The shuttle banked eastward one final time as it raced toward another large gap in the megapolis’s sprawling grip on continent. The eighteen mile diameter circle that cut through the megacity’s sprawl consisted of nearly untouched forest, a half mile clear zone and the solid bulk of (Iradath Spaceport A). The spaceport itself occupied nearly three square miles itself, neat orderly lines glowing as landing pad and runway lights bloomed into existence out of the falling darkness. The oldest of Iradath’s five major spaceports, (Iradath Spaceport A) wasn’t remotely as pretty or large as later ‘ports were.  It was an ancient spaceport, built for a time when the Imperium lacked the capacity to control it’s own capital system against the threats it face. It had also spent centuries doubling as one of the Imperium’s earliest shipyards. As such, (Iradath Spaceport A) seemed to have been molded out of the world itself and the impression was far from wrong. Magically shaped granite had mixed with space-age concrete had formed the bones of the spaceport. From above, the space port seemed like a collection of squat, heavily reinforced warehouses bustling with countless shuttles and larger orbital haulers. Those warehouse, now cracked apart in places, hid the much deeper complex that had helped build the ships which had launched the Imperium into the most holy of realms. These once massive ‘dry docks’, foundries and hangars were now honeycombed with terminals, restaurants and shops, the complex’s bones too deep and sturdy for anyone to have thought about reshaping them in earnest. Instead, later generations had reshaped this engine of war and industry into a hub of travel and tourism, taking advantage of the highly modular, if unreshapable, design of the complex. 68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9wH3LRWet
Thanks to the (Iradath Spaceport A)’s duo of modern Artificial Intelligences and the small army of Fragment Intelligences that the more advanced constructs managed, Shuttle Flight CI45659 barely slowed as it merged with the other air traffic flowing out of the ancient complex. The wall panels faded back to their neutral “inside shuttle” state as Shuttle Flight CI45659 raced down the tunnel. The little ovaloid craft whipped past docking bay after docking bay in a constant flicker of light to dark. Other shuttles and small craft maneuvered, docked and undocked around them, often passing within mere tens of feet before Shuttle Flight CI145659 decelerated with a speed that would’ve killed its inhabitants if it wasn’t for the inertial buffers and settled into its designated docking craddle with the lightness of a feather.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nkBsBttZN
“Ialan, we have arrived at (Iradathkin Spaceport A). I would like to take this moment to remind you that if you have any luggage in stowage, it will be waiting for you at the appropriate carousel. On behalf of (shuttleline) and the crew, I would like to thank you once again for flying with us.” Kaewer sat placidly while the shuttle’s others passengers erupted into motion, pulling down duffel bags from overhead compartments and crowding the aisle as they hurried to be the earliest off the transorbital craft. As she waited, she sent a short text to Relia.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlExRMV93jf
Kaewer: Alive! We didn’t crash!68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFp8wcRL7s9
It was the text Kaewer had come to think of as her landing text, and she sent some variation of it whenever she reached a new location. Normally she’d send it to more than just her best friend but since she was trying to surprise her family she was keeping it quiet. Relia hadn’t responded by the time, Kaewer sauntered down the gangway with her kit bag slung over her shoulder at a jaunty angle and the ravens riding on her shoulders but that didn’t bother Kaewer. Relia would see it eventually. Kaewer smiled to herself as she stepped out of the gangway and into the utter chaos that was (Iradath Spaceport A). The bland but comfortable seating folded into the pleasantly calm colours of the walls and carpet patterns with an effect that broadcast a pleasant sense of welcome temporarancy.  It could’ve been a spaceport terminal from anywhere in the Imperium except for three things. The first was the breathtaking view of the honeycomb hive that was (Iradath Spaceport A).  One entire wall of the terminal was transparent, revealing the absolutely overwhelming flow of high speed traffic in its carefully coordinated dance and the other honeycombed terminals glowing in the relative low light. 68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHMVs4XHTG
The second was the abundance of straight lines and rigid walls. Drailleon architecture favoured curves and circles, often creating structures of interconnected circles and ovoids in spiraling patterns. (Iradath Spaceport A) had been built as a raw industrial foundry of war and the military designers had abandoned any architectural sensibilities to create the fastest most sensible structures they could. The spaceport designers had worked hard to soften the rigid lines, putting up curved baffles and faux arcs but it was impossible to genuinely hide. 68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypfuHYpoTF
The final difference was just how insanely busy everything was. (Iradath Spaceport A) was the smallest and most exclusive spaceport on the capital world but that description lost the sheer scale that the Imperium’s capital operated at. Kaewer braced herself almost physically as the cacophonous chaos washed over her. Hundreds of passengers milled about, coming, going or waiting as their personal needs dictated in this terminal alone. Many of them were accompanied by well-muscled ialan in stiff business attire. To Kaewer, the world slowed as her brain scrambled to sort the sudden tide of visual and audio information into threat categories. Her eyes flicked with ever sharpening intensity across the the crowd, narrowing when she spotted the armed security. She marked flaws in watch patterns and gaps in the private security with automatic reflex. Another passenger flexed their magic casually and Kaewer spun to lock eyes with them as she felt the weaves of energy bend. The sea of data was overwhelming and Kaewer felt the urge to seek cover rising up.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6AjkfrwQy
