Sample Passages

     The hawk ruffled her feathers and flew away abruptly, sending the top of the tree into a frenzy of snow flurries. The deer paused it’s chewing and stood still, unfazed by the commotion. It turned his head and looked directly at Francisco, twisting his nose to catch his scent. Ever so slightly it rotated its shoulder and crept forward, directly towards him. 

     “Atta boy…” 

    The closer the impressive deer reached, the more confident it’s stride became, until it was a full on march through the trees and snow. Snapping twigs and branches below his feet. Francisco never broke his concentration on the animal, even as it reached his side. He rubbed his thick hands on the buck’s neck, and behind his ear. 

    “Shh big guy, shh…”

    He checked his legs, and his belly. He lifted the deer’s lip and looked at his teeth and felt his rib cage, just as he'd seen farmers do to their cattle back home. There were no sores, no signs of any injuries or illness. He looked strong. He looked healthy. 

    Francisco turned and looked back at the path he had left behind, then at the quickly fading sunset. He swung his heavy backpack off his shoulder and strapped it to the deer’s back.  “Let’s go.”

    Atomus recalled stories his father would tell him warning not to drink water from the ground. It was reserved for eggites, blackened eel-like creatures whose skin would peel away if you tried to grab them. It was just one of those things he didn’t bother to question why as a child, it just made sense. Now, partially blind and completely blistered, he realized those weren’t idle warnings. He wondered what other advice his father may have bestowed on him that he didn’t question. He has had a lot of time to wonder these last few days, and his father’s passing haunted him more after each one.

He was shackled to the wall by his ankle, collapsed in a thin layer of sewage that was seeping into open sores that had formed over his entire body. His skin was becoming translucent, and he could see the spider veins that emerged on his arms throbbing with each heartbeat, protruding like roots through thin soil. The creature had pulled both his finger and toe nails off, and locked a muzzle on Atomus. At first, he thought it was a deranged form of torture, but the amputated foot still attached to the shackle next to him told another story. It was a precaution, a way of preventing him from escaping.

    There was a neighbor, off the end of the path toward the rear of Iveatra’s childhood estate. The house was small, made of clay and bramble. They had several children living with them. Many of them were orphaned, willing for the honor to become Infiltrate hosts some day. They were bastardized mutants who would commonly take up residence near I.U.P. officials in hopes to be noticed. A blend of mixed breeds with the proclivity to antagonize anyone with authority. The mother was an Infiltrate hosted by a grodo. A heavy set creature often bred for meat, but they made good parents to the indigent and orphaned because they produced sustenance freely.  Her roe was delicious, and plentiful. Each birth cycle brought thousands of unfertilized, tiny, salty pink pearls. Baigan would send her down to retrieve some when they were going to entertain. That’s where she met Rat. At the time she didn’t recognize the blatant characterization of his Earth name. Living in squalor, but resourceful and resilient. He was spawn from a hosted Temeculan, which meant he was neither an Infiltrate or a Temeculan. He was a misbreed, like many of the other children. Iveatra would try and be kind to him, but he would tease her endlessly when she visited.

    “Hea to eat my mommy’s eggys again?” He’d say. “Eating babies again we see. Babies for the rich, poor babies taste the best, do they?”

    Iveatra would bark back, “Silence rat!, Roe is not babies! You’re disgusting.”

    “Iveatra is naive. Naiveatra! Naiveatra eats babies! Naivetra eats babies!”

    Hasdrubal passed his hand through what looked like long blades of grass. Loud sirens echoed through the entire ship. Como Ashi could feel the ship rocking forward, and slowly rise up. “You’re nervous. There is no need to be nervous. The Maza was cultivated over forty five years and has made more voyages than any other capital ship. It has a fully functioning defense system and an impenetrable crust. You and your cargo are completely safe.”

    “Are you aware of the contents of the cargo, Hasdrubal?” Como asked.

    “It does not contain chemicals conducive of explosion.  Beyond that, no.” Hasdrubal said.

    “Could you know? Is it in your power?”

    “Only if it has intentions. But we do not violate the rules of interrogation either way. We respect the sanctity of the arrangements.”

    Hasdrubal passed his hand through the grass again and the ship accelerated through the outer atmosphere. Como Ashi walked to the window and looked upon Temecula.

    “Astonishing.” Como Ashi said. 

    The skies of Temecula were vibrant oranges and red. The planet’s vegetation was almost exclusively made up of a single flowering plant, which when in bloom would create bright red saffron-like clouds that provided a protective layer between the star and the planet.

   She cautiously made her way to one of the tracks, keeping her distance from the cabin. She knelt down to get a closer look. There were slight ice crystals along the sides of the imprint. She pressed her fingers into the snow next to the track and compared it just like her grandfather taught her all those years ago. These tracks were old enough that they already froze over. Even if they were old, she drew her rifle and started walking towards the front porch. There were reports of a very large grizzly ransacking campsites last year, but this track was the largest she can remember ever seeing.

   If he’s inside, this rifle may not do the trick. I’ll have a better chance of surviving an attack out in the open. 

    She cautiously walked through the snow, on high alert. Stopping when she reached the door, aiming her rifle roughly waist high. Figuring if it were that big that would be as good a place to aim than any other. 

   Telisa jumped in quickly. “If they were previously stolen, and that wasn’t communicated to Earth, that’s a violation of the Commission’s agreement.” Suddenly the sleepless nights of studying trade protocols felt oddly vindicated. “You would have needed to disclose it to the Phoenicians as well. Losing track of that many Infiltrates isn’t acceptable for Earth or Phoenicians.”

    Beset’s face twisted into disgust and he whispered something into Dellinger’s ear. He apparently couldn’t be bothered with these questions. For a democratically elected leader of a planet, he showed surprisingly similar distaste for being questioned as a typical monarch, spoiled and seconds away from throwing a full blown tantrum. 

    “You cite agreements I wrote, human,” he said. “These are Temeculan matters. We have already retaliated against Barsbin and Como Ashi’s treason. War has been declared, and the Enmity tower in Sernum is now occupied and under I.U.P. control. Barsbin has fled, and his operatives are now wanted war criminals. His cowardice proves his guilt. Earth is compelled under the agreement to return Como Ashi,” Beset shifted his attention to Phobius. “And it is within our duty to detain an appropriate delegate in exchange.”

    Wait, does he mean me?