Asking Aaden · Part 1 (1/2)
Next
A Tale of Pendor 206 / 0916
"You are cleared for connection, Rat's Asking, in docking port 24-24. Do you copy?"
"Two-four by two-four, we copy, correct?"
"Affirmative. Pilot confirms. See you in twenty minutes. Welcome to Parma, Rat's Asking." The radio clicked off unceremoniously. Tasha leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Well, we're close, David. I'm going to get myself a cup of coffee. You want some?"
"Nah," David replied.
"You should learn to like decaf," Tasha teased him, grinning before she unbuckled her harness and hauled herself out of the pilot's chair by her lanky Katckin arms.
"Only in my worst nightmares," David muttered, glancing over the controls. Docking a cargo freighter was an enormously dangerous task, but David felt confidence in Tasha's extraordinary ability to maneuver a ship against a docking ring. The next ten minutes, however, consisted of nothing more than waiting while the ship coasted closer to Parma, against which the 60,000 ton freighter would look like little more than an insect on a barn wall.
Tasha returned to her chair, a ship's mug in her hand. The mug found its place in a gryostabilized holder Tasha had built herself, and then the Katckin found her own seat. She pushed the button to Engineering. "Denni?"
"Engineering, Tasha," a voice replied from the other end. "Power's at optimal control." David glanced over at the speaker and sighed. He didn't understand why, but her voice alone had become enough to give him a small frission of pleasure. "You'll have everything you need to make this docking as sweet as your reputation deserves."
Tasha smiled; there had been no sarcasm in Denni's voice, just an intent to help Tasha continue with her perfect driving record. "Thanks, Denni. I'll buy you drinks when we land."
"I know where the best bars are."
"I bet you do," Tasha laughed. "Bridge out."
Tasha spent moments examining her controls. She sighed. "It's hard to believe how good she is. David, can I ask you a question?"
"Ask away."
"I want you to know that I'm having something of a breakdown." She glanced over at him, and he glanced back, surprised. "I've always believed in you. When I first came onto the Asking as your Navigator, I did so because I knew that you had never made a bad decision. You had made some losing decisions but your ratio was always in the black from the day you bought her. I checked your record and I knew that no matter what I was boarding a good ship. It's not often a junior officer gets to make that kind of decision; usually, we're forced to take whatever we can get.
"But this time, I don't see the outcome of your decision. It's all happening so fast, I can't tell if it's going to be for good or for bad. For the first time in my life I wonder if you're doing something that's going to put you in some sort of red. And to be honest, I'm forced to just have faith in you. You've always done me right in the past, I have to believe you're doing the crew right now."
"Tasha…"
"No, you don't have to say anything," she said, glancing back at the clock. "I'm impressed that it's taken you this long to do something selfish, something that you wanted strictly for yourself without thinking about us or the ship. But now that you've decided, I just want to remind you that we're still here, and we worry about you. And I want you to be sure."
David smiled, reached across and patted Tasha on the shoulder. "Thanks. I'm sure, Tasha. Don't ask me why, but I am. And I won't forget you."
"I have faith that you won't."
David grinned. "Docking in three minutes."
"I see it, I see it." She glanced out the window. "Space, I can't believe how big this thing is."
"Have you looked at the Ring yet?"
"Forget it," Tasha said. "That's just impossible to hold in my head. This thing, at least, looks like a space station."
David nodded. "You'll do fine, Tasha. You always do."
"Nervous?" Dennielle asked.
"Very," David replied, looking up at his… fiance? Coimelin? One very beautiful mephit? That was for sure. "What do I call you?"
Denni seemed startled. "I don't know. What do you want to call me?"
"I was debating between coimelin and fiance." He smiled. "I am going to marry you, you know. Big in-house wedding, broken glasses, the whole thing."
She smiled. "I know. I wonder what I'll look like with the veil and everything."
"You'll look beautiful. Nothing makes a fem prettier than her wedding dress."
She swallowed nervously. "Come on," she said. "Let's go."
They made their way down the hallway and out the coupling into Parma. "It's hard to believe I'm doing this," David said.
"It's hard to believe I want to do this," Denni replied. "Here we are." She smiled. "SDisk."
A pleasant, masculine voice said "Listening. Destination, please?"
"Shardik Castle."
