Aquana Chapters 1-4

Sky looked out of her window into the darkness of the ocean, and sighed. Brook has gotten tired of sleeping with her and had finally convinced the captain that she needed her own room. Sky didn't like sleeping without her sister. She tried to tell herself that Brook was just at a sleep over, not gone forever. It didn't work though, because even though Brook was right next door she was too far away to hug. To far away to keep Sky's dreams at bay. Sky knew the minute she closed her eyes the dreams would be on her, and tonight, for the first night ever, there would be no one to chase the dreams back into the darkness.1

Sky lay back on her bed, and stared at the ceiling. There were 987 tiles in the roof. She knew because she had timed and plussed. It had taken her two hours to work out in her head. Perhaps she should have just counted, but it was too late now. She already knew how many there were. The bed was too cold. Things in the room made dark shadows against the walls, shadows that morphed into horrible creatures. Sky looked out the window again, and something looked in at her.It was only there for a second, something horrible and ugly. Something green with gaping wounds slime oozing up and down its arms and legs....2

Sky jumped in her bed and the lights turned on. She looked at her clock, which proudly displayed the time as 10:15.3

'Aiya!' Sky grumbled, getting out of bed. There had been no one to wake her, and now she was late at her duty station. What day was it? Friday.... so Henry would be duty leader of the day, great. Just what she needed on 5 hours sleep. Sighing Sky got up, moved to her clothes compartment and selected one of three uniforms. It wasn't as clean as she'd of liked, but it would have to do. The later she was, the harder it would go for her. She carefully did up all the buttons and made sure the folds were all along correct lines. Then she opened the door and ran for the bridge.4

Henry was waiting for her when she reaches the bridge. 'Where have you been?' he asked, and Sky came to attention.5

'Sorry sir. Forgot to wake up sir. Won't happen again.'6

'It better not.' He sneered and walked off. Sky went to her duty station and sat down. It wasn't even as if her job was important. She simply monitored radio waves. If anyone called the captain who wasn't important Sky told them he was busy. If it was someone important Sky informed the captain who got ready to see the person, and then talked to them. It was almost a meaningless job, and one a puter could have easily done but everyone had to work. There wasn't room on a ship for two orphans to just grow up.7

'How ya doing?' A red haired girl across from her asked. Sky concentrated..... Megan. She was kind of a friend, as much as Sky had any.8

'I'm OK, how are you?' Sky answered. She wasn't OK, but she wasn't going to say different to this girl, or anyone else. Admitting you were lonely or scared was a sign of weakness. Brook always told her to avoid showing weakness.9

'Oh, OK.' Megan said, looking hurt, then went back to watching her duty station. She could tell the little girl was upset but obviously didn't want to talk. She wondered briefly what Sky was doing here at all, as she often did. Normally you had to be 16 at least to work a duty station, but this girl was maybe 10. She was small for her age, with slim bony arms and messy tussled hair.10

Sky was bored already. She started thinking about the duty stations computer. It was small, about the size of a paper back book. She wondered if she could make it have games. Opening up the command center she started typing in basic codes. She was pleased to see a little black dot start bouncing around the screen. Her triumphs ushering her on she started inputting other kinds of codes, ones that made more dots go vertically. She was thinking about how to make two dots come together and form one when Henry leaned over behind her and stare at the screen.11

'What the hell do you think your doing?' Sky flipped the screen off, but it was too late. 'Do you realize what you were doing?' Henry all but yelled. Sky shrunk back from him and looked at the floor. She wanted to yell at him that he was a jerk and she hadn't been doing anything wrong, but her voice wouldn't work. Henry seemed lost for words at her stupidity. He clenched and unclenched his fists, rocking back and forth on his heels. Her silence seemed to anger him even more. He began to pace back and forth12

staring at her. She felt tears welling into her eyes. It was all just too much, too much confusion, to much anger. She wanted Brook. Where was Brook? If only she could find Brook! Brook would make everything better.13

'You, you stupid little....... get out of here and go down to V deck. You are given jack duty for a month. Next time I see you doing anything so stupid I will get you transferred there, permanently. Do you understand?'14

Sky nodded her head vigorously, tears almost breaking threw her defences.15

'Then get out of my site.' Sky ran as fast as she could out the door, but she didn't head down to V deck. Instead she went side ways to com central, the station in charge of personals locations.16

'Can I help you?' A boy named Jake asked as soon as she entered the room. Sky strained to keep emotion out of her voice and mostly succeeded.17

'Do you know where Brook Stone is at the moment?' Jake looked at her for a few minutes, then opened up the duty roaster. He ran his finger down it muttering, 'Stone, Stone, Stone......... ah her she is. Brook stone if on the main bridge today. She's started an apprenticeship with the navigator and is unlikely to be anywhere else for a long time. Navigators have 12 hour shifts. '18

Sky's stomach fell and she couldn't stop the tears, murmuring something that sounded a bit like thank you she ran back out the door and hid behind it. She started to cry really really hard. She needed Brook, she needed her right here and now, but no one who was not on duty was allowed on the main bridge unless they had a duty to perform. There was too much chance more people would fowl up the works and crash the ship. There was just no way to get to Brook. Sky cried harder and harder, feeling confused and retched and unloved. Brook hadn't wanted her anymore, which is why she'd moved out of their bunk, and now she'd probably never get to see Brook what with her being a navigator apprentice.19

Her stomach hurt with the sobs, but she couldn't stop, instead she curled in a ball and lay on the ground outside com central. She hadn't been there long before a hand landed on her shoulder and a gentle voice asked if she were OK. She rubbed her eyes and face with her hand, wiping the tears away and clearing her blurred vision. She looked up then, and groaned. It was the captain! Captain Felix Cobb, the last person she wanted to see her cry. Well the last person after Brook, anyway. She tried to say, 'I'm fine,' but the words wouldn't come out. That made Sky angry at her herself, which in turn made her want to cry again.20

