Chapter Summary: Brittany and Rachel catch up to the Lucia, which seems to have added a new person. .
Chapter Word Count: 2,151
A short chapter. This is the last chapter written for NaNoWriMo 2019.
"What's that?" Andy asked tilting her head.
"A message," Garnes said, looking up from her pilot's chair. "It doesn't appear to be addressed to anyone. It just appeared in the ship's comm."
"Really?" Andy stepped up to the ship's comm console. "What's it look like?"
"It's just an encoded sound," Garnes said.
"Play it again," Andy said. She listened carefully. "It almost sounds familiar."
"That's because it's mixed with the song that played for our first dance," Miranda said.
"Oh!" Andy said. "So it's from someone we know."
"Look at the base signature," Garnes said, pointing at the screen. "Only Lady Shadow uses that code."
"Why the cleverness?" Andy asked. "She could have just sent us a regular comm message."
"The Lady Shadow shows caution in all things," Ixchel said, joining them. "She must want only you to see the message, and not our Galactic watchers."
"There is that," Andy said, nodding. "Hard to keep a secret from them. So what does it say?"
"Something important," Miranda said. "Hence the unique format."
"How do you turn a snippet of music into a message?" Andy asked, puzzled.
"What is the base song?" Garnes asked.
"Umm..." Andy looked at Miranda for help, as she blushed.
"Even now you can't say it, can you," Miranda said, smirking. "That's adorable."
"You say it," Andy said, turning even redder.
Miranda sighed. "It goes like this," she said. Music filled the room for a minute. "That should be enough." Stepping closer to Andy, she started whispering in her ear.
"Thank you Lady M," Garnes said, ignoring the private moment between Miranda and Andy. "Just what I needed." She fiddled with the console for several minutes. "It's coordinates," she said.
"So, Lady Shadow wants to meet with us, without anyone knowing," Romana said. "How far away is it?"
"A day's travel," Garnes said.
"How soon can we be ready to go?" Romana asked. "If she is going to these lengths, it must be important."
"Important to her or to us?" Dart said. "The Shadows have very different priorities than the rest of us."
"We'll have to meet her and see. I am sure it will be valuable information," Ixchel said.
Garnes stopped putting her controls in order and turned towards the others. "There is someone outside."
"Did someone forget to bring in the Welcome mat?" Andy asked, having recovered from her embarrassment.
"It's the Lady Memo," Garnes said, pulling up the security cam for the main hatch. "She appears to be running away from home."
"It does look like that," Andy said, looking over her shoulder.
"Prior experience?" Miranda asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Possibly?" Andy said, shrugging.
"We'll speak later," Miranda said. "Shall we let her in?"
"I shall go get her," Ixchel said, nodding.
The hatch slid up, revealing the Lady Memo standing there, wearing an old coat and carrying a small bag over one shoulder.
"What can the Serpent Clan do for the Memory of the Wind Clan?" Ixchel said, stepping back to let her in.
"I want to come along!" Memo said. "You are going to do great things! Epic things! And I want to be there."
"Don't you have things to do here?" Ixchel said, even as she directed her to the main cabin.
"They won't miss me," Memo said. "They're too busy with their schemes and plans to notice."
"Did you at least leave them a message so they don't think you've been kidnapped?" Andy asked.
"Who would want the Memory," Memo said. "All I do is remember the past glory of the Clan. We certainly have no future glory. The Seers see to that."
"How do they do that?" Andy asked, gently pushing her down into a seat.
"There's no need for greatness if the seers can guide us around it," Memo said. "How do you think we survived the Kraal? Unlike the Blues who at least tried to do something, we just followed our seers directions and avoided confronting the Kraal."
"Sounds like you weren't happy with that," Miranda said.
"No! We're the Wind! All our foes should flee from us," Memo said. "Instead we hid. It was embarrassing."
"Not all people are ready for adventure," Andy said, sitting down next to Memo. "It just isn't something everyone wants."
"But look at you!" Memo said. "You aren't just sitting around, you're doing something about the Kraal, and don't think you can fool me with that Winter Folk nonsense. No," she paused and raised a hand to stop Andy from responding, "I'm sure it's all truth, but that isn't why you're here. The Mother of a Clan? And her companions? You aren't on a personal quest. It's a quest for the survival of your Clan, and the rest of the Clans. Something the Wind Clan would have been all for many cycles ago."
"Are you sure?" Miranda said. "There may be no coming back from this."
"I want to go," Memo said. "I need to go, for the honor of my Clan."
"On one condition," Andy said. "You must tell your Council that you are willingly going with us. No lies, just the simple truth."
"But what truth?" Memo said. "Your truth? Or the truth you have already given my Council?"
"The Winter Folk quest will do for the truth for now," Miranda said. "We will discuss the other truth after we are on our way."
"So, I was right," Memo said, sighing. "You are leaving now." She looked relieved.
"Yes," Romana said. "We have a meeting we must attend elsewhere."
"Just make it short. Something they can't argue with," Andy said, as Memo stood in front of the ship's comm and prepared to give her Council the finger, figuratively speaking. "The Council Memory is a formidable person, no matter what Clan. Show them that backbone you showed coming here."
Memo nodded, and took a deep breath. She began to speak in a soft but firm voice.
"Do you think that worked?" Memo said, sitting back down in the main chamber. "What if they don't want me to go?"
"We sent a copy of your message to both the Council of Clans, and the Council of the Pan-Galactic Confederation. You are officially on record as joining our gang and its quest for the Winter Folk," Andy said, grinning. "There's no mistake."
