Interstellar Starpilots

by F Stephan

  Brian closed his eyes, listening from the distance to the jokes between his friends and concentrating on fighting his growing nausea. The medicine and the nanites helped. But waves came after waves and his discomfort grew.

  “Prepare for braking operations. In five, four, three, two, and one.” Brian felt the pressure increase. They needed to reach the right reentry speed in the atmosphere or they would burn up in seconds.

  With the reentry and the braking, the elevator began to shake horribly. Brian closed his eyes and prayed, until, to his relief, a deep clank signaled the arrival on the planet’s surface.

  Illoma

  Alkath, 2140 AD, August

  Illoma walked out of the star elevator building and into a large plaza overlooking the cyan sea. It was summer on Alkath. The temperature was warm and welcoming. She had grown up on a planet enduring an ice age. She basked in this heat. Being here was all she had ever wanted. The gravity was close enough to Pelor to be quite comfortable, as her father had predicted in his last letter. She took a deep breath. The air had a slightly iodized odor, a tint of lichen and of freshwater. It felt clean under the sun high above steel-blue clouds.

  A crowd milled around the elevator, waiting for the travelers. Shouts welcomed some of them while kids jumped into their parents’ arms, laughing in delight. After the stressful trip down, Illoma was enjoying the merry atmosphere, when suddenly a shout of anguish broke the mood.

  “Beware, beware! The great elevator fell on Ullem and plunged the planet into millennia of chaos. Beware the elevator. The same fate awaits you." She recognized immediately the red robot eating the world on the coat of the preacher. A priest of the Origin was waiting for all of them. He was a small man, bald, dressed in a simple white woolen robe and plain leather shoes. He wasn’t physically intimidating, but his voice carried far, and people recoiled from him.

  “Please. You’re not allowed so close to the star elevator. Please, return to your authorized area." A man had come from the side of the building. He wore simple dark woolen trousers and a tunic with a leather belt and a small pistol hanging from it. The authority in his voice was unmistakable, and the priest bowed his head. He moved back toward what seemed to be an exit.

  “He has done his deed and startled us all. No need for him to remain.” Sonter leaned close to Illoma, his voice full of scorn for the cult. Sonter had grown up on Adheek, where the priesthood had always threatened the merchant guild and his family of starpilots. The hatred for the cult was one of the rare emotions he ever showed.

  Sonter and Illoma were so focused on the man’s departure they didn’t see a tall woman approach them.

  “Welcome, travelers." She was young, in her early twenties, with aquamarine hair. Her eyes were entirely black, with no whites, in striking contrast with a golden, oval face. Like most people on the plaza, she wore a simple woolen robe, this one azure, and it showed her to be a Federation representative. She bowed deeply in front of them. They returned the gesture. Illoma found the woman’s eyes unsettling and had difficulties focusing on her words.

  “We are happy to see you safe on Shaian’an’rim, the foot of the elevator. My name is Azal’am, of the Narim family, and I’ll bring you to the transfer boat to the academy today.”

  Then, she called them each by name, turning to face each of them as she spoke. She didn’t wear a bracelet and Illoma darted a quick look with her nanites. She was using some nanites of her own to connect with the data network from the planet. Illoma tried to imitate her and was rewarded by a sudden jolt.

  Azal’am looked at him sternly. “Pilot Illoma, it’s forbidden to use nanites on the planet unless cleared by the Federation Council or your instructors at the academy. Please do not attempt to reconnect to the network unless requested to or in an emergency. All of you have now been officially notified." The last sentences were recited word by word, a teacher reminding youngster of basic rules.

  “Lady Azal’am, can I ask why?”

  “Yes, Pilot. Please, call me Azal’am. On Alkath, we believe in explaining once." And afterward? What don’t you say? thought Illoma. “A network connection like yours leaks a lot of nanites into the surroundings. Energy usage and nanites leakage are reduced to a minimum. We are an efficient planet." She said the last sentence proudly, a lesson for the outer world.

