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Episode 73: Change of Plans
"We're easy targets out here," the Gamilon pilot said to his wingman.
"Just be patient," the other replied, "They will be here soon."
Silence fell between them as they waited with the rest of the squadron for their target to arrive. Out here, just beyond the limits of Sanzar, they would spring their trap for the Eratite ship.
"Where are the rest of the ships?" The first pilot asked.
"There are not supposed to be anymore," his wingman answered.
"So how are we supposed to win this? With a few fighters and one destroyer, we'll never make it. I've read the reports about that ship, and if what they say is true, they'll run right over us."
"That is why we are not truly fighting them," his wingman replied, "We are just the first piece to this."
"How do you know that?"
"I have… sources," the second pilot replied again.
Again there was silence, and the darkness of space seemed to close in around them. They could almost feel the Eratite ship coming for them, its looming presence lurking somewhere in the darkness.
"We're so close," thought Derek as they passed over the boundary of the Sanzar system. Iscandar was the seventh planet from Sanzar's sun, so they only needed to pass three worlds before they came to their destination. "No interference yet," he thought, "I just have this feeling…"
Derek got up from the chair he usually sat in – the gunnery chief's spot – and said to Sandor, "I'll be back shortly."
Sandor looked up, nodded and went back to what he was doing.
Derek quickly left the bridge and headed up to Avatar's quarters. A few minutes later, he knocked on the Captain's door.
A faint "come in" greeted him and he opened the door, slipped in, and closed it.
The Captain was propped up in his bed as usual these days. The old wound he bore did not allow him to leave this place often anymore, and when he did, it was only in dire need.
"So," Avatar said, "We're almost there."
Derek nodded, "We are, but…"
"I know," the old man replied ominously, "I feel it too. They're waiting, perhaps just beyond the next planet, or maybe they'll ambush us right before we get to Iscandar." The Captain looked up at the young man, with eyes that spoke of many long-past battles, "But we can't let that stop us. No matter what waits for us out there, we must go on. Earth needs us, and we must bring back the cure for the sickness ailing our home."
Derek looked into the old man's face and saw that there still remained a stalwart heart behind his ancient shell. "Yeah," Derek replied, and then looked away from Avatar, "But how can you be so sure that we'll make it through whatever's out there this time?"
"Because the Promise to Earth must be fulfilled, Derek Wildstar," the Captain said, "There are things in this world that cannot be explained by human means. We will prevail – not because we are stronger than those who would seek to destroy us – but because we have with us the power of One Who can move any obstacle in His path. And He will fulfill His promises. Earth will once again be green and filled with life."
Derek shook his head, "I wish I could be as sure as you are." He shoved his hands in his pockets and started pacing back and forth across the front of the small cabin.
"I hope you are one day," Avatar replied quietly, "But until then, trust that I am sure."
Derek didn't reply, only kept pacing. He stopped to look out the window, and saw before them the edge of Sanzar. "We'll be ready," he finally said. "I just hope what we have is enough."
The Captain nodded but said nothing else as Wildstar plodded back to the door, opened it and left without another word.
"Multiple contacts at twelve o'clock," Miki Saijo announced, the tension in her voice reflected throughout the entire rest of the bridge crew. "But… It's only one destroyer and a single fighter squadron." She looked at Derek puzzled.
"ETA?" Derek asked.
"Three minutes," Miki replied, "the destroyer is hanging back. Only the fighters are advancing."
"Yeah, that's about normal for them," Derek muttered, "Let me know if that destroyer starts moving."
"Yes, Sir," Saijo replied.
"The Black Tigers are ready for launch," Dash called from his station.
"Not yet," Derek held out a hand to stay him, "Something about this isn't right."
"They're attacking us," Mark said, "What's so strange about that?"
Derek sat down in his usual chair next to Mark and said nothing for about five seconds. The entire bridge was silent, waiting for their Deputy Captain to say something. After several hours of peace, they'd sailed into a peaceful spot somewhere between Sanzar's eighth and ninth planets. There, they'd seen this lot camped, waiting, almost like a dog looking for his master's return.
