A One-Eyed Carpethrian Bully

The crew of the Effervescent Magnitude are back in action, this time in my 20th Captain Quasar tale, a story about (you guessed it) a one-eyed Carpethrian bully. Those of you who've read the novel or the short story about Hank's offspring will remember his nefarious cousin Lank. Always looking out for number one, that guy, and with only one eye, it's a full-time job.

Here's how the story opens:

When one saw a Carpethrian, one knew the Carpethrian was a Carpethrian and could be nothing else. Surly by nature, resembling something between an Earth sloth and a four-armed orangutan, Carpethrians were known throughout the quadrant as a species who kept to themselves.

Hank—Captain Bartholomew Quasar's helmsman aboard the Effervescent Magnitude—was a Carpethrian who broke the mold. The only non-human aboard the Magnitude, Hank was not only Quasar's ace navigator. He was also the captain's confidant and friend.

Lank, Hank's cousin, had also broken the Carpethrian mold. He was a pirate—the only Carpethrian buccaneer in the history of the galaxy. Serving aboard his vessel was a crew of ill-natured, muscular renegades—a band of outlaws worthy of their one-eyed captain.

"Captain Quasar, we meet again. And Cousin Hank, always good to see you." Lank's furry face leered full-frame on the Magnitude's viewscreen, consuming the fore wall of the bridge. His fangs flashed. "Now begone. We found this planet first."

You can read the rest of "Captain Quasar and the Carpethrian Bully" here, thanks to the fine folks at Aphelion