<< Back to Eps. 69-70 --- Continue to Eps. 73-74 >>
Episode 71: In the Presence of the King
Derek slowly wandered through the ship, checking in with everyone he could think of – everything from communications to KP.
They'd been travelling without interruption for almost a week. So far all the repairs they'd made back in the Rainbow Galaxy had held together even better than he'd hoped.
Ever since they'd left the strange cloud, Derek had been trying to keep busy with anything and everything. When he found himself idle, he'd find something to do. He couldn't afford to think any more about Nova's absence.
Her disappearance had left a hole in the fabric of the crew. He hadn't realized how integral a part of the team she was until she wasn't there anymore. And he hadn't realized how much he really appreciated her. Now that she was gone…
Two crewmen approached Derek from the other side of the hall. He didn't say anything to them as they passed him, talking and laughing about something. He let the sound of their light-hearted voices float by without even a word of acknowledgment.
He stayed on the main route through the center of the ship and eventually made it to his last stop, engineering.
The tall, wide door to the main engine room loomed before him as he waited for it to open. Half a second later, it slid back to allow him entrance.
He stepped into the giant room, and, as he always did, immediately looked up to take in the enormousness of the space. Hands in his pockets, he just stood there for a moment, looking all around the top of the room, noting the catwalks that ringed the ceiling and the few engineers who occupied them as they did a few more tests on the engine while it ran.
"Somethin' on your mind, lad?" Orion's hand patted Derek on the shoulder, and the young man looked down at the old engineer.
"Just…" Derek started to say, but stopped and looked away from the chief engineer for a moment, then he finally finished, "wondering how much longer it will be before we get to Iscandar."
"Can't be long now," Orion encouraged, "Queen Starsha's directions are pretty clear, from what I've seen of 'em."
Derek nodded, "They are, but what are we going to run into between here and there? We've already been thrown into a major battle with the Gamilons this close to our destination. I just have this terrible feeling that there's something else between us and Iscandar."
"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Orion encouraged, "If there is somethin' else out there, we'll beat it, just like we've done all those times before."
Derek took his hands out of his pockets and folded his arms over his chest. "I hope you're right," he said. "I really, really do."
Nova held her breath as she waited for the door to open and the boarding ramp to descend so she could disembark.
"A select few of the ceremonial guard will be at hand to receive you and escort you directly to Leader Desslok," Krypt said from somewhere behind her. Nova wasn't sure exactly where. She let out the breath she held, too preoccupied with not passing out.
She felt like her skin was crawling with adrenaline – like she'd had too much coffee – but she had to keep her nerves together – it was either that, or risk being found out.
"Thank you," Nova replied to the Councilor. "Will you be coming as well?"
"Oh, yes, Princess, at least until I finish my report to the Leader," he replied.
"I see," she said, focusing her eyes on the floor just ahead of her, trying not to hyperventilate as she waited for the door to open.
What felt like an eternity later, it finally started to slowly lift, allowing her to catch her first glimpse of the planet Gamilon.
Everything around her was foreign. The buildings all looked so strange. It was like looking at Earth, but instead of seeing the familiar sites of the world she called home, she saw instead a place that looked like it was crying out for help from anyone who would listen. From what she could tell from her limited vantage point, she was somewhere underground – or at least, beneath the world's surface.
Ugly yellow streaks ran through the ground outside and infected the shelf of earth hanging above their arrival point.
Nova saw the ceremonial guard waiting outside, stoic and silent. They looked much like the men and women she had seen on the prison world, except the uniforms they wore bore a strange emblem on each guard's right shoulder.
Nova looked at each of the guards in turn, and noticed with astonishment that all of them were women. Their hair was a light blonde – some naturally, some bleached – and they were all approximately the same height. They wore black headpieces that covered the tops and backs of their heads. A long, greyish, buttoned up jacket covered a high-necked grey shirt, and fitted black pants tucked into polished black boots. Long, black gloves completed the ensemble, and Nova wondered how they could wear such clothes. She was already fairly warm, and she'd only just stepped off of the ship.
She looked into the faces of each woman, noting that they seemed like any other Gamilon she'd come across, just a bit more serious.
