Finish the Sci-Fi Story III - Murder Mystery

Cafe Society
101

“Wait a minute,” said Kark. “Everyone hold still for a moment. Sten. You say you have ‘greivance’ with Cowd?”

“You could call it that. It is why I was contracted.”

“Then present me with the cause for greivance and I can have him picked up and held in custody. As a Security Agent for Forsetti, I can not allow the laws to be bypassed in such a matter. Your client will still be honor bound to pay, and Justice will be met. Does that sound good to you?”

Sten pondered for just a moment, then accepted, “Yes. I do believe that would work for me.”

“Good,” said Kark, “Then let’s make this official. Kathy, you will witness as an Agent of Peace. Robert, please record on this,” With that, he handed Robert a small holo-recorder. “It’s already running, just point iit in this general dirction. Make sure you get all three of.”

Identifying himself with his full title, Kark made formal request of Sten to submit the evidence for greivance he held. Sten complied while Kathy remained outside of the transaction, making sure she was a non biased witness for whatever court they would end up at.

“Now that that’s done,” continued Kark, “There’s nothing wrong with making Cowd ‘uncomfortable,’ if you know what I mean.”

Smiling in his odd way, Sten said “Yes. Yes I do. Come, Robert boy. We have a creep to apprehend and a damsel in distress to save!” With that, he picked up Robert and bounded away, back towards Cowd’s.

“What are you planning?” Kathy asked Kark as the hurried to catch up. “I think you think you know something and I want to know what it is.”

Running hard and beginning to feel like his old self, Kark turns around and said, “You need to keep up, my dear Mrs. Channing!”

Kathy couldn’t help but be amused at his double meaning pun, as she wasn’t but half a stride behind him.

102

Stens’s long strides ate up distance, but Robert(feeling foolish at being carried), still had time to ask him questions.

Twisting his head around to look up Robert asked “You called Cowd scum, and said you’d been hired to find him. Who was it?”

Sten dodged a couple of startle pedestrians. “Three families, actually. It took them a long time to save up the credits for the detective work, but Cowd still left clues. A big name…bump , uh excuse me… he may be, but he didn’t cover all his tracks.”

"Tracks for what?

"Here, let me put you down. I guess you wouldn’t know, or you wouldn’t ask. " Sten crouched down to look directly at Robert. “We don’t have much time, but I need to prepare you. Cowd has had, well, “relations” with a number of female students over the years.” At this Robert started turning red, in spite of himself. “That isn’t unheard of, and was kept very quiet. But three or four have disappeared entirely, and evidence literally dug up points to Cowd.”

“Professor Cowd is a murderer?”

“Robert, do you care about this Grivvy person?”

“Yes!”

“He’s not JUST a murderer, we believe. You see, not all of the missing girls were found, when the bodies were uncovered”

“Then some could be alive!”

“No, Robert, I mean …”

A scream tore from Robert’s throat. “I left her back there, with HIM! Oh my God!” and he started to run the final stretch down to Cowd’s place. Sten grabbed him.

“Let me go first. Back me up. You know how to fight?”

A coldness had now settled over Robert. “My father is Royce Harker. I am his son!” There was no doubt in his mind over his father’s occupation now.

Cowd’s door refused access of course. Robert wanted to pound on it, blow it up or something, but he had no tools. Sten did. Taking a small red box from a pocket in the vest he was wearing, Sten ran it around the edges of the door. When it gave a PING! he place his hands on the sliding door panel and pushed sideways. The door gave immediately and the two rushed into the entryway.

A splashing noise drew them to the bathroom. Cowd had his back to them, and seemingly hadn’t heard them at all. Grivvy lay in the bath, tightly bound, and the water was green with her blood. “There, there, my sweet, it won’t take much longer. And you’ll be ever so much better afterwards.” She lay so that she could see them approaching, and gave a feeble shake of her head. Cowd noticed this and looked over his shoulder. “Ah, gentleman, come to join me I see.”

Robert lunged for him but Cowd spoke again, and now Robert saw the knife in his hand. “You can’t save her you know. But if you harm ME she could feel a lot more pain before she does die.”

“Take me instead!”

“But you wouldn’t have the same taste!”

