by Frank Carey
"Now, we are trying Basili," the science officer said. More samsar died. After a dozen different settings, the science officer announced, "That should be enough for extrapolation. At your pleasure, Captain."
"Thank you Neesa. Weapons! Flame that damn thing."
"Aye, aye, Captain. "All weapons, FIRE!"
Energy beams the color of flame shot out form a dozen emplacements around the hull, impacting the samsar instantly. The alien weapon exploded.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Quinto held his sister and Sheila while the surviving crew boarded the ship. "Move! Prepare for immediate liftoff,” he yelled into the ship. "Now, you two, no more shit from either of you or I'll put you in chains."
"You wouldn't dare!" Danyr said in disbelief.
"I just watched six men die because of your stupidity, so yes, I dare. Now get on board."
Danyr complied, though her eyes radiated anger. Once she was inside, he turned to Sheila who had stopped struggling. "I'm sorry about your husband," he said, releasing her. "No one was supposed to die. Now, we have to get out of here before that spawn of hell comes after us."
She shook herself loose and stormed up the ramp. "Kel," she whispered as she walked inside.
Taking one final look around, Quinto ran into the ship, sealing the hatch behind him. He stopped when he found a blaster pointing directly at his nose. Holding it was a Sokuhl female he didn't recognize. "Who the hell are you?" he asked while he surveyed the situation. Around the room, members of his crew were kneeling on the deck, hands behind their heads with fingers interlaced. Standing behind them were armed and angry members of the expedition. He looked over at his sister and saw her in the same position with a shaking Sheila holding a weapon against the back of her head.
"My name is Major Nayla Hardy, Elf Marine Expeditionary Force. You, your sister, and your crew are under arrest on charges of kidnapping, murder, and other crimes against the League of Planetary Systems. Now get on your knees and assume the position. Captain! Get us out of here."
"Aye, aye, Major," he replied over the comm. The ship shuddered as it lifted off and headed into space.
"And if I refuse?" Quinto asked.
"I let Sheila throw your sister out of the airlock. No court in the universe would convict her since you and Danyr just killed her husband."
"You're bluffing..."
Sheila grabbed Danyr's hands and dragged her to the airlock. Once there, the angry Sokuhl opened the inner hatch and made to throw the insurgent leader inside. "Quinto, do as the major says. This one is insane!" Danyr screamed.
Quinto did as instructed. Satisfied, Sheila dragged Danyr back into the room and resumed holding the weapon against her head. "Just give me a reason, Sweety."
Quinto turned his attention back to Nayla. "I'm curious. How did you get aboard without anyone noticing?"
"Magic," Nayla said. She nodded to one of the scholars. "Take over for Doctor Minty. Sheila, there's someone up front who's worried about you."
Frowning, Sheila headed up front, handing her weapon to a particularly unhappy historian. They all knew Kel personally or by reputation. None of them were happy about his demise.
She walked into the cockpit and immediately recognized the pilot. "Dash!" she yelled while running over to hug him.
"Hey, kiddo, the cavalry has arrived. Sorry about Kel."
She buried her head in his shoulder. "That love-sick fool..."
"You're safe and your baby is safe. That's why he did what he did... What the hell?"
"What's wrong?"
"Suddenly, there's a whole fleet of ships in orbit above us and one of them is coming down hell-bent for leather. Damn, that thing's big. It's squawking SSF Heart of Flame, and it’s on a heading direct to where Kel is.”
"We have to go back."
"I can't risk it. Anyway, we're receiving orders from Protector II. We are to rendezvous with her immediately."
"Fine. I'll just steal a shuttle when we get there..."
"I see marriage hasn't changed you one iota," the Logash said. "Here, sit copilot and help me get this thing into orbit."
She nodded, then sat down next to him and got the ship ready to meet with the Protector.
