This is a fan translation of Dark Skies (Тёмныенебеса) by Mikhail Akhmanov, currently only available in Russian and, because of the author's passing in 2019, unlikely to ever be published in English. This is the fourth book in a six-book series called Arrivals from the Dark (Пришедшие из мрака), which also has a six-book spin-off series called Trevelyan's Mission (Миссия Тревельяна).

I claim no rights to the contents herein.


Chapter 18

The Ensign

The call came to his personal compartment. When the Ensign, having gone off duty, was thinking whether he should go to the pool or eat first, the oval screen lit up on the wall with the message it had received that morning. Commander Inga Valdez was inviting him to visit the flag cruiser, at his convenience but definitely before the Pallas departed the base of the Seventh Flotilla. This was due to happen soon, in a few hours, in fact, and so the Ensign did not delay; he tapped out a reply and, instead of the pool, headed for the transport pods.

The Admiral's wife met him at the threshold of the outer airlock. An unfathomable woman, the Ensign thought, looking at her stern face; last time she had been charm itself, but now her look was extremely business-like, and her eyes were like two drills. Yet he did not like her this way any less.

He saluted and inquired as to the reason of her summons. She said that they needed to talk, nodding in the direction of the lift. The car stopped on deck A, and the Ensign initially assumed that they would head to the observation section, to the place of their first encounter, but the Commander started walking in the other direction, towards her own quarters as it turned out. Well, the Ensign thought, Caesar's wife is above suspicion; he slipped into the opening and looked around with curiosity.

The cabin turned out to be tiny, no bigger than his own aboard the Pallas. The bunk had been put away, in its place were two chairs made of bent plastic tubes, next to them was a built-in cabinet and a folding desktop with boxes of memory crystals and a computer keyboard; on the wall, there were screens and a hologram a meter on each side, which seemed like a window into another reality in the small compartment. The Ensign was stunned when he saw it. The picture was showing Inga and Sergey Valdez, they were young, happy, smiling, captured at the backdrop of a hill with some green plantings. Their faces and figures, which came out of the plane of the shot, seemingly floated in mid-air, and, behind them, rose a tier upon tier of trees with strange foliage, while, in the depth, beyond the tree canopies, there was something amazing, fantastic soaring into the cloudless skies: tall, slender towers, gleaming with silver, that looked like ancient vessels that had once been minted on Earth. The Ensign was looking at them with a dropped jaw.

"Danwait," the Commander explained, noticing his astonishment. "It's my husband and I on the day, when… Anyway, it's not important."

"Forgive me," the Ensign muttered, "forgive me… Of course, I recognized you and the Admiral, but these structures… It looks like a silver organ, but a huge one… Are they really like that?"

"Yes, Pyotr. On the hill, you're seeing a Lo'ona Aeo dwelling, their castle, abandoned in the distant past. There are hundreds of them on Danwait, and each is the only one of its kind, astounding the imagination… They've been empty for many millennia."

"Why?"

The woman shrugged, "As far as we know, the Lo'ona Aeo left their planets and moved into astroids. They must have decided that they were more comfortable and safer. They left behind these castles, self-driving roads, the grounds where they used to dance, and many other wonders. If you ever go to Danwait or Tintakh, you can see all that for yourself."

"I would like that," the Ensign spoke hopefully, imagining himself walking up to the silver marvel through the green trees. But this dream was not meant to be; in his entire long life, Trevelyan-Krasnogortsev, AKA "the Komandor", would never be able to get to the Lo'ona Aeo planets. Which was not surprising; his life would pass aboard ships, in campaigns, battles, and rare leaves of absence to go home, usually due to wounds.

Sighing, he pulled his eyes away from the hologram and said, "Please accept my warmest and most genuine gratitude, Commander. I know I owe you my transfer to the Pallas. A magnificent place to serve, with excellent prospects… Besides, I ended up with my former commanding officer, Commander Rakov. I'm sure you know him…" He bulged out his eyes and roared. "Look at your posture, maggots! Why are your asses sagging like you're pregnant? Draw yourselves up!"

Inga Valdez burst into laughter and became even prettier than before, even though it had seemed that was impossible.

"I assure you, Pyotr, that I had absolutely nothing to do with it, I mean you transfer. Your personal merits are so great and noticeable that you have no need for patronage. You have excellent pedigree and a good education; as they used to say in the old days, you, young man, show great promise…" She lowered herself into a chair and motioned for him to do the same. "Well, maybe I did mention your name in conversation, but definitely not with the Admiral… I think, I was talking to Atigem… I mean Commander Rakov. By the way, Stepan has been our close family friend for a very long time… from Danwait, actually."

The Ensign was silent, waiting for her to continue. Obviously, he had not been called to share memories of past events or listen to gratitude; Commander Valdez was not that sort of woman. He could only guess what sort she was, knowing fully that he would never be able to figure out her plans regarding him. Perhaps, in three-four decades, he would be able to speak with such women on equal terms, but maybe not even then; after all, the female mind was far more sophisticated than the male mind in cases involving personal matters. Not being a fool, he had no doubt that they would be talking about a personal matter.

"Soon, you will be on T'har," the Commander said. "If you recall, Pyotr, my children are there."

