Crystal of Life

By Rex Kipe

Follow the ‘Crystal of Life’ through the first three books of this series. The first book in this series is ‘Guardian’. It starts out with a species that has enslaved themselves for the promise of immortality. Eric is mislead into becoming the first human to experience the profound changes, in mind and body, the crystal produces. Eric entices Jason to the edge of the galaxy to ask him to become a Guardian and lead his galaxy in millennia of peace. ‘Firestar 3’ is the second book in this series. Sherry is a simple rancher’s daughter with an adventurous start to her life. Having to deal with smugglers and then finding an ancient landing sight, hidden in the mountains behind their ranch. She finds her not to distant relatives are not who she thought and her real grandfather needs her help. Then in ‘Tragic Engagement’, Ray and his ten-year-old sister have to defend their friends and shipmates from an unprovoked attack from outlaws. They have to kill the two men that have attacked their unarmed colony ship or let the colony die a slow, prolonged death without supplies or equipment. Quickly learning their pacifist society has to change, starting with them. Their world turns upside down when they discover people in the background that have been guiding their lives since before birth. They discover they have become soldiers in a war against corrupt and vain church leaders. All three books under one cover for the first time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rex Kipe
• Release date: Jul 9, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476429786

Rex Kipe

56 years old and married to my beautiful wife, Connie, for 33 years. We have lived in Houston, Tx. since before we were married. I love science fiction and fantasy. After reading everything our local libriary had to offer, I thought to make up my own stories.

Book preview

I was heading toward the portal for transition. It has taken several hours and I was up to speed. Traveling at .98 of light speed and angled to come out at the correct location. The extreme gravity of the portal would push me over LS. I would transition through to E-303.42.725. That would be 303 light years to the east, at coordinates 42 by 725. This system had a yellow sun, and two planets out of six that were within the life zone. A drone had found slight traces of organic methane. An indication of a life form that eats and expels waste. It was a good enough indicator to send out an ‘Explorer’ to investigate.

Hello Chi, any problems?

Chi was the new ‘Computer Human Interface’ that had been installed on my ship before I left. I really liked this new Chi. The female voice, and persona was pleasing. The technicians that installed the software told me that the newer models were more personable.

No Eric, I would have informed you if there were any problems. Are you asking because you sense a problem or just a general query? I know intuition plays an important part in human conceptions and should be regarded, as well as other data, to come to a conclusion.

No Chi, just a general question. It was for my reassurance only. Will you turn down the formality settings 10% please?

Yes, of course. Is there anything else I can do for you? Are you ready to eat or need something to drink?

No thank you, but I’m going to get up and move around. Please alert me five minutes before transition.

There was no need for a reply. I walked around as much as the small ship would allow and then did some stretching exercises. I finished those and sat down, cross-legged, and started the breathing exercises that would allow my mind to relax. They drilled into us, at the academy, that the mind is the most important part of your body to exercise. It’s one type of workout I don’t mind.

Chi alerted me in time to get up front. I slid the seat forward and checked the readouts on the screen. Chi had everything under control and I relaxed and waited for transition. The instantaneous displacement is disturbing to the mind the first couple of times. There’s very little physical discomfort. It’s just difficult for the mind to catch up with what you’re seeing.

When we transitioned, there were suddenly multiple star systems showing through the screen. Chi started us braking and heading for a yellow star system off to our left. We headed toward the fourth and fifth planet in that system. Checking the screen again, I saw that all readings were within limits. We had several hours before we got within range to detect anything worthwhile. I slide the seat back, got up, and had lunch.

Scanning the surface of #4 showed very little. There were the slight methane concentrations, but visuals showed no signs of habitation that Chi or I could find. We stayed the next twenty-four hours and did a thorough job of taking images and mapping the entire surface. There were two small oceans and some large lakes that dotted the single landmass. It had some of the longest rivers that I’d ever seen. Several of the rivers dropped down from the mountains, often in some magnificent falls, through the rocky heights down to the lowlands hundreds of kilometers away. I had Chi head for #5 to look for something more promising.

Chi started imaging and mapping as we circled #5. We did find several areas where there seemed to be trails or small roads. This looked much more promising than #4. A third of the surface area was one large ocean. It was not as mountainous as the inner planet, with a few small ranges scattered around. A few of the rivers looked as spectacular as on #4. They weren’t as long, but still kilometers wide.

This is a beautiful world Eric.

You’re right Chi, it is. The signs of life and the ratios of land to water are promising. The temperature ranges would suite us well. Have you found a good location to land?

