Chapter Five

We had arrived at an asteroid occupied complex originally founded by the Authorian Empire known more commonly as Venue. A place that had once been home to a resistance of sorts against the Thorans that did not shall we say far that well in the war against them. It was of course rebuild years later by the Authorian’s who for the most part run it as a place of harbor for rebels against the shall we say Isolationist Republic.

Moving on once on Venue we were informed we had priority status and our own private landing bay as well as an appointed Authorian concierge. It proved to be relatively simple to drop off the Omni Circuit Judge and his entire family as well as acquire Omni Protection and freelance retainer with Omni at the same time. We were then left with deciding our next course of action which bloomed into a slightly more complex endeavor than I would have originally thought.

Now the arrival on Venue I shall say was indeed quite smooth and as young children aboard Moya the name of Purple Puma’s space vessel I had dressed in my khakis. Now while I normally like to go barefoot in that outfit I had chose a pair of moccasins to complete the ensemble. We were met by our Authorian concierge who was named Colonel Parstard wore bore a large red splotch upon his head. He would prove to be most convenient and helpful. It seemed that the There corporation was fronting the bill for previous work performed by the group known as Star Phoenix and I figured might as well take advantage of it.

Dropping off the Judge and his family at the Omni Corporate offices was taken care of fairly easily. We met a new Authorian contact who had informed us that our kind of help could prove useful to other missing Judge’s in their employ. I of course offered the groups aid in assisting them with their situation if they would extend us Omni Protection on a freelance basis. Not really what one might think since from our Authorian contact they had Judges in danger on nearly every world where that they had Judges presiding over courts. I and Purple Puma left trackers for them so we could keep in contact with them. So in other words it pays to have insurance or in our case to not have to pay for it.

I should note that the presence of the Authorian had the Judges family on edge and I did my best to assure them that they were in safe hands. I also took the liberty of giving the Judge one of my modified tracking beacons. I informed him while we had found him I would be keeping an eye on him and to inform his wife so that she might rest easier. Honestly I had not sensed them to be in any danger but one rarely knew what the future held as it was often fluid as I could attest. I am also pretty sure George found a way to slip them twenty gold or four thousand and four hundred credits at some point since I had overheard him talking with the Colonel about conversion rates.

The others had wanted to meet another Authorian with whom they had met on a ship leaving Darkness who I did not really trust. The issues before us which Purple Puma seemed to be working on acquiring the particulars from Nialla had to do with which of the two missions before us held the most value. The Authorian had a deed from his fiancé which he was willing to hand over to Star Phoenix if we cleared the place of the infestation that had claimed the lives of all that had stepped foot on the land. The second dealt with a mine and some mysterious creature that was preying on any living creature that ventured near the mine.

Purple Puma upon hearing that lives were even at that very moment people were dying on a planet called Verges or option became clear. Purple Puma although felt that since we were on Venue and so was the Authorian they wished to meet so a lunchtime meeting was scheduled. As it had been morning when we arrived we still had plenty of time to discuss the world situation with our concierge or Colonel as well as visit our benefactors at the There corporation. Of course as we had also been leased an entire building of suites and were going to have lunch there was no way I was going to miss out on all of the culinary delights that Venue had to offer. Suffice to say for our lunch and meeting which I really could care less about I ordered everything and when I say everything I mean everything imported, exported it mattered not if it was on the planet and it was edible I wanted it there and to spare no expense not that we were paying anyway.

Our arrival via our private shuttle which to be honest I had hardly even noticed let us off at the offices of the There corporation. Now for the record I of course notice just about everything but just because I do that in no way means that it really matters to me. I mean sure I am intensely logical by nature but really unless I derive some kind of pleasure from something I tend to just let my mind record the information it receives for later review unless it is dangerous of course and then it’s a whole different matter entirely. Now I had of course had a private mind to mind conversation with our Colonel and found out that he was aware of a person on the asteroid who might very well know something about the operations of the Red Menace.

