66 ∞ The Welcome Back

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Day 00010 Mission Nilex

With a jolt, Ayla woke up sucking gulps of air, her heart pounding in her ears. She sat up and forced herself to calm the panic, using the techniques she'd been taught. But the dream remained vivid in her mind with the certainty of death.

«Canaisis?»

«Yes, Ayla. Are you alright?»

«I need to know if it was real.»

«Was what real, Ayla?»

«My dream.»

«I was aware that you were dreaming, but I respect your privacy as well, so my observations are limited to your health only. Will you tell me what you dreamed?»

«The Captain was spacewalking when your cargo hangar exploded. He was badly hurt.»

«The events you describe happened long ago. The Captain is very healthy and quite safe at the moment.»

«You're sure?»

«Yes, Ayla, the Captain is in good health. I think you saw something from the distant past.»

«It didn't feel like a Journey. It felt like a dream, but it was also quite similar to a Memory.»

«Perhaps you're gaining more control of your Gift than you know. But for now, rest. The Captain is well—his injuries healed a long time ago in the past.»

As Ayla contemplated Canaisis' words, she realized that the records of Canaisis' origins were woefully lacking. Ayla had glimpsed what Gareth's people had been in her dream, long before the Great War. She knew how advanced they'd risen compared to Earth of today...

What was it like to watch over Humanity, to see through the Captain's eyes, as time passed? To observe civilizations rise and fall, as Humanity clawed its way back from the brink of extinction? What was it like to captain the single greatest technological creation of his people's time and look down upon Earth from orbit? Did he feel helpless? He'd been doing this all alone for so long.

«Canaisis, when exactly did the Captain come from?»

«I've told you, Ayla, I cannot answer that. You must ask the Captain yourself.»

«Then how old are you?»

«Ship time or Earth time?»

Ayla thought for a moment. «Ship time.»

«A woman does not reveal her true age, but I've seen many centuries pass.»

Ayla did some quick estimates with what she could remember from her classes on time dilation. Her eyes widened in realization. «And most of that time is flight time, isn't it?»

«Yes, Ayla. I urge the Captain to cold-sleep as much as possible to maximize his lifespan.»

«And you're alone during that time...»

«Yes, but the Long Years give me time to think. Sometimes, that can be a curse. But as long as the Captain is safe, I'm comforted. I have my Mission.»

Another realization struck Ayla. «Does the Captain know what your Mission is?»

«That would undermine his motivation in his own Mission, and therefore, undermine my own. No, Ayla. He does not need to know my motivation, and I ask you to respect this.»

Ayla bowed her head as she sent the thought, «I hear you, and I carry the Burden with you.»

«I hear you, my sister.»

Canaisis' response both startled and pleased Ayla, and she smiled. Then the sudden sense of being watched made her turn her head.

Lina was awake in her chair, watching her curiously. "What's it like?"

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