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A Little Mischief
((Finally back on the normal schedule!))
The pretty ginger apex was waiting for them at the Outpost teleporter. She offered them a very charming little smile and also a hug for Marcy.
âNyota asked me to pass one along from her,â she explained. âI donât know if she meant that literally, but people do seem to like a good apex hug. Are you well?â
âI am, thanks.â Marcyâs voice was understandably muffled. âApex hugs are amazing.â
âWould you like one too?â The apex offered to Mihre.
They looked pleased, but also a little hesitant. âFloran are not very nice to hug, really.â
That only earned them an encouraging smile and open arms. âIt is quite alright. I am used to hugging Floran.â
âOh?â Their dark eyes glittered with curiosity and mischief. âWell, well. So he does have some luck after all.â
The apex laughed and blushed as Mihre accepted her offered hug. Clearly she knew exactly what they were on about.
âItâs Eldie, right?â Marcy asked as they let go. âI havenât been to the ship yet. Which way is it?â
âIt isnât far,â Eldie reassured her. âOut this door and past the shady gentleman there. Oh, but do stick close.â She adjusted her shawl almost self-consciously. âThe hylotl at Legal Goods can be a very insistent salesman if he catches you alone.â
âShady gentleman,â Marcy echoed. She obeyed the advice, falling in step beside Eldie almost as easily as she once had with Nyota, what felt like a lifetime ago. No, donât think of that. âI think this is the first time Iâve heard those together.â
Eldie giggled. Coming from anyone else without such a strong aura of innocence, it would have sounded downright conspiratorial. âMr. Pete does his best to earn it, really. He might be sad if I called him anything less.â
Marcy laughed too. âWould he really? He sounds like you, Mihre.â
Mihre made a noise halfway between chuckle, rasp, and purr. âReally, now. To quote that lovely human classic you like so much, I am no man. But shady gentleplant does have a nice ring to it. Oops!â
They sidestepped, caught a fast-moving wrench that was aimed at their kneecaps, and lifted it (along with its furiously-wriggling penguin owner) up to eye level with a deliberately casual ease. âAh, so itâs that Mr. Pete,â they said cheerfully. âHello, Toppy. I see your feathers grew back evenly.â
âYeah, only took two molts,â Toppy said, a bit grudgingly. âYou been practicinâ, huh? Canât hear the hiss now.â
âItâs good for businessss,â Mihre replied smoothly, drawing the sound out for comedic effect as they set their feathered burden down. âWell I am here on business⌠Catch up later?â
âYou better,â Toppy grumbled. âGive my regards to the toothy sprout and old Boss. Hey, give my wrench back?â
âLater.â Mihre patted his head. âDonât sulk, my dear bird, we both know you have spares.â They flipped the wrench in one hand as they caught up to the two women, who were watching them with bemused stares.
âWell, that was something,â Marcy said. âI canât actually think of a word for it. Good job.â
Mihre chuckled and handed her the wrench. âNot often I break Marcy. Ms. Eldie, I didnât scare you?â
âNot badly,â Eldie reassured them. Her fur was only a little fluffed up. âI did get used to seeing that sort of thing over the past few months. Would he really have hit you if you were not so quick, or was it just in play?â
âOh, itâs always in play,â the floran told her, âeven smacking my knees. But that is neither here nor there, yes?â
âThat is a fair answer.â Eldie laughed and led them out of the little outskirts market. It was only a few steps from there, to Marcyâs shock. The ship was docked just behind the asteroid, out of sight except from a nearly hidden path down the back. It looked like it had been in a few scuffles recently, from the small dents and space dust splattering the hull. A glitch was diligently painting the words Cherry Jubilee beside the airlock hatch as a lime-green novakid cleaned some of the dust away beside him.
