Reclamation

The ship rolled sideways and a scream cut loose from Aria's throat. They were upright in the next breath, she had time to be embarrassed, then to realize that she was alive to be embarrassed, and then to realize she hadn't made the only noise.

Outside the ship blurred beige, brown, and green. Total darkness hit. Dim light returned and the screen flickered back to life. Green chaos swallowed up everything else and a sharp jolt bounced her up and down until the webbing creaked in protest.

They stopped and stayed still, doing nothing but breathe.

After a while, Aria was able to notice that the room was crooked. She lay with her knees pointed toward the ceiling and her left ear pressed against the side of the alcove. A single alarm bell rang tiredly for a few more seconds before it hushed itself from exhaustion.

"We're here," said Eric in a hollow voice.

"We're home." Aria fumbled with the catches and shoved the webbing aside. She planted her feet carefully on the tilted floor, resting her hand against the wall for balance. The dim lights threw a half dozen hazy shadows of her across the room.

Eric was on his feet a split second after her, trudging up the slope toward the bridge.

"Adu!" he called. "Are you all right?"

There was no answer.

"Adu?" Eric stumbled forward before his feet found purchase on the sloping floor. Aria followed Eric onto the bridge. They entered the cabin, but Adu didn't even look up.

"Adu?" said Eric again. The android stayed motionless, hands on the control boards, seemingly oblivious to the drunken angle of its chair.

Then Eric said "Cam?"

The android turned its head. "Yes, Sar?"

Eric swallowed hard. "What's happened to Adu?"

"He's left us," Aria said. "Run away."

"That's insane," snapped Eric. "Dorias would never have…"

Aria laid her hand against the threshold for balance. "That…person was not Dorias, and he was scared to death of coming here. Even more scared than you, I think." She eyed the blank monitors. "I also think, Eric, we had better get out of here and see where we are."

But Eric was not moving. "Cam," he said again, "what is the disposition of the process Adudorias?"

"Adudorias transferred to U-Kenai emergency beacon. The beacon was launched fifteen-four-ten, ship's time."

For a moment, Aria thought Eric was going to fall over. He was counting on that creature, she realized. As long as Adu was around there was a touchstone to the outside, a tangible chance he might find a way out again. Now he's as stuck as…A new beeping piped up from the control boards, and another joined it as the alarms began to recover from their own shock. As this ship of his.

"If I may presume." She laid her hand on his forearm. "I think we are not safe in here."

Eric looked at her for a moment like he didn't understand what she said. Then he lurched towards the airlock. "Cam. Come outside."

The android got up and obediently teetered after its master. Eric palmed the reader on the airlock, and nothing happened. He cursed through clenched teeth and undid a latch beside the door. A small compartment came open and he pulled a lever down. "Cam. Manual release procedures. Go."

The android gripped a pair of handles on the airlock's inner door and pulled. Reluctantly, the door gave way and Cam dragged it up the slope of the floor and latched it into place. A draft of warm air caressed Aria.

Eric and Cam repeated their actions for the outer door. His hands seemed inordinately clumsy as he worked the controls. Aria felt her patience strain.

Try to remember, it's been ten years for him, Aria told herself, and he never wanted to come back.

The outer door opened and air rushed in, warm, rich, thick air.

Acrid, black, smoke and a billow of heat came with it. Aria coughed harshly. She couldn't see anything except a curving wall of smoking ash. She undid her head cloth and pressed a strip of material over her mouth before she started out the door.

"Wait…" started Eric.

She ignored him. She felt as though she had walked into a furnace. Coughing despite her makeshift face mask, Aria waded up the ashy slope, waving her free hand both to keep her balance and to keep her bare hand from touching the burned ground.

Finally, she scrambled onto a patch of unburned, white sand. Forgetting pride altogether, Aria dropped onto her knees. A fresh wind caught her right cheek and Aria breathed deeply. When her lungs cleared of the stinging smoke, she stood up and looked around to see what part of the world they had come to rest in. Joints and head seemed to sigh with relief. The world wrapped around her like a blanket.