Stone in the Sky (15 page)

When I finally made it to the main drag, the enormity of the architecture and variety of alien species struck me. On the Yertina Feray, I had always thought that there were lots of different types of aliens, and that was strange, but here the diversity of the types of aliens went way beyond what I had previously known. There were so many of them, but I saw almost no Humans despite knowing that some lived here.

There was no way to blend in. All eyes were on me. All sorts of limbs and antennae pointed in my direction. I had always felt out of place on the Yertina Feray, but here I was self-conscious. I tried to walk as if I belonged to the Earth Embassy by mimicking the way that I'd seen Reza, Caleb, and Els walk, the kind of swagger they had gotten from their Imperium Youth training.

Togni Station was a marvel. It was bustling with aliens. There were windows that went up to a domed roof. Every inch was a building with walkways stretching from one side to another, stories high in the air. Every square was packed with recharging stations, communication hubs, water cafés, nutrient pak vendors, and every other type of store that you could have need for. There were brightly colored flags emblazoned with planets waving in the air, as well as brightly lit signs announcing the offices and embassies that the buildings held. You had to know where you were going because it was easy to get lost.

I was very glad that Hendala had insisted that I program the map into Trevor so he could guide me through the madness.

It was overwhelming. On occasion an alien would say hello to me, as though they knew me. I nodded back at them knowing that they thought I was someone else. It was obvious that the average aliens didn't even know that we had different skin tones or eye colors or kinds of hair. They probably didn't even know what gender I was. They all thought that we Humans looked the same, and I was glad to use that to my advantage.

I had purposely made the path to my destination one that wouldn't take me past the Human Embassy, but I now could see it would have been nothing to be scared of. Just a flag in a window. I had to admit to myself after observing the grand scope of the aliens here who were mostly far from being Minor Species, it was impressive Brother Blue had been able to raise the Human profile the way he did. It made me begrudgingly proud of our species in that we were smart enough to be even minor players in such a galactic tapestry.

Finally Trevor and I arrived at the entrance to the space elevator. From here it was two large doors set in a massive metal structure that went all the way up through the dome to the sky. Looking up at it made my head spin.

I went to the ticket counter.

“May I assist you?” the Dolmav behind the counter asked. He was different looking than Thado; more blue, with larger eyes and blowhole.

“I need to connect with a ship headed for these coordinates,” I said.

“I've got one ship headed two systems over. To the Nomi system. That's the closest I've got going out right now,” the Dolmav said, shaking his large, slick head, his double chins making wet slapping noises. “Or else you can wait a few days or weeks to catch something going closer.”

“No. I'll take that ship,” I said. “I want to be on my way.”

“You have papers?” he asked.

I pushed forth the currency chit that Hendala had filled and the travel pass and Imperium ID she had prepared for me. We had figured that it was good for three days, at most, which was just barely enough time to get me out of this solar system. Once out, I would ditch the ID.

“Going home for a visit?” The Dolmav asked, not knowing at all where Earth was. I had to remind myself that he was just making small talk. I wasn't prepared for small talk.

“I'm from Earth,” I said. It was as close to the truth as I could get.

“You'll have to pay for the robot as well,” he said, looking over at Trevor.

I had expected that it would be handled like baggage and wouldn't be a problem, but it was clear that Trevor was my companion, and I learned that most robotic companions traveled as passengers. I nodded, knowing that it would nearly wipe me clean of currency chits.

He nodded and pointed me toward a gate.

I got on board the elevator and strapped in, a single Human among a bevy of aliens. I gripped the arms of my chair as the elevator lifted. It went so fast. A clock counted down the hours that it would take us to get to the top.

I was leaping into the darkness.

 

20

The shuttle port at the top of Togni Station was small but felt less cramped and chaotic than lower Togni Station. Aliens were exiting and entering the elevator, rushing off to catch their transports down to Bessen. Bright signs displayed the shuttle and elevator departure and arrival times. I searched for the name of the ship I was to join up with, the
Jinjon
.

Here, in this place, I was just one of hundreds of aliens on my way to somewhere else. Some were traveling. Aliens with too much baggage and families were arguing about little annoying things. Some were commuting. Workers with cases were reading datapads, worrying about something at some office. It could have been any kind of transport hub on Earth. It was such a far cry from the reality of my past few years that it took me a moment to adjust to the fact that this space travel was a normal day-to-day reality. It was hard to believe that passes were hard to come by and that the Imperium was actively pushing outward. But even in times of war, people moved about. And Togni Station was the center of it all because it served Bessen.

“That way,” a Per said to me even though I hadn't asked it anything. My eyes followed to where one of its arms was pointing.

Wanderers.

There were about sixty Humans huddled together, all different ages. Some were old. Some were children. Most were in between. Even from this distance, I could see that the older they were, the more they were covered in tattoos.

“I'm not with them,” I said. “I have a ticket.”

I showed him my pass to the
Jinjon
and indicated my uniform to show that I was separate from those other Humans.

“What do I care?” The Per made a movement that looked like it was shrugging all four of its shoulders. And then it wandered off to catch its own transport.

I had never thought that much about the Wanderers other than the fact that they were an embarrassment to Earth. Who were they? Where they'd come from? How hard had it been for them? I knew that they were the descendants from the first intergenerational ships. Those were doomed travelers who'd made it out all the way to first contact and then, desperate and ill-prepared for colonization, had tried to come home. They led the aliens back to Earth, and then Earth had shunned them, not letting them repatriate. But some of these people must have been colonists. They must have been abandoned by Brother Blue, too.

