Brightly Burning(11)

“I’m going to miss you, too. So much. You don’t even know.” His voice broke on the last bit, and I couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“Are you going to cry, George?” I chided. “I have Earl Grey in my bag, if you need him,” I joked, but my heart was fit to bursting. Mending my friendship with George meant everything.

“Empire orphans forever,” he said with a smile.

I recited it back, feeling the prick of tears behind my eyes. “I’m going to hug you now,” I warned, not bothering to wait for permission. George was stiff at first but soon melted into it, and suddenly we were like we’d been in old times. George and Stella, Empire orphans forever.

The screech of metal and an airlock venting behind us alerted us to the arrival of the transport. George held me tighter. It was like I was home. But home wasn’t forever. Sometimes you had to leave. I knew that in my heart. I broke away, wiping a stray tear with a callused index finger. Crying was no way to start an adventure.

“Write to me,” I said. “Whenever you can. And help the kids send messages too. I promised Arden you’d help.” George nodded, pursing his lips together hard. “Tell me which of those silly girls you choose. For the record, Joy’s my favorite. Team Brunette, all the way.” It was an attempt at levity. I glanced back. The ship had settled, and an attendant emerged, approaching to pick up my bag. Two men scurried to load several food crates; this was clearly a stop with dual missions.

“I’ll see you later, okay?” I made a promise I couldn’t keep, but it seemed to make George feel better. He nodded.

“Bye, Stella. Check your messages tonight. There’ll be one from me.”

“Thanks,” I said, turning to board the shuttle before I could do something rash, like change my mind.

The attendant, it turned out, was also the captain, and the shuttle was tiny. He pointed me toward a seat—?it looked comfortable, at least—?that was only feet from the food crates, now secured with ropes and netting for the journey. The hatch door shut, I peered out the window, and there was George—?he’d changed positions for one last chance to wave goodbye, which he did, and I returned the wave. It was now or never.

“Strap yourself in, then,” the captain said, voice gruff and accented. I couldn’t quite place it.

“Where are you from?” I asked as I took my seat. The chair was indeed comfy—?padded better than a bed, and it seemed to recline, too. I could catch a nap if I wanted.

“The Saint Petersburg. You know it?”

“A little,” I said. The Saint Petersburg had held orbit neighboring the Empire, and many aboard specialized in private transports, like this one. An SP transport had taken the Empire orphans to the Stalwart six years ago, too.

“I am Sergei Orlov,” he introduced himself. “You strapped in? Good. We must depart right away while traffic is clear. We’ll talk later.”

He disappeared into the cockpit, hidden past a short, dark corridor. I took a deep breath. In, out. The engine shuddered on with a kick-start that sent my heart racing, the small ship lifting up, hovering. I pictured George on the platform outside, watching us go. I imagined he looked sad.

We started moving, slowly at first—?into the airlock, I presumed. Then the engine roared, g-forces pushing me back into my chair until I felt glued to its padded surface. I could see out the adjacent window, barely. Gray turned to black as the ship faded behind us, giving way to the stars. I realized I was gripping the hand rests and willed myself to stop. We zoomed through space, the engine working itself up to a frenzy for a good ten minutes. And then it stopped. The pressure on my body eased. Sergei stepped out from the cockpit, looking very pleased with himself.

“Perfect takeoff. Good momentum for the trip. Here, I have food and water for you.” He tried to hand me a small rucksack—?overkill for daily rations, if you asked me.

“Oh, no, that’s okay,” I said. “I brought along my day’s rations, as I figured when we arrive tonight I’ll be fresh out of luck for food and water on the Rochester.” I unclipped my safety belts and moved to go to my bag. “It should tide me over well.”

He scoffed. “We’re not arriving anywhere tonight, let alone the Rochester, my young traveler. And I’ve seen what those aboard the Stalwart get—?you’d best take what I’m offering. I promise you these rations are heartier than anything they give you on that death bucket.” He shoved the bag into my lap.

“What do you mean, we’re not arriving tonight?” I asked, trying to contain the alarm in my voice.

“It’ll take two days at least to get to the Rochester. Didn’t they tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“The Rochester is in orbit around the moon.”


Chapter Five


I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “but I thought you said the Rochester was orbiting the moon. But that’s crazy.”

“Nyet, not so crazy. She orbits the moon, I promise. It’s odd, but they are loyal customers and pay me handsomely for my services, so I go. Four to five days, round trip. I make them pay for fuel.” Sergei chuckled to himself and didn’t bother to try to convince me further. He proceeded to make himself a cup of tea.

“Pour me one too,” I said, feeling bold. I made my way to the hatch window and could see the fleet growing smaller behind us. What had I signed up for? “Wh-why would a ship orbit the moon?” I asked, hating the way my voice cracked. Like I was scared.