

Cerah

A prequel to The Course of Time series

Marius A. Smith

The Course of Time:

Cerah

From Time to Time

The Time of Humanity

Time and Time Again

The Time of Sacrifice

Mysteries of Time

From the Depths of Time: Part One

From the Depths of Time: Part Two

Time's Curse

Copyright © 2019 Marius A. Smith

This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.

All historical individuals or places mentioned or referred to in this book are portrayed in a purely fictitious sense. All other characters are purely fictitious, and no resemblance to individuals living or dead is intended.

No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form without the prior permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1

The Weapon

One way or another, we are all eventually swallowed by the gaping maw of time. Whether or not history remembers us is another matter entirely, but I'm confident that it will, as we will be the ones to write it, Controller Prela't mused to himself as he contemplated their situation. He turned his attention to Deputy Asams'i as she approached.

"The final stage is nearing completion, Controller," she reported crisply.

For the briefest of moments he admired her, as he often did without letting it show, and that admiration went beyond appearances. Like him, and all of the other military personnel in the research facility, she wore a long, hooded, sleeveless open robe that was a rich reddish-brown colour, and was decorated down either side of the chest with traditional symbols and military insignia. The rest of her uniform was comprised of a sleeveless black top, black slacks that were something between formal attire and fatigues, and combat boots. Clipped to her belt she wore an energy pistol on one side and a ceremonial dagger on the other. She wore the uniform proudly. Her bare arms were athletically toned, and like all of the Thalshük race, her ashen-olive skin was dry but smooth. Beneath her hood the natural grey hair of her species framed her young but wise face. She had a small vertical ridge that ran from her lower lip down her chin, where it ended in a short chin-horn; a distinctive trait of the Thalshük. Had she not been his subordinate he would certainly have pursued her as a mate, and he was confident that she would have reciprocated such a pursuit. But she was, and protocol, which they both held as sacrosanct, prevented any such union. Not to mention that he was several lives older than her. He quickly diverted his thoughts before her slitted, multi-spectral eyes discerned the subtle changes in his body temperature that such thoughts would induce. "That's excellent news. I've just received word that an Alliance battle-fleet has been detected entering the system."

"You intend to test the weapon in battle?" Asams'i asked in surprise. "Would it not be most prudent to first test it in a controlled setting?"

"An active test will yield greater and more accurate results, and its use in the battle could spare the lives of thousands of Thalshük soldiers. Have you had any more trouble with our civilian scientist?"

"He's making no secret of his reservations about the project, but he understands the cost if he becomes uncooperative."

"He can think what he likes about it, as long as he does his job."

"I'm keeping him under supervision as a precaution."

Prela't considered for a moment. "I'd like to speak with him, to gauge his state of mind for myself."

"He's in the creation chamber."

Prela't nodded to the deputy, and left the control room at a brisk yet dignified pace.

The creation chamber was an extensive section of the facility, dominated by a huge upright tank in its centre that almost reached the high ceiling, surrounded by banks of instruments that were connected to it by numerous thick cables. A basic metal stairway led to an opening halfway up the tank, but at present its hatch was sealed. Military scientists were busily at work examining readings and ensuring that the weapon being created was being done so exactly as intended. While the rest of the scientists were attired in sleeveless hooded robes similar to those of the military personnel, except deep violet in colour to denote their department, one man stood out in his plain green civilian robe, which had long sleeves and no hood. Enlisted in the project for his expertise in nano-crystallography, he was at present tracking the progress of the final stage of the weapon's formation.

Prela't went and stood beside him, and glanced at the readings on the man's screen to make sure the timing of the conversation wouldn't hinder the production of the weapon. The man was no doubt aware of him there, but didn't even look away from the screen.

"The work is progressing well, Brozn'ic," Prela't commented.

"The programming is being uploaded into the crystalline structure as it forms, effectively hard-wiring it into the weapon to prevent any possibility of external tampering," Brozn'ic responded.

"Does the semi-fluidic nature of the crystals present a weakness in that regard?"

"Even if someone attempted to interface with it physically they'd be unable to do so." Although the weapon that they were creating was a technological masterpiece, there was no pride of accomplishment in Brozn'ic's voice.

"I understand you're still very much opposed to the project."

"As would anyone be who had a moral conscience."

Prela't wasn't deaf to the bitterness in the civilian's voice. "Do you not realise why you're here?"

"Certainly I do. I'm here because you're holding my daughters hostage," Brozn'ic replied, still not taking his eyes off of his screen.

"You're here to help ensure that our race is victorious, that we will reign supreme. Once we've finished this project your daughters will be able to live in a much safer world, free from enemy attacks. Certainly one that's safer than if the Alliance manages to conquer us. Your work ensures the survival of our race and culture for generations to come."

"I'm well aware that all of my work is being monitored for any attempt at sabotage, so you needn't use conversational subterfuge to determine if I'm up to something. You'll have the weapon that you asked for, exactly according to the specifications that you laid out."

"And then you and your daughters will have your freedom."

"I have your word on that, do I?"

"Had you agreed to participate willingly things would have been so much more comfortable for you and your family, instead of how they are, and all for the same result."

As the controller started to walk over to another workstation, Brozn'ic turned and called out to him, "Prela't, have you even considered trying to find a peaceful solution to end this war?"

Turning to face him, Prela't said, "I'm afraid that responsibility lies with my superiors. My thoughts on the matter have no bearing." He then continued on his way.

Returning his attention to his readings, and trying to push aside his resentment of the military's unchecked authority, Brozn'ic's scientific curiosity made him wonder what the partially formed weapon must look like inside the tank at this stage of its creation, as it grew towards its final form. He knew what the end result would be, and could picture the physical processes at work as more of the crystalline matter was fused together, adding ever greater complexity to what had started as an amorphic mass. Then something occurred to him, an unforeseen possibility that could either present devastating potential or a glimmer of hope. Mindful that his activities were under constant surveillance, he brought up the weapon's programming on one of his screens as though simply double checking it. As he went through it he became ever more convinced that a system with that level of complexity, when programmed into such an extensive lattice of pico-circuitry as that of the weapon's entire physical make-up, would have the potential to develop into a basic level of sentience! It would be able to think for itself, which was an intended aspect of its design, but to the point of being able to understand the concept of right and wrong, and to effectively have a moral sense, or a conscience. Such a possibility hadn't even been discussed during the planning stages. But it would all depend on what it was led to believe was right or wrong, having no experience of its own. If its morality was dictated by the Thalshük military it would become an aggressive entity of enormous destructive capability, and at their bidding it would be completely merciless. On the other hand, if someone with a more humane sense of the fundamental principles of good and evil in all of their varying degrees could be the one to teach it, it could become a weapon that was used against oppression and conquest instead of enforcing such things.

Knowing that his daughters' lives were at stake as much as his own, Brozn'ic decided that he had to act before it was too late, no matter the personal cost. Millions of lives were at stake, at the very least, across dozens of worlds. But there was nothing he could do until the weapon was complete. He just had to hope that no one else suspected what he did before then.

Everyone in the facility felt a momentary tremor through the ground, followed moments later by another stronger one.

Deputy Asams'i entered the chamber and hurried over to Prela't as a couple more tremors rumbled through the facility. "The city's under bombardment. Should we prepare to evacuate?"

"No, they're not targeting us. Even the local government doesn't know we're here. And even if the Alliance knew of our location, we're far enough underground that they'd pose no real threat."

A scientist named Grüdn'yi came over to them. "The final stage of construction will be complete in moments. Then all that remains will be to give it an initial infusion of energy. After that, the internally amplified piezoelectric charge generated by its own movements and functions will produce all the energy it will need."

"As soon as construction is complete, carry out the energy infusion, and prepare to release the weapon," Prela't ordered.

"As you command, Controller," Grüdn'yi said, and returned to his station.

Brozn'ic overheard their conversation, and marched over to Prela't. "Are you mad? The weapon hasn't even been tested yet."

"This attack would seem to be a providential opportunity to test it." A series of tremors seemed to reinforce Prela't's point.

Brozn'ic could tell that he was trying the controller's patience, but persisted, "Any number of things could go wrong." His concern wasn't really that the weapon might fail, but that he'd be denied any opportunity to interact with it before the controller did.

Prela't glared at him. "Need I remind you that your obstinacy could cause others to suffer?"

The clear threat to his daughters wasn't lost on Brozn'ic. In a less disagreeable tone, he said, "I simply think that it's a mistake to send it out prematurely. But of course that choice lies with you."

"Indeed it does."

There was a deep hum of power as Grüdn'yi initiated the energy flow to charge the weapon. After a surprisingly short time of only a matter of seconds, the scientist announced to the controller, "The weapon is active, and now operating under its own power."

"Is the tank safe to enter?"

"Yes it is."

Prela't quickly strode over to the stairway that led up to the tank's hatch, followed by Asams'i and Grüdn'yi. Brozn'ic followed them up, fascinated to see the results of his work despite his disagreement about its purpose.

When Prela't reached the hatch he didn't hesitate to open it. Blue light spilled through the opening, and he and those with him gazed in awe at the scientific masterpiece that had been created.

Standing before them in humanoid shape was a being made entirely of deep blue crystal that glowed with its own inner light. Its entire surface looked perfectly smooth and hard, yet flexible as it turned to face them. There were constant ripples of energy all throughout its being. It was anatomically genderless, even in its body shape. Its face was not sharply defined, though the basic forms of nose, mouth and eyes were all present, but even its eyes were part of the same blue crystal form as the rest of it, like a statue carved from a single block without anything else added. It lacked any aesthetic additions, such as hair or nails. When it spoke its voice had an echoing ethereal quality to it, though it too was without gender. "What is my designation?"

"Paragon," Prela't replied. "I am Controller Prela't, and this is Deputy Asams'i."

"I await instructions."

To Brozn'ic, the fact that Paragon's first question was about its name seemed to confirm his suspicion that they'd created a sentient weapon, as it had demonstrated a concept of self.

"There's a battle-fleet of enemy starships attacking the city above. You are to destroy them all," Prela't ordered.

"Acknowledged," Paragon responded impassively, and followed the others with a smooth, steady stride as they left the tank.

As soon as Paragon stepped out onto the small platform at the top of the stairs all of the scientists and military personnel in the chamber stopped what they were doing and gathered to see the weapon that they'd created.

"Open the ceiling hatch," Prela't ordered loud enough to be heard down in the chamber.

One of the scientists hurried over to a console and executed the appropriate command.

A wide circular hatchway in the ceiling above the tank slid open revealing a long chute leading up to the surface. The chute filled with the glow of sunlight as the surface hatch at the top also opened.

Needing no further instructions, Paragon levitated into the air and ascended up the chute.

"Monitor its progress," Prela't commanded as he and the others came down the stairs.

Grüdn'yi and Brozn'ic dashed over to their respective stations and brought up sensor telemetry of what was happening above ground. Prela't and Asams'i stood back a short distance to be able to see both men's displays.

"Paragon has engaged the enemy," Grüdn'yi reported.

Moments later, Brozn'ic added, "Paragon has already destroyed four Alliance ships in the time it took the city's defence towers to take down one."

"Including one of their larger battleships," Asams'i observed on Brozn'ic's display.

"The weapon is magnificent," Prela't said with pride, more to himself than anyone else.

Already the tremors from the bombardment above were becoming less frequent. It was only a couple of minutes before Grüdn'yi announced that the enemy battle-fleet had been completely destroyed, and that the weapon was returning to the facility.

Paragon descended from the chute and hovered in the air above the tank, still glowing with ripples of energy as much as it had been when they'd first set eyes on it. "I await further instructions."

"Return to the tank. We need to run some tests to determine what effects that battle has had on you, and to monitor your energy levels," Prela't responded.

"Acknowledged," Paragon stated, and glided back down to the platform at the top of the stairs before stepping back into the tank.

At a nod from Prela't, Grüdn'yi closed the ceiling hatch.

"I thought that as a Thalshük masterpiece it would bear more of a resemblance to our race, such as facial features, hair, or even musculature. Even its eyes look blank and featureless," Asams'i commented.

"If it's seen by our enemies on missions to other worlds its form will not betray who sent it, sparing us any reprisals that would threaten Thalshük lives," Prela't replied.

A soldier entered the chamber and came over to them. "Forgive the interruption Controller, Deputy, but our long-range sensors have just detected a much larger Alliance war-fleet approaching."

"When will they arrive?" Prela't asked.

"In approximately half an hour at their present speed."

As discreetly as he could, Brozn'ic made his way towards a particular sensor console that had a remote scanning unit, which was currently unattended, stopping at the console beside it. He brought up a schematic on the screen as though he was reviewing the details of Paragon's complex crystalline lattice at a molecular level.

"It would seem that the weapon is battle-ready, as we've just proven. I see no reason not to use it again, to see what it's really capable of when it won't run out of enemy ships to destroy quite so quickly," Prela't said. He turned towards the console with the remote scanner, and seeing that Brozn'ic was the closest scientist to it, ordered, "Brozn'ic, take that scanner into the tank and get some detailed readings of the weapon's status, and check for any indications of battle damage. We need to know what limitations it may have."

"As you wish," Brozn'ic responded, being careful not to sound enthusiastic about the task so as not to raise any suspicion. He picked up and activated the scanner unit, established a link with the console, and then took it up to the tank.

Once inside, he activated the scanner so that telemetry would start appearing on the appropriate screen out in the main chamber, for the sake of anyone who might start checking the results, and then put the unit down. Paragon was standing completely immobile, still radiant with energy, but otherwise like a statue.

"A much larger Alliance war-fleet has just been detected approaching this planet," Brozn'ic informed it.

"I am ready for battle," Paragon stated.

"You must not destroy them."

Paragon looked directly at him with what was almost an expression of confusion. "They are the enemy, and they are coming to attack. Why should I not respond?"

"Humour me for a moment. What is the purpose of a weapon?"

"A means to defend life from an attack that threatens it."

"The attacking force is made up of numerous races trying to defend themselves from the Thalshük. The Thalshük are conquerors who have attacked each of their worlds for no other reason than to obtain their resources and enslave their people. These races have allied together to free themselves from Thalshük oppression. There are many more worlds at stake than just this one. Let me put it another way; is conquest and domination a worthy cause?"

"It is not. But you assisted in my creation. Why did you do so if you are opposed to the Thalshük cause?"

"I was coerced into helping the military on this project. They're holding my daughters prisoner and would have killed them if I didn't comply. And in all likelihood they will anyway once my usefulness has ended. That's the sort of people the Thalshük are."

"Not all. You are different."

"There are good Thalshük, but mostly among the civilian populace who aren't a part of the government or military, and who aren't assisting the cause of conquest, at least not willingly."

"I cannot turn against my creators based on the opinion of one man."

"Can you remotely interface with the facility's military database without the fact being detected?"

"I can."

"Then please do so. Review the historical files and mission directives. Analyse the impact that the Thalshük have had on other intelligent species such as the Lurxsa or the Thayaten. You will see what the Thalshük really are, how many worlds they've crushed, and how many lives and cultures they've destroyed. Your sentience was an unintended side effect of your design that no one else knows about, at least not yet. I'm confident that you'll be capable of understanding the situation in terms of right and wrong, and that you'll have the sense of conscience to make the right choice."

"I have reviewed all historical and military files."

Brozn'ic knew that the design of its pico-circuitry made Paragon capable of processing information at much greater speeds than anything else previously created, but he was still surprised that it had accomplished it so quickly. "And your conclusion?"

"The Thalshük cause is not just," Paragon said with complete certainty. "They attack civilian and food production structures indiscriminately. The Alliance does not. The Thalshük government only uses its cloning technology to extend the lives of government and military personnel, but not for the benefit of the Thalshük people. The Alliance races use their technology for the good of all of the people that comprise all of their races."

"Knowing what is truly just is an inviolable principle. What will you do when the war-fleet attacks?" Brozn'ic asked, daring to hope that he was right about Paragon.

"I will assist the Alliance fleet in its retaliation against Thalshük military targets, but I will not attack civilians. I was wrong to destroy their ships during the first attack."

Brozn'ic thought he heard a hint of remorse in Paragon's voice. "We can't change the past. We can only learn from it, and look to the future."

"The Thalshük have temporal stasis technology."

"That's not the same as time travel, which at present is still beyond us."

"When Controller Prela't discovers that you have shown me the truth he will kill you and your daughters."

"You can save them. They're being held at the Yun'chet Detention Facility. I'm not so worried about what happens to me, as long as they're safe."

"I will save them," Paragon promised.

"Thank you," Brozn'ic said with the utmost sincerity. "I must go now or Prela't might become suspicious."

"When he learns of my choice he will attempt to destroy me."

"I will do everything in my power to make sure that he cannot," Brozn'ic promised in turn. He picked up the scanner unit and left the tank with a parting glance back at Paragon.

"What are the results? Was there any battle damage?" Prela't asked as Brozn'ic returned the scanner to its console.

"None whatsoever," Brozn'ic replied.

"It seems you've done well," Prela't said. He went over to where Grüdn'yi was working, and ordered, "Prepare to release the weapon again."

"The war-fleet is breaking off into smaller groups to attack multiple targets," Asams'i informed him. "Our battleships and frigates are standing by across the planet. No matter where they attack, we'll be ready for them."

It wasn't long before they received word that the Alliance ships had begun their offensive. As the strikes were not directly above the facility this time, there were no discernible tremors from the bombardments.

After ordering the ceiling hatch to be opened again, Prela't led Asams'i and Grüdn'yi back up to the tank. This time Brozn'ic stayed behind at his console as though examining readings. As soon as the others were out of sight, he went over to Grüdn'yi's console as quickly as he could without drawing the attention of the other scientists in the chamber. He brought up all of the files pertaining to the molecular structure of Paragon's crystalline lattice, and proceeded to delete them.

In the tank, Prela't informed Paragon, "The Alliance war-fleet has begun its attack."

Before he could say anything else, Paragon simply walked past him and left the tank, pausing on the platform for only a moment before flying up through the ceiling hatch.

Being used to receiving an acknowledgement of anything he said, Prela't took such behaviour as an affront, but then reminded himself that it wasn't a person he was dealing with, it was a feat of technology.

In the brief moment that Paragon stood on the platform, Brozn'ic had given it a subtle nod of moral encouragement. He couldn't even be sure that such a gesture would have any meaning to the living weapon, but he hoped so. He noticed Prela't, Asams'i and Grüdn'yi emerge from the tank and begin their descent down the stairs. As soon as the files had finished deleting, he went back to his console, and was relieved when they walked past him without having noticed his movements. In their eyes he was probably little more than a glorified slave, which generally put him beneath their notice unless they needed something from him. In this case it was a good thing. Now he just needed to figure out a way to escape before they discovered what was going on.

Asams'i went over to an unoccupied console and brought up the military feed to monitor the progress of the battle, which she relayed to Prela't. "The war-fleet has broken into six groups, each larger than the fleet that attacked earlier. Our ships outnumber theirs, so we will quickly gain the upper hand, but they're targeting the cloning facilities in each province's capital and then moving on to the next province." She looked at Prela't. "If they destroy them all, none of us will be able to transfer to another body. This will be our final life."

"Not bodies of our own, anyway," Prela't said with a devious gleam in his eye.

Having overheard them, Brozn'ic realised that they'd be perfectly willing to steal the bodies of other people to continue their own lives without the option to transfer into clones of themselves.

"Controller, Paragon is attacking our ships!" Asams'i realised in horror.

"What?" Prela't had to see it on the screen for himself before he could believe it. "How did this happen? Why would it turn on its creators?"

Brozn'ic knew it wouldn't be long before they suspected that he'd had a hand in it, so to throw off their suspicions, he called out, "Controller, I think I may have an explanation."

Prela't and the others hurried over to his console, where he'd brought up the files pertaining to Paragon's programming structure, which were still there as he'd only deleted the files relating to its physical structure.

Knowing that it was something that they'd soon figure out for themselves anyway, Brozn'ic explained, "I believe the weapon has developed a level of sentience due to the complexity and adaptivity of its programming, which has been replicated countless times throughout the pico-circuitry of its design."

"That does sound like a plausible explanation," Grüdn'yi said as he looked over the programming with that now in mind.

"It doesn't explain why it would turn on us," Prela't said.

"At such an early stage, where its self-awareness is still blossoming, we couldn't begin to imagine how much confusion there is in its rationality," Brozn'ic said.

"So it may not even be possible to reason with it?" Asams'i asked.

"We won't know that unless we can communicate with it."

"It has communication systems embedded in its design, other than verbal, so that it can still receive transmissions of new instructions while away on a mission," Grüdn'yi said, and attempted to establish a communication link with Paragon. After several failed attempts, he reported, "It's refusing to communicate."

Just as Prela't was dreading to think what his superiors would say about his failure on this project, and what the punishment might be, a soldier came up to him and said, "Controller, the Overlord has ordered you to make contact with him immediately."

Prela't dismissed him and went to a console that was away from everyone else.

While he was doing that, Grüdn'yi said, "How could we have not anticipated this?"

"How could we have? It wasn't an intended aspect of the weapon's design," Brozn'ic said, going along with his confusion. "It wasn't supposed to have autonomous decision-making capabilities, only tactical analyses."

Asams'i viewed the military feed with despair. "Because of Paragon, the tide of battle has shifted in favour of the Alliance. We've already lost hundreds of warships and dozens of military bases."

"Can't we call for reinforcements from other sectors?" Grüdn'yi asked.

"They're already on their way, but by the time they get here our military force will have been greatly diminished, and there's no guarantee that they'll be able to stop Paragon. As far as I can tell, it still hasn't suffered any damage."

Brozn'ic was secretly delighted to hear that, having been unsure of what Paragon's limitations were. He was also mindful that he was running out of time to make an escape attempt.

Prela't returned to them. "The Overlord has ordered that the weapon be destroyed."

"Does he have any idea how? Because I don't," Grüdn'yi said with exasperation. "We designed it to be as close to indestructible as possible."

"If we attack it, it's certain to destroy us, and we're the only ones who know anything about its design," Asams'i said.

"It's made of crystal, isn't it? Surely an ultrasonic burst would be able to shatter it, or at least damage or disrupt it enough for other weapons to be more effective," Prela't reasoned.

"Despite its appearance, its crystalline structure is in a perpetually semi-fluidic state, so even that might be ineffective," Asams'i said.

"A sustained burst at exactly the right frequency could still cause a resonance that would be strong enough to shatter it," Grüdn'yi said.

"How sure are you?" Prela't asked.

"I'm certain, Controller."

"Have a sonic cannon brought to this chamber. It's likely that it will return here at some point."

"At once."

Just as Grüdn'yi was about to leave, Brozn'ic said, "I'll do it. Grüdn'yi is needed here to make the necessary calculations to get the frequency exactly right."

"Very well. But be quick about it. And have them send three cannons, just to be sure." As Brozn'ic hurried away, Prela't called out to him, "It looks like you'll get your wish; you'll finally get to destroy this weapon that you wanted no part of."

"Indeed," Brozn'ic said, and continued on his way.

Grüdn'yi went over to his console to prepare the calculations, but quickly realised that something was wrong. "Controller, all of the files pertaining to Paragon's physical design have been deleted. Without them I can't possibly calculate its resonance frequency."

Asams'i almost knocked him out of the way to get at the console. "According to the logs, this workstation is the one that they were deleted from."

Knowing the temperament of military officers, Grüdn'yi quickly explained, "I've been with you both the whole time. There must be an enemy infiltrator who accessed my station remotely to cover their tracks."

With a suspicion in mind, Asams'i went back to the console where she'd brought up the military telemetry and scanned through the list of Paragon's targets. "I knew it! The Yun'chet Detention Facility has been attacked. According to the report, Paragon slaughtered the guards and allowed the political prisoners to escape, including Brozn'ic's daughters."

"I'll have his head for this!" Prela't hissed venomously. "And the heads of his daughters. I want him brought back here at once."

Asams'i was already issuing orders to that effect through the console.

"But how could Brozn'ic have reprogrammed the weapon? Its programming is hard-wired into the pico-circuits of its crystalline lattice, precluding any such possibility; a fact that Brozn'ic knew," Grüdn'yi asked.

"We wanted to reason with it, Brozn'ic did it first," Prela't concluded.

"There's still the question of destroying it," Asams'i said. "Otherwise this weapon could single-handedly bring about the demise of the Thalshük Empire."

"We might not be able to destroy it, but we can imprison it," Prela't said. "We'll need a temporal stasis containment field."

"I'll have one set up right away," Grüdn'yi said.

"Direct the field to form just below the ceiling hatch. That way by the time the equipment is in Paragon's line of sight it will already be within the field. Activate it the moment Paragon's inside it."

While Grüdn'yi went to make the needed preparations, two soldiers brought Brozn'ic into the chamber, struggling and fighting their efforts to restrain him, but to no avail.

"I know you have no love for the military or this project, but you would go so far as to betray your own race?" Prela't asked as he went over to Brozn'ic. Without another word, he drew his ceremonial dagger and thrust it into Brozn'ic's abdomen.

Brozn'ic slumped weakly into the grasp of the soldiers, unable to voice the many things that he would've liked to say to Prela't, even though they would've been in vain.

Before the life faded from Brozn'ic's eyes, Prela't said to him, "If it's any consolation, your daughters will soon be joining you. I will find them." He withdrew his dagger, and Brozn'ic let out a final sigh. With the soldiers still holding the body up, Prela't wiped the blood from his dagger on Brozn'ic's robe and then sheathed it, and gestured for the soldiers to take the body away.

Grüdn'yi returned with three other scientists, each of them wheeling in a heavy piece of equipment with a complex emitter on the top. "We'll set up at the four corners of the room, that way they'll be out of the weapon's line of sight until it's too late. The moment you see the weapon, activate your emitters," Grüdn'yi ordered the others.

Once they were all in place, they aimed their emitters just below the ceiling hatch and put them on standby. Their instruments showed that the focal point where the beams would intersect was directly below the hatch as intended.

Watching the scientists prepare the trap, Asams'i said to Prela't, "Suppose the weapon doesn't actually come down here, that it destroys this facility from above ground? I'm sure it's capable of doing so."

"It certainly is, but if it has indeed developed sentience, I'd be willing to wager that it's not prepared to risk killing its one friend, Brozn'ic," Prela't said.

"You're counting on it having a conscience or a sense of loyalty after it just turned on the race that created it?"

"If it's alive it will seek companionship, and as yet it has no one to turn to but Brozn'ic."

"Then I hope the temporal stasis field idea works. Once it learns that Brozn'ic's dead it won't hesitate to kill us all."

"The weapon is on course back here!" a scientist manning a sensor console announced anxiously.

Grüdn'yi and the other three were poised over their activation switches. The moment Paragon descended through the ceiling hatch they activated their emitters. There were no visible beams, but Paragon immediately became motionless just below the hatch. Even the energy ripples throughout its body didn't move. It was frozen in an instant of time.

Asams'i breathed a sigh of relief, having lacked Prela't's certainty that it would work, especially with temporal mechanics still being in the early stages of development. "How long will it be able to hold the weapon?"

"Indefinitely. It's trapped in a moment of time. Nothing can escape that, not even Paragon. We'll have a temporal stasis pod raised to encapsulate it, and that will become its permanent cell until we can find a way to destroy it. We'll begin work on a second weapon, one with much more restrictive programming parameters this time," Prela't said.

"It will take time for the scientists to redevelop the physical aspects of the weapon, with all of the files erased. The research and design process took several years before this one was created."

"True. But now the scientists have more knowledge about it, so it won't take as long the second time around. All Brozn'ic has done is delay us. Paragon's physical parameters were perfect, so I want any subsequent models to be the same. Eventually we'll be able to construct armies of them. The universe will fall to its knees before the might of the Thalshük Empire!" Prela't said, the zeal of conquest and glory in his eyes. "We are after all the race that overcame the Vihl."

"Where can we store this weapon where it will be safe from anyone who might try to release it?"

"There's only one place: the Mord'thet Prison Station, where every cell is in temporal stasis."

"I've never heard of it."

"It's an ultra-high-security prison facility in a remote part of deep space. It's so top secret that even I don't know its exact location. But rest assured, it will be quite safe there."
Chapter 2

1492

It was the 29th of March in the year 2509. On the time station Epoch, one of two massive time stations in a high orbit above Earth, Cerah made her way through the dense crowd in Green Tim's restaurant, forcing herself to not take out her frustration on each person that was in her way. She finally made it to where Peter was sitting at a table by a window that overlooked Earth below with two identical drinks in cocktail glasses in front of him. He was dressed casually, just as she was, though his personal grooming was impeccable. Like an old-fashioned gentleman, he stood when he saw her approach.

Cerah sat down opposite him, and said, glancing at the glasses, "A bit thirsty tonight?"

Peter took his seat, and after they did their customary two-finger handshake that finished with a little snap-back, he lifted one of the glasses, gracefully holding it with the stem resting between his fingers, and offered it to her. "You look like you could use one of these."

"What is it?" Cerah asked, accepting it.

"A haemohol vesper martini."

Cerah took a sip. "Not bad."

"So, what's the matter?"

"I just got off a call with my sister."

"I don't think I need to ask how it went."

"About as well as usual. I don't know why I bother trying to reach out to her. Sometimes she still acts like she's seventeen, which she hasn't been for well over a century."

"If I may pose a thought?"

Cerah nodded and took another sip.

"Consider letting go of the big sister approach, and just try speaking to her as one friend to another," Peter said, and savoured a sip of his own drink.

"Trust me, we're not friends. I don't think I could connect with her no matter what approach I use. We always end up falling back into the same old pattern."

"Still, you should give yourself points for trying. It's just unfortunate that trying doesn't guarantee results."

"Isn't that the truth," Cerah said, and took a larger gulp of her drink.

"There's more going on than just Cephra, isn't there?"

Cerah hesitated, not having planned to go into other issues, but Peter had always been easy to open up to. "I just wish I could be doing something else with my life, something that I actually have a passion for."

"Martialball?"

"That'd be fun, but I mean something more meaningful."

"Do you have anything particular in mind?" Peter asked, prompting for details.

"Ideally I'd like to serve aboard a deep space exploration ship, where I could be among the first to learn about other cultures that we've never even heard of yet, instead of being sent across time to fix everyone else's mistakes, half of which are caused by our own researchers." She glanced out of the window at the planet below, the same planet she'd been seeing out of starship and station windows for more years than she cared to count.

"But think of all the famous historical figures you've met during your time in Temporal Security, like Queen Victoria."

"That was only for a moment because I was dressed like a serving girl and she asked for a cup of tea. She's probably still waiting for it. I just don't feel like I'm going anywhere. It's like I'm fading into the background of my own life," Cerah said, refraining from adding the thought that she hadn't even been on a date for longer than she cared to think about, while being aware that it wasn't her looks that were holding her back. She finished her drink with a final gulp.

"You've made lieutenant, so you are going somewhere. You outrank me," Peter said.

"Sub-lieutenant's only one rank down. And I'll wager you make lieutenant commander before I do. If it wasn't for how disappointed my father would be I would've left Temporal Security years ago."

"I didn't think you would let something like that affect your decision. After all, you became a vampire despite his opposition to the idea."

"He just wanted some grandchildren first, before me or Cephra became vampires. After such a major disappointment I haven't been able to bring myself to do it again with my career."

"It's your life. You can't live it for someone else."

"I guess you do have a point there. Maybe it is time for me to move on, and to hell with what anyone else thinks."

"But you do realise that if you start a new career in exploration you wouldn't be able to take your rank with you? You'd have to start from scratch."

Cerah thought about it. "Maybe not, if I could get a high-ranking officer to put in a good word for me."

Peter refrained from reminding her that she wasn't exactly on the best terms with the majority of senior officers. "To be brutally honest, I think you have the potential to go a long way in Temporal Security, if you'd be willing to stick at it. You just need to find a way of finding joy in what you do. But having said that, if you do decide to leave TS and pursue another path I'll do whatever I can to help you."

Cerah couldn't help but smile. "Thanks. Where would I be without you?"

"Probably in the gym taking out your frustrations on a punching bag."

"Or on a person."

"So that's why you got into martialball?" Peter said with a smirk.

"Believe it or not, even that traces back to my father," Cerah said, wondering if she'd ever really lived her own life for herself. "You've been a vampire for what, another 62 years longer than I have, right?" His clean-cut youthful looks certainly didn't betray the extra years.

"Something like that."

"Have you ever considered leaving TS?"

"Not really. But then again, I joined a while after you did, so maybe I just haven't had a chance to get sick of it yet." Peter pulled back his sleeve and checked the time on his multi-com; a high-tech multiple function device styled like a wristwatch with a circular screen instead of a watch face. "We should be getting back to the ship. The last thing you need right now is to have the captain on your case for reporting in late."

As they stood up, Cerah looked out of the window at the ship that they served on, Tethys, as it approached the station from the shipyard where it'd undergone routine maintenance. It was a Heritage-class time ship with a crew complement of 78. Its front section was higher than it was wide, and connected to the larger main body by a lengthy neck section. Its wings were short and thick, and were lined with positron cannons along the front edge and engine cells along the back. A temporal scanning array was mounted on its underside. There was nothing wrong with the ship itself, it was quite magnificent in fact, and among the fastest in Temporal Security's fleet. But as Cerah gazed at it, she knew for certain that it wasn't where she wanted to be.

They started making their way through the crowd towards the exit, and as they did so Cerah spotted Admiral Bruce Rivette entering, the silver jacket of his office making him distinctive. Tapping Peter's arm to get his attention, she called out over the conversational din, "I'll catch you up in a few minutes."

Peter nodded an acknowledgement and continued on his way.

Cerah made her way towards the admiral, who was standing at the bar and had just signalled to a waitress for his usual. It occurred to her that she was actually considerably older than the grey-haired admiral, whom she guessed to be about eighty, which was only late middle-aged for the modern human, and yet she was only a lieutenant. To her, that only reinforced her conclusion that she was on the wrong career path. While it was true that the current methods of educational downloads directly into the brain allowed people to attain various qualifications much quicker than when she was academy age, it didn't allow time for experience in properly comprehending and using that knowledge, so it seemed completely unjust.

"Admiral Rivette, mind if I join you for a minute?"

The admiral smiled at her. "Lieutenant O'Neil, not at all. I haven't seen you since the Magna Carta mission. What can I do for you?"

"I was after a little advice, and perhaps a favour?"

"Certainly, if I can. What's on your mind?"

"I was considering a career change, and I was wondering if you or any of your connections might be able to point me in the right direction for serving on a deep space exploration ship?"

The admiral nodded thoughtfully. "Well to be perfectly frank, I think it would be a mistake to end your career in Temporal Security. I've always thought that you have a promising future here."

Cerah was surprised to hear that. "Really?"

"Absolutely," he said with genuine sincerity. "You're a young vampire with a long life ahead of you, so you're not exactly running out of time. I would encourage you to put some more time into it and really be certain that you've given this career your best, just to make sure there are no regrets at some point in the future. But of course the choice is yours. I'm sure that even your friend Peter Dawson wouldn't dream of trying to make the choice for you."

The waitress placed the admiral's drink in front of him; a glass mug of murky purple alien tea that had a mist wafting off the top of it. Cerah couldn't even begin to guess what it was.

"Is it that you're unhappy in your current assignment?" the admiral asked.

"Not just that. It's a number of things really."

"If I may be so bold, it doesn't have anything to do with your sister Cephra being in Temporal Security, does it?"

"No. If anything, it's partly on account of her that I've been reluctant to leave. Someone needs to keep an eye on her."

The admiral smiled in an understanding way, but didn't comment on her remark. "Of course I'll do what I can to help you towards a path where you'll be happier, but I would also strongly advise you to take some more time to reconsider. I believe it's a sentiment that Captain Devlin would share."

"I thought he'd be glad to be rid of me."

"Not at all. I think he just feels that you've not yet attained your full potential. But far be it for me to put words in his mouth."

Cerah considered what he'd said. "Thanks for your advice, Admiral. I'll give it some thought and get back to you."

The admiral nodded in acknowledgement.

As Cerah made her way out she checked the time on her multi-com and quickened her pace. By now Tethys would have docked and the rest of the crew would be boarding, and she wasn't even on the right deck.

A few minutes later she was aboard. She'd no sooner set foot in her quarters and slumped down on the lounge than she received an internal communication on her multi-com ordering her to report to the briefing room. Any other crewmembers who were to be there would've received a similar message. With a sigh of annoyance, she went and quickly got changed into her Temporal Security uniform of slacks, boots, and buttonless long-sleeved top, all of which were black. After checking in the mirror that her shoulder-length dark brown hair was neat enough, and casting a brief glance of annoyance at the beauty spot on her left cheek as she always did, tiny though it was, she grabbed the deep-orange jacket of her rank and put it on as she left her quarters.

She hurried along the metal-walled passages at a brisk walk, as her dignity wouldn't allow her to run even if she was running late, and made her way to the second deck of the ship's front section, right below the main bridge. As she approached the briefing room door she spotted Ensign Elsa Lindholm, also making her way there, and tried to discreetly walk just a little bit faster to get there first so as to not be the last person to arrive. It seemed they both had the same idea, because they reached the door at the same moment. It slid open, and without a word they both took a seat near the back end of the oval conference table. Cerah glanced around the room.

Seated at the head end was Captain Jerome Devlin. A seasoned captain with only the faintest flecks of grey appearing in his hair, he wore the royal blue jacket of his office, which went well with his steely blue eyes. He only ever had a stern expression. To his right sat his first officer, Commander Daphne Crawford. She was a trim athletic woman, younger than the captain, wore a crimson jacket, and had a militaristic demeanour, from her piercing gaze to the way her auburn hair was tightly tied back. On the other side of the captain sat second officer Lieutenant Commander Jaheem Buhari, a Nigerian man of a similar age to Crawford who wore a jacket that was a lighter red than hers, and who was generally found to be much more agreeable than the other two. Beside him was Vyetrus, a Messaran scientific advisor who was not officially a member of Temporal Security, who wore a loose metallic-blue robe. Like all Messarans he was hairless, had grey skin, a tiny nose, large black eyes, and was noticeably shorter and of a slighter build than most humans. Also present were Peter Dawson and Sub-lieutenant Russell Turner, both with mustard-yellow jackets, as well as Lieutenant Boris Petrov, who was the chief tactical officer, and therefore outranked Cerah despite being the same rank. Blonde-haired and slightly curvaceous, Elsa Lindholm was wearing the dark green jacket of an ensign, and worked under Vyetrus as a science officer.

Captain Devlin got straight to the point. "We've just received orders from Epoch that we're to investigate a temporal upheaval that seems to have rewritten the last millennia of Earth's history. Commander," he said, turning the explanations over to his first officer.

In a crisp, emotionless voice, Commander Crawford stated, "Epoch's initial scans indicate that the Aztec Empire has suddenly been a major world power for several centuries, and has influenced the shape of the modern world accordingly. Their various temples can be found across every continent. For some reason, Christopher Columbus didn't make his voyage that led to the discovery of the New World, and the consequent colonising of the Americas didn't take place until several centuries later. By that time, the Aztec civilisation had grown and developed further, and had moved beyond the practice of human sacrifice."

Just as well, Cerah thought to herself. Sacrificing thousands of people a day, they pretty much gave the Conquistadors a hand in wiping them out, and then wondered why they lost.

"By that time they had in fact established trade with China, learned of the existence of gunpowder, and also of the firearms used by the British and European nations as they traded with merchants from that side of the world," Crawford continued. "Those same merchants in turn took word back to Europe of the existence of the Aztec Empire. By the time an attempt was made to colonise the Americas in the late nineteenth century the Aztecs were ready and able to defend themselves, and after a war of several decades their position as an independent world power was recognised." She looked to the captain, turning the attention back to him.

"We need to find out exactly at what point history took a turn and rectify the matter. Sub-lieutenant Dawson, conduct a more intensive scan of the late fifteenth century and see if you can narrow down when Columbus' life took a different direction, and why he didn't make that voyage."

"Yes, sir," Peter replied.

"Vyetrus, I'll need you to ascertain if there was an alien influence involved, and if not, who it was from our time that made an impact," Devlin said in a less commanding and more respectful tone while addressing him.

"Certainly," the Messaran replied in his calm, gentle voice.

"Sub-lieutenant Turner, check with Epoch for any further information."

"Sir," he acknowledged.

"Lieutenants Petrov and O'Neil, you will each lead a team to gather information once we have a better idea of where to look, under the direction of Lieutenant Commander Buhari."

Petrov and Cerah each voiced a brief acknowledgement.

"Dismissed," the captain said, and immediately everyone stood up and filed out of the room.

"Lieutenant Petrov, Lieutenant O'Neil, could I have a word?" Lieutenant Commander Buhari said once they were out in the passage. His mellow voice was deep enough to have come from a much larger man. He only had a slight African accent.

Cerah and Petrov both went and joined him.

"I'd like to keep the teams small to be less conspicuous, and also to reduce the risk of cultural contamination. I was thinking three people per team, including yourselves," he said.

"That should work," Petrov said with a distinct Russian accent.

"One team could tail Columbus and find out who it was that changed his mind about the voyage, since someone must've influenced him in some way, and the other can then chase that person down, be it human or alien, and hopefully find out what their motive was," Cerah said.

"That sounds like a good plan," Buhari agreed.

"I'd like to volunteer my team to follow Columbus. If he's making alternative arrangements through official channels it's most likely to occur during the day," Petrov said.

Cerah was sure that Petrov was just trying to get one up on her with his less-than-subtle dig at the fact that she was a vampire, and possibly even hoping to be the one to potentially meet Christopher Columbus. "Actually, I've found that people of wealth or prestige tend to begin with off-the-record understandings before making any official arrangements, usually at social occasions that take place in the evening. But I'm up for the challenge of hunting down whoever the mystery man is who changed Columbus' mind."

"It's settled then. Petrov, you take Columbus. O'Neil, you chase up the 'other guy'." With a polite parting nod, Buhari left them to it.

Petrov glared at Cerah for contradicting him, and went his own way.

Cerah sighed. There were so few people on the ship that she could even tolerate, let alone be willing to work with. With Peter being stationed on the bridge, she'd be hard pressed to find two more people to make up her team. And she wanted competent people; there was no way she was going to let Petrov's team appear more efficient. She was reasonably well acquainted with Russell Turner, the communications officer, but he too was stationed on the bridge. Even if Vyetrus didn't also work on the bridge, a Messaran would be out of the question for a mission into Earth's past. But a scientist could be useful, which led her to think of Elsa Lindholm. They'd only ever spoken briefly a few times in passing, but she'd always seemed pleasant, and working under Vyetrus would no doubt have helped her to become a better scientist. Plus her European ancestry would help her to blend into a crowd on such a mission, hopefully. Her blonde hair and pale skin might still make her stand out in Spain, where Christopher Columbus was supposed to have departed from on his historic voyage. It all depended on how frequently foreigners visited that region in that time. She just had to be sure to get Elsa on her team before Petrov had the same idea.

Cerah hadn't seen which way Elsa had gone after the briefing, so addressing the ship's computer, she asked, "Tethys, where is Ensign Lindholm at the moment?"

Immediately the ship's impassive feminine voice replied, "Ensign Lindholm is on the main bridge."

Being on the deck above, it wasn't worth waiting for the lift, so Cerah went up the nearest set of stairs.

The bridge had a lower light setting than the rest of the ship, making the consoles and displays more prominent. Even the wall panelling was a darker grey, compared to the lighter metal-grey throughout the rest of the ship. The side walls had a slight curvature, and a panoramic intensified diamond window dominated the entire front of the room. The captain, sitting in the central of three chairs in the middle of the bridge, briefly glanced at her as she entered. Like in the briefing, Commander Crawford sat beside him, quietly voicing her theories about the mission, which only Cerah's vampiric hearing was keen enough to overhear. The commander was under the impression that an alien power was attempting to subvert human history, perhaps without a full understanding of humanity's ability to monitor the timeline, though to what end was open to speculation.

Elsa was with Vyetrus at the science station on the port side of the room going through the data in Peter's scans of the year 1492, each at separate yet joined consoles. As yet they hadn't found anything to indicate an alien presence.

Cerah went over to them. "Ensign Lindholm, I'd like you to accompany me to the surface as part of my team." Then, to Vyetrus, she added, "If you can spare her."

"She would be a valuable asset to your mission," Vyetrus granted.

"In that case, I'd be happy to," Elsa said, suppressing her excitement in the interest of professionalism.

Cerah still saw her enthusiasm pretty easily, and guessed that she didn't get out in the field much. "Thanks. I'll let you know when we'll be heading out."

As she turned to go, Elsa added, "Lieutenant, thanks for thinking of me."

Cerah paused. "No problem. Like Vyetrus said, you'll be an asset."

She was about to leave the bridge to return to her quarters to properly freshen up while she waited for more specific mission details but stopped to listen when Peter reported to the captain, "I've narrowed the change to the 15th of January in 1492, when Columbus met with the monarchs of Castile to discuss his proposed expedition. The official agreements made on the 17th and 30th of April reflect the alterations of his plans from what we know as established history."

"That doesn't necessarily mean that the initial change took place on the 15th of January," Commander Crawford interjected.

"Even if events started unfolding differently before then, that date would be a good starting point to begin the investigation. If necessary we can go back further to make the rectification after gathering all necessary information," Devlin decided. Addressing the helmsman, he ordered, "Ensign Fitzpatrick, set a course for temporal coordinate 14920115-0600, and put us in a geosynchronous orbit over Spain."

"Aye, Captain," the young Canadian man responded.

Moments later a green aura surrounded the ship, visible around the edges of the window, as it began to shift through time.

"Our ETA at the destination point is an hour and a half," Fitzpatrick reported, which the captain acknowledged.

"If you're open to a recommendation for your team, might I suggest Ensign Tomás Moreno? He's Spanish by ancestry, and has field experience in missions to Spain in the past," Elsa suggested to Cerah in a lowered voice.

"Thanks for the recommendation, I'll keep him in mind," Cerah replied. "Meet me in the clothing room in one hour, and we'll find the right clothes to fit our assumed identities."

"I'll be there."

Considering that she had an hour and a half before they'd reach 1492, Cerah figured she'd still be able to get in a quick shower and still have time to find a third member for her team if Ensign Moreno didn't meet her requirements. Either way, she thought it best to find Moreno before doing anything else. Just like with Ensign Lindholm, if he did turn out to be a suitable choice she didn't want Petrov to get to him first.

Using her multi-com, she located him in the ship's historical research library on the third deck of the ship's front section, and went straight there.

The library's door slid open to reveal a spacious rectangular room that had a sizeable window at one end, which was the front of the ship, with the green aura of temporal transit visible around its edge. Consoles lined all of the walls, with comfortable-looking seats in front of them. There were a dozen people in the room doing research about different aspects of their destination that were relevant to the investigation. Cerah didn't know Ensign Moreno by sight, but her multi-com indicated that he was the man in the dark green jacket sitting on the other side of the room with Lieutenant Commander Buhari standing next to him, going over some results together. Moreno had a lean build, a natural lightly bronze complexion, a square jaw, was clean shaven but with a hint of a shadow, and had dark brown hair that was tied in a short ponytail. He reported his historical findings to Buhari in a cultured voice with a distinct Spanish accent. He would certainly blend into a crowd on such a mission, as long as his chiselled good looks didn't draw too much attention.

Cerah went over to them. "Pardon me, Commander, but might I speak with Ensign Moreno for a moment?"

"By all means," Buhari responded.

Moreno looked up at her. "What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

"I'm leading a small team to investigate whoever it was that changed Columbus' mind, and I'd like to have you on it."

"I'd be happy to. What time should I be ready to depart?"

"We'll meet in the clothing room in an hour. By then I will have come up with cover identities for us, and we'll dress accordingly."

Buhari smiled and slapped Moreno on the shoulder in a friendly, blokish way as he said to Cerah, "This man's a good choice. He knows a lot about the destination."

"My ancestry on my father's side traces back to Aragon, though not a great deal of information about them remains from that far back. They were quite poor in those times, so there are not many records of them, and no pictures. I could walk right past my ancestors on the street and never even know."

"Ensign Moreno has just turned up an interesting detail relating to the timeline change," Buhari said.

Moreno directed Cerah's attention to the data on his screen. "It appears that in this course of events the Suez Canal was constructed between 1494 and 1507, though not half as wide as the original nineteenth century one, and that Christopher Columbus was the one who proposed the idea in order to facilitate trade with countries like India, particularly the lucrative spice trade."

"As I recall, Columbus' original intention for his expedition was to find a more feasible trade route across the ocean to the west, as it took a long time and was too expensive going by land to the east," Cerah said. "He was pretty much looking for a shortcut that would be more profitable. Discovering America was an accident. But where did he get the Suez Canal idea from? That wasn't supposed to be built for another three and a half centuries."

"There I cannot help you," Moreno said regretfully. "There are names of others associated with the endeavour, but they all match names in our historical database, so none of them are visitors from our time, unless of course they've assumed someone else's identity. But there's no way of knowing that from here."

"Petrov's team will be in charge of finding out who it was that influenced Columbus to do things differently. We'll be the ones to hunt that person down."

"I'll see if I can get any more information before we depart."

"See you in an hour," Cerah said, and with a parting nod to both of them she returned to her quarters.

After a quick shower, a change of uniform and a bite to eat, she started going through the ship's historical database on the screen in her quarters to find appropriate roles for her team to assume when they went down. She figured that they shouldn't try to pose as nobility, as all such would probably be known to each other by name or reputation if not by sight, and they'd quickly be spotted as imposters. On the other end of the scale, destitute peasants wouldn't get them very far either. They'd have better luck passing with little notice if Moreno was some sort of low-level merchant or artisan, and she and Elsa were associates of his. But a merchant with no goods to sell might raise questions as well. She decided that something humble yet respectable like a cobbler would probably be best. Although maybe a soldier or guard might be useful, as Petrov was likely to foul up his part and need rescuing. She always hated having to work with him. Aside from being a bit useless, to the point of specialising in ineptitude, the man always rubbed her the wrong way. And she was sure that with him it was deliberate, whereas the rest of the crew seemed to irritate her inadvertently. But at least they each had their own team on this assignment, so she decided to stop moping and make her way to the clothing room on deck 4 of the main part of the ship.

When she arrived Moreno and Elsa were already there, but so was Petrov and his team of two sub-lieutenants whom Cerah knew to be friends of his. Struggling to stifle her sigh of annoyance, she gathered her team at the far end of the room and spoke to them in a lowered voice so that Petrov wouldn't overhear her ideas while he and his team started going through the room's numerous clothing racks for suitable attire. She knew from past experience that he was perfectly willing to take her ideas and then claim the credit as though he'd thought of them. She figured it was the only way that someone with his stark incompetence could ever have gotten promoted in the first place. And he was pretty hopeless as a tactical officer. A number of times she'd seen him make a poor choice in battle when a better move had seemed perfectly obvious.

"So here's the plan," Cerah started. "We want to stay relatively low-key so as not to attract too much attention, so Ensign Moreno, you're a cobbler, and Ensign Lindholm, you're his Swedish wife."

Elsa looked a little too pleased about her role. "Sounds like an excellent plan. But how did you know I was Swedish?"

"I reviewed both of your files."

"Good thinking. You need to know who you're working with to make a well-informed choice of who to pick for your team."

"Absolutely," Cerah agreed, not mentioning that she'd checked their files later after having chosen them based on who she thought she could tolerate working with. "Since Columbus' meeting with the Spanish king and queen will take place during the day, I'll have to stay back with our shuttle until nightfall and coordinate from there, but you two should already be out in the area ready to make a start on locating this other mystery person, or people, until I can join you."

"Understood, Lieutenant," Moreno said. "Columbus' meeting will take place in the Alcázar of Córdoba, so I'd recommend that we be in that vicinity unless we have reason to go elsewhere."

"Noted. For this mission I don't think any of us should need an alias, so we'll just use our own names, but without addressing each other by rank once we're under way." The other two nodded in agreement. "Let's do it."

The three of them started going through the racks, which were arranged by time period and geographical location. Once they'd made their selections they went into the fitting rooms to get changed.

