‘No, never. I’m just glad to have you as you are,’ Berossus said.
As Evie watched these two talk, she realised Berossus was actually not a bear cub, nor was he a bag of meat. Behind his big and simple facade, the man seemed to have emotions and depth. There was something he and his mother both knew, something deeply emotional and implicit that Evie did not understand, and she did not want to pry. The moment was sacred. He gave atonement to his mother, and her mother gave it to him. Evie knew not what it was for, but she could feel the warmth of emotion between them. It was something her cold family had never expressed, and the emotional impact made a tear form in her eye. She wiped it away with a subtle move.
Bells, having packed her stuff, sat on the bed beside Evie. She laid a hand on Evie’s thigh, but Evie dismissed her because Inanna had stopped talking and was displaying that weird look again.
Inanna hesitated, and brushed a few stray strands of grey and white hair behind her ear, then said, ‘I’m happy he has met such a nice girl like you.’
Evie gasped. That was the reason for those looks: Inanna thought she was his girlfriend. ‘Well,’ she said, and at loss for words looked at Berossus for help.
‘She’s just a friend,’ he said. ‘We met just a few days ago.’
Inanna smiled. ‘I like her already.’
Evie felt like she was going to blush, but was saved by a nurse at the door, the same tubby lady they had met before. She looked down at her handheld terminal and said, ‘Excuse me, it is time for dinner— Madam!’ The nurse dropped the terminal, and gaped at Inanna with her mouth open. ‘By the great Aalto… You are sitting upright!’
Inanna smiled. ‘Sure am. Please do come in.’
The nurse picked up her terminal from the floor. As she moved aside, a robot trolley appeared behind her and whizzed across the room, stopping by Inanna. It carried a black metal teapot and green ceramic cups, and two plates loaded with colourful fruits and crunchy biscuits. An aromatic scent filled the room.
‘Berdunamian tea, the scent of my childhood,’ Berossus whispered to Evie.
‘I love it,’ she said, and inhaled deep to savour the aroma.
‘Ms Dengo,’ the nurse said, and turned to Bells. ‘Dr Killock, this is remarkable.’
‘She has a long way to go until full recovery,’ Bells said as she locked her equipment in the carrying case and stood up. ‘Which is the likely outcome, as we can see her neurons have responded well to the treatment, and will continue adjusting synapses towards a natural balance. It will take time though, so please continue intensive monitoring for a few days and share with me the details via the network, though I’m not expecting complications.’
‘Of course, doctor. All of our guests have the ongoing monitoring set up,’ the nurse said, and gestured towards the panels by the bedside. ‘If there is anything else, let me know.’
After the nurse left, Evie poured tea for everyone. Eager to taste the Berdunamian brew, she almost burned her tongue. The biscuits tasted only lightly sweet and matched the tea’s aroma. Once everyone had had their share, Berossus finished the last of the fruits and the biscuits. ‘I was hungry,’ he said as a response to Evie’s stare.
‘I think we should head out, and let your mother rest,’ Evie whispered to Berossus, who replied with a positive grunt. Evie turned to Inanna, and put on a smile. ‘It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs Dengo.’
‘You too dear, but it is Ms Dengo, as I have never married. However, dear, I would prefer you call me Inanna.’
Evie felt awkward. ‘Inanna. I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t be, dear. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I’m sure we will meet again.’
Bells lifted her small white suitcase. ‘I will follow up online with how you are doing,’ she said, and hugged Inanna. Then she started to move towards the door, gazing at the big and bulky suitcase by the bed. ‘Berossus, are you joining us?’
‘I’ll be with you in a moment. I’ll bring the big one, don’t worry, but I just want to have a moment.’ He nodded sideways towards his mother.
‘Of course,’ Evie said, realising Berossus and Inanna hadn’t had a chance to talk in private, with everyone around all the time. When she was about to open the door, the doorbell rang.
She opened the door. Behind the door stood Tredd, and right behind him, Eddie. They looked flustered, and Evie let them in.
