-Take heart.-
With that simple phrase said, Li'ren gathered the empty cups and made to leave the room. Before she left, she turned back around and spoke to Aria again.
-Lieutenant, make sure you write a thorough report regarding your stay on that planet.- She gestured to the computer terminal. -You have been given limited access to the ship's network for that purpose. I would stress that you leave nothing, absolutely nothing, out of the report. Her Majesty wishes for a thorough account. We will arrive on Lirna in three days' time.- Li'ren left, closing the door behind her. The lock clicked audibly, shutting Aria in.
Blinking, not quite sure what had just happened, Aria stared at the door for a long time after that as though she was expecting something to come through it. But it remained just a motionless, plain slab of steel, just as it had always been.
Not wanting to begin writing yet, and not having anything else to do, Aria reclined on the bed again. She traced imaginary patterns in the blank ceiling, thinking hard about Li'ren, and about Jack. Li'ren had spoken with her human companion prior to speaking with her, and clearly Jack had not seen fit to tell any lies to the noblewoman. So Li'ren had a better idea than anyone of the nature of their relationship. She wondered if the other Ailian had bothered to tell anyone yet. Aria didn't think so. She seemed trustworthy, especially with that thing she'd said to her.
Take heart.
Whose side was Li'ren on, and just what exactly was she hinting at when she'd spoken to Aria? And why, it would seem, was the Empress interested in Aria personally? The two days they'd already been traveling was plenty of time for word to have gotten back to Lirna over communication channels, so was it possible that the Empress had heard of Aria and was taking a specific interest in her?
With an ache in her chest, Aria realized that all she wanted right now was to see Jack. She rolled onto her side on the bed, facing the wall. The bed felt so empty to her. Over the time she'd spent on the uncharted world, she'd grown accustomed to sharing her bed with him, though there it had just been a simple camping bedroll. She cursed herself for this weakness. She was a trained soldier, not some regular citizen. She should be above this sort of sentimentality. And yet she was not.
Closing her eyes, she decided to try to sleep. The report could wait for the morning, and she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Plenty of time between here and home to take care of things...
- 2 -
When the subtle hum and vibration of the ship's engines, detectable through the hard metal surface of his rudimentary bed, diminished and shifted in tempo, Jack knew that something had changed. He hadn't spent twelve years of his life flying starships without learning how to diagnose the various states of a ship's engines. And though their technology may have differed in many ways, Jack had decided that the engines of Ailian ships were close enough to human ships. So when he felt the change, he had a pretty good idea of what was going on. The ship was landing. Which meant that they must be at their destination.
Jack sat up on the hard metal prison bed, looking up at the ceiling of his cell. Several days had passed, he thought, since the Ailian representative, Li'ren, had visited him. Judging the passage of time was difficult when he didn't have a clock to look at. He remembered what she had said, that they were traveling to the Ailian homeworld: Lirna.
The human knew little about that planet. As far as he knew, no human being had ever been there. Or at least, none that had ever left to tell about it. However, from data gleaned from captured Ascendancy vessels, the United Nations had learned a few things about it. The planet was supposed to be very arid, desert in most areas with but with swaths of more temperate areas scattered here and there, where the majority of the habitation was. Covert probes sent to take images of the planet had viewed what appeared to be mountainous regions at the north and south poles, with snow-capped peaks. The small amount of habitable space on Lirna accounted for how the Ailians had spread so widely across the galaxy; they had been colonizing worlds to accommodate their expanding population long before humans had even mastered flight in Earth's own atmosphere. And that was the extent of Jack's knowledge on the subject of the planet.
The engines hum quieted to nothing as they were apparently shut down. As the lights came back up in his cell, he tried to prepare himself mentally for what might be coming next. It was an exercise in futility since he had no idea what to expect, but at least it made him feel like he had some amount of control.
Jack waited nearly an hour before anything happened. When the door to his cell slid open, he nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise. Two Ailians stood in the doorway, looking in on him. He recognized one of them, a male with tiger orange fur that had presided over most of his interrogations during the ship's journey. He had the same rank insignia on his uniform that Aria had, so that made him a lieutenant.
He gestured at Jack. “Get up and come over here,” he said, the words heavily accented but still recognizable.
Jack stayed where he was. “Where are you doing with me?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “I want to see Aria before I go anywhere.”