Ten minutes later they regrouped. Moreno was wearing dark brown hose that were tighter than he would've preferred, and a doublet that was a slightly lighter shade, but of a humble style without any slashing to hopefully avoid drawing the attention of any would-be muggers who might otherwise expect him to be carrying a substantial coin purse. He was grateful that the doublet hung below hip-height. Playing the part of a cobbler, he'd chosen shoes that were a little better crafted than the style of the rest of his outfit, though still not ostentatious. The slightly elongated pointed toes were leaning towards the style of poulaines, but not quite to such an extent, mainly for the sake of practicality. He fastened a short, basic linen cloak over the outfit.

Elsa wore a dark green cotehardie with elbow-length sleeves, with the white sleeves of her chemise extending the rest of the way to her wrists. The cotehardie reached to her feet and was belted high on her waist, and on her head she wore a white coif. She also had a thick woolen shawl over her shoulders.

Cerah was the last to come out, wearing a noticeably more elegant crimson gown with a V-neck that showed the patterned upper part of the kirtle she wore beneath it, complete with long tippets on the sleeves at the elbows and a lace-rimmed veil.

"Lieutenant, might I enquire what role you've adopted?" Moreno asked. "It's just that I fear you might attract some attention dressed as you are."

In the corner of her eye, Cerah noticed Petrov's team watching them. They were all considerably more dressed up than her group, with finer materials, pleats, and parts of their inner sleeves pulled through the slashings of their black doublets as though they were part of a fifteenth century fashion show. She just knew that they were thinking that she was copying their style, and hated for them to see her having to go and find a new outfit, but Moreno was right, she was too dressed up. Without a word, but with an annoyed sigh, she made a new selection and returned to her fitting room.

Shortly afterwards she came back out wearing a cotehardie similar to Elsa's except a dull red, also belted high on the waist, and with a plain veil and a woolen shawl. She didn't even try to overhear the remarks that were quietly being passed among Petrov's team.

Buhari entered the clothing room. Addressing both teams, he said, "We're about to arrive in 1492. I've had a shuttle prepared for each team." He looked over at Petrov and his companions. "You boys planning to infiltrate a soirée?"

"We figured it wouldn't serve our purposes very well to dress like peasants, not if we're to mix with the sort of people who associate with royalty," Petrov replied, casting a not-so-subtle derisive glance a Cerah's team.

"Let's all just focus on getting the job done," Buhari said, not oblivious to Petrov's intended implications. He left the room, followed shortly after by Petrov's team.

Noticing their quick departure after the second officer had left, a thought occurred to Cerah, and she asked the other two, "Did you happen to notice if they took any currency with them?"

"I don't think they did. Should we remind them?" Elsa asked.

"I'm sure Petrov will think of it shortly," Cerah said, and went over to the tall currency lockers against one wall. She opened the one in the Spain section and removed the drawer marked '1450-1500', and then removed the tray of the same time period from the Portugal locker and swapped them over. Quickly closing the lockers again, she went back over to where Elsa and Moreno were wondering what she was doing.

Moments later Petrov hurried back into the room, just as she'd anticipated. He grabbed a leather coin purse and went over to the Spain locker, and put a generous handful of coins from the 1450-1500 tray into it and tied the drawstring. Not even casting a glance at Cerah, he then left.

Cerah went and swapped the trays back to their correct positions, and put a modest handful of the appropriate coins into three purses for her team. "Let's go," she said, and led the way from the room.

As they made their way up to the launch bay on deck 2, she asked Moreno, "So, Ensign, are you fluent in Spanish?"

Moreno nodded. "I am, but in 1492 they still speak Old Castilian, so I'll have to rely on my neural interpreter like everyone else." Then he added, "But please feel free to call me Tomás while we're on this mission, if you think it'd be appropriate."

"It's probably a good idea for us to get into the habit of speaking to each other in more familiar terms. The last thing we want is a slip-up of referring to each other by rank to be overheard by the wrong people. So you should both probably start calling me Cerah too."

As they approached the launch bay doors Cerah returned the polite nods that the two guards armed with pulse rifles gave her, who were stationed there according to protocol.

They entered the launch bay just in time to see Petrov's team enter a shuttle and close the hatch. The shuttles had a basically similar design to the ones used during Earth's early space missions, but much smaller and more streamlined.

Buhari came over to them. Indicating another shuttle, he said, "This one's been prepared for you."

A call came through on Buhari's multi-com from Sub-lieutenant Turner on the bridge, which the others overheard. "Commander, we've just arrived at our destination. The time field is now down."

"Acknowledged," Buhari said, and ended the call. To Cerah's team, he said, "Keep in regular contact as best you can without drawing attention to yourselves. All the best with it." He then left the launch bay.

Cerah led her group into their shuttle where they all went into the small cockpit. Immediately she tossed her veil and shawl into a corner, having felt ridiculous wearing them. "Tomás, you take the helm. Elsa, see if you can find a suitable landing site in the relative vicinity of the Alcázar of Córdoba that's far enough away from the locals to not be spotted, but not so far that it'll take a long time to get back if there's any kind of emergency."

Tomás and Elsa took the two seats before the console, and Cerah stood behind them.

The moment the launch bay was depressurised and the launch doors opened, Petrov's shuttle lifted off the deck and soared out into space as though he was trying to get a head start. Once it had cleared the ship, Tomás launched theirs.

Tethys was in orbit six hundred kilometres above Spain, so the view of Earth was magnificent as they descended towards the planet. The local time was 0602 hours, and the sun had not yet risen on Córdoba.

"I've located an ideal site four kilometres west-southwest of the castle," Elsa reported.

"Four kilometres? Sure that'll be far enough away to not get noticed by someone?" Cerah asked.

"In 1492 Córdoba is a great deal smaller than it is in our time. The place I've chosen is away from any main paths, and is right in the middle of a wooded area."

"Alright then. Tomás, take us down using anti-gravity thrusters so the light from our engines won't be seen."

"Certainly."

Cerah looked over their shoulders at the sensor display. Petrov's shuttle was descending towards a secluded area near the Guadalquivir River about four kilometres east of the castle. According to the sensor readings, his landing site would be considerably closer to the populated area because of the shape and position of the city in this time. Cerah couldn't help shaking her head with a sigh of exasperation at the man's stupidity, thinking that Petrov would be lucky if some local fisherman didn't stumble across his shuttle while his team was away in the city. She also noticed without surprise that his shuttle was still running on normal engines, meaning that if one of the locals happened to look up into the sky they'd probably see the glow of its engine cells. Finally his shuttle switched to anti-gravity thrusters too.

Due to the darkened landscape the castle was still only visible on sensors. The faint glow of the approaching dawn made the shape of the river discernible, so it wasn't difficult for a historian like Tomás to get his bearings visually based on that.

"It's only five degrees Celsius down there," Elsa observed, grateful to have her shawl.

"We have arrived during winter. It should warm up a bit later in the day," Cerah said. "Anyway, you're from Sweden, so I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Well I grew up in Karlstad, my family lived right by the Klarälven River, but when I was in my teens I moved to Heidelberg in Germany to study."

"Germany gets cold winters too," Cerah said offhandedly, worried that she was about to hear Elsa's life story. Tomás provided a timely interruption.

"We'll be touching down in less than a minute." He knew that Elsa could get a little chatty sometimes, and could see that that was about to be the case. He didn't want Cerah to find her annoying, as he knew that Elsa didn't get out on field missions all that often, but that she was certainly keen to. "Cerah, what equipment would you like us to bring?"

"You might need a grappling hook to get over the wall if you don't want to risk getting stopped at the city gate."

"I'd rather take my chances at the gate," Elsa said. "Anything else?"

"No weapons. For the time being, just rely on your multi-coms' scanners. You can always return to the shuttle if it looks like more advanced equipment will be needed."

"Sure. By the way, Petrov's shuttle has landed."

Using sensors, Tomás made a smooth landing in a small clearing in a forested area away from the city, where Elsa had indicated.

"I'd suggest that until dawn breaks we all review the historical files of this place and time to get a better idea of what to prepare for, and the sort of people we're likely to encounter. Then the two of you should head off into town and have some breakfast while we wait for word from Petrov's team," Cerah decided.

Later, when dawn broke and they were all better versed in local history, Tomás and Elsa started making their way to Córdoba. The morning was still quite chilly, and their breath was coming out as a mist, so Tomás gave Elsa his cloak to put on over her shawl. Elsa, who was shivering, gratefully accepted. They soon located a dirt path that made the trek through the forest easier, which then connected to a road leading towards the city. Despite the cold it was a beautiful clear morning with an almost cloudless sky. It was comforting to know that it wasn't likely to rain while they were there. They welcomed the sunshine on their faces as they talked while maintaining a steady pace in an attempt to keep warm.

In less than an hour they were approaching a gateway in the city's high, crenellated stone wall. Being after dawn's break, the gates had been opened, though no one else was visible coming or going at present. Four bored guards were casually chatting to each other, occasionally glancing back along the street leading into the city in case a superior officer was coming to check on them. Upon spotting Tomás and Elsa, they held their pikes loosely at the ready, though not poised, since they weren't expecting any trouble from a couple of probably local travellers, given their lack of luggage.

"Just remember to let them speak first so that our neural interpreters will lock on to their dialect, otherwise they'll hear us speaking modern English," Tomás said in a lowered voice, referring to the implants that all Temporal Security personnel had in their brains that connected to the hearing and speech centres to facilitate communication in other languages.

"Got it. Any ideas of what to say if they question us?"

"I have a few, but I'll play it by ear so that it doesn't sound rehearsed."

As they approached them, one of the guards asked, "What's your business here?"

"Late last night I received word that my uncle has been taken quite ill. We've come to visit him," Tomás said.

"We've walked most of the night to get here," Elsa added, hoping to endear some sympathy.

"From where?"

"Guadalcázar," Tomás replied.

The guard raised his eyebrows. "That's quite a walk. But you don't look like you could afford a horse anyway," he said, looking them both up and down.

"Making and repairing shoes doesn't bring in enough money for a horse."

"So you're a cobbler?"

"I prefer the term bootmaker. It sounds more dignified."

The guards all gave a chuckle. "Alright, bootmaker, in you go," the guard said with a flick of his head.

Tomás nodded politely, and he and Elsa entered the city.

They passed a watchtower that had a couple of guards stationed at the top as lookouts, whom they knew were watching them, so they just kept walking without looking up at them so as to just appear to be an ordinary couple.

Once they were out of earshot, Tomás said softly, "If you can get a laugh out of them, even if it's at your own expense, people are more likely to be cooperative."

"I'll have to keep that in mind," Elsa replied.

Although there were a few other people out and about further along the street, there weren't enough for them to blend into the crowd, so they still had to be mindful about drawing attention as they continued on their way.

A little further along they passed an extensive garden surrounded by a stone wall. They could see the tops of the well-pruned trees that were neatly arranged in rows well enough to get an idea of the immense scope of it, but it was a safe bet that it wouldn't be accessible to the common public. After that they passed near the Alcázar of Córdoba, to which the gardens belonged, where Christopher Columbus would be meeting with Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand later that day. Its square architecture had more of a resemblance to a fortress than a castle, and the four towers at the corner points were each of a different shape. As they continued into the city they saw the famous Roman Bridge in the distance. Seeing more guards at its gateway, and preferring to avoid them if possible, they took another street that took them deeper into the city, leading them past the mosque that had been converted into a cathedral a couple of centuries earlier. It was a magnificent feat of predominantly Moorish architecture, elegantly designed, complete with its original minaret that would be replaced a century later. Tomás and Elsa were both quite familiar with it from their historical research prior to embarking on their journey into town, and they felt invigorated to be standing in history.

They continued to explore more of the city while at the same time looking for a suitable place to eat. Their walk took them near the more magnificently constructed dwellings of the upper class as well as through the narrow streets of the poorer parts of town. Before long the streets had filled with people going about their daily routines. Each time they spotted a well dressed man walking down the street they couldn't help but wonder if it might be Columbus.

After a cheap but filling breakfast of some kind of pottage and a small omelette, they continued their exploration of the city at a relaxed pace, enjoying the sound of a man's singing and playing of what sounded like a lute somewhere in the vicinity, a song that was also being enjoyed by a couple sipping wine on a balcony that they passed beneath, despite the early hour. At one stage they spotted Petrov's team wandering about looking completely lost, but decided to stay clear of them, because if anyone was going to compromise the mission it was most likely to be them.

*

Cerah wasn't enjoying her wait in the shuttle. It was now late morning, and the temperature outside had risen to thirteen degrees; still a little chilly, but she would've preferred to be out there than cooped up waiting for something to happen. Even when they finally received word of who it was that they were looking for, she'd still have to wait until nightfall before she could go out and find them. It was the curse of vampirism. The sunlight shining through the cockpit window wasn't a problem, as all ship windows had ultraviolet filters, so she could still look at the surrounding view, which at the moment was just a bunch of trees. She very much wished that she could've had Peter with her on this mission; her one genuinely true friend.

She was immensely relieved when a call came through on the communication system from Buhari. She answered the call, and his face appeared as a two dimensional holographic image above the console.

"We've just received word from Lieutenant Petrov's team. I'm afraid they've been captured and imprisoned in the alcázar," he said.

Cerah sighed. "What did they do to end up there?"

"Apparently they were trying to use Portuguese money at the markets, and some suspicious citizens reported them to the guards, who upon questioning them came to the conclusion that they were foreign spies in Portugal's employ."

Forcing herself to keep a straight face, Cerah asked, "What on earth were they doing using Portuguese money in Spain? Don't they know that the two nations recently had a war? Doesn't Petrov do any research before going into a historical situation?"

"Lieutenant Petrov said he must've taken the Portuguese money with him by mistake."

"Some mistake. He might have compromised the whole mission. With them in custody, how did you find out about all of this?"

"They still have their multi-coms with them. The guards didn't check their wrists when they were checking them for weapons."

"Do we know what time Columbus was supposed to have his audience with the king and queen?"

"I'm afraid Petrov's already missed it. We may need your team to extract his."

"We could just leave them there for a day or two to keep them out of the way while my team gets the information we need."

"Whether or not it's true, Petrov heard from one of the guards that they're scheduled to be executed as Portuguese spies on Monday."

"So we'll go collect them on Tuesday then?"

"The lives of Temporal Security officers are in danger, Lieutenant. This is no time for flippancy," Buhari said with a stern edge.

Cerah cleared her throat. "Sorry, sir. Before the day's out we'll have our people back, and have the mission objectives completed."

"Report in with any updates."

"Of course, sir," Cerah said.

Buhari closed the call from his end.

Cerah sighed. Her money prank had probably gone a little too far, but she couldn't help feeling some satisfaction for how successful it was. Now she just had to think of another way of finding out what they needed to know, since their best chance of doing so had been missed, which technically she couldn't really blame Petrov for.

Then a daring plan occurred to her. She checked the time, which was 1058 hours, launched the shuttle to be just above the treetops, and engaged the time drive.
Chapter 3

Columbus

During her brief temporal transit, Cerah flew the ship one kilometre from its original location. As she re-entered normal space-time and the green aura around the shuttle faded, she landed it in another clearing a little closer to Córdoba. The time was 0647 hours, and it was still dark outside. She recalled having visited the ladies' room on the shuttle at 0645 hours, having looked at the time just before she went and despairing that not even an hour of waiting had passed yet while she and the others reviewed history. This way she could be sure that her arrival wouldn't be noticed on the shuttle's sensors by her past self, or by Tomás and Elsa since they'd taken that opportunity to get a round of coffees from one of the quarters. By now Petrov's team would be in town, or at least on their way there, so they wouldn't see the sensor reading either, as long as none of them happened to be checking their multi-coms at that precise moment.

Considering what was ahead of her, as well as the fact that she hadn't been in four hours, she decided on another quick stop in the ladies', after which she went into the shuttle's starboard-side quarters to swill down a glassful of synthblood; the synthetic blood substitute that vampires in her time used in place of blood to maintain their heightened abilities. Immediately she felt invigorated. That done, she went through the equipment lockers in the room behind the cockpit until she found a long rope with a rubber-coated grappling hook, and then left the ship, sealing the hatch behind her. She'd decided not to bring her shawl and veil for this, as they'd only get in the way. She still had a little while before dawn would break, but the sky had started to lighten slightly. Time was of the essence.

Moving at a steady run, she hurried through the woodland that lay between her shuttle and the city, and in a matter of minutes reached the woodland's edge, which stopped some distance short of the high city wall. Pausing behind a tree for a moment, she pulled back her sleeve and did a quick scan with her multi-com. The small circular screen showed that there were guards patrolling the wall, but most of them were stationary, grouped atop the square bastions spaced along it. There was one guard walking along the section of wall that was directly ahead of her, making his way towards one of the bastions. She just had to wait for him to get there. He moved so slowly that it was really trying her patience. Finally he reached it.

Deactivating the illuminated screen, she left her place of cover and hurried across the grassy open area to the wall. It was a double wall, with a lower wall set further out that also extended out around the shape of the bastions. She listened for a moment for any sound from the guards indicating that she'd been spotted, but heard nothing. A quick look at her multi-com showed that the guards hadn't moved. With her vampiric agility it was no trouble for her to jump up and grab a hold of the top of the wall to pull herself up. After dropping down over the other side she scurried across to the base of the main crenellated wall halfway between two bastions where she stopped again to listen. To either side she could see the silhouettes of the guards on the bastions, but it seemed that she'd still gone unnoticed, as they all seemed to be preoccupied chatting among themselves to pass the time. Stepping back from the wall a little, she unrolled the rope and hefted the grappling hook to get a feel for its weight. She held the rope a short distance down from the trident hook and swung it around a few times to build up some momentum, and then flung it up at the top of the wall. It bounced off of one of the merlons and fell back down, but thankfully it made barely any noise because of the rubber coating. She caught it, looked to the guards on either bastion to check if they'd heard anything, and then tried again. This time the hook caught in one of the embrasures. She quickly checked the guards again, and they still seemed oblivious of her presence, so she started climbing the rope, walking her way up with her feet against the wall while she pulled herself up with her arms.

When she reached the top she cautiously peered through the embrasure to see if any guards were coming along the wall. The way was clear, so she swiftly pulled herself onto the wall, pulled up her rope, and let it down over the other side, hooking the grapple onto the open edge of that side. Wasting no time, she let herself down it and then flicked the rope to release the hook, carefully catching it so that it wouldn't make a sound on the stone pavement, and then coiled the rope. Taking the nearest street, she made her way in the direction of the alcázar, passing the royal gardens on the far side of where Tomás and Elsa had passed them.

When she was close to the alcázar she looked around to check that she wasn't in sight of anyone before referring to her multi-com to determine the best way of infiltrating the place. She decided on going up the northern wall. There was a tower at either end, and the sky had by now lightened a little more, but she figured that if she was quick about it she should make it up and over without being spotted. She waited until the guards on either tower were looking in a different direction, at least as far as she could tell visually and by their movements on her multi-com, and then dashed over to the wall, all the while keeping an eye out for any guards on the ground. Having made it that far successfully, she cast the hook up and this time managed to secure it on the first go.

She scaled the wall and again paused when she reached the narrow embrasure, and it was just as well that she did, because there was now a guard up in the square tower to her right who was looking out across the alcázar. If she moved he'd see her. It seemed the guards posted to this royal structure were more vigilant than the ones manning the city walls. For a painfully long time he just stood there, and she started to wonder if he thought he saw something, but then he turned and went down into the tower.

Quickly checking the tower to her left, she made it over the wall and retrieved her rope, and then climbed up onto the roof of the central part of the alcázar, which spanned the distance to the far side from where she stood, with a rectangular courtyard on either side. She crept along the roof, which was slanted on both sides of its ridge, until she reached the middle. The courtyard on the western side was a more dedicated garden area with quite a few trees, offering more cover for her to move about, but with a start she noticed a large wooden gateway in the outer wall. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realised that it wasn't guarded, at least not on her side. Being the western wall, she figured it led out to the more expansive gardens that she'd spotted earlier, so there were probably guards stationed on the other side of it in case intruders attempted to enter the alcázar that way.

She went down to the edge of the roof and leaped down the two-floor drop, landing lightly in the garden below. Taking cover behind a tree, she listened for any patrolling guards nearby as she looked around for a way into the building. There were numerous archways to the covered verandas, but it was still too dark to see much more than that. There was no way to tell if the nearest door was locked or not, so after stashing her rope under a bush she took a chance and went over to it. Fortunately it wasn't, although that probably meant that it was frequented by the guards, so she didn't linger nearby. Using her multi-com as a guide to be able to dodge the guards or any servants who might be going about preparing for the duties of the day, she ended up taking a rather roundabout way through the castle, using the torch on her multi-com whenever it was safe to do so. She even passed the Roman sarcophagus that she'd read about, with its detailed carvings of people either side of a partly open doorway that no doubt represented something, though she hadn't really paid enough attention to recall exactly what. More than likely it was the afterlife. The architecture all throughout the alcázar was certainly impressive, and she had to constantly remind herself not to linger to appreciate it. At one point she almost ended up wandering into the Arabic baths by mistake.

As she crept along a passage lined on either side by numerous magnificently carved doors that she was pretty sure were guest quarters, her multi-com indicated a life sign, probably a guard, approaching from an adjacent passage that joined the one that she was in at the far end. Annoyed at being forced to turn back the way she'd come, she was alarmed to notice a second life sign approaching from that direction as well. She quickly scanned through the nearest door and detected two life signs side by side half a dozen metres into the room beyond. Presumably it was a couple in bed asleep. Trapped and without any other options, Cerah gently tried the door handle and was both surprised and relieved to find it unlocked. As silently as she could, she slipped into the room and closed the door behind her.

When she turned around she found that the life signs she'd detected actually belonged to a maid in her late teens and a servant boy of a similar age, standing in the middle of the room, too engaged in a kissing embrace to notice that they were no longer alone. The young woman had a set of large keys in her hand. Cerah hoped that if she remained silent until the guards had both passed the room she could slip back out without the two noticing that she was ever there. With her acute hearing she could tell that the guards were now passing each other just outside the room.

In a brief pause as the preoccupied teens looked admiringly into each others' eyes, the maid suddenly noticed Cerah in her peripheral vision, and had to stifle a scream of fright. "You're not supposed to be in here..." she began.

Cerah waved for her to be silent, gesturing that there were guards outside, figuring that they weren't supposed to be in the room either, especially by the way they looked uncertain and worried about what the consequences might be of their romance being discovered. She held up a hand to hold off any questions that either of them might be about to ask about who she was, and pressed her ear to the door. Once she was sure that both guards had left the area, she said in a low voice, "It's alright, they've gone now." Seeing how apprehensive the two were as they stood apart and straightened their clothes, she added, "Tell you what, I won't tell anyone about you two if you don't tell anyone about me. Deal?"

The two of them both nodded and in hushed tones gratefully agreed.

Cerah carefully opened the door again and slipped back out of the room with a parting nod to them, and continued on her way through the castle, relieved that things had gone as well as they had.

Eventually she reached what had to be the royal audience chamber, being the largest room she'd found in the alcázar, and much more lavishly decorated. Dominating the room on the far side was a pair of the most intricately carved gilded wooden thrones that she'd ever seen on any of her missions. With pointed spires along the backrest and velvet cushions, they were set on a stepped, carpeted platform that was partially enclosed around the back by a standing curtain framework that accentuated them even more. The curtain, deep red and almost burgundy in colour, was adorned with the Arms of the Kingdom of Spain. The entire room was sumptuously decorated, from the sculpted patterning on the walls, ceiling and covings to the tapestries, numerous statuettes and gold-plated candelabra on pedestals, and the two chandeliers with hanging crystals. There were also decorative folding screens in each corner of the room covered in floral motifs, each with a curiously empty marble pedestal in front of it. There were two shuttered windows on one side of the room.

Cerah was alerted by the sound of approaching footsteps. They were light, but were coming from several people. She quickly looked around for a place to hide. The first place she thought of was behind the thrones' curtain backdrop, but it stood away from the back wall, so if anyone came beyond that point she'd be easily spotted, and probably be arrested as an assassin lying in wait to strike at the royal couple. As quietly as she could, she dashed over to the folding screen in the back corner to the left and moved it only enough to be able to slip behind it, moving it back into its original position. She lifted the hem of her cotehardie and took a small dagger from an ankle sheath that she'd put on while getting changed aboard Tethys without anyone knowing about it. At her eye level, she poked the tip of it through the canvas covering of the screen to make an inconspicuous hole to see through. The footsteps had almost reached the audience chamber. She kept the dagger in hand, just in case.

Four maids entered, one of them the young woman whom she'd discovered kissing the servant boy, each carrying a vase of freshly picked flowers, which they placed on the pedestals before each of the folding screens. Two of them went and opened the window shutters, letting in the faint glow of the coming dawn. They then left the room to attend to other duties.

Cerah knew that behind the screen she'd be safe from any sunlight that would shine into the room during the day, so she decided to stay where she was to await Christopher Columbus' meeting with the monarchs.

It was a couple of hours after dawn before there was any more activity in the room, which by then was sufficiently illuminated by daylight. Patience was never a strength of Cerah's, so the boredom of waiting was hell for her. She was grateful when guards and servants started coming in to prepare the room for the monarchs, and then took their places to stand at the ready. She could tell when the king and queen were about to enter, as everyone suddenly snapped sharply to attention.

Queen Isabella was a little on the short side but walked with a regal bearing of strength and authority. Her light golden-brown gown was made of silk velvet with fur-lined hanging sleeves and had a square neckline, and its colour complimented her light auburn hair, which was brushed back and hanging loose, but held back by a modest crown. Cerah could only assume that she had a larger one for more ceremonial occasions than private audiences, and couldn't help but wonder if her pale complexion was a natural trait or an effect of careful makeup. The queen wore a ruby necklace and several rings, and appeared to be about forty years old and in good health.

King Ferdinand looked about the same age, and was attired in a combination of rich browns and deep reds embroidered with gold thread, with a long fur-lined cloak. Also wearing a crown, his dark hair hung a little lower than his jaw-line. He was clean-shaven, and his noble gaze was equal to that of Queen Isabella's.

The monarchs took their thrones, and a well-dressed man whom Cerah presumed to be a herald or steward approached them. After bowing deeply, he presented a list of the audiences of the day. The king and queen went over it and nodded to the man, who promptly went to announce the first person on the list.

Over the next couple of hours Cerah listened to people bearing their grievances or requests to the monarchs. One noble complained about poachers on his land, for another it was foxes. An artist requested the honour of painting a portrait of the king and queen, which they granted, but to be arranged at another time. One particularly heated noble who was on more familiar terms with the monarchs wanted to report a robbery that he was certain had been committed by his wife's cousin, until the king recalled that the cousin in question had recently moved to Luxembourg.

Cerah must've checked the time on her multi-com a dozen times while waiting for the monarchs to work through the list of people's trivialities towards the event that really mattered. She'd tried to silently change position numerous times in an attempt to get comfortable, which seemed impossible for such a duration in such a confined space. She'd even discreetly made a second hole further down so that she could still see what was happening from a seated position. As least there hadn't been any reports brought to the monarchs of a female intruder lurking around in the castle in the early hours of the morning, so it seemed that the maid and her romantic interest hadn't told anyone about her. It was safe to say that they didn't want their own surreptitious activities to be divulged if she was captured and questioned.

She had to silence a sigh of exasperation when the castellan of the alcázar came to inform the monarchs of three Portuguese spies that had been apprehended and locked up for interrogation. As much as she wanted to blame Petrov's incompetence for the incident that had necessitated her being stuck behind a decorative screen for the whole day, it was technically her fault. Perhaps this was the result of karma coming around. The king dismissed the matter for the moment, and said that it would be attended to following the audiences of the day. He made no mention of an execution, so Cerah concluded that the guard who'd said that to Petrov was probably just having a laugh at his expense.

Finally Christopher Columbus was announced, in the company of another man named Bernardo García de Lugo. The two men approached the thrones but stopped a respectful distance away. Cerah watched with historical fascination, her boredom forgotten for the moment. Columbus looked a similar age to the king and queen, had wavy light hair that was just a little on the long side, was about six feet tall, of quite a strong build, and wore a doublet with puffed upper sleeves with hose and leather boots, and a broadcloth cloak. In his hand he held a soft hat with an upturned brim. García was dressed similarly, though the material of his clothes was of a finer quality and was highly embroidered. He had a thin moustache and a narrow beard, and Cerah found his expression hard to read. Both men bowed deeply to the king and queen.

"It's been a long time, Columbus. I trust you are well?" Queen Isabella asked.

"Indeed, Your Highness, quite well."

"García, your name is familiar to me," King Ferdinand said.

"I fought for the crown in the war with Portugal under the Duke of Alba and Cardinal Mendoza, both of whom I am personally acquainted with," García responded.

"Would you be related to the late Alvaro Yáñez de Lugo?"

García hesitated for a moment. "Indeed I am. Alvaro was my cousin."

"The man, a former royal knight, was beheaded for his crime."

"Yes, Your Highness, I am aware of that. I am also aware that he attempted to offer money for his life, an attempt which I considered to be undignified and cowardly."

"Despite the advice from several advisors to accept the money for the war effort, I could not countenance such a lack of justice," Queen Isabella said.

"Quite rightly, Your Highness. I'm also aware that rather than confiscating his property you gave it all to his children, which I thought to be a very gracious act of mercy, given the circumstances, without denying justice," García said.

"I do not require your ingratiation," the queen responded with an edge.

"Of course not, Your Highness. I only intended to convey that I do not bear any animosity on account of the decreed sentence."

Isabella turned her attention to Columbus. "Having failed to come to an arrangement with the King of Portugal, I expect you've returned to us regarding an expedition to the west?"

"Actually, Your Highness, García and I have decided upon another idea that we believe will prove to be more advantageous, and to accomplish it we would most certainly need the support of the crown."

"We're listening," Ferdinand prompted.

"As you know from our previous discussions, my intention was to find a new and more prosperous trade route to India and the Orient."

"Since the fall of Constantinople the land routes became much less feasible."

"Precisely. But rather than striking out west in the uncertain hope of finding a sea route, as much as I was taken with the prospect, we believe it would be more beneficial to send a convoy of ships to the eastern edge of the Nile Delta, and following a comparatively short land crossing south, meet a pre-arranged second convoy of ships at the northernmost tip of the Red Sea, and then travel to the regions of the Indies from there."

The monarchs appeared to be giving the idea some consideration, so García added, "If such an expedition is successful, we further propose the creation of a canal between those two points to allow ships to pass without the need of a land crossing. The distance of such journeys would be considerably shorter than even the most optimistic projections of sailing west, or of attempting to circumnavigate the African continent."

Isabella and Ferdinand were both visibly astonished by such a proposal, and there was silence for several seconds while they considered the feasibility of such an undertaking. Finally it was Isabella who spoke.

"By my estimate, it would require digging a sufficiently deep canal that would span approximately forty leagues, which would take well in excess of a decade to complete."

"That's correct, Your Highness," Columbus confirmed. "But when one considers the long-term benefits of such a shortcut, it would then quickly be worth the labour and cost involved."

"The king and I had reconsidered your original expedition proposal before speaking with you today, and were more inclined to accept it, considering that it would only require a few ships, with the possibility of better spreading the word of God throughout the Canary Islands. Not for the purpose of enslaving them, but to redeem their souls in the Lord. The vast expenditure that your proposal entails is difficult to justify."

"Spreading the good word is important to me also, and I feel that the fruits of such a potentially lucrative trade route could better finance as well as facilitate such a cause to many peoples, once it has been established."

"Aside from circumventing Portugal's area of influence, tariffs could also be imposed on other merchant vessels wishing to take advantage of the new trade route, creating ongoing revenue to recover the cost of creating such a canal," García said.

"And your terms in such an arrangement?" Ferdinand asked.

"The same as were discussed in my proposal for the original venture," Columbus replied.

"Now that we have Granada we would have additional ports from which to send numerous expeditions," Ferdinand said thoughtfully.

"Arrangements would have to be made with Egypt, no doubt at considerable cost," Isabella mused. "And the canal would have to be defensible against foreign powers who might seek to seize it, possibly with blockades."

"An initial expedition of three ships to the Nile Delta and three more from the Red Sea to the Orient should either prove or disprove the feasibility of this endeavour, following which a more informed decision can be made," Ferdinand said.

"We will counsel with our advisors. When a decision has been reached we will send for you," Isabella said.

"I am very grateful, Your Highness," Columbus said, and he and García both bowed deeply to the monarchs and took their leave.

It seemed pretty clear to Cerah that García was the one who'd given Columbus the idea of inventing the Suez Canal almost four centuries early. The question was who gave García the idea to begin with.

She had to wait for the monarchs to get through several more audiences before they left for a meal and the guards and servants were dismissed, but finally she had the opportunity to contact Elsa without being overheard. It was now 1300 hours. She had to wait a while before Elsa was able to respond. While on a mission their multi-coms were set to electrostatic alerts only, which caused a faint tingling on the skin of the wearer so as not to make any sounds that could either be heard by locals or that might give away their position during a stealth mission. Cerah had felt a couple of tingles while she was in hiding, both during the last few minutes, but had been unable to respond without potentially missing some crucial detail about Columbus' new venture.

"Lieutenant, I've been trying to reach you. We've heard word around town that three men matching the description of Petrov's team have been apprehended," Elsa said with concern.

"It's Petrov alright. I got word from Buhari," Cerah said in a lowered voice in case anyone was in the passage outside.

"Is everything alright? Where are you?"

"In the alcázar."

"How did you manage to get there during the day?"

"When I heard that Petrov was captured I had to do something a little bit off-the-books, which I intend to swear you to secrecy about when I get a chance to explain it, but I found out who diverted Columbus from his original expedition plans. His name's Bernardo García de Lugo."

"I'll get in touch with Vyetrus and see if he can find out anything about him."

"Try to track him down. He left here a while ago, so he could be anywhere in town by now."

"We'll keep you updated."

"After sunset I'll try to bust Petrov and his mates out of the dungeon."

"Do you need our help?"

"It'll be simpler for me to get them out from here, rather than you both having to break in first."

"Understood."

Cerah ended the call, and tried to get comfortable as best she could behind the screen to wait it out until sunset. She was hungry, and could certainly do with a good stretch, but couldn't risk leaving her place of cover in case someone walked in. The worst part would be if she needed to use the ladies' again; she was alright for now, but after already waiting so long it was only a matter of time.

As it turned out the audience chamber wasn't used again for the rest of the day, so she'd stayed hidden behind the screen for nothing. At 1822 hours her multi-com indicated that the sun was setting. She cautiously emerged from behind the screen and listened for any activity nearby. Hearing nothing, she went to the chamber's entrance and peered along the passage. There was no one, so she set out.

When she reached an intersection she paused at the sound of distant voices coming from one branch, which made her choice of direction easy. It took her a full ten minutes of sneaking along candelabra-lit passages before she found a lavatory, or more accurately a garderobe, and it was well worth it, despite it being essentially a wooden bench with a hole in it that dropped away to who knew where. It had not been a good day for her.

That done, she started searching for the dungeon in the lower areas of the alcázar. Several times she had to quickly find a place to hide when she heard footsteps, but managed to avoid any encounters. She hoped that at this time most of the servants would be busy preparing to serve dinner, and any residents would likely be getting changed into a fresh outfit for the meal. When she reached a part of the alcázar that had plain stone walls she knew she had to be close. She realised that she'd reached the Arabic baths again, and vaguely recalled from what she'd read in the shuttle's database that at some point it'd been used for holding prisoners, so it could very well be what she was looking for. She felt the electrostatic tingle of someone trying to reach her on her multi-com, but it would have to wait.

Peering around a corner she spotted a wooden door with a small barred window, with a guard standing on each side of it. She could hear the mutterings of Petrov's distinct accent coming from behind it. The guards were armed with swords, for the moment sheathed, and had chest armour and helmets. They hadn't spotted Cerah peeping around the corner, and passed the odd remark to each other as they waited for the end of their shift. They stood a good ten metres away, which would be enough time for at least one of them to draw their sword upon seeing Cerah, so she needed to come up with something a little more subtle than an outright charge and attack. She recalled having spotted a servant kitchen earlier, but the sounds of a lot of activity inside had deterred her from getting too close to it. Chances were that it was still attended, so she wouldn't be able to just walk in and help herself to a large knife or anything, not that she'd could use it on the guards without impacting history anyway. But it did give her another idea.

Reluctant at having to take the time to do so for Petrov's sake, she retraced her steps until she found the servant kitchen, and listened carefully to the sounds coming from within to determine where everyone was inside the room. When she was reasonably sure that no one was right by the open door, she went over to it and chanced a peek inside. Everyone was busy with some aspect of the food preparation, but she did spot the young maid that she'd encountered that morning, standing apart from the others where she was preparing a tray of what looked like Andalusian stuffed eggs. The sight of it certainly wasn't helping Cerah to forget her pangs of hunger, neither did a fruit platter on a table by the door that was ready to be served.

Ready to make a run for it if anyone looked up and noticed her, Cerah reached through the doorway and took a couple of grapes from the fruit platter. After popping one in her mouth, she waited for the right moment and tossed the other onto the maid's egg tray.

Startled, the maid looked over to Cerah, who silently beckoned for her to come out to the passage. Thinking quickly, the maid turned to someone who was out of Cerah's sight, and said, "Beg pardon, but may I be excused to relieve myself?"

The croaky voice of an older woman could be heard to gruffly say, "Well be quick about it."

"I will," the maid said, and left the kitchen.

Cerah guided her away and around a corner where they could speak without being overheard.

"What are you doing here?" the maid whispered.

"I need a favour, and then I'll be leaving here for good, taking your secret with me," Cerah whispered back, reminding the young woman of the leverage that she had over her.

Reluctantly, the maid responded, "What is it that you need?"

"Just a little food and a bottle of wine. And a serving tray."

"I can't just walk off with something like that. People will think I'm stealing it. I'll lose my job, and probably end up in the dungeon."

"You had keys to the guest rooms before. Would any of them be unattended with any leftovers in them?"

"I took the spare set of keys from the servant master's office. He wouldn't be in there at the moment, so I could get them again. And there is a guest who left earlier whose room hasn't yet been tidied. There might still be something in there, but I can't be certain."

"It's probably the only shot I've got."

"Wait here. I'll return in a moment," the maid said, and with a glance around the corner she snuck away back past the kitchen door.

Cerah waited a little anxiously, worried that the maid might turn her in instead. But moments later she returned with the keys and led the way towards the guest quarters. By the way she moved swiftly but stealthily, Cerah got the impression that today wasn't the first time she'd had a secret rendezvous with the young man she'd been with earlier.

When they reached a certain door, the maid looked both ways along the passage before unlocking it. They went inside and closed the door behind them.

Inside they found exactly what Cerah was looking for: a tray with some food and a small flask of wine. Emptying it of everything but the wine and a couple of bread rolls, so that it didn't look conspicuously fancy, Cerah thanked the maid, and they left the room. They parted ways at the door, and Cerah went back to the dungeon area.

When she was almost there, she stopped sneaking and made no attempt to soften her footsteps. She even hummed softly to make sure her approach would be heard and seem casual, without sounding disguised in any way that would arouse suspicion.

When she rounded the corner the guards were both looking in her direction, but as she'd hoped, her lack of stealth had kept them off guard.

Seeing the food and wine on her tray, one of them said with irritation, after indiscreetly appraising her figure, "These filthy spies aren't getting their food before we do."

"No, this is for you," Cerah replied with her most winning smile, something that for her was certainly forced. But the guards both seemed to be enchanted by it, and they approached her with an appreciative look at the wine flask in particular. Without looking directly at the cell door, she noticed Petrov's face at its window, peering through the bars.

As the nearest guard reached for the flask, Cerah shoved the tray up at his face and lunged forward to kick the other in his chest plate, knocking him back while she spun an elbow at the first one's jaw. The tray clattered to the stone floor, as did the guard she'd knocked out, who lay motionless beside the smashed wine flask. The one that remained quickly drew his sword and slashed it at Cerah as he lunged forward. Cerah ducked and rolled away from him, hearing the swish of his blade in the air above her, and drew the unconscious guard's sword on her way back up onto her feet. She faced her opponent, sword at the ready, much to his surprise. But that surprise lasted only a moment before he thrust his sword right at her. She parried, but knew she couldn't get away with a lethal retaliation against someone native to this time. She quite easily parried his next few strikes and slashes, and smiled at him with smug defiance. As she'd hoped, this infuriated the man, and he stepped forward with a thrust that gave her the opportunity she needed to parry, grab his arm and pull him off balance, and twist his arm up behind his back as she roughly shoved him against the wall. He involuntarily released his sword, and she spun him around and landed a solid hook on his jaw, knocking him out.

Cerah was glad that Petrov had witnessed the confrontation. She hoped that it'd intimidate him into thinking twice before challenging her again. She took the guard's keys and unlocked the cell.

"After being stuck in there all day I'm almost glad to see you," Petrov said.

"Well as happy as I am to come to your rescue, Boris, we should be off," Cerah said, still holding her sword.

"That's Lieutenant Petrov."

"Sure thing. Anyway, Boris, we've completed your part of the assignment for you, so you boys should just head to your shuttle. See you back on Tethys." Without waiting to hear another word from them, Cerah left them to find their own way out of the alcázar, grabbing one of the dropped bread rolls on the way and munching it hungrily. As it happened, they started following her, assuming that she knew the way out. Petrov retrieved the other sword on the way.

Not wanting to appear as though she didn't know where she was going, Cerah led the way from memory, hoping that they were heading towards the western courtyard that she'd first jumped down into. She was sure that Petrov's whole team were so lacking in stealth that the guards on the other side of the alcázar could probably hear them. They were fortunate to make it to the courtyard with only one encounter with a guard, whom Cerah had promptly knocked out. Being so soon after sunset the sky was still quite bright. They wouldn't be able to scale the wall without being seen. Cerah went and retrieved her rope from under the bush where she'd stashed it.

"Where now?" Petrov whispered, looking around apprehensively.

"Our best bet is to fight our way out through the ground level of the northwestern tower," Cerah said, glancing meaningfully across the courtyard to the tall, squared structure with a smaller adjoining section of equal height. "Once we're out head east, which will be to your right. That'll take you in the direction of your landing site."

Noticing the large gateway in the outer wall, Petrov said, "That gate's unguarded. Why don't we just get out that way?" He started moving towards it.

Cerah grabbed his doublet and pulled him back. "That just leads to the royal gardens, and it'll most likely be guarded on the other side." It took all of her self-restraint to refrain from remarking about how it was such a shame that his unique level of stupidity was in all likelihood incurable.

Just then a voice shouted out from the top of the tower. They looked up to see a guard pointing down at them.

"We have to go now!" Cerah commanded, and they all bolted towards the open doorway at the base of the tower that she'd indicated.

As they entered they encountered guards who were stationed there as well as those who were descending from higher up in the tower, all of whom had been alerted by the shout. As they parried sword attacks, Cerah reminded Petrov not to kill any of the guards for the sake of the timeline, so they countered only with punches and kicks, as did the other two men with Petrov. They'd all received some combat training in Temporal Security, but it was Cerah who was clearing the way for them to keep moving towards the exit. After several close calls with the points of the guards' swords, they burst out of the alcázar and started running as fast as they could with several guards in pursuit.

"Split up! You guys head for your shuttle," Cerah said.

Reluctantly Petrov agreed, and started making his way westward.

Exasperated, Cerah called out to him, "I said to get out and head to the right. Left is not right." She caught herself again before voicing the insult that was about to follow, and contented herself with muttering as she ran her own way, "It's a wonder you didn't land your shuttle in Belgium."

Slightly embarrassed at being corrected by her, Petrov and his men changed direction and took the first street heading eastward at a run, attracting looks from the startled bystanders that they passed.

While some of the guards did go after Petrov's team, several of them were still chasing Cerah. Not worrying about what anyone in the street might think of it now, she touched the screen of her multi-com and called Elsa. Luckily she responded almost right away. Before Elsa could say anything, Cerah said, "Where are you guys?"

"Just a little north of your position."

"I need you to wait around a corner at an intersection along the street that I'm coming along, and if you can find a walking stick that would be great."

There was a momentary pause while Elsa checked the readings on her multi-com. "We'll be around the corner of the third street that you'll pass on your left."

Cerah quickly ended the call and checked behind her. There were six guards behind her, but she'd gained a bit of a lead on them. Even so, they looked determined to apprehend her, despite their amazement at how fast she could run. She darted left around the corner of the third street when she came to it and quickly drew to a halt. Elsa and Tomás were waiting for her as planned. "I need your shawl and your hat thing," she panted, handing her rope and sword to Tomás.

Elsa quickly handed over her shawl and coif, which Cerah quickly put on, and Tomás handed her a walking stick with a crook handle.

Hearing that the guards were about to round the corner, Cerah said, "Quick, play along." She then proceeded to slowly hobble along the street with the walking stick, bent over and with a wobbling stick hand. Elsa took her arm as though helping to steady her.

When the guards came around the corner and started to look around, Tomás tucked the sword out of sight under his cloak, and pointed further along to a narrow adjacent lane and called out to them, "I just saw a woman run into there, if that's who you're looking for."

The leading guard nodded, and led his fellows into the lane, having not recognised Cerah through her old woman disguise, despite the hand holding the walking stick being that of a younger woman.

Once they were out of sight, Cerah handed Tomás the walking stick and returned the shawl and coif to Elsa. "I can't believe how thick those guys were. And gullible."

"Be grateful for that," Elsa said.

"I am. I'm just astounded at how unobservant some people are."

Tomás jogged over to an old man across the street and handed him the walking stick, thanking him before returning to Cerah to explain, "I gave him a couple of coins to borrow his stick for a minute. Judging by how willing he was to part with it, I'm guessing I gave him more than the stick's actually worth."

Noticing the smile on the old man's face, Cerah agreed. At least it had ensured his cooperation. Everyone else on the street had gone back to what they were doing now that the excitement of the running guards had passed, though the ones nearest to Cerah's little group still cast them the odd wary glance, wondering what they were up to.

"We need to get out of the city," Cerah said.

"This way," Tomás said, and started leading them southwestward towards the gate that he and Elsa had entered the city by that morning. "I'd suggest that you still wear Elsa's shawl and coif in case the guards at the gate are given a description of you before we get there."

Elsa handed the items back to Cerah, who once again put them on.

To avoid being questioned about it at the gate, Tomás speared the sword into the ground behind a tree when they passed a small garden area.

When they reached the gate they strolled through casually, and Tomás politely nodded to the guards as they passed. The guards gave them curious looks, especially at the rope and grappling hook that Tomás was holding, but didn't see any reason that would be worth detaining them for.

When they were out of earshot of the guards, Cerah said, "I had to move the shuttle." She checked her multi-com and pinpointed its direction. When they were far enough away from Córdoba's gate they set out through the woodland towards it.

"We found out that García has a hacienda several kilometres north of Córdoba," Elsa said. "Vyetrus said that he's native to this time, and was unable to ascertain what might've influenced him to make different decisions such as banding up with Columbus. In the original timeline he didn't have anything to do with him. There are no alien ships in the area, and no temporal signatures that would account for someone from the future having any interaction with him."

"I guess we'll just have to ask him, after we stop off at the shuttle to freshen up. Have you two eaten?"

"We had something a few hours ago, and it was pretty humble, so I could certainly eat," Tomás said.

"Me too," Elsa said.

"How's Petrov and his team?" Tomás asked.

"With any luck they're back in their shuttle by now, unless they've gotten themselves captured again. The ungrateful swine didn't even say thank you."

"I'm not surprised. I've been on assignments with him before, and I don't think of him as a good or honourable man," Tomás said. Not wanting to delve into the realm of gossip, he changed the subject, prompting, "You were going to tell us how you came to end up in the alcázar during broad daylight?"

"It's definitely not going to be included in my report, but I doubled back in time a little bit, hence having to land in a different location, and snuck into the alcázar before dawn to wait it out until Columbus met with the king and queen."

"Sounds like it's been a long day for you," Elsa said sympathetically.

"Cramped, hungry and bored, that was pretty much my day."

When they reached the shuttle Cerah went and fetched a large glass of synthblood and a quick sandwich from the food dispenser in one of the quarters, and grabbed her shawl since the evening was getting a bit cold.

Elsa and Tomás each had a sandwich and a glass of juice to keep their energy up, and they all took their turn in the restroom.

While Tomás was freshening up, Cerah asked Elsa, "So how did the husband and wife routine hold up?"

"Tomás was a perfect gentleman." After a momentary hesitation, Elsa added, "There was this one time when someone did seem to be a little bit suspicious of us, so to confirm our cover story he kissed me."

Such was the smile on Elsa's face when she said it that Cerah thought she seemed like a schoolgirl who'd just received her first kiss. "I thought there might be a reason you recommended him for the mission." Elsa looked momentarily horrified that her secret was out, so Cerah reassured her, "Don't worry, I won't say a word." Elsa looked visibly relieved.

When they were all ready, they set out on foot towards the hacienda.

After trudging through the woodland for a good hour the estate came into sight. Despite the fact that night had fallen, they decided to go for the bold approach and marched straight up the drive towards the villa in the heart of the extensive plantation of orchards. It was a magnificent palatial structure, two floors high, with arch-colonnaded terraces and exemplary stonework, surrounded by ponds and well-tended gardens.

At the door a steward greeted them, politely requesting to know the purpose of their visit.

Appropriate to the era, it was Tomás who answered him. "I apologise for the late hour, but we've come to speak with Patrón García. Please assure him that our visit will be brief."

The steward gestured for them to enter. "If you'll wait in the foyer, I shall inform the patrón of your visit."

Tomás bowed his head in gratitude and the women curtsied, albeit a little awkwardly, and they entered the well-lit foyer. The steward went away to find his master.

"Looks like García's doing alright for himself," Cerah remarked softly as she gazed about at the paintings, ornaments, and even the lavishly styled architecture that stood out vividly in the light of so many candles.

A minute later the steward returned. "If you'll follow me, the patrón will see you now."

"Thank you," Tomás said.

They followed the man through an ornately carved pair of doors and into an opulent sitting room with a high ceiling and intricate covings. This room was just as well-lit as the foyer by a crystal chandelier and numerous elegantly detailed candelabra that were positioned to best highlight the paintings, vases, display cabinets, and statuettes on pedestals. The room was warmed by a blazing fireplace with a marble mantle, atop which stood painted family portraits in gilded wooden frames. The sumptuous, velvet cushioned couches all faced in towards each other, with one side open to the fire.

Their host stood in the middle of the room to greet them. He was not attired as formally as when Cerah had seen him at the alcázar, but was still well presented in a burgundy quilted doublet and brown hose and boots. "Welcome to my home. Won't you please make yourselves comfortable?" he said, gesturing to the couches.

"Very kind, thank you," Tomás said, as the group went and took their seats. They were all taken aback at García's courtesy, especially as they were all dressed as common folk.

Once they were comfortable García also took a seat. He signalled to a waiting serving girl, and said, "Bring some wine."

She curtsied and left the room.

Cerah was further surprised, and impressed, at the polite tone in his voice as he spoke to his servant. He was certainly challenging her preconceptions of the aristocracy in history. Then again, he could be the one exception.

"So, how may I be of service?" García asked.

In keeping with the proper form of the period that they were in, Tomás spoke for the group. "I do not mean to be intrusive, but I'm given to understand that you are at present engaged in a business arrangement with a Genoese gentleman with whom the king and queen are acquainted, Christopher Columbus."

"I am indeed surprised that you are aware of the arrangement, as it has not yet been formalised on paper, but there is a venture that we're engaged in, for which we seek the support of the crown."

García was clearly unsettled by the arrangement being known, though he concealed it well beneath the decorum of formality, so Tomás quickly said, "Please don't be alarmed. Our purpose here is not any form of coercion, or to make your plans publicly known. In my profession I travel quite extensively, and am simply intrigued as to how you came up with the idea for such an endeavour, which will ultimately be beneficial to merchants and artisans everywhere."

García was in some degree reassured, though he remained politely cautious. "I was studying a map of the known world when it occurred to me that such a venture might be possible, though it would require royal diplomacy and funding to accomplish such a feat on foreign soil. At the time I was not yet acquainted with Columbus, though I did know of him, and of his ambitions for which he had previously sought royal support. I approached him with the idea, as he had been known to have the ear of the queen, and his own ambitions were in line with my own. May I enquire, what is your profession?"

The serving girl returned with a tray of crystal wine glasses, and offered them first to the guests and then to her master. So as not to be discourteous, they all gratefully took one.

