Cosmic Cabaret

by SFR Shooting Stars

  Sabrina’s original assignment had been to work with the team to follow the Venteg’s and Louvos’ trails and find them, wherever they might be. With the discovery of the bodies, the assignment had changed to an investigation of the murders of the Ventegs and a search for Annato Louvos. Considering the murders and the possibility of a conspiracy, it was no surprise the assignment had been upgraded to a Level Five. The use of force, up to and including termination, if needed, had been approved.

  The third addition to the assignment pack provided general information on Security Leader Dayor Keitos. His holo images showed him very much as she remembered. He was tall and buff to the max. His fair hair was close-cropped and crowned a face with high cheekbones, piercing grey eyes and a strong jaw.

  My stars, he could be the poster boy for military-r-us.

  The most significant thing she recalled about Security Leader Keitos during the wedding celebration week was that everywhere she looked or went he was always around and always completely focused on his job. Her mom had even joked with her about it by implying he’d actually just been keeping track of her. Sabrina’s response had been a solid, “No way.”, followed by her referring to him as a stick-in-the-mud. She hadn’t dared tell her she thought he had gorgeous eyes, the best butt she’d ever seen, and that he could follow her around anytime he wanted to.

  The only time Sabrina had seen a softer side of him was at the reception when he’d broken away from his duties long enough to dance with little Astria. It had been clear at the time that the little girl had a huge crush on Dayor. Sabrina had guessed that Astria probably dreamed of marrying him when she grew up.

  She scrolled through the data, activating holos as needed. He was single, an orphan, and had been best friends with Prince Valon since they’d been teens. He had extensive training in both security and defense and was about thirty years old in both Malli and Earth years. He’d worked for the royal family’s security forces for over a decade and had overseen their safety for almost that long, which meant that all his adult life had been devoted to them and his job. He’d also been heading the still open investigations into the attempted murders of Dev and Kendra.

  Sabrina spent the last leg of the flight reacquainting herself with the planet’s geography, history and people. She’d researched it prior to her first trip, but wanted a refresher.

  Once again, she found the similarities between Malli and large portions of Earth to be incredible. It was slightly smaller than Earth and, rather than having seven continents, its major land masses had formed as three huge continents surrounded by vast oceans.

  Each continent was ruled by a different royal family. The largest continent, Caliva, was ruled by the Couros family and was where she was headed. The two smaller continents, Soloma, ruled by the Paralus and, Tekkol, ruled by the Zenays were on the other side of the planet. Even Malli’s various cultures and many of their customs had similarities to those of Earth.

  The leaders of Malli were historically extremely protective of their planet, almost to the point of isolationism. They’d only opened themselves up to inter-planetary and inter-universe travel in the last decade.

  The planet’s main export was crystele, a transparent mineral used for everything from jewelry to building materials and that was highly sought after throughout the multiverse.

  The co-pilots announced that they’d be entering Malli’s atmosphere within a half hour. Out the viewport near her seat Sabrina could see the planet. She was amazed at the beauty of its vast blue oceans and the green of the vegetation flourishing on its rich land masses exactly as she had been the first time she’d seen it.

  Looking beyond the planet, she caught sight of its moon. Kendra had described it as being incredible and she was right. It was gorgeous and the most unusual color of green she’d ever seen. Sabrina felt strangely drawn to it and stared at it for what seemed like a long time. Eventually, she forced herself to look away from it so she could start packing up and prepping herself for landing.

  Two

  “Oh, my stars, I’m so glad to see you! Welcome to Caliva!”

  “I’m happy to be here!” Sabrina said between hugs with her old friend. “With your schedule these days, I didn’t expect you to have time to meet me. You look fantastic, by the way. Being married obviously agrees with you.”

  “You’re looking pretty terrific, yourself, Sabrina. Very fit and trim and, yes, marriage definitely agrees with me.”

