by Adams, David
[“Your people certainly have enamoured themselves with our kind,”] Qadan remarked as he smiled at her, his grey tail swaying gently behind him. He and his assistants had offered Liao and Saara two Toralii-style chairs; they bore a great deal of similarity to Human chairs, except the back was broken into two halves so the Toralii tail could easily slip in and out. Although she imagined it would be remarkably uncomfortable and only sat because it was polite, Liao found the chair strangely comfortable and relaxing.
“Thank you,” she answered, and Saara translated right behind her. “It’s been more than a pleasure. You’re a welcoming, kind people and, with your permission, I would like to give my crew a day’s leave here, in eight-hour shifts. They would find the beauty of this place as enthralling as I do.”
[“Your request is granted, of course. Velsharn does have a way of growing on you,”] Qadan admitted, gesturing out the clear window to the verdant blue forest beyond. [“In more ways than one. I hated the thought of leaving my ship and living on a planet, having been born in space like most of our kind, but I found this place to have a certain enchantment upon it that I, for the life of me, could not challenge. I cannot leave this place. I’ve grown old here, and I shall die here, happy and content, surrounded by my family.”] He gave a wide smile, showing his sharp, white teeth. [“Who could ask for more than that?”]
It was an admirable sentiment, and Liao felt herself agreeing. She nodded. “I must confess that such thoughts have not been absent from my mind of late, either.”
Saara dutifully translated, then turned to the Human woman, raising a black-furred eyeridge. [“Captain Liao, you have considered retirement? So early into your career?”]
Normally, Liao would find such a thing impossible and the topic offensive to discuss. She had fought so hard, for so long, to get where she was–and received more than her fair share of luck, in and out of the battlefield—to voluntarily choose to surrender it all seemed an impossible decision.
But she was thinking about it.
Perhaps it was the effect of this place, perhaps Liao needed someone to confide in, or perhaps she was unwilling to lie to Saara, but for some reason, Liao couldn't help but spill the truth.
“I am with child,” she admitted, giving Saara an apologetic smile. The feline Toralii’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
[“A-are you certain?”] the Toralii paused, translated for Qadan, then stared at Liao.
“I am.”
Qadan, the grey-furred Toralii, smiled widely. [“The Telvan consider cubs to be the ultimate expression of joy for a couple. Does the father know?”]
Too late, Saara shot him a warning stare.
Liao kept her back straight, her tone even. “He does not. The father is a prisoner of the Toralii Alliance. We believe he is being held at Cenar.”
As Saara related the information, Qadan’s face fell. [“My most sincere apologies for your loss, Captain. We will mourn him as one of our own.”]
Liao tightened her grip on the fine wooden armrest of her chair, shaking her head. “That will not be necessary, Leader, for he is not dead.”
Qadan’s eyes held genuine sadness. [“If he is interred in Cenar, then by now he will probably wish for death.”]
There was an awkward silence. Liao could see Saara was waiting to translate her response but, despite some effort, it did not come immediately; the woman waited, planning out what she was going to say.
“A possibility, hard as it is to admit. However, we believe we have discovered a weakness in Cenar’s defenses. This is why we are here.”
Saara translated, then Qadan answered. [“Many have had similar ideas, and many have acted on them, Captain. None have succeeded. How certain are you?”]
“Certain enough that we would risk coming here. We need the modified jump drive–I’m sorry, the voidwarp device–that you’ve created. The one that can jump within gravity fields. It is the keystone of our plan.”
Saara repeated her words and Qadan raised an eye ridge when she finished, his tail swishing a little faster. [“That technology is highly experimental, and highly classified. Can I ask how you came to know of it?”]
“We observed the Toralii Alliance vessel Seth’arak employ it during our recent battle. We believe they used it to escape, despite the presence of gravimetric interference, after one of our own vessels rammed them.”
[“And the other vessel, the Human vessel, disappeared as well?”]
