The Nathan Daniels Saga: Part 1 Read online

  As captain Daniels stepped off the transport, he was once again struck by the beauty of the surroundings. The transport had come to rest at the edge of the Imperial Gardens. It was a truly impressive collection of exotic and beautiful plants. There were majestic trees and flowers in every color imaginable. He even saw ganga lilies, a flower that looks black to humans but to those species that could see the ultraviolet spectrum it was supposedly brilliant. The beauty seemed to go on forever.

  They walked a few meters to a security checkpoint, where Daniels was immediately relieved of his laser pistol. He then walked through three different scanners, which caused him to relinquish his needle gun as well.

  When the guards were convinced he was clean, and Daniels knew for a fact that he was, they proceeded to the palace. The splendor of even the hallways was amazing. Everything that could be was trimmed in gold. Exquisite art from throughout the Kurufet Empire was displayed every few feet, as if he were in a museum not a home. The ceiling was seven meters overhead and the hall was at least that wide.

  They twisted through the corridors until they came to two massive gilded doors. Two guards stood at attention on either side. With a nod from General Marag, those guards opened the doors.

  The doorway led to a massive room that was unlike anything Nathan had ever seen before. The ceiling was clear crystal, and was so far up that it was nearly impossible to tell if it was there at all. The room was at least fifty meters wide and twice that long. At the far end Daniels could just make out a raised dais holding a single large gilded chair. Obviously this was a throne room.

  Daniels was walked up to within five meters of the dais, and there the procession stopped. A liveried servant came out on the dais and bellowed, “All hail Her Eminence, Kalitemia Irisole Nimjufet, exalted ruler of the Empire of Kalifet.”

  Daniels escorts dropped to their knees, so Daniels did as well. He was unprepared for the radiance of the person who stepped out onto the dais. The Empress stood a statuesque five feet, ten inches tall. Her ebony skin showed not a wrinkle, even though she was in her late fifties, if Nathan remembered correctly. Her long raven hair was interwoven in her ceremonial crown. Set in her compelling face were the most compelling eyes. They were blacker than coal and drew you into their depths. She sat on her throne and motioned for the party to rise.

  “You are Nathan Daniels,” the Empress began, her voice like the lilt of an angel, “Captain of the spacecraft Nola, lawful merchant trader and sometimes smuggler.” The tone of her voice making it clear it was a statement, not a question.

  “Excellency, I am Nathan Daniels, lawful trader. As for the smuggling I can assure …” The Empress raised her hand cutting him off.

  “You are not on trial here, Captain Daniels. There is no need to be cagey with your answers.”

  “Excellency, if I may ask, what am I here for?”

  “All in due time, captain,” the Empress answered, taking a drink offered by another liveried servant that had appeared on the dais. After a sip of the beverage, she continued. “My intelligence agents have had their eyes on you for over a year. They tell me your skill and reputation allows you to travel virtually unhindered to nearly all the kingdoms, empires and planets in known space. Is this the case?”

  “Well, all except Ziadan, I had a little problem there once with a local prefect, his daughter and her fiancé.”

  “Even so captain, do you understand how unique this makes you?” She gazed directly into his eyes.

  “Well, Excellency, I would imagine any good trader would have similar freedom of movement.”

  “On the contrary captain. When my intelligence service started preparing for this mission, over two million potential candidates were identified. Upon investigation we found only two with your level of access.” She took another sip of her drink.

  “I am curious as to the other.”

  “Captain Jeremy James.” Nathan knew James. He was a good guy. They had played cards numerous times, sometimes exchanging cargo as a result. “Truthfully, we approached Captain James first. We sent a team to him on Somata IX. However, when they arrived they found he had met with an unfortunate accident.

  “What kind of accident?”

  “He had been hanged for having an affair with the governor’s wife.” That certainly sounds like James, Daniels thought.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Excellency. I believe Captain James was a good man.”