My gate was not too far from where the Humans were. I grabbed a seat and I watched. I was hesitant to approach them. I wasn't ready to jump in and join just yet. I had barely been able to process Reza, Caleb, and Els, who had come to the Yertina Feray a year ago. Seeing an entire group of Humans together made me even more uneasy. They looked like a large family yet were totally diverse in their appearance. They had taken over their area with small tents as though they were camping there. If I was going to accomplish my mission, I needed to think about what I would say and how I would say it. I was dressed as an Imperium officer, so I wasn't sure that I would be trusted. Seeing so many Humans together made me feel strange.

Were they waiting for a ride? Had they come to Togni Station for a reason? Were they trying to get to Bessen? To the Earth Embassy, even? Or were they just between hitches?

I stared at them openly as I thought about how best to warn them about how Brother Blue was using bodies to fake the colonies. Were they safer here in such a public hub or more at risk? What would I say?
“Don't get on a ship.”
Or,
“Don't trust another Human.”

I might as well say,
“Don't trust me.”

One of the old Human men pointed at me, which made the others look. I had forgotten to be discreet. I noticed that the parents called their children to come closer. That answered my question. They didn't like me, probably due to the uniform. I wanted to shrink into myself. I wanted to let them know that I wasn't that much different from them.

I was about to go somewhere and alter my outfit so that I could approach them when I noticed a group of three Human Imperium officers talking to the same alien who had pointed me toward the Wanderers.

I saw the Imperium officers give the alien something and then walk over to the group of Humans. An older, large Wanderer woman with long gray hair went straight up to them and began gesticulating madly. It was clear that people here looked to her as a leader, although I knew from Heckleck that Human Wanderers did not have leaders the way that a planet or government did. Just journey leaders. At the end of a journey, a new leader was picked for the next leg. Heckleck had explained to me that in this way, no one person gathered too much power. She must be their journey leader and that would be marked on her.

I moved forward to try to hear, but was afraid that if I got too close I would be caught by the other Human officers who would know I was an imposter. One of them, an older man who looked like he was in charge, was trying to calm the journey leader while the other two were making the Wanderers line up by age.

The Human officer in charge made an announcement, and there was a bustle of activity within the Humans' group. They separated about a third of the Wanderers. I couldn't help but notice that the officers chose all the healthy young to middle-aged Humans; in other words, the best ones to start a colony with.

My heart skipped a beat, perhaps Brother Blue really was building something on those planets?

As the smaller group gathered their things, there was much hugging and crying and wailing. The aliens who passed the scene either ignored it or looked embarrassed by these lesser beings living such a ragtag lifestyle.

“Humans,” I heard them mutter in disgust as they passed me by.

I watched as the officers led the small group away, wondering if the Wanderers felt the way I did when I watched my mother and sister take off on the
Prairie Rose
without me.

The announcement for the shuttle to the
Jinjon
was called, and I tore myself away from the scene and to the gate.

“Will there be any Humans on this voyage?” I asked the Nurlok as I boarded.

“No,” the Nurlok said, its whiskers moving when it spoke. “We just dropped off a bunch. They're over there.”

“Do you know where they were heading?”

“Do you Humans head anywhere?”

“Some of us do,” I said. I pointed to my uniform, grateful for its help in my lie.

The Nurlok muttered a curse under its breath and time stamped my entry to the shuttle.

I took one last look at the Humans who had stayed behind to wait for another transport, and I wondered what would happen to them, with a third of their group gone, only the old and the very young left behind. They still had each other, but gathered together on the dock, they seemed very alone. I saw the large, gray-haired woman who had been in charge leave the group and go up to a gate. She was probably trying to hitch, before anything else happened to them.

I should have warned them. But I didn't. I wouldn't let another group slip by me again.

It would haunt me.

 

21

As a lone Human, I stood out as strange and untrustworthy, so I kept to myself. I had to be as small and invisible as I could be. To be unnoticed was to survive.

The Nurloks on the first ship left me alone for the most part, occupied with their own woes. There was no bartering here, and my currency chit was very low. Trevor was the only asset I had, but I didn't want to sell him. It would be too dangerous to be completely on my own. I didn't think I could bear it.

I booked time on the communications array so that I could continue my search for the
Noble Star
. While I was there, I decided to send Tournour a message. Not wanting to use my own name, I used the false name that Hendala had gotten for me on Tallara: Safti McGovern.

It was an inventory of sweets, salts, and waters. It was the only way I could tell him what ship I was on.

Message: Tournour. Constable. Yertina Feray.

Ship:
Jinjon

Species: Nurlock

Water: Bitter

Sweets: Low

Salts: Heavy

Inquiry as to return status?

Two days later he'd sent me a message back.

Message: Safti McGovern.
Jinjon.

Inventory: Empty without your goods.

Status: Quarantine still in effect. Do not approach the station.

Notes: In thanks for your attention and patience in this matter, please find currency wired from speculator's account. This will be a regular drop. Looking forward to next status report. Hopeful for change in my reply.

Receiving the cryptic message lifted my low spirits. I knew that the currency couldn't be from him. Tournour was already risking his position by having contact with me. Transferring funds from his account would be too noticeable. It was normal to check in with ships about supplies that the Yertina Feray might need. These invoices could easily be buried in a mountain of similar paperwork. But the currency must have been from Reza. With his alin claim, he had enough to spare me an unlimited credit line. I kept my feeling for them both so separate in my mind that it was strange to know that they were still working together to keep me alive. I didn't know how or when I would ever be able to thank either of them.

I vowed that I would send Tournour a message from each ship I boarded to let him know where I was. I wanted someone to know where I was, or else I would go mad from the isolation.