"I wanted you, baby. I tried. They never gave me an explanation about the reason why my application was refused."
"I know you tried. The compound was protecting you and society from the survivors. They were afraid that the mutated virus would escape isolation and spread like the common cold, where no one could develop an immunity."
"I had no idea that it was so serious," Buzz muttered.
"That is what the United Nations are really afraid of. You see, I'm the last carrier, and the only survivor of that virus. That's the real reason why they need to preserve my body—not to find a cure to radiation-induced cancer, but to isolate something as serious as the common cold used to be. They want to preserve me, in case it shows itself again and they have not yet found a cure. They have gallons of my blood stashed away, but they need to make sure that I'm frozen before I go bad, just like that blood."
"But why send you off?"
"A wild virus cannot be contained. They're afraid that I might be a modern version of Typhoid Mary, and that one day the virus inside me will awaken and infect the world. It's okay, old friend. I'm just grateful that I lived long enough to see the stars," she said.
"Tabs…"
"Be strong for me, Buzz. Who knows? In twenty years we might be able to see each other again."
"I'll be older than shit."
"You'll be in your eighties, and kicking ass chasing pretty nurses around. It's time to start the final countdown and I'm ready to get this party on the road." Tabby squared her shoulders.
"Are you sure?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life. This is Lt. Tabitha Gold, requesting authorization to initiate sequence for launch," she said firmly.
"Sequence authorized, Lieutenant," another voice responded. "Are you ready to fire?"
"Affirmative. Proceed for liftoff. Commence countdown."
"Entering radio silence. T minus one minute and twenty seconds to launch," Buzz choked out. "Ten seconds to liftoff. Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. I love you, Tabitha."
"I love you too, old man," Tabby whispered, as she felt the rumbling rocket pull away from the platform. The teddy bear was clutched under her arm as she was surrounded by immense power, of which she was in the very center. She concentrated on trying to find words that could adequately describe the feeling. It was like a combination of being lifted by an enormous hand and then shaken in the jaws of a massive dog. The vessel shook and vibrated, pinning her hard against the seat. She focused on her breathing as she was thrown forward at the finish of one set of engines, then shoved back as the next stage ignited. The pressure was oppressive, as though an elephant was lying on top of her. Suddenly, the engine shut down and she was instantly weightless; her body and mind freed from the shackles of society and gravity.
"How's it looking up there, Lieutenant?" A voice crackled over the radio.
"Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful," Tabby whispered, staring at the blue planet that floated below her. The sun gleamed behind the moon, its rays softly caressing the pale, pitted surface. "It really puts things into perspective."
"Are you ready for program activation?" the voice asked.
"Are we on a time crunch? I'd like some time to take this in before I go under."
"Take all the time you need, ma'am."
"Give me an hour. I want to raise a toast before I say goodbye," she said.
Locked in orbit, she was soon completely blocked from the sun. The moon appeared as a circular gap of blackness in an otherwise beautiful expanse of stars. She immediately missed the cheerful twinkling visible through the atmosphere; the optical illusion of glittering lights from celestial bodies that might not even exist any longer. The view was both breathtaking and intimidating, the expanse so vast that the human mind was incapable of comprehending the enormity of it.
She squinted her eyes and leaned forward, trying to focus on an object that seemed to be moving in her direction. Her eyes widened and she gripped her bear more tightly. "Fuck! NASA! NASA! Do you read me? There's an asteroid right in my path. I need manual override. Hurry!"
The object whirled towards her at a blinding speed, clipping the side of the pod and sending it spinning out of orbit. Out of the corner of her eye, Tabby saw it explode into dust as it penetrated the atmosphere. She also heard the words; "Oh, dear God! We lost her!"
Chapter Two
"Surrender immediately! This is your final warning," the automated voice echoed through the cabin.
