Chapter IV – Gong Sheng Xing

Mu sat, gazing out the window, her chin resting in her hand, her elbow resting on the window sill. Dawn’s first light was spreading across the billowing cloud tops, tingeing them with pink light as the stars and moon still twinkled overhead, though now fading before the coming of the day. She thought she’d gain a sense of relief watching as she slipped the bonds of the planet’s gravity, but she felt nothing of the sort, just a tight knot in her stomach and a sense of profound exhaustion.

She had partially listened in to Tavian, Apollo, and Kal talking. She knew Apollo and Kal had a starship docked at the Orbital Ring, and that was where they were heading. But she wasn’t sure they’d be able to make their way from STOC to starship without incident. They’d made a big commotion on the surface, and despite Nova’s insistence that their port of departure would be masked, Mu knew security would be extremely tight. For all she knew there was a welcoming committee up at the Ring, just waiting for their arrival.

That was part of why Mu was feeling the way she was, even as she gazed out the window at the dreamy vista unfolding below.

She heard a noise behind her. Someone sat down.

“You doing alright?” asked Tavian.

Mu half turned to him. She shrugged. “We got away.”

“We did. For now.”

Mu gave a slightly bitter laugh. “For now,” she agreed.

Tavian was silent a moment. “Anything you want to talk about?”

Mu turned fully to face him. “Not really,” she said.

Tavian said nothing in return. Mu felt the silence draw out. “Seriously,” she added.

Tavian shrugged. “Sure. Fine. No need to talk.”

He said the words, but he didn’t give any sign of intending to move way. Mu glared his way, but he held her glare, still saying nothing. Evetually, she sighed.

“What’s your deal, anyway?” she asked.

“Oh, so we are talking?” he asked and she rolled her eyes.

“You know who I am. You know why I’m running. What about you? I know nothing about you, other than that you are a bad gambler and you sort of know how to fight.”

Tavian raised his eyebrows. “I’m a good gambler when someone isn’t using their Starflow resonance to cheat. I’m guessing you’re a… Starseer, yeah?”

“I may be.”

“You’re definitely a Resonant. And if you’re from the Imperial Court, you’ve got to be a Starseer of Nara Enduri, right?”

Mu was about to reply, but changed directions at the last moment. “I thought I was asking you about what your deal was, not telling you more about me?”

Tal smiled mischievously. “You caught me!”

Mu turned her head to the side, lowering her chin, and raising an eyebrow. “So?”

“I’m just a traveller. Just some guy wandering the Cosmos,” said Tavian.

“Oh really? And why does half of Shangxia want you dead?” asked Mu.

“I think you’re being unfair. It’s a quarter of the planet at most. And I have more than a little evidence pointing to the fact that a good portion of the planet’s population wants to sleep with me too, so… y’know… it all evens out.”

Mu scowled. “You are a disgusting man, Mr Locke.”

Tavian just laughed, as he did in response to most things. “I have been told that I am of particularly low moral character, yes.”

“It’s not something to be proud of.”

“Aye, sure, but then again, we met when you cheated me out of gambling money in a seedy night club, so perhaps we’re just two peas in a pod.”

“I am not like you, Mr Locke,” said Mu, in a tone of greater exasperation than she actually felt. Somehow, for all of his uncouth ways and unearned arrogance, she found talking with Tavian distracted her from her more morbid musings.

“That’s true, too. You’re not nearly as good looking as I am.”

“I do not like you, Mr Locke.”

“Aww, but I like you plenty. Also, I didn’t mean that last one. You’re plenty attractive.”

Mu chose to ignore this line of conversation, “What’s with the case you always carry around?”

“This?” asked Tavian, picking up the case, which had been sitting beside him.

“Yes.”

Tavian opened it and pulled out a stringed instrument from within. Mu recognised it as a mandolin. “This,” he said, strumming a chord, “Is my livelihood.”

“You’re a musician?” asked Mu.

“Amongst other things,” said Tavian. “I am a Bard.”

“Really, a bard?” asked Mu, “What does that involve?”

“I travel, I recite stories and poetry, I play music,” said Tavian.

“That, ah, pay well?” asked Mu.

“Less well than I’d like,” said Tavian, grinning once again, “But I am a loyal follower of Lady Anu.”

“I see,” said Mu, nodding. She did not in fact see. “And what was it you did to get the authorities chasing you back, back down there?”

Before Tavian could reply, Kal interrupted. “We’ll be docking with the Orbital Ring shortly. Be alert. Nova says she’s covered our tracks, but there are no guarantees. When we get out there, do anything and everything I say. No questions. Got it?”

“Whatever you say, Boss,” said Tavian, flashing a thumbs up.

“You’ve gotten us this far,” said Mu. “I’ll follow your guidance.”

Kal regarded her a moment longer. “Good,” he said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I can’t disembark looking like this.”