The bathroom didn’t offer much space to manuver, and Sten’s size would hamper him. Robert poised for a fatal lunge, but before he could Grivvy, with the last of her strength, brought here bound knees up and knocked Cowd’s hand aside. Sten arced over and a long arm snatched the knife, and Robert tackled a startled Cowd. Grabbing him by the long hair on his head, he began pounding Cowd’s head against the wall, over and over. He slugged him in the face, and broke his aristocratic nose, then began strangling the professor.

Sten grabbed him back. “Robert, no! You can’t kill him!”

“Why the FRELL NOT?”

“You can’t kill him, but the law can. Don’t be like him. He has to have a fair trial, then he can be executed.”

Robert dropped the now senseless Cowd to the floor, and turned to Gr’Vinnia.
He commed for the med techs, and knelt beside her, raising her head and shoulders further out of the water. He head drooped on his shoulder, the little ear tufts he’d liked so much tickling his cheek. “Grivvy, don’t die! The techs will be here quickly. Stay with me!”

A whisper struggled past her lips. “I’m so sorry for everything”

“Sssh, don’t talk. Save your strength. I’m sorry too, for the awful things I said. Grivvy, I love you.”

“I love you too” and he body shuddered, then went still. Robert bent his head and salt water mingled with green blood.

"None left

103

The at the end of my previous post is an error. It shouldn’t be there.

104

:smack: Preview is my friend. What shouldn’t be there, at the end of my story post, are the words "None left

105

As Kark and Kathy came to the protected private entryway of Cowd’s suite, the scene was quite different from what they had just left. The door was removed from the outer wall and lay some several yards away near a clump of bushes along the walk. In fact, most of the exterior wall itself was gone.

Stepping gingerly over the debris, they made their in to the inner parts of the domicile. The sight which greeted them was both impressive and disturbing. The huge figure of Sten filled most of the room, stooping over quite a bit and breathing heavily. He was holding a hand over his exposed torso, blood dripping from his side and down his arm. Patches of burnt skin and fur surrounded the covered wound.

A broken Glaren burst rifle was in Sten’s other hand. A human hand still gripped the trigger.

Robert stood in a slight crouch facing away from Sten, standing slightly ahead of him. Right in front of them was the Professor and Gr’Vinnia. Cowd held Grivvy in front of him grasping her close to him with his bloody arm, the severed end spewing blood all over her. With his other hand he held a dagger at her throat.

As Kathy and Kark got closer, they could see that the dagger had already penetrated several inches into Grivvy’s neck, but she was still obviously alive, as her eyes kept looking to Robert and then to Sten and her lips were quivering in a feral grimace.

“Look, Cowd,” Robert was saying, “No one needs to die. Not you, not me, certainly not Grivvy. Just let her go and surrender to us.”

Half crazed with pain, Cowd responded, “If anyone makes a move towards me, I will finish the upward thrust into her brain. From this angle, even if it didn’t kill her, it would still sever the Q’tinli, the center for cognitive thought in a Xavvian brain.”

“We know what the Q’tinli is, you monster,” growled Sten. “And I promise, if you do… I will remove each and every appendage from your body. Slowly. With extreme malice.”

“Now, let’s not be hasty. Anyone,” interrupted Kark. Nodding to Kathy, he continued, “We can end this peacefully. Mrs. Channing and I are here as official representatives of Forsetti. Law will be followed. You will have your day in court…”

As he said this, he noticed Robert slyly moving forward. Impressed with the young man’s skills He doesn’t even seem to moving a muscle! Kark tried to extend the moment. “Cowd. We have on record your crimes from other worlds. Don’t make it any worse for you by committing a crime on this planet.”

On the first syllable of the word planet, Sten dropped the rifle, causing Cowd to lookat the sound. Robert took the opening provided and rushed Cowd in one swift, almost invisible movement. He had Cowd’s good hand in his own and his other hand on Cowd’s face, his fingers worked into the bottom of Cowd’s eyesockets.

Grivvy began to fall away and Kark quickly moved to make sure she didn’t collapse on the knife in her throat.

Cowd, his body paralised by Robert’s hold, bellowed in rage and fear.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t rip your throat out with my bare hands, Professor?” Robert sneered to him.

“Kathy Channing, Agent of Peace, requesting immediate emergency response,” could be heard as Kathy used the room’s still intact comm. unit.

