“A Slipstream Messenger? Did Central send him? How wonderful! Are others coming soon?” The little man began to twitch like the excited puppy Neutrino had briefly had as a boy, until his mother decided he was too dirty and gave him away. Creet shifted in his place, looking a bit uncomfortable.
“Why don’t we let him talk to the Council about all that Farus? I’m sure they’re waitin’ for us.”
“Oh, of course,” Farus looked slightly disappointed, but he regained his composure quickly and opened the door wide enough for them to enter. He smiled and nodded slightly at Neutrino as he passed. Neutrino’s stomach twisted until he thought he would be physically sick. It was strange having all of these people admiring him. He imagined it’s what a good Messenger experienced all the time.
In his many fantasies and daydreams he had often pictured himself being a champion, doing something that few others could. Now here he was, in a position of high regard, with the hopes of these people resting on his shoulders. It did not feel how he imagined it would. Perhaps because he knew it was all a lie, born out of an uncorrected misperception. How was he going to explain himself to the Council? He would not be able to do what they wanted him to do. He impossibly hoped they wouldn’t ask.
Neutrino and Creet began walking down steps into an enormous auditorium-style gathering space. Neutrino thought he heard something of a commotion from beyond the door behind him, but as Creet was moving quite quickly down towards the center he ignored it and walked briskly to catch up. Most of the area was very dark in a bluish sort of way, except for the center which was strangely bright. Neutrino saw only an ornate golden plate high above where a light should be; he guessed they were using some kind of reflection technology.
There was a long decorated table in the center, and though there were thirteen chairs, only eight of them were occupied. A woman, plain and slender, sat directly in the center. Neutrino presumed this was the Council leader, Naruk. Like Farus, she too was finely dressed along with the other Council members. Neutrino was amazed by how refined they all were, sitting straight and tall in their maroon colored robes, considering this was a mining colony and they lived under ground in the dirt half the year. He had sort of expected everyone to be simply dressed and a little dirty like Creet, but he supposed that politicians were the same everywhere.
Creet and Neutrino made their way down to where another scout was finishing his report. A few people from the small group of observers looked up at them as they approached, but the Council was intently listening to what the scout was saying and seemed to take no notice of them.
“Unfortunately, every section I checked was the same way,” the scout finished. Naruk looked gravely up at him.
“Every section?” a man to her right asked desperately, “Surely, something must have remained? Some part untouched?”
“I assure you, Elder Prim, I searched very carefully, but like the others, I could find nothing. No plant. No animal. Not even a single Molin bug. There is nothing left,” the scout firmly stated, he was clearly irritated by Elder Prim’s insinuation. “I grabbed all the supplies I could carry and returned to the Under City.”
Elder Prim opened his mouth as if to reply, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the commotion being made near the main entrance. Neutrino turned around to see that the crowd that had followed them through the hall was now trying to push its way into the gathering space. Poor Farus was squeaking at everyone to get back, but no one paid him any attention. Annoyed, Naruk stood up and repeatedly hit a small chime as she called for attention. After a few minutes, the crowd quieted as most of them settled into the benches that surrounded the center. The entire chamber was less than half filled and there were plenty of seats down low near the center, but for the sake of expediency, most of the onlookers had filled the nearest seat they could find leading all the way back up to the main entrance.
“Farus!” Naruk called up to the little man, who was now hunched over and out of breath by the entrance, looking altogether very defeated. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“I’m sorry Mistress, I couldn’t stop them!” he pouted, “They insisted on coming in to hear about the Messenger!” Naruk looked slightly puzzled as she followed his gaze to where Neutrino stood, wishing that she might just look right past him to someone else. If she was surprised to see him there she hid it extremely well.
“That’s all right Farus,” she said after a moment, “The people can stay.”
“Mistress!” Elder Prim objected.
“They can stay, Prim,” she said with a piercing but not unkind look at Neutrino, “I think we would all like to hear from our guest.”
