Silence.
Eli spoke first. “I wonder if she did.”
It was a sobering thought.
“I—you know,” Helen looked at him. “She probably did. I didn’t tell her I was going to Bali. Work will wonder where I am too, won’t they?”
“The same for us, Helen,” Xavier said. “People who knew us will talk for a while, then forget.”
Laurel went to the slot and left them to their discussion. She fiddled with her hair until she undid most of the meticulous plaits, then closed her eyes as warm oil beads flowed over her face and body, washing away the tension of the day and the emotion of the last few minutes. As the shower finished and the warmth of the dryer spread over her, she noticed Helen had left the mirror open. Laurel’s entire body was reflected. It looked different to before, now it was toned, healthy, her arms and shoulders were bulkier, her skin glowed. She stepped from the alcove and ran her hands through her hair. It was still too bushy and reminded her of her mother’s public and stinging remarks about not knowing where she came from or who her father was, as no-one else in the family had curly hair. Her mother kept it fuzzy just to tease her, but when she went to live with her aunt, her hair was allowed to grow, and instead of being a source of ridicule at school, the tumble of ash-blonde curls and ringlets were the envy of the other girls.
And she understood Helen’s outburst earlier. Of course, leaving Xavier was upsetting. And the actuality of their coming part in the war was disturbing. But it wasn’t about breasts either. For Helen, her somewhat boyish figure was always enhanced by the clothing and accessories she wore. She believed her appearance defined her. In a dead-end job with no friends and a broken relationship, she wasn’t the Helen she wanted to present to the world; she wanted others to see her tanned, manicured, hair immaculate. Helen knew she lagged behind the others in ability here; it was understandable she’d want to hang on to what previously set her apart.
Laurel’s hair and unusual eye colour was a source of comment and ridicule as a child, used as a foundation for every insult, every horrid and false accusation her mother hurled at her. When at last she became admired for her hair, she learned that it wasn’t a focus; people also loved her for other things, but even so, she never again had her hair cut, only allowing her aunt to trim it on occasions. She was often described as the “nurse with the beautiful hair and pretty eyes,” but unlike Helen, she saw her own potential. Nothing in the way she looked defined her any longer.
The voices of discussion in the room outside faded away, and she guessed the others had gone to bed. She pulled on her night garments and tugged down her top. Moving to dismiss the mirror, she hesitated. It was okay to tell herself she looked great, fuzzy hair notwithstanding; her eyes were bright and her cheeks rosy, despite not having seen the sun in weeks. She smiled, gave a quiet laugh, and whatever old prejudices she had about her body image disappeared with the mirror.
Chapter 21
Approaching the 100 moons in a scout ship, they were able to view the wondrous panorama of space through the viewport. The 100 moons offered a compelling display; not only because there were fewer than 100, but more because they seemed to hang in the sky in a precarious and just-arrived way, giving the impression that a mere puff of wind might send them scattering through the heavens. Even the asteroid field had a proper planet nearby; not automatically a requirement where there were moons and asteroids, but these—these were simply hanging around, lined up; queuing as if waiting for someone to discover their purpose.
Helen pointed out the viewport and twirled her finger around. “Did they get towed here? They don’t look as though they belong, and those ones have formed a line.” She was back to her usual self, the events of the evening before forgotten, and now happily confounding Harry with unexpected observations.
“I can’t say I noticed that, Helen,” he said with a raise of his sandy eyebrows. “There is a theory it’s a debris field, but aside from a passing interest by scientists through the ages, they don’t particularly inspire much debate.”
“Were there more? The starchart says there’s 80 moons in the 100 moons. What happened to the others? Why do they call it 100 moons if they’re a few short?”
“I don’t know, Helen.”
Laurel grinned at the tiny niggle of a groan in Harry’s voice, but he always managed to handle Helen with ease and patience.
“It’s interesting that they’re called moons considering they don’t orbit a planet,” Chloe was busy comparing the visuals with the starchart.