The lieutenant scowled, and motioned to the other with him. The second Ailian stepped into the room and grabbed Jack by the arm, hauling him to his feet and propelling him towards the door. He didn't struggle, since he knew it would be a useless gesture. There was no sense in getting himself hurt or killed. Much better to make use of a more opportune moment to try to escape. Inside of an Ailian military vessel was likely not the best position he could be in when it came to that. They secured his hands behind his back with a pair of handcuffs and then walked him out of the ship's prison.
He was led to the front of the ship, past numerous crew members who were conducting various duties. They watched him as he was escorted through, most of them with idle curiosity and a few with open hostility. Jack hoped that he might catch sight of Aria on the way out, but he did not. Either they were deliberately being kept apart, or Aria had already disembarked.
When the front hatchway opened, Jack was immediately assaulted by a wave of heat pouring into the ship. Bright sunlight flooded his eyes, and he blinked hard to try to banish the sting away even as he was forced down the exit ramp by the Ailians flanking him. As they reached the bottom of the ramp, his eyes still dazzled, he got his first look at the planet of Lirna.
When he'd been back on Earth, Jack had once visited Death Valley National Park in Nevada. He'd thought that place had been unbearable, and this planet seemed to be only slightly less hot. He'd been out of the ship for only a few minutes before he started sweating.
Looking around, Jack saw a sprawling military installation. The buildings were short, only a few stories at the tallest, and spread apart widely. This was a strategic aspect that most military bases shared, no matter the culture that designed them. Spacing buildings further apart made it more complicated for enemy starships or aircraft to destroy an entire base in one go. The base seemed to be surrounded by white sand deserts, which reflected the already blinding sunlight. Sparse green vegetation was scattered here and there, and very little of the ground in the base seemed to be paved. Off in the distance, Jack could see what looked like a large city, with sunlight reflecting off of windows and metal.
“Where are we?” Jack asked, forgetting his fear for a moment. A screeching sound rattled through the air, and he looked up to see a pair of atmospheric craft streak across the pale blue sky. They looked like some sort of attack aircraft.
The orange-furred Ailian next to him, sneered at him, but answered. “You on Lirna. This is Mat'aar Airbase.”
“And that city, out in the distance?” Jack would have pointed if his hands had been free, so he merely inclined his head in that direction.
“Is Hayikwiir. Capital city. Now be silent. Your speech offends me.”
Jack sighed, but he shut his mouth. The two Ailians forced him towards a wheeled vehicle which was waiting at the edge of the area the ship had landed at. Apparently they meant to take him somewhere. He wondered if Aria was having a better time than he was.
******
When the ship had landed at Mat'aar, Aria had been taken from her quarters and led off the ship to a ground transport. She knew the airbase well, as it had been where she'd spent the most recent several months of her service in the Ascendancy military. Aria's patrol unit was based out of Mat'aar, and it had been from this base that she'd departed on her previous mission. The one that had gone so wrong, and led her into this whole mess. As she was taken away from the ship that had recovered her, she realized she hadn't seen the noblewoman, Li'ren, since that meeting in her quarters. She was a little disappointed by that. Aria could have used a friendly presence right about now, and Li'ren had been the closest thing since her separation from Jack.
The transport took Aria and her guard escort through the airbase, away from the landing zones and toward the administration and barracks areas. The structures were a little more closely placed here than in the operations area, the logic being that living quarters and office areas were less crucial than the complicated and expensive equipment needed to maintain flight command. They drove to the center of this area, and stopped in front of a large administrative structure.
When she stepped out of the transport, Aria took a moment to enjoy the familiar, comforting heat of her home planet. At least it was warmer here than on that planet she and Jack had been stranded...Aria would never have admitted it in front of the human, but that place had been far too cool for her liking. She looked up at the sky, taking a deep breath of the stifling air. The familiar deserts of her childhood were much more pleasant, and the nice, bright light from her home system's sun almost made her forget what she was facing here.
-Lieutenant...It's good to see you well. Though I wish it were in better circumstances.-
Aria looked down from the sky, turning her attention back to the building in front of her. Walking towards her was someone she hadn't seen since she'd departed Lirna. A female Ailian, some twenty years older than Aria, clad in a crisp, clean red flight suit similar to the worn, dirty one that she wore. Her black fur, patched here and there with white splotches, was graying around her muzzle and the tip of her tail. The female was her unit commander, Major Misa Tal'in, who also happened to be the ranking officer in charge of Mat'aar Airbase.