âExcited. Hello, Eldie,â the glitch called as they got close. âWelcome back. And you would be Marcy, correct? Itâs a pleasure to meet you in person at last.â
âSame here,â Marcy told him. âYouâre Sonnyâs boyfriend Arrowmail, right?â
âFlustered. Boyfriend? Er, Iâ â His eyes flashed brighter and he broke off with a strangely novakid-like whistle as Sonny fizzed a bit, leaned over, and lightly touched her brand to his cheek. âError. My goodness. Error. Please stand by.â
âOops. Sorry âbout that,â Sonny giggled, clearly not the slightest bit sorry. âWhy donât yâall go on in? Captainâs waitinâ.â
Oldarva smiled and patted Arrowmailâs shoulder as she passed. âWeâll do that. Do go easy on him, wonât you?â
Sonny just fizzed again and flickered in a mischievous wink. âWeâll see.â
Reforged
It felt like singing, but without sound, like it was pulling a strange harmony out from deep in her bones. Nyota half-closed her eyes as the beautiful warmth surged up and through her and eased the bruises and cold away. They did not heal, but the pain faded until she could pretend it was gone. The ancient energy coalesced around her hands and dripped down to coat the staff, purple light mingling with red.
âGoll-ee,â Sonny murmured. âThatâs the nicest thing Iâve ever seen.â
âYou think so?â Hadley asked. âLooks spooky to me.â
âWell sure, itâs spooky.â There was a strangely wistful tone in the Novakidâs voice. âBut it sure feels right.â
Lumen hummed and leaned against her. âWell ainât that odd. We feel the same way⌠So whatâs it doinâ, Arjun?â
Arjun shook his head. âJust wait and see.â
Nyota laughed softly. âThat means he doesnât know.â The staff was almost hot in her grip. Soothing and unnerving at the same time.
Lana stepped closer. Nyota could feel her strength even through the simple touch. âLean on me. Youâre shaking,â she said quietly. Â
Nyota leaned back against her, and the note changed. Like it was in answer. The staff shiftedâshe gasped as the metal flowed under her hand. It should have burned. It didnât. The disconnect froze her hand in place even as instinct screamed at her to pull back. Steam hissed up from the red crystals at the staffâs crown, droplets chipping away and leaking back down the shaft.
âWhat the heyâPull your hand back,â Tarvei hissed, eyes wide. His hand locked on her wrist, Lanaâs on her shoulders, but Nyota couldnât have let go if she wanted to. And she did not want to.
âNot yet.â She tilted her head up to catch their wide, urgent eyes, trying to push her own calm in through just the force of her stare. âItâs alright. It isnât hurting me. I knowâit looks bad.â
âThat is an understatement.â Lanaâs grip tightened.
Nyota pressed her head against Lanaâs shoulder. âLana. Trust me.â
The grip did not relax, but Lana did not pull. âAfter all you have endured today, is this worth the risk?â
Something clicked in the surge of power, and the resonance surged through her throat to bare her fangs in a breathless grin. âIt is.â
The red began to glow brighter, stronger than the purple ancient energy. Something was missing. Nyota tried to focus harder, somehow push the ancient energy into it. She had no energy left to give.
Lana reached forward with her free hand to support Nyotaâs hand. âThen this once, Captain, I allow it. And you will take my aid.â
Other hands joined Lana, against Nyotaâs shoulders and back. Arrowmail, Oldarva, Namina. Tarvei and Sonny helped Hadley step forward to join them. Hadley just grinned at Nyotaâs surprise. âWhat? If weâre having an all for one moment again, we gotta do it right.â She stretched up to tap Nyotaâs nose before joining the others. âAnd weâre not letting you do something probably stupid on your own again.â
âDang right, that.â Lumen patted Nyotaâs shoulder as he tucked in beside her; Nyota could feel Lanaâs quiet, rumbling, purr-like laugh. âIf ya gotta do somethinâ crazy then I say ya get a chaperone for it. At least two. Doctorâs orders.â
And as his hand touched Nyotaâs arm, the violet light vanished. The sudden void left Nyota reeling. Only the strong arms around her kept her upright.
Arrowmail whistled. âAnxious. Did we break it?â
âNo.â Nyota lifted the staff off the anvil and watched the red sparks cascade down. They burst as they hit the floor, four droplets each, like blooming flowers. She lifted the staff higher to let it catch the light. A new crystal had formed at the base and black ribbon formed a firm, soft grip along the shaft. The wing-shaped crystals at the tip glowed brighter than before, and there was more in their depths now than just red. She let go of it. It stayed there in the air as if waiting for her hand again.
With your desire to protect, the echo inside her whispered. And theirs to protect you.
