Free Heaven Saga 3: Sojourn Into Despair by Marcus Johnson Page B

Promise that even if I don’t
make it you will.”
    “I’ll
try, that’s all I can promise,” she said.
    “That’s
all I wanted to hear.”
     
    * * *
     
    Ensign
Vae stood in front of her Rakna while checking its systems over once more.
Looking around she noticed the others talking and laughing, but the images she
recalled from her visit to the lunar base spoiled her thoughts. She took the
elevator cord up to the cockpit and began adjusting everything on the inside of
the mobile suit. After a few minutes she turned and saw Brian at the hatch.
    “Ensign,
can we speak?” he asked.
    She
looked surprised. “Of course commander,” she said with a nod.
    “Looks
like you’re acclimated to this machine,” he said as he stepped inside.
    “I’m
sorry I broke down before,” Vae said. “It won’t happen again.”
    “There’s
nothing to be sorry about,” Brian said. “Your training as a soldier prepares
you for many things. What you and the others witnessed was something else.”
    “Cannibalism
is one of the greatest taboos amongst all of the races of space,” she said.
“But the savagery in which it appeared on that base…it was unreal. I still get
the shakes thinking about it.”
    He
put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. “I was the one who ordered you into
that place so I’m the one at fault.”
    “Many
of us are horrified by the images we recovered.” She looked at Brian. “My
question is why you seem so calm about it.”
    “I’m
just as horrified, it just doesn’t show,” he answered. “Your people warred
little amongst themselves for the last thousand years. With that as your
reality the images of brutality once common were never recorded. But for humans
like me, we still live in that world. If I showed you some of the images of the
recent history amongst my people Vae, you’d be just as horrified. Kalaidians
are a peaceful people at heart. To you death in battle usually consists of
being vaporized rather than maimed.”
    “Thank
you,” Vae said. “I’m glad we could talk about this.”
    “I’m
doing this with everyone on the ship,” he said. “Valis interviews each of you
thoroughly and gets to know you individually. I’m just doing the same thing.”
    “I
saw one of them,” she said as he was about to leave. “It was right before the
attack on the Avoni. I turned around in this cockpit and saw a Grey standing
there looking at me.”
    “You’re
the third one today who’s said that,” Brian said, sighing afterwards.
    “I’m
the third? Who were the others?”
    “One
of them was a member of the medical staff, another was one of our engineers, and
the ship’s cook of all things,” he answered. “Of course I’m not counting myself
or Daes.”
    “Were
they even real?” she asked.
    “I’m
not sure myself,” Brian said. “Piece of advice, turn on the exterior cameras so
it doesn’t feel so cramped in here.”
    “I’ll
do that. Thanks.”
     
    * * *
     
    Baed
stood up from her console on the bridge and stretched, sighing. Zae entered
with a pair of water bottles. Baed turned back and smiled.
    “That’s
just what I needed,” she said.
    Zae
handed the bottle to her. “We’ve been working nearly nonstop for days now. We
should get someone to relieve us once in a while.”
    “You
know that won’t work,” Baed said. She drank some water. “Anyways, I don’t do
anything but this on the Avoni. And with all the responsibilities of Valis and
Kivi delegated to you and Brian my responsibilities have gone up with it.” She
sighed. “I must have gotten lazy over the years.”
    “I
remember the first day Valis brought you in,” Zae said. “I thought as I watched
you train you’d never make it as a navigator.”
    “Well
excuse my lack of knowledge at that time,” Baed said with sarcasm. “I was
originally trained as a politician and ambassador.”
    “Can
you actually speak Ick-Tckt?” Zae asked.
    Baed
cupped her hands around her lips to form a small cone. A