by Frank Carey
“Please, call me Starsa,” she said with a disconcerting smile. I was starting to feel uncomfortable. Don’t get me wrong. She was a beautiful young woman, but an unfamiliar species and she had a very powerful father, so we both needed to keep our minds on the business at hand.
“Alfred, check our supplies. Is there anything contraindicated for consumption by Starsa’s people?”
“No sir, nothing contraindicated, though there is mention that caffeine should be experienced only in small doses.”
“Great! Starsa, would you like something to eat? Perhaps we could start with a cup of coffee or tea?”
“Oooooh, coffee would be wonderful and a banana, if you have one.”
“Alfred, make that two coffees and two bananas, please. Starsa, how do you take your coffee?”
“Hot as hell and black as midnight,” she said with a demure smile.
Soon a server bot rolled up with the coffee and bananas. With refreshments in hand, we settled in for our drive to the center. Since Alfred was driving the vehicle, I had time to pull up information on the displays that might help me figure out what the hell was going on. Starsa, meanwhile, had pulled her knees up to her chin and was staring out her window while eating her banana and drinking her coffee. I could swear she was already on her fourth cup. I noticed she had a tattoo of some type of creature on her left calf.
“That’s an interesting tattoo. What is it?” I asked.
“Oh, that’s a Mergalon from the northern regions. It protects the wearer from evil.”
“It’s very beautiful,” I said.
"Thank you," she replied. "Do you have any tattoos?"
"Yes. I have only one," I said as I pulled my tunic away from my right shoulder. Underneath the cloth was a circular tattoo consisting of a symbol surrounded by a ring of interlocking circles.
"Oh, it's pretty. What is it?"
It is the family crest of the Royal House of N'task, rulers of Turanon and the Turanon Empire.”
"You're royalty?" she asked in astonishment.
"Yeah, but it was by invitation, not birth."
"It was by invitation? I don't understand."
"Several years ago, I was sent to the planet Turanon to find a kidnapping victim. The kidnappee was a granddaughter of the royal house, and the kidnappers were members of a notorious crime family. Anyway, we found the kidnappers, got the kid out, and saved the day. To show their gratitude, the royal family adopted me and everyone else on my team. I get a nice card from them on every birthday. In fact, I have been invited to a family reunion next month. I must remember to request time off.”
Starsa smiled and drank more coffee. I noticed that the empty carafe sat on the floor next to her.
According to Alfred, we would be in town in about three hours, so I decided to find out why we were attacked. The Center was a galactic conference center used by countless companies and government entities to meet and discuss everything from border violations to trade agreements. Nothing of value was stored there except for the occasional exotic foodstuff. It made no sense. The operation we just lived through was appropriate for one of the banking worlds, not a glorified meeting room.
I looked over at Starsa and saw that she was staring at me. I looked closer and saw that she now had four small, elongated canine teeth peering out from between her lips. She leaned over and looked at me. That’s when I noticed that her pupils were elongated slits. I would have sworn they were normal, round pupils when we first met. I was starting to get nervous.
“Starsa, how are you feeling?” I asked as I leaned back in my seat. Thank the Holies that Alfred was driving, else I would have gone off the road by now.
“I feel great,” she said as she clasped her coffee cup to her chest with enough pressure that I was afraid it would break. “Can I have some more coffee?”
“Sure,” I said. I turned to one of the displays next to me on the vehicle’s dash and said, “Alfred, could you get Starsa more coffee?” then I mouthed, “DECAFF!”
“No problem, sir,” his avatar said as it nodded its head. Soon, Alfred’s serverbot appeared with an orange-banded pot and poured Starsa another cup.
“Bart, where did this incredible elixir come from?” Starsa asked as she drank, not sipped, the hot beverage.
“A planet called Earth, the newest member planet of the Consortium. It's also the same place the banana came from.”
“I would love to go there,” she said, “and drink all the coffee,” just before she dozed off. One minute she was awake; the next, sound asleep.
