《Another Way》


 Explosion

    Astro- Central University Metropole, 7025 FIV


    The star submarine "Scientific FC5" was moored at the last ramp of Astro-Port 39East. Captain Nicholas Reed supervised its loading by moving nimbly through the packages.


    He was a tall, imposing man, dark orange uniform with a straight cut highlighting his athletic silhouette, broad shoulders, chocolate tan, black hair pulled back in a ponytail. Anthracite grey eyes with irises in a black and white mosaic shaded by bluish lashes and seven long fingers on one hand were the kite''s signature features. The glowing triangle in the middle of his forehead showed the world that he belonged to the oldest family in the Republic of the Kites, the Reedus.


    Suddenly, a young woman accompanied by five guards approached hurriedly. She was tall with an oval face framed by countless purple pigtails and a light blue uniform specific to archaeologists. Antennae twisted around very large elephant-like ears showed she was a chameleon. Pink eyes and purple irises that she was part of the royal family.


    The four-headed mark, which seemed to be affixed above her left eyebrow, was unique to her, Neith Comidava, the fourth princess.


    A bored spoiled brat, in no mood for school, complicating my last trip before transfer. The expiring Nicky Reed.


    "Princess, Neith Comidava, welcome!" use an official tone.


    "Captain Nicholas Reed, welcome back! Have we met? I don''t recall you socializing with anyone from the ancient Reedus family, did I forget?"


    "No, but the Camelion Kingdom Selection Ceremony is a federation-wide broadcast event. I saw the intergalactic network transmission of the energy phenomenon you triggered. I was impressed by the appearance of the Secular Plane Tree, with its roots wrapped around the smoking volcano... I still await, as does the entire Federation, the official Chameleonian declaration of its significance."


    "Ah, I see, the selection committee is still studying the stellar atlases and archives...


    You know? Only last night I found out that the sub was transporting the test team to the neighboring sector of the Bujorian Empire. That''s why I used my diplomatic pass for emergency boarding... but it''s fair to consider me a mere researcher... I assure you, my guards know what discretion is. They won''t disturb the crew or the university staff." Neith handed him his personal seal for checking and recording.


    "From here I cannot change the passenger category. According to the diplomatic status, during travel, you have no restrictions of the personal system. Federal regulations mention that as captain I get the list of available options. In addition I have to check the arsenal of the accompanying persons. "


    "My system, Individual Assistant is ORIN. You can read the list of its options depending on the degree of access you have to the central federal network." The Princess taps the media bracelet on her left forearm. It was gold, stiff, six inches long and two inches thick.


    "Oh, what a surprise, you, a federal interstellar submarine captain have equal access rank to me? Why?"


    "Once we get to the test range for the new devices you may find out why. Do you know the tests will last a month? Don''t you have exams to give?"


    "Captain, I''m not a student, I''ve been a member of the federal team for two years... Don''t worry about my activities."


    "Well, as you say! The left apartment cabin has a five-point fan-shaped structure. It''s perfect for you and the guards that accompany you. According to regulations, until the return, the guards may remain with the visor closed." Nicky continues checking and interregistering weapons, studying the uniform with interest. It was black, stiff, with all sorts of pockets, exclusive to the Royal Chameleon Guards.


    "How many auxiliary modes do these uniforms have?"


    "They''ve got it all included! They are complete sets with automatic synchronization." The Princess measured him from top to bottom, joining him on the left, walking to the bridge.


    Is it a nice one, to invite him for lunch or better for dinner? When I get back I have to thank the librarian for telling me about this trip. Otherwise I''d have missed the chance to meet a Reedus kite. The princess admires him openly with her head turned towards him, smiling.


    "Princess, if I''m not mistaken, for intergalactic travel the Chameleonian royal suite has 21 members.... You left without officially announcing?" The captain smiled lazily, tinting the princess''s expression.


    "As long as the war with the Nebulan Kingdom continues, I can''t leave within a mile of my residence without announcing my destination. Of course I''ve notified the department inspector.  After lunch, at the daily briefing, he''ll notify the entire council, including the Chameleonian ambassador." With a friendly gesture he continues "They are part of my individual guards. A team of five is enough to travel with a federal submarine, don''t you think?"


    "Hm, without testing them personally I don''t know their effectiveness. Does your family know about this trip?"


    "Hey, Captain, aren''t you a little curious? Don''t worry, I told them I''m going to visit Eliada. Too bad it''s a short trip, no time to organize a friendly competition."


    "You know, it''s not curiosity, just following established procedures." Nicky Reed clarified in a stern tone. "Who knows maybe at the range we''ll have time!"


    "How old are you? You look 120... more methodical than the royal instructor." the young woman replies in a candid tone.


    "It''s none of your business my age, enough to comply with federal regulations." Nicky uses a professorial tone.


    "I''ve got stories to tell, an easy journey!" Neith with a hurried step overtook him squinting his eyebrows.


    Just as I anticipated, a spoiled one! Immature! Good thing we''re arriving in fourteen hours and not having a formal lunch. Captain Reed was grunting under his chin on the way to the central command cabin. A six-sided room that had an integral central command system in the middle.


    The images of the access corridor closing, folding, were on a wall. Next to it, the diagram of the submarine with the position of the people on board, their data was updated, copied and sent to the Eastern Control Point. It was the only gate in the Radial Protection Shield area. On two other sides the images of the exterior cameras showed the distance from the Central University Astro-Metropole.


    A structure built in the shape of an ellipse, home to 40 million residents and 9 million tourists. An iconic landmark of the Five Neighbours Federation, the finest demonstration of collaboration between nations. With its grey, black, bluish metallic skeleton it had transparent outer walls and was divided into symmetrical sectors. These were bounded by internal transport tunnels linking each part of the core of the ellipse to the Astro-Ports. The transparent-walled spheres, attached to the ellipse structure, were evenly spaced along the ellipse.


    It was a jewel, an illustration of the highest degree of techno- bio- engineering science. The place where the results of university studies were first applied.


    In the salon, Princess Neith Comidava watched the images from the outside cameras. She could see how the shiny black submarine waited outside the east gate for its take-off permit.


