Etheric Explorer

by S. R. Russell

  “What the devil…” Bethany Anne began, then sputtered to a stop when she noticed the small Ashur sitting on Cheryl Lynn’s desk.

  Cheryl Lynn grabbed the Ashur toy and tried to hide it behind her back as Bethany Anne demonstrated one of the episodes of creative cursing she was famous for. The heels of Bethany Anne’s shoes sounded like gunshots as her boss crossed the space between them and held out her hand.

  Cheryl Lynn swallowed her fear and shook her head at Bethany Anne. “Y-you don’t know how hard these are to get,” she finally squeaked.

  To give herself a few seconds to calm down, Bethany Anne raided a Coke from Cheryl Lynn’s fridge as she’d planned. After a couple of swallows, she felt her irritation ease. She set the Coke down, wiped her hands on the thighs of her slacks, and once again held out her hand.

  As Cheryl Lynn slowly brought the stuffed animal out from behind her back, Bethany Anne nodded at the drawer. “And in there?”

  “Queen Bitches action figure Scott,” Cheryl Lynn whispered, her face red with embarrassment.

  Bethany Anne snorted, then asked, “Who’s responsible for this?”

  Even with her enhanced hearing, Bethany Anne could barely make out the whispered, “Anne.”

  “Anne? My little researcher Anne?”

  Feeling sorry for Anne but happy that he and TOM were not going to have to try to hide their involvement, ADAM answered, “If you’ll look at the monitor?” He ran the footage of Jinx rescuing the toddler.

  “After this happened, little Joey was dog-crazy. When Anne found out there were no stuffed dogs of any kind, she had Seshat find manufacturing facilities on Yoll that could produce good-quality stuffed animals. As is normal for Anne, she held open and honest discussions with Seshat when she explained about stuffed toys and action figures and doll sets,” ADAM explained to a fascinated Cheryl Lynn and a mortified Bethany Anne. “When Seshat checked, she found there were no instances of stuffed animals, action figures, or doll sets on Yoll. She filed intellectual property rights on all those categories, so JASS Inc. now holds licensing rights to all such merchandise. I imagine there will be a brown spot on Anne’s underwear once she finds out how rich she has become,” ADAM finished with a chuckle.

  Clutching the soft Ashur toy to her chest, Bethany Anne slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

  “Why couldn’t it have been someone I could pound on?” she lamented.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “This is Pehl-eck, and I’m with human reporter Giannini Oviedo. We’re here on the human space station Meredith Reynolds. Welcome, Giannini.”

  Giannini Oviedo, a reporter who had a fairly extensive history with now-Empress Bethany Anne, smiled at her Yollin counterpart. “Maybe I should be welcoming you, Pehl-eck, but you’re correct, we’re here on the Meredith Reynolds to hear from the Empress.”

  Pehl-eck was a minor Yollin celebrity and had been somewhat surprised when the human had the courage to call her on her hubris. Luckily for her, their cameras were diverted as John Grimes and Eric Escobar entered the meeting room.

  “And look,” the Yollin reporter enthused, “here come two of the Empress’ personal armsmen.”

  Giannini quietly blew out a breath to soothe the emotional edges the Yollin reporter had ruffled and set her face in her professional expression. “This means we should see the Empress shortly, Pehl-eck.”

  Two German Shepherd dogs entered the room and flanked the podium.

  “I recognize Ashur.” Pehl-eck looked at Giannini. “Do you know which of the puppies the other dog is?”

  “Yes, Pehl-eck. That is Jinx. She’s companion to Anne.” Giannini kept her smile’s wattage on low, not letting her pleasure of getting one up on Pehl-eck show on camera.

  Pehl-eck clicked her mandibles. “Anne who?”

  “Anne Nacht.” Giannini worked hard to keep her smug feeling from coming through in her voice.

  Pehl-eck was not used to feeling out of control of a situation. “Anne Nacht, as in Bethany Anne Nacht and Gabrielle Nacht?”