So I had actually been using my heightened awareness when it was safe to do so to search for this woman who the Colonel believed resided underground. Of course once inside the offices of There we were met my nobodies who knew nothing useful who informed us that was how the corporation wanted it until they had something of value to share with us. It made sense to me for I knew the story. I mean really everyone who had worked for the company that Nialla had met who was anybody was dead now. Sure they had recovered their expensive spaceship but I am also sure the valued their lives a little bit more actually quite smart of them if someone were to ask me. Honestly I was not even offended I mean after all they were showing their consideration by fronting our entire bill on Venue. That of course reminded me that Nialla and I had to do a little shopping.

It seemed that George must have not been the only one shopping for Nialla it seemed had an apartment of sorts on Venue which she wanted Milton to clear out. George it seemed had been ordering magical energy storing devices. I on the other hand had felt the need to order some supplies for Moya so that while we were on the ship we would be able to relax with a little more shall we say comfort. For like anyone who really knows me will tell you Starchilde loves to get her party on. Alright so I needed a few Responsive Beds (a bed that can go from soft to hard on command you got to love it), a cute little Auto-Kitchen and Foodfac (take any biological substance and turn it into vitamin and nutrient enriched gourmet food or alcohol nuff said right) a combination I had been looking over, and last but not least of course plenty of cloths of every size and description. Seriously I had even considered picking up a Super Holoprojector but I felt that might be pushing it perhaps next time.

Nialla still in her enhanced form had even been discussing with Purple Puma the nature of certain poisons which Maiyar had claimed to require. Perhaps I should more rightly refer to it in it’s now named Gandian form Jeepers Creepers who possessed some fascination Peepers. So perhaps I was reaching with the Creepers and the Peepers but honestly Purple Puma thought we should call him Meepers to go with the whole M in name theme. For what it was worth I had actually had a talk with Jeepers and not about the use of poison but that I knew would also be a conversation we would need to have sooner or later. We actually instead discussed the nature of its current named forms that being the male Morgan who he called an Elf and merchant, Maiyar who it seemed was passing as a female humanoid Collubian and assassin, and finally now Jeepers Meepers Creepers with the cute peepers the Gandian bodyguard of Nialla.

Basically it seemed that Jeepers was trying to relay to me that in each form he was portraying a role which in one way as a little disconcerting and another perhaps slightly profound. For looking back I realized that if each form was an act then the real being inside the one who had appeared grey and sexless a truly sad state I must say was perhaps of a different mindset that had so far been revealed to us. I would like to hope it was the real soul of Jeeper’s that had been inclined to help the family of the Judge when in truth all that Maiyar had been speaking of were blood and death. I was an interesting turn of events that gave me an insight into the inner workings of a fellow shape-shifter and allowed me to see how Nialla could have fallen in love with it.

On our way back to our leased what could only be called estate I finally located the female who looked similar to what I realized was an Elf in the region known as the Under in the company of a few Gandians. I made the others aware of the situation as we arrived at our banquet. Star Phoenix’s guest Yuma the Authorian arrived with his fiancé and they were accompanied by her female attendant and it seemed like two Gandian bodyguards. Nialla and Purple Puma took Yuma aside and began to discuss their concerns about the estate and the deed on the planetoid called Stormhaven. Meanwhile George, the ladies, bodyguards and I with the ladies as my guide began to sample the culinary fare of Venue which stretched the length of an entire arena floor and I was in paradise. Suffice to say it was time to be getting my feast on and I loved every single morsel and drink that I sensed was safe of course.

