“WHAT HAPPENED??” ASKED Mina.

“The orbital station blew up,” replied Jem.

“No, I mean what caused it to explode? Our nano-bots didn’t do that much damage,” said Mina.

“We just witnessed an enormous explosion. I don’t know any more than you,” said Jem.

“Perhaps Brian and Laine caused the explosion,” said Mina.

“If they did, they wouldn’t survive the blast,” said Jem.

Mina was getting frustrated.

“Ship, please replay the video from just before the explosion. Play it at a tenth speed,” said Mina.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

On the tactical display, they watched a replay of the explosion.

“I see nothing helpful,” said Mina.

“The explosion started in the middle of the orbital station. It severed the lower half and projected it towards the planet,” said Ship.

“Ship, take us closer to the debris field. Send over maintenance bots. Search the wreckage for traces of Brian and Laine,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Mina, it will take time to examine the debris. We don’t have to wait around here,” said Jem.

They left the main bridge. Jem went back to her cabin and lay on her bed.

“Brian, what happened inside the station?” she said to herself.

She didn’t sense his presence. Sometimes she could tell where he was. But now she felt nothing. She felt alone. Perhaps this time he was dead.

Mina returned to her garden. She had seedlings ready to plant. Keeping busy was the best thing she could think of doing.

She loaded a trolley with her tools and the seedlings from her lab. Then she wheeled her trolley into the garden via the side door and to the section she intended to plant.

Mina walked over to the bench where Brian sometimes sat and meditated. That was Brian’s bench. She couldn’t imagine that he was dead. She just stood there and cried.

Mina had lost her husband and her brother to pirates, and now she lost Brian. It was too much.

After a while, she steeled herself. She wiped her face with a cloth.

“Ship, please prepare a plaque to go on this bench. Label it as Brian’s Bench, where he used to sit and meditate. We will miss him,” said Mina.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

After about a minute, Mina returned to her seedlings. She pledged to make this the best garden.

Mina planted with a mind to create the best view from Brian’s bench. She had learned a good deal from her recent visit to Dentra. The palace gardens were exquisite, and she gleaned much expert advice from the head gardener there.

A while later, Ship interrupted her work.

“Attention, Ensign Mina. I have the results of the search of the debris,” said Ship.

“I should find the Commodore,” said Mina.

“The Commodore is in her cabin, but she is not responding to my calls,” said Ship.

“We lost two of our best crewmates, Ship. She is grieving. I will visit her,” replied Mina.

“Acknowledged,” said Ship.

Mina tided up her work in the garden and left for Jem’s cabin.

Mina pressed the chime at the door to Jem’s cabin. There was no response.

“Ship, can you open the door please,” said Mina.

“You do not have the rank to override crew cabin door locks,” replied Ship.

“But you told me she was not responding. That makes me the highest ranking aboard this vessel. I need to do a wellness check on the Commodore,” said Mina.

There was a brief pause.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship. The door slid open.

It was dark inside the cabin. Jem was lying face-down on her bed.

Mina approached her bed and stroked Jem’s hair.

“I can’t believe they are dead,” murmured Jem.

“I miss them too. But we need to continue. Ship has results to share with us,” said Mina.

Jem turned and looked up at Mina. Her eyes were red.

“You better go wash your face. Then we can go to the main bridge,” said Mina.

Jem paused for a moment, then nodded.

She got up and visited her en-suite to clean herself up. Mina dialled up the brightness in the cabin.

Soon, they left her cabin for the main bridge.

We were no longer on the orbital station. It was a grey, foggy place.

By the lights on our space suits, I saw another obelisk in front of us, this one was in the ground like the others I’d seen.

“We did it!” exclaimed Laine.

“If we are where I remember, then keep your visor closed. The air isn’t breathable here,” I said.

I was still holding Laine up, so we hobbled closer to the obelisk.

I studied the inscriptions on this one. It looked familiar, but I didn’t remember all the details from last time.

“Laine, we can’t stay here. I will take us somewhere better, with a breathable atmosphere,” I said.

“Ready, Brian,” she said.

I held Laine and touched an inscription on the obelisk. There was a flash all around us.

I looked around to discover a clearing in a forest. The morning sunlight cast beams of light through the trees. In front of us was another obelisk.

“Where are we now?” asked Laine.

“I believe we are on Carolus four. This was where we tried to have a vacation, before the Varech disturbed us,” I replied.

“Awesome!” said Laine.

I cracked open my visor and took a breath. No adverse effects.

“The air is breathable here,” I said.

“Help me get out of my space suit. I need to check my ankle,” she said.

I took off my helmet and gloves, and I helped Laine remove her space suit. We wore jumpsuits underneath our space suits.

Laine used her personal device to scan her ankle.

“I didn’t break my ankle, it’s just bruised and sprained. Since we don’t have a medical bay, I need to get plenty of rest for a few days,” she said.

By now I’d removed my suit. I separated our equipment from the suits, and then I hid the suits in the bushes.

“We have about one or two hours walk to the beach. Can you make it with my help, or should we make camp here?” I asked.

“If we take our time, I’ll give it a go,” replied Laine.

I was glad with her response. I did not want to hang around near the obelisk. Who knows what creature might come through while we slept. I didn’t share my fears with Laine, though.

We hobbled through the trees together. It looked the same as our last visit, except without Varech pursuing us. I even saw a piece of Mina’s marking tape on a bush.

“How are you doing, Laine?” I asked.

“It hurts, duh!” she replied.

“When we get to the beach, I will make you a hammock under the trees,” I said.

“That would be nice,” said Laine.

The terrain was fairly level, no hills to climb or descend. In the distance, I could discern the sound of birds.

“We may be here for a long time. We have no way to contact our vessel. I figure this planet is the most pleasant place to wait,” I said.

“This is an uninhabited planet, rescue may be a long time coming,” said Laine.

“I must find a source of food and water,” I said.

“Water first. In this climate, we will dehydrate soon,” said Laine.

We stopped and sat on a fallen tree.

“While we are under the canopy, it will help slow our dehydration. Can your device scan for sources of water?” I asked.

“Not unless we are very close. You are more likely to see it first,” she replied.

I shrugged. “With all this lush vegetation there must be water nearby.”

After a rest, we got up and continued towards the beach.

“Listen! Can you hear that?” asked Laine.

We stopped, and I listened carefully.

“The trickling sound? It might be water,” I said.

“Yes. I think in that direction,” Laine pointed to our left.

I pulled a parts container out of Laine’s tool kit and emptied the contents.

“Wait here and I will investigate,” I said. I helped her sit against a tree.

I walked through the brush for a brief journey and came upon a small stream. Using the container, I got about a cup of water. I took a sip.

It tasted pure enough. If I had the tools, I would prefer to boil it first.

I drank another mouthful and then refilled the container.

When I got back to Laine, she was asleep.

“Laine, I got your water,” I said. I nudged her awake.

“Sorry, I’ve been up for hours and the climate is so hot,” she mumbled.

She took a sip of water, much like I did.

“It looks clear enough. When we can, we should boil our water to kill any parasites,” I said.

“I agree. It is refreshing though,” she said.

She continued to finish the container.

“Ready to continue?” I asked.

We got up and continued hobbling along towards the beach.

Jem and Mina arrived at the main bridge. They took a seat at the sofa.

“Ship, I understand you have an update for us?” asked Jem.

“Confirmed, Commodore. I have examined all the debris. I found no trace of Brian and Laine,” replied Ship.

“So, they weren’t aboard the station?” asked Jem.

“It is possible they were in the lower half, which burned up in the atmosphere,” replied Ship.

“We already know they were not aboard the shuttle,” added Mina.

“Ship, ping their ID chips. Perhaps they made it to the planet surface,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed… No response,” replied Ship.

“If they had escaped to the planet surface via an escape pod, Ship would have detected it,” said Mina.

“You’re right, Mina. It’s just that I can’t give up on them yet. Ship, anything else to report?” asked Jem.

“I found many androids in the wreckage. Also, the hull of the station is a unique alloy. I would like to bring samples of both aboard for study,” said Ship.

“The androids are inactive?” asked Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Go ahead. Exercise caution with the androids,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Anything else?” asked Jem.

“Negative, Commodore,” replied Ship.

Jem looked at Mina and sighed.

“Ship, update your records. Record Commander Brian and Ensign Laine as lost in action, as of this date,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Also, promote Mina to Lieutenant, as of this date,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

Mina’s eyes widened.

“Huh?” she asked.

“Congratulations Mina!” said Jem.

“Thank you, Commodore. I’d also like to honour the memory of Brian and Laine,” said Mina.

“What do you have in mind, Lieutenant? I’m not ready for any memorial service.” asked Jem.

“Earlier, I asked Ship to make a plaque for the bench Brian liked to sit on in the garden. For Laine, perhaps something in the lido?” asked Mina.

“She liked to swim there. Perhaps a sign that says Laine’s Beach?” offered Jem.

“I’ll take care of it. When we visit the garden or the lido we can remember them,” said Mina.

Jem smiled and put her hand on Mina’s shoulder. “Thank you, Mina,” she said.

“When you are ready, I’d like to visit Gorn’s bar on Ori Major. There we will drink to their memory. They did the same for my husband and my brother. They deserve no less,” said Mina.

Jem nodded, fighting back more tears.

Laine and I made our way slowly through the trees. By now the sun was high in the sky, and we were low on energy. We focused on putting one foot in front of the other. We were long past chatting.

In my mind, I searched for ideas to get in touch with Ship. I’d gotten separated before and I found my way back. This was different.

