Quest for the Moon Orb: Orbs of Rathira

Quest for the Moon Orb

The Orbs of Rathira, Book One

by

Laura Jo Phillips

Copyright © 2012 by Kathleen Honsinger

Cover art/design Copyright © 2012 by Kathleen Honsinger

All rights reserved.

DEDICATION

For my family.  Thank you for putting up with my long hours, the cancelled family movie nights, shopping trips, get togethers and occasional melt downs. 

For my husband.  Thank you for your constant support, your hours of knocking your head against a wall as you struggled to master the website, the blog and the oh so incomprehensible facebook page.  Not to mention the frequent brain-storming sessions, research requests, and hefty editing tasks.

For Mom.  My best friend, biggest fan, constant supporter, and the best listener ever, not to mention the best Mom anyone could ever ask for.

I love all of you, and appreciate each of you every single day.

And, as always, for Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma---Thank you all for the creativity you passed along to me, as well as the heart to do something with it.  There is a little bit of each of you in these books, just as there is a little bit of each of you in me

Prologue

Karma Baraka stepped out of the terra-pod just behind Aisling and paused to admire the beauty of the land around them.  It reminded her very much of home world, New Levant.  A world she had not stepped foot on since shortly before her sixteenth birthday.  She knew that for many people, the vast desert with its unbroken, rolling dunes would appear desolate and barren, but to her, it felt almost like home.

They’d been instructed to land in an area that was some distance from the main city of Ausar in this broad, desert kingdom known as Isiben, so that their flying machines did not frighten the people.  This was a world which had several levels of knowledge, and the common people were unaware of the Thousand Worlds, or even the concept of travel among the stars.

There were no paved roads here, nor any powered vehicles such as ground-cars or speeders.  In an effort to remain as inconspicuous as possible, Captain Singer of the Welfare ship had asked that they leave the ground-car in the hold of the terra-pod, and send the terra-pod back to their ship in orbit rather than have it remain in wait for their return as they normally would have done. 

As soon as Aisling’s Jasani mates, the three nearly identical Gryphon brothers, joined them, the terra-pod lifted off, roaring back into space on the pale, blue flames of its hydrogen thrusters.  Following Captain Singer’s directions, they walked across a mile of white sand to a wide green river that snaked through the desert landscape as far as they could see.  They were relieved to find Captain Singer, a tall, angular human woman of perhaps fifty years, waiting for them on the beach.  There was a man with her who was several inches shorter and perhaps a few years older than she.  They both smiled as Karma and the Gryphons approached.

“Greetings, Captain Singer,” Olaf, the eldest of the triplets, said with a polite bow.  “I am Olaf Gryphon.  This is our Arima, Aisling Gryphon, her companion, Karma Baraka, and my brothers, Rudolf and Randolf.”

 “Greetings,” Captain Singer said, returning Olaf’s bow.  “It is a pleasure to meet all of you.  This is Torl, my Executive Officer and Customs Specialist,” she said, gesturing toward the man beside her who bowed politely.

“We thank you for agreeing to assist us in this matter, and for coming so far out of your way to meet us here,” Olaf said.

“It is my pleasure to do so,” Captain Singer replied.  “It is difficult enough for us to gain the trust of indigenous peoples of Class D worlds such as this one.  Without trust, we cannot help them.  When criminals such as this man you are looking for use these worlds for their own gain, and play on the naïveté of the local populations, it makes our work more difficult.

“By the way, we have detected the power signature of a yacht that has landed approximately two hundred miles south-east of here, across the open desert and just outside the border of this kingdom.”

“If at all possible we will capture this man and return him to the appropriate authorities,” Olaf promised.

“Very good,” Captain Singer said.  “Before we begin, I have brought a few extra linguistic interface modules with me.  King Rhobar and his family are aware of us, and the Thousand Worlds, and have even learned to speak Standard.  Aside from them, however, our true origins must be secret, and of course the common people of this world are unaware of Standard, and use their own languages”

“We thank you,” Olaf said with another short bow.  “Unfortunately, those devices do not work on Clan Jasani.”

“Well, I’d love one,” Karma said.  “How do they work?”

