Star Minds Third Generation Snippets

by Barbara G. Tarn

  Star Minds Third Generation Snippets

  by Barbara G.Tarn

  ***

  Barbara G.Tarn copyright © 2017

  cover art by Maurizio Manzieri

  electronic edition by Unicorn Productions

  May 2017

  ***

  Table of contents

  Rookie

  Aliens on Earth

  Sire Minds

  B.O.B. Theft

  Starship Pilot

  TR1ST4N

  Immortal Body

  About

  Rookie

  Kaori activated her battlesuit for the first time, taking in a big, calming breath. The electroactive polymers, carbon-fiber plates and nanotechnology that formed the mechatronic system designed to enhance and protect her body, boasting her strength and endurance, wrapped her willowy frame, making her look tougher and meaner.

  The helmet closed on her head, mind-controlled through a microchip implanted at the base of her skull. The whole battlesuit vanished inside a flat backpack – the battlesuit unit – when not needed, and it had stayed in her locker until now.

  Following her teammates moves, she grabbed her shotgun and put it on stun, since they weren't supposed to kill anyone. But they needed to be ready to control the expected crowds of fans that had flocked to the Mega Arena for that special occasion.

  The station had not only the biggest arena of the galaxy for all kinds of shows – music, theater, 3D movies – but also a big mall and restaurants and hotels for whoever came from far away to see a concert or other live performance. It had low-gravity stages with no live audience and normal stages for big productions with a whole town built around them, including a precinct of the Galaxy Police.

  Security was enforced by the Galaxy Police, since the Mega Arena was an interplanetary space station. And they had requested more men for crowd control, hence a star-cruiser and three mini-cruisers were now docked in the station's spaceport. The crews were housed in a condo block behind the precinct and the ships' captains had deferred command to the precinct captain.

  Kaori had been on the station for two days, preparing for the big event, and she had managed to see some of it. The streets were straight and wide, unlike the maze of alleys of her native Xi-kong. Even the smells were different – actually, almost absent, sucked out by vents. No real plants or flowers lined the tidy streets, and the whole town under its fake sky felt very aseptic. But she'd have to get used to that, to spending the rest of her life in non-natural environments.

  The current show was a big success. It was a musical, written by Rashaun Khanna with songs by Jay-lee Nikolia, starring Kay-low Meraini, Astrid N'ardi, Selinda Angelle and Zafar Nagarkar in a production by Kiran Hatcherd and Ker-ris Shermac, directed by former Imperial prince Kol-ian Vaurabi.

  Lots of big names and lots of people curious to see a former king of music perform with the descendant of the last Sire Emperor. Both Zafar Nagarkar, formerly known as Zaphadin, and Kay-low Meraini, also known as Stardust Kay-low, hadn't performed live in ten years after accidents at their last galactic tour.

  It was a big production with dozens of dancers and singers and actors playing smaller parts, and the tickets were quite pricey, but the shows had been always sold out. Kaori couldn't afford to see any of it live, but she had watched a recording and had been impressed by the costumes and stage props and light effects as much as the story itself.

  So far the production had gone smoothly, but the rabid fans of the two singers added up with the ones of movie star Astrid N'ardi and sometimes things had gotten a little rough. Kaori wasn't surprised that both Zaphadin and Stardust Kay-low had stopped doing live shows. No wonder the Mega Arena precinct had called for backup.

  Barely out of the Galaxy Police Academy, after a few months with a Field Training Officer, she'd volunteered to join the crew of a GP mini-cruiser to get off the orbital station that held the central command of the Galaxy Police.

  The first time she had worn the black uniform and showed up at Command Central she had felt like a fish out of water. She was petite and from a patriarchal planet where women were considered close to nothing, and she feared the rest of the galaxy would treat her like her home world.

  Then her Field Training Officer showed up, and it was a woman, Cyrstal Jackstadt – a sergeant who had worked in the field of galactic law enforcement for fifteen years – who told her about equality and same duties and rights and all that stuff, which had relieved her of some anxiety.

