The Stardrake Effect

By Scott King

A tale of a woman and her stardrake…

Kayla's parents had always told her that they would get her a stardrake when she was older…

They died and never did.

Now, on the verge of graduating from StarCorps Academy with her PhD, Kayla decides the time is right and volunteers for a service drake raising program.

It lasts one year.

At the end, she must return the stardrake so it can be trained and paired with an owner who needs it.

Expecting it to be all cuddles and cuteness, Kayla is unprepared when she is given Barnabus, a bundle of trouble. He turns her life upside down, putting her whole academic career in jeopardy.

Will she even last the year?

If she does, how can she give up something she has started to love?

Inspired by a true story, The Stardrake Effect, is an emotionally resonant coming of age tale stuffed with laughter, friendship, spaceships and heartbreak.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scott King
• Release date: Nov 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393096849

Book preview

Chapter 1

Barnabus

Kayla opened the front door to the house, to go meet her advisor at the transport, but the nestling stardrake barged in. The furry leviathan squiggled across the room, looping over its long tail. After three spins, as if searching for something, it flopped in the middle of the hardwood floor, its four paws raised, exposing its underside.

I am going to die from how cute it is! Gynx held both hands to ems chest as if em couldn’t breathe.

Kayla had always wanted a stardrake. Her parents had told her time and time again that she could have one when she was a little bit older, but then, well … she had moved in with Xaxa Orge and Xaxa Eena. It never felt fair to ask them for a pet; they already did so much for her.

The nestling made a whining sound and swished its tail across the floor, stirring up dust.

Alright, alright. Kayla knew what it wanted. Sitting beside the nestling, she ran her hand across its belly. Its black fur was coarse, but fluffy, while the hair along its underside was shorter, revealing pale pink flesh. A small scar ran between its legs, and the deflated bulge indicated that it was a neutered boy stardrake.

The nestling rolled over, and pressed his back into the side of Kayla’s thigh. His long, forked tongue rolled out of his mouth and he looked up at her with the biggest eyes she had ever seen on any animal. He was definitely a cutie-pie.

She scratched the bridge of his nose and behind his ears. His horns hadn’t fully come in yet, but there were two clear baby nubs. Judging from the size of his paws, he was going to grow up to be a very big boy.

Oh, goodness. Advisor Portree frantically closed the front door. I thought I had lost him. He’s a bit of a rascal.

Gynx sat on the stardrake’s other side and scratched his hindquarters. I want to take photos of him, print them on fabric, and turn that fabric into a shirt so that I can look as cute as he does.

What is his name? Kayla asked.

This one is … Advisor Portree breathed heavily, as if short of breath. He was in his early fifties, and his uniform bulged over his round stomach. ... Barnabus. There were four in his litter. I still have one of his sisters out in the transport.

Gynx’s eyes went wide. "Can I see? I need to know if she is as cute as this guy. For science."

She’s lovely, but smaller, Advisor Portree said. I think she weighs nearly half of what he does.

They headed out, leaving Kayla alone with Barnabus. As he lounged about, allowing her to continue to rub his underside, he had a bit of attitude, as if he knew this place was his. At least it would be for another month, then Kayla would take him back with her to StarCorps Academy.

She had been worried about taking on the responsibility of keeping a stardrake while completing her doctorate, but StarCorps Academy had strict guidelines for the Horns & Paws program. First and foremost, animals were not allowed to be a burden to the students. It was why students had to sign up as teams. The Academy wouldn’t allow just a single student to enter the program. On paper, Kayla was the lead and Gynx was support.

Barnabus curled his long body around Kayla’s hips and legs. For a nestling, he was huge. A single one of his paws filled Kayla’s palm and he was already a good twenty-five centimeters tall. She didn’t know what the averages were for his age, but he had to be well above them.

The longer she held onto him, the brighter his eyes glowed with a soft azure light. Not having been around stardrakes, she didn’t know if that was significant. Did their eye colors shift? Was the luminescence stronger at certain ages or during certain moods? She supposed that was the kind of thing she would learn as she went.

Gynx returned, holding a massive sea green binder; it was much larger than any of Kayla’s textbooks. There were strict rules for raising nestlings, including what toys they could and couldn’t have, or what brand of food they were allowed to eat. The binder was the bible for those rules.

Don’t just sit there, Gynx said. Help me with this blasted thing.

Kayla rolled her eyes. The big shot pilot can’t carry a binder?

Not a pilot. Gynx smiled and ems light brown skin seemed to glow with mischief. Yet.

The binder was so big that Kayla had to use both hands to take it. She set it on the floor beside Barnabus and flipped through the pages. She had a digital copy of the binder on the N2, but Horns & Paws required that all raisers have a physical copy also.

