CHAPTER 0NE

2330, Hyperion System

Jilaran Starke stomped through the puddles left by the morning’s rain, cursing with each step. She was wet, cold, and spitting mad. That snake had done it again: stolen the item she’d found and she hadn’t been able to get it back. Oh, he denied it, the worm, but she knew he had it. Grumbling, she entered the docking port and made a beeline for her ship.

Stopping in front of the ship, she pulled out a thin cylinder from her pocket, pressed a button, and watched the door slide open. Stepping onto the ramp, she pressed the button and hurried inside before the sliding door hissed shut.

“Welcome back, Boss,” said Ace.

Jilaran grunted at the sound of her Adapted Communication Enhancer or Ace as she dubbed him. He was a semi-sentient intelligence program she’d integrated into the Starfury’s systems when she had bought it three years ago.

“What did the ill-famed Dr. Chandor Gorim want this time?”

“What does he always want? For me to join the Coalition of Archaeologists. I really hate that man.”

“So you did not get the Chalice of Carthague back from him?”

It vexed her to even think about it. “No,” she brooded. “Do you know that slimy little toad had the gall to try and seduce me? As if I’d ever hook up with him. I’d rather mate with an ore mine rat.” She walked down the corridor to her quarters. “I have to find out how the hell he knows where I dig. His men are always there when I find something significant, and then they steal it. Ace, implement a type four diagnostic search of all systems and backups. I need to know if you’ve been tampered with, or if there’s anything in or outside the ship that isn’t supposed to be there.”

“Diagnostic under way. I will need your password to examine the encrypted files.”

“Jilaran P² zero one.”

“Password accepted. Scanning.”

Jilaran sighed and undressed. Dumping her soggy clothes in the washing bin, she pressed the button marked wash and stepped into the lav. Turning on the sonic shower, relief filled her as the warmth from the sonic rays seeped from the top of her head right down to her toes, cleaning and drying her at the same time.

Usually she preferred using the ancient method of hot water to cleanse herself, but she’d been wet enough for one day.

Leaving the lav, she crossed the room to the built-in drawers, touched one, and removed a pair of ancient brown dungarees, which she jerked up long slender legs and belted at the waist. Opening another drawer, she pulled out a neon purple Tee, slipped it over her head, and tucked it inside her pants.

Closing the drawers, she crossed over to the closet, grabbed the scarf that looked like a net, and wrapped it twice around her neck, letting the long ends dangle in front. Then she tugged out a lightweight, brown leather jacket and slipped it on before leaning down to pull out her second pair of soft leather calf boots and stepping into them.

Closing the door, she walked over to the headboard above her sleeping mat and waved her hand. With a slight smile, she watched as the illusion of the headboard faded away to reveal her small cache of weapons.

With great care, she leaned forward and extracted her whip from the magnetic wall and snapped it to her belt. Next was her shuriblaster, which she jammed into the holster on the other side of her belt. Waving her hand again, she waited until the shield concealed the weapons once again before she spun on her heel and headed to the door that glided silently open at her approach. On her way out, she grabbed her leather thong from her desk and tied her long, silvery hair into a ponytail.

“Your instincts were correct, Boss,” Ace’s voice announced as Jilaran stepped onto the bridge of her Starfury. “A bugger has been attached to the ship’s hull under the bridge. My scans indicate it has been modified to read the inputted coordinates, and there is something else.”

“Why that mangy son of a warblog!” Jilaran spat out. “If I ever have him in my sights, I’m gonna sever his head from his shoulders! What now?”

“The bugger is wired to detonate if any bots try to remove it, and could destroy the entire ship, along with a few other ones next to our slip. It is gravity activated and very sensitive. You will have to remove it manually. It can be done rather easily and safely, but only in orbit. If you try to remove it while planet-side, it is designed to detonate.”

