Val works as an editor for a company that creates current events newsletters for client corporations. Her first creative sale was a premise to Paramount Studios that was made into an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She lives on the Rhode Island coast with her two children and husband, Jim.

In a faraway place in space, the captain of a secret rebel ship received a message that all mankind would fall to the Evil Domain if he did not locate the Sacred Ring of Vorgon. The ring was last seen on Htrae, a once beautiful planet now reduced to a radioactive ruin after its greedy governments had waged terrible wars with armies of cloned cyborg super soldiers.
 
Captain Lance Goodman pushed his blonde hair off his forehead and rubbed his two-day growth of beard. It was going to be tough, but with his loyal crew, he thought he might just be able to pull it off. Lance knew about tough; he’d learned from years of fighting against the Domain.
 
Lance turned off his Mozart recording and activated Roger, his android. He told the ship’s computer to set a course for Htrae. Then he called a crew meeting, deeming it necessary to even wake up Chuck, who had been in suspended animation for fifty years.
 
Rusty Palmero, his first officer, arrived, looking beautiful in her skintight uniform. Gor, the muscular, dark-skinned warrior from Nietzscha, whose concern barely showed on his stoic face, followed her. Dr. Pax came in with Bob under his arm, and set the floating brain’s tank up on the table. Steve, the engineer, came last, adjusting the eyeglasses he favored over ocular implants.
 
Lance explained the situation. The crew agreed they must try to find the ring despite the dangers.
 
“What?” said Chuck. Rusty tried to explain, but Chuck was still having a problem with Bob.
 
The computer downloaded all the pertinent information to Roger, along with a love poem it had composed for the occasion. Roger, while sympathetic to the computer’s newfound emotions, did not return the sentiment, and retooled the poem to present to Rusty. Something strange and wonderful was blooming inside Roger, something that intensified every time he looked at Rusty.
 
The ship set down on Htrae, and Roger reported that the planet had an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, suitable for humans. He handed out anti-radiation pills and ray guns.
           
Lance raised his chin and clenched his jaw as he stepped forward into the unknown. He found himself amid the wreckage, overgrown now with strange mutant plants from the radiation. They had not taken ten steps when a sparkling cloud blocked their way.
           
“I think it’s sentient,” Lance told the others. “Steve, can you talk to it?”
           
Steve pulled his universal translating device out of his belt. He made a few adjustments and then held it up so that the captain could hear.
           
“We are the Stgzcijcksn, thought creatures from Cerebrallus. We came long ago to hunt humans for sport, but we stayed when we realized what a special race they were. Why are you here?”
           
“Because,” Lance said, “we seek the Ring of Vorgon.”
           
“Ah,” said the cloud, “then go past the jungle, over the hill, to the big tower. We must go!”
 
The cloud raced over Steve and disappeared into the trees.
 
“What was that?” asked Chuck.
 
“Just some of the Old Ones,” said Lance. “Let’s go.”
 
Moving with the grace of a jungle cat, Lance headed off into the jungle. When they stopped to rest, Rusty sat down beside a large plant pod. It wound a vine around her leg and tried to pull her away. Rusty screamed while Gor and Lance tried to free her. Finally, Lance shot the plant with his ray gun and it let go. He soon discovered that all the noise had attracted another danger.
 
“What’s that noise?” asked Chuck.
 
They listened to the roar of approaching motors. As the roar grew louder, the motorcycles approached. The riders were dressed in black leather, decorated with metal fragments.
 
“Who’s that?” asked Chuck.
 
“We’re the survivors that are left on this planet,” the newcomers told them. “Our small band is all that’s left here. We roam in search of fuel, because riding with the wind is all we have left.”
 
“We have no fuel appropriate for your internal combustion machine,” Roger said.
 
The man on the motorcycle grinned and looked at Rusty. “Then what do you have?”
 
“We have this!” Lance declared, raising his ray gun and aiming at the leader’s chest. “Now get out of here before I decide to use it!”
 
