Ships shattered underneath the barrage of fire and fury that erupted from the weapons of The Avalon Fleet. Yet even more escaped as The Slugs evacuated as many of their personnel as possible from the system. The enemy was fleeing, meaning there was an advantage to be pressed. The system was liberated, but for the greater ease of securing the next system, as many ships and soldiers had to be killed here as possible.

It might have seemed cruel, but every soldier in The Avalon Fleet knew the horrors that had been inflicted upon the worlds that had been conquered. They had no mercy for the soldiers that had brought down the hammer upon humanity. Every opportunity was to be exploited, every weakness sought out and capitalized on.

The Avalon

Morgan had finally found a moment away from the children. She slumped gratefully into a chair in the nun’s common room that they kept separate from the rest of the orphanage. Giving into her weariness, she let her head roll back as she relaxed. Sister Nina had relieved her, likely seeing how tired she was. She hadn’t slept well last night. The nightmare had happened again, of waking up with no skin from a pool of some sort of goo.

Morgan wasn’t sure what the source of the nightmares was, but she knew that it wasn’t her in the dreams. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she did. Who it was that was waking up in such a way was beyond her knowing. More than likely it was merely the product of stress.

She briefly thought about talking to the Mother Superior about it but decided against such an action. Just like every time she thought about it, it continued to be a bad idea. Anything that would jeopardize her ability to serve and earn her freedom was a bad idea. And confessing to such strange dreams might not immediately remove her from the orphanage, but it would lead to her being more closely watched, her every move analyzed and picked apart. She had no doubts she did a good job with the children, but there was no sense in taking the risk.

Her thoughts were brought back to reality by the strong scent of coffee. She sat up straight, suddenly all too aware of the presence of someone else. Her former overly relaxed posture had hardly been appropriate. Her eyes turned to the source of the scent and lo’ who would be standing there other than the very person she had just thought about.

The Mother Superior, Agnes, wasn’t terribly old by modern standards, but even with modern medicine, Seventy was still plenty of time to begin looking the part. That said the wrinkles and greying hair that the older woman sported could only do so much to hide her innate beauty. Her gentle smile relaxed Morgan once more as the older woman wordlessly set the tray she was carrying down upon the table.

The tray had two mugs and a small plate with cookies artfully piled onto it. Agnes took one of the mugs and offered it to Morgan, who gratefully took the piping hot brew. Not a word passed between the two as they sat silently, enjoying their drinks and nibbling at cookies.

Finally, when Morgan’s coffee was nearly finished Agnes broke the silence, “Are you sure you don’t want to join our order Morgan? You know everyone here would welcome you without hesitation.”

Morgan managed to refrain from flinching at the question, if only just barely. This was not the first time the question had been posed to her, and she doubted it would be the last. She knew that what The Mother Superior said was true. It wasn’t like anyone here disliked her, but she knew she had no desire to be a nun. She did want her own family one day after all. She just wanted that future to be somewhere far from the fighting and far from Avalon recruitment centers.

“Sorry to dissapoint you, but my answer is as it has been before Mother Superior. Thank you, though. The kindness you have all shown me is more than I deserve.” Morgan’s reply brought a smile to Agnes’s face as the older woman slowly shook her head.

“It is too bad that your answer has not changed, I might have been able to spare you from what is to come. I still can should you change your mind, but let me tell you of the request I have received first. Not here though, my office will be better suited to such talks.” Agnes set her mug back onto the tray and indicated that Morgan should follow her.

Morgan frowned at the older woman’s statement but did not argue. She set down the last dregs of her coffee onto the tray and followed the older woman to her office.

The office in question did not have much in the way of decoration, but what it did have was clearly of quality craftsmanship. An ornate Celtic Cross of pure silver sat on the wall behind the hand-carved wooden desk. Beyond that, the walls of the room were covered with standard shelving units holding books, as well as miscellaneous tools and supplies. There was never enough space for anything in the orphanage, and that need for space had overtaken even the Mother Superior’s office.

Agnes took the chair behind the desk, and Morgan took one of the seats across from her. All the chairs were the same simple design, one that was not particularly aesthetically appealing. That said, they more than made up for their lack of style by being cheap, comfortable, and easily stored.

As Morgan sat down, Agnes began to deftly navigate the console that inhabited much of her desk. After a few moments, she had brought up what she needed to and swiveled a display towards Morgan so that she could read.

