistaja?"

"What do you mean? Lay it on you? Am I supposed to put something on top of you? I don't think that you will want a Saalistaja on top of you," said a very confused Jun Li. Hopefully, when he was able to download the entire internet, it would have all of these expressions in them since I was sure that this issue would come up a few more times.

"I will determine if I want a Saalistaja on top of me later… what I meant was that I wanted you to tell me all that you know about the species that everyone in this part of the galaxy is scared of," I said around a mouth full of…. "And what time is it Earth time? Do you know?"

"According to my records, that answer would depend on where you were located on Earth."

"Country M," I replied, realizing how broad that question was. Maybe I would have to be more specific in my questions until we can work out a baseline.

"According to my records there are nine time zones within Country M. Could you be more specific?"

"City D, Region M," I said, trying to be as specific as I could.

"It is currently 5 o'clock in the evening in City D, Region M, Country M," said Jun Li. Yup, I was really going to have to watch the way I said things around him. But at least now I knew that I was eating my dinner so I was taking that as a win.

"Thank you for that. Now, back to the Saalistaja. Why is everyone so scared of them?"

"The Saalistaja are registered as a Warrior Species and have been declared the unofficial head of the Galactic Alliance of Sentient Beings. Their technology is considered to be the best in every known galaxy, and they do not share their advancements with any other species. Their favorite pastime is hunting creatures that they deem worthy and their social hierarchy is dependent on the kills of the individual. Even the females are to partake in hunts and will only choose men that display an impressive kill room."

"Kill room?" I asked, my eyebrows raised. Yeah, I could see why most species don't fuck with these people.

"Kill room, as it pertains to the Saalistaja, is a room in their house or section of their warship where the heads of their prey are mounted or otherwise put on display. Only mature warriors are able to have a kill room and only they, or a mate of their choosing, are allowed to enter it."

I nodded my head and scraped the last of the food off of the bottom of my bowl. "Warrior species with a kill room… I'll try to avoid them. What do they look like?" I asked.

"There is little sexual dimorphism between the males and females of the species. Both sexes average a height of 7 feet and are inherently muscular. They have long appendages coming out of the back of their skull that allows for sensory input and they are extremely sensitive to the touch. It has also been reported that they have a distinctive high ridge over their eyes, a flat nose, and two distinct mandibles," said Jun Li. I tried to picture what he was describing, but I really couldn't.

"No mammary glands I'm guessing?" I asked, still kind of amused at the lizard's reactions to my breasts.

"No, the female does not have mammary glands," said Jun Li completely seriously.

Wait… "Two mandibles? Like two mouths?" I interjected, trying to understand what he was telling me before. I was sure that he had a picture of them in his database that he could show me, but I was too comfortable to move at the moment. I would cross that bridge when I needed to.

"That is correct, they have an inner mouth that opens vertically which houses the 32 teeth that they use for food. They also have an outer mandible that opens horizontally which displays their four tusks, two on the top and two on the bottom. They can only be viewed if they do not have their helmet on, and to show both mandibles is a treat display and meant to show their displeasure."

I racked my brain to try and figure out what on Earth might have what he is describing, but the closest thing I could think of was an insect, like an ant or wasp… definitely not attractive. "Okay, so the Saalistaja are the badasses of the galaxy, but what other species make up this Alliance of yours?"

"There are only two other official species in the Alliance, the Sisalik and the Dryadalis," explained Jun Li. I had to hand it to him, he didn't seem to be getting upset about having to go through what should be basic knowledge.

"You mentioned that there was another species… The Hive, on this ship," I said, remembering the different groups he said were here before the mutiny.

"The Hive is… not a species that is to associate with the Alliance. They are essentially a Hive species and we have no other way to refer to them as because they do not have means of vocal communication and have refused every attempt to communicate thus far. From what the Alliance has been able to determine, each group shares a single mind, with one female in charge of the whole clan. They are distinguished by their lack of visual appearance, preferring to be dressed completely in black with a mask and hood over their face. Once again, we do not know if this is how they are created or if this is the acceptable form of dress, similar to the Saalistaja and their armor. Each Hive clan will have their own defining color which is indicated in a hexagonal pattern on their facial covering, arm, and wrist bands."

I nodded my head again. But for someone that was considered to be a genius on Earth, I was barely keeping my head above water with all this new information. "Okay, so we have the badass warrior species known as the Saalistaja that have kill rooms as a form of courtship and The Hive species that all share one brain. If the Saalistaja are warriors, what is The Hive known for?"

"Assassinations and espionage mostly," replied Jun Li. I guess that would make sense. Who better to be a killer and or a spy than someone that cannot talk?

"And the Sisalik? What are they known for?"

"They are the scientists among the Alliance. They are mostly responsible for new discoveries, communal technologies, and investigating new species. Recording the history of all species connected to the Alliance is also among their tasks."

Huh, who would have thought that the insurance gecko was the intelligent species in this galaxy? "What about the last group? The Dryadalis?" I asked.

"The Dryadalis are the official leaders of the Alliance and are mostly concerned with the running of the different planets that they control. They are the ones that make and enforce the laws for the rest of the Alliance and generally maintain control over all known species in this Galaxy."

"Got it… they are the government," I said now getting a picture of how everything was interconnected. "What do they look like?"

"Their colors range from white to pale blue, depending on their heritage and the planet that they come from. They all have long white hair, elongated ears that end at a point, and will have either white or red eyes," said Jun Li, coming across distracted for the first time in our conversation.

"Great," I grumbled. "Lizards are running the tech sector and rats are the government. Nice to see that things don't necessarily change no matter which galaxy you are in."