THE PLANET OF GOLD part 2

Copyright (c) 2018 by Randall R. Peterson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This is a work of fiction. All persons, locations and actions are from the author's imagination or have been used in a fictitious manner.

Keeper and the

PLANET OF GOLD

Part 2

By R. Peterson

Gary Manning, Todd Baker and George Goldman all sat in the front of the twenty-two foot boat as it sped across Pal Sadie’s lake. They were laughing over one of Todd’s jokes. A flock of swallows swooped and dived over the glistening surface catching insects. It was a hot August day and the sky above was a deep sapphire blue. I dangled my fingers over the side and the green water that sprayed on my face and neck felt fresh and clean. “Look at that!” Todd gasped as he pointed toward a rift that appeared to be opening in the sky. Unfiltered light shone through like a torn page in reality and then spread …

I opened my eyes and the duty-call light above my sleeping-quarters door was flashing. The inside of the gigantic spaceship, traveling at reverse light speed, a billion light years from Earth, felt strangely cold as I dressed. I was being summoned to the bridge of the Centurion … so much for dreams.

Keeper was talking to the ship’s navigator, Teuth, when I transported to the command level. “Your bio-monitor said you were dreaming,” Keeper was almost but not quite apologetic, “and you appeared to be having some good ones. I hated to wake you, but we’ve just received new destination instructions from Maltese 17 that I thought you should hear.”

“Pal Sadies’ Lake … before …. all this.” I told him. My mind felt like it was still stumbling out of a fog.

“Memories replaying in the mind are like favorite movies that can be enjoyed over and over again,” Keeper mused. “and we always have the best seat in the house.”

“Land-adapted cephalopods don’t dream,” Teuth said. “But I enjoy the holographic adventures in biosphere nine when I’m in a relaxation cycle.”

I looked at Teuth and laughed. With eight enormous tentacles covered with suction cups he looked like a nineteen fifties drive-in movie - second feature. “Creature from the black lagoon?”

His look said he needed an explanation. I didn’t have the time.

Keeper ignored us and went on. “We received this transmission more than an hour ago. It was heavily encrypted and took our system computers more than twenty minutes to decode.”

Teuth waved one of his tentacles through a series of colored light beams and a holographic image appeared. It was Admiral Yoádem Frizge, an  Anuran (frog) species, from the command center on Maltese 17.

“As you know, the Interplanetary Consortium has been extremely agitated ever since you towed the planet Midas 7 to our closest Mateuse 14 military base.”

We watched Yoádem’s long tongue reach out and slap at a Vesuvian fruit-fly buzzing past the recorder.

“Like setting a block of cheese next to a mouse hole and waiting for the rats to come out!” I scoffed.

Keeper put a finger to his lips and shhhhhhssst me. What was coming next would be important.

 “The Consortium along with their allies the Gorwat have set up an aggressive perimeter around Midas 7 and refuse to let any federation-friendly ships past their blockade. Our military response at this time is severely limited and it will be more than a thousand hours before we are able to assemble a valid defense.”

“How many Consortium ships are in the blockade?” Keeper asked.

Teuth had obviously anticipated this question, and was already calculating the defensive strength of all Federation friendly ships in the area.

“At last count more than eight-hundred thousand …with more ships arriving by the hour.” Several flies were now buzzing around his head, but Admiral Yoádem kept his mouth closed and looked grim.

            “My God! That’s an armada the size of the one that invaded the Viridio Galaxy” I blurted. “They must want that Planet of Gold pretty bad!”

“As you know their invasion of Viridio was a disaster of epic and historic proportions,” Admiral Yoádem said. “Unfortunately we don’t have the massive firepower and superior energy shields that these plant-based worlds displayed. And the Consortium is obviously counting on our lack of technology to seize what they want now.”

          “We’re just a rare-species acquisitions ship with relatively little firepower or defense,” Keeper told him. “What can we do against an enemy force of that magnitude?”