David watched as the world vanished, to be replaced with a long, gleaming hallway that opened up into a wide room. Within, David saw a bewildering collection of a half-dozen children swarming around, a rather harried-looking melCentaur trying desperately to catch one of the smallest ones. "Hello?" Denni called.
"Hi! I'm Conrad. And you must be Dennielle!"
"Um, yes. This is my fiance, David Elohim."
The Centaur, who had finally managed to round up the Satryl infant that had tried to walk away from him, stepped carefully around the other children and walked over. With his free arm he reached out and shook David's. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. I assume you're here to see Ken and Aaden?"
"Dad's home?" Denni asked.
"Yeah, they're up on the roof."
"Thanks. Are you one of Carroll's?"
"Yep," Conrad replied. "I think you might want to go up as soon as possible. You never know how long they'll sit still in one place."
"Not long enough," Denni grumbled, smiling. She led David over to an open hole in the floor, mirrored by another in the ceiling. "Ever use a G-tube, lover?"
"A few times," David said. "Usually at refined metals operations." He followed her into the tube and up to the ceiling, where they dismounted from the tube and walked the short hallway to a set of stairs. Denni led him up the stairs into the sunlight. David blinked, feeling nervous. It was hard for him to believe that at the end of this walkway Kennet Shardik sat, waiting for them. "Like a spider?" he wondered.
Denni led him down the catwalk. To his left a small pool of water circulated lazily; despite its small size, it seemed to be in something of a constant state of agitation. To his right, a small grove of trees seemed to occupy the entire length of the Castle roof, from where he stood to what appeared to be the opposite edge.
Looking around, David was stunned by the surroundings. A moment ago he had been on a starship and a few steps later he was standing on the roof of the most powerful house in Pendor, possibly much of the galaxy. A wind blew through his fur, carrying the scent of the ocean that looked like it was just a few steps away. The sun shone down, and he had to shield his eyes from it as he looked up and watched the Ring disappear up and away from where he stood.
"David," Dennielle said. "Come on."
She walked away from him, and he followed, feeling small compared to the building, the construct, the world he stood on. Or was it correct to say 'in?' She turned a corner, and at the end of it a railing ran along the edge of the roof. Before that a large, wooden table in the shape of a ring, with an opening in it facing him, stood there with several chairs around it. Two mels sat there, talking over a PADD. The larger of the two, holding the PADD, was a tall Mephit with black fur. He was very broad and David recognized him as Aaden Satpulov. The Human next to him was unmistakable; the pronounced chin and long hair were all there. Kennet Shardik. Denni cleared her throat
Shardik looked up. "Aaden, I believe this is one of yours," he said, smiling.
Aaden Satpulov glanced up as well. "Denni!"
"Hi, Dad," she said, crossing the short distance as he stood up. She gave him a warm and friendly hug, and he returned it just as warmly. "How have you been?"
"Not bad," she said. "I saw the stars and I made it home in one piece. In fact, I came here because I need to ask you for something."
Aaden looked back behind her. David's feeling small intensified under the calm, close examination of the big Mephit. "Who's this?"
"This is David Elohim. He's the Captain of the starship The Rat's Asking, the ship I'm working with right now. I, uhm, this is kinda silly, but I want to ask you for your permission to marry him."
David saw Shardik's look confused for a moment, and puzzlement crossed Aaden's face as well. "Marry? You mean, like, a ritual sort of bonding?"
She nodded. "David, come here." She reached her hand out.
He walked forward, nervously, and she eased him close to her, her arm around his waist. "David, this is my father, Aaden Satpulov. Daddy, this is my coimelin, David."
"I'm pleased to meet you," Aaden said. "I guess I should make the other introductions. David, I'd like you to meet one of my coimelin, Kennet Shardik."
Shardik reached his hand out. David took it and shook, briefly. "My pleasure. You must really have caught Denni's heart. She was a very choosy young girl."
"I think it's the adventurer she loves in me," David smiled, trying to joke.
"Must be it," Aaden said. "She always was going after the daredevils."
"David is hardly a daredevil," Shardik said, glancing at a PADD of his own. "According to your registry at Parma, you've been a very successful cargo hauler for the past forty years. You've never knowingly taken on illegal freight, and you've always lived within the law."
