Chapter 8
Wyl
“I do not understand how this is supposed to misdirect Galactic Authority officials. All they have to do is remove the cloak.”
I adjust her hood a bit more, ensuring that her face is fully covered.
While we were preparing to dock at the station, I found a sheer, black film or fabric of some sort tucked into the rim of the hood.
This film attaches to the entire hood rim, preventing anyone from seeing beneath the cloak.
Now I know why I’ve never been able to glimpse a Ssylin face under the hoods they wear; once attached, the film just looks like a deep shadow.
“Remember, Aura, galactic law prohibits anyone, even the GA, from removing a Ssylin cloak. Our environments are too frigid for their species, and a Ssylin can go into fatal hypothermal shock within seconds of their cloak being removed.”
Aura sighs. “It is hot with the cloak closed, Wyl. Can I not install a cooling unit? My circuits will melt if this is on too long.”
“The GA inspector would detect that a mile away. They’ll run a cursory scan, which won’t detect your mechanical parts because they’re not looking for that kind of thing, but it will detect extreme temperature variances underneath the cloak.
We’ll just have to hope that they don’t take too long with our intake at the station.
I already sent a message to the station manager explaining that we need the environmentals in our room to be calibrated for Ssylin preferences. ”
“We will burn up in that room!”
“Not with the all-weather gear I found in storage on the ship.” Pointing to the skintight suit I have on, I flash a grin.
“It’s rated for all known habitable environments, including Ssylin-friendly ones.
Built-in cooling system pump cold fluid through synthetic ‘veins’ located throughout the suit.
There were a few of these in the crate I found, so you can put one on as soon as we’re safe inside.
For privacy reasons, the GA and station security are forbidden from conducting internal scans of the personal quarters onboard. ”
She frowns and gestures at my suit. “Why can we not simply readjust the environmental controls once we are inside?”
I shake my head. “No can do. If we tamper with the environmental settings, they’ll know in a nanosecond.
Look at the cloak; dressing like a Ssylin is, outwardly, the simplest way for anyone with an outstanding warrant to avoid detection by the GA.
Station security personnel monitors any change in the room temperature controls for that very reason.
In fact, I don’t think it’s possible to access that system from within the room.
We’d have to contact station officials to get it adjusted even a few degrees. ”
“Your head is not covered. You will still overheat. I will still overheat.”
“Don’t worry about that. These suits each have a detachable hood with built-in cooling fans.
We’ll both be fine.” Since we’re about to reach the station, I flip my hood up and reset the environmental controls on Jupiter’s Joy to approximate a Ssylin-friendly temperature.
It’ll be tough for Aura until we dock and get to the safety of our quarters on the station, but since we’re nearing scanning range of Declan VI, it’s necessary.
Once the station completes its scan, the docking process begins. We stand by the airlock, ready to board when the seal is in place.
Aura still looks skeptical of the plan. “How long must we maintain this farce? Though I am capable of lying, I do not enjoy it. I understand the necessity, but it is … frustrating.”
Before I can answer, the airlock clicks and hisses as it begins to open.
Normally, stations keep their airlock corridors brightly lit, but someone at the controls had the presence of mind to dim them after I announced my “Ssylin” crew member.
I take Aura’s hand, which is covered by special sleeves sewn into the cloak, voluminous things with built-in clawed gloves at the end, and guide her out of the airlock to where the station’s boarding liaison stands at the other end.
To be honest, Aura’s guiding me more than I am her. She can still see through the film on the hood using her infrared sensors, but I’m at risk of tripping in this lighting.
“Good day, Mr. Nosurn, Corrun Klisst.” The liaison’s pronunciation of our fake Ssylin name is pretty spot on.
I have trouble pronouncing it correctly, and I’m the one who made it up.
“Welcome to Declan VI Orbital Station. I am Special Officer Jacques Conté, and I have been coordinating with our environmental team to create the perfect lodging for the two of you during your refueling stay here. From what I understand, Corrun Klisst, you are all that remains of your original complement, is that correct?”
“Yes,” Aura says in perfect Ssylinese. “Pirates boarded my vessel while most of the crew slept. The guards tried to save the rest. They failed. Corriss Nosurn found me near death. I was the only survivor. He was kind enough to bring me on his ship.”
Officer Conté bows respectfully in the old Earth custom. “I am terribly sorry for your loss, Corrun Klisst. My condolences. Will you require the aid of our medics while you are here?”
Shit. We hadn’t anticipated that level of hospitality.
Aura’s on it. “Corriss Nosurn has medical training. He healed me.”
“Many blessings on his house for his kindness.”
