And none of that mattered. After walking for only a short time, Cain dropped to one knee and proposed, simply, without poetry, without thought, trusting his feelings.
Lost in the moment, Ellie agreed.
Mixial let the rest of the team in berthing know before Cain even stood up. The ‘cat wasn’t pleased with her human’s meddling, but accepted it as ‘cats had done for centuries, knowing that at some point, the Hillcat would have to clean up the messes made by her person. In the interim, she’d resume her conversation with Master Daksha, who she always found fascinating and unperturbed by human emotion.
If only the humans could see how dysfunctional they were and tried to be more like the ‘cats. Mixial sighed heavily, understanding that without thumbs, the ‘cats would always be at a disadvantage. Who else could open things for them? If only the fabricator would serve fresh meat, Mixial lamented to herself, then I wouldn’t have to get dirty hunting. Or servants. Yes. I like the idea of servants, the ‘cat mused.
When Cain and Ellie returned to the berthing, Stinky’s and the other four teams had maxed the fabricator in producing snacks and treats for an ad hoc celebration. They even had wine, to which Lieutenant Simonds turned a blind eye, while sipping from his own glass. Doctor Kanter made an untimely visit with her entourage. She accepted that her work with the teams was done and joined the celebration. Cain and Ellie were uncomfortable, but accepted the well wishes and then retreated to Ellie’s room, where they celebrated privately.
The Return Home
Black Leaper’s team took their recliners in the matter transfer chamber, five for the recruits and one for the ‘cat. Daksha had joined them and took the seventh spot. The second team took the other five recliners and with a full house, Holly gave them the usual instructions, directing them to stay still until they were safely back on Planet Vii. Cain resisted the temptation to hold Ellie’s hand.
Aletha came into his mind suddenly, and he fought against it. He could see her shaking her head at him, hands on hips, disappointed. He pinched his eyes closed and prayed that the transfer process would start and he’d be spared her judgment.
And his own.
Ellie wondered what Cain was thinking about as she watched him clamp his eyes shut and clench his jaw. She didn’t think he was afraid of the transfer process. She’d ask when they hit the planet.
Behind Cain, the walls shimmered and darkness descended on the bodies carefully still in their recliners. The computer dance began and the next thing the travelers knew, they were nauseous and waking in the matter transfer chamber beneath New Sanctuary.
No one moved for a long time. Although they’d become close, no one wanted to be first to puke. Finally, Stinky slid his front legs off the chair, slowly sliding until they were on the floor. First one back paw, then the other, and he found himself standing. He looked from one pale face to the next, grinning. He took a few tentative steps, then strode boldly toward the wall as it slide aside. Stinky turned and cocked his head.
“Well, what are you all waiting for? Did we learn to be lazy on the ship?” Stinky taunted the rest. Cain was next off his chair, followed by Ellie, then Tandry, who coughed twice and heaved. Mixial showed sympathy for her human by hacking up a hairball. Cain looked closely at Daksha.
“I think Daksha’s dead!” Cain said, fighting his nausea as he hurried to the Tortoid. The smell of puke didn’t help.
Daksha was on the recliner, legs tucked up against his shell, unblinking, looking more like a statue than a living creature. As Cain touched his neck, the Tortoid blinked, nodded once, and started floating. After that, the rest climbed down and on unsteady legs, walked from the room.
Doctor Johns was waiting for them, and heartily welcomed Briz, pumping his furry white hand until they thought the Rabbit’s arm was going to come off. The elder human beckoned Leaper’s team to follow him. The Tortoid joined the parade that headed into the bowels of New Sanctuary’s underground.
The team arrived, feeling much better after the vigorous walk, and were handed glasses of water to further improve their post-transfer health. “Maybe you should have water set up outside the chamber?” Tandry said off-handedly to no one in particular.
Dr. Johns looked sideways at her then started clapping. “That’s why we need you!” he shouted so the others in the New Command Center could hear. “Someone who can see what we cannot, since we are too close. We need you. All of you.” The old scientist beamed and the others working at their stations stood, watching the group of young recruits expectantly.
