Untold Stories of a Galaxy - Kysaek: The Beginning

Two more days, two more days to wait. Actually, it was three, if Kysaek rounded up a little. But it wasn’t necessarily because the consulate was still deliberating. She was informed by General Akaro that a scouting mission was on its way to Triden Three, which meant a flight of a good seventeen standard hours from Anuket alone. There was absolutely nothing she could do, because whether anything would be done was out of her hands and she tried to distract herself with training. To do this, she used the Nebula’s training room, a technical masterpiece in such a small space, where a simulation was currently running. Close combat and prismatics were her exercise and for this purpose, unarmed goons appeared in an artificial, confusing alley. They were basically holograms, without a solid surface or similar tangible physics, but based on energy shield technology, projections could solidify for a short time and thus become attackable or even tangible. Kysaek had been at it for a good hour, but there was no question of stopping. A group of three attackers confronted her and she sliced them apart with a lashing blow from Prismatik. A female figure burst out of the undergrowth and grabbed her by the arm, but she broke free and finished off her target the old-fashioned way, with a street whip. New targets appeared immediately from the left and right, a double front, and she had to choose sides as the large Davoc ran towards her. Just before the clash, however, the projections disappeared and the whole simulation was shut down. This left only the empty, grey space around them. “What’s wrong now?” she asked, out of breath. “Come on, why are you switching it off?”

The sliding door of the only entrance pulled aside. “Because I thought it was pathetic,” Douglas’s unenthusiastic voice rang out. “Training with no rhyme or reason just puts the wrong thoughts in your head.”

“And we’ve been avoiding each other for two days so far,” Kysaek sighed, rubbing her wet face before the drops on her hand were flung to the ground. “Did you have to break the peace?”

“That would involve there being peace between us, wouldn’t it?” countered Douglas ruthlessly. Like Kysaek, he was wearing loose clothing, which meant team trousers and a muscle shirt, and in the old soldier’s case, the shirt said it all. You just couldn’t ignore the fact that Douglas was in more than good shape for his age. Not an ounce of fat or sagging skin. Just muscles that commanded respect. “Apart from that, you still think you’re good enough if you do this cheap programme and it could kill you.”

“If I want an opinion that’s going to get on my nerves, I’ll ask Vorrn and even he’s a few rungs above you in my popularity stakes.”

“The lizard, yes,” said Phonor, tightening the corners of his mouth a little. “I sat at a table with him in the mess yesterday: gruff, direct and he has a good appetite.”

Kysaek saw parallels. “I’m sure you both had an extensive conversation.”

“Not a bit, although he did at least tell me I’d missed something in the attack on the PGI headquarters and then raved to me about it,” Douglas mentioned. He knew his stuff. “He knows what he’s doing and I’ve met enough lizards from the warrior caste. Fights and stories, that’s their thing and if they tell something, it’s true and worth mentioning. No half measures. Anything else just damages their reputation. So that was bearable chit-chat for me.”

“You have no idea how incredibly happy that makes me,” Kysaek replied sarcastically, wiping another load of sweat from his face. “Speaking of Vorrn: Do you know what his argument was for letting you on this ship?”

Douglas guessed blithely. “That I’m a good soldier?”

“No - that he would impale you on his blade at the slightest sign of treachery and rip you apart with his teeth and eat you. That was really one of the more convincing points for me.”

“Sounds fair enough.”

“Fine, and now that that’s settled, what next? Is there a free lesson for me?”

Phonor just had a natural commander and instructor attitude about him, coupled with a dry sense of humour. “Wouldn’t hurt you, but even if you turn it down, there’s something good about it.”

“What’s that?”

“You can’t get any worse.”

“Enough already,” Kysaek defied, dipping her hands in a bit of prismatic energy. “I could defeat you here and now.”

“No doubt about it, from this position,” Douglas admitted without hesitation, taking two steps forward. For him, that was already part of the lesson on offer. “After all, we’re just talking and I came with notice, so you can be prepared in peace. But do you think our opponents will be just as generous?”

Kysaek dropped her head back. “What a stupid question.”

“No, a accurate one,” Phonor admonished. He was suddenly in front in a flash and grabbed his commander’s wrists, twisting them painfully. “And now you’re out of action.”

