"You did your best, Admiral," Iso-bel said. "There is nothing else you can do. Get on with your life."
"It's not easy when one has felt her loved ones die," the woman replied with a rueful smile.
I know exactly what you mean, Iso-bel thought. She waved her off and went back to her seat. She was done. She'd written off her home planet – once upon a time a blue and green ball of atmosphere, now a brown ball of dust and smoke that sustained no life.
"Damn, Iso-bel, since when are you so icy?" Jes-syd grumbled, sitting next to her.
She shrugged. She didn't care what he thought. She. Did not. Care.
***
"The Khamisi Pride has requested to meet with you," Princess Arica announced. "Would you prefer to meet them here or onboard their starship?"
"What is the Khamisi Pride doing in this quadrant?" Iso-bel snapped, jarred.
She knew Leo-will Khamisi was the Sire representative at the High Council of the Star Nations. Another lucky survivor, since his job had taken him away from the home planet for three years. Incidentally, he was also her grandparents' first cousin, another Sire aristocrat from the House of Khamisi.
"They are looking for you." Princess Arica half smiled. "They went on Gweltaz and were told you were with me."
Of course they'd look for her on Gweltaz first.
"I think you should meet him," Jes-syd said. "Lord Khamisi is the most powerful Sire alive and..."
"You saw how powerful the Sire were when it came to save their planet and their lives!" Iso-bel snapped.
"He is still Sire," Jes-syd insisted. "He has a Sire mind. His mother was a Shermac. He might be able to help you more than I ever will."
She scowled at him, but he didn't look away. He was darn serious. And darn right. Her grandfather's cousin surely knew something about mind links.
She averted her eyes first and snorted.
"Fine, send me onboard the Khamisi Pride," she muttered, rising from her seat.
Princess Arica nodded and took her to the teleport room.
Leo-will was in his sixties, a tall blond man with blue eyes who stared at Iso-bel with a thoughtful expression.
"Shan-leo's face and Mayumi's body," he said. "I hadn't seen you in years, Iso-bel."
She nodded. That much was true. He was her grandfather's cousin and they hadn't met that often.
He cleared his throat. "You know, you actually look like Ker-ris when he was sick from the mind link with Kol-ian," he continued. "Did you have a mind link with someone on the planet?"
"My family."
"Ah!" He looked relieved. "Blood mind links are weaker than love mind links. But I know what you're going through. My father was killed by the Emperor. Did your parents release you?"
"What the hell does that mean?" she exploded. "They're dead, for God's sake, and they told me so!"
"So they managed to transmit a message before going," he said. "And then they broke the connection, is that how it went?"
"I don't know!" she shouted. "They were there and then they weren't and..."
He took her head in both hands and sent soothing waves towards her. She calmed down.
Take down your shields. Show me. I can help.
She stiffened, trying to resist his transmissions.
Iso-bel, relax. Let me help you or this will kill you.
It has already killed me! her mind screamed.
Then his mind overcame hers. She gave up her struggles and let him peer into her shattered mind. She was so tired... She lost herself in his eyes as blue as Marc'harid's sky before the deadly impact from space.
Leo-will slowly nodded. Now that she was calmer, she opened up to his intrusion, allowing for a better comprehension of what had happened.
Her parents had severed the bond to save her. She'd be dead too if they hadn't done it.
She still felt empty, numb. She still didn't know what to do with herself. She still didn't see any future.
It shall pass, Leo-will promised, letting go of her head. You're a natural born fighter, Iso-bel. You won your first fight in the womb, after all.
It jarred her that he knew her most secret thoughts, but he was right. Her mother had had a twin, and Iso-bel had been one of two embryos. Only one had developed into a baby, but that was why she'd been given two names. Aya was for the unborn twin.
She almost dropped to the ground when he released her. She hadn't realized how weak her knees were. He was fast to slid his hands under her armpits to keep her upright.