The captain looked at the door to com central, then shrugged, reached down and picked up the little girl who was so upset. She didn't weigh very much for someone her age. As he held her she burst out crying again and wrapping her arms around his neck wailed even harder then she had been when he came up.21

'Shhhhhh, shhhhhhh. Its OK, its OK. There there.' he said awkwardly patting her head. He wasn't used to this. He'd never really had to deal with people who cried before. Wondering what to do he decided something warm to drink would be the thing and set off for his office. When he got there the girl had stopped crying as hard. He laid her down on his couch and went to the coffee pot. Coffee, he reflected, wouldn't work. Maybe just some nice hot water with loads of honey in it? He tried that and the girl seemed to like it. She calmed down anyway and sipped happily at the liquid. 'Now then,' he said gently, 'what, ah, what seems to be upsetting you little one?' The girl sniffed, and for a second the captain though she was going to cry again, but she settled herself and controlled her voice.22

'I..... was looking for my sister. I need to see her.' The captain nodded encouragingly. He had been an only child, but understood siblings often needed each other sometimes. 'So..... Um. I went to com to find were she was supposed to be..... and she's on main bridge.' The girl seemed calmed down, and the captain wanted to keep her so, but he didn't exactly see how this was a problem.23

'And?.......'24

'Well.......a h..... Your only aloud to go there if you got work. And I don't got work.' Sky answered, looking at the wall.25

'Ah, I see. Well yes that would be a problem. Who if your sister?'26

'Brook Stone.' Sky answered again, looking at the wall even harder. The captain raised his arm to his mouth and called for Brook Stone to please report to his office. That made Sky look up at him in fright. Somehow she didn't think Brook would like being called to his office. She didn't.27

'Sir?' Brook said stepping in the door and saluting. 'Brook Stone sir, navigation. You called?' Her eyes ran around the room and hardened on her sister, sitting and drinking something on the captains couch. 'What has my sister done now?' She asked, her voice icy.28

'Hmmmm?' the captain said looking up from some work. 'Oh, yes your sister. She wanted to see you and was upset when she couldn't. I don't know that she's actually done anything, as such. It just seemed she felt it was rather urgent.' Sky didn't feel it was so urgent anymore. She was in fact feeling like the whole thing would have been better if she had just went down to V deck. Her sister turned to her.29

'Well? What did you want to see me about?' Sky looked back down at the floor.30

'Henry was on duty, and I was late.... and then I was playing a game with the communications computer and he caught me and sent me down to the jacks for the week.' Brook looked stunned for a second, then rolled her eyes.31

'That's it? That's the big thing you needed to tell me?' Sky nodded her head sadly. Brook turned to the Captain. 'I'm sorry my sister disturbed you sir. I will make sure it never happens again.'32

'Wait a sec. You say you played a game with the communications computer? What kind of game?' Sky felt Brook watching her and felt ashamed.33

'I was making a little dot merge with another dot and then trying to drift them over into a circle using computer code sir. I'm sorry.' The captain whistled.34

'What are you, nine, ten? Who taught you to do that? Actually it doesn't matter. Brook could you take her to com central? I would like her given to one of the techs to train. Any girl who can do that at ten is being wasted in communication and output. '35

'Yes sir. Right away sir.' Brook answered, and Sky's heart lightened. She wouldn't have to work Jacks, and she would never have to be under Henry again. As the door closed behind them Sky smiled and Brook hit her. Falling to the ground, a look of shock on her face Sky looked up at her older sister. Brook was trembling, rage splayed across her face. 'You stupid fucking brat!' Brook shouted hitting her again. 'Don't you ever, ever do that again!' Sky just lay there, tears once again falling from her eyes as Brook spun on her heel and walked toward com central. When she noticed Sky wasn't fallowing she looked back and made a point of waiting. Sky got up and hurried after her. Brook didn't say anything to her, and after she'd given com the captains message she walked away. Sky was left alone in com central.36

Her face hurt, and her eyes hurt. She was told to go back to her bunk and return at about 9 the next day. She would be apprenticed to a guy named Kyle. She would show up promptly and obey any orders given. She returned to her bunk and lay on her bed. The reflection of water on her wall made a glimmering dark green. She looked at her ceiling and counted the tiles. There were 987.37

38

Chapter 2.39

Sky was standing on a dock above water. Brook was at their house with their parents, which was across a little river. Sky was watching as, off in the distance, red lights and fire rained down on the Breeze settlement. Distant screams could be heard whispering like ghosts on the wind and everything smelled like smoke. The huge ships that had desended hours earlier in the sky were spreading out now. Sky could see them heading toward the major cities, raining their death down on them, and in the sea things were floating.40

Sky woundered what they were, some new weapon of the enemy? Something that would attack and kill? She turned back toward her house, as she always did in this dream, looking for Brook to come as she always did. But today was different. Today there was no Brook, running to her as she had that day, no Brook to drag her to where their parents waited in the bushes. Sky could see Brook in the house still, and a ship was coming closer and closer. Something red and white shot from the ship at the house, and Sky watched as the house blew apart. Bits of furniture and people landed all around her, and Sky screamed.41

She turned to jump into the ocean, to swim and flea the terrible dream but the things in the water were finally close enouph to be seen. The closest one was a little boy, or most of one at least. Half his chest was gone along with one of his arms but his eyes were there. They hooked on Sky, watching her from whatever emptiness the little boy had been carried to. Sky was horrified, but at the same time transfixed. She leaned over the dock to look at him, though the site made her want to retch and a slimy green hand reached out of the water, grabbed her arm and pulled her in.42