Captain Singer handed Karma a tiny device roughly the size of a raisin.  “Place it into your ear and it will filter language in such a way that you will hear it in your own language, and speak as though you were using your own language.  After a time, the module teaches your brain the language so that you no longer need the device.  When its use is complete, it will dissolve.”

“How long does it take?” Karma asked as she placed the device in her ear.

“Each individual differs,” Captain Singer replied.  “In general, four to six weeks.”  Captain Singer offered another device to Aisling, who shook her head.

“No, but thank you,” she said politely.  “I have a...talent...for languages.”

Captain Singer nodded and returned the device to a pouch at her belt without comment.  “Let us get started,” she said. 

She turned around and stepped onto a short wooden dock where a single boat sat waiting.  The boat was quite large, ornate, and well-built, but very primitive to their eyes.  The deck was no more than a flat rectangular area with a dozen wide, intricately decorated sunshades propped up on long slender poles providing shade from the bright sun.  The deck was made from some type of wood that was either very golden in color, or had been stained to look gold.  There were thick cushions arranged beneath the sunshades, making it obvious that this was where they were supposed to sit.

Torl followed Captain Singer, and a moment later Rand followed.  After he boarded and looked around carefully to be certain that the dock and the boat were safe for Aisling and Karma, he signaled Olaf.

“Go ahead, Aisling, and Karma,” Olaf said, urging them forward.  Aisling boarded, Karma right behind her, then Olaf and, finally, Rudy. 

Aisling and Karma followed Captain Singer and Torl toward the front of the boat and selected cushions to sit on.  The Gryphons took up positions at the low railing, not exactly hovering, but close enough that Karma had to hide a smile at Aisling’s exasperation with her mates.  She wondered why the Gryphons acted as though they had to guard her all of the time.  Aisling was more than capable of defending herself with a variety of weapons.  Or no weapon at all.

Karma cleared her throat and looked up in time to see what appeared to be a gigantic house cat step onto the boat from the dock.  It was the size of a jaguar she’d once seen on Earth, perhaps two feet at the shoulder and well over one hundred and forty pounds, but otherwise looked exactly like an overgrown tabby.  She looked up and down the deserted beach, unable to discern where the cat had come from, guessing that it must have been beneath the dock.

She watched as the cat walked to a rear corner of the boat, sniffed a red cushion that was positioned there beneath a sunshade, then stepped onto it and sat down, wrapping it’s long tail neatly around it’s paws.  It had very short blue-grey fur with silver markings that glinted metallically in the sunlight, large blue eyes, and a slightly flattened face, much like a Persian cat a neighbor of hers had once owned. 

“Have any of you ever seen such a big cat?” Aisling asked in surprise.

The cat blinked and twitched one of its high pointed ears in annoyance.

“I am not a cat,”
Karma heard, though not with her ears.

She turned to Aisling.  “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Aisling asked.

“A snooty male voice saying that it’s not a cat,” Karma said as she looked back at the cat. 

“Nor am I snooty.  What is a cat?”

Karma blinked.  “He just asked me what a cat is.”

“Um, no, I didn’t,” Aisling replied, glancing from the cat to Karma and back again.  “I didn’t hear a thing.”

“I think that cat said it,” Karma said.  “In my head.”

“I am
not
a cat!”

“Fine, I got it, you are not a cat,” Karma replied.  “What are you?”

“I am a Sphin, of course.”

“What’s a Sphin?” Karma asked.

“
I
am a Sphin, as I just told you.  Don’t you listen?”

“Oooo-kaaay,” Karma replied slowly.  “Do you have a name?”

“Of course I have a name.  Don’t
you
have a name?”

“What is your name?” Karma asked, wondering if all Sphin were so snotty, or if she had just gotten lucky.

“
My name is Nikura
,” the Sphin replied.  “
Now, if you don’t mind, I must focus on my task for a moment.”

“Nope, don’t mind in the least.”

The Sphin sniffed, then turned his head slightly toward the rear of the boat, its round blue eyes narrowing to slits.  A moment later the boat began to move away from the dock and out into the river. 

