Lunch in the Borderland

Cassiopeia entered the living quarters of the station. Compared to the hangar bay, it appeared much less spacious. Rather than that, it was more compact. It left the minimum area required for an average adult human to walk without them needing to squeeze between the walls or furniture.

In that same spirit of space efficiency, the kitchen and living room were one in the same. One side had the basic appliances necessary to cook and store food, all stacked against the wall. Another had a table, a couple of chairs and a sofa. All arranged a single step from one another.

A screen was affixed to the wall in front of the couch. It was displaying news from the Federation, at a rate so fast Cassiopeia could barely comprehend the information dispensed.

Haul was working hard at the kitchen counter, cleaning his utensils in the sink. With the flowing water, he could barely listen to the sound from the news. The young student only noticed their guest had showed up because she was standing speechless and bewildered by the program.

"You're feeling better now?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Thank you for the clothes."

"We retrieved them on your ship, but you don't look like you recognize them."

"Sorry, my head is still hazy."

"It's alright, I'll give you a rundown."

Haul shared what had occurred the day before, with the crash and the extraction from the wreckage. This sent the girl into deep thought. With no recollection of her life before waking up this very morning, it was laborious to say if anything was true in his version of the facts.

Besides all of that, the idea half a millennium had past almost sent her into more concern. Even if she could recall anything from before her sleep, would that matter if no one close to her was still alive?

At least, she believed she would have felt depressed, as it would have made sense. By contrast, she was experiencing an uncanny sense of apathy. Not that she didn't care, but that her worries didn't affect her beyond that.

Seeing as the silence following his exposition was dragging on, Haul did his best to switch topics.

"You woke up at the best time: I've just finished preparing lunch. I was about to fetch the professor and see if you were still sleeping. Guess you saved me from doing one of those things." He laughed in an attempt to brighten her mood.

"…This was Adamas Johanes, bringing news to every human, even those in the border worlds. As always, keep watching the suns rise." The following jingle and then static sounds cut short the conversation the two were having.

"It's already done? I swear they're getting briefer." With a press of a button on his wrist, the television shut down. "We're supposed to receive weekly news segments from the federation, so we can keep in touch with whatever important events are happening. Usually, they can last for the whole day, but now they barely last past noon. No news is good news. I suppose."

"What is this federation?"

"Figured you wouldn't know. It's called the United Stellar Federation, often abridged to USF. Take it as the combined government for any living species developed enough to star travel. In this region of the galaxy that is. What we dub 'border world' are simply the stellar systems under current colonization, and beyond which the federation possesses little to no influence."

"And Poseidus 3 is one of them, right?"

"Yep. Poseidus 3 just means 'third planet orbiting the Poseidus star'. Border worlds don't receive a proper name until they become proper colonies."

Haul got back to the kitchen area. While he was preparing bowls and plates, he changed topics once more. "Say, you like vegetable potage?"

"I cannot say I remember ever trying one." This dry humor comforted Haul. If she was in the mood to deliver jokes, she was getting better.

"Well, the ingredients are extra fresh. Hand-picked from this morning even. I reckon it'll be your favorite." After generously pouring the soup and placing them on the table, the young man walked away. "I'm gonna get the professor, you can start eating if you feel like it."

Cassiopeia sat down and sighed as she was left alone for an instant. All this talk about the federation represented just another addition to the number of things she needed to think about. Maybe this professor could be of more help, she deliberated.

Speaking about the devil, the duo of master and apprentice was already coming back. Aurussium was pontificating about the work he had carried out the morning, never stopping, not even to climb his elevated stool the half-sized humanoid used to sit at the table.

"I have to commend the ingenuity of your people, young miss. In my twenty years of career, I don't think I ever had the pleasure to study artefacts so simple in appearance, yet so intrinsically complex." From the exosuit he was wearing, a small metal straw connected him with the content of his bowl. The delighted slurping that ensued didn't deter the Ichtyophon from continuing his praises.

"I swear! I think the Interstellar Academy would be absolutely ecstatic to get their hand on those. And even more so to make your acquaintance."

"What are you suggesting?" Between each mouthful, Cassiopeia was getting weary of the academic's enthusiasm.

"He's talking about the fact you're a human that's not from the USF. We – the humans of the Federation – we're all hailing from the same planet of Dolomia. And since we started traveling between star systems two hundred years ago – the date at which the Stellar Federation was also founded – you can't come from a federated colony."

A moment of silence. Cassiopeia had guessed something like that would be the case. Yet, just like before, aside from shock, she didn't feel anything. The academic duo was expecting a reaction; she grasped that much. Since it had worked before, she tried humoring once again. "I mean, given I survived a five hundred year cryo-sleep on a drifting wreck, I feel like it is expected I am some sort of super-human."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're as regular as my student here."

"She was making a joke, professor…" Haul sounded exasperated. This wasn't the first time he had issues communicating the human sense of comedy.

"She was? This is why I loathe you, you hairless apes. You don't know how to convey ideas."

"Or maybe you lack the ability to follow subtext." The girl spoke under her breath, a grin beaming between her ears. "Getting back to the matter at hand, how can I be a human if you hail from that Dolomia place?"

"The Federation hails from Dolomia; not humans as a whole." Aurussium clarified. He had already finished his bowl and gotten his student to refill it while he disclosed the following details.

"Humans colonized Dolomia about fifteen hundred years ago. Those settlers were part of a vaster empire, whose origin was a planet labelled 'Galavari' – if we trust the records salvaged from that era. For reasons unknown to historians, this empire declined. The leading hypothesis being that it was too widespread: as the colonies were too far apart to communicate, they stopped trying. The empire collapsed on itself and each colony was left to their own devices."

"I can imagine this must have been rather catastrophic if it required another millennium for the Dolomia colons to reclaim the stars." The amphibian exposing all of these facts produced an odd feeling of déjà vu within her brain. She had heard a story similar in the past. Or maybe, it was the same story, told from another point of view.

"That's correct. It was a time of technological regression for the Dolomites. It didn't help they kept dividing themselves into factions and fighting over the planet's resources. In all honesty, it's a miracle they managed to develop this far. Within the mapped region of the galaxy, the USF only has uncovered a dozen remnants of 'Galavarian' colonies. And I mean remnants."

"I can tell where this is going. I am either from one lost colony or…"

"Or you're a Galavarian yourself. Good thinking." The professor interjected, flicking his finger to highlight the reasoning. "In both cases, you'd be the first contact with another human settlement. I'm rambling, but that's fantastic news for the Interstellar Academy. Too bad you don't remember much..."

"With all due respect, I think I would prefer not to receive too much attention. Or to make the life I do not remember a research program."

"What?" Aurussium almost choked when he heard she was uninterested in participating in the scientific effort. "Think about the progress the Federation could make."

"Save it, professor. You're getting awfully insisting. With what she's been through, it's no wonder she doesn't want to get through additional stress or unnecessary attention."

"Fine, I give up. For now. If you ever change your mind though, I know a few colleagues who'd love to study your case."

Ignoring that last remark, Cassiopeia addressed Haul directly. At this point, he had collected the bowls and was storing them in the dish-washer. "Say Haul, do you think you could transport me to the crash site this afternoon."

"Sure." He answered with a touch of hesitation, looking back at his master. "I mean, unless professor Aurussium finds something else he demands me to do, I'd be available to hitch you a ride back there."

"Why do you believe this? I instructed you before: she's our guest. Your duty as my intern is to make sure she's having a good time at our place."

"I think that's a yes." The young man summed up in a smile.