Chapter Two

Hello and welcome back it of course Starchilde the Traveler back with you again and I have to say that my new companions who seem to have fallen in love with the handle Star Phoenix seem to like to travel as much as I do. Either way it seems that travelling with this continuum’s next sorceress supreme contender is a sure way to bring on the excitement. Don’t get me wrong I love excitement I just don’t consider having paranormals trying to take companions of mine captive that much fun. Quite the contrary actually and if there was ever a sure way to get me to lose my temper and unleash a little magic of my own which I prefer to call the power cosmic then for the record that’s a good way to start.

It had all started off innocently enough the planet called Darkness a water world of eternal darkness. We had been currently in on what I would call a courier mission for Stamp Parts within a polluted City-State which was the home of their factory. To make a long story short we were at a church where we had located an operative who employed impersonator bots to gather intelligence for the highest bidder and shut him down. The fact that he was also working for Stamp Parts and spying on their competitors for Electro-Plate made the job of shutting him down as well as exposing the dubious nature of Stamp Parts a simple matter.

Having returned to Stamp Parts there had been one remaining impersonator droid who had been still on shift at the factory who was not in the employ of Kyle the information smuggler. Morgan made it his mission to become the droids official tail and follow it to wherever it might go. It’s not that I could not have done it myself but perhaps he felt the need to stay busy since Puma had decided that for him it was a good time to resume his nap. He of course asked me to wake him if anything pressing were to occur. I had looked had him over and I had to admit he looked quite striking having changed into a tight black shirt and a pair of sexy grey jeans. The thought had crossed my mind to join him on that couch but thankfully my willpower prevailed over my desires and I can proudly say I behaved myself admirably.

Morgan had changed into more casual attire but there was still something about him that bothered me and the same I suppose could be said for George. For right after he had departed so did George not doubt to explore the factory a little more as well as to check out the interceptor bots room before his shift ended. From Nialla’s mind that was performing the job of telepathic switchboard I was informed he found nothing of interest within his room. Soon I noticed that the I-Bot was on the move and that Morgan was following him. George had not rejoined us and Nialla was soon waking up Puma saying that we needed to go. I can only assume that he was using some kind of cloaking mechanism either natural or aided by science. Meanwhile Nialla and Puma had some kind of odd conversation regarding if he was going to be carried but in the end I was able to persuade him to allow his miniature doll which he called Little Puma which also had the ability to transform into the Puma Mobile to come outside so we could pursue Morgan and the I-Bot.

They had a head start and therefore arrived at a nearby café that served food from a Food Vat system where many others were already eating when we arrived. To make a long story short the operative that the I-Bot was meeting worked for a connected charity organization reputed to be lead by a Reverend Samvold whose mission it seemed was to make sure that Stamp Parts and other corporations was not exploiting their workers. I did no really see a problem with the operation but Nialla did so she told him in no uncertain terms to shut it down or else. She of course acquired a contact signal for his employer and informed him the Star Phoenix would be keeping an eye on him.

I was informed by Nialla that George had seemed to take a liking to the I-Bot which she had said seemed to actually have a fairly developed personality. It seemed according to Nialla to want to get into a real relationship and the café was a good place to look for companionship. It also seemed to really like its current posting but as we were it seemed not in the liberation of I-Bots we left him to its employer and prepared to head back to Stamp Parts to make our report and prepare for departure from Darkness. Before I left of course I had to try the local cuisine for myself and see if there were any interesting people on Darkness who might be willing to assist me.

It had cost me five credits but a Gandian had approached me as I had exited the Puma Mobile and offered to assist me. I will admit while I don’t naturally look as smoldering as Nialla and not that I couldn’t it’s just that I come to love my natural self and have come to enjoy the pleasures of that the flesh can provide. By the way I am not only talking about sex by the way well not only actually but the other things that many might take for granted. For example eating, drinking, getting a tan, getting to travel at less than light speed or even limiting your perception to you immediate surrounding are all things that I have learned to appreciate. Anyway my new Gandian friend Ray was more than willing to assist me and while I am sure I could have convinced him to pay for my meal or even arranged a meeting later he was actually just going to me my contact on Darkness. We had exchanged cards as it were when all I really needed was a signal but my card actually contained a tracking device which actually contained my contact signal which I could then track from anywhere in the continuum.

