by L M Lacee
She looked at him. ‘Your words are strange as are your Madams.’
He smiled. ‘They are words from Madam’s world called Earth.’
‘Earth, she said it was in another Universe.’
‘This is so.’
‘Oh! So Maikonia must be true as well.’ She mumbled to herself, but Nikolas answered her, anyway. ‘It is, Madam never lies.’
Rose cynically stated. ‘Everyone lies.’
Nikolas frowned. ‘Madam does not, or I should say she tries very hard not to.’
Rose smiled at his adamant defense of the female. She knew a person who adored another when she met them, she had been liked that with her Papa.
‘I see.’
They both turned to the window as they heard Peyton calling. ‘Come out, come out, wherever you arrre.’
‘Amazing!’ Rose said, astonished they could hear her without the aid of technology.
‘Madam is amazing.’ Nikolas agreed as they heard her calling again.
Peyton sang as she walked away from the shuttle. ‘Come out, come out, wherever you arrre… Come out, come out and play with meeee.’
Suddenly a male was in front of her. He stood eight feet tall and was very thin and young. Peyton looked him over critically and thought he seemed unhealthy. There was no substance to him as though he was unfinished. His face was humanoid with large round eyes that seemed to take up most of his face and like his hair were multi-colored. It was as though he was not sure what form his body should take, and he had meshed several types and colors into one.
He pulled his face into a caricature of hatred as he yelled at her in a hard, unyielding voice that reminded her of boulders rolling down a mountainside.
‘Who are you? You took my toy away, give it back. I was having fun. Now I will be bored again. Give it back.’
The planet shook, the wind howled as deep fissures opened up around the area Peyton stood upon.
‘Someone’s throwing a tann... trrum.’ Sang Peyton, instantly everything stopped. The silence was as unnatural as the person standing before her.
Quietly, she told him. ‘I am the Star Daughter, the ones you caught, are not toys.’
He stamped his foot, and the ground rumbled. ‘I do not care. I rule here. I say what happens here. Give them back.’
Peyton calmly said as one would to a child. ‘No. You are answerable to me, and I say stop this.’
He stamped his foot again and screamed. ‘I do not care. I hate you… go away.’
‘Well, that seems harsh. We have not really met and no, I cannot go away. I said I would help you.’
‘I hate you, go away and give me my toys back or you will be hurt.’
Peyton shook her head. ‘See… that is just mean.’
He snarled as he stepped toward her. ‘I will kill you. Leave me alone.’
‘You can try, now stop being naughty, grow and learn to control yourself. I will help you.’
He screamed loud and long and then hurled everything he could at her, rocks, dirt and water. He blew sheets of dust as he shook the ground, then made the wind hammer hard against her shields. Peyton yawned and cartwheeled her arms as he screamed louder.
Rose looked between Peyton and Nikolas with an expression that alternated between bewildered and fascinated. Finally, she had to ask. ‘Why is she doing that, is it an Earth way of warding against evil?’
Nikolas shook his head as his eyes squinted with suppressed laughter. He had seen Madam do this when talking with Lady Darby about something scientific, usually when she did it. Lady Darby would narrow her eyes and sniff loudly, then walk away, causing Madam to smile. ‘No, I think she is just bored.’
Rose looked at him to see if he was mocking her. When she realized he was indeed serious, she could not think of what to say except. ‘Oh!’
Peyton looked up at the weak suns and trembling moons overhead and tapped her foot hard on the surface of the planet several times. Each tap made the male flinch, but he still raged on and she yelled out to him. ‘Are you finished yet?’
He slapped at her shields with large balls of dirt and then with ice shaped into spears. Annoyed, she stamped her foot and asked again. ‘Are you finished yet?’
He roared louder until it rattled the ground, making rocks tumbled down the small ridges and cracks appear on the developing mountains.
The shuttle gently rocked from the violence. Thankfully Peyton’s shields protected it from the worse of his anger. Unfortunately, the movement drew his attention away from her and toward the shuttle, and then everything stilled as he spied Rose and Nikolas.
