1
Commander Duncan Wayside was a hard man to serve under. Standing 6’3” in a taut muscled frame; his tan face belied his 44 years. His reddish-brown hair was slightly graying at the temples, and he wore it long, tied at the base of the neck. He did not follow what he considered ‘silly’ rules and regulations onboard his ship. He did however stress discipline in performance of one’s duties, and proper conduct towards one’s fellow shipmate; male or female. He had a personal policy of acknowledging all in his command and could call each man or woman by name. He took great care of his crew; worked along side them, ate with them, and fought with them. On his ship, it was the united effort of all that made the difference and paid off many times over. The Phoenix was sought out by many to serve on; but only the best made it to her decks.
Once she had been the finest battle cruiser of the fleet, the Nelson. At the Battle of Regis IV she had been all but blown apart; Duncan and his crew had barely survived themselves.
Their refusal to give up had won the day, but the cost had been the ship herself. Maybe it was sentimentality, but Duncan could not give her up; not after the beating she took and the way she had kept going against all odds. He and his crew had asked for and received permission to refit her and bring her back on line. Duncan considered it a small reward for saving the World and quite possibly the Galaxy.
At Duncan’s direction she was transformed into something else. His engineer, Chief Swanson, had gone to work on her and done things unheard of in engineering fields. He had reconfigured her engines and reshaped her warp drive; when he was finished she worked on two distinct levels. Her laser cannons were reshaped and rewired to work on a cycling wave; thus producing a beam that could cut thru any known material. He also reworked her proton cannons and gave them an extra ‘kick’, as he liked to put it. She was faster than anything in the fleet, and much more maneuverable. Her shields were laid out in layers around the ship and operated on an oscillating frequency. As a result, she was impenetrable, the only ship of her kind. Duncan renamed her the Phoenix, a fitting name for the noble lady he thought, beautiful and deadly.
In the five years since being re-commissioned the Phoenix had been exploring new worlds as a representative of the Guild. Duncan and his crew had become very adept at diplomacy and all it entailed. The ship had begun a Library of sorts and he filled it with the knowledge they discovered on these journeys. Each planet was catalogued, their people and their customs, their languages, history, and technology. The work was very exciting and the crew of the Phoenix learned to expect anything on each new world they made contact with.
Sontui , a green rain-forested planet turned out to be a favorite planet of the crew; its inhabitants were a peaceful reptilian-like race that loved to party. There was always some kind of ‘event’ going on, and the lovely females of this world seemed to be fascinated with the ‘Earthers’, and their mating rituals. Needless to say, the crew was very accommodating, thus making the Phoenix always a welcomed guest. This was not always so with other visitors.
Duncan had made a strong friendship with Tua, one of the scientific leaders of Sontui.
They shared a love of Rhouku, a chess-like game and he enjoyed matching strategy with her. During these games they had many discussions about the different worlds in the area.
She would describe the inhabitants and their customs in great detail, and Duncan would commit all to his famous memory for later recording.
Tua was quite beautiful in her own way, and very intelligent. Her sleek blue-green skin was soft and sensual to the touch. Her form was lithe and Duncan found, very similar to Earth females. She had ample breasts and a trim waist, and a long sleek tail that could perform miracles. She was extremely sensual in everything she did.
Now to be honest, not all their time together was spent on talk. Tua was definitely interested in Duncan and made no bones about it. They joked about it on many an occasion, but one time she made an overt advance; one which Duncan knew he could not ignore. To her surprise he happily complied and 'jumped in' so to speak, sweeping her off her feet. By the time he was finished he had actually gotten her to ‘sing’; a feat no other had ever accomplished. As a result many of the females sought him out and would give him no peace until Tua stepped in and declared Duncan her ‘claim’. Their friendship endured right up to the present, and she still sought out his company whenever their ship returned to the planet.
In their many discussions Duncan learned that her knowledge included the Green Planet.
The Sontuians had made brief contact, but were told that contact with ‘Outsiders’ was not wanted. Tua explained that no one had ever landed on that planet (that she knew of), and no one had ever even seen the inhabitants. The leaders of Sontui all agreed it was best to give the Green Planet a wide berth.