The others were wondering why I had not chosen a more direct contact like say the one of the managers at Stamp Parts but then again they were not used to the way I operated. Don’t get me wrong they thought I was trying to find time to fit a random Gandian into my schedule but that was not it. Ray had actually impressed me with the courage he had show to his friends when he had had walked up to me. In the end he had gained quite the reputation among his comrades while I had of course made a new contact. One never knows when a contact in the right place at the right time could prove important.

Speaking of the Stamp Parts manager Nialla had revealed our finding and the Manager was shocked and could not believe how quickly we had solved their problem. I had taken him aside a moment later after he had arranged our transport to the equilibrium vessel and explained it to him. Basically I just told him that we had been give information about the condition on Darkness and with the right information all of the pieces had fallen into play. I was basically just giving him the impression that the like a good Courier all I and my companions had done was delivered the information to the right people and the infiltrators had literally been revealed. I had even given him my card even thought Nialla had already give him a Star Phoenix card and informed him to call me if he ever wanted to talk.

Morgan had changed into more casual Gandian attire as we had prepared to board the equilibrium vessel to the surface. It was going to be a boring four hours up to the surface from the seabed as we compressed I knew but at least I would have the chance to mingle and meet a few more people who actually were actually well enough off to actually be leaving Darkness. Nialla the others struck up a conversation with a quite wealthy Authorian who seemed quite interested in us as a group. First off let me give a quick view of a Authorian take first off take a reptile make it a seven foot plus biped, give the incredible physical strength then add an very impressive intellect with perfect memories as well powerful telepaths and you will begin to see the picture. Granted on Venue while small in population they make up for it with organization and structure second to none I have personally had the chance to witness in this sector of space. Actually I never really liked them I always felt they were up to something and in truth that had been willing to sell out the entire sector to the Thorans before the war had started but the Thorans cared less for their intellect and planning they had only seen them as vermin who were in there way. The fact that they had come back after the fighting was all over and aided in the rebuild of the sector was in my mind only them being opportunists.

So basically I had walked off to another part of the transport and really did not care to hear anything he had to say. I would find out later that he had a deed to a piece of land on Venue that was owed to him from a dowry of his betrothed family but was unable to remove the current occupant. It had seemed that if we were willing to remove the squatter he was willing to hand over the deed to the land to Star Phoenix as he would then have saved face. He had it seemed been also bathing the group with complements which I did not really need to hear but it seemed had peaked my companions interest and they had exchanged cards and told him they would be in touch. I was actually relieved when we were finally at the space dock.

We were met by two Protectorate Guards one who each had a separate duty. The first it seemed was to ask if anyone felt different than they had before they had first arrived on Darkness. Everyone said what he needed to hear and then the second Guard had approached and informed us that we did not have to authority for those we were representing to put an end to the operation of Reverend Samvold and to consider the matter closed. Nialla at first had thought he was refereeing to the spy we had revealed to Stamp Parts but I had helped clear it up. Nialla it seemed had a good heart she had even before we had left seen to it that a worker we had interviewed who had clearly lost his mind had acquired a job. So I could see why she had been confused for a moment or two but then that’s I am there the literal walking computer.

Once onboard the Puma Vessel I took note of Milton a Jack Trader Droid and Zrew a Neo Trylon who it seemed was also be part of the Puma’s crew. Now the ancient droid really made no sense at all as it was outdated in the extreme. But I figured you never know it might have sentimental value or something. I then came to the realization led that it had to belong to Nialla or Morgan as Puma was from Earth and his ship was far more advanced than anything in this system. In truth for the time period I had only ever seen a vessel more impressive and that had been the fully sentient vessel of Vashar which belonged to a friend of mine who lived on Earth. Now the six foot almost draconian lizard Neo Trylon was no mystery to me they had been sent into the area to find a way to communicate with this sector of space. It had failed of course but it concerned me that they had such a strange creature onboard no doubt a pet of Nialla or Puma once again but I did not feel like dwelling on it at the time I had other things on my mind.