Derek closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then asked, "Sandor, is it possible that there are other ships waiting beyond our sensor range?"
"It's always possible," Sandor replied. "But, unlikely. There have been no comm signals coming from or going to that ship. And, they're being quite cautious. They might have reinforcements, but they are behaving as if they're alone."
Derek nodded slowly, and then asked Eager, "Are you getting any strange readings?"
"No," he replied, "Just the same readings I've been getting since we entered the Magellanic Cloud."
Derek stood up again and turned toward Miki, "And nothing else is on the radar – nothing at all?"
"No," Saijo replied, "Just that destroyer and its fighters."
Derek sat back down one more time, then said to Dash, "Keep the fighters ready, but don't send them out just yet." Then he addressed the gunnery crew, "Target the incoming fighters. Main guns, angle adjustment, plus two degrees." He waited until the correction showed up on his display, and then said, "Fire."
Great streaks of light flew out from the ship's main guns, hurtling toward the coming enemy, and plowing right through them.
"Radar shows one third of their fighters destroyed," Miki said. She stared at the radar screen for a second then in surprise announced, "They're retreating!"
"Follow?" Mark asked.
"No," Derek replied quickly, "Wait."
They all stared at Wildstar as he stood there with a look of concentration on his face. His hand curled into a fist, teeth gritted.
"Gah!" He finally exclaimed, pounding his fist into the back of his chair, "This is a trap, but we have to find out what's going on." Derek looked over at Sandor almost as if asking for permission to follow the retreating fighters.
Sandor stared back at him without a word.
Derek looked away from the XO, and back to Mark, "Go after them, but slowly. We don't want to run straight into whatever they have planned for us."
Mark nodded and pushed ship forward, engaging the engines just enough to send them on their way, but to take them there in no hurry.
"I'm not falling for this," Derek thought, "You can't fool me with a ruse this thin. We're going to make it to Iscandar, and not even the whole Gamilon military can stop us."
The Captain of the dark ship stared ahead, waiting in silence until his second-in-command appeared behind him. "Sir, they're pursuing. Shall we warn them off?"
"No," the Captain replied, "We must not reveal our presence. If we can help them, we will, but until we are forced to show our faces, we will not. I value my revenge, but I value my life above that. To show my face would mean death – both for me and for you as well."
"We would all follow you, Sir," his second replied.
"I am aware of your loyalty," the Captain retorted, "But needless sacrifice is not a habit I am familiar with. My orders stand. We will follow the Eratite ship, but we will not engage unless we are forced to."
"Yes, Sir," the other man bowed and left.
The Captain kept his eye fixed on the image displayed before him. He wished he could set foot on that magnificent ship, but he doubted he would ever have the occasion to do so. If one day he found the opportunity, he would take it. There was something about this Eratite vessel that both thrilled and terrified him. He could not explain the feeling, but every time he neared the battleship, the sense came over him again.
He was not one to believe in fate or destiny. He had always made his own luck, and he doubted that would ever change. But this ship had given him pause more than once during its long journey. He had followed it thus far, and intervened when he thought necessary, but the number of times he was obliged to adjust the situation could be counted on one hand.
There was something else going on here. He could feel it echoing in his soul, and it shook him. He had not felt this deep knowing ever before. He wanted to further this ship's mission for his own gain, yes, but – and he would never admit this to his crew – it was also because he could not get the image of it out of his mind, nor could he shake the sensation of its presence.
He stood in silence for a while, then turned and left the room, thinking all the way back to his quarters about this strangest of vessels that he had followed all the way back here.
"Anything yet?" Derek asked as they left the orbit of the eighth planet behind.
"Nothing," Miki replied. "We still have the destroyer on radar. The fighters have returned to it, and it's turning around."
Derek stared out the front viewport again, his face morphing into a thoughtful frown. "Where are you going?" He asked under his breath.
