TALIA’S PLANET
TALIA’S PLANET
By Heather Lee Dyer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
TALIA’S PLANET. Copyright (c) 2018 by Heather Lee Dyer. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Heather Lee Dyer.
www.heatherleedyer.com
@HeatherLeeDyer_
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018942994
First Edition June 2018
ISBN 978-1-7322800-1-4 E-book
ISBN 978-1-7322800-0-7 Paperback
“It’s always too early to quit.”
Norman Vincent Peale
CHAPTER 1
The Prison Ship
A shudder runs through the jump ship as we land inside the huge bay of the prison habitat. I wipe sweaty palms on my new civilian clothes before I unbuckle and reach for my bag.
"Ready, miss?" The Council sent one of their own pilots to bring me here. That way the Gryphon 7 crew could stay and keep up with the extra workloads I set for them.
The prison habitat, the Resurrection, is one of my usual gas stops. But this time I'm not here to fill up its bio star fuel tank or replace any of its aging engine parts. This time I’ve come to stay.
I'm here to do the impossible.
I nod and follow the pilot off the bridge. The aroma of grease mixed with sweat hits me as he cycles open the outer door. I smile at the familiar smell. But it also means the pilot has docked me at the supply dock instead of the visitors dock.
"Anything wrong, miss?" he asks as I hesitate at the threshold.
"No, I'll be fine. Just make sure all my cargo gets to the upper dock, the engineering section where my work area has been set up. Please." I’m not even wearing my greasy overalls.
"I'm so sorry, I just assumed…" His voice trails off as he realizes I'm not a mechanic or a fuelie here to work on the docks.
"Really, it's all right." I step out of the shuttle and place my fingertips on the wall to guide me. I’ve studied every inch of this ship, so I'm confident I can find my way up to engineering.
It's just another adventure, Talia. You can do this.
I rely on my knowledge of the ship's layout to find the nearest lift. Colorful language and grunts amid the sound of boxes being lifted and dropped surround me.
The Resurrection has two docking bays. This lower one is used for bringing in supplies and tools to keep the habitat and the Biolab running. The Gryphon 7 would fuel this habitat twice as many times as most of the other habitats, even though there are less than a thousand people living here. Apparently, Biolab Zeg contributes more mass and weight to this integrated ship than the original engineers foresaw. I make a note on my running mental checklist to find out if we can separate the Biolab and leave it behind. For my plan to work this ship has to be able to get far ahead of the Migration in order to scope out a new livable planet.
The upper dock where I was supposed to be dropped off is designed to unload passengers and prisoners. It’s secure and directly below the prisoner's living units. A decade ago, the entire ship, all fourteen decks, was filled with prisoners. Now we’re down to using only one deck. Which is why this ship is the perfect option to turn into a second scout habitat.
I smile as I push the button for the lift, deciding I'm more excited than nervous to start this project. Although my proposal to the Council has three phases, the prison ship retrofit is my favorite. Even during my time on the Gryphon 7, I would think what a waste it was to have a habitat ship that is so empty.
I lean back against the wall of the lift and listen to the mechanics of it as I ride to the very top level. It's a smooth ride, earning points in my book for the mechanic and engineering crews. I relax a bit. It’ll be hard enough for the crews to take orders from someone as young as I am, but at least if they're good at what they do that’ll be one less issue I'll have to deal with.
The lift opens quietly and I step out into an equally silent corridor. I hesitate just a moment before turning left, my new shoes clicking on the floor. I cringe at how loud they sound. I'm so used to my rubber-soled work boots that I feel like everyone aboard the ship can hear me.
As I get closer to the intersection that’ll take me to the bridge, I slow my pace. My heart races as I wonder if Zayn will already be here. We haven't seen each other in several weeks. We’ve both been too busy training others to take over our old jobs before we start this new one. After the meeting with the Council, I was transported that night back to the Gryphon. I didn't even have a chance to meet the rest of Zayn’s family or friends. I smile as I remember the hours we did spend in the greenhouse before I had to leave. That’s something at least.
I imagine it was a great deal harder for Zayn to leave the only home he’s ever known. Although leaving the Gryphon was hard, especially since it's been the only safe place I've ever known, I'm excited for this opportunity to do something different and be part of history.
The texture on the walls changes under my fingertips as I near the bridge. I pause at the door, suddenly nervous to meet the crew I'll be living and working with. I take a few deep breaths and wave my hand over the door sensor.
The sounds of electronics, conversations, and the general background hum of a busy bridge wash over me as I step inside, my bag still slung over my shoulder.
"You must be Talia Jade." A deep, warm voice greets me. "I'm Commander Saj."
I smile and walk in his direction. "Nice to meet you, Commander Saj. I've heard a lot about you and how you did a fine job of taking control of this prison ship early on when it was full."
"That was such a long time ago. There were a lot of changes back then, leaving our planet, deciding what to do with the prisoners and orphans." His voice has a faraway tone like he's reliving the memories in front of me.