Kysaek’s concentration disappeared due to the pain and her prismatic was gone. “Dirty tricks!” she grumbled and tried a knee strike between the man’s legs. Her wrists were twisted even more before she did so, however, and instead of landing a knee strike, she fell on both of them. “Let go of me!”

“Okay,” Douglas raised his shoulder. He let go, in his own way. Before the old man released his wrists, he planted his right foot on the woman’s chest and pushed her a good distance backwards with pure leg strength, where she fell onto her back. He then casually walked past the woman lying on her back and wagged his finger at her. “I actually thought you didn’t need this lesson. Your fights have hardly been fair so far, but let me remind you: There are no dirty tricks. You’re either better or you’re not.”

“I won’t make that mistake again,” Kysaek huffed, rubbing her wrists as she stood up, ready to use her prismatics right away this time.

Douglas raised a hand. “Before you use this powerful tool, learn basic combat first.”

“And why should I? Because I have this power.”

“A dangerous and powerful one, oh yes,” Douglas said, respecting the natural energy of the universe. “But to hone it requires much more intensive training and even more stamina to use it in concentrated form and over a longer period of time. But who starts at the top? Don’t make the mistake of neglecting what everyone can work with. A proper structure always needs a solid foundation.”

“So I shouldn’t rely on my prismatics as a wild card, but on muscle?”

“Well, I’ve had you on the ground twice in less than a fortnight, without prismatics,” Douglas noted. He assumed a fighting stance, bending his arms, followed by clenched fists next to his head and a loose stance. “Is that enough of an answer?”

Unfortunately, that was the truth, even if Kysaek would have preferred it otherwise. “And now you want me to let you beat me up?” she asked, but let her energy vanish, doubting the man’s motives. “You’ll finish me off in hand-to-hand combat.”

“Well, at least you recognise when an opponent is superior,” Douglas remarked, not sounding arrogant. Those were the facts and the old soldier wasn’t letting up. “And it’s called training. I’m not going to go easy on you: It’s up to you whether you learn something or just get a beating.”

“Saying no wouldn’t do any good anyway,” Kysaek said with a sigh. Perhaps this was a good opportunity to get back at the old curmudgeon somehow, so she acquiesced and raised her arms in front of her torso in a defensive posture. “No prismatics?”

“Not a spark.”

“Suit yourself, then show me a few tricks,” Kysaek nodded calmly. Surely her counterpart had expected her to strike out blindly, but she didn’t. The old man would have let her run straight into the void without any problems, so she circled around him and he circled around her.

“Give me a few blows.”

“Gladly,” Kysaek said. She had at least memorised a few simple left, right combinations in her system and let her fists spring forward accordingly.

Douglas had no problem blocking the blows, regardless of whether they came straight at his face or tried to hit his head from the side. “Do you see that? My stance is the right one. Keep your fists close to your head, otherwise this will happen!” From blocking his defence, Douglas swung and hit his target on the side of the head.

That had done the trick, but Kysaek held his ground and realised that the old soldier was holding back. On Anuket, he had been much tougher on her. “And how do you defend yourself further down?” Kysaek asked, delivering a few blows to her stomach, but the resistance there hurt her more than it did him.

“In a tense position, you don’t have to worry so much about the front! Of course, the tighter the better is the motto here!”

“And what about Flink?” Kysaek countered, in word and movement. The next swing from Douglas came to nothing as she dived under the attack and was suddenly next to the soldier, who reacted immediately and adjusted his stance.

“You are slighter and smaller than me. Agility is an important quality and you’re smart to use it,” Douglas said and struck again.

Instead of deflecting the blows, Kysaek backed away quickly and his fists hit nothing but air. “Why now?”

“... Yes? Is there anything else coming? Or do I get to choose what these scraps of words are aimed at?”

“This, this training,” Kysaek replied. Just because the old soldier gave her a few tips wouldn’t change her opinion of him in the least. “Do you think a few exercises will change anything? You used to treat me badly and didn’t have a good opinion of me. That certainly hasn’t changed, only now you have to at least be nice.”

