“Well, well, well,” Dom said. “Jocky here seems to have picked up where I left off.” Jealousy brimmed in his every word. Before Jock showed up, he thought he had a shot at the princess.
Jock was flummoxed. All this time, he thought Princess Amaratis had left him. “I don’t understand. You’re the one who left after we decided to get engaged!”
Desire started crying, too, sensing the anguish between the two.
“I didn’t leave,” the princess continued. “The last night we were together, two of my father’s guards were sent to teleport me back on a shuttle to Aesneia. They locked my coordinates while we were sleeping. I rolled over and wasn’t touching you and they got me. My old protector told my father I wasn’t going to come back.”
Jock’s mouth gaped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing after all this time. “Why didn’t you contact me? I would have come for you.”
“My father locked me in the palace. No princess of his was going to soil her reputation with an Earth boy and dispel of her duties to his world. I’ve held my father off all this time, denying suitor after suitor, but now he’s marrying me off to form an alliance for his Glitter trade. I had to escape!”
“Princess Amaratis!” Captain Andana yelled. “Do not tell these Humans of your plans. It will only endanger you.”
Princess Amaratis stood up with a wobble. “Do not ever speak to me that way, Captain Andana. Remember I am your princess, sir.” As she wobbled, a red velvet pouch fell out of her cape.
Watu said, “Princess, be careful. You have dropped your pouch.”
“That’s Glitter, isn’t it, Amy?” Jock said warily.
“I needed a safety net for my new life in the Boru system,” the princess said. “This will fetch a good price, enough to last me two lifetimes.”
Dom whistled and tried to lighten the mood. “Give me some of that. I could use a facial right about now.”
The princess merely glared at him, while Captain Andana seethed. Jock knew that suddenly things had gotten very dangerous. He doubted a single pirate ship would be the only enemies to come after the princess with such a huge stash of Glitter. Word must have gotten out of her escape.
Meanwhile, Desire helped steady the princess and sat her back down. She tried to read Captain Andana’s thoughts again since he’d be caught off guard, but she only sensed that he had ulterior motives.
“Can we take a time out, here?” Desire asked. “We’re all in the same boat and need to figure out a plan in case we have any more pursuers. JAXX, how much longer to the Boru system?”
The AI chirped up and said, “One hour. I don’t see any ships in the area as it stands, but I will keep watch.”
“Good,” Desire said.
“Maybe we should turn around and just take you back to Aesneia, princess,” Dom said.
“We’re happy to do it for that pouch of Glitter.”
That spurred on another fit of tears. “I can’t go back and marry him, not even for my Father! I will not return home. We will go to the Boru system as planned. Jock, we will soon say our goodbyes again and I will start my new life on planet Crypso.”
Jock was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He hated Princess Amaratis’s father for what he had done. But he also didn’t want to incur his wrath now. He decided that he would take them to Crypso and let Captain Andana deal with the Glitter king.
“Ok, Princess. As you wish.” Secretly he just wanted to get the Glitter off the ship, get to Polarus and get home safely. His broken heart would need tending at another time.
“Captain Andana, what is your plan once we reach Crypso?” Jock asked.
Captain Andana was slowly calming down. The plan was back on track. “We need to make contact with a man named Sloane once we got there. He has documents that will set the princess up on Crypso in her new home. We have already paid them in Glitter so there should be no issues. I will stay for the first turn of the moon, then the princess will be on her own. Sloane has also made arrangements for me to get to the outer rim.”
Jock thought it to be a little too buttoned up, but he had other choice at the moment.
Princes Amaratis once stood up and steadied herself. “Then it’s settled. I would like to lay down now. Desire, can I borrow your quarters for the remainder of the trip?”
“Yes, that is a good idea. You have been through a lot today,” Desire said and showed her the way.
Princess Amaratis laid down, feeling empty inside. She wanted to race into Jock’s arms and turn back the clock. But the plan was already in motion for other things to happen. It was too late to turn back now.
