Star Hunter – Part 2: Strange Companions
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Welcome to Series 2, Episode 4 of the Curious Matter Anthology. I'm Jonathan Pezza, the creator and host of our little series. We pick back up today with the continuation of Star Hunter. Last episode, we left off with Ross Hume narrowly escaping death, having been saved by Elise Brody, the lone survivor and castaway from the lost ship Largo Drift. I won't take up too much time today before letting you continue the adventure on Jamala B.,

This season of Curious Matter is dedicated to the women who trailblazed their mark on science fiction and horror. Andre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was first published in 1938.

And she entered an industry that at the time, like all industries, was dominated by men. The few women who were writing professionally in the sci-fi and fantasy genre were fighting tooth and nail for their place. And they often had to take pen names as men, just as Andre did. But she never gave up. And she wrote. And she wrote. And she wrote. Over 300 published titles.

And, in 1977, Andre Norton was honored as the first female Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy by the World Science Fiction Society. In 1984, she was the first woman to be named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. And in 1997, she was again the first to be inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

This week, women's rights, human rights, in the United States of America took a huge leap backwards with the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In support of women's reproductive rights, Curious Matter Anthology will be donating a portion of our advertising revenue to the Women's Reproductive Rights Assurance Project. And before we start this episode, I'll leave you with a quote from Andre Norton.

As for courage and will, we cannot measure how much of each lies within us. We can only trust that there will be sufficient to carry us through the trials which may lie ahead. Curious Matter Anthology is designed to be a completely immersive HD audio experience, and it's at its best when played through high-quality stereo speakers or headphones.

So without further ado, grab your popcorn, turn out the lights, and enjoy Star Hunter Part 2. Find.

So I told the X-Ray Company CO that I'll shove my Vibroblade up his you-know-where. And get this:

He turned as purple as in his starry eyes. Man, I call bullshit. No, I swear, that NFO ass had blasted me back to purple, and I spent a month in the ring. Welcome, friends. I found these three milling around like solar wind. Promise them the best night out New Otter can offer. They're on leave from the TFF Pacifica. Ah, welcome. I am Altair.

The host of this establishment, the staff, and the best you shall be. My apologies for the theatrics. Gregor!

Have the girl lance a sea to this mess. This way. We have a special booth for the crew of the great battleship Pacifica. Food, drink, women, men. Anything you desire is but steps away. Point me at the star incompetent. Star Hunter Part 2 Strange Companions I need you to clean up the mess by the ferrodex.

Dumb butt-knocker got a hole in him. I'm gleaming the boost. Get one of them boys back there to do it. Don't want the dirty work? Can always move you into the trade. Make better use of you while you're still pretty. I told you, Coyo. I'm not one of your whores. Not gonna stay pretty long with that mouth. You was a dirt rat who should know her place. You lucky to even be here. Gotta help. Fuck you.

That's enough. But I'll hop up for a stomp you. I assume you know who I am. Out on her. Apologies. I'm in no disrespect. I'll just get this trash out of your way. She was cleaning my table. I'd like her to finish. Yes, of course. You heard him, dirt rat. Ain't paying your good credits to lay there. Cardo, and be fast about it. Get him to drink first, then- You, not her.

Two glasses. I'm not... Shall we call over Altair? Or we can always settle it right here, the ancient way. I'll even give you the first swing since you like showing off how strong you are. Two glasses it is, out hunter. Here, let me help you. No, I'm fine. I'll get your table cleared right away. I'd prefer if you sat down and joined me. Like I said, I'm not a... I'm not that. I know. I'd like to talk to you.

Nothing more. Yo, drink. Sit. Drink. Look, it's not that I don't appreciate what you did. He was gonna finish what he started later. Your name is Veena Lancer. You are 18 years old. Your parents worked the lithium mines here on Nuwaddle before their deaths. That's how you ended up in the system, correct? Wait... How do you know? I always research potential associates. The KBW bastards who owned the mine? They knew the core shafts were shit.