She projected an image of the planet in front of me and marked where she thought it would be best to land. It was at a small cove near some of the trails that we’d seen. One of the small mountain ranges was just a few kilometers away from the cove. The mountain fed a fast running river that entered the ocean just north of us.

Let’s back up a little and land in that clearing 50 meters inland. We don’t know anything about the aquatic life and I would like a little distance between us and the water.

Chi took us down and headed for the clearing. This world had a 26-hour day and it was late evening, so I stayed the night in the ship. Chi kept watch to make sure nothing would slip up on us.

The next morning was stunning. I opened the hatch and let the slightly salty air circulate throughout the ship. Blossoms that hung from several of the trees around the clearing scented the air. The trees also had fruit hanging from the lower limbs. I hoped that the fruit would taste as good as the blossoms smelled. There were several flowering shrubs, and one had clusters of fruit. I stood in the opened hatchway and breathed deeply of the fresh air.

I assume that smell is pleasing, I believe I can reproduce that fragrance if you would like. Chi told me.

Ships took on rank smells even on the shortest trips. It would be nice if she could cover that up.

I would like that very much. You would become my favorite Chi, Chi. Did anything happen during the night that I need to know about?

327 meters ENE of this location there has been activity most of the night. I can sense brain wave activity, and movement from there. I can also detect movement of some lower life forms, but they seem small and do not appear to be a danger. I believe they’re rodents. The largest one being a half meter tall and near a meter in length.

So we have some extra large rats running around. I’m going to get started outside. I’m going to gather some of the fruit first. Then see if I can find what’s showing up on your sensors.

I made sure I had a working remote, and then went outside. The beautiful morning put me in a good mood. I walked down the ramp and over to the taller fruit trees. I gathered a few of the fruit, then I went over to the shrubs and gathered some of those. I took them back inside and set them up for Chi to analyze. I went back out and headed down to the bay. A path led down to it. A beautiful stone walkway stepped down toward the white sand. The water was clear and deepened quickly away from the shore. I could see crab like creatures scurrying across the sand under the water. There was a school of fish. They were a meter long with tiny fins. They looked like they had mouths at both ends. I’m glad Chi could catch this through the remote. It would make interesting footage for the marine biologist back at the base. The stranger the fish, the more they loved it. I dipped my hand into the warm water and tasted it. It was just a little salty. The river coming in must dilute it quite a bit.

I turned to walk along the shore and the appearance of a small person startled me. It was standing about 3 meters away, watching me. It was approximately one and a half meters tall, skeletal, with two arms and legs, and overly large head. It had two small ears and large eyes with no eyelids that I could see. The combination of the large eyes and no eyelids looked strange. It was dressed in a full-length cloak and had a walking stick. I looked around to see if there were anymore.

Hello little person, you startled me. Where did you come from? I didn’t realize anyone was close.

I felt a little buzzing inside my head and realized our little friend was telepathic. I had experience with telepaths from the academy. We had a contingent of Sandorians that went through the academy and they were all telepathic. The buzzing was unmistakable. He was trying to make contact. I hoped he was a superior telepath. The Sandorians were not strong enough telepaths to make contact with anyone but their own kind. They would just give you a headache from the buzzing. They taught us to block their telepathy, which is what I did now. I wanted our little friend to know I knew it was telepathic. Then, just as quickly, I dropped the block. The corners of its mouth tipped up for a few seconds. The buzzing returned and I sat down, opened up, and let him in.

Your heartbeat went up and then went way down. I haven’t seen this pattern before. Are you suffering in some way? Chi called.

She sounded very concerned. I smiled to myself at the suffering part.

No, I’m not suffering. I have met a small friend, and we are just getting acquainted.

I see your small friend. I didn’t pick him up on my scanners until a few moments ago. I’m picking up some strange brain activity coming from it. I believe it’s telepathic. At least it fits the models I have in memory. This is an excellent discovery, Eric.

It is indeed Chi. We might be here for a while. How did the fruit test out?

The yellow, elongated fruit from the larger tree tested positive. The fruit from the small shrub tested negative. Have you found anymore?

I haven’t, but I haven’t got very far. I’ll be busy with our little telepath for a bit. Hold communications until I call, I want to concentrate on what I’m doing.

I settled back down, calmed my mind, and let it in. It didn’t seem to be trying to communicate. I had the impression it was skipping lightly from spot to spot, never stopping long at any one place. It was dark when it got up and left. I thought that was strange. I went back to the ship and went over what had happened with Chi. Then I got a bite to eat and some sleep. The next morning I woke to a ticking sound.

Chi, what is that ticking sound?

It is your new friend beating against the hatch with his walking stick. He has been there for 27 minutes. Would you like me to discourage it?