“I got out of my seat, picked her up, and took her to a bunk to sleep it off, whatever it was. When I got back to my seat, I had Alfred run a search for any information he could find about what Starsa was going through.
“Sir, there's a problem ahead of us!” Alfred said loudly as he brought the vehicle to a stop. Lying across the road was a large tree. The smoke from the stump indicated that it had been recently felled. I reached for my gun, but a person appeared outside my door and pointed an extremely large weapon at me. He motioned for me to join him outside.
“Alfred,” I whispered as I fumbled with the door, “Security Protocol 1. Protect her at all costs.”
A green light on the panel blinked, indicating his assent. I stepped from the truck.
“Is there a problem, sir?” I asked in my best half-wit voice.
“Where’re you going?" the brigand asked as he pointed his weapon in my direction.
“The Center, sir."
"Anyone in there with you?"
"My co-driver, sir, but she's doin poorly. I think she got the mountain sickness.
"Zal!" the thug yelled to someone on the other side of the vehicle. "Get in there and bring out whoever is inside."
"Got it, boss," Zal replied. I could hear the truck door open and Zal climb into the truck.
I knew I had only one chance to take out my ruffian, grab his gun, and take out Zal. I was slowly positioning myself when a crash came from inside the truck followed by a muffled scream. My captor and I looked up as a body flew overhead and landed at least fifty meters into the woods. I looked at my guy and asked, "Zal?" All my guy could do was gently nod before there was a second scream followed by something large and angry landing next to him. It was Starsa and she was very angry.
"He spilled my coffee!" she screamed as she ripped the gun from his hands, grabbed him by his coat, and threw him into the woods where he lay unmoving near his companion.
"He broke my cup. He spilled my coffee," Starsa said as she walked up and stared down at me. I swear she had gained a few inches in height.
"We've more cups and more coffee, don't we, Alfred?” I asked as I stared at Starsa in disbelief. She now had claws, which she was retracting and extending. Her ears were longer and her eyes were now bright yellow.
"Yes, sir, plenty of both. Come inside, Ms. Starsa, and I'll fix you right up," Alfred replied in a cheery voice. Hearing this, Starsa turned and jumped back over the truck. I then heard her get inside and close her door.
I pressed my forehead against the truck door and wondered if I should just retire. I had faced bullets, lasers, pirates, and death, but a coffee-addicted, morphing, alien girl was something way outside my experience.
The driver-side door opened and Starsa stuck her head out. "Come on, partner, daylight's burning!" she yelled before returning to her seat. I almost started to weep as I got in.
We got underway with Starsa napping in the back and Alfred driving, so I had some time to try to figure out what happened.
Standard Operating Procedure had all of the outpost's local data downloaded into the truck, so I had access to the Center's previous week of schedules and data. I scanned through it until I came upon an entry concerning a meeting of the Sector 12 Trade Council, the first in over one hundred years. They were meeting over an increase in pirate attacks in that sector. One of the members of the council was Patlick of Scorse, the ruler of Kanker, where the only known deposits of a mineral kn
own as tinstin existed. Tinstin was used as a catalyst for chemical explosives—it made them about one hundred times more powerful. Pure Tinstin was worth about one hundred times its weight in platinum. And what would a Kanker ruler have with them to sign formal documents? The Kanker Royal Seal made from pure Tinstin! According to the calendar, the meeting was supposed to be held that morning. Damn, this whole thing was part of a plot to steal the Royal Seal of Kanker.
"Sir, we've arrived," Alfred said. I instructed him to park behind a building across from the Center's entrance while I went to wake Starsa.
I couldn't wake her. I tried talking to her, stroking her cheek, talking loud, gently slapping her hand, even tapping her cheek, but nothing would work.
"Alfred, run a med scan on her. Is she ill?"
"No sir, she is just deep asleep. I cannot explain it without access to the Quassan medical database. All we can do is make her comfortable and monitor her condition."