    Officially, each space voyage began after passing, seventy kilometers away from Astro-Port, the last gate scan, the open square in the Radial Protection Shield. A net-like assembly, keeping the shape of an ellipse, identical to the Astro-Metropole. The shield consisted of hexagonal, interconnected outposts that protected the entire ellipse from unexpected Nebulian attacks.


    In the territory of the Federation of Five Neighbours, the planets and Astro- Populated Structures were surrounded by a Radial Protection Shield. Regardless of the size of the population each was protected following the same rules, with the same facilities. The 5 Presidents were directly in charge of the administration of the Radial Shield Corps.


    Seeing a part of the submarine reflected in the silver sheen of the Radial Protection Shield, Neith smiled proudly, as calm as any citizen of the Federation... Good luck with this mechanism, so we can defend ourselves against nebulous attacks! It was a secret of Fence A that one of the inventors was her great-great-grandfather.


    One of the reasons he was visiting Stra-Bujor, the capital of the Bukharian Kingdom, was to check out the statements that appeared on an entertainment media channel ''Prima Voce'' about the Radial Shield and the Anti-Frenzy vaccine. A team of archaeologists claimed that objects from a buried ship had led to shocking discoveries.


    Hello everyone, I''m Nicholas Reed,


    the captain in charge of this voyage.


    I got my take-off permit.


    In 3 minutes we''ll be heading to the 7th range area,


    near the Bukharian Empire.


    Without interruptions we will arrive in 14 hours.


    In case you need assistance,


    call the submarine system


    or


    press the green ''+'' symbol


    found along the corridors.


    After the communiqu¨¦ sent out by the captain, the Sumarin media system plays ''Ode to the Creative Source'', the official anthem of the Federation of Five. It was composed in the first session of the Federal Religious Ensemble and has so far remained on record as the longest session in a federal sumit. It was the only song with a federal decree. It could only be sung by an equal number of singers from each country.


    Bodyguard with three leaves drawn at the corner of his visor, Dynxe Marcoda keys his media bracelet, checking the official report of the submarine''s scan.


    "Princess, everything is in order, in the public statement - probably prepared last night - there is no reference to our delegation."


    "Well, it doesn''t matter if they rectify it after lunch. In the next 14 hours we''re here. Only the captain can enter this diplomatic suite. Other crew members or researchers can''t even set up a visit. You can activate rest mode without any worry of being disturbed."


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Princess, although the submarine is traversing a core area of the Federation of Five Neighbours it is necessary and regulatory to remain in full vigilance mode." retorts one with a single leaf on his visor.


    "Understood, proceed as you wish, I''m out. See you later."


    Neith entered, behind her the door closed automatically. Studying the room, she was pleasantly surprised by the ''casual'' decor in front of a double bed, next to a wardrobe, then the bathroom to the left. To the right two sofas with an adjustable table. The storage cabinet for food and drinks was framed by two adjustable chairs.


    After a review of the menu, select red wine and chocolate cream biscuits. The automatic serving mechanism presents the wine bottle, opens it. In dessert behavior, the selected compressed dough cube was mixed with water, passed through the air column and baked ultra fast.


    With the bottle under her arm, a glass in one hand, the bowl of biscuits in the other, Neith walked lazily to the armchair-desk by the door.


    Looks like this sub also makes trips between Federation capitals... all the more convenient for me. Hm... but that way, with all that''s necessary here, I have no reason to look for Nick... of, of, of... we''ll see what happens on landing. Neith propped the glass, bowl and bottle on the small table attached to the armchair, stretched out comfortably and connected the media bracelet to the camera system, transferred the image to the door and initiated the video conference with Eliada.


    "Servus Neith, what are you doing? Why don''t we have a holoconference? Where are you?" the energetic tone of Eliada Bujories echoed evenly throughout the booth. She was a tall, willowy young woman, pink eyes, triangular earlobes, the distinguishing features of the Bujorians. She lay with a book in her hand on the white stone edge of the pool. Through her media bracelet she reflected the image of the videoconference on the screen next to her.


    "Darling, I''m actually on my way to you... Last night I heard the librarian telling me that the submarine ''Scientific FC5'' is taking off this morning for the test range near the Bujorian Kingdom and I decided to visit you. We''ll be there in 13 hours or so... Here''s the panoramic view. See how cool the cockpit is? I''m very pleased, I didn''t expect such comfort on a scientific submarine."


    "What a surprise! what a joy! 13 federal hours or from here? Are you participating in the tests or can you leave after landing? When should I pick you up?" Eliada was full of excitement.


    "Officially I have nothing to do, I''m not part of the test team. I came with my diplomatic pass because I only found out last night that the submarine is arriving near you. I''d like you to pick me up the day after tomorrow or in three days, whichever is more convenient... Captain Nicky Reed is a nice guy, and he''s a kite of the famous Reedus family... He''s the first one I''ve met. I want to take the opportunity, invite him for a walk, visit the archaeological remains recently discovered in the range." Neith takes a sip of wine and then nibbles on crackers.


    "Official? You mean there''s an unofficial... not a party visit?"


    "Yes, it is... how could it not? I don''t have chores, I''m very curious about what was found in the ancient ship buried in the polygon." She continues, swinging the glass with her left hand and moving the fingers of her right hand in a causal pattern. "Do you understand? Eliada? I can tell this journey is a vacation!"


    Eliada sat up, moved the projection to the stone in front of her, put the book down, with the fingers of her left hand she made the same causal gesture saying "Yes, yes, super cool, a holiday like the old days."


    "Exactly, I can''t wait to party!" Neith sips from her glass, continues "How are you? You had work the next few days? Where''s your fianc¨¦ off to?"


    "Don''t remind me, you know my country, full of traditions and rituals. According to them he is gone to know better the situation of the ecosystems in the empire. He is accompanied by the High Priest''s pupil, the Technical Advisor of the Kingdom and an ancient style composer... we don''t even get to hear each other 6, 7 times a week! All the traditions are super lame, pointless!" Eliada had a recalcitrant tone.


    "You know the Bujorans are renowned for their pragmatism... this complete tour of the empire surely has another purpose that we, right now, don''t exactly understand. We don''t even see it!... but keep in mind that the High Priest and sent his only pupil as an escort... so there must be some extraordinary utility!"


    "Yeah, yeah, yeah, when you get there we''ll look for this job together. Okay?" Eliada sucked her palm skyward and made caus fingers again.


