We Too Will Grow Old: A Sci-Fi Romance

The Things it Takes to Fade

Veniae-di
Colony Outpost 9
2276, 3rd Standard Cycle
Carina, Age 15

Carina adjusted her mask, turned off her left eye and slid up her sunglasses. They did little against the sunlight streaming down, bouncing fiery off the mix of human and avaki ships docked ahead. She pressed her hands over her ears. They were similarly ineffective against the noise, the cacophony of human and alien tongues and of ships disembarking into space.
“Sorry, Rina.”Tovie whispered. “Your implants will settle down soon.”
Carina nodded, looking up at the woman beside her. She looked older than her 20 years, narrow black eyes scanning the crowd. She tapped her violet mouth, one clawed finger against a tooth poking out from her bottom lip. Short white horns curled out under the veil tied over her long dark braids, white with purple trim. Fine, light blue fur covered her azure skin. A smart brown jacket hung on her wide shoulders and a brown skirt fanned out around her ankles, the tip of a long, striped tail peeking out of it.
“No insignia?”Carina asked, also speaking under her breath. She doubted anyone out here was paying them much mind, but it was best not to take chances.
“I'm not with my unit yet.” Tovie rolled her eyes. “Besides, there's not much insignia on women's uniforms, remember?”
“Right, sorry.”Carina said. Tovie had tried to explain avaki military structures to her before but she had never quite understood, especially when it came to women being limited to a specific set of non-combat roles. “Are…are you sure we-”
“Relax, Rina we're blending in just fine.”
“Right.” She swayed on her feet, trying to ignore the weight of her backpack. “Now…now you said I'm…. Nevermind, sorry. The line's moving.”
They both fell silent, waiting as the two groups ahead were scanned and cleared to board. Carina had seen pictures of whales in her textbooks before, strange marine mammals that were rare on worlds other than Earth, and non-existent on Veniae-di. The avaki ship reminded her of them, all seamless curves of undulating blue and grey, the metal they were made from like a liquid held in place, a miniature ocean shielding a miniature world.
“Alright, we're up.”Tovie squeezed her hand. “We've got this, Rina.”
Carina nodded. Her hand fell at her side.
An avaki man stood by the ship’s door, his arms crossed. He looked them over. “Identification?”
Tovie held out one hand for the man to scan.
“Let's see.”he said. “Of Kallis clan, Tovrek. Ah, off to service. Com-sec, too. Not bad for a lady. Then again, I doubt your clan would accept less. And this one…” He pointed at Carina. “...is your…?”
“My servant.”Tovie said. “She's fully registered.”
“I suppose. Still, a com-sec officer bringing a human along….” His lips pursed, two long teeth jutting from the top.
“Oh don't worry.” Tovie scoffed. “She's a farm girl. Barely literate. I doubt she even understands what we're saying right now, and I won't be getting her a translator.”
“We'll see.”the man said. “Your chip, girl.”
As they had practiced, Carina did not respond. She blinked, staring wide eyed just past the man. Tovie grabbed her hand and held it out. She forced her breathing to stay steady and hoped the man couldn't hear her heart race. Tovie had rewritten her ID chip with a false identity, part outright falsehoods and part the truth of a girl who had recently died. The override would only last so long, if it worked at all. She bowed her head.
“Nova.” The name sounded strange in the man's mouth, unused to any human language. “Of Danvers clan.” He scrutinized his netpad. “Four year contract.”he said to Tovie. “Says she's old enough, barely. Hardly looks it, though. Nice find.”
“May we-”
“Yes, yes, go ahead through the decon scanner.”
“Thank you. Now.” She switched to the human common tongue. “Come along, girl.” The words flowed naturally.
Still silent and meek, Carina followed her. A blue glow ran over them, concentrating on their bags. Once the machine was sure they carried no contraband, a second door slid up to let them enter the ship. A wave of cold air washed over her. The light changed from blazing sun to a sickly fluorescence on silver walls. A crowd of avaki, mostly men, milled about. Multiple faces turned to them both. She shivered.
“Come, girl.” Tovie took her hand and pulled her down a corridor. Her hooves clicked on the metal floor. “Yes, here we are.” She let go, unlocked the room and nudged her inside. “Quiet.”
Carina obeyed, standing still as Tovie inspected the thin room. It was all bare silver metal with two panels stuck out from one wall. Hiding a sink and toilet, she assumed. A small mattress was folded away opposite to her. She watched the door, her heart quick again. None of the men in the entrance had been familiar. No one was coming. She repeated that in her head.
“Alright.” Tovie stuck a small translucent disk to the wall. “That should chop up our speech for a bit. And, hey, sorry about out there, Rina. Had to save face and all.“
“I...I understand.”she replied. “I'm just glad we're here now.”
“What did I tell you?” She grinned down at her. “Nothing to worry about. I'm just that amazing.”
“You weren't nervous at all, Tovie?”she asked, lightly chiding.
“Okay, maybe a little.” She shrugged. “But we're fine now. Taking off soon. And hey, we have a window!” She pulled down the bed, leaving them barely room to stand, and pressed a button on the wall. It parted and light streamed in. “Come here, let's watch.”
Carina dropped her bag. It thudded on the floor. She knelt on the mattress. It was as hard as it had looked. Tovie pulled her close, one arm around her shoulder. She didn't know if it was an actual window or even a real time display. It didn't matter. She'd been too anxious in the shipyard to even take a final look. Now, green and red fields stretched before her, under the shadows of towering old brown trees. There was corn and soy and wheat, of course, but far more of the fields were full of avaki vegetables, the trees heavy with fruit just for them. Between the fields were chaotic columns of stack houses, tiny boxes of thin plastic that had been unfolded on the spots where they stood, little more than walls to guard against the elements, the upper levels only accessible by ladders on their outsides. Somewhere nearby, just out of view, was the Kallis mansion, a citadel of metal and glass that loomed over the human community of Outpost 9.
“Is it…gentler out there?”she asked in a strained whisper. “You…you've left a few times.”
Tovie rested a hand on her head, fingers in her hair, claws retracted. “It is.”she lied. “I'm…I'm sorry, Rina, that I couldn't-”
“It's…okay.”she lied in return.
“No, it's not, and-”
“It's not your fault.”
“It's not yours either.”
Carina didn't answer, staring at the fields. She had said goodbye to her mother. The final word had been met with silence.
“May I?”
She nodded and Tovie took her hand, a warm and strong grip.
“Takeoff in forty five seconds.”a low voice announced over a speaker.
They each sat, holding one side of the bed. The ship lurched.
“Sentinel Station isn't so bad.”Tovie said. “It's crowded, but…but it's not the worst place. And I promise I'll-”
“I know you won't be able to talk much.” she said. “Military monitoring and all. Hard to get around even for you. I know I'll be on my own.” She swallowed and rubbed her eyes. “It's okay.”she lied.
“I'm sorry.”
She said nothing. The ship lurched and Tovie held her up. She watched the fields shrink. They disappeared. The window closed.
“You okay, Rina?”
“We're…we're….” She buried her face in her hands. Tears that had built for days now burst through. A sob cut through her heart. Her throat tightened. She screamed, shaking in Tovie's arms.