Pest Control (Zalatar, Clara)

As Clara sat in the dark in fear there was something in the shadows watching her. The feint sounds of chatting like teeth while being spoken into words were all around. The tothsome, or weevils as they were known to some humans, were looking at her and muttering among themselves what to do or something else they had in mind for her.

Given how feint the lighting was Clara would likely only make out a few here-and-there. There humanoid bodies and rat-like faces with the beady eyes all looked at her. There was only a few but there was no telling how many more were nearby. All were waiting for something while Clara was in their domain.


Zalatar was searching through the sewers calling out "Commander Clara!" for her. He'd already been looking for 5 minutes and found nothing. Wherever the creatures had taken her he would find them and make them suffer for what they've done.

Before long after Clara was calling out the weevil came out of the darkness and surrounded her. They didn't attack but they did search her. They pulled at her as they looked through what she had, pulling out any pieces of technology she had on her. When they finished they dropped her before coming back to what looked like a patch-work satellite.

Clara would be able to see that the device had a number of objects from cell phones and beepers to even a toaster and a watch attached to it with crude wiring. The weevil were watching as one or two would attach what they found on Clara to it.

As they did they made sure Clara didn't get close, snarling at her or pushing her back. Obviously this thing, whatever it was, was important to them.

Eventually Clara managed to get a little ways from where the nest of creature were and continued venturing through the sewers. However she'd only gotten so far before running into two more weevils. They snarled at her and snapped as they saw her, taking steps towards her with the intent to kill.

before they could however two red eyes appeared from behind them in the darkness. A hissing sound caught their attention before both were caught by the necks by the Ice Warrior's large claws. They struggled fruitlessly before Zalatar hissed angrily before snapping their necks. With the weevils dead he dropped their bodies and looked to Clara.

"Are you unharmed, Commander Clara?" he asked with a hiss. While waiting for her answer he said "I apologize for not protecting you better. I should have acted sooner."

Zalatar had looked to where she pointed before hearing of the weevils taking her cellphone. He hissed as he thought to himself while looking around to see if any more of them were around or planning to attack.

He looked back to her as he explained "The toothsome are scavenging creatures. It is hard to hypothesize how they came to earth in some many numbers. But perhaps they are trying to create a device for the means of bringing more." He looked back to where she said they were before saying "They must be dealt with immediately."

With that in mind Zalatar primed the weaponry on his armor. He held both arms up and hissed with a sly intent of killing every last one of the weevils. After he felt ready he started walking towards the area where they were hiding with the device.

When she mentioned he didn't want her cell phone destroyed Zalatar stopped and looked back to say "As you command." before walking again.

The weevils surrounding the makeshift device had still not noticed Clara's escape. They were still preoccupied with their machine to have. But it did come to a point where the machine was glowing, the weevils giving more happy pleased grunts and snarls as it meant whatever it was was working. However the celebration was short as the Ice Warrior stomped through into the room and stopped when all saw him.

"Toothsome." he addressed them with a hiss. "You have officially declared yourselves enemies to my commander and her planet. Therefore you will face execution!"

With that he began firing on them, killing a few in the process. Some ran while others stood and fought, running towards him only to be knocked back or swatted by his strengthen battle armor. Some tried to attack Clara when they saw her but Zalatar was quick to defend her, not wanting to fail his commander again. Some even tried using pipes as weapons and banged against his helmet, but that only served to anger the Martian more as he laid waste to them with his blasters.

With the many that fell Zalatar watched as the remaining weevils ran off and away from the device, fearing for their lives. The ice warrior regained himself while hissing and breathing like he was full of life. Truly this was a glorious battle for him. Not long but glorious enough to lighten his spirits.

After catching his breath from the excitement Zalatar looked to see what Clara was doing and said "Hold, Commander! You may risk destroying yourself before the device." He walked over and moved her aside before saying "Allow me to examine."

He held his arm out and waited for the hacking wires from his finger-tips to sprout. Once they did they attached to some of the nearby machines and wires on the device which he began to scan. It took a few moments before he finished, still keeping his hand on the device while looking back to Clara to explain.

"It appears to be the source of the communication signals. This device is crude but is able to send a signal out into the solar system. It would appear to be a distress call, signaling to any other toothsome ships or clans out in space to retrieve them from Earth." He waited a moment for Clara to take it in before asking "Shall I destroy it, Commander Clara?"

