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Episode 97: When Comfort Flees
Elisa sat staring at the comm hub. Two days ago they'd sent out the message for every remaining ship in the GRN to come back to Gamilon. A few were already back, but most of them hadn't made it yet. Many ships sent word within the first day, though a few replies trickled in later.
Concern tugged at her as ship after ship reported in without a single word from Dommel.
She left the hub and headed off toward the nearest of the half-dozen ships circling the survivors' camp.
The boarding ramp was down, so she ducked inside. Broken engine parts, food, and everything in between cluttered the hold.
"Hello?" she called. "Is anyone in here?"
"Just me." The answer echoed from behind a nearby crate.
Elisa rounded it and came face to face with a short, old man. "Hello."
"What brings you to Sharim?" he asked.
"I…" Elisa swallowed hard as fear rose in her throat. "I was hoping someone here knew something about my husband… General Dommel Lysis."
The old man bowed. "I am honored to greet you, but I have heard nothing of General Lysis or his whereabouts. You should speak with the captain. He's out at the moment, but should return soon."
"Thank you…" Elisa sighed. "I'll come back later." She left the ship and trudged through the sand and dirt to the next one. No one there knew anything of where Dommel might be either. She went to the rest of the ships one by one, but came away from each with the same answer.
She left the last ship and looked up into the patch of sky she could see through the hole above the Belarus ruins. It was mid-morning. Elisa closed her eyes and let the warmth of the sun wash over her face. She only wished Dommel were here with her.
"Another ship!" someone shouted.
Elisa's eyes flew open and she stared up into the sky, straining to see who was coming. A dark speck grew in size until it was big enough for her to identify.
"Wolf!" she exclaimed, a spark of joy in her heart at the sight of her half-brother's ship.
Along with dozens of others, she hurried toward the nearest landing area.
Wolf's ship settled down and Elisa rushed forward to greet him. The second he set foot outside the ship Elisa threw her arms around his neck. "You're back!"
"Yes…" Wolf hugged her. "I'm sorry we couldn't return sooner. We were at… Keshet for a long time."
"Do you know when Dommel's coming back?" She pulled back and looked up into her brother's face. "Where was he sent? It must have been quite far. He hasn't responded to our message yet."
"Elisa…" Wolf bowed his head and lowered his voice. "There's something I need to talk with you about." He took her arm and led her past his officers, back into the ship, ignoring the questioning looks and pressing crowd.
Elisa's heart pounded in her ears as her brother pulled her along behind him.
Wolf took her to the small crew housing area and opened a plain door. He gestured for her to enter.
"Is this your quarters?" she asked, looking around at the sparse room.
"It is," Wolf replied. "Please, sit." He indicated the bunk anchored to the far wall.
Elisa sat. The mattress was thin and dense, but not altogether uncomfortable. She settled onto it and let out a long sigh. "The sooner Dommel returns the better." She absently laid her hand over her baby.
"Elisa…" Wolf bit his lip and looked away from her. "I…"
Her heart skipped a beat. "What's wrong?" She leaned forward and took her brother's hand.
Wolf sank to his knees. He squeezed Elisa's hand before looking up into her face. "Dommel is – Elisa…" Wolf's eyes shone with unshed tears. "He isn't coming back."
"What?" Elisa whispered, shocked. "What do you mean? He was delayed – he isn't coming back right now, but he'll be back eventually. He was waylaid – had to stop on another planet. Right? He's – he's coming back, just not yet." She grasped for some explanation for her brother's words.
"No." Wolf shook his head. "We scoured Keshet… We found the remains of his carrier… and two of the others…"
"You – you –" Elisa's breaths came raggedly. She felt like she couldn't get enough air. "No," she choked as tears streamed down her cheeks. "No, you have to be wrong. He has to come back. We need him to come back." She pulled her hands away and buried her face in them.
Wolf sat on the bed next to her and put his arm around Elisa. "I'm so sorry… He was… like my brother. We fought and nearly died together. He – was a good friend – a good soldier… and I know he was a good husband, and father to your son…"
Elisa cried harder. "You don't understand."
Wolf pulled her close. "I know."
"No, you don't," Elisa sobbed. "You don't know… I'm –" The words caught in her throat. She snatched Wolf's hand and laid it over her barely rounded belly, "I'm pregnant…"
"Oh, Elisa…" Wolf breathed, new tears pooling in his eyes. "If only we'd gotten back to Keshet sooner – before the attack on the Eratite ship ended, maybe we could have –"
"No." Elisa stopped him. "Don't. I just need someone to be here." She threw her arms around him and wept.
