The Quarry

[Rage Menelas]

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]Pella'agre was even more striking up close. She was generously engraved with deep gorges as if by the hand of some cosmic giant. These chasms were filled with huge lakes of a remarkable color blue adorned by fantastically steep cascades on all sides. They sparkled in the twin sunlight like so many wondrous jewels!

The rest of the planet was high plateau country, carpeted in a vivid verge of emerald green. No trees at all were evident but Ryan would expect them to be down in the gorges near the water if there were any.

Now Charlie leveled out the craft, spoiling the view for his new apprentice, who involuntarily let out a grunt in protest. Charlie laughed and waved his hand over the deck. It disappeared, the shock of which caused Ryan to jerk his feet up until he realized the deck had simply gone transparent. He gingerly tapped a toe on it to confirm this. Finally satisfied he set them back down, pushed his chair back and enjoyed the view.

“There...” he suddenly pointed in excitement. “There's a village... with people!”

“Indeed.”

“Are we going to get a chance to meet them?”

“No, no... that is not allowed... except by special permit,” the starflyer announced, “Pella'agre is a class-two world. No unsanctioned contact is allowed. It would make us outlaws... something we want to avoid.”

“But...” Ryan started and then threw on a frown and shut his mouth with obvious force-of-will.

The master looked sidelong at his exasperated apprentice, grinned in empathy. He understood. The first thing anybody wanted to do was meet the people of every new world. But it simply was not possible. It would more than likely be harmful to the inhabitants. He swung Saar'floe around in a tight semi-circle and dove for one of the canyons, neither did he hesitate as the craft hit the surface of the water but rather dove straight in.

“Hey... you might warn a fellow next time... before you do something like that.”

“Sorry, Ryan... we must seek out our quarry now.”

“Ha, I thought I was your quarry.”

“Yes, but every mission there is a new one, no?” Charlie's laugh was punctuated by the sudden appearance of flood lights piercing the depths before them. The old man must have been manipulating them for they began to dance to and fro chaotically. Suddenly they fell across a large, dark shape, roughly the size and profile of a killer whale back home. Now it turned toward the ship and Ryan could see it had large vicious looking fangs, like that of a rattler, poised to strike. It lunged straight at them with obvious deadly intent until a tiny red beam lanced out from the ship, neatly perforating its head with a small hole from which a large red cloud now leaked out into the water.

A different, broader light – one Ryan was familiar with from his levitation experience – fell across the carcass, began pulling it toward the belly of the ship. Somehow he knew there was an opening that had just appeared there, that it was being drawn into it.

“That is one,” chimed Charlie triumphantly, “we have but 39 left to go.”