Dougasl’s response consisted of a little chase, which he launched with his fists. He kept at his target, who again tried to dodge, but Douglas was hasty on his feet, although this time his punches were blocked properly and he wasn’t just punching relentlessly. “They were always sloppy and wanted to do little to nothing - why would I have wasted my time on someone remotely like that?”

“Who’s talking about wasting time? Being less of an arse wouldn’t have been difficult though.”

“A little more involved just as little and would have meant far less stress between us,” Douglas pronounced, thundering his fist at once into his opponent’s stomach, which was too laxly tensed, causing her to contract and gasp for breath. He gave her time and used the silence to speak more clearly. “To me, you’ve always been the kind of person who wants everything and doesn’t want to do anything for it. The difference today is that you have to do SOMETHING, otherwise you’ll lose everything. If that wasn’t the case, you’d still be the same person, lazy and unreliable.”

“It was just a night watchman job!” Kysaek blew out a gush of thick air and mustered all her strength to attack with fury and a straight punch.

A leg sweep and a practised interception were enough for Douglas to use the woman’s force against herself and send her sprawling to the floor, but he kept his composure. “Excuses.” He abandoned his fighting pose and stepped away from the prone woman. “And to answer your question: I want to understand first and foremost. Making her better is a necessary side effect, but I’m mainly trying to understand.”

“Understand what?” Kysaek rolled her eyes as she lay down before picking herself up and circling around the man without raising her fists. “What brought you here?”

“No,” came from Douglas firmly. The stone façade he called his body also applied to his mind. “I know exactly why I’m here, but that’s not important right now. What I don’t understand is how all these people, some of whom are much better than you in terms of skills, could gather around you and obey your orders.”

“Oh, is someone jealous?” Kysaek raised a brow, proud as a peacock and looking at himself. “And why is that? Well, maybe I’m just sociable and my clever mind is sometimes really on the ball when it comes to convincing others.”

“I believed in luck at first, but too much has happened for that.”

“And now you’re racking your brains for a better answer,” said Kysaek, pausing in her movement. “Maybe it’s because I meet everyone at eye level. Lots of possibilities, but in the end, everything is as it is and I’ll take it that way.”

That wasn’t enough for Douglas and he had a relatively simple assumption. “Or no one has ever questioned the structure.”

“Seriously? Do I just hear that you want to take over after a few days?”

“Don’t make a fool of yourself,” Douglas mocked. He didn’t stop circling the woman and was under no illusions. “I’m on my own on this ship and whatever I do or say is watched. Not that that bothers me. I’ve already spoken to the tough marble alien. With her in particular, I realised that she still hasn’t quite got over the death of her so-called sisters at Dealith and resents me.”

“Marble alien? Are you talking about Thais?” asked Kysaek, crossing her arms. It didn’t go unnoticed how the old soldier spoke about aliens.

“Yes, the Talin.”

“Lizards, marble aliens: are you a xenophobe?”

“Oh little girl,” sighed Douglas, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “Are you one of those people who takes offence to others?”

Kysaek was not an overzealous advocate of species norms or certain words “No, I was just asking a question.”

“Then here’s my answer: for me, I call everything as I see it: lizards, squid, double heads, worms, the whole list,” Douglas spread his arms symbolically, but he wasn’t really being derogatory. It was more unfiltered honesty. “And even though I have fundamental respect for living things, as I should, I don’t bestow my appreciation and recognition like candy. Not even for humans.”

The last sentence was clearly an example to Kysaek, but that didn’t bother her and she used her sharp tongue. “That’s your business, just like your puzzlement over my leadership. Everyone recognises me and I don’t question their reasons. I just have to be doing something right and if you want to know what that is, well ... You can ask everyone individually.”

“Let me worry about that. In the end, all that matters is that we solve this PGI trick. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t be on this ship.”

“We,” Kysaek pursed her lips. The old soldier was really taking the mickey, she thought. “You just joined us at the potential turning point. All the hard work up to here was done by our group.”

“You had your way and I had mine.”

“True, the astonished commander,” Kysaek recalled the conversation in the prison and the report of the consulate interrogation of Douglas, which she had at least skimmed by now. “Nevertheless, our path has smoothed everything out and earned you a front row seat with us.”

“There’s no denying that, but I’ve been around a lot longer than you have.”

