The Starbird Hunt (1-9) (6)
Natasha stayed behind, ready to protest to the captain in private as Tor headed for the door. Everyone else had left. But, to her surprise, Shim called to the engineer and beckoned him closer. James, sullen and quiet, approached the big man. “Yes, High Commander?” “I want you to know, I’m sorry. I should have been more careful, giving him full access. If anyone had a right to privacy it’s you.” Fletcher’s eyes were sincere and soft, contrasting with his usual demeanor. Tor’s eyes contrasted greatly. “I appreciate the apology, Captain. But I don’t need anyone’s pity.” He gave Natasha a look and walked out. “What’s the matter with that kid?” Commander Kira asked. “That ‘kid’ has been through more than you or me both, emotionally. How do you think he lost his eyes?” “I realize it’s a great loss, but it’s not like he’s blind--” “It’s not that he lost them, it’s how he lost them. Have you ever heard of the Raleva Convention Center bombing?” “Yes, I was twelve or thirteen when it happened. Saw it on the news. Killed many non-human rights activists as I recall.” “His parents were killed in that explosion, Commander. He also attended and lost his eyes in the attack. He was seven.” Natasha gasped and put a hand over her mouth. “Oh, no. If I only knew…” “What? You’d treat him differently? That’s obviously the last thing he wants. Don’t let him know I disclosed this information, Commander. That’s an order.” Fletcher Shim walked out, toward his own quarters, leaving Natasha behind, Takanor forgotten. Chapter Eight: Boom Town High Commander Fletcher Shim sat down at his desk and switched to the external communications frequencies, after telling Luciem to scan the Union‘s databanks for files on Amos Talna. Number 1054 was Tezenamian Space Exploration Agency. The captain entered the code and waited to be connected to SEA headquarters. The wonderful thing about hyperspace was that space explorers could now throw out any theories of relativity out the window. Warp travel simply grabbed you outside one point in the universe and put you in another. The farther the destination the longer the warp tunnel and it sometimes took days to reach a planet in another galaxy, but it was preferable to folding space/time, as Dr. Teddy Thurnum found out. He was the “wormhole travel” pioneer, inventing a ray to rupture the fabric of space/time and create a tunnel that would send him to the other side of the galaxy. Unfortunately for him, when he arrived, five hundred years had passed and Professor Van Dane’s warp travel was already the standard. Thurnum decided to throw himself into a wormhole. His brother, Lenny Thurnum invented the intergalactic frequency system, allowing ships to contact planets from parsecs away. But they could not communicate with the outside world in hyperspace, so Fletcher had dropped the ViperX out of warp to speak with his superior. Director Frank Gorren’s face appeared on the desk’s screen, chiseled and stern. The gray mustache moved with the large lips and the blue eyes were set in a permanent scowl. “Greetings, High Commander. What have you to report?” “Greetings, Director Gorren,” Fletcher said, respectfully. “We’ve picked up an aging human in the Sessari asteroid system and--” “Sessari? You damn fool, why’d you go into that asteroid field?” “It was an…engine mishap that won’t happen again.” Shim glanced upwards, toward the intercom. Luciem kept quiet. “Anyway, we did encounter the space ‘coons and survived, but this man’s ship did not. His name is Benjamin Sane and he claims to be a doctor--” “Dr. Sane! The lunatic from Tekus Central?” “You know him, sir?” “Oh, he’s been a thorn in many a government’s side, meddling in affairs that don’t concern him. Snooping in highly classified areas. The man’s got an arrest record longer than Mekong Ting’s ‘Venture.’” This was a gross exaggeration, since Mekong Ting’s mythic novel, “Venture” took up a server the size of the ViperX itself. Many a literature student had worried themselves to the point of physical sickness at the idea of reading the entire work. “Was he doing anything illegal?” “No, we *did* meet with some trouble in the form of his security system, but that was cleared up. Right now, we don’t know what to do with him. He’s demanding to be taken to Takanor, but as you know, we have that meeting with President Jordan on Pasmet.” “Well, it’s obvious. Ignore him! Just dump him on Pasmet, he’ll probably land himself in jail in no time.” “Sir, he’s raised some concerns about a local celebrity on Takanor. Perhaps you’ve heard of Rernum Kailey?” Director Gorren’s face let a trace of surprise and nostalgia soften his face. “Yes…Yes, indeed I have. I saw his show as a boy, when my father took me to Takanor. It was…very magnificent as I recall.” “Well, his life may be in danger. Sane says he knows of a man named Amos Talna--” “The Tekus war hero.” “The