Remembrance

by SJ Moquin

  “It would,” Jexxa replied, wistfulness filling her voice. Her eyes said all Gwelle needed to know. Turning to the stall keeper, she slapped down enough credits before she had time to talk herself out of it. Taking the article of clothing in her hands, she turned to Jexxa who watched her with brows drawn. It wasn’t until she shoved the beautiful blue shirt forward the girl realized what was happening.

  “Here.”

  “But why?”

  “So you’ll have something new for the festival tomorrow.” The girl looked at her, a strange expression forming on her face before the corners of her small mouth turned up in a slow grin. Gwelle saw her fingers tighten around the soft material she now held close to her.

  “Thank you for this kindness, Gwelle. I cannot repay you…”

  “There’s no need,” Gwelle interrupted, waving away the girl’s misgivings. While it wasn’t a lot, just a shirt, she knew Jexxa understood the gesture. It represented a fresh start in a new home. Gwelle smiled reassuringly pointing out some fresh pastries a few stalls over. The girls shared a fruit-filled, flaky crusted treat as they meandered through the market. Jexxa didn’t say much as they chewed but asked a question now and then.

  “What is that?”

  “This?” Gwelle held up the spiky fruit watching as the pale-haired girl nodded, her brows scrunched. “It’s a pineapple. Didn’t you have pineapple on Endeavor?”

  “Um… no. We didn’t.” Gwelle felt bad for asking the simple question. She realized that Endeavor had survived on so much less than they had. Pineapples, while only the replicated kind while in space, had been one of her favorites as a child. They were thriving now on Varax along with several other of Earth’s produce and fruit. They were actively working on getting many others to acclimate to their new home world as well, she thought remembering working with Wyn the past couple days on the apple saplings.

  “Well, you’ve got to try it sometime. It’s amazing.”

  “What’s amazing? Me?” A deep voice asked behind her.

  “Hardly.” Gwelle rolled her eyes at Knox watching him wiggle his eyebrows up and down.

  “Have you seen Lark? I was supposed to meet her here to go over plans for tomorrow,” the tall, broad boy said, changing the subject.

  “No, I haven’t. But she might be running late. The market seems to just now be picking up with people getting off work.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “What sort of plans do you two have, anyway? Are you two, you know… a thing?” Gwelle asked, raising her brows along with her question.

  “What? No! Eww! No! I’ve got to help her with the littles program they’re putting on in the morning. As punishment for the whole karaoke stunt the other night.” Most of the last part was mumbled as he ran a hand through his shaggy blonde locks.

  “First, I knew Lark would have my back. And might I add, you deserve it. Second, I am so telling her what you said about her,” Gwelle teased. Jexxa stood beside her, not saying much but obviously enjoying the conversation by the broad smile on her face.

  “Don’t you dare!” Knox’s eyes widened as he shook his head. “Please, Gwelle.” His confidence and denial flew away with those two words. He liked Lark. Knox really did like Lark despite his statement otherwise.

  “Fine. But you owe me,” Gwelle teased.

  “Sure, sure. Anything!” Knox wrapped a brawny arm around her pulling her into a one arm hug.

  “Okay. Let me go or I might just change my mind!” Gwelle shoved at her friend as Jexxa’s tinkling laugh filled the space between them. Knox waved bye as he jogged off to find Lark after swearing both girls present to secrecy once more.

  “He’s funny.”

  “Ha! You don’t know the half of it,” Gwelle assured her new friend. Not long after Knox ran off, she spotted Raiden across the marketplace and waved him over.

  “Thank you again for the shirt.”

  “You’re not leaving already, are you?” Gwelle asked realizing she’d enjoyed the afternoon with the quiet girl more than she realized.

  “I believe he’d rather spend some time alone with you. And I’ve made other plans for this evening,” Jexxa replied nodding to where Raiden strode boldly towards them. When Gwelle looked back, the girl was already several paces away, waving as she went. She didn’t have long to think about the abrupt departure before Raiden showed up.

  “Hey!”

  “Hi.” Why was it suddenly awkward to speak to him, she wondered feeling heat rising in her cheeks? The feeling lasted until he slipped his hand in hers. His strong fingers laced between hers sending warmth through her at the simple touch. This felt… right. Complete.

  “Are you ready to make a few plans?”

  “Did you really have to ask?” She teased as they walked through the market to a secluded table.

  “I shouldn’t have. I do believe I should be asking if I can ever hope to keep up with you and your wild streak.”

  “Ha! I’m not the one who hacked the internal weather controls and made it snow on deck twenty.”

  “Hey! You dared me!” Raiden exclaimed in mock frustration.

  “You didn’t have to do it, though.” Gwelle chuckled at the memory.

  “Since when could I ever deny you anything?” Laughter died as she remembered the one thing he had denied her and the fallout it caused between them. She saw the hurt enter his eyes again realizing the direction her thoughts had taken. Squeezing his hand, she smiled. She smiled, pushing the pain aside. That pain was a yesterday tied to too many bad memories, and as hard as it was, she’d try to push it aside. Forgetting may be difficult, but since when had she let difficult get in her way? Never.