  Illoma winced both at the lesson and the rule. She had become used to the comfort of the nanite connection to the network and living without it wouldn’t be fun. She darted a look at Brian, standing by Leandra’s side. As if she had read her mind, the guide turned to the ambassador and bowed again.

  “Madam Ambassador, welcome to our planet. My apologies on behalf of my esteemed mistress, Even Lel’plan. She had to attend an emergency meeting of the council. She hopes to join you here later today. You’re the first of your planet and she would like time with you, both to welcome you and to let you know all the rules and regulations. She asks for your patience until she’s free. Would you like to accompany us on this tour?”

  Her voice was melodic, perfectly pitched, but her words sounded archaic. Illoma couldn’t help feeling the lady was haughty. It could have been because she had to strain to understand the woman’s words. Glancing around, she could see a similar reaction from Shanak and a few others. Sonter, close to her, seemed relaxed, probably trained by his father for this early on.

  Leandra bowed her head. “We live to serve. I understand priorities. I’m happy to come with you and discover your beautiful world until I can meet with your mistress."

  “Thank you for your patience. ‘Shaian’an’rim’ means the foot of the sky on the island’s tongue. Today, it’s often nicknamed ‘Shaian,’ or feet. Behind us, we have the cable-car station. And a klick above us, at the other end of the cable, you’ll recognize the star elevator on which you traveled today. If you turn back, a road, called the Path, leads all the way down from here to the harbor. As we go down, we will pass many other roads. Most of them will return to the Path directly, except for the Rings, which make a circle around the island. The setup is fairly simple.” She started moving downward toward the exit without looking back at them. They followed.

  Emily was dazzled by their surroundings. “This is like the Hawaiian Islands on Earth. The elevator is on top of the mountain with impregnable cliffs.”

  Shanak chimed in, “And the only way in is the cable car. Very defensible. No one could come here uninvited." Illoma often found Shanak’s focus on the tactical single-minded, but she had to admit he was right. Why such protection for the installation? What did they fear so much? There was also an Ancient fortress on Pelor, abandoned and decrepit. Why had such a powerful civilization needed so many protections?

  They were walking between low hills winding around the main peak, with small two-story houses on either sides of the road. They seemed recent, perhaps a few centuries old. Most of the rooftops were covered in vegetation, often with gardens. Whenever possible, the houses were dug partially into the hills. For cooler air. Sometimes, the road went underground into deep natural caves, which thousands of apartments. Small windmills, of a design unknown to Illoma, pushed a cool and refreshing air into the caves. Many shops opened onto the streets, with old-fashioned signs in the Ancient tongue.

  “It looks like an antique city.” Illoma turned to Sonter. “Everything seems so primitive. Signs hanging in the road?”

  “Look at the windmills, look inside the shops. Pay attention. There is plenty of high tech here. They are just not advertising it."

  Their guide turned to face them, looking schoolmarmish. “You have to understand one thing about our planet. We had no fossil energy. So little, we burned it in less than a century. Everyone here receives a yearly quota of energy and uses it as they want. But no one goes beyond it.”

  “It doesn’t look very fun to live here.” Brian looked disappointed.

  “According to your definition, maybe not. We aren’t constantly flaunting our energy as some other worlds do, but we live a long and heal
thy life, and we have a lot going on here. It may be a simpler life than on your planets. But, watch us and listen to us! You’ll see.” Their guide was upset. Illoma could see it. The center of the Federation was not the opulent planet she had somehow expected.

  Shanak murmured as he walked by, “I can’t wait to discover their hobbies. Knitting wool garments?” She smiled at the joke. Only the Federation kept Iliken and Pelor from each other’s throat, and it had taken her three years to reach a point with Shanak where they could share jokes.

  Suddenly, they reached the harbor area, the Path opening to a large market square, and they found hundreds of small bars and restaurants before them. Sonter’s, Shanak’s, and Brian’s faces lit up. Before they could stop at any one of them, their guide whisked them away toward the docks. Several wooden boats were rocking slowly under the swell. Illoma looked up to the three small moons visible in the sky. Enough to make tides overly complex.