very same. Ben says Talna wants information that Kailey has and will stop at nothing to get it.” “What type of information?” Gorren asked. Fletcher bit his lip briefly and frowned. “Well, according to the doctor, information on a…power source that’s lost in the universe. A very potent…treasure that Talna wants to get his hands on. Kailey might know its whereabouts.” “Well, normally I’d immediately dismiss your claims as irrelevant, but--” Gorren sighed and stroked his chin. “Rernum Kailey and his Circus of Mystique. That’s a hell of a show. Are these allegations credible?” “Well, we’re relying on Dr. Sane’s intuition.” The director shook his head. “I wouldn’t trust that troublemaker any farther than I could throw his wheelchair. He does have a wheelchair, right?” “More like a hover-chair. But, I’ve asked the LCM to check out files on Amos Talna while I’ve been speaking to you and the results have just come up.” Fletcher turned his attention to a screen next to that transmitting the director’s face. “It’s true, he’s been traveling through space for the better part of twenty years with a full crew of Union military. Doesn’t have a specified mission, though he’s helped settle disputes throughout the five galaxies. Ship’s named the Catclaw. What do you think?” The director’s shoulders moved up and down in a shrug. “What can I say? I trust your instincts, Fletch, but SEA mandates that I can’t give you permission to divert your course unless there’s a REAL good excuse, understand?” “He doesn’t have any place to go, sir. At least it’d get him off our tail, peaceably and without conflict.” “Fletch, I have a lot of respect for both you and SEA regulations. I’m going to have to decide--” The screen went blank, not even a shadow of the director’s face remaining. Fletcher jumped, bewildered. Never had the frequency given out in the middle of a conversation. “Luciem, what’s the story?” “Oh, man. Well…perhaps this will explain.” Tor James’s voice took over the intercom, frantic and loud. “Calling all crewmembers, there is a space ‘coon loose in the engineering bay! Repeat, there is a space ‘coon loose in the engineering bay!” Shim ran out of his room and sped toward the bay, reaching for the laser at his side. He realized Tor, not being an officer, did not have a weapon of his own and was handling this with his bare hands. The doors to the bay slid open and he saw Tor brandishing a loose pole and stepping backwards. “Hold on, James!” The high commander ran in and he saw the fearsome creature hissing on top of a plasma reactor, teeth bared. He fired and the space ‘coon jumped away only to be shot down by a laser bullet from above. Tor and Fletcher looked up to see Natasha Kira on the second level platform with her own laser pointed straight at the dead beast. “You okay, guys?” Tor dropped the pole, “Yeah,” he said, with a hint of resent. Fletcher holstered his gun and nodded. “Thanks, Commander. Nice shooting.” Seth ran in from the main doors and the Woks appeared behind Natasha. “Where’s the ‘coon?” Urbante asked, frantically looking around the room. “Taken care of,” Fletcher said. “Unfortunately, it took out our communications systems. I couldn’t get an answer from SEA. So, we’re going to have to decide for ourselves. Do you all stick by your votes?” “Yes,” everyone, including Luciem, said. “Well, I change mine, making it five to two. We’re going to Takanor.” “Yippee!” Randy Sane’s voice boomed from the intercom. “Attaboy, Fletch! I knew I could count on you!” “What are you doing?” Natasha demanded. “Where were you when the ‘coon attacked?” “Eating. May I say, your computer is a fine cook.” Luciem chuckled. “Aw, shucks.” ***** The sleek, silver shape of the ViperX appeared in the skies, high above the interplanetary port of Jalvall, Takanor. The dock men looked up, confused at this unexpected arrival. One, a Takanori, spoke into his communicator. “High Commander, High Commander. We have a stranger about to land in PF-18 with no attempts to hail us.” “What’s it look like?” “Definitely not a warship, though it may have weapons hidden in its hull. Silver in color, longer than most ships, that’s why it needs the F spaces. Looks like A-class engines placed on the end. Curls upwards at the front…almost like a snake.” “Can you see any affiliation symbols?” “Hold on, sir.” The Takanori reached for binoculars in the pocket of his uniform and placed them in front of his dark eyes. “Yes, sir. Tezenamian SEA.” “Okay, I’ll be right out. Keep weapons ready, but not aimed. I think I know what ship this is.” The Takanori dock man, who was born Maylan Tec took out his gun and his colleagues followed suit, aiming them directly at the ship. “Keep weapons down, boys!” he barked. They obeyed, looking slightly disappointed. Each one was a different race and not one of them was human. There was Morgan, a Horvelen who was a grayish-green in color and