Dark Energy Supernova - An Anthology of SF SD Shorts

Part 2 Guide

It was a human, blond hair cut short around a dark tan face, hard, blue eyes like chips of sapphire returning her frightened gaze with a curious one of its own.

Then a wo'tanese voice from behind the long, narrow table in the back was talking.

"Burn it, Milly, didn't I say you can't bring that thing in here?" the harried-looking female said as she stood from behind the narrow table.  "If the marshal finds out, he'll come in here with the whole flamin' garrison to cut your pet long cat down without a second thought!"

Long cat?  Despite her fear and misgivings, K'arnor found her eyes seeking out the J'ref once more to look at that feline face of his.  Yes, yes, he did look like a cat, minus the scales and the back spines of course.  A cat that was now proportioned like a wo'tanese.

"Tamp your smoulder, N'aven," the blond human quickly replied.  "You know Kahss comes and goes as he pleases.  He don't listen to me none.  If he wants to come in, guess what?  He comes in."  The strong hands abruptly released K'arnor's arms before a comradely slap was planted on her shoulder.

"'Sides, I was just tryin' to save your friend here, who don't know better.  A new farmer from the core worlds, by the looks.  She puts her hand on that gat, and the long cat makes a big mess of her insides all over your floor. And I know you don't want that."

"Just pick up your supplies from the back and get the long cat out of here, Milly," N'aven growled.  "It's smell is turning my stomach."

The human, the large glands in the front marking her as a female and dressed in dusty blue pants, sturdy boots and a sun-faded purple jacket with the sleeves rolled up to reveal more brown skin, looked at N'aven as she walked around from behind K'arnor and towards a door in the back. 

"That's because he stinks like dead wo'tanese," she explained with a half smile under that strange thing on her face.  And then she was through the back door and gone.

Which left K'arnor alone with N'aven and the J'ref.  But not for long: letting the portal close behind it,  the J'ref smoothly and gracefully moved to follow the human.  Only to abruptly stop in front of her table.

As her twin hearts pounded up in her throat with fear, K'arnor stared as the J'ref reached out with a heavily tattooed and clawed hand to pick up the sidearm Drell had left for her.  It then smoothly and expertly drew the weapon to sight down the barrel with a slit-pupilled eye.  Shifting the weapon from side to side followed, as if it were testing its heft.  Then back into the holster the gun went before it was all returned to the table.

Swallowing her panic, and obvious surprise, K'arnor let her eyes climb back up to the J'ref's nearly hidden face as its musky scent filled her spiracles.  And she nearly fainted when one of the large, slanted eyes abruptly winked.  Then it was moving off between the tables to also disappear through the door in the back.

"Count yourself lucky, settler," N'aven said.  "No wo'tanese has come that close to a J'ref and lived."

"Lucky," K'arnor weakly echoed.  "I would like to go to my room now, please.  I feel an overwhelming urge to lay down for a bit!"

It was morning when K'arnor finally awoke from an exhausted slumber.  And by morning's light, she found herself wondering what she had gotten herself into.

Had colonial authority mislead her?  Was the Ar'gan Frontier not pacified as she was told?  And these humans, and the J'ref; had she put herself into danger in her attempt to establish a name for herself?

These questions were still troubling her as she descended to the common room after washing and dressing.  There she found the innkeeper, N'aven had already gathered her issued settler's kit and had it sitting in front of what she had called 'a bar'.

"Pleasant morrow," she greeted her as she stepped into the common room.  "You've my thanks for preparing my kit, N'aven."

The gruff innkeeper nodded and smiled.

"Of course, settler," N'aven quickly replied.  "At the marshal's request I have prepared some breakfast for you as well.  You can eat before beginning your run out to your homestead."  And she stepped out from behind the bar with several small bowls of food, setting them on the nearest table along with a tumbler of water.

"Ah, again you've my thanks," K'arnor said with a smile in return.  She sat and, after wiping her hands clean with the damp, scented towel provided for that purpose, she sat down and began to eat, her long fingers quickly gathering and bringing the hot food to her mouth.

As K'arnor ate, she looked over at N'aven, who had returned to her place behind the bar to continue organizing supplies.

"Do you mind me asking you a question about what I have to look forward to, N'aven?"

"Not at all, settler," the momentarily hidden N'aven replied after she knelt out of sight to work on something.

"My homestead.  I have plot 341, down by the river.  Do you know anything about it?"

"Ah, 341.  That was T'sana's old plot.  Superior soil, excellent availability to water, shelter in the lea of a cliff to keep the wind and grit off you."

"Sounds perfect."  K'arnor paused to clean her hands on the towel and take a drink.  "So why did T'sana give it up?"

"J'ref," was N'aven's answer.  "They found her one morning after she didn't report in, staked to the ground with her guts stuffed into her mouth.  Apparently the plot is a bit too close to one of their hunting grounds and they took exception."

K'arnor's hand trembled as she carefully set the tumbler back onto the table.  Ignoring the newcomer's reaction, N'aven stood and thoughtfully frowned.

"Oddly enough, it was the humans who told her not to settle there, warning her about the hunting grounds.  But T'sana didn't listen and went her own way, trusting in the power of colonial authority.  And a couple moon cycles later she was eating her own entrails for her troubles."

"Maybe I should talk to one of the humans that know the area then.  To see if the J'ref still feel the same about that spot," K'arnor quietly suggested, fighting the impulse to sick up her food at the mental image of a wo'tanese female staked to the ground eviscerated and with her entrails stuffed into her mouth.

"Then you need Milly." N'aven turned to begin shifting the bottles on the long shelves behind the bar, replacing nearly empty ones with full ones.

"The blond from yesterday?"

"That's the one.  You won't find a better guide anywhere.  And as you saw by that long cat that follows her around like a pet, she has an excellent relationship with the J'ref."

"And how do I contact her?"

N'aven turned and, spotting something through the far end's line of windows, she smiled.

"That's the thing I've discovered about humans," she said as the door to the common room opened and Milly stepped in with a nod of greeting.

"They always seem to be in the right place at the right time!"