I put on a bulletproof vest and strapped on my weaponry. Before I set out, I left a note for Starsa. As I exited the vehicle, I said, "The Chancellor's troops should be here within the hour. Stay buttoned-up and keep her safe. I'm counting on you, Alfred."
"Yes sir. Good luck."
With that, I exited the vehicle and made my way to the Center while trying to remain unseen by anyone in the building. Once inside, I headed upstairs to the meeting rooms where I found the members of the Trade Council and their guards tied up.
"What happened?" I asked as I untied the last of the room's occupants.
"We were robbed by pirates. Their leader's name is Dolores. They knocked out the guards, tied us up, and stole the Royal Seal of Kanker," one of the Council members said.
Great, Dolores was the pirate who engineered the kidnapping I’d told Starsa about.
"Where is she now?"
"Minutes before you arrived, she, and one of her men, took the seal. The rest took off on foot. She mentioned something about a pickup."
I handed one of the guards a weapon and told him to take everyone out of the building to safety. When they left, I headed to the roof.
I found Dolores and one of her crew standing at the north end of the roof. I ventured from my hiding place behind a large air conditioning unit and called out, while aiming a weapon at them, "Dolores, Consortium Security. Drop your weapons and raise your hands."
A shot rang out from one of the ventilator units where another henchman had been hiding in ambush. The bullet hit me in my shoulder, knocking my gun out of my hand and me to the ground. As I knelt there bleeding, Dolores walked over and relieved me of the rest of my weapons while her guard kept watch.
"Hello, Bart," she said, sneering in satisfaction. "Long time no see."
Her voice was really starting to grate on my nerves.
"Dolores! Twisted as always. I see that prison time did nothing to improve your pallor."
She slapped me. Now it was getting interesting.
"You cost me five years of my life, cop!" she screamed. I think her henchmen were actually becoming scared of her. I was just getting bored.
"Personally, I think you got off easy. I voted for the death penalty," I said, smiling.
I heard a whining sound behind me. Their ride had arrived.
"Boss, leave him. We need to go," one of them said to her. She shot him dead then pointed her gun at the other one. "Have a need to go?"
"No ma'am. I'll just stand here and enjoy the view," he replied.
"Good. Now, Bart, where were we?"
My reply was cut-off by an unearthly scream from above us. I looked up just in time to see a large figure land next to us, grab the remaining henchman, and throw him into the landing craft's engine intake, causing the ship to explode in a massive fireball.
The creature then grabbed Dolores by the neck and held her off the ground as if deciding what her fate would be. Before she could offer another comment, it threw her into a massive air handler, killing her instantly. The creature then turned toward me. It was huge, reptilian, and massive with wings that blotted out the sun. Only then did I recognize her.
"Starsa, you're finally up from your nap. You look rested," I said as the blood loss finally took its toll. The last thing I remember was the sensation of flying.
I woke up in the hospital room with a very startled nurse. Once she calmed down, she explained that I had been in a coma for the last week. She ran out of the room to get a doctor.
I lay there, my only thoughts being whether Starsa was safe. As if on cue, she ran into the room and hugged me. Following her in was the biggest bipedal humanoid I had ever seen. Assuming that her companion was her father, the Chancellor, I tried to extract myself from her grip and stand at attention, but neither of them would have anything to do with that, so I laid there with Starsa hugging me and crying and trying to apologize.
"Son, let me explain all of this," the Chancellor said with a voice reminiscent of thunder.
"Yes sir. That would be greatly appreciated."
"The short version is this: Unprocessed Earth coffee can bring on physiological changes in young Quassan females that haven't been seen in over one hundred thousand years. We didn't know this until very recently. We've had one documented case of this happening," he said as he glanced at his daughter, who blushed. “It's rare, it doesn't happen all the time, and it is completely reversible, as you can see.”
"Starsa, how are you feeling? I was very worried about you," I said as she took time out from hugging me.
"I'm fine. Not a scratch. The doctors told me that it took four Quassan males to hold me down, but they were finally able to sedate me," she replied, smiling and blushing.