  Reaching the end of the docks, Azal’am turned toward them. “Here is your boat." She gestured toward a green boat waiting nearby. Its keel seemed traditional, compared to what Illoma had seen on Adheek, but instead of a mast, it bore several windmills like the ones they had seen in town. “You have a good two hours’ transit to the academy. Lunch awaits you there. Have a good trip and farewell. Ambassador, would you come with me? I’ve received a new message from my mistress. She sent a boat to carry us to Netrash, the island of the Federation Council.” She was clearly in a hurry. She also was authorized to use the network connection at all times. There were rules, and there were those who were beyond them.

  As soon as all students had gathered on deck, the captain shoved the boat away. In a couple of minutes, they had left the harbor through a rocky channel and headed out to sea.

  As they cleared the last rock of the dam, a robed Origin priest rose and moved back toward the city and his chapter. He had not been sure of having found his quarry at Shaian, and he had followed them to get a better idea. Now, he could return for his report. He would have to encode his message to include it in the Core Data Sphere message before sending it to his order’s headquarters.

  Brian

  Alkath, 2140 AD, August

  After its departure, the boat followed a line of volcanic islands for an hour and a half. At last, the academy appeared on the horizon. Emily whooped in delight when she saw it.

  “Look over there.” She pointed out toward the island. It had the shape of a dome, with steep cliffs rising half a klick above the sea, and they could easily make out the main buildings. “Do you see the wings where we will live?” Her hair was loose and flew all around her in the wind.

  “We poor students, you mean?” said Shanak quietly.

  “Not only we! Engineers, medics, environmentalists, navigators. All crews living and learning together! It will be so great."

  Shanak interjected, craning his neck to see better, “I’m more interested in the greater circle, inside the perimeters of the wings. I want to see those simulators.” They had watched hundreds of shows about them. They were much bigger than the ones on Alkath and would allow a full team to work together on a virtual spaceship’s bridge. Many of the students nodded in agreement at his words.

  “For my part, I’ll be happy to see the Star Chamber in the inner ring.” The Chamber was a massive navigator’s paradise with the most precise 3-D of stars available in the Federation. The first explorers from Alkath had integrated all other data retrieved during their travel, making it the most detailed astrogation map in the Federation. In a few hours, I’ll be working in it, Brian thought.

  “I guess—I want to see it all,” laughed Emily, binding her hair again and setting her uniform straight for the arrival.

  The excitement grew minute by minute until the boat touched a large U-shaped wharf. Dozens of ships were already moored. The captain forced the boat’s way through them, swearing strange curses the whole time, to finally toss a line.

  “Pilots, please, get out, and fast! I have to withdraw and let the remaining ships access the quay.” Shanak jumped to the wharf with his bags, followed by Sonter. Behind them, a little confusion over precedence delayed Brian and Illoma for an instant. The captain roared at them, “Move, now, or I drop you in the harbor!” Brian took Illoma’s hand without thinking and jumped, followed by the remaining others rapidly, while Emily finished tossing all bags to Shanak and Sonter. Last to leave, she jumped, and the boat pushed back without a farewell.

  “What a strange welcome,” mused Brian aloud, suddenly conscious he was still holding Illoma’s hand. He released it with a quick rumble of an apology, feeling everyone’s eyes upon him and blushing furiously.

  “Our apologies, honored travelers." A small man with golden skin and blue eyes without whites was coming toward them. “The harbor is small and a bit rowdy today. Would you please follow the trail to the reception above? We ask your kind patience as a lot of travelers have arrived in the last hour while we upgraded to the new Core Data Sphere’s version. We have had a major disruption since then in our consoles. We are processing everyone as fast as we can but it’s taking longer than is customary."

  Brian looked around. The harbor was indeed ridiculously small, a shelter for a dozen boats, and behind them, he could see another boat moving toward the wharf.

  “Well, looks like we don’t have much choice, do we?” he said, amused.