In truth I knew we were heading for Earth as Puma and George had headed to the bridge to watch aid the ship and no doubt watch for Outlaw Matter. It should have been only a few hours trip and I would once again be in a close proximity of Earth. I knew I had proposed the deal which would net Star Phoenix one hundred thousand credits I had not really come to terms with heading into the Sol System again so soon. Even thought it had been literally four years for Earth and six for me I still felt a pang of angst when I thought of Earth. I did not want to head down to the service and I was glad that the Puma had operatives on the ground who had already acquired the cargo and that with George’s help it would be transported up to the ship so we would not have to land. Still the memories of all that had transpired during my youth on Earth and how much the area of space reminded me of the home I might never see again caused me to momentarily despair.

During the flight Nialla had said she needed to clean up and had headed for the restroom in the rear of Puma’s ship. I had hoped to have a chance to talk with her more about her world but I was becoming more nervous and as George had already left to join Puma that had left me alone with Morgan. I had tried to speak with him but he had also said he needed a few moments and had departed to rear of the ship. So I was alone and therefore since I realized I needed some time to be alone so I opened a temporal cocoon entered it and did just that. Perhaps I will elaborate one day in the future on that year of my life but that would be for another tale. The others I figured would not even notice that I had left and when I returned I had felt quite refreshed and soon I was joined by a looking woman who I assumed was yet another member of Puma’s crew. I had called up to the bridge and asked him about it and he revealed to me that the person who it seemed was trying to be someone else was no other than Morgan in disguise. It had seemed to me that Morgan had severe identity issues his need to continually chance his form seemed to border on being addictive. I would not judge him though as I was the last person to be judging someone. I might speak my mind on almost every issue which might make it sound like I was judgmental but in realty I am just honest.

Well we had made it to Earth and I had only bother to set my computer to record the world news and most recent events as well as download a few of my old favorite television shows. Morgan on the other hand had been pacing and seemed somewhat agitated he seemed worried about Nialla who I believed was still indisposed. I could not blame her perhaps she had needed a little time alone not that I would not have minded joining her but that was not the issue at hand at that moment. I mean really not everyone possessed the ability to bend time or for that matter space. I should not that Puma’s ship had actually noticed my recent time shift and the others had blown it totally out of proportion. I might not have mentioned before that when I had emerged while I was not in any danger Puma seemed to have believed that he was. Something about Destiny who is famous on Earth for bending time perhaps being on the ship and causing trouble. I had relaxed them and told them that such things were within my abilities and that I had just needed some personal time no harm no foul. I had even found out that Puma was not actually a friend of Destiny which I was glad to hear but that he was instead rightly cautious. Now I bring this up only because I had therefore agreed to inform that ship and Puma if I planned to open a temporal disturbance again. Like I had said before quite the impressive little ship which lead me back asking the ship about Nialla and being told she was no longer onboard.

So I had mentally enhanced my senses to an extreme level and scanned the ship for myself only to find her still in the bathroom. It’s a good thing to for Morgan had looked about to panic as I led her back to the bathroom where Nialla was crying. He had knocked and entered the bathroom with her she and he had spoke about her failing her Queen and not being able to fail her again. She even started talking about some possibility of her turning into an object and if so the words he had to recite if he was to have any chance to save her if she failed. Then when she had began to relate the pain of having all of her flesh ripped from her body I had overheard enough. Now for the record while I try not to pry I have stated before my last remaining weakness in my hedonism. I gain great pleasure from using my senses and when they are heightened I can see for miles or see individual strands of DNA, pierce the outer garments of someone and view every sensual curve, hear the sensual heartbeat anyone everyone onboard the ship and even smell every single pheromone produced by every sentient on the vessel as well. In other words Nialla was a mess and if she was going to be the spokeswoman for Star Phoenix then she needed my help.