Sky woke as she thudded against the floor, wimpering. Her sheets had vomit on them, and a wet feeling in her legs worried her. For a few secounds she lay there, dazed, then she kicked her way out of her blankets and ran to the wall, pushing a button. Suddenly part of the wall slid away and a shower spread itself out in front of her. She jumped in and turned the water on, ripping her clothes off and not caring if they got wet. That had been one of the worst dreams she'd had, ever.43

Always before Brook had ran to her, pulled her to their parents and the dream had ended with them fleeing the ship, never sure if this time it would get them. The memory of the bodies didn't belong in that dream, for it had been a different day she'd seen them. A different day in a different location when they had been heading to the city to see if there were any survivors. It scared her that the memories might merge, and become even more horrible.44

When she got over the shocks the dream left behind she went back to her bed, collected the night gown and blankets and put them in the washer behind the far wall and looked at her clock. It was 8:00, which was acturally something close to perfect timeing. Her secound uniform of the three she owned was now the cleanest, so she put it on and brushed her hair. She hated doing that, because her hair was always tangly. When she had been younger she had always cried when her mother or Brook did it, which had made her father laugh. Now it was required by ship law, one of another hundred things that would always be different from before.45

At 8:45 she reported to her new duty station under the Tech named Kyle. He was extreamly tall, and he didn't talk alot. Sky liked him though, because he seemed fair. Whenever he could tell she was bored, he gave her something to do and when he needed her to do something he asked. Sky liked him a whole lot better then Henry any day. Kyle was also really smart. He knew how to do so many things that Sky got a head ach trying to keep up, but in a good way. She didn't know it but Kyle was also deeply impressed with her. She learned quickly and was polite, which were the two main quialities he looked for in a person.46

At first when Kyle had been told he would be forced to take on a ten year old as a aprentice he'd been angry. The idea that what he had to teach was so worthless that they wouldn't let him teach someone who could understand was maddening but Sky wasn't that way. He'd never met someone who grasped code so well and quickly. He smiled, thinking the only word that could possibly describe her was, Gifted.47

By the end of the week Sky was at the same level as all the other, older apprentices. By the end of the month she was that little bit ahead, but she didn't seem to realize it. The other aprentices were envious of her though, and took to picking on her when their masters weren't around. They called her stupid, and sometimes they hit her, causing bruises and one time a nose bleed, but she never complained or cried. At night her dreams were just as bad, but she was able to conquer them more often. During the day she was the happiest she'd been for a long time. She hardly thought about Brook anymore, except at night. There were so many new things to learn and she wanted to know everything.48

After six months Kyle took to letting her run the station and worked on other things. When he was doing something dificult or new he had Sky watch him, to see how he did it. He started showing her how the computers wires fit togeather, which bits did what and so on. The other apprentises always watched too, but they didn't see anything of what Kyle was teaching. They watched Sky and hated her because she was better then them. One of the aprrentices looked harder and hated more then all the others.49

Sam Thyme was 21, and still a apprentice. He didn't really understand mechines, didn't get their workings or the conection the way other people did. For years the other apprentices picked on him for that, until he got to be tall enough that he could beat them all up. Then he started picking on them. It started with almost unoticable things, like lunches gone missing but then those that complained where found to have heavy bruises the next day. Soon people stopped mentioning it when their lunches went missing and so Sam gained power, which he used to torment the younger apprentices. All of that was when Sam was reasonably happy, but he wasn't happy anymore. He was upset because the little girl named Sky was making him look bad and he was going to do something about it. No one made Sam Thyme look bad without repricusions, especially not someone so.... fragile.50


One day Kyle took Sky down to the engine room. A computer hadn't been looked at for a week, and Kyle wanted to make sure absolutly nothing was wrong with it.51

"Why's this computer so imporant?" Sky asked, looking at it. It didn't look special to any degree. The ones in the tech center had many more complicated codes, and the design of the mechine was so simple that Sky secretly felt she could make one.52

"This is the most important computer on the ship because it tells that cylindrical mechine over there," Kyle said pointing to the left, "What to do and when to do it." Sky looked at the mechine, and Kyle could see her confusion growing. "That cylindrical mechine is what keeps us allive when we swim deep, which is most of the time. See what happens is, as you get farther and farther down in the water, the pressure against your hull gets greater and greater. There isn't a ship can be built from just metal today that can reach the very bottom, with its crew allive."53

"At about the quarter way point your ship starts taking water, cause the pressure opens up seems. By the time you get to the middle of the deepest depths your ship is a pancake, and nothing on any world is gonna bring you back from that."54

"But the colonys right on the bottom. I remember someone telling me that. How do we live, if you can't get to the bottom without being smashed?" Sky asked, looking at the mechine, which hummed at her.55

"Quite simple really, when you think about it. Anyone every told you about how the Spacer's ships use force fields to keep their air in and bad things, like missles and asteriods out?" Sky nodded. Brook had spend a whole day telling her once. Brook had been saying that was why when the spacers came the colonists hadn't even been able to defend themselves. "Well, we use the same technology. Only we push the pressure of the water out. It just enouph that it won't crush us, cause overwise it'd be hard to sail, but it makes it so we can go anywhere in our ocean. The colony had a huge one, bout 15 houndred miles wide 'round it. If it ever malfuntioned, even just for five minutes everyone would be dead. They wouldn't even sufficate, the pressure would just squeeze the life out of them. Thats why the puters that control the force fields mechines have to be looked after all the time. We can't afford to have them malfuntion, even for a moment."56

"Wouldn't it be easier if we could just have back ups? Ones that would go on if anything went wrong?" Sky asked, shivering. She imagined herself smashed to death in five secounds by millions of tons of water.57