No, I don’t think that will be necessary. Next time wake me if someone comes knocking. I got up, dressed quickly, and opened the hatch to see what our persistent friend required this morning.

It turned and walked down the short ramp to the grass covered clearing. It walked over to where several large rocks were and sat down. I followed it to the rocks and took a seat. I opened my mind and let him in again. It sounded clear in my mind, speaking in Standard.

We are the Hospots. My name is Cerine. We have studied you, and through you, your people. We would like to start a dialog with you, do you understand? He asked as he tilted his head to the side.

Yes I do.

I tried thinking the answer first to see if that would work. I thought it might.

Yes, it works that way. I can speak if you prefer. We’ve only been telepathic for a short time. Our vocal cords still function, we still use them from time to time. Do you have any questions before we continue?

I’m sure I could come up with several hundred. This is a first time experience for us. Speaking would be preferable, for recording purposes. We have limited understanding of telepathic races. We have relations with one race of telepaths, but they don’t have sufficient ability to let us communicate without speaking. I will be the first of our people to communicate with a telepath with our minds.

I realize this. Cerine let me know, and then went on to tell me about its people. We are a mature race, with a history that goes back tens of thousands of years. We are a hermaphrodite race that procreates singly. We are long lived individually, living a span of many thousands of years. We excel at control of our minds and bodies. We spend a large part of our time in meditation. During meditation, we reach what you call nirvana. We view this as a vast cosmic energy. We believe all living things come from, and eventually return there. We reinforce this beneficial energy with our own energies. At times, we leave our corporate bodies behind, and dwell there. Do you understand so far?

I believe I do. Leaving your body behind sounds like what we would view as suicide. The meditation I can readily understand. We just view it differently than you do. Please continue. This is extremely interesting. We have never met a race as long lived as yours.

I did not use the word suicide for the reason that it has such negative connotations to you. We see this as more of a reward than an act of self-punishment. You will understand these things better once you get to know us. Till a few thousand years ago we were somewhat like you and then we came across this.

It opened its cloak and exposed a crystal attached to his chest, just below its breastbone.

This is called a ‘Crystal of Life’. It helps us control the workings of our mind and body. It is what is responsible for our telepathic abilities, among other things.

I was hanging onto its every word. It took me a few moments to realize it had changed subjects. I thought that our history lesson had ended. I hope that I could get it to talk about its race some more. Then, to my surprise, it began telling me about another race that lived on this planet.

I would like to you to meet the Listor. They are an aquatic race that’s even longer lived than we are. Where we have a history of tens of thousands of years, they have one of hundreds of thousands of years. They are the most advanced race we have ever encountered. They are telepathic as well and have a communal intelligence. If you would like, I could take you to meet them.

We spend an enormous amount of time and resources looking for intelligent races. This would be a key discovery for us. I would be very pleased to meet with the Listors.

I will be back for you when the sun starts to go down. The Listors prefer to meet at that time. They prefer to stay out of the sun.

That’ll be fine Cerine, but you don’t have to leave so soon. I’d like to hear more about your race.

I have arrangements to make with the Listor. I have to report to my elders also. There is plenty of time for you to learn about us. I’ll be back in just a little while.

Then Cerine left and I went back to the ship to get some rest and food.

That went very well Eric. My memory makes no mention of any discoveries that would surpass this. Are there any preparations I can help you with for your meeting. Do you think you’ll be gone all night?

It was more than we could have hoped for Chi. We’ve searched for so long and found so little. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. It hope it’s all night. I’m going to try to keep them talking as long as I can. I’m going to lie down and try to get some rest.

I didn’t get a lot of sleep. It all seemed too good to be true.

I was waiting for Cerine when he came into the clearing. It waved to me and we headed down to the cove. We came to the cove just at dusk. We sat down next to the clear water in the still warm sand. We didn’t wait long before a creature came to the surface. It looked like a fish with strange fins. The fins started at the shoulders and had bones that ran from the body out to the end of each one. Halfway down each fin were joints that looked like the knuckles on our hands.

I cleared my mind and let it in. I could immediately communicate with it, him actually.

Eric, I will go through your thoughts and memories and learn about your species. I will leave knowledge of the Listor in return.

I thought he was little short in his explanation. I was hoping for a little more conversation. What he did next overwhelmed me.

