Grandine Sousa looked at her reflection in the window of the shuttle. She wasn’t the stunning beauty she had been 60 years ago when she joined the Union. Lines crossed her worn face. The seat was making her hip hurt.
She was not looking forward to her next assignment. As the senior navigator in the fleet, she had served on plenty of ships in her time, big ones, small ones, exploratory, defensive, even a medical ship. She had logged more hours at the navigation console than anyone in the fleet. There was a time when she could have had her choice of postings, but as the years went on, there became newer, younger faces taking those jobs.
She was lucky Admiral Halsey found her a posting at all. She remembered when he was an ensign. Tom had a way of getting in and out of trouble. She helped him out several times. It was probably the reason she was still getting to work at all. It’s not like the Union forced you to retire. But the job offers were drying up. Eventually, you ended up at the postings no one else would take.
This new posting worried her. The Orville wasn’t exactly known for being an easy posting. Somehow they always seemed to be getting into trouble. Grandine didn’t like trouble. Their last navigator had died blowing up some weird genocidal weapon she had created. Grandine hoped she wasn’t expected to do that. It wasn’t in her job description.
But this is where the Union was sending her and in 60 years of service she had never turned down a posting so she wasn’t turning down this one.
The shuttle continued on course and docked in the shuttle bay of The Orville.
Slowly Grandine got up from her seat. She threw her bag over her shoulder and headed out to meet her new boss.
Two young ladies were waiting to receive her. “ Commander Sousa, Welcome aboard. I’m Commander Kelly Grayson,” the taller one said “This is Commander Talla Keyali, our Head of Security.”
Grandine had seen in the briefing papers that head of security was a Xelayan named Keyali. She wondered if she was related to Captain Keyali. That woman was a legend. Grandine had served with her for 3 years on the USS Razorback. Rumor had it she once kept her team alive after crashing on a desolate planet by feeding them her own toes.
“Thank you, Commander,” Grandine replied. “ Most everyone just calls me Grandine.”
“We’ve got quarters for you on C deck.” the security chief said. “ I’ll have your things sent there, let me help you with your bag.”
“I’ve got it,” Grandine replied. Xelayans always wanted to carry heavy stuff for her like she was some kind of invalid.
“Let Talla take it to your quarters,” Kelly said “The captain always likes to meet the new crew members when they first come on board.” She was smiling and cheery. Grandine hated cheery. It always came across as fake to her.
“If you insist,” She said, reluctantly handing over her bag.
She also hated these first meetings with the captain. They were all the same. Bringing her into their office expecting her to tell them how honored and lucky she was to be serving on their ship. Seemed like nothing but a fishing expedition for some ass-kissing to her.
Ed had been happy to hear they were finally getting a new navigator. He was reading over her record and she was a veteran, with years of service to the fleet. A lot of years. Worked in every kind of environment possible. She was the person to originally map the Guffari Nebula 30 years ago. She navigated the Kessel Black Hole cluster in 10 parsecs. An impressive resume for sure.
The doors wooshed open and there she stood, a frail woman who looked like she might fall over dead at any second.
Ed glanced down at the record again and realized it. She was 85 years old.
“Commander Sousa, I’m Captain Mercer,” he said nervously, “Welcome aboard. We’re excited to have someone with your experience at navigation.”
“We’ve been in real need of someone since our last navigator was killed in the Battle of Draconis 427,” Kelly added. “She saved a lot of lives that day.”
“I know Lieutenant Brosk is going to be happy to get some sleep finally.” Ed mused.
“Happy to be on board sir,” Grandine replied automatically. “If you will give me leave to go, I will take my station.”
“There’s no rush, we can manage for a few more hours if you want to get settled in or take a nap,” he said. “Here, have a seat.” He said motioning to a chair.
Grandine slowly and reluctantly sat down. This was going to be painful. She could smell it.
“I have to ask,” Ed started
Grandine knew exactly where it was going.
“Why haven’t you retired?” he asked.
And there it was. The question they all eventually ask. In the last 30 years, she had been asked that question by every officer she had served with. But this was the first time she had been asked it right out of the gate. She kind of respected the new guy for it. Maybe he wasn’t going to be one to pussy-foot around.
“I enjoy my job,” Grandine responded. She’d been through this so many times. “I like working. I love going to new places and seeing new things. It feels good to be useful.”
“You could do all those things without being an officer,” Ed said
“Why do you come to work every day Captain?” Grandine asked.
“I want to see what happens,” Ed said
“So do I. Now if there’s nothing else, I should get to my post.” Grandine began the process of getting up.
The long shuttle ride in that horrible seat had her hip out of whack a bit. It took a little longer than it should have.
“Do you need help?” Ed asked her. Half afraid she would fall over and break a hip. He had known she was older when he approved the transfer, but he didn’t realize just how elderly she was. She was the oldest person on board. Probably the oldest he had ever served with. Maybe the oldest in the fleet.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Sometimes it just takes me a minute to get up and down, but I can assure you, once I am behind the console I am just as capable as any of your young officers, twice as knowledgeable with four times the experience.”