  “Pfft! Don’t try that line on me. I still remember a certain someone refusing to join me on the holodeck that one Halloween.”

  “I was ten, and you wanted to hunt monsters!”

  “Chicken!” Gwelle teased earning her a broad smile from the boy beside her. Yes, sometimes moving on was worth it, she thought as they laughed together. A bit of humor may be just what they needed, especially as she knew tomorrow would be filled with way too much excitement and nervousness to find the lighter side of things.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The Core

  Gwelle’s stomach flipped and flopped as they wove their way through the crowd. Everyone in Nova-Zera was gathered around the commons and throughout the marketplace, playing games, dancing, laughing, celebrating being alive and prospering, at least, everyone except Gwelle’s mom, who would be joining the festivities a bit later. Gwelle had walked the older woman to work that morning before meeting up with Raiden. Nia Airda took her job as head medic seriously and despite a competent staff member on duty, she wanted to check the patients herself. Gwelle couldn’t blame her. Not much had changed with Rix and Kana. Both were still alive, but Nia hadn’t been able to revive them yet. Maybe that was for the best, considering the extensive damages they’d sustained.

  Noise on the large platform across the commons drew her attention back to the present. Chuckles bubbled through the crowd as the littles took the stage, twirling and singing the song they’d been working on. From where she and Raiden stood to one side of the large open square, Gwelle made out it was something about a bird in search for a home. The children flapped their wings as they sang, one tiny boy over to the side doing his own thing jumping around more like a rabbit than bird. Suddenly the crowd roared to life when Knox, covered head to toe in feathers, flapped wildly onto stage. She had to admit, he made a very cute bluebird despite the frown on his usual jovial features. Lark stood to one side with the other teachers trying hard to suppress her laughter at the sight. If looks could kill, judging by those Knox was shooting at the curly haired girl, Gwelle would be short one best friend very soon.

  “Are you ready?” Raiden’s breath tickled her neck as he whispered in her ear sending chills down her spine. The good kind of chills not the kind she had felt all morning each time she remembered what she and Raiden were about to do.<
br />
  “Of course,” she replied, ignoring the nerves threatening to rise from her stomach into her throat.

  “Good. Not long now.” She didn’t reply, giving a simple nod instead. They’d already discussed the plans forwards and backwards until she knew everything down to the minute it should happen. She continued to watch the stage as she and Raiden moved through the crowd. They meandered hand in hand, looking like any young couple in love would. Not that they were, she reassured herself. It was an act, that was all, an act to not bring attention to themselves as they moved into their final position, farthest from the crowd and closest to the large archive building which sat a few rows away.

  The building which housed the core in one of the underground rooms was also home to all the archives brought with them from Earth, including several very priceless books. They were actual books, with paper. She remembered the first time she had seen them she had run her fingertips across the thin paper pages, and she could almost feel the words beneath them. That was until the archivist chased her away. She was only eight and had no clue how rare they were at the time. To this day, she dreamed of owning a book of her own, not one on her plex, but an actual bound volume. She really wouldn’t care what it was about, just to say she owned one. She heard there were a few more added to the collection that had traveled on the Endeavor. Maybe after today’s escapade she’d pay a good honest visit to the archives. That is if all went well, and they weren’t caught and banned for life.

  Way to keep everything positive, she thought. Commander Corsin walked across the open-air stage to applause from the audience. This was their cue. Both he and the council were there, in front of the entire population of Nova-Zera, to give speeches and to officially kick off the founding festival, although many had been out here since early morning. Following this would be a giant feast with more games to follow. If all went as planned, she and Raiden would be back just in time to find her mother for the meal.

  Raiden slipped behind the cover of the closest building, leading her through the metal structures. She couldn’t help but look over her shoulder several times, but only eerie quiet greeted them where, on a normal day, people might be walking and working. Nevertheless, she and Raiden stayed close to the buildings, hovering in the shade of each one before crossing to the next until they reached the archives in the roundabout way they’d traveled through the settlement. Straight through the commons and behind the stage would have been easier, but that wasn’t possible now, of course.

  Just as Raiden had predicted, the back door was unlocked. Few locks were used despite each door having them. Everyone knew everybody in Nova-Zera. Even the new arrivals from Endeavor fit in quickly and seemed like old friends and colleagues to everyone. Thankfully no one felt the need to lock their doors. And in this instance, she was very glad. But the irony that she’d have broken in regardless, if the door was locked or not wasn’t wasted on her, and her lips twitched up in a half smile at the thought. She could feel the rush of energy flowing through her where, moments before, she had fought off nerves.

  They crept down the back corridor, avoiding the main room filled with stations for researching and viewing archives. She glimpsed the darkened doorway across the large space which led to the books. It was more a museum at this point, but it was still possible to view them as long as you requested an appointment, wore proper hand gear for handling them, and promised never to steal one. She shrugged at the overcautious archivist. One little goof up when you were a kid, and they made you sign a contract every time you entered the room.