She did recall however, that once, about fifty years ago, there was a report of some kind of battle going on near their planet. It was very fierce and many ships were destroyed on both sides. The inhabitants of the Green Planet were fighting off an attack by Scathers, an ancient race of insect-like beings; a very unpleasant race she added. Usually the Scathers stayed in their Galaxy and did not venture beyond - except where the Green Planet was concerned. There seemed to be some kind of unholy war between the two, and no one in the Galaxy wanted to get involved in it.
She relayed that one Aquarian Captain told her of an encounter he was witness to. A Scather ship crossed paths in space with a sleek Silver ship. Reaction was swift and deadly on the part of both, but the Scather ship lost and was utterly destroyed in seconds. Other than that, no one had heard anything from either side for several years now. She often wondered if they had killed themselves off.
Eighteen months later, and well into the third week of a game of cat and mouse, Duncan was loosing his patience; weary of playing. Something was showing up on their screens as a quick ‘blip’ and then disappearing. Every hour or so it would register for a nano-second and disappear just as quickly. Something was hiding out there, and it was acutely aware that it was being shadowed by the Phoenix. It had led the Phoenix to a nearby asteroid belt and quickly disappeared among the large spinning rocks.
Only four parsecs from the ‘Green World’, Duncan made the decision to ignore the standing order of ‘contact’ and forego any attempt. Yet he couldn’t help but notice the path of their ‘ghost’ ship. Duncan rose and went up to the navigation bridge and looked at the map laid out before him.
Our friend showed up here, he thought to himself as he traced the way with his finger and followed the track. Hmm… Lets see where you are headed my elusive friend.
Duncan followed the track and quickly saw that he was right, the ship was slowly making its way towards the Green Planet. Well now, isn’t this interesting?
“Sir,” his concentration was broken and he was brought back to the present. The tactical sensor navigator continued; “we have company, big company,” the last said with emphasis.
Duncan’s senses immediately went on alert. He went to the sensor display and watched the screen as a large blip appeared.
“They just came out of warp sir,” said Lt. Plummer, the sensor operator. “They’re cloaked, but not effectively so. I think they want us to see them; they appear to be very interested in our elusive quarry.”
“On screen,” ordered Duncan returning to the Captains chair.
The alien ship de-cloaked and was like nothing they had ever seen. Shaped like a series of large balls stuck together on a long sleek pipe. Reddish in color, it had a series of thick cables linking the balls together. Although bulky in appearance, it glided through the asteroid belt with surprising ease.
“Sir,” the navigation pilot asked, “do you want us to follow it in?”
“Let’s just watch for a moment Ensign Cooper,” Duncan answered, “slowly bring us about for the best advantage should things get nasty, but not close.” Duncan hit a button on his console and the comlink came on line, “Alexei, report to the bridge.”
A few minutes later the door slid open and Alexei stepped onto the bridge. Tall and wiry, his muscled frame was often overlooked. He was the ship’s Tactical & Security Officer.
His sandy brown hair was worn long, often in a thick braid at the back of his neck. His chiseled Nordic features and charming wit were a favorite with the ladies; but his pretty-boy features and charming personality hid a razor-sharp mind. He was extremely intelligent and had a photographic memory; nothing got by his keen eye.
His favorite past time was Chess; he loved outsmarting the computer when they played.
The A.I. was not too fond of playing him. His intuitive mind proved itself many times over in saving the Phoenix and her crew. He quickly looked around taking everything in; and then went directly to Duncan.
“Ah, I see our company has finally revealed itself,” he said surveying the screen before them. “I knew there was another ship out there; it was obvious our small ‘ghost’ was being chased.”
Duncan filled him in on all that had been taking place in the previous hours. Alexei listened to every detail and asked a few questions.
“So, what do you think?” asked Duncan knowing full well that Alexei had already made his own deductions.
Just then the large ship fired into the asteroid belt and their elusive quarry was suddenly very visible. The small ship darted between the larger asteroids trying to evade the continuing fire.
“I would say if that ship wanted to, it could destroy that puny little craft quite easily. I would also venture to guess that they are after whatever is in the smaller ship.” Alexei answered and added, “...and they want it alive.”