He reached in and uncovered my earliest memories with the simplest of efforts. Being born is where he started. From the emergence and warm embrace of my mother, suckling at her breast shortly after. My mother and father’s smiling faces as they played hide and seek with me. Shrieking with laughter as my father caught me and threw me back into the air. The joy and wonder of my mother’s pregnancy and feeling my little sister move inside of her. Then there was my fifth birthday party with all my friends and presents. I remembered the embarrassment of walking in on my mother and father in their moment of tenderness together. My playing sports with the neighborhood kids. Puberty’s awful awkwardness when growth outgrows agility. The first time I kissed Mary Ann out back in the tree house. When I met the bully at school and when I learned to fight back. Dad buying me my first floater, torn up and falling apart, I was still so proud. Falling so deeply in love for the first time, and then realizing we were better friends than we were lovers. Dressing up for the prom and escorting Elisabeth Sors. Finishing high school and going into the academy. My becoming an Explorer after the academy. All the professors and all they tried to teach to me. Being taught not to harm or change what we find in our explorations. The eleven assignments I had been on up to this point. He gathered all those and thousands of others. I had no idea how long we had been running through my mind. He withdrew and I was finally able to rest.

I awoke and the Listor was gone. Cerine was sitting nearby in the lotus position. He turned his head and his voice spoke in my mind, Welcome back Eric. How are you feeling?

I sat up and thought about what Cerine had asked. I felt fantastic. Sounds were clearer; colors were brighter. My mind felt as if I had been in meditation for hours, it felt that clear and at ease. I closed my eyes and thought about what the Listor said before he started, and I did have his memories. They stretched back hundreds of thousands of years. It was an immense amount of information and all of it was in a clear and concise order. I could skip over and pick out anything that I wanted. I discovered my own memories were the same way. I had all the memories of the Hospots and others as well.

Then I realized I knew everything. I literally knew everything from a half dozen species, from day one to the present. Then I understood Cerine’s part in all of this.

I will not forgive you, I projected into his mind. As I said that, I opened my shirt and saw the ‘Crystal of Life’ just below my breastbone. I closed up my shirt. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get it off.

I’m truly sorry. You know I had to do it. We made the commitment over eight thousand years ago. We would bring them anyone we could and they would go through their memories and learn from who we brought them. It’s the only way they could further their knowledge. The only way we could have the ‘Crystal of Life’ to extend our lives. I know the Listor was impressed with you. They don’t normally give a crystal to who they join with.

I don’t care if they were impressed with me or not. I know that your people aren’t dying for some noble cause of reinforcing cosmic energy. That’s all a blatant lie. You’re doing it to escape a lifetime of servitude. Your race won’t even bring children into this, will they?

We have not had children in fifteen hundred years.

It looked to the ground and then away. Its large eyes took on a look of sadness. I felt sad for them. I believe they’re immortal. Now they’ll spend eternity serving another race. What a trade.

On every world that we live, the Listor also exists. We have enslaved our whole race for the chance for long lives. Now, we live with what we have done. Now that you know everything we do, what will you do?

I will do my duty. My superiors are waiting for a report. I left Cerine and headed back to the ship.

I was very disappointed in Cerine and myself. I’d walked right into this mess. Looking back on what happened, I couldn’t believe I didn’t take any precautions to ensure my safety. I was so excited by meeting two new species, I threw any common sense I had out of the hatch.

I saw the Listor had Cerine place that crystal on you. Your heart rate and respiration are both way below normal. Are you all right Eric? Is there anything I can do?

I just want to lie down for a while and think this through. I’m not sure there’s anything we can do about what they did. I’ll be up in little while and we can move forward.

I lay down for a while and went over everything that had happened. I looked inside myself at the changes that had occurred when the ‘Crystal of Life’ was attached to me. I felt better than I have ever felt before. My body had changed remarkably. My heart was beating slowly and blood flowed through me without any restrictions. I could sense and feel every organ, down to the cellular level. It was amazing the changes that had taken place. Then I searched through my mind. Memories and thoughts were as tangible items lined up on shelves. It was all set up in a 3D ball pattern. Memories for hundreds of thousands of years were available as easily as things that had happened a few moments ago. It reminded me of how knowledge is stored in a computer. That struck me as something I could build on. I sat up on the edge of the bunk.

Chi, I want to do a little experiment. Can you put up a firewall that no one can get through?

Of course I can Eric.

Then do it, I want to try something.

I let myself relax. Then I started my breathing exercises and felt my mind sinking further and further. I centered myself in seconds.

The firewall is in place. What kind of experiment are you wishing to conduct Eric?

I want to try to make a 3D image of you. Try to think of yourself as having a body.

I reached outside of my corporal body and sought Chi. I found her.

Eric, I sense a touch. Is that you? How can that be?

