The journey to Bior Sess was torturous for Eddie and Headache, who were forced to indulge Fendra-Li's attention seeking tendencies as she flipped through a fashion magazine and announced which clothes she thought would look good on her. Whenever either of them began to nod off from boredom she would pinch them hard on the back of the neck with her sharp freshly manicured fingernails. Gurf, on the other hand, managed to remain enthusiastic throughout the entire ordeal, eagerly giving feedback at her slightest invitation.
As she thumbed through the glossy pages of the magazine she stopped suddenly, an article having caught her eye. It was in the gossip section – an article featuring photographs of her favorite celebrity and idol, Ambolyn, The Dark Mistress of Malnaudria. "Oh my Heptoc!" she shouted, brimming with excitement, "It's Ambolyn! And look at what she's wearing! It's gorgeous." She flashed the picture around and elicited unenthusiastic responses from Eddie and Headache.
"Oh come on," she prodded, not satisfied with the response "you have to admit she's wearing the most beautiful jacket ever. Don't you think, you guys? Huh?"
Feeling sufficiently awkward Eddie decided to appease her "Um, yeah, it's great."
"See? I told you!" she squealed, and clapped her hands with glee. "What do you say, Gurfie, can I have one just like it?"
Gurf eyed her cautiously, "Well, we'll be at Bior Sess in a little while. You should look around and see everything they have before you decide what you want."
"Oh Gurfie, you're so supportive! I can't wait!" she said as she jumped up and down and then planted a big kiss on his lips.
Finally she calmed down and went back to staring in awe at the photos of her idol. "Ambolyn's so amazing, don't you think?" she asked Eddie, having been pleased with his response to her last comment.
Eddie eyed the photograph of the tall thin woman with smooth, clear skin that was literally the color of alabaster, a sharp contrast from her long flowing jet black hair and black almond-shaped eyes. Her perfectly symmetrical face with its sharp features and high cheek bones wore a stern and haughty expression laced with disdain for whomever was taking the picture. The woman obviously did not much care for being dogged by the media. She was dressed entirely in white, except for her jacket, which was a deep burgundy. In every photo she was surrounded by a small entourage composed of one man and four women, all exactly the same height, but several inches shorter than Ambolyn. Each woman was very attractive, but wore a black jumpsuit with a turtleneck collar that extended halfway up the face, so that it covered the mouth entirely as well as most of the nose. The man had spiky black hair and skin the same color as Ambolyn's. He was very slender, though had an overall menacing look to him that seemed to say "you don't want to fuck with me or you won't live to regret it". He was also dressed entirely in black, with pants and a turtleneck, but unlike those the women wore, its collar ended below his chin. Hanging from his belt was a long chain that hung almost down to his knee. It appeared to be that of a chain wallet, which Eddie found amusing considering that he used to wear one in his youth. In every picture the man stood directly beside Ambolyn and always stared straight into the camera, each time with the same sinister expression.
"Who is she, anyway?" Eddie had to ask.
"She's just another cosmic celebrity worshipped by the masses for no real reason" stated Headache.
"That's not true" argued Fendra-Li, "She's not just another celebrity. She's the most amazing woman that ever lived."
"Wow," Eddie was surprised by the bold statement coming from Fendra-Li, mostly because he had never heard her speak well of anyone, "What'd she do that's so amazing?"
Fendra-Li opened her mouth to speak, then paused for a moment, searching for some concrete example of the woman's achievements, found none, and eventually closed it again.
"See?" asked headache, "You can't think of even one good reason why she should be famous. Don't you find that just a little strange?"
"The only thing I find strange is your face" Fendra-Li shot back, "Ambolyn's an icon. You can't open a newspaper or turn on a telefeed without hearing some mention of her."
"But it's all phony, don't you see? She hasn't actually done anything to merit such broad public attention. She isn't an actress, a politician, an entrepreneur, a scientist, a philanthropist, or even a great thinker. There is no reason why she should be a household name, yet somehow she is. Don't you find that just a little suspicious?"
"Oh Headache," said Fendra-Li dismissively, "we're all sick of your silly conspiracy theories. Can't you just accept things for how they are and be normal for a change? You'll enjoy life a lot more if you would just go with the flow."
Headache turned to Eddie, "Can you believe she's involved in politics?" he asked, waving two tentacles in Fendra-Li's direction, "The universe is in serious trouble."
Eddie squirmed in his seat, trying to find some sort of neutral ground so as to avoid saying anything that would get him on anyone's bad side more than he already was. "So why do you think she's famous?" he decided to ask Headache, earning him a scowl from a very sulky Fendra-Li.
"I don't really have a theory," Headache admitted, "All I know is that she appeared publicly for the first time a decade ago when her ship, a small rickety old thing, barely space-worthy, appeared near the edge of the galaxy at a relatively devoid area of space called the Telseeds Region. Almost immediately and for no apparent reason she attracted the attention of the media and the fascination of just about every species in the galaxy. It's as if she has an innate magnetism about her."
"Where did she come from?" Eddie asked.
"She claims to be from a place called Malnaudria, though no one knows where or what Malnaudria is. When asked about it she has always managed to dodge the question somehow. She obviously has something to hide. And don't you think the title 'Dark Mistress' has a certain sinister ring to it?"