It was a long time since I’d eaten anything. We didn’t take any rations with us into the orbital station. My blood sugar level was getting low.

“Brian, can you hear that?” asked Laine. She hadn’t spoken for over an hour.

I stopped and listened.

“Sounds like the ocean. The surf crashing on the shore,” I replied.

The sounds encouraged us. We moved a little faster, even though I was running on empty.

Soon the trees got further apart. The sound of the surf was louder.

In the distance, I noticed the soil and grass giving way to sand.

We had arrived at the beach.

This was the beach from our vacation, but it didn’t look as I remembered.

The golden yellow beach was facing south, and the ocean was crystal blue water, as far as I could see.

The Varech had destroyed our former shelter. There were bits of walls and ceiling spread around on the sand. I saw upturned tables and chairs and cots.

“The Varech sure made a mess of our camp,” said Laine.

“You rest by this tree and I will find out what is salvageable,” I said.

Laine was too tired to argue.

I stayed on my feet, or else I feared I wouldn’t get up again. I wandered around the camp, picking at things.

In one area, I found various clothes strewn about, mostly bathing suits. I left them there.

I found a cot that was useable. Lane could use that. It would be better than a tree.

I flipped over pieces of the shelter to see what was underneath. I didn’t know what I might discover. It was a long time since we last visited here.

Then I found it.

The food dispenser, a portable one for our vacation. I remembered setting it up in the shelter.

The possibility of coffee put a smile on my face.

I looked back towards Laine, but she was asleep.

I examined this priceless treasure. The Varech had knocked it on its side, and it had a few dents to the casing.

Carefully, I cleared the debris around the food dispenser, and then lifted it up to a vertical position.

With much trepidation, I pressed the touch screen.

Somewhere inside, it made noises. On the display came diagnostics in Baglogi. It was trying to boot up the system.

I was glad I could read Baglogi. It was telling me about the issue. It even gave me repair instructions!

I smiled. This might be something I could handle without Laine’s help.

I rushed back to where Laine was sleeping. I found her tool kit and returned to the food dispenser.

If it needed spare parts, I was out of luck. I followed the directions on the display and removed a side panel. It was one that had a big dent in it.

The dented panel was obstructing the proper working of the food dispenser. I tried to restart it with the panel removed, but it kept giving me a safety error. I didn’t know how to override the error.

Without a replacement, I had to fix the panel. I leaned it against a horizontal log and tried kicking the panel. No luck!

Then I searched for a sizeable rock and dropped it on the inside of the panel from a height.

At one point, Laine woke up and looked for the source of the racket.

“Sorry I woke you! I’m trying to fix a dent in something,” I yelled.

She lay back down again.

I bashed away at the panel for a few minutes. By now, it looked reasonable.

I reinstalled the panel. It took an amount of flexing to make it fit now.

Then I tried the restart.

I saw the diagnostics in Baglogi, but they continued on past the point where it failed.

After about two minutes, a familiar menu in Ori appeared on the display.

I had the sudden urge to dance the engineer’s happy dance.

I looked back towards Laine. She’d said how we needed plenty of water.

I selected “ice water”. One glass of water with ice in it materialized.

I carefully carried the glass of water over to Laine and kneeled beside her.

“Wake up, Laine!” I said.

She looked up at me, and the offered glass of water.

“How?” she mumbled.

“I got the food dispenser working. Drink up your water!” I said.

She took the glass and drank until it was empty. Then she handed me the glass with a satisfied look on her face.

I went back to the food dispenser and got myself a drink. The fogginess in my head soon cleared. I wasn’t aware of the impact of the dehydration until now!

I wandered over to Laine. She looked up at me with her goo-goo eyes.

“Dinner will be served soon. I just have to organize a table and chairs,” I said.

“You’re amazing, you know. We faced certain death on that orbital station, and now we are having dinner on this perfect beach!” she said.

“On the station, I said our goal was to escape. Our new goal is to survive,” I said.

“And finding and fixing the food dispenser seriously increases our chances,” she said.

I smiled. I didn’t argue, I thought the same.

“Let me find a table before I get too tired,” I said.

Without waiting, I turned and wandered off in search of a table and perhaps folding chairs.

“So what’s next, Commodore?” asked Mina.

Jem looked at Mina, her brain stalled. In most cases, she would mount a rescue mission. But there was nowhere to go. Common sense told her they died in the explosion. There were no remains to confirm it. Without bodies, there was no closure.

“What’s next?” asked Jem.

“Do we stay here, or continue?” asked Mina.

“Ship, are we done here?” asked Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Ship, take us to our next stop,” said Jem.

“Confirmed. Recalling probes,” replied Ship.

On the tactical display, the blue dots representing probes all changed course to rendezvous with Ship. Soon they would leave this system behind them.

“We move on, Lieutenant. Keep an eye out for replacement crew members,” said Jem.

“Yes, Commodore,” replied Mina.

“I think I will visit the lido. How about dinner tonight and a movie?” asked Jem.

“Yes, that will be nice,” replied Mina.

It felt surreal. Jem got up and returned to her cabin. She changed into a bathing suit and walked to the lido.

She looked at her favourite hammock. Next to it was a table and chair that Brian had placed there. She sank to her knees beside the chair and cried.

IT WAS LATE afternoon on Carolus four. Our journey to the beach took about half a day. Then I spent a long time fixing the food dispenser while Laine rested.

After I’d found and fixed a table, I set it next to a fallen tree where we could sit.

I returned to the food dispenser and ordered two Quard dishes that I knew Laine enjoyed. She was from Quard, and I knew I was scoring major points for style. I took them to the table.

“Dinner is served!” I said.

I offered Laine my hand and helped her up and over to the table. We sat together on the tree and soon finished our meal.

“I needed that. Thank you, Brian. You’re incredible,” said Laine. More goo-goo eyes.

“I agree. The food was much needed. Now I need to rest. I’m wiped out,” I said.

“You have done a lot. I surprised we made it this far,” said Laine.

“Do you remember our escape from The Trading Post? That was a near impossible escape. Then there was Yastri. After such miraculous escapes, I can’t ruin our winning streak,” I chuckled.

Laine smiled.

“I promised your father I would take care of you. I have to face him with a clear conscience,” I said.

“You can do that, Brian. I look forward to taking you back to visit home. Now, it’s your turn for the cot,” said Laine. She gestured to the cot.

“Are you sure? Yell if you need help with anything,” I said.

“Yes, get your rest! You will need to build us a shelter later,” replied Laine.

I didn’t argue with her. I stood and went to the cot.

By the time I lay down in the warm climate, I was sound asleep.

Around dinner time, Mina went searching for Jem. She found her in the lido, asleep in her favourite hammock.

“Jem,” said Mina as she nudged her.

“What? Oh, Mina,” said Jem as she woke.

“You said we’d have dinner and a movie together. It is getting late,” said Mina.

Jem slowly got out of the hammock.

“I must have overslept,” replied Jem. “I’ll go change and meet you in the main dining lounge.”

Jem left the lido. Mina looked around and noticed a sign that read “Laine’s Beach”. She smiled, then turned and left.

Soon after, they met up in the main dining lounge. Neither felt in the mood for cooking, so they selected dishes from the food dispenser.

Jem ate in silence for a while.

“We left the system several hours ago. Ship said it was about three days until our next destination,” said Mina.

“Good,” she replied.

Mina could tell Jem’s mind was elsewhere.

“What would you like for tonight’s movie?” asked Mina.

“Why don’t you choose. Just something to take our minds off things,” replied Jem.

Mina flipped through the movie index.

“What about that one?” asked Jem. The index had stopped on an adventure on a tropical beach.

“Fine by me,” replied Mina.

They cleared up their dishes and sat on the sofa. Ship dimmed the lights, and the movie started.

It was the middle of the night when I awoke. Being near to the equator, the nights were darker here. I could hardly see my hand in front of my face.

Not far away was the familiar sound of the surf.

My body ached from all our earlier exertion. I slowly rose to a sitting position and looked around me.

“Laine?” I called out.

I regretted leaving our space suits behind at the obelisk, since they had bright lights in the helmets.

Then I heard her snoring to my left. She lay close by the cot.

I didn’t remember any details about predators on this planet. We were lucky so far.

I’d overslept, and now I was paying a price. It was too dark, and I had little energy to build a shelter. We should have prepared a fire. I felt guilty for not doing more before I slept. I vowed to rectify things tomorrow. If I wandered around now, I would probably end up lost.

With the warm climate, we would survive one night sleeping under the stars. I lay back down and fell asleep again.

This time I awoke feeling a bit of a chill. After sunrise, the temperature would increase. Fortunately, that wouldn’t be too long.

I sat up and looked around us. The predawn light was enough to see.

Laine was still sleeping on the ground beside my cot.

I wandered off and watered a bush.

When I returned, Laine was still sleeping. She had been through a serious ordeal.

I knelt down beside her and I debated leaving her where she slept or moving her onto the cot.

She preempted my choice when she opened her eyes and looked up at me. She beamed her full-power smile at me.

“Good morning!” she whispered.

I smiled. When she smiled that way, it was hard to remain grouchy.

“How is your ankle feeling?” I asked.

“It is slightly improved, thanks,” she replied.

“I am so sorry, but I slept through the night. I’d intended to do more,” I said.

She grimaced.

“I need to use an en-suite,” she said.

“How about a bush over there?” I said. “I can help you up and leave you somewhere while you take care of things.”

She stood with my help, then put one arm over my shoulders.

