“Is that why you saved Hal?” Vermillion swivelled her head to look straight at Kaura. “He certainly died, did he not?”
“Yes, Vermillion, he died in Starfire’s arms as she said.”
“An incredible feat then, Kaura.”
“We couldn’t wait too long.” Kaura moved his feet in agitation. It was clear from his manner that he found the subject difficult to talk about. “We all gave freely. It is a skill that has been forbidden in our pack for over a thousand years, for once given, it cannot be returned. Every single one of us gave a little of ourselves to repair his body and renew his life force again. We wanted our new home to be filled with joy for the future, not sorrow for a departed loved one.”
“To rekindle life in a deceased soul is indeed a great gift.”
“It is a gift and a curse, Vermillion,” explained Kaura, “for who is to say who is worthy to live and who has to die at the expense of another? The grieving mother, the broken hearted husband? Hal freely gave his life to help his friend and the new born of an alien race when he could have easily saved himself. It was worth breaking our solemn covenant to reward such courage and selflessness.”
“And if he is not part of the prophecy?”
“We would have saved him, anyway, Vermillion.” Kaura was still uncomfortable talking about the Trenee covenant. “We owed him so much. We owe them all so much.” He raised his wing and she placed a copper and silver hand on its long, black spur.
“We do too, Kaura,” she said as they walked slowly away, “we do too.”
Epilogue
Two days before.
It was late evening on Terrell and Marine Privates Dentos and Cloot strolled down the deserted corridor outside their room on the Aurian Base. They smelt of cheap sandalwood perfume from the base Vanity Unit, wore their very best civilian clothes and swaggered down the hall with the confidence of youth. They both had a weekend pass and they were on their way to a popular night club off the base to dance the night away and introduce themselves to some very lucky ladies.
They came across a cleaner, wearing dark green overalls and a green peaked cap, standing behind his little cart, slowly sweeping the floor with a magnetic broom.
“Get out my way, Terrellian,” ordered Dentos.
“Yeah, move, man, we got places to be and you're in our way,” added Cloot.
The Terrellian stopped what he was doing and carefully leaned his broom up against the wall. He pushed back his cap with his left hand to reveal fair hair and cold, grey eyes, then stepped out from behind his cart and threw two pieces of screwed up paper onto the floor.
“Pick that up,” he drawled in a soft voice. The two men looked from the paper to the man, and then noticed the polished, black gunbelt and the big gun, its grip just beneath his relaxed but ready-looking fingers. “Here you are, in my city, leaving rubbish all over the floor,” he said softly. “Now,” he fixed them both with a long, hard stare, “pick it up and say sorry to your betters.”
The End
The Grennig crew will return in:
Starfire and the Mind Turning Machine
Notes
If you think that Hal’s gun fighting skills are exaggerated, please put ‘fast draw world champion’ or ‘fastest draw’ or ‘master gunfighter’ into the search engine of your choice and take a look at the videos. These amazing people do what Hal does, only with a single action Colt .45 that has to be cocked before it can be fired.
The best laid schemes of mice and men, they often go awry
And leave us nought but grief and pain for promised joy,
The above quote that Erion and Delta Ten say in Chapter 8 comes from Robert Burns' poem To a Mouse, (1786.) It tells of how he, while ploughing a field, upturned a mouse's nest. The resulting poem is an apology to the mouse:
But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane [you aren't alone]
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley, [often go awry]
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
If you have enjoyed this book, could you please spare a couple of minutes to leave a review? It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Other books in the Series
Starfire at Traitors Gate
The first book in the Starfire Series tells the tale of how the crew of the Grennig came together on a secret mission, were branded traitors and finally found their way to the Rebel Alliance.
Starfire and the Planet Killer
The crew of the Grennig must save the beautiful Planet Katraia from complete domination by the New Aurian Federation. Their only hope is to steal the Federation’s new weapon, The Planet Killer, and turn it against them.
Other books by the same Author
Living on the Cheap
How to micromanage and how to live on a small income, manage your finances, live within your means and get out of debt.
Baking for beginners and easy meals for those on a tight budget.
The Easy Peasy Knitting Machine 4 Ply Pattern Books
Easy Peasy 4 Ply Socks
Easy Peasy 4 Ply Mittens and Gloves
Easy Peasy 4 Ply Hats and Scarves
Easy Peasy 4 Ply Slippers
About the Author
Christine Westhead was born in 1953 in Coventry, England. She studied accountancy and moved to North East Scotland in 1993.
She lives in a croft with her husband, Allan and an assortment of pets.
She is an accomplished machine knitter and writes Knitting Machine pattern books and short stories for magazines, as well as the Starfire series of Science Fiction Novels.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Starfire and the Space Dragons: A Grennig Crew Adenture Page 28