  Kaori had found the perfect teacher. She had gained confidence, and she had the physical fitness standards. She even had some extra points because her twin brother, Akio, had secretly taught her some self-defense moves.

  Then she had joined the crew of the Cosmic Scout that had been sent to the Mega Arena – the space station almost as big as a planet that orbited in the solar system of former Imperial planet Marc'harid – for an event that promised to be very successful, but also a nightmare for security forces.

  At twenty-two, she was the youngest crew member onboard the Cosmic Scout, but everybody seemed to be happy to have her in the team. Instead of just one FTO she now had a dozen, including the sister of her first trainer, engineer Veronica Jackstadt. She had gray eyes, a tall build and close-cropped wavy brown-black hair, so she didn't look like her elder sister, but they had the exact same voice. Thus sometimes when Veronica spoke, if she wasn't looking, Kaori thought she was back at Command Central.

  The crew of the Cosmic Scout had been briefed upon arrival about the situation. The main performers slept on the nearby planet, Marc'harid, and flew in and out every day, which meant a double shift in the station spaceport when they arrived or they left. There was always a little crowd of screaming fans waiting for them, hoping to get a glimpse or an autograph.

  The musical had a limited time showing, since all the actors, singers and dancers wanted to go back to their lives after a one-year-run. And it would soon be over – the last performance was expected to be more crowded than ever and the GP was ready for extra security measures.

  Upon arrival, after the compulsory rest, Kaori had volunteered for a shift with the drunk wagon patrols, the busiest unit on the precinct, since people who came to the Mega Arena liked to get drunk in public. She hoped that round had given her some experience in searching people, handcuffing them and taking them to the jail.

  Hopefully she wouldn't have to arrest anyone today. It was time for the cast and crew to come in from the nearby planet and as usual there were dozens of fans waiting. Actually more, according to an officer working at the Mega Arena all year. Kaori joined her colleagues in cordoning the area so the most famous faces could go by unmolested.

  She stood as far as she could from her assault team leader who dwarfed her and everybody else. Tommie Thaman was a S.E.T.H. – Super-Enhanced Trans-Humanoid – who didn't need a battlesuit. His body was a killing machine in itself, and he didn't even need a gun. He had set his killer artificial hands to stun as much as they had, but Kaori could tell she wasn't the only one impressed by his looks and his height.

  The crew of the Cosmic Scout was used to him, but there weren't many enhanced officers in the Galaxy Police yet, so Officer Thaman was really an exception. Kaori was glad she had the opportunity to work with him, although he could probably do things none of the others could. He looked even less human than them, although the battlesuits made them look like cyborgs or robots.

  There came the Haiduc, a private cruise ship that could hold a family or two. First came out the main performers, and the fans started screaming and waving their hands wildly to catch their attention.

  Kaori just watched as Kay-low, holding Jay-lee's hand, Zaphadin an
d Astrid rushed through the landing area and hid in the waiting flying limo with Selinda and Rashaun. The fans pressed on her back as the director and producers followed the performers into the limo.

  Officer Thaman closed the bulletproof limo door behind them, and it took off towards the stage, followed by the little crowd.

  "Let's get to the venue!" Captains screamed orders and each team climbed on a GP van that took them to the venue faster than the screaming fans. The flying limo had deposited its occupants in the backstage that had no outside doors.

  The Galaxy Police spread along the stage and around the entrances where people already lined up with their tickets, ready to take their seats. Kaori's team, headed by Officer Thaman, was displayed in front of the stage that was as tall as the S.E.T.H. officer.

  Kaori stood stiffly, with her shotgun on her shoulder, staring straight ahead as if she was in a military review. She felt sloppy and uneasy and even a little scared by the crowd that was slowly filling the seats.

  "Hey, let's imagine these people are here to see us!" Neomi joked next to her, elbowing her. Neomi Racine was twenty-five and seemed to genuinely like Kaori. It hadn't been long since she was a rookie herself, so she probably could relate. She had fair skin and brown eyes and she hated dudes/damsels in distress as much as Okan Suko liked them, which meant they often bickered about "helpless assholes" – like she called them – or "helpless victims" – like he said.

