Red Like Roses

[GIR]

The voice which sang an alien lullaby by the empty docking bay was soft and sweet, yet had a slightly gravelly edge to it, as if the female's vocal cords had been slightly damaged, had the singer been using them to begin with. The voice was alien and inhuman, though one could tell the former owner of the voice had been a female, one advanced in age, and anyone who had heard the present singer speak could tell right off that the Draconain mechanic sang this tune in another's voice as she assembled a ship seemingly from nothing, though the trained eye could discern the lines of magic being converted into physical matter in the form of parts to the small spacecraft.

Sarah occasionally stopped to check her work, looking over every detail with an eye far more critical even than her usual inspections and QC checks. The reason for this new construct also fueled the overly critical inspections: This ship had to be absolutely perfect, down to the last rivet. No less would suffice for the journey. Next to her, on the dock, sat the helmet to the armor she now wore, a mix of titanium and carbon mesh from a world that had just barely figured out that many of the technologies employed in its ground, air, and submarine vehicles could be adapted for space, provided they could get jets to work without air. The armor's surface had been perfectionistically polished and then given a blood red sheen through the use of magic. As the ship she was building neared completion, Sarah cast another glance at the Sassy Juice. It wasn't as if she was leaving forever, but it still felt odd to be about to leave port on another ship, especially when she'd be out of the system.

Sarah had almost been surprised that she'd been given the time, but it had been given, and, now that the ship she'd been making was complete, she had somewhere to go. Sarah put the few items she was taking with her into the cargo bay, one a bit larger than she really needed (after all, she did plan on bringing back a few things, including (maybe. She hadn't decided quite yet.) a gift or two for Ari), then closed the hatch and hopped into the cockpit. The ship's construction had been completed on schedule, but there was still a long wait for clearance to take off as Sarah checked that all controls were functioning and the navigation data was up to date. When she finally received clearance twenty minutes later, Sarah pulled somewhat jerkily from the docking clamps, them piloted the ship out of the bay. Once clear, she engaged the autopilot, plugged in the coordinates for Hesta, then settled in for a nap as the homemade ship's borrowed AI took over. A ring of white light formed as the Draconian drifted off into sleep, a circle which then filled itself in. The cockpit filled with cryo-fluid as the temperature fell, the fluid acting as a means of inducing hibernation, preventing hibernation sickness, and providing the energy and nutrients she would need upon waking. As the semi-liquid fluid froze, the ship passed through the warp gate, then accelerated to FTL top speed as those on the station who happened to be looking outside the docking bay at the right angle saw the circle of white light shatter and disperse.

[if someone wants to stow away, feel free. Sarah's going to go visit the graves of a couple old friends, though, so she probably won't be too happy to have company on this trip.]

[GIR]

A ring of light appeared over the red world of Hesta, a world whose surface was 83% water tinged red by chemicals created as the Hestari made their way into space and attempted to tame the land.  That the sky was indigo and not red was a testament to the attempts to clean the air, an undertaking made with the intention of saving the surface life the Hestari hunted. As soon as the circle had filled itself in, the ship slowly exited the gate, the cryo fluid in its cockpit already thawing and draining. As the last of the fluid drained away and the atmosphere flooded back in, Sarah awoke in a coughing fit, alert enough to suspend the fluid her lungs were expelling in bubble, then drink it with a shudder. Even with its flavor given by her, the fluid still tasted like meat-flavored mucus, mostly thanks to the texture. Sarah glanced at the clock on the HUD as she radioed for permission to land. Ten standard days Alliance time (200 human hours) had passed since her departure from the Cancer.

As the ship settled down in the staff lot of the small shop, the shop's owner rushed out with a spearlike weapon in hand. Sarah opened the cockpit hatch and glared at the approaching figure, who stopped short, jaws wide open, revealing several rows of triangular, serrated teeth as she gaped at the Draconian with an expression of nothing less than total surprise. <Sarah...?>, she asked, her 'voice' low, as if not quite believing what she was seeing. One clawed, webbed hand scratched the sandpaper-armor-skinned back of her neck lightly as she tried to decide if she had dozed off or not.

<No, it's Rhavah, of the Hunt.>, Sarah snapped in Hestari, eschewing the ladder in favor of jumping out of the cockpit to land directly in front of the stunned female, <Of course I'm Sarah, vahkna*⁴. Have I really been gone long enough for you to forget?>, she continued, nodding in an expression of joviality, <You've grown, merehammas*. Has the shop done well since I left?>.

