by Frank Carey
###
Sheila stormed into her apartment, slamming the door behind her. She dropped her bag onto the couch and plopped down next to it, tears streaming from her face. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" she screamed. "Kellen Hardy, you're going to be the death of me." She looked at the chrono above the viewer and saw it was getting late. "Computer, establish commlink with Dr. Kellen Hardy."
"Working..."
"Hello?" a deep male voice replied.
"Kel, you big lizard, why are you being a stranger?"
"Sheila! Damn, I was just calling you. Guess what!"
"What?"
"I'm going to Alyson to give a talk on the Basili and my theories about their disappearance."
"Aren't you a hermit?"
"A recluse, actually, but this is the chance of a lifetime. The League Historical Society has offered to sponsor me, not that I need the money. This is so cool."
"Yes, yes we are," she said at the inside joke they shared. "When do you get back?"
"A week from tomorrow. Look, can we do dinner then. I need to talk to you about something."
"Sure. Where are we going? That new burger joint on the square?"
"No, not the burger joint. I'll explain everything when I get back."
"Ooooh, Mr. Mysterious. Give one League-class lecture to a bunch of high muckity-mucks and no more burgers. Be careful, Kel."
"I will be. Hey, I have to go. Talk to you when I get back. Bye."
"Bye." She leaned back on the couch and screamed the battle cry of the Sokuhl, then broke down in a fit of sobbing from her frustration. She stopped and got up off the couch. "Time to put your big girl panties on and get with the program," she said. "First a shower, then pack." She went into the kitchen and grabbed a beer on her way to the bathroom.
CHAPTER THREE
The Ventosian Transport Ship Unicorn's Dream made its way through other-space on its way from the elf home world of Ventos Prime to the newly colonized world of Alyson located in the outer reaches of Martok space. Aboard her were members of the League Historical Society, led by Dr. Tannith Aymar, who were traveling to the distant world to attend a conference of historians from the League of Planetary Systems, the Jarrion Empire, and the Zexx collective, the last two having recently signed treaties with the League due the efforts of Ambassador Lucien Irithyl, Ventosian Ambassador at Large and Tannith's adopted brother, and Governor Alex of Alyson. This conference was the first of, hopefully, many to bring together the peoples of the League with those of the Jarrions and Zexx.
Penny emerged from the cockpit to join the group, having handed control of the ship over to the Alue co-pilot, Krill, after making a final check of the systems. Being an Alue, Krill could control the ship's systems in non-corporeal form while listening in on the conversation in the cabin. Like all Alue, she could instantly return to a corporeal form--as one of the gray aliens from Earth's history--if the need arose. For now, she was happy to listen and watch as a ghost in the machine.
"Tannith, a member of our group seems to be missing," a historian from Earth said as she sipped tea.
"Dr. Hardy is in the galley whipping up some scones," Penny informed them.
"My brother finally relented and gave him his secret recipe," Tannith added.
"You two have met Dr. Hardy, the famed recluse of the historian world?" the Tralaskan asked.
"Penny has. All his arrangements were made by InterWeb," Tannith replied.
"But didn't you co-author several texts with him?"
She nodded. "All through InterWeb, commlink, and intermediaries. I have never met the good doctor in person."
"Penny, what's he like?" the Storen asked.
"Adorable. You'll find him interesting, to say the least."
"What I find interesting is his poppycock theory about there once being two dominant species on Sokuhl," the human historian from Earth stated for the record. "Tannith, how can you buy into this?"
"I've seen the evidence, and it is convincing. Thousands of years ago, before the fall of Atlantis on Earth, the Sokuhl home world was inhabited by not one, but two spacefaring species of dragonoids--the Sokuhl and the Basili--who, on the brink of war, decided that one, the Basili, would leave. Now, there is just the Sokuhl.”
"I still don't understand how this was lost in time," the Storen said. "The Sokuhl of the time were spacefarers, so they must have had advanced data storage methods."