  Kaori's lips trembled into a smile and she tried to relax. She dared to glimpse at her other neighbor, Okan Suko, and he smiled and winked at her. He had attractive features and pasty skin. His favorite sin was vanity, since he made sure he always looked perfect even after action. He liked tortured pasts like his and expensive but unnecessary things.

  She exhaled, trying to relax. Team work. Her team would cover her and she would cover them.

  "It's a piece of cake, Kaori," Okan whispered, leaning towards her. "Don't worry, we're fine."

  Crowd control scared her more than she wanted to admit. She knew that the officers at the entrance had metal detectors and sniffer dogs to prevent weapons and drugs being brought into the venue but the sheer number of people...

  And this was a large, public gathering like she'd never seen before. Suddenly it seemed there weren't enough black uniforms to prevent the outbreak of crowd crushes or fights involving drunk and disorderly people. Keeping the crowd comfortable and relaxed was also essential, but Kaori started to see the audience as dangerously excited.

  "Have you done this before?" she dared to ask.

  "No, but we have battlesuits," Neomi shrugged. "We won't get hurt."

  "Relax, Kaori," Okan said. "We don't get called often for crowd control, but we can handle it!"

  A fence between the front seats and the stage had left them a narrow corridor to stand on. Kaori checked again that her gun was on stun just before the lights went down.

  Showtime. Kaori gritted her teeth and straightened her back. She was ready.

  ***

  Things deteriorated during curtain calls. Kaori had lost count of how many times the cast had returned to the stage already. And there wasn't a live orchestra, or the final bow would have been even more crowded that it already was.

  Kaori was certain they were breaking a galactic record with the number of final bows when she noticed the audience pushing against the frontline fences. Crowd crushes could cause many hundreds of fatalities and even though there were three hospital-starships ready to land on the Mega Arena, it still felt like a daunting task.

  When the fence of the front seats broke for the pressure of bodies against it, Kaori panicked. The people falling towards her made her react as if she were under attack. She took her shotgun and fired.

  "What are you doing?" Okan screamed in her comm.

  Horrified, Kaori dropped her gun as bodies crashed on her and pinned her to the stage.

  "Crowd crushing, bring in low-G," Officer Thaman transmitted.

  Kaori held her breath as the artificial gravity of the venue was lowered, taking off the weight of bodies that slightly rose above ground. Even the cast floated all over the stage. Kaori grabbed the stage to keep her position, but her heart threatened to explode.

  "Take cast backstage." Again Officer Thaman.

  The battlesuits had jets, therefore they could move even in low-gravity, unlike the helpless audience and performers. Kaori activated hers and followed Neomi and Okan on the stage.

  Still panicking, she put her arm around Astrid N'ardi's waist and pulled her towards the backstage, where she deposited her in normal G with a huff. She had trouble breathing, panic was choking her.

  Someone touched her face, sending soothing waves into her brain. You're fine. Just breathe deeply, you're doing just fine.

  I shot the audience! She wanted to scream, but her voice didn't come out. The hand covered her vision and she closed her eyes tight, trying to regain control.

  Your gun was on stun. They will recover. Calm down, it's fine.

  Kaori inhaled deeply and finally managed to regain control of her emotions. She wasn't sure it was all her, probably whoever had talked into her head had helped.

  Rookie mistake. Won't happen again. She opened and closed her hands as someone patted her shoulder.

  "Kaori?" Neomi's worried voice shook her. "It's not over yet, get moving!"

  Kaori snapped her eyes open. She caught a glimpse of green eyes and dazzling smile, and then she rushed back to the stage.

  Half of the police force was trying to push the audience towards the exits instead of to the front. The rest, including Kaori and her teammates, quickly took the cast off the stage. As soon as the venue was less crammed, gravity was slowly brought back to normal, allowing everybody to walk away without being hurt.