I hope the formalities don’t take much longer. Aura could overheat if it does, and I won’t have an explanation for why my “Ssylin” compatriot collapsed.
Time to butt in.
“Beg your pardon, officer, but may we be escorted to our rooms? Corrun Klisst would like to get settled, and the sooner we can do that, the better. I can return for our things later, or if you’ve got a grav cart you can spare, I’ll gladly push it.”
He clears his throat and blushes slightly. “My apologies. Cadet Brrt here will escort you. They are a Hilunnite-human hybrid, so if you need any help unloading your things, they can withstand the temperatures in your quarters.”
A hybrid? Interesting. The Galactic Authority has some strict regulations on cross-species breeding, so for one to be a cadet on the station, they must be exceptional indeed.
Hilunnites are distant genetic “cousins” of Ssylins.
Not related by blood, or at least not that any geneticist has been able to confirm, but their species are so similar that many consider them familial races.
More humanoid than reptilian, they have a wider range of tolerable temperatures, and their vision has adapted to a broader light spectrum.
Since Ssylins rarely join human-heavy crews, I’d wager that Cadet Brrt is probably the closest to a Ssylin ambassador that the station has to offer.
As we walk through the maze of corridors to our quarters, Cadet Brrt, a tall, lithe individual with scaly skin, slitted pupils, and a long tail, attempts polite conversation, speaking primarily in Ssylinese.
“Corrun Klisst, I am excited to meet you. Few Ssylins have traveled here. I miss Hilunn some days, so this gives me great pleasure.”
I’m glad I brushed up on my Ssylinese before we boarded. I can understand the spoken language well enough to follow a basic conversation, but don’t ask me to speak it. I stumble over the pronunciation, oftentimes causing disastrous mistranslations as a result.
“Thank you, Cadet. I, too, welcome the sight of a kindred spirit.” Aura makes a flourishing gesture with her free hand.
The motion is too precise to be accidental, so I wonder if it has special meaning to either Ssylins or Hilunnites.
“Though I admit, I miss my rear appendage more now that I see yours. Mine has not regrown after the attack.”
Smart. I hadn’t thought of making up a story for her “missing” tail, and we didn’t have the time or materials to fabricate a false tail before we docked.
Cadet Brrt frowns. “My hopes that it returns quickly.”
“That is my hope as well, though there is scar tissue. It may be lost forever.”
Even smarter. That’s my girl.
The walk to our assigned quarters only takes a few minutes, but I note that Aura’s steps become slower and more erratic the longer we walk. We aren’t moving fast enough for my comfort. Is she going to make it?
“Here we are. Apologies for the long walk, but this was the closest suite available.”
Our room is sweltering when we enter. I quickly thank the cadet and ask him to leave our things in the entryway as I rush Aura to the bathroom, claiming that she needs to eliminate.
No sooner has the outer door hissed shut than I yank off the cloak and turn the shower on its coolest setting.
Poor Aura is practically incoherent, her circuits audibly crackling from the intense heat beneath the cloak.
Aura and I talked about this possibility before we docked, but I’m still uncertain about putting her under the stream. She insisted that her parts are all watertight, and she assured me that a shower wouldn’t harm her.
Steam rises as the cold water comes in contact with her overheated body, and I realize a crucial error on our part as soon as I start trying to wrestle her crew uniform off:
Her suit is drenched now, plastered to her skin, and I can’t remove it.
“God damn it!” Tugging only seems to make matters worse, but I can’t quite get a good grip on an edge to peel the fabric off. Did she get so hot that it started to melt to her body? I’ll never get it off if that’s the case!
“C-c-cut … Wyl …”
Her voice is so faint I can barely hear her. As soon as I figure it out, I grab safety scissors from the medkit, designed for cutting clothes off living beings without cutting their skin in the process, and slice through her suit.
Good thing we brought extras.
It takes a good ten minutes for her to regain basic functionality and another five to fully cool off.
The whole time I’m dripping with a combination of sweat from the room’s heat and water that I’ve managed to splash all over myself while taking care of Aura.
When Aura reaches up and strokes my cheek with a weak touch, I worry that I was too late.
“You are diaphoretic, Wyl, and your body temperature is elevated. Your pulse is tachycardic, and your rhythm is erratic. Please apply the hood of your suit and activate its cooling feature. I will be fine here for now.”
Rather than rushing to get my hood, I collapse on the bathroom floor next to the shower as hysterical laughter bubbles out of me.
“Don’t scare me like that, Aura.” Tears of relief stream from my eyes, and I wipe them with the back of my hand. “When it comes times to leave, you’re gonna be naked under that cloak. It’s safer in the long run.”