Wolf held his sister close for a long time. Every so often she looked up at him and fell back into tears. Her sobs echoed through the room and gripped Wolf's soul. His nephew, or niece, would grow up without a father now.
Elisa's heart ached with the loss. So much was already gone – her home, her friends, her own son… and now her husband. She hugged her unborn baby and whispered, "I'll never let anything happen to you, no matter what."
"Masterson! You have to hear this!" David burst through the door to Talan's quarters waving his comm.
Masterson dragged himself out of bed and into the living area. He pried his eyes open enough to see the look on David's face. "What is it?"
"It's a message – from Gamilon! We're being called back."
Masterson's eyes shot open, the time of night forgotten. "Desslok sent it?"
David checked the message again, "No… It's from Admiral Dietz."
"Melda's father," Masterson said thoughtfully. "What else does it say?"
David read the message aloud to Masterson. As Talan listened, his stomach tightened. "Belarus is… destroyed…? How did it happen?"
"It doesn't say." David held up his comm. "If I got it, you should have too."
Masterson checked his own device, tucked away in a nearby drawer. Exactly as David said, sitting there on the screen was a blinking message icon. Masterson opened it. "It came in two minutes ago, relayed from another ship. What kind of hub are they using that they have to send text-only messages by way of carriers?"
Before Masterson was finished with his sentence the screen lit up again, this time with a second message. Masterson tapped the icon.
"To Masterson Talan, Captain of the Hadar:
I was left in command by the Lady Daratina, our lost princess. She returned most unexpectedly, and she goes in search of her brother, Leader Desslok to find him and bring him back to us in our hour of need.
I believe she may need assistance in this endeavor and as such I am commissioning you and your ship to follow the Lady's. She is aboard the Adiel, making best speed for Eratite space. I trust you will do your best to catch up to her and intervene in any situation you deem detrimental to those involved.
Go with Adonai,
Admiral Gul Dietz"
Masterson held up his comm to David and waited for the officer to read it.
"What…?" David stared at the screen slack-jawed. "The lost princess? She's back?"
"So it would seem."
"So we're not going home yet," David summarized.
"No, but I can think of no better place for us to be than with Desslok, and Lady Daratina – if indeed it is truly she who has returned."
"You think it might be an imposter?" David asked.
"Stranger things have happened, my friend."
"Can't argue with that." David shrugged. "I'll let helm know where we're headed."
Masterson nodded. "Thank you."
"This is going to be a six month trip – with warps," David said. "Maybe shorter if we take –"
"The Gates!" Masterson exclaimed. "Take them every chance we get between here and Eratite space. I'll inform the crew myself. No one enjoys gate jumps, but at least our crew will go in prepared. Make sure navigation knows not to skip a single Gate. That will take over two months off of our journey."
David left Masterson's quarters.
As soon as the door hissed shut Masterson sat down heavily and sighed. He held his face in his hands and prayed. "Oh, Adonai… It's finally time to go back…" He looked up, turning around to face the wall-length viewport. He went to the window and stared, his reflection peering back at him.
Every time he went to this window he expected to see Arach appear beside him – to offer some guidance or words of comfort. But no matter how many times he wished for the heavenly being's presence, Arach never came.
Masterson bowed his head. "Guide us, Adonai, and we shall be led aright… Save us… and we shall be saved. Strengthen us, and Thy might shall win the day. Give us grace to weather the coming storm." Masterson dimmed the lights and stared out into the darkness of space. He felt the ship change course. Instantly, a weight settled on him – the same burden he'd carried for years. "No matter what may come to pass, do not take him, Shaddai…" Masterson whispered into the darkness. "Though he walk through Hell itself, bring this wayward king back to the realm of the living."
His prayer clung to his mind as he sent off a short message before he began his silent vigil. He stood wordlessly through the night and into the next morning.
David Lysis paced the bridge. Today Masterson told everyone what they were setting out to do. To David's relief, no one so much as said a word against the order. It still felt odd being the second-in-command on a ship. He'd never held any sort of military office before, and his rank now was more of a field-promotion than an official bestowment of power.
The longer they were away from Gamilon, the more David wondered about Elisa and his brother and the host of others this crew left behind because they dared to hold on to Adonai in spite of a ruler who did not.