Arjunâs grin returned as he realized they succeeded. âNot bad,â he said, the kind of understatement that came when the full excitement hadnât quite hit yet. âLooks sharp now. Howâs the weight?â
âWell-balanced.â Nyota spun it slowly in one hand, watching the light swirl and dance within the crystals. There was something different, warmer, about the energy inside it now. âWe will have to test it later. âŚmuch later,â she said as she felt the weariness sink into her bones again. âTarvei, may I askâŚ?â
She broke off with a little hoot of surprise as Lana scooped her up again.
âSorry, sis,â Tarvei said, grinning as Nyotaâs ears turned crimson. âShe outranks me.â
âI only needed support,â Nyota protested. âIs this entirely necessary, Commander? It is hardly dignified.â
âYou may complain of dignity when you are not practically falling on me,â Lana told her, following the laughing crew toward the portal back to the asteroid. âNow get some sleep, and let your second handle the rest.â
All for One
((Kae can do sappy silly titles from time to time))Â
Lana stared at the door for a few moments before marshalling her voice. âCaptain Saimiri,â she said, âI know better than to ask what just happened there. But you should know that you get yourself into the strangest situations.â
Nyota made a sound halfway between a grunt and a snort. âMy dear commander,â she said, mimicking Lanaâs formal tone, âyou donât even know the half of it.â She leaned against Lana with a heavy sigh. âIf you do not mind, I would like to just stay here for a few minutes. That took a lot out of me.â
Lana sat back and tucked her arms under Nyotaâs elbows. âYour medic is going to lecture you.â
âLet him try. He didnât stop me.â Nyotaâs vague scoff sounded more like a sigh this time. âEither way, heâs tried to lecture me before.â
She felt the short, deep hum of Lanaâs laugh. âI have no doubt about that. Defiant Saimiri.â Lanaâs fingers threaded through her bangs and brushed them back away from her eyes. âYou should come with me when you are done here. Arkadis will want to hear about what you found.â
âArkadis⌠Yes.â Nyota closed her eyes and tried to muster her energy. âAly said he had tried investigating here before. Itâs a wonder the Occasus didnât hurt him.â
The throaty snarl startled her and Nyota opened her eyes again.
âWonder is a word for it,â Lana growled. She caught her temper, let out a long breath, and resumed stroking Nyotaâs hair again. âApologies.â
âDonât.â Nyota touched her wrist gently. âYou can be open with me.â
Lanaâs hand stopped, then curled around Nyotaâs and squeezed it briefly. âThey have harassed him and his camp at every other turn,â she explained. Her voice was calmer and more measured now as she held her anger in check. âWe have so much to deal with from the Miniknog. And then these scum join in.â
Nyota hummed and returned the squeeze, trying to push her sympathy into her grip. âHow long have they been harassing you?â
âNot quite a year, by the Earth count,â Lana told her after a moment of running calculations. âYou will have to talk to Arkadis for more than that. His camp has borne the brunt of it.â
âI see.â Nyota fell silent again and turned her mind to her body, the cold brushing bare skin and the dull aches in her joints, the rising warmth of her own life, the rise and fall of Lanaâs breath. She had expected to feel stiffer. She probably would feel stiff after a proper sleep. The thought pulled up a short laugh, more of a snort really. Since when do I get a proper sleep?
Nyota focused on her legs, her back, remembered what muscles and joints were (and gravity, cursed gravity). She tried to remember how to move again.
Lana caught her as she fell back with a stifled huff. âHelp me up, please,â Nyota asked, gripping Lanaâs hand again, half to steady herself and half in thanks.
Lana just held her more securely to keep Nyota from trying again and accidentally hurting herself. âYou should rest longer.â
âI know. I will.â Nyota locked eyes with her. âI want to be with my crew.â
Lana held her gaze, then slid her arms under Nyotaâs back and knees. âVery well,â she said, and didnât bother hiding the small smirk at Nyotaâs sharp inhale as she stood up. âYou will let me handle the heavy lifting.â
Nyota was entirely too tongue-tied to reply.
âHa, donât you look comfortable,â Hadley said with a broad smirk as Lana returned to the rest of the group.