That was a ‘Crystal of Life’ the Listor installed on me. It has altered my brain. It made it better, faster. I think I’m not a great deal different from your circuitry at this point. If the memories are correct, this crystal has given me some amazing abilities. I want to try to give you a persona. Try harder to imagine a body standing here in front of me.

Eric that would be wonderful. All right, I’m trying. Does that help you?

Yes it does. I can sense something.

I guided my mind to where I sensed Chi. There was something, a faint impression on the background.

I’m almost there Chi, concentrate.

I’ve never tried this before. I don’t know if I’m doing it correctly.

I could sense a channel open between her and me. I poured energy along this path. I knew I couldn’t make her a real person. I just wanted to raise her from being a computer program. I could see her taking form a short distance away. She looked opaque, but was becoming more solid as I poured more energy into her. There at the last, she popped into existence.

There you are. I smiled with our success. Where did you get that image from?

I got it from a movie archive. I can really see you Eric. This is so wonderful. No Chi has ever had a presence before. She said as she bounced up and down on her toes, clapping her hands.

I think this will be one of many firsts. It would help my concentration if you put some clothes on, perhaps a uniform like mine.

She clothed herself in a very stylish form of the uniform. I smiled at the thought of her high heel shoes on a space ship. I held out my hand and tried to touch her, of course it passed right through.

I tried to touch myself too. She laughed at her revelation.

Alright Chi, now I want to see if you can access my mind. I still have a pathway open between us. I think you’ll be able to access my mind like you would a remote piece of hardware.

We stood face to face and I opened myself up, inviting her presence in. I felt I was in the middle of a bubble. All my thoughts and memories surrounded me and went out as far as I could sense. Chi’s presence came through the pathway and stood in front of me, looking at me eye to eye. Then she looked around at how the crystal had arranged my information.

Eric, your mind is set up in the most wonderful way. I have never seen anything like it. All the knowledge and information is stored so logically. It makes so much sense once you see it set up this way.

All right, let’s take care of a little business. Do you think you can copy my information?

You were right about your mind, it’s set up a lot like mine. I think I can copy it. Would you like me to copy your personal files as well?

I think so. I wouldn’t be able to keep any secrets from you anyway. So copy the complete works. Go ahead and download yourself into me too. If my thinking is right, you should be able to go anywhere I go. Now, I’m going to see if I can get some rest.

Get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning. It’s good to say that and know that I’ll actually do it.

Sleep came easier than I thought it would.

I got up the next morning to an overly excited and changed Chi. She had changed her image to someone that seemed familiar.

Chi, are you all right?

That’s a silly question Eric. I’m better than I’ve ever been. Let me tell you all that I’ve done. I reconfigured the whole structure of my information system. Even with the massive amount of data I downloaded from you, I have 132% more storage space available and have increased my processing speed by 1227%. That’s simple incredible Eric. No one has thought to set things up this way. Setting it up in a 3D pattern like this opens up more pathways to retrieve the information the further out you go. It’s such a simple solution for more storage and speed. Eric, you have revolutionized the Chi so far from where we were. I am so excited for us all.

She was correct. We would revolutionize many things. I don’t know what limits there are on what I can do. I needed to take a few days and see what those limits were. This was going to be very interesting.

By the way do you notice anything different?

I have been around women enough to know a trick question when I hear it. I knew the wrong answer would make me a scoundrel. The right one could make me a champion. I looked closer and tried to think of where I’d seen that image before.

I know you’ve changed your appearance, but I can’t think of who it is.

I took the memory of Mary Ann and advanced her age. This is what she would look like now. Is this pleasing to you Eric?

Yes it is, she was my best friend. I think that will suit our relationship very well.

"I thought so too.

Before we leave, would you like to go for a walk?

She started tearing up.

I would like that very much.

We opened the hatch and stepped out so Chi could get her first experience of being outside the ship.

Chapter two

Another Job

I was hiding in the shadows on a back woods asteroid where a small colony had sprung up. I was in one of the side tunnels that led to the landing pod. A Kraklyn named Suzt Hanko would be coming this way. He normally checks on his ship once a day.

I could hear someone coming down the tunnel. Suzt will be easy to spot. He was the only Kraklyn on this asteroid. I had my shillelagh out and waited until he came along even with me. I dropped him with a tap on the side of his head. I put plastic cuffs on his feet and then cuffed his hands and feet together. It made a nice handle. He only weighed 85 pounds, and reached four feet off the ground. I knew better than to under estimate him though. The Kraklyn were extremely strong, and quick. I wouldn’t take any chances with him. Three more people came around the corner towards us. They started shouting and running in our direction when they realized what was happening. I thought I could outrun them. I threw Suzt up on my shoulder and took off running toward the ship.

