Chapter 67: The Abandoned

The Phoebus came out of Drift almost immediately into the orbit of the largest planet of the nameless star. No other planetary bodies. The star was a large yellow dwarf, and the planet had a vague look of a gas giant: uniform, light in color and luminous, streaked with fleeting iridescences.

Ada had never learned to pilot; at most she knew how to grapple and program a Drift, and she struggled to find communications and, rather naively, sent contact messages in her own language. Upon reflection, she added a video message with elements of stellar language - but would they even have the computing ability to decode it?

The Adventura had a large observation bay. Its wooden interior gave it the look of a luxury yacht whose reference Ada did not know and would never know. Searching with her Xeno friends - Kukth took great pleasure in opening drawers and emptying them - she discovered a hidden bar with a large quantity of drinks and served herself something she half spat out. Too alcoholic. Alpha was content to observe, to sniff, and to contemplate, with senses impossible to imagine, the diversity of the beverages.

- “I like this ship,” Ada said to Alpha, in both her language and in stellar language, glass in hand. “It can go anywhere and receive people. I could have friends, and they would live here with me. Like you, Alpha. But it’s true we don’t really have many friends. The Jespersen kids - I’d rather leave that in the past. At the arsenal, they were all taking drugs, remember? Good thing you were there. On Orion Prime, I have a few friends...”

She thought of an Antiochian sniper who had somewhat unsettled her, especially when she had brushed against her to explain how to hold her weapon. Not really a friend, but on certain nights, she would have liked to find her again. Her name was Berry. Berry would remain in her head her whole life.

Ada was used to talking with Alpha. She had learned that behind his empty eyes, he listened and remembered everything attentively, which made him a far nicer being than most humans.

- “Let me tell you something ... I don’t have many memories of Orion Prime. I think those eight guys we killed, it’s been weighing on me. I thought we’d killed eight, and everyone tells me I carried out massacres - it’s all muddled in my head. I regret it. I try to forget. You know what? I like the Wau. I don’t want to fight him anymore. But I’m a bit afraid that if I tell him, I won’t see him again. So I’ll keep telling him, but don’t hurt him, Alpha. Andreï’s okay in his own way, but he’s in his own world. Pallas, I don’t care for her. Sashko’s an idiot. The old professor was nice at first but he’s actually crazy. And he pissed himself in front of the Aleph - that, I don’t forgive. Sky - he deserves a kick in the balls twice a day: at breakfast, and before bed. I know who I do like: Salman, the soldier on Todolo, remember? It’s the first time I’ve met a calm guy in all this madness.”

She tried to remember Salman. He had pale skin and the stature of someone born in an orbital station, which must have reminded her of the Shareplace. Looking at the surface of the big planet below, she clearly saw lights, like those of a city.

- “Well, I’d love to come see you, friends, but how do I get back out of the planet - do I grapple the sun?”