Outlaw Star Trail

By Teresa Hubley

Her refugee days behind her, Marleta settles into a comfortable life as a celebrity, eclipsed only by her infant son in popularity. Her old pilot friend Nell, however, sees the truth: old enemies are on the hunt and they will not rest until they destroy the ship and crew that gave them the slip. Nell and her new crew hasten to warn the survivors of the Valindi crash before all is lost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Teresa Hubley
• Release date: Mar 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311174291

Teresa Hubley

Teresa Hubley was born in Minneapolis and moved every couple of years after that, winding up in a handful of small Midwestern towns, suburban California and even west Africa. As an adult, she acquired a doctoral degree in anthropology and has lived most of her life in Maine, where she works in the health field. She usually has too many books to keep track of going at any time on her reading list. Favorite authors include Charles Dickens, E.M. Forster, Agatha Christie, Elizabeth Peters, and Dave Barry. Lunch out with Teresa and her family usually includes the reading of a few pages while the meal is delivered. When she's not reading or writing, she might be drawing, going for a long walk, or sneaking a guilty pleasure moment playing games on her tablet.

Book preview

Cycle One: Exile

FIRST SET

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NAME: Tai Q’thzadi

ORIGIN: Uzume

ETHNICITY: Uzumean

DESCRIPTION: Silver hair, green eyes, blue skin

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: None

OCCUPATION: Extra-Planetary Navigator

SECURITY ALERTS: None; Permit passage

******************************************************

Nell considered the effect of the changes in the mirror. They had done a good job making her look like a true native-born woman of the planet Uzume with the usual bluish skin and silvery white hair. The hair puffed up over her head and cascaded down her back like a cape. They had said they could go the other way easily enough, make her look more like a man, but that seemed a predictable disguise. Everyone who’d known her as a rough-and-ready pilot decked out in the unisex tunic, flight pants, and low heeled boots of the trade, her hair cut severely short, would have expected such a move. As long as the reassignment firm stayed true to its code (and the hefty bribe from Nell’s team), no one would find her out. In theory, that would keep the team safe from the enemies who had pursued her halfway across the galaxy before she joined them. It had had been a condition of her agreement with them.

She looked down at the low-cut bodice of the short shift she wore and wondered if it was necessary to show so much. She also wondered how far she could safely twist without showing more than anyone would think prudent. The reassignment firm had found no need to alter her breasts, as she’d merely been keeping them at bay for years with a stabilizer harness. Now they settled freely in the traditional display sling, which made her feel uncomfortably close to nakedness.

The walk again, Ms. Hamilton, Shaki intoned from behind her.

She turned and sauntered in his direction. As she walked, she said, in the breathless tone she remembered from having met women of this sort, Q’thzadi, you mean.

Too much glottal stop, Q’thzadi. Close friends would call you ‘Ahdee’, with a strong accent on the end. We will use that amongst ourselves. Watch your tone. Your voice should drop more.

She came to rest beside him. It was useless looking for encouragement in his hard, icy eyes. He waved her back towards the far wall without saying she should go again and she went again without waiting to hear his command. If he was satisfied, he'd say so and he hadn't said so.

Shaki's accent at rest was still a patrician trill even though the rest of him was a blank canvas just now. He wore a shapeless gray jumpsuit topped with a yellow jacket and his feet sported the low-heeled spacer boots they all wore in flight. He was as well-manicured and coiffed as a prince but a shade more disheveled than usual. When she’d first met him, he’d been polished and burnished for his role as the seducer of an outworld frontier governor, a role at which he’d been highly successful. Next, she’d seen him as Mission Principle, severely styled in an effort to impress. Now he was her tutor, sharing his gift for presentation, including his genius for endless accents and tireless detail.

The turn! he barked.

Nell’s least favorite part of the disguise was at hand. She had to affect a maybe side-glance with just the right hint of could be mixed with but on my terms only. Uzumean women were famous for their magnetism and ability to use it. Flirting, however, was never a skill she had mastered and acting was also not a strength. She turned away from Shaki, glancing back at him.

He had his hands on his hips and his lips drawn to one side, skeptical to the core. His expression did not change as he assessed her performance. More confidence, please. You have to make me want you. We shall work on the rest later.

She groaned and kicked off the glittery sandals that pinched her feet. You ask far too much and you know it. That will never happen. Are you sure this is how these women behave? Why would they act this way in trying to arouse males from other planets? Isn’t this just our own cultural cliché?

