It took less than an hour for Sio to pack what little belongings she had. It's not to say she were impoverished, rather the life of a Dunestrider permitted no luxuries. The Admiral had given her ample time to say goodbye to her loved ones. She decided one last meal with them would suffice, but it meant facing Ava. She tried to think of Eli rather than Ava. Eli whose innocence and life conquered whatever misadventure he was keen on seeing through. She focused on the fact that she would see Lee again, his humor always one to cheer her up. She would reunite with Aki, Lee's sister whom she had not truly seen since Sio's departure for the Rite.
She might have fooled herself into thinking Ava might not be there at all, having something to do serving the tribe. But as the time passed, and the sun set, she knew she would have to face her sooner rather than later. She wondered if Ava's years in civil service and imprisonment made her repentant. It was likely not the case. The opposite was likely true.
She gathered her bags and went off in the direction of Auburn's shell-unit. Walking across fresh snow, she noticed the sky was clearer that night than she remembered. She watched as the stars shimmered as their light touched the atmosphere. Before a moment had gone by she was already at the front door. And there Ava stood, arms crossed and leaning in the doorway. A moment of panic seized Sio's chest, but with a deep breath she pushed the feeling down. Ava will not harm you. She reassured herself. She glanced at the doorway and saw Auburn standing there watching both of them, breath causing vapor in the air.
"I figured it would be best if we met before joining the others." She said. Sio really got to look at her then. Her hair had greyed significantly, her brown eyes no longer shone with that strange determination ten years ago, but rather were dulled. Her face was guant, more so than normal aging would permit. Sio straightened her posture as much as she could with her bags weighing her down.
"You've changed." Sio said simply. Ava nodded, unsmiling.
"So have you." She offered. There was a note in her voice that made Sio think perhaps Ava did have some ounce of regret. For what, Sio wasn't sure. Did she regret causing the mine to collapse? Did she regret getting caught? There were many things that she should regret, thought Sio. She should regret facing me. Anger started to rise with that thought. The silence stretched between them. Sio, unwavering in her stare, spoke first.
"Do you have anything to say?" She tried to hide her anger, but failed miserably. Ava closed her eyes for a moment as if absorbing some sort of blow.
"Yes." Ava opened her eyes and let out a breath. "I cannot pay for what has been lost. You have every right to hate me. So hate me you shall."
Sio stood motionless. There was no apology. No regret. And yet something gave way in Sio. "No." She said. Ava at least had the decency to look surprised. Sio did not feel pity, nor any semblance of compassion toward Ava nor did it seem Ava toward Sio. "I do not hate you, Ava. You're not worth effort."
Sio pushed past Ava, and greeted Auburn who gave her a firm handshake and put his other arm around her shoulders. He whispered a thank you, and motioned the others inside to alert them of Sio's arrival. Sio did not look back over her shoulder as she went inside, she did not bother to see how Ava would react. She simply looked around and saw all of her family gathered in one place, and smiled.
—
It was late in the evening when dinner concluded, Sio gathered her bags. The Admiral said she'd have until the morning to board The Lark, but Sio was eager to get started with her duties. She'd never been off-planet before. The thought excited her. She was finally going to see the Great Void closer than she ever thought possible. Everyone had lined up to give her a goodbye. First was Laura, ever her best friend, had packed away some of Sio's favorite foods and placed them in a canister for her to eat later, Dr. Tausidi similarly gave her some local treats that she favored. Eli had given her a figurine far too worn to really tell what it was, but he insisted it gave him the best luck. Lee and Aki combined their efforts to give Sio a satchel they had been working on since before the Rite, it doubled as a medicine bag. Auburn was last to say goodbye surprising her with a tight hug and a tearful wish well. He had given her a puzzle disc, the one that held all of his ship model holograms. Sio, equipped with her new gifts, breathed deeply as she stared at each of them. She would remember this moment, and cherish it.
