The Lost Aria (Earth Song Book 3)

by Mark Wandrey

  “No, way, way, past that.”

  “I don't understand.”

  “Neither do I; entirely. Anyway, we had a change of plans, which should explain our long absence. We have a few dozen Rasa refugees on board, including women and fertile eggs. We'll have to work something out for them.”

  “That won't prove a problem for you,” he said with a chuckle.

  Minu cocked her head, confused by the tone. “So we'll be down in a shuttle at Steven's Pass before too long. You might want to have a guard there to take custody of me. As I stated in my message, I assume full respons-”

  “Will you shut up for a second?” Minu clammed up. He still didn't sound upset. “Send us as close of a time of landing as possible so we can get the party waiting. We've been planning it for years.”

  “Uhm, party?”

  “Yes party, you crazy girl. At least a dozen hospitals have been named after you, and God knows how many babies.”

  “Okay, I'm officially confused. I'm a criminal, stole a bunch of equipment, and ran off without permission...”

  “Sure, and then you sent back the codex, remember? Minu, you've saved thousands of lives! It’s been all but a renaissance down here. You're a hero, kid. Bigger than Mindy Harper! Hurry home.”

  The quad and landing area of Steven's Pass was filled to overflowing with a tide of humanity. As the shuttle turned around on final, Minu looked at the monitor and hissed in annoyance. Twenty thousand was probably a conservative estimate. Every square inch of the immediate landing area except enough space for the shuttle was covered in chairs and guests. Beyond were erected temporary bleachers filled with thousands more. There were also dozens if not hundreds of large and small flying vehicles, some covered with more people vying for a view, others carrying news crews. “Oh shit,” she moaned.

  “This is awesome,” Aaron chuckled as he guided the shuttle around into a tight approach. The Chosen traffic control officer had warned him that things were a bit out of control, he'd understated the situation. “Good thing you're not bad with crowds, speeches, or reporters.”

  “Asshole.” He shook his head but she reached over from the passenger seat to stroke his bristled cheek. “Good to be home.”

  “Absolutely. We pray for one last landing, On the globe that gave us birth, Let us rest our eyes on the fleecy skies, And the cool, green hills of Bellatrix.”

  Pip made a rude noise and chuckled from his seat behind them. “Plagiarist,” Minu smiled, she'd read everything by Heinlein years ago. No one else in the back made any comments. Minu could feel nervousness radiating from the rear of the craft.

  Aaron did his usual expert piloting job and brought the shuttle down smooth as silk, the landing almost undetectable. Minu stood and turned around, no one else was even moving towards the door. This was all her dance. She moved to the door and took a couple deep breaths. There was no sound from outside. Either the ship was muffling it, or the crowd was perfectly quiet. Then a hand landed on her shoulder, rough and aged. “You'll do fine, young lady.” She turned her head and smiled at Bjorn, giving him a nod. And with no further hesitation she pushed the button.

  Of course it was a circus. What else could it have been? She'd stepped out onto the top step of the shuttle ramp, looked around, and waved. The roar from the crowd almost knocked her back into the shuttle. The video coverage later only showed a little of her terror at that moment.

  The walk down the stairs and along the long red carpet (which idiot found a fifty meter red carpet?) to a stand where the entire Chosen council waited. She climbed the stand, stood before Jacob, and performed a rare Chosen salute, knife edge of palm against forehead at a jaunty angle. “Minu Alma, reporting back from off world.” She instantly recognized his barely contained anger, and also marveled at his change in appearances. Gray had touched his hair in the five years she was gone, though for her it was only months. Just for affect, she gave him a big wink. The press obligingly caught her wink, but not his grimace. Dram smiled and gave her his own wink. He'd added a few lines to his tough face.

  Her crew and friends came out one after the other, each to more applause. They gathered together, scattered groups of intense applause coming from the crowd where their family or friends had gathered. Following the first awkward greetings, the most uncomfortable being Jasmine Osgood, head of the Science branch who just glared at her with open hostility, came speeches. Luckily they gave her and her team seats while dignitary after politician sang Minu's praises and the benefits of the codex she’d found. They also had no small amount of praise for First among the Chosen Jacob who had managed to salvage the situation by lying and saying the whole mission was his idea.

