《A Gift of Stars》 Chapter 1 - A Normal Night Those reading this likely won¡¯t remember the time before the Exodus. Before the war. Already the young ones don¡¯t remember, don¡¯t care to remember. And why should they? It was a miserable time, and we¡¯re safe now. But I¡¯ll tell you now there¡¯s danger in forgetting the past, forgetting the war that destroyed our galaxy and sent us running with our tails between our legs and painted the stars red with blood. Log Fragment 64-A Courtesy of the Alliance Department of History
Maggie¡¯s eyes glazed as she stared at the textbook open on the counter, The humid warmth of the laundromat with its distinctive smell of laundry detergent and fabric softener was nap-inducing enough without reading through her professors summarization of Nietzsche¡¯s theories on war and women. Well, at least her shift was almost over, and with tomorrow off she could go hang out at the all-night cafe down the street. Her aunt had probably made her world-famous (really just famous in this town and the next over) apple pie, and she could trudge through the last of the chapter over a slice. With a groan, she leaned back, stretching her arms high over her head. Either way if she tried to read any more now, she really would fall asleep, and she had shift change duties to complete! Lint traps needed to be cleaned, the floor needed to be swept and mopped, and there were two dryers that someone had just left. Might as well start now, it was better than reading one more paragraph of that textbook. Maggie sighed as she stood up and adjusted her headband. There was nothing that said she couldn¡¯t have some fun while she worked though. A dance break was exactly what she needed to shake off the torpor brought on by the text book. She took a moment to consider her various playlists on her phone: would it be hip hop, alternative rock, or... oh who was she kidding? This night required electro swing! With a decisive jab of her finger, the music started to blare out of the phones subpar speaker. She cranked up the volume as high as it would go, leaving the phone on the counter as she started actually working. At least she could hear it without any of the machines running, and more importantly there was no one around to see her try out some moves she had seen online. By the time the the lint traps were cleaned Maggie¡¯s hair was a red cloud around her head, and she was feeling alive with the energy of music and static electricity. She approached the last two dryers tentatively, eyeballing the metal doors. She made a face, glancing out the large, foggy window, trying to peer through the layers of faded ads and out-dated posters to see if Bobby had arrived yet. But she didn¡¯t see his beat up EV anywhere. He had probably stopped at the corner store to get pizza. Well, no sense stalling any further. She turned back to the dryer, taking a deep breath, and touched the metal door. She could see the spark before her hand met the door, letting out a yelp as it jolted up her arm. Maggie shook her hand, glaring at the door. Well, that should be it at least, especially with the strength of that shock. Reluctantly, she touched the door again, pulled it open, and starting to haul the laundry into a plastic garbage bag for whoever might come and claim it later. How people could just leave their laundry was beyond her, it wasn¡¯t like this was a private laundromat that you needed a key to get into. Even with private laundromats it was a risk to leave your laundry unattended. Heck, the one time she had done her laundry in the dorms it had been stolen, and it hadn¡¯t even gone through the dryer! Maggie shrugged slightly, almost missing the sound of something hitting the tile floor. If it was coins, she was totally going to keep them. Call it the leaving-your-laundry tax. She knelt down, retrieving a worn sock and what looked to be a paperweight. Another spark of static arched from the crystal and metal to her hand, and she yelped, nearly dropping it. Not a coin, which meant off-limits for keeping. She wasn¡¯t above keeping a quarter or two, but anything more than that... well, she wasn¡¯t a total bitch. And this thing looked fancy. She held it up to the light, eyeing the miniature galaxy contained within it. It looked like something you¡¯d find at the planetarium gift shop, right next to the freeze dried ice cream and bouncy balls painted to look like planets. Bobby would love it, he was all into space, extraterrestrials and stuff like that. Maggie slipped it into her pocket for safekeeping as she shouldered the bag of laundry, hauling it back behind the counter for whoever came to claim it. It was weird what people left at the laundromat. The door swung open with a jangle, and Bobby rushed in, surrounded by the scent of cheap pizza and carrying a backpack with a 2-liter of soda sticking out the top. ¡°Sorry Mags!¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Maggie looked up and grinned at the boxes of pizza and the laptop perched precariously on top of them. ¡°Hey Bobby, class run late?¡± ¡°You know it. Professor Dickerson is brutal. So much for this being an easy class! Did you know he has us studying the link between Nazis and ancient alien theory?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Maggie shook her head with a smile. She hauled the bag of laundry behind the counter, and tapped her phone to pause the music. Professor Dickerson was well known for weeding out the people that thought his classes would be fun and easy. Even Maggie knew that, and she had no interest in the theories of aliens. Life was complicated enough without assuming that aliens helped build the pyramids or whatever. ¡°Really!¡± Bobby slid his pizza boxes onto the counter, dropping his bag with a solid thud next to it. She knew that sound, her aunt called it the sound of knowledge. She called it the sound of future back problems: textbooks. ¡°And he assigned five chapters of reading tonight, on top of the individual research we¡¯re supposed to be doing! And of course you know Theo is going to be following the alien pyramid line of study. I hope the professor flunks her for pursuing that old line of research! Everyone knows that theory was made by people that thought if you weren¡¯t white you couldn¡¯t possibly have had the ingenuity to create massive structures we still admire today.¡± Bobby rolled his eyes, and Maggie¡¯s smile grew. It was always a riot to listen to Bobby ramble about his passion, and even better to watch alien theory shows with him. She had never thought to see someone literally throw popcorn at a TV screen before, or shout about white colonizers and their biased views. Especially since he was as white as she was! ¡°What are you going to choose for your individual research?¡± Maggie asked. Bobby straightened a little, looking just a little superior as he started to pull books from his bag. ¡°Historical evidence of human abductions. Well, evidence is a bit of a strong word... there¡¯s hundreds of reasons that people may disappear, but still, it¡¯s going to be interesting to research different disappearances, reappearances, and celestial phenomenon around the time of some disappearances. I have a program ready to sift through some of the databases the university has access to!¡± Of course he did. Maggie shook her head, smiling at her friend. ¡°You would. Well, best of luck on it. Oh! Hey, I found something in the dryer that you might think is cool. Take a look.¡± Maggie reached in her pocket, yelping at another strong electric shock. Damn! It had to have metal in it to keep shocking her like that, she didn¡¯t think the air was that dry. ¡°You alright?¡± Bobby flipped open the lid on the pizza, pulling out a slice with more cheese and grease than was strictly healthy for anyone. He took a bite, gesturing for Maggie to snag a slice as well. ¡°Yeah, just got shocked, that¡¯s all.¡± She pulled the pretty little paperweight out of her pocket, setting it on the counter with a smile. ¡°Check this out while I get an envelope for it. I bet whoever left it is going to come back for it.¡± Bobby looked at the paperweight, letting out a whistle of appreciation. ¡°This is great detail! It¡¯s an almost exact miniature replica of the Milky Way galaxy! Hmm.. or on this scale I suppose it could be any barred spiral galaxy with two primary arms, but why would someone make a replica of any other galaxy? They probably got it from a museum or something. I wonder if it belongs to anyone I know.¡± If it belonged to anyone from the university, it¡¯d probably be a classmate of Bobbies. Maggie grinned, pulling one of the envelopes the boss used for payroll from beneath the counter. ¡°Ask around, see if anyone left their holey socks and a fancy paperweight in the laundry this weekend.¡± ¡°Maybe it was Professor Dickersons.¡± Bobby grinned, and pushed the paperweight towards her. ¡°Or Theo¡¯s, it¡¯s the type of thing she would have.¡± ¡°Well, if no one comes back for it, it¡¯s the type of thing I would have too. It¡¯s pretty.¡± She picked up the paperweight, letting it sit in the palm of her hand a moment, smiling down at the intricate scattering of silver and blue. The core even seemed to glow a dim yellow! She hoped no one would claim it. ¡°How long should we give them?¡± ¡°You know how often people come back for their junk. I say just take it, and if someone comes and asks I¡¯ll tell them it¡¯s at your Aunt Electra¡¯s cafe, that we didn¡¯t want to leave it here to get stolen.¡± Bobby shrugged, waving his slice of pizza at it. ¡°Dad won¡¯t care, it¡¯s not like he lets anyone else have the code to the safe anyways, so we can¡¯t put it in there.¡± ¡°True....¡± Maggie stared at the thing, imaging the tiny galaxy spinning slowly in its glass prison. ¡°I¡¯ll put it in Aunt Electra¡¯s safe. I bet you a pizza someone will come looking for it before the night is over.¡± Her grin returned, and she dropped the paperweight into her pocket, snagging a slice of pizza. Then it was time for her to start gathering up her textbooks, shoving them into her bag with minimal grease stains on the covers. ¡°You¡¯re on. If I win I¡¯m getting one with anchovies, and you have to eat a slice.¡± ¡°Ew!¡± She laughed, shouldering her bag. ¡°How you can eat those is beyond me. They look like worms and taste so salty...¡± ¡°They¡¯re seafood, healthy protein.¡± ¡°Not with that much salt and grease they aren¡¯t... see you later.¡± She snagged a second slice of pizza, waving at Bobby with it as she headed for the door. Anchovies... she was fine with seafood, but anchovies were different. So was anything that still had eyes when it reached her plate, which was why she would eat crab legs but no actual full crabs. And crawfish were a hard pass. ¡°See you later Mags!¡± Bobby laughed, pulling his laptop close to start working on his homework. The door swung shut behind her, the crisp wind carrying the scent of leaves and greasy pizza down the street. Chapter 2 - A Star In My Pocket
Humans make up roughly 5% of the galactic population. Most reside on their home planet of Earth, and have no idea that we exist. Of the rest, 90% of them reside safely in the keeping of the Silvarians and those like them, controlled and contained. It¡¯s the last 10% of them that roam the galaxy and keep the rest of us awake at night.
-Norvil Gavrinik, Chief of the Allied Security Forces
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As Maggie hurried down the couple blocks that separated the laundromat and The Study Hall Cafe, she began to wish she had brought a jacket. The crisp fall air cut through her hoodie as if it were nothing, a reminder that winter was looming just around the corner. Maggie shivered and shoved her hands in her pockets, fingers brushing against the still-warm paperweight. Or could it be a worry stone? Maybe even a hand warmer? Eager to reach the warmth of the cafe, Maggie hurried through the dark campus. Dry leaves crunched beneath her feet, and she took a moment to seek out the Orion constellation in the clear night sky. Thank god for small towns, there was little light pollution, so she found it quickly and smiled. She might not be into aliens, but it always seemed romantic how humans saw pictures in the stars. A gust of wind cut through her hoodie again, and she picked up the pace. There were still other people on the street, even this late, and the cafe was bound to be packed. It wasn¡¯t like there was much else to do in Alexandria on a Sunday night. Within minutes Maggie had reached The Study Hall. She pushed through the old wooden door into the warmth and noise beyond, looking around fondly at the odd gathering of college students and exhausted professors. The TV in the corner was tuned in to the university news station, the latest weather report scrolling across the bottom predicting flurries in the early morning. The main topic tonight seemed to be focused on aliens and UFO sightings out by the old junkyard. Maggie glanced at the news broadcaster, confirming what she had suspected. It was an excited young woman with slick black hair and glitter on her eyelids: Theo, Bobby¡¯s rival/crush. The student broadcasters got to pick what they covered to an extent, and with the focus on aliens, Maggie had figured it would be Theo covering it. Granted not a lot happened in their little town, so they had to find something to cover. She supposed UFOs were one of the more entertaining subjects they could cover. Even if it was a load of nonsense. ¡°Mags!¡± Becca called from behind the counter, waving over the heads of chatting university students. Maggie preferred when they covered the local animal shelter. She looked around the crowded cafe, discarding the idea of studying for the time being. Becca was working by herself, and from the smell of cookies that wafted from the kitchen she had already started making baked goods for the morning. She was going to need an extra set of hands. ¡°Hi Becca, gimme a sec to drop off my stuff and I¡¯ll help.¡± Maggie hurried through the crowd, past a group playing a tabletop roleplaying game, the DM wearing a wizard hat of all things. ¡°Hi, Sam.¡± She greeted him, not surprised when he responded in character. ¡°Hark fair tavern wench! Slinger of cappuccinos'' and baked goods both fresh and hot! A round for my mighty companions!¡± ¡°You paying this time Sam?¡± One of his players, a young woman dressed more for clubbing than for the cafe, asked. ¡°We shall delve into the treasury for our funds!¡± Maggie laughed and shook her head. ¡°Hold your dragons, I¡¯ll put your order in.¡± She ducked behind the counter, dropping her bag in a corner next to Becca¡¯s. ¡°Where have you been? You¡¯re late.¡± Becca joked and tossed her a well-worn apron made from scrap fabric. Maggie pulled it on over her head, breathing in the lingering scent of her mother¡¯s perfume. She fished in the pocket, retrieving the scrunchie she knew was there. Good ol¡¯ Mom, always prepared. Maggie¡¯s mother had helped run the cafe before her health got bad. She had worked during the day, and Aunt Electra had always covered the night. But as she spent more and more time in the hospital Maggie¡¯s friend Becca had taken over the duties her mother had taken care of before. Aunt Electra had shifted her schedule so Becca could still go to morning classes, and Maggie helped out when she could, but she had no interest in actually running the place. ¡°Where else? The laundromat. Sorry I¡¯m late to work a shift I wasn¡¯t scheduled for.¡± Maggie laughed and shrugged. ¡°Talking aliens with Bobby. Think they¡¯ll interview him for the news?¡± She waved a hand at the TV, and both girls laughed. Bobby was a long-time friend, but neither of them believed in aliens like he did. Maggie would at least admit that there was probably something out there, it just seemed too self-centered to believe they were the only planet in the galaxy that had life on it. Becca believed that if anyone were out there, they would have seen real proof by now. Becca pressed a large cup of coffee mixed with hot cocoa into Maggie¡¯s hand. ¡°Make up for it by slinging those cappuccinos and baked goods Sam wants. The cookies I threw in the oven should be about done.¡± And as soon as they came out, Maggie knew that there would be a surge of business. She downed a searing gulp of the concoction Becca had given her, then tucked it beneath the counter. ¡°I¡¯m on it boss!¡± Becca scribbled names on the small army of cups that made up Sam¡¯s group and a few other stragglers as Maggie hurried into the kitchen to rescue the cookies from certain doom. The best thing about Sam¡¯s group was that they pretty much always ordered the same things, so it was easy to get their order sorted. Becca laughed, and soon they were both working too hard and fast to talk much. It was just like that at the cafe. Lots of university towns had bars and clubs, but here they just had The Study Hall, the pizza joint with its sorry little arcade, and the occasional house party. It didn¡¯t slow down until well past midnight, when the social butterflies and desperately studying students started turning in so they could be conscious in morning classes. The cookies had been a hit, one of Becca¡¯s weird mixes: chocolate chips and espresso bean pieces. There was no doubt they would turn into a permanent feature in the cafe. Becca poured Maggie one more drink, this one warm milk with a touch of maple syrup to sweeten it, before lounging back on the counter. ¡°So. How are you handling Philosophy of World History 132?¡± ¡°Wondering why I even took it.¡± Maggie took a sip of the milk and let out a sigh. It was their usual end-of-shift drink, although she knew that Becca would be here for at least a couple more hours, setting things up for Aunt Electra¡¯s shift. They really needed someone else to help run the place, Maggie wasn¡¯t sure how her aunt and mother used to do the 12-hour shifts all the time, she had only worked a few and they were brutal! ¡°Because it fills one of the general requirements and you didn¡¯t know what else to take.¡± Becca supplied helpfully. She poured herself a drink, this one mostly coffee, and dropped an ice cube in it. ¡°Might as well just power through, it¡¯s too late to drop it now.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve got that right. I can¡¯t afford the F if I want to keep my scholarship. And you know Aunt Electra wouldn¡¯t like it if I just quit school altogether.¡± Maggie reached into her pocket, fingers brushing along the weird little paperweight. Little tingles still danced across its surface as if it was holding onto static electricity, and it still seemed warmer than it should have been from her body heat. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Were you thinking about quitting?¡± ¡°Yeah. I thought I could help out here more. But I¡¯m pretty sure Aunt Electra would flip.¡± Maggie frowned, staring into space thoughtfully before she finally just shrugged. Aunt Electra was big on education, having never gotten much of one herself. When Maggie had qualified for the scholarship to the local university, her mother and Aunt Electra had jumped on the opportunity, talking it up like she¡¯d be crazy not to take it. Not that she knew what she wanted to do with her life. ¡°Well... you could always go into philosophy, or... what is it Bobby is doing again? Exobiology? Xenoarchaeology? Some kind of ology. You could go into something like that.¡± Maggie laughed, shaking her head at the very thought. ¡°Not a chance. I may not know what I want to do, but I know studying aliens isn¡¯t it. Maybe I could be a writer.¡± She took another drink of her milk and let out a sigh. ¡°Is there any apple pie left?¡± ¡°Nope, sold the last slice to our wizard friend. Apparently he wanted to celebrate his party defeating the big bad or something like that. I bet Electra has some at home though. You know how she is.¡± Becca tactfully didn¡¯t say anything about Maggie being a writer, they both knew that she couldn¡¯t write worth a damn. ¡°True....¡± And if she didn¡¯t have apple pie, then she would have something else delicious. Maggie downed the last of her milk, straightened from the counter, and set the glass in the dishwasher. ¡°Are you going to be alright until Aunt Electra comes in?¡± ¡°Of course, all the troublemakers have passed out by this time. Are you going to be okay getting home?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that far, and remember: all the troublemakers have passed out.¡± Maggie laughed and shouldered her backpack. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Good. Be careful, and get some rest. Or else you may start seeing UFOs like all the other crazies.¡± Becca waved a hand at the news channel, just a repeat of what had been on earlier. It was a 24/7 station, but that didn¡¯t mean they had new stuff in the middle of the night. With a grin, Maggie just shook her head and headed for the door. ¡°Not going to happen. Whatever aliens are out there aren¡¯t likely to have any interest in Earth. We¡¯re the ghetto of the galaxy Becca, the kind that you lock your doors and roll up your windows when you drive through.¡± The door swung closed on Becca¡¯s laughter, leaving Maggie alone in the cold, peaceful silence that only came in the earliest hours of morning or the latest hours of the night. That time of day when you could almost imagine you were the only one awake. She took a deep, cleansing breath of the crisp fall air, letting it out slowly so she could watch it fog the air in front of her. No one had come to claim the little paperweight or whatever it was, and it sat heavy and warm in her pocket. Maybe it was a hand warmer? She tucked her hands in her pockets, brushing against the almost hot stone as she hurried down the street towards home. Maybe it just felt hot because it was so cold outside. Maggie ducked into a side alley that would cut the time between the cafe and home down by half. Her fingers curled around the trinket, enjoying the smooth warmth it offered. Whatever it was, she was starting to feel attached to the thing. Her footsteps echoed eerily in the cold alley, and the wind tugged at her hair, trying to pull it from the scrunchie. She looked up between the buildings, seeking Orion again. But not a single star was visible in the night sky. Maggie let out a disappointed sigh. There was something comforting about finding Orion, about seeing the stars in general. But she hadn¡¯t expected to be able to see them, not with the weather report predicting snow flurries. ¡°Are you Maggie?¡± The voice that broke the peaceful silence was deep and masculine, carrying a heavy note of irritation and an accent that she didn¡¯t recognize. Maggie froze, a jolt of fear and surprise spiking through her chest. She stared at the dark figure that had appeared at the end of the alley, her eyes wide. She hadn¡¯t noticed him before! In the darkness, it was hard to tell what the man looked like, other than he had broad shoulders and stood nearly a head taller than her. She glanced over her shoulder, back to the other end of the alley and the warm light of Main Street. ¡°Jesus! You scared the crap out of me! Can help you?¡± She took a cautious step back, trying to keep some distance between her and the stranger. ¡°My name¡¯s Theseus. Your coworker at the laundromat said you had something of mine.¡± ¡°Something of yours?¡± She asked blankly, her mind taking its time to process his words. His name was familiar, but she couldn¡¯t place from where. Was he in one of her classes? ¡°Wait, do you mean that paperweight thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a paperweight!¡± The man snapped, taking a step towards her. It seemed like he took a moment to calm his voice before speaking again. ¡°But it¡¯s small, crystal, with what looks like a galaxy inside it. Do you have it?¡± Something else creeped into Theseus¡¯s voice, desperation? Like an addict asking after drugs, or a student asking for an extension on an important test. He moved closer again, and alarm bells went off in her head, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she glanced back towards Main St. It wasn¡¯t that far away, she¡¯d just feel better if she wasn¡¯t alone with this guy. ¡°Yeah, just... it¡¯s at the cafe. I can take you there.¡± Becca would be there, and her brother was a cop. She might just be being paranoid, but she did not want to be alone in this alley with this man. ¡°Liar!¡± The man snapped, and for a moment he loomed over her, close enough that she could smell the beer on his breath, and see the wild, desperate look in his eyes. Maggie didn¡¯t think, didn¡¯t hesitate as her self-defense class kicked in and her pepper spray came up. Her keys jangled against the little bejeweled canister as she unleashed the spray on the man. She was so close that she could taste it, and some of it stung her own eyes. But the man got it all the worse. He let out a scream and stumbled back, rubbing at his eyes as they began to water. For a moment Maggie stood there, stunned that that had worked. Then her brain kicked back into gear, and she spun, running back down the alley and into the light of Main Street. She didn¡¯t stop until she reached the cafe, the air like knives of ice in her chest as she gasped for breath, her face red from the backlash of the pepper spray and the cold night air. She slammed the door closed behind her, fumbling a moment with the seldom-used lock before it clicked into place. Safety. The warm smell of cookies and coffee filled the air, the news replaced by Becca¡¯s favorite podcast, a weird mix of true crime and ghost stories. Hands shaking, Maggie started to pull the curtains over the windows, she didn¡¯t want that man to see in if he came this way. ¡°Hello, welcome to The Study Hall- Maggie? What are you doing back here?¡± Becca came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a well-worn towel. ¡°I thought you were headed home.¡± ¡°I was.¡± Maggie backed away from the door, staring at it. Waiting for it to start shaking like in the horror movies as the big baddie tried to get at the helpless college students. But it never did. The warm air from the cafe heating vents set the curtains to swaying slightly. But no hammering knock came, no yelling demands. Nothing. Had he given up that easily? Becca frowned, noticing the shaking in her voice and hands, the way Maggie dropped down into a chair by the little electric fireplace. ¡°Mags, are you alright?¡± ¡°I-¡± Maggie paused, looking at the pepper spray bottle still clutched in her hand. ¡°I¡¯m- I was attacked. Or was about to be attacked?¡± The shaking got harder to ignore, and she very carefully set down the spent pepper spray, tears pricking her eyes. Maybe it was just a big mistake? But the man had been so much bigger than her, and he had seemed so desperate! Maybe she should go apologize? No, that was stupid. Even if it was a mistake there was no way she was going back out there alone. ¡°You were what?¡± Becca dropped the towel and glanced towards the door. ¡°Where? Did you recognize them? Stay right there I¡¯m calling Ross.¡± She didn¡¯t wait for Maggie to answer any of her questions, her phone already in her hand and dialing. ¡°Lock the door.¡± Ross was Becca¡¯s big brother, and the youngest police officer in their little town. He would be working right now, he always worked nights. Nothing ever happened at night, nothing ever happened in this town. Except for now. She had been attacked. She had pepper-sprayed a man! He had been drunk, crazy! It had been self-defense. Her mind rattled off the excuses, even with that seed of doubt in the back of her mind. She should have just thrown the thing at him. But if she was completely honest, she didn¡¯t want to give it back. Maggie fumbled in her pocket and pulled out the paperweight that wasn¡¯t a paperweight. What was so special about this that he had wanted it so bad? It didn¡¯t look all that special, other than the fact that it was glowing. Wait, had it been glowing before? And it was hot! ¡°What the?¡± The heat grew, and for some reason, she couldn¡¯t let go of the crystal. It passed the temperature of normal hand warmers, the glow starting to pulse in time with her heart. She could barely hear Becca screaming her name, could barely hear her own screams. It felt like she was holding a hot baking pan! No, like she was holding a star. The light flared in one final pulse that blinded her, and then she was falling into the endless white light.
Chapter 3 - A Rough Night
The technology left behind by the Ancients continues to be a puzzle for even the best contemporary scientists. We have found no evidence of a power source, nor circuitry of any recognizable sort. We can tell that the technology works, but why it works continues to be a mystery. And I refuse to succumb to the theory of magic.
-Excerpt from the journals of See¡¯lar Vixala.
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¡°Sequencing genetic markers. Searching for matches.¡± The voice was a soft, emotionless whisper cutting through the icy wind. Somehow, it was familiar, although Maggie was sure she¡¯d never heard it before. Was this what they meant by dejavu? She blinked open her eyes, squinting into the white light that surrounded her. Icy snowflakes pelted her skin, and in the distance, she saw something looming as tall as a skyscraper. ¡°So, it found you. Finally!¡± The wind tore the voice away, leaving only a senseless howling behind. Warmth seeped into her, and color started to bleed into the landscape, the white blizzard fading away to show her aunts cafe and the blurry figures of Becca and her brother, Ross. She only noticed them for a moment before a furry brown face loomed over her, tongue lolling out as Chance, the stations police dog, assaulted her with doggy breath. ¡°The burn looks worse than it is, but I think she¡¯s in shock.¡± Ross¡¯s voice floated through the howling in her ears, and Maggie realized that it was getting much quieter. She also realized that she was sitting on one of the mismatched recliners in the cafe, a scratchy gray blanket wrapped around her shoulders. ¡°But what caused the burn? All I saw was this bright white light and she was screaming! There was nothing in her hand.¡± Becca¡¯s voice was higher than normal, and she was pacing back and forth on the worn carpet in front of Maggie, agitatedly waving her hands at nothing. ¡°I have to call Electra. Should we take her to the hospital?¡± ¡°Calm down Rebecca, I already called Doc Zimmerman, he¡¯s on his way.¡± Ross was sitting in a chair across from Maggie, his badge bright against his dark uniform shirt. He smiled when he noticed Maggie open her eyes. ¡°Well, look who decided to join us.¡± His voice was light, but there was concern in his eyes, a seriousness beneath the smile. He always had a handsome smile. Although Chance apparently thought he was more handsome, one ear flopping as he tilted his shaggy head, blocking her view of Ross for a moment. Maggie gingerly pushed the dog away. ¡°It was the paperweight.¡± Her voice sounded strange: hoarse and shaky. She looked down at her hand, trying to focus on it. It didn¡¯t hurt, didn¡¯t feel hot, didn¡¯t even feel cold. Which was weird since she was holding a frozen bag of chocolate chips. Must have been the closest they had to frozen peas. A bubble of laughter threatened to spill out her mouth at the thought, and she struggled to hold it in, staring at the bag for a moment that seemed to stretch on and on. ¡°Easy there, kiddo.¡± Ross grinned at her, taking her hand and peeking beneath the bag of chocolate chips. ¡°How ya feeling?¡± ¡°What paperweight? Maggie, no paperweight I¡¯ve ever seen could do that. It looked like your whole hand had caught fire!¡± Becca paused in her anxious pacing, pinning Maggie with an intense gaze. ¡°If Ross hadn¡¯t already been on the way...¡± She paused, then spun on her heel and marched behind the counter. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you some hot chocolate.¡± The statement reminded Maggie so forcefully of Aunt Electra that the laughter bubbled out. When in doubt: heal it with a hot beverage and baked goods! Actually, baked goods sounded really good right about now. She looked down at her hand, noticing how it shook. Beneath the bag of chocolate chips, she glimpsed angry, blistering red skin before Ross adjusted the bag on her hand to hide it. As if seeing the damage was some trigger, the feeling started to return to her hand. It was an aching burn that seemed to go all the way down to her bones. In contrast, the rest of her felt freezing. She moved to pick up the bag of chocolate chips to take a closer look, but Ross put his hand over it, his voice soft. ¡°Leave them there until Doctor Zimmerman gets here to take a look at the damage.¡± Maggie rested her hand back down, trying to ignore the pain searing through it. It felt like it was still on fire, but everything above her hand felt cold. ¡°It hurts.¡± She whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. Shit, she did not want to cry in front of Ross. ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t feel like it, but that¡¯s a good thing. Rebecca will get you some pain pills, and the cold from the chocolate chips should help. Would you be up to answering a few questions about what happened?¡± A shiver ran down her spine, and Maggie nodded. ¡°Y-yeah. Yeah, I¡¯m okay. Go ahead.¡± She curled her arm against her stomach, staring down at the bag of chocolate chips and wondering how they weren¡¯t melting from the heat. Maybe the paperweight had had a weird reaction to the pepper spray. That was possible, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Good. If you need to stop, just let me know. We¡¯ll take all the time you need.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Ross was gentle with his questions, Chance a welcome comfort with his big head on her lap. Although Chance did make it hard to eat the cookies Becca brought over until he got his own plate of doggy biscuits. ¡°You¡¯re going to get fat, dog.¡± Maggie muttered to the large German Shepard, who wagged his tail with no shame at all. It felt like the questions went on for hours, not that she could give him much information. She had only glimpsed the man¡¯s face for a short time, long enough to tell he had short, dark hair, and intense blue eyes. She had a vague idea that he was wearing some kind of leather jacket and boots, but she couldn¡¯t begin to tell him what colors they were. By the time Ross was finished, Doctor Zimmerman had arrived and had his own questions to ask. ¡°Well, this is a lovely burn you have Magdelina.¡± He said casually, although his eyebrows raised nearly to his receding hairline. ¡°How in the world did you come by it?¡± He turned her hand this way and that, careful of the burns as he studied the odd pattern they made on her palm. She had expected it to be just a plain circle from where she had been holding the paperweight thing, but it was a spiral closer to the galaxy that had been suspended in the crystal, only bigger. It seemed to fit perfectly on her palm, and the light glinted oddly off the blisters that were already forming. Maggie¡¯s stomach turned, and she looked away as the doctor carefully peeled away one of the blisters, not seeing the shimmering silver that spilled out. Doctor Zimmerman caught some in a tube, frowning. ¡°You¡¯ll need to keep this bandaged for a few days. I¡¯ll give your aunt something for the pain, and some cream she can help you put on it so that it doesn¡¯t get infected. But it¡¯s not as bad as it looks. I would still like you to take some time off of work and school to get some decent rest though.¡± ¡°Time off?¡± Maggie¡¯s eyes snapped to him, thinking of her meager savings for a car, and the idea of having to retake History 132. ¡°Yes.¡± Doctor Zimmerman said firmly, his voice allowing no room for argument. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Professor Hernandez myself so don¡¯t worry about that. You need to focus on your health right now, and your health requires you to rest so that you can heal. Am I clear?¡± But her car! She was getting so close to being able to afford an old beater! But she knew from watching Doctor Zimmerman with her mother that he was not above sedating someone if they refused to rest. She was sure that had to be illegal, but that didn¡¯t stop him from doing it. Or her aunt from helping him. ¡°Yes....¡± She said reluctantly. Doctor Zimmerman nodded and smeared some cream over her hand. It seeped into the burn, soothing the heat almost immediately. He had already started to bandage it when her aunt walked in, a frown already on her face. Well, Maggie couldn¡¯t blame her there. There was no good reason for the police or Doctor Zimmerman to be at the cafe this time of day. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± She demanded before she was through the door, her dark eyes scanning the room intently. She took in Ross, sitting in the chair across from Maggie, Doctor Zimmerman bandaging her hand, and Becca behind the counter, cleaning things that she had already cleaned at least twice in her need to be doing something. Ross looked up, closing his notepad and sliding it into his pocket. ¡°Electra, nice to see you. Everything¡¯s alright, Maggie just had a.. rough night.¡± ¡°Rough night!¡± Becca made a sound between a snort and a laugh, glancing at Maggie, and then at her brother in disbelief. ¡°Rough night. You might as well say that Desert Storm was a little scuffle!¡± ¡°Yes, a rough night,¡± Ross said firmly and stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t want to start a panic. Maggie is alright, and she did exactly right in her situation.¡± Ross turned to Aunt Electra, whose eyes had widened in alarm, which did not lessen when he continued. ¡°She was attacked by a drunk in that alley between Main and Tollberry Street. Probably an isolated incident but we¡¯re going to look into it and try to find the guy.¡± Electra nearly dropped her purse, her face turning ashy pale. ¡°You were attacked? Oh my God Maggie, why didn¡¯t you call?¡± She did drop her purse then, letting it land on a table as she hurried over to embrace Maggie in a tight hug. Doctor Zimmerman moved away to make room, tucking the tube of silver liquid into his pocket as he stood up. ¡°I¡¯m fine Aunt Electra. It didn¡¯t happen that long ago, you were going to be here soon anyways so we just- we figured we¡¯d wait to tell you in person.¡± Maggie returned the hug, closing her eyes to hold back the tears. She had already cried a few times, she didn¡¯t want to do it again and make Aunt Electra worry more. ¡°Don¡¯t you lie to me young lady, you¡¯re shakin¡¯ like a leaf in a hurricane. We¡¯ll close up the shop today. Becca can go home and get some sleep, and I¡¯ll take you home so you can get some rest as well. Unless you need her for anything more, Officer Ross?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that Aunt Electra! I¡¯m fine, really! I just want to go home and get some sleep. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re done here. I¡¯ll go file my report and we¡¯ll put a description of the culprit out. Maybe we¡¯ll get lucky and someone will have already picked him up.¡± ¡°Someone else who? Chance?¡± Becca rolled her eyes at the idea. Chance looked up at the mention of his name, tail thumping against the floor, eyes a soulful request for more biscuits. ¡°Rebecca, I¡¯m not the only cop, and we work with the state troopers,¡± Ross said. ¡°If he¡¯s been wandering around drunk he might already be at the station.¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± Becca looked at the dozens of cookies she had made and sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll have a sale on cookies tonight I guess. I¡¯ll close up for you, just... you two go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you, Becca, make sure to record your hours so I can get you the overtime.¡± Aunt Electra wrapped an arm around Maggie, guiding her to the door. ¡°Can I talk to you for a moment Electra? I need to give you some prescriptions for Maggie.¡± Doctor Zimmerman nodded towards the back office, little more than a storage room with a desk. ¡°Privately.¡± Electra frowned, glancing at Doctor Zimmerman. ¡°Of course. Officer Ross, can you help her to the car? It¡¯s right behind yours, the doors aren¡¯t locked. Becca, please pack up some chocolate chip cookies for us and yourself. I have a feeling we¡¯ll all be needing them today.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Becca sighed, and grabbed a couple of the bakery boxes, starting to pile cookies in them. Maggie found she was too tired to argue anymore. She followed Ross out of the door in a fog of exhaustion. She barely remembered the ride home, or Aunt Electra making up the couch for her to sleep on, just like she and her mother used to do when she was little and home with a cold. She even turned on some familiar old cartoons, and Maggie let them lull her into a restless sleep full of strange dreams.
Chapter 3.5 - Aboard "The Bard of Avon"
The Silvarians won¡¯t admit it, but there was a time when humans traveled the stars as much as anyone else. I mean before all this abduction nonsense started. And the less there¡¯s said about that the better. Some have even theorized that humans used to be the Ancients pilots, but who knows? All we know is that humans have had a place in the stars well before those damn otters started stealing our ancestors.
-From the journal of Lysander Goodfellow
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¡°I can¡¯t believe you ran her off like that!¡± The voice of Theseus¡¯s brother crackled with frustration and the holographic figure flickered in the dim interior light of the ship. Theseus groaned, splashing more water in his eyes. At least on this planet, he could refill the water reservoir, so he didn¡¯t have to ration it as he tried to rinse the pepper spray from his eyes. He straightened from the sink, looking in the crystal mirror. Well, he couldn¡¯t say that he hadn¡¯t deserved it, but damn that woman! If she had just given him the key! If he hadn¡¯t gotten drunk and lost it in the first place. There was no denying that this whole damn mess was his fault. But did Robin have to yell so loudly right now? ¡°I¡¯ll get it back.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better. If we don¡¯t there¡¯s going to be hell to pay.¡± Robin flickered like a shitty fake ghost as he paced back and forth, holographic feet silent on the thin carpet. ¡°There¡¯s probably going to be hell to pay anyway. I told you not to go to that frat party.¡± ¡°I know. I know! But I¡¯ll get it back.¡± Theseus wasn¡¯t sure what Robin was worried about, it wasn¡¯t like he had a body to get beaten. Although he supposed Flame could always try to erase what remained of his memory from the Bard of Avon¡¯s databanks. Not that any of them understood how his soul got caught in there to begin with. If he dared admit it, he wasn¡¯t even sure it was his brother¡¯s soul in there and not some crazy AI that only thought it was his brother. Theseus stepped out of the cramped bathroom, his broad shoulders barely clearing the door frame. He headed across the main cabin to the pilot¡¯s seat and it¡¯s viewport surrounded by computers. Air wheezed from a crack in the seat as he sat down, the duct tape holding the seat together flapping up briefly. ¡°At least it won¡¯t be in Silvarian hands though. That¡¯s the main reason we grabbed it.¡± Robin¡¯s holographic form moved up behind Theseus, looking over his shoulder as Theseus pulled up a mess of screens across the hodgepodge of monitors. ¡°That¡¯s true, but it was perfectly fine hidden where it was too. If Flame wasn¡¯t paying us so much I would have said to leave it in that hole. But it still would have been Ancient¡¯s technology on Earth, and I don¡¯t see that working out well either. You know how unpredictable it can be.¡± Theseus scowled and pulled up local media broadcasts. They both knew damn well how unpredictable the Ancient¡¯s tech could be. More so than most. It would be a real problem if some poor Earth girl got stuck in a computer, crippled, or turned into some strange crystal monster. The local authorities would cover it up of course, but the woman would likely turn into a government experiment. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. He did not want that on his conscience. They were as bad on this planet as the Silvarians were in the rest of the galaxy. ¡°Can you pull up scans for its energy signature?¡± It looked like the altercation hadn¡¯t hit the news yet, no surprise there. But there was mumbling about it on the radio band the local police used: little more than a request to keep a lookout for a tall white male with brown hair wearing a leather jacket. That could complicate things, but the description was so vague that he wasn¡¯t overly worried. Robin frowned, pausing in his pacing. ¡°I can try. But if we pick up its energy signature from here....¡± He trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. He didn¡¯t need to finish that thought. Picking up the energy signature from nearby was one thing, that was how he had found her in the first place. But if they were able to pick up its energy signature from outside of town, that meant the key had been activated and bonded with the nearest living thing. Maybe they would get lucky and it would bond to a stray cat, but he doubted it. Luck just wasn¡¯t that kind to them lately. Theseus was silent for a moment, staring at the local amateur news broadcast that was talking about strange sightings near the junkyard. Right where they had landed and concealed the ship. ¡°Try anyways.¡± He said finally. ¡°If you locate it, we¡¯ll relocate the ship closer to it. Looks like our landing didn¡¯t go unnoticed.¡± He didn¡¯t want to bet on their ship¡¯s resemblance to an RV any more than they had to. It would only take one curious kid to notice the new RV in the junkyard and start poking around to blow their entire cover. The sooner they got the Key back and got off this planet, the better. Robin¡¯s form flickered, disappearing entirely for brief periods as he focused his attention on the external sensors. Theseus glanced at him with a frown. It would be nice to update the processors, he had seen how Robin looked when he was projected through better tech. But there was only so much he could do as a freelancer, especially a human freelancer. Some people wouldn¡¯t even work with humans and others wouldn¡¯t pay them as well as they would pay other races. It was funny how some things reflected Earth¡¯s patterns of inequities, even with the supposedly more enlightened alien races. Enlightened his ass. Robin¡¯s form settled into a more or less steady projection, his brow furrowed. ¡°Well. I have good news and bad news.¡± His voice was resigned, his holographic shoulders slumping. Theseus put his face in his hands and let out a groan. ¡°You found it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Robin let out a staticky sigh, looking at his brother with sympathy. ¡°It¡¯s been activated.¡± Shit. He was fine being a thief, a pirate, and a scavenger, but a kidnapper? ¡°Yes.¡± Robin said. Theseus ran his hands over his face, steepling his fingers as he let out a slow breath. He stared at Robin grimly, the silence stretching between them. They both knew what they would have to do, but neither wanted to say it. Theseus was the first to break the silence, his voice soft. ¡°We¡¯ll have to take her with us.¡± Robin nodded, his lips pressing thinly together. They couldn¡¯t leave Ancient¡¯s technology on Earth, they both knew damn well what the humans would do to the woman. At least if they took her to the Liberty Coalition she would have a chance at some form of freedom, however limited. And he felt fairly certain that Flame wouldn¡¯t allow experiments on her. Probably. He pictured the girl¡¯s face, wide-eyed and frightened. He held the image in his head as he considered what they were about to do to her life. What his dumb mistake had already done to her life. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll get lucky and it activated on a rat or something.¡± He offered with a hope he didn¡¯t feel. ¡°You don¡¯t actually believe that.¡± Robin said softly. ¡°No. No, I don¡¯t.¡± Theseus turned to the computers again, powering up the ship. It was going to be risky, moving it in daylight. But they may not have a lot of time. At least they had wheels, which was better than most fancier ships. They should be able to pass as a weird RV. ¡°Pull up the tracking info for the signal.¡±
Chapter 4 - Family Secrets
It was always survival that was the most important. Our culture might be lost to history, our people might be scattered, but as long as we survived, as long as any of us survived to continue the fight: that was the important thing. The necessary thing. Some of us had to survive to continue the fight.
-Log Fragment A-011
Courtesy of the Alliance Department of History
----------------------------------------------------------------
Maggie woke late in the afternoon to a throbbing pain that radiated up through her arm, and a nagging need to use the bathroom. But the memory of her dreams made her reluctant to leave her cozy nest on the couch. They were a blur of wide, cold crystal hallways and flashing emergency lights. With a mental grumble, she pushed the need to pee to the back of her mind, listening instead to the soft murmur of her aunt¡¯s voice in the kitchen. She tried to make out what her aunt was saying, snuggling deeper beneath the covers in defiance of her bladder. ¡°-looks like what they did to you.¡± She barely made out the words, muffled by the kitchen door. ¡°-Doc Zimmerman said-¡± Her bladder grew more insistent, and Maggie let out an incoherent grumble. There was no way around it, she was going to have to abandon the comfort of the couch to deal with it. Reluctantly, she pushed off the blankets, pillows spilling across the carpeted floor as she climbed off the couch and headed to the bathroom. She paused outside the bathroom, listening to her aunt¡¯s voice through the kitchen door. ¡°-a human, and how would they find us? Let alone Maggie!¡± Maggie frowned and looked at the door. What was her aunt talking about? She wanted to listen further, but the need to pee was becoming more urgent now that she was out of her cozy cocoon. She headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. By the time she came back out, whatever mysterious conversation Aunt Electra had been having was done, and she had moved on to more mundane topics. ¡°-left Becky in charge of the shop. We¡¯ll shorten the open hours for a few days but that won¡¯t hurt business much.¡± Maggie pushed open the door to the cheery little kitchen, warm evening light flowing through the window over the sink. Crystals dangled between cheerful yellow curtains, catching the light and flinging it across the ceiling in tiny rainbows. She shuffled over to the fridge in her bright green furry slippers, retrieving a soda before dropping into one of the squeaky old wooden chairs at the kitchen table. ¡°Morning Aunt Electra.¡± The older woman looked up and laughed, shifting the old landline phone to her other hand. ¡°More like evening. Did you want to talk to your mother? We were just finishing up.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll talk to her.¡± Maggie perked up a bit. It had been a few days since she had talked to her mother, and it would be a nice pick-me-up to hear how she was doing out at her fancy country rehab center. Aunt Electra handed the phone over. She took a moment to pull a pill bottle and a tube of ointment from a paper bag on the table, shaking out a couple of pills for Maggie. ¡°Take these, it will help with the pain. We¡¯ll change your bandages after dinner. How¡¯s pizza sound?¡± Aunt Electra picked up her cell phone and pulled up the local delivery app. Maggie took the landline phone, nestling it between her head and shoulder as she fumbled to open the can of soda without jarring her hand. ¡°That sounds great Aunt Electra! Extra cheese and garlic sauce please.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Aunt Electra flashed her a smile. ¡°Of course dear, I¡¯m not a barbarian.¡± Maggie grinned as she managed to get the can of soda open, air hissing out with the sweet promise of caffeine and sugar. ¡°Hi Mom, how¡¯s things at the resort?¡± Familiar laughter filled her ears, the faint accent a comfort after last night¡¯s drama. ¡°Maggie-my-dove! It¡¯s lovely of course. They¡¯re havin¡¯ me do water therapy for my legs. But I¡¯m more interested in your adventures. Electra told me what she knew. Are you alright? How are you feeling?¡± Maggie had never quite been able to place the accent but assumed it was Irish or Scottish. That was similar to what they sounded like on TV at least. She slouched in her chair with a smile and popped the pain pills into her mouth, chasing them down her throat with the pleasant tingle of soda. ¡°My hand and arm hurt, and I¡¯m hungry. But otherwise, I¡¯m fine. Is the water therapy helping any?¡± ¡°Oh heavens if I know. The legs still feel about as useless as ever but the water is nice, so I won¡¯t be tellin¡¯ them to stop. Now don¡¯t go tryin¡¯ to change the subject, tell me what happened!¡± Aunt Electra gave Maggie a look of disapproval at her slouching. ¡°I ordered us some pizza, it should arrive in about ten to fifteen minutes. Sit up straight.¡± ¡°Thanks, Aunt Electra.¡± Maggie mouthed and reluctantly sat up straight in her chair. She should have known better than to slouch at the kitchen table. She looked down at her hand, flexing her fingers. ¡°It wasn¡¯t much of an adventure, Mom. Just some drunk that left something at the laundromat and wanted it back. I would have just given it to him if he didn¡¯t act like a crazy person!¡± ¡°But he did, and you pepper sprayed him. Then you did the smart thing and ran. Good girl. Although you know better than to take things from the laundromat to begin with. What in the world did he leave that was so important to him anyway? I doubt that it was just loose change!¡± Her mother tried to sound casual, but there was real interest in her voice. Maggie thought back to the snippets of conversation she had heard from her Aunt before she went into the bathroom. What had they been talking about? Who would be looking for them? And why would her aunt think the man in the alley had anything to do with them? ¡°Just some weird paperweight thing, or worry stone, whatever. It was pretty and looked like something they¡¯d sell at a planetarium. But I doubt it was expensive. The weirdest thing about it is that it exploded. I guess it must have had a battery or something in it because it lit up too. It was pretty... shame it exploded.¡± ¡°And burned you pretty good from what I hear.¡± The worry was thick in her mother¡¯s voice now, and Maggie could imagine her tapping her fingers. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright. But if you see that man again you turn and run, got that?¡± ¡°Yes, Mom.¡± It wasn¡¯t like she would hang around and talk to the guy! Not unless it was a nice brightly lit area with lots of people. Maybe with Ross or Chance nearby. Or Ross and Chance. ¡°Good girl. Now, why don¡¯t you put your auntie on so I can say goodbye? It¡¯s almost dinner time for both of us. Speaking of which, you two best not be eating nothing but pizza while I¡¯m gone!¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t!¡± Maggie smiled, deciding not to ask what they had been talking about for now. She could ask Aunt Electra later, but she didn¡¯t want to spoil the short chat with her mother. ¡°Love you, Mom, have a good dinner.¡± ¡®Love you too, my dove. Put your auntie on.¡± Maggie handed the phone back to Aunt Electra. The pain pills had started to take effect, and the pain in her hand dulled enough that she could ignore it. As she stood up, she also noticed that it made her a bit light-headed, the room spinning around her at a dizzying speed. She stood still for a moment under Aunt Electra¡¯s watchful eyes until the room steadied. Then she gave her a thumbs up and headed back to the living room. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Of course dear. Go sit down for a little bit, I¡¯ll be right in.¡± Just then a gentle chime rang through the house. Had it been fifteen minutes already? ¡°I¡¯ll get it!¡± Electra watched her go, calling after her. ¡°It¡¯s already paid for, and I already tipped. There should be three boxes.¡± As the kitchen door swung closed, Maggie could hear her aunt¡¯s affronted voice. ¡°No, I am not just feeding her pizza all the time! The night before last we had Chinese.¡± Maggie grinned and stifled a laugh as she headed to the door. Aunt Electra was many things: a good baker, an excellent coffee slinger, and a successful entrepreneur. But a good cook she was not. So when Maggie¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t around, they tended to eat out a lot or survive off frozen pizzas and TV dinners. Although Maggie could make some great scrambled eggs herself. Maggie pulled open the front door, the smell of pizza wafting in on the crisp fall air. But it wasn¡¯t Sean standing there with the delicious garlic and cheese goodness. It was the tall man from last night, his face creased with regret. She barely had time to register the weird little gun in his hand before her vision was filled with blue light, and she fell into the velvety darkness of sleep.
Chapter 4.5 - Pizza Is A Rare Luxury
My old life is gone, and I feel as though I have stepped into a dream of remarkable wonders and terrors. Such fanciful creatures have I seen! Such remarkable vistas! I find that my birth name no longer fits, small as my world was small. Mundane as my world was mundane. And so I must adopt a name more fitting to a magical realm the likes of which Oberon and Tatiana would inhabit. But I am no lithe fae, nor am I a beauty in any way. And so I shall adopt the pseudonym of that great jester, that shrewd and knavish sprite: Robin Goodfellow.
-From the journal of Robin Goodfellow, formerly Professor Fred Blake
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Theseus caught the girl as she crumbled, the gun simply stunning her. He knew he didn¡¯t have much time. He could hear the voice of someone else in the house. As easily as if she weighed nothing, he slung the girl over his shoulder, holding her there as he knelt to grab the pizza bag. After all, having pizza was a rare luxury, and the girl would probably like food when she woke up. He hurried across the street to what appeared to be an RV shaped vaguely like a bullet train. Unlike most RVs, though, it only had one door in the back, which was heavily reinforced with star steel and propped open as it was revealed how thick the walls and door were: nearly a foot thick. With so much room taken up by the ship¡¯s hull, the interior quarters were tight. Four bunks comprised most of one wall, and the bathroom was tucked into one corner by the exterior door. He set the woman down on one of the unused bunks, tossing the pizza bag onto the other. Muscles strained as he hauled the door closed and cranked on the wheel to engage the seal. Eventually, a soft hiss came from around the door, and a green light appeared above it. The ship was now airtight. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before something else goes wrong. All systems online and in the green?¡± Theseus turned resolutely from the door. He glanced at the woman, her hand bandaged and hair a tangled red mess, before striding the few brief steps to the control station. ¡°All except the rear blast shields. Those are still glitchy from our descent into the atmosphere, but they¡¯ll hold well enough.¡± His brother¡¯s voice came through the internal speakers, only the faintest crackle of static accompanying it. ¡°Good.¡± Theseus started flipping switches and powering systems up in rapid succession. He wanted out of this town before the government caught wind of what was happening. He steered the ship away from the curb, rolling down the street like a typical RV. The rear camera showed the quaint two-story house shrinking behind them and the unconscious delivery man slumped in his car across the street. A dark-skinned woman ran out the door, her words unheard through the thick hull, but her body language unmistakable. She was yelling and screaming down the street at the receding RV. Theseus felt a pang of guilt twist like a knife in his gut as he picked up speed, turning away from the monitor. He didn¡¯t have a choice. This whole mess was a shit-storm just waiting to explode, but he didn¡¯t have choice! He couldn¡¯t leave the girl here, couldn¡¯t leave the Key here. It never should have been on this planet to begin with. His voice was husky as he spoke. ¡°Satellite jammers still working?¡± There was a moment of silence, a hesitation at the question that he could almost feel. One of his eyebrows rose, and he glanced up towards the ceiling. Robin? Are the satellite jammers still working?¡± For a moment, he didn¡¯t think Robin would answer, but then the reluctant voice came through the speakers. ¡°They seem to be. You aren¡¯t planning on taking off in daylight, are you?¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°As soon as we get out of town,¡± Theseus confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s dusk, and it¡¯s overcast. We should be okay.¡± He ignored the small knot of doubt in his stomach, glancing at the woman lying on the bed. He had royally fucked up her life, and he only hoped she¡¯d find it in her to forgive him. He knew he wouldn¡¯t forgive himself. Kidnapping... shit. He needed a beer. Theseus fumbled for the cooler beneath the control station with one hand still on the controls. It wasn¡¯t like he could screw things up any more than he already had, right? ¡°You aren¡¯t going to drink, are you? That¡¯s how we got into this mess! Not to mention it¡¯s against the law on this planet to drink and drive.¡± Robin¡¯s holographic form appeared on the chair beside him, a look of disapproval on his face. ¡°So is kidnapping,¡± Theseus said flatly. He pulled a cold beer from the cooler and hit the metal cap on the edge of the control station, popping it open. He knew Robin was right, but damnit, he needed this! He could still remember the way his mother had raked his father over the coals though, the one time his father had scraped against Galaux station while drunk. It was only dumb luck that got them out of paying for station repairs, and his mother had never let his father forget it. Funny, he was pretty sure that scrape was still there. He¡¯d have to check when they pulled into port. He took a swig of the beer, letting it roll down his throat to land like a rock in his stomach. ¡°It¡¯s risky, just like lifting off in daylight! We should just drive until it¡¯s dark out.¡± Robin said. ¡°It¡¯s risky to stay on this planet. We just kidnapped someone, and they will be looking for us. For her! And while we can pass as a truck or RV, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re exactly inconspicuous. Would you rather lift off after people start searching for us? Whoever was in that house with her saw us.¡± Robin frowned, looking over to the unconscious woman. There was no doubt now that she had bonded with the key, but this still didn¡¯t feel right. ¡°I¡¯ll concede the point. Judging by what I picked up on the ride in, there should be a dead zone about half an hour out of town. Just a couple of farmhouses. I¡¯ll do my best to jam the satellites, but we won¡¯t have long to break through the atmosphere and get the hell out of dodge.¡± ¡°Is that really the saying?¡± Theseus looked back to the road, the houses already spreading out. Half an hour. They just had to make it half an hour out of town, and then they could lift off, no problem. He took another swig of beer, feeling the muscles loosen in his shoulders. ¡°Pretty sure it is.¡± Robin shrugged, a smile flickering across his face. Suddenly the smile turned into a frown, and his eyes widened. ¡°Uh oh.¡± ¡°Uh oh? I hate it when you say uh oh. What the hell do you mean, uh oh?¡± Theseus glanced at his brother, then spotted flashing red and blue lights in the monitor set to the rear camera. A cop car, its lights on and siren undoubtedly blaring, even though they couldn¡¯t hear it through the ship¡¯s thick hull. ¡°Perhaps they¡¯re just trying to pass us?¡± Robin suggested weakly. ¡°Not bloody likely.¡± Theseus set his drink in the holder at one corner of the control station. His hands flashed across the control boards, bringing up systems as they picked up speed. The cop car sped up to match, and the smallest computers in the control station babbled away, still picking up the local police radio. ¡°-in pursuit of a silver RV, no license plate.¡± The calm voice said over the radio. ¡°Told you so,¡± Theseus said grimly. ¡°Start the jammer now. We¡¯re lifting off.¡± ¡°Are you crazy? We¡¯re still in town!¡± However, Robin''s holographic form disappeared as he took over certain computer systems. He might not like the idea, but he started up the satellite jammer anyway. Life support was activated, and lights on the control station flipped from red to green in quick succession. ¡°This is only going to get worse the longer we stay. Right now, it¡¯s one cop car; you don¡¯t want to wait until there are two or three, or worse, a helicopter! I don¡¯t want us to wind up on national news!¡± Theseus took one last gulp of beer before returning it to its holder. He gripped the thrust levers, watching the dials and lights on the control board. Some stayed red, but they weren¡¯t ones he was worried about, not right now. The important ones flicked to green one after another, and he took a deep breath. He was going to be in so much trouble. ¡°Prepare for liftoff,¡± Theseus muttered mostly to himself and slammed the thrust lever forward. The ship lifted off the road and ascending rapidly into the sky, stubby wings unfolding from the sides as it headed up through the cloud cover. Behind them, the cop car swerved and stopped, nearly crashing into a fence on the side of the road. The officer stepped out of the car, staring at the ship with his mouth open. Oh yeah. Theseus was screwed.