Shaki snatched up the sandals and brandished them as he lectured her on her purpose. What these women do is much deeper than culture. It gets to the very heart of our animal nature, to mating rituals at their most basic. You must never forget what we really are under all the ritual and costuming. To truly act as an Uzumean woman, you must first exude charm and allure above all else.

Why, then, did you think this was a good idea? You know full well that I don’t have a drop of either anywhere in my body.

Stop telling me what I 'know' in your estimation. If you are unable to imagine yourself as the person I have outlined for you, then you shall fail. Remember, this is not you per se. This is not ‘Nell.’ This is a mask you wear. If you are worried about anyone taking advantage of you, do not forget that the rest of the team is with you and we can put a stop to anything we wish.

Having seen Shaki command a situation with weaponry and the hard edge of his voice, she knew that was true. She could trust her safety to him, if only because he valued the team. She had no illusions that Shaki stood by her for her own sake.

Shaki continued, Uzumean women are also always the directors of their own scenes. They may seem soft and yielding but they do hold all the power in the end. You may have to learn how to be demure but I know for a fact you have no trouble exercising authority.

She stared into his eyes, looking for a sign that would tell her whether he was sincere or whether he was using his guile to motivate her. He was too good at his own mask to let her know.

Enough for the day, Nell…mm..Ahdee. He bowed to signal his release of her.

SECOND SET

The office of the director-general of Robey’s Universal Outsourcing was not a welcoming place but then operatives did not visit just for the sake of etiquette. One only came in answer to a summons from the Director-General and a summons was always a matter of clearing up a mission-critical detail, possibly a mistake made on the last job. The D-G could be patient with mistakes but mostly he was known for his capricious and clever punishments. Zoë Blythe had come in her most conservative outfit, a neon orange and pink plaid bodysuit topped by a high-necked blue dress that fell below her knees. Her spiraled hair was twisted into a knot and she wore no jewelry or paint against her brown skin. Her shoes were green. She sat erect with her knees and feet together on the floor, hands on knees.

Monday (who had whispered, Maybe you’re planning to blind the guy with your clothes?) had come in his usual drab beige overall with white slippers. With his chalky complexion and thinning hair, he almost faded away into his ensemble. He sprawled in his chair and watched as the D-G scrolled through records on his personal informator.

The D-G, a corpulent man stuffed into a formal suit of rich, many-threaded material, did not spare the two a look. He mumbled into his desk as he spoke, his be-ringed hands pushing along the screen of his device. I’ve been over your manifest and log ahead of the next mission and I have a few concerns.

While Zoë and Monday waited to hear the rest, the D-G twisted up out of his seat and attended to a large carnivorous plant that occupied the ledge behind his desk. Zoë closed her eyes while he fed his charge but she could still hear the gulping and gurgling and smacking it made, followed by a satisfied burp. She opened one eye to see if the spectacle had come to a close. The plant was seething against the wall. Monday had straightened in his seat and was rubbing his chest with one hand.

Monday blurted out, If it’s about the Kestran job, I’m sure we can explain.

Zoë clenched her teeth to keep from letting loose an exclamation. Monday, it seemed, did not know enough not to suggest things to people who are interrogating you. That was a good piece of information for their next job, assuming there was one, or maybe the one after that, since Monday was slated to be Mission Principle for the first time on the one to come next. He’d be too busy asserting his authority to take feedback.

The D-G turned and clasped his hands, eyes on the desk. Oh, Kestra. Is there something special to know about that job? He heaved his bulk back into his chair and shot a hooded look at Monday.

Monday’s fingers dug into the armrests on his chair. Zoë answered just as his mouth opened, I was Mission Principle for Kestra and I can proudly say that we satisfied the contract. We brought in the embezzler as requested.

The D-G leaned back and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. And then the governor of Kestra, who was your contract lead, instructed us to keep you and everyone on your team away from his asteroid, the whole of the Backbone district if possible. I feel as though there are details missing.

You read Shaki Sandoval’s report.

The D-G’s eyes bored into them. Ah, Mr. Sandoval. Shaki is a fine writer. An excellent actor too. I always feel as if I have been worked over when I’ve dealt with him. This report is no exception. That’s why I asked you two to represent the team today.

Well, with all due respect, if the governor did not feel it necessary to say more, then maybe you don’t need to ask..sir?