“They orbit Semevale’s sun,” Harry pointed it out for her, “and even though they’re clustered together, we speak of them as a single planetary body.”
“What about gravity?” Chloe asked.
“Our base is located on a moon inside the field, closest bar one to Semevale and is the largest of the moons. It only just qualifies as a planetoid, but it has gravity and a breathable atmosphere, it even has water. Its distance from the sun keeps it on the chilly side, but they have daylight.” He pointed out the viewport to a distant, ghostly crescent. “That’s Semevale 8.”
“How can we have a base so close, they must know we’re here?”
“They don’t, Helen. We approach from behind the field and so far, our presence here has gone unnoticed.”
Laurel listened to the discussion. It didn’t make any sense. Surely the enemy assumed a base was established nearby? It would be logical, expected even, to flush out and destroy any military installations within striking distance. She saw the others watching, sensing her sudden withdrawal into her thoughts. Harry saw it too.
“I promise you, Laurel,” he said. “We are undetected, at least for now.”
“What if they come snooping?” Helen guessed, or doubtfully, read what Laurel was thinking.
“I assume you mean investigating?” Harry replied. “If they do, we’ll evacuate the base.”
The base was situated on the far side of the planetoid to Semevale 8 and constructed entirely above ground. Laurel expected a high-tech camp, with sturdy structures and a proper landing area, but the shelters reminded her of a field hospital she once saw after an earthquake in China. The ships on the landing stage were positioned as though they’d landed hastily and simply left, the hazy morning sunlight highlighting their grubbiness and weapons damage. None of them sported the neatness of the ships on the asteroid or the consular ship. That said, there was an air of efficiency and focus about the place. From all corners of the base, Laurel sensed from the many personnel she saw, heightened awareness and purpose.
Harry took them on a tour, starting with the infirmary, a single, large room which doubled as an operating theatre. Constructed of a lightweight alloy, it was so far, the only building that appeared to have had any thought behind its construction. Laurel was encouraged to see it equipped with the diagnostic and surgical instrumentation she’d witnessed on the consular ship, but she hoped none of them would ever need its services. Every other structure on the base had parts that flapped in the breeze. Although no doubt fabricated from cutting-edge material devised by science, they were, as Helen pointed out where the others hesitated to say so, still just tents. The architects of the base had settled the entire encampment against an outcrop of a cliff, providing shelter from the elements.
“I haven’t seen the sun in ages!” Helen laughed, grabbing Chloe’s hand. “Come on, let’s run.”
And off they raced. Chloe looked back in surprise at the speed at which Helen dragged her away. Marta watched for a second then took off after them. The fully armed scouts on the landing stage distracted Eli, and he excused himself to go and check them out.
“Just you and me,” Harry grinned at Laurel.
“Seems like it, Harry. Can they get lost?”
Harry shook his head. “There’s nowhere to go.”
“Helen worries me,” Laurel said, so close now to the possibility of battle, Harry was their commander and Helen’s state of mind was his business.
“A
sde told me about last night. I can order her to stay here if you prefer; there are things she can do.”
“Maybe the decision should be hers, but if I think she is in danger, I’ll say so.”
“She’s a whole soul and an empath, Laurel, see how fast she runs? None of us ordinary mortals can run like that.”
“I’m learning that we each have varied strengths; whatever Helen’s is, it hasn’t really shown itself.”
“Maybe she needs more time.”
“I hope you’re right. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“None of us does, Laurel,” he looked down at her, his smile gentle. “We will do our best to protect her, all of you.”
Laurel smiled back. She knew he would do his best. She looked around. “Are there any other bases on this moon?”
“No, apart from aerial, this base is a landing stage for ground forces. We have supply troops at each garrison; that way, we can deploy them wherever they’re needed. The two aerial squadrons are based on this moon. Eli and Chloe will be part of Commander Ven’s squadron. She’s devoted her career to the League Constabulary and is our most experienced pilot; they’ll learn a lot from her.”