Cain and Ellie held hands while the others shifted. Briz was front and center, failing miserably at trying to hide. Mixial bumped against the old doctor’s leg, rubbing against it unashamedly before heading to the elevator. She stood there, then looked back as no one moved. An angry yowl elicited a response from the nearest technician, who ran over to activate the elevator. The ‘cat didn’t give him a second look as she strolled in, tail held high, showing plenty of ‘cat butt to everyone in the Command Center. Tandry hung her head, at a loss for words.
Dr. Johns snickered. “Where were we? Oh, yes, of course,” he started. “Recruit Brisbois, please step forward.” The Rabbit reluctantly stepped next to the tall human clone.
“I’m afraid I’m not very good at this, so I’ll defer to Holly and let him do the honors.” The hologram instantly materialized, beaming a friendly smile at all present. He then shrunk his image to match the Rabbit’s size.
“Attention to orders!” the hologram called out, his voice reverberating through the speakers of the New Command Center. “To all who shall see these presents, greetings. Recruit Brisbois, the Council of Elders has awarded you the Space Star First Class for your work in determining how to remove the threat of the vines aboard the Space Station Traveler. With your team from Recruit Training Class Beta 37, you refused to run, remaining exposed to the dangers of the vines and their deadly metallic leaves. You rallied your team around your vision that the threat could be neutralized and with unwavering dedication, you personally created the means by which the entire space station was cleared of this persistent menace. One hundred and thirty-six years have passed since the vines were first encountered and finally, we are free. The Council of Elders thanks you, Recruit Brisbois, for all you have done.”
Dr. Johns produced a small, five-pointed, platinum star and pinned it to the Rabbit’s harness strap. The clapping and cheering commenced, but the doctor wasn’t finished. He pointed to Cain and Ellie, calling them forward. He put a hand on Briz’s small shoulder as he tried to escape, making him stay.
“Recruit Cain and Recruit Ellie, you are awarded the Space Star Second Class for your willingness to sacrifice yourselves as you engaged the vines at close range. Your selflessness made the technical solution possible. And Recruit Tandry and Recruit Black Leaper, your leadership and support helped your entire team to realize success, a success not only for you, but all of humanity, all the people of Vii. You are awarded the Space Star Third Class. And a final award, and one that probably matters the most to you and your team, your training as part of class 37-B is at an end and your training as crewmembers aboard the Deep Space Exploration Vessel, Cygnus-12, will begin, effective immediately, by order of Admiral Jesper, Commander, Space Exploration Service.”
As Dr. Johns pinned the Space Stars on the other four recruits, Briz hopped excitedly, happy that he hadn’t been put into Research and Development.
Leaper started the handshakes and hugs. The others followed suit, and then those on duty in the New Command Center formed a line to greet the new ensigns, the title that came with graduation from Space School. Last through was Daksha, who asked that they form a circle around him. He spoke to them over the mindlink, always preferring that over the vocalization device, which he maintained did not adequately translate the Tortoid’s thoughts into speech.
‘Congratulations to all of you!’ He nodded and blinked rapidly. ‘Cygnus-12 is currently in refit at the De’atesh shipyard. What you’ll be
getting is an entirely new ship, with the largest capacity and exploration capability of any in the fleet. I am quite pleased to have you on board,’ he said with a twinkle in his Tortoid eye.
“Have us on board, you said. You’re coming?” Cain asked.
‘I’m the Commander of Cygnus-12. I just happened to be on board the Traveler reviewing some of the new equipment I’ll be getting when I heard about a recruit with an exceptionally brilliant mind. You can all thank Briz for that. Dr. Johns suggested I meet with him as you wanted a shipborne assignment, didn’t you?’ he asked the Rabbit, who bobbed his head excitedly.
