Interstellar Starpilots

by F Stephan

  Intrigued, Leandra looked at her hostess. I’ve got nothing to lose. “All right, I won’t talk about it or report it, at least until I know more.”

  “I’ve been informed that the young pilot Brian has been being poisoned for some time now.”

  Leandra gasped.

  “My agents are accompanying him now to the space station, where he’ll stay until your Emily can join him. My people will protect him until this crisis is solved. We may very well discover in the coming days that this instability was deliberately induced.”

  “What?” blurted Leandra. “You say this like it’s a certainty. Our pilots are in danger here? Poison?” She was overwhelmed by the questions this news triggered.

  “We don’t know yet for sure, and this is the reason we’re sending your pilot to the station. My team is going to investigate, and I can assure you they’ll be most thorough. We won’t stop until we’ve found who acted and why.”

  “I had been told competition was fierce . . .”

  “No, Ambassador. This isn’t the usual competition. This is worse.”

  “I’ll need to tell my government what happened here.” Calm was coming back to Leandra.

  “I do understand, and we will send our apologies to your government. The Federation will also compensate the pilot for the danger he faced. The life of our pilots is sacred to us and we protect them as best as we can, whatever the Origin may say about us. We’ll handle the situation.”

  Leandra looked at Even. Whatever happened is worrying her more than sending apologies to a government or providing compensation. What’s going on?

  Even ate a little before continuing. “Now, what you tell me opens the way for another idea. Your other protégé is an interesting young woman. I believe she is interested in diplomacy?”

  “That she is, my lady. That she is,” answered Leandra with an ironic tone. She is the reason I’m here, she reminded herself.

  “The Diplomatic Services need from time to time young pilots to carry out a few jobs for us, using all of their abilities. This gives them exposure to cross-cultural negotiations and prepares them for a potential career as an ambassador. If she were to choose this path, it would both improve your planet’s standing and give her an effective way out.”

  “How long would she need to work for you to secure this future?”

  “I won’t lie. Between ten and twenty years. But not more.” The attaché had picked up a sweet and ate it slowly, calmly, as if the decision she was presenting was the easiest to make in the world.

  “She would become a spy, is that it? What would her family think? Her mother?” What am I committing her to?

  “My dear ambassador, you and I know she can’t go back to her mother. You’ve guessed it already, haven’t you? Yes, she couldn’t go back home while she worked for us. But I don’t think that would matter.”

  Leandra gulped. How much information did this woman gather?

  “I have no ill intention toward her, I can assure you. So, I’ll make you a rare offer. You’ll submit my proposal to her and you’ll advise her on it. I believe you care for her and you’ll help her make the right choice. I’ll have a small information package prepared for you. Review it and share it with her if you believe it to be in her interest.”

  Until this meeting, the attaché had been nearly invisible. She had now revealed a little of herself. She could promise, in an instant, things no one else could in the Federation. With the sun blazing over her silver skin, she literally shone.

  Brian

  Alkath orbit, 2140 AD, December

  Free! Brian had never felt so thrilled.

  “Do you like our station?” Brian looked at Kaili Tsun, his mentor. She was a tall and slender young woman from Calophe, an ice planet from the Baol sector where humans lived on a narrow equatorial band since its polar axis had shifted two millennia ago. She wore a short red skirt and blouse, highlighting her pale skin and dark hair. Her hair fell across her face, hiding her frightening fully dark pupils most of the time. As for Brian, he wore a local version of jeans and an open shirt, a welcome change from his student uniform. They were sitting at a café, close to the main hub of Alkath Central.

  “Are you joking?” He laughed. “I’m in Central Space Station. The one where the Federation launched its effort to bring all humans back together. This is so great!” He looked around to see all types of humans walking by. Many trade routes went through the station and the vast repair facility attracted even more ships. The Ancients had left it to run on its own and it has defied the millennia since then. Three thousand Federation personnel lived in it, a small contingent of workers lost in a huge place, with a constant rotation between the planet headquarters and the station. One of the cylinders was used for trade and business activities. The other was dedicated to the Federation.

