SPIDER SILK (EBOOK)

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SPIDER SILK
Chapter 1

Margarita King led her three companions into the opulent office of Shia Marie, known galaxy-wide as the Spider Woman.

They were there because the giant spiders of Kwaku were the only source for the indestructible silk thread that made up Rita’s skinsuits. After the near death of Lexa, and Yani’s kidnapping on ZetiTau, Rita had decided it was time to dress the girls in the nearest thing to armor the galaxy had to offer—spider silk.

The girls were her responsibility and she had nearly lost them. Failure wasn’t an option for Margarita King, ex-Red Baron. She would not fail them again.
This visit to the Spider Woman was unusual. Normally if someone wanted to buy a spider silk suit they had to deal with Shia Marie’s sales force, a group of tradesmen spread around the galaxy who took the orders, made a three-dimensional mold of the buyer’s shape, and then took their money.
Shia Marie controlled the production of the silk, the spiders who produced it, and the weaving of cloth from the silk thread. No one had ever been able to break her monopoly of the supply chain.

And until today no one had ever been allowed on the planet Kwaku. Rita was here because Shia Marie had issued a thinly-veiled demand masquerading as an invitation.

So Rita had brought the girls to Kwaku, the spider’s home planet, hoping that the trip would dispel any lingering effects they might still be feeling from their misadventures on ZetiTau.

“Ooooh, nice.” Lexa giggled as her long bare feet sunk deep into the spongy, blue-green moss that covered the floor of Shia Marie’s cave office. “It’s cool and soft. Feel it Yani.”

Yani shook her head and shushed Lexa.
Rita knew they made an odd-looking group. Slim, ebony-skinned, elegant Yani, dressed in flowing pants and a bandolier top, with a multitude of intricate, gold bracelets on her slender arms and an emerald in her navel, stood quietly alert.

Lexa, a tiny, naked, deep blue-skinned Weegan with no hair and large amber eyes, stood safely between Yani and Rita, gripping their hands while her head swiveled about as she tried to take in everything at once.

Rita towered over them both, a dark-haired Amazon of a woman, with Darwin, her telepathic shadow-creature, draped over her shoulders like a fur stole.

“Come forward,” Shia Marie commanded. Her dry and raspy whisper echoed in the cave. She sat behind a heavy, solid desk ornately carved from an exceptionally large chunk of glossy, rare black fire opal. A shimmering gold robe enveloped Shia Marie’s massive, round body. The humanoid face above the robe looked too small and strangely proportioned for the large body beneath it.

“Rita, look at all the spiders.” Lexa released Rita’s hand and pointed to the curved wall on their left. Spiders in every size, shape, and color—all carved from glittering precious gemstones—looked as if they were running up the gray stone of the cave wall and across the ceiling. Lexa shivered, her amber eyes wide and suddenly fearful, and edged a little closer to Rita’s leg.

“They look like they want to jump on us,” she whispered.
Rita cleared her throat softly, a reminder for Lexa. It was important not to offend Shia Marie. She had warned Lexa about the Spider Woman, but the young Weegan was still very naive when it came to odd strangers. Lexa’s expressive face showed exactly what she was feeling. That was one of the many things Rita loved about her little friend.

Yani on the other hand, had a great deal of experience with alien races and knew how to play the necessary diplomatic games because of her training as a translator. Her face remained impassive with no sign of what she was thinking.

“They’re quite beautiful, aren’t they?” Rita said, loud enough for Shia Marie to hear. She returned her attention toward the desk. “I’ve heard about your collection, Madame. I can see why. I think I see a spider carved from Rose Sunstone. That is a very rare piece.”

“You are very observant, Human King.” Shia Marie’s round black eyes glittered like the black opal of her desk. “Please come forward and introduce me to your companions.”

Rita led the girls forward. The carvings that from a distance had looked like mere geometric designs on the black surface, separated into spiders chasing one another along the edges. The brilliant fire in the opal moved as Rita moved, making the spiders seem alive.

She didn’t blame Lexa for feeling fear. The cave office was designed to be intimidating, and most creatures, no matter their size or fierceness, had a primal fear of spiders.

Rita stopped in front of the desk and nodded toward the girls. “These are my friends and shipmates, Madame. This is Yani who, as you can see, is a translator, and the blue Weegan is called Lexa.”

Shia Marie inspected the girls closely, then turned her attention to Darwin. “And the creature on your shoulder?”

Rita reached a hand up to touch Darwin. “This is Darwin.” She didn’t explain that Darwin was a shadow-creature. The fewer who knew that the legendary shadow-creatures were real the safer he’d be.

Rita waited for Shia Marie to finish her inspection before speaking again. “As I told your tradesman on ZetiTau, we’d like to purchase spider silk skinsuits. Three each for Lexa and Yani, and I have one that needs to be cleaned. It is saturated with Snakeman blood. If you cannot get the blood out I will also need a new skinsuit.”

Shia Marie raised her single thick, arched eyebrow. “You wish to purchase six, possibly seven, spider silk suits? That will cost you dearly, Human King.”

“Yes. I’m aware of that, Madame. We are prepared to pay.” Rita said no more than that. She didn’t believe in sharing more than the basic facts when it came to personal information.

Shia Marie’s curiosity seemed to thicken the office air. The silence dragged on.

Finally Shia Marie seemed to realize that Rita had no intention of explaining how she had come into what Shia Marie knew had to be great wealth. Anger glittered in the Spider Woman’s eyes before they flattened to opaque black.

“Very well, Human King. You and Translator Yani and Weegan Lexa will be met at the workroom at the base of the incubator wall at first light. You are dismissed.”

Rita inclined her head toward Shia Marie. The girls mimicked the movement and they headed for the cave entrance.

“One more thing, Human King,” Shia Marie rasped. “You will leave the creature you wear on your ship while you are here. He will excite my spiders.”

Rita hesitated, then gave a slight nod. “As you wish, Madame.” She didn’t like the idea of leaving Darwin behind while on a strange planet. He had proven himself to be invaluable when it came to detecting and dealing with trouble.

Once outside, Lexa giggled nervously. “The Spider Woman is a little. . . strange, is she not, Rita? All those jewel spiders running up the wall and over the ceiling creeped me out. Some of them looked so real. And the ones on her desk looked alive.”

“You did well in there, Lexa,” Rita answered. “It is very important—critically important—not to offend Shia Marie. If you displease her she will not do business with you, and you need her spider silk. A spider silk suit will protect you from any weapon short of a nuclear bomb.”

“Shia Marie isn’t human, is she?” Yani asked as they made their way back to their ship, the Junkyard Dog. “Other than the single eyebrow and round eyes, her face is humanoid, but something is off, and her body is far too large for her head.”

“I don’t know Shia Marie’s race,” Rita admitted. “Her robe hid her entire body so it was impossible to see her true form. Even her feet when she stood were covered. And I’ve never spoken with anyone who has seen her.”

They followed a narrow trail through the jungle to a clearing where Rita had been instructed to land the Junkyard Dog. She decoded the ship’s security system and ushered everyone inside, then recoded the system.

“Why are you setting the security?” Lexa asked.
“We haven’t met anyone dangerous here.”

Rita placed a hand on Lexa’s sloping blue shoulder. “From now on we behave as if everyplace we visit is potentially dangerous,” she said, her voice and expression serious. “I thought ZetiTau was safe and I nearly lost both you and Yani. We aren’t taking any more chances. Which reminds me, it’s time for our self-defense exercises.”