"Yeah, that would be nice. Hard to do though, cause theres a meterial we need to make force fields we can only get on the surface, and the spacers control the surface. Anyone stepping into their territory is liable to become a slave." Kyle answered, pulling bits open on the mechine and looking them over. "Thats what the spacers do to anyone they find who isn't a spacer. They don't think of us as people. we're all just slave
gone and run away, far as their concerned."58

Kyle finished with the computer, and they started heading back toward the tech stations. "Why do they hate us so much?" Sky asked, taking two steps for every one of Kyles.59

"They don't, thats the thing. We simply don't matter to them."60

"Why?"61

"We just don't."62


Chapter 3.63

Sky woke up to the sound of docking bells. They screamed into the night, EEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey. Getting on her hands and neese she looked out of her small window, out threw the ocean. Breaze Colony shone in the dark water. Its cities glimmered as they drew closer. Sky knew she could not see, from this distance, the huge force field that sourounded the city though she could imagine she did. She saw it as a huge bubble, rippling with the oceans current. But how did the ship pass threw the shield? The thought had never occured to her before. Surely they could not enter the city without upsetting the field? 64

The thought made irrational cold feelings sweep threw her all the way from her toes to her head. She couldn't stay in the dark, not when she felt confused. She had to find Kyle and ask him it was the only way to put her mind at rest. She put on her last clean uniform and stepped out into the corridor. Someone was there already, someone was leaning against the wall, watching her room, waiting. 65

"Who's there?" Sky called, looking at the figure. The person didn't answer, they just laughed. Some how that was more scary than vieled threats ever could have been. They laughed and then they turned away, dropped something and walked away. For a few minutes Sky debated going over to see what the thing was but after a while she couldn't stand the coriosety. She went over and looked at the thing on the floor. It a rock with lines of pink and light blue shooting like lightning threw it. Sky knew it well because it was her favorite treasure, and one she always kept in her room. The person had been in her room. Had wanted her to know he'd been there, that he could have hurt her at any time. Sky shivered and picked up the rock. Clasping it in her hand she turned and ran for Kyle's cabin. 66

When Sky got to Kyle's cabin she banged as hard as she could on the door. Kyle opened the door still in only his boxers, but Sky didn't even notice. She rushed to him and threw her arms around him. 67

"Kyle, Kyle I'm so scared. Someone's been in my cabin, and they stood in shadow and they laughed. And I didn't know about the force fields, so I got up but they waited, they came. And they laughed at my fear. Kyle, they took the rock but they left it so I'd know!" 68

"What are you on about girl?" Kyle asked, looking bewildered. 69

"Someone was in my cabin!!!!" That Kyle understood. He ushered Sky into his cabin and sat her on his bed, while he paced back and forth. 70

"Did they touch you Sky, did they hurt you in anyway?" He asked, making fists by his sides.71

"No, but they stool my rock. Thats how I know, see? I came out to ask you how we get past Breeze's force field and there was this person just standing there waiting. And he laughed and dropped something and left, and I woundered what he'd dropped... and it was my rock! Only I never take it out of my chest......."72

"We must tell the captain." Kyle said, running his hand threw his hair. "But this is serious. Can you think of anyone who would want to scare you, anyone at all who would want to hurt you?" Sky could quite easily. All the other apprentices disliked her, all of them wanted to hurt her....73

"Everyone dislikes me. I don't know why, but I see it in their faces when they talk to me. I hear it in their voices when they wisper behind my back. I feel it when they watch me." This made Kyle stop and be silent for a minute, then he walked over to Sky and squated down by her. Looking into her face, into her eyes he saw the sadness that lingered in them.74

"You have had a harder life then they can imagine Sky. They were on boats with their families the secount the attacks were expected, ushered into hiding and safety. They never saw anyone hit or knew anyone who died. They see that horror in you, see that it has made you stronger then them, and it scares them. They also see your brillaince. That is why they dislike you Sky. Its because deep down they know you deserve everything they have, everything they don't. It isn't your fault and you should never, ever be ashamed of it."75

Then Kyle got up and grabbed her hand, leading her down the hall to the captains cabin. Sky thought a lot about what Kyle had said. He said people didn't like her because she had seen horrors, things she wished she could forget. They disliked her because she was good at mechines, but she wished she were not as good. She wished she could just be like everyone else. All she wanted, all she wanted in the world at that momment was to be normal. 76

The captain ordered her sent to a new cabin, and that she should share that cabin with another girl tech. Sky was a little scared to share her life with someone else, but the captain said someone her age shouldn't be alone anyway. The girl she was to live with was named Amy and she was 23. The captain said that would be good, because Amy had always wanted kids but couldn't have them, and Sky needed a mother figure. Sky liked Amy enouph, but didn't think she could ever think of her as a mother figure. 77

Kyle also took some time to explain about Breeze's force field. There was a small force field that went off from a building at the edge of the big force field. When no one was parked in the dock that ones force field was off, but when people docked it was turned on. It expanded under the other force field, and much like a bubble merged into one field. Then the person docked unloaded or loaded all the things they wanted to. When all things were done with they turned the force field off and the ships one came back on. This was a very dangerous time for the ship, because if they didn't have shields lined up exactly the entire ship would be crushed.78

"We've got it down to a science though," Kyle assured her. "In the begaining there were a lot of deaths, but now.... Hardly any at all. Maybe once in a while a new ship won't have it as perfect as they'd like, or a old ship will malfunction but it almost never happens anymore, really. Don't worry, we'll be fine. "79

