Children of the White Star

by Linda Thackeray

  Leaving behind the observation deck, he made his way to the flight deck of the Orbital Station Ashyaen, above Brysdyn, so they could talk before the Asmoryll left.

  “Prime,” she bowed in adherence to protocol, even though he was family in her eyes. “I'm glad to see you here.”

  “I wish you'd call me Garryn.”

  “You will always be Garryn to me, even if I call you Prime,” she winked.

  “I'm glad,” he smiled back at her warmly. “I appreciate you doing this, Vyn. I know I'm probably being paranoid, but I just feel we need to take precautions.”

  “You still think that there is some kind of conspiracy?”

  While she was dubious about the whole idea of a conspiracy regarding the New Citizens of Cathomira, Vyndeka did see the reasons for his concern. He'd confided to her about the Dreamers, knowing she could be trusted. Furthermore, Vyndeka had to confess it was troubling the generation Brysdyn was counting on to save the Empire might be subject to some unknown ailment. That alone warranted the investigation.

  “I know that there's more to this than meets the eye” he confessed as they began walking towards the embarkation corridor. “If there is something on Cathomira affecting the New Citizens, it can't be ignored. I can appreciate the reason for caution after the Scourge, but something happened to us then that is affecting us now. We need to understand what it is before it gets worse. Although I don't entirely share Ashner's belief that Edwen might have something to do with it.”

  Vyndeka's expression darkened.

  “Never underestimate Edwen, Garryn. There are a handful of people in the Empire capable of keeping everyone from Cathomira, but only one who would dare. That's Edwen. He deals in shadows and dirty little whispers, Garryn. That's why he is still in charge of Security Elite. The only one who isn't afraid of him is your father. If Edwen is involved, the only reason that your mentalist friend is still alive is because of you.”

  Garry hoped it was not the case, for Kalistar's sake. Garryn cared for her, even if he did not love her, despite the intimacy they'd shared. “I hope you're wrong. Kalistar loves him dearly, even though she is aware of his reputation. For her sake, I hope Edwen is not involved.”

  * * *

  After saying his farewells to Vyndeka, Garryn went to the passenger deck where the science team was gathering before they boarded the ship.

  “Prime!”

  Garryn heard his name being called and turned to see the mentalist weaving through a collection of scientists to reach him. The academics were checking their equipment and talking amongst themselves as they waited to board. As always, they came with a dizzying array of scientific equipment packed in crates, awaiting loading into the Asmoryll by its crew. Jonen would be the only mentalist on board.

  “Are you all ready to go?” Garryn asked as Jonen approached him. His enthusiasm for the journey showed on his face and it pleased the Prime that Jonen seemed to be recovering his spirit following Mira's death.

  “Yes I am,” Jonen lifted one of his arms to show the bag he was carrying. “Although I wished it were possible for you to come with us.”

  “I don't know whether I want to be stuck on a ship with a gaggle of scientists for several weeks,” Garryn lied. He would have loved to make the journey himself.

  “Well, don't worry,” Jonen assured him, seeing through the lie. “I will try to find some of the answers to our questions.”

  “You better get going.” Jonen's reminder that he was being left behind stung acutely.

  “You're right,” Jonen agreed when he cast a glance over his shoulder and saw the forming queue of scientists being herded onto the embarkation ramp. “I almost forgot, these are copies of my case notes regarding the Dreamers. There's nothing in there you don't already know, but I thought you might find them interesting reading. Who knows, it could spark a memory.”

  He handed a clear, multifaceted archive crystal to the Prime.

  “Thank you.” Garryn was grateful for the copy. At least reading it would make him feel like he was contributing something to this expedition instead of being trapped at the Quorum.

  “Thank you for this opportunity, Garryn,” Jonen shook Garryn's hand vigorously, “I've always wanted to go to space to conduct some extraordinary research. Thank you for making this possible.”