Chapter 5 - The Key
The Liberty Coalition will stand in defiance of Silvarian slavery and kidnapping. We will fight for the freedom and safety of humans born both on the Mother Planet and in the stars. We will crush our oppressors beneath our boot heels and rise to our rightful place in the galaxy!
-Commander Flame of the Liberty Coalition, Galaux Station, Earth Year 2000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maggie woke with a splitting headache, adding to the pain that throbbed through her arm. The air smelled strange. Instead of the cinnamon and vanilla which saturated every corner of her aunt''s house, the air smelled stale and slightly of laundry detergent, old socks, and pizza. Blech. Maggie sat up carefully, wincing as she accidentally put weight on her burnt hand. What had happened? She wasn¡¯t at her aunt¡¯s. There had been a bright blue light, and before that... before that, there had been someone at the door. Not Sean, someone else. She looked around at the long, narrow room, immediately spotting the only other occupant: a tall man with large shoulders and messy brown hair. The drunk from last night. He met her gaze, lounging back in a chair patched with duct tape. An icy chill ran down her spine, and she scrambled back along the bunk she found herself on, looking around the narrow room wildly. It was just the two of them, and there was only one door. Thank God it was on the opposite side of the room from the man. She was off the bed in a flash, diving towards the weird submarine-style door. There was no way she was going to stick around to talk! "Whoa! You don''t want to do that!" The male voice came from somewhere above her, frantic and filled with static. But what made her stop was when a flickering blue form appeared in front of her like some cheesy Hollywood ghost, hands held up as if to catch her. Maggie screamed and tried to change direction, but her slippers weren''t designed for sudden maneuvers, and she wound up falling instead, both hands hitting the floor hard. Pain shot up through her bandaged hand, and she rolled over onto her side with a whimper. "Ow...." "Are you alright?" The semi-transparent man knelt down, his form sliding across the floor to her side like a lagging game character. "I''m sorry to have scared you, but opening that door would have killed you both." "What the hell are you?" Maggie cradled her arm against her chest as she fought back tears. God that hurt! "A ghost." The pale blue man grinned impishly at her. "But a friendly one! My name is Robin, and you''ve already met my brother Theseus." He nodded towards the man in the chair. Theseus raised a bottle of beer in a half-assed salute. ¡°Unfortunately. Did you have to scream so loud?¡± "Theseus, be nice to our guest. It''s not her fault you have a hangover." Theseus scowled and spun in his chair to face the pitch-black window. Maggie could just barely hear him muttering. "No, but she''s the reason I need another drink.¡± "You do not need another drink! That''s how this whole thing started." Robin scowled, for a moment looking just like Theseus¡ªonly more blue and see-through. His expression grew softer as he turned to look at Maggie, a smile forming on his lips. "I''m sorry about my brother. He''s had a hard time since the accident. Are you hungry? We grabbed the pizza before we took you." Maggie stared at the ghost, speechless for a moment. There was so much wrong with that statement that she couldn''t even pick where to start. She glanced back towards the door. It was so close, but looked like it would take a bit to open. There was no telling what was on the other side, but it had to be better than being stuck in here with her kidnapper and whatever this Robin person was. She didn¡¯t believe in ghosts! "What did you do with Sean?" She finally got out. "Who?" Robin flickered and glanced back at Theseus. "The pizza delivery guy, he''s the only one in town. What did you do with him?" Maggie sat up and pulled her legs in close. Perhaps if she made a rush for the door she might get past the ghost and out before Theseus could stop her. She could not believe that was a serious thought. "He''s probably already awake and delivering other pizzas. All I did was stun him. He¡¯s fine." Theseus said. He took another swig of beer, emptying the bottle before letting it drop to the floor where it clinked against a pair that were already empty. ¡°I should have stunned you again. You¡¯re too loud.¡± "So sorry," Maggie said. Loudly. Theseus winced and let out another groan. "Robin, can you please explain things to her? Quietly?" "I''ll do my best. Now, this will sound crazy, but I need you to trust me, alright? Why don''t you get a slice of pizza, and we''ll talk?" Robin gestured to the pizza bag and settled cross-legged in front of the door. It was weird to look straight through him and see the threadbare carpet, but then all of this was weird. "You''re right. That does sound crazy." Maggie scooted back from him, but froze when she realized that was just getting her closer to Theseus, and further away from the door. She looked past Robin to the weird door. Were they in an underground bunker or something? But then what was with the window? "Please don''t try for the door. If you try I¡¯ll have to stun you again, and I would like for us to be friends. That and I¡¯d prefer you and my brother not be sucked out into the vacuum of subspace.¡± Robin spoke calmly, with the assurance of one telling the absolute truth. Or the assurance of a crazy person, Maggie hadn''t decided yet. "Vacuum of subspace. Right. So I guess that makes you a space ghost, huh?¡± The idea was as absurd as everything else right now. Maybe, just maybe, she could reason with the pair. God why was she even considering reasoning with a ghost? Ghosts weren¡¯t real! ¡°Listen, if you two are still after that little trinket, it''s gone. Exploded or something! I should sue for damages with the burn it gave me!" This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. It occurred to Maggie that maybe threatening to sue the crazy ghost and his brother wouldn''t help her get free, and she switched tactics. "But if you tell me where you got it, maybe I can get you a new one! Yeah, just let me go, and I''ll get you a new one." Robin smiled sadly at her and shook his head. "I''m sorry, we can''t do that. It was irreplaceable. But it''s not destroyed, anyway. It''s just..." He trailed off, looking uncomfortable. "Listen, I can show you the burn marks where it exploded in my hand! It''s gone!" She held up her bandaged hand, the burn marks peeking out from beneath the bandages. Had they spread, or had the bandage shifted? The pain had certainly spread, throbbing further up her arm with each beat of her heart. "It''s not gone. It''s part of you now. But we''re taking you to someone that might get it out." Robin said. "It''s gone!" Maggie insisted. She pulled the bandages from her hand and held it up for him. "See what it did when it exploded? It''s gone!" "It''s not gone." Robin¡¯s voice had turned gentle, and he reached out to lightly trace his fingers along her hand, not quite touching it, but leaving a tingle where he passed through her skin. "Look at your hand, Maggie." Maggie yanked her hand away from the ghostly apparition, a shiver running down her spine. He felt like the cold, tingly mist that sometimes came from a soda. She glanced down at her palm, expecting to see red skin and blisters like she had gotten dozens of times before when taking things out of the oven. Her stomach turned at what she saw instead: raw, angry red flesh and gaping black gouges in the shape of a spiral galaxy, interspersed with shimmering silver blisters. Wait, silver blisters? She looked closer at the wound, assuring herself that the blisters were indeed silver. More than that, small flecks of crystal deep in the markings glittered with an inner light. She stared at the wound, feeling ill. "What the hell?" she whispered. Robin reached out, touching her hand again. His fingers passed through hers, leaving that same cool tingling. It was oddly soothing against the heat of the wound. "I know this is a lot to take in, and I''m sorry. We''re both sorry. But leaving you on Earth with that in you wasn''t safe. These artifacts can be unpredictable and dangerous. But they can also do amazing things. Some people with them can heal others or even control computers with their minds. Don''t those both sound amazing?" "Heal others?" This had to be some strange drug-induced dream. One of the last things she remembered was taking her pain medicine. Maybe it had caused a hallucination? If so then this was all just some weird dream that would fade away with time. Right? "The Ancient¡¯s technology is far beyond anything anyone else has even dreamt of. It can do the impossible. Take me, for example; without the Ancient¡¯s technology I would just be gone. But here I am!" Robin spread his arms, gesturing to his semi-transparent form. "...Kind of. But haven''t you ever wanted to do the impossible? See things no one else has seen? Looked at the stars and wondered what was out there?" Maggie looked up at Robin with a frown, thinking briefly of Orion, the constellation she could always find no matter what time of year it was. It had been a distant, comforting entity, appearing tiny in the vastness of space. She had never thought of what secrets it might hold though, that was more Bobby¡¯s thing. The only impossible thing she had ever wanted to do was help her mother walk again. Or win the lottery, she supposed. But she had long since grown out of both those silly dreams. This all seemed too far-fetched to believe. It was much more likely that this was a hallucination. "Listen, you''re a very convincing hallucination, but this- this can''t be real. You can''t be real." "Well then, if this is a hallucination and can''t be real, then you have no reason not to go along with it." Robin smiled and lounged back against the door, crossing his arms over his chest. "Relax, come with us to Galaux, and when you come to your senses, you''ll have a pleasant dream to tell others about. Right?" His words felt like a trap, but he was right. If she assumed this was all some weird dream or hallucination, she was probably safe and sound on the couch at Aunt Electra¡¯s. It was just that all this felt so real! The pain, the thin carpet beneath her feet, the soft fur of her bright green slippers, the smell of pizza. It all added up to an idea she was having trouble accepting: that this was all somehow real. "Right," Maggie said reluctantly and started to wrap the bandage back around her hand awkwardly. She''d never be able to get it back on as good as Doc Zimmerman had it, but at least it would be covered. "Right." Robin beamed at her. "So, let this hallucination explain some things you''re going to see. We''re going to Galaux, which holds one of the primary bases and refugee centers for the Liberty Coalition. There you''re going to meet Flame. She can be... a bit intense, so just be ready for that." "Hopefully, I''ll snap out of it before that." Maggie muttered. She pulled a box of pizza from the insulated bag. It still felt hot, and as she opened it the smell of cheese and garlic filled the air. A gloriously, undeniably real deep dish loaded with toppings and extra cheese. She picked up a slice carefully with her unbandaged hand. "But what do you mean by intense?" "She''s a fanatical nut job.'' Theseus said from the front of the cabin, not bothering to turn around. "She''s passionate about her cause." Robin shot Theseus a glare. "People founded the Liberty Coalition to help people that the Alliance, mostly Silvarians, had abused. They fight against human abductions, experimentation, and exploitation. The Alliance has been the primary source of human abductions since at least Egypt¡¯s Old Kingdom, maybe earlier. They may even be working with Earth¡¯s governments to do it, but that''s hard to prove." "Silvarians, are they like the little green men? Or what are they called, Greys?" Maggie took a bite of the pizza, the familiar warmth a blessed slice of normal in a situation that was anything but. "Five minutes until we exit subspace. We¡¯ll give the engines a break and get some sleep, then go the rest of the way tomorrow. Are you going to eat all that yourself?" Theseus looked towards the pizza longingly but didn''t move to take any of it. "Kidnappers don''t get pizza." Maggie scooted the box just a little further away from him. "They''re lucky if they get a breadstick." And they sure as hell wouldn''t get any of her brookies! All that was missing was soda, and she''d have the world¡¯s best dinner. Theseus turned his pleading gaze to her. "Would it help if I said I was sorry again? I''ve been living off ration bars for weeks!" "You sure have a lot to be sorry for," Maggie muttered. "Are ration bars like granola bars?" "They are, but they don''t taste as good." Robin offered helpfully. "Take pity on my idiot brother. He really is sorry." Maggie hesitated, tempted to keep it all for herself, but that just felt petty. Besides, if she was still working on the theory that this was all a hallucination or dream, then she would have breadsticks when she woke up. She pulled the breadstick box out of the pizza bag and slid it across the floor to Theseus. "What''s subspace anyway?" Bobby would probably know, but her interests focused more on fantasy and anime. There was no subspace in any fantasy book she had ever read. "Think of it like the underside of space. Slipping into it allows us to travel big distances in much less time than traveling in normal space. It¡¯s not the only way to travel through space quickly, but it is the fastest way. Another thing to thank the Ancients for. Now, if we were traveling the way Earthlings travel, this trip would take hundreds, if not thousands of years. Feed enough energy into our subspace drive and the trip only takes days instead. We¡¯re the fastest delivery people in this entire sector.¡± Robin puffed up a bit in pride, but his gaze strayed to the pizza in Maggie¡¯s hand and he deflated. ¡°God, I miss the taste of pizza.¡± Theseus took out a breadstick with obvious relish and set the rest of the box on the chair beside him. He took a bite that made half the breadstick disappear, before spinning to face the array of monitors again. ¡°You should be grateful for that; the sooner we get you to Doctor Tomas, the more likely he¡¯ll be able to get the Key out of you. But damn if this whole trip hasn¡¯t been expensive as hell.¡±
Chapter 6 - Galaux Station
Wash! Fold! Freshen and pack! Get all your traveling needs met at Galaux Station! With our state of the art laundry facilities, comfortable lodging and wide array of entertainment options you and your crew can unwind and decompress before continuing on your travels. Stop by today!
-Galaux Station Advertising Department.
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The ship shuddered around them, metal groaning and rattling as screens lit up with symbols and numbers. Theseus held the breadstick in his mouth, hands flying over the buttons, switches, and dials that made up the huge control board in front of him. Maggie suspected the whole weird setup was something like a pilot¡¯s cockpit. Although she hoped most pilot¡¯s cockpits weren¡¯t held together with duct tape and hanging wires. Another shudder ran through the ship, and Maggie¡¯s eyes widened in alarm. It sounded like the whole thing was trying to rip itself apart! Theseus grabbed ahold of two throttle levers as the window filled with a swirling rainbow of colors, empty beer bottles rattling against each other, and a stray wire falling down from its precarious hook above the window. Then, it was like a bubble popping in front of them, and they were floating in a sea of stars. More than Maggie had seen in her entire life, more than she thought could exist! She stared out the window, her mouth open slightly as she stared out at the swirling gases of a sunset nebula. Theseus flipped switches on the board, and a soft hum filled the small ship as the engines powered down. The smell of something burning filtering faintly through the vents. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Robin asked softly, staring out the window with a small smile. ¡°The locals of this system call it Flor¡¯i¡¯navis, Flower of the Gods. We¡¯ll spend the night here and tomorrow we¡¯ll be at Galaux Station.¡± Theseus kicked his feet up onto the second chair at the control board. ¡°It¡¯s interesting, like a fancy super truck stop in the stars. Who knows, maybe you¡¯ll like it there.¡± ¡°I liked it back home.¡± Maggie said. But she couldn¡¯t deny the beauty on the other side of that window. Or how tired she felt, the throbbing pain in her hand sapping away her energy. How could a dream hurt so badly? It¡¯s not a dream. ¡°What?¡± She looked around for the other voice, pausing with a pizza slice halfway to her mouth. ¡°What?¡± Theseus asked, an eyebrow raising. ¡°Listen, I know you liked it back home, and we¡¯ll do our best to get you there. For now, let¡¯s get you started on that recording. Maybe it¡¯ll make you feel better.¡± Was there someone else here? She glanced into the only other room she saw, seeing nothing but a toilet and an incredibly compact sink and shower setup. Perhaps on the top bunks? She couldn¡¯t really see on top of those. But if there were someone up there, surely they would have been lured down by the glorious scent of pizza. ¡°Yeah, maybe.¡± She agreed reluctantly. ¡°Excellent! Allow me.¡± Robin floated a few feet away from Maggie, an old-fashioned camera appearing on a stand in front of him, complete with film reels. ¡°Are you ready for your close-up?¡± Maggie felt laughter threatening to bubble up out of her, and shook her head. ¡°Are you always this much of a ham?¡± ¡°Only when it makes pretty girls smile.¡± Robin chuckled. ¡°Tell me when you¡¯re ready to start recording.¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Maggie took another bite of her pizza before she set it down on the pizza bag, and looked into the camera. It was weird, since she could see right through it. But then this whole thing was weird. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Lights, camera, action!¡± Robin gave her a thumbs up, and a small green light appeared next to the camera lens. They were recording. Maggie took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before she started to talk. ¡°Hi Aunt Electra, hi Mom. I- well I guess you know what happened. These guys, uhm, well, they kidnapped me. But I¡¯m alright.¡± Her hands trembled, and she curled the bandaged one against her stomach, trying to ignore the pain throbbing through it. ¡°Sorry Aunt Electra, they took the pizza too. They said Sean should be alright though, they just stunned him, like they did me. I¡¯m not sure what all to tell you. Uhm, they say we¡¯re in outer space? I think I¡¯m starting to believe them. There¡¯s this really pretty nebula right outside the window, but it¡¯s just a stop-over until we reach someplace called Galaux Station. They¡¯re going to try and get this Key thing out of me. Oh, that¡¯s what they¡¯re calling the thing I found at the laundromat. A Key. I guess they know a doctor that might be able to get it out?¡± This was just feeling more and more awkward. How much was supposed to be a secret? Her family would probably think she¡¯d lost it with her talking about being in outer space! She plowed on though, looking down at her hand. ¡°Hopefully I¡¯ll be able to come home soon. I love you, and I¡¯m- I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll come home as soon as I can.¡± Tears gathered in her eyes as she stared at the holographic camera. She wasn¡¯t even sure if that was actually what recorded her, or if it was just Robin being a good. But the light turned red, and the camera disappeared to reveal Robin¡¯s worried face. ¡°Hey... it¡¯s alright. We¡¯re going to do our best to get you home too. In the meantime, maybe this will help put your family at ease?¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Yeah.¡± Maggie whispered. ¡°Yeah, maybe.¡± She sniffled, the tears rolling down her face to land on her lap. ¡°I think I¡¯d like to lay down now.¡± ¡°Sure, you can have my bunk.¡± Robin stood up, gesturing to one of the lower bunks. ¡°You just gotta move my brother¡¯s clothes out of the way.¡± ¡°Here, I¡¯ll move them.¡± Theseus stood up, hurrying the few short steps across the cabin. He grabbed the bag of laundry off the bed and tossed it onto the upper bunk. ¡°Get some rest, I swear you¡¯re safe here.¡± Maggie let out a short, bitter laugh. Safe. Yeah right! But she crawled onto the bed and curled up anyways, suddenly exhausted. She wondered what exactly she was safe from. ¡°I¡¯m going to lower the curtains so you have some privacy and won¡¯t be bothered by the light so much. Just call out if you need anything.¡± Theseus pressed a button on the side of the bunk, watching Maggie as thin black curtains stretched around the bunk, magnets snapping them in place and plunging her into darkness. They even muffled the sound of the ship and its other occupants. With a whimper, Maggie hid her face against the pillow, shoulders shaking with sobs as she cried herself to sleep. She woke hours later to the ship shuddering again, and an alarm blaring somewhere nearby. ¡°I told you the engines couldn¡¯t take a jump that soon!¡± Robin¡¯s tense voice came through the curtains, and Maggie scrambled to escape the bunk. The curtains raised back into their pockets at the top of the bunk the moment she exerted pressure on them, light flooding in from the ships cabin. ¡°Yes, yes. You were right. Could you not yell so loud?¡± Theseus sat at the control board still, his hands flying across the various keyboards and switches as lights flashed red and the alarm continued to blare. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Maggie grabbed ahold of the bunk as the ship lurched violently. ¡°Just a little problem with the engines, nothing to worry about.¡± Theseus grit his teeth and slammed the side of his fist against the control board. Immediately half the lights turned back to green. ¡°Robin, shunt power from antigrav to the engines, or we won¡¯t make it out of subspace.¡± ¡°Hold on Maggie. Actually, strap yourself into the seat next to Theseus.¡± Robin¡¯s voice came from somewhere above her, but she didn¡¯t see him anywhere. She stumbled to the chair next to Theseus, barely reaching it as her feet suddenly left the floor. ¡°What the hell?¡± She gasped, hanging onto the back of the chair to keep from floating away. More lights on the board turned green, and the shuddering became a little less violent. ¡°Strap in!¡± Theseus said, pulling his own seatbelt down across his shoulders. It looked like someone had jury-rigged two cross-shoulder seatbelts together, and they snapped in the center at his waist. Maggie awkwardly dragged herself into the chair, hooking her legs beneath it so she wouldn¡¯t float away again as she fumbled with her own seatbelts. She wasn¡¯t surprised when she saw the Pontiac logo on one of them. ¡°What happened? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I was trying to get you to Galaux Station faster.¡± Theseus looked over a screen that was scrolling numbers by rapidly. ¡°But if we don¡¯t get out of subspace we won¡¯t get there at all. Five second count-down!¡± ¡°What do you mean we won¡¯t get there at all?!¡± Maggie felt the color drain from her face. Shit, was she going to die in space? No one would even know what had happened to her! She would just be one of hundreds of cold cases, never to be solved. ¡°Four, three, two-¡± Theseus ignored her question, counting down as he watched the screens. He gripped both throttle sticks, knuckles turning white as the ship bucked again. Touch the board. ¡°What?¡± It was the same damn voice again, this time carrying the tone of an order. Touch the board! Shit, what did she have to lose? She reached out, grabbing the edge of the board with her bandaged hand. ¡°-One!¡± Theseus slammed the throttle levers forward, rainbow light bursting into life on the other side of the window. Pain shot through her hand as the ship gave another lurch. She could feel it trying to pull itself apart around them, old screws rattling in their holes. Her eyes widened in panic, and she fought to hold it together. How she had no idea, but the crystal parts that wanted to rip away pulled back into place, screws tightening that had been lose. She felt a wave of dizziness pass over her, and suddenly the rainbow light was gone, leaving behind another sea of stars. And floating among those stars like some art nouveau jellyfish was a massive structure of light and glass. Two glass towers dominated the top of the structure, elegant tendrils curling around them like vines. Lights darted through those tendrils like car headlights on a dark highway, dancing up and down the giant structure. More tendrils of light floated down beneath the massive bowl base, gently connecting with the ships that darted around it like guppies to draw them into the hundreds of holes that opened and closed along the bowl. Maggie stared, mouth agape as the ship stopped shuddering. Whatever had happened, they had made it through. She pulled her hand from the control board, the pain agonizing, but she couldn¡¯t tear her eyes away from the giant structure. It was beautiful, half the size of the moon it orbited but still bigger than anything she could have imagined. One of the many computers perched on the control board blooped, and a voice came through. She couldn''t understand what was said, the words fluid and slow, bearing the lazy drawl of someone who was bored doing their job. Theseus responded in the same language, but his voice was not as smooth as the one that came through the computer. His words sounded clunky, while the other voice made them sound smooth and almost musical. "What are they saying?" Maggie asked, unable to tear her eyes away from the fantastic sight. "Theseus is just arranging for us to dock and meet with Flame. Don''t worry; we¡¯ll get you a translator so that you can talk to people who don''t speak English. They''re a lifesaver with all the languages spoken on this station." Robin appeared next to her, watching as one of the glowing tendrils extended out to fold around the ship gently. It looked like some kind of weird Venus Flytrap with soft edges and suction cups instead of spikes. Another shudder went through the ship, and Theseus glanced at some dials. He exchanged a few more words with the person on the other side of the computer as he flipped switches, systems humming as they powered down. "We''ll be docked in ten minutes, then you''ll have to meet Flame, and we''ll get you to Doctor Tomas. If anyone here can get the Key out of you, he can." He said. "The key?" A key suggested a door or something that it unlocked. Maybe she could unlock whatever it was for them, and they''d let her go back home. "The thing you, er... absorbed. It''s a Key; we''re pretty sure it''s to a spaceship somewhere in the Solaflor Sector; we just haven''t found it yet." Theseus said. "You''re pretty sure it''s to a spaceship? You haven''t found it yet?" Maggie''s voice squeaked a little as it rose. What was she doing here if they weren''t sure what it belonged to, or where it was? Theseus winced, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "It''s a process. We need the key to find the ship and to access it. They''re nearly impenetrable as long as they''re in one piece." "The Key puts out a signal once it''s bonded with someone, which can usually be tracked. It''s difficult, but it can be done. If we can find the ship, use the Key to access it," Robin paused and shook his head. "Maggie, with that Key and the ship it opens? Miracles are possible."
Chapter 7 - Complications
Summary of results of Key and Key Fragment implantation in subjects: Galactic Year Solvist 597, Day Cycle 483
Silvarian: Item remains inert.
Uxlik: Item remains inert.
Human: Item reaction varies unpredictably. The worst reactions include transformation into hostile crystalline creatures. The best reactions include humans retaining their obedience and intelligence, with added abilities such as controlling specific Ancient technology.
Floviran: Item reaction varies unpredictably. Reactions seem less pronounced than with human subjects but vary along the same lines. Subjects are less likely to retain obedience and intelligence.
Javali: The item transforms the subject into a hostile crystalline creature. Limited control over Ancients technology.
From the files of Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i, head of Ancients research, Silva Prime
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Miracles? Maggie¡¯s mind went to her mother and all the time she spent in the hospital, all the things that they had tried to keep her legs working. Robin had said that some people could heal the sick with these key things. If she could heal the sick, maybe she could heal her mom. That could make this whole insane mess worth it. ¡°Do you think it could help someone be able to walk again?¡± Maggie asked softly, giving voice to the hope. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if the Key itself would grant that type of power, but Ancients technology is the basis for the technology we use on the stations and in the medical bays, so why not? Is there someone specific you have in mind to help?¡± Robin asked gently. ¡°My Mom. Her health hasn¡¯t been great for a long time. A few years ago, she started to lose strength in her legs. If I assume this is real, which I¡¯m still not sure about! If I assume this is real, I¡¯ll cooperate if you promise to help her.¡± It was a gamble, Maggie knew it was a gamble. But this whole thing was just so crazy! She stared through the window as the weird tendril thing pulled them in towards what she could only assume from TV and movies were docking bays. Robin looked at Theseus, his forehead wrinkling in thought. But if he was hoping for some type of guidance, he didn¡¯t get it. The other man just shrugged and returned to his work, yet another breadstick in his mouth. Robin sighed and looked back at Maggie. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do our best to help her. We may have to bring her out here so that our doctors can look at her, though. Do you think she¡¯d be willing to do that?¡± Behind him, Theseus let out a choking sound. ¡°You want us to kidnap another person from Earth? Have you lost your mind?¡± Robin ignored him, instead smiling gently at Maggie. ¡°Think carefully, it¡¯s an enormous shock to go from being a normal Earthling to a space traveler.¡± ¡°I-¡± Maggie paused, thinking about her mother and her general attitude toward technology and the idea of aliens. It was pushing things a bit to assume she¡¯d jump at a chance to get healed by aliens, she didn¡¯t even want to go to the big hospital in the city! Instead, sticking with Doc Zimmerman and whatever his methods were instead. She wouldn¡¯t have gone to the Starry Rest Rehab center if Doc Zimmerman hadn¡¯t recommended it. It was supposed to be very holistic and all that jazz. ¡°Maybe? If I could talk to her, maybe I could convince her.¡± ¡°That video message you made is about all we can do,¡± Theseus said firmly. ¡°I¡¯m not kidnapping more Earthlings.¡± As the ship passed through a semi-transparent barrier and into the docking bay it shuddered, the metal letting out a groan of complaint. Maggie couldn¡¯t help noticing how some of the giant screws that held the bunks to the walls rattled, one falling to the floor. Gently, the tendril deposited them onto a large circle marked out on the floor, then snaked back out to retrieve another ship. The bay was as big as a warehouse, and just about as fancy. Piles of scraps and parts were stacked against the wall in no order Maggie could understand, and of the seven other ships already in the bay, at least half looked like they had been made from those piles of junk. ¡°It was worth a shot,¡± Maggie muttered. She stood up, heading over to stand just out of Theseus¡¯s reach as she stared out the window. It all felt so real, and she couldn¡¯t help but think that there was no way she could ever have imagined this. People moved over, in and around the ships, repairing them, refueling them, or cleaning them. Some were as big as a car, but others were massive, the people crawling over it like ants on a tree. Compared to most of them, Theseus¡¯s ship was tiny! And then there was the sheer strangeness of the people that filled the bay. Most were human, but as some of them passed closer to the ship, Maggie realized there were plenty that weren¡¯t human at all. A mermaid floated along in a water bubble, and giant otters zipped along on all fours or waddled along on their hind legs beside humans. A large man with tusks even let one of the otter creatures sit on his shoulder as they walked across the wide space between ships. In all the strangeness, one human woman stood out. Perhaps it was her fire-engine red hair, or the way she stood just outside the circle, glaring at the ship as it landed, but Maggie''s eyes went straight to her. Theseus sighed as he flipped more switches, the ship¡¯s metal groaning faintly at the rapid temperature and pressure change. ¡°I was hoping she would send someone else. Didn¡¯t expect it, but hoped.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The door at the back hissed and popped like the metal lid of a glass jar. ¡°Who is she?¡± Maggie asked, wondering if the woman could see inside the ship. She felt self-conscious suddenly, tugging at her oversized Alexandria University t-shirt. It certainly wasn¡¯t the first impression she wanted to make as a first contact. But wait... most of these people looked human. And Robin had mentioned something about people being abducted as far back as Ancient Egypt! That hadn¡¯t clicked when he said it, but she wasn¡¯t really a first contact at all. She still didn¡¯t think sushi cat pajamas, an oversized shirt, and bright green slippers were good for making a first impression, though. ¡°Flame. She¡¯s the leader of the Liberty Coalition we were telling you about. She¡¯s also the one who bought the Key from us. Not sure how we¡¯re going to explain coming back with you.¡± ¡°Just be honest,¡± Robin said. ¡°Besides, she only paid half up front. She still owes us the rest. Don¡¯t let her scare you, Maggie; you shouldn¡¯t have to deal with her often.¡± ¡°Are you kidding? She looks pissed! Does she already know that your Key is coming with a side of kidnap victim?¡± Maggie asked. Don''t be scared; the woman even had a gun! Didn¡¯t they see the gun on her hip? ¡°That¡¯s just her normal face. Don¡¯t worry. Hey, I know! I can come with you, keep you company, and help you find your way around. Like a fancy GPS. Or UPS. Universal Positioning Service.¡± Robin grinned, a look of mischief crossing his face. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Theseus stared at Robin, eyebrows raising. ¡°How are you going to work that?¡± ¡°Easy! You¡¯ll get our guest a shiny new tablet, and I¡¯ll hop into it, as neat as you please. Come on, little brother, I won¡¯t be gone forever! Besides, we can¡¯t just leave her alone when we got her into this situation.¡± Robin said. ¡°We were born at the same time. Who are you calling little brother?¡± ¡°Technically, I¡¯m three minutes older than you. So you should do what I say, and I say that we don¡¯t just leave her alone here.¡± Robin flickered, his form sliding across the floor like a lagging game avatar until he stood directly in front of Theseus. ¡°Technically, you stopped aging when you died, so I¡¯m about four years older than you now.¡± Theseus growled. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just cold.¡± Robin winced, his smile getting a little strained. ¡°Think of it this way: you¡¯ll get a break from me, maybe have a girl over for a change. It¡¯d be good for you to have some time away from me, and it¡¯d be nice to get off the ship for a bit. I¡¯ve barely been off it since the accident.¡± ¡°Yeah... I guess you¡¯re right. Until then, read a book or something; there are some new ones on the computer for you.¡± Theseus pressed a button on the wall, and a drawer popped open. He pulled a leather messenger bag out and slung it over his shoulder. ¡°Oh! Something other than Shakespeare?¡± Robin laughed. His image flickered for a moment, and suddenly he was holding a book, a playful smirk on his face. ¡°Lets see... A Midsummers Nightmare? Really, Theseus? Grandfather would be rolling in his grave. But I suppose it¡¯s at least better than a Midsummer Nights Wet Dream. I swear Dad was going to explode when he found that one in the computer.¡± Even Theseus cracked a smile at that, letting out a chuckle. ¡°Yeah, that was your doing though. And you did it just to get a reaction.¡± Maggie watched the two brothers banter, a surreal feeling coming over her. They sounded just like Becca and Ross on game night. Except she didn¡¯t think they had ever argued about Shakespearean porn. ¡°True,¡± Robin admitted and tossed the holographic book to the side, where it disappeared with a flicker. ¡°Go on out there before Flame blows a gasket. And get me a nice tablet. I want to be able to project.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll cut into our ship¡¯s funds,¡± Theseus said, his shoulders slumping slightly. Well, Maggie could understand the reluctance with that. Every dollar spent out of her car fund was painful. It wasn¡¯t even like she needed a car in Alexandria, but she wanted to drive to the city sometimes. ¡°We¡¯ll make it up. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Robin patted Theseus¡¯s shoulder, the hand sinking through him a little. ¡°With luck, Doc will get the key out quickly, and we can take Maggie home.¡± Theseus frowned but didn¡¯t comment. Instead, he cranked the giant wheel on the door and used most of his weight to shove the thing open. It was at least a foot thick, with what looked like two rubber seals completely circling the frame. ¡°Come on, I doubt Flame will hurt you. She¡¯s a freedom fighter, not a monster.¡± Maggie looked at Theseus, the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach growing. ¡°You doubt she¡¯ll hurt me?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Robin said from behind Maggie. A ramp slid out from beneath the door, landing on the bay floor with a slight bounce. ¡°We won¡¯t let her hurt you.¡± Oh, great. This Flame person sounded worse and worse. Warm, humid air washed into the cabin, carrying the scent of water, metal, and what smelled like laundry detergent. Theseus hopped down out of the ship, completely ignoring the ramp to land with a bounce on the weird material that covered the floor of the bay. Maggie took the slower route down, not that it was far, but she didn¡¯t feel too steady and she didn¡¯t want to jar her hand any more than necessary. The red-haired woman strode up to them, arms crossed, and face lined with disapproval. ¡°Goodfellow, I paid you to bring me a Key, not a new girlfriend.¡± She spoke English, but her accent reminded Maggie of whatever language Theseus had been speaking to the person over the computer. ¡°We brought the Key. It¡¯s just that there were,¡± Theseus glanced at Maggie, wincing slightly. ¡°Complications.¡± ¡°I do not approve of complications. I do not pay you for complications; I pay you for results.¡± Flame snapped, her cold eyes narrowing. ¡°No Key, no pay. And I know you can¡¯t afford to return what I¡¯ve already paid you. Not if you want to keep that rust bucket you call a ship still running.¡± ¡°We got the Key. We brought you the key. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s- well, it¡¯s already bonded with someone.¡± Theseus cringed as the words came out of his mouth. He gently touched Maggie¡¯s shoulder as Flame¡¯s face turned red. ¡°This is Maggie, she¡¯s got the Key now.¡± ¡°I paid you for a Key, not a Key Holder!¡± Flame snapped, one of her hands moving to her gun. ¡°What kind of trick are you trying to pull? We had a deal!¡± ¡°No trick! It was an accident, I swear it! But Maggie has agreed to help us out. We thought maybe S¡¯il Vala Tomas could get it out.¡± Theseus spoke quickly, moving just a bit in front of Maggie, putting himself between her and the gun. ¡°How does that type of accident happen? You had the Key for four years with no accidents like this!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important,¡± Theseus said quickly, his face turning red with embarrassment. ¡°We¡¯ve fulfilled our end of the bargain. The sooner Si¡¯l Vala Tomas can look at it, the more likely he can get it out, and we can all go our separate ways.¡± Flames nostrils flared, and her next words were a growl. ¡°Doctor Tomas has never removed a Key. You know this.¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t had many chances. Come on, Flame, what do you have to lose?¡± Theseus looked between the two of them. ¡°Maggie doesn¡¯t want the Key any more than you want her to have it, so give Doc Tomas a chance!¡± Flame let out a bitter laugh, looking Maggie over with a sneer. ¡°Smart girl. Fine. Take her to Doctor Tomas. But I¡¯m holding the rest of your pay until I have that Key. Even if I have to kill your new girlfriend to get it.¡±
Chapter 8 - Tell Me If You Start To Feel Weird
I was among the first to sign up when they asked for volunteers to operate the Lantis ships. The war had already taken my family and home away. Those bastards blew up our star. The shockwave completely obliterated the first three planets in our system. Nothing left but dust. I couldn¡¯t even bury their bodies. If I hadn¡¯t been on a long-haul mission...
My youngest daughter wasn¡¯t even a year old! If I can save even one family from those bastards, I¡¯ll gladly die with nothing but these damn journals to talk to.
Log Fragment B-012
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¡°Kill me?!¡± Maggie¡¯s voice rose an octave. ¡°I doubt she meant that,¡± Theseus said soothingly. ¡°She¡¯s just upset. Not even at you! She¡¯s upset at me.¡± Maggie jerked away from Theseus, spinning to face him. ¡°Did you just hear what she said? She just threatened to kill me! Do you really think this doctor of yours can get this Key thing out before that happens?¡± ¡°She- I know she comes off as a bit of a bitch, but she¡¯s not a murderer. As for if Doctor Tomas can get the key out...¡± Theseus trailed off and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s worth a try. Worse case, you¡¯ll be a very honored guest here.¡± Theseus said. ¡°Honored guest, my ass! Prisoner, you mean. I have a family to get back to! My Mom-¡± Maggie swallowed around a lump in her throat. Oh god, what was her mom going to think? She¡¯d be worried sick! And with her health already not the greatest, what if this killed her? She had to get a message to her saying she was alright, the sooner, the better. ¡°We¡¯ll get a message to your mom, I promise. I haven¡¯t lied to you yet, so trust me.¡± Theseus glanced in the direction Flame went, then back to Maggie. ¡°Please?¡± Maggie stood there, torn between the hope of getting rid of the Key and the desire to be anywhere Flame wasn¡¯t. But she couldn¡¯t be sure the woman wouldn¡¯t follow her if she tried to leave or if Theseus and Robin would take her away. She didn¡¯t know anyone else here, and even though Theseus and his brother were her kidnappers, they were at least familiar faces in a strange place. The thought made her stomach churn with anxiety. ¡°Fine." She said finally. ¡°This Doctor... is he human? For that matter, are you human? You look human.¡± Theseus let out a sigh of relief and nodded. ¡°He¡¯s human. So am I, for that matter, and Flame. We¡¯re descendants of previous abductees. Come on, I¡¯ll show you to the medical bay.¡± ¡°So you weren¡¯t kidding about people getting kidnapped into space?¡± Maggie fell into step beside Theseus. They walked down the large center strip between the rows of ships. Maggie looked around at all the different people and creatures around them. She supposed that not all humans were returned to Earth after being abducted, and, well, humans were humans. ¡°No. It¡¯s one of the main things the Coalition is fighting against.¡± ¡°And yet you kidnapped- abducted me.¡± Maggie said. Theseus winced at the reminder and threw up his arms. ¡°I know, I know! I said I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t take it back, and you wouldn¡¯t want me to. Leaving you on Earth with the Key would have been like leaving a nice juicy steak out for the wolves. If your own government didn¡¯t snatch you up once they figured out what you had, then you might have gotten snatched up by aliens that don¡¯t have any problem kidnapping humans and doing all sorts of experiments on them. Not all those crazy stories are that crazy you know.¡± ¡°So what? Am I supposed to thank you for kidnapping me?¡± ¡°No, but you could at least give it a bit of a rest.¡± Theseus dropped his arms to his sides. ¡°And kindly don¡¯t mention it in public. For that matter, don¡¯t mention the Key at all unless you¡¯re talking to me, Flame, or Doc Tomas. It¡¯s not safe.¡± ¡°Why not? You say it¡¯s not safe, but isn¡¯t this some rebel base or something?¡± Maggie looked pointedly at a group of people dressed in what could only be military uniforms marching by, each one carrying a large gun slung over their shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s also a public space station. People stop here from all sorts of places, and not all are friendly to humans or the Coalition¡¯s mission. Even if they were, there¡¯s plenty of people that would want that Key and not care who they piss off to get it.¡± Theseus glanced at the group of armed people, stepping aside to give them plenty of room. ¡°So, keep it covered and as secret as you can.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The more Maggie learned, the more she really didn¡¯t want this Key. But she didn¡¯t know how to get rid of it, so she had to depend on Theseus and his mysterious doctor friend. ¡°You¡¯re going to be fine.¡± Theseus said with forced brightness, his smile more of a grimace. ¡°Just tell me if you start to feel weird.¡± ¡°What do you mean weird? This whole thing has me feeling like I¡¯ve gone nuts.¡± She looked down at her hand, flexing her fingers slightly. The movement made pain spike through her hand, and she let out a soft hiss. ¡°Tell me if you start hearing things, seeing things, feeling violent, shooting crystal spikes out of your arm, things like that.¡± Theseus¡¯s voice was carefully casual, but it carried a tension that Maggie couldn¡¯t help but notice. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Shooting crystal spikes?¡± Her eyes snapped to him. Was that a possibility?! Why hadn¡¯t anyone mentioned that sooner? She looked back to her arm, trying to see any sign of the crystal bits in her palm growing out of the cloth. There was no sign of the crystal, but she could tell that the burn was spreading. With each beat of her heart, the throbbing, hot pain crept further up her arm, faint red lines tracing each vein. She stared at it in horror as the red lines visibly moved further up her arm, the pattern reminding her of the scarring on her mother¡¯s legs. Was it the Key? Or had she somehow caught whatever it was her mother had? No, that was stupid. Wasn¡¯t it? ¡°I doubt you¡¯ll do that; it¡¯s a rare side effect.¡± Theseus looked at her, the strain behind his smile evident as he looked at her arm. As his eyes traced the red lines, his smile and the forced lightness in his voice disappearing utterly. ¡°It¡¯s getting worse. Come on, I know a shortcut.¡± Maggie followed Theseus into narrower hallways that twisted and turned in unexpected directions. Metal piping and flowing crystal lines ran along one side of the hall, interrupted occasionally by large slabs of crystal set directly into the wall. Each slab held buttons and switches in the bottom half, the top half left entirely blank. As they passed by, the top portion of each slab lit up like a computer screen, full of unfamiliar symbols. Maggie paused to look at one, distracted from her pain by its sheer strangeness. She only let herself stare for a moment, though, not wanting to be left behind. The idea of being alone in an alien space station bigger than most cities was terrifying enough that she hurried to catch up with Theseus. Eventually, they passed through another narrow doorway into a more comfortable corridor with calming blue walls and a floor covered with thin green carpet. The air had the clean, sterilized smell of a hospital, and the few people who passed by were dressed in old-fashioned nurse uniforms and white lab coats. The soft sound of voices came from the other side of a frosted glass door that slid open as they approached, revealing the most normal-looking thing Maggie had seen in what felt like days: a waiting room. Comfortable chairs were lined up in neat rows, tables between every couple of them laden with books and old magazines. A crystal screen in one corner was playing ¡®I Love Lucy¡¯, and a woman who looked like she had stepped out of a World War 2 museum sat behind a curved desk, jotting notes down in her own crystal computer. The woman looked up as they entered, and Maggie stumbled a little when she noticed her catlike eyes and the pointed ears that stuck up out of her hair on either side of her starched nurse¡¯s cap. A cat girl? Well, cat woman, in space. That was more in line with what she expected to be dreaming. Except dreams didn¡¯t hurt this bad. Maggie breathed in through her nose, counting to four before letting the breath out slowly through her mouth in an attempt to focus on anything other than the pain that burned through her hand and arm. Theseus strode right up to the desk, ignoring the curious looks they got from the other waiting room occupants. ¡°Nurse Veela, we need to see S¡¯il Vala Tomas. Now.¡± The woman¡¯s nostrils flared, and her lips pressed together in a thin line of disapproval. ¡°Mr. Goodfellow, I didn¡¯t expect you to show your face here again. You and your companion will have to wait. Quietly. But I can at least get you registered. Will the doctor be seeing you or the young lady?¡± ¡°The young lady and this is urgent!¡± Theseus said. He leaned on the desk, tension screaming in his body language, one hand clenching into a fist. He glanced at Maggie, then lowered his voice, slipping into the odd language he had spoken over the computer, words coming out in a jagged, quiet rush. Nurse Veela pressed her lips together so tightly they nearly disappeared, staring coldly at Theseus before responding in the same language he spoke in. Maggie couldn¡¯t understand what she said, but the forced patience was unmistakable. It was the same tone she had used when dealing with asshole customers at the cafe. Maggie sighed and turned away from the pair, looking over the room as she forced her breathing to be slow and steady. Most of the occupants were humans, although there were a few aliens here and there. They were never alone though, always sitting next to one of the humans. Only one of the otter creatures was in the room, looking incredibly uncomfortable as it held a sleeping human baby. It was adorable, and Maggie smiled even with the pain throbbing through her arm. Theseus was right; it was getting worse. The pain was getting harder to ignore, a constant throbbing pulsing up her arm. However, she couldn¡¯t help noticing the sudden paleness in Nurse Veela¡¯s face or the look of horror she sent Maggie''s way. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± The calm voice cut through the argument like a hot knife through butter, Veela and Theseus standing up straight as if they had been pricked with pins. ¡°Doctor Tomas!¡± Nurse Veela gasped. Maggie followed her gaze to a tall, gray-haired man in a white coat standing in front of an open door. He frowned sternly as his gaze drifted over the pair, lingering a moment on Maggie before settling finally on Theseus. ¡°Theseus, I am surprised to see you here.¡± ¡°Doc! We need to see you right away, please!¡± Theseus pulled Maggie forward. ¡°It¡¯s an urgent matter.¡± ¡°My waiting room is full of people with urgent matters.¡± Doctor Tomas said calmly. ¡°I am certain Nurse Veela explained this.¡± ¡°I did. But he insists. He has brought- well, look at the girl¡¯s hand!¡± Nurse Villa waved a hand at Maggie, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper. ¡°And he brought it here of all places!¡± Maggie didn¡¯t like being the subject of a conversation she could only understand part of, and she didn¡¯t like all the stares they were getting. The doctor let out a sigh and turned to Maggie, holding out his hand. ¡°Very well, good morning, young lady. I am Doctor Tomas. May I see your hand, please?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Maggie. Let him look at your hand.¡± Theseus spoke softly. He moved his bulk to block the view of her from most of the waiting room, wary of the eyes on them. Why was she trusting this guy? Oh right, because she didn¡¯t know anyone else and she was surrounded by aliens. Maggie sighed and pulled the bandages off her hand, trying to ignore the shaking that she just couldn¡¯t stop. It hurt so bad that it washed away thoughts of anything else. Doctor Tomas took her hand gently, peering down at it with a thoughtful frown. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± He asked gently. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Maggie laughed raggedly, surprised by the sound for a moment. ¡°It hurts a lot.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what we can do about that. Nurse Veela, Doctor Hist will take the next couple patients. I don¡¯t imagine this will take long. Theseus, wait out here.¡± ¡°I should stay with her,¡± Theseus said uncertainly. ¡°She¡¯s perfectly safe here, you know this.¡± Doctor Tomas gave Theseus a stern look. ¡°Wait out here until I call for you.¡± Theseus looked at Maggie, but reluctantly nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be right out here Maggie.¡± Unsurprisingly, she didn¡¯t find that very reassuring. Chapter 9 - The Good Doctor
I have found over my years as a doctor, or Si¡¯l Vala as they call them here, that certain things are the same across all races:
-No one hydrates well enough, whether it is water, nectar, or any other odd thing.
-Every race has its own stimulant that performs the same role as coffee. I prefer the Telorian drink Bax¡¯thar. It has notes of chocolate and caramel that I find very satisfying.
-Every child likes a little treat when visiting the doctor.
-From the journals of S¡¯il Vala Tomas Martinez
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Doctor Tomas led Maggie back to an examination room that looked so normal that tears rose up in Maggie''s eyes. Someone had taken great care in designing the room, getting every little detail correct, right down to the paper that covered the exam table and the slightly speckled tan floor. ¡°I was expecting something more high-tech,¡± Maggie said around a lump in her throat. She climbed onto the exam table, letting her feet dangle. She looked down at them, the bright green fur not quite so bright anymore. ¡°There are some high-tech things in here, and of course, we have some rooms that are fully advanced to the station¡¯s technology. But for many of my patients, rooms like these provide comfort. It is a slice of home in a strange and scary place.¡± Doctor Tomas tossed the bandages he had removed from Maggie¡¯s hand into a slot in the wall. ¡°Do you get a lot of people from Earth here?¡± Maggie asked softly. How many missing people had wound up in space, too far from their homes for the cops ever to find a trace of them? How many of the people that Bobby was even now researching really had been abducted? ¡°A fair few. With modern technology, the Silvarians and their allies can¡¯t get away with abducting as many as they used to. But I can still tell the ones new to space. They look around as if everything is new, and the bits of Earth culture that appear are the strangest things they¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Doctor Tomas pressed a button on the wall, a section sliding out to reveal a drawer. ¡°I¡¯m going to scan you to adjust the medicine to your specific body. I don¡¯t want it making you sick.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Maggie looked down at the crystal rod the Doctor held. She had expected something like a tricorder out of Star Trek, but this thing looked more like a wand out of some fantasy novel. He ran it over her body, starting with her head and moving down slowly. Blue lights flowed from it across her skin, tingling when they passed over her burnt hand. She winced, her fingers curling at the sensation. ¡°I know it hurts; you¡¯ve been handling yourself very well, considering how bad the burn is.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s been a lot going on to keep my mind off it.¡± Maggie said weakly. She looked down at the burn, cringing at the sight. ¡°Theseus said the Key was bonding with me; what does that even mean anyway? What¡¯s it doing to me?¡± Her voice cracked slightly on the last question, and tears pricked her eyes. But she refused to cry. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. If she started, she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d be able to stop. ¡°It¡¯s adapting itself to your biology, and becoming part of you. Think of it as grafting a new piece of skin to you or a new branch to an existing tree. Given time, luck, and compatibility, two things become one.¡± Doctor Tomas slid the crystal rod into a slot in the wall. His voice was calm, with just enough sympathy to be professional but still sincere. A screen lit up next to the slot he slid the rod into; most of the text was in a language she didn¡¯t understand, but there was also a handy diagram of a human body. Her body. One hand was completely red, the color already halfway up her arm, following the same lines as her veins. She stared at the screen; it was easier to look at than her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want it to become part of me though!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, but there are many things we don¡¯t want in life that we must learn to live with.¡± Doctor Tomas studied the diagram and the notes that scrolled by. He let out a disappointed sigh. ¡°When was the last time you drank any water?¡± ¡°Can you make it not become a part of me?¡± Maggie blushed at the question and thought back over the last few days. She had drunk coffee, soda, even milk! But no just plain water. ¡°Coffee is mostly water.¡± The doctor let out a small snort, his gaze stern and disapproving. ¡°Coffee does not count as drinking water. As for making the key not become a part of you....¡± His look softened as he looked down at her palm. ¡°Short of amputating your arm, that is highly unlikely. I can try, but we don¡¯t know much about how Ancients technology works. We know that all their technology has a mechanical and biological part, but how does it come together? What powers it? How does it choose who it bonds to, and how? We simply don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m going to be stuck here?¡± Maggie whispered, thinking of Flame and her oh-so-casual comment about killing her. She doubted the woman would mind cutting off her arm if that meant getting what she wanted. Doctor Tomas was silent for a moment, and Maggie stared down at the ugly wound on her hand, the world clouding as tears started to fall. His voice was soft when he finally spoke. ¡°I will see what I can do to remove it, but you may need to accept the idea of not returning to Earth.¡± His voice was gentle, but it felt like a knife stabbed into her heart. She thought of everyone she knew, all her friends and family back on Earth: Becca, Aunt Electra, her mom, Bobby, Ross, even Chance. It was very likely that she¡¯d never get to see any of them again. Which meant she wouldn¡¯t be able to help her mom either. ¡°What am I supposed to do if I can¡¯t go home? I have family and friends waiting for me back there! And what if that lunatic Flame decides to kill me to get this stupid key?¡± ¡°Oftentimes, there are jobs similar to those on Earth that you can do here. As for Flame, she will not kill you. I won¡¯t allow it.¡± Doctor Tomas¡¯ voice turned hard, and she looked up in surprise. ¡°You are my patient now, which means your well-being is my business.¡± ¡°Then help me get home!¡± Maggie pleaded, desperation leaking into her voice. ¡°I will do my best.¡± Doctor Tomas let out a sigh, and he turned back to the crystal computer. ¡°For now, let me give you something for the pain and something to help you sleep tonight. And a quota for how much water to drink.¡± He was silent for a moment as he reviewed the notes on the screen, a dissatisfied look on his face. ¡°And vitamins. I¡¯ve never met anyone from Earth with the proper amount of vitamins in their system.¡± Maggie couldn¡¯t help letting out a ragged laugh. Everything that was going on, and he was worried about vitamins and water intake? The man clearly had his priorities messed up! She doubled over, unable to stop laughing, even as tears streamed down her face. It wasn¡¯t as if it was that funny, she just couldn¡¯t stop. She was on an alien space station with an alien gizmo inside her hand, and this guy wanted her to drink more water and take vitamins! She was on an alien space station and may never go home again. A sob interrupted the laughter. She¡¯d never go home. Shit.