    "Okay, we will" Neith repeats the gesture.


    "Now I have to go to lunch, see you later towards evening, have a nice trip!"


    "I didn''t realize what time it was on you, well, bon app¨¦tit, see you later. Say hi to the rest of them for me." With a bye-bye gesture Neith ends the video conference.


    Who would have thought that a compound code when we were 9 years old is still useful to us now at 27. Checking the time continues the monologue, it''s too late to call in the Cameleon and the Astro Metropolis people are busy at this hour, hm..., hm..., I can start checking from the ''First Voice'' channel infinity.


    Neith lifts the backrest position, spreads the table and starts setting the selection parameters in the large intergalactic network.


    Outside, in the darkness of space, the symbolic emblem of the Federal Central Scientific University, a flame emerging from the top of a square-based pyramid set on a sphere, flashes blue-white along the submarine''s length, seeming to float in the void. The shiny black submarine is proceeding along its main transport route, a route with precise travel corridors and surveillance beacons deployed every 100 IGUs, intergalactic units. Sometimes it passed other ships in an orderly fashion, sometimes it passed structures on a precise schedule. All around was quiet.


    In her cabin, Neith had finished her thorough check of the owners. She reached the employees, heading towards the most active casual contributors and enthusiastic supporters. It was a thorough investigation, structured chronologically, from the contest in which the idea of ''Prima Voce'' first emerged to the present. After dividing the staff by experience, it continues with family connections. Suddenly he sees the notice for a direct broadcast media channel.


    Curious she opened it and when she saw that it showed straight through, without any filter, a Nebulian transformation she was furious. That person, his family deserved more consideration. Outraged she pursed her lips moving her fingers like playing the piano. She stared as the Bujorian man, looking fifty, trembled all over, as his hair gradually whitened and his skin turned dark orange, then so did his eyes and nails. It was not yet known how ''Black Frenzy'' alters the molecular structure of people, how it cancels any kind of existing emotional bond. Nor how Nebulians recognized by their king/queen learned to mask these traits. Seeing how the medical team arrives, sedates the person and carries them off the street, I breathe a sigh of relief.


    It was a tragedy and the bastards passed it on without any moral concern. With a renewed determination I restarted the search deepening the parameters, to rightly include them all. When he ran out of room to display, without bothering from his armchair-desk he untied the uniform cord, untied it in two halves, tightened it over the media bracelet. Typing two commands, she threw the pieces towards the door. They wrinkled in front of each other, rippled to form six additional design surfaces.


    Little did anyone know that Neith Comidava was one of the people responsible for overseeing and optimizing the Intergalactic Media Network. She was assigned the highest level of access to S* network data under the five leaders of the federation.


    A detective''s curiosity for any kind of enigma, innovative intuitive analytical thinking were the reasons why often the results obtained individually were better than the personal assistant system.


    This was one of the many secrets needed because she was the fourth Chameleon Princess, because the Federation was at war, because you couldn''t predict exactly when an ally would become contaminated by turning into a Nebulan.


    With violin music blaring throughout the room, wine glass, bowl of biscuits forgotten, Neith buttoned up the unfurled keyboard, component of the media bravado. She was immersed in lists of people, of events... something wasn''t right with a larger group than she had first suspected.


    Uncovered false personal data statements for two bumblebees, two amphibians and another chameleon... looking for the reason they became a group, the purpose for which they invented personal history... selects, eliminates people who made them know each other... Working was beginning to be inconvenienced by the automatically imposed traffic limit because they were in flight.


    He could not use any of the shortcuts marked in the network. Without further ado he copied all the data found, compressed it and sent it to the monitoring department. With any luck, by the time his team landed, they would have sent him the results. Neith refastened the uniform cord, finished the wine, had another biscuit.


    They change into their light clothes and head for the common room.


    "No need to get up. What are you doing? Are the rest of you resting?" Neith rolling her shoulders and elbows headed for the console of the seating table. She opened a session, typed in the bracelet and projected the images onto the double doors.


    "Princess? The rest of you do the mandatory daily bioenergetic training. I have assigned them exercises in teams and in pairs of 2 then 3. I admit that the juniors are particularly talented, if they continue like this in a year''s time I will enter them for the 2 leaf exam. What happened?" Dynxe Marcoda had a warm voice, you could feel the smile hidden by the visor of his helmet.


    "This journey is to stay with Eliada but it is also to discover the truth about the ship unearthed in the polygon."


    "Um, did the ambassador assign you this inquiry or did the queen call you?" Dynxe was not at all pleased that the princess had not told him the details before boarding. He felt he hadn''t packed enough offensive sets.


    "No, none of them. The other day by chance I saw the advert of the Bujorian entertainment     channel ''Prima Voce''. I became curious and started investigating them.


    "Really? You left just before the opening of the exhibition on your own initiative without any official assignment? Princess you surprise me. I thought you were looking forward to cutting the ribbon of the memorial symposium with the eagle-eyed Olabisi Shu. I thought you''d love a walk."


    Neith smiled cattily "Dynxe of all people you know me best, but you don''t understand the implications of such a discovery. If it is true that they have evidence from the earliest cases of the appearance of Frenzy many departments of the University will change the course of research. It''s not trivial. "


    Dynxe looked at her suspiciously "Princess, let''s resume the discussion after we get to see the remains, to catalogue them personally. Now allow me to invite you to a contest of precision."


    He stands up, tapping the console table. On its surface, four boxes full of spheres, hexagonal prisms, cubes and black pyramids opened.


    "There are 100 pieces, they are between 0.5 - 12 cm and weigh from 20g to 500g. A game in which the Personal Biotechnology Systems only retain the function of personal protection and we don''t use our antennae or ears. What do you say? Shall we start?"


    "Oh, of course! What were we playing? I''ve long wanted to persuade you to make me a few sets of neutral arrows. Do you agree?" Neith in speed typing the bracelet to shut down ORIN''s other functions.