We hobbled to somewhere, and I left her as promised. I made a mental note to make a crutch for her from a suitable branch later today.

Laine called, and I returned and escorted her to the table. Then I fetched two coffees.

“This is remarkable that the food dispenser still works,” said Laine.

“Yes, the miracle of Baglogi technology, I’d say,” I replied.

The wrecked campsite looked no different from yesterday. Then I recalled seeing items of clothing.

“Laine, I saw several bathing suits yesterday. We can get changed and go in the ocean to clean off and relax,” I offered.

“I’d like that. We can also take our jumpsuits and wash them in the surf, and hang them up to dry in the sun,” she countered.

“Wait here,” I said. I stood and gathered all the clothes I found on the ground.

On our last vacation, we brought a lot of outfits with us. I came back with armloads. I even found a few towels.

We sorted through a pile of beachwear until we each found something suitable.

By now, it was past sunrise and getting warm. Once changed, I could see the bruises on her ankle. She also had discolouration on her arms and side.

She noticed my visible wince.

“It doesn’t hurt that much now. I expect a good soak in the ocean will do wonders for me,” said Laine.

We stood, and I slung the jumpsuits over my shoulder. We made our way to the surf until we were about waist deep in the water.

This water was agreeable, but not overly hot yet. Laine could use the buoyancy to support her, so she moved back from me.

I started washing the jumpsuits while Laine watched me.

“Do you remember when we crash landed in Yastri?” asked Laine.

“Yes. You saved my life, towed me to the island,” I replied.

“We saved each other,” she said.

“We stayed on that island until Ship built a new shuttle,” I said.

I wondered if the food dispenser could manufacture laundry soap.

“It is similar. We even had a food dispenser there,” said Laine.

“We’ve had enjoyable times together,” I replied. Laine grinned.

The jumpsuits were as clean as I could make them without soap. I left the water to hang them to dry.

“I’ll be right back,” I said over my shoulder.

It wasn’t long before I returned to the surf. Laine was floating up to her shoulders.

I put my head under the water and scrubbed my hair to get it clean.

When I surfaced, I saw Laine smiling at me.

“What??” I asked.

“I just enjoy looking at you, silly!” she replied.

I shrugged. At least she was alive and cheerful. It was the best outcome I could ask for in our situation.

We sat in the surf for two or three hours. Laine even tried swimming with just one leg and both her arms.

“Are you hungry?” I later asked.

“Mmm, yes!” she replied.

We left the ocean and returned to our camp. I helped Laine to sit at the table.

“What can I get you?” I asked.

She named a Quard dish, and I fetched it from the food dispenser.

We ate our breakfast together. After, we had another coffee.

“I’m not big on survival skills, but I thought up a list of things to do today,” I said.

She sat back and straightened her shoulders and faced me.

“I need to build a small shelter, using the remains of the original one. It must rain sometimes here,” I said.

Laine nodded.

“I’d like to fabricate a crutch, using branches. That will allow you to get around until your ankle mends,” I said.

Laine smiled. “I don’t mind you helping me, Brian,” she said, grinning.

“Last night it was dark and got chilly in the early hours. We should have a fire for heat and light. It may also keep the local creatures away from disturbing us,” I said.

“I remember the fire on that lake world. It was nice,” replied Laine.

“And I need to find another cot, or make you the hammock I promised you,” I said.

Laine nodded.

“I’d prefer a cot until my ankle heals. I don’t want to risk falling out of a hammock,” she said.

“A Cot then,” I said.

The next day, Jem found herself back in the lido. She rested in her favourite hammock.

Here she felt calm.

She imagined Brian sitting in his usual chair nearby, giving her updates.

The warm air in here was encouraging. Perhaps later she might take a swim in Laine’s pool.

Jem slept, while Ship travelled through hyperspace to their next destination.

Mina relaxed in her cabin when she wasn’t in the garden or her botany lab.

Life aboard had changed. With only two people, interactions were less. Jem seemed withdrawn. Mina’s morale was also dropping.

Fortunately, Mina got a lot of satisfaction working with her plants. If not, she might question the benefit in continuing. She had Brian to thank for that.

Throughout the day, Laine and I worked on preparing our camp.

The tool kit included a knife. I wished it included a saw and an axe.

I picked the best pieces of walls from the original structure and used them to make something of a lean-to shelter. It wouldn’t protect us from serious storms, but I’d only seen temperate weather here.

I found and fixed a second cot and put both inside the shelter.

Laine found she could do tasks on her hands and knees, which kept her weight off her ankle. She picked up a lot of small debris and cleared pathways.

On the open side of the shelter, I used rocks to mark a fire pit, close enough to offer warmth and light. I even put a small section of wall on the far side of the fire pit, supported with sand, to reflect the heat from the fire back towards the shelter.

Next, I moved further back into the trees and collected fallen branches and limbs for the fire. I needed enough fuel to keep it burning through the night.

One branch had a Y shape, suitable for a crutch. I trimmed it to length and wrapped a towel around for padding where it would go under her armpit.

As evening came around, I searched for something to start a fire.

“How about this?” asked Laine.

She held out a small soldering torch from her tool kit.

I smiled as I took the torch from her.

After a few attempts, I got my kindling to burn. I added progressively larger wood.

Laine and I sat around the fire and snuggled together.

“We’ve done well today,” said Laine.

“As it’s only our second day on this planet, I agree with you,” I replied.

We sat and stared at the flames.

“Do you think the androids will pursue us?” asked Laine.

“I don’t know. They need to connect power to their obelisk and track us to this world. The chances are low,” I replied.

“Perhaps they can check the obelisk to learn where we went. It might include a history function they can access,” suggested Laine.

“I don’t know. If they can do that, why aren’t they here already?” I asked.

“So you figure the chances are high that we escaped them,” she said.

“I hope so. We only have two stun guns. I doubt they work on an android,” I said.

“So do we stay here and wait for rescue?” asked Laine.

“I have only one alternative. That is to use the obelisk to visit other worlds. It might lead to a developed world, where we can buy passage on a freighter. It is equally likely we find something hazardous,” I said.

“At least we have food and shelter here,” added Laine.

“Exactly. I need you to rest up and heal. Something awesome will happen. We have to stay alive until then. We could fabricate our own tools, learn to fish, maybe cultivate vegetables. I might finally build you a hammock,” I said with a smile.

Laine punched me lightly on my shoulder and grinned.

A few days later, Ship announced that they were arriving at the edge of another unnamed system.

Jem and Mina sat and waited, watching the tactical display.

“Ship, deploy probes and explore the system,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Ship, I assume this system is new to us?” asked Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Hold position here and let me know when you have a report,” said Jem.

Jem stood and turned to Mina.

“I’ll be in the lido. When Ship has something, call me,” she said.

“Understood,” replied Mina.

Jem left the main bridge. Mina waited until she left in the elevator.

“Ship, I am worried about the wellbeing of the Commodore,” said Mina.

“As you stated, the Commodore is grieving. I am exploring this system. There are no other pressing matters,” replied Ship.

“Understood. I just hope she can recover soon,” said Mina.

“Losing key crew members weighs heavily on us all. I calculate the chances of mission success has diminished measurably,” replied Ship.

Mina sat and considered Ship’s response.

“You understand!” said Mina.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“I will go work in my lab while you explore the system,” said Mina.

“Acknowledged,” replied Ship.

Meanwhile, in cargo bay seven. Ship had stored the fragments of hull from the destroyed orbital station, together with several androids.

The aftermath of the explosion exposed the androids to space. The absolute zero temperature rendered their power cells inert. But the relative warmth of the pressurized cargo bay had a slow but significant effect on them.

In the darkness, a red status light started glowing on one android.

I awoke the next morning, on my cot in the shelter with Laine. The fire had burned out after we fell asleep. I felt the residual heat from the ashes. Our camp was much improved.

I got up and did my morning routine and returned to the shelter with two coffees. I offered one to Laine.

“Thank you, Brian. Have you been up long?” she asked.

She took a sip of her coffee, her eyes never leaving me.

“Not long. The sun is up and the ocean looks inviting,” I said.

“Help me up, Brian,” replied Laine.

I took back her coffee and placed both on the sand just outside the shelter. Then I offered her my arm, and she pulled herself up to her feet.

“How is your ankle today?” I asked.

“Much improved,” she replied. She tested her foot a bit.

I handed her the crutch. “Try this,” I said.

Laine hobbled off without me. I picked up our coffees and moved them to the table.

When she returned, I was sitting at the table and sipping my coffee. She sat on the fallen tree beside me and picked up her cup.

“I wonder where Jem and Mina are now?” asked Laine.

“No idea. I doubt they’d enter the station after we didn’t return,” I said.

“They wouldn’t leave us behind,” she replied.

“We aren’t even there. I don’t want to return and face those androids,” I said.

“Jem and Mina don’t realize we’re gone,” said Laine.

“I can’t change that,” I replied.

“If the power came on inside, what do you think was happening outside the station?” asked Laine.

“We found no living beings aboard the station. I’d speculate the automated systems came online. It would react defensively,” I offered.

“You mean, attack Ship??” asked Laine.

“Perhaps. I am just guessing. I really don’t know. We cannot help them. Our focus is on our own survival. Given that, would you like breakfast before your swim?” I asked.

Laine nodded her head and smiled. “Yes, please. I’d love bacon and eggs!” she said.

“That’s Earth food?” I asked.

“Yes. I like it,” she said firmly.

I got up and walked over to the food dispenser and returned with two orders of bacon and eggs. Returning to the food dispenser, I fetched two more coffees.

