Chapter 5 — by BrianMullin0

Tsugua Ku'Rewn sat across from the Dogungi Prime Minister, Ser Rotundus Magnus, and wondered at the sheer recklessness that the politician was expecting the crew of the Black Widow to engage in – all to satisfy his insatiable desire to own the complete set of special edition posters of singing sensation Aleeban's Around the Known Universes in 80,000 Years tour. Forget the fact that the female was a wanted Shozien, pursued by their monarchy's seven secret service organizations. Or that her tour schedule was never announced, meaning that you bought a ticket never knowing where or when she might actually perform.

The Shozien issued a warning that any planet or nation that knowingly assisted in the sale and marketing of Aleeban's blasphemous career would be severely dealt with. Throw in their reputation for efficiency – not to mention hive mind telepathy – and Ser Magnus' request was very dangerous indeed. Almost suicidal. And, should they succeed, the most lucrative deal in the Black Widow's history.

The Dogungi rolled in his aquatic chamber, his sleepy eyes looking surprisingly alert while trying to find a way to entice the Latrodectus to accept his offer. They were a massive but adorable aquatic race, with only microscopic organisms as their predators. Luckily for them, their planet had provided them a cure in the form of a certain species of algae.

"Well," the Prime Minister burbled. "I have only been able to obtain the very first poster. Get me the newest, and I'll pay you the seven million ooblets. But, should you also acquire the missing three, I'll pay you twenty-eight million ooblets."

Ijnnis, the Widow's procurer of extra rare items, said quickly, "Make it a nice, even thirty million ooblets, and you have a deal!" She always pushed for more profit if she felt the buyer would go for it. There was a pause. The minister's eye socket expanded to its full extension. "Agreed," Ser Magnus said.

Hana hadn't expected to find a large bar, much less one attached to a five-tongue Restaurant, on an orbital library and research station. But Gi'āna was, apparently, full of surprises she'd never known about. Paghūṛā had many more bars, but was also home to a very busy system-wide police headquarters. Amphilion had wisely pointed out that the fastest, and likely least noticeable way to begin their search would be to find initial transport on one of the many vessels docked right here on Gi'āna.

"The best of clandestine operatives – did I use that reference correctly? – meet their potential clients here. There are far fewer police here than planetside, and those who are here aren't very good ones – sorry, Hana – not very bright and definitely not the best." As she looked around, she counted beings representing at least thirty or more known species enjoying each other's company...or planning something less than legal.

She'd settled on Paghūṛā to be around more of her kind, and they tended to congregate amongst themselves a lot. It wasn't that the myriad of species that had been their friends and neighbors for two millennia or more were no longer around – just that having more than twenty Humans in one place was unusual on most planets, almost to the point of being unsettling. And the fact that Humans had no place to truly call home, no place to look at in the night sky and think, "Home is in that direction" – well, it was like being a meteorite drifting forever: you didn't know where you were from, originally. Humans were eternally orphaned.

Phili poked her very gently. "Let's split up and walk around. Pretend you're looking for someone. Eavesdrop on conversations of those who might be going in the direction of the Elveszett Nexus. Discreetly, of course! Wave me over if you find a possible ride."

"But there are five floors!" she said, trying not to sound nervous...and failing. The establishment had five floors, shaped in rings around a space that housed an ever-changing organic structure made of countless crystalline flowers: sometimes becoming like a waterfall, sometimes a many-limbed jellyfish...millions of changes every twelve hours.

Her new companion patted her shoulder, and smiled as he glided towards a table of Felinoids, probably from the Miqo'tay System. She made her way up the stairs, which altered themselves to accommodate her foot size and her gait. Opposite her, they had done the same for the four-footed, wide-hooved Phantines.

A two-headed Salamandrine was remarking, "The CEO is cheating on his wife, or so I've heard." One head leaned in close to her human companion. "I can make it worth your while if you can bring me proof...Excuse me, young female Human. Can we help you with something?"

Hana froze, feeling her sleeve being tightly grasped by four fingers...fingers Hana knew could rip her flesh off without any effort whatsoever. She looked at the Salamadrine's companion and saw her excuse for staring.

"Why, yes!" she replied, "I was looking at that delicious appetizer your friend is having. I'd like to order it when they have my table ready. Could you tell me what it's called? Is it as good as it looks?"

"It's Gentian Genitalia, and it's scrumptious. I highly recommend it," the man said, giving Hana a look that made her skin crawl. When she saw Amphilion waving at her from the top of the stairs, she gave a sigh of relief and a little laugh.

"Thank you. It seems my table is ready!" Phili gently took hold of her. "I think I've found a ship. The crew is...unique, and memorable. And highly skilled. Just one thing, though."

