THE RELIANT: DARK HORIZONS

THE TOY COLLECTOR

"Where am I?" Roger said aloud.

Roger found himself in a strange room on a strange ship. The last thing he remembered was being on the planet Tania 3 collecting samples. Tania 3's environment was too toxic for humanoids, so he went down to the planet's surface since with him being an android the environment wouldn't have affected him. He was collecting environmental samples so Alliance scientists could determine how the planet's environment became so toxic. While he was down on the planet, he suddenly found himself surrounded by this strange bright light and then within seconds he was on this other ship. The question now was, whose ship was he on and why had he been brought there?

"Oh, good, you're here," a voice behind him exclaimed gleefully.

Roger turned around to see this diminutive-looking alien with a big nose and big ears and yellowish skin standing across from with a huge smile across his face that flashed his crooked teeth. Roger recognized the alien as being a Govek. Govek's were generally not known for their physical prowess, so they had to resort to other usually more devious means to get what they wanted. And their overall deviousness and unscrupulousness were among the reasons why they were among the least trusted beings in the galaxy.

"Who are you?" Roger demanded of the Govek. "And why have you brought me here against my will?"

"Straight to the point," the Govek remarked, still grinning from ear-to-ear. "I like that." He clapped his hands together and added, "My name is Yarvy. Pleased to meet you. And you're here, my dear Roger, because I want you here."

Roger seemed confused. "You know my name?"

"Why, of course I know your name, Roger. In fact, I know everything there is to know about you."

"Such as?"

"Well, for starters, I know that you're currently working as the science officer and sometime engineer aboard the Alliance ship The Reliant. You are the creation of Dr. Lawrence Pataki. And, oh yes, you're the only android in the Alliance without an emotion processor."

"You still haven't told me what I'm doing aboard your ship."

"You are here, my dear Roger, for the very fact that you are the last android serving aboard an Alliance ship without an emotion processor."

"I don't understand."

"You see, Roger, I'm a collector of sorts."

"A collector?"

Yarvy nodded. "Yes."

"And what do you collect?"

"Oh, I collect all sorts of things, Roger. But mostly I collect one-of-a-kind items."

"One-of-a-kind items?"

Yarvy nodded again. "Yes."

"And what do you do with these items once you collect them?"

Yarvy chuckled. "Well, Roger, at first I have my fun with them. And, once I tire of them, I sell them off to the highest bidder."

"Is that what you intend on doing to me, Yarvy?"

"But of course."

"You are aware that my crewmates will come looking for me, Yarvy?"

He shook his head. "Oh, I don't think so, Roger."

"What makes you so certain of that?"

"Well, for one, I disconnected the locator on your uniform. Also, when they scan the planet searching for you, they will find the remains of another android without an emotion processor at the bottom of a ravine that I transported down at the same time I had you transported up to my ship."