  “A simple fair?” They had gone to a village fair that very morning.

  “It felt good to be there.” Brian had genuinely liked the gentle atmosphere, the expensive wooden objects, and the simple lunch they had shared as they watched the traders barter.

  “It’s a not so simple station, isn’t it?”

  “Exactly! It’s such a wonderful place to live. Where are we going now?” asked Brian. Kaili had asked him to meet her after lunch at this café but without saying more.

  “Surprise! Quick now. We have half an hour to be in position.” It was always like this with her. They would sit idle somewhere for an hour and then suddenly rush to another place. She was either in a hurry or just enjoying the warmth of the station. But Brian couldn’t complain. She had been waiting for him at the top of the star elevator after another awful trip. With a bit of paranoia after the past events, he had asked her to clear her identity with Loupiac before following her. She had welcomed the idea and his mentor had quickly confirmed who she was. After that, she had taken him to the station, and in the week since, she had organized his days until Mathias and Emily could join him. She was funny and clearly enjoying the respite from whatever other tasks she was usually doing. He had asked what that was, but she had diverted the discussion every time. But one thing was sure, she had accesses to many restricted parts of the station.

  Now, following her, he rushed past the citizens on the main avenue toward the central tube. Suddenly, he left the crowd for the Ancient corridors and the familiar double doors that marked their architecture. Soon, he was deep down in the bowels of the station. After two flights of stairs, they reached the main tube station, the one that allowed fast travel between the different sides of the cylinders. Kaili pointed to a dark passage to the side, which lit up as soon as they crossed into it. After passing through a set of secure doors, they found stairs and went below the surface of the station toward the external shell. With their sustained pace, they soon reached a new tube. The repair nanobots might keep it in pristine conditions but Brian could see some dust on the floor. Whatever it was, it was seldom used. A trap? Where are we?

  As if guessing his thoughts, Kaili shushed him. “Departure in five minutes! Move.”

  She went inside the metal bullet and motioned to a seat. Brian settled himself in it while she adjusted his harness. Then, she strapped herself in and smiled.

  “Can you tell me how the station was built?” she asked in a conspiratorial tone.

  “Two twenty-kilometers-long cylinders are in constant rotation around an axis between them. Both are linked by nanite cables, of the same kind as the one used for the space elevator, and kept in motion by tiny ion thrusters all around them.”

  Before he could say anything more, they flew out of the tube and into the void. She distracted me to avoid questions. Suddenly, Brian saw the station above him, and looking down, the other cylinder. They were riding on the nanolink between the cylinders. After a few minutes, they reached the middle point and a tiny satellite.

  “This is a maintenance compartment. It holds the observation monitors that keep the cylinder in sync. It also manufactures nano repair equipment for the link. B
ut the real fun is the sealed breathable compartment. Come, we have a few minutes left.”

  Intrigued, Brian left the metal bullet, crossed the dreary engineering section, and went into the small habitat. An airlock let them inside the breathable area. A few rooms had been set up there, a main salon, a kitchen, a few dormitories in case of emergency. It was a small and cramped space, which Kaili toured quickly before settling in the main salon.

  “Sit beside me, please.”

  Large cushion and heavy rugs filled the room, as in many spaceships Brian had seen, and he quickly settled close to his guide, slightly uneasy with her proximity, smelling whiffs of perfume. He was ready to ask her about the place when she put her finger on his lips. Before his eyes, a metal cover slid open and revealed the space in front of them.

  Alkath was dark in front of them. Then, a ring of fire began to appear around it and the sun rose slowly above and around the planet, lightning the space station and the two cylinders around them. Blue oceans, red continents, and shining metal close by.

  Kaili was looking at him, happy to see him amazed. After a long while, she bent toward him. “The bullet has left and will be back in an hour. Any ideas for how we could spend the time here?”