very corpulent. His belly hung out of his gray uniform and his belly button made noises whenever he had stomach problems. Noises like, “I have a tummy ache” or “This ulcer is killing me.” There was Kendra, a female Cyclik with a huge, blue eye in the center of her head. She was the tallest and pinkest of the PF group and rumor had it, the easiest. Maylan would have killed to see those long, thin legs out of uniform or that long, blond hair not hidden by her cap. Stug was a blue Slugman and that made him the most dangerous of the five guards, because he was constantly ravenous for flesh and the sucker he had for a mouth dripped acid all over the place. Luckily, the trail of slime he left everywhere he went wasn’t corrosive, just extremely disgusting to step in. Finally, there was Bo-100 who was nothing more than a purplish gas that filled up the suit. He never spoke, but he was fast and could pull the trigger somehow. According to several eye-witnesses (Morgan’s belly button included) he and Kendra had actually made love in the locker rooms, in front of everyone present! This frustrated Maylan to the point of near-madness pondering over *how* it could be done and *why* she would pick a gaseous substance over him. But right now Kendra wasn’t priority number one. The ship landed perfectly in the PF-18 space, demonstrating it knew landing protocol. *Show off,* Maylan thought. The main door slid open and a large man in military uniform emerged, arms in the air. “Hi, um…sorry, we couldn’t warn you guys in advance but our communications systems are damaged. If you want us to move to a different space, we will.” “Fletcher Shim, you fool, you know you have first pick of any of the parking spaces.” A Takanori, tall even for his species, emerged from the immigration building. His sharp teeth glinted as a big grin spread on his face. “Come out of there!” The high commander did, followed by his crew. Maylan blinked as he saw the famous Faytan Wok emerge arm-in-arm with a stunning Aleen. Kendra was temporarily erased from his mind. “I’m sorry, Tenen.” Fletcher gripped the tall Takanori’s hand, careful to avoid the claws, and looked up at his towering friend. “I’ll fill out all the forms necessary and pay anything to cover the inconvenience.” “What inconvenience?” Tenen Sak smacked the human on his back. “Believe it or not, the ports haven’t been that busy all over the planet. Tourists are becoming fewer every year. And you know the ViperX is welcome here anytime.” He leaned in closer, and Fletcher struggled not to wince at his breath. “Besides, I owe you after you helped me out of that scruff with the LED. I’ll fill out all the paperwork and you don’t have to pay a dime for your stay here. Now, for a small fee I’ll fix up the communications systems, but you have my extra-special-buddy discount. What do you say?” Fletcher chuckled. “Okay, Tenen, thanks a lot. Now we’re even.” The men shook once more and the captain returned to his crew. “All right, guys, our first priority is finding Mr. Kailey to make sure he’s okay and warn him. Dr. Sane, I’m assuming we’ll have no problem speaking to him?” “’Course not, Rernum and I go way back.” Randy moved his chair in front of the crew. “He always performs in Central Square, so we’d better find some matter of transportation.” ***** During the infamous non-human persecutions of 2900-3400 millions of beings found themselves fleeing their home planets and searching the galaxy for a safe haven. Those who didn’t wish to run away tried to alter their appearance to look more human. Synthetic surgery rose to a billion dollar industry almost overnight. But for creatures who had undeniable “alien” qualities such as multi-colored mucus or talking belly buttons, surgery helped little and they were forced to pack the family up (in some cases, literally) and escape. This also applied to aliens who just couldn’t adapt to human lifestyles, no matter how altered their appearance. Something about scratching one’s head with one’s leg just didn’t fit into “normal” society. So the vast majority of non-humans found themselves desperate for a place to lie low. One solitary planet in the Czarian System proved to be friendly enough and opened its immigration to all types of creature, big, small, and combustible. Takanor was overrun by new citizens and went from agricultural yawn factory to urban fun land in one decade flat. Historians still ponder endlessly over how the planet’s resources simply didn’t run out. (Some credit it to the idea that humans must be the most gluttonous creatures in the universe.) If there was any city that could be called diverse even by Takanori standards, it was Manori, the farm town. The small community became so full of multicultural products and spectacles that it grew to a sprawling metropolis and was renamed Jalvall (Boom Town in ancient Takanori) and was named the capital. To this day, the city motto is still, “Try to find Waldo here!” referring to the popular children’s books in the Terra files. ****** Clack! Clack! Seth turned and stifled a scream. Clinging onto the pole behind him was a gigantic insect-like creature with mandibles clicking wildly and compound eyes fixated on his face. Long lashes extended from the eyelids and blinked several times at him. *Oh, please no.* Clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack! “Hello to you, too,” Seth said, a tentative smile crossing his face. The bug creature extended one of six black legs and ran the tip through Seth’s red hair. The pilot winced inwardly. He looked upwards at the map on the ceiling of the bus, focusing every single iota of attention on it and ignoring the coarse hairs brushing along his neck. He cursed Tor and Natasha for taking the last seat. As for Natasha, she wondered if sitting next to the ice-man behind her would be colder than sitting next to Tor James. “So, how do you like the city?” “It’s nice.” The engineer stared out the window, his voice a dull monotone. “Do you look forward to seeing this Rernum Kailey fellow?” “Not especially.” “I do. I’ve always been fascinated by circuses. You know, my father took me to one in the Skasos nebula when he was in the military. I haven’t seen one since we started our voyage.” “What do circuses have to do with anything?” Tor asked, annoyance creeping into his voice. “Well, Mr. Kailey’s a circus master. I thought you knew.” “All I heard was that he was a showman. Never heard of him last time we were here, that’s for sure.” “Well, we were preoccupied with those space pirates, if I remember correctly.” Tor shrugged. “I’m sorry, Tor.” “For what?” “For losing my temper. For insulting you. For making you feel rotten.” “You’re second-in-command. You have that right.” “Nothing gives me that right, and you know it. Do you accept my apology?” Tor looked over at the commander’s earnest face and his stern will was shattered. He sighed and took her extended hand. “Yes, ma’am. Though I understand you were only looking out for my best interests.” He smiled softly. “Oh, I just had an overactive imagination that’s all.” “Yeah, really wild,” Tor said, with something akin to sadness in his voice. He turned back toward the window. Natasha bit her lip and turned away, unsure if the situation was any better. At the very front in the handicapped section, Dr. Sane was enjoying the wide space given to him and his fellow disadvantaged citizen. “So, why are you here?” he asked, rather loudly. “You don’t seem to have a disability. Heck, if you’ve lost legs, you have some to spare.” The furry, chubby, horned creature turned to him and opened its mouth to speak, but before it could say a word, all of its limbs fell off, leaving a rolling, furry ball squeaking in frustration on the seat. Randy blinked. “Oh, geez, I’m sorry, man. Spontaneous loss of limbs, yeah, that must suck.” The creature cooed in agreement. The bus suddenly stopped and the round creature slammed into the pole in front of it, knocking it unconscious. “Central Square,” the bus driver boomed, without the need of the bus speakers. “This stop is Central Square.” Randy floated out the open door and into the busy square, waiting for his companions. They emerged one by one, Seth shuddering uncontrollably. Juma glanced at him. “Seth, do you know you have some sort of fluid on your neck?” Urbante’s eyes widened and he reached for the spot where the bug-thing felt him up. His fingers came in contact with a sticky substance. He swore loudly. “She sprayed me! Aw, and it reeks too!” Faytan grinned. “Maybe ‘she’ laid her eggs in you.” Fear struck Seth’s face and his lips trembled. Natasha smiled mischievously. “Or it could be dissolving at your skin.” “That’s not funny!” By now, the young man was pale and desperately looking for a rag to wipe at whatever evil the insect lady had placed on him. Randy whirled behind Seth and looked at the clear liquid. “Aw, it’s just scent spit. She’s claimed you so no other female in her species can make a move on you.” He gave a wheezing chuckle. “She did you a favor!” “Can she smell me now?” Seth asked, fearfully. “Naw. Yorkeks are funny creatures, they’re very calculative, but leave a lot to fate too. She probably thinks it’s destiny that she’ll meet up with you again. And if she does…” “Does anyone have something wipe this crap off!?” Seth screamed. “Calm down, man.” Tor took out a box with wipes he used to clean his eyes. “There you go,” he said, handing his friend one of them. Seth frantically scrubbed at his neck with the piece of fabric and let it fall to the ground. “Do I smell?” “Always,” Natasha said. “Shut up. I mean, can those Yooteks or whatever smell the scent?” “Yep,” Randy said. “But don’t worry, there aren’t too many of them on Takanor.” Fletcher cleared his throat, calling attention. “Where’s your