  “That no longer matters.” The Empress put down her drink and dismissed the servant. “I want you to undertake a mission, covertly.”

  “Excellency, this has the sound of espionage, and traders who engage in it suffer a loss of reputation if they are lucky and a loss of life if they aren’t. Personally I’m rather attached to both my reputation and my skin.”

  “It is not a spy mission, but a transport mission.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I have a very valuable cargo that must be on Rathshelliam exactly one year from today and must visit as many destinations as possible in the known worlds before arriving.”

  “Sounds expensive,” Daniels was already doing the calculation in his head.

  “Upon the cargo’s safe and timely arrival on Rathshelliam, you will receive one million credits for each unique planet-fall you have made with the cargo. The planet-fall must be at least three days in length and you must engage in your usual trading activities.”

  The amount floored Daniels. He could be an incredibly wealthy man at the end of the coming year. “What about upfront money?” he asked.

  “Given that you must continue your trading activities, there will be no upfront money so that you will not be tempted to be lazy.”

  “Okay, say that I agree,” Daniels said, heart racing. “What’s the cargo?”

  The Empress motioned off to her right. Onto the dais strode the most beautiful woman Nathan had ever seen. “Allow me to present my daughter, Remini.” Remini was a few inches shorter than her mother, with unblemished caramel colored skin, where her mother's was ebony. She had long flowing raven hair, which she wore loosely about her shoulders. She had a small nose, and full lips, with the same penetrating coal eyes as her mother. Her body was that delectable mid-point between lean and curvaceous, although the floor length gown she wore masked some of that appeal. Daniels was barely able to stifle a whistle that would have been wholly inappropriate for a royal introduction.

  “Remini is twenty-two years old and is betrothed to the crown prince of Rathshelliam. In her twenty-two years of life she has visited all of our Empire, and many of our friendly neighbors, but always as part of a royal delegation. We have decided that before she embarks on a path that could have her ruling two empires; she must have a better understanding of the galaxy and the everyday people in it. It will be your job to see to it that she gets that understanding.

  “She is to be your apprentice for the next year. You will teach her what you know about trading and about the places you visit. Through this she will learn of the interconnectedness of the known worlds. She will also learn what it is like to be a normal citizen. You have a passenger suite aboard your ship, correct?”

  “Yes, two small bedrooms, private head and a living area.”

  “Excellent!” the Empress said and motioned to her left. “Then Omany can accompany you as well.”

  A smallish man stepped onto the dais. His age was indeterminate. His face looked fifty, but his eyes looked as if he had seen the beginning of the universe. He was bald, but it was impossible to tell if it was his natural state or cosmetic. Nathan was not convinced that the man did not just will it to be so. His facial hair was worn in the “Fu-Man-Chu” style, and was gray, streaked with black. He wore flowing robes that were priestly in nature.

  “Omany is Remini’s intellectual and spiritual teacher. He has been her instructor since birth. He is a master in the defensive arts of quan-shay and a high priest of Verstaten. He has many university degrees and is qualified to teach all academic subjects. As far as
anyone is concerned, he will have merely booked passage aboard your ship.”

  “Do we have an agreement, Captain Daniels?”

  “I don't see a downside for me, so my answer is yes.” Credits and the company of a beautiful woman? He would be insane not to accept the deal. “How do we get them aboard without anyone noticing? That little song and dance this afternoon attracted a lot of attention.”

  “This evening you will go to the tavern you usually frequent. There Omany and Remini will approach you in disguise, for passage.”

  “That should work.”

  “It was noticed that your current cargo consists of Halifren gems. Am I to assume your next stop is Rhadasia?”

  “Yes, Excellency.”

  “That should be an excellent learning opportunity. Oh, and captain...”

  “Yes Excellency?”

  “My daughter's virtue is to be intact upon her arrival,” the Empress flashed a wicked grin.

  “Understood, Excellency.” Nathan Daniels was marched out of the throne room.