“Yes.”
Qadan scrutinized her carefully, his alien features difficult for Liao to read. [“Is that how you believe the father of your child came to be interred in Cenar?”]
Liao fixed a lengthy stare on the Toralii and nodded. “The father is the captain of that vessel. He was alive when they collided, and the Operations room is the most central, protected part of our vessels. If anyone survived, it was he.”
Saara repeated it all. Qadan affixed a curious stare at the Human woman, then nodded. [“I believe that you believe this. I, however, have heard all the tales of Cenar. I hope I do not offend when I say that if you knew what I knew about that dark place, you would not be hoping for his survival; you would be praying that his death was swift.”]
Liao pressed her lips together, her unblinking gaze settling on the grey-furred Toralii Leader. “Life is enough for me. Whatever they’re doing to him, it will end when we find him. He’s strong, stronger than any man I’ve ever known. He can take whatever they throw at him and more.”
Her fists balled on the armrests of the chair, a fire in her voice that was as genuine as anything she’d ever said.
“He’ll survive. I know he will.”
There was a tense moment as Saara relayed what she had said, Qadan focusing on Liao as though trying to stare past her eyes and into her mind. He said nothing, regarding her with a curious, sad expression before taking a gentle breath.
[“A difference of opinion is to be expected, and your feelings for him are strong. I think I would like this James. For what it is worth, Captain, I truly hope you are right.”]
Liao, slowly relaxing, nodded. “Thank you, Leader. Your words bring me much comfort.”
[“If you truly wish to engage Cenar, I can offer you more than comfort. There is a small outpost in a system on the far side of the Telvan and Alliance border. It is a mining station. The work is extremely harsh, so they’re constantly requesting fresh workers. If the Alliance has recently captured this vessel, I imagine the fittest of the survivors would be sent there. Most last only a few months, but some survive a little longer."
Liao felt bile rising in her throat. An image of James’s coal black, muscled chest sprung into her mind. He was tall and strong, emotionally and physically, but he had a kind heart and possessed a whimiscal sense of humour. Although his position might make him useful to the Toralii as intelligence, there was a distinct possibility he might be sent to work the mine. That thought distressed her greatly.
“Thank you again, Leader. My ship will investigate immediately.”
Uncomfortable with the feelings Qadan’s words had conjured, Liao leaned forward, folding her hands into her lap. “I think we should turn our thoughts towards business.” She reached into her hip pocket, withdrawing a small notepad. “We do not have a great deal of resources available, as our ship is primarily configured for battle, but I had my chief engineer compile a list of items you may wish to trade your advanced jump technology for.”
She handed over the pre-translated list. As Qadan looked it over, Liao could see his lack of interest. “I know a lot of this technology must seem primitive to you—quaint, even—but I do hope you’ll see it as more of a scientific and academic curiosity. A study of another species, rather than a strict technological gain. Your people are the first that mine have been able to interact with on any meaningful level. If nothing else, you’d be making groundbreaking discoveries. Your people would be talking about us for some time. We’re prepared to cooperate fully, of course.”
She wait
ed while Saara relayed her words. Surprisingly, Qadan’s face grew into a smile, especially as Saara repeated Liao’s rationale. He put down the list.
[“Actually, Captain, the Telvan value knowledge and creativity over technology, especially researchers such as ourselves. We do not care for the tools of war as the various factions of the Alliance generally do. Rather than material goods, I think our spirits would be better enriched by…”] He made a sweeping gesture with his grey furred paw. [“… the great works of your people. The art, the culture, the social values that your stories can tell us. The tales you tell your children and the hopes and dreams of your artisans, stripped of your inhibitions and laid bare for all to enjoy.”]
Liao, was taken aback by the request. Her notepad contained details of the ship’s nuclear reactors, their starcharts, the railguns, the unpronounceable metal alloy that the ship’s hull was forged from that Summer had nicknamed indestructium. Liao had included everything she valued aboard the ship, aside from its crew, but she had never considered the Telvan might desire something else entirely.