    "Neutral arrows are the most difficult to make... OK, I accept but you find the materials and I keep 20%. If I win I want you to compose a flute song for my youngest. He''s been 10 years old for 2 months and he can''t do the ''picking apples'' pose either. He starts well but after a few seconds he leans to the left. "


    "Agreed, of, dear Dynta must be very distressed. Regardless of the outcome I will compose a song for him to correct. I''ll officially grant you the right to use it but not to sell it, neither in the kingdom nor in the Federation. How do we play? Do we color the pieces or do we wrap them in bio-energy types? " Neith with his legs apart rotated his hips keeping his back straight. Beside the body the arms followed the free rotation and the fingers had a uniform wave-like movement.


    "Princess, thank you on behalf of the entire Marcoda family! I think it''s more interesting to evaluate them. One point for each plain wrap, two if we manage to combine two different ones, three for a trio, etc. We can combine shades of one type only with different ones. If a wrap happens to have light/medium/dark differences, 10 points are deducted. For a full range 20 points. " Dynxe keys the wristband and the visor of the helmet open, it retracts towards the shoulder blades, the gloves in the cuffs. He had an angular face, pink eyes with black irises, his antennae twisted up past his ears. Unlike the princess, he breathed in slowly and out quickly. He turned his head in sync with his fingers curled.


    "Why does the combination of wires of different concentration of the same type of bio-energy decrease points? At the University neither points are given nor taken away." Neith looked at him in annoyance.


    "Princess this is the score applied to the game in the Federal Guard Corps. If you wrap a piece in 3 shades it means you lack consistent focus. When building defense/assault formations such a person is the biggest internal danger. Going back, to win you have to max out in more categories than I do. The total score has no relevance. If you manage to bag 30 items in full game you win without any calculation. "


    "Wow... 30 games in one game? Who can do that? It''s too difficult!" Princess voices almost hostilely.


    "Princess, I had the opportunity to see the recording of a match in which Captain Nicholas Reed scored 35 and one of his opponents    scored 29. There were 6 participants with 300 pieces. It would be interesting to play against him. Maybe after we get there we''ll have a chance to organize a game." Dynxe had a challenging look on his face.


    "Oh, what a realization, it turns out Nicky is even more complicated than I suspected when I saw we had the same degree of access. very interesting!"


    Dynxe interrupted his assumptions "Are you ready? Shall we begin?"


    Neith nods, Dynxe presses ''Start'' on the console table and the pieces begin to levitate in the lounge. They begin to breathe concentrating on driving the bio-energy. After a few moments, bright colored threads of light unfurled from the fingertips. Glancing out of the corner of his eye at Dynxe he smiled provocatively as he moved towards the first sphere. The game was on!


    While they were playing, the submarine was coming out to the right of the main supervised route. It continued steadily towards the test range crossing a deserted area, with no inhabited structures, no other ships, no beacons.


    When it was 10 minutes away from its destination, the ''Scientific FC5'' passed through an encirclement of 12 semi-transparent spheres and was attacked. Twelve shuttles in cloaking mode targeted four dozen hexagonal golden minicylids each. Then at full speed they disappeared into the darkness.


    Mini-cylinders, at different speeds, simultaneously stuck to the surface of the submarine. When they reached the hull they triggered danger sensors but within moments they could not be neutralised and after 9 seconds they exploded fragmenting the submarine.


    Within a radius of two kilometres the area was full of floating fragments, some larger, some smaller, some distinguishable, some not. There were parts of the submarine, pieces of mini-ships, fragments of boxes, decor, equipment and grey capsules. Automated life-saving devices for the people on board. Most of them, 60, were egg-shaped, saving the science team. Six in the shape of cylinders with pointed heads housed Neith and his guards and 20 in the shape of enclosed minibars were for the submarine crew. Emitting red beacons, the capsules began to move towards each other, building a hexagonal rosette.


    Suddenly, from the direction of the polygon, a bright yellow-green beam appeared and enveloped one of the cylinders. After building up a compact envelope it disappeared without a trace of direction.

 Where are we?

    In the desolate darkness of the space a bright, yellow-green cocoon materialized out of thin air. As the steam billowed out, beneath the green streaks filled with yellow light the cylinder, the metallic grey life-saving capsule, was revealed. When it was fully revealed on a pointed end, the symbol - the secular sycamore tree with its roots twisted around an hourglass - gradually began to glow until it covered the entire outline.


    Activation of the individual assistant system, ORIN was automatically activated and from the capsule walls, the red radial wave-laser began scanning the location.


    Emitting fast-tempo flute sounds from the capsule''s contours, two dozen compressed materials were detached all around in black metal cubes, bluish spheres and grey tetrahedrons. Unfolded in film form, they combined in layers of three to fortify the cylinder, transforming it into a dark grey, shiny mini-submarine.


    Inside, on the platform bed, Princess Neith Comidava began to move her fingers, after a few seconds she opened her eyes, moved her head. Pink eyes with purple irises were wide with wonder.


    "What happened? ORIN, where are we? Dynxe? The guards? Where are they?"


    "Princess, we were attacked and when explosives stuck to the outer hull of the submarine, the individual life-saving systems automatically activated. The submarine''s protection failed to neutralize the mini-cylinders in time, it had too few seconds before the explosion. After detonation only fragments and escape pods remained... No casualties were recorded, escape pods opened in time for everyone. We recorded the formation of the hexagonal rosette when we were completely deactivated for unknown reasons." ORIN reported in a monotone voice, while the physical-energetic manifestation, a 50 cm hourglass was filled with the color blue.


    "ORIN, what do you mean you''ve been completely deactivated? Your existential computer core is connected to my life energy, how is it possible to have all protocols shut down?"


    "Princess we need to thoroughly check each sensor. What should be bio-technologically impossible just happened! We''ve been completely deactivated!... After we restarted here, according to the clock in your media bracelet, it''s been 5 minutes since the explosion... It''s a great physical contradiction because we''ve reached 20 IGU outside the western border of the Intergalactic Federation. It is necessary to..."


    Without any warning from the sensors, instantly, the interior of the minisubmarine was filled with white fog that shut down all systems causing the princess to faint.


    On the outside, it was clear to see how bright green bands wove around the capsule, how the spaces between them were filled with yellow mist until the capsule disappeared into a yellow-green cocoon. It pulsed a few times and disappeared without a trace.


    ***


    In the cold stillness of space, near Pluto, the bright yellow-green cocoon suddenly materialises. After the dissipation of the mini-submarine envelope, Princess Neith''s submarine appeared intact.


