Galactic Council Realm 2: On Duty

by J. Clifton Slater

  “The two remaining thugs worked in tandem. They sprinted forward, arms wind milling, mouths screaming in an attempt to intimate. It didn’t work. Jökull side stepped into the man on the left while hooking the leg of the man on his right. With legs tangled, the man crashed to the floor. Elbows flew and the erect man collapsed with a crashed wind pipe. Jökull turned to the man on the filthy barroom floor. “She’s trash and you can have her,” the man heard just before the toe of Jökull’s boot caved in the side of his head.”

  “The patrons of the dive bar had either left the establishment or were huddled to the side of the room. His ex-wife, for that’s how he thought of the woman who had stolen his possessions but, more so, his heart and soul. She stood against the wall with terror in her wet eyes.”

  “Jökull didn’t say another word, he quietly walked out of the bar. Unfortunately, he entered a bar down the street, had a drink and beat another man to his knees. For a year, just to have the silent, brooding Jökull walk into your pub brought fear to a barkeep’s eyes.”

  “One day in another run down bar, two things happened. The first was the arrival of a Clipper Ship Captain. He had been searching for his talented Navigator.”

  “Jökull man, I need your skills to safely cruise the Realm. We’ve finally convinced the company and we’re going to use the External ion drive to transverse deep space. Come sail with me and leave this scum behind,” pleaded the Captain.

  To which Jökull replied, “Go away Captain, I’m not fit to be around civilized men.”

  “The Captain pressed his cause even buying Jökull a drink, although, the Captain was a teetotaler. After pleading, promising and threatening, the Captain pulled himself erect and nodded at the lost soul.”

  “Now everyone in the bar knew Jökull’s reputation. Many a man had talked to him at the bar. In almost every case when the stranger stood, Jökull would take offense and punch the man. Cheap entertainment for sure but what else do you have in a backwater pub. So everyone in the bar got quiet, a hush fell over the room as they waited for the fight. The fearsome Jökull had never let them down.”

  “Then the second thing happened. Through the quiet, two men laughed. They were at the rear and hadn’t seen the anticipated fight develop. Instead they were busy poking at a small furry object in a rusty metal cage. Jökull looked away from the Captain and cast his eyes to the back of the bar.”

  “No one moved but everyone heard the soft meow and the high pitched hiss that rose from the small metal cage. It was a pleading sound of fear and longing. A sound that wakes mothers in the night and causes fathers to guard the door rather than run away.”

  “One of the men had a strip of lean meat. He momentarily dunked the strip into the cage and when the kitten reached for it, he pulled it back. The men laughed at the tortured innocent and repeated the cruel action. They did it one more time before Jökull arrived at their table.”

  “See how it begs?” one man asked, “They’re cute when they be small but ya gotta cut em loose when they get bigger.”

  “The men took joy from dominating a small creature and only saw a weak defenseless animal. But Jökull saw the longing in the green eyes and the need for care in the matted orange fur. He reached down, released the hinge on the cage and put his big scarred hand around the kitten.”

  “Hey, wait a minute,” one man challenged, “That’s my cat.”

  “The ferocious Jökull, cat in one hand, locked the man with his puffy eyes. The man’s friend who knew of the short temper and shorter fights, reach out and pulled his friend back from Jökull. Jökull stared for a minute as if trying to decide something. Finally, he stepped forward causing both men to lean back. The free hand shot out and snatched the meat strip from the man’s hand.”

  “At the bar, Jökull said to the Captain, “If you’ve got room for ah, Bjarki, you’ve hired yourself a Navigator.”

  “We’ve never had a pet on a Clipper ship, but if that’s what it takes, you and Little Bear have a berth on my ship.”

  “Jökull fed the meat strip to Bjarki as he and his kitten followed the Captain out of the bar. The next day the Clipper launched on the maiden deep space voyage using the External ion drive.”

  Tani graced me with one of her smiles, took a sip from her tea and asked, “So that’s the first Space Cat?”

  “Wait, that doesn’t explain anything,” Blomma said crossing his arms over his chest.

  Hana cocked his head and a sly grin played on his features, “Why do I think there is more to this story?”