The doors wooshed open again. A young half alien girl came running in.
“Daddy. You won’t believe what I learned in school today!” Anaya exclaimed. “ There’s a planet in the Baraba Sector where the rain falls up!”
“I’m sorry about this,” he said to Grandine. “Anaya I’ve told you before, you have to ring the bell before you come into Daddy’s office. I’m in an important meeting right now.”
Grandine smiled. The child was adorable. She reminded Grandine of her grandchild Pedro. He was always ignoring rules.
“Sir, we can continue this later,” Grandine offered. “I’d very much like to familiarize myself with the helm.”
“You can go,” he said, “and once again welcome aboard.”
Ed watched Grandine slowly leave. Very slowly leave. He worried that she might not be up to a lot of sudden activity if something bad should happen.
Anaya had plopped in her dad’s lap and started looking at Baraba 4 on his computer. A scenic landscape appeared on the screen followed by a shot of tourists standing on a grate screaming in delight as water droplets are pulled upwards towards an anti-gravity cistern in the sky.
Ed let her have at it. She was so interested in everything. She loved to see and learn new things. She had only been on board a few weeks and the entire crew just loved her. Ed wasn’t sure what he had done without her for so long. As if a giant void in his life was suddenly filled.
Ed’s wrist communicator beeped at him. “Mercer here,” he said smiling as he watched his daughter.
“Captain,” the voice was Talla, “you’ve got an incoming message from Admiral Halsey.”
“Put it through,” he said.
The screen changed from the scenic setting to an older gentleman in a purple uniform.
“Hello Anaya,” Admiral Halsey said. A little surprised to see her. “How are you today?”
“I am well, Admiral Halsey. How are you?” she replied
“I am also well. Can I borrow your daddy for a minute?” the Admiral asked.
“Sure. I need to go home and do my homework before dinner.” the child answered.
She kissed her father on the cheek and bounced out with the door whooshing behind her.
“Ed she is absolutely adorable.” The Admiral said
“I know, “ Ed said, “I don’t know if I ever thanked you for giving me that time off to be with my family, but thank you. “
“Don’t mention it. But as cute as she is, I didn’t call to talk about Anaya. The Kaylon are holding some sort of remembrance ceremony for Ensign Burke. They have asked for The Orville and some of her crewmates to come so they can show their respects..”
“Sure we’d be happy to go, but I am confused,” Ed said. “The Kaylon don’t have feelings. Why this sentimental attachment to Ensign Burke?”
“We don’t know.” the Admiral said, “That’s another reason we’d like you to go. If they are undergoing some type of evolutionary development then we want to know.”
“I’ll make sure Claire is on the team,” Ed replied.
“Good choice. Also Kaylon Prime is gifting the Union with a diplomatic gift.” Admiral Halsey said.
“A gift?” Ed asked.
“That’s what Primary said, it was to be specifically for The Orville. Just pick it up, say thank you, and find a place to store it,” Halsey suggested.
“I’ll make sure it gets a nice shelf” Ed replied.
“If there’s nothing else…” Halsey said with a goodbye tone.
“Actually there is,” Ed said hesitantly, “I wanted to ask about our new navigator.”
“Grandine.” Halsey acknowledged.
“Not to be rude but she seems really,” Ed tried to think of another word, but the one that came out was “old.”
“She has been around a long time. She trained me on navigation when I was an ensign.” Halsey explained.
“Well then you can understand my concern,” Ed replied. “What happens if there’s a Krill attack? Or if she’s needed suddenly on the bridge? Have you seen how slow she moves?”
“Look Ed, I know she’s not what you expected. But I can assure you that she will be the best navigator you have ever had because she is the best navigator in the fleet.”
On the bridge, Grandine could feel the eyes following her as slowly walked to her seat at the helm. There was a Mahone asleep at the console. A ginger fella in the pilot’s chair woke him up as Grandine entered the bridge. He got up and let Grandine have the chair. At the science station was the Kaylon officer. A Moclan was at tactical. She had heard there was a Moclan family on board with a female daughter, it caused a rift with the Moclan government. It was strange to see one at tactical considering the Union was still technically at war with Moclus.
It was a standard console. She started setting up all her shortcuts. Downloading her settings from the Union database. She had a specific setup for the controls that she used. Most navigators did.
This ship had the new Omega Class Navigational Array. It was the first time Grandine was getting to use it. She had studied it. She was excited about the things it would do. It could plot the movement of interstellar dust light years away. She was excited to be finally getting her hands on it.
“I’m Gordon Malloy,” the ginger fella said. “Ship’s pilot.”
“Grandine Sousa. Navigator,” she replied.
“We’re super happy to have you here. Our last navigator, Charley, was killed in the battle of Draconis 427. She was really special.” Gordon continued awkwardly, “ She could visualize four-dimensional space. Great singer. She could really belt out a tune.”