106

Darn. Didn’t see your post. We must have been writing at the same time.

107

The gruesome scene which greeted Kathy and Kark felt rather cold and disjointed. Robert and Sten had brought Cowd and Grivvy out from the facilities and into the comfotable den. Robert had lain Grivvy out on one of the comfortable couches and covered her naked body with an embroidered blanket. He was kneeling beside her with one of her hands in his, his face an empty mask.

Cowd had been secured by Sten and was moaning slightly.

“I like how you secured him, Sten,” offered Kark. “Where did you find the living wire?”

“It seems to follow me around, man, not realising it is contraband. It like s me,” Sten replied.

Kark motioned towards Robert and Grivvy, “Is she…?”

His fierce features softening, Sten answered, “Yes. We were too late. I blame myself. One minute would made the difference.”

A low growl could be heard in the room, slowly gaining in volume. Then, Robert burst out in a bellow that sounded for all the world like a Xavvian war cry.

Looking at Kark’s surprised expression, Sten explais, “It’s a rage offering. I never knew the Human throat was capable of such a thing.” He went over to the now prone and unconscious Robert, knelt beside him, and pierced his forearm. Lifting it over the dead body of Gr’Vinnia, he squeezed the blood from the wound, letting it mingle with the blood still flowing from her wounds. “Your blood is mixed. The fight continues. A generation comes, a generation leaves. The fight continues.” Having aided Robert in the rite, he laid him next to Grivvy on the couch.

Turning to Kark and to Kathy, he said, “We must go outside for a moment. I’ll take Cowd.”

108

After the room was empty of all but the lifeless Grivvy and the unconscious Robert, a faint shimmering of swirling light appeared in the room. It seemed to have emanated from the corpse of Gr’Vinnia.

Slowly drifting across the room, it stopped in front of a large houseplant. The plant shivvered almost imperceptively and a series of clacking noises could be heard (if anyone had been there to hear.)

After several moments, the swirling light brightened rapidly and then disappeared.

Robert stirred on the couch but did not awaken.

109

Elsewhere, a better sort of ending was playing out.

“Judge, how much further do we have to crawl?”

“Not much further, and I keep telling you, I’m not a Judge!” growled the exasperated simian guide."

Twenty more meters, and another grate was reached. After being pushed aside Darson and the simian dropped into a darkened room. The guide produced a small lightstick, and by it’s glow Darson saw they were in what appeared to be a large storage closet. Boxes and crates of various sizes were stacked in neat piles, but the print identifying them was one unfamiliar to Darson.

“You don’t have much longer before you leave” said the simian “so let me tell you about the arrangements that have been made for you”

Here it comes thought Darson, so it was a Test after all.

“Here’s your fake identicard and travel documents. You will be Narling Janx, a Tharn dealer in pharmaceuticals. We had to work the papers up fast, and the cover isn’t as deep as we, or I should say youmight want, but Tharn authority is looking for you just now, since they think you are dead. We aren’t far from the port.” She rummaged around on the other side of a pile of boxes. "Ah, here it is, like they promised. She hauled out a small, plain traveling case. “It would look odd if you didn’t have at least a carryon. This is supposed to contain basic clothing and a few “personal” items, like toiletries, some holo cubes I think, and so on. Those papers will get you to your next stop, from which you will be transferred quietly to a private vessel the will take you to the FFISH colony.”

"But I thought, when you said ‘arrangements, you mean, you mean you really aren’t a Judge? I’m actually getting out of here?’

“So it finally penetrated your thick skull! Yes! Advocate Corianav, myself, and several others have cooperated in this affair.”

“But Corianav is a Xavvian.”

“Bright boy. You noticed.”

“But they hate us Tharns, especially my kind.”

“Well some people, including Xavvians, believe nobody should be persecuted for traits they have no control over.” Here there was a soft beeping. “There’s the signal. Pick up that bag and come over here to the door.”

Darson did as he was ordered. “Alright,” said his guide, when I open this door all you need to do is walk straight down the corridor for about a hundred meters. That will be your embarkation point. Get in line and act like you belong there. Good luck, and may the Tree Lord make your steps safe. She opened the door, peered out, and pulled him forward. Darson started to walk away, and then turned back. “Wait, I didn’t even get your name!”