Slowly, she started down the boarding ramp. She was relieved to hear the familiar steps of Stav behind her. Once she reached the bottom, she stopped. One of the guards ushered her forward, and Nova followed, the fear building in her throat until she thought she would throw up, but she shoved the feeling away.
The guards led her down a long walkway made of some substance she couldn't identify, but when she looked down at it she could almost see through the clear green material. It was like looking through liquid emerald, but though it glittered with a strange beauty, she somehow felt like she was staring into the sad eyes of the world she'd been brought to.
She looked up, not wanting to trip or run into the women in front of her. She chanced another look around, trying to take in as much of this place as she could without falling over in shock at the thought of being on the home world of the very people who had sought her death and the deaths of so many others, including her friends.
She couldn't see very far beyond the walls of the corridor they walked through. From her waist up, the walls were translucent, and she could see some of the buildings and roads stretching out on either side of the walkway as they continued towards an ominous doorway looming at the end of the corridor.
Nova swallowed hard. She felt like the entire world was about to collapse on her. If only she knew what lay in store for her beyond the door ahead. Was the Leader waiting for her just beyond that strange portal? Or was she to wait again, hidden away in another fancy suite for weeks on end?
The closer she got to the door, the more she felt like running away. She would have to face whatever lay before her with every ounce of bravery she still had. She took a deep breath and braced herself for whatever lay beyond the door.
Krypt hadn't told her anything about the Leader, except that he was their ruler. Apparently she was expected to already know who he was.
Her thoughts raced as the group came nearer and nearer to the far door. She took one last, deep breath before the lead guard stepped up to the door and requested entry.
The portal slowly hissed open. Nova felt herself tensing up as she watched the women in front of her step through the door. She knew she was expected to follow them, but for an instant it felt like she couldn't move, like her booted feet were rooted to the ground by some unconquerable fear.
Her hands began to sweat, and she was tempted to wipe them on her dress, but she thought better of that as it was most likely not a habit of Iscandarian royalty.
Even though she still felt like throwing up, she took another step forward, and then another until she was inside the forbidding door.
She looked around, wondering exactly where they were. The guards in front of her kept walking so she followed them as she was expected to. She could still hear Stav behind her, and his continued presence gave her a measure of comfort. Even though he was Galeran, Nova had gotten used to his presence in lieu of the absence of her crew. Even knowing Krypt wasn't far behind her gave her some measure of relief.
A few minutes later they entered what Nova thought might be something akin to an elevator. She felt her stomach vault into her throat as they started to travel upward at speeds she was unused to.
Just when she was getting used to the new sensation, the door to the elevator opened, and the women ushered her out and into another elegant hall. It was dimly lit, but she could see the richness of her surroundings, and she had no doubt that she was in the domain of Gamilon's most noble of residents.
The women led her, Stav, and Krypt down yet another corridor, this one ending in a second door. This time, Nova could feel the tension in the air thicken as they stepped up to it.
One of the guards held out an arm to stop Stav from coming any closer. Stav protested, but when the woman brandished a weapon and pointed it at his face, he gave Nova an apologetic look.
She nodded to him, letting him know she understood he would not be accompanying her any farther.
When Stav had backed a suitable distance away from the door, the guard put her weapon away. Nova breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She didn't want anyone to get hurt because of her, especially not this oddly loyal stranger.
She waited silently as the guards took up their positions on either side of the door. When the women all stood at attention, the door slowly swung open. Nova stood in stunned silence as she looked into the waiting room.
The first thing that caught her eye was the exquisite mural adorning the top two-thirds of the wall behind the throne.
"Starsha…?" she thought when she saw a woman dressed in blue with long, flowing, red-blonde hair reaching out to a man she'd never seen before. "But who is the one with you…?" her second question was still ringing in her ears when she looked down from the mural and actually looked at the throne. When she saw the one who occupied it, her lips parted in an unuttered "Oh."
Nova barely realized that the guards behind her had broken formation and were urging her forward again. Or that Krypt had walked past her and was nearly half-way through the room already. She unconsciously obeyed them and stepped forward, her feet lighting on what she could only identify as a soft carpet of some kind, colored the same dark green as the floors and walls.
She chanced a brief look around the room, but was inevitably drawn back to the man waiting at the end of the long carpet.