“Mh? What does that mean?”

“Are we still just talking or what?” Douglas replied and returned to his fighting pose, now with a much more serious expression, which meant something to him. “If you land a good hit that knocks me out, I’ll tell you what I didn’t say during the interrogation. It might even be of interest to you.”

“Rubbish,” Kysaek only uttered in disbelief. What was the old man supposed to have concealed? And if so, why? Kysaek thought it was a lie, possibly to motivate her or make her angry? She didn’t know, but he wanted a good hit? He was going to get it. “But hey, I like the idea. Time to send you to the mat!”

Douglas was unimpressed. “Of course.”

“Programme! Create rotating, floating cube objects!” Kysaek ordered and blue, digital squares appeared around her and her opponent. There were smaller and larger ones that began to fly slowly and quickly around both of them.

This caught Douglas off guard. “What’s this?”

“A good hit!” Kysaek replied, and just as one of the thicker cubes flew past her at ground level, she stepped in front of it and sent the blue square flying straight towards her opponent.

It took him some effort, but Douglas let the cube bounce off him with his arms clenched. “My arse!”

Kysaek immediately repeated the game, with a slow floating throw. She fished it out of the air with both hands and threw it firmly and purposefully.

Douglas hastily dodged it, ducking downwards. “This is close combat training! Dirty tricks!”

“Like you said!” Kysaek summoned her Prismatic, getting more and more dice under control and throwing them at the man at a rapid pace. “There are no dirty tricks!”

The old soldier was in good shape, but this projectile hail from all sides was too much, and the much-desired, powerful hit sent him crashing to the ground.

“Ha!” Kysaek breathed out triumphantly and strained, with more than a few beads of sweat flying. “End programme!”

The action didn’t leave Douglas unscathed and it took him a little while to prop himself up on his elbow and straighten his upper body. “Not a clean win, but a win. In that moment, you were better.”

“Don’t expect me to give you a hand to get up now.”

“I’m not that old,” Douglas said dryly and pulled himself up, followed by the obligatory dusting of his trousers. “I didn’t think you’d take your surroundings into account. Not bad.”

“I didn’t do it for your praise,” Kysaek clarified. Praise was always a good thing, but in this case she was after what was promised. “What didn’t you tell me during the interrogation? What’s all this about your path? Are you going to tell me you’re a secret agent or something like that?”

“Hahaha,” Douglas burst out in amusement and the laughter at least turned into something you could call a relaxed mood. “I’ve already given the Alliance everything I had. A long, long time ago.”

“Then what are we talking about?”

“I’ll tell you, but not today,” said the old soldier, striding leisurely towards the exit.

“Aren’t you a man of your word? That was the price for my good hit.”

“Indeed, that is your reward, but I didn’t say anything about immediately,” Douglas raised his finger. As it turned out, he was less interested in quibbling over words. “Patience is also an important tool of a good soldier, and don’t worry: what I have to say is not of a critical nature and has no effect on what is to come.”

“Sounded different just now,” Kysaek wrinkled her nose in disappointment. “When you mentioned the interrogation.”

“I guess you took it too seriously, just as I wanted you to,” Douglas smirked victoriously. The rustic man not only had muscles in his arms, but apparently also in his head. “We’ll talk another time.”

Kysaek watched him go and then sighed to herself. “Always remember Elaine, Vorrn could eat him. Nice thought.”

At least Kysaek’s training, apart from the learning effect, had achieved its actual goal. Back in her cabin and warmly showered, at least hours had passed and although her inner turmoil was still there, her exhausted body was at times fighting her frustration. She poured herself a refreshing orange lemonade into a metal mug and descended the few steps into the shallow recess of her quarters, where she came to a halt between the bed and her desk: Resting or staring at her kit, waiting for what was probably one of the most important messages of her life. The thought alone, which took far too long, made her lean more towards the second while she took a sweet sip and it felt good. At least good enough to make her think a little longer before she heard the signal on her cabin door, announcing a visitor outside. “Come in,” she said and deactivated the entrance lock with her vortex cuff.

Sharp, palanic edges stood out in the shadow of the steel door frame. Another Galaen visitor? No, it was Tavis. “I hope I’m not intruding.”