"Ahh…" Miki's voice was anxious, "There is a peculiar energy surge coming from the enemy destroyer."
"Mark, engines full-reverse," Derek ordered.
Mark immediately obeyed, throwing the crew forward as the ship backed away from the destroyer as quickly as it could.
"They've gone to warp, Sir," Saijo announced.
"Sandor, what was that energy surge?" Derek asked the XO.
"I didn't have a chance to get a read on it, Wildstar," Sandor replied, "But, it wasn't from the warp."
Derek nodded thoughtfully, taking in the information from his bridge crew and weighing it.
"Venture," Derek began, and then paused for a second to look around at the other men and women on the bridge. "Follow them."
Venture started to say, "But, Wildstar –"
"Go," Derek ordered, looking his best friend directly in the face with eyes full of determined fire.
Mark didn't say anything else, just did as he was told, collecting the needed data from both Saijo, and Sandor within half a minute.
"Warp in two minutes," Mark announced.
The entire bridge was silent until the ten second countdown began, then the computer began to drone out the numbers. When the clock hit zero, the Argo disappeared, leaping through the void, stretching itself from one place to another in half an instant.
They rematerialized a mere ten seconds after they'd warped, and were immediately jarred back to their senses when the ship lurched forward under a power other than its own.
"Wildstar, we're being pulled in by some sort of magnetic wave," Sandor informed Derek.
"Put the engines in full reverse again," Derek immediately ordered Venture.
"She's pullin' as hard as she can," Orion said from the engineering station, "Somethin' about that wave is messin' with the main engine. She can't pull any harder, or she'll tear herself apart. She's already in the red."
"Any suggestions then?" Derek asked, frustrated that he'd fallen into the trap despite knowing that it was there.
"Stop fighting it," Sandor offered, "Resisting this force will only hurt us. If we wait and see what we've been drawn into, we'll know better how to get out of it."
No one else said anything, and the XO's words struck Derek as wise. "All engines, full stop."
Almost immediately, the ship grew quieter. Derek hadn't realized how hard the engines were pulling until he couldn't hear them anymore.
"Now, we find out what we've jumped into," Wildstar said under his breath.
"Bring them in," Desslok ordered. The image of the Eratite ship glowed before him. They'd walked right into a rather obvious trap. "Perhaps their captain is not so worthy of a foe as we were led to believe."
The war room at the top of the palace was quiet, but not silent as the techs and other occupants did their ruler's bidding.
Krypt stood several feet behind the Leader, and Desslok motioned for him to come closer. The violet-skinned Councilor stepped forward, "Sire?"
"I wish to speak with their Captain once we have them," Desslok said to Krypt.
The Councilor looked anxious at this proposal, "But, Sire, is that wise?"
"I shall decide what is and isn't wise, Councilor. Be sure that the translation matrix is online when the time comes." Desslok narrowed his eyes at the enemy ship, "I want to be sure they understand the message I have for them."
"Yes… Sir…" Krypt bowed, and said nothing more.
"How long will it take to secure the ship?" The Leader asked.
"Three hours," one of the techs replied, "The intensity of the wave appears to have overpowered their engines. They have shut them down."
"Be watchful," Desslok warned, "These Eratites have escaped much deadlier nets than the one in which they are entangled. Any aberration may be a sign that they have conjured a way out. Should any such disturbances occur, report them immediately."
He was met with a unanimous acknowledgment of his order. He turned away from the occupants and took several steps towards the door, but never made it there. Something – perhaps whatever lurked in the shadows of the darkening room – started to crawl out of its usual place, and ooze towards him.
The same dread he felt nearly every night since Masterson's departure returned, and he could almost taste the foul presence as it descended. Tonight, the light of the few stars that could be seen through the holes in Gamilon's crust shone brightly, or at least, they had, until the darkness building up in the war room began to eclipse their light.
The vast space, despite its size, felt inadequate with the coming of that dreaded shéd.
The Leader turned his eyes from side to side, wondering why no one else seemed to have noticed the lessened light.
