by S. E. Smith
“By God,” said the Yardmaster, “I’m glad you folk came here. You’ve brought to light a poison spiders’ web in my Yard!”
Stasia exulted. “We spiked it!” Then she grabbed Ten’s shoulders and kissed him.
He kissed her back. The last traces of cotton inside him burned out in a blaze of wonder. Behind Stasia, in the dark niche in the wall, Spike swirled like light dancing. Ten held both of Stasia’s hands, looked into her bright blue eyes, and thought he had never felt so happy or so hopeful. “Captain, may I go on the Impending Mission too?”
“I was hoping you’d volunteer for it.” Zilka was recovering her aplomb. She glanced around the chapel—the altar with its apple tree; the rows of low seats; the shadowy niches in the walls. Her glance paused, briefly, at the niche in which Spike inconspicuously sparkled. “You know, once underway on the mission, in my capacity as Captain I have the authority to marry people who wish it.” Her elegant eyebrow lifted, but she was smiling.
Also by Alexis Glynn Latner
Hurricane Moon
Star Crossing
Downfall Tide
About Alexis Glynn Latner
Alexis Glynn Latner writes speculative fiction and belongs to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). She also works at the Rice University Library in Houston, Texas and teaches creative writing through Rice University's School of Continuing Studies. When not taking flights of the mind - i.e., working on books and stories - her favorite activity is flying sailplanes. She has a private pilot glider rating. The sky always beckons.
Find out more…
www.alexisglynnlatner.com
StarDog by Laurie A. Green
About StarDog
Navigator Taro Shall has a mission no one wants – find a way to eradicate snakes on a starship. He never expects to find the answer to his problem in a charming street vendor named Adini. His already unusual mission becomes more complicated when he suddenly acquires an adorable StarDog that soon sweeps him and Adini into the maw of a brewing insurrection.
One
“Freeze.”
When Captain Dava Jordon used that bone-chilling tone, no one asked questions.
Taro Shall, ship’s navigator, didn’t even blink as she stalked toward his navcon, weapon drawn and eyes locked on her target. Thankfully, whatever that target was, it wasn’t him. She was aiming toward the deck in the general vicinity of his feet.
She squeezed off two blasts of her pulse pistol, shouting, “Get back.”
Taro bolted as the searing heat penetrated right through his deck boots.
Just below his station, something long, tan, and patterned in singe marks writhed on the floor. “What the Hades is that, Skipper?”
Captain Jordon took two cautious steps forward and leaned down to examine the victim, sweeping back her long black hair with one hand. “Take a look for yourself.”
Taro gripped the armrest of his flight couch and knelt, craning his neck to get a better look at the thing on the floor. When he finally registered the shape and scales, he sucked in his breath. “Snake?”
“Sand viper.” The captain screwed up her face in disgust. “We must’ve picked it up back on Dartis.”
“Viper?” Taro questioned.
“Yes. A very deadly one. If one of these little terrors sinks his fangs in you, you’ll drop before you can spit out a curse.”
Taro swallowed the ball of ice rising in his throat. “Guess I’m damn lucky you saw it.”
“Sensed it,” she clarified. “I was plugged into Calypso.” She nodded to the black drive helmet now perched on a cradle at her command console.
Taro exhaled, his pulse still in the process of deceleration. “Glad you never miss.”
“Well, it’s not the end of our problems.” She straightened, holstering her weapon. “That’s a hatchling. Maybe a couple days old. It’s been five days since we left Dartis. That means there’s a mother and several dozen siblings slithering around Calypso.”
“We’ve got trouble.”
“Exactly.” Captain Jordon scrubbed a hand over her face. “Looks like we’re grounded. Before Doc Embortyr gets word of our little issue, we need to find an exterminator. A good one.” She pinned him with a look. “We, of course, means you. Best get to it. We’re losing daylight.”
