Blustardusk

By Tanya Biondi

Young Nausikaa is mistakenly taken onboard by an alien spaceship, the Blustardusk, from planet Anusia. She will discover new worlds and populations, from the extraordinary Anikïels, to the threatening Emperor, who will try conquering the planet. The young Earthling will find friendship and love, but also a deep feeling of melancholy for all she has left behind. With her, we will get to know the Anusians and their society, technically advanced and very harmonious, but governed by strict rules that all citizens must abide, in order to preserve the planet and their immortality. The novel is set in alien space, nevertheless the fundamental theme is love, which emerges also when not directly spoken of. The atmosphere is that of fantasy and adventure. A book suited for a public of dynamic, romantic dreamers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tanya Biondi
• Release date: Sep 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463164068

Tanya Biondi

HelloI'm Tanya, a self-published author who writes just for the pleasure of doing so. I was born in 1968 in London. My mother is English, while my father is Italian, so my parents moved to Italy when I was a baby. I have always lived in Italy, in a nice place near the sea and a pinewood that I love very much. Since we were kids, me and my brothers and sister, we used to travel to London to visit the family over there, so London is in fact my second home, I have also lived there for seven years when I was younger. I have a son, and I'm very proud of him, as he is a very good young man. I work as a secretary for a living, and I always try to do my job at my best. I enjoy riding my bike, walking on the beach or in the pinewood, or just around town. I like to attend museums, art exhibitions and galleries, visiting new cities, travelling. Fundamentally, I'm just a very normal person with a special privilege, it being the inclination towards creativity.As an author I have published many poetry collections in Italian, two of these I have translated into English and French, the same goes for my novels. I only started writing prose since 2013. I also like making music and I have released two EPs and two full length albums, with the aid of a few wonderful musicians/producers to whome I will always be grateful.

Book preview

BLUSTARDUSK

Book One Of The Series:

Quadrant A. Stories From The Known Universe

Title: Blustardusk

Intellectual Property and Copyright: 2013 Tanya Biondi

English Version:

Noemi Muschetti – Translator

Tanya Biondi – Supervising Translator

Gemma G.; Daniel – Proofreaders

Cover design by Muneeb

www.fiverr.com/designer_mk

Published online by Tanya Biondi

Ist Edition – January 2015

IInd Edition – September 2016

Smashwords Edition 2019

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events are a product of the author’s imagination or they are used in a fictitious way. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, or to any real event is purely coincidental.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events are a product of the author’s imagination or they are used in a fictitious way. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to any real event is purely coincidental.

Acknowledgements:

My heartfelt thanks to my sister Natascia for her help in correcting the original version.

A great big thank to my friend Katia for making the effort 

A great thank you to everybody who has helped me with patience and dedication to translate from Italian and to proofread the English version.

Noemi, Gemma and Daniel.

Dedications

To my son because he is here

To myself because I deserve it

To the pinewood of Milano Marittima for

inspiring me with its beauty and peace

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

PART I

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

PART II

Chapter XII

Chapter XIII

Chapter XIV

Chapter XV

Chapter XVI

Chapter XVII

Chapter XVIII

Chapter XIX

Chapter XX

Chapter XXI

PART III

Chapter XXII

Chapter XXIII

Chapter XXIV

Chapter XXV

Chapter XXVI

Chapter XXVII

Chapter XXVIII

Chapter XXIX

Epilogue

Other books by this author

Contact the author

Discover the next book

PART I

Chapter I

Commander, I'm afraid we have some sort of complication.

What exactly do you mean?! Explain yourself Tijo!

I mean that the creature we have taken on board is not an Anusian, but a Terrestrial - a woman.

How is that possible? Certainly the device wouldn't have worked in the hands of an extraplanetarian, what happened to our observer?

We do not know Sir, but we have performed all the tests. The creature is a Terrestrial.

Damn! This should not have happened. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be possible to send her back to her planet now.

No Commander, I'm afraid not.

Where is she?

A cabin has been set up for her; we tried to make it as comfortable and functional as possible for someone of her race. At the moment, she's under observation in the infirmary.

Is she awake?

Yes, Doctor Siviana is with her. Luckily, Terrestrials are among the populations with whom we share many aspects.

Luckily indeed... Right, for the time being I shall leave her to Siviana's care, but I do want a detailed report on how the situation evolves. Before leaving this system, we need to trace our observer in any possible way and discover what has happened!

Consider it done!

Tijo left the control room and headed towards the laboratories.

Siviana is still inside; how has the Terrestrial reacted? he asked a colleague.