Suddenly he directed a ferocious attack on the craft, hoping to drive the two occupants from the shuttle. He shot dirt balls the size of small boulders at the shuttle, only to have them smash up against Peyton’s shields. Then he directed an arrow of hard packed earth at the shuttle all to no avail as it too fell against her shield.
‘See that was just wrong, very wrong.’ Peyton growled at him.
He sneered back at her. ‘Give me back my toys.’
‘No.’
Peyton held her hand up and made a pushing motion sending the male hundreds of yards backward through the air. He landed hard on the surface with a thumping sound that reverberated across the planet.
Screaming he picked himself up, then stared hard at her and ran, lunging straight toward her body and slammed up against a wall of light. He screamed again from rage as he fell to the surface.
She asked politely as she looked down at the young male. ‘Are you done yet?’
He got up, shook his head and flew straight up toward the trembling suns. Peyton put her hand up and mimed pulling him down; he fell and slammed into the surface creating a hole about three feet deep.
‘Are you done yet?’ She asked again and sighed as he shot back up so fast he was a blur.
This time she shaped a hand and reached up, grabbing him and jerking him to a stop. ‘Are you done now?’ She again politely called up to the dangling figure.
‘I will never cease.’
‘Yeah, that is what I thought. I ask you once more, planet Inferr, will you cease your actions and become what you should be. A calm oasis for beings to grow and live on. Will you welcome life forms of all kinds to your surface and create life to wallow in your sun’s light and your moon’s reflections?’
‘I will not and you cannot make me. I am planet Inferr, the greatest. Whoever touches my surface, I own and can do with as I will. Unlike you Star Daughter, who has no surface under your feet. You cannot do anything because you are nothing. I am greater than you will ever be. I am Inferr… I am Inferr!’
‘Well, that seems mean.’ Peyton said as the sadness she was feeling enveloped her. Taking a deep breath she cried out to the three suns above. ‘I as Star Daughter see no other course of action. What say you?’
The sunlight dimmed as the three suns sent her their answer. ‘So be it!’
With all the force that made her the Star Daughter. Peyton slammed Inferr’s form through the crust of the surface, and down through the planet into the center of the forming world. Where she dissolved his form and locked his essence to the sliver of Star Crystal in the center of the planet. Never would he be able to rise again. Never would he see the sunlight or feel the brush of the moon’s breath on his surface. She hung her head in grief and felt the touch of the suns as they caressed her mind.
Thank you Daughter. We were unable to do what you have. He weakened us with his anger and hatred. Now we will grow and regain our lustre and in time, many rotations from now we will move on.
Peyton said. ‘I am sorry you had to suffer, and I am sorry he would not listen or understand. He was wrong, darkness had warped his thinking. I could find no good in him. I am truly sorry for taking away his ability of becoming sentient again.’
Daughter, we understand. Something became twisted in his thinking while he was forming. Sometimes it happens, and the planet does not mature completely. Inferr grew and the more he grew, th
e more destructive and vile he became. It is very sad, but it happens. We waited for your coming, to see if he could be saved.
Peyton told them sadly. ‘He could not.’
The suns told her. We will mourn the possibility of what he could have been and as the world grows and blossoms, we will remember it was you who made this possible. We thank you Daughter. Please take with you our blessing for your new home. Know we are proud of who you are and the gentleness in you.
In her hands appeared a figurine standing around eighteen inches tall. It was of a female dressed in a flowing robe of midnight and a dress of greens and blues which resembled the material Waetera. The face was a mirror image of her own, and on the female’s head was a crown of stars. Hair flowed down the statue’s back in a white cloud, just as her own did. It was so beautiful it brought tears to her eyes. ‘Thank you, I welcome your blessing and will treasure it always.’
Peyton walked back to the shuttle as sunlight weakly appeared over the horizon. Nikolas landed on the quiet planet. When she stepped into the shuttle, she requested. ‘Pilot Nikolas, take us back, please?’
‘As you wish Madam.’