  “There is and no, while Bjarki was the first official cat in deep space, she wasn’t a Space Cat,” I said, “Let me get another cup of coffee and I’ll tell you more.”

  As I sat back down, the three tilted forward and watched me in anticipation. I guess a story was the best way to impart information.

  “The Clipper ship made three stops to load cargo before the deep space voyage. In those two months, Bjarki put on weight and grew. When crewmen saw the orange cat, thy knew Jökull was in the area. The two were inseparable.”

  “On the final port of call, three Shuttles were dispatched. Jökull along with his feline friend took Shuttle one down to the jungle planet. Jökull to act as Load Master and Bjarki because that’s where she belonged.”

  “Jökull was occupied calculating the cargo pallets. Each pallet required placement in a Shuttle with an eye to its position in the Clipper’s cargo sleeve.”

  “The warehouse was hot and dusty. Jökull poured out a portion of water and Bjarki drank deeply. Then the Load Master got involved with some odd shaped packages and Bjarki got bored.”

  “She sniffed around the warehouse. She searched the pallets for something interesting. Finally, she caught the aroma of a mouse near the door. Hunting the rodent by smell, she left the warehouse, crossed the cleared area and stalked it into the thick jungle.”

  “The moss covered tress blocked the bright sun and she relaxed once out of the direct light. Her eyes adjusted and the mouse’s trail became more pronounced. As she lowered her frame and slinked forward, she didn’t see the yellow eyes.”

  “From the trees above the small cat, the yellow eyes followed the orange stranger. Was it a competitor for the hunting area? Or a new type of predator? Or just another meal? The yellow eyes watched as the stranger leaped on the mouse. A competitor! With that realization, the yellow eyes easily jumped down three branches before landing in front of Bjarki.”

  “Pride of the hunt is inherent in cats. Her chest swelled at her success. As the life bled out of the mouse, she shook it once more to be sure it was dead. On the return shake, her green eyes were confronted with a much larger pair of yellow eyes.”

  “The small orange cat with green eyes shivered as she gazed upon the taunt muscles of the larger jungle cat. Yellow eyes watched for the slightest movement ready to pounce. They stood, one prey, one hunter.”

  “She did the unexpected. Bjarki softened her stance. She hissed lowly, took half a step forward and dropped the mouse in front of the yellow eyes. Then, as if she’d done him a favor, she turned her back to him and began to walk away.”

  “The blue and black jungle cat was confused. Most pray trembled in fear or ran, making for an exciting chase. This orange lass just walked away. Confused by his own action, he snatched up the mouse, sprang three strides, turned and blocked Bjarki’s path. He lay the mouse at her feet so she nuzzled his ear.”

  “Jökull was in panic mode. Sweat dripped from his face and his jump suit was soaked through. He’d commandeered every warehouse worker and the crews from the Shuttles. They’d search the warehouse, three times, and the open ground surrounding the facility twice. Everyone knew Jökull’s reputation. They were afraid of what the man would do if someone didn’t find that damned cat.”

  “Two Shuttles had left and the pilot of the last one was sweating for two reasons. One was the heat and humidity. The other reason was the look in Jökull’s eyes. From a solid professional Navigator and cargo hand
ling specialist, the man had fallen apart. He’d claimed a portion on the ramp and was just sitting. Plus, the clock was ticking and their launch window was fast approaching. The last thing the pilot needed was to report to his Captain that the Navigator was still planet side.”

  “Jökull, we need to launch,” the pilot said slowly as if he were speaking to a child. They both stared off in the distance trying to see into the depth of the jungle. The pilot was weighing his odds of surviving both professionally and bodily when Jökull stood.”

  “Around the corner of the warehouse, her orange fur standing out in contrast to the red clay, walked Bjarki. Her head held high and her tail swishing proudly, she jumped onto the ramp, rubbed against Jökull’s leg and strolled into the Shuttle. “Time to go,” Jökull announced with a smile.”

