Kermac 2.odt

 Adventures of a Greenie

 Part II



 The news that the Kermac att



 Only eight days had passed since the Kermac attack on Green Hell.

 Burried deep beneath the Northern mounatins of this jumgle



Only eight days had passed since the Kermac attacked Green Hell, trying to excavate and secure an ancient Saresii space ship, buried there for over a million standard years. Events that culminated in the revelation that the President of the United Stars himself was a Kermac Spy.

Roy had been at the very center of these events and some of it was still hard to understand. He was just a teenager of a backwater world after all.

Green Hell did not develop into one of the most dangerous planets in the known Universe on its own, but was the result of a bio weapon program of the Old Saresii. A machine left behind had developed into its own entity and acted as a protector of the planet and its diverse and dangerous biosphere. The machine represented by the projection of a woman with the name Qaroniel wanted him to leave Green Hell, to learn and receive an education.

When Cara, his Saresii friend and mentor offered him a chance to receive his college education on Sares Prime, everyone he knew told him this was a great honor and a rare opportunity.

He promised to be good and the events since his last birthday had shown him how important education and how dangerous ignorance could be, but deep down there was a voice of rebellion; perhaps not as stubborn as it was before, but still a hallmark of human teenagers since times begun; resented the fact that there were always others telling him how he had to act and what to do.

Less than ten hours ago, Cara, Partner and Roy had boarded this exotic looking Saresii space ship at the space port of Harper's Junction.

Not able to sleep after that strange nightmare he had. In that dream he saw his mother and his father in a cave like place, dirty and wearing rags and being prisoners of someone or something.

While the Saresii Ship was quite fast, it still had to cross almost the entire Upward Sector and then cross into the Spinward Sector from Green Hell to Sares Prime. In terms of distance almost 35,000 light years and even though the Saresii Ship traveled through Quasi Space at the incredible speed of 42,875 times the speed of light, it would take over 298 days to reach the destination if his calculation was right. Yet Cara had told him they would make it in less than 20 days. In moments like this he knew he should have paid more attention in school and not skip the Neural Upload sessions like he did so often. He wondered how this would be accomplished.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">He took a cold shower and got dressed in his usual camo-pattern Bio seal suit. His quarters were spacious and everything had an alien feminine character, well everything except that huge black beast, still lying in the big bed. The animal was a true enigma, all he really knew of the beast came from truly ancient and obscure legends. Some suggested that it was the product of highly advanced civilization, today only remembered as the Dark Ones. The last Dark Ones supposedly fought the Celtest and the Old Saresii over a million years ago.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">His mind had a hard time believing that this fur covered, four legged animal was that old, but then no normal human could really relate or understand what a time span like this really meant. According to these legends he had heard so far, Partner was called a Fury Beast or if he paid credence to an Oromal bar tender, he had met at the space port of Harper's Junction, Partner was an Imperial War Hound. That his four legged friend was way more than it appeared was certain however. There seemed little that could wound or kill his friend, except energy siphoning devices. Partner could teleport, emit incredibly strong energy blasts from his small, always slightly glowing horns, eat pretty much anything and when he really needed help summoned thousands of similar Fury Beasts. The other beasts had appeared in the nick of time defeating the landing Kermac, only to disappear once the deed was done.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">Roy shared a psionic link, a strong bond with Partner and while his animal was quite intelligent, it was not sentient. They communicated with mental images and emotions, many of Partner's images made no sense to Roy. For example when he tried to ask Partner where the other Fury Beasts came from or where they went. All he got were confusing images of swirling colors and symbolic conditions that looked like abstract paintings of a mad man. At least that was the closest way Roy could describe what he saw when he tried to formulate his question.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">He had ceased trying to understand his friend. All he know was that he loved this creature as much as anyone could love an animal.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">Partner raised his head, always knowing when Roy was thinking about it and a warm wave of affection came over Roy, transmitted by the mind of the animal as if to say. "I love you too." Then Partner blinked with his deep red glowing eyes and it was clear he tried to say. "Is it time to get up?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">Roy went over and rubbed the animals belly. "Don't get up. It's still too early and there isn't really anything to do anyway, but I can't sleep. I had a weird dream. I see if I can scare up some breakfast."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">Partner sneezed, licked over Roy's arm and squeezed his eyes shut.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"I said it before, you know. I bet you are the laziest sleepy beast of them all. Whoever owned you before wanted some really tough beast and all he got was a big black cuddle monster."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">He gave his Pet a hug and buried his face in the dry, warm fur. "I sure glad I have you, though."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">Partner grunted deeply satisfied and then sneezed. Roy was certain now Partner was completely content. So he let it sleep and then went to the exit. The door of this bubble shaped room without any straight walls or sharp corners, was a five leaf iris and it made a turning motion and chirping sound as it opened.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">The corridor behind his door had the cross section of an egg shaped oval and the walls were made of a smooth white plastic like mirror smooth and translucent material. A soft bluish light shining without revealing a real source behind the material gave it all a clinical, antiseptic atmosphere.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">Cara had shown him to his quarters as they left Harper's Junction yesterday, so far he had seen little else of the ship.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">Not knowing which direction to go he hesitated for a moment and then simply went to the right.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">It didn't take long and he ran into one of the ship's crew, a long legged, very female shaped Saresii wearing a white cat suit, with fine black lines down the sides. Her ample chest was clearly defined underneath that shinny white material and on top of her left boob the Union Flag, while a series of alien writing on the right side most likely identified her name.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">If it was a her of course, despite the fact she looked like a fashion model with a killer body, long shiny black hair and a beautiful face with large eyes and voluptuous lips; she could very well be a Saresii male. From what he learned from Cara there were no visual differences."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">She smiled at him "Hello Mr. Masters. I am Doctor Seniie and the CMO of this vessel. I am surprised to see you up at this hour."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"Nice to meet you Doc. I had a nightmare and could not sleep so I decided to find the galley and some breakfast and then look around a little, if that is okay of course."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"Of course, there are no areas of this ship that are restricted to you, this isn't a Union War ship. There are verbal accessible serve-matics in your quarters able to provide you with a wide variety of breakfast choices and there is a staffed Galley on Deck three. Easy to find if you take the next IST and tell it where you want to go."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"I suspected there would be serve-matics, but I wanted to walk a little."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"Why don't you accompany me to Sick Bay. I always begin my shift with a good cup of Terran coffee and a few donuts. I can't stand this weak Saresii Tea we're supposed to love."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"A doughnut doesn't sound too bad. Got any Boston crème?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"I am sure the serve-matic can print one if we don't."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">Roy changed direction and followed the medical officer and decided she had to be female. No man would have such a nice behind.