David stopped and looked up through the front viewport. Just ahead loomed the first of two gates they would traverse on their way to Erats. Its sparkling blue event horizon beckoned to them, promising wonders untold on the other side, but David knew better. He'd never gone through a gate before. Their journey to the outer perimeter was a Gate-less trek. Masterson too had never seen the inside of an Aquarius Gate, but he'd heard tell of them and the terrors they held.
"Contact in five minutes," radar informed.
"Steady on course," David replied.
The swirling whirlpool of stars drew David toward it. The closer they came to the Gate, the surer David was that he could hear voices whispering just quietly enough so he couldn't decipher them.
Masterson warned him of this.
He shut his ears to the siren calls.
"Three minutes to contact." The helmsman's words echoed in David's ears. He bowed his head and waited quietly for the ship to pass into the nether space.
He counted the seconds, waiting.
"We do not go unarmed." Masterson appeared beside David, startling him.
"No…" David's eyes lightened. "No, indeed we do not." He looked straight into the event horizon as they passed through it. Just as the bow touched the Gate, David began, "'The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.'"
Masterson continued, "' In my distress I called upon Adonai, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.'"
Another man began where Masterson left off, "'The earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.'"
The entire bridge crew took up the psalm, "'He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.'"
The ship plowed through the Gate entrance. The instant they crossed over, ghosts reached out their wispy fingers and tried to take hold of the crew.
As they uttered the words of the ancient king, David could hear the voices of the crew around him, but they grew far away, as though he were floating out of the ship and drifting into the Gate void.
Icy fingers closed around him and a shadow passed overhead. He struggled to look up, but nothing was there. Off to the right another shadow flickered. He strained to see what it was, but again, saw nothing.
He tried to concentrate on the voices of the bridge crew, but the more he tried, the harder it was to hear them.
"Trust Shaddai, son of the promise," a voice, full of warmth and hope echoed from behind David. "Trust His word. It will not fail you."
"Who – who are you?" David whispered into the chill fog gathering around him.
"My name is not important. What is most vital is that you and your ship come through the Gates unscathed. Do as you must. Save whomever you can and trust… that Shaddai will accomplish His will, whether you succeed or fail."
"I don't understand…" David replied. "What do you mean?"
There was no answer.
"Hello?" David called into the fog. "Are you there?"
Again he was met with silence.
The world faded back into focus and David watched as a phantom floated up to him and held out her hand. David declined to take it. When she realized he wanted nothing to do with her, she screeched at him in fury, but David didn't flinch. He concentrated on the words of Adonai that still flowed from the lips of everyone around him. "'Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.'"
The phantom who called to him shrank away, wailing.
David sighed in relief as the ghost disappeared with the last word of the psalm.
When the immediate danger was past, Masterson left the bridge. David trailed after him. Once the passageway was clear, he pulled Talan aside, "Have you ever heard someone talking to you? You know, from out of… nowhere?"
Masterson looked away. "No. But I have been… visited before." He looked into David's face with eyes full of longing. "I wish every day that I will see one of them again – talk with them. It is a wondrous thing to be in the presence of a messenger of Adonai, my friend. They speak of things we may not understand for many years to come – or perhaps not at all." He stared into David's eyes. "You have talked with one of them…?"
"Just now, yes," David whispered. "He said –" A sense of foreboding fell over him as he repeated the malak's words, "He said to save whoever we can, but trust Shaddai to do the rest."
Masterson's face fell. "I feared this day would come…"
"What do you mean?"
Masterson's eyes welled up with tears, "I pray I am wrong, David, but this may be the last chance for many who now wait for us at the end of this journey."
"You can't just give up," David protested.
"And I will not," Masterson replied. "But until we reach Eratite space, I will be in my quarters. Please, let everyone know not to disturb me unless the matter is life-threatening. I have a life-and-death matter of my own to see to."
Talan continued down the hall, his lonely footsteps echoing down the dim corridor.
Starsha scrolled through a long roll of photos she'd taken while Adam and Alex were still on Iscandar. Several of them were ones Adam took – all of her or Alex. She smiled at one particular photo. She remembered when Adam took it. She'd just seen a bee and was trying to get away from it. The look of terror on her own face was so extreme she couldn't help but laugh.