Chapter 10 - Next Steps
They asked us to keep journals. Something to pass the time while we travel to the next galaxy, I guess. I ain¡¯t never been one much for writing, though. Guess I got bored enough to try, huh? Bet you¡¯re wondering who I am. Or maybe you ain¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t a volunteer like a lot of them others; this is my life sentence. Death by boredom for good ol¡¯ Te¡¯chik. Well, there are worse ways to go.
-Log C, Fragment 1. Te¡¯chik
---------------------------------------------
Maggie barely felt the gentle pressure of the device Doctor Tomas pressed against her neck. Or the sting of the chemicals injected straight through her skin. But she felt the sudden relief from the pain and the startling calmness that followed. ¡°Take some slow, deep breaths for me, Maggie.¡± Doctor Tomas¡¯ voice sounded as if it came from far away, even though he was beside her. She took a ragged breath, shaking as she tried to breathe slowly. It felt like there was a vice around her chest, though, and each breath was a struggle. Slowly, her muscles loosened, and the next breath came easier. Doctor Tomas pressed a button on the side of the exam table, the mattress squeaking as it folded into a chair. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Doctor Tomas peered into her eyes, shining a light he had gotten from somewhere into them. Maggie sat silently for a moment, staring at him. The tears had started to dry up, but she knew her face must be a mess from them. She remained convinced that there was no such thing as a pretty crier. ¡°The- the pain is gone.¡± ¡°Good. And? How else do you feel?¡± ¡°Better? I think. Like I just took a weed gummy but without the munchies.¡± As she said that, she thought of the pizza left on Theseus¡¯ ship and the brookies she hadn¡¯t touched. ¡°Maybe a little bit of the munchies. Does anyone make pizza out here?¡± ¡°I am certain we can find you some pizza. I¡¯m sorry I had to administer so strong a dose, but the Key was reacting to your emotions.¡± Doctor Tomas said gently. He pulled bandages and something that looked like a tube of toothpaste out of a drawer in the wall. ¡°But I believe it helped speed up your healing as well.¡± ¡°It did?¡± Maggie slumped back against the exam table-turned-chair and looked down at her hand. The wound was still as ugly as ever, burst blisters seeping silver and clear liquid into the deep gouges left by the original explosion. ¡°Ew....¡± Doctor Tomas chuckled. ¡°Yes, ew. It isn¡¯t pretty, but it is healing faster now. For better or for worse.¡± ¡°Why would it be worse?¡± It was amazing how calm she felt, even though her hands trembled. Her mind tried to slip away from the subject as Doctor Tomas squeezed some cream onto her hand and began to bandage it. ¡°Because it means that the bonding progression has accelerated as well. I suggest you wear long sleeves and gloves when out in public. There¡¯s no sense in advertising what you have. Especially not here. Tell me, what did you do before you came here?¡± Maggie blinked and refocused on the sudden change of subject. What did that have to do with anything? ¡°I was a student and worked at a laundromat. Oh, and I helped at my aunt¡¯s coffee shop.¡± ¡°What did you study?¡± ¡°I was taking Philosophy of World History 132. But it was so boring. I would have rather been taking Aerial Yoga, but I needed something to fill the humanities credit slot. You know how it is; you¡¯re a doctor. I bet you had to take a bunch of boring classes.¡± ¡°Not as such, no. I will give Theseus your medicines and some extra bandages, and arrange a place for you to stay while you¡¯re here.¡± Doctor Tomas helped Maggie off the exam table, holding her steady until she could stand independently. ¡°What about a translator? They said you could give me a translator so I could understand people.¡± She thought back to Theseus¡¯s conversation with Nurse Veela, the heated discussion that had so obviously been about her, but that she hadn¡¯t understood a word of. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Doctor Tomas hesitated for a moment that felt long for Maggie. ¡°Give it a few days to acclimate to your body, and you¡¯ll understand what others say, even if they don¡¯t speak English.¡± Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Alright.¡± She felt a weight lift from her mind; no more talking about her in strange languages she couldn¡¯t understand! And if she got back to Earth and wanted to travel, a built-in translator would be awesome! If she ever got back to Earth. Dread tried to creep in through the calm like a snake through the grass. She¡¯d never go home. Her thoughts slid away from the thought like oil, refusing to let it stick. Doctor Tomas took her arm, gently guiding her to the waiting room. ¡°This way, Maggie. Theseus will take you to the living pods and ensure you¡¯re settled. I¡¯ll continue to monitor your progress and make you as comfortable here as possible.¡± ¡°Pods? Are there pod people here?¡± Maggie looked at the doctor, a giggle bubbling up in her throat. Doctor Tomas sighed and shook his head. ¡°No, there are no pod people here.¡± He stepped into the waiting room, where Theseus and Nurse Veela glared at each other. Theseus stood up as they came out, looking at the doctor expectantly. ¡°Can you take it out?¡± He asked, earning another stern glare from Nurse Veela. ¡°Not so loud, you fool.¡± She hissed, her ears laying back against her skull. ¡°You¡¯ll disturb the other people waiting politely to be seen.¡± Theseus shot another glare at Nurse Veela. But he did lower his voice, moving closer to Maggie and the doctor as he repeated the question. ¡°Can you take it out, Doc?¡± ¡°It¡¯s unlikely. I gave her something to help with the pain and keep her calm for now. She should sleep well tonight. Take her to R-38; I¡¯ll call ahead and arrange a pod for her, and I¡¯ll speak with Flame about our next steps.¡± ¡°Shit... alright. Can you try to keep her from flying off the handle? This mess is my fault, not Maggie¡¯s. She shouldn¡¯t have to pay for it.¡± Theseus spoke so softly that Maggie could barely hear him. She thought maybe she had misheard, but her thoughts slid away from the conversation, drifting over to the ¡®I Love Lucy¡¯ episode on the television. It was less depressing, and she didn¡¯t want that peaceful, sleepy glow to fade already. She knew she¡¯d have to deal with Flame, the Key, and all that other nonsense. But for now, she was content to put that off. It had been an exhausting couple of days, and all she wanted to do was curl up with some junk food and watch old TV shows. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with Flame. For now, take care of our guest.¡± Doctor Tomas gently guided Maggie to Theseus and handed him a bag that Maggie hadn¡¯t noticed him holding before. ¡°Remember, R-38, I¡¯ll call ahead.¡± ¡°Come on, Maggie. Let¡¯s get you set up with a room.¡± Theseus held her shoulder and guided her through the array of chairs to the door. They got a few odd glances but nothing that seemed to bother Theseus. Maggie¡¯s eyes strayed to the strange otter creature and its human baby, and she offered the creature a smile. ¡°Cute baby.¡± She said before Theseus steered her away from the pair, his grip tightening on her shoulder for a moment. Maggie looked up at him, wondering at the lines of tension that aged his face. She was silent for a moment, contemplating whether she should tell him the obvious. Finally, she nodded, deciding to speak up. ¡°You¡¯re really tall.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve been told,¡± Theseus said dryly. He looked imploringly at the doctor but continued out the door with a mutter. ¡°I hope this stuff wears off soon. I¡¯m not exactly the best babysitter.¡± Theseus sighed and guided Maggie out of the waiting room into the plain blue halls of the medical sector. ¡°R-38 isn¡¯t far from here, not with the lifts. It¡¯s not in the towers but underneath the laundromat.¡± ¡°Laundromat? A laundromat in space? Does it have super high-tech washers and dryers? Will it fold your clothes, too?¡± Bobby¡¯s dad would have a laugh at that! Who would have thought? A laundromat in space! Maggie giggled, picturing little green men folding their little clothes fresh out of the dryer. ¡°It does. I¡¯ll show it to you tomorrow when some of those drugs wear off. Or maybe I¡¯ll have Robin show you, he¡¯s a better babysitter than me.¡± Theseus grumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t need a babysitter. I¡¯m fine!¡± Maggie paused as the words seemed to echo back in her head. She shook her head as if to clear it, stumbling a little as she lost balance. Theseus grabbed her arm so she wouldn¡¯t fall. ¡°Of course you¡¯re fine. But you don¡¯t know your way around, and you don¡¯t know who not to talk to. So you need¡ªlet¡¯s call it a guide. Is that better? Not a babysitter but a guide.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± She said firmly. They stopped in a small circular room, the ceiling domed above them, decorated with stained glass. Maggie leaned against the wall, staring at the beautiful colors as Theseus programmed in their destination. ¡°This is one of the lifts. They all follow the same routes, and they can move pretty fast. You just program in your destination- why am I trying to explain this to you? You¡¯re not going to remember in the morning. God, I need a drink.¡± Theseus ran his hand across his face. ¡°Do they have beer out in space? Space beer?¡± She mused. The door to the lift slid shut, sealing with the barest whisper of sound before shooting off through its tube. ¡°Where there are people, there will be booze. Or other mind-altering substances. Do you really think that, over all these centuries, they didn¡¯t abduct someone who knew how to make a still?¡± Theseus said. Maggie nodded. He had a good point there. Humans had a talent for finding ways to make themselves drunk, regardless of what they used to get there: corn, potatoes, barley, hops. Where there was a will, there was a way. And she was sure that there was plenty of will after being abducted into space. ¡°Hey. The doctor called you Goodfellow. What¡¯s up with that?¡± Maggie focused on Theseus, caught by a sudden curiosity. ¡°That¡¯s my last name. Goodfellow.¡± Theseus blushed, shooting her an anxious look. ¡°Does that mean that your brother is Robin Goodfellow?¡± She started to grin, the memory of where she had heard the name before surfacing through the haze. Theseus groaned and buried his head in his hands. ¡°God, I really need a drink.¡± Maggie giggled, finally getting the jokes about A Midsummer Nights Wet Dream. ¡°As you like it.¡± ¡°I hate you so much right now.¡± Theseus muttered. muttered.
Chapter 10.5 - Meanwhile, Back Home
As Earths technology becomes more sophisticated, we¡¯re having a harder time concealing our visits. Finding test subjects and pets isn¡¯t difficult once we reach the planet. There¡¯s just so many humans, really we¡¯re doing them a favor. But even our planet-based allies are having trouble redirecting satellite feeds, and the less said about all the cameras in the more developed areas of the planet the better. I will say one good thing has come from the growth of their technology: tapping into their satellites has shown evidence that we aren¡¯t the only ones visiting.
-Report from Captain Yi¡¯thi, Cirventis 265, Day Cycle 509
¡°Today, on News at 11 in Alexandria, the search continues for Alexandria University student Maggie Kaye who was taken from her home on Leonardo Avenue last night.¡± All eyes were on the TV, the cafe oddly quiet as the news report ran. It was a small town, and even if they hadn¡¯t talked to Maggie personally, everyone knew who she was. Becca paused in scrubbing the latest in a series of cookie sheets to stare at the news, her eyes red rimmed. Electra had been out of course, talking to the police. Officer Richard had forced Ross to take some time off to rest, especially after his crazy report of the flying RV. But rather than go home, Ross had come to the cafe, slumped over a cup of coffee staring at the news like everyone else. Becca didn¡¯t mind, she felt safer with him here. ¡°Officers are being aided by state authorities in their search, and a vigil has been set by the local Catholic church for this Sunday, praying for her safe return. Authorities ask residents to be on the lookout for a man about 6¡¯4 with brown hair, driving a silver RV with no plates.¡± ¡°That thing wasn¡¯t an RV.¡± Ross muttered under his breath, taking a drink of his coffee. ¡°There was no way that thing was an RV. RVs don¡¯t fly.¡± Becca looked at Ross, frowning. He had been like this since the evening Maggie disappeared. Doc Zimmerman had insisted he wasn¡¯t under the influence of anything, and that he just needed rest. But Becca wasn¡¯t quite sure. She didn¡¯t think her brother was crazy, but flying RVs? What had he really seen? The bell above the door chimed, and the majority of eyes turned to the stranger that stepped in. Even Ross turned, looking over the man that looked like a government spook: scrawny, white, black suit and tie. The guy might as well have just stepped out of a TV show. Ross downed the rest of his coffee and set the cup down hard on the counter. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Welcome to The Study Hall.¡± Becca forced the greeting out, although she really didn¡¯t care. This was a bad time to visit their little town. ¡°What can I get for you?¡± The man moved through the small crowd, completely ignoring Becca¡¯s question to focus on Ross. He pulled a badge from his pocket, holding it out for Ross¡¯s inspection. ¡°Are you Officer Ross?¡± Ross looked up at the agent from his sitting position, lounging back on the counter. ¡°I am. How can I help you?¡± Becca recognized that tone of voice. This was not going to go well for the agent. ¡°I¡¯m Agent Avist with the Department of Homeland Security. I have a few questions regarding your report on the incident last night. Come with me please.¡± The agent slid his badge back into his pocket, dark sunglasses reflecting the light of the bakery display behind Ross. ¡°I can answer your questions here. I saw an RV that was unfamiliar, had no tags, and was headed out of town. This was right after I got a call that my sisters friend had been kidnapped, so I pursued it. Then it took off into the sky.¡± Ross said bluntly. Becca winced. If Ross kept spouting that nonsense he was going to torpedo his career and probably get admitted to a psych ward. She picked up his empty cup. ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse my brother, he hasn¡¯t gotten much sleep lately.¡± ¡°Understandable.¡± Agent Avist said, his voice bland. ¡°I understand this is a stressful time for you all. Did you see the person who was piloting this RV?¡± ¡°No. But I would bet it was the one that kidnapped Maggie. Tall. Brown hair. Bomber jacket. Unless you want to add to that description?¡± ¡°Did you see where the RV came from?¡± The Agent persisted. He pulled out a notebook, but didn¡¯t write anything down. It was like watching a crummy actor. ¡°Leonardo Avenue, where Maggie¡¯s house is. This is all in my report. How are you going to help us find Maggie?¡± Ross leaned forward, jabbing a finger at the man. ¡°Or are you just here to poke around and bother the good people of this town?¡± Agent Avist looked down at his finger. ¡°Remove your finger.¡± ¡°Answer the question. Do you know anything about that RV? About the person that took Maggie?¡± Ross stood up to his full height, towering over the smaller man. The people in the cafe had focused their attention on Ross and the agent. ¡°I believe it is time for me to go.¡± Agent Avist said, taking a step back. ¡°I do not need to answer your questions.¡± ¡°I disagree. Lets take a trip down to the station and see if you¡¯ll answer questions there instead.¡± Ross set a hand on Agent Avist¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You wanted some privacy, didn¡¯t you? Lets go.¡± The agent hesitated only a moment. But then nodded and allowed Ross to guide him out. Becca watched them leave with a frown. Something didn¡¯t sit right with her about how easily the Agent had gone. But her brother was a tough guy, he¡¯d be fine. Wouldn¡¯t he? Chapter 11 - A New Home
I felt them die. They had said these damn keys they bonded us to were just to help control the ship but I felt them die. The entire outer layer of the ship tore itself apart passing through that last solar storm. There was supposed to be nothing between the galaxies! Nothing but emptiness, but they were wrong. Or they lied. It wouldn¡¯t be the first thing they¡¯ve lied about. Storms, creatures bigger than planets, even the Star-Eaters followed us out here! I swear if I get my hands on the ones that sent us out here I¡¯ll kill them myself.
-Log Fragment 34 - Te¡¯chik
------------------------------------------------
It turned out that pods were like little studio apartments contained in boxes, all stacked up on top of each other with catwalks and metal stairs connecting them. R-38 was full of them, stacked all the way to the ceiling. And considering that it was a converted docking bay like the one they had landed in, the ceiling was pretty damn high. They were greeted at the door by a bored looking man in tiny guard booth like pod, he looked them over, resting his chin on his hand. ¡°Welcome to R-38, resident ID please.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually setting up my friend here as a resident. Her name is Maggie, Doc Tomas sent us.¡± Theseus set a hand on Maggie¡¯s shoulder, forcing a smile. ¡°Sure. Place your hand here please. This is a human-only residential sector so we have to scan you.¡± The man slid a small square of what looked like gelatin across the worn counter to Maggie. She stared at it, slowly reaching out to poke the substance. It felt like gelatin too! The man behind the counter sighed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, it looks like a dessert. No you can¡¯t eat it. Yes you need to put your whole hand in the goo. No, it won¡¯t hurt you. No I can¡¯t read your mind, I¡¯ve just met a lot of newcomers.¡± Maggie blinked, opening her mouth to say something. But she forgot what it was before she could get the words out, and just pressed her hand down into the goo. It oozed around her hand, a cold tingle running through it as it lit up. The man behind the counter glanced at a crystal screen. ¡°Human. Slight genetic drift. Uhm...¡± He paused, his eyes darting first to Maggie, then to Theseus. ¡°Doctor Tomas sent you?¡± For the first time since they got here, he didn¡¯t sound bored. In fact, he sounded a bit nervous. ¡°Yes.¡± Theseus leaned on the counter, lowering his voice. ¡°He knows about it. Flame knows about it. Lets make sure word doesn¡¯t get around to a whole bunch of other people, right?¡± ¡°R-right. But should she really be here? Maybe someplace more private would be better?¡± ¡°What are you so nervous about?¡± Maggie pulled her hand out of the gelatin stuff, looking at it and wrinkling her nose. She couldn¡¯t see any on her hand, but it felt like there was still some on her. ¡°Nothing! Nothing. I just- it¡¯s good to be cautious.¡± The man shrank back slightly, and cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± He slid his chair back as he said it, turning his back to them as he pressed buttons on a second computer in the back of the small room. Theseus rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache and closed his eyes. ¡°I should have known this wouldn¡¯t be easy. Nothing in life is ever easy.¡± Maggie reached up and awkwardly patted Theseus on the back. She couldn¡¯t think of what else to do, she didn¡¯t expect to feel sympathy for her kidnapper, but he just looked so stressed. Theseus looked at her in surprise, eyebrows raising. For a moment, they just stood there awkwardly. Then the man in the booth turned around, looking up at them nervously. ¡°Maggie, you¡¯ve been assigned Pod L-37. Left side of the bay, third floor up, 7th door down. It¡¯s labeled, the door will be coded to your palm. The only ones that can override it are in security or medical so you don¡¯t need to worry about anyone coming in unannounced.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Thank you.¡± Theseus said in relief before Maggie could talk. ¡°I¡¯ll take her there now.¡± ¡°Err... Commander Flame is going to want to talk to you when you¡¯re done, Sir.¡± The man shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet his eyes. ¡°Of course she is.... Come on Maggie.¡± Theseus¡¯ shoulders slumped, and he started down between the stacks of apartments. Maggie shrugged, and settled in to follow him. She was curious about the place anyways, and the idea of a nice soft bed was sounding better by the moment. The bottom row of pods seemed to all be shops or hang-out places. Christmas lights, paper lanterns, papel picado and streamers were strung up across the space between pod rows, and music blared from different pods. It sounded like they had a huge selection of music, from country to death metal, all at least six years out of date. It sounded as if it had been pulled right off the radio, commercials and all. One pod held a big crystal screen that was playing an old black and white film, and another had a crowd grouped around Playstation 2, a pair of people playing some game with hoverboards. Another booth was grilling some meat that smelled absolutely delicious. People were laughing, talking, shouting and even crying into their cups. In short, people were living. Maggie stopped in the middle of the walkway, staring around. It had sounded like all these people were abductees, or at least the descendants of abductees, but they weren¡¯t acting like she expected them to act. She had expected to see miserable people held against their will, not some kind of party. Theseus stopped when he noticed she wasn¡¯t by him and backtracked until he found her. ¡°Maggie, you can¡¯t just stop like that!¡± ¡°They¡¯re having fun.¡± She said dumbly, her eyes lingering on a group of people playing some odd game with a floating ball and three cups. It wasn¡¯t quite beer pong, but whatever it was when the ball went in the cup, the whole table took a drink and cheered. Theseus was silent for a moment, looking around the busy residential sector himself. ¡°Well... yeah. Life doesn¡¯t stop because something unfortunate happened. It goes on, and you find ways to keep going as well.¡± Maggie focused on Theseus, feeling a spark of irritation work its way up through the warm cloud the drugs had left her in. ¡°Being kidnapped is a bit more than unfortunate.¡± Theseus sighed, his lips pressing together as if to hold in the immediate response. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold and hard. ¡°I am not going to keep repeating myself, so for the last time: I¡¯m sorry. It was my fault, I made a stupid mistake and you¡¯re suffering the consequences. I can¡¯t take it back, and there¡¯s only so much I can do to help you. At least here you have a better chance of surviving having that damn thing in you, which is more than a lot of people get! Find your own way to your pod. The numbers are easy enough to see you should be fine.¡± And with that, Theseus turned and strode off into the crowd. Maggie stared after him, her eyes wide and heart pounding. She took a few steps after him, but he was already long gone, she couldn¡¯t even see his head over the crowd. ¡°Theseus?¡± She called, hoping maybe he was just out of sight. She looked around the crowd, trying not to panic. She was alone. She had pissed off the only person she knew here, and he had left her alone. The realization made anxiety bubble up inside her, but failed to trigger a full panic attack. Her head was just too fuzzy for that. ¡°Third floor. L-37.¡± She repeated and looked up at the catwalks and stacks of pods. She stumbled back as she stared up and up at the things stacked like wooden blocks above her. At least hers wasn¡¯t all the way up by the ceiling, and Theseus was right about the numbers. Each pod had a letter and number painted across the front, easy to see even from a distance. ¡°L-20, L-21... So up ahead a bit and one more up? Sounds right.¡± Maggie started to push through the crowd again, staring at the numbers, focusing as hard as she could on her goal. Pod L-37. She stopped for a moment to stare at a cat that appeared to be playing chess. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve moved on to hallucinations now. That¡¯s fun.¡± She mumbled to herself, earning a curious look from both the cat and the human boy it was playing against. She offered them a small wave, before she continued on her way. Was hallucinations one of the things she was supposed to be looking out for? Or could that be a side effect of the drugs Doctor Tomas had injected her with? She had never hallucinated before. ¡°First time for everything. Never been abducted by aliens before either. Or I guess space-humans? Spumans? Spacemans? No, it would be Spacemen if anything.¡± Maggie caught a few odd looks as she walked along, mumbling to herself like some kind of loon. But she finally spotted L-37, and the stairs up. Relief and exhaustion flooded through her as she climbed the stairs to the third level and finally pressed her hand against the door to the pod. It slid open to reveal a plain room with a desk, single chair, bed and dresser. Home sweet home. Apparently. The door slid shut behind her, and Maggie dropped down onto the bed. It was oddly like a dorm room, only maybe just a little bigger. It was at least better than a prison cell. Tears gathering in her eyes again, she laid down, curling up around the single pillow. She just wanted to go home. Chapter 11.5 - Much Ado about Maggie
Of the subjects implanted with a functional Key, barely 2% have survived without significant damage to their bodies or minds. Many have reported disturbing dreams, mood swings, and hallucinations. Of those with physical manifestations of the implantation the most common side effect is a body part turning into solid crystal. Amputating the part results in significant trauma to the subject, and a decrease or end of the ability to use Ancients technology. In extreme circumstances it has even resulted in the loss of the Key. -
From the files of Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i, head of research, Silva Prime
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¡°So, what are we going to do with her?¡± Doctor Tomas studied Flame through the hologram in his office. Dark circles under her eyes, lines of stress that made her look old beyond her years, and the unsteady swaying of the hologram that meant she was pacing as she held the unit on the other side. In his opinion, the woman needed a long vacation, but he knew that she would never take one. Not while the Silvarians still enslaved humans and used them in their experiments. Tomas knew humans weren¡¯t the only ones that suffered under Silvarian arrogance, but they were the only people that Flame cared about. The only people most of the Coalition cared about. ¡°We can¡¯t let her leave. Can you get the Key out of her?¡± Flame asked sharply. ¡°Not without hurting her, perhaps even killing her. It¡¯s already merged to the extent that it¡¯s responding to her emotions, and it¡¯s spread up her arm. At the very least I¡¯d have to amputate her arm to retrieve the Key.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s any chance you can remove it, do it. We need that key, Doctor!¡± Flame leaned forward, pinning him with steely grey eyes, the dark circles even more pronounced up close. ¡°Flame, the best case scenario for removing the Key is hurting her and causing unnecessary trauma, the worst case is death. Did you forget I am S¡¯il Vala? The name may be different than what we used on Earth, but the principles are the same.¡± Tomas¡¯s voice was calm and patient, but firm. He was not going to hurt someone if he could avoid it. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Doctor. I don¡¯t know why you adhere to their damn names for things! You spent too much time in their school. Have you lost sight of the mission? Of the reasons for the Freedom Coalition? There are things more important than one life, even if that life is human.¡± Flame resumed her pacing. The odd movement of the hologram made Tomas slightly ill, like being on a boat on stormy seas. He leaned back in his chair, his pose relaxed and open. ¡°I am proud of the titles I¡¯ve earned in my life, both on Earth and in the wide galaxy.¡± Flame frowned, pausing in her pacing. She was silent for a long moment before she gave him a grudging nod. ¡°As you have every right to be. It isn¡¯t like those aliens made it easy for you or Nora.¡± ¡°Or Theo.¡± Tomas added gently. Flames face twisted into a scowl, and she set the holographic device down so hard her whole image flickered and shook. ¡°Don¡¯t mention that traitor!¡± She snarled. ¡°He¡¯s worse than those damn furry aliens!¡± Flame was silent for a moment, clenching and unclenching her fists as she glared through the hologram at Tomas. Finally, she spoke again. A low growl between gritted teeth. ¡°We. Need. That. Key. With an Ancients ship we can finally even the playing field with those furry bastards! I don¡¯t care what has to be done to get it!¡± ¡°We have the Key. It just happens to be attached to an Earth girl. However it also looks like it¡¯s reacting well with her. I don¡¯t think she realizes how quickly she¡¯s healing. The scan showed plenty of new growth on her hand. The fact that she even still has a hand is miracle enough. I suspect that she¡¯ll be fully healed in a matter of days.¡± Tomas tapped a button on his computer, sending the report to Flame to review, along with the notes he had made before her meeting. ¡°That makes the whole situation worse. She¡¯s from Earth. We don¡¯t abduct people, especially from Earth!¡± Flame glanced at the screen as the message came through and pulled it up with a flick of her fingers. Tomas sat patiently, his hand folded across his stomach. ¡°Theseus¡¯s logs show he came here directly from Earth, a days travel with that drive of his. It¡¯s grown so much in one day?¡± Flame frowned, tapping a finger against the table right next to the hologram machine. The sound dug at Tomas¡¯s nerves, but he just nodded. ¡°Apparently. I would suggest letting her keep the key, and giving her a reason to stay. Maybe we can do a DNA search and find someone related to her. It¡¯s a long shot, but we might get lucky. And for your own good, take a few days off. You look like shit.¡± Flame snorted, and actually cracked a smile. ¡°Is that an order, Doctor?¡± ¡°It is. Take some time off. Don¡¯t make me confine you to the hospital bay.¡± Tomas reached out and cut off the connection. He would have to check tomorrow to see if Flame actually followed his orders, or his suggestion. If she decided the price of a life was cheap enough to get Ancients technology he may have to take drastic action. And that would just be a pain in the ass. Chapter 12 - Seeking Forgiveness
Galaux Station has been hailed as a marvel of design and technology by The Galactic Architecture Association. Less than 100 Standards old, it sits near the center of the galaxy as a waystation for travelers from all walks of life. It¡¯s two crsytal towers provide space for parks, residential areas, hotels, shops, and embassies. Its docks can hold more than 300 ships, with the capabilities to tether even the largest cruise ships and haulers directly to the station for easy refueling and resupplying. Designer Narlik¡¯vid says inspiration for the stations stunning design came from the oceanic creatures of Jau 4, and the elegant crystalline structures of the Ancients vessels.
-From The Journal of Galactic Architecture, Issue 37
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Maggie woke up drenched in sweat, her heart racing. She was haunted by the lingering memory of a massive ship covered in snow, skeletons gazing out of hundreds of glass pods. Disoriented, Maggie stumbled out of bed and into the pods little bathroom. She dropped to her knees, gripping the edges of the small toilet as she threw up blood, mucus and the remnants of last nights pizza. Tears streamed down her face, and she let out a sob. There were so many skeletons, so many dead. She knew it had been a dream, but it had felt so damn real. She fumbled for the handle of the toilet, flushing the disgusting mess down the drain. Where it went, she didn¡¯t know, but at least the toilet seemed to work like Earth toilets. She was shaking as she climbed to her feet and looked into the mirror above the toilet. The whole bathroom was an exercise in compact efficiency: the room itself appeared to be the shower, and the sink was built directly into the top of the toilet. Water came out readily when she held her hands beneath the sleek faucet. It soaked the bandages, but she didn¡¯t care right now. The cold water felt wonderful against her burning skin. Maggie splashed her face and rinsed out her mouth. It would take a toothbrush and some toothpaste to get the taste truly out of her mouth, but at least it was a start. Where was she going to get a toothbrush and toothpaste? Did aliens brush their teeth? A chime rang through the pod, gentle clear. She looked around, trying to pinpoint the origin of the sound, but if there was a speaker she couldn¡¯t find it. The sound seemed to come from everywhere at once. Maybe it was a doorbell? Or a phone? Not her phone, she had left it on the couch back home, and even if she hadn¡¯t she was way out of service range. The chime rang again, a little bit more insistent this time. Curious and grateful for a distraction from her nightmare, Maggie headed over to the door and pressed the button next to it. A miserable looking Theseus stood on the other side, holding a large box in his arm. Maggie immediately jammed the button again in an attempt to slam the uncooperative door. She may have pissed him off last night, but he was the one who had abandoned her in strange place! He hadn¡¯t even left her medicine behind. A fact that was becoming obvious as pain throbbed through her arm. Theseus shifted the box so that it blocked the door from closing. He let out a grunt as the door hit his arm. ¡°Wait! Ow! Shit, would you please wait?¡± ¡°Go away, asshole! You left me alone out there last night!¡± Maggie jammed the button again, but this time all it did was buzz peevishly at her. Apparently it was too polite a door to close on someone. Damn door. ¡°Would you take a chill pill already? I brought you some things to help you out!¡± Theseus let out a growl, and shoved his way into the pod. ¡°Are you really stupid enough to spit in the face of someone trying to help you? Do you have any idea how much this shit cost?¡± Maggie stumbled back, landing on the edge of the bed. ¡°Help me? If you want to help me take me home!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± Theseus dropped the box on the bed, where it bounced slightly before sinking into it. ¡°You don¡¯t like me? Fine. I don¡¯t care much for you either. But I got you into this mess, and I¡¯ll do what I can to help you. Right now that includes giving you some shit to get you settled, and getting a message to your family. Even that much may get me in trouble with Flame.¡± Maggie paused on the verge of snapping something else at him. He was really going to send her message to her family? Theseus sighed and raked a hand through his hair, the short locks standing on end. ¡°Listen. I¡¯m not going to stay to get bitched at. Robin has my contact information if you need anything. Record the video, and I¡¯ll make sure it gets to them.¡± He turned without giving her a chance to say anything in response, striding out the door. She watched him go, stunned into silence. The door slid closed behind him and sealed with a cheerful little beep. Maggie glared at it. ¡°You¡¯re no help.¡± ¡°Well now that¡¯s just rude.¡± The friendly voice nearly made Maggie jump out of her skin. She looked around wildly. Did even the pod talk? What the hell? ¡°I would be more help if you let me out of the box.¡± It continued. Maggie looked at the large box that Theseus had set on the bed. It was more square than a suitcase, but about the same size, made of some weird material that her mind wanted to call plastic but didn¡¯t quite match up with what she knew as plastic. She reached out, pressing the single button on the side of the box. Instead of opening like a usual box though, the lid just disappeared, revealing the contents inside. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Right on top of the stack of random stuff was a miniature version of Robin, a charming grin on his face. ¡°Maggie! You look like you¡¯ve seen better days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I have.¡± Maggie said. She sat down heavily, staring at the little hologram. ¡°What the hell are you doing in there?¡± ¡°Mostly being bored. Thank you for opening the box, it was messing with my sensors.¡± The hologram floated up out of the box, and he looked around the room. ¡°Huh, cozy.¡± For a moment, Maggie considered throwing the box outside and being done with the brothers. With their crazy alien artifacts and their weird holographic ghosts. But at this point she had already ticked off one of the very few people she knew here, she didn¡¯t want to alienate the other too. Heh. Alienate. God she wanted to go home. ¡°Don¡¯t look so glum, we brought you brownies! Or are they cookies? I have to say I was a bit confused by them. We also brought other goodies, like a tablet full of anime!¡± Robins hologram shifted a little, until he was a chibi with a head at least as big as his body and giant anime eyes. Maggie let out a ragged little laugh and sat on the bed. ¡°They¡¯re called brookies.¡± ¡°Brookies?¡± ¡°Brownie cookies, brookies.¡± Tears started to run down her face again, and she stared down at her bandaged hand. She was shaking, she could see it. ¡°Oh.¡± Robin watched her, his smile fading as he floated closer to her. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s going to be alright Maggie. Really.¡± ¡°How? How is any of this going to be alright? I have a weird alien thing in my arm, I¡¯m who only knows how many millions of miles from home, and the only people I know are the ones who kidnapped me. Not to mention I¡¯m totally going to fail Philosophy of World History 132.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure when you get back they¡¯ll take being kidnapped into consideration for your grade.¡± Robin smiled again, and his form flickered, rapidly changing size and location. Suddenly he was full sized, kneeling in front of her with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t you think?¡± Maggie couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Yeah. Sure, why not? Extenuating circumstances and all that.¡± ¡°See? That¡¯s the spirit! Now, lets get your bandage changed, and some pain medicine in you. Pain makes everything harder to deal with. And then, you can open your presents!¡± ¡°Are these guilt presents?¡± Maggie asked and wiped at her face. ¡°Only mostly. Theseus really does feel guilty, so do I for that matter. But they¡¯re also to help you be more comfortable here. The first gift is, of course, my stunning presence.¡± Robin stood up, gesturing to himself with a smile. ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t help you rebandage your hand. Incorporeal, you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Maggie said around a laugh. She had to admit that talking to Robin made her feel better. He was so much less tense than his brother, and sure as hell less scary than Flame. Luckily, there were bandages right at the top of the pile, along with the cream Doctor Tomas had put on her hand last night, and a bottle of something that looked like boba pearls. She reached down to pick up the bottle, giving it a shake. ¡°Am I supposed to make bubble tea now?¡± ¡°Hah! No, those are your pain killers. If they¡¯re anything like the ones Doc gave me when I broke my arm, they taste like grape bubble gum. They should be a similar mixture to what he gave you last night but not as strong.¡± ¡°You have grape bubble gum out here?¡± Maggie opened the bottle, picking up one of the squishy balls and popping it in her mouth. .With any luck it wouldn¡¯t have anywhere near as much effect as the stuff last night. She didn¡¯t want to be high, but she did want the pain in her arm to stop. ¡°Of course! Anything from Earth sells well, so there¡¯s a lot of smuggling from the planet. Books, music, television, food and drink. Anything. People like to remember their roots, you know?¡± Robin shrank back down to chibi size. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and blew, his head blowing up like a balloon until it was once again the same size as his body. ¡°Anime is popular too, and bobble heads.¡± Maggie laughed again, the tension easing from her. The chewy little pearl really did taste like grape bubble gum. The pain started to fade as she peeled the wet bandage from her arm. The skin was still an angry red, but it didn¡¯t look anywhere near as disgusting as it did yesterday. The blisters were already healing, the deep gouges the burn had left were now full of silver and crystal. But as she gently touched the marks, she found them to be just as soft as normal skin. ¡°Weird. Do you know anything about these keys?¡± She turned her hand over, looking over the back of her hand. Nothing unusual there, except that her nails looked like they were slightly prismatic. Apparently the key came with built in nail polish. ¡°Careful, it¡¯s still healing. But it looks much better than I feared. I think you¡¯re safe from turning into a crystal monster!¡± Robin beamed as Maggies head snapped up, her eyes wide. ¡°That was a possibility?!¡± Robin winced, immediately looking uncomfortable. ¡°A small possibility. It doesn¡¯t normally happen to humans.¡± ¡°But it was a possibility. What were you two even doing with something like this?! Where did you even get it?¡± Robin sighed and sat on the edge of the box, his overly simplified legs dangling down. ¡°Delivering it to Flame. And it was our mothers.¡± ¡°What was your mother doing with it?¡± Maggie looked back down at her palm, the silver and crystal shimmering in the light of the pod. ¡°For a while it was a part of her, just like it¡¯s a part of you. Listen, we were trying to keep it out of Silvarian hands. We had tried to hide it somewhere no one would find, but Flame found out about it and... well... she can be very persuasive.¡± Robins form seemed to deflate, looking more like a miniature or action figure than a chibi. ¡°But I found it, when your brother left it in the laundry.¡± Maggie said softly. ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Robin said miserably. ¡°What will it take for you to forgive us?¡± Maggie was silent, staring at the ghost. Could she forgive them at all? They had taken her whole life and turned it upside-down. But they hadn¡¯t done it on purpose. She wasn¡¯t sure if that was better or worse int he long run. It had been a stupid mistake, but in the end she was glad that it wasn¡¯t some little kid or little old lady that had found it. That would have been worse. Finally, Maggie sighed and shrugged. ¡°I guess I can forgive you. Or at least try to. You did bring peace offerings after all.¡± She added the last in a joking manner, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Robin perked up a bit, although he still seemed sad when he looked up at her. ¡°Thank you. Theseus will be relieved too, it¡¯s been tearing him up inside. Bandage your hand, and then unpack. We found a lot of cool stuff for you!¡± Chapter 13 - A New Home
I¡¯ve met the most interesting man today. He says he¡¯s a teacher from Earth, specializing in William Shakespeare and his plays. Of course he didn¡¯t bring any books with him, which is a pity. But he seems to have memorized much of Shakespeares work. He certainly memorized lines from Romeo and Juliet! I didn¡¯t have the heart to tell him I never much cared for that play, but it was very sweet to compare me to Juliet.
- From the journals of Gertrude Goodfellow
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It turned out the box contained a wide variety of useful and silly stuff, from basic necessities like a toothbrush and toothpaste (With Scrubbing Nanobots! Use again and again!), to a vibrant patchwork quilt. Maggie ran her fingers along the hand stitching, smiling at the bright colors. ¡°This is really pretty. Don¡¯t tell me Theseus made this.¡± Robin laughed and lounged on stuffed animal that kind of looked like an otter, or maybe an axolotl? It was furry, but had the weird head tendril things like axolotls had. Of course it was also wearing a very retro headset and a bright pink sparkly skirt. ¡°God no! He can¡¯t sew without stabbing himself more than the fabric. Our mother made that. Originally it was mine, but I figured you could use it more than me.¡± There was a sad note to his voice, even though he was smiling. ¡°She loved to make those things, gave them to everyone she thought could use some, I think she¡¯d have liked you to have one too.¡± Maggie looked at Robin, a sinking feeling forming in her stomach. ¡°Did she... die?¡± ¡°A few years ago, yeah. In the same accident that killed me. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t get sucked into a computer. Or maybe fortunately.¡± Robin laughed, gesturing to himself. ¡°I haven¡¯t had anything to eat in years, but hey, the trade off isn¡¯t awful. I can do cool tricks in this form. Can¡¯t touch anyone though.¡± He reached out, his hand hovering over Maggie¡¯s cheek. He let it drop, and smiled ruefully. ¡°But anyways, the same accident killed both our parents, Theseus took it hard, he hasn¡¯t been the same since.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Maggie felt guilt twist like a knife in her gut. She had been such a bitch to them, and even though she wasn¡¯t entirely unjustified in it, she felt bad now. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Don¡¯t be. They died fighting for the Coalition, for what they believed in.¡± Robin waved a hand dismissively, and his smile returned full force. ¡°Now, I know you saw the ID card, that will get you in and out of most places you¡¯re allowed to go. But it also has some funds on it, a gift from me and Theseus to you. But I actually had a thought. You should get a job!¡± ¡°What?¡± Maggie asked flatly. First she was abducted, and now he wanted her to get a job? ¡°A job, it would help make you feel more independent, and you could meet some people. Doc Tomas suggested a place that I think won¡¯t be too weird for you.¡± ¡°Oh he did, did he? What kind of job could I possibly do in this place that wouldn¡¯t be weird?¡± Maggie looked at Robin suspiciously. ¡°And why would they hire me anyways?¡± ¡°Because Doctor Tomas recommended you, and just wait until you see it! Go on, get washed up and lets go! I promise I won¡¯t peek.¡± He winked at that last comment, and Maggie shook her head. ¡°Great. I wasn¡¯t worried about it before, but now that you mention it....¡± Maggie trailed off, looking at the holographic ghost. Robin raised his hands defensively. ¡°Hey now! I promised I wouldn¡¯t. I am a man of my word.¡± He put a hand over his heart, and lounged back on the stuffed otter thing. ¡°Go on, I can¡¯t wait to show you your new job!¡± ¡°You act like I already agreed to this!¡± She picked up a small packet that was supposed to contain something to keep her bandage dry. She looked at it doubtfully, but shrugged and headed into the bathroom. It was worth a shot. As Maggie soon found out, the thing was basically a giant condom glove that stretched all the way up to her shoulder. It was weird not being able to feel the water against that arm, but not as weird as the full-room blow dry she got after. When she looked in the mirror, she saw that her hair poofed out in all directions, a frizzy mess of curls. ¡°This is going to take forever to brush.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the conditioner spray is for.¡± Robin called from the other side of the wall. Maggie looked at the wall suspiciously. Could he see her? Or just hear her? It wasn¡¯t exactly like this place had thick walls. She reached out of the bathroom, snagging some of the clothes Theseus had brought. Apparently jumpsuits were in on the station, or maybe they were just cheap. She pulled it on with a shrug, at least it was comfortable. ¡°So are you going to tell me what this job is yet?¡± Maggie asked as she stepped out of the bathroom, already dragging her brush through her hair. Robin laughed, floating up into the air. ¡°Nope, I want to see your face when you see where you¡¯ll be working. Hurry up, grab the tablet and your bag and lets go!¡± ¡°What do you have to hurry for?¡± Maggie pulled her headband on and stepped into the boots they had brought. The fuzzy slippers would have been more comfortable, but not exactly what she wanted to show up to a potential job in. Although Robin was talking as if it were a done deal. She didn¡¯t even know if she wanted whatever job he had in mind! ¡°I get bored. Now come on, you look gorgeous already, lets go.¡± ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Maggie rolled her eyes and picked up the tablet. She took one final look around the pod before heading out the door. Home, for as long as she had to stay here. Chapter 14 - A New Job
From my studies I have found that people tend to do better after their abduction, if they have something to do in a life that is suddenly drastically different from what they are accustomed to. Whether that is helping take care of others, working a job similar to what they had before, or learning something completely new. The task is not as important as the structured schedule, comradery, and sense of purpose are the important aspects.
Of course, one must never underestimate the therapeutic power of keeping busy.
- From the journals of S¡¯il Vala Tomas Martinez
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¡°You have got to be kidding.¡± Maggie said. She stared up at the large arched entrance to what could only be a laundromat in disbelief. It was huge, and people of all shapes and sizes flowed in and out like it was some kind of damn amusement park ride. Many of the things in the laundromat were recognizable: washers and dryers, a machine to load money onto a proprietary card, the bored looking man behind the counter. But more of it was completely alien to her: strange doorways without doors that people walked through, coming out refreshed and smelling of any number of scents, a weird contraption on a conveyor belt that piles of dirty clothes went through and came out neatly folded and clean. And that wasn¡¯t even accounting for the people! She had thought that there were a wide variety of people in the docking bay downstairs, but up here, it was like someone had taken one of those monster breeding games and went wild. There were humans, but only a few, mostly sticking to the washers and dryers that Maggie recognized, and then there were the weird otter creatures like her stuffed animal, a huge creature that looked like a bear with tusks and giant mouse ears, mermaids, cats, elves, someone that looked more robot than person, and dozens of others that she couldn¡¯t keep track of if she tried. To top it all off, the place even had a food bar! Most of what it sold was in the shape of orbs, a theme she was finding odd, especially since some of the items didn¡¯t look like they should come in a round shape. Her stomach growled at the scent that wafted over through the haze of laundry detergent. Even the laundry detergent smelled the same! How the hell did the laundry detergent smell the same? ¡°You¡¯re telling me, with all your advanced technology, that you people haven¡¯t figured out a better way to get clothes clean than spinning them in a barrel with soap?¡± Robin laughed from his position above her shoulder. ¡°They actually rely heavily on nanobots to remove dirt and oils from the clothes, along with some chemicals that are quite a bit more effective and gentle on clothes than what you would find on Earth.¡± ¡°Sure. Nanobots, like that weird toothpaste.¡± Maggie ran her tongue along her teeth. Granted her mouth did feel clean, but the toothpaste had felt like it had pop rocks in it, and that was just weird. As was the way it crawled up the sink and back into its bottle. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Exactly like that weird toothpaste. Don¡¯t worry, you get used to it. Although if you really want to blow the money on the stuff from Earth, I¡¯m sure we can find someone selling it.¡± ¡°Is it hard to get things from Earth? It didn¡¯t seem to take us that long to get here from there.¡± Maggie stepped into the laundromat cautiously. She moved to the side to avoid blocking the flow of traffic. ¡°Well....¡± Robin hesitated, and then shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s a few factors that make it hard to get items from Earth. First is that most ships don¡¯t have jump points logged for anywhere near the planet, it¡¯s technically illegal to even enter Earths solar system without authorization from the Alliance. Secondly is the amount and quality of equipment Earth has developed to detect things in the galaxy. You¡¯d be surprised how hard it is to get through all the satellites around the planet!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Maggie supposed that was logical, there were satellites and surveillance everywhere on and around Earth, from the big government and corporation satellites, to home security systems. Privacy wasn¡¯t much of a thing anymore, not real privacy anyways. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re pretty sure we got recorded lifting off... so it¡¯s going to be a big risk getting that message through to your family. But we talked about it and he¡¯s going to try to bounce it through the cell phone system.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯ll be a hell of a long distance charge.¡± Maggie said. Robin laughed, and pointed to the guy behind the counter. ¡°Lets go get you a job now, you can help pay that long distance charge.¡± He teased. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Maggie laughed. She felt like she had laughed a lot today. It was easier to relax around Robin, even if he was a weird holographic ghost. She checked her fingerless gloves, and then headed over to the guy behind the counter. She had to admit she was curious about working in an alien laundromat. The guy looked up at her with a bored expression, his chair hovering back into a fully upright position at the counter. He looked over first her, then Robin, where his gaze lingered a moment. Finally he spoke, but his words sounded weird. They didn¡¯t quite match up with the way his lips moved, and it was almost like he was saying two things at once: one in English, and the other in another language. ¡°You¡¯re the guy that wanted to get his newbie friend a job, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, this is Maggie, Maggie, this is Rexlor.¡± Robin said with a friendly wave. ¡°Maggie worked on a laundromat back on Earth before being abducted, think you can help her settle in here?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Rexlor shrugged as if this sort of thing happened every day. That was concerning, how often did people get abducted? How many disappearances were due to aliens instead of humans or accidents? ¡°Come on back, I¡¯ll show you around.¡± He stood up from the hovering chair, which floated into a slot in the counter. ¡°It¡¯s really not that different than what you¡¯re used to I bet. Bit busier than most laundromats, but that¡¯s because most ships don¡¯t have room for their own wash units. We also have units that can handle stuff like spacesuits and armor.¡± Rexlor led her through the laundromat, taking his time as he explained the different machines, greeted regular customers, and explained what Maggie¡¯s job would be. Basically, it was the same thing she had done back home: babysit the laundromat and peoples laundry. Occasionally people would drop stuff off for them to wash, but for the most part it was just helping them load the card and issuing refunds when the machines messed up. It was a bit disappointing actually. She had expected an alien laundromat to be more exciting. She didn¡¯t even have her textbook to study in the slow times! ¡°You need to study star charts.¡± A voice whispered from behind her. ¡°What?¡± Maggie looked over her shoulder, but didn¡¯t see anyone that looked like they were talking to her. ¡°If someone needs a refund, you process it through this computer.¡± Rexlor repeated. Maggie turned back to him, frowning a little. It must have just been her imagination. Chapter 14.5 - Government Spooks Ross woke with a start, his hand going for a gun that wasn¡¯t there. He looked around his room, trying to pinpoint what had startled him awake. Everything appeared to be in place, but the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He quietly rolled out of bed and pulled open his bedside drawer. His gun was still in there, why did that seem wrong? That was where he always put his gun when he was at home. He pulled it out, checking the safety and ammo. There was a round missing. Ross frowned and stepped into his shoes, what had happened? He remembered being at The Study Hall, the news had been on, talking about Maggie. And then there had been the government spook. He had been going to take him down to the station. But he couldn¡¯t remember actually doing that. He couldn¡¯t remember anything after The Study Hall. Ross checked his gun again to make sure the bullet was actually missing, then he headed out of his room to check the rest of his house. Nothing seemed to have been moved, but the whole place just seemed off for some reason. The feeling of unease followed him as he returned to his room and got dressed and checked his phone. Three missed messages, all from- What the hell? October 12th. It was October 12th? But, but it had just been the 9th! He checked his messages again, scrolling through them. Three missed messages from Becca, four missed calls from work, two missed calls from Becca. He pressed the callback button for Becca and holstered his gun. Something weird was going on, and he was going to find out what. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Becca answered almost immediately, her voice a mixture of anger and relief. ¡°Ross! Where the hell have you been? I¡¯ve been trying to reach you since you went off with that agent! Officer Richard said he hasn¡¯t been able to reach you either! We thought you had been kidnapped!¡± ¡°No, I mean, I don¡¯t know. Shit, what day is it?¡± Ross ran a hand across his face as he tried to keep calm. ¡°What day is it? Ross, what do you mean what day is it?¡± Becca was sounding more and more alarmed. ¡°Just- sis, just humor me, please?¡± ¡°Saturday, Ross are you okay?¡± Becca asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Sorry to worry you sis.¡± Ross stepped out of his house and looked around the sleepy little street. Nothing out of place, nothing strange that he noticed. His car was in the driveway where it usually sat, papers were piled up at the door from the last few days, his mail was still in the mailbox, and his tiny lawn was covered in leaves. Nothing seemed out of place, but he had lost two whole days somehow. ¡°Sorry to worry me? Ross, I¡¯m coming over. Call your boss and tell him you aren¡¯t dead. Okay?¡± Ross rolled his eyes, but he knew better than to argue with his sister when she got a bug up her butt. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a few minutes. Oh... any word on Maggie?¡± There was silence on the line for a moment. When Becca talked her voice was quiet. ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ll see you in a few minutes big brother.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ross hung up the phone and just stared at it for a moment. Maggie had been gone almost a week now. The odds of finding her alive at this point were slim to none, even discounting weird flying RVs. He scowled at his phone, resisting the urge to punch something. Becca was right, he had to contact Rick, and then he was going to have to do some investigating. And he knew just the guy to talk to. He¡¯d be working at the laundromat tonight, and would like nothing better than to talk his ear off about government spooks and UFOs. Chapter 15 - Reach Out and Touch Somebody
I¡¯ve lost track of the time we¡¯ve been travelling from one galaxy to the next. Days and nights blend together here. There¡¯s no one to talk to but I swear I¡¯ve heard voices in the shadows. I¡¯ve taken to leaving the cycle set on day so that I can see if anyone else is here, but whenever I look, I see no one. Is there someone else here, hiding from me? Or is it just my imagination?