Even though he was seated, she could tell that he was quite tall, probably over six feet. His eyes seemed to follow her as she approached. The closer she came to him, the more clearly she could make out his face. He had a strange look about him, as though he held within him some dark secret, or perhaps a long-forgotten dream.
When she was within ten feet of him she stopped, not sure how close she should come.
To her surprise, the man motioned for her to move closer. She felt her pulse start to pound in her neck. She slowly took several more steps forward, stopping this time when she was but five feet in front of him. He did not motioned for her to come any closer, and Nova was relieved.
Now that she could see his face much more clearly. She was surprised to find that his features were far from unpleasant; in fact many probably considered him to be rather handsome.
His hair, a red-blonde was cut short for the most part, but was still a bit unruly, and it gave him the look of one who could be unpredictable at times. His skin was the same basic tone as all the other Gamilons she'd seen before, a light blue. She was close enough now to see his green eyes flicker with something she didn't recognize.
His uniform was strange, nothing like any of the other military uniforms she'd seen from Gamilon. Instead of the muted green and black, or the outlandish purple she'd seen Melda wear, the uniform he wore was a blue grey covered by a black and red cloak which draped over one shoulder and crossed over to the other. Around his neck was a crimson collar tied together at the front with some sort of gray material she didn't recognize. His hands were both covered with black gloves, and he wore dull black boots.
She bowed before him.
"You need not present yourself so formally, Princess," the man said.
Nova was startled to hear his voice. It was full and clear, and much different than she'd expected it to be – not rough or revolting in any way, instead his words seemed to fill the space between them as though he were speaking with an old friend. Even though she was more used to hearing the Gamilon language by now, she was still surprised at how he spoke. By comparison, all the others she'd talked with during her time among these people had fashioned their speech like lowly commoners.
She realized that she was expected to reply, but she did not know what to say. Instead, she simply looked up at him trying to keep him from seeing the fear reflected in her eyes.
"It has been some time, I know," he continued. "If I may ask, how did you come to be among the Eratites?"
Nova stared back at him, not knowing what she should say. The unfamiliar word "Eratites" did not translate when he said it, but she inferred that he was talking about people from Earth. How could she answer his question without revealing that she was not, in fact the Iscandarian?
"I…" She began, but she couldn't think of anything.
The man's eyes flickered again, making Nova more nervous than she already was.
"Krypt, I will take your report at a later time," he said, not even looking at the Councilor. "You may go."
Out of the corner of her eye, Nova say Krypt bow, and back away slowly before turning to leave. She heard his muted footsteps as he walked all the way back down the carpet and out the door.
The man took his eyes off her for a moment, looking around at the guards who still stood on either side of Nova. She thought he was going to ask them to take her to some sort of prepared quarters.
Instead, he looked at the woman who had led the group of guards and said, "You may go as well."
The woman bowed to him and stepped back, making eye contact with the rest of the women. Nova heard the sound of her footsteps as she led the rest of the guards back out of the room. This time, the ominous hiss of the shutting door seemed to echo forever in the cavernous space around her.
There was silence for a long time, and Nova could feel something strange in the air. She wondered if perhaps this man was angry with the Iscandarian Princess.
Her questions were all answered when the man before her stood, and came to stand less than a foot from her face. Her eyes flickered up to his then back down to the floor. She could feel his eyes boring into her as she stood there waiting.
"Who are you?" The man asked.
"I am Princess Astra of Iscandar," she said still keeping her eyes averted, the lie stinging in her mouth and she felt guilty for having said those words.
"I have met Astra of Iscandar," he replied, voice low. "And you are not her. She would have met my gaze without fear."
Nova breathed in sharply as her heart began to pound, "I apologize for my untruth," she said daring to look back up at him for an instant. When she did she nearly didn't look away again, for though she saw wrath in his eyes, there was also a healthy mix of curiosity and perhaps just a hint of compassion.
"So who has Krypt brought to me?"
Nova took a few steps back, and replied, "I am friend to Starsha of Iscandar, is that not enough for you?"
At the mention of Starsha's name Nova saw the man's face change for an instant, and in that brief moment she thought she saw a longing familiarity, as though he knew Starsha somehow, but it was more than the simple recognition of acquaintance, it was something more akin to…
"You knew her?" Nova asked quietly.
