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skeleton, and it led straight to their brains. If a sharp, narrow weapon were pushed through at that point, a Stelairian would transform to fluid and die. Megg had killed other Stelairians using this method when she felt their deaths were necessary, but each time she did, she was reminded of her own vulnerability.
    She remembered when she was young, and her species had been hunted for this death fluid by a neighboring species. The Konas coveted the fluid for its life increasing properties. If they ingested it, it kept them youthful and dramatically increased their life spans. When the Stelairians had been hunted almost to the point of extinction, and the death fluid was in danger of being lost forever, the Konas began breeding them in captivity.
    One day Megg had escaped with her parents. Konas hunters tracked them down, and Megg’s parents died protecting her. As the hunters were about to kill her as well, a group of rebel Stelairians swooped in and slew them. She gratefully joined the rebels, and after centuries of war, the Konas were finally defeated.
    The Stelairian rebels formed a government, and their first act was to commit genocide on the Konas species in order to protect the secret of the fontanel. Although other species knew of the Stelairian youth elixir, the knowledge of how to obtain it was lost with the extinction of the Konas. The Stelairian survivors carefully guarded the secret, choosing not to share the knowledge with anyone, not even their descendants.
    Megg rubbed the back of her skull again, wondering why Stelairian physiology had evolved this way. Not that she was complaining. She enjoyed the immortality that allowed her to live outside the confines of time. With the exception of her fontanel, any blow to her body wasn’t fatal and healed almost instantly. She still felt the pain of any damage to her flesh, but nothing could penetrate past her skeleton. Only the lack of oxygen or ingestion of poison could kill a Stelairian naturally.
    She wondered if it was painful to deteriorate into fluid. The transformation was instantaneous; perhaps there wasn’t time to feel pain. She had seen the bodies of Stelairians who had died accidentally. Some had died in space, others underwater. Some had inhaled chemicals or choked on food. She had even seen someone who had eaten a poisonous fruit. Their expressions had shown intense pain. She had tried to ignore their faces as she collected the bodies and punctured their fontanels to collect the death fluid. They made her think that maybe it was better to die by a punctured fontanel. Megg preferred not to die at all.
    The vibration of the ship increased slightly, indicating a change from the star drive to the system drive. Megg frowned. Luvian was supposed to call her before entering the Olympian Solar System. She sighed, irritated. Luvian was the worst assistant she had ever had. If she hadn’t needed a new assistant so quickly, he wouldn’t have gotten the job. When they returned to Stelairius, she intended to replace him.
    She stood and stretched before leaving the room, enjoying the movement after sitting still for so long. She went to the bridge and entered. Luvian sat at the helm, watching the viewscreen as they passed Mars. He appeared preoccupied.
    “Luvian, you were supposed to inform me when we reached the Olympian Solar System.” Luvian jumped at the sound of her voice.
    “I thought I was supposed to call you when we reached Earth,” he said, feigning stupidity. He had been hoping she wouldn’t notice the change in drive and he could have a little more time alone.
    Megg stared at Luvian. How in the universe did he pass the research assistant tests when he couldn’t even remember a simple command? “Never mind,” she said, sitting in her chair. She watched as they approached Earth. “Enter the atmosphere on the day side, and head for a mountain range.”
    “Yes, Megg.” Luvian steered the ship down to the planet toward some mountains that showed a