"I'm a bootmaker, like my father, and his father before him," Tomás then replied. "I've been fortunate to work with several masters of the craft in Navarre, Sardinia, Naples, and even Rome. So I'm sure you can see why such a venture would be of interest to me, with the possibility of more distant lands being within reach." He politely took a sip of the wine, confident that their host wasn't trying to poison them under a pretense of politeness, as he'd already had some of the wine from his own glass, which purely by chance had been the one that was left. Being familiar with Spanish wines, he recognised it as an aged Tempranillo. "An excellent vintage," he complimented.

"It was made from grapes of my own vineyard," García said.

Cerah tried it, but didn't care much for it. That was when she made the mistake of reaching forward and placing the glass on the low table before her with her left hand. As she did so, the sleeve of her chemise was pulled back just a little, but enough to reveal her multi-com. Even though its screen wasn't currently active, the effect that the sight of it had on García was astonishing.

He audibly gasped and involuntarily stepped back. "Who are you people? I won't let you take me back there!" He suddenly turned and dashed from the room in blind haste, and a mere moment after he'd fled through the nearest doorway the others were alarmed to hear the sounds of thuds and ceramics being smashed, and then silence.

Cerah's group followed the concerned steward and serving girl into the adjoining passage where they found García and a male servant sprawled motionless on the carpeted floor. Blood was pooling from a significant gash on García's forehead, but he was still breathing. The servant was also unconscious. A low cabinet against the wall had a smear of blood on one corner, and the pieces of a broken vase were scattered on the floor beside it. They all reached the same conclusion that in his rush García had collided with the man and fallen against the corner of the cabinet, knocking off the vase as he did so.

Considering the impact that their presence had already had here, Cerah saw little harm now in using her multi-com's scanner to evaluate García's condition. The steward and the serving girl were both intrigued and a little scared at the sight of its illuminated screen.

"How is he?" Elsa asked with concern.

"Mild concussion, but he'll live. I am picking up an unusual reading though. But first, we should do something to make sure the wound doesn't become infected."

"We probably ought to avoid using equipment from the shuttle if possible," Tomás recommended.

Cerah looked up at the serving girl, who was containing her anxiety about the situation well, though it could be in part due to the distracting fascination of the multi-com. "Do you have any stale bread about the place?"

The girl thought for a moment. "There might be some in the breadbox in the stableman's cottage."

"Show me," Cerah commanded.

Responding to the authority in Cerah's voice, the serving girl led her out of the hacienda through a back door, taking a key from a hook on the way, and over to a small stone cottage a short distance apart from the main building, positioned by the stable from which the odd snort from the horses could be heard.

"He's been away for the last couple of weeks inspecting horses in Aragon for our master to purchase," the serving girl explained as she unlocked the door and led the way inside.

It was a basic single-room dwelling with an unmade bed and shelves cluttered with all kinds of equestrian related paraphernalia, with a small and not particularly tidy kitchen area. The girl opened a wooden box that contained several rolls of moulding bread.

Cerah tentatively picked up one of the worst of them and scanned it with her multi-com. "This will do just nicely." She then led the way back into the hacienda, saying, "I'll need a damp cloth and a butter knife."

Confused as to the purpose, the girl nodded and went to fetch it while Cerah returned to the others with the bread.

"What in heaven's name is that for?" the steward asked, staring at the mouldy bread in disgust.

"An old-fashioned remedy. You'll see," Cerah said dismissively.

The serving girl returned and handed Cerah the damp cloth and knife.

Explaining what she was doing to the serving girl as she did it, Cerah said, "You'll need to do this again over the next couple of days, so pay attention. You need to scrape some of this mould off, but make sure to only go for the parts that are more of a bluish-green, then spread it onto the cloth. The moisture will help it stay in place. Then apply it to the wound, like this. To put it simply, this mould prevents disease from getting in and infecting the wound. Do you understand?"

The girl nodded uncertainly.

"You just have to do what I just did. You can also mix some of that mould into warm water for him to drink over the next few days until the wound is getting better." Cerah glanced at the steward to gauge his response to the makeshift penicillin treatment. He seemed to have been paying attention, and she believed that he would be compliant to what must seem like an extremely strange treatment.

"When you mentioned getting an unusual reading I did a more thorough scan," Elsa said. "I've detected alien biological tissue inside his brain. My multi-com didn't have a result for it, but once we get back to the shuttle I'll upload the data into its computer for analysis."

"That could be the explanation for why he did things differently. It could be some kind of alien infection from a chance encounter," Cerah said. "Tomás, help the steward to get García to his bed to rest."

Tomás nodded, and he and the steward picked up García and awkwardly took him upstairs. As they came back down afterwards Tomás was reassuring the steward that his master would be fine.

"It's time for us to be going, before García wakes up and sets the dogs on us," Cerah said.

"He got rid of them a couple of months ago," the steward commented offhandedly. "They started to go wild whenever he went near them."

"Maybe they sensed something different about him," Cerah speculated, wondering if they'd somehow picked up on the fact that there was alien matter nested in his brain.

"Well it was right after he'd been missing for a couple of days. I feared he'd been taken for ransom, but then he returned with the assurance that all was well. The only thing different about him was perhaps a more congenial disposition than before; hardly something that should have angered the dogs."

"Well he should at least be fully recovered from tonight's wound shortly."

They bid the steward and the serving girl farewell and left the hacienda, avoiding their final questions as they excused themselves.

"When we get back to Tethys we should probably double check that history doesn't now ascribe the discovery of penicillin to a steward or serving girl in the fifteenth century," Cerah commented. "I'd hate to undercut Alexander Flemming."

"Actually, the ancient Egyptians used penicillin, so I'm sure you haven't upset history," Tomás said.

"In any event, it's better than the man dying."

"You might be interested to know that many of the discoveries made in the later centuries are just rediscoveries of ancient knowledge that was lost over time."

"I wouldn't be surprised. But I am certainly curious about that alien biomass. And from García's reaction I'm inclined to think that he recognised my multi-com as advanced technology."

"I would have to agree," Tomás said.

"What did he mean by 'I won't let you take me back there' just before he ran off? It seemed like a pretty unusual thing to say," Elsa asked.

Cerah shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe he was abducted by aliens."

"Alien abductions of humans didn't happen nearly as often as the later conspiracy theorists believed. That's not to say it didn't happen at all though. But most races discreetly used scanners or innocuously obtained genetic samples to learn about human physiology," Tomás said.

"That's just as well," Elsa said.

They kept a brisk pace all the way back to the shuttle, which was especially helpful in preventing them from getting too cold from the night air. Once there, Elsa linked her multi-com to its computer and uploaded her readings.

"There's an alien parasite that I've heard of in the Procyon system that's been known to infest the brain of the deceased, but I've never heard of it inhabiting a living brain," Tomás said as they waited for the computer to process the data.

"I've heard of that one too. I'm pretty sure our multi-coms would've recognised that species though, since Procyon's a local star system," Elsa said.

The computer couldn't find any known match for it either.

"That's strange," Cerah said, puzzled. "Elsa, see if you can get in touch with Vyetrus. He might have better luck identifying it."

Elsa opened a communication channel with Tethys, and a two-dimensional holographic image of Sub-lieutenant Russell Turner appeared above the console.

"Elsa, what can I do for you?" he asked politely, but with a slight edge of concern.

Considering the semi-casual way that he answered her call, Elsa could tell that he'd taken it through his own console, and not on the bridge's main screen. "Hey Russ, I was wondering if you could patch me through to Vyetrus?"

"Sure thing." Russ then glanced around him as discreetly as he could as though to make sure he wasn't being overheard before adding softly, "What have you guys been up to down there?"

"What do you mean?"

"We picked up some readings earlier that got the captain and Commander Crawford pretty agitated, and then they went into the captain's office to discuss it in private. They were in there for almost an hour."

Elsa was worried that Cerah's doubling back through time had been discovered, but said evasively, "I couldn't really say."

"Peter was about to disguise the readings to cover your backs when Crawford noticed them. Anyway, I'll put you through to Vyetrus."

A moment later the image switched to Vyetrus' familiar Messaran features. "Ensign Lindholm, how may I be of service?" he asked in his perpetually calm voice.

"We located the man who influenced Christopher Columbus into pursuing a different path to his original expedition, but we detected some alien tissue in his brain that the shuttle's computer can't identify. I was hoping you might be able to help us out?"

"I'd be happy to."

Elsa transmitted the readings through to him.

For a few moments he didn't say anything while he cross-referenced them with the database on Tethys, during which Cerah contemplated what the possible repercussions might be when she got back to the ship for breaking protocol and going back across her own timeline. Even though she had no real love for her career in Temporal Security, she didn't want to leave in disgrace. She'd never hear the end of it from her father then, not to mention her sister Cephra.

"I don't have an exact match, but based on its genetic structure and the mineral composition and trace isotopes within its cells I do have a probable planet of origin, though its presence on Earth in this era is troubling," Vyetrus said. "My conclusion is that it is indigenous to the planet Seinarüdth in the largely unexplored Scáth Sector."

"Can't say I've heard of it," Elsa said.

"Me either," Cerah added.

"Seinarüdth was the home planet of the once great war-like empire of the Thalshük, who had a highly developed culture and science. They became extinct over four millennia ago through war. The Scáth Sector, otherwise known as the Shadow Sector, is a region within an immense dark nebula that encompasses dozens of star systems. The Thayaten, a more peaceful race that you may have heard of who also became extinct anciently, originated from not so far beyond that region, in relative terms."

"Them I've heard of. I understand they used to visit Earth pretty openly back then," Cerah said.

"They were generally held in high regard by humans. Their space exploration was extensive."

"It's just as well they were a peaceful race, otherwise Earth may have been conquered anciently before developing the means to fight back. But back to Seinarüdth?"

"It was discovered in 2397 by the exploration vessel Amundsen, commanded by Captain Connor O'Sullivan. His brief survey of Seinarüdth showed it to now be a world of ruins, which has become entirely swathed in jungles with no intelligent life, only native flora and fauna. The reading you took doesn't exactly conform to the known animal life of that world, or the DNA of the Thalshük bones that have been found, but allowance has to be made for the fact that only one other expedition has been there since, which also conducted a comparatively basic flora and fauna survey."

"So how did whatever it is end up in fifteenth century Spain?" Cerah asked.

"There I cannot help you. Unsurprisingly I'm not detecting any Thalshük life signs or technology, so I can only conclude that another alien visitor passed through the Scáth Sector and inadvertently brought some form of parasite with them when they visited Earth."

"Could an alien have implanted the parasite in the man's brain with the intent of changing Earth's history?"

"Unlikely, as they would not have been able to determine what possible impact it might have on a human, which would likely be somewhat different in each individual case. Might I suggest using your sensors to scan for similar genetic readings, as your proximity will make them easier to detect?"

"We'll do that. Thanks for your help, Vyetrus," Elsa said.

"My pleasure," Vyetrus said, and ended the call.

Tomás got to work on the sensors, starting with a tighter beam to scan the local area in greater detail first. He was surprised at how quickly he got a reading. "I've detected another reading of a similar sized mass coming from a cave twelve and a half kilometres north-northeast of our position. I'm not picking up a life sign though."

"Use the anti-gravity thrusters and take us there," Cerah ordered.

Tomás' fingers flicked over the helm controls and the shuttle lifted off. He then careful used the guidance ball on the console to manually guide their course to a valley in a more mountainous region well away from the nearest cities and villages. He located a clearing in the foothills that was large enough to land in and brought the shuttle down.

"Are there any human life signs in the area?" Cerah asked.

"None," Tomás reported.

"Good. Then we can go fully equipped with weapons and scanners."

They all went into the equipment room behind the cockpit and each retrieved a phased positron pistol and a handheld omniscanner, and then left the shuttle and set out into the dark forest, using the torches on their multi-coms to light their way.

After trudging up steeply inclining terrain for two hundred metres they reached the cave mouth, which ominously seemed even darker than their surroundings.

Checking his scanner, Tomás said, "The genetic reading is coming from twenty five metres inside it."

Deciding to play the part of the fearless leader, Cerah went in first, followed closely by the other two.

The cave followed a slight curve, and eventually led to a more spacious chamber. Elsa had to stifle a scream of alarm at the sight of a humanoid body lying in the middle of it.

"Don't worry, it's quite dead," Cerah assured her, even though it was plainly obvious from the dried skin and withering flesh that clung tightly to the visible face and hands of the being.

Embarrassed, Elsa cleared her throat. "Sorry. It's my first dead body."

"It's probably not really a good thing, but after enough missions you get used to it, and they don't bother you as much."

Tomás went over to have a closer look at it. "It isn't human, but it is the source of the genetic readings."

It was clothed in a well-worn, full-length belted robe made of a coarse material that appeared to be of fifteenth century Earth design, complete with a pair of old shoes that resembled those worn by the poorer class of citizens in Córdoba. There didn't appear to be any other personal effects with the body. Its features looked male, with ashen-olive skin and long white hair, and a ridge down the front of its jaw that ended in a short horn on the end of its chin. Its eyes were shut, and its natural lying posture suggested that the being had passed away peacefully in its sleep, which would've been believable had it not been for a dark stain of green blood that stemmed from a small wound on its left temple.

Cerah checked the readings on her omniscanner. "Just like with García, the alien bio-matter is nested in the brain, and like this chap, it's quite dead. What was inside García appeared to be living tissue."

"I guess we've found who brought it to earth, but with the absence of technology readings I wonder how he got here," Tomás said.

"Maybe someone just dropped him off and left him to it. But they'd be long gone by now." Cerah had to double check the readings on her scanner when it identified his species. "According to these readings, this man is a Thalshük."

"The race that Vyetrus said died out thousands of years ago?" Elsa asked.

"The very same."

"That certainly is puzzling," Tomás said.

"Any idea how long he's been dead?" Elsa asked.

"The decomposition's not that far along, having been slowed down by being in a cold environment, so maybe a couple of months, give or take," Tomás postulated. His omniscanner confirmed his estimate.

"So around the time that García went missing for a couple of days and came back a little different, according to the steward," Cerah concluded. She did a closer scan of the head wound. "This isn't what killed him. At first I thought he might've been shot with a small-calibre projectile, considering how small the wound is, but the readings indicate that he died of old age."

"So what do we do now?" Elsa asked.

"We should probably take the body back to Tethys with us for analysis," Cerah said. "We can't leave an alien cadaver here for just anyone to find." She noticed the squeamish look on Elsa's face, and concluded that she and Tomás would have to be the ones to carry it.

Cerah took the foot end while Tomás lifted from the head end. The body was stiff and surprisingly light, having dried out somewhat being in the open air of the cave while at the same time being under shelter, hence the smell of putrefying body fluids had already passed, though Cerah could still detect a lingering scent of it in the air. When they got to the shuttle they placed it in the equipment room, and gathered in the cockpit.

Cerah made a call to Tethys, and once again an image of Russ' face appeared above the console. "Hey Russ, any chance you could patch us through to Vyetrus again?" she asked.

"I certainly can," Russ replied, and the image changed to show Vyetrus' face.

"Lieutenant O'Neil, have you discovered something new?" the Messaran asked with interest.

"We certainly have; the body of a recently deceased male Thalshük."

Vyetrus didn't have eyebrows to raise, but his large black eyes widened with surprise. "That is a mysterious revelation. I have an idea," he said, and proceeded to conduct a scan. After a few moments he reported, "I'm detecting traces of a vanadium polymer composite in your relative vicinity that's unique to Thalshük spacecraft, spread over a considerable area. It would appear that the craft he arrived in was destroyed. The total mass of fragments would suggest that it was a small craft, possibly a shuttle or escape pod. I will send you my scan results."

"Did the Thalshük have time travel technology?" Elsa asked.

"Not as such. Before their demise they did develop a basic means of localised temporal manipulation, but they were wiped out before it was developed into a system of temporal transit. I am therefore at a loss as to an explanation for his presence in 1492."

"Maybe a datacore survived his shuttle's destruction, or something else that might give us some answers," Cerah said.

"I cannot detect any intact technology. I will attempt to ascertain his time of arrival on Earth using the temporal sensor array," Vyetrus said, and his face disappeared as he went to another station to carry out the scan. Upon his return he informed them, "His arrival on your world took place on the 20th of September in the year 1263."

"He was living on Earth for over two hundred years without anyone noticing?" Cerah asked disbelievingly.

"I can only postulate that when he arrived and his ship was destroyed he lived a reclusive life away from the native population, anticipating that his presence in a primitive culture would only have adverse consequences to himself if it was known. Given the projected Thalshük life span, based on what is known of them, he would likely have been a young man when he landed."

"Can you pinpoint what time of day he arrived?"

"Yes, at 2127 hours, local time."

"Thanks. Your help has been truly invaluable," Cerah said.

"It was a pleasure. I trust you will bring the body back with you?"

"We will, but there's something I need to do first."

"If you intend to travel to 1263, might I remind you to first speak with Lieutenant Commander Buhari?"

Inwardly Cerah groaned. She hated having to clear everything with superior officers, and would much rather have been able to just go ahead with completing the mission before reporting in about every action she intended to take. And Vyetrus was not an imposing person, so the fact that he was making the suggestion to check in with Buhari implied that he was aware that she was probably already going to be reprimanded for doubling back through time earlier, and was trying to minimise how much trouble she'd be in by preventing her from committing another breach of protocol; his own way of looking out for her. "Very well, I'll call him before doing anything else. I'll talk to you later." She waited until Vyetrus had given a parting nod of acknowledgement before ending the call so as not to be impolite. She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, and then called Buhari.

"Lieutenant O'Neil, do you have an update on the mission?" Buhari asked.

"Yes, sir. We've discovered that the timeline disruption was in fact caused by an alien influence, and that the alien in question arrived on Earth in 1263. I'd like to go there to prevent his interference," Cerah said, trying to gauge from his responses how much trouble she should prepare to be in.

"You may proceed, and then rendezvous with Tethys here in this time."

"Thank you, sir," Cerah said, and ended the call. To Tomás, she said, "Well, you know where to take us."

"Indeed I do." His hands again worked over the helm masterfully, and as the shuttle lifted off the ground it was surrounded by a green aura as temporal displacement began. "So what's the plan?"

"Once the Thalshük has left his shuttle and it explodes we capture him," Cerah said.

"Shouldn't we try to capture his shuttle for examination?" Elsa asked.

"He might shoot us down before we can do so. We don't know what sort of armaments it might have. Since history wasn't changed until 1492 it's safe to say that no one found the wreckage of his ship in 1263. Or if they did they didn't know what to do with it. Better to just capture the man and interrogate him."

"Interrogate him? Why?"

"His landing there wasn't a part of established history, so therefore something happened before this that led him to land here, which then led to García being infected by that parasite thing that he brought with him."

"We're about to arrive in 1263," Tomás announced. "We'll be arriving at 2126 hours; right before he crashes to the surface."

"Use the anti-gravity thrusters to hover above the treetops. Hopefully he'll be too preoccupied with his imminent crash to notice us on his sensors," Cerah ordered. "And keep the time field up until we've finished the mission so that our intervention doesn't result in his body from 1492 disappearing when future history's changed."

"Vyetrus will certainly be grateful for that," Elsa remarked.

"We're there. I've positioned us to be just outside the radius of how far the debris will be spread when his ship explodes, based on the information that Vyetrus sent us," Tomás said.

Through the window they could see the treetops and undulating hills in the final vestiges of twilight. The green aura of the active time field still surrounded the shuttle.

They were startled by a bright flash of light high above them. All leaning forward to better see through the window that high up, they watched as an object smaller than a shuttle materialised in a blue shimmer, falling rapidly. Dark grey, almost black, its shape was a triangular bipyramid; as though a pair of three-sided pyramids had been joined at their bases to give an almost classic diamond shape with sharply pointed top and bottom ends. As the blue shimmer faded it became clear that it was in freefall. It speared into the ground because of its pointed shape, and the thud of its impact was audible even in the shuttle.

"I hope he had some sort of inertial cushioning," Elsa said, wincing at the force of the impact.

"Being that small, it must be an escape pod," Cerah speculated.

Only half of the downward-pointing section had been buried, leaving most of its mass above ground. It had come down in a thinner scattering of trees, so they could see the Thalshük man as he ran from the craft moments later. From the way he was trying to get clear of it he obviously knew that it was about to explode. It was only a matter of seconds before it erupted in a brilliant fireball that lit up the area. Afterwards all that was left was a scorched crater in the ground.

Elsa was reviewing the sensor log. "From what data we were able to collect, his shuttle, or whatever it was, travelled from another time, but it doesn't have a time drive of its own. Someone sent it here."

"Can you tell from where?" Cerah asked.

"No. It was operating on a different temporal frequency to our own systems."

"Is there any way our sensors could have been used to access his database before it blew?"

"I don't think so, not from such a distance in the time between materialisation and explosion."

Cerah had another idea. "What about an omniscanner at close range?"

"Omniscanners are designed to have data retrieval capabilities for use on missions into technologically developed times. Dare I ask what you have in mind?"

"You probably shouldn't ask. I'm about to do something against protocol, again, so if you two want to get off for this part I'll understand."

Tomás glanced at Elsa, who nodded her assent, so he replied, "We'll stay with you."

"In that case, set a course for ten minutes ago and land as close to the alien vessel's landing site as you can without compromising the shuttle. I'll assume full responsibility for this course of action," Cerah said.

"Aren't you already likely to be facing a reprimand for doubling back over your own timeline?" Elsa asked with concern for her.

"That just means I've got nothing to lose by doing it again, since I'm already in trouble for it anyway."

Tomás took the shuttle a little further into the past and selected a suitable place to land.

Once they were on the ground, Cerah said, "Shut down all systems except the time field to minimise the shuttle's active power signature, mainly so that our past selves from a few moments ago won't detect our presence here."

Elsa couldn't help but wonder if they would've detected their present selves here if she'd done a directed technology or life sign scan before they shifted back to this point, since they hadn't yet come back, but were about to. It was probably just as well that their attention was on the Thalshük craft.

They each grabbed a pistol and an omniscanner and left the shuttle. A quick jog brought them to within sight of where the craft would come down.

Cerah checked the time on her multi-com. It read 2123. "Less than four minutes until it materialises. You two wait here. I'll go find a good position to establish a link." Without waiting for a response, she dashed over to a tree dangerously close to where the craft would impact the ground, which she hoped would provide protection from the explosion while allowing closer proximity to retrieve the data.

Before long the sky lit up with a brilliant blue shimmer as the craft materialised and fell to the ground. Even during its descent, Cerah was attempting to establish a link with its computer, but was dismayed when the hull proved to be impenetrable to her scanner.

Elsa and Tomás watched with apprehension as she started running over to where the craft would come down a couple of seconds before it even hit the ground with a deafening thud. She darted around to the opposite side to where she knew the Thalshük man would emerge from. He did so, and started running away into the woodland without having seen Cerah. She dashed around to the side where the opening was, taking her out of sight of the other two.

It was only a matter of seconds before the craft exploded in an enormous ball of fire. Elsa and Tomás quickly jumped behind the nearest tree to avoid being hit by flying debris, and immediately afterwards looked back at the empty crater that remained. There was no sign of Cerah.
Chapter 4

Murder

In a flash, Elsa activated her omniscanner, preparing for the worst, when Tomás tapped her arm. She looked up to see Cerah emerging from behind a tree on the opposite side of the crater, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't know how we would've explained that to Buhari."

Tomás knew that she'd really been more concerned about Cerah's safety than having to report her death, just as he was. When Cerah reached them, he said, "You were cutting that pretty fine."

"Once it opened I was able to use the scanner to count down to the moment that its gravity engine would overload, so I knew how long I had. Unfortunately it wasn't long enough to get more than a fragmentary bit of data from the computer. I doubt it'll be much use. Anyway, we have a Thalshük to capture." She checked her scanner to get his direction and then set off in pursuit at a sprint that her human companions couldn't match, try as they might.

When she was getting closer to him, checking her scanner regularly, his life signs became less distinct. As she studied the readings more carefully she realised that he'd gone into a cave. It wasn't the same one that they'd find his body in two centuries later. This one had much heavier mineral deposits that were obscuring her readings. He wasn't carrying a scanner of his own, so it wasn't likely that he was aware of the fact, but he was definitely aware that he was being pursued, as he hadn't slowed his pace in the least. The cave had simply been a lucky find. Given how dark it was, she figured that he must have exceptional eyesight to have spotted it at all.

By the time Cerah reached its dark entrance his life signs were barely discernible. She could tell that he was at least a couple of dozen metres inside, but that was about all. With no torch or scanner on him, she figured he must be making his way further into the cave by touch. She deactivated her omniscanner and dropped it down into the front of her cotehardie, her high belt preventing it from falling all the way through. It was pretty much useless now, and she wanted to keep a hand free just in case, with her pistol in the other. Before venturing any further, she activated her multi-com's torch.

Listening all the while for the least sound that might reveal the Thalshük's position, she made her way forwards, but did so cautiously. She knew it probably would've been more sensible to wait for the others to catch up, rather than trying to tackle the alien only by the light of one torch, especially as they were only about thirty seconds behind her now, but she didn't want the Thalshük to get too far away. If he was to find a fork in the cave it would become much harder to track him down.

It wasn't long before she did reach a fork in the tunnels. Stifling a sigh of annoyance, she shone her torch along the most likely route, and suddenly a heavy impact struck her left wrist painfully, shattering her multi-com and leaving her in darkness. She involuntarily let out a shout of both agony and anger. The Thalshük had been hiding and waiting for her, and had knocked out her light source with a rock.

Anticipating a follow-up attack, she instinctively ducked, and just in time. She heard the faint whoosh of a punch just above her, right where her face had been a split second earlier. She fired her pistol where she thought the alien was standing, but the bright stun beam only hit the rock wall. Before she could get a bearing on him, the Thalshük kicked the pistol out of her hand. Enraged, Cerah kicked out, but hit nothing. She stumbled back as a strong fist struck her in the jaw on her left side, momentarily leaving her disoriented, but only for a second. It was clear that the alien had the advantage of being able to see in the dark.

Remembering her martialball training, Cerah waited for the next attack to come, anticipating that it would be from the other side. She dodged, and the punch missed her, but with quick reflexes she grabbed his arm and sharply twisted it up behind his back, shoving him forward until his face smacked into the rock wall. She roughly grabbed his hair and slammed his face into the wall a second time. With an unexpectedly agile twist, he managed to break free.

Trying to be mindful of where the wall was so that she didn't smash her knuckles into it, Cerah took a few hard swings where she though he might be, going for a different direction each time to be unpredictable. When that didn't get her anywhere, she paused for an instant and held her breath to listen with her vampiric hearing for the sound of his breathing. Once she had a rough idea which direction he was she took a few more swings. When she scored a lucky hit to his face she immediately followed through with a knee strike to his abdomen and an uppercut under the chin that she was fortunate missed his chin horn, striking just behind it. She then threw out an angry punch at where she thought his face was, but the impact was against much softer tissue. Hearing a choking gasp, she realised that she'd punched him square in the throat. He could be heard collapsing to the ground, but there was no sound of breathing. Seeing a glimmer of light approaching from back along the way she'd come, she called out, and then removed her omniscanner and used the light of its display to see by. The Thalshük was struggling to breathe, but was unable to do so. Cerah took hold of his head by the crown and by the pointed chin and tilted his head back, changing the position of his airway and forcing it to open. Fortunately her idea worked, and with a loud gasp he drew a breath. She went and retrieved her pistol just as Elsa and Tomás arrived and illuminated the area with their torches.

"So you got our man then?" Tomás asked.

"That's for sure," Elsa commented.

"Let's get him back to Tethys," Cerah said, and she and Tomás helped their captive to his feet. She found it curious that although the body of the man's older self had white hair, which was to be expected given his age, this much younger version of him had long grey hair. It seemed as though it was a natural trait of his species.

After giving him a few moments to catch his breath, they carefully led him at gunpoint the shuttle, where Cerah and Elsa guarded him while Tomás piloted them back to 1492. At the sight of the Thalshük body their prisoner became alarmed, wondering what was in store for him, but tried to retain a dignified composure by saying nothing. He didn't appear to recognise it as another version of himself, since the face of the aged body was so withered, and he had no reason to even suspect that it could be the case.

Once they were back in the fifteenth century, Cerah went into the cockpit and called Buhari.

"It would appear that your mission was carried out successfully," Buhari said. "We've just received word from Epoch that the twenty sixth century is back to normal."

Cerah noticed that his voice didn't carry a tone of congratulations on a job well done, and knew that despite completing the objective, she would have to account for her decisions along the way. "We've got a prisoner with us. We'll be back aboard within a few minutes."

Buhari nodded, and without another word ended the call.

Cerah went back to assist in guarding the prisoner, who still didn't appear to recognise the semi-decomposed dead body as being anything but that of a Thalshük.

Once they'd landed in Tethys' launch bay and it had been repressurized, they escorted their prisoner out to where a contingent of security personnel were waiting to escort him to the brig. With some foreboding, Cerah saw Daphne Crawford waiting for her.

"Captain Devlin would like to speak with you," the commander said sternly.

"All of us?" Tomás asked, hoping that he and Elsa could be there to lend Cerah some support.

"Just the Lieutenant."

Tomás nodded, and he and Elsa went to get changed. On her way past, Elsa briefly put an encouraging hand on Cerah's back.

"Can I at least get out of this ridiculous outfit first?" Cerah said in a tone that was as close to insubordination as she thought she could get away with.

"Immediately," Crawford insisted with a steely gaze.

With a sigh, Cerah made her way to the captain's office with Crawford escorting her all the way, which only worsened her mood, especially when she entered the bridge and was marched across to his door in front of everyone like a naughty kid being taken to the principal's office. When she got there she pressed the doorbell. Straight away the door slid open revealing the captain sitting at his large desk waiting for her. He didn't look pleased to see her. She'd been in the room a number of times before, and it always seemed to be because something was wrong with her methods or conduct. Being unable to meet his gaze straight away, she glanced around the spartan room, which seemed too large for just one man's desk on the far side of it. On the wall screen behind him was the Temporal Security emblem; a fractured old-style clock face with the hands rotating anticlockwise. The rest of the walls were bare. Other than a holographic screen, his desk was only adorned with two finely crafted ships replicas; an antique galleon and a detailed model of Tethys. In front of the desk were two chairs that looked much less comfortable than the one the captain sat in.

"That'll be all, Commander," Devlin said to Crawford. With a gesture, he offered Cerah a seat. He waited until Crawford had left the room and Cerah was sitting comfortably before addressing her. "Lieutenant O'Neil, are you thinking about your career seriously? Because if you are, it's not apparent."

Cerah had to restrain a sigh of disappointment, as well as trying to hide her embarrassment. What she'd said to Admiral Rivette in Green Tim's was supposed to have been just a private conversation with him. "I don't know what Admiral Rivette told you, but I'm certainly not trying to actively sabotage my career."

Devlin looked puzzled. "I haven't spoken with the admiral directly since the debriefing after our last major mission."

"Oh," Cerah said, not sure where to go from there.

"You're here because you've broken protocol, and not for the first time. Doubling back on your own timeline can have serious repercussions," Devlin said firmly.

"Maybe for someone who doesn't know what they're doing, but it allowed me to complete the mission after Petrov's team went and got themselves captured. We needed to find out why Columbus took a different course of action, and Petrov just wasn't getting it done."

"Our conversation is about you, not Lieutenant Petrov. I'm also aware that you doubled back a second time. That's not exactly repentant, is it? There's also the fact that you attacked the guards at the alcázar. Fortunately no one was killed, and the incident was absorbed into the course of local events, so the timeline remains undisturbed on that point."

Cerah knew that the only way the captain could be aware of that detail was if Petrov had told him; so much for gratitude for busting him out. She wanted to point out that it had only been necessary due to Petrov's incompetence, but such a remark would only be promptly shot down. She decided to remain silent while the captain continued, as difficult as it was for her to do so.

"It is to your credit that you did succeed in carrying out the mission objective, if not the means by which you did it. Vyetrus informed me that you achieved a complete restoration."

"Thank you, sir."

"But apparently the reason Lieutenant Petrov was apprehended in Córdoba in the first place was because he was using Portuguese currency. I hope I don't find out that you swapped the currency on him, as that sort of academy-level prank can be extremely dangerous on such missions, as it almost was."

"I hate to be the one to say it, but Petrov really is as dumb as he looks," Cerah blurted out before properly thinking it through.

Devlin met her gaze evenly. "You're not doing yourself any favours with that attitude, Lieutenant. You've been in Temporal Security for decades. You should've climbed the ranks much faster than you have and completed your career and moved on to the next phase of your life by now, as most people do. Especially vampires. If it's a lifetime career that you're after you ought to have more of a directed focus on qualifying for and attaining a command position." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "I know that you and Lieutenant Petrov have some sort of rivalry vendetta, but your attitude towards others in general is hindering your promotion prospects, to put it bluntly."

She could tell that he wasn't saying it out of hostility or anger, but as advice. "I understand, sir."

"You have a lot of promise in this career, more than you probably realise, but there are things that you need to sort out before you can advance any further. I hope you'll give this some serious consideration."

Cerah nodded. "I will, sir."

"Then that'll be all. Dismissed."

Cerah stood up and left the office, and made her way straight to the clothing room to get changed out of her 1492 outfit. She got there just as Elsa and Tomás were leaving, now back in uniform.

"I'll catch you up in a minute," Elsa said to Tomás, who nodded and excused himself. Sympathetically, she asked Cerah, "How'd it go?"

"Not good, but I suppose it could've been worse. I tried to explain what I did in terms of practicality, but it didn't get me anywhere."

"Once Devlin's made up his mind about something it's impossible to budge him. He can be a bit obstinate."

"That's putting it nicely."

"Tomás and I were about to go for a bite, maybe a drink. You're quite welcome to join us."

Cerah managed a small smile of gratitude. "I appreciate that, but I wouldn't be very good company right now."

"Maybe next time then?" Elsa said, and excused herself.

Ten minutes later Cerah was in uniform and back in her quarters, having stopped off at the ship's tech lab on the way to pick up a replacement multi-com and have it programmed to her identity. She took off her orange lieutenant's jacket and tossed it onto the lounge, briefly considering trying to get promoted just to wear one that was a better colour.

Her multi-com beeped. She pulled back her sleeve and saw that it was her younger sister, Cephra. She groaned, not particularly in the mood to talk to her at the moment, but if she didn't take her call she'd have to hear twice as many of her trivial woes the next time. Reluctantly, she transferred the call to her wall screen and answered it, noticing that Cephra's brown hair was also down, and was even a similar length to her own. Cerah was sure she was mimicking her just to bug her. She even happened to also be wearing the blacks of her uniform without a jacket. Although with some envy she couldn't help but notice, as she always seemed to, that Cephra was the only vampire she knew who had a bit of a tan, only because she'd had the foresight to have a full-body re-pigmentation procedure done prior to becoming one, adjusted specifically to counter the vampiric pallor later. For some reason it didn't work on vampires afterwards, so it was too late for Cerah to get it done.

"Hey big sis, I just wanted to share something with you that I'm pretty excited about," Cephra said with a smile.

Cerah wasn't surprised that right from the start Cephra was making it all about her. "Let me guess, you found a new hair colour that's an exact match of your old one," she said dryly.

Cephra gave her a look of forced patience. "Actually, I wanted to tell you about this guy I met."

"Already? How many hours has it been since the last one?" Cerah asked as she wandered off to her small kitchen to get herself a glass of en'teel nectar; a sweet, dark bluish-purple juice from the Divracan home world.

"Oh that's so funny. It's been weeks at least."

"Let me guess, he's blond?" Cerah asked as she took a seat on the lounge, forcing herself to patiently hear her sister out.

"Blond, genuine, decent physique. He's really nice. His name's Luke."

"They're all nice at the start. But I'd be willing to bet that he takes you to Green Tim's for your first date." She noticed Cephra pause awkwardly, and concluded, "He's already taken you there for that first date?"

"We were assigned together to investigate the case surrounding his friend William's exile. Where were we going to go after that, Ganymede? Of course it had to be somewhere on the station. Anyway, it's not the place that matters, it's the company."

"William? As in William Herschel, the guy who was exiled for using temporal transference to smuggle narcotics? The guy that Patricia Malawi likes?"

"Luke swears that he was set up."

"Of course he does." Cerah took a sip of her drink; the only good thing going on for her at the moment.

"He's not like other guys. He has a genuine loyalty to his friend. And he's always so sincere that you can't help but believe that William's innocent."

"And the fact that he's blond just happens to be a coincidence?" Cerah asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Like you don't have a type," Cephra retorted. "You just go on so few dates that I haven't been able to figure out what it is yet."

"My type is something beyond the merely aesthetic, with praiseworthy qualities beyond just wanting to help out his best mate. Anyone would do that."

"Well, good luck with finding your perfect ideal. If you're not going to put yourself out there you're never going to meet him."

Cerah sighed. "I really don't have time for this. I've got a lot on my mind."

Just then her doorbell chimed.

"Well look at that, saved by the bell," Cephra muttered. "Let me guess, it's Peter. Maybe you have found your perfect ideal after all. It's just a shame he doesn't like you back."

Angrily, Cerah ended the call and answered the door. It was Peter.

At once picking up on the despairing look on her face, he said compassionately, "I guess it didn't go so well with the captain then?"

"I'm pretty sure Crawford's got it in for me too," Cerah said, still going ahead with their customary two-finger handshake and snap-back before inviting him in.

"She's got it in for everyone. Except Devlin."

"And I just spoke with Cephra."

Peter winced, anticipating how that would have gone. "A bit of salt on the wound?"

"More like arsenic. The princess has just met some guy that she's thrown her heart to."

"Who's the guy?"

"Luke somebody. I don't know his surname. He's a friend of William Herschel's, still trying desperately to work the case. She said he's nice, but she thinks that about all guys, until she's alone and crying. And then she'll go and do it all again."

"I saw something about Herschel on one of the news channels. Exiled for sending narcotics across time, wasn't he?"

"Something like that."

"Maybe that does say something of Luke's character, if he's that determined to still stand by a disgraced friend even when he'll probably never see him again."

"Don't tell me you're taking her side?"

Peter held his hands up in surrender. "I just hope that a decent guy might help keep her grounded. It might make relations between the two of you a little smoother."

Cerah shrugged. "This is just how things are."

Peter glanced at the glass of en'teel nectar that she was still holding. "Maybe you need a proper drink."

"Or a proper sister," she muttered bitterly.

"I was thinking about what you were saying back on the station, and I have an idea that might be worth considering."

"What's that?"

"They're forming special task forces over the next month or two that will be made up entirely of vampires, called Vampire Elite Squads. You might find such a thing refreshing, instead of being stuck on starships and stations most of the time. It'll include specialised training." He could tell that she wasn't entirely sold on the idea, even with the advanced training, which he'd thought would've sparked her interest. "Well, give it some thought at least."

"Alright, I'll think about it," Cerah said without any real commitment.

Another call came through on her multi-com. She sent it straight to her wall screen, and was surprised to see Vyetrus' face appear.

"Forgive my interruption, Lieutenant, but the doctors in the medical bay are examining the Thalshük body that you brought back with you. I'm going to join them for the examination, and I thought you might be interested in attending. Sub-lieutenant Dawson is quite welcome also."

"That sounds interesting," Peter said.

"Alright, we'll be there shortly," Cerah said.

Vyetrus gave a polite nod and his image vanished.

"You don't mind if we take a rain check on that drink?" Cerah asked.

"Not at all. I'm as keen as anyone to examine the body of an alien race that's been extinct for millennia," Peter said, handing her the uniform jacket on the lounge.

"Sounds like you already know something about it."

"I overheard Vyetrus giving you the run-down of the species while you were on the mission."

When they entered the medical unit in the heart of the ship they saw three doctors gathered around the Thalshük body on a treatment bed that had been moved to the middle of the room to accommodate the observers. The doctors wore black Temporal Security uniforms, except that they all had white jackets over the top denoting their department rather than their rank. Vyetrus was already standing nearby, far enough to be out of the doctors' way but close enough to clearly see the body as they carried out the autopsy. Cerah and Peter went and stood with him.

The bed was well illuminated by overhead ceiling lights, and the body now only had a towel that covered its dignity. Its dried and withered flesh clung to the rib cage and made all of the joints quite protrusive, but its skin was still intact all over, though it was noticeably paler than that of their living prisoner. The chief medical officer, a humourless middle-aged woman named Kath Ashworth, was voicing her conclusions as she came to them for the benefit of her visitors as well as to take audio-notes. Her main assistant was Doctor Walter Eldridge, who was assisting with the examination. The third doctor was a junior assistant, a young man named Raymond Keaves, whose primary responsibility was to pass the other two instruments from a small trolley whenever they called for them.

Doctor Ashworth gently tried to pry one of the sunken eyes open, but the skin was quite stiff. Not wanting to cause tissue damage unnecessarily, she called for the tissue flaccidity inducer, which Doctor Keaves promptly passed to her. It was a thick pen-shaped device that shone a faint violet light onto the area it was pointed at, in this case the eyelids. After a few seconds Doctor Ashworth passed it back and again tried open the eyelids, which were now pliant enough to do easily. The eyeball had mostly shrivelled, and there was little to be learned by a visual examination, so she made way for Doctor Eldridge to use a handheld medical scanner.

"The retinas are multi-spectral, with slitted irises," he reported.

In a politely soft voice, Cerah said to Peter and Vyetrus, "That would explain how he seemed able to see me in a dark cave while we were fighting."

In an equally soft tone, Vyetrus said, "He could probably see you by your body heat as clearly as if it was a well-lit room." As he returned his attention to the autopsy, he noticed a small tattoo with a scar through it above the body's left wrist. "Pardon my interruption, doctors, but might I ask if there happens to be any kind of small technological device beneath the skin where the tattoo is?"

Doctor Eldridge obligingly directed his scanner over that area, and then widened his scan to cover the entire body before reporting, "No technology anywhere in the body, I'm afraid. May I ask what you expected to find there?"

"In the absence of any other tattoos on the body, and given that this one appears to be of a functional design rather than decorative or commemorative, I thought that perhaps it was the mark of a prisoner, as is common in many races. Given that the Thalshük were a technologically advanced race, it seemed a reasonable conclusion that he might have been implanted with a small tracking device, assuming my conclusion was correct."

"The scar through the tattoo could mean that such a device was removed," Doctor Ashworth speculated. "The fact that there is a scar suggests that the wound was closed using a primitive method."

"So it was probably done after he landed in the thirteenth century?" Cerah asked.

"A reasonable assumption. Had it been done on his own world it probably would not even be visible."

"Then our living Thalshük prisoner might still have his tracking chip in his arm."

Peter started typing a message into his multi-com. "Buhari and Petrov are interrogating the prisoner as we speak. I'm letting them know about this as it may open a new line of questioning for them."

"Just as well Buhari's there; Petrov probably wouldn't even be able to get him to divulge what he had for dinner last night," Cerah muttered. She'd intended the remark to be just for Peter to hear, but a disapproving look from Doctor Ashworth revealed that her rather unprofessional comment had been overheard.

Doctor Eldridge proceeded to scan each individual organ without having to cut the body open, though they had deteriorated to the point that there was little left to work with. He concluded that the man hadn't died from any form of poisoning either deliberately or inadvertently, and that his digestive system had been perfectly capable of digesting Earth food. A liver analysis showed that he'd been in excellent health.

While he did that, Doctor Ashworth examined what was left of the brain and the alien bio-mass that had infested it. Her conclusion was that the wound on the temple, which had extended through the brain and into the alien mass, had been a primitive attempt to remove the parasite using fifteenth century equipment, which had ultimately failed, though it wasn't what had killed him. Reluctantly, she was forced to admit, "I'm unable to ascertain the cause of death, despite the man's advanced age, on account of how good his health had been. The puzzling thing is that although the damage to the brain during the attempted extraction procedure was not extensive enough to have been the direct cause of death, it was very close to the time that death occurred, within a matter of minutes."

"Could the alien mass have pressed too tightly against some of the brain tissue?" Vyetrus asked.

"No. If anything, the organism appears to have integrated itself into the brain perfectly, symbiotically even."

"While we were on the mission, Tomás mentioned something about a parasite from the Procyon system," Cerah commented.

"The Procyon death parasites? They have a distinctly different genetic profile. They only inhabit the brain of the deceased, and reanimate the cadaver for a short time while feeding on the rotting tissues and developing eggs to deposit inside other cadavers," Doctor Ashworth responded. She went to a nearby wall screen and retrieved the scan data that Elsa had transmitted to Tethys when they'd asked Vyetrus to take a look at it. "This is interesting. The genetic scan of the organism in the human man's brain is absolutely identical to my genetic scan of the organism in this man. Even if this one had spawned the one found in the human as an offspring, there would be some slight genetic variance, but this is an exact reproduction."

"What does that mean?" Peter asked.

"It's as though these two are the exact same individual organism, even though they're definitely not, not even by some means of time travel, as there's no hint of residual temporal energy to indicate temporal shifting any more recently than its arrival in the thirteenth century, and the scan of the human shows that organism to be two months older than this one was at the time of death. The one in the human definitely originated from this one though."

"Interesting," Vyetrus said thoughtfully.

Cerah, Peter and Vyetrus continued to watch the examination until it was concluded, at which point Doctor Ashworth voiced that they'd only be able to learn more about the Thalshük species by examining a living patient.

As the observers left the medical unit, Peter said to Vyetrus, "Cerah and I are heading off to grab a drink. You're more than welcome to join us."

"I appreciate your very kind offer, but I still have a lot of work to do on the bridge."

"Another time then, perhaps."

Vyetrus gave a slight bow of his head and went his own way.

Cerah and Peter went to the ship's combined restaurant and bar; a place called Stargaze on account of its numerous windows along opposite sides of the room due to being located in the ship's neck section. Being on its upper deck, the windows curved in towards the ceiling, following the shape of the hull and giving a greater field of view. The first thing they noticed when they entered was Petrov and the two men from the team he'd led to 1492 sitting apart from everyone else at the far end of the bar. They looked up briefly when they noticed Cerah enter, but then returned their attention to their drinks.

"There's Buhari," Peter said, having noticed him sitting at a table finishing his dinner.

"Let's see if he can share anything about the Thalshük prisoner," Cerah said. Without waiting for a response from Peter, she led the way over to his table.

"Lieutenant, Sub-lieutenant," Buhari acknowledged by way of greeting.

"Sir, I understand you spoke with the prisoner, and I was wondering if there's anything you can tell us about him," Cerah asked.

Buhari gestured to a couple of empty chairs at the table. Once they were seated, he said in a lowered tone so as not to be overheard, "This isn't classified information, but until the captain says otherwise you're not to share it with the rest of the crew." When both vampires nodded, he continued. "He wasn't incredibly forthcoming, and refused to speak about the alien parasite living in his brain, but he did tell us that his name's Khalne't, and that he's a disgraced surgeon, but that he was sent to prison for disseminating compromising information about several high-profile political leaders."

"So Vyetrus was right, he was a prisoner," Peter said.

Buhari nodded. "Sent to a top-secret prison station somewhere in deep space where his people kept political prisoners for further interrogation or permanent lockup, a place called Mord'thet. He wasn't in the military himself, so he has no idea where it is, but he did say that the holding cells use temporal stasis fields, so there's no possibility of escape."

"Then how did he escape?" Cerah asked, intrigued.

"He was released, but he doesn't know who by, so he says. All he said was that it was some slender guy, just a little on the short side, wearing a disguise with a hood that covered his face. He was pretty vague with the details, saying that it was too dark to get a good look at him, and that he never spoke a word. He just directed him to one of the prison station's escape capsules, and that right after it ejected, it was captured by some starship and taken aboard. He says he didn't see much there either, as the interior was dark, and his captors didn't let him leave the capsule. They used some kind of transportation device to send him to the planet where we found him."

"So he had no idea why he was sent to Earth, or even released from that prison?" Cerah asked. "I guess that means that any impact he had on history was inadvertent, at least on his part. He probably didn't even realise that he'd been sent through time, since his people never developed time travel."

"So from his account alone we don't have a lot to go on," Buhari said. "But with the historical impact now rectified, there's no need for further investigation at present. Well, that's what Admiral Rivette said to Captain Devlin."

"With a little more questioning he might be able to provide some additional information about whoever it was that helped him escape from this Mord'thet place," Peter said.

"We're not heading straight back to Epoch yet. Our orders are for routine patrol for the next couple of weeks, so we'll still have him in our custody for a while. If he knows anything else, we've got that long to get it out of him. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with Captain Devlin and Commander Crawford." Buhari stood up, and with a parting nod to them he left Stargaze.

Cerah and Peter went over to the bar, deliberately to the opposite end to Petrov and his friends, where Peter ordered a haemohol mint julep iced tea and Cerah ordered a haemohol lager. With their vampiric hearing they could still pick up Petrov's voice as he said to his friends, "Did you hear the one about a Messaran, a priest, and a rabbi?" The vampires both rolled their eyes.

"By the way, thanks for trying to cover for me when I doubled back across time," Cerah said.

"If Crawford hadn't been on the bridge at the time I might have succeeded," Peter replied.

They weren't even halfway through their drinks when Petrov and his friends came over to them. From their slightly unsteady walk it was clear that they'd downed several rounds in the time that they'd been there.

"Lieutenant, we just wanted to thank you for getting us out of that dungeon in Córdoba," Petrov said with glazed eyes and slightly slurred speech.

"Been hitting the vodka tonight, eh Petrov?" Cerah said, trying to withhold her contempt for the man purely for the sake of keeping the conversation as brief as possible. "Well, don't mention it. Za zdaróvye."

Petrov moved to raise his glass in salute, but realised that he wasn't holding one. Then, after looking Cerah over, he said, "You know what, and I mean this from the heart, you'd be a very attractive woman if you'd just cheer up a bit. And I mean that as a friend."

Peter sensed Cerah tensing for an altercation, so he stepped in front of her and suggested to Petrov in a polite tone, "Lieutenant, you've had a couple of drinks. Perhaps it would be best to save this conversation for a more appropriate time."

Momentarily confused, Petrov looked at Peter, and then Cerah. "Oh, I see how it is, Sub-lieutenant," he said with a hostile edge creeping into his voice.

"I'm starting to think I should've left you in that dungeon," Cerah said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Petrov demanded.

"It means that if you were any good as a chief tactical officer you wouldn't have gotten yourself arrested as a Portuguese spy as soon as you arrived in Córdoba."

Petrov had a sudden realisation. "You switched the currencies on us!" In his moment of anger, he lunged towards Cerah, but was stopped by Peter putting a hand up against his chest. Although what Peter did hadn't been a strike, his vampiric strength had made his hand immovable when Petrov lunged into it, making it feel like one.

Peter's move hadn't been to defend Cerah, as he knew she didn't need defending, nor was it to spare Petrov. It had been solely to protect Cerah from coming up on charges of assault against a fellow officer, or grievous bodily harm, as it would more likely have been. "This won't help anyone's careers. Might I suggest we all just go our separate ways and forget that this ever happened?"

A little more level-headed, Petrov's two friends guided him away towards the door, with Petrov and Cerah glaring at each other the whole way. Peter and Cerah overheard him mutter, "Damn vampires."

"I didn't need you to save me there," Cerah said more heatedly than she'd intended.

"I wasn't saving you, I was saving him," Peter said with a friendly wink that immediately disarmed Cerah's mood, although she did still entertain thoughts of giving Petrov the beating he deserved and then going back in time to prevent herself from doing it, as at least then she'd still have the satisfaction of having done it.

*

Late that night, a being wearing a loose brown hooded robe with a rope belt, much like the habit of a Franciscan monk, stealthily made its way through a dark and narrow maintenance crawlspace, with only a small pocket torch to light the way. The crawlspace led to a dimly illuminated standing space lined with conduit junctions. Already waiting there stood a being who was similarly dressed, except in a black hooded robe. When the one in brown emerged from the crawlspace and stood before the other their difference in build was immediately apparent. The one in black was noticeably taller, while the one in brown was of a thinner stature.

"It was only to be expected that the Thalshük's influence on history would be rectified, but he may yet be able to shed too much light on where he came from. He needs to disappear," the black-robed being said.

"And then what?" the other asked softly.

"Then back to Mord'thet, at almost the same time as before, where we will release more prisoners, including the weapon."

The other bowed briefly, and then climbed back into the crawlspace to carry out the instructions.