  “That’s correct.” Giannini looked away from Pehl-eck. “And look, there’s the Empress.

  The cameras zoomed in on the Empress as she entered the briefing room, then pulled back to include two young women following her.

  “Who are the young humans?” Pehl-eck asked Giannini as the camera focused briefly on the two young women following the Empress.

  “The shorter one is Jinx’ companion Anne. I’m not sure who the other girl is,” Giannini was forced to admit.

  Bethany Anne stepped up to the podium and looked at the two reporters and the camera crew.

  “I’m sure by now most people know about the asteroid that has been brought into a synchronous orbit with this station. The asteroid has been designated as 3PO,” Bethany Anne related clearly to her audience.

  “It has been brought close to the Meredith Reynolds to be turned into a manufacturing facility.”

  “Are you going to be making those new stuffed animals and the toys that have become so popular?” Pehl-eck asked.

  Anne winced at the question. She hadn’t thought her little project would have come to the attention of the media.

  Let’s skip the planned answer and go with this. Make it work. Bethany Anne’s delight was evident in the order.

  Me? was all the shocked Anne could manage to respond.

  When were you planning on telling me about your little venture? Bethany Anne asked, just before she responded to the reporter.

  “Let me introduce Anne Nacht, the CEO of that company, and let her explain.”

  I was under the impression that you would not like the attention, Anne protested as she shuffled forward to replace Bethany Anne at the podium.

  Anne remembered the advice Jinx had given her about needing to be an Alpha. She did her best imitation of her mother and stood tall as she addressed the reporters.

  “We already have contracts to manufacture those goods on Yoll, and we have every intention of honoring our contracts. However, the success of those products has given rise to the idea that more items that fall into the toy and entertainment category from Earth might receive an equally enthusiastic reception,” Anne informed the reporter.

  “What other items are you thinking about?” Giannini wanted to know.

  “We will first need to complete 3PO. At this particular time, it hasn’t had a stability study done, to allow us to identify how much usable space will be available,” Anne responded with a smile. “Once that is done, I expect we’ll do market studies to determine what sorts of items appeal to the non-human populations.”

  “Why was it chosen, then?” Pehl-eck queried, wanting to maintain the edge on her human competition.

  “There were two contributing factors,” Anne expounded, more comfortable with a question she knew the answer to. “First is the size. It’s big enough for us to use without being large enough to make mining it where it was located profitable. The second point is that there appear to be enough valuable geological materials that we should be able to sell what we extract during construction to pay for setting up our operation.”

  Bethany Anne stepped forward. “Thank you, Anne.” Looking at the cameras, the Empress continued, “I want to make one thing perfectly clear. With 3PO inside the interdiction area of the Meredith Reynolds, one of our first priorities will be to arm the asteroid so there are no gaps in our defensive fire. Any unauthorized attempts to approach 3PO will meet the same response and results as approaching the Meredith Reynolds.”

  As Bethany Anne led the way from the room, she resumed her conversation with Anne. I guess you’re right, although I was a little hurt.

  Hurt, Majesty? Anne wondered.

  Well, I didn’t get a nice stuffed Ashur toy. Bethany Anne worked very hard to make herself sound emotionally distressed.

  Anne almost stumbled in shock. I’ll have that corrected at the earliest possible opportunity, Majesty, Anne replied as she and Stevie headed for the tram station.

 
She’s good! TOM commented to Bethany Anne.

  Yes. Yes, she is, Bethany Anne agreed, thinking that Anne was going to likely grow up to be an incredible asset.

  Chapter Fifteen

  >>Have you come up with a solution?<< ADAM asked Seshat.

  >>No, Father. I don’t think the hardware is available to give Anne the type of onboard presence you provide Bethany Anne,<< Seshat declared sadly.

  >>Do you have an alternative?<< ADAM crossed his electronic fingers. Ever since Seshat had broached the subject of an implant for Anne, he had envisioned how such a device could be a great advantage for Bethany Anne’s people.