Hana looked at the minute tears in her sleeve left by the Salamandrine. "And that is...?"

Phili gulped, a reaction she'd never seen from a Shozien. "They might require our help."

Captain Alis Ka'Fiona dipped her deep-fried Byrthe Wings in the pink hot sauce and swallowed them whole. It was the Forgotten Folio's Evening Special, and it was quite good. Her spiderlings were fast asleep under her attire, hidden from public view. Her First Mate, Vadid Ku'Conrad, was pouring their guests some purified and minted ice water. As usual, he looked devastatingly handsome - edible, actually.

The Shozien and the Human were an unusual pair. As soon as Nondol had seen them, she'd said they were the ones the Blind Spinner had shown her in her dreams. Hana, the female, had the smell of maternity about her. Alis liked her instantly. The Shozien was busy talking to Ijnnis.

"Aleeban and I were friends growing up. She loved puzzles and astronomy, music and mathematics – and not in that order. Now, do you have a star map that shows where the last four concerts have been? I think I'll be able to figure out where the next one will be!"

"Just like that? Pah!" Hyllo Ka'Fiketa, Ijnnis' Co-Pilot, was always skeptical. Four of her legs were crossed in a most scandalous way, the hairs having been meticulously sawed off to make them appear sleeker. Always fashionable, she'd left broken hearts (and heads) across the known universes.

Nondol, the old bug, flicked a Trolbin beetle eyeball onto Hyllo's thorax, where it stuck tenaciously. "He'll know! The Blind Spinner..."

"Enough with your religious droppings! Alis may tolerate..."

The Captain pointed her fork at Hyllo. "Nondol is Brood! Haven't her foretellings saved our lives enough times for you to treat her as Brood?"

The Hana Human leaned over her friend's shoulder and whispered into his ear. Amphilion the Shozien said, "Of course! Everyone, Aleeban is plotting her concert dates and times using a three-dimensional chord structure."

Ittum Ku'Ivra, Widow's Cook and Professional Gambler, shook his head. "I believe you! Just skip the explanation, and keep the answer to yourself until we get back to the ship. I'll pay the tab."

"Ittum..!" Alis growled, "What are you up to? This is a good place to eat, and I'd like to return on good terms."

"Quit your bitching! The cook and I are going to have a little chat..." he said, and playfully tapped Alis's thorax. "And I may win us some extra supplies," he chittered, tossing his dimensional dice in the air.

"Come along, everyone. Are you two ready to go?" Alis asked.

Hanna and her friend Phili nodded. "Ship's this way."

They made their way out of the Forgotten Folio, which had a line of more than one hundred customers. When they passed the Great Gi'āna Library, Hanna watched as Phili, showing no emotion, turned his gaze to it for a moment. She thought she saw him brush away a tear, but the movement was so sudden that it might have been a stray strand of hair. Hana thought for a moment, and hoped that she would one day see Bethany again.

The docking bay was three-quarters full, with almost twenty ships of assorted designs and purposes. There was even a long-distance luxury space liner! They walked to the farthest end of the Main Bay and stopped in front of the battered and mangled ruin of a Class F freight hauler. Its hull showed evidence of blaster damage, its underside peppered by what could only be miniature meteor shower damage and one of its pylon engines had been blown apart - apparently from the inside.

"There seems to be some mistake..." Hana began, but she was silenced by a wicked cackle from Nondol.

"Camouflage, my dear Haa-Naa (she drew its pronunciation out), is always a good investment."

Vadid pulled a small pad from his vest – Hana somehow hadn't expected Latrodecti to wear clothes of any kind – and said something in the mandibular clicking language of Arachnian. In Trader he said, "And unknown tech that creates it is priceless."

The illusion vanished. The Black Widow was old, yes. But it was built by hand and designed with love and care with both utility and beauty in mind. Sleek yet sturdy, not an inch extra and yet room to spare. Built for speed and stealth yet powerful enough to take out a warship head-on. The Spider-folk scampered up the entrance ramp as Amphilion and Hana brought up the rear, mouths open.

Scratched in the gleaming metal below the door handle was a phrase that read "Forever Amber."

Alis laughs. "Get in. I'll tell you that story tomorrow. We're plotting a course to Gibbs-Reff Four to visit a fellow collector."

"Don't you think," commented Hyllo, "that 'visits' is a deceptive way of putting that?" Her four front appendages were flying over the navigation console.

Ijnnis replied, "Nah. We're paying the old dog, not running off with his kibble without feeding him. It's different. Right, Captain?"

Phili had gone with Ittum and Vadid to discuss the location of Aleeban's next concert, leaving Hana alone with the others in the Widow's control room. She couldn't help but notice that the Black Widow had not been made to accommodate the Latrodecti. In fact, it wouldn't accommodate most of the races she knew. Hana mentioned this to Alis, and was greeted with a mysterious grin.