“Captain Singer, do you know how this boat’s being powered?” Aisling asked.

“There are domesticated animals called
revedus
beneath the boat,” Captain Singer said.  “They paddle along, pulling the boat as they go.”

“Who controls the animals?” Karma asked, already suspecting the answer.

“I don’t know,” Captain Singer replied.  “Our policy is to never ask specific questions that are not related to our main directive, which is the welfare of the populations on the planets we visit.  It just so happens that someone told me about the
revedus
on our last visit, which is why I know about them, but I don’t know any more than that.”

The giant cat blinked, his ears perked up straight again and he turned his face back toward Karma.

“
What is your name?”

“Karma,” she replied.  “I wonder why it is that I can hear you when my companions obviously cannot.”

The Sphin tilted his head slightly and stared at Karma unblinkingly for a long moment. 
“I would say that you are
Techu
, but you do not carry a
Ti-Ank
.  Therefore, I have no idea why you can hear me.”

Karma shook her head and sighed.  “I have no idea what he’s talking about.”

“What did he say?” Aisling asked.

 “Something about me not being a...tenshoe?...because I don’t have a...well, I’m not sure what it is I don’t have,” Karma replied. 

“Not tenshoe,
Techu
,”
Nikura said irritably.  “
A
Techu
is a speaker for the dead.”

Karma gasped in surprise.  She glanced at Captain Singer, but decided she didn’t really care all that much what she thought.

“He says that a
Techu
is a speaker for the dead,” she said to Aisling, trying to sound casual.  “He also said that I’m not one because I don’t carry something called a...a...
tee
something.”

“
A
Ti-Ank. 
Do all of your people have such poor memories?”

“A
Ti-Ank
,”
Karma repeated, ignoring the cat’s question.

Aisling’s eyes widened in surprise, but she didn’t say anything.  She glanced quickly at the jacket pocket where Karma kept the ankh, then met Karma’s gaze.  Karma gave her a tiny nod.

Neither of them knew what a
Ti-Ank
was, but they had an idea.  Until they knew whether or not being a speaker for the dead was considered a good thing, they would keep silent about it.

“
Captain Singer, are you familiar with this animal?” Karma asked.

“Yes,” Captain Singer replied.  “I have seen him in the palace a few times, usually with King Rhobar or his son, Prince Zakiel.  I believe he is their pet.”

Karma jumped slightly as Nikura began speaking angrily and emphatically.  He was glaring at the Captain, his ears laid flat against his head, his long tail swishing angrily across the golden deck.

“All right, you don’t have to yell,” Karma said, as she turned toward Captain Singer.  “He wants me to tell you that he is not a pet.”  

Captain Singer turned to the Sphin and bowed her head.  “My apologies,” she said calmly. 

The Sphin’s ears popped back up and he nodded regally before turning to stare out over the river, apparently done with the humans.

“Did he tell you his name?” Aisling asked Karma softly.  “I heard you ask him.”

“He says his name is Nikura,” Karma replied, wondering why she was able to hear the Sphin speak, and whether it had anything to do with her need to come to Rathira.  And it had been a
need
.  From the moment Aisling had told her they were traveling to Rathira to track down a criminal who happened to be Aisling’s uncle, she had known that she had to either accompany them, or find another way to reach the unknown, never before heard of, planet on her own.   

“Olaf, are you able to converse with animals?” Aisling asked.

“No, though I believe that the Lobos have that talent to a small degree,” he said.  “Princess Lariah has a very strong ability to communicate with animals.”

“I’ve never been able to do it before,” Karma said.  “The only psychic ability I had for most of my life was for putting some people to sleep.  Now I seem to have more abilities than I know what to do with.”

Karma turned toward the Sphin, whose ears were cocked at an angle, though it did not turn its head toward her.  After a moment, she sighed and rolled her eyes.

“I’m supposed to make it clear that my ability to talk to
him
in no way indicates that I am able to speak with animals, as he is not an animal,” Karma said with an air of sarcasm that, apparently, only the Sphin didn’t catch.  She turned to Aisling.  “He is not a cat, or a pet, or an animal.  Nor is he polite.”