“You… want to hear our stories? Our fiction?”
Saara, rather than translate her words to Qadan, spoke to Liao directly. [“Yes. As I explained to you when I was first brought aboard your vessel, stories hold a special significance for the Telvan. The knowledge and experience of your species, as a collective, represents the very essence of who you are, and that is expressed most plainly in your fables. The fictional people that you create to express a part of yourself that you can find no other way to explain. The Telvan value these things over missiles and metallurgical trickery.”]
Liao glanced down at Summer’s almost unreadable chicken-scratch. In the corner of the pad, she had doodled a picture of a giant tripod smashing a city.
She smiled at Qadan. “I know just who you want to speak to.”
* * *
Dining Hall
Surface of Velsharn
That evening
* * *
Qadan had insisted the visitors from Earth eat with him and his family. Although Cheung had advised her that security would be difficult–a large, wide-open area with no cover, intermingling with the Toralii–Liao had permitted it. She felt there was no danger on the planet, and the Telvan had been more than welcoming.
Both peoples laughed, the Toralii children shared food, and the crew told stories. The Telvan seemed to want stories more than anything they could give, and the Humans indulged them as much as they could. Qadan, perhaps because of his knowledge of Liao's pregnancy, or simply because of her position, paid special attention to her. He brought her food, ensured she was comfortable, and made sure her cup was always full. Whenever she drank, it seemed, one of the adorable Toralii children would rush up and refill it with cool water.
Near the end of dinner, she saw Qadan approach and playfully waved him off.
["You must try these fruits,"] he insisted, holding out a small tray of strange, blue fruit Liao had seen growing on the vines when they had arrived. Saara was not around, so she laughed and grabbed her belly, trying to indicate she was full.
Qadan almost dropped the plate in shock, moving beside her. ["Captain, are you injured? Is it the—"]
She gently rested her hand on his arm, shaking her head.
Qadan's brow furrowed. ["Do you… have gastro-intestinal distress?"]
Liao laughed again, quite unsure how to communicate what she meant to him. Instead, she reached down and took his hand, standing and leading him away from the feast.
They walked for several minutes until they came upon a twilight-soaked shore. Pushing aside the last of the foliage, Liao and Qadan made their way to the sandy beach.
["Are you sure nothing is the matter?"] Qadan asked for what felt like the hundredth time. Liao nodded, turning her eyes to the dark ocean.
["Sometimes you forget,"] Qadan said, his voice tender, ["the natural beauty of this place. When you see it every day, it ceases to be amazing."] He gave a low chuckle. ["It is so strange, Captain Liao, because sometimes I do exactly this. I come to a place I rarely visit so I can see the beauty again and remember why I live here."]
Liao turned back to him, her face lit up, unable to contain her joyous smile. Acting on impulse, she reached up behind her neck, removing the clasp of the thin string of pearls around her neck. She pressed them into Qadan's paw.
"Take these," she said, knowing he could not understand, "as a memento."
["You want me to have it?"]
Liao nodded eagerly.
The Toralii man held the pearls up to what little light was present, marvelling at the opalescence in each of the little white balls, along with the shimmer on the central black pearl. Reluctantly, Qadan gave a sigh. ["I cannot. It is too beautiful. I have never seen anything like this."]
Qadan went to hand them back, but Liao closed his fingers around the thin chain of pearls."Take," Liao instructed, nodding her head encouragingly.
He held up the pearls to his neck, but it was clear that–long as they were–wearing them as she had would be uncomfortable. For a moment he seemed puzzled, then Qadan's features slowly changed to a warm smile and, closing the clasp, he slid it around his wrist.
["Thank you, Captain Liao. This is a very exquisite gift."]
They had been a gift from James, but for the moment Liao couldn't bear to have a constant reminder of him around her neck. They had arranged a trade, yes, but Qadan had been more than welcoming. More than polite.