When it came time to dock everyone not on bridge were told to go to their quarters and buckle in. For a few minutes there were sudden jumps and bumps by the ship, then there was a huge one and suddenly no more movement. The captain came on the com and reported a compleatly sucessful docking. Amy sighed with relief and admited to Sky that entry always scared the hell out of her, which made Sky laugh. Then Amy took Sky out to the stock yard. Sky looked out at the force fields, and laughed again. In some places fish had gotten stuck between the shields, along with water. The deep sea fishes, which usaully had to work extreamly hard to move at all were swimming quickly back and forth in the pockets. 80

Sky woundered if the fish didn't get themselves caught on purpose, so that they too could enjoy the freedom from gravity. It seemed to her the best thing in the world to see, the most amazing and beautiful thing she would ever see in her life. Then Amy took her to the forest. It was made from thousands and thousands of sea plants that had grown around the field. When the force field was up, Amy explained, the difference in gravity was so great that the plants rose up into the air like trees. Many of those who spend their lives on the ship were enjoying the day by climbing up into the trees. Some of the apprentices were even seeing if they could reach the force field, to feel its roof against their fingers. When some of the masters saw that they were doing so they rushed over and yelled for the apprentices to come down.81

"They could die, as many have done doing that." Amy said, pointing at the apprentices. "There is a slight shock one gets when one touches the force field. Not great or dangerous, when your on the ground, but with that fall..... Many sad souls have passed away dowing that. Many young ones who could have grown to be great." Sky nodded, understanding. The other apprentices just saw an adventure, they didn't understand the dangers, or if they did they overlooked them. Assuming that just because they were young they couldn't die. Sky knew better all too well. "Has anyone ever took you to the colony?" Amy asked, looking off at the Barn, which was what she called the seperator building. 82

Sky said she hadn't, and so Amy got promision from the captain to take her off. The colony was as unlike the ship as it was possible to be. People wore colored dresses that swayed when they walked and had bits flying off in all directions. The woman had hair that was braided in intricate fasion to stick over, under and to the side of their head. The richer the ladies seemed to be, the more impractical their garb. The men all wore suits of different shapes and sizes, with wierd marking along arms and chest. Amy explained that those markings said what royal family the people were born to, or worked for. 83

"Do you have a roayl family?" Sky asked. Amy just laughed and said that people who worked on boats could never rise so high. 84

"No, the royal family are those who first discovered this place and built the force fields. Them and their relations. The king used to be a vice president before the spacers, but when the spacers attacked he kinda grabbed control. Now we have kings instead of presidents."85

"Whats a president?"86

"Someone with a lot less power." Amy answered, smiling. "Now lets get you some clothes, and then food maybe a movie.... We are gonna have fun." The clothes store was like nothing Sky had ever seen before. Thin dresses lined the shelves in all colors. Some off to the side were on display with the same sorta patterns that Amy said showed royalty. Amy explained that it was considered rude to brag about station among ladies, but some people would always be rude.87

"Is that why so many men wear them while hardly any woman do?" Sky asked, looking at one shirt that was beautiful with gold and blue streaming togeather to form a picture of a woman standing by a fish. The image girls hair streamed out from her, flowing along with invisible currents. 88

"Yep, though I can't claim to be an expert. What ladies and gents do is none of our bussiness. Now come and look at this silver dress, I think i'd look wounderful on you." Sky liked the dress, so they baught it. Sky was a little hesitant about allowing Amy to spend on her, but she really liked the dress so she decided to worry about it later. 89

The lady at the store even said Sky could change in heir back room and walk out with the dress. Amy said a lot of people did this, and the shop keepers liked them to because it was a free advertisement for their merchandise. The dress was long and soft, made from some kind of fish and sea tree. It hugged tight around Sky, but didn't chaff her skin. Sky looked at herself in the mirror and imagined she was a princess. She even did a little elegant bow to herself. Amy laughed, and Sky blushed, thinking she must look stupid to the older girl. 90

"When I was your age I always pretended I was a fairy." Amy said, putting a comforting hand on Sky's shoulder. "Till one day I made pretend so much I believed it, and tried to fly off my roof. After that my parents took me aside and told me I couldn't pretend to be a fairy anymore." Sky smiled, thinking that she would never be so foolish as to try something like that. Amy could have gotten herself killed pulling something like that. Her parents must have been very worried about her.91

"Now lets get that grub, I'm starved." The place Amy took Sky to eat was a Pol'lomi, which Amy explained meant it served fish and rice only. "Though its some of the best fish and rice you'll ever taste." It was. The fish was dipped in some kind of intense sweat and spicy sauce. The rice was so soft it almost could melt in your mouth. Sky savored every taste, holding it in her mouth for a minute and sucking up all the flavour. By the time they finished it was time to go back to the ship. 92

Sky had also decided she could really like Amy. Amy was fun and cool, and Amy knew everything, or just about. Sky was very tired, so she decided to go to sleep right when they got back. She lay on the bed, and for the first time in months went to sleep without any dreams at all. 93

The next few days were full of hustle and bustle, loading this, unloading that. Making sure everything was were it was suposed to be. Sky was also surprised to learn a lot of the crew was leaving, and a lot more new crew were being taken aboard. A happy bit was all the other tech apprentices were being sent to different ships. The new apprentices were greenhorns, for the most part. Kids who didn't know anything more than what they'd been taught at the colony school, which wasn't apearently very much. Sky found herself looked up to because she was a vetran sailor. She told Amy about the big change and Amy nodded her head.94

"The other kids didn't like you because you learned quicker than them. You were expected to not know as much so it anoyed them when you did. These kids expect you to know more, so they don't feel threatened by you." Sky was just happy to finally have other kids who liked her around. She liked two of the new kids more then all the others though. Chris and David were the most fun out of all the other kids. Chris was a dark short girl with big eyes who was always level headed, but playful. David was a tall blond guy with a steady sence of humer. They hit it right off and soon spend nearly all hours of the day togeather.95