###
The Liberty was met by a contingent of Space Marines who escorted the insurgents to wonderful accommodations in the Protector's spacious and luxurious Brig. Meanwhile, Nayla, Dash, Sheila, and members of the expedition were whisked off to Sickbay where they were quickly examined and fussed over by the staff. Finished, the group was taken to a reception lounge where they met up with the crew of the Zephyr, all that is except for Nayla who had to report to security for debriefing. "I'll catch up with you later," she said. She stopped and hugged Sheila. "I am so sorry," was all she could say while keeping the tears at bay.
When the group reached the lounge, Sheila stopped and looked out the window while the others walked into the room. Outside, attached to the Protector by a personnel gantry, was a much larger ship, one she didn't recognize. "Sokuhl Space Navy Heart of Flame," she read on the side facing her. "Damn, if that thing doesn't look like a dragon," she said as she marveled at the sweeping lines.
"That's what happens when you let a Basili design it," a familiar voice said from behind her. Spinning around, she found Kel standing there, in his hand a single flower. "It even has a gift shop."
She jumped up and kissed him. He gently held her while wrapping his wings around them both to ward off any danger that may be lurking in the corridor. "You're alive!"
"Yeah. Turns out I'm unpalatable to the samsar. I gave it a fatal case of heartburn. The Heart of Flame finished it off."
She snuggled up against his chest and enjoyed his body heat. "Let's go home and have babies. This 'Save the universe' shtick is getting real old."
"OK, but your friends want to see you, and Jarrus wants to finish the work they were doing. They even invited us to join them."
She looked up at him. "Both of us?"
"Yep. Something about kicking ass."
"Well, you did kill the samsar."
"I'm not the one he was talking about," Kel said with a raised eyebrow. "It was you."
She pulled back and looked back at him, both her eyebrows cocked. "Oh, well then, I guess we could stay awhile." She released him with a final kiss before dropping back to the ground. "You said something about friends? Who else came to our soiree, pray tell?"
He smiled, took her by the arm and led her inside to end the others’ wait.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: Flashback
"Dammit, where the hell is Gus?" Sheila steamed as she stabbed the comm unit's off button. She threw her purse on the table and began to empty it, looking for another number to call when her unit beeped, signaling an incoming call. She looked over at the display and saw a blank screen. "How the hell can it be drawing a blank?" She stabbed the activate button. "Go for Minty."
"Sheila, this is Neta. I'm coming up." The line went dead. Seconds later, there was a knock at the door.
"Neta?" What the hell, Director. I would have come down to your office... Why the godawful ugly outfit?" she said, referring to Neta's boho/raglady dress and clunky shoes.
"I'm not here and you will have heard none of what I'm about to tell you."
"What's with all the cloak and dagger?"
"Seventy-two hours ago, we sent Gus in to retrieve a cipher code. He got the code but the whole op went sideways."
"Sent where? And is Gus OK?"
"He's fine, but I can't give you the details except to say he's on ice for a while, so stop calling him."
"Ice?"
"Witness protection. He's off-world—way off-world—while we bring the perps to justice.”
"How long is he going to be gone?”
"A year, maybe two. For the sake of expediency, we got him a berth on a deep space exploration mission, one of about twenty surveying the outer reaches of the League. It was a desperation move on our part."
"Who the hell did you burn?
"
"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you stop calling him. I don't want you to appear on a certain someone's radar."
"Fine. You will let me know when he's back."
"I'll call you the moment he's returned. I promise..." A baby's cry.
"Ah, her royal princess has awakened from her nap."
"Can I see her?"
"Sure. Let me go get her."
Sheila returned moments later with little Samantha who immediately reached for Neta. Handing her over to the elf, Sheila beamed while Neta fussed over the infant. "Lord, look at how she's grown. I forgot to ask, will she favor her father or you?"
"The doctors are convinced Kel's wings, tail, and fire breath will be dominant traits which will manifest sometime around puberty like his did."
"How's he handling fatherhood?"
"Amazingly well. He spends his hometime doting over both her and me. It's amazing. In all the years I have known him, I have never seen him this happy."
