The Adventures of a Greenie Old Version

Title: Adventures of a Greenie Category: Fiction » Sci-Fi Author: Vanessa Ravencroft Language: English, Rating: Rated: T Genre: Sci-Fi/Adventure Published: 07-14-12, Updated: 10-25-12 Chapters: 18, Words: 86,502

Chapter 1: Intro

The Adventures of a Greenie (GC IV) A Galactic Chronicles Story by Vanessa Ravencroft Copyright© 2012 by Vanessa Ravencroft GALNET ENTRY: GREEN HELL While there are many settled worlds that are classified as dangerous to standard humanoid life, there is a world that exceeds them all and is the only garden world in the known galaxy classified as a Type X planet: Green Hell. While it is a first glance a lush green world with a standard NiOx atmosphere, liquid water and an abundance of native life forms that would warrant the Garden world classification A 1 it is those life forms that make it different. There are worlds with tremendous storms, those that are tectonic very active. Worlds with dangerous life forms and other treacherous conditions; yet none are comparable. Green Hell is covered to sixty percent with deep jungles and every life form, from the smallest bacteria to gigantic floating living clouds everything has an arsenal of natural weapons and all are extremely lethal. No known species, be it Pertharians, Nul or the massive Thala is able to survive unprotected for more than a few moments on this world. The strongest corrosive acid known is produced by local ants, the deadliest poisons; bio toxic compounds far lethally beyond even the poisons used and identified by the Shail are produced by animals and plants of that world. Yet Green Hell has a small Union colony, mostly to support an Exobiology research outpost of the Union science council.

Chapter 2: Chapter 1

Chapter 1 "I think it was a very good party!" said Charles the Robot, dumping plates and cake leftovers in the Recycler. Roy tried to remove some Sparkle Bright Neon Gum one of the guests had glued to one of his father's prized real wood book cases and said, "It was alright, I guess but I am not much for parties." The robot observed Roy struggling with the bright purple glob and started to recite. "Sparkle Bright, Sticky Messes, Oil and Tar can easily be removed by using Rox-Scrub! Roxy-Scrub, Roxy-Scrub, even you can join the club!" Roy laughed. "Charles I think you are the only Cerberus robot in the entire Galaxy that watches and recites commercials." The machine responded with its deep modulated male voice. "I also am very likely the only Cerberus robot doing household chores! This unit watches commercials because they are part of a Holo show. 'As the Galaxy turns' One watches this program." Roy grinned. "I do not see the attraction of these programs, but I guess everyone has different tastes." "Robots do not have tastes. This unit observes it merely for information gathering." Roy still grinned. "Yes that's a good excuse." Eight years before, Uncle Sam had given Charles to Roy as a birthday present. Charles was a genuine SII-Cerberus Type IV Robot, the very pinnacle of Terran Battle robot technology in its time. Of course the military used Cerberus type IX now and Charles was decommissioned military surplus, but it was still an awesome machine. Everybody on Green Hell had robots and, due to the nature of the planet, all those robots were armed, but these were usually S-10 Multi function Bots with an added weapon arm. Charles was designed as a weapon system from the ground up. No one he knew had a Cerberus and that was not just because a Cerberus was incredibly expensive but it was almost impossible for a civilian person to get an Owners License for this sort of military hardware. Somehow Uncle Sam had managed and Roy was one of only 25,000 civilians owning a Cerberus robot in the entire Union. Roy finally managed to get the gum off and tossed it, along with the rag he had used, into the recycler and watched Charles direct the Hoover-Vac around the carpet. "Do you regret being my robot and doing household chores?" "Roy, one is a machine. One does not have such emotions. It would be the same for me to stand in a corner for the next one hundred years and do nothing or execute whatever command you choose to give me." "I know you are a machine, but you are more to me." Charles' dome shaped neck-less head turned around, not that he needed to do that since he had Omni-directional optic sensors, but this side of the head was his 'face'. "You are more to me than a master. I dedicated much sub processing space to you that goes far beyond the standard loyalty program. One likes to mention that one is a Type IV and quite advanced. It is part of one's ability to alter my programming to adjust to new situations. Neuron pathways have been permanently burned with you as focus and it is the closest alternative one could define in terms of feelings towards you." Roy hugged the massive machine. "I always knew you like me!" The robot's dark red dimly glowing visual sensors flashed a little brighter for a short moment and Roy did not notice the machines massive Syntho-muscle powered right arm with the huge Ultronit fist that could crumble steel like tissue paper gently patting his shoulder. The robot scanned the room by turning his head 360 degrees and said, "Besides, logic determines that household work is far less dangerous to a robot than being sent into battle, deemed too dangerous for live beings. So this unit prefers household chores." Just then the voice of Roy's father called the boy's name. "Mister Roy Masters, would you please come to the study?" Charles said, "Your father requires your presence. One is completely capable to can clean up the rest!" Whenever Paul Masters, Roy's father, called him Mister, he knew he was in trouble. Paul never called him like this if he had good news. Expecting the unavoidable, Roy crossed the living room of the dome shaped two storey home and entered his father's study. Paul Masters was an avid collector and fan of everything Pre-Astro from Earth. Pre-Astro meant things Terran humans used before the ascent over 3000 years ago. Even though Paul Masters was born on Ribenna Colony, 763 light years from Terra and had visited Earth only during his University studies. This was the reason that most of the furniture in the house was made of wood or pseudo wood and had no integrated tech at all. Paul loved books, the ancient kind, made of an exotic material called paper. He had those books stacked and shelved everywhere in his study. Roy's father also had taken to the Terran habit of smoking. He smoked pipes and the sweet tobacco smell penetrated deep into the house, despite the best efforts of the air recycling system. His father was thin and tall and his colleagues at the Institute often called him the stork, a nickname and a reference to some sort of Terran avian life form. Paul's nose, Roy agreed did almost have the appearance of a birds beak. His father had the same bright blue eyes as Roy, but Paul's hair was black and did not have the sandy blonde shade Roy and his mother shared. To the boy's surprise his mother was present as well. She sat on the corner of his father's wooden work desk and they both looked at their son, their stares signaled he was in deeper trouble than he expected. His mother was, so everyone told him, quite pretty. She had a very feminine body and wore her hair in a chin length bob-cut. Her eyes were dark pink as almost everyone from the planet Phantas had. His mother was born on this perpetual twilight world almost 2100 light years away at the other end of the Upward Sector. Like his father she was an exobiology scientist and they had met when they both were students on a famous university on Earth. Mother never wore any make up, or dresses or anything like that and always wore the same one piece body suit almost everyone on Green Hell wore, the only difference to Roy's or Paul's Bio seal suit was that hers had red panels, while Paul's were blue and Roy's had a green jungle camouflage pattern, like any real native Greenie did. Martha Masters did not really approve of this as she looked at her 16 year old teenage son. His hair cropped short in a regulation Marine Corps high and tight style. Roy wanted it that way because Uncle Sam wore it like that. Roy had grown visibly since his last birthday and was almost as tall as his father now, reaching 198 centimeters. Roy filled out his camouflage patterned Bio suit with a peak athletic body and he had well developed muscular arms a rock hard six pack belly and muscular thighs. His face was angular and Martha saw much of her father in his features, Roy had the same chin, the same Roman nose as her Dad. Paul pointed to the wooden visitor's chair before his desk. Roy was convinced his father had bought that chair for the sole purpose of making him uncomfortable while he interrogated or scolded his son. Paul said with a stern tone. "Have a seat, Son! Your mother and I have to talk to you!" Roy sat down and was sure he knew what was coming and why he had been called on the carpet. To speed things up he said. "I confess I was outside again, so spare me the lecture father and let us proceed to the punishment part." Paul took the pipe out of his mouth and began to clean the bulb with a silvery spoon tool. "Roy, you are 16 years old, we hoped you would grow out of these ridiculous boyhood fantasies that you have been outside in the jungles." He placed the cleaned pipe in a wooden pipe holder stand, which had been mother's Christmas present to her husband a few years back and continued. "I told you this sermon thousands of times and I will have to do it once again. We are on Green Hell, Roy and you know that! Nothing and no one can survive out there unless wearing the most advanced protection suits our technology can come up with. We are trained to do that and we never expose ourselves for long. We always have Marines in Destroyer suits along. This is what enables us to conduct research here!" Roy crossed his arms in a defiant manner and glared at his father from under his eyebrows and said. "Because you are not Greenies, I am a Greenie! All that Armor-stuff is for ignorant Off-worlders." His mother slowly shook her head." I am aware of the peer pressure you must experience in class by the other kids, but even tenth generation Greenies go nowhere near the Jungles and pretty much stay on Anthill Island. Yes you were born here, but that does not make you a Greenie. Not that I can even imagine why anyone would want to be one." Paul played with his replica antique silver pipe lighter and pointed it at Roy. "I guess you went to Ma Swenson's boathouse in the school's armor floater and stepped a few seconds outside the door. I know some of the crazy tenth generation locals do that occasionally but her compound is under a force field bubble, still it is a crazy stunt and you know you should not do that!" Mother sighed. "I can sense he actually believes his own lies and fantasies saying he walked from here to Ma Swenson's. Roy if you don't quit that soon we have to consider psycho surgery or at least serious counseling. Don't you realize that these are unhealthy fantasies for an almost grown man to have? You must admit and I know you do inside that no one could possibly do that!" Hearing the increasingly sharp tone of his mother's voice he knew it was not a good idea to say something, but he did anyway and lowered his head. "That is what you think and there is no way I am going to argue with you about something you don't believe!" Mother added." We are scientists, Son. You know that. You cannot expect us to believe the fantasies of a boy. Fantasies we really hoped would stay behind with your childhood days." Father nodded in agreement and said: "Let us not talk about your five second adventure stepping out of Ma Swenson's house and come to the actual reason we have called you." He turned to look at his wife and said with a proud look in his face. "The Science Council offered your mother the Science- Command over an Explorer ship. This is a rare opportunity and among the greatest challenges offered to a scientist. Such a posting shows that her work is recognized by the highest peer. It is very prestigious and the very peak of a scientific career. After such a posting a Professor title and a chair in the Science council is quite possible." Roy simply listened it was nothing he was really interested in. Science and research always came first to them and he came in as a distant second consideration. His father put his hand on her lap and with an admiring smile he continued to say. "Your mother accepted and asked the council to accept me as her second in Command and would you believe it, they accepted!" Martha returned a warm smile to her husband and said. "We are leaving in a month from now. We will then fly half across the Galaxy to recently discovered planet in the mostly unexplored Downward Sector. The planet features a thermo energy channeling life form. I am as you know somewhat of an authority in this field." Paul's said proudly, "Not just somewhat, my dear. They recognized your brilliance, most likely after all the buzz your paper on the Lightning Bolters created. "He turned to Roy and said. "Your mother's latest paper on the local living clouds had been published in the Neugruber magazine as the feature paper last month." She touched Paul's cheek, "Because I married the best field assistant anyone could ask for." Paul sighed and returned his attention to Roy, "You should really show a little more interest in our work. Mother waved her hand, "As it may be all this means that your father and I will be gone for over two years and deep in unclaimed space." Roy wasn't sorry to hear that. He liked his parents alright and he was certain they loved him to in their own way, but they were scientists first and he always was something like an unwelcome distraction, an accident that happened and an inconvenience taking time away from their one true passion. Father begun to stuff another pipe and said, "We wish you would have had better grades and show more interest in our work so you could follow our path, but because of your rather mediocre grades we were unable to place you in one of the truly prestigious colleges, but we pulled a few strings in the academic world and we managed to get you accepted at Clarkson College on Triton. It's a second rate College, I know but it is still in the Sol System and that still carries weight even today when you later look for a good university." Roy got angry." Why don't you ever ask me? I don't want to be a scientist. I want to join the Marines just like Uncle Sam and if that doesn't work out I try to become a Union Ranger like Mr. Solomon and my grades are fine for that!" His mother made a face as if she just had looked at an extremely disgusting specimen under the magnifying viewer. "We haven't raised you, so you become one of these mindless brutes. Marines are necessary I agree, but I am sure there are others that can do that and not our son!" Roy sneered with a defiant tone in his voice. "Those mindless brutes are always good enough to protect your high and mighty butts out there, and if one dies protecting you so what? It was just a brute and much more important is that you're valuable observations of the mating cycle of a Bone Gripper survived." Roy referred to an incident that happened just over two weeks ago. His parents looked at him as if he was a complete stranger and his father said. "The collection and evaluation of scientific data is more important than the life of a Marine. It's what they supposed to do, protect us so we are able to add to the body of knowledge that benefits society." Martha shrugged with a cold expression in her eyes. "It matters not what you think or want at this point my son. You are not an adult yet and we decide what's good for you. Maybe leaving this planet will finally help you to grow up. You will leave Green Hell in 4 month, when you graduate and that is the end of it." Roy almost cried, "What about Charles and our House?" She shrugged. "This is not our house; it belongs to the Science Institute, someone else will occupy it. We are going to sell Charles of course or give it back to that bad influence you call Uncle Sam." The GalNet terminal beeped and interrupted the conversation. Paul answered and Roy recognized Ivan Harrow's voice, the Chief Scientist of the Biology research Institute and his parent's boss. He sounded excited and almost yelled."Martha, the team that went out with Evans yesterday found what they think is a Lightning Bolter mating ground and they are certain the mating is about to start and he thinks you might want to see that!" His mother got excited and answered, "Yes Ivan maybe I can finally put the final pieces of information I need to complete my dissertation on the Lightning Bolters. Can you send a floater?" "I anticipated your excitement and have already done that, the Institute floater should be there within the hour." Roy's parents now truly forgot about him. Chattering excited, putting on heavy protection gear and gathering their instruments. Roy left the study totally unobserved and went upstairs into his room.

Chapter 3: Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Martha Masters turned her head and watched her son Roy as he climbed the stairs to his room. She wondered for a brief moment if she made the right decission to have a child. A mother was supposed to love her child and if anone asked she would of course say that she did love him, but was she really capable of such maternal feelings? Her husband was in the process of cycling through the air lock to enter the Institute floater and she prepared to do the same, but had to wait until the cylce of the decontamination process with superheated steam was complete. The airlock was simply too small for both of them while wearing Armor suits. Roy had reached his room and was out of sight, but despite the exicting news about the Bolters her mind kept returning to her son. His ridiculous fantasies of being outside was certainly some sort of teenager rebellion. While he was no genius, his IQ was not much less than hers or Pauls and yet the boy wanted to join the military, what a disapointment! Well he would change his mind once he was away from Green Hell in a propper College. Now it was her turn and she cycled through the airlock, entered the flier and there she took a seat right behind Evans inside the big armored floater. "Good afternoon," she greeted the man who looked like a Terran turtle with its head halfway retracted into its shell, because Dr. Mortimer Evans was a small thin man and even the smallest size of the Sci-Corps issue AEGIS Suit barely allowed him to gaze above the suit helmet initiator ring. The man behind the controls of the floater tried to turn his head, whit little success and returned the greetings and said. "Good afternoon, you two." Then he cursed silently and added. "You two make it look so easy moving around in these blasted armor suits. If this planet wasn't so damn fascinating, I'd find myself another world to study." Martha nodded at her husband, who had climbed ahead of her into the floater and taken the seat next to Evans and said. "We both are here on Green Hell for almost sixteen years now and we wear these suits almost every day, we should be used to them by now. You will get the hang of it eventually." Evans pulled the CHOPER into a steep climb and smirked at her. "I am here now for almost two years now and should not be such a noob when it comes to these suits." Paul, who always was a bit of a nerd said. "The All Environment Intelligent System, which we call the AEGIS, is basically civilian version of the Marine Corps Quasimodo Battle Suit without the weapons of course and it is the only thing that will keep you alive out there." Dr. Evans was a brilliant researcher and like Martha, specializing in bio-electric and bio- energy life forms, leveled the skimmer of far above the clouds, where even on Green Hell was nothing alive or dangerous and set the controls for a destination halfway across the planet, rolled his eyes at that comment, because of Paul stating the obvious. Martha smiled at her husband as he, oblivious to the finer nuances of human interaction pulled pulled the eyepiece of the Omni-Eye periscope over his eyes. The system would give him an unobstructed view of the outside world and with simple intuitive eye movements he would be able to focus on anything around them, while a host of data was displayed right into his retina if he blinked at the small symbols at the edge of his vision field. Then she said to Evans. "I am very excited to see the Lightning Bolters actually mate. It will be fascinating to see how these gas filled leather bags choose their mates, an aspect of this life from still a complete mystery." Evans failing to pantomime what he had seen earlier, partially because if the suit and partially because there was just no way a human could find the right gestures to describe how two huge cloud sized organisms, mostly gas, membrane thin skin and a tiny cell center for brains and nerves would mate, so he gave up and said. "It's like two drunken balloons, capable of unleashing electrical discharges strong enough to make the battle shields of a Union Battle ship flicker dance in a violent storm." Without taking his eyes of the eyepiece, Paul said. "Not the combined discharges of all Lightning Bolters would make the shields of a Union Battle ship flicker. Not that I am any expert in these systems, but I am given to understand they could absorb the energies of a solar prominence, and that exceeds the energy output of any known bio-electrical discharge capable life form by magnitudes." Martha looking at the shield generator controls of the Floater and said. "I am sure Dr. Evans was expressing himself in a metaphorical fashion, but I hope the energy shield of this floater is up to the task." While Evans nodded at her comment, Paul did lean back to look at his wife. "We have been hit by Bolter lightning discharges before and these fliers are designed to descent into atmospheres of extreme worlds. We have not measured any bolts stronger than 40,000 amperes and transfers 15 coulombs of electric charge and 500 megajoules of energy." Martha knew her own data just as well, said. "I still think we need to proceed with caution, we have never been hit by more than one bolt at the time and now we are flying towards a mating ground with dozens of them in an agitated state." Evans said. "I will keep us at maximum observing distance, just to be safe." There were a few moments o silence in the flier. Martha was trying to focus her mind on the task ahead. She was a scientist and the Lighting Bolters of Green Hell had been the focus of her studies now for more than five years. She had made some great observations and written several papers about them. Papers that had been reviewed very positively by her peer and the Hive of Minds. Leading to the dream assignment of any field researcher, the Mission Command over a Sci-Corps explorer ship. If she was successful as Mission Commander, completing perhaps two or three missions; they just might ask her to take a seat in the hallowed halls of the Science Councils headquarter on Pluribus. Her grandfather, Professor Aaron Berezovsky had been the ninth person in her family to hold a chair in what became known as the Hive of Minds. Only the finest minds of all the civilizations that made up the Union were invited to this elite of intellect, science and wisdom. The Science Council was the governing body of the Science Corps and advised the Assembly in all matters of science and it was her innermost dream and ambition to one day be the tenth member of her family line. She had been so submerged in her thoughts that she only now realized, Evans was saying something to her, so she looked up from her PDD. "I am sorry Dr. Evans, I was just going over some notes of mine and did not pay any attention." The small man said with a dry voice. "I was pointing out that our sensors just registered a bolt of positive lightning with a magnitude of ten times the average discharge we have ever measured before, reaching 300 kilo ampere and almost two terawatt with intense channel ionization. The source appears to be the largest Lightning Bolter we ever encountered." Martha signaled that she had heard him this time pulled the optics of her Omni View Periscope close. She heard Paul talk via the Comm Unit with Dr. Harrow back at the Institute asking for reassurance that the fliers shields would withstand such energies; then the optic sensors slaved to her eye movements focused on the grayish green humongous, floating gas bladders. She zoomed in and the little number floating just at the edge of her field of view told her that the distance to the closest Lightning Bolter was still almost 14 kilometers. She made a few measurements and calculated that the biggest one of the nine Bolters she counted had a volume of 2322 cubic-meters. That was indeed the biggest one she had seen so far, only as she focused closer she realized it was two of them, attached, clinging to each other, barely distinguishable as two beings. The excellent optics of the fliers scientific instruments allowed her to zoom even closer making out details. She now observed pale pinkish almost transparent tentacles of the left one sliding over the center section where the animal had its nerve and brain cluster. The movement of the tentacles appeared almost tender and caring. Despite these being totally alien lifeforms and her being a scientist, the woman in her emotionally equated what she saw with a loving caring embrace. Martha blinked at her own thoughts and remembered that she was a native of the planet Phantas after all and like everyone of that world, gifted with Psionic powers and the ability to sense thoughts and emotions. Due to the harsh Psionic Privacy Laws of the Union she suppressed her natural gift and had learned to push the constant whisper of other minds far in the background of her consciousness; to a point where she almost forgot that she still was a telepath. This time she focused and reached out, usually touching the mind of a non sentient life form was like trying to tune into an old fashioned radio signal without ever getting the frequency dialed in and the result was something like garbled static. Especially since she was a weak Telepath and never schooled or trained her Psionic talent, she had long quit trying. But now as she reached out she felt the scientific curiosity and excitement of her husband, the barely contained fear of Dr. Evans and then she felt the strong garbled in cohesive whisper of a million animal minds from the surface below, but she could distinctively feel emotions emanating from the two clinging Bolters. Those alien beings did feel strongly for each other. While she made this visual and Psionic observations she spoke rapidly into her PDD dictating notes of her findings. Paul had often seen his wife in this state and he knew to leave her alone until she had completed her observations. Dr. Harrow had reassured him that the Flier was quite safe and should be able to absorb a barrage of lightning bolts without any serious consequences. Even though Dr. Evans had heard what the Institute leader said, Paul could see that the pilot of the flier wasn't totally convinced. Paul forgot about Evans and his concerned face as he also returned to watch and record the mating of the Lightning Bolters, several more started to form tightly unions in mid air and begin the tentacle caressing. To Paul the Lightning Bolters always looked somewhat like Terran Jelly fish. Specifically the Pacific Sea Nettle, except that the Lightning Bolters caps were proportionally much bigger than the cap of a jelly fish. As a kid at Ribenna Colony he loved to go to the big Sea Aquarium in Town, where they kept a big collection of Terran Sea life and these visits were the reason he decided to become a biologist. Bolters normally drifted with the winds across the skies of Green Hell, and compared to the abundance of other lifeforms they were comparably rare; Martha estimated that there were only about 20,000 – 30,000 Lightning Bolters on all Green Hell. But they could control their altitude by making areas of their skin more transparent or more opaque and thus controlling the temperature of their internal gases making themselves more or less buoyant. To change direction they could use their tentacles and spin them in a whipping motion, as they did right now to get close to each other. Not all was harmony, sex and love as it became apparent. Two of the cloud like beings changed not only the transparency of their skin but managed to change the color from the usual pale green to a mustard yellow hue. The way they moved their tentacles it was clear there was some rivalry going on. Suddenly sun bright bolts of bright white energy emitted from them both. While the bolt of the slightly smaller one singed and burned half a dozen tentacles of the bigger one, the electrical discharge of the bigger one had struck true at the nerve center of the smaller. The reason why Bolters were not as abundant became quite apparent. A violent explosion and a fast expanding fire ball completely obliterated the smaller one. Bolters bio-electrogenesis abilities allowed them to produce Hydrogen from water, as a lifting gas, but also as it was apparent made them quite vulnerable. The other Bolters took little notice of the fiery demise of one of their kind and continued with their aerial dance and embracing. While he was making sure the events were recorded by the floaters equipment, he too was thinking about what the future would hold for them. He loved Martha and he knew of her ambition and goals. She wanted to climb proverbial Olympus and reach the Parthenon of science gods to take her place among them. He would support her in this quest as much as he could and Paul knew she would eventually reach that goal. He would be proud of her as he was proud of her already, being chosen to lead a Science expedition was quite an honor. However he had no such goals. While he was her research assistant he also was an accomplished Micro biologist and he would have been perfectly happy, staying on Green Hell. There were as many exciting discoveries to be made on the Micro biological level. Was it not bacteria and small insects that was the food the Bolters filtered out of the air? The Epulopiscium stomperoni, a huge bacterium he had found in the digestive tract of the massive Stompers; was so big it could be seen with the unaided eye and that was just the tip of the iceberg. He much rather would spend the rest of his professional career right here than eventually ending up at Pluribus, perhaps as a lecturer or teacher while his wife sat in an Ivory tower, making policies and deciding where to spend funds and what to research, rather than actually researching anything herself. As he was thinking about that, he remembered that their family was not just Martha, but that there was his son Roy. While he was a little disappointed at his sons mental and academic development, it appeared that he still had Childhood fantasies and believed them to be true and his grades at Basic School were mediocre, he silently and deep down agreed with Roy's objections. No one had asked Roy and if truth to be told, Martha had not really asked Paul for his wishes or opinion in the matter of leaving Green Hell and going on an expedition lasting years. It would mean very little contact to Roy, once the Explorer ship went past the Downward Horizon into Open and unexplored space, TransDim communication was no longer possible. While he made his decision, to support his wife's goals; was it really fair to leave their son more or less on his own? Maybe it was their fault, not paying more attention to Roy that he sought refuge in ridiculous fantasies of being outside and voicing his wish to become a soldier? He could not completely suppress the sigh that made its way past his lips.

Mortimer Jenkins nervously nibbled at his lower lip, wishing they could return to the safety of Ant Hill, the only town on this world, well protected by strong Ultronit walls and powerful force fields. It seemed a good idea to accept the invitation of the Science Corps to come to Green Hell, back then when his doctorate was still fresh and he was just one of many fellow researchers, at the Neugruber Bio Sciences Institute on Venus. It was after all his work on the electroplaxes cells used by the Shocker Frogs of Ulta for electrogenesis that made him aware of Dr. Martha Masters brilliant work on the largest known life form using electric organs; the Lightning Bolters of Green Hell. He mentioned his interest to his Professor and a while later he received an invitation to join the research team on Green Hell. The offer was great; double the salary, free Luxury apartment at Ant Hill, the potential of working with Dr. Masters and making a valuable contribution to science. In moments like this, to close to these floating monsters and removed from the deadly conditions of this hellish world only by a few centimeters of Dura-Steel and weak shields of a vulnerable flier; he wondered if he made the right decision, coming here. He cursed his boss, Dr. Harrow who insisted on actual hands on observation instead of sending probes or robots. Despite all better judgment he steered the floater closer to the mating Bolters following Martha Masters impatient hand signals. "Dr. Masters don't you think we are close enough?" She did not take her eyes of the optic interface and said. "We need to be under thousand meters for our Cyber-Nose sensors. I want to get a molecular scan of the air and see if there are any pheromones or scents aiding them in finding each other, or if it is purely electro location. While Mortimer could not argue the scientific reason behind her request, he argued that the Bolters could also easily locate them at that distance and that they were much more agitated than usual was obvious. He could not wait till they would leave Green Hell. He envied her for her academic success and seeing the woman's star rise to such prominence within the science community was a thorn in his side. He was firmly convinced, that as long as she was here, her shadow kept obscuring his work and his chances of recognition. Recognition meant offers, especially offers from commercial operating corporations. The SII Bio Research foundation for example, had a dream lab facility at Harper's Junction. A planet only an orbit removed. But they have so far ignored his efforts to get hired there. Dr. Harrow was quite correct, the armored flier was indeed designed to dive into the atmospheres of extreme planets. Able to withstand great temperature ranges, corrosive atmospheres and crushing gravitation, these fliers were used by the Explorer division of the Science Corps all over the Galaxy. CHOPERS had a well earned reputation for being reliable, dependable and tough. However this particular Chrysler Hover Operations Platform for Exploration, Research and Science was not operated by a pilot with experience or the actual training necessary. Mortimer considered the mandatory training an insult on his intellect. These tests and the training was for uneducated and stupid techs and brutish soldiers, not for a man who held two PhD's. When he came to Green Hell, he was told it was the job of the most junior member of the Science Team to fly the Institutes vehicle and be at the beck and call to shuttle the other members around whenever they decided they needed a flight. He had flown fliers on Venus, Earth and even on Titan and felt he didn't need any additional training or instructions and so he simply lied and claimed he already received CHOPERS training, prior to coming to Green Hell. For almost two years now he had been proven right and after 23 months without any accident he felt he was a good pilot. Like most persons using a modern flier he was oblivious to the fact, that most flying was done by the on-board Computronic. All the minute adjustments to the Arti Grav lift generators, the automatic correction to the propulsion turbines, keeping the flier perfectly stable regardless of wind and weather were done for him, making the task of flying so easy a child could do it. The fliers shields were effective simple electromagnetic deflectors and not real battle shields. It happened all very fast. Helen detected a hint of intelligence in the thought patterns of the Bolters. Not true sentient thought, but more like the mind of a smart dog and one of the minds out there was focused on them. The large Bolter flailed with his remaining tentacles waving an intricate pattern in the air. It was a signal, a signal to all the others and every Bolter reacted! They all unleashed their electrical discharges at the slowly closing flier. This sudden onslaught, overwhelmed the shields and the electromagnetic energies were strong enough to disable the on board computronic, even the combined lightning bolts of the beasts did not kill the scientists inside but it send the flier with screaming, uncontrolled engines towards the planet's surface. A trained pilot perhaps would have been able to divert the disaster, by cutting power to the thrusters and increase the lift energies to the Arti Grav, but Mortimer was neither a trained pilot nor a person who reacted well to crisis situations. Mortimer simply screamed on the top of his lungs and then the armored Science institute flier crashed through the canopy of the Jungle trees, cutting through a Tantalus Oak, and moments later impacted with the ground.

Chapter 4: Chapter 3

Chapter 3 The house he called home was a dome shaped Ultronit sphere; made out of the same material they made battle ship armor out of. The house had two levels and once had been a forward research outpost on Green Hell and served as his families' home ever since he was born. Roy switched on the outside visual sensor and waited for the Institute Floater that would take his parents away. The visual sensor was on a sturdy telescopic mast and inside a strong protective housing and could be steered and directed to look into any direction. On his view screen he saw the dense jungle around the house. There, a Pandora Swan attacking a flock of Gladiator Eagles. The silvery Pandora Swan attacked the much larger eagles with his razor sharp lower wings and cut one of the Eagles in mid-flight to pieces, while it evaded the barrage of arrow feathers the Eagles shot at it. The swan punctured a second with its long needle sharp beak. It was a spectacular display of raw nature. It did not matter what his parents thought, he was a Greenie! He was very proud of this fact and he knew everything there was to know about his home planet. Green Hell was the second planet in the Maxwell System. A luscious green garden world that looked inviting like any other garden world when seen from space. Long time ago, it had first been discovered by the old Saresii and they called it Mrtgtha in their language and it meant Murder-all. The Saresii never bothered to come back, thousands of years later the Sarans rediscovered the world and lost several exploration teams and called this world Imthe-Seth which meant Death World. Then after Terra ascended and the Union was formed a Union explorer ship came this way and another attempt was made to explore this world. Garden world with a breathable Nitrogen Oxygen atmosphere were rare and valuable to any expanding society. Again the Planet proved deadly to those who landed on it, no one of the survey teams returned alive. Unlike the Saresii or the Sarans however Terrans were much more stubborn and could not leave it at that. It was even suggested at one point to P Bomb the world from orbit and then Terra form it, but instead of doing that it was decided to research what it was that made this world so dangerous. Instead of scientists and explorers they send Ultra Marines next and they managed after losing some men to clear an island of its vegetation and sterilize it of anything alive and establish a permanent base. Scientists returned and with them came technicians and service personnel, then their families and finally shop keepers and small businesses and the small island base grew first into a town and then a small city called Ant Hill. The Planet became known as Green Hell Jungles covered sixty percent of the surface. Instead of real oceans the planet had an almost uncountable number of large and small lakes, vast swamps and slimy bogs. There were a few rugged mountain ranges and cool less overgrown poles. What made Green Hell different from any other planet was its vast abundance of life forms. Every single living thing on this planet was a killer and had an array of body weapons deadlier than anything ever encountered. The strongest organic acid ever discovered was produced by the Dragon Ants of Green Hell; the deadliest organic poison ever encountered came from a flowering bush. Some clouds were actually living gas bags that attacked with aimed lightning bolts of pure energy. There were tiny microscopic mites aggressive as battle nannites; insects able to fly as fast rifle bullets with inch long stingers as hard as steel. Everything alive on Green Hell was lethally dangerous. Even the local moss and grass was lethal. He saw one of the heavily armored, yellow painted floaters of the Institute descent and dock at the air lock clamps on the north side of the house. A few moments later, with his parents aboard it soared back into the sky. Roy smiled and locked his door. Then he opened his closet and put his micro mesh jacket over his bio-barrier suit. The Bio-barrier suit everyone on Green Hell was wearing was a one piece garment that hermetically connected with his heavy all-terrain boots. The suit was to protect the wearer from the tiny Buzz-saw Micros and similar mite like mini life forms that feasted on any organic matter with tiny rotating mouths full of teeth. Real Greenies however, like most of the larger life forms on Green Hell had developed their own defenses against those tiny pests, Buzz-Saws never really bothered him and he knew how to evade their drop shaped cocoon like nests hanging between the branches of Plague trees. All you had to do was use the a few drops of Plaque tree sap and the Buzzers thought you were a Plaque tree then girded a belt around his hip with an attached holster, in it his Thompson E-Blaster. On his left he carried a Vibro-machete and also attached to the belt was his K-Bar combat chuckled while thinking about what his parents would think if they knew he had those things. Green Hell had a natural gravitation of 2. 6 gees above standard and all Off-worlders carried a personal Gravi-Adjuster. A device that reduced the graviton influence on the body mass to standard level; until his sixth birthday he didn't have one as he was born here and adjusted to the natural gravitation. Uncle Sam told him that carrying one increasing the gravitation would make the body stronger and every single move was an exercise. So he did carry one and he dialed it up every year a little more and now didn't even feel the constant 4.5 gee the device created. He switched it off and left it behind. Then he crawled under his bed and snickered even more, imagining the shock his parents would get as he touched a hidden contact Part of the wall slid open and he crawled in a secret air lock. His mother would probably faint if she knew it existed. Maria his friend who was a wizard with tools had cut the Ultronit and installed this small air lock some years ago, allowing him to leave the house unnoticed. The inner door sealed and moments later the outer door opened. He slid over the smooth curved metal to get momentum then pulled his feet under him and pushed himself with one fluid motion of the wall. His now unrestricted muscles catapulted him almost 12 meters across the vegetation free area around the house. Charles maintained that area by burning everything that grew inside that area with his blasters and he had to do that every other day. Roy grabbed the branch of a Tantalus Oak, with two only two fingers of each hand, avoiding the 5 inch long thorns; Thorns that were hard enough to pierce steel and drooled with a deadly nerve poison that paralyzed a human sized being in mere seconds. He swung himself over to a Trappers Palm, oriented himself for a mere heartbeat crouching on a branch, just above the sticky substance that covered the trees trunk and its branches below. The Trapper Palm glue instantly bonded with anything that came into contact with the sticky goo on a molecular level and then tiny creatures akin to the Buzz-Saws would come and disassemble and devour whatever had been caught in the glue. Roy filled his lungs deep with the warm almost hot steamy jungle air. He loved the musky, moist odor. The Jungle was full of smells and scents, some pleasant, some sweet and fragrant, yet others putrid and foul. Yet every smell signaled a different plant or animal and knowing the smells was part of being able to stay alive out here. For most of the things he had no names, and he was fairly certain his parents hadn't seen or cataloged a fraction of what he knew and seen. Out here he felt alive and right as rain, there was no doubt, no hesitation. He was one with the Jungle and somehow he felt as if he was one with the planet. He used all of his senses to the extreme. He listened to all the noises and sounds, he felt and touched. Some of the deadly trees and lethal plants had parts that could be eaten. The flower butts of the Nightmare cactus were delicious and had a nutty fresh taste. All you had to do know was where to touch and not to be showered with tiny needles. A beautiful orchid like plant as big as a man, he had no name for it, had liquid nectar inside the funnel shaped leaves that tasted like a mixture of honey and orange juice, to get it without getting killed took some skill that was all. Out here he could feast on a hundred things, without being poisoned, killed or paralyzed. This was his true home and he knew how to act and behave. He didn't need an eight ton energy shielded Armor suit to stomp through the jungle only to sink into a mud bog and be cracked like and egg after the energy ran out. He was a Greenie. There was a sense, a feeling of being certain without any doubt. This sense told him what to do, that alerted to imminent danger and told him on an instinctive level what to do and how to behave. This sense, this knowledge he absorbed somehow by an unexplainable osmosis directly from the planet. Everything here was a deadly killer, but that didn't mean everything was constantly killing. It was more like a careful delicate balance and life and death kept itself in balance out here, just like anywhere else. Waltzing through all of this in an Armor suit disturbed that balance and directed everything on that intruder to kill it, to neutralize it so the balance was restored. All this he just knew, he didn't know how and it was not book knowledge or the knowledge cramped in his mind by Cerebral uploads in school, it was a knowledge that could not really be put in words or expressed in writing. It was different. For most of his way he remained in the upper level of the jungle, far above the actual ground. The dense foliage provided a much safer route and he could pass over mud bogs, water holes and the burrows of Kill Diggers. He estimated he had covered two or three kilometers from the house and was now deep in untouched jungle, when he heard the tromping sounds of a Stomper breaking through the thickets. Roy crouched on a thick branch and waited until he could see this magnificent eight legged beast with sixteen barbed tentacles on its front end that could plug anything eatable out of trees and a tough crystalline armor protecting it from most of the plants and attack modes of smaller creatures. Roy put his hands before his mouth and mimicked the mating call of a Water-snake Bull and laughed silently as he watched the Stomper turn in panic and disappear back from where it came. Of course it was still five months till the Water snake mating season begun, but the Stomper didn't know that. Greenies were split in the opinion what was the most dangerous life form on Green Hell. One side believed the Water Snakes were the undisputed kings of this world and had no real natural enemies. Water Snakes spend most of their live in the huge fresh water lakes and only during mating season bulls would be driven out of the lakes by the strongest one and seek other water bodies for their home, slithering many miles through the jungles and fighting with other snakes over a water hole or lake. Then they would mate with a female and produce one or maybe two little snakes. Water snakes reached tremendous size. Roy had seen bulls of over 45 meters and perhaps eight or nine meters thick. Water snakes had a scaled skin that was almost impervious to any attack; they could spit a Gelatin-like material and ignite it with a static discharge in their mouth. The stuff burned even in water. In addition to that Water snakes could spread their scales and eject small poisonous darts with the force of a high powered rifle. The darts made of the same diamond hard substance as their scales. Those darts were poison tipped and even a slight scratch could kill a fully grown Stomper Roy once observed a Water snake shooting Arrow wasps out of the air just for fun, demonstrating its accuracy. Roy believed Water Snakes were at least as those Terran Dolphins he had to learn about in School. Other Greenies he knew were convinced Dragon Ants were the undisputed kings of the jungles. Among the many ant like species living on Green Hell, the biggest and most dangerous were the Dragon Ants. These little monsters grew up to 2 inches and their ant hills swarmed with millions of them. Biologically they had not much in common with Terran Ants of course, the Green Hell version had eight legs and had both an endo- and an exoskeleton to support their bodies in this higher gravitation. Their mandibles made of a biological carbon compound that was almost as hard as diamond and truly razor sharp. The acid produced by these ants was strong enough to eat through any known material except Compacted Ultronit. The ants mixed two components of that corrosive liquid by spraying it out of two holes in their bodies, to prevent of being dissolved by their own acid. When an ant colony was on the march to new grounds, nothing was spared or safe from their attacks and a battle between a Water snake or a Stomper caught by an ant colony was a horrible and fascinating spectacle. One of the few places that was ant free on this world was an island almost in the center of the largest lake. It was there Union Marines established the first permanent base; over the years it grew into into the city Ant Hill, the only city on this world. True Greenies were fiercely proud of their world and everyone had a favorite "monster". Water Snakes and Dragon Ants were the clear favorites and there was the Snake Fans and the Ant Lovers and the discussion just what lifeform was the most dangerous on Green Hell was a common subject for endless discussions and friendly banter. Roy had not made up his mind and was of the opinion that there were many life forms on this planet yet to be discovered. While he was musing about ants and snakes he ducked fast to avoid the net of a Moolax-Spinner, huge brown arachnoid beasts able to electrify their almost invisible nets with deadly voltage. The filaments of the net were only a few molecules thick and could cut through almost anything. He didn't even realize he had pulled and shot his blaster a few seconds later to kill a Vamp-Fly that came to close to be avoided until he had the weapon back in its holster. Roy didn't shoot or kill for sport or fun, only when it was necessary. Everything on Green Hell had an arsenal of natural weapons, poisons and acids to their disposal. That did not mean that every life form was trying to constantly kill everything else. It was more of a careful co existence. Roy's blaster was his stinger and he used it only if necessary. Three years ago, sponsored by a popular extreme sports magazine and a sports outfitter sixteen extreme sport athletes of the so called Top Toughs answered the challenge of a loudmouth GalNet host. That host, a Takkian named Akrun Nokhar challenged Green Hell's reputation of being the deadliest worlds in the known Universe. He offered 5 million credits to anyone running from Ma Swenson's boat house to research-outpost seven. RO-7 was only ten kilometers from Ma Swenson's. There were twelve such outposts around the western hemisphere of the planet, the house Roy called his home was one of those and officially designated RO-9. Despite warnings and the objection of the Ranger Service, Nokhar managed to get a federal court order allowing him to proceed. Two Pertharians, eight Saturnians, nine Takkians, two Stellaris, three X101, even a Nul and a dozen others participated. It was a terrible disaster and loss of life. One of the Saturnians made it a whole kilometer but fell prey to a Burrow Digger. One of the X101s had to find out that Dragon Ant acid was strong enough to eat his tough metal skin in seconds. Only a Pertharian survived but severely wounded when the Ranger found him. Akrun Nokhar could not be held responsible, he was one of the Takkians participating in the race; his crystalline outer shell was later found and identified to be his. Of course it was all the news GalNet wide for several weeks and no one questioned the dangers of Green Hell from that point on. Sometimes Roy wished he could have participated, so he could have shown these arrogant Off-Worlders that Green Hell was as beautiful a world as any other, but then his parents would have found out that he really was outside almost every day and grounded him forever. They never knew that it was him however who found the Takkian's shell a few days later and told the Ranger where it was. While the Galaxy had mostly forgotten about this event, it had cemented Green Hells reputation and prevented any further foolishness... At Gillian's Pub, which was a local tavern at Ground level Plaza of Ant Hill, they still talked about that Extreme Sport challenge of course. While not openly admitting it, because the loss of live was not supposed to be a source of satisfaction; Greenies were glad it actually ended that way. It would keep Off-Worlders away. The non scientist community of Green Hell, those who called themselves Greenies, didn't care all to much for Off-Worlders, who always knew everything better than the locals and then died a few hours later. Gillian's Pub was owned by Melissa's grandfather and Roy and his friends often went there after school to get a bag of fish and chips that were so delicious. Only a few Greenies, mostly the Shop keepers and the two Hotel owners wished that Green Hell would grow and see more visitors and tourists. He had reached a spot halfway between the house and the Shore rocks where he was going to meet his friends. This area had lots of Strangle veins and Buzz Saw nests and it was better to be on the ground. He carefully avoided a Mortar Toad that hopped across his intended path so it would not shower him with hundreds of little flesh eating toads catapulted from pockets in its back. Then he ducked and crawled under a dagger bush with its steel hard and needle sharp leaves. Every branch was under tremendous tension and would release at the slightest touch. A dagger bush branch had dozens of underarm long needle sharp barbed spikes and the force of the released tension was enough to drive those spikes in the though armored skin of a water snake and of course mortally wound a human. Right after that bush he almost run head first into an all black huge beast. He panicked for the duration of a heartbeat. His sense of danger had failed him and did not warn him of this beast. He froze at the spot, not moving a muscle. The animal in front of him didn't look like any animal he had ever seen on Green Hell. No animal he knew was so completely black!