  “No. Unfortunately not. Again, our apologies. Would you proceed, please?” The man pointed toward a path uphill while walking to the next group of students disembarking farther down the wharf. Brian followed his directions, quickly joined by the other students. A few hundred yards farther, they found a line of students chatting together as they waited before a white building. A few officials, spread here and there, tried to keep a semblance of order.

  “Hello . . . Where are you from? Are you ready for waiting in line with everyone?” Shouts echoed from all along the line, many mocking, many inquiring. Sonter and Emily moved up to try and learn more of their next steps. A few minutes later, they came back. “Apparently we have to wait until our files can be processed at the welcome center. They’re downloaded manually from the station via the satellite dish above us. Then a guide will bring us to our flats. If you need, there are restrooms in the small guesthouse on the side there. We have quite a wait in front of us.”

  Brian dropped his bags and sat on them, looking around. On both sides of the reception area, cliffs separated the lower part of the island from the academy itself. Below, he could see plenty of gardens and orchards with farmers working quietly under the sun.

  “Look at those cliffs." Shanak pointed. “The Ancients were supposedly peaceful. But you could easily defend this place against a ground assault. It has a single point of entry amid cliffs. I suspect we will enter through a tunnel into the upper area.”

  “You are a suspicious one, aren’t you?” Brian answered, smiling. “What of an airborne assault?”

  “You’ve seen their spaceships. They were not designed for atmospheric entry. To attack this place, you would have needed planes. I bet we’ll find air defenses on top of the buildings once we’re on the plateau,.”

  Brian thought for a moment, recalling the academy on Adheek, and nodded. It had also been protected heavily. But from what?

  A commotion broke out behind them, and Brian came back from his reverie. A group of students was moving upward, greeting all the officials and bypassing everyone else. Most of them had golden skin, natives of Alkath, or silver skin, showing them to be from Ullem.

  “Please, let pilots of higher ranks move on," the official closest to Brian called to them softly. So, this is how it works. Different classes and privileges. As if reading his mind, Sonter grimaced as he watched the others, in their dark green uniforms, pass them by.

  Suddenly, one of them, a girl with brown skin and coppery eyes and hair, looked at Sonter and stopped. “By the Great Vision, you’re Sonter, aren’t you? Kilet Namek’s son?”

  “You would be
. . .” Sonter strove for words. “Poulem Lel’san of the San Trading Clan? It’s been a long while. How’s your uncle?”

  “Replacing our father in running the family ship. The last time I saw you, you were flying to Alkath Central. Eight years ago, wasn’t it? So glad to see you here. And so sad for your brother and aunt.” She hugged him briefly while calling to her friends. “Have you met my friend, the esteemed Sonter Namek, son of the Guild Master of Adheek?”

  Brian looked at her. She was a stunning beauty. How could Sonter forget anyone like her? The group stopped and another student, with the same coppery eyes and hair, walked toward them.

  “Is that you, my dear friend?” the student said. Sonter’s face darkened instantly and he took a step back. “Haven’t you grown since the last time? Is the rumor true? Did you fight pirates and a rogue AI?” This young man was charismatic, speaking with a clear and powerful voice, in contrast to the now withdrawn Sonter. Poulem had also taken a step back to leave room for her comrade, who seemed to be the leader of the students.

  The answer came, formal and cold. “So glad to meet you, Alvam. My greetings to the Lel’trom Clan. Your father must be honored to have you here.” Then he added with a bow, “It looks like merchants from Ullem are in force here this year."

  As Sonter spoke, Alvam had already shifted his attention, scanning the rest of the group. Looking at Brian, he said, “This must be Brian Evans. Your comrade in that adventure.”

  Brian got up dubiously. “You’ve heard of me?”

  Alvam gave Brian a big hug, catching him by surprise. “Wonderful. We have the heroes of the Federation with us this year. This is so great!” Then he released Brian and turned to the official. “Taz, the academy cannot let Sonter Namek and Brian Evans wait like this. I won’t stand for it.”

  The offical looked at him, confused. “Pilot, the headmistress did not give any specific instructions regarding anyone."