The Hand of Grethia: A Space Opera

by Guy Antibes

  “When you registered your ship on your departure from Gyron III. That established your existence once more. The central registry noted your activity and the clock stopped. I imagine you disappointed a few people. The action to dissolve the trust slowed up considerably after your existence made it to the central registry. The petition has been stayed at present, I should imagine. In cases like this, monitoring of the central registry is standard practice.”

  “I didn’t know such things were monitored?”

  “Oh yes. Something the ancients coined as “Big Brother watching”. The central registry is notified of missing persons and actions against them for just these circumstances. Departures and arrivals at spaceports are all entered into the registry to track individual’s movements. Most situations are handled automatically. When your ship never registered at your next Space Quest destination, it was assumed that an accident happened. The claimants claimed that it was a hyperspace accident. Your Space Quest progress transmission you made when you entered hyperspace was recorded and when the planned exit point was devoid of any sign of your ship it was assumed you were lost. You didn’t register anywhere else, so, the claimants had a point.”

  “What did you do about it?”

  “I haven’t had to do anything about it. I was notified of your return as the trustee and expected you would be getting around to visiting me. Which you are doing now.” Rollo smiled and gave Jan his rod back. He raised his eyebrows anticipating Jan’s next question.

  An element of doubt crept into Jan’s mind. He didn’t think the dismissal of the claim was as casual as Rollo seemed to take it. “Can you dispose of the petition?” Jan said.

  “Certainly. I can get it dismissed with a phone call. Just fish for a little bit and you can hear me take care of it.” Rollo chuckled the chuckle of a man at peace with himself. No more would circumstances rule Rollo Freemen.

  “The sooner the better.” said Jan. “Wait! How can I find out who’s behind the action? Would it be better in place for a little while so I could discover who is behind it?” Jan was tempted to tell him about his Grethian backwater but decided not to. “My ship was tampered with. I have proof it was. I had a very special computer installed. Because of special programming, I automatically exited hyperspace above Gyron III, but I had barely enough power to land safely in the boondocks before it was gone. Someone did sabotaged my ship and that someone may be out to eliminate me at another time.”

  “I can see your point.” Rollo conceded. “We can hold off challenging the petition for just a little while. It’s a moot point anyway, since you are already registered as being back, I can still submit an affidavit over my phone confirming your return to the trust.” The man talked into his phone claiming Jan’s existence and restated that proof of his registry at the time of his departure from Gyron III could be verified.

  “Let’s catch dinner and we’ll talk some more.” Rollo put his phone in his pocket and picked up his rod. “I haven’t kept any today. Now it’s time to get serious. Put that line in the water!”

  ~

  “How is your fish?” Rollo asked.

  “My compliments to the chef!” Jan exclaimed as he nodded his head to Mrs. Freemen, who had returned from her shopping expedition while the two men conversed and caught fish at the lake.

  Mrs. Royanne Freemen was an interesting looking woman. The wonders of cosmetic surgery made her look like a vigorous woman in her early forties. Jan knew she was at least in her mid-sixties. Her dark hair framed a face that was just short of full with a firm, pointed chin. Her most startling feature, and the one that had always stuck Jan was very light, piercing blue eyes. They were almost a luminous white. Her eyes always seemed to be burning holes through whatever they gazed upon. Jan also remembered her looks did not match her personality. Despite the woman’s imposing demeanor, she generally exhibited a very light and airy sense of humor.

  “You two. I have to cook enough fish with just Rollo, the rascal. Now I come home and I have to cook more!” she laughed. “My biggest challenge is coming up with different ways to fix the things. It wouldn’t be so bad if Rollo could cook half as well as he can fish. Our autocook doesn’t do justice to fresh fish, so it’s up to me. Luckily, I can always find good recipes on our infonet. The recipe I used came from Gyron III. I found it just for you.” she gave Jan a warm look. “Did you ever taste similar fare while you were there?”

  “No, I, uh, landed in a very remote area. My ship had just enough power to find a little valley. The person I stayed with for most of my time didn’t know much about cooking for others.”

