That, of course, was the wondrous Altairan Gate that connected the distant Kepo-Kepoa system to Altairan space, providing instantaneous travel between the two systems. Branwen watched as Merlo angled the Destiny, beginning to decelerate the vessel as they skirted the enormous amount of starship traffic going to or coming from what was the penultimate example of Altairan architecture and astrophysics. Once in closer proximity to the Altair Prime, they’d have to identify themselves, and would get sorted by Altairan traffic control, then put into a neat and orderly positions to await their turn to dock on the planet. But until then, Merlo could do as she pleased and cut some more time off of their journey.
“I am going to get Zimi and check the cargo for landing and reentry,” Branwen clasped Merlo lightly on the shoulder as she said it, being careful not to jar her while she made her careful adjustments, and then moved on down the hall. After retrieving Zimi from her quarters, she took the girl down to the cargo hold and decided to spend the rest of the time until planetfall chatting lightly and helping her care for the racks and racks of water-dwelling plants. If anything, Branwen had the opposite of the proverbial “green thumb,” but she nonetheless found the exercise relaxing, following Zimi’s instructions and doing some easy labor.
“Captain to the bridge!” They had been working for an hour or so before Merlo’s voice rang out over the com, causing Branwen to drop what she was doing and dart quickly up the stairs and down the hall to the bridge, wondering what might be amiss. She was greeted by by the forward screen being split into two images, one half still focusing on the NADI and a digital imaging of where the Destiny currently drifted in low orbit, awaiting its turn to land in one of the larger Altairan ports.
The other was occupied by the image of an older man with faded blue eyes and short, black hair peppered with a dignified scattering of gray. He was dressed in an important looking version of the pristine white and gray of the Altairan Legion, and peered intently over his steepled fingers at them with a sharp intelligence.
Branwen glanced at Merlo, quietly confirming that he couldn’t hear them yet, whoever he was. Merlo nodded. “What does he want? He does not look like someone from ground control.” She turned her head away from his view when she began to speak, so he wouldn’t be able to read her lips.
“All he said is that he’s a representative of the Altairan government. He asked if I was Merlo and who my Captain was, then asked me to get you.” Merlo looked worried, or perhaps irritated. Probably both. “Right now, they’re holding up our landing until whatever this is gets settled.”
Branwen nodded, turning to face the viewscreen and clasping her arms behind her back, standing at military rest, settling into the comfort of old routine. Besides, she felt it never hurt to look respectable, or professional, when meeting new people. She nodded again to Merlo, and her silver-haired pilot hit the button to resume communications.
“This is Captain Branwen Hawke, of the Destiny Abounds. What can I help you with?” Looking him over, she found the man hard to read, something she at least partially attributed to talking via the viewscreen. People never felt as real to her through a screen; she preferred serious business to be taken care of in person, if possible. She briefly wondered what the series of small, metal studs on his collar and jacket meant, in terms of rank and authority. They didn’t match what little she knew of Legion personnel insignia.
“Captain! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am representing the Altairan government in an effort to resolve an issue, specifically that involving the Defiance.” His voice rang out clearly over the communications, bass, strong, and confident. Professional, but not altogether impersonal.
At first Branwen couldn’t place what he was talking about, but the pieces clicked into place when she saw Merlo stiffen at the mention of the name. “Ah yes, you mean Merlo’s previous ship.” She didn’t really know what, if anything, Merlo wanted said about the matter, so she made an effort to avoid giving anything away unnecessarily. She didn’t want anything she could reveal or say to reflect badly on the girl.
“Exactly.” He nodded firmly at her from across the screen. “There was an issue with processing after the incident, and I would simply like to clear it up. She mentioned that you are her commanding officer?”
Branwen glanced at Merlo, intending to give her a mild, amused smile. Instead, she saw the girl clutching the controls more tightly than was strictly necessary, and Branwen’s smile melted into a sympathetic frown. So she thought better of letting this discussion stretch out, and redirected her attention to the dignified Altairan officer, whoever he was. “I am the captain of this ship, if that is what you ask.”