The D-G smirked and shot Zoë a look that was one part appreciation, one part disgust. He sighed and looked back to his desk. My rule is…and it’s the rule of Robey’s in general…don’t ask too many questions. If I hadn’t had that rule, you wouldn’t have Shaki. There are a lot of unanswered questions on his part. Monday, you bring your share too. Zoë, you are boringly ordinary as far as I can tell, except for the tasks you’ve had to do for us. Then there’s your new crew member, whose name I can’t pronounce…

We just call her Ahdee.

Sure. She just appeared out of nowhere? She didn’t go through the usual channels to get on your team.

No, no…that’s true. But…no questions?

There’s one caveat to ‘no questions.’ When I think that there is danger to Robey’s as whole, I break my rule.

The danger being..?

Not the governor of Kestra or what’s-her-name or even Shaki. The Serpentine mission. The one where your passenger list included two very prominent fugitives, Empress Marleta and Nell Hamilton, and Shaki Sandoval was Mission Principle. The goal was to deliver Atremis X. Delaney, colorfully known as ‘Kipper,’ to his family in the Serpentine Federation and the terms included his wife, one so-called ‘Empress’ Marleta. Seems she was attended by the rather mysterious Ms. Hamilton. Shaki did bring the passengers to Barnard’s Planet as specified I grant you. Then we got the alert from a certain law enforcement agency that Her Imperial Majesty and friend are wanted and the vehicle they stole to escape Anubis is also wanted. We can’t do anything with Her Royal Etcetera, thanks to the political situation she’s in at present as a guest of the Serpentine, but…thought we might deliver up the ship and its pilot as a gesture of goodwill. We like to stay on good terms with law enforcement. It's helpful to the business.

Who are we talking about here? What law enforcement body?

The Ganymede Peacekeepers and their associate, Argon Templar. They’re the sort you really don’t want on your bad side. None of them is exactly dripping with good will or human kindness.

Monday gasped, Argon Templar? I was told he was dead by people who witnessed the explosion that killed him.

Zoë ’s teeth clenched again.

The D-G grunted and said, Well, that detail escaped Shaki when he wrote his report.

Zoë said, It was not part of our mission to deal with Templar and his lot. The others did that.

Others?

Um..the Empress and her team.

The Empress killed a security contractor?

Her..the…uh…I’m not sure who exactly…I wasn’t there.

Never mind. Pilot Hamilton was in command of the Devi Krishna at the time. Whoever pushed the button or released the thought waves or said the right key word or whatever it was to control the device that slammed into Templar’s ship did it on her watch. That’s why she’s a wanted criminal. Interestingly, you know, there is little in the way of records regarding this woman. There’s more than you’d ever want to know out there about her friends Marleta and Artemis but Ms. Hamilton herself is a cipher. What became of her and where is Devi Krishna?

Devi Krishna crash-landed on a remote research station and was too damaged to fly after that. As far as I know, the crew dismantled her and some of them are still there, living in pieces of wreckage.

Gone then.

Yes. Devi Krishna does not exist anymore. Zoë thought there was no point in adding that most of the old battle cruiser that had survived the crash was now repurposed as part of the scientific observation operation as an exploration vessel called Valindi Savant. She hoped Monday would refrain from mentioning that fact.

And Pilot Hamilton?

Monday blurted, Her neither. She’s…

Dead is she?

Yeah. Suicide.

Zoë caught her breath at the thought that Monday had uttered something brilliant that might just get them out of what had started to look like a very bad spot.

After a long silence punctuated by swishing from the plant against the wall, Zoë asked, Are we done?

The D-G said, Yeah. Good luck to you, Monday, on the new mission. Hopefully you’ll stay out of trouble to a greater degree than your teammates. On the last, the D-G raised his head and glared at Zoë .

THIRD SET

The front door of the towering luxury dwelling swished open to uncover a bare-chested young man, dark-skinned and topped by a swirling head of black shiny hair. He wore a pair of voluminous iridescent pants and sandals made of springy threads. His torso was covered by a loose garment threaded with metal and adorned with tiny mirrors.

Two small children with brown hair and big green eyes peered up at him from the stoop of the condo. He turned and called back into the house, Sweetness? Did you order two more kids?

A pale, brown-haired woman swathed in a loose jumpsuit stamped with the words Devi Krishna answered the call, a small brown infant nestled in a sling across the front of her body. Don’t be silly, Ari. What is it?

I’m serious. Look.

When the woman came into view, the adult standing beside the children bowed and said, Your Highness.

Majesty, the young man corrected. She's empress now, Empress Marleta of Anubis to you.