He turned away from the slithering black presence, hoping that it would retreat back into the shadows, but no matter how steadfastly he refused to look at it, the blackness continued to crawl forward. He could almost hear the scraping of its fingers on the floor as it neared his feet.
He stepped forward, walking back to the place that he'd occupied previously. Krypt gave him an odd look, but the Leader paid him no mind. Instead, he folded his arms over his chest and raised his head in a show of confidence, looking out over the dozen men and women monitoring the Eratite ship's status.
He looked up, searching for Iscandar in the sky above, but it was nowhere to be seen. He conjured an image of the blue world in his mind and steadfastly fixed himself on that thought. The face of Starsha rose unbidden, but not unwelcome in his mind's eye. He saw her as he had seen her the day that he asked her to come back to Gamilon with him. He remembered the moment when he held out his hand to her, and she accepted it. She was embarrassed that she'd missed a step while walking back up the stairs to the Palace on Iscandar.
He remembered that day better than he remembered most of the past year. The days, as of late, had been filled with dread, and uncertainty. That day, however, though Starsha had rejected him, gave him hope that one day he might ask her the same question, and that her answer would be different.
He awoke from his thoughts of the past, and realized that the room was no longer quite as dark. It was dim, yes, but not filled with that dreaded presence any longer.
He thought about trying to leave again, but decided against it. He would remain here until the Eratites arrived. He could sense the ship being drawn closer and closer. The time for their reckoning was upon them.
He continued to stand silently, observing and waiting.
"It's a magnetic wave," Sandor said to Captain Avatar as he stood with Wildstar next to the man's sick-bed, "The ship is being pulled in by a force that is much stronger than the engines can counter."
The old man nodded, "Do what you can, but don't burn the ship out fighting this. We will need our strength when we reach our destination. Do we know yet where we're being taken?"
"No, Captain," Wildstar replied, "But it looks like we're still headed towards Iscandar."
"Hmm," Avatar said, folding his arms over his chest and moving one hand to stroke his short beard thoughtfully, "Something strange is going on here, and we've stumbled into the middle of it."
Sandor nodded, "I agree. It seems awfully odd that we're being hauled towards Iscandar by our enemies."
The entire ship jolted, and both Wildstar and Sandor nearly fell over, but managed to keep their feet through the tremor.
"We're slowing down," Derek said, eyes wide with both anticipation, and anxiety. "We have to get back to the bridge."
"Go. And keep me informed," Avatar called after the two officers as they hurried out of the cabin and back down to the bridge.
When they arrived, they were met with the sight of an unfamiliar world. Most of it glowed green, but in dozens of places there festered ugly yellow scars. In many areas, there were large holes eaten through the crust of the world, apparently by whatever was causing the sickly yellow streaks.
"Where are we?" Wildstar asked no one in particular.
"I don't know, lad, but we still can't run the engines. We're being pulled in – right towards that planet," Orion replied.
Derek turned his attention to where they were going. Outside, the world before them loomed closer and closer with every passing moment. Soon, they could see down into some of the larger holes. The remnants of many a city could be seen with the naked eye. Most of them were covered in yellow ichor. The infectious liquid drenched the ruins, eating through what pieces still remained.
Derek was taken aback by the sight. Whatever world they'd come to was in dire straits.
Nearly an hour passed, then something changed, and the ship – instead of simply being pulled forward, was now being reeled in like a fish. They were descending right through one of the largest scars in the world's crust.
Derek looked out the front viewport and saw a host of still-intact buildings surrounding one stately structure. It thrust itself up into the air at least three hundred feet, and despite its obvious decay, it still held an air of regalness.
Wildstar was still staring when Homer's voice echoed through the silent bridge.
"Sir, there's an incoming message from the planet. They're transmitting both video and audio," Glitchman announced.
"Put it on," Derek ordered. He felt his throat start to burn and his chest begin to ache as he waited for the image of whoever was calling them to appear. When it finally did, he was struck speechless.