- Log Fragment 84
________________________
Maggie hadn¡¯t expected to be bored working a job on an actual space station, with actual aliens. But once she got past the fact that she was surrounded by aliens, and the amusement at some of the fancier machines, the job was almost exactly the same as her job back home. Help load funds onto the cards, refund money for machines that took it but didn¡¯t actually work, label machines that were broken, answer questions and keep the little things like laundry bags and detergent stocked. Even if the names were slightly different, and the machines were a bit fancier, it was all just so mundane. Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be some grand adventure? The most amusing thing was the fancy floating chair, which hovered anywhere from a foot off the ground to, well, she guessed as high as she wanted it to go. At least all the way up to the ceiling, as she learned when she banged her head on it her second day at the laundromat. Much to the amusement of the majority of people there. Although Robin and one other guy, a mercenary named Davian, had at least asked if she was alright. Then Davian had laughed. Maggie glared at a strand of white hair as she waited for her shift to get over with, and Rexlor to come in. It was the third strand she had found today! ¡°Robin, this craziness is making me go white.¡± Robin laughed, his holographic form lounging in a chair identical to Maggies. ¡°You¡¯re not going white, it¡¯s just a couple strands.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have any strands of white hair before meeting you and your brother!¡± She gave the offending strand a good tug and tossed it in the trash. That was another little thing that was different here than on Earth, it was a container that just seemed to reduce the material it took in to a fine powder. What happened to that powder she had no idea, but it was gone every time she came in so someone had to be picking it up. Who knew, maybe it turned into the food they gave them, which was giving her heartburn like Becca¡¯s five alarm chili usually did. Ugh, the idea of eating trash was disgusting. She pulled her mind away from the thought, looking towards the door. Rexlor should be arriving any moment now. He just needed to hurry up, she still had to visit Doctor Tomas today. But after that she was planning on slouching in her bed and watching some of the old cartoons that Robin and his brother had loaded onto her tablet. She had found out last night that the wall across from her bed could be used as a movie screen, and she wanted to test it out. Maybe if she exhausted herself she¡¯d be able to sleep without dreaming. The last couple nights had been awful in that regard. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Rexlor be here already?¡± Maggie asked. ¡°He¡¯s still got a few minutes, are you in such a hurry to see the doctor?¡± ¡°Not really, but maybe he can do something about the heartburn. At least the pain things help with the muscle aches. Maybe I¡¯m coming down with the flu.¡± But even as she said it she didn¡¯t believe it. It was probably something to do with the alien technology that had taken over her life. She knew whatever it was had spread, because now the fingernails on both hands were a kind of prismatic blue. At least she could save on nail polish, but what if she wanted to try a different color? Would it stick to the weird crystal material? Well, at least her toes were still normal. She could always try different colors down there. ¡°You¡¯re wasting time.¡± Maggie set her jaw firmly, ignoring the voice that whispered in her ears. Oh yes, she couldn¡¯t forget the voices, now could she? Really just one voice, but one extra was too much as it was! She was hesitant to tell Doctor Tomas about it though, what if they threw her in some space mental hospital? She didn¡¯t want to be in a mental hospital! ¡°Maggie? Are you alright?¡± Robin was suddenly directly in front of her, and she blinked, eyes crossing to look at his miniaturized form. ¡°I¡¯m fine, why do you ask?¡± ¡°You zoned out for a moment there, and Rexlor is here. I thought for sure you¡¯d be out of here as soon as he came in.¡± Robin frowned, his brow creased with worry. ¡°I was just thinking, that¡¯s all.¡± Maggie hopped to her feet, letting the chair bounce a little as her weight left it. She picked up the tablet and her bag, tucking one beneath her arm and slinging the other over her shoulder in one smooth motion as she headed for the door. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°About what?¡± Robin floated after her, lingering near her shoulder. ¡°Things. See ya later Rexlor.¡± She waved to the other man, who slouched past her with barely a nod in her direction. Rexlor was just like that it seemed, half asleep a good portion of the time, and apathetic the rest. He had mentioned that he worked the nightshift in the maintenance bays too, trying to earn enough for a trip off the station and to someplace more exciting. She didn¡¯t quite get it. Sure, the laundromat was boring, but there were concerts, shopping, food, even gambling on this station! It seemed like it had everything, you just had to look for it. But she supposed if you grew up here it might be different. Maybe it was all just too new for her to be bored by it all. Just last night they had went to see a concert by a little Silvarian! The translator did a great job with words, although Maggie suspected she didn¡¯t get the full meaning of the songs. The music had been close enough to electro swing for Maggie to enjoy whole heartedly. ¡°What things?¡± Robin insisted as they stepped into one of the many lifts that littered the station. A faint hum and a thwump sounded as it took off at lightning speed through the tunnels, making the trip to the medical sector a brief one. ¡°Well, I was just thinking about the concert last night. That was fun.¡± There was no way she wanted to tell Robin about the voice. He¡¯d just worry, and she didn¡¯t want that. ¡°It was.¡± Robin agreed carefully. He crossed his arms and his form flickered until he was full size, leaning down to peer into her face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Maggie? I know you¡¯ve been having bad dreams, but is something else going on?¡± ¡°You¡¯re still a ghost, even if you¡¯re bigger than me.¡± Maggie raised her chin slightly so she could meet his eyes. ¡°You can tell me what¡¯s bothering you. Is it the heartburn? Or your other aches? Is something else going on?¡± Damn he was being persistent. But what could she tell him? That she was hearing voices? ¡°Tell him. You¡¯re not crazy.¡± And that was quite enough of that! She mentally said to the quiet voice, blushing a little. ¡°I¡¯m not crazy.¡± She said firmly as the lift came to a gentle stop at the medical sector level. ¡°Of course you¡¯re not. What would make you even think that?¡± Robin glided along the floor beside her, pretending to walk at her side. He was pretty good at that, pretending to walk, pretending to sit or hold things. She knew he didn¡¯t have to, he could just stand still and he¡¯d still glide along beside her. ¡°Sorry, nothing. I think I¡¯m just tired.¡± Maggie rubbed her face, resisting the urge to groan. She was tired, they had gotten back to the pod late last night, and she hadn¡¯t slept well. ¡°You aren¡¯t just tired.¡± Oh shut up. The voice fell silent at the mental command, and Maggie let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Yeah, just tired.¡± ¡°Alright, well we can go straight home after visiting S¡¯il Vala Tomas, and you can get some sleep. But please Maggie, if anything weird is going on let me or the doctor know. We can¡¯t try to help if we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡± Robin shrunk down to the size of a doll once more as they reached the waiting room, perching on her shoulder. ¡°I know Robin, don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing a little bit of sleep and maybe some antacids won¡¯t solve.¡± She smiled at the little holographic ghost. Vala Veela, or Nurse Veela, nodded to them as they entered. ¡°Maggie. Robin, you are early. Very good.¡± Although somehow there still seemed to be an undercurrent of disapproval to her voice, that was high praise indeed from her. ¡°Thank you, does that mean we can go right on back?¡± Maggie asked hopefully, earning herself a pinched stare of disapproval from the nurse. ¡°In this case, and in this case only. It does. S¡¯il Vala Tomas wishes to see you as soon as possible. You may go back, the blue lights will take you to your room.¡± Nurse Veela waved a hand across a crystal pad, and the promised blue lights lit up along the wall. They led Maggie back through the door to the patient rooms, and to an exam room similar to the one she had been in the first time she came here. ¡°What do you think he wants to see me about?¡± Maggie whispered to Robin as they entered the room. She looked around it curiously, most of it was the same, but the large chart was already up on the screen, and now she could read the words on it! It was strange though, she couldn¡¯t recognize the symbols, but the words just came to mind in a voice eerily like the one that had been whispering things to her the past couple days. Did she get a chatty translator somehow? ¡°He probably wants to see how the Key is progressing in you, and check on your wound.¡± Robin said. ¡°Probably.¡± Maggie studied the chart, notes about her height, weight, age, sex and race all listed clinically one beneath the other. Except instead of ¡®white¡¯ or ¡®Caucasian¡¯ her race was listed as ¡®human, moderate genetic drift¡¯. ¡°What does moderate genetic drift mean?¡± ¡°Oh, uhm, well you know how some places produce more red heads than the rest of the world? Or maybe a certain area has way more people with purple eyes than anywhere in the world. Think of it like that. You¡¯re genetics have drifted from what is standard in a human from Earth.¡± ¡°So it basically says I have red hair?¡± Maggie rolled her eyes, and moved on to the rest of the chart. There was a silhouette of her body, the portion that represented her right hand colored in with a small tendril creeping up from it. That was the hand that had the Key in it. ¡°Er... sure?¡± Robin said unconvincingly. ¡°It might be more than that, what with the Key.¡± ¡°Is the Key turning me into some kind of mutant?¡± Alarm spiked in Maggies chest, which felt awful paired with the heartburn she had been suffering all day. She felt close to throwing up for a moment, but held it down firmly. ¡°You are becoming more than human.¡± ¡°I thought I told you to shut up.¡± Maggie muttered, and immediately blushed. Shit, she had said that out loud. ¡°No you didn¡¯t. Maggie, really, are you alright? Please tell me what¡¯s going on.¡± Robin reached out to ¡®touch¡¯ her cheek, his hand stopping when it rested, cool and slightly tingly, against her cheek. He stared at it, eyes widening. ¡°I can feel you.¡± Maggie pulled back, stunned. She hadn¡¯t been able to feel him before! Sure there had been the tingling, that weird feeling as if it was static running across her skin. But he hadn¡¯t felt real before. Now he felt oddly real. ¡°What the....¡± ¡°I can feel you.¡± Robin repeated, his form flickering and suddenly blowing up to full size. He put his hand on her cheek again, then her shoulder. Both times she could feel him as if he were real, only accompanied by that tingle of static. Chapter 16 - Point of No Return
I buried the bodies on Earth, in the middle of one of North America¡¯s national parks. The one Dad had taken us to to go fishing that one time. Why he had to take us fishing is beyond me, but he said it was an important right of passage. So we went fishing. It was boring as hell but I¡¯d do it again if I could get them all back.
-From the logs of Theseus Goodfellow
------------------------------------------------ Maggie stumbled back from Robin in shock, half falling onto the exam table. ¡°Holy shit...¡± Now she really was going crazy! But from the looks of things, Robin was just as shocked as she was. Robin stared down at his hands, his mouth slightly open. ¡°I could feel you... I haven¡¯t felt anyone since- since I died.¡± ¡°But how can you feel me? You¡¯re a hologram! Holograms aren¡¯t solid! Unless there¡¯s some technology that you haven¡¯t told me about yet?¡± Maggie sat down on the exam table, her heart pounding. Which really did nothing for the burning sensation in her chest, damnit it just made it worse. ¡°There¡¯s no technology that would make a hologram solid, holograms are just- they¡¯re just light bent into shape! I shouldn¡¯t be able to feel anything, and you shouldn¡¯t be able to feel me either!¡± Robins form flickered in his agitation, looking like a bad picture on an old TV screen. He took a deep breath (not that he needed to breath), and let it out slowly. As he breathed out his form steadied, the distracting flickering stopped, and he shrank down to his accustomed doll-sized form. ¡°Okay.¡± He said, pacing back and forth in the air. ¡°Okay. It¡¯s just another aspect of the Key we hadn¡¯t discovered yet, it has to be that. Which means that it can be explained with science. Maybe the energy of it allows you to, I don¡¯t know, feel light?¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t feel the light in here like I can feel you! It¡¯s just normal light.¡± Calm down, calm down it wasn¡¯t that big a deal. Right? Just some weird fluke of technology. ¡°Is everything alright in here?¡± Tomas stepped into the exam room, holding a crystal datapad in one hand and a sealed cup of what smelled like coffee in the other. He looked over the shell-shocked pair, one dark eyebrow raising. Maggie nearly jumped out of her skin, and Robin¡¯s form flickered for a moment before steadying again. ¡°Nothing! I mean, nothing is wrong Doctor, just something new we found out.¡± Robin spoke quickly, his gaze darting to Maggie then back to Sil¡¯Vala Tomas. ¡°Something new? Do tell. Maggie, are you comfortable with Robin being in here for your exam¡± Tomas set his coffee into a clamp by the sink, taking a moment to wash his hands with water that carried the sharp scent of chemicals with it. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine with that.¡± She had to pull herself together. At least the voices were quiet right now. As for being okay with Robin being here, it wasn¡¯t like she was going to be naked. And he had been an almost constant companion for over a week now. She could trust him, right? She had to be able to trust someone here. ¡°How much do you know about these Key things? Can you take it out?¡± A look of discomfort crossed Tomas¡¯s face, and he was silent a moment as he pulled out a scanner and a couple other tools. He set them carefully on a tray, letting it go so that it floated next to the exam table. ¡°That is what I need to see. If it is progressing as they usually do there may still be hope, but I want to scan you first. Tell me about this new thing you two found out. It seems to have you both quite shaken.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Robin and Maggie looked at each other, as if asking the other for permission. It was Maggie who broke the silence, this was supposed to be her exam after all, and maybe if Doctor Tomas knew about it he could explain it. ¡°I can... I can feel Robin. When he touched me, I could feel him.¡± ¡°And I could feel her.¡± Robin added. He slowly returned to his full size, a large, broad shouldered man with perpetually messy short hair. Tomas looked at the pair of them, nodding to show he was listening. ¡°I see.¡± Maggie felt a twinge of annoyance. ¡®I see¡¯? That was all he had to say about it? ¡°We¡¯re not crazy!¡± She said firmly, almost trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince Tomas. ¡°I never said you were. Would you mind demonstrating as I run a scan?¡± He flicked on his scanner, releasing the small drone to circle around Maggie in what felt like a more thorough scan than the first time. She supposed he was breaking out all the fancy gadgets now that she had been on the station for a while. ¡°Do you mind Maggie? You can say no if you want.¡± Robin looked at her nervously, but held out a hand. Maggie stared at it for a moment, almost afraid to touch it. But she wanted to know what the hell was going on, wanted answers damnit! ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± She took a deep breath, and reached out to touch his hand lightly. There was that cool tingle again, his strong fingers curling around hers to give a gentle squeeze. Her eyes darted up to Robin¡¯s face, a blush forming on her own. ¡°What does it feel like to you?¡± Robin stared down at their linked hands. His thumb traced along the back of her hand, his fingers surprisingly soft. ¡°Warm.¡± He finally whispered, his eyes raising to meet her gaze. ¡°You feel warm.¡± ¡°You feel cool, and a little bit tingly. But also soft? Somehow?¡± ¡°Interesting.¡± Tomas looked at their joined hands, watching the slight movement of Maggie¡¯s flesh as Robin rubbed the back of her hand. ¡°And it isn¡¯t even your hand that the Key was originally in.¡± ¡°Does that matter?¡± Maggie asked, looking at Tomas. ¡°It¡¯s simply surprising. The Key is spreading through your body, starting from that hand. It often spreads using the blood stream as a conduite to the rest of a persons body. But you reached out to him with your other hand, which the Key shouldn¡¯t have reached yet.¡± ¡°Is it spreading faster than normal then?¡± Robin looked at the diagram of Maggie as it started to update with data from the scanner drone. The blue that she was sure represented the progress of the Key had spread significantly, engulfing her right arm and spreading out through her chest. Was that why she had such awful heartburn? Tomas held out a hand, the scanner drone floating back to him and dropping down into his palm. ¡°It is.¡± He frowned as he studied the chart as well. ¡°What does that mean? Does that mean you- you can¡¯t get it out?¡± Maggie stood up from the exam table, staring at the chart. The Key was spreading, taking over her body. What even would be left of Maggie to go back to Earth at this rate? Tomas ran a hand along the diagram, tracing the blue that had spread across her chest and started down her other arm. ¡°Do you see this blue? This is how much of your body has melded with the Key already. Perhaps I could have if I had removed your arm when you first came to us.... but now? It¡¯s spread to your vital organs, including your heart. If I try to remove it, you¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t die, we need you.¡± The voice whispered as Maggie stared at the diagram, feeling like the room was closing in on her. She couldn¡¯t see Tomas or Robin, although she could still feel Robin¡¯s hand in hers. She could just see that damn diagram. It really was taking her over. What if the voice was the Key? What if it just wanted to use her like a puppet? ¡°Maggie? Are you alright?¡± Robin asked gently. His voice sounded so far away, her heart was pounding so loud in her ears. She had to slow it down, if this thing spread through her blood then if her heart beat faster, didn¡¯t that mean it would just spread faster? She didn¡¯t want it to spread faster! She put her hand to her chest, gripping at the shirt she wore as burning pain shot through her. Calm down, she had to calm down. ¡°Maggie, can you hear us?¡± Doctor Tomas asked, moving to block her view of the diagram. She felt like she couldn¡¯t get a breath in, the pain spreading up her neck and across her shoulders and arms. Somewhere, an alarm beeped insistantly. ¡°Maggie!¡± Robin¡¯s voice was nearly drowned out by the roaring in her ears, and the room went dark. Chapter 17 - Theyre Coming
I can¡¯t remember the last time I slept. I don¡¯t even know how many days it¡¯s been since we entered the void between galaxies. There are things out there, in the darkness. Things that scrape against the hull and whisper in my dreams. Is it the great enemy? Taunting us with hope of escape? Or is it something else?
-Log Fragment 196
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It was cold. It was so cold it made her chest hurt and made snowflakes gather on her eyelashes. Maggie wrapped her arms around herself, teeth chattering as she looked over a vast desert of snow and ice. The wind howled across the expanse like a lonely wolf. A gust of wind whipped snow up around her, blinding her for a moment. She gasped and flinched against the cold that cut straight through her thin clothes. When it cleared, a small child stood before her, deep brown skin a stark contrast to glowing silver eyes and hair. ¡°They¡¯re coming.¡± The child whispered, her voice cutting through the howling wind. Maggie stumbled back away from the child, eyes wide. It didn¡¯t help that the kid was floating. Silver eyes tracked her movement, although the child didn¡¯t move any closer. Instead she whispered, ¡°Behind you!¡± Maggie felt a sudden wave of moist heat against her back. She froze, too afraid to look as she caught the sound of panting like a giant dog. And then it growled. She sat bolt upright in the hospital bed, covered in a cold sweat and breathing as if she had just run a race. ¡°What the hell....¡± Maggie looked around the simple room, almost exactly like the room she had been meeting with Doctor Tomas in. She could feel the slightly sticky feeling of sensors attached to her, and a screen on the wall looked like it was keeping track of her vitals. Suddenly Robin was there, projecting from the datapad on the counter nearby. He leaned over her, face creased with concern. ¡°Maggie, are you alright? How do you feel?¡± She looked up at him, shoulders sagging as relief flooded through her. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I think? What- what happened?¡± She could remember being in the exam room with the doctor, and an awful pain in her chest. He had said he couldn¡¯t remove the Key. She wouldn¡¯t be able to go home. Maggie closed her eyes, tears fighting their way to the surface. ¡°You passed out. Doctor Tomas said you might have had a minor heart attack.¡± Robin sat down on the edge of the bed, his ghostly form not even making a dent in the covers. But she could still feel his hand when he touched hers. ¡°A heart attack, figures.¡± Maggie let out a bitter little laugh and let herself drop back down onto the bed, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. ¡°Probably something else to blame on this stupid Key. Is anything good ever going to come out of it?¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°I think this is something good. Do you know how long it¡¯s been since I¡¯ve been able to touch someone? I know it may be selfish of me, but I can at least touch you, and that¡¯s a miracle to me.¡± Robin said softly, running his fingers along the back of her hand. Guilt twisted in her gut as she looked up at Robin. He had a point, it had to be really hard to see people, talk with them, and never be able to touch them. She couldn¡¯t imagine how lonely it must be. But now he had at least one person he could touch and hug if he wanted to. She turned her hand over and gave his a light squeeze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Robin, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s just-¡± She looked around, waving her other hand at the screen on the wall, and through it to the station beyond. ¡°It¡¯s just that all this is a lot. I want to go home.¡± Her voice broke, and she closed her eyes tightly as her shoulders started to shake and tears continued to roll down her face. Robin pulled her against his chest in a cool hug and rested his head against hers. ¡°I know Maggie, I know. I¡¯ll still try to get you home. Theseus will help, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Maggie let out a small sob, hiding her face against his chest. Then she laughed, just a touch of hysteria slipping out. ¡°I can still see through you.¡± Robin laughed and pulled back to look at her fully. ¡°That¡¯s what you think of?¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± She wiped at her face, a hiccup escaping around the laughter. ¡°And you glow, it¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°You have no idea. But I¡¯m glad you¡¯re feeling better. Want me to let the doctor know you¡¯re up?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can find him.¡± She sat back up, and swung her legs off the bed. Her bare feet looked oddly pale in the artificial lighting, her legs bare and smooth. She stared down at them, wondering when the last time she had actually shaved was. She hadn¡¯t had to shave since she got to the station. Another weird thing to add to the growing pile of weird that was her life now. ¡°Be careful, you should be resting.¡± Robin held a hand out to her, frowning as she stood up. He moved closer, watching her as if she could fall at any moment. It was sweet, but a bit silly. Maggie offered him a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, see?¡± She wiped at her eyes again, banishing the last of the tears. She really wanted to just curl into a ball and cry still, but that wouldn¡¯t help anything. And it would just give her a headache. There was hope in Robin and Theseus still, maybe she would still be able to get home. But would she be recognizable when she got there? Maggie paused to look at her hands and the delicate lines of scarring that remained on her right hand. The burn had faded completely now, the gouges that had been filled with crystal completely healed, leaving the faintest shimmer in her skin. ¡°Alright, just be careful, alright?¡± Robin didn¡¯t sound very convinced, still watching her as if she may fall at any moment. ¡°I will.¡± She paused at the door, staring at it as voices filtered in from outside. It seemed she may not have to go far to find Doctor Tomas anyways, but who was he talking to? ¡°-more trouble than she¡¯s worth.¡± ¡°Flame, she¡¯s just a girl. She didn¡¯t ask for any of this.¡± Maggie stiffened, her face growing pale. Flame. That was the angry woman that had greeted them when they came onto the station. The one that had mentioned killing her. ¡°Maggie, are you alright?¡± Robin moved closer to her, his form flickering as he got further from the datapad. ¡°Shhhh.¡± She put a finger to her lips, listening to the voices on the other side of the door. ¡°I know that.¡± Flame snapped. ¡°That¡¯s why we need to kill her, it¡¯s more merciful than using her as a weapon.¡± Maggie felt the color drain from her face, eyes widening as she stared at the door. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just let her live in peace?¡± A touch of impatience had entered Tomas¡¯s voice, clear even through the door. ¡°We don¡¯t get to live in peace. She doesn¡¯t get to live in peace, consider it the price for stealing the Key. Handle it Doctor, or I will.¡± Maggie backed away from the door, bumping into Robin. He put his hands on her shoulders to help steady her. ¡°It¡¯s alright Maggie.¡± ¡°Did you hear what they were saying?¡± Maggie whispered, and spun to look up at him. ¡°Did you hear them?¡± ¡°I heard parts of it.¡± Robin said grimly. He looked to the door, and whispered softly to her. ¡°Stay calm. I¡¯ll send a message to my brother.¡± ¡°She wants to kill me!¡± Maggie whispered back, reaching a hand up to her throat. ¡°Shhh!¡± Robin looked towards the door as it slid open and Doctor Tomas stepped inside. Chapter 18 - Death
WANTED: The Human known as Flame. Wanted for crimes against the Alliance including insurrection, treason and murder. Dead or Alive. 13000 credit reward.
-The Alliance Department of Security
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Doctor Tomas paused in the doorway and raised a finger to his lips. He glanced back towards the hall, footsteps nearly stomping down the soft green carpet as Flame headed away from the room and their little group. Doctor Tomas still didn¡¯t speak though, letting the door slide shut behind him as he stepped further into the room. Maggie opened her mouth to say something, but Doctor Tomas raised his hand and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you awake Maggie, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°How am I feeling?¡± There was a note of panic to her voice, sweat beading along her forehead. He couldn¡¯t be serious! After what she had just heard? Flame had basically just ordered him to kill her! ¡°Yes, did you sleep well?¡± Doctor Tomas picked up one of the crystal datapads, writing on it rapidly. The strange obsidian pen barely making a sound against the surface. Maggie leaned forward slightly to read what it said when he held it up. Play along. ¡°I- I slept alright, I just had some bad dreams.¡± She said uncertainly. Play along? Did he have a plan? Could she even trust him? She gave herself a mental shake. She had to trust someone out here, and Robin, Doctor Tomas and Theseus seemed to be the best bets. She certainly couldn¡¯t trust Flame, she wanted her dead! Hadn¡¯t she been acting cooperative? She had been going to her job, meeting people, even doing things like going to concerts! Wasn¡¯t that enough to convince Flame that she didn¡¯t have to kill her? Apparently not, if she had to go by what she had heard outside the door. ¡°Bad dreams are a common occurrence with the Keys unfortunately. Do you want to talk about them?¡± Doctor Tomas erased the datapad and picked up Robin¡¯s. He started to write into it rapidly, a deep frown on his face. ¡°Doc?¡± Robin asked, his own forehead wrinkled. ¡°They were- I was someplace really cold, and there was this weird little girl. She said they¡¯re coming. But I don¡¯t know who or what.¡± Maggie leaned over to try and look at what he was writing, but she couldn¡¯t quite make it out. ¡°Interesting. Have you dreamt of anything else?¡± Doctor Tomas lowered his voice to nearly a whisper, speaking to them both. ¡°You have to get off this station as soon as possible. I¡¯m not sure how long I can stall her.¡± ¡°Uhm-¡± Maggie looked at Robin. ¡°Just that last night. I think it was last night? How long was I asleep?¡± ¡°Just shy of two days. Your body needed the rest after going through so much stress. But with the integration of the Key you should be nearly fully healed. Maybe even better than before.¡± Doctor Tomas glanced at the door, silent for a moment. Then he nodded, as if he was satisfied by something. He returned to the whisper. ¡°I¡¯ve written down the dock you need to go to. Don¡¯t go back to your pod. Don¡¯t stop to talk to anyone. Avoid the main halls.¡± ¡°Doc, what is going to a dock going to do? And the one you want us to go to, are you sure?¡± Robin whispered. ¡°And what about you? She¡¯s going to know.¡± ¡°She might, but I won¡¯t be here to listen to her yell. I have some people to talk to, Flame is becoming increasingly erratic.¡± Doctor Tomas frowned slightly, a touch of sadness entering his eyes. ¡°I think I know why, but I can¡¯t be sure, not yet. But it doesn¡¯t matter right now, you need to leave.¡± ¡°Where are we even going to go? Isn¡¯t she the head of your Liberty Coalition thing? Won¡¯t she find us?¡± Maggie forced her voice to a whisper. She didn¡¯t want to just leave! She had just gotten here, just started to get used to things here! ¡°I¡¯m sending you where she won¡¯t be able to reach you, but where I hope you¡¯ll be safe.¡± Tomas raised his voice to a normal level and handed Maggie back the datapad. ¡°I¡¯m just going to make you a mix of vitamins, and something to help you sleep. Go ahead and lay back down for now. Your body is still going to be weak for some time.¡± Maggie looked down at the datapad, a map highlighted on the screen that wound through corridors and up lifts she had never taken before. They had gone to the towers once or twice, but always through the main corridors and lifts. These all seemed like service corridors, they were so narrow compared to the main ones. Doctor Tomas pulled Maggie¡¯s shoes and clothes out of a closet, handing them to her. ¡°Get dressed and go.¡± He whispered, and then headed out of the room. Robin and Maggie exchanged glances, Maggie¡¯s heart pounding. At least the awful heartburn was gone, but that didn¡¯t help everything else. ¡°Turn around.¡± ¡°You know this isn¡¯t how I actually see, right?¡± Robin asked, one corner of his mouth turning up in a smile before he turned around so his back was to her. ¡°Are you saying I should hide your tablet under a pillow then? Don¡¯t look!¡± She started to change as fast as she could, but it was still too slow. If she moved too fast she was overtaken by a wave of dizziness that felt like it took forever to go away. Bending over to put on her shoes was the worst part. She nearly passed out trying to pull them on. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯m just saying I could look even with my back turned, if I wasn¡¯t such a gentleman of course.¡± ¡°Of course. Shrink your gentleman self down a bit.¡± Maggie shouldered her bag, her hands shaking as she looked at the map. ¡°Which way do we go out of here?¡± ¡°Left.¡± Robin shrank down to the size of a thumbnail, and stood on the tablet. ¡°Down the hall and another left to get to the service corridors it looks like. I wonder who he¡¯s sending us to. He has to have someone in mind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, you¡¯ve met everyone I know out here.¡± The door slid open, and Maggie peeked out, looking both ways down the hall before turning left and hurrying along the thin green carpeting that marked the medical bay. ¡°The only person I could think of is Davian, he has his own ship, doesn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°No, he travels with his unit usually. I think he just said that to impress you. Turn here.¡± ¡°Oh. Theseus isn¡¯t back, is he?¡± Maggie turned down a slightly dimmer hallway that snaked around behind the patient rooms. She stepped over a cleaning bot, trying to walk faster without looking too conspicuous. She didn¡¯t want to run, that was sure to grab attention. ¡°No. Even if he was he wouldn¡¯t be docked in one of the towers.¡± Three more twisting turns led them to a small service lift. Nothing so fancy as the one she had ridden with Theseus the first day here, with it¡¯s stained glass. This one was little more than a metal and glass cage that zipped along up through the levels of the station. ¡°Maybe he just expects us to sneak onto a ship?¡± ¡°Maybe. But he said he was sending you somewhere he thought you would be safe. No matter what kind of excuse you have, sneaking onto a ship is not safe.¡± Suddenly, the tablet screen turned red, an alarm blaring out of it. ¡°Shit!¡± Maggie slammed her finger against the button for volume, frantically trying to silence it. She was not going to just leave Robin here! She couldn¡¯t, she didn¡¯t want to be alone out here! But if the tablet, datapad, whatever the hell you wanted to call it, kept blaring like that they were going to attract attention. ¡°Hang on, it¡¯s alright, it¡¯s going to be fine!¡± Robin¡¯s form flickered rapidly as he paced across the screen, the map disappearing completely for a moment. His eyes widened, and his already pale blue face took on a sickly pallor. ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m going to override the lift.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to what?¡± Maggie stumbled as the lift jerked to a stop. ¡°Why are we stopping?¡± ¡°Flame. I don¡¯t know how she found out so quickly... there¡¯s no way Doc Tomas set us up!¡± Robin¡¯s form disappeared, only to reappear floating in front of the control panel for the lift. Just as suddenly as they stopped, the lift was flying through the tubes of Galaux Station again, faster than Maggie had ever felt them go before. She grabbed ahold of one of the railings, holding on tight as the station sped by. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s her?¡± ¡°Who else would it be?! Doc Tomas? I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on but the sooner we get out of here the better. We¡¯re almost to the level Doc told us to go to. Be ready to run.¡± ¡°Run? That¡¯s going to attract a lot of attention! And what if Doc Tomas is setting us up?¡± She had to trust someone, she thought she could trust the doctor, but what if she was wrong? She was certain she could trust Robin. She could even trust his brother, although she wasn¡¯t sure she could like him. Couldn¡¯t they trust the doctor too? ¡°I¡¯d believe Flame want¡¯s to kill you sooner than I¡¯d believe Doc Tomas would want to set us up. Get ready, we¡¯re going to stop!¡± The warning had barely left Robin¡¯s lips before the lift slammed to a halt as if it had hit something. Maggie stumbled, falling to her knees. The lift slid open onto a slightly wider corridor lit with emergency lighting. ¡°Come on Maggie, we need to go.¡± He was suddenly there in front of her, full-sized and lifting her to her feet. ¡°I don¡¯t think the station will be fooled to staying on emergency power for long.¡± ¡°How- did you do that?¡± Maggie stood unsteadily, and started to run. She looked down at the datapad, turning a corner as Robin appeared on the screen again, tiny as before. ¡°I don¡¯t sleep, I¡¯ve had a lot of time to poke around the stations systems.¡± Robin said. The corridors up here were slightly wider, slightly nicer than the ones down in the bowels of the station. they smelled less like laundry detergent and more like the sea. Maggie dove around a corner, her breath like fire in her chest. It had been too long since she had really exercised. She was supposed to be exercising daily according to Doctor Tomas¡¯s directions, but, well, who wasn¡¯t supposed to exercise according to their doctor? That didn¡¯t mean people actually did it. Bad enough he had her on a regimen for water and vitamins. ¡°One more corner, we¡¯re almost there.¡± Robin looked over his shoulder. ¡°Thank God.¡± Maggie panted as she dove around the corner, and into a large hall with deep blue carpeting and ocean motifs on the walls. There was even a statue, one of the otter people, a Silvarian, holding up crystal orb. Other races gathered around the rock it stood on, looking up at the Silvarian in reverence. It reminded Maggie of some of the religious statues she had seen growing up. Except this wasn¡¯t Jesus, it was some furry alien. ¡°What the- this doesn¡¯t look like the docking bay Theseus landed in.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not, it¡¯s one of the bays for ships that are too big or important to go in the docks like everyone else. There¡¯s a door on the far end, that¡¯s our goal.¡± Robin¡¯s voice was tense, and he scanned the room. It was oddly empty except for a lone human cleaning up what looked like a sushi bar. ¡°Right.¡± Maggie pinpointed the door, a round bubble, its prismatic surface hiding what lay on the other side. She took a deep breath that stabbed at her lungs. ¡°Right. We¡¯re home free.¡± ¡°Not yet you aren¡¯t.¡± Flame¡¯s voice growled from behind them, and there was a high-pitched hum. ¡°Maggie watch out!¡± Robin was suddenly full-sized, moving as quick as thought to push Maggie out of the way of the laserbeam that shot from Flame¡¯s gun. It cut straight through his holographic form, scorching the carpet beyond. ¡°RUN!¡± ¡°Shit! Shitshitshit.¡± Maggie stumbled before breaking into a run for the weird bubble. What if there was just space beyond it? What if it was something or someone else that wanted to kill her? She clutched onto the tablet that held Robin¡¯s conciousness, another laserbeam shooting straight past her face, burning through her hair and leaving a burning mark along her cheek. She was so close to the door, air burning in her lungs, heart pounding in her ears. The bubble telescoped open, showing a grey-furred Silvarian in long blue and silver robes. It paused as a shot zipped by over it¡¯s head, another one that just barely missed Maggie. Thank God she was trained by the same people that trained movie henchmen! She stumbled in through the door just as Flame got lucky. Her back exploded with pain, and she screamed, falling forward as the smell of burnt flesh, cloth and hair filled the wide hallway. Robin¡¯s form disappeared as the tablet skidded away, part of it looking like it had melted. ¡°NO!¡± Flame screamed in rage behind her as the door telescoped closed. ¡°Lift off!¡± The Silvarian yelled to someone she couldn¡¯t see. Not that it mattered. The burning was starting to fade into icy coldness, the edges of her vision growing dark. The strange otter creature waddled over to her, kneeling down to look her in the eyes. It spoke, but she couldn¡¯t quite hear what it said. She couldn¡¯t quite hear anything but the lonely howl of wind. And then with a gust of snow, she couldn¡¯t see anything but white. Chapter 18.5 - Strangers
We can trace most of our greatest inventions back to Ancients Technology, either through inspiration or direct observation. In the medical field, we can find the best examples of this; we have roughly copied some of the Ancients'' healing pods for our own use. The energy and material cost is prohibitive for wide-spread use, but we hope to remedy that in the future.
-Excerpt from the journals of See¡¯lar Vixala.
-------------------------------------------- The foul stench of burnt flesh and hair filled the corridor. Alarms blared nearby, triggered by the detection of weapons fire in the ship and against it¡¯s airlock. The lunatic human was trying to get in! ¡°Lift off!¡± Ux¡¯thu shouted into his communicator and waddled over to the fallen human girl. Why had the human attacked one of its own people? For that matter, why did the human girl try to get onto the ship? There was nothing for it here! Unless it was trying to assassinate him? No, that didn¡¯t explain the lunatic who was even now firing on the airlock. The inner airlock telescoped closed on the burning hot metal of the station''s entrance. And a calm voice echoed through the corridors. ¡°External airlocks sealed. All personnel prepare for departure from Galaux Station.¡± Ux¡¯thu ignored the voice, bending over the human female, looking into her eyes. He automatically made note of her physical characteristics: green eyes, curly red hair, pale skin and freckles. A rare enough combination to be desirable, she would fit a slot he had been waiting to fill for some time, if she survived. ¡°Can you hear me?¡± He examined the wound, a gaping hole that went straight through her midsection. Whatever weapon the other human had, it was well over the legal limits of power. It had only left the girls bones intact, and he doubted that was intentional. The bones had a peculiar shimmer to them and there was the faintest tint of silver to the blood that even now seeped onto the carpet. She didn¡¯t respond, her eyes glazing over. ¡°Maggie!¡± The voice nearly made Ux¡¯thu jump out of his fur, coming from the tablet she had been carrying. ¡°Maggie! Damnit, you furry bastard, help her!¡± A human figure appeared in glowing blue light over the tablet. Male, his face etched with grief and fear. It flickered and warped as he watched it, and reached a glowing blue hand out to the body of the girl. ¡°And why should I help her?¡± Ux¡¯thu asked curiously. Although he had already decided to. He wanted to know what all this fuss was about, and right now, the girl was likely his best lead. Although the hologram was fascinating in its own way. The holograms face twisted, a grimace forming before it flickered out of focus completely for a second, reappearing with half its form blurred beyond recognition. ¡°She¡¯s a Key-holder! HELP HER!¡± Ux¡¯thu¡¯s eyes widened, and he looked at the girl again. The silver tint to her blood and shimmer of her bones gaining new meaning with the holograms claim. A Key-holder? He tapped his communicator with one carefully dulled claw. ¡°Medical personnel report to Airlock 3 immediately with human trauma kit. Tech Ger¡¯al report to Airlock 3.¡± Ger¡¯al could handle the hologram and determine if it was simply a very convincing AI, or something different. He had never seen an AI show such genuine emotions before, but he had seen too much to dismiss the idea completely. Ux¡¯thu reached down to touch the girls neck, feeling for the pulse that he knew a human should have. It wasn¡¯t there. Wait, wasn¡¯t it? She was still warm, and he could feel the faintest of breaths from her lips. He looked down at the wound again. It seemed slightly smaller somehow, the organs just a little more whole. But no, that had to be his imagination. He stood up as the medical team arrived, a human-sized stretcher floating through the corridor behind them. ¡°Ambassador Ux¡¯thu.¡± The lead Si¡¯l Vala nodded her respect to him before turning to the human. ¡°Get her on the stretcher. We¡¯ll need to get her to the regeneration chamber and hope we aren¡¯t too late.¡± ¡°Si¡¯l Vala.¡± Ux¡¯thu returned the nod. He watched as the team of Silvarians lifted the girl''s body onto the stretcher. There was surprisingly little blood left on the floor, given the size of the wound. The Si¡¯l Vala pressed a small patch onto the girl''s neck, a screen appearing floating above it. He lacked familiarity with the charts and jargon, but her scrunched nose and bared teeth revealed the Si''l Vala''s displeasure. ¡°Move! Get her to the regeneration chamber!¡± The small group of medical personnel hurried down the hall, not quite at a run but still fast enough to nearly barrel over Tech Ger¡¯al as he rounded a corner. Ux¡¯thu bent down to pick up crystal tablet, one full corner melted off. He studied the cooling crystal, the holographic man flickering in and out of focus still. ¡°Tech Ger¡¯al, I want answers and information. See what you can glean from this device and it¡¯s inhabitant.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yes Ambassador Ux¡¯thu.¡± Tech Ger¡¯al took the tablet, looking it over with a small frown. The tablet''s design was clearly intended for a human, being too large for the Silvarian''s forepaws. ¡°It¡¯s inhabitant is right here, and has a name. I¡¯ll tell you what I can, if you help Maggie.¡± The holographic man clenched his fists, and for a moment his form flickered into a much smaller version, before returning to its full size, towering over the Silvarians. ¡°I have already helped your friend. And you have yet to give me your name. I am Ambassador Ux¡¯thu, of Seeleran. This is Tech Ger¡¯al, also of Seeleran. And you are?¡± He kept his voice calm and patient. There was no need to antagonize the strange entity. And no reason to be intimidated either, despite its size. It might appear larger than either himself or Tech Ger¡¯al, but it was only a hologram, and Tech Ger¡¯al held its actual vessel, which was already damaged. The holograms face darkened in what Ux¡¯thu read as a blush. Embarrassment? Or anger? He supposed it could be both, human emotions could be hard to read. ¡°Robin. My name is Robin. Is she going to be okay?¡± ¡°I am not a Si¡¯l Vala, I wouldn¡¯t begin to know. I know that humans can take a remarkable amount of trauma before perishing, but they are still only mortal. Tech Ger¡¯al, can you transfer what is contained in that tablet to another vessel? This one appears to be damaged.¡± Ger¡¯al stared at the tablet with its melted corner for a moment, then looked to Ux¡¯thu, one furry eyebrow raising in a very human expression of incredulity. ¡°Yes Ambassador Ux¡¯thu, I should have something in my workshop that would be suitable.¡± ¡°Good. Run some tests while you¡¯re at it. I trust you to know which ones are necessary. Robin, I will speak with you again soon, I¡¯m sure.¡± Ux¡¯thu turned and dropped down to all fours, a much more comfortable way to move through the corridors and tubes of the ship. ¡°For now I have other business to attend.¡± ¡°Yes Ambassador Ux¡¯thu.¡± Tech Ger¡¯al turned to waddle the other way, although Ux¡¯thu could just barely hear him mumbling. ¡°Appears to be damaged? It¡¯s missing a whole chunk off of it!¡± Ux¡¯thu let the comment slide, his whiskers twitching in amusement. He supposed he should scold the tech for his impertinence. But he could afford a little bit of humor at his own expense. He was one of the highest ranking Ambassadors in the Alliance, with a considerable amount of achievements under his proverbial belt. He prided himself on some of the more progressive achievements, such as promoting a human to captain of his own ship. Not all reactions to that had been positive, but it had been a step in the right direction for keeping the humans from revolting. At least, for keeping more humans from revolting. It was a pity so many saw the Silvarian¡¯s protection as oppression. There had been rumors that Galaux Station held a nest of those terrorists, but Ux¡¯thu had had his doubts. He had toured much of the station, and had seen nothing out of the ordinary. Until now. He smoothly raised onto his hind paws as he neared the bridge, the tall door sliding open to admit him. ¡°Captain Theodrakis, any news from the station?¡± The tall, lanky human turned to look at Ux¡¯thu, his short brown hair showing a streak of grey. His face was set in grim lines, hands folded behind his back. He was ignoring the captains chair, preferring to stand more often than not. ¡°Ambassador Ux¡¯thu, no news yet. We have demanded the person who fired upon our ship be taken into custody, but they are claiming she has escaped.¡± ¡°Escaped to where I wonder? Have any other ships left the station?¡± Ux¡¯thu waddled up to the captain. This was one human he could read the emotions of, having nearly raised the lad himself. The furrowed brow and lines of his frown indicated stress and displeasure, maybe even anger? Yes, anger. Ux¡¯thu nodded slightly. ¡°None that had not previously filed departure plans with the station, and none that were close enough to our docking bay to provide the terrorist escape.¡± Some of the tension left Theodrakis¡¯s face, and he gave a small nod to Ux¡¯thu, his voice softening. ¡°I am glad to see you unharmed. But who was harmed? You called for medical, with a human trauma kit no less.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure who she is yet. A human girl, perhaps a Key-holder even. I¡¯ll be going to the medical bay soon to check on her condition.¡± Ux¡¯thu reached up to lightly pat Theodrakis¡¯s arm with a paw. ¡°Don¡¯t stress so Theo, we may have well found what we were looking for. A nest of terrorists, and a Key-holder! We may have even found more than we were looking for. It¡¯s rather exciting, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Exciting is one word for it, Ambassador.¡± Theodrakis sighed and looked over the bridge, green eyes scanning over the tactical, piloting and communication stations curved in front of the large viewscreen. Only the pilots station holding another human. The other stations were occupied by Silvarians, hand-picked by Captain Theodrakis. He might be human, but he had an excellent eye for quality crew. ¡°The best word for it.¡± Ux¡¯thu let out a chittering chuckle, slanting a glance up at Theodrakis. ¡°Send word to our support ships in this system, we¡¯ll order a more thorough examination of Galaux Station. For now I think it might be best to get this girl and her Key, if she has it, as far from the terrorists as possible.¡± ¡°Yes Ambassador Ux¡¯thu.¡± Theodrakis said. ¡°Captain, a message is coming in for you, marked urgent and private.¡± The communications officer said, looking over their shoulder at Theodrakis. ¡°Should I patch it through to the bridge?¡± ¡°Urgent and private? Who is it from?¡± Theodrakis¡¯s frown returned. He strode to the communications station, leaning over the smaller Silvarian. ¡°A Si¡¯l Vala Tomas Rodriguez.¡± Both of Theo¡¯s eyebrows shot up, and he straightened as if stuck with a pin. ¡°Patch him through to my office. Commander Kel¡¯vis the bridge is yours.¡± The Silvarian at tactical nodded, unnoticed as Theodrakis hurried through a door to the side of the bridge. Hasty young lad. Ux¡¯thu couldn¡¯t help another little chitter of amusement as he turned and headed off the bridge towards medical. But Si¡¯l Vala Tomas Rodriguez? Interesting that he would reach out to little Theo now of all times. He had been listed on the station roster, but Theo and Tomas hadn¡¯t talked to each other since Theodrakis¡¯s wife disappeared. And that was years ago! What could he be reaching out for now? Well, Ux¡¯thu would find out eventually. It wasn¡¯t like Theo to keep secrets from him. Chapter 19 - Wheres Robin?
I swear there¡¯s someone else here. I can¡¯t find them, but I can hear them whispering in my ear. I found the rations broken into as well, wrappers scattered across the damn floor. But where the hell are they hiding? With a ship this size and only me awake onboard, it¡¯s going to be damn near impossible to find them.
-Log Fragment 96, Courtesy of the Alliance Department of History
Maggie was engulfed in the blowing snow. It seemed to go right through her, piling up around her, making it hard to move. ¡°Come on Maggie, wake up.¡± She whispered to herself as she trudged through the snow, aiming for the mountain of a ship that glowed faintly in the darkness. She knew it was a dream, knew that she was laying on a strange ship in space, probably with a hole in her back. At least she couldn¡¯t feel it though, that had to be counted as a blessing. Right? Unless it meant she was dead. The thought lay like lead in the bottom of her stomach, and for a moment she stopped moving. Was she dead? But this place felt so real. The cold, sting of icy snowflakes pelting her skin, the way her fingers and toes ached from the cold and the way the snow melted in her shoes only to turn into ice cold water. It all felt so real, but it couldn¡¯t be. ¡°Well maybe this is hell, only it¡¯s freezing instead of hot.¡± She said to herself, and started to trudge through the snow again, her teeth chattering. It felt like she walked for hours, each step a struggle, every muscle aching as she forced herself onwards. Her world shrank to just the next step. If she could just make the next step. And then the step after that. And the step after that. She stared down at her feet as a warm glow spilled out over the snow, her shadow cast across the trench she had made on her journey. She couldn¡¯t even feel her hands and feet anymore. Her head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds as she forced it up, staring at the open door of the ship. A dark figure stood silhouetted by the light. ¡°Well, ya coming in, or are ya just gonna stand out there?¡± Pain came flooding back to her as the wind kicked up more snow, temporarily blocking her view of the dark figure. Maggie squinted her eyes shut against it, mouth opening in a silent scream. For a moment she could see another place. She was floating in some kind of thick blue liquid. It felt like honey against her skin, warm and sticky. She convulsed, a bubble of air escaping her mouth as she tried to struggle out of the heavy liquid. There were people outside whatever container she was in, two humans and a handful of Silvarians. Not Robin though, where was Robin? A large needle sank into the liquid towards her. Somewhere an alarm sounded. When she opened her eyes she was inside a small room that looked to be carved completely from foggy crystal. She gasped for breath as a scrawny woman with slightly pointed ears watched her. ¡°You know, when most folks die they stay dead.¡± ¡°What?¡± Maggie¡¯s voice squeaked out, and she stared at the woman with wide eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯ll live, the Key must like you. I¡¯m Te¡¯chik, pleasure to finally meet someone other than the kid. At least someone who isn¡¯t completely insane.¡± The woman held out a slender hand, and Maggie took it automatically. ¡°I¡¯m Maggie. Where- what the hell is going on?¡± ¡°You died. For a little bit at least.¡± Te¡¯chik shook her hand, and then leaned back in her chair. ¡°I suspect it strengthened your connection to the Key.¡± ¡°What do you know about the Key? Can you get rid of it?¡± Maggie leaned forward, a desperate hope flashing through her brain. If she could get rid of the Key, Flame wouldn¡¯t want her dead anymore! Right? Who was she kidding? That lunatic would want her dead anyways. ¡°Nope. Once you get one, you¡¯re stuck with it forever.¡± Te¡¯chik smiled, a touch of bitterness to her tone. She held up a hand to show a spiral galaxy set into it in crystal. It wasn¡¯t quite the same spiral galaxy that Maggie had on hers, but it was close. Maggie slumped back in her own chair. Well, there was that. She just had to stay away from people that wanted to kill her then. When the hell did that become a legit priority? ¡°Oh. Are there any upsides to this stupid thing?¡± Maggie looked down at her own hand, the spiral galaxy set into it shimmering in the warm light of the room. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Some. You¡¯re a lot harder to kill for one. And you get to do some fancy things like control computers with your mind, and make things out of crystal. Check this out.¡± Te¡¯chik smirked and flexed her fingers. A blade of crystal shot out of her hand, slamming into the wall behind Maggie, joining a cluster of other crystal blades embedded in it. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Maggie yelped, scrambling out of her chair. She nearly fell back down, pain returning to her limbs as she moved. But it didn¡¯t bring a return of that weird tank she had been floating in. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re aiming that thing!¡± She felt stupid saying it, but what else could she say when someone shot something right by her face? ¡°Relax.¡± Te¡¯chik laughed and lowered her hand. ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you, you¡¯re my ticket off this frozen piece of shit rock.¡± ¡°You could have shot me in the head!¡± Maggie stared at the cluster of crystal blades, the wall showing spiderwebs of cracks around each one. There had once been some kind of symbol painted on it that Te¡¯chik had apparently been using as a target. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve got better aim than that now.¡± Te¡¯chik said. ¡°You two are wasting time!¡± The young voice cut through their conversation like a knife, the strange little girl from Maggie¡¯s previous dreams standing in the doorway. Her hair was a sparkling silver cloud around her dark face, and she had her hands on nonexistent hips, glaring at them. ¡°Oh relax, she¡¯s not going anywhere any time soon, she¡¯s got a great big hole in her.¡± Te¡¯chik waved a hand dismissively and propped her feet up on the table, crossing them at the ankles. ¡°We need to move! They¡¯re coming and these people aren¡¯t prepared!¡± The little girl stomped one of her bare feet, her face darkening. ¡°Who¡¯s coming?¡± Maggie asked, a chill running down her spine. ¡°Them! The Star Eaters! You need to find our ship before it¡¯s too late!¡± Te¡¯chik rolled her eyes. ¡°They¡¯ve been coming for years. What makes you think one ship is going to even help the universe any?¡± ¡°Because our ship has a secret weapon on it you- you convict!¡± Te¡¯chik reached up to scratch inside one of her ears. ¡°I never found any secret weapon on this piece of shit.¡± ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t have.¡± The little girl sniffed. She turned her nose up slightly. ¡°You¡¯re just a dirty convict.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not dirty.¡± Te¡¯chik flicked something at the girl, smirking. ¡°Calm down princess, a few more days isn¡¯t going to hurt anything. Besides, she¡¯s waking up again.¡± ¡°No! Not yet! We need to talk!¡± The little girl wailed as white blew across Maggie¡¯s eyes again. When it cleared Maggie was staring up at a pale blue ceiling in a room that seemed to be flooded with sunlight. She ached all over, but especially her stomach. It felt like there was a huge stone resting on her stomach, stabbing into her. She extended as much energy as she could to lift her head, managing to lift it a whole inch before dropping it back onto the pillow, exhausted. ¡°Ow...¡± Maggie was shocked at the hoarse whisper that came out of her mouth, barely audible in the small room. But it was enough to catch someone''s attention. ¡°Miss Magdelina? You awake, excellent!¡± The voice was high and musical, not familiar, but not threatening either. Not that she could work up the energy to feel threatened right now. With a pitter patter of paws against soft carpeting, a figure appeared. Its alien head popped up over the side of the bed, just barely in Maggie¡¯s line of sight. A Silvarian, it¡¯s fur a light pink, head tendrils tipped with blue. It stared at her out of huge black eyes before straightening onto its hind legs. ¡°You heal well, how do you feel?¡± ¡°Tired.¡± Maggie managed. She tried to raise her head again, tried to sit up. Her stomach muscles screamed in protest and the Silvarian let out a worried chitter, resting a gentle paw with blue-tipped claws against her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t try to get up, you heal well, but not heal yet. The rebels hurt you badly.¡± There was a faint note of anger in the aliens voice as she said that last part. ¡°Do not fear though, you are safe.¡± The Silvarian patted her arm gently, its tendrils laying flat against its head. Somehow it seemed worried, although it was hard to pinpoint exactly how Maggie could tell. Maggie let herself sag back into the bed, her breath coming in ragged gasps that felt like knives in her lungs. The simple act of trying to sit up had exhausted her, but she didn¡¯t want to go back to sleep right now. She had to know where she was, where Robin was, and what was going on. ¡°Where¡¯s my tablet?¡± She whispered, feeling along the odd gel like substance of the bed. Did they know about Robin? ¡°Your tablet was hurt, damaged. Tech Ger¡¯al will give you a new one once all is transferred from your old one.¡± The little alien looked up above Maggie¡¯s bed, it¡¯s tendrils moving as if it were beneath the water. Maggie followed its gaze, spotting a screen similar to what Doc Tomas had in his exam rooms, only slightly more compact, and without the little silhouette of a human on it. ¡°You need food, nourishment, water. The sooner you heal fully, the sooner you will be in big room, with big bed! Father say: big bed, most comfortable for daughter!¡± Maggie blinked, sure she had misunderstood what the little alien was saying. The translator must be on the blink or something. ¡°Say what now?¡± ¡°What.¡± The little alien blinked at her quizzically, head tilting to one side. Okay then. Maybe she was still dreaming? Or maybe the alien was pulling her leg. She hadn¡¯t actually met any of the Silvarians on the station, so she wasn¡¯t sure how to tell if one was making a joke. ¡°I mean, whose Father?¡± ¡°Your Father!¡± The aliens head tendrils perked up, and it bared its teeth in what had to be a smile. It would be more reassuring if its teeth didn¡¯t look so sharp. ¡°I- What?¡± There had to be some misunderstanding. She tried to sit up again, muscles trembling as she forced herself up onto her elbows. Stomach muscles screamed in protest, and sweat beaded along her face. The little alien started to rub its paws together fretfully, over and over each other. ¡°Your Father, Captain Theodrakis. He wants big bed for daughter Magdelina. You should not be moving yet!¡± The Silvarians voice raised into a bit of a whine. Maggie let out a sigh. Well she couldn¡¯t really argue that, she felt like she had been hit by a truck. She looked down at her stomach, covered in a thick layer of bandages. It was funny how the bandages were the same color as they were on Earth. With a groan, Maggie let herself drop back down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. ¡°I just- can I get my tablet back?¡± She needed to talk to Robin, maybe he would know what the hell was going on. Chapter 20 - Family Ties
I found the kid hiding in Engineering. She swore up and down that she wasn¡¯t here to sabotage anything, but what the hell else would she be doing down there? Unfortunately there¡¯s no brig on this thing, so I locked her in one of the pods with the rest of them. Hopefully when she wakes up she¡¯ll have a better story for whoever winds up in charge.