‘Excuse us for barging in like this, ma’am,’ Tredd said as he stomped to the middle of the room. He looked around at everyone with a serious face that made a wrinkle between his brows. ‘We all have to leave now. Are you able to travel?’
‘I’m—’ Inanna started.
‘What’s the rush?’ Berossus stepped up to Tredd in a heartbeat, and this was first time Evie had seen him aggravated. ‘She needs to rest.’
‘It’s… complicated,’ Tredd said opening his arms.
Eddie stepped forward, both hands in the pockets of his jacket. ‘You must have heard the announcement about the gravitation anomaly? We have reason to think it’s due to our mission being late, and for your safety, it would be best to leave this solar system immediately.’
‘Leave the solar system?’ Inanna asked incredulously, and tried to stand up.
Evie darted to hold Inanna, and Berossus joined to help her sit and calm her down. Evie thought that if their being late was the reason for a gravitational anomaly, everything they had told her so far was a lie. She looked up at Tredd.
‘So, if I understood you correctly – something is happening because you have not completed your mission?’
‘That’s right,’ Tredd said, ‘the stars are crashing.’
Evie stood up. ‘What? Is this a joke?’
‘It is not. Moola is on a collision course with Yedda. They are already moving towards each other at an unprecedented velocity, and once they enter the gravitational pull of each other…’ He hit his palms together in a loud clap, making Evie gasp. ‘It’s not going to take long, perhaps a day or two.’
‘What happens if the stars collide?’ Bells asked. She fidgeted with her suitcase, looking worried, but also excited, like a scientist observing an experiment.
‘Not if, but when,’ Eddie said, turning around. ‘I wouldn’t have high hopes for any life in either solar system.’
‘Good heavens,’ Inanna said, and clutched the hand of her son.
‘Don’t worry about it, mother, you’ll come with us. Tredd and Eddie are former military officers, they’ll take good care of us.’
‘I don’t think we should get her on our ship though,’ Tredd said, frowning, as he stepped towards the window. ‘We must make sure she gets on one of the evacuation vessels.’
What’s up with this guy? Why does he have to be so difficult? Evie thought. ‘Why not?’ she snapped.
He pointed out the window. Two big spaceships had appeared close to the station. ‘The navy is running the evacuation protocol as we speak, and we are on a mission.’
‘We are?’ Evie asked. ‘You just said Yedda’s gonna crash with Moola—’
Tredd turned around. ‘We don’t have proper care facilities… Rutger’s a cargo ship, not a care centre.’
‘He’s right,’ Bells said. ‘Even though Ms Dengo is better now, I would recommend her staying in a facility where her recovery can be monitored.’
‘Why don’t we just pinch back to Gemma Central?’ Berossus asked, still holding his mother’s hand.
Everyone was silent for a moment. Berossus had just said the obvious thing. It made sense, however, it was less than ideal for Evie. She had wanted to get away. She had thought about leaving the crew at Five Ways, but it was out of the question now, and jumping onto a navy evacuation ship was going to raise questions.
‘Yeah, why not?’ Bells said.
‘I agree,’ Eddie said, gazing upwards to the ceiling and nodding slowly.
Tredd sighed, took a step, and exchanged gazes with Eddie. Then he said, ‘No.’
Everyone turned to Tredd. He was beg
inning to be annoying – no, he was annoying. Evie asked, ‘What do you mean, “no”?’
He stood tall, his chin up. ‘You said it, the past is gone and the future is ours to create. The mission is on, and I’m going to Yedda.’
Evie blinked. Did he just suggest escaping this solar system, just to go to the one crashing into it? ‘You can’t be serious. Is it even possible?’
‘Dead serious. You can come with me, or try hitching a ride on a navy battleship.’
‘In theory it is possible,’ Eddie said. ‘No man has ever pinched close to a star that moves with such speed, but then again we are in one at the moment. We need to be fast though.’
Evie was delighted. This was all she needed. She wanted to keep herself at a distance from the Dawn Alliance officials, and the further she was from Spit City the better. She was all in for the mission. A smile crept across her face.