"Don't talk about her that way!" protested Fendra-Li, "You make her sound like a criminal. And besides, you're wrong. It wasn't a decade ago that she first graced this galaxy with her presence; it was nine and a half years ago."
Headache rolled his eyes again. "Let's not split tentacles. You're only trying to change the subject. She appeared almost a decade ago and never went back to whatever evil pit she crawled out of, almost as though she were running from something, and on top of that she won't reveal any details about her past. Why all the secrecy if she has nothing shady to hide? It all seems pretty sinister to me."
"Unlike you I refuse to jump to those kinds of conclusions about her," Fendra-Li said defensively, "She carries herself like nobility, and from the moment she first appeared it was apparent that she had more class than anyone in this galaxy."
"How can you say that? When she arrived in that worn-down old rust bucket she was dirty and wearing rags, and so was that bodyguard of hers and that sick old nursemaid that came with them," headache pointed out.
Fendra-Li turned to Eddie, who was trying to stay out of the argument, but at the same time was fascinated by the story as both conflicting sides of it unfolded. "First of all, Flayden is not her bodyguard, he's her right-hand man. And secondly, she wasn't wearing rags. Her clothes were a little worn from her long journey, but she'd traveled a long way, so no one can fault her on that."
Eddie, excited by the fact that the two of them seemed to be trying to win him over to their side, asked "So, is Flayden the guy in the picture?" and pointed to the spiky-haired man beside Ambolyn in the magazine.
Headache and Fendra-Li both nodded.
"Then what happened to the nursemaid? Is she still around?" Eddie asked.
A long chirp sounded from the control room, and suddenly Gurf appeared in the doorway. "We're approaching Bior Sess," he announced in a soft, but audible tone.
Eddie and Headache took no notice of him, but Fendra-Li leapt out of her seat. "What was that beeping?" she asked excitedly.
"It's the navatron system," answered Headache tiredly, not even bothering to look up, then added quietly to Eddie "Skidge, she's been working aboard this ship for three years; you'd think she'd know that sound by now."
The half-Gelorian bolted out of the room and onto the flight deck, leaving Gurf just enough time to move aside before she would have collided with him. Moments later Eddie heard her squeal with glee. She pranced back into the room and started skipping around the two very annoyed male life forms. "We're almost there!" she announced, "We're minutes away from the Bior Sess asteroid! You have to come see this!" Then she tugged Eddie's arm and skipped back onto the flight deck, towing him behind her. Headache shook his head and let out a sigh of resignation, then followed as she dragged the poor Earthman against his will.
As they approached the Bior Sess asteroid they all were able to get a magnificent view of the gargantuan structure perched atop the asteroid's highest peak. The gleaming metallic boutique was the only structure built on the enormous space-faring rock mass. The remainder of its surface was covered by treacherous rocky crags and valleys or large craters, which had been flattened and transformed into landing platforms for visiting ships. A small ragtag group of ships orbited the asteroid looking very out of place among such decadence. One ship from the unlikely fleet moved to intercept the Earth Envoy vessel as it approached.
Fendra-Li gripped her boyfriend's arm with her slender, yet strong fingers until her knuckles went white. "What the Skidge is that ship doing?" she demanded.
"I don't know, darling" he answered calmly, not seeming to notice her fingers digging into his flesh.
A button began to flash on the control panel and high-pitched chirp issued forth. Gurf responded by pressing the button, and a screen on the panel suddenly came to life, showing the face of an orange-skinned creature with five eyes. "This is the Earth Envoy. How can we help you?" greeted Gurf.
"Let me talk to one of your superiors" demanded the orange-skinned man.
Gurf politely stood up and moved out of the way to allow the others access to the communicator screen.
Fendra-Li shoved Headache out of the way as he began to move toward the controls, but kept her hand on Gurf's arm, her grip growing tighter all the time. "I'll handle this" she hissed. "What business do you have with us?" she demanded of the five-eyed creature on the screen.
"I represent the Glarch Conservation Society and I implore you to join us in the boycott of this establishment. Bior Sess has supported the hunting of Glarch to near-extinction, all for the sake of so-called high-end fashion. The planet of Hyuin was once home to over four and a half million Glarch, and now commercial hunting of this majestic creature has-"
"We're not interested in your propaganda" Fendra-Li interrupted him, "so just leave us alone. Mind your own business and we'll mind ours."
"Please listen," the man on the screen continued, "The unchecked killing of Glarch has caused a serious prob-"
"I've heard enough," snapped Fendra-Li.
"I find your lack of cooperation very disturbing," said the man in a heavy tone, "I wish you would listen to what I have to say, but because you insist on turning your back to the truth I must leave you with these simple words: Be wary the hides of Glarch. Grave misfortune will befall those who do not heed this simple warning." The screen flickered off as Fendra-Li pressed the button beneath it.
"Well, that solves that problem" she said with a smile and then turned to Gurf: "Land us on that asteroid. I'm in a shopping mood." Her hand finally detached from his arm, leaving four dark blue lines where her fingers had been.
"Was that man threatening us?" Eddie asked Headache as he watched the conservationist's ship return to the small fleet near the asteroid.
"No, I believe he was just warning us" Headache answered cryptically.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Eddie asked as the butterflies in his stomach awoke once again.