The Nathan Daniels Saga: Part 1 Read Free

deal.  It only took a few minutes to unload his memory crystals, and the vendor agreed to bring payment when he came to pick up the crystals at the spaceport that evening.  As he was walking away calculating his tidy profit, even after the cost of the certificates, he noticed a fresh fruit stall.  That gave him an idea.  Small mining colonies like the one on Droshai were always needing fresh fruit and with the moon being only three days away, the cost of the trip would be minimal.  He could pick up a load of Halifren gems and carry those to Rhadasia and turn quite a tidy profit! 
    After a bit of haggling with the fruit merchant, she agreed to deliver the fruit about an hour after the crystals were to be picked up.  That would leave Daniels time to spend some of his profit at the tavern, find a pretty girl to spend the night with, and leave before noon.
    He caught the tube back out to the spaceport to begin making preparations, never noticing that he was being followed…
    *   *   *
    The transport stopping brought Daniels out of his reverie.  They were at the palace.  Maybe now he would find out what this was all about.
    As captain Daniels stepped off the transport, he was once again struck by the beauty of the surroundings.  The transport had come to rest at the edge of the Imperial Gardens.  It was a truly impressive collection of exotic and beautiful plants.  There were majestic trees and flowers in every color imaginable.  He even saw ganga lilies, a flower that looks black to humans but to those species that could see the ultraviolet spectrum it was supposedly brilliant.  The beauty seemed to go on forever.
    They walked a few meters to a security checkpoint, where Daniels was immediately relieved of his laser pistol.  He then walked through three different scanners, which caused him to relinquish his needle gun as well.
    When the guards were convinced he was clean, and Daniels knew for a fact that he was, they proceeded to the palace.  The splendor of even the hallways was amazing.  Everything that could be was trimmed in gold.  Exquisite art from throughout the Kurufet Empire was displayed every few feet, as if he were in a museum not a home.  The ceiling was seven meters overhead and the hall was at least that wide.
    They twisted through the corridors until they came to two massive gilded doors.  Two guards stood at attention on either side.  With a nod from General Marag, those guards opened the doors.
    The doorway led to a massive room that was unlike anything Nathan had ever seen before.  The ceiling was clear crystal, and was so far up that it was nearly impossible to tell if it was there at all.  The room was at least fifty meters wide and twice that long.  At the far end Daniels could just make out a raised dais holding a single large gilded chair.  Obviously this was a throne room.
    Daniels was walked up to within five meters of the dais, and there the procession stopped.  A liveried servant came out on the dais and bellowed, “All hail Her Eminence, Kalitemia Irisole Nimjufet, exalted ruler of the Empire of Kalifet.”
    Daniels escorts dropped to their knees, so Daniels did as well.  He was unprepared for the radiance of the person who stepped out onto the dais.  The Empress stood a statuesque five feet, ten inches tall.  Her ebony skin showed not a wrinkle, even though she was in her late fifties, if Nathan remembered correctly.  Her long raven hair was interwoven in her ceremonial crown.  Set in her compelling face were the most compelling eyes.  They were blacker than coal and drew you into their depths.  She sat on her throne and motioned for the party to rise.
    “ You are Nathan Daniels,” the Empress began, her voice like the lilt of an angel, “Captain of the spacecraft Nola , lawful merchant trader and sometimes smuggler.” The tone of her voice making it clear it was a statement, not a question.
    “ Excellency, I am Nathan Daniels, lawful trader.  As for the