  “Find out the truth, Jon, and that will be thanks enough.”

  “I'll do my best,” Jonen said before turning away to follow the procession into the Asmoryll.

  XV

  Core Breach

  The life of the Imperator and his family involved so many traditions and rituals, Iran was loath to force any more on them. Dinner was the one exception to the rule.

  Following the Scourge, both he and Aisha were so grateful to have a family they swore never to take the experience for granted. Even after her passing, he still insisted on continuing the tradition, even if her empty seat in their private dining room still tugged at his heart. Nearing the twilight of his life, he could not ignore some of his best memories took place at this table and he was reluctant to let go of it, even if both his children were adults.

  There was Elisha's declaration at seven of her intent to join the gypsy acrobats of Kree. At thirteen, she decided she would marry a scoundrel in a pirate ship, so they could embark on a life of adventure across the galaxy. Aisha's refusal to let nine-year old Garryn learn sword swallowing resulted in the boy embarking on a hunger fast lasting as long as it took for desert to be served. Now that would-be sword swallower was his grown up son and Prime.

  On this occasion, Kalistar was sharing the meal with them and Iran wondered if the friendship between Garryn and the young lady was much deeper than he'd realised. Not that Iran had any objection to this. Kalistar was a lovely young woman and her relationship to Edwen meant any engagement between the two might help restore the Imperator's and General's fractured friendship.

  For the moment, Garryn's intentions remained unclear. They continued with dinner as always, with Kalistar remaining quietly restrained. The colour of her cheeks indicated her anxiety at being present for such a cherished family tradition. Despite her dislike of court and its social gratification, she was unable to ignore the implications of her presence at the table. Dinner in the family room of the Lady Aisha's chambers was an intimate affair for the Imperator's family and not just anyone was invited to join it.

  “Lords! Garryn!” Elisha groaned with exasperation as Garryn recounted one of the more embarrassing exploits of her and Kalistar as children to her father. “Do you have to tell that story!”

  “Oh yes, he does. Your mother never told me that one.” The Imperator grinned.

  “No wonder,” Kalistar declared, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment at the Imperator's amused gaze. “Lady Aisha was extremely restrained, considering Eli and I stole all the desert for her tea with the ladies of the great houses.”

  “I found them sick to their stomachs,” Garryn added helpfully, “their faces blue with bristle berries, on the south balcony. I don't think I ever saw mother that mad.”

  Iran winced visibly. “She didn't get angry often, but I learned well enough not to get on her bad side. Considering she came from a people capable of managing their emotions, having her yell was enough to make even the bravest Brysdynian warrior flinch.”

  In the shadowed corners of the room, he could see some of the serving staff also sniggering with amusement and wondered how many of them actually remembered the occasion. It was nice to remember they were almost as much a part of their lives as his family. The laughter reminded him of the days when Aisha was at the table and, even though it wasn't the same with Kalistar sitting by Garryn, the Imperator was nonetheless pleased.

  When he heard voices coming from the door, Iran shifted his gaze to see Ashner entering the room after exchanging a few words with the Head Server to gain entry. The servers attending the meal were under strict instructions not to interrupt the family, so this intrusion by Ashner mean there was a good reaso
n for it.

  Their lively chatter died immediately when he appeared.

  “Ashner,” Iran stared at the man hard, “what's the matter?”

  “I'm sorry to intrude, Imperator,” the older man said with an apologetic bow, glancing quickly to Garryn before turning his gaze to Iran. “But this news could not wait.”

  The instant Ashner had appeared, Garryn knew something was wrong. His spine became ramrod straight in his chair and he stared at his aide, daring him to give his news. “What's happened?”

  Ashner approached the table a little closer, his expression grim. He knew the impact his words would have on the family, Garryn in particular, but there was no way around it. Nothing he said could alter its impact.

  “About twenty minutes ago, Ashyaen Station received a message from Outpost Wylo,” Ashner began.