“I’ve been doing some calculations of my own,” began Duncan, “our friend out there hasn’t changed course. I’ve got a pretty good hunch I know where he’s headed.”
Alexei knew from experience that Duncan’s hunches were not to be ignored, “Go ahead,” he urged.
“I think that whoever or whatever is in that ship, is trying to get to the Green Planet.
We’ve been following it for weeks, and in all that time it has not deviated one bit from its main direction.” Duncan watched the screen and then continued, “This might be a chance for first contact; that is if we intervene.” He looked at Alexei and grinned, “What say you?”
“It’s a risk Duncan; but the payoff, whew, it would outweigh the risk. I believe we are faster than our cloaked ‘friends’; and I would say evenly gunned.” Alexei stared at Duncan and then a smirk played its way across his face; “Only question left to be answered is, who is doing the chasing?”
Their question was answered suddenly when the large vessel hailed them.
“Sir,” called the communications officer, “they’re hailing us.”
“Shields,” ordered Duncan quickly.
“Alexei, I want you on this, listen carefully and give me your impressions. Everyone behind me move out of the viewers scan.”
“Ok, put it on screen Lt. Womack,” ordered Duncan, “narrow band on their end.” Duncan didn’t want his unknown adversary to see anymore than was necessary.
Alexei whispered quickly, “Short concise answers to their questions, Duncan.”
The being on the screen was unlike anything that the Phoenix and her crew had ever encountered. They were insectoid, Duncan guessed, similar to giant ants or termites; maybe even a close relative of the mantis, but in trimmer bodies. From what they could see, the ship had a honeycombed like interior… very unsettling. There were several of the things in the background at long consoles with flashing lights, and a screen showing the Phoenix and her interior.
“I am Commander Duncan Wayside of….” Duncan began and was interrupted almost immediately.
“Earther,” the creature spat out the word in a whisper-like voice, “we have no quarrel with you or your kind. This matter does not concern you.” There was a series of clicks and then a brisk order, “It would be wise for you to leave this area and not interfere.”
Duncan quickly replied, “Sir, we do not take lightly…” The screen went dark.
Duncan looked at Alexei who smirked and said, “Bad-guys… definitely!”
Lt. Plummer warned, “They’re powering their weapons Commander.”
A blast shot out of the ship and obliterated several of the asteroids in the belt. The small ship suddenly increased its speed and made a run for a planet on the outside of the belt.
The larger ship was having difficulty following the smaller faster vessel out of the asteroid belt. They sent out several missiles and one sideswiped the smaller ship’s engines, slowing it down considerably. It began to emit black smoke as it made a beeline for a landing on the desolate planet. Two scout ships exited the large ship and pursued it.
“What planet is that,” asked Duncan quickly.
“Sir,” called Lt Skaggs, a newcomer manning the com-center, “I believe the smaller ship sent a message, sir. It was very fast, but I’m sure of it.”
“Thank-you Lt Skaggs;” Duncan looked around the bridge, “I want to know what planet that is out there… does anybody know?” he raised his voice slightly.
“R-421 sir,” said a shaky-voiced Lt. Womack.
“Calmly Lieutenant, take a breath,” Duncan said in an even voice.
“Sir, it’s a dead world sir; what’s left of a civilization that nuked itself out of existence; potentially dangerous for us. Low level radiation is still emitted from the ground; inhabited by mutants; cannibals sir.”
“Hmm… Ensign Cooper, lay in a course for that planet. Alexei, I leave this in your capable hands. If our insect friends make a move, engage them.” Duncan ordered as he gave up the Captain’s chair to him.
“And just where the hell are you going,” Alexei asked, already guessing.
“Why, to make contact of course,” laughed Duncan as he left the bridge.
He entered the elevator tube and headed for the docking bay. He made one call on the intercom; he had no intention of going down to that planet unarmed. Rayne was waiting for him when he entered the dock.
“You know it’s very inhospitable…” Rayne said sardonically, “We might not have much time down there before the inhabitants zero in on us. From what I understand they are very aggressive; and they eat what they catch.”
“I have a feeling that you would stick in their throats; besides this won't take much time,”
Duncan answered climbing into the runabout.
“And if company shows up?” Rayne asked.
