Part 5. Lift Off
A week had passed after Enid's interview. A day later she had been hauled of to a secret military base and about five minutes after she got there she had been knee deep in a plot to make a new weapon, and even 5 minutes after that, in a second plot to prevent the first one. She loved it! She felt alive, and ready to giggle frequently.
"Are you coming Enid?" Oisin called from the door of the space shuttle that would take them to Cyatri in a week's time. Enid felt like it would be her first test as the Psychologist on board. She didn't expect trouble with the women, but the men! And especially Tasrin at that.
With one last look at the earth she turned back. Would they ever come back?
"Coming!" she called out.
Oisin closed the door behind her and glanced at Iyru. She was discussing the trajectory to Cyatri. He had spent many days with her, noting what she said down for future relevance, but she had not seemed to notice him being there at all. Oisin felt frustrated enough to just drop his recording and start writing a sugary love song. But as it was they had been told to stay here, fastened in their seats until they were safely in space.
Rigid Tasrin sat in his chair, looking at Oisin, fastening his seatbelt. Tasrin wondered what the bard was about. He had been hauled in and though he seemed competent in what he did, he hung around the women too much for Tasrin's liking. Tasrin inwardly fumed. It wasn't enough that he had been put on a side track, he had expected it for some time now. The military was always very good in hiding the people they didn't want to serve as an example of virtue. But this was too much. Whoever had given him up for this task was sadistic.
Looking at Fairlight with a openly hostile glance, he saw her mouth a word that made him retract in fear. She couldn't know... nooo...
"Please prepare for take of in 10 - 9 - 8..." the captain's voice started counting down till takeoff. At zero, a rumbling went through the shuttle, followed by the strange pulling sensation of being catapulted away from gravity. Tasrin had felt it all before, though he still felt safer with his feet firmly on the ground.
Iyru let the lift off go over her like she did this kind of thing all the time. But fact remained that this was her first space-journey. Butterflies in her stomach made that all too clear. Finally the beating of wings stopped, the shuttle had taken off, nothing had exploded. Iyru let out a relieved sigh and focused her thoughts on the future. What would a world of dragons be like?

***

Knux was the first to leave the central living area. He could wait for the shuttle to give one final look of Earth from space, but he knew what Earth looked like. He had opened enough books and studied enough cards to be able to dream the view. No, first there was something else to do. Heading for the halls, he was followed by Oisin.
"Wait up a sec!" the bard called out in his deep, pleasant voice.
"What?" Knux asked, stopping in the middle of his trail of thought.
"I think we have adjacent rooms. I thought I'd walk with you." Oisin said.
"Oh, ok."
Knux turned and started walking again, tentatively he asked; "How do you know Fairlight?"
"We spent some time in Tibet together."
"Figures. I mean, she seems into all that alternative lifestyle."
"Ah, but Fairlight is real. So what about you?"
"Me?"
"How do you know Iyru?"
"Oh, she was hired for this job and I was offered to join in her work. I finished my studies on an army scholarship, so I couldn't really decline." A small white lie it was, Knux had rooted out all competition for the job until he was certain he would get the position.
"Never would have seen that one coming." Oisin intercepted. "You don't seem the type."
"Neither do you." Knux answered, "I figured there would be no wars to fight in."
Oisin laughed, "Well you were right about that I guess."
"I didn't really think about the chances of going of into space for who knows how long." Knux shrugged. "If you would excuse me, this is my room."
"Oh. Of course." Oisin said, being left out in the hall after Knux closed the door in his face. Anti-social, no doubt. Oisin shrugged and opened his own door. Maybe he should write that love song...
Knux waited till he heard Oisin's door open and shut before he turned to face his room. Filled with books there was hardly any room to sit. It had taken some bribing to get past the guards, but no-one had questioned what they were bringing as long as he told them Iyru had insisted on bringing it along. His private locker contained even more volumes, but the ones most needed were here, under his guard. And the most important thing, he carried around his neck.
A small vial, filled with ashes hung from a leather cord. Grasping it, he pondered why he had brought it along. Sure he hadn't been able to burry the dead dragon, not in the world that had given it no chance of survival. But burning it and taking it along was even riskier. If anyone had found out what he was hiding, he would have been banned from the mission.
Knux put down the pendant and started reading. At least he'd have plenty of time to study.

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