Chapter Sixteen
Madelaine pressed her thumb into the metallic oval on the Malvoraxis Veil package to release the lock. The designs flashed brilliantly and Jack pulled open the matte black package.
Inside was a glowing blue stone a little larger than his hand. It had an elongated, irregular and faceted shape, with a pleasing design that sort of mesmerized them both as they stared at it.
“We likely shouldn’t stare directly into it, right?” Jack asked, closing his eyes and turning toward Madelaine.
She looked away from the stone as he opened his eyes and nodded.
She picked the stone up. “We definitely should not look directly at this again, except for right now so I can study it.” She stared at it with a giggly smile.
“I feel a little goofy. That is uncalled for behavior for the Paladin Courier.” Then she did giggle, quickly slapping a palm over her mouth. Was she drunk? Drugged?
“Wow. The blue glowing stone must be like a drug for you,” Jack said. “That is awesome and appalling at the same time. Here, give it to me. I’ll put it back.”
“Indeed.” Madelaine handed it to him, but her sappy expression didn’t dim.
“I’m going to stow the black matte case with the blue stone inside,” he said.
“Okay, but don’t forget to grab the retrieval instructions for the next package. I will be looking away and trying to get hold of myself while you do it.”
“Sure thing, giggly girl.” He wasn’t as impacted by the stone, but he didn’t look directly at it, just in case.
Madelaine pushed out a long sigh that ended on one last little giggle.
Jack retrieved the small piece of parchment tucked inside the lining of the black matte container and shut the lid, closing off the blue stone’s glow.
“Okay, you’re safe from the drugging influence of the blue glowing stone that makes you giggle.”
“Thank you.” To his relief, Madelaine sounded more like her usual self.
She unfolded the small piece of parchment and her expression brightened as she read it.
“By your relaxed expression, it looks like the next planet won’t be as malevolent or strict as the last planet,” he said.
“Correct. It’s a giant agrarian planet called Verdara. I’ve been there once before, but in a different region than where this parchment is sending us.”
“Agrarian, like farming?”
“Yes. Verdara feeds half the Caldera Forte Galaxy and a significant portion of the Tri-Spiral Galaxy.”
“Interesting. It will be nice not to fear every word I say will be wrong.”
“The folks on Verdara have a very strong work ethic.” Thoughtfully, she added, “Maybe too strong.”
“Too strong. What does that mean? Are they workaholics?”
“No, I wouldn’t say workaholics. It’s just that everyone who lives on the planet must work. Everyone has a task to do and once a person can’t do their task any longer because they get hurt or too old, then their family members either have to pick up the slack or the person has to leave.”
“Like, leave the planet?”
Madelaine nodded. “They don’t have the same ideas about retirement for the elderly as on Earth or Alpha-Prime.”
“You pull your weight until you drop or hasta la vista?”
She shrugged. “Not the way I’d want to live, but it seems to work for the many people who call Verdara home. Unfortunately, we have to use one of their beast-drawn wagons instead of the cool four-wheeler I have stowed in the storage compartment of the ship.”
“Bummer. I love four-wheelers.”
“Me, too.”
“You used to go out four-wheeling with your family in Alienn, as I recall.”
“Yes.” Madelaine smiled as if reminiscing about the fun she used to have. But soon enough, her expression shifted to a more serious one, as if remembering that she’d left that life behind five years ago.
Jack knew that her father, stepmother and sister moved away from Earth shortly after Madelaine left for Alpha-Prime, but no other details.
Before he could ask her about it, she hopped up from the table and went to set the coordinates for Verdara.
The Observer noted that Jack and Madelaine seemed to work quite well together. They’d survived Malvoraxis Veil unscathed and that was quite an accomplishment. Perhaps it would be the toughest package retrieval, perhaps not. There were other dangers that the two of them would have to figure out.
The Observer was not supposed to intervene in any way, but planned to revisit that judgment as time went on.
Ultimately, the Observer was there to not only document, but to ensure this mission was successful. So much was riding on Madelaine and Jack to see this journey to its conclusion.
The Observer couldn’t follow them to Dr. Butler’s farm without being seen, so decided to take care of another obligation while on Verdara. The Observer walked out of the Hearthvale market hub using a side road meant for farm equipment. No one saw the Observer while cloaked.