For the time being, she's just confused. Siviana wants to try and understand why and how she got transferred to the spaceship before she explains to her the situation she got into. Her presence could become a problem and we will have to examine all necessary measures in order to reduce damages both for us and for her.

As soon as she has some news, tell her to report to the Commander.

I will.

Siviana left the infirmary half an hour later and she went straight towards the control room.

Amon!

At your disposal.

I have talked to the Terrestrial and, she's very confused. From what she has related, I didn't catch any fundamental detail that will solve our problem. She says she was walking in the gardens in front of her university, trying to find a bit of peace and relaxation after studying - when she saw something shining in the grass. She picked up the object to see what it was; it looked like a piece of jewellery. At that point, the thing turned itself on and started to send intermittent rays. She tried to turn it off, but suddenly felt that she was being lifted from the ground. Her head started spinning, and the next thing she remembers is waking up here.

Did she tell you whether she was alone during this time or if she noticed somebody else present?

Well, naturally, in the gardens there were people strolling around, but she was alone - at least, not intentionally in company, and anyway she hadn't noticed anybody strange or suspicious near her.

From what emerges from her story, we might think that the observer had somehow been separated from the device, and it was casually found by that young woman. But where has our observer ended up, and how did that girl use the device to admit herself on board?

I don't know what to say - it seems like an incredible coincidence. Of course, this means we should review the powering and recognition mechanisms on such devices, although in truth, that particular tool is really out of date...

An incredible and tragic coincidence. Sadly that girl will soon discover the weight of this incident. Anyway, the device was left on, in stand-by mode. Maybe for us to find, so that we could try to understand what happened to our emissary.

It is plausible. In any case, we should warn the Council of Anusia and take the necessary precautions.

Yes, but the creature must be treated with respect. It is very likely that she is at no fault for getting into this trouble, and we owe her every attention. Nonetheless, we must carry out all possible enquiries. After all, she has been found with something in her hands that belongs to our observer, and the man seems to have vanished into thin air.

Certainly.

Oh, another thing, have you already told her where she's meant to go and with whom?

Not yet, for the time being I have simply introduced myself and asked the most necessary details. I will let her rest, and then, when she is more acquainted with her surroundings, I’ll talk to her again - or would you prefer to do it yourself?

I think it is better if you talk to her, she knows you already, and I would not want her to feel uneasy in my presence.

So be it then. By the way, when will we be travelling home?

Before leaving this space-time quadrant, I need to carry out more research on our observer. I'm very doubtful that any Terrestrial might have troubled him, since an Anusian should not have any difficulty in evading beings as backwards as these. Furthermore, why should he have left the device switched on in that very spot? That thing has only the function of calling the spaceship and being admitted on board; you cannot save any information on it other than coordinates. What could be the sense of risking a native finding it and getting into trouble, exactly as it has happened?

Maybe the observer wasn't sure that we would find his base without the coordinates saved on the recall device.

You might say that, but we did find it without them. In any case, there could be other meaningful coordinates stored. Jussi is working on it, he will enlighten us.

The two parted and went back to their tasks. Shortly afterwards, the recognition team returned. Unfortunately, they had not been able to locate the missing Anusian observer. Amon decided they should head back to their planet where they could try to put together the pieces of this peculiar business with the information they had gathered. Furthermore, they also had to solve the problem of their new guest.

Having awoken from a deep sleep of several hours, the girl had proceeded to get up and inspect her room, but this did not yield her any knowledge of her strange situation. She was quite suspicious. At first, in her confusion, she thought she was in a hospital. Now, looking around, she realised she was in a room without windows, containing metal furniture that had an ultra-modern look, and a door sealed in a funny way. The room was single, which was rather peculiar for a hospital! She could not tell if it was day or night; there were no clocks or television and nobody came to see her. None of her relatives were there, and she felt like she was isolated in a silent box. This scared her, almost as much as the image that began playing in her head of the woman she remembered talking to just before she fell asleep. Tall, slender, with very short blond hair and beautiful but peculiar eyes. The irises were a lively light blue, but deep blue lines radiated from the pupil towards the periphery, creating a flower-shape effect. Also, she was wearing a tight suit of a dusty-white colour that reminded the young earthling of many sci-fi movies of the seventies.

Siviana turned on the monitor. Seeing that the young woman was awake and thoughtful, she decided the time was right to give her some explanation regarding her status.

Hello she said entering the small room attached to the infirmary. We met earlier, do you remember?

An earpiece that translated audio input immediately had been applied to the young woman, who nodded her head, fixing her eyes on the speaker in search of some answers. Siviana felt uncomfortable, she had never faced a similar situation before and she missed Asio's presence. He would have been better at this.