‘And then I saw the rest of you in action. My goal is not just to go to space, but to go with people who will make a difference and then make sure that we come home. And there we are. You have ten days of leave awarded to you and that will start as soon as we enjoy a picnic in your honor, in the sun. I am afraid that once on the ship, we won’t get much sun so I advise you to get your fill now.’ Daksha nodded to let them know he was done and started swimming toward the elevator, which had been upgraded from the old days and could now hold their entire team with plenty room to spare.
Once the few seconds of transit ended, the doors opened to bright sunshine, temporarily blinding them as they fumbled their way through the small lobby and into the outdoors. The air was markedly different from the clean, recycled, and dry air of the New Command Center. They drank it in, unsure of what to do next as they still couldn’t see clearly.
‘Hey, you two. Come here,’ a rough and rude voice ordered Cain and Ellie. They blinked and shielded their eyes to see who was speaking, while looking at each other to make sure that the voice was talking to them.
‘Really? Is this what I’m going to be saddled with? Really?’ a second, feminine voice added, heavily filled with disdain.
Two Hillcats waited impatiently in the shade of a larger palm tree. They crouched, paws tucked underneath them, as they watched the two humans approach.
‘I’ll take that one,’ the large black male said, tipping his chin toward Ellie.
‘Fine,’ the other spit out, not sounding fine at all. She was a radiant white, not quite as large as the male, but her crystalline green eyes seemed to dominate the area.
“Are you, you know, bonding with us?” Cain asked out loud.
‘Look, master of the obvious speaks,’ the female ‘cat said in her thought voice.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, but I thought the bonding would be a little more pleasant,” Cain said, trying to soften the tone of his new best friend. Ellie nodded, wearing a look as if she’d just eaten a cactus.
‘It didn’t mean to offend us! Ha,’ the male ‘cat replied, chuckling to himself. ‘If nothing else, it’ll be a good laugh, like watching a kitten fall-into-the-lake kind of funny.’
‘Do you have names? We’d like to get to know you better, if we could,’ Ellie said soothingly over the mindlink.
‘I like that one. Do you want to trade?’ the female ‘cat asked.
‘Too late. You’re stuck with the dumb one,’ he replied with a snicker.
‘Fine!’
Cain thought he should have been offended. Nearly every one of his ancestors had bonded with a Hillcat and they all described the experience as magical, combined with the abrasive nature that Hillcats shared with their bonded humans. Cain shook his head and took a deep breath. All the disdain with none of the magic. He probably did something in a previous life to deserve it, or it was the ghost of Prince Axial De’atesh himself come back to haunt the descendent of his life-bonded human, Braden.
“Do you asses have names?” Cain taunted, trying to take control of the conversation.
‘Yes,’ the white ‘cat answered, yawning and closing her magnificent eyes.
Ellie giggled. Cain had had enough. He turned and walked away. Ellie, still holding his hand, followed. She shrugged at the big male ‘cat.
‘Lutheann and he’s Carnesto. Now do go before our heads explode from the inanity of it all,’ Lutheann answered, looking like she was sound asleep.
Cain looked unhappy, and Ellie knew why. He had always idealized the bonding with a ‘cat. She could feel Cain’s emotions surge with the high of their new assignment, followed by the low of being called an idiot by a creature that would always be in his mind, followed by the waves of affection for Ellie. She wanted to calm him, help him forward. Having shared his mind, she knew that he was both selfish and selfless, accepting some things as a natural state, while fighting vigorously against others.
He felt it natural to partner with another person. He’d chosen Ellie and she felt honored, although she suspected that she was a second choice. She would never ask him as she didn’t want to know and wanted to believe that she had him all to herself. “Let’s get married, today!” she blurted out. He stopped and turned, smiling.
The discontent he felt over the bonding with Lutheann immediately evaporated. The rest of their day turned into a blur. Daksha officiated the wedding, which were informal affairs on Vii. It held little value outside the commitment that two people made to each other. For the SES, they recognized marriage and would put the couples together if possible, whether on the same ship or in support positions on the space station or in the shipyard.
