Readers don’t know what was cut, but writers know and may miss those they left on the cutting-room floor. And characters and scenes discarded to speed one story may have stories of their own to tell. These can return in sequels and side stories or spin off and fade like stories in our own lives. In my novel The Starflower some of my favorite untold stories are those of the alien warrior Tock.
Elder Hall – A Starflower Story
The flat, unadorned dome of Elder Hall was one of the few major structures on Tak-Yakon’s surface.
“Chirik, Ticket-Tockoket-Click. The lead elder ratcheted the traditional Chirik greeting and Tock’s full name, snapping the final click with its great claw. The other elders, one to each side of Ki-Ku-Li, tipped their triangular heads and waited as Tock centered its stick legs between the gaps of the clover-lobbed seat. These three led the Tak-Yaki military-caste. Tock was their field commander.
The one-and-a-half-meter mantids each had two serrate-jawed clamp-claws, four stick-thin walking limbs, and dark-blue carapaces that softening to violet on their undersides. Garnet-faceted eyes topped the upper corners of their triangular heads with two alert antennae between them. The mandible-mouths in the low corner of their heads stirred with finger-like pedipalps.
“Chirik, Elder Ki-Ku-Li, click-tirock.” Tock returned the greeting and tip-nodded its head to the other elders.
“Forgive our informality, Marshal Tock,” Ki-Ku-Li continued. “Before you left to assess our new Human allies, you mentioned their reputed ferocity possibly complementing our own.”
Antennae leaned forward as Tock began. “Due to their hostile natures, Humans barely survived long enough to master star travel and have made their world practically uninhabitable. After two mismanaged attempts, they successfully terraformed Corydon and relocated the Human population. Their two early attempts on Thrinlu and Scalaris continue to struggle and have progressed slowly.”
Seeing Ki-Ku-Li’s pedipalps fret, Tock jumped ahead. “To speed Human survival and recovery from war damage, the leaders of Corydon’s Star Council initiated a eugenics program, including selective breeding and genetic manipulation. Those selected they called Creatives. Those discarded, the Unders, they consigned to the less favored worlds Scalaris and Thrinlu.”
The antennae of the elder to Tock’s right pulled in. “Not unprecedented for a struggling species. I recall how our Tak-Yaki program reset our social order.”
“And it has with Humans, too.” Tock continued. “As a guide for genetic selection, Humans run annual competitions, combat trials they call the Corydon games or Corydonics, recalling games from ancient Human history. The first-place winner was to receive the Corydon Star and priority selection in the gene pool.
“Due to the combative nature of the Humans’ games I was keen to observe them, and the Star Council invited me to join them in their judging booth.”
Ki-Ku-Li stroked the underside of its mandible mouth with a massive claw. “Before going into detail, did you find any surprises?”
“Although Humans are more elusive and contrived than we Tak-Yaki, aspects of their games reminded me of our Daka-Rye drills. That could play well in our alliance, but that was not my major surprise.”
Antennae angled forward and garnet eyes gleamed atop the three elders’ heads.
“Star Council’s plan was to populate Corydon with the improved Humans then expand to other terraformed worlds. None expected discarded Unders to challenge engineered Creatives, so Star Council extended invitations to all Humans, including those on Thrinlu and Scalaris.”
Tock extended a claw absently to stroke a bent antenna. “When two Unders accepted the invitation for Scalaris, they drew immediate attention. Expecting the upstarts to die or be eliminated in the first round, Star Council took no action. But the couple won not only the first round but the entire competition with Gayle Zimmon receiving the high individual score.
“As the Corydon Star was intended to recognize the top Creative, Star Council refused to award it to an Under. Instead, they gave her a one-time medal styled on a weed native to Scalaris, a Starflower. They intended the medal as an insult, but Zimmon accepted her award gracefully.”
Ki-Ku-Li rolled its wide, flat claws out. “This Human shows character, but why have you brought her story to Elder Hall?”
“The Aldrakin War broke out shortly after the games, and we and the Humans became allies. As winner of that year’s combat games, Gayle Zimmon was called up and entered basic as a top officer candidate. Other top candidates included many she had just defeated in the Corydonics. It didn’t go well. When they attacked her, she put one in the infirmary. As a visiting ally, I witnessed the assault. Zimmon showed controlled restraint and could have killed her attacker. But that wasn’t how the military commander saw it. At the reception that evening, Zimmon’s training squadron assigned her the call sign Starflower, continuing their insult.”
“And you brought this to Elder Hall, why?” Ki-Ku-Li asked again.
“When Star Council’s Chief Military Officer Abramyan was uncertain how to proceed, I recommended that our alliance would benefit from a liaison officer, someone to learn Tak-Yaki war methods and orchestrate blended actions. If details could be worked out, Gayle Zimmon might complete her basic training with us on Tak-Yakon. Abramyan leaped at the opportunity to clear his claws of his troublemaker. Human media has been obsessed with ‘the Starflower’ ever since the combat games, and he wants to rid himself of the distraction.”
The elders’ heads rocked up as Tock concluded. “I’m impressed with this Human and see great possibilities in this exchange. However, we have never included an alien species in our military training. I need your go-ahead to proceed.”
Strange Things Done 