Destiny Abounds (Starlight Saga Book 1) (30 page)

“I… I see, Miss Sirrah.” A slight sigh slipped out before he could stifle it. “I will attempt to reassess the situation and be calmer about it, but I cannot assure you that I won't continue to avoid her. Her physical presence is… intense, and trying for me. Especially with the way she treats Miss Zimi. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right, I wouldn’t suggest for you to... “ She blinked at him. “What do you mean by how she treats Zimi?”

He hesitated, but then jumped on the opportunity to tell someone about the issue who could hopefully help solve it. Hopefully. “She, well, I mean… She kind of bullies her.” He finally forced the statement out successfully with Sirrah’s slight gesture of encouragement.

Sirrah sighed heavily at the explanation, running fingertips lightly over her forehead in a gesture of apparent mild frustration. “Oh, dear. Of course she is. I’ll need to talk about it, then, and apologize to Zimi as well.”

He nodded, almost done with the food; he’d helped Zimi pre-cook quite a few pounds of meat days ago. Now he was just neatening it up and putting some meals together. “She would probably like that.” He blinked, stopping suddenly. “I mean, the help, of course. Not the apology. Well, she might like it, but I don’t want to suggest that you should have to… But of course you can if you want, and….” He took a deep breath, facing the Kala and looking helpless to either make his point or continue.

Fortunately, she merely seemed amused, hiding the bulk of a pleasant smile behind the decorative lace fan. “Mr. Leonard, it’s quite all right. Could I trouble you to arrange for her to meet with me?”

“Of course. If you like, I’m about to go see her right now… I would be happy to convey the gist of your message, and tell her you wish to speak with her. I know Miss Zimi will be pleased.” He flashed her a hopeful, helpful smile.

She seemed to consider a moment, then nodded to him. “Thank you. If she has time tomorrow, she could stop by my room for lunch.”

Thinking about it, Mr. Leonard’s face split in a happy grin. Zimi would love the invitation. “She’ll like that. I mean, you’re a Kala, and, um, I know that Miss Zimi would simply be thrilled to have the chance to actually, well, you know, speak with you. Even a little.” Zimi had confided her excitement at the presence of a Kala on board the very first day, as excited as any young woman would be by the prospect of meeting one.

Sirrah smiled and nodded again, and he returned to his foodcraft before he could embarrass himself more thoroughly. Pleased with himself for having made it successfully through the conversation, he devoted himself to the task and quickly crafted a variety of what he hoped were tasty and appealing foods, cooking and warming where he needed to.

Whipped
kronats
were topped with light cheeses and meat crumbles, then packaged and set beside a few slivers of pan-seared meat. He opened a few cans of other meat, but simply couldn’t just dump them onto the plate and leave them alone; that simply wouldn’t do. He flash-seared them as well and seasoned them with a bare pinch of Elysian seasonings.

There was less bread left in storage than he’d expected, so he spilt a couple of pieces into three and toasted them, dipping and coating them in ribbons of crystallized
Nihar
eggs from Mizar as he did so. Packaging the bulk of it up, he felt something was missing, so he cut a couple of thin slices of Urzran mushroom steak, knowing that, once exposed to light, that the sliced fungi would “cook” themselves before he made it Zimi’s room.

“You’re rather good at that.” To his credit, he didn’t jump this time, partially because she said it quietly and gently, taking a light breath ahead of speaking as if to warn him.

He hadn’t realized she had been watching him, though. “Um, yes! Thank you, Miss Sirrah.” He briefly reflected on his inability to accept a compliment properly.

“I’m impressed. I understand you’re also quite the engineer.”

Her scrutiny of his abilities made him unsurprisingly nervous, and he strained not to fidget uselessly instead of gathering the dinnerware he needed. “I… I suppose so. I don’t want to inflate my own ego or abilities. I suppose my skills suffice, however.”

