by Day Leitao
And perhaps Dess should have talked to other people doing this before venturing there blindly. In fact, Zizo should have introduced them or given some kind of training.
“How long have you been doing this?” Dess asked.
“Just a moment.” The girl ran inside the ship.
He exchanged looks with Marcus. His friend was also puzzled by the girl.
After a while, a woman came out of the ship with Sophie. Plump and muscular, she was a stark contrast to the younger girl.
She stared at Dess, then turned to Sophie. “You weren’t kidding. He is beautiful.”
Dess controlled himself not to roll his eyes and had a half smile. “Ain’t I?”
The woman laughed. “Pure stardust in human form.”
“Aren’t we all?”
“Maybe. But we don’t all look like you.” She then changed her tone. “I’m Tara.”
They introduced themselves again. Sophie was flushed and looked panicked.
“So,” Dess started. “I see you’ve never been in the military academy. Where did you train?”
“There’s a simulator in the orphanage.”
“Oh.” The orphanage. The place Dess could have gone. And it was just weird that if his life had turned out different, if he hadn’t worked hard in the military academy, perhaps he’d be at the same spot right now. “And did you find the simulator helpful?”
Tara snorted. “What do you think? It’s a piece of crap. I think they want us killed.”
“Maybe.”
“Not maybe. Sure. The fewer good pilots the better for the competent ones. What about you? Looking all fancy and all. Don’t tell me you’re academy rejects?”
The way she said it was as if they belonged in some sewer.
Thankfully, Marcus was the one who replied, “We volunteered here.”
Tara nodded. “Interesting. Your type usually stays in your little circle. But I guess there are exceptions.”
“Listen,” Dess wanted to get to the part that mattered. “You’re obviously highly skilled and experienced.” Stroking their egos couldn’t hurt. “We’re just starting out.” Pretending humbleness didn’t hurt either. “Do you have any advice for us?”
She sighed. “Get a strong shield. And pray to the star fire that you don’t get shot more than you can stand.”
Like a lot of people, she got the whole star fire thing completely wrong, but what she said was interesting. “So you do get shot?”
“Well, yeah. It happens.”
“Any other tip?”
“Yes. The west part of Mainland is easier to fly. Start there. Don’t always go to the same place, though, or you’ll eventually be spotted.”
Dess nodded. “Got it. Thanks so much.”
They walked away from the woman. When they were out of their earshot, Marcus laughed. “Really, Dess? Ain’t I?” He mocked Dess’s voice.
Dess was surprised. “What? When did I say that?”
“The woman was saying you were beautiful.”
He shrugged. “Wasn’t it you who told me to accept compliments gracefully?”
Marcus laughed. “That was quite—” He paused and rolled his eyes. “—graceful.”
“Yeah, while you’re worried about my grace or lack of, remember that they probably wouldn’t mind seeing us killed.”
“Why do you say that?”
“They told us to go to the west part of the continent, and yet they go to the east.”
Marcus smiled and shook his head. “To be fair, they told us to start there. Maybe they consider it advice for noobs, you know, and since they aren’t noobs… And how do you know where they fly?”
He hadn’t told Marcus that. “I got the reports from Zizo’s station.”
“Why?”
“Curiosity. Do you know how many teams are presently doing this other than us?”
“No idea.”
“Just two. And maybe they don’t want competition.”
Marcus made a gesture with his hand as if dismissing Dess’s idea. “You got that competitive mentality from the academy. This is different. You think a single ship could supply Saphirlune with water?”
“The way we save and reuse? Maybe.” Another idea hit him. “We could do more than that, though.”
“I bet we will, soon. I think you’re right about the fish.”
He stared at Marcus. “Wasn’t it you who wanted to make a difference? Let’s go after bigger fish.”
Saytera’s mornings varied between being left alone and listening to Nick’s incoherent ramblings. There was something there, though, loss, blood, the insanity of war. It was as if he feared that his life would go to waste unless someone heard about it, unless someone learned its lessons. Saytera listened. It was much better than facing the other kids in the academy. In time, she learned to pick up her meals early and go back to the hangar, so that she could eat alone. She also got a data reader and instead of going to the history and theory classes, she read the material on her own. Kia was very accommodating and Saytera was thankful for that. She tried to find information on Terens but found nothing, as if they didn’t exist.
Sitting by herself in her bedroom or in that black ship from the first day, all the events in her life revolved in her mind without reaching a spot where there was any meaning, any truth. That disconnection from the surrounding nature caused numbness. Then, sometimes, when she was alone, she moved a small object or tried to turn off the artificial light in her bedroom. It was very different from fire, she knew it, and yet she wanted to keep a piece of herself intact. The light sometimes flickered, but it was hard to know if it was something she’d done or just imagined. Another problem were the frequent electricity outages. How could she know she’d turned her own lamp off when all the complex suddenly became enveloped in darkness?
It felt like a lifetime since Dess had walked in Serra’s office. Very ironic that they had assigned her to receive his request. Maybe it had been on purpose to piss him off. At least he’d convinced Marcus not to come, and if Dess by any chance did something stupid, at least his friend would be out of it.