"Yes, I know her," he replied, his face now blank, the former expression duly hidden. "But you have not answered my question. Who are you? And how have you come to be here instead of Astra?"
Nova swallowed hard, her mind reeling, trying to find something to say that would be the truth, but not give away her friends or their goal. Thus far, nothing this man had said indicated that he knew much about the Argo's mission. He'd mentioned the crew, but that was all.
"I..." she fought to keep from looking away from him again, "am afraid we have not been properly introduced."
The man's eyes lost the edge they held, and Nova thought she saw for just an instant, a hint of mirth flicker through them.
"A reasonable reply," he said evenly, then took a few steps away from her.
The feeling of being trapped lessened as the man moved back, and Nova felt more like she could breathe again.
"I am Leader Desslok, of Gamilon," he said without much ceremony, "Now, who, may I ask are you?"
Nova couldn't reply for a moment as the realization that she was now in the presence of the man who had very likely been responsible for the death of her father, as well as Derek's parents and countless thousands – if not millions – more weighed on her. She fought with anger, fear, and the grief of the past, all the while trying to hide all this from Leader Desslok.
When she found her tongue again, she slowly replied with the only answer she could give, "I… am Nova… of Earth."
Episode 72: First Sight
Nova waited for the Leader's response. She could feel something hanging in the air between them, but she didn't know what it could be. This man did not appear to be particularly happy with her, but neither did he seem to be ready to have her dragged away for her deception.
"Well, you certainly do resemble the Iscandari," he replied slowly, "and I cannot fault Krypt for believing you to be one." He turned his back to her and looked up at the mural she'd noticed earlier. "Do you know the whereabouts of the Princess Astra of Iscandar?"
Nova shifted back and forth on her feet uneasily; the only three times she'd heard Astra mentioned were, firstly, in Derek and Mark's report from the Mars observation post before the Argo had launched, and, second and thirdly, when Melda and Starsha had mistaken her for Astra.
"I am sorry, but I do not know where she is," Nova replied quietly, lifting her eyes to the mural as well. When she looked up, she noticed several things that she had missed before in her anxiety. The woman looked much like Starsha, and the man she reached out to looked almost identical to the man standing before her – all of which she'd seen before, but in the mural he bore a sword of a most regal design. The Leader possessed no such weapon.
She heard the Leader sigh, and she looked back at him in time to see his head bow in what seemed to be frustration, or perhaps despair.
"I shall continue my search then," the Leader turned back towards Nova, "I have no quarrel with you, Nova of Erats, but I cannot allow your ship to reach its destination."
Nova's eyes widened a bit when he said this, and she held in her surprise.
"Do not wonder at this, Eratite. I am not so petty as to sentence one woman to death simply for being mistaken for another. My people have already suffered enough. I will not allow them to die needlessly again, and so your friends must be defeated before they reach Gamilon," the Leader's gaze did not falter as he said this, and Nova saw in his eyes a fierce determination that she had seen in scarce few before.
"Why do you seek to destroy my home? What purpose do you have? I don't understand," Nova asked, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall when she heard the Leader's words.
The Leader took a moment and stepped over to an enormous window situated on the far side of the throne room. His back to her, he motioned for Nova to come stand beside him at the window.
Nova obliged him cautiously, and walked slowly over to where he was, staying at least five feet away from him. If he noticed the distance he did not seem to care.
"Behold," he gestured out towards the solemn city, "this is all that is left of what was once a great planet, filled with people, animals, resources, and abundant cities all over the surface. Now, we are all that is left, except those who left this world for the colonies we've established elsewhere. Our mother -planet is dying, and we will as well if we do not find a new home. The colonies alone will not sustain us. They have too many residents already." The Leader looked down on the city below, and in his eyes Nova saw the great love he held for these people.
"I understand your need," Nova replied, "but why not simply ask for help? Surely there are those who would lend you their aid."
"I do not expect you to understand," the Leader said to her, an edge in his voice, "there is much history here that you do not know, and I have neither the time nor the desire to tell you."
Nova was a bit taken aback by these words. She understood why he would not want to expound to her, a stranger, his reasoning for such a bloody path as the one he'd chosen to take to save his world.