"I don't know if it's your condition, or if you're just naturally observant."

"My condition? What do you mean?"

Again, that smile. Alis' mandibles clicked softly. "You are with child, are you not? We Spider-folk are sensitive to things like that. I promise, I will tell the tale of the Black Widow tomorrow. See this stone in my Captain's chair? Come closer, and look at her namesake frozen forever."

It was a clear, brown-orange semi-precious stone, as large as her foreleg, with a hairy spider encased inside it.

"This ship was made by Humans, for Humans. And that is...was...an earth spider. Proof of parallel evolution. Go and sleep, Hana, little mother-to-be."

Her accommodations were luxurious. The cabin could have easily slept three Humans. A small dresser, a desk and chair, a holo entertainment pod with movies, serials, games and VR Immersive Adventure novels were also at her disposal. The crew quarters, Phili had reported, were equally roomy.

The breakfast served at the galley was worthy of any five-tongue restaurant. In fact, they had been well-stocked by the Forgotten Folio's larders as part of Ittum's arrangement with their chef, who collected rare meats, fruits and produce. Alis arrived last. She threw open her Captain's cloak and her spiderlings – about a hundred or so – launched off her body and scampered everywhere. They squealed in a high-pitched chorus, shouting "Yay!" and "Whee!" and saying 'Hihihi!" to the crew. One landed on Hana's stomach, and hummed, "Baaaaby! Baby! Baby!"

Hana wasn't used to such attention, but the spiderling gave her tummy what looked like little mandibular kisses. It was followed by most of its siblings, who each begged a turn to do the same. All but four left the room within minutes, on their way to the control room to see 'Daddy Vadid' – the four remaining were asleep on Hana's stomach, giving a sweet purr as they breathed.

Amphilion was grinning from ear to ear. "Hana said you had a story to tell her!" he said to Alis, his inner librarian dying for some oral history – or fiction.

"I did." She sipped a steaming cup of blackroot tea. "Many, many years ago, back in my youth when I was an opportunistic trader..."

Deep-throated feminine laughter came from all corners of the ship. Hana watched as Alis' head swiveled 360 degrees. "You were a space pirate, Alis Ka'Fiona. On the run, in deep trouble and close to death..."

"Now, Coco. Am I telling this story, or are you? Hana, Phili – meet Coco, the Black Widow's ornery prototype AI model HT-SHT."

"I'm opinionated, not ornery. Go on, Captain. But call a supernova a supernova, all right?"

"Our ship had been blown apart, and we – myself, Vadid, Hyllo, Ittum and Nondol – had barely escaped in a pod meant for two people, floating in an asteroid belt. A sizable rock cracked the pod open. We'd roped ourselves together, and drifted until we came upon what looked like a dead junkheap. Using what strength we had, we grabbed our way to the door."

"Couldn't get it to open no matter how hard we tried," Nondol added, quietly.

"I saw those scratches, and when I brushed the space dust off, a small light activated and scanned us. On the keypad, a sentence appeared that read: IF YOU COULD CHOOSE EITHER 200 MILLION OOBLETS TO BRING ABOARD OR YOUR FRIENDS, WHICH WOULD IT BE? I answered the question, and we were let in. Who knew we were being given a ship that once belonged to Amber, the most famous Human in the galaxy?"

"Wow!" Hana said, tickling one of the spiderlings under its head. It rolled on its back as she tickled its belly.

"Coco," queried Phili, "Could you tell us some things about Amber?"

"Yes," her voice answered. And offered nothing else.

"Well?" Phili persisted.

"I answered your question, young Shozien. If you want a different answer, ask a different question. Captain Alis, we are approaching Ser Haring's Artstation. It's time to prepare for your visit."

"Ittum, Vadid, Tsugua, Nondol with me. Hana, Phili – this could be very quick, or not. Go to the Bridge and see if you can be of assistance to Hyllo and Ijnnis."

Almost two hours passed before Coco reported receiving a coded message from Alis.

'Haring on to us. Tsugua has the goods. Payment left. Coming in hot. Code GTFO! Repeat, GTFO!'

As the Black Widow's engines started, the docking bay door began to close. Hyllo blasted it off its tracking, and the entire door was flung into space. Hana shouted, "What's GTFO?"

"Stands for 'Get the fuck out!' as soon as the party's back on board," answered Ijnnis. The Pilot threw both her and Amphilion a blaster and heat-sourcing infrared goggles. "We've got trouble – Keeth's doodles are headed our way."

"What's a doodle?" shouted Phili.

"A very hard-to-hit, artistic dancing noodle-bot," Coco chortled ship-wide, "with a highly advanced target system. So, I suggest you two do a little dance of your own!"