"I have lost my son, my daughter-in-law and my grandchildren," he said. "I feel your pain. I had a blood mind link with them, much like you did with your family. I know it hurts. But you'll be all right, Iso-bel, I promise."
She finally found the strength to stand on her two feet and nodded. "Keep in touch," she said quickly, backing away. "Please send me back to the Star Dreamcatcher."
He signaled the man standing by the teleport machine and watched as she vanished from his ship.
Iso-bel went back to her seat and sat down, feeling slightly better. Leo-will's mind had given her some strength and shared some of his sorrow – which had helped. She felt less lonely in her struggle.
And he had reminded her who she was and why had chosen the Sylvanian Academy and a military training that she hadn't really needed so far, but could be useful in the future to find work. Because she'd lost all her family's estate, she was no longer a wealthy Sire.
She wouldn't mind working for a living, though. Might keep her mind busy. And just because her home had been destroyed didn't mean she wouldn't be able to buy a new one eventually.
"The Star Dreamcatcher is now headed for Gweltaz and then Sylvania," Princess Arica announced on the intercom.
"Will you go back to Sylvania?" Jes-syd asked both Kim-ash and Iso-bel.
"I don't really want to..." Kim-ash answered, looking on the verge of tears. Again. Iso-bel had enough of watching her friend cry her eyes out. Kim-ash was doing enough crying for both of them.
"Probably," she answered absentmindedly, staring into space. She was still pondering the experience with Leo-will Khamisi. There were so many things she didn't know about Sire minds! And now her father was gone... she'd have to ask her grandparents' cousin from now on.
***
By the time they got to Gweltaz, Iso-bel felt alone in a room full of people. Even Jes-syd and Kim-ash stared at her as if she'd gone completely crazy. Which was probably right, since she couldn't bring herself to care. She said good-bye to her friend and her boyfriend of five years and stayed onboard.
She was going back to Sylvania. She was going to finish the Sylvanian Academy. And then maybe do a Master Degree on Ulba'wis. And then who knew. Anything to keep her body and mind busy. She was a young woman with no planet to go back to. She could apply for refugee status anywhere and live off the Star Nations, but she was never one to sit idle doing nothing.
She'd been away for less than a month and Shanell looked as worried as the day she had left. Even her teachers looked worried when they dealt with her, which got on her nerves. She had to tell them she didn't want to discuss what had happened – ever – and they should just pretend nothing wrong was going on.
Shanell wasn't duped, though.
"You changed, Aya," she said towards the end of the school year. "What's with the eyeliner? You never wore makeup before."
"To remind myself I mustn't cry unless I want to become a mask of black lines. I'm a fighter, not a girly girl."
"You never were a girly girl!" Shanell smiled. "Will you be meeting Jes-syd during the break?"
"No, I'm staying on Sylvania," Iso-bel answered with a shrug. "What will you do during the break?"
Shanell chuckled. "I'll go exploring Sylvanian beaches, as usual."
"I could do that," Iso-bel replied. "Haven't done it before, so why not?"
***
She felt at peace with herself – if she didn't think about the past and what she had lost. She lived her life one day at the time, staying in the present as
much as she could. She became very proficient with double swords fighting and got herself two blades of black alloy that made her feel strong and powerful.
She was preparing for a career in the Galaxy Police, probably, or she could enroll in any Humanoid army that would take her.
Physical exercise was the only way to be too tired to dream at night. Studying hard was another good way to keep her mind busy. The remaining year at the Academy flew by and she almost couldn't believe it when she got her degree along with Shanell.
"Now what?" Shanell asked, excited. "I think I'm going to buy myself a small starship and start some business! What about you?"
"I don't know." Iso-bel pondered. Maybe it was time to get in touch with her people – whatever was left of them. Jes-syd has stopped calling a long time ago and had probably found someone else in the meantime. "I'm not sure I want to live on a starship, though," she mused.
And then Leo-will Khamisi contacted her, asking her to meet again. His term at the High Council was over, and there wouldn't be another Sire representative, since they were now such a minority scattered through the galaxy.
