by J. Naomi Ay
By midday, a hole had melted enough for Marik to climb out, after which I followed him into the weak, winter light of the Rehnorian sun. The mule had frozen where he stood, and the food provisions in the cart were picked clean by the scavenging birds. All that remained were a few boxes of tools and wet skins including the sheepskin blankets I had wanted to trade.
"I'm hungry," Marik moaned, his never ending complaint, while my own stomach growled and churned.
"Go hunt something." I looked around, wondering how far we had come, and if we were still close enough for someone to connect us to the murdered trader.
While my son went off to the forest to scrounge up a squirrel or a rabbit, I searched the nearby woodland for a place to camp.
It was already growing cold again as dark gray clouds hovered over the distant mountains, and the winter sun dipped low on the horizon. I didn’t relish another night against the wheels of the cart but neither did I want to sleep on a bed of leaves or twigs.
Despite how many times I told myself I shouldn't, I longed for my old life back. I’d have taken any one of them at this point, a cabin on a starship, a house in the suburbs on Cascadia III, or even the upstairs floor of Minka’s place in Shortru. I was tired of running, living hand to mouth in the forest, trying to stay warm, trying to stay alive. I wasn't feeling well, although I refused to admit the cause of my ever-present fatigue. Admitting it out loud would mean it was true.
Maybe, hopefully, it would take care of itself. If I couldn’t get a fire started tonight and spent the whole time shivering, maybe my body would get a clue and purge the invader. Or maybe, I was stuck with it. This was yet another curse thrust upon me by a god that found my life a great source of entertainment.
Something laughed at me then, as I knelt in wet dirt trying to coax a tiny flame from damp sticks and fallen leaves. They smoked and the wind blew back in my face as I looked up at the sky in the direction of the noise.
It was a bird that found my predicament so humorous. He was a great big black thing that stood perched on the top of a neighboring tree, and I recognized him from our encounters before. He gazed down at me with consternation, issuing that call that mocked my life, before spreading his large black wings and disappearing from my view.
“Good!” I screamed after him. “Leave me alone. Go to hell, and never come back.”
His voice echoed through the forest canyons, a piercing, fierce cry that had I known any better, I could have sworn meant, “After you.”
Chapter 2
Jim
Since I resigned from SdK Corporation to take over the Duchy of Kalika-hahr, I found myself back on Rozari living next door to my sister. We both inherited the estate's manor house, a gothic Tudor replica set on forty acres of rolling hills, meadows, and forest. Several years earlier, Thad and Gina had split the house into two equal halves, creating an enormous and luxurious duplex which Gwen and I shared.
Our grandmother, Shelly, and grandfather, Admiral Tim alternated who they lived with. One month, I'd get Shelly and the next, I'd get Tim. This worked out well enough for everyone, as I was single and Gwen was divorced, plus it allowed Shelly and Tim to stay out of each other's way. If by some chance they ran into each other in the driveway or yard and started to fight, unless I was downstairs in the kitchen, I didn't have to hear it.
Most of the time, my sister and I were outside enjoying the eighteen-hole course or the pool, or if it rained, I stayed upstairs in my office, working on my memoirs, while Gwen stayed upstairs in her office working on hers. Shelly and Tim puttered around in their separate circles doing whatever centenarians did with their time.
The grandparents had been married something more than seventy years but after that big mess on Spacebase 41-B, neither could stand to be around the other. Neither Gwen nor I knew exactly what had caused their breakup, but as I had no luck with women and Gwen’s marriage bombed out early, I figured it was just the Mattson propensity to be obnoxious. Either that, or we were all just lousy with relationships.
Sure, Thad and Gina's deaths had been pretty traumatic. But, let's face it, Thad was sinking pretty fast back then. As for Gina, nobody had ever liked her anyway, not that we’d have wished her a violent, drunken death. Whoever had shot them, whether it was Thad or someone else, they actually made it quick and clean. Since they both were drunk out of their gourds, probably they didn’t feel a thing. Of course, that didn’t rule out any suffering they might be experiencing in the afterlife.
