CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle One ∞ 2: A Captain's Journey

70 ∞ To Piggyback a Pulsar

"Canaisis, can I talk to the Captain?"

«Of course. Simply activate the button on your wrist control for suit-to-suit communication. The one with three diagonal lines.»

Ayla found the button on her left arm, took a deep breath, and hit it. "Captain, do you read me?"

A moment's pause.

"Yes, Ayla, I read you clearly."

"I wanted to say thank you for letting me come outside."

"It's my pleasure, Ayla. I'm glad you're feeling better."

"I understand now why you enjoy spacewalking so much. I just needed some time by myself. And Canaisis is amazing."

"That she is. I saw you flying with her—I'm not sure if I'm jealous or not. Are you finding it strange with her talking to you, you know, this new way?"

"It's strange and not, at the same time. I can't describe it."

"You don't have to—I understand completely. If you need to, come talk to me about it. It does take some getting used to."

"I... I'll do that. It seems we have something in common now. Canaisis."

It took a couple of seconds before the Captain responded. "Ayla, please understand that what We did, We did to save your life. Ahmid approved of this decision."

"I was dying—I know that. I thank you for all you have done for me. I owe you my life."

"Turn around, Ayla."

She twisted her mag-hold around to find him standing just a few paces away. His glow drones drifted upward and illuminated the area between them. His suit was of a bulkier design than hers, thicker, and his helmet was angular, not round. But his visor had the same gold reflective finish as hers. He touched his wrist, and the interior of his helm lit his face.

"Your life has only just begun, Ayla. Wait a few decades before you thank Us."

"I'm thanking you now, Captain. Let that be enough for now."

He nodded, and by his expression, he seemed to accept her words.

"If you'll excuse me, my duties call." He extended his hands to summon the two drones.

"May I ask what it is you're doing?"

He lowered his hands and walked the few remaining steps to her. When he took her left arm, Ayla held her breath, not knowing what to expect. He pressed a button on her wrist pad, and suddenly lights activated inside her helmet.

"There. Much better than talking to a blank helmet."

Ayla smiled up at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't think."

He let go of her arm and took a step back. "There are some ships that have caught my attention. I'm getting a better look at them."

"The ships Canaisis mentioned. She said they weren't trying to intercept us."

"They aren't, and they couldn't if they wanted to. But I suspect they're built for aggression."

"Military, to use your terms, Captain. We call them the Law of the Citizens. They ensure Corporations do not shun their responsibility to Mankind. Are you sure these ships are them?"

"I'm not sure of anything at the moment. But if they're these Law ships you're talking about, then I want to know their design and capabilities."

"How will you do that?"

Gareth turned and pointed toward the back of the ship. "Seventy-two thousand light-years from here is a neutron star, a pulsar. Its cosmic radiation bursts are consistent and predictable. When the next burst sweeps through this system, it will be basically following a straight line dead-on towards us. The ships are between us and the pulsar, so the energy burst will hit them first. Most of it will pass through the ships, but a few particles will strike matter. This collision produces muons that will decay into one electron and two neutrinos.