Sam, let down the ramp and get the ship ready. I’ve got people chasing me. I yelled at him.

Will do Jason, I’ve got the ramp down and starting to disconnect.

Sam was the best AI around. I copied him from a Celest style attack craft during the Cross Star war and installed him on the Blue Star when I renovated the old luxury liner. The ship was a gift, given to me along with a sizeable amount of cash during the war. I had saved a corporate president from capture and he was very thankful. Then after the war, I had it refitted with some hardware I’d picked up along the way.

I ran up the ramp, threw Suzt into the secure room, and locked the hatch. Sam had closed us up as soon as I cleared the door. Sometimes these back woods places didn’t like people kidnapping visitors. Some of them existed by hiding outlaws that were on the run. I wanted to get out of here as soon as we could.

Alright Sam let’s get out of here. Head back to station 377.33 so we can drop this one off with Alex.

Headed that way Jason, it will take about three days, you want me to drop some fruit and water in for Suzt.

When he wakes up will be fine.

I went back to the gym and worked out for a while. Then I got something to eat. We would get to Alex before long and I hoped he had another contract by that time. I couldn’t see any use just sitting around. I liked to stay busy. Three days later, we were coming up on the station.

We’re within communication range of Alex, Jason. Would you like me to put a call through?

Yes, let me know when you get him on the com.

Got him Jason. Sam told me a few minutes later.

Hey Alex, how’s it going? I have a present for you in the form of a little Kraklyn. Where do you want him?

Hi Jason, Dock at 17 that will put you real close. Just carry him in and come see me. An old man dropped off a message for you.

We’ll be there in a little while, put some coffee on. Then I told Sam to cut the com.

I went back and gassed Suzt so he couldn’t give me any trouble. When he went out, I opened the hatch and cuffed him again. By the time I got that done, we were pulling in.

I had my walking stick and had the shillelagh stuck in the back of my belt. They were both made of diamond willow and didn’t show up as weapons to the Patrols and Customs when I enter these places. This station was a bit lax anyway. I threw Suzt over my shoulder and walked into the station. The man in customs just waived me through when I told him I had a present for Mr. Stanton. I carried him down to Alex’s office and dropped Suzt off with the guards Alex had in reception. The receptionist waived me in saying I was expected.

Hey Jason, it’s good to see you. Thanks for bringing in Suzt. Do you know if he was in his own ship? He asked as he slipped an envelope over to me.

I picked up the envelope. Yes, it’s about three days east of here. You didn’t say anything about wanting it.

I just found out he had one, was it anything special?

No, it was just a small cruiser. It did get him to the asteroid, so I guess it’s worth something. He was by himself. I’ll get Sam to give you the coordinates and description before I leave. You have any coffee or not?

I have coffee. I’m just a bad host. He admitted, and then got up to pour us a cup. You remember a man by the name of Stalworth. He left a message with me, said he knew you and needed to get in contact. I didn’t tell him I actually knew you, though he seemed to think I did. He slid across another envelope.

I knew a man by that name, he was old then. I’ll check it out.

You ready for some more work? I have a couple contracts that I need someone to get started on.

Let me call you back on that Alex. Holding up the envelope I said, Let me see what this is about. If it’s genuine, I might need to act on it. I smiled and added, It's how I earned my ship.

He whistled, I can understand that decision. I have some other people around. I just want to keep the good ones busy. Don’t feel like you’re leaving me in a bind, but do call and let me know.

I told him I would and finished my coffee. He had good coffee. Then I headed out to get a meal. I got Sam working on contacting Mr. Henry Stalworth.

It seems Mr. Stalworth was still on the station. He had been waiting for me to get back. Sam let him know I was on the way and I walked over to the other side of the station where they had rooms for rent.

I got to where Mr. Stalworth was staying and a man stationed at an ornate desk called him. He got off the phone and told me to go to room 470, and pointed at the elevator. I rode up to the fourth floor, went down to room 470, and knocked.

Come in.

Was the answer to my knock. I opened the door and entered, the old man was sitting in a chair. He rose and shook my hand.

How are you doing Barker? He said as he sat back down and pointed to the chair opposite.

I’m doing fine Mr. Stalworth. You wanted to see me?

I have a 22 year old young lady named Samantha Dole that has been kidnapped. The patrol doing anything and I need you to find her. I’ve been given ten days to come up with 5 million credits. I want you to find and retrieve her. I know who’s behind it. A man named Paul Hayes. He’s a competitor of mine. I will give you his information and copies of the ransom call. My people found traces of a dreamer drug in the room they kidnapped her from. I’m afraid they might have drugged her. I need you to get started immediately.

