Authors: Stephanie Owens
I tripped in the darkness falling into Sid’s back.
“Oh, I’m sorry I forgot”
Embarrassed she reached for a remote in her pocket and the path suddenly lit up for me to see.
“Thanks” I said, feeling just a bit awkward that I forgot the lights myself but knowing they were only there for visitors like me. When Sid was at the university she would wear dark glasses during most of the daylight hours to protect her overly sensitive eyes but here she could go without them.
I continued following her down the path watching her lithe body easily navigate the red darkness and began to wonder if she had been promised yet. Obviously, there were some type of pairs and couplings on this planet, after all, she was the daughter of the king and queen, but I began to wonder how they found a partner and whether it was socially acceptable to ask her out for a drink on her home planet.
“We’re here, watch your step.”
The glow of her skin had faded with the lighting provided by the path but as she turned and looked at me I couldn’t help but see her soft deep eyes hesitate for a moment as they looked into mine.
“They are waiting for us to arrive in the main room, I think they may have the noon meal waiting for you.”
She walked through an arched doorway and into another dimly lit room while I followed close behind her wanting to touch her translucent skin; but I forced myself to restrain, the last thing I needed was some interplanetary incident, people were canned for less than that!
We walked into the main room with a large round table set with a variety of dishes, utensils and glasses.
Sid showed me to a seat and then sat next to me as others entered and sat down.
The king arrived after everyone else and sat with little formality. I enjoyed the casual attitude on this planet; no worries about social customs or etiquette, just basic politeness…except when it came to asking out the king’s daughter.
The king sat down and the meal began. Conversations were light and generally relaxing as people discussed the everyday issues of life, sports and entertainment that were found just about everywhere in the universe.
I preferred this planet to most as the attitude was always relaxing and generally unpretentious; no hiding behind elaborate ceremonies or knowing when it was time to speak, plus Sid was a great conversationalist and had many stories to share of her own travels throughout the universe and the interesting things that she had seen in her travels.
Finally, the time came to find out why I had been called to this planet when the king sat down his glass and announced, “let’s get down to business”, at least that’s what the universal translator piped into my ear as the actual enunciations reminded me of static.
I put down my glass and looked his way, curious as to why this rather independent planet had called for my assistance.
Behind me I heard a door open and turned to see a uniformed attendant like person walking in with a small petri dish. The attendant walked towards me and set the small dish down next to my plate.
I looked to Sid, making sure this wasn’t some unknown custom that I was unfamiliar with but she just smiled and took off the lid to the dish.
“We’ve identified this as rhodophyta or red algae. It’s a non-native species to this planet and it’s threatening our entire ecosystem.”
I look down at the sample in the dish, it seemed to be growing as I watched.
Red Algae was a multicellular organism that was native to earth. Its red color would be particularly troublesome on a planet that orbited a red star as the only wavelength of light it needed was over abundant in this environment.
“This troublesome algae is taking over our lakes, streams and even threatening our native vegetation; we can fight it but the problem is we don’t know where it is coming from.”
Sid added, “Each time we find a pocket and purge it another one appears in another part of the planet, there are no travel records, no radar sightings and even the locals don’t know what is happening.”
“Because the algae grows so fast it only takes one day before it overruns the area where it’s planted.”
I nodded as I listened to their presentation of the problem, I had seen this type of issue before. Interplanetary gold diggers would capitalize on the local planet’s environment and introduce a non-native species that the local environment could not handle.
There were only two solutions, introduce a predator or stop the source of the foreign body and in this case I think we would have to go with the latter choice.
“Do you have any leads on where the algae is originating from?”
The king shook his head as he made some negative sound the universal translator didn’t have a word for but the message was clear, they were stumped which is why they had called in a contract house to help stop the spread of the algae in their ecosystem.
“Sid will be your guide and show you each site where we have found the algae, she will also make sure you have access to all the assets our planet has to offer.”
I smiled looking forward to having Sid entirely at my disposal the next few days.
Most of these organisms entered the atmosphere entirely by accident. I remembered when a rat had stowed away on a co-workers ship and had recreated the black plague on an unsuspecting planet’s population. The company had put controls in place to avoid a repeat of that unpleasant situation.
I didn’t think this would be any different than those situations so I let my mind wander to thoughts of Sid, her body, her gorgeous dark eyes….what was underneath that unique clothing she seemed to always wear.
I passed the remaining time barely listening to the conversation while the meal was being served.
