The Heirs of Henu

By Theresa Snyder

In volume 2 of The Star Traveler Series our mercenaries find themselves embroiled in a drug deal gone bad, in a universe where there is no place to hide.

Jake's surrogate dad has inadvertently pulled Jake and Arr into a life-or-death situation. With Arr's life in the balance, assistance from a Galactic Forces Mobile Tactical Team, MT #2424, might be their only option for survival...but will contact with them mean life imprisonment for Jake?

How great a sacrifice must a man make for his partner?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Theresa Snyder
• Release date: May 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311705068

Theresa Snyder

Theresa Snyder is a multi-genre writer with an internationally read blog. Theresa grew up on a diet of B&W Scifi films like Forbidden Planet and The Day the Earth Stood Still. She is a voracious reader and her character driven writing is influenced by the early works of Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffery and L. Ron Hubbard. She loves to travel, but makes her home in Oregon where her elder father and she share a home and the maintenance of the resident cat, wild birds, squirrels, garden and an occasional dragon house guest.

Book preview

BOOKS BY THERESA SNYDER

The Farloft Chronicles

(Dragon books suitable for Middle-school to Adult)

James & the Dragon - Vol. 1

Kingdom of the Last Dragon - Vol. 2

Dragon Deception - Vol. 3

Too Many Dragons - Vol. 4

Three & a Half Dragons - Vol. 5

Dragon Memories, Dreams & Reflection - Vol. 6

The Star Traveler Series

(Sci-fi suitable for Young Adult to Adult)

The Helavite War - Vol. 1

The Heirs of Henu - Vol. 2

Old Friends/New Enemies - Vol. 3

The Malefactors - Vol. 4

Cataclysm - Vol. 5

A Mear Sleight of Hand - Vol. 6

The Twin Cities Series

(Paranormal Mature Young Adult to Adult)

Shifting in The Realms (Book 1)

Shifting Agony & Ecstasy (Book 2)

Memoir

(Adult Non-fiction)

We 3

Learn more at

www.TheresaSnyderAuthor.com

1. Stuck

Jake had been on the Henu planet for eight months, one week and six days. Not that he was counting. On the contrary, he almost lost track of time.

Waking up to Margaret every morning was a joy. He truly loved her. If it didn't sound so mushy, he might have even said he adored her. He loved the way her eyes crinkled at the corners when she laughed. He loved her gentleness that was coupled with that driving dedication he'd seen when she nursed Arr back to health on the St. Mary. Most of all he loved her understanding.

She understood when he told her yesterday that he needed to leave.

Margaret even helped with Mya. The little Henu was upset about Arr leaving. She didn't argue. She did beg. It was difficult for Arr until Margaret stepped in to smooth the waters. Margaret's life was full of men leaving.

She understood that it happened, almost expected it. They would come back.

Yesterday, Arr was feeling nostalgic. He began reminiscing about it being close to seven years since he and Jake met. That led them both almost simultaneously to think of Jake's birthday. When neither one of them could correctly calculate the day, they immediately took a trip up to the ship.

Not only did the time-line on the Calpernia indicate that his birthday was next week, but there was the annual message from Tim. They hadn't seen Tim since leaving the Helavite planet. In fact, they hadn't seen anyone. It would be a very special birthday.

2. Research

Margaret sat at her desk in her very compact, well equipped lab on the Henu planet. Jake and Arr took off this morning for Outpost #12. They would be gone for two to three weeks. She really considered herself lucky. Jake stayed planet bound for a lot longer than she had hoped. It really was quite extra ordinary considering his background. However, now that Jake was back aboard his cruiser and headed for his friends, she didn't try to kid herself. She knew what these parties were like. She'd seen them in the Imaging Chamber aboard the St. Mary. She knew the male bonding that took place. She knew there was a good chance that Jake and Arr would realize what they were missing and go back to working as mercenaries. But, Margaret was confident in Jake's love for her. She knew no matter how far he went, he'd always return to her.

Margaret planned to use this quiet time, without Jake, wisely. She intended to break down her one large file on all the Henu population into individual files. She could spread it all over the lab and the adjoining house and not have to worry about Jake disturbing it.

She opened the file and scanned the first page:

The Henu written language was unlike anything she had ever seen. She noticed that all proper names were made up of three characters. She tried to preserve this in her English translation.

Teg was the oldest of the Henu who were prisoners. He also was the only aggressive one. He had appointed himself protector of his captured people. His back bore evidence of his intervening in numerous conflicts between Helavite whip and Henu. He did however, willingly relinquished his position as leader to Arr. The two had become good friends in the past nine months. Margaret attributed this to the fact that Arr had more in common with Teg than he did with the other males. All the others were not what she would deem passive, but they avoided conflict at all costs. They had experienced enough conflicts for one lifetime. They wished to live quietly now.

Qwe was Teg's mate. She would be the mother of the first Henu of a new generation. Qwe was four months pregnant.