An unfamiliar voice, accompanied with a computer-generated translator said, "So, Eratite, we finally meet."
Derek narrowed his eyes at the man as he continued to speak.
"I am Leader Desslok of Gamilon. I wish an audience with your Captain."
Episode 74: Hall of Memories
Nova followed the Queen down the long hall. Lining both sides of this particular corridor were images of men and women she didn't recognize.
She turned her eyes back towards the Queen and asked, "Are these the former Kings and Queens of Iscandar?"
"Yes, they are indeed," Starsha began to name them as they passed the portraits, "This is Itamar, and Janina, his Queen." This couple looked much like many of the preceding ones, with brown hair and eyes, and kind faces. "And this," she gestured to another man, and woman, though the woman in this picture looked different from those before her. Instead of dark hair, she bore the same red gold color as Starsha, and her eyes were the same shade of hazel as the young Queen's, "is Queen Ilya and King Jaton."
Nova stopped to look at this picture. She glanced down the hall and noticed that in every other portrait, at least one member of the represented pairs bore the same color hair and similar eyes to this Queen Ilya. She stepped closer to the portrait to study it. "Was Ilya the daughter of Itamar and Janina?" Nova asked.
"No, she was not," Starsha answered, suddenly standing right beside Nova.
"But, she was Iscandari," Nova said. When Starsha didn't reply to this assertion, Nova asked, "She was Iscandari, wasn't she?"
"Truthfully?" She looked over at Nova and said, "I do not know. No one knows."
"No one?" Nova asked, puzzled that not one person on Iscandar would know the origin of their own Queen.
Starsha hesitated, then finally offered, "One does – did. She passed many years ago, and she left a partial record," the young Queen turned to continue down the hall, "But, that is a very long tale, and there is not the time to tell it at this moment." Starsha indicated the next portrait and continued, "This is Enoch and Queen Starsha the first for whom I am named. The next portrait is of my father and mother, Queen Kara and King Alexander of Iscandar."
Nova heard a slight tremor in Starsha's voice as she said the names of her parents, "Are they gone as well?" She asked.
"Yes…" Starsha replied quietly, "They have been gone for some time now." The Queen said no more, and as there were no more portraits to point out, the two women continued their journey in silence.
As they walked, Nova noticed once again how barren and lonely the place seemed. Starsha led her up a few elegant flights of stairs to the fourth level of the palace. From this elevation, Nova could see out the crystal walls of the magnificent structure. From her vantage point she could see all the way to the ocean.
There were many docks, all strangely empty, except a few which harbored ships that appeared to have been long in disuse.
She looked up towards the sky and noted that it was still raining. The storm clouds still stood over the area, as though the very world wept for some reason unknown to her.
"Does it rain so much here very often?" Nova asked.
"Sometimes," the Queen replied, "Because Iscandar is mostly one large ocean, it is always raining somewhere, though most of it falls into the ocean. We have our share of bad weather, but not much of it makes landfall. The storm will not last through the night. "
Starsha continued up the stairs, ascending until they'd reached about halfway up the Palace tower.
"There is a room on this floor that I believe you will like," Starsha said to Nova, and started down a hallway near the stairs.
Not knowing what to expect, Nova followed her. Her legs were not used to so much stairclimbing, especially from being cooped up in a ship, and then in a room at the prison for so long, but, in a way she was glad for the discomfort. It reminded her that she was still alive and well, and that she'd made it through everything the enemy had to throw at her, even coming face to face with their King.
Nova thought about her encounter with the Gamilon Leader. As she sifted through the memories of that conversation, several things stood out to her. She had been in too much shock to process most of it at the time, but now that she knew she was safe again, she remembered.
"How do you know him?" Nova asked the Queen.
Starsha did not turn to answer Nova, and after a long minute of silence, the Earther thought the Iscandari might not answer her, but just when she opened her mouth to apologize for the intrusive question, Starsha began to speak.
"He is…" She faltered, and stopped walking, bowing her head as she did, "He is the one who saved us – my sister and I… And more than that," she finally turned to look at Nova.