For the first time in several minutes Admiral Yoádem looked hopeful and he snatched up another fly as it buzzed past.

            “As you know Midas 7 wasn’t the only thing you and your crew towed back to its present location…”

            “Unknown to us, plant seed-spores were hidden deep inside the planet and they started a Viridian colony growing on nearby Promo 4,” Keeper said. “An impervious plant shield now protects that planet allowing Queen Delicia who is delighted with her new green allies to decide who interferes in their world …. and who is not allowed.”

            “Exactly,” Admiral Yoádem said. “I believe you have a very connected Porosities crew member serving on your ship … is that correct?”

            “Leika is our Organic Science officer,” Keeper told him.

            “Make due haste to Promo 4 and have your Leika use her substantial influence to persuade her mother Queen Delicia and the Viridians to place a protective shield over Midas 7,” Admiral Yoádem said. “It is our only hope.”

It was the first time I’d ever seen Keeper really agitated. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

            “We’re as you sometimes say on Earth … screwed,” he moaned.

            “We’ve been in worse spots,” I told him. “Where is my darling Leika?”

            “She’s locked in a detention level on Biosphere six for lewd or lascivious interactions with that last group of cadets we transported to Voldor 7. One of those young officers, the ambassador to Vesuvius’s son,  who by the way is still in therapy, cut off one of his nine ears and mailed it to her  along with a dozen Falapian orchids and a large bottle of Jotimo nectar … Leika has almost 6 days left on her sentence,” Keeper said.

            “Jotimo nectar! Wow!” I stammered, then remembered the trouble we were in. “She’s not going to be happy,” I shook my head.

 “That’s an understatement!” Keeper laughed as he looked at me. “I’m just glad I’m not the one going to release her!”

-------2-------

Leika lay near naked on the sandy white beach, basking in the artificial sun light. A crystal glass filled with ice and expensive Draconian bourbon was in her hand. Every half minute a wave brought bubbling water to caress her toes as birds sang in the tree tops. “Are you here to gloat over my torture?” Her voice was filled with venom and her eyes were like fangs … ready to deliver the fatal poison. I had to look away. Even with all my defense instincts on high alert she was still captivating.

“Keeper is commuting your sentence to time served,” I told her.

“Really?’ she said downing the fragrant liquor and smashing the glass on a rock. “How foolish of him!” She snapped her fingers and one of a dozen flightless birds, acting as her servants, ran to fetch her another drink.

“The Federation is in trouble,” I told her. “The Gorwat and a thousand other low-life planetary systems are trying to steal Midas 7. Keeper wants you to influence your mother and her green friends to intercede.”

Leika had her face buried in a lounge-chair pillow and was shaking all over when the chicken brought the tray. There were two drinks, so I took one. The drink was gone and the ice nearly melted by the time she finally stopped the hysterical laughing.

            “This creates some problems,” she said, her voice still bubbling with laughter.

            “How’s that?” I looked around. The place looked like paradise to me but I knew Leika was used to better … a lot better.

            “Now I have to figure out what I get in return for his generosity,” she said. She smiled and rose to her feet. Lacey white wavelets lapped around her shapely legs, reluctant to release this modern day Venus. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. Not that breathing mattered, there was no place to run.

-------3-------

            I learned from several other crew members that Leika had composed a list of over three-hundred demands and submitted them to Keeper in return for her help. The Centurion’s captain barely glanced at them … and agreed. “We are flying into unimaginable danger,” Keeper told the crew as we assembled on the bridge. “The Gorwat are our fiercest enemy and the Viridians are at best unpredictable.

            “I have plotted a course for the Mateuse 14 military base closest to Midas 7,” Teuth continued addressing the ship’s personnel. “We should enter their gravitation fields in less than fourteen hours. I would suggest that any crewmembers, not on active duty, use this opportunity to occupy a sleep chamber and become fully rested … we’re going to need it.”