I looked at her father and tried to imagine four of him trying to hold down one of her. My mind boggled.
"Well, I shall leave you two to catch up on things. I must attend to affairs of state."
I had a real crazy idea.
"Sir, may I ask you something before you leave?"
"Yes, of course."
"May I have your permission to take your daughter to a family reunion next month?"
No one moved.
"That is, of course, if she is receptive to the idea?"
I never saw anyone nod their head as fast as she did at that moment.
"Hmmmm. Starsa tells me that you've been adopted into a royal family. Are they the ones having the reunion?"
"Yes sir. Royal House of N'task, sir."
"Good people. Granny plays a mean game of kos-kos."
He thought for a moment.
"Come by for dinner when you get out of here. Meantime, you have my permission."
With that, he walked out the door leaving me with a very happy Starsa.
Maelstrom
In the distance, the dust wall of Hanson’s Maelstrom swirls as it has since before man arrived on this rock, and some think it will do so long after we leave. As if confined in some huge terrarium, the dust stops at Forgotten Pass, never moving past. The Maelstrom is an enigma wrapped in a blanket of churning dirt.
“Damn, I never get tired of watching that,” Percy said as he sipped a beer.
“All I want to do is take another bath,” Anna replied as she scanned her paperwork. “Percy, are we really prepared to go this deep into the Maelstrom?”
“Yep, farther than anyone has gone before. Research Command is willing to pay triple, and we need the money.”
Just then, a military transport drove up and a young woman disembarked wearing field clothing and carrying a ruggedized case. “Hello, I’m Dr. Stella Pentecost. You must be Percy and Anna. Nice to meet you,” she said as she set her case down and extended her hand.
“Hello! Yes, I’m Anna, and this is Percy,” Anna said as she and Percy took turns shaking Stella’s hand. “Welcome to Planet Meltor, home of Hanson’s Maelstrom.
“Let me brief you on what we are planning to do,” Stella said as she sat down while ordering a beer. “Research Command has detected a strange signal coming from deep within the Maelstrom,
a signal that wasn’t there a few weeks ago.” Stella paused as the waiter brought her beer. “The signal’s pattern has never been seen before and it corresponds to a recent shift in Maelstrom activity. It’s as if something is trying to control the Maelstrom. Research Command wants us to go in, take readings, and hopefully, observe whatever is causing this signal.”
“May we see the pattern?” Percy asked.
“Off course. I have brought both of you briefing packets,” she said as she handed Anna and Percy folders. Anna opened hers and examined the data, then asked to be excused for a moment.
“So, Percy, what brings you to the planet Meltor?” Stella asked as she sipped her beer.
“I retired from the military fifteen years ago and had always wanted to explore, so I formed a desert tour business. When I heard about Research Command needing companies that could take scientists into the Maelstrom, I bid on the job and won it, but then I was told that I was required to have a co-driver, which I didn’t have. I couldn’t find anyone with the necessary skillset, so I was about to decline the contract when Anna showed up looking for a job. I gave her a driving test which she passed with flying colors, so I hired her that day and we have been together ever since.”
“Have you ever been as deep into the Maelstrom as we’re going?”
“No, in fact no one ever has. We’ve sent in probes, but none have ever returned. No driver, Anna and me included, has ever felt the need to go that deep into that churning hell.”
Anna returned as he finished. “Sorry about that, I had to call someone. Is this all of your equipment?” Anna said, pointing to Stella’s case.
“Yes, this is it. I just need access to three pass-throughs in your hull so that my probes can take samples. Will that be a problem?”
“No, no problem at all. We have 12 penetrations on the hull designed specifically for sensor probes. All of the penetrations are fire proof, of course.
“Excuse me, fire proof? I can understand weather proof, but fireproof?”
“Didn’t Command brief you on the wildlife here on Meltor?” Anna asked with a slightly bemused tone.
“Noooo. What did I miss?”
