Old Solcintra

• Old universe, pre-migration. Disambiguate from the city of Solcintra on planet Liad
• Featured in the Migration Duology: The Crystal Variation - Crystal Soldier and Crystal Dragon

Brief

As described in the duology Crystal Soldier and Crystal Dragon, this page describes Old Solcintra — the historic ancestors of Solcintra’s Liadens, and the Migration of ships fleeing the Great Enemy to an expanding (Liaden) universe. The Exodus is described herein, led by Captain Cantra yos'Phelium and co-pilot Tor An yos'Galan, with Jela’s Troop as reargaurd. They Transitioned from Old Solcintra space, a planet in the old static universe.

Quick Passage led the way into the Liaden Universe, bearing the last surviving ssussdriad, and Jela's unborn son in-womb (Val Con the 1st), and thousands of sleeping Solcintrans, including the dea'Gauss and his family, and a number of “small talents” and large, Rool Tiazan and The Dramliz.

(Old) Solcintra: Planet & People

• an inner world, but at the outer edge of the charmed circle

Kind of an Inner world, was Solcintra, or near enough that somebody from the Rim might think it not quite on the Arm, proper. A kind of has-been old settle in a quiet area where everyone traded with neighbors, that was all. Not a place she’d normally find herself. Still, you never knew.

• Insular, intolerant, pretentious, self-satisfied:

Nobody went to Solcintra, which Solcintra liked just fine, the founders of same having explicitly wished to divorce themselves from the so-called “dissipated lifestyle” embraced by the citizens of the Inner Worlds.

• “a not-especially-prosperous world”

Solcintra Port didn’t precisely tantalize a trader with promises of wealth and treasure, be that trader Light, Grey or Dark. Point of fact, Cantra was near to calling it the sorriest port she’d ever had the misfortune to find herself on—

• Self-Absorbed High Houses

Pilot Tor An yos'Galan, reflecting on "the amazingly self-centered Solcintra Heritage Library, where events of galactic importance lay near-forgot in favor of High Family histories and genealogies, which was, after all, where the answer was found: The grottoes and fountains were the result of a bitter rivalry between the Families, each bent on showing how much they could do for the public good."

• When the Sheriekas turned towards Solcintra, its "noble" High Houses secretly departed on a luxury liner, leaving everyone behind:

“...the High Families were vacating the premises, which was what all the extra shipping — including that liner — was up to.” He turned wide, shocked eyes on her..."They removed to safety and left the Service...but no! That cannot be possible...”

Solcintra Garrison

Solcintra Garrison on planet Solcintra is a well-run troop, one of the last dutiful units, under the command of Captain Wellik, an engineered soldier, the proto-Yxtrang:

“There’s a military unit garrisoned there...a good few dozen ships attached to it. Most of them seemed to be in twilight.” (Turns out one of those mothballed ships will become Quick Passage, The Ship of the Migration)

Commander Ro Gayda sent Jela to Solcintra Garrison about five years before the Exodus, soon after he rescued a small tree:

“Finally, you may take a long-term temporary assignment delivering a very nearly surplus vessel [Salkithin Troop Carrier] to a long-term storage area [Solcintra Garrison] with appropriate adjustment of rank. You would oversee the delivery crew and be responsible for seeing the vessel properly shut down in case it must be redeployed [for a mass exodus or galactic war, ya know]. You would also assist in assessing local unit response readiness, from a pilot’s viewpoint, in areas you travel through, to and from. In order to facilitate this, you would undergo a short, specialized, dangerous, and highly confidential training. It will not be an easy assignment.” She stopped. Looked expectant. Waited.

Jela accepted Ro Gayda’s mission and left the huge troop carrier Salkithin in mothballs at Solcintra Garrison near orbit. Then he went to Faldaiza to meet a contact. Instead, he happened upon pilot Cantra yos'Phelium and from thence, much ensued.