"Will you be going on with us to the new solar system?" I need to know if he's someone who is for or against the retrofit of his ship.
"Oh yes, I'll see this project through until my last days." I hear his hands on a computer console. "Come look at these diagnostics. I've already started the protocol you sent over."
I take the last few steps over to where he's standing and hesitate. "No one told you I couldn’t see without my helmet interface?" I hear several bodies swivel in their chairs toward me.
"I'm sorry, no I wasn't aware." He takes my hand in both of his dry, wrinkled ones. "All they told me was that you were the best fuelie in the fleet. And of course I saw the vids of you presenting our miracle projects to the Council." He makes a clucking noise in his throat. "I really had no idea. I just thought you didn't want to shake hands."
I chuckle. "I get that a lot. Since we'll be working together, if you need something from me and I'm not responding, just ask."
"May I start with how you’re able to do work on the bio star tanks, and wire electrical and mechanical systems without sight?" He squeezes my hand. "If the question doesn't offend you."
I smile. "I'm not offended. I know that with all of our genetic bioengineering blindness is very unusual. I have a special computer, being unloaded as we speak, that allows me to 'see' what you see on your computer screen, but through electrical impulses through my fingertips. I also have a portable one that Zayn built me packed away as well. And when I'm working outside the ship, my suit has a special interface that allows me to have temporary sight. That helps with the most dangerous jobs."
"That's remarkable." His voice is full of admiration, not the usual nervou
sness that I get when people discover I'm blind.
"Actually, Commander she's much more remarkable than you could ever imagine."
My throat constricts as the familiar voice warms me to the core. "Have you been here this whole time, Zayn?"
"Got aboard about an hour ago, but just introduced myself to Commander Saj right before you got here." He sounds like he's thoroughly enjoying surprising me.
"Not often you've been able to sneak up on me like that."
"Well as you've said before, I have the advantage on an unfamiliar ship," he says with a chuckle.
"Yes, but not for long." The familiar banter makes my chest ache as I realize just how much I've missed Zayn these last few weeks.
"Now that we're all here," interjects Commander Saj. "let's get you both settled in so we can get to work on the retrofits. I understand the Council has some tight deadlines for us." He drops my hand and ushers me to a seat in the middle of the bridge.
"Yes, the Migration is almost at the critical point where we'll need to make a decision on which direction to take."
I feel Zayn sit next to me. His thigh touches mine, sending tingles throughout my body. I clench my fists and continue. "We'll need to know within the next few months which galaxy to send the Migration to so we don't lose precious fuel back tracking."
"Do you really think we'll make it to one of these new worlds? We thought we had things figured out the first time with New Earth." Commander Saj sits on the other side of me.
"Yes, we believe so. The planet we saw from Midpoint's sensors will need some more investigating, but so will the other planets near New Earth. Having both options gives us a fighting chance to find the right home for us."
Zayn leans toward me. "And having the scouts looking for resources along the way is a smart idea. That way we have enough raw materials to survive until we get to one of these planets." Zayn spent many hours poring over the three projects I proposed to the Council. His knowledge of the scout habitat and the type of training the scout pilots received helped me to develop a recycling system that although wasn't exciting in implementation, will be absolutely essential to our survival.
"Sounds like you and your teams have drawn up solid plans to work through. I think you'll find my engineering team willing and more than capable of retrofitting this old prison ship."
The pride and confidence in Commander Saj's voice fills the cracks in my mind where doubt has crept in over the last few weeks. What we're trying to do here is so overwhelming at times to think about, but with Commander Saj and Zayn's confidence in me, I believe that this project will succeed.
CHAPTER 2
Biolab Zeg’s Secret
Commander Saj takes us one deck below the bridge where we step out of the lift into a giant room. The sheer size of it is apparent from the deep echoes. Instead of a long corridor leading to different rooms this deck is basically one room the length of the ship.
"This will be our new comm center," Commander Saj explains.
I hear activity off to one side. A niggling fear creeps into my mind as I think about working on a prison ship. Before it was an abstract idea, one that was just part of a retrofit project. But now that I'm here, I find myself a little nervous. "Do you still use inmates for labor around the ship?"
"No, not anymore." The Commander chuckles. "Our population is so small there’s no need, and the prisoners we do have left are here for extremely serious crimes. They never leave their secured floor."
I push all the fears and trepidation to the back of my mind and point toward the noise. "Are those our supplies being unloaded?"
"Yes, and your personal items have already been taken to your quarters, one level down. I have a meeting set up with my crew tomorrow morning at eight. I'll introduce you and your team then. Right now, I have a few matters to take care of. Here." He places a small square object in my hand. "Wear this at all times for communication, and for access to all sections of the ship. Except the prisoner's level, of course."
"Thank you," Zayn and I say in unison. Commander Saj must've handed him one as well. I smile and pin the comm unit to my shirt.
And just like that, Zayn and I are alone for the first time in several weeks. My stomach flutters, and I wonder how the time away from each other has affected our relationship.
