“Supplemental nutrient packs,” Mikk replied with a grimace. “We cannot carry anything that might attract unwanted attention from the larger predators, which means even ration bars are out. Supps will provide us with the necessary vitamins and minerals, the satiation of having a full belly, but we will be able to forgo the need to evacuate waste from our body. All in all, it is a great convenience for the type of traveling we will be doing, but there is no flavor and no enjoyment of having a meal.”
“And I thought MREs were bad,” Bethany muttered, adding with a shrug, “Ah well, I’m sure I’ve been on worse diets.”
“I’m not too worried about food,” Ellie said, getting up and catching Julian’s eye. “But if we’re actually leaving in a few hours, I’m getting some sleep. Trust me, this is for your sakes as much as mine.”
Chapter 22
“That’s our ship?”
Bethany’s skepticism was understandable in Ellie’s opinion. The sleek, flat, ultralight craft looked better suited for a day of leisurely skimming the treetops of Sonna rather than something that was going to protect them from the dangers of the Fhasmyrric jungle.
“It’s Eidyssic,” Mikk reminded them. “Of course it looks fragile. But just like Ellie’s flagship, this little beauty is full of surprises.”
Ellie certainly didn’t think her ship looked anywhere near as fragile as this one, but she could see what Mikk meant. The strange silicate alloy that allowed for flexible maneuvering during pulse could have been misconstrued as a flimsy membrane. But where Ellie’s ship had a sturdy egg shaped design, Mikk’s skimmer looked more like an origami representation of a bird in flight.
Still, as she stepped in, Ellie felt the familiar hum as the ship acknowledged her as Kyroibi master. The layout was already changing to accommodate four passengers and she felt at home.
“Oh! I’m jealous,” Mikk teased as she too noticed the ship’s automatic response to the Kyroibi.
“Get over it, Captain, you’re still flying this thing.”
“So do I get a gun turret or something in case we run into trouble?” Bethany asked as she dumped the sack full of supplies into the shallow hold just below the cabin.
“Something like that,” Mikk replied with a glint in her eye. While she and Bethany fawned over the wide array of weaponry and defense, Ellie took the opportunity to do a security check, noting that their fourth passenger had set himself up as the navigator and was already immersed in the real-time relays from the Sintar-Fhasmyr microsystem.
Vesparall was a curiosity. Like Mikk, he’d accompanied them back from the Oravaschaeal cluster wearing the full body concealing uniform of a Paisreatta pilot. After arrival, he’d taken off with Mikk and Vonsse and Ellie hadn’t seen him again until the night before. Likely he’d stayed at the SiFa refuge, but given his ties to both the Paisreatta and Merata, Ellie had to wonder.
She pushed aside her curiosity as the security scan came to an end and Mikk initiated takeoff. They had just under thirty minutes until they would reach the SiFa microsystem. Ellie pulled up the footage from the Eidyssic scouts in the area, grateful that Julian had the foresight to equip her with a monitor. Getting through the asteroid field would have been difficult enough, but seeing so much wide open space disturbed her.
“Don’t worry,” Mikk said as she noticed the field Ellie studied. “The cloaking on this vessel is second to none. We’ll be through the checkpoints before anyone has realized we were coming. In fact…” She copied the feed into the navigational mapping system, overlaying the flight path within the asteroid field. “Whoever was in charge of clearing a path did us a huge favor. We can pulse all the way past the outer ring of large obstacles. If we time this right, I can do a speed drop to the surface without having to remove the cloak.”
“I don’t know what you just said, but I’m relatively certain if this was the movies, there’d be a robot here telling us we have slim odds of surviving,” Bethany said, looking up from the weapon schematics.
Ellie let out a nervous giggle, but said nothing. Drawing from the database in the Kyroibi, she was able to surmise that while a speed drop was not as dangerous as it sounded, it would not be a pleasant experience.
“We will be fine,” Mikk assured with a wink. “But we’re almost there, so everyone should activate their personal dampeners, just in case.”