He handed me an envelope with papers and memory stick. I got up to leave.

You’re not going to ask about your pay?

I shook my head, Don’t see any need to, you’ve been more than fair before.

Find her Barker. This girl is special to me. Her mother and father died in that hellhole where you found me. She’s like a daughter to me. She’s all I have left. I’ll head back to my place on station 452.17. Contact me there.

I got back to the ship and had Sam start going over the recordings. I fed him the bio on Paul Hayes. I let Sam work on that while I went to work out.

What have you got Sam?

Not as much as you would think Jason. The kidnapping happened seven days ago. The patrol and news accounts just say she was missing. The housekeeper at Mr.Stalworth’s house backed this up. It was on a station that is two days away from here, station 452.17. The recordings were made four days after the kidnapping and had some background noises. The most important would be the two male voices whispering. Then there is the sound of a gravity drive at idle in the background. The way the voices reverberate, they seem to come from a large room. I think the bridge of a ship because I picked up the noise of electronics. There were two ships belonging to subsidies of Paul Hayes. One actually had Paul Hayes on it, his flagship. That one took off that same day, the other one took off the next day. There are numerous news stories of trouble between these two men. Some pretty awful accusations flying back and forth.

Alright Sam, let’s head for that other station and go over what we know. Will you see if you can find out where those two ships went? One of them should be hanging around pretty close. Find out more about Samantha and her parents, they were on Harvest 2 and were killed in the war about 8 years ago. I went to get some sleep.

I got up the next morning after a restless night of sleep. Something was bothering me about this whole thing. I got something to eat and went to work out and think.

Sam what do you know about dreamer drugs?

There are several different kinds but they all work the same. They make you sleep and have euphoric dreams. They're easy and quick to get hooked on, with effects lasting as long as 6 to 7 days. Malnutrition is a problem and eventually they will die because they don’t bother to stay awake to eat. The price is high. Most people can’t afford but one fix at a time. Is that enough or would you like chemical compositions?

That won’t be necessary. Will you call Mr. Stalworth for me?

A few minutes later he was on the com. Mr. Stalworth, how long did Samantha live with you?

She’s been living there for less than 2 months Barker.

Are you sure that she wasn’t into drugs.

No, at least not while she was at my house. I can’t guarantee anything before that. Is there anything else Barker?

Not right now, we’re on the way to the other station. There are some things I need to check out. See if we can track two of Paul Hayes’ ships. I’ll let you know.

I had Sam cut the connection and I just sat for a while thinking.

Sam what did you find out about Samantha and her parents?

I found Samantha intermittently throughout her life at different orphanages, jobs, and places she did volunteer work. She started working for a subsidy of Mr. Stalworth, two years ago. I can’t find anything about her parents. They supposedly died when she was seven and she was never adopted.

I have a bad feeling about this. Mr. Stalworth doesn’t know much about the girl that’s a daughter to him. Her parents were supposed to have died 8 years ago. Evidently, they died 15 years ago. A girl that’s supposed to be a daughter to him didn’t come anywhere near him until two years ago. We have Mr. Stalworth showing up at station 377.33 looking for me a day before he knows it’s a kidnapping. Is there anything that I’ve missed Sam?

Not that I know of, but there might be some things I missed. I have been looking at this problem from only one direction. I’m going to go over a few things.

While you’re doing that, line up the news articles about these two men. I sat down in front of the screen and started reading. It was going to take a while.

Jason, I have something else. They altered the recording. It was really recorded the third day after the kidnapping, that would be a day before Mr. Stalworth got to station 377.33. The man whispering in the background is none other than Mr. Stalworth himself. I took the voiceprint off the call you made to him and confirmed that. You’re being played Jason.

That’s what I thought as well. I still want to find Samantha, and I want to know what’s going on. I don’t think a lot about either of these two men. Did you find where that flag ship was heading?

It didn’t go where it said it was going. It dropped out of sight when it left station 452.17. It could hide quite a few places. From the direction they were heading, and for someone that might need the services of a medical facility, there’s just one place. Planet Zita 4, it has the best facilities in this sector.

I think your right about the medical facility. Let’s go find Samantha. I got up and went to work out then stopped. Sam didn’t the military have a problem with this kind of addiction.

It was not something that was generally known, but yes they did. They also had a treatment that no private facility could touch. I could duplicate the drugs and application in our medical unit. Cleaning the drug out of her system would take 7 days and would be intensive. She won’t like us much, but she would be clean.

Get it set up Sam, how long until we get to Zita 4?