  A few people stayed on the ground, either stunned or too hurt to walk, but soon the paramedics surrounded them and took care of them.

  Kaori switched off her jets with a huff, grabbed her shotgun and rushed to the GP van with the others. They needed to go back to the spaceport and see the main cast safely away from the Mega Arena.

  The flying limo deposited its passengers at the spaceport where already a crowd had gathered. Obviously some had left before the last curtain call so they could be there waiting for their idols. Kaori was glad her helmet filtered some of the screaming or she'd be deaf by now.

  Astrid N'ardi stopped to thank her, white teeth gleaming on her bronze skin and blue eyes full of gratitude. The others also stopped to thank the officers who had taken them safely away from the stage and Kaori felt proud of her job, her minor mistake almost forgotten.

  And then Ker-ris Shermac's green eyes stopped on her. She recognized them from the blur of the action and knew immediately it was him who had helped her regain control after her lapse. His smile confirmed her feeling, even though this time he didn't speak inside her head.

  "You are Kaori Ikagoru, aren't you?" he asked.

  The head of the House of Shermac was sixty-three but still one of the most handsome men of the galaxy. Kaori had never been so close to him and she couldn't help but gape. She remembered to close her mouth, gulped and nodded.

  "Thank you for... what you did," she whispered, not sure of what he had actually done.

  He waved it off. He had obviously something else on his mind. "My son married Mayumi Ikagoru, are you by any chance related?"

  Puzzled, Kaori frowned in concentration. She wasn't sure. She didn't know of any Xi-kongian woman marrying a Sire.

  "Why should they tell her anything?" Kol-ian Vaurabi chided his lover. "She's a girl, and from Xi-kong."

  Five years younger, dark haired and as tall as Ker-ris, Kaori saw a lot of him in his son, Kay-low Meraini. Both were linked to gorgeous men and they were even physically alike. Kaori remembered when Stardust Kay-low had blond hair, but it was gone since.

  Ker-ris rolled his eyes. "You're right, amatan." He turned back to her. "Can you tell me who your parents are, Kaori? We've seen the file on the Ikag
oru twins at the School for Gifted Children of Xi-kong..."

  Twins? Kaori frowned. Her father sometimes mentioned having had twin siblings – it obviously ran in their family. But she had never met any twin relatives, although her father seemed grateful she and Akio were "normal", whatever that meant.

  Nobody had ever mentioned a school for gifted children either.

  "There is no such school," she protested.

  "She doesn't have any special power," Kol-ian smiled. "Unlike the twins. Akira and Mayumi were indeed gifted."

  "Akira is dead," Ker-ris said. "Mayumi is on Marc'harid. So you're Kazuo's daughter."

  "How do you know?" she protested.

  "I'm Sire," he replied gently. "Your mind is like an open book to me. Know that your father's sister is alive and you have two cousins on the Sire planet, although they're younger than you."

  "I do?"

  "Yes, Iso-bel Aya is fifteen, Dan-ylo Akira is twelve. When you get some time off, you could come over and meet them."

  "Oh." Kaori was too stunned to comment.

  "Great job," Kol-ian told her. "Thank you for keeping us safe."

  Both men turned to leave. Kaori watched them move in sync as they caught up with the rest of the cast and went into the Haiduc.

  Officer Thaman told them to go and rest. They'd go back to the Cosmic Scout the next morning. Still lost in thoughts, Kaori deactivated the battlesuit. She dropped the shotgun and went for a meal with her teammates at the precinct canteen.

  She told them about the meeting and Camila Kingston scoffed. A blonde from Wega, she was really tough in Kaori's eyes. She had an interesting tattoo and long dark red hair. She was charismatic and very wise. She liked members of the same sex and total innocence.

  Kaori had noticed that Camila would do anything to advance her career, and hoped she'd never end up under her ruthless command. Although she was a woman and she could tell Camila liked her both for her looks and for her innocence.

  "Those darn Sire telepaths..." Camila commented. "I'm glad they don't control the galaxy anymore. Can you imagine living with someone who knows your every single thought?"