They all watched in fascination as Mikk flashed them through the worst of the asteroid belt. Ellie kept an eye on the feed from the scout. So far, they managed to avoid detection by the Empire.
“Here we go!”
Ellie detected just a little too much giddiness in Mikk’s voice, but before she could remind her about the gravity of the situation, the gravity in the cabin all but disappeared. For a long moment, the only thing keeping them from free floating around the cabin were the inertial restraints. Ellie barely had time to take a breath before Mikk switched the thrusters, bringing them to a near standstill for the briefest of moments before they were pushed back in their seats.
A proximity alarm flashed on the console, which opened the view from the outside optical. They’d made the drop, but still fell at an alarming speed. Below them, a network of lagoons spread out, disappearing into thick foliage. Mikk followed the widest of the lagoons until it spread further, spilling into a choppy sea of murky green and angled the nose of the ship downward.
“Wait a minute, we have to fly into the water?”
“Did you miss the part where I said the Merata lived under the sea?”
“Well, no, but I thought the entrance was… I don’t know… Just…” Ellie cut off as the view before her filled with the churning green water and grabbed onto the console before her. Seconds later, the view was obscured as the nose of the ship elongated and sliced through the water, barely disturbing the surface.
“Nice dive. Even the Russian judges give it a ten,” Bethany quipped, but fell silent a moment later when the interior went dark.
“Um… What’s going on?” Ellie asked.
“Not sure,” Mikk grunted. “We’re jammed.”
“I believe we are here,” Vesparall noted as a single green light pulsed on the console.
Mikk placed her hand on the communicator and the viewer appeared, displaying three women in light armor.
“Welcome to the City of the Merata,” said the tallest of the three. “Your ship will be unable to pass through our stasis barrier until we have done a complete scan and diagnostic. We highly recommend powering down as to not overload the displacement core.”
Mikk did as asked and the whining screech Ellie hadn’t noticed until just then trailed into silence. The view screen also switched off, plunging them into darkness.
“Um, I do hope they had the foresight to let us keep the environmentals on because in case you forgot, ain’t none of us here have gills.”
“The cabin is self-pressurizing and the manual air recycling system will work offline for several days,” Mikk assured Bethany.
A moment later, the ship powered up on its own and the view screen blinked to life. This time, a lone elderly woman sat in what looked like a mobility chair. The slightest hitch of Vesparall’s breath confirmed that this was the Abi-Merata.
“Welcome guests and welcome back my children,” the Abi said with a serene smile. “The guardians have cleared your vessel. As you know, Lady Meioak, there is no need for navigation. Our servos will guide you to the bay.”
“Thank you, Abi Conissall. We are grateful for your hospitality,” Mikk said, eyes downcast in respect, but the woman let out a chuckle.
“If the Eidyn Master is agreeable, we can dispense with the formalities.”
“Is she ever,” Ellie said with a blush and a grin. “Call me Ellie.”
“Wonderful,” the old woman replied with a smile. “I will see you all in a moment.”
The view screen went dark, followed by the sound of rushing water, similar to the draining of the ancient washing machines in the basement of Ellie’s apartment building in New York. A moment
later there was a sharp hiss and the sound of footsteps echoing in a cavernous space. A green light blinked twice, indicating that it was now safe to open the doors. Mikk did just that and damp air flooded the cabin.
“Oh wow.” Ellie let out a gasp as she exited into the hangar. For the most part, it was not unlike the docking bay on her ship, but instead of a metal ceiling overhead, a clear dome gave them a view of the sea that surrounded them. The three women who initially greeted them stood shoulder to shoulder, each carrying a short, blunted rod that Ellie was sure was some sort of weapon.
Not a one of them spoke, but all three nodded to Mikk before turning to form a flank around the visitors.
“Ah, nothing like trust,” Bethany muttered as they were herded toward the exit.
“It could be worse,” Vesparall muttered back, keeping his eyes downcast as to not draw too much attention.
