Quantum operative homeco.., p.1
Quantum Operative: Homecoming: A Space Sci-Fi Harem Adventure, page 1
Quantum Operative: Homecoming
QUANTUM OPERATIVE
BOOK ONE
PHIL AERIX
Copyright © 2025 by Phil Aerix
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact admin@crimsoncatpublishing.com.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. No resemblance or identification with any actual persons (living or dead), organizations, events, structures, products, or locales should be inferred.
Cover by Uwe Jarling
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Chapter
One
The whir of tires on the highway and the deep growl of the truck’s engine merged perfectly with the soft vibration transmitted through the steering wheel as Dexton Drennum drove northeast on Highway 87.
“Brody Hills. It’s been a while since I’ve gone out geode hunting,” he said to no one.
Talking to himself wasn’t too unusual an occurrence, seeing as how Dex tended to take off on spontaneous jaunts when the mood struck him—which it did frequently. He’d turned the music off, enjoying the relative silence and the sound of the road beneath his truck’s wheels. Not that there were other vehicles out and about. The sun hadn’t risen yet and wouldn’t for another hour or so. He’d timed it that way, to make it to the off-road section of his trip close to dawn.
A shooting star flared across the sky, and he smiled. It was one of the things he loved about driving trips. The dark, lonely roads and seeing those flashes above always made him think about how he’d wanted so badly to be an astronaut when he was a kid. Yeah, things didn’t quite turn out like he’d dreamed.
Stopping in Payson to gas up and get more coffee, Dex looked to the north. It’ll be good to spend some time kicking around on the dusty trail, looking for rocks that might hide some cool crystal formations. Probably won’t see a soul, it being a weekday. Perfect.
After making it onto the fire road and switching his truck into 4WD, the excitement built within Dex’s chest, competing with the rumbling of his tires over the rutted and pitted dirt. He made it to his destination without seeing another person. Not even the assholes he’d seen the last time he came up, the ones who thought it would be fun to tear up the land bordering the fire road with their rigs. Another thing for him to be happy about.
He drove up farther than he had on his last trip, only stopping when he saw clusters of loose rocks off to the side. It was always hit and miss when rock hunting like this. He’d found some brain stones and purple amethyst geodes on one trip almost a year ago and hoped to get something equally cool. Even if he didn’t, though, hiking around and looking for the geological surprises was relaxing, almost therapeutic.
Bucket, hammer, and chisel in hand, Dex wandered the hill, coming out of two hours of searching with nearly a five-gallon bucket full of mostly spherical rocks of varying sizes that he suspected had crystal formations inside their hard candy shells. After a cold sports drink from the cooler in the bed of his truck and a Clif bar, he sprayed off his hands with the squirt bottle he brought for washing down the rocks. He rubbed his now-clean hands together.
“Okay, let’s see what we found.”
A small rock formation near his truck served as a makeshift worktable. It even had a few pits in it that helped to hold geodes of various sizes so he could more easily crack them open without them shooting off like a watermelon seed as he tried to split them. He set aside the few larger ones he’d found—including one that was nearly the size of a softball—and worked his way through the others. Save the best for last.
Like always, some of them were duds, but a pleasantly large percentage had interesting crystals inside. For the ones that were truly spectacular, he would use a wet saw and cut them more cleanly when he got home, but the chisel was fine for now.
Finally, he held up the largest specimen. For a moment he thought he might be disappointed or that, conversely, he should save it for cutting it more cleanly with the saw at home. It didn’t feel as light as some other geodes he’d found, meaning it was mostly solid and didn’t have a large hollow area that really made the crystal structure shine, though he knew certain patterns of crystal and rock could feel heavier as well.
He shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”
Dex readjusted the rock four times before striking, wanting to make the break as clean as he could. Sad to say, he’d ruined some geodes before by breaking them open in the field, but he’d also hauled a lot of worthless rock home to cut with his saw. The instant gratification method was worth the risk.
A precise hammer blow later, the chisel cracked the rock, and one additional whack split it all the way open. Dex caught the largest piece as it spun across his stony table and held it up to get a better look. He was struck immediately by the vivid colors within. Some purple, green, and…
Weird. The crystals inside weren’t crystals. In fact, it looked like the insides had melted into a gooey kind of soup, though the colors were still eye-catching. Tilting the piece to catch the sunlight at different angles, he noted the colors changed as his angle of view did. Iridescent.
“How cool.”
Then the goop moved. It flowed out of the surprisingly thin shell of the rock and spattered on his makeshift table. But it didn’t stop there. It continued to ooze suspiciously across the horizontal surface of the rock table and then down the side, where it merged with a similar thick liquid from the half that had fallen to the ground. Once in a puddle, it grew.
