Under a Starless Sky novel Chapter 76

From the air, they saw the vastness of a submerged archipelago, primarily limestone that rivaled the Bahama Banks. The twist of sea dunes was as if Monet and Van Gogh had collaborated on the world. Much of it seemed barren, except for pockets where life exploded along these twist and turns, oases under the sea that quickly dropped to black water, and around small islands topped by grass and or shrubs. There were sea people ships. One of them looked as if it were beached. The people could wade in waters waist deep for miles. There were people in water around the ship and they seemed happy. TL took note of their position and assured Shen she would check back with them, but that there was no apparent signs of distress.

Shen left the deck and found his friends having a meal together. They stood as one.

“Don’t do that,” Shen said. “Sit”

They sat. It was uncomfortable. “May I join you? Or is this a private club meeting?”

“We’re in your house, brother,” Arne said.

“Is it private, or do you know everything?” Orton asked.

Arne was not happy about that, but it was out- and it was a reasonable inquiry.

“I do not know everything. At some level, the ship hears you, and I suppose I have the authority to follow that, but I don’t. Following that stuff to that degree makes people crazy sick. I will know you by our interaction, by your words directly to me, or make assumptions in your absence just like normal people would,” Shen said.

Shen wanted to ask if he had done something wrong. He didn’t. He stood for moment, considered leaving, but sat down at the table with them. Uffe set a beer in front of him. Shen thanked him. He drank from it, and finished it in one go, and set it down. He wiped his mouth.

“Oh, is that not the game we’re playing?” Shen asked.

Arne laughed. More beer was shared.

“So, you can be normal?” Yaffa asked.

“No,” Shen assured. “I can pretend for a moment.”

Loxy emerged. “Sorry to interrupt. Jon, you may want to see this.”

Jon excused himself. Arne and Torny followed them to the helm. The ship was hovering over the sea. The sea was dark black, except for one rise of a submarine mountain. A domed city was on top of the mountain. All of it submerged. TL manipulated the image and was able to give them a reasonable view inside. She took them in through a tunnel on the mountain, and up to a central, inner harbor. The city was easily the size of Paris, with paved streets and water way canals flowing from a central park and inner lake. The dome, with the inner lake and surrounding city sea scape, seemed like an eye- with accompany iris. He found himself comparing it to the ‘tech-eye’ the giantesses had.

“This city is old,” TL said. “There are clearly caretakers, given how the flora hasn’t taken over. That could be automated. I don’t see signs of inhabitants.”

“We promised to get our guests home,” Shen said.

“A whole city without people?” Arne said.

“We found many a ruins,” Torny said.

“We have found ruins, but this is different,” Arne said.

“Really, you don’t remember the last city paved with gold? The sirens nested on the rocks nearly killed you. And the next Siren occupied city nearly killed Jerica, you, Erico, and Shen,” Torny said. “This is how deep in the water? We can’t get there.”

“Yeah, we can,” Shen said.

“No!” Torny pointed at him. She turned back to Arne. “No, Arne. This is just another distraction. We are going home. That’s it.”

“Drop a probe,” Shen said. “Return to previous speed and heading.” He turned to Arne and Torny. “You will be home on schedule, as promised.”

“Thank you,” Arne said. “Coming back?”

“Sorry, one too many beers for me. I am going to go take a nap,” Shen said. “Excuse me.”

Shen returned to his quarters. TL joined him after the guests had departed. She laid in bed next to him and stared at the ceiling.

“You okay?” TL asked.

“Yeah,” Shen said.

“That wasn’t convincing,” TL said.

Shen turned over into her, hugged her closer. “Is it the nature of captains to be lonely?”

“It’s the nature of humans,” TL said. She hugged him tighter.

निर्मित

Easter Midelay looked quaint from the air, but alive. Whether they saw the ship passing overhead was not obvious from above, at their height and speed. It was Shen’s experience, they don’t look up. No stars, why look up? People near the Isle of Dragons likely looked up. There was East side home on one of the water fall steps, its water supply now maintained artificially since the shift in the river. If there was any place passable by climbing it would have been here, but then one had to cross the gap’s lake. He called it the missing tooth lake. Snow melt kept the lake full. Even rain clouds had trouble passing the mountains, and they would resolve into the lake. The Calypso passed with ease, descended vertically down the other side and landed in the court yard. Breathing was noticeably impacted by the pass over, but still Shen and Arne remained on deck, enjoying the cold, brisk air, and witnessing the change as Calypso descended.

Once everyone had disembarked, the ship rose, became embedded in an orb of energy, and reduced in size. It came to TL’s hand. She placed it in her bag.

“What about Calypso?” Orton asked. “She’s still on the ship?”

“She’s alright,” TL promised him.

“She is the ship,” Shen reminded them.

“This castle is huge,” Arne said.

“It would have been bigger, but someone said we would never have guests,” TL said. “There’s an orchard outside the gates. Wild bees, and some tamed hives. Gardens. And the goat pin.”

“The wall is big enough to hold off a giant,” Torny said.

“Or wild Irks,” TL said.

“Come on, I’ll take you to the gate and get you home,” Shen said.

“All this, by yourself?” Jerica asked.

“You are all welcomed to stay,” Shen said.