Fireflies and Cosmos
Interstellar Spring Book 1
J. Darris Mitchell
For Raquel
Without whom none of the flowers on the 51 Seeded Worlds would exist.
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Contents
Fireflies and Cosmos
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
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Acknowledgements
Sneak Peak! Diamondcrabs and Mangoes
Chapter 1
Captain Catalina Solaris Xao Mondragon looked down upon the swirling clouds of Bulletar from the deck of the Artemis with apprehension. She'd vowed never to return to this planet for exactly the same reason that she had now trekked halfway across the inhabited sector of the galaxy to find. She'd told Roman Luz Jupiter when she'd left him down there that he would never step foot on her ship again. It was a small consolation that the ship she now captained was at least a different ship.
'Permission to speak freely sir?'
Captain Mondragon turned to her first officer Farah Relkor and raised an eyebrow. 'What happens if I say no?' Though Farah's tall and thin frame towered over the captain's short and curvaceous build, Captain Mondragon was not in the least bit intimidated by her old friend.
'You'll be forced to mark me for insubordination in your record sir,' Farah said, her thin lips struggling to hold back a vicious grin that her eyes made no effort to conceal.
'You'd risk a blemish on a flawless record?'
'Sir, with all due respect, if we are here for the reason I believe us to be, my comments will prove to be far from the most egregious violation committed aboard this ship.'
Captain Mondragon looked at Farah Relkor standing at attention aboard the tiny bridge. Though her crew was small by most standards, she knew they were the best in the inhabited sector. Farah Relkor and her husband Kensei 'Ikamon' Mizuyama were the most passionate ecological surveyors she'd ever met, and it didn't hurt that even after so many years of marriage they were able to work through any stressful situations in the most carnal, if not quietest of methods. Her pilot Fin was young, and by all accounts still green behind the ears, but Captain Mondragon had already seen enough of her maneuvers on Epsilon-V to know she was a valuable asset. It was a pity they'd lost Dr. Mercurian on Epsilon-V; that was what had brought them here. Fin's fast actions had saved their lives and the ship, but she couldn't save the doctor. No one could have, not in the face of those… those aberrations. Catalina only hoped that she wasn't making a mistake. She respected her crew of three and valued their opinions and skills. That was after all why she had recruited Farah and Kensei once she'd been made Captain of the Artemis by the Institute, but there were times when she wished Farah was a bit more tactful. Captain Mondragon sighed. 'Say what you must.'
'When it comes to Roman Jupiter, I'd prefer to have it on the record that I find him an unprofessional, easily distracted, incompetent, womanizing moron. He made your last ship less efficient by a magnitude of ten and I think leaving him on Bulletar was one of the smartest things you ever did, both professionally and personally.' Farah said.
Captain Mondragon could tell from the tone of her voice that Farah was only getting started. Her pale eyes were burning, and her thin lips twitched at the side, desperately trying to hide her snarky grin.
'Wait, what do you mean personally? I've never seen the Captain be anything but professional,' Fin said with a grin. She punched something into the command console at the head of the bridge and turned to face the two women. Her short, pink cropped hair was still black at the tips from her last dye-job and her bangs covered one eye. Her button of a nose pointed up, right at Catalina. Captain Mondragon bristled, she knew she should have said something sooner, that this conversation was inevitable, that Farah had a right to know, that her crew had a right to know, but this way, she had hoped to at least minimize the time she would have to hear Farah bitch about her decision. But she had no choice. Despite everything else Roman was, he was a damn gifted entomologist, and a survey ship, even one as special as the Artemis, could not perform its duties unless it could successfully sample bacteria, plants, fungi, fish, molluscs, and bugs. Kensei was a master of the seas, and Farah a keen botanist, but neither knew a sphinx moth from a swallowtail. It had to be this way, especially after the horror they had seen on Epsilon-V.
'What is happening? I heard yelling' Kensei said softly as he stepped onto the bridge thus completing the crew. Kensei was the living antithesis to his wife, Farah. He had pale skin and dark eyes, nearly as black as his hair, while Farah's skin was caramel colored and her eyes pale, her hair the color of sun-bleached straw. While Farah always had to make an effort to conceal her simmering emotions, Kensei was relaxed and easy going. That two people so different could stay together after traveling so much of the inhabited sector was a testament to the power of love. Kensei seemed to have a natural ability to tell when Farah was about to explode, and could, almost without fail, diffuse her. Captain Mondragon had only seen Kensei fail in his ability to calm Farah once before, but it seemed that at this moment, that gift was going to go unused. Kensei looked from his wife to Fin who was smiling devilishly at the captain. He cocked his head. 'Captain,' he said in slightly accented English, 'is there a problem?
'First officer Relkor is going on the record about her issues with picking up a man from Bulletar because of personal reasons between him and the Captain. At least that's what I've got so far,' Fin's eyes gleamed with gossip.
Kensei's narrow eyes went wide and he chuckled. 'So… Bulletar is where we are to get our ecologist, or… should I say, our ex-ecologist?'
'Wait? What?' Fin said.
