by Frank Carey
###
Kel sat on the exam table and watched in awe as the doctor gave him a once-over. Kel had never met a queen before.
Dr. Losira Irithyl, current sitting Queen of Ventos Prime, wrote notes on her pad as she checked Kel's ears, eyes, nose, throat, and everything else, even his wings, before leaning back against a counter to review his scan results. "Never saw a queen before, Doctor?"
"Please, milady, call me Kel, and no, I have never met a queen before. I guess it shows."
She smiled. "Well, to be honest, I've never met a hero of four worlds before."
"Excuse me?"
"Let's see, you saved the planet Arctillus from a mutagenic weapon of mass destruction; you reunited the people of Nest with the people of the Sokuhl homeworld; and you've made both Ventos Prime and Alyson the destination for anyone wanting to explore the Large Magellanic Cloud."
"Milady, I'm just a simple historian who's madly in love with his bond-mate."
"Right. Love the wings, by the way. So, how do you feel?"
"Confused."
"Any pain or discomfort?"
He shook his head.
"Would it be OK if I invite Tannith to join us?"
"Yes, of course."
Losira stepped outside, then returned moments later with Tannith in tow. Once the historian was seated, Losira explained what the tests had revealed. "First off, Kel, you're as healthy as a lorse," she said, referring to the elven battle steed of lore. "I think the Elf Marine Expeditionary Force would love to talk you into joining. Now, we ran brain scans and found no abnormalities, injuries, or oddities. As far as I can tell, you just had a doozy of a nightmare. Any odd goings-on in your life lately?
"My pregnant mate is in another galaxy ferrying a ship-load of scholars to a dead planet. Is that odd?"
"That would do it," Losira said. "Try to find something to take your mind off your mate being gone. Try to relax.”
"Yes, My Queen."
"Come on, Dragon. Let's go find a nice text for you translate," Tannith said as the two of them headed out of the exam room, leaving Losira to shake her head.
"Historians!"
CHAPTER SIX
Jarrus watched as his group of scholars headed off to do some shopping while the Nelly Bly was being prepped for its flight to Cerberus. He turned to Sheila and Clio. "Well, ladies, I have an appointment with Mayor Furia. My team and I will be back in two hours. Good afternoon," he said as he walked off to find the shuttle to Malroth Aerie.
Sheila looked over at Clio and noticed her sunglasses were missing. "How's the hangover?"
"Survivable, but worth it. I got to see my sisters! Damn, those girls can still party."
"The muses are on Ventos Prime?"
"Oh, yeah, and they so want to meet Scarlett, so I'm here to fetch my little sister and drag her Malroth ass back to Ventos Prime."
"So that's the reason behind our diversion to Arctillus."
Clio leaned over and whispered, "It's diplomatic; very hush-hush."
"Right. How are you getting back?"
"Tannith's mate, Penny, is scheduled to return later this afternoon. I've already booked us a couple of seats."
"Nice. How long are the siblings planning to stay?"
"Long enough for you to meet them."
"I can't wait."
Clio looked at the wall chrono. "I've got to go find Red. I'll see you when you get back to Ventos Prime. Don't be late; the girls can get feisty."
"Yes, dear," Sheila said while giving her immortal friend a hug. As Clio ran off to find her newest sister, Sheila headed to the door to see what had changed since her last visit to Arctillus and the Large Magellanic Cloud.
As she walked around the city, she made stops to rub her bump while telling her daughter stories from her last visit. "Kiddo, this is where daddy rescued mommy from the clutches of the evil secret police."
"An accurate, though flowery, description of events."
"Kenta?" Sheila said as she hugged the flightless Basili. Genetically modified to survive a mutagen gone bad, she and the rest of the Basili survivors living on Arctillus lost their wings and tails while retaining the ears and build of their ancestors. In other words, Kenta was built like a weight lifter just like Kel.
"Sheila! How are you? Is that a baby?"
Sheila nodded. "Yep, a little girl."
"You and Kellen are blessed."
"What about you and Jorgan? Still together?"
