The Commander's Tale

I am Jamie Tsun, a tailor from Vail,

but you know this is not the Tailor’s Tale.

On Vail I had lived for most of my life,

with Jade Tsun, who was my wonderful wife.

Together we worked at the naval base,

where cadets do their flight training in space.

When they are given their final pass grade,

They come here to get their uniform made.

I became friendly with one such cadet.

Her name was Bonita. Hard to forget.

A brilliant young girl, and so clever.

Then she vanished, was seen again never.

No one could tell me of Bonita’s fate,

I had thought of her many times of late.

One day there came a mysterious note.

An order for a uniform and coat.

The sender was Commander Bonita,

though I knew this size would not have fit her.

Confused, I showed the note to my wife, Jade.

She told me I should just have the thing made.

This behaviour was odd, not like my friend.

Was there a hint she was trying to send?

If she was, what on Vail did it all mean?

I fed the numbers into my machine.

I sent off the form for ordering suits,

to the department that dealt with recruits.

To get the cloth this form had to be seen,

only Commanders could wear the dark green.

I worked all night on this special order.

The suit’s shoulders and waist were much broader.

I had no idea who’d wear this outfit,

but my friend had asked, so I'd done my bit.

When morning came Jade found me fast asleep.

She saw what I’d made and began to weep.

At last I realised what Jade could see;

that this uniform was made to fit me!

I should add that at one time I’d been trained,

but I’d failed the test, my bank account drained.

So I’d gone back to being a tailor.

Gave up dreams of being a star sailor.

I’d been there the same time as Bonita,

and by good fortune I'd got to meet her.

The sort of student who never got bored.

As I had failed, the highest marks she’d scored.

We’d stayed in touch by comm. Sometimes she wrote.

Was there a clue in the source of this note?

I used its ID to follow the trail.

Saw it had come from the tenth moon of Vail.

I put on the uniform around noon,

then I travelled out to that dusty moon.

When I arrived there was scarcely a trace,

nor much to show I was in the right place.

The surface of it was barren and bleak.

Of signs of life, there was nothing to speak.

I landed my shuttle and stepped outside.

If someone was here, they knew how to hide.

Then beneath my feet came a deep rumbling.

Like a collection of big cogs tumbling.

Before me there opened an oblong vent.

Below it a walkway, so down I went.

The underground hangar was well hidden,

but was where I was going forbidden?

I saw the green light by the entry door,

and walked on through to the big hangar floor.

There were three ships here, each of the same class.

A type of Lonestar with similar mass.

The two at the back were still being built,

but there was one ready, armed to the hilt.

The name on its side read Boomslang, in lime.

There was no one else around at this time.

At my approach the ship’s ladder appeared,

but being found onboard was what I feared.

Despite my doubts I entered the cockpit.

The Boomslang seemed to know I was legit.

Bonita must have set up this new ship,

to allow me to fly it on some trip.

‘Commander Tsun,’ it said, ‘I now serve you.’

Then asked, ‘Where do you want me to fly to?’

My friend was sent on her mission alone,

to a part of space beyond what is known.

She’d left details to rescue her and go,

to v-space; it’s neither hyspace nor lo.

The part of this I did not understand;

why had this mission been so poorly planned?

The Boomslang’s LEV asked me ‘When do we leave?

I don’t see what delaying will achieve.’

LEV told me to hurry, but I got out.

Wasn’t this rescue a job for a Scout?

I rushed home to tell my wife what I’d seen.

The hidden base and the secret machine.

I had expected incredulity.

Jade just said, ‘well, you must do your duty.’

I loaded up all the best gear I had.

I kissed Jade goodbye. She didn’t look sad.

‘If I disappear too, what should you do?’

‘Don’t worry,’ Jade said, ‘I’m coming with you.’