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">The doctor sighed and then said. "Cara told me you did not have much exposure to other Union members on Green Hell, and that the Saresii society might be a little challenging for you to get used to, but I have to disappoint you. I am a male Saresii."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">Roy blushed and remembered that Saresii were all psionic gifted and almost all of them were Telepaths. "I am sorry for..."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"Don't be sorry and don't worry, we don't dig. That means we won't go further than the open surface thoughts almost all beings transmit, it's almost like hearing a spoken conversation to someone with ears. Going beyond that is against the law and we take our Union Psi laws very seriously."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"I know, my mother is...I mean she was a Telepath and she too spoke about these laws and always respected them. I know what digging means. She didn't do it either."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">The CMO gave him a sad smile. "Yes, Cara told me about that as well. From Phantas, right? I mean your mother was from that world, was she not?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"Yes, she was."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"Yes the Phantas enigma. Terran Settlers there developed strong Psionic talents over the almost 2000 years of Colony history and only recently we discovered that it was the pollen of a local plant that caused the mutation. Actually the pollen are somewhat akin to the dust pods of the Fire Nettle Bushes, producing the famous Calipharm that comes from your world."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"I didn't know that."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">The doctor made a gesture down his body. "If you are curious about Saresii and our ways. I don't mind answering your questions."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"How is it you have female hips then and fill out that skin tight thing..without..uhm..

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"We do this for a very long time and perfected it, it is still sort of a disguise but after almost 950,000 years it is very natural to us. Then there are Saresii Body-Shapers, these machines able to rearrange the molecules of your bodies in many shapes."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"Ah that explains why you are all tall legged super beauties."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"Well that, careful dieting and there are genetic changes that occurred both naturally and assisted that somewhat blur the external visual gender differences, that are more pronounced in the average Terran Human of course. We have a Body shaper in Sickbay and if you want you can try it too."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"Maybe some other time. Right now I am sort of okay with what I got and all that."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"But maybe we could look into your Nightmare, only if you want, but nightmares often have psychosomatic causes and that is sort of a Saresii specialty."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">They reached a IST tube and stepped in. The Saresii Doctor asked the System for Sickbay and Roy said. "Sure I don't mind that, since it was such a weird dream. You do tell me before you do any Psycho Surgery right?"

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"I wouldn't perform it on anyone if my life depended on it. I am very much against these procedures."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"I thought you Saresii invented it."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"We did, a very long time ago like so many other things but it was the Terrans who took it to a whole new level and it is a very controversial issue among the Medical professionals all over our Union. I belong to a growing group of physicians all over the Union, trying to outlaw it completely. I simply abhor the fact that another person decides what personality a person should have."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">The IST car stopped and released them into a corridor looking exactly like the one they had left, except it was wider. They did not have to go far and reached a transparent iris door with the standard Union symbol for medical services on it, a blue star like cross with a snake in the middle. The door opened and the Doctor led him into bright office in a light blue and white color scheme and gestured towards a visitor chair. "Make yourself at home while I get the coffee going." He pointed to a blue and chrome contraption built into the wall. "This is the serve-matic. Check if they do have that Boston crème thing and order two. I'd like to try one as well."

<p style="font-weight:normal;orphans:1">"Aren't you going to use it for the Coffee?"