-Log Fragment 98 - Te¡¯chik.
------------------------------------- This time when Maggie slept, she was alone. No Te¡¯chik, and no strange little girl, just the great big crystal ship with its thousands of pods. Each one held a single person, seemingly asleep. And they weren¡¯t all humans either! They ranged in size, shape and color from what she swore were fairies to towering giants. But there were no Silvarians. Somehow the lack struck her as odd, they seemed to be the most common species in the universe. At least if the population of Galaux Station was any indication. Maggie paused to look at her reflection in one of the pods, her hair considerably shorter, her torso bandaged like it was in the real world. She self-consciously tried to smooth out her hair, wishing she had her headband. There was a reason she didn¡¯t cut it short: she didn¡¯t want to rock the Bob Ross look. As if in response to her thoughts, a headband shimmered into view around her hair, holding some of the frizzy curls back away from her face. ¡°Dream logic, gotta love it.¡± Unfortunately when she woke the headband was gone, and she was still laying in that same room. The lights had been dimmed, and an older man sat in a chair next to her, a human with greying brown hair. He seemed to be asleep, laying back in the chair with his mouth slightly open. Was he a guard? If so he was a real crummy one, sleeping on the job. But she supposed she wasn¡¯t going anywhere anyways. Bracing herself for pain, Maggie pushed herself up. It was agonizingly slow work, and she had to bite her lower lip to keep from crying out. The movement hurt even more than it had before, and her muscles shook with the effort. By the time she was half sitting up, the man had woken up. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be moving in your condition.¡± He said. ¡°So I¡¯ve been told. I think.¡± Not that that stopped her from trying. The man frowned, the lines on his face dark in the dim light. He reached over, gently putting one arm behind her to help her sit up. ¡°You sustained a very serious injury, you need to be resting.¡± ¡°I need my tablet.¡± Maggie put a hand on her stomach and closed her eyes against the dizziness the movement had brought on. ¡°Tech Ger¡¯al has your tablet, I¡¯ll bring you a new one in the morning. Don¡¯t worry, it will have your... your friend on it. Just like the old one.¡± ¡°You know about that?¡± Maggie regretted saying that as soon as the words were out of her mouth. It was like when her mother mentioned something bad she had done at school and she just confirmed it. She had gotten the impression that Robin was very much out of the normal, even out here. ¡°Yes, we know about that. He was very insistent that we help you.¡± The mans lips quirked up in a smile. ¡°He also called you Maggie, do you prefer that to Magdelina?¡± ¡°Magdelina sounds like an old lady name.¡± But how did they know about that? It wasn¡¯t like she was carrying her school ID around! And the ID card for Galaux Station had Maggie on it. She could feel the laughter reverberate through the mans arm. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re named after an old lady. Please lay back down, you¡¯re going to hurt yourself.¡± Maggie slumped back into the bed with the help of the stranger. Why did she feel like she had just run a mile? She had barely sat up! But she was drenched with sweat and her stomach felt like it was on fire. ¡°How do you know?¡± She managed to get out. ¡°Because you were named after my grandmother. I¡¯m- I¡¯m your Father.¡± The man tried a smile, but it looked horribly awkward in the dim light of the room. Maggie stared at him, biting back her first response which would have just been a solid ¡®nope¡¯. Instead she took a steadying breath, letting it out slowly as she phrased her response in her head before saying anything. Think before you speak and all that. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. My Dad was in the air force, he disappeared overseas. Unless- wait, were you abducted too? No, that would be a crazy coincidence.¡± ¡°Life is full of crazy coincidences. No, I wasn¡¯t abducted. I grew up in the care of Ambassador Ux¡¯thu, a Silvarian. So did your Mother for that matter. We- when she got pregnant she ran away.¡± He was silent for a long moment, staring off into the distant past. ¡°She didn¡¯t want our child raised by Silvarians, and I didn¡¯t want them to implant you with one of the Keys.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaking me for someone else. There¡¯s no way Mom grew up in space. She¡¯s got a birth certificate and everything! If she was raised in space she wouldn¡¯t have that, right?¡± There was no proof this man was her father. She didn¡¯t even have a picture of him though to prove it. ¡°We¡¯re not. The genetics test was a positive match to both me, and your Mother. If you don¡¯t trust me, do you at least trust Si¡¯l Vala Tomas Rodriguez? He confirmed it too.¡± ¡°I- he did?¡± She trusted Doctor Tomas, as much as she trusted anyone out here she supposed. He had helped her escape, helped her get away from that lunatic Flame. ¡°He did.¡± The man, her father, nodded. ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t expect you to run into my arms or anything like that, but this is not how I pictured meeting you going. I expected at least a little bit of happiness.¡± ¡°I- it¡¯s not like that! I just have a real hard time believing you. My Mom is from Earth, she said she met my Dad overseas while he was in the Air Force, and moved to the USA.¡± ¡°The Air Force... I like that. My Grandfather was in the Air Force before he was abducted. I can show you the genetic markers, but I doubt that would convince you, if you even understood them. How about a test then? I¡¯ll answer some questions you think only your Mother would know. Is that acceptable?¡± He leaned back, folding his hands on his stomach. ¡°Alright, I guess that could work.¡± She just had to think of things that he¡¯d at least have a chance of knowing. It couldn¡¯t be about things that had happened during her lifetime, what did she know about her Mom from before she was born? She had never really talked much about her past. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have a picture of you two together? But wait, that could be Photoshopped.¡± The man let out a soft laugh. ¡°She raised you suspicious. I have better than that though.¡± He fished in the pocket of his top, pulling out what looked like an old fashioned pocket watch. ¡°We went to something like a carnival once, and we got this.¡± He flipped the watch open, and a holographic picture flickered into view. It was fully 3D and about the size of a fashion doll, turning slowly in its base. It showed two people, one was obviously a younger version of the man claiming to be her father. The other was her Mother, laughing and trying to put a ridiculous hat on his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to prove all this to you, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s told you about me, about us. But you are my daughter. If you don¡¯t feel comfortable calling me Dad, you can call me Theo, or Theodrakis.¡± Maggie stared at the hologram. Her mother looked so young and healthy in it, so happy! She looked up at Theodrakis, who was watching the hologram with a sad smile. ¡°My Mom really was from outer space?¡± ¡°Afraid so.¡± Theodrakis raised his eyes, meeting her gaze full on. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to find out this way. I¡¯m sorry that you wound up with a Key, no matter how we tried to protect you from that fate.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± She said weakly. What else could she say? She had so many questions but her mind didn¡¯t want to work right. He Mom was from space! Was Aunt Electra from space as well? How had they wound up on Earth? Did they have a spaceship of their own? ¡°No, but I¡¯m still sorry.¡± He sat silently for a moment, staring down at the hologram. ¡°The person who shot you we believe was a member of the Freedom Coalition, did they implant you with the Key?¡± ¡°No, actually they really didn¡¯t want me to have it. I found it. It was an accident, Theseus didn¡¯t know I would find it, and by the time we got to Galaux Station, Doc Tomas couldn¡¯t get it out. She raised her hand to look at the spiral galaxy embedded there, the crystal catching the faint light of the room and reflecting it. ¡°Theseus, is he part of the Freedom Coalition too?¡± Theodrakis set the hologram on a table next to her bed, and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I think he¡¯s independent. Why does it matter?¡± Maggie shifted a little so she could still look at the hologram, lowering her arm in relief. It was too much work to keep it raised. ¡°The Freedom Coalition is a terrorist organization. Or at least an extremist one. What they claim to want is equality for humans, but they go about it exactly the wrong way.¡± Theodrakis stood up, starting to pace across the room. He folded his hands behind his back, head bowed. ¡°But I didn¡¯t think they would take to kidnapping or implanting people with Keys!¡± ¡°If it makes you feel better I really don¡¯t think they wanted me to have a Key. For that matter I really don¡¯t want it either, but apparently I¡¯m stuck with it.¡± That fact didn¡¯t bring up as much fear as it had before. Was she getting used to it? It didn¡¯t seem to be hurting her. Although she suspected it didn¡¯t help her minor heart attack or whatever it was. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to have it either, but you¡¯re right. Now that you have it, there¡¯s no getting rid of it. We¡¯ll at least do our best to make you comfortable though. Perhaps we¡¯ll get lucky and you will be one of the few it accepts. Your Mothers Key had accepted her. I don¡¯t think she suffered any ill effects from it. Unless something happened after she went to Earth?¡± There was a tension in his voice, and he paused in his pacing, pinning her with an intense gaze. ¡°Maggie, how is Nora? Is she alright?¡± It was weird to hear her Mom referred to as Nora. Not that Aunt Electra hadn¡¯t done it plenty, it just felt weird in this instance. This guy, this Theodrakis who was apparently her father, said it differently than Aunt Electra did. She just couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint how it was different. ¡°When I was- when I left, she was at a rehab center, they were trying to help her be able to use her legs again.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He bowed his head and closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. Perhaps if she was out here it would be different, perhaps- perhaps now she would be willing to be out here again. Now that she doesn¡¯t have to worry about you getting implanted with a Key, or being raised by Silvarians.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, she seems pretty happy on Earth.¡± Maggie said cautiously. She didn¡¯t want to dash the guys hopes, it wasn¡¯t like her Mom had ever really dated. But they had a life on Earth, a business to run. And Maggie still wanted to go back there herself. But it felt like there was something else she needed to do first. Something to do with the Key. ¡°I¡¯m- I¡¯m happy to hear that. I¡¯m glad she was able to find happiness. Even if it wasn¡¯t with me.¡± His shoulders slumped, and he looked at Maggie with a sad smile. ¡°You should get some more rest. I¡¯ve tired you out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not all that tired. And I have more questions.¡± Theodrakis reached over, gently brushing a curly lock of hair out of Maggie¡¯s face. ¡°You lie about as well as your Mother. Get some rest, you can ask me your questions in the morning.¡± Chapter 20.5 - Theyre Out There
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons Database, more than 600,000 people disappear each year in the United States alone, of those 600,000, 1%, or 6000 people, are never found. If we compare these statistics to the UFO sightings reported to the National UFO Reporting Center we can find a correlation between sightings and disappearances.
-Excerpt from ¡®Stolen From Earth¡¯ by Robert Brown, Alexandria University
The wonderful thing about small university towns, was that it was easy to find people. Ross had been only a few years ahead of Becca, Bobby and Maggie in school, and knew their habits. Bobby was always one of three places: school, home, or the laundromat. Today was no exception. Bobby sat in the University library, a computer open next to him running the latest news reports on the UFO sightings and the search for Maggie, print outs and old newspaper clippings scattered around the table. A young woman with shiny black hair sat across from him, books on Ancient Egypt and the pyramids open around her. ¡°Your friend wasn¡¯t taken by aliens Bobby, won¡¯t you give it a rest? Why would they even stop here anymore? There¡¯s too many satellites and cameras for them to sneak onto the planet.¡± ¡°Which is why I have footage of the vehicle.¡± Bobby insisted, working to keep his voice low, even as excitement pitched it higher. ¡°Mr. O¡¯Leary¡¯s doorcam caught a picture of it, look, that¡¯s not a normal RV.¡± Bobby slid a picture over to the girl, Theo, if Ross remembered right. She usually did blurbs on the evening news talking about UFOs and aliens. You¡¯d think Alexandria was Roswell with all the press UFOs were getting lately. But right now, that was what Ross needed. That RV had flown into the air, and now he was missing days. Something was going on, and he wanted to know what. Unfortunately all the signs were pointing to something really crazy, and Bobby and his group of space nerds were the best source of crazy in town. ¡°It could just be a souped up version of an RV. Come on Bobby, why would the aliens still be visiting us anyways? We¡¯ve got to be the ghetto of the galaxy! Think about it, poverty, nukes, racism, the top 1%, if I had a choice I wouldn¡¯t stop here either. This is the type of planet that you drive by with your windows rolled up and doors locked.¡± Theo barely glanced at the picture Bobby had printed up, instead pulling up another picture, this one of a Mayan pyramid with measurements. ¡°I say we look for evidence of aliens in our past, not our present.¡± ¡°And I say they¡¯re here, now, and in Alexandria.¡± Bobby jabbed the picture with his finger. ¡°And they took Maggie.¡± ¡°Why would they take Maggie?¡± Theo leaned forward over her own work, bangs falling across her eyes. ¡°I think she found something she wasn¡¯t supposed to.¡± Bobby said, lowering his voice. ¡°And they took her because of it.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re right.¡± Ross sat down next to Bobby, looking at the pair. ¡°And I think someone wants to cover it up.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Officer Ross?¡± Theo jumped, a blush forming on her face. ¡°You- I thought you didn¡¯t believe in aliens!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t, until I saw that RV fly off into the air. Bobby¡¯s right, that¡¯s no normal RV, and someone is poking around trying to find out more about it and Maggie.¡± It was insane, he knew that. But he also knew what he had seen. The RV had blasted off through the clouds with barely a sound. ¡°Told you! Told you told you told you!¡± Bobby crowed, jumping out of his chair and jabbing his fist into the air. ¡°Aliens!¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± The young student librarian hissed, shooting a withering glare at Bobby. ¡°Some people are trying to study.¡± Ross grabbed Bobby¡¯s arm, dragging him back into the seat. ¡°Calm down. I don¡¯t want to attract attention. You lot are the best lead I have on alien stuff, I want to find out who is trying to cover it up, and why. And, if possible,... I want to bring Maggie home.¡± Bobby and Theo exchanged glances, the smile sliding off Bobby¡¯s face as the excitement of his triumph melted away. ¡°Bring her home? I- that would be great, but-¡± ¡°But Earth is no where near that technology level. If she¡¯s been taken by aliens, there¡¯s no way to track her down. And even if there was, wouldn¡¯t that be way out of your jurisdiction?¡± Theo started to gather up her papers. She shook her head as she shoved them into her bag. ¡°And who would bother covering up her disappearance?¡± ¡°Only our own government. I have it on good authority that they have a whole department dedicated to extraterrestrial threats and covering up alien visitation.¡± Bobby started to gather up his own papers, packing them into a folder already stuffed full of printouts and notes. ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to Professor Dickerson. I¡¯m so glad you finally saw the truth Ross, this is going to be great. You¡¯re an actual adult, a cop even. If anyone can dig up some stuff, I bet you can. For starters we should start looking at the town history. I know there¡¯s some shady stuff in there. Then we should see what Electra remembers of the day Maggie disappeared, and then we can see if you can dig into some of the government databases. All I can access are the public ones.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to draw attention doing all that. And do you really want to bother Electra? She¡¯s got to be feeling awful.¡± Theo frowned sternly at Bobby. ¡°I hear she hasn¡¯t been to the coffee shop since Maggie disappeared.¡± ¡°Even more reason to check on her don¡¯t you think? A wellness check, right Ross?¡± Bobby gave up packing his papers away neatly, and just started to shove them haphazardly into his bag, much to Theo¡¯s disdain. ¡°A wellness check wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea actually.¡± Ross admitted reluctantly. He could count on one hand the amount of times Electra hadn¡¯t shown up to the coffee shop since she opened it. That she hadn¡¯t been in for days was enough to cause concern. ¡°Let¡¯s go there first. But let me do the talking.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Theo and Bobby said at the same time. Well, he had wanted space nerds. Now he had two of them. He shook his head, doubting his choices as he headed out of the library to his car. ¡°You two ride in the back, and you better not be missing any classes for this.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll call it field research.¡± Theo said primly. She pulled out her phone, checking the battery on it. ¡°Maybe Electra will agree to a statement for tonights news.¡± ¡°Let me do the talking.¡± Ross repeated firmly. ¡°We¡¯re not going to harass the poor woman, she¡¯s going through a hard enough time as it is.¡± But as it was, he needn¡¯t have worried. When they got to Electra¡¯s house the doors were locked, the lights were off, and the car was gone. Looking in the windows Ross saw only a few pieces of furniture left behind, everything else that might show anything about the people that had lived there most of his life was gone without a trace. Chapter 21 - Uncooperative Patients
According to the Key-Holders, there¡¯s something coming from outside the galaxy. Some great threat that they can¡¯t describe. They¡¯ve been saying this for years, but this is the first time we have any indication that they may be right. Our ships have detected something in the void between galaxies, something large that moves just at the edge of our sensor field. Whatever it is, it disappeared almost as soon as we detected it. The techs almost wrote it off as a glitch in the system, but we¡¯ve detected it multiple times now. There¡¯s something out there.
-Norvil Gavrinik, Chief of the Allied Security Forces
Maggie wasn¡¯t happy with being told to go to bed, but she fell asleep quickly anyways. This time she didn¡¯t dream, sleeping straight through whatever counted as night on this ship. She woke feeling better, more rested and much less sore. The room was flooded with artificial sunlight again, and Robin was perched at the edge of the bed, a wry smile on his face. ¡°Good morning Maggie.¡± ¡°Robin!¡± Muscles she hadn¡¯t realized were tense relaxed, and she sagged a little in the bed, relief flooding over her. A familiar face among these strangers, even if they were related to her, was very much a welcome sight. ¡°Are you alright? They said your tablet was broken.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, but how are you feeling?¡± Robin looked down to her stomach, his smile disappearing. ¡°The last time I saw you, you were really bad off. I thought that- I thought you weren¡¯t going to make it.¡± Maggie paused, thinking back to her dreams, to Te¡¯chik who had said that most people that died stayed dead. The burning pain like molten lead that followed the shot to her back. The way the world seemed to close in on her. She took in a deep, shuddering breath, glad at least that it didn¡¯t feel like knives in her chest anymore. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I did.¡± Robin rested a hand on hers, his forehead creasing as he frowned. ¡°Well, you¡¯re here now. So you can¡¯t have died that much.¡± A snort of laughter escaped before Maggie could stop it. ¡°Can¡¯t have died that much? Robin, what the hell?¡± He smiled and shrugged. ¡°There are degrees of death apparently. I died more than you, obviously.¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± Maggie rolled her eyes, and made another attempt at sitting up. The last couple times hadn¡¯t gone so well, but she had at least been able to sit up the last time. Her stomach didn¡¯t hurt nearly as bad, but it still felt like she had done a hundred crunches in a row. Robin glanced towards the closed door, hesitating only a moment before curling an arm behind her back, helping her sit up. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much they can tell is happening, how much they¡¯re recording. I can tell there¡¯s spyware on my tablet but I haven¡¯t been able to deactivate it yet.¡± Robin spoke in a rushed whisper, his touch cool and tingly against her bare skin. Wait. She looked down at herself, seeing the bandages of course, those hadn¡¯t changed. But there was precious little else on her. ¡°Why am I naked?¡± She said with forced calm. She grabbed the sheet that had covered her, pulling it up to cover herself as her face turned red. And how long had she been naked? ¡°They put you in a regeneration chamber. It was the only hope you had of surviving. But that stuff is nasty to try and get out of clothes, not to mention you don¡¯t want the nanobots to decide the clothes are part of you. Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t even look!¡± Robin said. ¡°Sure you didn¡¯t.¡± Maggie tucked the sheet around herself like a toga. She had successfully sat up, now it was time to stand. She shifted awkwardly on the bed, sliding her feet off the edge of the bed. Luckily the bed wasn¡¯t very high, so she could touch the floor easily. But standing seemed daunting. ¡°Only a peek! Be careful Maggie, you¡¯re still recovering. You¡¯ve been in and out of consciousness for days, and before that you were out for nearly a week!¡± ¡°A week?¡± Maggie squeaked, looking up at Robin. What had happened while she was out? How were people doing back home? They must have stopped looking for her by now. Robin watched her anxiously, holding a hand out in case she needed the support. ¡°Nearly, yes. Maggie, you nearly died! Or maybe you did die for a little bit. Either way you still need rest!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I need to- I need to....¡± What did she need to do? She couldn¡¯t go home, she couldn¡¯t go back to Galaux Station, and she had no idea what situation they were stuck in now. ¡°You need to rest.¡± Robin said gently, crouching down until he was eye-to-eye with her. ¡°We can¡¯t even try to escape until you¡¯re fully healed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been in a hospital bed for too long already. First on Galaux Station after that so-called minor heart attack, and then however long here? I need to do something.¡± Maggie stared down at her feet, her hair a cloud of red around her face. She took a deep, slow breath, and stood up. Tried to stand up anyways. Her legs didn¡¯t want to support her. They gave out the moment she put any weight on them, and she would have fallen if Robin hadn¡¯t been there to catch her. Whatever was letting him touch her apparently wasn¡¯t connected to the tablet he had been in. A quiet alarm started to go off above her bed. ¡°Shit! Maggie, are you alright?¡± Maggie held onto him as he gently lowered her to the soft floor, tears of frustration pricking at her eyes, panic gnawing at her chest. Had she gotten whatever her Mom had? Was she going to be wheelchair bound? Or what passed for wheelchairs in outer space? ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just need to- to exercise the muscles.¡± The door to the room slid open silently, and a Silvarian bounded in on all fours, followed by an Uxlik whose head barely cleared the door. Robin moved away from Maggie quickly, his form flickering as the Silvarian bounded right through it. ¡°Captain¡¯s daughter should not be moving yet! Medical Officer Zo¡¯naf, please get her back into bed.¡± ¡°Yes Si¡¯l Vala.¡± The large Uxlik said, his tusks making the words sound almost like a growl. He moved through Robin as if the hologram weren¡¯t there, kneeling down to scoop Maggie up and deposit her back in the bed. ¡°Why did you try to get up? You¡¯re not ready to get up! Spinal cord was completely severed, multiple organs needed to be completely regrown, and you try to get out of bed!¡± The Silvarian stood on its hind legs, it¡¯s snout wrinkled in a way that showed sharp little teeth. It fussed to straighten out Maggie¡¯s sheet, pulling it from around her as it chittered away in agitation. Medical Officer Zo¡¯naf helped in a more gentle manner, lifting Maggie so that the Silvarian could pull the sheet from beneath her. Gently setting her back down onto the soft bed. ¡°What do you mean my spinal cord was severed? Am- am I going to be able to walk again?¡± Maggie blushed as she was exposed again. The Uxlik spread the sheet over her, then pulled the blanket up, offering Maggie the gentlest smile he could with those giant tusks of his. ¡°Of course you¡¯ll walk again, but not today! Need therapy, need to let the nerves regrow, relearn how to send the signals. The Key will help with that but even then such severe injuries take time to heal.¡± The Silvarian snapped. It pulled up a screen next to Maggie¡¯s bed, glaring at the readings as if they had personally offended it. ¡°You are lucky the key had been almost fully absorbed. Otherwise walking would have been the least of your worries.¡± Maggie slumped in the bed as relief flooded through her. Lucky. She was lucky the Key had been almost fully absorbed. Well, she supposed she could accept that. It was a bright point in what had been a horrible thing. Apparently because of the Key, she would walk again. ¡°When can I get out of bed?¡± ¡°Tomorrow. Maybe. Tomorrow Medical Officer Zo¡¯naf will help you start building up your muscles again. Tonight you will stay. In. Bed.¡± The little Silvarian turned to look at her, swirling eyes stern in an adorably furry face. ¡°Play with your tablet-friend, read, watch something, that¡¯s why it¡¯s here. But do not move out of that bed. We will bring you food in one hour. Do not make me have you restrained.¡± Well that seemed extreme. Maggie scowled at the Silvarian and let out a growl of her own. ¡°I¡¯ll kick your furry ass if you try.¡± Robin put a hand to his face, letting out a groan. ¡°Maggie....¡± ¡°Do as you are told!¡± The Silvarian snapped it¡¯s teeth at her, and grinned to show all of them. ¡°I have permission to restrain you, sedate you, whatever is necessary to keep you from harming yourself.¡± ¡°Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai, I am reminded that children often take after their parents in personality and stubbornness. Perhaps threats are not the best route to take with the Captain¡¯s daughter?¡± Zo¡¯naf said gently, resting a large hand on Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai¡¯s shoulder. The Silvarian looked like it wanted to say something else, but held it¡¯s tongue, narrowing it¡¯s eyes at Maggie. Finally it nodded. ¡°You are right. Let Ambassador Ux¡¯thu and the Captain know she is awake again. You, girl, will stay in this bed. Medical Officer Zo¡¯naf, you will make sure she does. Food will be sent in.¡± Somehow the furry little bastard looked smug, a smirk showing more teeth on one side. ¡°Patients that do not cooperate do not get privacy.¡± It added, and turned to waddle out of the room. Medical Officer Zo¡¯naf waited until it was gone, before letting out a deep sigh. ¡°Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai is not a patient woman. Do you know how to play Euchre?¡± Robin sat down on the edge of Maggie¡¯s bed with a chuckle. ¡°My Father taught me to play it, but it¡¯s played with teams of two , do you have another player up your sleeve?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never played it. Is this another alien game?¡± Maggie tried to scoot up in bed so she could sit up. Zo¡¯naf pressed a button on the side of the bed, the whole thing slowly folding into a chair. ¡°An alien game?¡± He laughed, pulling out a deck of cards. ¡°No, it¡¯s from Earth. I learned it from some of the humans on board. You¡¯ve never heard of it?¡± ¡°Not at all. I¡¯ve heard of poker, blackjack, checkers, chess, all sorts of board games. But not Euchre.¡± Maggie shifted in the bed-turned-chair, trying to get comfortable and not lose the cover of her sheet. ¡°Then I will teach you, you two can be on a team, I will play alone. But first, let us get you a gown.¡± Zo¡¯naf smiled sheepishly, a blush making his green skin darker. Chapter 22 - Like You Skinned Oscar the Grouch
I passed by another Star Ship today. It was floating in the void between galaxies, completely dark. They didn¡¯t respond to my hails, there were no life signs, no energy signatures... Nothing. Their pods had all been jettisoned, and I caught traces of a few of them, floating in the void. I was able to draw in a few of them, hooking them up to replace some of my own broken pods. But most were just gone.
How could they just be gone?
Log A - Fragment 213
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Euchre was apparently a card game popular in the Midwest USA and a few other places around Earth. But Maggie couldn¡¯t say she really understood it. Still, it was interesting to watch the large orc-like man hold the playing cards between his big fingers. It made them look small and delicate. But when Maggie held them she could tell they were normal size. She wasn¡¯t sure if the game originally didn¡¯t use a full deck, or if some of the cards had just gone missing over however long Zo¡¯naf had had them. It turned out that Zo¡¯naf knew a few Earth games, and that there were even some that had grown popular among aliens. ¡°Silvarians prefer chess.¡± Zo¡¯naf said as he laid a card delicately on the table that floated between them. ¡°My people generally prefer UNO, but I don¡¯t have a deck for that. Perhaps Captain Theodrakis can find us one.¡± ¡°I think I would understand UNO better than this.¡± Maggie smiled though. The big man seemed kind, and was trying to keep her entertained. But this game made no sense. ¡°He played a diamond so now we have to play one too.¡± Robin said, pointing to a card in her hand. ¡°Put down this one.¡± Maggie set down her nine of diamonds, looking up at Zo¡¯naf. ¡°Do you know the Captain very well?¡± ¡°Not so well, no. But the few times he was in the medical bay he was not a very good patient.¡± Zo¡¯naf smiled and jotted down a number on his tablet. ¡°You win this round. Would you like to go again?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m done playing it. I¡¯m sorry Zo¡¯naf, it just doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Maggie leaned back in her bed, feeling unreasonably tired. Playing cards shouldn¡¯t tire her out so much! ¡°How was he not a very good patient?¡± ¡°He did not want to take the time to heal.¡± Zo¡¯naf chuckled as he packed the cards back in their little sleeve, careful of the worn edges. ¡°Like you I suspect, he felt that he should be able to do things his body was not ready for yet. Perhaps it is hereditary, yes?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Maggie said and closed her eyes, letting her head rest against the pillow. At least she wasn¡¯t naked now, the fabric of her gown wonderfully soft against her skin. It was like the expensive bamboo sheets that her aunt had bought last Christmas. ¡°Maggie, you should at least eat something before you fall back to sleep. Didn¡¯t that Si¡¯l Vala say they were going to have food sent in?¡± Robin said. ¡°They did. I will check on it.¡± Zo¡¯naf pressed a button on Maggie¡¯s bed, raising the bottom half so that she was at least partly laying down. ¡°For now, rest. I will be back very shortly.¡± ¡°Do they even have human food here? I guess they must.¡± Maggie peeled her eyes open. They immediately drooped half-closed. ¡°Unless my Dad is an alien too. Well, I guess he is an alien, he¡¯s not from Earth. Not an Earthling.¡± ¡°Not an Earthling, no, but from what I have learned he is a human. There¡¯s some genetic drift, but that¡¯s to be expected. His family was probably abducted generations ago.¡± Robin pulled up a cartoon on the tablet, disappearing as he adjusted the hologram to project a screen instead of him. ¡°Is there any way to tell how long ago? Who they were, or where they came from?¡± Maggie frowned at the projection, full of color. ¡°Hey Robin, how come you¡¯re always blue, if you can project in color?¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°It¡¯s- I didn¡¯t want to cause my brother more pain.¡± His voice came over the opening song of the cartoon, reluctant. ¡°He already thought he was going insane when I started to appear, so I made myself look as ghostly as possible.¡± Robin¡¯s figure appeared in the cartoon, standing next to one of the ponies. He shrugged, full color now but matching the style of the cartoon. To be fair, Maggie was surprised that he didn¡¯t appear as a pony. She smiled a little. ¡°You care about him a lot, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s family. Sometimes growing up, it was just the two of us and our parents. So we did everything together. Studied, played, got in trouble.¡± Robin shrugged, picking an apple off the cartoon tree and taking a bite. ¡°When my parents and I died, he took it hard. Started drinking. Never really stopped either.¡± ¡°Which is how we got into this mess in the first place. But, I don¡¯t get it. If you two are so close, why did you decide to come with me when he left me on that station?¡± ¡°Because you needed someone familiar, and we were the only ones there you knew at all. Neither one of us trusted Flame that much, and it wasn¡¯t supposed to be for very long. I hoped- I hoped he would heal a bit without me there rubbing salt in the wound.¡± Robin tossed the cartoon apple aside, the color draining from his figure, leaving him a blue ghost once more. ¡°Our parents taught us to own up to our mistakes, and do our best to fix them. So it made sense for me to stay behind and watch over you, and for him to try and get word to your family.¡± And she had been a bitch about it anyways. Guilt twisted like a knife in her gut, and she bit her lower lip. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is at least partly my fault, I shouldn¡¯t have taken the Key.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know what it was.¡± Robin smiled through the screen up at her. ¡°Want to see me as a pony?¡± Maggie let out a snort of laughter, her stomach aching as the muscles contracted. ¡°Yeah, sure. Can you make me one too?¡± ¡°Hmm... I think I can do that.¡± Robin disappeared from the screen, reappearing a moment later as a ghostly blue pony with drama masks on his flank. Next to him appeared a white pony with prismatic hooves, a curly red mane and tail, and a key on her flank. ¡°A key? Really? Leaning into that as part of my identity, aren¡¯t you?¡± Maggie stuck her tongue out at the image. The Key had come to define so much of what she was. She had been just a college student before, with no real direction. She supposed it was fitting that something external had given her direction. Fate, God, whatever you wanted to call it, had taken her life and turned it upside down. Maybe she should be grateful. Nah, fuck that. ¡°It¡¯s part of who you are now. But only part of you. You¡¯re still the girl that likes absolutely hideous green slippers and electro swing music. Who loves her Mom and Aunt and would sacrifice her own future to help their dreams succeed.¡± Robin smiled and rested his cartoon head against the pony version of Maggie. ¡°They aren¡¯t that bad. They¡¯re my favorite slippers!¡± ¡°They¡¯re really bad Maggie. Like, really. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen a more ugly pair of slippers in my life. They look like you skinned Oscar the Grouch and wore him on your feet.¡± Maggie let out another snort of laughter, holding her stomach as her whole body shook. ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Yes way.¡± Robin laughed and disappeared from the screen as the door slid open again. Zo¡¯naf paused with a tray of food in his hands, looking alarmed as he watched Maggie, tears streaming down her face as she tried not to laugh. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Maggie gasped in a breath, doubling over as she giggled. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Ow...¡± ¡°I made her laugh, sorry.¡± The projection disappeared and Robin appeared in its place, smiling sheepishly. ¡°Ah.¡± Zo¡¯naf hesitated in the doorway another moment, then entered the room completely. He set the tray of food on the table, lifting the lid to show what looked like a bowl of mashed potatoes with too much gravy. ¡°I brought you food, this should be easy on your stomach, but I would still suggest not eating much.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I could if I wanted to.¡± Maggie let out another giggle, wincing as it pulled the muscles in her stomach. ¡°Hah, I guess this was one way to lose weight.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think having a hole blast into you is a very good way to lose weight.¡± Robin shook his head and sat down on the bed next to her. ¡°Eat what you can, your body needs the fuel.¡± Zo¡¯naf sat back down in his own chair, the floating mechanisms whirring slightly as they worked to keep him aloft. ¡°Listen to your holographic friend. Would you like to watch something as you eat?¡± ¡°Yes, alright.¡± Maggie wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and picked up her spoon. ¡°Robin can you put the cartoons back on?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He flashed her a grin before disappearing once again, the cartoon projecting in front of Maggie. It wasn¡¯t quite like being on the couch back home, but there was something comforting in the situation anyways. She knew Robin was close by, and Zo¡¯naf was a big, gentle presence in the corner. She thought that maybe, just maybe, she was safe here. Chapter 22.5 - Alien Grandfather
Doc Tomas and Robin suggested I keep a journal. Apparently, journals are a big thing out here, most people keep one and some families pass them down from one generation to the next. Paper journals aren¡¯t as common, so I¡¯m writing this on the tablet. You better not be reading this, Robin!
-From the Journals of Maggie Kaye, Key Holder
__________________________________________________
Ux¡¯thu watched the live feed of Maggie and Zo¡¯naf on a large crystal screen in his quarters. On another screen there was a copy of the data being collected from the tablet, and on still another, he had the data copied from the old tablet. Most of the data was beyond his scope of knowledge, but he was sending it to Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i back on Silva Prime. If anyone could decipher the data, it was her. He had also saved the few items the girl had with her when she arrived. It wasn¡¯t much: an ID card such as was often used for station residents, a handstitched bag in bright colors, a half-melted tablet, and a small keychain hologram of Lix¡¯al, the famous Silvarian singer. He picked up the keychain, holding the miniature holoprojector delicately between his claws. In a way, the singer was as much an ambassador of the Silvarian race as he was, winning over the hearts and minds of humans with her Earth-inspired music and outfits. If the girl was a fan, he might be able to get the singer to make a visit. It would do well towards building cooperation. Although it may not be necessary, apparently the girl was the daughter of Theodrakis. That single fact made things more complicated, and aroused suspicion in him. Theodrakis had always been loyal and obedient, only faltering once in his discipline. Ux¡¯thu forgave that instance because the boy was young and in love, but now he suspected that there may have been more to that once instance than he had realized. He looked at the red-haired girl, so much like Nora now that he knew to look for the similarities. And she had a Key too, where had she gotten it? Was it the same one that her mother had had? Had little Nora passed on? Or was this an entirely different Key? A gentle chime rang through his chambers, and Ux¡¯thu turned his attention to the door. The readout above the door showed that it was Theodrakis, early for their meeting. Ux¡¯thu looked back at the screens showing the girl and decided to leave it up. ¡°Enter.¡± The door slid open with the barest whisper of sound to allow the tall red-haired human to enter. Ux¡¯thu couldn¡¯t help but smile fondly at the boy, barely in his forties and such an accomplished young human. Not many made it through the rigorous training to become a captain in the Silvarian space force, and for a human to have done it! Many had thought it impossible. ¡°Ambassador Ux¡¯thu.¡± Theodrakis bowed slightly, tension singing in his muscles as he straightened. ¡°You asked to see me?¡± ¡°I did. No need to be so formal Theo, you aren¡¯t in trouble.¡± Ux¡¯thu set down the little holograph projector and waddled around his desk to his chair. ¡°Sit down, would you like anything to drink?¡± Theodrakis let out a barely audible sigh, some of the tension easing from him. He settled down into the single human-style chair, his back inches from the soft cushion. His gaze strayed to the screen showing the human girl, Maggie, and he frowned. ¡°You know.¡± ¡°I do. Am I correct in assuming she¡¯s Nora¡¯s?¡± Ux¡¯thu curled up on his own nest-like chair, settling his forepaws on the desk. Theodrakis nodded and folded his own hands on his lap. The poor boy was nearly fidgeting from stress! Ux¡¯thu smiled kindly, his tendrils settling back in a way that he knew humans found non-threatening. ¡°You know I forgave you for that disappearance long ago. A child isn¡¯t going to change that, if anything I should be pleased, don¡¯t you think? Our family grows! And she has a Key, a fully integrated Key at that. Do you know where she came across it?¡± ¡°Si¡¯l Vala Tomas didn¡¯t have much detail, only that Flame had hired some smugglers to bring her one, and that it had melded with her by accident.¡± Theo¡¯s shoulders slumped slightly, and he let out a sigh. ¡°We knew that the rebels were trying to get ahold of Ancients technology, but I didn¡¯t think Flame would go so far as to try to kidnap and kill an innocent Earthling to get it.¡± There was no denying the woman¡¯s motives with the wound the girl had suffered. If it hadn¡¯t been for the Key, she would have been dead. As it was they had just had to regrow a good portion of her internal organs. The Key had aided in that recovery as well, which had provided its own set of interesting data. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I am sorry Theo, I know she was your friend but she has truly lost her mind.¡± Ux¡¯thu shook his head, his whiskers drooping. ¡°Surely you see why we must hunt down the rebels now?¡± ¡°I will admit that extremists like Flame need to be brought to justice, but there are legitimate grievances they bring to light. You have to admit that the Alliance has treated humans unjustly. In many cases we¡¯re seen as no more than pets.¡± Theo¡¯s face darkened as he spoke, green eyes growing hard. ¡°The Freedom Coalition is an extreme terrorist wing, but there are good people in there.¡± ¡°Like Si¡¯l Vala Tomas?¡± Ux¡¯thu raised a furry eyebrow, lips curling up in a smile. ¡°People like Si¡¯l Vala Tomas, yes.¡± Ux¡¯thu smiled wider, and let out a chitter of amusement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Theo, I won¡¯t send hunters after your friend. I always approved of Si¡¯l Vala Tomas, he¡¯s a very talented Si¡¯l Vala, and the humans need to see more of their people in those roles.¡± But it confirmed what he suspected, Galaux Station was a nest of Freedom Coalition terrorists. He would have to find a way to weed them out without upsetting Theodrakis. ¡°If nothing else, Si¡¯l Vala Tomas sent your daughter to us, he knew that she would be safe here.¡± ¡°Will she be safe here?¡± Ux¡¯thu reeled back at the question, his opalescent eyes widening. Theo met his eyes squarely, his face set in grim lines. ¡°Of course! Where else in the galaxy could she receive such care as she would here? I will care for her as much as I care for you and Nora. More, I will spoil her, isn¡¯t that the prerogative of grandfathers?¡± ¡°You see yourself as her grandfather?¡± The barest glimmer of humor entered Theo¡¯s eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly. If Ux¡¯thu wasn¡¯t so familiar with human facial expressions he would have missed the signs entirely. ¡°I raised you as my son, did I not? Gave you the best that I could, even though others argued I should raise you as a pet.¡± ¡°Like you did my father.¡± Theo said softly. ¡°Yes, like I did your father. I won¡¯t apologize for it, he was happy and well cared for with me. And when you were born, I promised to raise you as a son.¡± It had been a grand experiment too, seeing how far a human could go if they were raised as something other than a pet. Not all humans in the experiment were as successful as Theodrakis or Tomas, and some of them had turned against their betters, like Flame. Humans still needed guidance from Silvarians and those like them, but it had proven they were capable of great things. ¡°And you did.¡± Theo smiled, and finally slumped back in his chair, his gaze moving back to the screen that showed Maggie. She had fallen asleep, her food half-eaten. The Uxlik medical officer adjusted her bed so she was laying down again, carefully tucking her in. ¡°I¡¯m having a room prepared for her. Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai says she will be alright to leave the medical bay in a couple of days.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯ll have to come visit her soon. She will be needing training, help acclimating to life beyond Earth. I¡¯m certain the Freedom Coalition didn¡¯t bother to help her with any of that.¡± Ux¡¯thu gave himself a shake, settling his fur back into order. ¡°Poor girl.¡± ¡°I believe that¡¯s what her strange friend was supposed to help her with.¡± Theo tapped the ruined tablet lightly. ¡°Do we have any more information on that?¡± ¡°Tech Ger¡¯al claims it is not dangerous, but it¡¯s also a mystery. He copied the programs and data onto two computers: one in his workroom and another onto that tablet your daughter has. The mystery comes in the actions of the two computers. We can see that the entity is interacting with your daughter, is aware and seems to be emotionally invested in her well-being. But the same is not true for the computer in Tech Ger¡¯al¡¯s workroom. There doesn¡¯t appear to be anything out of the ordinary on that one at all. No sentience, no emotions, no driving force, just data on what the hologram should look like.¡± Ux¡¯thu was sure that it wasn¡¯t Earth technology, just as he was sure it was nothing Nora had given the girl. He suspected it was an effect of Ancients technology, but how it worked or how it was transferred to one computer and not the other was a mystery. If anything it should have been duplicated on both. But the data didn¡¯t lie, it may have been copied onto both but the tablet was running something much more complex and unpredictable. Theodrakis frowned, tapping his fingers lightly against the arm of his chair. ¡°I don¡¯t like that. I want to know what it is, and what it¡¯s interest in my daughter is.¡± He froze, as if realizing exactly what he said. His daughter. His gaze returned to the screen and the sleeping girl on it. ¡°I never wanted this for her....¡± He whispered. And that was the root of it all, wasn¡¯t it? Ux¡¯thu smiled, his look softening as pieces began to fall into place. Little Theo must have found out Nora was pregnant. He sent Nora and the baby away before the baby could get involved with the Ancients technology. A pity, it would have been a valuable research opportunity to see how the girl responded to the technology as a baby. But as it happened she was here now, with a fully absorbed Key. ¡°She¡¯s here now, all we can do is take care of her to the best of our ability.¡± Ux¡¯thu said, his voice gentle and soothing. ¡°There¡¯s no better place for her now, except perhaps Silva Prime.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t send her there.¡± Theodrakis said, a dangerous edge entering his voice. ¡°She¡¯s safe here, and we have the technology and knowledge to take care of her. On Silva Prime she would just be another research subject.¡± Ux¡¯thu nodded slightly, allowing his whiskers to droop. ¡°Surely it isn¡¯t as bad as all that, but I understand you want your daughter close. We¡¯ll do what we can here.¡± It would be limiting, not having the research and training facilities available on Silva Prime, but they would make do. Perhaps he could convince Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i to come to them. In the meantime though, he would do what he could. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go spend some time with her? Find out what we can do to make her more comfortable.¡± Theodrakis nodded and stood up. He stared for a long moment at the screen, watching as the girls chest rose and fell with each breath. They had nearly lost her before even knowing her, he was bound to be protective for a while. Hopefully it wouldn¡¯t blind him to what was necessary. Chapter 23 - The Importance of Dreams
We reached the new galaxy today, finally getting some break from the endless void and whatever lurks in it. It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve seen so many stars. It almost makes up for the corpse ships I¡¯ve passed by. Something is still out there, hunting us. Those damn scientists thought they could skimp on the defenses, thought there was nothing out in the void to worry about. Damn idiots. Too bad they can¡¯t see what¡¯s happened because of their foolishness.
-Log C - Fragment 245 - Te¡¯chik
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Maggie opened her eyes to a plain white ceiling, littered with tiny crystal shards. She let out a sigh as another shard shot up from nearby, embedding itself in the ceiling with a solid thunk. ¡°This again?¡± ¡°Get used to it. We¡¯re gonna be spending a lot of time together.¡± Te¡¯¡¯chik¡¯s voice came from nearby, and Maggie rolled her head to look at the woman. How crazy was she, to have the same type of dream over and over again? ¡°Where¡¯s your little counterpart?¡± Maggie sat up, grateful to be able to do so without agonizing pain. She looked down at her stomach, lifting the plain white shirt she wore to show smooth skin. There was no trace of having been shot at all! But then this was a dream. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s around. I think she¡¯s planning exactly what to say to you when she gets the chance. Gotta give you directions, coordinates and what not. It¡¯ll be better once we can actually talk to you when you¡¯re awake. But you keep ignoring us.¡± ¡°Talking to yourself is generally seen as a sign of insanity.¡± Maggie tested standing up next, flexing her knees with a smile. This was good, at least she could move around in her dreams. Maybe she could even do some yoga, or dance! Did dream yoga count? ¡°Tell me about it. But listen, you gotta start letting us in.¡± Te¡¯chik leaned forward, letting her hands dangling between her legs. ¡°Or it¡¯ll wind up being too late and ya¡¯ll won¡¯t be ready when the big bad guys get here.¡± ¡°And who are the big bad guys?¡± Maggie couldn¡¯t help but sound skeptical. The phrasing was too close to the stuff in Sam¡¯s roleplaying games. Although considering she was asleep, on a big old alien spaceship, how much crazier could it get? Te¡¯chik lowered her voice, the usual humor disappearing from it as she whispered two words: ¡°Star Eaters.¡± Maggie¡¯s eyes snapped open, her heart pounding as if she had run a mile. Star Eaters? What the hell were Star Eaters? And why did the name drench her in a cold sweat of terror? She sat up in the dimly lit room, barely noticing the pain in her stomach as she looked around. Zo¡¯naf¡¯s big form was sprawled in a chair in the corner, the thing whirring faintly as it held the big man aloft. Robin was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn¡¯t surprising. He used the holographic form to interact with people, if there was no one to interact with, why bother with it? No sign of her father, or the pushy little Silvarian nurse. Good. She let out a soft breath, putting a hand to her stomach as she tried to get her heart to slow down to a normal rate. ¡°This has got to stop.¡± She whispered. A snort came from the corner, making Maggie jump. But it was followed by a deep, rumbling snore as Zo¡¯naf settled back down comfortably in his chair. She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. No reason to be jumpy, right? Slowly, she eased her feet to the floor. ¡°Maggie, what are you doing?¡± Robin¡¯s voice cut through the sound of Zo¡¯naf¡¯s snores, and Maggie jumped again, feeling like she had just stuck her finger in an electrical socket. A sharp pain shot through her hand, and before she knew it a shard of crystal shot out, thudding into the small cabinet the tablet was on. ¡°Holy shit!¡± She shook her hand, the small wound the crystal had formed healing over quickly, as if it had never been there at all. ¡°Holy- Maggie are you alright?¡± Robin¡¯s form flickered into existence, looking at the small shard of crystal with wide eyes. Zo¡¯naf snorted again, this time opening his eyes to the dimly lit room. ¡°What? What is going on? Maggie, why are you up?¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The lights in the room suddenly flared brighter, and Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai waddled in. ¡°What goes on in here?¡± She demanded, pausing to look at the scene before her. Zo¡¯naf stood up, towering over the Silvarian but lowering his head a bit in an attempt to look smaller. ¡°Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai, good morning.¡± Zo¡¯naf said, glancing at Maggie, then the shard of crystal in the cabinet. ¡°There seems to have been a development.¡± ¡°No, no developments.¡± Maggie said firmly. She refused to deal with any new developments right now! She had had enough of these developments! ¡°I just... had a weird dream, that¡¯s all.¡± Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai gave Maggie a flat look. ¡°No developments would not result in a ruined medical cabinet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not ruined!¡± Maggie tried to stand up, but her legs still didn¡¯t want to support her full weight. ¡°It¡¯s just a little dented.¡± ¡°There is a crystal sticking out of it.¡± ¡°That was there before.¡± Maggie glared down at her uncooperative legs. They trembled as she put more weight on them, trying to will them to work properly. ¡°It was not there before.¡± The Silvarian waddled over, and gave Maggie a light push back onto the bed. ¡°Do not get up. Tell me what happened.¡± Maggie laid back on the bed, seething with frustration. She was so sick of this thing controlling her, taking over her life! But what could she do about it? It was part of her now, and she still wasn¡¯t sure what all that meant. Except apparently she could shoot crystal shards now? But it had hurt, did it hurt Te¡¯chik when she did it? Used to. You build up a tolerance for it. ¡°Oh great.¡± Maggie muttered. She recognized the voice now, had a face to associate it with even. The other voice that sometimes spoke up belonged to the little girl. She would have to ask her name, but not in front of a room full of people that were looking at her with equal parts wariness and worry. ¡°Not great. What happened?¡± Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai demanded. She couldn¡¯t quite cross her arms in the human fashion, but the way she folded her forepaws together gave the same general impression. ¡°I had a bad dream, I guess I was startled.¡± Maggie had to give the little fur ball something, or she¡¯d just keep nagging at her. ¡°A bad dream. About what?¡± Behind the Silvarian, Robin shook his head slightly. ¡°It was just a bad dream, what does it matter?¡± Maggie frowned, what was Robin trying to tell her? He shook his head again, earning a curious look from Zo¡¯naf, but no comment. ¡°Sometimes dreams are more than just dreams.¡± Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai watched Maggie with a deep frown, her head tendrils laying back against her skull like an angry cat¡¯s ears. ¡°You will tell me what you dreamt.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember. Now let me get back to sleep.¡± Maggie remembered just fine, but she wasn¡¯t about to tell this bitch about them. She didn¡¯t like the Si¡¯l Vala, didn¡¯t trust her. Maggie had only met her twice that she could remember, and both times the Silvarian had treated her like a child. This time was no different. The Silvarian bristled, glaring at Maggie for a moment. Her voice was sharp when she spoke. ¡°You have kept a journal, you will continue to do so. When you wake you will write down anything you remember of your dreams in it.¡± Maggie bit her tongue and pulled up her covers. What were they going to do if she didn¡¯t? Arrest her? Ground her to her room? She was already stuck here and couldn¡¯t get up! She rolled over, that simple movement sapping her energy. It left her breathless and wondering at the variety of muscles used for something so common. Legs, stomach, arms, back, she could feel them all. I don¡¯t blame you for not telling the furry git about the dream, but you¡¯re going to have to tell someone if you want to get to us. Unless you have a ship you can fly? ¡°Oh shut up.¡± Maggie muttered. She could practically feel the Silvarian stiffen behind her. ¡°You will do these things, and learn to speak with respect to your betters!¡± Maggie hid her face in her pillow with a faint groan, ignoring the laughter in the back of her head. Te¡¯chik was going to get her in so much trouble. ¡°That¡¯s enough Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai.¡± The calm male voice washed through the small room. Zo¡¯naf straightened hastily, looking past Maggie to the doorway. Maggie rolled over to look behind her, wondering exactly how many people they were going to try to fit in this room. But she had seen nurses crowd into a patient¡¯s room like clowns in a clown car, she just didn¡¯t think whatever was going on warranted that kind of attention. In the doorway stood the tall man that claimed to be her father, his greying hair brushed back away from his face, and a stern frown on his lips. ¡°We do not tolerate that attitude here, or have you forgotten?¡± ¡°Captain!¡± Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai turned around, straightening to her full height. She was still shorter than Theodrakis, and tiny compared to Zo¡¯naf, but she still managed to radiate command. ¡°This child-¡± ¡°My daughter.¡± Theodrakis corrected gently. ¡°Your- your daughter, has manifested at least one crystal shard. More, she claims to have been having strange dreams. You know that dreams often lead to the location of a bonded Key¡¯s ship! But she won¡¯t tell what her dreams were!¡± Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai rubbed her forepaws together, shooting a glare at Maggie, teeth slightly bared. Maggie glared right back. ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you anything, and I said I don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°I can tell when humans lie!¡± Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai snapped. ¡°That¡¯s enough, both of you.¡± Theodrakis let out a sigh and ran a hand across his face. ¡°Si¡¯l Vala, please give us some privacy. Take the tablet with you.¡± ¡°Wait, why?¡± Robin¡¯s eyes widened as Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai picked up the tablet. ¡°Because I want privacy to speak with my daughter. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be brought back when I¡¯m done.¡± Theodrakis took the chair Zo¡¯naf had recently vacated, floating it over beside the bed. ¡°What if I want him to stay?¡± Maggie felt a jolt of panic at the idea of losing Robin again. What if they did something to him? ¡°He¡¯ll be back. This will only take a few minutes.¡± Theodrakis sat down, but didn¡¯t say anything further until both the Si¡¯l Vala and Zo¡¯naf had left the room. Chapter 24 - No Such Thing As Ghosts
Let me tell you about first planet-fall. The Lantis ships were designed to carry thousands of people, and we were to scatter ourselves throughout the new galaxy to better ensure the survival of our people. We expected to find other people, planned to avoid settling on the same worlds as them if at all possible. But the journey was hard on the ship, to save as many people as possible we had to make planet-fall, and fast. So, we landed on a planet with warm sunny beaches and a race of carnivorous mammals that live in both the water and on land.