Instead of pursuing the conversation, Nova looked up into what little bit of sky she could see from the window. She was pleasantly surprised when she did, as a beautiful blue world floated into her line of vision.
"That is a lovely moon," Nova commented, pointing to the sparkling blue sphere.
The Leader did not reply, and when Nova looked over at him she saw a bit of a smirk on his face.
"May I ask what is amusing?" Nova asked, genuinely confused by the sentiment.
The Leader looked up at the celestial body, an inexplicable longing washing over his face for an instant before it disappeared again. "That is not a moon, Nova of Erats. It is our sister-world…" He turned away, his back now towards the city and the planet hovering over it, "That is Iscandar."
Nova gasped, the surprise of the moment overpowering her.
"So she did not tell you," the Leader said, half-turning back to look at her, "I thought that would have been one of the first things she revealed when she sent you word to come to Iscandar."
Nova's head began to spin, "Why didn't she tell us? Why wasn't that part of the message? Gamilon and Iscandar… Twin-planets…"
She slowly sat down on the windowsill, and looked up at Iscandar, stunned.
"One of my attendants will take you there now," the Leader said, "Please tell… Starsha that I am truly sorry I did not find her sister."
Nova was too speechless to reply, so she simply nodded absently.
"Your escort will be here momentarily," the Leader said as he walked farther away from her back towards his throne and sat down.
There was nothing more said between the two, even when one of the women from earlier came and laid a hand on Nova's shoulder, letting her know that it was time to go.
It was like walking through the middle of a thick fog, and Nova's head felt like it might never stop pounding. "Why had Starsha not told them this?" was the question that kept going through her mind throughout the entire walk to the shuttle that would ferry her to Iscandar.
"The shuttle is away, Sire," said one of the ceremonial guards over a secure comm line, "she will arrive on Iscandar within the hour."
Desslok nodded absently and replied, "See to it that the pilot does not linger."
"I will instruct her to return without delay, Sire," the woman replied.
With that, the Leader ended the brief conversation, sending the throne room back into its former silence. Desslok stood up and stepped over to the window, watching as the shuttle carrying the Eratite woman rose up through one of the gaping holes in the planet's surface and began its short journey to Iscandar.
When the shuttle had passed out of sight, he turned away from the spectacle and slowly crossed the vast expanse of the throne room. He came to the door, and opened it. The usual accompaniment of guards was posted outside, and as he continued past them two took their appropriate places behind him.
He stopped and, without turning he said, "Remain here."
The women followed him no further.
All the way back to his quarters, the only thing he could think about was the face of the Eratite woman called Nova. She looked so like Starsha in many ways, but he would never mistake her for the Iscandari Queen, or for Astra. Their faces were too firmly in his mind for him to forget even the slightest detail of them.
Perhaps it had been too much to hope that he would be able to find Astra. Had she even survived the journey to Erats? Thus far he was not confident giving an answer one way or the other.
One thing was sure though; the Eratite ship had to be stopped before it reached Gamilon.
He reached his quarters, passing the two guards who were always stationed outside his door. Once inside, he withdrew his comm. There was a message waiting for him.
He opened it.
Noting that the subject line read, "Keshet," he began to read it. But as soon as he did, he wished he hadn't. It was the last report from Dommel's fleet. Now that Celestella was gone, all of her messages had been routed to him instead. He had received a good amount of correspondence meant for her, but this was the first letter of note.
He reread the report, hoping he had misunderstood its content.
"Counselor Celestella,
It is my solemn responsibility to inform you that the fleet under Gen. Lysis' command has met with much greater resistance than anticipated.
The Eratite ship, though heavily damaged, fought back, and it is with great sorrow that I tell you that there were no survivors. The Eratite ship, even now sails on towards Gamilon with nothing between it and our homeworld.
There is only one defense left. We must intercept them, and disable their ship before they have the chance to lay waste to what little remains of Gamilon.
I have gone in search of any survivors who may yet still be trapped inside Keshet, but I will return soon.
Signed,
Wolf Frakken, First of the Ze'evim"
Desslok closed his communicator and sat down.