Shanell took her to meet with the Khamisi Pride and Iso-bel hugged her roommate good-bye.
"Take care of yourself, Aya," Shanell said. "And be in touch. Not like you did with your Sire friends, I mean."
Iso-bel smiled despite herself as the Sylvanian winked with an impish smile.
"I'll keep in touch," she promised. "If you don't mention my planet or my people ever again."
"I won't." Shanell pretended to zip her mouth closed and waved her good-bye.
Iso-bel was teleported on the Sire cruise ship and Leo-will congratulated her for her degree.
"I wish I could have been there," he said. "Where are you headed now?"
"I'm thinking of doing a Master Degree on Ulba'wis," she answered. "Should keep me busy for another couple of years."
Leo-will nodded, thoughtful. "Would you like to have a short cruise with me? I'm settling on Gweltaz afterward, since it's the closest planet to Marc'harid..."
"How can you bear to say that name?" she asked, scowling.
Leo-will smiled. "You definitely need this trip, then," he said. "We'll fly by Marc'harid and then I'll take you to Ulba'wis."
"I don't want to see what's left of it!"
"Don't you miss your family?"
"Yes!"
"Then that's where you want to go to say a proper good-bye. I've been postponing this for too long myself."
Iso-bel glared at him, but he was an elder. She'd been taught to trust Sire elders like her grandfather, especially the ones with the gift of mind links.
They didn't talk much during the journey. Marc'harid was still a brown, scarred, waterless, dead ball orbiting around its sun, but in the silence surrounding it two years after the catastrophe, Iso-bel could finally hear voices.
It took some time to make sense of them. It felt as if the Sire minds were still lingering around their dead planet. She glanced at Leo-will who seemed to be listening to those ghosts too and saw him smile. Puzzled, she tried to sort the voices and find her loved ones.
Iso-bel, you're back! That was Dan-ylo's excited voice when she'd come back from her last long summer with Jes-syd and her friends, before leaving again for university.
You don't need to be so submissive, Aya. Women can be strong no matter their size or appearance. That was her mother, who always used her second name.
Iso-bel Aya Shermac, behave yourself. Her father's playful warning when she'd left for Sylvania.
She could hear them again. Every single word uttered under Marc'harid's once blue sky came back to her, as if it had been stuck into the ether for her.
Be a good girl, Iso-bel.
Enjoy your last long summer, Aya.
Don't do anything you'll regret. I know you're eighteen and you've been with Jes-syd for three years already...
Which doesn't mean she hasn't already done the nasty stuff! Don't worry, Aya, you'll be all right. Enjoy your trip.
Until the last message, the one that had crossed space to reach her on Sylvania.
We love you, Iso-bel Aya Shermac. We'll always be with you.
Tears started flowing down her cheeks, but she smiled.
I miss you all... but I'll learn to live without you.
B.O.B. Theft
by Barbara G.Tarn
Malik stopped the rental flying car and took off his blue visor to check outside with his own eyes.
The mansion was really in a deserted place, like Sherise had said. No other cars or other means of transportation were in sight. Luxuriant vegetation surrounded what looked like a giant drop made of glass, set up on stilts covered with vines and hanging on the side of a high cliff of dark stone.
The car had landed on an elliptical terrace wide enough to park a couple of flying cars at the front of the house. From the air it had looked like an oval saucer with an overturned teacup not centered, as if leaving room for a muffin on the side.
The front view of the house and terrace was over the planet's ocean, but behind it the plateau was, covered with trees taller than the shiny mansion. The living space was all on the same level, but there was a sort of transparent tube at the center that probably took to the upper terrace.
"Are you sure this is it?" Nat asked, wrinkling her nose.
"If you updated the GPS, yes, that's it," he snapped, glancing at his twin.
"Great, let's do it, then."
Both got out of the flying car and looked around, amazed. The salty breeze hit them from behind as they observed the building, ruffling their hair, and Nat quickly tied her long black hair into a ponytail.