"Like hell I will. If you can catch me, then you can have me!" Seth laughed as he threw his ship into a spin and quickly intercepted the Electric Web before it had a chance to tighten. His father would be furious when word got back to him regarding the Crown Prince's extra-curricular—and highly unethical—activities, but Seth was unbothered by the threat of consequences. In his hand he clutched a rare find; a bottle made of Earth glass. Not only was it highly valuable, but it had survived the space sweep in one piece. It was a perfect addition to his collection, and he had no qualms about stealing it from the Archives.
He also enjoyed a good chase.
His ship shot through the planetary shield and jerked to a suspended stop before lowering to the ground. Seth exited with a grin, tossing his disk to an attendant.
"Here you go. Get her fueled up for me, and don't tell anyone where I've been."
"Yes, Your Highness." The droid bowed.
"And when you're done, scrub every inch with a toothbrush."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"And wear a pink dress while you do it," Seth added.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Heavenly Ceres." Seth shook his head, rolling his eyes as he looked up at the giant misshapen moon that hovered in the lavender sky. "Why does Father buy these things? What's wrong with having just real, live people working in the palace? Damn, I miss the old days."
He sauntered down the iridescent path to the lift that took him through the doors of the palace proper, and headed in the direction of his personal quarters.
"Mesethius!"
Rolling his eyes, the young man stopped and turned, offering a tiny bow. "Good afternoon, Father. How may I serve you?"
"Cut the crap, boy. We both know that you pretend to be respectful just to annoy me. Is it true? Did you break into the Archives again and steal another artifact?"
"I didn't steal an artifact, I appropriated an object. Look," he showed his frowning sire the bottle, "not only is it in one piece, but the color is magnificent. I've never seen it up close before."
"It's called 'green' and is very common on planets like Earth where their plants don't absorb that color wave length. Son, you have to stop doing these things. Not only is it unsafe, but it also reflects poorly on the royal line."
"Father, I will respectfully remind you that you acquired the throne by 'doing these things' over five hundred seasons ago. There is no difference between how you acquired your wealth, and how I add to my collection. You also know that the people don't care if I rescue space debris from a milling station," Seth said, grinning.
"How old do you think I am? It was only a hundred and three seasons ago. I was still a young buck in my prime, young man, and don't you forget it. I also took the throne honorably. I did not steal it."
"You married the prior king's hideous daughter, a female that you never cared for, to gain power and send that race into exile. That is not exactly honorable, at least, not from their viewpoint. Granted, they were feasting on our people…"
The king made a sour face. "Must you make light of such a terrible time for our people? I should also like to remind you that the hideous, deplorable female of which you speak is your mother. Show some respect."
"You 'moo' every time she passes by! And I said nothing about her being deplorable."
"Yes, I 'moo', but I do so with repugnance. As for deplorable… granted, I added that." The older man scoffed. "Sit. It is true that your mother and I hold no love towards one another. If it weren't for planetary law
s, I'm sure the old sow would have slit my throat and had me served on a platter on the very night we wed. But we hold a mutual, uh, disposition towards one another. I find her bitter, tedious and dim-witted, and she, in turn, finds me crude, reckless and an idiot—"
"Lotopia's model of a perfect couple," Seth interrupted.
"Regardless, she is the queen, and every time you pull a stunt like this, I have to hear about it. For rotation after rotation. Endlessly. That female never seems to stop complaining about something."
"Too bad she isn't human. You could try some of the suggestions from those manuals that the research planet was distributing through the quadrant decades back. I'm not talking about spanking, but the other methods of punishment. Things like eating something called 'oatmeal'…"
"Or throwing her into the rays of the orange sun?" the king asked hopefully.
"That would fry her to death. You know what I'm speaking about. Besides forced abstinence and isolation, they used different forms of corporal punishment and bodily discipline," Seth said.
The king shuddered and leaned forward. "Even if I had that type of character in me, which I do not, the thought of having her naked and in plain view is more of a punishment towards me than anything that could be inflicted upon her! No, thank you."