She reached the end of the roll and started scrolling through other images – these from many years ago – before the plague. Images of her father and mother, her sisters – even her grandparents – whisked by. She stopped every so often to look into the faces of those she'd lost. The only comfort she had was knowing they waited in Shaddai's realm, happy and well.
The Interface she was wearing blinked and a symbol appeared right in the middle of the pictures she was looking through.
She tapped the icon.
"Masterson…" she whispered. "Thank Adonai." She read the message and her heart caught in her throat as she read the two words, "Desslok lives." Joy welled up in her, but it crashed into despair as she finished reading the message.
"No…" She shook her head. "No, please, do not do this!" she pleaded with the other world hanging above Iscandar. "They've gotten their cure; let them go home and use it." Tears spilled down her cheeks. "No –" she choked. In a harsh whisper she begged, "Don't kill them, Desslok… Don't take the lives of those who hold Erats' last hope."
Episode 98: Voyage to Tomorrow
"There isn't much time left," Adam sighed as he took his father's hand.
Over four months had passed since they left Shambleau. Adam heard stories from several of the crew who were inside the great ship, and Stephen showed him some of the translation work from the stone cross. If his father were well, that's where Adam would be – working with Stephen to unearth some of the secrets the Argo's crew found on their way to Iscandar.
There was so much left to discover.
"We'll make it back," Avatar whispered.
"I know we will," Adam replied. He leaned closer to his father, "But I want you to make it too."
Avatar smiled. "I want to see Earth one last time, before I die." He laid his head back on his pillow and closed his eyes.
"Yeah…" Adam choked. "I know…"
Avatar sighed and opened his eyes again. He reached for his hat, sitting on the bedside table. "Here." He held it out to Adam. "Wear it one day, on a ship of your own."
"I will, Dad." He took the hat and placed it back on his father's head. "But, you keep it for now."
"Alright," Avatar patted his son's knee.
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Adam called.
In stepped Dr. Sane with another set of bandages in tow. Sane pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and headed straight to the captain.
Adam went around the bed and pulled back the blanket. His eyes watered and his nose itched at the sight of the wound. It still smelled foul – an infection Sane couldn't get rid of. The old dressing was matted with a sick yellow-green ichor.
Sane grimaced at the discharge. "I'm sorry, Abraham," Sane said, "but your condition is worsening much faster than anticipated. You… may not make it back to Earth."
"Isn't there any way we can get back in time?" Adam pleaded.
"You'll have to talk to Wildstar and Sandor about that," Sane replied as he bagged the used bandages and patched the captain back up. "The more he rests, the more time he'll have. Keep him still and quiet," Sane instructed.
Adam nodded as the doctor left.
"I'll be right back," Adam said to his father before slipping out the cabin door and into the hall. He pulled out the comm he'd been given and looked up Derek and Stephen. He punched in a message and sent it off.
The comm buzzed moments later with a reply from Stephen. "There is one way to cut down our return time."
Derek replied, "What's that?"
"There's another Gate up ahead," wrote Stephen.
"Look into it," Derek instructed.
"I will be in touch with you both," Stephen signed off.
Adam leaned back against the bulkhead and sighed. "Please, let us get back in time," he prayed, "Even if it means walking through ghosts to get there."
"Are you sure this is safe?" Derek asked. The floor of the ops room lit up as he and the XO stepped inside.
"As safe as any Gate travel," Sandor replied as a map of their entire journey appeared below. "We've avoided the others we've come across," he pointed to the various Gate points scattered across their return path, "and without interference from the Gamilons, we've been able to stay on schedule, but with the captain's condition worsening, the only way to get back before he… dies… is to go through this Gate."
"Why didn't we take this route on the way to Iscandar?" Derek asked, pointing to the nearly-straight line they now followed back to Earth.
"Frankly, we didn't know about it," Sandor replied. "Starsha's upgrades cut out a lot of the roaming we did on our way out to the Magellanic Cloud." A more roundabout route appeared, winding in and out of several regions of space before continuing toward Iscandar.
"But isn't that the way she sent us?" Derek asked.
"Yes… and no," Sandor replied. He put up the guidelines Starsha provided in her original message. "She gave us a heading and some general instructions, other than that, we didn't have much to go on. There were a few things she told us specifically to avoid." He highlighted five separate areas. "But several of them we never came across."
"Where exactly is this Gate we can use?" Derek asked.
