by F Stephan
The bird chirped interrogatively at Brian and he smiled. “You are quite good company, you know.” The bird tilted his head, showing the sea around them. Boats were converging on the island in the evening light, back from the different sea farms. “Yes, yes, I will stop whining and go down to eat with everyone else. Thanks for your patience."
Brian retreated slowly toward the exit and lowered himself to the ladder, never turning his back to the bird. Then, he quickly dropped to the ground and retreated to his room. His bags were ready on the bed. On the following day, room assignments would be reallocated to bring the crews closer together. At least Alvam and I will remain on the same floor.
Illoma
Alkath, 2140 AD, October
Two days later, Illoma was resting, exhausted by her morning run with her newly formed crew. They would make a good team, she had already concluded. Now, they would face the daily exercises together until they became a team. She went quickly to the main cafeteria for breakfast before her first class. It would be one of those pure engineering workshops that she hated.
The large room had no ornaments or decorations except a large screen on one side that projected the different rankings and the news of the day. She entered a tumultuous stream of discussions. At first, she didn’t see any free seats until Sonter waved from the other side of the room, pointing to a seat beside him.
“You shouldn’t sulk, you know. It doesn’t become a true pilot of the east wing like you. Relax and enjoy your breakfast with us.” He was mocking her gently, and she was suddenly conscious of the grimace she had been making ever since she had thought of her incoming ordeal.
“So you say. So you say. I just can’t stand engineering."
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the room and the newscast volume was increased. An ad was running, stunning her. An elderly man attached to a bed, his body deformed by out of control nanites. A younger woman on a mad run straight off a cliff into water.
“Would you send your kids into a professional career where one student in ten will die before thirty? Where another one in ten will suffer permanent damage during his training? Where all will repay their training for at least ten years, without a say on what they will be required to do? And where many will repay their training for twenty, sometimes thirty years, depending on decisions made by their governments?” Illoma’s gaze was now locked on the screen. Behind the words, there were now images of the three academies with a death counter climbing. On the top left side, a red bot eating the world. Ad by the Origin, she thought, they strike hard! Yet, what they say is true.
Shanak, sitting a bit farther down from her, called loudly for a stop to the newsfeed, completely shocked. Duty-bound. You don’t even see it as we do. Others were muttering, and shouts of anger rang out. Her mind classified them as they went, detached from the chaos surrounding her.
“It isn’t true . . .” False, it is.
“Our planets need this . . .” True, if you exempt the Core Worlds.
“True, but do we need to be slaves for this?” True again.
“This is a greater goal. We link humanity together.” Partial truth.
“And when we enforce Federation laws? What are we binding?” Good question.
Suddenly, a fight began between a giant from Baol and a slender girl from Ullem. Both had activated their nanites, and a large circle widened around them. Sonter took her by the arm to lead her to the exit. The crowd became angrier and angrier while the calmer students began to file out. Under such conditions, it could be easy to lose control of your nanites. She could feel the pull in her to activate them and go in. Emily was also moving out, Poulem and Brian following her.
When she reached the corridor, she saw Federation marines in full gear rushing in past her. All the students in front of her were now running toward the open air and Sonter was pulling her faster and faster. They’re going to stun everyone who remains. This is going to hurt. It took a lot to stop a human under nanite control, and the marines were the only ones equipped for that task.
The light outside blinded her, and words echoed through loudspeakers. “Thank you for leaving the confusion. Please, we ask you to walk calmly to your rooms and to work in isolation this morning until order comes back to the academy. Your schedule will be adjusted accordingly. Thank you for . . .” Marines were circling the entrance, monitoring them.
Sonter and Brian saw her to her wing. A large armored warrior standing guard gave them a nod of approval. “You’ll be okay?” Sonter asked.
“Yes. I just can’t believe how little it took for us to lose control.” She was distraught over the whole commotion and her own impulse to join in.
Brian held the door for her, nodding at Sonter. “This is why there’s so much security around the academy, isn’t it?”
Sonter clasped her hand before answering. “Yes, to keep us safe in case we lose control.”
“Were we the Origin target’s?” Illoma wondered about the ad.
“No, it’s a general communication against the Federation. Doesn’t mean they’re wrong.” Brian looked blankly at their friend, the tall trader’s son. “My father went over all other options with me before sending me to the academy. One by one. We don’t have better options. But this one isn’t good, either. We’re trapped. Planet, Federation, pilots. No other way out.” His voice was sad. How long has this weighed on you?
Leandra
Alkath, 2140 AD, October
Since her arrival nearly a month earlier, Leandra woke every day before sunrise. She had grown up on the mainland, far from the sea, and the sun over the sea was a sight she relished. Here at midheight, the coral colors of the morning were incredible, and she never tired of it.
Once her routine concluded, she dressed quickly in a white tunic, the local style, and left her flat for a small nearby café that faced west. It gave her time to go over her agenda, which of late had emptied, day by day. After the initial excitement, no one seemed interested in meeting her anymore, and Dendrom Zoulvir had abandoned her ideas for trade. So, when she saw Azal’am sitting at her favorite spot, facing outward, she winced. Unwelcome news.