    Again the symbol - the secular plane tree with its roots twisted around the hourglass - began to shine. Again ORIN was reactivated, 100% functional. And the princess was sleeping on the capsule platform again.


    It was wrapped in a golden film, sealed with the sign of the four leaves that glowed multicolored. ORIN scanned the body, seeing no wounds, played another flute music.


    From the first sounds the platform began to emit multicoloured beams of light. Purple, white, green, black, orange waves swirled to the rhythm of the music, constantly touching the princess. The bath of lights stopped when the transparent astral-projecting form of the princess detached itself from the body, levitating above it.


    Neith in transparent form look carefully activated seal, protective film. She clasps her palms together with her fingers together, forms a cause and presses the pyramid sign on the multimedia bracelet with her right hand.


    With a click, five multi-coloured pearls slide into the left palm without disturbing the film. They slowly spun until four of them dissolved into the outline of the astral projection, solidifying it. The last wrapped around the wrists forming a replica of the ruby multi-media bracelet.


    "ORIN, what happened? Where are we? Why has the royal protection been activated?"


    "Princess, I DON''T KNOW... it should have been impossible!... but it just happened to us... We didn''t record any analytical parameters!... We were again completely disabled!... Most likely the suddenly appeared white gas, chemical composition unknown, automatically triggered the shield in the seal of the royal line! I don''t know where I ended up..." ORIN continued hastily moving the hourglass


    "I effectively have no coordination, we are outside the Federal Intergalactic Network! Out of mapped space!... we are so far from everything we know, which is considered impossible, that the capsule''s automatic command system is announcing general sensor system failure. Recommend suspension and manual replacement of each component!"


    "Wow, impossible, unbelievable... but also sensational!" Neith levitated, "trailblazer, of countless possibilities... Imagine if we managed to register this area in the Intergalactic Network! That we turn the entire sector into a Federal Holiday Zone safe from any contact with the Nebulans... It''s more than incredible, it''s fantastic!"


    Neith tapping the wall next to the control desk with her bracelet opened the capsule storage compartment, studying the inventory while organizing activities.


    "ORIN, as I mount the entire set of accessories on the bioenergetic form of the bracelet, you


    *Check the integrity of the record from the boarding of ''Scientific FC5'' until now. Copy the data, send the file to the bracelets, to our core, to the capsule, to the seal. Plus inscribe a couple of storage plates and two of them I''ll keep personally.


    *Copy separately the galactic coordinates from the explosion, from the first stop and from here.


    *Attach the capsule''s automatic system to our core and set ''cautious'' mode.


    *Start scanning this lost corner of the Universe.


    I''ll go in search of federal beacons or at least a relay... First I must inform the Royal Protectorate that my seal has been activated. "


    Thanks to the stock, list key for transfer to the wristband, select ''load'' mode with the buttons next to the lock.


    When the bracelet receives the commands it changes its width to 25 mm, on the outer surface open hexagonal, triangular, square, round and oval caps which they fill with 2 mm thick discs with diameters between 1 and 9 cm. They were black, bluish, grey, green, blue and red.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Princess, by default our core has set the mode to ''Highly Hostile Area'', the federal directive prevents me from changing it."


    "What do you mean ''Very hostile area''? Have you detected Nebula signals? Are we in a lost corner of Nebulan territory?"


    "No, we are not in their neighbourhood, there the Bujoran relays have a signal... Here there is nothing, no signal, no message, no relay... We''re completely outside the Federal Intergalactic Network, lost in some unknown corner of the Universe!"


    "Then I''ll load up a couple of assault sets against the siege."


    "I''ll transfer from the core and life-saving capsule."


    "How? You had two installed?" Neith, stunned turned abruptly to the control desk in front of which the blue hourglass seemed to swing from left to right.


    "No, according to royal Chameleonian protocol each member of the family gets one. Ours was activated at the time of the explosion but when we got here, an identical one appeared in the individual core niche... I checked, there''s no record of how it doubled."


    Princess, connect the wristband to the control panel and manually check the recorded data from the time of exit from the main supervised route. She finds nothing either. Arching an eyebrow she tries again, highlighting only the energy residue. The system displays separately the characteristics of the four miniguns, the exact weight of the explosives in the miniguns, their effects but nothing about the glowing cocoon and its effects.


    How is this possible?... in the Universe every action produces a footprint, it is not possible for nothing to remain. The princess seemed to hear the cadenced voice of Dean Vera Tincu, the first professor of bioenergy, near her ear: "In the Universe every action produces a footprint, it has a distinct cause and an effect... the passage of time and circumstances transform the effect into a new cause..." Sensors are not properly set, cannot read the properties of the fingerprints left... grinding out possibilities, hypotheses, start experimenting with values and combinations of scanning parameters.


    ***


    In another corner of the vastness of the Universe, in a giant sphere, illuminated by white, purple and violet rays, two strings of nine-cornered bright stars surrounded a centuries-old plane tree made of yellow light. The glowing roots moved like tentacles in the water holding it steady.


    In the middle of the wreath, among the twisted, basket-shaped branches, the transparent silhouette stood out - the silvery astral projection of a young woman with long, curly hair. She stood in a crouched position with her eyes closed, covered in leaves, looking as if she had just slept.


    It was visible how in a constant rhythm pulses of silver light were transferred from the trunk to the branches and through the leaves to the outline of the young woman''s astral projection, accentuating and strengthening it.


    ***


    Piazzale Brescia, Milan, April, 2021


    On the street scooters snaked through cars overtaking on the left and right. The square was full of passers-by wearing the obligatory masks. Some were hurrying to work, others were walking, some mothers were pushing prams.


    Some were at the newsstand, getting magazines or tickets. The more rowdy ones stood in a row, spaced out at the caf¨¦ for cappuccinos and croissants. The smell of freshly baked cakes mingled with coffee and chocolate, reaching the street corner where the centuries-old plane tree shaded the hospital wall.


    On the third floor, through the horizontally blinded window, the morning sun''s rays caressed the cheek of a young woman with an oval face and very short brown-blond hair hooked up to artificial respirators. Neitta Simonetta had been in a coma for eight months following an explosion of the yacht she was partying on.


