The Dark Between The Stars

THREE
ADAR ZAN’NH

Orbiting the planet Ildira, the new starship looked out of place and alien, even to Ildiran eyes. The first of its kind, the Kolpraxa had an unusual design developed by visionaries, astronomers, and explorers. Unlike the giant fighting-fish silhouette of a Solar Navy warliner, this exploration ship had expanded-range engines, habitation spaces, and enlarged cargo holds for supplies on long voyages far outside the Spiral Arm, to push the edge of knowledge.

After the Elemental War, the Mage-Imperator had given their race a new vision, to explore the unknown, to expand the Empire’s comfortable boundaries that had stood unchanged for millennia. Adar Zan’nh, the grand commander of the Ildiran Solar Navy, knew the Kolpraxa would be only the first of many such missions.

Curiosity, ambition, and exploration were not common to the Ildiran psyche. This drive to seek answers to questions that had never before been asked was clearly a human thing. Zan’nh, and all Ildirans, had to adjust to so many changes in recent years…

The Adar’s inspection cutter arrived at the spacedock facility where the final engineering touches were being applied to the Kolpraxa. Teams of spacesuited worker kith floated around like beetles, using manipulator arms to remove the construction framework and nudge it away from the hull.

Zan’nh landed the cutter inside the Kolpraxa’s well-lit receiving bay and stepped out onto the polished deck. His hair was plaited in a tight braid and done up in a topknot. His short tunic was tied at his waist with a green sash that accentuated the greenish gold of his skin. Glittering rank insignia adorned his chest. For this formal meeting with Tal Gale’nh before the Kolpraxa’s departure, he wanted to be worthy of the Ildiran epic, the Saga of Seven Suns.

Yes, history would be made here.

The halfbreed Gale’nh, who had been given command of the ship, marched forward to greet him. He was a young man with a proud demeanor and creamy features that clearly revealed his partial human heritage. A product of the secret Ildiran breeding program, he was the son of the green priest Nira and the legendary Solar Navy commander Adar Kori’nh—Zan’nh’s predecessor.

At twenty-six, Gale’nh was young for his rank of tal, but he had a sharp mind and the ability to make swift and accurate decisions. Because of his mixed heritage, he also had a knack for seeing things differently—an advantage in his role, since the Solar Navy suffered from rote adherence to long-established ways.

Gale’nh pressed a fist to his chest in a gesture of respect. “Welcome aboard my ship, Adar. I hope it meets with your approval.”

Zan’nh gave the young officer a nod. “You inspected the systems? Drilled your crew? Interviewed your engineers? And it all meets with your approval?”

“More than I can say, Adar.”

He gave a brief nod. “You are the Kolpraxa’s captain, so your approval matters more than mine.”

The two men took a lift to the command nucleus. The blister dome that formed the ceiling of the bridge gave the commander a sense of the universe around him—the starry field, the glare of sunlight, the swiftly moving ships and worker pods withdrawing the last pieces of framework.

Proud of his experimental ship, Gale’nh rattled off a summary of the crew complement, the sophisticated technical equipment, the variety of probe satellites that could be dispatched when needed, and—important for the Ildiran soul—groups of artist kithmen, singers, and especially rememberers who recorded history.

When Adar Zan’nh and Gale’nh arrived in the command nucleus, Rememberer Ko’sh awaited them. The rememberer was a tall, imposing man, dressed in a shimmering gray robe marked with symbols. The expressive lobes on his face were able to shift coloration like a chameleon to add flavor and emotion to the stories he told. He lifted both hands in greeting.

“Adar Zan’nh, this is the greatest mission in our recent history! More significant than Adar Bali’nh’s rescue of the human generation ships and his first journey to Earth. Or Tal Bria’nh’s encounter with—” The tall rememberer caught himself and bowed. “The Kolpraxa will be a light that shines into the emptiness between stars. It is time for our people to go beyond what was to what can be.”

Zan’nh was surprised by Ko’sh’s upbeat attitude, for the man had been stodgy in the past, especially upset when the human scholar Anton Colicos had pointed out errors or omissions in the Saga of Seven Suns. “Tal Gale’nh will lead you to points unknown. I have complete faith in him.”

Gale’nh bowed, struggling to accept the praise with good grace. Zan’nh had groomed the young officer, training and mentoring him as he moved up through the ranks. Though he was a halfbreed, it didn’t hurt that his mother was the consort of the Mage-Imperator, or that his father was the greatest military leader Ildirans knew. “I can only hope to do great work of my own, in my father’s name. I am… humbled by my own heritage, the weight of responsibility. The Kolpraxa is so important.”

Zan’nh knew that Adar Kori’nh had been a greater commander than he himself would ever be—everyone on Ildira was aware of that. “I was just a young tal when I was thrust into this position as Adar. I wasn’t ready for it either, and I also felt humbled.” He lowered his voice as he confessed, “But no one was more ready than I was, and so the job fell to me. If you had not volunteered to command the Kolpraxa, Tal Gale’nh, I would have assigned you to the task.”

The young tal’s eyes were shining; his breathing was fast, his excitement plain. “When I saw the opportunity, how could I not seize it? The chance to go outside the Spiral Arm, to see what’s out there?”

A signal on the command nucleus announced that the rest of the docking structures had been moved away. The stardrive engines were fully loaded with ekti and optimal for test firing.

Gale’nh turned to face him. “The Mage-Imperator has prepared a departure celebration in Mijistra, and you will join me. The people will cheer the launch of this great mission.” He lowered his voice and added wistfully, “I wish I were going out there with you.”