“That’s nice,” Grandine said plainly.
“Yeah, she was really nice,” Gordon answered.
“She saved my entire species even though she despised us.” The Kaylon at the science station said.” She was unlike any biological I have ever met.”
“Good for her,” Grandine said politely.
Ed entered the bridge, sat in the command chair and said, “Set a course for Kaylon. “
“Aye Sir,” Grandine replied. “Course laid in.”
“Sir may I inquire, are we going for the ceremony?” the Kaylon asked.
“As a matter of fact, we have been invited to the ceremony. The Union has asked us to go observe. “ Ed said. “I’m a little confused about the specifics.”
“The Kaylon have decided to dedicate one day a year to the memory of Charlie Burke. So that her sacrifice can be remembered by all Kaylon.”
“Oh that’s sweet Isaac, “ Talla said.
“Sweet?” Isaac asked “I believe you are confused, Commander. There will not be any confectionaries.”
“Engage Quantum Drive,” Ed said and The Orville flew off into the stars bound for the celebration on Kaylon.
In the mess hall, it wasn’t any better. Rows of tables, ”not a single grown-up,”. Grandine thought as she looked across the room and saw no one anywhere close to her age. She got her food and sat alone at a table by the windows. Outside the stars flew past at sub-light speed. They would be at Kaylon within the next 3 hours and There was a briefing before then. Grandine had enough time to grab a quick bite and enjoy the view alone.
She wasn’t alone for long. The young girl from earlier came be-bopping by and stopped right in front of her. She started at Grandine with big eyes.
“Are you ok child?” Grandine asked.
“What’s wrong with your face?” Anaya asked
“What’s wrong with your head?“ Grandine replied.
“Your face is all wrinkly,” Anaya stated.
“Your head is all bumpy,” Grandine replied.
“I’m half Krill,” Anaya said proudly.
“I’m old,” Grandine said proudly.
Anaya laughed. It was music to Grandine’s ears. No matter how depressed she got, somehow hearing a child laugh could always bring her out of it.
“I’m Anaya,” she said.
“Nice to meet you Anaya, I am Grandine,” she replied.
Anaya was fascinated. “You’re the first old human I have met.”
“What about your Grandparents?” Grandine asked.
“I haven’t met them yet,” Anaya replied.
“Your dad’s the Captain isn’t he,” Grandine asked.
“Yes. He lets me go anywhere on the ship I want as long as I stay out of the way.” Anaya explained climbing into the chair across from Grandine.
“You’re a lucky little girl then, getting free reign of a starship,” Grandine said.
“He even let me sit in his bridge chair once,” Anaya said excitedly.
The child was as cute as a bug. It made her miss her grandkids. They were hardly little kids anymore but fully grown men now.
“Are you hungry?” Grandine asked. “I’m not going to eat all of these plocka sticks, you want one?”
“I’m waiting on my dad. We usually eat with Kelly.” Anaya said.
“Commander Grayson?” Grandine asked.
“Yes, her and daddy used to be married but they broke up.” Anaya said, “ Now they are friends.”
So the rumor was true. Mercer had his ex as first officer. She had heard it but just assumed it was a joke. “Well it’s good that they are still friends,” she told Anaya.
“Did you know that there’s a planet in the Baraba sector where the rain falls up?” Anaya asked.
“Baraba 4. I’ve been there twice.” Grandine said. “ The rain isn’t even the most interesting part. They have ducks so big, the people put saddles on them and ride them across the oceans.”
Anaya’s eyes opened wide. “Really?“ she asked. Then thinking about it more she asked, “What’s a duck?”
“It’s a bird,” Grandine said, surprised the kid had never heard of a duck. “It floats on the water and it flies through the air.”
“Oh like a tracall.” Anaya surmised.
“I’ve never seen a tracall, but you seem like a smart girl so I will take your word for it.” Grandine smiled at the young girl.
“Anaya, there you are,” the Captain said.
“Captain Mercer,” Grandine said slowly rising to her feet.
“Oh please, you, you don’t have to get up.” Ed stammered.
Grandine was on her feet and standing at full attention.
“At ease, please enjoy your dinner.” he said, “I’m sorry if my daughter was bothering you.”
“She wasn’t bothering me at all.” Grandine said while slowly sitting down “It was nice to meet you, Anaya.”
“It was nice to meet you Grandine.” Anaya walked off to sit at a table with her father and Commander Grayson.
Grandine watched from her table. They seemed like a happy family. The young parents doting on their beautiful little girl with a weird bumpy head.
Anaya was eating her own plocka sticks. She hadn’t planned on ordering them, but Grandine’s looked tasty. She had never met anyone like Grandine. She wondered why.
Her father and Commander Grayson were preoccupied with someone named Charley and some place called Kaylon. They were all going to a party. Daddy wanted to make sure the entire crew was briefed before anyone left the ship. Evidently, it wasn’t the first time the ship had been there. She got the impression that Daddy and Kelly didn’t have fun last time.