  Nathan retrieved his weapons at the guard station and was informed that he would have to make his own way back to the spaceport. Grumbling, he asked where the nearest tube station was. After walking the three blocks, he was enjoying a relaxing ride to the garment district of midtown Kurufet. He walked into his favorite clothier and placed an order for delivery to his ship later that evening. Whistling he caught the tube back to the spaceport and the Nola.

  “Nathan, you are one damn lucky guy,” he thought as he boarded the tube.

  As he approached the Nola, Captain Daniels noticed that the four troopers were still there guarding her. He guessed, correctly, that they probably wouldn't leave until the princess was aboard. Surely there would be questions at the tavern this evening and he was going to have to come up with answers. First things first, however. He hadn't had a passenger in months. There was work to do in the passenger suite, and extra provisions and fuel to obtain.

  Nathan went up the ramp into the Nola. First he went forward to the control room and did a systems check, looking especially at his fuel levels. He made a note as to how much fuel he needed to purchase.

  He went to the galley and checked the computerized pantry. Going through the supplies, he made more notes as to what would be needed for the one week journey to Rhadasia, for three of them. As usual, he did some quick calculating. He let out a long whistle. The extra supplies and fuel were going to eat up most of his reserve cash. He was barely going to have enough to buy a few drinks at the tavern later.

  Nathan left the Nola in search of the dock master. When he located him, he gave him his list of needs.

  “That’s quite a list,” the wry old man remarked. “You got passengers?”

  “Hope to find some. I need to do something to recoup my losses thanks to the Empress' 'pretty boys.'”

  “What did they want, anyway?”

  “It seems they had heard a rumor that I was trafficking in Ice Blue. They wanted the name of my alleged contacts. Didn't take me long to set them straight.”

  “What about the four still around your ship?”

  “They’re just there to keep me honest until I’m off the planet. Can you get me those things tonight? I want to leave first thing in the morning.”

  “Can do.”

  “And, put out the word that I’m looking for passengers to Rhadasia, and I’ll be at the tavern tonight if there are any takers.”

  “Off to see the lizards, eh?”

  “Yep. What else can you do when you have a hold full of Halifren gems?” The dock master grinned and shook his head. Nathan returned to the Nola.

  There were still a few things to take care of. He unlocked the passenger suite and started cleaning, as it needed to be acceptable to royalty. Max came in to see what all the fuss was about.

  “We're having company, fur ball.” The cat turned and left as if she didn't have a care in the world.

  As Nathan was finishing up his work in the passenger suite, the intercom chimed. He went to the wall and flipped it on. “Daniels,” he said into the unit.

  “Captain Daniels, I have a delivery for you. The clothing you ordered this afternoon.” The voice sounded rushed and a little nervous, obviously due to the imperial troopers outside.

  “I’ll be right there,” Nathan replied. As he came down the ramp, he noticed the poor delivery man, as well as his package, being patted down and scanned by the guards. He had a look on his face that seemed midway between indignant and terrified.

  Nathan approached the man and the troopers backed away, obviously considering him “clean.” Nathan signed for the package and sent the delivery man on his way. He was followed by the fuel handler and the supplies. By the time these were taken care of it was nearly 18:00. He stowed the package and headed to the tavern.

  The tavern was fairly typical for a spaceport. It had no windows because the owner became tired of replacing them every time they were broken out because of a brawl, generally once a week. The light levels were low inside, making it a place more of shadow than light. The air was filled with smoke from the thousands of smokable pleasures from around the galaxy; the heaviest scent being that of genuine, old earth, tobacco.

  An old fashion bar dominated the north wall, with a stage on the wall opposite. Booths lined the other two walls, with tables taking up the remaining floor space. At the bar were several fairly attractive “working girls” waiting to entertain the lonely spacemen, for a price. There were only a few customers, as it was still early. Nathan found an empty booth, and sat so he could see the door. He could also be seen by those who entered, which always helps when you are supposed to be looking for fares.