With that he stepped away from them. He placed a hand to his chest and spoke. “Nova, it’s Kal. Time to disengage this thing.”

“You got it,” came Nova’s ever-cheerful voice.

Moments later the armour began folding in upon itself. Eventually it fell away from him, a small box – seemingly impossibly small. Underneath Kal was wearing a sleeveless, dark grey undershirt and bulky military-style utility pants tucked into large combat boots. His left arm was entirely mechanical, with no attempt to hide its nature. His right arm was bulging with muscle and covered in tattoos. Even without the power-armour he was a mightily imposing individual. On his belt was a small sidearm. He pulled it out and inspected it briefly. Satisfied he returned it to its place.

Tavian put his mandolin back in its case. He slung it over his shoulder. He picked up the rifle he had taken from one of their downed foes back on Shangxia. Holding it up he asked,

“Should I bring this?”

Without a word, Kal reached over and took it. He inspected it as he had his own firearm, and then handed it back to Tavian. “Unless, you’ve got anyway of concealing it, I wouldn’t bother. It’ll attract more attention than it’ll help. ‘Specially with about three rounds left.”

“Right,” said Tavian.

“Find somewhere to conceal it. We want to be a long way away from this STOC before anyone finds anything suspicious.”

Tavian briefly looked around and found a closet filled with miscellaneous electronic equipment. He pulled some of it out, pushed the rifle to the bottom, then piled the original contents on top.

“So, if we get ambushed, are we going to be fighting our way out?” asked Tavian.

“We don’t want to be doing what we did down on the surface up here,” said Kal. “Besides, life becomes a lot easier after we depart if the Amrita itself doesn’t get linked to any of this – not to either of you, not to me blowing up half a freight port.”

“Makes sense,” said Tavian. “I guess we’re doing it stealthy, then.”

“I think that would be best,” said Apollo. “And I believe we’ve arrived.”

Just as he spoke the word ‘arrived’, there was the gentlest of thuds and they could see the metallic immensity of the Orbital Ring out the window.

“You have arrived at your destination,” announced the onboard computer, “Orbital Ring Port Tianzhu 63S.”

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“Alright, guys, hurry up and disembark. I’ll erase the STOC’s security recordings,” came Nova’s voice from some indeterminate source.

“Thank you, Miss Reid,” replied Apollo.

Kal was first out, stepping through as the door slid open, his eyes scanning the scene. Apollo strolled out, slipping by his feet. Tavian followed, with Mu bringing up the rear.

The docks were a perfunctory and utilitarian affair, with little by way of adornment, everything in an unremarkable, if clean white. After scanning the seemingly deserted room, Kal appeared to be satisfied.

“Let’s go,” he said. He touched something at his ear. “Nova, have you got those credentials worked out for Mr Locke?”

“I think I’ve got something that will hold up to scrutiny, yeah,” said Nova. “Tavian? Can I call you, Tavian? Great! Well, Tavian, can you tap your tablet to Kal’s and I’ll upload credentials for you. That should get you through customs, although I still need to figure out a bypass for the facial recognition scanners. But not to worry! Leave it with me, we’ll get you guys here soon enough. In the meantime, enjoy the Ring. Might I suggest we get some changes of clothes for our fugitives?”

“Where will we find those?” asked Tavian.

“Do I have to do everything?” exclaimed Nova. “You’ve got tablets, use ‘em. Find your style. Or not. Right now you two stand out way too much. Can I suggest some casual streetwear? Grab some hoodies, hide those beautiful faces till we get that whole situation sorted. Oh! And in case you’re wondering, I couldn’t hijack the cameras in the landing bay you’re in, but I did manage to shut them down. Problem is, someone will probably be in shortly to check on that situation, so you should probably leave. Tavian, Mu, there are bathrooms around the corner. Hide there. Kal? Could you get them some clothes if they send you sizing info.”

Kal grumbled. “Shopping for clothes for these young folk isn’t really my thing.”

“Look, I really should be getting on with the main task of saving everyone’s arses here, but, if I must, I’ll find a nearby store, place an online order, and you can just go pick it up, Kal. Guys, send me your size data. Or, like, send it to Kal, and he can send it on to me. Y’now, since we haven’t exchanged deets yet. Really must get onto that.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Tavian.

Mu took out her tablet, typed in her sizing data. She looked at Kal and met his eyes. He raised his tablet and they tapped them together, as he shook his head. “Look, young lady, I don’t even know what these numbers mean.”

Tavian did the same and soon Kal tapped his screen a few times. Moments later they heard Nova again. “Got ‘em. Oooh, you guys are in good shape. Alright, I’m gonna place these orders, Kal you go collect. Mu, Tavian, you guys hide in the bathrooms. Cover your faces once you get into the hall outside. Just act like you’ve had a big night at the clubs down on the surface and after your flight you’re all queasy and have to hurl up your guts for a solid half hour. No one will question that. Naw, you guys are gonna look great in this stuff! Alright, order placed. Now, if no one else has any basic human adult tasks they need help with, I’m gonna turn my brilliant mind to the simple task of cracking the security of Imperial Customs. Y’all good?”