"I've tried," David admitted. That sensation that he was small enough to put under a microscope returned.
"Dave?" Shardik asked, looking up at nothing.
"Huh?" David asked.
"Not you," Shardik said. "Oh, great, I've got two Davids in my house. David Majors."
"Here, Ken. I figured you were asking for me."
"We're going to need two more spaces for dinner, and I think these two lovebirds are going to need a room for the night."
"We have space on my ship," David said suddenly.
"Oh, wouldn't you like to spend one night here? I mean, we have big, comfortable beds and an unlimited water supply and the widest array of entertainments imaginable." Shardik smiled.
David thought about it. "Can I at least call my ship?"
"Feel free," Shardik said, tossing the PADD. It skittered across the table and stopped right on the edge. "Yes!" Shardik laughed. "Perfect shot."
David picked up the PADD, eyeing Shardik curiously. Celebration like that seemed out of character, immature almost. It certainly didn't fit a man many believed to be a deity, although from where David stood it was obvious he was not. "Do I just ask for the Rat's Asking?"
"Connection secured," the AI replied. The screen cleared and Patricia peered out at him. "Captain!"
"Hi, Pat. How's the ship status?"
"Not bad at all," Patricia admitted. "We've got the full refit, the bank has cleared the financing, and we're fully refueled."
"I estimated a profit of eighteen percent. What did we make?"
"Nineteen point six," Patricia said. "How's that?"
"Better than usual," David admitted. "At that rate, I wonder why you need me?"
"You hold the lease," she pointed out, smiling. "What do you need?
"I, uhm, I'm going to spend the night here. If you need me…" David looked up. "How could she get in touch with me?"
Aaden said, "Just tell her to ask the AI for T. R. David Elohim."
"Pat, if you need me, ask the local AI for T. R. David Elohim. I'm going to be at Shardik Castle."
Patricia's eyes widened a little, then she nodded. "Take care of yourself."
"I will," he replied. "David out."
"Rat's Asking, out."
David placed the PADD down on the table again. "I'm guess that's it. My ship is ready to lift in a moment's notice, so we're just going to get a night's sleep and take off first thing in the morning."
"I assume you've got a flight schedule already laid out?"
David nodded. "I'm going to Terra next. I know Pendor's attitude about marriage and commitment is casual, but my parents aren't going to be so easy to convince. They were first-generation Neorats and their Patrons were Conservative Jews. I don't know quite how that happened, but they were raised very well, and absorbed some of their Patron's views. I think they mean marriage as a lifetime commitment."
Shardik's puzzlement returned. "As I recall, Jews are not especially sanctioned against divorce or polygamy. Maybe I'm wrong."
"I wouldn't really know," David admitted. "But I intend on going down there and asking them for permission. I know it'll be hard; Jewish Orthodoxy had many strong objections to my parents' being given the right to say Mitzvah."
"No surprise there," Shardik said. "As the religion grows smaller, it becomes more desperate to solidify its position and make itself look like the right answer. How many Jews are there on Terra right now?"
"One point four percent," David said. "Last time I checked."
Shardik scratched his chin. "Fourteen million people is nothing to sneeze at. I assume that's by a process of self-identification?"
David nodded.
"Ken?" the voice of the AI interrupted their conversation. "I just rang the dinner bell. People will be congregating up here for dinner soon. Please stand away from the table."
"Right. Okay, everybody move towards the crosswalk." Shardik stood up and led the way down the catwalk.
The table lifted itself from it's current position, and David had trouble telling if it floated or walked towards the large grassy quadrant of the Castle ceiling. He was also quite sure that it grew as it moved, until it filled nearly the entire quadrangle. Chairs began to appear, both within and without the circle, as did placements. Shardik smiled. "That is such a fascinating effect."
"How… how is it done?" David asked.
"Teleportation, mostly. Some robotics in the table, and some illusionware to make you think you're seeing something that's not there.
David nodded. "I thought teleportation was a power-intensive activity."
Shardik pointed up. "You see that thing up there?"
"The sun?" David asked, squinting his small black eyes.
"Yeah, that thing. It provides more power than we could ever use. The shadow squares are covered on their sunsides with klystron tubes. You should see them. They're constantly converting the sun's powe
Asking Aaden · Part 1 (1/2)
Next