A heavy silence fell over the room, and he could not bear to break it. Dommel had been invaluable to him for – how long had it been? – over eleven years now.
He slowly opened his communicator again and stared down at it, wondering if he should share this solemn news. Did Elisa know? Did any of the rest of them know - Masterson? Admiral Talan, or David?
He opened the report one more time and looked at the heading to see who the message had been sent to. There he saw only Celestella's name.
"Now is not the time," he thought, "The Eratites draw ever nearer, and they bear with them our certain doom if we do nothing. The death of General Lysis… Dommel would do little but spread more grief now… They will know if his passing, but not until this war has ended."
He closed the message one final time and instead of sending the report on, he recorded a short directive to his counsel, and the military leaders still on Gamilon, or nearby.
"All members of the Council, and every other recipient of this message are to convene in two hours in the council's private hall. All who are unable to attend in person will join via holographic video stream. We face one of the darkest hours that Gamilon has ever seen. If we do not protect our world, she will perish, and Iscandar as well. We must not allow the Eratites passage, no matter the cost. We must do everything in our power to stop this ship."
He ended the message, and put away his communicator. With one last longing look up at Iscandar, he rose from his seat and left his quarters.
"Whoa…" Mark breathed as he stared out the front viewport. "Is that…"
"Yeah, that's the Large Magellanic Cloud," Derek said. Even as he said the words, he looked back at the radar station, still expecting to see Nova sitting there. He knew that if she'd been here, she would be looking in awe at the spectacle. Her eyes would be sparkling with delight, and her face would be lit up with the thrill of discovery. But when he looked back, he saw only Miki studying the screen in front of her.
He turned his eyes forward again, knowing that if Nova were here, she would chide him for both his melancholy, and his lack of focus. He forced the thoughts of his missing crewmate back down.
"It won't be long until we reach Iscandar now," Wildstar said, reaching out and clapping Mark on the shoulder, "Maybe we'll get to see more Iscandarians, huh?"
"Well, if they look anything like Queen Starsha, I'm in," said Eager from his station, not too far away.
"Yeah, me too," Dash echoed from his own seat on the opposite side of the bridge.
Miki sighed, "Men."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Eager protested.
Miki just shook her head, rolled her eyes, and said nothing more. Instead she continued to watch her station, keeping an eye out for anything of note.
"So how long before we get there?" Dash asked.
"A day, maybe two," Derek replied, "Queen Starsha's directions are pretty specific from here on in."
"Well, what are we doing waiting here?" Dash asked. "We're so close; let's just get to Iscandar already. I don't know about you, but I wanna go home."
"We all do, Dash," Derek replied, then looked at Mark and said, "All ahead, full, Venture."
"All ahead, full," Mark echoed and eased the ship forward, slowly increasing her speed until they were traveling as fast as the engines would take them without going into warp.
Derek sat quietly for a while, watching as all the other members of the bridge crew attended to whatever task they were doing at the moment.
Sandor looked like he was reading through more reports on some of the Gamilon artifacts they discovered along the way.
Mark was monitoring the ship's performance – after all, she'd just gone through a major repair, and still needed some supervision until they were sure that the repair work had been completely successful. Orion was helping him out, keeping track of the engine's output, and various other things.
Homer appeared to be adjusting equipment, or perhaps he was reviewing some old messages. Derek really couldn't tell. Honestly, he didn't know what Homer was doing half the time. The man would sit for long hours staring at his comm equipment and talking to himself in his native tongue. Derek could never make heads or tails of it, so he'd taken to ignoring him for the most part.
Chris Eager, as always, was keeping an eye out for anything that could be classified as stellar phenomena. He'd catalogued more sites on this trip than anyone else ever had before. When they got home, Eager would probably be able to get a job anywhere in his field. He'd seen things that the scientific community on Earth probably hadn't even dreamed of.
Dash was scrutinizing his own duty station. It looked like he was doing another check on the weapons systems. This close to Iscandar, Derek knew that the rest of the trip could go one way or the other – they might not need the weapons at all, or they would have to fight for every step they took towards their goal.
He hoped that this calm they were sailing through would be indicative of the entire rest of the journey, even after they left Iscandar. But he knew better than to hope for that. There was no way of knowing how the Gamilons would react to them reaching Iscandar, and when they left to return home, there was no telling how many of the enemy might swarm them.