The information screen on the wall lit up, and got everyone’s attention with five brightly coloured triangles moving through each other to form the colourful design of the Five Ways logo, which soon gave way to a stout dark man in a suit. The text below told Evie he was Kal Marazi, President of the Five Ways station.
‘Attention everyone on board Five Ways Wonderland. This is an emergency announcement. The recent gravitational anomaly has the potential to threaten life on this station. Rest assured that the safety of everyone on board is our highest priority. This is why we are commencing a full-scale evacuation. The navy ships will escort everyone to safety. I urge you to refer to your personal account for specifics on your circumstances and destination. I hope this will be a short interference and life at Five Ways Wonderland can resume its course soon.’
The positive messaging made Evie roll her eyes. What chance of ever returning would these people have, if Moola collided with Yedda? ‘They didn’t even say what the threat is.’
‘I know, it’s terrible,’ Bells said.
Berossus shrugged. ‘Perhaps they don’t know.’
‘Oh yes, they do,’ Eddie said, raising his voice. ‘There is no question about it. While Yedda moves at a speed that defies physics, it will still take a few days until it’s here. As a pilot I participated in an evacuation drill at Shin-Edo City, a station of similar scale. Moving the inhabitants is easy, but moving the actual station… It can be done, but they would need to be prepared.’
‘What if all stars come crashing down?’ Inanna asked. Evie thought that was a very good question.
‘They won’t,’ Tredd said, but he didn’t appear as confident as he had just a moment ago.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
AFTER A FEW HOURS they were ready to leave, and Tredd sat with Eddie in the Rutger’s cockpit. Bells had gone to her room while they waited for Evie, Berossus, and Inanna, who had gone to help Inanna work through the station’s evacuation protocols. Nervous excitement hung in the air.
Pinching to Yedda, a solar system on a divergent trajectory, was a risky endeavour. The physics involved were anomalous, and it was impossible to know for sure if a pinch was even possible, and whether the planets were still around the star. The only way to find out was to try.
Through the Rutger’s monitors Tredd could see the navy battleships and transporters arrive from neighbouring solar systems, including Yedda, to evacuate the inhabitants of Five Ways. Like pearls on a string, numerous small transit shuttles moved people between the station and the big ships. As a stark contrast to the serene flow of spaceships outside, inside the corridors chaos reigned. Apparently the news about crashing stars and imminent destruction of Five Ways had leaked out, and people had taken off in panic to board any ship they could find, ignoring the evacuation protocols, and causing a pandemonium within the tight corridors by trampling each other as they scrambled from the five spokes to the central spaceport. The video feed showed people grabbing what they could from their homes, running and screaming in the congested walkways, the local law enforcement failing to control the crowds, and President Kal Marazi addressing the crowd without effect. Tredd felt relieved to have passed before the crowds, and hoped that Evie and the Dengos had also managed to avoid the crush. There was no reason to panic, because the crash, while imminent, was still going to take hours – just enough time for them to visit Yedda.
Tredd wondered if Jill had already gone on one of the battleships, and if he would ever see her again. Then he reprimanded himself for thinking about her. Jill was gone, her life on an opposite trajectory from Tredd’s. Thinking about her would only bring him down. He had to move on.
He realised that the massive evacuation endeavour also meant that any battleships posted in Yedda must have already pinched to Five Ways, giving him now a free entry. However, if Tommy hadn’t pinched away already, he too would do so soon. Tredd had to move fast.
The number of people leaving their homes was mind-boggling. The five spokes were like five different cities, each with hundreds of thousands of people, perhaps millions. Some people had lived their entire lives in Five Ways; for them it must be terrible to leave their homes behind. Tredd felt sorry for these folks, even if he himself had not had a proper home in ages. Even more than the people of Five Ways, he was concerned about the impact the collision would have beyond the immediate solar systems.