"I think it's because of Katie," Gwen told me one morning over coffee.
Gwen and I usually had breakfast together next to the pool. We had removed the fence which had separated the back yard and rebuilt the two pools into a large, Olympic-sized one.
We also added a huge hot tub, a steam room and sauna in the cabana building, and a water slide because I always liked them.
"The Admiral loved Katie more than he ever loved Dad or Uncle Larry,” my sister continued. “After she died, he just couldn't handle it. That's when he stopped taking his dementia medicine and started falling apart."
"Could be," I murmured, appreciating the view of the rolling Rozarian hills.
Years ago, when Gwen and I first moved to this planet with Thad, all of this land was barren, dry red dust. Today, it was lush and green, trimmed to perfection and marked by two sand traps, a duck pond, and eighteen beautiful putting greens.
We even had a river. When the rains had started again mid last century, an ancient dry riverbed refilled and now, ran past the manor house, filled with a great selection of fish. If the Admiral was in a particularly bad mood, Gwen or I would send him out there with a pole and his manservant to keep an eye on him. A few bass and a steelhead or two would set the Admiral straight again, and exhaust him enough so that he slept most of the next day.
"And, everyone knows how Shelly loved Senya. How many times did we hear how she wanted to adopt him?" Gwen got up to retrieve the coffee pot and a plate of organic, ten grain, protein enhanced rolls from the bar where the maid left them every morning. "Even now, Shelly spends half the morning sobbing. When she's not doing that, she's talking to him like he's in the room with her."
"Maybe he is?" I suggested. "I've heard stranger things about him."
"That's for sure. But, the thing is, Jim, what if they're really not dead?"
"Well, they are to the Admiral and Shelly."
Gwen took my half-filled cup from the bistro table and refilled it. That's what was so great about living with my sister. She always knew what I needed before I even thought to ask.
On top of that, she never expected anything from me. I never had to take her out to dinner or buy her flowers, chocolates or jewelry. If I wanted to bring a woman home, she didn't care. Gwen was like having a mother except without all the guilt. She was a wife who lived next door and didn't nag or complain. I had the best possible situation, and no desire to change a thing. I think Gwen was pretty content with it too.
“Are you going back to the Capital Planet for a meeting any time soon?” Gwen asked, plopping down in the chaise next to me. “Maybe, Steve knows something he’s not telling anyone. If you speak to him, will you explain the situation with the Admiral and Shelly?"
"I wasn't planning on going to any meetings."
I didn't give a damn what Steve or Rent thought or what their problems were. Since I walked away from SdK a little over two years ago, I had absolutely no desire to see either of those guys again. However, I had been invited to a meeting. Well, I guess it was more like an Imperial Summons. All the dukes of the realm were requested to meet at Spacebase 22 next week, an appointment I was going to conveniently forget.
"I could go," Gwen suggested. "I could be your emissary. Remember how I used to babysit Steve when he was a little kid? He really liked me back then. I could sit in the meeting instead of you and then, maybe afterwards, he'll give me a few minutes for old time's sake."
"Steve is hardly a cute toddler, although he still has a tendency to act like it.
Furthermore, I thought you hated traveling in space."
"Well, I do," Gwen said. "But, I feel very strongly that something must be done. If the Princes know something and I can pass that information on to the grandparents, it may dramatically change their lives. The two of them are so miserable now when they should be completely happy at this juncture. I'm afraid, if you're not going to go, then, I must."
"At a spacebase, Gwen?”
I reminded her that the Imperial Palace had been reduced to rubble. She'd be terrified of having to spend a few nights in orbit somewhere. She'd always hated spaceplanes and flying in general, even though as kids, we were crossing the galaxy at least twice a year.
Back in the day, after we had moved to Rozari with Thad, we made quite a few trips to Earth to visit our mom, Leslie. She still lived there now with whoever she was married to this week although neither Gwen nor I had gone to visit in a number of years.
When we kids, Thad would take us each school break to reconnect with the maternal parent and dutifully, collect us again two weeks later.
