Human Starpilots

by F Stephan

  “Go, play it,” said Oddoril.

  “This is so cool,” began Tasha in the message. “We are allowed to connect, one at a time, to the command interface while the ship gets into hyper.”

  “Yes, and we manage the shortest jumps and accelerate each time while in hyper. You feel all the space even more than in the simulator, and then suddenly it blacks out, and after a few seconds, you’re out back in real space with more speeds,” continued Shanak.

  “I don’t know how it works, but the feeling is just fantastic,” finished Tasha, with a huge grin. “I get tired faster than she does, but I concur,” added Willfried from behind the camera.

  Brian was delighted to see her so energetic. She hadn’t been herself for a very long time, but she now seemed much better. Then, Shanak had collected all the best spacemen stories he had found on board and had spent some time adding them to the message. Even Sonter laughed at the best of them.

  Then, Li Bao sent a lengthy explanation on how the singularity, hosted at the back of the ship, generated an artificial gravity at the front of the ship that allowed them to work normally. Brian barely listening looked inquiringly at Emily.

  “She’s more and more withdrawn. This is the longest message she’s sent us in a while. Maybe it’s positive. At least, I hope so.” She was concerned.

  Sonter looked at Brian, purposefully catching his eye, and shook his head in a silent ‘no’. This worried Brian even more.

  “Now, everyone, group together.” Dendrom was their master photographer, and they moved in for a group photo to send back to their spaceship-bound friends. Brian joined the others.

  Later, in his room, he found out that Illoma had written to him, no video, a quick message he had read time and time again before carefully composing his answer. He had closed a lot of doors before they parted, and he tried, without pressure or demands, to reopen at least a minimal communication with her.

  The days continued with their routine. Follow classes, work in maintenance operations, fly the shuttle or watch the others fly from the auxiliary control room. As the days went by and the work piled up, they had less and less time for watching the flights. Yet Brian kept coming, fascinated by the flight itself, and he was getting better at it now. He could confidently take the shuttle up to the safe distance and bring it back to the station on his own. He had also worked on the different simulations, including the atmospheric reentry.

  Sonter was always showing off, clearly demonstrating that he had already learned to fly before being chosen as a student, but slowly Brian was catching up.

  42 Brian

  “So, how can we help?” asked Leopold. They had all gathered in the central cafeteria for a student meeting.

  “I get scared and then lost in space,” sighed Dendrom, with tears in her eyes. “Every time I fly out, I crumple. Each time Nillimer has to fly me back on remote.” Brian had heard about it. It was tedious work and the master controller swore so loudly all the station heard.

  Sonter took over. “We have all worked with you in the simulations.” This was simple truth; Sonter had spent hours with her looking for different angles to break her phobia. “But you are perfect in simulation.”

  “I just can’t stand the empty space. It feels so endless. I don’t know what will happen to me.” The young woman exploded in tears.

  “I heard that when you stop, they deactivate your nanites. It’s terrible,” exclaimed Troum, meeting an instant dark glare from Sonter.

  “Stop; no one is talking about this. It occurs only in cases of rule breaking. Federation rule, I mean. Even Brian can tell you this is only a punishment for large offense.” Brian nodded, instantly sobered.

  “If you are that scared, we can ask my father and get his answer by tomorrow. I invite you to prepare the message, Dendrom, and I’ll send it under family priority code.” The shy girl lowered her gaze and called a 3-D hologram from her bracelet to obey. Space messages were sent whenever there was availability in the communication band. But a priority family message from the guild and merchant master would be sent immediately. Sonter couldn’t use it lightly, as he would have to answer his father’s questions.

  Dendrom lifted her eyes and smiled thinly. “They would not deactivate them?”

  “The Federation will check every option that will allow you to keep your nanites and continue working in the space trade. You would test in engineering or environmental or any other craft where nanites are allowed. There are also a few jobs on-planet. You could be an ambassador, you know?”

  “Now, now, Dendrom, we’re not there yet,” said Brian. “You’re flying again tomorrow. We will be with you all the way. Emily has rigged a communication platform.” The red-haired girl curtsied at that. “You will not be alone.”

  On the morrow, Dendrom flew out with the shuttle. All the students were gathered in the auxiliary control room and linked with the small pilots. At first, the link seemed to break the curse—until Nillimer found it and broke it, swearing at them.

  At this instant, Dendrom went into a panic and requested to be brought back to the station. They were all downcast when she walked back into the main cafeteria three hours later. Surprisingly, the station controller had not been as harsh as they had expected. “I can understand what you did, I can even approve your action as comrades, but I cannot allow it. One day, she will be out on her own and without you. What will happen to her passengers then? This is the only time your action will not be disciplined. The next one who helps a comrade on a solo mission gets punished. Is that clear?” There had been no room left for an answer.

  The debriefing between Mistress Nillimer and Dendrom had been final, and the next morning, the sentence from Master Reinkel fell. She would have to find another career, because “a pilot needs to be at ease with space itself and its emptiness.”