  “You stayed with a woman all that time? That sounds interesting. I doubt your mother would approve.”

  Jan smiled. “I stayed at a farmhouse. The young woman was the remaining daughter of a family that had been wiped out by a local disease. They ran out of power and couldn’t seek help that was weeks away on foot. There are very remote areas on the planet where you can be totally isolated. You can find places like that on Wyring, I suppose. Since my own ship had no power, I couldn’t leave. I didn’t have a map. She did, but when I landed it was harvest time, so I stayed to help her do it and just sort of enjoyed a quiet life for a few seasons.”

  “I’m amazed the woman didn’t turn into an animal after a traumatic thing like that,” Royanne said.

  “Her family is buried there. Sometimes some disease or plague can come out of the forests and do some damage to the human population. She was the only survivor of her family. I was in no hurry to be rediscovered with my “accident” and all, so I stayed with her throughout the winter and helped her get back some sanity. She became a little strange living by herself all that time. Her name is Merinnia, Merinnia Wankle. She’s quite pretty. It turns out she’s rather intelligent and we are working together on my current project.”

  “That’s a nice name. Are the both of you an item?” Rollo asked.

  “No, more like brother and sister. When we were alone together, we came across an ancient site and we found some startling technology. She has agreed to help me develop it further and has come to Impollon IV with me to help commercialize it.”

  “What kind of technology did you find on a planet as backward as Gyron III?” asked Royanne.

  “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but our find has to do with instant transportation. Some would call it teleportation.”

  “Now that’s the stuff of legends.” Rollo dryly announced. “I’ve heard legends about the ancients having teleportation, but I don’t believe it. I’ve heard all sorts of things since I was a little kid.”

  “If you promise not to tell anyone, would you like a demonstration?” Jan asked. He could see the interest in his host and hostess perk up. The look in Rollo’s eyes sent a warning prickling on the back of his neck.

  “Oh, yes!” Royanne exclaimed. Rollo tried to look a little dubious but one could see he was very, very interested.

  “The effect is much better during daylight.” Jan extemporized. Something felt wrong somehow. He felt he should delay his demonstration. “We can do it in the morning when the sun is up. You’ll be impressed.”

  Jan accepted an invitation to spend the night in the house rather than on his ship. While Rollo was clearing up the dishes, Royanne showed Jan to his room.

  “Rollo might not clean up half as good as he can fish, but that’s good enough for me,” she said.

  Jan went out to his ship and retrieved his things. The night was beautiful and bright. No clouds. Clear sky, Brilliant stars. Which one was Grethia? No way of knowing, unless he asked the computer and that took all the magic out of it.

  In the ship, he picked up two small sound pickups. He couldn’t deny a feeling of suspicion. He set the frequencies to that specified by his computer, got his things, locked his ship and set up some visual security. On his way to the house, he felt like he was prepared. He didn’t know what for, but he felt better being cautious.

  “Nightcap?” Rollo asked as he greeted Jan coming down
the stairs after stowing his belongings in a guest room. Rollo led him into the living room. Just like a comfortable cabin, there were overstuffed chairs, a book-lined wall. The antique books must have cost a fortune, and to top it all off, a blazing fire in the fireplace. Jan was certain that had more effect on others than it had to Jan, who had just spent over a year on a planet where there was little else available for heat.

  “Sure, anything you suggest would be fine as long as it’s rather light.”

  Royanne came billowing in wearing a pink satiny robe and bare feet. Jan glanced at her feet. They were definitely more her own age. “So how has it been for you since Peggy died?”

  “Mom?” Jan said.

  Royanne nodded as she gave Jan a drink. It had been a long time since he had heard her mother called by her nickname. “It’s been more lonely. I hadn’t lived with her for some time, but you know, like I said at the funeral, we were all the other really had. She was an only child, Grandma and Grandpa Deshine were dead before I was born. No close relatives. Dad had long disowned us. But I had some friends that helped me through. Somehow after Mom’s death, I gradually let them go. I haven’t developed any close relationships since then. The women in my life have been fleeting relationships.”