Chapter 5: Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Dr. Ivan Harrow disconnected the Comm-Link with a forceful gesture, reflecting his feeling of annoyance. He really respected Paul Masters and he simply adored Martha, but he hated to be called while he was attending a lecture at the annual Galactic life-sciences Conference. This time it was being held on Earth (Terra) and the ancient hallowed grounds of the famous Cambridge University. Even though he was unable to attend in person this year, and he was there only via GalNet tele-presence avatar, it was still a special kind of honor to be one of the featured lecturers. Only moments before his Avatar projection proceeded to the lectern, Paul Masters called him to ask him about technical details on floater shields and ruined his concentration and state of mind. He expected Paul Masters to understand those things. He wasn't a Flier expert for Mozart's sake, but everyone knew CHOPERS were safe and there were only three incidents on Green Hell in which a flier was damaged. Besides both Paul and Martha weren't new to Green Hell and had been on Green Hell almost as long as he had. Ivan gave the Comm Unit one more glance and then reclined on the new Virtu Presence Couch, that had been delivered only a month before. He told the Computronic to make sure he was not disturbed for any reason and then activated the direct neuro-connection to the GalNet terminal and reconnected the Avatar session. He was a Botanist and had little interest in the fantastic technology that allowed him to bridge a distance measured in hundreds of light years without any noticeable delay. He was only interested in the fact that he connected and found himself standing in a conference room filled with distinguished colleagues, scientists and experts from all over the Union. Field projectors created a form-field energy cocoon that simulated his body shape. A three dimensional image of him was projected onto the inside of that field. Gravitation and mass simulators gave the projection substance and allowed him to interact with objects and other beings. What his simulated senses experienced was fed directly into his brain. He could see, hear and feel what his avatar was feeling. Only smell and taste were still hard to simulate and therefore ignored in these non-entertainment Avatar GalNet units. Avatar Enabled GalNet terminals were still a new technology and incredibly expensive, but next to the Union Fleet, the Science Corps was the best funded government agency. Right now Dr. Nalg Nokes, a fish faced Ult stood behind the lectern, wearing a semi transparent water circulation suit designed to keep the amphibian well hydrated. Dr. Nokes was an authority on the field of marine botany, a good friend of Ivan's and as the little silvery pyramid shaped emblem on his suit attested he was a member of the Hive of Minds. The Ult gestured with his webbed hands towards Ivan and his slightly amplified voice carried to the last seat in the auditorium saying, "Without further ado let me introduce the lecturer of this hour, my esteemed colleague and dear friend Dr. Ivan Harrow, senior lead researcher of the Life sciences department at Ant Hill on Planet Green Hell. He and his fellow researchers risk life and limb every day to unravel the mysteries of this truly unique and dangerous world." Ivan ignored the small blinking light that appeared in his field of view, signaling he had an urgent call. He blinked it away, thanked the Ult for the introduction and approached the lectern. In the audience before him he saw ant-like Klack, olive skinned Sarans and four stately looking Pan Sarans. There was a Takkian sitting right next to a Pertharian giant. To his surprise he noticed an X101. These chrome skinned sentient machines were among the best engineers, to see one at a Bio sciences conference was something unexpected. The three silver haired beauties in the first row were of course Saresii and he wondered if one of them was actually a real female. A humanoid shaped being, covered in a deep green tight-fitting suit and a helmet with a mirrored faceplate sitting right next to the Saresii must have been a Non-Corp. These beings without real bodies could only interact with others wearing special containment suits, the fact that they made the surface of a sun their home was something he could barely comprehend. Without further ado, he began with his lecture on Trapper palms and their intricate symbiotic relation to microbial mites. The audience was a knowledgeable assembly of scientists and they only interrupted his lecture with valuable questions and observations. As the last of his interactive three dimensional presentation images faded away and he had reached the end of his lecture, the audience applauded his efforts which gave him a deep sense of accomplishment and pride. It was the faceless Non Corp who raised his arm and said with an artificial sounding voice, "Dr. Harrow. I am Nine-three-eight, which is the closest approximation to what my kind uses for names and I am the first Botanist PhD of Non Corp origin." Ivan smiled at the alien entity and motioned him with a gesture to continue while he congratulated the being for his academic choice, "It is a rewarding field of study Dr. Nine-three-eight and I'm delighted to hear a Non corp made a similar career choice as I have done." Other members of the audience also added similar sentiments and the Non Corp nodded gracefully and said, "My motivations to choose this field were many, but I did raise my simulated arm to ask your opinion, Dr. Harrow. I have read and studied Green Hell by reading as many papers and publications as I could process so far. There is a wealth of information on a host of fascinating life forms indeed, but it does not appear as if life on Green Hell came from one source and that there are hundreds of Evolutionary processes running simultaneously, some completely alien to the other. It would appear that there is no common denominator among these lifeforms." The Non Corp now raised both his arms, "The only common thread I can find is the disproportional array of body weapons, poisons and other means of lethal attack. To me it looks almost as if life on Green Hell was designed by someone and each life form is part of an experiment or project. What is your professional opinion on this?" Dr. Harrow put down the simulated PDD his Avatar hands were holding and said, "This, my Non Corp colleague is the reason for the Science Corps deep interest in Green Hell. This is the reason for all the research we conduct and what we call the Green Hell Question. Evolution on every world in the Universe follows certain patterns. Even life on your Star, as alien as it is to many of us, developed from one source, but not on Green Hell. The Lighting Bolters have no evolutionary connection to the Water Snakes, or the Stompers or any other life form on Green Hell. The same as the snakes, they too have no real connection. There is not a single DNA commonality between the Moolax spinners and the Pandora Swans and no one has yet been able to find out why." He took a few more questions and discussed speculations and theories with others, then he reluctantly severed the connection. It took him a few moments of feeling dizzy and disoriented before he was completely back. His assistant stormed into the room and said with a breathless voice, "There has been an accident. The flier went down. We think it crashed."

Roy stared at the beast in front of him, this animal was covered with short black fur, except around the neck area where the fur formed a thick mane; it had four legs and a boxy brutish looking head, with two ears and small horns on the crown of its skull. Roy estimated it to be perhaps 140 centimeters tall from ground to its back, the head slightly higher, attached to the torso by a short but massive neck. The animal was perhaps 300 centimeters long and had a short thick tail. The muscles of the animal were well defined under that luscious shining black fur and it gave the being a massive and strong appearance. It had two eyes that glowed dark red and had no visible pupils. The short broad snout was topped by flaring nostrils. A pair of long canines emerged from the upper jaw past the chaps and extended at least 40 centimeters past the lower jaw. Only now did he notice the dark metal band around the beast's neck with short cone shaped metal spikes in even intervals all around its colossal neck. It was something man made, it was a collar! Roy sighed and relaxed, this was not an animal native to Green Hell. It was quite obviously a pet, a tamed animal. Terrans especially, but other cultures as well, found joy in keeping domesticated Pets. Domesticated life forms were unknown on Green Hell, as no foreign life form could survive the Jungles even for a few moments. Ranger Solomon had a tank of fish in his office, but those were the only off world animals Roy knew of. His friends however, secretly kept Green Hell animals as pets, unknown even to their parents. Norm often teased him, that he was not a 'real Greenie' as he had not managed to befriend a local life form as of yet. Norm theorized that being able to become friendly with a Green Hell monster was the ultimate proof and hallmark of a real next generation Greenie. Out of an impulse he hadn't thought through, Roy reached out and touched the animal and said, "Are you lost, Partner?" The animal opened his terrifying maw and for a moment Roy thought he was done for, but instead of being maimed or bitten in half, a huge blackish tongue appeared and licked him straight across the face. The big black tongue was dry and felt like a metal sanding disc as it charred across his skin. As the animal licked him, he received strange new and foreign images in his head. He saw images of deep space, stars, and planets as if looking through the view port of a space ship. Then he recognized one of the planets, it was Green Hell, a beautiful emerald green sphere. The planet seemed to became bigger and it was like watching a fast descent or fall, finally the images showed Green Hell jungles and then there was an image of himself. Roy's mother was a native of Phantas and like almost every Phantsian she was gifted with psionic powers, not that he ever known her to use her telepatic abilities on him, but he was no stranger to Psionics. Once every other year when his grandmother came to visit, she demonstrated her telekinetic skills and transmitted her affection towards Roy almost the same way as the animal did now. His father, Paul Masters, was seven points below the Heidelberg Psi Index threshold where Psionics usually emerged in a being and Roy did not inherit any of his mother's abilities. His HPI was a disappointing 56 and well below the level of even the weakest form of Psionics to manifest. Roy, like every other Union kid, had been subjected to the mandatory HPI test on the first day of Union School. Union PSI laws were very strong and the Psionic Power Registration Act of 3210 required everyone's Psionic ability to be tested and if such abilities existed trained and registered. It was this knowledge and exposure that ensured that he didn't freak out as these strong images flooded his mind. He still was quite unprepared and surprised by the sudden Psionics and he sensed that the animal meant him no harm and was quite intelligent, but unable to communicate in any form of language or truly coherent thought. Roy petted the animal's immense shoulders. While the black fur felt as soft as the finest Velvet, Melissa had a dress that felt that way, the body and the muscles underneath were as hard as Ultronit. The animal lowered itself to the ground so Roy could pet it more easily and he felt waves of affection and pleasure radiating from the animal. Roy could not help himself and smiled, "I like you too. Let's see if we can get you home! This is no place for an Off-world pet. Do you belong to someone?" As Roy asked this question he received a mental image of himself as if the animal wanted to say, I belong to you. Roy opened his wrist com and dialed for the ranger station. It took only a moment and Ranger Solomon's face appeared. "Hi Roy," the local lawman greeted him with a broad smile on his face. "Bob is already at that secret meeting place where you guys always hang out and I am sure he is waiting for you already." Roy said to the father of his best friend, "Good afternoon Mr. Solomon. I am on my way to see Bob and the others. I was calling to ask if anyone reported a missing Off-World pet. I think they call them dogs or something like that." The Rangers forehead wrinkled upwards as he answered, "What a strange question, Roy. No there are no such reports and there could not be, as Off World pets and animals are not allowed on Green Hell. Don't tell me you are outside again!" Roy tried to shield the optic pick up as much as he could, so the Ranger would not see the Jungle background, but of course it was way too late for that, "Well I am sort of a little, but not really far. I was just curious if someone is missing a pet." The Ranger knew of course that Roy was outside and said with a smirk, "Your father is going to have a field day with me if he finds out I know that you are outside." Roy snorted and raised his chin a little in a defiant gesture and said, "I told them that I was outside Sir. I told my parents I went outside many times. They just don't believe me" The Ranger knew that no one would really believe him either and that was the main reason he didn't make it an official issue. He smiled weakly and sighed then he said to Roy, "Anyway be careful out there. As for your question, no there are no reports of missing animals of any kind reported to the Ranger Network of this entire quadrant, including Green Hell. The only Off World animals I know of, are a swarm of Gold Fish in a tank in my office and they won't go anywhere." Roy asked, "How big does a Terran dog get?" The ranger shrugged his shoulders, unaware that this gesture would be lost on the small wrist display and said, "I have never seen a real dog Roy, so I don't know. Whatever it is you see is most certainly not a dog or a domestic animal. Stay well clear of it, take a few pictures and consult GalNet or ask your parents." Roy closed the call saying, "Thank you Mr. Solomon. I will do that, I mean I run a search on GalNet." With a wave he disconnected the CommLink with the Ranger and switched to GalNet. "System, identify the life form in the images I am transmitting." The little Wrist Unit linked to the GalNet relay at Ant Hill, while a smart logarithm isolated the image of the black beast, calculated its size and weight then ran it against the most comprehensive collection of knowledge collected, the central data bank of the Science Council known to everyone in the Union as WALES. Normally a search lasted a few seconds at best. This time he waited almost a minute and then the warm male voice of WALES responded, "Insufficient data to identify. Seven life forms, nine mythical beasts and seventeen unsubstantiated references found. None match the received data to more than seventy percent. Do you wish to make a new entry?" "No, not at this moment." While he did all that he committed a deadly mistake, he had remained for way too long on the same spot and did not pay as much attention to his surroundings as he should have. An Insecto-Saurus broke through the thicket and was preparing for an attack. His Sense of Danger did warn him, but he had been distracted. Normally he would have had no problem avoiding an Insecto. These beasts had no sense of smell and their field of view was restricted, by its own body to the back of the animal. But now the Insecto had clearly made him out and his trick imitating the Snake sound would not work because Insectos had no hearing and besides Insectos attacked Snakes if they thought the snake was small enough for them to succeed. Worse yet, Insectos never had their heart at the same spot, it could be nearly anywhere in the main torso and their small brains were well protected inside a tough small skull. He had seen an Insecto continue to fight for several minutes even with a completely severed head. They were as tough as Stompers, and twice as fast. His mother once compared an Insecto-Saurus to a mix between overgrown Scorpion, Praying Mantis and Raptor Dinosaur. Roy never understood why they always compared anything to Terran life, he never paid much attention and did not know how those animals looked, but he knew the poisonous stinger of the Insecto would kill him as fast as the scratch of a Pandora Swan claw and that the scissor claws that were able to cut through a Tantalus Oak tree trunk would have no problem clipping him in half. Not to mention the powerful mandibles. The boy realized he would die right here and now and while he was afraid to die, he did not regret it or hate the Insecto for it, this was how things went on Green Hell. He was a Greenie and this was how anything on this world eventually died. However death did not come as he expected, the black animal catapulted itself over the eight meter distance that separated it from the Insecto. Roy already imagined seeing blood and bits of black fur and was worried about the black beast and against all better judgment he remained still, instead of using the black animal's sacrifice as a diversion and escape. He had pulled his blaster anyway and held the Vibro Machete in his other fist hoping he might be able to fight the Insecto and help his new friend. To Roy's utter amazement, it was not necessary. The scissor claws of the Insecto slid across the black fur without even scratching the skin beneath. Those scissor claws were razor sharp and diamond hard sharp and yet they could not penetrate the black animal's skin. The Saurus screeched and hammered its poisonous stinger into the side of the black beast in a frenzied staccato, but the stinger was as ineffective as the claws, the stinger broke and drooled greenish poisonous slime over the sides of the black animal. The black beast suddenly grew enormous claws out of the front of its paws and with them it ripped sizable chunks out of the Insectos body. The crystalline armor shattered like brittle glass while a shower of blood, guts and flesh sprayed everywhere. The black beast slashed its claws so fast through the air; Roy saw them only as a flashing blur. The black beast attacked with a level of vicious brutality and power like nothing Roy had ever witnessed on a planet where nature was more vicious and brutal than anywhere else. The Psionic connection he had with the animal transmitted a feeling of pure and powerful rage. It was over as fast as it had begun; the Insecto was nothing but a torn heap of shredded flesh and legs, barely recognizable for what it once was. The emotions of rage ebbed away and again filled Roy's mind with a feeling of devotion towards him. Swarms of Vamp Flies already buzzed around, attracted by the smell of blood. Roy knew ants would not be far behind. He jumped over a Fire Nettle and said to the beast, "We'd better get out of here, fast!" The animal reacted instantly, and followed him, sending waves of warmth and affection to Roy. There was no sense of pain or agony to suggest the black animal had suffered any wounds. Roy caught his breath and said, "Wow that was something! You sure did a number on that Insecto. I thought we are both done for." A feeling of deep pride caused by Roy's praise emanated from the animal and a warm sensation of deep affection was the answer. After walking beside the animal for a little while he got the mental image of him riding on the beast. "You want me to sit on your on your back?" he asked aloud. The image reappeared. Roy had never sat on an animal; the very thought of it was very alien to him, but for some reason he trusted that animal with his life and felt a sense of affection for it. Just as he realized his own affection for the animal, he was instantly rewarded with a returning swell of pride and deep satisfaction from the animal and the image reappeared, him sitting on the animal riding it. He pulled himself up by getting a hold on the ten centimeter wide metal collar and swung himself up on the animal's back. He kept his hold on the collar as the animal slowly moved forward. Roy could feel the rock hard muscles moving under the soft short fur in a steady rolling rhythm and after a little while he got used to the flow of motions and felt more at ease riding the beast. He examined the collar more closely. It was made of a dark metal and it was somewhat flexible, more like memory metal than unyielding Ultronit. Roy speculated that the animal was perhaps a local life form after all and just got caught in some sort of snare and what he initially identified as a collar was the remnants of such a trap. It was not unheard of that criminal Off-Worlders would come to Green Hell, trying to snatch and capture a few of the local monsters. He had heard some of the stories the Ranger told at the dinners he shared with his best friends at their home. Green Hell beasts would bring a tidy sum of profit, sold to Death Fight Arenas of Free-space worlds. The Ranger also said that these secret raids were extremely rare and of the ones he knew about, none succeeded with the Wildlife thieves dying in the Jungles just like any other Off-Worlder who underestimated the dangers of this world. But then there was the Rumor that some Greenies secretly snared and trapped local life forms to smuggle and sell them to Exotic Animal Dealers. One time. The Ranger caught a Bio Institute researcher working together with a local technician smuggling Insectos and a Stompers off planet. Both men were arrested and tried and now spent their time on a nasty Correctional Colony somewhere else, according to the Ranger. Roy did not really understand why someone would want to buy a Stomper just to kill it. While he was riding on the animal's back, his thoughts circled back to the black beast itself. While it could be a local life form, he somehow doubted it. Animals on Green Hell didn't have four legs. They had more or none, and no beast he had seen so far was as black as this one. He shrugged as his feeling and ideas didn't mean much. His mother estimated that less than five percent of all the estimated life forms on Green Hell had been cataloged so far and less than maybe five percent of the planet's surface was truly surveyed and mapped in detail. Again he cursed himself for being so preoccupied with the black animal that he missed the Decease-Dust Bush right before them, the animal waltzed right over it and the cherry sized purple pods at the tips of the plants branches exploded, dusting the black fur of the beast's chest with the deadliest nerve toxin known to man. Even the slightest amount on unprotected skin caused most known life forms to collapse in lethal convulsions. True Greenies were somewhat immune to it, still feeling the burning sensation and becoming very sick for week or two but they would not die of the exposure. Being exposed to such a large amount however would have been lethal to anyone. Incredibly, the dust had no effect on the beast at all. Dagger bush branches lashed against its flanks moments later, the sharp thorns shattering or bending but not a single one penetrated or wounded the animal. Two arrow wasps accelerated to almost rifle bullet speed bounced off its skin as if hitting a rock. It became apparent to Roy how this animal survived in the Jungles of Green Hell. It did not avoid the dangers like most other life forms did. It waltzed right over or through them and nothing so far that he could see had any effect on it. Just like a Stomper, but even a Stomper would have been affected by the Five-mouth centipede that suddenly appeared from its burrow underneath a Nettle bush and snapped its five pairs of mandibles into the skin of the beasts front legs. The beast's claws severed the centipede in pieces and stomped the rest into gore without slowing down or having any effect. The animal responded to his mental directions like it was a part of Roy's body. When he wanted to go left, the animal immediately went left or avoided a danger as fast as Roy could see it. Roy once again paid full attention to his surroundings. Even though his new found friend could waltz through the Jungle like a Union Marine in fully shielded Battle Armor, it did not mean that Roy sitting on top could do the same. It didn't take long to reach the edge of the Jungle. There was a thirty meter wide shore line beach of stone pebbles, Terror moss and Murder Grass growing between the stones. Blister crabs were camouflaged as small shore rocks hiding among the gray and brownish pebbles and head sized boulders. This shore line edged the Great Lake all around the largest of the deep freshwater lakes of this world, or almost 5,544 kilometers. Today the weather was especially beautiful. The sweltering jungle heat and permanent moisture did not extend over the big lake. During the cold weather seasons, strong storms would whip the lake's surface into large, gist crested waves, but not today. The surface presented itself like a deep green mirror with the warm sun reflecting in it. Going East and following the shoreline for about nine kilometers, one would reach Ma Swenson's Boathouse and from there you could take a floater and fly to the big island where the City was, about 12 kilometers into the lake. One of these days, he wanted to walk the entire shore line all around, even realizing it would take him more than a year if he ever attempted it. When they built Ant Hill they did make survey soundings and concluded that the Large Lake was also one of the deepest with depths reaching 1,400 meters. So far no one had been down there or even begun to survey the lakes and the life forms that might lurk in them. The water of the big lakes was fresh and always cool and it was clean and could be consumed by humans without any ill effects. Some of the merchants at Ant Hill dreamed that this would be a good commodity to export, as fresh drinking water was always in demand on the Galactic Market. Right here at this spot of the Lake's shore was a group of boulders, pushed into the lake perhaps by a long gone planetary ice age. These nine boulders were free of ants and the lichen, covering some of the spots, was one of the few life forms they knew about that was truly harmless and had no lethal abilities whatsoever. These rocks had become their secret hang-out and it was here where he met with his friends almost every afternoon. Roy jumped off of the back of his new friend and said to it, "Wait here, Partner. I want to surprise the others!" He felt the answer and knew the animal had understood. He hopped and ran in measured moves between the patches of terror Moss and Murder grass as he had done countless times before, always on the look-out for crabs, and catapulted himself in a big leap across the water and landed on the first boulder. His friends were already here: Norm Stevenson, the son of the Major, Maria Scott, daughter of the City Engineer, Bob Solomon, his best friend and son of the Ranger and Melissa O'Malley, her family owned the Department Store and two restaurants in Town. Bob leaned against the brown furry body of Wobbler. Wobbler was an almost fully grown Moolax Spider, measuring about six meters across, legs included. Bob had rescued the spider from a Stomper when it was still small. Bob raised the spider and bonded with it and whenever Bob was outside, Wobbler would wait for him and follow Bob around wherever he went. Bob was the biggest of them all and the strongest of them. Like Roy he too wore his Grav-Adjuster dialed up since his sixth birthday. Bob had thick black curled hair and he had curls hanging down to the side of his temples in the tradition of his family and an old Earth religion, called Judaism. He also expressed his faith by wearing a little round hat on the top of his head. Bob called it his Kippah. Ranger Solomon would wear one like it whenever he did not wear his helmet. Bob once explained to Roy the significance of it, but Roy had forgotten. Roy was not religious at all, the only concept that came close to him was the feeling he had when he was out in the Jungle. Wobbler rose only a bit as he saw Roy coming, but then relaxed again. Bob grinned, "Finally, you made it! We thought you might not show up today." "My parents gave me another lecture and some bad news, and then I had to wait until they left." Melissa sat on top of the tallest rock. She was friends with Roy and the others ever since the first days of kindergarten when they all first met. Roy only recently realized that Melissa was a girl and that she became prettier every day and perhaps already was the prettiest girl in town. She had a mass of curly flaming red hair that surrounded her skin that had the same shine as the fine English china her parents kept in a locked glass case in their dining room. It almost looked translucent. Her long lashes framed huge green eyes, over a tiny nose and beautiful shaped lips. Lately she had begun to use a little make up and her lips were painted in a nice shade that matched her hair. She wore her Bio-seal suit skin tight and her body became more female-looking every day. Her suit had long dark green panels on the sides, starting at her collar and ending in her boots, the middle was white and this color scheme somehow enhanced her curves even more. At first it looked as if she wore a beautiful cape of silver, and an odd looking head piece with a long needle sharp point. The cape suddenly moved and Silver, her Pandora Swan, lifted his sleek head and turned it on the long snake like neck to look at Roy with hostile yellow piercing eyes. Melissa scratched the underside of his neck and the Swan lowered his head burying it in her mass of red hair and once more only his long sharp beak was visible. Silver would barely leave her shoulders and even though it had claws hard as diamond and sharp as knives, it somehow managed to never leave even one scratch on her delicate shoulders. The slightest scratch of those claws meant instant death as they were poisonous. She gave Roy a charming smile. Maria sat a little below Melissa and had her legs folded in the lotus position. On her lap was a partially dismantled blaster she worked on, her tool belt within reach. The big shoulder bag on her other side moved and the head of Snuggle appeared. Snuggle was a pelted two meter long Ninja Weasel. They usually did not appear during the day and were deadly night hunters, able to adopt almost any background color they came into contact with, blending into the surrounding and becoming virtually invisible until they attacked with razor sharp claws and poisonous fangs. It had a snake like body with two little arms that ended in clawed paws that had the same dexterity and an opposing thumb just like a human hand. They could coil and catapult themselves over great distances and use their long scaled tails covered with needle sharp barbs like a bull whip shredding their opponents. Ninja Weasels were the natural enemy of Pandora Swans as they usually raided the Pandora Swan nests for the eggs and the young, but here the two animals co existed within arm's length of each other. Snuggle blinked into the sun and at Roy then returned into the bag, but not before getting a Gummy Bear candy from Maria who didn't even look up from her work, doing it. She waved at Roy. "I am almost done with Norm's blaster." There was nothing Maria could not take apart, repair or improve. She loved tools and tech and working with her hands. Maria had long straight black hair and her bangs reached down to her deep brown, almost black, eyes giving her an always brooding somewhat sinister appearance and she often, especially when interacting with teachers or other kids used her hair almost like a persona shield she hid behind. She too had begun to lose her boyish body and had developed a nice and appealing chest line. Her suit was colored black and white. Roy wondered for a short moment why he would even notice Maria's chest and find it somehow very nice to look at, then he was distracted as Norm surfaced and climbed out of the water and onto the rocks, Zisch his Water snake, slithered out of the water a second later, and coiled up behind Norm who toweled himself dry. Zisch put its head on Norms lap, fluttered its leathery head sails and as usual was soon asleep. Zisch was a real Water Snake, a very young one still but it visibly grew bigger every time Roy saw the animal. Zisch was about twelve meters long now and about as thick as a human torso. Norm had pulled Zisch out of an Ant attack, and washed and nursed the badly wounded baby snake to health again. Norm was almost obnoxiously proud of his Water snake. Norm was about as tall as Roy and just like Roy very athletic, but not as strong. He never had a Grav Adjuster. "Ah there is Roy!" he greeted, "the water is wonderful!" Roy looked across the surface and saw the half submerged head of a huge Water snake not too far from the rocks. It was Zisch's mother or perhaps its father and ever since Norm bonded with the young snake the big snake was never far from the rocks to keep watch. Norm followed Roy's gaze and nodded, "Yes Zisch's mother is out there again, she makes sure nothing is harming me or Zisch. Of course I am a real Greenie and I would not suggest you try to go swimming! They simply don't like Off-Worlders or pretenders." At another time Roy would have been offended as Norm had lately begun to tease Roy in a not too friendly way about the fact that Roy was not a real Greenie in his eyes, due to the fact that his parents were Off-Worlders. Roy said calmly, "So having a local life form as a pet makes one a real Greenie then?" Norm nodded, "We are all seventh to tenth generation Greenies and now we are the first generation bonding with what others like you for example think are mindless, killing beasts. It is as if the planet and all our glorious life forms have formed a bond that cannot be understood by those who still have Off World dirt in their veins." Melissa got angry and defended Roy with a sharp tone, "He is a Greenie just like us. Not even you would dare to go through into the actual Jungle as he does all the time." Bob agreed, "Fourteen Kilometers every day. If you are so confident in your Greenie heritage why don't you visit Roy on foot one day?" Maria snapped the last piece of the blaster she was working on in place and said, "Besides our animals don't harm him and accept him too. He petted Wobbler and Snuggle doesn't mind him, even Zisch isn't attacking him." Norm sneered, "Don't get me wrong, I am impressed by how Roy, an Off-Worlder, can navigate through our Jungles but no one ever saw him really doing it. He could hide an armor suit or something; he is just not one of us." Bob got up and flexed his muscles, "Do you want me to pound your face in? What is it with you today? Roy is one of us and has always been! We all know Roy doesn't have an Armor suit." Roy shrugged, "If you want to see me go home, why don't you come along sometime?" Melissa nodded, "Good idea, I'll call the Major and tell him his son won't be home for dinner." Roy turned and called out loudly, "Partner!" At first nothing happened and Roy feared he had left his new friend alone for too long. Then the big black beast broke through the foliage, like a tracked Marine explorer tank it plowed through the dangerous foliage, crushed a few attacking crabs and neither the knife like steel blades of the Murder-Grass tuffs nor the squirting acid of the terror moss patches had any effect on it. Partner splashed through the water and jumped right next to Roy then sat down on his hind legs and licked Roy across the shoulders. The others were quite shocked and surprised by the stormy approach of the black beast. Silver flapped his wings and hissed at Partner. Wobbler had gone into attack stance. Zisch reared up and was about to spew fire. Even the big Water Snake in the water rose and slowly came closer. It took them a moment to calm their animals and then Melissa said, "Well, it looks like Roy is a Greenie after all. I have no idea what he found in the Jungles but it sure looks like an animal to me, a very big one too!" Bob scratched his head, "I've never seen anything like it either, but whatever it is it seems pretty tough. The Terror Moss didn't do shit to it! And not even Zisch would slither across that!" Maria got up and carefully approached, "Does it attack or can I touch it?" Roy petted the massive head of his beast, "No it won't attack. It likes you, you can touch it." Maria cooed, "Oh how soft its fur is! Just like Snuggle!" Norm waved his hands, "Maybe Roy is a Greenie, but that's not a Green Hell animal. I bet he bought it on GalNet. It has four legs. Nothing on Green Hell has four legs. Maybe it's a robot!" Maria shook her head, "That's no robot! I know every robot model there is and this is not a machine." Bob added, "How can you be so sure it isn't native? We know less than one percent of what's out there. No one really has been to the other side of the planet. Whatever it is, it walked with Roy in the Jungle and nothing off world can survive that." Norm had no real answer to that and had to concede. "Yes you are right, it must be a native life form, it survives, but I bet my Water Snake is tougher than whatever that is! Maybe I should ask Zisch's mom to fry it!" "I don't know what's gotten into you?" said Melissa and she glared at him with her big green eyes and they sparkled with emotion as she continued, "Why are you so aggressive towards Roy today? We have always been friends!" Maria slung her tool belt around her waist and closed it, and then she said from underneath her curtain of black hair, "Because we are growing up and we are not kids anymore. Norm has feelings towards you, and when you smiled at Roy it set him off. It's hormones that turn males into idiots." Norm blushed and Melissa gasped. Maria always said things in a blunt and direct way and nothing escaped her analytical eyes and sharp mind. Melissa stomped her foot, "You are all my friends. Please don't destroy that with petty jealousy games. I am not interested in you Norm; I mean other than being friends and neither am I interested in Roy. Can we not remain friends as we always have been even though we starting to notice that we are not all of the same gender?" Norm sat down and said with a weak voice, "Maybe I did over-react a little and I am sorry. Roy is a Greenie I know. I would never dare to try to make it on foot to his house." Roy shrugged again, "I can do it only because I live out there and have to do it all the time. I bet you could do it after a while just as I do, after all you are a Greenie." Norm liked what Roy had said and nodded, "Sorry Roy. Didn't mean to be such an asshole. I am sure you can bathe and swim all day long, Zisch's mother is protecting us all after all, not just me." Maria handed Norm the blaster and said, "It's fixed and next time make sure the trigger assembly is completely snapped into place or it isn't water proof." He took his expensive Enroe DE blaster and said, "Thank you Maria, I will." Maria cocked her head and said with urgency, "I can hear a Floater engine!" Everyone turned and tried to hide and duck between the rocks, but it was too late this time, a green painted armed hover tank with the logo of the Union ranger service on the sides appeared from above the Jungle and swooped down.

Chapter 6: Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Paul felt the fine stinging sensation of the suit's Auto Doc administering drugs and injecting tissue and medical repair Nanites into his back. He tasted blood in his mouth and opened his eyes. He lay sprawled on the vegetation covered ground of Green Hell. He saw the wrecked skimmer not far away, a smoking and twisted wreck. Then he saw something he had never wanted to see up close, hundreds of Dragon Ants crawling over the faceplate of his helmet. The suit must have automatically sealed itself and that was why he was still able to open his eyes. Would the suit hold long enough for help to arrive? His next thought was about Helen, "Suit can you connect me to Helen Masters?" "Helen Masters is trying to call you, Sir. I will connect." He heard the voice of his wife, "Thank heaven the Auto Doc was able to stabilize you." Her voice, for the first time in years, reflected real emotions and he knew she still cared for him, on a level other than just being a good researcher and assistant. He cleared his throat and said, "What happened? Are you alright?" He could not move his head for some reason and still watched the Ants with their scary mandibles trying to bite through the transparent metal of the now rigid helmet. She said, "I am stuck to my waist in a mud bog and a Burrow Digger is trying to chew my leg off. As long as I have Suit energy I think I will be all right. You have a broken back and the Auto Doc immobilized most of your muscles so you don't move and kill yourself doing it. Mortimer is alright too, he is nursing broken legs and a few bruises." The voice of Dr. Evans came on, angry and annoyed, "It was your foolishness that got us in this mess. We will all die here! I can see the Ants are already making progress on your suit and I am stuck in a Trappers palm with Buzz Saws swarming all over me." Martha did not sound too confident as she said, "I called for help, but there are no Marines in town at the moment. I was told that they left for Harper's Junction for some R&R. They are alerted and will come back, but it will take a while. Paul watched as a small stream of Ant acid begun to eat into the transparent metal of his folding helmet. There were hundreds of them and eventually they would get through. In all this he somehow remembered his own words to Roy, when he called the marines 'dumb brutes'. He wondered what he should say to his wife before they died. He was afraid of dying, but it was the drugs that kept him pain free and immobilized that made him somewhat lethargic. Paul heard Martha say, "I don't believe it..." Before he could even ask her, he heard a new deep voice, "Not to worry, I'll have you out of here in no time!" Paul could see a man wearing a much lighter combat suit without a helmet, he was tall and dark skinned and with him were two tremendous looking war machines. Roy's father of course recognized Charles the robot as one of them, so the other must have been Henry, the other Cerberus on this world. Charles bathed Paul in a bright ultraviolet light that scanned all over his suited body and then the robot picked him up, despite the 3 ton armor suit and said with his warm voice, "Master Paul, one has destroyed the ants that infested your suit. One will fly you to the city for medical attention. Henry will assist Mistress Martha and the third person. The man who Roy called Uncle Sam grinned and said, "I came as fast as I could when I heard about the accident. There is nothing faster on this planet than a Cerberus doing a ballistic jump. So don't worry, we'll be in space only for a few seconds and you'll be at the hospital in no time." Martha watched as the impulse jets in the robot's legs glowed sun bright and air, heated to a million degrees by hot energy plasma, burned, charred and blasted the ground. Charles disappeared into the sky like a rocket with her husband in his arms, his aggressive Trans Dim Battle shields punching a hole through the foliage of the trees and everything else that might have been in the way. She could hear the loud boom as Charles broke the sound barrier a heartbeat later. Martha was pulled out of the muck by the other robot with one of its arms while another arm grew meter long razor claws out of its fist's knuckles and cut the burrow digger away from her with machine speed and precision. Military hardware she despised, soldiers she thought of as mindless, lesser beings that now rescued her and her husband.

Hovering only four meters above the water surface, facing the rocks, the front hatch opened and Ranger Solomon climbed out and stood on the bow of the tank, his fists stemmed into his sides and looking over them with unveiled disbelief and amazement on his face, "I don't believe what I see with my own eyes!" His hand darted to his service weapon as he saw the big spider rearing up behind his son and he screamed, "Son, duck there is a Moolax behind you! I have to shoot!" Bob spread his arms, "If you want to shoot my Wobbler you have to shoot through me, Dad!" The Ranger slowly lowered his gun and after a long moment he said, "It is true, I didn't really believe it but it is true! I knew you guys went outside, but ... but you are out here completely without armor suits! And now I see you play with ... with life forms no one has ever survived seeing close up!" "Armor suits are stupid and for Off-Worlders!" said Norm, repeating the words all kids used a lot when talking among themselves. Then he pointed with his chin towards the lake and said, "Zisch's Mom is watching over us better than a Platoon of Marines could!" The ranger noticed the big snake slowly coming closer, clearly alerted and ready to strike, "Good Lord!" He shook visibly and knew even his powerful side-arm would do him no good if the snake had tried to kill him. It would have been too late to try to get back inside the tank. If the snake spat fire, or used her thorns, he would be dead long before he managed to get inside. He finally found words, "The snake is protecting you?" Norm looked very proud and his voice was confident, "Yes Sir, Mr. Ranger. We are in no danger." Ranger Solomon sighed and then said, "Seeing all this made me forget the reason I came in the first place," from the corner of his eye he still watched the big snake and then he sai, "Roy, there has been an accident. The Institute floater with your parents crashed in the Emerald Shade Valley." Before Roy could react to this news, the Ranger raised his hands, "No reason to worry, Sam Brown was actually not far from their crash site and called in the two Cerberus he owns. He rescued your parents and Dr. Evans. They are injured and are currently at the Ant Hill Med Center." Roy's mouth was open and he was still gasping as he asked, "How are they?" The Doctors say they all going to be all right, your father suffered the worst injuries but is expected to recuperate fully." Bob put his arm on Roy's shoulders, to make sure his friend knew he was not alone and said, "They will be fine I am sure. Let's go and visit them." Bob's father gave his son a scolding look, "If you guys would ensure you had your PDDs on I would not have had to come out here and could have called!" Norm, sheepishly clicked his PDD back on and explained, speaking for all of them. "We always turn them off when we come out here, so we can't be traced." Melissa stepped forward, "Please Mr. Solomon don't tell my parents about Silver, they'll take him away from me! I love Silver!" The Ranger made an apologetic gesture and sighed, "I'm afraid I can't do that, Melissa. I am out here on official business. I kept my eyes and ears closed to the rumors that kids sneak out of the city to be outside but during the last City Council meeting, concerned parents asked me to find out if it was true." He sighed again, looking at the sad and concerned faces of the teenagers as he continue, "I knew about Roy sneaking out sometimes, but as long as I had no evidence, I could pretend not to know much about it." He gestured across the small group with a sweeping motion of his right arm, "but I have that evidence now right before my eyes, not that I actually believe what I am seeing." Melissa started crying and Maria said defiantly, "There is no law that prohibits us from being here, Sir. What business is it of the City Council? You are a Federal Authority, local council meetings neither make law nor instruct the Ranger Service what to do!" Bob's father had, of course, known Maria since she before she could walk and knew of her brilliant mind. He replied, "While you are correct in general terms, young lady. There is a City ordinance that requires all expeditions and intended excursions outside City force fields to be registered with the Ranger Station, ever since that unfortunate stunt of those Off-Worlders a few years back. I do have to report it." Bob squeezed a few tears and clenched his fists, "That's rotten, Dad! We aren't Off Worlders and we have come here for years. Not one of us has been harmed or seriously injured in all that time and I know many other kids do it too, we are not the only ones." "Son, I am the Ranger and I must enforce the rules. I can't make exceptions, especially not for my own son." Roy had almost forgotten about his parents and stood with his friends while they all stared at the law man. Bob's father felt sorry for them and smiled, "I don't have to report it right away and that gives me time to think of a way to approach this situation. You didn't break any laws and I am sure we can work things out. I will talk to your parents and I think we can convince them to change their point of view." Norm barked, "No one is going to take Zisch away from me or tell me I can't have him." Roy looked gloomy and said, "No matter what you tell my parents, nothing will make them change their minds. They don't respect anything but their stupid science colleagues and they will want to dissect our pets. Tell my parents I love them but I am a Greenie and I will never go back. I can live in the jungle and no one will ever find me there!" Roy turned and was about to leave. The Ranger yelled, "Don't run away Roy, please! I would have to stop you! You and my son are good friends and I have always treated you as a part of my family whenever you were with us. So please trust me." Roy stopped and turned back, "I respect you very much Mr. Solomon, but not even you could find me out there." The Ranger sighed, "Given the fact that I have received a call from you once over seventy kilometers into the Jungle, I believe you. Just give me a chance. For now you should think of your parents and go visit them and let me work out the rest." With these words he climbed back into the pilot seat, but stopped and looked around, "I don't see any floaters, that means you all walked here!" He shook his head, still in disbelief, gave the snake and the Moolax another look and then said, "I'll keep it quiet for now, but I expect you all to be outside Ma Swanson's Boathouse tomorrow after school, and bring your animals, too." Melissa sniffed, "Then you arrest us and shoot our animals when you got enough fire power and the Marines are back from R&R?" The ranger had already reached for the hatch-closing button, but he stopped and shook his head, "Of course not. You should know me better than that and know that I keep my word. I think that if your parents see you outside walking over a considerable distance and in the company of local life forms that not only don't harm you, but have somehow bonded with you, it will change their minds. If you can demonstrate that you have some control over your animals, I will issue the first pet-owner licenses ever on Green Hell." It was clear to the ranger that the kids did not trust him, so he delayed his departure a few moments longer, "I give you my word, no one will shoot, capture or dissect your animals. Despite the apparent dominance of the Science Council Institute, I represent the law and that trumps it all, so please be there. I trust in you doing the right thing."

