DAYDREAM BELIEVERS

by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Melanie & Steamboat copyright Mr. Scott Thomas

Snowaters yawned slightly, leaning back in the restaurants uncomfortably slick chair. So far her visit to Neo-Terra VII had been a bust, almost nothing really exciting had occurred. At least, nothing she found exciting. Activating her wristwatch communicator she waited until the planetary communications system routed her call to the Star Diamond.

<Star Diamond.> Kalith answered minutes later.

She sighed, of all the space going Earth's she had visited this one had the clunkiest communications system she had ever seen.

"It's a bust" she answered. "Six months of wandering the planet and nothing I haven't seen before. Anything on your end?"

<Negative. The children have been asking for you.>

"'Kay" she replied, "Tell them mommie should be home on time today, send down the AA shuttle in two hours. There is a small landing field about three klicks to my North. That's all for now."

<Understood> Kalith answered, dropping the line.

Taking a last drink of her coffee Snowy stood, reaching for her purse when something caught her eye. Something... green. "What tha" she muttered, moving to the buildings huge West facing window.

There, quietly sitting in the fading Summer sun was a creature the likes she had never seen before. Green, with ?Leaves? she thought, growing out of her, was a small woman in a mobile ?pot? Moving quickly she tossed several large coins and the bill towards the cashier, trying not to run in her excitement. Pushing through the late afternoon crowd she made a beeline for the others position.

Melanie Dracaenea felt, more than heard the crowds disturbance. Looking up from her book she face the direction where several "Hay!, Watch Out., Oops." had come. She tried to see what was happening but the bulk of a huge Ursianoid Imperial Marine blocked her view. Before she could trigger her cart to move there was a thump, the marine staggered, turning around and snarling.

'Oh dear' she thought, 'Someone's headed for the hospital.'

The marine reached down, then seemed to twist, disappearing into the crowd, a small figure was left standing where he had reached. Melanie groaned as the white haired human moved towards her. 'Another fangirl' she groaned, her left hand inching down to her secret weapon.

Snowaters hardly noticed the huge paw descending on her, her defensive move pure reaction as she headed towards her prey. There, before her, was the impossible. A true living, sentient plant. As in a dream she approached, excitement causing her to rattle out her words like a teenager.

"Real.. your real" she giggled, absently reaching out to touch the other.

"Oh no you don't" Melanie almost yelled, having gone through pinching disbelievers before. Pressing hard on her belly button she mindcast the spell. Wind suddenly swirled around the white haired woman, her loose tresses and clothing flying as if alive as she covered her eyes, fighting the sudden dust devil.

"What the.." Melanie gasped, releasing her belly button. As the wind died down Snowaters started wiping her face, rubbing dust and grim from her eyes. "Why didn't you spin" Melanie gasped, still not believing her eyes.

Shaking her now tangled hair Snowy backed up a few steps. "Because only Coyote Magic affects me" she answered, vainly tugging at wind knotted hair. "I'm sorry I frighten you" she continued as she dug in her purse for a brush. "Goddess, do you know how long its going to take to get my hair straight?"

Melanie giggled as she realized this wasn't some raving fangirl, and she wasn't mad about the wind. 'Still' she thought, 'I really have to tell Steamboat about this.' "If you don't mind, would you please tell me who you are, and why you were so excited?"

Snowy looked up, still brushing at her hair. Although Melanie was about her height the mobile pot lifted her at least a head above her. "I'm a wandering scholar" she answered, winching at a stubborn knot, "I've been more places than you believe, but I've never seen a truly sentient plant before."

Carefully closing her book and setting it in its pocket Melanie took a hard look at the woman before her. What little she knew about spacers explained the others clothing, certainly a style long out of fashion her visitor appeared comfortable in them. Her purse had a ships emblem stamped on it in pure silver, a diamond within a star. It only took her a second to guess its meaning, after all the decrepit craft had been on the news just last month, something about being responsible for finding a biological cure for a nasty crop fungus.

"So" she asked, turning her cart to face Snowaters, "What brings the Star Diamonds Owner/Captain into my humble presence?"

Snowy stopped her battle, letting her hair drift in the light breeze. "My, we ARE intelligent, aren't we?" she answered, a thread of light humor in her voice.

"I read the paper" Melanie answered, absently noting the lengthening shadows. "Something about a crop cure."