They were ushered through a hallway made of the same thick glass as the hangar’s ceiling. Though it was beautiful, the number of curious sea creatures that crowded just beyond the barrier made Ellie nervous. Rather, the large jaws and row after row of razor sharp teeth presented by some of the larger sea dwellers made her nervous.
“Rest assured, nothing is getting through that wall,” the guard to her right informed her, pointing out that the hallway was one contiguous construct with no weak points. “Eidyssic,” she noted with a smile meant to put them at ease, but for Ellie, all it did was pique her curiosity. Aside from the construction, she noticed subtle influences from her people in everything, including the armor worn by their guard.
She had a moment of hesitation as they neared a stairwell leading downward into uncertain darkness. Not only was the idea of traveling deeper under the water unnerving, it was also a potential trap. Mikk and Vesparall might trust the Merata, but Ellie had no reason to do so blindly. Though once they descended, they were greeted by the warm smile of the Abi-Merata and she relaxed visibly. Their guards moved to a protective stance behind the woman.
“Welcome to our city. I am Conissall, the Abi for now, as you all know, though my time, I’m afraid grows shorter with each passing hour.”
At that, Vesparall took in a sharp breath, but the Abi caught his eye and he remained silent.
“You are all welcome to stay in our domain as long as you need,” she continued. “But I must confess, the purpose Vesparall relayed has caused a great deal of confusion. Certainly we all oppose the rule of Huptsovia, but like us, the Paisreatta has a long-standing policy of non-involvement in the Ghowrn conflict.”
“And they still do, my lady,” Mikk replied with a bow. “I’m afraid it is I who has taken upon myself to see the end of Fhasmyr’s imprisonment. In doing so, I made my appeal to the Paisreatta. Only Vesparall chose to return and fight by my side.”
“I see.” The old woman stared at Mikk with a level of scrutiny that made even Ellie squirm. “And what, dear child, is it that you wish to accomplish from the liberation?”
“I fight for humanity, not political ideology,” Mikk answered without hesitation. “The Empire sends prisoners to death at the hands of allies. The powerful yes, but also the old and infirm. I see no purpose to their endgame other than malice. Fhasmyr holds no advantage for the Empire. Even the medicinal value of our rainforest flora has been deemed not worth the risk of harvest. I do not wish to see anyone, even those whose beliefs I oppose, live life in captivity.”
Conissall regarded Mikk with a motherly expression before nodding her head.
“Your words are indicative of the Mikk I have come to love as a daughter.”
At that, Mikk blushed and Ellie noticed she and Vesparall had discreetly entwined hands beneath the folds of their robe sleeves. That certainly explained his loyalty to both the Paisreatta and the princess’ cause. Whether or not the Abi noticed the gesture was not clear, but her words seemed to indicate that she not only knew of the relationship, but had at some point given her blessing. Rather than comment, she turned her gaze to Bethany.
“Bethany Bomar, warrior of Earth, as I understand it, you have taken up easily with the Eidyssic. Given circumstances of your birth are considered uniquely taboo in most regions of your world, this is understandable. Yet you wish to fight for a system that holds a similarly archaic viewpoint. Are you clear on this?”
Bethany stood a little straighter and nodded curtly.
“The Eidyssic have shown me more acceptance than even my circle of like-minded individuals back home, so I’ll do anything to protect them, especially this one.” She put a friendly arm around Ellie’s shoulder and gave it a brief squeeze. “But if there’s one thing I’ve known from a very early age, it’s that when it comes to people, there are no absolutes. Back on Earth, there are countries where my being me is a death sentence. Yet when my country went to war on behalf of one such nation, I obeyed my orders and deployed as an active duty member of our military. I fought for their freedom.”
“Even knowing you were fighting to grant them the opportunity to discriminate against others like yourself, you still chose to do so?” Conissall asked, her tone was neither incredulous nor scathing. Instead, she seemed genuinely curious.
Bethany shrugged. “The way I saw it, I wasn’t fighting for their right to oppress me. I was fighting for the freedom of those who might see the world a little differently when they themselves are not under the thumb of another. Besides,” she said with tears welling in her eyes. “Back home, there were children growing up in walled cities where roadside bombs were an everyday occurrence. Just as I expect there are children born into captivity out there in the capital city. What is their crime other than bad luck?”
