Page 7 of Shattered Silence

With nothing else to do, Layla put on the VR glasses she’d been given by the ship’s attendant-bot, the very same glasses she’d managed to grab—along with her now-dead link-band and cabin luggage—when she’d evacuated the Malachi.

A familiar scene unfolded before her, appearing so real she could almost reach out and touch the leaves of the lush exotic plants that lined the crystal-clear waterway.

This was her personalized introduction. Along with seven other humans, Layla had been en-route to her new home.

Miridian-7. The warm, lush planet had become a secret enclave for Earth’s wealthiest citizens. Those that wanted to escape the hassles of everyday life on Earth—crowding, pollution, criminals, Federation surveillance, pain-in-the-ass jerks—they went to Miridian-7.

“Welcome to Miridian-7, a premier lifestyle destination.” Calming music played, a series of relaxing chimes blending with the sweet tones of a harp. The view zoomed in on the creek bed, revealing purple stone formations that glittered beneath the pristine water. Silver creatures darted beneath the surface. Not fish, but something other.

“Untouched. Unpolluted. Uncrowded. The air is clean, the sky is clear, the climate perfect. Infinity-8 Developments is proud to present this unique settlement opportunity.” A gentle female voice filtered through her ears, the slight lack of inflection telling her the speech was AI-generated. “As an elite member of our growing human colony on Miridian-7, you will be offered prime land in one of our stunning skydomes. Enjoy total environmental protection, along with the freedom to explore the unspoiled outer environment at your leisure. Layla dela Cruz, you have worked hard to achieve success on Earth. Now is the time to broaden your horizons and reward yourself with your very own piece of paradise. You deserve it.”

The view panned out to a series of green, undulating hills. A double rainbow stretched between them, curving across an impossibly blue sky. If Layla hadn’t known better, she might have thought the whole thing was digitally enhanced, but she’d seen the raw footage. She’d paid an independent exploration company to scan Miridian-7 with their drones, and they confirmed that the jungle planet’s terrain was the real deal.

“Miridian-7, the closest livable planet to Earth, is uncolonized and completely removed from the frantic pace of old world life. Your lifetime residency permit will grant you membership to an exclusive club, where total peace and privacy is only a spaceflight away. Suspend time and aging as you enter light cryosleep shortly after departure, and wake up perfectly refreshed, feeling exactly the same as you did when you left Earth.”

“So much for the dream,” Layla sighed, switching off the VR glasses. It was all out of reach now. The verdant landscape of Miridian-7 disappeared, revealing the grim interior of the escape pod. To one side, there was the automated storage facility that held the supplies. All she had to do was ask for food, water, medical supplies, or whatever, and the bot would take care of it, dropping the items into a small clear-walled cabinet. On the other side of the pod, there was a closed off compartment with a toilet facility and a stash of spare bedding, along with some oversized cabin-jackets that seemed to have been stuffed in there as an afterthought.

Really, Layla had everything she needed for survival.

But there was no shower.

No goddamned shower.

And stars knew she needed one.

Layla was still wearing the same garment she’d had on when she’d entered the cryosleep sling—a custom-made suit that consisted of a fitted long-sleeved jersey and comfortable leggings. Made of a permeable new-tech fabric that felt like a strange cross between silk and warm gel, it was designed to allow near-freezing bioliquid to coat every pore of her body while she lay in the sling.

Impregnated with millions of sensors, with several nanoscopic nodes extending directly into her bloodstream, the suit had monitored her body’s activity right down to the tiniest flicker, allowing the AI to perfectly regulate the environment inside the sling.

All that fancy tech was pointless now, because her suit was disconnected from its AI.

But it was comfortable, and it kept her warm, and it had saved her life. When all that debris came flying through the cryosleep bay, when something heavy smashed into her chest, jolting her out of a dreamless sleep, her suit had momentarily hardened, protecting her vital organs.

Layla ran her fingers over her ribcage, hissing and wincing as she grazed the exquisitely tender spot on her right side. No doubt there were a couple of broken ones there. They’d healed a little, but they were still fucking sore.

“It’s definitely a curse,” she groaned, her voice sounding strange to her own ears. “I just can’t get a break, can I?”

All she’d wanted to do was escape Earth for a while. Five years, ten years, even twenty. Most of that time would be spent in spaceflight, and Layla would hardly age, because she would be in cryosleep.

“You are injured.” A familiar cold voice cut through her thoughts, sounding so perfectly clear that she almost felt he was right there in the pod with her.

Layla stifled a gasp. “How do you know?” She hadn’t told him anything about her injuries.

“The sound of your breathing changed.”

A tiny little shiver coursed through her. It was half fear, half curiosity, and all shock. “You can hear even that?” Maybe these aliens just had really, really good sound detection technology. “Who are you, exactly? Are you part of the Infinity-8 Alliance?”

Come on now, he had to give her something.

“How badly are you injured?” He countered her question with his own, and Layla didn’t know if he was asking out of concern, or for strategic reasons. Perhaps a nearly-dead passenger wasn’t worth all the time and effort to rescue.

She had no choice but to be honest. “It’s nothing that’ll kill me. I have a couple of broken ribs and a black eye. An annoying cough that won’t go away. A nasty bruise on my stomach. A twisted ankle. I’ll survive, if I don’t die of boredom first.”

“You find your current situation boring?” Okay, so now he sounded irritated. At least he was capable of feeling some sort of emotion, even if he wasn’t able to appreciate her sarcasm. Maybe Kordolians didn’t do sarcasm.

“Sorry. I was being flippant. Being alone for extended periods of time makes us humans a little bit crazy. Well, most of us.” Layla switched her tone, trying to sound as respectful as possible. Sleep deprivation and not speaking to single soul for weeks had made her a little bit delirious, and more than a little desperate. “Why won’t you tell me who you are, Captain?”

Arctic silence.

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