“I wonder how long this will last?” I mused. “The food dispenser must have a limit.”

“It uses an energy-matter conversion process, so it depends on the power cell,” replied Laine.

“That’s good to know,” I said.

We tucked in to our breakfast together.

“So, what is on our list of chores for today?” asked Laine.

“I declare today is a rest day. We have food and shelter. You can relax in the ocean all you want. Heal that ankle,” I said.

Laine picked through the pile of bathing suits and selected a small yellow outfit.

“I remember before we came here the first time, we went shopping in Ori Major for outfits. We all picked cute ones hoping to get your attention,” she said.

I nearly choked on my coffee.

I looked at her with the corner of my eye. She was grinning. I figured she was trying to provoke me.

“Then the Varech crashed the party, and you missed your opportunity,” I said.

“I will have to test them and report back which ones worked best,” she said.

“You’re incorrigible, Laine,” I said.

She smiled.

AFTER BREAKFAST, WE went for a swim. The water was crystal clear and warm. Laine wore her skimpy yellow suit, while I wore the same shorts I wore yesterday.

In the water, Laine was unencumbered by her injury. I was glad to see her moving around without pain. She splashed around and seemed to forget our circumstances for a while.

I hung around nearby, but I didn’t swim out of my depth. No sense to create danger when there was plenty of actual danger out there.

While I floated on my back, I thought of Jem. I wondered what they were doing now. I hoped they hadn’t tried a rescue. That orbital station was too dangerous.

My mind wandered to what to do. The obelisk seemed my best choice. With it, we could travel to other worlds in other solar systems. Perhaps one system contained a friendly space-faring race (as long as it wasn’t the Gobers). Anything was possible.

Laine splashed me. I was unprepared because of my daydreams. She giggled as I spluttered.

“Hey Brian, what are you thinking about?” asked Laine.

“I was trying to come up with an amazing plan,” I replied. “Jem and Mina might need rescuing soon.”

“Did you get anywhere?” she asked.

“Not yet. There are several key steps in my amazing plan I need to work out. I don’t know what they are yet, but they will have to be awesome,” I replied.

She smiled.

“I would laugh at you, but I’ve seen you come up with amazing ideas. Just don’t drift out to sea,” she said.

“I won’t. How are you enjoying your swim today?” I asked.

“I feel much better today. The climate and the water are helping my recovery,” she replied.

“I’m glad you are getting better. I’m so sorry you got hurt on the orbital station,” I said.

“It wasn’t your fault they turned on the artificial gravity. Soon I will be completely recovered, so no worry,” replied Laine.

“Would you like to stay in the water a little longer or return to camp?” I asked.

“I can return to camp with you. We can always swim more later,” replied Laine.

I nodded. We hobbled out of the surf until we reached her crutch. I suspected she didn’t need too much support, but she enjoyed holding on to me.

Mina worked in her garden, not too far from Brian’s bench. It now had a shiny plaque on it.

“Attention. I have finished exploring the system,” said Ship.

Mina looked up from her seedlings.

“Did you inform the Commodore? Are we to review the results together?” asked Mina.

“The Commodore is in the lido. She directed me to inform you and let you handle it,” replied Ship.

This was weird. Jem spent almost all her days in the lido recently. Now she was delegating tasks to Mina.

“Ship, what is your report of this system?” asked Mina.

“This system is uninhabited. No life signs on any planet. No vessels detected,” replied Ship.

“So nothing interesting to report,” asked Mina.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Not even a pirate base or an orbital station?” she asked.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Am I to select the next system to visit?” asked Mina.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“I’d like to go home, Ship. Please set a course for Ori Major,” said Mina.

“Travel from this system to Ori Major will take about fourteen days, Lieutenant,” replied Ship.

“Yes, I understand. I still want to go there. I have an overdue appointment to drink to the memory of Brian and Laine. Jem might not be ready to honour them, but I am,” said Mina.

“Acknowledged, Lieutenant. Their deaths aboard a derelict orbital station in an uninhabited system was a most unfortunate end. They deserve to be remembered. Before we depart, may I launch a message probe to inform the other AIs?” asked Ship.

“Please do send your message probe. Let them remember the lives of Brian and Laine in their own way,” replied Mina.

“Confirmed. I am recalling probes and launching a message probe. Our next destination is Ori Major,” replied Ship.

The defensive probes returned, and Ship stored them away. Ship launched a message probe, bound for Yastri.

Ship then turned and accelerated until the hyper drive kicked in and they winked out of normal space.

Soon after, in cargo bay seven, the security monitors malfunctioned.

Ship didn’t consider this as serious. Things broke down and needed fixing. Ship dispatched a maintenance bot.

Laine sat at the table in camp, while I fetched two coffees. I sat beside her and we sipped our beverages in relative quiet. It was midmorning, and the warm sun quickly dried our bodies after our swim.

This was a relative paradise. I had the essentials for long-term survival, including company. Yet I felt a growing impulse to return to our vessel. Perhaps they were in danger?

Hadn’t I been wanting to quit only recently? Now I got what I wanted. I could live out my life in this setting. Why spoil it?

“Credit for your thoughts?” asked Laine.

I looked at her.

“I was reflecting on how amazing this place is,” I replied.

“Without the Varech, this place is a fabulous vacation resort,” said Laine.

“Are you content to remain here or are you drawn to return to our vessel?” I asked.

“We’ve only just arrived here. I don’t know yet. Do you sense Jem and Mina are in trouble?” asked Laine.

“I don’t know. I have an uneasy feeling though,” I admitted.

“Well, I could remain here with you OR return with you. It is important to me we stick together. If you stay or you go, I will follow you,” said Laine.

“I don’t have an amazing plan yet. Until then we stay here,” I said.

“You sound like a being waiting for a public ground transport,” she said with a smile. “You expect a miracle to arrive sometime soon.”

“I am often surprised at the amazing things that happen in my life. Not all of them were positive, but it has been quite a ride so far,” I said.

“Since I met up with you, I have enjoyed the ride with you and I intend to continue,” she said.

“Thank you for the vote of confidence, Laine. But I can’t take credit for all the things that happened,” I replied.

“I don’t care. You aren’t getting rid of me,” said Laine.

“I’ll do my best. But understand, each time you take a chance with me it may be your last,” I said. I was thinking of Koluna.

Laine reached out and touched my cheek. “I understand and I accept the risks, Brian.”

Her intimacy made me uncomfortable. I remembered when I upset her before, so I kept quiet and waited. She stared into my eyes, searching for something.

Then the moment passed.

“What is next on today’s agenda?” asked Laine.

“Now that we got survival resolved, I keep thinking I’m missing something,” I replied.

Later, Mina visited the lido. She found Jem relaxing in a hammock.

“Hello, how goes the gardening?” asked Jem.

“Fine, thanks. I thought since you are here most of the time, we might eat dinner here. It’s just the two of us, so we needn’t use the main dining lounge,” replied Mina.

“That would be great. I crave bacon and eggs tonight,” said Jem.

Jem sat up in her hammock and swung her legs out to the side.

“What is that?” asked Mina.

“Bacon and eggs is an Earth dish. Would you like to try it?” asked Jem.

Mina nodded.

Jem walked to the food dispenser in the corner and fetched two plates of bacon and eggs. She put them on the table and got two coffees.

Mina was about to sit down when Jem responded.

“Please don’t sit in that chair! That used to be Brian’s chair,” said Jem.

“Sorry!” replied Mina. She sat in a chair to the left instead.

Jem took a seat, and they ate their dinner together.

“Mmm, bacon and eggs is yummy!” said Mina.

“I’m glad you like it. I haven’t eaten this since before you joined us. Losing Brian triggered the memory, I guess,” said Jem.

Mina took a sip of coffee.

“Our next destination is Ori Major, Ship said it will take about fourteen days,” said Mina.

Jem nodded.

“So we have fourteen days rest or gardening, as you choose,” said Jem.

“I intend to visit Gorn’s and drink to the memory of Brian and Laine, as per Ori custom. You are welcome to attend,” Mina said. She hoped she wasn’t pushing it too far.

Jem looked up from her eggs.

“Thank you. I will attend with you. I suggest full dress uniform,” replied Jem.

She returned to her meal. It tasted so good.

Down in cargo bay seven, the security feed came back online. It showed no activity.

The maintenance bot had completed the repairs, but the maintenance bot itself was missing.

Power consumption in cargo bay seven was slightly higher than usual.

Ship dispatched another maintenance bot to investigate.

Laine and I spent the afternoon enjoying the ocean.

“Hey, you’re getting better at swimming,” said Laine.

“Thank you, I had an excellent teacher,” I countered.

Laine smiled.

“Are there fish out there?” I pointed out into the deeper water.

“I guess so. They don’t come close to shore or they’d be an easy catch,” replied Laine.

“I’d love to live off seafood, but I’d need to make a boat and fishing gear,” I said.

“The effort and the risks would outweigh the rewards,” replied Laine.

“Yes,” I said.

“We can eat replicated fish from the food dispenser tonight,” offered Laine.

“I like that idea!” I said.

Not long after, we returned to camp.

I had an idea.

“Laine, what is the range of the communicators in our space suits?” I asked.

“From here, we would reach a vessel in orbit above our position,” she replied.

“What if we boost the power? We have a power pack in the food dispenser and the obelisk has one,” I said.

“More power isn’t the solution. You will need a giant antenna array,” she replied.

“It was just an idea,” I said.

“To connect the alien power supply without a proper regulator might damage both the communicator and the power supply,” said Laine.