“I am sure you and K’nada can handle it,” Duncan said smiling into her violet eyes and patting the sword she carried across her back.
“I think I’m being used again,” she commented dryly as she climbed into the runabout and strapped herself in.
Duncan did the same and then checked all the systems. He pushed a button and the small craft came to life.
“Duncan,” she leaned forward and held on to his shoulder, “you really think he’s trying to get to the Green Planet?”
“Yes I do, and those bugs are very anxious to prevent that from happening. They want to take him alive, and for some reason they’re willing to sacrifice a few lives to get him.”
Duncan gave the all clear and the docking bay doors slid open and the small ship rose up and then descended thru the opening and headed towards the dark brown, dry, dusty planet.
“He certainly knows how to fly that ship, managed to out-maneuver two of the scout ships.” Rayne noted, “Look, he forced one of them into an asteroid where it blew up.”
Duncan threw a couple of switches and the runabout entered the thin atmosphere of R-421.
“They could have pulverized that small ship, but they didn’t.”
Scanning the land below Rayne saw where the ship had crash-landed.
“Ah, I found him, there's his ship; he’s injured Duncan, dragging himself towards a cave.
Damn, all this noise is bound to catch the attention of the inhabitants.”
She kept up a running commentary keeping him informed as he brought the small craft down on the other side of the mountain.
“The bugs landed near the crashed vessel; six of the ugly critters are looking for our
‘friend’.” Rayne spit and cursed, “Katala!”
Surprise showed on Duncan’s face, Rayne rarely showed emotion at all.
“The Eloi do not like the insectoid species; refused to do business with them; said they were very dangerous and untrustworthy," she explained. "I don’t think they know which way he went… ah, no they don’t. See, now they’re heading in the opposite direction, towards a gorge with caves running up and down its length. Another group is headed for the other side of the mountain.”
Duncan adjusted his helmet and checked his gloves, “Fifteen minutes you say?”
Rayne removed K’nada from his case and held him in front of her.
We dance again old friend, she whispered almost reverently then slid him in a holder that was made especially for her space suit.
“Do you think they know we are here?” Duncan asked no one in particular.
“We are not a credible threat to them yet, so they will ignore us.” Rayne explained as she and Duncan left the runabout and headed up the ravine towards the large cave.
“They’ll ignore us until we get in their way, or create a problem for them; and then it’s anybody’s guess.”
Once inside the large cave Duncan quickly scanned the back wall, “You stay here at the entrance, out of sight if possible,” Duncan turned and flipped on his helmet light, “I’m going to say hello to our friend.”
“Make it fast, I don’t fancy being lunch…” she said as she watched him descend deeper into the cave.
Duncan headed towards the interior of the cave as quietly as possible, listening to every sound. The rock was grayish and dull, almost like granite. There were several twists and turns on a downward slant and then a long almost straight pathway that appeared to lead to a large open area. As he rounded the corner he heard it; a scuffle of some sort further ahead, and a grunting sound. He headed towards the sound and rounded a large boulder just in time to see three of the insectoids fighting with their unknown quarry. They had him pinned on the ground and one was kicking his injured leg. Duncan took out his stunner, set it on high, and stepped into the opening.
“Three against one,” he said sarcastically, “now that’s just not a fair fight boys.”
The creatures turned their heads in surprise at the sound of his voice, just as he fired. Two of the bug-like creatures fell; the third leaped up onto a ledge startling Duncan for a split second; then he fired again. Two more suddenly appeared and too late Duncan realized that there was another opening into the cave, on the backside of the mountain. They were on him in seconds. Duncan managed to stun one and was wrestling with the other bug when two more jumpers came in. The large one slammed him good, knocking the air out of him. He was pinned by four of its legs when the injured man took out a small scythe-like blade and swiftly sliced thru its midsection. It fell with a loud thud, oozing gray-green blood all over Duncan’s spacesuit. The last bug ran for the opening as Duncan rolled and grabbed his stunner and stopped him. The ‘man’ shakily stood and looked towards Duncan in surprise.
“Thank you for your assistance Earther,” he said in a gruff voice, “but his friends will be coming shortly, in far greater numbers. I suggest we leave the area quickly.”
