Molly Fyde and the Land of Light

“They’re mine,” he insisted. His metallic-colored face flushed with a dull glow.

“And they can stay yours, but I’m going to keep them in the cockpit, okay? They’re too important to play with like toys.”

Walter looked devastated. “I’m the ssupply officser,” he said.

“And I’m the captain,” she reminded him, her hand out.

Walter took the band off his head and placed them both in her palm. “It wassn’t working, anyway,” he said, consoling himself.

Molly wrapped her fingers around the bands and marched to the cockpit.

“Thanks for keeping an eye on the cargo cam for me,” she said to Cole as soon as she entered.

“No problem—” Cole spun in his seat. “Wait. You’re being sarcastic, aren’t you? But he’s been right there this whole time—” he stopped and stared at the red bands in her hand. “Where’d you get those?”

“Walter stole them. He was playing dress-up with the Wadi.”

Cole gestured at the security screen on the dash. “Like I could tell that from this.” His eyes narrowed. “Can your mom hear us fighting?”

“Probably not. Not with the mic turned off.” Molly placed her helmet on its rack, and the Wadi moved to the back of her seat. She climbed over the control console and slumped into her chair. “Hyperspace on ice,” she murmured, looking down at the bands.

“What’s the big deal? He is a born pirate, you know.”

“Yeah, no… gods, I don’t know.” Molly dropped the bands and rubbed her face. She tested her theory: “Mom?”

There was no response.

“Do you need to talk?” Cole asked.

Molly turned to him. His thick, perfectly shaped eyebrows formed twin arcs of concern over his green eyes. Molly reached over and squeezed his arm. “Mom told me why we have to go to Dakura.”

“Something about her memories, right?”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t want them back.”

“What, then?”

“She wants them erased. Permanently.”

Cole looked out the carboglass at the stars while Molly told him what she’d learned, what little of it made sense to her. The only thing she left out was her mom’s mention of fusion fuel, and maybe knowing what it was made of.

It didn’t seem important at the time.

Part IX – Heaven

“Happiness can come solely from within, but not for long.”

~The Bern Seer~

23

The stars shifted as Parsona jumped into Dakura, and a dark, gray sphere popped into view amid the smattering of stars. Molly reached forward and flipped on the radio to let her mom know they’d arrived.

“That’s Dakura?” Cole asked. “Not much to look at.”

It was Parsona that answered. “It will be,” she said. “Eventually. It used to be a frozen wasteland, much like Mars.”

“Well, it still looks that way to me,” Molly said, thrusting off toward the planet’s largest moon.

“What color is it?” Parsona asked.

“A darkish gray. Why? What color should it be?”

“When your father and I were here sixteen years ago, it was a dull red—the color of rust.”

“Looks like it’s just getting worse, if you ask me,” said Cole.

“It’s a long process. That gray dusting will trap heat over a long period of time, thawing the crust and releasing the water inside. It will take thousands of years.”

“Makes sense,” Molly thought aloud, “for a guy dedicated to immortality to plan something like this. I bet he got a great deal on the planet.”

“Someone owns that planet?” Cole asked.

Molly looked over. “I thought I mentioned that.”

“Who are you guysss talking to?”

Molly and Cole spun in their seats to see Walter standing behind their chairs. The Wadi’s tongue flicked out into the air.

“Flight control,” Cole lied. “Getting permission to land, buddy.”

“Starship Parsona, you’re cleared for landing pad four,” Parsona said through the radio speaker. Molly smiled at Cole, who bit his lip to keep from laughing.

Before Walter could respond, another voice—heavy with static—crackled through the same speaker. “GN- 290, ship ID Parsona, this is Dakura flight control, come in.”

“Who’ss that?” Walter asked, pointing to the dash.

“Uh, that’s Customs. We’ll have to clear in with them, now.”

“Why did he call himsself ‘Flight Control’?”

“Hey, Walter, I don’t question the way you organize the cargo bays, do I?”

“No.”

“Okay, man, you just have to trust that Molly and I know what we’re doing.”

“Yeah, but you guyss keep getting uss in trouble,” Walter said, pouting.

Molly laughed out loud at this and switched the radio over to her helmet. “Dakura Flight Control, Parsona here, looking for clearance. Over.”

“Roger, Parsona, you’re cleared for landing pad two. And welcome back.”

Molly looked to Cole to see if he was listening in, but he and Walter were busy arguing about something.

“Strap in for the landing, boys.”

Walter huffed and looked down at his flightsuit, brushing his hands across it as if to remove some dust. He marched back to his seat, gurgling in Palan.

••••

Only one other ship sat on the moon’s landing pads as they descended to the surface. “Looks like we have the place to ourselves,” Cole said.

Molly nodded and followed the beacon for Pad Two. Once she had a visual—the large number etched into the paved surface—she decreased the thrusters and brought her altimeter to zero. The shocks in the landing gear took out what little jarring there was, making the arrival so smooth, it felt like they weren’t there yet.

“Nice landing,” Cole said. “We did land, didn’t we?”

Molly beamed. “Yeah, and this moon is massive. A lot of gravity here, but no atmosphere, so keep your helmet on.”

Molly reached to unbuckle her harness when the entire ship trembled slightly. She put both hands out in confusion, preparing to steady herself against more tremors.

“Nebular,” Cole said, lifting his visor up and peering through the porthole on his side of the cockpit.