~Wake up, the ship is docking.~ The internal radio link buzzed in Alto's brain bringing him back to the waking world. He blinked and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before stretching to a sitting position to look over at the individual on the other end of the transmission.

 

Jetta lounged contentedly in the sunlight streaming in through the window of the small passenger quarters. Aside from the obvious cybernetic replacement of his front right leg, he appeared to be a healthy specimen of a Narehlian hunting cat. Appearances were more than deceiving in this case. Blessed with the typical feline attitude from birth, Jetta also claimed an intelligence that rivaled some people Alto knew, thanks to a heuristic AI chip that had been implanted into the cat's brain. Though vocal modifications allowed him to speak when necessary, he enjoyed the unfettered access of the direct radio link that he shared with the scientist.

 

“What time is it?” The words barely escaped Alto's lips as they fought for space with a large yawn.

 

~Sunrise, so I would say it's around seven in the morning, give or take.~ Jetta cleared the distance from the window to the bed easily, and made himself comfortable on the pillow that was now free of his companion's head. ~I can smell breakfast cooking. Don't forget to bring me back some sausage when you're done. The fueno wandering around the ship taste like motor oil.~

 

Still trying to drag his mind into the waking world, Alto was rummaging through the closet for a pair of pants he could throw on just long enough to get some food. He would worry about changing when he came back to pack up his stuff. This was the last meal aboard ship, and then he would be disembarking on New Chania. As he moved clothes aside, he felt the familiar weight of his duraplast vest.

 

“You want to be a fighter son? That means you're awake, you're in armor. You're asleep, you probably should still be in armor. You're not in armor, you're probably dead.” Chandar's words echoed in the back of his mind, but were quickly set aside for the moment as Alto got dressed. The first few days on ship he had followed that advice, but he had taken the time to relax once he knew that everyone on board was generally safe, or oblivious to who he was. Dropping the weight for a few days was a nice breather, but he felt slightly naked after all the time since his training.

 

“They give me a scientist and expect to end up with a killing machine? If you didn't have some important friends vouching for you boy I would drop this favor right now and save myself the trouble.” Alto smirked, remembering the day he had finally managed to land a blow against his instructor. After that the angry veteran opened up. He wasn't a fan of wasting time on someone who wasn't going to be a soldier, but he admitted that his young charge was going to need these skills in the future.

 

Most people simply thought Alto's choice to take on a field researcher position was out of a desire to get away, to remove himself from the pain of losing Astaria and lose himself somewhere out in the world. Only a handful of people knew the truth. Inrdajit knew, Chandar knew, and the ball of fur now asleep on his pillow knew.

 

Who was he to think he could go after her killers? He wasn't a soldier, wasn't a warrior, wasn't anyone important in the grand scheme. Alto pushed aside the doubts again, like he had done every day since he had chosen this path. He may not be the first choice to go after a covert organization filled with trained spies and assassins, but he had more than enough fire in him to get the job done, and they didn't know he was coming. He didn't know how long that luck would hold out, but he figured his chances of survival were better the longer it took the Daevas to figure out that he was after them. If that meant most people had to believe he was a broken man running as far away from his past as he could, then so be it.

 

* * *

 

Breakfast down, armor on, and bags packed, Alto stepped off the ship onto the docks of New Chania, and immediately boarded a smaller boat which would take him up the channel to New Crete. As he exited the surrounding forest, he was greeted to a vision of the past. Unlike Deep Aquilon, New Crete didn't flaunt its technology. The small city was constructed from limestone and marble, with buildings plucked from the memories of Earth. Stone columns supported multilayered structures as buildings nestled so close together that many houses shared an outer wall with a neighboring family. Gyrocopters flew from roof to roof, performing taxi services for those not wanting to walk, and giving the place a slight resemblance to a wasp nest.

 

Though the city was small by most standards, it was still more sprawling and open than any place Alto had ever been before. Deep Aquilon, though larger, was split up into several tiers like floors of a building walled by ice. There was no wilderness at the edge of the city, simply networks of winding caverns in the glacier that had yet to be explored and excavated. Here, the city slowly gave way to nature. The entire area was covered in trees and other plant life, with several gardens in the city itself. After his time on the ship, he found the room refreshing.