Sirrah helpfully slid some utensils, then some wrapping material toward him. “It’s not bragging to be honest with your ability. Though, humility is an admirable trait as well. How did you come by your skills, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Um, thank you again, Miss Sirrah. I don’t believe it’s really anything that impressive or remarkable, of course…” He began to neatly stack sealed dishes and bowls, grabbing the handful of reusable napkins Sirrah held out for him as he did so. “I, well…” He took a deep breath to steady himself, and wondered if he were blushing. “I used to take care of several younger children. So, cooking ability was somewhat mandatory. Though, I honestly believe Miss Zimi is the better cook on board.”

With everything precariously in hand, he turned to face Sirrah. Well, mostly. “As for my mechanical expertise? I kind of just picked it up. And studied the rest. I guess you could say I have a natural aptitude for it.”

Seeming to note his struggle with the now precarious stack of food, Sirrah emptied a nearby, basket-like container and offered it to him helpfully. “I’m impressed nonetheless. The
Destiny’s
crew does seem rather remarkable overall. I find it very interesting. Take Merlo, for example. Her public piloting records are nothing shy of prodigious.”

Mr. Leonard brightened, accepting Sirrah’s kindly offered assistance and piling the meals into the rounded basket as she held it for him. He took the basket from Sirrah with a bright smile and a little bow. He continued the conversation with much greater ease as he shifted his burden to a more reasonable method of conveyance.

“Oh, yes. Miss Merlo is rather impressive.” It was much easier to talk about Merlo’s talents than his own. “We’ve worked together quite a bit, of course, and I’ve never seen a pilot as skilled as she is.” He furrowed his brow for a moment. “Not that I’ve met many pilots in person. But really, she
is
very good. She can calculate and respond to slipjumps and changes in the slipstreams sometimes before a computer can even register them. It’s really very impressive. I’m happy to have the chance to work with her so often.”

He shifted with mild unease from foot to foot, and glanced down in embarrassment as he saw Kala Sirrah notice. He couldn’t help it, though; despite the conversation going well, his anxiety was building and he was starting to feel it was time to go.

Fortunately, she apparently decided not to delay him any further, so he didn’t have to fumble for an appropriate way to excuse himself. “I should probably get back to preparing my own lunch,” she smiled at him again as she stepped lightly to the cooling unit. “It was nice talking to you, Mr. Leonard.”

“Of course. And you as well, Miss Sirrah.” He took the opportunity and literally bowed out of the conversation. Finding himself back in the
Destiny’s
main corridor, he struggled with 286-based anxiety once again, but decided to ignore it as best he could and simply hurried on to Zimi’s room. As the door panel chimed at his presence, he shifted the basket and waited as she slid the door open and stood there, smiling at him.

“You’re late, Mister Leonard.” She put her hands on her hips in a playfully reproachful manner and gave him a similarly playful expression. He thought she was rather cute in her simple grey shirt and tan, mid-thigh shorts.

“I’m sorry, Miss Zimi.” The return smile came easily to his face as he looked at her. Her happy attitude was simply infectious, and pleasantly so. “May I come in? I brought us some food for the evening.” As she let him pass and closed the door behind him, he resolved to attempt to let his anxiety go and enjoy the evening. He had other things to do later, and much he could worry himself over later. But for now, perhaps he could just let all of it go and enjoy the company of a good friend.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Silicon, Mistakes, and Departures

Merlo

The ship’s lights flared and an alarm sounded, blaring its urgent voice into Merlo’s sleeping mind. Starting awake, adrenaline pumping fast, for a moment she was back in the cockpit of the
Defiance
, flashing back to her desperate evasions as Urebai’s planetary defenses tore her ship into so much shrapnel. It wasn’t until she rolled past 286 and tumbled out into the floor that she realized there was no alarm, just a gentle deep beeping. There were no critical warning lights flashing, just a slight pulse from her room’s hidden light sources.

“Miss Merlo? Miss Merlo? Are you awake? You’re needed on the bridge for final descent.” Mr. Leonard’s voice, carrying clearly over the com system, sounded as if he was trying to be polite, insistent, and worried all at the same time.