"How are you doing with it?"
Sheila tapped Sam's little nose. "I love it and can't wait to have a few more. What about you? You want kids?"
"Someday, when the time is right and I've found the right mate. The tail, though, hasn't twined with anyone yet."
"Really? What about Gus. You two have been spending a lot of time together."
"Gus? The Furred Finder? Naw. We're just boss and contractor. Nothing romantic."
"Right. Nothing romantic."
"What? You think I have a thing for the Storen?" She looked down at Sam and saw a stern look. "What?"
"You know, Neta, even a newborn can tell when you're fibbing."
Neta gave them both the "You must be mad" look. Then her comm rang. Handing Sam back to her mother, Neta stepped out to take the call. Returning, she kissed the baby and hugged her friend. "Gotta go. Another crisis is brewing."
"Be careful out there,"
Neta nodded, then walked outside.
"Damn," Sheila whispered as she turned to tend to her baby. "What the heck have you gotten into, Gus?"
###
Gus looked up into the night sky and marveled at the strange stars floating there. Being an ex-member of a space freighter crew, he was required to occasionally perform a dead-reckoning of his ships position as part of his continuing education. Now, even as a licensed ship's master, he couldn't recognize most of the stars turning overhead.
"Late night stroll, Mr. Curran?" the expedition’s physician, Dr. Nost, asked as she slid beside him. Gus smiled at the sight of the Alturan doctor. He liked her, they all did.
"Yes, I have the occasional bought of insomnia, so I walk when I have one. What about you?"
"Disrupted circadian cycle. I'll be fine in a few days. Would you like me to prescribe something to put you to sleep?"
"No thanks, Doc. It'll pass, and I need the exercise."
"Suit yourself. I'm going to head in and find a book to read. Be careful. The survey team hasn't finished cataloging the indigenous life forms."
"I shall be careful, Doctor. Good night."
"Good night, Gus."
Alone once more, Gus continued with his stroll, his mind drifting back to events of the past that he's been trying to forget for many years. So deep in thought he was, that he didn't notice the mists that surrounded him.
A sound tore him from his reverie. Voices, desperate voices. "Device," he said to his all-purpose scanner-computer-communicator. "Did I miss the memo about indigenous sapient life forms living on this planet?"
"No, sir. There are no sapient life forms on this planet other than those who are part of the expedition."
"Device, do you detect voices?"
"Working... Yes, several individuals. Azimuth one-hundred forty degrees true, elevation forty-five degrees."
"In the trees? Arboreal? Primates?" he guessed.
"Affirmative. DNA scan shows definite hominid traits."
"Can you translate what they’re saying?"
"Partly. I need to be in closer proximity for improved accuracy."
"OK, this is ill-advised," he admitted as he headed into the woods.
Not knowing how far he had walked, he stopped at the edge of a clearing. Here, the speakers sounded like they were next to him. He was about to ask Device to translate when Minnie and Horus appeared from the woods, kneeling down next to him.
"How? How did you two get here?" he whispered. "I left messages for the two of you back at the apartment. How..."
Minnie placed her hand on his forearm and two fingers from her other hand on his lips. "You have to leave, now. Your life is in danger."
"Danger? From whom or what? Device, threat level."
"Negligible."
"Hoot," Horus said from her shoulder. "You have to wake up and get out of here. I don't know how long we can sustain your life force."
"Life force? What are you talking about?"
"Gus, listen to them." Gus turned and saw his father standing there. Behind him were his family.
"Father! Mother! But you're dead."
"Yes, we are long dead, and we do not want you to join us. You still have much to do in this life. Now go," he said before becoming mist.
Some unseen force grabbed him and dragged him upright. A mask appeared over his face as the voices disappeared. Suddenly, Gus found himself surrounded by people wearing masks and air tanks. A tentacle snake was on his neck. "Gus, take deep breaths," Dr. Nost said as she and the others led him out of the woods.
"What happened?"