Jilaran growled. She hated going outside while in space, but she had no choice. Though there was no evidence pointing to the culprit— buggers were a common device used to pirate information from other spaceships—she had no doubt it had been Dr. Gorim who’d had the damn thing attached to her ship. If the rumors were true, the man was capable of anything, including murder, to get what he wanted.

No wonder his lackeys were always there when she found an important artifact. The man was cunning and devious in his greed and would stop at nothing, it seemed. The recent and strange disappearances of some of his rivals from the coalition membership were linked to him. If she wasn’t careful, she could very well be next.

“Were your systems tampered with, Ace?”

“Negative, all systems and backup systems are clean. No anomalies found.”

“At least something is going right today,” she said to herself. “Prepare the ship for takeoff, we’re going to Galadon Prime to pick up Fuzz, then I’ll remove the bugger.”

Jilaran strapped herself in and entered a series of numbers on the console. The vid-screen displayed the image of a pimple-faced man barely out of his teens, ready to give her leave to depart.

“Captain Jilaran Starke of the Starfury, requesting departure.”

“Departure in five minutes, Captain Starke, by way of Gateway Two. Please start your engine and get into position. You may proceed on the green light. Have a safe journey, Captain.”

“Thank you.” Jilaran closed the vid-screen. Starting the engines, she backed up and positioned the Starfury at the outgoing entrance of Gateway Two. Three minutes later, she was exiting the gate, climbing high into the sky, and leaving the atmosphere of the planet Ajan and the Hyperion System behind.

* * * *

Jilaran approached the docking station orbiting Galadon Prime and contacted the station officer for docking procedures. “This is the Starfury, requesting permission to dock in Docking Port 9.”

“Please state the access code.”

“Jilaran Starke, Captain, 5579R2.”

“Access granted, Captain Starke. Welcome back. Will you be staying on the station or going planet-side?”

“Planet-side. I’ll be returning within the day with my morphdog, so I will need a private shuttle.”

“One will be assigned and waiting at Docking Port 5. Have a nice day, Captain Starke.”

“Thank you, Starke out.”

Jilaran maneuvered the Starfury into Docking Port 9. Very carefully, she settled the ship onto the docking clamps and sighed in relief when she heard them lock into place. An explosion now would only piss her off even more.

“Ace, once I’ve left the ship, activate the stasis field and voice warnings to anyone that approaches you. I don’t want someone accidentally blowing you and half the station up,” she said as she hurried to her quarters and snatched up a duffle bag from the closet. Going to her desk, she grabbed her wrist communicator and slipped it on.

“Yes, Boss,” Ace replied.

“I’ll contact you when I return. Password ‘Ace is wonderful,’” she informed him as the door slid open and she stepped from the Starfury. “Activate stasis field.”

* * * *

“That’s her. Jilaran Starke.” The man leaning against a wall indicated the silver haired woman who’d just entered the promenade.

Max Wylde directed his gaze at the woman his superior had ordered him to protect, but she was too far away for him to clearly see her face. She was an archaeologist, but not one of the most renowned. Although she was not a member of the Coalition of Archaeologists, four people in that circle had disappeared and were presumed dead.

Why his superior wanted this one protected, Wylde didn’t know, but vowed that this time he would not fail in his duty.

Jilaran Starke moved with purpose, he observed, as he watched her hitch the duffle bag more firmly onto her shoulder and stride through the swinging doors that led to Docking Port 5.

She was leaving the station. He took out his communicator, contacted a member of his crew who was already planet-side, and gave his orders.

* * * *

Jilaran sat back and looked out the portal as the pilot landed the personal shuttle onto the platform outside the Flight Building.

At the gate entering the City of Azarad, better known as the City of Outcasts, she waited in line with others arriving on the planet to be processed. When her turn came, she presented her identification of citizenship and breezed through. Stepping out of the arrival building, she hailed a hover-cab and gave the cabby her address. Within minutes, she was standing on the walk in front of her home. On the outside, her home looked exactly like its neighbors, symmetrical designs and angles.