I knocked on the door and called out to Nialla and Morgan and asked them if they needed any help or perhaps company unless it was a private party. So alright I knew they were not doing anything in there but sexual but then again I was using it as an ice breaker. It worked and Nialla responded that she was alright while Morgan had stated just the obvious and I could tell felt like a failure. I then spoke with the love that fills my heart and asked Nialla how I could help her and she informed me as I could hear her once again start to cry that she needed time. Well that I could most certainly do so I told the ship that I to inform Puma and George that Nialla had just suffered a traumatic and she needed help and that I would be opening another temporal cocoon but not to worry and that I would be back before they could ever miss me. Morgan had heard me and seemed to be trying to stop me but really how was that even possible when before he could even start to protest I would already completed my task.

I had transformed into my pure Omni- energy form and transferred into the room in a flash and smiled at Nialla and said relax I can help you. With that I had opened the temporal cocoon she had of course shielded herself but I was not trying to harm her only give her the time she needed to find solace. Once time had frozen I looked to her and told her that I know whatever had transpired must have been horrible but that if she did not age I could provide her with all the time she needed to heal and rest and recover from all the trials and tribulation she had faced and would no doubt continue to face it the future. As she had looked at me I knew she was still sad but thankful for the gift I offered her. I told her I could provide her all that she needed to heal and to but ask and if it was within my power she would receive it. Six months would pass and I would come to learn the tale of Nialla the Daughter of Hell and she would come to know woman I had become after leaving Earth and my mission to help this continuum and I can thankfully say I had also found a friend. Perhaps one day I will reveal our tale but for now the duties of the Star Phoenix must come first.

So to make a long story short what really mattered is that I had learned that Nialla had paid a high price for her gift or curse of what she prefers to call Magic. I had realized something else while we were together and that was that she was female and was either currently or would soon be on the very top of the Red Menace’s most wanted list. I knew it was only a matter of time but at least she was not alone so we had emerged with Morgan still looking angry but his mood had stilled when he had seen that Nialla and I were holding hands and we were both smiling. Puma and George had informed us that we were heading into an area of Wild Space and were going to have to make a detour. In the end the journey to our next destination the planet know as the Utika Protectorate would take another twelve hours by their calculations. We were due to investigate a murder or kidnapping which to me sounded like a noble enterprise but soon I would come to learn that I Morgan or as he would come to call himself or herself Maiyar or The Death Bringer in a obscure tongue of his homeworld Hyboria might become a problem.

Purple Puma and George had needed to make a number of course corrections as it seemed they kept running into outlaw matter at every turn so that a journey that should have taken hours took almost half a day. During that time we had lounged around as it were aboard the Puma Vessel and relaxed or at least tried to anyway. It was during this time that began to learn more about Morgan or Maiyar which was really confusing for me to handle for while I will admit I have taken many an alias or disguise I’ve never tried to convince my own companions that I was someone else. Sorry scratch that I had actually but in those cases I for all intents and purposes in two places at the same time and I had let my mind get a little carried away. So when Morgan had begun to discuss what he liked to do as I had inquired if I could perhaps provide any entertainment while we waited our conversation had taken a darker turn.

Maiyar had begun to speak about being for hire and being on missions to eliminate targets. It was about at that time that I was really hoping that Maiyar was joking for otherwise I was on board a ship with an active killer for hire in other words an Assassin. Sadly it was a profession I was well aware of and had abandoned in my youth. My slate was therefore far from clean and I will admit for awhile I had wanted to unleash my wrath on Maiyar and show her the folly of its ways. For in truth I did not even know it was a male or female of some kind of asexual creature. Any desire I had ever had for it had died in those moments as I came to realize that all of the horrors they often told about shape shifters might have had some basis in truth. My mind was running wild as it is fond of doing and therefore I reached for the truth from Nialla and it was then that I found that the truth I found was even more chilling than I would have believed.

Somehow the killer in our midst whose real name or identity I realized I probably did not even know had somehow by some deed or action gained the trust of Nialla. Nialla I had learned had her own burdens to bear and during their time together they had proved themselves to each other. Perhaps Nialla brought the good side in the sentient creature I tried with my entire mind not to despise. Perhaps it was the grin that came to its face when it spoke of the pleasure of the kill. Or it might have been the fact that it had admitted to a willingness to take the lives of sentient beings not caring if they even were the foulest abominations imaginable. It was about then that I truly felt I needed perhaps a little personal time to wrap my psych around the concept of living with a contract killer who did not even try to defend his chosen profession yet instead seemed to relish in it.