The whole branch collapsed three miles down. Then you ended up in a T-FED facility for orphans. There was no one else? No family? I was supposed to have an auntie on Alpha Centauri I never met. Who's gonna pay that fare? The ticket alone is more than my parents made in their lifetime. Not that I'd expect an out hunter to understand. I might surprise you. When they died, KBW managed to weasel out of paying survivor benefits. Said it was "negligence." Their own fault.

And they just... dumped me in the system. And that's how you ended up here? Those places only have one reason for taking us. To feed kids like me to the military meat crap. Those boys? They're already dead. The Navy isn't that bad. And the guilds often accept veterans who've completed their service. I'm not really the joinin' up type. Apparently I have problems with authority? There aren't a lot of other options on a rock like this.

I have a proposition for you. A way to perhaps exact retribution on KBW for their part in all this. And, of course, it would guarantee you never have to work in a place like this again.

Never seen the ape things roam in parties like this. And they appear to have joined forces with other beasts like your dead water cat here. Jungle is awake, and it needs something. Were you the only survivor of the crash? The lifeboat. There was... Yes. A friend. Then something else. Someone else screams no. No! I'm alone. Surviving here, that's...

Well, I can't begin to imagine what that took! We'll get you off this rock. You have my word. Stay right where you are. Whoa! Drop the weapon. We need to work together if we're gonna get out of this mess, okay, Brody? Stop calling me that! That's not my na- Get out! Okay. Just put the weapon down. You need me.

You chose me. Can't get it- Look, I'm not sure what's going on here, but we need to go. The suns are almost at their zenith. It's real. Father, mother, and daughter. If we follow the path of the smallest, we'll find your camp. You've seen our camp. I followed the Watcher there the first night you arrived. The Watcher? It's hard to explain. It isn't an animal. I mean, not like-

Not like the others. It's more of a presence. Four days ago, it saved my life. Is that how you survived all this time? The jungle plays tricks on you here. Plays with your mind. Four days? Four years? Mud. Fear. Blood. I can't seem to...

I can't imagine what you've been through. We need to go. Can I have my weapons back? No. Suit yourself. My life's in your hands. Revolve Keeper warmed up.

Give us time to resupply and we'll go back out to find the out-hunter. You're going back out there? Two minutes. Get Chambers to the medbay on the ship. I'll refill the flitter. Sorry about your leg, Alfred. They'll get you seen to. I'm asking for a refund. Where has all that bravado gone, I wonder? It didn't sign up to be hunted by an army of intelligence-based apes. Ah, but it's a story none of your family in the boardroom can match.

Raven! Raven! Raz. I hope I'm not bothering your little vacation. You missed your last report. We are way off the rails here. One of the Siths is injured. There was a coordinated attack. Coordinated by who? Is there another faction in play? Unclear. Have you secured the asset? No. I'm about to go back out there to find you. Is the mission still viable?

Unknown. Your orders? Ground the Flitter. Secure the Feds and wait for their orders. Copy, boss. It's just us. Ready to go? No. Why is the Flitter powered down? We need to find Hume and figure out what's going on here. Revolt? Vacation's over.

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They'll be on us any second. We need to put the water between us and the strong jaws. They shouldn't be able to follow us across. The rapids are too strong. They'll wash us downriver. I spotted an islet when we trekked in. Should be about two clicks west. We cross there. We wait for our ride. The rapids are too strong. Move slowly and hold on to me. I've got you. As you. Get to the center and climb up onto the rocks.

Remind me to never do that again. Our pursuers have arrived. It's hard to make a count with the fog, but it sounds like an army. Are you sure this is going to work? Our survey didn't report any of their herds living north of the river. It's how we know they can't cross large waterways. If you were wrong...