“For you, Harriet Tubman. Now get moving!”

Darson began walking again, slowly at first, then he picked up speed, as he headed towards safety, and the company of those of his own kind.

110

The next few days were busy for Kark and Kathy and Cori. They were each getting together the information needed for the Criminal Court of Forsetti concerning the arrest of Cowd and the apparant framing of M’Artel.

Kathy had just come into kar’s office to feel him out about the Kel Xol’s involvement in all this. Some nasty rumors had been surfacing about events over the last two years. She was surprised to see Cori, M’Artel, Robert, and Jaade already there.

“Seems like Council wants to tell us all something. They sent messages from my desk for everyone to meet here,” Kark informed her. Sten lumbered in behind her.

“SInce when does Council get involved in criminal cases?” asked Kathy.

Before anyone could answer her, a figure appeared before them. The creature was small and slight of build, with a large head shaped somewhat like an inverted triangle. Its eyes were large, oval, and wide spaced. Its ears were mere holes in the side of its hairless skull. The face had no nose and very thin lips. Its skin was very slightly greenish grey. For some odd reason, it made Kathy and Robert somewhat uneasy, as though reacting to a buried memory.

The Council Spokesman announced, "Kathy Channing, Lord Savior of Peace, Captain Karkamin Hingman, Robert A. Harker, Heir to Space Rangers military police, M’Artel, Corianav, q’Stant’Lit, Cowd Agans Terwilian, q’Liav’Amha, Victor over Kel Channing, q’Lit’Liav, Sten Organig, Kel entity Xol, you are Summoned.

“You will present your cases before Council in three standard days. This supercedes all lower courts of all jurisdictions. This message is being simultaneously relayed to all concerned parties”

The the little green man jaunted away, leaving in its wake a stunned and beweildered small crowd.

“Wow,” said Sten, “Even I didn’t know my klan name. It’s usually not revealed to us before our 200th birthday. So… what’s it like to be at Council? Anyone here ever done that before?”

111

The Renallian led Daneille and Soren hand in hand in hand to their room. A Voss quietly sweeping and dusting plants turned his eyes from the departing Cori to them as they entered the lift. He returned to sweeping as he continued to monitor the lobby.

Danielle and Soren found social pleasantries a waste of good time. Even their first date was a lively discussion of crystal waveform propagation in non-space, which the waiters found irritating as they tryied to set down plates and glasses around the scattered notepads and diagrams. Cori’s abrupt disappearance was met more with satisfaction and let them carry on.

After cleaning up they returned to the University’s Orbital Crystal Research Facility. A tube ride to the Downs or a shuttle to orbit made any point on or off Forsetti a short ride. Kathy’s calls ahead and Soren’s connections had garnered some laboratory space and the latest technologies for their crystal researches. Danielle’s and Soren’s new equipment was showing promise to unlock more crystal secrets but grants and priorities were often dictated by political and not scientific expediency. With Kathy’s reports of Kel involvement and Forsetti Securities’s analysis showing unusual non-space traces in the murders, political expediency found it useful to give in to science.

Their equipment was delivered and they set about connecting it to the new toys they had been given. The Facility was a collection of pluggable modules and on an outside bubble, a 60 meter engineering bubble had been attached via a docking port. It was a self regulating non-space generator used to test engine parts placed around the space/non-space field boundary. It only created a non-space area a little over a meter in diameter, but that would do.

Danielle ferried their equipment in a out of the generator since she was the only one who could maneuver. Detectors had been placed in non-space before, but the readings were indeciferable. Danielle and Soren’s discoveries allowed them to create new sensors that just needed an opportunity. By placing their non-space sensors actually in non-space they expected to actually see what was out there and get a glimpse of where those odd brainwave-like signals were rotating.

They powered up the system and rotated their sensors into non-space. A signal activated the sensors and started transmitting back data. The displays showed massive interference. “Damn,” growled Sorena as he slapped his cane onto the table, “I knew the transmitter would echo through the field and screw up the readings.”

