TRAVELER

CHAPTER 4

Chapter 4

I--Cokker--brushed my anger aside at Stephano's insolence and worked my way to the front of the ship to prepare for the task at hand. Outside the small ports I could see a kaleidoscope of color as the fault line followed folded space where the Birkeland currents pressed plasma at high velocity. It was soothing in an enlightened way, the splendor of the cosmos and the intricacies of space travel. The captain knew I was coming and turned as I entered the bridge. From here the full force of the fault line took my breath away.

Gauging our speed was elusive as the honeycomb pattern of the fault line expanded and contracted out to a few light minute distance, massive by any standard, yet we were entrenched in our own conduit. The ship itself had minimal propulsion, just a slight charge differential sent it on its way.

Captain Schooner pumped my fist with passion, a stalwart old badger with yellowing teeth set back in a beard cave, I estimated him to be four and a quarter centuries. "Cokker, Right?"

"Yes, Sir. It is I. Do you have a moment to discuss our next layover?"

"Of course, this old bucket of bolts practically flies herself." Still, he signaled his copilot with a twinkle in his chartreuse eyes as we entered his quarters. I knew they were bled pale from years of synthetic spice, but it was legal in all sectors, so what did I care. "Foxwood sparks your interest, eh boy?"

"Yes, I was hoping to add a day to our layover as I have a special quest that lies a bit further than convention."

"Look here sonny, I've had my share of travelers and it never turns out the way you planned. Foxwood can be dangerous if you stray too far off the beaten path."

I--Cokker--insisted. "I have to break free of the status quo, my party will never reach the next level of enlightenment unless I spur them on, they're so, passé."

The captain was wise, living on this trade route for a century; he had seen this enthusiasm before. "What can you possibly bring to the table that is any different than those who came before?"

" I'll tell you what I discovered. Young star explorers from the Toomerack Subdivision are going in droves to encounter the thrill of galactic geocaching along ancient trade routes. Their obsession brings them face to face with unimaginable adventures, and some say they might find keys that could alter history forever. They are merely thrill seekers but I uncovered a galactic coordinate from an inscription carved on the wall of a sea cave. When I typed it in to my GP it pointed to Foxwood." I pulled the handheld Galactic Positioning device from my pocket and set it on the small table. We were already so close our knees touched in the cramped quarters and his eyes lit up like saucers when he saw it. Leaning in to get a look, I could see his back hair pushing past his collar as his hummus stained breath assaulted my senses.

"You will never get that thing past customs in Arcadia."

"It won't be going to Arcadia," I slid it towards him, a few inches. "It's yours when I return, if you give me two days." I saw the wheels turning behind those wizen eyes. Modern GP devices were a dime a dozen, but he knew this was an earlier model, handcrafted with rare elements.

"I have an aunt to visit in Foxwood, it's been half a century since I last saw her, perhaps we can catch up."

I--Cokker--thanked him and navigated back to my cabin where Airibell, my girlfriend was waiting. Yes, I was the conservative one, but I wasn't ready to settle down with a single person for eternity. I ignored the enticing figure of Stephano's mate and looked into her eyes. I sensed Airibell's presence. The familiar way she held my hand and touched my shoulder confirmed it was her. My attraction first and foremost was an intellectual connection that for me, more than made up for a lack of emotional closeness. If she was deprived she showed no signs, but perhaps I was naive, as most men are.

"We got the extra time!" I sat close on the bunk and brushed her arm delicately. Her skin was soft like velvet. It glowed a golden brown in the muted light of the cabin, and it brought me to a spiritual high.

It was Stephano's mate, but my partner.

She stood, dropped her nightgown, and walked over to the closet. I marveled at the way her back curved down and out, blending into perfect hips. There was a dimple just above her well rounded butt, and her legs copleted the masterpiece.

"I'm glad you will reach you next plane of enlightenment," she glanced over her shoulder.

It was actually her idea as she had stumbled across some hard core geocachers while entered in a quadrathlon. Then she had taken me on a cave diving expedition where we came across the engravings. It was a man made plaque left for other cave divers, but we didn't tell anyone.

I grabbed our designer rucksack for the expedition and filled it with necessary supplies. We each had a small purse for personal effects and mine bulged like a pregnant hedgehog. A few more items and we were set, mostly stuff the others would frown on like a laser knife and small maglev cart the size of a cigarette case. All our stuff was in there for the trip tomorrow, but only we knew about the location, or so I--Cokker--thought.

She came and laid on the bed and giggled, "Hold me, silly." Her familiar laugh even over strange vocal cords was soothing as we spent the rest of the evening talking and planning about tomorrows hike.

Yesterday, I--Garentanda--had shared my secret with my wife. When we were intimate, I had moved my mind into hers in a most profound way. We were touching spirits and I easily taught her how to linger just below the consciousness of whoever was in charge at the time.

Today she was drifting below Airibell's subconscious as well, so we pretty much knew everything. It's wasn't that I didn't trust them, it was that I was an information addict with a thirst for knowledge. On this trip, there were things we needed to know.