"I don't know how you do it, Father. I would die if I was stuck in such a bind as you."
"You wouldn't die, my son. You would learn how to make the best of it. Besides, I did get you out of the bargain. I just praise Ceres that you turned out to be more like me than like her."
Seth grinned and poked his father's leg. "Remember that the next time the Archive police chase me through an Electric Web."
"You are going to be the death of me, boy."
"Would you feel better if I apologized to Mother and tried to get her off your case?"
"That would be a good start. She is in the baths."
Seth groaned. "So I have to see her naked? You really want to punish me, don't you?"
"We must all pay the price for our poor choices." His father grinned mischievously, then patted Seth's leg and sauntered off with the spry gait of a youth.
"We must all pay the price for our poor choices," Seth mimicked, slowly standing. "I hope you know how much I love you, Father," he shouted, grunting as the older man lifted his hand in a wave without so much as looking back.
Taking a deep breath and plastering a false smile on his face, the prince cheerfully entered the bathing quarters. "Good afternoon, Mother. How is the first sun treating you? Perhaps you should sit outside during the second sun and work on your color."
"Thus enters my prodigal son," the woman snipped, ignoring his subtle hint. "Present yourself before me and explain yourself."
Seth tried to avoid looking at the round blob of rolling white flesh and three breasts. He was an open-minded man, and readily accepted the differences of others, but he was unable to grasp how flesh that flapped about like a dying fish could be perceived as beautiful. Bile rose in his throat as his usual question arose regarding how a humanoid species like his father and this alien had been able to reproduce. Modern science, perhaps? Or maybe it was the strength of the Ceres moon that hovered overhead. One day, when he was prepared to lose his meal, he would ask his father that question.
He uttered a silent thanks to Ceres that genetics had spared him the majority of phenotypes that would link him to the Helminth race; with their short, squat bodies thickly padded with layer after layer of hair-covered fat, and close, tiny, black-button eyes separated by a thick-centered unibrow. Indeed, the handsome prince had won the genetic jackpot. He was taller than all his peers, reaching the majestic height of seven and a half feet, and padded with tight, strong muscle that was capable of smooth, graceful movement. His golden skin was smooth and naked, except for the thick waves of dark, unruly hair covering his head, a distinctively masculine brow line, a solid, square jaw, and the stunningly seductive long-lashed eyes, which glowed a brilliant gold.
He had, however, inherited one particular physical attribute from his mother's side, and that feature had made him a very popular young man amongst the Lotopian females. Nature had solved the problem of reaching the hidden reproductive canal of the Helminth women by providing the males with an enormously long, thick cock, whose head expanded in size to lock the organ in place and allow fertilization.
Seth shuddered again at the thought of his father having to be with this thing. How the poor man had managed to impregnate the alien female, he would never know. He suspected that it required not only special equipment, but too much contact for comfort. A Helminth female could not conceive unless she climaxed; a chore that was exceedingly impossible unless the male had a tireless tongue.
He knelt at the edge of the bath and tilted his head. "Are you enjoying your bath, Mother?"
"I wish not to hear your nonsense. What say you about your actions?"
The sound of her high-pitched, grating voice made Seth clench his teeth. "What actions are you referring to? Every woman I engaged with at the party last night left happy and exhausted, as far as I know." He tapped his chin, pretending to think. "It was a short evening, and I only took twenty of them. Did I miss one?"
"When are you going to grow up and cease making everything into a joke? You are the crown prince, and ninety-six seasons old! You owe me and the people I rule respect, and respect starts with proper behavior," she barked.
"Mother, with all due respect, it is Father who rules this planet and watches over the needs of its people. Your race nearly wiped out all the resources, remember? That is why they are exiled to Hitopia now. The only reason you are on the throne is because of the agreement the Helminth rulers made: to stop eating Lotopians in return for needed supplies."
"Helminthe have never dined on humanoids," she spat.