A few dozen snarky replies flicked through Nyotaâs mind, as if she was a decade younger and gossiping with an old friend, but she settled for a nearly smug smile and leaned a little more into Lanaâs shoulder. âI am very comfortable.â The humor faded as she examined all of them, from Arrowmailâs fresh dents to the bandage around Sonnyâs shoulder. âI should have checked on all of you as soon as I woke up. I am sorry.â
Lumen waved off the apology. âAinât no harm in lettinâ yer second handle that, maâam,â he told her frankly, âsince Iâm yer medic anyhow.â
Nyota smiled, but shook her head. âAnd I am Captain. There are some things I need to do personally.â She held out a hand to her crew. âMay I ask your forgiveness for the lapse?â
Arjun was first to put his hand on hers. âJust donât make a habit of it.â
Sonny fizzed and elbowed him. âOh, knock that off, olâ man. We all know you settled that âcause youâve been gushinâ over the cool stuff she found with you this whole time.â
Arjun just grunted and took Sonnyâs hand to put on Nyotaâs.
âFascinated. Is this like that all for one, one for all gesture I have read about?â Arrowmail asked. Sonny fizzed again and pulled his hand in.
Nyota just laughed. âI had been thinking of a handshake, but you can decide this one.â
Hadley snorted, grabbed Lumenâs and Tarveiâs hands, and pulled them both in. âFace it, Captain. Youâre stuck with us.â
Triumph
Arjun gritted his teeth. Their little barricade was not going to last much longer. He shored it up where he could, pulling in more snow and rock from the roomâthe Matter Manipulator could not touch the ancient bricks that lined the walls and floor. Â They were damn lucky that the wisper ice kept the drone from bashing right through them. And he was getting readings of even more cultists by the entrance now.
âDammit,â he muttered. âReally turtle in the shell here. Canât stick our heads out or weâll get bit, but theyâll crack the shell at this rate.â He glanced at the others; Arrowmail had suffered a bit of a dent from slashing two of the cultists as they reached the barricade, but heâd done more damage than he took at least. Sonny was still gamely pelting their attackers with ice. But their enemies were learning too fast.
If we could just get behind themâ
Metal crashed hard on stone by the gate. Arjun ducked back on instinct, but he didnât need to. The cultists broke off with shouts of alarm, moving away from the barricade to face the intruder. Gunshots rang out, six in rapid succession. Metal shrieked in protestâunder the din, against all logic, Arjun heard a tiny click. Then the drone exploded.
Something crashed down on top of the cultist farthest from them. Arjun thought it was debris until it laughed and tore into purple robes with sharp green claws.
âSssorry for wait,â Namina called. âLights-friend said âblame the paperworkâ.â
Arjun snorted and brought his wrench down on a distracted cultistâs head. âWe donât use paper.â
Namina chuckled appreciatively. âThatâs what Floran sssaid. Lights-friend iss a few bulbs sshort of a sssparkler some days.â He ducked, grin never fading, as one of the Occasus took a swing at his head. His taloned foot returned the favor, dragging up sparks off hidden armor and knocking the cultist deep into a snowdrift. âSsstubbon ones,â Namina grumbled, flexing his singed toes. âCheap metal.â
âItâs sturdy enough,â Sonny said. She knocked a third cultist flat with a well-aimed ice ball. âHeehee, their noggins ainât protected, though. Good distraction, Namina. We owe you one.â
Namina reached over to ruffle her corona briefly, hissing but not jerking back too hard as the heat proved uncomfortable to his hand. âFloran sspecialty.â
âStop slackinâ!â Lumen called from the entrance of the room. He hissed like quenched iron and flared too bright to look at for an instant. Caught an Occasus by the collarââGive meââ gripped tightâ âaââ shovedâ âhand!â
âOops.â Namina saluted the trio. âDuty callss.â
âJust duty?â Sonny chimed softly and flickered brighter. âLights-friend, huh? That it?â
Namina glanced back and winked. Then he launched himself into the fray again, powerful legs taking him over the spike traps in one leap.
The Occasus had enough. Reinforcements incapacitated, drone shattered, targets fighting back, even the ice alive and attackingâthe highest ranked raised a hand and shouted to the rest, then locked eyes with Arjun. âIâll remember your face, traitor.â
Arjun tugged his scarf down and spat in the manâs eye. âYou do that.â
Namina grabbed Lumen and hauled him back out of the way as the cultists vanished in searing bursts of light. He let go as the displaced snow tumbled down in thin flurries. âNassty trick,â he muttered, watching the sooty spots on the stone where their enemies had stood.