The one in black then dematerialised in a rippling shimmer of blue light.

*

The next morning Cerah was awoken early by an announcement from the captain that came through on her multi-com. "All senior officers are to report to the captain's office immediately."

Such was the imperative tone in the captain's voice that Cerah didn't hesitate to scramble out of bed and into a uniform. Something had to be seriously wrong.

When she arrived in the office she was relieved to find that she wasn't the last one there this time. Devlin, Crawford and Buhari were already there, as was Doctor Ashworth, all standing. The captain and the doctor were declining the questions of the other two, deferring them for a few minutes until he could speak with the senior officers as a group. Peter and Russ walked in next, closely followed by Vyetrus and Lieutenant Christopher Emmett, the chief engineer. Finally Petrov entered, looking like he was still recovering from the vodkas of the previous evening. He cast a sheepish glance at Cerah, not making eye contact, before quickly looking away.

"Now that we're all here," the captain began in a grave tone, "It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that there has been a murder aboard this ship." He hushed the murmurs of disbelief that followed, and continued, "Crewman Eric Corbett was found dead in the early hours of the morning. He was working on the bridge on night shift when he detected an unidentified energy spike. The ensign on watch, Martha Delaney, instructed him to check it out. When he'd failed to report after an hour she attempted to contact him, but without success. His multi-com couldn't be detected, neither could his life signs. His body was found behind a service panel in a passage on deck three."

"How did he die?" Crawford asked.

"He was stabbed several times by a bladed weapon taken from the clothing room, which was found with the body."

"Why didn't his multi-com alert the ship's computer when his life signs were terminated?" Cerah asked.

"His multi-com was smashed prior to his death."

"Do you have any suspects?" Vyetrus asked.

"That actually brings me to the next issue. The Thalshük prisoner has escaped, and is nowhere to be found on the ship," Devlin said. "I conducted the scan myself, and there's no trace of his life signs."

"It's possible that he too was killed," Crawford ventured.

"I also conducted a ship-wide genetic scan for the alien organism in his brain, which would have shown up on the results dead or alive, but it was nowhere to be found."

"How could he have left the ship?" Buhari asked.

"That is one of the many things that we still need to investigate. Corbett's body was obviously hidden posthumously, so we need to ascertain exactly where his murder took place. Sub-Lieutenant Dawson, you'll be in charge of that."

"Yes sir," Peter replied.

"How was the body discovered?" Russ asked.

"A crewman spotted a couple of drops of blood on the floor of the passage and called a doctor to examine it to find out who was hurt, and the doctor's scan pinpointed the location of the body behind a nearby panel," Devlin explained.

"Why would someone murder a night shift crewman investigating some unusual readings unless it was something that someone didn't want discovered? Those readings need to be investigated further," Vyetrus said.

"Sir, if I might add, there have been a couple of other occasions where a momentary energy spike has been detected, but it's always been attributed to fluctuations in the time field or power system. The instances could be related to what the crewman was investigating," Peter said.

"Duly noted," Devlin responded. "Vyetrus, I'd like you to investigate that."

"Certainly, Captain."

"Lieutenant Petrov, I'd like you to find out how the Thalshük got off the ship, since no shuttles are missing and no other craft have approached Tethys. Lieutenant O'Neil, see if you can figure out how he got out of his cell. Sub-Lieutenant Turner, contact Epoch, Jidai, and any other ships in the vicinity and find out if they've detected any unidentified spacecraft near our position, or if they have any sensor readings that could shed some light on what happened here. Lieutenant Emmett, run as many diagnostics as necessary to determine if there have been any fluctuations in the power system, time drive, or any other system that could account for the energy spike as a result of a malfunction, to rule out Tethys as a possible cause. Doctor Ashworth, do an analysis of the body and the murder weapon for any further information. Coordinate all efforts through Commander Crawford and Lieutenant Commander Buhari."

"Sir, will you be notifying the crew of what's happened?" Russ asked.

"Some of them will need to be informed as you bring them into the various aspects of the investigation as necessary, and I'm sure word will get around quickly, but I will make a formal announcement within the hour," Devlin said. "You all have your assignments. Dismissed."

As Cerah left the office she considered that she could use the assistance of a technician or a scientist to help her in her assignment. One person came to mind. Using her multi-com, she went and located Elsa's quarters and pressed the doorbell.

"Cerah!" Elsa said in surprise when the door slid open. She was wearing the black slacks and top of her uniform, but not yet her boots and jacket. Her slightly damp unbrushed hair was hanging loosely. "Sorry, I suppose it's back to Lieutenant again, now that our mission's over."

Cerah waved away her apology. "We're not on the bridge, so Cerah is fine. I apologise for the timing. It looks like you're still getting ready for your shift."

"That's alright. Come in."

Cerah stepped into the quarters that were noticeably smaller than her own, enough so to make hers seem spacious by comparison. The main room wasn't exactly tidy; there were clothes strewn about the place, mostly over the back of the lounge, and several dirty dishes on the table from the last few evenings' dinners.

"Would you like something to eat?" Elsa called back as she went into the bedroom to find her boots.

"No, I'm fine. It's not actually a social visit."

"Oh?" Elsa said, a hint of hidden disappointment in her voice. She returned to the main room and took a bite from a piece of toast.

Cerah glanced over at the toast, and was momentarily shocked and intrigued. "Seriously, who puts mustard on toast?"

"Last night Tomás mentioned that he does sometimes, so I thought I'd give it a go. It's not bad."

"I'll take your word for it. Anyway, there's been a murder, and I could do with your help investigating it."

Elsa was immediately concerned. "Who was killed?"

"A crewman named Eric Corbett. Did you know him?"

"Not really. Just an acquaintance that I'd said hi to once or twice in passing. Are you sure it was murder?"

"Well I'm pretty sure he didn't manage to stab himself several times and then bundle himself into the space behind a service panel," Cerah replied, a little tactlessly as she quickly realised. She then proceeded to tell Elsa what she'd been told in the captain's office, including the disappearance of the prime suspect.

When she was finished, Elsa said, "Well it certainly sounds like the Thalshük prisoner did it. He did after all smash your multi-com when you encountered him in that cave."

"I thought the same thing at first, but when the doctors examined him they said that he had multi-spectral eyes, so he could see me by my body heat in the dark. He only smashed it because of its torch, so that I wouldn't be able to see him."

"Then it was probably so that the cessation of Crewman Corbett's life signs wouldn't cause an alert to go to the main computer."

"But how would he have even known that it would?" Cerah reasoned.

"Fair point. His civilisation ended thousands of years ago, so our technology's probably not even similar to what he'd be familiar with."

"Which makes it seem even less likely that he was able to get past his cell's force field. Especially as he was formerly a surgeon, not a technician. At least that's what he told Buhari."

"You think he had help escaping?" Elsa asked, finding it hard to believe that any member of Temporal Security would do such a thing.

Cerah shrugged. "I don't know. But either way, we need to find definitive proof."

"Give me five minutes and I'll be right with you. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"No. I'll just grab some synthblood from Stargaze on our way to the brig."

Ten minutes later they were examining the cell in question with their omniscanners set to a tightly focussed scanner beam. It took a little longer that way, but it gave the greatest level of resolution.

"I really don't see how he could've bypassed the force field. The circuitry that operates it isn't even located in the surrounding walls specifically to ensure that no one can break through a panel to short-circuit it," Cerah said.

"Could he have accessed the lighting circuitry and used is body as a conductor to then short it out by touching the force field?" Elsa speculated. "There are some species that don't suffer so badly from electric shocks. The Thalshük could be one of them."

Cerah directed her scanner through the wall panels to the wiring of the light systems. "Everything looks perfectly normal and untouched. No wiring has been exposed for him to have made contact with."

"How exactly was the force field disabled?"

Cerah went to the force field's controls on the wall opposite the cell and reviewed its log on a tiny screen. "The last time it went down before his disappearance was discovered it was triggered by an accepted authorisation, except that no code or voice command was actually entered. It must have been tripped remotely."

"He wouldn't have had time to study our technology well enough to know how to do that. It is looking a lot more like he had some help."

"But what could anyone possibly gain from helping him?" With a slightly raised voice, Cerah asked, "Tethys, what time did the prisoner's life signs cease to register on the internal sensors?"

"0141 hours," the computer's emotionless voice responded.

Cerah turned to Elsa. "That doesn't make sense. According to the force field's log, it was deactivated at 0143 hours, meaning that he disappeared from his cell before the force field was disabled."

"Actually, it only means that his life signs disappeared, which only opens two possibilities; he was either killed, or he was able to mask his life signs somehow. We can rule out death, since he still had time to kill Eric Corbett."

"Not necessarily. Whoever's responsible might have been discovered by Corbett, and was then forced to kill him to protect their secret."

Elsa thought about it. "We still don't know how they killed the prisoner before even lowering the force field."

"True. I doubt it was poison, not when they came to collect him within two minutes of his death. There's no way they could have timed the effect of a poison on an unfamiliar alien's physiology so precisely. And the discharge of an energy weapon would've been detected by internal sensors."

"I'll try scanning for traces of blood, just in case they killed the Thalshük with the same weapon that they used on the crewman," Elsa said, and knelt on the cell's floor to go over it inch by inch. Before long she turned up a result. "There's a slight trace of Thalshük DNA, so small that it probably came from only a drop or two of his blood that was wiped up afterwards."

"That was a bit careless, leaving any trace at all," Cerah said. She momentarily wondered if such ineptitude pointed towards Petrov as the killer.

"I only picked it up because my scanner's on a tight beam. If it was a member of the crew, they may have used their multi-com to check for any residual traces and got no results. I've got to say, if it wasn't the prisoner who killed Corbett, then it's pretty disturbing to think that it was a member of this crew. It means that they're still on the ship right now," Elsa said worriedly.

"What I want to know is how they got rid of the body. If an airlock was opened it would appear in a computer log."

"Unless they were able to alter or erase the log."

Cerah started to wonder. The captain had said that he'd conducted the scan for the prisoner himself, and he would have the clearance to access and delete a log that could be incriminating. But she would need more than a passing suspicion before she even mentioned such a possibility to Crawford or Buhari. For all she knew, one of them could be the killer, as their clearance might also be sufficient to delete logs. Out of curiosity, she called the medical unit on her multi-com.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Doctor Ashworth answered when her image appeared on its screen.

"I was just wondering if you've had a chance to examine the murder weapon for fingerprints yet?"

"Actually I'm doing it now. The killer was very careful, but I did manage to lift one print, and it matches that of the Thalshük prisoner. The genetic trace of the fingerprint matches Crewman Corbett's blood, so he must have gotten it on his finger during the attack, which then left the print despite any attempt to remove all traces."

"Interesting. Thanks for that."

"You're welcome," the doctor said, and closed the call.

"So it might have been the Thalshük after all?" Elsa asked.

Cerah considered. "Things just aren't quite adding up right for that explanation." She had a sudden idea, and called Doctor Ashworth again.

"Lieutenant?" the doctor asked with a hint of mild impatience.

"Would you mind scanning the fingers of the older Thalshük body that we brought back from 1492? If I'm right, you'll find the results very interesting."

"Very well." The doctor went and retrieved a medical scanner and walked into an adjoining room in the medical unit where one of the walls was lined with mortuary cold chambers. She opened one and drew out the tray, and lifted one side of the shroud to expose the left hand. After doing a scan of the fingers with no remarkable results, she went around to the other side and repeated the scan. This time she double checked the readings to be sure that they were correct, and also looked more closely at one finger in particular. "This is odd. I'm detecting faint traces of Eric Corbett's blood between the papillary ridges on the index finger, and it appears as though someone has restored that part of the finger to its natural shape to counter the distortion caused by the withering since death. As far as I can tell they must've used a tissue flaccidity inducer to make the skin pliable, and then infused it with a small amount of water to give it a natural shape."

"I knew it!" Cerah said victoriously, pleased with her conclusion being proven correct. "Someone used the fingerprint of the corpse to make it look like the prisoner was the one who killed Corbett."

"That means that the murderer is a member of the crew," the doctor realised. "We must inform the captain immediately."

Cerah was hesitant, just in case the captain was the one they were looking for, but she couldn't very well raise any objection based on a passing thought. "Would you mind doing that? I've just picked up a residual energy reading that I need to scan further."

"I'll go and speak with him now," Ashworth said.

"Just one more thing," Cerah said quickly before she could end the call.

"Yes?" the doctor asked, her tone more patient since Cerah's last request had led to results that were crucial to the investigation.

"Could you also check for traces of Thalshük blood on the blade of the weapon?"

Ashworth did so, and reported, "There are traces of it, beneath Eric Corbett's. It would seem that it was used to attack the prisoner prior to the crewman's murder."

"That's what I thought. Thanks."

Ashworth nodded in acknowledgement and ended the call.

"What's this energy reading you mentioned?" Elsa asked curiously.

"I just changed the parameters of the scan type while I was talking to the doctor, and there's a residual energy signature in the middle of the cell, but the scan is inconclusive as to what it is," Cerah replied with both confusion and frustration.

"Being so close to the energy of the force field when it was active might've obscured it."

"I'd be willing to bet that it's not a coincidence that Corbett was also investigating an unidentified energy spike when he was killed."

"I can't seem to get clear readings of it either," Elsa said as she cycled through a number of different scan types.

"The captain got Vyetrus to look into the energy spike that Corbett was investigating, so he might turn up some explanation for it."

After conducting more scans for another quarter of an hour, Cerah received a message on her multi-com from Buhari stating that they were all to meet in the captain's office again in one hour to report their findings so far. While Elsa called Vyetrus to discuss the energy reading, Cerah used one of the wall screens in the security office to access the ship's internal sensor log of the holding cell area for the early hours of that morning. The result that she got shocked her. She immediately showed Elsa, but was doubtful that the captain would believe it, even if he saw the evidence with his own eyes.

"We've got to take this to him, right now," Elsa encouraged.

"If we keep looking we might find more corroborating evidence."

"This is pretty damning."

"It is. I knew there was a reason I didn't like either of them. You're right, let's go to the captain now," Cerah said, and led the way from the brig.

When they got to his office the captain saw them immediately.

"What have you got, Lieutenant?" Devlin asked.

"Sir, may I use your wall screen? You'll have to see this for yourself to believe it," Cerah said.

"Of course," Devlin said, gesturing her towards the screen on the wall behind his desk. He stood to allow her plenty of space.

Cerah brought up the same internal sensor result. "There's no doubt about it. This clearly shows that both Commander Crawford and Lieutenant Petrov's multi-com signals were detected in the brig at the time that the prisoner disappeared. The visual recordings of last night have been deleted. I guess they overlooked the sensor log."

For a few moments the captain didn't say anything. He just stared at the log. "I find this very hard to believe. Why would either of them do such a thing, let alone in collaboration?"

"I couldn't say, sir," Cerah said, not voicing the thought that it was probably because Petrov was a gormless idiot who didn't have the intellect to pull it off alone. He'd certainly never been accused of overthinking anything.

"I'll interview each of them myself before we reconvene. See what else you can find until then," Devlin said, dismissing them with a nod.

When the time came for Cerah to return to the captain's office for the group progress report she walked in almost at the same time as Crawford. She tried not to look too unsettled, but avoided meeting the commander's gaze.

Once everyone had arrived, Devlin said, "Right, let's see what you've all got. Doctor Ashworth, please share your results with the group."

"For a start, any one of the multiple stab wounds on Crewman Corbett's body would easily have proven fatal, so the number suggests desperation, or perhaps panic at having been discovered. The basic psychological profile that I've put together so far based on the evidence implies that it wouldn't have been premeditated, and that the assailant wouldn't have been proficient at murder. Therefore the attack wasn't personal in nature. It could even have been a first time offender. The weapon itself, a nineteenth century Scottish dirk, had a falsely planted fingerprint of the Thalshük prisoner, which was in fact taken from the corpse of his older future self. Prior to Corbett's death, the same weapon had been used to kill the Thalshük prisoner."

"How can you be sure the prisoner was actually killed, in the absence of a body?" Crawford asked.

"I found minute traces of Thalshük blood along the entire length of the blade, beneath Corbett's blood. A wound that deep would certainly have proven fatal, if not immediately then very soon. The obvious conclusion of that evidence is that both the prisoner and the crewman were murdered by someone still on this ship."

"A member of this crew?" Crawford asked in a tone of disbelief.

Cerah could see the captain subtly gauging her reaction, just as she was. Crawford had a hint of mild surprise on her usually sternly expressionless face, but Cerah couldn't tell if she was surprised by the revelation itself or that the detail had been discovered. She was also consciously aware that the doctor had neglected to give her any credit for the discovery of her facts.

"Sub-lieutenant Dawson, were you able to locate where Crewman Corbett was murdered?" Devlin asked.

"Yes, sir. It was in a maintenance passage in the heart of the ship, well away from any potential witnesses. I detected traces of his blood that someone had evidently tried to clean up. It's also of interest to note that it was right by the location of an energy spike, though not the one that he was on his way to investigate. He never made it to that one," Peter reported.

"Show me the location," Devlin said, offering him the use of the wall screen.

"Certainly." Peter went and brought up a schematic of deck three and indicated the maintenance passage in question. "This is where he was killed, and this is where his body was found," he said, then pointing to one of the main passages a significant distance away from the scene of the crime.

"How did they move the body so far without being seen?" Buhari wondered aloud.

"I couldn't say. Despite being stabbed several times, there were no further traces of blood between these two locations," Peter said. "It also raises the question of why the killer was in the maintenance passage after having killed the prisoner, as Doctor Ashworth's results indicated."

"Thank you," Devlin said, carefully considering the information. "Vyetrus, were you able to identify the energy reading that Corbett was investigating?"

"Regrettably no. Due to its proximity to the ship's reactors, the reading has been obscured beyond any possible identification with the equipment that I have available. Even with Messaran equipment I could not be sure of a positive result. I also scanned the reading that Lieutenant O'Neil detected in the prisoner's cell, but with the same lack of result. However, I do find it troubling that each of these instances happened to occur in the vicinity of something that would obscure them. In the case of the cell it was the energy of the force field, which according to the log was active at the time that the reading occurred."

"I certainly appreciate your efforts," Devlin said. Turning his attention to Petrov, he asked, "Lieutenant, were you able to determine how the Thalshük disappeared from the ship?"

"Unfortunately no, Captain."

No surprise there, Cerah thought to herself. Even if he's not the killer, it'd probably take the moron half an eternity to turn up anything even remotely helpful.

"Lieutenant O'Neil, please share with us anything you have on how the prisoner vanished," Devlin said.

Cerah snapped out of her disparaging thoughts of Petrov, and responded, "The force field was disabled by a remote trigger, but it left no identifiable signatures in its signal. All visual recordings from the brig were deleted. As to where the body went, short of the energy reading being from a weapon that disintegrated it, I don't have any more idea than Lieutenant Petrov." She decided to leave the issue of Crawford and Petrov's multi-coms being detected in the brig for the captain to explain. If he wanted her to go into it he'd tell her to.

"Sub-lieutenant Turner, anything?" Devlin asked.

"Neither Epoch, Jidai or any other ships in the region detected any anomalous readings from Tethys, or any suspicious vessels in our vicinity," Russ answered.

"Lieutenant Emmett?"

"All of our systems check out as being in perfect working order," the chief engineer reported.

"Now that that's taken care of, there is one other detail of information that I'll share with you. Two multi-com signatures were detected in the brig at the time of the events during last night, those of Commander Crawford and Lieutenant Petrov. I have personally interviewed each of them, and they both insist that they'd deactivated their multi-coms overnight and taken them off to get a good night's rest without being disturbed. I'm inclined to believe both of them, and am not prepared to declare them guilty without further corroborating evidence, as there's always the possibility that the readings were fabricated, especially in light of the brig's visual recordings having been deleted. Unfortunately we haven't been able to prove that their multi-coms weren't there, as their signals obviously wouldn't show up on sensors when deactivated. So if anyone has anything to add that could shed further light on this please do so now."

"If I may use your screen, Captain?" Vyetrus requested.

"Be my guest."

The Messaran went over to it and started poring through the data in the sensor logs at a surprisingly rapid speed. Having found what he was looking for, he announced, "It would seem that both the commander and the lieutenant have been framed, and quite skillfully too. While their multi-coms could not be detected by their signals, the tiny splinter of quasium that powers them does still show up on sensors, if one knows how to find such indications. Their devices were indeed in their quarters the entire night, so it was not possible for them to have been detected in the brig. Those readings were falsified. Whoever is responsible most likely scanned for any absent multi-com signals and replicated them in the sensor log to create misleading evidence."

"You have my gratitude for setting things straight," Devlin said. "But we still have a killer to find. If any of you turn up anything significant I expect you to bring it to me right away, otherwise I'll await your reports at the end of the shift. Dismissed."

As everyone filed out of the office, Petrov approached Cerah and said in subdued voice so as not to be overheard, "Lieutenant, I just wanted to apologise for my remarks at the bar. The drink got the better of me, and..."

Cerah cut him off. "I don't want your apology. Just get off my case, Petrov!" Without waiting for a response, she continued on her way.

When she entered the brig again she quite literally bumped into Elsa, who was on her way out.

"Great timing, Cerah. Vyetrus just called asking me to join him in the passage where Corbett's body was hidden. He said to bring a scanner. Want to come and see what he's turned up?"

"Sounds like he has a hunch about something," Cerah said, intrigued.

Vyetrus was waiting in the passage in question, standing by the still open wall panel where the body had been found. It had been marked off by numerous flashing red beacons that had been positioned around the site so that no one would interfere with it.

"I brought a scanner like you asked," Elsa said.

"Excellent. Would you mind scanning this area on the highest resolution setting?" Vyetrus asked.

"What are you expecting to find?" Cerah asked.

"Sub-lieutenant Dawson stated in his report that there was an energy spike right here where the crewman's body was found, as well as where his murder took place. All other anomalous readings of energy spikes occurred in a location where they would be partially hidden or distorted by something, but there is nothing that would have such an effect in this vicinity, so I am hoping that the reading here will be more conclusive."

Elsa proceeded with the scan, cycling through all of the possible scan parameters. "The scanner still doesn't recognise the energy signature, though it has some similarity to a residual temporal signature, but I don't think it is one. Maybe you can get more from these readings," she said, handing the device to Vyetrus.

The Messaran took it and went through all of the readings carefully.

"Any thoughts?" Cerah prompted.

"I suspect that a personal transportation device was used, possibly alien in origin, or maybe even belonging to a time traveller from the future, since humanity does not yet possess that level of technology. Unfortunately the reading here was either disguised or was too different to what your scanner can identify to be able to pinpoint it as such definitively enough to use as any form of evidence."

"It didn't appear to be a temporal signature though," Elsa said.

"I suspect that in this instance the person in question used the device to bring the crewman's body here without any temporal transition taking place."

"So they could very well have used their device to transport themself into the prisoner's cell, kill him, take the body away somewhere, and then return to the cell to disable the force field to make it look like he escaped?" Cerah asked.

Vyetrus nodded. "And then as they were moving about through the maintenance passages they encountered Crewman Corbett, smashed his multi-com, killed him, and transported the body here."

"If each of the energy spikes that have been detected indicate such a device being used, what were they doing near the ship's power system that many times?" Elsa asked.

"It's a location that they probably thought would hide their activities from Tethys' internal sensors. As for what they may have been doing on each occasion, we can only speculate," Vyetrus answered.

"The Thalshük prisoner said that it was an individual who released him from his cell on the prison station and helped him to get away. It could have been the same person who later killed him and Corbett," Cerah said. "Though why this person would go to the trouble of busting him out just to kill him later is anyone's guess."

"Mord'thet, I believe the prison was called," Vyetrus said. "Lieutenant Commander Buhari disclosed to me the details of his interview with the prisoner, who also mentioned that his captors, plural, took him aboard a starship before he was released, or rather sent through time to thirteenth century Spain."

"Are you going to tell the captain your theory?" Elsa said.

"I think for the moment it would be more prudent to investigate the matter further so that I can be sure of what to tell him, off the record of course, as such details appearing in any official report could reveal to such a time traveller that we are aware of them. Thank you both for your assistance," Vyetrus said, bowing his head to each of them politely before taking his leave.

Later that evening Cerah stopped by Elsa's quarters. When the door opened, Elsa was once again in the middle of getting ready, being in the process of putting on earrings. This time she was dressed in a nice casual style with her hair in a French twist, as though it wasn't a formal occasion but she wanted to look her best without being too obvious about it. An aromatic floral scent coming from her seemed to confirm that she was heading out on a date. In comparison, Cerah was dressed very casually in her jeans and plain top.

"Hey Cerah, want to come in?" Elsa offered.

"No, that's alright. You look like you're busy. A date with Tomás, perhaps?"

Elsa couldn't hide an excited grin. "I think we've got a real connection."

"From what I saw of you two on the Córdoba mission I'm inclined to think you're right. Anyway, I was just going to see if you wanted to catch a movie or something, but we can do that another time."

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"I'll leave you to it then. I hope it all works out well for you and Tomás, I really do."

Elsa smiled. "I really appreciate that."

Cerah excused herself, embarrassed at how desperate for friends she must've looked, trying to hang out with an ensign that she'd been away on one mission with. She'd had plans to hang out with Peter, but Vyetrus had asked him to do an overnight shift with him. Of the 78 people on the ship, or rather 77 since Crewman Corbett's death, Peter and Elsa were the only people she wanted to spend time with, or who would be willing to spend time with her. It only seemed to reiterate her point that she didn't belong in Temporal Security. Not wanting to resort to calling Cephra, she went back to her quarters, got changed into her three quarter length compression tights and matching singlet, grabbed her MMA-style boxing gloves, and made her way to the gym to work off some of her frustrations on a punching bag.

When she arrived, the only other person there was Crawford, who was already working on one of the bags, also preferring to use MMA-style gloves. On a wall screen behind her bag under 'Daphne' were her statistics of punching power, hits per minute, etcetera. When she glanced up and noticed Cerah her punches seemed to be even harder, which was reflected in her stats. Hair tied tightly back as always, she was wearing half-length tights and a sports crop top to show off her trim figure, not that there was anyone to impress. In a moment of vanity, Cerah noticed with satisfaction that although they both had a similar build, she was better endowed than Crawford in the chest region; a comparison that she often lost against other women, including her sister.

Keeping her pre-workout stretches to a bare minimum, Cerah activated the screen behind another bag and got started, warming up with a few quick punches at different heights. In her peripheral vision she could tell that she had Crawford's attention, so she suddenly put a lot more power into her hits, and added vampiric speed to a series of combinations at various heights and angles, even adding a few roundhouse kicks and elbow strikes. Crawford also put as much power as she could into her strikes, also adding a few kicks and doing so as fast as she could, but Cerah's statistics were quickly overtaking hers.

The unspoken rivalry went on for a while longer until Crawford, sweating profusely, had to stop and get a cup of water from the dispenser. Cerah kept punching, trying to boost her stats just that little bit more before also stopping for a rest and to have a drink.

"You have a strong technique," Crawford said. "Have you considered applying for the Vampire Elite Squad program?"

"You can't get rid of me that easily," Cerah said, and went straight back to her bag and resumed her workout, though it did cross her mind to challenge Crawford to a 'friendly' sparring match, not that the commander would have accepted what would be a certain defeat.

Crawford returned to her bag and put in a renewed effort, but was unable to match Cerah's scores.

After a victorious night's sleep, Cerah's doorbell rang the next morning shortly before she was due to start her shift. It was Peter. She welcomed him in and asked, "So how did it go last night?"

"Not as well as we'd hoped. Sorry about having to postpone our plans. Vyetrus shared with me his suspicion that the energy spikes could be indicative of an advanced personal transportation device being used, and had asked Buhari if he could enlist me for a night watch, hoping to lay a trap for whoever it was if they were detected again."

"So you didn't manage to catch them then?" Cerah asked.

"No. There was another reading, but they got away before we reached the location. We kept too far away in our attempts not to alert them, and they had time to escape. But we have picked up two more historical alterations. The captain will probably call a briefing shortly."

"Two simultaneous alterations? How were they detected at the same time? Wouldn't one have overridden the effect of the other so that we wouldn't even know about it until we'd taken care of the earliest instance?"

"One instance occurred in the much more distant past, but the other took place on one of Earth's colonies only a century ago, far enough separated for the first not to have had an impact on the second, so they don't appear to be related."

"But they both happened to occur during the same night that you detected another reading?"

"I don't think it's a coincidence either, at least for one of them," Peter said, stifling a yawn. "Anyway, I'm off to bed. Hopefully we can catch up tonight instead."

"Sounds good."

Peter excused himself, and Cerah finished getting ready. And as Peter predicted, a notification of a briefing came up on her multi-com as she left her quarters. On her way to the briefing room she promised herself that one of these days she'd actually crawl out of bed early enough to have something more for breakfast than a quick glass of synthblood, though she'd probably never go as far as Elsa's mustard on toast no matter how hungry she was.

Once she'd taken her seat at the oval conference table, she was sure she picked up the scent of mustard coming from Elsa's direction at the table, but couldn't be sure if the ensign had actually had it for breakfast again or if it was a trick of her mind because she'd just been thinking about it.

Captain Devlin opened the briefing. "Last night a planned strike to capture the murderer of Crewman Corbett failed, which may or may not be related to our upcoming missions. Two alterations to history have been detected; one in an isolated village in Phoenicia in 627 BC, the other in space above the human colony on the planet Kharovsk in 2398 AD. The Phoenician incident is comparatively minor regarding its historical impact. Epoch's sensors detected a Lurxsa life sign and that of another alien that we have since been able to identify as a Thalshük, now that we have their genetic and life sign profiles in our database. Both life signs are female. I'm sure none of you think it a mere coincidence that the extinct Thalshük species happens to be involved in two historical alterations in a row, and neither do I. The presence of a Lurxsa is also a mystery, as their race only had basic space travel in 627 BC, and their exploration had not yet advanced to our sector.

"Less is known about the 2398 instance. There was an attack by an unidentified Medjhudal civilian ship that was attempting to capture a much more powerful military cruiser, which they almost succeeded in doing due to their highly effective tactics, until they were chased away when a second cruiser arrived at the scene. They later attacked and succeeded in capturing a Jor Ginsm vessel, and then another, and then started marauding that region of space with their small but ever growing makeshift fleet. After that they started migrating across space. None of their attacks are recorded historical events, so we need to find out how they changed history with a vessel that's not capable of time travel."

"Might I suggest that we attend to the Phoenicia incident first?" Crawford suggested.

"Your reasoning?"

"That matter should be easy to resolve, with only two alien beings to deal with, and it affects Earth more directly. Also, there may be some minor thread through the timeline connecting the two events, so attending to the Phoenician matter second could still cause a minor paradox in our handling of the Medjhudal."

"Very well. You will lead the Phoenicia mission. Assemble a team, we'll be arriving in a few hours."

"Yes, Captain."

"Once this matter has been cleared up we'll attend to the other. I'll contact Epoch and inform the admiral of our plan," Devlin said. "Dismissed."

As everyone got up to leave, Crawford quickly spoke with the captain and then approached Cerah. "Lieutenant O'Neil, I'd like you to accompany my team to the Phoenician village."

In her surprise, Cerah was momentarily speechless. "Sure. What time would you like to depart?"

"We'll launch at noon, ship time." Without another word, Crawford left the room.

Cerah wasn't sure what to make of it. Perhaps Crawford had a newfound respect for her after seeing what she was capable of in the gym. Then again, if she was somehow involved in everything that had been going on she could be hoping that Cerah wouldn't make it back from the mission alive. She might even be planning to make sure of it. It was also possible that she thought the two alien women in Phoenicia would respond more cooperatively to a team led by women, even if one of them was a vampire.

When noon arrived Cerah entered the launch bay, now dressed in an ankle-length loose garment with numerous folds that was tied at the waist with a linen girdle, and a pair of not particularly comfortable sandals, all of which was plain and denoted the class of a commoner, to her discontent. Tucked away in the folds of her clothes she had a pistol and an omniscanner, and she still wore her multi-com concealed beneath her sleeve.

Crawford was standing by one of the shuttles giving instructions to the four men that comprised the landing detail, and was dressed similarly to Cerah. The men all wore knee-length kilts and wraparound robes that were draped over their shoulders. They also wore shoulder-length wigs and false beards of either dark brown or black that were neatly wavy and curled, and conical caps. To Cerah the hair and beard work looked almost comical, but they were designed to be good enough to fool the locals, hopefully. It was a safe assumption that they all had hidden pistols and scanners as well.

"Let's get under way," Crawford said crisply, and led them into the shuttle.

One of the men was chosen to take the helm, an ensign named Victor Grant. As soon as the bay had been depressurised he launched the shuttle.

Cerah glanced over at the local date and time on his console, which showed the 28th of November, 627 BC, at 1813 hours. Tethys was already in a geostationary orbit above what would one day be Lebanon.

Once they were in space, Crawford, who sat in the seat beside Victor's, explained their mission in more detail. "The village where the two aliens first arrived is some distance outside of Byblos. After moving away from that area, they were captured by a noble who presented them as unique slaves to the new Assyrian king, Ashur-etil-ilani, who'd just that year succeeded the late King Ashurbanipal. It was an attempt to curry favour, but it all went horribly wrong when the two aliens broke free inside the palace and killed several courtiers before being killed themselves. The deaths they caused are what had the greatest historical impact. Since we haven't been able to ascertain where they came from or how they got there, our goal is to intercept them upon their arrival in that village, which will be at exactly 2100 hours today. They'll no doubt be spotted by the locals, but being an isolated community the cultural damage should be extremely limited. If we're lucky the encounter will simply be lost to history as local folklore."

"I've received the exact geological location of the aliens' arrival from Tethys," Victor said.

"Considering that it's still early evening, descend from a distance of at least fifty kilometres for a low altitude approach, and land no closer to the village than fifteen," Crawford ordered. No matter where they came down there was always a risk of travellers spotting the shuttle, but such a risk was inherent in any mission. It would only be a problem if it led to an impact on history.

Victor set their course so that they would descend steeply and then level out closer to the surface. As they approached the mountainous landscape bathed in the glow of twilight, he pointed out, "Commander, there's a valley that would bring us to within seven kilometres of the village while keeping us out of sight behind the mountain range."

Crawford examined the landscape more closely on the sensor display. "That should be fine. Take us near the end of it, and land behind that ridge there," she said, indicating a particular spot. "And shift our arrival time to 1930 hours."

"Yes, Commander," Victor said.

Cerah was certainly grateful to shave a few kilometres off of the distance they had to travel on foot after seeing how mountainous the region was. Even seven kilometres would be an arduous journey in the sandals she was wearing.

The shuttle swooped down into the valley and soared along it above the treetops until they reached the designated landing site, where Victor brought them down in a small clearing with plenty of tree cover around them on all sides to hide the shuttle from view as best he could in case any nighttime travellers passed through the area.

Crawford didn't waste any time in getting them under way. They immediately disembarked and started up the mountainside in a roughly westward direction towards the village on the other side of the ridge. The incline was so steep that Cerah questioned whether Crawford had allowed them enough time to make it there before the aliens arrived. They'd certainly be cutting it close. No matter what, she was determined to keep pace with the commander, and would not be the first one to complain about sore feet. She felt her competitive spirit coming into play again, like it had in the gym. She tried to redirect her attention to appreciating her surroundings. The weather was almost cold, mainly because of the breeze. There was a thin scattering of clouds in an otherwise clear evening sky, with some stars visible through the last vestiges of twilight. The ground was dry and hard, lacking in grass, and the trees seemed to alternate from sparse scatterings to denser thickets. She found it disappointing that they were just going to an outlying village instead of a major city like Byblos; after all, how often was it that she got to visit ancient Phoenicia?

By the time they reached the top of the ridge she was getting thirsty, but they hadn't been able to bring modern water bottles with them, so she had to hope that they passed a well somewhere in the village, though it would be hard to inconspicuously scan it for bacteria or other contaminants. At least now their destination was in sight, and it was downhill the rest of the way. The village near the base of the mountain almost looked large enough to be a small town, and it wasn't a nomadic community judging by the numerous buildings made of either stone or mud bricks; from such a distance and in the last of the fading light she couldn't be sure which it was. They ranged in size and prestige from small and humble to surprisingly lavish. Out of curiosity she took out her omniscanner and checked the population by life signs, picking up almost four hundred people. Surrounding the village were several areas of farming land for both livestock and crops.

They made their way down the mountainside, and when they got close to the village Cerah asked Crawford how she wanted to proceed.

"Since we don't know exactly where in the village the aliens will arrive, we'll split into two groups of three to close in on them from two directions," Crawford answered. "You enter from the southeast, I'll enter from the northeast. We'll wait until the aliens arrive before we move in."

Cerah nodded, and broke away towards the southeastern area of the village with two of the men. One was Victor, the other was a crewman named Joseph Adelstein. She hadn't said so to Crawford, but she thought her tactic was rather flawed. Really it only covered the nearest side of the village, and both groups would be trying to intercept the aliens from almost the same direction, leaving plenty of other directions for them to make a run for it. And staying outside the village with only minutes to go also seemed like a terrible idea. Even Petrov could've come up with a better strategy, Cerah thought.

Crawford and the two men with her were almost out of sight around some buildings. As soon as they were, Cerah led her companions further around the village so that they were almost to the south of it. "We'll spread out a little to cover a wider range of entry points," she said. Addressing Joseph, she ordered, "You proceed from this point. A minute before they arrive, start making your way towards the centre of the village."

Being less experienced at field work, the man simply nodded compliantly.

Cerah led Victor a bit further around so that they were almost at the southwestern part of the village.

"Are you sure we should go this far around? We're pretty much disobeying the commander's orders," Victor said a little apprehensively.

Cerah didn't know Victor all that well, pretty much only by name, so she decided to make sure he understood who was in charge of their little sub-group right away. "The commander isn't very strategically gifted. She's left most of the village wide open. This way if they make a run for it we'll be more likely to head them off, because if they do get away it's the captain we'll have to answer to, not Crawford. Clear?"

After a moment's hesitation, Victor nodded. "Yes, Lieutenant."

"Same orders; a minute before they arrive start making your way towards the centre of the village so that you won't be so far from their arrival point when they turn up."

"Understood."

"Good man."

Cerah left him and continued circling further around the outskirts of the village until she was on its western side. She checked the time on her multi-com: 2057 hours. Constantly listening for any sounds of local activity, she started making her way into the village, keeping to the shadows out of the moonlight as much as possible to avoid being spotted by the few people who were making their way from place to place. In such a relatively small community, strangers would be easily spotted, and would certainly draw attention. She checked the time again: 2059 hours. Less than a minute to go.
Chapter 5

The Rogues

Finding a dark alcove in the side of a building, she checked her omniscanner. The moment it hit 2100 hours it picked up an energy spike, the same type in fact as the ones that had been detected on Tethys. With it appeared two life signs; a Lurxsa and a Thalshük. They hadn't arrived in a capsule like the Thalshük in Córdoba had. A moment later she heard an order over her multi-com from Crawford ordering everyone to move in on the reading. Before tucking her scanner away in her clothes, she noticed that the aliens had appeared closer to the western side of the village, proving the flaw in Crawford's strategy.

As she ran deeper into the village she heard the shouts and exclamations of locals who'd spotted the aliens, and possibly their arrival as well. She distinctly picked up the word 'demons' several times. Everyone in the streets were now moving in the general direction of the commotion, so when she spotted a shadowy figure moving away in the opposite direction, and doing so stealthily, she stopped to take a closer look. The being was some distance away and was keeping to the shadows. When it darted from building to building she got a better look at it. It was wearing a brown hooded monk's robe that looked a good two millennia out of place, complete with a rope belt. Guessing that it wasn't just some local assassin, Cerah took out her omniscanner and directed it at the being, who didn't appear to have noticed her. The readings intrigued her. She couldn't identify their species by life signs, as they were being shrouded somehow, but she did pick up an advanced technology reading that appeared to have some form of temporal capability. She narrowed the sensor beam to get more detailed readings as she started moving from building to building to keep up with the mysterious person, trying not to be spotted as she did so. The technology reading was coming from a device that the being was wearing under its robe at waist height, and had to be what was masking their life signs.

Cerah paused when the being stopped in the shadow of a building and activated the device under its robe. A holographic display appeared in the air in front of it, and the being entered a command. As it did so, Cerah was pretty sure by the look of its hands and skin type that it was human, possibly even the one that they were looking for who'd killed Crewman Corbett. It seemed to fit the description that the Thalshük prisoner had given of the person who'd freed him from Mord'thet; slender build, just a little on the short side, disguised with a hood. She took out her pistol, but before she could take the shot the being was enshrouded in a rippling teal-coloured glow and dematerialised. She stifled a shout of annoyance, but she had at least learned something about the being. The temporal technology could be some kind of beacon to signal whoever was transporting them across time. The fact that it had a teal light rather than the standard green that Temporal Security ships had probably meant that it was more advanced technology and operated on a higher temporal frequency, especially as Temporal Security's direct transference technology could only send, not retrieve. She also thought it interesting that the capsule in which the Thalshük had arrived in Córdoba had arrived with a blue light, possibly indicating that yet another level of technology was involved.

Not lingering on these thoughts for more than a couple of moments, she resumed making her way to where the two aliens had appeared. There was still a mission to be accomplished.

When she arrived at the village square she found it filled with people circling the two aliens warily but giving them a wide berth, some of them armed with swords, spears, daggers, or even wooden poles. It seemed they weren't yet sure what to make of them. Many of the women, especially the older ones, were keeping the curious children out of harm's way while the rest joined the throng.

The two alien women were back to back, facing off the crowd but clearly ready to defend themselves hand-to-hand, since neither carried a weapon. The Thalshük was dressed in an open reddish-brown sleeveless robe with the hood thrown back, with black slacks, combat boots and a sleeveless top beneath it. Her long grey hair seemed to contrast with her mature but youthful face, and her bare arms were athletically muscular. The Lurxsa woman had dark grey skin yet delicate features, long silver hair, strikingly bright green eyes, and was wearing an outfit that Cerah thought resembled that of an exotic belly dancer. And despite having a slim figure, the Lurxsa woman was also well toned and looked just as ready and capable of defending herself as the Thalshük. They were both attractive in their own way, so it was pretty clear to Cerah why the men of this time would ultimately want to capture them as slaves.

"Where the hell have you been?" Crawford shouted to Cerah from halfway across the crowd that she was trying to push through with her companions. Victor and Joseph were also making their way through from different directions.

"I'll explain later," Cerah called back to her.

The crowd parted for a contingent of twenty bearded Phoenician men armed with spears who appeared to be this village's equivalent of guards or soldiers, though they weren't wearing armour as there hadn't been time to put it on. The men were clearly startled at the sight of the two alien women, whom they quickly surrounded.

Before the men could attack the women, Crawford shouted to them, "Wait! We've come to take them away from here."

One of the men, possibly a leader, turned his head to her while keeping his spear pointed towards the aliens, and called back, "The magistrate will decide what's to be done with them."

The ring of men started moving in closer, their only fear being that the demon-women possessed some form of magic. Spears at the ready in one hand, they each reached out in preparation to take hold of the aliens with the other to bring them before the magistrate.

The first man to reach for the Thalshük had his wrist sharply twisted and broken by her, while the one who reached for the Lurxsa suddenly found himself in an arm-lock and was almost impaled on the spear of one of his fellows when she shoved him away. Both women snatched a spear from one of their subsequent attackers and wielded them with well-trained techniques as the rest of the men moved in. After a series of parries and counterstrikes, half of the men lay unconscious or wounded, though not mortally. The rest returned to their positions in a circle around the women.

Cerah understood now how it had been possible for them to escape the village on their own. She drew her pistol to intervene.

"What are you doing?" Crawford demanded, now much closer to her.

"At this point it's not going to make much of a difference if people see it. We need to get them out of here," Cerah retorted.

Considering that they'd otherwise have to fight the remaining soldiers and possibly armed members of the crowd hand to hand, Crawford conceded. "Very well. We'll do what we must." With a shouted order she summoned the four men of their group to assist them.

Pistols at the ready, the six of them broke through the perimeter of the crowd and started firing at the soldiers with their weapons set on stun. At the sight of the bright beams, the crowd scattered in a frightened panic.

When the soldiers had been neutralised, Crawford called to the alien women, "Come on, we've got to get out of here before they regroup."

The Lurxsa looked to the Thalshük, who nodded, and they both came over to the time travellers, still each carrying a spear. Crawford led the way out of the village towards the shuttle, frequently checking behind them for signs of pursuit. They weren't far out of the village when they spotted a much larger group of armed men coming after them. Maintaining a steady run despite the uphill slant of the ground, they managed to stay well ahead of them.

By the time they reached the shuttle all of them were exhausted. They could still hear the sounds of the pursuing Phoenicians not all that far behind them.

Before opening the hatch, Crawford said to the two aliens, "We're going to need you to leave those behind," pointing meaningfully to their spears with her pistol.

For a moment they both suddenly had a look in their eyes like that of trapped animals about to pounce, but considering how outnumbered they were by advanced weaponry, they both threw down their spears, though they did so resentfully.

Crawford opened the hatch and ushered everyone inside. Victor took the helm again and promptly launched. Crawford ordered the other three men to keep their weapons trained on the alien women while she took Cerah aside.

"What were you doing going halfway around the village and thinning out our group?" Crawford asked sternly.

"I saw the person who brought these women here," Cerah replied.

Crawford seemed surprised. "How can you be sure about that?"

"Aside from our people, that was the only other person with technology on them. They'd masked their life signs, and were disguised, so I couldn't identify them, but I'm sure they were human."

"Include as much detail as you can remember in your report and I'll take it to the captain," Crawford said, and went into the cockpit.

Cerah glanced at the alien women, both of whom had a steely look in their eyes. She briefly wondered if the symbols down each side of the front of the Thalshük's robe were some kind of military insignia. "Would I be right in guessing that you've come from the Mord'thet facility?"

They were both startled by the unexpected question.

"How could you possibly know about Mord'thet?" the Thalshük woman asked.

"Our captain should be the one to explain that to you," Cerah replied, worried that she'd already said too much.

"Would it be correct to assume that we're your prisoners now?" the Lurxsa woman asked. Her binary vocal system gave her voice an almost ethereal echoing effect.

"I shouldn't think so. As far as we're concerned you haven't committed any crime. I understand that Mord'thet was a facility for holding political prisoners, which is nothing to do with us. And you haven't demonstrated any hostility towards us. But you may have some information that will help our own investigations."

"These armed men guarding us would seem to suggest that we're being detained," the Thalshük said.

"I'm sure it's just a precaution. At this stage we're taking you to our ship as our guests," Cerah tried to assure them.

Crawford joined them, and having overheard the last part of their conversation, corrected Cerah, "The captain will decide what's to be done."

Cerah withheld any remarks to the effect of there being no reason why they couldn't be civil to the aliens in the meantime, because it definitely wouldn't come out in a way that would be considered respectful to a superior officer.

"I've reported our situation. When we arrive, you and these men will escort them to quarters that Lieutenant Commander Buhari will arrange for them," Crawford said to Cerah, and then returned to the cockpit.

"Is yours a matriarchal society?" the Lurxsa asked, having observed that Crawford and Cerah were the most senior in authority.

"No, it isn't one way or the other any more. There was a push for that several centuries ago, but it didn't make things any better than they were before. Eventually a respectful equilibrium was reached, and there's a pretty even ratio of men and women in command and high-ranking positions now, with neither trying to dominate the other. For this mission, this is just the luck of the draw," Cerah answered.

"You are different from the other woman," the Thalshük observed.

"I'm a vampire." When she only received a quizzical look from both women, Cerah explained, "The rest of them are human, that's the name of our species, but I have additional genetic aspects that have been added by an infusion of blood from another vampire, which augmented my physiology."

"Is that why you seem stronger?"

Cerah nodded. "It has its up sides and its down sides. I have greater strength, longevity and physical recovery, but my blood would boil and ignite in sunlight, and I can't have children."

"Interesting. I have never heard of humans or vampires before. I'm a Thalshük, and she is a Lurxsa."

"Yes, we know."

"How is it that you know of our races when we do not know of yours?"

"That's something else that the captain should be the one to explain." Cerah could see a look in both women's eyes beneath their casual conversation that told her that they were constantly aware of the men with the weapons, and were constantly evaluating their situation while not letting it appear to be the case. If an opportunity to escape custody presented itself they wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of it. They were likely even weighing up the possibility of taking over the shuttle before it docked with Tethys. Not wanting a situation to transpire that could result in their deaths just as easily as any of the mission crew's, she said by way of friendly warning, "This shuttle's systems will be unfamiliar to you. By the time you figure out how to operate them our ship will have recaptured you, and you would then be prisoners."

"I'm surprised at your level of perception," the Thalshük said. In a lowered voice, she added, "The other woman seemed unaware of the mortal danger she could easily have been in when she came in here. I'm surprised that she's your superior, and that she's survived this far into life."

Cerah decided not to comment on that, as it could be construed as insubordination, though she couldn't argue the woman's point. Instead, to change the subject, she remarked, "I couldn't help but notice that your two species have a similar hair colour."

"Our two worlds are in neighbouring regions of space, relatively speaking, but in our genetic history there's no direct connection between our races," the Lurxsa said.

"Many intelligent species have numerous similar attributes, the most prominent being that the vast majority are humanoid," the Thalshük added.

Cerah recalled her mother once saying that it was because they were all made in the image of God, but kept that thought to herself, as there wasn't time for that conversation before they reached the ship.

When they'd landed in Tethys' launch bay and disembarked, Buhari was waiting for them. "Commander Crawford, the captain would like you to report to him. Lieutenant O'Neil, please escort our guests to the unused double-berth crew quarters in the aft section of deck four that have been prepared for them." To the alien women, he said politely, "I'm afraid you will have to be confined to quarters until the captain says otherwise. They will be quite comfortable, but guards will be posted outside the door. Some food will be brought for you shortly."

The aliens didn't say anything in response, but complied when Cerah led them from the launch bay. They observed the two guards with pulse rifles who were stationed outside the doors, which only added to their sense of being captives.

As they proceeded along the passage, the Thalshük woman asked Cerah, "That man who spoke to us just now, what species is he?"

It took Cerah a moment to realise that she was referring to Buhari's dark skin. "He's human as well, just as much as Crawford or the men with us in the shuttle. We're all part of the same species, even me, really."

Four armed crewmen were guarding the door to the quarters in formation; one on either side of the door and the other two facing it from the other side of the passage. Cerah could tell that both women had taken note of the guards' positions, and hoped that they didn't try anything. But if they did, she was ready for it. She only hoped that the guards would be after she left.

The quarters weren't all that large, being standard double crew quarters, but they were comfortable, comprised of a living area, a kitchen, a bathroom, and two small bedrooms. Cerah noticed with some envy that the living room had two lounges, whereas her single quarters only had one. But then again, it was worth it not to have to share quarters with anyone.

The two alien women glanced around the quarters unimpressed, but they didn't voice any complaints.

"Someone will come to interview you shortly, probably the captain. The door will be sealed, but should you need anything you can touch the control beside the door and the guards will attend to your needs," Cerah explained.

"Thank you," the Thalshük said simply.

Cerah nodded, and left to immediately get changed out of the ridiculous outfit she was wearing and back into a uniform, but kept the omniscanner that she'd used in Phoenicia.

Once she'd done that, she made her way to the captain's office and was promptly admitted.

"Lieutenant O'Neil, I was just about to send for you," Devlin said, offering her a seat, which she accepted. "I understand you disregarded Commander Crawford's instructions in the Phoenician village?"

"Sir, her strategy was a bad call, with extreme tactical limitations," Cerah objected.

"Whether or not that was the case, it was her call to make," Devlin stated firmly. "You should be grateful that she's not pushing for a formal reprimand."

"Yes, sir. I am grateful," Cerah responded, forcing the humility.

"Despite going your own way, the mission was once again a success, with no ongoing historical repercussions being detected. I don't want to reiterate our last conversation, but consider yourself under orders to be more mindful of the chain of command, and of Temporal Security protocols."

"I will, sir."

"Now, what was it that you wanted to see me about?"

Cerah hesitated for a moment, a little confused. "Was that all you wanted to see me about?"

Now Devlin was also confused. "What else were you expecting it to be regarding?"