Dex stepped back. The slime was definitely moving—not just dripping—without help from gravity, the wind, or anything else. Images of the old movie The Thing flashed through his head. He took another step back.
It was clear now that the oozing liquid had grown again, somehow reproduced itself, and was still adding volume. It suddenly lurched upward like stop-motion photography of a tree growing over the course of years. Up, up, up, it even started to thicken as it slowed, settling into a final shape.
Dex held the hammer up, ready to fight for his life, before the slime ceased its movement completely.
A woman stood before him, fully fleshed and wearing…a Star Trek uniform? Or something like it. Her skin, iridescent green and purple, looked wet like it was made of oily liquid. It matched the color of the goo that had been in the geode. Her hair was a pale blue color, short and framing a face that, aside from the color, could have belonged to any beautiful woman he might meet in town. If he were lucky enough to find someone who looked like her in town.
Her violet eyes met Dex’s, and her mouth turned up into a smile.
Just before she passed out and fell toward the ground.
Despite part of his mind shouting, Don’t go near it; it’s a monster! He lunged in and caught her on instinct, keeping her from striking the ground and dropping the hammer in the process.
“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Uh, here.” Awkwardly keeping her mostly upright, he dragged the woman to the passenger side of his truck and managed to open the door. With no better way to do it, he picked her up in a princess carry and set her in the seat, then reclined it and moved it back, so she was lying nearly horizontal.
Darting to the cooler in the bed of his truck, Dex grabbed some water for the woman. He hadn’t forgotten the ooze and the change into her form, but he’d be damned if he was going to let his confusion about all that keep him from helping her. Standing next to the truck, holding the water, he blinked.
Damn. What the hell have I gotten myself into? I’ve got a hot woman who just went unconscious right in front of me. And she’s in my truck. That is not going to look good if a ranger happens by.
“Uhhhnnnng.” The purple-and-green-skinned woman shifted, her hand going to her head.
“Hello? Uh, hi. How are you feeling? Want some water?”
The woman’s eyelids fluttered and opened. The sunlight struck her eyes and split into a thousand sparkles. The deep violet danced, and it was so spectacular, Dex inadvertently sucked in a breath.
She paused for a handful of seconds like she was trying to reconcile where she was. Her eyes unfocused and her head tilted as if listening to something Dex couldn’t hear. “Hmmm? What? Oh!”
She started to sit up, but he put a hand on her shoulder and nudged her back down. He held out the water bottle to her.
“Maybe you should rest some more. You passed out. It’s warm. Drink some water. Do you want something to eat?”
“I…” She swiveled her head, taking in her surroundings. “Yes.
Was that a question? She seems pretty calm to have fainted and then found herself in some random guy’s truck with him looming over her.
“Sure, I’ve got some stuff here,” he said. “Mostly just snacks, but you’re welcome to any of it you want. My name is Dex, by the way.”
“Dex?” The woman’s brow wrinkled.
“Yeah, I know. It’s not a common name. Short for Dexton. My full name is Dexton Drennum.” He offered his hand to her.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Dex. I am Terasminanilonosus.” She clasped his hand firmly and shook it.
“Teras…”
Her face lit up with a smile. “You can call me Mina. I know my name is a mouthful.”
“It’s great to meet you, Mina. Here, let me show you what I’ve got to eat.”
Dex brought out some more Clif bars, some apples and honeydew melon he’d cut up and put into plastic containers, several bags of fruit snacks, and a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He rubbed the back of his neck as she looked over his offerings.
“Sorry. Like I said, mainly snacks.”
She smiled and selected one of the sandwiches. He watched her, with her purple and green iridescent skin and the tight bodysuit that looked like it was right out of some science-fiction movie. When she took a bite of the sandwich, her eyes lit up.
“Mmmmm. This is very good. I haven’t tasted anything like it before.”
Dex smiled at her, silently watching her eat. Without conversation to fill the void, his mind spun out the many questions he had, most of them involving the woman in front of him. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Uh, Mina? Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, Dex.”
“Earlier, I was cracking geodes. By myself. With no one else around. I broke one and instead of it having crystals in it, there was some thick liquid, more of a gel.”
Mina watched him, finishing off the last bit of her sandwich. She licked a dollop of jelly off her finger and smirked. “I didn’t hear a question in there, Dex. At least, not one that was explicitly asked.”
“Ah. Right. So, that oozing stuff, it made a puddle and grew upward, and then you were suddenly there. Full-size and in the shape you are in now. With skin the same color as the ooze. I don’t understand. What was all that about?”
“Thank you for the sandwich and the water,” she said, ignoring the question. “I feel better than before.” She took a deep breath and let out a little sigh. “As for your question, that may take a bit of explanation. Would you like the full story or just enough for you to realize you’re not going crazy?”