I had mentioned to Purple Puma that I might need a moment to open a temporal rift a term he seemed to prefer. He had responded and inquired as to why I was wishing to do such a thing on his ship at that time. I had tried to politely explain the situation and my concerns about traveling with a contract killer. He persuaded me to instead try and take the time to deal with the situation in real time. Of course not before I had offered our freelance killer money to buy its trust which is has said was not good enough. Puma and George had even gotten involved for awhile and the situation was eventually calmed down by the charm of Nialla who stood by her friend and made a case that in time M as I will start to refer to her friend would in time come to trust us as she was sure our actions would in time cement our relationship.

Alright was I really buying that not really but my senses were constantly attuned to the cosmos and if M were to ever truly try to pose a threat to me or its intentions were to ever become truly dark then I would just have to step in. It was then that I had started construction on the housing for my twin cosmic energy rods. Since I had realized that the time might very well come that I might need to defend my new companions and friend Nialla from their enemies or perhaps even from themselves. Looking back it’s a good thing I had done so otherwise when George who bore a striking resemblance to a George I had known on Earth four real years ago had transformed into Spectraman I would have not been prepared for my past to catch up to me.

About the arrival of Spectraman it had begun when we had finally entered orbit around Utika Protectorate something just did not feel right. I let the other know but of course it had not mattered in the end. Nialla had asked her droid Milton to send the communication signal that would alert the contact reputed to be a Mister Lang that we had arrived. Within moments we had received clearance to land on a space dock on the equator of the mostly dead planet. I had also asked Milton while he was checking the local broadcast wave bands to check if he noticed anything in reference to Puma’s Ship or Star Phoenix and he had replied that so far he could not find any record of our activity. Puma had heard my request and asked both Milton and his ship to continue to monitor the situation and let us know if anything regarding our actions was reported. Of course it did not take long for us to exit the ship and meet the so called Mister Lang who was giving off a very dangerous and dubious vibe so much so that I advised Nialla to confirm his identity.

Let us just say that I had called it for no sooner was he in his mind then his plans to ambush us became apparent. I actually had informed her to warn the others before he had even raised his hand to try and attack Nialla. Of course that meant I charged both on my personal energies and channeled the power to ignite the power cosmic into the two rods had forged. My next move was to stand ready to be ready to defend my friends or to prevent them from crossing a line that could not be uncrossed. It seemed we had been set up by the so called Nedor Group and they all proceeded to try and get the jump on us and abduct Nialla. Eventually six of them would show up one would be turned into a clay pot by Nialla while another who had blasted us all with fire would be put down for the count by Spectraman. I had of course tried to convince the Nedor Group that we could find a way to not fight but it was then that I realized due to my heightened cosmic awareness that they were not in control of their actions.

Meanwhile right before my eyes George had vanished to be replaced by Spectraman and his equally deadly duplicate. Puma who had been knocked into the sky was being rescued by his miniature little Puma which had only survived due to me using my cosmic rods to deflect the energy from an onslaught of fire from one of our new mind controlled associates. I had spared Nialla and even George from harm as well but only for the moment for another figure had carried her away and Spectraman had flown after him and shot them from the sky. Nialla was horribly wounded and burned from her sudden acceleration but I was not worried for I knew she was immortal and that either Purple Puma or I could save her. Spectraman and Puma had actually coordinated just such a transport and healing of her for which I was glad.

I had of course followed her and had struck at the figure who had taken her away but my actions had proven to be insufficient to stop him. My warnings to them to stop their actions before things got of hand continued to fall on deaf ears. The next thing I knew the Purple Puma’s ship had been taken over and was preparing to attack us as well. I had had just about enough when suddenly the small pot which was in reality one of the Nedor Group was being blasted by the other Spectraman. I suddenly felt that if that were to occur we would be in even more trouble in more way than I even had time to explain so I just reacted and deflected his energy discharge with the power cosmic. I could tell that Spectraman must have changed for to strike a helpless foe with the intent of destroying him was an action that I hardly fathom.