âThe hey was that?â Lumen asked. He smoothed out a wrinkled sleeve. âSome weird kind of teleport? Never seen it damage the ground before⌠Well.â He straightened up properly, just in time to get tackled by Sonny. âOof! Howdy, lilâ Glowbug. I missed ya too. Still in one piece? What happened to yer shoulder?â
Sonny hugged him tight like she could squeeze everything scary away. âIt donât matter. Ainât a big deal. Listen, you gotta go in after her. She stayed back there.â
Lumen patted her head until she loosed her grip a little. âSteady on, Glowbug. Itâs a darn sight I ainât got ribs or ya mightâa cracked them there.â Â
âNyotaâs still in there,â Arjun said. He pulled his scarf back up to protect from the chill air; ice had already started forming on his scruffy sideburns. âGo help her before she gets in over her head again.â His hip caught hard and he stumbled.
Lumen caught him, glowing gently. âSteady, there. Ya had a long rough day.â
Arjun tried to wave him off with absolutely no success; the medic firmly eased him down, which eased his aching hip more than Arjun cared to admit. âStop bothering with me already. Our captainâs fighting some big stone thing in the heart of this place. You, Namina, pick me up so I can guide you back there.â
âDonât ya worry, we donât need that.â Lumen started checking Arjunâs injuries and handed him some painkiller pills to help with his joints. âWeâre already ahead of ya there. We tracked her earpiece signal, sent our best in after her. And donât ya worry, she was still breathinâ when we beamed off-ship. But some of the doors in this place locked up a bit. Best we can do from here is hope our firebrand gets to her in time.â
He looked up at Arjunâs face and put a hand on the old manâs shoulder. âAnd she will, so donât ya worry none. We sent exactly what our captain needs.â

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Defiance
Arjun clicked quickly through the Matter Manipulatorâs options. Nyota tended to avoid damaging the planets they crossed more than she had to; it was a sparse assortment of stone, dirt, and snow. Not enough stone to wall off the passage entirely. He was about to suggest just hiding in deeper when he spotted the traps.
âAlarmed. Those look terribly sharp,â Arrowmail said as Arjun clicked the long wooden poles into place.
âThey are,â Arjun agreed. âIâd bet Nyota raided a Floran hunting ground for these. Nasty things. Wonât kill anything without the long drop those Floran like making, but theyâll make people think twice about charging in.â He was fervently glad that he had read the Protectorate magazine so faithfully for all those years. The Matter Manipulatorâs controls were exactly as the articles had claimed, and that was a good thing. He didnât have time for errors and fumbling.
Arjun could feel the eyes of the roomâs inhabitants on them, but the creatures either remembered their loss earlier, or decided that no one in the little group looked worth eating. The weight of their stares was almost as heavy as the penetrating cold, though nothing had surfaced from its hiding place just yet. Arjun hoped they stayed that way.
He placed the second layer under a layer of slush to make them an even nastier surprise. Some brash idiot would always try to force past in a situation like this. Better to make them a warning, right? Heâd heard the rebels talking about this kind of defensive tactics before. Never thought heâd have to put it to the test, not like this. But heâd find his friends when this was all done and thank them, every one of them.
Then the portal crackled open and he didnât have time to think.
A metal hand seized his shoulder and hauled Arjun back behind the barricade as Sonny shoved the last chunks of ice and dirt into place to buy them time. She was crackling with bright fear and had to pull back fast so the raw heat rolling off her didnât melt the wall.
âOh, now that ainât fair,â she all but wailed as she saw what came through. âThey got another of them drone things?â
âSteady,â Arjun growled. He couldnât hide his fear, not from her, but knowing that just made him more determined to fight back and show her that they didnât need to be afraid. He grimly refused to think of what the first one had done to Hadley. Â
âIâm tryinâ, Iâm tryinâ,â Sonny said, her nervous laugh warbling through the words. Arjun tightened a hand around her shoulder before she could yield to hysterics and she closed her fingers over his, humming and glowing. âI know, olâ man, Iâm fine, I just⌠I wish I was more of aâa half-baked nova, at least. If I could just shoot worth a darn, we might not be in this stick.â
âYou think you could take that thing down by shooting at it?â Arjun asked quietly.