8. Explanations and Excuses
After the crowd had settled, Naruk, who had not taken her eyes off of Neutrino, said, “Step forward please.”
Neutrino moved to obey but Creet got in his way. “If I may, Mistress…”
“You may not Creet. We will hear from the Slipstream Messenger first.” Creet, a little taken aback, shot a concerned glance at Neutrino and stepped out of the way. Neutrino wasn’t sure why Creet was so nervous, but it worried him. He moved forward to the spot directly in front of the table that the scout had just vacated. Though he towered over them in their chairs, Neutrino felt rather like a small child who was about to be punished.
“Your name?” asked Naruk.
“N..Neutrino.”
“Tell us, Neutrino, what news do you have from Central Station?”
He paused. She obviously thought he had been sent there just like all the others, how would she react when she learned the truth?
“I don’t have any, Mistress.”
“What do you mean? Didn’t Central send you here?”
“Well, not exactly.” The crowd began to whisper.
“What do you mean, not exactly?” she said in a way that made Neutrino tremble. He could understand how she could frighten a man like Creet. She had a powerful, commanding presence.
“Well, I…um…I did come from Central, from Venthall, more or less, but they didn’t really send me here.”
“I don’t understand. If Central didn’t send you, then why are you here?” Neutrino paused to consider his response carefully. He felt everyone’s eyes burning into his back like a million little daggers. He wanted to crawl out of his skin.
“I’m afraid it was a bit of an accident,” he finally said. More whispering from the onlookers and Naruk had had enough. She stood up and banged on the surprisingly loud chimes.
“All of you be silent! If you continue to interrupt these proceedings I will send you all out!” Neutrino was reminded of his commander when he would overreact, which only deepened his anxiety. The crowd stilled and Naruk relaxed her stern appearance only slightly before addressing Neutrino again.
“What do you mean an accident?” Afraid of what would happen when he told the crowd the truth, Neutrino paused again, trying to figure out how to explain it.
“Mistress,” he took a deep breath, he supposed straight-forward was best. “The Slipstream is in pieces. It has somehow been torn apart.” The crowd gasped but Naruk and the Council just stared at him.
“I don’t understand. The Slipstream is in pieces?” Naruk said finally. Neutrino nodded. “How did that happen?”
“I don’t know what caused it. We were travelling back to Venthall when I saw a flash and was thrown out. I landed on some kind of moon rock or asteroid, and when I looked up the Slipstream was gone.”
“Gone? Then, how did you manage to get here?”
“Well,” Neutrino recounted the story of how he found the Sipstream, jumped into it and used his thrusters to navigate through the broken areas. Then he told about arriving in town and meeting Creet in his kitchen. When he finished, the whole room was quiet and still.
“You actually jumped into the Slipstream?” an elder asked.
Isn’t that what I just said? Was what Neutrino wanted to say, but it seemed more prudent to just answer, “Yes.”
&nb
sp; “Neutrino,” Naruk took a deep breath, “We must communicate with the Commonwealth Central Command as soon as possible. I think everyone realizes the desperate situation we’re in. Our head communications officer, Cyrion, and most of the Stream Port staff were among the people that were tragically lost in this great calamity. One of our remaining Port officers with communications experience has managed to send a message, but without any boosts from ship to ship relays, it will take a week to reach Venthall, and who knows how long for them to send assistance. Our food supplies are low, and everything that was alive on the surface, including our crops, has vanished,” Naruk ignored the reaction from those in the crowd who hadn’t heard the news, which was very few given that this was a small community where secrets couldn’t be kept for long. “We don’t have a moment to lose if we are going to survive.”
“Actually, Mistress, I don’t think everything vanished, from the surface I mean,” Creet said meekly.
“Oh? You found something then?”
“We didn’t actually see them, but I’m fairly certain… what I mean is that we heard a noise from inside the Stair after the suns set. And I think the ylmax have entered the city.” Everyone in the hall let out a groan.