“Thank you, Miss Reid,” said Apollo once more.

“No worries, Cap,” said Nova.

With that Nova went silent.

“Alright, you heard what the lady said,” said Kal, seemingly trying to regain an air of authority. “You two hide in the bathrooms. I’ll go get these outfits for you.”

Mu pulled her hood up and they headed through the door on the far side of the landing bay.

Tavian was ahead of her, his hand covering his face. His body language was doing a fine impression of a man attempting to avoid throwing up, but increasingly losing the struggle. Mu thought it was likely an impression informed by experience.

She reached the door and stepped inside the dimly lit bathroom, which was immaculately clean and scented with flowers. She found a cubicle, closed the door, and sat on the closed toilet, pulling out her tablet. She brought up the site of the Shangxia Orbital Ring and found Tianzhu 63S. Nearby attractions included the Temple of Gong Sheng Xing and its gardens. It was a short journey from the shopping district that immediately surrounded the port. She remembered from her lessons that Gong Sheng Xing was one of the Awakened Stars, worshipped by the Shang since before the unification of the Eight Banners and the foundation of the Aixingo Empire. Today the Shang, who made up most of the Empire’s population, were still permitted to worship Gong Sheng Xing and the other Old Stars, but they had to accept the primacy of Nara Enduri. And all Resonants of the Old Stars had to register with the Resonance Bureau.

Or else, thought Mu, her mind returning to her own circumstances.

At any rate, if they had to fill some time while Nova worked her magic, the temple gardens seemed as good a place as any. She figured they’d be under less surveillance there. She’d suggest it to Kal and Apollo. Her tablet vibrated.

It was Tavian.

Kal has clothes. Come out. Not going in.

She sighed and headed to the entrance. Kal gruffly handed her a shopping bag without a word. She returned and explored what she had been given. Baggy sweat pants – looked comfortable at least. What looked to be a small sleeveless cropped top. A giant hoodie. And finishing it off: high-top sneakers, a cap, and a pair of large, dark sunglasses. It’d do.

Mu hurriedly changed into her new outfit, though her previous outfit was no simple affair and took some time to remove. She placed her old outfit into the bags Kal had handed her and left the cubicle to observe her reflection in the mirror. She barely recognised herself in the person that stared back at her. Her usually immaculately maintained hair was something of a mess after their wild escape from the surface; she did her best to straighten it out with her fingers, but it was a futile effort. Still, she looked sufficiently anonymous. On a final thought she zipped up the hoodie. Satisfied, she headed out.

She was met by Tavian, who was dressed in jeans and a similarly baggy hoodie, cap, and sunglasses combo. It was a far cry from the white suit he’d been in until now. Kal had also donned a large leather jacket, which hid some of his more noteworthy features. She also belatedly noticed that Apollo was now wearing a blue bowtie.

“Ah yes,” said Tavian, also noticing, “An impeccable disguise, Mr Apollo.”

“I thought so,” replied Apollo. “Shall we get moving?”

“There’s a temple with extensive gardens not far from here,” said Mu. “Perhaps we can lay low there until we hear from Nova?”

“I think that is an excellent idea, Miss Mukushen,” said Apollo.

“Sounds good to me,” said Kal.

Tavian just shrugged.

“Lead the way, then,” said Kal.

Mu glanced at her tablet. With a few taps she brought up a map. “This way,” she said.

They headed down the corridor they were in and entered into a brightly lit and crowded area in the form of a shopping mall. Some effort had been made to provide ambience, with many potted plants and more diverse – if muted – colour palette. At some points large windows opened onto a vista of Shangxia below, blue seas and green continents partially obscured by swirls of white cloud. Periodically doors led off the sides of the main thoroughfare, apparently leading to other docking bays.

At length they emerged into a large atrium. High above was a bright orb, apparently hovering in place. It cast the entire atrium in sun-like light. A central bamboo grove surrounded a water feature of rocks and moss. Elevated promenades encircled the atrium, each above the other and connected by escalators. Mu led them past the water feature and up an escalator. There they saw a sign for the Gong Sheng Xing Temple. Departing the mall, they stepped out into a much larger expanse, the ceiling and its artificial suns high above. They were now surrounded by bamboo, separated by long gravel paths. A traditional gate bore the characters for Gong Sheng Xing above the entrance.

“Pretty,” remarked Tavian. “Almost makes you forget you’re about a hundred metres from the vacuum of space.”

“Many people live their whole lives up here, seldom going to the surface,” said Apollo. “It’s not so strange. The Empire is relatively conservative about such things, preferring to stick to settling planets. Many civilisations live almost entirely in space habitats.”

