At the door to her cabin, a steward lolled in a chair half asleep as if she had been waiting there a long time. “Can I help you?” she asked as she strode nearer.
The steward leaped to her feet and stuttered, “I’m not asleep on duty. I’m on my own time.”
“Would you like to come in?” The captain asked.
The steward was the youngest of the galley crew, probably human or mostly so, and her hair was very red, almost glowing red, undoubtedly colored. She had served Captain Stone a few meals and had been quick, efficient, and pleasant. Now she appeared agitated and ill at ease.
The captain motioned for the girl to sit on the edge of her bed, intending to quickly move on and dismiss the girl after she found out what was bothering her. She perched on the edge of the bed with her eyes on the floor near her feet.
“What is it?” the captain asked gently, expecting to hear a complaint about a coworker, a common enough occurrence among the crews of starships; the result of too many people in too small a space.
The girl flushed. Then abruptly she stood and said, “Sorry to bother you, Captain.”
“No, no. Sit back down and talk to me. Your name?”
The girl slowly sat, her eyes still on the floor. “Lila. I’m from Paloma.”
“Is that a planet?” The captain was trying to calm her and assure her that whatever the problem, she should share it. Asking a few personal questions usually put subordinates at ease, especially younger ones.
“A farming world.”
The captain remained calm. The name meant nothing to her, but the girl thought it would or she wouldn’t have said it like that. Stone said, “Tell me the reason you are here, Lila.”
“Paloma, where my home and parents live is out near the rim. Near where you’re going.”
So, the rumors had already spread. The captain had expected they would, but not this fast. She said, “The rim of the human sphere is not a single point in space. It is huge, like the surface of a big ball a hundred light-years across.”
“You’re going to explore the rim near Paloma. I over-heard some marines talking while we were at the place where they build ships.”
“And?”
“The place where you’re going is near my home. Just that. I might know a few things of interest to you.”
Captain Stone was taken aback, but not ready to believe. She said, “Bert, will you verify that Paloma is near our exploratory destination?”
A single ping, followed by Bert’s voice, “Confirmed.”
“How close?”
“Within three light-years of our direct course. It is located at the very edge of the explored rim.”
The steward asked, “Is that your AI?”
“No, a friend. He’s taking the place of the comm officer.”
“Oh, the fuzzy, cute one.”
A single cheerful ping of agreement sounded before Captain Stone could respond. She said, “Okay, you come from a planet called Paloma that is near where we’re heading. Why are you here? If you need a ride home, you got it.”
“Three Gods, no. It was hard enough getting out of there. I may know something else.”
“Something of value? Are you trying to sell me information?”
“No. Yes. I would like to join your crew if you’ll have me. I’m a hard worker and can do more than serve iced tea to rich old women.”
Another possible crewman for the Escolta? But blind deals offered for free are worth what you pay for them. Besides, she was tired and ready for a nice long sleep. “Why don’t you just tell me what you have to say, and we can talk about a position on my ship later?”
“Okay. On Paloma, I heard talk for years before leaving. Across the rim, out in the darkness, are planets with ships that are not part of what we call the human sphere. They occasionally visit Paloma. Less as I grew older. Some of their planets are being attacked by aliens from farther away.”
That was startling news. All thought of sleep was gone. “Tell me all you can remember.”
“These are rumors. Please don’t get upset if they are not true, but I thought you should hear them.” Lila’s eyes were turning red and tears were ready to fall. She drew in a deep breath and continued, “The ships used to sneak in and out of our spaceport a few times a year. Maybe more. Then less and less. The ones we traded with wanted heavy metals that are rare on their planets. We had plenty.”
Captain Stone leaned closer. “What you’re telling me is rumor and half-remembered speculation, right? Don’t worry about being perfectly accurate. Tell me what you think and surmise.”
“It’s not much.”
“Go on anyhow.”
“The invaders only attack water-worlds, those with great oceans. Other planets with less water are left alone. The only ships still trading in that sector are from those planets.”
“The drier ones.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any rumors about why that is?” Captain Stone asked.
“This is a way out there sort of idea, so please remember I’m warning you that it is probably is a lie or misinformation.”
“Tell me anyhow.”
“The invaders are aquatic, they say. Fish people. They want to conquer new worlds with lots of oceans to live in. Some say the way they invade a planet is to send eggs on transports that are put into the oceans by other people they pay to do that. Unwitting pawns. Then they wait for a few generations. The invaders are a fish species who live under the water and grow into adults, lay more eggs, and eventually, when there are enough of them, they attack land dwellers from the sea. They are capable of living in the air for a time, like amphibians. I know it sounds silly, but it also