“I don’t want to risk damage to our coffee supply or a way off planet,” I said with a grin.

“Keep thinking,” she said as she patted my arm.

I shrugged.

This evening, Laine selected a fish dish from the Quard menu on the food dispenser. It tasted delicious.

Then I had an idea.

“I just remembered something from our earlier visit here. After the Varech arrived, we hid Mina’s botany equipment nearby. Would you like we go fetch it?” I asked.

“Sure, but I can’t carry much,” she replied.

“As long as you can walk with the crutch, I can carry all the equipment. It isn’t far from here,” I said.

We stood and wandered into the trees. I soon found the right location, behind a large fern-like shrub.

“Let’s take it back to camp. We might find something useful in it,” I said.

Laine nodded.

I picked up the equipment, and we returned to camp.

Back at camp, I put Mina’s gear near the table. Laine sat down while I fetched two coffees.

Laine opened the first case. It contained sample containers and a variety of tools. One tool caught my eye.

“I can use this!” I said as I picked up a pruning saw. It had an extendible handle, and a long serrated blade.

“We can use it to cut branches and firewood,” said Laine.

“Doh! I need to gather more firewood before sundown. How about I leave you to finish this?” I asked.

“Sure, Brian. I can do that sitting here,” she replied.

I stood and left to gather firewood.

After a few trips, I’d accumulated a reasonable quantity of fuel. I realized the longer we stayed, the further I would have to travel.

I took the saw and cut up the larger branches.

All this took time. The sun was setting.

I prepared a fire in front of the shelter and lit it with the soldering torch.

Laine had changed back into her jumpsuit while I was busy. She sat on a cot in the shelter and scanned her ankle with her personal device.

“My ankle is improving. In a few days I won’t need the crutch,” she said.

“Great! It must be the salt water,” I responded.

I changed into my jumpsuit, then I built up the fire.

We lay in our cots and watched the flickering lights inside the shelter.

“This place gets dark quickly,” said Laine.

“I think it has something to do with being near the equator,” I replied.

“On Ship it never gets so dark,” she said.

“I know. It takes time to acclimatize,” I said.

“And the nights are longer than aboard Ship. I didn’t notice the first few nights, I was so tired,” she said.

“Laine, lay still until you fall sleep,” I said.

“Yes, Brian,” replied Laine.

In my mind, I felt certain I was missing something.

The next morning, Ship woke Mina in her cabin.

“Attention, Lieutenant! I have urgent news. Please, can you fetch the Commodore and bring her to the main bridge as soon as possible,” said Ship.

“Acknowledged, Ship,” replied Mina.

She hurried through her morning ablutions and left her cabin in search of Jem.

Jem’s cabin was empty.

“Ship. Where is she?” asked Mina.

“The lido,” replied Ship.

Mina hurried along to the lido. She found Jem sleeping in a tent under the trees. She had draped blankets over the hammock and put a layer of bedding below it.

“Good morning, Commodore!” said Mina. “Ship summoned us, something urgent.”

Jem appeared disoriented for a moment. Then she jumped up and ran out of the lido.

Mina gave chase, which took her back to Jem’s cabin.

A few minutes later, Jem came out in a fresh jumpsuit.

“To the main bridge?” asked Jem.

“Yes,” said Mina.

They both hurried to the elevator and up to the main bridge.

“Ship, report,” said Jem, slightly louder than usual.

“Commodore, I regret to inform you I have lost control of cargo bay seven,” replied Ship.

“Huh? What do you mean?” asked Jem.

“Cargo bay seven is where I stored various artefacts, gathered from recent missions. This includes sections of the hull from the orbital station and several androids,” replied Ship.

“Ship, you said you lost control of cargo bay seven. Please explain,” asked Mina.

Jem looked at Mina.

“All sensors are down in that area. There is an increase in power consumption. The doors and climate are no longer under my control.

“I dispatched maintenance bots, to investigate and repair the issues. None have returned,” said Ship.

“Did you try shutting off power to cargo bay seven?” asked Jem.

“Confirmed. I cannot shut off power to the cargo bay,” replied Ship.

“Crap! They probably bypassed all shutoffs and tapped right into main power,” said Jem.

“They??” asked Mina.

“One or more artefacts are not as inert as Ship believed. I’m guessing the androids. We need to turn them off ourselves,” said Jem.

“That might be dangerous?” asked Mina.

“There is no might be about it! Ship, we will need away team uniforms with shields and something more powerful than stun guns,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Follow me and suit up, it’s time to save Ship,” said Jem.

Jem and Mina arrived in decontamination, where they changed into away team uniforms.

Jem picked up a weapon.

“I remember this! It looks like a Varech blaster,” said Jem.

Mina picked up a similar weapon.

“These aren’t stun guns, Mina. Be careful where you point it,” said Jem.

Mina looked at Jem and nodded.

They left decontamination and took the elevator to the cargo deck.

“These suits have a passive shield and limited protection from decompression. But they can only handle so much. If I say withdraw, we get out,” said Jem.

“Understood, Commodore,” replied Mina.

Jem wished Brian was still alive. He’d come up with an extra something to save Ship.

They exited the elevator. This was the same deck with Mina’s lab, the garden and the gymnasium. Neither Jem nor Mina had used the gymnasium since Brian died.

Jem and Mina walked along the corridor until they reached a double door with a large “7” marked on them.

“Here we are. Are you ready?” asked Jem.

Mina pointed her blaster towards the door.

“Ready, Commodore,” said Mina.

Jem pressed the button to open the door. It didn’t open.

“I figured this might happen,” said Jem. “Ship, we need to force this door open.”

“Confirmed. I am sending you a plasma cutter and pry bars. If you return to the elevator, they will be there when you arrive,” said Ship.

Jem and Mina moved back from the double door, then turned and walked along the corridor.

A moment later, the double door opened, and two androids stepped out. They raised their energy weapons at the retreating crew.

The energy blast hit Jem and Mina from behind. An instant before the blast vaporized them, two shields popped into existence. In the narrow corridor, their shields overlapped, and the result was a much stronger shield.

The shield reflected the blast back to the androids a fraction of a second later. Energy bolts travelled at the speed of light.

Jem and Laine turned around to see two blackened androids. Lightning was arcing around their heads, and the lights in their heads flickered out. After a moment, the two androids fell backwards and landed hard on the deck.

“They tried to shoot us in the back!” said Mina.

“Keep your weapon trained on the doors. Shoot anything that steps out,” said Jem.

They stood there, weapons pointed at the doors, which had closed again.

Jem tried to think. “There are more inside,” she said.

“I’m glad our shields worked. We have Brian to thank for that,” said Mina.

“I agree. Ship, how many androids did you store in cargo bay seven?” asked Jem.

“I found many androids in the wreckage. I selected complete specimens. Of those, I stored twelve in cargo bay seven,” replied Ship.

“Ship, how many maintenance bots have you lost?” asked Jem.

“I have lost four maintenance bots, Commodore,” replied Ship.

“Crap!” said Jem.

I WOKE UP the next morning feeling relaxed. The past few days had transformed from a crazy escape to a pleasant vacation.

Laine was sleeping in the cot next to me, with her arm draped over my chest. I eased her arm off me and got out of the shelter.

After my morning ritual, I got our morning coffees and returned to wake Laine.

“A girl could get used to your attention,” said Laine with a smile.

Laine sipped on her coffee until she had to step out back.

When she returned, she asked about breakfast.

“Sure, take a seat and I’ll get it,” I said.

We had two Quard dishes for breakfast, together with coffee.

After breakfast, Laine took out her device and scanned her ankle.

“My ankle is almost better,” said Laine.

I smiled.

Then I realized what I had missed for the past two days.

“Laine, before we left the orbital station, you were downloading data from the computer core?” I asked.

“Yes, but the download didn’t finish. There is no guarantee we have anything useful,” replied Laine.

“You have a partial download. And the data you downloaded is in your device?” I pointed at her device.

“You know it,” said Laine.

“Please examine the downloaded data. See if you can decode it. There might be clues that can help us,” I said. I was certain of it.

“It could take us years. The data is huge and my device has a limited processing ability. Can you refine the search parameters?” she asked.

“Try looking for anything related to the obelisks,” I replied.

“Obelisks, got it. It will still take time,” she said.

“Understood. Perhaps you can leave your device running an initial scan while we have a swim,” I suggested.

Laine smiled. She punched a few buttons on the device and put it on the table.

“The scan will take hours to figure out the data formatting, then it will try to decipher the languages and encoding used. Let’s get changed!” she said.

We changed into our bathing outfits and left for the water.

Jem and Mina stood in the corridor on the cargo bay level.

“Mina, keep your weapon pointed at the door. Shoot anything that steps through,” said Jem.

“Understood, Commodore,” replied Mina.

Jem felt terrified as she approached the downed androids.

As soon as she was close enough, she pointed her weapon at the knee of the android on the right. She fired, severing the lower leg.

Jem grabbed the android leg and ran back to Mina.

Mina stared at Jem in shock.

“I’m trying to think like Brian did. I needed a sample,” replied Jem to the unasked question.

Mina nodded.

“Keep your weapon trained on those doors!” cautioned Jem.

Mina turned back to the doors.

Jem put the leg down and pointed her weapon at the doors. Then she lifted her left arm and looked at the readings on her suit display.

“Crap!” said Jem.

“What’s wrong now?” asked Mina.

“Mina, we have to withdraw now! Keep your weapon pointed at the doors and walk backwards,” said Jem.