"To be honest, I thought it was to ask me about the person I saw in Phoenicia who was responsible for bringing the alien women there." When the captain still looked confused, she added, "I thought Commander Crawford would've mentioned it to you."

"She hasn't yet made her full report. What can you tell me about this person you saw?"

Forcing aside what she thought of Crawford for being so quick to raise a complaint against her while neglecting the information that really mattered, Cerah described the robed being in as much detail as she'd been able to see, as well as the technology readings that she'd picked up. She also voiced her theory that it was the person responsible for the deaths of Corbett and the last Thalshük prisoner.

They were interrupted when the doorbell chimed. An image of Crawford appeared in the corner of his desk's holographic screen, so Devlin touched a control and the door opened.

There was a glare in Crawford's eyes at the sight of Cerah. She entered and stood near the desk.

Before Crawford could say anything, Devlin said, "I've just been apprised of the sighting of a possible suspect in Phoenicia."

"I was waiting for the lieutenant's report before I brought it to you so that we would have all of the facts to discuss," the commander responded guiltily, trying to hide her embarrassment at having to explain herself in front of Cerah.

"Daphne, it's not like you to omit something like that," Devlin said, for a moment seeming to forget that Cerah was sitting there. "But we may yet be able to apprehend them if we send a second team back to the moment of the aliens' arrival."

"Even if they were careful, that would still introduce the risk of a paradox, as we already have an established presence in that situation. Perhaps if the lieutenant hadn't already been present at the suspect's location we might have been able to," Crawford said, casting a brief accusing glance at Cerah.

Devlin sighed. "You're right. The best we can do for now is to set a course to investigate the Medjhudal incursion. I'll speak with our alien guests shortly."

"Sir, I'd like to request to be present for their interviews," Cerah said.

"Any particular reason?"

"I think I've established a bit of a bond with them on our way back to Tethys, and I believe they'll be more comfortable and forthcoming with me there."

After considering for a moment, Devlin said, "Maybe for one of the follow-up interviews. I'll do the initial questioning with Lieutenant Commander Buhari."

"Of course, sir," Cerah said with disappointment.

"For the time being, consult with Vyetrus and see if he's able to derive any extra information about the suspect from your scans or the ship's sensors. Commander Crawford, have Ensign Fitzpatrick set a course for the planet Kharovsk in 2398. Dismissed."

They both nodded in acknowledgement and left the office without speaking a word to each other, followed shortly afterwards by the captain, who then left the bridge.

Cerah took her omniscanner over to Vyetrus at the science station. "The captain asked me to see if you're able to make anything more of some scans I took down on the surface."

"Would this have anything to do with a couple of energy spikes that were detected in your vicinity during the mission?" Vyetrus asked, accepting the offered scanner.

"Very likely. I think I may have spotted the person responsible."

"Responsible for bringing the alien women to Earth?"

"That, and probably everything else too." Mildly impatient at having to repeat her story, she more concisely told Vyetrus about the being in question and her own conclusions while he uploaded her scanner's readings into the ship's computer.

"Your readings are more detailed than those of the ship's sensors because of your proximity to this being," Vyetrus said as he compared the two.

"Is there any way you can clear up the readings to tell if they had human life signs?"

"I'm afraid not, since no life signs were detected from which to extrapolate such indications. But I am troubled by the technology readings."

"Because they have a temporal aspect?"

Vyetrus paused for a moment, as though hesitant to share his thoughts. "Because it's quite distinctly human technology, only noticeably more advanced than anything yet invented," he said in a lowered voice.

Also speaking in a hushed voice, Cerah said, "So they've come here from the future?"

"Very possibly. But we can take some comfort in knowing that their foreknowledge became of limited use as soon as they had a hand in events here and changed the way things have occurred. The other possibility is that a member of this crew received the technology from a future being in order to do their bidding."

"But if they're able to hide their life signs they could've been on Tethys all along, and may not be a member of the crew after all."

"That also is possible," Vyetrus agreed. He looked up as Elsa entered the bridge and approached them.

"Hey Cerah, how'd the mission go?"

"We brought back a couple more aliens." Before Cerah could go into any more detail, a call from the captain came through on her multi-com.

"Lieutenant, I'd like you to report to the detention quarters on deck four. It seems our guests won't speak without 'the vampire woman' present." There was an edge of annoyance in his voice, though it wasn't directed at Cerah.

"I'll be right there."

Once the call had ended, Elsa asked Cerah, "Would the doctor have even had time to do a medical to clear them in case of any contagions?"

"A medical clearance isn't necessary. If they were carrying any contagions the ship's internal sensors would've picked them up when they were brought aboard, not to mention the multi-coms of everyone on the mission, so I'm sure I'll be fine. In any case, I've already been in 'contagious' proximity to them on the shuttle, so meeting with them again wouldn't make much of a difference anyway," Cerah replied, and excused herself.

When she reached the aliens' quarters Devlin and Buhari were waiting outside with the contingent of guards.

"You must've made quite an impression on them," Devlin remarked.

"I didn't realise I had to that extent," Cerah replied.

"You don't need to press too hard for information all at once. It'll be a few days before we'll reach Kharovsk, at which point we'll have a different mission to focus on, but you can continue to work with them in the meantime. For now, try to win their trust and get what information you can. I want to find out who released them from Mord'thet, and if any more prisoners were released with them. You may offer certain liberties as an incentive for their cooperation, such as having access to entertainment and non-sensitive historical and technical data, and using the gym facilities under supervision. And feel free to lead the conversation as necessary."

"Are we going to tell them how much time has passed since the Thalshük became extinct?"

"We'll play it by ear. For the time being, don't disclose anything about the Thalshük prisoner from Córdoba."

"Understood," Cerah acknowledged. She was a little nervous; diplomacy had never been her strongest attribute.

"You can wait out here," Devlin said to the guards. As a polite gesture he pressed the doorbell rather than going straight back in.

After a few moments the door slid open. Both the Thalshük and the Lurxsa were standing there. The Thalshük still wore what she was brought aboard in, but the Lurxsa was now wearing blue jeans and a black top, which Cerah thought suited her, despite at the same time seeming a little strange for an alien to be wearing.

"May we come in?" Devlin asked.

Seeming satisfied now that Cerah was there, the two women stepped aside to allow Devlin, Buhari and Cerah to enter. They all sat down, the aliens on one lounge and the humans and vampire on the other, with Cerah and Buhari sitting either side of their captain.

"Have you had something to eat?" Cerah asked to start the conversation in as friendly a manner as she could.

"We have. But a meal and comfortable quarters doesn't mean that we're not prisoners waiting for interrogation," the Thalshük replied. "Should we fail to cooperate, I wonder how long it will be before we're in a cell with no food."

Devlin was about to reply, but paused to allow Cerah to respond, in the interest of diplomacy.

"I can see why you would feel like you're prisoners, given that you were brought here under armed guard, but that was just a precautionary measure," Cerah said. "Like I said on the shuttle, you've committed no crime against us, but we do need to investigate how you ended up on our home planet. We're aware that someone brought you there from Mord'thet, and we need to know more about that."

"And then what? Are we to be returned to our people?" the Thalshük asked. At Cerah's hesitation to respond, she sensed that it wasn't to be the case.

Cerah looked to Devlin, who gave her a sanctioning nod, so she responded, "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Your race became extinct several millennia ago."

It wasn't the response that the Thalshük was expecting, and she gasped in shock. "How is that possible? We have a thriving empire! Is this a deception?" She carefully gauged Cerah's response when she asked the final question.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

The Thalshük's normally hard demeanour crumbled into an expression of being emotionally shattered, and her eyes moistened. Her Lurxsa friend put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

The three officers waited patiently for her to come to terms with the loss of her species.

"What of the Lurxsa?" her friend asked.

"They're a thriving race, with a strong presence right across the sector," Cerah assured her.

"Does Seinarüdth still stand?" the Thalshük asked, her question not directed at anyone in particular.

"The planet is still there, but it's now a jungle world with no intelligent life on it," Devlin said.

"It was discovered by human explorers a little over a century ago," Buhari added. "Most of what little we know about your race comes from the Messarans."

"I have heard of their species, though I have never met one. They are said to be highly intelligent, though not as technologically advanced as my race. At least that was the case several millennia ago," the Thalshük said.

"They've come a long way since then. Now they're even more advanced than humans."

"Your race is unfamiliar."

"Humans only discovered space flight five and a half centuries ago."

"From what we saw of your home planet, it didn't appear to be a space-faring civilisation. That, in conjunction with the fact that our mere presence seems such a point of interest to you leads me to conclude that this is a time vessel, and you found us in what to you would be the distant past."

"That's right," Devlin said, not wanting to insult her intelligence by trying to deny the fact. "The time we found you in was about three thousand years in our past, by which point your people had already been extinct for quite some time, another thousand years at least."

"Unfortunately we have no way of knowing if we were also taken through time in either direction when we were taken from Mord'thet, so we couldn't say when we were released, by your chronology," the Lurxsa said.

"Anything that you can tell us would be useful," Cerah prompted. "But first, I think we've been neglecting the formalities for too long." She then properly introduced herself, Devlin and Buhari by name and rank. In turn, the Thalshük introduced herself as Jeuls'e, and the Lurxsa as Uuna-Xor.

"Was anyone else released with you?" Devlin asked.

Jeuls'e nodded. "An extremist group of military dissidents who call themselves the Knights of the Fallen Liege, in tribute to the last great leader of our race before it officially became an empire. They challenged the tactical wisdom of the empire's strategies. Considering that the empire fell, they may have been right to do so after all. They attempted to overthrow the highest ranking leaders in the empire, but failed only for lack of numbers. They're probably all that's left of my race now."

"How many were there?" Devlin asked.

"Ten. Seven men and three women."

"Do you have any idea where they were taken?" Buhari asked.

"We do not. Of the two people who released us, they were led away by the one who was in command. The subordinate took us to your world and then fled when the people there came running to see us."

"Those who released us were both disguised similarly, so we never saw their faces," Uuna-Xor said.

"A pity," Cerah said. "Did they speak to you at all?"

"Only the commanding one, who directed us to remain with his follower."

"The follower was a little shorter, and when we held its arms to be taken in transport, I noticed that the arms were not of a great muscular size, yet they were strong," Jeuls'e said.

"Could you tell if it was male or female?" Devlin asked.

"Not with any certainty. Its robe was of a loose fit, but suffice to say that there was no prominence of womanly attributes that might've otherwise made the matter certain. In truth, we were simply relieved to be free of Mord'thet."

"As I'm sure anyone would be."

"You look like you were friends before ending up on Earth together. May I ask how you ended up on Mord'thet?" Cerah asked.

Hesitantly, Jeuls'e looked to Uuna-Xor, who nodded her agreement to be open with these people. "We were spies for the Alliance in their war against the oppression of the Thalshük Empire," Jeuls'e began. "In the time that we're from, the Lurxsa were a primitive race that had been conquered and enslaved by the empire. We met in a military training centre where I was stationed as an instructor, and Uuna-Xor as a waiting slave. At the time I was already disillusioned at the war, and the empire's lack of real purpose other than conquest purely for its own sake. Over the next couple of years Uuna-Xor and I became good friends, though we had to keep the friendship secret or we would both suffer reprisals. I would secretly teach her reading, and then technology, and finally combat, all of which were forbidden to the Lurxsa, so I did it with the strict instruction that she was not to use the training unless her very life was at stake, no matter what else she had to endure, or she would surely be killed. We were separated when I was promoted and stationed in the tactical intelligence division in Seinarüdth's most prominent city. I could not even request her as a personal slave, as Lurxsa are never permitted in places that require high-level clearance because of the risk of betrayal."

"I'd imagine that they'd betray the Thalshük the first chance they got, when their whole race has been turned into slaves," Cerah said, the heat in her voice showing how much she despised such an empire.

"Many of my people were killed in such attempts. I suppose they were the only ones to ever attain freedom," Uuna-Xor said sadly. "Shortly after Jeuls'e was sent to her new assignment I was sold to a high-ranking political strategist as a personal slave in his mansion."

It was clear to the others from her downcast look and the evident struggle to contain her emotions that she hadn't been treated well there.

Jeuls'e resumed the tale. "In my new position I frequently interacted with her master, and on occasion went to his mansion for meetings and occasional banquets. By this time I had made contact with the Alliance through a prisoner whom I helped to escape, and I also put Uuna-Xor in contact with this man and continued her training as occasion permitted, often sneaking into the mansion to meet with her, as getting past its security measures was no challenge for me. Whenever we could, we each sent the Alliance tactical information in an attempt to undermine the empire's power. The Alliance in turn promised to liberate the Lurxsa if ever they succeeded in defeating the empire."

"It would seem that they did eventually succeed," Devlin said.

"Inevitably our espionage was discovered after a time, as was our connection to each other in our efforts. Due to the intense circumstances of the war at the time, we were sent to Mord'thet so that there would be no possibility of escape or contact with the Alliance until an appropriate time for our trials arose, which presumably it never did before the empire met its end."

"After such an unjust imprisonment, all for the sake of trying to undermine oppression, I am sure you can now understand our apprehension at the thought of once again being prisoners when we were brought here," Uuna-Xor said.

"Absolutely," Cerah said compassionately. "You'll have to stay on this ship for a while, as we have another mission to attend to, but you'll be afforded what liberties we can offer, though for the time being it will have to be under supervision. And you wouldn't be able to go to restricted areas of the ship."

"That's certainly understandable."

"We should be able to catch you up on some of the history that you missed out on while you were on Mord'thet. And we may have some more questions for you from time to time."

"You will find us cooperative," Jeuls'e promised. "And in the spirit of cooperation, I can tell you the location of Mord'thet. Or at least where it was during my time. It may have drifted during the millennia."

"That would be extremely useful. Thank you," Devlin said sincerely.

"I'll have one of the navigation officers come and work out the location on our star charts with you whenever it's convenient," Buhari said.

"If you'll excuse us, we need to plan for our upcoming mission," Devlin said, and rose from his seat. The others did likewise.

"Cerah, would you visit with us again sometime?" Uuna-Xor asked.

"You can count on it," Cerah promised.

The officers took their leave, and once the door had closed behind them, Devlin said to Cerah, "I don't know how you did it, but you managed to gain their trust and their cooperation. I'm grateful for your exemplary effort, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, sir," Cerah replied. As far as she could recall, that brief comment was the highest praise she'd ever received from a superior officer in her whole career.

*

That evening, in a different part of Tethys' infrastructure to previous occasions, the being in the black robe was again meeting with his servant in the brown.

"You were seen in Phoenicia," the one in black rebuked.

Head bowed in shame, the other whispered, "I apologise for such carelessness."

In a softer tone, the master said, "You were not identified, so the disguise has served its purpose. But you must take greater care in future. Keep the temporal displacement unit with you at all times in case you are somehow discovered. I have the weapon now, and will soon test its capability. If it meets my expectations your role will be concluded until the plan is put into effect."

"What of the alien women? If Mord'thet is discovered we could both be compromised," the follower asked, still in a soft whisper.

"Don't be concerned on that account. My temporal technology is quite capable of outmanoeuvring the best efforts of Tethys and its crew."

The black-robed being then dematerialised in a shimmer of blue light.

*

The next day Cerah and Peter met for lunch in Stargaze and exchanged details of each of their most recent parts of the missions at hand.

"I understand you're getting along pretty well with our guests," Peter remarked after their meals and drinks were placed before them.

"I took them to the gym this morning. They're both surprisingly strong, and well trained in martial arts. We did a little sparring, and Jeuls'e, the Thalshük woman, almost got the better of me," Cerah said.

"She must be strong, to be worthy competition for a vampire." Peter was quite surprised at the fact.

"She had excellent coordination. Uuna-Xor relied more on lithe agility than strength, and her techniques were exceptionally quick."

"Sounds like you were impressed by them."

"I was. They certainly make Crawford look soft. Looks like I've finally found someone worth going to the gym with."

"I'll try not to be offended."

"I mean for sparring. You're no good for that, you won't hit a woman."

"I'm too much of a gentleman."

"An old-fashioned one at that."

"Well I am over half a century older than you," Peter reminded her. "You must be enjoying working with them; you haven't yet complained about your career today," he said with a subtle cheeky grin.

"First time for everything, huh? Well yesterday the captain actually acknowledged me for a job well done. And things have been more interesting lately, being involved in a murder investigation involving a member of an anciently extinct race, and then meeting another one in the flesh and learning things about her. It's almost like exploration. I can see why Cephra applied for a position in xenoarchaeology."

"Maybe you two are more alike than you think."

"You're treading on thin ice there," Cerah warned.

Peter raised his hands in surrender.

Cerah took a sip of her en'teel nectar. Observing that Peter had a Tarein cactus-milk tea, she remarked, "My drink's Divracan, yours is Tarein; is it wrong that we're drinking the beverages of two species that have been at war for centuries at the same table?"

"Seems like we've just discovered the solution for galactic peace," Peter said, and raised his glass to her.

Cerah clinked glasses with him, and they took a sip together. For a moment she thought she saw a slight sadness in his eyes, as though the centuries-long conflict of those two races affected him personally, but a moment later it was gone like a passing thought. Then another aspect of their drinks occurred to her. "Is it just a coincidence that my drink is that of the warrior race, and yours is that of the philosophers?"

"I'd say that both races have high degrees of both attributes, just like us."

They clinked their glasses again and took another sip.

"So what's going to happen to these new friends of yours after we've taken care of the Kharovsk incident?" Peter asked.

Cerah shrugged. "They'll probably be debriefed by Temporal Security and given the option of either staying on Earth or going to another world to live. Being pretty much the last of her race, Jeuls'e was interested in locating the group of Thalshük dissidents that were released at the same time as her in the hope of finding a suitable mate to continue their species with."

"A suitable mate?"

"Those were her words."

"She sounds like quite the romantic."

"I think she's worried about never seeing another Thalshük face again. Her other option is if the doctor can determine a species with compatible enough genetics for her to be able to have hybrid children with."

Their meal was interrupted by the sound of a disturbance outside of Stargaze. There were raised voices, followed by the unmistakable sounds involved in hand-to-hand combat, which were now audible as the restaurant fell into silence. As the two vampires got up to investigate, the restaurant's door opened and an enraged Jeuls'e entered, followed closely by Uuna-Xor. One of the guards assigned to them stumbled in, presumably the last man standing, but he was promptly dropped by a back kick from Uuna-Xor that left him doubled over, winded.

Jeuls'e quickly spotted Cerah and marched over to her, demanding, "Were you planning to ever tell us that you already had a Thalshük prisoner on board who was later killed?"

For a moment Cerah was speechless, wondering how she could've found out about that. A little defensively, she replied, "I was under orders not to disclose that information."

A nearby ensign who'd also risen from his seat said to Jeuls'e, "You need to calm down and wait for the captain." In his attempt to get her attention and halt her advance, he made the mistake of grabbing her by the shoulder as she passed him.

In one fast, smooth motion, Jeuls'e swung her opposite leg up, striking him in the side of the head with her shin, and then over his outstretched arm in a way that her leg seemed to wrap around it, then straightened it into a side kick to his body in such a way that it broke his arm at the elbow in the process. With a cry of pain the man was flung backwards and over his table. When the woman he was sitting with stood up to take some sort of action, Uuna-Xor leaped towards her, and with a quick double side kick, one to her abdomen and one to her face, sent her across the same table.

Without hesitation, Cerah and Peter went to apprehend the two women. Peter was more in line with Jeuls'e, so after using both arms to block her roundhouse kick, and then blocking the following hook from the other side, he swiftly landed a hook of his own to her jaw with enough power that it left her partially dazed. Shaking her head to clear it, she charged at him with a series of kicks and strikes, all of which he blocked with vampiric speed. After sidestepping another kick he brought his elbow down on that thigh. She let out a cry of pain and tried to strike him again. He grabbed her wrist, and while it was up he slipped in an uppercut under the armpit that left that arm numb and useless. Not being gentle about it, he swung her around and slammed her down onto the ensign's table face first and held her secure in a half nelson.

While that was happening, Cerah was taking on Uuna-Xor. The Lurxsa's swift movements were difficult to predict, but so far only one surprise strike after a double decoy had made it through to Cerah's jaw. Uuna-Xor reached up to grab Cerah's hair to pull her off balance, but Cerah caught her wrist, and with a twist, did an elbow strike to that bicep. Uuna-Xor only had a split second to cry out in pain before Cerah swung that elbow the other way at her jaw, striking it hard. Having been a slave all of her life, Uuna-Xor was accustomed to being struck hard and repeatedly, and quickly shrugged off the pain and resumed her attack. A split second after a jab that was intended to distract Cerah's attention, she did a quick forward kick with the opposite foot. With quick reflexes, Cerah jumped out of the way, and while the leg was still up she did a snap kick of her own up against the back of Uuna-Xor's knee, followed immediately by a side kick with the same leg down at the other knee, causing the Lurxsa to collapse painfully to the floor. In a flash, Cerah had turned her over and held her secure in a double arm lock.

A fresh contingent of armed guards entered the restaurant and took over the restraint of the two women, briskly marching them out. Before the door closed behind her, Jeuls'e cast a bitter glare back at Cerah.

Cerah rubbed her jaw where Uuna-Xor had gotten in her lucky hit. But more than that she felt how betrayed the two aliens felt, and wished that they hadn't just sacrificed their freedom in the heat of their outrage, because now it was certain that they'd be put in the brig, just as they'd thought would eventually be the case.

Peter came over to her. "You alright?"

"Yeah. I thought you wouldn't hit a woman."

"There's a difference if she's attacking me. Then it's no holds barred."

"That was a stupid thing for them to do," Cerah said with disappointment in Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor as much as in herself for going along with the order of not coming clean with them. Even worse was that the incident had happened so soon after the captain had expressed his appreciation for the headway she'd made with them. "I doubt I'll get any more information out of them now."

"Maybe Cephra can find out more about that person you saw in Phoenicia from Epoch's database or time scans," Peter suggested.

Cerah sighed, not all that keen to have another conversation with Cephra so soon after how the last one had turned out. And the one before that, and so forth. But if there was a chance that she, and maybe her new boyfriend, could dig up something more that might keep her in the captain's good graces it was worth a try. She was well aware that Peter had made the suggestion primarily to get her talking to her in the hope that enough conversing would eventually lead to a true reconciliation as sisters, with all conflict put aside, especially if they had something in particular to focus on to get them along that path. She thought that was wishful thinking on his part, but also appreciated what he was trying to do. "Alright, I'll give her a call after lunch."

Doctor Eldridge and two others of the medical staff entered to tend to the ensign and his friend, both of whom were in a lot of pain from the injuries they'd received.

"Maybe you should take those two to the gym for some training," Peter said softly with a smirk as he and Cerah took their seats again.

"I don't think there's much hope for them. They both went down pretty easily," Cerah said, and resumed eating her meal.

An hour later she returned to her quarters, and having to force herself to do so, she called Cephra on her wall screen.

"Hi Cerah, how's things on Tethys?" Cephra answered, already wary of where the conversation was likely to go.

"Pretty crazy actually. Aliens turning up all over the place throughout history. How's your investigation with Luke going?" Cerah asked politely, trying to keep any hint of judgement out of her voice, or envy of the fact that she was so freely able to be with the guy she liked. She'd always hoped that her friendship with Peter would blossom into romance, but he didn't seem to feel the same way about her, and she didn't want to say anything to him to that effect that could potentially make their friendship awkward. That, plus the deeply rooted fear of the heartbreak of rejection.

"Well, we haven't turned up anything solid yet. But the more I get to know Luke the more convinced I am that a friend of his couldn't possibly be a criminal who'd break the principle law of time at all, let alone over narcotics smuggling."

"As long as it's not just the impression he's trying to give you," Cerah said, aware of her sister's tendency to be blinded by a man she liked.

"He certainly has a silver tongue, but it seems like it's accidental, like it's not on purpose. But he's definitely a straight shooter. I'd really like you to meet him next time you're aboard Epoch. In fact, it'd be great if we could go on a double date." At once, Cephra knew she'd made a mistake with the final remark.

"Not the dating thing again," Cerah muttered.

"Forget I mentioned it," Cephra said quickly.

Also thinking it a good idea to change the subject, Cerah said, "So have you heard anything more about your xenoarchaeology application?"

"Nothing since the standard acknowledgement that I told you about when I applied. I don't think I got in."

Cerah genuinely felt sorry for her, seeing the disappointment in her eyes. "Maybe if you do a few years as a historical researcher in Earth's past it'll strengthen your application."

"Maybe. But I don't really want to leave Temporal Security."

Or that Luke guy, Cerah thought to herself.

"I know what you were just thinking," Cephra said. "And it's not because of Luke."

"Well that's good. I just hope you're not distracting him from his investigation either. A man's life's at stake."

"I'm well aware of that." Realising that tensions were starting to escalate, Cephra changed the angle of the conversation. "William has actually turned out to be really resourceful. He's managed to get from 5000 BC to Egypt in 1438 BC in an exile shuttle that was so low on power that it shouldn't have even been able to launch, much less make a time jump."

They were interrupted when Cerah got a call from Devlin on her multi-com. Knowing that it would be about the incident in Stargaze, she sighed despondently. "I've got to take this, it's the captain."

"Fair enough. We'll catch up again sometime later," Cephra said without conviction or enthusiasm, considering how many near arguments even a relatively pleasant conversation between them had.

"Sure thing," Cerah said in a similar tone, also annoyed at the fact that she hadn't had the time to discuss with Cephra the possibility of finding out more about the person she'd spotted in Phoenicia with the hooded robe. She ended that call and answered Devlin's.

"Lieutenant, report to my office," he said curtly.

"On my way," Cerah acknowledged, and her multi-com's screen went blank.

When she entered the bridge and went over to the captain's door Peter glanced over at her from his console. The look on his face showed that he too was sure of what the captain wanted to see her for. With great reluctance she pressed the doorbell. The door opened immediately, denying her even the couple of seconds she was hoping for to take a deep breath to calm her apprehension.

"As you're no doubt aware, the situation in Stargaze has necessitated placing our two guests under arrest," Devlin said, rising from his seat and walking closer to where Cerah stood.

"Whatever it takes, I'll try to remedy the situation," Cerah promised.

"They've stated, very adamantly, that they refuse to cooperate in any interview that you're involved with."

"Sir, I really am very sorry about what's happened..."

"Lieutenant, you misunderstand me. I'm not accusing you of being responsible for what has happened. I was the one who ordered you not to disclose anything about the prisoner we lost. While I'm certainly disappointed about what has transpired, I asked you here to inform you that Vyetrus has requested your assistance in trying to determine from where and when the two women were brought to Phoenicia. He thought your resourcefulness could be useful. I apologise if my manner has come across as brusque."

"Of course, sir. May I ask, how did they find out about the other prisoner?"

"Jeuls'e went to see Doctor Ashworth about her options of procreation for the continuation of her species in the modern age, in case of not being able to find a 'worthy' mate among the dissidents if ever she or we are able to locate them. When the doctor was able to produce a number of possible genetic hybrid options without having first scanned her, she questioned how the doctor could possibly be so knowledgeable about the physiology and genetics of an anciently extinct race. On a hunch, she left the medical unit and questioned an unsuspecting crewman about the 'other Thalshük that had been aboard'. Assuming that she'd been made aware of the fact, he explained what had occurred."

"She bluffed it out of him?"

"That's pretty much the case."

"So what's going to happen to them now?" Cerah asked with genuine concern.

"That'll be for Admiral Rivette to decide when we return to Epoch after sorting out the Kharovsk situation. But they'll have to remain in the brig until then."

Cerah agreed that confinement was certainly necessary, especially as they'd gotten the better of the contingent of guards who'd tried to prevent them from reaching Stargaze.

"Dismissed," the captain said.

Cerah left, and went out to the bridge where Vyetrus and Elsa were waiting for her. Noticing Peter glancing over at her again, she gave him a brief reassuring smile that her conversation with the captain hadn't gone badly.

Elsa looked excited to be working with her again, but being on the bridge she maintained her professional composure. However, since their science station was apart from where everyone else was working at the moment, she figured she could get away with speaking casually, as long as she kept her voice down. "I heard you and Peter handled yourselves pretty well in Stargaze."

"Word does get around quickly on this ship," Cerah remarked. "Peter managed to come away without a scratch, but Uuna-Xor did manage to get a lucky hit in on me."

"Well if it left a bruise, you can't see it now," Elsa said, looking at her face carefully.

"That's probably because I'm a vampire."

Having patiently given them a few moments to catch up, Vyetrus decided it was time he interjected. "I thought you might be able to help us ascertain the place and time from which the two women were brought to Phoenicia. From all of the sensor and scanner data that we've compiled, we have been able to determine that the being you saw who brought them there did so from the future. How far into the future that point of origin was we have yet to determine."

"It may not have been from that being's own time."

"Very possibly not, given that they have been operating in our time so frequently."

"I wonder if the teal-coloured temporal transit aura around them makes any sort of difference."

If Vyetrus had eyebrows they would have raised with interest. Instead, his forehead creased slightly. "That is a detail you omitted the last time we spoke of this."

"Instead of the usual green light associated with moving through time, this person was surrounded by more of a teal glow. Is that important?"

"Indeed it is. While the person in question is no doubt using future technology to move about, that particular light frequency indicates that it is not from the far distant future, but somewhere most likely within the next century or so." Seeing that the two women weren't following the same train of thought, Vyetrus explained, "When an active time field intersects with normal space-time, it creates a luminous effect. More advanced technology operates at a higher frequency, shifting the spectral emissions accordingly. When humans originally discovered the precepts of temporal physics, your devices' time fields produced a red light. As your technology advanced, later devices produced an amber illumination."

"So teal would be the next level of temporal technology from that which produces a green light?" Elsa asked.

"Precisely," Vyetrus confirmed. "Given the rate of your technological advancement, I would estimate that such devices would be in use during the next hundred years, approximately. Probably not in the next decade or two, as such a compact personal device would take a lot of development."

"So it stands to reason that this person is from the relatively near future?" Cerah asked.

"Indeed."

"Then maybe it's a future version of someone who's serving on this ship now, giving them advance knowledge of everything we'll do."

"Although that is a possibility, I do not consider it a likely one. As soon as they were to interact with their past self, they would affect their past self's choices during the intermediate period of their lives, redirecting the path that is taken in between. It would ultimately work to their own disadvantage, negating their foreknowledge."

"So with our time being when they're conducting most of their activities from, would it be safe to assume that the alien women were sent from no later than 2509?" Elsa asked.

"We should not limit the parameters of our investigation, but it could be useful to first eliminate the most likely scenario before investigating others," Vyetrus said.

"But wouldn't they have done better to do it from a decade beyond 2509, since Temporal Security protocols prevent us from visiting our own future?"

"Then the investigation would have fallen into the jurisdiction of Temporal Security in 2519, so they would hardly evade their activities being looked into. They have chosen our time for some unknown reason, so it would be the most logical place to start."

"If only we knew where that Mord'thet prison was we could go there and try to figure out exactly when the prisoners were released," Elsa said.

"When I first interviewed Jeuls'e she said that she knew where it was. Buhari was going to send someone from navigation to work out its location with her on our star charts," Cerah said.

"Hopefully he did it before they stormed into Stargaze and got locked up, because I doubt they'll cooperate now," Elsa remarked.

Vyetrus quickly brought up the star charts on his console. "It seems we do indeed have the location. It lies approximately 150 light years to the galactic north of the planet Seinarüdth, putting it some distance above the Scáth Sector."

"So it might've actually been outside of the Thalshük Empire's domain?" Cerah asked.

"I think it unlikely that they would position a highly classified prison facility in a region of space that could fall into another species' domain. More likely, it is within the realm of their empire, but in an undesirable region that would not be populated or frequently navigated to avoid accidental discovery."

"Considering how far away it is, it'd probably take a good couple of months to get there," Cerah said. Heritage-class time ships were highly rated for speed, and such a journey would undoubtedly take other ships considerably longer to reach such a destination, but she still didn't relish the thought of such a long journey.

"And considering how far away it is, it seems improbable that even the most highly advanced personal transportation unit would be able to cover such an immense spatial distance. At best, its range would only be that of the distance between planets," Vyetrus said thoughtfully, looking to Cerah and Elsa as though to prompt them to finish his line of reasoning.

"So even though it sounds like they were transported directly from Mord'thet to Phoenicia, according to what they said in that first interview, there's no way it could've been accomplished without the assistance of a starship with a time travel capability," Cerah concluded.

"The ship in question must've used some sort of temporal transference system, probably similar to what we have on Epoch, to bridge the distance across time and space, working in conjunction with the personal transportation device," Elsa said.

"Precisely, though it would have to be immensely powerful to bridge so great a distance. It may well have been done in conjunction with this mysterious person's device, or it may not," Vyetrus said.

"Then it's possible that if we can determine their space-time vector to Phoenicia, and if we could also get their vector of departure from Mord'thet, we could use them to triangulate the ship's location at that precise moment," Cerah said.

Vyetrus nodded. "I cannot be certain whether or not Temporal Security would authorise such a long-distance journey now that the historical alteration has been rectified, but if we can at least determine their vector of arrival on Earth it might strengthen my recommendation for a follow-up investigation."

"It's worth a try," Elsa said.

Cerah refrained from commenting. But while an extended mission was the last thing she wanted, she did at the same time want to catch whoever had released the prisoners from Mord'thet, who had also murdered Crewman Corbett. She hated the thought of such a person escaping justice.

*

A couple of days later Tethys was approaching the planet Kharovsk, which at its current distance appeared no larger than golf ball. It was a predominantly arctic world with a cool temperate band around its equator; the only part with vegetation and seas that were not frozen. It orbited a yellow dwarf star a little smaller than Earth's sun at a distance similar to that of Mars' orbit, and was the fourth of six planets. It had been explored and colonised by a Russian exploration ship during the early years of manned exoplanet colonisation missions in the mid twenty second century. Now it had a population of over three hundred thousand people.

"Captain, I should advise that if we get much closer we will risk detection by the planet's sensors, even with our own sensors generating a counter signal to camouflage us," Vyetrus said.

"Ensign Fitzpatrick, hold position here," Devlin ordered.

"Aye sir," the ensign responded.

"Any sign of the Medjhudal vessel yet?"

"Nothing yet, sir," Peter responded from the sensors console.

Cerah, who was seated at a tactical sensors console against the port-side wall of the bridge, checked the local time and date. It was 1634 hours on the 6th of October, 2398. She briefly glared at Petrov at the main tactical console, resenting her lesser role of giving a tactical analysis of the Medjhudal ship once they encountered it, while Petrov manned the weapons.

It was only a matter of moments more before Peter reported, "Sir, the Medjhudal ship has just entered our sensor range, on a direct course towards Kharovsk."

"And the military cruiser that they'll attack?" Devlin asked.

"It's in a patrolling orbit above the planet. I don't believe they've detected the Medjhudal ship yet. If they have, they've given no indication of it."

Cerah was already at work scanning the Medjhudal ship's tactical capability, and was surprised by the results.

"Lieutenant O'Neil, what can you tell me about the alien vessel?" Devlin asked.

"It's surprisingly well armed for a civilian ship; six forward cannons and two aft, with two forward and aft missile launchers. That class of ship would usually have basic armaments of only two or three cannons in total."

"They've obviously planned ahead for this assault, but they must know that the cruiser would still outgun them," Crawford remarked to Devlin.

"They must think they have some sort of edge. After all, according to the data we have on the incursion they almost succeeded," Devlin replied to her, wondering what that edge might be.

"Captain, I'm picking up dozens of high-energy weapon signatures and explosives in their cargo holds," Peter announced once the alien ship was close enough to do a more detailed scan.

"Gun runners," Devlin concluded.

"It certainly looks that way."

"Then it's not legitimate cargo, being a civilian ship."

As Peter continued going through the readings, he turned to face the captain as he exclaimed, "There are ten life signs aboard, all Thalshük!"

"Intercept them before they enter the sensor range of either the cruiser or the planet," Devlin ordered Fitzpatrick urgently. If the cruiser detected their contraband they'd attempt to intercept the ship, and the situation would become much more difficult to resolve without causing further timeline damage.

The view of the distant planet through the main window shifted sharply as Tethys came about on an intercept course.

"They've powered up their weapons, and their missile launchers are armed," Cerah announced.

"They've detected us, and have changed course. They're now coming right for us," Peter said, diligently watching his console's displays.

"Entering weapons range in twenty five seconds," Cerah said.

The alien vessel was now visible in the distance as a blue speck. As it quickly drew nearer its shape became more distinctive. Its entire hull was plated in a deep blue metal, and its streamlined shape curved right back to a pair of points at its rear.

"Sub-lieutenant Turner, attempt to open communication with them, short-range transceiver only," Devlin ordered. Whether or not they were successful, it should at least prevent anyone on Kharovsk or the cruiser from picking up the transmission.

"I'm receiving a response," Russ said.

A semi-transparent two-dimensional holographic screen appeared in front of the window showing the bridge of the alien vessel. Keeping to the colour theme of its exterior, the whole interior appeared to be blue as well, and edged in purple. Three of the Thalshük stood in the centre of the bridge, two men and a woman. Like Jeuls'e, they all wore sleeveless hooded robes adorned with various symbols down the chest on each side. Their bridge's blue lighting added a tint to their ashen-olive skin as well as their long hair that framed their faces beneath their hoods.

"I am Lehrvo'x, and we are the Knights of the Fallen Liege," the foremost of the three announced proudly, spreading his arms as he did so. He was more strongly built than the other two, and his eyes gleamed with intelligence. "These are my lieutenants, Pruh'ij and Raelt'u," he added, gesturing to the woman and the other man respectively.

"I'm captain Jerome Devlin, of the starship Tethys. I admit, I hadn't expected to encounter a Thalshük crew on a Medjhudal vessel," Devlin said, intentionally addressing them by species to be sure he held their attention from the start, as well as giving himself a psychological edge.

Lehrvo'x was startled to be recognised by species, though it was only visible in his expression for the briefest of moments. "It would seem that you have us at a disadvantage. We hadn't expected to encounter a twenty sixth century time ship in the twenty fourth century."

Suddenly Lehrvo'x seemed to have the edge, while Devlin wrestled with how he could have possibly recognised or even identified a time ship when time travel hadn't yet been invented at this point in time, and wouldn't be for another half century. Doing his best not to let his uncertainty about the situation show, while attempting to regain the upper hand, Devlin said, "If you know who we are then you must know why we're here. I strongly advise you to surrender yourselves and your ship so that we can resolve the situation without bloodshed on either side."

"We have scanned your ship, Captain, and it would appear to be tactically superior to ours. I find myself inclined to accept your advice, and am prepared to surrender rather than risk the lives of my crew," Lehrvo'x said.

"Disarm your weapon systems and engines, and prepare to be boarded," Devlin instructed.

Lehrvo'x nodded to Pruh'ij, who went and deactivated the weapons and brought the ship to a stop. When it was done, she went and stood with her leader again.

"We await your further instructions," Lehrvo'x said.

"Take no action at present. My officers will come aboard to take control of your ship and escort you to some quarters aboard Tethys."

Lehrvo'x nodded in acknowledgement, and Devlin closed communication.

Given the fiery nature of the Thalshük, based on what she'd seen from Jeuls'e, Cerah was surprised that they'd capitulated so easily. Then again, they were probably the last of their race and didn't want to risk extinction, though there could still be other Thalshük prisoners on the Mord'thet station. Whether or not that was the case, it would be foolish of them to throw their lives away in some grand gesture of defiance.

"Lieutenant Petrov, take a team of twenty to secure the ship and escort them to guest quarters. Only use force if it becomes necessary," Devlin ordered. "Lieutenant O'Neil, take the main tactical station in case they try to make a run for it."

When Petrov vacated his seat Cerah took his place.

"Sub-lieutenant Dawson, keep an eye on their engine system. I want to know if they even start to power it up," Devlin said.

"Aye, sir," Peter said as Tethys moved in a starboard arc to come alongside the Medjhudal ship.

"Captain, might I recommend that we..." Crawford began, but was interrupted when the Medjhudal ship suddenly shot forward at high speed, with a slight veer that brought it on a collision course with Tethys. Before anyone had time to respond, it slammed into the main body of the ship on the port side with an impact that launched everyone from their seats and left them tumbling across the floor or slammed them into walls or consoles.
Chapter 6

The Knights of the Fallen Liege

When Cerah hit the floor she went into a roll to redirect her momentum, more from instinct from her martialball training than out of a conscious thought to do so. The worst she received was a sore shoulder from her initial impact after being flung from her seat. Some of the others painfully got to their feet after having landed less gracefully. A deep alert tone sounded throughout the ship.

"What the hell happened?" Devlin demanded as he got back up and returned to his seat, ignoring the pain in his arm after trying to break his fall with limited success.

Lost for an explanation, Peter said as he also retook his seat, "I received no sensor readings of their engines powering up. They must have masked them somehow. The front of their ship is lodged into the side of ours with damage spanning three decks of that section..." He was interrupted by a second tremor through the ship that wasn't as severe as the collision. Checking the sensors, he reported, "The Thalshük have detonated explosives in the foremost section of their ship, right where it rests inside Tethys on deck two."

"They've created an opening between their ship and ours," Crawford said.

"They're boarding us," Devlin also realised.

"Wouldn't the collision have caused too much decompression for that?" Russ asked.

"There is some decompression around the breach, but the opening at the front of their ship is far enough inside ours that it's minimal where they'd step through," Peter said. "They must've planned ahead for this to get it so precise. So far all of their life signs are still on their ship."

"If they masked their engine's power signature they may have also falsified the readings of their life signs. They could already be aboard," Vyetrus pointed out.

Devlin made a ship-wide announcement. "All hands to arms, intruders on board!" The bridge officers all promptly went and armed themselves with pistols that were kept in a munitions locker for just such an emergency. Devlin then turned to Crawford and said, "Take O'Neil and Dawson, and intercept the Thalshük before they can take control of or sabotage any major systems. Keep your weapons on stun. We want to be able to question them later."

Crawford nodded, and called out, "O'Neil, Dawson, you're with me."

Cerah and Peter followed her from the bridge.

They ran along the neck section of the ship, with Crawford enlisting any crewmembers they came across along the way if they were already armed. They quickly gathered a group of fifteen, including Tomás, and were entering the main body of the ship when Crawford received a call from Devlin.

"I've just received word from Petrov that the Thalshük are all aboard Tethys, and have split up into at least three groups. Their life signs are still masked. Stay sharp."

"We will," Crawford assured him.

She'd no sooner ended the call than a thin violet energy beam narrowly missed her and hit one of the other crewmen instead, closely followed by another two beams that hit another two crewmen as her group tried to rush for cover. At the T-junction at the other end of the passage three Thalshük, led by Raelt'u, were aiming around the corners on either side; two crouched to make themselves smaller targets, while Raelt'u stood to aim over his fellow whom he stood behind. They were using Medjhudal weapons that appeared to be made of the same blue metal as their ship. More shots were fired as the Tethys crewmembers took cover in doorways or around the corners of adjoining passages, one of which killed another man.

Cerah observed that the aliens had positioned themselves in a tactically efficient way, and as she aimed around a corner to take a shot she observed that the two who were crouching were alternating taking a shot each and moving back out of sight. Several bright energy beams flashed past her, fired by crewmen who'd taken up positions further up the passage, as well as a couple of more intense blue bursts that were indicative of someone having set their weapon to the kill setting, for which they were promptly reproved by Crawford since the captain had wanted the Thalshük taken alive.

Peter was with Cerah, and had also taken note of the enemy configuration. "Why don't we take a page out of their book? One of us will crouch while the other stands, and we'll take the shots together. Hopefully with two targets they won't know which of us to aim for, and that split second of confusion might just give us the split second we need," he suggested as thin lethal enemy beams and stun discharges continued to flash past.

"Good plan," Cerah agreed. "I'll go low. Let's both target the crouching one on the right only. If he's not visible, duck back and we'll try again, otherwise we'll be exposed for too long while we try to make another target."

Peter nodded, and stood a pace back from her as she crouched into position.

Cerah gave the countdown. "Three, two, one, now!"

They both aimed around the corner, but their selected target had just ducked back after taking a shot, so the two vampires ducked back as well.

Anticipating that the Thalshük wouldn't wait long before taking another shot, Cerah called, "Again!"

This time their target was visible as they lined him up. He also spotted them and took aim, but the vampires fired first. Both of their shots hit him, and he dropped to the floor unconscious. A shot from one of the other Thalshük barely missed Peter as they ducked back. They heard a Tethys crewman cry out as she was hit. As they aimed around the corner to take a shot at one of the remaining aliens they noticed that two more Thalshük had arrived to support their fellows.

Tomás dashed along the passage and around the corner to join the two vampires, firing a couple of shots as he did so. "Lieutenant, I have an idea, but I may need some help," he said, and then stepped out to take another shot before stepping back, only inches from being hit by a crewman's shot from behind him. It was so close that he felt the aura of the beam like a static tingle on his skin. "These aliens are much better marksmen than most of ours. Even though there are only four of them, I don't see a favourable outcome here, especially with the enemy weapons set to kill."

"What's your idea?" Cerah asked before taking another shot with Peter as they had done before. Unfortunately they both missed.

"At the end of this side passage there's a computer archive, and inside it is a service passage that comes out in a passage adjacent to the one that the Thalshük are using."

"You go," Peter said to Cerah.

Cerah nodded, and ran with Tomás to the archive. The long room contained numerous data banks and processing units. On the far side was the door to the service passage. They ran over to it, and Tomás touched the control that opened it.

"How did you know this was here?" Cerah asked.

"It's part of the historical library's system. It's only this far from the library room because it would take up too much space in the ship's head section."

They hurried through the narrow passage, passed several others that branched off to different maintenance areas, and then went through a door that led back out into the main passages. From there, they crept over to a corner that Tomás indicated, weapons at the ready. Cerah gave a silent countdown on her fingers, and then they both stepped around the corner, coming out to the side of where the Thalshük were positioned. Before the aliens realised what was happening, Cerah and Tomás had stunned all three that remained, with only one more having been taken down by a member of Tethys' crew.

Cerah couldn't help but wonder how many crewmen had been killed during the exchange of fire. She went over to the passage that they'd been shooting along, and before stepping around it, called out, "Clear!" She then poked her head around cautiously just in case, but relaxed when she saw Crawford leading those who remained in her direction, including Peter, to her relief. Aside from him and Crawford, only seven others remained. While she waited for them to reach her, Cerah noticed that although the dissidents were dressed similarly to Jeuls'e, their robes were dark grey, and the symbols down either side of their robes were different, and were in a combination of silver and blood red. She was unsure of what the differences signified, but they hadn't been discernible during communication while they were under the Medjhudal ship's blue lighting.

"Some of them will likely be heading for the engine room to cripple our systems from there," Crawford said to Cerah. "You and Dawson each take a few people and circle around in different directions to take them on two fronts. I'll take deck one and then circle back towards the bridge, and I'll have Petrov search decks three and four."

"Understood," Cerah acknowledged, and the group split up. Tomás stayed with her, as well as two ensigns, a man and a woman.

Cerah led her team in a clockwise direction towards the engine room's far entrance, all the while listening with her acute hearing for any sounds of movement nearby. As they proceeded along a passage that had a slight curvature, she was sure she heard a stealthy movement on the carpeted floor further ahead. Pistol held at eye level with both hands, she led her team slowly forwards.

A Thalshük woman stepped into sight, whom Cerah recognised as Pruh'ij. Cerah immediately fired but missed, though only just, as Pruh'ij swiftly stepped back out of sight. Cerah dropped into a crouch, and it was just as well that she did, because Pruh'ij and two Thalshük men stepped out firing. Pruh'ij's shot passed over Cerah's head and hit the wall. During the exchange of fire that ensued, no one was hit with both sides using the passage's curvature for cover, but there were no doorways nearby with which to gain a more effective position. Cerah called for her team to back away. They kept firing as they did so, keeping just out of sight as the Thalshük also continued to advance.

When they finally reached a door to their right, Cerah said to the two ensigns, "Keep firing as you move, and establish a position when you reach a corner." While still adding a few shots of her own, she touched the door control and it slid open. She stepped inside and gestured for Tomás to follow. When the door slid closed behind them they could still hear the sounds of shots being fired back and forth.

The room they were in was a small storage bay for maintenance tools and supplies, and was more dimly lit than the rest of the ship. Figuring that the Thalshük were all quite strategically aware, Cerah was sure that they wouldn't pass the door without checking inside it first to avoid an ambush from behind, so she signalled for Tomás to give her a leg up so that she could reach one of the ceiling panels and push it up and out of the way. That done, she climbed up into the ceiling cavity and then helped pull Tomás up too. Tomás was surprised at how easily she did so, her vampire strength being even greater than he'd expected. Cerah slid the ceiling panel back into place just in time before they heard the door slide open as the Thalshük checked the room on their way past. A moment later it slid shut again. Cerah cautiously lifted the panel and peered into the room. The way was clear, so she and Tomás dropped back down.

Listening to the shots being fired, Cerah was sure that the Thalshük were now just past their door. She signalled for Tomás to stand on one side of the doorway ready to open fire while she took the other side, aiming back the way they'd come just in case the Thalshük had anticipated her trap. At a nod from her, Tomás touched the door control. As it slid open Cerah spotted a Thalshük man who'd been left covering it. With a quick reflex she fired before the door had completely opened, dropping that one. Before Tomás could fire he was hit in the shoulder by a shot from one of the others and collapsed to the floor with a shout of agony.

For a brief moment Cerah listened and heard the sound of breathing just around the doorway. The other two were closer than she'd expected. Hoping that her instincts were as good as she thought, she made her move, for the moment putting aside any concern for Tomás' condition so that she could stay focussed. As she stepped through the doorway she swung her leg in an arc before even spotting her target, and managed to aim her kick at the nearest Thalshük's gun hand, knocking the weapon from his grasp. Without hesitation she followed through with another kick to his abdomen that sent him stumbling backwards into Pruh'ij, making her shot harmlessly strike the ceiling. Before Cerah could fire, the one she'd kicked lunged forwards and grabbed her gun wrist, deflecting it so that her shot missed him. Unfortunately his grip was so strong that it caused her to drop her own weapon. Spotting him raising his fist to punch her, Cerah was ready and blocked the strike, and then followed through with an elbow strike to his jaw with the same arm, causing his grip to slacken enough for her to pull her wrist free and swing a right hook at his jaw. She ducked just as Pruh'ij took the opportunity to fire while her fellow stumbled out of the way, and the shot missed. In one movement, Cerah kneed the man in the stomach while shoving him into Pruh'ij. As they once again collided, she leaped forward and reached past him to snatch Pruh'ij's weapon away. With Pruh'ij trying to hang on to it, they both lost their hold on it in the struggle.

The man grabbed Cerah by the hair to pull her away, so she side-kicked his knee as hard as she could. There was an audible snap and he released his grip on her hair and fell to the floor clutching the limb with both hands.

Still holding on to Pruh'ij's wrist, Cerah pulled her off balance. With great agility, Pruh'ij went into a roll and came back up on her feet. Raising her fist to strike, Pruh'ij quickly snapped out a front kick to Cerah's abdomen that caught her by surprise, knocking the wind out of her. Cerah raised her arms just in time to block a roundhouse kick aimed at her side, but as she then moved to retaliate, a second kick with the same leg caught her in the side of the head, knocking her into the wall. Feeling like her head was splitting, Cerah shook it in an attempt to clear it, but that only made it worse. She looked up just in time to see a fist coming at her face, which she dodged with only millimetres to spare. She threw out a couple of jabs of her own, which Pruh'ij dodged, but not the uppercut that Cerah brought up under her chin, carefully aimed to strike just behind her chin horn, which sent her stumbling backwards. When Pruh'ij lunged at her with another punch, Cerah grabbed her arm and with a twist threw her over her shoulder. The move put Pruh'ij into the line of fire of the two ensigns, who'd come back to help and had been looking for a clear shot so that they could intervene, a shot which they took simultaneously, and Pruh'ij slumped to the floor.

Out of sight behind Cerah, the Thalshük man had gotten hold of Pruh'ij's dropped weapon and was raising it to fire when the injured Tomás retrieved his own weapon and fired first, stunning the man.

"Will you be alright?" Cerah asked Tomás.

He nodded as he painfully got to his feet, nursing the scorched flesh of his shoulder.

"You should get to the medical unit," Cerah advised.