Advisor Portree used the heel of his regulation boot to shut the front door. Poorly balanced in his arms was a bag of food, a water bowl, and a cloth tote filled with approved toys. Where do you want these?

There is fine, Kayla said. We’ll set up a pen in the kitchen for him and I’ll keep the stuff there.

Everything Advisor Portree had been carrying, clunked onto the floor. He then withdrew a silk handkerchief and dabbed the sweat from his temples. If there are any problems—

Check. The. Binder. Gynx used a flat tone as if em had answered the same question, dozens of times already. We got this!

Very well, Advisor Portree said. Safe travels to both of you. We will meet the first week of classes, though I’ve not set the date yet. Check your streams for notifications.

We will, Kayla said.

Any other questions? Advisor Portree asked

Kayla and Gynx made eye contact. They both shrugged and then shook their heads.

Advisor Portree bent down and ran a thumb over Barnabus’s nose. You, behave.

I’m sure he’ll be fine, Kayla said.

A deep bellow escaped from Advisor Portree’s lips. Famous last words.

Kayla and Gynx watched through the window as Advisor Portree’s transport lifted past the trees and into the purple sky. The ship was a decommissioned A-Class, most likely something the Horns & Paws bought at auction from the Intercosmic Alliance StarCorps, though technically the H&P were part of the I.A.S. so it might have been an allocation and not a budget expense. Kayla wasn’t sure how the whole stardrake training program worked from a financial or chain-of-command sense. H&P seemed to work in its own bubble, though the stardrakes that graduated from it could end up assisting the disabled, serving on ships, or filling other various roles.

When first thinking about volunteering, Kayla had researched the five main organizations that raised service drakes. Of them, H&P was by far the most conservative. Their raisers had plenty of rules to follow, but didn’t do any formal training. Raisers just served as foster parents taking care of the nestlings until they were old enough to be trained.

Slight problem. Gynx tapped Kayla’s shoulder. We already lost the nestling.

Where did he go? Kayla listened, but couldn’t hear the sound of Barnabus's paws on the hardwood floor.

Take the upstairs, Gynx said. I’ll check down here.

The house was older, but had been up-kept. Xaxa Eena was a master when it came to fixing and repairing the place. One of Kayla’s favorite features in the home was the circular staircase. At one point it had been a lift, but when the lift broke, Xaxa Eena had pulled the whole shaft out, creating a stairwell lined with shelves. The shelves were decorated in chronological order with photos and trinkets from decades ago, and as one walked up the stairs they got to more recent photos and vids.

As a kid, the stairs were hard for Kayla because they were a constant reminder of her parents. Now that she was older, what had once hurt—seeing photos of her mom or dad—she now found comforting. Her parents had met during their undergrad studies, but things didn’t get serious till they served on the same worldship.

Of all the frozen memories, Kayla’s favorite was a looping vid of her mother. In it, her mother was two years younger than Kayla was now. They looked alike, dark skin, thin jaws, and similar eyes, though her mother had an old-school blown-out afro, while Kayla liked to wear her hair shoulder length in twists.

In the vid, her mom stood at the center of the grassy green Quad at StarCorp Academy. She held a stack of textbooks, and without warning she threw them into the air, pointed at the Administration Building, and yelled, I’m blasted done and heading to the stars! Kayla had played the vid so many times that the audio had died years ago, and now came out as a garbled mess.

At the top of the stairs, Kayla paused, listening. Nothing.

Barnnnnnabus?

She checked her Xaxa’s rooms and her cousin’s. Nothing seemed disturbed or out of place. Her own room was a wreck, because of mid-packing to head back to school, after summer break, though to be fair it was usually a mess anyway. Uniforms that regulations demanded be pressed and wrinkle free were strewn in a pile, while her bed lay buried under a full layer of personal items. She only had so much room in her suitcase and it was hard to decide what things should come. So far, the only item packed was the memorial plaque from the I.A.S. Starfinder. That always went with her, no matter what.

Found him! Gynx called from downstairs.

Kayla hustled down the steps and into the kitchen. What the kork happened?

Gynx held Barnabus with both hands, practically bear hugging him to keep him from dropping. The nestling squirmed with all of his might trying to break free. The human, stardrake, and the kitchen were covered in a bright white powder.

To be honest, Gynx said, I don’t know what he got into. It could be sugar, or flour, or cornstarch, or cornmeal, or … you know what? There is only one way to find out.

Gynx stuck out ems tongue and licked Barnabus, creating a single break in the white coating that allowed the nestling’s midnight-colored fur to peak through.

That is gross.

It’s bitter. Gynx smacked ems lips. Maybe baking powder?

Is baking powder bad for stardrakes?