It was the first time Anaya had been there. It was the first time she had been anywhere.
“What do you think sounds better?” Ed asked, looking at his pad while eating. “ On behalf of the Planetary Union, I accept your gift as a symbol of friendship between our people. Or, I accept this gift on behalf of the Planetary Union, may it always serve as a reminder of our ongoing friendship.”
“Can I go?” Anaya asked.
“You want to go? “ Ed asked. He was surprised that she was even paying attention.
“It’s not going to be very interesting,” Kelly said. “The Kaylon don’t have any kids, or kids stuff to do.”
“But it’s a whole other planet!” Anaya exclaimed. “I’ve never been to a whole other planet before.”
Ed looked at Kelly. They both understood. Everyone in the mess hall understood.
“Look I am going to be busy dealing with the Kaylon and so is Kelly. We don’t know what to expect from this ceremony. I don’t want you going alone. If you can find someone to go with you. Someone older, then you can go.” Ed said.
“So if I find someone can I go?” Anaya asked.
Ed looked at Kelly. “I guess that would be ok. Maybe Topa or Marcus?” Kelly suggested.
“If you find someone,” Ed reluctantly agreed.
“I’ll find someone,” Anaya said confidently.
Grandine was impressed with the briefing room chairs, very comfortable to sit in. There were even snacks on the table. She could tell the bridge crew had all been together awhile. They had that deep friendship vibe that goes beyond work, so relaxed in each other’s company.
She had to admit that so far, this wasn’t the nightmare posting she had imagined.
“When we get to Kaylon we will once again be given landing coordinates. It is my understanding they have built a facility just for this occasion.” Ed said. “ There will be visitors from all over the Union.”
“The Kaylon have studied many of the Union histories and have found in all of them days set aside to honor those considered to be of great value to society.” Isaac explained “The Kaylon consider Ensign Burke to be of great value to Kalyon society. They have set aside her birthday as the day to always remember her. The new facility will be a permanent reminder of her sacrifice in the name of duty.”
“So it’s a memorial?” Dr. Finn asked.
“In a manner of speaking,” Isaac replied.
“It’s nice that they are remembering her,” Talla said.
“There are many such memorials on Moclus to great leaders that the Moclan have had through the years,” Bortus added.
“I remember going to the Lincoln Memorial when I was a child, “ Grandine added, trying to be part of the group.
“They probably built the Lincoln Memorial when she was a child,” LaMarr said under his breath.
Gordon snickered.
Kelly looked at them both and they shut up immediately.
Grandine pretended to ignore it. But it cut her pretty deep. That was her pilot snickering, her wingman, and evidently, the chief engineer was the one throwing shade her way. She took a deep breath and soldiered on.
Anaya entered the environmental simulator. The Finn boys were playing a game with Topa. It involved shooting discs out of the air with a pulse pistol. They played it often. Topa said it was good training for the academy entrance exam she was going to be taking. Marcus and Ty both just liked the game. They were each as good as Topa. Anaya was certain that Avis would make great warriors of all three of them one day.
“Hey Anaya,” Ty said. “You wanna play?” Offering her his pistol.
“No thank you,” Anaya said. “I need a favor. “
“What do you need?” Marcus asked.
“I need someone to go to the planet with me,” Anaya said reluctantly.
“I can not. I must train for my test,” Topa said. “I must practice more. My accuracy is only at 85%. It will need to be higher for a good score on the Union Point entrance exam.”
“I want to go to the planet,” Anaya said. “Father said I can’t go unless I have someone older to go with. Ty, Marcus, do you guys want to go to Kaylon with me.”
Ty sat down.
“You definitely don’t want to wander around down there alone,” Marcus said.
“I’m not going,” Ty said looking away, “It’s …it’s not a nice place.”
“What do you mean?” Topa asked. “The Kaylon are our friends now.”
Ty shook his head. “You won’t get me to go back there.”
“Ty saw some pretty bad stuff on Kaylon,” Marcus explained. “Why do you want to go anyway?”
“It’s a whole other planet!” Anya exclaimed. She couldn’t believe no one else was excited about going to Kaylon.
“Whatever you do, don’t go down into the caves beneath the city,” Ty said. “I still have bad dreams about it.”
“I think you’re going to have to find someone else,” Marcus said. “I’m going to stay here with my brother.”
Anaya left the simulator. She walked down the hall toward the bridge to reluctantly tell her father she couldn’t find anyone to watch her.
The conference room doors opened and the bridge crew headed to the bridge, Commander LaMarr headed for Engineering. Grandine exited last.
She saw Anaya looking sad and dejected and headed for the bridge. “What’s wrong Anaya?” she asked the child.
“I can’t go to the planet unless I have someone to go with me. Marcus and Ty don’t want to go. Topa is busy training for the academy.” she complained. “No one wants to go with me. It’s my first alien planet and I’m not even going to be able to see it.”