Yes. Your Majesty. Sorry. And you, sir, must be the famous Artemis X. Delaney, also known as ‘Kipper.’

The woman in the jumpsuit nodded. And you are…?

No one important. I was hired by your brother, Prince Navin, to facilitate this transaction. It has taken several hand-offs and a tremendous amount of---

Kipper cut the messenger off. Yeah, that’s obvious, considering Navin must still be on Anubis.

Marleta said, He can’t be. The Common Unity Front killed the whole royal family and tried to kill me. In fact, I had no idea he was still alive.

Kipper added, So we’d be needing proof.

The messenger held out a token emblazoned with the Anubian royal seal. Marleta nodded and the messenger began, His Highness escaped---

Obvious again, Kipper cut in. Don’t give us the details. Just tell us about these kids. Who are they and why are they looking at me like they expect me to hand over their allowance or feed them some toast?

The messenger sighed and said, Well, forgive me if there are going to be holes in the story but these are the children of a woman named Ziath and they are also…Prince Navin’s half-siblings.

Marleta frowned. Meaning they’re my half-siblings too?

It follows, Kipper said. Unless there’s something about your family history you don’t know. I suppose we are being asked to take these kids in.

The messenger nodded. His Highness removed them from their mother’s house because he feared CUF would chase them down and kill them. They need sanctuary and Your Majesty has apparently found it here on Barnard’s with the Federated Serpentine Settlements protecting you.

One of the children on the doorstep looked up at Marleta and fixed a wide-eyed gaze at the child she carried while the other continued staring at Kipper.

Kipper asked, So who is this Ziath person? I never heard of her.

Marleta looked to the children on the stoop and gulped. I’ll tell you later, Ari. It’s an old family secret. She squatted by the children and said, I am your sister, Marleta, and this is your brother-in-law, Ari. What are your names?

The two spoke at the same time and then became too shy to answer. The messenger touched them in turn on the head and announced, Jin…Rue.

Kipper muttered, Makes sense as the Emperor was named Jinru.

Marleta stood and said, addressing the children, Well, my little boy is named Valind, after a place I used to live. We call him ‘Val.’ He’d be your nephew so I expect you two to be good helpers to me with him. She motioned them in, stepping back and waving her hand to them. The two followed her into the house, their eyes drawn by its high ceilings and shiny decorations. They also gazed out the back window at the teeming city full of domes and skittering vehicles nestled against a backdrop of sharp-sided sandy peaks.

Kipper said to the messenger, Do they come with clothes or anything?

They have nothing due to the sudden evacuation..your…whatever..

Eminence. Royal Prince Consort is the right term. You should bow to me.

The messenger bowed and then looked up at Kipper expectantly. Kipper scowled and said, You want your allowance too, I suppose. Sometimes I hate being rich and famous.

FOURTH SET

Monday murmured, More like homicide than suicide I’d say.

What? Zoë asked.

The story we told the D-G at Robey’s. His eyes swept the transformed Nell one more time. We said Nell Hamilton committed suicide. Looks like a much more violent transaction than that.

Shaki replied, You should not imagine for one moment that the D-G believes your story.

Nell-Ahdee asked, Is that a problem?

Zoë shook her head. He doesn’t have to believe us. He just has to decide it’s a story he’ll accept and settle for. Since he didn’t ask any follow-up questions, I think he is satisfied. If we get caught at this, he can always say we lied to him too and it was not his fault. He probably recorded the whole thing.

Nell asked, What do you think? Will it fool anyone?

Monday said, It has to or we’re all dead.

Shaki grunted. You’re exaggerating.

Zoë said, It’s true. Shaki was right to insist you go disguised if you stay with us. Apparently Argon Templar survived being blown up and he’s put a price on the Devi Krishna, her pilot, and her star passenger.

Nell whipped her silvery mane back over her shoulder, shaking it just for the feel of it, and said, That can’t be. Nothing survived the explosion. The ship disintegrated.

Shaki said, It’s possible Templar wasn’t even on the ship. He may have been using it as a relay. It may in fact have been entirely unmanned, remotely controlled.

Monday shook his head. Theoretically maybe but highly unlikely. No one has that kind of sophisticated equipment in the Sol system. They’re still operating on prehistoric circuits over there. No small time contractor has resources like that. We sure don’t and we work for the biggest and best funded outsourcer in the galaxy for excellent wages.

Nell said, "I heard it said that Templar was an agent of our ‘friends’ in the Common Unity Front, ‘CUF’ to you. They certainly had the funds and the technical expertise