Things were getting even better in tech training too. Kyle had Sky working on very difficult problems and sometimes he allowed her to run her watch all by herself. Of course though she didn't know it Kyle was never more then one room away while she did this, just in case some emergancy sprang up, but Sky was having the best time of her life. That was before Brook came to her the last day they were at port.96

Sky was working on re wiring a busted drone when she looked up and saw Brook in the door way. She was dressed in the same kind of clothes as people as the colony wore, and she as holding a travel pack on her back. She's been standing there for a long time before Sky noticed her, just watching Sky work. 97

"You really do have talent with that stuff you know." Brook said, not meeting Sky's eyes. Sky grunted in return, giving Brook the cold shoulder. The last time Brook had come she'd hit Sky and she had never apologized. The truth was Sky missed Brook, but she didn't want to admit it, because if she didn't then maybe Brook would come back. 98

"Well, it looks like you'v found your nitch anyway." Brook continued, looking at her feet. "Which is good, cause I'm leaving." Sky was shocked. Brook couldn't leave, not leave the ship anyway. Brook wouldn't do that to Sky, she couldn't. "My master is off to join a cruis ship for a while and he wants me to come. I'm the only one of his apprentices he invited along... and its a once in a life time opertunity. So I'm going." Sky was silent. All she could do was look at Brook. Brook finally raised her eyes and looked at Sky, then she mad a angry face and turned away.99

"I knew it! I knew you'd take this personally. Why can't you be happy for me Sky? Why must everything always be about you? Your not a little girl anymore and you can take care of yourself. You don't need me to hold your hand and walk you to school, and I most certainly don't need you. God, I wish you'd just grow up." And then she walked away. Sky made to fallow her, but stopped herself. Brook didn't want her. It wasn't Brooks fault, she'd never asked for their parents to die, for the spacers to come. She hadn't asked for life to be so quickly uprooted. Sky couldn't ask her to stay, couldn't ask her to at least say good bye, because if she did Brook might. Then Sky would know it would always be her fault that Brook was held back. 100

Brook had always been too big for Sky, her ambitions too great. It was about time Sky started to admit it to herself. Brook would never be the sister who risked her life to save Sky's because Brook had moved on. Still, Sky would always miss that Brook. Miss the Brook Sky saw in her heart. 101

"Whats wrong?" Amy asked when she saw Sky just lying on her bunk that night. Sky shrugged and turned away, not really wanting to talk about Brook with Amy. "Is it about your sister?" Amy asked, coming and sitting next to Sky. Sky just shrugged again. Amy wrapped her arm around Sky and looked into her eyes. "You know I have an older sister too. Her names Krista and she's three years older than me." Sky didn't respond, but she was no longer trying to turn away either.102

"When my sister left home I was sad for months. I even tried to run off to go live with her at college, but when I got there all she did was send me right back." Amy gave a little laugh. "I thought my sister hated me. I thought it was a sign that she no longer wanted to be my sister, or a part of my family."103

"You changed your mind later?" Sky asked, looking up at Amy.104

"In a way, yes, though not exactly. When I turned eighteen it was my turn to go off to college. It was my turn to leave the family and set off on my own, and I couldn't have imagined before how much it would hurt. Its the same with Brook, I imagine. She doesn't want to leave you because she loves you, but she can't stay with you forever either. One day it will be your turn to leave and then you'll understand but till that day you just have to trust Brook still loves you. Can you do that?"105

"I guess." Sky answered. Amy's speach was a little stupid and corny, but it also made her feel a little better. It shouldn't have, but it did. "What happened to your sister, do you see her a lot still?" 106

"No, I don't see her anymore." Amy answered getting a far off, closed look on her face. For a minute it seemed her brown eyes had become walls, and her mind had detached from her, and then she spoke again and her voice was hollow. "She was killed when the spacers attacked the college. Killed, or taken which from what I hear equates to basically the same thing." Then she gave herself a shake, and came back. "Do you want tea, or something else to drink? I always keep a lot in the room cause I get thirsty a lot at night..."107

Sometimes Amy really scared Sky. She had things in her past Sky would bet were just as bad as those Sky had her own self. It also made Sky feel safer around Amy though, because Amy understood about the nightmares. Amy understood about bad dreams, and new ways of making them go away. She hadn't believed it when she was first sent to live with Amy but she was starting to think Amy really could be if not a mother figure, at least a really great older friend. 108

109

Chapter 3.110

Smoke drifted threw the ship, curling around and making fingers at the crew, who yelled and screamed, fighting the blaze. On the bridge the captain evaluated the cituation and ordered the navigator to bring them up to 100 feet. The navigator, who had served on the ship a long time, was already doing so. As the nose of the ship rose in the water artificial gravity on the ship worked against it for a few minutes, throwing people around all over the place. 111

Sky was in with the techs, and barly missed getting hit by a computer that came off its tie and flew across the room. 112

"Get that puter tied down!" Kyle yelled as gravity stabilized for a few secounds. One of the apprentices grabbed it, but lost her hold and the puter landed on her leg. There was a loud snap and then the girls screams filled the room. Another apprentice went for it and manedged to get a good enouph hold to drag it back to its tie and re attached it to the wall.113

"Someone get Lucy to the infirmary!" someone yelled, but Kyles voice range over it, countering it. 114

"Do not! Not right now! Get the brace from the med kit. Trying to move her any distance in this is NOT going to be good!" Sky ran over to the med kit, but couldn't tell which of a thousand items was suposed to be the brace. She grabbed the whole thing and lugged it over to Lucy, handing it to the tech who was careing for her. 115