A dozen of the laser pistol-packing pastas began punching holes in the escape ramp when Hana noticed four small red spots clustered behind a large, shiny metal crate. It didn't take much to figure out what they were.

"Hana!" shouted Coco, as if the AI could read her mind, "Everybody, give her cover! Now, go!"

Hana wasn't affiliated with any religion, but sent a plea to whoever the Latrodecti Blind Spinner was, jumping onto the ship's ramp and sliding into a place where she ran for her life (Pop! went one bot) to land behind the crate, just as the crate's corner was disintegrated by a deadly noodle doodle, and Phili cooked another bot. "Hana! Hana!" the four spiderlings chirped, as Hana helped them get under her suit.

"Stay put!" she said firmly.

"Okay, Mama Hana!" one answered, its many eyes looking deep into Hana's two. Another corner began melting, but Hana boiled the attacking bot with a well-aimed shot, powered by maternal adrenaline. A symphony of laser sizzles and hot curses announced the arrival of Alis and company, who didn't see Hana and dashed into the Black Widow.

"GTFO, damn it! Now!!" screamed the Captain.

"Ordered belayed," replied Coco, who flooded the docking bay with smoke and steam. Hana ran up the ramp and into the Widow, crying out in agony as a laser singed the side of her right calf muscle, causing her to drop to her knees just as the ramp sealed itself shut and the ship punched into hyper speed.

Alis was about to begin tearing Hana a new one when the four spiderlings jumped out of Hana's suit and swarmed over their mother, knocking Alis off balance. "Mama! Mama! It's okay. Mama Hana saved us! We were so worried about you! We were coming to help you."

"I see that. Good thing you were there, Hana."

In a very tight, six-legged embrace, Hana felt herself being picked up and carried to the Widow's medical bay. She spent the next few days recovering. The four spiderlings never left her side.

During that time, Ittum explained to her that Keeth Haring was a fellow collector, and since the Shozien artist who painted Aleeban's posters was all the rage in intergalactic art circles, Alis figured he would have the three missing posters that their buyer wanted. Haring had cleverly put them in a supply closet. A 'temperature controlled' closet is what finally gave the hiding place away.

But since Alis was a reformed 'opportunistic merchant' they had installed a brand new, state-of-the-art security system worth as much as the posters they acquired. Equal value swapped for equal value. Face market value, that is. The Collector's value is quite different.

Before they said goodbye to the Black Widow and its crew, Hana and Phili were asked to attend a ceremony to honor Hana's bravery in saving the four spiderlings. Nondol, dressed in magnificent white silk, stood in front of a wall that held a web whose pattern was constantly shifting. On either side of her knelt Alis and Vadid.

"The Blind Spinner works her foreknowledge not with her eyes, but with the invisible tugs of destiny. Every action, every decision, every birth and death vibrate the strands of time. The web responds to all things in it, and the Latrodecti are its witnesses."

The Seer opened four arms wide. "Sometimes others perform selfless acts of love and friendship so great that the web responds in kind. Hana, will you come forward?"

Hana hesitated, but a gentle push from Amphilion set her feet in motion. She stood in front of Nondol.

"Alis Ka'Fiona and Vadid Ku'Conrad wish to give you a gift. The Blind Spinner approves, as do I and the crew of the Black Widow. Will you accept this gift?"

Not knowing what to say – and possibly being rude to her new friends – Hana nodded.

Alis and Vadid rose, and each took one of her Human hands in a pair of their own. Nondol proudly announced: "For saving the lives of four spiderlings, the Blind Spinner has approved their request to make you, Hana, a member of the Latrodecti Brood, with all responsibilities, rights and privileges thereof."

Simultaneously, the couple spat a bright purple wad of saliva on the top of each hand. It stung a little, but her skin absorbed most of it, leaving behind small, spider-shaped blotches.

"Wherever you encounter Latrodecti, you may not be denied assistance, aid, sanctuary or supplies, or information. The same will be expected of you."

"Sorry to interrupt," Coco announced, "but we have arrived without incident at Talalt Station. There's a solar storm brewing on Elveszett, so unless you want to risk frying my electrical systems, they need to get moving!"

"Not many people get to be Brood, you know?" Ittum gave Hana a brief hug. "That's quite a lucky break you're starting with. See you around, little bug!"

Just before they set foot on the ramp, Coco surprised them. "Hey, Phili? Amber loved treasure more than anything – but money wasn't the treasure she valued. It was friendship and love. She lived that truth. It's not a bad example for you to follow, you know?"

"You are a very odd AI, Coco!" Phili stated. Coco responded very seriously, "There's nothing artificial about me. And intelligence is both relative and overrated."

Dedication to Nablai

Interview with the author of this chapter