Nova did not know what to say when she saw the Queen's face. In it, she read a heavy history – one filled with moments of both joy and grief.
"He is…" Starsha continued, then halted once again before finishing in a voice not much louder than a whisper, "My friend… and my dearest enemy…"
"I don't understand," Nova replied, both surprised and even somewhat irritated at the woman. "How can he be both your enemy and friend to you at the same time?"
"I do not expect you to understand," Starsha replied quietly, "Please, know that there are many things between he and I that you are not aware of. Those are the reasons why he is both enemy and friend."
After she said this, Starsha turned to continue down the hall without looking back, expecting Nova to follow her once again.
Nova obliged and went, but the look on Starsha's face lingered in her mind. Even when Starsha stopped in front of an odd door and gestured for Nova to step forward and open it, she could not shake the strange sensation of both hope and sadness that seemed to come over the Iscandari's countenance at the mentioning of Gamilon's Leader.
"Thank you," Nova said to the Queen and put out her hand as indicated to touch the panel set next to the door. The portal was circular, just like the one inside the crashed ship on Bemera. This struck Nova as odd, but she put off considering the implications of such a similarity. She would have plenty of time to think about it later. For now, she desperately wanted to lie down and go to sleep.
"There is a communication device in this apartment. If you should require my presence before I return, or if you simply wish to speak with me again, you will be able to summon me using it," Starsha said, her face still harboring the same expression it had a few minutes ago.
Nova nodded, "Thank you. I will make use of it, I am sure."
"Rest, weary one," Starsha said, her eyes far away, "I am sure you have made quite a journey to be delivered to this shore by the very one who would seek the lives of your fellows."
"'It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not,'" Nova replied.
"Ah, the Lament of Yirmiyahu," Starsha said quietly, then noted the look of confusion on Nova's face and quickly added, "I believe you know him as 'Jeremiah'."
"Yes, Jeremiah," Nova nodded. "You know of him?"
"Of course I do. Eykhoh is a part of the words of Yahweh. We would never forget them," the Iscandari replied.
"' Eykhoh'?" Nova repeated the unfamiliar name.
Starsha looked taken aback by Nova's query, "Yes, that is the name of the book that contains the words you spoke."
Understanding lit Nova's face, "'Lamentations' is what we call it in our language."
"Ah, I shall remember that," Starsha bowed and backed away, "We will speak more when you have rested."
The door swirled shut once the Queen stepped out. Nova looked around the apartment. It was much larger than the quarters she had been afforded these past weeks. There were even two or three other rooms connected to this one. She trudged wearily over to a large chair and sat in it. It was even more comfortable than it looked, outdoing even her stepfather's favorite chair back home.
She reached down with weary arms and pulled off her boots, setting them next to the chair. She also peeled off the thin foot coverings she had been given to wear with her shoes. She supposed they were intended to be socks, but they felt different – more airy somehow. She draped those over her shoes and put her bare feet on the floor. It was soft, almost like carpet, but distinctly different. She leaned back in the chair, pleased to find that it reclined, and closed her eyes.
Almost before she knew it, she was asleep.
Nova awoke to the chime of the door.
She rubbed her eyes, still feeling some of the fatigue from her strange journey. She sat up in the chair and blinked, looking around the room. She saw that it was still light out, but the light coming through the window was pristine and fresh.
She stood up in alarm when she realized that it was not light outside because she had only slept a few hours, but because she had slept through the night and into the next morning.
The door chimed again, and Nova hurriedly went to it. When she reached the door, she realized that she didn't know how to open it again. She remembered the panel on the outside, and looked for a similar device on this side of the door. She found it and placed her hand over it.
The door swirled open.
"Good morning, my friend," Starsha greeted her, then looked down at Nova's bare feet and smiled, "I trust you are comfortable here?"
"Oh!" Nova looked down at her shoeless feet and wrinkled dress in horror, "I'm sorry; I didn't know you were coming."