“You won’t be their commander?” Laurel wasn’t sure how Chloe would feel about being separated from them.
“No, I’m ground forces, so you, Helen and Marta will be part of my company. Ven and I work together so she can provide aerial support when required. The 2nd squadron, led by Commander Emmit, stays in orbit and engages enemy ships there. It’s usual for fleet pilots to move between the two commands.”
Laurel watched Chloe laughing as Asde caught up with her and Helen. Chloe’s fair hair shone in the morning sunlight; she looked so young and innocent. Laurel looked up to find Harry watched them also, and in his mind, she also saw his desperate hope that soon, they all would be free of this conflict.
Laurel, Helen and Marta were again sharing quarters. Despite the plain exterior of the shelter, the internal area was comfortable enough with rack-type beds, a single slot between the three of them and a drinks dispenser. Meals were at the outside galley. A large, black, decidedly ugly globular device dominated one entire corner. Harry brought the device to life. Different to an infochart or starchart which filled as much space as the user wished, the information in the Visual Interact or VI appeared in the same way as a television screen, apart from a holographic scrolling bar which appeared at the side. And it allowed voice interaction. But Harry also explained the information would mean little, as it was mostly used for conversing with families back on home planets or studying planetary topography. He said the whole souls could use it to contact Xavier whenever they wished. Harry turned the VI off, and for a moment, it glowed, like a big eye.
Chloe and Eli were assigned to a different lodge with the aerial squadron; as Laurel predicted, Chloe wasn’t so keen about being separated from the group.
“You’re with Eli,” Laurel said after Chloe complained to her.
“That’s not very comforting, he hardly talks.”
“He will, won’t you, Eli?”
“I will what?”
“Talk, Chloe is missing us already.”
“You want bedtime stories, Chloe?” Eli grinned, grabbing Chloe playfully around the neck. “I don’t know any. I never had a mother.”
“See what I mean? He’s a buffoon.”
But Eli ruffled her hair and grinned.
“Concentrate on the task at hand, Chloe,” Laurel said. “We’ll make sure we look in on you, and Asde is here. You’re not alone.”
Chloe nodded, brightening, when right on cue, Asde appeared to show Chloe and Eli to their lodge.
“I’ll look after her,” he said, cheerfully.
Asde, Eli and Chloe walked off together.
Laurel watched them leave. “Eli is nothing short of a revelation,” she said. “What a contrast.”
“We’re all different, Laurel,” Marta selected a bunk and dropped her gear onto it. “I prefer who I am now. I couldn’t go back to the life I had.”
Helen flopped down beside her, “You like being a soldier?”
“I liked the training,” Marta said, making room. “I doubt I’ll enjoy the fighting when it’s for real, but it’s having a purpose, a real meaning to life, that’s what appeals, and the promise of what comes after, the life Harry told Laurel we’d have.”
“You mean when we retire and become proper slaves?”
“Helen, we’re not slaves,” Laurel corrected her.
“I know, I just love the irony. So, what do you both feel here?” Helen asked. “I mean, peoplewise?”
Marta shrugged. “There’s a lot of people in a relatively small area. I have a strong sense of them. The ones I’ve seen have that lucency below their necks. I wonder why it was different in the Semevalians?”
“We don’t have it,” Helen pointed out.
Laurel shrugged. “I wonder how it will manifest in the enemy. I almost wish I could see one before and find out. I think it might be this intent thing, this focus Harry talks about, and we won’t run into it until we meet one face to face.”
The opportunity came far sooner than anyone predicted. They only had one night of sleep and a morning of training with the camp instructors when the squadron was mobilised. Harry collected Laurel, Marta and Helen and escorted them to the infirmary, filling them in with details on the way.
