Fragment 10

Chapter 9

Much had happened today, first the agonizing hours at school, waiting for the inenviteable 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 completly 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 unbelieveably ffrikking 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 unbelieveable 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 interupted 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 suprises 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.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">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!”

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">Thinking of his father made him think of his situation and his throat restricted as if something hard stuck in his wind pipe.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">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.”

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">Partner nudged him in the side with his head and then tenderly licked him.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">Part 2

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">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.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">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.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">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.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">“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.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">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.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">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.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">Harlex looked at his calused hands. He had been an excellent Lab Systems Engineer with a great career and a good salary at Enroe BioLab Equipment Inc, but that was in a different life, back then he was Chief Engineer Harlex Gedde, here they only called him Greenie.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">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.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">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.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">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.

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">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!”

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">“If it is warm and with lots of mositure,I think I'd love it there.”

<p style="border-bottom: #000001 1px solid; border-left: medium none; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; line-height: 200%; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; border-top: medium none; border-right: medium none; padding-top: 0cm">Harlex laughed hard. “ Tuzzzh, you would not last two minutes in our Jungles.”