4 Chapter 3: Liftoff; Landing

I watched Sabriel curiously as she pressed a button on her armrest which deployed some sort of harness from the headrest. Although I'd read about it in books, I've never actually seen one before. "So how does that work?" I asked, gesturing to the harness that she was slipping on.

Sabriel looked at me with a puzzled expression before she remembered that it was my first time on a ship. "The aubruec, you mean. It synchronizes the movements of my upper body to the ship, allowing me to pilot it far easier than utilizing a wheel or any sort of other apparatus. You will get to witness it firsthand in a few seconds." She replied.

Turning away from me and assuming a businesslike air, Sabriel moved the fingers of her right hand rapidly, causing a screen to appear before us, displaying the station's flight control officer. "This is transport ship Vaurhaut's load ship Slauhaut. The captain's military designation is 00-01-2437131. Military dock seven requesting decompression."

Although I could not see outside of the ship, I could hear the telltale signs of the barometric pressure in the military dock being altered.

"This is Teuloc Orbital Station's port control tower. Your request has been approved, transport ship Vaurhaut's load ship Slauhaut. Military dock seven has been decompressed." The way the flight control officer responded was almost robotic.

"Military dock seven requesting dock door to be opened for departure."

"Your request has been approved, transport ship Vaurhaut's load ship Slauhaut. Transport ship Vaurhaut's load ship Slauhaut, you are clear to depart from military dock seven once the opening of the gate has been confirmed."

Several screens came online in front of us as Sabriel made a gesture. Most of these screens displayed flight data, internal and external temperatures, fuel, and other information essential to managing the ship; however, two of the screens were far larger than the others. Through these, I could glimpse the expanse of space dotted with the myriad of twinkling stars which painted the black canvas.

"Opening of the gate is confirmed. Requesting permission to depart." Sabriel spoke to the flight control officer.

"You have permission to depart, transport ship Vaurhaut's load ship Slauhaut. Do you require an electromagnetic ejection?"

Sabriel's face was decorated by a deviously playful smile. Whatever this meant, it probably wasn't going to be good. "Affirmative. Requesting electromagnetic ejection with a magnitude of four exempt of helical acceleration."

"Your request has been approved, transport ship Vaurhaut's load ship Slauhaut. Please move your ship to an appropriate altitude and stand by for electromagnetic ejection. We pray for your safe return to your ship. Teuloc Orbital Station's port control number seven, out."

"We thank you. Transport ship Vaurhaut's load ship Slauthaut, out." Sabriel disconnected the ship's communications system from the station.

I gripped onto the armrests of my seat as the entire ship shook while Sabriel performed the Solean salute. It seemed that was the motion which initiated the engines as I could hear the low thrum of the ship's propulsion system come to life. I could see that we were slowly gaining altitude through the screens which displayed our external environment. As we drew level with the central altitude of the dock, I could see that several long rods had detached from the sides of the dock in order to position themselves near the sides of the ship. Electricity crackled around them. My excitement was promptly replaced with a feeling of dread.

In less than a second, the ship blasted out of the docking bay, speeding through space while the sudden acceleration pushed me back into my seat. The back of my head slammed painfully into the headrest.

"Whoa there, Sabriel!" I exclaimed in surprise as I rubbed the back of my head in pain. "I could've done with a warning before you suddenly threw the ship out of the station like that!"

The sound of Sabriel's laughter filled the cockpit. "You will forgive me. I had merely wished to give you a thrill on your first flight. You may relax now, as we shall be cruising at a more comfortable speed."

I raised an eyebrow. Despite her formal way of speaking, she did possess a sense of humor however sadistic. Having had my fill of staring at the empty space we were traversing through, I turned my head to glance at Sabriel. As I focused on her face, it had only now occurred to me that despite her appearance, she may actually be far older than she looks due to the genetic modifications that most Soleans underwent.

Sabriel had noticed me staring at her, causing her to turn and look me in the eyes. "What is it, Auryn?" She asked suspiciously.

I shifted my eyes to the side awkwardly, avoiding her gaze. This only served to make her more suspicious. I gathered my courage. "Well, I was just wondering how old you were since…" I hesitated. "You know…"

She gave me a blank stare, raising her eyebrows. "You are quite brash. I shall have you know that we only undergo the immortality modifications when we have lived for twenty-one Solean years, and even then not all of us choose to become immortal."