The tech took out what looked like a tube of tooth paste, but instead of uncrewing it he pulled on the top which expanded and Sky nodded. It was a changeable brace, good for all sizes of people and bones. When the tech had the brace at the right size he placed it again the girl leg. He had to straiten the leg a little, which made Lucy yell even louder, but when that was done thin cords shot out and wrapped around her leg, holding it firmly in place. Then the tech took out a sringe and messured out a small amount of medicine into it. After he had giving the dose to Lucy she stopped screaming and got a floaty look on her face. 116

"What can I do?" Sky asked Kyle, who seemed to be in charge of the situation. 117

"Right now? Not a whole lot. Werever this fire's coming from, its not mechanical, which is a damn good thing." Kyle wiped his hand over his brow, and shook his head. "I'd send people out to help with the fire, but I think right now we'd hinder more than help. The captains order the ship to come near the surface so we can let water in and dose the fire, but it means right now gravity is making everything even more dangerous."118

"We're gonna surface?" Sky asked, looking a little scared. "What if theres spacers? What if they fire at us?"119

"We're gonna near suface, not quite all the way to the top. We don't have a choice, as long as we don't want the ship to go down and loose shield. We hope to finish killing the fire and be down again before any spacers show, but if they do our shield will protect us from them, at least for a while."120

"How long a while?" Sky asked, shivering.121

"Not too long a while, but at this point we don't have too many choices. Don't worry kid, everything will be shiny." The ship rocked again, as the nose passed into a different current while the tail remained behind. Sky sat and remembered the day the spacers attacked the house. 122

The whole colony had been told the spacers were coming. Evacuations had started right away, with the most important people put on boats within minutes. Brook and Sky had been taken home to pack, seeing as their family was so unimportant as to warrent a low priority ticket off. They'd been told there would be plenty of time to escape, plenty of time before fire rained down and destroyed everything. They'd been lied to. The spacers attacked that night. The shields the colony had been so proud of gave way within minutes. Sky knew because she'd watched from the dock, and later she'd seen the bodies....123

A cheer went up from those around Sky, and she realized they'd reached the ships destination. Hurring over to one of the windows she looked out at a green sea. If she strained her eyes she could almost make out, at the very top what looked an awful lot like clowds. It'd been so long since she'd seen clowds. They were one of the few things she missed about the serface, and one of the things she was more than willing to give up if it meant never having to return there. 124

"We may be ordered into the life pods, just in case." Kyle said to all the techs in the room. "If that should occure and the wourst happen you need to have a way of getting home. Directions home are on the compasses you will find in your life pod. You can locate yourself using the compass, then enter that information into the little puter on the back and it will tell you what direction to turn. You can bring the little puter up by pressing the yellow arrow on the back. Are there any questions?" No one answered, so Kyle nodded. "Good, now then it is very important that those who have never used a breather be down how to by those that have. Could I have a show of hands of those who have never used a breather?"125

Sky and about four other apprentices were the only ones to raise their hands, to Kyle came to show them himself. He brought out was looked like a cloth mask, but what on feeling showed to be some kind of plastic. Sky could feel something squarish on the bit that went over the mouth. Kyle demenstratied how to put them on, and then had them put it on so he could check and see if it was done correctly. When he was satified with that he went on to explain that the mask had filters that would convert water into air. 126

"Thats why its very important to have these things on right. If there on wrong, you can't breeth. Those and these are your most important impliments. If your pod breaks, these will be what keep you allive." He said, holding up what looked to Sky exactly like contacts. "These are what we call specks. When their put in your eyes they meld into them, and as long as your in the water they will protect your eyes. They melt and you cry them out when they touch air, so its important not to surface with them unless you absolutly have to. The uniforms in the pods are special made wet suits that will keep you warm, so make sure to change quickly if you have to change. Everyone dong ma?" Everyone nodded, so Kyle smiled. "lets head out then. Check doors before opening them, and if we get somewhere with too much smoke flip your breathers on. They won't help too much, but they'll keep some smoke out."127

The halls seemed deserted as they moved, with only the occasional person running perpusly through. Their section seemed reasonably clear of smoke though a little hung over the ground. It felt evil to Sky, like a ghost waiting to jump out at them. It took them a few minutes to walk from their section to the main hold, were everyone without a job to do seemed to be congrigating. No one seemed to be being ordered into safety pods, but Sky kept close to Chris and David anyway, just in case. She didn't want to be left with strangers. 128

She hoped Amy was ok, but she couldn't see her anywhere. The smoke was compleatly gone here, or had never come in the first place but the room was packed with people. It made Sky realize just how many people were needed to run a small merchant vessel like Ghost. There had to be hundreds, if not close to a thousand people in the hold. Everyone was smashed togeather, friends holding hands to avoid being broken up. It reminded Sky of the days when her family had first been rescued. 129

They'd been put in a small hold in a ship even smaller then Ghost. Her mom had said they were lucky to be there at all. They'd been found by the water when the ship was looking for food. Brook and Sky'd clung togeather, desparitly afraid of being seperated forever. 130

Their father had been the one to give out first, going to his neece and then his back because of the wound he hadn't been able to see to. Their mom had tried to help him, but she'd been burning up herself with fever for the last few days. On the fourth day their dad died, and their mom had fallowed two days later. The last thing she told Sky was to stay with Brook,because Brook would always look after her. 131

It had been another day or two before they'd found a safe doc in the woods were the ship could put those who died to rest. There had been so many, some young some old. Some had died from injuries, some from being crushed by the press of people. There hadn't been time for a proper barriel, so they'd just dug one big shallow grave and hoped it would do. Brook had taken Sky aside and song a song to her, the one she'd always sang when they were little. Here, in this press of people Sky mummbled the song to herself. 132

