The Line of the Sol Empress

Chapter 12.3

[Moon]

Captain Glynn was a more imposing figure in person than on a viewscreen. With an impressive girth and full red beard, he stood half a head taller than Moon. Put him in a kilt and he would resemble an ancient Scottish warrior. But his smile was anything but warlike when he wrapped Celeste in a bear hug, nearly swallowing up the small woman.

Moon glanced out the port window. Attached to the docking port, the Amadi was only a third the size of his cargo ship. He admired its construction. The smooth rounded shape and gentle arcs were as much art as engineering. The curved delta wings meant the ship would also perform well in atmospheric flight. By comparison, the boxy shape of the Phoenix Star made it awkward in the air, a 'flying brick' he sometimes called it.

Moon found no listing of the Amadi in the Commonwealth ship registry, which was not surprising if truly a Free Dawn starship. The name Amadi was interesting, from an old African language meaning 'rejoice'. That seemed hardly a ship name in a supposed terrorist organization.

Bowing his head toward Liam, Moon said, "I am Elijah Lee, captain of the Phoenix Star."

The visiting captain would have none of that formality, instead grasping Moon's hand in a firm handshake and smacking his back hard enough to cause a grunt. "Liam Glynn, sir. Pleasure to meet you. I must say, I am impressed how you have evaded the Commonwealth and Consortium. The Phoenix Star is more than what meets the eye."

Moon smiled at the compliment. "That she is. And your Amadi, I suspect she is more than a pretty face. What kind of stealth technology does she have?"

Liam let out a belly laugh. "A trade secret for now, my new friend. Our little Amadi is full of surprises of her own." He turned as a tall lean woman with cinnamon skin and short graying dark hair entered through the port door, her hands clasped behind her. She wore a flowing, yellow-patterned sari. Liam said with a hand gesture, "I would like to introduce Chancellor Janya Patel."

The woman bowed, apparently not nearly as hands-on as Liam. "It is also my pleasure to make acquaintance. I believe we have much to discuss."

They gathered around the galley table. Moon offered bottles of ale to the guests. Janya refused, instead asking for water. Liam accepted with a gleam in his eye.

Janya started the conversation. "I had feared the Line of the Empress had ended forever with Iona's death."

"It so nearly did." Celeste tipped her head toward Moon. "Even now the line is but a thin thread." She narrowed her eyes. "Someone goes to great lengths to kill me and cut the line. If not for Moon, they would have succeeded."

Liam said, "I am curious, how did you end up on the Phoenix Star?"

Celeste grinned, turning toward Moon. "I stowed away at the Meridian Space Port. It is quite the story."

Moon interjected, casting narrowed eyes at Liam and Janya across the table. "Before we share stories, I must ask: who are you and why are you here?"

Liam looked towards Janya. She responded. "A fair question, sir. We represent the Orion Confederacy. What you know as Free Dawn in Commonwealth space is part of us."

Moon frowned. "The Free Dawn does not have a good reputation. They claim to stand for freedom but behave not so well."

"There is distortion in the media, particularly that controlled by the Trade Consortium. We have been falsely accused of many atrocities." Janya looked directly at Celeste. "You have experienced that yourself, Celeste. You are right now the Commonwealth's most wanted terrorist. We know the charges are false."

Celeste sighed. "Yes."

Janya continued with a wistful expression. "I am ashamed to admit, Captain Lee, that the Free Dawn's atrocious behavior is at least partly our fault. The factions were semi-autonomous by design, but we lost control of many. They radicalized, becoming thugs and anarchists. We have begun to correct that, with force if necessary."