  A barmaid came over to him. She was young and attractive, about the same age as the princess. She wore too much make-up but had a nice body and the obligatory short shirt that would ensure good tips from the male clientele. Well, at least the human ones.

  “What are you having, captain?” she said with a smile as she took in his look and demeanor. Nathan knew that with short work he could get her into bed, but not with the princess aboard. He suppressed a twinge as he thought about how his love life was going to suffer over the next year.

  “What do you have on tap?” He knew what the barkeep usually had in kegs, but sometimes there was something new and interesting on hand.

  “Well, we just got a shipment of Killian’s Red directly from Old Earth.” The barmaid smiled.

  “Perfect,” Nathan replied.

  Within minutes he had his beer and had tipped the barmaid half again the cost of the drink. He settled in to watch and wait. Daniels was about 1/2 way through his beer when he saw the Rhadasian come in. It slithered over to the bar and paid for what looked to be a large jar of insects. It then made its way over to Daniels’ table.

  “Captain Daniels?” the lizard hissed, lingering on the “s” the way all of his people did.

  Daniels nodded and motioned for the lizard to join him. As it sat, it flicked its tongue into the jar and brought an insect into its mouth. “I understand you are traveling to the home world and you are looking for passssengersss” the lizard flicked another bug with his tongue.

  “You understand correctly, my friend,” Nathan replied.

  “I am Asssumenausss Ssssood.” Another insect disappeared. “I am looking to return 'to the nesssst,' sssso to sssspeak. How much isss passssage?” Another insect was gone.

  “I have a rather large loss to recoup, so there is no fixed fare. I hope to entertain offers from several potential passengers this evening. I will take the one that I think is best. What do you offer?”

  The lizard thought for a moment, eyes darting in opposite directions around the bar. With several flicks of his tongue he downed more insects. “Two thousand now, two thousand when we get to Rhadassssia.”

  “Excellent opening offer. If no one tops it, I’ll contact you. When can you be ready?” Nathan finished his beer and motioned to the barmaid for a refill.

  �
��I will be here,” the lizard said, and moved off to another table. Apparently that meant he was ready to leave immediately. The barmaid brought over Nathan’s second beer. After he paid and tipped her, a wraith drifted over to his table. The wraith was a shimmering light creature. The first humans who saw them thought they looked like ghosts, which is how they got their name. They could hear but they couldn't speak, at least not in the traditional sense. They communicated by creating pictures on their ghostly bodies.

  Daniels nodded to the wraith, and took a sip of his beer. A series of images flashed across the wraith's torso. “Space ship, wraith, Rhadasia,” was essentially what the wraith said.

  “That depends on how much you are willing to pay,” Daniels replied.

  “Five thousand” flashed across the wraith.

  “Best offer so far, if it's still the best when I’m ready to call it a night, you get the ride.” The wraith drifted off, and Daniels continued to nurse his beer.

  He had a steady stream of potential fares. He really had not thought that Rhadasia would be that popular of a destination. There was a family of five who wanted to go for vacation, a priest who was on a Mission, an ancient man and a kid of about eighteen who appeared to be on a Quest of some kind, and a shape shifter who apparently needed practice becoming a lizard.

  It was well after 23:00 when Remini and Omany came through the door and his way. He was well into his fifth beer. He wasn't sure it was them until they got to his table. They were wearing cloaks with large hoods that obscured their faces. Each of them carried a small battered suitcase. They looked like two people really in need of a ride. When they got to his table, and he could see her eyes, he knew it was them.

  They slid into the booth, and Remini tossed what appeared to be a large bag of coins on the table.

  “Mother said this would help with our cover story.” Her voice was every bit as beautiful as she was. The voice of an angel.

  Daniels opened the bag and looked inside. Gold coins. He hefted the bag with his highly trained hands. Easily twelve thousand credits! “Folks, you got yourselves a ride,” he said with a wink and a grin. There would be no doubt to any of the others that they had been outbid.