The collision of Yedda and Moola, both main sequence stars, would bring about a supernova explosion so large that it would affect the neighbouring solar systems in a radius of over one hundred light years. The result would be nothing less than the eradication of all life in those systems, and this was just from two average stars colliding. Tredd thought of the destruction, if the device was applied at scale, but it was too much to fathom. If this were just the beginning, then perhaps FIST were right – the device would bring about the end of the universe.
There was time to evacuate humans, even if Yedda was being hurled at them. Planets and their natural flora and fauna would not be so lucky. Tredd glanced at the planet below, and wondered about the experience the marine creatures would have. At least they would not spend their last hours worrying over their impending destruction.
Evie peered in through the cockpit door and shook her head. ‘It’s chaos out there.’
Tredd turned to her, while Eddie gave a quick nod and continued fiddling with the controls in front of him. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘What’s wrong?’ She stomped in, the flooring clanking under her steps. ‘These people are being forced away from their homes, they are scared, they are in panic, and they’re hurting each other.’
Tredd tried to relate, but found it difficult. Being forced away from home, wherever that was, had become too common an event in is life. Of course, it was different for these people, they were just normal folks, trying to life long and happy lives. ‘It’s a tough universe.’
Evie leaned against the back of Eddie’s seat and gave him a mean look. ‘Perhaps it is, for you… Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Bells and Berossus are aboard. It was a pain sorting out Inanna through the bureaucracy of the evac admin, but eventually we got her a spot at Mallawoolloo, which to be honest, is perhaps better than here.’
‘OK,’ Tredd said, feeling relieved that they would not need to bring the old lady along. ‘And Berossus?’
‘He’s all right,’ she said, and swayed back and forth, leaning against Eddie’s seat. She stopped and looked down at her feet. ‘He said he’d keep his promise to continue to Yedda.’
That was good news; he was going to need the big man. ‘Excellent. Tell him I’m grateful,’ he said, and glanced at the display, realising it was time to go. ‘We must dash. Prepare for take-off.’
‘Yes, sir.’ She turned to leave, but stopped and turned back. ‘Captain, you still haven’t told us the truth… about the mission.’
Tredd sighed. The device had been activated. Everyone had seen the consequences. ‘All right, once we’re off, I’ll tell you all about it; you’re part of the team after all.’
‘Thank you, Cap.’ Evie saluted and turned back
to the door. ‘I’ll go tell the others.’
Soon they left Five Ways. Eddie piloted them past dozens of battleships hovering around the space station. The majestic ships and slowly rotating five-spoke ring grew small as the propulsion engines pushed them out of the star’s pull.
Tredd was expecting a call from Jill, or any of her subordinates, because he knew – or hoped – that she would be tracking him. No call came.
Leaving Eddie in the cockpit, Tredd left for the galley. Berossus, Bells, and Evie were there, quietly minding their own business under what came across as a sheet of shared nervousness.
‘There he is,’ Evie said as Tredd entered.
He sensed that something was wrong. ‘What’s up?’
They all glanced around, and then Bells and Evie concentrated their eyes on Berossus. ‘All right then,’ Berossus said, and cracked a joint of his chunky thumb. He looked up at Tredd. ‘Captain, we want you to come clean with us on this. You were never going to pick up Un-mud, were you?’
‘No,’ he said, and stepped up to the table. ‘My mission was to find and capture a device, a weapon that could make stars collide.’
Bells gasped.
‘For lack of a better word, they call it the Starcrasher. You’ve seen what that thing can do. It must be destroyed, one way or another. The Dawn Alliance is looking for it too, wanting to harness its power for military purposes.’
‘What is this device we are talking about?’ Evie asked.
Tredd shrugged. ‘I just know it’s capable of making stars crash – but how it does it, or what it looks like, I have no clue – and for some reason it could not be activated before now.’
‘You’re not giving us much. You tell us it could be anything, and I see Dawn Alliance Navy everywhere,’ Bells said. ‘How do you plan to find it if they can’t?’
‘I’ve a Jester up my sleeve: I know who has it. Now that the navy have redeployed their ships to evacuate this station, they’ve given us an opening to pinch into Yedda.’
Starcrasher (Shades Space Opera Book 1) Page 15