    In the hotel-like room, a Mozart symphony could be heard from the TV hanging on the wall opposite the bed, which could not drown out the sounds of the machines.


    By the door, on the couch, Grandma Monica Simoneta stopped knitting, implanted the needles in the ball, took the phone out of her purse, looked at the watch, put it back. She was 70, small stature, blue eyes, short hair. Dressed in a classic suit, caramel skirt and cut, a medium pearl string, with comfortable black shoes. With a straight back and lips in a straight line she exudes an air of command.


    Turning her head towards Neitta she said in an encouraging tone "Dear mother, don''t worry! I am here! You can sleep as long as you like. NOBODY will move you from here. Soon..."


    Suddenly, the door of the salon was wide open and a woman rushed into the room followed by three men. Arching her eyebrows, the disgruntled grandmother opened her mouth to reprimand them. Noticing the postman''s bags, the wheeled suitcases she mimed a yawn, she stood up, greeting them with a smile. Looking at her tall stature, oval face, make-up in discreet tones, dark eyes, high forehead, brown hair in a bun, Monica gestured towards the bed.


    "Hello, I presume you are Dr Victoria Thomas and the team at the Institute. This is my niece, Neitta Simonetta. As usual, Countess Gudorokov wastes no time, I thought you would arrive tonight. Ileana tells me you have business in Vienna."


    "Hello, ma''am!" greeted the three assistants in chorus.


    "Mrs. Monica, good afternoon. Yes, this is Victoria Thomas, neurosurgeon, team leader, acupuncture specialist at the Institute of Integrative Medicine. I was at the office for some conferences. We were able to get there early thanks to Countess Ileana Gudorokov who arranged our private plane."


    She approaches the bed, looks at the values of the machines, continues "I read Neita''s file on the plane, is there any news?"


    Grandma notes that Victoria Thomas does not show her age of 47. With her straight, dark grey trousers, white turtleneck blouse, short black boots, the coat the colour of her trousers, she didn''t look at all like she had just landed. She looked like she had just left the house with her schedule clearly confirmed by the attendants.


    "No, no news, Neitta is still sleeping, vital signs are constant. I''ll let the ward boss know you''re here early. Yesterday I told him you''d be here, I''ve discussed the Institute with him, he''ll assist you in whatever you need."


    "We need a temporary office, access to the entire record from the time of admission and approval for this clinic to use its labs." Turning his head to the nurses he continues, "Last tests?"


    One of the nurses quickly typed the tablet and in a melodious tone said "I''m connected to the clinic''s network. Blood work is 2 days old... MRI is a month old, I see an appointment for a CT scan next week." He looks up from the tablet, studies the readings, photographs them adding them to the file.


    Victoria looked at the white clock, elegant with rhinestones around the rim, it was 9:40, opened the window, picked up the tablet, accessed Neita''s file and urgently prescribed a full set of tests. Looking up at the nurses, he specified, "Start with full blood work, urine, continue with cardio, neuro and MRI for body and head."


    Smiling encouragingly he turned to his grandmother "The clinic team has given us priority, so we will have the results tonight. We can meet tomorrow morning at 10 to discuss all the details of the treatment. Do you agree? "


    Grandma nodded as nurses pushed the bed and the patient out of the room and into the labs. She was very surprised by their appearance. The young man with the tablet, curly, tall, in his 30s, looked like an artist. The nurse with the gold glasses, medium height, around 55, looked like an accountant. Contrary to the last one at 1, 90, well built, +40 looked like a fancy bodyguard.


    If I had seen them on the street I would not have guessed that they are medical technicians part of the same team... curious, very curious... don''t forget to find out from Ileana more details about this Institute. Monica Simonetta thought as she headed towards the end of the corridor where the lifts were.


    Alone in her room, Victoria Thomas lingers a few moments at the window. The grandeur of the Platanus Secularus was very impressive. How many events had she witnessed? Mostly happy ones? Probably most were sad, absurd.


    Taking a deep breath, he ended the break, stretched out the folding table under the TV, pulled out the armchair, took the laptop out of the bag, opened it and started organizing Neita Simonetta''s file. From the clinic''s network he easily managed to copy the patient''s file from her admission to the present, then transferred it to the tablet.


    Victoria opened a new patient registration file on the Institute''s network, began filling in the observations from the night she was admitted as an emergency, reading from her tablet and typing in word by word.


    It was a much longer process than copying directly from orders, but still essential. A habit formed in school, a way of committing to memory the specific details of each case, the details of each patient she received. It was her preparatory routine for the first consultation.

 Key Code

    In front of the command desk, Neith Comidava watched the countless super irritating notices.


    NO RESULT!


    ERROR!


    WRONG SEARCH PARAMETERS!


    Failed to set the scan limits correctly. Nor did the antenna alignment cause him any beneficial insight. The bright cocoon was as invisible and mysterious as it was 6 hours ago, 10 hours ago, a whole day ago...however long it had been since it started.


    Neith was losing track of time, losing patience... she needed a break, a meal, a conference with the girls... She had started to send the holo-conference request when another message, bold red with an audible warning reminded her that she was outside the Intergalactic Network, separated from everything that was her life.


    She was separated from friends, family, research, she had nothing else besides ORIN... Yeah, I could live peacefully without personally experiencing what ancestors were like, no network, no constant contact... super messed up!


    Whispering walked past the platform to the bathroom when she was stunned to see the 4-sheet seal. I''m a nut! How could I forget that it has a bio-energy scan function! Good thing no one else sees such a lapse! I''d ruin my reputation!


    Neith reinvigorated with optimism, she returned to the desk, cancelled all searches, cleared the design surfaces. She connected the ruby bracelet to the royal seal and waited.


    "ORIN, get ready for multiple registration."


    "Princess, it will probably take us a while to identify, from the entire record, the minute that the sub went off the main route. The last reset you did was about two years before you transferred to Central University. We probably need a few hours."


    "Look for footage of the Chameleon ambassador''s party last month. The family gathering is highlighted in the footage, very easy to find."


    "I''m starting, it''ll take a few minutes anyway, it''s recommended a meal, a bath in between"


    "Okay, okay, mommy ghost, I get it!"