We're gonna be trapped here. The mist is messing with the thermal readings. It's only gonna get worse as the sun sets. More good news. When was the last time you ate? Two days, I think. Rovald likely tasked a Varifier drone to search for me. Until then, we wait. Eat this. It looks like candy. It's an E-ration. Won't make you feel full.

Thank you. What do they want? They're omnivores, but we've never observed them eating anything bigger than a bat dog. At least the analysis was right. None of them are attempting to cross the river. I've never seen more than two or three at a time and always in the trees. But there's hundreds here. What?

Tell me more about the Watchers. I remember the crash clear as day. Coming down, tail section being torn away as we lost altitude over the mountains. Those first few days trying desperately to find somewhere safe. I was so scared. Simmons... He was my mother's head of security. She didn't make it off the ship. Simmons did the best he could under the circumstances.

I watched him die. Then things become blurrier. More like a dream. A nightmare. When did you first encounter this Watcher? Four days ago. I was running from my life after stumbling into a den of six-legged wolf things. I lost my spear in the initial attack. I was options.

Hunter's Guide, entry 13586-121. Species, Jumalin Hexwolf. Difficulty, Apex, Class C. Closest Terran analog, the prehistoric Direwolf.

These six-legged mammalians hunt in small packs and can run at amazing speeds to catch their prey. Highly dangerous. Approach with caution. Happy hunting! Click the link below for additional information. I caught my foot on something in the underbrush and went down hard. With only my survival knife left, I thought it was the end. I was ready to die. Ready to see this nightmare over.

Then... it... happened. What happened? It started as this sound. Something about the rhythm was so familiar. Almost like... An FTL drive? But... alive. The Watcher entered the thicket from everywhere at the same time. What did it look like? As if the air itself was bending and rippling to the rhythm of its essence.

I know how insane this all sounds. It got so close to me. I don't know how, but it entered my mind. Suddenly my entire life ran before me like a hollow bit. Losing my mother. Look at me. I'm here. The crash. Hold on! All the horror and death. I died. I saw it clear as day as the pit dragons ripped the flesh away. And then just as suddenly...

The world tore open and another me released. Another life. It thrust me back. Back to the jungle and the six-legged dogs. Wait. After it left me there, I followed it. That seems like a damn fool thing to do. It led me to your camp. Huh. That's all you're going to say? You've given me a lot to think about.

Ugh, it's like talking to one of them. You said that there were other memories? Curious about that, are you? The suns are about to set, and there's a chance we might be stuck out here for the night. Where is the ride you promised? I should have been here by now. Look, there's something I need to tell you. Grab the plasma rifle! What?

Are those things your watchers? No. I'm really starting to hate this planet. Hunter's Guide: New Entry 14625301 Species: Undesignated Spheroid Arthropod Unknown. Closest Terran Analog: None. Bioluminescent spherical organism with a smooth, segmented exoskeleton. Capable of flight and non-linear travel. Happy hunting!

Any idea what the hell these things want? Look at the way the Strong Jaws react to them. They're herding them like cattle. What's cattle? Not important. If those things are calling the shots, I don't think they like you. Why do you think it's me they're after? You and your friends showed up out of nowhere with a spaceship full of guns and immediately started killing things. Call it a wild hunch. Good point. Give me the rifle. Yeah, okay.

I count four. Make that six. I have a caseless ballistic sidearm in my bag along with a bandolier of thermosine flares. This antique? Really? It must be like a hundred years old. Get behind me. Don't fire until I tell you. Okay, cowboy. I see 'em. Aqua spiders.

Hunter's Guide, Entry 13591-421. Species: Jamalin Aqua Spider. Predator Class B. These two-foot-long bone-white arachnids are equipped with armor-like shells and are capable of moving at high speeds, both in the water and on land. Their bite injects a toxin similar to that of the Terran Blowfish, causing paralysis and in larger doses, death.

Highly dangerous in large numbers. Approach with caution. Happy hunting! More on this side! Those damn things are hurting the spiders out of the river! Maybe next time you save me, try not to piss off the whole planet first. Keep that in mind if we live. Holy fuck! They don't make them like they used to.

