Ancient Birthright Read Free Page B

Mate...hell, what chance of even getting a female to talk to me again—Ever. My life is over. Just kill me now and put me out of my misery.
    His steps dragged as he moved onto the bridge. The vid playback was ending with the waste receptacle of trash landing on his head and a skink clinging to his ear. The bridge crew had it displayed on the wall-sized main video holographic screen. The entire five-member bridge crew was laughing so hard it was a wonder the ship didn’t shut itself down from inattention. He stopped and waited for Command Prime and Ops Prime to stop laughing and acknowledge his presence.
    “Navigator, do you have your course plotted?” Command Prime Garuu asked as he wiped tears from his eyes and straightened his position on the command couch. His color had returned to the normal blended greens and blues of a concentrating luzzon male.
    “Yes, sir. Course plotted and entered,” she replied with a bubble of laughter. Her main VH screen filled much of the left wall of the bridge with star charts and course lines. A flashing circle around a tiny point of light indicated their home planet, Treterra. The chronometer in the lower left corner of the display ticked down: One-hundred demibeats to the truebeat and 2000 truebeats to the home-planet revolution, 300 home-planet revolutions to the star cycle, eight full home-planet star cycles to reach Treterra.
    “Very well, Helmsman, correct the ship’s attitude to the displayed angles. When your datum aligns, engage main engines. Set power to build to one hundred percent for the initial thrust, and then reduce to best fuel consumption settings when the course is stabilized.”
    “Commencing ship alignment, engines will engage in forty-two point two demibeats,” the helmsman responded as his fingers danced over the pads on his sculpted control console. The main VH display in front of the command prime’s couch showed the star field’s slow rotation as the spaceship slowly maneuvered under the helmsman’s control.
    Just under a truebeat later, Saigg felt the slight push of the main engines. He knew that, with the enormous mass of a colony ship, it was impossible to build engines large enough to build up speed quickly. The first leg of the trip had taken 126.8 home-planet star cycles in real time. However, they traversed that portion of the journey as data riding on photons traveling at light speed. To the perception of those on the ship, it had only taken an instant. It would take them almost eight planet star cycles of real time to make the remainder of the trip to Treterra.
    Eight-star cycles to hang with my friends and enjoy freedom from responsibilities. Eight-star cycles to impress the perfect female as a mate, Saigg thought.
    “Passenger Saigg Garuu, report to Command Prime,” ordered Ops Prime Caraa Garuu when she saw him. The deep purple-red of anger replaced the green and yellow shades of laughter on her face.
    Saigg stepped in front of the command prime’s couch and noticed his father’s eyes widened at his appearance. His yellow shirt-vest with torn sleeve and one soft boot hanging open, because of the missing lace, was not the normal attire for a visit to the bridge. Saigg’s face faded to the mottled pinks of embarrassment.
    “Passenger Saigg Garuu reporting as requested.”
    Command Prime straightened on his couch. “Passenger Saigg Garuu, you are charged with willful failure to answer an ‘all-souls roll-call’ and failure to maintain an orderly and safe living environment per ship’s orders. Do you wish to present information you feel will mitigate these charges? I urge you to think very carefully before answering that question. Your punishment hinges on the answer you give.”
    Petuua snot! It wasn’t my fault, he thought. But, if I say that, he’ll throw the book at me.
    Saiggrocked from foot to foot as he tried to come up with an answer to placate his father.
    Avoiding his mother’s demands to keep his room clean, and get rid of