“Lieutenant!”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURL6Yy0mOt
“Emerald Rust!” The sharp pain in her ear snapped Kaewer back. The worried expressions of the three spaceport staff who’d approached her registered almost immediately, as did the pair of spaceport security who’d taken up positions a few feet behind them. It was only then that the warm trickle of liquid down her neck registered, as did the sharp pain from her left ear.  The source of the pain was obvious, as the feathered assailant was still clinging determinedly to the wounded ear and shoulder.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkv8QOuqoRb
“Stars! I’m fine Imugemare. I’m back.” Kaewer croaked, raising her hands to spaceport staff. Imugemare let go immediately, crow hopping on top of Kaewer’s head with only the lightest slap of her wings.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SGHi8v9mB
“Lieutenant, are you okay?” The same staffer repeated her question. Her body language relaxed as the ravens settled down and returned to their friend.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuZZq9KTjw
“Pardon?” Kaewer blinked, turning her attention from the raven chattering away on her head. “Oh. Right. Yes, I’m fine. Now.” Kaewer threw the hot flush of embarrassed energy threatening to bring a blush to her face into a healing spell. The throbbing pain from her ear faded and the wet trickle down her neck stopped.  Behind the three spaceport staff, the two security relaxed with almost visible sighs of relief. 68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8kVpn1jJS
“Do you need anything from us, ma’am?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZenk3VitAP
“It’s.. It’s fine,” Kaewer said. “It’s just been a while since I’ve been back in the capital, I’d forgotten how crazy it can be.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSrQnzMMy7
“Completely understandable. Would you allow security to escort you to your ride, to help avoid any further episodes?” The ialar’s two hundred watt smile didn’t waver as she locked eyes with the Kidorlus lieutenant but Kaewer knew there was only one answer. Security would be escorting her one way or the other. 68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFPPOP1Ea9
“Of course, I’d appreciate the support,” Kaewer agreed with a wan smile. Both the security guards smiled and dipped their heads, one gesturing for her to lead on. Kaewer settled her kit bag over her shoulder and strode off toward the trams.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FMCG9Xg2I
——68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJEtn0qqSV
“Ma’am,” The spaceport security guard’s tone was deferential but the question and warning in his voice were clear as Kaewer lead the small entourage down past the secure air and ground skimmer terminals.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VVig2BQBk
“I know. I should probably avoid public transit right now but by the ancestors, I will not allow myself to sit in a rent-a-skimmer and dwell on what almost happened. I’m going to take the surface tram to the Palace district, just like I’d originally planned. Now that I know what to expect, I’ll be okay,” Kaewer took another deep breath, holding it for three seconds before letting it out slowly. The familiar motion helped center her frayed nerves further. “I’d thought the orbitals had prepared me for coming home, but I’d underestimated how crazy Iradath seems when you come back to it.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRpcwVeUrK
“Lieutenant, how old are you?” The other guard asked, her voice a bit more worn and worldly than her compatriot.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1EgXVxZ03L
“Almost 125.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGz3CgrO3e
“Ah, I see. Still on your first tour then?” 68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7mES7vLX5
“Yes, ma’am.” Kaewer smiled as the steady confidence in the ialar’s voice registered. “First time home in nearly nine years.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hwSuVMYWx
“Then take it from an old hand, take it easy coming back home. You don’t have to act like things aren’t different now that you’re home. If half the rumours and stories about what the Kidorlus do out there are true, you’ve seen some truly monstrous action. That changes things for everyone and it’s okay. Talk to someone who cares about you, admit what happened and listen to advice, older heads have been where you are.” The ialar moved as if to lay a hand on Kaewer’s shoulder but the two massive ravens riding them changed her mind.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5sVpUT5mL
“It’s funny how often you can be told that but it doesn’t really stick until it happens to you,” Kaewer shook herself, though less forcefully than she might’ve if she’d not had passengers. “Thank you, Sergeant …”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUJX9JbSgI
“(Draiker name 1) and just (Draiker name 1), or Agent if you must give me a title. I chose to go down the civics service track after my second tour. I haven’t been an active sergeant in a couple thousand years.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENiKG4w26X
“I don’t think anything can take the sergeant out of a person,” Kaewer chuckled. 68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXyl7hijcy
(Draiker name 1) chuckled dryly and shrugged to acknowledge her point. “We help more than a few first timers every year, and sometimes second or third timers, I don’t think anything can truly prepare a person for coming back to Iradath, not after their first active tour. The sergeant in me gets plenty of use still,” (Draiker name 1) said as they stepped into tramway station’s central hub. (Iradath Spaceport A)’s tramway station was often considered small, cramped and ugly by travelers used to the Imperium’s traditionally open and winding architecture but Kaewer adored it. The station hub had been built at the same time as (Iradath Spaceport A) and had faced many of the same limitations of growing from a top secret orbital-strike resistant engine of war into the high-security, high-volume spaceport that it was currently.  As a result, the designers had been forced to work with and around the hard military lines and highly-density materials of the original structure and their response had always awed Kaewer’s childhood mind.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjcRCE4aov