“Well that’s no good,” Grandine agreed with her. “Tell ya what, if it’s okay with your daddy, I would be more than happy to visit Kaylon with you. It will be my first visit there as well.”
They hurried on toward the bridge. Grandine had a little trouble keeping up with the little girl. It left her out of breath when she got to her seat.
Gordon was pulling them out of quantum right at the spot Grandine had set. She liked to come out of quantum a little ways away from a planet. She liked that first moment of seeing a new world from afar.
Kaylon was a beautiful blue world. The bridge crew were all staring at their readouts. Grandine was enjoying the view.
“Wow!” Anaya exclaimed. She had never seen a planet so blue. Or any planet. “Is that where we’re going?” she excitedly asked.
“Yes, honey,” Ed replied.
“Did you find someone older to go with you?” Kelly asked.
“I did.” Anaya proudly responded.
Ed was so proud of her. She was resourceful and made friends so easily.
“Grandine is going with me,” she said.
“Grandine?” Ed asked. When he told her to find someone older, he didn’t think she was going to get the oldest person on board.
“I hope you don’t mind. She said she was going to miss the planet. It’s her first one.” Grandine explained. “Everyone remembers their first planet.”
Ed nodded “If you don’t mind?”
“I don’t mind,” Grandine said. “I love seeing new planets. It’s why we’re out here.”
Gordon was bringing them in through the cloud cover. It was a gorgeous view. Pointy spires popping out of the clouds.
Grandine was making small adjustments to the course to keep them out of some atmospheric turbulence—a nice smooth ride for Anaya’s first planet.
They came out of the clouds to a beautiful futuristic landscape. Anaya’s eyes were wide open.
So were Grandine’s.
It was a beautiful planet. Grandine had thought a planet designed by Artifical Intelligence might lack style. But there was a nice combination of beauty and functionality in the architecture. She estimated the population must be massive. The towers extended far into the sky. It was a city in the clouds.
“Just an FYI,” Gordon said, “they don’t have a lot of chairs on the planet.”
“Gordon,” Ed said in a tone that said shut up without being an exact order to shut up.
Gordon did not shut up. “I’m just saying, everyone might want to wear some shoes that are good for standing.”
For all his piss and vinegar, Gordon Malloy was a good pilot. He set the ship down right on the docking platform.
Ed Mercer hailed the entire ship. “Attention crew. We have landed on Kaylon. Everyone is allowed to disembark. The ceremony will be in one hour. Directions can be sent to your com scanner.” He released the button. He looked at Kelly, ” Ready to meet with Kaylon Prime?”
“Ready as always,” Kelly said.
Ed leaned down to his daughter. He loved that she was fascinated with the new planet. He remembered his first planet. He also remembered that the last two times he came here it wasn’t exactly friendly. “Anaya, I have to go meet with the Kaylon leader, but I will see you later after the ceremony.”
“Ok Daddy,” she said.
“Grandine,” he said. “Can I speak with you in my office for a moment?”
“Certainly Captain,” she replied.
She followed Ed into the office. Standing at attention. Worried whether or not she was getting the child in trouble. Perhaps the rule had been made to keep her on the ship.
Ed didn’t even wait for the door to shut all the way. “I know she’s excited about her first planet. But the first time we were here, the Kaylon brought us in as friends and then turned on us.” Ed said plainly.
“Do you think they will try that again sir?” Grandine asked.
“No,” he said, “but this is my daughter.”
“Understood sir.” Grandine did understand, “I have kids and grandkids of my own.”
“Just promise me that you will bring her back to the ship at the first sign of trouble. That’s an order,” he said.
“Yes sir,” she replied.
Ed, Kelly, Isaac, and Dr. Finn all disembarked. They were parked next to what the Union would call Kaylon Primary’s office. Though Ed wasn’t sure if that was the purpose of it. He tried to make a note to ask Isaac at a more appropriate time.
Inside they were greeted by another set of familiar faces. Timmus and Dr. Vilka.
“Dr. Vilka,” Ed said, ”Wow, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I have been continuing my research here on Kaylon. Kaylon Primary has been very interested in my work.” She said, “Several of the Kaylon have been allowed to undergo the procedure.”
“Many of my people are in great remorse now for their actions against the Union.” Timmus said, “This memorial will be a great vessel for healing their wounds.”
It was weird for Ed to hear a Kaylon speak so openly of feelings. Timmus had been an anomaly. One passionate voice in a sea of logic. With more Kaylon getting emotions, Ed wondered how long they would remain in harmony.
Kaylon Primary’s office had changed a bit. A conference room with chairs and a table had been added.
“Looks like you’ve done some redecorating,” Ed said jokingly.
Kaylon Secondary responded “We are attempting to make you more comfortable. It has been brought to our attention that our planet is not completely hospitable to outsiders. We are attempting to change that.”
“We appreciate the effort,” Dr. Finn said, taking a seat. “It looks like things are going well for the Kaylon.”