  And finally, unfortunately, Jacob was standing at the podium and saying, “And now, we'd like to give the Chosen a chance to say a few words herself. Ladies and gentleman, Chosen Minu Alma.”

  Minu was forced to wait a full five minutes before the screams and applause wore down at long last. She stepped closer to the pickup behind the podium, scrunching up her face at how it was set to the height of an average man, putting it too high for her modest one hundred fifty seven centimeters. She cleared her throat and went for it.

  “I'm overwhelmed,” she said, and had to wait another minute before she could continue. “I took this mission to save a friend.” She waved a hand towards where Pip sat. He was wearing a hat to cover the dualloy skull plate and looked uncomfortable in the bright sun. He smiled and nodded at her. Pip's rooting section roared their approval. She recognized his parents and girlfriend. “I didn't really think a lot about any other results. I hoped, sure, who wouldn't in that situation? Every Chosen learns from day one that humanity has suffered from the lack of a codex. All the magic of the Concordia, and most of it useless to us. I guess I just couldn't take that for an answer when I wanted my friend back. If there is anyone who deserves these honors, it would be Pip. Thank you.” She walked over during the applause to Pip who stood as she approached and the two hugged. The crowd approved whole heartedly. Later when she watched the news coverage she spat at some of the commentators who speculated if they were romantically involved.

  Before she could take her seat, Jacob was there next to her along with the council members. “There is one more piece of business,” he announced, a remote mike picking up his words. She came to a loose attention, wondering what twist he had for her now. “The council has unanimously decided, in recognition of bravery, dedication to duty, and extremely creative interpretation of standing orders,” Minu smirked a little, until he held out a box. She took it with shaking hands and opened it. A set of two golden stars gleamed inside. “We hereby present to you the rank of two stars in the Chosen and appoint you to the leadership council.” Minu was staggered and almost didn't take his hand when it was offered. The press was filling in the details that she was the youngest female two star ever, five years younger than the next closest, Jasmine Osgood.

  The crowd roar was the loudest so far, but she still somehow heard Dram from Jacob's side. “There’s no hope for you now.”

  The end of the event was much more orderly than the beginning. The sun was beginning to set as Minu was ushered off stage to a waiting room where only the Chosen council waited amidst tension and untouched treats. She had no idea where the others were off too. Jacob came in a few minutes later and gave her a hard look. “Well, you pulled that off.”

  “I didn't pull anything off,” she said, “like I said, I rescued a friend.”

  “We were all set to roast you over an open fire when you sent that codex. I figured it was all klothshit at first, considering your history.”

  “You'd know that smell,” Minu said in an even voice. Jacob's lips narrowed to a razor.

  “Do we really want this to go downhill?” Dram asked in his deep baritone. “The fact is we honored you because you earned it, but you have to understand that your rebel days are over. With those two stars comes serious responsibility.”

  “The council?”

  “A
ll two stars have a seat on the council, of course.”

  “A branch?”

  “That has yet to be decided,” Jacob growled. Now Minu understood a little better now. “Frankly, even with all the civilian benefits, I wasn't sold on those stars until we realized you were bringing that ship home.” Minu sighed. She'd spent almost two hours describing the situation, including her daughter Lilith. Most of it was backed up by Bjorn, Ted, and Pip who provided the science. It was all a dizzying mess to the Chosen council, but the ship was an understandable asset. The knowledge of the T'Chillen having war ships would have been a devastating blow. But humans now had a ship that was more than a match for them, and a pilot who had access to vast amounts of ancient Concordia knowledge. “So in a few minutes after the rabble is all cleared away, let’s meet this pilot.”

  “Her name is Lilith, and she's my daughter. I'd ask you to remember that.” Jacob gave a slight but obviously uncomfortable nod. “Did you do what I asked you to do?”