“Soren,” said Danielle in her calm but matter-of-fact voice, “We need to do it my way, and you know it.” They had discussed all their plans on the trip, knowing the equipment they would have available. Soren grasped her shoulders and started to protest, but knew it was useless. They both suspected noise was going to be a major problem. The only way to prevent it was to stop the communication link through the barrier to the sensors. “I’ll suit up,” she said and he kissed her. The sensors still had to be controlled and the only way to do that was at the sight. Danielle was the only one who could fit in the core. She would run the equipment while it was rotated into non-space.

Being in non-space wasn’t a problem, ships did it all the time. Test subjects showed it to be safe, but accidents happen. If she got caught or partially in the field she could be ripped apart. There might even be unknown dangers; something of an oxymoron. And if only they had known that their first sensor sweep had caught the attention of something else they might have taken more precautions. But Xol had seen this odd occurance and what precautions could they have taken against It.

112

The Council representative that approached Xol was one of the more unique forms of life found in this galaxy. Existing along several planes of reality simultaneously, it was the logical choice to seek out the non-space manifestation of a Kel.

As the representative announced the names Summoned, Xol’s curiosity was piqued more than anything else. He certainly felt he had little to actually fear. For eons, the Council of Peace had held its trust concerning the treaty with Kel. Xol had no doubt it stick for many more millennia.

Instead of disappearing, though, the Representative remained, obviously aware of the questions this ancient and powerful Kel might have.

“The Emperor of the giant cats Himself? At a criminal court case? Do you really think that he will show?” asked Xol to the creature cycling in and out of different realities before him.

“He has no choice,” was the answer. “All political appointments are governed by Council wherever it has applied its power. The Xavvian royalty are more than duty bound to us. They will all appear.”

Xol nodded in agreement. “Yes. You speak truth. Yet, you put a notorious fiend in the same context of as righteous souls.”

“Your sarcasm is not lost on me, Xol of Kel. We are well aware of Cowd’s heinous acts. But the Council is not concerning his crimes against sentience. It is a much more pressing, even dangerous matter that we must resolve.”

Laughing briefly, Xol retorted, “When I said notorious fiend, I did not mean Cowd, old friend.”

“Do not call me friend, Xol of Kel. If you feel you must address me personally, use my title, Open Mind. We have not been friends for some many galactic revolutions now, have we?”

The animosity of Open Mind was quite apparent to anyone who could see in the plane they were now in. In the ‘real’ world, the conversation looked for all the world like a midnight thunderstorm.

“Fine, Open Mind. Your title does not do you true justice. Empty Thought would a more true representation.”

“I tire of you yet again, Xol of Kel. Will you appear as Summoned? Or not?”

“I will be there.”

At that, the thunderstorm abated and a dragon flew out of the clouds, alighting on a rocky shelf in the Downs IV. A slight disturbance in a nearby space/non-space transition corridor caught his attention.

113

A message was waiting for Robert in the small apartment he and M’Artel now had. What was this place, the third, fourth, since coming to Forsetti?

The message was a recording from Forsetti Security, asking him to call. He punched in the code and found himself facing another Tharn officer. This one had a distinctly feminine(to human eyes) cast of features. “Robert A. Harker? I am Sergeant Harlay. I understand you requested the body of the Xavvian Gr’Vinnia, when testing and autopsy was complete.”

Robert winced in pain. “Yes, yes I did.”

The sergeant’s face softened a little. Then I am informing you that all tests and examinations have been completed, and, since no other kin has claimed her, you are free to claim her. Please be informed that after claiming you must, within four standard days, show documentation that the remains have been legally disposed of."

“I understand. Can you comm me the details?”

“Of course.”

Robert switched off. He’d asked for the body of Grivvy to delay admitting she was really gone. But now he had a funeral to arrange. M’Artel, he’d ask M’Artel, since he’d actually assisted at a Xavvian funeral, and had been studying with his people’s priests.

M’Artel chose that moment to return, but Robert didn’t speak up at once. M’Artels clothes were torn , with several rents in the parti-colored vest he was wearing.
“What happened to you?” exclaimed his friend.

M’Artel let loose with a string of Xavvian profanity. Then, “In the Name of the Mother, I don’t know what’s got into the Voss! This is the second time in the last four days one has assaulted me! What have I done now? As if a single Voss could take a Xavvian. I’ve flattened both of them, and they’re cooling their heels with Security, but day-um!”

“Listen, M’Artel, I need to know something about Xavvian funerals”

“Grivvy?”

