FLETCHER

The demand for the inexpensive vistrite synthetic, mercium, continues to grow. The Fifth System fabrication facility is at capacity; plans for expansion should allow for a fifty-percent increase in production. Feasibility studies are underway for sites in the Eighth and Second System.

The original mercium facility on Metricelli Prime’s western continent has been converted to the fabrication of the more advanced mercium used in the Nightingale. Known as SEV (Stellar Exploration Vehicle) mercium, the variations are as expensive to produce as vistrite, but can be manufactured in configurations not possible with refined vistrite. Based on the projected demand in the Fortuna stellar transport construction fields, including the navigational pairing devices used to access the Thirteenth System, Blooded Dagger has acquired a suitable site for a second SEV mercium facility on Fortuna’s northern continent. ~ excerpt from Mercium Ten-Year Plan, Blooded Dagger archives

The amphitheater buzzed with the excitement of five thousand observers. Fletcher gripped his cane, set his right hand on the rail, and took the first step down. Only a few days gone, he returned to Crevasse City from Fortuna. He had suffered two months of painful procedures and integrated rehabilitation training that required every ounce of warrior stoicism he possessed to endure without complaint. He could walk but it was slow, his balance unreliable.

Brianne had worried when he insisted on attending the Thirteenth System charter ceremony, but nothing would keep him from this moment. Far too many of his friends had died to preserve the Thirteenth System, and he was the only member of the Nightingale crew in the Third System.

The banked flame is power hidden. The hand gripping the cane looked like his, but beneath the perfect flesh were bones of the most advanced alloy in The Thirteen Systems. The sinews were crafted from the same almost indestructible fabric that went into the flight suit that saved his life. Infused with the super-strong alloy developed for the Nightingale’s hull, the fabric deflected the worst of the blast that shot him out of the sky. When used in body armor, the Bright Star alloy was all but impregnable.

The still flame is power contained. Five steps. Six. To his left, a Serengeti militia guard protected him from jostling but could do nothing about the whispers and avid stares that followed Fletcher’s progress. “Hero flyer . . . appear real . . . half a warrior . . . tragic.”

The forge flame strengthens and shapes. Three more. He had but five to go. On the stage, behind the temporary barricades, almost two-thirds of the governing council were milling around the four sets of tiered seating. He found Monsignor Elenora with Seigneurs Kemeha and Herman. No one on the governing council would fail to attend this session.

Two rows down, a tall man rose and waved—Chrys Marlowe, protégé to Serengeti’s research and development seigneur. He was one of the geniuses behind the navigation and communication devices that enabled the armada to arrive in time to defeat the despoilers. In the row above Chrys, Clarice beckoned. “Here, we saved you the aisle seat.”

Navigating the final step, Fletcher was grateful to settle into the chair, placing the cane within reach, but where it would not be visible to a casual observer. He could have had a place with the Iron Hammer contingent, one section over and closer to the stage. But other than Clarice, none of his Crevasse City friends had seen him since he fell on Bright Star Deuce. He was not yet ready to face the curiosity and pity of his cartouche.

Clarice had visited him thrice while he recovered on Fortuna. The one time with Katleen, and twice more to bring updates on the Nightingale and the search for Lilian. Who was eventually rescued from a despoiler fortress in the Eighth system. Unlike Nickolas and Brianne, she never attempted to gloss over distressing information, making it clear that she did not view his intellect impaired by his physical losses.

Her eyes sparkling, Clarice smiled at him. She really was quite lovely. It was not a marvel she had captured Monsignor Hercules’ favor. He wondered if that liaison was ongoing. It had been more than a half year since he noticed it at the festivities surrounding the Nightingale’s flight.

“Four years ago, today, Monsignor Lucius announced the formation of Bright Star,” she said. “Can you believe we made it to the Thirteenth System in a mere four years?”

Mulan’s flame. Had it been but four years? The Fletcher that had greeted the announcement of Bright Star which such excitement, was a child compared to the man he was now. Half man. Half warrior and half machine.

A horn ran a scale, the first warning for governing council members to find their seats. Kemeha took his place on Monsignor Elenora’s right. Fletcher clenched his teeth against anger at his former mentor. Seigneur Kemeha had denied Fletcher’s petition to rejoin the Nightingale. Instead, Fletcher was to remain at headquarters and lead the design effort for the flexible vistrite controllers planned for the next generation of stellar exploration vehicles. The seigneur’s reasoning was sound, but it galled him to be kept at commerce with the Thirteenth System waiting to be explored.

With a crash of cymbals, the session began. In addition to the ratification of the Thirteenth System Charter, the governing council approved rewards for those who had preserved the Thirteenth System. When the final vote was cast for unanimous approval, the amphitheater burst into cheers, the observers rising as one. Gripping the cane, Fletcher struggled to his feet. The fallen deserved no less.