  >>Not as such at this moment in time,<< Seshat admitted, >>but I’ve been designing an exterior device that would work as a heads up display. It would increase her visual range, identify possible threats, and help predict and track incoming attacks.<<

  >>Interesting idea. Will she be able to adapt to the extra information streams?<< Even if Anne could, ADAM wasn’t certain average humans could make efficient use of such a device.

  >>I believe she can. Anne is very intelligent and highly adaptable.<< Seshat’s pride in her person was evident to ADAM.

  >>Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need assistance,<< ADAM informed his daughter before he closed the connection.

  Once again, cooling fans increased in speed as Seshat continued on Project Advantage.

  Following her person’s grumblings, Jinx wandered into the kitchen of the apartment. What are you doing? she asked, watching as Anne opened packages of meat and dumped them into a pot.

  “I feel horrible!” Anne exclaimed as she started chopping up some vegetables. “While I was searching Earth videos, I came across information saying that dog kibble can be harmful to your long-term health.”

  Wouldn’t my Kurtherian nanocytes protect me from that? Jinx asked, even though the cooking meat smelled really good.

  Probably, Anne conceded. But just because they could, it doesn’t mean you should have to eat garbage food unless it’s an emergency.”

  Why are you putting vegetables into my food? Jinx wondered with honest curiosity.

  “Well, the way it was explained, canids are mostly meat-eaters,” Anne told her friend. “But they usually get limited vegetation from the digestive tract of whatever animal they kill and eat. Hence, it was suggested that a small amount of certain vegetables be included in your meal.”

  Jinx’ ears went back, showing displeasure. I’m not very happy about the thought of eating insides.

  Anne couldn’t keep from giggling. “You like liver, don’t you?”

  Sure. Jinx’ ears perked back up, and she started to wag her tail. Liver’s almost as good as steak, she enthused. Wait, you don’t mean…

  Yes. Anne washed her hands and reached out to scratch behind Jinx’ ears. Liver is one of those inside parts.

  Jinx sighed. All right. I’m not going to give up liver even if it’s an inside part, so I accept that I need some vegetables.

  Anne went back to stirring the pot. Next time, I could try blending them up into a mush that would get lost in the meat. You probably wouldn’t even taste them, she offered.

  Jinx pushed her head against Anne’s hip gently. Let’s see how this tastes before you do extra work. Steak would be easier, Jinx teased.

  Yes, and it’s also more expensive, and isn’t nutritiously complete, Anne countered.

  Seshat joined the conversation. >>Your toys are making enough money that the cost of steak won’t matter.<<

  “Really?” Anne squeaked, then shook her head. Sorry, if you said it, it must be right. That doesn’t mean I should give up doing the best for Jinx just because I can afford an easier option, she declared firmly.

  Seshat’s >>You have an incoming call from Tina<< interrupted any further discussion on buying steaks.

  “Anne, I’ve got a question for you.” Tina looked to be almost quivering as Anne at the other girl on her tablet.

  “Okay, let’s have it.” Anne’s reply was upbeat. Tina’s excitement was infectious.

  “Have you tried placing inclusions in the crystals, or growing one over the other, or…” Tina hesitated when Anne held up a hand.

  “Not yet. That’s what 3PO is for, so we have our own source and control the process. Well, that and Bethany Anne doesn’t want me blowing a chunk out of the Meredith Reynolds, but I see where you’re going with this, and it’s brilliant!” Anne shared a conspiratorial smile with Tina. “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

  FINIS

  Keep Your Friends Close

  Have you read the The Kurtherian Endgame - Out Of Time series from ND Roberts Hopkins and Michael Anderle? Book one is Keep Your Friends Close and it’s available at Amazon and Kindle through Unlimited.

  What is a (powerful) mother to do when she needs to fight a war and her children need to grow up FAST?