Much later, at the Garrison, Captain Wellik reassures a doubtful young Tor An yos'Galan, who learned to fear tatooed Yxtrang at Korak Garrison:

“Don’t judge all soldiers by a bunch of rowdies with a withdrawal order on their belts. Troops here are disciplined, and we know our duty- to hold this world against attack, and to guard the civilians, should attack become imminent.”

Though he could hardly credit it himself, Tor An had developed a liking for Captain Wellik, who remembered Jela fondly, and received Scholar dea’Syl with reverence."

Jela, knowing the Enemy is nigh, then gets Cantra to head for Solcintra Garrison - not a place she'd go - to deliver his logbook to Wellik:

“The troop I’m talking about is the double-secret unit personally sworn to Commander Ro Gayda, garrisoned at Solcintra. There’s those couple dozen twilight ships you might remember I mentioned in close orbit. That’s where I sent Liad dea’Syl and the boy. It’s the only place left.”

-“the only place left” —- is everywhere else in space gone? Decrystallized?

EXODUS SOLCINTRA

excerpt, Crystal Soldier

"The Great Enemy Iloheen was approaching. World Eaters. Decrystallization. Death. Old Solcintra's High Houses bought up the only available BIG SHIP and took off, leaving the service population to get wiped out by the invading enemy forces. But as it turned out, it was the elites in their fortified hiding places that got wiped out first, while the remaining self-promoted-to-High-House Solcintrans relied on the visiting GREAT BRAINS and WHIZ FLYERS to pull together THE GREAT MIGRATION and find a safe haven on Liad" (from tv tropes org, Liaden Universe)

The great migration into the Liaden Universe began in Solcintra orbit, led by the flagship, Clan Korval’s Quick Passage. Countless ships followed behind, escaping the sheriekas, while Wellik’s faithful proto-Yxtrang Troops flew rearguard.

Ship of the Migration

Quick Passage, Homeport Solcintra, Owner Cantra yos’ Phelium

• formerly Salkithin, the huge Troop Transport Jela delivered to Solcintra for Commander Ro Gayda
• Jela’s troop faithfully maintained and upgraded Salkithin, which Jela bequeathed to Cantra:

Captain Wellik: “Jela named you his next of kin...” He looked up and met her eye, though she hadn’t said anything. “You’re right that Series soldiers don’t have next of kin in the ordinary sense of things, but the protocols exist and I’m the one to make the decision, so I’ve decided to honor his request.”

• Cantra hasn’t flown anything much bigger than Spiral Dance, or so she tells Tor An: "My life’s been small ships. I dont know how to take the measure of anything more than a shuttle or courier.”

Cantra allowed herself to be in awe of such a ship. The keepings of a small planet could be packed into the outer ring of pods, if the balancing was done fine, and more soldiers than she felt comfortable thinking about could ride at slow-sleep in the second. The third ring was quarters and mess for wide-awake crew, while deep inside, at the very heart and soul of the cluster—that was the pilots tower.

• Spacious but...
  • Limited room for luggage, and absolutely no room for herds. (Duh, Speaker Olanek!) “Livestock travels as embryos and batch samples. The ship’s equipped with reconstitution equipment”

Captain’s Contract with Passengers

Signed and witnessed in Old Solcintra with nonnegotiable "Captain’s Justice" terms for all passengers on Quick Passage, notarized by dea'Gauss

Korval is contract-bound to stand as Captain to all the passengers until released by the Council of Clans, the successor to the Transition Committee. I should've written that contract looser, but who knew we'd even survive? -Excerpted from Cantra yos'Phelium's Log Book

Captain’s Justice

Cantra yos'Phelium explains it to Nalli Olanek Clan Plemia, First Speaker for the Families: "There's no compromise on Captain's Justice," Cantra said for the third or eighty-fourth time. Her voice was barely more than a whisper after all these hours of negotiation..." Vel Ter jo'Bern, Clan Hedrede, Second on the Service Families side of the table, was actually trembling from exhaustion

“Captain’s Justice. Despite whatever might work on the ground here in terms of councils and consensus, on a ship there can only be one voice that’s law; one person who decides for the ship, and therefore the common good. The difference between a ship’s life and death is sometimes only heartbeats—there’s no time to consult a committee...”