"Here." Sandor pointed to a glowing blue ring a little closer to Earth. "If we use it, we'll come out a lot closer to our solar system. We'll still need two months to get back to Earth, but it'll cut out a couple of weeks."
"A couple of weeks?" Derek shook his head. "From the sound of it, that's not going to be enough time."
Sandor hesitated.
"What?"
The science officer tapped the floor with the nearby stylus rod. "There's a second Gate just beyond the exit point of the first. It'll take a few days to get there, with warps, and it's out of the way, but it'll take us just outside the solar system."
"Let's do it," Derek said.
Sandor held up a finger. "It's unstable."
Derek raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Sandor swept the stylus over the floor. The map disappeared, replaced by images of a Gate.
"I've had some time to study them. Think of traversing a Gate like walking through a hall. The first Gate we went through was a bit turbulent – the lights were flickering. The second Gate was sound – a normal corridor. The Gate we're about to go through is also sound, but the one after it… To go through it would be like walking through a passageway… while it's on fire." Sandor brought up a comparison of all four Gates and pointed to the last one. "We might not come out."
Derek shook his head again. "I don't know if we can risk that. I want the captain to get back to Earth in time, but… I just don't think we can risk the crew and ship's safety. If there were a safe way through, that would be a different story."
"I'm sure he'll understand," Sandor replied, shutting off the projection.
The floor glowed softly in the dim lighting, throwing a shade of green over the room.
"Yeah…" Derek bit his lip. "I'm sure he will. For now, let's get through that first Gate. We'll decide where to go from there."
The Argo hurtled through the Gate tunnel. The trip, less than two days long, was going surprisingly well. Derek kept waiting for the all-too-familiar phantoms to appear, but none did. He sat in the captain's chair, staring at his console. They would drop out of the Gate any second.
"Re-entering normal space," Mark announced just before they phased into the star-filled void.
"There's something on the radar," Nova said. "A small ship, just off to port." She put an image on screen and zoomed in. "It's Gamilon."
"What's it doing all the way out here?" Derek asked.
"It's drifting," Nova replied.
"It's not in overt distress," Sandor said. "But the engine is out. There's a single life-sign aboard."
"Move in closer," Derek narrowed his eyes at the ship.
The Argo pulled up alongside the tiny ship.
"Try hailing."
Homer opened a channel and nodded to Derek. "Go ahead."
"I am Derek Wildstar, captain of the Argo. What's your business this far from Gamilon?"
Homer adjusted the receiver. No reply came.
Derek tried again. "I repeat, what are you doing so close to Earth-space?" Still nothing. He motioned for Homer to cut the call. "Sandor, get a probe ready. I want to know what's going on over there."
In a few minutes the probe launched and circled the Gamilon ship. It flew in close. The ship's hull was intact with no scoring from enemy fire or buckling from collisions. As the probe continued around the craft it came to the bridge viewport. The two-foot window didn't give them much room to see into the ship, but the probe peered in and magnified the inside of the bridge – more of a very large cockpit.
"What's that?" Derek pointed toward the bottom of the screen.
Sandor steepened the probe's angle.
A woman lay on the floor just behind the pilot's seat. At the sight of her grey skin and tipped ears Derek's mouth fell open. "She's Jirelian…" Her short, gray hair clung to her head and she wore an unfamiliar uniform. "Alex, take Clemens with you and get her on board."
"On it," his brother replied and made a sprint for the elevator.
"Nova, get to the hangar. She might need a translator."
Nova made a run for the elevator and jumped in just before the door closed.
Miezella started awake to the feeling of a stranger's breath in her face. She scrambled out from under the man, giving him a good kick in the face with her booted foot. He yelped and jumped back.
His companion, another man, held out a hand toward her and said something she didn't understand.
Miezella pulled herself to her feet and reached for her gun. The feeling of empty air sent a shot of panic through her. She looked around frantically and spied her weapon shoved up under the chair. She lunged for it.
The second man tackled her. She crashed into the wall and gasped for breath. A persistent ache spread through her lungs as she struggled for air.
The man who'd hit her grabbed her weapon and stuffed it in a utility belt. He motioned for her to get up. Celestella wheezed in another jagged breath before obeying.
She narrowed her eyes at them and growled, "What do you want?"
The two men raised their eyebrows at each other, then said something in reply.
Celestella shook her head and tried again, pointing at them. "Who are you?"