I had called to Puma to group up on me for it was time to end this wild fiasco one way or another and when he arrived I opened a temporal cocoon and encased everyone so that I could continue to build my cosmic energy reserve. Once we were inside the cocoon I informed the others that I could sustain our bubble until everyone had regrouped and heads had cooled. I reminded everyone that they were not in control of their actions and now that Puma had seen his own ship throw off the control that had been asserted over it seemed more then inclined to believe me. Nialla informed me that she could us at least fifteen minutes to prepare and while I could only truly wait twenty four seconds before the power I was building would dissipate I was willing to give her the time if it was what she needed. In the end the words of the veteran Hero Purple Puma would prevail and they would only remain with the field for one second.

I had held off the field and maintained it around Nialla and me as I had told her I needed at least twenty seconds for I wanted to be sure that when we returned to real space and time I would truly have built enough power to protect her. I know not if she prepared or only rested but I took the brief seconds to contain my anger and my thirst for vengeance to ensure when I emerged from the temporal cocoon I would let my intellect and not my emotion guide my actions. For Nialla had tried to warn the Nedor Group that if they messed with us and I became angry the very planet might very well pay the price. I had tried to remain confident as we had been assaulted and for a second or two all had been well and good until Nialla had been taken away from us. If it had not been for Spectraman they might have succeeded in abducting or killing her. Someone had crossed a line and were soon going to find out that there would be nowhere in the quadrant where they could hide from the wrath of Starchilde and Star Phoenix.

Alright perhaps you get the drift that I was getting just a little upset over this entire situation. To let the truth be told we did have two potential captives of our own that we should be able to liberate for the control of the correct the Red Menace if my deductions are correct. In fact fire wielding paranormal had already spoken that he had attacked because he believed that Nialla was some Nazi super villain. I had mentioned perhaps they believed her aligned with the Red Skull as the group that had assaulted us obviously from came from and Earth like world. For the record I myself come from an alternate future earth and I know for a fact that the Earth Prime of this world has at least two duplicate variants that I know of so being of Earth is not necessarily what you might think it cracks up to be. Well either way Nialla had two seconds to crack either Mister Fire Projector or Mister Clay Pot or I might just have to do a little escalating of my very own.

Since I have sworn myself to a code of honesty I will include another insight into the events surrounding Nialla and I. When I said that I was not really sure what she had been doing inside my temporal cocoon it’s more like I had found a way to help her and still not break a vow I had made to myself. The vow to make this quick was to never create fully aware duplicates of myself and let them free to do as they wished. So instead I had done something similar but altogether different I divided myself into two. In reality I created two identical bodies to house my intellect but with each one holding half of my life-force. Basically I put myself as I had channeling the power cosmic into a sealed temporal cocoon where time for half of me time would not pass while at the same time allowed Nialla the time she needed. I would take her sixteen minutes and forty seconds to prepare herself.

The power to maintain my life-force within two bodies was immense and I had merged back with myself as I had freed my other self from my sealed temporal cocoon. I blame Spectraman for while I had been trying to live in denial that the George I had traveled with might have been Spectraman I had been living in a dream world. All bets were now off that things might stay the same after his arrival and while I might regret charging so much cosmic energy or giving Nialla the chance to use her energies to transform herself as she had I had tried to be peaceful and reasonable an it had failed. Therefore even as I had stood there holding enough power that if it were not for my shields would surely have been detected even from Earth Nialla had herself changed as well. She transformed into a new wondrous winged form a form I had seen before remembered. It another of forms created by her Queen s and while I still loved her as I did others I hoped that her shields held. Otherwise we might very well be noticed by more than just the Red Menace who it seemed were pulling out all the stops. I could only stand there and realize an old Earth phrase “Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.” I doubt they realized just what they had awoken or just what they were getting ready to get. They were getting to board an express train to Hell and it was getting ready to bring them down. I would just have to make sure it did not try and take us with it.