“You do not think the circumstances of their birth shape their beliefs?”
“Of course it does, but isn’t stereotyping just another form of oppression?” Bethany shot back. “Let me tell you something. Back when I was younger and not yet attuned to what it was that made me feel so much like an outsider, I was doing a real good job of buying me a one way ticket to jail. It was Vito… Vitokk, a Sintarian living on Earth with a wife who didn’t start life with the proper equipment either, who saw past the angry and confused thug, and shaped me into the person I am today, for better or worse. You can paint all of the SiFa with the same patriarchal and overbearing brush, but pardon me if I call bullshit just the same as I did back on Earth when the leaders of my so-called land of the free and home of the brave started pushing a xenophobic agenda.”
Abi Conissall was visibly taken aback by Bethany’s vehemence, though to Ellie, it came as no surprise. Her closest friend had always held strong convictions when it came to her humanitarian beliefs and often ended up engaging in heated arguments with patrons of MochaMoka that ran well after last call.
“Rest assured, Bethany, the Merata wish oppression upon no one, especially not the innocent,” the Abi noted. “But we will not assist in reinstating that which forced us into hiding in the first place.”
“And it is not our wish to reinstate a government built on power plays and corruption,” Ellie replied, drawing the Abi’s piercing brassy gaze on her.
“I understand, Eidyn Master, that you were not aware until just recently your true identity?”
“That is correct,” Ellie replied, unable to hold back a grin as she thought of the impossible reality that just a month earlier, she was a college student in New York.
“And I have also heard you have harshly judged both the political and social ideologies of all Ghowrn governments.”
Ellie was taken off guard by the line of questioning as it seemed the Abi was asking her exactly the opposite of what she’d asked Mikk and Bethany. She thought for a long moment before replying.
“It seems to me that no matter where in the universe you go, there will always be those who believe theirs is the only worldview worth pursuing. Even amongst the enlightened, getting an entire population to agree on said view is impossible. I’m afraid I’m guilty of some intolerance of my own. It infuriates me when many, my own m
other included, take every available opportunity to remind me that Earth is a primitive planet. In my heart, I see hypocrisy when I look upon this so-called enlightened system and see a myriad of social issues mirroring those on my primitive Earth. But I find myself questioning whether or not a utopia can ever be anything more than a theoretical concept.”
“Interesting,” Conissall said, leaning in closer. “Isn’t the utopian ideal exactly what the ancients of Eidyn strove for in creating the Kyroibi?”
“It is,” Ellie nodded. “But striving for and achieving are two very different things. I don’t believe a utopia is possible without causing inconvenience. I think we’d all be a lot better off if instead of perfection, we strive for a balance in which all bear the burden of hardship equally. In doing such, we may appreciate our joys all the better.”
“Well then,” the Abi sat back and beamed at the group. “I must admit, when I agreed to hear your intent, I fully expected I would be sending the lot of you back to the surface with a warning against action, but I daresay, I am impressed with the clear thinking you have all displayed. You will have our support in your endeavor. I can supply you with a guard and give you safe passage to the Hand of Maiden Islands, but from there, your travel to the mainland is your own.”
“Thank you, my lady. Your generosity is noted. I am indebted.”
“I ask only that you return unscathed, Mikk. I do not wish to see my only child broken in grief.”
“Yet another reason I see no point in staying behind,” Vesparall added in a pleading voice.
“I am sorry, my son, but that decision is not mine to make alone.”
“I’ll return,” Mikk cut in before Vesparall could protest further. “I promise you at least that much, but my hope is that one day, the Merata will be represented in our new government and all will be welcome to come and go as they please.”
“And in the present?”
Mikk stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her beloved.
“We need you here, Vess. You’re our link to the command center. Without you, how can we succeed? Do you not see how important to this mission you are?”
The Princess Rebellion (The Kyroibi Trilogy Book 2) Page 20