He'd been a friend.
* * *
The Northern Beach
Surface of Velsharn
The next day
After everything that had happened, it seemed impossible that Liao could arrange to spend three whole hours laying on a beach. Yet there she was, stretched out on a towel as though she were enjoying a day at any beach on Earth. She hadn’t brought a swimsuit, so she stripped down to her undergarments and folded her uniform neatly on the top corner of the towel.
She cast her gaze out towards the water’s edge, the fading light of the setting sun causing sparkling reflections to twinkle off the calm water, the edge of the sun—now a fiery red disk—just beginning to kiss the edge of the horizon. Kamal was in charge of the ship, her senior staff were handling the day-to-day tasks required to keep the Beijing functional and Summer was busy playing with all her new toys. The rest of the crew were enjoying some well earned shore leave, fraternizing with the Telvan scientists and trading knick knacks.
She’d given Saara the same courtesy, letting her be with her own people for the first time in months, and Liao could tell she appreciated it. It was all that Liao could do to repay the Toralii woman for her generous service. Her salary didn’t seem adequate. As a member of the crew, Saara was paid a wage just as everyone was, but the Toralii woman had nowhere to spend it except aboard the ship; there was only so much one could spend coin on, even on a large vessel, so for the most part it sat in her bank account gathering interest. If Saara ever decided to spend time on Earth, she’d have a tidy sum to spend on luxuries.
Liao closed her eyes, enjoying the serenity of the moment and the chirping of distant birds carried to her on salty winds, letting her mind play over thoughts of the future. For too long, it had been occupied with thoughts of war and responsibility, so it was extraordinarily pleasant to just sit back and daydream.
She would take Saara to the city of Beijing, Liao decided. She had always enjoyed her visits and there would be no better time to do so than with her friend. Saara would need someone who could translate for her, after all, so that would be an excellent time for Liao to repay the woman for her service on Velsharn.
Perhaps they could travel farther. Liao had always wanted to visit the United States. A world power until recently, the country was beginning to enjoy an economic renaissance. The so-called Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave was still mired in a financial depression, but there was hope. That pleased her. The United States and the People’s Republic had been wary enem
ies for so long—despite the trade which benefitted them both—and it was only after the Toralii attacks on Earth that they had, genuinely and without reservation, begun to discuss how they could work together.
Hope seemed to be blossoming everywhere.
She daydreamed so intently that, perhaps because of the warmth of the sun, she nearly fell asleep. The sound of footsteps in the sand was followed by a shadow falling across her and, even though she had her eyes closed, she didn’t have to see to know who it was.
“You’re standing in my sun, Summer.”
A chuckle from the fiery redhead, and Liao could hear the smirk in her voice. “What, you want to lay around on a beach and relax while the rest of us work?”
Liao smiled, waving blindly at the redhead. “Mmm. It’s definitely a switch. I kind of like it, though. Thinking about making it ship policy.” With a groan, Liao opened her eyes and sat up. She blinked away the glare and looked at her engineer. “Well?”
“I gave the Toralii a full datastore from the ship’s multimedia library and from what I could pull from the crew files. One hundred fifty thousand songs, a terabyte of books, and about ten times that in movies—new and old. That should keep them occupied for a while. Apparently they’re going to start regular movie nights. At one movie a night, well, I doubt they’ll finish them all before they die of old age.”
Liao nodded. “Very good. And the modified jump drive?”
“That’s why I’m here. It’s actually not a modification of the jump drive, per se, it’s just a new component—a coprocessor. We can have it installed this afternoon and ready for a test by tomorrow morning. Qadan gave us detailed instructions and, in typical Toralii fashion, it almost seems too easy. Their philosophy is a good one—simple, simple, simple—but it’s kinda boring.” She clicked her tongue. “So we’re moving along well ahead of schedule.”