“Things are going very well, we have learned much about interacting with biologicals from the data Isaac has been sending us.” Kaylon Tertiary said excitedly.
“I am glad you have found it useful,” Isaac stated.
“It has been tremendously helpful,” the excited Tertiary said, “As well as our interactions with Dr. Vilka and her team.”
“I take it you have undergone her procedure?” Isaac asked.
“I have” Tertiary responded. “ It has been life-changing.”
“Several of the older models have opted for the new configuration,” Primary stated. “I have studied the work of Dr. Vilka and we are excited to implement this feature into all new models.”
“New models?” Claire asked.
“Yes.” Primary answered. “As Kaylon we are always looking to improve upon ourselves. Just as Isaac’s model was an improvement over my own. The next model will be an improvement on this one.”
Primary stood up. “It is almost time for the ceremony,” he said. “I must prepare. I will speak with you again afterward.”
Grandine followed the directions on the Comm scanner.
“Now make sure we don’t go into the caves,” Anaya said. “Ty said they were scary.”
“I hear that they are very scary,” Grandine said. Actually, she had heard they were filled with piles and piles of the bones of the dead builders of the Kaylon. She couldn’t imagine what that child had seen. No wonder he didn’t want to join Anaya on this planet. “We’re going to stay up here in the clouds, where everything is nice and pretty.”
“Look how tall all the buildings are,” Anaya said. Leaning over a railing and staring down into the abyss of buildings.
“They are very tall.” Grandine agreed, pulling her away from the railing.
They followed the blip on the screen around a corner. A large almost cathedral-looking building stood in front of them as their destination.
People were milling about outside the building. Grandine and Anaya entered the building.
Gordon had lied. There were plenty of chairs and tables. Multiple levels of seating with small tables set in a semi-circle in front of a stage.
In the center of the stage stood a large cylinder with the image of a young girl. “ I guess that’s Ensign Burke”
“Was she that tall in real life?” Anaya asked.
“No honey, she couldn’t have been,” Grandine explained, “she wouldn’t have fit in the navigator’s chair.”
Anaya laughed. Grandine was funny. She liked spending time with her. She didn’t talk down to her.
The two sat down at a table in the middle. Other members of the crew filled in and sat down. There were nuts and fruit on the tables. Grandine was almost as excited as Anaya. She couldn’t wait to see what a Kaylon memorial looked like. She had been briefed once during the war that the Kaylon didn’t die when they were killed. They would just be transferred into another body. She wondered where they even got the idea for a ceremony.
A Kaylon came by their table with a large pile of pancakes. “Would you like a pancake?” he asked.
Anaya wanted one. The Kalyon obliged. Grandine ran a scanner over quickly to check its composition. Flour, some complex protein, bicarbonate of soda, yep it was a pancake alright. Topped with synthetic butter. An odd choice for a memorial food. Grandine wondered why they chose that to serve. Grandine looked around, there was no sign of syrup.
Anaya didn’t care. She was so excited to be eating alien food. She bowed her head to pray.
“Avis bless this alien food and bless all the alien robots who made it for us to eat. Bless Daddy and Kelly, and my new friend Grandine. Temeen Emideen.”
Grandine was a little surprised at the prayer. She hadn’t heard anyone pray in person since she visited the Domi on Nardina 5. They prayed to a marshmallow god named Maliki Doma.
Anaya took a big bite of her pancake, “I’m eating alien food on an alien planet!” she said with a mouthful of pancake.
“Don’t talk while you’re eating,” Grandine said, “you could choke. Plus it’s rude.”
Grandine remembered her first alien food and an alien planet. It was a Kavian Berry Mousse on Kavin 6. It tasted a bit like if you took all the flavor out of a blueberry and drowned it in liquid fertilizer.
She was glad Anaya’s first experience with alien food was a good one. Grandine didn’t think pancakes were native to Kaylon. In fact, she didn’t think food was all that native to Kaylon. They didn’t ingest food. They had quantum cells that kept them powered up all the time. Grandine was a little jealous.
“Hurry up and finish, “Grandine said. “I think the show is about to start.”
“I’m gonna save the rest,” Anaya said, putting it in the pocket of her dress.
“You can’t save that,” Grandine said
“Why not?” Anaya asked.
“It’s…”
A bell rang at the front. A group of Kaylon came out and stood on the stage in front of the giant Charley.
“I’ll explain later,” Grandine said.
Anaya could see her dad and Kelly up front with the other members of the bridge crew.
The Kaylon began to sing…. (to the tune of the Charlie jingle from the 1980’s)
“There’s an Ensign who saved the day and they call her … Charley.
A different thinker who couldn’t stay and they call her …. Charley.
Kinda young kinda now, Charley
Kinda free kinda wow, Charley
There’s the day she was born to stay and it’s here now … Charley.”
Ed sat kind of stunned. Kelly gave him a look. The kind of look that said, “Oh My God What the Fuck are we watching?” They both turned to look at Isaac and Dr. Finn.