"Say good bye,
and good night,
go to sleep little baby,
cause I love you
and I love you
and I hope you love me.
Good night,
good night,
and I hope you love me."133

"Whats that song?" Chris asked, looking over at Sky.134

"Its nothing, just something my sister used to sing." Sky answered, looking away, embaresed. 135

David looked around and whistled.
"You really don't understand what 800 people look like till you see it do you? Can you imagine what being in one of those 2000 crew ships must be like?"136

"I feel crowded enouph as is." Sky admited, not mentioning the fact that the 2000 person ships were probebly a lot bigger than theirs. 137

"I wounder how the fire started, and where." Chris said, trying to look for other apprentices in the crowd. "Do you think maybe something around the air processers?"138

"No," Sky said shaking her head. "If it was something like that we'd all be dead. Kyle said it wasn't mechanical, which is good. Imagine if it'd started by the shield mechines!" All three aprentices shivered, imagining themselves being crushed to pieces in secounds. 139

"I heard it was sabitage in one of the cabins." A kid next to them said, shaking his head. "Someone went to open their shower and it blew up in their face. Poor guy never had a chance, I hear. Only the fire didn't stop with him. It burnt every bit of plastic in his room and moved along the walls by the insolation. I heard the captains really upset about it."140

"I don't believe that!" Chris said, shaking her head. "I mean, maybe it might be possible, but why would anyone want to? What could it possibly have gained them?"141

"Its what I heard, and I heard it from an extreamly reliable person." The kid stated, shaking his head."It was strait from a friend of mine who works in security."142

"Who was it killed then?" David asked, "Some high profile person? We have a prince aboard or something?"143

"The person was no one." The kid answered shaking his head. "Just came aboard and everything. Just moved into the cabin."144

"Do you know what cabin numer it was?" Sky asked, woundering if it was anywere near hers.145

"Nah, just know what deck it was on, but that could mean any of a hundred rooms. I just heard what I heard." That made them all go silent, and Sky looked for the captain. If he looked calm it might mean things were going really well, or really badly. She didn't see him anywhere around but as she turned her head she caught sight of Amy, and yelled for her to come over. Amy did, pardening herself to all those she had to smoosh threw. 146

"I'm so glad your alright!" Amy said, hugging Sky. "When I heard, well its not important. Your ok, and thats all that matters."147

"What did you hear to make you afraid?" David asked, looking at Amy in a wierd way. 148

"You mean no ones told you?" Amy asked, looking at Sky in suprise. 149

"Told me what?" Sky asked bewildered. 150

"Oh, mei mei!" Amy said hugging Sky again. "The room that was set with explosives..... was your old one."151


Chapter 4.152

Luckly the captains plan worked out ok. The ship was able to lower its sheilds and lets water into the decks that were on fire. The fire died, and the ship lowered itself back down to its usaule depths. The clean up after the fire continued for days after, and as soon as the captain was sure things could get by without his imeadiate attention he called Sky to his cabin, along with his cheif of security, Amy and Kyle.153

"We don't mean to upset you, and were not blaming you in any maner of ways, but do you have any idea of someone who would want to kill you?" He asked in a soft, persuasive voice. Sky shook her head, and looked at Kyle. She felt bad about all of this. If someone had set it to hurt her, then it was in a small way because of her. Several people had died in the fire, many more had been injured and the whole ship had been threatened.154

"Sir, I don't think anyone left on board does. There were some people who disliked her, but they got off at the last dock. " Kyle ansered, aquardly. "I was realy happy about that.... but I should have looked in her cabin. Checked and the like. She had a break in, and there were threats.... I should have guessed."155

"It isn't your fault Kyle. No one was expecting this." the captain answered, shaking his head. "There's no point assigning blame were it doesn't belong."156

"But we should have known something!" Amy answered iceily.157

"No, we shouldn't. This is more than a simple dislike or jealousy. I don't want either of you two beating yourself up over this. I would much rather we work on figuring out who did this, so we can beat them up."158

"I'm sorry sir." Sky said, near tears. "This is all my fault."159

"No it aint, and thats the last I want to hear anyone saying otherwise. Whoever did this wasn't just messing with Sky, they messed with my ship, they messed with my crew and they messed with me. As of right now I want you to work on who is most like to have done this. Dong ma?"160

"Dong ma." Kyle and Amy answered sulkily. 161

When they got back to their cabin Sky and Amy didn't talk for a while. Both of them were too swept up in their own thoughts. Sky felt bad, like it was all her fault. If she'd died when she was little five other people would still be allive. Without her people could do the things they wanted to do, be free to be the people they wanted to be.Everyone was always swept up in taking care of her. In those moments in the cabin Sky made an oath to her parents, and those who died and to herself. She would no longer rely on other people to come and save her. It was time for her to spread her wings and learn to live herself. 162

She rolled over on the bunk, and looked at Amy who sat at the desk in the center of the room. Amy was strong and independant but in those moments Sky realized something it was possible no one in Amy's life before had ever realized. Amy needed someone just as much as Sky did. Sky got up off of her bed and walked over to Amy, throwing her arms around her. 163

"Its gonna be ok." She said, hugging Amy tight and trying to make the words sound with all the confidence Sky didn't feel about the futer. Amy looked up, a little suprised and then she smiled. Sky could tell that Amy was still sad, but sometimes what people really needed was for someone to tell the obvious lies. The little things that get you threw the day, though their tottal bull.164

"I know." Amy answered. She didn't mean that things would be ok, because it was almost compleatly obvious that they weren't. What she meant was, I know you care. They didn't say anything else, because there really wasn't much left to say. After a while Amy said Sky should go to bed and so Sky did. Her dreams were troubled by people on fire who told her that it was all her fault. They weren't the worst though, the worst was the fact that in the back of her mind she knew it was all too true.