Between a little bout of unexpected almost drunkenness I also paid attention to the situation on Stormhaven. Basically it was a planet that had been scouted by the Authorian’s and recently settled. Oddly there was a dangerous native population that had slain everyone who had landed on the planet including a number of Authorian’s. They had set up some kind of protective barrier a mile around the estate but in had in the end not held. It had also been mentioned that they were shadowy creatures who had been spotted and Purple Puma in an odd choice of words had briefly discussed destroying the entire planetoid. I made me realize that perhaps he had some issues with the Shadows a group of aliens I had heard of who on a number of worlds had portrayed themselves as divine like figures. Now here is the point worth noting I only know of the Shadows and not much about any of their enemies as I often related due to my former obsession with Darkness and Shadow. The Shadows kind of remind me of Destiny and I would not be surprised if I were to find out they operated in the same circles. So yeah Shadow was a part of me but I was in no way on good terms with the race known as the Shadows or the entity known as Destiny. Now sadly the Destiny part might one day be a problem but I would face that difficult obstacle when and if the time came.

I could of course been entirely wrong actually and even thought Purple Puma had seemed to be on good terms with Destiny and was even waiting for information from him I was left for few logical reasons behind his actions. I had decided let it go for the time for I was not one to judge and I did not choose to believe that Purple Puma someone who I so far seen exemplify the morals of a good becoming capable of genocide on a global scale simply from a few words. Instead we let rest of the day pass in enjoyable feasting, music and dancing. Well at least I was dancing as the banquet we were served was wonderful and I also knew what we had left over would eventually end up be flushed down to the Under of Venue which is where we intended to party that very night to locate a certain enemy of the Red Menace.

Sure Nialla and I had wanted to throw an even bigger party down below as it were but Purple Puma talked us out of it saying it was perhaps better to go undercover and therefore not risk blowing the cover of the person who we sought. I realize I can let myself get a little carried away but the truth is I rarely get the time to often enjoy myself. Also I felt my companions were all just a little uptight well with the exception of Nialla and could use a full blown party to loosen them up a little. I mean really just the day before they had all been potentially in a battle with meta-powered opponents who had altered time itself. Granted it had all worked out to an extent but Nialla was now a know magical or cosmic presence take your pick and times like the ones I was trying to get my companions to share might come few and far in-between.

For instance poor Jeepers had been delegated to lowly guard duty mind you having the honor of guarding someone as beautiful as Nialla was I am sure not a bore. He did not even get to enjoy the feast I had ordered until after the others had left and the party was over. On a side note I did not try the little puppy like creatures that were eaten by bashing them in the head chopping it off and then eating them raw which I was told was a Gandian delicacy. The fact that Jeepers did not partake in them either put him another step in my book. I would have made a pets of a few of them but George checked for me and found they were of less intellect then most fish on Earth so I had let it go. I had been looking for a few pets for Moya to keep her company when we were not on board but alas I would have to wait for another port.

Back at the dive we had found ourselves and all in disguise I might add the Colonel had escorted us down to a lift where we could descend and told us he would be awaiting our signal. It would not talk long for our food to arrive from above which was my signal to reveal our Priestess of the Moon to Nialla. The frantic activity of bodies reaching for food the quality of which they rarely ever saw was a wonder to behold. Nialla made her telepathic move and I am sure a little mind rape as well and soon revealed to us that she was from Hyperboria and had been on Venue for over a year. This of course meant that the Red Menace were ahead of schedule as Hyperboria a world believed to be populated of a similar genetic makeup as Nialla and Jeepers was the final planet being sought but the unwitting minions of Cthulhu in its plan to bring chaos and destruction.

It seemed that she had had quite a journey form Hyperboria via jump ships used as cargo ships thru the blink matter shroud luckily surrounded Hyperboria. I say lucky for without the shroud of blink matter the harvesting of Hyperboria would have no doubt begun in earnest instead of the haphazard fashion that was not required. She had it seemed banded with the Gandians who were in her company and it also seemed married one of them. Purple Puma had made it clear we would need her to come with us to aid her world or we would need to make a copy of her mind. He had looked to me figuring I would do it and I doubt the concern that I felt did not cross my face in that moment. I was for a moment reminded of the actions of Mind Scream and I had to remind myself that in desperate times sometimes desperate measures are required. The act of duplicating a mind was not itself an evil act unless the actions preceding it were deemed so. Therefore I could live with that and it seemed that Purple Puma did no really need my aid after all.