The king continued to discuss the impact that algae had on their environment and the drastic steps they had to take to eradicate the foreign entity each time it appeared. The universal translators even managed to convey the desperation in his voice as he emphasized the problem.
I felt bad that this problem was causing him such angst but I really wanted to just get to work and anxiously awaited the end of the meal.
Not a moment too soon the meal came to a close and the royal family departed the room.
I stood up quickly ready to leave.
”Would you like to go visit the sites?”
Sid looked at me expectantly.
I nodded, “Let’s get to it.”
I already had the next assignment on my ship’s roster so I was impatient to get moving but didn’t want the time with Sid to end too quickly.
I followed her again as she left the room and entered one of the long pathways away from the main buildings. We came to a pavilion that housed a series stalls each one with a giant winged creature housed in its interior.
I had forgotten how the locals shunned technology for local travel.
The winged creatures resembled a large dragon but the locals informed me they were actually herbivores so there was no danger in becoming their next meal. They were large, almost as tall as two story building with immense wingspans and smooth skin. Like most creatures on the planet they had exceptionally large eyes and dark skin that seemed to absorb all the energy it could from the limited sunlight that reached the dark planet.
I didn’t mind riding, in fact I had ridden many different creatures on many different terrains as I visited with the local cultures but what I did mind was when those creatures could fly. The very nature of these beasts made them less predictable and I was a little squeamish at the prospect but I refused to let Sid see my apprehension so I readily took the reins of the winged creature that was led my way.
She gave me the basic crash course instructions for riding the winged beast and we were off flying up into the sky with her leading the way.
The powerful beasts covered the terrain quickly and the warm air felt good on my face. I followed behind Sid enjoying the view of her from behind knowing it was now socially acceptable to stare at her backside. I watched as she guided the winged beast through the air and her hair blew behind her in an enticing dark wave. Her arms were toned and exceptionally sensual, I hoped to someday have those arms wrapped around me and to feel those hands touch my body.
I grew envious of the winged beast that got to carry her in front of me and I spurred my own beast to catch up.
Unfortunately, the wingspans of the two beasts didn’t accommodate close travel and they stayed a safe distance apart but I at least had changed my viewpoint.
After a time, we arrived at the suspect location.
A team of people were there working, I assumed to sanitize the location and prevent any additional contamination. The location was remote but there was a small plateau where a ship had landed to transport tools and equipment.
We landed nearby and tethered the beasts so we could investigate.
“This was the first location where the red algae appeared. A local farmer grew concerned with the irrigation system stopped flowing into his fields. He traced it back to this spot and the algae had completely block the entire flow of water. He was the first to notify us of the issue.”
“Had there been any spaceflights in the time before the flight?”
She shook her head, “all radar showed nothing in this region until the cleanup crew arrived.”
Each planet maintained a system of radar around their planet that extended almost to the surface of the planet and only stopped when trees and vegetation began to obstruct the images. Visiting ships could travel into these regions that were monitored and tracked by the local radar then they would descend to the surface relying on visual to avoid obstacles and navigate. This system gave the planet the option to monitor, track and control all travel to and from the planet.
We walked to where the cleanup crews were working. Huge piles of red algae were stacked in mounds waiting to be destroyed. I took a sample of the algae that I would analyze later at my ship. I saw that the waterway that had been clogged with the obnoxious species and had been partially cleared but that avenue had obviously been ideal for the growth and reproduction of this nuisance. I knew from the prep report I had read in my ship that this particular algae grew best where there was flowing water and adequate sunlight. The red coloring had made in particularly suited for growing on the red lit planet of Cygnus which was why the species had blossomed and taken over the stream so quickly.
Red algae was a popular food on many planets and those who descended from the old Asian cultures particularly valued it for use in their cooking.
I was beginning to think this might not have been accidental. After all, how would the algae arrive at this location and how did it make it to the stream which was ideal for it to propagate?
“What’s upstream from here?”
“Just more farmland” Sid said, “would you like to go look?”
I nodded and we mounted up to scan the upstream terrain.
The flight gave me an idea on the layout of the land but it really didn’t provide any additional information. She showed me the next farms over and the closest available towns but beyond that I did not see anything that would be particularly helpful.
We traveled throughout the terrain listening to the slow beat of the creature’s wings and the warm wind on our skin till the sun started to set on the horizon. I had a momentary scare knowing that the planet was about to go completely dark but as the sun disappeared the skin on both creatures took on an eerie glow allowing me to see enough to follow behind Sid without getting lost.
We arrived back in her hometown with surprising speed, the darkness making for a disconcerting trip that was difficult to follow our progress.