"And the idea that a winged, fire breathing biped would just pick up and go, leaving the planet in the hands of a weaker, more cerebral species is ridiculous," the human added.
"Not so, good doctor. They had a reason. We just don't know what it was."
The galley door opened followed by Dr. Kel Hardy entering the lounge area carrying a large tray of scones. Everyone in the room, except for Penny, stopped breathing and just stared at the good doctor, for you see, Dr. Hardy was a Basili, the first born on Sokuhl since before his kind left on their great diaspora.
"Scone, Penny?" he asked while presenting the tray to her.
"Yes, thank you, Kel. They smell wonderful," she said with a faint smile as she took one.
"Dr. Aymar?" he asked.
Tannith stared at him, trying to take in a two-meter tall winged dragon, his tail slowly swishing back and forth, the spade-shaped blade on its tip somehow missing everything and everyone while long, elf-like ears swiveled about. "You're a real dragon," she said.
"Heavens no. I'm a Sokuhl with dominant Basili traits, a one-in-a-trillion chance happening. I like the darker ones, by the way."
She reached down and gingerly took a dark scone while continuing to stare at him.
He turned and served the rest of the delegation. Finished, he sat down and waited for the rest of them to try the pastries.
Tannith bit into hers and smiled. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I think you gave Lucien a run for the money."
"Definitely," Penny added.
The others nodded in agreement.
"Dr. Hardy..." the human started to say.
"Please, call me Kel."
"Kel, I don't know what to say. You're very existence gives credence to your hypothesis..."
"Not really. I could be a genetic aberration. There are no samples of Basili DNA with which to compare. All we have are illustrations in ancient books and a few paintings. I assume you’ve all seen the paintings of St. George slaying the dragon. Do they prove the existence of dragons in 17th-century Europe? My existence along with the texts, paintings, and illustrations can be explained in other ways. My hope is that proof may be sitting in a Zexx or Jarrion museum."
"You think they came this way?" Earth asked.
Kel got up and retrieved a messenger bag from a locker. Returning, he extracted an ancient text from it, then opened it to a page with an illustration of a star map. "This book is from the time of the great diaspora. It tells of the events leading up to the exodus. I have spent years working on a translation. I'm far from finished, but this section of text indicates this star group was their destination."
"Have you identified this group?
"Yes, it's on the other side of Jarrion space from Alyson. That's why I think the Jarrions or the Zexx may know something."
A gong sounded. "We're thirty minutes out from Alyson space," Penny said as she got up and grabbed another scone before heading to the cockpit. "Got a pre-landing checklist with my name on it." She stopped and looked at Kel. "Can you actually fly?"
He nodded. "Yep. The tail acts as a damn good rudder."
That got a laugh out of the group.
"What about breathing fire?" Tannith asked.
"Of course. Always handy if one needs to cook in the wilderness."
Penny shook her head as she walked through the hatch into the cockpit, leaving the others to discuss the upcoming conference while she and Krill prepared for arrival at Valera Station in orbit around Alyson.
###
The space station arrival lounge was a scene of controlled chaos as ships carrying
conference attendees docked and disgorged their passengers before moving to a parking berth at the other side of the station. One by one the ships came and went, their passengers transferring to shuttles, which would take them down to the surface. This assembly line of personnel came to an abrupt halt when Kel walked out into the lounge.
"This is so cool!" he said as he walked down the ramp with Tannith by his side. Alyson could be seen out the lounge windows. It floated there, hued in green, blue, and white.
"Don't get out much?" the human historian asked as he strolled up next to the big Basili.
"No, at least not of late. Let's see... It's been almost ten years since I was last off planet."
"Really?" Tannith asked.
"Yes. The InterWeb is a godsend for a recluse like me. I really need to get out more." He stopped and looked around, seeing the sea of slack-jawed faces staring at him. "Boo!" he said as he quickly, though carefully, extended his wings.
Everyone jumped, then laughed when they saw his smile. In moments, the din returned as everyone got back to work.