The point had been made moot for the time being for the Priestess who I shall call Nara chose to leave her new family behind to help us save her world. I told her to meet me in the facilities and I would aid her in her escape. Purple Puma had for a moment asked Jeepers to aid her in leaving her friends but I had stepped in for I had the ability to leave with her without anyone being the wiser. I used my heightened senses to discern if we were in any danger before I performed my cloaking maneuver and I found that we were both safe. Inside the privacy of the facilities I let her know that I would surround her body with my own and we would leave together and she will have seemed to have just vanished. I was a maneuver that I knew was currently beyond Jeepers and one I would have preferred to not have done but as I have already said desperate times and all that. We were met by the Colonel who only asked if we were successful as we had seemed to return empty handed and after giving me a knowing looked asked if we were ready to leave.

We were indeed ready and with only a slight amount of cargo that had been acquired from Nialla’s place and the magic storing batteries or boxes as Nialla likes to call them and since my new acquisitions had already been loaded we were ready to board and lift off. The Colonel waved us off and I left a tracker with him and wished him well. He had been quite helpful and keeping an eye on him I felt could prove handy in the future. Purple Puma and George set us on course for Hyperboria and we realized that it was by conventional methods a two day flight and that was if Purple Puma pushed the engines beyond what most of the sentient beings in this area of space had ever seen.

Once clear of Venue as we were still plotting or course Nialla spoke to Moya and let her know that she was going to need to create a temporal cocoon in order attempt to gain insight into our situation. Of course Nialla knew that if there is one thing I cannot pass up and that is the chance to spend a little extra time with someone I love. To be honest I was still getting used to the new body but in reality while I loved my personal form who was I once again to judge someone on alternate forms plus she looked awesome even if just a tad bit dark and seductive. Meanwhile I noticed that Jeepers had become Morgan and was taking time to try and comfort or new passenger who I could tell was still trying to come to terms with her decision.

Nialla had open the cocoon and once inside she had began her commune with what I had first thought was the continuum but I was to see once I looked myself that where she looked was a place far more deceptive with an agenda of its own. I heard her taking about trying to shield the planet or helping a resistance but what I sought was something more pure. I sought a simple question for the powers that I knew judged me. Was I in the right place, were we on the right path was there any insight we needed to aid us?

What I found was that we were indeed in the right place and we were also the chosen champions of the light. I also learned our greatest enemies rest on the planet Emerald but that before we attempted to breach its defenses we needed to unlock more pieces of the puzzle. In addition I learned that a major piece lay on Hyperboria and that the blink matter which by all rights should have dissipated when the planet arrived in our space yet remained and protected it. My lasting impression was that reconnaissance was needed and we needed to gather more information about our enemies that stretched from the mortal to the immortal. We were the tip of the sword and if the plans of Cthulhu were to be stopped it would be up to us.
Granted the time would come for Nialla and I to rejoin our companions and while three days would have passed for us only a second will have passed for them we will have to bring them up to speed fast and prepare ourselves to face what I now can no longer say might have been a delusion of Nialla’s. Perhaps that was why I was thankful for two day to digest the information on my own with someone I loved before I had to return to the harsh reality and responsibilities I would have to face. I have always lived for the thrills and the excitement that my abilities have granted me. It took me a long time to learn about responsibility and to actually learn to live among the people I have sworn to protect. There is darkness within me as I believe there is with all beings but believed I found how to use that darkness and bring it into the light. I now know the truth I have been faced with the fact that fact I have a responsibility to those around me be they weaker or even currently stronger than I. I looked into the eye of continuum and I have found my truth and my responsibility for while there may be no real Gods only beings with great power then there also must be beings with great power who stand and protect those who would be abused by said Gods.