‘What is this place?’
‘Don’t know, but we have to move.’
They passed through the corridor and up to the small round window at the other end. Evie peered through the window, and for a while could not understand what she was seeing.
She was clearly in a spaceship, a big one that continued far in the view outside, but the ship wasn’t in space. Below stretched the ground, littered with what looked like soldiers: cyborgs, standing in perfect order as far as the eye could see. And above, where she had expected a sky, was something that resembled another planet, on a massive plane of black, with small glimmering lights here and there. The closest thing she could think of was Remola.
Naido came up to her and looked through the window. His jaw dropped.
‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ she asked.
‘I can’t believe we’re back…’
But before Evie had a chance to ponder what it might have meant, from the other end of the corridor, something big burst in and hurtled towards them.
Chapter Ten
Jill wiped her eyes as Tredd asked, ‘Why would you ever want to do that?’
With the power of a Pawake pill and a medical wrapper around her ankle, Jill had worked through the night, tapping down a plan, packing her stuff, and organising transport for she and Tredd. Now, though, it seemed he didn’t want to go.
She had explained it to him many times. ‘As I said, this planet will waste me, it will waste both of us. We have extraordinary gifts, and if we stay here we will wither away… and, besides, do you really believe Remola was wiped out?’
He looked past her, through the window to the sea. The suns were up, and the easy morning light was about to turn into midday scorch. His forehead wrinkled, as it always did when he was pondering.
‘It’s not for me,’ he said, walking by the floor-to-ceiling windows. ‘I don’t think it’s for you either. Don’t let one show bring you down. You can become a dancer—’
‘No, I don’t want to be a dancer! I thought I did, but it’s a fantasy. Fae’s the dancer, not me,’ she said, joining him by the window. ‘You’re right, I shouldn’t quit when there’s a setback, nor should you. The navy needs us. The universe needs us.’
He sighed and stared silently out to sea.
‘It’s our calling,’ she said. ‘You and I were born for this.’
He wiped his brow and looked her in the eye. His eyes glimmered as if he were about to cry, but he didn’t. ‘The navy is a mess. I’ll never join them.’
She took his hand. ‘If not for them, do it for me. We’re stronger together.’
He grimaced and let go of her hand. ‘No.’
‘Why?’
He ambled across the living room without a word, and got a bottle from the shelf, one of his sacred bottles shipped from Kikuchi. He poured himself a glass, took a big gulp, and leaned on the counter.
‘See,’ she said. ‘This is exactly what I mean.’
‘What?’
‘It’s not even midday, and you’re having a drink?’
‘So what?’
‘Is this how you want your life to be?’
He finished his drink defiantly and poured himself another one. ‘Perhaps.’
‘Do you love me?’
‘Of course I do. But I don’t want you to go.’
She shook her head. She loved him, but she had to go. Love would have to yield for her true purpose.
‘The taxi will be here in a few minutes to take me to the space station. I can’t force you to join me, but I will go regardless.’
‘I don’t understand. Isn’t this what we always dreamed of?’
‘No,’ she said, a new clarity in her mind. ‘I never dreamed of this. I dreamed of adventure, but I was afraid of it—I’m not afraid anymore.’
‘Sounds like you have it all planned out.’
She stared at his face, the lines and the stubble that made him look tired, but behind it she saw the boy she once knew. Tears welled in her eyes, and she turned away from him, pacing to the hall where her suitcase waited.
‘Travelbox, follow me.’
The suitcase beeped, but didn’t move.
‘I said, follow me.’
It beeped again.
She grabbed the suitcase by its handle and dragged it towards the door.
‘Open,’ she said, and the door opened.
‘Need help with that?’ Tredd asked.
‘No, unless you come, too.’
No reply.
She dragged the lifeless robot suitcase out the door and down to the front yard, where a small taxi craft had landed. The driver helped her lift the suitcase in. ‘They do that sometimes, should be an easy fix.’
Sitting comfortably by the window, she looked at the house. The front door was still open, but there was no sign of Tredd.
The suns were already drawing down on the sky when she boarded a spaceship at Nanira Millennial Space Station.
She could have connected with Henning or Admiral Atamian first, but things had happened so fast, and they’d needed to happen fast; it had been best to move first, connect second. She had no reason to believe the offer wouldn’t stand, but if she discussed it long distance, things might peter out. Once she was standing right in front of them, they would have to take her back.
As the ship lifted off and gained altitude, everything below became smaller and smaller until the planet’s curvature was visible. Soon the whole blue planet was just a small, gleaming gem on the screen as the ship gained distance in preparation for a pinch.
What have I done? she thought.
Tredd was still there in the beach house by the sea, and she was among the stars. She wondered what he was doing, and if he would ever understand her. She wondered if she understood herself.
She was in her thirties. Soon she’d be in her forties. What had once seemed like forever had passed in the blink of an eye, and she worried about the next blink.
She was too young to settle; there were so many things to experience. She was too old to settle; there wasn’t much time. Perhaps it was her nature not to. Who knew what awaited them beyond? The Shades were already in their midst. The science said nothing, but she wanted to believe. Taking the pragmatic approach, she should’ve prepared for nothing at the end.