After hearing her decision Zalatar hissed in protest. Martian commanders were smarter than this, though he couldn't account for human one. But to let an enemy device stay intact was a definite mistake in his books. He had to convince her otherwise.

"Commander I must protest." he hissed. "The toothsome are enemies. We cannot allow for more of thier numbers to come to Earth. What if the ones stationed here have information and are planning for an invasion? It is far to risky an option. We must destroy it."

At first Zalatar didn't appreciate her tone when she'd said that she already though of the device's destruction. But then she'd made the remark of him paying more respect to a martian than her. This angered him as meant to say that she was either better or at the same level of Martian command.

He wanted to say something to he before she began her story about Skaldak. Though he knew the story he did not know half the details that Clara shed light onto him now. As she told him of the peace that wa brought and how there was honor to be found in mercy, Zalatar hissed lowly. It was hard to say if it was out of anger or regret but it was clear he was beginning to resent his original answer. The more he listened the more his gaze went down to the floor.

"You....shame me, Commander Clara." he said before letting go of the machine. "The device will be unharmed, as you have ordered."

Zalatar's first action was to retrieve her phone. He carefully detached it from the machine via his hacking wires before handing it to her. Then, when assessing her question of how long it would be for the weevil's signal, he looked back to the machine and examined further.

"The signal is still weak." he hissed. "Though given enough power, the toothsome may be able to boost their signal. But there is no sufficient power source. They require a quantum energy battery. Nothing as such exists on Earth. They can only reach out into the solar system, and there is no guarantee a ship would be nearby."

Hearing her pleas to try and find a solution Zalatar found it strange that Clara would want to help the weevils after everything they did. They killed one of her kind, possibly more during their time in hiding. They captured her and stole from her and yet still she wanted to help? Why?

Instead of arguing, knowing it would go nowhere, he looked back to the machine and said "The power source from a battery is impossible to find here on Earth. Such a device could only be found from the ship of certain species. The sontarans for example. But none are here. Unless we could find a reasonable source of radiated power. As understand that sort of thing is dangerous to humans. Commander I must insist we leave the toothsome to find their own way. We do not need to do this."

It didn't take a genius to see Clara was troubled with what to do with the weevils. Zalatar had already given his thoughts, which were shot down by his commander, and was now just waiting to see what she would do given the situation they were in. He still didn't see why they shouldn't either leave or just finish off the remaining Weevils and be done with it. It would have been simpler. Instead he sat and watched out for them to make any moves while Clara was trying to call the Doctor before calling UNIT.

After the conversation ended and Clara told of Unit being on the way, Zalatar hissed a little and said "If you believe this 'unit' more suited to handle the toothsome then so be it, Commander Clara. Perhaps it would be better if I returned to the transport. I doubt more human would take kindly to an Ice Warrior as well as a group of unwanted Toothsome."

With that he started making for the exit they came through, making sure Clara was with him as they left. Once they were outside and returned to the truck he just sat there in the back, waiting for Clara to either prepare him for the trip back to his current base or to give any other commands. he had a less than pleased look on his face, at least from what could be seen with his helmet still on, but said nothing the entire time.

Zalatar only sat and listened as she gave her explanation. He did not turn to her or anything, only hissing as he breathed. From Clara's point it would've been hard to tell if he was understanding or taking any of what she said to heart. All that was certain as that he felt confused over it.

"The Doctor taught you mercy?" he asked, still not looking at her. When she confirmed this he replied "I was taught to never let your enemies have a chance to recover. Any inch of recuperation could mean the turn of the tide in a battle. During my fight against the Sontarans I kept to that code. There was one soldier.....crawling for his gun. I stepped on his back to stop him before.....before breaking his skull in." He was quiet to let Clara take him to let that notion sink in before asking "If anyone else was in your position, Commander Clara, would they have made the same choice as you? Would all humans make that decision of mercy?"

It wasn't until she looked at her ring that Zalatar looked over as well. He wasn't sure what the ring's significance was, but knew it was sentimental in some way. The closest thing he had to a momentum was the armor he wore. His red eyes looked from the ring up to her face, eventually turning before she could've noticed. He was silent while still hissing as he breathed. Why was he feeling this way over weevils? Or what it the weevils at all that made him so confused?

"I remembering hearing how Skaldak once claimed a human girl had reminded him of his own daughter." he hissed. "If what you have said is true about your time meeting him, then there was only one human girl he could have known, Commander Clara." He took a deeper breath before finishing with "I still do not agree with the mercy you showed.....but I begin to see why you value it so."