The Emerald Claw | |||||||||||||||||
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Below is the first chapter of my tentatively titled story, The Emerald Claw. I hope you enjoy my story and its characters. I hope you return to read Chapter Two and more. Amy H. | ||||||||||||||||
| Chapter Two | |||||||||||||||||
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�What in the world were you thinking, Dusty?� �Do you all of a sudden trust a Grand Duke over your own crew?� �What did he tell you?� Dusty�s red face turned away in shame. She had betrayed her crew by trusting Grand Duke Jeremy. Hoping they would accept her explanation, Dusty spoke quietly and gently. �We have been hired by Grand Duke Jeremy of Chuvall to track down his elder twin sister, Gabrielle. She disappeared at the age of 16 from the planet Naowen. With the recent battles in the Omega Quadrant, the Royal Houses of Naowen want one more member of the King�s family around, just in case.� Sebastian spoke up, still obviously trying regain control of his temper. �I have two questions. How do they know she is still alive? A pampered princess wouldn�t last long out here.� �Every member of the Naowen nobility has a heart beat monitor surgically inserted in their body. It allows their government to make sure that they are still alive if they are kidnapped or something like that. However, it can�t keep track of their location.� Sebastian, Sorel, and Dusty turned and looked at the usually quiet Faith Bradford. Dusty regarded Faith with a quizzical look. �How do you know that?� With a sheepish look, Faith replied. �I once committed a little �industrial espionage� for the Calabrini.� �That�s interesting, Faith.� Sorel put in. �What do you mean?� �It was a joke, Faith.� Dusty barely suppressed a laugh; as did, she noticed Faith and Sebastian. Sorel and his sense of humor strikes again, she thought. But whatever he meant, Sorel had done one thing. The mood in the room had lightened a little. Out loud she asked, �So what is your other question, Sebastian?� �I was just wondering what exactly�well�how much will we get paid?� �125,000 credits a piece for her safe return.� Sebastian�s mouth was wide open and he had a look of disbelief on his face. �125,000 credits! That�s unbelievable!� Sorel and Faith echoed him. �That�s a lot of credits, Dusty. What�s the catch?� �We have to take a Lt. Col. Ian Devonshire with us. He is a member of the King�s Royal Protection Service. We�re picking him on Enkath. The Grand Duke has already reserved a docking bay for us. As a matter of fact, we�re headed there now.� The smiles on the faces of the crew of the Emerald Claw faded into the looks of anger and hurt. Once again, Sebastian was the first to voice his opinions. �That�s crazy! I will not allow a stranger on board this ship. I don�t care what a Grand Duke says!� �I guess you�ll have to make a choice then, Sebastian. I guess you�ll all have to. What�s more important: money and survival or pride and death?� In the end, it was an easy choice for Dusty�s crew. They left the Rec Room with subdued faces. They chose survival. They were headed to the Pirate�s Paradise to get Devonshire and begin the search for Gabrielle. Meanwhile, the King�s Royal Chamber, Naowen �Are you sure this woman is trustworthy, Jeremy? I read her file and it certainly doesn�t seem like it.� �I got the impression from talking to her that she was loyal to three things. Herself, her crew, and her money. I think the money we�re paying her should keep her in line.� King Harrison walked over to the spacious room�s only window and looked out at the sunny day. �I don�t know, Jeremy. I wish that there was another way.� Grand Duke Jeremy put an arm affectionately on his brother�s shoulder. �Don�t worry. Lt. Col. Devonshire is going with them to be our eyes and ears.� �You sent Ian!� Harrison whirled around to face Jeremy. �What were you thinking? He�s one of our best men! I�ve got death threats coming in from every direction. We need him here!� Jeremy knew from long experience when to turn into the subservient younger brother. �My apologies, your majesty. It was my mistake and mine alone. I will take the blame if something goes wrong.