“Shit!” Merlo couldn’t believe she had lost track of time or overslept. That wasn’t like her; she’d set the nav data herself, she knew what time they’d be arriving.
Irresponsible.
Her suit snapped abruptly into place, countless nanoweave layers springing from the base of her skull and sealing over her bare body. “Sorry, Mr. Leonard. I’m on my way now.”

Pausing only an instant to throw a thin blanket over the prone, still-snoring form of Prisoner 286, Merlo rushed the doors and made her exit.

“Captain Branwen and Kala Sirrah are already on the bridge, awaiting your arrival,” Mr. Leonard’s voice kept rough pace with her through some incredibly talented use of the ship’s com systems. Merlo cursed again, this time under her breath, as she didn’t want to offend him. She also didn’t want to be late to pretty much her only job, or risk embarrassing herself or the Captain, but that ship might have launched already.

12.1 -
Branwen

“No, I was actually trapped there for some time, amid the choking heat and stinging sands; indeed, several days by my reckoning. I had been in desert lands before, of course, though I cannot say I recommend them. If I am destined to be stranded somewhere without supplies, I would much prefer the tundras.” Branwen looked over at the dignified figure of Kala Sirrah, who nodded along, seemingly in agreement with her assessment of Koltan.

“I see your point, though I think the Kepo might disagree,” Sirrah smiled at her. “Not that I’ve ever been stranded in either, or indeed anywhere, to make such a comparison.”

Branwen grunted her approval. “Count yourself fortunate. Whereas it can be quite the adventure, it is not—”

“Sorry I’m late.” Merlo suddenly burst through the door, which snapped open with more immediacy than usual to accommodate her velocity. The girl tossed herself lithely into the pilot’s seat without hesitation, fastening herself into the available harness as she gave the controls a thorough look over.

Branwen greeted her with a nod and a smile, moving over to the other available seat to buckle herself safely in while gesturing at the planet ahead of them on the viewscreen. “I daresay you almost missed it.” She tried to emphasize her grin to reinforce the playful nature of the comment, but Merlo seemed unwilling to pick up on it.

“Sorry, Captain. Won’t happen again.” Branwen opened her mouth to reassure her, and maybe ask her about how things were going with the Kala’s bodyguard, but she didn’t get the chance.

“Incoming transmission from the Kepa'ohalei Port Authority.” Mr. Leonard’s disembodied voice called out. A digitized, transparent figure snapped into place the across the glowing spectre of Kepa'ohalei looming on the screen in front of them, one of the typical Altairan NADI coordination VIs. This one, Branwen noted, looked like a Kepo instead of an Altairan, depicted in shimmery orange and silver colors and decorated with copious amounts of jewelry, or what the Kepo tended to simply call “Shinies.”

The VI in question began to speak, engaging Merlo, and to a lesser extent, Mr. Leonard, with preparations and guidance for the impending atmospheric descent and subsequent landing. They were headed for Ba’neha, the largest city on the resort planet, and Branwen noted that the traffic was unnervingly heavy, though still not comparable to traveling through the main Gateway in the system.

Merlo had been showing her more of how to use the bridge’s consoles to access the shipwide com system, so she carefully tapped her fingers across the appropriate glowing tiles, activating it. She then announced their impending descent to the crew, or at least to the few of them who weren’t already on the bridge. Glancing back, Branwen took note of Kala Sirrah still standing there, calmly watching the planetary approach. “Shouldn’t you be seated, Kala? Or return to your quarters? Our descent is about to begin.”

Sirrah merely smiled in return, drifting easily over closer to Branwen’s seat, no doubt so they could continue to converse without risking disturbing their pilot. She put her hands lightly on the back of Branwen’s chair and leaned over it a bit, tucking her flowing ebon hair back behind an ear. Branwen absently noted how florally sweet she smelled.

“I’m not worried.” Sirrah looked down at Branwen with an amused expression. “Being born on Altair Prime, I’m rather used to space travel, especially within a system. I don’t think a vessel of this quality will pose me any problems.”

“As long as you are certain. You are a valued passenger , and I would not like to have to explain to the Kalaset what happened to you.” Branwen grinned at her, and Sirrah seemed likewise amused, the humor dancing through her rich, dark eyes.