Chapter 7: Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Roy had left his animal with heavy heard heart and foreboding gloomy thoughts in the mostly gutted ruin of Research Outpost 2. Even though he was sure the animal understood and would wait for him, he feared he might see his new friend the last time. Bob always left Wobbler here, when he had to go inside and Wobbler was always there the next day. Norm's Zisch always came right out of the water; so Roy sighed and petted the humongous head of the black beast and received a dry lick across the chest and face. and He then went to Ma' Swanson's where Nick, one of Ma Swenson's employees took him over to Ant Hill. Nick was a tall, and thin and, half Andorian. Unlike a full Andorian, he was over three meters tall and flew the Toyo-Sung Ajax 453 from the first passenger seat, -row; the actual pilot seat had been removed long ago. Nick and Roy knew each other for a long time. Nick and Ma Swanson and everyone else of the Boathouse knew that he was walking the Jungles without much gear. Nick wore the same type of Light Armor as the Ranger and most adult Greenies and he had the helmet completely off. He chewed on a wad of gum as he steered the fast flyer towards the city and the force field membrane entrance and said. "Lucky they were, your parents I mean, Sam being out there just 100 clicks from the crash." Roy only nodded. Nick offered Roy a piece of gum. "You and that crazy Marine are the only ones who would dare to go that far into the thickets. I mean unprotected and all." Roy took the gum and said, while he unwrapped it. "I am not unprotected, I use the Thompson Ma Swanson gave me all the time, besides I am a Greenie." The tall flier mechanic slowed the flier to a full stop as a robot arm extended from the cities city's Entry ring Ring and took the Toyo Flier, passing it underneath a curtain of high pressure superheated steam. This procedure was done three times and the flier was scanned and bathed in a lethal soup of chemicals and steamed of again. Only after almost ten minutes of intensive cleaning and checking, to make sure no Green Hell life form had clung to the outside and thus gained access to the inside of the city;. the The Flier was shoved in a debarking bay, Nick extended his well wishes and Roy took the next Inter City Mover cabin and dialed for the Hospital. He had been here a few times before and he knew the Head doctor well, as he was Melissa's father. The cities medical center was deep below the surface of the island and separated from the water of the lake by half a kilometer of solid rock and thick Ultronit walls. Like the rest of the city, this level was well lid lit and the there were wide corridors with silently moving slide belts that sneaked past islands of greenery, gurgling water spouts, open area seating areas, vendor booths, restaurants and bistros. Everything was smooth and bright, plastee-skin covering the impenetrable Ultronit. A group of three scantily clad girls, giggling and talking passed him on the opposite slide belt as he approached the hospital. He had seen theme before at School, they were in a different class, but of the same age. They were the daughters of researchers or technicians and had been on Green Hell at least a year or so and yet Roy was certain none of them had ever taken a flier ride to see what was out there. Probably haven't even been to the top observation platform of the city. Their dresses were of a fluttery shimmery material that did little to hide the developing bodies of sixteen year old humanoid females. The girls of course noticed Roy. He was tall despite the higher gravitation of the planet, where true native Greenies tended to grow a little more compact and stocky than the generation before; and if that ancient Earth sculptor Michelangelo was still alive, he would ask Roy to model for his next masterpiece. His muscles were well developed and he had rock-hard, chiseled looking abs. He had the same sandy blond hair as his mother had; he also inherited his mother's high cheekbones and narrow, aristocratic looking nose. From his father he got the pronounced lower jaw and the energetic looking chin with the same cleft his father had. Most strikingly were his dark purple eyes he shared with his Grandmother. While Roy had just begun to notice girls in the way young men did, the girls were more advanced in that regard. One of them, tall and thin with her hair dyed in a bright purple and cut in an asymmetrical short bob, jumped skillful and changed Slide-belts. She gave Roy a deep stare from underneath her long lashes and said. "Hi, I am Nuki, aren't you Roy Masters of Ms. Harshes class?" Roy blinked and wondered what she wanted and nodded. "Yes I am." Nuki folded her hands upside down before the short skirt of her fluttery dress and said. "My friends and I are going to see the new Star blazer Virtu and we wondered if you would like to come along?" "Sorry, I can't. My parents had an accident and I need to see how they are." She was clearly disappointed, but said. "Maybe we can do something another time." With that she changed directions once more and Roy left the slide belt a few moments later as he had reached the hospital entrance. A receptionist greeted him right in the lobby. The man in the white coverall and the med symbol on his chest had dark blue skin and his hair had a metallic coppery color, the telltale hallmarks of a Thauran. The Med Tech held a PDD in clipboard mode and said with a friendly tone. "Good evening Citizen, how can I help you?" "I am Roy Masters and I understand my parents are here, after suffering injuries of an accident." The blue skinned man pointed with his PDD to the left and down one of the corridors that branched of off the lobby. "Your father is still in ReGen, we are growing him a complete new splinespine, that means he is completely submerged so patient interaction might be somewhat limited and your mother has been discharged right away, she was virtually unharmed, save for a few mild contusions. She left about 50 minutes ago." "She isn't here with Dad?" The Thauran turned to look down the corridor he had pointed out. "Well there isn't much she could do for him and she said something about recovering data or something." He shrugged and gave Roy a toothy smile. "Your Dad is in ReGen-4, just down that corridor and to the left." Roy found his father floating in a transparent horizontal cylinder bathed in bluish light. His face was covered by a dome shape hemispherical thing. There was another ReGen tank next to the one with his father, where a two meter long, thick black slug like life-form was in the process of sliding out of the empty tank... The big snail had a white tube like garment around the upper part of its body and two feelers underarm long feelers at what seemed to be the head. The moist shimmering monstrosity said to Roy;, using a small voice box attached to the white garment, "Oh good evening, you must be Roy. I am Dr. Herbs, the Neurosurgeon treating your father." Roy stared at the large black snail oozing onto a small hover platform." "I am Roy, how is my dad doing?" "Your Dad suffered fractures to the vertebral column and neuro-tissue damage to the spinal cord and that is the reason he is in the tank. He should be out and back to normal by tomorrow morning." "So he is going to be alright?" "Indeed he will be. Human neural nets are quite simple really and hardly needed my attention, but sine since I am here anyway I took a hand in his surgical procedures and supervised the neuro tissue grafting of the Expert Nanites myself." The Shail snail managed to make the Voice box sound very self-assured and confident. Roy stepped closer to the tank where his father was and put a hand on the transparent material. "Can I talk to him?" The large mollusk mollusk-being guided the hover platform closer and stopped it next to Roy, then it said: "Of course you could, but he requested a Virtu Connection Helmet and I think his Avatar is tele-present at some science meeting on Earth, he was so eager to attend." The Shail snail wiggled his feelers towards the end of the room. Roy's eyes followed the pointing move and he noticed a mobile GalNet Terminal that had been rolled in and placed at the far end of the ReGen tube. Its display flashed the words. 'In use - do not disturb'. Roy, who knew his parents, actually should have expected something like that. They wasted no thoughts on him, invested very little emotions on themselves as a matter of fact. In moments like this he wondered how they ever found time long enough to actually make love to each other, a necessary activity to explain his own existence. Especially since he was born the natural way and not in an ArtiWomb. The Shail doctor appeared quite intuitive to human emotions however and said. "I am not just a Neuro Surgeon you know. I am also a Councilor and Psychiatrist, if you ever need to talk you now know where to find me." Not taking his eyes of off his father's floating form Roy said: "Are you a telepath or something? I see no hands and no eyes you could use for surgery." "It seems you either flunked the Union Xeno Class when the Shail were discussed, or they did not cover my kind yet. Thanks to the Pree we are sentient and thanks to Terran technology we can move at the speed our minds wish us to move and we have hands." To demonstrate what it was saying, a dozen tentacles and intricate mechanical arms appeared all around the him and underneath the hover sled; equipped with manipulators and what looked like an array of surgical instruments. The arms disappeared as fast as they had materialized. Roy had a sheepish expression on his face as he said. "I flunked a few Xeno Classes until recently, I felt that learning about Off-World life forms was a waste of time, since we have so many here." He kept looking at the Shail. "I see the error of my opinion and promise I will cerebral-upload Brillstein's Guide to Sentient Life tonight." "To answer your initial question, no we Shail are not Telepathic or psionic gifted. As a matter of fact we are Psi Inert, with the exception of perhaps the Narth not even the Saresii can sense us or read us." He wiggled his fleshy feelers with surprising speed and agility. "We communicate with these fellers among each other, we can sense the minutest changes in electrical and magnetic field and we can smell and taste to a molecular level. It is the feelers that make us Shail the finest bio-chemists in the known Universe. I can sense the minutest chances of your neuro electric impulses when I am close enough to your bio-electric sphere and smell and analyze changes in the output of your glands. These abilities, my education as a medical doctor and several decades of experience as resident department specialist at Med Central on Pluribus enable me to read your mind without any Psionics and at least as good." Roy actually found this quite amazing and said. "That is very impressive and I think the Ninja Weasels sense their environment in a similar way. They don't have very good eyes, yet they are able to hunt at night." "I smelled the Jungle on you." He wiggled his feelers once more and Eric left the hospital, knowing more about the Shail, instead of talking to his parents. Martha glanced at her PDD; it displayed a message from Dr. Herbs informing her that Roy had been at the clinic, trying to see his parents The Shail physician had no qualms of expressing his concerns about her conduct. His recorded message said. "Dr. Masters, your son has been informed that his parents were involved in a serious accident and rushed to see his parents. He is minor and received news of a potential serious incident with both of his parents and yet you didn't feel it was important to make sure he knew you are alright. No call, no attempt of yours to contact him at all. While I understand that you are a brilliant scientist in your chosen field, it is my professional opinion your conduct as a the maternal part of the human family social group lacks even the basic social considerations for the developing emotional needs of a teenager of your species." She closed the message and leaned back; the Shail was correct, all she had in mind after she returned to the city and was assured Paul would be alright, was to make sure the data they collected up to the crash was securely transmitted to her lab and then go over the incredible footage and data, of Lighting Bolters communicating and working together in an orchestrated attack. This certainly indicated higher cognitive abilities as than she had previously thought. She paused the image analyzer with close ups of the Bolters nerve center, Paul had once again proven to be invaluable as an assistant and focused the recording sensors at what was most important. She turned away so her mind would not be distracted again by the now frozen images and thumbed through the message menu of her PDD. There were over 30 calls and messages from Roy. Her PDD had automatically filtered Roy's call to the 'Not important folder' as she didn't want to be disturbed by silly children's questions. The settings of that filter were eight years old. The call attempts became less frequent over time and the last recorded call of Roy to his mother was two years ago. She thumbed it open. "Hi Mom, this is Roy. I am not sure if you will get this message, but my teacher did not believe that my mother won't take my calls. She is standing right next to me and I guess she believes it now." Roy's teacher came into view. "Ms. Masters I tried to call you but only got to leave messages. You have not attended a single parent teacher meeting, ignored my letters and today your son got in a fight with two other students. He was injured and also inflicted injuries on the other boys. If you do not respond like a parent should, I will inform the Union School Board." Martha noticed the large number of calls identified as calls from the school, they too were in the "Not important and to be ignored folder". At first she felt a flash of anger, as she had specifically asked Paul to take care of these matters and then she noticed she had ignored calls from her own mother too. Roy's grandmother had been here on Green Hell just recently and in person, but she knew in reality that had been almost six year ago. She said. "Archie, I always knew I wasn't exactly a good mother but evidence points toward a much more negative assessment." Archie her Lab Computronic AI, named after Archie Carr a famous Zoologist of Pre Astro Earth responded right away. "I am afraid I am unable to give you an adequate or meaningful response, but I can link with GalNet and see if there are Mother Evaluation scales or routines available to give you a more accurate assessment." She didn't really go into Archie's response, stapled her fingers together and said. "It is probably too late but I will try to improve. I remember how my father and mother nurtured me and I realize I have deprived my own son from what I still hold dear; Archie search GalNet on the subject of Mother values, improving mother – son relationships and relate it to expert literature as a filter, and do call Dr. Herbs I want to get some advice from it." Archie executed the request and while the machine did that, the simulated personality of Archie made him say; "Is it genuine concern about your son or is this motivated by the fact that Dr. Herbs is a Hive of Minds member and his opinion of you could very well color his voice when your potential admission is discussed?" Paul who had been released from the Med center the next morning returned to their home inside the Research Outpost. He was greeted by Charles the robot as he cycled through the airlock and the decontamination system declared him free of any harmful organisms. "Good morning Master Paul." Paul wasn't attached to that robot at all, but he knew the robot quite certainly saved his life and while it was a machine and did what it was supposed to do, for the first time in his life Paul thanked a machine. "I appreciate what you did Charles." The robots omnidirectional visuals sensor eyes appeared to glow just a tad brighter for a fraction of a second. ". It pleases this unit to see you up and well, Sir." An unfamiliar scent wafted from the central living area of the lower of the house. Paul raised his nose and said. "Is this bacon, I smell?" What he then saw made him question his state of mind and for a moment considered the possibility he was dreaming and still in the ReGen tank. There in the door frame of the kitchen stood Martha, his wife wearing an apron and holding a spatula, smiling at him. "I am making us a traditional cooked breakfast and you can tell me how your surgery went and how you feel." "I am not dreaming, right? The last time you made one of your famous breakfasts was…, was before you worked on your dissertation." "No you are not dreaming, but I was talking to Dr. Herbs and read about being a mother all night and while I am certain I can't completely change who I am or make amends so late, I feel I can try to improve the time we have as a family and before we have to leave." Paul smirked. "Yes the Shail gave me an earful as well and I too think he had a point." He moved closer to his wife and for the first time in years he saw her as a woman, not as a scientist and how pretty she was and why he had noticed her at the University. He sneaked his arms around her hips and she didn't resist, but said. "We can do that tonight, but right now I've got things on the stove." She turned her head. "I didn't even know we had an actual stove unit here. All we ever used was the Food food processor or Charles." He let her go and wondered if the crash and the accident was a fortunate event. The idea of having fun in the bedroom later on was suddenly a very exciting prospect. Martha said to Charles. "Robot, please wake Roy so we can have breakfast together." "I am unable to comply, Ma'am. Roy has left the premises at 0700 as he does every day on a School day and was picked up." That dampened her mood and all her intentions of making a new start were thwarted by her own lack of knowledge about Roy's daily routine. Martha and Paul did sit down to a nice breakfast after all and Martha promised herself to visit the teacher later on and then sit down with Roy and talk to him. Like the breakfast, her plans connecting with her son were thwarted by a call from the Ranger's office. Martha wiped some egg-yolk of off the plate with a piece of toast and asked the house system to display the call right at the table. She expected it to be some follow up regarding the crash. The Communications projector established a field screen and the local ranger's upper body and head appeared to float above the Orange orange juice carafe and the coffee pot. Paul who had stuffed himself, felt quite content leaning back with a cup of coffee." "Good Morning morning Ranger Salomon. I already filed a crash report and incident file with the Institute while I was in the ReGen tank, do you have any more questions on that?" "No Mr. Masters, the crash is of no concern to the Ranger Office. No laws were broken, no fatalities occurred and the crash report was properly fieldfiled. I am calling due to a different matter. It is about Roy." Martha leaned forward. "What is it, Ranger? Something happened at school?" Paul set the coffee mug down. "Something happened with the flyer that picked him up?" Paul realized he didn't even know exactly how Roy got there and who exactly it was who picked him up and brought him back every day. "Roy, my son and their small band of friends left early form from school today." The Ranger obviously had difficulties to find the right way of saying what he wanted to say and raised his hands into the visual pick up. "Mrs. and Mr. Masters, I would like you to come to Ma Swanson's Boathouse today at noon. Your presence there is strongly advised as your son will be part of a very…, very unusual demonstration. What will happen might very well be a historic event, at least for Green Hell?" Martha now actually leaned over the table, in an instinctive move to get closer to the Ranger's image. "This isn't some sort of school pageant or sporting event, right?" "Not exactly, Ma'am. I would not bother you with something like that. Everyone knows you don't care much about your son's activities." To Martha's new view of things this was another sting she actually felt. "Yes Ranger, very recently I was made aware of our short comings and I am beginning to see that I am a very poor mother, but I really think you need to tell us where Roy is and what is going on." The Ranger took a deep breath. "The kids will walk from the Rocks to Ma Swanson's Boathouse and they will be accompanied by local life forms!" Paul tipped the coffee mug over and Martha, with her chin dropped to her chest looked not at all like a cool detached scientist. "Did you say walk? You mean walk outside?" Paul nervously reached for a napkin to prevent more coffee to dripfrom dripping on his pants. "Roy doesn't have an Armor suit and has never been outside before. You must prevent him leaving the city. He has these foolish fantasies of being able to go outside, He he is trying to prove something to us." Ranger Salomon sneered at the Masters, barley barely containing his contempt. "He was right, he did tell you. I suggest you bring chairs, you might otherwise fall over with what you're going to witness in a few hours."

Chapter 8: Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 Roy and his friends arrived a little early. No one said much and had a gloomy mood, already fearing they were about to lose their animals. Roy was especially depressed, even if all other parents said yes. He was certain his would never allow it and most likely take Partner away and dissect it. So he had already made up his mind; he would run away and live in the Jungle for good. They'd never find him there. There was plenty to eat, if you knew what was consumable, and he had heard there were caves in the White Top Mountains, far to the north. He could stop by Uncle Sam from time to time and it would not take long for his parents to forget about him, probably less than five minutes. A month or two in the Jungle until they were gone was a prospect that looked better with each step he took towards the Boathouse. To the surprise of the teenagers, there was a sizable crowd waiting for them. In addition to the parents there were at least twenty more adults, not all of them human. One of them, he recognized as the black Shaill mollusk medic from the hospital. At the rear where the floaters always parked, and next to the Rangers Hover tank, one of the Green and yellow Flyers of the Institute. Not far from it, he spotted his parents, recognizing the color scheme of their Armor suits. The entire crowd was wearing armor suits of various designs and types. It looked as if a company of Orbital-assault infantry soldiers had dropped to the surface of this planet. The presence of six expeditionary Marines with full armament reinforced that impression. The crowd became silent and all heads most underneath full sealed helmets turned to watch as the group of teenagers appeared coming around the sharp bend the shore line made about 500 meters to the East. The sight of unprotected human juveniles walking along the shore line accompanied by a Moolax spider, a young Water Snake and a sizable black Beast no one seeing it, recognized; silenced the last mumbled comment. In that complete silence, Martha finally whispered. "He really is outside!" Ranger Solomon was standing just a few steps removed from the inside of the force field barrier that separated him and the crowd from the outside and the approaching teenagers. He raised his hand and pointed at Roy and the others with an open hand. "I can see you are as shocked as I was when I saw it first; they are indeed outside. No armor, no battle suits and they just walked almost nine kilometers in an environment we all consider absolutely lethal." The Ranger made a pause, yet there was still complete silence, one spoke. It was clear that the adults present, some of which had heard the rumors of kids being outside, still tried to believe their own eyes. For centuries they were told that nothing not native to this world would survive for long. So he continued. "You notice they are not injured and quite frankly appear more at ease out there than some of you behind a military grade energy shield and heaviest armor. There is no rational explanation I can think off, other than the one obvious: they are true children of this world. Attest to the fact that man can adapt to any environment eventually. "When humans came to this world almost 400 years ago, they survived only under the heaviest protection, taking trips beyond the cities walls for the briefest times and inside the heaviest technology armor our civilization could create. Still despite all that, many died." He gestured down his own body and said. "I was born here and so was my father and I don't wear the same thick armor he did and without really thinking about it expose myself for short periods to the outside Something my father would not have dared. "Now our kids take the next steps and not only survive out there for extended time in nothing more than Bio seal suits. "And If that wouldn't be amazing enough, the true marvel is the fact that they somehow tamed and bonded with what we see as terrifying, creatures. " He took a breath as he was talking fast and with increasing intensity to his tone of voice. "This is a historic moment for Green Hell, because it is the turning point where this world is no longer just a scientific curiosity to a scientific elite, but also becoming a home world to us all in its own right. I am convinced that the grandchildren of these teenagers will not call this world Green Hell, but Green Paradise because their eyes will see beauty where we only see death and danger." The City Council Foreman and Major of Green Hell, who was also Norm's father was the first who started to clap. His wife brushed back her helmet and followed her husband's lead. Moments most of the adults present clapped and there were cheers for the simple Ranger who managed to put all this in context and words. Roy could not hear what the Ranger was saying as the force field was an effective barrier for everything including sound waves. All he saw was the Ranger gesturing and talking to a bunch of adults. The waiting was as worse as coming here, but then the adults started clapping, cheering and now with most helmets folded back into the collars of the suits, Roy saw the smiles. Melissa said. "Whatever he said must have been good, they seem to approve." Maria brushed bangs to the side and raised her head. "He gave a fairly good speech, I must say." Bob not taking his eyes of his father said. "I know you can read lips, but his back was turned towards us for the most time. How would you know what my dad said?" She raised her arm and pointed at her PDD. "They are broadcasting the whole thing on Green Hell Two. If you really observe and not just look, you see Galwina Smith the news lady, of Channel GH2 complete with Cam Bot over there." Bob grunted at her from the side. "Yo are a Smart ass." Maria giggles silently and then said. "I know." She then dialed her wrist PDD to a higher volume so they all could hear what was going on inside. The Ranger raised his hands and with this motion got the attention of the people there once more. "Do not applaud me just yet, because I want you to trust your children and don't force them to conform to our rules, at least in this case. Let them make their case to you." After a moments it became apparent to the people that the Ranger had said what he has to say. Melissa's father was the first to stepped forward, saying with a hint of fear in his voice. "That was a great speech Ranger, but my beautiful, delicate daughter is standing out there. Let her in and we see about her sneaking outside in the future!" Someone behind Melissa's father pointed at the red haired girl outside. "Is that a Pandora Swan perched there behind her head and her shoulders?" Melissa's father grabbed the arm of the Ranger, "For God's sake do something! That thing has claws as sharp as razors, the slightest scratch could kill her!" The man's voice rose a few notches. "I am no Off-Worlder, I know what these monsters can do!" Melissa stepped close to the energy barrier and gave her father a withering look in a way only she could, and whenever she did that somehow her bright red hair seemed brighter and her eyes burned with a green and intense fire. She spoke in her own PDD and her voice carried an edge just as sharp as the claws of her swan she. "Yes father that is a Pandora Swan, his name is Silver. He has never hurt me, even though he could. He does something else however, he protects me and I know he cares for me. Dad I love this animal as dearly as I could love anything. I knew this day would come and you find out, but I know my rights. I am old enough to file for a divorce from you my parents,if you so much as try to separate me from Silver. I love you Dad but I will not abandon Silver because of you. I beg you as your daughter, don't make me choose." Her father swallowed hard, strong emotions moved the jaw muscles of the richest man in Ant Hill. His knowledge of Green Hell; all he knew about this world; the fear for the life of his only daughter clashed with the image of her standing out there. So completely at ease and with one of the deadliest killer animals, of this world of killer monsters on her small shoulders. He clenched his fists but before he could make up his mind as to what to say or do his wife, Melissa's mother moved past him and looked at her daughter through the barley visible force field. The mother looked much like an older mirror image of Melissa. She had the same almost translucent complexion, the same flaming hair and green eyes sparkled with intelligence, mischief and curiosity. "It does not look like she is hurt. If that Swan wanted to harm her, she would be dead long before we even knew she had one. "I had a feeling that she was one of the kids that sneaked out, for quite a while." Then she gave her husband an elfish smile." Haggard O'Malley you know how stubborn the females on the Brady side of our family can be, I think you will lose this battle too!" He said. "You knew she went outside?" "Knowing is a strong word to something I didn't really believe possible until now, but I suspected it when she ordered Terran All Terrains instead of DeNoir Heels; when she had a Bio Seal suit hidden under her bed or when our daughter asked for a Bo-Zap Blaster, on her last birthday..." Haggard only now really noticed the strong Plasma weapon riding low in a fast draw holster, next to an Ka-Bar MC7 Combat knife and he said with a weak voice of fading disbelief. "I thought she was joking. You actually got it for her?" Aideen paid no attention to her husbands question and said. "I never seen a swan so close. I never knew they look so beautiful. Look Haggard how it's wings drape down her back and appear like a shimmering cape." The Ranger took the opportunity the change of mood in Haggard O'Malley and said . "Melissa, your Swan is not a hamster or a domesticated cat, as they have on other planets. This is a wild predator and as far as we know the reason this animal acts so differently is because it is sick." Melissa spoke in her PDD. "Not one of you would know how a Pandora acts on anything. You could not tell a Mountain Pandora from a Swam Pandora or if it is a male or female." The ranger could not really argue that so he went on. "I researched the matter from my point of interest in the whole affair and the custom of owning animals for domestic uses is quite common with many Union Civilizations. "As I understand here are many different local laws and customs associated with that practice; however since Green Hell has no local laws regarding holding local life forms as pets; probably because no one ever even dreamed it possible; Federal Law comes in effect and it states that holding a non sentient life form for any purpose,be it companionship, entertainment or commercial is a permitted act of self expression and part of the pursuit of happiness which are of course fundamental rights." He said louder so everyone could clearly hear what he had to say. "The ownership of life forms that have the potential of harming another citizen is restricted just as Class III weapons are restricted, such animals are considered a Weapon and need an owner permit. The permit allows the owner to keep a dangerous life form for protection, but it also makes the owner liable and responsible for any damages, injuries or lethal harm caused." He was almost finished with his long sermon and looked sternly at Melissa. "That means if your Swan harms or kills someone you could end up on the business end of a Federal executioners rope." Melissa said. "I am in control of Silver." Turning sideways she pointed at a swarm of arrow wasps that was approaching from the jungle's edge. The adults behind the screen got nervous and some ducked even though they were behind a force field. Arrow Wasps appeared in swarms that could contain anywhere from maybe twenty to about a hundred of these eight, nine centimeter long insects. Arrow wasps normally used their double pair of wings to fly through the air, at speeds not exceeding that of a fast walking man, but when they got threatened or if the swarm encountered potential prey several of the swarm perimeter guards would turn around, pointing their long steel hard stinger (that was sharper than an old style syringe's needle) towards their intended target. Then use an internal turbine like organ to propel themselves to projectile speed of a fast flying arrow or dart and over distances of up to fifteen meters of straight flight. An Arrow wasp died in the process as it could use that propelling organ only once as this act exoelled all its energy. The result however was an Arrow wasp sticking deep in a victims body and release dozens of fast growing flesh eating larvae, it was a particular nasty way to go. Following Melissa's whispered command, "Go get them, Silver," the swan shot like a streak of shimmering metal from Melissa's shoulders, extending its folded lower sickle blade wings. Half moon shaped, twenty centimeters long forward curved and like its claws incredibly sharp. The swan made eerie sounding cries, while it displayed aerobatic skills no one of the adults had ever witnessed. The swan skillfully avoided the Wasps that committed to attack flights, while it cut and pieced the insects in a frenzied attack. The swarm was sizable and there were too many Wasps for one swan alone. The Swan cried once again and then like an echo, the chorus of half a dozen Pandora Swans answered the call and six birds appeared from above the jungle canopy, and then dove into the wasp swarm, assisting Silver. Martha who still felt stunned, seeing her son standing outside, found her voice and whispered to Paul. "First the Bolters and now Pandora Swans. This is clear communication and coordinated fighting." Paul also still processed what he saw with some difficulty and then said watching this stunning display of animal combat. "Martha, after all this time of research, we still really know nothing about Green Hell, nothing at all!" Even though there were now six Pandora Swans decimating the Insects, the swarm of Wasps. The swarm was still numerous enough to become dangerous to the kids. The five teenagers simultaneously pulled their weapons and with precise shots decimated the whirling mass of insects, even hitting and burning those that propelled themselves to arrow speed. None of the kids had any sort of assisted targeting systems fitted to their weapons, yet none of them missed a shot, or hurt a swan. Ma Swanson gasped aloud. "Jeezuz Christ, these kids are good and I thought I saw some fancy gun play in my days, but that takes the cake!" One of the marines watching agreed. "I doubt I could hit a a six centimeter target flying in an erratic pattern, without Computronic assist and each of them does it with ease." The spectacle was soon over. The Wasps completely obliterated. the wild Swans on their way back to the Jungle, while Silver winged down and returned to his spot on Melissa's shoulders, breaking his dive speed with powerful flaps of its wings, hovering a moment almost like a Terran Humming bird, before gently extending its talons and landing on Melissa's shoulders. It was clearly evident to anyone watching that the wild bird displayed great care not to hurt the Girl with is claws. Once it had settled, resting on the special padded and reinforced shoulder pads; Melissa had glued on all her suits to allow Silver to get a firm grip without piercing the suit material,or her skin beneath. Silver buried his head in Melissa's locks and only his long, sharp stuck out almost 40 or fifty centimeters above her brows. Melissa reached up and petted the Swan. The animal squinted his yellow eyes and made a rattling pleased sound. Haggard, her father wiped his hand across his mouth and said. "Did you see that? I mean by all the Saints did you see that?" Melissa's father no longer sounded afraid but proud. "I doubt there are many Off-Worlders who have that kind of control over their dogs and cats. Seeing that changed my mind forever how I look at our world and its life. I approve and allow my daughter to keep her Swan. She can even bring it home." The Ranger gave Ma Swanson a sign with his hand and the woman created an oval man sized gap in the force field by pressing a sensor on her belt remote. She croaked with her locally famous tin can voice. "Gate field activated, She can come in!" Several of the adults present hastily closed their helmets and eyed the structural gap nervously. Melissa walked towards the hole, and just before she stepped onto the Duro-Crete pad she pulled her blaster fired sideways, startling most of the people present, while it appeared as if Melissa didn't really look at what she was shooting, She did not slow her walk, restored the weapon as fast as she had pulled it back to its holster. Less than three meters from where she had been, was the charred remains of a Burrow Digger, a scale armored worm like centipede with strong scissor like mandibles, strong enough to pull a person inside a four ton Battle suit towards a mud bog, as Martha Masters could attest. These ugly and frightening looking monsters were fast and invisible as long as they remained hidden below ground. Anyone of the adults present would have been completely surprised by the fast attacking monster. The red headed teenage girl however simply stepped through the force-field gap as if nothing happened. Ma Swanson restored the integrity of the shield and the Ranger pointed at the still wriggling body of the Digger, despite the fact that most of its head was gone."Melissa how did you know the Digger was there and ready to attack?" She turned her head to look and the smoking remains. "Oh ,that one." She smiled disarmingly at the Ranger. "I had to burn it. That one was to close to evade and Burrow Diggers are just too big for Silver to take on all by himself, besides Bob's Wobbler normally takes care of them." "Okay fair enough but what warned you?" She looked at the Ranger as if he asked if space is black. "Didn't you see it's breathing stalk sticking out between the Murder Grass. Keep an eye out for the breathing stacks and they are easy to spot." Solomon shook his head slowly and spread his arms. "I rest my case, these kids really do see the this place with different eyes." Melissa's parents approached their daughter slowly and Silver raised his head out of Melissa's locks and screeched a coarse warning at them. Melissa pulled of her suits glove and scratched the Swan right underneath the beak and the bird relaxed. "Sorry Mom and Dad, but Silver is very protective of me and does not like strangers coming to close without my permission, but he knows now that I approve of you and you can come closer." Her dad laughed. "What better protection could I ask for? Melissa is growing fast and I already considered purchasing a Shatter gun, but having a real Pandora watching over her is much better!" His comment made quite a few adults laugh. Melissa's mom had taken her suits gauntlets off and reached out with a shaking hand, demonstrating how brave she was, touched the Swan. The bystanders seeing it had held their collective breath. The very idea of touching a Green Hell life form was still utterly alien to them. They expected the woman to reel back, screaming and bleeding, but nothing happened. The animal was perfectly docile and allowed to be touched. Melissa explained. "If you scratch him gently under the beak, he loves that and that's where his feathers are softest. Just be careful not to touch the feathers to the side, that are graphite colored, they are part of his razor wings and have a single molecule edge of crystallized graphite." Aideen O'Malley followed her daughters instructions and cooed. "Oh he is so soft and so pretty." As if Silver knew that the fuzz was about him, he raised his head a little to squeeze his eyes with pleasure while making a rattling sound. Melissa's father gathered his courage and also touched the swan. The present crowd stared in awe at the small family with a Pandora Swan at its center and getting petted as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Chapter 9: Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Roy and the others were still outside and while the pebble beach here at the Big Lake was far safer than the Jungle; even here it was not a good idea to stay too long at the same spot .A Stomper crushed through the thicket into the open, what made him storm onto the pebble beach was not clear to Roy and he wondered about it. As Stompers rarely if ever actually came into the open, they feared nothing except Water Snakes. There was a collective scream of fear going through the crowd at Ma Swanson's Boathouse and the present Marines lowered their weapons and wanted to shoot, but the shield prevented them from turning the Stomper to molecular ashes. The Teenagers outside appeared not scared or panicked, even as a titanic Water Snake rose to the surface. A seventy meters Adult at least with dark green scales and black spots down the side, a clear indication to locals that it was a female Snake. The sudden appearance of a Stomper and now the Water Snake's arrival actually caused one of the Science Institute researchers to faint, he didn't fall over though. The seven ton Extreme World civilian converted Battle Walker he used prevented that. The onlookers were certain of the teenager's gruesome and terminal fate and that they would die a swift and violent death before anyone could do something. Some even wondered if the soap-bubble thin film of energy could really protect them from the wraith of the King of all Green Hell Monsters, a raging mad female Water Snake. Yet the enormous Anguis Viridi inferni as the scientists had named the big serpent, did not attack the children. It went right past them and then it spewed a stream of its highly flammable bio gel at the roaring Stomper. The massive eight legged, twelve thousand pound Stomper, could not stop its momentum fast enough, so it could turn and flee. Once a Stomper committed to a charge, there was almost nothing stopping it. The one natural force on Green Hell that could, was right there. This was not a simulated Snake call, emitted by a boy hiding in the trees. The Stomper cried in panic and agony as it vanished in an exploding cloud of bright hot fire and then it collapsed as a charred and burned corpse just a few meters before the teenagers. The image of the still burning Stomper behind them, while a billow of smoke and dust wafted around the teenagers standing there without the slightest fear in their faces accompanied by their fierce pets and holding their weapons at the ready, while the enormous shape of a Green Hell Water Snake's head hovered over them; captured by the news woman's camera bot would later become one of the most iconic poster images of this century gracing countless teenagers walls and T shirts. (and was a sore spot for Melissa as long as she lived, since she wasn't in it.) The big snake lowered her head close to Norm and the serpent's black tongue, longer and thicker than a man flickered with its sensitive tips over Norm. The female snake for a moment looked over Roy and the others as well and after that eerie display of affection, she returned into the water, slipped below the surface and moments later was completely gone. Roy watched the stunned crowd and sighed. He feared this thing would go on all afternoon, as the Adults again took a small eternity to react and speak again. The Major of Ant Hill was a politician at heart and so far all the speeches all the instant, history making headlines were made by someone else, but now his Son was clearly the center of it. No one had said a word since the Stomper attack and so he walked briskly to the barriers edge and spoke into the audio pick up of his PDD. "Norm my son! What animal do you have?" Norm appeared to to grow a few inches as he smiled with pride and beamed with self importance. His snake reared next to him until its head was at the same height as Norms. "Father, this is Zisch and he is of the same den as his Mother you just saw." Norm snapped his fingers and pointed at a large piece of drift wood washed to the shore. "Zisch, burn it!" His Snake instantly reacted to his command and raised her head even further, then it spread the leathery bright red colored skin folds to the left and right of its neck. Like a suddenly opening old fashioned umbrella making the snake even more frightening to look at and a stream of the burning gel hit the tree, ten meters away with explosive force. Norm pointed his finger at a more distant piece of drift wood. "Zisch, nail it!" The Snakes scales spread and finger long spikes slammed in the trunk with deadly accuracy. The onlookers still baffled by the virtual barrage of unforgettable images were treated by an encore of a truly spectacular finale of Norms act. The Adults watched as Norm took off his weapon belt, suit shirt and exposing his entire upper body skin and all to the elements of Green Hell,. He then ran towards the water, evading Terror Moss and Needle Grass with elegant jumps and athletic moves, splashed into the water, diving forward with an arched body and dove out of sight. No human had ever bathed on Green Hell in any of the lakes as far as the Adults knew. That his Snake fiend slithered next to him into the water like a faithful dog was just another facet of this afternoon of fantastic revelations, barely noticed. The water settled and became mirror smooth, Norms father who never swam or dove in his life and the very idea of bathing in a lake full of Razor Fish and Water Snakes was beyond his realm of comprehension believed that he just watched his son commit suicide! After a long minute passed, like a missile launched from a submerged warship, Norm broke through the water in an explosion of gushing water, standing on the nose of the giant fully grown Water Snake he was lifted at least twenty meters into the air. It was a spectacle that made the assembled crowd drop their chins again and even Roy's parents had completely forgotten their lofty, 'we seen it all' attitude and were reduced to gasping spectators just like the rest. Norm, dove head first looking like a human spear, into the waves and walked moments later back on the pebble beach, dripping wet, Zisch close to his side. The Snake nailing a blister crab with a deadly accurate shot of its dart like spikes, as the dangerous crustacean came to close to Norm. Norm Stevenson couldn't help himself and bowed like a performer after a successful show and said to his father. "Will that be evidence enough that I am perfectly safe out here and that Zisch and I are friends?" All the Mayor could say was. "Wow." Robert Stevenson, who already saw himself rise to become the Planets Representative and get a seat at the Assembly cursed himself, later that his first chance for a speech was squandered with a foolish single word exclamation. Yet seeing what his son did was a fair excuse for not being on top of his game. Norm grinned and crossed his arms. "So can Zisch and I stay together?" This time the Mayor did manage to give a small speech. "I have never in all my life seen anything comparable. If anyone would have told me they had witnessed what I have just seen I would laugh and call them liars!" Stevenson looked closer at Zisch. "You are friends with all Water Snakes?" "No Dad, just with Zisch, his siblings and his parents. It happens to be that Zisch's mother is one of the biggest in this lake and nothing on Green Hell messes with a big mommy snake protecting her young. She considers me as one of her litter, because of that I am as safe in that lake as you behind that screen!" "Come on in, son! I'll sign your Animal Owner's permit myself!" The woman of the local News Agency approached. "Norm, the footage of your stunt will make you an instant star Union Wide I am certain! What would you do if you would be major?" "I would make sure we keep our Jungles and Lakes as pristine as they are and make sure we grow in a controlled and careful way. I would make sure that anyone can go outside who wants to go outside. Most of all I make Snake Hunting illegal and anyone hurting a Water snake without serious reason, I'd send bathing!" Roy had to admit this was a very good answer and he would certainly support Norm if he indeed would run for Mayor on day. Norm passed through the re-activated gap in the force field with Zisch and posed with his Dad for more News images. The Major beamed and waved and loudly promised Norm to push for local legislation to make Snake Hunting a punishable offense. One such hunt happened only a few month ago, conducted by a rich Off-Worlder. Since there was no legislation in place to prevent it, the Hunter gained permission to hunt by a court order and against the concerns and objections of the Ranger. It was Norms father who supported the Hunt request as he envisioned a new source of income for Ant Hill. The Off World Hunter came with a State of the Art Battle suit, a team of tough looking Mercenaries and he steered a Surplus Marine Corps Landing Tank from the loading bay of his private yacht, fired the tanks canon and killed five or six snakes. (Six of his eight men got killed when they tried to retrieve a snakes head for the man's trophy room.) The incident made real Greenies very angry and upset. No one here hunted Snakes or anything else for that matter. With the exception of the Scientists who occasionally captured a local life form, but no one minded that. The Mayor signed his son's permit for anyone to see right before the Cam Bots visual sensors and then promised his son and the audience that he would put a motion before the city council to craft legislation to prevent further hunts. Solomon waved his son. "You're next, son." Bob blushed and put his hand on the pelted body of his Spider. "I don't know if Wobbler can do any cool tricks like that." Ben's eyes reflected the affection he felt for that monstrosity. "He just likes to sleep a lot and eat pizza like me." Of course Wobbler was not a true spider or even remotely related in any way to Terran Arachnids. A Moolax was about double the size of the recently discovered sentient race of Spiders in the Downward sector, beyond the Klack Empire, they too shared little in common. A Moolax had ten legs and was considered Spider-like because it spun nets, used silky strings and could climb up and down vertical surfaces. Unlike a true spider, a Moolax had actual muscles in its legs and a though inner skeleton. And like everything on Green Hell a Moolax was a very dangerous animal with a variety of lethal abilities, electrified nets, dagger like spines and a teeth filled maw. Then Bob's face lightened as he had an idea. He climbed on the back of his spider and rode the arachnoid up a steep set of boulders, made Wobbler shoot filament webbing up a tree and the spider balanced with Bob on its back up the almost invisible line all the way to the canopy of a tall Tantalus Oak standing at the edge of the jungle. With his spider friend Bob swung to another tree, and finally came back down. His father, Ranger Solomon had his fists stemmed against his hips as he watched his son and then he laughed. "I am certain Norm's show was much more spectacular, but seeing my son ride a horse sized spider up a tree and back, will stay with me for the rest of my life." Again there was laughter and slowly but surely most of the adults present relaxed, even to the presence of Green Hell life forms sharing the space inside the force field with them. Bob and Wobbler went in. Ma Swanson's husband, who wore not much more protection than Roy strode across the Duro-Crete carrying one of the Pizza Pies they sold in the store. "I always wanted to see a Moolax form close up, " he explained and held the Pizza up while looking at Bob. "Would it be okay if I feed it?" Bob made disappointed face and crossed his arms before his chest. "Sure it is alright, but you didn't bring me any." Mr. Swanson laughed and feed the spider who gobbled the pizza with noticeable excitement. The event at this point became more like a party or festival. Ma Swanson and her husband brought drinks and food out and there was laughter and lively discussions about the experience so far. Maria's mother standing next to her husband ."Our daughter can come in. She is a Tech whiz. She never likes anything alive and always has been a bit of a recluse without many friends.. So I am for one very proud to see her outside with friends of her age while being active, play and being a real Greenie." Her father nodded. "Seeing her being interested in anything else but machines and tools makes me happy too. If she thinks she thinks she is safe out there, this is fine with me." To Ma Swanson he said. "Let my daughter in, please. She is only likes machines and will have no animal." Maria parted her long hair that as always obscured much of her face and she said with a protesting edge in her voice. "Very nice of you painting me a techno looser in front of all these people; and I do have an animal too!" She opened the flap of her ever present big shoulder bag and looked inside. "I love my Snuggle." She said and then with the most gentle cooing voice she said. "Come to Mommy, little Snuggle baby" Something moved and Snuggle the Ninja Weasel first stuck his head out over the rim of the bag and then snaked his long body around her arm while quickly sliding up and pressing its head against her cheek. This time there was a collective "Ohhh" coming from the crowd and comments like. "Sweet, cute and adorable" came from the women in attendance. Maria stared at them, while putting her other arm in a protective manner before her pet. "Snuggle doesn't do any tricks and can't impress you like Wobbler or Zisch. He is not good fighting Wasps yet either. He is just a baby! The Ranger said. "No one expects you to have it do tricks. All I ask if you have it under control so it won't harm others. It is a dangerous life form!" Marian caressed the soft fur and said. "Snuggle is very smart! He never extends his claws, keeps his poisonous barbs in check, he is totally tame and as afraid of most what crawls and lives out there as you are." She looked at the beast like a proud mother. "But he is smart, very smart. Snuggle does know tools! That should count for something!" To the animal she said, "Go get me the Small universal." Amazingly the furry being slid down and pulled a tool from Melissa's belt and dropped it in her hand. Maria held it up."See, it is the small universal!" Maria was allowed to pass the Barrier. Her parents immediately petted the Ninja Weasel and it turned on its back so they could massage its belly! Maria's father said: "I never touched a local animal and I was born here. That Weasel is the cutest thing I ever saw. I had no idea they could be so soft and docile!" Roy knew from the beginning he was last. What his parents were thinking he could not tell as they were among those who still had their helmets closed. He noticed it all those who still did, were all members of the Science Institute, but he was glad his mother could not read his mind or check on him. The Military grade TransDim Shield, Ma Swanson had prevented telepathic contacts as well. Mr. Solomon however knew about Roy's concerns and he said to them. "Now it is your turn and I know you are scientists and not locals. You don't consider yourself Greenies. To you this is an amusing term describing, technicians, engineers and shop keepers; the ones serving you and your very important work. " he managed to say this with thinly veiled contempt swinging between the lines.; he continued saying; "Now I know this post, this settlement would not exist without the Science Corps, but I have been a Ranger here now for the better part of twenty years and I know your kind is not always seeing things the same way we do." He gestured towards Roy. "You didn't believe your son, yet I wonder how do you think he gets to school every day?" Martha gasped underneath her helmet as she guessed the truth and pressed the release of the helmet. The rigid bubble became paper thing soft plastic and folded in the collar of the suit. The Ranger nodded as he was now able to read her face. "Yes indeed your son walks seven kilometers through the densest jungle to Research Outpost 3 where he keeps his flier. "He does this every day. It was him who found the shell of the Takkian fool and once I received his call from the Umbra-Muck Bogs, that's almost 45 clicks from here." He doesn't wear armor, and officially I am not supposed to know but there is no one on this world of ours who moves further and deeper into the Jungles." Then he gestured towards the black animal. "I have no idea what kind of animal he found, but not even the Institute knows about every critter out there." He looked straight in Martha's eyes. "Your son is a good kid. He is down to the bone honest, courteous and always eager to help. He is growing up to become a fine citizen. He is always welcome in my home and like a brother to my son. So give him a chance just once." Paul Masters did not feel very comfortable with several of the local life forms so close inside the force field. Of course the suit would protect him, but he was a scientist and he could not explain how Wild animals of a world that had no human population, just a few hundred years ago, changed their behavior so drastically, This world was an enigma, as there was no evolutionary explanation for the development of so many deadly life forms, or could explain the vicious, aggressive behavior the life forms displayed towards intruders. Why a Water Snake or any of the other samples suddenly allowed to be touched and acted like the most docile purpose breed Terran dogs, was a mystery of similar proportions. There was certainly not enough observation data to allow such foolishness. If the animals changed their behavior so fast, who could say they would not do so again? Paul said. "The Ranger is not a qualified authority to make such decisions. You come in here, this instant and we talk about it. In the meantime we should restrain that specimen you found and categorize it." Martha Masters however was slowly changing her old convictions. "Roy, we still barely able to process what we have seen today or put in any context we can postulate a response." Roy put his hand on Partner and said." I knew you would react differently than all the others. I know you want to take Partner away and dissect it, but I won't let this happen. You called me a liar and dreamer. You never believed me when I told you I was outside, I am outside and I am going to hide in my Jungle and no one not even all your science can find me there!" He jumped on Partner's back and the big animal turned and it bolted towards the jungle. Roy turning off his PDD. Within a few heart beats, the boy and the Black beast had reached the Jungles edge, and then they were gone. The Marines reacted and followed as Paul Masters yelled. "Marines go get him, he won't come back!" They flew through a structure gap, Ma Swanson made. The crowd looked at the Masters with open contempt and it was the Black Shail who said. "We don't have the same family concept on Shaill as you humans do, but you are the most emotion deprived coldhearted specimen I have came across in fifty years of practice." Martha felt a restricting knot in her throat and something wet rolled down her cheeks. Something she hadn't done since her Grandfather had died. She cried tears." Paul Masters, well aware that he made the wrong decision and should have waited till Roy was inside before he scolded him also felt worried about his son. The worries and the words of the Shail doctor started a similar very delayed reaction in his mind. Seeing his wife, the emotionally so controlled Martha cry made him slowly realize that he had failed his son and his family." No worries Martha, the Marines will find him." One of the Marines called and reported. "My squat is still trying to get a scan lock, but our sensors are severely hampered by the Jungle as usual, and we can't pick up its Energy weapon signature anywhere." The Ranger said with a stern face. "He didn't have a chance." Martha remembered at the last moment that she could not wipe her eyes with power augmented Power Suit gauntlets. "I am so sorry and my husband has made a grave error, please find him. We will give him a chance of course and we won't harm his animal." Paul, who only begun to understand, and was still overwhelmed by the events, his wife's sudden emotional reaction and his own growing feelings of concern vented by snarling. "Ranger Solomon, do your job and get our son back!" "Dr. Masters, you are a member of the Institute and I treated you with respect and courtesy but frankly I had about enough of you. You might be smart when it comes to your science stuff, to me you are geeky wimp without a shred of common sense and an arrogant attitude that would make the Grand Wizard of all Kermac look like a jovial fellow. You are a lucky man to have a son like that and you are even luckier that I am wearing this uniform because I am restraining myself veer much not to pull you out of that thin can and give you a good old fashioned knuckle sandwich with all the trimmings of an oh so primitive and simple being." Paul saw the sizable fists of the Ranger and even he knew about their excellent training and stellar reputation. For a moment he forgot Roy and his emotional confused state and his thoughts found a baseline. The thought of being whipped by the burly ranger made him remember his own school time. When he came home with a bloody nose and his father took care of him, talked to him and helped him and gave him pointers how to deal with a bully. This mental image of his father, did the same what Martha felt when she saw the unanswered messages of her mother. The Ranger was not done and said. "Actually none of this is technically Ranger business. I am following up on a council request, and tried to find the best solution for both the kids and the adults. I am here primarily as a father." "But you must go after him, Ranger. Martha is right and too will try to be a better father, but how can we try if he is out there in mortal danger." "Mr, Masters, the Marines won't find him with all their Fleet tech and I won't b able to find him. He knows these Jungles and he will be alright. I expect him to turn up at Browns place in a few days or perhaps hide out in one of the abandoned Research Outposts." "Sam Browns place? Thirty Kilometers from here?" Norm who had heard it all interjected, "I often teased Roy not being a real Greenie, Dr. Masters; but Roy could walk to the other side of the Planet, bare feet and be as happy as can be the entire way," Martha said. "You are one of his friends?" "Yes I am, we all are his friends ever since Kindergarten. I have been to your house just the other day for his birthday party." She sighed as she realized she had forgotten all about Roy's birthday and remembered vaguely wondering about the many kids in the living room while she tried to attend a tele-presence meeting, "I wonder if he actually hates us?" She mused more to herself than anyone, but Norm answered anyway. "No I don't think he hates you, but I know he wishes he could talk to you sometimes." She didn't respond to that but asked instead, "What will he do? Even if he can survive out there during the day It will be dark soon and he had nothing to eat!" "There is plenty to eat and Roy has been out at night before," Martha's foundation in life was science and everthing had an orderly place in the Universe. The events today had shaken that foundation. Nothing she believed to be empirical true about this world was indeed true. Four hundred years of bio research conducted by the finest minds of the field and the resulting conclusions were based on the fundamental assumption that everything alive on Green Hell was utterly and completely lethal to almost every other known life form. On top of everything she had seen today she was now told there was food out there. Decades of her complete devotion to her field of study raised the sudden desire in her to have Roy guide them, show them what he knew and that desire clashed with her very recently discovered maternal instincts and her worries about Roy's safety. The Ranger could see some of it reflecting in her eyes and he said in a softer tone. "I will fly out to Sam Brown's place. If anyone can find and talk to Roy to come back it's him." There was a difference about thinking to run away and actually doing it. Roy realized that the moment he turned and guided partner into the thickets. It suddenly dawned to him that he could not go home, not see Sam or go to any of his usual hideouts. He could not go to school on Monday or go to the Rocks and call his friends. It was not the prospect of living a few days outside, he actually looked forward to that. It was the finality of his action that severed the very last strands of connection he had to his parents. He knew they didn't care but keeping the illusion alive that they did was a compfort, he only now realized he had in the first place. He wiped his nose and said with a coarse voice. "I wish we could reach the Mountains today, maybe we can find us a cave ,I heard Sam say are there," Of course even with his formidable mound, who didn't seem to grow tired it would take him at least a week, and then there was the other Big Lake he had to cross somehow or walk along its thousands of miles of shoreline. Not that he had anything better to do and going there gave him some sort of goal. A sudden unexplainable surge pulled at his spine, a painless sensation that felt as if his mind,his point of view was pulled into a bottomless hole. The sensation so strange it was, lasted no longer than a heart beat. To his utter surprise the deep green coastal jungle around Big Lake that surrounded him had changed completely. The Tantalus Oaks around here were much shorter, the air noticeable cooler and there were wide patches of vegetation free ground, exposing bare rock. As he looked up he saw the snow tipped mountains of Green Hells far North right before him. More than 5000 miles from Ant Hill near the top of this world. He had never seen them in person and only on Virtu Maps in school. At fist he considered the ill effects of a Fire Nettle Bush, he may have touched ,making him dream all this, but there were no blisters anywhere on his exposed skin and the wind fanning down the steep slopes felt very real. He jumped of and touched the ground. It was indeed solid rock. A herd of animals reminding him of Stompers, but much smaller and with longer legs climbed agile over a tumble of giant boulders about half a mile away, Something that looked like a Gladiator Eagle, but completely black circled above him and perhaps considered of Roy was worth an attack. His natural sense of Danger made him aware of a slow creeping patch of reddish moss that edged closer to where he was standing. So he climbed back on Partner and made him move slowly away. "Partner I think I am losing my mind., if didn't know better I say we somehow traveled all across the planet in less than an eye blink." Partner of course did not understand his complicated train of thought, not even Roy himself really did, but the animal seemed very pleased with itself and Roy could see an image of him sitting on Partner in the Jungle and then sitting on Partner near the Mountains. "Yes exactly my silent friend. We somehow ended up here and there are no Trans Matter Tunnels on Green Hell or one of the rare Saresii talents who supposed to be able to teleport." Partner snorted and seemed very pleased with himself.