At that moment, despite all Catalina had seen her crew do, despite all the worlds they had visited together in the last year, despite the ecosystems they had saved where ships crewed with dozens had failed, despite their history of successfully upholding the Charter, Catalina hated all of them.
'Oh come on! Who is Roman Jupiter?' Fin said.
'Roman Jupiter is a talented, albeit unorthodox entomologist,' Captain Mondragon began, hoping that none of her unruly curls had escaped her signature bun before making this announcement to the crew. She continued with relentless professionalism, 'He is a passionate, hardworking man, who is uniquely qualified to assist us on our mission of surveying the 51 worlds that the Institute seeded nearly a century ago. Given our situation, and the loss of poor Dr. Mercurian, I see no alternative.'
'Oh cut the crap Cat. Fin has a right to know. Roman Jupiter is a beer-guzzling hormonal idiot driven by only two things in life- fornicating with a woman from every inhabited planet and catching fireflies. He is hairy, sme
lly, easily distracted, and he broke the Captain's heart.'
Chapter 2
'The Captain had a boyfriend? I've never seen her so much as look at a man!' Fin blurted.
Captain Catalina Solaris Xao Mondragon turned a bright crimson.
'Oh that's because she hasn't since she was with Roman. How did it end Catalina? Oh that's right, it ended exactly the same way it did every other time he ended a relationship. We went to a new planet, he saw some tawny buxom bimbo, and forgot all about the last girl whose heart he ripped in half.'
'Roman cannot help himself, and you cannot deny he possesses much entomological skill' Kensei said.
'He gets the job done, I'll give him that,' Farah said, 'but his head is filled with un-testable questions and half-baked promises. And if I ever hear you refer to women the same way as you'd refer to free samples at an open air market, I swear it to the Artemis we won't bang for a month. Captain, he will do what he always does, he will try to seduce you until we find another planet where he'll forget all about you until we leave, his loins sated, his collection of fireflies having added another damn bug.'
'First Officer Farah, your objections are noted. That is quite enough,' Captain Mondragon said.
'I don't know how you expect us to work with him. What if he tries to seduce Fin?' Farah's voice possessed more than a tinge of rage.
'Trust me you don't have to worry about that,' Fin mumbled.
'I can't believe you dragged us all the way across the sector for this!' Farah was losing control.
'There is no other choice,' Captain Mondragon said, her words so cold they could be shattered. 'We cannot hope to fulfill the Charter unless we have the very best crew possible. Roman is the only entomologist whose skills are equal to the other members of this crew. You remember what we saw on Epsilon-V. Those things tore Patrick apart. For all we know, every outer world could be filled with creatures far more dangerous than those bugs.'
'Well at least there's solace in that. Maybe if we go back to Epsilon-V those bugs can finish with Roman what they started with the late Doctor,' Farah said.
Before the words had even echoed off the walls of the Artemis, Captain Catalina Solaris Xao Mondragon saluted her old friend and said, 'First Officer and Ship Botanist Farah Relkor, you are dismissed of all duties for the next 6 hours.'
'Cat… I didn't mean that. I didn't know you still had feelings for Roman.'
'First officer, you are dismissed. Must I order our second officer to escort you to your quarters?'
Farah looked from Catalina to Kensei, who only shrugged and shook his head.
'Captain, I'm sorry,' Farah managed, before she turned and marched off the bridge.
For a moment there was only silence, then something beeped from the console of the Artemis and Fin turned back to her duties.
'Captain they have approved our landing request. Shall I proceed?'
'Affirmative Ensign Fin. Proceed to landing center Delta, notify me when we land. I will be in my quarters.'
'Yes sir.'
'Captain,' Kensei ventured, 'if I may…'
'I understand your wife's concerns and respect her wishes to make them known. In truth it is I that should apologize, I should have told you all sooner. I'm sorry Second Officer Mizuyama.'
'No Cat, it is not that. She was not in line, and please, you know I hate that name.'
Catalina nodded. 'Do you too wish to note a concern?'
Ikamon shrugged then seemed to remember himself and saluted, 'No Captain. I have never doubted your judgment, not professionally or personally. Neither does Farah, it is just that she gets worked up about such things.'
'I know Kensei. It's fine. If there's nothing else, I'll be in my quarters.'
Kensei nodded and Catalina turned to go.
'Uh, Captain it's just that…'
'Yes Officer Ikamon?' Captain Mondragon whirled and Kensei shrank back from her gaze
'I never thought he smelled that bad, and he was always correct about the fireflies. Even on Epsilon-V, you know? I think perhaps our past together is what makes us such a strong team. Perhaps your past with Officer Jupiter will prove to be advantageous as well.'
'Thank you Kensei.' Catalina said, and retired to her chamber before Fin lost control and started to ask far too many questions.
Chapter 3
Catalina dearly wished that she was not making a mistake as she straightened the badges of distinction on her uniform, and then knocked on Farah's door.
The door yanked open and Catalina immediately realized her wishes would not becoming true.