I believe it is time I explained where you are. I’m afraid it won't be easy on you.

The Doctor sat beside her.

Now you see, you and I, we come from very distant places.

How distant? mumbled the girl.

Light years, whispered Siviana as if she was revealing a secret.

The creature paled, falling back on the bed.

You must know that you're safe; nobody wants to hurt you. The object you picked up was the recall device belonging to one of our observers and you have been taken on board in his place. As soon as you feel better, we will carry out a few routine examinations on you in order to understand how you can better adapt to our environment. You will be able to explore the ship and get to know creatures from different parts of the universe.

I don't want you to take care of me. I want to go back home. What do you want from me, why didn't you send me back to my planet right away?

I'm afraid it wasn’t possible.

Are you telling me that I won't be able to go back home just because I picked up something that shouldn’t have been there?

Our planet is beautiful - Siviana answered hastily - and we will do everything in our power to ensure that this tragic incident makes you suffer as little as possible.

The girl, dumbstruck by shock, stared hollowly at a spot in the room.

What's your name? tried Siviana.

Nika, that's…Nausikaa answered the young woman in a robotic way and without shifting her gaze.

An interesting name, very nice. Nausikaa, unfortunately, the journey is rather boring. I will ask the Commander if I can transfer you to a residential cabin. At least there, you’ll have a window. Here in the infirmary, there is not even that. I shall be right back.

Watch her, she told a colleague, she's in shock.

So? asked the Commander when she arrived.

I have told her and she's understandably shocked; we shall have to monitor her. I have come to ask your permission to move her to a residential cabin; they are cosier and include a porthole.

Certainly, you have my permission; later I shall visit her personally. Let’s not neglect the possibility that she might give us some clue as to what has happened to our observer.

Fine, I'll proceed, then. Siviana left and the Commander remained thoughtful in front of the console.

The residential cabin was definitely more humane; there were even some beautiful flowers. Siviana had neglected nothing. In front of the porthole she’d had someone hang a pair of pretty curtains made of a fine embroidered material. In the cupboard there were already some clothes and the bathroom had been equipped with all that was necessary. There was even a stereo appliance if she wanted to listen to music, although Siviana was not sure whether her guest would appreciate the kind of music that was popular on her planet.

Nausikaa, who was still in an almost catatonic state, glanced around, and with tears in her eyes she turned towards her companion. Could I have a pen and some paper please? I don't want to forget anything about my planet. I want to write down everything, every detail I have in mind.

Although she was almost impermeable to emotions, Siviana felt a knot in her throat. She averted her gaze and went out to see if she could satisfy that simple desire.

Later, someone rang the door. The young woman was lying on the bed with her eyes open, staring into nothingness. She wasn't crying anymore; her mind was in a blacked-out state. The absurdity of the circumstances had overcome her.

Good morning, Miss. I’ve brought what you asked for said a friendly male voice.

The girl started slightly and lifted herself with effort to see who had entered the room. Her eyes were swollen and dark marks had appeared under them because of the crying. Her face was tired with stress.

The Commander was not unmoved by this but his expression didn't change.

My name is Amon and I am the commander of this ship, he said gently. You mustn't fear anything. Nobody wants to hurt you here. I will personally see that all your needs are satisfied, both here and on Anusia, our planet. When we arrive there will be an investigation to understand what went wrong on Earth, although no doubt this will be of little comfort after all you've been through. I shall report the findings to you, knowing the truth often helps us come to terms with the situation.

Thank you, Commander. I don't think I fully realise what has happened to me yet.

I can imagine that… Did you have a family, any children?

I have a great-aunt, an aunt, a brother, a sister-in-law and a couple of nephews. No children of my own. God knows the shock they will be in now!

I deeply regret this disaster. To my dismay, I cannot ignore the procedural code.

Tears started to flow down Nausikaa's cheeks again. She turned towards the window and looked out, into that darkness.

So I'm nothing but a shadow now. I have no more roots. I simply can't stand the idea of never seeing my family again - the thought of their suffering. Can't I at least let them know that I'm alright?

You're like a little plant that is being transplanted to different grounds; with time you will grow new roots.

Often plants wither when you replant them...

It will not be your case, I'm sure. As far as your relatives are concerned, believe me, it would make me very happy to be able to inform them that you are in good health, but I don't believe there is a way of doing so without causing them greater trauma. Furthermore, we don't know what happened to our emissary, so, for their own sake, it is better they know as little as possible.

When you do find out what happened, will I be able to go back home?