Jock and the Captain returned to the cockpit. Now that they had a firm plan, they’d put feeling aside and just needed to get through it. It was just another hour of Jock’s life and then they’d be back on their mission to unload the snakes and frogs for the scientist on Polarus. But he couldn’t get Princess Amaratis out of his head.
“JAXXY, please hold steady on our course. Captain, I’m going to go check on the princess,” Jock said.
Captain Andana finally had his chance. He quickly put JAXX in sleep mode and accessed the TX’s controls and got down to business. They would be landing in less than 20 Earth minutes, but not on Crypso.
He wiped the data bank of the code he had just uploaded and reactivated JAXX. The AI would have no knowledge that he sabotaged an engine to get them to a Boru outer moon instead.
JAXX came back online just as the TX developed an engine problem that sent a shudder throughout the ship. JAXX started running diagnostics right away, sending pulses of info along all the wires to see if he could fix it. He had to get the ship up and running. They weren’t too far from the Boru system and could limp along and reach a moon without much issue. But they had to get the engines firing again to make the trip all the way to Crypso and back.
Jock and Dom raced into the cockpit. “What’s happening, JAXXY?”
“Sir we are experiencing engine failure,” JAXX replied. “I ran all the diagnostics, but we are limping along at sub-standard speeds and making little progress. Landing on the tiny moon ahead is our only option so I have time to make repairs. I will need to patch in to the mainframe to make the repairs and we need to be on the ground.”
“Oh great, wonder what we’re going to meet this time,” Dom said.
Captain Andana spoke up, “I have no knowledge of who lives on the moon, but the Boru system is known to be peaceful.” He was piling lie upon lie and thanked goodness that the strange Centaurian could not read his thoughts or his whole plan would fail. He was lucky in that respect. Back in the Fedlin Guard, he had suffered a head trauma and had to get an implant from a witch doctor on planet Ravin. Over time he realized the implant also blocked his thoughts from pesky telepaths. Even some of the Aliens.
The whole trip he’d been thinking and planning without Desire listening in. All he cared about was getting the princess delivered to the next system with a minimum of fuss. He’d worry about what to do with Jock and Dom and Desire once he got there. Not that he cared.
Jock updated the crew on their surprise landing on the moon. Princess Amaratis was very unhappy with the delay.
7
Jock guided the TX down to a landing spot suggested by the Captain. They had to get down quickly as the failing engine wasn’t providing enough lift to keep the ship in the air.
“Everyone strap in and hold on!” Jock yelled. “This is going to be bumpy!”
The TX bounced a few times on the dirt of the moon out in the middle of nowhere. The faint sun shone in the distance, casting eerie shadows on the moon’s surface. Suddenly a group of beings came running toward the ship. None looked too friendly, more like war refugees with long laser rifles strapped to their chests and various bags and rags for clothes. Jock could tell they definitely weren’t Human due to their overly long arms and oversized heads, though they looked somewhat like guerrilla militia.
Since the Captain had connections in the system, he volunteere
d to be the first off the ship to make contact and ensure their safety. Once he gave the signal that it was safe, the rest of them could come down.
Jock watched as the Captain seemed to be having a happy reunion and was relieved that they could possibly be among friendlies. He waved the group down.
The Captain greeted Chief Rygel warmly. He shook hands and pulled in close for a strapping hug. They hadn’t seen each other in years. Chief Rygel was tall with a sun-parched face lined with worry from years of desert living. He needed a bath, too. Desire could smell him the moment she got off the ship. Though she had a feeling it wasn’t just him. The whole crew had spent too much time in the desert air, and it was pungent.
Dom stood back with the princess and Desire behind him. He followed Jock off the gangplank, taking in his surroundings. In the light desert air, he counted ten men around them, all carrying various levels of weaponry, even some knives and rapiers to go with their laser weapons. “They must like close combat,” he thought to himself. Desire agreed. They both stiffened their posture, ready for anything.