-Major,- Aria said, snapping to attention. She made to salute, normally done by crossing her arms over her chest, but then she remembered that the guards had cuffed her arms behind her back. -I apologize, Major, for not giving you the respect you deserve.-
The major waved her tail behind her once, her expression neutral. -It happens.- She lifted a hand, gesturing at the guards. -Lieutenant, you may take your squad and return to your duties. I will take the prisoner from here.-
The soldier she was addressing stepped forward, coming to attention and saluting her. -Respectfully, Major, I can't obey that command. I'm under orders from the admiral to keep my squad with the prisoner at all times until the hearing. For security purposes, m'lady.-
Major Tal'in's expression soured. She advanced on the lieutenant until she was standing directly in front of him. The major was of greater-than-average height, and towered at least a foot over the sergeant. She glared at him with as much of an intimidating expression as she could muster, which was considerable. She stared until he wavered, averting his eyes.
-I am countermanding that order, Lieutenant,- Major Tal'in hissed. -I do not foresee any security breaches, not while
I
am in command of this airbase.-
The lieutenant shifted uncomfortably on his feet. -I still can't do that, Major. The admiral was quite clear on this matter.-
Major Tal'in growled in frustration. -Of course he was...- She tossed a look over her shoulder at the building behind her, seeming quite perturbed. -Very well, then, Lieutenant. We will compromise. Select one of your squad to accompany myself and the prisoner. I trust that shall satisfy the requirements of your orders in a satisfactory manner?-
For a few minutes, Aria thought the guard lieutenant was going to refuse again. If he did that, she might soon be witness to a physical fight. Refusing an officer's order was a great personal insult in the Ascendancy. Aria privately wished he would refuse, as her commander was one of the best unarmed fighters on the planet. However, it was not to be. The lieutenant backed down, nodding and waving a sergeant forward.
-Have it your way, Major,- he said. -Sergeant, do not let the prisoner out of your sight.- With that, the lieutenant and the rest of his squad re-entered their vehicle and left, heading back in the direction of the ship.
After watching them leave, Major Tal'in turned on her heels with a swish of her tail. -Come, Lieutenant.-
Aria waited for the sergeant to follow, but he gestured at her with his rifle. -After you, m'lad-...Lieutenant.- Aria started walking, hurrying to catch up with her commander. The building they were entering was the main command building, home to all of the offices for the command structure for Mat'aar Airbase. Aria herself had once had an office in this building, until she'd been given her patrol assignment.
-Males,- Major Tal'in huffed as they walked, heading through the hallways to the interior sections of the building. -Back when I enlisted, they wouldn't be permitted to rise to the rank of lieutenant, let alone an admiral. Disgustingly disrespectful man...-
They walked for a while, taking turns here and there. After a while, Aria began to wonder where they were going. The hearing rooms should have been reached by now, and they had been walking for a little bit too long. Aria's wrists were starting to feel a little uncomfortable in their restraints. The sergeant was the first to say something.
-Major, this is not the way to the conference chambers,- he said, studiously keeping his voice respectful.
-That's correct,- the major agreed. She halted, turning to face the sergeant. -We have some time before the hearing is scheduled to begin. Since I will be representing Lieutenant Me'lia in this first hearing, I wish to speak with her in my office. Do you have a problem with that?- Her tone was mild, but her meaning was clear: Object at your own risk.
The sergeant stared blankly at her, but he seemed less willing than his commander to buck authority. -Of course not, m'lady. Whatever you wish.-
-Marvelous.- With that, Major Tal'in led them down a side hall, finally coming to the door leading into her office. She opened the door and ushered Aria inside. The sergeant made to follow, but the major stopped him. -That won't be necessary, Sergeant. You will wait out here. We shall not be long. Oh, and your handcuff key, please.- Without waiting for a response, she snatched the flabbergasted sergeant's keys from his belt, going into her office and shutting the door.
Aria looked around her commander's office. The room was much the same as she remembered it, with all the accoutrements of the major's many tours of duty. Trophies from all of her military campaigns lined the shelves: the chest plate from a Pteryd's armor suit, a human combat helmet from the first contact battles, even a battle-scarred, deactivated Ailian rifle from the Outer Colonies uprising that had occurred hundreds of years ago, though of course Major Tal'in had not been alive for that conflict...There were too many more mementos to count. A large window comprised most of the far wall, looking out upon the airbase, in front of which was placed the major's desk and a number of chairs.
-Now, we finally have some peace,- Major Tal'in said with relief. She came up behind Aria and unfastened the handcuffs, releasing her wrists. The major tucked the cuffs into her uniform belt and then walked to her desk at the far end of the room. -Males, I swear. We give them just a little bit of authority and they forget their place.- She sat down behind the desk, and gestured to another chair. -Sit, Lieutenant.-