  Outpost Wylo. Garryn immediately recognised it as one of their outermost space stations.

  Ashner drew in another deep breath before forcing the rest of his message past his lips, his eyes now staring at the table and not Garryn. “They have received a distress buoy dispatched from the Asmoryll. The buoy reports the destruction of the ship, with all hands lost.”

  Ashner raised his eyes to their faces then and saw the familiar emotions surfacing with such news. Shock, dismay and horror. They all knew that Admiral Vyndeka was on board with the best scientific minds in the Empire, to say nothing of the Asmoryll's crew, all gone forever.

  Garryn's expression was unreadable.

  His face was a mask of stone. Ashner saw something flash in his eyes and then vanish just as quickly. It was extinguished with control he'd never imagined Garryn possessed. There was no grief, no anger, no regret, just an impenetrable façade the older man could not read.

  “How?” Garryn asked, his voice barely a whisper.

  “According to the buoy, a core overload. We're unsure of the cause at this time. Judging by the damage, the distress buoy was launched quickly. There was no time for the Admiral to record a final log.”

  The buoys were launched when a ship had suffered catastrophic failure and destruction was eminent. It recorded everything about the ship's status until the seconds before launch. Internal and external ship communications, captain's logs, sensor scans and stellar positioning were recorded for engineers to analyse later and determine what had gone wrong.

  “An onboard malfunction,” Garryn mused slowly, taking it in. Raising his eyes to his aide, everything he needed to say was exchanged in a single glance between them.

  Sabotage.

  Elisha's and Kalistar's tears sounded a thousand miles away. Garryn could only think about the friends who had left him only weeks ago. Admiral Vyndeka, Vyn, his mother's best friend and newest ally. She'd promised to find him answers, even though he knew she didn't quite believe him about a conspiracy.

  And of course Jonen, the idealistic, kind man who'd set out to help him with the best of intentions and paid for it with his life.

  It was the mentalist who opened his eyes to something dark and sinister, lying beneath his memories of Cathomira. Not just his memories, but those of countless others across Brysdyn. Jonen who listened to him talk about the most intimate parts of his psyche and told him he was not crazy to feel overwhelmed by being Prime. The man hadn't just treated his condition as a Dreamer, but also listened to him expunge his anxieties about being Prime.

  Jonen had become his friend.

  “This is a terrible loss.” Iran shook his head, seeing the profound effect this was having on his son. “Ashner, please take steps to ensure the families of those on board receive my personal condolences. We must make full restitution for this tragedy.”

  Garryn left the table before he finished speaking.

  * * *

  When Kalistar found Garryn, he was staring out into the balcony of his room, looking down on the city below. Even though he reacted at the sound of her approach, he said nothing until she was standing next to him.

  “Your father is worried about you, Garryn,” Kalistar placed a hand on his shoulder.

  He flinched at her touch and flashed her a cold stare, prompting her to immediately remove it. She shuddered at the hatred behind that look, but dismissed it for what it was. He was grieving. “Vyndeka's death has hit Elisha hard. Your father is with her and I told him I'd see how you were.”

  “There is no need. I'm fine.”

  “Garryn, there's no shame in admitting your sorrow.”

  He turned to her slowly and the darkness in his eyes made her uneasy. It was the first time in her life she had seen him this way.

  “I am not grieving, Kal. I'm angry. Don't you understand? Don't you see? They were murdered!”

  His words hit her like a physical blow. She knew something of the irregularities he and Jonen had discovered, but had believed the answers would present themselves once they reached Cathomira. She'd never considered anything sinister about it, not until now. In fact, until he said the words, the conspiracy didn't seem real, just a vague shadow, like the nightmares they shared.

  “How could they be?” she stammered. “You heard Ashner. It was an onboard malfunction…”

  “I do not have time for this!”