Mina didn’t waste any time and walked backwards.

Jem picked up the leg and followed her to the elevator.

Once inside the elevator, Jem pressed the button to go back to the decontamination level.

“Why did we withdraw after we took out two androids?” asked Mina.

“How many more androids do you think were inside that cargo bay?” asked Jem.

“Up to ten more,” replied Mina.

“We got shot by two androids. Our personal shields are down by over fifty percent,” said Jem. “We could not survive another two shots like that.”

“I didn’t realize that,” said Mina.

“If we walked in to the cargo bay and took more than two shots, we’d be dead,” said Jem.

“Crap! We nearly died!” said Mina.

Jem nodded. The elevator doors opened, and they walked out.

“Ship, do what you can to seal off the entire cargo bay level. Shut down the elevator,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

They walked into decontamination.

Jem dropped the leg onto a nearby table.

“Ship, scan this leg. Find out the alloy used in the construction,” said Jem.

“Confirmed. Scanning…” replied Ship.

“Why are we scanning this leg?” asked Mina.

Jem turned to Mina. “Know your enemy.”

“Ship, I need you to program nano-bots that can distinguish between the alloy used in the androids and the alloy used in the decking, walls and doors,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“I need a means to deploy the nano-bots, and I need them priority,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“I get it. You’re making nano-bots to use against the androids,” said Mina.

“Yes, but it has to be safe to use inside Ship,” replied Jem.

“What about our personal shields?” asked Mina.

“Ship, our personal shields are inadequate against their energy weapons. I need more powerful ones. I need upgrades and I need them priority,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“We need to stop them before they expand beyond cargo bay seven,” said Jem.

“Wow! This is scary,” said Mina.

“This is about survival. Ship, I need an estimate of when those items will be ready,” replied Jem.

“About thirty minutes, Commodore,” replied Ship.

“Mina, meet me here in thirty minutes. Then we finish this,” said Jem.

Laine and I spent the morning relaxing in the ocean.

I wondered about the minerals in the sea water. They had a therapeutic effect on Laine’s injuries. I should take a sample of sea water with us. Perhaps Ship could fill the pool in the lido with the same water.

Early afternoon, Laine interrupted me.

“I’m hungry, can we go back to camp?” she asked.

“Sure,” I replied.

We made our way back to camp. Laine went to the food dispenser and ordered a few of her favourite dishes. She brought them over to the table.

“Those look yummy,” I said.

She sat beside me, and we munched away. Laine looked at her device.

“How is progress?” I asked.

“It worked out most of the formatting. Now it’s working on decoding the language and character encoding,” replied Laine.

“We need to speed this up, Laine. I have an idea,” I said.

“I like it when you get ideas. Cool stuff happens,” replied Laine.

“You have the astral coordinates for this system?” I asked.

“For the Carolus system? Yes, I have the coordinates,” replied Laine.

“And the coordinates for the Avalon system and the system where we found the orbital station?” I asked.

“Yes, I have all those. What about them?” replied Laine.

“Use them for search parameters. I suspect the obelisk on the orbital station was from the planet surface,” I said.

Laine’s eye’s lit up as did her smile.

“I get it! We search for blocks of data referencing those coordinates,” said Laine.

“It should be easier to focus the search on just numbers. I don’t need schematics or videos or even text. The mathematics of astral coordinates should be a universal language,” I said.

“This reminds me when we extracted the astral navigation data from the Lagaid pirate vessels,” said Laine.

“It’s almost the same. We know of three systems that contain an obelisk. Hopefully we get a match on those coordinates,” I said.

Laine started a flurry of typing on her device.

“I’m just setting up the search parameters. It’ll take time to complete,” said Laine.

“I hope it takes a lot less time,” I replied.

“Done! Now we wait,” said Laine.

I slid a dish of crunchy vegetables towards Laine.

“Enjoy! You earned it,” I said with a smile.

Laine grinned back at me.

“I really enjoy working with you, Brian. You often come up with amazing things,” she said.

“It is amazing when it works. We won’t know until your search ends,” I replied.

I picked up an item from the dish and tasted it. It was a vegetable in a crunchy coating, very spicy.

Laine wore a near continuous smile. She picked up a vegetable and bit into it.

“On a different topic. I’ve a strange sense that Jem and Mina are in danger,” I said.

“What kind of danger?” asked Laine.

“I don’t know. I could be wrong about it,” I replied.

Laine’s smile turned into a frown.

“It makes sense to me. Carolus four is too good for us to stay here forever. A few days while we recover, yes. But we need to move on soon,” she said.

Thirty minutes later, Jem and Mina returned to decontamination.

“Ship, show us what you have finished,” said Jem.

“On the table are two new personal shield devices. Please remove the old ones from the front of your away team uniforms,” said Ship.

Their current personal shield devices attached to the middle of the chest on their uniforms. They weighed about a kilo in weight. Jem and Mina detached them and placed them on the table.

“The new personal shields look like backpacks,” said Mina.

“Confirmed, Lieutenant. They are heavier, and would disturb your balance if you wore them on the front,” replied Ship.

Jem picked up the backpack like object.

“Mina, turn around and I will help you,” said Jem.

Jem put the backpack on Mina.

“Wow, it’s significantly heavier!” said Mina.

Mina returned the favour. She adjusted the straps to fit.

“Ship, this must be about four times the weight. How much more capacity do they have?” asked Jem.

“These new personal shield devices have about ten times the capacity, although the extra weight impacts your mobility,” replied Ship.

“That should be enough. Anything else we should know about them?” asked Jem.

“If you stay close together, the shields overlap and reduce the amount of power drain,” replied Ship.

“I wouldn’t want to wear these too long,” said Mina.

“The faster we take out the androids, the sooner you get to take it off, Lieutenant. Ship, what about the nano-bots?” asked Jem.

“Also on the table you will see two containers and two grenades. The containers allow you to pour nano-bots onto the deck. If androids walk over those nano-bots, they will consume the alloy that makes up the androids structure. The grenades are for aerial dispersal,” said Ship.

“These nano-bots aren’t a danger to us or you?” asked Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Can you inject nano-bots into the ventilation system on all the other decks? I want to make everywhere toxic to them,” asked Jem.

“Confirmed. I will complete the task within about thirty minutes,” replied Ship.

Jem handed a container and a grenade to Mina. She took the others for herself.

They both picked up their weapons and left for the elevator.

“Ship, power up the elevator. We’re going down there,” said Jem.

The doors to the elevator opened.

Laine and I sat at the table together.

“Your bruises are healing well,” I said.

She looked down at her ankle.

“It doesn’t hurt so much when I walk around either,” said Laine.

I smiled.

“It’s like we are getting ready to leave, and we don’t even have the means to leave yet,” she said.

“I know. It’s weird. I figure the way back is somewhere in the data on your device,” I said.

“Let me check on the progress,” she replied. She punched a few buttons and studied the screen for a few moments.

Laine turned to me with an enormous smile.

“I don’t know how you do it, Brian! We found a match in the data!” exclaimed Laine.

“You found the coordinates for this system?” I asked.

“Oh yes! It helped me decode their numeric system. This block of data contains a list of of coordinates. I think we found a directory for the obelisks,” replied Laine.

“Excellent work! Now how do we translate the inscriptions on the obelisks?” I asked.

“You get the coffee. I need to study these data structures carefully,” replied Laine.

I fetched coffee and pastries from the food dispenser.

“How about I fetch more firewood while you work on this puzzle?” I asked.

Laine nodded, but didn’t take her attention from the device. I had confidence in her.

I wandered off into the trees and collected fallen branches and limbs. If Laine solved this, it could be my last time to fetch firewood. Knowing we could leave soon changed my perspective.

I built up the pile of fuel, trimmed the longer branches using the saw, and kept myself busy. Laine’s body language told me she was still working on the data, so I didn’t want to disturb her.

I went for a walk along the beach. This was a remarkable planet. I felt like fate had given us a second chance to enjoy a vacation out here. The Varech cut short our first visit.

When I turned and looked back towards camp, I saw Laine was standing and waving at me. At this distance, the sound of the surf made calling me impossible. I could tell she was excited.

I briskly returned to camp. She was standing by the table, with her enormous smile on her face.

“What do you have?” I asked.

Laine sat and pointed to her device.

“Initially, I had a list of coordinates for systems with obelisks. Then I sought to figure out the rest of the data. These fields are names of the systems or planets. I’m dealing with a dead language here,” said Laine.

“Aren’t those the inscriptions we see on the obelisks?” I asked.

“Yes! Fortunately, I had pictures of the panels from a few obelisks to help me work out the mapping. I’ve got a translation for most of their alphabet. I can’t read it aloud, but I can tell you this string of characters equals that system,” said Laine.

“That is fantastic progress, Laine!” I said. I held out my arms to her, and we hugged.

“You realize we are the only two beings in the galaxy who know the secret of the obelisks,” I said.

“You figured out enough to escape the Varech last time,” replied Laine.

“But now we have a full directory, thanks to you,” I said.

“It was a team effort. You worked out the search parameters. Don’t try to push all the credit to me!” replied Laine. She punched my shoulder lightly, although her smile never faltered.

As the elevator descended, Jem opened the small container of nano-bots.

“This is just in case they get to the elevator,” Jem said as she poured a minute quantity of nano-bots on the floor.

“We can pour nano-bots in the corridor,” said Mina.

“As long as they don’t see us do it. I don’t want to lose our advantage,” replied Jem.

The elevator reached the cargo bay level. Jem and Mina moved to the sides and raised their weapons.