Within seconds they were off the planet and heading toward the Warship. Halfway there Peyton remembered what Rose had called her. ‘Nikolas, what is a poho?’
He thought for a minute then grinned. ‘It is a ghost, Madam.’
‘Huh!’
Rose remained quiet as she traveled next to her brother. She was unsure whether to be afraid or relieved with these strange and yet intriguing beings. Like everyone in her Universe, she knew of the fierce Jenersar Warriors. Although she thought this Warrior was far from her imaging and yet he was a Warrior.
Then there was the female, small, pale and apparently the Star Daughter. Rose had read her histories, and again this female was nothing like she had been led to believe. She was confused about everything. Eventually as they neared the Warship her tired brain, just stopped trying to work it all out and closed down.
SEVENTY-ONE:
It was not a happy company who greeted their small party after the shuttle docked. Peyton said to Nikolas. ‘Make a dash for it. You might be lucky and get away before they see you.’
Once more, Rose was bewildered as he said in a serious voice with a twinkle in his eyes. ‘It is not possible Madam. We have already been seen.’
‘Well, it was worth a try.’ She sighed as he released the door and unstrapped the floating bed and trunk from their restraints.
When they had stepped down from the shuttle, Peyton said. ‘Rose, welcome to the Warship heading to Maikonia. So in essence, trader Rose Leesungha from the trading family Leesungha. Welcome to Maikonia.’
‘Thank you, Peyton.’ She replied faintly as she looked around her.
Heather and Patty converged on the floating bed asking questions. ‘Who is this, what happened?’
Peyton replied. ‘Trader Rose, this is Healer Heather and Healer Patty, they are the best healers you will ever meet. Frand and you could not be in better hands. Heather, Patty, this is Rose Leesungha and her brother Frand from the trading family Leesungha. They crashed landed on the planet below. He was hurt, she was terrified for a long time, please check her and fix him.’
She addressed Rose again. ‘Rose, the healers will take care of you. If you need me, ask anyone they will comm me, until then please make use of our facilities.’ She inclined her head, not giving the bewildered Rose time to speak, and walked away.
Hawk, Melody, Darby, Netta and Kerol followed her as she made her way from the docking bay. She called back over her shoulder. ‘Nikolas, you are off rotation for twenty-four hours, sleep and thank you.’
Hawk looked at Kerol and mind-sent. Get a report from him, please.
He nodded. I will see to it.
He peeled off and went back to Nikolas, who answered her as he watched Kerol walk toward him.
‘As you wish Madam.’
Together the rest walked with her to her cabin. She said as they all entered. ‘I am showering.’
She placed the statue on the center of her small table as Darby said. ‘I will order food and coffee.’
‘Love you Darby.’
Peyton entered her bedroom, stripped and then carried onto the cleansing room. Two sonic showers later, she felt better not about what she had done, just cleaner.
SEVENTY-TWO:
Rose watched as the healers carried her brother into another room and then looked around and frowned, thinking how outdated this Warship was. These people were using equipment that was at best second-hand at worse obsolete, there were things here she had not seen for many yentas.
Heather approached her and said softly. ‘So, as you know, I am Heather and you are Rose Leesungha. May I call you Rose?’
‘Please, Rose is good, my brother, is he well?’
‘Yes, he is well we are treating him now for an infection, several grazes a few cuts and dehydration. He will sleep for a while, then he will wake and be hungry, if I know males.’
Rose smiled as Heather asked. ‘Rose, how are you?’
‘I am better now, I am off that cursed planet.’
‘Can you tell me what happened?’
‘Yes, may I ask first, The Peyton is she really the Star Daughter?’
‘Yes, she is.’
‘Oh, she is not... I do not wish to offend, but she is... she is very different... More different than I thought a Star Daughter would be.’
‘Yes she is, yet we still love her. Now what happened Rose?’
Heather and Rose spent an hour talking and when they were finished. Rose was exhausted. Heather handed her a tablet. ‘You can find out who we are and why we are on this Warship. When you wake.’ Heather laughingly said as Rose started to open the tablet.
