The Star-Gypsy

Whirling down out of the glittering purple sky, in a colourful haze of energy came a rotating, wheel shaped space ship; the brightly painted Staravan of a space-gypsy.
Few, beside the space-gypsies themselves, knew where they had originally come from.  Some said that their real home world had been destroyed trilennia ago and so they'd been forced to wander the stars.
But one thing was certain, wherever they went, however peacefully they behaved, they were met with fear and suspicion, even hatred.
"Back in your ship space gypsy scum", growled a Zargon police captain as a door in the side of the staravan slid open and a man in a patchwork space suit, carrying a long, strange object in his arms, exited, "We want none of your sort here".
"But I only need fuel for my ship and supplies", said the traveller, a man named Rom,noticing the group of uniformed Zargon police men waiting for him, each carrying a large starrifle; an angry scowl upon their purple skinned reptillian faces.
"A likely story", said the police captain, "We've had trouble with your kind before and what is that you're carrying? Some kind of weapon?".
"This", said the space-gypsy with surprise, looking down at the object he was carrying, "No. Its just a musical instrument".
"Looks like a gun to me?", said the officer, raising his starrifle, "Yes thats what I can put down in my report. The suspect was carrying what looked like a gun. We had no choice but to shoot him".
The other police officers made a growling sort of chuckle.
"Shoot me?", said the space-gypsy starting to panic, "No its an instrument, a star-sitar, I swear. Look, I'll prove it".
Then, with merely a touch of his hand the strange instrument started to play, its glowing strings of energy seemingly plucked by the star gypsies mind.
"Stop that", shouted the police captain dropping his star-rifle and covering his ears, a look of pain contorting his face.
Then looking round, the space-gypsy realised that all the Zargon policemen were doing the same as if the high pitched notes of his star-sitar were excruciating to them.
Realising his good fortune the space gypsy continued playing his instrument as he ran back towards his ship.
"Come back here, you!", yelled the police captain, picking up his star-rifle again.
"So you can shoot me?", asked the Space-gypsy disappearing through a brightly painted door in its side , "I think not".
But then, the space gypsy back at the controls of his old staravan, the Zargons saw the wheel like ship begin to rotate again back up into the evening sky.
"What was that Rom?", asked his sentient craft as it zoomed away from the planets orbit.
"Bad fate, Chakra, my friend", said the gypsy, "There are many dangers on the star-roads for a wandering space-gypsy".
Just then, however, something appeared upon his ships scanner screen; an enormous space vessel easily a hundred times larger than his own and then an officious sounding voice spoke through his ships intercom.
"Space-gypsy. That is what you are isn't it?", asked the voice.
"Yes", answered Rom, cautiously.
"Good. I am Korg, the official minister of the Queen of Astrokaz and she wishes a private audience with you", said the voice.
Then, before, the star wanderer could say anything, suddenly he felt himself being forcibly teleported.
And then, the atomic structure of his eyes dematerialising and reforming again he saw that he was no longer in the pilot seat of his staravan but in the middle of some large, richly decorated and furnished state room and facing a beautiful, young woman in a glittering, ornate gown, seated upon a hover throne and with grim faced and heavilly armed robot attendents at either side.
"You are a space-gypsy?", asked the woman.
"Yes", said Rom, not sure whether he should kneel or bow.
"Is it true what they say about Space-Gypsies that they can read a persons fortune in their DNA?", asked the woman.
"It is", said the Gypsy, "Would you like me to read your fortune?".
The queen touched the arm of her hover throne and suddenly, between he and her, the space-gypsy saw a large, holographic representation of a DNA double helix appear; floating, ghost like in mid-air.
"This is a sample of my DNA. Tell me what do you see in it?".
The space-gypsy studied the double helix intensely but for only a brief moment before, a troubled look appearing on his face he said,
"I'm afraid, I do not want to say your...um...majesty".
"Oh?", she asked, "Why not?".
"Because what I have to say might not be pleasant", he replied.
"Tell me anyway", said the woman, "I am never offended by truth or honesty. I hear so little of it from my sycophantic courtiers, infact, that whenever I do hear it, I find it most refreshing".
"Well", said Rom, studying the hologram again, "I see great danger in your genes. I believe that someone will threaten you, someone who is very close to you".
"Can you see the identity of this person?", asked the woman.
"No", said Rom, "Only that it is someone close to you. It could be a friend or relative or one of your minsters".
Just then, however, the door of the queens throne room slid open and a man in strange. ornate and flowing robes of office entered followed by a small contingent of robot guards armed with rifles that then proceeded to fire at and blast to pieces the two robots guarding the queens throne.
"Minister Korg, what is the meaning of this?", said the queen in an outraged voice.
"I was going to wait your majesty", said the man, "But then I heard what this gypsy fellow was saying and I thought I better act while I still had the chance".
"Are you intending to commit high treason?", asked the queen.
"I am seizing control of your throne and the entire empire of Astrokaz", said the man, "Henceforth, I shall be known as King Korg".
Suddenly, however, something dropped out of the space-gypsy's right sleeve, rolling across the floor, a small cylindrical device that then exploded into a dense cloud of dark purple smoke.
Then the queen felt someone grab at her right arm, pulling her down from her throne and, in the next instant, to the womans astonishment she realised that she was not in her state room anymore but in the command room of the space-gypsy's staravan.
"How did I get here?", she asked in a bewildered voice.
"The same way I was brought aboard your ship, by teleporter", said the Gypsy, "Well when your as hated as we star-gypsy's are you never go anywhere without a means of escape up your sleeve".
Rom heard the voice Minister Korg speaking through his intercom.
"Space-gypsy. You will never get away with this", said Korg, "My space fortress will blast your tiny ship, you and the queen to atoms".
"He's right", said the Queen, sounding despondent, "Its utterly hopeless".
"It can't be", said the space-gypsy, "I read your fortune remember and you don't die today, besides which I have a plan".
But then the space-gypsy ordered his staravan,
"Chakra, take us back to Zargon and quickly".
Suddenly, the Queen felt the space-gypsy's tiny ship lurch forwards as it jumped to hyperpeed and then, in only the twinkle of a star, the gypsy saw appear, in his ships video monitor, the planet that he had just an hour earlier had to escape from in a hurry.
"I don't understand?", asked the queen, "What good will this do? Korg will simply follow us".
But then, however, all around them they saw trident shaped Zargon fighters appear but they were not interested in Roms little staravan, they were firing at the vast, heavilly armed space fortress behind it.
"Any warship that enters a planets starspace firing its guns is assumed to be an attacking vessel", said Rom, grinning, "The Zargons can deal with Korg now".
"Well then", said the Queen, smiling warmly, "You have saved the life of a queen and I will see to it that you are richly rewarded".
"I only want one thing your majesty", said the gypsy as his ship started a slow descent onto the planet of Zargon below.
"What is that?", asked the queen.
"Well they don't like gypsy's very much on Zargon", said Rom, "But perhaps if a Queen were to speak to them they might let me have some fuel for my ship".