The Captain called Jock over to introduce him to Chief Rygel. Jock appreciated the gesture but was wary of leaving the princess and his team alone with this band of men just yet. It didn’t seem like a wise move, but he had to get the ship fixed before they could get the mission back on track. Looking around at the Chief’s men, he wasn’t feeling very confident that they’d be going anywhere anytime soon.
The Chief motioned for Dom and the rest to come closer.
“Do not be shy, Humans,” Chief Rygel said. “I am Chief Rygel of the Boru Moon Veibos! Captain Andana has told us of your plight. We will help you. Ha ha! We shall have a nice feast while your ship is being repaired. And bring your most beautiful women! Ha ha!”
The group stepped forward, hesitating a bit as Chief Rygel’s men grew closer after seeing the Desire and Princess Amaratis.
Desire could hear the princess feeling uncertain, though she couldn’t get a read on these men. Desire wondered if her talents did have limits. Maybe she just couldn’t read the minds of all species everywhere. She would still try. No matter, they were stuck there for now and went ahead with the introductions.
The princess held herself back when the Chief came in for a hug. Not only did he stink, he was like the pervy old man and could barely contain himself around such beauty. Luckily Watu stepped in.
“It’s so nice to finally meet a Princess, ha ha!” he said. “Though I sense there’s a feisty spirit to go along with your beauty. And this must be your fine servant.”
“Yes, this is Watu,” she replied.
“Watu, welcome!” the Chief proclaimed.
The Princess could smell the chief’s breath and threw up a little in her mouth from the stench. She stepped away, eager to put as much distance between them as possible. She moved in closer to Jock, almost like a defense mechanism.
Then the Chief moved on to Desire. She was nearly a full head taller than the Chief and wasn’t about to take shit from him. He sensed that she was a force to be reckoned with as she put out her hand for the greeting. He held off on putting the creepy old dude moves on her, politely kissing her hand instead. “Gross. Someone get me some hand sanitizer,” she thought.
Dom quickly intervened and introduced himself to the older man. “Hi, I’m Dom Wagner, ha ha!”
The Chief’s smiled faded at Dom’s mockery. He immediately sensed a rival in Dom, guessing that he had quite the powers over the women in his life. Nevertheless, he shook hands like a gentleman. He then invited them to a tent on the far side of the clearing, about 10 meters away.
“Welcome honored guests!” Chief Rygel said. “You are just in time for our nightly feast. Please join us while your ship is being repaired. Ha ha!”
They would clean up and have some food before the crew would start helping to fix the ship.
In the meantime, Jock tapped a code into his comm link to contact JAXX and told him to get as much information on these beings as possible. He then told him to lock down the ship and patch into the mainframe to proceed with repairs. He didn’t want to spend any more time here than he needed.
As they walked to the tent, a dark brown furry creature leapt from the shadows and attached to Jock’s left leg. Jock was about to draw his blaster and shoot it before one of the Chief’s men jumped forward to stop him. It was like a cross between an overgrown chia pet and a furball monkey. The creature cuddled in close, not allowing itself to be shaken off of Jock’s leg. Jock could feel the heat from the creature’s body slowly rising and falling, like it was feeling some perverse pleasure from Jock’s leg.
He felt a cool liquid run down his leg just before the creature unlatched and flew from his hello grip. Bright blue goo stained his black flight suit just above the ankle. The creature had just relieved itself on his leg.
“Well, Jock, at least it wasn’t a shit monster pooping all over you,” Dom joked. “Maybe they have some towels you can use to get it off. Oh, wait, it already did.”
Jock glared at him as he palmed some dirt from the moon’s surface to rub on the wet spot. He didn’t feel welcome in the first place and this just added to his discomfort.
Desire tried to calm Jock down, whispering mental thoughts to have him hold his tongue in the presence of these beings. She still couldn’t get a read on them, so she communicated that they needed to be careful and to keep a close eye the princess.