“Excellent. I’ll give you express clearance to dock at Incarnum. If you would please, hail this frequency upon your arrival, I will send someone down to show Miss Merlo to the appropriate office so that we may settle this matter as previously intended.” The Altairan officer’s tone and words were polite, respectful even, but it was clear to Branwen that he wasn’t really asking, and she could respect that.
This man was obviously someone of importance, someone used to giving orders and having them followed. A man of order and authority. It seemed Merlo would finally have to settle her grievances with the Altairan authorities, after all, but Branwen didn’t intend for her have to do so alone. “Understood. Will there be anything else?”
The Altairan officer smiled politely and shook his head. “Carry on, Captain. Thank you for your time.” The screen flicked off without further preamble, reverting to showing them the bounty of Altair Prime in real time once more, the planet now taking up the vast majority of the viewscreen, its green and blue mass dotted with immense, softly glowing webs of city lights.
Branwen’s gaze settled onto Merlo, giving her a considering, but friendly stare. After a moment, the pilot stopped staring out into space, and glanced back up at Branwen. “What is it, Captain?” Branwen thought she could detect hesitation in her tone.
In reply, Branwen softened her expression into a more comforting and sympathetic one. “You know, I cannot aid you if you will not confide in me.”
Merlo sighed, dropping her head for a moment before looking back up with an expression of resignation mixed with apology. “I’m sorry, Captain. You… well, the whole crew has really patient with me and my silence. I just… I mean, I dunno why I haven’t talked about some of this before, but I guess it just didn’t feel like I should—”
Mr. Leonard’s voice came over the com, elaborating on an accompanying visual alert that flashed across the screen, framed in a brightly-illuminated box. “Captain, Miss Merlo, I am sorry to interrupt, but it seems Altairan Ground Control has given us priority in the landing queue. Should I make the proper preparations?”
Branwen shared a long look with Merlo. “It seems like this is important to them,” the Captain commented with a bit of dry amusement.
“Yeah… I guess you really should know what’s going on, Captain.” Merlo sighed as she settled her hands familiarly onto the controls once more.
Branwen preemptively clutched the back of Merlo’s seat, then thought better of it and sat in the other bridge chair, settling in next to Merlo and fastening the harness. She still wasn’t sure whether she liked the harness; part of it made her feel safer, but that same part made her feel claustrophobic as well. She tried to just think of it like the harnesses you used to wear platemail, but it ended up feeling more like how she figured a saddle felt to a horse. “Well, yes, I would like to know.” Branwen shifted to get as comfortable as she could, and tried to relax as Merlo began their descent, the ship’s NADI guided onscreen by the efforts of a linked-in, simplistic, Altairan Virtual Intelligence. “I am not only curious, but as your friend, also interested. And, as I said, I would like to help you, but cannot if you will not confide in me.”
Breaking her gaze away from the screen, she turned to look at Merlo and was surprised to see her looking back, seeming rather touched. So she leaned over, pushing heavily against the resis
tance of her harness, and clasped the girl’s shoulder firmly, before letting the straps reassert their superiority and pull her snugly back into her seat.
“Captain, I— I’ll tell you everything once we land. Okay?”
“Sounds fine to me.” Branwen left her silvery-haired young pilot to her task, and waited in silence, feeling increasingly edgy the closer they came to smashing into the planet’s surface. Of course, they landed completely safely, as always, and Branwen mentally thanked both Merlo and the Fade for seeing her safely back to the ground and in one piece once again.
The rumble of the Destiny’s engines died, and the ship settled herself onto the wide expanse of one of the numerous Altairan docking towers. As it did so, Branwen freed herself from her seat, and crossed to the comm panel, and made her typical notification to the crew that they were safely settled in at their destination. Letting the other two members of her small crew know to get started and that she and Merlo would be down momentarily, she settled back into the empty chair, swiveling it to face her young friend.