Looking angry, but afraid of Lance, the motorcycle men rode away. Rusty hugged Lance.
 
“Where’s Dr. Pax?” Steve asked. “I don’t feel so good.”
 
They looked everywhere for Dr. Pax, but he was gone until he wandered back into the clearing.
 
“Where were you?” Lance demanded.
 
Dr. Pax’s face was expressionless, and his eyes glowed for a moment. “I got lost.”
 
“Stay with us, then,” Lance told him. “And run a scan on Steve.”
 
Dr. Pax took out his portable medical scanner and ran a scan on Steve. “He’s pregnant!”
 
“What?” said Chuck.
 
“When the alien cloud passed over him, it impregnated him. We’ll have to deal with it later.”
 
Just then, a giant, mutant, hairy spider came out from behind the trees and moved toward Lance. He raised his ray gun, but one of the spider’s arms knocked it away. Rusty screamed. Just in the nick of time, Gor ran forward with a spear he had made and impaled the spider, killing it.
 
“Thanks,” said Lance. “That’s one creepy crawly we can all do without! Let’s go.”
 
They moved through the jungle and came out on a hill that overlooked the city. Below them lay the ruins of a once great civilization. Now all that remained was a single tower.
 
“How sad,” said Rusty. She went to help Steve, who was throwing up.
 
“Is he going to be alright?” Lance asked Dr. Pax.
 
Dr. Pax’s eyes shifted side to side. “Yes. It’s just morning sickness. I estimate he has at least six weeks before giving birth.”
 
“We’ll get him back to the ship before that,” Lance said, relieved. He squinted his blue eyes against the glare of the sun as he looked down on the ruins. “Let’s go.”
 
They went halfway down the hill when suddenly there were shots fired. They ran for cover behind some big rocks. Bullets pinged all around them, but no one was hurt.
 
“Oh, no!” cried Rusty, ducking down beside Chuck.. “Who’s shooting at us?”
 
“Raiders!” Gor said, taking out his weapon. “It is a chance for me to do honorable battle.”
 
Roger stood and assessed the situation. Bullets hailed all around him. He bent back down.
“There are twenty raiders hiding in the ruins just in front of the tower,” he told Lance.
 
“Okay,” Lance said. He took Rusty’s ray gun, and then threw Steve’s ray gun to Gor. “You take the ten on the left, I’ll take the ten on the right.”
 
Lance and Gor sprang out from behind the rocks. Their arms shook as the ray guns discharged into the mass of raiders. When they were empty, Lance tossed the weapons aside. “Problem solved,” he said. “Let’s go.”
 
They went the rest of the way down the hill, past the dead raiders and into the tower. They climbed to the top where a jeweled ring sat before a small statue in a glowing glass case. Lance broke the glass with his fist and was about to take the ring when Dr. Pax grabbed it away.
 
“No!” Pax cried. “You evil humans can’t have it! You must all die!”
 
“What?” said Chuck.
 
Steve grabbed away Pax’s medical scanner and ran a scan on the doctor. “He won’t give it to us,” he told Chuck, “because his mind was taken over by an alien parasite in the jungle!”
 
“Humans must pay for their crimes!” Pax yelled, his chest moving with hatching parasite spawn.
 
“I will pay,” said Gor. “Kill me and let the others go.”
 
“No one’s paying for anything,” said Lance. “Now give me the ring!”
 
“Never!” said Pax, raising his ray gun.
 
At that moment, something hit Pax and he fell forward with a thud. Chuck stood behind him, holding the statue. He put it down and picked up the ring, which he gave to the captain.
 
“Thanks, Chuck! I knew we needed you on this mission,” Lance said, laughing.
 
Lance took the ring and slid it over his finger. Suddenly, the world seemed to melt away into darkness. Drawing a great breath, Lance opened his eyes. He was home, safe in his own bed!
 
“Another nightmare?” his wife Rusty asked. “It was all just a bad dream. You don’t need to save the universe again, you know.”
 
“No,” Lance said, smiling. “Not so long as I have you.”