I remembered vividly the first time we travelled on a private SdK plane. The Emperor himself was aboard although at that point he was still just Dr. Ron. He was in a really bad mood, and shortly after we boarded, he relocated himself to a back cabin, which was good because in a matter of minutes, he had frightened both Gwen and me out of our wits. We never saw him after that, and two weeks later, we flew home on a commercial starline's flight which Gwen and I actually liked better because the food came on neat little trays.
"I can manage for a few days." Gwen pursed her lips and blinked rapidly, a sure sign that her level of anxiety was already building up.
"Whatever you say, Sis."
I set down my coffee cup and rose to do some stretches, before diving into the pool for my morning swim. While I lapped forty times, Gwen finished her breakfast, and then, collecting all the dishes, returned to her side of the house.
I usually did my best thinking as I swam. Something about being underwater without extraneous noise helped me to concentrate. This morning, I thought about Gwen's trip, even briefly considering whether or not I should go along. I didn't want to. I wasn't needed in the Council meetings and frankly, there was nothing about the whole event that sounded the least bit fun.
However, Gwen going off by herself made me feel marginally guilty. She was, after all, my little sis, and it was my job to look out for her. What harm would three or four days away do? Spacebase 22 had a decent casino, a Hilton I could pay for with points, and reportedly, the best little steakhouse in space.
"Alright," I sighed, climbing out of the pool. "I guess I can force myself."
"Thad!" The Admiral bellowed, greeting me at the edge of the pool, his manservant, Napu waiting patiently by his side.
"I'm Jim," I bellowed equally as loudly while drying my head with a towel. "Jim, Gramps. Remember? I'm Thad's only, and equally worthless son."
"Right, right," the Admiral replied gruffly, pacing the length of the pool while waving his hand dismissively as if I were a Yeoman he had summoned to take notes.
Napu followed the Admiral dutifully, his three legs gliding above the ground, almost as if he wasn't touching it, but floating instead. Napu was a Luminerian, one of those dudes whose planets were busy nuking each other. Oddly, that didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, nothing really did. Napu had been with us for several years, tirelessly tending to the Admiral, despite the old man's constant verbal abuse.
"He's not quite right in the head," Napu shrugged when Gwen apologized. "He doesn't mean what he says."
Napu was amazingly tolerant of the Admiral and his moods as well as soft-spoken and the most non-intrusive guy you ever met. The only thing that bothered me about him, not that I'm a racist or anything like that, but Napu's religion was a little bit off the wall.
Everywhere the dude went, he carried The Book of Rosso, which dictated every aspect of his life. IN it, this Rosso character laid out rules for all of his minions. If you followed his dictates exactly, supposedly, you would live a better life.
"Yep, that, and a ten dollar cup of coffee, wheat bran, and seaweed extract are the keys to happiness and success," I remarked one day.
"Oh no, Master Jimmy. Please to read the words of My Lord Rosso and see for yourself."
Napu thrust the book at me. "My Lord Rosso knows everything and all."
"Righty-O," I replied as I glanced through a few pages.
In a nutshell, I concluded the whole thing was a joke, and anyone who believed it had to be nuts. I mean, seriously, what kind of god took every other Tuesday off, and wouldn't listen to prayers between 2PM and 4PM? One was supposed to pray to Rosso twenty-seven times a day except during the hours the mighty lord napped. There were dietary rules that involved eating meat and how it ought to be prepared. One could only eat cloven hooves if they were baked or deep fried. Goats and sheep must be consumed entirely raw. Apparently, Rosso despised chicken because poultry, flat out, wasn't allowed. And, all that was in the first three pages of the book.
There were rules about relationships with women in particular. Men were not ever to touch them unless they insisted upon it. You couldn't compliment their appearance. In fact, if you saw a girl you had to turn around unless she ordered you to face them.
The dress code for Rosso's minions required wearing primarily blue, which might look nice if you weren't already green. If you had more than four limbs or an extra head or two, Rosso mandated that everything be covered up.