� Docking Bay 17, Enkath Space Port, Enkath With the Emerald Claw parked securely into the docking bay, Dusty departed and made her way to Drake�s Hideout. A bar and casino, Drake�s Hideout was the best place to exchange information, meet someone, get a job, or pretty much make money on all of Enkath. Sebastian followed Dusty, a few paces behind. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself but Sebastian preferred to keep a lookout. After all, being only five feet four inches, Dusty wasn�t exactly a dangerous looking person. The sign to Drake�s Hideout was just being lit. It was barely hanging on one hinge and it flashed on and off even though the �E� and �U� lights on �Hideout� no longer worked. The double suns of the Enkath system were almost beneath the majestic White Mountains to the west of Enkath City. There was a red-orange tint to the sky as Dusty ducked to avoid the low entrance to Drake�s Hideout. Chance, the portly bartender, was pouring a variety of drinks and sharing tidbits of information with his customers. Looking across the bar towards the entrance, he saw Dusty walk in. �Hey, Parker! Last I heard you got busted for smuggling illegal goods across the Calabrini border.� �And the last I heard you�d been shot by a wanted man because you served him the wrong drink.� Dusty strode over to the bar and took her traditional spot on the barstool nearest the wall. �I�d like�� �A cosmic comet. All you need to do is come in here and ask for the usual.� �Thanks. So how�s business, Chance? Is Drake still a pompous arrogant idiot?� Handing Dusty a drink, the bartender shakes his round, bald head. �Business is fine but it probably be better if Drake was still around. He got picked up on Kesina a month ago. The charge was something like fraud. Anyway, Drake�s Hideout is now under the very inefficient management of Drake�s brother.� �Jeff! The guy is a na�ve airhead. He�s got no clue about anything that goes on. I swear Jeff thinks that everybody is nice to everybody and everyone gets along.� Chance nods and surreptitiously motions to a tall dark figure near the entrance. �He�s been watching you ever since you came in here, Dusty.� �I know. Keep my seat warm while I go take care of him.� Ian Devonshire had been waiting in Drake�s Hideout for almost three hours when the woman he was to meet showed up. According to the information the Grand Duke had given him, Dusty Parker was a dangerous smuggler with her own ship, the Emerald Claw, a loyal crew, and a bad temper. Seeing that she was meandering her way towards him, Ian slid his right hand to the trigger of his blaster. In a booth in the back, Sebastian was watching everything that took place. He knew the figure was the mysterious Lt. Col and he hoped that Dusty knew it too. She was walking towards him with that evil look in her eyes. For the Lt. Col.�s sake, Sebastian prayed that he could demonstrate to Dusty who he was fairly quickly. �You�ve been watching me ever since I came in here. What�s up with that?� Devonshire extended his hand. �Lt. Col. Ian Devonshire of King�s Royal Protection Service. I�m pleased you finally decided to show up.� �ID?� �I�m here finishing up a covert mission. Do you think I would be stupid enough to carry something that says that I�m a member of the Naowen Secret Service?� Dusty�s right hand moved ever so slightly and within seconds Sebastian was by her side. He was over six feet tall and had a long jagged scar across his left eye from a fight. While Dusty might not necessarily be intimidating, Sebastian certainly was. Speaking in a low, menacing tone, Sebastian grabbed Devonshire�s collar and yanked him up off the ground about a foot high. �Listen here, you government weasel. This is Dusty Parker, one of the most dangerous people in this quadrant. I suggest you come along quietly with no fuss or you�ll have to deal with the both of us and I happen to be the second most dangerous person in this quadrant.� Staring down at Sebastian�s dark brown eyes from his elevated position, the apprehensive Ian just nodded and followed Sebastian to the Emerald Claw�s docking bay with Dusty bringing up the rear. The Enkath City docking bays were at the far end of the complex. Transient space travelers lined the hallway wearing a variety of clothing and from obviously a variety of places. Enkath City Docking Bay 17 was barely legible above the arched entryway to the docked Emerald Claw. Reaching behind him, Sebastian grabbed the left wrist of Devonshire and pulled Ian in front of him. A Type IV laser blaster was quickly aimed between the Lt. Col.