Chapter 10: Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Much had happened today, first the agonizing hours at school, waiting for the inevitable meeting with his parent. The actual events at Ma Swanson's boathouse and him making good on his threat to run away. Now he found himself near the White Head Mountain range, no one had really explored so far without having any idea how he ended up here. The mountains before him were a breathtaking sight. Most of the Planets other mountains were not as high and completely covered with Jungle growth, but the White Head Mountains reached well past the growing zone. Mount Tradiderias was named after the Saresii expedition leader who had died here after he and his crew discovered Green Hell and landed here many thousand years ago. It was the highest of this range and reached over 7000 meters into the sky. He had heard that this wasn't very high for a real mountain and that there were Planets out there with much higher ones, but he had never seen any of them. "That white Stuff up there is a substance called snow. After we figured out how we got here, Partner we go up there and check it out. I always wanted to touch Snow." Again there was this surging feeling and the next thing he knew was being thrown off Partner's back landing face first in a blinding white soft mass. It was cold! It was frikking cold. Roy jumped to his feet like a steel coil and found himself knee deep in this cold white stuff, on the very top of Mount Tradiderias. The vista was so unbelievable beautiful, he forgot everything. The air was thin and as cold as the snow, steamy puffs of condensation created by his breath were ripped from his lips by a stiff breeze. Maxwell, the GIIIa type Yellow sun of the System begun t settle at the horizon bathing mountains in a golden wash of light, while he could see Green Jungles all the way to the curving horizon in every direction. Only interrupted by the shimmering surfaces of rivers and huge lakes. Partner stood right next to him and through Roy's eyes and feeling of amazement enjoyed the view as well. The truth dawned to Roy. The Animal was telepathic gifted and he knew about teleportation. Could it be? "Partner,did you bring us here?" The Animal sneezed happily and it was proud of itself. "So you can teleport! I wonder what other surprises you hide."He patted the thick neck and grinned. "Sure beats walking and they never find me now for sure. But from now on, my black pelted friend, don't teleport with me unless I really say so. Otherwise I might end up in the Senior Cheerleader's locker room or scare the living daylights out of Ma Swanson." Partner sneezed. Roy knelt down and touched the snow with curiosity. "Father once said how he misses the seasons and Snow in the winter. I wonder why anyone would miss this cold stuff!" Thinking of his father made him think of his situation and his throat restricted as if something hard stuck in his wind pipe. He wiped the tears away and said. "No use feeling sorry for myself, they sure don't. I bet they are glad I am gone. I was just in the way." Partner nudged him in the side with his head and then tenderly licked him. -"""- Part 2 Harlex had his arms crossed before his chest and leaned with his right shoulder against one of the supports that held up the sheet of heavy gauge translucent Dura Plast. It once had been translucent, but a thick layer of slimy green algae covering most of it made that a mood feature. Heavy rain poured from the lead colored sky thick with billowing clouds and the rushing sound of the downpour almost drowned the poor quality transmission of classic Bombast music coming from inside the depressing looking bar room behind him. High pitched,silvery gurgling streams of water running down the slanted roof splashed into the yellowish muck beyond the creaky Pour-a-wood Porch and joined the spidery network of water filled ditches that carried the water down the settlements Main street and into Anars's Lake half a klick away. "Main Street my ass. " He grunted to himself and shifted the Smoke stick that dangled from one side of his thin lipped mouth to the other. He stood on the Porch to Napha Beronou's Paradise Tavern which was one of only two businesses of this sorry settlement. The muddy road was lined on both sides with shacks, tents and shipping containers modified to make shift building; the homes of the 512 men that lived here. A kilometer up the road was Lumber Mill Number 4 and the place where he worked, no one was forced to work in this bone breaking work low Tech Lumber Mill, no one was forced to be on one of the Lumberjack teams or the Log Drag Gangs, but it gave you something to do and it provided you with a meager salary everyone here spend mostly on the few liquor and beer choices offered here at Napha's or at the other Tavern Oryn's Waterhole. Harlex looked at his callused hands. He had been an excellent Lab Systems Engineer with a great career and a good salary at Enroe Bio Lab Equipment Inc, but that was in a different life, back then he was Chief Engineer Harlex Gedde, here they only called him Greenie. This was his fourth year here on Parajsa Planet. The word meant Paradise in some old Pre Astro Terran language and it was a joke of course. There was nothing beautiful or nice about Parajsa Planet, because it was also known as Union Felon Penal Colony 23. His lawyer said this was the best deal he could get. Twenty Years at UFPC 23 or voluntary Psycho Surgery. Having his personality completely erased and replaced with what a Psycho Surgeon thought a Model Citizen's ego should be like. Back then he would rather gone to the Gallows than accept Psycho Surgery so the choice to go to a Penal Colony was an easy one to make. On days like this he wondered if Surgery would not been the better choice after all. Tuzzzh, a yellow throat Shiss stepped from out the bar and stopped next to Harlex. "Hey Greenie, does it ever rain like that on Green Hell like that?" The Shiss was easily to understand as long as there weren't many words containing S or Z sounds. Harlex who had been born on Green Hell, sighed deeply missing his lethal and dangerous world. "Yes it does, it rains often and without any warning, but there isn't a real rain season like on this cursed mud ball lasting for month!" "If it is warm and with lots of moisture,I think I'd love it there." Harlex laughed hard. " Tuzzzh, you would not last two minutes in our Jungles." Muhlen, the soft spoken smooth talking former Corporate lawyer who had killed his wife and escaping the Hangman's noose just barely had also left the bar room and must have overheard the Shiss. He said. "Two Purples, a few Takkians, a Pertharian and a Saturnian tried that a few years ago and none of them made it. The Siliconoids did remarkably well and managed to survive for almost 20 minutes. It was all over GalNet when it happened." The Shiss raised his neck spines to express his disbelieve. "Takkians should be immune to anything a carbon based Jungle can throw at them." Harlex gazed into the distance. "Not on Green Hell, Lizard. It took our Dragon Ants less than five minutes to dissolve one of the Takkians into silicon soup and the other found out why it is not a good idea to run into the net of a Moolax. Electrified Mono-filament nets with a tensile strength of Carbon Nano tube fibers, do I need to say more?" The Yellow Throat Shiss said. "We heard of Green Hell, even before the Union and the Terrans went there, I guess everyone in the Upward Sector knows stories and legends about Green Hell or Imthe Seth as the Sarans called it before Union Times, but I never thought they were more than faery tales." The disbarred lawyer said. "I never been there myself, but I've seen GalNet reports that make any faery tale you heard kids tales." Harlex felt very homesick, he was a seventh generation Greenie and like everyone born on this impossible, dangerous and beautiful world, he felt a deep connection to it and the pain his homesickness caused in the pit of his stomach made worse by talking about it. He grunted. "I need a drink." With this he turned and returned in the bar room to drown the pity he felt for himself with the rough as engine fuel rug gut booze they sold here and called it Whiskey. An hour or so later, Harlex didn't feel any better and the longing to return to his home world still tormented his memories. The alcohol didn't really help, just dull the details not the cause. He tried to listen to the Shiss. Tuzzzh told once more how he ended up here and not in a much nicer POW camp. First reason was of course that there was no war between the Shiss Empire and the Union at the Moment and the second reason was that Tuzzzh wasn't officially a soldier but had been caught as a Pirate and trialed in a civilian court. Of course everyone knew that the Shiss Raiders were directly sponsored and supported by the White Nestling himself. The Shiss government officially denounced these raider actions as Pirate acts of independent individuals in no way sanctioned." Harlex had heard the story several times and could have told it as good as the Shiss himself, but there was nothing else to do and the disgraced corporate lawyer wanted to hear it. To vent his frustration, he interrupted the story and said. "You are lucky it was a Federal Police cruiser who stopped you guys and not a Fleet Unit. The fleet deals with Pirates in a much more terminal way." The Shiss didn't like to be interrupted and felt his Warrior honor tainted by the fact that he and his shipmates surrendered to Federal Police. He was still a Shiss and stronger than everyone in the room. The fact that he was intoxicated lowered his low threshold to act on violent impulses, that were never far from a Shiss in the first place didn't help. It took very little alcohol to get a Lizard drunk . He jumped up to teach the Human a lesson. Napha, the owner of the Tavern was sentenced for life to this place and was allowed to run this small business. The Warden however didn't care if his place was trashed, torched or if patrons killed themselves. He could hold his own in a bar fight, sharing the genes of a Thauran mother and a father native to Hoffman's World where humans lived under six Gee for over two thousand years, living the harsh life as a fringe region Scooper raider and running a tavern on a Prison colony steeled his fists and he knew almost all of the dirty tricks and moves. However going against a drunk and enraged Shiss was certain suicide. He needed to protect his business so he pulled the old chemical slug thrower from under the bar." The Shiss however didn't fare as well as he thought he would against a much smaller, drunk human. The Greenie was fast and reacted even before the Shiss committed to his fast attack and evaded the claw swipe that would have maimed the human. Greenies had this unexplainable ability to somehow sense danger and react and the mysterious conditions that made every life form on that planet into lethal killing machines influenced humans that were born there as well. Harlex didn't have any stingers, no deadly poisons and never had any military or any martial arts skills, yet the palm of his right hand stuck the Shiss right underneath its teeth filled maw at one of the beings sensitive nerve clusters. The Shiss howled in pain and stumbled a few steps back. The former lawyer's only combat skills were honed in court proceedings and board rooms, so he tried to find refuge under the next table. How the situation would end was almost certain, but then a sound everyone here knew and never hoped to hear on this side of the planet. The distinctive high whistle of a Union Arti Grav shortly followed by greenish light lowering into the Bar room from outside the building. A space ship was landing where no space ship was allowed to land. The fight was a fast forgotten as it had started and the four beings scrambled through the door to see. A sleek ship just settled on its landing struts. The greenish shine of the Arti Grav ebbed to a faint glow and then blinked out. The lawyer pushed himself between the Shiss and the Bar keeper and said. "That is a Bombardier One-fifty, diamond edition." Only ships of the Correctional Service were allowed to approach this world and land and only at the Warden's Island 3000 miles to the east. Like all Penal Colonies there were Sensor satellites in Orbit to ensure that no one shortened the sentence of a friend or smuggle in illegal things such as drugs and weapons. Escapes from Penal Colonies were almost unknown, but not impossible. The most famous case being of course the escape of Admiral Richard Stahl as the Peace Hawks sentenced him to a life sentence on the harshest Penal Colony known. He came back many years later at the height of the War against the Y'All and saved the day. All this went through the mind of Harlex as he watched the ship extending a boarding ramp. The curvy woman wearing a Bio Seal Suit with the typical Dual color scheme Greenies preferred. No one but Greenies would wear these suits everywhere they went. Even Harlex still wore his old brown and green suit. One of the few items of personal belongings they had left him (there was nothing better to wear on a world where it rained more than on Splish Splash and every life form was either fungus or slug based. The woman coming down the ramp filled out her two tone suit rather nicely and was flanked by two Pertharian giants in what looked like the latest Corporate Security Battle suit design. The four armed monsters carried SII Fafnyr Thermo Bolter Gatlings, enough fire power to take on a Squad of Cerberus Robots. Probably a good idea for a woman visiting a prisoner camp where the only women they saw were printed on posters. The female prisoners were kept on the other continent of the planet and without ships as unreachable as if they had been on another world. She didn't sink to her knees into the yellow muck as everyone else did who had to cross the road during one of the planets four rain seasons. That meant she wore Terran All Terrains with the full package, including Personal ArtiGrav Adjusters. Now as she stepped from under the ship into the rain, Harlex recognized her. Dr. Ieshia Yeager, the Science Corps Researcher who was his partner in crime smuggling and selling Green Hell life forms on the black market. Seeing her like that made his blood boil. While he was rotting away on a planet where a real dry place was equated with nirvana and she crossed the galaxy in a luxury yacht. She had been arrested just like him and found guilty by the same court, the same jury and sentenced by the same judge. Not even her super expensive Star lawyer from Pluribus made a difference during the trial. The sentence was harsher than everyone expected, because one of their smuggled Insectos got free aboard a transport ship and caused the death of a dozen men. He had opted for Penal Colony and she asked for Psycho Surgery. She should not know who she was, she should have no memory and no connections to her old life and to make the new life a punishment, anyone taking Psycho Surgery would wake up as a low wage earner as far away from the planet of birth as possible and a whole set of new memories. She waved at him, right away dispelling any notion that she was someone else or here by accident. The landing of the Yacht had brought everyone of the small settlement outside, despite the still pouring rain and they stared and gasped. Right there and then the Pertharians opened fire and hidden weapon ports on the ship opened. The Inferno was as complete as it was brutal and swift. The heavy gatlings spat sun hot plasma bolt after the other, flash vaporizing penal colonists by the dozen. For every structure there was now a crater with molten white glowing magma in the middle. The Shiss he had fought just a few moments ago, had been turned into molecular ashes To his right were the smoking leg stumps of the lawyer, sticking in the muck. The rest of his body missing. The Tavern and its owner were gone Through the pouring rain, the billowing clouds of smoke and steam, back lit by the red glow of burning ruins and trees she approached Harlex. As if taking a stroll on a sunny afternoon a cross Ring Park In Pluribus, with her auburn locks swinging in harmony with her swaying hips she walked over the muck and due to her reduced surface pressure barley leaving a track. In her right she casually held a compact H&K RP 9 (Raketen Pistole). The man crawling through the mud just before here, was horribly burned and held up his crimson red arm in agony. She didn't miss a step or lost her charming smile she displayed on her red lips as she discharged her weapon and the mini rocket ripped the man apart, creating a small geyser of mud, blood and humane flesh. Harlex noticed the Pertharians combing the area with sophisticated life sign scanners and he could hear the occational crackling blast when their sensors had picked something up. She had reached him, holstered her weapon and stretched out her hand. "Nice to meet again Harlex. I came to get you out of here and then my employers of mine have a interesting proposition for you." Harlex was still in a state of shock. Less than maybe ten or five teen minutes had past, since the ship had landed and everything happened so fast, yet to him it appeared as if had been hours. So many questions wheeled in his mind, to say he was confused would have been an understatement. He spread his arms and finally managed to say. "Why?" She kept her smile on her lips that, given the situation disturbed him even more than the destruction around him and then she said. "You are the only person who can get us what we want, of course. You are a genuine Greenie after all." She pulled her weapon and pointed it at his stomach. "Your cooperation is not optional I might add. You are a criminal now, forgotten by the world. Do what is asked of you and you will be a rich and free man." Harlex never was the most honest man in the Galaxy and didn't mind to bend the rules a little if he thought he could benefit from it. That is why he accepted her proposal back then in the first place, but what the woman had done was mass murder and nothing less. Federation Police would eventually find out. And as the old saying went. Federation Police worked slow, very slow but always caught the bad guys, always. That this was not just some advertisement slogan but the truth, he knew. "You will never get away with this. A raid of such brutality will make them turn every rock and if they think I am part of this, I won't escape the Noose this time." She laughed. "You are a simple man, Harlex, a simple man indeed." He watched as the Pertharians carried the bodies of two dead Shiss from the landed ship and dumped them in the mud. She waved the gun. "We are done here, Harlex. I suggest you play along you would not like the alternative." Numb and not sure what to think he sloshed trough the mud to the waiting ship with her right behind him. "We will get away with this just fine by he way. The Feds won't really investigate much, the evidence is clear. A Shiss Raiding party sneaked in the System, jammed the Watch tower satellites and rescued their ship mate. "It will cause some diplomatic ruckus, Union accusing the Shiss of an act of war. The Shiss denying any knowledge and neither side will risk real war over the death of a few felons. I doubt this little incident will ever make the News." After he had stomped up the ramp into the ships hold, he finally managed to ask a more coherent question. "What is it you want from me?" "We want you to get us something from that planet of yours, something hidden in the Jungles of Green Hell and we figured only a Greenie can get it. No worries we fill you in and in a few month you can afford a beach house at Para Para or Maritime." Harlex could not help but wonder what was so valuable on Green Hell that could explain all this.

Chapter 11: Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Isehia pressed a sub-dermal contact on the base of her jaw and tapped it twice and with that she activated her Data Brain connection to GalNet. She now could make GalNet calls directly using her minds speech center without opening her mouth. It took a little practice to separate what you were thinking and what you wanted to say without using your vocal cords or your mouth, but she was doing it for a long time and because of that she earned a very generous salary. She was an employee, but even she only knew her employers as: 'The Company' and her direct contacts only as the 'Managers'. She had never seen one in person, or more precisely she didn't know if she had ever seen one. With a few movements of her tongue she scrolled through the GalNet menu displayed directly into her retina and blinked at the necessary symbols to make the desired connection. The expensive Bombardier Private Space Yacht had left the Penal Colony, already raced past the orbit of the fifth planet and slipped into Quasi Space. Her Manager came on right away. A suave looking green skinned humanoid posing as a Hegloian and wearing an expensive Saresii Silk Business suit in the classical and very distinguished Cambridge cut. Yet she was certain it was a generated image and had nothing to do with how the real person looked like. He sat behind a featureless glass desk in a sterile white looking office. He had his finger stapled and said. "Ah my dear Isehia, I gather there weren't any complications?" "None at all, Manager. As predicted the Watch Tower satellites were over 1000 year old, well maintained but completely obsolete and inadequate. We left plenty of Shiss Engine Trail residue, used an old Shiss Computronic Virus routine to disable the Watch towers. The Warden's Island was void of any life signs and the Guards shuttle was gone. We destroyed it anyway." The manager did not change his position and remained almost like a static image, if it wasn't for his moving lips. "The Warden and his small staff were very open to the suggestion to take a little vacation. I know of all the details Isehia, did you secure the Greenie?" "Yes, Harlex Gedde is currently sitting in the yellow salon enjoying his favorite whiskey and my company." "How did he take his liberation and did you make him aware that his new employers insist on his full cooperation?" "His reaction of our activities co-related to his predicted Psych-profile are right on the money. He currently enters stage two : Realization of his current situation." "Good news then Ieshia. I trust we can proceed then. Failure would not only ruin his day but I would have to re-evaluate your employment status with a very terminal outcome." -""— While the rented Bombardier Yacht traversed space; speeding with glowing Isah Pods and many times the speed of light through this other dimensional condition known as Quasi Space; towards its distant destination, almost two thousand light years away a man disconnected a highly secure GalNet link and with it a Simu-Life ™ sequence entitled: White Office. The real surroundings however weren't all that different from the simulation. He was accused of many things, but never accused of having too much of a creative streak or any real imagination. Clive Khan was the owner of a small but very profitable consulting firm, specializing in advising import and export companies about the legal and cultural conditions doing business with Free Space civilizations. For almost forty years he crisscrossed Free Space as a Freelancer living hand to mouth doing little jobs and slowly build him a reputation of being reliable, never asking too many questions and knowing every Pirate Outpost, every Free Space Trading market and where to get what. Everything changed when he stared to do business with the Hanuman Cartel and now he was a respected business man with a plush office in the second tallest sky tower of Pluribus. His unseen business associates bankrolled everything; including his high roller lifestyle of course failing them was no option. He had never asked questions or was too curious, but even he wondered what was so valuable on that strange planet, to explain such a detailed operation that went on for many years. Of course he knew that Green Hell was the origin of the drug Califerm, but the stuff was now grown and synthesized all over the place. Drug business was still a somewhat profitable venture, even though not even once percent of the Union Population used any illegal drugs. Heck even the use of legal recreational drugs had steadily declined over the last millennia and the Union Health Council estimated that less than eight percent of the entire population were using rec drugs on a regular basis. Main reason was, that the very reason for drug use had virtually vanished from the daily lives of the main population. No one had to work if they didn't want to (surprisingly 90% wanted a job). GalNet Virtual Worlds were a much better escape from reality than most drugs could provide (Virtu-World addiction was a much more severe problem). Many of the social problems and conditions that existed in societies where illegal drug use was rampant simply didn't exist at least for the average Union Citizen. The Gal Drifts who were the main group of Illegal Drug users were mostly Non-Cits in the first place and their numbers were truly insignificant. Okay, the exotic animal market, especially the black market on dangerous life forms was very lucrative. Rich collectors, private hunting venues and of course the Death Arenas paid astronomical sums for something rare and deadly, but even that did not really explain the operation his clients made him execute. He was certain he was part of something much bigger. Curiosity in his line of business and especially in this case would be deadly, but if there was something profitable beyond drugs and exotic animals, he really liked to have a bigger slice of the pie. So he pulled up his desk unit and made a general info request: Most valuable substances and items. The GalNet Search was instant and populated his field screen with a list: The most valuable substance by weight is Tritherium shelled- Ultronit lattice Neutronium. A gram of this material manufactured by SII costs about 1 Billion Credits. While it is theoretically the ultimate indestructible material and thus the material of choice for Battle ship armor. The manufacturing process takes many years and the cost of machinery and processes makes it prohibitive to be used. Still it is the most expensive material/ item/ substance known. Information is among the highest valued commodities. It could be argued that it is the single most valuable commodity. Considering what Governments and Corporations spend on resources to gather it. Artifacts and items – Verified artifacts of extinct civilizations: Items from such civilizations as the Dark Ones, Celtest, Pree, Uni or the The First League are the highly valuable items and are traded both legally and illegally. (Illegal items are artifacts that are working military weapons) Artifacts and items of the Y'All or Piostla Artifacts of ancient unknown or little known civilizations. True Calipharm Dust – (From Green Hell) 1 gram is traded for about 5 Million Credits Clive stopped reading there and revised his opinion on Califerm, The real stuff so he just learned was worth many thousand times more than the illegal drug sold on the black market to junkies. According to this article, there was great interest in obtaining quantities of the genuine material by the Shiss and the Kermac. He deepened his research and found out that the genuine material was used by the Saresii to create Psionic Drugs, medication that, according to what he was reading could increase the Heidelberg PSI Index of a person, without the ill effects of God Dust as the Gal Drifts called the illegal synthetic version. Clive wondered if that was the ultimate goal of his clients, getting a supply of that stuff. While he was reading that he noticed a note tagged to the article that is was generally believed that the real Calipharm could kill a Narth. He shrugged and then made sure his clients were updated on the progress. -""- It was almost dark when Roy found a cave. At first he wondered why the first visitors to this world did not land on the mountains, as it seemed there was nothing really dangerous. But then his sense of danger made him aware of patches with violent ice worms in the snow and he found that not all boulders were just inanimate objects, but cleverly disguised huge relatives to the Blister crabs. Green Hell was what it was even here in the mountain region. The idea to make a cave his home was a good one at first, but now as he stood before the dark crack that appeared to be the entrance of a cave even he didn't feel brave enough to actually find out what Green Hell life forms lurked in there. To Partner he said. "Well Uncle Sam was right, there are caves but I didn't even bring a light and I don't think it is a good idea to go in there." Partner snorted and with two fast strides disappeared inside. Roy pulled his blaster and went after his friend. As tough, as he knew his friend was, there could always be something that was tougher and more dangerous. His four legged friend surprised him with his abilities all the time and now was no difference. The short tubby horns on Partners skull were glowing in a bright white light and illuminated a cavern of about twenty meters in diameter. It smelled dry and musky. Pieces of something pelted and bloody stuck between Partners wide chops, streaks of dark blood down the animal's chest, proved that Partner encountered something in this cave. Whatever it was didn't have a chance so it became apparent. Partner was neither distressed, wounded nor upset. He sat there on his hind legs and looked as pleased with itself as ever. After an inspection of the cavern and his instincts told him it was reasonably safe. He didn't find any passage way deeper into the mountain, so he bedded down next to Partner who now was settling down as well, between him and the cave entrance. He had spent a few nights out before, but never to bed down and sleep. This was the first time he actually closed his eyes to sleep. He was more tired than he wanted to admit to himself. More emotionally drained than physically and soon sleep came to him and he slept, with a big black paw gently placed over his side and dark red eyes glowing watchful towards the cave entrance. -""- Ranger Salomon, Martha and Paul Steward arrived at Sam Browns Farm as the local sun was just about to slip behind the horizon. Martha had never seen the place and now as she looked over the neatly rows of cultivated fields, surrounded by only a twelve meter high energy fence and not a complete energy dome. The most unusual site to her was the log home in the center. Not an Ultronit construct but a house, a genuine house made of wooden logs, with a smoking chimney. Paul was all excited as it looked like something out of his Pre Astro books. The tall black man standing on his porch and waved his raised finger. "Not a step further!" Martha and Paul wore full gear as usual and stomped their armor suits from the landed armored floater across the packed dirt path. The black man said. "Not a step further, folks. My home isn't an Ultronit shell you know. It isn't built for Off World Geeks in 8,000 pound monkey suits." He eyed them with open contempt. He stemmed his fists into his sides and shook his head. "If it isn't the Masters, Roy's parents. Let me introduce myself. I am the bad influence and I used to be a dumb brute as you call us Marines ain't that right? "I am the one who pulled your asses out of the wreckage too, if you recall." Sam Brown raised his massive arms. "Oh right, you are too busy to call your son or me to say anything." Martha showed she was much braver than Paul and opened her Suit, stepped down from it and onto the reddish dirt. Now wearing just her Bio Seal suit just like Sam Brown did. Paul almost fainted as he saw his wife completely exposed. There was no force field above them and Martha was breathing the real air of the planet for the first time since she had landed here seventeen years ago. The fresh breeze of natural wind and a sweet flowery scent felt strangely invigorating. She said. "Mr. Brown, we know we have acted like social recluses and we have used words and did things we are not proud of. Things that only became apparent to me as I was forced to look into the mirror and see our own reflection. Whatever we have been can't be changed and we will try to remedy our behavior in the future, but right now our son Roy is missing. We know he thinks the world of you." She continued without taking a breath. "I begin to realize now that you have been a better adult influence in his life than we have been." Sam completely ignored Paul or the Ranger and said stepping to the side. "Come on in Ms. Masters. I think it is time you and me have a long talk about Roy. I have fresh Hell-ade or something stronger if you care and we can sit on the veranda." She watched with horror as an arm long centipede slithered over the path and into the low green plants she recognized as Fire Nettle Bushes, neatly planted in rows and obviously cultivated. Sam had seen it too and said. "No worries Ms. Masters this is Lockjaw, one of a few thousand living around here, hunting for Vamp Fly larvae and Suck-Painers. Not interested in you at all." With cramped fists and to the amazement of her husband, Martha walked the eight meters and climbed the short steps. The Ranger turned. "It seems I am not needed here. I am in town in case you need me." Paul Masters finally found words." What about me?" Sam said. "Why would a grown man asks such a question, with a voice that sounded as if he was close to tears? You can go with the Ranger, stay where you are as long as you want or come in, like your wife did. Without the suit of course." Paul Masters thought about it and decided that he was not ready yet to leaver the comfort and safety of his suit, but standing there seemed foolish. Martha said with a strong edge in her tone. "I am out of my suit for less than five minutes but I begin to see us how the locals see us." Then she sighed and said. "Go home Paul. I call you when I am done here." Paul Masters, never thought of himself as a coward or a wimp, but the fear that knotted his throat told him otherwise. All he had to do was to release the suits seals and walk a distance of six or seven meters. He could not do it. So he did what Martha said and followed the Ranger. He wondered if he could ever look into her eyes again and for the first time, science was no longer on his mind at all. Martha watched her husband climb into the Rangers floater and Sam said. "No worries about Roy, he will survive. There is no sense to search him tonight, but you and I can look for him tomorrow. I have a feeling he is headed for the White Had Mountains and we should be able to pick him up somewhere along the Shore of Vast Lake." The floater disappeared over the tops of the Jungle and into the incredibly beautiful dark red painted sky. Martha was still very tense. Her suit had closed itself and stood like a deactivated robot out there. To get to it she would have to cross the same distance again. The black man wore his bio suit with the sleeves rolled up. His suit had the exact same camouflage pattern as she had seen Roy wearing. He produced a glass pitcher and two glasses, filled them with ice cubes and a dark red clear liquid. He pointed at it and said. "Drink!" His voice left no room for doubt, it was an order. In the lab and in her field she was quite accustomed to give orders, but here in the presence of this towering man that oozed an almost primeval flair of true Terran aggressive, male readiness from his very being she felt like a little girl that did what she was told to do. She took a sip and then eagerly drained most of the glass, it was that good. A tardy fresh taste that had was somewhere between Cherry and Cranberry with a hint of lime but the overall taste was something completely new and absolutely delicious. "This is delicious! What is it?" Sam Brown flashed his white teeth. "It is called Hell-ade and is something your son came up with. Made from Hell Berries." She choked. "You saying this is from a local plant? Everything is poisonous!" "Silly arrogant scientist! You and your kind haven't even begun to analyze one tenth of what is out there and you already claim to know that everything is poisonous. What kind of generalization is that?" She swallowed at that logical irrefutable critique and said meekly. "Roy made this?" Sam nodded. "The Hell Stinger bushes have deadly stingers, deadly roots, leaves filled with nettle hairs that make a Terran Jellyfish sting feel like a relieve. Yet the berries it produces are perfectly eatable and as you found out delicious." He replenished her glass and said. "Roy came up with the idea, pressed the juice, and blended it with water and presto." "I do not know what to say..." He snorted. "And that from a woman who claims to know everything about Green Hell." "I never claimed..." She stopped and said. "Well it appears the Ivory tower we built for ourselves seems quite real and becomes only apparent if you look at it from the outside." She looked at the glass and almost whispered. "I forgot my own son, but it wasn't always like that, back then I made the decision to have a child the traditional way and only now I remember how much I loved that little thing that came out of me. " The man sitting across the table said nothing and he had almost melted into the long shadows of the impeding night. She simply kept talking. But she still was a scientist and that what defined her and she said. "How come you can survive out here? In a house made of wood?" Sam answered with his deep barrel voice, that had authority to spare but also a soft timbre that spoke of genuine feelings. "It's wood of the Tantalus oaks; the Ants hate it and stay away from it. The beasts of the Jungle have accepted the fence and only occasionally something runs into it." Just then something flew towards the porch and with a bright flash burned to ashes and he laughed. "That doesn't mean this is a harmless place and free of danger. It is still Green Hell. I just learned to live with it and those open windows of mine are guarded with effective invisible force fields as you just saw." He made a gesture in the dark, moving his hand across the cleared land. "I am not a Greenie like Roy, but I too have learned to live with the planet and not against it. " "You think he will be alright?" She asked. "He isn't really a Greenie you know." "Have you not seen him, being outside? Your son is the quintessential Greenie, Fiercely proud of his world; instinctively he knows what is dangerous and what is not. I was a Marine and I have visited a 1000 different worlds, fought in Jungles and waste lands with beasts, men and other sentient beings I seen a lot and yet there is no world like Green Hell anywhere." She nodded. "I know that, that is why we are here and what we call the 'Green Hell Question'. Not even after all these years of research can we explain the conditions of this world." "Because you looking at it with a Micro viewer and don't see the big picture. It's like looking at a jig saw puzzle piece by piece and trying to guess what the whole thing might look like instead of taking a step back and looking at it from a distance." She was glad it was dark, so he black man across her could not see her face. This man she always equated to be just another mindless soldier, had a keen mind and maybe he was right. Maybe it was time someone would take a step back and correlate all the data and all the research and filter it for a true common denominator and go from there. She had never known Green Hell had red dirt, before she had seen the exposed ground. She had no idea that parts of certain plants could be consumed, or that the unstoppable ants could be kept at bay with the smell of a certain local wood. Maybe Saresii experts would need to look into this Sense of Danger Greenies claimed they had. Martha who knew her son did not have the necessary HPI to manifest Psionic talents, must indeed have this sense. How else could he survive out there? If he was indeed alive. Sam reached for her hand and padded it. "I see what you are thinking. I simply know he is alive and tomorrow we find him." She believed him but said. "How can you be sure and how will you find him, where Marines and the Ranger have failed?" "Lady, I know because I know Roy and I know in my heart he is alive. As for the Ranger and the Marines. These are Privates of the Expeditionary Marine Division." There was a gentle tone of amusement in his tone. "Good boys they are indeed, but they are not United Stars Marines, to you all the same I know. Yet there is a world of difference. Besides I got a secret weapon." She actually knew there was a difference, Expeditionary Marines were trained for the Explorer Fleet of the Science Corps and received similar but not the same training as Combat Marines attached to the Fleet. She asked. "What secret weapon?" "Charles of course." "The robot you supposedly gave him?" "Oh I did give Charles to Roy. He got the owner license and everything to prove it too. You do know what Charles is, right? Charles and Henry saved your live just very recently." "Yes I remember and I should have thanked you too! Charles is a Fight robot, right?" "Charles is a Cerberus IV Main Battle Robot with all the weapons except the TL Cannon of course" She slipped back into her old self for a moment and said. "So he is a weapon of destruction what good will that do to find Roy?" "It found you and your husband." "I thought it was you who found us." "Without the robots, I still be looking. Charles is not just a weapon. It is the finest piece of equipment SII ever came up with in its time." She simply sat there and listened so he continued ."What good is a weapon without a brain or good eyes? Charles is at least as smart as your Lab Computronic and has the finest sensors. If he has the correct life form data, he could find a single ant on this planet, eventually of course and after weeks of scanning." She didn't believe him. "We got the best Life form detectors and could not determine a human life form past 100 meters in those Jungles." Instead of answering her he asked. "What is the budget of the entire Science Council, Corps and all?" "I happen to know it is 90 Trillion Credits annually." Her voice sounded proud and confident. "We are the well-funded and the Assembly considers Science paramount!" "True that, Lady, but the Fleet alone however gets almost 60 percent of the entire Union GDP. The Cerberus program alone is worth more than the entire Science Council budget." She was intelligent enough to understand. Just the other day she had tried to get a new Neuro Pulse Scanner and her request was approved for the budget of the next year and she knew Ivan had to ditch his plans to get two more Floaters and new Armor Suits, to accomdate her request. Sam was still speaking and said. "Only very few people are licensed to own a real Cerberus no matter how old the machine might be." He laughed and as if he had read her mind he said. "You probably could equip your lab with the newest and latest hardware, buy a few flyers and run the entire Green Hell Institute budget for a year for the price you had to pay for just one IV." She was speechless but could simply not accept the facts the facts the old Marine had told her and so she checked it on her GalNet PDD right there in front of him. Her GalNet search confirmed every bit and as she saw the going price for a Cerberus IV. "You gave my son a present worth 5Million Credits?" "No Ma'am I made your son an equal partner in Sam Brown's Farms LTD and the Robot was part of his share, your husband signed the permission." Sam giggled. "I bet he didn't read it, when Roy handed it to him." Martha knew this was most likely true and didn't get into this any further. "So Charles will find Roy?" "As I said the machine found you and there is no machine more dedicated to its owner than Charles." "It is a robot is he not?" Sam sighed. "You civilians truly have no clue what a Cerberus is or can do. These machines were designed to fight the Y'All and the most lethal threads our enemies could come up with. "Charles fought with me against the Pertharians before they became Union members. If you never seen a regiment of attacking Pertharians, you probably won't understand anyway." He waved his own memories away with an impatient gesture and said. "A Cerberus is capable to react to new situations, and adjust its own programming, direct its repair Nanites to adjust and re-manufacture its equipment to fit the situation if necessary and it is smart, very smart. Charles has over eighty percent of his program and loyalty routines dedicated to Roy. Henry who is my IV for over 20 years has dedicated 40 percent to me and that is way beyond the 20 percent Factory setting." This was way beyond Martha's expertise, but she understood that Roy was special to the robot and that gave her hope. "Why can't we not send out the machines right now?" "Because we don't want to scare or spook anything around Roy at night. This is still Green Hell and if he found a place to sleep. He can't react fast enough before the robots reach him. Besides I want to know what you will do once we find him. Until now I have a good mind to leave Roy out there where he is happy." "We will chance many things. Paul and I are going to leave but I think we can leave him behind on Green Hell and let him make his own decisions. I believe I even changed my mind in terms of his career choice and perhaps he would be a good ranger or a marine. Sam's white teeth seemed to glow in the dark. "If Roy enrolls in the Corps, I am certain he will make a damn fine Marine one day, Ms. Masters. Someone you can be proud of even if he never joins you at the Hive of Minds." He got up, "Call your cowardly husband and tell him you will have dinner here and then we will search for Roy after the Sun goes up." Again there was nothing for Martha to do than to obey. Martha didn't know but there were few who ever argued with former Gunnery Sergeant Samuel Ironside Brown of the United Stars Marine Corps. -""- Far from Green Hell, an asteroid without a corresponding solar system slowly made its way to a region called Ballard's Expanse in Union galactic maps. The asteroid would reach this dense dust cloud around the year 5020. The asteroid was a wanderer on a course across the Galaxy for many eons. This big chunk of rock and ice was hollow and known as Sobody's Seat. One of the fabulous Galactic Markets operated by this neutral and enigmatic civilization. Some claimed that the Golden were somehow related to the Kermac, but the Golden themselves never confirmed or denied that, and always were strictly neutral facilitators of trade and commerce through ought the Galaxy. The Golden kept trade relations with many civilizations, quite a few no one in the Upward Sector had ever heard off. Their Golden Markets were often called Golden Bazaars and anyone who would stick to their rules and pay a fee and a percentage of the profits could set up a store or booth in a Golden Bazaar. Raffolk Oker was such a merchant and he maintained a large alcove store at the third main tier of the inner balustrade ring. His store was there for almost 700 years now, originally founded by the first Oker and subsequently managed by family members ever since. The Store was known far and wide as Oker's Artifacts and Rarities, a place where the most precious and rarest items of long gone civilizations could be purchased. Oker's wares were genuine and his clientele the richest of the rich, including purchasing agents for Union Corporations and Galactic governments with virtually bottomless purses. Raffolk was human and some claimed he came from the New Siam Kingdom before it became Union, but like the masters of this bazaar, Raffolk never really told anyone where his family originated. He certainly wasn't a Union Citizen or had ever set foot inside Union Territory, He didn't care much for the self-important Union, but then he considered the Shiss and any of the Galactic Council as self-important and didn't care much for them either. He had no particular opinion about the Nul, but then no Nul ever made any purchases. However he loved money and he didn't care where his customers came from and he liked being the expert. His store front windows were covered with heavy curtains, only once in a great while would he display something, usually a piece of junk none of his real customers wanted. Most of his wares were presented as holos or in catalog presentations first and only if he really knew a customer was serious about the deal would he allow actual inspection. Dealing with artifacts had its dangers of course, even here on a Golden Bazaar where the Golden Guards kept everything running smooth and save, but they could not be everywhere and a determined thief or crook could slice his throat before his body guards could react to prevent it. Sometimes a certain item caused the interest of more than one collector and in this market, competition was fierce and deadly. Raffolk Oker came down from level 500 far up where he had a luxurious palace like villa complex to open his store as he did every day. He was only mildly surprised to see two humanoids waiting for him. His regular customer knew his opening hours; most of his customers had been doing business with the Okers even before he took over form his father. He took stock of the two. One male one female, both dressed in expensive clothing. The male was significantly shorter than the female and dressed in a tailored suit of Sitaurian brocade. She was tall and had long black hair. Her eyes hidden behind a stylish visor. He smiled inwardly as he was certain they both were rich Union Citizens, probably arrived in their own multi million credit yacht. Someone at an exclusive VIP party mentioned his name and they came, oblivious to the pirates in Free Space and lucky or perhaps their yacht was simply too fast for the scum out there. Her attempt to disguise her true heritage was a joke of course. She was Saresii, silver hair dyed black and hiding her purple eyes behind those Terran style shades. He was also pretty sure she was a genuine female. He was harder to place, but probably from one of the countless Terran Colony worlds. He looked rugged and appeared to be more at home in a workman's pressure suit than the expensie suit he wore. Raffolk relaxed and decided to greet them and let them in. No reason for not starting the day with a nice little sale. He did have a few pieces of nice old junk he needed to sell anyway. Normally he would of course wait for his staff and security guards before he let anyone in, but he could handle a Saresii. His mind was shielded by a Saresii Psi Shield of the First Empire. Not even the Union had something as fine as that and the stubby human was no match for him either. To the two he said. "I am Raffolk Oker and I am the proprietor of this place, you are a little early. Normally we don't expect to wait on customers before Calum time and that is still almost two hours away." He pressed his hand on the signature sensor and the door curtains changed from rigid steel like condition to soft breezy velvet and brushed the curtain aside, while the lights in his store came on. The sales room was a gold and red affair with antique looking Auto-adjusting Furniture, low golden coffee tables and an elaborate sales counter looking like the nightmarish kitsch version of what a demented Saresii jewelry designer thought Snow white's glass coffin would look like. Inside a few pieces of small alien artifacts. He made a sweeping gesture. "Please feel free to look around while I complete my opening routine." Both of them nodded gracefully, and followed him. The tall woman clutching a genuine Pre-Astro Louis Vuitton hand bag as she approached a glass display case. Raffolk occasionally dealt with Pre Astro Antiques; while Terran Pre Astro Artifacts weren't anywhere as old or exclusive as the things he usually dealt with, he was continuously studying them as the market demand for genuine Pre Astro was growing every year. Her bag, in such exquisite condition would easily bring three or four million genuine Union Credits at auction. Her using it, and not having it in a safe made him certain they both had more money than knowing what to do with it. He opened the rest of the curtains and then said to his customers, pointing at the woman with an open hand. "I am ordering refreshments from an excellent service vendor down the row. Let me guess Naddian Tea for the lady and I would guess either Terran Coffee or perhaps beer for the gentleman?" For the first time his guests actually spoke. The female said. "Yes a spot of Naddian tea would be lovely. Should I be more surprised you got Naddian Tea so far from the Perfect worlds or that you guessed I am Saresii by birth?" Raffolk spread his arms. "This is a Golden Bazaar, if it is sold anywhere chances are very good you can buy it here and I do pride myself of good observational skills." The shorter male grunted. "In the old times when I was digging for ore in those blasted mines myself, I would have not refused a beer for breakfast, but now I take some water. Never good to drink before a business deal." Raffolk keyed in the Order in his PDD while he offered them seats and reclined himself in one of the red upholstered chairs. "So what brings you all the way from Union space to my store? A special recommendation of a friend perhaps?" The man pulled on the legs of his trousers before he sat down. "Let's talk business my friend. You fell for our act just as expected. Let us for the sake of this conversation assume, she is a Saresii and I am a Rich Colony Terran Mine corporation owner. That is exactly what you find when you check us out, but to make things short and sweet. You can continue do business as a healthy man after we leave or you find yourself in whatever place your kind believes you go in the afterlife if you make things difficult." Raffolk immediately knew this was not a joke and in all the years dealing with the most desired items in the Universe, there were more than a few attempts to gain what he had without paying the astronomical prices. He paid a stiff fee to the Golden for additional security and the Golden Guards were known for thousands of years to do a very good job. He had a staff off well trained security guards and the best security systems money could buy. However he had been lax, nothing had happened in years and very few wanted to anger the Golden. His guards would not be here for at least another hour. He smiled never the less and said. "You doing it all wrong, I can be bought that is no secret and I sell to you whatever I have to sell, but I don't respond well to threats or bad jokes. My father Ruffal taught me that." This was a spoken code was for his Computronic to raise a security alert and activate his personal safety measures. His visitors remained as collected as before and the woman playfully removed an Itomarian power stick from a show case that was supposed to be alarmed and laughed charmingly but it was a cold laughter that gave Raffolk the chills and panic slowly rose from the bottom of his stomach as the protective force he expected did not activate and his chair did not drop with him on it into his safe room below the store. The woman now held the power stick with both hands, almost like a sword and she said. "Pay attention now what my associate has to ask you. What we have left in your safe room doesn't like to share tight spaces with someone else. I think you should be glad you are not down there right now." The short man said. "Mister Oker, you are the last one who knows about the Saresii ship and we must make sure there are no records you keep of any kind. The dealer wrinkled the skin of his forehead and looked totally perplexed. "What Saresii ship?" "It was one of your first deals you made when you took over form your father, you obtained and then sold a Saresii Log Crystal." His face changed as he recalled. "The Log file of the Arnura. The first complete and undamaged Log file of First Empire, from before the Saresii were punished by the Dark Ones. It was found on a planet called Green Hell I believe." The man smiled. "Exactly that one." "I sold it and I don't keep records to whom I sell things. The privacy of my clients is paramount. "So why all this?" Translocator Technology of course, Admiral Stahl brought it back from his exile. It was Seenian technology, just like the Devastator." Raffolk made the connection. "Of course the Old Saresii were as developed as the Seenians and they were allies fighting a war together and it stands to reason that an old Saresii Ship might just as well be equipped with Translocator Cannons and Trans Dim Shields." His visitor slowly nodded. "You see now how important this is, especially since the Log file tells us where that ship is today. It took you very little thinking to make the connection. We can;t have anyone making such connections." Raffolk shrugged. "Even I know where it is, or where it must be. On Green Hell of course, but whatever is left of it will be safer than on Arsenal. Nothing survives in those jungles and it is a Union World which doesn't allow any full scale operations." "Everything except of course a Greenie." The Woman said. "You remembering this so clearly is the reason why we are here. We must make sure no one knows what we know."