“My sentiments exactly,” answered Duncan as he quickly looked the ‘man’ over.
His helmet was darkened, so he couldn’t see his face. As he stood up, he towered over Duncan by at least four or five inches. He had two legs, two arms, and his space gloves had five fingers. Duncan could see there was an open wound on his leg as dark red blood was staining his suit and he was holding his side where the ribcage was located. Duncan stepped forward and offered his shoulder to aid him in standing. It was hesitantly accepted and they both turned and slowly retraced Duncan’s path from the cave entrance.
Damn he’s heavy, Duncan thought as he heard Rayne calling.
“We’ve got company, Commander; it appears three of the inhabitants are looking for a meal,” she reported in an emotionless voice.
As they rounded the last corner they saw the entrance before them; Rayne was taking K’nada out of his sheath. Duncan felt his burden stiffen for a moment as they watched.
Rayne moved a step backward and took her stance; Duncan knew better than to continue for the moment.
“It would be wise to wait until Rayne is finished,” he told his burden, “it won’t be long.”
Both men watched as three large mutants filled the cave entrance. Faces and bodies misshapen, no doubt from constant exposure to the radiation of centuries past, they had several open oozing sores on their bodies. They barely resembled men anymore as they came at Rayne snarling and drooling. She backed up a step, turned and pirouetted in one graceful motion slicing thru the first creature.
She spun and vaulted into the air taking the arm off of the second one; it fell in a heap still clutching the club it had held. She landed lightly and leapt again; turning gracefully in mid-air she removed the head of the third, spun and landed on her feet. As she did so she swiftly took the head of the one-armed monster who was trying to stand again. Turning to the men she swept her hand towards the entrance.
“Gentlemen I suggest we get the hell out of here!”
Duncan moved forward as Rayne approached the other side of the injured man and offered her shoulder. He was hesitant at first but she grabbed him and began to move, so he allowed it. They headed down the mountain towards Duncan’s runabout.
Unknown to Duncan or Rayne, their unseen ‘friend’ was grinning at the display he had just witnessed.
On board the Phoenix, Alexei was busy himself. The insectoid ship was not too happy when Duncan’s runabout left the ship and had turned their guns on the Phoenix; though the shot was merely a warning, more like an admonishment by an adult to a small child misbehaving. Alexei answered it quickly and targeted their engines. Had he been able to observe, he would have seen surprise on the faces of the insectoids. Their ship was hit hard, their main engines thrown off-line; the large ship began to slow down. Clearly surprised by the swift action of the earth ship, they brought all their guns to bear on the Phoenix.
Again they were unprepared; for the Phoenix’s unique maneuverability quickly allowed her to sidestep their laser cannons, thus further frustrating them.
“Sir, we have more company,” Lt Plummer called to Alexei. “A very large ship just came out of warp; and it’s headed straight for us,” his voice betrayed his fear.
“Another insect ship?” asked Alexei, obviously pissed.
“No sir, this, this one is very different.” Lt Plummer was giving Alexei a running commentary, “The Insectoid’s have spotted it; they’re trying to move away under impulse power.”
“On screen lieutenant,” Alexei ordered curious. The screen came to life showing a large sleek silver ship maneuvering itself between the Insectoids and the planet below.
“They’re hailing us sir,” said the lieutenant as he opened the Com-link.
“Greetings Phoenix; we thank you for your aid to our Lord Tarak. It was most gracious of you, but be advised; this fight is between the Scathers and us. You must not get involved.
It would also be best to get out of range quickly.”
“This is Captain Alexei, of the Phoenix,” he answered. “Thank you for the ‘heads-up’ warning; we shall move aside.”
The Phoenix quickly moved away and lined up closer to the sleek ship and the planet. The Insectoids ship was trying to flee the area, not getting anywhere fast as its main engines were still off-line. In desperation they fired a beam at the silver ship, but its shield took the brunt of the blast, and extended itself to cover the Phoenix. The Scathers fired twice more, to no avail. And then a beam shot out of the silver ship that was so bright, so intense, those on the Phoenix’s deck had to shield their eyes. When the beam ceased, and their vision returned, the Insectoid ship was nowhere to be seen.
