Page 84 of Skinwalker's Bane
The realization that the election was upon her and she was out of time, made Devin face the harsh truth. She was not going to be a part of this election. Would there be a future election for her? Another chance at the Captain’s chair? She didn’t know. Bishan had destroyed this chance. Would that reputation linger, ruining any other chances she might have?
Devin shoved the speculation away. She would try to enjoy this day and not think herself into the ground. Tomorrow she would have to start the painful business of rebuilding her life.Allher life. Every aspect of it.
She sighed and found a little hummock of grass, waved the butterflies out of it, then spread the blanket and cushion she had brought with her. There was a flask of coffee in her bag and sandwiches, although her foresight had been unnecessary, for there was a bank of public printers to one side of the Meadow, where people could print anything they needed. There was a couple standing at the wide-aperture printing stools for themselves.
There were more people doing as she had done—spreading blankets, unfolding chairs and stools they had brought with them. The area was starting to get crowded.
Over the next hour, the Meadow rapidly filled. There were people all around Devin, hemming her in despite the hummock. She finally stood up, just so she could see the stage. The noise of murmuring and talk grew louder. The tension built as the time the captain had announced grew closer, while the stage remained empty.
A private, large capacity pod zoomed overhead, then sank down to the grass between the stage and the patients on the stretcher. The window glass of the pod was darkened. Devin guessed it was the Captain’s vehicle. It was a big car. How many people were in there?
The door lifted up. The first through the door was Magorian. He was recognizable even from a distance, his sharp cheekbones and dark skin standing out. So did the silvery white hair.
Then he turned and held out his hand. Zsoka Owens stepped out, her halo of hair standing up with particular stiffness.
The crowd applauded. It was a subdued sound. Perhaps they were so quiet because of the speed at which this festival had been announced, too. There had been no time to savor the idea, or anticipate the event.
The applause, though muted, didn’t stop, as the Captain climbed the temporary stairs to the stage. Following behind her were Bridge Guards and a handful of Bridge personnel who Devin recognized from her one meeting there. Magorian stayed to one side of the stage. He never had tried to take any of the Captain’s limelight. He was one of the more able Chiefs of Staff. Devin would have liked him asherChief of Staff, when the time came, only she didn’t know how old he was and…
She bit her lip, shutting off the chain of thought. It wasn’t productive. Tomorrow, she could flay herself with it as much as she wanted.
The Captain stood in the middle of the stage, staring out at everyone. She wore a small smile. On that big stage, she looked shorter than she really was. The people behind her looked even smaller.
Owens spread her hands. “You should see yourselves! All of you! The whole ship! What a marvelous sight!” She was not raising her voice. Auditory enhancers were magnifying it and projecting it. Devin could hear her easily despite the mutters and murmurs of everyone around her.
The Captain glanced to one side. “Show them, please.” Then she looked back at them. “See for yourselves what theEndurancereally looks like.”
Two screens assembled on either side of the stage. They were huge things, which explained the banks of servers the computer engineers had been sweating over. They fizzed and blared, then the same image coalesced on each of them. It was the audience, reflected back at themselves. Then the lens lifted, zooming out, so that more and more of them could be seen.
Finally, the view showed the back of the stage, the people sitting there, Captain Owens standing in front of them and before her, everyone else on theEndurance, in a thick cluster of bodies.
“That isus, ladies and gentleman,” Zsoka Owens said. “That is all of us. Together.”
Devin had no idea where the cheering started. It swept across the field like a soft breeze and suddenly, everyone was cheering and clapping and whistling. Hats were waved. Devin found herself clapping as hard as anyone else. No matter why this festival had been arranged, this moment was a true one, a uniting of everyone onboard. It was a momentous, historical moment.
Devin was part of it and was glad to be there. Glad and very proud.
Zsoka waited for the sound to dim a little, then held up her hands for their attention. “We’re here today to celebrate an occasion, one that has been ten years coming. Only a few days ago, the External Engineering Institute informed me that theEndurancehad finally moved out of the Junkyard. The danger of asteroids holing the ship has now dropped to normal levels and we can continue on to Destination as we have for five centuries. I want you to acknowledge the people who have made theEndurancesafe for us while we traversed the Junkyard. Could every skinwalker and all the Institute people please come up on the stage?”
Devin’s heart gave a little strum. Adam would be among those who went up there. She would get to see him, even from this distance.
There was a stirring among the audience and she could see heads moving as people made their way forward. In a steady stream, they climbed the stairs and gathered on the stage to the other side of the Captain from where the Captain’s Bridge people stood.
Devin knew there were three skinwalker crews of ten people each. The training crew had only six people. The Institute that supported them was small. Every time she had stopped by to talk to Noa and Haydn and Adam there, she had only seen a dozen or so people.
Noa and Haydn climbed the stairs together. Noa seemed to be moving more slowly than usual. At the top of the stairs, Haydn wrapped his arm around her waist and shepherded her across the stage.
Ah. Her aversion to public appearances was kicking in.
Then Devin spotted Adam. He climbed the stairs as slowly as Noa had done. Devin could tell from the way he was moving that he was tired. The first forty-eight hours after a night rotation always left skinwalkers in a stressed state as their bodies adapted to the change in sleeping patterns. Although in Adam’s case, for at least one of those nights he had not slept much at all.
Devin let her gaze roam over him as he walked down to the very end of the stage and took a place next to Peter Hannah and Cai Lessie. Several people moved to stand with Adam, including the tall, white-blond man, Gelin. Devin guessed they were his crew. Even the crew currently on day rotation and should at this time be outside would also be on the stage.
Captain Owens had turned to watch them assemble. Finally, she faced the audience again. “These are the people who have kept us safe for the last ten years,” she said simply.
The applause didn’t wash over them this time. It broke out immediately, thunderously. On the screens, Devin could see people jumping up and down, waving with both hands and screaming. The cheering and the whistles and the clapping went on and on.
Noa ducked her head against Haydn’s shoulder. Even Haydn wore a small smile.