Chapter 12: Chapter 11

Roy decided that sleeping in the rough was not as romantic and problem free as he imagined it would be. Out here was no bath room, no shower and nothing to drink. Oh sure he knew things he could eat, but surviving on a diet of nothing but raw things again was completely different from snacking on things while roaming thorugh the jungle and then eat at home. However he had made his decission and he thought in a week or so he would be used to it. He petted Partner and said. "Thank you for keeping an eye open." Partner sneezed and Roy left the cave entrance and again was taken by the sheer beauty that greeted him. He was still relative high in the mountains and there was a cover of sparkling due over everything. It had the appearance as if the entire world had taken a morning shower and was now fresh and new to begin another day. From up here he could see an Insecto Saurus fight with one of those living boulders and in the distance he saw two Lightning Bolters float lazily across the horizon, their long tentacles fishing and filtering small things out of the air. He carefully scanned his surroundings to make sure he noticed any possible danger or threat and to decide what to do with an entire day before him. To his right, about 250 meters was a tumble of boulders and it looked like the genuine kind, not the caqmouflaged living ones and on top of the largest boulder sat a woman in a green dress. He smiled and waved at her and kept on looking and then it hit him, there was another human being out here with him, a woman! " She wasn't anyone he knew, none of the Kids and none of the Adults, of course there were many people in town he had not seen before. She appeared to be complete at ease and did not even wear a Bio seal suit, so she must hve been one of the real Greenies. Se did return his gaze and so he waved again and began to climb over the rugged terrain to get within speaking distance. He had to avoid new life forms he had not seen before. A small version of a Water snake, a stream of black ants much smaller than the red Dragon Ants, avoiding them and a few other thins he had no names for, but he made it. He was now close enough to talk without really yelling. She had not moved the entire time he came closer, while Partner was a close behind him. She was an adult but he could not really guess her age. She was sitting there in a green dress. The feet sticking from under the seam of her calf long skirt were naked, and so were her arms. The dress was girded but not with an utility belt, more something Maria would wear in town. Her hair had the tint of fresh dried grass. A hint of green playing into earthy yellows. Her eyes followed his apporach with an expression of mild curiosity on her face. He waved again and said. "Hi I am Roy, I am sure surprised to see someone else out here." An impish smile curled her lips and Roy realized she was heartstoppingly beautiful, she didn't say anything and Roy wondered if she was able to hear him. So he raised his voice a little and repeated his words, then he added. "Sitting out like that, you must be a Greenie too." She patted the surface of the rock right next to her in an inviting gesture, but then she looked weary at Partner and there was something like fear in her expression, but she still didn't speak. Roy had the strangest sense of something unreal, something not really human when looking at her, however he did not feel any threat or danger. He stroked Partner's neck and said. "No worries lady. This is partner and he looks much more dangerous than he is." She spoke and said. "On the contrary, Child of Qaroniel, your Terror Hound is much more lethal than it looks." Roy motioned Partner to sit and the animal immediatley obeyed to his suggestion and he said to his friend, "Looks like the lady knows more about you so I will talk to her." He climbed over the remaining boulders and sat down, at a greater distance from her than she had indicated with her padding the rock. She really was beautiful with fine somewhat arrogant smile gracing her lips. She looked at him but didn't speak, So he said. "Coming out here often?" She declined her head and said. "Yes I come here every day. You have come further than ever before. I have never seen you here at the mountains." Roy blinked and said. "Lady this is the weirdest meeting I ever had. You talk as if I you had seen me before, but I have never seen you. Are you one of the Scientists, wearing one of those suits usually?" "No, Roy. I am not one of the Scientists and I never wear any of these technical monstrosities that allow those intruders to stomp through our forests; but yes Roy I know a little about you." "Who are you?" Her smile widened. "Come see me again, Roy. Right now I think I better leave, they are coming for you and they are going to be here soon." She got up in a fluid way only girls could and she looked down at him. "It was nice meeting you Roy, and if you keep me a secret we could meet again." He got up as well. "Keeping you a secret? Who are…" He heard the high pitched whistle of a powerful pulse engine and turned to see Charles the robot descending from the sky. He wanted to tell the woman she had nothing to fear of Charles, but as he turned back she was gone. He tried to catch a glimpse and assumed she had jumped of and was hiding between the deep crevices and gaps of the smaller boulders, There were Dagger bushes and Fire Nettles and nothing looked disturbed. She was a real Greenie for sure. Charles landed on a column of white hot plasma, instead of using his Arti Grav blasting ants, Slicker bugs and plants to ahes as he did. The Robot was a combat unit and Roy knew Charles liked to remind his surroundings occasionally of that fact. His dark red eyes glowed and his deep mechanical voice sounded genuinely relieved. "It pleases this unit, one has found its master alive and unharmed." Roy could not hide his feeling seeing Charles and even though it was not something a sixteen year old should do, he hugged Charles. "Good to see you too, Charles. Let me introduce Partner to you!" "If one would be capable of the human emotion of surprise one would indeed be compelled to express astonishment to find you 4211.5 kilometers from the place of your last sighting. " Charles head rotated towards Partner. "Is this Unit correct assuming that this life form is the Partner you speak off?" Roy waved at Partner and the beast clawed itself with a few leaps up the rocks, leaving deep scratches in the hard stone surface and bumped into Charles. Charles extended his upper main arm and formed a full hand, with it the Robot patted Partner. "The animal is non conform to any known life forms but it appears to be docile and well behaved. One needs instructions from its Master as to what pet care tasks are required to tend to it." Partner was enjoying the attention of the robot and had his eyes squeezed shut. -""- Martha could not remember when she had slept that good. She had slept in Sam Brown's Farm house, in a simple bed underneath an open window, separated from the outside world of Green Hell only by logs of Tantalus Oak and an active energy window screen. The wood gave off a scent somewhat reminiscent of pine wood and the window screen had buzzed only once all night. Sam called her to breakfast and she ate like a starving Stomper gorging herself on Sam's pancakes with real Terran maple syrup, just before the sun was about to rise. She had noticed a photo viewer on Sam's Cupboard with pictures of Roy form as small as when he was only six to very recent images making her realize just how much her son had grown. All the pictures showed Roy laughing or smiling doing things with Sam. Working with tools fixing Agricultural robots, shooting blasters, playing ball or wearing some ancient martial arts outfit sparring with the huge black man. All the things a father or a mother should have done. Another picture showed the former President pinning a medal to Sam's chest. To her astonishment the Immortal Admiral Stahl himself was in several pictures with his arm on Sam's shoulder. After breakfast he told her that Charles had detected a faint energy signature characteristic of a powered down Union PDD and identified the signature to the one Roy had. Excited she followed Sam to a rugged Ford FarmAll Floater Truck. The Ford had heavy armor plates added that had the characteristic shimmer of Ultronit. She completely forgot the suit. Somehow she felt safer with Sam than she would have wearing a real Quasimodo. "Where did Charles detect that?" "Near the White Head Mountains." "That is impossible!" She exclaimed as Sam pulled the flyer into the air." That is over 3000 kilometers. Perhaps some flying animal carried his PDD in its…" She didn't want to say what she was thinking and tears ran down her face. Sam ignored her tears and said harshly. "You keep using that word a lot, you know! The word has very little meaning in a Universe where almost anything seems possible one way or the other. You should cry about how you and that yellow belly piece of work you got for a husband raised that boy." He then felt sorry for snapping at her and added. "Roy is fine. Charles has located him and found him alive and unharmed." She still sobbed and the first tears had broken an invisible barrier inside her, and all the remnants of the cold detached scientist were washed away in a deluge of emotions. Sam gunned the Flyer to its maximum speed and kept it as high as the old Ford could go, to avoid any life from collisions. He was a big man and hard as granite, tougher than a Pertharian according to the Marines who had served with him, but little kids, fuzzy Holdians and crying women always made him feel a little helpless a and he said. " We will be there soon enough. There is nothing on Green Hell or within at lest a light years distance that could harm your son now. Not that it looked like he really needed any protection, robots don't lie. Charles said he is fine." She wished for a simple kerchief or tissue and thankfully accepted as Sam held a tissue dispenser under her nose. After she cleaned her nose and tears she said. "Thank you Mr. Brown for taking care of Roy all these years and I am so sorry for ever thinking bad about you." -""— Roy was still puzzled about the strange woman and her sudden disappearance but he almost forgot her when Charles fired his main TKU in a wide focused beam and burned a stream of ants and reduced one of the moving rocks to ashes. He deemed to close for safety reasons. Roy was not sure if he should scold the robot or commend him for his diligence. The strange woman and Charles actions were forgotten as he saw Uncle Sam's floater approaching. What made him to drop his chin to his chest in sheer disbelieve was the sight of his own mother jumping out of the close hovering Ford approach and hug him! She hadn't hugged or really touched him for a very long time. He could feel her wet cheeks against his and her thin arms pressing him with surprising strength and intensity to her chest. All he could hear her say was. "Sorry." Over and over again. Finally Roy said. "Mother, you are out without a suit?" She held his face between her hands and smiled between her tears.. "Roy, I was so worried! I thought I lost you!" He shrugged. "So? I was just in the way anyway and without me you and Dad have no distractions from your important projects." "Roy the last few days made me see things in a new way. I know Paul and I made some very bad decisions based on bad assumptions ." The sudden motherly hug, something he unconsciously craved for so very long felt incredible comforting and strange at the same time. Part of him wanted to forgive and simply take in the moment while another part didn't believe the sudden chance and the cynical, skeptical voice in him won, as he said. "You want to take Partner and dissect him, and all this is just some show they told you to put up for me so I come home." Roy swatted an Arrow wasp out of the air just before it could have hit his mother, Charles was already engaging the rest of the swarm. Not like the teenagers, but with blistering roars of his turbo flamer burning the wasps and anything else caugfht in the million degree plasma flames. Sam said."Guys this is still Green Hell. Let's continue this inside the Floater, or better at the ranch." Martha said."Roy you don't trust me but you trust Sam, so please come." Roy agreed, mostly because he saw an agitated Lighting Bolter coming their way, and that was only for starters as it seemed the whole jungle below was looking at them with extreme hostile intention and actually moving towards them. Even Roy had never seen Tantalus Oaks move yet one of the trees was creeping on its roots like a carpet of snakes slowly up the slope. From somewhere he heard the angry scream of a very big Water Snake. It was the strongest sense of danger he had felt so far. Unless Charles had to burn and kill everything that was approaching until he ran out of energy and lay waste to half the continent, he had to come along. Charles and Partner found room on the flat bed cargo hold of the Ford and with Sam, Martha and Roy in the cab, the rugged flyer climbed into the sky. Something rocked the flyer hard and bluish energies played over the body Roy could hear the roar of Charles weapons twice and Sam curse; he turned to see a Lighting Bolter explode. Sam grinned and said. "I don't think the critters around these parts have been disturbed by outsiders much." Martha was visibly shaken." I would have died if you didn't swat the Wasp! Are you alright?" Roy looked at his hand and nodded. "Yes Ma'am." He didn't look at her. He felt confused about his mother and her so uncharacteristic behavior." You are my mother, right? Not some Avatar or did you get Psycho Surgery or something?" She stared at his lowered head and said. "No Roy I am your mother and I spend all night at Mr. Brown's house. We talked till very late and I am beginning to see what I was blind about for so long. I was a young girl once and actually forgot my own mother over my obsession, not so much with science but with my career. That was and is wrong but I can't chance over night or make up so many years in just a few month we have left together." She sighed and caressed his hair that was colored exact like hers." You can keep your pet and I won't harm a hair on its body. We go to town today and have Ranger Solomon sign your pet license. You can keep Charles of course and we will go to Harper's Junction to remove my brother and make Sam Brown your godfather so you can call him Uncle legitimately." Sam nodded with his trade mark grin. "As she said we had a long talk. I told you, everything works out one way or the other eventually." Roy was not sure if he had died in the cave and this was all still a dream. He said. "And I can go outside?" "I doubt we could keep you in if we wanted to. I still try to understand it all, but I have seen you outside and you survive as if it was child-splay." Sam said. "How did you manage to get all the way to the Mountains, did someone give you a ride or something?" Roy didn't want to spill the beans about Partners abilities just yet, he did not trust his mother completely yet and said. "Yes someone gave me a ride alright." Sam grunted. "Those damn Swanson boys, they do anything for you. Should have thought about it right away." Since Sam didn't phrase it as a question, Roy didn't feel he needed to correct his friend. At least not before his mother. -""— PART 3 Phil Decker pushed his hat back and scratched his hair line as he had done countless times in his very long live and with his other hand in his coat pocket he turned from the carnage and destruction before him and said to the tall woman standing a few feet behind him. "Roast me an Ult if that was done by Shiss pirates." The tall woman brushed a silver strand of hair out of her face the wind kept blowing back. "When I heard legendary Phil Decker was in a system nearby I could not resist and put in a call. I am just a little precinct Commandant and just a Lieutenant at that, and HQ hinted they want this case closed and filed deep before the begin of Union week." The man in the somewhat anachronistic outfit knelt down next to the skeletized remains of half a human hand, the rest had been burned. "Deep enough so no news hound or sensationalist can dig it up, and make a stink before the entire Assembly, maybe even call for war against the Shiss." The Saresii woman in the dark blue uniform of a Union Police Officer watched Decker with great interest. Very few knew he existed, or better still existed. He was just like Stahl or McElligott, one of the Immortals and he had been a police man, a detective in an Earth city called New York long before even the Saresii had shown themselves. He waved at one of the forensic robots and said. "Tin-head over here, collect this hand for me." The robot immediately responded floated across the rain soaked charred ground of what once had been a Penal colony settlement and collected the bones with machine efficiency. He pointed at a few black streaks and said. "Tin-head,make sure you record and measure all the charred marks. I eat my fedora if whoever did this didn't use Bolter Gatlings. Streaks set at exactly two fingers with, and then evenly arched across the field by someone very strong but not a robot. Perhaps a SII Fafnyr or a Enroe Firestorm. " She came over knelt next to him into the muck and only now could she see what he saw. He was kneeling exactly where one of the shooters had stood the slight depressions the blasts made with each turn of a Gatling barrel where clearly visible. She said. "Weeks of rain almost obliterated any evidence, any traces and clues and yet you find something. Now I believe everything they say about you, Mr. Decker. I am humbled!" He smiled at her. "Call me Phil, Celyciia. I never liked this hero worship stuff and special attention. I am just a cop, always have been and as long as I can always will be. Don't believe half of it, try to find evidence for the rest and forget most of it." "What else have you observed about this case then?" "This is the fourth of the settlements we seen so far, but only this one was destroyed from the ground. Whatever they were after was here." "The Penal Colonies records show that there was a yellow throat Shiss here and that would then support all the other evidence that it was a Shiss raid after all. " She sighed. "The faint engine trails, Shiss Disabler Drones, the bribe for the Warden coming from a Credit box we know has been stolen in a Shiss raid. So I guess HQ was right and I dragged you out here for nothing." He got up his nice trousers completely caked with mud. "Why did you?" "Drag you out here?" She shrugged. "It is really true, I did hear you were at Suraman Colony and since this Penal Colony and Suraman are all within my precincts jurisdiction..." He shook his head. "Barley anyone remembers me, certainly not a young real Saresii woman from the first World." She gestured around. "It doesn't add up Phil. This is overkill, yes the Shiss could have been angry and they are vicious and maybe the Yellow throat was really pissed and ordered them to take it out on the others here, but then why bribe the Warden and not kill him too? They had the fire power to do it for certain and then there are a few other things that simply don't feel right." Once again he waved at one of the robots and said. "Hey Tin head. I want aerials from this island, millimeter scale and then get me a ground radar image and look for matter compression. Something had landed here and used Landing struts." Celyciia enjoyed her own amazement and then raised one of her eyebrows. "How did you know I am from Prime One and no Human Terran not even a Saresii can really tell who is female and who is not!" He answered her while watching the robot ascent into the sky to make the birds eye visual scans. "I am still waiting for all my answers. Still your turn and then I tell you why it is easy to tell real women from Saresii disguised men apart, even after they had a million years of practice." She said with a sigh. "Because I needed help and because my academy instructor always quoted you and told us about the old Gumshoe from Earth and the great detective. When I called BRUCE to see who is in the area I really could not believe when it told me that you were on Suraman." The robot descended and reported. "Confirming Soil compression spots. Nine points located now covered with mud and water." "I guess you made detailed 3D impression scans of the exact shape of the landing plates?" "Affirmative." "No sense of hurrying things . Make detailed micro scans of the depression areas for lubricants or sealants, excavate the depressions to preserve them as evidence. " While the robot turned to execute the orders he Saresii woman asked. "Why taking the depressions?" "The exact shape of the landing gear might tell us the manufacturer of the ship. The dirt underneath the struts is from before the attack and there is a slim chance that the ship transferred some material, a bug or something from another world and deposited it here. Telling us where it might have been before and when we catch these murderers we can compare the dirt in their landing gear and proof it came from this place." She smiled deeply. "You know what, Phil. I begin to feel we might catch them after all and I eat your Fedora, whatever that is, if this has been done by Shiss." "My hat, the Fedora is my hat and I think neither you nor me need to eat it anytime soon. When we are done here we going to grill the Warden ." She blinked. "He is Thauran but he is humanoid and I had no idea you would resort to torture or cannibalism!" -"""- Harlex had no idea where they were. He was never a spacer, some of them he heard could tell where they were in the Galaxy just by looking outside a space ship window and compare constellations in relation to the Galactic core or something like that, at least that is how Captain Ironfist on the Starblazer always did it. His former and as it looked like future partner in crime had not spared attention to make him feel welcome. The yacht was stocked with the finest liquors and real glass bottles with traditional made Whiskey. There was a light year wide difference between the 24 year old Dalwhinnie he was slowly swirling in the heavy bottom glass he was holding and the gut burning booze Napha used to sell. He wondered if good whiskey and the possibility of a fat credit box was worth being on the side of a mass murderer. He watched the silver blue swirls of thick smoke of the cigar he nursed with careful slow drags and was certain whatever he had to do whatever these Employers needed done was something very sinister and that they would not let anything or anyone stop them. The Yacht had everything to make a long trip very pleasurable, he enjoyed a king sized vari-grav cloud bed in a spacious cabin and there was an infinity pool at the ships aft with a breath taking view of deep space while taking a plunge. It was here,at the pool where watched the smoke of his cigar and between the fast dissipating wafts of aromatic smoke he made sure he did see as much about Ieshia Yeager as he could. She was swimming and just climbed out of the water, in a white bathing suit that was made nearly transparent by the water and most certainly chosen by the woman for exact that feature of the fabric. It left very little for his imagination as to visualize as how she might look without any fabric but it did lot for his other fantasies. He was a man after all, and he had spend the last 5 years with nothing for acceptable sexual companionship as is hands or Guilly the guy who operated the big mushroom stem saw and didn't mind acting like a girl for some attention. They had kept the women separate to make sure nothing happened in terms of pregnancies. As it wold be unfair to a child to be born into a prison colony. Ieshoia came closer with a sway of fluid hip motions and said with a smoky voice. "I am included in the benefits if you do your part right." His body wanted nothing more than to accept her invitation but his mind was not completely switched of just yet and he asked. "What is my part? What could I do to pay for all this?" She knelt before his chair and led her colored nails slide over the skin of his thighs produting from underneath the bathrobe he was wearing. "We want you to guide a small expedition onto Green Hell and help us locate the old Saresii ship that had loaned there and never left." Her answer was so surprising to his ears that even her fingers that slowly crept towards the seams of the bath robe could not distract him and he said. "The Mila Tyray?" "You know the name of the ship?" She acted surprised. "Every Greenie knows the legends of the Mila Tyray and the Saresii Commander Tradiderias. It was him who discovered Green Hell first and named it Mrtgtha, but that is over a Million years ago, whatever is left of his ship is covered by miles of dirt and sediment, and that could be anywhere." She pulled the bathrobe open and said looking at him from underneath long lashes. "The Saresii from the First Empire were as evolved and technologically advanced as the Celtest, that is Tech Level 11, Harlex. Our associates obtained the Ships log and think they know the approximate location of the ships resting site. Your job is to get us there so we can do the excavation without being killed or noticed."

Chapter 13: Chapter 12

Ranger Salomon grinned with joy as he handed Roy his pet owner's license. "I have registered Partner, since we have no idea what it is, I wrote Black Dog into the species field." Martha thanked the ranger and said, "I understand Bob, your son, is my son's best friend and I found out Roy had spent many nights and eaten many dinners at your home." The ranger leaned back in his swivel chair and said, "Roy is always welcome in our home, he is more like a brother to Bob than just a friend and Roy has been more than helpful in quite a few instances for the Ranger service, by helping me find things out there." Martha looked at Roy and said, "I know more about the Lighting Bolters than my own son, but what I've heard about him over the past few days has made me very proud. But what I wanted to say is that I would like to invite you, your wife and Bob to dinner. Now I am not a very good cook but I hoped you would accept invitations to Marcello's in town." Marcello's was the finest and most expensive restaurant in Ant Hill and the Ranger winked at Roy and then said. "I am delighted to accept. I don't think my Sarah has been out for a nice dinner in a long while and I am surer she will be as happy as I am." Roy still could not really believe how much his situation had changed in just a few days and slowly he accepted the fact that it was indeed true and not just a dream. The Ranger got up and walked them to the door. "I am glad it all worked out; you know the news of teenagers going outside unprotected made quite a splash in the news. It turns out you are not the only ones going outside, but so far no one else managed to get friendly with local life forms." The Ranger's office was in the South Wall Tower, an inward curving building following the curve of the protective dome. The right wall was transparent and allowed a magnificent view over the lake and the distant Jungle shore. His mother stepped into the cabin of the Inter City Transporter after Roy and said. "Since I forgot your birthday and we are in town, is there anything you'd like?" Roy shook his head. "No Mom, they don't sell anything here I need or like." "Roy I really mean it, it is not a trick and while we are not exactly rich, we earn decent salaries, a young man must have something he wants. Not that I could ever match that present you got from your Uncle Sam. I just found out what a Cerberus goes for." "Mom, you actually talking to me, I can go outside and I can keep Partner, there isn't much else I want. Besides, I am really a Greenie and the things I like aren't sold in town but at Ma Swanson's." "Then let us go there and you can get something a real Greenie needs." While traveling on a slide belt to the Flyer Hangars, others waved and several kids cheered his name and Roy felt quite uneasy about this sudden popularity and he wondered if it was better the way it was, with his friends meeting in secret and his parents knowing nothing. -""— Inside Ma Swanson's boathouse main building was a cluttered sales room with show cases displaying weapons. Several models of protective Armor suits highlighted with spot lights stood here and there. Armor suit parts for a hundred models and makes stacked in high shelves. A big Flyer ArtiGrav Lifter module, way too big for anything on Green Hell, stood in one corner. Gary, one of Ma Swanson's sons leaned over the service counter, chewing something and talking to Sabari Dohr, an old Saresii who lived in one of the Research Outposts and kept mostly to herself (or himself, no one of course knew for sure) discussing something with Gary. The mangled armor arm of a Krauss- Armor Walker was between them. There were a few tables and simple chairs in the middle of everything. Trond Iveland, one of the Cities Service Engineers and a sixth generation Greenie sat there with the only Klack living on Green Hell and they were playing Eggs and Grubs, an old Klack strategy game. The whole place smelled of metal, lubricants and coffee. Ma Swanson herself stood by one of the tallest shelves directing her thin husband standing on a reach-all-platform trying to get something from the very dusty selection of refurbished parts as Eric and his mother entered from the Flyer garage air lock. She turned and waved at Roy and said, "Roy go climb up there and show Clarion where we keep the Mark 87 Actuators, that half blind Ninja Weasel I got for a husband keeps pulling the 89's." Roy had no need for a Reach-All; he climbed up as fast and as nimble as a Moolax. Ma Swanson gave his mother a glance. "And you are?" "I am Roy's mother, Martha Masters." Ma Swanson stemmed her fists into her hips. "Roast me an Ult. I never saw you outside your suit." She snapped her fingers. "Of course the yellow and green AEGIS Seven with the Sniffer Sensor attachment. I'd recognized you in your suit right away!" From above, Roy fished a plastic film packed metal part from the top shelf and said, looking down, "Mama, I mean Ms. Masterson knows everything there is about any suit there is on Green Hell." To Clarion he handed the package. "There it is your 87 Maffay Actuator, should fit that busted arm of that 91 suit. They went back to the old length in 91." Ma Swanson looked up and scolded her husband. "That's what I tried to tell you for the last ten minutes." Clarion Swanson barked back with a grin on his lips. "Not my fault Maffay changes the bloody things every year." Ma Swanson said to Martha, "You have a good boy there, Ms. Masters. Always willing to lend a hand, courteous and respectful to others; not as common today, mind you; not as it used to be when I was a girl." Martha was certain it had a lot to do with Roy hanging out with Sam Brown as she hardly had spent much time in teaching her son anything. She felt even more thankful to the black man than she had before. Clarion tossed the part back to Roy who was already back on the ground and then carried it over to Gary and the Saresii. Martha said to Ma Swanson. "I am looking to get him a birthday present. Would you know what he likes?" Clarion who descended on the Reach All bugged in, "We already got him a new Vibro Machete and he doesn't need much in terms of Suits." Martha frowned while she watched as Roy helped repairing the Suit Arm. "It looks half of Green Hell remembered my son's birthday but we, his parents completely ignored him." The Saresii padded Roy on the shoulder while she leaned over watching the repair progress. Ma Swanson said, "Paying a little attention to him is all you need to give him. Well, that and the freedom to roam this crazy ball of ours." Martha blinked surprised as the small husband of Ma Swanson held a cup of tea right under her nose saying, "Might as well settle down Dr. Masters, when Gary and Roy start fixing things, they don't stop till it's done. Besides you might like to get to know us a little." Roy had heard what Clarion had said and turned, "We'll be done in a little while, Mom. If Maria were here we'd be done by now of course but I think we should be able to get it done in 10 minutes." Martha smiled and sat down at the other free table and was joined by Ma Swanson, also with a cup of tea. Her husband served a plate of butter scotch cookies he baked himself and was famous for, at least among the locals. Martha was still surprised about this so different atmosphere compared to the meetings of her Institute colleagues. It was as if she had travelled to a different world and yet was only a few kilometers from Ant Hill or her home. The tea was delicious; the china cups looked delicate and would have delighted Paul as they had the appearance of Pre Astro Terran wares. The cookies melted in her mouth and Ma Swanson told her about the day she saw Roy for the first time in her store. In her story he was just about eight or nine and had, all by himself and alone, crossed the Jungle. As incredible it was to her to know Roy navigated these deadly forests now, it was even more astounding to hear that he did that as a child. The Service Mechanic on the next table just lost his second game to the Klack said, "It's alright for Roy and the others to do it, but the ranger making such a big affair out of it will regret his decision!" Martha actually had seen the man before; he was, if she recalled correctly, one of the Institutes Environmental systems maintenance technicians. Until now, such people were barely registered by her and only important to make sure the temperatures and moisture conditions in the Specimen holds were maintained correctly. She said, "Why would you say that? The Ranger seemed to be a sensible man and found a solution for both sides." The man helped his Klack friend to reset the white and red egg and grub shaped playing pieces for a new game and said without turning, "It will make those who aren't Greenies think this is a Kindergarten World after all. The last time it happened, eight beings died out there. I like Green Hell just like it is, a few scientists in Power suits, a small but slowly growing Greenie Community and no Off Worlders coming with all sorts of crazy ideas about hunts, sports or challenges." The Klack wiggled his antennae and used one to nudge a white Grub piece into the correct brood chamber starting position and said via his Voice Box glued to his thorax. "I bet ten bottles of fine Klackt Honey Water that we won't have to wait long and someone will try to emulate the Children. Even for Roy, this is still Green Hell and not Para Para." The Saresii who had been quiet until now said, "I lived here for 300 Standard Years and I am out in the Jungle almost every day in a very good Armor suit. I think of myself knowing these Jungles and yet I have the feeling it turned more dangerous recently and not less. " The Saresii pointed at the Power suit arm Roy and Gary were fixing. "That's a Maffey Armor suit, there should be nothing out there to do that, and I have been bitten, tromped on, slashed and stung by pretty much anything out there and the suit handled it with no or very little damage. Yet a Hydra Centipede bit me this morning and crushed the Lattice reinforced Armor-Plast likes cardboard." Martha forgot she had half a cookie in her mouth and said while chewing. "Even the largest Hydra Centipedes should not exceed a mandible bite force of 600 kilos per square centimeter." The Saresii agreed with a nod. "Indeed and I was bitten many times before. Unlike Roy who can spot their lairs twenty meters away, I still step into their traps. The Armor suit is Green Hell certified and should handle over 1000 kilos of shear pressure. That Centipede did not just bite through the outer layer; it severed the chrome steel rods of the actuator. I was only saved by me being able to shoot the beast before it penetrated the inner layer and sever my arm as well." Martha said, "May I ask what are you doing out there all these years? I never heard about you and I don't think you are part of the Institute, right?" "I was one of its former local directors but I retired over 80 years ago and Green Hell has put me under its spell. I doubt I will ever leave." The Saresii brushed her long silver hair back and then added, "I am conducting private research out there, sort of a hobby of mine." Martha thanked Clarion with a nod as he refilled her cup and said to the Saresii, "I'm beginning to realize the community of Green Hell holds as many secrets to me as does the nature out there. I begin to regret having accepted a posting on an Explorer ship, with so much undone here." Gary and Roy finally finished the repair job and Martha said. "Are you sure you don't want anything here?" Roy pointed at a show case. "I am saving for that H&K Raketen Pistol. It packs more wallop than my Thompson and could take care of an Insecto or a Stomper if I would ever need to." He said to Ma Swanson. "How much more do I owe till it's mine?" She punched with her finger around the input display of her PDD and said. "With the twenty Credits you earned today we are down to 890 credits." To Martha she said, "He is a fine Greenie. Won't take the bloody thing as a present and wants to work it off." Roy said with a disarming smile and shrug, "Uncle Sam always says if you really want something you got to work for it." "But Mothers can buy their sons, things. Even if I should disapprove buying my teenage son a weapon." Martha pulled her Credit strip. "We'll take it." -""— Harlex followed her down the landing ramp of the Yacht. He had not seen the two Petahrians nor had he seen anyone else aboard while they traveled to whatever place this was. The Shuttle had landed right next to a number of dome shaped buildings. Sitting forlorn in an otherwise empty, stark looking landscape of gray and brown rock, these building were at the edge of a simple Duro Crete landing field. They walked through the short connection tunnel and she explained, "You might not recognize that tiny sun, but it is Maxwell." "Maxwell?" This was the name of the sun and the system where Green Hell was. "So I guess this must be Desolate." They reached the Dome pressure doors and she said as they slid aside. "You are dead Harlex. You died during a Shiss Raid on a Penal Colony. That means you can't simply stroll through travel control and swipe your CITI, but Intersystem travels are not checked due to the fact that Green Hell and Desolate do not have their own governments and theoretically are part of Harper's Junction." Harlex felt cold sweat running down his back, once again reality has caught up with him, and he was a criminal now. The mass murder had been in the background. Pretending to be a Playboy with all the fine trappings of luxury life was great aboard the yacht, but he never was a real criminal or so he thought. All pretenses was gone, he was a criminal. The worst kind, accomplice to a mass murder, a fugitive and now he officially no longer existed as a Union Citizen. All rights and privileges were gone. He could be murdered, robbed, beaten up and no one would care and if the Federal Police would catch him, he had no rights to a lawyer or a fair trial. He followed her almost like a robot, automatically while he looked to the left and right and hoped no one would recognize him. Not that he had ever been to Desolate and there were only a handful of beings in the small lobby. No one really cared about him or the woman. They passed a small automated Swine and Dine Restaurant and a tiny Wuerg & Koetz Delicatessen store. It was apparent she knew where to go. She turned and said, "Don't look so gloomy! You are halfway home!" "I'll never be home again. I sold my soul to you. After this is done I am still dead and a Non Cit." "There are attractive places in Free Space for someone with money!" He climbed a flight of stairs after her, leading to a second tier concourse in the dome shaped space port building. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life on some lawless planet and constantly in fear." Her face was cold as she looked down at him from the top of the stairs. "Spending the rest of your life on a lawless planet is far preferable from your fate if you disappoint me and our mutual employers." There were doors in equal distance, the stenciled names and logos identified them as small businesses such as: Desolate Ice and Rock Mining, Vasco's Forwarding Agency, Desolate Real Estate and others quite similar. Harlex doubted she ever really was a Science Institute scientist but kept what he wanted to say to himself. She opened the door to a business called "Desolate Temp Labor Agency" and waved him to follow. The office was as bleak and gray as the planet was outside. A worn down carpet, a Dura plast table and a row of plastic chairs, the simple kind. Very large and very sturdy in case a Saturnian or Perthanian would look for work and needed to sit down. There was a primitive desk and a few printed posters showing various beings being very happy at what looked like bone breaking work. Behind the desk sat a fat man. Harlex had never seen any humanoid so ungainly fat. The man's face looked tiny in the globs of fat filled skin sacking around his neck. The man also smelled very unsavory, like the locker room of the saw mill at the penal colony. Just like in a cheap virtu story, the fat man was busy eating something big, reddish colored and dripping with greasy gravy and it was obvious he didn't like to be disturbed. He waved his grease glistening hand at a back door, "It's in there." The machine sitting in that back room, Harlex and every Union citizen could recognize. It was a CITI implanter, complete with the big Federal seal and the blazing red warning not to tamper or misuse it. The act was, according to the seal, an act of treason ratified by the Assembly and offenders had the choice between hanging and shooting. He gasped, "How did you manage to steal that?" She said. "Not knowing things is a very good trait in our line of business and not asking questions is a habit you need to learn fast." The fat man appeared, "I am the elected Major of Desolate, you idiot. This machine is not stolen. You are in an official Union Citizen Office and the machine is genuine. No one can steal those!" Harlex still felt like a Union Citizen and hearing that there was a corrupt Union Official was even worse to his senses than a stolen CITI implanter. He said "If there are more like that there could be Kermac Agents and who knows what creeping all over the Union!" The woman actually slapped him across the face and hissed. "Don't think and don't ever mention that to anyone." The fat man said, "He is too stupid, are you sure he is not an Agent?" Harlex's cheek burned from the hard slap and the growing anger, "You need me, I don't need you." He walked to the door. "Where would you go, Harlex?" she said with an amused tone in her voice. "The next GalNet terminal, maybe a Judge will give me a reduced sentence or a pardon if I deliver them a bunch of Spies and Crooks." The door didn't open, even after he pressed the manual release. The fat man said, "I don't even think we need him anymore. It turns out Green Hell has changed much or the stories were exaggerated, they have teenagers running around in the Jungles without any armor at all. It was all over the news. If a bunch of kids can do it, then our team in suits should have no problem." She said, "Nonsense, I have lived there. The stories of Green Hell are all true, no one survives out there!" The Fat man snorted and activated a Field screen. "System display News, Green Hell, Teenagers roam free." An unseen projector beamed an insubstantial two dimensional energy field into the room and on it the logo of Gal one appeared. They all watched the event of the teenagers arriving at Ma Swanson's boathouse along with their Pets. Ieshia Yeager asked tonelessly, "Did our Employers see that?" The fat man shrugged, "It was on Channel one, most of the Galaxy has seen it." To Harlex she said, "We put you on ice until we know if we still need you or not." She pulled her weapon and Harlex remembered a stinging sensation, then nothing. -""— Celyciia, the Federal Police officer of the Recksnostal precinct was on her way to the interrogation room where she had the Warden of Penal Colony 23. Phil Decker the old detective wanted to question the Warden and not eat him, as she now knew. They had returned from Planet Parajia after over two days of detailed investigation. She was completely fascinated with this man who had lived on the Human world Earth before they even knew there were other sentient life forms in the Galaxy. He wasn't arrogant or aloft like she thought one of these Immortals would be, he acted like a college and treated her with respect. She thought they had taught her well at the police academy but the experience and the eye for detail the old detective had was nothing less than amazing. Her precinct was responsible for a dozen colonies in a 55 light year radius. It was a quiet corner of Union space. Very few felony crimes that required Federal Police assistance, no Pirate raids. She had taken over from a retiring Garbini who had served for almost 60 years. Before she was transferred here, she served in the COREG department on Planet New Hampshire. When she was promoted and her old supervisor asked her what she wanted to do, she had told him that she wanted to transfer to CID and do real police work. That was three years ago and when she arrived the old Uniforms, used to the same chief for a long time, didn't like the fact that a Saresii was replacing the well liked easy going Garbini. She managed to break the ice somewhat, but even after three years, she still was the new one and the outsider. That she was the one in charge didn't help. However she did like her new assignment very much. Recksnostal was a tidy, growing Colony and a pleasant Garden World. Most of the cases they had to deal with were not much different from what she used to do for the Commercial Regulations Enforcement department. One Company accusing another of bugging in on their mining claims was the most common call. Nine of the twelve Planets had local police for all the day to day stuff, two were Neo Quaker Colonies and the only crime there was arriving late for Sunday Service and until now she didn't even know there was a Federal Penal Colony at the fringes of her precinct. At first the case, as brutal as it appeared, was considered a done and shut case of a Shiss Raider attack and all initial evidence pointed to those scaled lizards. At almost the same time as she got the report for the raid she was called from Headquarters Pluribus, telling her to wrap up the case as fast as she could and close it. Someone up the line basically wanted her to write up a report saying it was a Shiss Raid and close the case. She would then increase patrols for a few month to look for any other Shiss raiders and the case was filed and buried. After all, the victims were only a bunch of convicts anyway. But somehow her instincts told her that there was much more to this than it appeared. Convicts or not, they were sentient beings and murder was murder and the raiders had killed over 500 convicts. Even if Shiss Raiders did that, they needed to be caught and dealt with. The very fact that Shiss Raiders operated almost 1000 light years from the nearest Shiss World should be alarming in itself. She had reached the Interrogation room and found three of her colleagues standing outside, staring at a field screen. One of them Sergeant Ruddick, almost 30 years with the Federal Police said to the other two, "It really is the old Gumshoe. I didn't know he really existed." As he noticed her approach there was something like respect in his face and he said, "Lieutenant, we have placed the suspect in the room as you requested. Mr. Decker is already inside." She was a Saresii and everyone always assumed she was a telepath, and ninety percent of all Saresii were indeed so gifted, she was not. Her Psi talents were called Telekinesis, revered on Sares but quite useless for a Policewoman. Everyone knowing her was aware of that, the Thauran Warden siting across the Old Detective however did not know that and only saw a Saresii enter the room. He immediately put his hands in a completely useless gesture against his temples and said, "I know my rights; you are not allowed to read my mind!" Decker said, "She could if she has a court order. Or we simply assume you are a traitor, scan your mind to the deepest level and then dump you somewhere on that Penal Colony, not as Warden of course." The Warden crossed his arms. "I don't know what this is all about anyway. Neither me nor my guards did anything wrong and I am an employee with the Justice Department for over eight years." The man from Earth looked at the blue skinned Thauran, "Eight years, Warden of a Prison Colony, taking bribes from the prisoners to run businesses, taking a share from the shroom wood logs shipped off planet and every other crooked deal you have made, landed you in a position where you could not say no." Decker slammed his flat hand on the table between them, "Of course this was a set up and whoever set you up was confident you knew nothing about their identity or you would have died in the raid." The Saresii woman said, "The raid would not have been possible while the Warden and his guards were on the planet. Even the one thousand year old watch towers would have reported any approaching ship long before they could jam the towers and the Warden could have called for help. There is a Fleet base only 14 light years from here, but if he doesn't know anything useful we simply turn him over to the PSI Corps, they will know everything he did since he left the womb of his mother and I am sure they can find enough to hang him. Traitors collaborating with enemies won't have to fear long drawn out trails." Decker got up, "You're right. He doesn't know anything, let's have lunch." The Warden was visibly pale, "PSI Corps, what has the Army to do with this?" "Shiss raids on a Federal Installation are Fleet business and since you are not talking, they will have the PSI corps take you apart." He nodded defeated, "Yes, of course." He then said, "I might not be important enough to be killed or know anything, but I do know the guy who approached me, right here on Recksnostal. He might know something!" Decker grinned, "That's a start." As they left the interrogation room Decker said to the young Saresii woman. "You caught up fast, with the good old Good cop-Bad cop routine." "There is a routine?" "What are they teaching you at the Academy?" She used her fingers to count: "Psionic Crime Enforcement 101, Crisis Management, Federal Law…" The old Detective rolled his eyes and said. "I was afraid of that, but you do know what's next right?" Now it was her turn to roll her eyes in a very Terran Human way and said, "Of course, we haul in his contact and grill him, and I don't mean eating him." "No, we send in our Blue friend to make contact and see what happens." She smiled, "I know even how you old policemen called that on Earth. It is a Stake In[wc2] however don't know what kinds of stakes are used." -""—

