CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle One: The Last Living Ship ∞ 1: A New Mission

24 ∞ Data Dump

Day 00005 Mission Nilex

Ayla woke with thoughts of a dream in her mind, but they evaporated before she could remember. She shook herself awake and jumped up to perform her morning rituals. The others bustled about their business as well. From a cooler in the food area, she retrieved the tree samples she'd stored in a sealed container. She opened the lid and looked at the leaves, fresh and old.

Out of all the plants in the Garden, this tree was unique, and it mattered to the Captain.

"What's the significance?" she mumbled. She closed the container and went to her lab area. There, she prepared slides for the microscope, test strips for the spectrograph. Then she sat at her monitor and called up records on everything she could find relating to Scarlet Oaks and Oak trees in general. Once she'd compiled a list of data articles, she began reading. Her assistants would come find her if they needed anything.

She'd been engrossed in her reading for a while when Lina dashed up to her.

"The Captain comes!" she said and ran off to tell the others.

Ayla made her way past the aquariums to the front door lock and stepped outside. Eight others were waiting on their knees, and Ahmid came out from behind a tractor machine that was locked to the floor further down the aisle. They both walked to the front of the group as the Captain turned the corner of the mining equipment a distance away. He walked briskly in his ship clothes, the gold Captain's insignia flashing on his collar.

As he approached them, Ayla realized Ahmid was a step behind her to her left. He should have been first to greet the Captain. By his having her go first, he was telling her and everyone else that her status had changed. Ayla wasn't sure how she felt about that.

She bowed low when the Captain was ten paces away and noted from the corner of her eye that Ahmid followed a second after her. The Captain closed the distance and smiled at her, then Ahmid.

It was Ahmid who spoke first, "Greetings, Captain, we're glad and grateful for your presence."

Ayla took a hold of herself—she'd been staring. "I hope you rested well, Captain."

"Well enough, Ayla, thank you. Did you rest well yourself?"

"We were up late discussing your Garden. I wonder, may I bring my assistants with me if I have need?"

She saw that distant look in his eyes that lasted a microsecond. He was talking to Canaisis. It was hard to notice, but she found herself very observant of this Captain.

"I don't see why not, after I familiarize you with all there is to see and know. The ecosystem is a very fragile balance, you understand."

She smiled at that. She understood the care it took to maintain a balanced system perfectly. "I understand very well, Captain. I have some instruments I wish to set up to record data in the Garden. May I?"

"Yes, of course. Do you want to do it now or do you wish to wait until I can accompany you?"

"After Last Meal is fine, if you're not too tired or taken with duties."

"We shall see how the day goes, Ayla." He smiled back at her.

"Of course," she said, lowering her head, then looked back up to see him regarding Ahmid.

"Shall we get started, Ahmid?"

"Yes, indeed. This is truly a great gift, Captain. We thank you deeply." Ahmid bowed his head in respect. "How would you like to get started?"

The Captain's eyes crinkled in amusement. "Well, if we don't hurry, the generator will beat us there."

He looked up past their heads. Ayla turned around and saw the large generator floating in the distance, close to the ceiling. It was drifting away from them in the direction of Fishery Facility Two.