Dess sat, leaned back and put his feet on her table. Serra’s eyes moved to his boots but she didn’t say anything. Power. He was starting to understand that it had little to do with an insignia someone wore or a position someone had, but the fact that he could offer something nobody else could. Power was how much one could put on a negotiation table—not counting the boots, of course.
Perhaps he’d understood some of it when he’d spent hours and hours training and studying to be the best. The issue was that anyone could hold a high position in high echelons of the government. No special skills were required. That made everyone replaceable.
Flying in and out of Mainland, though, that wasn’t for everybody. The third team had already died and nobody had yet volunteered for their place. Meanwhile, Dess and Marcus had been successfully bringing water and fish for three months. But he knew he could do a lot more than that, and he knew he could make a difference. He wasn’t going to waste a lifetime preparing to defend Sapphirlune.
Serra’s voice was dry. “How can I help you, Mr. Starspark?”
Dess hated that name and one of the reasons was that it was a stupid name he’d invented when he was ten. Then, maybe, there was something neat about seeing these so-called important people saying that name with a straight face.
“The other way around, Commander Serra. I have a proposal for you.”
“Really?” She had a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Is that so?”
“The truce is going to be renegotiated in six months. I could help us get some leverage.”
“Mr. Starspark, without access to confidential information you’re in no position to know whether we have leverage or not. And I’m going to ask you not to put your feet on my desk.”
Dess didn’t move. “Right. What if I told you I can get you precise information of where all the Mainland shore bases are and how they operate?”
Serra rolled her eyes. “We know where they are. We do use information from private contractors like you to know where they’re shooting from. Is that all?”
“No. I’m tired of bringing fish. I can bring intel. People who can be questioned. Who can give us better information than just average locations without any clear data on weaponry and equipment. And who can be hostages, if we ever need the leverage.”
She narrowed her eyes. “That would violate the truce.”
“I violate the truce every three days, commander. Or rather, I don’t, right? Since I have no connection to any governmental organization whatsoever, even if all the information about what we do goes to you. Anyway, if I were to bring people, it would be in the same capacity.
She raised her eyebrows. “Except for the part where they say we broke the truce.”
“Indeed. And what are they going to do? Send their half dozen ships after us? Continue shooting us if we approach their planet?”
She twirled a pen in her hand. “Well, Mr. Starspark, if you do happen to bring some people and get some information, we won’t mind. Is that it?”
“Of course not. My offer has a condition.”
She leaned back and had a mocking smile, as if what he was saying were absurd. “A condition.”
“The A-11 prototype, and I want Marcus to be reinstated in the army. At least in theory. He’d be operating undercover with me.”
That was the other reason he’d insisted for his friend not to come.
Serra scoffed. “And you seem to think this is quite reasonable.”
“Quite a humble request, indeed. Plus the usual payment, of course.”
Serra leaned forward. “Perhaps I could tell you that we are going to think about your proposal and then get back to you, but I don’t want to lie. Go back to your glorified fishing, Dess.”
“I will.”
Dess left the room feeling satisfied. He knew that Sapphirlune needed to act quickly if they were to negotiate better truce terms. Nothing like threatening Mainland in their own land to make them more malleable. Serra perhaps wouldn’t even pass along his proposal, but it was fine. He could try to go through Sylvia’s parents and even Marcus’s father. Dess knew that his idea was good, that it would work, and that it would change the tide for his people. They’d obviously accept it. The matter was just when.
He headed back home. Dess now rented a new two-bedroom with Marcus. It wasn’t the most luxurious thing, as Dess was saving. He wasn’t sure for what, but he wanted to save. At least it had two bedrooms, which made Sylvia’s visits a lot less awkward. Other than the fact that she and Marcus still only met in private and called each other friends, their relationship was going well. He was almost home when his personal key buzzed. The council leader wanted to see them. That was faster than even Dess had predicted.
Stealth and speed. And trust in the inner fire. Those were Dess’s weapons. They had to bring three Mainland soldiers, and only then they’d gain full trust from the council. Dess had gotten the ship he wanted, though. Small, fast, and agile, it would make the task easier. Not only that. The A-11 had never been produced en masse because they couldn’t see its value. His mother had designed it, almost as if she’d guessed that one day Lunars would need to hide on the planet. He named the ship Vera, and perhaps it wasn’t that subtle, since his mother’s name was Veronica, but nobody would know what he called his ship.
His mother. She’d survived the explosion. Long enough to give him her last words.
“Hide, Dess. Don’t let them know who you are.”
And so he’d been hiding, while replaying the events of that morning a thousand times in his head. His little sister had been crying, asking for her doll. Dess told them he’d just run in and out, and he did, but Anelise never got it, as she was blown up with the ship, in front of Dess’s eyes. All these years he’d been wondering if his short trip inside was what killed his family. If it had all been his fault. Over and over he went back to these memories and didn’t go back for the doll. His family flew away, alive.
“Are you all right?” Marcus’s voice startled him.