  Raiden touched the wall, and a panel slid open a few paces down. A dark stairwell led down to a lower level beneath the building. If you didn’t know where to look, the panel would appear as if it were a normal wall. Gwelle didn’t ask how Raiden knew exactly where to find it as she followed him into the dark. It wasn’t a secret that the core was housed in the archives. Not exactly. Its exact location just hadn’t been publicized. She knew that, because Raiden was a protector, he might have been privy to inside information. The fact he was using that information to help her filled her with warmth despite the drop in temperature the deeper they descended underground.

  They exited the stairwell into a cold, dark hall running in both directions. This was where Raiden lost his advantage. She watched him look both ways a few times before choosing the right. She wanted to ask if he was sure but bit her tongue. Something about being down here knowing they shouldn’t didn’t seem as much fun as it used to up on Deliverance. Granted, they’d never hacked into the main database supporting all the archives and files accumulated since leaving Earth ninety years before. Not to mention the core supported every computer in the settlement, sort of a network hub.

  They turned a slight curve in the corridor and came to the end. Raiden pushed the door open and slid into the room before them. He motioned her in before pushing the door closed. She looked around the dimly lit room. There in the center of the room was the core, a large computer station. The tall boy crossed the room on slow, steady feet almost as if he expected sirens and alarms to sound at any moment. He glanced towards her with a shaky smile before looking down at all the keys and buttons on the station. She watched as he pulled out a set of black, snug gloves tugging them over his lean fingers.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” she whispered, despite them being the only two people in the building. He rolled his eyes then stretched his fingers. Raiden tapped on the keys, his fingers flying over them in an intricate series of commands. Several holoscreens popped up above the station. He flipped through them faster than she could read the contents on the screen then swiped away the ones he didn’t need while tapping and making new screens pop up.

  She’d given up trying to read the screens while he was searching through them. She stood to one side with her arms crossed. A niggle of doubt tried to wriggle its way into her mind. What if he didn’t find anything because it hadn’t been there to begin with? Just as the thought crossed her mind, Raiden’s hand paused in midair, hovering over a screen. She leaned in closer, watching as he touched a file, and then another, and another. Several screens opened, one after another cluttering the air above the station. Then he stared. She saw the file she’d originally clicked on at the science lab pop up and started scanning its contents. By the time she finished, her mouth hung open, and her mind whirled in ten different directions. Her dark eyes flitted to the other files open.

  She turned to Raiden, who wore the same shocked expression mirroring her own. They found not just the one file, but several deleted incidents. Pushing those screens to one side, Raiden began digging through the core’s memory again.

  “What does this mean?” she whispered after reading several other instances.

  “I don’t know,” Raiden said, shaking his head. “But it’s not good.”

  “Why?” He shot her a look something like regret mixed with fear.

  “Someone’s been erasing records. And if that someone finds out we were…” His voice trailed off as a tapping sound echoed outside the room. Raiden didn’t have time to finish his statement, but she knew what he was about to say. If they were found out, it wouldn’t be good for either of them. Panic rose in her throat. Gwelle watched as the dark-haired boy swept away all the screens and pressed a sequence of buttons before the core returned to the state it was in before they entered the cold room. They covered the distance between them to the door in a few quick strides before freezing. Voices carried down the hall directly towards them.

  Gwelle panicked, her heart racing as her eyes sought Raiden’s. He was already looking around the room. His fingers wrapped around her upper arm, tugging her quickly to a small door-like structure on the far wall. Sliding it opened, it was something of a maintenance conduit, pipes and wires ran up and down. Shoving her forward, Raiden stepped inside. He slid the panel closed just as the voices grew louder. The space was dark and tight. She was face to face with him, his body so close to hers she could feel its warmth. The voices stopped sho
rt of the room they’d just been standing in, and now only hushed whispers reached their ears over the hum of the pipes and circuits around them in the confined space.

  “…more careful next time.” A deep voice muffled through the two doors reached them.

  “You… know better.”

  “I’ll fix it.”

  “There wasn’t supposed… any survivors.”

  “And there won’t be when… done.” Gwelle’s eyes widened. Who was outside the room making threats? And just who were they threatening, she wondered.

  “Make sure... and Rix don’t wake…” A scream bubbled up in her throat, Raiden clasping his hand over her mouth as a small sound escaped. Both held their breaths wondering if she’d been heard but no sound from the hall came.

  Gwelle released the breath she held but stiffened a moment later when heavy steps echoed right outside their hiding spot. Small flashing lights on the circuits lit up Raiden’s features as he turned her chin towards him. A finger to his lips encouraged her to stay quiet. When he moved towards the sliding panel a moment later, she couldn’t help but tug his arm back. Despite the look he shot her, which said all would be alright, she couldn’t control the sinking feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. Light flooded the space where they stood as he cracked the panel not even half the length of a finger. Any moment she expected it to be flung open and for them to be found out. A few seconds later he shut the panel as quietly as possible, motioning for her to be quiet still.

  It seemed an eternity before the echo of footsteps faded away into the distance. Still neither moved, not even daring to breathe deep for several minutes. Finally, Raiden slid the door back stepping out first before helping her out of the cramped space. It wasn’t until he reached to take her hand that she noticed the shaking. Her hands trembled.