"Ah… I see." It was all I could manage to say, fearing that I may have offended her for asking such a personal question in a blunt manner. I took a quick glance at her to check her expression. She was looking at the screens.

"If you must know, I am seventeen in Solean years. However, I would caution you against inquiring the age of others when we arrive at Vaurhaut. Not all Soleans take to this matter as lightly as I do. Some of us are ancient and would prefer that their youthful image not be marred by the length of their existence." Sabriel advised.

I nodded. It seems that she is younger than me, then. "I'll take your words to heart. After all, I'm not very familiar with your customs."

"That much was obvious." Sabriel said with a smirk as she adjusted the course of the ship with a simple rotation of her palm. The simplicity and ingenuity of the piloting system amazed me.

"I'd like to try that sometime." When she looked to me in question, I gestured at the aubruec. "It looks fun. Plus, just thinking that I'd be able to move an entire ship with such a small gesture is just astounding, don't you think?"

She shrugged. "I have been around this environment since I was born, so I would not view it as astounding, but merely normal." She then pointed out towards the window. "Look. We are nearing the transport ship Vaurhaut." She curled her fingers slightly, the gesture causing the load ship to slow down as we approached a massive ship that really looked more like a fortress in space even from afar.

As we continued to close in on the transport ship, my eyes grew wide in awe as I was forced to comprehend the enormity of such a ship. "This thing is huge…" I commented. "It could pass for a moon!"

Sabriel smiled as she shook her head, marveling at how my reaction was so akin to primitive man first beholding fire. "In all honesty, a ship of this size is considered average at best in the Solean Navy."

I sighed in amazement. "I can't even begin to imagine something like that." I say with a wan smile. The mere thought of a ship so big made me both queasy and excited. However, seeing the enormity of the transport ship truly opened my eyes.

I had read in history books about the wars that had been waged on Teuloc in the hopes of fame, riches, or conquest of the planet, but it was only now that I realized all this time how insignificant any of that was. While we fought amongst ourselves for paltry glories, we hindered our own progress when civilizations such as the Deisolaeic were able to achieve such great things through their unity.

While I was busy marveling at the transport ship, we had lapsed into a brief silence. "Um, what kind of social standing do you have?" I asked Sabriel, unable to think of any other conversation topic at the moment.

Sabriel shot me an annoyed look before responding. "Why are you asking that?" I could clearly tell that she was irked.

"Ah, was it something I shouldn't have asked?" I wasn't expecting my casual question to elicit such a response. Perhaps my lack of understanding in Solean culture had sabotaged me again.

"No, but I do not wish to say." Sabriel responded, her expression softening as she recognized the apologetic tone in my question. "While I am wearing my military uniform and until I become an admiral, I cannot keep any identification that displays my social standing."

"Is that because your social standing shouldn't have any impact in the military?" I ask.

Sabriel nodded and smiled. "Yes. The military is a class in its own right. It is your rank that determines your social standing here, not your birth."

I nodded in return. "You know, I asked because I was just wondering if you were only here to fulfill your obligations. I heard nobles in the Empire had to serve in the military for a period of ten years."

Sabriel smirked. "And you assume I am nobility because?" I didn't have an answer I could say to that. Seeing that I lacked a response, Sabriel continued. "Though there may be the noblesse oblige, I enlisted into the military for a different purpose. There are things even in the Empire that must change."

Upon hearing Sabriel's statement, I remembered that the Empire was a highly stratocratic society and that influence was largely determined by one's military record. This must mean that Sabriel was either of lower nobility or of royal blood if she truly were a noble. It is said that the path to the throne was forged through drowning the stars in blood. Although a morbid figure of speech that was rarely accurate, it attested to the nature of their social stratification.

"I see…" I paused as I tried to think of something to say. "Your parents must be quite proud to have an ambitious daughter like you."

Sabriel smiled softly, a wistful look in her eyes. She seemed to be reminiscing about her time with her parents. "I would hope so. My father believes in a galaxy without war where we would no longer need to annex other planets. I want to let him see that. What about your parents? Did they not oppose you in joining the military?"

I gave her a melancholy smile, resting my chin on my palm. "My mother passed away when I was born. As for my father…" I hesitated as I recalled the memory. "He was imprisoned along with the other politicians of our planet after the negotiation of the surrender treaty. Imagine being imprisoned by the very people you tried to help." I looked away from Sabriel.