"That never gets old," he said as he carefully folded his pennons.
"You, sir, are a scamp," the Storen said for the record.
The group made their way to the planet side shuttles. Once they and their baggage were aboard, they headed to the planet. When they arrived, they were taken by ground shuttle to a large structure outside of town.
"This is amazing," Kel noted as he got out of the vehicle. "Is it prefabricated?"
"Yes, sir," the driver said as he helped them with their luggage. "The Public House, the first pre-manufactured four-star hotel in the known universe. Five hundred cabins, a swimming pool, spa, work-out room, two lounges, three restaurants, and a half dozen conference rooms all housed in a module which can be picked up and carried by standard FTL tugs."
"Amazing. Thank you for the information," Kel said as he handed the cabbie the fare plus a fifty-credit tip.
"Thank you, sir," the cabbie said as he tipped his hat to the ladies before leaving them. A bellhop appeared with a cart, and after a stop at the front desk, the intrepid historians found themselves in their luxurious rooms.
After noting the over-sized furniture, Kel unpacked, then sat back in a chair to read the conference literature he had found on the bed.
"BLEEP!"
Kel looked around and saw a red light blinking in the lower right corner of the room's viewer. "Who could be calling me here?" he asked. "Go for Hardy."
The viewer lit up with the image of Zor Hardy, patriarch of the Hardy clan and de facto head of the planet Sokuhl. Kel bolted out his seat then went to one knee. "Patriarch! I am at your service!"
"Kel, stop that nonsense. I am calling as your grandfather, not your patriarch."
"Forgive me, sir. How are you and Grandmother faring these days?"
"We are doing well, thank you for asking. And how are you doing. I hear you will be giving a talk at the conference?"
"I am good, sir, and yes, I’m giving a talk on the subject of the Basili diaspora."
"Grandson, I don't think you know how pleased your grandmother and I are that your belief in the Basili never wavered over the years. All our young scientists should follow your example."
"Thank you, sir."
"Were you aware that your cousins Tayla and Jacob were there on Alyson?"
"No, sir, I was not. I will make a point to visit with the two of them."
"Thank you. Your aunt, their mother, will appreciate that. Well, I will not keep you. I would like to meet with you upon your return to Sokuhl. There are family matters we should discuss."
Here it comes, Kel thought to himself.
"You are now of the age of consent, so we should discuss a mate for you."
Lovely. Maybe I should stay here and take up farming. "I look forward to seeing you and Grandmother."
"Excellent. Until your return then. Sokuhl out."
"That went well," a female voice said from a large bracelet he wore on his left wrist. It pulsed red. "Should I be shopping for a bridesmaid dress?"
"Maybe," he said enigmatically
"Dr. Aymar and Penny make a cute couple, don't you think?" she asked.
"Very. They've cheated death together, which speaks volumes of their relationship. Are you hinting at something, old friend?"
"Me? Hint? Come on, Kel, subtle is not a word in my vocabulary. Now that you've come out of your cave, maybe you should get married. I know a real nice PhD who would be a great match."
"Right. So, have you downloaded the conference agenda?"
"Yes. There is a meet-and-greet tonight at 1900 hours followed by a tour of the town. Oh, look at that, Dr. Kastra is going to be in attendance."
Kel hung his head. "Lovely. The most anti-Basili researcher in the League."
"I think she likes you."
"Plark that! Her pet name for me is 'genetic abnormality!'"
"But she's so fun to bait."
"What about the Jarrions and Zexx?"
"Five of their top historians will be mingling tonight. Would you like me to arrange something?"
"Yes, please."
"I'll send them your business card and a copy of your latest paper. Would you prefer a headshot or a full-length photo to be included?"
Kel was used to his companion's sense of humor. "Just the card and paper will do, thank you."
"Spoilsport. What do you plan to wear tonight? May I suggest the elf butterfly vest with the black pants and boots? The vest frees up the pennons. You know the girls like to see a little wing."