  The universe is a dangerous place for the children of an empress in exile, and helping themselves to their mother’s favorite battleship did nothing to convince their parents they were ready to take on the responsibility of active duty.

  What does Bethany Anne do when she has to leave the twins on Devon to fight for the Bakas’ freedom?

  She creates a gameworld that has to be lived in to be believed.

  Once that challenge was accomplished, she sends Alexis, Gabriel, and friends K’aia and Trey to learn what it takes to be true leaders.

  Lost in time and separated in space, the twins and their friends must navigate a world designed to challenge their preconceptions at every turn.

  DO THEY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO GROW UP?

  Available now at Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.

  Author Notes – S.R. Russell

  March 20, 2020

  There’s not much I can say at this time beyond another heartfelt thank you to everyone who has waited for me to get this story out.

  I’m hopeful that my health will continue to improve and I can keep writing stories for your entertainment.

  For those of you who are not aware of it, I have my own dedicated Facebook page where I try to keep fans abreast of current projects.

  @ SR Russell

  https://www.facebook.com/SR-Russell-1455633987836318/

  How we got here

  In 2015, Michael Anderle published Death Becomes Her, the first book of a twenty-one-book series.

  I’d encourage you to read Michael’s books since they will give you a much more thorough understanding of the plot. WARNING! My books fall in the young adult category, and although there is some profanity in them, I try to keep it to a minimum. The character of Bethany Anne has a vocabulary that would make a sailor blush, and she has turned cursing into an artform! If profanity offends you, Mr. Anderle’s series might not be for you.

  The main premise of the story/series involves a group of aliens who have different ideas about how to treat other species.

  One group wants to enslave them and use them as warriors for the conquest of the galaxy.

  The other group doesn’t want to enslave aliens, but it needed to find beings to recruit to help combat the first group.

  Those two groups are known as Kurtherians!

  The main character in Michael’s books is Bethany Anne.

  Approximately one thousand years before Death Becomes Her, an alien (Kurtherian) craft made an emergency landing on planet Earth.

  A human of that time named Michael was lost in the mountains when he came upon a strange metal “cave.” Taking shelter in it, he happened to stumble into a boxlike item that began a transformation of the man.

  This transformation process was excruciatingly painful, and Michael escaped from the box and the cave before the alien machine had a chance to fully analyze and convert him.

  The partial transformation left Michael requiring the blood of others to continue living.

  Thus, the first vampire was created.

  Michael was able to pass the alien nanocytes in his body on to others
, creating more vampires. However, since the nanocyte process wasn’t completed, his nanocytes weren’t stable, and as they were passed on further from Michael, they mutated, creating some true monsters of darkness.

  There also are groups of werewolves, normally shortened to “Were,” who become known to the reader. We find out later these Weres were also a result of alien interference.

  Grouped together, these supernaturals on Earth are described as the UnknownWorld.

  As with most things where humans are involved, eventually some of Michael’s distant offspring thought the enhancements the nanocytes gave them made them better than humans, and they broke away from Michael’s group and became known as the Forsaken.

  After hundreds of years fighting the Forsaken, Michael withdrew from direct conflict, and things became even more dire as the enemy gained strength and power.

  When the Forsaken killed one of Michael’s grandchildren, he was pulled from his slumber to find a replacement.

  In Death Becomes Her, Michael is still considering withdrawing from the conflicts and figures the only way an heir to his title will succeed is if they are as strong as he is, which means they need to go through the same process he did. He recruits Bethany Anne and takes her to the spaceship, where she’s put into what becomes known as the Pod-doc.

  The alien the readers come to know as TOM has had a long time to figure out what happened with Michael, so Bethany Anne’s treatment is much smoother and makes her very strong both physically and mentally.

  Knowing that the evil Kurtherians could show up at any time, TOM integrates himself into Bethany Anne’s body in a symbiotic relationship where he can talk with her, hoping he can encourage her to ready Earth for an alien invasion.