  Still smiling, Kendra gave Sabrina a final squeeze and then took her by the arm. “Dev’s in the middle of something he couldn’t break away from or he would have been here, too. It’ll probably be a couple of hours before he’s free. In the meantime, we’ll get you settled into your quarters and then we’ll all get together for a combination quick meal and assignment briefing.”

  Sabrina looked around and then nodded toward Kendra’s security detail, “There are twice as many bodyguards as there were the last time I was here. I read the report on the attempted kidnapping of Marrette and her daughter, so I’m not surprised at the extra manpower.”

  “Yeah, that shook everybody up. You’ll notice more of a security presence everywhere. A necessity these days. I’ll fill you in on the way to the palace.”

  Sabrina’s assigned guest quarters were fantastic. No surprise there as the entire palace was over the top in both size and grandeur, with its seven levels, two family wings, twelve-foot ceilings, rich tapestries and ornate woven carpets.

  Her suite was done in greys and mauves and included a common area for casual entertaining, with a refreshment programmer in the corner and a separate bedroom that was double the size of hers at home. The bathroom was marble and was luxurious beyond belief, with a walk-in shower, a gigantic soaking tub and fixtures with crystele insets.

  She’d felt a little guilty using the security search scanner to check her rooms for suspicious devices. She hadn’t found anything, but per protocol, it was the first thing did when she arrived and was a process she’d repeat whenever she returned to her rooms, particularly in view of some of the recent problems with Calivan security.

  Sabrina still had half an hour before she was scheduled to meet with the team, which consisted of Kendra, Security Leader Dayor Keitos, Dev and Prince Valon. They’d have dinner and Keitos would provide them with more specific details of the plan. After that, they’d catch a couple of hours of sleep and be ready to leave by midnight. The goal was for the four of them to be checking into one of LS Quantum’s hotels by morning.

  Sabrina looked at herself in the mirror before heading out. She straightened her collar, smoothed the waves in her shoulder length blond hair and then took a step back for an overall look. She was glad she’d signed up for the extra hand-to-hand combat classes because the new style Security Division jumpsuit uniforms were more form fitting than the old ones, making the most of the added muscle on her slender five-and-a-half-foot frame. She felt more fit than before and was thrilled that she’d managed to mostly flatten what she thought of as her poufy stomach. She also noted, not for the first time, that her blue eyes were a lot like Dev’s and were set in a face she considered, well…just regular.

  Ready as I’ll ever be. I can’t wait to see Dev.

  The first one to arrive at the dining room where Kendra said they’d be meeting, Sabrina sat at one of the tables for a moment and then wandered over to a set of windows at the far end of the room. After a couple of seconds, she sensed a presence behind her and spun around.

  Security Leader Keitos lingered at the entrance. For a moment, she was sure she saw raw hunger in his expression, but it had been instantly masked. Had she imagined it? She mentally shook her head and let it go.

  He entered the room and smiled that poster-boy smile of his and then surprised Sabrina by holding his hand out to her for a standard Earth style handshake, rather than the less direct Calivan hand greeting.

  “Special Agent Hawthorne. Welcome to Caliva. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  Sabrina lo
oked directly into his piercing grey eyes and felt a little jolt in the pit of her stomach. She smiled back at him and grasped his hand in return. She sensed…something…a connection of some sort that she’d never felt before. It made her want to take a step back, but she stood her ground. The sensation ended the second their handshake broke.

  “Thank you, Security Leader Keitos. It’s good to see you again as well. Please, feel free to call me Sabrina.”

  “Likewise. My first name is Dayor. I must say, I’m surprised that you’re in here already. Our dinner meeting isn’t scheduled to begin for a little while yet. Are you always early?”

  Sabrina sighed and nodded her head. “Yes. It’s an obsession of mine, I’m afraid, and one that can be really irritating to others. Just ask my brother.”

  Dayor laughed and then headed to the refreshment programmer. “I’m going to have a cup of our fine Calivan tea. Would you care for one, Sabrina?”

  “Not right now, thanks. I’ll wait to have one with dinner.”