“Whatever you’re willing to tell me.”
“Okay. First of all, I’m not from around here.”
“Arizona?”
“This planet.”
Dex had expected as much. Why wouldn’t he? It was either that or magic—neither of which were great explanations, if he were honest. “Uh…maybe I should sit down.”
Mina smiled at him. “I think that would be best.”
Chapter
Two
“Before you ask,” Mina said, “it’s nowhere you’ve ever heard of. The place I come from. My original home was a planet called Eison, in the Ontris system. My people are called Soledifivren but can be referred to as Fivren or just Vren. We were a peaceful people, living our lives and minding our own business.”
“Were?” Dex asked. He’d walked around the truck to get into the driver’s seat so he could sit while listening to Mina.
Her lips turned downward into a frown, though she was still gorgeous even doing that. “Yes. There’s a massive conglomeration of races called the Drukesin Collective. Their entire existence is bent toward taking over the universe, one planet or system at a time.
“They decided to visit my planet.
“There were no negotiations, no ultimatums. They simply swarmed the planet with their troops, destroying the vast majority of life on the surface and capturing millions more to be used for various things. To become servants, test subjects, and even slaves to be sold.
“Their attack was to obtain resources—including people—but that was not all of it. The Druks conquer. That is what they do. They travel, finding new places teeming with life, and they destroy everything in sight. To us, it was the most catastrophic event that had ever happened in the history of our planet. For the Druks? It was Tuesday.”
Not for the first time, Dex wondered about how Mina spoke English. Even more, how she used idiomatic expressions he was familiar with. He noted it and continued to listen. They’d get to a point where he could ask questions, no doubt.
“Fivren technology was on par with the Druks, possibly superior. It was the surprise and them massively outnumbering us that made the difference. They didn’t destroy or capture everyone, though. Due to the quick thinking of some, a small number escaped. Nine thousand, eight hundred thirty-seven, to be exact. Of the billions who had lived on the planet. They fled in ships, managed to appropriate a massive research station, and jumped far away. I was one of those who escaped.
“Our small remnant set to work, building up the research station into a battle station, constantly moving around so the Druks couldn’t track us, and most of all, putting plans into place to work against the Drukesin Collective. To destroy them in any way we could, whether that be eliminating a single person or ship or disintegrating an entire planet in the collective. We developed an organizational structure. It’s called the Ontris Federation, though we’ve nicknamed it Starlight. It’s mostly a military hierarchy, with one major exception.
“To efficiently resist the Druks, operatives were developed, individuals or small groups that could work against the enemy, ever searching for others from our own planet, or even other planets in our system, which fell to the Druks soon after we did. Of course, I volunteered to be one such operative. As such, I have explored many systems and galaxies, which leads me to what I’m doing here.
“A relatively routine reconnaissance mission led me to your system, but I’d been tracked and followed. My ship destroyed three of theirs, but the fourth was able to damage mine, sending me crashing to the surface of your planet. My companion was killed, and I was grievously injured. When the remaining Druk scanned for life, he found none and departed. I’ve been here ever since.”
Dex’s eyes were locked onto Mina’s. Either she was telling the truth or she was the best liar he’d ever encountered. Of course, being an alien, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to tell if she was bending the truth.
“I know you have questions, Dex,” Mina said. “Go ahead and ask them. It will be easier than me talking for several hours and giving you every detail.”
“Alright. Thanks. First, I’m sorry that happened. I can’t imagine how it would be to have your entire planet taken over, everyone on it either killed or captured. My first question is still about what I saw earlier. You sprang up from a puddle!”
She flashed him a genuine smile. “I suppose that is not an ordinary thing in your world. The simple explanation is that I am what you would probably call a shapeshifter.”
Dex’s mouth dropped open. A whole fucking planet of shapeshifters? No way.
That smirk stole its way back onto Mina’s face. “I’ll demonstrate. Just so you don’t think you were imagining it earlier.”
Before his eyes, Mina’s form flowed, kind of like wet clay that was being shaped in real time by unseen hands. It only took a few seconds and a woman with a sharp nose, long black hair, and brown eyes sat in the passenger seat, wearing a dark green dress that looked like it would have been in style in the nineteenth century. She’d hardly settled on that form before changing shape again, this time into someone recognizable.
Is that Marilyn Monroe?
“Holy shit! H-h-how do you even know who that is?”
In the blink of an eye, Mina was back in her original form, beautiful shiny skin and that futuristic bodysuit.
“My ship has obtained quite a bit of information since we’ve been here. She was damaged severely when we crashed but has repaired herself and rebuilt while I was in my chrysalis form. We’re in contact.”