-Log A, Fragment 025 - CLASSIFIED
Courtesy of The Alliance Department of History
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Maggie scooted up in the bed as best she could, her eyes on Theodrakis. What did he want that would only take a few minutes? And that he didn¡¯t want Robin to be here for? She wished she knew how to turn the bed into a chair like Zo¡¯naf had, but the buttons were somewhere on the side of the bed, and she didn¡¯t think right now was a good time to hunt for them. ¡°Are you comfortable?¡± Theodrakis asked softly. Maggie hesitated, then nodded. ¡°As comfortable as I can be, I guess.¡± What else was she supposed to say? That she would really like some privacy? That not being able to walk terrified her? Or maybe that the food was about as good as any other hospitals? She smirked a little at that last one and shrugged. ¡°Food could be better, but no one is trying to shoot at me. Your doctor could use some classes in bedside manners though.¡± ¡°Honest and to the point I see.¡± Theodrakis smiled thinly, but nodded. ¡°The food will probably be bad for a little while longer, they¡¯re trying to get you the right amount of vitamins and protein to help your body heal. Si¡¯l Vala Do¡¯sai¡¯s manners, however...¡± He paused and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her. She¡¯s of an old school of thought that I try to weed out of my people. But it¡¯s hard to convince people that were raised they were raised to believe they were better than others that they are, in fact, not.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ve met people that were raised like that. They always wind up being grade-A dicks.¡± ¡°Did your mother teach you to talk like that?¡± Theodrakis let out a laugh and shook his head. ¡°No, don¡¯t answer that.¡± He steepled his fingers, resting his chin on the tips lightly as he stared at her with a sad smile. ¡°You¡¯re enough like her that the Key bonded to you cleanly. That¡¯s not always the case. I¡¯ve seen people that were destroyed when they tried to implant a Key.¡± ¡°Is this supposed to make me feel better?¡± Maggie squeaked, eyes darting to the crystal shard in the cabinet. ¡°Theseus told me to let him know if I started shooting crystal spikes or anything like that, am I going to explode?¡± Oh calm down, you¡¯re not going to explode. I shoot spikes and I didn¡¯t explode! Shut. Up! Maggie didn¡¯t say it out loud this time, although she felt a twitch in one of her eyes. She missed the days when those were only brought on by the most brutal exams. ¡°You¡¯re not going to explode, I promise. We have doctors and scientists here that are familiar with Ancients technology, they¡¯ll train you and monitor you to make sure that you aren¡¯t hurt by it. That¡¯s one of the things that I wanted to talk to you about.¡± The captain glanced up towards a corner of the room and shifted a little in his chair. ¡°Do what they tell you to do. The sooner you learn to control the Key, the safer it will be for everyone. Including you.¡± Curious, Maggie glanced up into the corner he had looked at, but didn¡¯t notice anything in it. It just looked like a normal corner. She looked back at Theodrakis with a frown. ¡°So I¡¯m just supposed to obey? That¡¯s it? That¡¯s what you came in here to tell me?¡± ¡°Not entirely. I want to stress that this is for your safety, everything I¡¯ve ever done for you and your mother was to help keep you safe. I¡¯m sorry that meant growing up without me, and now it means going through all this. I¡¯ll try to get word to your mother, somehow.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Is it just me, or is this getting more awkward by the minute? Maggie slumped back in the bed, closing her eyes as she pictured kicking Te¡¯chik in the shins. All it did though was make the voice in her head laugh again. If she was going to have an invisible friend, couldn¡¯t it be a useful invisible friend? Instead of whatever this was. ¡°You could have said all this with Robin in the room you know.¡± ¡°That was another thing I wanted to talk to you about.¡± Theodrakis leaned forward, lowering his voice. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much you can trust him, keep your guard up.¡± Maggie¡¯s eyes shot open, and she frowned at Theodrakis. ¡°Robin¡¯s been with me through a lot of this, he¡¯s earned my trust by now. You haven¡¯t. You¡¯re just some guy that says he¡¯s my dad, but all the proof you have is your word and a little hologram of you and my mom.¡± Theodrakis leaned back as if he had been slapped. ¡°There¡¯s also the genetic evidence.¡± ¡°Which isn¡¯t likely to make any sense to me.¡± Why the hell did she feel like crying all of a sudden? She had dreamt of meeting her dad hundreds of times as a child. But now that it might have happened, how could she even be sure it was him? He looked like how her mother described him, but how many people did? Hell, Theseus and Robin could look like her dad if she went by the basics: white, brown hair, tall. Except they had blue eyes, and her mother had always said that he father had green eyes, just like her. ¡°Whether you believe it or not, I am your father.¡± Theodrakis stood up, giving his uniform a firm tug to pull it back into place. ¡°And I¡¯m going to do what it takes to protect you, from whatever or whoever may want to hurt you.¡± He glanced back in the corner again, then turned and strode towards the door. ¡°Get some rest, I¡¯ll have you moved to your room tomorrow, and then physical therapy and training will begin.¡± ¡°I-¡± Maggie stopped, not sure what to say to him. She bit her lower lip and lowered her eyes. What could she say? ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just want to go home.¡± Theodrakis paused in the doorway and looked back at her with a sad smile. ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry too. I know I said it before, but I never wanted this for you. I think we both need some rest though, I¡¯ll come visit again tomorrow, in your new room. You¡¯ll also get to meet Ux¡¯thu. He¡¯s very eager to meet his granddaughter.¡± ¡°Ux¡¯thu? You said he was an ambassador or something.¡± ¡°He is the Silvarian ambassador for this sector of space. He¡¯s been a strong supporter of human rights in the past forty or so years.¡± Theodrakis stood in the doorway for another moment, then turned and headed back to the chair, sitting down wearily. ¡°I won¡¯t say he¡¯s perfect, no one ever is. But he¡¯s been good to me, and I trust him to be good to you as well.¡± Maggie nodded slowly, then paused. ¡°Wait, he¡¯s a Silvarian. But you said he was eager to meet his granddaughter?¡± Did he mean her? Did she have an alien grandfather? She thought of Jo and Tommy, playing in the play area on Galaux Station. It wasn¡¯t impossible, it was just.. well, it was just plain weird. ¡°Yes. He raised me like his son, and called you his granddaughter just earlier today. You have family out here Maggie, you aren¡¯t alone like you were on Galaux Station. You don¡¯t need that holographic thing anymore.¡± Theodrakis leaned forward, meeting her eyes anxiously. ¡°We aren¡¯t even sure what he is. He could be dangerous.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a ghost, and he¡¯s my friend.¡± Maggie said firmly, anxiety closing around her stomach like an ice-cold vice. ¡°He¡¯s one of the first people I met out here, and I¡¯m not going to just abandon him now. He left his brother to keep me company.¡± ¡°Ghosts aren¡¯t real.¡± Theodrakis said gently. Maggie stared at him a moment, a laugh bubbling out. Aliens that didn¡¯t believe in ghosts, who¡¯d have thought? She supposed Bobby didn¡¯t believe in ghosts either, so there was that. ¡°You¡¯re a human in space, and you don¡¯t believe in ghosts. You know I didn¡¯t believe in aliens before this? There are lots of things we don¡¯t know anything about. Just because you have fancy space tech doesn¡¯t mean you know everything that¡¯s out there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll admit there¡¯s plenty we don¡¯t know, but ghosts?¡± Theodrakis spread his hands, looking at her imploringly. ¡°I know your mother probably raised you to be religious but some things are just too much of a stretch to believe.¡± ¡°She did raise me to believe in God, but I wouldn¡¯t say we were ever religious. It¡¯s not like we went to church every Sunday or anything like that.¡± How the hell had they gotten on the subject of religion? ¡°Either way it doesn¡¯t change that Robin is my friend, whether he¡¯s a ghost or something else.¡± Theodrakis let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Just- just don¡¯t be too trusting of it, not until we know more.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Maggie shrugged. It seemed easier just to agree, but she trusted Robin more than she did these strangers, even if one of them was probably her dad. She had just met him! ¡°Alright.¡± Theodrakis let out a weary sigh and stood up. ¡°I have to get back to work, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay, see you later.¡± She slumped back in her bed, closing her eyes. Hopefully, they would bring Robin back and they could go back to watching cartoons. Chapter 25 - Im Sick of Resting
In addition to their ability to control and access Ancients technology and produce small crystal objects, Key-Holders have incredible healing abilities. We have tested this ability in multiple ways, starting with small cuts, and escalating to the removal of entire limbs or organs. They also do not get sick as easily as others of their race without Keys. If we could unravel the technology behind these Keys sickness would decline in the galaxy and the loss of limbs or organs would be a non-issue!
-Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i, Head of Ancients Research, Silva Prime
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Maggie didn¡¯t get her tablet back until the next day when she was moved to her new room. She was glad to be out of the medical bay, or whatever they called it, but she still had a nurse in her room, which she wasn¡¯t as thrilled with. ¡°I won¡¯t be here for long, you¡¯re healing remarkably fast.¡± The nurse reassured her.. ¡°I¡¯m just here to help you to the bathroom when you need it, help you with physical therapy, monitor your condition, and keep you company. My name is Sen¡¯di, most humans find it easier to call me Cindy though, the words sound similar enough that I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Sen¡¯di.¡± Maggie tried, looking over the tall, lithe woman. ¡°Uhm... sorry, but what are you? I mean, what¡¯s your race? I haven¡¯t seen an alien like you before.¡± Maggie was sure she would remember seeing someone like Sen¡¯di, with her long, thin limbs and multi-faceted eyes. She had no hair, but two long antennas that hung down her face, gently floating as if in a breeze. Maggie had a hard time not comparing the woman to a bug. A giant, friendly bug. At least she didn¡¯t resemble a bee or spider, or Maggie might have tried to run away. Sen¡¯di laughed, a sound like bells tinkling in water. ¡°I am Telorian, my people prefer planets to space though, so you will not see many of us on ships and space stations. There¡¯s no room to fly.¡± She unfolded shimmering dragonfly wings, displaying them proudly. ¡°Makes sense.¡± Maggie said as she gripped the floating bar that she guessed served as a walker. They dipped only slightly as she used it to stand, her legs trembling with the effort. It felt like hundreds of tiny needles were poking into her legs and feet as she took a step towards the large bed, almost ruining the soft feel of the carpet beneath her feet. Sen¡¯¡¯di moved over, gently holding a long-fingered hand behind her back. ¡°Yes, but I do not mind. We visit enough planets where I can fly that I don¡¯t get homesick that often. I know that you are human, but what is your friend?¡± She nodded towards Robin, who was watching anxiously from beside the bed. ¡°A ghost.¡± Maggie flashed Robin a smile, making her way to the bed slowly. The pins and needles feeling faded a little with each step, although the exhaustion didn¡¯t. ¡°A ghost? What planet are ghosts from?¡± Sen¡¯di tilted her head, her wings rustling like a plastic bag as she folded them. ¡°Turn around and sit down, slowly.¡± ¡°No specific planet.¡± Maggie turned around and eased down onto the bed. She flopped back on the thick comforter, closing her eyes. ¡°Ghosts are what happens when people die and their soul doesn¡¯t move on.¡± Robin said. ¡°When I died, my soul got caught in the computer somehow.¡± Robin said. His eyes lingered on Maggie, worry creasing his face. ¡°Are you alright Maggie?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just tired. This is a really nice bed.¡± She was surprised that she didn¡¯t feel worse, considering what they had said about her condition when she arrived. You died, of course you feel tired. Your body is still getting used to being alive again. ¡°The captain and Ambassador Ux¡¯thu wanted to make sure you had the best available.¡± Sen¡¯di said as she folded back the covers, gently nudging Maggie off them. ¡°This room is often used for honored guests, so everything is top-quality. You have a full bathing room, which we will use for some of your exercises, a kitchenette, the bedroom of course, and a sitting area. You also have a very good view.¡± She smiled and pressed a button next to the bed. Large sheets of metal slid silently to the side, revealing giant curved windows that showed a sea of stars. Maggie sat up, staring out the windows. She was reminded of Theseus and her first view of space through the window of his ship, of the beautiful nebula that Robin said was called Flower of the Gods. Flor¡¯i¡¯navis. Te¡¯chik¡¯s voice provided helpfully. Maggie clenched her jaw, wondering if she would ever get privacy again. It didn¡¯t seem likely. ¡°Where are we headed?¡± Robin asked, sitting on the bed next to Maggie. His hand lightly brushed hers, cool and tingling. ¡°Silva Prime, there is a place there that specializes in the study of the Keys and all that is related to them. Ambassador Ux¡¯thu wants them to help you with your Key. Of course if you start to get visions of where your ship is, then we can change course.¡± Sen¡¯di said. ¡°Visions? Of where my ship is? I don¡¯t have a ship, and I don¡¯t have visions.¡± But hadn¡¯t Theseus or Robin mentioned something about a ship the Key was supposed to go to? Could it be that massive thing she kept seeing in her dreams, cloaked in snow and ice? ¡°All Keys are attached to ships, and the only one who can pilot the ship is a Key-Holder. So, somewhere, you have a ship. Do you want to sit up, or lay down?¡± ¡°Sit up I think, But maybe move to a chair? Is there anything to do around here?¡± Maggie wondered if her music was copied to the new tablet as well. She supposed she could play chess with Robin, except he kept beating her. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure he wasn¡¯t cheating! ¡°You can watch holo-shows, there are some games I can teach you, you can take a bath, study almost anything your heart desires, read fiction, write. What is it you would like to do?¡± Sen¡¯di smiled and helped Maggie stand. A bath, she had mentioned there was a bathing room, and it had been ages since she had taken a bath! The pods on Galaux Station only had showers, and she had never gotten to the pool area there. ¡°A bath would actually be great. Robin, are you okay here while I do that?¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Of course.¡± He smiled, and winked at her. ¡°As always, I promise not to peek.¡± Maggie laughed and gripped the floating bar again, walking carefully to the door on the other side of the room, Sen¡¯di leading the way. Now that she wasn¡¯t confined to the bed, she was trying to get in what walking she could. Partly because she wanted to reassure herself that she still could, and partly because she valued the freedom it gave her. She didn¡¯t want to have to depend on others to move around, and she hadn¡¯t seen a whole lot of handicap-accessible areas since she went to space. Did that mean they just didn¡¯t need them? Or that they just didn¡¯t care about people with disabilities? She hoped it was that they just didn¡¯t need them, or maybe they were just so high tech that she hadn¡¯t noticed them? She thought briefly of the floating chairs at the laundromat, and the floating bar she held onto now as she stepped into the massive room that was the bathroom. Then she froze and stared at the room before her, all other thoughts washed from her mind as she looked at the small pool that was their idea of a bath. There was a toilet, a sink, all of the usual stuff, even a couch! Who the hell needed a couch in the bathroom? Who the hell needed a pool for a bathtub? Not that she was going to complain! ¡°I will start the water, the seats at the edge of the bath are warmed, so you don¡¯t need to worry about being cold while it fills.¡± Sen¡¯di guided Maggie to the edge of the pool, gently helping her down the steps. ¡°I will also fetch soaps and shampoo for you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Maggie said weakly. She sat down on the long bench that circled the inside of the tub, surprised to find it really was warm! With Sen¡¯di¡¯s help she stripped, and then just relaxed as the other woman started the water and gathered items from drawers set into the wall. She wound up falling asleep in the bath, relaxing in the warm water, surrounded by the bubbles and the sweet smell of the soap that had made them. She wasn¡¯t sure what time it was when she woke up in bed, dressed in a plain nightshirt and pants and tucked in under the cozy blankets and comforter, or what had woken her up. Maggie looked around the room, frowning when she didn¡¯t notice Robin¡¯s familiar faint glow, or Sen¡¯di anywhere in the room. Her father wasn¡¯t even there, but instead there was a short, grey-furred Silvarian, peering at her from his spot next to her bed. ¡°Good morning, granddaughter.¡± The Silvarian said, his furry mouth turning upwards in a smile. His head-tendrils were longer than what she was used to seeing, floating behind him, several inches off his back. But they were nearly down to his tail, and he leaned on a cane that looked like it was made out of twisted wood. Instead of the sparse accessories or nothing at all she normally saw Silvarian¡¯s wear, he was wearing a simple blue robe that reminded her of the robes she usually saw priests wearing. ¡°Hi?¡± Maggie said, slowly pulling herself into a sitting position. She looked around for her tablet, frowning when she didn¡¯t see it. ¡°Where¡¯s Robin?¡± ¡°Your friend is nearby, when I¡¯m ready to leave I¡¯ll take him out of his drawer. But I wanted a chance to meet you by myself first. I am Ux¡¯thu, but you may call me grandfather.¡± He smiled, the long whiskers on either side of his mouth reminding her of a mustache the way they hung down. ¡°You¡¯re the one that raised the- the guy who says he¡¯s my dad?¡± She didn¡¯t like waking up to find random people in her room, didn¡¯t like that Robin was nowhere to be seen. None of the people here seemed to trust him, which made her nervous. ¡°I am. He did mention that you were skeptical about that fact. But I assure you, he is your father. And from the sounds of it little Nora is your mother, how was she doing the last time you saw her? Was she well?¡± ¡°She was doing alright, she was at a rehab place, they were working with her to get her legs to work.¡± There wasn¡¯t any harm in telling him that, but she wasn¡¯t going to mention what rehab place, just to be safe. Ux¡¯thu¡¯s whiskers drooped, and he lowered his head slightly. ¡°He had mentioned something about that as well. I am sorry to hear she is having problems. When she was chosen for Key implantation we estimated that she would react well to it, and meld cleanly with the Key. I suppose we were wrong. Unless something happened, unrelated, that affected the use of her legs?¡± ¡°Doc said it was some sickness that was eating away at her muscles or something. Would a Key do that? Is the Key going to do that to me?¡± She curled her fingers into the blankets, glancing down at her legs. They felt fine right now, if a bit sore. ¡°A Key can do that, yes. We¡¯re still not sure why some people meld cleanly with a Key, and others suffer. But we are making progress in learning. I don¡¯t believe that something like that will happen to you though. I¡¯m not sure what they told you about your condition when you arrived here, but you should have died from that blast. For a little bit, you did die, but then- then you came back! Muscles and organs started to regrow, even now you¡¯re walking when you should never have been able to again.¡± A glow entered Ux¡¯thu¡¯s eyes, his voice raising slightly in excitement. A chill ran down Maggie¡¯s spine, and she scooted a little away from the Silvarian. It was no different from what Te¡¯chik had said, or the doctor in the medical bay, but the excitement in Ux¡¯thu was unnerving. ¡°Guess I¡¯m lucky?¡± ¡°Extremely lucky! You¡¯ve melded cleanly with your Key, and it hasn¡¯t even driven you insane!¡± He deflated slightly, looking her over with concern. ¡°But I¡¯m making you uncomfortable, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll leave you be to get some rest, and we can talk in the morning. There are many things you need to learn, so lessons will begin early, after you eat your breakfast.¡± He reached over to the bedside table that seemed to grow directly out of the wall, and pressed a button. A drawer slid open, and Robin immediately appeared as he pulled out the tablet. ¡°You furry bastard! I don¡¯t appreciate being shoved in a drawer!¡± ¡°Language young man.¡± Ux¡¯thu said firmly. ¡°I simply wanted some privacy with my granddaughter. But I¡¯ll leave you two now. If you need anything granddaughter, don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± Ux¡¯thu smiled as he turned back to Maggie, and set the tablet down next to her on the bed. ¡°Vala Sen¡¯di is in the room next door, she¡¯ll hear if you call out.¡± Maggie took the tablet and hugged it against her chest. Robin was still seething, glaring at the Silvarian, but he didn¡¯t say anything as Ux¡¯thu bowed slightly and left the room. ¡°Are you alright Robin?¡± Maggie looked up at him. He was full size, standing with his arms crossed and legs slightly spread. He looked ready to throw punches! But he held up a hand, staring hard at the door, as if expecting Ux¡¯thu to walk back in at any moment. Eventually, he nodded, and let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m fine, are you? What did he want?¡± Robin sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out to lightly touch her hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Maggie smiled and relaxed back against her pillows. ¡°He just wanted to say hi I guess, he raised my- my father.¡± That was going to take a long time to get used to. She was still not sure if she believed it. ¡°At least the guy who says he¡¯s my father.¡± ¡°He is your father, I looked at the DNA tests. It explains some of that genetic drift Doc Tomas mentioned, all humans get a little bit further from Earthlings as more generations are born in space, and they marry and have kids with other species.¡± Robin said. ¡°Wait, humans can have babies with other species? How is that even possible?¡± Maggie thought of Jo¡¯s insistence that he wasn¡¯t Tommy¡¯s biological father, and made a face. Did that mean some humans had sex with Silvarians? They may not be animals, but they looked enough like giant otters to make her stomach turn. ¡°The wonders of science.¡± Robin smiled and shrugged. ¡°It makes for some interesting people, and that¡¯s not even counting the people that have body modifications, like Nurse Veela.¡± Maggie shook her head, letting herself slump back down in the bed. ¡°Sex ed must be something else out here.¡± ¡°It is at that.¡± Robin actually laughed now, his shoulders relaxing as they talked. ¡°Get some more rest Maggie... I¡¯ll be right here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting sick of just resting. I want to do something.¡± She closed her eyes though, letting out a soft sigh. She just didn¡¯t know what to do. Chapter 26 - Were Not Safe
I remember the training we had to go through to be paired with our Lantis ships. Mental conditioning, physical fitness, and dozens of tests to see if we were fit for the task. They started by just picking the best, but I hear as they run out of pilots, they¡¯ve started testing convicts for the job.
-Log B, Fragment 27
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Unfortunately, the next few days involved a lot of rest. Her father visited a few times, which was weird, but oddly nice. Now that Robin had confirmed that he really was her dad, she was more open to believing it. After all, it wasn¡¯t the craziest thing she¡¯d heard. ¡°You¡¯re getting pretty used to the crazy.¡± Te¡¯chik said. Maggie could almost see the woman lounging in the little dining area, tossing crystal after crystal at the wall. ¡°Yeah, well, what else can I do? I¡¯m surrounded by aliens and studying how to pilot a starship with my brain.¡± Robin and Sen¡¯di looked at her, Robin with worry, and Sen¡¯di with curiosity. ¡°Is there a problem with your studies? Do you need a break?¡± ¡°Maybe yeah. I don¡¯t think I can wrap my head around this, it sounds too hokey.¡± Maggie set down her tablet, letting out a sigh. She was supposed to just think about what she wanted the thing to do, and it was supposed to happen? Seriously? She supposed she was lucky there weren¡¯t corny incantations! ¡°Ho-key?¡± Sen¡¯di tilted her head, unblinking eyes staring at her quizzically. ¡°Yeah, unbelievable, corny. Uhm.¡± Maggie tried to think of a way to describe it that the alien might understand. ¡°Silly?¡± ¡°Ah! Silly!¡± Sen¡¯di perked up, her antenna waving. ¡°Yes, I can see how it might seem silly. But much research has been put into how the Keys work, and how they interact with their ships. Your grandfather sent a toy for you to try it out with.¡± Maggie straightened in her chair, and even Robin looked curious. ¡°A toy?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Sen¡¯di said and reached down into her bag to pull out a plain silver ball. She set it on the table in front of Maggie with a bright smile. ¡°Touch it first, it will configure itself to your Key, after that you should be able to control it with your mind like you would a ship. There are a series of games that we can play with it!¡± Robin looked at the ball with equal measures of caution and curiosity, hovering by Maggie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Will it hurt her?¡± ¡°There will be some discomfort as it configures, but after that there should be no discomfort.¡± ¡°Discomfort, right.¡± Maggie eyed the ball, hesitating. But the idea of learning to control things with her mind was too tempting to pass up. She reached out, grabbing hold of the softball-sized toy. Almost immediately, it felt like dozens of bees were stinging her hand. She yelped and dropped the ball, shaking her hand as tears welled up in her eyes. But she refused to cry over some little stings. ¡°What the hell? That was more than discomfort!¡± ¡°It will pass quickly.¡± Sen¡¯di said confidently. She knelt to pick up the ball, gently placing it back on the table. Maggie looked down at her hand, blood welling up from tiny pinpricks. But as she watched, the red dots disappeared, and the pain faded away. Sen¡¯di gently wiped at her hand with a damp cloth she had gotten from somewhere, wiping away any remnant of blood. ¡°See? It is healing already.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter that it¡¯ll pass quickly, she said it hurt.¡± Robin said. He looked at her hand, reaching out a hand as if to touch it, but stopping before he did. As far as they knew, no one but Doctor Tomas knew that they could touch each other. It was one of their secrets, and they wanted to keep it that way. ¡°Are you alright Maggie?¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It just hurt and startled me. How do we tell if it¡¯s configured?¡± Maggie didn¡¯t dare to touch the thing again, watching it sit innocently on the table. A blue light started to glow from between cracks in the surface of the ball, pulsing gently like a heartbeat. Like her heartbeat. A chill ran down her spine and she shivered, staring at the thing. Great, the thing looked like one of those crazy puzzle balls, and was monitoring her heartbeat? How was this a toy? Did they give this to children? Did they give Keys to children? Maggie remembered the pain of joining with the Key, how it had nearly taken her hand off at first, how the pain had spread through her body more and more each day. If they did that to kids.... ¡°When the blue stops pulsing it will be ready.¡± Sen¡¯di said confidently, watching as the pulses grew longer and longer. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, it is just a toy, it won¡¯t hurt you and you can play many games with it. Look, the light is steady, try lifting it with your mind.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She looked up at Robin, then back at the ball. The thing she had been reading said she just had to want it to lift up. That still seemed hokey, but what the hell, she didn¡¯t have anything better to do right now. So she focused, picturing the ball lifting off the table, just a few inches, that was all she wanted. The ball trembled a little, rolling in tight circles on the table before it slowly lifted up. Maggie strained, feeling like she was exercising a muscle that she had never used before. She wasn¡¯t sure how something could feel heavy when she wasn¡¯t even touching it, but the ball felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and the ball trembled in the air, hovering just a little bit further off the table. Then with a solid thunk it dropped back onto the table, and rolled to the floor. ¡°Very good! Very good Maggie!¡± Sen¡¯di clapped her forepaws together, before bounding over to pick up the ball. ¡°How did it feel? Any pain?¡± ¡°No pain, it just felt heavy.¡± She put a hand to her head, rubbing it lightly. Her brain didn¡¯t exactly hurt, but it was like she had done an all-nighter studying for a test. ¡°Good! You are remarkable!¡± Sen¡¯di set the ball on the table again, beaming at Maggie with those multifaceted eyes, her wings fluttering in excitement. It was contagious, and Maggie smiled a bit. She had moved something with her mind! It had been hard, and she hadn¡¯t moved it far, but she had done it! She looked up at Robin, who smiled uncertainly at her. ¡°Good job Maggie, just don¡¯t overdo it.¡± Why wasn¡¯t he excited as well? Wait, his mother had had a Key as well, the same one that Maggie had now. She was never quite clear on what the accident had been that had killed her. Had it been related to the Key somehow? She watched him, tilting her head to the side. If only they had some real privacy she could talk to him about it. But it seemed like they hardly ever got an opportunity to be alone. ¡°I won¡¯t. In fact, I think I want to rest a little bit right now. Do you mind giving us some privacy? I¡¯m just going to watch some Earth shows.¡± Maggie picked up her tablet and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll try doing it again later.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll be here if you need me. I am learning how to knit!¡± Sen¡¯di said proudly, pulling two needles and a ball of bright pink yarn from her bag. It almost immediately tangled in her long fingers, but she set to work untangling it immediately. Maggie smiled. ¡°Good luck, we¡¯ll just be in the bedroom.¡± She carried the tablet into the bedroom, letting out a soft sigh as the door slid closed behind her. ¡°Alright Robin, spill, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°What makes you think something is wrong?¡± Robin floated across the room, not willing to meet Maggie¡¯s eyes. ¡°Because I know you, you¡¯re not happy about something, so what is it?¡± Maggie sat down on the edge of the bed, looking up at him with a small smile. ¡°They¡¯re treating us alright here, right? We¡¯re safe.¡± Robin turned and strode the few steps from the window to her, kneeling down to look up into her face. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about, Maggie, we¡¯re not safe here. I know they seem nice, and I¡¯ll admit they aren¡¯t as bad as most Alliance members I¡¯ve met, but they¡¯re after the same thing Flame was: the ship your Key goes to. That¡¯s why they¡¯re so interested in your dreams, why they gave you that- that toy. They want to use you to get that ship. And we can¡¯t let them get that ship.¡± Maggie stared at him, stunned. He was genuinely worried! He reached up, taking her hand in both of his, gently rubbing the back of her hand with a thumb. ¡°Please Maggie, my mother fought to keep the Key and its ship out of Alliance hands, and I don¡¯t want you to get hurt or be used.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think my dad will let them do that. He wants to keep me safe too, right? And I haven¡¯t told them anything about my dreams, or written anything in my journal about it, just in case they can read it.¡± She squeezed one of his hands gently and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine.¡± ¡°I hope so Maggie.¡± He bowed his head, looking at their joined hands. ¡°I hope so.¡± Chapter 26.5 - Alien Abductee
There are a few places on Earth that are havens for abductees who have escaped their captivity. Although these places can change, they are found by following a specific sequence hidden in radio signals, songs, and TV shows. You just have to know what to look for. Luckily, I do.
-From the journals of Electra Kaye
---------------------------------------------------
Ross peered in through the windows of the Kaye¡¯s house, frowning. There was no sign of Electra: no car in the driveway, no pictures on the mantle, nothing that would identify the people who lived in the house. ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°Maybe she went to the coffee shop?¡± Bobby said, peering in through another window. ¡°Maybe.¡± Ross straightened from the window as Theo opened the door, looking at her with a stern frown. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Theo looked at him with a smile and a shrug. ¡°It was open, technically not breaking and entering, right Officer? Besides, you wouldn¡¯t be doing your due diligence if you didn¡¯t check out the house, right? To make sure nothing happened to the occupants?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how it works!¡± ¡°Oh, well then.¡± Theo pulled out her phone as she strode into the house, turning on the video camera. ¡°I guess you better stop me then.¡± ¡°Theo! Don¡¯t make me arrest you! Bobby!¡± Ross ran a frustrated hand across his head as Bobby hurried in after Theo, looking around the bare living room. With a groan, he followed the pair inside, looking around himself. The house was deathly quiet, the furniture and floors pristinely clean. There wasn¡¯t a speck of dust that Ross could see anywhere, no mail, no magazines, just the furniture set up as if a realtor was staging the house for a showing. Theo was already moving through the house, her camera scanning over the empty mantle. ¡°Weren¡¯t there a bunch of pictures up here?¡± ¡°Electra and Nora always had a ton of pictures, yeah.¡± Bobby said as he peeked into the kitchen. The cupboards were all wide open, all the food gone but the plates, pots and pans were left neatly put away just how Electra liked it. Ross lightly touched his gun, reassuring himself that it was there as he looked around the empty house. He didn¡¯t even have to check upstairs to know the house was empty, but he was going to do it anyways. They had already entered, he might as well do a round through the house. ¡°I¡¯m going to check upstairs, you two stay down here.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if we stuck together? Safety in numbers.¡± Theo said innocently, already starting for the stairs. ¡°We can check the upstairs first, and then the basement. Maybe we can find clues to where Ms. Kaye is, Mrs. Kaye was in the rehab facility out in the country, right? We should call and check on her status. Bobby, can you do that?¡± ¡°Uhm, sure. Okay, do you remember what it was called?¡± ¡°Starry Rest Rehab.¡± Ross said as he followed Theo upstairs. The girl was on a mission, take a whirlwind tour of the house, recording the empty bedrooms and attic, everything scrubbed clean and devoid of any sign of the people that had lived there. Ross was starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as they started back downstairs and into the basement, catching a snippet of Bobby¡¯s conversation. "How can there be no record of Nora Kaye''s visit? She was just there last week! She¡¯s my friend¡¯s Mom, you know, the girl that¡¯s been on the news as missing?¡± Bobby followed them into the basement. Even down here it was bare, no signs of Nora¡¯s canning, or the family¡¯s laundry, nothing to signify anyone had ever lived there at all. Ross pulled out his flashlight, shining it into the dark corners of the basement. ¡°This is weird.¡± He said, turning to face the others. ¡°Electra wouldn¡¯t just up and leave without any word.¡± Bobby tapped his phone, staring at Ross with a bewildered look on his face. ¡°Starry Rest Rehab said Nora Kaye has never been to their facility. They said there haven¡¯t been any new patients in months because they¡¯re preparing to close down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the first I¡¯ve heard of that, they¡¯ve been open for years, and I know Doctor Zimmerman is always sending people out there.¡± Ross shook his head, his mind flying through the occurrences of the past week or so. First Maggie had been approached by a stranger, that same stranger was assumed to be the one that kidnapped her. The RV flying into the sky, the government agent that looked like he had come out of some bad old TV show, his missing days, and now this? ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Theo asked as she turned off her camera. At least now she followed him though, up from the basement and into the kitchen. ¡°My place, no, strike that. We need someplace that we know hasn¡¯t been tampered with, and I can¡¯t say that about my house right now.¡± Memories of old spy movies came to mind, bugs hidden in the lampshades, in the wall outlets. If he couldn¡¯t remember what had happened, he had no way of knowing if someone had been in his house. And the whole place had just felt off when he woke up this morning. ¡°What about one of the study rooms on campus?¡± Bobby suggested as they headed out of the house. Ross took the time to close the door behind them, although he paused when he spotted something glimmering on the floor by the door, half hidden by leaves. ¡°Too public.¡± Ross knelt, picking up what looked like a small silver pocket watch, the outside inscribed in a language he didn¡¯t recognize. He slid it into his pocket to inspect later and turned to hurry towards the car. ¡°Let¡¯s go to my parents'' place then, they¡¯ve been out of town for a week. I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t mind us using the place to stage our investigation.¡± Theo grinned and pulled up a notebook app on her phone, starting to scribble notes into the phone. ¡°This is going to be a great story! Family mysteriously disappears after daughter kidnapped, local police investigating.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not putting that on the news, but we will go to your parent¡¯s place. I doubt anyone would think of tampering with their house.¡± Ross climbed into his car, starting the engine as the other two climbed in the back. Theo¡¯s dad worked in a factory in the next town over, and her mom was a stay-at-home mom, there was no way the government would have eyes on them. But then he wouldn¡¯t think that Electra and Nora would disappear, or that he¡¯d lose three days, or that aliens existed. He shook his head, heading down the street to Theo¡¯s parents¡¯ place. As they drove, he noticed other little odd things: a for sale sign up in front of Mr. Greene¡¯s, who had lived in the town for as long as Ross could remember; a black sedan parked outside the police station, two men in black suits and sunglasses standing next to it; and the old bookstore with a closed sign up in front of it. None of it was that weird by itself, except that Mr. Greene had been in the town forever, and Ross had been sure he¡¯d die in the town, and the men in black suits stood out like a sore thumb, and the bookstore had no reason to be closed this early in the day. He pulled into Theo¡¯s driveway and parked the car. Before getting out, he scanned the street for any suspicious vehicles. But all the cars were familiar, only some were missing. Maybe they had gone out of town for the weekend? He frowned, stepping out into the brisk fall air, and letting the pair out of the back. Theo led the way up to the door, letting them in. ¡°Do either of you want something to drink? Let¡¯s use the dining room table. I¡¯ve got a whiteboard we can start piecing clues together on.¡± ¡°Why do you have a whiteboard?¡± Bobby asked, as if he didn¡¯t have his own in his dorm room. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I have a whiteboard?¡± Theo said. She ducked into the kitchen, only to return moments later with an entire case of soda and bag of cheesy corn chips. ¡°We have to start with what we know, we¡¯re assuming that aliens abducted Maggie now, what evidence do we have to back up that assumption?¡± ¡°Eye-witness reports, and some camera footage.¡± Ross sat down at the table, pulling out his own notebook. Bobby pulled out his notes and computer, shuffling through them to find the items specifically related to Maggie¡¯s disappearance. ¡°I¡¯ve got stills from Mr. O¡¯Leary¡¯s camera of both the RV and the man who was driving it, I haven¡¯t been able to pull satellite footage, which is weird because normally I can ha-¡± Bobby paused, glancing at Ross. ¡°Uhm.... legally access that.¡± ¡°We¡¯re off the books right now Bobby. Besides, I¡¯m not stupid.¡± Ross rolled his eyes. ¡°Is your whiteboard magnetic Theo? And do you have any magnets?¡± ¡°Of course, and of course.¡± Theo disappeared into the kitchen again as Ross ripped a piece of paper out of his notebook, starting to write a list of people jhe knew were missing: Maggie, Electra, and Nora. The entire Kaye family. Maggie was the only one they knew to be kidnapped, but what had happened to Electra and Nora? And who else in the town had gone missing? Without doing a house-by-house check, there was no way to be sure. This was a small town, but not small enough to make that an easy task. ¡°We know Maggie was kidnapped, we don¡¯t know what happened to Electra and Nora. We know that government agents are poking around, and they aren¡¯t being discreet about it.¡± Ross stood up as Theo returned, putting a line of cat butt magnets down the left side of the board. He took one of the magnets and used it to pin his list of missing persons to the board. ¡°We also know that I lost three days after talking to someone who claimed to be a government agent.¡± ¡°You lost three days? Like you don¡¯t remember anything that happened during those days?¡± Bobby couldn¡¯t mask the excitement in his voice. He leaned forward. ¡°That¡¯s classic of abductees! Maybe the government agent was an alien!¡± Ross looked at Bobby with a frown. The thought of the agent being an alien had occurred to him, but he had dismissed the idea as paranoid. ¡°At this point, I¡¯m willing to believe almost anything. But is there a way to tell for sure if I was abducted?¡± ¡°Often abductees will have nightmares of the supposed event, and physical markings that weren¡¯t there before, like new scars. Do you have any new scars?¡± Bobby asked eagerly. ¡°You are way too excited about this. I haven¡¯t checked.¡± Ross said. ¡°You could be a first-hand witness to aliens, this is exciting! You should check for any marks.¡± Bobby said. ¡°Theo, can he use your bathroom?¡± ¡°First door on the left down the hall, and it¡¯s got a full-length mirror.¡± Theo smiled as she pointed down the hall. ¡°Go check, or he¡¯ll never shut up about it.¡± ¡°I told you aliens visit us in modern times! This could be evidence!¡± ¡°This could cost me my job too.¡± Ross sighed and headed for the bathroom. He might as well check though, if only to put his own mind at ease. Unfortunately, he found two weird scars, still red around the edges: one was on his wrist, the other was at the base of his spine right above his pants line. Chapter 27 - Still A Prisoner
In order to preserve the human race, it is no less than our duty to remove certain members of their population from Earth. We must gather from diverse populations and cultures so that when the remaining humans eventually destroy themselves the race will live on. Embrace your role in preserving the human race, safe in the embrace of the Alliance!
-From The Alliance Council of Preservation
----------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Good! Very good Maggie, go ahead and set them down now.¡± Ambassador Ux¡¯thu said, smiling wide. It was a bit unnerving with his sharp teeth, but by this point Maggie understood he was trying to show pleasure in a human way. It wasn¡¯t that Silvarian¡¯s didn¡¯t smile, but they didn¡¯t usually show teeth when they did. Shaking from the strain of holding up 6 of the training balls with her mind, Maggie gently lowered them to the sandy floor around her. She smiled and flopped back into the sand, spreading her arms as she enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment. It was like being a space wizard! She could move stuff just because she wanted it to move, she could even play music on the little computer they had given her to practice on and even solve simple math problems! She still struggled with the harder math problems, but Te¡¯chik was a whizz with math and helped her find the solutions. ¡°Tomorrow we will arrive at Silva Prime, and I will introduce you to Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i, the head of research for Ancients technology. She¡¯ll be able to teach you more, and work with you to locate your ship.¡± Ux¡¯thu started to gather up the balls, setting them in a padded case next to her training computer. Her normal tablet was in her room. For some reason Ux¡¯thu didn¡¯t like to have Robin around for her training sessions. It was one thing Ux¡¯thu and her father agreed on, neither one of them trusted Robin. ¡°Everyone is so fixated on that ship, what if it¡¯s completely busted?¡± Maggie stared up at the artificial sky, the sound of waves coming from the other half of the large room. This space was usually reserved for Ux¡¯thu and higher ranked Silvarians, matching the environment on their home world. It was a far cry from the ice and snow she dreamt of nearly every night with that mountain of a ship. ¡°I doubt it¡¯s completely busted.¡± Ux¡¯thu chuckled. ¡°It would be far too much to hope for an intact ship, but there are bound to be at least parts of it that are salvageable. Unless your dreams have shown you something different?¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time he had fished for information about her dreams, but she had made a promise to Robin not to share them. She wasn¡¯t going to break that promise now. ¡°No, my dreams haven¡¯t shown me anything really. I still don¡¯t understand why you think they would.¡± ¡°Often, Key Holders dream about their ships. I suspect that¡¯s why so many went mad in the end.¡± He reached over and gently patted her head. ¡°Perhaps it is best you don¡¯t dream about your ship, but Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i has ways to prompt visions of it. Perhaps we can take you to see what remains of your mother¡¯s ship as well. Most of it is at the research center on one of Silva Prime¡¯s moons.¡± ¡°My mother¡¯s ship?¡± That was right, they had said that Maggie¡¯s mother was a Key Holder as well. Did she dream about her ship too? Did she have people talking to her in her own head? ¡°Probably. I¡¯m curious to see the condition of what ships these people have gotten their paws on, and if they have any other Key Holders.¡± Te¡¯chik¡¯s voice whispered in her head, as if thinking about her summoned her. No damn privacy. ¡°Yes, your mother¡¯s ship. As well as some of the more intact ones. Are you ready to return to your room?¡± Ux¡¯thu said. Maggie suppressed a sigh, rolling to her feet reluctantly. The sun-warmed sand had felt nice, but she supposed the Silvarians wanted to have their private little slice of paradise back. ¡°Sure. but isn¡¯t there anything else I can do? I¡¯m going stir crazy!¡± ¡°You still need to be resting. You¡¯ll have plenty to do tomorrow.¡± Ux¡¯thu patted her arm this time. He may be giant as far as otters went, but he was still shorter than most adult humans. ¡°I¡¯ve rested plenty.¡± Maggie brushed sand off her simple pants and shirt as she headed for the door. There was a soft mesh plate just before the door that would get rid of the sand she couldn¡¯t, and cycle it back into the room. Even as she said that though, she felt a wave of tiredness wash over her. She had yet to figure out why exercising with the balls made her physically tired or sore, she wasn¡¯t even touching them! ¡°Then you can practice more with the balls or computer in your room. Or do some of the studies I¡¯ve assigned. How has memorizing the star charts been going?¡± Maggie let out a groan, her shoulders slumping. Te¡¯chik was good with the star charts, but to her, they all looked almost exactly the same. ¡°It¡¯s been going fine.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Has it?¡± Ux¡¯thu raised a furry eyebrow, his head tendrils tilting in a way that was somehow skeptical. ¡°Should I quiz you on them?¡± ¡°Dear God no.¡± She blurted out, and immediately blushed. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s fine, no. I¡¯ll study them some more.¡± Perhaps Te¡¯chik could help her with that, or the little girl that usually hung out with her, she had been being awfully quiet lately. And she had been the one that wanted Maggie to study star charts! She wasn¡¯t sure how that helped anyone, but both the little girl, Ux¡¯thu and her father seemed convinced that it would help her find the ship somehow. To her it just seemed like trying to memorize a map and use it to find a place that you had no idea where it was. She supposed it was too much to ask for to have a universal GPS. ¡°What is making you struggle with them?¡± Ux¡¯thu asked as they walked down the hall back towards Maggie¡¯s room, his cane tapping lightly on the floor with each step. She half suspected that he carried it around just for show. After all, they had grown back entire organs in her body, surely they could fix anything that might need a cane or a wheelchair, right? ¡°They all look the same. They¡¯re just masses of stars with lines through them. I don¡¯t know where any of them are, so they don¡¯t mean anything. And I can¡¯t find Orion to save my life. At least on Earth I could find Orion.¡± Maggie said. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Ux¡¯thu frowned, his head tendrils laying back as he thought. Maggie let the silence stretch as they walked the ship halls, thinking of home. How were her mother and aunt doing? Were they even still on Earth? It seemed like they would have to have a spaceship to have gotten there in the first place. What if she got home and they were just gone? ¡°I am going to update the charts you have, look at them later tonight, perhaps in two hours. I will give you landmarks you can use to help you differentiate the different systems and stars.¡± Ux¡¯thu pulled her out of her brooding with a smile. ¡°I am familiar with human constellations, so I will add those to your charts as well. Perhaps it will help when you can locate the stars that make up familiar constellations and know which ones have inhabited planets around them. Or in fact are planets.¡± Maggie couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of curiousity. It would be interesting to see the stars that made up constellations in a more 3-dimensional way. Star charts at the planetarium were always flat. ¡°I- I¡¯d like that. Thank you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome granddaughter.¡± Ux¡¯thu paused in front of her door, leaning on his cane as she set her hand against the sensor. The door slid open with barely a whisper of sound. ¡°Get some rest, don¡¯t overdo playing with your training toys.¡± He held out the case to her and she took it. Toys, playing, they tried so hard to make the training like a game. And in a way she felt they were games. But it was still one of many weird things in the universe. ¡°Of course they¡¯re weird. You¡¯re from Earth and you¡¯re grandfather is a little furry alien. Oh and ya can¡¯t forget the ship key that¡¯s made itself at home in your body. Or the ghost in your tablet.¡± Thank you Te¡¯chik. Maggie didn¡¯t dare say the words out loud. As far as she knew no one knew about Te¡¯chik. Hell as far as she knew Te¡¯chik was a sign she had completely lost her mind. ¡°Thank you, er... grandfather. Will you and my dad be coming for supper?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll let you know.¡± Ux¡¯thu patted her arm again, and started back down the hall. Maggie watched him go for a moment, frowning. Then she just turned and headed into the room, the door sliding closed behind her. A red light lit up above it, indicating that it was locked. She was stuck until someone let her out again. Like a prisoner. Maggie shook that thought away, and set the box of training toys down on the low table in front of the couch. ¡°Robin?¡± ¡°Welcome back Maggie.¡± Robin¡¯s form appeared next to the table, a faint blue glow surrounding him. ¡°Are you alright? They didn¡¯t do anything to you, did they?¡± ¡°Just training. Nothing malicious.¡± Maggie smiled, and stepped around the table to hug him. ¡°I keep telling you, you don¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t worry enough about these people. But I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright.¡± He returned the hug, the familiar cool tingle running along her body where they touched. ¡°We¡¯re almost to Silva Prime, that¡¯s the Silvarian¡¯s home world. I want you to be extra careful there. Alright? These people are used to seeing humans as pets or test subjects. Especially with your Key they¡¯ll see you as a test subject more than anything.¡± ¡°Ux¡¯thu said that I¡¯ll get some more training there, and that I¡¯ll meet someone called Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i? That she¡¯ll help find my ship.¡± Maggie frowned as she broke the hug. She wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about that. What was this new person going to do to try and find her ship? When had it become normal to think of it as her ship? ¡°Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i?¡± Robin paled, his eyes going wide. ¡°She¡¯s the one that¡¯s done most of the research into Ancients technology over the last century or so. She¡¯s a dangerous person, especially for you. The experiments I¡¯ve heard about...¡± ¡°Ux¡¯thu doesn¡¯t seem worried.¡± Maggie headed over to the little kitchenette on one side of the room, opening up the cupboards in search of something to snack on. ¡°Of course he¡¯s not worried! but you should be. Damnit Maggie you trust them too much!¡± Robin clenched his fists, glaring at her back. ¡°They call themselves family, but you barely know them!¡± ¡°They act like family too. And they aren¡¯t trying to kill me.¡± Maggie pulled out a box of cookies, heading back to the couch. ¡°Unlike Flame.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t help them to kill you, better for them if they can control you. Which they¡¯re doing! Don¡¯t you realize you¡¯re as much a prisoner here as anything? You aren¡¯t free to wander the ship, and you certainly aren¡¯t free to leave it! And have you tried telling them no on anything they¡¯ve wanted you to do? How do you think they¡¯d react?¡± ¡°They haven¡¯t asked me to do anything unreasonable, and as for the rest, how is that any different than when I was on Galaux? I couldn¡¯t leave there either! I¡¯ve been a prisoner since I got this stupid Key!¡± Robin clenched his jaw, but said nothing, just watching as she slumped down on the couch. What could he say? She wasn¡¯t wrong. And it wasn¡¯t likely to change any time soon. Chapter 28 - Fish Ice Cream
Nora is pregnant. We took precautions, but she¡¯s pregnant! If Ux¡¯thu finds out I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll want to take Nora to the research facility again, Key Holders don¡¯t often get pregnant. Those that do just seem to disappear. I won¡¯t let that happen to Nora. I know if I get found out there will be consequences, but I¡¯ll see Nora and the baby safe if it¡¯s the last thing I do.