Bridge Crew

• On the bridge when transition wave hits: Captain and co-pilot, dramliza Rool Tiazan, The Tree, Liad dea'Syl, Lucky the cat (relief pilots are maybe off duty)

Captain Cantra yos'Phelium:

yos'Galan to yos’Pheliim: “He then said that — that the safety of the galaxy rested on you alone, and that he would have no other, save his true and courageous friend — bear the burden.” “Jela said that?” She stared at him.

• Best damn pilot

“Jela vouched for you,” he said, his voice still clipped and cool. “He said you were the best damn’ pilot he’d ever seen.”

“ Jela was the best damn’ pilot he’d ever—”

“And he sat co-pilot to you!” The boy interrupted in his turn.

First Mate co-pilot Tor An yos'Galan

• Young (“the boy”), well-mannered, and pretty:

...the boy pilot -- Tor An yos’Galan. Without his jacket, dressed in plain shirt and pants, he looked even younger than he had earlier in the day, his yellow hair crisp; his eyes wide open and the color of amethysts. Two steps into the room, he stopped and bowed to her honor, just like she was respectable...

• Highly capable pilot:

unlike Cantra, Tor An “had training on the big ships...real ring-and-pod carrying transports, multimounts, that kind of thing.” Tor An played the comm board like it was a musical instrument, pulling talk, catching chat large and small..."

The Passengers

So-called High Houses

Solcintran High House families left Solcintra earlier on a large luxury liner, abandoning their Service Families, who rioted and then claimed High House status for themselves: “

The Service Families have . . . reformulated themselves and are now the High Houses of Solcintra.”

They had no means of travel, and the Great Enemy was approaching, so Cantra offered them passage on her ship:

"This ship here is set to take on all the members of the Service Families that now style themselves High Houses."

Including signatories on the contract for passage, First Speaker Nalli Olanek Clan Plemia and Second Speaker Elder Vel Ter jo'Bern Clan Hedrede - who still sits on the Council of Clans today

But the self-promoted High then tried to keep everyone else off Quick Passage, especially the dea'Gauss, because he had served their employers in the High Houses. So Cantra hired dea'Gauss and bade him get his family on board and invite everyone else aboard, too

"whether or not they're attached to any of the so-called High Houses"

Numerous Sleeping Passengers

• “Hundreds — maybe thousands” of Solcintrans, belonging to any family, or no family, orphaned, or whatever
• The Dramliz who pledged to support the newly formed Clan Korval:

"Captain, the Solcintrans will renounce us, for we embody that which they most fear...The groundlings say we are dangerous, and perversions; they call us sheriekas-spawn and they kill us out of hand...I have here healers, true-dreamers, seers, finders, hunch-makers, green-thumbs, teachers -- treasures beyond counting for the days beyond. Grant us passage and you may call upon us for any service so long as Jela's tree survives to bind us."

Outwit the Enemy

excerpt, Crystal Dragon

Spiral Dance plays decoy to confound the Enemy. Cantra put a treelet in the copilot seat on Dancer and entered the coords to ??? She gave Dancer permission to auto-pilot as needed to reach those coords. (But she didn’t multiply by pi, as Scholar dea’Syl instructed just before transition, so that might be why Bechimo’s crew found Dancer a millennium later, and far from Liad.

Quick Passage leads the Exodus of ships:

Now who'd've expected we'd be leading a parade? Cantra thought. In her head, the golden dragon glided easy on half-furled wings, beside her the jewel-colored dragonet which the tree had settled on as its version of her co-pilot. Behind them rose dragons of all color and description, old, young, halt and hale. Some few emulated the effortless grace shown by the leaders, others were already laboring hard. Beyond the general chaos loomed a long, disciplined line of black dragons, wings steady, eyes baleful, teeth at ready -- Wellik’s rear-guard, that would be.

Dramliza /Wizard Rool Tiazan and The Tree kept the sheriekas at bay just for an instant, long enough to Transition Jump to escape.