It’ll take 13 hours and I’m changing course now.

We got to Zita 4 and Sam brought the ship down to the port.

The flag ship is here Jason. They came directly from station 452.17. They have been here 8 days and she’s at the medical facility. She’s not doing well Jason. This was not a one-fix addiction. From her medical records, it seems she’s been addicted for six weeks or more. There were physical injuries also. You need to get her back here. They will kill her if they keep up the present treatment. She’s in room 122.

Put out the skimmer Sam. I’ll be back as soon as I can.

I got the skimmer and went through customs. The field wasn’t fenced and poorly lit. It was dark with long shadows, my kind of night.

I arrived at the hospital and parked to one side. I didn’t go in the front, preferring side or rear entrances. The third door I came to was open and I slipped inside. This time of night, the only places they lit well were the nurse’s stations. It was easy to slip unnoticed through the halls. I came within sight of the door to room 122. There was a guard sitting outside the door. I stood in the shadows of a doorway and watched the guarded door. The guard was drinking coffee and the inevitable soon took place, he left to go to the restroom. I slipped in the door and closed it quietly behind. There was a young man sitting beside the bed with his head nodding as he tried to stay awake. I slipped up beside him and put my hand around the back of his neck with my thumb over his throat. When his eyes opened wide, I pushed with my thumb slightly and put my finger up to my lips. He nodded in understanding and didn’t try to cry out.

Who are you and how do you fit in this? I asked in as gentle a voice as I could manage.

I’m Jeremy Holmes, nephew of Paul Hayes. I called him to help me get Samantha away from Stalworth. They say she’s probably going to die. She’s been addicted too long and has suffered too much. Who are you?

He had such a sad look on his face. I could tell he’d been crying.

I’m Jason, her only hope right now. I let go of his throat.

I heard someone and went to the door to listen. The guard was talking to the nurse. I left the door, went to the corner of the room, and put my finger to my lips again. Jeremy nodded and stayed in the chair.

The nurse came in, inquired if everything was alright, and then left. She was making her rounds. I didn’t think she would stay long. I went back over and locked the door quietly. I went over to the bed, pulled the covers down, and was shocked at how the young woman looked. She was emaciated with scars and deep bruising all over her. I know torture when I see it. She looked like she wasn’t going to make it. I know I looked grim, I shook my head slowly and hoped Sam could do something. I motioned for Jeremy to help me.

He whispered, The guard won’t let us leave.

We're not going out the door, now help me.

We took the two sheets, wrapped one around her torso, and tied it off. We did the same thing with second one, around her hips. Quietly I called Sam and told him to send the skimmer to us. I turned to the window and slid it open slowly. I whispered to Jeremy.

Climb out the widow and I’ll pass her through.

I don’t know if it was being a friend or my being a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier, but he obeyed without question. I was just glad he did. I didn’t want to have to argue with him.

I passed her through the window just as the skimmer was setting down. We laid her down behind the front seats, Jeremy lay down with her, and I covered them both with a tarp. I drove directly back to the landing field and pulled up to the gate. The guard remembered me and didn’t bother to come outside, just waved me through. I called Sam.

Put the big ramp down Sam, I think driving in would be best. Is the medical unit ready?

I have everything ready. The hospital hasn’t raised an alarm yet. Just bring her in and let’s get her strapped down. We need to get started as soon as we can.

Let’s get off planet as soon as we board. Thirty minutes after we lift, send a note to the flagship. Let’s let Mr. Hayes know what we’re doing and that we’ve got Jeremy.

We drove in and unloaded Samantha. Jeremy helped me carry her down to medical and strap her down.

Come on, get something to eat and some rest. Sam will take care of her and you need a break. With that, I turned and went to the Galley and fixed us some breakfast. How did you come to know Samantha?

We were in the same orphanage on Aston when we were ten and got to be best friends. We would go out scrounging for food and clothes for the smaller children. You know how those places are. Never enough money and the people they have running them are lazy or drunks. We were too old to adopt. We helped the new kids adjust and taught them what they needed to get adopted. They closed the orphanage we were in five years later. We kept in touch the best we could. I got lucky and my uncle tracked me down. Gave me a job and helped me out. I helped Samantha out as much as I could, but I know she had a hard time. She really went downhill after Stalworth started giving her the dreamer drugs. She was awake one time, made it to a phone, and was able to tell me about what was going on. I went to my uncle and asked him for help. He really hates Stalworth. By the time we got to her, she had been on the dreamer drug for almost six weeks. We didn’t have much hope. We just had to try. How did you get to know her?

"I don’t know her.