Isaac looked like Isaac, he was a hard one to read. Ed had lost many hands of poker to him. Dr. Finn looked like she was trying to keep from laughing while also looking concerned.
Gordon was enjoying it. If this was a Kaylon memorial, then bring it on. It seemed like a great party.
The Kaylon finished their song.
A different Kalon came forward. And said “ From the words of Charley”
Ensign Burke’s voice filled the air “An entire race can’t be evil, which is why what your people did was so horrific, but it’s also why I may have oversimplified how I treated you. Your people were slaves and that’ll mess anybody up, for a long time. And I haven’t been understanding when it comes to that fact. At all. I’m sorry.“
John and Gordon looked at each other.
“Creepy,” Gordon said
“You know it,” LaMarr answered.
Dr. Finn leaned over to Isaac, “How much data about Ensign Burke did you share with the Kaylon?”
“All of it Claire,” he said matter of factly, “they are Union members and my family.”
Anaya was fascinated by it all. It reminded her of services. There was a song and a reading she wondered if there would be a sacrifice and prayer. Would Avis be mad at her for watching people pray to Charlie? Would he punish her? Probably not, the Ankana said Avis loves all his children and forgives their misdeeds. She was still a child. So she was probably ok.
Kaylon Primary was up next, “As Kaylon, the concept of death is foreign to us. Once our parts are damaged or destroyed, our conscious minds are backed up in the mainframe and a new body is constructed. But for humans like Charley Burke, this is not so. They do not have a backup. Once they die they are gone forever.“
“Ensign Charley Burke was a young human who was not fond of the Kaylon. We had killed someone very close to her in our battles with the Union. She had a brilliant mind for a biological being with an ability to visualize four-dimensional geometry. She hated us so much that she used her ability and developed a weapon that could have destroyed us all. With no backup, no recycling into a new body. Just an end to our existence.”
“And yet despite her hatred for us, despite our killing her friend, despite her ability to end our existence, she chose to give her life to ensure our survival. Even though she hated us. All of Kaylon must strive to be worthy of the gift that she gave us. Our continued existence is a testament to her ability to find common ground with enemies, and thus we should strive to find common ground with the biologicals. “
Slowly doors at the foot of the Charley Burke cylinder began to open.
“To that end, today we celebrate not only the life and sacrifice of Ensign Burke, but a new day for all Kaylon. “
The doors behind him were almost fully open now.
“The latest model is now completed,” Primary stated. “From this day forward, all new Kaylon shall live in tribute to Charlie Burke.”
He stepped to the side revealing Charley Burke.
Ed and the crew just sat in shock.
Outside Grandine had to make good on her earlier promise.
“It’s a pancake,” Grandine replied. “It’s not going to last. It’s going to get old and moldy and start stinking after a while. You’ll eventually have to get rid of it. Not everything lasts forever. Especially not food items. But maybe we can find something else you could take as a souvenir.”
“Like what?” Anaya asked. A little worried that Grandine might be asking her to take something she shouldn’t
“Like a rock,” Grandine replied.
“A rock?” Anaya asked. She was glad Grandine wasn’t suggesting she steal something, but a rock was boring.
“Yeah an alien rock,” Grandine explained. She reached down on the ground and found a small stray rock-like thing. Honestly, she thought it might be construction debris from the new building, but for this purpose, it could be a rock. She handed it to Anaya “a little piece of this world that you can take on your journey to other worlds.”
Anaya examined it. “It does come from an alien planet!” Anaya said.
“Yes, it does.” Grandine said “And it won’t be rotten in three days.”
“Anaya,” a familiar voice said.
“Daddy, look at the alien rock we found,” Anaya said proudly, showing him her rock.
“Commander Sousa,” he said “thank you again for watching her.”
“She’s no problem,” Grandine said. “Just be careful when you get her ready for bed, she’s packing a pancake in that pocket.”
Anaya and Grandine giggled.
“I have to go see Primary, but I will be back on the ship soon.“ Ed said, kissing her forehead, “I’ll be there to tuck you in for bed.”
He looked at Grandine and mouthed the words “Thank you.”
Grandine smiled.
Back at Kaylon Primary’s office Ed and Kelly both looked a little disturbed. They sat in the waiting room with Vilka and Dr. Finn.
“So how long have they had this obsession with Charley?” Dr. Finn asked.
“It began almost immediately after they returned from the battle,” Dr. Vilka said.
“Is it related to the upgrade?” Ed asked
“I don’t think so,” Vilka responded. “They were already building the cathedral when I arrived. It took a few weeks for Primary to decide if I was even allowed to stay.”
Secondary entered the waiting area. “Primary will see you now.”
Ed and the crew followed Secondary into the conference room where Primary was waiting with Charley Burke.
“Captain Mercer,” Kaylon Burke said excitedly. “ It’s so good to see you again.”
“Um yeah,” Ed stammered awkwardly, “It’s good to see you too.”