  He hesitated, and she kissed him languorously. “I’ve been wanted to do this for a while now,” she whispered in his ear, laughing.

  Later, a long time later, they went back to the main station hand in hand. Riding the bullet back to the main cylinder, Brian knew he belonged in space, in this place among the stars. Not at the academy, the pilot guild, or the Federation. But out there, looking at stars and planets and Ancient marvels.

  Emily

  Alkath orbit, 2140 AD, December

  I love to ride that elevator. Emily was free of her exams, free of gravity, and happy to rejoin her friends. But more than that, she enjoyed the pressure she felt during take-off, the progressive weightlessness when the capsule left the atmosphere, and the reversal at the midpoint. Sometimes, rarely, her father had taken her to amusement parks, a rare treat of which she had fond memories. Now, she rode the biggest roller coaster of the universe. Wary of null-G, she had tied her hair in a short ponytail.

  Once she arrived at the top station, she quickly crossed it and went to the shuttle that connected to the trade cylinder. She moved hidden in the crowd, listening to the chatter around her, unnoticed among all the space crews. People were moving back to their business in the station or coming for a few days to work. She saw travelers from Ullem and Volpre, and a few from farther away, notably Adheek and Baol.

  She rehearsed her speech. On Adheek with Brian, she had made a mistake during their stay at the Crater. She had begun a relationship with him and stopped it immediately after, afraid of its consequences. Today, I’m going to change that. It was a mistake.

  She was clear on everything she wanted to say and how she would say it, drifting in the welcome weightlessness. She looked forward to their coming reunion. Then she saw, waiting for her, Brian with his arm around the shoulder of a lovely woman. They were beaming at each other in a way only newly formed couples do. Emily swore under her breath for a full minute with the foulest words she knew. Then, as the airlock connected and cycled, she took a deep breath to readjust her thoughts. At last, she jumped calmly and coolly out of the shuttle.

  “Hello, Brian. How were your holidays?” she said lightly.

  He rushed to her and surprised her with a bear hug. “Fine, Emily, just fine.” I’m not a stranger yet. “Would you allow me to introduce you to my friend Kaili?”

  She swallowed hard. “Yes, please.” She hadn’t seen him this well for a long time. She was at ease in deep space, but he thrived in it. “Well, since she’s just two meters away from us, that would be fair, wouldn’t it?” She smiled at the newcomer and received the same back. Shining outward and deeply cold inside. At least there isn’t any pretense between us. Hell, I missed my chance, but I cannot hold him back. Her second smile was warmer. This period of time was a rare opportunity and she would enjoy it as best she could.

  Absorbed by the situation, Emily didn’t notice a white-robed man, at the edge of the crowd, observing her reunion with her friend. This was the same man who had trailed her several times in Shaian. In a minute, he disappeared into the station.

  Mathias

  Alkath orbit, 2140 AD, December

  Mathias marveled at the thriving civilian central hub on Alkath. On the very first day of his arrival, he had met individuals from at least twenty different planets, and he loved it. Now, he sat in a restaurant high above in the cylinder facing the inside of the station. In front of him, he saw multiple habitats, hanging on the cliff, farmlands, and small factories. To the other side, he overlooked the warehouses and the walkways to the ships. He was so enthralled by what he saw he didn’t register the arrival of his visitors until he heard a cough behind him. Brian, Emily, and a young girl he didn’t know stood in front of his table, and he hastily rose to greet them. All were clad in the standard station shorts and shirts, adapted to the humid and warm atmosphere.

  Brian introduced Kaili, from a planet Mathias didn’t know. He laughed and greeted her, delighted. The meal was joyous, and they shared stories of Alkath and the academy. Then, as the habitat darkened for the night to allow all organism a period of rest, Kaili bid them farewell and quickly left. Brian looked hurt for a moment before rising to accompany her to her departure lounge.

  “What’s happening?” Mathias asked Emily.

