The ship’s name was printed in fading black lettering, written in a language Torian hadn’t evenseenbefore. She stared at it for a long, long time, wondering who’d owned this ship—and what they’d been doing on Colony 13. The only aliens who visited the human solar system were tou’siil, an honorable, aquatic race who collected knowledge like coin, and draics, massive gargoyle-like aliens who typically contracted themselves out as fearsome mercenaries. This language belonged to neither, by Torian’s limited knowledge.
It hardly mattered. Not now.
“How’s the engine?” Torian asked.
A ship this size would fit two,maybethree people, and Torian prayed it wouldn’t need that many to fly. Most starships had auto-nav systems, alien or not, but this one did seem ancient. Shewondered if it had communication devices at all—if so, any radio antennae were long gone.
“We’re not great with alien tech, but the engine looks fine. Ship’s sold as-is, but we’ll tow it where you want.” The clerk shrugged.
So, it may not fly. Torian set her jaw. “Can I see the inside?”
He lifted a small red remote off a hook and tossed it to Torian. She caught it—suavely, smoothly,definitely didn’talmost drop it—and examined it. The remote was human in origin, likely programmed after the fact for easy access into the ship. There were three buttons on it, and she pressed one curiously.
The windows on the starship faded from opaque to clear in a breath. Inside, the ship’s lights were on full bright. Torian knew of glass that did that, but… that felt like a fancy feature for a starship like this.
Torian stared, dazzled. “Oh, wow. It looks cozy inside!” She could catch glimpses of the interior—a center room with a table and a couch, a peek of stairs leading up and down. It seemed small and homey. Hope sparked in her chest.
Maybe she and Celisecouldcreate a life with this starship.
The clerk seemed perplexed. “We turned off auxiliary power…”
“It probably automatically reengaged to protect the engine. Mechanisms like that aren’t meant to sit dormant for years.” Torian pressed another button on the remote. A seam cracked along the cargo bay door, and a ramp lowered.
She jogged toward the new entrance, giddy with enthusiasm.
The double doors at the top of the ramp opened at her approach, and a plume of hot, humid air rushed out. Torian was again caught off guard by the smell—now it felt like stale oxygen and musky plant growth. Artificial and slightly sour. Torian covered her nose.
The clerk grinned, clearly enjoying this. “Yeah, that moss infestation is worse on the inside. My predecessors tried to mitigate, but it grew back every time. I gave up.”
“It’s nice. I bet this is what the terraformed planet smells like,” Torian insisted, even though she had no idea, not really.
The clerk raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t know. Never been to Rhymarra.”
Torian’s cheeks colored. “Me either.”
But she would soon.
That scent of moss, of nature, propelled Torian forward. Rhymarra was her first destination, but this wasn’t a bad place to spend the interim. Perhaps this ship was perfect for them after all.
One way to find out.
Torian drew a fortifying breath and climbed the ramp.
IDENTITY: Mechanical Operations and Support Systems
→SUB-IDENTITY: Moss
TIME/DATE: 07:24/Januous 9, Year 90113 [System U2Ab Universal]
LOCATION: Colony 13 [human]
They were coming inside.
I floundered longer than appropriate for a supercomputer of circuits and moss. Humans had entered before, but they were clearly identifiable as maintenance humans. They had uniforms and meticulously tested the engine, the computer systems, ship things. They were not able to find the life support system, because humans are unobservant and stupid.
For this report, be aware that fifty-six years ago, I hacked theDestitute’s camera network to access visuals. Moss colonies feel vibrations and temperature, and therefore optics are redundant—but I was bored and watching forhimpassed the time.
[One day, I would gain control of this entire ship and fly—]