“Well, that makes things even more difficult. All the more reason, Neutrino, to have you return to Venthall…”
“But…”
“And let them know the gravity,”
“But…”
“Of our situation here.”
“But I can’t!” Neutrino shouted. He began to panic a little himself. He didn’t want to go back into the Slipstream. Just the thought of it made his stomach knot.
“I know it may be difficult, but surely, if you’ve made it here…You must be a great Messenger indeed…”
“But…” he searched his brain for an excuse, “The Slipstream has probably worsened. I doubt I would be able to make it back.” Naruk stared at him and he was pretty sure she could see right through him.
“Mistress, if I may address the Council?” A strong voice called out from Neutrino’s right.
“Please do, Lylia. I think your input would be useful here.”
Lylia stepped forward. Neutrino was stunned by how attractive she was. He hadn’t imagined that he would find a beautiful woman on a lowly mining colony. He winced a bit at his own bias. She seemed to be only slightly older than him and nearly his height with soft brown skin and silky black hair which was neatly tied back. Her eyes were large and expressive. Neutrino let his mind wander to a place where she would find him as attractive. He brushed his hair back with his fingers and cringed when he felt the nasty mess, he had forgotten about the sweat and tears. He must look like a stray Filo mutt.
“Mistress, I’m certain the Slipstream is no worse than it was before,” she said, snapping Neutrino firmly back into the present. He noticed for the first time her uniform, which indicated that she worked at the Slipstream Port and was, in fact, a Navigator. “The Slipstream is more or less fixed in space like a road. If one piece gets destroyed, it shouldn’t affect the rest of it.”
“How can you be so sure?” asked Neutrino.
“Because that’s the way it is. I wouldn’t expect a Messenger to understand,” she condescended.
“But the Slipstream isn’t fixed near planets though.”
“Of course not. When is the Academy going to start requiring that Messengers actually learn about the Slipstream before they are allowed to travel in it?” Lylia mumbled more to herself, then continued louder, “It’s not fixed in the literal sense but it is fixed in bendable space.”
What? Neutrino could tell from the looks on the Council member’s faces that he was not the only one who didn’t understand a word she had just spoken.
Lylia sighed and said, “Just trust me; the Slipstream is no worse than it was before. If he made it here, he should be able to make it back.”
“Good,” said Naruk.
“No! No, not good!” said Neutrino, “You don’t know how other parts of the Stream are. Maybe the part leading here is okay but the Slipstream back to Venthall may be more damaged. I could wind up floating out into space!”
“Wouldn’t that be a tragedy,” muttered Lylia sarcastically. Beautiful or not, Neutrino was pretty sure he hated her. Naruk either didn’t hear what she said or didn’t care.
“Besides,” Neutrino pretended he hadn’t heard Lylia’s comment either, “What about the beacons? None of them were working on the way here, except for the landing beacon for the Port. How is she supposed to program me a route home if the beacons are down?”
“Did they say ‘Standby’ when you passed them?” Lylia asked, a small smirk on her lips.
“Yes,” Neutrino drawled.
“Then they’ll be fine. They were just in a diagnostic mode, probably started when the Slipstream was interrupted. And they will definitely be done and functioning by the time you need them.” Okay, Neutrino definitely hated her.
“Then it’s settled,” Naruk interjected.
“No, no it’s not!” Neutrino turned his attention once more to the biggest threat in the room. “I’m telling you, it’s too dangerous. I can’t do it!”
“I know there may be risks,” Naruk said, “but I’m sure that a capable Messenger, such as yourself, can manage.”
“But, I can’t!”
“How can you continue to say that?” Elder Prim interjected, “You would abandon us in our time of need?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t,” he squealed. Then all of the elders and some of the onlookers all began to yell at him at once.
“This is a desperate situation Neutrino.”
“How can you refuse?”
“We’ll die if you don’t!”