Taro snagged his jacket from the back of his flight couch. “Aye, Boss, I’m on it.” With one last glance at the charbroiled snake carcass, he strode to the lift.
“Better watch where you step on your way out,” the captain called after him.
Taro gave her a casual salute as the lift rotated to descend from Calypso’s upper flight deck to the main level below. He scanned the corridor warily before venturing off.
The wall com clicked on as he headed down the curved passage toward the airlock. Captain Jordan’s voice filled the corridor. “If you see Pareen out there, tell him to stay away from Calypso until I shoot him an all-clear on his recall. I’m not going to drop the quarantine flags. Don’t want to scare off our client.”
“You got it, Skipper,” Taro answered as he reached Calypso’s main airlock and activated the controls to extend the ramp.
“And watch out for Palies. I want no trouble with the Ithians.”
“No messing with the Alliance. Check that.”
Outside the ship, Carduwa’s warm, herbal-scented air ruffled Taro’s hair and danced along the pavement in gentle eddies. A friendly sun lit the heavy greenery of tall trees and dense shrubbery just beyond the spaceport grounds. This planet was nothing like the bone-dry dustbowl of Dartis. Thank the Island Spirits for that much.
Taro made his way to the nearest street just off the spaceport exit and glanced down an endless row of brightly-colored vendor tents. Where to start?
He ducked his head into the entrance of the first two pavilions with a questioning, “Exterminator?” The answer on both counts was a brisk shake of a keeper’s head. Somewhere around vendor twelve, he got a lead.
“No exterminator, but you wanna see Dini Kemm. Red and yellow striper. Tiharra Lane. Three streets west.”
Taro plucked a citrus drink tube from the vendor’s laboring chiller, tossing the elderly man five replas. “Many thanks.”
A couple of streetgirls gave him the eye as he reached an intersection and made his way west.
“You wanna give it a go, Tectolie?” the taller of the two women purred as he passed their corner.
Taro gave the woman a crooked smile and a friendly “I’ll pass” wave of his hand. Nav work was a lonely occupation, but he’d never been keen on paying for female companionship by the hour. Besides, Cap Jordan would have his hide if he got waylaid from his mission.
“Pity that,” the second woman teased. “We give a nice discount to pretty nav-boys.”
Taro threw a grin over his shoulder and lengthened his stride. They had his origins and occupation nailed—probably not a surprise considering they worked a spaceport and saw hundreds of crewmen daily. His Tectolian subspecies had a penchant for navigating the stars, and women in their line of work could probably zero in on a lonely crewie in a nanosecond. It’d been a long time since he and Lyra had called it quits, and he needed to put some quick distance between himself and the twin sirens before he got all weak-minded and hard-bodied.
Tucking those thoughts away, Taro paused as he hit the intersection with Tiharra Lane and glanced in both directions, looking for a red and yellow tent. It wasn’t easy to pick out in the colorful riot of chevroned, crested, and flowered vendor stalls, but his gaze soon settled on a larger pavilion with broad stripes in the correct colors half a square to his right. He nodded to himself and headed in that direction.
The tent was sheltered from the Carduwan sun by a graceful, long-limbed Tiharra Angel Willow, probably the very tree that gave the street its name. When Taro was just a few strides away, the vendor appeared in the entrance, reaching up to unroll the tent’s flap. She was tall, trim, and her shining black-chestnut hair caught the sunlig
ht like a Purmian oil ruby.
“Hang on,” Taro called out. “I was hoping to do some business.”
She turned to him with a soft smile, and his breath locked in his throat when he was met by intelligent, aquamarine eyes.
“You said the magic words.” She laughed. “I’ll extend my hours today, just for you.” She gave him a friendly wink and pushed the tent flap back into its keep.
Taro took a hesitant step forward. “Are you…Dini Kemm?”
“Adini. Yes.” Her eyes veiled with caution. “Who’s asking?”
Taro held out his hand. “Nav Taro Shall with the Calypso. Another vendor sent me your way.”