Starsha held up a hand, "No need to apologize. I am glad that you were able to sleep so well, even if it was in my sister's chair." Starsha indicated the slowly reforming chair.
"This is Astra's quarters?" Nova asked, feeling strange having spent the night in a Princess's room, even if she was not here.
Starsha shook her head, "No, not Astra's. I had a younger sister – her name was Sasha."
Nova stepped away from the door, leaving room for Starsha to enter. The Queen stepped in and looked around, an air of sadness about her, but she smiled as she looked from one thing to another.
"She loved that chair too," Starsha said as she looked at the large recliner beside which Nova's shoes and socks still sat. "Sometimes the three of us would come here to read, or play games – especially when we were younger."
"Did she leave?" Nova asked.
Starsha stepped over to the chair and slowly sat down in it, "Yes, she did."
"Surely she visits you," Nova said, stepping over to a more humble chair near the one in which Starsha sat.
"No, my friend. She is not able to do so. Yahweh took her when she was sixteen," Starsha replied quietly, eyes down.
Nova's voice caught in her throat, but she managed, "Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't realize…"
Starsha looked up and with eyes shining with tears said, "It is alright. I will see her again, and until then, she is with my mother and father, and a sister I never knew, along with countless thousands of others." Starsha looked away again and wiped away the few tears that had fallen then asked, "I realized last night that I do not know your name. What is it?"
"Nova," she replied, "Nova Forrester."
"You have two names?" Starsha asked.
"On Earth, nearly everyone has a first name, and a last name. The first name is what most people go by, but the last name tells everyone what family you are from," Nova explained.
"Ah. I have met two other Eratites, and wondered why they both had two names as well. I can take you to meet them if you wish," Starsha offered.
"There are others here?" Nova asked, surprised.
"Yes. I found them many months ago – very nearly when your ship began its journey to come here," Starsha replied. "They were gravely injured then, but they have both recovered well. They know some of the members of your crew."
"Who?" Nova asked, leaning forward to hear the Queen's answer.
"I believe they know your Captain, and a young man on the bridge, as well as someone called 'Sandor,'" Starsha replied.
"Oh…" Nova leaned back a bit in her seat, disappointed. For a moment, she'd harbored the outrageous hope that perhaps Derek's brother was here.
"You are disappointed?" Starsha asked, unsure why her guest was unhappy.
"I only thought that –"
The door chimed for attention once again. Nova instantly turned her head toward the sound, surprised. She slowly stood, glancing from Starsha, to the door, and back to the Queen. "Are you expecting someone?"
"No, no one. It must be one of the two I mentioned. I told them I would be coming here," replied the Iscandari.
Nova looked back at the door and approached the portal cautiously, not knowing what to expect when she opened it. She carefully placed her hand over the panel to allow the person outside entry.
When the door swirled open, she was met with the sight of an unfamiliar face, but one that looked very much like someone from Earth. She couldn't help but smile at seeing another person from home, even if she didn't recognize him in the least.
"Oh! I apologize; I didn't realize –" the stranger began.
"Please, come in, Adam," Starsha beckoned the stranger.
He looked at Nova and waited for her to allow him in as well.
"It is good to see someone else from Earth again," Nova said, and gestured for him to enter.
The man stepped inside, "Starsha, the Interface is saying something about an alarm."
Nova had never seen anyone stand up quite so fast as the Queen did. "Nova, I must go. Your ship seems to be in great need once more."
"I'm coming with you," Nova insisted.
"Very well," the Iscandari replied, then followed Adam out of the room so quickly that Nova had to snatch up the skirt of her dress in order to walk quickly enough to catch up with them.
She followed the Queen and Adam down a hall she hadn't seen on her way up to her room. She hoped she could remember which way to go to get back.
Very soon they arrived in a great Hall, its ceiling vaulted, and its walls adorned with myriad windows. Columns made a circle around the center of the room. On the floor, there were words that Nova could not read. Light poured in through the windows, making it difficult to see into the corners of the room.