“You’ll die if you don’t!”
“But I can’t! I’m just a cadet!” He blurted out, too terrified to be embarrassed. The room silenced.
“You’re too old to be a cadet, you’re at least two years past,” said Prim.
Just make me disappear.
“I know that, but it’s true. This is my fourth time in the program.”
“Fourth?” mouthed Prim in shock. “But… but you said you jumped…jumped into the Slipstream. No cadet could do that.”
“That was just luck, desperate luck.”
“Oh that’s just great,” Lylia murmured, “A Messenger too stupid to even graduate.”
Neutrino ignored her. He looked around at the astonished faces and added, “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. I wish I could.”
9. Sweet Talk and Tough Choices
The crowd suddenly erupted and Naruk, thoroughly annoyed, sent everyone home but Neutrino. It took quite a while to accomplish, given that many of the citizens were positively fuming at Neutrino. Several people spat at him and even more called him very ugly names. It didn’t seem fair to Neutrino, after all, it wasn’t his fault he was such a horrible Messenger. When the room was empty Naruk spoke to the Council in low tones for what seemed like forever, then they exited as well. Only Creet stayed behind.
“Why are you still here, Creet?” asked Naruk.
“I was just wonderin’ what was going to happen to Neutrino now? He’ll need a place to stay tonight, I’m afraid of what might happen to him if he’s left alone. That crowd was pretty angry.”
“Do you have a suggestion?”
“He can stay with us. It will be a little tight, but we’ll manage.”
“Very well, I’ll see that he is delivered to your home when we’re through.” Creet seemed reluctant to leave, but the look in Naruk’s eyes convinced him.
“Thank you, Mistress,” he said with a slight, unsure bow before he turned to go.
“Come with me, Neutrino,” Naruk said and she led him out through a smaller side door into a narrow hallway. After a brisk walk they reached a door with a guard outside. He opened it with a slight nod of his head and Naruk brought Neutrino in to a comfortable sitting area. Neutrino got the impression that this was Naruk’s office or part of it anyw
ay. The room only added to the regal quality about her that both comforted and frightened Neutrino.
“Have a seat, Neutrino,” Naruk said. “Would you like a drink? I still have a little Oolian spice wine that I’ve been saving. No reason to wait any longer now I suppose.”
“Um…sure,” Neutrino felt a little like prey being lured into a predator’s nest. Naruk’s change in demeanor was very unsettling. She seemed less impressive, more like a normal person after a hard day of work. She handed Neutrino the wine. He tasted it and immediately regretted accepting the drink, which he would now have to finish in order not to seem rude.
“If you’ve never had it, the taste is a bit strong at first,” Naruk said with an unexpected smile. She had seen the look on his face, “Don’t worry, it gets better.”
“It’s good, really,” he lied, “Thank you.”
“Tell me about yourself, Neutrino,” she encouraged, smiling like a devious pibar cat.
“Why?” he asked tentatively.
“I thought we could get to know each other a bit.” Before we figure out a way to force you into the Slipstream is what Neutrino imagined she was thinking but didn’t actually say. No one had ever cared to know more about him, certainly not anyone as important as Naruk.
“What do you want to know?”
“Well, which planet are you from? One of the Central Worlds I presume?”
“Yes, Venthall.”
“I’ve never been myself, I was born on the planet Cistica in the Muralis system. I hear Venthall has beautiful cities.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Do you have any family there?”
“Just my mother.”
“She must be worried about you.”
I doubt it, he thought, but he said, “Probably. If she even knows I’m missing. SEMS doesn’t always tell the people what’s going on right away.” Especially when they can’t explain it.
“Yes, it’s hard to understand as a civilian, but sometimes governments must make these kinds of decisions to protect the people.” Neutrino thought the Commonwealth often protected the people too much. But then again, what did he know about it? He wasn’t any kind of politician. He wasn’t anything.
Slipstream Messenger (Neutrino Book 1) Page 5