  “She’s flying to the other side of the Federation. It could be a year or two before they see each other again.” She doesn’t sound that displeased to see the other girl leave, thought Mathias.

  “Illoma all over again?” That relationship had ended when Illoma had left for another ship. Brian had been extremely affected at that time and Mathias wondered if a second crisis was in sight.

  “Not really. This seems a lot more positive for him. We’ll see. Don’t worry.”

  “You’re not that supportive, you know that?”

  “He doesn’t need our pity. He needs us to accept his choices. He has received too much pity and condescension in recent times.” Her tone was sour.

  “Huh? Care to fill me in?”

  While watching for Brian’s return, she quickly outlined the events that had occurred since their arrival on Alkath. Mathias gasped at the news, but before he could dig into it, Brian returned, his eyes slightly red, and sat with false cheerfulness. Emily quickly changed the subject. “So, tell us about home! What news of everyone?”

  “You have to remember I left some months ago. My information is old.” He temporized a little. “ There was good news, but a storm was brewing. Space station Acheron was running before I left, but Wilfried and Tasha are isolated in it, trying to finish it. Leopold flies a lot to the asteroid belt, starting to trade with the mining crew.” He lowered his eyes and added sadly, “On Earth, a new activist lobby called Earth First is making trouble for the Federation and your friends. They want Earth to focus on healing our ecology, which is still deteriorating though more slowly, instead of losing time in space. I was happy to leave. Trouble is brewing.”

  “Isn’t it a good idea? To solve our problem first?” asked Brian.

  “Good, yes. But it’s we’re already doing it. Space trading is just a side option for us at this stage. Yet, in this crisis with bees, we had no option back on Earth. We need these options.”

  Silence settled over them. The situation was bad back home. So bad, Earth had few ways out.

  “You came back to Earth to help Li Bao. How is she?” Emily’s voice might be a sweet soprano, but her tone was harder than cold iron. Li Bao had become addicted to nanites, and Don Mariano, the ambassador on Adheek, had sent Mathias to chaperone her. You have the soul of a shepherd, my dear.

  “She’s now clean from her nanite addiction. She has been for more than a year now. The Federation and the government thought my time would be better used flying here. I hope she’ll be okay.” H
is shoulder sagged. I hope but I will never be sure.

  “You can’t choose for her. She has to make her own decision.” Emily’s voice was still hard, but she laid a gentle hand on his. “What will you do when you come back to Earth?”

  He looked at them, all his strain showing now. “I don’t know. A guy tainted by his stay on a foreign planet is not really welcome on most of the planet, not now.”

  Brian exploded into laughter, doubling over. The two wondered at the spell that had overtaken him. “Space pirates, crazy IAs, nanite poisoning—and that’s just the beginning. All of this for a planet that doesn’t want us back!” He turned toward Emily. “Why are we doing all of this?”

  She looked at him for a long moment then burst out laughing as well. After a few seconds, Mathias joined them. If the universe was absurd, why shouldn’t they laugh at it?

  Then, Mathias sobered. “Duty. Because there’s no way we can survive simply on our own.” His words sobered them all, and the artificial night descended on the station.

  Brian

  Alkath orbit, 2140 AD, January

  At the end of their too-short break, Brian boarded the elevator like a man condemned. Emily took his arm lightly and pushed him inside. Today, there were ten people riding the elevator down, including two happy kids chatting together. The pilot nodded at them, absorbed in the preflight checklist. Emily recognized and waved at Taz, the academy employee who had processed them upon their arrival. For once, Brian felt happy to see a familiar face.

  “Come on, we will soon be downside. Leandra has found us a wonderful restaurant for lunch.”

  Brian grunted.

  “Stop this. You’re going to like it and Shanak will join us as well. This is a fresh start for you, Brian.” Emily beamed at him, positively radiant. She was back in her university uniform, with an amber scarf holding her hair back, and she looked lovely. He missed Kaili though, he thought, ashamed of not having been sadder at her departure.