Check the binder!

As she shifted her weight to run back into the living room, Kayla’s sock struck a patch of the white powder. The world seemed to spin. Her back hit the ground first, knocking the air out of her.

Kayla held her eyes closed, waiting for the swirling sensation to stop.

Gynx winced. That looked like it hurt.

Blinking, Kayla rolled over and sat up. The pantry door was open and a five kilogram bag of elder flour lay shredded. It’s not baking soda. It’s elder flour. That should be fine. How did he make such a big mess so fast?

Take the beast, Gynx said. I’ll get this cleaned up.

You sure?

I’m already covered in it.

Kayla took Barnabus, his weight catching her off guard. His whole body was dense and he had to weigh at least ten kilograms. She threw his midsection over her right shoulder and he swished his tail around her neck, anchoring it in her left armpit It was awkward, but manageable. Are we sure he’s only nine weeks old?

That’s what Portree said.

He’s gonna be a big’un.

Barnabus arched his back as if trying to break free, but then shifted, nuzzling his flour-coated face against Kayla’s chin.

Once down the backstairs and outside, Kayla set Barnabus down. His paws threw up specks of the blue-green dirt as he dashed across the yard. Their property stretched back a good twenty meters and was covered in the vibrant teal grass that Aubmilico was famous for. A force shield fence surrounded the perimeter, so Kayla knew Barnabus could only get so far.

With each dash and pounce, the wind caught Barnabus's fur, leaving behind a trailing cloud of flour. He was quick, and he managed to avoid the invisible fence with ease. That didn’t surprise Kayla. She knew stardrake horns could sense electromagnetic waves. That ability, plus their long lifespan, and intelligence, was why they made such great service animals.

Barnabus skidded to a stop.

He sniffed around, and for a brief moment Kayla thought there might be something wrong with him, but then he arched his back, lifting his tail, and took a long, stringy poop.

When done going potty, he returned to Kayla.

She made a mock squealing noise and acted as if she were going to pounce on him. He bolted, and she chased after him. For more than fifteen minutes they played, running around the yard.

Finally though, Barnabus began to pant and flopped on the grass, as if the idea of standing was simply too much for him to bear. She sat crosslegged, next to him, scratching the fur under his chin. Tired, little guy?

His mouth opened and his already big eyes grew larger as he let out the cutest yawn Kayla had ever seen.

I don’t think you realize how cute you are … She stroked behind his ears and he snuggled into her. ... and you’re all mine.

She knew that wasn’t true. He wasn’t hers.

Horns & Paws owned Barnabus, and if he passed training he would be accepted into the I.A.S. as a service drake. But for now, he was hers. All of his adorableness was hers and she wasn’t going to share him with anyone, not even Gynx!

Baranabus nuzzled her chin, and shifted his weight, leaning forward. He froze in place and a moment later a warm wetness ran along Kayla’s left leg.

She sighed.

Barnabus had peed on her.

Advisor Portree hadn’t warned her that he wasn’t potty trained yet.

Chapter 2

Wyrmgate

As had become tradition, the night before Kayla left for school was family night. No vids. No gaming on the N2. Just being together, because sometimes you don’t know what the future will bring. Kayla enjoyed family night, but this time it felt different because it might be their last family night. Undergrad was long over and she was entering her final year before getting her doctorate. A year from now, she would be preparing for graduation. There was little chance they would all be together like this again.

Barnabus lay across Kayla’s feet under the kitchen table. In the past few weeks he had nearly doubled in size. Rickel, her cousin, sat next to him, rubbing the stardrake’s belly, while Barnabus chewed on the leg of the table.

Barnabus, no. Don’t do that. Kayla used her foot to gently nudge Barnabus's snout away from the wood.

I finally looked up what a chemical physicist does. Xaxa Orge stood over a large skillet frying a batch of scruts. Their spicy zestiness overpowered the smells of the food in the oven.

Only took you two years. Xaxa Eena nudged ems.

In my defense, it’s quite daunting. Xaxa Orge used a pair of tongs to flip the scruts one by one. The oil sizzled against their shells.I still think she should have gone into medical, like her parents.

I’m right here, Kayla waved her hand. I’ve not left yet and for the record you’ve told me a thousand times I should have gone into medical.

Well, you didn’t. That’s settled, Xaxa Orge said. But you have a lot of options as a chemical physicist. I saw over two hundred postings on I.A.S.’s N2 job board.

That was the idea, Kayla said. Going into the I.A.S. had never been in question for her, but medicine was not her thing. Blood. Guts. Giving sad diagnoses. She didn’t have the heart for that.

Kayla had thought of going into piloting like Gynx, but that would require constant travel, and eventually Kayla wanted to