If the Remola won, it was nothing for her and everyone she knew.
We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones, someone had once philosophised. The thought brought her comfort about having made the right decision. She shouldn’t whine for her fleeting existence. No, she should make the most of it. One life. One experience.
It was the right choice. There was no going back.
She pinged a message to Henning.
Chapter Eleven
Henning sat with Skyla Almer in one of the buildings in the fenced area of Avalon. She was an able woman with initiative, which was why, upon his leaving, he had left her in charge. He had anticipated that it might be difficult with the navy, but he had never expected it would come to this.
Skyla appeared to have gained ten or twenty years. She had shadows under her eyes, and her posture drooped. Her clothes were worn and dirty. Beside her on the table lay a silver emblem in the shape of a fan: the mark of Starlight, leader of Avalon, which Henning had given her when she left.
She said, ‘I have failed as the leader.’
‘No, you haven’t. The navy has failed all of us.’
‘We thought that once you were gone, the navy would soon lose interest in us, and leave us in peace. But soon it became clear that they weren’t leaving.’
Henning felt bad. It wasn’t Skyla’s failure as a leader, but his. He had set in motion the events that had led to the navy’s occupation of Avalon, and for too long he had let it go on without his involvement.
Skyla continued, ‘We weren’t allowed to work on the land, and step-by-step we became dependent on them. They gave us all kinds of tests, some of them gruelling…’
She l
ooked down at her hands and paused. The backs of her hands showed numerous recent scars.
‘Then children started disappearing.’
‘What happened?’
‘I don’t know.’ She shook her head, and grimaced. ‘My son, just seven years old, and two others, six and nine; all exceptionally talented with E. The navy said it wasn’t them, but I’m sure it was. They’ve taken them for their purposes.’
Henning was unaware of any testing with the Avalonians that would have warranted such measures, especially with children. He made a note to bring this up.
Skyla continued, ‘Our circumstances became unbearable, and once the navy had what they needed, they allowed our people to leave. And many did so in the hope of a better life somewhere else—and I know it’s hard in the outside world, but they decided so. Christian left, too.’
Christian was Skyla’s husband. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘We were already growing apart when you made me the Starlight,’ she said, looking down, the light accentuating the lines on her face. ‘But for me and the rest of us still in Avalon, there’s no other place to go. This is our life and our land; we belong here and don’t want to leave. So, for now, they’ve enclosed us here to keep us put, but soon they will throw us out, too.’
‘What they have done is not right. Let me speak with Captain Regn. I work with the navy now—’
Skyla gasped.
‘No, it’s all right—in here,’ he said, tapping his chest with his palm, ‘I’m always an Avalonian; it’s in my blood.’
Her expression softened.
‘Wear the emblem with pride, for you are the Starlight, the guardian of the Children of Light,’ Henning said, and lowered his voice. ‘One way or another we will rebuild Avalon. You have my word.’
Later in the evening, Henning sat with Sofia in the former library of his old home. The sun had just gone down and the sky turned slowly from purple to black. He was tired, more so than he had been in a long time, and his mind gravitated to the good old days of Avalon. Sitting where he was now, he could see a layered image of Sara tiptoeing around in her nightgown, then turning with the baby bump, and then walking hand-in-hand with a toddler. But the image disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. The room appeared grey now, and there was no going back.
Sofia seemed frozen, staring out the window to the turning sky. She was wrapped in a long white sweater, curled on the comfy chair, and seemed homely just sitting there. Heavy-rimmed glasses covered a large part of her face, and Henning wondered what she’d look like without them. Staring at her from the side, he noticed she wasn’t completely frozen: her head bopped slightly as if to a rhythm. Then she stopped and turned to face him.
‘What are you looking at?’ she said, holding the hinge of her glasses.
Henning blinked. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. Did I interrupt something?’
‘Nah, I was just listening to a song.’
‘What’s on your playlist?’
‘Just this one song.’
‘Just one?’ Henning said. ‘You’ve been sitting there for quite some time.’
‘Yep, just one. On repeat. Whenever I find a song I love, I will play it on repeat until I can’t stand it anymore.’
This made Henning smile. ‘And what is that song today?’
‘It’s The Key to Your Garden by Joshua Wood,’ she said, again touching the side of her glasses. ‘You’ve probably never heard of him.’
Henning nodded. ‘Secrets was a beautiful song.’
Sofia opened her mouth to say something.
‘And,’ Henning said, ‘did you know his parents are from Dandelia?’
‘Oh, no, I didn’t,’ she said, shaking her head, a tinge of red on her cheeks. ‘I didn’t expect you to be abreast of popular music.’
‘Well, I am a man of many traits.’
Sofia uncurled herself and stretched her arms out.
‘Tell me something,’ he said. ‘Why do you wear those?’
‘Huh? Oh, my glasses?’
Henning nodded.
‘They’ve kind of grown on me,’ she said. ‘I just prefer the interface… it’s a middle ground between clunky handsets and creepy mind-taps.’