She hustled up the steps and leaned forward so the security system could scan her iris for identification.

“Welcome home, Captain Starke,” the electronic voice said. The door opened and she stepped inside. “You have two messages.”

“Play message one.” Jilaran crossed over to her vid-screen and sat down in front of it.

A furry face appeared, barked, then disappeared. In the background, her friend, Solinar, ran forward, shouting at the morphdog.

I told you she wasn’t back from her trip, Fuzz. You are the dumbest morph of Azarad! Sorry, Jilly-gal! And the vid-screen went blank.

“Play message two,” chuckled Jilaran.

Chancellor Morris’ face popped up, worn and grim. Her smile instantly faded as she determined from the look on his face that what he was going to say wouldn’t be good. “Captain Starke, I am sorry to do this, but you are being let go. Your severance pay has already been transferred to your account. Again, I am sorry.”

Jilaran sat there, stunned as the vid-screen went blank. Fired? She’d been fired. Why? How could they do this to her? She was their best archaeologist. Damn them! Hadn’t she brought them the Shield of Vortans? The Scepter of Galakkin?

Jilaran blinked several times, fighting back the tears that threaten to spill out, but didn’t feel the lone one that slid down her cheek. Well, she wasn’t going to take this lying down. Not her, Captain Jilaran Starke!

“Computer, connect to Chancellor Morris at the Azarad Museum,” she said and waited. A few minutes later Morris’s face appeared.

“What the hell is going on, Morris?” she immediately demanded.

“Jilaran—uh...” he began.

“Why am I being let go, Morris? You owe me an explanation. I’m your best field archaeologist, damn it!”

Jilaran watched Morris’s face closely. He wouldn’t meet her eyes so she knew something was definitely up. She only hoped he wasn’t a coward and would give her an answer.

“I’m truly sorry, Jilaran, but orders came from high up that I was to terminate your employment with us. I wish I could give you a reason, but I can’t. They didn’t tell me why either. I did make sure that your severance pay was higher than they quoted so you’ll have some time to find another job and not have to worry where your next meal will come from,” said Morris.

Jilaran felt deflated. She could see the truth on Morris’s face. He really didn’t know why she’d been fired. Sighing, she nodded to him and said goodbye.

Switching to the touchpad screen, she connected with her bank. Looking at her account, she frowned with displeasure. That was her severance pay? It wasn’t much, that was for sure, but combined with the credits she had in several other accounts, it would be enough for what she had in mind. Closing out of the account, she turned and crossed the room until she stood before a blank wall.

Like in her quarters on her ship, she waved her hand and watched as the illusion of the wall faded away, revealing a room with an ancient redwood desk hidden under tons of maps and charts of the four systems she’d collected over the years.

Adorning the walls were inconsequential artifacts she’d found, half masks, broken shields, broken daggers, knives and swords. Resting on pedestals, under glass domes were cracked plates, shards from what she was sure had at one time been an earthen vase, and other artifacts not in perfect condition.

She’d learned long ago that none of the galleries or museums accepted artifacts in poor condition, so she’d kept them for herself and displayed them here, behind the shield. No one knew she had them.

Strolling to her desk, she rifled through the pile of maps and charts until she found the one she was looking for. Setting it aside, she carefully and quickly moved the other maps and charts to the floor, then returned and spread out the chart of the Tantra System. Grabbing the hand-held scanner, she scanned the chart and uploaded it to her Analysis Processor System, or APS, to view later on the ship.

On impulse, she went over to one of the pedestals, removed the glass, and picked up a 10-inch piece of iron that was shaped like half of a key, but with a few missing teeth, that she’d found in the ancient ruins on the planet Avalos in the Aura System a few years ago. She turned it over in her hand a moment and began to put it back, but changed her mind. Instead, she stuffed it in the pocket on her pant leg and returned to the vid-screen after waving her hand to bring back the illusion concealing the room.