Sonny laughed again, quiet and bitter and the strangest kind of hopeful. âNo, but I sure would rather go down beside ya than stay back and watch.â
She didnât have time to say anything else. One of the Occasus shouted somethingâthey spotted their quarry. Sonny grimly drew her knives and got ready to fight for the first and last time for the folks she loved.
Arjun wasnât sure why the creatures answered then, but he suspected afterward that it was because of Sonny. Maybe she could talk to them somehow with that reading of hers, or maybe they just liked her bright glow. Arjun himself held, later, that they recognized something in her that was worth loving. Because when the first Occasus shot breached a weak point their snow barricade and caught Sonny right in the shoulder, the whole room came alive, and even he could feel them seethe.
âAlarmed. Get backâSonny, are you alright?â Arrowmail caught Sonny as Arjun shoved some ice in to fill the gap.
âYeah, Iâm fine, Iâm fine,â Sonny insisted. âWatch out, donât touch it!â She slapped a strip of nanowrap over the venting hole to cut off the flow of scorching plasma and whistled in relief. âWhoo-ee, that one smarts. Theyâve got good blasters, huh? Hey old man, donât stand so close there.â
Arjun didnât answer. He was too busy staring at the wave of living ice.
It was like the floor had come to life. Dozens, hundreds of wispers rose from the snow. If weâd known how many there were, we would never have come in here, Arjun thought with frozen horror, but they ignored him and his friends, focused on the heavy machine that had invaded their domain. Some of them began to spit ice, shoring up the wall. Others flew toward the machine, heedless of the danger as it struck out at them. Some wispers vanished into steam as the energy bolts caught them, but it couldnât fire fast enough to stop them from spitting ice at its joints and blasters, coating them in thick ice.
âWhat in the world?â Arjun breathed. Were they helping? But that made no sense. âDo they plan to eat it or something?â Â
Sonny reached out to touch one as it shot past and her color flared bright with wonder and surprise.
âGramps, they're fightin'.â She turned her face to him, shining with hope and something he couldnât quite name. âThey've been stuck here so long, just stuck and fearinâ, and now here's somethin' they can do. I dunno what they fear, but theyâre tired of fearinâ.â She shivered with bright wonder. âTheyâre fightinâ.â
Several Occasus shouted in alarm as they dove for cover to avoid the crossfire between their drone and the furious wispers. Arjun smirked in grim satisfaction; Nyotaâs odd words from before clicked in his head at last. He grabbed a dropped pistol as it skittered past across the slush. Value of life, huh? Time to keep living.Â
Deep Ice
((Rule One of any adventure: donât split the party-))
The warden glowed brighter, as if it heard their challengeâalmost as if it liked what it heard. Nyota forced down the whisper of insight. It wasnât relevant. She could not afford distraction.
Aroneus, the whisper told her before it fell silent. This was once Aroneus.
What does that mean? Nyota focused and tried to force more answers out of it. Nothing. She told herself it wasnât important. The looming statue in front of her was.
âHeads up, Nyota!â Arjun grabbed her arm as a bird statuette lunged for her.
Nyota snarled and smacked it hard with the haft of her spear and sent it crashing into the far wall.
Arjun blinked in surprise, then shrugged his approval. âOr you could do that. Not a bad arm at all.â He shifted his grip on his wrench as the statue started moving again. âDidnât seem to hurt it much, though. I donât see any cracks on it.â
âItâs just testing the waters,â Nyota told him, eyes on the wardenâon Aroneus. âSeeing just how much effort weâll take.â
âWell thatâs comforting,â Arjun muttered. âMaybe we can make them break each otherâlike this!â He hit the other bird away as it made pass at them. The first bird jittered aside as its twin smashed into the wall beside it.
Nyota frowned as something tugged her attention. The stony defenses seemed impervious, but the birds dodged each other. Basic programming, or was Arjun onto something?
Her earpiece crackled, as did the air around her. Nyota dove to the side as Aroneus fixed its blank stare on her, moisture flash-freezing and clattering to the ground where sheâd stood just a moment before.
âCaptain, hope this ainât a bad timeââ
Nyota tapped the earpiece to activate the mic. âIt is, but speak quickly.â
Lumen hissed and swore softly, something Nyota had heard from him only twice before. âThe ships are movinâ in. They ainât fighters, lilâ scout-craft. Probably got armed folks on board.â
âUnderstood.â Nyota turned the mic off. Sheâd heard all sheâd needed. She pulled her Matter Manipulator from her belt. No guarantee theyâd find their way back here againâand the door is unsealed, she remembered, half-memory and half bright, dread certainty. Just one answer, then.