The elevator doors opened to the corridor on the cargo bay level. It looked no different. The plasma torch and the pry bars were on the floor.

Jem and Mina marched along the corridor, with their weapons pointed ahead of them.

As they reached the doors to cargo bay seven, Mina called out.

“They’re gone!” said Mina. “The dead androids are no longer there.”

“Guard the door, Lieutenant,” said Jem.

While Mina trained her weapon at the double door, Jem shouldered her weapon and poured more nano-bots on the deck. It looked like a grey puddle. Then she used her boot to spread the nano-bots out further.

“That should fix them if they step out into the corridor,” said Jem.

“I hope so. Do we know how fast the nano-bots work?” asked Mina.

“I expect to find out. Stay on the left of the doors,” replied Jem.

Jem walked past the doors and took a position on the right.

“I will press the button to open the door. Last time, they sent two androids out after us. You shoot anything you see moving. I will throw in a grenade if I can,” said Jem.

“Ready!” replied Mina.

Jem pressed the button.

“Laine, can you show a map of the star systems in this part of the galaxy,” I said.

“Sure, Brian,” replied Laine.

She punched a few buttons, and we saw a map with dots and names of the known systems.

“Now, please overlay the names of systems with obelisks,” I said.

“Hold on a moment,” said Laine.

More typing. Then, on several systems, we saw the inscriptions appear.

“Excellent! Now, we have to find a system where we can get a ride from a friendly space-faring race,” I said.

“You don’t ask for much!” replied Laine.

“Start by removing all uninhabited systems,” I said.

More typing. Many systems dropped off the map.

“Next, remove any enemy systems, like the Lagaid,” I said.

More typing.

“I didn’t find any enemy systems with obelisks,” replied Laine.

“How many are remaining?” I asked.

“We are down to zero matches,” replied Laine.

I sighed.

“Our filter is too restrictive. Are there any uninhabited systems with mining outposts, or systems on a trade route?” I asked.

“Hold on,” said Laine.

More typing. Finally, one system showed up on the display.

“What is that system?” I asked.

Laine zoomed in the map. “That is the Phoosie system. There is a mining outpost in the asteroid belt,” she replied.

“On which planet in the Phoosie system is the obelisk?” I asked.

“On Phoosie three,” replied Laine.

I pointed at the map.

“It looks to me that the Phoosie system is close to Ori space,” I said. “They might do business with the Ori Confederation.”

“Makes sense to me,” replied Laine.

“Now, how can we reach the Phoosie system?” I asked.

“They aren’t a fully connected network. Not every obelisk can reach every other obelisk directly. We need to travel multiple hops to get there. Hold on,” replied Laine.

More typing.

Now the map showed the Carolus system and the Phoosie system. Lines joined from the Carolus system to another, then another, and finally the Phoosie system. Each system showed the inscriptions next to it.

“Got it! We must travel three hops to reach Phoosie three,” said Laine.

“Awesome!” I exclaimed.

“We just found a way out. Amazing, Brian!” said Laine with a huge smile.

“I knew there was an amazing step to our plan, we had to search for it,” I said.

“You made a believer out of me! Do we go today or tomorrow?” asked Laine.

“It takes an hour or two to walk to the obelisk. It’s better if we go in the morning,” I replied.

“And it gives us time to clean up the camp. We can also leave a message in case Jem comes here looking for us,” said Laine.

“And we have time for another swim,” I offered.

Laine smiled.

“I’d like that, Brian,” she replied.

I WOKE UP the next morning in the shelter. Laine was already awake, lying on her side watching me.

“Good morning, Brian,” said Laine.

“Our last morning here,” I said.

“Do we have time for a quick swim before breakfast?” asked Laine.

“Sure,” I replied.

We quickly changed and made our way to the surf. The water was still chilly, but it was refreshing, and I was glad of it.

On our way back to camp, I picked up a piece of wall from the original shelter.

“I thought I’d leave a note for Jem, in case they stopped by here,” I said.

“There is a marker in Mina’s kit you can use,” said Laine.

I smiled.

“How about a big farewell breakfast?” I said. “We don’t know when we will eat again.”

“That’s a grand idea,” said Laine.

I ordered lots of dishes from the food dispenser and carried them to the table.

Laine and I took our time to eat our fill.

While at the table, I penned a note in Ori. It told them we were making our way to the Phoosie system.

While I was busy, Laine had the wisdom to fill several sample containers with drinking water.

“We can go hungry for a few days, but water is essential,” said Laine.

“I agree. We need to stay hydrated,” I replied.

I tucked away the items we weren’t taking with us, and I put the sign where anyone would see it. I used several rocks to hold it in place.

Everything was ready.

“Time to go, Laine,” I said.

She looked up at me and smiled.

“I will miss this place, it was a pleasant break,” she replied.

“Jem and Mina will wonder where we got to,” I said.

I offered her my hand, and we walked out of camp and into the trees.

Jem and Mina waited outside the door for about a minute. Then the door opened.

They faced two more androids. The androids raised their energy weapons, but not fast enough.

Both Jem and Mina fired their energy weapons, which hit the two androids at close range.

Jem saw her opportunity and threw her grenade into the room.

The door closed, and they heard a loud bang from the inside of the cargo bay.

“Hold your position!” said Jem. “They may try to rush us.”

Mina nodded.

They waited.

After about five minutes, nothing had changed. The door was still closed.

“Is that enough time?” asked Mina.

“I think so. Please fetch the plasma cutter and pry bars. I’ll guard the door,” replied Jem.

Jem wondered if the grenade explosion could disperse the nano-bots widely enough.

Mina took two trips to bring the equipment.

“Thank you. Please stand guard while I work on the door. Keep your weapon pointed at the door, ready to fire,” said Jem.

Mina took a ready stance, with her weapon pointed at the door.

“Ready!” replied Mina.

It took Jem about ten minutes to cut through the lock mechanism. Then she used a pry bar to pry the door open a few inches.

Jem peeked inside the cargo bay. She saw nothing near the door and no immediate threat. So she pried the door open further.

Jem picked up her weapon and looked over at Mina.

“We’re going in, stay close on my left. Our shields will overlap. Now!” said Jem.

Jem and Mina entered the cargo bay. The inside was dimly lit. Against the back wall were alcoves. Several alcoves contained androids, and most of their structure had melted away. On the floor lay the remains of several more androids.

“It looks like the grenade did the job,” said Mina.

“I hope so. Keep your weapon ready and your eyes sharp. I need to do a body count,” replied Jem.

Mina carefully scanned the cargo bay for threats while Jem walked around counting.

“Nine.. Ten.. Eleven... I only found eleven androids,” said Jem.

“Are you sure?” asked Mina.

“Yes. I counted twice,” replied Jem.

“Are there any other exits?” asked Mina.

“No. Unless… Let me double check,” replied Jem. She followed the walls of the cargo bay.

“They haven’t cut another exit in the walls. The ceilings and the floors look intact,” said Jem.

“Where is it hiding then?” asked Mina.

Jem called Ship on her communicator. “Ship, we have cleared the cargo bay. I count eleven androids destroyed. Are you certain you brought in twelve?”

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Did you inject nano-bots into the ventilation system on all the other levels?” asked Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Have you had any sensor malfunctions elsewhere?” asked Jem.

“If by elsewhere, you mean other than the cargo bay level, then no. All sensors are down on the cargo bay level,” replied Ship.

“Mina, I believe the remaining android is somewhere on this level. We have to search,” said Jem.

“Understood,” replied Mina. They turned to leave cargo bay seven.

What a difference a few days made! We easily walked back to the obelisk. Laine’s ankle had almost healed. She hardly used her crutch, plus we didn’t feel so exhausted.

Carolus four was a beautiful place for a vacation. I already thought of returning.

Before midday, we arrived at the clearing where the obelisk stood.

We shared a container of water, and then I fetched our space suits.

“I don’t know if the worlds we visit have a breathable atmosphere or not. So we best put our suits back on,” I said.

Laine smiled and nodded.

We helped each other into our suits. Laine consulted her device and showed me the inscription I needed to select.

“Look for this inscription, Brian,” she said.

“Close your visor and take my hand,” I said.

I held on to Laine and approached the obelisk. The inscription I needed was fourth on the list.

When I touched the inscription, I experienced the usual flash of light.

We had travelled to another star system. Our journey took no time at all. Aboard Ship, it took days.

I was glad we wore our suits. The climate on this planet was much colder and also dark.

I turned on the lights on my suit and discovered the obelisk in front of me.

Laine held up her device so I could see the display.

“This is the next inscription,” she said.

“Hold on,” I said. This time, the inscription I needed was second on the list.

I touched the inscription on the obelisk. The lights flashed.

This next planet had a warm climate, and it was daytime here. We stood in front of the obelisk, in the middle of a courtyard. A civilization once lived here, but it looked long gone.

“Where to next?” I asked.

“This inscription should get us to Phoosie three,” replied Laine. She held up her device, and I studied the inscription.

“Hold on,” I said. I touched the third inscription on the list.

After the lights flashed, we arrived in front of another obelisk, once again in darkness.

The lights on my suit helped me realize we stood inside an enormous cavern.

“We’re in a cavern, Laine. We need to locate the exit,” I said.

There was a growling noise from somewhere in the distance.

“Crap!” said Laine.

I drew my stun gun and hoped I wouldn’t need it. Stun guns didn’t work well against scary creatures in dark caverns.

“Laine, stay close to me,” I said.

“If you think I will separate from you and go looking for that creature, you are mistaken,” replied Laine.