"I do," the Ensign confirmed. "Your son Mark, who's older than I am, and your daughter Xenia, about my age… I'm twenty, by the way."

"And excellent age." She threw a thoughtful gaze at the hologram, as if returning to the time of her own youth. "Now then, Pyotr, I have a request for you. I want you to find my children and tell them they should not worry about their father and me. As you know, we are perfectly fine. We're doing our duty and expect the same from Xenia and Mark. We send them our love…" The Commander fell silent for a moment. "You're young, Pyotr, and probably don't yet understand what it's like, the love of a mother and a father, the fear for one's own children, the pains for their fates, and the wish for them to be happy… an eternal and passionate wish… Trust me, this is what our world stands on and always has, since the ancient times… on that and on the love between a man and a woman. So I implore you, find my daughter. I'm sure that Mark will be somewhere near her."

"I will do that," the Ensign said. "I swear on the Great Emptiness and its Lords!"

"No need for oaths, your promise is enough. I could have sent a crystal with a note with you, but I doubt that's necessary when there is a living messenger. And I mean you, not our old friend Stepan… He's a senior officer and will be extremely busy, while you, due to your junior rank, will have a greater degree of freedom. We used to live in Ibáñez, Pyotr. It's a small town, and everyone there knows the Valdez family. And I'm also certain that, when you meet Xenia, you'll immediately know it's her."

"Why Commander? Does she have a distinguishing feature?"

The woman's eyes flashed slyly, "Just one: she looks very much like me. And I, as you said, look very much like your mother… So you won't be mistaken!"

"I won't," the Ensign confirmed, suddenly feeling a joyous excitement. His platonic love for Inga Valdez could turn into a completely different feeling for her daughter. Xenia, he repeated to himself. Xenia, my dear Xenia… He honestly hoped that she would have the same blonde hair with a golden sheen, charming gray eyes, white skin, and those adorable freckles on her nose. But even if there were no freckles, he would be perfectly fine with everything else.

"Give this to Xenia and Mark."

He had fallen into a dream and did not notice two rings appearing in the woman's hand, one smaller and one bigger. Strange rings, simple and smooth, not decorated with carvings or memory crystals. Then again, they seemed fairly massive and could hide some miniature devices.

"What is in them?" the Ensign asked, weighing the rings in his palm and confirming their heaviness. "Weapons? Implants? Family chronicles and other recordings? Yours and the Admiral's portraits? Or are they mnemonic devices?"

"No." She shook her head. "They're simple rings, made of the platinum mined on T'har, two weddings rings. You will give mine to Xenia and the Admiral's ring to Mark."

"Wedding rings?" the Ensign repeated. "Is that some T'haran tradition?"

"You could say that, but, in the past, it used to be a custom on Earth; when getting married, a young couple would exchange rings. Have you heard of it? No?" The Commander sighed. "Inhabitants of small colonies are more conservative and retain old customs longer… T'har is a typical case, so don't be surprised, Pyotr, and pass these rings on to my children. It will be an indication that you have indeed seen me and spoke to me. Then again, they'll know that you're not an impostor or a joker anyway. You see, my husband…"

Commander Valdez suddenly fell silent. The Ensign, gripping the rings in his fist, tried not to meet her gaze; what if she figured out that he was burning from curiosity? Seconds passed, and soon he thought that, as long as he had been imbued with her trust, then he had a right to a question, a really tiny one, asked with tact, of course. He gathered his courage and said, "I've heard on occasion that the Admiral had close dealings with the Lo'ona Aeo in his youth, and that they… hmm… taught him a mysterious art, one that is inaccessible to normal humans…"

"More specifically," the Commander said, becoming stern. "What have you heard?"

"That he can read minds," the Ensign spat out, throwing all sensitivity and tact out the airlock.

However, he was not kicked out of the cabin or even told to go to hell. The Commander became a little sad, rubbed her temple with her thin fingers, and gave Olaf Peter Carlos a thoughtful, measuring stare. Then she said, "No, he's not a telepath, if that's what you mean. But he is gifted with a special sensitivity, and the Lo'ona Aeo had nothing to do with it. He can sense another person's emotional state, and this can sometimes allow him to guess their secret thought and intentions, separate the lie from the truth." She sighed again, rested her chin on her palm, and looked into the Ensign's eyes. "Trust me, Pyotr, it's not the best quality, if a marriage allows for small deceits, lies, omissions. But, in the case of complete candor…" She smiled and shrugged. "In other words, I'm happy and wouldn't wish for another fate."

"Your children, Mark and Xenia, have inherited this gift," the Ensign spoke, and that was not a question.

The Commander nodded approvingly.

"Quick thinking, young man. Yes, they have, so no one will ever trick or deceive them! I haven't seen my son or daughter in four years… maybe they have developed other talents… Bear that in mind, Pyotr!" She suddenly sat up straight, making her look like cocked crossbow. Her eyes flared. "Yes, that's how the Valdez family is! And anyone who doesn't like it should keep far away from us!"

A warning, the Ensign realized and rose from the chair.

"It's a good think you told me that, it'll make for less misunderstandings. I'm a normal man and could fib a little… like that I killed a dozen Dromi with an entrenching tool."

"That she would forgive you," Commander Valdez said and smiled.