Comet's Fall 1: Ostancine

Chapter 3.1

We talked deep into the night and it was quite late before I left the platform and returned to my quarters on the ground floor. The doctor decided to stay up on the platform, as had become his ritual, but I needed a bed to sleep in if I were to be of any use the next day.

The night was cold, and as I exited the airlock I took in a deep breath of air. It felt so fresh and pure, as if it were the first clean breath I'd taken in months. As I left the office I nearly forgot to bolt the false book case closed, and as I fastened it the dust intruded on my sinuses once again. I tried to clear them, but weariness washed over me and off I went to bed.

All seemed quiet, and I took a proud look around at the instruments I used to labor over as I exited the office. I felt a pang of regret as I saw they were coated with dust. There wouldn't be anyone to keep the shiny anymore. The thought brought a smile to my face. Their dustiness would be a testament to what would now become the stunning career of Malia Prachet.

My mood was to take a sharp change though. I descended the steps to my quarters, but stopped abruptly when I saw the front door was open.

"Who's there?" I shouted, feeling like a mouse evading a cat. I nearly scrambled back upstairs to warn the doctor when I saw a man emerge from the kitchen. He startled me at first, but I eased when I saw the white and red coloring his tabard. It was an interior guardsman, but still I felt ill at ease when I saw the spear he hefted. I would have been really worried, but it wasn't just any interior guardsman. It was Gill.

"Sorry to startle you. I saw the door open and a neighbor said he'd heard a noise," he began. I felt my face flush as I studied his pale eyes. "He said there was just a mighty thunk just now. He suspected foul play and called us to check it out."

"I thank you for your concern, but you're quite mistaken," I replied. "The doctor is fast asleep in his office. I just went to wake him up and take him his coffee. Perhaps I closed the door a little too loud."

"I thought the old man didn't allow you in his office," he said. "Or did the break in go better than expected?"

"Turns out it was a misunderstanding," I said, scrambling for an excuse, the doctor's threat entering my mind.

"A bit late for coffee isn't it?" he asked.

I shrugged.

"Astronomers work at night, otherwise we can't see anything," I replied.

"I see," he said. As he looked at the instruments around us I was struck by how out of place he looked here. Thinking back to my seminars on the observation floor, I found it almost impossible to place him in the room with the rest of the scholars. Then a strange thought struck me.

"What are you doing here Gill?" I asked. He propped his spear against a desk and start to fumble around in his pockets. Out came a letter, baring the steward's seal, and he held it up as he leaned against one of the work stations.

"I was asked to deliver this on behalf of my superiors," said the guard. "Please take it to Dr. Khalis's office when you are convenient."

"You were asked to deliver the letter this late at night? It has to be nearly two o'clock in the morning." I said, taking it from him.

"The letter was for tomorrow, but to be honest I was worried about you. I told you to break into the doctor's office, and considering who he is I couldn't sleep until I stopped by to make sure you're okay," he said. "What did you find in there?"

To be honest, I didn't want to tell him. His posting was across town, and although I had no idea where he lived there weren't any barracks or guard posts nearby. Showing up like this was definitely strange, and although he had been there for me in the past the possibility of him being here just to find out what was in the office put me on my back foot.

"What do you mean by 'considering who he is?'" I asked as I felt my aggression returning. Gill took a step back and studied me.

"Mighty defensive about the man who turned you into his maid."

I crossed my arms.

"We talked it out," I said.

The mail from his chain shirt clinked as he raised a hand to the telescope next to him. He wiped a finger over the lens and examined the dust he had wiped off.

"Good," he said wiping it on the desk. "Khalis would need to hire a real maid if he actually wanted the place clean anyway."

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you came here to harass me," I said.

"I'm here to do my duty, and that's all," he returned, hefting his spear and taking his leave.