-From the journals of Captain Theodrakis
¡°She¡¯s not going to the research facility.¡± Theodrakis said flatly, glaring over his plate at Ux¡¯thu. ¡°Have some sense Theo, no harm will come to her, and she could learn so much! Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i is already taking time out of her busy schedule to meet us at the space port, at least give her a chance.¡± Ux¡¯thu continued the argument that had been going on for at least half an hour, still calm as ever. Maggie had to give him credit for that at least. But this had to be one of the most awkward and weirdest family dinners she had ever had. ¡°Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i has no respect for human life, she¡¯d kill hundreds if it meant furthering her knowledge of Ancients technology. She has killed hundreds! My daughter is not going to be another casualty in her quest for knowledge.¡± ¡°She would never harm Maggie! Not knowing she¡¯s my granddaughter. Didn¡¯t I keep Nora safe from the worse experiments? You two were so happy, it hurts that you didn¡¯t trust me enough to tell me she was pregnant.¡± Ux¡¯thu¡¯s head tendrils and whiskers drooped, and he gave the best puppy dog eyes Maggie had ever seen. ¡°I would have protected Maggie as much as I did Nora.¡± Theodrakis faltered, unable to meet Ux¡¯thu¡¯s eyes. He looked down at his plate, the fish worried to shreds. Ux¡¯thu was eating his raw, but for Maggie and Theo, the fish had been cooked and paired with some kind of vegetable that tasted like yams but looked more like asparagus. ¡°I know you¡¯re as interested in Ancients technology as Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i, I didn¡¯t want to take the chance.¡± ¡°I am interested, of course I¡¯m interested. The remnants of their technology made our society what it is today. But not at the cost of my granddaughter¡¯s life. I am asking you to trust me Theo. Can you do that? For Maggie¡¯s sake?¡± ¡°Do I get a say in this?¡± Maggie interrupted. Both Ux¡¯thu and Theodrakis looked at her, her father looking stunned. ¡°Of course... but you need to understand what this place is. It¡¯s where they experiment on people with Ancients technology. These are not always nice experiments either.¡± Ux¡¯thu tilted his head to the side and stroked his long whiskers. ¡°They are not always nice experiments, but progress requires sacrifice and risk. I would not allow them to experiment on you of course. It would just be training.¡± ¡°Not nice experiments? Are we talking Nazi scientist type experiments? What the hell kind of people allow that type of thing?¡± Maggie straightened in her chair, leaving her fish untouched for the moment. Was that what the Freedom Coalition was fighting against? Shit. Was she in the hands of space Nazis? Was her father a space Nazi? ¡°I am not sure what a Nazi is, but the experiments use volunteers who are aware of the risks, and the potential rewards.¡± Ux¡¯thu said soothingly. ¡°Being a Key Holder is a great honor in the galaxy, like being royalty. Master your skills, find your ship, and you can have nearly anything you want.¡± ¡°Would I be able to go back to Earth?¡± Maggie asked. Theodrakis let out a sigh and shook his head. ¡°Earth is usually off-limits nowadays. There¡¯s too much surveillance, too many satellites and cameras watching everything on and around the planet.¡± ¡°Besides, why would you want to return there? War, poverty, global warming, what does Earth have to offer you that you cannot find here? Just wait until you see Silva Prime! It¡¯s a paradise of sea, beaches and jungles. You¡¯re going to love it there.¡± Ux¡¯thu smiled wide, and returned to his fish, devouring one whole. ¡°My mom and aunt are both on Earth.¡± Maggie slumped back in her chair. She picked up one of the weird vegetables, but didn¡¯t eat it. She just let it droop on her fork. Was it weird that they used forks? ¡°They could use just knives, I visited a planet once where they just stabbed all their food, or drank it out of bowls.¡± Maggie had to fight the urge to respond to Te¡¯chik out loud, instead biting into her vegetable. Why couldn¡¯t the woman have something useful to add? Maggie didn¡¯t really care about the eating utensils of different civilizations. Although the idea of eating ice cream with a knife was interesting. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°They didn¡¯t have ice cream.¡± ¡°No ice cream?¡± Maggie blurted out. Theodrakis and Ux¡¯thu both looked at her quizzically, Theodrakis speaking cautiously. ¡°We do have ice cream, I didn¡¯t know you liked it or I would have gotten you some. Some of the flavors might be a bit unique, but there is one that tastes like chocolate and strawberries that your mother always liked.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have some sent to the house on Silva Prime.¡± Ux¡¯thu said. ¡°Maybe you will actually like the fish ice cream that my people prefer.¡± ¡°No human is ever going to like fish ice cream.¡± Theodrakis said with a smile. Maggie blushed, but the slip of her tongue had diffused the tension in the room, and Theodrakis bent a little on the whole research facility idea. ¡°I suppose if you want to, doing some training at the research facility wouldn¡¯t hurt. And if they can help you find your ship you¡¯d only benefit from it.¡± Theodrakis said slowly. ¡°But only if you want to.¡± All the star charts Maggie had studied weren¡¯t helping her figure out where her ship was. All she really knew about it was that it was on some snowy planet. And even that she wasn¡¯t sure about. She hesitated, thinking about what Robin would say. He probably wouldn¡¯t like the idea, he didn¡¯t trust any of these people, and if even her father was leery about the research facility, she probably should be too. ¡°They might be able to help. And I¡¯m kind of curious about what these people are doing to Key Holders. How many have they even found? Maybe we can solve some mysteries if we go there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± She said softly. To be fair, she was curious too. How many Key Holders were out there? How many ships? So far she knew next to nothing about the Key she held other than it came from some people called the Ancients, and let do things with her mind like run computers and float special metal balls. There had to be more to it than that, or else why would anyone care? She needed information, and this research facility sounded like the place to get it. ¡°But the first sign of Nazi scientist stuff and I¡¯m outta there.¡± ¡°Wonderful!¡± Ux¡¯thu said, perking up. ¡°You won¡¯t regret it, you¡¯re going to learn so much! I¡¯ll let Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i know. She¡¯ll be so excited to meet you.¡± ¡°Just be careful, and if anything seems off just let me know. We¡¯ll get you out of there right away.¡± Theodrakis still didn¡¯t look happy, his gaze focused on his plate as he stabbed at his fish. ¡°She will be fine, stop playing with your food.¡± Ux¡¯thu sounded like he was scolding a child, and Theodrakis scowled, but began to actually eat his fish instead of just stabbing at it. If possible, Robin was even less pleased than Theodrakis at Maggie¡¯s decision. He stared at her later that night as she sat cross-legged on the bed. ¡°Do you have any idea what they do in that facility? The stories coming out of those places... they implant people with bits of Ancients technology just to see what happens!¡± ¡°Ux¡¯thu said I¡¯ll be fine, he won¡¯t let anything happen to me.¡± Maggie gripped her ankles, the possibilities of what they did in the research facility like a lead weight in her stomach. Was she supporting what they did by going there? What if she used the information she got from there to fight against them? To free the people that they experimented on? What if she could sneak in and free them all somehow? ¡°Ux¡¯thu said! Ux¡¯thu, the Silvarian ambassador who you barely know, who has admitted that experiments happen in that facility, who probably wants your ship to further his own goals. That Ux¡¯thu?¡± Robin reached out to grip her by the shoulders, staring into her eyes, his own full of worry. ¡°Maggie you can¡¯t trust these people, how many times do I have to tell you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trusting them fully, just... if I can figure out where my ship is, maybe we can use it and free people? Or, I don¡¯t know, something. Would it be so bad to try and find out more? Right now I don¡¯t know much of anything about the Key except that it¡¯s a part of me, and people want it! I need to learn about it to use it.¡± Maggie felt tears of frustration prick at her eyes, and she leaned forward to rest her head against Robin¡¯s. ¡°I need to know anything I can to take control of my life back.¡± Robin sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can dig out of their databases. But there¡¯s not a whole lot that is known, even with the experiments the Alliance has done. I¡¯m sure the Silvarians know more, but they¡¯re not sharing what they do know. It¡¯s gotten them a real edge over everyone else. But here¡¯s what I know already. Keys don¡¯t work without being bonded to someone, that¡¯s something even the Silvarians haven¡¯t found a way around. They seem to work better with humans or humanoid species, but even then it¡¯s a bit erratic how well they work. You seem to be doing really well with yours, but a lot of people that are implanted with them die.¡± He frowned and straightened, looking her in the eyes. ¡°My mother died from her Key. Crystal shards exploded out of her one day, no warning. No signs of what was going to happen. They killed me and my father right away, Theseus was the only one that survived, and that was because he was in the bathroom when it happened.¡± Maggie swallowed hard, her face growing pale and a chill running down her spine as she thought of what that must have been like. It had to have been awful! She had seen her fair share of horror movies, but to see something like that for real. Her stomach turned. ¡°Now I feel even worse for being such a bitch to him.¡± She said softly. ¡°Don¡¯t feel too bad, I think giving him something to be mad about may have actually helped him. I wish I could get word to him though.¡± Robin sighed and looked out the window at the starry expanse. ¡°I hope he¡¯s doing alright.¡± Chapter 29 - Not Seeing Eye To Eye
Sisters fair, of silver and green,
Grant the sky
A familiar dream.
Golden sun shines
On sparkling seas,
Of Silva Prime.
-Author Unknown
--------------------------------
Maggie stared through the shuttles window at the planet that seemed to be made completely of white sandy beaches and sparkling blue seas. Thin strips of jungle curled along many of the beaches, or cut through the deep blue water. The shuttle adjusted trajectory slightly, skimming across the blue water as it came in to land on a small island balanced on a pedestal sticking up out of the sea. The air shimmered as they passed through an almost invisible barrier, landing on the pale grey surface of the island with barely a bump. It was more like an elevator easing gently into place. ¡°It¡¯s like a whole planet Hawaii.¡± Maggie said. ¡°Not quite, but close enough.¡± Theodrakis chuckled, powering down the shuttle systems. It was just him, Ux¡¯thu, Robin and Maggie on the ship, and Maggie had to argue for even Robin to join them. He was in his chibi form, sitting on her shoulder. It was reassuring having him right there, but she knew there were going to be plenty of times they wouldn¡¯t let her have him near. They still didn¡¯t trust him. Maggie hugged the tablet against her chest as the door to the shuttle slid open, letting in a warm breeze that smelled like the lakes back home. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and imagining that she was on one of those lakes right now, instead of so far from home that they stopped measuring in miles and started measuring in things like lightyears. Theodrakis gave her other shoulder a gentle squeeze, and offered her a warm smile when she opened her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright.¡± Easy for him to say. She smiled though, and followed him and Ux¡¯thu off the shuttle into the sunlight, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the brightness. ¡°Ambassador Ux¡¯thu, it has been too long.¡± A short, slender Silvarian stepped out from beneath the shade of a nearby awning, followed by a human woman with dark skin and pure white hair. Just like the girl from Maggie¡¯s dreams. ¡°You can¡¯t keep referring to her as the girl you know. She has a name.¡± Maggie bit her tongue to keep from responding out loud. She might have a name, but she had never actually told Maggie it! She could have been imagining it, but she swore she felt embarrassment coming from Te¡¯chik. ¡°Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i, you look as lovely as ever.¡± Ux¡¯thu waddled forward on his hind legs, holding his forepaws out to her. Gracefully, the Silvarian stood on her own hind legs, resting her paws in his and giving him a nuzzle. ¡°And you are as much a sweet talker as ever, and you bring the best gifts.¡± Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i turned her gaze on Maggie, looking her over in an assessing way. ¡°She looks very healthy for a new Key Holder, especially given the reports you had forwarded to me.¡± ¡°She is, Maggie, this is Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i, head of research into Ancients technology. Reshka¡¯i this is my granddaughter, Maggie.¡± Ux¡¯thu leaned on his cane, one paw gesturing to Maggie. ¡°And of course you remember my son, Theodrakis.¡± Reshka¡¯i wrinkled her nose, baring sharp teeth as if she had just tasted something bad. It didn¡¯t take her long to get herself back under control, her face smoothing into a polite expression, even if she couldn¡¯t quite hide the contempt in her voice. ¡°Of course I remember little Theodrakis. How could I forget? How... nice to see you again. And your... granddaughter you say? Did you finally find Nora then?¡± ¡°No, unfortunately not. We believe she is on Earth somewhere, but you know how difficult it is to get permission to visit there lately. The Alliance is worried the proof of life beyond Earth will become too much to cover up. But let¡¯s find someplace more comfortable to talk. Theo, do you want to take Maggie home? I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll want to get settled.¡± Ux¡¯thu looked up at Theo with a smile. Maggie watched awkwardly, glancing at the other human, standing silent and polite just behind Reshka¡¯i. Was no one going to introduce her? Great, it really was going to be just like the little girl in her dreams, she¡¯d never learn their name! ¡°It¡¯s So¡¯lee. Her name is So¡¯lee.¡± Te¡¯chik provided helpfully, still with that tinge of embarrassment. Maggie didn¡¯t have any sympathy, it had been ages since they had started talking to her, and she was only now getting her name? But she supposed she should have been better about asking too. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, what do you think Maggie? Do you want to see our home?¡± Theodrakis smiled, holding out a hand to her. ¡°I called ahead and had them set up a room for you, it should be ready by now. And I know it¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve been on a planet. How are you feeling?¡± ¡°I feel fine.¡± Maggie said, not sure why she¡¯d feel anything else. It was nice to get some actual fresh air though, and the water looked so tempting to swim in! ¡°You do? Interesting. No disorientation? Hallucinations? Balance issues?¡± Reshka¡¯i moved closer to Maggie, holding out a hand to the silent human that had accompanied her. ¡°Scanner.¡± The human pulled out a small crystal wand from a bag at her side, handing it to Reshka¡¯i. Immediately, the Silvarian started to run the wand across Maggie, a soft blue light emanating from it. Maggie watched with a growing sense of unease. ¡°I think I would like to settle in. Are you going to introduce your friend?¡± ¡°Friend?¡± Reshka¡¯i paused, looking at Maggie with a faint hint of annoyance. ¡°What friend? What is that on your shoulder?¡± ¡°Your friend, that just gave you the scanner? Standing right there?¡± Maggie pointed at the other human, whose eyes widened in alarm. ¡°And this is my friend Robin.¡± Reshka¡¯i looked at the other human, then back at Maggie, waving a paw dismissively. ¡°She is Ja¡¯li if you must call her anything, and she is not a friend. She is-¡± ¡°Her assistant.¡± Ux¡¯thu cut in, putting a paw lightly on Reshka¡¯i¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Theo, go ahead and take Maggie home. I¡¯ll be there shortly, and Reshka¡¯i can do some scans tomorrow. Just to determine a baseline and see what training will be best for her.¡± ¡°I think that would be best.¡± Theodrakis said, wrapping an arm around Maggie and guiding her towards a small boat looking thing perched at the edge of the island. ¡°Come on Maggie. Ux¡¯thu and Si¡¯l Vala Reshka¡¯i need to get caught up.¡± ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Maggie asked softly, noticing the way Reshka¡¯i bristled and bared her teeth. ¡°No, no you didn¡¯t.¡± Theodrakis helped Maggie into the boat, little more than a circular padded couch with a deeply carpeted floor. A shimmering dome appeared over them as they sat down, and Theodrakis let out a sigh. ¡°Island 64.5E please.¡± A blue light lit up on the small table in the center of the boat, and it detached from the floating island, flying off over the water at a peaceful pace. ¡°You acknowledged Reshka¡¯i¡¯s slave.¡± Robin said bitterly, finally speaking up. ¡°Her what?¡± Maggie sat bolt upright, eyes widening. ¡°I thought- I thought that was something in the past? Like the Silvarian¡¯s used to have human slaves, but didn¡¯t anymore? Were there slaves on the ship too?¡± Theodrakis couldn¡¯t help but wince, holding his hands up in a soothing motion. ¡°There are no slaves on my ship, no. And we are pushing to change things. But progress is slow, especially with as long-lived a race as the Silvarian¡¯s. They¡¯ve been keeping human slaves for generations, and many are resistant to the change.¡± ¡°So this place has slaves.¡± Maggie¡¯s stomach turned at the thought. Slavery hadn¡¯t been abolished in the USA that long ago, if you could really call it abolished. They didn¡¯t call people wage-slaves for nothing. But actual slaves? People that other people considered property? What the hell? ¡°Yes. This place has slaves.¡± Theodrakis said. ¡°For now at least. But we are working to change things. Ux¡¯thu has no slaves, all his people are paid fairly, and can leave whenever they wish.¡± ¡°If they can get someone to hire them, or give them transport off planet, or a place to stay.¡± Robin said, leaning forward on Maggie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And then there¡¯s the dangers of the galaxy, and the people out there that would capture them and sell them right back into slavery to someone else.¡± ¡°We¡¯re working on it. Already selling slaves is illegal in most circumstances, and there are more jobs opening up for humans than before.¡± Theodrakis said. ¡°Most circumstances? And what about the slaves that aren¡¯t human? What are you doing for them? How are you helping the people that are already slaves? Are you setting them free?¡± Robin floated off Maggie¡¯s shoulder, growing to his full size so he loomed over Theodrakis, his face etched with anger. ¡°And what about the people they¡¯re still taking off Earth?¡± ¡°No one has been taken off Earth by the Alliance in years.¡± Theodrakis stood up, putting his hands on his hips as he glared up at Robin. ¡°You can¡¯t say the same about the Rebellion! Maggie shouldn¡¯t even be out here, but somehow your people found her, and dragged her into all this!¡± ¡°That was an accident! And at least we don¡¯t keep slaves or experiment on people!¡± ¡°No? Then why were you looking for a Key? Do you honestly think that your rebel friends wouldn¡¯t use a Key Holder for their own ends? Or better yet, can you explain why my daughter arrived on my ship with a hole blasted straight through her?¡± Theodrakis¡¯s voice raised nearly to a shout, and Robin¡¯s face turned a darker shade of blue, fists clenching as if he wanted to punch Theodrakis. ¡°Whoa, hold it you two!¡± Maggie pushed herself to her feet, holding her hands out to try and separate the two men. This was getting to be too much, she wasn¡¯t sure if they could hurt each other, but she didn¡¯t really want to find out either. ¡°Everybody just- just calm down!¡± Maggie took a deep breath as Theodrakis and Robin both took a step back, putting some distance between them. She looked at one, then the other. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s get one thing straight. Can we all agree that slavery is bad?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Robin said, glaring a challenge at Theodrakis. ¡°Yes.¡± Theodrakis nodded, glaring right back at Robin. ¡°Okay, so there¡¯s that at least.¡± Maggie let out a sigh of relief, but didn¡¯t move from between the pair. ¡°Okay. So we all agree slavery is bad. And can we all agree kidnapping people is bad?¡± ¡°Even if they¡¯ve done it recently?¡± Theodrakis said stiffly. ¡°It was an accident!¡± Robin snapped. ¡°Would you rather we leave her behind to be experimented on by her own government?¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Maggie held her hands up again, and repeated her question, slower this time. ¡°Can we all agree that kidnapping people is bad?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Theodrakis said coldly. ¡°Yes.¡± Robin growled, his fists clenching and unclenching as he stared at Theodrakis. ¡°Okay, two things in common!¡± Maggie clapped her hands together with a triumphant smile, nearly dropping the tablet in the process. She scrambled to grab it, and set it on the couch. ¡°So we agree slavery and kidnapping people is bad. There we go, this is progress!¡± ¡°So you agree that you¡¯re a bad person for kidnapping my daughter?¡± Theodrakis said, his eyes boring into Robin. ¡°We made a mistake! That doesn¡¯t make us bad people! We¡¯ve been trying to fix things ever since!¡± Maggie slumped back onto the couch next to the tablet as the two started fighting all over again, letting out a groan and setting her head in her hands. ¡°At least they¡¯re talking now?¡± Te¡¯chik offered helpfully, and Maggie let out another groan. ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± Chapter 30 - Family Reunion
The humans in our care are growing restless. They see the opportunities and successes of the various species in the Alliance and wonder why they can¡¯t enjoy the same opportunities, the same successes.
I admit to wondering the same. Can a species largely regarded as primitive and violent succeed among the advanced species? Can they be captains, pilots, diplomats, even Si¡¯l Vala? Or are they doomed to failure?
-From the Journals of Ambassador Ux¡¯thu
---------------------------
By the time Theodrakis and Robin had stopped fighting, they were approaching a small island with glimmering iridescent sand buildings made of sweeping, flowing lines. They reminded Maggie of waves on the ocean, not that they had seen many of those. If it hadn¡¯t been for the two men arguing, it would have been a nice trip. As it was though, Maggie was glad to see land. She stood up on the boat as it floated into an artificial cove and a dock that looked as if it had been made specifically for it. She was tempted to leave the tablet on the boat, but picked it up anyways. If they started arguing again maybe she could just shove it into her bag. ¡°How far is it to where we¡¯re going?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what to call it, Ux¡¯thu¡¯s place? Home? Apparently her father still lived with Ux¡¯thu. Robin had said that humans couldn¡¯t own homes on Silva Prime, or many other planets either. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Theodrakis said as he stepped out of the boat, holding out a hand to help her out. Maggie took it, stepping carefully onto the dock. ¡°Ux¡¯thu has the whole island, and some space beneath it as well. There¡¯s some nice underground caves actually, I¡¯ll show you your mother¡¯s favorite one if you¡¯d like.¡± Robin floated off the boat, remaining his full size. He looked over the island with its multiple buildings and gardens, but didn¡¯t say anything. Maggie suspected he didn¡¯t want to admit how nice the place was. She couldn¡¯t help but gawk a little as she looked over the island. The whole place belonged to one person? Well, he was an ambassador, so he was probably rich. ¡°The whole island? Jeeze, what does he do with it all?¡± ¡°Well, there are gardens, swimming areas, the main house, and multiple smaller houses for the staff. Even most of the humans get their own house, unless they prefer to stay in communal housing. A lot of people your age prefer that, it gets them out of the family home and away from their parents.¡± Theodrakis smiled and headed up the short dock to a winding path that led to what had to be the main house. ¡°We live in the main house. My status as Ux¡¯thu¡¯s adopted son grants us that right, and I never saw the point to having a house that I would hardly ever be in.¡± ¡°How did that happen anyways? Did your human father die or something?¡± Maggie followed him, Robin floating along beside her, not even bothering to pretend to walk right now. ¡°No, but he wanted a better life for me than that of a servant. So when Ux¡¯thu started to test the children to see which ones showed promise, he had me take the test. There were five humans in all that Ux¡¯thu sponsored, I was the youngest. Si¡¯l Vala Tomas was the eldest and most recently-¡± Theodrakis paused a moment, glancing at Robin before continuing reluctantly. ¡°Most recently abducted. He had been a doctor on Earth, and Ux¡¯thu wanted to see if he could make it in Vala¡¯ni¡¯si¡¯l.¡± ¡°I remember hearing about that, the Council fought back hard to keep humans out of their precious institution.¡± Robin said. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°They did, but Ux¡¯thu got us in anyways. He sponsored five of us, and most of us went on to do things they never thought humans could do. The only exception was Nora, who was selected to be a Key Holder instead. But even then, she was exceptional.¡± Theodrakis smiled, staring off into some distant past. ¡°She fared far better than most Key Holders, and was able to do more with her gift.¡± Gift, right. Maggie looked down at her hand, the scars still there from where the Key had joined with her. The fact that it was scarred now instead of still an open wound still threw her for a loop. It had been such a deep wound! But considering she had also been shot through with a blaster, she supposed she shouldn¡¯t let it surprise her. ¡°I know you didn¡¯t want it Maggie, but it truly is a gift. Without the Key, you would be dead now.¡± Theodrakis looked at her, smiling sadly. ¡°Without the Key, I would still be on Earth.¡± Maggie said softly, but let it go. There was no point arguing about it, she just needed to accept it. And to be fair, she could do some really cool things now! She couldn¡¯t wait to learn what else she could do. Starting to get into it now, eh? Te¡¯chik¡¯s voice whispered in her head, amused. Oh right. She couldn¡¯t forget about the voices in her head. No. Privacy. She should really mention them to Robin at least, but by this point it had been so long that she was embarrassed to. Theodrakis set a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. ¡°I know. But we can¡¯t change the past, we can only work to build a better future. It may be selfish of me, but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re going to be a part of my future.¡± He said, smiling warmly at her. Maggie returned the smile and nodded. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go check out-¡± She froze as she caught sight of two figures coming down the path towards them. Two impossibly familiar figures. ¡°Mom? Aunt Electra?¡± Theodrakis followed her gaze, freezing as well, his eyes widening and mouth opening. Then he was moving at a run, all dignity forgotten as he scooped Nora up out of her wheelchair in a tight hug. Maggie was shocked to see him shaking, her mother letting out a laugh as she lightly hit him on the shoulder. ¡°Put me down! I¡¯m angry at ya!¡± ¡°Nora...¡± Theodrakis buried his face in her curly red hair. ¡°Nora what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I came because someone stole our daughter! Were you behind it?¡± Nora demanded. But she was smiling, tears in her eyes. ¡°So help me God, Theo if you are responsible for this!¡± She left the threat hanging, unfinished. ¡°I¡¯m not, I didn¡¯t! The Freedom Coalition took her, it was a mistake. They didn¡¯t mean to. What are you doing here?¡± Theodrakis set Nora down in the wheelchair, unable to take his eyes off her. ¡°How are you here?¡± Electra smirked, her eyes sparkling, but there was a dangerous edge to her voice. ¡°We¡¯re resourceful. Maggie, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. You- you¡¯re really here?¡± Maggie stepped forward, clutching the tablet like a lifeline. It was impossible, even if she accepted that her mother had been from space, how the hell had they gotten out here? How had they gotten here of all places? How had they known where to find her? ¡°Yes, we¡¯re really here.¡± Electra¡¯s look softened, and she wrapped Maggie in a tight hug. ¡°There¡¯s much to explain, but not out here.¡± She looked around, eyes lingering on the few people that were out wandering or tending to the gardens. ¡°There¡¯s too many eyes and ears.¡± ¡°Theo, is our spot still secure?¡± Nora asked, looking up at Theo. ¡°It is. Of course it is. I¡¯ll take you there. But should you even be here? And you¡¯re in a wheelchair... God, I didn¡¯t want to believe it.¡± Theodrakis couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Nora. He shook his head and straightened his jacket, standing up just a bit straighter, almost at attention. ¡°I should get a doctor for you.¡± ¡°Not now. You have a lot of explaining to do as well. I want to know how our daughter got here of all places. Especially if she was taken by the Freedom Coalition.¡± Nora looked past Theodrakis, her own expression softening when she met Maggie¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hello Maggie-my-love. I¡¯ve missed you.¡± ¡°Hi Momma....¡± Maggie said softly, and hurried forward to give Nora a tight hug, closing her eyes tightly as she inhaled the familiar scent of her perfume. It was impossible, but she wasn¡¯t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Her mother was here, and if she was here, maybe they could fix her legs and she could walk again. It was what she had wanted to begin with after Robin had mentioned miracles. She was surprised to feel tears running down her face, her shoulders shaking as she started to sob. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever get to see you again.¡± Chapter 17 (Flashback)
Something¡¯s wrong with this damn Key. With this damn ship! I keep thinking I see people out of the corner of my eyes, but when I look, there¡¯s no one there. Then there¡¯s the voices, whispering in the halls. I checked to see if maybe some of the people had woken up, but all the remaining pods are operating properly. I don¡¯t know, maybe the place is haunted.
-Log Fragment 128-C - Te¡¯chik
---------------------------------------------
Wind howled across the desolate landscape, giant drifts of snow piling up against a spaceship as big as a skyscraper. Maggie stood in the snow beneath the behemoth, staring through the shattered glass of one of the pods at a strangely familiar figure. It took her a moment to recognize the curly red hair held back by a headband, the pale face dappled with freckles and the plain blue jean overalls with a flower embroidered on its pocket. Heart pounding, Maggie took a step back. ¡°What the hell?¡± She looked at the other pods, noticing other familiar figures: Robin, Becca, Bobby, Ross, her aunt, her mother. All frozen in the strange glass pods, snowflakes gathering on their eyelashes, piling into folds of clothing and the crooks of arms. ¡°Momma? Aunt Electra?¡± The frozen figures gave no sign that they heard her, and Maggie knew, she just KNEW that they were dead. Maggie sat bolt upright in her bed, covered in a cold sweat. ¡°Momma!¡± ¡°Maggie? Maggie it¡¯s alright.¡± Robin was at her side in an instant, popping into being like someone had flipped on a light. She looked at him, mind scrambling to remember where she was. He sat on the edge of the bed, his ghostly form not even making a dent in the covers. But when he touched her hand she could once again feel the cool tingle, and the gentle pressure of his skin against hers. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± He repeated. Maggie gripped his hand like a lifeline and looked around the room. She was back in her pod, the colorful quilt a tangle around her legs and the single poster of Lix¡¯al hanging crooked on the wall. An artistic choice she had made on the fly, planning to add more pictures as time and opportunity allowed. ¡°Another nightmare?¡± Robin asked softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Maggie nodded, putting a hand to her chest as she tried to calm herself down. Her mom and aunt were both safe back on Earth, as were her friends. They weren¡¯t in some crazy spaceship on a snow planet. She wasn¡¯t even sure how she knew it was a spaceship! It looked more like a tomb. ¡°Y-yeah. How did we get back here?¡± ¡°Doctor Tomas had you brought back here after he made sure you were alright. He thinks you just wore yourself out or something, because all your scans are as normal as can be expected. Jo should be by soon to check on you too.¡± Robin smiled, although there was still worry in his eyes. ¡°You scared me, passing out like that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember passing out.¡± Maggie said, trying to remember what exactly had happened in the medical sector. ¡°I just remember someone saying they needed me, that I couldn¡¯t die.¡± But it hadn¡¯t been Robin, who had it been? She frowned as she thought, the vision of the frozen spaceship looming in her mind like a dark cloud. Robin¡¯s smile disappeared. ¡°No one said anything like that Maggie. Although I would be sad if you died. But you¡¯re not going to, alright?¡± He hastened to reassure her. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Maggie let out a ragged laugh, looking up at him. ¡°And how can you be so sure about that? What¡¯s to keep Flame from killing me to get this stupid Key? Or what if it just takes me over, and I turn into some kind of monster?¡± ¡°I know, alright? Neither me nor Doc Tomas are going to let Flame kill you, and there¡¯s no sign of you turning into some kind of monster. Unless it¡¯s a fart monster after eating those meatballs at the laundromat.¡± Robin¡¯s impish smile returned, and he gave her a light squeeze. ¡°I¡¯m not going to turn into a fart monster.¡± Maggie said, a blush rising in her cheeks. How had he noticed that? He couldn¡¯t smell, right? And it was only the one time! Robin just laughed, the worry fading now that things were back to normal. Maggie froze, staring around the room with wide eyes. When had all this started to feel normal? Nothing about this should feel normal! Not the aliens, or the job at the laundromat, or the Key, or the holographic ghost! And yet somehow it was starting to feel normal. She was startled by the soft chime of the doorbell humming through the pod, a blue light glowing next to the door. ¡°That should be Jo.¡± Robin said. ¡°Do you want me to open it?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Maggie slumped back against the padded wall behind her bed, not willing to fold it up into a couch right now. She felt a pang of guilt as the door slid open, and the polite little Silvarian waddled in, his baby comfortably strapped to his back and a bag in his paws. ¡°Maggie, it¡¯s good to see you awake.¡± Jo said, his head tendrils perking up. ¡°I brought you some food, and a nice big thing of sweet water. How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Hi Jo, I¡¯m fine, just tired. How are you and the little stinker?¡± Robin didn¡¯t know a fart monster until he had smelled one of Tommy¡¯s farts. Could he even smell though? Jo laughed, setting the bag on the edge of the bed. ¡°We¡¯re both good. Tommy is going through a growth spurt, and he¡¯s started to walk! He got across the pod all by himself last night.¡± Maggie grinned, accepting the weird normalcy of it all for right now. She couldn¡¯t stay tense all the time, could she? It would make her sick! It had already made her sick, hadn¡¯t it? Other wise she wouldn¡¯t have wound up laying in bed like this. She dragged her mind away from the troubling thoughts, focusing instead on the more pleasant subject of adorable babies with just as adorable furry caregivers. ¡°Soon enough and he¡¯ll be able to carry you around.¡± Jo laughed, opening the bag to release the scent of spiced meat and rice into the air. ¡°Soon, yes. Soon I won¡¯t be able to carry him on my back anymore either. My neighbor Bernadette says she has a wagon though.¡± ¡°And what about when he grows out of the wagon?¡± Robin looked over the food, and shrank down to his chibi size so it was harder to see the longing on his face. ¡°He should be big enough to walk at that point.¡± Jo smiled, teasing Tommy¡¯s nose with one of his head tendrils. The baby giggled, kicking his feet against the blanket that swaddled him, a chubby hand escaping to wave at the colorful tendril. ¡°Did you need anything else Maggie? You just need to ask.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be alright, this smells delicious.¡± Maggie leaned forward, pulling the bag towards her, looking in at the bottle of light pink water and the box of food. Her stomach growled, and thankfully she didn¡¯t feel any heartburn. Maybe it had just been the weird meatballs at the laundromat. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jo beamed at her, the tips of his head tendrils glowing faintly. ¡°You¡¯re welcome Maggie. You know how to reach me if you need anything, and Maue will check in on you later as well.¡± Maggie blushed, sitting cross-legged on the bed as she opened the box of food. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to be such a pain, I¡¯m fine, really. You can tell Maue he doesn¡¯t need to come check on me.¡± ¡°He would come by anyways.¡± Jo laughed and headed for the door. ¡°You know how he is. A proper stray, that one. I¡¯ll leave you to rest now, if you feel up to it, tomorrow we¡¯re having a neighborhood potluck.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to bring.¡± Maggie looked around the pod, there wasn¡¯t even a place for a stove in here! How were people going to do a potluck? ¡°Just bring yourself.¡± Jo offered her a toothy smile, before heading out the door. Just before it closed Tommy waved, giving her his own drooly smile. ¡°I miss food.¡± Robin said wistfully, settling on Maggie¡¯s shoulder as she opened the box. The meal was set up bento-style, and included chopsticks and a fork. Maggie considered the chopsticks for a moment, before admitting to her own lack of skill with the things and reaching for the fork. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll be able to eat some time? If you can feel now... maybe you¡¯re getting better?¡± ¡°People don¡¯t get better from being dead.¡± Robin laughed. ¡°People also don¡¯t float around as holograms after they die either. So who knows what can happen.¡± Maggie stabbed some of the meat with her fork. Life was full of impossibilities right now, so it didn¡¯t seem like that big a leap from aliens and space ghosts to people coming back from the dead. Chapter 31 - Explanations
Earth isn¡¯t the same as I imagined. The air isn¡¯t as sweet, the grass isn¡¯t as green, and the water isn¡¯t as clear. But with all its flaws and quirks, it reminds me of the humans it is home to. I¡¯ve settled down in a little midwestern town that is home to more than it¡¯s fair share of repatriated humans, which will only be a problem if their government starts poking around.
-Gato
--------------------------
Nora wrapped Maggie in a warm hug, stroking her hair gently as Maggie kneeled next to her wheelchair. ¡°There now Maggie-my-love, things aren¡¯t as bad as all that, are they?¡± ¡°Momma, how are you here?¡± Maggie gripped her free hand tightly. She was here, right? She could feel her, see her, even smell her. If this were some kind of trick it was a damn good one. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, and one I don¡¯t want to say where so many ears could be listening. Theo, where can we talk privately? We have a lot to talk about. All of us have a lot to talk about.¡± Nora said the last without her usual humor, looking sternly at Theodrakis. ¡°The grotto, or the main house.¡± Theodrakis said, staring at Nora¡¯s legs. ¡°What happened Nora? You were fine when you left, but now.... Why are you in a wheelchair?¡± ¡°My Key started to react badly after the pregnancy, we¡¯re not sure why.¡± Nora said mildly. She patted Maggie¡¯s cheek lightly, and then spun her wheelchair around, rolling it down the path. ¡°I¡¯m certain Ux¡¯thu would be fascinated, and his scientists. Is he around right now?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be here in a little while, we left him at the spaceport talking with S¡¯il Vala Reshka¡¯i about Maggie¡¯s training.¡± Theodrakis hurried to catch up to Nora, his long strides carrying him to her side. Maggie fell into step beside Electra, with Robin floating along at the rear doing a good impression of walking along behind them. ¡°Reshka¡¯i is here?¡± Maggie couldn¡¯t miss the tension in her mothers voice. And apparently neither could her father. He reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Nora, she¡¯s the foremost authority on Ancient¡¯s technology. I don¡¯t want our daughter to go through unnecessary pain and trauma because she didn¡¯t have the right training to use her Key.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain Reshka¡¯i doesn¡¯t share your concern.¡± Nora said flatly. ¡°She¡¯s more interested in finding out more about the Keys than helping anyone.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not disagreeing with you.¡± Theodrakis said. ¡°And I don¡¯t like it either, but we use what resources we must. Right now, she¡¯s a resource that can¡¯t be matched anywhere else in the galaxy. Ux¡¯thu will help make sure that Maggie is treated well during the training, she¡¯s his granddaughter after all.¡± Electra pressed her lips together into a thin line, barely suppressing a snort. ¡°Ux¡¯thu is a Silvarian, and he¡¯s kept slaves, just like the rest of them.¡± ¡°Will you hold his past against him? None of us are exactly innocent.¡± Theodrakis said softly. They rounded a corner and stepped into a cave littered with glowing fauna. Lights were set directly into the walls and ceiling, even the floor, and one whole side of the cave was full of a gently steaming pool. ¡°Or have you forgotten some of the things you¡¯ve done Electra?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten.¡± Electra said, her voice hard. She looked around the cavern, giving a small nod of approval. ¡°No place for people to hide to listen in, good. Any listening devices Nora?¡± Nora closed her eyes, taking in a deep, slow breath. Maggie watched as a faint glow formed beneath her eyelids. When Nora opened her eyes, they were solid orbs of blue light, no pupils, no irises. A chill ran down Maggie¡¯s back, and she resisted the urge to take a step back. ¡°Nothing beyond the house intercom system. We¡¯ll be fine here.¡± ¡°Then can someone explain how you¡¯re here, and what¡¯s going on?¡± Maggie¡¯s voice rose, and she looked away from Nora¡¯s alien eyes. With a couple of blinks though, Nora¡¯s eyes returned to their normal soft green, and she smiled gently to Maggie. ¡°Take a seat Maggie, we¡¯ll explain everything as best as we¡¯re able.¡± Nora rolled over to a set of thick pillows piled in one corner of the cave, low and wide. Maggie dropped onto one, crossing her legs as Electra and Theodrakis settled down beside her. Robin shrank down, perching on her shoulder among her curls. She relaxed with the familiar weight. When had Robin become one of the more normal things in her life? ¡°Let¡¯s start with how you¡¯re here. Did Theseus bring you?¡± It was the most logical option that Maggie could think of. There was no way Earth technology got them all the way out here! They hadn¡¯t even gotten out of their solar system, let alone however far away this was. ¡°Theseus?¡± Nora and Theodrakis asked at the same time. Maggie winced, she had been avoiding telling Theodrakis about Theseus. But now the cat was out of the bag she supposed. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s a no. So how did you get here?¡± Maybe they have a ship of their own. She¡¯s a Keyholder. Maggie caught a glimpse of a figure at the edge of her vision to go with the voice, but did her best to ignore it. She couldn¡¯t even remember exactly when she had started seeing people that weren¡¯t there, but it was worrisome. How crazy was she, exactly? ¡°The same way we got to Earth. We flew Electra¡¯s ship. We¡¯ll need to refuel before going back, but it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Nora said. She watched Maggie intently, and leaned forward in her wheelchair. ¡°Maggie, who is Theseus?¡± ¡°Robin¡¯s brother.¡± Maggie said reluctantly and glanced at Robin. ¡°It¡¯s our fault that she found the Key.¡± Robin said with equal reluctance, and stood on Maggie¡¯s shoulder, bowing slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We both are. We never intended for anyone else to get caught up in all this.¡± ¡°But you had a Key, on Earth.¡± Theodrakis said. ¡°Why did you have a Key on Earth of all places?¡± ¡°Hey, I still want some answers too!¡± Maggie said, reaching a hand up to lightly touch Robin¡¯s knee. ¡°You flew Aunt Electra¡¯s ship here? Since when does Aunt Electra have a spaceship? Where even was it? How did you know where to go?¡± Nora frowned, studying Maggie and Robin for a moment. She nodded a little. ¡°Electra used to fly deliveries between stations, her ship isn¡¯t much to look at, but it does it¡¯s job. Especially with some of the Ancient¡¯s technology we were able to incorporate into it. We kept it in the junkyard, and as for how we knew where to go? We didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be here, but we knew Theodrakis and Ux¡¯thu would, and they would be able to help find you. How did you wind up here anyways?¡± ¡°I was running away from Flame. Doc Tomas had suggested where to go to get away from her, turned out to be-¡± Maggie paused, glancing at Theodrakis. ¡°Turned out to be Dads ship.¡± It still felt strange to call him Dad, but she was slowly getting used to the idea. It was less weird than Ux¡¯thu being her grandfather. Now that was just weird. ¡°Eh, it could be worse.¡± Te¡¯chik said dismissively, and Maggie could almost see her shrug, lounging back in the pillows of the cavern. ¡°At least he¡¯s not getting drunk at family parties.¡± ¡°Not like I¡¯ve seen him at any family parties.¡± Maggie grumbled, earning a concerned glance from Electra and Theodrakis. Nora watched her carefully, but didn¡¯t respond to the seemingly random comment. ¡°Flame and Tomas? Last I knew they were both in the Freedom Coalition. Why were you running from Flame?¡± ¡°She was trying to kill her.¡± Theodrakis said flatly. ¡°She shot Maggie in the back, if it weren¡¯t for her Key she would be dead.¡± Nora¡¯s face paled, her mouth dropping open. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t...¡± ¡°She did. I have the security recordings to prove it.¡± Theodrakis thawed slightly, and he shrugged. ¡°But I don¡¯t think she knew who Maggie was. Tomas did, but I don¡¯t think he told Flame.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he- no, never mind, I can imagine why.¡± Nora looked at Maggie, looking her over with renewed concern. ¡°How are you feeling Maggie? And you best not lie.¡± ¡°I feel fine, really.¡± Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t a lie. All the previous aches and pains were gone, and she didn¡¯t even feel that scared anymore. Maybe she was just getting numb to the weirdness, but she really did feel fine. ¡°Any ghosts? Voices? Aches or pains?¡± Nora pressed. ¡°Numbness in any of your limbs?¡± Maggie looked at Robin, then back to her mother. ¡°Uhmm... ghosts, yes. Voices...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare lie.¡± Nora said firmly, narrowing her eyes slightly. ¡°Voices yes... no aches or pains now, and no numbness.¡± Maggie admitted. She hadn¡¯t wanted to admit to hearing voices, but she never could lie to her mother, not successfully anyways. ¡°You hadn¡¯t mentioned voices before.¡± Theodrakis said, and even Robin was looking at her with a laser-sharp gaze. Maggie felt herself squirm inside, Te¡¯chik¡¯s snickers echoing in her ears. ¡°You didn¡¯t mention anything to me either. Didn¡¯t we tell you to mention things like that? I swear we told you to mention things like that.¡± Robin said. ¡°I already thought I was going crazy, I didn¡¯t want to get thrown in some space loony bin.¡± Maggie hunched over slightly, wishing she could get out from under the gazes of her family. ¡°It was stranger for you to not mention seeing or hearing things. How long have you been hearing the voices and seeing ghosts?¡± Theodrakis shifted on his pillow to look directly at Maggie. The movement put him closer to Nora, his shoulder brushing one of her knees. Nora reached out, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I imagine you¡¯ve been hearing them for some time now, haven¡¯t you?¡± Nora asked softly. ¡°Since I got the Key. They don¡¯t always talk a lot, but they¡¯re there. As for seeing ghosts, well, Robin is a ghost so I¡¯ve been seeing him since Earth as well.¡± Maggie grinned weakly, hoping they wouldn¡¯t pry further than that. She didn¡¯t want to give up any hint of where her ship was. Not that she had any clue herself. ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out. We¡¯ll take a look at some maps tonight and compare notes.¡± Te¡¯chik said. She at least didn¡¯t seem concerned by people finding out Maggie had been hearing her. ¡°Your mom has a Key too, I bet she saw and heard her fair share of things too.¡± ¡°Do you hear voices Mom?¡± Maggie looked up at Nora, surprised to see her smile sadly. ¡°I used to. Not anymore though. I can only assume it means my ship is dead.¡± Nora looked down at her legs, then seemed to give herself a shake, returning her gaze to Maggie. ¡°But yours must be alive and well, for you to be hearing it. Your ghost friend I suspect is an entirely different matter though. But perhaps related to Ancient¡¯s technology as well?¡± ¡°We think so. My brother and I, that is. Nothing else makes even a little bit of sense. But we never did figure out what happened or why I got stuck here, but my parents didn¡¯t.¡± Robin said softly. ¡°If any of us got stuck, it should have been my mother, she was the Keyholder.¡± ¡°But instead you got stuck here. I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve seen ghosts quite like you before. You¡¯re much more... here.¡± Nora looked Robin over, her forehead wrinkling a little. ¡°He¡¯s not actually a ghost.¡± Theodrakis said between gritted teeth. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as ghosts.¡± Nora laughed, patting Theodrakis on the shoulder. ¡°So you have always said. Electra, why don¡¯t you take Maggie for a little walk while Theo and I have a talk?¡± Electra smiled, but stood up. ¡°Come on Maggie, you can tell me all about your adventures while these two get caught up.¡± ¡°Uhm, alright?¡± Maggie stood up as well, giving her parents one last look before following Electra out of the little cavern. What was that all about? Chapter 32 - Welcome Home
I pride myself on being logical and realistic. I believe in the ability of science to explain that which is real and true. The Keys and Keyholders, however, tend to push what is explainable by science. Much can be written off as hallucinations or an overall degradation of sanity, likely due to the stress the Keys put on those that hold them. But there are some things that defy explanation, that spit in the face of the scientific method and laugh manically at those that seek to employ it.
-S¡¯il Vala Reshka¡¯i
--------------------------
Robin floated off Maggie¡¯s shoulder, growing to full size as he kept pace with her and Electra. He was frowning, his hands folded behind his back, and he didn¡¯t even bother pretending to walk. ¡°You don¡¯t seem very upset by any of this.¡± He said, looking at Electra. ¡°I would have thought you¡¯d be angry at least.¡± ¡°Oh, I am angry.¡± Electra looked at Robin, her dark eyes steely. ¡°You and your brother kidnapped my niece, and put her in a situation we tried very hard to keep her out of. If you were corporeal I would wring your neck. But as much as I may want to make you pay, you¡¯ve already paid more than I could ever imagine. How did you die anyways? I assume it has something to do with Ancient¡¯s technology. One thing you can always depend on with that, is that it will do the unexpected.¡± ¡°My mother had a Key but it- but she-¡± Robin took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. At least he didn¡¯t have to watch where he was going, otherwise he would have tripped. ¡°It was a bad reaction. We were trying to get her to Doc Tomas, to see if he could do anything, but we were too late. It exploded. Ripped her to shreds before shrinking back down to its inert state.¡± Maggie froze, staring at Robin. He hadn¡¯t mentioned that! She had known that his mother had died, and that she had been a Keyholder, but his mother had exploded? ¡°It hardly ever happens.¡± Te¡¯chik said dismissively. ¡°But it happens! It could have happened, why hasn¡¯t it happened? Isn¡¯t it the same Key?¡± Maggie squeaked out, blushing at how silly she sounded. Electra looked at Maggie, and gave her a gentle hug. Somehow, she still smelled like cookies and coffee, even though they were no where near the Study Hall that was her domain. ¡°I doubt it will happen to you dear, there would be signs already.¡± ¡°Signs? What signs? What kind of signs?¡± Maggie looked at her hands, trying to see anything drastically different, anything that would seem to hint at her exploding. But they just looked like hands. Sure there was the scarring on her right hand, and the iridescent fingernails, but neither of those hinted at an impending explosion. ¡°Maggie, please don¡¯t panic.¡± Robin took one of her hands in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. ¡°My mother was really sick before she- before it happened. Feverish, hallucinating, in pain. There were- there were spots where the crystals were already poking through her skin. That¡¯s not going to happen to you.¡± Maggie met his eyes, gripping his hand tightly. She could see the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes, the grief on his face. It may have been years, but he still had trouble talking about it apparently. She mentally kicked herself for being so self-centered. He was trying to keep her calm while he was talking about a painful memory. Not only had his mom died, but his father and himself. It had to be hard to talk about. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Robin. I- you never told me how you died before. How she died.¡± Robin actually smiled, although it was bitter-sweet, and lightly tapped her forehead. ¡°Because you didn¡¯t need to know. And if I had told you, you would have panicked. Like you just did.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Electra waved a hand through Robin, frowning slightly. ¡°Maggie, can you feel him?¡± Maggie glanced around, but the nearest person was on the other side of the large garden, tending some vines with delicate orange flowers on them. Far enough away that she didn¡¯t really worry about them hearing her. ¡°We¡¯re trying to keep it under wraps, that and other things. But yeah, we discovered it shortly before leaving Galaux Station.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Electra frowned, studying them both. ¡°Good idea, you never know how these Silvarian¡¯s will use what you can do for their own ends. They¡¯re greedy with Ancient¡¯s technology, always have been. Getting you back to Earth should be our priority, where they¡¯re less likely to be able to touch you.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just take her back to Earth! The government there is at least as bad as the Silvarian¡¯s. They would lock her up and dissect her!¡± Robin¡¯s eyes widened, and he moved just slightly in front of Maggie, as if protecting her from Electra. ¡°You can¡¯t go back! Not before you get this ship off this damn ice rock!¡± ¡°I can go back, if they don¡¯t know about the Key, they don¡¯t have any reason to dissect me. And I don¡¯t know what you want me to do about the ship. Would it even work anymore?¡± Oh great, she was answering Te¡¯chik out loud now. Well, it was freeing in a way, to know she wasn¡¯t the only one that had seen or heard people. But she still needed to be careful. Just because Aunt Electra and mom were okay with the voices, didn¡¯t mean everyone would be. ¡°It should.¡±Te¡¯chik said uncertainly. ¡°We¡¯ll run some diagnostics tonight.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Maggie sighed, her shoulders slumping. She looked up at Robin and Electra, blushing a bit. They were both giving her odd looks. ¡°I forgot how it was to watch someone talk to themselves. Your mother hasn¡¯t heard voices in years.¡± Aunt Electra said. ¡°Are they saying anything useful?¡± ¡°That we¡¯ll run diagnostics tonight to see if the ship can even still do anything. How she expects us to do that, I don¡¯t know. But sure, why the he- uhm, heck not.¡± Maggie glanced at Aunt Electra, her blush deepening. ¡°My mother used to talk to the voices all the time. Said there were two of them, a little girl and an irritating woman.¡± Robin said. ¡°I wonder if they¡¯re the same ones?¡± Maggie laughed, feeling the indignation from Te¡¯chik. ¡°Probably are. Did she mention any names?¡± Robin shook his head. ¡°No, just yelled at them sometimes.¡± He fell silent, looking out across the garden. ¡°I think she would have liked this place. At least the nature part of it. She was always trying to grow plants in the ship.¡± Electra and Maggie looked across the garden as well, listening to the waves washing against the beach, and the songbirds singing in the trees. Even Te¡¯chik was silent, and Maggie imagined that she was looking at the garden too. Although how that would work Maggie had no idea. Could Te¡¯chik see what Maggie saw? Was Te¡¯chik even real? Truth be told, there wasn¡¯t any way to tell for certain, not before she found the ship that was supposed to be somewhere on an ice-covered planet. For a moment, Maggie imagined she could hear the lonely wind howling across the ship, toying with the mummified remains of people that had fled the only home they had ever known, risking it all to escape some danger that Maggie couldn¡¯t quite picture. But she knew it¡¯s hot breath and sharp teeth. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. ¡°So if you and Mom arrived in your spaceship, where did you stash it? I didn¡¯t see anything at the spaceport that would fit in at the junkyard.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a little pad around the other side of the island. Usually it¡¯s for planet-side vehicles, but my ship is small enough to settle there. It was a bit hard to get past all the security though.¡± Electra frowned, as if a thought had just occurred to her that she didn¡¯t much care for. ¡°Not as hard as it should have been though.¡± ¡°Do you think they were expecting you?¡± Robin looked around, trying to spot anything out of place, anything threatening in the peaceful garden. ¡°Why would they be expecting us after all this time? Theodrakis is the only one that knew where Nora had gone, and who with.¡± Aunt Electra turned, starting back towards the little cavern. ¡°I think your father needs to answer some more questions, Maggie.¡± ¡°You think he would have them let you through if you came back?¡± Maggie frowned as she followed Electra, Robin a pale blue shadow beside her. ¡°It¡¯s more likely than the entire Silvarian security grid missing our arrival.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t miss your arrival, Electra. They merely let you in.¡± Ux¡¯thu rounded the bend in front of them, Reshka¡¯i walking beside him. The old Silvarian smiled gently, as one would to a child that had been out too late playing. ¡°Welcome home.¡± Chapter 33 - The Scent of Lavender and Vanilla
Humans are a peculiar species. Some simply aren¡¯t happy unless they have something to be upset about. We house them, feed them, take care of them, and they complain they do not have the freedom they deserve. We take them away from a planet that is slowly being torn apart by their own species, and they want to return to it. We do everything we can to preserve their species and they seem to want to do anything they can to destroy themselves.