"Oh, that" Snowy answered off-handily, "Only so many safe ways to kill a fungus, couples hours to tweak it for your world, no big deal." She smiled, dropping her brush back into her purse. "I give up, this is going to take days" she groaned. "Anyway, if you don't mind, I'd like to study you. I'll be very happy to pay you of course, its only fair and its the way I do business."

"Let me think about it" Melanie answered, spinning her cart to face her home. "While I do why don't we take this indoors. Its getting dark and well..."

"I understand" came the reply. "After all, you are a plant." Triggering her communicator Snowaters started following the strange vehicle down the lane. "'Lith, Paydirt. Would you believe a intelligent plant woman?"

<Possible> came the answer. <Trust you to find the female variety.>

Snowaters blushed, "Its not like that" she grumbled, "Look, tell the girls I'll be late after all, but I'll be home working all day tomorrow.. at least."

"Smart aleck alien" she muttered as she slapped the tiny system off. Looking around she realized they had left the towns outskirts and were approaching a small house set back among the trees. "Home?" she asked.

"Yep" Melanie answered, worry threading through her voice as she felt the huge spring begin reaching its limit. 'Should have rewound it' she thought as they reached her front door.

Heat rolled over Snowy as they entered the one room building, sweat quickly appeared on the humans skin, her clothing sticking to her skin.

"Oh, sorry" Melanie apologized as she watched Snowys mouth open, the woman beginning to compensate for the heat and humidity by increasing her air intake. "There's a cool room to your right if you need."

"Thank you, I'm ok" Snowy answered, setting her purse on one of the many tables. "Look, I'm really interested in everything about you, and I'd love to ask you a thousand thousand questions. But, well" she paused, pulling out a small grey case. "I've got two kids waiting for me upstairs and I'd rather take as much time as you'll allow."

Melanie grimaced as Snowaters opened the case, she recognized the sample kit, having encountered them before when she was ill. "Um, I don't really know you all that well yet" she stuttered, suddenly wishing one of her friends would knock on the door.

Snowaters laughed, setting the kit down. "I'm sorry" she giggled, "Just like a scientist, get your specimens fast and forget the object of your study is alive, and can feel pain." She walked around Melanie's pot, studying the strange woman. "Humm... clunky vehicle but it works" she murmured, "basically a plant, but there has to be animal material or it wouldn't be possible." She stopped, once again looking up in Melanie's face.

"Your potbound" she stated, reaching out to touch one of the leaves growing from her upper torso. "And your overfeeding to compensate" she finished, lightly squeezing the over plump leaf. "This is going to take a while."

Snowaters sighed as she stepped out of her shuttle, kneeling down to hug the two tiny girls waiting to greet her.

"Mommie late" they said in unison. "Bedtime."

"Yes, Mommies late and your right, its way past bedtime" she laughed, rubbing her face in ones belly as she carried them down the corridor. "But mommie has something important to do, so you two get to sleep and wake me in the morning ok?"

"Yes yes" they laughed, tugging at her hair.

She hugged them again as they entered the nursery.

Hours later she leaned back in the laboratory chair, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "This isn't possible in nature" she sighed, stretching as she fought sleep.

<Correct> her partner in crime answered. <This is a brilliant example of genetic coding at its best.>

"I know" she replied as she packed the samples away, "Send her a message, tell her that this is going to take a while. Then transfer those funds to her account and contact the station to reserve this bay another few months, we're going to be here a while."

<Accessing. I am surprised.>

Flipping off the lab lights Snowaters stopped, glancing up at the speaker next to her. "Surprised? How." she asked, heading for her own bed.

Keying open her door she started tossing clothing around. "Come on 'Lith, I'm married and very happy with my situation. Why in the worlds would I be interested in Melanie."

<You are a vegetarian> came the answer.

Groaning as if hit by a bowling ball she threw herself into her bed. "This is a heck of a time for you to start getting a sense of humor" she moaned, pulling the pillow over her head in complaint.

Kalith simply shut off the lights. New projects were always interesting, and this creature appeared to be a major find by any definition of the word. Accessing the files it began the genetic breakdown, marveling at what it was finding. Hours later it opened a secret channel to the Klipper, suddenly finding a real need to talk to Tani Icedance again.