I was suddenly tired and was entering my code into the systems array for a sleep assignment when Leika approached me. Her quills were out and she looked ready for a fight. “Where do you think you’re going?” It wasn’t a question … I could see a smirk on her face.

            “I’m tired Leika,” I told her. ‘I don’t have time for your games!”

            “Oh! But you do!” she cooed, allowing one of her spines to softly caress my neck. All the hairs on my legs began to dance at the same time. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She handed me a copy of the demands she had given Keeper. “Read number twenty-five!”

-------4-------

            We entered the Maltese 17 military base with an escort of fourteen Federation destroyers and it was still like running a gauntlet. The number of enemy vessels was unbelievable. We were hit and lost all power to our shields a dozen times by what Keeper called warning shots. “They don’t want a war any more than we do,” he said. “They just want us to understand what will happen if we try to stop them from taking Midas 7.”

The base itself was an exercise in controlled panic. Military personnel rushing about to complete their assignments still took time to shake hands, render hugs and more or less say goodbye to old friends as if it was going to be the last time they would see each other.

We assembled in a briefing room and Admiral Yoádem outlined our plans … this time in person.

            “The Gorwat and their allies have blocked all communication with Promo 4 so your mother won’t know you’re coming,” he told Leika. “We know it will be very dangerous flying through their blockade so we’ve secured a Porosities diplomatic vessel to transport you and hope they don’t want to risk war with the Viridians.”

            “Fine,” Leika said. “I want an open channel connected to Gugo Ventbong’s flag ship at all times. I want to see the look on that lizard’s face when he sees it’s me he’s dealing with!”

            “We have a team of the Federation’s best pilots and security personnel standing by whenever you’re ready,” Keeper said.

            “I won’t need them.” Leika said. She was teasing one of the soldiers guarding the transporter platform with her spines. “I’m sure First Officer Jeff Bland can fly a Porosities cruiser …. “ She stopped and licked her lips. There was an audible moan from the bridge. “and what he doesn’t know … I’ll teach him.”

-------5-------

As if flying through the blockade wasn’t enough, Leika kept teasing the Gorwat by substituting pictures of mice, a kangaroo and even a rabbit on the identification screen each time she was asked to identify herself. I felt the tiny ship shudder from several near miss impacts. Finally she switched the camera to giant magnification and pressed her face as close to the camera as possible so that her holographic image would fill the entire bridge on the enemy command ship.

            “Tell your lizard leader, Ventbong, to eat a box of breath mints before he comes crawling to me,” Leika said.

The War Chief of the Gorwat  appeared as a hologram a few seconds later dressed in priceless Tanarium silk and wearing dozens of campaign medals. His green hair looked to have been expertly tinted and styled.

            “Leika, my dear!’ he cooed. “Always such a delight to bask in your incredible radiance.”

            “I always feel dirty when I hear someone spit your name,” she said. “Looking at your unmated, leering, lizard-face I now know why!”

Gugo Ventbong smiled and closed his eyes as if relishing the moment. “Like a rare Falapian orchid, our love may take many years to grow. But all the best things in the universe are worth waiting for … are they not?”

            “Wind your worm back into its hole,” Leika said. “I’m on my way to see my mother. She won’t be happy if she finds out you’ve delayed me!”

Ventbong was smiling again …. and he was making me nervous.

            “Your mother very much wants to visit with her only daughter,” he said. “I was going to wait until you transported aboard … but why wait?”

The holographic camera zoomed out to show a mobile hospital bed being rolled out onto the Gorwat control room. The creature strapped to the bed was barely discernable as a woman. Several fingers had been replaced with stems and leaves and one side of the face was a yellow blossom.

            “It appears that Queen Delicia has allied herself much too closely with the Viridians,” Ventbong declared. “We have agreed as part of a new non-aggression agreement to transport her back to the galaxy of Viridio for treatment.”

            “Mother!” Leika gasped.

TO BE CONTINUED …