-On The Peculiarities of Humans, The Alliance Intergalactic Library
¡°Put the gun away, Electra.¡± Ux¡¯thu said mildly, without any sign of alarm or anger. ¡°I¡¯m not here to hurt you, unless you are here to hurt me?¡± Maggie looked at her aunt, someone she had never seen raise a hand to anybody, but who now held a strange little pistol aimed directly at Ux¡¯thu. ¡°Aunt Electra?¡± She took a step back, her eyes widening as she stared at the thing. It looked more like a water pistol than an actual gun, but Maggie could feel a tingle of caution from Te¡¯chik, an alertness that was a bit sharper than normal. ¡°I¡¯m here for my niece. Will you stop us from taking her home?¡± Electra held her finger poised over the trigger, ready to pull it at a moments notice. ¡°Only if it puts her in more danger than being here. Which I think you know it would.¡± Ux¡¯thu leaned lightly on his cane, earning a frown of disapproval from Reshka¡¯i. How Maggie could tell the woman disapproved, she had no idea. Maybe it was just the way she frowned at the old man. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t need to use that thing if you spent more time walking properly, instead of waddling around on your hind legs like a human.¡± Even if it had been just the frown before, Maggie could hear the disapproval and disgust clear as day in the Silvarian¡¯s voice. ¡°Now is not the time S¡¯il Vala Reshka¡¯i.¡± Ux¡¯thu started down the path at a slow, meandering pace, heading for the largest of the buildings on the island. ¡°Have you seen your room yet, Maggie?¡± He walked slowly past Electra, not sparing her another glance, even as the gun followed him. ¡°Not yet.¡± Maggie said cautiously. Her eyes darted to Electra, and she hesitated before following Ux¡¯thu down the path towards the large building. ¡°Well, we should fix that. If you¡¯re here Electra, I imagine Nora is as well? We¡¯ll have to have a nice family dinner tonight. Reshka¡¯i, of course you¡¯re invited. I know you¡¯ll want to see Nora again as well.¡± Reshka¡¯i looked like she had swallowed a lemon. But she gave a short nod. ¡°It has been some time, I¡¯m curious to see how she¡¯s been doing, especially since the dismantling of her ship.¡± ¡°You dismantled her ship?¡± Electra lowered her gun, hesitating a moment before following Maggie. Even though she lowered her gun though, Maggie noticed that she didn¡¯t put it away. ¡°We did. Without it¡¯s Key, what else were we going to do with it? We can use parts of it to repair other ships, or to further our studies into Ancient¡¯s technology.¡± Reshka¡¯i said, holding her furry head high. Electra shot Reshka¡¯i a look that Maggie had never seen from her Aunt before, not even when someone cut her off in traffic. It was a look of hate that sent chills down Maggie¡¯s spine, that made her wonder for a moment if this person really was her Aunt Electra, who was always so kind to everybody. ¡°Anything to further the Silvarian understanding of stolen technology, is that right?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t stolen, it was lost, and we found it. We research it and disseminate it throughout the galaxy, it is thanks to our efforts that the galaxy has made such large advances in space travel and medicine. Without those advances many people, many humans would be dead, including your niece.¡± Reshka¡¯i said coldly. ¡°I examined her charts when Ambassador Ux¡¯thu sent word of her, without the Key, without the advanced healing of the vitafluids, she would never have recovered. And, might I add, it was someone from your Freedom Coalition that shot her. In the back, as she was running away, unarmed.¡± Electra shot an icy glare at Reshka¡¯i, sliding her gun into the holster Maggie hadn¡¯t noticed before. Now that the gun was put away, Maggie relaxed slightly. Very slightly. There was still a tension in the air that made her chest tight, an animosity between her aunt and the Silvarians that was hard to miss, and even harder to ignore. Maggie watched the group ahead of her, trying to think of anything to say to break the awful silence. It was Ux¡¯thu that came to her rescue, pausing to sniff at a flower. ¡°What do you think of these, Maggie? There are some that grow right outside your window.¡± ¡°Uhm, they¡¯re pretty.¡± Maggie said, trying to shrug off the awkwardness. She leaned over to smell one of the colorful blossoms, blinking when she recognized the scent. It was the same smell as her mother''s perfume! Not quite lavender, not quite vanilla, with a sweet scent like sugar. ¡°They are. They were always your mother''s favorite. Does she still like flowers?¡± ¡°She does.¡± Maggie took in another deep breath of the flowers scent, and smiled. ¡°She has a perfume that smells like this too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to see about getting her a room set up, I¡¯ll make sure that she has some of these flowers in it for her. Do you think she¡¯ll want to stay in the main house, or one of the smaller houses?¡± Ux¡¯thu plucked one of the flowers, handing it to Maggie with a smile. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Uhm, maybe the main house? I don¡¯t really know.¡± Maggie took the flower, sniffing it again as the little group started to move again. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a way to fix her legs?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Nora¡¯s legs?¡± To give the old man credit, Ux¡¯thu sounded genuinely concerned. Reshka¡¯i perked up a little bit, more curious than concerned. ¡°Yes, what is wrong with Nora¡¯s legs? Did something happen?¡± She scoffed then, her head tendrils laying back. ¡°Probably something on that filthy, violent planet.¡± ¡°It was nothing to do with Earth.¡± Electra said sharply. ¡°It¡¯s something to do with the Key you implanted her with.¡± ¡°An interesting theory. I¡¯ll have to study her to see what might have happened. I wonder if dismantling the ship could have affected her even at such a distance.¡± Reshka¡¯i ignored Electra¡¯s glare, settling into a contemplative silence. ¡°Reshka¡¯i, I believe Earthlings have a saying that goes along the lines of ¡®don¡¯t poke the bear¡¯? Perhaps you should heed that warning.¡± Ux¡¯thu glanced at Electra, the dark woman fuming, so different from what Maggie was used to seeing in her. The Silvarian woman smirked, her sharp teeth glinting in the warm light of afternoon. ¡°Of course Ambassador. What a quaint saying.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Ux¡¯thu paused in the entrance hall of the main house, and gestured to a young boy wearing a simple shirt and pants, his feet bare. ¡°Gre¡¯gar, please show S¡¯il Vala Reshka¡¯i to the blue suite, and see if you can have someone find Theodrakis and Nora. I think we¡¯ll prepare the garden suite for her and Electra.¡± The young boy bowed deeply, sleek black hair falling across his face. ¡°Yes Ambassador. Please follow me honored S¡¯il Vala.¡± Gre¡¯gar straightened with a smile, gesturing to a lift that looked like an ornamental bubble floating on the water. Electra was silent as the young boy led Reshka¡¯i away, the bubble sinking beneath the water with the pair in it. Ux¡¯thu let out a soft sigh, looking back at the others. ¡°You must forgive Reshka¡¯i, sometimes her passion for science overrides her compassion for other living beings.¡± ¡°A failing common in your species.¡± Electra said. ¡°If you expect me or Nora to allow that woman to study Maggie like she did Nora, you are out of your mind.¡± ¡°Things have changed during your time away Electra. Although I¡¯m certain not as fast as you would wish. Maggie is my granddaughter, Theodrakis agrees, and he is her father. Do you think I would let harm come to my granddaughter?¡± Maggie looked at Robin, suppressing a sigh. This was starting to feel like an old argument, and one she didn¡¯t care to sit in on anymore. She trusted Aunt Electra and her mother more than any other person here, except maybe Robin. If Ux¡¯thu could convince them she was safe, she was willing to believe it. But right now Electra seemed to want nothing more than to fight, which made Maggie uneasy. She had never thought of Aunt Electra as a fighter! But here she was, who knew how far across the galaxy and pointing guns at people. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your people will do.¡± Electra said. She looked at Maggie, reaching up to tuck a wild red curl behind her ear. ¡°How have they been treating you Maggie? Have they hurt you?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been nice Aunt Electra, really. And they¡¯ve been teaching me how to do things with this stupid Key.¡± That didn¡¯t mean she was going to tell them what she knew about where the ship was. Not that she knew a lot. Electra nodded, thawing a little bit more. ¡°Good. And they¡¯re feeding you enough? The right kinds of food?¡± ¡°Aunt Electra, you¡¯re beginning to sound like Mom.¡± Maggie laughed, some of the tension fading as the side of Aunt Electra she knew resurfaced. ¡°I¡¯ve been eating fine, and staying hydrated. I probably eat better out here than I did at home. Although no one can make pizza right out here.¡± ¡°Half the places on Earth can¡¯t make a decent pizza either.¡± Electra winked at her. ¡°Let¡¯s get you to your room, Nora can meet us there and we¡¯ll have a nice chat.¡± She glanced towards Ux¡¯thu, a bit of that ice returning. ¡°Away from prying ears and eyes.¡± ¡°Of course. This way please, one of the others will bring Nora to you.¡± Ux¡¯thu started up a set of stairs that wound around a tube of water big enough for the ornate bubble lift to fit in it. Maggie could only imagine it was a much smaller version of the elevators on Galaux Station. The old man moved slow, each step only a few inches high to accommodate the SIlvarian¡¯s shorter legs. Maggie thought back to what Reshka¡¯i had said about him using a cane, and about how she had seen Jo move around Galaux with Tommy strapped to his back. Most Silvarians, if they wanted to move fast, moved on all fours. It was only when they were talking with taller bipedal races that they stood on their hind legs. And even then they didn¡¯t seem to walk long distances like that. ¡°How many people live here?¡± Maggie asked. She hadn¡¯t seen many people yet, just a handful of others at a distance, and Gre¡¯gar who met them at the door. But it also seemed like a pretty big island. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure.¡± Ux¡¯thu said thoughtfully. ¡°I stopped keeping track as people had babies and grandbabies. A few dozen I would imagine.¡± Where the heck were they all then? Maggie looked around, spotting another human moving down the hallway as they reached the second floor. A maid perhaps, holding a bundle of linen and hurrying along with the movements of one on a mission. Ux¡¯thu headed down the same hallway, the roof covered in curved glass or crystal to let in the light. ¡°When Nora lived here they had enough children for a little school.¡± Electra said. ¡°I imagine we still do.¡± Ux¡¯thu chuckled. ¡°Every now and then they do ask for new or unique learning modules. I suspect we have a budding pilot amongst our youngsters as a matter of fact.¡± ¡°And you allow it?¡± Electra asked, frowning at Ux¡¯thu. ¡°Of course. Am I not the one who convinced Vala¡¯ni¡¯si¡¯l to accept both Theodrakis and S¡¯il Vala Tomas into their halls? And proved that humans can do more than just sow discord and violence.¡± Ux¡¯thu beamed with pride, his iridescent eyes sparkling. ¡°They can be captains, s¡¯il vala, pilots, who knows what else!¡± ¡°They always could, they just never had a chance.¡± Electra said, although she seemed a little bit thrown off guard by Ux¡¯thu¡¯s enthusiasm. Maggie glanced at Robin, who was frowning slightly. Apparently it was a rarity for humans to go to this Valaknee... whatever it was. The word didn¡¯t get an exact translation, but Maggie got the sense that it was some type of college from the context they used it in. ¡°Well, now, slowly, they are getting the chance. Here you are, I¡¯ll have some refreshments sent in.¡± Ux¡¯thu set a paw against a gel plate positioned more for a human than a Silvarian, a door sliding open silently onto a large room with a completely open wall on one side. The warm sea breeze carried the scent of flowers and water, and sunlight flooded the room. ¡°These are your rooms Maggie, please make yourself at home.¡± Chapter 33.5 - Proof
We know that our planet has been visited by various alien species. We know they have taken our people, and that they don¡¯t always return them. What we don¡¯t know, is why.
-The United States Department of Extraterrestrial Defense
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Ross left the bathroom in a bit of a daze. The mark hadn¡¯t been there before, he knew it hadn¡¯t been there before, and it was too regular and clean to be some kind of bruise. A tattoo would be believable, but when would he have gotten it? And what would the meaning behind it be? A triangle with dots lined up to each point? Perhaps an image search would give him some answers. Or he could just accept aliens as the answer. ¡°Well? See anything?¡± Bobby looked at him with rapt attention, unable to hide the excitement in his eyes. ¡°Any odd markings, scars or bruises?¡± Numbly, Ross nodded and lifted his shirt to show the marking, ignoring the awkwardness as both Bobby and Theo moved in close to look at it. ¡°It wasn¡¯t there last I checked, and I can¡¯t think of anything that would have left that mark.¡± Theo pulled out her phone, snapping a quick picture of the mark before straightening and heading back to the table, already tapping at her phone. ¡°It¡¯s a pretty basic shape, but I can¡¯t think of anything that would leave that type of mark either. The dots look like puncture wounds, but what about that triangle?¡± ¡°Could it be a tattoo?¡± Bobby asked thoughtfully. He straightened, and Ross pulled his shirt back down with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s not a tattoo. It feels like cuts.¡± Ross looked over the notes spread out on the table, and the white board with its list of names. He picked up a marker, drawing the symbol on the board in one corner. He didn¡¯t like the idea of having been abducted, but sometimes the most absurd answer was the correct answer. ¡°I¡¯ll get back with you about any nightmares. Did either of you notice Mr. Greene¡¯s bookstore for sale on the way here?¡± ¡°No way, he swore he¡¯d never sell!¡± Bobby hurried to his computer, starting to pull up websites. ¡°It might not be connected, but it¡¯s weird enough to look into.¡± The first website Bobby pulled up was the local real estate office¡¯s site, a quick scroll finding Mr. Greene¡¯s bookstore for sale on the main page. But the second website- ¡°Bobby, how do you have access to the police stations computers?¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Uhm- I, don¡¯t?¡± Bobby said, his voice rising a bit as he shifted the computer slightly. As if Ross couldn¡¯t see right over his shoulder, did Bobby think he was stupid? ¡°Bobby.¡± There was a warning in Ross¡¯s voice, and Theo ducked behind her own computer with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m just looking at the most recent police reports! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m erasing parking tickets or anything like that.¡± ¡°Bobby, that¡¯s a closed system for a reason. Do you have any idea how many laws you¡¯re breaking to get into it?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you on leave though? And we need a comprehensive list of not only the people missing but any other odd things that are going on as well. I¡¯ll just take a peek at the police reports, and Theo can look at social media. Unless you¡¯d rather look at the police reports?¡± Bobby sounded so reasonable, as if this was the type of thing he did every day. Ross sincerely hoped that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°I¡¯ll look at the police reports, you look at some of the social media with Theo. We¡¯ll cross-reference what we find.¡± Ross sat down, taking the computer from Bobby. It was better if he looked at them than a college kid! Bobby pulled out his phone, starting to scroll through social media, talking with Theo about which platforms they would each cover, and what they would be looking for. The trio fell into a busy silence, each engrossed in their own tasks, jotting down names, dates and notes. By the time the sun started to set, they had added three more names to the list of missing people, and a list of events that might relate to aliens. Theo grabbed one of the dry erase markers, starting to write down their information. ¡°So we have one confirmed sighting of an alien spacecraft, and two UFO sightings, both after Maggie disappeared. We also have the suits that showed up shortly after Maggie disappeared, but there seems to be two groups of them. One is obviously from the government, they¡¯re working with the police and following the proper channels. But the other group are skulking around the junkyard, and asking people weird questions.¡± Theo said as she wrote on the board, her voice taking on the same tone she used in her news broadcasts. ¡°We also have three more people other than the Kaye¡¯s added to our list of missing people: Doc Zimmerman, who took a sudden sabbatical without telling anyone, Professor Hill, and Elliott Westen, who runs the junkyard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d classify Doc Zimmerman as a missing person, although the timing is odd. But Professor Hill and Elliott Westen are both legitimate missing persons. No one has seen either of them in the last 48 hours, and their families have both filed reports with the police department.¡± Ross looked at the few pictures they had managed to pull off the internet, the faces of the missing people, the strange men in suits that were going around the town asking questions, and the blurry pictures of things lifting up into the sky, including a shot of the RV lifting up into the sky. ¡°The timing is more than odd, he cancelled appointments he¡¯s had for months, and just up and left!¡± Bobby said from his spot perched on the couch. ¡°Not only that, but his car is still in his driveway. If he went on sabbatical, why didn¡¯t he take his car? Even if he was flying out somewhere it¡¯s not like he could just walk to the nearest airport.¡± Theo nodded in agreement, sitting back down at the table. ¡°Of course there¡¯s things that could just be coincidences, and we don¡¯t have much proof that anything fishy is going on. But I think we¡¯re on to something here.¡± Ross studied the white board, now full of notes and pictures. He looked at the two college students, kids he had always thought were just a bit too into science fiction for their own good. ¡°I think we¡¯re on to something, but now what do we do with the information?¡± Chapter 34 - Prisoner
The more I explore the Lantis ship more I think there¡¯s something wrong with them. There are rooms with beds, dressers, and belongings, but no people in them. There are wide open hallways, but I¡¯m the only one that walks them. And then there are the voices, always the voices in the back of my head whispering their memories. The memories of people frozen in the pods that encrust the ship layer upon layer, kept alive by a technology only the dead understand.
Log Fragment B-96
--------------------------------
This had to be the most surreal moment of Maggie¡¯s life. Not when she was abducted by Theseus and Robin, or her first close-up glimpse of a nebula, or even seeing Galaux Station and its many different people. No, all that was weird, but in a strangely normal way now. But sitting in a garden on an alien world, with her aunt next to her and her mother and father across from her? That was the weirdest thing she had encountered so far. Especially with the PDA between her mom and dad. They were holding hands like boyfriend and girlfriend, Theodrakis¡¯s chair pushed close to Nora¡¯s wheelchair. ¡°So, uhm, what now?¡± Maggie asked, rolling one of the juice-filled balls between her fingers, too nervous to actually eat it. As far as she could tell the round foods was a bit of a novelty concept on Galaux Station, since she hadn¡¯t seen as much since leaving it. But the bite-sized juice bubbles seemed a common snack even here. Maybe it was an easy way to drink juice while in the water. ¡°Now we take you back to Earth.¡± Nora said firmly, earning a frown from Theodrakis. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy Nora, she has a Key, she needs training. And what if something happens to her like what happened to you?¡± His eyes darted to Nora¡¯s legs, and his frown deepened. ¡°You should all stay here, there¡¯s a chance that we can help get your legs working again.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to let that woman experiment on her, Theo. She can¡¯t help herself, you know that as well as I do. Reshka¡¯i wants nothing more than to learn more about Ancient¡¯s technology, no matter who she hurts to do it.¡± ¡°That woman did seem a bit eager, but maybe they can help find the ship.¡± Maggie caught a glimpse of Te¡¯chik out of the corner of her eyes, gone when she tried to look directly at her. The voices were one thing, but this almost seeing people thing was going to drive her nuts. ¡°I¡¯d like to learn more, but going back to Earth... I want to go home. I want to go back to being normal, and just worrying about school. I don¡¯t even know how many assignments I¡¯ve missed for my classes!¡± If someone had told Maggie even a month ago that she would miss going to class, she would have laughed. But the truth was she wanted that mundane schedule back, the boring job at the laundromat, the crazy nights at the Study Hall with the sleep deprived students and professors working and playing as the campus news station played in the background. ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re worried about school? The Star Eaters could be coming and you¡¯re worried about missing assignments.¡± It was the little girls voice this time, incredulously echoing through her mind. Maggie popped the juice bubble into her mouth to resist the urge to answer out loud. She was worried about the Star Eaters, she could feel the dread from Te¡¯chik and the little girl each time they came up. Whatever these Star Eaters were, they were bad news. ¡°I¡¯d like to have at least a little bit of normalcy in my life.¡± Maggie said with a sigh. ¡°If I have to deal with the Key and the Star Eaters or whatever, can¡¯t I at least finish out the semester back home, and say goodbye to everyone? I can come back afterwards!¡± Theodrakis frowned, looking at Nora. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. What if Earth¡¯s governments get ahold of you?¡± ¡°They never got ahold of Mom, and hardly anyone really believes in aliens anyways. It¡¯ll be fine!¡± ¡°We would have to be very careful.¡± Nora said, a trace of doubt entering her voice. ¡°The town is still considered a safe haven for previous abductees, it shouldn¡¯t be that big a problem.¡± Electra said, reaching over to grab one of the juice bubbles for herself. ¡°And it would be nice to get back to the shop, Becca has to be wondering where I¡¯ve gone by now, and I haven¡¯t had a chance to teach her how to do payroll.¡± ¡°Listen to yourselves, do you really think you can just return to Earth like nothing has happened?¡± Theodrakis stood up and started to pace, folding his hands tightly behind his back. ¡°I understand the desire to go back, but even if the Silvarian¡¯s would allow it, even if Ux¡¯thu convinced them, there¡¯s too much risk. Our spies believe the Freedom Coalition knows you¡¯re alive, and you can¡¯t guarantee that town is still safe with all the activity around it. It sounds like there¡¯s been at least three spaceship incidents in the last month: Theseus and Robin entering the town, then leaving with Maggie, and then you and Electra leaving the same way. Returning would bring the incidents up to four and greatly increase the chance of government attention.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Theo, Maggie is right about hardly anyone believing in aliens. And we have people in the police department that can smooth things over.¡± Nora said calmly. ¡°The worst that would happen is gossiping about it all on the campus news station.¡± ¡°Teddy would have fun with that.¡± Electra said with a laugh. ¡°So would Bobby, but Nora is right, that¡¯s as far as it would go. By the time we get back any government agents will have moved on to other issues. It isn¡¯t as if the country isn¡¯t enough of a mess to keep them busy without adding aliens to the mix.¡± ¡°Aliens are probably already added to the mix.¡± Theo pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. ¡°And how do you expect to even get off this planet?¡± Electra smiled, the wrinkles around her eyes getting deeper. ¡°It isn¡¯t as hard as you would think, Theodrakis.¡± ¡°Nora, do you really think this is a safe idea?¡± Theo turned to Nora, holding out a hand imploringly. ¡°It¡¯s Earth! With it¡¯s warring governments, poverty and pollution....¡± ¡°You can¡¯t say the wide universe is that much better, and remember, you agreed with the idea of raising her on Earth in the first place.¡± Nora took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. ¡°She¡¯s in no more danger there than she is out here.¡± ¡°That was before she had a Key. In fact, the whole point was to avoid this type of situation.¡± Theo sighed and sat back down, raking a hand through his short hair. ¡°She can¡¯t go back.¡± All eyes turned to Ux¡¯thu, who stood in the doorway leaning heavily on his cane. He smiled, although his eyes were sympathetic. ¡°There are too many dangers in a Keyholder returning to Earth, especially when the Freedom Coalition is aware of your existence. Flame is out there somewhere, she may still try to seek you out. And then there are the dangers of Earth and it¡¯s people. So no, you will not be going anywhere Maggie, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Are you just going to keep her a prisoner then?¡± Electra asked sharply. ¡°You can look at it that way if you wish. But I see it more as not letting someone put themselves in harms way. You were lucky not to be found when you went to Earth and taken by their governments, and Nora did not survive the trip unharmed. I will not allow the same thing to happen to my granddaughter.¡± Ux¡¯thu turned and waddled away from the door. ¡°Reshka¡¯i will be by in the morning to pick you up Maggie, get some rest.¡± And then he was gone, the sound of his cane clicking along the tile floor fading in the distance. An uneasy silence fell over the table, Electra and Nora exchanging looks. They had the same expressions they had when they wanted to talk but didn¡¯t want Maggie to hear what they were talking about. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll change his mind? Maybe?¡± Maggie asked. Surely he couldn¡¯t keep them there! Her mom and aunt had their own ship, and her dad was captain of one! If they wanted to get off the planet they had the resources to. Didn¡¯t they? ¡°I doubt it. But don¡¯t you worry about it. Go ahead and get some rest. We¡¯ll talk tomorrow.¡± Nora rolled her wheelchair around the table, leaning over to give Maggie¡¯s cheek a kiss. ¡°Everything will be alright.¡± Great, it wasn¡¯t even dark yet and she was being sent to bed like a little kid! She considered arguing, but instead just let out a sigh and kissed her mother''s cheek. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Irritated at herself, Maggie headed up the stairs to her own quarters, no less luxurious than the quarters on her father''s ship. But all she was interested in was the bed, and her tablet. She needed to talk to Robin, he had at least as much to lose as she did in this case. And while she was sure that her mom and aunt would try to make a plan to get them back to Earth, she wasn¡¯t sure that they would be thinking of Robin when they made their plans. Of course there was also the problem of these Star Eaters, and the ship left frozen in the snow. She had to find it and see about freeing it¡¯s people. Maggie paused outside her room, staring at the door blankly. Freeing its people? They were probably long dead! Te¡¯chik was dead, she was pretty sure of that at least. With a frown, Maggie opened the door to her room, heading over to her bed and the tablet that lay on it. She flopped down into the soft mattress, staring up at the ceiling. Robin flowed out of the tablet like some weird genie coming out of a magic lamp, sitting on the bed next to her. ¡°Stressful dinner?¡± ¡°You have no idea. It was so weird seeing my mom and dad together, I can¡¯t even pretend he isn¡¯t my dad anymore, they¡¯re so into each other. And my aunt is acting so different too, I just can¡¯t get over her having a gun, let alone aiming it at people. She bakes cookies for Christ¡¯s sake!¡± ¡°People have many different sides.¡± Robin looked down at her, smiling faintly. ¡°You¡¯re just seeing a side you haven¡¯t seen before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like it.¡± Maggie frowned, picturing her aunt with the gun again. She hadn¡¯t looked like an action hero, but she had obviously known what she was doing with it. ¡°She didn¡¯t even flinch when she pointed the gun at my dad. I don¡¯t think she would have had any problem shooting him.¡± ¡°She¡¯s protective of you, that¡¯s not a bad thing. You need some protecting.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Robin grinned and tapped her nose, leaving a feeling like a tiny electric shock. ¡°It means exactly that. You¡¯re a Keyholder, and no one knows where your ship is yet. Once you figure that out, everyone is going to want it, and you. You¡¯ve already seen that with Flame and Ux¡¯thu.¡± Maggie rubbed her nose, scowling at Robin. ¡°Maybe it should just stay lost.¡± She said it, but she didn¡¯t mean it. There was a part of her that needed to find the ship, she just didn¡¯t understand why yet. Chapter 35 - Dont You Have Enough Clothes?
They call them Star Eaters. Monsters that live in the void between the stars and drain the life from system¡¯s suns, leaving nothing but scorched husks behind. They¡¯ve destroyed entire planets, although no one understands why, when they could just leave them plunged into darkness. Some people have theorized that it¡¯s a twisted mercy, a quick death compared to the drawn out one that would follow a star''s demise. I think it¡¯s retribution for trying to protect our suns.
-Log Fragment B-64
¡°I know you want to go home, but if the Star Eaters come you may not have a home to go back to.¡± The little girl with silver hair stood stiffly in front of Maggie, fists clenched at her sides. ¡°None of us may.¡± Maggie paced across the floor of the crystal ship, chewing on one of her thumbnails. ¡°What are these Star Eaters anyways? Why are you so sure they¡¯re coming? And why the hell is it my problem to deal with?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be selfish! It¡¯s your problem because as far as we know, your ship is the only one in good enough shape to use the weapon against them. As for what they are...¡± The little girl, Nee¡¯la, looked at Te¡¯chik. ¡°They¡¯re monsters, they suck the energy out of stars, plunging entire systems into darkness.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve destroyed whole planets too.¡± Te¡¯chik said grimly, although she still seemed occupied balancing a crystal dagger on her finger. ¡°Burnt them to a crisp. There¡¯s a reason we fled rather than fight them.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t keep running away. We have to make a stand!¡± Nee¡¯la stomped a foot. ¡°Surely even you have to admit that, convict!¡± ¡°Sure. But I can¡¯t blame Maggie for wanting to go home either.¡± Te¡¯chik flipped the dagger into the air, catching it by it¡¯s hilt. ¡°She¡¯s almost as much of a kid as you are.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a kid.¡± Maggie bristled, her own fists clenching. It wasn¡¯t fair, she hadn¡¯t asked for any of this! And was there even a point to this conversation? It didn¡¯t seem like she had a lot of choice in what she did or where she went. Ux¡¯thu was determined to keep her on Silva Prime, or at least in the grasp of the Silvarians, her mother and aunt wanted to take her back to Earth, and the Freedom Coalition wanted her dead! ¡°I¡¯ve got literally centuries on you, to me, you¡¯re a kid.¡± Te¡¯chik chuckled and threw the dagger at the wall, embedding the tip in the already pock-marked metal. ¡°Are you even alive still? I had assumed you were both some kind of ghosts, or hallucinations.¡± Maggie paused in her pacing, staring at the pair with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Good question. The kid should still be alive, I put her in stasis with the others.¡± Te¡¯chik said with a frown. She materialized another dagger, balancing it on the tip of her finger once more. ¡°I don¡¯t feel dead, but then, how am I supposed to know what dead feels like?¡± ¡°The Key cannot pass onto a new holder until the previous one dies. But the memory of the previous holder lives on to advise and guide the new Key Holder.¡± Nee¡¯la sounded like she was reciting some kind of instruction manual or textbook. Although she did look apologetically at Te¡¯chik. ¡°You¡¯re more a memory the Key holds than anything, we both are.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Te¡¯chik said thoughtfully. After a moment, she just shrugged. ¡°Well there¡¯s that. Who knew a memory could still get so damn bored. Not fair I tell ya.¡± ¡°None of this is fair. Maggie, please, you¡¯ve got to help us.¡± Nee¡¯la turned her attention back to Maggie, her expression pleading now. ¡°You have to help all of us! If the Star Eaters come then they¡¯ll devour this galaxy too, star by star until there¡¯s nothing left but darkness and death.¡± A shiver ran down Maggie¡¯s spine. What could she do against something that could destroy an entire galaxy? But she had to try, didn¡¯t she? If nothing else, she lived in this galaxy, her family lived in this galaxy. Countless innocent people, both human and non-human lived in this galaxy. She thought of Tommy and Jo, and let out a sigh. ¡°Fine. But how am I even supposed to find the ship or get to it?¡± ¡°The Silvarians can help you get to it. As for how to find it, it¡¯s time and past you learn the finer points of space navigation.¡± Te¡¯chik grinned and tossed the dagger into the wall as she stood up. Maggie woke up to sun streaming through the windows, and a dull headache as if she had just finished a marathon study session. The memory of star charts and equations danced behind her eyelids, and she let out a groan. Who knew navigation required so much math? Te¡¯chik was pretty good at breaking it all down, but it was still a lot, and she wanted her to continue studying during the day! A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°You have a lot to catch up on.¡±Te¡¯chik¡¯s voice sounded like it was coming from behind her, but Maggie didn¡¯t bother turning around. She wasn¡¯t actually there. Not physically anyways. ¡°I need to give my brain a rest before it turns into mush.¡± Maggie said defensively and rolled out of bed, her feet sinking into the soft carpet. What she really wanted to do was stay in bed all day, but she knew that Reshka¡¯i would show up at any moment to take her to training, and she wanted to be dressed when the woman showed up. Preferably dressed and caffeinated, but she didn¡¯t want any of the seaweed tea that the Silvarian¡¯s drank. What she wouldn¡¯t give for a good, unhealthy, ice cold soda chock full of sugar and caffeine. Or Becca¡¯s special blend of coffee and hot cocoa. She sighed as she shuffled over to the dresser, pulling out one of the outfits Ux¡¯thu and Theodrakis had given her. It seemed like they were all thin, flowy and simple. Too bad she didn¡¯t have any of the jumpsuits she had gotten on Galaux Station. Or maybe some of the other fun clothes they had out there. There had been some styles that made her think of cyberpunks that had been pretty cool. As it was though, she was stuck dressing like a beach hippie. With a shrug, Maggie pulled on the clothes, stepping into open-toed sandals. Maybe she could convince them to get her some jumpsuits, or better yet, let her go shopping. There had to be someplace around here to buy some clothes. ¡°Robin, you awake?¡± Maggie looked around the room until she spotted the rooms computer station. She sat down at the polished wooden desk, the computer turning on as soon as it detected her. The screen was setup similar to a tablet screen, with a small collection of icons, and most of the screen taken up by a search box. There was no keyboard though. And to be fair, even if there had been a keyboard it wouldn¡¯t have been one Maggie knew how to use. ¡°I don¡¯t actually sleep.¡± Robin said as he popped into view beside her, leaning over her shoulder to look at the crystal slab that served as a computer screen. ¡°You slept in a bit, Reshka¡¯i will be here any moment.¡± ¡°I figured, but I want to try and find some things too. Think you can work on it while I learn how to move stuff with my mind?¡± Maggie looked up at Robin, smiling in spite of her headache. She had gotten so used to Robin¡¯s constant presence. Did that mean she was taking him for granted? Or was it normal to be so attached? She couldn¡¯t imagine doing any of this without him. ¡°Sure, what do you want me to look for?¡± She could feel his breath against her cheek as he spoke, and it sent a shiver down her spine. Firmly, she turned her attention to the screen, a blush rising in her cheeks. That was stupid, he didn¡¯t even breath! He was a ghost! ¡°Current star charts, and if there¡¯s a place to shop for human clothes around here.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Theodrakis give you enough clothes?¡± Robin asked, glancing at the dresser and wardrobe. ¡°How many clothes do you need?¡± ¡°I want some jumpsuits, like what I had on Galaux Station. I know jeans are too much to ask for.¡± She had looked at prices for jeans at Galaux Station, and they were insane, if you could find them for sale at all. A patched jean jacket had been almost as much as the stations equivalent of a motorcycle! ¡°Those did look cute on you.¡± Robin smiled appreciatively. He shrank down to his chibi size, and stood in front of the computer, the screen flickering as he interfaced with it. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. Be careful in training, and remember, you can¡¯t trust that woman.¡± ¡°I remember.¡± She blushed deeper at the compliment and stood up. Was he flirting with her? No, that was stupid. A guy could give a girl a compliment without it being flirting! Maggie shook her head, ignoring the snickering from Te¡¯chik in the back of her head. ¡°You alright?¡± Robin looked at her, an eyebrow raising. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just thinking silly thoughts.¡± Maggie said. ¡°Like what? I could use a good laugh.¡± There was no way she was going to ask him if he was flirting with her! Luckily, a soft chime rang through the unit before she could answer. ¡°I¡¯ll uhm, tell you later.¡± She was halfway to the door when the chime rang again, and she rolled her eyes. The woman could be patient at least! She opened the door to the furry, frowning face of Reshka¡¯i, a human boy standing just behind her with a case almost as big as he was. ¡°Magdeline, are you ready?¡± ¡°I go by Maggie, but yeah, I¡¯m ready. I don¡¯t suppose you know where to get something caffeinated around here, and maybe some food?¡± Had she missed breakfast? It still felt pretty early. ¡°You will eat after training. Follow me.¡± And without waiting for a response, the little Silvarian turned and headed down the hallway, followed by the struggling human boy. ¡°Do you need help carrying that?¡± Maggie fell into step next to the boy, looking at the case. He couldn¡¯t be much older than ten or twelve! Startled green eyes looked up at her, and he quickly shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡± Reshka¡¯i said, not bothering to glance back. ¡°These first few sessions will be here, until I can convince your Grandfather of the importance of taking you to the main research facility. If you want to lighten his load help with that so that he doesn¡¯t have to carry the equipment so far.¡± ¡°My father seems pretty keen on me not going to that research facility.¡± Maggie said. ¡°Actually, most everyone I know except you and Ux¡¯thu seem to think me going there is a bad idea.¡± ¡°Narrow minded fools, we make important progress at the research facility, and we have the equipment to train you more fully there. But we¡¯ll start with what we have now. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll come around eventually.¡± Reshka¡¯i led the way into a small, windowless room with a single table. Light seemed to emanate from the very walls, ceiling and floor, eliminating any shadows. The boy lugged the large case over to the table, sliding it on it. ¡°Today we are going to do two things. First, we will start to acclimate your mind to controlling computer systems. We are also going to delve into your mind to see if there are any clues as to where your ship is. Go ahead and sit down.¡± Maggie hesitated, looking at the mysterious case uneasily as Reshka¡¯i started to open it. ¡°How are we going to do that?¡± ¡°Sit down and I will show you.¡± Reshka¡¯i smiled, opening the case to show a complex machine with multiple switches and dials, one half taken up by a crystal screen. Chapter 36 - Mindscape
The mindscape is a powerful thing, although dangerous. Certain minds are too alien, too different to create a coherent mindscape with current technology. However, any mind that can handle a Key can handle the creation and exploration of a mindscape, although the subject may experience some discomfort.
-S¡¯il Vala Reshka¡¯i, Head of Research, Silva Prime
Maggie eyed the device as she sat down, the crystal screen lighting up but showing nothing. She couldn¡¯t trust this person, she knew that. But what other choice did she have? Run? To where? Her parents were here, and she couldn¡¯t just leave her family or Robin behind. Not to mention she was only barely learning how to navigate a ship! How much of the navigation Te¡¯chik was teaching her would even work for a ship like The Bard of Avon, or her father¡¯s ship? ¡°Now, try your best to relax.¡± Reshka¡¯i pulled a roll of wires from the case, each one tipped with a tiny bead. ¡°There may be some discomfort but this will not cause permanent harm.¡± ¡°The last time someone told me that something would cause some discomfort it hurt like hell.¡± Maggie tensed as Reshka¡¯i approached her with the cords, watching suspiciously. ¡°What are you going to do with those things?¡± ¡°These are sensors, I am going to attach them to you. There may be a slight sting but you are perfectly safe. Do I need the boy to hold you, or will you stay still?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t he have a name? You could at least call him his name.¡± Maggie gripped the arms of the chair, holding herself still as Reshka¡¯i pressed the first bead against her skin. There was a moment of cool pressure, and then the feeling of something biting into her. She yelped, looking down at the bead as it turned red. ¡°Ow!¡± ¡°I told you to relax. If you must know the boys name, it¡¯s Kevin.¡± Reshka¡¯i said dismissively, and pressed another bead against Maggie¡¯s skin. ¡°These sensors will help us build a mindscape for us to work in, don¡¯t worry, I will be wearing some as well, and depending on how this session goes we won¡¯t have to keep using them. Part of it depends on how honest you are with me.¡± Maggie grit her teeth as the Silvarian attached more sensors to her, most on her head, but also on her arms, hands and feet. By the time she was done, Maggie¡¯s headache had gotten worse, and the little sensors felt like they were on fire. ¡°Can¡¯t imagine why I wouldn¡¯t be honest.¡± She said sarcastically, her knuckles white on the arms of the chair. ¡°Indeed, and yet people still try to lie.¡± Reshka¡¯i shook her head, starting to apply the sensors to herself. ¡°Do you want something to help with the pain?¡± Could she trust anything that came from this woman? But the burning felt almost as bad as when she first got the Key, her eyes blurring with tears. How the hell was Rishka¡¯i not in pain? ¡°This is a lot more than discomfort!¡± ¡°I told you to relax.¡± Reshka¡¯i sighed as if this whole thing was an inconvenience to her, and pulled a tube from a small drawer in the side of the machine. ¡°Of course it will be more than discomfort if you don¡¯t relax.¡± How was she supposed to relax when it felt like angry fire bees stabbing at her arms? She shot a glare at the Silvarian, but held her tongue. She had to trust that her father at least wouldn¡¯t let this woman near her if she was going to hurt her. Right? Although she had only just met the man, her momma seemed to like him well enough. ¡°This will help relax you, and ease the pain.¡± There was a small smile on Reshka¡¯i¡¯s face as she pressed one end of the tube against Maggie¡¯s skin. With a soft hiss a cooling sensation started to spread through her body from the sight, numbing the pain and almost immediately making her head fuzzy. Maggie leaned back in the chair with a sigh of relief. Kevin watched anxiously from next to the machine, taking the used tube from Reshka¡¯i. The Silvarian moved to perch on a chair that looked more like a nest than an actual chair, curling her long body comfortably on the cushion. ¡°We will begin. Kevin, turn on the machine.¡± ¡°Yes S¡¯il Vala.¡± Kevin said, worry obvious in his voice. He reached over, turning one of the crystal dials all the way to the left. A high-pitched hum filled the room, washing against the plain walls and ceiling and increasing in volume until it was all Maggie could hear, all she could feel. She closed her eyes against the force of it, gripping the chair tightly, she might have screamed. But suddenly the sound was gone. Maggie stumbled in the deep snow that surrounded her, falling to her hands and knees in it. ¡°What the hell?¡± She gasped, looking around in the bright sunlight. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Interesting.¡± Reshka¡¯i said from behind her, floating about a foot above the snow. She looked down at it in distaste, the cold wind ruffling her thin fur. ¡°An ice planet, or planetoid perhaps. It certainly doesn¡¯t narrow things down.¡± Maggie pushed herself to her feet unsteadily and looked back at Reshka¡¯i. ¡°What did you do? What is that thing you plugged us into?¡± ¡°A machine which helps manifest and share mindscapes. I am sure you¡¯ve seen this place? Perhaps in your dreams? Are there others here as well?¡± Without waiting for answers, Reshka¡¯i floated towards the massive ship half buried in the snow, her opalescent eyes lighting up as she studied it. ¡°Yes I¡¯ve seen it in my dreams.¡± The answer came out before Maggie could even think to lie. She hesitated a moment before trudging through the snow after Reshka¡¯i, determined not to tell her anything more. She didn¡¯t need to know about Te¡¯chik or Nee¡¯la. She didn¡¯t need to know anything about this place or the ship! ¡°There¡¯s two others I¡¯ve talked to.¡± What the hell? Maggie put a hand over her mouth, eyes widening slightly. ¡°Two others?¡± Reshka¡¯i looked at Maggie in surprise, her head tendrils floating up in interest. ¡°Tell me about them.¡± ¡°One is a former Key Holder, she was a convict, being a Key Holder was her sentence. The other is a little girl called Nee¡¯la.¡± The answer spilled out even as Maggie tried to hold it in, and she clenched her fists. She was not going to answer questions about this place! What was wrong with her? ¡°A little girl? That¡¯s interesting. You¡¯ve talked with them a lot? Surely enough to find out such things about them.¡± ¡°A bit.¡± Maggie had to concentrate to force herself not to disclose any further information, the strain of it making her shake. Reshka¡¯i smiled, sharp teeth glinting in the sun in a predators smile. ¡°Tell me more about them. What have they told you about the ship? About where it is?¡± ¡°Te¡¯chik is teaching me navigation so that I can find it. They¡¯re not sure where exactly it is except towards the edge of the galaxy. They couldn¡¯t make it to an actual planet so they crash-landed here. Nee¡¯la says there¡¯s a weapon on the ship that we need to use against the Star Eaters. What the hell?!¡± The words came out in a rush that was almost painful, and Maggie clasped both hands over her mouth, her eyes wide. She definitely didn¡¯t want to tell this woman about the weapon! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the drugs to help with the pain also help with honesty. As does the connection between us. But on a positive note, we shouldn¡¯t need to use the mindscape machine often at this rate. Take me inside.¡± ¡°Not a chance you furry little bitch.¡± Oh if her aunt or mother heard Maggie¡¯s language she¡¯d get in so much trouble! ¡°I insist.¡± Reshka¡¯i smiled wider, and her voice echoed weirdly as she spoke. ¡°Kevin, she needs some convincing.¡± Maggie looked around for Kevin, but didn¡¯t see him anywhere. At least that was one less person in this mindscape as Reshka¡¯i called it. ¡°Who are you talking to, he isn¡¯t eve-¡± Maggie¡¯s voice caught in her throat as pain cascaded through her, and she dropped to her knees with a scream, wrapping her arms around herself. The pain lasted only a few minutes before it stopped, but it left her shaking and gasping for breath. ¡°Now, take me inside the ship.¡± Reshka¡¯i said, smiling wide. ¡°Or do we have to repeat the lesson?¡± Maggie glared at the sadistic little Silvarian, pushing herself to her feet. She had never felt so angry at someone before. Robin had told her not to trust her, but she wasn¡¯t even trying to be trusted, she just wanted to be obeyed. And Maggie wasn¡¯t even sure what she could do about it. ¡°You fight of course.¡± Te¡¯chik said, suddenly standing on the other side of Reshka¡¯i. She grinned ferally, tossing a dagger up and down in her hand. ¡°If I¡¯m memories, then you have them, you know how to hold a blade even if your body doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°You must be the convict.¡± Reshka¡¯i turned in the air, looking at Te¡¯chik with disdain. ¡°You¡¯re not quite human, but I¡¯m not sure what you are. One of the Ancient¡¯s?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Te¡¯chik tossed her dagger to Maggie, who grabbed it out of the air with an ease that felt unreal. For a moment she just stared at the dagger in her hand, shocked that she had caught it. Not only had she caught it, but she had caught it without cutting herself! ¡°You cannot harm me in the mindscape.¡± Reshka¡¯i said, letting out a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t even try.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find out how true that is.¡± Te¡¯chik said, another dagger materializing in her hand. ¡°Maggie?¡± ¡°R-right.¡± Maggie lunged forward clumsily, her dagger breezing by Reshka¡¯i without a scratch. Te¡¯chik looked at her in disappointment, and shook her head. ¡°You can do better than that. You just need to let the memories guide you.¡± ¡°Tell me about these memories.¡± Reshka¡¯i said, her whiskers perking up slightly. ¡°You seem to think that she¡¯ll be able to access yours?¡± Let the memories guide her? Maggie shifted her grip on the dagger, not sure what Te¡¯chik meant either. Nee¡¯la had said Te¡¯chik was just stored memories, but she seemed much more real than that. She was a friend, a guide. Maybe she should let Te¡¯chik guide her then. She swung the dagger again, this time slicing through one of Reshka¡¯i¡¯s head tendrils, earning a look of shock from the Silvarian as silver blood dripped into the snow. ¡°Kevin, another lesson.¡± Pain coursed through Maggie again, her body arching before falling to the ground. She let out a groan, tears running down her cheeks to freeze in the snow. Somewhere nearby, she heard Te¡¯chik yell. ¡°Stand up! This is your mindscape, not hers, so stand up!¡± ¡°You are more trouble than you¡¯re worth.¡± Reshka¡¯i said in disdain. ¡°Dismiss her Maggie, all you have to do is focus.¡± She had no intention of dismissing Te¡¯chik. If she could dismiss anyone, it would be Reshka¡¯i. Maggie renewed her grip on the dagger, and pushed herself to her feet. This time she launched herself at the Silvarian with a rage that didn¡¯t seem quite her own. The dagger buried itself in the Silvarian¡¯s chest, a look of shock spreading over her furry face before she exploded in tiny motes of light. Chapter 37 - We Need To Go
The first person I killed was my old man. I ain¡¯t sorry about it either, he was a damn bastard and deserved it. But I will say it¡¯s true what they say, a little bit of you dies each time you take a life. Makes me wonder how much of me is left alive now. Sometimes it doesn¡¯t feel like much.
-Log C-15, Te¡¯chik
Maggie¡¯s eyes snapped open with a gasp, and she yanked sensors off her frantically. She barely registered Kevin in the corner of the room, hyperventilating, barely saw Reshka¡¯i¡¯s body slumped in it¡¯s nest-like chair, eyes open and silver blood dripping out of her mouth. She just knew she had to get out of here. Which meant she needed to get her family and Robin, preferably before anyone found out what had happened here. A small, cold part of her mind considered killing Kevin. It would be so easy to snap his neck, or make a dagger to slice open his throat. A wave of sickness and revulsion washed the thoughts away though, and she ran to the door. No, she didn¡¯t want to kill anyone! ¡°Sometimes you have to. But you¡¯re right, he¡¯s just a kid.¡± Te¡¯chik said. And Maggie had the feeling the other woman was running beside her in the hall, back up the stairs and to her room. ¡°He might tell someone before we can escape.¡± Maggie gasped, stumbling on one of the stairs before righting herself and continuing on. It wasn¡¯t far, even in the big house. ¡°It¡¯s a risk we¡¯ll have to take.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Maggie pushed open the door to her room, grabbing her tablet, earning a surprised look from Robin. ¡°Maggie? That was fast. Wait, are you alright?¡± ¡°We have to go. Can you tell me where my family is?¡± Robin frowned, but saved his questions for later. Behind him the desk computer flashed a rainbow of colors, before a map appeared on the screen. ¡°They¡¯re in your mother¡¯s room, on the first floor.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Maggie looked at the map, before turning and running out of the room, Robin¡¯s chibi avatar floating along beside her. They didn¡¯t talk, and Maggie barely remembered the hallways that flashed by, the few people she saw only looking at her oddly but not questioning why she was running through the building. She didn¡¯t question her luck, only praying it would hold out. She knew Ux¡¯thu wouldn¡¯t let her leave, but what would he do if he found Reshka¡¯i dead? She was sure the Silvarian woman was dead, she had killed her. Somehow she had killed her with her mind. A small bubble of hysterical laughter tried to escape, and she swallowed it down with a force that made it feel like she was swallowing a rock. As she burst into her mother¡¯s room, three sets of eyes looked up: her mother, father and aunt. No Ux¡¯thu, that was good. But her aunt was immediately at her side, alarm in her eyes. ¡°Maggie? Sweetheart what¡¯s happened?¡± ¡°I killed Reshka¡¯i.¡± The words spilled out before she could stop them, and her aunt¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I killed Reshka¡¯i, we have to go.¡± ¡°How? Why?¡± Electra shook her head, taking Maggie¡¯s hands in hers. ¡°She was in my mind and it hurt, and I stabbed her in my mind with Te¡¯chik¡¯s dagger. I stabbed her and she¡¯s dead and we have to go!¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Who is Te¡¯chik?¡± Theodrakis said. ¡°Te¡¯chik is a memory, or a ghost, or a Key Holder. She gave me the dagger and I killed Reshka¡¯i we really should go now.¡± ¡°Where is the dagger and Reshka¡¯i now?¡± Theodrakis brushed a lock of hair out of Maggie¡¯s face, frowning at the welts the sensors had left on her skin. Why weren¡¯t they moving? They needed to get to a ship and go before they arrested her and threw her in space prison! ¡°Is space prison any different than normal prison?¡± Te¡¯chik asked doubtfully. ¡°How am I supposed to know if space prison is different than normal prison? It¡¯s still prison and I don¡¯t want to go to prison!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to prison Maggie.¡± Nora rolled her wheelchair up to the little group, reaching up to take one of Maggie¡¯s hands. ¡°My dear, you¡¯re shaking like a leaf!¡± ¡°Because I killed Reshka¡¯i and we have to go! Where¡¯s your ship? We can use that.¡± Maggie looked around as if she would be able to see the ship from the room. But she couldn¡¯t see anything even resembling a space ship. ¡°Maggie, I need you to calm down. Where is Reshka¡¯i?¡± Theodrakis looked Maggie in the eyes, his own calm and serious. The map she had glimpsed of the house rose up in her mind, and she mentally mapped out the route to the room she had left Reshka¡¯i and Kevin in. She had never been able to do that before, not like this at least. She had never been that great at directions! ¡°Down the hall, turn left, follow that hall to the end, turn right, third door down.¡± Theodrakis nodded. ¡°The rest of you stay here, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°Maggie, come sit down dear.¡± Nora rolled her wheelchair over to a couch, patting the cushion gently. Electra followed, guiding Maggie. Why were they so calm? Why weren¡¯t they all running? Didn¡¯t they understand what had happened? She had told them what had happened! ¡°We need to go!¡± Maggie insisted, but she sat down, her aunt sitting down next to her. She clutched the tablet to her chest, holding onto it for dear life. ¡°Let Theo see what happened first, then we¡¯ll see if we need to go right now. Do you know what happened Robin?¡± Nora kept her voice calm and even, a soft smile on her lips even though there was worry in her eyes. ¡°She just came into her room saying that we needed to go.¡± Robin shook his head, his own face creased with worry. ¡°She hadn¡¯t even told me about killing anyone.¡± Nora nodded, and reached over to take one of Maggie¡¯s hands, gently prying it from the tablet. ¡°Tell me exactly what happened Maggie, slowly.¡± Maggie¡¯s eyes darted to Nora, ice cold fingers curling around her hand. She took a deep breath, trying to force herself to let it out slowly with little success. ¡°Reshka¡¯i came to my room to pick me up for training with Kevin. We went to a room with no windows, and she hooked me and her up to a machine. Then we were in the snow by the ship, and I couldn¡¯t lie to her, and I couldn¡¯t let her tell people where the ship was. Where the weapon was. And then Te¡¯chik was there, and she had a dagger. And I killed her with the dagger. Then I knew I had to run, so I woke up and Kevin was in the corner, and I ran to get Robin. Then to get you.¡± ¡°What did the machine look like?¡± Nora asked, her voice still calm. Had she missed the fact that Maggie had killed someone? She didn¡¯t seem at all concerned about it! ¡°It was in a case, a big silver case, and had a lot of dials and switches, and all these cords that ended in bees. I mean, in beads. They were beads, not bees. They felt like bees. And she put the bees on me and her, and then we were in the snow.¡± Maggie looked down at one of the welts on her hand, staring at it. ¡°She gave me something too, something to help with the pain.¡± Maggie added as an afterthought. Nora nodded, glancing at Electra. ¡°It sounds like one of the machines she uses to induce a mindscape visit. But I don¡¯t recall her ever attaching it to herself as well.¡± ¡°With good reason apparently.¡± Theodrakis said from the doorway. His expression was grim, his back stiff. ¡°She is dead, I¡¯ve already sent a message to Ux¡¯thu. It wasn¡¯t your fault though Maggie, you can¡¯t kill people with your mind, it simply isn¡¯t possible. The most you can do is control computer systems.¡± ¡°But I killed her! I stabbed her and when I woke up she was dead!¡± Maggie said, her voice rising. ¡°You didn¡¯t kill her.¡± Theodrakis dropped to one knee in front of her, staring up into her eyes. ¡°But we are going to have a S¡¯il Vala look at you to make sure you¡¯re alright. You¡¯ll like this S¡¯il Vala, I promise, he¡¯s just arrived on-world and is on his way here with a- with a friend.¡± ¡°But I killed her, I remember killing her.¡± Maggie sobbed, tears running down her face. Why didn¡¯t they believe her? Theodrakis had even said that the woman was dead! Nora wrapped Maggie in a hug, rocking her gently, awkwardly, from her wheelchair. ¡°Hush dear, it¡¯s alright. Just take slow breaths and everything is going to be alright.¡±