  After a last farewell party, Dendrom took the shuttle back to Certan. Brian had remembered sadly the first night they had all gone out together. She was the one who had united them, or at least had started it, a long time ago. She had been reassured of her future by a message from Kilet, Sonter’s father, and by a long talk with First Pilot Althal. All the skills and nanites compatibility that had made the Federation choose her would help her find a new future. She had received, late in the night, messages from all students in the Heavyweight. They were now five light hours away, and this meant that Master Reinkel had requested a priority message both ways. Brian was strangely appeased by this gesture. They were a family, temporary maybe, but they needed to react together on some occasions, and so they did.

  43 Brian

  In the series of rooms the academy rented on the station, there was a sound-proofed box for the weekly coaching session. This proved sometimes useful when the masters wanted to be very explicit in their messages. And this was exactly the case. “Do you believe this is enough?” shouted Master Heikert, brandishing a paper copy of his summary of hyperspace entry points. Who these days still printed out copies, even on zero-footprint paper? “I have highlighted on your bracelet map in big letters the path to the nanites navigation console present in the station. You will monitor each shuttle and intrasystem flight arriving on or departing from Zopol and give me a detailed report of the forces applying on entry and exit and how to maximize their usage. You have not covered ten percent of the topic. Lazy, this is lazy.” Brian recoiled from the violent message even if this was a recording. Sometimes distance was a plus. He then ended the session, acknowledging the signature with his thumb, and—shaking from the harsh words—left the room. He had not felt himself to be doing “lazy” work on his side. He had to have missed something and something quite big. He sighed. Yesterday, he had had the same from Mistress Liupert. Praise and bash, praise and bash, and ask always for more. That seemed the moto of this academy.

  He moved toward the common area reserved for students but reconsidered. He called up on his bracelet the dimensional map and turned to go to the navigation console and get a first look at it. It seemed free f
or now, so he knew he had better take the time immediately. On his way, he crossed the cafeteria and walked into an argument between Emily and Sonter.

  “You pretend you’re so much better than us, but you’re not. When my father graduated, the final exercise was to fly through the Netoar band, and you are very far from it, my dear. They’ve stopped it because they dimmed it too hard for pretty girl like you, but this is the only true test that ever mattered. My dad did it twice. Now, you won’t stay on top forever, and when you fall down, all will see your weaknesses as I do. So, get lost and stop bothering me.”

  Emily sat dumbfounded while the other student stormed out of the room.

  “What happened?” asked Brian.

  “I was showing him my new approach on ion-drive adjustments and he exploded.”

  “You did hear him, didn’t you? This run has been stopped. There was probably a reason for that. Do you listen?” Brian asked fervently.

  “Yes, yes, I did,” Emily answered mechanically. She had neither heard nor listened, it was clear. Brian would have to watch her on top of his other duties and assignments. He sighed and tried to stir her away from the conversation.

  “Do you know anything about a navigation console aboard the station?”

  “Yes. It was extracted from a damaged ship. I believe it was the sister of the guild master who flew it.” In a flash, Brian remembered Netrel. “Sonter has never talked a lot about his family. Anyway, the ship was damaged beyond repair.”

  Brian was intrigued. “Any idea what happened?”

  “I believe the singularity became unstable and the ship had to be sent into deep space at maximum speed. I heard it will be remote detonated in another century. Before sending it away, they removed anything of value and transferred the console here. But it is fairly useless since only pilots can really use it. Why?”

  “I got another assignment from Heikert on entry and exit forces and vectors.”

  “Well, good luck, my dear. I haven’t worked on that part at all, and I won’t be able to help you.”

  “You know, I think I may have been chosen on purpose. My special assignments are only given in areas where you cannot help. Well, I have to go,” said Brian.

  “Yes, you don’t want Master Heikert to wait. See you later,” answered Emily from far away, back in her dark mood.

  Brian went to the navigation-console room, checked how the equipment worked, and noted the coming schedule for its use. Still, he was worried about his friend. He would have to do something. But what?

  44 Brian

  Brian was at his navigation console when the Heavyweight returned. He had already prepared half his report for Master Heikert and expected to complete the second half with this arrival. He was fully linked and studied the emergence of hyperspace in detail, trying to capture a maximum of data. This work also helped him forget how nervous he was.

  They had spent the last weeks unloading cargo from the ground shuttle. They had even received two specific rockets with the two parts of a small fusion reactor. The students had worked little in the cargo hold, to avoid accidents in zero gee, but still had had to support the crew member. They also had taken turns in the control center under Nillimer’s supervision. Now was a small moment of peace before the carrier arrived. Yet Brian had an assignment to complete and was determined to excel in it.

  Half a day later, the Heavyweight connected to the station and Nillimer gathered all of them.

  “When the Heavyweight joins us, the transfer will immediately begin. There are fifty tons of goods to transfer. You will have thirty-six hours to unload every container marked for Adheek and load in and out before the Heavyweight has to return back to the trade route. So I am sorry. No time for reunion when they arrive”. There were loud mutters in the room. They had been waiting to be reunited with their friends for weeks now and they chafed under the delay. “All good have been built in the space stations around Alkath, the heart of the Federation, and have crossed hundreds of light-years to reach our quadrant. So, they are our priority. The null gravity will help you but I know it will be a gruesome task for all”.