Chapter 14: Chapter 13

Paul Masters waited for them by the door as Roy and his Mother arrived. "Nice for you both to show up, first Roy disappears and then you did not come home!" Paul took a big step back as Partner pushed his way in past Martha and sat down next to Roy. They had picked up Partner at Sam's before they went home. His father pointed at the animals and said, "What is this thing doing inside? It isn't even classified or decontaminated." Martha did something she had never done, at least not to Roy's knowledge. She raised her voice. "You should talk! The entire planet thinks of us as cowardly and you showed me that the perception is true. You left me at Brown's farm, your safety was more important to you than Roy's or mine." Paul was as it appeared as surprised as Roy and said, "There are many dangers out there only visible under a micro viewer that are as dangerous as the big life forms and the suits are the only protection against them." "How do you explain then that I am perfectly alright and more so, how does Roy manage?" He looked defeated and said, "I don't have enough data to build a hypothesis to answer your question, even with a theory." He then said, "How are you both?" Martha smiled. "We are fine, Paul. Before we went to the Ranger to register Roy's pet, we went to the clinic and we are both fit and not contaminated with anything." Roy's father pulled his beloved SII -Sci hand scanner. Roy often wondered if his father even kept the thing in reach while he was under the shower. His father looked at the readout. "What is it? What did Roy find? The scanner results make no sense and not even Bio Central has anything that matches the visuals." Martha said, "It's a Dog of course. A black one at that, at least that is what the Ranger put in the license." "I don't even know you anymore, Martha. Are you not curious? Where is the brilliant Dr. Masters?" "She is taking a break and trying to be a mother, at least until we have to leave. I promised him he can keep Partner." She too looked at the beast and said, "Even though I am more than just a little curious about it; maybe Roy will let us run a few non-invasive scans." Roy spoke for the first time since they had come home. "If it isn't hurting Partner, you can, but the second I think you do something Partner doesn't like I know about it." His mother kept staring at the Beast and then at her son. "No wonder you get along so well with it! It is psionically talented!" Paul actually came closer and said, "Then we must test it, non-sentient psionic life forms are very rare. You are certain it isn't sentient right?" Roy was already looking towards the door as his mother said. "No it is not sentient. I can feel it through Roy. I am not a good enough telepath to be certain, but it feels as if they are PSI linked." Roy's father said, "And that means?" "Sometimes twins or siblings share the same psionic characteristics and thus are emotionally closely linked. That animal and Roy feel and think on the same mental frequency if you will." -""- His parents did measure and scan Partner for a while and concluded that they indeed have a new life form on their hands. A life form their scanner beam could not penetrate. The Masters household returned to almost normal again. They even had a family dinner together. The next morning felt to Roy like he was reborn into a new life. His parents were working on their science stuff again. Paul in his study and Martha conducting a conference. This morning however, Roy no longer needed to sneak out, he went right through the front air lock door, with his brand new HK Raketen Pistol on his hip. It was a Monday and normally he would have to go to school, but it was Union Week and after the official celebrations the big school holidays started. The thought that he had to leave Green Hell in less than two month was a threat, but distant at the moment. Riding on Partner he went out to Uncle Sam's farm. The man he called Uncle Sam was not really his uncle, but he felt closer to that man than to his own parents. Most Greenies considered Sam Brown to be insane because Sam operated the only farm on Green Hell and far away from town. Especially since Sam was not a native Greenie, but an Off-Worlder. Roy reached the tall energy fence a few hours after he left. He knew of course the key code and went past the shimmering posts. Sam's farm was not engulfed by a complete Energy Bubble, instead it had a 20 meters tall energy fence. It was of course a heavy duty model, strong enough to repel a Water Snake or a Stomper. Only a few animals actually ran into the fence. Behind the fence were 12 acres of plowed and cultivated fields, Sam grew Fire nettle bushes, Hell berries and Killer Moss. Only Roy really knew why and kept it as carefully secret as Sam himself. The Fire Nettle pods yielded a fine powder which was considered to be the most potent and complex nerve toxin ever analyzed. The powder was sold to Pharmaceutical companies who made drugs and medicine out of it. Many years ago some Fire Nettle bushes were taken off planet and now grown almost everywhere to make one of the most illegal substances, a drug called Califerm. That was the most common name for the illegal drug, also known as PSI-Booster, God Powder and Snackker. It was instantly addictive and the slightest trace of the molecular fine powder absorbed by the skin was all it took. A Cali User could spread his addiction by shaking hands or sneezing to many other innocent folks. A modern med facility of course was able to cure an addicted person; but many, especially new colonies that lacked advanced facilities, could not. A Califerm addict could easily affect a colonie's entire population. Since this was a serious threat, it led to the legally accepted practice that a Califerm user or dealer could be shot or killed on the spot. Califerm exposure meant certain and painful death to a psionically gifted Saresii or any other person with a high HPI. There even was a legend that claimed it was the only poison able to kill a Narth. All this should of course be reason enough to leave the stuff alone, but Califerm was desirable because it increased any persons Heidelberg Psi Index and made any user instantly Psionic talented. An already Psionic talented person got a tremendous boost and some said a good telepath on Califerm could hear the thoughts of God himself. This legend was lure enough to try. There also was Free Space, where Union laws did not matter and Califerm was traded freely. The Off-World Califerm was not as good as the Califerm Uncle Sam produced. All this was the reason to keep it a secret. While the Nettle Bush dust was a deadly poison to any Off-Worlder, real Greenies needed a large dose to feel ill effects and were completely immune to the drug that was made out of the powder. Uncle Sam was one of the very few government licensed producers of Califerm; and the only one producing the real stuff. He sold it to pharmaceutical companies who made medication to treat Psionic diseases and afflictions. Sam Brown planted and cultivated the Killer Moss for similar reasons. The Hell Berry bushes were as dangerous and poisonous as everything else on the planet, but the small red berries it produced once a year were not poisonous at all, but consumable and had a delicious, fresh tart taste. Roy saw the old Ford – All terrain hover truck, Sam used to get around down in South field, nothing was planted there yet. In the distance he saw Henry, the other Cerberus on this world, pulling plants and gathering them in a big pile to burn them later. He also noticed the two John Deere Agra-Bots Bubba and Mike. Mike was working the soil with an implement, but Bubba didn't move and Roy could see Sam's boots sticking from underneath the machine and between its wide tracks. He walked down the hill over the fresh turned soil and crouched down. "Are you fixing it, or are you taking a nap, Uncle Sam?" A deep voice came from under the robot. "I was fixing it, but I watched you and I was trying to figure out what that is you found out there. I have never seen anything like it. Roy displayed the holo of his license with a proud smile. "It's a Dog, a black one. Mr. Solomon put it that way into the license." "Sam crawled from under the crawler and stood up to examine Partner closer. Sam was human, had very dark brown, almost black skin. He had a big nose with wide nostrils and he was very tall and athletic. "Son, if this is a dog, I am Cindy Pussyfoot. The ranger just needed to put something down." Sam scratched his head. "You know, I think I did see something like that animal after all. Not as big as yours and not black, but If I recall it right, the Old Man has one." Roy became excited. "You say there are others like this around and not on Green Hell?" "As I said, the Old Man's animal isn't all black as your, it has some silvery and white fur and it is substantially smaller than yours, otherwise however it looks just like yours: little horns, spiked collar, coarse fur around the neck and red glowing eyes." Sam patted the animals head. "I saw it once, the Old Man's animal, and that was years ago. Some say it is a dog, just like you say and from Terra. Others say it came with the Devi and is as old as the ship itself. Lots of scuttlebutt and probably none of it true; but what you got sure looks just like Wolfhound, that's what the Old Man calls his." "Who is this Old Man?" Roy asked. Sam's eyes always stood out but became even bigger. "Every Soldier and Sailor is calling Admiral Richard Stahl, the Old Man. I was very lucky to meet the Eternal Warrior a few times." "You always tell me Marines are the best soldiers, isn't Admiral a Navy rank?" Sam smiled proudly. "Indeed we are Roy, and you are absolutely correct. Admiral is a Navy rank. Don't tell me they have not mentioned anything about Admiral Stahl in school?" Roy shrugged and said, "I heard the name before, but I thought he was one of those faerie tale characters from back when Earth ascended." Sam put his big hand on Roy's shoulder, "I see I must do what your teachers neglected. Let's go to the house and have a glass of cool Hell-ade." Roy thumbed at the Agra Bot. "What about Bubba?" Sam waved his hand. "I can always fix it tomorrow or the day after. I am retired as you know and do all this for fun and not really for anything else." As Roy followed the big man to the house he asked, "And who is Cindy Pussyfoot?" Sam coughed. "Nothing you need to know right now." Sam's house was not made of Ultronit. Sam had built it all by himself with logs and wood he cut out of Tantalus trees and Trapper wood. He said that the smell of the wood kept Ants away better than force fields. Roy knew that was true, because he used Tantalus sap to scent his suit when he traveled the jungles, it kept ants and most of the smaller pests away. His windows and the porch however did have force field curtains. There were still lots of flying things. Sam went to the fridge and produced a large pitcher, while Roy retrieved the glasses from the cupboard and they went back out on the porch where Sam had a table and two chairs. From here he could watch the sun set and gaze over his land. Only once in a while something burned in a flash in the otherwise invisible force field curtains. Sam poured both glasses and Roy took a big gulp, licked his lips and said, "That hit the spot!" Sam still standing waved the pitcher at Partner and asked. "What do you feed your animal?" Roy was caught off guard by that question and made a guilty face. "I should have fed Partner! I completely forgot. I remember the others feeding their animals all the time." Roy tried to formulate hunger and food in his mind and looked at Partner. Either he was not able to formulate hunger or Partner didn't understand or the animal wasn't hungry. Roy tried to picture Partner eating and this time it worked, just not as Roy anticipated. The animal took a bite right out of the table. Partner looked at him and Roy could feel that Partner was very proud of himself, understanding what Roy meant. "Hold it!" yelled Sam. "Your monster is dining on my furniture." Partner looked confused and Roy said, "I am sorry Sam; I am new to the pet owner business. Sam sighed and sat back down. "It seems to like wood. Let's just hope it doesn't die. This is Tantalus Oak and I am sure the wood, even dry as it is now is still poisonous." Roy didn't feel any discomfort from Partner, petted the big animal's head and it sat down. "Well, he doesn't feel bad. Nothing on Green Hell was able to hurt it so far, but I don't think he is hungry either." Sam only nodded, said nothing and sat down. They both sipped the Hell-ade and gazed over the fields and towards the Jungle. Somewhere a Stomper screamed. Finally Sam said, "So, you getting along with your parents now?" "It's like someone switched them with Avatars. Well, not so much my father; he hasn't changed all that much, but Mom really tries." The black man nodded, "I talked to her a long while. She is a good person deep down, not the best mother, but far from the worst. There are some real bad mothers out there." Roy made a long face and said with a cracking voice, "Sam I don't want to leave. Especially not where they want me to go. I want to be a Ranger or perhaps a Marine like you. I don't want to be a scientist." "It is good for a young man to leave the nest for a while. See the Universe and decide what to do with the rest of his life. I recommend you travel a bit before you make a decision. If the Universe cannot give what you seek you can always return." "Will you take care of Charles, while I am gone?" "Of course." Roy changed the subject, "So who is this Old Man you talked about?" Sam got up and took an image frame from the wall and handed it to Roy as he sat back down. "The big man with the lantern jaw, and the buzz cut next to me, that is him. His name is Richard Stahl and he is one of the 200 immortals the Guardian had chosen to guide Earth to the Stars. Neither the Guardian nor Richard Stahl are a myth or a fairytale. He is an Admiral now, but a long time ago when Terra was still called Earth and humans had no idea there were other civilizations out there, he was a Marine. " Sam sipped from his glass and pointed with its rim towards the Image frame. "That picture was made on Perthas. A few years back, well actually quite a few decades ago. It was on a miserable planet with perpetual rain, mud to your hips almost everywhere. " Sam put the glass down and stared past the porch railing. "The Pertharians were still our enemy back then and they were well dug in behind reinforced lines. It was all the way across the Bridge, in the Andromeda Galaxy. The Bridge was still new and the Space Train connection was still being constructed." Roy forgot his drink and listened. Sam had told him a lot about his time in the Marine Corps, but always stories that happened in camp, on board a ship or at a base. He had never told him about war or fighting. Sam continued, "Things didn't go too well, the Petharians were as well equipped. While their tech was somewhat cruder, they had the home advantage and there were so many of them, way more than we expected as we dropped on that cursed mud ball. I was just a private back then, a grunt on his third drop. Still wet behind the ears. "Sam stared into the distance, but Roy was sure he didn't see the Jungle but memories from that time. Sam's voice became harsh as he continued, "I lost half of my platoon, good guys! Some of which I went to boot camp with, then our Lieutenant and our Sarge 'bought the farm'. We were Marines, and we kept on fighting repelling attack after attack, but soon we were low on ammo and energy." He now did take a deep drink of his Hell-ade and looked at Roy. "To us it was a hopeless situation and we all were certain we could not last much longer. I thought this was the end. I would soon die on that mud ball. It was then when I saw him, a man wearing a mud stained Quasimodo, just like us. Not one of us knew who he was, there were no rank insignia on his Armor. He took command and no one in the entire line questioned his authority, his voice sounded like the voice of God! Reassuring, calm and confident. He started singing the Marine Corps Hymn and then he consolidated ammo and energy. He then led us in a crazy, totally unexpected, improbable counter attack." Sam straightened his stance and was sitting there like a ramrod. "That man was with us in the first lines, his shields and armor battered, yet we seized a Pertharian Cannon Battery. Using the enemies cannons to lay cover fire, we charged again. This time against the main line. One of the Pertharian Commanders addressed us via loud speaker and urged us to surrender and see the hopelessness of our situation. That man who was leading us climbed on a crumbled pill box, a tattered Union Flag in his left fist and a smoking TKU in the right and he replied as loud as his suit speaker let him." Sam eyes had a strange glazed shimmer in them. "Roy, my son. I remember every word he said to the day I die. He said, 'Listen up, Pertharians. It is your last chance we give you to surrender. I am Admiral Richard Stahl of the United Stars, we are Marines and we will not stop until we have killed and eradicated the very last of you. There will be no Pertharians, not a single one when we are through. You lost over 20,000 of your troops on your own world and yet you failed to stop a mere 200 of us. Yet we are attacking and soon reinforcements will arrive and then your species will be remembered only by a few dusty reports in our archives.'" Sam's big hands clenched to fists, "When we heard who was leading us, we became so filled with pride and awe. I tell you Roy, we became fighting Demons from Hell that night, all fatigue was gone, and every shot we fired counted. We overran the position even before reinforcements arrived!" Sam's eyes glowed with pride. "This man could have stayed in his invincible Battleship. Instead he was with us grunts on the ground in a down and dirty fight. He is immortal yes, but only in terms of aging, but not invincible and a blaster shot can kill him just like you and me. How much more did he risk than we did?" He filled his glass and took another sip. "Ever since that day I read everything I could about this man. What he did then was not the first time. He did it more than anyone alive and he fought in every war humans fought since the Ascent. Stahl is without question the greatest Hero." "And he is really over 3000 years old?" "Yes, Roy he is. I doubted it myself, but I saw it in his eyes and while he appears to be a normal being, once you look him in the eyes you simply know it is true. No other proof needed." Roy concluded. "Maybe I should read more." Sam agreed. "Reading won't hurt you, that's for sure." Then Sam got up and pointed at Roy's H&K. "That's a nice piece, H&K makes good weapons but it's a toy, those seven rockets won't do you much good in a real fight. I am not even talking about that ridiculous Thompson you used to carry." "What else would I carry? This is the best gun Ma Swanson has and I think it might even stop a Stomper." "It won't. Not with one missile and not with those civil legal loads." Sam went inside and returned a moment later carrying Dura-plast box. On the sides the words 'Gunnery Sergeant Sam Brown USMC' were stenciled in yellow on the green material of the foot locker box. He opened it and took a gun inside a holster out and said to Roy, "I meant to give you your birthday present the other day, but I forgot." Roy, like most Greenies knew guns and weapons. It was a large weapon, with a massive muzzle and big energy magazine before the trigger assembly. Imprinted on the side: SII – Thermo Kinetic Unit Mark 12. His throat got dry despite the fact he just had juice. "Sam, this is a TKU 12! Aren't they illegal?" "In most places yes, however the Federal Government makes exceptions when it comes to Green Hell and I got you a carry permit." Roy knew about this weapon only from Holo Vids and Virtu shows. It was the strongest, most powerful hand weapon ever conceived by Terran Weapon Engineers . It was made at the end of the Y'All war to give the Marines fighting them a weapon that could punch through Y'All Armor and shields and kill the monster beneath. They succeeded; the TKU-12 was powerful enough to stop a fully shielded Cerberus. It was removed from service because it was too powerful. There were much more sophisticated weapons available now, but no weapon that could be held by a human being ever reached the sheer power levels of that blaster. Unlike beam blasters, it emitted a stream of superheated Quark-Gluon Plasma . The Cartridges in the Magazine (thirty of them) held what Marines and scientists called Quark Soup, a phase of quantum chromodynamics. The resulting blast did not only reach the incredible temperature of a trillion degrees for the fraction of a second, it developed the equivalent of 1000 tons of kinetic force at the highest setting. Powerful enough to go toe to toe with battle robots and tanks. Roy held the big side arm before him and whispered. "Are you serious, Uncle Sam?" "Oh I am quite serious. Greenies don't believe me when I tell them that the Universe is a much more dangerous place than this planet. And you might need that thing one of these days." "I never doubt your word Uncle Sam, but if the Universe is so dangerous why do they call Green Hell the most dangerous place?" "Because any Off-Worlder would die here in mere seconds, but out there are other monsters on the prowl, intelligent ones and with evil intentions." Sam turned his head and added: "What is the most dangerous animal in your opinion, Roy?" "I am not sure. Water Snakes are pretty tough and some think it's the ants. I saw Partner waltz right over anything and so far nothing affected him." Sam shook his head and said. "Man is the most dangerous animal, bar none. None of those Water Snakes ever leave the planet and make war upon other planets, but a rich Big Game Hunter came here to shoot Water Snakes. No ant is stealing, lying and murdering for profit or fun. Not a thing out there in those jungles is evil, Roy. " "You make it sound awful!" "Why do you think I prefer to spend the rest of my retirement right here on Green Hell?" "If that's the case I might as well stay too!" "No you can't. You must make your own experiences and not listen to an old Marine. It is dangerous yes, but it also can be beautiful and awe inspiring." "I still don't like to leave. As far as it concerns me, everything I need is here." "You can't become a Ranger or a Marine, here on Green Hell for one thing and seeing one's home and roots from a distance can be very good, too. So enjoy the weeks you have, live for the day not for tomorrow." Roy sighed. Sam got up and knelt before Roy and girded the TKU around the boy's hip and secured the holster to Roy's leg. "Don't go past setting 5 unless you go against raging Pertharians or something like that." "Would it be enough to stop a Stomper?" "You can reduce the biggest Water snake to atomic ashes on setting three. " Roy dialed the gun to Two and Sam nodded with an approving smile. "Sensible choice. The secret of having a strong weapon is making sure your enemy knows you have it, not you using it." Sam got up and added, "That's wisdom of the Old Man by the way." -""- The two Mercenaries had left Desolate a few hours ago and arrived via shuttle on Green Hell. They both were Pertharian. They had accompanied Ms. Yeager to the Prison Colony and now their mutual employers wanted them to make an initial survey of this world. Neither of the Pertharians believed there was a planet in the Universe they could not survive, especially with the nice equipment their employers got them. All these stories about Green Hell were made by weak and fragile humans of course and now even human teenagers frolicked in the local Jungles. The whole idea to get a native rescued from a Prison planet was ridiculous to them. If it were up to them, the whole affair would be over by now. But neither of them really cared much. Even though they belonged to one of the physical strongest and toughest races ever discovered in two Galaxies, it had not been easy for them to establish themselves as Free Agents and Mercs. It was the blasted reputation of their four armed species, to be among the most loyal and law abiding Union species. The Pertharian / Union war was over for over 70 years now and after the Order of the Arcane Ages had been removed from power and the Pertharian were finally free again, they had applied for membership and now tried hard to prove that they could be as loyal and as trustworthy as they were fierce and strong. They both secretly hoped not to run into any of their brethren, Pertharian were not very gentle to what they considered traitors. Even though ninety nine percent of their race were elated and happy Union Citizens, a small percentage of less than one percent were those that belonged to the old Order of Arcane and survived the war and the great purge after, by hiding or fleeing. Leris Brathan and his partner Choler Horem had been born into the Halls of the Arcane Order as part of the very last generation of Arcane Guards to take their place among the ranks of the Correctors. Of course it never happened. The Arcane Order was swept away. Leris and Choler were still freshly indoctrinated and had no intention to join the new Freedom. To them everyone embracing the new was a traitor. Now seventy years after the war and the Purge, not many of the Arcane Order supporters remained, Leris and Choler were two of those. Leris looked almost identical to Choler, both prime samples of Pertharian Warrior strength, both had four strong arms and were 350 cm tall. Their bodies covered in a though armor like skin with dull gray and red spots. Leris stepped off the shuttle right after Choler and took a deep breath, while looking from the shuttle landing platform on the apex of the Ant Hill Dome over the vast lake and the Jungles in the distance. "It is just a dull Garden World, with some animals scaring the weak humans, that's all. That lake looks nice, maybe I have a swim." They both had CITI implants identifying them as Pertharian Employees of a Slide Belt Service Company that opened a service shop on Green Hell. GH-SBS-Inc. was there for over thirty year, that they have not serviced a single slide belt or did do any real business with anyone had not been noticed by anyone; except for Green's Slide Belt Service and they didn't complain that their only competition didn't really compete. A stocky broad shouldered human greeted them, wearing a dark blue Coverall with the GH-SBS Inc Logo on chest and back, the same colored suits the Pertharian wore. "Welcome to Green Hell, I hope you had a good trip. Did you bring the technical specs for the SB342?" "We have the specs for the SB342 and Supervisor Marco says hello." This was the final check, after exchanging these phrases they knew they were meeting with the right party. Both Pertharian followed the man into an Inter City Freight Mover. Two Pertharian were too big for the regular lift that could accommodate maybe one. The green skinned individual said, "I am Marco Adams by the way." Lerris sneered with his rock gravel voice. "You are but a tool human. We are not here to socialize with weaklings. Has our equipment arrived?" The man growled "Be careful who you call weak, Barnacle Face. I am from Hoffman's World. Because I value my life and respect our employers I leave it at that." Choler said. "Matters little from where you from human, answer the question." "Your Battle Armor is here." Choler was satisfied. "We will take our first trip tonight then. I doubt we need those armors anyway." The elevator had reached the last level, deep underground and Marco led them through a corridor where the walls were unpainted Ultronit and service pipes were installed in the open. Strong Logistics robots rolled by with shipping containers. Barrels, crates and boxes stacked next to the roll doors of a variety of small companies. Marco said, "You will need the Armor trust me and I don't think it is wise to go out after dark." Lerris laughed, "We are Pertharian, we can see well at night. We have six eyes, not just two as you inferior humans." Marco said, "We inferior humans sure kicked your rocky asses from Leenco all the way to Pertha. Must have been quite an eye opener for all six of them to see that, eh?" Lerris growled in anger. "You are moments from a painful death, human!" "And you are even dumber than they say you are. Hurt me and our employers will deal with you. Kill me and the local Ranger will deal with you." He stopped at a steel shutter door, boxes with Slide belt parts stacked on each side. A barrel with twisted metal scrap and a few buckets of silicone grease complete the organized mess, making the place look busy and blend in with all the other similar looking businesses. The door squealed as metal rubbed over metal. The inside of GH-SBS-Inc didn't look much different from the jumble outside. Shelves held more parts. Tall red self-propelled robotic tool boxes lined one wall. A big metal press and a huge remnant roll of Slide Belt material hid most of the other side's wall. There was a yellow painted Yale Brand Cargo handler standing before an office box. There were posters, stickers and advertisement signs of tool companies, Slide Belt manufacturers everywhere. A second blue coverall dressed man was revealed by the opening gate closed it right behind them. "Now we are secure and can talk." Lerris said. "We are not here to talk. Give us our suits and we will march to the mountains and back and then we can collect our bonus and be done with this." Marco said disapprovingly, "These two were this insulting since I picked them up." The man who had not identified himself said with a cold smile, "Well then why don't we get these gentlemen outfitted and outside, right away? There is an old Marine out there, in an unprotected Farm. I want you to march there and raze the place. If you do that and come back alive and without being caught by the Ranger, I'll personally triple your bonus." The Pertharian liked the sound of that and the two men opened two big shipping crates marked "Slide Belt parts" and revealed two Armageddon Type Battle Walkers, complete with SII Fafnir Bolter Gatlings and the best civilian shields. Both walkers were able to accommodate a Pertharian. The Pertharian laughed, "With those we could take on an entire regiment of those cursed Cerberus robots!" Marco said nothing, but grinned as he knew the Pertharian would not have to face a whole regiment, but one of those for sure; if they made it to Mr. Brown's farm. -""-

Chapter 15: Chapter 14

The two Pertharian mercenaries crowded the small freight flyer to its capacity. Marco was at the controls. He was a spy and a worked for Kermac Intelligence for almost thirty years now and had been on Green Hell almost as long. He was not a Greenie but he knew the stories were anything but exaggerated. He had seen what happened to the last Pertharians that went out. Yes, true the others did not wear Armageddon Suits, but as fancy as the name was for those tin suits, these were civilian legal export approved suits. Yes good SII technology but at least two tech levels below the current stuff. Marco contemplated leaving Green Hell right after he dropped the Petharians. He was against this sledgehammer method. Too much could go wrong and thirty years of careful planning could be destroyed, not to mention him ending on the end of a rope. Ever since the Peace Hawk debacle, Union Officials dealt with spies very harshly and swift. The owner of Green Hell Slide Belt Service Company was a genuine Kermac, surgically altered and a member of the Ministry of Information also didn't like the sudden urgency and speed. GH SBS In. was a success and a careful hatched plan to obtain the secret of Translocator Cannons was taking shape and with patience they would find that Saresii ship. The Old Saresii working for them had combed the jungles for 300 years. It was that Saresii who had found the old Log book element in the first place and started the whole thing. The log book contained a detailed manifest of what the ship had in its hold. Among other things four crated Seenian Transpatial AntiMatter Cannons, or in other words the lost Saresii ship from the First Age of Knowledge carried the same stuff Stahl brought back with the Devastator, the same weapons that virtually guaranteed the stellar rise of the Union; the secret of Translocator Cannons. Excavating a ship wreck direct under the noses of the Union would have been tricky anywhere, but here on Green Hell it was nearly impossible. The prize however meant the end of Union predominance and the Kermac once again taking their rightful place as rulers of the Galaxy. Marco was not a Kermac but a genuine Union Citizen and he was simply a traitor for very mundane reasons at first. He sighed and put the armored flier down at a wide pebble beach called razor fish bay, because the water of the lake was quite shallow and the big Snakes generally preferred the deeper areas. This area was almost exactly on the opposite site of the lake from Ma Swanson's. That would give the Petharians an additional 150 miles to cover but hey they were really tough and here no one would see them." The two Petharians bent the exit hatch as they squeezed their battle frames through into the open. The Air lock hatch did not seal and unknown to Marco an angry patch of Killer Moss agitated because half of its organism was crushed by an armor suit boot; squeezed itself through before Marco lifted off to return to town. Leris laughed as his left armor fist spewed plasma fire in an arc clearing a wide path into the dense underbrush. "This is going to be even more fun than I expected. There is nothing out here that could stop us in these suits." Choler was already a little less confident and he said. "Conserve your energy, we still have to cover 300 klicks and we don't want to show up on any sensors either," "There aren't any sensors! We are deep in Union Space, nothing in Orbit. He kicked a tall stomp like structure and didn't see the swarms of Ants that crawled out the broken nest and up his legs. Choler brushed a drop shaped cocoon of Buzzsaws aside as he stepped into the smoking breach his partner created with his Gatling. They were about twenty meters inside the Jungle when Leris stumbled and fell over, his left leg armor failing. Choler wanted to help him and see why his friend fell, stumbling was nearly impossible in these marvels of technology as the computroinic assisting, would compensate automatically. As he saw the tough material of the Armageddon melt away like butter from the legs of his partner, all the stories they heard about Green Hell no longer felt so ridiculous. "Activate your force field!" He yelled as he activated his. " Leris yelled back. "There is something inside my suit. I can feel it crawl all over!" Choler wondered what it could be, as Leris should not be able to feel anything as long as his outer Petharians skin was intact. Then he saw tiny dots. Crawling inside the rim of his helmet. Leris managed to get back on his feet and fired his weapon in all directions, even hitting Choler. His shields protested and flickered. Choler decided to go back to the shore and call the human back. They managed to walk about two kilometers. To his horror he noticed green plants moving over the charred ashes of their slash and burn approach. The Petharian evaded a large spider thing and doing so his forcefield entangled with an almost invisible spider net. Blue energies sizzled and his suit reported strong electric discharges. As he stepped back he lost the footing and started to sink into a mud bog. Scaled coils of something large appeared only for a moment. His shields strained now trying to burn tons of water and soil and the suit recommended to deactivate the shields so Arti Grav could be activated, energy reserves for both were already limited. Leris saw his friend run and leave him alone. His legs failed again, this time it was his own, not the suit. He felt a burning sensation as if dipped in liquid lava from his hips on down. He hit the emergency release struggled out of the suit. He needed to get rid of those insects that crawled all over him and whatever they secreted dissolved the tough Alloy of the suit and his own Petharian skin with equal ease. He stumbled forward as a dozen Razor bush branches slashed across his face gouging one of his eyes, his left arm stuck in a yellow substance covering a tree. The oozing yellow sap was stickier than anything he knew. Trapper Palm crawlers and ants competed against each other over the now helpless Petharian. The last thing he saw was the rest of his armor suit swallowed by the ground and a human woman in a green dress. Choler was now to his shoulders in the mud and he opened the Comm Link. "Marco, come back. Get us out of here! Everything is true, we are dying!" Choler managed to divert enough energy to his Arti Grav and slowly rose from the muck. If he could gain altitude he might make it. There was hope as he kept rising and almost reached the tree tops when he noticed a large inflated thing hovering in the dark sky. The next heartbeat he fell, back to the ground, after a terrible bolt of lightning had vanquished the last remnants of his suit shields. He crashed hard on the Jungle floor. The fall was high enough to hurt him, but he barley felt the pain of the fall, the tiny dots in his helmet now gathered all over his mouth and in his eyes and nostrils. He could feel them crawl inside; the cursed suit didn't let him reach his own mouth. He had four arms and yet he could not reach his own mouth. In utter panic he opened his helmet not noticing he was brushing a plant with little red pods showering his face with a fine white powder. The effect was instant, he felt no pain, and the crawling things in his mouth didn't matter no more. He suddenly felt as if his mind was opened and no longer attached to his body. He could feel the last dying thoughts of his friend. He could feel the hatred of everything living around him. Every plant, everything alive in these jungles hated him! Then it was as if he could feel the many minds of Ant Hill. Like a chorus of many thousand voices all talking at once. Through all this chaos and his certain knowledge of his impending death a human female face appeared, framed by long greenish hair. She had Saresii features but did not look like the Saresii of today. She said to him. "Perish and fade away!" -""— Ranger Salomon was not pleased as he stood in the workshop of Green Hell Slide Belt Service Inc. He had promised his wife a nice evening out, courtesy of the Masters and now he had to investigate the death of Marco Adams. It was completely unclear why he was flying a cargo flyer with a broken Air Seal Lock at night. There weren't any Slide belts outside Ant Hill anywhere. The owner of the small business looked distressed and looked very pale. "I can't tell you why Marco went out after hours using our company flyer." Solomon had his PDD in dictation mode and said looking up. "Mr. Keltony why do you have a freight flyer in the first place? All your customers should be right here in town." The Slide belt technician shrugged. "Our main Office on Blue Moon thought we need one and send one. We never used it and that is how we never noticed the damaged seal I guess." "He had to touch down and land for getting a patch of Killer Moss inside. The poison killed him and he crashed into the upper receiving Garage." "We will of course pay for the damage done." The pale man said. "He did mention a few times that he wanted to check out the surface of Green Hell, before he was transferred." It was all more or less routine. Things like that happened before on Green Hell and would happen again. What bugged Salomon was the fact, that Marco Adams was no newcomer but had been on Green Hell for twenty years. He closed the PDD and said. "There will be a formal inquiry and the council will decide on further actions. As for my part and the Ranger Department the case is closed." The altered Kermac acted very distressed and sad with a thankful tone. "Thank you Ranger. I will of course contact the Adams relative and make all arrangements." Ranger Salomon tipped his fingers to his brow and left. The Kermac closed the gate returned to his office and established a secure link to Desolate and conferenced the Employers into the conversation. "The Petharians have failed; they barely made it past two miles, not even close to their intended objective. I even lost a dependable asset." "Impossible!" barked the woman currently known as Dr. Yeager quite unladylike. "Those were trained Guards of the Arcane Order wearing shielded battle suits." The unseen Employers appeared only as milky shadows said. "There is conflicting information. How can we hear reliable reports that teenagers roam freely and two Petharians in Battle armor perish?" The Disguised Kermac knew very well who was behind those Milky shapes, High ranking Agents of the Ministry of Control, in their plush offices of the Kermac Consulate on Pluribus. He had spent almost forty years far from Kermac worlds, disguised as a human carefully preparing this operation for the Ministry of Information. If the MOC would simply stop their infuriating meddling every time an Operation was slowly starting to bear fruit, the Kermac would have the Secret of Translocator cannons long ago. The idea that another ministry could report a success to the Grand Wizard was unthinkable to the cursed MOC. He said without hiding his cynical tone. "Because the Ministry of Control makes decisions over the heads of the MOI field agents. The very reason I was grooming Harlex was to have a genuine Greenie under our control. It was all planned and could have been done without anyone knowing anything, but your decision to take over, plug Harlex with this sledgehammer method from the Prison Colony instead of simply waiting until he was released in just another year was as idiotic as sending two Petharians." "You must be careful how you speak about the all-knowing Ministry of Control. They will hear such things and will not be pleased." "Oh drop the act you fool. I know who you are. I am a loyal servant for the Cause. You are lucky that the local law enforcement agent is a dull ranger and that there is no Federal Police investigation. " There was a moment of silence and then the shapes said to the woman. "The Harlex must be used." The woman did not sound as confident as she had before. "He tried to escape after he woke from his stun much earlier as we anticipated, he is injured and we cannot go to the Med Clinic to have him fixed." The Kermac who went by the name Nolam Keltony said. "He is a Greenie you stupid woman, they developed a much stronger metabolism, their immune system shrugs off neural poisons and the most aggressive microbes you will ever come across. What stuns a human dazes them at best." The shapes said. "Can he not be fitted with a new CITI and then seek medical assistance? How serious are his injuries?" "We cannot simply march into a Union Clinic and present a human that was shot by a micro missile without the doctors asking questions. We currently keep him in a Space suit stasis but he will need serious medical attention the second he comes out." The shapes said. "Very well Mr. Yaeger we will make a decision shortly and send your assistance. They disconnected her and said. "Her usefulness has come to an end faster than expected. What is your proposal then, Agent of MOI?" "That you go to the seventh circle of the Netherworlds, you and the rest of MOC would be my first recommendation to the Grand Wizard in the report I am sending him. Then I strongly suggest you do not terminate the woman just yet. She is the direct contact to our Worm Asset on Desolate without her we lose access to the CITI machine and that alone is as worth more than you can imagine." "Your insolence is noted and no report to the Grand Wizard is necessary, we inform him about everything." "Everything that puts the MOC in a good light and the rest is twisted. No my friends. The MOI is not without friends in the Circle and the Grand Wizard will hear an alternative version of these events as the one you send him." Again silence and a new voice spoke. There was authority in this voice as it said. "The Grand Wizard cannot be fooled, he will certainly note your loyal service. "Now speak and say what is to be done?" "Return to the old plan and I will groom another Greenie. It will take years but it will work and no one will notice." "This cannot be, it must be done soon. We have intelligence that the Wurgus consider Union Membership. We are trying to prevent that, but it happens we must strike against the Union before they can make use of Wurgus Technology and for that we need Translocator Cannons." That was news to the Kermac Agent and he said. "The Wurgus as Union Members will be the end of our kind if the Wurgus tell the Terrans who is behind the SOL Bomb event; they will go to war indeed!" One of the shapes said with a sigh. "We all know what happens when they do." The Kermac Agent said. "There is this boy, his name is Roy Masters. If we can get him to do our bidding, he will find the final resting place of the ship, there is no doubt. No one equals his abilities to roam these jungles. He found the Takkian shells with ease and is known travel many miles unprotected." One of the shapes said. "We will take it from here, we are masters in the bending of wills you obtain the intelligence, the execution lies with us." The strong voice said. "This is the last time I will allow the MOC to take the lead. If you fail this time I will have MOI clean your Ministry as they see fit. All the way to the top." The disguised Kermac knew now who the voice was. The Grand Wizard himself. He was certain they would screw up and he could not wait to put the Grand Wizards threat into action. The Grand Wizards voice said. "The next time we speak I expect this Roy Masters in your control so we can begin phase two and isolate Green Hell so we can excavate and recover." -""— Roy had never worn a fine suit before and felt completely out of his comfort zone wearing a black Kimo Suit and a white shirt. He had his hair trimmed exactly like Sam Brown, in a regulation High and tight haircut and he had shaved the first fluffy whiskers of his cheeks and chin. Of course he did not use the Colgate Hygiene center but did that too, the Sam Brown way with a genuine straight razor. This was one 'Pre Astro' custom his father did not want to try. "Roy!" Complained his mother as she saw him coming down the stairs. "Please leave the gun belt and the All Terrains at home. You can go out right after we had our dinner together, but you won't need to shoot anyone in Ant Hill." Six Minutes later and with a slight frown on his face he came back down again, this time without gun and Boots." He barley recognized his own mother. She wore a clingy sparkling blue dress, and there was no doubt that Dr. Martha Masters was indeed a woman. Her long hair gathered in a dress matching snood. Paul Masters was dressed much Roy in a dark suit. Roy would have preferred a dinner at home and with Partner along, but then this was perhaps the only dinner he would ever have with his parents for a long while and besides he knew how much Ranger Salomon and especially wife was looking forward to the dinner. Besides Sam would be there as well. Partner simply sneezed in understanding and was stretched out before Roy's bed closed his eyes making his plans for the evening easily understood. – He had never been in Ant Hill during the night and down town was gleaming with thousand warm golden lights, illuminated fountains and residents strolling up and down the main concourse that circled the ground level of the domed city. They had taken the Slide Belt and left it before Marcello's Restaurant. He recognized Sarah Solomon and Bob right away, they stood at the entrance He could not help but grin as he saw Bob his best friend looking like him dressed up and looking completely different. "So they made you wear Off World stuff too. " Bob rolled his eyes. "My mother hasn't talked about anything else since your mother invited us." Bob's mother wearing a white dress said with an apologetic gesture. "Aaron had some Ranger business and will be a little late." Martha offered Sarah her arm and said. "Then why don't we go in and have a few drinks and appetizers. I don't see any of the others yet either." Just then Bob nudged Roy into the side with his elbow and said. "We're not the only ones, looks like Norm is stuck in one of these suit things too." Norm actually looked like a million credits in his suit and it didn't appear as if he was as uncomfortable as Roy or Bob. His father and mother looked almost like Vid Stars. While Martha and Paul greeted the major, Norm stepped over and said. "Never expected an invitation from your parents in a million years, but it is sure a nice surprise." Before Roy could say something, a black hover sled stopped and a gorgeous girl in a figure hugging dress of red lace made everyone look. Bob said. "That's Melissa! She even has Silver along!" Moments later Maria arrived and Roy barely recognized her in that midnight blue velvet thing she was wearing. Her long black hair shone in a precious luster and she glared at her friends. "Not a word! Mother made me wear this. I only came because of Roy, so you better not tell me how ridiculous I look in this getup." Bob said. "Maria you are gorgeous! You and Melissa you look so..." "Grown up!" Said Norm. "You two are real Stunners." Martha Masters herded them all inside and an incredible tall host greeted them. Maria whispered "I heard he is only half Andorian, that's why he is only about 250 cm tall." Roy blinked. "Only?" She nodded. "Andorians can reach 350 centimeters." Bob padded his stomach. "I love Italian but Andorian is a close second." The Maître de heard it and said. "We do have a few Andorian dishes on the menu." Bob looked hopeful. "Meat Cake Wrap?" While the group was seated around a big round table, the Andorian grinned. "I see what I can do." Roy said. "How do you know all that stuff?" Bob said. "You know I like to eat and I got a Galaxy Gourmet subscription last year for Christmas. A different galactic specialty every week per mail. Today I got something called Tyranno Fin Steak from a planet called Nilfeheim. Ranger Salomon, still wearing his Uniform came and sat down after he made a few apologies. Roy found that this was actually very nice. The table filled with faces he knew. The Swanson's were here, Margit, Clarion and their oldest son Gary. Even the Shaill doctor was here. But all conversation ceased on this and the other tables of the restaurant that was filled to the last chair as a tall black Marine in full Dress blue arrived. His sleeves ran up with golden red stripes and more than a few patrons stood u and saluted as they recognized the cross shaped medal hanging on a blue band around the man's neck. Even though no one in this room knew Sam Brown better than Roy, he had never seen Sam like that and he had never seen anything more impressive and dignified. The little live band in the back started to play the Marine Hymn and the Owner of the Restaurant saluted and said with tears in his eyes. "Corporal Antonio Marcello, 3rd Marine Regiment Sir. What an honor, Semper Fi!" Roy knew it then; he would become a Marine, nothing else and make him proud. Sam sat right next to Roy, not a muscle in his face moved and yet he could see the affection this man felt for him and because of Sam he had never really felt alone. Martha got up and raised her glass. "This is to the friends of my son. Some of you have saved our lives; some of you have helped us to see what we almost left behind without ever knowing what we would have done. Roy just recently turned 16 and this is belayed real Birthday party and I am a very proud mother, to have a son with such a host of distinguished friends." -""- Celyciia Paydhal and Sergeant Ruddick sat on a Pick nick blanket in the soft ankle deep grass of North Africa Park, the largest Terran style park of Reckno Cit. The capitol of Recksnostal Colony. Ruddick said after he devoured another sandwich. "This is how I dreamed police work would be, before I ever joined the force." Celyciia smiled. "Having pick nick in the park and eating while on duty?" He shook his head. "Of course not, I eat all the time on duty or not. No I mean us listening in on the bait and wait something will happen, and then we follow the lead, put the facts and clues together and solve a case. I mean us doing it and not a Law logic Computronic figuring out whose mining claim was violated and then GalNet a citation or a warning." The Saresii Police Lieutenant sighed. "Yes I know exactly what you mean. I almost hope we don't solve the case all too fast. There is so much we can learn from him. Real Police work I mean." Another sandwich disappeared and the Sergeant said. "I never thought I would say it, but I don't even miss Old Snukkler anymore. I feel like a real policeman and after reading your case report I am convinced you were right from the start. Nothing of that case added up and someone is trying to pull the wool over our eyes. Well the Precinct is behind you Ma'am one hundred percent." The Saresii woman sipped on her coffee and glanced over the rim, past the Sergeant watching the blue skinned Thauran sitting on a bench waiting for the contact to arrive. "It took you over three years Sarge." "Captain Snukkler was a liked person. Someone new and Saresii at that replacing the old Garbini was not expected." "You don't like Saresii?" "Oh they are all very nice to look at, but you never know if you deal with a woman or a man and then the whole mind reading Psionic thing." "You had a Methane breathing Tree Polyp as a boss and that was better than a Saresii?" "Klack, Garbini, Purple Throat makes no difference Ma'am. I am not only a police man but a proud Union Citizen and not a Xenophobe. You Saresii are not Xeno, you're human. Gorgeous beautiful women and the thought that some are men are more alien to me than a Takkian. Its old fashioned and wrong I know, but I can't help it." "I am all women and I am one of those rare Saresii who have no telepathic abilities at all. Besides you are a Federal Police man and should be PSI shielded." "You only told us that a few weeks ago and to someone who has no idea about Psionics they are all a little spooky. Someone saying to you are shielded and you feel no different than before doesn't give me much confidence I am afraid." The Saresii Woman said. "I had no idea." The Sergeant said. "That's why I am a Sergeant and not an Officer. I am a simple person at heart and like things to be black and white. Of course nothing really is, but one cannot really jump over his own shadow." The Saresii wanted to say something when she saw someone approaching the Thauran Warden. The man looked like he just stepped out for lunch from one of the many businesses that lined the park. He sat down right next to the Thauran. Both the sergeant and the Saresii Lieutenant had sensitive surveillance equipment and listened in. The man, a human said. "Your usefulness has expired, but I am curious to find you out and about." The Thauran answered. "I want 50,000 Credits or I tell them about you!" The man in the shirt laughed but it was not an easy laugh. "If you do, how will you explain all the bribes you took and all the crocked deals we made? You will hang for that." "I don't care. I come clean and maybe I get a deal." "I see what I can do. Meet me here tomorrow!" "Not good enough. I want to see you in 4 hours with the Money or I will tell the Feds everything I know. There is no space bus and no scheduled starts so you can make a run in that time." "You won't live long enough to enjoy that money." "You made the mistake letting me live, now go get my money. Or it is you who will hang." Sergeant Ruddick gave the sign and two of his men disguised as park maintenance personnel followed the business man. Ruddick eyes gleamed. "This is real crime and conspiracy right here on our little Colony. Do we inform HQ about this?" The blue skinned warden came over and said, "No not yet." The Old detective in his disguise as Thauran Warden added. "It is going to be very interesting soon. I expect someone will try to kill me. So stay on your toes. Even after 3000 years I am not really ready to meet my maker." "No worries Mr. Decker." The Sergeant said. "We might be just a back world precinct but we are Federal Police and we got six fully cloaked surprises in the area, not to mention a micro millimeter satellite scanning everyone." The Old Detective took the last sandwich and said. "I never doubted you guys, not a minute. Well I am back at my bench. As soon as our friend receives instructions we should expect action." Celyciia Paydhal tapped her tiny ear piece. "SII confirms receiving a federal Court order to allow GalNet tracing. We should be able to tell from where they get their instructions too." -""- The woman worked as a clerk at the Science Council for over twenty five years and was an outstanding citizen, member of several charitable organizations and a prayer leader for the Daughters of the Reformed Back Looking Buddhists of the Third Incarnation. She was groomed and pampered by her handler without her really knowing it until she was a willing tool. She didn't even think of her as a spy. What harm could it do if her friends knew where the Science Council sent its Explorer ships? Since she was one of the clerks in the Chief Dispatchers office of the Explorer fleet, it was easy for her to obtain such information. Carrying it out handwritten on a piece of paper was something the advanced data storage scanners in the exit door frames did not even register. The advanced technology completely overlooked the real old fashioned methods. She handed the little note to her handler in an open air cafe in the Outer Ring Park of the Assembly and he thanked her with a kiss and a bunch of flowers. As spies went she worked very cheap. Her handler felt so secure that he didn't really try to conceal his movements and after a little round trip with a bubble cap he went to a Union Post Office and send high resolution images of the paper to his contact. Those Union Fools with their precious freedoms and liberties making it a Federal Crime to intercept or open mail. They took this very serious and it was the safest way to send intelligence material. While he felt the Union was a bunch of idiotic fools, with a Kermac in charge the Union would be master of the entire Galaxy, he actually enjoyed is life here on Pluribus and hoped his masters would take their time with overthrowing the Union. Why his masters wanted to know the exact course an Explorer was scheduled to take was unimportant to him. -""— The evening had ended bittersweet as his parents officially said good bye and would leave in less than a week. Their explorer was already on its way to pick them up. Roy walked next to Partner along the shore of a jungle river, carefully avoiding Mortar toads and Murder Grass patches and was brooding about the recent changes in his life. It soon would change even more when he was about to go to College in the Sol system, almost 2500 Light years distant. There was a hidden cove with a waterfall and a small pool, one of his favorite places to go. It was only twelve miles from the house and it was his personal secret place when he needed to think. Not that there was really anything he had to decide. He wanted to become a Marine but he didn't want to leave either. The future so it appeared had even more change in store than the last few days. As he reached the little cove, where the fresh water of a creek rushed over a rock face and gushed down about twenty meters in to a pool. While there was Tantalus Oaks and Strangle vines all over. The moss clinging to the rocks was not the moving Killer Moss found at the shores of the big lakes. There wasn't enough room for Stompers or Insectos and Water Snake roaming season was still a few month away. So he looked forward to a few hours of relaxing there before he would find his way to the Rocks and meet his friends. "Hello Roy!" A melodic female voice greeted him as walked around the last tree covered boulder to enter the little cove. The green haired woman was sitting on a round boulder, churning the water before her with lazy moves of her right foot. Roy relaxed and said. "Oh it is you again. You sure get around and you keep it quiet as it seems." She leaned back supported by her arms. Her hair almost touched the stone as she arched that way but again she was not saying anything. So Roy said. "For a girl you sure don't talk much. Do you have a name?" She glanced at him and said. "You can call me Quara if you like." "You are the strangest girl and your answers are just as strange." She said. "So are you, walking through this jungles being friends with the most vicious beast on his side." Roy almost laughed. "Quara, this is Partner. He is the gentlest animal on this planet. You can pet him!" She got up. "You don't even know what it is, Roy." She was clearly afraid of it. "No I don't but you can trust me and him. I won't hurt anything if I don't have to and he won't either." She jumped to shore and reached out with a trembling hand. Partner squeezed his eyes close and sneezed." She retracted her hand but repeated the careful gesture and finally made contact with Partners fur and then se relaxed and petted the animal. "I always liked that about you, Roy." "Would you stop talking in riddles please and say something that makes sense? How can you like something about me, without me knowing you? What is it you like anyway?" "The ones that came from the Skies, made their home on the isle on the lake. They could not be scared away. They remained and it took much effort to keep their numbers small. Yet they never gave up and come and measure and probe everything. " "Are you talking about Ant Hill? Aren't you from there as well?" She kept petting Partner and slowly shook her head. "No Roy, Qaroniel is my home." "Is this a Union world nearby?" She spread her arms. "Roy this is Qaroniel, it is all around you." "Green Hell?" "This is how you call it. Some others called it Imthe-Seth and before that there were those who cursed it saying Mrthgtha, but it has been Qaroniel first." Roy scratched his chin. "Those are the old names the Saresii and the Sarans used." He looked at her with a quizzed look. "Just who are you exactly?" "I am Qaroniel.