“Good morning, Azal’am. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Her tone was courteous even if she disliked the interruption.
“My apologies, Ambassador. We thought this would be less conspicuous.”
We? Your mistress, you mean? “Did you order something?”
“Yes, I’ve taken the liberty of ordering for both of us the sea special. Marinated Valari and weed juice. You’ve got to taste it while you’re with us.” The tone was light and, from a few yards away, would project a simulacrum of joy at their reunion.
Wonderful, the one dish I’ve avoided since arriving. “Thank you.” She seated herself across from the assistant. “So, what business do we have to go over?”
“I need to share with you some suppositions.” Azal’am masked her mouth with a small tissue. Leandra found it a bit ludicrous then remembered that nanite usage was extremely limited on this planet. Classical means for spying were probably commonly used. “You know there were dissensions at Adheek’s academy. Let’s imagine Mistress Polantor sent a report to the council saying that Brian’s not ready to come here and that Earth isn’t as promising as we think.”
“She wasn’t on the best of terms with the schoolmaster, I suppose?”
“Maybe she could say we need more time to assess Earth’s capacity and that the events on Fizhert have greatly endangered Brian and his abilities, maybe so much so that he may never be a pilot.”
“Is that possible?” Her disbelief was clear in her usually controlled voice.
“From what I’ve overheard of our pupil, yes. His control over his nanites seems in jepardy since he has arrived, and he can’t find a way to work with his crew. These are dangerous warnings we must heed. Sometimes the academy can’t help a pilot overcome these types of difficulties.”
The waiter brought their fare and Leandra began to eat, taking some time to
think.
“I heard of a commotion recently. A fight, or so it is rumored. Was he in it?”
Azal’am laughed lightly. “News travels fast nowadays if a newcomer like you finds out about such things. No, he wasn’t part of the disruption, which is one of the few points currently in his favor.” Her voice returned to its serious, instructive tone. “A pilot and an engineer will be expelled with immediate effect as a consequence of their losing control.”
“And Brian is also in danger of being expelled,” Leandra said slowly, her stomach tightening.
“Yes, he is.” The words were casual, which increased the fear Leandra felt closing in on her.
“And maybe my meetings with other ambassadors will continue to get canceled until the situation stabilizes.”
“Something like that could happen if my suppositions were real.”
“How should one react to the Federation’s power plays? Someone new to them, such as myself?”
Azal’am seemed taken aback by the question, but her composure returned quickly. “Ambassador, this is far beyond my skills and knowledge. You’ve got the time and a lot of islands. Maybe you should visit them and learn more about us and Alkath, until the situation settles again. At the least, it can’t hurt.”
Leandra didn’t like the salty taste of the meal at all. She knew she would get used to it sooner or later. But in the meantime and especially this morning, it tasted foul. “Thank you,” she said bitterly. Silence settled between them. Azal’am ate slowly, seemingly savoring every bite. Leandra had learned by now that on Alkath, no one wasted anything.
Emily
Alkath, 2140 AD, October
Tenday had come after another hard week of training, and all students were now free to do as they pleased. Leaving the others behind, Emily had taken the first ferry to Shaian’an’rim, arriving with the morning fishing boats. She had donned a pale-blue gown with an emerald scarf, tying her red hair back in a braid. Bystanders turned to watch her as she passed by. Though she had chosen rather common garb on Alkath, her red hair was exceptional on the golden planet. She smiled at those who watched and continued through the crowded streets of the old town around the Path. In the early morning, people were headed to work, opening shops, carting goods up and down the streets in electric vehicles. They didn’t seem that different from the people she had lived with in Miami.
She stopped at a booth for a breakfast of weed bread and tea. No police forces roamed the streets, and all seemed calm. The ground-floor windows didn’t have shutters. Before her father had found her again after ten long years, she had lived freely, and she rejoiced in this cool life. She felt so good she didn’t pay attention to the tail who stopped at the booth a few minutes later.
The shopkeeper hailed her.
“Where are you from? Do you like it here?”
“Quite far. And yes, this is a lovely place.” Curious, she added, “What can you tell about it?”
“This part of town dates to the Ancients. Even old by their standards. Maybe twelve thousand years before us, although carbon dating is unreliable here.”
She had wanted to get a feel for how the Ancients had lived, and it had seemed strange, walking among these white-plastered houses. “Everything is so neat and perfect, as if the inhabitants left just a week ago.”
“Do you want to truly experience it? I can download a small guide to the city into your bracelet, Pilot. It doesn’t require a lot of energy and its usage is allowed here. It’ll provide you with overlays of the old town, including its most astounding feature—the nanite floor, which ran at that time two floors above the ground with an integrated walkway.”
She hesitated an instant before going for it. The sun was hot, slowly warming the streets. Glancing up, she could see doors opening to emptiness on the second floor. With her bracelet activated, she saw how nanite floors had connected the whole city in the air above her. She shuddered at the incredible cost that had been required to run this city. Today, all traffic was on foot, on the ground, and the top floors had been converted to gardens and farms. Had the Ancients been so prideful? How could they have ignored the number of resources they were burning? What was their exit strategy?
