Chapter 28: Mina’s Departure

In the main dining lounge I met Laine, Mina, Saria and Zune. They were busy preparing dinner together. I was glad to see Saria didn’t have her laser carbine with her.

Zune even spoke a few words in Ori. It was a good sign. He needed a common language with Mina if they were going to succeed.

“Hello, Captain,” said Mina. “Dinner won’t be long.”

I smiled. She hadn’t been this happy for ages. In fact, her mood lifted everyone’s spirits.

“Zune,” I said.

He looked at me, and I mimed his device. He picked it up and held it ready.

“Your former crew mates have left the system. They plan to do the freight business,” I said.

He read the translation on his device, then he nodded.

“I wish them good fortune,” he replied.

“They’re gone, and they won’t return here,” I said.

He considered my words, then spoke into the translator.

“What about after you leave?” he asked.

“The Uv’ek system is now under our protection. They can’t return here,” I said.

A moment later he smiled.

“Thank you, Captain,” he said.

“Without a vessel, you can’t leave the planet. I’m keeping you and your former crew mates separated for your own protection,” I said.

He read the translation on his device. Then he nodded again.

Jem arrived in time for dinner. Soon we sat around a table with various dishes to enjoy.

“This dish is delicious!” said Jem, pointing at a specific dish.

“I’ve shared recipes with Laine, together with a few from Zune,” said Mina.

Laine nodded. Jem smiled.

“Are you certain you want to leave? We’ve room for both of you here,” asked Jem.

“Yes, Commodore. This is what we want. It’s a fresh start for both of us,” she replied.

Zune raised a finger before speaking into his device.

“We welcome your visits when you travel this way,” he said. Mina nodded.

Jem nodded. The conversation stopped, and we continued our meal.

After dinner, I sat on the sofa to watch a movie. Laine sat next to me and snuggled in close. Zune and Mina sat on together the other end of the sofa. Jem and Saria sat nearby.

We picked a Quard movie, with Ori and Uv’ek subtitles.

During the movie, I was thinking about losing one of our crew. At least it wasn’t because they died. We could visit them when we were in the neighbourhood.

Laine held my arm throughout the movie. She kept looking up at me with a concerned expression. I smiled at her and patted her hand gently.

At the main spaceport on Quard Prime, a large passenger shuttle touched down on the landing pad. It fetched passengers from a passenger transport in orbit.

The airlock opened to allow the passengers to disembark. Amongst them, a hooded figure stepped out.

The crowd of passengers from Ori Major followed the signs to Quard immigration, to get their ID scanned. The hooded figure moved along with them, carrying his small carry-on bag.

When it was his turn, he held out his arm and the immigration official scanned his ID.

“Welcome back to Quard, Commander! I take it you’re not here on a formal visit?” asked the official.

He studied the official for a moment. He pulled his hood back enough so the official could see his face.

“No, it’s a private visit. I’d rather not draw attention to myself, if you understand,” he replied.

“Of course. I remember what happened last visit. You can rely on our discretion. But, your VIP status will flag your arrival to our security forces,” said the official.

“I understand,” he said. Actually, he was counting on it.

He nodded, then left for the exit. The immigration official watched him leave, then continued to scan the next passenger.

As the figure arrived at the street, a ground transport stopped and he entered. The vehicle left toward downtown.

The figure pulled back his hood and looked through the window at the city.

“Did you have any trouble with immigration?” asked the driver in Lagaid.

“No, the fake ID worked exactly as I’d expected,” he replied with a smile.

“Everything’s ready,” said the driver.

“Good,” he said. “This time there can be no mistakes.”

The next morning I awoke early. Laine was sleeping beside me. Upon a moments review, I recalled she’d followed me back to my cabin.

She was still asleep, so I slowly got out of bed and did my morning routine. I kept the lights low so as not to disturb her, then I got my coffee from the food dispenser and left my cabin.

I went up to the main bridge. There was no one about, so I took a seat and looked at the view of the planet on the tactical display.

“Ship, how is the progress on their new home?” I asked.

“Their home is ready for them to move in,” replied Ship.

“You completed it to their specifications?” I asked.

“Confirmed. Also, additional specifications from Laine, Saria, yourself, and the Commodore,” replied Ship.

I hadn’t realized that everyone else would have a say in things. I was glad, because once we left that was it. They’d be on their own.

“Thank you, Ship,” I said.

I sipped my coffee. On the tactical display, I saw blue dots throughout the system.

“It looks like the system defences are in place too,” I said.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

I smiled.

Roughly three hours later, Zune and Mina were ready to depart for their new life. Everyone wanted to travel to the planet to visit their home, so we packed into the shuttle.

I sat in the pilot seat, with Jem beside me. I did all my usual pre-flight checks and soon we departed Ship. The shuttle was on autopilot, descending towards their new home.

I turned in my seat to face the others. Laine and Mina were talking together. Zune sat beside Mina, watching the view of his home planet getting larger as we approached.

Saria sat quietly, with her laser carbine at the ready. Hopefully, we wouldn’t need it.

I realized I had nothing to say. I just sat with them, content to be part of the group. Laine and Mina were too busy with what they were talking about that they didn’t pay me any attention.

I looked to my right. Jem was also sitting quietly, watching. I nodded slightly at her and she nodded back.

Soon the shuttle was on landing approach. I turned around in case I needed to intervene. Landings were tricky, and it was best to be alert for issues. Fortunately, there were none. We touched down gently with the aid of anti-gravity.

It amused me that Ship had constructed a landing pad next to their new home. Most likely it wouldn’t get used often. After we left, we would secure the system from unwanted visitors.

A quick check of the atmospheric settings and scans of the area showed we could exit safely. Saria led the way through the airlock, and we all exited the shuttle. Zune and Mina carried cases of their belongings. I picked up a container and followed out last.

The compound had a wall around it and a large gate that opened as we approached. Zune and Mina headed straight for the main dwelling structure. I followed with the container.

“Captain, you can put that down anywhere,” said Mina.

I put it down near the entrance to the structure.

“I’m not your Captain any more. You can just call me Brian,” I said.

She smiled a half-smile.

“Thank you, Brian. I’ll always think of you as Captain,” she said.

Saria was outside doing a perimeter sweep for trouble. I didn’t think it was necessary. The compound had plenty of defences of its own.

Laine had rushed around the rooms, loudly expressing her views of the place.

I turned and found Jem standing behind me.

“Mina, please could you and Zune double check you have everything you need before we leave,” said Jem.

Mina smiled, grabbed Zune’s hand and turned to search her new home.

“Brian, would you like to join me for a coffee?” asked Jem.

“Sure,” I replied. I smiled.

We walked inside and found the lounge area. Jem got two coffees from the food dispenser and we sat together on a sofa.

“They can run around exploring, while we relax,” she said.

“I doubt Ship missed anything,” I said.

Jem and I relaxed and sipped our coffee while chaos ensued around us. It was a good chaos that didn’t need our intervention.

The reality that we would soon leave them on this planet finally registered.

Zune and Mina rushed around their compound, examining everything and making sure it was working right.

Laine and Saria were helping, checking all the items they’d added to the design.

After they finished, they kept thinking of more things to check. So they rushed off again.

I remembered when Laine and I survived several days on Carolus four. Fortunately, I repaired a food dispenser, and we built a shelter. After that, it was easy. This compound was way better than that. They had all the benefits of Baglogi technology.