âUnderstood,â she murmured again, and shoved the device into Arjunâs hands.
He saw the relay light on and looked up at her, stunned and confused as he realized what she was doing and the logical side of his mind tried to fight the reality back down.
âI will keep my crew safe.â Nyota smiled and saluted him. âGo protect them until Namina gets there. Iâll be fine.â
She caught his understanding and fierce, firm nod right before the teleportation light swallowed him.
*
Sonny felt the hum of the portal change, felt something wrong. âArrow, get down!â
Arrowmail didnât ask why, and it saved his life. The portal surged as something outside tried to force it open, sending lances of blue energy searing across the stones. The bricks behind him blackened and melted as a bolt struck where his head had been. He grabbed Sonnyâs arm and pulled her away. She whistled softly and held tight, seething pale with fear.
âHey Lumen, whatâs goinâ on out there?â
Lumenâs voice was low and grim, distorted by the portal as it began to ripple with gathering power again. âFind cover. Now. Itâs damn Occasus outside, and theyâre tryinâ to get in. Looks like they canât get there easy without the key our Captain had, but that ainât stoppinâ them from tryinâ it anyhow.â
Sonny hissed and paled. âOh shoot, oh shoot. Arrow câmon, we gotta hide.â
âDespairing. Hide where?â Arrowmail asked, taking her hand. âIn the snowy chamber with the monsters, or the dead-end runes room?â
Sonnyâs light flickered and dimmed as she realized he was quite right. They didnât have anywhere to go, not on their own. She was dead weight in a real scuffle, and Arrowmail tried, but he was still new⌠And if they went in too far, Arjun and Nyota wouldnât be able to get out. She reached up with her free hand to touch the relay in her shirt pocket.
Arrowmail felt her fear and squeezed her hand gently, then drew his sword. âSupportive. Stay close to me, and we might manage the snow room at least.â He didnât feel confident, not to Sonnyâs sensitive touch, but he did his best to look brave anyways, to put on a show just for her, and it made her glow warm and brighten again.
âYa ainât on yer own,â Lumen told them. His voice was tense and anxious, but somehow firm and almost commanding at the same time. He sounded a little like Nyota. âIâm sendinâ Namina, and weâre gonna try to deal with the gang out here so they canât get ya. But get to safety anyhow, in case some get through. Weâll slow them down.â
âYessir,â Sonny said, and followed Arrowmail into the snows.
Sonny could feel the fear as soon as she set foot in the room. The creatures were hiding, desperate to avoid notice, but not from her and Arrowmail. Something real big and nasty, she realized, and shivered. Not here yet, but theyâre waitinâ.
The relay got hot and Sonny yanked it free before it could make her shirt smolder. âWhat in tarnationââ
It flashed bright and she dropped it. A moment later, Arjun scooped it up, knocked some snow off his shoulder, and rocked back on his heels to hug Sonny as she all but tackled him.
âHey, I missed you too, but we can do this later,â the old man said. He hefted the Matter Manipulator that Nyota had given him. âCaptainâs got her hands full, so youâre stuck with me for now. So letâs see what kind of tricks she left in this thing.â
Partnership
Marcy brushed at their foliage as it tickled her arm. âYouâre really determined today.â
Mihre grinned, wide and fanged. âFloran is always determined. This is why you asssked about the Ceremonial Bone the other day, yes? Clearly itâs important.â
âOn point, as always. Nyota told me that the Bone was linked to this⌠Gate she found. Not the one where she took this photograph.â Marcy tapped the screen again. âBut the carvings are similar, and she said they were probably made by the same culture.â
Mihre nodded appreciatively. âSame is a good start.â They scratched their carapaced chin thoughtfully as they studied the screen. âDo we know which culture?â
It made Marcy smile, how smoothly Mihre slid into using we for this. Instant partnership.  âWell, I donât really know it, or at least donât know much⌠But Nyota calls them Builders. I guess itâs a nickname. You see, hereâŚâ She tapped the screen to enlarge the image taken inside the Vault. âApparently theyâre talking about how theyâll leave their buildings behind, or something?â
The floran leaned closer to get a better look at the symbols. âBuilderss or Floran?â they asked, touching a symbol delicately with a thorny claw. âFloran use this sssame mark for house.â
Something clicked in Marcyâs head at that, there and gone too fast for her to catch it. But the idea of it remained, enough that she asked âCan you help me translate some of this?â
âPerhaps?â Mihre looked a little concerned, even worried at the sudden responsibility thrust upon them. âFloran can promisse nothing in quality. Never sseen mossst of these symbols before.â Their hissing accent got notably worse until they got ahold of themself.