  Cup in hand, Dayor moved to the table where Sabrina had originally been sitting. He motioned for her to join him. “Please sit and relax. I’d like to ask you a few questions before everyone else arrives.”

  “Okay.” Sabrina sat across from Dayor. The aroma of the tea in his cup was spicy and sweet. It made her wish she’d gotten one after all. “Now you’ve piqued my curiosity. What would you like to know?”

  “I’d like more information about psychic abilities. I’m sure you know that fully developed psychic powers on my planet are very rare. Our scientists have been studying it and they’ve determined that many of us have some amount of talent, but it’s to such a small degree that it’s even difficult to categorize the specific types of abilities they’re detecting. They’re still very unclear about how a lot of it works.”

  Sabrina chuckled. “Well, Earth’s scientists have been studying it for hundreds of years and they still can’t figure a lot of it out.”

  Dayor stared down at his cup in what appeared to be a deep concentration. A crease formed on his brow for a moment and then he looked back up at her. “You have the same two powers as your brother. Is it common for it to run in Earth families like that?”

  Sabrina smiled when she heard his question. This was the first time she’d seen Dayor out of Security Leader mode and she had to admit she was enjoying this side of him.

  “Yes, it’s somewhat hereditary, but not totally. Dev and I are both primarily amplifiers, but we also have some pre-cog talents. Two others, a cousin and one of our grandparents, also have the same combination of abilities. The rest of the family has a wide variety of other psi-talents. There are a lot of us, so it’s a pretty large assortment and it goes back generations. The earliest record we have of psychic abilities on the Hawthorne side of the family dates back to the late twentieth century. Most people didn’t even consider it a legitimate thing way back then.”

  Dayor sat back in his chair. “That’s amazing. I hadn’t thought about that. My parents died when I was just a young boy, so I have no idea what kind of psychic talents they had, if any.”

  He’d sounded very matter of fact when he’d spoken, but Sabrina had seen great sadness in his eyes. “How did they pass away, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Dayor looked uncomfortable with the question and Sabrina immediately regretted asking it. After a second, he responded.

  “It was a shuttle accident. It was said that they died instantly.”

  “I’m very sorry, Dayor. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like. What did you do? Where did you go?”

  Dayor shrugged his shoulders. “It was a long time ago. I spent a few years staying with my aunt. She’s gone now, too. She was a good woman, but it wasn’t what she really wanted, so it was a difficult time for us both. I was fourteen years old when I came to the palace. There’s an orphanage here in the palace where the children are very well cared for. Phylarina Zola, Valon’s mother, has personally overseen it for the last twenty-five years. I lived in dorm rooms that I shared with others who were like me. We went to school, we ate together, played games, spent holidays together and created our own kind of family. All three of the royal children also spent a great deal of time with us. That’s when Valon and I first became close friends. When I was seventeen, I was given the opportunity to join the Royal Security Force.”

  They were deep in conversation when Sabrina heard a familiar voice behind her. “What are you two talking about and why are you here already? Oh wait…this is you we’re talking about, Sabrina. Of course, you’re early.”

  Sabrina jumped up at the sound of her brother’s voice and then ran to him for a hug. Dev picked her up and twirled around, as he’d been doing since Sabrina had been a little girl and he’d been a young teenage boy.

  When they broke apart, Dev took a step back and gave her a complete once-over. Then he reached out and squeezed first her left bicep, then her right.

  “Impressive. You’ve put on some muscle. That’s excellent. This one could get dicey. I have a bad feeling about it, Sabrina. Seriously.”

  Sabrina rolled her eyes. “I figured that out the minute I was told the assignment had been upgraded to a Level Five. It’s part of the job, Dev, and you know it.”

  “I wish I could go with you, but I really need to stay here with Marrette and Astria. I’m not at all comfortable with this. It’s too dangerous.”

  “Don’t start, Dev. This is ridiculous. I thought we’d finally gotten past this.

  “It’s not ridiculous, Sabrina. I have a bad feeling about this one.”