“Yes. They will release her to me, but I don’t really have a clue as to what is appropriate.”

“Well, normally we hold the ceremony within a standard day of death. But there are exceptions, especially for cases like yours.”

So what am I supposed to do now? I can’t afford a lot of frills, but I want to do right by her."

M’Artel went over some of the basics with Robert. There were only three fully adept and accepted Xavvian priests serving their people in Forsetti, and they were extremely busy. M’Artel went briefly to meet with one, and that worthy “deputized” M’Artel, authorizing him to conduct the funeral in the priest’s stead.

The funeral was small, held in a small enclave in the Downs, and by Xavvian standards it was quiet. Not many were in attendance, as, chanting, M’Artel circled the shrouded body, laying on it’s bier. There were a few of their fellow students who had known her, Corianav, Sten, and Robert, and that was all. M’Artel’s ritual garb was plainer than that of the full priest he had assisted on Sevastol. Robert was one who did not look away, when M’Artel cut himself for the bloodletting, reflecting a new toughness in him, and he did not hesitate when M’Artel passed him a lighted torch, to ignite the bier. Smoke and flames rose quickly, and in a surprisingly short time, Grivvy was gone.

The small group dispersed, but Robert stayed until the ashes cooled, to collect them. Part he had arranged to send to the one consecrated Xavvian temple in Forsetti, to be places in a memorial pillar. The rest he would keep.

114

The Bestssial restrained his urge to kill the Voss. They had spoiled an opportunity to capture M’Artel with their childish acts of hate. He realized it might take all sixteen of them to both decoy any zealots away from M’Artel and take him to be judged.

Jossra squeezed through the crowd to join Vinssiska near a pillar. “I could barely get in the door,” he panted. “All these rumors about a V’meer’tikh murder have sure stirred up the spirit lately,” add Vin. It was the third day of Rossiliksa and usually only the first and last days saw large crowds. A Ssibestal emerged from the floor and stood in the rotunda. “Ssibestich Rorsstroch has been called away. I am Ssibestal Mordesskil. Our service today is a reflection on the teachings of Rossil as he contemplated in Pirich’s prison …” The sermon faded out and returned as the murmuring rose and died away. “I’ve never heard of anyone but a Ssibestich leading the service. What could be so important that he would leave during Rossiliksa?” whispered a puzzled Jossra. “And why isn’t there another Ssibestich to take his place?” asked Vin. “I’m going to find out,” said Jossra.

He, like so many other Voss congregation members, saw strange things happening with the clergy and determined to find out what was going on. A wave of suspicion, not fanned by Xol, began to spread throughout the population.

Rorsstroch, Vimisska, Millissqul, and Frarssiklis sat uncomfortably in the posh cabin. None had ever ridden in such luxury. None had ever ridden. A compromise between asceticism and expediency had to be reached. They took the fastest transport that used the least intrusive technology - a solar powered blimp that would get them to the city in half a day - a dizzying prospect. They settled on the floor with their prayer scrolls laid about and chanted. They had to prepare for the Trial Against Evil and even the most erudite Ssibestich had only a dim recollection of the rituals. They would have had more room if they had known about the folding bed in the wall. Or the folding desk. Or the door to the bathroom.

The two Ssibestriss lowered the bridge door and it banged a jarring echo through the catacombs. They bowed and stayed that way as the aged Ssibest entered. The room was pitch black. The air felt hot and arid to his left, and cool and crisp on his right. Only a dim light from the door showed the outline of two pedestals on either side of the room. The Ssibest reached the left pedestal and slowly pulled back the cloth-lined cover. A warm glow, like an oven baking bread, wafted out. A crystal lay within and surrounded a white light that jumped and flickered like a candle. He said a soft prayer, replaced the cover, lifted the box, and placed it in the left pocket of his cloak. He walked over to the right side, and pulled back the cover. A crisp snap of new morning snow seemed to catch the air. With a prayer, the crystal with its black flame was placed in his right pocket. The Ssibest shambled slowly up the steps to the Mother Church as the two Ssibestriss hurried to close the bridge and help their leader.