Chapter 16: Chapter 15

Phil Decker had his feet up on the desk and leaned back, his arms crossed before his chest and his hat, they all now knew was called a fedora pulled into his face and it appeared as if he was sleeping. Everyone in the small Union Police precinct by now knew who he was. Almost everyone had checked GalNet on him. Some were intimidated; others had a hard time to understand what or who he was, but that all had changed fast. They accepted him as one of their own and that he happened to be a living legend was just something in the background. His experience however and his incredible sense for details was truly amazing. The young Saresii Officer was standing by the Serv-Matic half across the room, holding a cup of Saresii tea. With one eye she watched a field screen that showed the action a floor below where four men and a woman where booked and processed. Two would be assassins and two conspirators with the possibility of an interstellar mystery that pointed to enemies of the Union. Murder, spies and conspiracies now that was something different than checking on mining claims and fining freighters for taking NonCits to other places. Phil Decker disguised as the corrupt Warden made contact with a man who officially worked for a Slide Belt Supply company and just as he predicted, the man made contact with two local heavies and asked them to kill the Warden. Hulth Mahn and Wilrow Matsuki were two criminals with a long record petty crimes, the local policed was never able to pin anything big on them. While Recksnostal was clean, and overall friendly little Colony with a very little crime rate, it did have, like every other place its share of criminal activity. The two criminals walked straight into the park and tried to persuade their intended victim to come along by flashing a Neuro-Ripper. They were still holding their illegal weapon when the park virtually became alive with policemen and arrested them without incident. None of the bigger Intergalactic operating crime syndicates was really active here, mostly because there wasn't much of interest for them and there was a Union Police Precinct, but the two crooks were two bigger fish of the local underworld. She wondered how Mister Tithon, the manager of the Slide Belt Supply company was fitting into all this. Her PDD flashed with a new message. It was from the Forensic lab and she walked over to the seemingly sleeping ancient detective. "Mr. Decker?" Without so much moving a muscle he said. "I told you to call me Phil, didn't I, Kiddo?" She smiled." Guess what the crime lab found?" "That the landing strut imprints belonged to a Bombardier One Fifty." She stopped dead in her tracks and her chin actually dropped to her chest. "I didn't know you are a mind reader? Are you?" "No I am not and I don't have any superhuman abilities as far as I know." "But how did you know?" "Your Tin heads collected the data and I asked them to make aerial shots of the area. I superimposed the spots where they found the landing strut imprints with every landing strut configuration that fitted the size. There is a data base for that on GalNet by the way." She had to admit that he could have done the same thing, but that did not lessen her respect and wonder. "Alright you got me there, but the Forensics turned out more than that. Care to hear?" "Of course, every little puzzle piece helps to complete the big picture." "What is a puzzle?" Now he moved his head back. "Don't tell me they don't make Puzzles anymore." "I do not know what a Puzzle is." "Never Mind. I get you one and then you know, but now tell me what your lab boys found?" "They found micro fragments that belonged to a mini rocket fired most likely from an H&K Raketen waffe. They did find some minute lubricant LS 5 that is not consistent with the standard lubricant used by Bombardier." "That's it?" She looked like a deflated balloon. "But the presence of a Raketen Waffe excludes the Shiss, does it not?" He took his feet down. "Shiss Raiders use anything they can find, but you are right, H&K's are not their first choice as they have a hard time getting ammo and they rather sell them as they bring good money, but we already know it wasn't the Shiss." "Well we can check who services Bombardiers with LS 5 Lubricant? As a Matter of fact I have Snooper run a GalNet Search right now. " "The Bombardier was rented from Lux yacht at Kenrif Dockyards. They have business branches at several Class A space ports. They rent luxury yachts to affluent clientele of the low Lux class. I eat my Fedora if the Bombadier wasn't rented at Blue Moon Seven and the person renting it paid by Credit Box and not Credit Strip. I am also certain that the Call trace will point us to Blue Moon as well." She sat down on the desk and put the cup of tea next to her and said. "How many Fedoras did you actually eat in your life?" He grinned. "I actually took a big bite out of one a long time ago when I lost a wager against Richard Stahl, but that is a different story." "One day I really want to hear it, I mean you even know the Eternal Warrior! For now I am satisfied however if you explain to me what you just said." "Once I determined it was a Bombadier it was clear it was a rented one. You can't steal one without raising alarm bells from here to Distant Shore Station and our customers didn't want that. Everyone actually owning one would never use it to commit a crime with it. That leaves rentals and leases. There are only three companies in the entire Union who actually rent Bombardiers and only Kenrif rents them without reference and to pretty much everyone who has the necessary cash to put down a hefty Security deposit. Whoever rented the Bombadier wanted to remain as anonymous as possible and untraced. There is no place in the known Galaxy with more traffic than Blue moon. It also happens that Kenrif has a facility on Blue Moon Seven right next to the largest L5 Silicone grease factory this side of Mars. Why go and have the stuff shipped from somewhere else when you can get it wholesale next door?" So our next stop will be Blue Moon, I hope you pack fast, we are leaving within the hour." Just at this moment someone handed Celyciia a print out. "This came from SII – GalCom, they traced the call to Blue Moon. Here are the details." She glared at him and then smiled. "You really do live up to that legend of yours." Phil shrugged. "It's either that or getting made fun of. " To Celyciia surprise Sergeant Ruddick appeared with a small suitcase and out of breath. "Can I come too?" -""— Martha had not forgotten about Roy or Green Hell or anything like that but standing here on the bridge of a Union Explorer Ship with the finest lab and science equipment the combines cultures of the Union could come up with and with 1800 top notch scientists all under her direct command was more than just a little intoxicating. While there was a captain and he was in charge of the actual ship operations, she was the Expedition leader and unless the ship was in mortal peril she was in charge of it all. Captain Ritzh was a massive Petharian and she secretly wondered to find one of these warrior brutes as the commanding officer of a Union explorer of all things. The four armed Petharian had welcomed her as she and Paul came aboard, but hasn't said much to her since. The layout of a Union Explorer bridge was different from a regular ship of the fleet. It had no tactical and no security station. The ship was almost unarmed and shields and ship security was handled by the OPS position. There was only Helm, Navigation and Ops. These three Ship operations stations where grouped around the Command Chair and called the Ship Ops Island. Before it was the seat of the Mission Ops Commander, her seat and twelve different Science stations. Paul and her had left Green Hell twelve days ago and boarded the UES Zheng He, an 800 meter sphere with large ISAH pods. Purpose builds for its scientific mission and not a decommissioned repurposed Fleet ship as some other Explorers were. The Zengh He lifted off from Harper's Junction and was on its way to a planet in the Downward Sector of the Galaxy, far beyond Union borders in space that was almost completely unexplored. The reason for the expedition was a life form that existed inside active volcanoes and if the initial reports were true, bathed in magma. Now as curious this was, it alone was not the reason to mount a second expedition to a world so far away, but the Union Fleet Mission report was certain the life form was sentient and eager for contact. Her mission was to establish contact and find a way to communicate with the Volcano beings if they were indeed sentient and then should they wish it establish a permanent research base on Planet Pele. Of course all this was the official reason for the expedition, but she also received a sealed set of orders as to find out if the Lava beings are the same beings as the legendary Children of the Deep, or if they knew about them and their origin. While she was thinking about this legendary menace, very few even knew about. Paul Masters came onto the bridge. He was officially her second in command and while it all seemed a good idea back on Green Hell when she was offered the posting, the recent events had opened her eyes that her husband was a nice person and a brilliant researcher but also a big coward. Her new perception had extinguished the last real feelings she had for that man. Now she still liked Paul and she would not divorce him or anything like that, but she would never be close to him again. He had lost her respect as he left her standing at Sam Brown's ranch and put his own safety over the needs of his son and wife. He was very happy as it seemed and did not know or suspect anything had changed. While they were on their way to that distant planet, a journey that would take almost two years he had no real task as he was a Micro Biologist and his expertise would be needed only if they found microorganisms at Pele, but he had the run of a fine micro biology lab and was conducting experiments and observations on a colony of Green Hell Mites, he had brought along. Dr. Aaabee, another Biologist was currently manning the Life sensor station and Paul went over to him and they began to talk. Martha watched it for a moment with little interest and was about to return to her thoughts about her mission, when the Petharian Captain got up from his seat and said. "OPS we are about to enter the strip and I want more eyes on the sensors." Even though the voice of the Petharian sounded like if someone chewed a mouthful of rocks she was almost certain there was hint of concern in it as well. So she turned. "We are still in Union space right?" He looked at her from his six bright yellow slanted eyes and then said. "Technically only for another ten light years. The strip is a thin region of space between Union and Kermac Space; it is sort of a buffer zone, not really claimed by side, no planets or star systems in it, but by us using it we shorten our trip by almost 5000 light years." Paul seemed to remember that he was second in command and came over. "Aren't you supposed to discuss any Course changes with us?" The Petharian actually laughed. "Mr. Masters, there wasn't a course change. We going across the strip is part of the course plan filed with Science Central." He used one of his four arms and pointed to the 3D Nav tank behind him and said. "Go ahead Mr. Masters show us our current position or point out any Nav marks we changed." The Nav Tank was a three dimensional representation of Real Space showing the entire quadrant and every contact within sensor range along with transponder data, Nav markers and comm points. A trained person could get a wealth of information from looking at it; to Paul it was a confusing mass of colorful dots, moving lines and data symbols. He glared at the Captain knowing he was just scolded and insulted before everyone. Martha felt a little sorry for him and said. "Are there any…" Whatever else she wanted to say was drowned by the sudden wailing of sirens and then she was lifted off her feet by and invisible fist. Something had hit the ship hard. The Captain plopped into his seat. Someone yelled, "We have been pulled out of Quasi Space." Someone else screamed. "We're under attack." -""— Thanks to the course and flight plans the Green Snake and her crew knew exactly when the Explorer Cruiser would be here. The Ship was known as the Green Snake; Captain Coldblood commanding her was feared and known as a ruthless pirate. That he was sponsored by the Kermac was a careful kept secret, not even his crew knew about. Taking on a Union Explorer ship was actually a number too big for even him, and he knew it would stir up the Union Hornets like nothing else, but he had his orders and there were two Kermac T Cruisers hiding in the only star system in the strip, to assist him. His orders were to be the face of the attack, so if the Explorer used it's cursed faster than light Communication to call for help, the Union would blame pirates and not the Kermac. His gunner turned. "The Package pulled her out of Quasi and disabled her shields but she is still under full power…" "Don't squawk your Frutni, Singe her helpless! I want those scientists aboard the sooner the better." Captain Coldblood didn't feel all too cool and confident. All intelligence confirmed that there was no Union Fleet ship close by, a large Kermac Maneuver was keeping the Union Fleet attention a thousand light years away, but that didn't mean he wanted to stick around when a Union Destroyer or even a Battleship responded to the certain help calls of the Explorer. He could not understand why his superiors were risking so much, just to get a few Union Scientists. Everyone in the Galaxy knew it was better to leave Union Explorers alone. Nothing really made them angrier than attacking one of their "unarmed peaceful explorers", perhaps with the exception of firing on one of their hospital ships the union supposedly had. Thanks to their intelligence they knew when the Explorer would be here and they set a trap. Ten Kermac Gravo Mines, set in dual configuration. Both the gravo mines and the technique of using them in tandem were directly copied from the Nul. The only technique known that could disrupt those excellent Union Shields, long enough to bring weapons to bear. He heard his Scanner operator curse and say. "Damn they are flying directly into the rest of the Mines! " Cooldblood could not stop it; no human reaction was fast enough. The last volley of Ship to ship missiles and FTL Blasts of his ships weapons were already on their way, and the Union ship hit more mines before he could send the deactivation command. The Union Ship was tough but the simultaneous explosion of several Gravo Mines and the impact of the shots triggered some sort of cataclysm. The entire lower half of the ship was instantly vaporized in a violent explosion, leaving only a fragmented piece of scrap and of the other half. The Union explorer ship Zeng He was destroyed! Their plan to board her and abduct her crew of scientists was a mute one now, nothing could have survived that. His Scanner operator tried to pick up life signs but then shook his head. "Nothing is alive out there Captain." -""— Roy had spent the last two weeks almost like in a dream state. The woman he had met by the Waterfall was clearly exposed too much to Fire Nettle Dust and was a little nuts. Roy humored her and let her believe what she wanted. If she wanted to be called by that old name that was fine with him. She was like other girls, always answering a question with another question instead of simply saying something. She wasn't there every day; sometimes she didn't show for days. He had given up asking who she was or where she lived. He was pretty certain she lived in town and was just like him someone who had discovered the Jungles from early on. She was good though, the only person he ever met on Green Hell who could go to places he could and she was real good at disappearing, just in a moment when he didn't pay much attention. He kept his word though and did not tell anyone of her. He had only two more days before he had to leave and he felt depressed and I he was in a somber mood as he went to the Waterfall, hoping to see her one last time to say good bye. Partner trotted next to him and also hung his head, not that Partner was really sad about anything but when Roy was in a bad mood then so was Partner. He was still a good kilometer away from the waterfall when he climbed high into a Tantalus oak to evade the very active strangle veins and the Mortar Toads in this area. Partner would follow or teleport after him, there was nothing they encountered able to stop his black furred friend, but a strangle vein could easily pluck him right off Partner's back. Just as he was about to leap to the next branch, he noticed a movement to his side. His hand darted to his new TKU. Qaroniel, the green haired enigma was crouching on the same branch and she stared right into the frightening muzzle with her big eyes. "You don't need that. Qaroniel will not harm you." He relaxed, put the blaster away and smiled at her. "Sorry Qaro didn't mean to frighten you but you startled me as usual." He still could not tell how old she was, other than she was an adult and older than him. She sat down right between the sharp thorns of the Tantalus Oak branch and said. "You came to say good bye, so I came." He made sure nothing dangerous was nearby and then said. "Yes I must be on the shuttle tomorrow afternoon." "It is good for the young to leave the nest. You will learn much out there." "I know and I also know it is necessary, but that doesn't mean I need to like it." For the first time she actually touched him, putting her hand on his shoulder." You are afraid of the future and changes, but no matter how far you go you are connected to me, to this world and it will be always your home." "You still insist on that you are the Planet?" He said with a sad face as he had hoped she would tell him her real name and maybe share her PDD code. "This world and I are one, Roy. When you were very young you accidently opened the Air Lock of your fortress home and you were out here, yet nothing harmed you, because I was there." He suddenly remembered the day when he was just five years old; the memory was vivid and clear. His parents had left to the Institute and left him behind in his Robo-Crib, not knowing that the used Crib someone had given them had a faulty Sleep Inducer and its Child Safety protocols had been turned off by the previous family. Martha was way too busy to really care about her own child and never checked. Roy always waited till they were gone and then got up and played by himself, he always had been curious about what lay beyond that thick Airlock door. That day he had watched his mother punch in the simple manual code. Getting the heavy wooden chair from father's study was more difficult than using it to reach the air lock controls. Roy remembered how he stumbled outside for the first time. Simply standing there and taking deep breaths and falling in love with this world for the first time. Now as he remembered her words made sense and at the same time alarmed him. From all the things he knew now about Green Hell, he should have never been able to survive the first times he went out, yet he did. Even though he had his strange sense of impeding danger from the first time he was out, back then he had no idea what to do or how to avoid the many thousand dangers. He blinked the memories away and looked at her and some understanding begun to trickle into his mind. "How did I survive?" I was there Roy, I called you outside. Your parents are knowledge seekers but they seek with blind eyes and with ignorance. I wanted you to become my child, just like your friends, but you became more Roy. You embraced me like no other before; you loved me from the first time you came out." He completely forgot everything around him and almost fell of the branch. "You are Green Hell, you are Qaroniel. But how can a woman be a Planet?" "Your People collect much knowledge every day and one day they will find the science and the explanation for what I am. One day you will understand who I am when I reveal myself to you." Roy gasped and wiped his dry lips, he was filled with pure amazement. His mind reeled trying to find an explanation that fit with his Union School science knowledge and he could not make it fit. "Are you a God or something like that? I am not that good with the Religious stuff." "Do not put labels on me; I am not a supernatural imagination of your mind. No, Roy. I am Qaroniel and this world and I am are one. I promise you the day when you understand what I am and how I came to be." There where thousand things he wanted to ask her and then he remembered what a Union Citizen would have to do. "If you are a sentient life form and this planet is yours then we must go to the Assembly and you must tell them if you want us here and all that." She laughed. "You are as much a Child of Qaroniel as you are a son of that magnificent Union of yours. but no Roy no one but you will know of me." "I can stay with you!" "No you must learn much and you must learn to become a Warrior because I will need you soon. All the Children of Qaroniel are not strong enough to defeat your Technology and there are some who want to take me from this world." Roy's hand fell on the butt of his blaster. "Who?" "You will forget about me for now and you will go and learn and when the day comes I will call you and no matter where you are, you will hear." "I won't forget you and what will happen if I am too far away to come in time?" "You will find a way. I know." He took her hand. "You can always go to Uncle Sam, he will protect you too and he has Cerberus Robots and he was a Marine." She laughed again. "You know that might not be a bad thought, he is not a Child of mine but I do like him and I let him be. He is strong and he is truthful in all he does." She then put her hand on his head. "Good bye Child of Qaroniel. Return to me when you became the warrior I know is within you." -"" – He had spent most of the day simply roaming through the jungles, trying to see as much as he could take as much of it along. He tried to remember what he actually wanted at the hidden water fall and the pond, but when he saw it the beauty of it made him completely forget. It was late when he finally went home. The house that had been his home as long as he could remember was like a strange alien place. His parent's things were all packed and gone, place in storage somewhere. Charles was already back with Uncle Sam. All seemed so final and unavoidable. His parents and especially his mother did try to mend things before they left, but it was not enough and they still had felt nothing tearing down their home. To them it was only a place to live; to him it was the only home he knew. He had not slept well even though he did find comfort by snuggling up to Partner. His first stop on this morning was the Boat house. "So you are really leaving us, Roy?" asked Ma Swanson leaning over the counter, chewing something. Roy sighed. "I sure don't want to go but I guess I have to." "You be missed, that's for sure. I went off world once myself, but I didn't like it and we went straight back home." "Where did you go?" Roy wanted to know. "Harper's Junction, was there two days and nothing there I wanted so we went back home." She turned to look towards her husband. "You didn't like it much neither, didn't you?" Clarion was sorting things into a shelf said. "Didn't like it one bit, too much people and too much commotion for my taste." He put down and came to the counter, "You can always come back. I am sure Ma wouldn't mind hiring help." To Roy's surprise Ma Swanson nodded. "Sure would not. We're getting old, and someone might have to run this store one day." Roy felt better already, somehow the idea he could come back and have a job at and maybe even run it one day appealed to him and made the whole idea of leaving a little less harsh and not as final as it appeared to him. Ma Swanson placed a sealed plastic box on the counter. "This was hard to get I tell you. My supplier had to contact SII – Armory Division and it just came in yesterday." Roy looked at his Cred strip and hoped he had enough to pay for it. "How much is it?" Ma Swenson grinned. "These are on the house, besides Uncle Sam ordered some too. God knows you two are probably the only ones carrying SII Type 12's between here and Blue Moon. Clarion look at the size of those E Mags." Clarion picked up the box. "Enough Energy to power a small space ship. " Then he took Roy's hand. "You take care of yourself out there." "I will Mr. Swanson. Thank you. Ma Swenson simply pulled Roy halfway across the counter and gave him a hug. "You are going to be missed." He tried hard not to cry and said. "I miss you all already." "I am keeping your H&K too in case you change your mind and don't want to carry that antique artillery piece." Roy said. "I am not sure if I can afford to pay the rest, as I can't work here anymore." She sighed. "Roy it is yours and it will here when you come back. Call once in a while and if you can send us one of those souvenir cards from where ever you will end up." She pointed at her collection of 34 cards, she had glued to the side of a Shelf behind her. ". I love those old fashioned post cards. You know the ones you actually have to write yourself and show some nice Two-Dee pictures from other places At least six, to make it an even 40" "I will send some of these, I promise." Bob had left three days ago, to visit an Aunt of his and then to start College on Harper's Junction. Norm was gone for over a week now. Maria had surprised everyone as she left for Arsenal Gate to apply at the United Stars Fleet Academy to become an Engineer. Three days ago she had called all excited and telling everyone that she had been accepted. Roy was certain she would become the best Engineer the Fleet ever had. He had returned to the house one last time to get his things. A surprisingly small back pack held all he called his own, other than the things he was wearing. A second BioSeal suit, a Colgate Body Hygiene Kit –Human Male- . It was called Jungle Warrior and was a present from his mother, Not that the scent had anything to do with Jungle, it smelled fresh. A handful of mementos and that was already it, He took a deep sigh; the house didn't even smell like home anymore. He was a little surprised when the House System announced a visitor. It was Melissa the only one of his friends still here and it surprised him to see her coming to the house with her father's floater. He greeted her at the main door, Silver as usual perched on her shoulders, somehow she had become even prettier over the last weeks, or maybe Roy was seeing her with the eyes of a young man instead those of a boy. Her two tone bio suit was much tighter than Roy's. Green Hell Girls loved to wear them that way. Hers had two green stripes from her shoulders following her silhouette down her side into the boots she wore, contrasting with the white of the middle and underlining quite effectively the feminine curves she had developed. She looked around and sighed. "It looks so deserted and so empty." He nodded. "Sure does! I grew up here and now it doesn't feel like a place I even know" She petted Partner who was sitting right behind Roy and then she looked at Roy with her big green eyes. "I am going to miss you." "Me too! I already miss Norm, Bob and Maria and I am going to miss you!" She lowered her eyes and said. "I think I am going to miss you much more than the others!" Roy missed the thinly veiled hidden meaning of her reply and asked. "I think I never asked where you are going to be." She answered. "My parents sending me to Roedean that's a girl's college on New Sussex" Roy tried to visualize Union Space in his mind and place New Sussex, but he failed. "I think I heard of New Sussex, wasn't that the school our teacher Ms. Hardworth went?" She nodded. He then asked her. "Will you come back to Green Hell? " She answered with a question of her own. "Will you?" "Of course! My parents make me go! I'm a Greenie and this is where I belong!" "Yes then I will be back as well," she then said. She was the same age as Roy, and they had known each other since kindergarten. Like most girls she had matured a little faster and hoped Roy would remember their conversation and understand what she tried to say between the lines. She then sighed silently and wondered if boys would ever change. She decided he needed more to remember her by and there in the hall of the former Masters residence she pulled him close, hushed at Silver who protested startled; then she embraced him and gave him a kiss. It turned out to be a little more passionate than a simple good bye kiss. She suddenly embarrassed about her own action turned and stormed out. Baffled and overwhelmed Roy still stood there when her Flyer shot into the sky. -""- Green Hell didn't have a Space port, just a Shuttle pad on top of Merchants Tower, the highest building of Ant Hill. A daily shuttle service connected to Harper's Junction. He felt a little forlorn as he stood there on that platform from where he had a breathtaking view over the shimmering lake and the Jungles lining its shores in the distance. Partner nudged him in the side and a feeling of warmth spread in his mind. At least he was not alone, he had Partner. According to the woman behind the Shuttle service counter, a level below the Shuttle was on time and would arrive in about an hour He could have waited below in the waiting room but he had chosen to wait up here. From the looks of it, he was the only passenger. The Passenger Elevator shaft rose from the otherwise smooth surface and a big black man and a huge robot appeared. The big man embraced Roy with a rib crushing bear hug. He lifted him off the ground and said. "We could not let you go without seeing you one more time!" As it was proper for a machine, Charles stood a few steps back, but Roy was not too old to embrace the huge war machine and as usual the grim machine, designed to strike fear into an enemy just by appearance managed to look just a little less threatening and Sam noticed the Robots hand on Roy's head in a most tender motion. Roy said. "I am so glad you came, Uncle Roy and thank you for bringing Charles along." Sam chuckled. "I am not entirely sure I would have had the courage to tell Charles he could not come along." Full knowing the answer, Roy said. "I really don't want to go!" He lowered his voice and looked to the ground. "I am a scared." Sam said. "It is perfectly normal to be afraid of the Unknown, but it will be good for you. It will widen your horizon and you might even find something or someone out there, that changes your mind and you never come back." "I know, I must go, but I will be back as soon as I can." The shuttle arrived and slid through the force-field membrane of the landing pad. Four S-10 robots appeared and hosed the shuttle down with high pressure steaming water. A Vampire Fly had attached itself to the shuttles outside during its descent was caught by the superheated steam. Almost instantly killed and washed away. Other robots pushed the water and whatever had been washed down into gutters on the floor. Only after the robots had completed a decontamination scan and cleared the pad, the hatch opened and four passengers debarked. Roy knew one of them from sight, he was a technician for the Xeno Institute but I could not recall his name. Sam hugged Roy a last time and Charles did the same while Sam padded Partner and then the big man said. "Take cares Roy! I am going to buy myself a GalNet terminal after all, so you can call!" Roy waved once more and went aboard. There was a human attendant and he checked his ticket and the permits and scanned Roy's CITI Implant." Alright Mr. Masters. Booking confirmed for you and Partner. We will depart shortly and arrive at Harper's Junction in eight hours." He ushered them to the front of the Shuttle and lowered two seats into the floor, so Partner could find room. "Mr. Brown has upgraded your tickets to First Class, Sir. We will serve refreshments shortly after departure." Roy whispered a thank you and then looked out the viewport to see Uncle Sam and Charles. In the back by the Elevator he could see a Green Haired woman in a fluttery green dress. Somehow she looked very familiar but he was not sure where he had seen her before. He then tried to wave to Charles and Uncle Sam, but the Viewport was mirrored from the outside with no chance of them to see him. He forgot that the Machine did not rely on visuals alone but had a wide range of sensors. To anyone else it would have looked completely strange to see a Cerberus Robot wave; to Roy it was perfectly normal. Just out of a notion he could not explain he looked into the direction of the elevator but the woman was gone. Instead of her a thin looking man tumbled out the elevator on unsteady feet. Roy thought it was a late passenger who had too much to drink, but the man collapsed only a few feet out of the elevator. The air pressure changed and the air became cooler. Then a slight vibration and the shuttle took off. Sam waved. While the Shuttle rose on its ArtiGrav Cushions he watched Uncle Sam and Sam rushing to the fallen man. The Shuttle passed through the force field and a swarm of Arrow wasps peppered the side of the shuttle. These dangerous insects did not leave as much as a scratch on the tough carbon-ceramic armor of the shuttle. In moments he could see the entire big lake. Roy wondered what had happened to the man who collapsed at the elevator, but down there that little spot that was Ma Swanson's Boathouse and only little to the south of it would be the rocks; way to small of course to be seen from this high up. The shuttle passed through the first layers of clouds with a humming sound the vibration became more intense as the shuttle added its main Engines to the Arti grav. The clouds fell fast behind the shuttle's aft and the bright blue sky turned black a few seconds later. Roy could see the White Mountains and then Green Hell in its entirety. The voice of the attendant said:" Sir, we are serving refreshments now. What can I bring you?" Roy turned and said." Nothing at the moment, thank you." As he turned back to the viewport, Green Hell was a sphere of greens, whites and blues and became smaller by the moment. As the planet shrank to a small bright spot there was a nagging question deep down. Would he really be allowed to return? -""— Ranger Salomon stood next to the now covered body. Dr. Herbs the Shaill Medic said. "Nothing mysterious about his death, Buzzsaws went through his ears into his brain, however I never seen such aggressive Buzzsaws, not even here on Green Hell. These little critters caused this gentleman quite some pain before he died." Ranger Salomon said. "How he got them is a mystery though. He had just arrived with the Shuttle, and there are no Buzzsaws anywhere in the city or on the island for that matter. " The Shuttle Service Manager had come up and held up a booking PDD. "He was a strange one. He had just arrived from Harper's. His ticket shows he came all the way from Blue Moon. He came to me at the counter and asked me who the young man was, and then he purchased a ticket back to Harpers." Salomon scratched his chin. "Maybe he has forgotten something," Sam who was still there as he was interviewed as an eye witness however asked. "Say why did he ask about Roy and what did you tell him?" The Attendant shrugged. "He asked me who that young man was hugging a Cerberus Robot. So I told him that it was Roy Masters." The Rangers PDD beeped and he said. "Ah looks like our dead passengers identity check got somethi…" Solomon looked at the read out and stopped speaking. Sam said. "What is it?" "It is strange, the Scanner detected two CITI. One is for an Adam Smythe, Slide Belt lubricant sales man and the other is for Leo Swarthi, on the Federal Police wanted list for Kidnapping and Assassinations. This Swarthi is a Killer for Hire." -""—