Farah Relkor stood there in what on some planets would be called lingerie, and on others would surely be illegal. She had on thigh-high leather heels, a black thong, and a black leather bra studded with silver spikes that cupped her small breasts exceptionally well. In her hand she held a switch, and her eyes glowed with malevolent intent. That is until she saw the Captain standing in her doorway.
'Captain!' she saluted. Dropping the whip, then picking it back up and attempting to use to cover the parts of her that weren't hidden by leather straps. 'I… you said I was dismissed.'
'I wanted to apologize but clearly this is not a good time,' Catalina said.
'No, it's fine! I was just expecting Ken…'
'I put him on docking duty. I wanted to talk to you but I will send him right in.'
'No! No Captain that won't be necessary. His duty is to our mission first and me second. It's just, if I could slip into something uh… less comfortable?'
Catalina nodded and found herself sipping a warm mug of tea a few minutes later with a much more thoroughly covered Farah Relkor. Her mind still wandered to Farah's neckline, her small perky breasts now hidden beneath a thick and unbecoming silk kimono. Catalina found herself wondering if Farah had slipped out of her leather bondage gear and now sat with her on the couch naked beneath the robe, or if she still wore the elaborate leather lingerie. Catalina sighed inwardly, thinking of the last time she had dressed to tantalize a man. It had been for Roman.
'Captain, I would like to apologize for my appearance,' Farah said, her voice a little too loud.
'Farah don't be silly, and call me Cat. I dismissed you, remember, you're not on duty, and I'm in your chambers clearly interrupting your evening. I feel I owe you an apology, I should have told you sooner about our destination, about Roman…'
Farah rolled her eyes at the mention of his name but kept her composure. 'No. I should apologize. You're right, Roman is a good entomologist, and if we're going back out there, we'll need the very best. And besides, Ken may be skilled with a knife, but I could go for some protein besides fish. Roman could always make a mean bug burger.'
Catalina smiled. 'You know I wouldn't crew him if I didn't feel it absolutely necessary.'
Farah nodded. 'Yes Captain I understand. The Institute needs us to survey and prove that the 51 worlds they seeded have air, water and healthy soil or sea before the centennial and before the Big Corps try to stake a claim. I get it. If we don't survey them in a “prompt and timely manner” the Corps will, and we both know all they give a shit about is how quickly and how many domes and prefabs they can cram on a planet. I mean, can you imagine if one of their D-class showed up on Epsilon-V with those damn digital probes? There's no way they would've found those bugs burrowed under the surface. If the Doctor hadn't noticed their trails, and the Corps had started to build, who knows what could have happened?'
'That's exactly why I need Roman,' Catalina said. 'He's good. He's always been good. I know we have a history, but I will not let that stand between this ship and its mission. The Artemis is uniquely suited to this task, and I believe Roman will be a real asset.'
'Yeah and you'd be a real idiot to let him break your heart twice, right?'
Catalina gritted her teeth and reminded herself Farah was off duty.
'I thought that what we had was different, that since we could travel together between the stars he wouldn't fall in love with a new woman ev
ery month. I thought we could be like you and Ken.'
Farah laughed. 'Roman is about as far from Ken as possible. He is hairy, dirty, easily distracted, un-methodical, and he stinks. Shit they even prepare food differently. Ken never cooks a damn thing and Roman fries all his little buggies to a crisp. It won't be so bad. Just promise me you won't fall for him again.'
Catalina raised an eyebrow.
'Captain, I would like to submit a formal apology for my actions. I was out of line to doubt you,' Farah said as she stood and saluted crisply. Catalina noticed that the leather high heels at least, she had not removed.
'Your formal apology is noted and rejected. You were right. I should have told you, I just wish you hadn't in front of Fin.'
Farah smiled. 'Can you imagine? What if he falls for her?'
'Then we jettison him into deep space.'
Chapter 4
The Artemis was a ship designed with a purpose in mind. Between control panels and consoles every centimeter of every wall was made of plazzglass enclosures filled with plants, fish, mollusks or insects collected from the seeded worlds. A century ago, the Institute's mission had been simply to see which of the organisms loaded onto the Seedpods and shot into space had survived and which combinations of plants and animals made for the most habitable ecosystems for people, but after a time Interstellar Ecologists like Cat's father had quickly seen there was more to surveying work than simply cataloging what they already knew. That might work for the Corps' survey ships, but the Artemis had the capabilities to do far more than store digital records. On every planet they went to they discovered creatures that had, under the light of a different sun and breathing the mix of a different atmosphere, evolved and conquered worlds. It was amazing to think that each of those 51 Seedpods had been loaded with the same couple of thousand different organisms, and yet, in a scant hundred years each planet had evolved its own unique ecology. Some planets had oceans that teamed with brightly colored fish unlike any seen on Earth-1, others had strange molluscs who with shells and tentacles unlike any ever imagined. There were always familiar species of insects, bees, ants and the like, but they often behaved in strange ways or had specialized to some quirk of the planet's geography. Nearly every planet had strangely shaped and oddly colored versions of the plants back home. The Artemis collected all of it.
Fireflies and Cosmos: Interstellar Spring Book 1 Page 1