Derek sighed and looked back out the front viewport, sadness rolling over him again.
"Nova… If we can find you, we will… Even if I have to come all the way back for you by myself…"
The shock from her recent discovery was still in her mind as she sat quietly in the small shuttle. Iscandar loomed closer and closer as the minutes passed. She had not realized how close to two worlds were.
Almost before she knew it, they were descending through Iscandar's atmosphere, and flying over seemingly endless oceans, until they came to an island chain. Hundreds of small islands dotted the coast around one large island.
Nova stared down at it, wondering what she would find down there. The shuttle began to descend again, and soon Nova could see houses and other buildings scattered here and there.
They came to a large city, and in the center of that city, one building jutted up from the ground. It appeared to be made of glass, or crystal of some sort, and it glowed in the light of the morning sun.
Nova was taken aback by the sheer beauty of the site. As she studied it, the shuttle descended to a launch pad, situated near the tall building, and surrounded by dense trees, so that it would not be readily visible from anywhere nearby.
She felt the slight jolt of the shuttle landing.
"I am sure the Queen will be here to meet you shortly," the pilot said without looking at Nova.
"Thank you," Nova replied as she slowly stood.
The shuttle door hissed open, and a short ramp lowered for her to step out of the vehicle. Once her feet hit the ground, the ramp retracted, and the door closed once again. Nova stepped away from the shuttle. As soon as she was far enough away, the pilot took off again without so much as a "goodbye."
Nova looked around, wondering where she'd been dropped, and why there was no one around. Had she been left in an abandoned city?
"Astra!"
Nova heard the enthusiastic greeting, and turned to see Queen Starsha herself running to meet her, joy written all over her face, but as she drew nearer to Nova, her countenance changed, and instead of gladness, confusion came over her.
"You… are not Astra," the young woman said when she was a few feet from Nova. "I don't understand… Surely he would have known…"
Nova looked away from the young Queen. There were so many things she wanted to ask – so many questions about this place, about Gamilon – about Desslok – and why Starsha had never mentioned that it was this close to Iscandar, or that she knew the Leader of the world bent on Earth's destruction.
"I… You were the one I saw on board the Eratite ship…" Starsha said quietly, "You were who they took; not Astra."
"Yes," Nova replied, finally turning her eyes back to the Queen. "He said to tell you that he is sorry he could not find her."
Starsha's eyes widened, "You have seen Desslok? And he knew who you were?"
Nova nodded, "I do not understand why he still sent me here. He said he had no quarrel with me, but that he must still stop my ship. How do you know him?"
Starsha sidestepped the question. "Come," she motioned for Nova to follow her, "I will tell you more inside. A storm is coming." She pointed up towards angry black clouds that were now forming above them, "And there is much you need to know."
Nova obliged the other woman, and started to walk slowly towards the door that Starsha was heading for. She picked up the pace as the rain began to fall, gently at first, then in thick sheets. By the time she reached the door, her hair and dress were soaked through.
"Here," Starsha touched a panel on one of the walls just inside the door, and a section of the wall disappeared, to reveal a shelf containing fluffy, grey towels. Starsha picked one up and handed it to Nova who accepted it gratefully.
Water puddled around Nova's feet as she stood there, but Starsha said nothing about the mess.
As she attempted to dry her hair, Nova looked around and listened for the sound of other people. She had expected a servant, or perhaps a guard of some sort to meet her when she arrived, not the Queen herself.
"You came to meet me personally because you thought I was your sister?" Nova finally asked as she handed the wet towel back to the young queen.
"No," Starsha said in perfect English as she took the soiled towel and inserted it into another opening that appeared in the wall, "I came because I was the only one to come."
Nova was stunned by the sudden change in language. "You speak English? How did you learn it? And what do you mean, you are the only one?"
Starsha smiled, but there was still much sadness in her face, "The answers to those questions lie in two stories that you do not have time to hear for now. But you shall hear them soon enough. For now, you must rest. I see much weariness in you, my friend. I will take you to your quarters so that you may rest. After that, we will speak more."
Starsha turned and continued down the hall, leaving wet bootprints on the floor behind her as she went.