"Good," Memo said. "I've joined you and I didn't even ask if you had room," she said suddenly, standing up in a panic. "This isn't as big on the inside as it looks like it would be." She looked around the main cabin.
"That is not a problem, Lady Memo," Dart said. "We are a small ship, built for long range scouting, but we can easily make room for a tiny one like you."
"I'm not tiny!" Memo said, glaring at Dart. "I'm just the right size."
"No, you aren't tiny," Andy said. "But most of us are taller. Only our own Memory is shorter than you. And equally fierce about her size."
"She is?" Memo said. "Do you think I'll get to meet her? The last Council of Clans was before I was even a trainee and I've never met another Memory."
"If you stick with us long enough, I'm sure you'll meet her," Andy said. "If only because she'll want to hear your tale for herself."
"Oh," Memo said. "My tale. It must be good so she remembers me."
"I'm sure it will be," Dart said. "Shall we find you a space for those times you need privacy?" She held out her hand to Memo. Taking it she pulled her out of the main cabin towards the back of the ship.
"That's sweet," Andy said in a low voice. "Looks like she already has a fan. So, where are we going?"
"Once Dart takes care of the Lady Memo, we're headed towards here," Garnes said, pulling up the ship's nav map. "There's a small station orbiting the one inhabitable planet in that system."
"Is it very busy?" Andy asked.
"Once every millennium there's an asteroid shower that people come to see, but normally it's quiet. The planet has a few hotels in quiet spots but there isn't much else," Garnes said, looking at her console. "Or so this says. It might be out of date."
"As long as we don't attract too much attention," Romana said. "Others will notice us if we are not careful."
"What's that?" Memo said, staring at the main screen as they slowly pulled up to the station on Inther Five.
"The strange looking ship?" Andy said. "No idea. I'm not familiar with that design."
"It looks like a prototype starship," Garnes said. "There was an article on it in last month's Starlight News. They've only made one so far. The metals they use are very rare. It doesn't even have a name yet."
"I wonder what it's doing way out here?" Andy said. "It's from our sector."
"It's a hot, fast ship," Dart said, peering over Memo's shoulder. "You could cross the entire sector in a day in it. They're probably running some tests."
"It's not called the Millennium Falcon, is it?" Andy said, grinning.
"No," Garnes said. "But it could do the Kessel Run faster."
"Are we done with the dick waving?" Miranda asked with displeasure.
"No dicks on this ship," Andy said, snorting. "Shall we go in?"
"We have the dock right next to the prototype," Garnes said. "It's the only one big enough for us."
"Lady Shadow should contact us shortly after," Romana said, nodding.
They came to a soft landing on the dock, with a small clunk that was heard and felt throughout the Lucia. Twenty minutes later, they were notified of visitors.
"Can we come up for a chat?" a familiar voice said.
Grinning, Andy rushed down to the main hatch to welcome their guests, followed by the others, a shy Memo hanging back. "You made it!" she said, hugging Brittany. "And you brought a surprise!"
"A welcome one, I hope," Rachel said, a big grin on her face.
"You are always welcome, Lady Memory," Ixchel said.
"Certainly a surprise," Miranda said. "What brings the two of you out here?"
"And how'd you get here so fast?" Andy asked. "It took us weeks to get out this way."
"I might have borrowed a ship from a friend," Brittany said.
"You didn't! You did?" Andy gasped in amazement. "Do we get a tour?"
"Of course, though it's a bit cramped," Brittany said. "It isn't really meant for long trips or large crews."
"And who's this?" Rachel said, spotting an unfamiliar face.
"Lady Memory, of the Serpent Clan, meet Lady Memory of the Wind Clan," Dart said.
"She wanted some adventure," Andy said. "And asked to come along."
"Really?" Rachel said. She took Memo's hand and pulled her past the others into the main cabin. "You must call me Rachel," Rachel said.
"I am Memo," Memo said. "I am honored to meet you."
"As am I," Rachel said.
The others watched them disappear, chatting away.
"Well, we won't see them for a while," Andy said. "Memo is very lonely. Her Council keeps her tucked away for special occasions."
"So, what brings you out here," Miranda said.
"I had a feeling you might need my assistance," Brittany said. "Some unfamiliar language?"
"I won't ask how you know that," Andy said, "but yes, we believe we have a clue as to where the prophets are but it's written in a language none of us have ever seen."
"It certainly looks familiar," Brittany said, turning the replica Miranda had made from Andy's memories in her hands. "Like Sindarin, but not exactly. Which isn't something I can read. Did your mother ever tell you about it?"
"She said she'd explain it some day," Andy said. "But I don't think she could read it either."
"The girls wanted to be elves one year," Miranda said. "This doesn't have quite the right shape for Sindarin."
"Wasn't that an artificial language?" Andy said. "Something Tolkien made up?"
"Yes," Brittany said. "If I can have a copy of this I'll throw it at one of my linguists when we get back, but I wouldn't expect much."
"Anything would be better than nothing," Andy said. "Maybe it'll come to me in a dream."
"Or we can visit your parents for your birthday," Miranda said.
"We still have a few weeks," Andy said. "Can we get a tour of your ship? Garnes and Dart will revolt if they don't get to see it."
"If Lady Shadow is in a hurry to go we can see it some other time," Garnes said, blushing.
"It's here. You're here. Why not," Brittany said. "But then we have to get going, before someone notices Rachel is missing."
"No one knows she's with you, do they," Andy said, smirking.
"Nope," Brittany said, grinning. "And no one is going to. Right?"
"Of course," Andy said, nodding.