Merlo likewise turned her chair to face Branwen as she knitted her fingers together and stared down at the shiny panels that made up the floor, seeming momentarily despondent or at a loss. “I kinda don’t know how, or where, to start, Captain,” she said, finally looking up and meeting Branwen’s eyes with a helpless expression.
Branwen smiled gently at the girl in return. “The easiest place to begin,” she declared, making a generalized, circular gesture with one hand, “is at the beginning. Or so I have heard. But, if you like, I can begin.” The girl looked at her curiously, leaning forward and resting her arms on her knees, a good position where she could alternate watching the Captain and staring at the blank expanse of the metal floor.
“You were trained from a young age, and spent most of your time with others that were likewise instructed. Most of your education focused around one subject, your piloting, though you were also obviously taught self-defense, at least. You were in either a military program, or something very much like it, where you were taught to follow orders given by superiors without hesitation.” Branwen paused to take a breath, as Merlo looked up at her, her eyes showing more amusement than surprise. “Finally, I do not know where you originate from, but I believe it lies beyond anywhere I have visited thus far on my travels.”
Merlo huffed and it turned into a brief chuckle. “Right, Captain, maybe you should tell my story instead.” But the expression behind all of it, Branwen saw, spoke volumes of her relief, as if a burden had been somehow lifted and now she could speak freely. Branwen filed that assessment away for later consideration.
“Hardly.” Branwen snorted with amusement at the compliment, though. “I expect there is much more I cannot see than what I can. I have simply observed people for a long time. And, if you would like and the Altairans will allow, I will accompany you to this meeting and see if I can help set everything aright, in case you should need me.”
Merlo nodded and puffed out a breath, not quite a sigh. “Okay then, here goes.” She stared at the floor for a couple of breaths, opening her mouth as if to speak, and then hesitating a couple of times before appearing to muster her nerve and continue. “It’s like you said. I’m not from anywhere you’ve visited. The thing is, I don’t think I’m from anywhere they’ve visited either.” She gestured toward the screen, which showed the azure skyline of the Altairan port, bristling with high tech, alloy-and-glass superstructures. “When I first arrived, they asked me all kinds of questions about which planet I had come from and where I got my tech. I’m not from this cluster, or the other one that’s paired with it. I’m from someplace else entirely.”
“Hmmmm. Neither Chimera nor Dreamcatcher clusters, then. Go on.” Branwen had harboured a few suspicions of the sort, though it was sometimes hard to connect her suspicions with her lack of sky-people knowledge.
“I’m from the Phoenix star cluster. My home planet is called Arlesha… and I guess I have a long story about why I’m here.” Merlo looked up to meet Branwen’s eyes. “My people are dying.” Looking into the sheen of the girl’s silvery eyes, Branwen could see a wet shimmer of heartfelt melancholy.
“Our planet is at the heart of the Phoenix cluster. There are a bunch of other worlds out there, but most of them are just rocks where primitive people lived. They survived, barely, but they were never self-sufficient. They couldn’t be. Those planets lacked enough resources to do without a lot of imports. Fortunately, the slips—er, the slipstreams, connected all of those systems with Arlesha. So we did a lot of trading and supplying to keep the primitives alive. Most of them were mining worlds of one kind or another, so they had a lot to trade, but most of what they needed was pretty basic to survival: food, water, medicine and stuff like that. The people out there couldn’t survive without trade. That’s why everyone panicked when all of the slipjumps suddenly collapsed, all at once.”
Eyebrows raised in surprise, Branwen nodded along, knee deep in sympathy. “I did not know they could simply collapse like that.” It was a thought that could make her vaguely nervous.