"The damn forest tried to asphyxiate you," she said as they emerged into the clearing where the ships had landed. "It looks like the trees emit some kind of protective gas. They must have thought you were a threat. The survey teams reported something similar happening to them, but their report only got here a few minutes ago."
He stopped and tore off his mask as a coughing fit overtook him. Finally finishing, he stood up and shook the cobwebs out of his brain. "Damn, it was so real."
"What did you see?"
"Friends of mine who I didn't get to say goodbye to, and my family. That's when I knew something was wrong."
"Why."
"My family died almost twenty years ago."
"My condolences. Well, your friends saved your life. When you didn't answer our calls, we sent out a search party. That's when we saw the mist filling the area. Fearing the worst, we got breathing equipment. The scanners were coming up blank, but luckily we heard you yelling the name Minnie. Well, you know the rest."
"Damn, it seemed so real."
"Too real. The captain and the expedition leaders are meeting to figure out how to handle this. In the meantime, no more midnight strolls."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Come on, we need to get you checked out back at the infirmary."
The group hurried back to the ship as wisps of vapor made their way out from between the trees.
###
Doc dimmed the lights as she exited the infirmary to check with the captain, leaving Gus alone in the darkened room. His tests showed no permanent damage, though he was getting a doozy of a headache, so he laid back on the exam table and waited for the analgesics to kick in.
"Hey, Buddy, how are you feeling?"
Gus looked over and saw his friends, Minnie and Horus, standing next to the bed.
"Like Horus used me as a punching bag. I know you two are immortals and everything, but how did you get here? I left the pendant with the rest of my belongings at home."
"We couldn't let you face the great unknown without your two besties, now could we?" she said.
"We got your message," Horus noted, "So we used the InterWeb to stowaway in your transport's data banks."
"Minnie, was that you and Horus in my hallucination?"
"Yes, it was. We spoke to you through what we call a sub-audible communications link. Only mortals and their immortal companions have such a link."
"What about my family?"
"Your family? I don't know what you're talk
ing about. Only Horus and I were in your hallucination."
Gus got up and swung his legs over the side of the bed so that he was sitting relatively upright. "Father, Mother, Gisele, my siblings, they were there. Father told me I couldn't die because I had something important to do. You mean you couldn't see them?"
Horus went owl and jumped over onto Gus's shoulder. "Only Minerva and I were there. No one else. The link broke right before the doctor and the rescue team put the breathing gear on you."
Gus rubbed his temples as he lay back down on the table. "Then who did I talk to?" he asked before falling into a deep sleep.
Minnie looked at Horus. "Bob!"
Bob appeared wearing linen pants, a tee-shirt, linen jacket, and deck shoes. He was holding a mint julep and a cigar. "You rang?"
"What did you do, King of the Immortals," Horus asked.
"Nothing. I just reminded him that he had important things to do and dying wasn't one of them."
"What important things?"
"I cannot say. The oracle has sealed my lips."
"You mean saving you from the statue wasn't enough? Hasn't he gone through enough?" Minnie demanded.
"My dear Athena, his journey has only begun. The path to redemption is a long and arduous one. Look at the great and wise Monroe. His journey was both long and pain-filled."
Horus transformed into weightlifter form and performed a face-palm. "Lord, Monroe was a child's cartoon character."
"I speak in metaphor. This one has a task he must complete, and when he does, he will find the redemption he seeks."
"And you're not going to bother telling us, are you?" Minnie noted.
"Sorry. Non-disclosure contract. Very binding. Now, I must go and converse with that grove of trees. I think I can persuade them to not kill any expedition members. Tell me, can the members make something called mulch?"
"Sure, I'll talk to the grounds keeper," she replied.
"Excellent. Well, I must be off," he said as he disappeared in a flash of light.
"How does he do that? The rest of us have to use the damn InterWeb, while he just disappears," she asked.
"A perk of being king of the immortals I would surmise. I wonder what this task is? I was sure saving the king from eternal exile would have been enough."