  He brushed past her, entering his room again. Garryn had returned here to think about what he would do next. Everyone who came close to this died. He'd thought having the resources of the Prime would be enough to unravel this mystery and show the faces behind the shadows. Now he knew better. There was no ending to this, unless he finished it himself.

  He couldn't do it as Prime.

  Kalistar hurried after him and found him packing his belongings into a military issue duffel bag. For a moment, it almost did not register what he was doing, but as he stuffed more clothes into it, the reality dawned on her. He was leaving and he was leaving tonight.

  “You're going?”

  “I am going to find out the truth! I'm going to know why I dream about a planet that looks nothing like Cathomira! I want to know why a mentalist inquiring about Cathomira is murdered along with his secretary. I want to know what secret is worth murdering an entire ship, including the most decorated admiral in the fleet!”

  Kalistar was terrified now. Something inside told her if she let him go, there was a chance he might never come back. He was not rational and she could not understand what he thought he could accomplish on his own.

  “Garryn, ask your father for help! Ask anyone! Don't run away like this!”

  He was almost fully packed now, grabbing the last thing he needed to begin his journey. Garryn walked over to his bureau and reached into one of the drawers. He rummaged for a few minutes, ignoring Kalistar completely, before withdrawing his hand. He regarded the prism glittering in his palm for a few seconds before packing it as well.

  “I have to go now,” Garryn said, looking up at her.

  “Go? Go where?”

  “I have to find the truth. I won't let anyone else risk themselves for me. Whatever happens next will happen to me alone. I'm not going to let those people on the Asmoryll die for nothing. I will find the truth – not just for me, but for all the Dreamers.”

  Kalistar did not know when she started crying, but once she did, she couldn't stop.

  “Garryn I'll come with you. We'll find the truth together.” She tried to reach for him, a desperate attempt to hold him to her, but he backed away. Almost as if he knew what her power would be if she touched him.

  “Absolutely not,” the hard edge returned to his voice. “Do not think for a moment you or I are safe. If they dare to kill Vyndeka, then we are nothing to them.” He was glad he had so far managed to avoid bringing Edwen's name into this.

  Until he knew for certain, there was no reason to voice his suspicions regarding her father. “I need to know you're safe. I will leave instructions with Ashner. You'll move your things here and you'll stay here in the Domicile until I get back. I'm sure your father will understand.”

  “But…”

  “I am speaki
ng to you as the Prime. I have given you an order. You will obey me, Kalistar, and you will stay here until I get back. One other thing: I would prefer it if you do not tell your father that I'm gone.”

  Her eyes wrinkled in confusion at that. “What do you mean?”

  “For his safety,” Garryn lied before kissing her gently on her lips. For a moment, he felt his resolve falter, aware she was right. He was rushing into this propelled by grief and anger. Yet as he thought it, he knew if he didn't go now he would not have the strength to do it later.

  With that decree delivered, he reached for his bag and headed towards the door.

  “Garryn!”

  He paused at her words, closing his eyes to brace himself for what he had to say. Gazing at her, Garryn felt the first semblance of sorrow since learning his friends on the Asmoryll were dead.

  “Kal, I can't let this go and I owe it to them to find out the truth, whatever it might be.”

  At that, he disappeared out the door and Kalistar knew quite absolutely that she had lost him.

  XVI

  Home Base

  Leaving the Domicile, Garryn's destination was Paralyte's civilian spaceport, called Home Base by the pilots who worked out of the facility. Unlike Ashyaen, with its shiny walls, organised routines and its air of predictable military efficiency, Home Base was a monument to civilian disarray.

  Home Base operated around the clock. There were shuttles waiting here at its hangars and berths, carrying passengers to large, unseen cruisers orbiting Brysdyn. It was the largest spaceport on Brydsyn and also the main destination of travellers from the colony planets in the rest of the Empire. It was also a popular place for trade to be conducted, though not always legitimately. When he was still serving in the military, Garryn had come to Home Base either to drink or gamble with the local pilots.