Margaret judged from the development of the fetus that the gestation period for the Henu must be very similar to humans. She anxiously observed and awaited the arrival of the child. Qwe spent a majority of her free time in the lab. She was apprehensive. She saw children born among the slaves of the Helavites, most died within hours. Often the mother died as well. Margaret did her best to allay all of Qwe's fears and answer any questions she could. This was an exciting time Margaret told her - a time for joy, not apprehension. Everything would be all right.

Nad was the youngest of the male population. He must have been barely two when captured. He should have been the most withdrawn and brow beaten of them all. Instead, he was the comic of the group. He and his mate Eel were the instigators in the colony. They were the ones that suggested moonlight swims after an evening by the outdoor fire. They were the ones, with Jake's help, who learned to brew wine for the Spring Festival. The two were boundless in their energy and enthusiasm.

Jin promised to sing at the festival. She was a female and mate to Bor, a large, black male with grey tips to his hair. All the Henu possessed lovely voices and an in-born perfect pitch that was uncanny. Margaret found in Jin and Bor's relationship that old idiom, ‘opposites attract’ Jin was outgoing, and the first to master English. Bor was quiet, and in a gathering of the Henu almost appeared withdrawn. He adored Jin. His adoration was never more evident than when Jin sang for the group. If he possessed buttons to pop, he would have. To compliment Jin, was to compliment Bor.

Aul and Sha were the solitary, thoughtful couple. They joined in all the gatherings of the group, but were shy and elusive. Aul was a small, grey male and Sha a faun color with chestnut shading to her body hair. Sha's coloring was the most unusual of all the Henu. Each was different in their own way, except for the uniformity of their blue cat eyes.

Everything about the Henu that Margaret observed or learned brought new questions to mind. Presently, all the Henu were different in color. Was there a limit to their variations? None of the group could remember well enough to give her an idea as to whether their color was passed down in their families, or just random. Arr told her Nor was red/gold too, but that was not a large enough test group to draw any conclusions. What color would Teg and Qwe's child be? Teg was black. Qwe was red with faint black shading at the natural depression on her arms and legs. Would the child be one or the other, or would it be a combination?

Gat was the last of the captive males. He seemed to have a far better memory than the rest of the Henu, at least where it pertained to plants. He remembered herbs and could identify spices that even Arr did not know. He and his mate Dol were the adventuresome pair. They set about mapping the planet and its bounty. They sometimes spent weeks at a time out exploring. Often they would return with some unusual plant for Margaret to test the properties. Sometimes, Gat could even remember what his father or mother used it for. Margaret hypothesized that Gat's family were the physicians of the Henu people. Arr's family were traders. Traders needed to be able to communicate with diverse groups. Arr had an ability to learn languages that none of the other Henu possessed. He was specialized in his skills. Perhaps Gat's memory was similar. Perhaps part of all the Henu knowledge was inherited.

The colony of Henu was completed by Lal. She was the only single in the group. Originally there were nineteen Henu captives. Seven died of ill treatment and poor diet. Most of them died shortly after their capture. This left Lal without a mate. Other than her obvious loneliness, Lal was solitary. It was as though she felt she didn't belong. When they were captives, it wasn't that important. Now it seemed all her thoughts revolved around the fact that she merely progressed from one kind of prison to another. Margaret spent long hours with her. Lal was very unhappy. She would become a disruptive force in the community if something wasn't done soon. Lal was attracted to Jake. Margaret caught her, more than once, following Jake with her eyes. Perhaps they could find her a human mate. She was an attractive red head. Margaret would approach Lal on that idea and sound her out. Then, when Jake returned, she would speak with him about the possibilities.

All in all, considering the environment the Henu grew up in, they were adjusting nicely. The whole community built a large lodge in a tree where they could gather once a week to share their thoughts, sing and revel in their freedom. During the spring and summer months they exchanged the inside of the lodge for the open air and skies in the Spring Festival area, beneath the lodge tree. They gathered round the fire pit they built for the ‘spring’ dance, last fall, and exchanged their ideas, hopes and plans for the future.

Margaret grew to care for each and every one of the Henu in the past nine months. She was very maternal toward them. They were all her children. In reality any one of them could be. She and Jake were over twice their age. She was looking forward to watching them grow.

3. Birthdays!

Jake's birthday was one for the record books. What started out to be an evening gathering ran into a three day bash. All the battles fought in the last nine months had to be verbally re-fought. The guys needed to catch Jake and Arr up on what was happening in the universe.

Hank had a new partner named Smitty. He lost his former partner in the battle with the Helavites. Hank told everyone about the incident on Milnon II where Smitty was so excited about his first battle that he left half his gear onboard the cruiser, including his blaster. He ended up using Hank's extra one. Smitty took a lot of ribbing from the old pros on that one.

After three days of talking, eating and drinking, the Outpost authorities politely asked the riotous group to move on.

Unlike Margaret's assumption, Jake and Arr counted themselves lucky when they returned to the Calpernia after the party. They didn't miss being shot at or trampled on. They didn't miss the hostile environments or the long days without a decent amount of sleep. They had a good life now. They had two wonderful women at home who adored them. They had a colony that depended on them. Yet… There was something missing. They missed the companionship of their old life. They missed being on the cruiser together and talking long hours into the night. Nowadays the women were always around, or if not them, then one