 

The docks took up several city blocks, with channels for water running right between those buildings on the shore. In some places the water simply gave way to the road, as ramps of stone slowly climbed out of the river. The boat they were on pulled up to a landing, and several people on shore tossed ropes back and forth with the people steering. Once the lines were in place, Alto stepped off onto the stone streets of New Crete. Jetta meowed happily, and followed with a large contented sigh in Alto's head.

 

~Nice to finally be off of the water.~

 

They shared a little glance and Alto laughed softly. ~It is nice to be on solid ground once again. Now we get to walk.~

 

* * *

 

The doors were large, heavy, and made from a New Horizon hardwood tree that had been ancient before the colonists ever arrived. It was covered in deep carvings which depicted stories from ancient earth, those legends that had survived. Alto recognized a depiction of a man wrestling an enormous lion. Another piece showed a young man facing a giant with a sling, and still another showed a caped man watching over a city from the shadowed rooftops.

 

As impressive as the old door was, Alto wasn't here to admire the artwork. His hand touched the door warily, feeling the coolness of the grain beneath his fingertips. With a last deep breath, he pushed the door open and stepped in.

 

If the door was ornate and ancient looking, the office beyond was more so. Filled to bursting with ancient artifacts, and modern recreations, the room was a mix of everything that survived from Earth. Artwork and books lined the walls, and sturdy furniture took up a prominent station in front of the fireplace. This was more than a simple office, it was a retreat, one belonging to the man who was currently sitting behind a dark stained desk which took up one whole wall across from the door.

 

Donovan P. Alexander, respected professor of ancient Earth history and pre-colonial archeology for both the Hershey and Asclepieion universities, was a taller man who skirted the border between stocky and rotund. To look at him was to know that most of his knowledge came from armchair research, not field work. Everything about the man was different than the visitor who had stepped into the room. There was almost no sign of their relation, aside from the eyes which were reached by Donovan's smile as he stood.

 

“There's my boy.” He crossed the room with the ease of a person who has spent much time in their surroundings, and immediately wrapped the younger man in a rib crushing hug. Once Alto's lungs were sufficiently emptied, his feet touched the floor again.

 

“Let me get a good look at you. How long has it been, five, six years?” Donovan half led, half drug Alto to a chair, and took a seat himself.

 

“Ten. It was just after mom and dad died.”

 

The older man's eyes dropped for a moment. “I guess you're right. That would have been it.” He leaned back in his chair, his face turning into one of those smiles that can only be brought on by the combination of sad and happy memories. “I liked your father well enough, but I never did see what my sister saw in him. Aquilonians have always been a bit out of their minds for my taste.” the smile deepened slightly. “I hear you followed your old man in that case.”

 

“He always said I got my crazy from mom.”

 

“That you might have. She could hold her own with the best of them.” Picking up a bottle from the small table next to him, Donovan poured two glasses of red haze. When the second glass was declined with a shake of the head, he simply shrugged and poured it into his own.

 

“I hear you have done well for yourself though, became some up and coming big shot at AIT. You even managed to impress Indrajit enough to get in his good graces. And now you're here on a thinly veiled fool's quest to avenge your lover.”

 

Alto's eyes grew two sizes for a moment. “How did you know that?”

 

“Not hard to put it together. She dies of mysterious circumstances and a few months later you show up here as a field researcher wearing armor like he actually knows what he's doing.” Donovan took a long drink as he let that sink in, and the smiled.

 

“Actually, Indrajit told me. He wanted to make sure I didn't put you in harm's way accidentally by saying something to the wrong people. As far as anyone else knows, you are here to continue your studies.”

 

He took another drink and stood, motioning for Alto to follow him over to the desk. He picked up a large stack of books and unceremoniously dropped them into the younger man's arms. “You're going to need these. I expect you to keep up with your schoolwork regardless. Can't have my nephew bringing down my shining reputation around here.” He smiled again. “Besides, someone has to finish your parents’ research.”