Malik exhaled, taking in the transparent building in front of him.
"Even the internal walls are made of glass!" he said. "No privacy whatsoever!"
Behind the central tube he saw a square room with two doors and no transparencies at the back of the dome house, probably the bathroom, although it looked as big as their dorm apartment.
"They can darken the glass or turn it into a mirror," Nat answered, putting on her own pink visor to figure out where the entrance was. Data started to flow on her display, showing plans and security measures.
"Well, no wonder they call it the House of the Sun," Malik muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's quite ugly, though, I don't know why Sherise is so fond of it. They should have called it Ugly Teacup House."
Nat scoffed. "It's a display of wealth, that's why she's so fond of it. And it was designed by the famous architect Chas Laux!" Her tone made plain what she thought of the mighty designer, and matched Malik's opinion.
"I really really hope her father goes bankrupt and she joins us in the slums," he muttered.
Not that they actually lived in the slums, but they slept on campus and attended college only because of a scholarship. Unlike Sherise, daughter of Deribo Agidigan, CEO of ProtoSys Services GmbH, one of the richest heiresses in town. Sherise was popular and always seemed to look down on the twins who had decided to give her a lesson.
Breaking in was a first for them. Malik wasn't too happy with the idea, but Nat had sounded thrilled at the thought. They could get caught and end up in jail. But they didn't plan to damage anything, only to borrow something they couldn't afford.
Malik felt uncomfortable in front of the wealth display. The transparent walls made him feel like a burglar intruding in someone's privacy. Although he was curious because Sherise was pretty, but often seemed to play a part – the spoiled rich bitch.
"Did you find the damn entrance yet?" he asked impatiently.
Nat pointed and headed for the strangely shaped house. She wore her gloves and touched the glass tentatively until a door slid open in front of them.
"Yes! Deviant Eve strikes again!" She grinned at him and motioned him to go in.
"Ladies first," he replied with a half bow.
He followed her inside, looking at the luxurious furniture and ornaments of the house. He could see Sheri
se wandering half-naked though the posh house with her fabled summer boyfriend, the mysterious Rowan who was the only guy admitted at the mansion.
Nat found a control panel and darkened the outside glass. It was a sunny spring day and there was too much light inside. The inner walls remained clear, though, allowing Malik to discern a master bedroom, another bedroom with girly decorations and a double bed, a kitchen and a living room, all set around the central tube.
"That's better," Nat said, taking off her visor. "I wonder how they can stand the full summer sun!"
"Let's find something worth taking away," he said, his hands on his hips. "The house computer? I want their house robot to work on. Where do you think they keep it?"
She pointed at the round pedestal of the central transparent column, now obviously an elevator that went both up and down a shaft that probably sustained the house along with the much thinner white stilts. The upper part was transparent, like the rest, and took to a round terrace with swimming pool at the top of the drop-shaped house. The lower part of the shaft had real walls and looked like a thick column plunging into the green.
Through the transparent floor they could see a rectangle at the base of the ellipse that was probably a warehouse and a cellar. No doubt the mainframe that controlled the house was also down there, well planted on the rocky ground.
The twins ignored the artifacts in the house – they wouldn't know what to do with them – and decided to check the hidden part of the mansion. Surely Sherise had more technology they could ever dream of and their next project might make them shine and earn another scholarship at her expense.
Not that she'd notice. She wasn't coming back to this house until the summer break, so they had a few months to work on whatever they found here before being discovered. They might even bring it back before the summer!
They'd have to clear the security system, thus they needed to find the control room even though Nat had deactivated the house alarm. They took the elevator down to the utility room.
The lower part of the house had no windows, but neon lights showed a long corridor at the bottom of the elevator shaft with many doors opening on both sides. Malik took the left side, Nat took the right side. The doors weren't locked so it was easy to look inside.
Star Minds Third Generation Snippets Page 8