We’ll talk about that in due time. Technically, there shouldn't be any obstacle, but we will have to evaluate how to reintegrate you.

Thank you.

The young woman withdrew into herself again and the Commander decided it was best to leave her in peace. He took his leave and went back towards the control room. On the way, he met his friend and colleague, Jussi.

Chapter II

Jussi, have you found something?

Amon! Not much actually. Our colleagues have confirmed that the device was switched on when the creature took it - it was in stand-by mode, though. They found several fingerprints on it: our ob-server’s ones, naturally - it is a man called Orlando - and then we have those of the woman as well as other unknown ones belonging to Terrestrials. Probably other curious people who picked up the thing and then threw it away again.

Umm, unfortunately, surveillance records have confirmed that there were some witnesses to the girl’s admittance onboard. Let’s hope the news doesn’t spread and that their reports don’t get too much consideration. The less they remember about this story, the better, especially if our observer has gotten into trouble with somebody.

Our observer was not in communication with Anusia since a long time. I don’t understand why there haven’t been any ascertainments from our part.

Earth is a small, backward, and non-strategic planet. We wouldn’t have needed a permanent observer there. Probably, he asked to stay of his own free will, just like his predecessor.

Well, if the engineers find anything I will let you know. Siviana and I should make a few more exams on our guest in order to work out what we can feed her. She might not think our food very appetising but she will need to eat something.

Yes, of course. Leave her alone for a little while longer, then send Siviana to her. At least she knows her already, she has undergone enough changes during these last few hours. I know I can’t, but I would like to be able to send her back to her planet. I’m sure she has nothing to do with the disappearance of our emissary. This situation is truly abusive for her.

We don’t know what happened and it could be dangerous for her, too.

For this very reason I will not ask Rousseau permission to transport her back to Earth.

You would have done it otherwise? I don’t think he would have granted it.

I don’t know about that but I would have tried. Procedures are defective on this issue.

And what about now, are we departing like this, without having discovered what happened to our man?

I have sent out another team to investigate further. They will do their best and recover all the documents belonging to our observer. However, they cannot interfere with the planet’s affairs, so, our hands are sort of tied...

Right then, I’m going back to the laboratory. I’ll see you later for any updates.

‘til later then.

After a few hours, the engineer informed the Commander of what he had found stored in the device.

There are three sets of coordinates; a local one - you can check for yourself, but according to my results they match the location of his dwellings on Earth - the remaining two sets are cosmic. One series seems to point towards a planet called ‘Druidus’, it is not within the Alliance. The last series is more generic; it points toward the quadrant dominated by the Emperor!

Amon grimaced in surprise.

I did a little research regarding this Orlando. It seems that many years ago he was a pilot. First a military pilot, then a commercial one. A good pilot - this should mean that the coordinates are accurate. What remains to be understood is why he wanted us to find them, and where his loyalty lies. Went on Jussi.

I’ve also done a bit of reading myself, said Amon. Well, it seems like our friend has stumbled upon something quite important if he has abandoned the device in order to leave us a message.

Frankly, Amon, why would someone like the Emperor bother to come all this way for an isolated subject in a remote corner of the universe? Especially since this man did not maintain close contact with Anusia, at least not openly. What if, instead of being a victim of the Emperor, he was actually an ally? What if he called us here in order to draw us into a trap or keep us away from Anusia for some other reason?

We can't rule out anything, Jussi, nevertheless, I am prone to discard the idea of our man’s involvement with the Emperor's plans. Everything is calm on Anusia and we are already on our way back. If they wanted to take advantage of the fact that the planet is more vulnerable, they should have attacked already. If, on the other hand, it is us they want, then I can't see the necessity for all this discretion, they have left no trace at all of their passage.

Maybe they plan on catching us by surprise.

Again, it is a possibility, although, the disappearance of our emissary would have clearly warned us something was wrong, ridding them of their advantage. Also, this area is pretty remote, why waste time and energy to come all this way? I believe it more likely that they didn't want us around at all. Perhaps they are planning something, and aren't ready yet, and our man was about to spoil their party. Maybe they don't even know he sent us the signal and they want to do things silently. The point is, what is it that they want to do? On the other hand, there is always the possibility that this was a private matter between our observer and someone connected to the Emperor - and perhaps someone on Druidus. I will get in contact with somebody on that planet and see if they can give us some sort of explanation.

Isn't Druidus that strange place?

It is indeed, the so-called planet of the sorcerers, where illusion and truth are closely interweaved. They are very powerful creatures, coy and independent. It is dangerous to get into their system, full of traps and very well guarded.