“We received information the enemy invaded a remote prefecture on the northern continent. It’s an unusual tactic; this time, they’ve gone straight to occupation without the work-up. There is some concern the reports are a ruse to divert our troops away from the protection of other prefectures and cities. We’ll check it out. If you can establish how many—if any, enemy troops are on the ground, we’ll engage them. I’m reluctant to deploy too many units and leave other areas defenceless. According to the report, there’s been no first column.”
“Why not stop their ships from landing?”
“In an ideal universe, Helen, we do. In this instance, none were detected.”
“Is it just the three of us?” Laurel asked. “What about Chloe and Eli?”
“You three on the ground,” Harry said. “You’ll have seventeen minutes to check out the area and get out. We need to know the hostage situation, enemy numbers and positions. This prefecture is small, and only numbers around 20,000 Semevalians with a few half-soul traders, mine workers and visitors at any one time. Hopefully, most of them managed to flee, but certainly, not all of them would have escaped. You may find no problem there; we can only hope.”
Helen looked around, “Why are we at the infirmary?”
“For this,” Harry held up a tiny, fine lens on the tip of his finger.
“A contact lens?”
“An optimiser, Helen. We place it over the cornea, like so,” Harry popped the tiny lens into his eye, then handed the three women a dish containing identical lenses.
“What does it do?” Helen eyed it suspiciously; she’d only just got used to the spit ring.
“You have to have it in for me to demonstrate.”
Laurel touched the lens to her cornea. Marta and Helen followed suit.
“In a moment,” Harry told them, “it’ll hook up to your optic nerve then to the NTI; you’ll notice a boost in visual acuity.”
Helen’s sensory enhancement was greeted with a smile and a breathy, “My God!”
“It works in the same way as your weapons, reacting to the changes in your thoughts. It magnifies over a sizable distance, sensing heat, life signs; you will find it continually changing to match your needs.”
“Why didn’t we get them before?” Helen was turning in a circle, closing one eye and looking in all directions in her amazement.
“You can’t keep them in; your brain becomes reliant on them, so they are only inserted before a battle and removed directly after.”
Helen stopped, reminded, “Oh, yes, the battle.”
Laurel, despite her previous calm
acceptance of these events, envied Helen’s simplicity. But for her, with the war close, she had a sudden fear that her newfound skills might desert her when she needed them most. She looked across at Marta, who smiled slightly.
“Me too.”
Chapter 22
The League fleet encountered not a single enemy vessel as they crossed to the prefecture on Semevale 8, which gave rise to hope no invasion had taken place. The scouts masked their approach with stealth and travelled below widespeed, close to the planet’s surface for fear of the enemy detecting their signature. The ships put down behind a ridge formation, a few kilometres outside the prefecture.
This would be Laurel’s first view of an inhabited planet. Semevale 8 was Earth-like with green meadows, blue sky, white clouds and a warm sun. The prefecture, built in a valley, offered a tactical advantage for the League if an invasion had taken place. There was no sign of any artillery outside the prefecture, so clearly, any reprisal was not anticipated. Laurel and Harry lay on their bellies on the crest of a ridge, checking out the town in the distance. From their vantage position, and with the help of the retinal optimiser, Laurel observed homes with neat, cultivated rooftop gardens, seemingly intact and undamaged. The town looked undisturbed, but few people were on the streets; a fact that struck Harry and Laurel as suspicious, but so far, no suggestions of a struggle or fight.
The residential part of the town was set out in a higgeldy-piggeldy fashion with the skillfully painted homes—clearly designed with love and devotion to detail—set either side of winding alleyways and lanes. Public thoroughfares seemed less random, running north to south and east to west. Market stalls were set up along the sides of the streets, but many appeared abandoned. A worrying sign. To the north of the town, a narrow path wove its way up into the mountain. Tall posts stood at intervals along the path, above each post, a bell, encased in a halo of light, swayed in the breeze. Although Laurel wouldn’t have expected to hear any chimes from this distance, she sensed the bells quietness, as though it too had been silenced by the presence of an enemy. She bristled. Something, someone was here.
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