115

Soren looked lustily at Danielle in her form fitting anti-static unitard. He followed her up the access tube with an adolescent glee and she was sure to stop and bump accidentally at appropriate moments during the ascent. The suit allowed her to slip into the core and maneuver more easily as Soren packed in the sensors. A final kiss on her foot was all he could manage. “Be careful and don’t hesitate to shutdown each cycle early if there are any problems,” said Soren. “Yes Mother,” came a muffled response and wiggle of a toe, “Let’s just hurry. I feel an itch coming on and I can’t reach my back to scratch it.”

Soren wiggled his way back down and sealed the hatches. At the control console he powered up the experiments and began, “Comm link established. Archive on standby. Gravity field off,” and with that Danielle felt a little freer in her cell. “Initiate phase one when ready - and I love you.” Danielle smiled, “Initiating - and I love you too.” She signalled the core to start and then shut off the comm link to prevent interference. The hologlasses gave Danielle a huge view of the sensor readouts and controls which felt odd sincce she was also twisted up like a pretzel. The battery packs jump-started a link with the non-space field and powered up the sensors. She began her first test.

The holoscans were similar to ones she had seen in the research journals, but it felt different knowing they were live. She tuned to the Jorgensen-Whitley-T’rkrinik transform and gasped. This view was the closest anyone had ever been able to process out of the signals that correlated to realspace. She found herself floating in a black void. Strung out behind her was an arc of bright suns with coronal loops and curls constantly in flux. These were non-space engines in orbiting spacecraft. “Down” below was what made her gasp. Thousands of points of light arrayed in ribbons and stacks in a spherical volume. Every one seemed to be a different color and each had faint streamers wafting out.

These were the crystal couriers, the crystal communication links, and the parts of realspace that manifested in non-space for no known reason. And all of these were laid out “under” her. She callibrated the equipment and ended the first phase.

“Get some cold air in here. Quick!” she panted into the restored comm link. The archive automatically downloaded the sensor data. “I knew this equipment would get hot in here but I didn’t realize how much - Ow! Remind me not to touch that!” Soren pulled a fan over to the access tube and turned it on. “I’ll get you an emergency air canister. Drop the pressure slowly throughout the experiment and bottom out at 990mb. That should syphon off some heat,” said Soren. “Good idea,” said Danielle, “and let’s pump in some cold air to start.”

Xol looked on in amusement at the Human’s clumsy attempts to understand non-space. Such a simple concept and they have to go at it in such a roundabout way. Xol was starting to shift his attention elsewhere when the second phase of the experiement began.

“Remember not to touch that,” said Soren. Danielle smiled and activated experiment. They would use feedback to try and follow the field disortions. The idea was to lead the sensors to the same realm where the unusual brainwave-like patterns were rotating. They suspected that realspace brainwaves were propagating in this unknown realm. This could lead to a technology to provide crystal-like communication to even non-crystal-adept people - in fact, anybody.

Danielle saw dizzying swirls, spirals, voids, and even disconcerting grids as the sensors tried to make a 3-D visible-spectrum hologram of what was happening. Danielle monitored and made adjustments to strengthen likely signals. A blast of colors flooded the visor and sensors locked on to a stream of activity. The sensors kept pace and the signals flooded in.

Xol tipped as though the planet was pulled out from under him. His dragon shape shifted to a cardinal, then a cobra, then a Tyrellian Bat, then an echinoderm, then he shifted into non-space to regain his senses. He saw the experiment and felt fear for the first time in millenia. He raced against the storm in primal fear vowing to destroy it immediately.

116

Soren heard a clap of thunder and looked over to the staging area. A black storm front was forming in the lab. Tendrils seemed to be stabbing out toward the core and were being pushed back by an unseen wind. He turned to abort the experiment and then his mind raced and thought better of it. Something in the experiment was inhibiting whatever this was or it would have advanced to the core.

“Stop this peasant! You have no rights here” cackled a blurry form that Soren vaguely recognized. “Loki?” he said. The image seemed to be the one he remembered from childhood. The unseen winds were blowing the form back as if in a silent hurricane. Xol was thinking more about stopping this storm and than forming an intimidating presense. His choice of Loki appealed to Soren’s childhood fears but as an adult was more confusing than frightening.