“True that,” said Tavian, “I spent six months on an asteroid mining settlement in the Twin Star Empire. Kind of a bleak place, but it had its own character. The miners had plenty of folk songs that I recorded. Many of them were about the whores, but in fairness, they were very talented—”

“Mr Locke!” snapped Mu.

“I’m sorry, Princess, I’ll be more respectful of your delicate sensibilities.”

“I’m not delicate!” seethed Mu. She knew Tavian was deliberately trying to get a rise out of her, so she resolved to not let him get under her skin going forward. She could see from the expression on his face just how much glee he took in other people’s offence.

“The Twin Star Empire,” mused Kal quietly as they continued walking. “That’s where Xerxes was from. Once my unit and I were sent to investigate an asteroid mining community.”

“Ah, you were a soldier. I mean, I’d kind of figured, but, anyway – I bet you would agree with me, even if it offends the Princess,” said Tavian.

“There were no whores, no folk songs. We were sent there because it had gone dark. Turned out the Host of Xerxes had arrived. Some giant mechanical monstrosity was devouring the asteroid belt whole, refining everything into raw material for the Host’s war machine. There were no survivors of the attack, no one to ask what happened. I could tell you a few more stories like that. Needless to say, I’m not too fond of the Twin Star Empire and those Gathasians.”

Mu noticed Tavian seemed slightly taken aback for once. He sounded defensive when he spoke. “I don’t think most folks in the Twin Star Empire are all that fond of Xerxes, either.”

Kal gave a derisive snort, but said no more.

“We are in a pretty place,” said Apollo, “Perhaps we could speak of more cheerful things.”

Kal looked at the cat and sighed. “They’re nice gardens.”

Mu perked up. “If you think these are nice, you should see the Imperial Gardens on Aixingo. Oh, or the flower fields of Lan He!”

“I don’t think they let my sort into the Imperial Gardens,” said Tavian, with a laugh. “Come to think of it, Princess, would they let you in there anymore?”

“Believe me, they want nothing more than to have me back on the Capital,” said Mu.

Tavian gave a dreamy smile. “Must be nice to be wanted.”

“I could do with less of it,” said Mu.

They had emerged from the long gravel path to a wide clearing in which sat the main building of the temple. A few people were there making offerings or praying. A couple of monks walked about. Apart from being much smaller than the likes of the Celestial Pagoda at the Imperial Court, the style was quite distinct, reflecting a much more distilled Shang architectural style instead of the blend of Aixin and Shang styles that dominated the buildings of the Court. Still, it gave Mu an odd combination of familiarity and nostalgia when she gazed upon it.

“Would anyone like to offer a prayer?” asked Apollo.

“I don’t follow these Aixin stars,” said Kal.

“Shang,” corrected Mu. The look Kal gave her suggested he didn’t fully appreciate the distinction she was making.

“All stars are joined by the Starflow, Mr Nyx, regardless of which you follow,” said Apollo.

“I’d like to pray for a hearty meal and a good night’s sleep,” said Tavian.

“Certainly, Mr Locke,” said Apollo and lifted a paw in the direction of the temple.

Apollo seemed to think for a moment. Then he put down the bag he was carrying and unslung the case from his back. “I have my own way of praying,” he said.

Surely he isn’t, thought Mu, but as she watched Tavian walked, mandolin in hand, over to one of the monks. A conversation ensued and the smiling monk nodded, smiling beneficently. With that Tavian sat down on the steps of the temple and began strumming.

After a few moments, having found his tune, he began singing softly in a voice far more refined and beautiful than Mu could ever have imagined him possessing. Despite herself she sank into the sound of his song. She was not alone. Around them the other temple-goers and even the monks appeared to be held in rapt attention as he strummed and sang.

Mu couldn’t understand the language he was singing in, but somehow the song still filled her mind with images. People in many different costumes, on many different worlds, singing and dancing and feasting. The images floated, ethereal and intangible, but in their wake they left a sense of calm and warmth. More than that, as Tavian sung, she could feel the Starflow as she normally did when summoning it for her Starseeing, but it felt excited, like it was resonating specifically with Tavian’s song. And between each of those images, separated by time and space, she could sense the mighty filaments of the Starflow, connecting it all.

With a few final strums Tavian fell silent. It took a moment later for Mu to realise she’d been holding her breath.

The monk Tavian had spoken too walked over to him and clapped him on the back, smiling broadly. Mu just gazed at him, her mind still processing everything that had just happened.

Who are you?

After a few moments Tavian walked over to the rest of them, smiling. He returned his mandolin to its case and slung it once more over his back. As he walked past Mu he gave her a wink.

Apollo strolled over and brushed up against Tavian’s leg. In a quiet voice she heard him say, “I was not wrong about you, Mr Locke.”