  Dram stepped over and handed her another little box. Minu opened it and found five golden stars. “She's Chosen, all official. Lilith Alma, the youngest Chosen ever.” Dram chuckled, “We couldn't bring ourselves to list her as two months old, so we entered it as ten as you suggested.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “You can deliver her loyalty, right?” Jacob asked.

  “I never said that. You read my report; she destroyed ships full of enemies with no more emotions that you would show squashing a fly.”

  “Regardless, you say you're her mother, if anyone can control her it needs to be you. At least until we can learn to run the ship.”

  “If you try to take that ship from her, I will not be responsible for the results.” Jacob glanced at Jasmine nervously and Minu sensed a conspiracy. “I don't know what that woman has told you, but this isn't some aerocar that you can override the command code and fly away. She was born and raised from an infant to operate this ship. I think she considers it more her mother than me.” Jasmine was shooting daggers at Minu, seemingly not trusting herself to speak.

  “Let’s just wait and see what happens, shall we?” Dram asked.

  The few minutes turned into an hour by the time a pair of harried logistics Chosen came in and said the coast was clear. The council led Minu out and back to within a few steps of the shuttle. Minu's friends, Ted, Bjorn, Cherise, Aaron and Pip were back and waiting for her. Minu had insisted they all be there to help make the situation less alien. She climbed the boarding ladder and leaned inside. In the darkened interior she could see her daughter floating near the rear with dancing Concordia script around both hands. “It's time.”

  “I do not see the logic in this. They are nothing to me.”

  Minu swallowed, not a good reaction. “They want to meet you, it is a social interaction. Pip explained it, right?” She relied on Pip more and more as a liaison to her own daughter. They communicated on more levels than she could.

  “He did, but I watched the broadcasts with you out there. No mention of me or the ship.”

  “We've kept it a secret, like I explained to you earlier. Large parts of Bellatrix are still simple farmers. We're afraid they will be scared of a Kaatan warship floating over their heads.”

  “Primitives.”

  “Perhaps, but they are humans just like you.”

  Lilith snorted but then nodded her head. “I will come out. It is fully dark?”

  “Yes.” There was concern that even the afternoon sun could cause problems for Lilith, whose skin had never felt the touch of direct solar radiation. Inside the womb of her CIC she could fly the Kaatan deep into the photosphere of a star. On her own she could be seriously sunburned in minutes. The red hair and light skin were a tough combination, as Minu well knew. Lilith started coming forward and Minu backed down the ladder.

  “Problem?” Jacob asked, sounding like he hoped there was.

  “No, just stage fright.”

  “And she is this badass warrior?”

  “You have no idea,” Aaron said, getting a glare from Jacob.

  At a sound from the shuttle, all eyes turned towards the door. Of course everyone who rode down knew what to expect, but no one else did. Minu had been careful not to tell them what they were in for. Owing to Lilith's special needs, the ship produced a unique solution for her trip down to the surface. A huge crystalline bot walked to the doorway, eight segmented legs radiating equally around its round torso. On the back was a hybrid hoverfield generator, field/shield system inside which she rode, surrounded by a circular globe of carefully controlled atmosphere and zero gravity. The effect was breathtaking, in both a positive and negative way.

  “Oh my,” Minu heard Jasmine gasp. As the bot expertly negotiated the stairs, the Steven's Pass flood lights provided their first good look at Lilith. Her gaunt appearance, almost skeletal arms and legs, her long hair the same shade of red as Minu's floated freely around her, and finally as she got closer her rich brown eyes. She regarded the assemblage from her graceful swimmers pose, looking like some ancient fairy princess from old Earth legends.

  “Wow,” said Dram, looking between Minu and Lilith. There was little doubt in his mind who the girl's mother was, regardless of the improbable nature of the situation.