    Neith opened another drawer in the storage cupboard, took out two pink spheres and, turning them over, placed them next to the sealed body. Through contact with the astral projection the spheres transferred the stored energy to the outline strengthening it. It was an easy practical way of feeding but Neith missed the delicious tastes. I must take the time to invent flavours in energy form! I don''t know why when I return to physical form I forget to research.


    Resigned Neith turned to ORIN and the screens. Finally they found images of the glowing cocoon. The ones from the blast site and the first jump were blurry, she''d have to find out why... but now she was focused on the most recent ones. The landing, or more correctly, the appearance here.


    Surprisingly, the energy imprint was in the royal archive, recorded by the first king with the note ''to be studied thoroughly for possible connection to the Heart Tree''.


    Even more surprisingly, after the full unveiling of the capsule, a thin, symmetrically twisted yellow-green thread remained in the images. It linked the tip of the minisubmarine to a location lost in the sky.


    "ORIN, load an auxiliary form into your bracelet." Neith approaches the hourglass with outstretched hand.


    "Princess, this is an unknown area, better keep 2 with capsule in case of attack and transfer 4. In transparent form you are more vulnerable than usual." With the sounds of an hourglass flute sent 4 cones towards the ruby bracelet, entering it.


    "Okay, after I get out I go into cloak mode.


    *Don''t follow me before I find out what''s on the other end of the wire.


    *Continue mapping the area.


    *Try to find out why the first two moments are unclear. Maybe we can find our way home.


    *We remain in permanent connection." With the last instructions given, exit through the capsule walls to the outside. Following the capsule''s screen he found the wire, attached it to one of its links.


    He couldn''t wait to see what he would find and what the personal connection was. At full speed she began to follow him, leaving behind the capsule which in another flute tone became first transparent and then completely invisible.


    Following the thread Neith Comidava realized that it was twisted into a conical spiral shape, with the tip at the life-saving capsule. Before he lost contact with the capsule''s location sensors he had descended 20 IGU. He had no idea if he was even halfway there.


    All he could do was keep spinning, holding on to the thread. For unknown reasons the position sensors could not attach to it. It could not shorten by cutting in a straight line. He couldn''t send the minirelays forward, he had already tried but lost them almost immediately. The whole area had far too many mysteries to continue comfortably.


    Because it was necessary to get to the end to find answers, Neith buttoned the bracelet, set the maximum limit at which the sensors worked and began to make repeated jumps. These consumed more energy from the bracelet''s core but he had no other solution. He didn''t want to go back without answers. After a dozen he decided to stop, to transfer energy from one of the additional ORIN forms.


    When she stopped, suddenly, suddenly and without a trace of movement, a huge, transparent, luminous sphere appeared in front of her. I estimated that it was at least half the size of the University Metropolis.


    The one-fingered atangand looked like rigid, cold metal, impossible to pass. Pointing the twisted antennae around his ears, cautiously touched with the tip of one. It looked like a curtain of water, warm as summer rain. Neith was stunned, she was stuck.


    She touched it again with her fingers, again it felt like cold metal. She stuck the tip of her other antennae to the wall, again feeling warm rainwater.


    It was the greatest scientific mystery she had ever encountered in her life. It was necessary, indeed essential, to collect samples of this unknown material. She tried to move a drop of liquid with the tip of her antenna, and with her fingers she picked up a fragment of material. Wow... I think I''m the first person in the Federation for whom both actions are possible simultaneously from the same sample. The only material case without contradictions. Wow... it''d be interesting to know what the rest of the Federation feels at the touch. I wonder if the Nebulanians could corrupt this material. Out of excitement, the princess had begun to analyze aloud. She was overwhelmed by such wonder.


    Out of uncontrolled excitement she touched the wall with both antennae and unwittingly felt herself thrown. Instinctively she adjusted her position so that she could roll over on contact with the ground. Neith spun around, straightened up and stood with her mouth agape.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The whole area was bathed in white, purple and violet rays. In front of it, two strings of nine-cornered glowing stars surrounded a centuries-old plane tree made of yellow light. It was a planet heart tree. Shocking! In an unknown corner of the Universe she managed to encounter a Heart Tree. It was more than luck, it was absurd luck! He ended up personally touching the third Heart Tree specimen.


    Looking closer I see at the top of the crown a crouched silhouette. Levitating, Neith reached a higher branch and saw clearly that it was a young woman, curled up, asleep, protected as if in a basket by branches and covered in bright leaves.


    Studying her oval face, Neith had another shock, the young woman resembled them completely. If she had antennae, big ears, purple hair, most people would mistake her for her. Sitting side by side, they would have looked like identical twins. It was incredible.


    By touching one of the leaves with the tip of his antenna, he gets a firefly of energy. From him he learns that the young girl had arrived in the Light Field after an explosion on a planet in his sector.


    The explosion occurred just as the Heart-Shaft was sending a pulse to the planet. The young girl''s shaken, disoriented spirit was drawn into the corridor formed. It has been here ever since, cared for by the bio-energy of the Heart Tree.


    Neith carefully moved the branches and leaves covering the young girl until she had completely uncovered her. Together her fingers formed a triangle, the tips lightly touching the center of her sternum. Breathing deeply she sent a sphere of pink light inside. Slowly it diffused into the young woman''s astral projection. Seeing that it was helping, that the young woman was growing brighter, Neith continued.


    When the pink colour evenly enveloped her entire silhouette, the princess formed a rhombus with her fingers, gently touching the middle of her forehead. A circle of light rose from the youth''s outline, floating towards the princess''s bracelet. After dissolving into ruby, her display scrolled images, sequences, moments. These were Neita Simonetta''s experiences in her 25 years on Earth. Emotions, acquaintances, passions, talents, absolutely everything was stored in the princess''s system.


    First Neith learns that 25 Earth years were not as long as 25 Federal years. Comparing the volume of information, 1 federal year was about as long as 2 earth years. Looking at the astronomical data, as expected, he found nothing known. She sighed slightly as Neitta moved her fingers, opened her eyelids. Taking a deep breath, the princess smiled fondly.


    "Welcome back! Child of this Universe. I am Neith Comidava, fourth Chameleonian princess, citizen of the Federation of Five Neighbors."


    "Who are you?" Neitta sits up sleepily. She looked at the transparent silhouette of her Neith, the branches, the leaves of yellow light and startled, she began to tremble. "Who are you? What do you want? How did you get here? How did I get here?... Where is here?" With each question, Neita''s voice became more shrill, more defensive.