  “The Clipper took a month before going to External drive. During that time, Bjarki ate more and became thicker around the middle. Jökull was worried but the requirements demanded by the equations and calculations to set their course took up much of his time. They snapped to External drive and the crew was busy tightening bolts. While Jökull worked alongside the crew checking the integrity of the ship, Bjarki spent her time sleeping next to the hatch at the ion wall.”

  “Bjarki expanded until she could barely move. Jökull, ever so attentive, brought her food and went so far as to place a sleeping blanket beside her. When not on duty, he slept there.”

  “A house cat’s gestation period is about 66 days. From day 63, the ship’s medic was on stand by and the Captain relieved Jökull from his duties. The entire ship was on kitten watch. Day 64 passed without incident. Days 65 and 66 also came and went. By day 78, Jökull was distraught. Bjarki didn’t move only lay and hissed at her expanding stomach.”

  “During fourth watch on day 79, the intercom summoned the medic, the whole crew crowded the center hallway and Bjarki cried out. The small cat cried out once, twice and a third time. And just when Jökull thought it was over, she cried out a fourth time.”

  “Four orange kittens with wide blue and black strips hungrily crowded around the exhausted Bjarki. Two had green eyes like their mother and two yellow eyes. Everyone on the Clipper Ship, hard men, many with troubled pasts, oohed and awed at the sight.”

  “By three months into the voyage, the four cats began to appear in different locations around the ship. Ladders were at first a hindrance but once they could reach the bottom rung, long claws gave them purchase and they climbed. They climbed up and down ladders, into ducts, pawed open cabinets but when three of them gained access to the food storage compartment, the Captain called for control. Hatches were toggled down, cables were run to secure doors and the huge kittens were confined to the sleeping quarter’s hallway.”

  “The Captain informed Jökull that once they made port, he was to divest the ship of the four large, sharp clawed kittens. The Navigator was heartbroken.”

  “The Clipper snapped from External to Internal drive and the Bridge crew got a fix on their destination. They had three weeks cruising to line up with the new space Station before a final External evolution.”

  “Captain. I need to check our load in the cargo sleeve, Jökull volunteered. After getting permission, he grabbed a young crew member and they threaded the tunnel past the ion wall into the aft section. Light suits and flimsy face masks were their only protection against the thin atmosphere of the cargo sleeve. It should have been enough.”

  “The two men struggled with the hatch. It was stuck and they needed a metal bar to pry it opened. Jökull lay the bar on the deck and prepared to follow the young crew man into the cargo sleeve. He heard a scream and rushed up through the hatch.”

  “The man was pulling and kicking at what looked like wet ropes. He turned and more of the ropes contacted with his body and stuck. Jökull yelled for the man to be still so he could untangle the ropes. Before he could cover the distance, the trapped crewman managed to loosen a hand and point over Jökull’s shoulder. The Navigator turned his head.”

  “Three dog sized spiders, fangs dripping and snapping appeared out of the dim lighting of the cargo sleeve. Jökull attempted to turn when his foot caught in a knot of the wet rope. He spun and fell into the trapped man. The spiders continued to advance on the crewmen.”

  “Jökull as we know was a fighter. He kicked with both legs. Heels, balls of his feet, launching the kicks with all the power of his sturdy legs. One spider backed off but the other two danced around the flurry until one set his pincers into Jökull’s ankle. With the weight of the spider hanging on his foot, he was left with only one weapon. That was soon neutralized when the third spider sneaked in and locked onto his knee.”

  “The second spider turned around and backed up. A string of wet rope issued from the spinneret. Layers of sticky string began covering the two crewmen. Jökull said in later reports that if he’d had a gun, he would have shot the crewman and himself out of terror.”

  “Jökull was partially encased in wet webbing. Held by two spiders, his resolve died, as they began to cocoon the human prey. He watched passively as the other spiders relaxed their grip, turned and added to the fast growing web. ‘Like a fly in a spider web,’ the Navigator thought, his mind blurring from the spider venom.”

  “On the Bridge, the Captain assumed everything was ship shape in the cargo sleeve. On the mess deck, the cables had been removed once the pesky cats had been confined. But, in the hallway of the crew quarters, Bjarki and her litter were beyond agitated. The five cats were climbing the walls. The youngest but biggest had her claws fully extended as she leaped at the air-duct cover. On her third jump, a claw caught on a duct slat. Hanging by one paw she swiped repeatedly at the cover with the other.”