The designers hadn’t strayed from the Imperium tradition of blending nature into public spaces but they’d eschewed the traditional underground garden of green. Instead, the station glowed with life that swarmed, scuttled and clung to the walls in a 360-degree experience. A glass walkway had been raised to ensure travels felt truly in an alien world and the hard military lines and walls had been softened, cracked or roughened to give the impression of a natural cavern. The bioluminescent plants, algae, lichen and fungi of a dozen worlds had been carefully seeded so that only the occasional light panel was needed. Passages ran off away from the accessible tunnels at seemingly random intervals, winding away into fading darkness to give the impression of a sprawling underground network. Young Kaewer had filled those mysterious passageways with lost treasures, ancient ruins and sprawling underground kingdoms of bioluminescent beings. Her imagination had wandered down those tunnels into tragedies and adventures a thousand times.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZS6XZyrYt
“… ma’am?” Kaewer flashed Agent (Draiker name 1) a crooked grin as she realized she’d been star-gazing. 68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvl65Tt6shB
“Sorry, (draiker name 1), I went star-gazing for a second there. What was that?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhRjZH2jl9
“I asked if you needed help finding the right tram line. Are you sure you’re okay, ma’am?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iYli4Jp97
“I’m fine, I grew up flying in and out of this spaceport and I adored this hub as a kid. I just let myself wander a bit too far down memory lane for a moment,” Kaewer’s grin got a bit more crooked. “I still take the Eternity line to the palace right?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UlqiTXwoL
“Things in Iradath don’t change that much in five years,” (Draiker name 1) laughed.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVioMlCgeu
“I suppose not. In that case, this is where we part. Thank you for the sergeantly advice, (draiker name 1),” Kaewer clasped arms with the security agent. “If you get tired of airport security, I hope you’ll give the Guard a consideration. We could always use someone with a steady head.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplKpIsjVgT
“Me in private security? Stars above, my husband and wife would both kill me. We run a dance conservatory over in (Iraka district name) and it eats up all three of our spare time. Luckily, I’m the only one mustered up right now and my track doesn’t take me off world.” Kaewer barked a laugh at the ex-sergeant’s statement. It wasn’t that she couldn’t see the airport security agent as a dance instructor or owner of a dance school, that was all too easy. For Kaewer, it was the sudden and colorful reminder that life beyond the military, or its civilian reflections, existed.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyI2G3BzGJR
 What sort of dancing do you teach?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKbMcV4Ooc
“What?” (Draiker name 1) stared at Kaewer, head cocked to the side like a confused dog.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6iNYSO1cK
“What sort of dancing does your school teach?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0kKikPzY3
“Oh, a bit of everything really. You have all your typical classical dances, formal and informal, and some of the modern incarnations. Tunnel Shuffle is really popular right now but our real specialty is (carnaven waltz name). Our students have taken medals all over the Imperium for it.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGjbyzsjKx
“Isn’t that a carnaven word?” It was Kaewer’s turn to tilt her head in confusion. (Draiker name 2) let out a pained groan all too familiar to Kaewer. Oops, now I’ve done it she thought as the ialar’s eyes lit with a passionate fire. 68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwYRCu5wkN
“It’s a carnaven dance, originally. Back in the days of the Empire, it became quite popular in the new colonies with the so-called ‘wild nobility’ and the common public. In its competition and performance forms, it’s a beautifully complex dance but it’s still a popular folk dance across the old ‘new colonies’. The demand for teachers and performing troupes is still surprisingly high and my husband was one of the best performers in the… oh ancestors,” (Draiker name 1)’s voice got real small as she realized she’d started rambling and Kaewer’s amusement turned into real laughter. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywH6qgzCEH
“I’m not,” Kaewer managed between breaths. “I can see you’ve found a true calling and that my offer was a folly of the highest order. It’d be a shame to take you away from something you’re so passionate about. Thanks for the reminder though.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaQvZxHgoR
“The reminder?”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgagArMTfC
“That life is more than just service to the Imperium. With my family, its easy to forget that sometimes.”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2RbMdLHqk
“Your family, ma’am?” (Draiker name 2) spoke up for the first time and Kaewer blinked at him.68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJSxY8IhcT
“You mean… of course not. No one mentioned my name down here,” Kaewer muttered to herself and the smiled at the younger security agent. “Let’s just say I have big shoes to fill and sometimes it feels like the whole Imperium expects something of me.” The status board flashed with the impending arrival of an Eternity line train and Kaewer resettled her kit bag. “It was a pleasure, Agents. I appreciate the help and the advice. May the stars guide you!”68Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2szFBsTymX
“You as well!” Kaewer heard as she and her feathered riders hurried down one of the winding bio-luminescent tunnels toward the ride home.8964 copyright protection64ＰＥＮＡＮＡRw8RcBaWkD 維尼

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