Tapping on it a few times, she connected with the supply store and ordered food, digging materials, and cleaning chemicals to be delivered to the Orbiting Station and placed outside Docking Port 9 by the end of the day.

Perusing the house one last time to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, she set the security system that connected directly to the Azarad Lawkeeper Squad, picked up her duffle bag, and left, quickly walking down the street to a house a few doors down from her own.

She knocked and, without waiting for someone to answer, stepped inside. She never had a chance to call out Solinar’s name as a big, black, furry animal came bounding towards her. Quickly she dropped her duffle and said, “Small,” and, in mid flight, the furry animal shrank to the size of a cat so it wouldn’t knock her over as it landed in her arms.

“How come he listens to you and not me when I say that word?”

Jilaran looked up at her friend who stood arms crossed and blue eyes sparkling with laughter.

“Because Fuzz knows what I’d do to him if he knocked me over, don’t you, my friend?” she said as she ruffled the morphdog’s head and scratched him behind the ear before putting him down. The one and only time he’d knocked her down, she’d coaxed him into a small cage by having him shift into an earth guinea pig and had left him in there for three days. For a morphdog, it had been a lesson well-learned. Morphs hated staying in tiny forms; it was too dangerous and uncomfortable.

As she walked towards her friend, Fuzz grew to his normal size, his body reaching almost to her hips and his head to her waist.

“So how did it go? Were you able to get the Chalice back?” her friend asked as she led the way into the kitchen.

Jilaran sat down at the table, shaking her head. “Gorim denied my accusations. Said he didn’t know what I was talking about. The authorities found nothing of mine in his storerooms. After they left, the slimy little toad tried to seduce me and is now sporting a black eye for his efforts.”

“I’d have given him more than a black eye. I’m sorry you didn’t get the Chalice back,” said Solinar as she poured them both a cup of Veloran tea. “Maybe Morris will send you on another dig, and you’ll find something there that will finally make you famous?”

Again Jilaran shook her head. “Morris fired me. The message was waiting when I got back.”

Solinar’s face turned red with anger. “Why that…that…that…”

“Ignoramus?” Jilaran supplied, a slight twinkle in her eyes.

“Ignoramus! No, bastard’s the word I was looking for.” Solinar’s blue gaze hardened. “How can he do this to you? You brought them some great artifacts, and they fire you. Why?”

Jilaran shrugged. “I don’t know and neither does Morris. I called and all he said was that the higher ups are the ones that fired me, and they didn’t give a reason. Right now, I don’t care. I have my severance pay, and I know just what I’m going to do with it.”

“What?”

“I’m going to follow my dream. Now that I don’t have to take orders from them anymore, I’m going to go to the one planet I’ve always wanted to go to.”

“You mean Mishakal? In the Tantra System?”

Jilaran nodded. “You know I’ve always been fascinated with that planet and finding out what happened there. Why the people and all living things on the planet disappeared.”

Solinar nodded. “Obsessed with the planet you mean. Even in school you talked about it constantly. I guess this is your chance to explore to your heart’s content.”

Jilaran smiled. “I’ve already ordered everything I’ll need and with Fuzz to watch over me, what could go wrong?”

Solinar’s eyebrow lifted. “Plenty could go wrong. But I know you. So all I can say is be careful and stay alert. Whatever you find there, you can be sure Gorim’s gonna want it, the greedy son of a bitch.”

“Don’t worry. Gorim isn’t gonna be there this time. You can bet on it,” Jilaran said as she rose. “I better go now. My supplies will soon be delivered and I want to be there to make sure they deliver everything.”

“Okay. Vid me when you can, or else I will worry.” Solinar rose too and both friends hugged. She walked with Jilaran to the door and watched as she and Fuzz got into Jilaran’s hover-car, which she’d parked in her driveway while on Ajan. She answered Jilaran’s wave as she drove by and prayed her friend found what she was looking for.

Ann Raven

CHAPTER 0NE