She shuffled her feet under the weight of her things, which, truth be told, weren't much. Just her father's old duffle bag stuffed with her undersuits, a couple of bags carrying her utilities and toiletries, and the new satchel given to her. She gave each person an embrace and some parting words. She told Eli to be good for his family, his father would need his help. She told Lee and Aki to be true pillars of the community, as she know they will grow to be. She told Laura and Dr. Tausidi thank you for teaching her all that they knew. Finally, she approached Auburn with one more tearful hug, with no words to really describe just how grateful she was to her mentor. She took one final look around the room, then turned to leave.
The trek across town was languid. She patiently paced herself to the beat of the windchimes hanging from the aunties' houses. They rang every so often with a wistful tone. She whistled with them. She couldn't help but feel a form of ending in her final steps to The Lark. It would be at least half a year until she would see the village again, the Great Void being so vast between systems with stars still in Harmony with the Grand Sympony. They were few and far, this much she knew. She wondered how much clearer the stars would be up close.
She arrived at the port where she saw workers clearing the site for launch. The Lark was a beautiful ship, large with a wingspan several shell-units in length. From Auburn's ship guide on the puzzle disc this was surely an S class passenger shuttle at least. While not a fighter class, passenger frigates boasted a balance of firepower and shielding strength to protect envoys. It was it's navigation and solar drive that was truly the focus of its design. If Sio recalled, so long as all systems were nominal it would easily be able to skip 300 Light Years in a week. The Royal Lineage Capital was a thousand times that distance. Sio sighed at the thought of piloting the ship, but knew reading about it and doing it were two different things. She may have spent years tinkering with several part by part holograms, but it meant little actually flying the thing. She heard footsteps approach her and looked over her shoulder to see the Admiral also approaching the ship.
"Not many Admirals would trade in their Capital Ship for passenger duty." Sio said quietly as she approached so only she could hear. "What would you gain from stirring up the local gossip?"
The Admiral laughed and motioned for Sio to follow to the docking bay away from outside on lookers. Once they were in, the Admiral replied with a similarly quiet tone.
"It benefits your mystique." She lead Sio through the corridors of the ship to the bridge where the command room was located. "What would the Tribunal think of an Admiral's envoy picking up one woman from what some consider a backwater planet?"
"Surely some sort of scandal… Or secret." Sio supplied. The Admiral nodded. "I thought the whole point was to maintain anonymity."
"Well, let's just say there's much more at play than what is at face value, Sio. Keep that in mind." The Admiral called one of her subordinates and told them to take her to her bunk. Sio thanked the Admiral with a bow as they were dismissed. She followed the crewmember to her bunk where she would be sharing space with a few members. Sio placed her bags down on the bed, relieved of the excess weight. Sio noted she was the only one present for now.
"Where are the others?" She asked casually, placing some items away.
"Most crewmembers will be at the mess hall, we're the skeleton crew at the moment. Admiral Argus wants you to report to command after you've settled." She kindly let the crewman know he was free to go, and with a swift shut of the door, Sio was alone. She gathered her things and shoved them into the locker next to her bunk and sat taking in the change to her environment. It was cramped and didn't offer much space, she thought she had little to stuff in the locker but found even her small belongings barely fit in the crew locker she was assigned. She was immediately reminded of climbing through the mines with Auburn and her pack, with barely enough room to breath. She thought it would be a little more…spacious in space. A ping sounded in the overhead speakers, and an announcement followed.
"ALL CREW ACCOUNTED FOR. PLEASE BRACE FOR LIFT OFF."
Sio looked around for any type of secure seat, but upon finding none braced herself on the floor of her cabin. She felt the lurch of the ship weigh down upon her shoulders then with a heavy shift in weight lifted her off her seated position about half a length from the floor. When she felt that it was safe to stand she ran to the window on the side of the cabin and watched as everything she ever knew became smaller and smaller until they were breaking the atmosphere. Lights and flames erupted around the ship and a jolt was felt as they broke through. Sio nearly fell on her back. Then they were in the upper atmosphere. Sio gasped as she saw her planet become a marble in the sky.