‘You know, someone could get the impression that you’re hiding behind the bold black rims.’
‘I’m not hiding.’ She straightened her back, pulled the glasses off, and raised her chin. ‘See? Not hiding.’ Glasses off, her eyes seemed bigger and her face softer.
‘Good. Personally, I don’t mind, but impressions matter in the navy.’
‘Lucky there’s no other navy around.’ She put the glasses on her nose. There might have been a flicker of contentment on her face before she turned the music back on and went back to her virtual world.
Henning opened up his handheld terminal, which told him that his inbox had prioritised two new messages: one from Admiral Atamian’s office, and the other from Jill Faith.
First, he opened the one from the admiral.
There will be no changes to the plans with regards to Avalon. Upon receipt of this message, you will leave Avalon with your findings, and head out to Spit City at the soonest opportunity. There is an anomaly I want you to study. A detailed briefing will follow.
Henning hit his fist against the table.
‘What’s wrong?’ Sofia asked.
‘Well,’ he said, with a sigh, ‘the navy will go ahead and hand Avalon over to the local government.’
Sofia seemed puzzled. ‘Isn’t that good?’
Henning shook his head. ‘I was hoping to return to Avalon one day, but if the local politicians get to decide, there won’t be an Avalon to return to.’
‘I’m so sorry.’
Henning was going to get Avalon back, one way or another. He lifted his gaze and looked into her eyes. ‘Also, we should leave immediately. They want me to go and look at something—in Spit City, of all places.’
Sofia’s face became suddenly animated. ‘I got the same orders. They want me to accompany you to the Thruneedle building. There’s something there.’
‘I bet there is,’ Henning said, thinking it was Killock’s way of keeping him out of the way. It was an order, so he would go to Spit City, but at the same time he had to plan to regain control over Avalon, to prevent it slipping over to the Initia government.
‘Wonder what it might be?’ Sofia asked.
‘What?’
‘The thing in Spit City. I’m quite excited—’
‘Don’t get too excited. Perhaps there’s nothing, at best a made-up MacGuffin to get me away from Avalon. Let’s see what the detailed briefing says.’
‘Still, it’s quite exciting to go to the city of smut and sin,’ she said, and when Henning remained quiet, she blushed. ‘I mean, it would be my first visit there.’
Henning smirked. ‘Should be interesting, then.’
He opened the message from Jill.
I’ve changed my mind about the navy’s agenda. I’m on my way to Dawn Alliance Central and would like to meet you ASAP.
Henning turned. Sofia was busy packing her research equipment. ‘You know Jill Faith?’
‘She’s one of the legendary ones. I’ve never met her, though. Why?’
‘We just got lucky. She wants to work with us.’
‘Great!’ Sofia said, but with Henning failing to react, she blushed again. ‘It is great, isn’t it?’
‘It could be…’ Henning considered their past. Jill had left FIST and the navy to lay low on Nanira. He wondered why he hadn’t heard of Tredd, but perhaps she would explain. Jill had always been an enigma to Henning, but with her background in the navy and with Belinda Killock, she could become useful. Perhaps she could help him secure Avalon.
He replied with an apology that he was unavailable to meet in Dawn Central, but could do a presence room chat as soon as he landed in Spit City.
Henning wondered how he could get the navy to reverse the demolition of Avalon and fund its rebuilding. He reported to t
he admiral, but it appeared as though Belinda was in control. She seemed a skilful manipulator, but so obvious that perhaps everyone in the navy saw what was happening, perhaps even the admiral himself. It might be something Henning could use for his cause.
‘You’re close to Belinda Killock, aren’t you?’ he asked.
‘I guess,’ Sofia said, as she closed her bag and stood up. ‘She is my immediate supervisor, but I can’t say I know her that well personally.’
‘Do you know how she did it?’
Belinda Killock was celebrated for creating a Starcrasher capability, a scaled system for applying telekinesis on command, and using it to push back Remola and Grangar. Ever since it happened, Henning had been unable to confirm the Starcrasher actually worked. To him, it almost seemed as if it hadn’t.
‘I’m sorry, I don’t follow.’
‘The Starcrasher worked. Grangar was thrown into the world of Remola. The Remolan ships stopped working. She was the one seemingly in control, but the data from the system can’t confirm it happened.’
‘Tell me about the data,’ she sighed. ‘We had to work so fast back then, you know, we had to drop everything that wasn’t helping launch the control beam—so guess what happened to the monitoring functions?’
‘Bad code?’
‘Totally bugged.’
‘But the actual thing worked?’
She nodded. ‘As weird as it was, yes. No doubt about it. We made multiple tests, with incremental increases to the capacity, until the final run which, well, was way beyond anything we tested. Why do you ask?’
Henning had looked into the workings of the Starcrasher system, which doctors Render and Killock had masterminded. While its complexity was overwhelming, he was able to grasp the logic in its operation, and as far as he understood, the system only provided a beam of energy—there seemed to be no controls for the telekinesis itself.
‘How did you manage to direct the energy?’
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