The rules were extensive. Probably, there were a few thousand more which I didn't bother to read up. Suffice it to say, if you had any questions, Rosso was always available to ask. All you had to do was think loudly or shout in the air.
"Rosso is my lord," Napu said as he dropped once again to the floor bowing to his unseen deity for the twenty-fourth time that day. Only three times remained for another gold star stamp on his Book of Rosso ledger.
"Good, dude," I replied and left the book at his feet.
As far as I was concerned, this universe was a little over crowded with wanna-be gods.
"Thad," the Admiral shouted. "Will you please deal with your mother? I believe the woman has suffered a mental breakdown."
"Sure, Admiral," I replied, wrapping the towel around my waist. "We've said that about Leslie for years."
"Leslie?" the Admiral paused, causing Napu to halt as well, his posterior leg hanging in mid-air. "Oh yes, I recall now. Leslie was your wife. I always said you shouldn't have married her in the first place."
"Admiral," Napu said softly, tapping one of his long, green fingers on the old man's shoulder. "This is Master Jimmy, your grandson. Master Thad has gone away."
"It's alright, Napu. I'll take care of Shelly. A trip to the Takira-hahr Fashion Mall usually cures what ails her. Admiral, there are some scones and hot coffee on the buffet. Your morning report has just arrived, and I'm sorry to say, there's some bad business going on in the Rehnorian sector."
"What?" the Admiral raged. "Napu, get Spaceforce Command on the horn. I am sick and tired of dealing with those Neanderthal Rehnorians."
"So am I," I agreed waving goodbye as Napu lead the Admiral to the vacated chaise.
My house was quiet and cool, only the faint scent of the freshly baked breakfast rolls still promulgating the morning air. Actually, a trip to the shopping mall wouldn't be half bad. It would give me something to do today as well as get a new set of duds for the upcoming space trip I had just agreed to take.
Chapter 3
Zak
My brother, Etan and I were playing outside with our drone when it happened. Actually, it was my drone which I had just received for my fourteenth birthday. My gramps had given it to me despite the objections of Mom and Dad who thought a drone would be too dangerous for us two boys.
Gramps never listened to Mom and Dad. In fact, he made it a point to ignore just about everything Mom ever said. Instead, he whispered to us that a little danger in our lives was
just what we needed as he handed me the wrapped package, and waved us off to our room.
While Etan and I anxiously ran down the hall, Gramps sat on the sofa next to Dad, opened a beer, and distracted him by discussing the Bengals' game which was being broadcast in full holographic imagery in the middle of our living room.
“A drone!” Etan had gasped while I ripped away the shiny red paper. “A fully functional XVT-4700. Whoa dude! That’s totally awesome.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, flipping over the box and reading about the multi-functionality, and eyeglass controls.
There was a warning on the side that said it wasn’t recommended for use by anyone under eighteen. Etan and I were pretty smart guys, though. Obviously, Gramps thought we could handle this, so I didn’t bother to read any further.
I wasn’t very good about following directions anyway. I liked to play with things and see how they worked, sometimes break them, and put them back together. As I unwrapped the plastic seal around the beetle shaped pod, Etan picked up the box, and quickly scanned what I had missed.
“Whoa! It can do a lot of things! It can play baseball or tennis. We can even take it hunting! Look Zak. It came with both balls, but you can buy bullets.”
Etan held up two packages labelled baseball and tennis.
“Sick,” I remarked, now studying the unit by flipping it over in my hands.
It had a smooth back with two tiny wing-like extensions, four stick legs for landing, and a head just like a beetle’s with two eyeballs, and a pair of antennas. The belly part opened up by releasing a latch, and that’s how you armed it.
“I know what we can do! At night we can load it with the bullets, and it can patrol the house while we sleep. Then, in the day, we can take it the park and play baseball. I bet the whole neighborhood will come out to see this.”
“Sick,” I said again, and tested the control glasses.
They were a little big, probably designed for an adult but I figured I would grow into them. I was just starting my growth spurt, and already, nearly as tall as Dad. The glasses were way too large for Etan which was a good thing. The drone was mine, and he could only use it when I was there to control it.