"True. You snacked on them. I will remind you that when Father retires from the throne, I will be his replacement. I will take a wife to be my queen, and you will not be permitted to eat her."
She waved away his comment. "Why did you break into the Archives again, and what did you steal this time?"
"I didn't break in anywhere. I slipped in unnoticed and stole nothing, I—"
"Appropriated. Liberated. Annexed. Twisting and changing words does not negate your behavior. I have had enough of this childishness from you. Your access to the flight deck is prohibited until you show yourself mature and responsible enough to obey the law and respect authority."
Seth raised his eyebrow with amusement. "Do you really think you have the power to ground me like I was a child, Mother? If so, I fear you have lost what little sense a Helminth brain is capable of holding."
It took so little to antagonize her, and he rejoiced in doing so at every opportunity. The Helminthe considered intelligence, like love and nurturing, to be a weakness of character, yet proclaimed themselves to be sensible beings. The queen hissed, flicking out a snake-like tongue as she pulled her immense body from the water, reminding him of the slug-like creatures from which her race had evolved. "You dare challenge me? Guards! Detain him."
Two droids appeared out of nowhere and locked Seth in cuffs. He turned to look at the queen as he was led out of the room. Her grin was filled with yellowed, uneven teeth.
"Do you really think calling in your toys will help you win this battle, Mother? You simply gave me another challenge, for which I thank you! I assure you that I will enjoy it immensely." He laughed with a bow, dislodged himself from the droids, and walked away while holding up his hands—now free from the cuffs. The sound of a hiss behind him gave him all the satisfaction he needed.
Seth chuckled as the door to his quarters latched behind him, and plopped down in his favorite chair in front of a large window formed from common diamond. He glanced out at the jagged violet mountains and copper-colored sea, chuckled out loud, and then initiated the Comfort Program.
"Start program one," he ordered, kicking off his boots and leaning back against the plush cushion. The scanner hum
med over him, detecting the type of manipulation required to soothe his body. He purred as the massage began, the rollers pressing into the muscle groups and projecting heat deep into the tissue. A soothing melody of ocean waves and whistling wind piped around him, along with the scent of sweet wood-smoke and blue pine.
A glass of iced wine appeared on the serving platform, along with slices of fruit and crackers that closely resembled an image that he had seen in one of the photographs attached to Earth literature. Earth studies were not just a hobby for the young man—it was an obsession. Everything and anything that was related to the planet received his undivided attention, and he had spent every spare moment studying the world for over seventy-two seasons.
He had been just twenty-four seasons old when he first made contact with a set of Pod-mates belonging to a sister planet from the other side of the galaxy. They had not only studied Earth directly, but had obtained their very own pet human, and were now considered to be the universal authority on Earth sciences. The researchers had been hesitant to relinquish too much information, especially to a young child, but had finally caved in after a full season of endless begging and badgering. They sent molecular diagrams for Earth food sampling, as well as other study material, including a computer program called Rosetta Stone, which he'd used to learn how to speak and read Earth's English language. He read every book, watched every documentary of both fact and fiction, and endlessly indulged himself by studying human entertainment, crude sciences, and social interactions—especially reproduction and courting rituals. He had even memorized the human training manuals, word for word, and practiced the techniques of love and discipline described therein as often as he could find a willing partner.
His private quarters housed a collection of almost every imaginable item that had been catapulted into space and left as debris. A red and white striped flag with white stars on a blue background had been 'borrowed' from Earth's major satellite; his personal data storage device was filled with photographs, reading materials, and videos of human living that he meticulously 'obtained' from salvaged wrecks; and items of unidentified nature were neatly displayed on illuminated shelves. Above him hung a large mobile made of pieces of broken Earth glass that tinkled lightly in the slight breeze that drifted through the large room. That was the greatest treasure in his collection. Silica was a rare find on the diamond planet, so glass was considered to be even more valuable than Earth's crown jewels.
A Little Wish Upon a Star Page 2