friend?” Another bus that had stopped drove away, no longer blocking the view. “Why, right there.” Randy pointed across the street to a huge, multi-colored tent. A big sign in a foreign language hung above the entrance, below it were the English words: “Rernum Kailey’s Circus of Mystique.” Below it was a huge hourglass, with an electronic billboard next to it that counted down in several languages: “Opens in 6:43:07.” “Is he there now?” Fletcher asked. “Yep, he lives there,” Sane answered. The crosswalk changed from “Don’t Walk/Crawl/Slide” to “Walk/Crawl/Slide.” The ViperX crew crossed the street along with several other pedestrians. Seth kept an eye out for Yorkeks. “Who’s that at the entrance?” Faytan asked. “It’s an Aleen,” Juma said, surprised. The man at the entrance was indeed a blue-skinned Aleen with yellow eyes and green hair. His muscles bulged through his white shirt and his beefy arms were crossed. His pupil-less eyes fell on the approaching group sternly. The wind blew past his long hair, which billowed freely. He was a very imposing figure. And Faytan knew that. Fletcher approached the male Aleen and bowed in greeting. Shim wasn’t an expert in non-human customs, but the only species that responded negatively to a bow was the Nortoos. They responded by hopping on one’s back and ripping the spine out. “Greetings. English?” The Aleen shook his head. Juma stepped forward and touched Fletcher’s shoulders. “May I?” Fletcher nodded and stepped back. Faytan growled softly. Mrs. Wok began speaking in the rapid Aleen tongue. The guard responded immediately and a few moments of conversation followed. Faytan licked his lips and narrowed his eyes in concentration. He only knew a few words of his wife’s first language and most of them were used in private. It made him feel slightly better that none of those words were being used at the moment. Juma finished and turned to her companions. “I explained the situation and he says we are to follow him.” Randy sped forward, right behind the guard as he stepped inside the tent. Faytan took his wife’s arm and gave her his most charming smile as they walked. The rest followed. They passed several species through a dark makeshift tunnel. Some were practicing complex tricks and others were conversing in different languages. Others just stood looking at the ViperX crew. Seth did a double take as he saw a shapely female turn into a black-as-night panther. The tunnel opened into a huge circus ring with many seats surrounding it. In the center was the fancily dressed man, staring upwards and yelling. The crew looked up to see multi-colored trapeze artists swinging from one end of the ring to the other, leaving behind transparent after-images which shimmered in the air. Tor’s eyes whirred as they widened in amazement and he wondered if he needed to get them repaired. “Rernum! Paska, toomenei basa qun!” Sane brought his chair closer to the center of the ring, where the circus master had stopped barking instructions at his performers. “Randy! Randy, clecko tuu san?” Kailey rushed forward, his egg-shaped head enlightened by happiness. There were splotches on his skin that were a different shade of green than the rest of his skin, a sign of aging. His blue eyes seemed to dance happily as he gripped his old friend’s hand, laughing like a schoolboy. The two spoke for several minutes. After a while, Rernum acknowledged the rest, who were feeling awkward. He shook each one’s hand and spoke a word of greeting in his language. They all tried to imitate the word, bringing a smile to the circus master’s face. Randy beckoned his friend closer and began speaking more softly. The green man grimaced momentarily and nodded. He looked at the ViperX crew and smiled. “Please, watch.” He motioned at his trapeze artists and shouted something at them. They began their act again. Then, he walked towards the back of the tent. “We won’t be long, guys. Just stay put.” Dr. Sane floated after his friend and the two disappeared behind the folds of the tent. Fletcher grimaced and made his way toward the seats. “Well, the man said watch,” he told his crew. He sat back, relaxed, and the rest followed suit. ***** Rernum Kailey sat in a chair in his study and waited for his friend to situate his chair in front of him. “No formation of words could express how utterly delighted and excited I am that you have taken the great trouble to see me, my good friend,” he said, in his language. “I am glad too, Rernum,” Randy said, in a much more subdued tone than he usually used. His use of the Dero language was a bit accented, but understandable. “But let me make it clear that I came here for a reason. Your life may be in danger.” “My most esteemed doctor, you seem to have gone through more misfortune than I will ever have to in my lifetime.” The circus master glanced down below Randy’s chair.
Copyright © 2002 Phil V Infinite |