The path had the advantage of keeping the Observer hidden while on the brisk walk to the Valewind Fruit District Cooperative and another mission that might need some attention.
The Observer could easily catch up with Madelaine and Jack on Keirios, the market planet.
They landed the Paladin Seeker next to a market hub called the Hearthvale Cooperative in the grain belt district. Verdara had rules they’d have to abide by, but they at least weren’t life or death, and Madelaine could speak for herself.
Verdara was a nice planet. While Jack had heard of the remote planet in passing, he’d not known anything about it until they read the parchment to prepare them for this leg of their journey and done some investigating.
Madelaine was right when she said Verdara fed half the galaxy and a portion of the next galaxy over. The massive planet was basically one big farmer’s paradise.
This particular commonwealth handled various grains, but other places on the planet grew other things.
There was a vegetable cooperative, a fruit cooperative—growing both fruit trees and ground plants bearing fruit—a meat cooperative along with a dairy cooperative, working closely together.
Additionally, there was some sort of catchall cooperative that grew edible beans, seeds and nuts, as well as everything else that didn’t fit into one of the other markets.
Madelaine had a place in mind where they could get a beast-drawn wagon to take them to the farm of the local doctor who was the keeper of the next package. At least on this planet, their lives were not in danger with every step they took.
The Hearthvale grain belt district looked like pictures he’d seen of the Midwest on Earth, perhaps Nebraska or Iowa, with endless fields of grain and azure blue skies.
The towns had very simple living structures.
There were no large bustling industrial cities, just farmers living uncomplicated lives away from the hustle and bustle of a more modern life.
Despite that, Jack and Madelaine had read the short informational blurb in the recent package that indicated it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows on this planet.
Citizens were expected to contribute to the greater good of the planet. If a citizen became hurt or ill and could not contribute and had no family to pick up the slack, they were sent off world to live out their days.
A large family was more equipped to care for their elder members than, say, an only child, but often the elder agrarian members retired off planet to save their loved ones any extra work.
It made him think of his Aunt Dixie and all the effort she put into fundraising for the Starlight Old Folks home in Alienn.
Jack thought this planet’s treatment of their old folks was a bit harsh. “Sorry, Grandma, if you don’t pull your weight, we’re kicking you off planet or possibly shoving you onto an ice floe. Good luck and safe travels.”
They hired a young man named Jeb to drive them to the farm. It took almost thirty minutes by beast-drawn wagon.
They pulled up to the thatch-covered building with a simple handmade sign hanging on one outer wall that read, Dr. Eldon Butler and nurse Dana Butler. It also had an arrow pointing to the left. They carefully disembarked from the wagon and followed a well-beaten path around to the entry.
Dr. Butler and his wife were in front of their modest home, waving at their daughter as she rode away on another beast-drawn wagon.
“She’s headed to a community bordering the Valewind Fruit District Cooperative to help with the birth of a child or she’d stop and chat,” Dana Butler explained. “Everyone on Verdara contributes in all the ways that they can.”
Jack put a hand up to his eyes to block the brightness of the sun in his eyes to see the Butlers’ daughter.
She was a redhead, and her hairstyle was not unlike the wig Madelaine had worn on their wedding day.
The Butlers’ daughter—and her hair color, especially—reminded him of his cousins Beryl and Jade back on Earth.
Jack turned, putting the sun to his back to listen politely.
Madelaine said, “That’s quite all right. I’m sorry to have missed her, but I understand she has important tasks to complete. The truth is, I also have an important task.”
Dr. Butler, seemingly as amiable as his wife, said, “Well, we’re happy to help you however we can.”
“I am the Paladin Courier,” Madelaine said.
Immediately, the doctor and his wife frowned and looked at each other as if panicked. Their quick transformation from hospitable doctor and nurse among farmers to suspicious strangers caught Jack off guard.
“So, it has begun,” Dr. Butler said, clearly concerned.
Madelaine nodded. “Yes. Therefore, I need to retrieve the package you have for me.”
Again, the doctor and his wife looked alarmed, glancing at each other as if there was some concern they were unwilling to voice.
“Is there something wrong?” Jack asked, not meaning to speak his thoughts. Madelaine gave him a look that made him wish he’d kept his mouth shut. This time, he should pretend to be forced into silence for the duration of their visit.