The Celestial Way

Chapter 8.2 - Haven by the Way

The interior of the landcruisers was as utilitarian as the exterior. At the back was a group of tiny compartments containing cramped amenities, like a galley and a hycab. At the front was the driver's cabin and the communication room. The rest of the interior was unsegmented, forming a d-shaped enclosure. As Airo's team, Councilor Itrix, and her micro entourage boarded, the slitheroid drones embarked after them, folding up and attaching themselves to a row of fixtures installed along one of the walls.

The journey went underway. The landcruisers were autopiloted, though Ramara, one of the blue-skinned women, periodically checked the navigation to make sure they were on course. The convoy drove for hours through the lifeless tundra, the AI drivers churning steadily toward their destination.

Airo and his team settled on portable bunks in the central enclosure. Their rescuers turned out to be quite talkative, and both parties conversed with each other on trivial topics like prefabricated food or the weather. Airo didn't participate in the socializing, and he stood silent to the side, enduring his situation sullenly. He had no idea a conversation about clouds could last so long, even when it included nephological terms like cyclonic lift or altitude boundaries. What he noted, however, was how Councilor Itrix and her escorts carefully avoided questioning him or his travel companions about their identities or goals.

"Are there other dragons in Dragon Retreat?" Veralla inevitably asked at some point, her tail swishing in barely restrained anticipation.

"Alas, there haven't been any dragons in our shrine-town since the Dragon Independence War," Nerisca said. "We used to be visited from time to time by some who served as Radiant Knights, thought this also ceased to be after the Starblaze."

"Oh," the dragonet said, her enthusiasm dampened.

"Dragon Independence War?" Zuckeroff blurted. "When did that happen? Ow!" he yelped as Kiana elbowed him in the ribs. "What gives?"

"You don't know your galactic history, gamebrain," she snorted dismissively. "Might try the educational database once we get to town."

Airo observed the exchange closely. His gaze was focused on Kiana, yet the young Conduit pretended to be watching through the viewpanel, instead of defiantly meeting his eyes as she usually did when he looked at her. He was certain she was hiding something - and Zuckeroff too, by extension. Airo looked away. It didn't matter. As soon as he reached town, he would contact the Consortium and leave the two bumbling juveniles behind - and the dragonet as well. He was done dealing with unwanted burdens.

Shortly after, something different than endless ice glaciers and snow crests appeared through the viewpanels. The convoy passed a small settlement, though the vehicles steered clear of the unvaried collection of prefabricated buildings and hab complexes. Airo magnified the view on his visor, and saw the reason: only blackened ruins remained.

"What happened to those people?" Kiana asked quietly, gazing at the destruction in the distance.

"They were caught in the conflict," Councilor Itrix said. She had removed her helmet, revealing a set of bright orange fins on her head instead of hair. "Terra Para had been in the iron grip of both the Consortium and the Union," she continued in a measured voice, and gave Airo a calm look. "The two stellar civilizations have clashed many times over the centuries, and now we are their latest victim in their never-ending ideological fight."

"Who'd live in the middle of nowhere?" Zuckeroff asked, palm and face pressed to the nearest viewpanel. "The Viirt connection must be spotty in such a place, even with decent satellite cover."

"This was one of the maintenance outposts along the Beacon Highway," Councilor Ixtrix said. She gestured at one tall structure, which turned out to be the remains of an E-beacon. "The Highway connects to every settlement on Terra Para. It is the only way to travel safely across the planet, besides suborbital flight. Or it used to be."