“Tavis,” Kysaek said, already surprised. “Not at all. Right now, I’m just deciding between resting on my bed or cracking my head at the table, although to be honest, it would probably be the same on the bed.”

“Yes, I’ve heard about the head-breaking,” Tavis replied. The door closed again behind him and he stopped between the bench and the narrow fridge

“Heard that? How? I’ve hardly spoken to anyone since Anuket came back.”

Tavis knew long ago, with a hint of glee. “Little talking and more fist pumping is more like it.”

“Did you spike?” asked Kysaek, raising an eyebrow.

“Not on site, but yes,” the Palanian admitted and demonstratively raised his right arm with the vortex cuff attached to it. “As soon as Phonor was in the simulator, the technician from there contacted me.”

“Because he was worried?”

“Not exactly,” Tavis remarked, scratching his cheek innocently with a claw. “It was more of a message all round, about a bet.”

Kysaek came slowly out of the hollow, growing suspicious. “Bet?”

“Well, some were betting on how long it would take for Douglas to fly off the ship or be dead. For many, it’s the same thing. That’s why some, like me, have been watching over the link.”

“So that’s what the crew is doing?” Kysaek began to bubble and took a sip of lemonade, but the cooling did nothing. “Making nonsensical bets? This isn’t a game, it’s bitterly serious.”

“Yes, it looked like serious training too and the way you got him off his feet, terrific.”

The supposed praise did nothing to lift Kysaek’s spirits. “I’m very relieved that I can provide such entertainment. I should probably have a word with the crew.”

“Hey,” Tavis murmured, placing his hands in a reassuring position in front of his chest, “nobody means any harm and you shouldn’t take offence.”

“No offence - I thought they were professional soldiers.”

“Who need a treat now and again and need to distract themselves. They’re not just soldiers.”

“Thanks for the explanation,” Kysaek said sarcastically as she shook her cup gently. “Is that why you’re here? To tell me about this absurd bet?”

“No, it just came up,” Tavis said elegantly. His hands dropped again and he adopted a sympathetic tone. “I just wanted to pop round and check on you.”

Kysaek presented himself. “Do I make a sick impression?”

“From a Palanian point of view, possibly,” Tavis laughed cautiously. “All that flesh, far too fragile and soft, haha, haha, eh.” He realised the joke wasn’t going down too well. “Apart from that, no. You look perfectly healthy, but the immense stress you’ve been under recently hasn’t left you unscathed.”

“First a criminal and now you’re also a doctor?” Kysaek grinned wanly. “All these talents.”

“Am I wrong about that?”

“It would be nice,” sighed Kysaek. The Palanian couldn’t help it and surely only meant well, which is why she tried to pull herself together. “I feel like I’m exhausted and could burst. What did Doctor Tavis recommend for that?”

“How about talking?” the Palanian offered, looking at the fridge. “With a gamma?”

“I don’t have any at the moment, but lemonade, coffee or a piece of chocolate?”

“Three ways I can bleed all over your quarters.”

“There should also be an energy bar, an all-purpose snack for everyone.”

“Ah yes?” Tavis replied and opened the fridge. The bar in question was quickly found and read by him. “Ingredients, meh, meh, meh, yeah, no - not suitable for Palans.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“Never mind, I’ll make it cultured then, with water,” said Tavis, filling himself a mug with fresh aqua at the sink. “Why don’t we sit down?”

“An offer in my quarters, too kind,” Kysaek nodded and sat down opposite the Palanian at the cramped table. But one thing puzzled her. “Why are you doing this?”

“Depends on what you’re aiming at.”

“Cipi, when I was worried about kidnapping the child,” Kysaek recalled, looking down at the tabletop in shame. At the same time, she tried to understand Tavi’s motives, even though he had already explained them on Cipi, claiming that it was a matter of reliability to his partners. Kysaek no longer quite believed that and looked up again. “It’s not your job to see to my salvation, and yet you do that, more than many others on board.”

“Well, I’ve said enough about that, haven’t I?”

“You did, but I’m not sure that was all.”

“I’ve exposed my motives to you, but hey,” Tavis raised his cup of water, which he then set to drink. “Let me hear your thoughts. This could get interesting.”