Dom didn’t like this place. He didn’t like the welcoming committee, he didn’t like the fact they carried knives in this day and age, and he didn’t like the smell. “God, it’s a hundred times worse than the smell of Jock’s fish puke,” he thought. “This place is rank.” Judging by the looks of the desert, there wasn’t much water to be found so he guessed there wasn’t much chance for them to bathe.
“They’d better not get a sight of the rain shower on the TX!” he thought. Jock had that modified when they got back from the Froree expedition. Jock hated that the original shower was so short that he’d barely get his upper chest wet. He had the crew modify it with a rain shower that dropped out of the ceiling.
“Did I lock my cabin door?” he wondered. “What if they get in there and some of his things are missing, like the comm reader with his latest gossip news? That would be bad.” Though he didn't think these guys looked to be up on the latest celebrity dirt. They were up on dirt, just not the celebrity kind.
He walked close to Desire and the princess as they were escorted into the tent. He did a double take once inside. The place was a sprawling compound as far as the eye could see. “Did we just enter Peter’s wardrobe? Was this Narnia? What the hell was going on?” Dom head spun with confusion.
Chief Rygel saw the confused looks of his guests and assured them it was real. “We have a cloaking shield on the outside to make it look like we are poor desert dwellers, in case anyone comes looking. Most won’t bother with dirty looking people in tattered tents. The cloaking shield is brilliant, ha ha! Best thing the Aliens ever gave to us, ha ha!”
Desire took in the sights and thought, “No wonder I can’t read their minds. It must be the Alien technology.” She was concerned about what other surprises these men may have in store. It made her uneasy.
Once inside, the view was palatial. Fine, ornate rugs accented polished marble floors that gleamed throughout. Gilded thrones dotted the outer rim of the seating area and led to a spiral staircase that looked to be made of solid oak. Dom thought the sprawling fountain in the middle of the grand banquet hall was big enough to dwarf the one in front of Caesars Palace back home on Earth.
Dom took one more look back through the entrance of the tent at the parched, dusty desert outside. “That's one hell of a cloaking device,” he whispered to Desire.
She even took her time taking in the splendor of the place. Dom, “I’m certain that the technology used to create this elaborate ruse is blocking my mind reading. They are farther along than what I gave them credit for initially. I don’t like this p
lace,” she whispered back.
Jock wasn’t buying any of it. To him, it was a dangerous hoax. He gave Dom a knowing look and turned on his comm link to allow JAXX to monitor the situation. He signaled Dom to do the same.
The chief was too busy eyeing the princess to notice, “Will this be suitable for your stay, your highness?”
“Yes, this is far more than I ever expected,” she replied. “How far does this extend?”
“Not to worry, ha ha!” Chief Rygel said proudly. “The palace goes on for several thousand meters both beyond and below. We were given quite the technology to create such a vast and beautiful home in such an inhospitable world. Every luxury, every opulence you could ever dream of is here. We don’t need to travel to other planets or even outside the tent. You will love it, ha ha!”
“Where are the showers?” Dom asked, not meaning to be rude but genuinely curious. They looked like they hadn’t bathed in weeks.
“Showers! We don’t need showers!” Chief Rygel laughed.
The chief stepped behind a crimson drape hanging from the gold domed ceiling and reemerged looking like a well-muscled Arabian prince from the tales of yore. His once gnarly, grimy features had become young and beatific.
The princess’s eyes grew wide, and a smile crept across her face. “This is more like it,” she thought. “He’s gorgeous.”
One by one, the once desert guerrilla militia beings went behind the drape and transformed.
Jock and Dom suddenly felt inadequate in the presence of such god-like figures. Desire stepped forward. “Close your mouths, boys. Get your jaws off the floor.” But secretly, she was also checking them out.
Even the Captain was impressed. He had heard of their transformative powers, but even this was beyond what he imagined.
Chief Rygel motioned for the princess and Desire to follow him to the banquet hall. “I’m sure you’re both starving from your long and harrowing journey. Let’s eat.” He clapped his hands and said. “Let the feast begin!”
Escape of the Glitter Princess Page 5