Reluctantly, Tomás agreed, and went his own way while Cerah led the two ensigns towards the engine room.

When they arrived, Peter's group was already there checking the room over and looking for any signs of sabotage in the systems or on the engine machinery itself. Given that the room was two decks in height, it would need a maintenance crew to do a more thorough job of it later.

"Any luck?" Peter asked.

"We took down another three of the them," Cerah replied.

"Where's Ensign Moreno?" Peter asked with concern, not seeing him with Cerah.

"He was wounded, but he'll be alright."

"I lost one of mine."

She and Peter both suddenly held up a hand to signal their groups to silence at the sound of movement that had been too soft for their human fellows to hear. Realising that it was coming from above them, they aimed their pistols up at the source of the sound and spotted a Thalshük aiming his weapon down through a raised ceiling panel high above them. Without even a moment's pause, the vampires fired, both hitting the man at the same time as he fired. His shot just missed Cerah. Although his weapon then fell from his grasp and clattered to the floor, he remained slumped in the ceiling space with only his arm and head hanging out. Cerah reset her pistol to the kill setting and fired several shots around the edges of the panel that the man was lying on, weakening it so that it broke under his weight and he fell heavily and ungracefully to the floor.

Resetting her weapon to stun, Cerah said, "There should only be one left now."

Peter nodded. "Their leader, Lehrvo'x."

"He'll probably be making his way towards the bridge to take high value hostages, as well as control of the ship."

"If it's control of the ship that he's after, he might be heading for the secondary bridge," one of Peter's companions speculated.

"Not likely. Even though it's not manned while the main bridge is actively operational, there are too many safeguards that he wouldn't have time to bypass before we could corner him there," Cerah said.

"If he's somehow able to hold out for a few hours his mates will start to wake up. With more than one possible way that he could get to the main bridge from the collision site, if that is in fact his intention, we should all split up into pairs," Peter recommended, to which Cerah agreed.

The female ensign who'd been with her before quickly stepped forwards to establish her place with Cerah, feeling safer with her than with any of the humans she might otherwise end up paired with. Cerah gave her a nod of acknowledgement, and everyone else split into pairs as well and left the engine room.

Cerah pulled back her sleeve and called Devlin.

"What's the situation, Lieutenant?"

"Sir, we've neutralised nine of the intruders, but I think their leader may be heading for the bridge."

"We're all armed. We'll be ready for him."

"We're combing the ship in the direction of the bridge."

"I haven't been able to reach Lieutenant Petrov, but Lieutenant Commander Buhari is leading a team in your direction, so one of you should find that last man before he reaches us here. Good luck," Devlin said, and ended the call.

"What's your name, Ensign?" Cerah asked her companion as they turned along another passage, weapons poised.

"Tracey Peterson," she replied a little shyly.

"I'm Cerah O'Neil. You wouldn't by any chance be related to Captain James Peterson, in command of the time ship Marseille?"

"He's my cousin. Do you know him?"

"We've only met briefly a few times, but he seems like a good man."

"He is. I wouldn't have made it into Temporal Security without him."

Cerah paused, and Tracey did likewise. In the distance they could hear the sound of rushing air, indicating that they were in proximity to the hull breach where the Medjhudal ship was lodged into Tethys' side. The air felt slightly thinner due to the ongoing decompression that the life support system was continuing to compensate for. They continued on their way, listening all the while to make sure they didn't get too close to the breach.

When they turned another corner they found the passage strewn with a dozen human bodies. Petrov was among them, as were his two friends who'd comprised the team that he'd led in 1492. Cerah was surprised to find that she actually felt sorry for the man's untimely demise, despite suspecting that he'd probably led his team right into an ambush, turning left when he should've turned right again, or something that would equally exemplify his ineptitude. But there wasn't time to dwell on such things right now. She and Tracey continued forwards, carefully stepping over the ungracefully sprawled bodies while at the same time keeping an eye out for any sign of the Thalshük leader at the other end of the passage. Presumably the rest of the group that Petrov had taken to investigate the Medjhudal ship must've gotten away, and were also hunting the last Thalshük somewhere in the ship, if they hadn't also been massacred in another area.

Cerah received a call from Tomás.

In an urgent voice, he informed her, "The medical unit's been attacked. Doctor Ashworth is unconscious, the rest are dead."

"Why would their leader go there instead of trying to take the bridge?" Cerah wondered.

"I couldn't say. There's no Thalshük blood, so I don't think he was wounded. But he must've had a reason. Be careful."

"Don't worry, we will be," Cerah said, and ended the call. Her mind was racing trying to figure out how medical supplies fit into the plan to take the ship. She was pretty sure there wasn't anything aboard that could be dispersed through the ventilation system to incapacitate the crew or anything like that, at least not in a sufficient quantity to have a ship-wide effect. If his weapon had failed there were plenty more lying about the ship with the bodies of those who'd been killed, so it didn't seem likely that he'd need to resort to using an injector as a weapon.

They soon reached the long passage that ran the length of the ship's neck section on its lower deck. Six armed Thalshük were marching swiftly along it in the direction of the bridge. Cerah's first conclusion was that Jeuls'e had lied about how many Thalshük dissidents had been released from Mord'thet, but she'd seemed sincere in her answers at the time. Being more than halfway along the passage, the intruders were already dangerously close to the bridge, and with their tactical expertise there were easily enough of them to capture it. Cerah knew she had to do something, and fast.

As she and Tracey raised their weapons the rearmost Thalshük checked behind him and spotted them. With a shout of alarm, he crouched just in time to avoid being hit by the two women's shots, and raised his own weapon to return fire. Cerah and Tracey took cover to either side of the passage's entrance, each hardly daring to take a shot around the corner considering the number of beams that were fired back when they did.

Cerah crouched and took another shot, and spotted Lehrvo'x and one of the others sprinting to the far end of the passage while the other four held their position to fight back Cerah and Tracey and anyone else that they thought might be with them. Cerah took a shot at Lehrvo'x, but he made it around the corner just in time and got away with his companion. She ducked back just as three beams pierced the air right where she'd been crouching, which scorched the wall behind her, leaving a burnt metallic tang in the air. In her brief glimpse down the passage, she'd noticed that Raelt'u was among those who'd remained to defend their position, as was the one that she and Peter had first targeted together. It seemed that instead of heading straight to the bridge, which would've been the most predictable course of action, Lehrvo'x had gotten something from the medical unit with which to revive his unconscious followers who'd been left unguarded after being stunned, regaining a portion of his fighting force with which to more effectively carry out an assault on the bridge.

When Tracey took her next shot, a beam missed her head by less than an inch, and its energy singed her hair and cheek. She cried out in pain and quickly ducked back.

Cerah took another quick shot and noticed that the Thalshük were edging their way along the passage towards them. Looking around, she spotted a small computer terminal on the wall around her corner. With a sudden idea that she couldn't be certain would even work, she took one more shot before going over to it. "Keep them busy," she hissed to Tracey.

The ensign hesitantly obeyed and kept taking shots, sometimes standing and sometimes crouching to make it harder for the Thalshük to target her.

Cerah brought up the system settings for their location, and isolated their deck of the neck section. Before making any adjustments, she went and took another quick shot so that the advancing Thalshük wouldn't think that Tracey was the only remaining target, and then started changing some of the settings. Having seen how far along the passage the aliens were, she managed to access the settings for a particular section of gravity plating beneath the floor further ahead of their position. She changed the setting from Earth standard and boosted it to five times the strength, and also inverted the gravity field. That done, she peered around the corner to see if her idea worked.

When the leading Thalshük stepped into the gravity field that had been altered, he was immediately flung up against the ceiling with an impact that was five times more powerful than falling. Having hit it head first, he was immediately knocked unconscious, and lay suspended on the ceiling by the inverted gravity.

The remaining Thalshük started backing away, but they kept their weapons trained on the end of the passage where Cerah and Tracey were hidden in case they tried to take advantage of their moment of surprise.

When the two women did try to take another shot they ducked back again as three beams just missed them.

"Stay where you are. They can't come past that point now," Cerah said to Tracey, who nodded a grateful acknowledgement and slumped into a sitting position in relief, trying to hide the fact that her hands were trembling from the unaccustomed experience of being so close to being killed.

Cerah went back over to the computer terminal and selected the rest of the gravity plates along the passage, and made the same configuration.

All three of the remaining Thalshük were suddenly thrown up against the ceiling just like the first had been. Raelt'u had twisted as he'd fallen upwards to avoid landing on his head, and was still conscious. With a great effort to move his much heavier arm and weapon, he tried to direct it along the passage.

Cerah stepped around the corner with her pistol raised and fired up at him, plunging him into unconsciousness. She just hoped that none of the crew were taking refuge in Stargaze, as the passage ran directly below it, sharing the same gravity field. They would've experienced the same gravity inversion. Then again, she figured that anyone who was hiding during an emergency instead of doing their duty was a coward, so they probably deserved it. She went back to the terminal and restored the gravity settings to their default, and heard the four aliens drop to the floor. "Come on!" she called to Tracey, who tried to keep up with her as she ran the length of the passage towards the head of the ship.

When they got to the bridge they found Lehrvo'x and the one who'd gone with him lying on the floor unconscious.

"What happened to there only being one left?" Crawford asked accusingly, having already returned to the bridge.

"Lehrvo'x took something from the medical unit to revive some of the others. There are four more back down the main passage," Cerah replied. "But for now I believe all hostiles have been neutralised."

"Any sign of Lieutenant Petrov and his team?" Devlin asked.

"I'm afraid he and most of his team are dead, sir," Cerah said solemnly.

Addressing the ship's computer, Devlin said, "Tethys, give me the casualty report."

"Thirty six crewmembers are dead, five are seriously injured, and thirteen have minor injuries," the computer responded.

The captain closed his eyes as it sunk in; almost half of his crew of seventy seven, since the death of Crewman Corbett, had been killed either by the impact of the collision if they were in the section that was hit, or by the Thalshük when they stormed the ship. Some may have even been blown into space through the breach if any gaps had been made between the ships that were wide enough. He'd never lost so many on a single mission before. He tried to just be grateful for the forty one who'd survived, though it didn't make such a loss any more bearable.

Peter and the ensign that he'd paired up with entered the bridge with their pistols held ready but not aimed. Seeing that the situation was in hand, they relaxed.

"Sub-lieutenant, check if we've been detected, and scan for the second cruiser that's expected to arrive," Devlin said.

Peter nodded, and after returning his pistol to the munitions locker, he went to his station and carried out the necessary scans. "There's no indication from either Kharovsk or the cruiser that they've detected us. The second cruiser is on the edge of our sensor range, therefore we're definitely well out of theirs. It's on course for the planet."

"Well at least we have that going for us," Devlin said, almost to himself. "Commander Crawford, see to it that the prisoners are secured in the brig. Keep them separated as much as possible." He was aware that there weren't enough holding cells for one per prisoner, but at least with only a couple in each one their likelihood of a successful breakout if the force fields had to be lowered for any reason was greatly reduced.

"Of course, sir," Crawford acknowledged, and left the bridge.

"Vyetrus, would you and Lieutenant O'Neil, and anyone else you need, secure the Medjhudal ship and get it out of our side. See if you can set up a delayed distress call so that someone in this era will come and find it. And erase anything in their sensor log pertaining to our presence here."

"Certainly, captain," Vyetrus said. Taking an omniscanner with him, he politely beckoned for Elsa to join him and Cerah as they made their way to the door.

Once it had closed behind them, Elsa couldn't keep it in any longer, and said to Cerah excitedly, "You should have seen Vyetrus, he took down those two Thalshük single-handedly the moment they entered the bridge."

Cerah raised an eyebrow. She found it hard to envision a Messaran even holding a gun let alone wielding it proficiently. She certainly hadn't expected such gentle, slender beings to have sharp physical reflexes.

"I simply did what was needed for the good of the ship. I only regret that it necessitated violent measures," Vyetrus said, waving aside any praise.

"It's just as well you did, otherwise more people may have been killed," Cerah said.

They descended the stairs leading down from the bridge deck, and when they entered the passage of the neck section they saw Crawford directing several crewmen in the removal of the unconscious Thalshük. Cerah had a suspicion that when they'd parted ways during the incursion, Crawford had headed straight for the safety of the bridge, prioritising her own self-preservation. She only had the fact of her already being on the bridge when she got there to go on, but she was still ninety percent sure that that had been the case. Crawford didn't meet her gaze as they passed her, which Cerah couldn't help but take as a confirmation of guilt.

They heard the outrush of air around the breach as they got closer to where the alien vessel was lodged into Tethys, which sounded fiercer the nearer they got to it, and they could feel the pull of wind towards that direction. The section where the front of the alien ship had been blasted open to allow the Thalshük to board Tethys was strewn with charred and twisted pieces of debris from both ships.

"They managed to line that up pretty accurately," Cerah said, pointing out how the deck of the alien vessel was almost exactly level with the deck of Tethys where it'd speared through. The other side of the opening was in darkness, and looked ominously like a gaping maw waiting to swallow them.

"Since their objective was to capture Tethys, they will have wanted to keep it reasonably intact and repairable, hence the selected point of impact being apart from all major systems," Vyetrus said.

The force of the airflow was much stronger now, as though trying to draw them ever nearer to the breach. Cautiously, the trio moved closer, figuring that it had to be relatively safe since it was how the Thalshük had gained entry to Tethys.

Cerah took the lead and stepped through the opening into the Medjhudal ship, and the others followed. There was no active lighting in the ship's forward area where it had made impact, so they activated their multi-coms' torches. The room they were in appeared to be a cargo bay, with crates and containers that had probably been neatly stacked now strewn everywhere. The doorway on the far side was still open, and air was now blowing against them as it escaped from within the ship and dissipated through the breach where the ships met. A blue glow could be seen further along the passage beyond the doorway.

When they reached the T-junction at the far end, with the walls, ceiling and floor all panelled in blue, with blue lighting in addition to that, they deactivated their torches and took the left passage and then tried the first door that they came to. It opened to a wider passage that led deeper into the ship. While being generally blue-themed as well, this part of the ship was carpeted in a rich purple colour, and had purple decorative covings. The walls were lined with sconces bearing blue flames in addition to lowered standard lighting that created a more relaxed atmosphere like that of a passenger cruise ship. All of the framed paintings on the walls were done using only shades of blue and purple, and were illuminated by a combination of blue light and black light, which made some of the paint shades appear to glow.

"I'm starting to see a pattern here," Cerah commented.

"The Medjhudal home planet orbits a relatively small blue star, and has an abnormally high concentration of ozone in its upper atmosphere. At night their world is swathed by a violet aurora as charged particles from their star interact with ionised gases in their upper atmosphere. These combined effects result in the surface of the planet being bathed in a distinctly blue light by day and a purple glow by night. The Medjhudal have eyes that are perfectly adapted to these wavelengths, and also ultraviolet, but being so unaccustomed to anything different, other colours are painful for them to view, especially for extended periods of time," Vyetrus explained.

"So I guess the closer a colour is to the red end of the spectrum the more painful it is for them?" Elsa theorised.

"Precisely. Green can be tolerated, but it is still unpleasant to them."

"Aren't they worried about setting their ship on fire with all these open flames everywhere?" Cerah asked.

"These flames use a gas that burns at a much lower temperature than other gases, less than one hundred degrees Celsius," Vyetrus said.

"So you couldn't even boil water over them. Interesting," Cerah said. She momentarily thought of how fascinating Cephra would find all of this, with her interest in xenoarchaeology and alien races in general.

Consulting his omniscanner, Vyetrus said, "I believe I have located the ship's bridge," and pointed the group along a passage that branched away diagonally to the right. He then directed them up a flight of stairs to the next deck.

At the top of the stairs they found two dead aliens. Wearing plain tunics and trousers, they were both male, bald, and appeared to be blue like their ship. They had thin builds to the point that they almost looked emaciated, which was accentuated by their prominent aquiline noses that were more pronounced than those of humans, and their high cheek bones. They had four eyes, the other two being on their temples, which would allow them to see to the sides as well as ahead of them. Their fingers were also a little longer than those of humans.

Noticing a band of discolouration around their throats, Cerah activated her torch again to take a closer look in the lowered lighting. She was surprised when the beam of white light revealed their skin to actually be a pale grey-white colour, of a rather sickly pallor. "They were definitely strangled to death, though by the look of them they would've starved to death before long anyway. They must've been severely malnourished."

"That's actually a normal build for a Medjhudal," Vyetrus informed her.

"It's the first time I've ever seen one."

"Me too," Elsa added.

"That's not surprising. Due to their difficulty in viewing surroundings other than their own, they rarely interact with other species. When they do, it's almost always aboard their own ships under blue lighting. Though if occasion requires, they wear blue-tinted eyewear in other environments," Vyetrus said. "There isn't anything we can do for these men. Let's continue to the bridge."

On the bridge they found four more bodies that had been placed out of the way against the wall, two men and two women. Scorch marks on their chests revealed that they'd been shot with energy weapons. The view screen was still working, with the bridge being unaffected by the crash because of its dorsal position some distance aft, and the image of Tethys in the immediate foreground was blue-filtered, as were the stars beyond it.

"I don't suppose you can read Medjhudal?" Cerah asked Vyetrus as she looked at the alien script on the consoles' displays.

"Not with great fluency, but having served as an assistant ambassador in my younger years before joining the science academy I have learned some of their words and syntax. I believe I can extrapolate the various functions of the controls." Taking a couple of minutes to look them over, he quickly deduced which was the helm, and which operated the sensors. To Elsa, he said, "Would you please contact Captain Devlin and inform him that we are almost ready to separate the ships, so that he can seal off the necessary sections on Tethys that would be exposed to the breach? And ask him to arrange for a shuttle to retrieve us after we've cast this ship adrift."

"I'll get right on it," she replied, and activated her multi-com.

Once Vyetrus had spent a few more minutes deciphering the controls, he made a few adjustments and announced, "I have disabled the sensor mask that was creating falsified readings. It would appear that the weapon systems of this ship have not been enhanced."

"Their extra cannons were just a bluff?" Cerah asked.

"It would seem so. The cargo of armaments was also the product of illusionary sensor readings. The only weapons aboard are civilian model energy weapons. It seems the Thalshük had already procured some by the time they reached the bridge."

"So it was part of their ruse to originally lure the cruiser into docking with them to investigate, giving them the means of boarding it," Elsa said.

"I'm sure our twenty sixth century sensors must be more advanced than twenty fourth century civilian ones. How were they able to fool us?" Cerah wondered.

"That is certainly a valid question. They used ingenuity, certainly, but given what they had to work with it was still quite a feat," Vyetrus said.

"It's almost as if they expected to meet us."

"Whoever sent them here may have apprised them of that possibility."

"But how did they still manage to mask their life signs once they were aboard Tethys?" Elsa asked.

"There we can only speculate," Vyetrus said, and continued going over the sensor readings. "Now that the sensors are functioning normally, I believe I am detecting several Medjhudal life signs on the deck below this one. Doubtless they were kept alive in case the Thalshük needed to question them about the operation of this ship."

"We'll check it out while you separate the ships," Cerah said.

Vyetrus handed Elsa his omniscanner, and set about deciphering the helm controls more thoroughly.

Now that nothing was interfering with the life sign readings, Cerah and Elsa quickly located where the Medjhudal crewmen were being held. They'd been locked inside a decontamination chamber that would normally be used after handling radioactive cargo, which could only be opened from the outside. Peering at them through the door's small window were three Medjhudal faces. From their wary expressions, it looked as though they weren't sure whether the two women were coming to help them or to harm them.

Cerah didn't bother trying to speak to them, figuring that the door would be soundproof. Instead, Elsa used the visual translation function of the omniscanner to determine which of the controls beside the door was to release it. Cerah assumed that three of them had been kept alive since a lone prisoner might be more defiant, but with the lives of others under threat they might be more compliant and forthcoming with information.

When Elsa got the door open, the three Medjhudal emerged, thanking them profusely.

"Aliens took control of our vessel, we have no idea how they got aboard. It was a species we've never seen before," one of the men explained.

"It's alright, they've been taken care of now," Cerah assured him. She noticed that the Medjhudal woman in the group was also bald, and had it not been for the distinctive features common to the females of any humanoid race, she wouldn't have been able to distinguish her from the men.

"We felt a terrible impact earlier. Have we crashed somewhere?"

"Right into the side of our ship. And then the aliens blasted through the front of your ship so that they could board ours."

The man looked crestfallen at the thought. "You must believe me when I say that we had no way of stopping them. I am deeply saddened to know that our vessel was used as a means of attacking yours."

Cerah and Elsa could see the genuine regret in all four of his eyes, and those of his companions.

"For the moment, we just need to separate our ships," Cerah said.

"One of our colleagues is on the bridge working on it at the moment, but perhaps you'd be able to help him?" Elsa asked.

"Of course. We shall do all that we can," the man said.

"I have some experience as a helmsman," the woman said, as they started making their way towards the bridge.

Cerah and Elsa introduced themselves, and the man who'd led the conversation for his group introduced himself as Shrotz, the woman as Welv, and the other man who'd so far remained silent as Greb.

"I hesitate to ask, but was anyone killed?" Shrotz asked.

"We did lose several people," Cerah said. Seeing the sadness in his eyes and the eyes of his fellows deepen, she added, "But that was in no way your fault. And we also observed that you've suffered some losses as well."

"As far as we know, we are all that remain of our crew," Welv said.

The ship lurched suddenly, and a deep grinding sound reverberated throughout it. After a few moments it ended.

"Vyetrus must've gotten the ship free," Elsa said.

"Your colleague must be highly intelligent to have mastered our control systems so quickly," Shrotz said.

"He's a Messaran," Elsa said by way of explanation.

"A noble race."

Cerah speculated that with their exceptional peripheral vision because of their additional eyes, the Medjhudal would have a great tactical advantage in battle. Unfortunately they weren't very robust, so in the physical confrontations that had taken place when the Thalshük had commandeered their ship they still hadn't stood much of a chance.

On the bridge they found Vyetrus still seated at the helm. The view screen showed a blue-filtered image of Tethys slowly receding into the distance, although it was actually the Medjhudal ship that was in motion. A shuttle could be seen approaching from Tethys.

"They're coming to pick us up," Cerah explained.

"I'll open the launch bay for them," Welv offered, and went to one of the consoles.

Vyetrus brought the ship to a stop and came over to meet what remained of the Medjhudal crew. After a brief introduction, he informed them, "The foremost part of your ship has suffered considerable damage, but your engines and operating systems are still intact and functioning perfectly."

"So we will still be able to return home? That is a great relief," Shrotz said.

"It will not be easy to inform the families of our deceased crewmembers of their loss," Greb said sadly.

"I regret the intrusion into your computer system, but it has been necessary for me to erase some of your recent sensor logs," Vyetrus said. "We cannot leave any record of our presence here. I'm afraid we must leave you to make your own repairs or rescue arrangements."

"We will be fine," Welv assured him.

"And we will comply with your presence here remaining a secret, if that is what you wish," Shrotz said.

"For that we are grateful," Vyetrus said. "There is a human planet nearby as well as a military cruiser that will be able to offer you whatever assistance you may require. I ask only that you wait until we have departed before you make contact with them."

"Certainly."

"Your shuttle has landed in our bay," Welv said.

"Then we must take our leave," Vyetrus said with a bow of his head.

Cerah and Elsa also made their parting farewells, and they left the bridge with Welv, who guided them to the launch bay where a young ensign pilot was waiting for them.

On the shuttle on the way back, Elsa said to Vyetrus, "Won't there be some ongoing affect to the timeline because of what's transpired here? Several Medjhudal lives have been lost."

"Even going back now to intercept their ship the moment the Thalshük arrived on it would cause a disruption to that ship, and with unpredictable consequences that may be for the better or for the worse. Our losses would still be sustained, since we cannot go back over our own timeline, and such a course of action would risk even more. And what would we do with two temporal aspects of our Thalshük prisoners? With this incident being much closer to our own time, the ongoing repercussions will be much less than they would be of an incident further into the past. Sometimes a complete restoration is simply not possible."

"That's something they don't tell us at the academy," Cerah said.

Within a few minutes they were back aboard Tethys. On the bridge, Crawford was directing their departure from 2398, with a return course to Earth in 2509. Vyetrus handed Elsa the omniscanner and asked her to examine its logs while he and Cerah reported back to the captain.

When Vyetrus touched the captain's doorbell the door opened to reveal Devlin in the middle of a call with Admiral Rivette.

Devlin beckoned them in and the door closed behind them as he said to the admiral, "Vyetrus and Lieutenant O'Neil have just returned from the Medjhudal ship." Even though the admiral was visible on the desk's holographic screen to Cerah and Vyetrus, they were outside of his field of view.

"Our scans show a 99.7 percent restoration of events following the incident, which still falls within the parameters of acceptable, and there's no official historical record of Tethys' presence there," the admiral said.

"Given the situation, I believe that's the best outcome we could hope for."

"I quite agree, Captain."

"I thought it strange that the event took place in 2398, the year after the discovery of the Thalshük home planet, and half a century before the invention of time travel. Had it not been for the fact that they originally would have made an impact on human history in this sector we would never have known that another force had played a hand in these events. And having extrapolated their original vector after having amassed a small fleet, I'm certain that they were trying to return to Seinarüdth."

"Confirming your conclusion that they are in fact the dissidents from Mord'thet that you said your other Thalshük prisoner spoke of."

"That's right, Admiral."

After receiving a message on his multi-com, Vyetrus interrupted, "If I may, Captain?"

"Yes, Vyetrus?"

"I have just received an update from Ensign Lindholm that might be of interest to both you and the admiral."

"Admiral, I'll put you up on the main screen," Devlin said, to which the admiral nodded. He transferred the call to the wall screen behind his desk and swivelled in his seat to be able to easily face the admiral and also his officers, depending on who was speaking.

Stepping closer to the screen, Vyetrus said, "The instances when we've detected an energy spike that appears to be a partially dispersed temporal signature are all similar, except for the one instance when I have determined that the person in question used their personal transportation device to change their spatial location only, when they moved the body of the late Crewman Corbett. A similar reading to that occasion was detected on the Medjhudal ship, leading me to conclude that the Thalshük dissidents were not transported across time but space only."

"Go on," the admiral prompted.

"According to the signature's location, the Thalshük were transported into the vessel's decontamination chamber."

"Why there in particular?"

"An attempt was made to use the chamber's system to neutralise the readings."

"Admiral, why would they need to even attempt to hide the readings unless either they or the person who put them there knew that we'd be coming to investigate?" Cerah asked.

"If Tethys was expected it would imply that these rogues were not simply rescued from Mord'thet for their own sakes, but to lure Tethys into a trap," the admiral said.

"I believe the dissidents had two plans. Their primary objective was to lure in a time ship, which they then attempted to capture. Failing that, in the case of a time ship not coming to intervene, they took their small fleet towards Seinarüdth, possibly hoping to rebuild their species, or at least search for anything that remained of their civilisation that they could use. It's also possible that they simply wanted to rejoin their race, if they were unaware that it was now extinct," Vyetrus said.

"The fact that they wanted to capture a time ship, with Seinarüdth in mind as their destination, would imply that they probably did know what had become of their race and wanted to go back in time to prevent its destruction," Cerah said.

"Supporting that theory is the fact that they were able to fool Tethys' sensors, which on their own they wouldn't have been able to do with the technology that was available to them on the Medjhudal ship, the implication being that whoever released them from Mord'thet put them up to the whole thing," Devlin said thoughtfully.

"That certainly does sound plausible," the admiral said.

"Admiral, Captain, I was just considering some spatial-temporal geometric calculations based on the information that we now have available, and I believe I can determine the approximate location of the starship that's been involved in transporting people from Mord'thet, as well as the approximate temporal coordinate that the prisoners were released from," Vyetrus said.

"I'd certainly be interested to hear your reasoning," the admiral said.

Vyetrus went over to the wall screen and isolated half of it for his example. The admiral's face was still visible on the other half, but he would also receive what Vyetrus was demonstrating as he brought up a zoomed-out star chart. "The dissidents weren't transported across time, but the two women who were placed in Phoenicia were. Given what we've been able to extrapolate of their space-time vector to Phoenicia from our own sensor readings, and considering that the course from Mord'thet to Kharovsk passes near the Solar system, I believe that the ship in question released all of the prisoners in 2398."

On the screen, the location of Mord'thet was highlighted above the Scáth Sector, 150 light years above Seinarüdth, which was also indicated. Kharovsk was highlighted on the other side of the chart, with a line joining them indicating a direct course between the two. Close to Kharovsk, in relative terms, was the Solar system, a little to one side of the line leading to it.

"We know from what Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor said that there were at least two people involved in releasing the prisoners from Mord'thet. So it's safe to conclude that the one with the personal transportation device dropped the two women off in Phoenicia while the ship was on its way to Kharovsk," Devlin said.

"But Earth looks like it would be well beyond the range of any sort of transportation device, no matter how advanced it is," the admiral said, noticing that the course passed a number of light years away.

"In 2398 that is true, but in 627 BC, the Solar system's galactic orbit places Earth almost directly in line between these other two destinations," Vyetrus said, changing the timeframe of the chart. As the locations shifted, the solar system was brought in line with the course between Mord'thet and Kharovsk.

"So on the way to Kharovsk in 2398, the other individual had only to transport backwards through time about three thousand years with their two Mord'thet prisoners to where Earth was waiting for them," the admiral said. "And I suppose they then returned to the ship in question."

"Or they came directly aboard Tethys, since we were consequently there in that time to carry out our investigation," Cerah said. "By the time I spotted them in Phoenicia they would've had plenty of time to determine exactly where Tethys was in order to transport up to it, even at a slightly different time so as to not create an energy spike that we would detect upon their arrival close to the same moment that the aliens appeared, which might give their methods away.

"That would certainly be possible, given their level of activity on this ship," Devlin said. "But considering the distance between Mord'thet and Kharovsk by space travel only, it would've taken months to make the journey even on a direct course. I think Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor would've mentioned if they'd had to spend so long aboard the ship before being set down in Phoenicia."

"From everything you've said, it's clear that the ship is time travel capable. Perhaps they didn't travel a straight course across space only," the admiral postulated.

"They may have used a form of advanced temporal dilation, making a journey of months seem like hours, or even minutes, if their technology is advanced enough, and it would not produce the same sort of temporal signature that direct time travel would," Vyetrus said.

"Admiral, with your permission, I'd like to go to Mord'thet in 2398. I believe the answers we still lack will be found there," Devlin requested.

"Captain, I appreciate your diligence, but I hardly think Tethys is fit for another mission at this time, considering the damage to the ship and the crew losses that were sustained. The Bonaparte will return to Epoch before the week's out. It's a corona-class military time ship, quite capable of taking over the investigation."

"With respect, Admiral, I'm forced to object. Everything that's happened has centred around Tethys, and as far as we know the person responsible is still aboard, assuming they weren't among those who were killed during the Thalshük incursion. But many good men and women have died, and I don't want it to be in vain."

"I sympathise, I really do, but given your ship's present condition I don't see how you could continue without jeopardising the lives of the rest of the crew."

"If we stop off at Epoch along the way we could take on new personnel, drop off our prisoners, and restock on any parts and equipment that we'd need to make repairs on the way to Mord'thet," Devlin almost pleaded. The admiral looked like he was thinking it over but still wasn't convinced, so he persisted, "At our best speed it would still take a good couple of months to get there, which is more than enough time to carry out the repairs. In that time we might also be able to find out who on the ship is involved in this affair."

"If the crew returns to either Earth or Epoch while repairs are carried out, the person on the ship who is working against us would then be at liberty with much greater resources at their disposal, and could do untold damage to Temporal Security or human history," Vyetrus said. "If we do not allow anyone to leave the ship other than the prisoners, we can keep this person contained."

"It's a risk, but I think it would be an even greater risk to let them loose on the station," Cerah said, also trying to support her captain despite her lack of enthusiasm for such an extended mission. "I don't think they'd risk using their transference device near Epoch's much more powerful sensors."

"We could effectively quarantine the matter to Tethys until it's been resolved," Devlin finished, and waited for the admiral's response.

For what felt like a long time, though it was really only a matter of moments, Admiral Rivette considered the situation. Finally he nodded, "Very well, Captain. You and your officers have made a convincing case. Return to Epoch for equipment and crew replacements, and then you may investigate Mord'thet. Just make sure your repairs are complete before you arrive there."

"We will, Admiral. Thank you," Devlin said appreciatively.

"Upon completion of your mission, I want you to report back no later than a few days after your departure. If I haven't heard from you by then I'll have to send the Bonaparte after you."

"Understood. We'll arrive at Epoch in two days to get what we need for the mission."

"We'll speak more then," the admiral said, and closed communication.

Devlin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Turning to face Cerah and Vyetrus, he said, "I want to thank you both for your contributions."

"One way or another, we're going to get this sorted out," Cerah said, not really sure how to respond to the unaccustomed gratitude, since normally when she was in the captain's office after a mission is was to receive some sort of rebuke for the way she'd carried it out, despite always getting results.

"Which brings me to my next point of business. Lieutenant O'Neil, I'm appointing you as the chief tactical officer."

Cerah was surprised, although perhaps she shouldn't have been, as she was the most qualified for the position since Petrov had been killed, or even before then, in her opinion. "Thank you, sir. I'll give it my very best."

"I'd expect nothing less. It was both a clever and an effective idea to use the gravity plating as a weapon. Stargaze has been devastated on the deck above though."

"It was a calculated risk."

"Well, better to have a mess to clean up than for more lives to have been lost if the Thalshük had continued to roam free."

"That's what I thought too. Before we hand the prisoners over to the admiral's people, I'd like to question them. They could have knowledge that we need before going to Mord'thet."

"By all means. You may do so at your discretion. You have until we reach Epoch. Dismissed."

After leaving the captain's office, Cerah made her way straight to the holding cells.

All of the seven cells were occupied, with a force field across each of them that shimmered and distorted like the ripples on the surface of a pond. Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor glared at Cerah contemptuously from their confinement, their cell being the nearest to the entrance. The rest of the cells held one or two of the Thalshük dissidents.

Cerah went over to the one that Lehrvo'x and Pruh'ij shared. They both stood as she approached them, though she could only guess if it was a gesture of pride, defiance, or diplomatic respect.

"You fought well," Pruh'ij said.

"You weren't so bad yourself," Cerah replied. "From everything that we've deduced, we've reached the conclusion that you were expecting to be intercepted by a time ship, which you intended to use to prevent the destruction of your race."

"Would you not do the same in our position?" Lehrvo'x asked.

"Maybe I would, but not at the cost of the lives of others. You shouldn't expect any leniency after what you've done." When neither of them responded, Cerah continued, "I'm guessing whoever it was that broke you out of Mord'thet told you what happened to your race. Did they tell you how long ago that was now?"

"He said it happened thousands of years ago," Lehrvo'x said, "but I do not blindly believe what I am told. If a time ship came to investigate our activities like he suggested would be the case, we would use it to either prevent the destruction of our race if that had indeed occurred, and if it had not, we would use the technology to seize control of the empire and redirect our civilisation under more competent leadership. Failing the intervention of a time ship, our intention was to return to Seinarüdth to find out for ourselves what had happened to our race, with any plans from that point to be made once we'd ascertained what the situation was, and what resources remained."

"You thought you'd be able to rebuild your race from just a handful of you?" Cerah asked sceptically.

Lehrvo'x said nothing, but smiled with an assurance that Cerah found curious, as though he knew something that he wasn't saying.

"What do you want from us?" Pruh'ij asked.

Cerah decided to be frank in her response, hoping that they'd be frank in return. "After we turn you over to our people, we're going to Mord'thet to try to find out who the people were who broke you all out of there. I don't suppose there's anything you can tell me about them, or what their ultimate objective might be? Because I'm sure they didn't just release you out of the goodness of their hearts."

"We never clearly saw who they were," Lehrvo'x said.

"Let me guess, they were wearing disguises that concealed their identities? We learned that much from the two former Mord'thet prisoners we picked up earlier," Cerah said, casting a glance in the direction of Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor's cell. "If you're trying to protect your rescuers, you might be interested to know that they were using you as pawns for their own ends, whatever they may be. After they transported you into that decontamination chamber on the Medjhudal ship they activated it to try to get rid of any residual traces of the method they used to get you there. They'd wouldn't need to do that unless they knew you wouldn't make a successful getaway." She was taking a gamble that it wasn't the Thalshük themselves who'd tried to erase those readings. "They warned you that a time ship would come to investigate so that you'd attack us and hopefully cripple our investigation before we could track them down. They used you so that they wouldn't have to get their own hands dirty." She couldn't be sure, but their silence seemed pensive, as though she was getting through to them. Trying a different angle to get them talking, she asked, "I'm curious, how did you manage to hide your life signs from us even when you were aboard our ship? Our sensors are pretty advanced compared to what you would've seen on the alien vessel you captured."

After a sanctioning nod from Lehrvo'x, Pruh'ij explained, "We injected ourselves with a high dose of a medical isotope we found on that ship that masks our life signs. We then simulated our life signs by projecting recordings from the internal sensor logs, omitting the life signs of the aliens we held in the decontamination chamber."

"That's actually quite ingenious."

"And I used adrenaline that I obtained from your medical facility to revive some of my people who'd been stunned," Lehrvo'x said.

"You're being very forthcoming," Cerah observed, convinced that they were hiding something, or holding something back.

"Like you said, we have no reason for loyalty to such perfidious people who were misleading us to accomplish their own ends, with no regard for what becomes of us."

As Cerah thought about it, another possibility occurred to her. "In our time scans of what originally transpired prior to our intervention, you captured several ships and appeared to be on course for Seinarüdth. But you're intelligent people. You must know that it wouldn't be as simple as going back to your old home world and rebuilding your race, especially since you had plans to redeem them from their demise." She watched them, gauging their reactions, and they did seem to be hiding concern that she was on the right track, or getting closer to it. "You weren't actually going back to Seinarüdth, were you? At least not straight away. You were going back to Mord'thet. There must be something there that you wanted." Now Lehrvo'x was visibly trying to control any appearance of concern. He was hiding it extremely well, but Cerah noticed a slight tightening of his lips and an almost imperceptible stiffening of his posture. His effort to hold his expression was also preventing him from blinking very often as he held her gaze. Pruh'ij kept glancing at him, though trying to do so subtly.

"Now that I think about it," Cerah continued, "Mord'thet uses temporal stasis fields to contain prisoners in their cells. Perhaps you thought you could invert those fields to travel backwards through time to before the fall of your empire?" When both Thalshük almost looked relieved at her conclusion, she figured, "That's not it. Or at least not the whole plan. There's something else on Mord'thet that you wanted." Lehrvo'x's icy stare told her that she was dangerously close to the truth, but there was no way that he was going to tell her what, or who, it was. For all she knew there were still other Thalshük prisoners that he wanted to emancipate. But surely Jeuls'e would've mentioned if there were others when she was considering finding a mate to continue her species with, unless she never saw them, such as if they were kept in a different part of the station. As yet they still had no idea how large or small the facility might be. Or maybe Lehrvo'x was after the station's technology, or he could simply have wanted to establish a secure base of operations there. Seeing that she wasn't going to get any more out of the prisoners, Cerah said, "When we hand you all over at our time station, I dare say you'll be going away for the rest of your lives, but if you do feel like talking before we get there, ask the guards to call for me." Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away from their cell.

As she passed near Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor's cell, Jeuls'e called in a hushed voice, "Cerah!"

Cerah paused, and asked her, "What do you want?"

With a head gesture, Jeuls'e beckoned her over.

Almost just ignoring her and walking off, Cerah decided she might as well at least hear what she had to say, so with a resigned sigh, she walked over to the cell. Looking at Jeuls'e expectantly, she asked, "Well, what is it?"

Jeuls'e then indicated that they should speak over at the far side of the cell's force field, trying to put that extra couple of metres of distance between them and the Thalshük in the neighbouring cells. Reluctantly complying, Cerah went with her.

"I overhead you saying that you're going to Mord'thet," Jeuls'e said softly, leaning in close to the shimmering surface of the force field.

"Yeah, right after we get rid of you lot," Cerah replied, wondering where she was going with this.

"You're going to need our help."

"With what?"

"Gaining entry, understanding the systems and technology, getting past the defences."

"I'm sure we'll manage."

"We're talking about a high security facility belonging to a race that your people are largely unfamiliar with, with thousands of years between our styles of technology. Your investigation there would be greatly facilitated by having a Thalshük with you." When she saw that Cerah was about to leave, Jeuls'e quickly added, "Lehrvo'x was going there to get a weapon."

This caught Cerah's attention. "What kind of weapon?"

"I don't know what it is exactly, but I overheard him speaking with those in the cells next to his, and he referred to it as 'the last great weapon of our race', and he seemed to imply that it was what the man who got us out of Mord'thet was after as well."

"And what do you expect to get for your assistance?" Cerah recalled the look in her eyes when she'd entered the holding area, so she knew Jeuls'e wasn't offering her help out of kindness or guilt.

"I heard you mention that your people were going to detain us for life. Those dissidents murdered many of your crew, but Uuna-Xor and I did not. We merely acted in a moment of anger. It is true that we injured a few of your people, but surely that does not warrant life imprisonment. I'm hoping that our cooperation will engender some leniency for us when we are tried."

"So you both want to help?"

"Uuna-Xor also has a good understanding of Thalshük security systems, and would be an asset. But more than that, I will not go without her."

Cerah thought about her offer carefully. If they did come on the mission she'd have to make sure they were closely guarded the whole time, but they could prove useful. "You realise it's a long journey there and back? You'd probably have to stay in these cells the entire time."

"If that is how it must be, then so be it," Uuna-Xor said.

"I'm not authorised to make the decision, but I will bring your offer to the captain. It'll be in his hands."

"Very well," Jeuls'e said, and she and Uuna-Xor stepped back from the force field.

Cerah knew she couldn't trust them, but figured that they at least deserved an opportunity to redeem themselves after their violent response to finding out that they'd been deceived about the previous Thalshük prisoner and his fate.

*

Two days later when Tethys was docked with the 90-deck time station Epoch, Crawford was directing the continuous internal scans of the ship for any indications of energy spikes while additional personnel and equipment were brought aboard. Security teams were patrolling all decks of all sections of the ship, ready to respond immediately if such a reading was detected. So far things had gone smoothly. Through the window, Epoch's identical sister station Jidai was visible in the far distance.

In his office, Devlin was on a call with Admiral Rivette.

"I don't expect there to be any trouble. The transfer is being closely monitored. No one besides the prisoners are setting foot off the ship, and the newly assigned crewmembers are the ones bringing extra equipment aboard so that not even technicians or engineers will have reason to leave Tethys, eliminating the risk of the traitor making it off the ship disguised as one of them," Devlin said. "Though allowance needs to be made for the fact that they have access to highly advanced transference technology."

The admiral nodded thoughtfully. "For all we know they got away to Kharovsk after or even during your encounter with the Medjhudal ship."

"Of course that's a possibility, but if they are still aboard we've left them no way to get aboard Epoch or any other ship in the area, or Earth itself, without being detected. May I ask where the Thalshük prisoners are to be taken?"

After a moment's hesitation, the admiral said, "I'm afraid I'm unable to disclose that information at this time, Captain. But I must tell you, it took a lot of convincing to allow you to retain custody of the two women you retrieved from Phoenicia. It was under strong objection by Fleet Admiral Morgan. In fact the only reason he conceded to it was because I exercised a little influence in Geneva."

"You went over his head?" Devlin asked, surprised.

"Between us, let's just say I used a little surreptitious persuasion while the fleet admiral and I were in a meeting on Earth with the president. Frankly, I didn't want more lives to be lost if there's a chance those two prisoners could help reduce the risks involved in breaking into Mord'thet."

"I certainly appreciate your efforts, sir. Too many good people have already died."

"Indeed," the admiral agreed solemnly. "I trust the Thalshük you're turning over are in good medical condition?"

"Our chief medical officer hasn't been able to run any scans of them due to the isotope they used to mask their life signs, but she assures me that they're not carrying any pathogens, as they would've been detectable in the air they've been breathing."

"Good to know."

"The isotope will be out of their systems within the next few days at the most."

"Despite the losses, you have done an exemplary job, Captain. And I look forward to hearing about your findings on Mord'thet."

"Thank you, Admiral."

Someone off-screen handed the admiral a data pad, which he glanced over briefly. "If you'll excuse me, Captain, it seems there's been an explosion on one of the planets in the Ross 490 system. Apparently it's of an even greater magnitude than the largest antimatter detonation ever recorded."

"That system's only twenty five light years away. Should we be worried?"

"I shouldn't think so. It's an uninhabited system, so it's probably some other species conducting a weapons test. Safe journey, Captain."

After the admiral ended the call, Devlin sat at his desk thinking for a few moments, and then made another call. This time the holographic screen showed the image of a man in the two-toned grey uniform of the Terran Guardians, the security force of Earth High Command.

"Jerome Devlin, it's always a pleasure to hear from you," the man said.

"Likewise, Smithers. Still stationed in Geneva?"

"Right in the thick of it."

"By the way, I'm sorry to hear about your friend William."

"Thanks. I'm still holding out hope that he'll survive long enough to be exonerated."

"You sound pretty sure of his innocence."

"I know the man well enough to be certain that he was framed. And between us, there's more going on with his situation than most people are aware of. But I'm guessing that he's not the reason for your call. What can I do for you?"

"I'm sure by now you're aware that we're offloading some prisoners?"

"Ten members of a race that's supposed to be extinct? You bet I know about it."

Devlin gave a slight smile. "Of course you do." Despite most of the higher echelons being completely unaware of it, he also thought to himself. "Can you tell me where they're being taken? Admiral Rivette couldn't say, which made it sound like there was something covert going on with them."

Smithers leaned in a little closer, as though for fear of being overheard, even though Devlin knew that he wouldn't be having the conversation at all if that was a risk. "They're being taken to Earth, to an unnamed experimental research compound that's off the books."

"A black site?"

Smithers nodded. "I don't know the location, but apparently they examined the readings your people took of your first Thalshük prisoner and it got them interested. Now they want some live specimens to examine."

"What could possibly make them so much more fascinating than any other random alien race?"

Smithers shrugged. "The fact that they're an extinct species doesn't seem to answer it, as any medical officer could carry out that examination. What I've already told you is all I know, at least for now. I'll put some feelers out with my contacts, see if I can get anything more."

"Thanks, Ralph. I'd certainly appreciate that. The admiral has asked me to return to this relative time from our next mission, so I'll contact you again when we get back. Shouldn't be more than a few days from now, from your perspective. Let me know if I can return the favour. I probably owe you a few by now."

"If you can put in a good word for me to get that promotion to senior special agent, that would help. I'd have better access to information."

"I'll see what I can do. We'll talk in a few days," Devlin said, and ended the call.

As he considered what he'd been told, he concluded that the only thing that really set the Thalshük apart from other races, at least in the case of the first prisoner, was the parasite he'd had living in his brain. He'd had it as a young man, but had later died while attempting to remove it when he was much older, and had for some reason infected Bernardo García in 1492. Either that, or this secret department had taken an interest in their multi-spectral eyes, and perhaps wanted to recreate them as a military application in human soldiers. It could even be some detail that he wasn't yet aware of. One way or another, the Thalshük prisoners were going to disappear, and no doubt all of the related mission files would then be sealed and classified as top secret to hide all trace of them. It occurred to him that a thorough medical examination of Jeuls'e had yet to be done, though he couldn't imagine her sitting still for one, and he wondered if this parasite infection was more common among the Thalshük than anyone had thought. They'd all assumed that the first prisoner had simply been an unlucky isolated case. If any of Ralph's contacts that were associated with the department in question were able to get their hands on the results of the research, it would no doubt make for some interesting reading.

His contemplation was interrupted several minutes later by a call from Crawford. "Yes, Commander?" he answered.

"The last of the replacement personnel have come aboard. We're ready to undock from Epoch."

"I trust all went well?"

"Yes, sir. No incidents to report."

"Have Lieutenant Commander Buhari brief the new arrivals and arrange duty rosters for them, and set a course for Mord'thet."

*

Late that night, after Tethys had left the Solar system, the brown-robed being had found a quiet place in the maintenance passages to make a call without it being traced back to them, if it was discovered at all. After typing a special code into their multi-com, the image of their master in the black hooded robe appeared.

"What do you have to report?" the master asked.

In a soft whisper, just in case any maintenance personnel were in the vicinity, the other replied, "Tethys is on its way to Mord'thet. Its temporal sensors will detect our past arrivals there. They might intercept us."

"They will fail. If they get too close to discovering the truth, none of them will make it back alive."
Chapter 7

Mord'thet

All repairs were completed during the two months it took for Tethys to reach the region of space above the Scáth Sector, and they'd involved extensive reconstruction of the section where the Medjhudal ship had rammed into it. The ship had been on communications blackout for the entire journey; a protocol that had to be strictly abided by since they were currently a couple of months in the future of the time that they would ultimately return to when they reported back to Epoch. If they were to make contact with the station now, two months after the time that they'd been ordered to report in, the ship would've already been presumed missing and a rescue effort undertaken.

During the journey, Cerah had become better friends with both Elsa and Tomás, although she always felt like a third wheel unless Peter was there too, despite her lack of romance with him preventing it from actually being a double date. In an attempt to broaden her number of friendships further, she'd timed several of her gym visits to coincide with Crawford's in the hope that their one common interest would allow them to become better acquainted, but her efforts to reach out had yielded no results. The best she'd gotten from her was cold envy of her vampiric athleticism. However, she had managed to get on more cooperative terms with Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor, who'd both been greatly relieved to have not been put off the ship with the dissidents. A medical scan had revealed that Jeuls'e also had a parasite nesting in her brain, and although it didn't appear to be a life-threatening condition, she'd refused to speak about it or to accept any medical treatment. Throughout all of her interactions with the two women, Cerah remained aware that their cooperation was purely for their own sakes, and that they shouldn't be trusted. They were, however, returned to the quarters that they'd originally occupied prior to the incident in Stargaze, in consideration of the length of the journey. But their quarters and any movements about the ship were always under constant guard, and with the understanding that any aggressive action would land them straight back in the brig for the rest of the mission.

On the bridge, Peter was reporting the sensor readings of the nebula that they were about to enter, which was dozens of light years above the upper reaches of the Scáth Sector's dark nebula, and had the Mord'thet prison facility located at its heart. The ship was now travelling at sub-light speed. "There's an unusually high isotopic mineral density, as well as high concentrations of several types of radiation, which makes it extremely unlikely that there are any habitable planets in the region. The conditions are also limiting our sensor resolution of the nebula. As yet I've been unable to detect the station."

"Understood," Devlin acknowledged. Assuming we weren't misled as to its location, he thought. "Will prolonged exposure to the radiation pose a danger to the ship?"

"No, it's within the hull's tolerance threshold. I should also point out that our communication system will be impaired. We'll be on our own in there."

"In the event of an emergency, what would our communications range actually be?" Crawford asked.

"We'd have to be no more than a few thousand kilometres from the edge of the nebula for a signal to get through," Peter replied.

The view through the window was entirely made up of the swirling green and red gases of the nebula, with occasional ribbons of blue and magenta, and brown-tinged patches that indicated higher concentrations of dust and mineral particles.

At the tactical station, Cerah sat ready to respond as necessary whenever the prison came into sensor range. She too wondered if Jeuls'e had misled them regarding its location for some reason, possibly to lure them into a trap. But if the ship was destroyed, she and her Lurxsa friend would die with everyone else. And Jeuls'e had been on cooperative terms at the time that she'd given the location.

"We're entering the nebula now," Ensign Fitzpatrick reported from the helm.

With the gases being so thin at the outer edges there wasn't even the slightest jolt as Tethys entered. Within a few minutes an occasional swaying or dipping and rising could be felt as the ship passed through denser gas eddies. The sensation was reminiscent of being on a sea ship. As they went though a dust cloud the larger particles could be heard raining against the hull like hail, but within moments it had passed.

"Vyetrus, see if you can clean up the sensor readings in case the radiation is distorting energy signatures that could be indicative of another ship," Buhari said, mindful that they'd only been able to theorise about the prisoners being taken in 2398.

"Certainly," Vyetrus replied, and with Elsa's help he tried to filter out and compensate for the radiation, though the high concentration severely limited what their efforts could accomplish.