‘Sleep now and read later, also on the tablet is a plan of the ship. It will show you the way to the shipteens. I suggest you find your way to the one marked Helen’s dining room, she has wonderful food, but only when you wake up.’
Rose agreed as she yawned. Heather had ensured she would have a good sleep with the aid of a strong sedative. It would be the first restful sleep Rose would enjoy for wekens.
When Heather knew her patients were secure for the remainder of the night, she walked to her office. If she was needed by Peyton, someone would comm her, or Peyton would herself.
Just as Heather was talking to Rose. Peyton was stepping from her bedroom, to find her small lounge area almost empty and her coffee table holding coffee and two plates of food. Darby said. ‘Melody kicked them all out, she said they did not need to be here, unless you wanted them.’
‘No, it is good, thanks for the food and coffee.’
‘Do you want to talk about it?’
‘No, I really don’t.’ Sighing at the look on her face, she relented and said. ‘I will send a report in.’
‘Okay, so I will leave you.’ She gave her a long look then asked. ‘Are you okay Peyton?’
‘Yeah, I am a little sad but not too bad. I will sleep and then I will be okay.’
‘I love the statue. It is an excellent likeness.’
‘I know, the suns from the planet gave it to me, it is a blessing for our new home. Darby, I need you to do something for me.’
‘What do you need?’
‘The report on Willian. Who, when, why and where? Can you find it?’
‘I can…’
‘But you do not want to.’
‘No, it is not that. I don’t want you to get angry.’
‘You think I will get angry, have you read it?’
‘No, it just seems you are angry a lot now.’
‘Ahh! Is this about the Jenerika’s?’
‘Hayda no, those asshitholes, deserved it.’ She stood there, her curly corkscrew hair all over the place with a worried frown on her face as she shifted from foot to foot. Her voice a soft cry for understanding. ‘Your hair turned white, Peyton… white!’
‘You think that because it went white when I was ang
ry. I am angry all the time now. Is this what everyone thinks?’
‘As silly as it sounds, yes, everyone does.’
‘Oh, I did not know that. You need to tell me these things. Well, I guess we need another speech for the ships then?’
‘Good idea.’
‘Thought you hated the last one?’
‘No, it was funny and informative, everyone liked it.’
‘Okay, for tomorrow mid-morn. I want the report please, I promise no temper tantrums.’
Darby laughed. ‘Alright, I will send it to you.’
‘Oh, you have it?’
‘Sure, I found it just after we boarded.’
‘Have you read it?’
‘Nope.’
‘Alright, goodnight. Oh, Darby.’
‘Yes?’
Peyton was the one now that asked for understanding as she quietly said. ‘It doesn’t make me angry, I know I changed, but the truth is. I am the same. They just changed the package, not the contents, and I swear. I will fight every min of every day to remain the same inside.’
Darby nodded and gave her one of her rare smiles. ‘I know you will and do. It will be okay Peyton, goodnight and I love the new package.’
‘Go away, Comp girl.’
SEVENTY-THREE:
In the early hours of the morning, Peyton sat at her regular table in Helen’s dining room, re-reading the report Darby had sent her of Willian’s mission and subsequent injuries. She felt the anger, which was a living entity within her, leech from her bones.
Her heart pounded harder and faster as her eyes misted over with a red haze. Without conscious thought, the anger which Peyton had suppressed for years. The very same anger that had driven her ten-year-old self to kill and cause so much destruction, surged to the forefront of her mind. Entwining itself with the anger of the Star Daughter. Together they pressed her to give free rein to the power she had been blessed with.
For a brief moment, Peyton wanted to relinquish control, just let go and allow the rage to engulf her senses and be unleashed. To deliver its form of justice on those who had hurt Willian.
Thankfully, the sane human side of herself as well as the deeper pit of compassion the Star Daughter possessed. Remembered Darby’s fear-filled eyes and her words, when she had begged her to understand why she was afraid. With that picture in her mind, Peyton wrestled with the molten fury residing inside her. Clenching her hands, she drew in deep breaths, chanting the words she had spoken hours earlier to Darby.