Stars began to dot the sky intermixed by red planets that made up the rest of the Kepler system.
I was always amazed when I looked at the stars from each new planet I visited and how there were none of the same patterns I had learned to expect.
We stabled the wing beasts and Sid walked me back to my ship.
I was puzzled by the enigma that the red algae presented but I was more puzzled of how to be around Sid. I wanted to take her inside my ship and ravish her beautiful body but decorum would not allow me that luxury.
She walked in front of me until the ship appeared then stepped to the side allowing me to catch up with her.
“We will have the nightly meal in a few hours, I will send someone for you.”
“Would you like to come in for a drink?”
I wanted to think she hesitated for a moment but in the overwhelming darkness I could not be certain.
“I will send someone for you.”
With those words she left me alone by my ship, pining for her companionship.
I watched the darkness where she had been hoping she would change her mind but knowing she was gone. My only hope was to wait until dinner when I could at least be in her presence.
I entered the ship and turned on the full illumination system of the interior. The sudden light blinded me but it was a welcome change to the darkness of the planet. The ship was three stories tall with the bottom being where the electronics and propulsion systems were housed, the middle was the living area including my laboratory, kitchens and living rooms and finally the top floor was the ship’s bridge and in a separate area the bedroom and bathroom. Many times when we traveled the hosting planet would provide accommodations but many on our team found it easier to keep the comforts of home nearby and just stayed in our normal accommodations on our ships.
I went to the living quarters to change, stripping off my clothes as I walked to the bathing area. I turned on the warm shower then laughed thinking I should probably take a cold shower with the effect Sid was having on me.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had actually felt the touch of another human being and watching those sexy videos my brothers sent my way did not count for human contact.
I longed for that closeness and had been jealous of the intimacy my brothers shared with their spouses at the family reunion. But obviously, a family reunion was no place to find a potential partner.
Laughing, I lounged in the bathroom shower enjoying the downtime and the warm atmosphere that was being pumped into the ship. It was like being on a tropical island with the warm breeze and the humidity in the air that made clothing feel unnecessary.
I didn’t bother to dress yet and walked to the lab with a towel around my waist, this was after all, my home, and I could relax a little bit.
I found the sample of the red algae I had gathered that afternoon and prepped it for the computers to analyze. I asked for a full DNA breakdown to see if maybe we could trace the source. I also asked the ships computer to send the data back to headquarters to get the other minds working on the issue. I would write the full report after I returned from dinner.
I got so involved in my work I did not here the ships port open until a small fawn like woman entered the door.
I jumped, startled to see someone there and the towel I was wearing dropped to the floor. The woman turned obviously embarrassed uttering some strange phrases even the translator could not identify.
I grabbed the towel and went to the door motioning that I needed a second but the embarrassed girl did not even see my movements with her face hidden from view.
Hastily I dressed hoping my quickly chosen attire would be acceptable for dinner; I’d run out of time to check the socially acceptable dress for a dinner with the royal family on Cygnus.
Before I left my ship I had one more thought, I wanted to begin recording the space traffic that came and went to the planet and set up a quick warning system that would alert me to any non-traditional traffic. I connected to the planetary radar system and increased the range so that it reached the surface of the planet.
When I was done I tapped the young girl on the shoulder so she knew it was safe to turn around and we walked off towards the buildings for dinner.
As we walked down the dimly lit path I started to think about the dilemma we were facing. Red algae didn’t just appear from thin air, it had to be planted and it had to be someone locally who was responsible.
I had seen in the past anytime a foreign organism was introduced into a planet’s environment greed was always behind the act and I was willing to bet that was the case here. Red algae didn’t grow in many climates it had to have the right sunlight and water flows capable of fertilizing the single celled organism both of which were found in abundance on Cygnus but introducing the non-native species on this planet would destroy the ecosystem without the checks and balances that existed on other planets so we needed to find the source.
The young girl led me to an open door then ran off into the darkness.
I walked into a relatively brightly lit hall filled with people. There was a friendly atmosphere in the crowded room and people laughed and talked in the strange tones. Translators were difficult to use in a crowd so I only caught bits and pieces of the conversation.
A hand touched me lightly on the arm and I turned around to see Sid standing there smiling once again.
She had changed from her casual work clothes of the afternoon and instead wore a beautiful long flowing gown. The material hung from a gold chain around her neck and highlighted her beautiful full breasts with the sheer material. A wide belt cinched the material around her slender waste highlighting an hourglass figure beneath the sheer, flowing material.