I wonder whatever our Orlando had to do with these gentlemen...

I hope I shall be able to tell you that very soon, my friend. I’ll try to contact these people but it could turn out to be difficult.

So, what are we going to do, approach them in person?

I will call Rousseau for instructions. What really stumps me is how our observer could have been in touch with that planet from Earth; technology there is so poor...

Interesting question. It seems like many things happen on that little planet without them noticing.

Indeed smiled Amon indulgently.

The first attempt to contact the planet failed, but the Commander was able to communicate with the Druidian ambassador through General Rousseau.

I am sorry General, but I know of no Anusian by the name of Orlando.

Perhaps our man went by a different name. You see, Sir, one of the few clues we have are your coordinates. We would like to understand why, and I would be very grateful if you could investigate this matter.

I will make every effort. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I shall call you back as soon as I have some information.

Thank you Ambassador. Rousseau then addressed Amon So, what do you think?

Nothing at this stage, Sir. We know nothing of the relationship between Orlando and planet Druidus. If it was a private connection it is not certain that the authorities would have been informed. Furthermore, we are well acquainted with the reserved nature of these people. Even though the ambassador might have known something, he would never have spoken with us before consulting his ministers.

I’m under the impression that we won’t get much out of them.

In such case we must conclude that our man only maintained a private relationship with a citizen on that planet, or that the nature of his relationships with that planet stood in conflict with Anusia’s interests. Finally, we might have simply misinterpreted the message that our emissary wanted to leave us with those coordinates.

Let’s wait and see what they have to say. Meanwhile, you make your way back to Anusia and continue your research.

Yes, Sir. Over and out.

Chapter III

A few days had passed since Nausikaa’s involuntary boarding of the Blustardusk. She had spent countless hours lying unmoving in bed, separated from reality by what felt like a soundproof wall. Her mind had been wandering around, restless and free from logic, following its own inner paths where will had no influence. Then, she had started to come back to life. She stood up, slowly ex-plored her new living space, and started to write down her memories and experiences in a journal. Siviana felt relieved too, once she noticed these small improvements. That morning in fact, she was beginning to consider force-feeding their guest and moving her to the infirmary, but finally she had decided to eat something.

So, did you like your breakfast? the Doctor asked, while entering the cabin.

Yes, thank you.

Jussi and the chief cook really put an effort into trying to find out what kind of food you might like. Maybe you should have a look in the kitchen yourself and experiment a little.

Sure, I will. Thank you.

Good. You’ll feel better once you get out of here. By the way, on the ship you will see people coming from different planets. They will look pretty different from what you’re used to.

I see. I will try not to offend anybody with my astonishment.

Ok, I have to go back to the infirmary now, Iunisia is coming in about half an hour. She will take care of you from now on; she will show you around the ship and explain everything you need to know. Should you need me, don’t hesitate and send someone, alright?

That sounds perfect.

She answered mechanically and Siviana knew very well that there was nothing perfect at all. If she really was who she was supposed to be, time would help her to heal. However, should inquiries later prove that she was involved in the disappearing of the observer, that would be a wholly different scenario.

Iunisia was a special girl, tall and blue-eyed like Siviana, but unlike her she had long dark hair and was always cheerful and smiling. Nausikaa immediately spotted the difference and she felt good around her straight away. Sure, Siviana had always been kind to her and had provided her with everything she needed, but her coolness was palpable, and that made her feel uncomfortable.

Iunisia took her on a small tour. On that deck there were just cabins and a few offices for those in charge of cleaning the common spaces on the ship, the storage room, the laundry room, and the outlet where you could get linen and detergents. All those on the ship had to clean their cabins themselves, commander included. Or, as Amon used to claim, especially the commander. Nausikaa thought the ship was really huge, and she had only seen one of the decks. At that time of the day it was not crowded, and yet they did meet a few people. The young woman could not help noticing how all those belonging to Iunisia and Siviana’s species had an astonishing appearance. They were all very similar to one another, tall and fit, with even features. She thought they had probably implemented some kind of somatic selection on their planet and she wondered what kind of people would do something like that.

Iunisia noticed her astonishment.

Tell me, what’s wrong?

You people, you all look very similar...

"Oh well, actually we’re all different, but at a glance you’re pretty right, after all. We don’t have such differences as people from other planets do; first of all we belong to an ancient and selected race, and then the demographic policy is quite strict on our planet. If we choose to live on Anusia we are not allowed to have children, so newborn babies are just random crossings among Anusians. Those who want to create their own family with a foreigner are forced to leave the planet, and their children end up mixing with different species. There’s not many of