  “The pin holding the air duct cover slipped, then slipped again. Finally, the big cat tumbled as her body fell with the slated grate. Before she could collect herself, Bjarki and her siblings were up the wall disappearing into the duct works. She shook her head, locked her green eyes on the opening and sprung from the floor.”

  “Jökull, his body paralyzed, his mind numb and his thoughts almost beyond reasoning, watched as a spider climbed onto his chest. Its mandibles tested the face shield leaving saliva smeared across the curved surface. A small crack crept from the edge of the face shield. One more squeeze and the spider would have access to the thin skin and soft tissue of his face. Another couple of seconds and the venom would be injected directly into his brain.”

  “Jökull watched as the moist pincers descended. From eight eyes shining at him and short fine hairs on the pedipalps reaching for him; to a pair of green caring eyes. Using all his will and fighting the venom, he lowered his head to see. Bjarki was on his chest chewing and clawing away the webbing. Beyond her, a gruesome battle raged.”

  “A dozen spiders had descended to feast on the mammal meal. They varied in size from that of a large canine to a midsize mutt. Among them, wreaking havoc, were Bjarki’s litter.”

  “One cat raced at two spiders. As if on cue both arachnoids raised up to deliver their venom. The cat side stepped both and raced pasted the slow turning bugs. One leaned over as his innards spilled from a gash in his side. The cat never slowed.”

  “The rough and tumble games kittens play was good training for their struggle to survival. They learned from each other. After the success of the side swipe, another of the ‘kittens’, raced at a huge spider, flopped over and slid between the eight legs. That spider stood frozen in place as its intestines splashed on the deck. So the other three mimicked the slashing attack.”

  “The four kittens, claws extended, arched their backs and attacked two spiders. They didn’t stop until they were pawing at a pile of goo with legs sticking out of it. The remaining spiders crept back into the gloom.”

  “The Captain and five crewmen, having heard about the cats getting loose raced to the cargo sleeve. He found Jökull and the young crewman sitting up and gently picking skeletal and hairy pieces out of the fur of the five cats.”

 
“During the next four weeks, a crewman was stationed at the hatch to the cargo sleeve. His job was to open the hatch when Bjarki arrived with her litter. Then, the hatch was closed as the four hunters searched for spiders. Mommy would sit with the guard and let him know when to reopen the hatch. They would each bring back a leg and sometimes the legs weren’t from spiders.”

  “We know now that exposure to the External ion drive speeds up growth for certain bugs and arachnoids. We also know that a Space Cat can contain the pests as long as the infestation doesn’t get too large,” I said smiling at my audience.

  My resident cynic Måndag Blomma, a logical Navigator, said, “I’ll accept that they were the first Space Cats. I’ll accept the tale of a jungle cat impregnating a house cat. But, that still doesn’t explain the ability to sense a ship outside the normal scanner range. Or how a cat could tell you about the ship.”

  “He does have a couple of good points there, Piran,” Furawā Hana, our engineer, pointed out, “Can you explain the supposed display of extra sensory perception?”

  “I can try to explain but the answers to both are shrouded in Druid lore,” I said.

  Ayana Tani, Pilot of GunShip 1 perked up, she’d been looking sleepy during the latter part of my story.

  “Druid lore. Now you have my attention,” she said, “Come on Piran, give with the juicy details.”

  I wanted to tell her that Druids were only people like us but Folks, those not in the Clan or Druids, never believed. Or, I could point out the number of times Druids acted aloof or arrogantly, but most people chocked that up to Druids being special. Or, I could regal them with a story about Druids and Space Cats. I decided that was the best way to go.

  “Jökull was distraught. While the Captain would allow Bjarki to remain on the Clipper, her litter had to go. They had grown bigger, no doubt from the steady diet of irritated bug flesh, but also from their jungle cat genes. Plus, now they’d hunted and their wild side was taking over. No crewman had been seriously injured, yet. The damage had only been several scratches and they’d required just a few stiches”