�s a baby blue eye. Sorel appeared out of nowhere and shoved Devonshire into the docking bay with Sebastian keeping his target in his sights the whole time. Faith was standing with her hands on her hips at the top of the gangplank; her blaster was shining and noticeable in her right hand. Dusty surveyed the scene and spoke softly, almost ominously. �I�ll take care of this. You guys get the �Claw prepped, primed, and ready to roll,� Dusty paused to pull out her own blaster, �While I lay down some ground rules with our esteemed guest.� One by one, Sebastian, Sorel, and Faith holstered their weapons and drifted up the gangplank. Blaster in hand, Dusty turned around and strode up within inches of Ian Devonshire�s face as confidently as usual. Ian was trying to look tough but in all actuality he was terrified because he had never met anyone like Dusty Parker and her loyal crew before. Something about her instilled an immediate fear if not respect. On the other hand, he figured she must have some compassion because as soon as her crew boarded the blaster was back in its near and handy holster. �Listen up, Lt. Col.. My crew and I are set in our ways and function well as a team. We do things our way or no way. You�re here for more money. Plain and simple. You�ll be spending the next god-knows-how-long period of time doing absolutely nothing but observing. You�ll speak only when spoken to and you�ll do only what we tell you to do. Do you understand me, Devonshire?� It was an immediate respect, Ian decided. There she was a least six inches shorter, 100 pounds lighter and about five years younger and he was the one scared stiff. �I understand you completely�What should I address you as?� Her answer was succinct and to the point. �Captain.� Dusty had sized up the Lt. Col. almost immediately. He was fairly tall with dark brown hair and blue eyes. A handsome shade of blue, she added. For the most part, he appeared to be a little intimidated by his surroundings and certainly didn�t act like a member of the King�s Protection Service. �Second of all, Lt. Col., I will need any weapon or weapons you are currently carrying or have with you. They will be placed in a storage locker and will be returned after our mission is completed.� Devonshire knew that it would be foolish to hand over all of his weapons but to not hand them over would be even more foolish. Captain Parker would probably kill him. Ian decided to take a chance. Reaching to his side holster, he spoke with an authoritative tone. �You can have my Mark VI blaster, my extra charge packs, the spare blaster, and the interrogation kit but I can�t sleep soundly at night without my dagger, Captain.� Dusty studied the man before her. This was more like what she expected a Protection Service officer to act like. On the other hand, she couldn�t let him have a single weapon. �I�m afraid that I�ll have to have the dagger too, Lt. Col. Devonshire. Nothing personal.� Ian handed over the gold-handled dagger. She turned it over in her hands, admiring it. �What�s this inscription mean?� Trying to keep his shock from showing, he replied, �It�s from my family crest. Eni Fornit Grawimo Ia Hursoc means Victory Brings Honor to All. My father said the language was Ancient Naowen.� Ian was amazed. The last thing he expected was for Captain Parker to show interest in anything of his. �It sounds like it. Follow me, I�ll show you to your quarters.� �Aye, aye, Captain.� | ||||||||||||||||
| The Worlds of Dusty Parker | |||||||||||||||||
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Calabrini Federation Calabran* Falcorite Kesina New Calabrini Onizon Naowen Republic Calaocand Dabinan Locandi Naowen* Saria Seasia Firru Alliance Ausiano Farruite Firru* Freedia Siriaite No Allegiance Enkath�Pirate�s Paradise -The Provinces of Naowen- Kiara-14 Chuvall-16 Microf-6 Shirit-13 Destini-4 Kieran-4 Maquine-7 Zelinden-9 Bronea-11 Siencia-15 Yolenta-3 Kareni-10 Ressler-8 Coteno-11 Nicanati-15 Temprani-5 *Numbers are the number of districts that province is divided into. | ||||||||||||||||
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