Enceladus 2: The War

May 22nd

Delphinus arrived the next Friday evening. Thankfully, she didn’t send me a “mind message” like Cass had last year. That message had ruined a date with Lainie and left me in excruciating pain. I had thought I was dying.

Lainie and I met Del behind my apartment building with packed bags; another thing we didn’t have time to get last time.

“Ĉëv, Amelia. Bôm æ lôn zü,” Delphinus greeted, saying “Nice to see you”. “Lainie, good to see you as well.”

Lainie politely shook her hand and said the same.

“Ĉëv, nïx. Lainie is coming with us.” I wasn’t sure if my sister actually meant her greeting toward Lainie but it was nice of her to say it.

She nodded. The entire ship was invisible until she reached for the door handle.

Lainie groaned quietly. “I don’t want to be on this small ship for a whole month.”

“Actually, it will only take a week. Our scientists found a way to travel faster through wormholes. It’s a very complex theory, one that I can’t explain well. Prince Caelum knows the research inside and out,” Del said.

“That’s . . . cool.”

I rolled my eyes and followed Del into the control room. The spacecraft wasn’t tiny but it was small compared to the ship Lynx and Cass had come in last year. This ship had four rooms, one bathroom, a miniature kitchen and a control room. No dining area.

“I’m still so amazed by this whole space travel thing. How come Earth hasn’t found ways to get places in the universe faster?” Lainie asked.

Del was quick to answer. “Well that is simple. Enceladus is superior to Earth. So are the people. We are more advanced than Earth.” She was half from Earth.

“But not that advanced,” I argued.

All Del did was nod. I guessed she didn’t want to fight with me. She still seemed a little shaken by my outburst the last time I was on Enceladus. She wouldn’t look me in the eyes and she kept a safe distance away.

“Are you going to fight?” Delphinus asked Lainie.

“Hell no,” I snapped then felt guilty. “Sorry.”

“Well even if you don’t fight, you still need to know some basic skills. I should train you while we’re on the ship,” Del offered and I was touched by her thoughtfulness. She actually appeared to care about Lainie’s well-being. Maybe.

“Um, okay. I guess.” Lainie seemed unsure.

“It’s just for your safety, love.” I kissed her cheek.

“We’ll begin as soon as we’ve made it through Earth’s atmosphere. We’ll only have to stop when we pass through the wormhole in five days. The only problem with wormholes is that they’re not terribly dependable. The pilot has to watch out carefully until they’re completely through,” Del explained.

I nodded, pretending to understand. When I was younger, I had tutors at the palace in Enceladus for each subject. I had never understood space travel as well as my siblings.

The next day, Lainie and Delphinus started training. She first taught Lainie basic fighting skills, like how to throw a punch. She taught her how to duck and maneuver less clumsily. Then they moved on to weapons, which I was nervous for. She showed Lainie how to use a spear, which was Del’s favorite weapon, her specialty. She was always carrying one. She educated Lainie on how to hold a sword. But thankfully they didn’t fight with any weapons.

Each one of my siblings had a specific weapon they never went without. Orion had put us through extensive tests and training to see what weapon fit best with our skills. He thought of weapons as an extension of our personalities which was why finding the right one was so important to him. My specialty was a broadsword. Now Delphinus was helping Lainie do the same. Del would train Lainie in each weapon on the ship until she was nearly an expert and whichever weapon Lainie fit with the most would be her specialty.

By the end of the day, Lainie was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. I didn’t blame her. After we ate some space food, we excused ourselves.

“Will you hold me?” Lainie asked as we walked into our room.

“Of course.” I crawled into bed and she snuggled up in front of me.

“That was hard work. Your sister killed me today.”

“As she will every day this week. She seems to actually care about you. It’s nice.” I paused. “Can I tell you a secret?” I felt her nod. “My mother told me that Delphinus is half human.”

Lainie gasped and twisted to look me in the eyes. “Really?”

“Really. In 1699, my mother went to Earth and fell in love with a human man. Del doesn’t know. It would crush her.”

Lainie became silent and I felt her breathing slow. She had fallen asleep. I hugged her tighter and closed my eyes.