"Of course. He was elected to the Aerie counsel and is in charge of integrating our society with his."
"So, what's the protocol for getting hitched to a Malroth?"
"Big ceremony followed by three days of partying. You and Kellen are invited, of course. "
"Ooooh, time for another new dress. I can't wait."
"We will send out invitations shortly. So, tell me, Sheila, what brings you back to Arctillus?"
Sheila explained.
"You are truly a woman with many talents. Things have changed around here since your arrival."
"In a good way, I hope."
"Very. The Basili/Sokuhl and the Malroth now have an alliance, we're meeting new races and establishing diplomatic relations with them, and we've reconnected with our past," she noted with a nod toward a group of window-shopping winged Basili.
"Wow, that didn't take long. What are they like?" Sheila asked, wondering how the reunion had gone. Centuries ago, the Sokuhl and Basili of Arctillus had fled the Sokuhl homeworld to escape a disaster only to find refuge fifteen hundred light-centuries away in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Now, the two races were reunited.
"Incredibly well-mannered and friendly. In many ways, they are like your husband."
"How's Red taking all this?"
"In all my years, I have never seen her so happy. She actually walks around the mall hugging everyone she meets for the first time, even flier Malroth. She is a new woman."
"Well, I'm glad Kel and I could use our powers for good."
"As you should be," Kenta said with a smirk. A second later they were both laughing.
"Come, let me buy you a tea to celebrate our peoples' good fortune."
Sheila looked down at her bump. "What do you think, Kiddo? Feel like some Arctillian tea? Yeah, she'd like that." The two—three?—walked off to a nearby tea shop to drink tea and reminisce.
###
Sheila watched out the forward windscreen as the Nelly Bly transitioned from Arctillus space to Cerberus space through the Erdexi transgalactic gate connecting the two, relatively neighboring, planet systems. "Damn, that was quick," she noted as Cerberus appeared in front of the shuttle. Thumbing the microphone switch, she said, "Ladies and gentleman, we will be in close orbit around Cerberus in ten minutes. Please return you tray tables and seats to an upright position and make sure your seat restraints are latched. Thank you for flying with the Nelly Bly."
She could hear cheers coming through the cockpit door.
Soon the ship was passing through the atmosphere as it spiraled downward to a landing near an extensive complex of buildings, or what was left of them. "There it is," Jarrus said from the right seat. He pointed to a large, yellow 'X' at the center of a bright red square. Around the perimeter of the square were bright, white light-bots.
"That's easy," Sheila said as she moved the Nelly Bly into a hover above the marker before coming to a gentle landing on top of it. Once the ship was down, the bots scampered off to perform other, more pressing tasks.
After shutting down the ship's engines and setting her to "Parked" mode. Sheila pressed a button which opened the Nelly's hatches, allowing the scholars to leave and the ground crew to off-load the supplies and ground equipment they had brought with them. Before Jarrus could say anything, a research assistant ran into the cockpit and whispered something into the leader's ear. "Please excuse me, Doctor. I need to deal with an urgent matter."
"Knock yourself out," she said to a retreating back. "Well!"
After a final check of the ship's syst
ems, Sheila walked out onto the planet and looked around. "Must be the cleaning bot's day off," she noted.
"Dr. Minty?"
Sheila looked around and watched as a young Malroth woman ran up. Her nametag identified her as Dr. Resta of the History Group. "Hello."
"Hello, My name is Resta, and I've been assigned to be your aide."
"Hello, Resta. Why do I rate an aide? Not that I mind having one."
"Dr. Miln felt that you might need a guide. The ruins in this sector are like a maze."
"And you know your way around this maze?"
"Yes, Doctor. I have a knack for orienteering."
"Sheila. Just call me Sheila. Can I call you Resta?"
"Of course... Sheila. Would you like a tour of the site?"
"That would be lovely. Please, lead the way."
###
Resta pushed aside a tarp, allowing Sheila to enter a huge room illuminated by work lights and light-bots. Around them lay the ruins of...something. "Wow," Sheila said as she looked at the stuff strewn about the room. "What am I looking at?"