“I bet you are hoping I have one of my amazing ideas about now,” I said.

“Duh!” replied Laine.

“You might not like it,” I said.

“Try me,” said Laine.

“Stand still and turn off the lights on your suit,” I said.

“You want me to turn off the lights while that creature is somewhere,” asked Laine.

“Yes. Then stand quietly until your eyes get used to the dark,” I replied.

Laine studied me for a moment, then she turned off her lights. I did the same.

I waited and slowly turned around on the spot, looking for light.

After about a minute, I detected a faint light to my left.

“Laine, I can discern a feint light over there!” I said.

“I see it too. Is that the exit?” asked Laine.

“Let’s go find out. I’ll turn on my lights and you follow me closely,” I said.

“What about the creature?” asked Laine.

“Walk softly. Perhaps the creature is a distance away. It is more likely drawn by sound,” I replied.

I turned on my lights and moved in the direction where I detected the light. Laine followed close behind me.

At certain points we had to duck to avoid hitting the ceiling, but the light was getting brighter ahead. Fortunately, the path was wide and fairly level.

I didn’t hear the growling noise again.

The light ahead continued to get brighter.

“I think I can see the exit, Laine,” I said.

“Right behind you,” replied Laine.

A few minutes later, we stepped out into a valley. The brown and rocky terrain showed little or no vegetation. I’d describe it as a desert. In the sky, a yellow-white star shone down on us.

“We made it!” exclaimed Laine.

Although she couldn’t tell, I smiled.

I checked the display on my suit.

“Laine, keep your visor on, the atmosphere isn’t breathable,” I said.

Laine nodded.

“I hope we don’t have to go back,” I said.

“Let’s move away from the entrance. We should make our distress call from high ground,” she said.

I turned off my suit lights and looked down around me. I smiled when I didn’t find any footprints other than our own. Hopefully the source of the growling noise in the cave didn’t come outside at night.

As I looked at the cave entrance, I realized it wasn’t that obvious. If we couldn’t reach the mining outpost, we’d have to return to the obelisk, I needed to find this again.

I picked up a rock and placed it on top of another, larger rock. Finally, I put a smaller one on top of the pile.

“Laine, please give me an empty container,” I said.

She handed me the container, and I filled it with sand and gravel. I placed it on top of the pile of rocks. It was something distinct to mark the entrance.

With any luck, we wouldn’t need to return, but I liked the insurance.

I stood and turned to Laine.

“There is a trail here, follow me,” I said.

We walked away from the cave.

“Why put an obelisk on this planet? It’s just a rock,” asked Laine.

“I don’t know. You might have the answer to that in your device,” I replied.

We walked further along what I considered a trail. It just had fewer rocks in our way.

“When is the best time to call?” I asked.

“The asteroid belt is further out than Phoosie three. In daytime we are facing inwards towards the star, so we need to call during the night,” replied Laine.

“Then we need to get to high ground and wait until nightfall,” I said.

Jem and Mina stepped out of the cargo bay and into the corridor. Jem searched for any sign of movement.

“I don’t see it. We will have to work our way along,” said Jem.

Mina nodded. With their weapons held up, they moved along the corridor. They stopped outside the door marked “Botany Lab”.

“Ready?” asked Jem.

“Just a moment,” replied Mina.

She took out her container and poured nano-bots on the deck outside the door. Then she turned to Jem.

“Ready,” said Mina.

Jem pressed the button, and the door opened. No reaction so far.

They entered the botany lab, searching for the android. Again, they found nothing.

“I see nothing disturbed in here. Everything is where I left it,” said Mina.

“Double check the whole lab. Then we can move on to the next,” said Jem.

After an exhaustive search, they found nothing.

“Move on,” said Jem.

They left the lab and walked along the corridor.

The sign next door read “Garden”.

“Mina, care to spread some nano-bots here?” asked Jem.

“Sure,” she replied. Mina took out her container and poured nano-bots on the deck outside the door.

Jem pressed the button, and the door opened. The warm climate and a subtle fragrance hit them as they entered.

“You’ve made progress since I last visited,” said Jem.

Mina smiled.

It was soon obvious there were no androids in the garden as the plants weren’t tall enough to hide an android.

“Come on,” said Jem. They left the garden.

The sign next door read “Gymnasium”.

Mina poured nano-bots on the deck in front of the door.

Jem pressed the button, but the door didn’t open.

“Progress!” said Jem.

“You think it’s in there?” asked Mina.

“I do. Let’s fetch the plasma cutter and pry bars,” said Jem.

“Do we need one of us to stand guard?” asked Mina.

Jem used her boot to spread the nano-bots around outside the door.

“No, I’d prefer it if the android stepped out that door. It would make it easier for us,” said Jem with a grin.

They walked back to cargo bay seven and collected the plasma cutter and pry bars. When they returned, the gymnasium door was still closed.

“Mina, you stand guard while I work on the door. Keep your weapon pointed at it,” said Jem.

Mina nodded and pointed her weapon at the door.

It took Jem about ten minutes to cut through the lock. Then she used a pry bar to pry the door open a few inches.

Jem peeked inside, there was no sign of the android. So she pried the door open further.

“Same deal, we clear the room. Stay close,” said Jem.

Jem and Mina entered the gymnasium.

“Over there!” said Mina. Someone or something had disturbed several exercise machines.

They approached the far side of the gymnasium. In doing so, they passed the side entrance to the changing room.

The android stepped out after they passed and raised its weapon at them and fired.

Their shields popped into existence. At close range, the energy bolts reflected at the android, but it had ducked back into the changing room. The blast hit the wall, leaving a crater.

Jem and Mina turned around and pointed their weapons at the changing room entrance.

“That one is quick!” said Mina.

“I doubt it has seen our grenade. I suggest you throw it so it bounces off that wall into the changing room,” said Jem.

They advanced on the side entrance, weapons raised. At the last second, Mina activated the grenade and threw it.

A moment later, they heard a loud bang from around the corner.

“Now we wait and let the nano-bots do their work,” said Jem.

Jem and Mina waited with their weapons pointing at the entrance.

About a minute later, the android staggered out. Its frame was literally melting away. It tried to fire at them, but its weapon malfunctioned.

Soon, the android collapsed and fell to the deck. The lights in its head went out.

“That’s the last one,” said Jem.

She called Ship on her communicator. “Ship, we got the last one. You can send in maintenance bots and begin the clean up operation.”

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Strip the walls bare, make sure the androids didn’t leave any nasty surprises,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“Come on, we can leave the clean up to Ship,” said Jem.

Jem and Mina left the gymnasium and walked to the elevator.

Laine and I sat on a rock on high ground. All around us was desert. The display on my suit told me the exterior temperature was high. The sun was dipping low in the horizon.

“Laine, how much longer until sunset?” I asked.

“Just another hour or two,” replied Laine.

“What information do you have on the mining outpost?” I asked.

Laine looked at her device.

“Not much. They are mining minerals and metals from the asteroid belt,” replied Laine.

“I hope it’s not one of those automated systems,” I said.

Laine turned to look at me.

“I need someone who can answer our call and send a shuttle to rescue us,” I said.

Laine nodded. We travelled a long way. If this failed, we’d have to return to the obelisk.

“This planet is our best chance of a rescue,” said Laine.

We sat and waited in silence after that.

About an hour after sunset, Laine pointed up at the night sky.

“I think we are facing out now. I can activate the automated distress call,” said Laine.

“Please do,” I said. She pressed a button on her suit.

“This may take time, the communicator has a limited range,” said Laine.

“If we had fuel, I would’ve made a fire,” I said.

Laine smiled.

“Don’t worry, it’s not cold,” she replied.

“I was thinking of keeping away any predators,” I said.

“Ah! I wasn’t thinking about predators. But I’ve seen no creatures out in this desert. Without prey, I doubt there would be predators,” she said.

We kept the lights on our suits off, to preserve as much night vision as possible. I looked around, but saw nothing moving.

“Laine, you recall that I had a strange sense that Jem and Mina were in danger?” I asked.

“Yes,” replied Laine.

“I don’t feel that any more,” I said.

“Oh? Does that mean they are no longer in danger, or they are dead?” asked Laine.

“I don’t know, Laine. They might be out of range. We jumped three star systems away from Carolus four,” I replied.

“Yes. That might be it,” she said.

“Or I could have imagined it. I can’t tell,” I said.

“I am hoping for option one, they are no longer in danger,” said Laine.

“Me too,” I said.

The conversation lapsed for a few minutes. I still saw nothing moving out there.

“Any response yet?” I asked.

“Not yet,” she replied.

We waited patiently as it got darker.

About an hour before dawn, Laine nudged me.

“I got a response!!” said Laine.

I adjusted my communicator to the same frequency so I could hear.

“This is the Banart mining outpost. What is the nature of your distress?”

It was in Ori.

“We got stranded on the surface of Phoosie three. We request an evac,” replied Laine.

There was a lengthy pause.

“Phoosie three is uninhabited. This entire system is. How could you land without our knowing?” asked the voice.

“That is a long story. I would be glad to tell you when you rescue us,” replied Laine.

Another pause.

“Acknowledged. We have your coordinates. We will send a shuttle, ETA two hours,” said the voice.

“Acknowledged. Two hours, we will be waiting. Thank you,” said Laine.

Interstellar law requires all vessels and outposts to respond to distress calls and help those in distress. Almost all space-faring races followed this law. To fail to respond to a distress call was a serious crime.

That was a preview of Star Guardian 3. To read the rest purchase the book.

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