Kel sighed knowing he wasn't going to win this one. "Fine. Can you get me a contact number for Tayla and Jacob?"
"On it. Got them, but both of them are out visiting a nearby asteroid. They left while we were in transit. Want me to leave a message?"
"Please. Ask them if I could arrange a visit."
"Done. I can't wait to meet their bond mates."
"Neither can I. If memory serves, Jacob's mate, an elf named Bryntana, is an ex-assassin while Tayla's is a human male from Earth's early 21st century."
"Nothing odd about that, is there?"
"Naw, not for the Hardy clan. We leave normal at the front door."
CHAPTER FOUR
Tayla walked into the newly erected shack where all four crews waited. She had been in the shuttle having a conversation with Alex over the ship's hypercomm. Normally, radio communication would have an interminable delay due to distance, but not hypercomm. It was as close as technology could get to instantaneous.
"What's the op, Boss?" one of the drillers asked. "We were about to start the drill,"
"Yeah, that's on hold for now. It looks like our scans picked up something unusual," she said before launching into an explanation.
"Alex wants us to find a way into this cave?" a roughneck asked.
"Yes. I've downloaded the coordinates of a possible entrance into your datapads. We'll go out and search for an entrance. If we don't find one, then we're to make one."
"Aye, give me a pick and shovel. I'll get you there in time for a few pints at the pub," he said in the finest of Irish brogues.
Tayla looked at the ceiling. "Kawsh, you do remember you're draco, right?"
"My ancestors roamed the Emerald Isle back in the days of Atlantis!"
"And my great, great, great Uncle MacLeish wrestled with St. George," Tayla informed him. "Grab your gear and get to work. Daylight's burning.”
Everyone suited up and headed to the coordinates with datapads in hand. In about an hour, they had located a hollow rock outcropping connected to a shaft leading down to the cave. "Boss, this is Caleb. I found something. I'm activating my suit beacon."
Tayla and the others arrived several minutes later. By then, Caleb had located an airlock door and control panel. "Over here," he called while activating his suit strobes.
"Have you tried cycling the lock yet?" Tayla asked.
"Nope. I thought I'd wait until y'all showed up."
T
ayla scanned the panel before tapping one of the icons, one that she hoped meant, "Cycle Open." Lights around the door came on as the door slid open.
"We have atmo on the other side," she said as she and three of her crew stepped into the lock. "Someone call Alyson and let them know what's happening. The rest of you standby. We may need help," she said before pressing the other icon. The door slid shut in front of her.
Inside the lock, the four intrepid drillers waited as air rushed into the lock. Tayla watched her readouts as the suit compressed around her. "We have standard pressure," she said.
"Nitrogen/oxygen mix. Sea level pressure. Breathable," one of the drillers said. "Odd, we have Alyson-normal gravity, so either this floor is a lot denser than it reads..."
"Or we have gravity generators," Tayla noted.
"No sign of noxious gas or biologicals," another added.
"Radiation below League permissible levels for a pregnant boss lady," the third said. Tayla cuffed him.
"Funny. Okay, we can leave the suits here."
After stripping-off their space wear, they drew their weapons before activating their scanners. Overhead, lights came on. They found themselves standing at one end of a wide hallway. At the other end was a pair of sliding doors.
"Damn, this place is big," Tayla noted. The hallway was easily fifteen feet high by thirty wide.
"Well, look at those doors. You could march five abreast through that opening," the human driller named Bob said.
"I hope this isn't indicative of the size of the personnel who used them, the Katalan named Susan commented. "We need bigger weapons if it is."
Tayla nodded as she led the way down the hallway.
"Tayla, this is Joshua. Do you copy? Over."
Tayla smiled as she answered the comm. "Hey, lover, you sound worried."
"Me? Worried? Just because my wife and child are exploring an alien structure?"
"Aren't you an alien? You've landed nearby, haven't you?"
"Of course I've landed nearby. Jacob was kind enough to bring me to where my crazy wife was playing tomb-raiding archaeologist."