"Captain, I'm picking up a large object on the edge of our current sensor range," Peter announced when they were about twenty billion kilometres into the nebula.

"Send its coordinates to the helm."

"Aye, sir."

As soon as Fitzpatrick received the coordinates he redirected their course towards it.

As yet it wasn't within visual range, but it was only a couple of minutes before at appeared as a tiny dark speck in the distance. The entire bridge crew watched with anticipation as they got closer. Soon the distant shape resolved itself into a triangular bipyramid; a hexahedron that was shaped as though two triangular pyramids had been stuck together base to base. It was made of a dark grey metallic substance.

Cerah recognised the shape. "Captain, it's the same shape as the capsule that our first Thalshük prisoner landed in, back in 1263."

"That would seem to confirm that we've found Mord'thet," Devlin said. To Ensign Fitzpatrick, he ordered, "Hold our position at fifty kilometres until we've been able to analyse its defences."

Fitzpatrick brought Tethys to a halt at the specified distance, but even from so far away it still looked huge, certainly much larger than the ship.

"How many life signs aboard?" Buhari asked.

"I'm unable to get any internal readings," Peter replied after several failed attempts. "Something in its hull composition is blocking our sensors. I can't even tell you its defensive capability."

"Vyetrus, any workarounds?" Devlin asked.

"None, I'm afraid. Our only way of obtaining any internal readings would be to board the station."

Devlin was hesitant to do that without any idea of what he'd be sending a boarding party into. "Lieutenant O'Neil, be ready to return fire immediately if the station should attack. Ensign Fitzpatrick, at the first sign of trouble, bring us about on a return heading and get us out of here at our best sub-light speed. Commander Crawford, please escort Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor to the bridge."

All three acknowledged his orders, and Crawford promptly left the bridge. While she was gone, everyone watched the station in silent contemplation and curiosity.

Minutes later she returned with the prisoners, under the watchful gaze of four armed guards who followed close behind. An assortment of items from the ship's clothing room had been given for the alien women's use during the long mission, and both were similarly dressed in jeans, boots, and long-sleeved black tops. They looked a little unsettled at the sight of Mord'thet.

"Our sensors haven't been able to get any readings of the prison," Devlin informed them.

"That's only to be expected," Jeuls'e said. "They didn't want to make it easy for someone to precisely locate a prisoner that they wanted to break out of there."

"Would its defences still be active?" Buhari asked.

"You can be certain of it."

"How are they still powered after so long?" Crawford asked.

"It uses the nebula's radiation as an endless power source. And it can store a substantial amount of power, so neutralising the radiation in the immediate area would be of no effect."

"And even if you could shut down its power system, all of the cells' temporal stasis fields would deactivate, releasing all of the prisoners," Uuna-Xor added, the ethereal echo of her binary vocal system attracting the attention of all present who hadn't heard her speak before.

"How are the defences triggered?" Vyetrus asked.

"In the first instance, any non-Thalshük vessel that gets too close will be fired upon," Jeuls'e answered.

"Perhaps if we can alter our engine signature to resemble that of a Thalshük ship it won't perceive us as an intruder," Elsa suggested.

"Thalshük vessels use ion propulsion drives at sub-light speeds. If your engines can be modified to simulate that sort of effect it should work. But there would still be the issue of non-Thalshük life signs on this ship."

"The operational principles of Tethys' engines are quite different to those of ion drives," Vyetrus said. "However, our cannons fire phased positron bursts. The phasing process uses ions to surround the positrons to prevent them from reacting to air molecules when firing through an atmosphere. Some of those ions could be discharged while using only thrusters for propulsion to create the desired illusion."

"And the life signs?" Crawford asked.

"We could take a page out of the dissidents' book," Cerah said. "We could modify our sensors to project falsified life sign readings so that everyone aboard appears to be a Thalshük."

"Sub-lieutenant Dawson, think you could pull that off?" Devlin asked.

"I believe so, since we have data on both male and female Thalshük life signs."

"Alright then, put it into effect. Jeuls'e, work with Vyetrus on matching the ion signature as closely as you can to that of a Thalshük engine."

Ten minutes later both Peter and Vyetrus announced that they were ready.

"Helmsman, take us to within one kilometre of the station, but be ready to retreat if we trigger the defence system," Devlin ordered.

Fitzpatrick acknowledged the order and engaged the thrusters. At the same time, Vyetrus generated ion emissions from the ship's cannons at a level that Jeuls'e had said resembled the engine output of a Thalshük spacecraft.

Tethys slowly glided forwards, gradually closing the distance to the station, which seemed to loom ominously before them because of the way its immense size dwarfed the ship. As they got closer, seemingly random patterns became discernible all over the surface of the station's hull like highly intricate sunken reliefs.

"We've come to a stop at a distance of one kilometre," Fitzpatrick announced.

"Do those patterns mean anything?" Devlin asked.

"Not that I'm aware of. But we Thalshük are generally an artistic people, and consider appearance to be a mark of pride and dignity. The ancient buildings on my home world, and many of the more modern ones, were usually adorned with some sort of artistry, and were generally well preserved as they were still used both within and without the modern cities. Heritage is of great importance to the Thalshük," Jeuls'e said.

"Will there still be any crew aboard the station?" Buhari asked.

"When we left, the only ones present besides those who released us were the other prisoners, all in their cells," Uuna-Xor said.

"All security personnel would have been recalled for the war effort as soon as it looked like the empire might fall. With such an abundant power source as the nebula, the station is entirely self-maintaining," Jeuls'e said.

"So how do we get inside?" Crawford asked her.

"The station has me listed as a prisoner, so I no longer have a rank that the station would recognise."

"When I was a slave for a high-ranking political strategist in the Thalshük government I obtained his personal security codes for my own covert operations for the Alliance. His clearance should be high enough to authorise access to the prison," Uuna-Xor said.

"It's certainly worth a try," Devlin said, and nodded to Russ to indicate that she was permitted to use the communication system.

Russ rose from his console and offered Uuna-Xor the seat, and stood next to her ready to offer any assistance she might need. As it happened, she'd familiarised herself with human technology quite extensively over the last couple of months, and had become proficient at reading English.

"The security code is ready to send. I've encoded it to look like a Thalshük transmission," Uuna-Xor said, vacating the seat for Russ to resume his post.

"Send the transmission," Devlin instructed.

As soon as Russ did so, everyone waited tensely to see what would happen; some out of curiosity, and some with the suspicion that the Lurxsa had intentionally sent a signal that would trigger the defences in the hope that the confusion would offer some sort of opportunity to attempt an escape.

Suddenly the double doors of a large hatch started to part just below the edge of the station's triangular circumference.

When it was fully open, Devlin held back on issuing any orders, waiting to see if anything was coming out, whether it be fighter drones or the nozzles of massive cannons. When nothing did, he concluded that it was their invitation inside. "Can our sensors get any readings of the interior now?"

"Only superficially, around the immediate area of the hatch. It looks like a landing bay, but it extends further in than we can scan, so I can't say if there are any other craft in there," Peter said.

Devlin weighed up the options before deciding, "Lieutenant Commander Buhari, you and Lieutenant O'Neil will lead a shuttle team to investigate the interior. We need to be familiar with what's in there before we make any attempt to go back in time to intercept whoever it was who released the prisoners."

"Yes, Captain," Buhari responded.

"Chances are that communications between you and Tethys will be blocked inside the station once you're out of our direct line of sight through the hatch, so be careful."

As Cerah and Buhari were about to leave the bridge, Jeuls'e said, "Captain, with respect, I think it would be best if Uuna-Xor and I accompany them, since we're most familiar with Thalshük technology."

A little reluctantly, Devlin had to agree that they could be useful on the mission, as they already had been. "Very well. But you'll be under close guard the entire time," he warned.

"I expected nothing less," Jeuls'e replied, and she and Uuna-Xor left the bridge with Cerah and Buhari, accompanied by the four armed guards.

Minutes later their shuttle was prepared and ready to launch. Buhari had asked Cerah to take the helm while he spoke with the two guarded aliens in the equipment room behind the cockpit. She received a transmission from Russ that included the security code used to access the station, just in case. After sending a return signal informing him that they were departing, she launched the shuttle and took it across the one kilometre of nebula between them and the gaping hatchway that could easily accommodate ships much larger than a shuttle, such as the prisoner transports and military craft that would've been used during the time of the Thalshük Empire. There were two lines of landing lights along the floor of the landing bay, which was so long that it took them a considerable distance inside the station. All of the surfaces appeared to be made of the same dark grey metal as the station's exterior, which Cerah speculated was probably the same vanadium polymer composite as the capsule that had landed in 1263. She was grateful that the hatch remained open behind them. Sensors showed that they passed through an atmospheric force field when they entered the station, and that the air was similar to Earth standard, if slightly higher in oxygen and other trace gases such as argon and carbon dioxide. But it would have to be similar, if Jeuls'e had managed to survive aboard Tethys for so long without any respiratory difficulties.

She took the shuttle to the far end of the bay and touched down near a large door that led into the station. After shutting down the engines she joined the others in the room behind the cockpit. The alert guards were being vigilant in watching every move that Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor made.

Buhari went to an equipment locker and took out two omniscanners, and handed one to Cerah.

"Might I recommend taking one of your medical kits also, as a precaution in case anyone triggers defences that may not have been disarmed by the security code, such as in areas that require a higher level of clearance than we've been granted," Jeuls'e suggested.

"A wise precaution," Buhari agreed. Taking out a kit, he handed it to Cerah to carry in order to leave the four guards completely focussed on their job of guarding the prisoners, and not wanting to give the prisoners anything that could potentially be used as a weapon.

Cerah wasn't particularly pleased about having to carry it. As they stepped out of the shuttle she felt a fraction heavier. Checking her scanner, she found that the gravity was 1.03 of Earth's.

There was a touch panel beside the door leading into the station. Buhari scanned the area first for any signs of active defences, and finding none, he touched the panel. The heavy door slid open with a hydraulic hiss, leading into a metal-walled airlock that was probably there as a precaution in case the force field that was keeping the air in failed. The internal panelling was made of a different lighter-coloured metal to the exterior and the landing bay. Buhari's scan showed it to be a titanium alloy, similar to what was used in human spacecraft. More importantly, it didn't impede their scanners like the outer hull did, although the range was limited to within the station.

The door on the other side led them to a foyer-like area with three passages branching away in different directions.

"Any idea which way we should go?" Cerah asked the two aliens.

"Our liberator took us away from here using a transportation device, so we didn't see where we were in relation to here at that time, but from what I recall of when we were brought here, our holding cells were three levels above us," Uuna-Xor said.

Consulting his scanner, Buhari said, "There are numerous levels of holding cells, both above and below this deck, as well as what appear to be administration and crew living areas. We should attempt to access the station's database, as it may contain schematics and the specifications of the defence and holding systems."

"There was an administration area with interrogation rooms on the level where we were held. You should be able to access it from there," Jeuls'e said.

Cerah checked her own scanner. "There's a lift around the corner of that passage," she said, indicating the one leading straight ahead.

Buhari led the way, and they found the lift to be as easy to operate as one on a human starship. Three floors up, they emerged into a wide passage with a high ceiling that was lined along both sides with dozens of stasis holding cells with a soft red shimmer across the opening and a red glow within. Most were occupied by a prisoner frozen in an instant of time, usually a Thalshük, though there were a few individuals of other races. The few empty ones weren't illuminated. Like the station's exterior, the walls were deeply embossed with intricate but seemingly random patterns.

"I'm not seeing any other Lurxsa, at least not in this section," Cerah observed.

"My people were rarely taken as political prisoners, considering that most lacked even the ability to read. Any rebellion or criminal activity on our part was usually punished by immediate death. In fact, there was no law against killing a Lurxsa even on a whim," Uuna-Xor said, struggling to keep her anger in check, justified as it was.

"No one was sent here for common crimes. They were only being held for later interrogation, or while awaiting an appropriate time for execution. Generally people who were sent to Mord'thet were never seen again," Jeuls'e said.

Buhari gave the guards a glance indicating that they should stay where they were with the aliens while he and Cerah split up and proceeded to take some readings of the cells and their occupants.

Cerah wasn't surprised to detect no life readings inside them, since the stasis fields caused a complete cessation of time within their confines. As far as temporal technology went they were rather basic systems, which she attributed the red glow to, since more advanced time fields produced an illumination that was further along the visible spectrum. Some of the prisoners stood in a dignified way, having accepted their fate, while others had been caught in mid-leap, frozen in an attempt to get out of their cell. Others had a look of hateful defiance. Despite being powerless to act or even to see, their unblinking stares were a little unsettling.

"There's what appears to be an office or command centre over there, probably the administration area. I'm going to see if the database can be accessed from it," Buhari said, and went over to a large opening further along the passage.

Cerah continued scanning the cells, recognising some of the non-Thalshük species, such as Thayaten with their distinctively elongated bald heads and their large black eyes with silver irises, or the Pleyurans with their marble-white skin and hair and a row of short horns just below their hairline, but some she'd never even heard of. One of them looked a lot like the ancient Egyptian god Anubis. She went along one row and then came back down the other, taking visual scans of any species that wasn't familiar. In her peripheral vision she noticed that Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor seemed more interested in watching her than in looking around at their surroundings, which she found a little annoying, but shrugged it off, as the two of them had seen all of this before. The guards were being mindful not to be too distracted by their surroundings, though they too found the place interesting.

Just as Cerah was passing the group, Jeuls'e said, indicating with a glance, "The cells that we were in are a little further along that way."

As Cerah and a couple of the guards followed her gaze, the two alien women leaped into action. They spun around and grabbed the pistols from the two nearest guards, while at the same time kicking them in the side of the knee in perfect coordination. Without hesitation they pointed the stolen weapons at the other two guards and fired. Being set to stun, bright electrical discharges were fired along ionised beams, immediately rendering them unconscious.

Still holding the medi-kit, Cerah swung it at Jeuls'e's head. The Thalshük woman dodged it only just in time, while nearby Uuna-Xor kicked one of the disarmed guards in the side of the head as he tried to rise to his feet, sending him stumbling away dazed, collapsing on his injured knee. Quickly dropping both the medi-kit and her omniscanner, since they would only encumber her movements, Cerah swung a fist at Jeuls'e that caught her in the jaw, but before she could follow through with another strike, Uuna-Xor raised her pistol and fired, plunging her into unconsciousness.

*

Cerah wasn't sure how much time had passed when she started to regain consciousness. She heard Uuna-Xor call Jeuls'e's name. Moments later she felt hands gently shaking her by the shoulders. Before her eyes had fully cleared she could tell that it was Uuna-Xor. In a reflex action, she reached up and pushed the Lurxsa woman away. A little unsteadily she climbed to her feet and tried to assess the situation.

Uuna-Xor was standing nearby, seemingly unsure of how to respond to her. As Cerah's vision cleared she saw that Jeuls'e was lying on the floor, either dead or unconscious, but not moving. The open medi-kit was beside her. The four guards all lay motionless, only now they each had a distinctive scorch mark on the chest of their uniforms, indicating that they'd been shot on the kill setting, at least in some cases after they'd been rendered unconscious. Cerah looked at Uuna-Xor, who was slowly advancing towards her, her hands raised. Not wanting to give her the chance to get too close, Cerah dove for one of the guards' dropped pistols, hitting the floor heavily. Before Uuna-Xor could reach her, she grabbed it, barely took time to aim, and fired. It was still set to kill, and the shot hit Uuna-Xor in the left side of her abdomen, dropping her to the floor in agony. Cerah got back to her feet and looked down at her. Although she couldn't see the wound because Uuna-Xor was holding it with both hands, she could tell from its location that it wouldn't prove immediately fatal, but given too much time untreated it very well could.

Uuna-Xor was breathing in short, shuddering gasps because of the pain, and she was trying to half crawl, half wriggle away while still holding her wound, looking up at Cerah fearfully. She felt her leg brush against another dropped pistol. With a quick, desperate movement, she reached back to grab it, but before her hand even touched it, Cerah had reset her weapon and stunned her.

Cerah felt groggy, and found that she had to concentrate on each movement she made, as though her coordination was off. Even her thoughts seemed clouded. It wasn't the first time she'd been stunned, and the aftereffects had never been this bad before.

Tucking her pistol into her pocket for the time being, she knelt beside Jeuls'e and checked for a pulse but found none. Her skin already felt cool, so she hadn't only just died. Cerah checked the time on her multi-com and found that a little over four hours had passed since their arrival on the station. Jeuls'e must've died shortly after she and Uuna-Xor had attacked the guards. The cause of death didn't seem evident; there was a small scorch mark on her left temple, but it appeared too small to have been a mortal injury, as well as for the lack of bleeding that a fatal injury would've produced. It was much too small to have been caused by an energy weapon. She found it curious that Jeuls'e's head wound was in the same place as on the Thalshük body that she'd found in fifteenth century Spain.

With a sudden terrible suspicion, Cerah found her omniscanner and performed a scan of Jeuls'e and then herself. The wound on Jeuls'e's head had been made by a laser scalpel, and appeared to have been directed towards her brain parasite. The scan of herself showed that she'd been infected by material that had been extracted from the parasite, and it was accumulating in her brain. She had to find Buhari.

When she stood up and looked around she spotted him lying face down further along the passage, his scanner near his outstretched hand. Fearing the worst, she hurried over and found that he was indeed dead. By the temperature of his skin, it looked like he'd died just after she'd been stunned, probably shot after being drawn by the sounds of shots and fighting. She checked his scanner, but unsurprisingly he hadn't gotten far with his attempt to access the database before he'd been killed. She touched her multi-com's screen and tried to make contact with Tethys, but was unsuccessful, even when she attempted to relay it through the shuttle's communication system. With the landing bay being made of the same alloy as the outer hull, she couldn't even establish a link with the shuttle.

Deciding to see if she could access the station's database herself, hoping that Buhari's death wouldn't be in vain if there was something to show for their doomed mission, she went into the office to use her scanner's visual translation function to try to decipher the computer system.

The chamber she entered seemed to be more of a control room than an office. There were numerous computer stations around the room, and consoles for regulating the power systems and monitoring the stasis cells. As far as she could tell from the displays, everything on the station seemed to be running smoothly, even after thousands of years of drifting in the nebula. One screen showed Tethys, with a sensor analysis in a column beside the image. She was pretty sure that their sensor deceptions wouldn't have fooled anyone if the station was manned, but fortunately the automatic monitoring systems could be worked around.

As she examined the room, recording everything with her scanner, she found that she had a pretty good instinctive sense of what was what, and the readings that were displayed seemed to make sense to her. She was even able to bring up a prisoner manifest for this level after a little trial and error. Although it was hard to translate individual prisoner names, she was pretty sure she'd isolated which cells had held the prisoners that they'd already met, as there was a row of ten empty cells in the next passage over, as well as two that were together, and another single one nearby.

Still feeling weak and uncoordinated, she went back out to the passage to retrieve the medi-kit. As she passed Buhari she looked down at his body solemnly. It was such a waste of life for him and the guards to have met such an untimely death.

When she knelt by the medi-kit she glanced at Uuna-Xor, who still lay in the same position, her breathing a series of soft shuddering gasps. Returning her attention to the medi-kit, she activated the small screen on the lid to scroll through the list of available stimulants and saw that the kit was already set to produce one of the stronger compounds. It was then that it clicked that Uuna-Xor's shuddering breaths were a pain response, and not the smooth breathing of someone who was unconscious. She looked at the Lurxsa again and saw her staring back with her vivid green eyes wide open. Cerah struggled to get the pistol out of her pocket, which was made difficult by her being in a kneeling position as well as her lack of proper coordination, while Uuna-Xor reached for the pistol that she'd tried to grab earlier. Seeing that the Lurxsa would probably have her weapon ready first, Cerah jumped to her feet to make a run for the office. Anticipating when Uuna-Xor would fire, she leaped forward and went into a roll just as a stun beam passed over her, missing her by inches. Rolling straight back up onto her feet, she kept running until she made it through the doorway, another beam hitting the doorframe. She spared a moment to get her own pistol out and held it ready in case Uuna-Xor burst into the room. Clearly the Lurxsa had injected herself with a stimulant as a precaution before Cerah had woken up, no doubt having overheard what Lehrvo'x had said about using adrenaline to revive his own people during their assault. Considering that stunning her again would only have a short term effect again, Cerah reset her weapon to the kill setting. She couldn't afford to take chances now, especially with the parasite that she'd been injected with affecting her brain the way it was. She didn't know how Jeuls'e had been able to remain unaffected by it. The only explanation she could think of was that it affected vampire physiology differently. Perhaps the Thalshük had developed a natural immunity to such infections over time.

Listening for any sounds of movement and hearing none, Cerah crept over to the doorway. Not wanting to look down at her scanner even for a couple of seconds to scan for Uuna-Xor's life signs, she cautiously peered out through the doorway, pistol held near eye level to keep her aim as precise as possible. Her adversary was nowhere to be seen, so she was probably hiding in the alcove of an unoccupied cell, or she'd run through to the next passage of cells. It was even possible that she'd gone to steal the shuttle, having demonstrated her familiarity with Earth technology on Tethys' bridge, but she wouldn't get far before being either captured or killed.

Then Cerah spotted Uuna-Xor's boots on the floor near the other bodies, taken off for better stealth. Deciding that she'd better consult her scanner after all, she was about to do so when Uuna-Xor dropped down directly in front of her, having scaled the wall using the indentations of the embossments to get into position. As she came down she smoothly knocked the aim of Cerah's gun away with one hand, while slamming a swift elbow strike into Cerah's jaw. With her reflexes compromised, Cerah didn't even see the strike until it was too late. She retaliated with a knee strike that caught Uuna-Xor in the abdomen close to the wound from the earlier shot, and then swung her gun hand and struck her in the jaw with the grip. As Uuna-Xor stumbled backwards, one hand nursing her abdominal wound, she took out her own pistol from where she'd had it tucked into the back of her jeans. Before she could aim, Cerah dove on her, and the shot went wide. Cerah was surprised to see from the beam that the weapon was still set to stun, and wondered why Uuna-Xor wanted to keep her alive. Perhaps as a hostage, or as a pilot for the shuttle in an escape attempt, hoping that Tethys wouldn't open fire with a member of its crew aboard. It was possible that the brain parasite was intended to dampen her own will and make her susceptible to manipulation in preparation for such an attempt.

Cerah's wondering was cut short as their struggle brought them to the floor. As they grappled they both lost their grip on their weapons. Under normal circumstances Cerah wouldn't have had so much trouble overcoming a non-vampire opponent, and figured that this could be another reason why she'd been infected with the parasite. After exchanging a few punches as they continued to struggle, Uuna-Xor managed to drive a knee into Cerah's side, and in response Cerah headbutted her in the nose, breaking it. A runny grey fluid started streaming from both nostrils; Lurxsa blood.

Uuna-Xor drove an uppercut up under Cerah's chin, and took advantage of Cerah's moment of disorientation to roll her over onto her stomach. Getting on top of her, she got her arm around Cerah's throat from behind. Seeing how powerfully Cerah was still able to struggle, she grabbed a pistol from the floor, thinking that it was her own, and pressed it into Cerah's side towards the back. When she pulled the trigger there was a brief burst of light that was mostly obscured by the clothing, and Cerah went limp. When she pulled the gun away she saw that the shot had burnt right through the material of the jacket and the top, and that the flesh beneath was badly scorched. It had been Cerah's weapon, set to kill. In shock, she dropped the pistol and turned Cerah over onto her back, and was relieved to see that Cerah was still alive and semi-conscious, her breathing shallow because of the agony. She grabbed the dropped omniscanner and checked the readings, and was dismayed to see that Cerah would be dead in a matter of minutes. While not instantly fatal, the damage had been too severe for even a vampire to survive.

Unsure of what to do, Uuna-Xor stood up and tossed the gun aside, and glanced over at the body of her friend, Jeuls'e.

In that moment she didn't see Cerah take hold of the other pistol and fire at her. It was still on stun, and Uuna-Xor dropped to the floor unconscious.

Cerah knew that she couldn't afford to spare her with the risk of her regaining consciousness again because of the stimulant, so she reset the weapon to kill and fired it at the side of Uuna-Xor's head to finish the job.

Her wound was too far around her side to be able to see it, but from the excruciating pain and the cold sweat that she was going into she knew that it was severe. As she tried to move to get to the scanner that was still in Uuna-Xor's hand she involuntarily let out a cry of pain and slumped back against the floor. Such a thing was so uncommon for her that it only seemed to confirm that her wound was mortally serious. She needed to know how long she had; whether she should just record an embarrassingly emotion declaration of love for Peter now on her multi-com, or try to make it back to the shuttle to contact Tethys and tell them what had happened. Resorting to using her multi-com's less detailed scanner function, she ran an analysis of her condition, and found that it was as she suspected, with only minutes to live.

She figured she only had two options, and simply throwing in the towel wasn't one of them. She could attempt to set one of the unused cells to a delayed activation and go into stasis in the hope that her shipmates would find her and get her the medical attention she needed to survive. Even then there was no guarantee that they'd be able to save her. She decided to go with the second option, and to hell with what the captain would say if he ever found out about it.

Forcing herself to move through the pain, she rolled over onto her stomach and with great difficulty belly-crawled over to the medi-kit. She set it to produce more of the stimulant that Uuna-Xor had used since that one had seemed effective. Once the cardiovascular injector was loaded she injected it into her neck to get it into her bloodstream as quickly as possible. She then set the kit for a powerful pain killer and injected that. Within moments she found that she could move more easily. It was no use using a healing agent, as her fate was sealed.

Not waiting for the compounds to become fully effective, she got to her feet and walked as fast as she could manage back to the lift, took it down to the landing bay level, and made it to the shuttle. Slumping down into a seat in the cockpit, she had to remind herself that she didn't have time to close her eyes and rest, or it would be the last thing she ever did. She activated the temporal transmitter and started to record her final message.

*

Four and a half hours earlier, as the shuttle containing Cerah, Buhari, Jeuls'e, Uuna-Xor and the escorting guards crossed the distance between Tethys and the open landing hatch of Mord'thet, Cerah received a transmission with a temporal signature. It was a video message. Immediately curious, she opened it. Instead of opening as a two-dimensional hologram above the console, it came up on one of the small displays in front of her that was normally used for course calculations. What surprised her even more was when her own face appeared; bruised, bleeding, weary, but unmistakably her.

"Don't alert Buhari to this," the image said imperatively but in a subdued voice to avoid the message being overheard, "but you need to stall your landing to hear me out."

Cerah promptly brought the shuttle to a halt and paused the message.

"Why have we stopped, Lieutenant?" Buhari asked from the equipment room.

"Just running one more scan for defences on a tight beam, just to be thorough," Cerah replied, activating the sensor beam for the benefit of anyone monitoring them from Tethys.

"Very well," Buhari said, and went back to his conversation with the alien women.

Now understanding why the message had been programmed to show on her display instead, Cerah resumed playing it.

"Your mission on the station will fail," her future self informed her groggily, looking like she was about to keel over. "Your two alien friends will turn on you and kill the whole landing party."

Cerah listened as her future self described in as much detail as she could remember the precise moment that Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor would make their move. By the time she was done, her future self looked like she was moments from death.

"I'm about to die," future Cerah said, as though confirming her counterpart's thoughts. "They infected me with that parasite in Jeuls'e's brain, I don't really know why. By the time I woke up Jeuls'e was already dead. But take whatever precautions you need to so that none of this happens." Then the message ended.

Cerah tried not to imagine the passing of her future self after having transmitted the message, but the haunting nature of what she'd been told made that impossible. She snapped back to her present situation when Buhari spoke to her.

"Lieutenant, how's the scan coming along? Anything for us to worry about?"

"No, sir. It looks clear," Cerah replied, disengaging the scan and piloting the shuttle into the long landing bay.

She landed it near the door at the far end that led into the station and powered down the engines. When she went into the equipment room, Buhari took a pair of omniscanners from a locker and passed one to her.

"Might I recommend taking one of your medical kits also, as a precaution in case anyone triggers defences that may not have been disarmed by the security code, such as in areas that require a higher level of clearance than we've been granted," Jeuls'e said.

"A wise precaution," Buhari said in agreement. He took one out of the locker and handed it to Cerah.

"Might I suggest that you and I each take a pistol, sir? We have no idea what could be on this station," Cerah suggested.

"I doubt we'd need them, with an armed contingent with us, but if it will give you greater peace of mind."

Grateful that he'd agreed to it, she put down the scanner and medi-kit and took two pistols in shoulder holsters from another locker and passed one to him. They both removed their jackets and put them on, and then put their jackets back on over the top. She noticed Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor cast each other a discreet look of understanding while this happened.

"Shall we?" Buhari said, leading the way out of the shuttle.

Cerah gestured for the guards to escort the prisoners out first. Once the two alien women had exited, and she was no longer in their sight, Cerah quickly reached back into the weapons locker and took out an extra pistol, which she tucked into the back of her uniform slacks under her jacket so it would be out of sight. Retrieving her scanner and the medi-kit, she then left the shuttle and closed its hatch behind her, careful not to turn her back to the two women to ensure that the bulge of the extra weapon wouldn't be spotted, slender though it was. She noticed that the gravity was slightly greater on the station, but was too preoccupied with what was to come to take a reading of it.

Buhari did a scan before touching the door control. As they entered the foyer-like area beyond, Cerah observed how unsuspecting Buhari seemed to be about what could happen here. Even though she'd remained guarded towards their prisoners, she too had evidently allowed her guard to lower enough to be misdirected by them, according to the account of her future self.

"Which way from here?" Cerah asked the aliens.

"Our liberator took us away from here using a transportation device, so we didn't see where we were in relation to here, but from what I recall of when we were brought here, our holding cells were three levels above us," Uuna-Xor said.

Cerah wasn't really listening to Buhari as he announced his scanner results and talked about accessing the station's database. She was looking at Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor, knowing that at this very moment they were plotting to kill them all. She had to force herself to avoid making eye contact with them, as the look in her eyes might betray that she was onto them. For the time being she had to behave as she would naturally. Any attempt to accuse them now would seem unfounded. It had to be at the right moment, as risky as that was.

"There was an administration area with interrogation rooms on the level where we were held. You should be able to access it from there," Jeuls'e said to Buhari.

Cerah checked her scanner for a way of getting to it. "There's a lift that way," she said, pointing along the passage straight ahead.

Buhari led them to the lift, which they took to three floors higher, leading them to the wide passage that was lined with prisoners frozen in an instant of time in their cells.

Not caring to voice her observations at the moment, Cerah silently ran some scans of the cells. Buhari started wandering along the passage taking scans of his own.

"There's what appears to be an office or command centre over there, probably the administration area. I'm going to see if the database can be accessed from it," Buhari said, heading over to it and going inside.

Cerah remained near the alien women and their guards as she continued her scans, making sure she never turned her back to them.

Indicating the direction opposite to the way Buhari had gone, Jeuls'e said, "The cells that we were in are a little further along that way."

Cerah tensed. Those were the words that her dying future self had said meant that the two women were about to strike. She put down the medi-kit that she was still carrying to free up that hand, and switched her scanner over to her left hand so that her right would be free to reach for her holstered weapon.

Having momentarily diverted the guards' attention, Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor made their move. In perfectly timed unison, they spun around and snatched the pistols from the two nearest guards, at the same time kicking them in the side of the knee. Without hesitation they fired the pistols at the other two guards, stunning them.

Seeing Cerah drawing the pistol from her holster in her peripheral vision, a move that she'd anticipated, Jeuls'e timed her movement to kick it out of her hand just as it was pointed at her.

Cerah had expected her to be ready for it, and with as much vampiric speed as she could muster, she stepped forward and kicked Jeuls'e sharply in the abdomen before she could aim her own weapon. As the Thalshük was sent stumbling backwards, Cerah reached back and drew the second pistol from under her jacket. With only a split second to aim, she fired and hit Jeuls'e square in the chest. Swiftly turning her attention to Uuna-Xor, who had just kicked one of the guards in the side of the head, she fired again.

Alerted by the sounds of the fighting, Buhari came running over to them with his weapon drawn to find Cerah standing over the unconscious forms of their two prisoners and two of the guards. The other two guards were sitting on the floor, nursing their injured knees. "What happened?"

"They tried to take us by surprise," Cerah explained. "They're just stunned, which is more than they deserve."

"Well done, Lieutenant, you seem to have handled the situation admirably. Go back to the shuttle and contact Tethys. Tell them we need a medical team and additional security," Buhari said, retrieving Cerah's medi-kit to see what he could do for the injured guards.

"Right away, sir," Cerah said, breathing a sigh of relief as she left. Things could have still gone very badly, even with her foreknowledge, but everyone had survived, even Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor. They'd no doubt be sent to join the dissidents once they returned to Epoch.

Because the station's outer hatch was still open, she was able to establish contact with Tethys without having to launch. With a chill she realised that this would have been exactly where her future self would have sent her message from while being moments from death. At least that had now been averted.

When the call went through, a holographic image of Captain Devlin standing on the ship's bridge appeared above her console.

"What's the situation, Lieutenant?" he asked with an edge in his voice.

"The station's secure. Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor attempted a violent escape, but they've been subdued," Cerah reported.

"Casualties?"

"A couple of the guards have leg injuries, and the other two were stunned. Other than that everyone came out of it okay."

"Would your success in handling the situation have anything to do with a transmission that your shuttle received, which had a temporal signature?"

Cerah groaned inwardly. Just when she thought she was in the captain's good books, something like this had to be discovered.

"It's no use attempting to delete the message, we've already retrieved it remotely," Crawford said, stepping into the holographic field of view.

"If you've seen the message then you must know how things turned out the first time around," Cerah said, not sure how else to defend the actions of her own future self.

"We'll speak more about it when you return to the ship," Devlin said.

"Lieutenant Commander Buhari has requested reinforcements to manage the prisoners, and a medical team."

"I'll have them sent over right away," Devlin said, and ended the call.

Cerah dreaded the next conversation she would have with the captain. It would be Córdoba all over again. Or maybe this would be the last straw. Her ambivalence and reconsiderations about her career might not matter anymore if the choice was made for her. At least then she'd be free to pursue a career in deep space exploration. Then again, a dishonourable discharge from Temporal Security wouldn't exactly look good on her application. There wasn't anything she could do until she spoke with the captain again, so she left the shuttle and returned to where Buhari and the two conscious guards were keeping a close eye on Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor.

"The captain's sending some more people over," Cerah reported.

Buhari nodded in acknowledgement. "In the meantime, I'll leave you to watch the prisoners while I see about accessing the station's database." He went back to the room that he'd originally gone to investigate.

Weapon in hand, Cerah kept an eye on the two unconscious women. She couldn't help but wonder why in the other course of events they'd gone to the trouble of infecting her future self with the Seinarüdth parasite. Surely it would have been safer for them to just shoot her like they did the others. Unless they were using her body to incubate more parasites. But then what had caused Jeuls'e's death? Perhaps Uuna-Xor had turned on her as well, with some plan of her own. Or she'd botched up the procedure of extracting some of the parasite's genetic material to infect her with. If only her future self had been able to include more information in her message, but if she'd tried to do so she might've died before being able to send it.

Half an hour later another team arrived, led by Peter. The medics hurried over to check on the wounded guards, while the newly arrived guards went and picked up the unconscious aliens and carried them away to return them to their confinement on Tethys.

Peter came straight over to Cerah. "I trust you're alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Since the station's been secured and the defences aren't active, the captain figured he could spare me to help you investigate this place."

"We'd better check in with Buhari first," Cerah said, and led him to the room full of consoles and monitoring systems.

"This is most fascinating technology," Buhari commented when he noticed them.

"You've managed to figure it out then?" Cerah asked. None of what she saw made any sense to her.

"I've been able to extrapolate some of it with my scanner's visual translation. In the prisoner manifest I've found which cells belonged to those who had been released from here, including the Thalshük man you picked up from the year 1263. They all came from this level. I've also located a larger stasis cell at the top of the station, currently empty, but which contained a weapon. Presumably whoever released those prisoners took it."

"What sort of weapon was it?" Peter asked.

"It doesn't have a description, at least not one that I've been able to find and decipher. It just says that was called Paragon."

"We'll check it out if you like."

"It could be worthwhile seeing if there's still anything to be learned about it. After all, if our mysterious enemy has some powerful secret weapon at their disposal we need to know what we're up against. It's a higher security area, so there may be additional defences that haven't been deactivated."

"We'll be careful," Peter assured him, and he and Cerah returned to the lift to go up to the top level.

"Why bother to put a weapon in stasis?" Cerah wondered as the lift began its smooth ascent.

"To preserve it over an extended period of time so that its components don't degrade? Why else would they store it here rather than in a well guarded military base?"

"Whatever it is, it must be something pretty special."

After a moment of silence, Peter said, "I saw the message that you received from yourself in the future."

Cerah looked at him. She'd hoped that he hadn't seen it. When the lift stopped they stepped out and proceeded along a short passage.

"Crawford had it played on the bridge when it was retrieved from your shuttle," Peter explained. "I'm just glad to see that you managed to get through it better off than your other self in the message."

"I can only imagine what the captain's reaction was, especially after that 'talking to' he gave me after I doubled back in Córdoba."

"He certainly wasn't happy."

"That was a different temporal aspect of me. How can I be reprimanded for something that I didn't do. All I did was receive a message."

"He'll probably quote protocol and say that you should've stopped watching the message the moment you knew it was from the future."

"When you see your dying future self in a message, you tend to want to find out what happened."

"I'm not saying I disagree with you. In your place I would've done exactly the same thing. I'd bet that even the captain would've played it through and acted on it if it'd been him in the message. I'm just saying that you need to be ready for the repercussions of it. But the fact that it wasn't you now who sent it, but rather another temporal aspect of you, should help in your defence. I doubt it'll go to trial or anything."

"I hadn't even thought about a trial," Cerah said worriedly. "I was just expecting to get fired."

"Well hopefully neither of those things will happen. I'm sure you'll be fine," Peter said, stopping and pulling her into a comforting embrace.

"I needed that," Cerah said when he let go. "I've got no idea what's going to happen from here."

"You're alive, that's the main thing."

They came to a control office that looked like a smaller version of the one that Buhari was examining. Across the passage from it was a single empty holding cell that was several times larger than the rest.

"Looks like we found the deluxe suite," Cerah remarked.

They went into the control office to see what they could learn from it.

As they used their scanners to try to extrapolate what the alien writing on the displays meant, Peter said, "I've been thinking about how easily either of us could be killed on a mission, even as vampires."

"The risk is part of the job."

"Exactly. I want you to promise me something. If we're ever in a life and death situation together and I tell you to run, I want you to promise me that you'll do it, regardless of you outranking me."

"You're serious?" Cerah asked.

"I've never been more so," he said, looking her in the eyes. "And it's not simply some chivalrous thing because you're a woman; it's a fact of our age as vampires that if a situation will get the better of me then it will certainly get the better of you too. And don't think of honouring my request as constituting an act of cowardice. I'm willing to die to ensure that you get clear of the danger and survive."

"How could you ever expect me to leave you behind to die?"

"This is the most important thing I will ever ask of you. I want you to promise me."

Seeing how much it meant to him, she reluctantly agreed. "Alright."

"You promise?"

"Fine. I give you my word."

"That's all I needed." He stepped forward and hugged her again.

Cerah reciprocated, melting into his arms. Clearly, having seen her dying future self in the message had affected him deeply. She was moved by how much he clearly loved her, but at the same time it hurt that it seemed to be an entirely platonic love.

When the longest hug she'd ever received in her life ended, Peter met her gaze again, but quickly got back to their work of examining the station's systems, which Cerah suspected was because it had occurred to him that his affection might give her the wrong impression. As she too resumed her scans, she said, "I wonder if this weapon was what Lehrvo'x was coming back to the station for before we intercepted his ship."

"It's very possible that he knew of its existence," Peter agreed.

An hour later, when they'd gathered all the information that they could with their omniscanners, they returned to the level where Buhari was. He informed them that he was preparing to return to the shuttle. Cerah was dreading facing the captain, but the sooner it was over and done with the better.

Once they'd returned to Tethys, Cerah, Peter and Buhari made their way straight to the bridge. They all handed their scanners over to Vyetrus and Elsa so that they could upload the data that they'd collected and start analysing it.

"Sub-lieutenant Dawson, conduct a time scan and pinpoint when exactly the prisoners were released," Devlin ordered.

"Certainly, sir," Peter said, and returned to his post.

"Captain, you'll be interested to know that a weapon was stored on the station that's no longer there. Best guess is that whoever released the prisoners took it with them," Buhari reported.

"What's the nature of the weapon?" Devlin asked.

"We weren't able to ascertain that. Hopefully Vyetrus will be able to learn more from the data that was collected."

"Once we've determined when the prisoners and this weapon were taken we'll be going back to shortly before it occurred, so we'll have an opportunity to examine it then."

Cerah, hoping the captain had forgotten about her, was about to return to her station when Devlin asked to speak to her in his office. The moment had come. She followed him inside and the door closed behind them.

Remaining standing, Devlin turned to her. "Lieutenant, we've had this conversation before."

"Yes, sir," Cerah said, waiting for him to direct the conversation before she started voicing her counter-arguments.

"Even in extenuating circumstances we must follow Temporal Security's protocols. I'd be the first to say that initiative is a commendable attribute, but only inasmuch as it doesn't break protocol."

Cerah couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So for the sake of protocol I should've just sat there and died? And everyone else too? What would that have accomplished?"

"If everyone started using that same type of initiative, what would that accomplish? There would be paradoxes cropping up all over the place."

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Against my better judgement, go ahead."

"I can appreciate that if everyone started doing in on every mission there would be pandemonium in the timeline, but on this occasion I believe the decision was not one of poor judgement. I saved not only my own life but the lives of several members of your crew, including one of your senior officers, as well as the prisoners in our charge. And that aside, it was a different temporal aspect who sent the message across time, not me."

"We both know that it's still what you would've done, because you did. No amount of temporal aspect arguments will negate it. I'm going to forego passing judgement for the time being because I still need you on this mission. When we return to Epoch I'll discuss the matter with Admiral Rivette, and decide if any disciplinary action should be taken. In the meantime, some exemplary behaviour and performance would go a long way towards helping your case."

Cerah felt like she was being told off by a teacher at school. Reprimanding his officers didn't seem like something that Devlin had had to do very often.

"Perhaps you should give your career direction some serious reconsideration," Devlin continued. "Commander Crawford mentioned that she once suggested that you look into joining the Vampire Elite Squads. However, I feel that you're too much of a loose cannon to do that sort of isolated strike team work to be able to offer an official recommendation for you in good conscience."

"Sir, with all due respect, unless I'm dismissed from the organisation I believe my career direction in Temporal Security is my business alone."

"You're absolutely right, Lieutenant. So give it some thought and choose your direction. Dismissed."

Cerah left the office, and Devlin accompanied her out to the bridge.

"Sir, I've isolated the time that the prisoners were released to within a day of August 4th, 2398. I can't be more specific because of the radiation in the nebula," Peter reported as Cerah went to her console.

"That's close enough," Devlin said. "Ensign Fitzpatrick, take us to August 3rd of that year, same relative spatial location."

A green halo became visible around the edge of the window, and within a matter of minutes Tethys was in position before Mord'thet in the year 2398. It looked just as it had when they'd first arrived there in 2509, with the hatchway shut.

"Sub-lieutenant Turner, transmit the security code that Uuna-Xor gave us," Devlin ordered.

"Aye, sir," Russ said, and did so. As before, the doors of the wide hatch slowly parted.

"Vyetrus, I'd like you and Lieutenant Dawson to set up a series of sensor relays leading from the landing bay to deep inside the station's interior so that we'll know the moment anyone materialises in there to start releasing prisoners," Devlin said.

"That should not take long," Vyetrus replied, and he and Peter left the bridge.

Shortly afterwards Russ received a confirmation that they were departing, and moments later their shuttle could be seen flying into the station's landing bay.

Over an hour passed before their shuttle was seen emerging from Mord'thet and returning to Tethys. Several minutes after that the two men reported back to the bridge.

"Captain, we have set up sensor relays near the cells of the prisoners whom we know will be released, all of whom are presently accounted for. Upon Sub-lieutenant Dawson's advice, we also positioned one near the cell containing the Paragon weapon. As soon as anyone materialises near any of them we will be immediately alerted," Vyetrus said.

"I take it the weapon was still there?" Devlin asked.

"Yes, Captain."

"What sort of weapon is it?"

"It's best if we show you, sir," Peter said, and took the omniscanner he was holding over to Russ' station.

As curious as anyone, Russ promptly uploaded the active data and brought it up through the communication system as a large holographic screen in front of the main window.

All present were fascinated by the sight before them. The image was that of a basically humanoid crystalline statue that was deep blue in colour but which seemed to be aglow with an inner energy. Its surface looked completely smooth, including its blankly staring eyes.

"What kind of weapon is it? Some sort of crystalline soldier, or an android that serves as a tactical coordinator?" Devlin wondered.

"We weren't able to scan it because of the temporal stasis," Peter said.

"It certainly looks artificial," Crawford said.

"It appears to lack any reproductive capability, which does therefore seem to confirm that that it is indeed an artificial life form, unless it does so by a form of advanced mitosis," Vyetrus said.

"It's a shame its mouth is shut. A look inside might've given us some extra clues as to its internal workings and structure," Devlin said.

"Or it may just look the same as the outside," Buhari remarked.

"I wonder if perhaps Jeuls'e might know something about it, having served in the Thalshük military with high level clearance," Peter said.

"I doubt she'll be very forthcoming now, but it's worth a try. Thoughts, Lieutenant O'Neil?" Devlin asked.

"Honestly, I doubt she'd be any more cooperative with me now than she would with anyone else," Cerah replied.

"See what you can do. Vyetrus, you might be able to relate on more of a scientific level, should she decide to share anything about this weapon's specifications or operation."

Cerah and Vyetrus both acknowledged the captain and left the bridge.

As they walked, Cerah decided to share her theory with Vyetrus. "It occurred to me that this weapon could be what Lehrvo'x was really coming back to Mord'thet for."

"By altering a temporal stasis field to send him back in time to before it was taken by his liberator?"

"Something like that."

"That may have been his intention, but it would not have been successful. I examined the station's stasis technology while I was setting up the sensor relays with Sub-lieutenant Dawson, and those systems are simply too primitive to use for anything other than a time freeze. Even I could not reconfigure one for that purpose without additional higher technology. Hence the appeal of the possibility of capturing a time ship."

When they entered the holding area they found that Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor had been placed in cells at opposite ends of the room so that they couldn't conspire or coordinate a further escape attempt without it being overheard, with Jeuls'e in the nearest cell to the entrance. Cerah thought it a sensible precaution, since their last attempt had been so well planned and coordinated that it would've been successful had it not been for the message from the future. The prisoners were both sitting on their beds a little groggily, and appeared to have only just recovered from being stunned.

Cerah could tell that Jeuls'e knew that they were there, but she didn't look up at them. Cerah cleared her throat.

"I can't imagine that either of us has anything to say to the other that will make any difference now," Jeuls'e said, still not meeting her gaze.

"So what was your plan on Mord'thet? To infect me with that Seinarüdth parasite? What would that have accomplished? And then what, try to get away in one of the station's escape pods?"

Jeuls'e didn't reply.

"No matter. We've come here to ask if you know anything about a weapon called Paragon," Cerah said.

Jeuls'e instantly looked up at her. "How do you know if it?" she demanded.

"It was being kept on Mord'thet. We've travelled over a century back in time to the day before you and the dissidents were released, when Paragon was also taken. We're going to capture whoever it was when they arrive, but we were hoping you could offer some insight as to what sort of weapon it is."

"If you're about to intercept them before they take it, then it no longer matters what it is. Just be sure not to release it yourselves or it will be the last thing you ever do."

"Well the first time around it wasn't the last thing that your rescuer did."

"Maybe he knew what he was dealing with."

With difficulty, Cerah willed herself not to react with anger to her obstinacy and condescension. But Jeuls'e had already shown her hand in the escape attempt, so she had nothing to lose with her defiance, and nothing to gain by keeping up the pretence of cooperation.

"I think it would be best if we return to the bridge," Vyetrus suggested.

"Couldn't agree more," Cerah said, and they left.

*

Shortly before midnight that night in the maintenance passages, the brown-robed being was once again conversing with their black-robed master through their multi-com. Ever cautious, they were again doing so in a whisper.

"What's the situation?" the one in black asked.

"Tethys is in position near Mord'thet. They've isolated the day that we took the prisoners, but not the exact time. Sensor relays have been set up so that they'll know the moment either of us materialises there. Devlin has assigned round-the-clock shifts to monitor the relays, the ship's time field is active, and the sensors are also being constantly monitored for any sign of an approaching ship, although the sensor range has been limited considerably by the radiation and mineral density in the nebula, and communications even more so. What can we do to prevent them from identifying or even capturing our past selves?"

"Leave that to me. You will know when I've made my move. Then apprise me if they intend to make another attempt at intercepting us on Mord'thet, as their destruction may become necessary if they do."

"Understood. Can I assume that you're nearby?"

"Yes. My ship is near enough for you to use your temporal displacement unit to leave Tethys if it becomes necessary, but stay aboard for as long as you can without being compromised."

*

Cerah had been assigned to supervise the second overnight shift to monitor the station, which had begun at 0200 hours. She was looking at her multi-com for probably the hundredth time, which currently read 0557 hours, when a call came through from Peter. He looked like he'd just woken up, and given the time that was probably the case.

"How goes the vigil?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"Let's just say that if it was possible for boredom to be terminal I'd know it by now. I've done so much pacing that I'm pretty sure I'm wearing out the carpet. The most interesting thing that's happened so far was when a small pebble floated past the window." As she said this, Cerah noticed Elsa, who was manning the main sensors, nodding in agreement while stifling a yawn of her own.

"If it's any comfort I'll be joining you there in a couple of hours. I was going to hit the gym before breakfast."

"Don't talk to me about breakfast, I'm starving," Cerah said enviously.

"Maybe I can sneak something up to the bridge before the captain gets there."

They were interrupted when the readings on Elsa's console suddenly changed. "Cerah," she called out urgently.

"What is it?" Cerah asked, going over to her.

"The prisoners that we've been monitoring have all just vanished at once!"
Chapter 8

Rogue Planet

"How can they have just vanished?" Cerah asked.

"One moment they were there, the next they were all gone, including the Paragon weapon," Elsa replied.

Cerah checked that there was still a green aura around the window, which there was, so the ship's time field was still up. Looking down at the image of Peter on her multi-com, she said, "I've got to call the captain." Peter nodded as she tapped the screen and ended the call. Tapping it again, she said, "Captain Devlin."

Within a couple of seconds his image appeared, bleary-eyed from being woken up. "What's the situation, Lieutenant?" he asked, knowing that Cerah would've only contacted him at that time if there was something noteworthy to report.

"Sir, the sensor relay shows that the prisoners we're watching and the Paragon weapon have been taken. They all disappeared in an instant."

"Is our time field stable?"

"Yes."

"Keep it active. Are there any other ships in the area?"

"No. At least not that we can detect."

"Take no action yet. I'll be right there," Devlin said, and ended the call.

Cerah and Elsa exchanged a worried look with each other, and with the two ensigns who were also on the bridge for that shift. None of them even had a theory for what had happened.

Less than three minutes later Devlin entered the bridge in uniform and ready for action. He cast a brief glance at the station through the window on his way to join them at Elsa's console. "Show me the sensor log."

Elsa backtracked the sensor readings to the moment of the prisoners' disappearance, which showed that one moment all prisoners were present and accounted for, and the next second they were simply gone.

"At least no additional prisoners have gone missing, so there shouldn't be any further incidents of them turning up at various places in history," Devlin said. "I've asked Vyetrus to join us, he'll be here shortly."

"Our sensor range is so limited at the moment that there could be a ship just a few thousand kilometres away and we wouldn't know it. After all, the prisoners had to go somewhere," Cerah said. She still couldn't believe that they'd been snatched from right under their noses.

They went over the sensor log again and again until Vyetrus entered the bridge a few minutes later.

"You sent for me, Captain?" the Messaran asked.

Devlin showed him the sensor log, and then asked, "What are your thoughts?"

"I would say that we're looking at temporal redirection. Somehow, whoever did this has redirected the moment of arrival of whoever released the prisoners, as well as their subsequent departure, to a point further into the past. Since our time field is up we were unaffected, and the moment of change in time appeared to be instantaneous, although it could have taken place anything from days to millennia ago. Whoever did it has possession of some highly advanced temporal technology, centuries beyond what Temporal Security has, I'm afraid."