We’re silent as we listen to the sounds of the workers unloading crates and machinery.
"So how are you doing, Zayn?" I break the silence between us, unable to keep quiet. I hear him shift toward me.
"It was tough leaving my ship." His voice cracks slightly. "How about you? You lived on the Gryphon for a long time too." I feel his hand brush my arm, and I lean into his touch.
"Yes, it was hard. Not only were they my family, but also, as you’re aware, I knew the ship inside and out. I'm out of my comfort level here." I give him a small smile.
He slides his palm slowly down my arm and entwines our fingers, sending the familiar tingles throughout my body.
"I'm one hundred percent positive you'll get to know this ship as well as the Gryphon." He squeezes my hand and tugs me away from the noise. "Let's start getting used to it right now."
"A tour of the ship?" I ask, walking with an extra bounce in my step.
"Yes, unless you have somewhere else to be?"
I squeeze his hand back. "Nothing I can do until my computer gets set up."
Zayn pauses at the doorway. "You brought your modified computer from the Gryphon?"
"It would be too expensive and take too much time to build another, so Captain Reyes had the engineering team take it apart and bring it here."
From behind us come the sounds of numerous computers coming online. Several vid channels play at once, but I catch a few words that make my blood instantly run cold.
"What is it?" Zayn asks.
I listen for a second longer. "I heard something about Captain Kae." I grind my jaw and step back inside the giant room.
"—would like to know why the Council is dragging their feet on this issue, Chairman. Are they still gathering evidence? Do they not believe the teens and the undercover security guards? What is it about this captain that has our Council hesitating?"
"Arghhh!" I stomp back out the doorway and down the corridor. "I can't believe they're letting this go on so long. She's out there working, making money, acting like she did nothing wrong!"
Zayn grabs my arm and slows me down until I stop. I'm shaking. "Talia, you can't let her affect you like this."
"That's easy for you to say. She only tried to kill you once."
He releases his grip on my arm.
I tilt my head back and take a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Zayn. I didn't mean to minimize what you went through."
He gathers me into his arms and I sink into his embrace. He smells just like I remember. "It's all right, Talia. What we went through on Midpoint Station, with her coming so close to actually killing us, was awful. I’ll never forget it, and I still have nightmares about being frozen to death."
I squeeze him tight, remembering how close I was to losing him.
"But add that to her getting away with causing the deaths of your parents and the loss of your sight, I know I can't even come close to comprehending all that. All I'm saying is that we have no choice right now but to let the Council decide her fate. But we do have a choice on how we act and what we do now." He kisses the top of my head.
I lift my face away from his chest. "I know you're right, Zayn. That's what I've told myself for years. Even after the Council found her innocent. I guess I'm just afraid they're going to repeat their mistake and let her get away without punishment again."
I hear footsteps enter the corridor, and Zayn lets go of me. I step back, already missing the warm connection as we continue walking.
When we get into the lift, Zayn elbows me. "You do realize if she’s found guilty where she'll go, right?"
I freeze. "Rigel’s ice! I seriously didn't think that one through. I'm living on and retrofitting the very ship w
here she'll serve her sentence."
Zayn's laugh rumbles through me as he grabs my arm and drags me forward again when the lift doors open. "So don't be in such a hurry for the Council to sentence her," he teases.
"But she's out there, free. It just irritates me. I finally had come to terms with her not being held responsible for my past, and now she goes and starts hurting people in my life all over again." I let out a few choices words under my breath.
"Wow. You’ve been hanging around mechanics too long." Zayn squeezes my arm as we avoid several crewmembers walking in the corridor.
"Sorry. But, maybe we can encourage the other prisoners to rehabilitate her?"
"Funny. Didn't expect that. What about just putting her in isolation?"
"Maybe we could make her install the bio star fuel core?"
"She'd sabotage it."
We both start laughing so hard it takes us a few minutes to realize we’re at the end of the corridor.
When I can talk again, I turn toward Zayn. "Where are we? You've totally sidetracked my concentration."
"Ha! That was my evil plan." He takes my arm again. "We're one level up from the prisoners, at the entrance to Biolab Zeg."
"Really? We're starting our tour at the greenhouse? Shouldn't we check out the engineering section first?"
"We have plenty of time for that tomorrow. But you have to see this place." He clears his throat. "Well, not literally, but experience this place the way you do. It's amazing. And not just a greenhouse."
I've been to greenhouses on several of the habitats. Each one has different plants and small animals that were native to that habitat's original country. My favorite was the greenhouse on the Miyajima habitat. The small Japanese deer were so friendly and followed me everywhere. I remember the greenhouse staff had to make sure they didn't follow anyone out of the secure areas.
"All right, but I've been in some pretty amazing greenhouses across the Migration."
"Just wait. This will become your favorite. I promise."
I squeeze his arm. "You know, we might have to leave the Biolab Zeg behind," I say quietly.
Talia's Planet (Recycling Humanity Book 5) Page 1