“What is this?” Kelly demanded.
“Commander Grayson,” she said cheerfully, “it’s me, Charley.”
Isaac looked the unit up and down. “This is an amazing piece of engineering.”
“You mean she’s…” Kelly started to ask.
Isaac finished the sentence for her. “She is a Kaylon. Primary this is an amazing replica of Ensign Burke, how did you manage to recreate her with such accuracy?” Isaac asked, fascinated with the craftsmanship.
“And Why?” Kelly asked. “Why would you create a copy of Ensign Burke?”
“When Ensign Burke chose to sacrifice herself for the Kaylon I had assumed she was malfunctioning. So I did a full series of scans on her in order to diagnose the problem. When I could not find a problem, I knew that she was a being that needed to be preserved for further study. So I made this copy of her to study.”
“Yeah and that’s been really fun, let me tell ya.” Kaylon Burke said sarcastically.
“I present this unit to you captain as a gift,” Primary said proudly. “We noticed in our study of biologicals that you often perform better in groups. Part of your group was missing. We have replaced it for you with this improved copy.“
“I’m just not sure this is what Ensign Burke would have wanted,” Kelly said
Ed gathered his thoughts and said, “Look Primary, I understand that you are trying to help. But we have already filled Ensign Burke’s position, and this isn’t the way it works in the Union.”
“The Union way is inefficient. I can assure you that this Ensign Burke will excel far better than the last one.” Primary explained, “She has been encoded with the memory engrams of the original Ensign Burke. And I have programmed her with a full database of Kaylon knowledge ”
“I can assure you, sir, I feel perfectly fine.” Kaylon Burke said. “I am more than ready to return to duty.”
“I used Dr. Vilka’s technique to give her emotions that are normal to all humans. She also has the ability to visualize, not only four-dimensional space, but five-dimensional space as well. Her visual acuity and physical strength are both heightened. She is as superior to any human just as any Kaylon is. She has been programmed to be the perfect officer. She will follow your every command.” Primary declared.
“This is just so wrong,” Kelly said, shaking her head in frustration.
“I know you were trying to be nice,” Claire said. “But this is very offensive to humans. We value our individuality. Creating an exact duplicate of them without their knowledge is considered wrong in our culture. Think about her family.“
“But this unit is the future of all Kaylon,” Primary argued. “All Kaylon will become this when they recycle. A perfect superior being.”
“Will they all conform to this exterior configuration?” Isaac asked.
“At this time,” Primary stated. “But it has been suggested that the next iteration allow the exterior configuration to be modified as needed.”
“So all the Kaylon will be Charley Burke?” Ed asked.
“They will conform to her parameters while maintaining their own individual identities.” Primary explained, “This unit is new and had no previous data other than the data obtained from Ensign Burke scans.”
“So I’m just 100% Charley Burke!” Kaylon Burke said. “Can we get out of here, I’m ready to get back to the ship.”
“Look, the union has protocols.” Ed stammered “We… we can’t just add someone to the crew. There’s a process.”
“Are you turning down our gift to the Union?” Primary asked in a tone that made the entire situation even more uncomfortable.
Ed looked at Kelly. She looked uncertain. It was against Union protocol to refuse a gift from a foreign dignitary. Wars had broken out over misunderstandings. They both knew it. And Primary knew it too.
“Of course not,” Ed stated. He took a deep breath and said the only thing he could. “On behalf of the Planetary Union, I accept your gift as a symbol of friendship between our people.”
They walked out of the office. Out on the street, there were already a few Kaylon who had been upgraded to Burke. Ed wondered how long it would be before they were all upgraded. An entire planet of Kaylons who look like Charley Burke. The thought scared him. But he didn’t have time to think about that now, he had his own Kaylon Burke to worry about.
Ed looked at Kaylon Burke. “ You are programmed to obey my orders?”
“Yes Captain.” She replied.
“You are to go with Commander Grayson. She will assign you quarters. You will stay there until further ordered.“ Ed ordered. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, Captain.” Kaylon Burke replied. “ That should be loads of fun. I guess you are taking me back to command so the Admirals can figure out what to do with me.”
“Yep,” Ed replied.
“You’re very predictable.” Kaylon Burke smiled, “but I will comply.”
Back in his office, Ed was gathering his thoughts for the report to Halsey. The Kaylon were definitely taking an evolutionary turn. He wasn’t sure how to explain that the gift was a copy of his dead ensign and there could be a planet full of them. His comm beeped. “Halsey for you sir.”
He opened it on his desktop. “Admiral Halsey I was just sitting down to write my report on the Kaylon. They have given us an odd gift and I don’t know what to do with it,” Ed explained.
“Whatever it is, it will have to wait.“ The Admiral explained. “You have to come back to Earth immediately. The Krill are charging you with kidnapping and Telaya’s lawyers have made a motion to sue you for custody of Anaya.”
Ed hit the com on his sleeve, “Set the fastest course for Earth and engage quantum drive.