a…a trip to Antarctica coming up soon?”
Oh, stars
…Lifting her hand to her brow, Ia pinched the bridge of her nose, then massaged the muscles just above it. “He would mention that,” she muttered. Mindful of the surveillance pickups in her office, she sighed and dredged up a half lie. “Snow and ice are dangerous on my homeworld—you’re from Eiaven, which has double Standard gravity, so you
know
why it’s dangerous. Sanctuary has more than triple gravity, so everyone lives in the tropical to subtropical climates. Still, while we avoid it back home wherever possible, the
concept
of frozen water fascinates my brothers.
“They made me promise, if I was ever in Earth’s vicinity, I’d bring them some actual snow from Earth. Even now, Antarctica is still virtually uninhabited. That means it’s the one kind least likely to contain the sort of bacterial contaminants requiring quarantine measures—and I’d know precognitively which patches to avoid.
“So, long story short, I promised them I’d get them some snow from somewhere near the South Pole, this trip,” she explained. “I told Harper all about this back in the Academy, but we never had Leave long enough from the fast-track program to get down there. He probably figures since I have full control over our patrol routes, I’ll be wanting to make a stop on Earth, then a shakedown run out to Sanctuary,” she related.
“Sanctuary’s on the backside of Terran space. I thought we were going to be hunting Salik as soon as we leave dock,” Helstead said, fiddling with one of her stilettos again. The rhythm of her toes changed, as if whatever song playing inside her head had been replaced by a new one.
“We still get a shakedown cruise first. Training on the various ship systems while in dry dock isn’t the same as whenyou’re out there in space,” Ia admitted. “We’re also being hired by one of Sanctuary’s defense contractors to transport goods to Sanctuary for storage against the coming war…which again, Harper knows about as my first officer and which will make it that much more convenient for me to pick up some genuine Terran snow for my family.”
“Genuine Terran snow,” Helstead repeated dubiously, fingers, toes, and sheathed blades going still for a moment.
“Yeah, genuine Terran snow,” Ia confirmed, keeping her tone even for the sake of the surveillance pickups. “If you think this is some excuse to fraternize with my second-in-command, think again. I haven’t the time for extraneous relationships. Harper knows this, and we both know I won’t
shakk
away my chance to save the maximum number of lives.”
“Wait, let me check something,” Helstead muttered. She reached for the command unit cuffed over her left forearm and tapped on a few of its keys once the lid was open. “Aren’t we scheduled to leave here…December 19? If we take a couple days to get to Earth, a day to load cargo, and we’re being given a day for Leave…that would have us leaving Earth right before Christmas. We’re not staying near the Motherworld for Christmas?”
“The schedule is correct; we’re not staying for Christmas,” Ia agreed. “But if you look at it another way, we’re also missing Chanukah, because we’ll still be working hard. And we’re missing Bodhi Day, which is at the start of December, and several other celebrations, too. As much as I’d wish otherwise for the crew’s sake, I cannot stop this ship or its mission for religious reasons,” Ia said. It was an irony to put it that way, considering her plans for her own homeworld, but she didn’t hesitate. “Everything has to happen at the right moment in time. Wars do not take a holiday, and we’re headed straight into a really big one.”
“Unfortunately, most religions have been known to
start
a few wars, but they rarely stop them,” Helstead agreed dryly. She eyed Ia, toes still wiggling, but fingers still. “Mind if I come along on this snow-gathering trip of
Oh, stars
…Lifting her hand to her brow, Ia pinched the bridge of her nose, then massaged the muscles just above it. “He would mention that,” she muttered. Mindful of the surveillance pickups in her office, she sighed and dredged up a half lie. “Snow and ice are dangerous on my homeworld—you’re from Eiaven, which has double Standard gravity, so you
know
why it’s dangerous. Sanctuary has more than triple gravity, so everyone lives in the tropical to subtropical climates. Still, while we avoid it back home wherever possible, the
concept
of frozen water fascinates my brothers.
“They made me promise, if I was ever in Earth’s vicinity, I’d bring them some actual snow from Earth. Even now, Antarctica is still virtually uninhabited. That means it’s the one kind least likely to contain the sort of bacterial contaminants requiring quarantine measures—and I’d know precognitively which patches to avoid.
“So, long story short, I promised them I’d get them some snow from somewhere near the South Pole, this trip,” she explained. “I told Harper all about this back in the Academy, but we never had Leave long enough from the fast-track program to get down there. He probably figures since I have full control over our patrol routes, I’ll be wanting to make a stop on Earth, then a shakedown run out to Sanctuary,” she related.
“Sanctuary’s on the backside of Terran space. I thought we were going to be hunting Salik as soon as we leave dock,” Helstead said, fiddling with one of her stilettos again. The rhythm of her toes changed, as if whatever song playing inside her head had been replaced by a new one.
“We still get a shakedown cruise first. Training on the various ship systems while in dry dock isn’t the same as whenyou’re out there in space,” Ia admitted. “We’re also being hired by one of Sanctuary’s defense contractors to transport goods to Sanctuary for storage against the coming war…which again, Harper knows about as my first officer and which will make it that much more convenient for me to pick up some genuine Terran snow for my family.”
“Genuine Terran snow,” Helstead repeated dubiously, fingers, toes, and sheathed blades going still for a moment.
“Yeah, genuine Terran snow,” Ia confirmed, keeping her tone even for the sake of the surveillance pickups. “If you think this is some excuse to fraternize with my second-in-command, think again. I haven’t the time for extraneous relationships. Harper knows this, and we both know I won’t
shakk
away my chance to save the maximum number of lives.”
“Wait, let me check something,” Helstead muttered. She reached for the command unit cuffed over her left forearm and tapped on a few of its keys once the lid was open. “Aren’t we scheduled to leave here…December 19? If we take a couple days to get to Earth, a day to load cargo, and we’re being given a day for Leave…that would have us leaving Earth right before Christmas. We’re not staying near the Motherworld for Christmas?”
“The schedule is correct; we’re not staying for Christmas,” Ia agreed. “But if you look at it another way, we’re also missing Chanukah, because we’ll still be working hard. And we’re missing Bodhi Day, which is at the start of December, and several other celebrations, too. As much as I’d wish otherwise for the crew’s sake, I cannot stop this ship or its mission for religious reasons,” Ia said. It was an irony to put it that way, considering her plans for her own homeworld, but she didn’t hesitate. “Everything has to happen at the right moment in time. Wars do not take a holiday, and we’re headed straight into a really big one.”
“Unfortunately, most religions have been known to
start
a few wars, but they rarely stop them,” Helstead agreed dryly. She eyed Ia, toes still wiggling, but fingers still. “Mind if I come along on this snow-gathering trip of
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