“Really? What is it you’re looking for?”
“I’m on the hunt for an exterminator. Did I come to the right place?”
Her bright smile returned. “Oh, you did indeed.”
In her elegant, white poet blouse, navy long vest, and split skirt, she looked more like a Miss Carduwa candidate than an exterminator to him, but who was he to judge? “What are your rates?”
“I don’t charge by the job.” There was that beautiful smile again. “I charge by the exterminator.”
Taro shifted his weight, puzzled by her answer. “Don’t quite get your meaning.”
“Right this way.” She motioned with her head as she set off for the back of the tent and ducked around the counter. When she straightened again, she was holding a small black-and-tan animal cradled in her hands. “Meet Katrina. Best exterminator on the planet.”
“She’s a…?”
“StarDog.” Adini brushed a hand over the animal’s short ears, lightly maned neck, and long back. “Recombinant canine, feline, weasel, and mongoose DNA, designed especially to rid spacecraft of vermin.”
“We don’t have rats, we have vipers,” Taro blurted, before glancing around sheepishly and lowering his voice. “Deadly ones.”
“Then you definitely need a StarDog. Snakes are a specialty. It’s the mongoose genes.”
“This, uh, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Taro muttered, pushing a hand through his jet black hair as he studied the soft-eyed little beastie. “Don’t think Cap would go for having a live animal on board. She’s particular about her ship. Pretty sure she had the two-legged professional variety in mind when she sent me looking.”
“Maybe she just needs a demonstration,” Adini suggested with a sly grin. “How about if we accompany you back to your ship?”
“Now?” Taro’s doubt collided with her confidence when she raised those sparkling Veros-ocean eyes to his.
“Well, if you’ve got vipers onboard, I think we’d better make it quick.” Her white teeth flashed in another ample smile. “But it’s your call…Taro.”
He hesitated. Captain Jordan’s wrath was never something he cared to provoke, and he was fairly certain she’d scoff at a biological fix to their predicament. But what if this sleek, furry little handful could do everything the charming vendor claimed she could?
“My captain can be pretty tenacious. I can’t guarantee she’s going to welcome you or your animal aboard.”
Adini hefted Katrina up onto one shoulder and gave Taro another heart-stopping smile. “Duly noted, but I can be pretty tenacious myself. Your ship has a big problem. I have a solid solution. It’s as simple as that.”
Taro gave a low laugh. “Things are never that simple with Captain Jordan.”
“Just trust me. And my StarDog.” She swung up a satchel, anchoring the strap over her free shoulder. “Ready?”
He sighed. “Right. Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I’d never say that.” Adini fastened the tent flap and called to the neighboring vendor lounging outside his stand. “Be back in less than a hara, Saliim. Could you watch my booth?”
“Sure thing, Dini.”
She turned back to Taro with a confident sweep of her hand. “Lead the way.”
Two
Dini fell into step beside him as he retraced his route back to Calypso’s hangar. He hadn’t traveled twenty steps when the little StarDog hopped from Adini’s shoulders to his, and made herself at home by coiling her thick tail around his neck.
“Whoa, there. Did I invite you aboard?” Taro laughed, sliding his fingers over the dense, silky fur on her back. The little animal thrust her cool nose against his hand and tried to burrow beneath it.
“She wants you to pet her. StarDogs are friendly by nature. And loyal, being part canine.”
“She’s very cute,” Taro admitted begrudgingly.
Adini threw him a lopsided grin. “She thinks you are, too.”
“Well, that’s not going to hold much sway with Captain Jordan. ‘Cute’ isn’t something she looks for in a resumé.”
“You sure about that?” Adini questioned with a subtle side-eye.
Taro pressed his lips together and dropped his gaze. Was she flirting, or was it only his imagination wishing it so?
“How long have you been selling StarDogs?” he asked, channeling the conversation back to business. Good thing his Tectolian complexion hid the evidence of the flush warming his face.
