The Old Lie

ROCKETING TO FAME WITH HER DEBUT TERRA NULLIUS, NOONGAR WOMAN CLAIRE G COLEMAN’S WRITING DEALS WITH INVASION AND COLONISATION. THE OLD LIE IS SET IN THE MIDST OF A SPACE WAR, WITH HER INDIGENOUS PROTAGONISTS STILL YEARNING FOR COUNTRY, THOUGH AT TIMES THEY’RE LITERALLY WORLDS AWAY FROM IT

- Claire G Coleman

Lieutenant Romany Zetz, call sign ‘Romeo’, reporting for duty, sir.” Romeo stood to attention before the captain’s desk, having not the slightest clue which part of space they were in. There had been too many shuttle flights, from station to station to station, to get to this ship. She had seen the ship on her way in, a classic battle carrier, kilometers long, bristling with weapons, the black mouths of landing bays and hangars at the front and back. Approaching closer she was not sure what she thought of the words “FSS Yulara” on the side; was it an omen or an insult?

“Ah, Romeo,” the captain spoke without even looking up at her. That was okay, she didn’t want to look at him either. “Your reputation preceded you faster than your files. Not surprising really, files move by hyperspace, rumors by some energy we, unfortunately, have not managed to harness.” He laughed at his own joke.

Romeo was uncertain whether a response was needed so they said “sir” in an emotionless tone. That usually sufficed. He was still pointedly staring at the screen inlaid in his desk, but that was no reason to let expression show on her face. She was careful, kept staring blankly at the captain’s forehead. He might have cameras; if it was her office, her ship, she would.

The office was classic captain’s office style: walls a boring, soft dove grey, lighter than the greys used in the rest of the ship; a wooden desk that looked real but probably wasn’t. Wood was heavy and expensive. Art hung on the walls, Indigenous Australian art, desert art, overwhelmingly culturally dense and stunningly beautiful; a map of somebody’s home, a portrait of their ancestors. Romany hated seeing it there, especially if it was an original; she always hated seeing her people’s art in military offices where she knew it was nothing more than a status symbol or decoration.