  Minu stepped up next to the bot as it came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. “Jacob, First among the Chosen, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Lilith Alma, Combat Intelligence and biological operator of the Kaatan class warship in space over our heads.” She caught the nervous look a couple of the councilmen gave towards the sky, as if they could see the ship floating up there bristling with guns and missiles. “Lilith, this is my boss, Jacob.”

  “It is good to meet you,” he said to her. His hand twitching towards her before he pulled it back, remembering that there would be no physical contact. Medical concerns again.

  “And to meet you as well,” she said, and gave him a little smile. Minu was glad she'd practiced so much over the time since she emerged. If she'd flashed one of those early grimaces, he would probably scream and run away.

  Minu reached through the field and handed her the little box with the two sets of five stars. “It is official, you are now Chosen.”

  “My thanks,” she said and accepted the pins. As they'd discussed, she quickly fixed them on the cuffs of her jumpsuit which had been a copy of the Chosen design all along. They seemed improbably large there, that pentagon configuration of golden stars on her tiny wrists.

  “Now about the ship,” Jacob began, jumping over several lines of protocol they'd carefully discussed. Minu almost spat on the ground and walked away right then and there. It was only the look on Lilith's face that kept her silent. That look of complete confidence, and utter calm.

  “What about the ship?”

  “We want to know all about it.”

  “So we can better utilize it,” Jasmine chimed in. Right, Minu thought, set fire to the whole plan.

  “I'll decide how my ship is utilized.”

  “You have to understand,” Jacob said, adopting a patronizing tone, “that is a powerful asset you have up there. We can't honestly let a little girl have complete control.”

  “Little girl...” Lilith repeated.

  “Yes,” Jasmine continued, taking a step forward and trying to sound matronly, “you understand, right? Wouldn't you like to stay down here? Our doctors want to examine you, maybe help accelerate your muscular development with gene therapy that your mother brought back in the codex. Why, in no time at all you'll be jumping and playing in the sunlight, and forget all about that ship up there.”

  “Forget about the ship?”

  “Yes,” Jacob leaped in, sure they were about to get what they wanted. Minu silently cursed him for an idiot for not realizing he was in over his head and being played by a deceptively intuitive young woman. “We'll take care of it for you. Of course you'll be involved as an advisor! You've got to work now that you wear those stars.”

  “Of course,” Lilith said, h
er face yet to register any changes.

  “So what do you say I make a call, get some technicians here, and we'll pop up to the ship and you can show us how to take command?”

  “When I am a rotting corpse.”

  Jacob blanched. “Excuse me?”

  “I said you can take control of the ship when I am a rotting corpse.”

  “Oh, she's Minu's daughter alright,” Dram stage whispered to Bjorn who’d covered his mouth to avoid laughing. Unfortunately humor was in short supply.

  “Now that's not the attitude to take, little girl,” Jasmine said sternly, actually wagging a finger at the young Alma.

  “If any of you so much as try to set foot on the ship without my permission, it will be the last thing you ever do.” Now she showed emotions, and they were such emotions that even Minu was taken aback. Lilith's face seethed with so much anger and hatred, that her eyes seemed almost to glow, her hair to blow back away and behind her head as if a stiff wind were blowing. Minu only realized later that it was all for effect, carefully orchestrated by her daughter. “I am the combat intelligence of that ship, and there is nothing more to say.”

  “You don't expect us to just let you fly back to space do you? You don't understand who you're dealing with.” Minu caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head. There were two teams of Chosen scouts, one at the front of the shuttle, one at the back. They were all fully armed and wearing combat armor. Minu felt her heart stop, ice water running down her back. “If you don't understand the situation we'll have to explain it to you.”

  “No, First among the Chosen, let me explain it to you. There is no way those soldiers of yours will be able to keep me from getting back into this shuttle and then into space.”

  “And if this shuttle leaves the ground without my approval I will have it shot down by the energy batteries in this mountain.” Jacob crossed his arms over his chest, standing up straight and glaring at her.

  Lilith glared pure hatred at him and for a second Minu feared he would win. She should have known better. “Are you sure this is the way you want to play this?”