Phase two ended and Xol almost stumbled as the storm passed and he solidified as Loki. “Prepare to die!” He lifted his hand and a globe of lightning began to form. Just then the air and the mind were filled with a dozen voices in many languages. “YOU ARE SUMMONED TO COUNCIL” was heard. Xol exclaimed petulantly, “Not Now!” as he winked out.

Danielle’s voice could be barely heard echoing down the access tube, “I heard some noice like electricity sparking. Is everything all right down there.” Soren turned slowly toward the hatch, “Uh … I’m … not sure.”

117

Quickly coming back to his senses, Xol allowed the fear to pass through him and he calmly looked at the new situation. He was painfully aware of the new found technology that some of these creatures possessed, now being able to sense and damage non space effects and beings. What they had done to his many generations removed grandchildren Tag and Tagga had disturbed and enraged him at the time.

But, He remembered how other species had found lost, and found again such capabilities. He would be able to deal with this.

That bit of changing his form while in real space, though…. That gave Xol some pause. I’ll just put a little a scare into them for now, he thought to himself. Show my face, as it were, and chuckled Kel like at his little joke. He really did not want to admit to himself that he had been so frightened. The very Kel of Kels just doesn’t get scared. At least, that’s how he was allowing himself to see it.

“Robert,” asked M’Artel from the private study room of their new place, “Do you ever think about what all this means?”

“What do you mean?” Robert jokingly replied.

Getting up to join Robert, M’Artel was halfway though the short hall when the entryway chimed an ID.

Looking at each other, Robert asked for both of them, “We were expecting Voss visitors?”

118

Almost pure rage now, Xol lashed out at his confinement.

“WHY AM I IMPROSONED!?” he bellowed.

A voice entered into his mnid, “I have chosen to enact a litle known clause in our treaty, Old Friend, and am going to keep you here for your own safety untill Council’s Assembly begins.”

Settling down into his fantasicly energied cell, Xol had to admit to the defeat. For the moment. He would respond justly to Open Mind at the proper time.

119

M’Artel groaned. “It isn’t enough that they are mugging me in the corridors! Now they have to try and get me where I live? That vest was my favorite, and I don’t have all that many clothes left!”

“It made you look like a harlequin” said Robert."

“What did you say?”

“I said you hardly can ignore them. Call Security if you think you need to.”

The door chimed again and M’Artel peered out. “Shards! There’s at least seven or eight now, hard to tell,” and he went to get his comm.

Robert took a different tack. He looked around, figuring out what could be used as a weapon, then leaned against the wall and felt for his crystal. He hadn’t used it for calling since he’d nearly died contacting Kathy, but knowing of her concern over the current atmosphere of unrest, he figured she’d want to know what was going on.

“Kathy? Kathy? This is Robert.”

There was a short wait. Kathy hadn’t been sleeping well, and her usually robust appetite had dropped off in the last few days. It seemed she’d just managed to fall asleep for a nap, when Robert called.

Yes, Robert, what is it?" There was no trace of grogginess in her mental voice, and she became even more alert at what he had to tell her.

“Don’t let them in. Talk and see what they want. I’ll come, but I’ll eavesdrop on them first.”

“How will you do that? Oh. Oh yeah.”

120

All eyes were on Zora as he strode through the academy. He was out of uniform! One lieutenant simply stopped in his tracks instead of stepping aside like everyone else. “Admiral…?” Zora just waved him off.

Reaching a classroom, Zora pulled open the door and walked in. The cadets inside immediately started tittering amongst themselves. “He’s dressed as a tourist!” exclaimed one. The instructor simply blanched a bit, which isn’t easy for a Daestral.

“Aris,” Zora addressed the instructor, “I’d like to borrow your cadets.”

“By all means,” she said and stepped back.

“Class, I’m starting a new tradition. We’re going on a trip.”

“Sevastol?” asked a hopeful voice.

Someone pointed out, “They’re still rebuilding.”

“Someplace even more interesting! We’re going to Forsetti.” This was met by some confused murmurs. “Get all the necessary permission and meet me at the spaceport.” Zora turned on a heel and started out.

One cadet asked, “Why us?”

Aris fielded that one. “Mr. Kaval, don’t you know? This group is the best on campus!”

Now, just entering Forsetti orbit, Zora hoped the band of cadets in his charge would just spend their time exploring the sights on this unusual planet instead of helping Kark out of any mess.