“Since my daddy invented them. He’s a bit of a biohack. LaGuardians seem to have a knack for it.”
“You’re LaGuardian?” Taro cast a questioning glance at Adini’s dark locks.
He enjoyed the sound of her laughter. “Clearly only half. My mother was Purmian.” She tilted her head, smiling at his startled look. “I know. I’m very tall for a Purmian.”
“Tallest Purmie I’ve ever met,” Taro teased.
“Well, I got mom’s hair and eyes, but dad’s stature. I kind of like how things turned out.”
A fleeting smile crossed Taro’s lips when their gazes touched. “So do I.” A little return volley on the flirting seemed like fair play.
It only took a glimpse of the towering men ahead to kill their conversation and good spirits. Taro’s face set in a hard frown, and he slowed his stride. “Palies,” he muttered to Adini.
“I see them,” she responded.
A pair of Ithian officers stood at the entrance to the spaceport hangars, their over-tall, lanky frames and pallid faces an arresting contrast to the blue Carduwan sky. They looked to be engaged in casual conversation except for the sharp, penetrating sweep of their eyes over the surrounding area. They were clearly on the lookout for something. Or someone.
The older of the two cast an assessing look their way, sizing them up. His gaze lingered on Adini a moment before moving on to other pedestrians in the street behind them.
“They’re scouting,” she whispered.
“Yeah, but not for us. Let’s keep moving.”
Moments later, he and Adini passed through the gate and beyond the Ithians, heading for the alley that split the hangs. Taro eased out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
“They’re into everyone’s business these days. And the tributes they demand…” Taro clenched both fists.
“No fan of the Alliance either, I take it,” Adini whispered.
“Let’s just say we try not to attract their attention.”
“We?”
“Me. My captain. The ship.”
Adini pursed her lips before replying, “My father and I do the same. The Alliance is just...not good for business.”
“Not good for anything, except death and mayhem,” Taro added with a quiet growl. The StarDog gave a soft mewl and nuzzled his cheek, as if she agreed.
“Tectol is a tribute planet,” Adini acknowledged in a quiet voice.
“Yes,” Taro confirmed. “Our government opted to send only females.” He couldn’t keep the harshness from his words. Three hundred thousand young Tectolian women sent to Ithis every calendar, never to be seen again. His patriarchal society valued its able-bodied young men, but the short-sighted decision had been catastrophic for his world.
“I’m sorry,” Adini whispered. “It must be very hard to accept.”
“I wouldn’t say we accept it. Jus
t bear it.”
Like so many men his age, his chance of finding a mate on his home planet was slight to none, but what truly chilled his blood was imagining the horrors faced by those who were surrendered.
Adini reached out to grip his hand. The connection lasted only an instant, but communicated her heartfelt empathy. “It has to stop.”
“If only it were that easy.” Taro set his jaw.
Ithis had been in power for two centuries, and its fist had only tightened with every passing calendar. Beneath the façade of a wealthy and cultured society, Ithian customs were barbaric. They considered the tributes nothing more than cattle—to be bred or devoured as they chose. Everyone knew the fate of those who were sent, but any attempt to intervene brought crushing retaliation from the Alliance. The horrific slaughter of Purmia’s ruling duke and duchess five calendars before was just one terrifying example.
Adini made a quick glance over her shoulder. “How much farther to your ship?”
“Almost there.”
Taro led her down the alley between the long row of steelonate hangs and into Calypso’s shady berth. “Here we are.” The StarDog’s tiny ears perked, and she scooted forward to brace her front paws on Taro’s chest, almost as if she understood that this was their destination.
Adini stopped short. “Black ship?”
“Black as the void.” Taro eyed the softly contoured lines of the dark ship with a swelling pride. He’d worked nav on a number of other ships, and none could compare to his Calypso. But he really couldn’t talk about that.
“Independent?” Adini asked with a soft edge to her question.
