Officials waited for them at the edge of the docking station, tablets in hand, to check their papers. It was noisy inside the landing bay: the clang and whirr of machinery, and the hiss of hydraulics, blended with the rise and fall of voices, echoing in the vast space.
Jenna didn’t mind the noise though; she was just relieved to get off the shuttle. Aura Terminal wasn’t a planet, but it was so big she no longer felt like the vacuum of space was pressing in on her from all sides.
Once the paperwork had been done, they headed off the docking station and out of the landing bay. An even busier terminal greeted them, filled with crowds of travelers waiting to board passenger liners.
Jenna breathed in a lungful of the warm, scented, and oxygen-rich air as soon as she entered the terminal. A smile then curved her lips. Of course, the upper-side’s greenery extended to the spaceport as well. The huge space resembled an enormous hot-house garden. Lush green foliage, festooned with tropical flowers, climbed the metal walls, and a domed roof decorated in swirling silver and blue arched overhead.
Unlike the stations within the various clan territories, no banners hung from the ceiling bearing insignias or mottos. This was neutral territory. Instead, a fountain depicting a tall, robed female figure, her hands reaching for the sky, dominated the center of the terminal. Aura greeted and farewelled travelers.
Citizens of all galactic clans were welcome here—it was a place where you could leave clan allegiances behind, where you could start afresh.
As Jenna moved across the floor, a group of Nandoon loped past, pulling huge trunks behind them. A few yards away, a family of Gibbits argued noisily by theticketing-droids, furry hands gesturing and pointing.
Jenna’s escort cut a path through the crowd. Travelers smartly side-stepped to avoid them, and loitering groups parted to let them through. It was hardly surprising, for Captain Malik and his team were an intimidating sight.
Jenna continued to look about her with interest, spying figures patrolling the verdant edges of the terminal. Lean, fit, and clad in dark-grey uniforms, laser-rifles at the ready, the Aura Garrison emitted an air of cool vigilance.
Of course, Captain Malik and his team also carried weapons—for they had special status as bodyguards to a diplomatic envoy—but the sight of the sleek rifles the garrison wielded unnerved Jenna just a little. Was it really necessary?
“The Aura Garrison are an intimidating lot, aren’t they?” she murmured to Pelicon.
Her aide nodded. “They are … but I find their presence reassuring.”
“The garrison won’t bother you, if you don’t bother them,” Captain Malik rumbled. “All the same … it’s best to keep out of their way.”
Exiting the terminal, the Mir-Brennan party crossed the entrance hall and made their way to the transpod station. They’d been waiting a couple of minutes on the wide platform when a sleek transpod, bound for the Business District on the upper-side, glided to a halt in front of them. Transparent doors sprang open, and a wave of passengers disembarked.
Stepping onto the long capsule-shaped pod, Jenna and Pelicon settled themselves down on a padded bench seat near the rear doors while their bodyguards took up positions around them.
A soft hum vibrated through the pod, and then it glided away from the platform, whisking through the network of narrow tunnels. The transpod moved swiftly, but it was a lengthy journey upward, all the same, for they had to stop regularly to load and off-load passengers. By the time they reached the end of the line, the pod was packed.
The doors opened, and Jenna rose to her feet, letting the security team flank her as she stepped onto the platform.
Moments later, she’d left the transpod station behind and was standing on the upper-side, looking up at a starry sky through the transparent dome.
“Lady Jenna.” Captain Malik’s voice held an edge of impatience. “I’d prefer we didn’t loiter.”
Casting the bodyguard an exasperated look, Jenna resumed walking. He could relax a little; she’d only stopped for a moment so she could get her bearings.
She followed her escort down a wide path, flanked by spreading trees. Aura Terminal’s Business District was a blend of leafy and austere. Indeed, the air up here was light and fresh. They passed tinkling fountains and a large moonstone statue depicting two galactic goddesses—Fara and Nain—in combat. It was a scene Jenna had gazed upon many times of the two sisters: the Goddesses of Light and Darkness locked in an eternal struggle.
Well-dressed citizens drifted by, taking a break from work, and Jenna viewed them with envy. She’d always wanted to explore this station during past visits but never seemed to find the time. What would it be like to be able to wander the avenues of Aura Terminal as a tourist? Without bodyguards. At her own pace. She suddenly craved the freedom.
Glancing right at Mir-Barus, Jenna flashed him a smile. “Do you know Aura well, Pelicon?”
The diplomat swung his head toward her. “Very well … my family comes from a nearby system.”
“Once negotiations are over, I’d like to stay on an extra day and explore. Would you be my guide?”
Pelicon smiled back, his small dark eyes crinkling at the corners. “It would be an honor, Lady Jenna.” He paused then. “As long as your brother permits it, of course.”
Jenna flashed him a smile. If these negotiations were successful, Cathal wouldn’t deny her a short break. “Let me worry about him.”
The avenue ended, and they walked out onto the central plaza, the heart of the business district. The conference center loomed on the far edge, its smooth sides gleaming. Gaze lingering upon it, Jenna wondered if the Mir-Lelith delegation had already arrived.
A milling crowd filled the square; the plaza was busier than she recalled from her last visit. It was lunchtime. Citizens of many galactic races perched on stone benches, chatting as they ate, while others crossed the crowded plaza on their way to meetings. Meanwhile, brightly lit screens hung from the facades of surrounding buildings, advertising exotic vacations and luxury beauty treatments. The latest news headlines scrolled underneath.
Jenna glanced at where Captain Malik walked at her shoulder. Her bodyguard’s visored gaze moved right and left, surveying his surroundings.