If those glowy flying things are calling the shots, maybe we should, you know, be aiming at them? The plasma bolts bounce off their armor! Got it! Okay, maybe I could get used to this. Nothing like 12 grams of accelerated lead to mess up anyone's day. Damn, you'll drop! Trade. Show off. Fuck me. Ugh.

What do we do? There's too many of them! Throw the flare. Cover your eyes. I thought you said it was a flare! It flew into hell! A flare you can see from space. Throw another one while they're stunned. Other side. Fire in the hole! Reload! How long can we hold them off like this? I've only got two more flares! That is the last plasma bag.

I have maybe 30 rounds for this pea-shooter, so my guess is... two, maybe three minutes. We hope that's enough. You really are bad at pep talks. You know that? Shoot it! What's it doing? Fair bet it'd be sizing us up. The Watcher! They're talking. That thing is calling the shots. What if it's on our side? There's your answer.

Throw the last two flares at the same time. Aim for the Watcher. But... Now! Get down! Thank goodness. That's some serious firepower. That's not my Twitter. Then who needs to visit? Valhjum, you cocked this whole thing up right, didn't you?

And you must be Elise Brody. I have been just dying to meet you. I hope you enjoyed this installment of Star Hunter. If you liked today's episode, please check out our after show, which releases between main episodes on this feed. If you'd like to watch live, join us at twitch.tv slash effin funny. That's T-W-I-T-C-H dot TV slash E-F-F-I-N-F-U-N-N-Y.

Our next episode will record this Thursday, June 30th at 6:30 p.m. It will be hosted by Alison Hayslip and Alyssa DeVries and feature special guests from tonight's episode, Tiffany Smith and Colin Ferguson. If you like the podcast, leave us a review and connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook under the handle @CMANthology. Or check us out online for more information at CuriousMatterPodcast.com. This episode was dramatized, directed, and edited by Meteor host Jonathan Pezza.

Casting assistance was provided by Sandeep Parikh, Anand Shah, and Jeff Winkler. Assistant editing by Muhammad Moiz Riaz. Tonight's show starred Colin Ferguson as Ross Hume, Tiffany Smith as Elise Brody, and co-starred Jack Bowman as Starnes, Sri Swara as Yaktisi, John Edelman as Chambris, Gavin Loudon as Rovald, Celine Genk as the Mystery Woman, and Blythe Renee as the Hunter's Guide.

Our talented ensemble also includes the voices of Jason Irvin, Tian Nguyen, Jeremy Pezza, Jonathan Pezza, and Steven Weston. AI voice performances provided by Play.ht. The score was provided by Epidemic Music and featured the talent of Bureaucrap, Trevor Kowalski, Grant Newman, Bright Arm Orchestra, Bonnie Grace, Bon Fields, Christopher Moe Ditlofsen, and Splasher.

Star Hunter is a work in the public domain and was produced in accordance with U.S. copyright law. Curious Matter Anthology is produced by the Knightsville Workshop in association with FN Funny Productions. Copyright Knightsville Workshop 2022. All rights reserved. We'll see you back here next episode for Star Hunter Part 3, Birds of Prey. I'm Jonathan Pezza, your host. And of course, as always, thank you for listening. ♪

The Fable and Folly Network, where fiction producers flourish. It's a tale of learning and healing. We've got a whole province going to see one overworked witch in a candy cottage that's been chewed to pieces by the local kids. A

Of fairies and magic. You're touching the sapphire of assessment! I'm not touching it! I'm just putting my head near it as I focus my brainial waveforms on it. Stop it! I'm not even touching it! Of struggle against the odds. This is my team. They may not live up to your vision of a perfect, efficient department. They don't live up to my vision of a stampede in a barnyard. Ooh, Keely, that's how you know it's working. And now, it returns at last. ♪

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