She looked up, and was stunned to see an exact replica of the painting in the Leader's throne room adorning the ceiling above the words etched into the floor.
Her eyes would have lingered longer, but the impending harm to her friends overpowered her curiosity, and she looked away.
She hurried over to the side of the room where the Queen was slipping on a glove-like device and speaking to it in her own language. Nova understood every word, but only because of the translation device still affixed behind her ear. She'd grown so used to hearing a translation in her head that she almost didn't notice any more. The Queen's speech sounded a bit different then the Gamilons' had, but it seemed very similar, almost like another dialect instead of a different language.
She didn't understand what the Queen was doing at first, but within half a minute, images from the Argo appeared before the Iscandari. Hundreds of them, laid out in a grid, showed the fear and anxiety on everyone's faces.
"What's going on?" Another voice asked from behind Nova. She whirled to see who had said this, something about this other voice ringing familiar. When she saw who had spoken, her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open in disbelief.
"Your brother's ship is in distress," Starsha replied to the man who had just run up.
"Your – your brother – is he Derek Wildstar by any chance?" Nova asked the newcomer.
"Yeah, he's my little brother. You know him?" This second man replied quickly.
Nova didn't reply for a second, searching for the right words, then said, "He is a good friend."
"They are being drawn down to Gamilon's surface," the Queen interrupted the Eratites' introduction. "They will be right in the middle of what is left of Gamilon's military headquarters."
To Nova's surprise, that instant, the Queen got down on her knees, the hand occupying the device still outstretched, and raised her face towards heaven, eyes closed and said, "Yahweh, bring them through the valley of the shadow of death."
The urge to join the Queen came to her once again, just as it had that night in the engine room, and she too knelt beside the Iscandari and offered up a prayer of her own, "Please, Lord, bring them to safe harbor."
Before she knew it, Nova heard the voice of Adam beside her echoing what she and the Queen had said, "God, I haven't seen my father in over a year, and I know Alex wants to see his brother again. We all ask that, even though the odds are stacked against them, that they be brought here safely."
Starsha lowered her head and looked at Nova and Adam with thankfulness in her eyes, "Three have gathered. May it be enough."
"He promised the Earth would remain," Nova said, "I have to believe that promise."
Starsha nodded, "And I as well."
Both women and Adam rose to their feet again and watched as the images displayed before them changed. The Queen made an adjustment to the device on her hand and, instead of images, a video appeared, complete with audio.
"The ship's proximity to Iscandar allows me to see much more than I could when you were far off," Starsha explained to Nova. "When you first began your journey, I could only see images, and they were sparse. But I was able to help you when you were in need. Now, your ship is nearly here, but I have used the core far more than I had intended, and I cannot risk returning to them in the form you saw me in. The core would be depleted to the point that it would need to be recharged. That process could take months, time you do not have." The Queen turned her eyes to the video sadly, then a spark appeared in her eyes, "But there is one more thing that I can do for them."
Starsha closed the video feed and turned to Adam and Alex in turn, "Will you give us a moment?"
Both men nodded, confused, but willing to oblige the Queen. As soon as the door to the hall closed, Starsha turned to Nova and said, "What you are about to witness will answer many of the questions you asked me upon your arrival. Please, watch with an understanding heart."
"Alright," Nova replied slowly, "But what would I need to be understanding about?"
Starsha did not reply to the question, instead, she held out her covered hand again and said to it in her own language, "List available interfaces."
"Interface three is active. Do you wish to connect?" The device replied in a light, artificial voice.
"Yes," Starsha replied.
For several long minutes nothing happened, and Nova was beginning to wonder what the Queen had sent Alex and Adam away for.
Nearly ten minutes after the Queen made her initial request, she looked back at Nova and quickly motioned her over to one side. Nova moved as she was instructed, and was about to ask why when the last face she expected to see again appeared before the Iscandari.
"My Queen," the voice of Desslok of Gamilon echoed through the hall, leaving Nova speechless. "What may I do for you?"