by C M Dancha
“Son, I’m here for a visit. I’m on an inspection tour of ally planets and thought it would be good to see you again. Trust me, you are not in the military. Why don’t you show me around your Molum crystal mine?”
Morg and the Lead Trifect spent close to an hour going through a few excavated caves which produced load after load of Molum crystals. If the mining engineers were right, the rich veins in the Honey Nuts mine would continue to produce high-grade crystals for another two-hundred years.
The questions the Lead Trifect asked were thoughtful and detailed. It was obvious he had a genuine interest and curiosity about the mining operation. Each time Morg tried to change the subject to current conditions on Yanda, the Lead Trifect deflected his questions.
“Morg, why is it so damn hot down here? I would think it should be cooler than the planet surface because it’s underground.”
“The reason is because the mine is between two ancient lava fields. Believe it or not, the lava, thousands of feet below, is still liquid and very hot. That heat rises and collects in our caves. If we didn’t have these huge exhaust fans, working in here would be impossible.”
“Interesting. By the way, how did you find these Molum crystals? None of you are mining engineers, so how did you find this deposit?”
“Lead Trifect, it would take me hours to tell you the entire story. The short version is that a dying Trikian shared the secret with me.”
“So, you were in the right place at the right time?”
“That’s very close to the truth, Lead Trifect. I had to spend some time piecing together the Trikian’s clues, but he provided enough information to figure out the location of this deposit.”
“Is this your only mine?”
“For now, yes. If we decide to expand, we’ll open another mine about twenty clicks from here. We know there’s another rich deposit in that area. We’ve already picked out a name for it. We’re going to name it after Luna’s mother who was the Yandan agent killed on Alpha 30. Do you remember her?”
The Lead Trifect thought for a moment trying to recall every event which took place on Alpha 30 during the epidemic. “Do you mean the female Landan who was found dead in a closet?” Before Morg answered, the Lead Trifect continued. “She was Luna’s mother? The Luna I came out here with today?”
“That’s right, sir.”
“It’s certainly a small universe, Morg. Very small.”
Morg and the Lead Trifect left the mine and headed back to the base camp.
“Morg, I don’t know if I should bring this up, but do you want to know about your offspring?”
“I don’t think so, sir. I have a feeling you would tell me nothing but bad news.”
“You know your offspring well. They have pissed away all your estate and pension. Do you want to set up a minor trust for them?”
"Absolutely not. It’s about time they get off their lazy asses and fend for themselves.”
“I understand. Sometimes the best thing you can do for someone is make them take responsibility. I’ve been doing the same thing at the palace. It hasn’t been easy getting rid of the dead weight. I’m amazed by how many freeloaders we had working for the government.”
“Otherwise, how are things on Yanda?”
“Actually, pretty good. After signing the CASETA Agreement with Earth we started to retoxify the atmosphere. There’s been a remarkable change in the health of our citizens. We also figured out Joseph Conway’s cloaking technology, so we’ll never be surprised again by a rogue army who wants to destroy us.”
“That’s great, Lead Trifect. With everything going so well, you should be able to retire soon.”
Morg waited for an answer but none came. The debacle of sending Joseph Conway to Earth taught the Lead Trifect many lessons. First, he made too many mistakes and had a lot to learn. He was still reeling from misjudging Prefect Conway as the brains behind the cloaking technology and its army. But, the most important lesson was the realization that he enjoyed being the Lead Trifect for the Yandan empire. He wasn’t going to kid himself any longer. He desired and thrived on the power of the position. He had no intention of turning over this power until he died or was too ill to perform the duties.
When they got back to the base camp, everyone was sitting around the enviropit. The constant mild temperature plus bug-and-animal-free condition created by the enviropit was perfect for outdoor get-togethers.
The first thing Morg noticed was Luna and Joseph holding hands and sneaking a kiss every so often. He didn’t understand their attraction to each other, but when it came to love and affection, he was far from an expert. All he could hope for was that the trip from Yanda to Earth had matured Joseph into a decent being. He thought it had, but when it came to the kid it was smart to hope for the best but expect the unexpected. Regardless, Luna deserved the best in life.
“Can I have everyone’s attention? I have an announcement, so everyone grab a drink and listen up.”
It was Samantha, Jimmy’s girlfriend, calling the group to order. It was obvious from Jimmy’s expression that he didn’t have a clue what her announcement was about.
“Everyone. On the way here, something very unusual happened. I’m not going to give you all the details, but the bottom line is that the Lead Trifect asked me if I wanted to be the next Yandan Director for Feltte Six. For those of you who don’t know, the job is being the Feltte Six ambassador to Yanda. I agreed to take the position providing Jimmy agrees.”
Jimmy was the first to respond. He stood up with his Cannis drink and said, “Here’s to my best friend, Sam, the next Director for Feltte Six. Everyone saluted her and took a healthy gulp as Jimmy and Sam kissed.
And, the being who enjoyed the evening the most was the Mentat. He finally learned what having friends was all about.
Dear Reader
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Notes
Chapter 1
1 Apparatus used for sitting, relaxation, and sleeping. It is balanced independently of the ship’s direction and motion.
2 A device which captures and translates words and some thoughts from one language to another.
3 A hollowed-out tube made of synthetic drugs. User blows into one end of stick to create plume of hallucinogenic gas or breathes in on the other end to inhale hallucinogenic drugs.
4 One stralock equals approximately fifty pounds.
5 Ruling military body on planet Yanda. Consists of three members; the Lead Trifect and two underlings known as brother Trifect.
6 Propulsion system used by spacecraft. The ship locks onto a distant light source near its intended destination. When the light source is eliminated, a vacuum is created which pulls the ship through space at a fraction of the speed of light.
7 Containers located throughout spacecrafts which provide liquid nourishment, medicine, and hallucinogenic drugs to the passengers. Contents are gravity fed from the containers mounted at ceiling level.
8 Small, oval glands on the exterior of a Yandan’s bony, exoskeletal membrane. They glow aqua and chartreuse when excited by good news. Not to be confused with displeasure pods which glow red when a Yandan is angered.
9 A plant grown on Yanda which emits a hallucinogenic sap three times per year. Very rare and difficult to cultivate. Used by Yandans of higher rank to boost libido and courage.
Chapter 3
1 A weapon used by elite Yandan invasion troopers. It is lightweight, reliable, and very accurate. A rife can discharge either ‘sound’ or ‘hard’ ammunition.
2 A six-legged, pig size animal used by Yandan invasion troopers to root out enemy troops hiding in subterranean tunnel
s and caves.
3 An illegal and unlicensed party establishment open from sunset to sunrise. Serves all types of drugs and alcoholic beverages. Some blind pigs double as prostitution and gambling dens.
Chapter 6
1 Large holographic screen used to project images and transmit dialogue. Used often by planets, ships and outposts when communicating over long distances.
2 A being from the planet Mentattis. All Mentats are male and are trained to identify beings who are lying and withholding information. Mentats are leased to planetary governments throughout the universe. The lease amount is high but well worth the expense. A good Mentat will pay for himself many times over.
About the Author
C. “Mike” Dancha retired five years ago and immediately began pursuing his life-long dream of writing fictional novels. Story plots and characters collected for nearly fifty years are being “put to paper” as quickly as his passion for golf will allow. He and his lovely wife live in sunny Florida after escaping the arctic tundra known as Minnesota. His greatest compliment is when a reader asks, “Wow! How did you think of that?”