They motioned for her to come with them. She gritted her teeth and followed as they went down the short corridor leading from the bridge to the bay door. Before they reached the ramp they turned off into a tiny recess. The ship's emergency hatch was popped open, leading into another ship. The strangers went through and the man with her gun reached back for her. She jerked away from him and glowered.
He backed away.
With a careful eye, Celestella surveyed the portion of their ship she could see. Noting no imminent danger, she ducked inside, eyeing both men. The one who had her weapon started for another part of the ship while the other one shut both emergency hatches.
Panis rose in Celestella's gut as the second man took her arm. She pulled away, hands flying up into a defensive position.
The man's hands shot up too, his eyes big. He stepped back, saying something that sounded apologetic. Hands still in the air he pointed the way the first man went and headed in the indicated direction. Celestella stared after him, but didn't follow.
He looked back over his shoulder after a few steps. Seeing she was still in the same spot, he shrugged and kept walking.
She heard the men's steps echo through the ship, then fall silent. The ship jolted away from hers. She dashed to a nearby viewport and watched as her tiny vessel faded into the distance.
She banged a fist on the bulkhead and gritted her teeth. She'd just let herself be captured. In rage she burst into the cockpit and shouted at the two men, "Take me back to my ship!" She pointed toward the drifting scout plane.
The co-pilot – the man she'd kicked – motioned for her to sit down in the seat behind him. She sat, seething. "There's nothing wrong with my ship. Everything's fine," she insisted.
The men ignored her.
Outside, a ship loomed. Terror melted her nerve as she recognized it.
"Eratites…" she whispered.
Celestella tore out of the cockpit and locked herself in the back half of the ship. The corner welcomed her into its dark refuge as she huddled up in it, knees to her chin, trembling. "Malha, protect me," she rasped over and over.
Another jolt sent a wave of fear over her as she realized they'd docked. Pounding on the compartment door made her jump. The latch rattled as the men tried to get in. She squeezed her eyes shut and wished hard for her weapon.
Just before they broke through, the back hatch hissed open and a woman stepped in. The hangar lights shone behind the stranger, leaving a corona around her so Celestella couldn't see her face. The woman knelt beside Celestella and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
In shock Celestella recognized the woman. "Astra of Iscandar…" she whispered and shrank away. Surely if the Iscandari were still here she knew of Celestella's plot against her. Fear for her life burned in her already-queasy stomach.
"No," the woman said, reaching out an open hand to Celestella. "I'm Nova."
The compartment door burst open and the men tumbled into the back of the ship. The woman scolded them and held out her hand to Celestella again. The kindness in her eyes persuaded Celestella to risk taking the outstretched hand. Nova helped her up and guided her off the ship.
"Why did they take me?" Celestella asked.
"Your engine is not working," Nova replied. "I'm Nova Forrester. What's your name?"
Celestella jerked her arm away, jumping several steps away from Nova, wide-eyed. She hadn't expected the woman to answer her.
"It's alright," Nova said. "We're not going to hurt you. We saw you're Jirelian. We've met some of your people. They were of great help to us."
Celestella narrowed her eyes and bit back, "My people are all dead."
"Not all of them." Nova shook her head and smiled. "A few hundred travel the stars, under the leadership of a Jirelian named Lorelai."
Celestella raised an eyebrow at the name. She hadn't heard it in years, not since before she'd come to serve the Malha. "Loer…" She hid her sneer. There were tales of a woman who'd left Jirel nearly forty years ago looking for a ship shrouded in myth – the Celestial Ark, but no one had heard from her since. "Fable-chasing fool," Celestella muttered.
"You're Jirelian, so why are you in a Gamilon ship? You seem to speak their language," Nova said.
"I…" Celestella bit her lip. "I've spent some time with Gamilons. I recently left their world due to a… disagreement with their king."
"I see," Nova said. "I'm sorry."
"Oh no, do not be sorry," Celestella huffed. "He is arrogant and self-righteous."
The two men got off the ship and closed it up. Once it was ready, the dock pulled the ship back into its hangar and sprayed it down with what smelled to Celestella like a cleaning solution.
"It is in the past," Celestella waved off the subject. "As for Loer… well, you should know she is widely regarded as a dreamer."
"A good friend of mine said Lorelai told her a story – about someone called 'The Diviner.' Have you heard it?" Nova asked, leading Celestella out of the hangar and down a well-lit hall.