Chapter 17: Chapter 16

The Maxell System had three occupied worlds. Harper's Junction, Green Hell and Desolate. Roy did not know all that much about Desolate, other than it was a very cold planet with a thin layer of water ice over hard rock. As far as he knew only five or six thousand colonists made Desolate their home. Harper's Junction the destination of his shuttle flight was the first planet of the system in relation to its Star. It was the seat of the System administration. It had a Union Post Office, a regional District Court. There was a Ranger Station, the one Ranger Solomon reported to. It had a local police and there was a big city called Harper's Luck and a D Class Spaceport. Harper's Luck featured a Union accredited College and a real Terra Style Park with meadows, forest and lake. Harper's Junction had no significant atmosphere and it was very hot on its surface. He knew from school that several mining companies dug for heavy elements and minerals. The Planet was known for its highly specialized Psionic Pharma Industry. The little Info Loop about Harper's was filled with advertisements and suggestions where to find company when one felt lonely. Nothing advertised was of particular interest to Roy, so he turned the screen off and stared through the view port as the shuttle made its approach. The planet looked dirty and dusty even from space, so unlike the luscious greens and blues of his home. They landed inside a big crater turned into a space port landing field and a robot arm took the entire shuttle and took it below and pushed it into one of the passenger terminal receptor shoes that molded itself along the shuttles side. Roy and Partner were the only passengers, but the shuttle had a load of mail and freight from Green Hell as well, two S-10 robots unloaded the mail onto a hover cart while a slide belt carried Roy and Partner towards the Terminal, since he came from a intersystem flight, there was no custom controls and the belt ended in the main terminal. So many beings and robots and shops! He did not notice the dark blue uniformed Cop and the robot approaching him. The Flesh and Steel patrol team stopped right before him and the policeman with his visor helmet covering most of his face snarled. "Citizen, no sudden moves now, I want to scan your CITI and then read you your rights. That artillery piece you carry is illegal" Roy blinked and only now really noticed the police man. The robot had already raised his Paralysator arm. He said. "Are you talking to me Sir?" "Who else would I talk to when standing right before you? Whatever that thing is with you doesn't seem to be sentient." Roy exposed his Citizen Implant and the cop scanned it. "Oh of course a Greenie." To the robot he said. "Check that out Mac, the guy actually has a valid Class VI Weapon permit. Never seen one, by gosh." The robot was not impressed but then robots usually weren't no matter what. "This is the highest weapon permit issued, Sir. The ISS TKU 12 carried by this citizen is therefore legal." The Cop shook his head. "A Greenie, of course I should have known. The Bio Seal suit, All Terrains, Machete and all. I guess it was that black thing that threw me off and of course my Sensors picking up a TKU 12. Dear Stahl, is it fully enabled?" Roy took it out and turned it butt first to the Cop. "Dials up all the way to Setting 20 if that is what you mean." The cop took the gun almost as if holding his first born son. "Fully enabled it is indeed; let's keep it at two until you leave Harper's can you?" "Sure thing, Sir." Roy made a sweeping gesture and asked. "Is it always that busy around here, Sir?" "Busy? It is late on a Tuesday evening. This is nothing. You should see the place on a Friday afternoon, when the Miners get their pay." The Robot snarled" Seven-ten in progress at the Swine and Dine." Neither the Cop nor the Robot paid any more attention to Roy. The Police man climbed on the back of the Robot, onto a little platform and the machine ran with flashing lights through the crowds. Partner sneezed and Roy nodded." Yep that's one crazy place alright!" Partner sneezed while chewing on something that looked like a plastic bag. "Is it any good?" Partner swallowed whatever it was, squeezed his eyes and sneezed again. Roy laughed and patted Partners side. "You are one crazy Black Dog or whatever you are." He was hadn't even walked maybe 30 meters when a thin fellow with a colorful jacket and huge hat bumped into him, said sorry and wanted to go on. His Sense of Danger flashed in his mind and he grabbed the man by the neck and wanted to pull his TKU. It wasn't there! He did all this before he knew he was doing it. The thin man with the colorful hat and similar facial features as Uncle Sam, but much more pronounced. That man squirmed in Roy's vise like grip and held Roy's TKU and then turned it pointing it at Roy, or at least he tried. Partner roared an ear shattering deep growl and opened his maw; the dark skinned man became visibly pale. Roy squeezed his fist a little tighter still holding the man on his neck. He shivered and turned the gun and held it so Roy could take it. "It was an accident, sorry!" Roy took his gun and said. "That was no Accident and Stealing a weapon is against the law!" "You don't say! I would have never guessed!" Roy really didn't like that dark skinned fellow. "I will hand you over to the Police!" The man didn't like that and kicked Roy pretty hard against the shinbone. "Let me go you oaf!" "I had about enough of you!" Roy still holding the man by the neck and with no effort at all squeezed a little harder and gave him a good shake. "One more like this and I pop that ugly head right off your neck!" The Pickpocket first struggled some more coughed and wheezed, turned a little darker and then went limb. Roy dropped him right on the floor and said to Partner. "Let's get out of here, before that cop comes back." Everything felt big and somehow dead. There was nothing green anywhere, true there were green lights, green dressed beings and green paint, but nothing green and alive. Finally after he crossed to the other side of the Space Port concourse he saw a few sad looking trees and bushes in planters next to a business selling flowers. So he went straight to the Gray Line Lobby where his ticket gave him access and opened the sliding doors. There he sat down in one of the somewhat worn out chairs. To go into a Portel or a restaurant didn't even occur to him. Partner plopped down right next to him and put his massive head between his big paws. The lobby was bare and boring looking. It was completely deserted, except for an ancient looking S-5 Robot pushing an actual mob and a big bucket with mob squeeze on wheels following the robot. The friendly looking Bot in the Ticket booth repeated Advertisement lines every time the S-5 mopped past him. Roy found that quite funny as he was certain that old janitor robot was not interested in any special trips to Para-Para and enjoy the beaches there. The Janitor Unit responded each time with. "I am not authorized to perform janitorial services outside my designated service area." There was a Public GalNet booth and a smudgy looking Virtu Game machine. A Vend-Matic offered a variety of snacks and drinks. He noticed a dusty ruffled looking bush in a pot in one corner and it somehow looked dead. He wondered what kind of attack weapons this bush had. But then his Danger sense did not warn him and so he was well outside the danger zone. After he had finished counting the chairs, there were 179 and then he counted ceiling lights, 20. He knew it would be a long ten hours. He had to wait because the Schedule of the Green Hell shuttle did not really fit with the Space Bus he had to take. He wasn't tired one bit. Partner was quite content, so he got up and swiped a credit into the Virtu Game Machine only to find out that the Virtu Experience was about five Marines fighting their way through Green hell Jungles. The title sequence praised the show as the most gruesome Experience on the Universes most horrible planet! He felt a bit angry and most of all homesick already. The Game itself was colorful and loud and the Water Snakes looked evil and ugly and made a bad laughing sound when they killed a Marine. He didn't finish the game and turned around and now he found out why there were only 179 chairs. Partner had one of the seats between its massive paws and chewed on it, twisting metal and stuffing sticking out of his big maw. "Are you hungry?" Yet again he could not seem to formulate what hunger meant in terms Partner understood and he simply send waves of affection and licked Roy. Then he heard his name." Mr. Masters?" He turned to find the ticket booth robot called his name and he went over. "Yes?" "Thank you for choosing Gray Lines. I must inform you the scheduled coach to Blue Moon is been delayed due to Engine malfunction for a yet not determined period. Gray Line apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. Gray Line can offer you a free voucher for the Holiday Portel or a price reduced upgrade E Deck ticket to the Luxury Clipper Silver Swan also operated by Gray Lines Inc. the Silver Swan will leave in 4 hours from Landing Field North, Sir" "How much is the Upgrade?" "One way passage to Blue Moon aboard Silver Swan on E Deck for two Beings in a Super Economy Cabin will be 1650,00 Union Credits, Sir." "I am just wondering what it would cost without the price reduction?" "We are deducting the price of your Space Bus tickets of 350 Union Credits and the price of one night at the Holiday Portel of 34 Union Credits. The regular ticket would be 2034 UC, Sir" "That's not really a reduction you know." "There are Dormitory style Bunks on F Deck available as well. For a combined Ticket price of 750 UC, Sir. The Silver Swan will not make any stops along the way and you will be on Blue Moon three weeks earlier than aboard a Space Bus, Sir" "Alright, sign us up." He glanced at his Cred-Stick. His parents had given him 3000 for College added to his usual Allowance savings, he had 8450 Unions to his name." -""— Mr. Keltony, the proprietor of Green Hell Slide Belt Maintenance sat in his office and watched local news. The Dura Steel tube containing Leo Swarthy was just loaded into the hold of a Police Cruiser. It would be flown to a Forensic Lab of the Federal Police. He was supposed to be one of the very best, able to abduct just about anyone for the right price. Contact was made using one of the best Connectors and there he was, dead. No casualty caused by local life forms had occurred inside the City for over 100 years, but Mr. Swarthy fell victim to Buzzsaws not even five minutes after he had arrived. Called to Green Hell, by Keltony's associates and members of the Ministry of Control, they all had ignored his warnings and suggestions and Mr. Swarthy was the fourth such specialist that had died over the last three weeks trying to capture that cursed Greenie, Roy Masters. That boy had not really left those jungles and was completely unpredictable where or when he would surface. First two Petharians, then a tough bounty hunter who claimed he could stalk the boy never returned. Sometimes he wondered why there even was a Ministry of Information when the MOC could stick their noses in any other Ministry and take over whatever project they liked, to look good before the Grand Wizard. The Problem was that MOC agents could not see beyond their own shadows and actually believed their own Propaganda about Kermac supremacy. That the real Universe had long surpassed the Kermac and delegated them to the sidelines was a fact lost to them. He was a Kermac and he was loyal, but he had spent a long time disguised as human and lived the life of a Union Citizen. With a deep sigh he reached out and touched the sensor that activated his GalNet Terminal in Secure Mode. The flashing light could mean only one thing; the idiots he was just thinking about were calling. They most likely received his report of Mr. Swarthy's sudden demise. He was mildly surprised to see the milky shadow that represented the Grand Wizard of All. "Are there any news on your side?" "Why don't you ask the experts of the MOC who have completely taken over and neither listened nor acted on any of my warnings, suggestions or observations?" The altered Kermac spy noticed now that the Incognito Grand Wizard was not alone. The yellowish milky shadow became clearer and all doubts were erased, it was the First Wizard of all indeed. The fact that he was on a GalNet Connection also meant that he was inside the Union somewhere, as SII did not extend GalNet Services outside the Union. The grand Wizard said. "He poses a good question. I recall his words and you better recall mine. Do we have this Green Hell Boy in our custody? Do we have the leverage to make him do what we want?" The other three shapes that now openly joined the conversation visibly squirmed and one of them said. "We experienced some slight set-backs and we are currently working on a revised strategy." The first Wizard crossed his arms. "You just managed to say absolutely nothing. Reveal yourselves I want to see you!" The milky disguise-shapes shimmered out and two white Skinned Kermac with traditional Beards appeared; wearing the traditional blue colors of the Ministry of Control. The third shape was the Woman going by the name Ieshia Yeager. The First Wizard pointed at the Kermac in the middle. "I humored you Fivefotwelv, and you raised high in the MOC, the Robe of a Wizard within reach. Now tell me that all the stock that was put in your abilities was well placed. Can we begin excavating the Saresii Ship?" Fivefotwelv slowly shook his head and with an involuntary gesture tucked at the collar of his robe, almost as if it was too tight. "Your Magnificent, All Wise, greatest of all grand Wizard…" The Grand Wizard interrupted him. "It pleases me that you know all my titles, but we will all still be here tomorrow if you name them all. Let us forgo with these traditions and simply tell me what I wanted to know and tell me now!" "I think if we are successful with our new plan we will be able to excavate in twenty Union Years." The First Wizard's projection almost fell from the chair. "You know of the importance and the time pressure. The MOI has promised success in about the same time even before you mingled and before you promised you could do it much faster. Recent Intel warns us that the Wurgus are going to meet with Union Representatives and if we are correct they are meeting near the Maxwell System." The disguised MOI agent posing as a human slide belt technician said. "Their latest attempt to bypass all warning about Green Hell has just been loaded into a Police Cruiser, his brain eaten by Buzzsaws." The woman spoke. "He was not supposed to go into the Jungles, he was to follow this Greenie in town and get him to us." The Grand Wizard said, still talking to the Kermac in the Middle. "You do have his parents by now and through them we can make him help us locate that ship?" "Uhm, about that it didn't go as we expected. The Union Explorer ship exploded and all crew was killed before we could extract the Scientists." The first Wizard said. "You two are to come back to Kermac Prime with me. I think we need to rethink your current positions." To the Woman he said. "You know who we are and who you are dealing with. I put you in charge to get us the Cooperation of that boy and you got ten days. Succeed and you will be very wealthy, fail and there is no place you can hide from us." To the disguised Kermac he said. "Contact the Old Saresii and find out if she had made any progress. I expect your ideas how to proceed by tomorrow night as I must return to Kermac Prime." -""— 750 Credits poorer he took a Taxi to the designated address on his new ticket. Cursing as the Taxi charged him 12 Credits to take him to the right terminal and he wondered if he could even afford a glass of Water by the Time College started. Before he could even reach the transparent doors leading to the Silver Lines Lobby, his PDD chirped with the Urgent Message sound. He also recognized the Call ID. It was Ranger Solomon. So he pushed Reply and the Rangers face appeared. The Ranger looked more serious than he had ever seen him before. Roy said. "Am I in trouble? I really only defended myself against that thief. He was breathing when I dropped him, Sir!" "Roy we can talk about that later. It is not the reason I call. I have very bad news for you and I think you should find a place to sit down for this." He looked around and found a row of benches just before the Silver Swan Passenger Lobby and sat down. "I am sitting now, Sir!" "Roy I am not sure how to tell you this the right way, and I wish I could be there to tell you in person." The Ranger took a deep breath and said. "Roy, your parents have been both killed. Their Explorer ship was attacked by Pirates and it was confirmed an hour ago that all hands of the Explorer have been killed." Roy didn't react or even move a muscle. He had heard what the Ranger had said. He understood the meaning of the words, but still he failed to comprehend. Finally with a failing voice he said. "My Parents?" "Yes Roy, both of them. I am so sorry!" "What now? What about me and do I need to do anything?" "No Roy, the Explorer Corps of the Navy is taking care of everything. There will be a memorial service aboard the USS Vincent, the ship first at the scene. You are welcome to attend via Avatar of course and I am sending them all your contact data. I could not find your Grandparents, It looks your father parents went on a trip across the Bridge and your mother's parents have left no forwarding address." Roy wiped his eyes unaware he was crying and said. "They are probably traveling with the Roaming Kids again. They are a bit on the strange side. Mother never wanted much contact with them." "Well I did find an Uncle of yours on Terra who will be your legal guardian till you are eighteen. I am sending you his contact data and he expects you to come to Earth." Roy nodded feeling numb. Partner pressed his head in Roy's side and he could feel the waves of compassion from his animal friend. Ranger Solomon added. "You have my heartfelt condolences and you can call anytime if you need something." "I will." Roy disconnected and simply sat there for at least an hour. Then he got up and went inside the Passenger lobby. He wanted to get a refund on the ticket and go back home and to Uncle Sam. He was the person he wanted to talk to. He would know an answer to it all and if it really was true, why could Uncle Sam not be his guardian? While he was on his way to the ticket counter he observed two Klack, man size Antlike non humanoid Union members argue with a gray bearded man just before the Service counter and suddenly he felt danger! He turned and noticed a green skinned man just raising his hand. Nothing seemed dangerous in that gesture but he acted and threw himself forward pushing both the Klack and the bearded man in a tumbling tackle to the ground. There was a humming sound and someone screamed, it smelled of burned plastic and seconds later rough fists grabbed him pulling him off the ground. Two tall and strong looking men in dark suits, one holding him with much strength and the second holding a weapon fired at Partner! Partner had the green skinned man pinned to the ground and was now turning to help Roy. The energy beam hit Beast right between the eyes and Roy fearing to lose his friend hammered his elbow in the stomach of the man holding him. It was as if he hit a steel wall, but the man still was driven back and let him go. Roy whirled around and gave the man an added push with both hands, sending him tumbling between the chairs. Now he pulled his own TKU and pointed it at the man untangling himself from the chairs. Partner seemed unhurt but now extended his claws and gouged deep scratches in the metal floor. He didn't want Partner to cause a bloodbath before he knew what was going on and yelled: "Partner, Stop!" His Animal stopped in its tracks, slid a few more meters and stopped only inches before the frantic shooting man, his enormous maw wide open exposing his sharp teeth. Marines and Police stormed the lobby and surrounded Roy and Partner with drawn weapons. Someone said. "No move buster or your toast. You only live because we have questions!" Roy was still shocked about his parent's death and the sudden violence. In the Jungles of Green Hell, his strange sense of danger usually instinctively told him how to react and that was always enough. Here it appeared to be a handicap as it didn't provide him with any follow up. The man with the beard held up his hand. "Stand down Marines! This young man just saved my life and that of the Klack Delegates!" The marines weren't so quick to lower their guns. One of them said. "Sir, this brute just manhandled a Special Service man and is armed to the teeth!" "Soldier if you do not lower these guns and do your real job I make sure your next posting will be somewhere very unpleasant!" The guns went down and Roy carefully and slowly holstered his weapon then said. "Come Partner, we're done here!" The bearded man said. "Young man, I really am Pandar Strong, and you saved my life. Come sit with me for a little moment and tell me how you knew about this assassination attempt." He said that in away as if Roy should know who he is. The two Klack spoke at the same and in perfect synchronized timing. Their voices came from little speech boxes glued right to their chitin bodies. "We also say thank you to not let it happen, our extermination, we are pleased to live! We think it is so that we have to say the thank you custom to you for performing this most welcomed action." Roy wondered about the strange speech pattern and said. "Not necessary. I have some very serious problems of my own to deal with. I just saw that guy pointing something at you and just knew what he wanted to do. I never seen the man before and I would remember if I had seen him on Green Hell before." The man with the gray beard had wrinkles all around his eyes and a smile parted his lips. "I assume you are a Greenie then?" "That is the case Sir. I am from Green Hell! Just arrived and everything I experienced so far from the outer Worlds is more than I ever want to know and I am going back home!" The Marines collected the serious wounded green man and the black suited men questioned and scanned everyone and everything but kept a healthy distance from Partner who growled like rolling thunder every time they forgot. Mr. Strong said. "I think you do not know who I am!" Roy shrugged. "You said you are Pandar Strong, should I know you?" A beautiful woman with silvery long hair, wearing a dark purple velvet like Cat suit that seemed almost painted to her perfectly shaped curves. "Mr. President, he has no idea who you are. Only moments ago he received message that both his parents have been killed in a Pirate attack. I can verify he has no connection or even an idea what is going on here. He acted out of instinct to a sudden reaction." Roy stared at the tall woman. "How do you know all this about me?" "I am sorry Mr. Masters. I am a telepath." She pointed at a small silvery pin on her collar shaped like a human brain. "PSI-Corps." The old man said with great warmth in his deep voice. "I am so sorry you lost your parents. I am so sick of hearing these Pirate attack stories. I want that fleet of ours hunt them down and hunt them to extinction. "The man put his hand on Roy's shoulder. "Son, I am the President of the United Stars of the Galaxy." Roy snapped his finger in recognition. "Oh right now I remember. Vote for Mr. Strong and you never go wrong! Sure I remember that from the election campaign ads last year. What a cheesy line! I always laughed about that one." But then he realized it, even in his current confused and somewhat dazed mind he realized he was speaking to the President himself! "Jumping Stomper, Sir! Mr. President. Your Excellency Sir. I didn't mean to ah..." His mind raced and he tried to remember if there was anything in school about what one had to do when facing the President. "It's quite alright, Son. I didn't like it much either." The silver haired woman said. "There are no special requirements at all. No set formulas." Then she turned to the President. "I think it is all a little much for the Young man right now and I would like to get with him to a more quite place so he can collect himself and cope with it all. It is quite a load, Sir!" "Yes, Cara I think this is a good idea!" The Woman said to Roy. "If you like you can come with me. We find a quiet place now and maybe get you something to drink." Roy nodded thankfully and followed the woman. Even in his current state he could not completely ignore her cat like movements in that skintight suit. After a short Elevator ride they came to a plush luxurious looking lounge with comfortable looking couches and chairs. Huge viewports allowed a view outside onto the landing field. A very elegant looking space ship was out there on the landing field and it looked like a big white Water bird that had swooped down and was now resting in a tranquil pool. It had a drop shaped body with stylized folded wings, a large breast and a thin tall neck with a small head on top of it. It looked more like a work of art than an actual space ship. The plush lounge was deserted except for a bored looking lonely looking bar keeper behind a curved bar. The silver haired woman gestured to a small table next to the big window and they sat down, Partner staying close to Roy. The bar keeper came over right away and said. "I am sure glad to see guests today. Normally this place is packed before a departure but something is going on down stairs and it seems it has chased away all my guests." He pulled a small PDD. "What can I bring you?" The woman said. "A Sparo-Pop for me and whatever my young friend and his Partner would like." Roy felt as if his very soul was packed into a thick layer of something constricting and numbing shrugged. "Water maybe." The Barkeep looked human but had deep green scaled skin, had a massive body with bulging muscles and an enormous jaw with pronounced tusks sticking out, exactly the opposite way as Partner's fangs, but his demeanor was very friendly and he said. "You most certainly look like a Greenie to me with that Bio-seal suit and that enormous Gun. We do have that new Hell-Ade from Sam's Farm and the stuff sells like hot cake!" Hearing Sam's name in all of this was like a ray of light and it painted a brief smile on his face. "Yes that I have and a big glass with lots of ice. He looked at his Animal and tried to formulate thirst with his mind but Partner did not understand just as much as hunger. Partner looked at him quizzically. Roy shrugged and said to the Barkeeper. "Just bring some water for Partner, in a big bowl and something you don't need anymore." The big barkeeper padded Partner's head without any fear or shyness. "It is sure the best looking pet I have ever seen." Roy was sure that the Keeper from now on could have stolen something right out of Partners maw and be alright. His four legged friend apparently understood some of what the Barkeep had said as Partner felt pride and pulled his big black tongue across the Barkeepers arm. The woman changed her order. "I changed my mind; I like to try Hell-Ade as well." They sat quietly on the table. Roy was staring into nothingness and the woman didn't say anything. The Barkeeper came back with two glass bottles, glasses and a small bucket of ice. The bottles had a label on the side and bellow the words:"Hell Ade the Death to Thirst. A Fruit drink from the most Extreme World in the Universe – Green Hell" was a picture of Uncle Sam and Roy. Sam having his arm on Roy's shoulder. There even was Charles standing a little removed in the back. The woman tried it and said. "I can see why this is selling; I found a new favorite drink. This is really tasty." An S-10 Service Robot came, carrying a big bowl of water and a plate piled with underarm long dough rolls bursting with grilled meat. The Robot placed both right before Partner and the Barkeep said with a horrendous smile directly to Partner." That's for you my handsome friend. I had a few Lum-Lum's left over and hope you like them." Roy liked the Green Bar keeper already. He was among the first who talked to Partner directly and Partner showed his appreciation by eating the offering, plate bowl and all in a few messy gulps. Earning him a satisfied laugh and another petting. The Bar keeper left and the S-10 begun to mop up the spilled water. The Woman held her bottle of Hell-Ade and said "That is you on the bottle is it not?" Roy nodded. She leaned closer and over the table and her long hair fell forward. She had large purple colored eyes that matched her suit and very feminine shaped painted lips. "Roy, I am Cara. I am a Saresii and I am a Telepath. Normally I do not poke in other minds. I had to do it down there because of the assassination attempt." He nodded." My mother is..." he paused as his mind corrected him and tears welled up in his eyes against his will."...my mother was from Phantasm. She was as a Telepath. I am quite used to it and I know you are not allowed to read any others deep thoughts only what is transmitted." She put her hand on Roy's and her touch felt warm and gave him some comfort. With a defiant move he wiped his eyes, realizing he was crying. A future Marine and a real Greenie would not cry like a baby in the open like that. He tried hard to stem the flow and fight the tight knot in his throat. Her voice became even softer. "It is perfectly okay to cry, I have seen the greatest Warrior in this Galaxy cry, if the eternal warrior can shed tears, the so can you. There is no one here, but me and your magnificent animal. The barkeep pays no attention to us." He knew she was much older than him, but he was glad she was there and tried to comfort him. When he started to cry and how she ended up simply holding him he didn't know; she was after all still a perfect stranger to him. When he realized she was holding him he untangled himself and sat back on his chair. He still felt very empty and very confused. What would happen next, what was expected for him to do? He was afraid of the future and wondered what life on Earth would be like and who this uncle was no one had ever mentioned and didn't even know he had. His PDD beeped again and he could not control his shaking finger as he activated it, what other news would it bring? He found it was a recorded message. He somehow must have missed the actual call. A man he had never seen looked with a sour face into the visual sensor and said with a gruff voice. "That's just great. Now I have to take care of my brother's teenager. I assume that would be you. Well I won't change my life because my dear brother decided to get himself killed. No one in his right mind would fly in that pirate infested unclaimed space, in an unarmed Explorer no less. Well deserves him right, that coward. Always bragging how smart he was and how important hi science was. I have news for you Roy; they didn't give a hoot about you. You were an accident, not meant to happen. You distracted from their only love. Those damn beakers and micro scanners and all that science crap. Now I won't change my life or my plans to make that perfectly clear. The law made me your guardian but no one says that I have to be a good guardian or give a damn about you. I got my own life and I am a busy Field Technician for Wintham Systems and I am going across the Bridge for an assignment So find somewhere cheap to stay till I am back in 16 or 20 month. I don't want a snot nosed, untidy teenager in my apartment. There will be no money and if you need anything call my dad your Grandfather or someone else who cares. The law made me your guardian, so this is what I want you to do: Stay out of my hair. Come to Earth, Go to that damn College and get a job or whatever. You deviate one iota from that, or get into the slightest sort of trouble and it is Mother Moore's Happy Orphanage for you!" The man, his uncle didn't even bother to say his name and did not leave a return call address. The Woman had heard it and said. "Well it seems not much is working out for you today. Tell you what, why don't you come with me to Sares-Prime One for a while so you can find your bearings, at least till college starts." "I think I ought to go back to Green Hell but then my new Guardian will send me to an Orphanage. I still have two years before the Law considers me an adult." "Let me worry about that, Roy. You won't have to go into any Orphanage, I promise." "But you are a total stranger and I need to go somewhere where I can take Partner. Sares is far from Earth and I don't have all that much money." "Sares is connected to Earth via Space Train and you can be there in an hour from Sares." She sighed and added. "If I tell you I do it because I feel sorry for you, then you certainly won't agree. So I say I am a little curious about your Danger Sense, as you call it. Like most Saresii I am a Psionic Expert and we don't know of any ability that lets you sense danger. Then there is the fact that you are the Psionic twin of that Fury Hound. I never saw a real life specimen." Roy looked up. "You know what Partner is and you have seen one before?" She looked at the now content sleeping beast and said. "Of course I am not certain, the only records of something like that are from the First Age of Knowledge and are more myth than facts, but the way it absorbed blaster shoots like that it might be one. I am sure the Narth could tell you what it is for sure but they are quite isolated and don't allow visitors." "What is a Fury Hound?" "It is an old legend from our First Age, before the Darkening and the Loss of knowledge. What do you know about us Saresii?" He tried to remember and said. "I didn't pay as much attention in school as I should have and I skipped a few Cerebral Upload sessions we had in the Afternoons so I could slip out in the Jungles." Only now he too took a sip of his Hell-Ade and then drained the glass realizing how perched his throat felt. He wiped his mouth with the provided napkin and said. "The Saresii are one of the oldest Union member species and consist only of females, real ones and men who pretend to be female." She interrupted him. "Just so you know I am female. I know some Terran Humans are not entirely comfortable with that aspect of our species so I thought I let you know." Roy waved to the Keeper and pointed at his empty bottle. To the woman he said. "I am not Terran, I am a Greenie." She smiled. "Of course you are! Now we Saresii once ruled over a very large part of the Universe and developed into a society considered Tech Level 11. After a terrible war against a similar developed enemy we were plunged into a period where we lost much of our knowledge and technology, our society changed and developed into what it is today. There are not that many similarities between our old and our present civilization and culture. Most but not all knowledge and most but not all technology has been lost. One of these legends is this ancient rumor about the Dark Ones, that is how we now call that ancient enemy by the way; anyway they supposedly breed or made something called Fury Hounds, it was supposed to be a sort of Battle robot or Battle Creature, breed and made to attack and destroy with ruthless efficiency. The legend also reports that there was not very much that could stop or destroy them." She still looked at Partner as the Barkeep brought two more bottles and simply added his opinion. "I overheard some of what you said and we Oromals have a history almost as old as the Saresii and we too know of the Dark Ones. We call them Imperials but they are one and the same." He pointed at Partner. "This beautiful animal does indeed fit the legend and description of the Imperial Hell Hounds. There is a famous old Faery tale told among my kind about them." Roy had almost forgotten his troubles for the moment and said with an eager tone in his voice. "You think Partner is such a Hell Hound?" The Barkeep once again petted Partner and said. "Well why not, all legends and faery tales have a kernel of truth and it is only time and the many times it is told that add all the fantastic elements. One bar patron tells how he killed a fly on one end of the bar and when the night is over, the story is told at the other end of the bar and now it is a Fire Demon that has been slain in the Igras Expanse." The woman said. "You are quite wise, Barkeeper." "Barkeepers hear a lot of stories and especially here at a Bar attached to a Space port." He picked up the empty bottles and put them on the tray that floated right behind him and he added. "In our story, the Hell Hounds were originally energy beings living in a hot sun, where the Imperials found them and gave them this shape and enslaved them to do their bidding. It all was considered pure fantasy until the Non Corps became a Union Member just a few years ago. They are beings made of energy and live on a star." The Saresii woman said. "You know putting it that way you might have real point there." The Barkeep left as he spotted two new guests arriving. Roy turned to look at his animal. It was huge even lying down right next to him eyes closed. It immediately noticed his attention raised his head and liked Roy with its dry tongue across the arm, squinted at him and settled back down with waves of content feelings. He said to it. "Are you a Fury Hound or a Hell Hound?" Partner however did not understand and simply liked the attention of Roy and licked him again, before putting his enormous head onto Roy's lap. The woman shook her head slowly." The connection you have with it is amazing." Roy only listened halfway as he once again thought about his parents and his future. "My uncle was right in a few things, I know my parents, or at least my mother loved me but it was never the same as the love Melissa or the others got or felt of their parents. My mother never looked at me as Sarah Salomon looked at my best friend. Their projects and research was always on first place. Even let last events did not change my mother's mind to leave everything including me behind to chase half across the galaxy." He sighed deeply and put his head on Partner's and the almost whispered. "I don't even know what I am supposed to feel. I am shocked and feel lost. I am sad and angry, I think I am angry most for letting me alone so sudden. We never had real contact to our extended family as it was a waste of time for my parents to go to a reunion or wedding. My mother always found those family gatherings boring and without significant value." The woman answered. "There are people like that, dedicated to the cause and to their work. They do great things and are often remembered by generations to come for their deeds, discoveries and work, but they are rarely known for their social and human skills." He shrugged. "Even If I would want to go with you. I am not free until I am of legal age and I must do what he said. One thing I know, my childhood has ended today." He got up. I better change my ticket then; I bet the ship is leaving soon." She smiled. "I think you need to check your PDD again." He was surprised as there was indeed a new message of his Uncle. Once again the sour faced man appeared and now he looked even more annoyed. "I don't know what kind of trouble you are in, but I am releasing you into the custody of Federal Agent Cara Mehagryf. Good Riddance to you and just stay out of my life." The recording and the transmission ended as abruptly as before. He looked up. "Federal Agent, trouble? I am in trouble?" She shook her head. "Don't worry about that, it just happens that I am a Federal Agent and I telepathically advised my supervisor to arrange that, so you can come with me, if you are okay with that." Roy shrugged. "I am just the plaything of adults so it seems and I don't have much choice in the matter. I still need to go to the ticket counter. I paid a lot of money for the ticket to Blue Moon and now I need one to Sares Prime." She laughed. "I am sure you travel courtesy of the President anywhere you want and not on F Deck either." -""— The two lounge guests that now sat on the bar ordered Fizz Buzz Orange Water. They both looked like Terran Human travelers wearing business suits. The female had black hair pulled back into a French knot and gave her a stern professional appearance, her companion had his thin blond hair cut close to the skull and after her received his drink he said to the female. "That is him, Roy Masters." She sipped and said while doing that in a very quiet manner. "Yes it is, but the female with him wears the PSI Corps Pin. We better leave before she has time to scan the room and notice that we are shielded." "So what? This is the Union and they have PSI laws. She can't probe us. PSI shields are legal, PSI probing is not." "She is Saresii and with the PSI Corps. The President of the United Stars just escaped an assassination attempt, you think they care much about these laws?" "Ieshia, I don't know who you really are or how long you are here, but the Union is not the Galactic Council or the Kermac we both serve. They really stick to their laws and regulations, President or not." "And you are sound contaminated and almost like a traitor. The Union are mere children compared to the Kermac. The Wizards lead with unquestionable wisdom. Any species should beg to be accepted under the blessed rule of the Kermac." "You are not the same Ieshia that took part in the raid or been on Green Hell." "Of course not, this is an Identity we have crafted and I decided to use it to freely move in this society, but I think we need to concentrate on the matters at hand and I say we leave before she probes." The two got up, paid the tab and left as fast as they could without looking to be in a hurry. The man said. "You seem to have more than just respect about the abilities of that woman who is just of a childish race." "She is Saresii and chosen to be near their president. I suspect her to be quite powerful." Then she clenched her fists. "The Saresii will be the first who will suffer our wraith. The others might be given the choice to serve us, the Saresii however and the Terrans they will be exterminated." -""— The Jolly Blue fell back into real space and Phil said. "We are almost at Blue Moon now, but the place is so busy we needed to come out Quasi Space almost nine light hours outside Blue Moon System." Celyciia sat reclined in one of the comfortable Vari-Form chairs that were part of a large lounge like room that included the small space ships bridge up front. Phil Decker so she and the Sergeant found out had his own space ship. It was a 50 meter ship of a type or class neither she nor the Sergeant had ever seen before. The Sergeant however did now it was called the Jolly Blue and was as almost as famous as Decker himself. She pulled herself into a more upright position and said. "This old ship of yours made very good time then. Should put her right into Fast clipper range." Sergeant Riddick also moved the seat in an upright position and said. "I've seen the ISAH Pods of this ship they, didn't look Union at all." Phil turned his seat away from the ship controls and said. "I got them when the Attikans weren't Union." Riddick snapped his fingers. "Attikan Race Engines, of course I should have recognized the shape." Celyciia looked puzzled. "Aren't the Attikans in the Large Magellan Cloud and became members very recently?" Phil said. "That doesn't mean they weren't there before and I did get around a bit after my beloved Leynica died." The last words he said with a quiet voice looking towards the Still image of a gorgeous Saresii woman. Celyciia changed the subject. If this is such a busy place how can we hope to find anything without alerting the local authorities?" Sergeant Riddick got up and dialed himself a mug of coffee from the Serv Matic. "There is one of the biggest Federal Police Precincts, why are we not asking them for help again?" Phil checked the flight plan and filed an approach request with System control, and then he said. "Oh right I didn't think of that. You two can go back home, they will solve the case in no time. They are so big they must be good." Riddick sipped on his coffee and dialed for a second one he then handed to Celyciia and said. "You think they are corrupt? If there is one thing that makes my blood boil, its corrupt cops." Decker shook his head. "While there might be a few black sheep in a big precinct like that, I am sure TeePee Okram keeps his house as clean. No I am not saying they are corrupt, I just don't want anyone know about us coming and getting nervous before we had a chance to talk to TeePee and make sure if someone gets nervous we know about it." The Saresii woman took the Coffee and took it over to Phil. "Just pretend for a moment that we are just two simple cops with very little experience about all this conspiracy stuff and explain it to us." Riddick laughed. "He doesn't have to pretend in my case." Phil smiled and said. "I would not have taken you along if I thought you were simple. Now I really hate to ring my own bell, but if we approach openly and the news spread that Phil Decker is coming investigating a case. Many rats that are cooking something bigger might think I come for them and try to cover their tracks. In all this the guys we are actually after will have a chance to slip away. So we go quietly investigate the Lux Rental Company and try to find out who rented that Bombadier and then we are a big step closer finding out who raided the Prison colony and maybe we even find out why." Riddick held his coffee mug with both hands. "Makes sense to me but I did some calculating and whoever bank rolled that raid has mighty deep pockets. Whatever they are after is something really big." He counted on his fingers. "Bribing the Warden, getting Shiss technology to leave the right traces, renting a Bombadier and hiring people who keep their mouth shut that is going to cost millions of Credits, and that excludes any small crook outfit and we are talking about the real big leaguers like the Worm or the Triage." Phil Decker looked at the Sergeant with open praise in his eyes. "See, you are anything but simple. In my days there was an old saying 'Follow the money' and it will get you to the source." The Saresii woman said. "What is the only thing you can find on a Prison Colony?" She answered her own question saying. "Prisoner of course and I think that the whole action was to mask the escape of a prisoner." Phil smiled even deeper. "Okay and now that thought into context with your Sergeants revelation about the cost." She blinked and said. "One of the prisoners was worth all this effort. I request the files of all prisoners, maybe I can devise some sort of filter to shift through them all and narrow it down somewhat." Phil handed her a data chip. "Here are the files of all prisoners that have been sentenced to the Colony. You find that I narrowed the field somewhat already. I sorted them in unlikely, possible and very likely by correlating their previous crimes and origins." She took the chip. "I wonder what you really think of us, you are always ahead of us." "I think you and I mean everyone in this age let the machines to too much of the thinking for you, but once you learn to use your own brain again to make the connections you are as good as me and maybe even better." He pointed at the chip. "If you want to start check the ones I marked unlikely." Riddick said. "That is like looking for a needle in a haystack without knowing how the Needle looks like. How did you sort them?" "We know it was a male prisoner that excludes all female prisoners. We know they used a Bombadier that means they could not have taken many prisoners. The money and resources spend on this operation exceeds 50 million Credits, as that is the deposit you need to plug down when you rent a Bombadier with a cash deposit. That means if someone planned their escape that way it had to be a very wealthy prisoner or someone with lots of cloud in a big Corporation legal or otherwise. There were only two prisoners rich enough to bankroll such an escape. One of them had only two month left and the other had a parole hearing coming up next week with a team of very expensive lawyers giving it a very good chance. I don't think either one would have spent more than 90 percent of their wealth to escape so close to their actual release. That left over 1200 prisoners. If one excludes the reason of escape, it leaves only one other reason. Someone of these 1200 prisoners had or has he knowledge to something that is worth all the effort." She looked at him and said. "I think you have narrowed it down to one already, have you not?" Now he grinned from ear to ear and said. "I still need a few pieces of the puzzle before I can be certain, but yes I think I know who was rescued or kidnapped from the Prison Colony, I am not entirely sure of the why yet so I keep that for myself for now." -""-

Chapter 18: Chapter 17

Roy found deep space fascinating but he decided that he liked the surface of a planet better and seeing a sky and an horizon was just more his thing. So he got up and went inside and this suite and said to Partner, who was right behind him while he looked on his PDD. "Still almost an hour till dinner,let's make the most of this suite. I don't think we will ever travel in this style again. "Partner agreed with a sneezing snort and pushed his head into Roy's back. He took a dip into the suites own not so little pool, the small Union School back on Green Hell had a gym an pool only a little bigger than this one. After that he placed his Bio Seal suit into the Auto Dresser and said. "System refresh and clean this garment." While the system worked on his things he checked out the Hygiene automatics in the bath room and marveled at the long list of hygiene options the system displayed in the mirror just for human males and brushed over the Luxury Full Body Hand wash, but stopped halfway through the program. He didn't like his privates washed by robotic hands, no matter how soft and life like they were and rather did that himself. That the machine gave him a skin deep force field shave where a force field sharper than any blade sliced less than a micron over his skin and vaporized facial hair and dead skin cells. This was quite pleasurable, not that he had more than a few soft stubble here and there. Finally he felt as clean and scrubbed as a new born; as he went into the Master bed room he found Partner lying there on its back with its front legs folded to his massive chest and his big hind legs sticking up, in the now huge bed as it had adjusted to Partner;s size. He laughed. "Seems you know your way around Luxury Suites better than me. Partner blinked at him and sneezed, then closed its eyes. Roy knelt on the bed and hugged the big beast and said. "I don't think you are a Fury Hound or an Imperial Hound. No Mr. Partner, you are a lazy Sleepy Hound." Then he rubbed Partner's belly with both hands and Partner closed the red glowing eyes and snorted deeply satisfied. With a sigh Roy straightened, go up and said. "Well I think it might be just as well. You can stay and sleep. I go for dinner with that pretty lady. Just don't eat any of the furniture. I am sure I can't afford paying even for the pillows." Partner send emotions and images to assure Roy it would behave. Again he checked his PDD and It was now a few minutes before eight, just then the door announced Cara. So he went to meet her at the door and stopped in his tracks as he saw her. Cara wore her long straight hair now up in a loose knot behind her back, only a few strains had escaped and dangled charmingly from the sides of her head. Instead of her velvet suit, she had on a midnight blue shoulder free dress with fine silver seams that matched her hair. Something shiny and black encased her legs and her feet were in pointed and heeled pumps. She wore long gloves made of a similar translucent black smoky material and held a small silvery purse. On her lips an impish smile. Roy stepped back and said, "Wow you sure look nice Ma'am." She smiled demurely and said. "I am glad you think so." He wore his green and brown spotted Bio seal suit and all terrain boots."Do you think I need to get into something like that too?" "If you like of course. I bet you have great legs! They have nice boutiques at the main concourse and I bet your auto dresser has some nice things programmed." "Great legs?" "Well if you wear what I do to everyone will see your legs and I think they might look nice" Roy blushed. "Oh! No I meant if I should perhaps put a fancy suit on. I did wear one not so long ago." Thinking about that dinner made him also think about his parents again. She felt his sudden pain and just touched his hand. He swallowed hard and said. "I better get changed as you might not want to be seen with a Backwater planet hick, like me." He asked her in and then used the Auto Dresser and asked it to put him into a Tux. The machine took a minute longer until it was able to accommodate his wishes as he said to the system. "Don't touch the gun and keep the boots." Now he felt he was dressed more to the occasion and she gave him an approving nod. "Yes that is better, you do clan up nicely." "I doubt I have been cleaner in my life, that bath room had an interesting feature." A girlish smile reached her eyes and made them sparkle as she said. "Yes I can imagine that the Full Body Hand wash option is something one needs to get used to." She added. "I never did and don't use it." He agreed. "Somethings are not meant to be automated." They went to the elevators and she asked." How do you feel?" "I am not sure I feel anything at all, kind of numb perhaps, about my parents and all that is going on." "In time you will find your balance. I am certain." They both took one of the elevators down. Passengers of many different species mingled in the spacious lobby. No one really paid any attention to the giant view port and deep space. To him the thought alone of taking a swim in a sizable pool while traveling faster than light was mind blowing. Carla leaned closer to him and said. "Most of them have seen Deep Space many times before and most of the passengers have traveled before." He sighed. "I guess I am the only Backwater Hick on this luxury ship." Again her smile was most charming as she said. "I think you should never lose that sense of wonder." She offered her arm and nodded towards other couples and Roy did as they did. Then she said, "Besides, there are almost 12,000 passengers in the D,E and F Decks;most of which had never traveled before either. I think that it is simply very difficult to raise a sense of wonder in modern Union Citizens." She gestured towards the view screen, not that they come up to see that. "Those passengers below are locked up?" "No Eric of course not, but they have restaurants and amusements that are more affordable on their deck levels. They can freely move all around the ship." Cara turned quite a few heads as they entered a large room with many round tables. Each table was covered with white table cloth, set with fine, decked with fragile looking glasses glasses and decorated with Candles and flowers. Humans and non humanoids from all over the Union stood in small groups and talked or had already occupied some of the decorated tables. Some of the Non Human Aliens he recognized easily like the Ult and Pertharian, but many he had no names for and for the first time he wished he had paid more attention in school and did all the uploads required. She said in a quiet tone." No worries, you can upload all you need on Sares. We are the ones inventing that technology and have perfected it long before the humans on Terra discovered the use of fire." He smirked at her and said. "Yes I think I have to do that. I feel totally ignorant and now I understand why there has to be school. Not that I really wanted to leave Green Hell, but I guess it will be there when I return." Again she gifted him with a charming warm smile and she said. "Yes it will be there and I do think you have matured much today." Roy looked around taking in all the new sights. "I never had that much happening in just one day." He frowned and hung his head and added. "Do you think it is wrong to have a fancy dinner with such a beautiful lady on the day I heard my parents died?" "There is no one but you who can decide that. If you think it is wrong then we can go and eat something brought to our rooms. We can go a few decks below, there is a Swine and Dine and a McDonald's and you might enjoy them more than this set up. If you rather be alone then that is alright as well." "No that wouldn't be nice to you and you are all dressed up and all that. " He sighed. "Is there something wrong with me? I don't feel sad, at least I don't think so." "Everybody is different and there will be a time of grief I am sure. Since I can sense your feelings I don't think you and your parents had a very strong emotional connection and maybe it was severed many years ago. I can not tell you how to grief or what to feel. No one can, but I have a little piece of wisdom for you. Something a very special man once told me when I lost someone who was very dear to me "Live your life day by day. No one except perhaps the Narth knows what will be tomorrow. We can't change the past, we can't see the future. So all that is left is live for today. It's not what you take along but what you leave behind." "That sounds like some real good advice. I could not even begin to guess what my future holds. One thing is certain I am not becoming a scientist!" She laughed and said. "No I think that is a fair prediction. Whatever life holds for you it, I doubt you end up working in a lab." She steered towards the central table, a few beings mostly humanoids already sat there. Roy pulled out a chair for her and waited till she sat and only then sat down himself. She leaned over." One thing I must say your manners are impeccable. You are quite the gentleman despite your age." He blushed and said. Uncle Roy insisted on these things all the time and he always said: gender equality is good and fine, but a woman is also a lady and a man is still a man." He also insisted that it does not hurt to pay attention to your fellow beings with courtesy and respect." "Your Uncle Sam sounds to be quite a person!" Roy's eyes lit up. "Oh yes he is. Uncle Sam is smart and strong and never ever lies. He was an active Marine and served with the Deadly Ghosts before he retired. I miss him already!" She raised an eye brow and deep respect showed in her face." He served with the Gray Ghosts?" Roy nodded. "Yes, he never talked much about it but that was his Unit." "You do know what that is right?" "I know the GalNet Info version, and I know some bits and pieces of what he told me. He shared much about the Marines with me but rarely talked about his unit or what they had done." "I seen the picture on the bottle and now I can see his images in your mind. I am pretty sure your Uncle Sam is no other than Master Sergeant S. Brown. The highest decorated Marine in Union History. He is almost as legendary as the Eternal Warrior himself, but then Immortals don't count. Roy said. "You wouldn't say that in his presence. He told me once how he fought the Pertharian and how Stahl showed up to fight with them. I know Uncle Sam and he respects few and fears nothing but you should see him when he talks about this Admiral." "Yes I know, Admiral Stahl has this effect on people no matter the race. He was the one who shared that little piece of wisdom with me." Roy saw some of the same light in her eyes as in the ones of Uncle Sam as she said that. Cara unfolded a napkin and placed it in her lap and said. "The Marine First Recon Battalion, nicknamed the Gray Ghosts are one of the oldest and the most Elite Unit there is. Not known by many but those who do have the utmost respect." "You know a lot about the Military." "Roy, this dress might be a little deceiving but I am in the Military. I am an Officer in the PSI Corps." "Oh right, I forgot." Then he blushed and hoped she didn't read his mind." Before she could say something to him, a man in a black uniform who had joined the table only a few moments after Roy and Cara leaned forward so he could better look Roy's gorgeous companion. The man had pale blue skin color, he said. "The Saresii are known for beauty but you are by far the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on." Cara lowered her lashes and said softy. "Thank you for the compliment and coming from a Thauran and a Union Fleet officer is especially appreciated, Commander Swytor" Roy found that his staring was actually a bit rude. To him it appeared as if the man was undressing the woman with his mind. Cara added an afterthought and said. "No matter of visual inspection will yield the answer you seek, Commander, but yes I am a genetic woman." Now the Thauran blushed and he turned into a shade of purple. With an embarrassed cough he said to everyone and no one in particular. "One has to be careful with ones thoughts when a Saresii is on the table." There were room for twelve dinner guests at this table, and the four others who were already here laughed in a bored fashion and returned to their individual conversations. Roy asked Cara."What was that about?" She glanced once more at the Fleet Officer and then said. "On Sares there are two kinds of women and to differentiate we call one kind Genetic Women and the other kind Non genetic." Roy almost scratched his head, but knew that this wasn't the place for such gestures and he wished he had paid more attention at school."I had no idea there were two kinds." She leaned even closer and explained. "Our males dress and look just like females and judging by his behavior and thoughts, he found me attractive but he wondered if I really was a woman or just looking like one." Roy's chin dropped. "What kind of idiot is that? He could not tell? That guy must be blind. A guy in a dress looks ridiculous and you look totally awesome." Her eyes sparkled with hardly contained amusement. "He is not what he seems indeed, but you would be surprised not even we Saresii can distinguish who is and who isn't. Our males look in every way like women and most of them are real beauties." "Why would they want to do that? I mean dress up like that? Do they have their..uhm removed?" Cara put her gloved hands to her lips and giggled then she said. "Some have, some don't. Saresii have not procreated in the old fashioned biological way for a almost a million years. These things were not really needed." Roy's ear turned red as his thoughts turned to subjects, he of course knew about but did not want to think about with a beautiful older woman who happened to be a mind reader next to him. "Not needed, well..." She obviously had a fabulous time seeing him squirm and said. "It was only after we became Union Members and became friends with the Terrans and Sarans did we re-discovered the fun in sex." Roy wasn't sure if he should find this conversation fascinating or embarrassing. She however carried on saying. "Of course most of our children are born in external wombs. the Genetic codes of a pair is combined by medical experts in a clinic." Waiters placed glasses of water before them and she thanked the server and then continued to explain. "About one million standard years ago, Sares was much like Terra, males dominated the world in politics, work and most aspects of society. We then got dragged into a war by others and eventually lost that war. Many thousand colonies were destroyed and many billion Saresii died. Many of the men were gone and had died in the war .A female Saresii named Deepa Lydaa led a revolt and they killed the Old Council. One of the woman revolting with Deepa was Colira Demase. She became the first woman to become leader of all that is Saresii. Deepa placed herself into an exile and left Sares on a quest to both find redemption and a new way to defeat the Dark Ones." Carla took a sip of water and kept on giving him a little lecture in Saresii history. "Colira wasn't a good leader and she blamed male aggression and the male superiority complex with the mess. Her fanatical hate of all that was male became a way of life for over 200,000 years. Simply to survive and escape the random killings some men dressed up like women to hide and to adapt. They continued to do so ;to be able to obtain work and employment. To get government benefits and so forth. It all somehow evolved and now all of our men look and dress like women and behaved like females. We never went back and after that much time it became our culture. The male gender was still needed for the important genetic pool. Since an all female race in terms of genetics is doomed as the genetics of both genders are necessary for genetic diversity and health. After we joined the Union about 500 years ago, especially the Terrans and the Pan Sarans found this fact amusing, but even most of them have either forgotten or accepted the fact of our gender issue." Roy had remained silent and listened throughout her explanation and then he shrugged. "I must admit the idea is about as alien to me as that Garbini over there but I see nothing really wrong with it." The other guests still paid little attention to them, but the bearded Commander said looking at Roy. "You certainly don't look like a Saresii and I noticed your huge gun, are you a body guard?" "No Sir, I am a Greenie!" "I see." He had clearly never heard of a Greenie and made a bland face. Cara smiled at him. "He is a Native from Green Hell and he is one of those famous teenagers who walk like that through the jungles of Green Hell like you would stroll down the beaches of Para Para." The man gasped. "I thought this report I read about Teenagers surviving unprotected on Green Hell was a news hoax. I have seen the most hair raising stories of that gahstly planet. If you ask me it is a waste of time. We should drop a Spore bomb and that Hell Hole is clean overnight and then we can put it to good use." A double chinned woman next to Cara chimed in as if she was asked and said. "It must be a horrible place to live." Roy clenched his fist and was about to tell that arrogant bastard a few choice words of his, but Cara placed her gloved hand on his arm and said quietly. "Don't let his ignorance upset you, I deal with him in a little while. He isn't what he claims to be. I could not receive his thoughts if he was a Commander." Roy was about to tell her that he wanted to fight his own battles but then thought about it. He had enough excitement for one day and let it be. A melodic gong interrupted Roy's thoughts and five men two women led by a reptilian Alien in silver Uniforms approached the table and everyone was standing up. The Reptilian had three black stripes on his silvery sleeves and wore a silver shield cap. He took that cap off, put it under his left am and gave the guests present a stiff nod. The Lizard looked big and dangerous despite the somewhat gaudy uniform. "Welcome Guests and Travelers aboard the Silver Swan, my Ship. I am Captain Zuyyyzzzuz and yes I am aware I am a Shiss. However there is no cause for alarm. I am a Union Citizen and so are several generations of my family. We are the good kind of Shiss." Some of the guests actually laughed at that. Roy had no idea why this was funny. From what he knew Shiss were enemies of the Union. The Shiss had an elongated skull, yellow eyes and fine scaled greenish skin. He was the tallest being in the room and he had four arms and he spoke with a distinctive hissing lisp. "He held up his upper arms. "Since no one here on this ship could pronounce my name, you all may call me Captain Zuyzz like my crew and my wife does. After fifty year living among humans even I have trouble with it." Again this statement produced a few laughs. He waited a few seconds and then said. "As it is tradition aboard the Silver Swan and all Gray Lines Luxury Liners, guests are treated to a little refreshment every time we leave a Port of call on our cruise. So enjoy this dinner and thank you for choosing Silver Lines and I personally wish you a pleasant journey." Roy wondered what the F Deck passengers got. Cara leaned over. "A free Soda and a Burger." The Captain sat down and so did everyone else. Waiters brought soup right away. The waiter said to Roy. "Cream of Trolom Soup, with fresh Troloms." He watched the others and then started to eat, mimicking Cara's moves. the soup wasn't bad at all it it even smelled a little like a Jungle plant he knew. The soup was thick, white creamy and had little brown pieces in it, that tasted meaty and looked like macaroni noodles. Cara explained. "Troloms come from across the Bridge all the way from M31. These are small fungus worms. The ThreeOz raise them in farms, Troloms became a hit as many species including humans and Saresii love the taste." Roy's face however showed clearly what he was thinking as he fished one of the brown things out of the soup and said. "Worms?" She nodded. "Don't worry they are cooked. You humans eat Snails, worms, insects and live Oysters for ages." "Not on Green Hell, we don't." "Do you like the taste?" He still looked at it. "Yes, they are good. I just liked them much better before I knew they were worms." "They are symbiont life forms and part mushroom and grow stationary like plants." He started spooning the soup now with more gusto. "Mushrooms, I can live with that." He paused once more and asked. "If they come from across the Bridge they must be real expensive!" She nodded. "Hundred grams go for seventy Unions and there are at least 100 grams in each bowl." The corpulent woman sitting next to the Cara who had made that uninvited negative comment about Green Hell was busily chatting with a thinner woman with shrill make up and a towering blue hair doo; raised her chubby hands and called one of the waiters. "Do get me more soup, good man. It's not everyday I eat real Troloms." Again Cara commented. "This you should not do when at a fine dinner. It is frowned upon and considered bad manners." Roy seeing the other guests faces said. "Judging by the faces of the others, I can tell." Cara said. "That fat woman and her friend won the Cruise trip in a Contest. She does not know it yet, but she won't sit here the next dinner and be back down in B Deck." "It must be amazing to be able to read everyone's thoughts.!" "Once we are on Sares we can raise your Heidelberg Psi Index and I am sure with you it will be especially easy as you have your mother's genes." The waiters removed the soup bowls and a new course was served. Deep plates heaped with steaming strange black oval things where placed before each guest in a perfectly choreographed ceremony where everyone got their food at the same time. Whatever it was it smelled divine. The waiter who served Roy was a Spindlar used his telescopic arms to place a basket with white bread next to his plate. He said. "Mussels from Neo Napoli in an Italian sauce of Terran raised tomatoes, real Italian wine and herbs from from Baltico." Cara took a silvery tool that looked like scissors were made to clamp these mussels and she scooped a little piece of orange looking stuff out of the black shell using a small fork. Again Roy did it the same way. Some guests and even the Captain however used their hands, using the clamp shells like pinchers to scoop the meat or whatever it was out of the other shells. Cara gracefully dabbed her mouth and took a sip from the wine she had received. "It is perfectly alright to eat them also with your hands. I prefer the tools as it is less messy and I do wear gloves." Roy used the tool like she did. "I sure love the look of those gloves on you, makes you look real elegant." "Well thank you. Now I am especially glad I chose to wear them." He remembered Melissa wearing similar ones at the Prom. So he repeated what she had said. "A must with a shoulder free dress. Melissa a friend of mine would say." Cara actually giggled. "She is quite right!" The Captain had made small talk with others and now turned his attention to Cara. "It is always a special honor to have you as a passenger aboard, Colonel, how is the President?" "I have always been fond of Gray Lines attention to the little details, that make all the difference and the President is fine as far as I know. He had pressing business so he did take the Space Borne One back to Pluribus." The Captain was pleased and said "Your compliments honors my ship, the crew and our company ." The Captain now looked at Roy." I assume you are the Gentleman staying in our Executive Suite. Are you traveling on business?" Roy was totally unprepared as he was busy with his mussels. Especially the sauce and the fresh bread was delicious and he was disappointed that he could not order seconds. He answered. "No Sir I am going to Sares." The Captain nodded and then paid attention to someone else. A waiter leaned towards Roy and said. "Sir, we seem to have counted wrong and we have a plate Mussels left over, would you care for more?" He glanced to Cara and she managed to say yes with just a wink. As he was digging into his second helping she explained. " If they offer it is quite alright." "That I call luck. I was just thinking about a second plate." She said even quieter. "I know and I suggested it to the waiter. He was very receptive to my mental suggestion as he had indeed one left over. I just helped him to steer him to you." He almost dropped his tool and whispered back:"You can make others do what you want?" "I am not very good at it, there are Saresii who can do that much better, and it is of course against the law. I am sure you know the Kermac have built their huge empire on an ability like this. "If I do it I can only suggest what is there already." "Still those Psionics sure are helpful." After the mussels the waiter came with another soup, It was perfectly clear and only a little yellow fruit on the side. Cara warned him just as he reached for a spoon. "That is no a soup. It is to clean your fingers after eating the mussels. The lemon is there to give it scent and cleaning power." He saw the amused faces of the other guests and heard the giggles as they all watched the fat lady spooning it. The Union Fleet Commander on Roy's side leaned forward and said looking at Cara. "President, Space Borne One, did I hear that right? You don't claim to know the President of the United Stars?" The Captain answered for her. "She didn't claim anything Commander. The Colonel traveled with the President." The Thauran Commander mumbled something and Cara said coldly. "Commander Swytor, I see you wear the Silver Elephant ribbon. I didn't know they still issue that." He looked down on his own ribbon display and said. "I got that defeating a boarding party of Nul." She kept smiling. "Ah and I thought you got it for telling tall lies." He inflated his cheeks and said angry. "You calling me a liar? Who do you think you are?" She tapped at a little silvery brain pin, she wore like a piece of jewelry pinned to her dress."I am Colonel Cara Halvagh, United Stars Army." His pale bluish skin lost much of its hue and he gasped. "PSI Corps?" "I have a good mind calling Fleet MP and telling them there is a Commander who doesn't know that the Elephant Medal was an unofficial decoration from the last Y'All invasion and has been issued by Admiral McElligott for Civilian Freighter captains assisting the Fleet. I might also tell them that this Commander is not Psi Shielded and purchased the Uniform and the Medals at GalNet." The Captain got up. "He claimed to travel on urgent Fleet Business, Silver Lines always accommodates the Fleet wherever we can, we fell for a scammer!" Just then Roy felt Danger. It did not come from the embarrassed looking fake Commander. It was stronger and more intense than ever before. He bolted up so fast his chair fell back and he interrupted the scene and said. "Captain, the ship is terrible danger. Call for help!" The Shiss already annoyed by the situation managed to look very angry even to a human. "Nonsense, young man. The Ship is in capable hands, we have the finest and best safety measures and we are on safe well established routes, deep in Union space!" The feeling in Roy became even more intense, as if an electric current was sizzling through every fiber of his body and he did not know what to do or how to react. But then no one could say or do anything as sharp jolt suddenly shook the entire ship and alarm sirens begun to wail The Captain doused himself with wine. Waiters lost their balance plates and food flew everywhere. There was an instant panic of screaming guests, the fat woman screaming the loudest, especially after the lights flickered and went out for a moment. The huge view port on the far side of the dining hall showed the reason. A big ugly and quite dangerous looking ship was out there and close enough so it could be seen. The lights came back on, the Captain was already halfway across the Dining hall towards the Elevators closely followed by two of his officers. Cara still sat at the table, dabbed tomato sauce of her dress with her napkin and said. "You are quite right, Roy. We are in danger, out there that is a Pirate Ship and there are two more close by and within range of my abilities." A business man shook his fist towards the ship. "Pirates, here on a major traffic route deep in Union Space how dare they?" The woman with the tall hair doo pointed her finger in an accusing way at the Thauran. "You are an Officer of the fleet! Do Something!" He raised both hands. "I am not an Officer, I am an actor. I am doing research for my next role." Over loud speakers a voice came on and said. "Passengers of the Silver Swan, we are forced to inform you that we are under attack by a fleet of six large Pirate vessels. They demand our surrender. As we are are not armed we must comply. Our shields are not meant to deflect weapon fire. There are too many and we can not outrun them." The fat lady screamed at the Commander simply ignoring the fact that this was just a scam artist ."Where is your fleet? Why can't we even safely travel? You get all that money in taxes. I demand that you do something!" The exposed con man looked around in panic just as they did. Pirates didn't care if he was a con man or an artist. If they saw him in Uniform his fate was sealed. Carla tried to calm everyone and said. "I am sure fleet is informed and they already sending help." No one listened to her. She said to Roy. "This is the most brazen attack of pirates in decades. Roy clenched his fists."I doubt the pirates go for all this risk if they did not have a good plan and a reason for attacking this ship." "Your feelings are quite correct. I am almost certain the Wurgus delegation over there is that reason!" She pointed at a group of Aliens sitting all by themselves on a table and did not act in that panicked fashion most of the other guests. To Roy they appeared especially ugly. Their bodies were somewhat humanoid as they had legs and arms and one head, but their heads looked a lot like a fresh butchered and plucked chicken. Again the PA came on and a rough voice said." If everyone cooperates this will be over soon. We want your valuables, a few pretty women and hundred decent strong men. We pick from the Rich first so most of you will be quite safe. Now stay where you are, we will come to you. Defy us and you all die." It didn't take long the door flew open and eight men and a robot came in. Some of the rugged group were humanoid and some are not; but they were heavily armed with blasters, bolters and missile launchers. The biggest of them roared." I am Captain Okkhmer the Gruesome and looking at this fine collection of useless and spineless scum I think we hit the jackpot. He pointed at Cara and proclaimed. "I am going to have some fun with that Saresii beauty over there. if she is a girl that is. If not I will kill him slowly just to make him scream like a girl." He lowered his gun and said. "Now who of you is Roy Masters?"