  “This Merinnia? Have you a close relationship with her?” Rollo asked probingly.

  “I don’t know. She comes from such a different background. I certainly have feelings for her.” Jan paused and looked down into his drink. “I shouldn’t be telling you all of this. It’s very boring for you, I’m sure.”

  “No, no, no.” demurred Royanne. “Please go on. I like hearing about you. Rollo and I have always been concerned about you since Peggy left us. Even before. You probably need someone to talk to anyway” she remarked consolingly.

  “Humph,” Jan said. “I guess I saw something there, when I discovered the Wankle’s graves. They were the farmers. Uh, Merinnia’s parents. She survived because she is very intelligent and very bright. Living by herself all that time makes her a little backward in some ways, but since we have been working on our project together, I have grown rather fond of her. It hasn’t been a physical relationship. Like I said, we treat each other as brother and sister, yet when I think of her, it’s not really like a brother.” Jan smiled, groping for more words but gave up. “I guess that’s it.”

  Royanne walked over to Jan and sat on the floor by his chair and patted him on the wrist. “Sounds like it will develop into something wonderful, Jan.” He continued to hear far-off warning bells.

  “Rollo, we never did get around to discussing my trust.”

  “Well, I’ve been listening to you pouring your heart out to my beloved and suddenly realize I’m very tired.” Rollo replied through heavy lidded eyes. “Let’s discuss it right after tomorrow’s demonstration. That way we will both be anticipating the morning.”

  “I guess, I’ll be going up to bed then,” smiled Jan. “Good night to you both,” he said as he rose from his comfortable chair. As he rose, he stumbled and put a bug under the side table.

  “Are you all right?” Royanne asked.

  “Probably just the altitude and my getting up too fast. I’m all right. Do you mind if I get a glass of water from the kitchen for tonight?” Jan asked.

  “Sure, help yourself,” Rollo said, looking a little more alert.

  Jan walked back to the kitchen. He looked around. Fully equipped for conventional food preparation, with synthesis equipment and for archaic food preparation with a stove, microwave and refrigerator/freezer. He found the cupboard with glasses, filled it with water from the tap and placed bug number two under the kitchen table.

  “Goodnight!” He called from the hallway into the living room as he ascended the stairs.

  Jan stared at the ceiling as he lay on his back on the bed in his room, hands tucked behind his head. What information would he receive in the morning? What was going on? Twice he tried to get Mr. Freemen to tell him about the trust and twice he changed the subject. He shook his head. These people were people his mother knew and trusted. They were like an aunt and uncle to him. Why this feeling that something was wrong? Why were alarms going off in his head? He didn’t have the answer., but he abhorred the implication.

  Merinnia came unbidden into his thoughts.I kept up my pretense with them about Merinnia and Gyron III. Merinnia. What are you doing right now? I wish you were here with me. Do you like to fish? Would you like a cabin? Especially if it had a viewer or all of those lovely books?Jan slid off into uneasy dreams of Merinnia being upset with him in Rollo’s living room, throwing books at him.

  Jan lay in bed awhile after he heard both Rollo and Royanne’s voices downstairs in the early morning. More data, he lamented. More rope for them to hang themselves? That last thought disturbed him. Were they involved in the conspiracy to do away with him? No. Jan dismissed the thought. He put it down to the ugly feeling that he got from Wyring’s green sky.

  Jan performed his morning clean-up and dressed slowly. He descended the stairs and found Rollo and Royanne at the kitchen table enjoying the end of breakfast.

  “We went ahead and fixed breakfast. Didn’t want to disturb you.” Rollo said. “Hope you had a good night’s sleep. Everything was comfortable, I trust?”

  “Yes, thanks Rollo. Strange planets. Well, not strange, but new planets often keep me awake awhile, but that wonderful dinner and that nightcap took any edge off of my sleep. It was a blissful night, thank you.” Jan said as pleasantly as he could, ending his comments with a warm smile.