The owner grinned a sharp-toothed grin. <Hakrah*²! Who the hell says I forgot what you look like? Last I heard, you were running with some 'high-risk traders' out of the Cancer, and now you show up here with only the control tower serving as a call? Did you forget how to make a radio? Oh, and, another thing, my name is Ranah>, she retorted, vertical-slit pupils narrowed aggressively. After a shor pause, however, the grin faded and her pupils dilated to their normal width. <Nally*³, Sarah... I can't stay mad at you... You're here to visit her, right? Don't suppose I could delay you with a bit of dinner before we go? I love what you've done with your armor, by the way. You honor her.>, Ranah finally conceded, a close-lipped half-smile adding a rueful note to her words.

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Blood-red clouds dotted the indigo sky as the Draconian and the Hestari stood by the red-barked tree that marked the grave of the Hestari's elder sister and the Draconian's beloved friend and former master. <You know, being here never feels any less strange.>. The words were little more than thoughts in Sarah's head, given that the one they were for was no longer alive to hear them. <It still feels like just yesterday you were nagging me about the ratio of iron to carbon in steel, or the molar mass of nahrium, or the world of difference five millimeters of metal can make. 'Course, now you're probably griping about me coming all the way here when I could be living my live as a free female.> A small half-laugh accompanied the thought, <Or the pointlessness of talking to the dead. Well, I felt like visiting the place you were buried. Part of being free is having the prerogative to do so.>.

<If I know you, this is probably the part where I tell you she'd want you to get on with your life. Not that she wouldn't appreciate the sentimentality.>, Ranah jabbed, lower teeth bared in good-natured mockery.

<And this is the part where I tell you to stuff it and a fist comes out of nowhere to send you halfway across the dead forest. Bad enough I have to justify my actions to the dead.>, Sarah retorted, lower teeth also bared, as well as raising her left eye ridge. The Draconian placed the ceremonial dagger she'd been holding at the foot of the tree. <Well, I suppose Ranah's right. After all, who would know you better than your sister? In any case, I just figured I'd pay you a visit... And let you know that I'm doing okay. The captain of the ship I work on may be a lecherous ass, but he treats me okay otherwise. Take care, now, and good hunting.>.

[* lit. 'sea fang'. Fig. 'ocean predator'/'ocean huntress'.]
[*² used similarly to 'oi']
[*³ a mild oath, similar to 'Jesus']
[*⁴ dummy/silly]

[GIR]

Two standard days later, the small ship was lifted into orbit by a tug ring, the cargo bay two spears and several cryo-boxes of food fuller. As she waited for the ring to disengage and get clear, Sarah plugged in the coordinates for her next destination, Faren, and got the necessary clearances from the nearest orbital control tower as the AI made the preparations for travel and hibernation.

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An alarm sounded as a military tracking station recieved reports of an anomaly from several of the small nation's monitoring satellites. As the ring of light filled in, the station's cannons were brought to bear on the small ship emerging from the ring.

"This is Magribian Navy tracking station Vincent-Niner-Esotera-Campaign-Seven. Unknown vessel, be advised you are entering a restricted zone in accordance to the Faren-Alliance Non-Interference Treaty. State your business or be destroyed. We repeat, unknown vessel, you are entering a restricted zone. State your business or you WILL be destroyed.", an officer informed Sarah over the radio.

As soon as she'd finished post-hibernation procedures, Sarah responded, <This is Commander-Conscript Delta-Twenty-Three of the Serelian Liberation Front. Be advised it's been nearly two centuries* since I was last here, so this treaty you mentioned is news to me. As for my business, I've come to visit the grave of a former commanding officer and friend of mine. Please advise on an approved Lira-Zercine.>. Sarah transmitted the blueprints for the ship to the station as a gesture of goodwill.

"Copy that. We're sending a couple birds to guide you in.", the officer responded, "You know, it's thanks to your work in Serelia that Magrib was able to become a great nation in its own right. You'll be happy to know that you left the country in good hands. I'd avoid Commandant Cirna, though. He'll want to throw you a feast, and you know what those are like. Some things don't change. Anyway, I'll radio ahead and let them know you're coming. The General's still where you left him, but he's part of a national monument now, so you're in for a slight walk.", she added in Serelian, "Welcome home, Hero".

<Copy that, and thanks.>, Sarah replied as she followed the fighter drones that had been sent for her.