"I've heard the tale," Celestella said. "But from everything I've hear of her, Loer actually believes it. The tale of the Diviner was one of the reasons she left Jirel." Celestella rolled her eyes.
"You think she was unwise to leave your home?"
Several crewmen brushed by, giving Celestella odd looks, but trying their best not to stare.
"She followed a fairy-tale. Of course it was unwise. As for the Diviner – well – I will say simply that such a thing as a person who can manipulate dark matter is ridiculous, even bordering on insane. It isn't possible." Celestella eyed Nova as the woman continued. Perhaps being taken aboard the Eratite vessel wasn't such a horrible fate. She could still take her vengeance on these interlopers for how they'd made her life a living nightmare.
"Surely something Lorelai saw convinced her that the story was true," Nova replied. "Would you go to great lengths in pursuit of a legend?"
Celestella stopped in the middle of the hall, an image of the Malha rising in her mind, "Yes…" she whispered. "If I were convinced of it, I would, and…" She weighed the consequences of what she was about to say before finally allowing, "My name is Miezella – Miezella Celestella."
"It is good to meet you, Miezella Celestella. We're almost to the operations room. The captain wanted to meet you – and see that you're alright. I'm sorry if Alex and Clemens frightened you. They can be rather tactless, but I assure you, they were only interested in your safe arrival here."
Nova opened a door to their right and waited for Celestella to enter before following her inside.
Derek and Sandor looked up as the door opened. The lights slowly came up and the images on the floor disappeared one by one as Nova ushered in the Jirelian from the disabled craft.
Derek heard Nova talking to the woman and picked out his name and Sandor's, but he had no idea what she'd told the Jirelian.
The gray-skinned woman nodded to Derek and Sandor and pointed to the floor. She spoke animatedly and Derek waited for either a translation from Nova, or for Sandor to reply.
"This is Miezella Celestella, and she asks why you were looking at Gehenna's Bridge," Nova supplied, pointing to the floor.
"Looking at what?" Derek asked, taken-aback by the name.
Nova repeated Derek's question, then supplied, "She says the name of the Gate you were looking at is 'Gehenna's Bridge.' It is extremely unstable."
"We know," Derek replied wryly. "We've been studying it since before we came through the last Gate."
Miezella whispered something to Nova.
"She says there is a way through it if we are interested."
Derek glanced at Sandor, then raised an eyebrow at Miezella, "A way that won't get us all killed?"
The Jirelian nodded.
"Fine. Show us what you've got," Derek stepped away from the floor-board interface and handed Miezella the stylus. She stared from the wand to the floor and back at Nova.
Nova held out her hand.
Miezella gave her the stylus.
Derek watched as the two women talked for over half an hour, tapping the floor every so often. The look of heavy concentration on Nova's face made Derek all the more curious about what Miezella was suggesting.
"Derek…" Nova stepped over to him, "She says we can enter without a problem. It's when we get to the center of the Gate that everything will start to break apart. When we get here," Nova tapped the floor, "we'll have to raise our shield."
"But that shield only lasts a few hours. How long will it take us to get through that Gate?" Derek protested.
Nova repeated Derek's words to Miezella.
"She says we can cut the crossing time down to sixteen hours – as long as we don't get stuck in a – well, basically a hole in space. The first and last four hours will be no difficulty; it's the eight in the middle we have to worry about."
"Eight hours is a long time for the shield to hold," Sandor said. "I'll look at it and see if there's any way to extend our window.
Derek shot a quick glance at the Jirelian. She was looking around the dim room. The green light cast a sick glow over her grey skin, making her appear ghostly. Her pointed ears looked strange, but they reminded Derek of Lorelai. The image of her passionate face urging him to forge on homeward broke down some of the reservations he held about making this treacherous Gate crossing.
"Do whatever you can, Sandor," Derek instructed. "And take Miezella with you. Maybe she can help."
"Wildstar…" Sandor pulled Derek out of the projector's light. "Do you think it's wise to bring a stranger into such confidence – especially to consult about something as important as the shield?"
Derek looked back at Miezella, then said to Sandor, "She's one of Lorelai's people."
"That may be, but don't you think some caution is in order?"
Derek sighed, "I guess you're right. But at least talk to her. Maybe we can learn more about the Gate – figure out how to avoid these holes in space she mentioned."
"Alright," Sandor replied. "Give me a few hours to figure out how to do this and I'll get back to you."
Derek nodded. "Let's get the captain home."