Kysaek was an adult, like the Palanian, and such things were not outlandish and did happen. Besides, she had to blow off the steam inside her somehow. “Did you take a liking to me?”

Not the typical spitting out ensued, but Tavis stopped short in swallowing and held the cup to his mouth for some time anyway before continuing to drink and gently setting the water down. “As usual, you don’t hold back,” the Palanian remarked frankly. “And I mean, for a human, you’re pretty good.”

“But that’s not what I meant.”

“I realise that,” Tavis replied leisurely. He wasn’t in a hurry or was he playing for time to find the right words? “I think I can definitely say that I admire and respect you.”

“I respect you too,” Kysaek replied, trying to lean back into the seat. “But you seek my closeness more than I seek yours.”

“Well, you must also be worried about the whole crew,” Tavis countered cheekily. No, no. The cunning trickster wasn’t that easy to take by surprise. “When I think of Doctor Schaefer. You must have talked some sense into him pretty well.”

“I did, but let’s stick with you. So you admire me?”

“Do you find that so unusual? I’d be more surprised at those who don’t do or say that.”

“There would be a lot. PGI, various scoundrels, maybe even governments?”

“You know how that was meant,” the Palanian confirmed, not that he could be caught out like that, but Tavis couldn’t avoid an honest, respectful tone at the mention of the journey. “There are plenty of stories in the galaxy. Some smaller, some bigger, and then there’s the stuff of legends.”

“I’m already a legend?”

“Not that, but who has the chance to be part of a great story, to experience it?” Tavis questioned. Business or not, the man was clearly happy to be on board. “You’ve achieved amazing things in less time and that’s admirable.”

Kysaek hadn’t accomplished anything, at least not without help. This kind of view also wore her down: the constant pressure, the rising expectations, the dark side at the top, however much she had come to terms with it “I wasn’t without help. Let’s take you for example: would we be here now if we hadn’t met you?”

“That can be turned round, but you’re right. We were all in this together and I think it’s good that you kept your feet on the ground. You have to know what you can and can’t do.”

“Like comforting someone’s soul?” asked Kysaek, giving the Palanian a certain look. “Or just being in the right place so that more and more know a name?”

Tavis laid his claws flat on the table and analysed soberly. “So you don’t think you deserve to be here? Here and now?”

“Here and now, nothing is in our hands. Especially not in mine.”

“You fear a cancellation of the Consulate?”

“Yes and no. It’s becausel,” Kysaek argued, suddenly throwing her empty metal cup into the sink. “Until now, it was always kind of in our hands. We could say yes, or no. Even when we were prisoners in the Consulate, we decided our fate. But now that’s no longer the case, regardless of whether they say yes or no.”

“Yes, when you’ve got used to independence, it’s certainly not easy,” Tavis agreed. The cup throw hadn’t scared him off, it had just made him look in the right direction. “And then it’s not just about little things. That makes it even worse.”

“Yes ... thank you for reminding me.”

“Forgive me, but I think it’s better to say these things,” said Tavis, trying to relax the tense situation again, “Not that you’ll be throwing a prismatic bullet at the nearest villain who happens to be sitting opposite you next.”

The Palanian wanted jokes? Kysaek had a mean one. “I don’t know - throwing one of those at Douglas helped.”

“There it is,” Tavis responded warmly. “Your way. You adapt quickly.”

“Only at what cost?” replied Kysaek thoughtfully. If there was one thing she couldn’t deny, it was that she felt safe with the man and she dared to be more open about it. “I thought I had it figured out and I want this too, I really do. Helping others, travelling the galaxy and trying to do things my way? It’s just phenomenal and indescribable, but then events like on Trayden, Inkanthatana Four and lots of little things happen and I start to feel like something is grabbing me by the arms and slowly pulling me into the dark depths and I can’t do anything about it.” Kysaek waited with a silent stare at Tavis, fearful of her realisation, but sure enough, her uncertainty was evident and she finally spoke up. “I’m not as strong as everyone thinks and I’m afraid of them seeing that and Douglas is right, why am I giving the orders?”