"We think it was a museum of some sort. Kinda funky that we have a bunch of historians and archaeologists excavating an ancient museum."
"Funky? Where did that come from?"
"I heard it from some of the guys I met on Alyson. I did use it correctly, didn't I?"
"Perfectly. I was just surprised that a young woman from across space and time was using an old Earth idiom, and correctly I might add. The universe is getting small, Resta."
Now we have xenos studying ancient xenos. Isn't this the point in the movie when the sun explodes?"
"I hope not. I have a date when we get back to Arctillus."
Sheila laughed. "So, what's behind those?" she asked, pointing to large doors inset into the opposite wall.
"We're not sure. Our scanners are picking up things that make no sense."
"Like what?"
"Technology, though not of League or Malroth origin. We found traces of organics, but the isotopic ratios are wrong,"
"Too old?"
"On the contrary, too young. Based on data we have from Arctillus, whatever is behind that door 'Died' within the last two years."
"How old is this city?"
"We've dated tapestries which are on the order of a hundred centuries."
"OK, that ain't right." She looked at the door and saw what looked like a keyhole? Has this been opened?”
"Not yet. We ordered a set of pickbots..."
"Never send a pickbot to do a woman's job," Sheila noted as she knelt down and peered into one of the keyholes. She took out her scanner and pointed it at the mechanism, then reached into a pocket and removed a small, leather wallet. "Butterfly. Kel gave it to me when I went to work for OffSec."
"You work for the League's Office of Security?"
"I did, but not anymore. They fired my petit little ass."
Resta stared at her in awe. "Really? Why?"
"I was a double-agent, working both for OffSec and the Sokuhl Intelligence Service—SIS for short."
"You were a double-Agent?" Resta asked with hero worship written all over her face.
"Yep, twice the pay and all the work. It was fun while it lasted," she replied while inserting a pair of picks into the keyhole. Biting her lip, she manipulated the picks until a resounding click could be heard followed by dust puffing out from around the door as it unsealed. "Damn, am I good or what?"
"How... How... How did you do that?" an excited Resta asked while running her fingers along the door jamb. "We need to tell Jarrus!"
"Why don't you tell him while I take a look inside?"
"No, no, no! We have procedures! Protocols! Rules! We can't just..."
Her warnings fell on deaf ears. With a wicked grin, Sheila grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. When the gap was big enough, several lightbots ran in and took up station on the ceiling where their glowing abdomens illuminated the interior of the room.
Both ladies gasped at what the light revealed. They stood frozen at the doorway. "Good idea, Resta. Call Jarrus. Call him right now."
###
Jarrus entered the room and ran over to where Resta and Sheila were staring into an open doorway. "Sorry for the delay..."
Sheila said nothing as she pointed to the door.
"What..." he stopped when he looked in the doorway and saw at least a hundred bodies, bodies of people who died in extreme agony.
"Scan the room," he said quietly as he stared at the carnage. "Resta!"
She shook herself out of her paralysis and scanned the room. "That's odd."
"Specify."
"The room is devoid of life, something we didn't notice previously. Viral, Microscopic, macroscopic, all gone. Sterile doesn't begin to describe how clean it is."
"How did they die?" Sheila asked as she took out her scanner and used it to survey the room.
"I don't know," Resta replied. There is no sign of poison, oxygen deprivation, or tissue damage, yet they died in agony..."
"Confirmed," Sheila noted.
"It’s as if they had the life ripped from their bodies," Jarrus whispered
"Look," Resta said as she pointed to several weapons being held by the dead, each with charred muzzles. The three looked around and saw only undamaged walls.
"What the hell was everyone shooting at?" Sheila asked.
"And where the hell is their ship?" Jarrus added.
No one had an answer."
CHAPTER SEVEN: Flashback
Gus woke to find himself alone in the hospital room. He put his hand on his chest and felt the pendant hanging there. "So, it wasn't a dream," he whispered.