    "Child, be quiet! Stay calm! This is the Field of Light, the place where the Heart Tree exists. I couldn''t find the name in your culture. I arrived here after following the trail left by a cocoon that took me from the site of an explosion. I was looking for answers, causes, not expecting to meet you." Neith tried to soothe her with a melodious, fairy-tale tone.


    "Explosion? I was at the yacht party when there was an explosion." Neitta took a closer look at Neith- her face and saw the antennae, elephant-like ears and panicked again. "Aliens exist! Ghosts exist! You are one, stay there, don''t come near me!" Neitta was trying to climb between the branches, to get away when she saw her transparent hands and suddenly fainted.


    Neith watched Neita''s face with a scientific curiosity, still amazed at the resemblance between them. She imagined the stunned expressions of her parents, her grandparents if they met her.


    It would     probably say something like ''The universe is full of mysteries, history is full of forgotten fragments. Surely there is a common past between you. It''s not a coincidence. There''s a clear reason why you have antennae, big ears and she doesn''t. There''s a purpose why the cocoon brought you here.''


    Yeah there is a cause and a purpose but it takes time to find out what they are!


    Neith reviewed the data on human society. It seemed a place full of the most absurd contradictions! So many administrative structures, so many separate data networks for one planet. So many institutions, and they didn''t care for it properly. Totally absurd!


    The Princess tried not to be distracted by fleeting thoughts... to stay focused only on the Heart-Tree. It was a unique opportunity to study by touching its branches, its leaves. To feel the rhythm of the pulsations, their intensity, the colors of the created Field of Light...


    It has not yet been discovered how Heart Trees were created, how they allocated their areas to each other. How they managed to communicate instantaneously, despite intergalactic distances, was the most studied feature since the beginning of the war with the Nebulae. So far, no conclusive results have been found.


    Neith has been wondering since he found out in his first year of school that the entire Federation has 2 Heart Trees how they allocate their sector to oversee between them. If they are identical why one of them records, keeps track of events from two galaxies and the other from one, why they didn''t divide the area equally. One of her research goals is to find out why.


    Surveying around the Heart-Tree Neith realized that it was not identical to the other two in the Federation. Here the Domain of Light was enclosed, separated from outer space. Looking closely at the colours, she noticed a few streaks of black mixed in. Cautiously she approached them, touched them with her antennae, felt a pleasant coolness. Feeling the bracelet she began to study it in detail.


    Photographing, recording, analyzing Neith lost track of time and when she heard movement next to her she flinched.


    "Have we died and turned into ghosts?" Neitta almost whispered in a trembling voice.


    "No, we''re not dead, we''re as alive as can be! Both are in the first bioenergetic form, astral projection." Neith''s voice was slow, hoping to avoid another faint.


    "How did I not die? If we''re alive why don''t we have a body? And why do you look like me but have big ears and big ears?" Neitta began to stir again, levitating around Neitha.


    "Child, I repeat, we are in astral projection form. It is the first bioenergetic form that any living organism in the Universe can use. I don''t know why we''re identical, but I''m gonna find out!"


    "I was at a party on Claudia''s yacht, I heard a BOOM, I felt thrown..., I got dizzy when I hit the water... trying to get to the air I saw a lane, a purple so beautiful I headed for it. I went through a curtain, started sliding in circles, got dizzy, fell asleep... When I woke up you were next to me. If I''m alive, how do I get home? What''s the way back?" Neitta tried to remain calm, to analyze the events logically.


    "Oh, child, my dear, don''t you know how to get home from here?" With arched brow Neith stared at her.


    "No, I don''t know, when I try to remember I just feel serenity.... To be completely honest, when I woke up I was trying to find my way home. Besides a lot of serenity, I was overwhelmed by an immense curiosity. You see these wires sticking out of the crown of the tree? Any idea where they lead? I want to find out!" Neitta showed countless twisted wires in two colours coming off the branches, the leaves and disappearing into the distance.


    Neith looked reassured, she knew there were places connected to the Heart-Tree.


    "Then you can''t go back, just keep going. In the Field of Light you cannot stay! You can follow any of the threads, or go separately. Either way your heart desires. There is no fixed rule!" Neith brings her right palm close to Neith''s left shoulder and transfers a yellow orb that dissolves into Neith''s projection.


    "What are you doing... Oh how cozy! What is it?" Neitta''s eyes went wide, glowing, like she was tasting Swiss chocolate.


    "It is my gift, a strengthening    energy sphere. It will increase your speed to your next destination, making up for the break you took here."


    Neitta gave her a long, grateful hug.


    "Thank you very much! Too bad there isn''t time to get to know you better, to learn about your world, to tell you about mine."


    "Child I learned the experiences of 25 years of life from the circle of information I received when I woke you up. You may end up in the Federation of Five Neighbors or even the Chameleon Kingdom. It depends entirely on the strength of your will and curiosity. '' In turn Neith embraced her, circling her head with his ears and touching her crest with his antennae.


    "Super cool! I''ll give it a try! Farewell, visitor from the departures!" Neitta broke away from the embrace, waved and walked away following a bunch of colorful ribbons.


    Neith stared at her until she disappeared into the sky, then opened her left hand, in which a blue triangle glimmered. It was the bioenergetic code, the key to mastering the physical body. From one corner a yellow-green thread unfurled on the opposite side. He rubbed the triangle against the surface of the bracelet until he managed to integrate it completely and the thread unravelled from one side of the bracelet.


    "Child I wish you much joy in your new journey! If you have enough perseverance you will end up in Chameleon and we will meet again. Then I will reward you for this key and the opportunity to experience your former world."


    Bowing to the Heart-Tree she continues in a resounding voice "I, the fourth princess, Neith Comidava, thank you for the experience! It is an honor! I will find out the reason and purpose of these events! I will help the Creator Source in any way I can! I hope I can return to this unique Light Field!"


    After another bow he departed from the Heart-Tree. When he reached the edge wall, he turned to look and recorded this area for the last time. It was a wonder! Crossing the curtain, he didn''t stop, continuing straight ahead, following the thread to Neita''s body. More correctly now it was hers because she had the key code to enter.