  “Guess what! You’re not the only one who’s slightly precog. I have a bad feeling about this one, too, but I’m a trained agent. I’ve been in the field for four years now and this is not my first Level Five job. I’m not your baby sister in need of protecting any more. I can take care of…”

  “Hey, you two.” Kendra’s voice boomed out. “How many times are you going to have this argument? What, are you guys twelve years old? This is supposed to be our down-time before we leave.”

  “He started it. As usual.” Sabrina’s words sounded petulant, even to her own ears. She turned to face Kendra, saw Prince Valon beside her, and standing right next to him was an elegantly beautiful older woman with a slightly amused look on her face. Sabrina closed her eyes and sighed.

  Oh crap. Not only is it the prince, but It’s their queen as well. Maybe I can crawl into a little tiny hole.

  With a small smile on his face, Valon gestured in the direction of Sabrina and Dev. “Mother, it seems we’ve arrived at a bad time. They seem to be in the middle of a family affair.”

  “Nonsense, my son. I believe we’ve arrived at exactly the right time. “Dayor, would you please do the honor of announcing us?”

  “Absolutely, Your Greatness.”

  Sabrina looked at Dayor. He was now standing at attention. It was also clear that he was trying not to laugh. He marched around the table and stood in front of the group.

  What in the stars is going on?

  “I, Security Leader Dayor Keitos of the Royal Security Force of Caliva, would like to announce the presence of Her Greatness, Zola Couros, our exalted Phylarina. I would also like to announce the presence of His Highness, Valon Couros, our exalted Phylu and his wife, Special Agent Kendra Couros. May their family reign in peace under the guidance of the Spirits of the Multiverse.”

  “Thank you, Dayor. Now, has that sufficiently boring announcement distracted the two of you enough for you to have settled down?”

  Sabrina and Dev looked at each other and then looked back at the Phylarina. They both nodded. Neither of them spoke.

  “Good. I raised three headstrong children and I’ve also had many young wards over the years. I knew that would do the trick.

  Now, for my purpose for coming here this evening. There are two reasons. First, I wanted to welcome you to Caliva in person, Agent Hawthorne, both as Dev’s sister and as an Agent. My husband and I appreciate the willingness of
the Alliance to assist us in unravelling this mystery.

  Second, I wanted to let you know that we heard back from LS Quantum’s people this morning. All the arrangements for our joint efforts with their Security Division have been finalized and approved. In addition, a private suite for your use while there has been confirmed. It’s on one of Quantum’s most elite decks, which automatically comes with carte blanche status that will give you full access to almost every area of the space resort.

  Before I take my leave, I also want to thank you all for your bravery and for taking on this challenge. Have a safe and successful journey.”

  As she turned to leave, the Phylarina gently patted Kendra’s shoulder and then brushed a kiss on Valon’s cheek.

  Sabrina stared at the now empty doorway. “Wow! Just, wow.”

  Three

  They had two main goals for their trip to LS Quantum. The first was to go to the space resort and work with Quantum’s security people in the investigation into the Ventegs’ murders. The second was to pull on every thread they could to find Louvos and the men who had been with him, whatever it took.

  All of them had been trained in intelligence and special operations, including weapons and self-defense. They each also had other sets of skills to add to the group.

  As the Couros’ Security Leader, Dayor had the most extensive training and experience in criminal investigations and covert operations. He would be acting as leader for the group. Kendra’s psychometry ability would allow her to pick-up on clues by touching objects that may have been handled by either the Ventegs or Louvos or his men. As an amplifier, Sabrina would be there to boost Kendra’s psi abilities. Her secondary pre-cog ability would provide the group with a certain amount of warning if they were in danger. Valon’s attendance was necessary because it was his royal status and his family’s wealth that had made it possible to get last minute reservations and the highest-level clearance for them on board LS Quantum. Although Dev was no longer going to be a direct part of the field investigative team, he’d play an integral role from Caliva as both an advisor and as a liaison between the team and the royal family.