The room door opened followed by a young Storen woman walking in. He recognized her, a cousin from his mother's side of the family. Shannon, he thought her name was. "Hey, you. How do you feel?" she asked.
"Better. Aren't you risking a lot by talking to me?"
"You know, that whole 'disowned' thing is just such bullshit." Like his mother, her aunt, Shannon was blunt. "Father would like to talk to you."
Uncle Stavros, Gus's mother's oldest brother. "Send him in."
She walked out as a large male mountain Storen walked in. He walked over and sat down on a chair next to the bed.
"Hey, Gus."
"So, what did they tell you?"
"Everything. Kiddo, you've got everyone spooked out there—doctors, nurses, pill salesmen, hell, even OffSec—by your return from the dead. How'd you do it?"
Gus shook his head. "Stavie, does Grandpa know?"
"OffSec sent him a report before I could stop them. Look, Gus, not to speak ill of the dead, but your dad was into some shady stuff, and I think father knows this."
Gus shrugged. "Has he called a tribunal?"
"Yeah, for next week, and he wants you there, but that doesn't mean anything. It's just a formality."
Gus looked at his uncle. "How many of my cousins, uncles, and aunts are visiting the great beyond due to that formality?"
It was Stavros' turn to shrug. "Too many. What's your plan?"
"Did you bring the ownership papers for the Edge?" This was standard operating procedure in cases such as this one, where most or all of the owners have suddenly perished.
"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that. I've got Stora Ship's Registry calling nonstop. Something about me signing the Edge's re-registry paperwork. The ship belongs to you..."
Gus held out his hand. "Can I see them?"
Stavros handed them over.
"Do you have a pen?"
"Sure." Stavros reached into a pocket and retrieved a stylus which he handed to his nephew.
Gus turned pages and scribbled on them before handing back the stylus and pouch. "Normally, the ship would revert to me, but that's impossible because of Father's edict. On the other hand, transfer of ownership would take years to make it through the courts," Gus said as he finished signing the last sheet. "It's yours."
"What is?"
"The River�
�s Edge and the shipping company associated with it. I'm keeping one of Mother's bank accounts, but the rest are yours. In a few days, I won't be able to sign shit, but for now, I have full power of attorney for affairs involving my parent's estate, at least I did. Now, you do."
Stavros' jaw dropped. "The contracts alone..."
"The contracts, contacts, and goodwill are worth millions. Find a good captain and crew, and you will make good money."
"Gus, what the hell happened to you. Two weeks ago you were a punk computer genius kid who spent most of his time tinkering. Now... Now, I don't recognize you. How do you know all this?" he asked while holding up the ownership folder.
Gus thought for a moment. He remembered being the old Gustav Curran, but that version of him was a stranger. "Uncle Stavie, I have no plarking idea. Watching your family being sucked into space... Sorry, I know they were your family too."
"Kid, yeah, it's tough on all of us. You know, I can't accept the ship, the company..."
"You have to. Something tells me that you and your kids are the only ones who can keep this thing going. Look, how many kids do you have now? A dozen? Stavie, they can be anything they want to be, but they need a starting point. Let the River’s Edge be that start. Mom would want you to do it. Hell, she'd pull your ear and demand it."
He reflexively rubbed his ear. "How do I find a good captain and crew?"
"Dad's got a list at the back of the ship's bible. They'll all know the story by the time you talk to them."
"What about you?"
"I'm a pariah, one possibly with a price on his head. I know someone who has offered to teach me things... I wish I could tell you more." Gus looked at Stavros. "Can you get me some clothes and my wallet?"
Stavie walked over to the door, opened it and yelled something to Shannon. She ran in with a bag of clothes and another bag of his belongings. He stripped off his hospital gown—much to the Chagrin of Shannon—and got dressed. "Shannon, ever think about becoming a space merchant?"
"What? Me? Work on a ship? You've got to be kidding. Why do you ask?"
"We own the River’s Edge, now," Stavros told her.
"And she has to have at least one family member on board. I think you'd be perfect," Gus said as he put his arms through the bag's straps and slung it over his shoulders.