There was a long pause. "You will forgive me." Sabriel said as she looked down in apology, slipping her right arm from the aubruec and placing it on her left breast. "I asked an inappropriate question."

I shook my head. "It's fine. There's no going back anyway. When I made the decision to enlist in the military, I knew what I was leaving behind." I looked around, trying to find something to change the subject with. The transport ship was still fairly far away. My gaze alighted on Sabriel's red eyes.

"Um, your eyes. I've never seen anyone with eyes like yours before." I said. My brain was clearly loading at this time. At least it was something positive and completely far away from the depressing topic we were discussing. "They're very… Beautiful."

Sabriel's face seemed to light up at the compliment. It looks like the drastic change of subject was a good thing. "They are my Deisonum!" She stated proudly. "They come from my father." She said with a warm smile.

"Ah! So you are a noble!" I exclaimed. I recalled that Deisonum were unique genetic traits that noble families possessed, with each family taking great pride in maintaining the exclusivity of their respective traits. To possess one was an indicator of high pedigree.

Sabriel gasped, blushing as she realized she had revealed something she did not wish to. With her small mouth in the shape of an "o" and her hands jumping to her lips in an expression of shock and surprise, she looked quite cute. The ship jerked abruptly and the nose took a steep turn upwards as her hands were still in the aubruec, causing it to veer off course before Sabriel quickly righted the ship.

"Y-you will not think differently of me!" Sabriel stammered, still blushing as her eyes were locked onto the navigation displays and screens.

I laughed. "Relax, Sabriel." I say. "After all, it's not like you're royalty or anything, right?"

For some reason, Sabriel became even more flustered. "R-right." She stumbled over the single word. It really was cute.

"Did all Solean nobility just naturally have their Deisonum?" I asked, curious.

Sabriel looked at me, shrugging as much as the aubruec would allow. "I am just as curious as you are. Much of our history is concealed by the Ecclesiarchy."

I frowned. "The Ecclesiarchy? I didn't read about this anywhere."

Sabriel nodded. Her expression was one of utter distaste. "I can imagine why. They are a vile organization with questionable motives and agendas. I do not know why the Empress allows them to exist."

Sabriel seemed awfully passionate about her dislike of the organization, so I decided not to pry any further. In any case, we were quickly approaching the enormous transport ship. Now that we were much closer, I could see that the vessel bore the same sleek design as the other Solean ships, as well as two enormous cannons. For a transport ship, it was heavily armed.

"Does a transport ship really need two cannons of that size?" I asked Sabriel as she adjusted the course of our ship to match the elevation of the transport ship's docking bays.

"Vaurhaut is the first ship of a new line that the Empire has created. It has been designed to transport high priority targets, thus the armaments." She replied as she made several quick gestures with her fingers which brought up a blank screen.

A few seconds later, the screen changed, displaying a young looking and elegant Solean woman who wore a navy blue version of the military uniform. "This is transport ship Vaurhaut's bridge. We have identified you as load ship Slauhaut. Please confirm your military designation." The woman spoke curtly and professionally.

"This is load ship Slauhaut. My military designation is 00-01-2437131." Sabriel responded.

"Understood. Prepare for docking."

The gates of the docking bay opened up in front of us to reveal a large section of the ship which housed ships identical to the one that we were currently in. I looked around to see if there were any other load ships in use. There weren't.

"Looks like we're the last to arrive, huh?" I asked Sabriel.

She nodded. "It would appear to be so." She answered as she brought the ship into the docking bay, landing it gently and shutting off the engine.

Behind us, the gates closed slowly. "Stand by for pressurization." The woman informed us.

"Understood." Sabriel responded as she slipped herself out of the aubruec, pressing a button which caused the harness to slide back into the headrest.

After a few moments, the woman spoke again. "Pressurization complete. Please await your escorts, Cadets. Transport ship Vaurhaut's bridge, out." The screen disappeared along with the others as Sabriel fully shut down the ship.

She looked to me. "Ready for your first brush with Solean military personnel?"

I sighed. "As I'll ever be. Thanks for bringing me this far, Sabriel."

She nodded with a warm smile on her face. "I had fun as well, Auryn."

We stood from our seats, walking towards the exit of the ship. I patted down the creases formed on my uniform due to sitting for an extended period of time. As Sabriel opened the main main hatch of the ship, I began to feel nervous again, thinking about what kind of life would await me in the stars.