This wasn’t a time to be distracted, to dwell in the past, to try to find a way to change it. They were flying towards the Mainland Planet. He had to focus. Dess shook his head. “Lost in thought. Sorry.”
The first time for everything was nerve wracking, and this was no different.
As they approached the planet, Marcus crossed his arms. “I don’t know… when we were discussing it in our kitchen, it sounded so much easier.”
“We haven’t even landed.”
“We could get killed or captured.”
Dess shrugged. “Obviously. Do you want to quit?”
Marcus waved his hands. “Hey, can’t we just talk about the difficulties without coming to conclusions?”
“It’s not that. We could get killed, for sure. It’s a fact.”
“We could also get killed bringing squid or fish and water. This is just… a bit harder.” Marcus took a deep breath. “That was what I was talking about.”
“And you have a family and a girlfriend. You might not want to do that.”
“Yeah, but if we get this right… at least maybe my father will stop giving me dirty looks.”
A miracle that he hadn’t argued the girlfriend point. But his comment about his father was odd. “I thought you hadn’t seen each other for a while.”
“Manner of speaking.”
As usual they approached the planet near enough the shore that they were far from storms and far enough from it that they were not in the line of fire. This ship moved underwater, and that was another reason he’d wanted it. Dess’s plan was to wait for a light rain cloud strong enough to disguise them but not strong enough to smash them to pieces. Hidden by a storm he could fly inland and find either sanddunes where they could hide.
The ship also had a camouflaging system, which should keep it hidden enough. From there, it was all about observing, finding a base, and waiting for an opportunity to get someone unaware. It would likely be easy in the beginning, when the bases were set up just to counter air attacks. On the other hand, he had no experience capturing people and was sure that it would be quite different from any training he had.
Maybe what he really wanted was to breathe the ocean breeze and this was an excuse. No. What he wanted was for his moon to win this stupid war, and he also wanted influence and power over the council. This was a way to achieve both.
Ship on the sand, Dess stepped out for the first time on real land. He took a deep breath. The air had the smell of the ocean, of trees, of life and so much more.
Marcus stood by the door. “Maybe we should take a vacation here.”
“Well, we do have to find where the nearest base is.”
Marcus smiled. “Are you sure?”
Dess turned and saw a red building with an observation tower and a clear anti-aerial cannon. “They aren’t the most discreet, are they? It’s as if they’re saying ‘bomb me’.”
Marcus shrugged. “They probably don’t think anyone could get close enough.”
“We did.” Dess sighed, wondering if he could perhaps change his strategy. No, that would be open war and quite stupid. He looked around him at that natural vastness and breathed the ocean air. “It’s not right, you know. That they try to keep this for themselves only.”
“It’s selfishness. It’s not just about the Tahari Moon.”
That name always tugged Dess’s heart. He wanted to change the subject. “I’ll go there to check. Stay here.”
Marcus was stepping out of the ship. “I’m coming with you.”
Dess took a deep breath. He didn’t like leaving Vera alone even if he knew it would be partly hidden. “I’ll just check things, I’m not going to be at any risk. It’s not like I’m carrying a sign saying I’m from Sapphirlune.”
“You think you look like a fisherman?”
“Well, isn’t that one of my jobs? Anyway, they probably get visitors from C
itarella or something.”
Marcus was already closing the door and activating the camouflage. The result wasn’t perfect. In fact it was far from perfect and pretty obvious that it was there. Perhaps it was just because they knew there was a ship there and not just sand. Still, night was falling and should help hide it. As they walked towards the nearest bushes, Marcus diligently used the compressed air pistol to erase their footprints. Dess had the sleeping gas bombs, gas mask, zapper, cracker, and a chill in his stomach.
They walked through trees at the base of a hill. The air was cool and windy and Dess wished his jacket were a bit warmer. They climbed the hill and used their infrared binoculars to check the movement in the base. They were all inside, as Dess had predicted. One way to do this could be to throw a sleep gas bomb through the window, then enter the complex and get a person, but he didn’t want to call attention to himself and what he was doing. The fewer people suspecting that Lunars were landing on the planet, the better. After many hours, he saw a sight that made him smile. Two people were patrolling. Dess descended and gestured for Marcus to follow him.
“I can take both,” Marcus whispered.
Tasers didn’t work at a long range, but they had a tranquilizer pistol. Marcus was a good shot.
“We’ll do it at the same time,” Dess said. “Take the tall one, and I’ll take the shorter guy. Three, two, one.”
Two darts wheezed through the night. Marcus got the tall guy’s back. Dess’s target moved and he got his arm.
The short guy yelled, “Hey.” He then fell with another dart.
Dess turned to Marcus. “Thanks.”
This wasn’t exactly how Dess had predicted it to go. Ideally, they should have gotten just one person, but two wasn’t the end of the world. “We’ll pick up just one.”
As they approached the fallen soldiers, Dess noticed that the shorter soldier was a girl.
Marcus pointed to the guy. “Let’s take him.”
“She’s lighter.”