A few hours later, she moved up the Path to the newer part of town, an upstart section only a millennium old. The comparison was interesting. The plastered walls of the newer houses were suffering more than the older ones, giving it a decrepit look. Alkath had lost a lot of technology, some of it as simple as wall plaster that would last. At the same time, the new town was dug into the hills and had a far better airflow. Several varieties of vines running back and forth shaded the streets. It felt cooler up here. The neighborhood had been designed for energy efficiency and comfort, not for show. After a while, she noticed another significant difference. The old town faced the elevator. The new town was turned down to the seas, its back to the massive device.
She reached the terrace and the restaurant just in time for lunch. Engrossed by her adventure, she hadn’t kept track of time. The restaurant was a small joint in a plaza close to the bottom of the star elevator, on top of a cliff overlooking the sea. Most of the restaurant was buried in the black volcano basalt of the island, and the temperature inside was cool and enjoyable. She went quickly to Leandra’s table in the back. The black walls had been decorated with algae sculptures, all painted with a marble plaster. The midday light, blinding outside, reflected on the stunning forms to illuminate the room with fantastic colors. Behind her, her tail had stopped when she saw the restaurant. Someone else would be inside.
“Hello, Madam Ambassador. May I join you?” she said cheerfully.
“Absolutely. How are you, Madam Pilot?” Leandra returned with exaggerated formality. The two had grown closer during the flight after Volpre.
Emily seated herself. “Awesome. I haven’t been this free for quite a long time.”
“I am glad you enjoyed that time.”
The waiter looked over at them and Leandra handed Emily the menu. “Let’s order. I’m famished.”
“Very well. Anything I should try?”
“From what I hear, roasted nazari is the specialty. Don’t go for valari. I can’t stand even the smell."
Leandra had a smug tone that intrigued Emily. Unfortunately, she had hated fish from an early age and it hadn’t improved with her stay on the planet.
“Great. What a change.”
The spite in Emily’s voice made the waiter behind her wince. He intervened. “Madam, you really should try nazari. It’s one of the larger deep-sea fish from the greater Shaian Trench. From what we understand of other planets, this is the closest thing we’ve got to roasted meat. Here, you’ll find wild ones, only from authorized hunting parties."
Hunting parties were scarce and carefully controlled, Emily knew. “I’ll follow your lead, Madam, sir.”
Leandra gave her order as well, going for a single dish. They didn’t have that much money to spare. The waiter took the order politely. “And to drink?”
“We will have two algae brown lagers, including the special from Lik’al’am.” The waiter left, and Leandra answered the inquiring look from Emily. “I tried it a week ago. It comes from the northern continent. It’s genuinely good.”
Emily nodded. “So, how are we advancing in our cause?”
Leandra winced. “Not well. We’re unknown yet. No goods to trade, no bargain to offer, and our ability to supply pilots is still unknown. On this planet, and in the Federation, we need more traction.” Leandra spoke in a faint voice out of habit. Emily knew she wasn’t giving away any secrets. But who knew who might be around them in the crowd?
“The academy often works like this. We earn points each day. And these points go into your ranking. Same way for us to get known."
The ambassador laughed softly, a deep, gentle sound. “They are very systematic in the Federation," she explained.
“Getting points will take time. Can Earth afford it?” inquired Emily. The issues at home seemed far away
on the sunny water planet. Yet, they weighed on Emily’s mind.
“Do we have other choices? Succeed on your path and I’ll make the most of it. Until then, Earth is alone.”
Emily murmured, “Sometimes I wonder if the Origin isn’t right about how unfair the Federation is.” A deep silence settled in. The waiter took that moment to bring them the two lagers. Emily sipped hers quietly and found it to her taste, if slightly bitter. She drank a bit more before she decided to change the subject. “Have you been traveling, Madam, maybe to the main continent?”
“No, I’m visiting the islands, but going farther isn’t allowed. All Federation facilities are concentrated around here, with very few imports from the mainland. Alkath lives its own life independently from the Federation. If you don’t like it there, you move here. You never go back.”
“I wish I had had a choice like them.” Emily cursed herself. She hadn’t had a lot of choice in her life at all. Only to be left behind. But, she couldn’t and shouldn’t ever disclose this.
Fortunately, Leandra misunderstood her. “We forced this space career on you, and there’s no turning back. We had no other choice. I am sorry, but I won’t apologize. Isn’t it great to pilot a starship?”
Emily took the bait and steered the conversation away. “Brian, Tasha, they really enjoy it when they’re out there in the void. I don’t really like it.”
“Don’t like it?” Emily’s tone had been resolute, but Leandra felt the sadness behind the words.
“No. If there were any other option to help Earth, I would take it gladly.” Emily looked at her now empty glass for a few moments while Leandra thought this over.
The waiter appeared again. Leandra gestured to their two empty glasses, and the waiter brought back two refills. After her trek, Emily found she was starving. The fish did indeed have an excellent taste, and she thoroughly enjoyed it.