  “I hate to impose and be a bad hostess, but Rollo and I always take a walk around the place in the morning after breakfast. Would you mind eating by yourself? We won’t be long. Then maybe we can have that demonstration?” Royanne asked anxiously.

  “Sure. I’m very used to eating by myself. It will be a treat in such a well-equipped and interesting kitchen as this. I can’t believe how wonderful your house is, Rollo. This kitchen, your books. So rustic, yet it is all modern underneath.” Jan complimented his host.

  “Retirement is a blessing, when you can finally spend the ill-gotten gains you have spent your life bleeding from your clients, har, har.” Rollo said jokingly.

  A chill went through Jan he barely concealed as he tried to laugh along with Rollo.

  “Just joking, lad.” Rollo apologized. “My life savings are in this house and we love it.”

  Your life savings probably wouldn’t have bought that spacecraft, thought Jan as he waved to the pair when they left out the kitchen door to a back porch and on down a path. He reached down underneath the table and pulled off bug number two. He quickly went into the living room and retrieved the first sound device. Then he sat down and began to devour the breakfast Royanne had given him. All of this waiting had made Jan hungry.

  When he had finished, he put the plate in the disposer and went out to his ship. He noticed new footprints around the ship and shook his head. Then he unlocked the ship and went in. His first stop was to the autodoc for a check-up. He was relieved to find out the Freemen’s did not fill him with poison.

  The visual security showed that at first light Rollo and Royanne had made a visit to his ship to see if it was unlocked. Rollo even tried a universal key to use on the door. It didn’t work, of course. Jan began to have a pain in the pit of his stomach. It hurt to know these former family friends had betrayed him.

  He instructed the computer to playback the conversations from bug one and listened in.

  “What are we going to do, Rollo? I never liked getting into this mess with Jan.”

  “Don’t give me that, Royanne. Look what we have here and out there. We can go anywhere, do anything. You know how much I love this place. Artis and Peggy have made this possible. I just wish Trimpnell had given us some instructions. He just said keep our eyes and ears open and don’t talk to him about the trust. I had to put a stop on his petition. But I didn’t have much choice about that. The registry pretty much killed that approach to get control of
the assets, anyway.”

  “The poor boy. He is obviously smitten with his country girl. I just wish he would have stayed there and married that Merinnia and not come back. Everybody would be better off.” Royanne lamented.

  “I know. I nearly hate myself for what we’re doing, but the trust and Trimpnell have paid extremely well. I’ve got the trust so messed up, he’ll never know he owns more than a third of Smith Mercantile. As long as he stays away from Rexalt II and the bank there, he’ll never pick up the trail. I’ve got the trust set up to give him an annuity of 300,000 credits per year. It’s only a pittance of what the trust really earns, but he’ll never know that. I’ll bet the spaceship ate up the three million his mother left him in cash. We shouldn’t have to worry, he’s taken care of. And we’re taken care of and everybody’s happy.” Rollo yawned. “You know I really am tired. How about you and me going up stairs and calling it a day. I need a night’s rest before Jan’s demonstration tomorrow. I can’t believe he really has teleportation. Even Artis will pay dearly for that information. Come, my dear.”

  Jan heard the rustling of furniture. Surprisingly, a few loud kisses and a giggle from Royanne as the sounds faded to nothing.

  Bug number two began with kitchen noises. Then Rollo came down and asked how his wife was and what was for breakfast. Then more information…

  “While you’ve been down here, I had a conversation with Trimpnell. That cocky pig commanded me to poison Jan right on the spot. Can you imagine that? It’s no mystery who tried to sabotage Jan’s boat. I can’t believe that family. All the mean genes must come from Josie. Not only are her children half as smart as Jan, and I know Artis can be mean, but he’s a saint compared to that bunch.”

  “Biting the hand that feeds, Rollo?” Royanne’s voice sang.

  “No, just getting the bad taste out of my mouth. It needs washing from time to time. I talked down Trimpnell’s murderous urges and promised a complete report on the teleportation device and continued obfuscation of the trust details. They seem to know something about what he’s doing and where his headquarters are.”