“Neither did anyone else, until it happened to us.” She sighed mournfully again. “The slipstreams that supplied the outer worlds collapsed and our neighbors were stranded, cut off from their necessities. Our tech wasn’t able to traverse that kind of distance reliably, and it was extremely slow to do so even with the ships that could manage it. The thing is, desperation will drive people to attempt the impossible. A bunch of folks from the outer worlds piled up in their ships and tried to make it to Arlesha. A lot of them ended up lost, their ships dead and them stranded in space, but a whole lot more actually managed to make it to our home world.”
Merlo shook her head, running a hand through her hair; she looked weighed down, as if by a heavy burden. “So the planet was suddenly flooded with all of these immigrants. They completely filled up the planet. I mean, our leaders ended up packing just about every square meter full of people, then we built more structures and packed them full too. Our world ended up overpopulated to the point of ruin. Arlesha could barely survive the enormous influx of settlers. So that’s where we came in. The Starlance initiative. They trained us to save the world, to be pilots and engineers and everything you’d need to fly a ship into unknown conditions and succeed.”
“Meanwhile, our scientists tried to figure out what caused the slipstreams to collapse. They worked on finding a solution, or a way to open them up again, but nothing worked. Eventually, they figured out a way to get the initiating point of a slipjump to form, but we had no idea where they led. When they finally got one stable enough to try it, they sent the best Starlance had to explore it. We were supposed find out if it led to anywhere that could help us survive.” She sighed and stared down at the floor for a moment, looking crushed and miserable. Merlo looked how failure felt, and Branwen put a comforting hand on her shoulder in sympathy.
“I piloted the Defiance through the jump just fine, but just as we were exiting, that slipstream collapsed too.” Her hands balled up in helpless, frustrated fists. “It could easily have torn us apart, but I got us out of there just in time. We were okay. But we needed to assess damages to the ship.”
“We saw a planet and tried to get to it so we could land, maybe try to make contact, maybe start our repairs. But as soon as we got close, we noticed the orbital defenses. Our computers didn’t pick up an IFF signal; it means identification, friend or foe.” She clarified, looking back up with sorrow-filled eyes at Branwen’s expression of confusion. “Our computers didn’t realize what the defenses were demanding until we were too close, and the planetary defense cannons opened fire on us. Tore the Defiance in half.” Merlo’s eyes grew wet, and Branwen moved from the clasping the girl’s shoulder to clasping her hand instead. “I only survived because my Captain locked me in the bridge and it sealed on impact.”
“Captain Elren… he was… the best. He was so smart, and just incredibly talented in tactical thinking and… I never knew anyone e
lse like him. I… I still can’t believe he’s dead. He realized what was happening before anyone else, and he chose to save me. Me! But it should have been me that died instead of him. We needed him for this mission. I’m just a pilot.” At this point, Merlo’s silvery eyes brimmed with barely contained distress as she sniffed back tears. The reciprocal grip on Branwen’s hand tightened almost to the point that it hurt, and staring at her, she knew that Merlo must have been holding all of this inside for months. Now that it was coming out, this young woman, her friend, was truly distraught.
But all Branwen could do was sit and listen, and hold her hand.
“The Altairans picked me up afterwards from where my part of the ship was drifting with the rest of the debris, and when I explained that we didn’t get their warning hails, they were upset, remorseful even, about having blown up our ship.” Raking her other arm across her eyes as she spoke, the comment came out sounding more angry than anything else.
“As if being sorry could make it better. My entire crew was dead! They took me to their planet and said they’d sort it all out. Give me ID and currency and stuff. But then they got to asking questions, and wondering about where I was from. Wanting to know about the Defiance’s tech. I wasn’t really comfortable telling them the whole story, but when I said I was from the Phoenix cluster, they investigated, but couldn’t find it on their star maps. Said that they’d never even heard of it.” Branwen watched her snort in disdain and misplaced anger.
“Since the people I talked to had no idea where I was from, they said they’d have to escalate it, or something. Find people who knew more. But from what I saw, they weren’t getting anything done.” Merlo sniffed again and swallowed her anguish, but it appeared to go down hard and transform into anger.
Destiny Abounds (Starlight Saga Book 1) Page 15