“You can read it if you’d like, but the gist is that The Avalon Fleet needs to commision someone with child-handling and caregiver experience. You are more than qualified and since you are not a citizen yet and your file is marked as you having an active interest in leaving The Avalon you were one of the candidates that got pulled for this opportunity.” Agnes paused for a moment as Morgan reeled from the news she was being told.

Morgan looked at the screen, skimming the document that was changing her life. Everything matched up with what the Mother Superior had already told her. She realized that this could actually be an excellent opportunity. Then she looked further into the details, and her skin visibly paled as she looked at where she would be going.

“Ah yes, the location is what makes this less than desireable. It’s why they’re making it so your time there counts double for your citizenship status. Hopefully that makes this assignment more tenable.”

Morgan continued to look at the details of the planet, ‘Hephaestus,’ as it was called. The surface was uninhabitable outside of domes and underground warrens. At least the domes were somewhat comfortable, but considering the lack of lush greenery she was used to seeing aboard The Avalon, it would be a downgrade.

Agnes looked at her kindly, “You still have a choice you know. I could keep you here and once you have your citizenship I would be more than happy to release you from your vows. It’s frowned upon, but there are no real rules against it. At least none that the appropriate paperwork can’t be found for.”

Morgan was torn, but the planet didn’t seem too bad, all said and done. And doubling the rate of progress towards citizenship meant she wouldn’t even be there more than a couple of years. There was an opportunity to earn citizenship for Hephaestus as well, but she had no desire to live in a dome her entire life. She wanted to be free, and being kept inside someone else’s walls for her own protection wasn’t what she called freedom.

Morgan tore herself away from the information in front of her and looked The Mother Superior in the eyes. “I’ll do it. There are worse assignments and the compensation is good. More credits and faster time out of citizenship. I’d be a fool to say no to this.”

“We’ll miss you dearly, but I understand. If I were in your shoes I imagine I’d make much the same choice. The ship leaves in a few days, but there are things to prepare in the meantime. See to what you need to, I’ll let the sisters know.”

***

The next few days were a whirlwind of paperwork, packing, and tear-filled goodbyes for Morgan. Some of the older children understood her leaving, but the younger ones didn’t really get it. There wasn’t much she could do as she waved goodbye to the children as the sisters tried to keep them in line. Many of them had been sad to see her go too and she felt the same. She’d made friends here, but the plan had always been to leave eventually. Just not quite this soon.

Morgan kept the goodbyes as swift as she could and made her way through the walkways. She paused at a bridge that allowed a gap in the buildings lining the path she walked. The Avalon had been her refuge from a wartorn world, her home, and simultaneously a prison from which she had been not allowed to leave. Her feelings about it might be complicated, but she could not help but take a moment to take one last look at the massive interior that stretched before her.

The rows upon rows of buildings curved into the horizon. And far from where she was, she saw the beginnings of the agricultural section of the Worldship. She’d allowed herself to get used to the sight over time, and now that she was leaving, she was once again struck by its beauty. She was glad to be moving on, but there were some parts of this place that she would miss.

Then the moment passed, and Morgan tore herself from the sight before her. She found the elevator that descended to the trains below and took it to the outer shell of the world contained within the armor of the ship. She was pretty far away from the transit dock, but with how fast and regular the trains were on the Avalon, it was hardly a consideration. She found her train and boarded, and mere minutes passed before she found herself where she needed to be.

Plenty of other people were headed to the shuttles, and many more had just come aboard from those shuttles. The sea of bodies swirling around Morgan as she stumbled off the train was overwhelming. She just barely managed to hold herself together and ducked into a small alcove. It took her a couple of minutes to stop hyperventilating.

Morgan felt ashamed that even now, she had so many problems with large groups. She was better now than before. At one point, even having thirty-odd children around her at once was enough to trigger a panic attack. Knowing that she had improved didn’t erase the shame in her heart that she couldn’t deal with what so many others seemed to have no problem with. In spite of that, Morgan quelled the fear in her heart and stepped back out. She would break down into a mess later. Right now, she had somewhere to be.

With quick but carefully calculated steps, she made her way through the crowd, attempting to navigate through the less crowded pockets of people as she did. It took her longer, but she’d known that it would and had planned accordingly. She knew her flaws, and on excellent advice that The Mother Superior had once given her, she chose to work with and around them instead of fighting them constantly.