  “Mistress, we heard the Origin has delayed the launch of medical samples for Illiken. Will that affect our flight?”

  “To cut short on all rumors, they have blockaded a plant from the Tourim, specialized in specific gene engineered medicine. They are used by Illikens against the radiation but, for whatever reason, the Origin has decided they are of the Ancient. Hopefully Althal, some of you know her, will be able to fly up later today. So, no extra delays to wait for this. Now, to your assigned posts”. All jumped to the order.

  A day later, they were at last allowed back into the main hall of the station. Two passengers disembarked from the Heavyweight. They were crew members from the Theoldcow, husband and wife, and they were on leave for six months on-planet. They would wait for the next passage of the spaceship to board it again. Every two turns, crews would spend time on-planet. The two sat themselves apart in the cafeteria and talked quietly while surveying everyone.

  It was also the time to get together with their fellow students. They would leave again with the Heavyweight to finish their training. They had a lot to talk about, and the tumult of their reunion took over the cafeteria. But Brian didn’t join his fellow earthmen and tried persistently to have time alone with Illoma until the brunette faced him.

  “Brian, I know how hard it was when I left.” He nodded. “And I’m flying again tomorrow. And I will be flying again and again. And it will be hard every time I leave. Do you want to live this every time?”

  “No, but…”

  “There is no ‘but.’ We’ve had good times together. More than I hoped for. And if we were together on a ship, we may be able build another story together. But here and now, there is no ‘but.’ Now, you’re going to spend some time with Tasha and Li Bao. They both want to see and talk to you, probably more than me.” The last words crushed him. Yet he went back to his group, all gathered at the same table. Emily was distant, talking to Willfried as she had been ever since the incident with Sonter.

  Tasha squeezed his hand, smiled, and sat him next to her. “Give her some room and take some yourself. She had red eyes for a week after we left, and I can feel her tension building again. Both of you have to live new experiences now, even if it’s hard on you. You have to move on, if only to build something later on.”

  “I understand. I do, but it’s hard.” He blushed furiously at the intimate discussion.

  She squeezed his hand again and laughed quietly, drawing the gazes of her comrades. “You are so cute when you blush. You should do it more often.”

  Leopold took then over. “OK, Brian, you’ve had your personal counseling session by Doctor Tasha. But you’ve missed all news of what we discovered. You’re going to beg Emily to share our hard-found secrets with you.” At that, Emily looked at him directly, eyes twinkling mischievously. She may have been withdrawn, but she had the soul of a prankster. “Now, talk, man!” Leopold added loudly. “How is the shuttle training going?” Then Brian gave an account of all their flights, and Emily completed the picture, usually with greater accuracy than he could provide.

  A long time later, a chime resounded simultaneously on all their bracelets, and they laughed together. Mathias had sent a message from the ambassador and himself, abroad an unfamiliar sort of train with a magnificent mountain vista just behind, with words of encouragement. “We’re leaving the Tourim Mountains with at least one piece of good news. We will tell you more when we meet next.” He had also sent, as usual, his digested version of the DataDump with the news of their families. One day they would have to dig on their own for that news, but until then, they toasted to the cyber geek.

  They all took some time to check on their families. Then, they shared a couple more toasts, Brian incredibly happy with the news of the coming wedding for his sister and the future nephew that would arrive around that time. Nillimer had allowed free alcohol on the station for the rare occasion.
He forgot all else and had to be put to bed forcefully that night, being very unusually roaring drunk. He woke the next morning with birds playing in his head, and it hurt like hell, but for the first time in a long time, he woke without dreams of Illoma.

  They had another party the next evening, where they recorded a message for their compatriots at the request of the ambassador. Then they agreed to watch an Earth movie, a fiction where the new landslides in the Peru Mountains unearthed doomsday devices from the ancient Incas. This wasn’t the best movie ever produced, but they had a good laugh, and they relaxed nicely. Last, Leopold got out playing cards and they played late into the night.

  Separation was again hard on the last morning. Some seemed to get through it better than others, and Brian was a little jealous of Leopold and Emily, who projected calm in the parting. Again, Tasha drew him apart, kissed him on the cheek, and whispered to him, “Everyone can see how hard it is on you to have your friends leave. And some, like Sonter, will use it against you. He’s watching you now. Please, hide what you feel in public, and remain within as you are today. And even if it wrecks your heart, smile when I go.” Then, before he could answer, she winked at him and boarded the carrier without turning back. When she was inside, he noticed Illoma had already gone, probably while Tasha had drawn his attention.

  45 Brian

  The navigation console was again empty, as it had been nearly every day since the departure of the Heavyweight. Nillimer had a day off that day, and she was the only other one who came from time to time. Brian installed himself comfortably in the seat and checked the agenda. When Heikert had pointed out he had missed information on his analysis, and requested that he monitor every flight he could with the console, he had noticed that more data were available than directly visible but needed conscious requests on his side to be activated. He had checked on the Flight Handbook, but the book didn’t mention the console at all. Then he had talked to the couple from Theoldcow but they were in engineering and environmental management and couldn’t help him. So, he tried every idea he could find, every day for one hour during flight practice.