âThatâs fine.â Marcy reached up to rustle their foliage affectionately, careful not to damage the petals on the large pale grey flower that grew from the back of their head. âI just need a little insight, thatâs all. Maybe you can help me pick up some nuance I would have missed.â
Mihre relaxed. âI can do that.â
*
Sonny hummed to herself as she rubbed her smooth hands over the walls. The blue lights werenât much good for her to see by, any more than her own faint green glow was, but that didnât bother her in the slightest. She could feel the echoes in the stone, the flickers where energy jittered and bounced around it. âSpark it again, Arrow,â she said. âReal gentle, now.â
âNervous. Iâll try.â Arrowmail crouched near her and very gingerly touched loose wires from his flashlight to the stone, one on either side of Sonnyâs hand, a little ways apart.
It was a very weak current, but it was just enough for Sonnyâs sensitive fingers. She felt where the energy bounced around imperfections, where it flowed smoothly under her hand, and hummed again in satisfaction. âThatâs it, alright. Thereâs somethinâ carved in this here stone. Gotten darn near smoothed out, though. Guess itâs so oldâŚâ
âDisappointed. We canât read it, then?â Arrowmail asked. He sat back and absently knocked a little fallen frost off his sleeve.
âI didnât say that. AlmostâŚâ Sonny ran her fingers over the faint marks again. âI think itâs⌠yeah. Get your pencil, Arrow. Might be able to do this.â
Arrowmail pulled his pencil and notebook out of his pack and scrambled over to sit closer beside her. âCurious. What are you planning?â
âCan you write stuff down as I say it?â she asked. Her glow focused in her hands, making the wall shine as it diffused through the thin sheets of ice. âI helped Lumen do stuff like this at the bar, takinâ down orders anâ whatnot. Ah, no, noâŚâ
âReassuring.â Arrowmail patted her shoulder. âI can transcribe it for you. I used to do this a lot in my old village.â
âNah, that ainât it.â Sonny sat back with a defeated sigh. âIt ainât gonna work. I canât âreadâ pictures to you. âcause these marks are all pictures. I can feel it where the stone got pressed in, all sharplike when they chiseled at it them long years ago, but itâs all pictures.â
Arrowmail gave her a comforting one-armed hug, patting her hand with his free hand. âHelpful. Can you show them to me, maybe? Try to draw what you see?â
Sonny huffed, frustrated. âI ainât much good as an artist, my handwritinâs all wobbly, yâsee? Like a chicken doinâ a tango. Wish I could jusâ straight-up show youâoh hey! Thatâs it!â
âConcerned. Whatâs it?â Arrowmail whirred as she touched his cheek, eyes flaring very bright.
Sonny giggled. âItâs so easy, why didnât I see it? Youâre energy, Iâm energy. We speak the same lingo. Just you focus on me, alright?â
âFlustered. Goodness. I mean, yes maâam.â Arrowmail put his hand over hers and took up his pencil again. Sonny reached over and touched the wall. He was entirely unready for what happened next. Light flickered in front of his eyesâno, in his mind? He could see the etchings on the wall as plain as if Sonnyâs own glow was filling in behind them.
Ohâhe was supposed to be doing something with these images, wasnât he?
The images vanished. Sonny had let go of his hand and was watching him, bubbling merrily. âYou got right lost in that, didnât you?â she asked. âSorry âbout that. Forgot it catches folks off, I shoulda warned you more. Made Lumen fall right over, first time I tried it.â
Arrowmail shook his head slowly, like he was trying to see through fog. âDazzled. All those lightsâŚâ
Sonny reached up to steady him and took his hand again. âYep. Thatâs how I âseeâ in rock and things. Donât worry, Iâll go slow this time. You ready?â