Morgan stepped up to her designated shuttle and pulled out a chit that had her boarding info on it. A bored-looking young man sitting at a desk just outside the shuttle greeted her in a forgettable, droning voice before scanning her chit. After a moment, he confirmed her details and waved her into the shuttle.

It was a small affair, but the seats were well-spaced for legroom and quite comfortable. Viewscreens were built into the wall and emulated windows, allowing you to look out and see from any angle around the ship. She wasn’t assigned a window seat, unfortunately, though she had heard from the sisters who had taken such shuttles that it was possible to connect a tablet to the ship’s local network and see the same view from that if she wanted as well, so she did just that.

With just a few strokes across the screen, Morgan synced to the local network and was able to see the outside view. It was still just the inside of the shuttle bay, well ensconced within The Avalons armour, but it was still exciting.

Morgan was glad that there was so much empty space between seats afforded on the shuttle. After the crowds in the bay, she had been expecting to be packed into the shuttle with the other passengers like a can of sardines. Taking advantage of said space, she stretched her legs and settled into her seat to enjoy the flight to the ship that would be taking her to Hephaestus.

It wasn’t long before the shuttle took off, and from the comfort of her seat, she enjoyed the view of the hundreds of ships surrounding The Avalon and the pinpricks of shuttles dashing between them. She looked at the hulking form of The Avalon hanging in the void between stars, barely visible, but for the strings of lights along its hull announcing its presence. She once again felt a strange melancholy for the place she had, until now, called home.

The moment passed as she pinpointed the ship that she would be taking on her voyage to another star. It was a civilian ship, privately owned, but on contract with The Avalon government. It was rated to carry five hundred passengers with easily reconfigurable passenger compartments to suit individuals, pairs, or groups as needed.

Morgan had never been aboard one but had done a bit of research on the vessel to help put herself to sleep the night before. It wasn’t a new ship, but it wasn’t particularly old either. The core design was, however, nearly fifty years old, but new ships of that same design were still being built. That made Morgan feel better since that meant that if nothing else, the design was reliable and safe.

She marveled at the sleek ovoid design. Its main drives were buried deep within its hull, leaving no need for large protrusions or a recognizable front and back of the ship. As the shuttle approached, a small opening formed in the center of the ship, revealing a small hangar. They passed into it and waited for it to close and repressurize before exiting. Unlike The Avalon, this ship didn’t have a low-powered shield dedicated to keeping air trapped in its hangar.

A line formed as the passengers all jockeyed to exit the shuttle and make their way onto the ship. Two crew members were doing a final check on passes and giving people directions, both verbally and downloaded to their tablets.

Morgan stepped up to one of them, a middle-aged woman who clearly had been doing this for a while. The smile on her face was automatic and only slightly crept into her eyes. “Welcome aboard the Serenity, I’m just going to check your boarding pass quickly and get you some directions.” her tone was cheery as she accepted Morgan’s chit that served as her pass. A quick scan allowed her to access the data within.

“All right then, looks like you’ll be on deck three, room twenty-two. Everything is clearly labeled, but if you get lost here’s a map of the ship and specifically to your room. The passenger galley and all in-flight entertainment options can be found on deck five. We’re no cruise liner, but we like to keep our guests happy while they’re with us. We also have a large entertainment library that is publicly available to all passengers, please feel free to access it as you wish. Now on you trot, and enjoy your flight!”

Morgan accepted the data transfer to her tablet for the ship map and stepped away, slightly dazed. The veritable cascade of words that had spilled from the woman’s mouth in such a quick, practiced manner had caught her slightly off guard. But she’d come away with what she needed to know. Deck five for food and deck three for her room.

She made her way to the exit of the hangar and found an elevator just outside. She took it to deck three and found her way to her room without any trouble. There was more than enough signage to indicate where she needed to go.

Morgan entered the room to find small but reasonable accommodations. There was little floor space, but there was a bed, a small dresser, a desk with an accompanying chair, and a viewscreen that dominated the majority of one of the walls, easily viewable from the bed. It wasn’t perfect, but she wasn’t about to complain. Her accommodations on Hephaestus when she got there would likely not be much better, potentially worse to start out.

She let down her luggage and collapsed into the bed allowing some of the weariness and anxiety from before wash over her. After a while, she purposefully steadied her breathing and calmed herself. She had made it through the crowds, and she was on her way to her new home. Everything was going well, and soon she would be earning her double time towards her service to The Avalon, and she would be able to settle anywhere she pleased. That thought made her smile as she drifted off into a well-deserved nap.