Down below on the planet Duncan, Rayne, and their mysterious ‘quarry’ had made their way out of the cave and down to Duncan’s runabout when the injured man stopped.
“Halt humans, I am being hailed by my ship.”
His voice was deep and held a commanding quality to it. He was silent for a moment as if listening to someone.
“They have arrived and destroyed the Scather’s ship; they are sending a craft for me.”
He disengaged himself from Duncan’s grip.
“I will not forget what you did,” he said as he took Duncan’s forearm and held it in an iron grip for a moment. Then he raised his dark shield and Duncan looked up into the face of his quarry for the first time.
Large almond-shaped hazel eyes stared back at him; honey colored fur about his face and head was all he could see. Duncan couldn’t see too much more inside the helmet.
Wolf-like, or is it cat-like; hard to tell, Duncan thought to himself.
The man turned with great difficulty and bowed slightly to Rayne.
“Our Queen is also of the Warrior Clan. You have grace and great skill female; I am in your debt as well.”
Rayne, not missing a beat, bowed her head in return and looked up at him with her violet eyes and said softly, “It was my honor sir.”
For a moment Rayne swore she detected surprise in his eyes as he stared at her and then nodded. He turned to Duncan with a slight bow.
“Once I present myself to my Queen and give her the intelligence I have obtained, she may wish to thank you herself. May I ask that you to remain in this area for a short time?”
Duncan nodded, “May I ask who I am addressing? I am Duncan Wayside, Commander of the Guild ship, Phoenix.”
“I am Lord Tarak, First Order to Queen Naria,” he answered as he placed his hand across his heart and bowed slightly, “of what you humans call the ‘Green Planet’. Know you well by reputation do I; pleased I am to meet you in person.”
He smiled, at least Duncan thought it was a smile, and turned around and pointed above.
“My ship comes for me, I bid you good hunting, and I hope to see you again Duncan Wayside.”
He slowly made his way towards the landing ship. Four men came out of the ship and quickly ran up the hill to his side. They half carried him to the ship and were soon gone.
Duncan and Rayne returned to the runabout and left the inhospitable planet far behind them. As they rose to the Phoenix, they got a good look at the sleek silver spaceship. It was unlike anything Duncan had ever seen. They docked with the Phoenix and saw Alexei waiting above for them on the docking bay ramp. They went thru decontamination, got an okay from medical, changed their clothing and left the medical bay. They climbed the stairway and found Alexei anxiously waiting at the top.
“So, did your hunch pay off,” he asked Duncan quickly.
Rayne walked by him, “Feline-wolf race,” she said as she walked off.
Alexei turned to Duncan, “Feline-wolf race?” he queried.
“From what I could tell, definitely wolf-like, maybe feline even,” Duncan replied.
He filled Alexei in on what had happened in the cave and the reaction of their quarry as they made their way to the Captain’s quarters.
“So, they are in our debt,” he said. “They owe us, hmm…” Alexei was thinking. “… you are going to hang around as he asked?”
“What do you think,” Duncan smiled, “we may just get a chance to open a dialogue and eventually negotiations with them. Find out what is so special about that damn planet.”
“And our dearly departed bug friends,” Alexei looked at Duncan, eyebrows raised, “just what do you think they are going to do when they find out we had a part in the destruction of one of their vessels?”
“We’ll handle that when the time comes,” Duncan answered tersely. “I’m still going over what he said and the way he said it; very polite, especially to Rayne; seemed intrigued by her actions in the cave.”
“To Rayne,” Alexei asked in surprise.
“Yes, very solicitous, said his name was Lord Tarak,” Duncan thought more furrowing his brow, “said he was First Order to the Queen. So that means he’s somebody important; maybe that will be something good for us.”
“Well I hope so,” said Alexei, “I wouldn’t want to be caught out here by a slew of those bug ships.”
“We’ll give it two weeks,” Duncan sighed, “after that we continue on our way.”
2
Lord Tarak was taken to the Sword, the large silver ship that had destroyed the Scather’s ship. Her Captain was waiting when they docked; concern on his face.
“Lord Tarak, you are injured; my sickbay has a very fine doctor. Let me escort you there.”