The Palanian drank from his water and listened patiently before responding just as thoughtfully. “Fear is in all of us, even in the most primitive animal. Anyone who says otherwise is just lying to themselves and I know only too well that you shouldn’t show your fear. A lot of people are just waiting for such a gap, a loophole in the mighty façade, while allies only want to see the unshakeable bulwark because they cling to it and look up to it. So I understand why you are afraid. You want to be just that for others and that is noble, but you are beginning to realise that it takes enormous strength.”

“Yes ... what can I do about it? And how can you admire someone like that?”

“Even with my tough shell, I’m vulnerable,” Tavis replied. He pressed both hands together and made a gesture with his index fingers at his counterpart. “Hearing that you’re afraid does make me sad. I guess you’re right that most people on board see a lot in you and need that. They need figures they can follow.”

Kysaek didn’t disagree at all. After all, Anuket was the best and most recent example in which she herself had been involved. The joy and confidence she could inspire with her mere presence more than backed up Tavi’s thesis, but that didn’t solve her problem. “You see? And how i´m supposed to stop this? That it incriminates others?”

Tavis answer was unexpected. “How about not stopping it at all?”

“You mean just kelplessly watching and doing nothing?”

“Not helplessly. Just instead of fear, how about trust?”

“In what exactly?” asked Kysaek, trying to follow the Palanese. “In that everything will just be fine?”

“It sounds reckless,” Tavis admitted. He emptied his cup of water and used himself as an example. “Trust that your people can take it.”

“Can you?”

“Do I look like my worldview has been shaken?”

Kysaek tapped the corners of her mouth demonstratively, against her muscles. “Hard to say with Palanians ... But no. You seem focussed and clear.”

“Perfectly, and you should trust the team with that. Not that you should break down in front of everyone all the time, but as you said, you were never alone. I think everyone on board knows what dangers and hurdles await us. You have to trust that there is a certain strength in everyone when you don’t look your best or make a bad decision.”

Of course Kysaek had to be able to trust her people, but until now she hadn’t looked at it from that perspective. Her crew didn’t just have to be able to function and follow orders. Everyone also had to be able to put up with a little. “Lean on everyone like they lean on me?”

“Now you’ve got it,” Tavis agreed with relief. The fact that his words fell on fertile ground was certainly no less a reason for this. “And I’m convinced that there’s potential in everyone. After all, I already know a lot of them.”

“At least the vices of some,” said Kysaek, his spirits slightly lifted. “You don’t bet with everyone, do you?”

“No, i dont - I always try to steer everything in my favour.”

“And what’s the prize for the winner of the bet?”

“A few thousand foreign currency in the pot and the winner has to clean up the mess.”

With her finger, Kysaek produced a tiny, prismatic spike of energy. “If I leave anything.”

“Oh, are you offering me a little shove here right now,” Tavis stated slyly and blithely. It was obvious that he understood the fun and was enjoying it. “You tell me when, I’ll pocket the winnings and not have to clean up? And then we’ll do halves afterwards?”

“Tempting, I’ll think about it,” Kysaek returned, but the one question from the beginning was still there. “And all this trouble with me because you admire me?”

“Absolutely, and I think for all you do and help where you can, you don’t deserve any help?” Tavis asked piercingly, holding out his open palm. It just wasn’t clear what exactly this gesture was supposed to mean.

“I think I understand your motives now,” said Kysaek. Not that she grasped the outstretched hand or reacted too sensitively, but at least she patted it in gratitude and with a smile. “And I’m really glad you helped me.”

“Did I?” Tavis asked, looking at the human hand touching his repeatedly.

“I’m definitely feeling better,” Kysaek said sincerely and when she realised how the man was looking at her hand, she slowly withdrew it. “But my head isn’t completely clear and that’s not going to change just like that.”

“Not change, no. But I always have tricks up my sleeve, as you know,” said Tavis, tugging at the sleeve of his jacket. “So we could talk a little longer. I’m sure it’ll distract you.”

“I’d like that. How about a story from your orphanage? You said there was a lot that would require more time ... Well, we have time.”

“I haven’t told anyone about that in ages,” Tavis replied, standing up. “That’s why it’ll be all the more enjoyable, but I need fresh water first.”

Kysaek looked behind him. “Yes, and I’ll go and find my cup.”