And the couple was already together. A spaceship could be gone for years and it was lonely in space. At least for Cain and Ellie, it became a little less lonely on that day as they showed off their Space Star awards and celebrated a wedding. Briz was happy to have the attention off him, if only for a little while.
He just wanted to get back to his room and check some calculations based on what he’d seen on the Traveler, and he needed to study more on the interdimensional space engine. There was so much potential, but he needed more technical information as well as theory, maybe even the original notes from the research center on Cygnus VI. He started walking off, thinking he’d talk with Holly, when Tandry corralled him and stopped him. She was his minder for that evening to make sure he didn’t do exactly what he had just tried to do.
Mixial crouched with Lutheann and Carnesto, plotting the demise of the entire human race, Tandry suspected, or at least that of the three humans they called their own.
Cain stood by while Ellie called her parents, who were a little put out that they didn’t have the chance to attend their only daughter’s wedding. Cain’s parents were even less cordial, implying that they got married because they had to. Ellie prevented Cain from hanging up on them. His wife smiled at him and in that moment, everything was okay. That was what he wanted from her and what he needed.
He breathed deeply of the air at the oasis lake, the same air that his ancestors had breathed in over a hundred years prior. He understood why they loved this place as their secret getaway. It was crowded now, with a city growing on its outskirts. New Sanctuary, with its oasis, had become the center of the known world, a place everyone visited and many stayed. The schools were the most technologically advanced and the lifestyle was comparable to that which the ancients themselves enjoyed.
Cain liked it, but at the same time, longed for the open range, green fields, and trees. Ellie liked the city and all of its comforts. Similar to a spaceship, but on a grand scale.
“Let’s hike to Livestel, maybe see some of the rainforest?” Cain suggested. “I don’t feel like visiting family, taking a long trip that won’t be fun.”
She understood. “Will we ever visit Greentree?” she prodded, knowing the answer already.
“There’s nothing for me there,” he answered flatly, instantly thinking of Aletha, thinking he should call her, but then knowing that he could not. He thought she’d be crushed, but he was secretly afraid that she would not be. Tears threatened to fall. He blinked rapidly and looked away. Ellie knew something was wrong, that she’d opened a deep wound. She figured it was the girlfriend he’d lamented those months ago during their initial training. She didn’t want to know how strong his feelings were for her. Ellie reconciled hersel
f with the fact that they weren’t going for a visit. There was no risk of running into the other woman if they weren’t in Greentree.
And this was her wedding day! She punched Cain in the arm, hard. He winced, his angry face instantly appeared and glared at her. “That’s enough of that, mister! This is our day, so stop moping and let’s have some fun,” she said with a big grin. They ran to the woods, leaving the others behind, then slowing to a walk and talking about the day and their future. It was the kind of talk that married people had. It took a while for them to notice that ‘cats were following them—a large black male and an all-white female with green eyes that seemed to glow.
‘Is this our life now?’ Ellie asked over the mindlink.
‘Yes,’ came the simple reply from Carnesto.
“Are you two partners?” Cain asked aloud, as much to annoy the ‘cats as to speak where he was more comfortable.
‘No, and you are stupid for even thinking that. This foul creature likes domestics,’ Lutheann responded in disgust.
‘You say that like it’s a bad thing,’ Carnesto added joyfully. ‘Now that we’re going to space…’
‘We’re nothing of the sort, you cretin.’ Cain was happy that the other ‘cat was on the receiving end of Lutheann’s venom and not him. ‘Your time is coming, human,’ she added. Cain didn’t know if he should sympathize with Carnesto or be happy that it wasn’t his time yet. He shrugged to himself, while Ellie chuckled.
“So, yes, this is our life now,” Cain sympathized. “Let’s visit Livestel. I think Stinky is heading home tomorrow. We can travel with him, then hike along the rainforest for a couple days. Nothing too taxing, just a chance to have some time to ourselves. Be alone, if you know what I mean.”
Cygnus Rising: Humanity Returns to Space (Cygnus Space Opera Book 1) Page 9