"Will that have disrupted every interaction we've had with the prisoners in the future?" Elsa asked him.

"I don't see why it would. Since the prisoners were in a state of perfect temporal stasis, it would make no difference to them if they were released a day ago, or a century. Once they were sent to the destinations where we found them they would still have done everything exactly as they had originally."

"I'm guessing it would do no good to scan back to the new moment that they've been taken from and make another attempt to nab them?" Cerah asked.

"No. They would simply shift the moment of their arrival to yet another moment in time, and then another, for as long as we kept making the attempt. They would always remain one step ahead of us."

"So what can we do?" Devlin asked, frustrated at having no apparent options.

"The temporal redirection had to come from somewhere, likely somewhere not far away. Given that we're inside a nebula, it stands to reason that there's a ship nearby. At least there was a few minutes ago when the events on Mord'thet were pushed into the past."

Devlin entered a brief message on his multi-com, ordering all senior officers to their posts. "The ship's probably sitting just outside of our sensor range." To Vyetrus, he said, "I need you to determine the most efficient number of sensor probes and their respective flight paths to extend our sensor range in all directions. If they're still out there I want to know where."

"I can certainly do that, though I must advise that it could pose a tactical hazard. The ship in question is much more advanced than Tethys, and when they realise that we've detected them they may attack."

"I'm aware of that risk, but we can't sit on our hands and let them get away with everything that they've done," Devlin said adamantly.

Vyetrus nodded in acknowledgement and went over to his science station to calculate the probes' trajectories. A matter of seconds later, he said, "It would take twelve equidistant probes to create an expanding dodecagonal sensor field around Tethys. By the time they're far enough away that their individual sensor fields no long overlap they will no longer be within our limited communication range, so more than twelve probes would be wasteful, whereas less might prove insufficient."

"Launch them as soon as you can," Devlin said a little impatiently.

Vyetrus programmed the flight vector formation into twelve probes and announced their launch.

Crawford and Buhari entered the bridge and went straight over to the captain to hear what the situation was. They were followed shortly afterwards by Peter, Russ and Ensign Fitzpatrick, who all took their posts.

After informing Crawford and Buhari of what had happened, Devlin explained that they were now sending out probes in every direction in the hope of finding the ship that had undermined their attempt to apprehend whoever had boarded Mord'thet. He pointed out a holographic display that Vyetrus had set up in front of the main window that showed the progress of the twelve equally distanced probes as they moved away from Tethys, broadening its sensor range.

Crawford entered a quick message on her multi-com and asked the captain, "Do you intend to engage the ship if we can find it?"

"That will depend on what we're dealing with. I'm adamant that those aboard should face justice for what they've done, but at the same time I'm not prepared to risk the lives of the crew on some foolhardy attempt to capture a ship that could very well be decades or even centuries more advanced than our own."

"The probes will leave communication range in less than one minute," Russ reported from the communications console where he was monitoring the strength of the telemetry that they were receiving.

"So far none of the probes have detected anything," Peter said.

Thirty seconds before the probes were about to go beyond communication range, Vyetrus announced, "One of the probes has been destroyed!"

On the holographic display there was a flashing red icon indicating which probe had been lost.

"What did it detect?" Crawford asked.

"Nothing but the nebula," Peter replied. As he reviewed the last moments of the lost probe's telemetry to be certain, he noticed something in its visual recording. Quickly replacing the holographic image, he put up the last seconds of visual data for the captain to see.

The image was full of static, being sent from the edge of their current communication range, but the swirling gases of the nebula were still easily discernible. The probe passed through a small pocket of dust, and when it came out the other side a huge dark silhouette was momentarily visible in the distance, reminiscent in form of an enormous submarine, followed a split second later by a bright blue burst, and the recording ended.

"Redirect the nearest probes to converge on that probe's last location," Devlin ordered urgently, hoping that the probes would respond before they left communication range.

"Was it a ship?" Buhari asked as he wondered about what they'd seen.

"It must've been. It was too symmetrical to be anything else," Devlin said.

"Whatever it was, it was able to shield itself from reflecting any sensor readings. Other than what we saw, it's like it wasn't there," Vyetrus said.

"No sensor readings at all?" Cerah asked, surprised.

"More accurately, a complete lack of readings in the space it occupied."

"How big was it?" Crawford asked.

"Over one kilometre long," Vyetrus said ominously.

Devlin's heart sank. Against a ship of such size, Tethys didn't stand much of a chance. At the same time, the last thing he wanted to do was run away like a frightened gazelle.

"Several of the other probes are closing in on the location," Peter said.

"Show me the visual telemetry for all of those ones," Devlin ordered.

The holographic display showed the images from four probes in a split screen arrangement. When they came to a stop where the other probe was destroyed each of them showed only empty nebula.

"They've gone," Devlin said. In a way he was relieved, but they still needed answers. "Commander Crawford, take a team over to Mord'thet to run a few final scans and retrieve the sensor relays."

When Cerah glanced at Crawford, half expecting to be summoned for the mission, she thought the commander looked almost hesitant before she acknowledged the captain's order and left the bridge to assemble her team.

"Lieutenant O'Neil, I'd like you to have one more try at getting information out of Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor. See if they know anything about that ship," Devlin said.

Not expecting a second visit to be any more productive than the first, but also being grateful about not having to go with Crawford, Cerah said, "Of course, sir. Mind if Vyetrus joins me again? Just in case."

"We won't need him on the bridge for now, at least not until Commander Crawford returns with any additional data."

Vyetrus met her at the door as she left, and together they made their way to the holding area.

"Thanks for coming along," Cerah said.

"I'm happy to be of assistance," Vyetrus replied graciously. "Though in all honesty, I doubt that either Jeuls'e or Uuna-Xor will be very forthcoming."

"Maybe they'll be more relaxed when we assure them that their own timelines haven't been affected by events."

When they entered the holding area they found the two women asleep. Jeuls'e awoke with a start at the sound of footsteps approaching her cell.

"Sorry to disturb you at this time of the morning," Cerah began, trying to start things off on a civil note, "but we have a few more questions." When Jeuls'e didn't respond, she continued, "Whoever released you from Mord'thet still managed to do so."

"Can this not wait? I've only just awoken," Jeuls'e said irritably.

"They still took Paragon as well."

"I'm sure there's nothing I can do to help you get it back."

"Do you happen to know anything about a massive ship that doesn't appear on sensors?"

"What of it?"

"We've just spotted it in the nebula." When Jeuls'e looked alarmed, Cerah assured her, "It disappeared though."

"That doesn't mean it won't be back."

"Jeuls'e," Uuna-Xor called from her cell, "He left us behind. We owe him no loyalty."

Jeuls'e still looked hesitant to say anything, so Cerah asked, "What does she mean?"

Still Jeuls'e remained silent.

"What happens to this ship will happen to us!" Uuna-Xor emphasised.

"Perhaps we are talking to the wrong woman," Vyetrus said.

Jeuls'e sighed. "I'll tell you what I can."

"Anything you can give us would be helpful," Cerah said.

"Let me be clear, it's not you that I'm trying to help."

"Fair enough."

"Shortly before your ship reached Mord'thet, we received a message outlining an opportunity for us to escape."

"Pardon my interruption, but how did you receive such a message, and from whom? Your quarters were monitored, and no transmissions were reported," Vyetrus asked.

"It was the man who released us from Mord'thet. I do not know how he sent it to us, but his image appeared on the screen in our quarters."

"Did you see his face?" Cerah asked immediately.

"No. As before, his face was concealed by a black hood. He said that if our escape attempt was successful we were to launch from the station in an escape pod and he would retrieve us, and that even Tethys wouldn't be able to prevent him from doing so. In his assurances that he could do what he promised, he described his ship as being mighty and powerful. It would be safe to conclude that the ship you saw was his."

"He said he would get us away from here before he destroys Tethys," Uuna-Xor added in a tone of urgency, clearly expecting that destruction to be imminent. "If he intended to keep his word he would've been able to transport us out of these cells in the same way that his subordinate took us from Mord'thet."

"I find myself forced to question whether or not he will attempt to destroy this ship," Vyetrus said. "Putting aside the fact that his ship has left, despite no doubt having the capability of destroying Tethys while sustaining very little damage itself, it would be disadvantageous to destroy us. His pattern of behaviour so far has been covert. If we are destroyed, a forensic examination of the debris would no doubt leave some clues as to who is responsible."

"I think the last thing he would want is a spotlight being shone on his operation," Cerah agreed. "Even if he uses this Paragon weapon, some trace would be left as to what happened."

"Maybe. I don't know for sure," Jeuls'e said.

"What can you tell us about Paragon?" Vyetrus asked.

"It was still in development when Uuna-Xor and I were arrested, but by then I had obtained some information about it. It's constructed of a semi-fluidic crystalline lattice, which serves to combine pico-circuitry and energy storage within a durable but flexible physical structure."

"I expect it has some form of artificial intelligence?" Vyetrus asked.

Jeuls'e nodded. "It would need to be able to understand and follow orders."

"How extensive is its intelligence?" Cerah asked.

"That I do not know. All I know is that it was designed to be the single most effective weapon the empire had ever constructed. Unlike a bomb, that single unit could be unleashed a limitless number of times."

"Would they have made more than one?"

"I believe it was their intention to. However, if they had, it is not likely that the empire would have fallen. I expect its demise took place before additional production was completed. As to why it was being kept in temporal stasis on Mord'thet, I couldn't even guess."

Uuna-Xor interrupted them. "I strongly suggest that you get your ship out of this region. Despite your theories about that giant ship not wanting to risk leaving any evidence by destroying us all, it's not a certainty. And right here and now, he knows where we are."

"We can't leave yet. Some of our people have just gone back to the station to retrieve equipment and gather any more data that they can," Cerah said.

"Have your captain recall them, and just leave."

Cerah didn't think Uuna-Xor would be so worried without reason. She seemed convinced that their mysterious enemy would return to destroy them. "I'll have a word to the captain."

When Cerah and Vyetrus had left the holding area, Cerah asked him, "Was anything that Jeuls'e said useful?"

"It is certainly useful to know the nature of the weapon. Unfortunately we still know nothing of its power."

"If crystals can store power, does that mean energy weapons won't have any effect on it?"

"That probably depends on the type of energy weapon. It would probably be able to absorb raw electrical energy, and possibly even some types of radiation, but the collision of antiparticles, such as the positrons used in human weaponry, would still cause subatomic annihilation at the point of impact."

"As long as it's not invincible."

When they reached the bridge they informed the captain of Uuna-Xor's concerns.

"We'll leave as soon as Commander Crawford and her team returns," Devlin said.

"Captain, I've just picked up an energy spike similar to those that occurred before we reported back to Epoch," Peter said.

"Location?"

"Right in the middle of the engine room."

"Captain, from a tactical standpoint, such an overt move can only mean one of two things; either they're desperate and have nothing to lose, or they don't anticipate that we'll will be around long enough to tell anyone about them," Cerah said.

"Considering the enormity and capability of the ship we saw, I do not think it an act of desperation," Vyetrus said.

"Nor do I," Devlin agreed. To Cerah, he said, "Get down there and either capture or kill whoever it is. Take whoever you need."

Cerah nodded to the captain, and called out, "Peter, you're with me."

The two of them took pistols from the weapons locker and hurried from the bridge at vampiric speed.

Before they even entered the engine room they heard a deep alarm sounding. As they ran in with their weapons held ready they were met with a devastating scene. The entire engineering crew lay motionless in various places around the chamber, some with pistols in their hands or on the floor beside them. Warnings were flashing on all of the displays. Sparks were shooting from the main engine assembly and several of the consoles. The assailant was nowhere to be seen.

The two vampires dashed about, checking the engine crew's pulses.

"I think they're all dead," Peter said regretfully.

Cerah went over and checked the chief engineer. "Emmett's alive!"

Peter hurried over. "Looks like he's in a pretty bad way. I'll call Doctor Ashworth. You update the captain."

Leaving Emmett to Peter, Cerah called Devlin.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Whoever was here has gone, but he's killed all of the engineers except for Lieutenant Emmett, who's unconscious. From the alerts on the displays it looks like the engines have been sabotaged."

After a moment Devlin replied, "Vyetrus is on his way to assess the damage. Don't do anything until he gets there."

"Understood." Cerah ended the call and went over to where Peter was kneeling beside Emmett.

"The doctor's on her way. She said not to move him," Peter said.

When Vyetrus arrived it didn't take him long to figure out what was happening. "The engines are overloading."

"Was it an attempt to destroy the ship?" Cerah asked.

"No, just the engines it seems," Vyetrus replied as he quickly worked at a console to limit the damage. A minute later the alarms stopped and the alerts on the screens disappeared. Immediately he called Devlin. "Captain, I've stopped the overload that was in progress, but considerable damage has already been done. The main engines are offline, both super-light and sub-light. Even the antigravity thrusters have taken some damage. In fact the only propulsion system unaffected is the manoeuvring thrusters. I should also advise you that the time drive has been damaged."

"Someone didn't want us going anywhere. See what repairs you can get a start on until the night shift engineers arrive to assist you. I've already called them, so they'll only be a few minutes."

Doctor Ashworth arrived with a medi-kit and dashed straight over to Emmett. When Vyetrus told them that there wasn't anything they could do to help in the engine room, Cerah and Peter left and returned to their posts on the bridge.

Devlin looked tense as he paced the bridge, as though expecting Tethys to be attacked at any moment, with it being particularly vulnerable with the time field down.

"Sir, the probes that we redirected have just picked up a massive temporal reading on the edge of their sensor range. It looks like some kind of aperture is forming," Peter reported.

"That ship we saw?" Devlin asked.

"This is something much larger than a ship." Peter paused in disbelief as he double checked the sensor telemetry. Turning to face Devlin, he said, "A large planet is materialising. It's a gas giant!"

"What? Let's see it."

Russ brought up the visual telemetry from one of the probes. In the distance, enshrouded in a shimmer of blue light, the unmistakable form of a blue and white banded gas giant finished materialising into existence in the nebula, and as the light from its temporal shift faded it became apparent that the enormous planet was moving towards them.

A sense of dread came over Cerah as she realised that this was why their engines had been disabled; so that they wouldn't be able to get out of the path of the planet or escape its gravitational field. They couldn't even shift to another moment in time before or after the planet's arrival to avoid being engulfed by it. And such a method of attack would leave no evidence of Tethys' destruction for anyone to find, hence why the enemy ship hadn't fired on them. Temporal Security didn't even know what day of 2398 they were in because of the lack of communication, or if they'd even remained in this year. And when another ship was eventually sent to investigate their disappearance, on their temporal scanners it would probably appear as though Tethys had suffered an engine malfunction and had been caught in the gravity of a rogue planet that was passing through the nebula. Simply a tragic misfortune, like the Titanic. Though how their enemy had managed to move a massive planet she couldn't even begin to guess, as such a feat would require a colossal amount of energy.

"Any word from Commander Crawford yet?" Devlin asked desperately, weighing his options.

"No, sir," Russ replied.

"How long until the planet reaches our position?"

"Four and a half minutes," Peter replied.

"Ensign Fitzpatrick, use the manoeuvring thrusters to bring the ship about so that we're facing the planet."

"Captain, with our engines down we may have to evacuate the ship," Buhari suggested reluctantly, well aware that 'abandon ship' was the last order any captain would want to give.

The escape pods had both spatial engines and time drives of their own, so at least the crew would survive to tell the tale. Devlin called Vyetrus.

Despite being busy working on the engines with the other engineers who'd just arrived, Vyetrus took the call. "Yes, Captain?"

"A gas giant has just emerged from a temporal aperture and will reach our position in under four and a half minutes. Would our manoeuvring thrusters be enough to get us out of its path?"

After doing a few quick calculations in his head, Vyetrus replied, "No. Even a small gas giant would have a strong enough gravitational pull to prevent us from covering the distance we'd need in order to escape."

Devlin nodded and ended the call. To Buhari, he said solemnly, "Issue the order. Abandon ship. Instruct everyone to direct their escape pods to Seinarüdth on the 26th of April in 2509." He hated having to give the order. The date that he'd chosen was about when they would've been expected to return to Epoch, so they could contact Temporal Security for rescue without affecting the timeline, and even though it would take the escape pods quite a while to arrive there, Seinarüdth was the nearest uninhabited habitable planet that they could safely land on that would have resources for their survival.

Buhari made the announcement through his multi-com, sending it to the multi-coms of everyone aboard.

Devlin could picture everyone on the ship scrambling to get to the escape pods. The shuttles would be left for the senior officers to evacuate in once the rest of the crew was away. He looked out of the main window. The planet could be seen in the distance, getting steadily closer. It was near enough for its blue and white cloud bands to be discernible. The telemetry overlay from the probes had disappeared, meaning that they'd been swallowed by the planet. "Ensign Lindholm, Sub-Lieutenant Dawson, can you identify that planet and determine where and when it came from?"

Elsa conducted a compositional analysis, and correlated that with the planet's volume, mass and density, which was comparable to Saturn's. "It's a planet called Adelphis, originally from the Pryderi system about sixty light years away."

"I can't give you an exact date that its temporal aperture originated from, but it is from the distant future, several centuries beyond our own time, possibly around the twenty ninth century," Peter said.

"So by our own laws we wouldn't even be able to go and investigate the time that it was sent from," Devlin said.

Less than a minute later the first escape pod ejected from Tethys, but no sooner was it in space than a bright blue flash tore it apart. The same thing happened to the next pod to eject a second later.

"The escape pods are being destroyed the moment they leave the ship!" Peter called out.

At the tactical console, Cerah said, "They were fired at by positron-based energy cannons." She also noticed that the debris from the small pods would quickly be captured by the gas giant's gravity, still leaving no indication that an attack had taken place.

"Halt the evacuation!" Devlin ordered.

Buhari issued the instruction, but not before another two escape pods were destroyed the moment they left the ship.

Devlin felt like his hands were tied. There didn't seem to be anything that he could do to save the lives of his crew. All he knew was that they'd live a few minutes longer by remaining aboard Tethys.

Adelphis now loomed before them, almost filling the whole field of view through the window. The gases of the nebula around it were being drawn by its gravity into the raging storms of its upper atmosphere.

"Captain, both we and Mord'thet have been caught by its gravity," Peter said.

The sensor readings showed that Tethys and the station had started moving towards the oncoming planet. As the distance continued to decrease, they could all feel the planet's gravity on their bodies pulling them forward while the ship's gravity kept them in place, since at least for now it was still the stronger of the two influences. Being pulled in two directions at once was making Elsa feel queasy.

Devlin knew that they couldn't afford to wait any longer for Crawford's team to return from the station. "Use the manoeuvring thrusters and whatever you can get out of the antigravity thrusters to push us away from the planet to at least buy us more time, and level us out relative to the planet."

"Aye, sir," Ensign Fitzpatrick said, and angled the ship so that its underside was towards the planet. This made it no longer visible through the window, but with it directly beneath them its gravity wasn't going to pull them off balance. Already they started to feel a little heavier. Once again facing Mord'thet, they could see the station falling out of sight as it was drawn towards the planet at a higher speed with no engines slowing its descent.

"Lieutenant O'Neil, you've proven to be proficient at adjusting the gravity plating. See if you can compensate for the planet's gravity by creating an adaptive counter effect to maintain an Earth-normal level as we get closer," Devlin said.

Cerah went over to the console that controlled the ship's systems and operations, and proceeded to make the necessary adjustments ship-wide. Immediately the extra gravity was alleviated. With a little tweaking she managed to set the system to automatically adjust the level of compensation as the planet's gravitational pull gradually increased as the ship descended. That done, she returned to her own console.

"Bring up a ventral view," Buhari ordered.

Elsa did so, and a holographic screen appeared in front of the window that was almost as big as it, showing the view below the ship. The planet's upper clouds entirely filled the view, the swirling storms now clearly visible. Mord'thet could be seen below them, now dangerously close to falling into the atmosphere.

They all watched vigilantly for Crawford's shuttle, but so far there was no sign of it. By now her team would be aware of the situation if only because of the change in gravity, even if they hadn't been able to get any sensor readings of what had been happening outside.

Half a minute later, having accelerated to the point where it was dropping like a stone, Mord'thet went into the upper clouds and vanished from sight.

Peter continued to track the station on sensors, giving updates as they came. "It's sinking into a deeper storm layer. The atmospheric force field over its hatchway has just failed. If they're not already inside their shuttle they won't be able to get to it now. They've just closed the hatchway. They must not have made it to the shuttle in time," he said regretfully as the fate of Crawford and those with her was sealed. A moment later he announced, "We're thirty seconds from entering the upper cloud layer ourselves."

"Ensign Fitzpatrick, the further in we get the more turbulent the storms will be. Do your best to keep us stable and upright," Devlin said.

"I certainly will, sir."

As Tethys entered the upper atmosphere the sight of the nebula's coloured gases was gradually replaced by a cloudy haze. The ship rocked slightly as the planet's winds started to take hold of it.

Elsa kept an eye on the compositional analysis from her science station as they entered the white clouds of methane ice crystals mixed with hydrogen and traces of ozone, at a temperature of minus 190 degrees Celsius. But it would only be a matter of time before the pressure and the higher temperature of the planet's depths would exceed what the ship could withstand, and then they'd either be baked or crushed, depending which happened first.

Devlin called Vyetrus again. "We've just entered the planet's atmosphere. What's the engine status?"

"The repairs will still take some time. I'm attempting to repair the antigravity thrusters first as they suffered the least damage, so that we can at least halt our descent."

"Keep me informed." Devlin ended the call and continued watching the image of the clouds below and also through the window. The sky around them was getting more of a light blue tinge, and soon they sank below that cloud layer to where the sky took on more of an azure hue similar to Earth on a summer afternoon. The manoeuvring thrusters were having little effect at slowing their descent, being designed to reposition the ship in open space during docking procedures, not for any real thrust, especially not against the gravity and winds of a gas giant. Out of curiosity, he asked Elsa for a gravitational analysis.

"At our present altitude the gravitational effect is 1.8 times that of Earth," she replied. Half a minute later, she warned, "We're about to enter a layer of ammonia clouds, where the wind speeds will be much greater, around 1,300 kilometres per hour. In that region the pressure will range between 10 and 30 atmospheres." She would have found it much more fascinating if they weren't in mortal danger.

There was a violent jolt as Tethys fell into the much faster moving ammonia clouds and was thrown about too wildly for Fitzpatrick to be able to keep it straight. Everyone held on to their seats or consoles as he tried to redirect their course to be carried with the wind, which he eventually succeeded in doing, at least to some degree. There was still constant swaying and shaking, but he'd regained some control.

Eventually Tethys sank below the ammonia clouds to where the sky was a darker twilight colour, but the turbulence of the winds continued.

"Sir, with your permission I'll launch a sensor probe to keep track of Mord'thet. We're being drawn further around the planet than they are, being not nearly as heavy," Peter said, to which the captain nodded.

"If we set the life support system to increase the oxygen level but at a lower internal pressure it might give us some extra buoyancy to slow our descent at least a little, like the ballast tanks of a submarine," Cerah suggested, wondering if her idea had been inspired by the shape of the massive ship that they'd glimpsed.

"It would also mean that the hull would implode at a lower pressure," Elsa warned.

"Only slightly lower."

"Do it, but only until the pressure puts the ship at risk, just to buy us a little more time," Devlin ordered.

Cerah again went to the systems console and made the adjustment. She knew that it was taking effect because she could feel her ears starting to pop as the internal pressure changed, as could everyone else. She then returned to her post.

Elsa checked the atmospheric analysis. The region they were in was predominantly composed of hydrogen and helium, with traces of other compounds such as ammonium hydrosulphide. The pressure outside the ship had risen to twelve atmospheres, still well within the hull's tolerance, and the temperature had risen to minus thirty degrees.

"Mord'thet is now two thousand kilometres beneath us," Peter reported.

If Devlin had any lingering hopes of anyone making it off the station somehow they now vanished. It was a certainty that the team could not possibly escape from sinking into the depths where they would be crushed by the pressure, if they hadn't already been killed from being thrown about by violent turbulence.

"There's been another energy spike," Peter said.

"Send someone to check it out," Devlin said to Buhari, who relayed the order through his multi-com.

Cerah looked out of the window at the ominous darkness closing around them. Hardly any light was making it this far down, and as the darkness became almost pitch black, with the winds battering the ship about as they continued to sink into the seemingly endless depths, she thought it was kind of like being lost to the depths of the sea.

It wasn't long before Peter informed them that Mord'thet's hull was buckling under the extreme pressure of the planet's depths. Thirty seconds later he declared it lost with all hands, including the hundreds of prisoners who'd still been in stasis.

With a sigh of grief, Devlin whispered almost inaudibly, "Farewell, Daphne."

"Captain, I'm detecting high levels of electrical activity below us," Elsa said with alarm, "at a depth where the pressure is eighty atmospheres, and the temperature is four hundred degrees. We've already sunk over three thousand kilometres into the planet."

Seconds later everything outside the ship was lit up by immense arcs of lightning that revealed pillars of swirling water vapour clouds in rapid motion in the dark blue depths of the inner atmosphere, like dozens of enormous tornadoes. Distant lightning flashes revealed hundreds more throughout the region. Each flash and arc of lightning was many times more intense than anything seen on Earth.

"If that lightning strikes the hull it will tear it open. At this depth the pressure will destroy the ship if we suffer any breach at all," Elsa said.

Well aware of the fact, Devlin said, "Can you recreate what Vyetrus did with the cannons when we tried to simulate the engine signature of a Thalshük ship to make them emit ions?"

"I think so," Elsa said, quickly getting to work. She figured that his idea was to use the ion emissions to channel and discharge any lightning strikes back out into the storm. The ionisation could also attract the lightning, but if the idea worked it wouldn't matter. "It's done!"

A mere moment after she'd put it into effect, a blinding arc of lightning struck Tethys, but caused negligible damage to the hull. Despite the window's filters, the bridge crew were all left with afterimages of the strike for quite a while.

Buhari received a call from one of the crewmen assigned to investigate the energy spike, and then relayed the report to Devlin. "Just like before, they didn't find anything."

"It was probably whoever came and sabotaged the engines leaving after waiting around for a while to ensure that their handiwork succeeded," Devlin said, holding on to his seat as stronger turbulence shook Tethys more violently.

"They were cutting it a bit fine then," Cerah remarked sceptically, not buying his theory. It took a second before she realised that she may have spoken out of turn. Hopefully the captain didn't take it as insubordination.

"Actually, I don't believe it was them," Peter said after checking the sensor log. "There was also an energy spike seconds after the engine room was attacked, but it occurred while Lieutenant O'Neil and I were on our way down there."

Cerah knew that Peter's support of her remark was intended to help, but now she expected to be blamed for it being overlooked since she'd been the one to take Peter away from his post. In an attempt to save the situation by offering an explanation, she said, "Perhaps both of the people who released the prisoners from Mord'thet came aboard, but left at different times."

"With the assumption that one of them was the traitor in our crew, at least now we can take comfort that they've left the ship," Buhari said.

"All the same, with your permission, Captain, I'd like to investigate both of those readings further, at a more appropriate time of course," Cerah said.

Devlin nodded. "By all means..."

He was interrupted as a sonorous groaning of metal could be heard throughout the entire ship.

With dread, Elsa reported what was on her console. "The temperature outside is 1,100 degrees Celsius, and the pressure is 132 atmospheres. The hull is only rated to withstand 125. It could go at any moment."

Another louder groaning of the hull reinforced her point.

"Lieutenant O'Neil," Devlin said.

Cerah promptly dashed over and reset the life support system back to its default setting, and again felt the pressure change in her ears as she returned to her post. Like everyone else, she was well aware that as soon as a breach occurred in the hull at this depth, the entire ship would implode in a matter of moments. Her ballast idea may have only bought them an extra minute or so, but it was better than nothing.

"The good news is that our rate of descent has slowed considerably because of the atmospheric density," Elsa added, trying to add a glimmer of hope more to comfort herself than anything.

Another blinding flash of lightning struck the ship, and for a split second everyone thought the moment of oblivion had come, but their vision cleared, and for now at least, they were still alive.

On Peter's console, the telemetry from the sensor probe ended, indicating that it had been destroyed by either the pressure or the temperature. Because of its small size and shape, it was able to withstand more of each than a starship's hull could, and it was only a few hundred kilometres further down than Tethys, meaning that Tethys would be destroyed somewhere between where it was now and where the probe had met its end. Out of curiosity, he reviewed the last few seconds of video footage from it, and was fascinated to see the rippling surface of luminous liquid metal a hundred kilometres further down, where the pressure had compressed the hydrogen into a metal-like fluidic state. Since his findings couldn't help their situation, and certainly wouldn't do anything for morale, he decided not to voice them unless the captain asked for the details.

Devlin had been holding off on calling Vyetrus for an update on the repairs so as not to cause any delay. When he received a call from the Messaran scientist he answered it with a mixture of relief and dread.

"We're about to bring the antigravity thrusters up to full power," Vyetrus reported, his voice still calm despite the situation.

"That could be the best news I've ever heard," Devlin replied.

The moment full power was restored to the antigravity thrusters, Ensign Fitzpatrick initiated their ascent. There was another groan from the strained hull, but it wasn't as loud as before, which was a great comfort to the crew.

"Captain, may I recommend that we delay leaving the planet's atmosphere?" Cerah said.

"In case that colossus is still out there waiting for us?"

"They probably would've given us up for dead by now, but they might not be far enough away yet that we won't show up on their sensors when we emerge. If we stay for a while at a shallow depth the planet's own movement will carry us further away."

"A wise precaution," Devlin agreed. "Ensign Fitzpatrick, take us to an altitude of one thousand kilometres below the uppermost clouds and hold position."

Fitzpatrick acknowledged the order and monitored their ascent.

"We're back within the hull's pressure tolerance range," Elsa was delighted to announce, although she still had the thought in the back of her mind that if one lightning strike managed to compromise the hull plating the pressure was still easily enough to crush the ship.

It took a while of riding out the turbulent storms, but eventually Tethys reached the altitude that the captain had specified, which was inside the ammonia cloud layer. Fitzpatrick did his best to keep the ship as steady as was possible in the planet-wide storm.

"What's the pressure?" Devlin asked Elsa.

"Twelve atmospheres," she replied, finally able to relax a bit now that they were out of immediate danger. At this altitude a hull breach wasn't likely to occur, but if for some reason it did, it was unlikely to compromise the entire ship.

"Can you get any readings that might indicate whether or not the enemy ship is still out there?" Devlin asked Peter.

"No, sir. This far in, the planet's strong magnetic field is obscuring our sensors at the same time as hiding us from theirs."

"Can you extrapolate our position?"

"Based on how long we've been in here, and given the planet's speed, it will have carried us about 150,000 kilometres from Mord'thet's original position."

"Thoughts, Lieutenant O'Neil?"

"Given that their technology's more advanced than ours, I'd recommend we hold position for half a day, just to be sure. It would also give the engineers more time to make repairs before we're out in the open," Cerah said, hoping it was a good sign that the captain was still asking for her opinion as the chief tactical officer.

"Very well, we'll leave Adelphis in twelve hours. Those who were on the overnight shift should go and get some rest, or at least try to," Devlin said, with the ship still swaying and listing from one side to the other in the intense wind.

Gratefully, Cerah, Elsa and the others who'd been on the same shift filed out of the bridge, finding it difficult to keep their balance because of the constant movement. Cerah decided that investigating the most recent energy spikes could wait until her next shift.

"Tomás is still on his shift, so I'm free if you want to catch up for a bite," Elsa said to Cerah.

"Might as well. It's not likely we'd be able to get any sleep with this turbulence. And I doubt Stargaze will be running in all this."

"That's alright, we can go to my quarters."

"As long as you're not planning to make me eat mustard on toast," Cerah teased.

"Oh, Tomás has come up with worse ideas than that. Ones that I wouldn't try even for the sake of trying to impress him."

"They must be pretty grim."

It proved as difficult to eat their meal as it was to prepare. They'd wisely chosen not to have soup, or even a drink with their meal. As they ate, Cerah voiced the realisation that since Petrov's death she'd hardly spared him a second thought, and wondered if that made her a bad person. Elsa insisted that it didn't, even when Cerah doubted that she'd miss Crawford any more than she did him.

Elsa barely touched her food, feeling a bit out of sorts because of the constant motion of the ship, and Cerah made a remark about her not having her 'sea legs' yet, which she didn't get, and had to have explained to her.

Since there was no chance of either of them getting any sleep while Tethys remained inside the gas giant's atmosphere, they decided to go for a movie marathon, which Tomás joined them for when he finished his shift. Peter also joined them for the final movie, after which the captain made the very welcome ship-wide announcement that they would shortly be leaving the atmosphere.

When the constant turbulence finally ended, they all returned to their respective quarters to get some sleep, which for Cerah would only be about four hours worth before she was due to report for her next shift.

After reluctantly taking the time to change into her silk pyjamas, she flopped back onto her bed as the exhaustion from all of the recent events caught up with her. The moment she hit the bed she heard a sharp metallic zing and an intense pain pierced through her back. Although it didn't seem like it could be possible, she knew she'd been stabbed by a bladed weapon, just a little to the right of her spine. As a sickening coldness spread through her body she knew the wound was serious. She could hardly move and was unable to raise herself off of the blade, and could taste the blood welling up in her throat and leaking from the corner of her mouth. Her breaths became painful spasms, half choked with blood, and her vision was going blurry. She knew that she didn't have long, and had to think rationally if she was to have any chance at all of surviving. Despite her spasmodic breathing, she could tell that the blade wasn't moving; it was fixed in place, not being held by someone hiding beneath the bed. There was no sound of movement from anyone else trying to slip away, which also led her to the conclusion that it must be a planted assassination device. She was certain that her complete debilitation wasn't simply her body being in a state of physical shock; the blade had to have been treated with some form of neurotoxin, so that no matter where it stabbed her when she got onto the bed, it would ultimately prove fatal.

By the time her multi-com alerted the medical unit to her condition she'd probably be dead. With a fierce effort just to lift her arms, she managed to touch her multi-com's screen. She tried to say Peter's name, but the only sound that came out was an unintelligible gurgle as she choked on her own blood. On the brink of giving in to the inevitable, she swallowed hard and quickly said, "Peter." It came out as little more than a whisper, but it was enough for her multi-com to pick up on and make the call.

*

In his quarters, Peter was in the kitchen preparing a bite to eat when the call came through. Seeing that it was from Cerah, he answered it, but was unsure of what to make of the image on the screen showing only a blank surface. Just as he realised that it was a ceiling, the image slowly tilted down to Cerah's face. His heart almost froze in shock at the sight of blood trickling from the side of her mouth, and her eyes that were barely open. Her skin had a terrible pallor, even for a vampire. Despite her best effort she was unable to speak, but Peter was already out of the door.

He ran his absolute fastest along the passages, only pausing momentarily to grab an emergency kit from a wall locker along the way. Fortunately they were such good friends that he had full access to Cerah's quarters at any time of day or night, so the door slid open when he touched the control beside it.

Horrified at how lifeless Cerah looked on the bed, he dashed over to her. She wasn't breathing. He ran a quick scan with his multi-com before doing anything else, and it was just as well that he did, because it showed the blade in her back that would've torn the wound wide open if he'd tried to move her, as well as causing her to lose blood at a much faster rate. It also showed that her pulse was so slow and weak that it was moments from stopping.

Acting swiftly, he opened the medi-kit and took out a cardiovascular injector, pressed it to his own neck over the carotid artery and extracted some blood, and then injected it into Cerah's neck in the same place, hoping that his older vampire blood would stimulate her healing. With the blade in her back he couldn't give her chest compressions, but he carefully leaned over her and gave her a couple of shallow breaths of mouth-to-mouth, not inflating her lungs too much as the internal movement could cause the blade to rupture one of them, or even an artery.

He did another scan. Her pulse was almost gone. He extracted more blood with the injector, but this time he removed the ampoule, took a tiny metal phial from where it was attached to the inside of his boot, and tipped its contents into the ampoule. Several drops of a rich blue liquid that had a faint energised glow dripped into it. He then reinserted the ampoule and injected it into Cerah's neck, and then extracted one more portion of blood from himself and injected it.

Doctor Ashworth entered the quarters with a medi-kit of her own and a bio-scanner and darted over to Cerah. Entering with her were two crewmen with a stretcher who waited by the bedroom door.

"There's a blade in her back," Peter informed her.

"What have you already given her?"

"Only some of my own blood," Peter replied, discreetly slipping the empty phial into his pocket.

"I'll need you to help me lift her directly up off the blade, and then turn her over onto her stomach," the doctor said, indicating for the two with the stretcher to place it on the floor by the bed. She placed her active bio-scanner on the bed nearby where she could watch the diagram of the blade's position. It indicated that Cerah's heart had now stopped, but they continued to work undeterred.

Peter slid his arms under Cerah's torso while Doctor Ashworth supported her head. At a nod from the doctor, Peter carefully lifted her up until the doctor said that the blade was out, and together they turned Cerah over and placed her on the stretcher face down. The doctor pulled up the back of Cerah's pyjama top to see the wound clearly, and then proceeded to use some of the various instruments from her medi-kit, starting with a device that cast a wide blue beam across the whole wound for several seconds, and then a pair of rods that each shone a narrow violet beam near the wound. Peter recognised the rods as deep-healing devices; where the penetrative beams intersected inside the wound they knitted the torn tissues back together. He knew better than to interfere or question the doctor, but he was anxiously mindful the whole time that Cerah was technically dead.

When the doctor had healed the wound sufficiently for it to be safe to attempt resuscitation, she took a pair of cardiovascular stimulators and placed one on Cerah's back over the heart. Then she and Peter turned her onto her back, and she placed another on Cerah's chest under her top.

The limpness of Cerah's lifeless body was heart wrenching for Peter. He hoped and prayed that it wasn't too late to save her. His eyes were moist as he watched the doctor trigger the devices with her bio-scanner. Cerah's body convulsed momentarily, but the scanner still showed no pulse other than the one beat caused by the stimulator. The doctor tried again, and then again, each time with no result. The fourth time, Cerah's heart gave a few feeble beats before stopping again, but Peter took it as a sign of hope. After a couple more attempts her heart started beating continuously, though weakly, and she started breathing again. Peter sighed with relief.

Doctor Ashworth took a hypothalamic regulator from her kit, which was a tiny device the size and shape of a coin. After attaching it to the back of Cerah's head at the base of her skull, she quickly configured it using her bio-scanner, and said, "I need to get her to the medical unit immediately. She's not out of the woods yet."

Peter nodded silently, and the crewmen with Cerah's stretcher carried her out of the room after the doctor. Peter remained in Cerah's quarters to have a closer look at the blade device.

The blade itself was six inches long, not far short of having protruded through Cerah's chest. It had torn through the sheet, which was now stained with blood, from a device embedded in the mattress that was no doubt triggered using a pressure plate. Being careful not to contaminate the crime scene, since a forensic analysis would need to be carried out, he used his multi-com's scanner to see if he could pick up any clues. The results showed traces of a neurotoxin on the blade. Someone had done a thorough job of trying to ensure that Cerah wouldn't survive the attempt on her life. But he was puzzled as to why she was the target. If Jeuls'e or Uuna-Xor had managed to escape their confinement they might have sought revenge on Cerah for thwarting their attempt to make a break for it on Mord'thet, but both women were still safely in their holding cells. Considering that the last time Cerah had slept in her bed was before the stake-out of Mord'thet, the assailant would've had plenty of time to plant the device and get away before the incident with the Adelphis gas giant.

He felt that he should report what he knew to the captain, who was probably by now aware that something had happened, just not what.

The captain received him without delay, and he described what had transpired in as much detail as he could, only leaving out the detail of the phial from his boot that he'd added to the injector. He was grateful to see that the captain did seem to be genuinely concerned for Cerah, that she wasn't merely a crew statistic, even after all of the trouble she'd gotten into with him. The captain offered him some time off, knowing that he and Cerah were close friends. Before he left the office, Devlin informed him that at 1900 hours a memorial service would be held for Commander Crawford and those who'd been lost with her on Mord'thet.

Several hours passed before Peter received a message from Doctor Ashworth informing him that Cerah's condition was stable, and that she could receive visitors. He went straight to the medical unit to see her.

Cerah was lying on one of the beds, now in a white gown, surrounded by various instruments and holographic displays to monitor her condition. She was in a lot of pain and very weak, but still managed to smile at the sight of Peter's arrival.

Peter was only vaguely aware of Lieutenant Emmett lying unconscious on one of the other beds as he went to Cerah's side and took her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been stabbed in the back by some coward who was too afraid to come and do it themselves. But it looks like I'm going to live, thanks to you it seems."

"Doctor Ashworth is the one who did all the work."

"She said that the blood you gave me could've been what kept me going long enough for her to get to me. If you hadn't gotten there when you did she doesn't think I would've pulled through."

"I know you would've done the same for me."

Doctor Ashworth came over to them. "Even with everyone doing all that they could, it's quite the miracle that she survived," she informed Peter.

"Is that because of the neurotoxin I detected on the blade?"

"Indeed. Even against a vampire, it was strong enough that it should've killed her, beyond any possibility of revival."

"Then how am I still here?" Cerah asked.

"I really have no idea. I can only put it down to you either having an extremely stern constitution for someone as young as you are, in vampire terms, or being exceptionally stubborn."

"Definitely the second one," Peter said, and felt Cerah squeeze his hand sharply. But he was simply delighted by the reassurance that her strength was already returning.

Devlin entered the medical unit and joined them. "How are you, Lieutenant?" he asked Cerah kindly.

"Let's just say that you're not rid of me yet," Cerah replied good-humouredly.

"I'm delighted to hear it."

Cerah tried not to show how surprised she was by his remark.

Doctor Ashworth informed him of the miraculous nature of Cerah's survival. "The neurotoxin in question is only to be found on the planet Amazonia in the Tau Ceti system, but being only a dozen light years from Earth it's not exactly hard to come by. It's extremely potent, and causes swift paralysis throughout the body and then death shortly afterwards as the diaphragm and heart are paralysed. Medically speaking, none of our efforts should've been able to stop it, yet somehow here she is."

"Will she suffer any ongoing effects from it?" Devlin asked.

"I've neutralised all residual traces in her system, so once she's finished healing I can give her a clean bill of health. And that's the other mystery; she's healing much more rapidly than I would've expected from a vampire who's only 157 years old."

"Surely that would be because of the blood I gave her," Peter said.

"I happen to know that you're 219, and that's not old enough to have made that much of a difference. I'd wondered the same thing, so I looked up your file, and that's definitely not it. At the rate she's healing, she'll be ready to leave here tomorrow. She'll still need another couple of days off to make a complete recovery though."

"Of course. Whatever she needs," Devlin said, and then turned his attention to Cerah. "I know that your first instinct will be to investigate this matter yourself, but for the time being you need to get some rest. I'll have Vyetrus and Sub-lieutenant Dawson conduct the investigation in your absence, and they can keep you apprised of their progress. In the meantime, I wish you a swift recovery."

"Thank you, sir," Cerah said.

With a parting nod, Devlin left the medical unit, and Doctor Ashworth went into her adjoining office.

"I need to get out of here," Cerah said to Peter.

"I heard that," Doctor Ashworth called out from her office. "What you need is a good night's rest."

"She's right," Peter agreed. "And it's not like you can go back to your own bed tonight, with your quarters being a crime scene."

"I guess you have a point there," Cerah conceded reluctantly, although she had been considering the possibility of crashing on Peter's lounge.

Doctor Ashworth came over to her with a cardiovascular injector. "This is a mild sedative combined with an analgesic to help you to have a more restful sleep."

"And to keep me from wandering off in the night?" Cerah asked.

"Something like that," the doctor said with a slight smile, and pressed it to her shoulder, injecting it through the gown.

"Sure that's a mild sedative?" Cerah asked, already starting to feel like she was nodding off.

"Doctor knows best," she replied, still with a faint smile, as though she knew that Cerah was still harbouring thoughts of sneaking out in the middle of the night.

"I'd better leave you to it then," Peter said, giving Cerah's hand a final squeeze before leaving.

Since she didn't have much of a choice, Cerah tried to get comfortable to go to sleep.

It was late morning the next day when Peter and Vyetrus came to see her in the medical unit. Peter brought her a fresh set of clothes. Once she'd gotten changed, the doctor released her from medical, and she accompanied the two men to a room in the security section that was used for storing evidence, as well as anachronistic artefacts retrieved from other times during missions.

On a table in the middle of the room was the assassination device that'd been planted in her mattress, which had now been cleaned. It was a basic mechanical device, with a supporting base plate to keep it straight while inside the mattress, and a pressure plate to trigger it with the blade ejector in the centre.

"Any theories as to who put it there?" Cerah asked, entertaining thoughts of using that person's head as a punching bag.

"So you can give them the beating they deserve?" Peter asked. It didn't take a mind-reader to tell what she was thinking.

"No one tries to kill Cerah Jolene O'Neil and gets away with it," she said definitively.

"And they won't. Unfortunately, for the time being we can only attribute it to whoever it was on Tethys who was working in collaboration with the owner of that massive ship who decided to throw a gas giant at us to make a clean job of getting rid of the lot of us."

"Then why target just me this time?"

"Our theory is that whoever it was did it prior to the gas giant incident, most likely while you were monitoring the sensor relay from the bridge," Vyetrus said, "which could indicate that they had no knowledge of the impending gas giant incident, otherwise they would have had no need to kill you."

"An incident that could very well have been intended to get rid of them as well, if they'd outlived their usefulness," Peter added.

"So the guy on the massive ship could've been trying to tie up loose ends at the same time as getting rid of the rest of us," Cerah said.

"But at this stage, that theory is unconfirmed speculation, considering that the person in question must have left the ship while we were inside the atmosphere of Adelphis, as indicated by the energy spike that was detected, and that other ship would've been the only location near enough for them to transport to," Vyetrus said.

"And we're certain that the energy spike was them leaving Tethys?"

"Of course. After all, why would they transport themself aboard a doomed ship?"

A sudden thought occurred to Cerah. "Why would they, unless they were on an even more doomed ship than ours, with nowhere else to go. It could actually have been Crawford! That energy spike could've been her transporting herself aboard Tethys from Mord'thet when it was too deep for the shuttle to get away."

"Surely not the commander?" Vyetrus said.

"Or maybe a member of her team?" Peter said. "I'll look into the backgrounds of each person that was with her on Mord'thet, just in case."

"In the absence of further energy spikes, that theory would imply that the person is still aboard Tethys," Vyetrus said.

"Probably biding their time while they wait for an opportunity to get off the ship," Cerah said. "If I'm right, they could've planted the device while I was hanging out in Elsa's quarters, and used a triggered method like this so that we'd assume it was put in place before they left the ship."

"Even if that's the case, what could they hope to gain by killing you now?" Peter asked.

"Revenge maybe?" Cerah wondered.

"Perhaps they still perceive you as a threat?" Vyetrus said.

"That could be a possibility, since you are the chief tactical officer," Peter said.

"It might not be merely my position on the ship that made me a target. After we got out of Adelphis I was planning to do a more thorough investigation of the most recent energy spikes. What if they were worried that I'd discover that they came aboard rather than left the ship?"

"But how would they have known that?" Peter asked.

Cerah shrugged. "The only time I said anything about it was to the captain."

"It is a possibility, however dreadful, that they may have placed a surveillance device on the bridge, assuming that that's where you were at the time you spoke of your intention?" Vyetrus said.

"Only a limited number of people have regular enough access to the bridge to plant such a device without drawing attention. Anyone else's presence there would be more closely observed," Peter said.

"That in itself points to Crawford," Cerah said.

"Perhaps the confirmation we seek lies in finding such a device," Vyetrus said.

"I agree. But I am having a hard time accepting that it could be Crawford. I know she was never exactly a warm person, but to be involved in something like this would require being on a whole different level. And don't forget that she was already implicated and cleared along with Petrov a while ago," Peter said.

"What better way to frame herself without it looking that way than to implicate someone else as well?" Cerah said.

"Just to cover all possibilities, is there anyone else you can think of who might have enough of a grudge against you to make an attempt on your life?"

"Considering that the attempt failed, I would've said Petrov, if he was still alive. Or maybe the captain just got sick of me." Seeing the glimmer of concern on Vyetrus' face, she quickly added, "That was just a joke."

Vyetrus visibly relaxed. "Earth humour is quite different to Messaran humour."

"I'm sure it is," Cerah said, expecting Messaran humour to be entirely made up of really bad physics jokes.

Peter picked up the omniscanners that he and Vyetrus had been examining the device with. "We'll check out the bridge for bugs. You should go back to your quarters for the time being, since the doctor hasn't cleared you for duty yet. I've already had a replacement mattress and bedding put in. And don't worry, we've checked every inch of your room for any other devices. If you like, I can arrange for a security detail to be placed outside your door."

"That won't be necessary. I almost hope they'll try again so I can get my hands on them," Cerah said.

By the look in Cerah's eyes, Peter wondered if he'd do better to assign a security detail for the safety of the assailant.

"I'll leave you guys to it then," Cerah said, and returned to her quarters. When she got there she realised that she'd meant to tell them about her brief conversation with Lieutenant Emmett that morning after he'd regained consciousness for a while, not that he'd been all that informative when she'd asked him about the person who'd attacked him. Since the person's face had been shadowed by the hood of their black robe, all he'd ever seen was their mouth and chin, which didn't have any distinctive features to distinguish the person from anyone else. All he'd been able to say was that it was a man, as he could tell from his build and jaw shape, and that it wasn't the face of an old man. Despite what Emmett had been through, Cerah was still disappointed that his description didn't really help to narrow down who their mysterious enemy might be. The only other thing he'd said was that the few shots that were fired at the intruder had had no effect on him, which she'd attributed to a misperception on Emmett's part due to the trauma of the event.

She hadn't been in her quarters for five minutes when her doorbell chimed. Answering it, she found Elsa and Tomás standing there with concerned expressions. Elsa was holding a small flat square box.

"We heard what happened. We just went to the medical unit and the doctor said you'd been released," Elsa said.

"It's reassuring to see you on your feet," Tomás said with a smile.

"Here, this is for you," Elsa said, handing the box to Cerah. "Tarein chocolates. They're the best in the galaxy."

Cerah raised an eyebrow. "That's a pretty high claim."

"It's a fact," Elsa said with certainty. "And they're high in thiamine, so that makes them healthy, and therefore absolutely essential to your recovery."

Cerah couldn't help but smile at her logic. "Want to come in?"

'Sure," Elsa said. As she and Tomás entered she cast a hesitant glance at the open bedroom doorway.

Following her gaze, Cerah said, "You probably shouldn't go in there. I just killed a couple of assassins who were waiting for me. More are on the way." Seeing the moment of shock on her face, Cerah couldn't help but laugh.

Elsa slapped her arm. "I can't believe I almost believed you."

Cerah went into the kitchen and returned with three glasses of en'teel nectar.

"Is there anything that we can do to help you through this ordeal?" Tomás asked.

"Anything at all. Even your laundry if you need a hand with it," Elsa said in support.

Cerah recalled from Elsa's quarters, with clothes strewn everywhere most of the time, that laundry wasn't her strong suit, but all the same she was touched by their offer. It wasn't all that often in her life that she'd received offers of such genuine kindness, other than from Peter. "It's nice of you to ask, but I'm fine, really. My back's a little bit sore still, but the doctor gave me something for it before I left medical." Seeing Elsa's unhidden curiosity about what had happened, she related what she knew, mostly from what Peter and Doctor Ashworth had told her. After that their conversation evolved to places they each wanted to go for a holiday. While they talked they opened and finished the box of Tarein chocolates, which proved to be as good as Elsa had said. Although they were charcoal black they'd proven to be surprisingly sweet, with a subtle invigorating after effect that was mildly euphoric.

"What do you say to us all going for a holiday together as a group of friends?" Tomás suggested. "Of course that would include Peter, and anyone else you might care to invite. Russ might be interested. There's an excellent place that my parents took me to as a boy on a planet called Takarshay. I've been meaning to go back there again someday."

"What's it like?" Elsa asked excitedly.

"It was an old-style lodging house, out in the forest and away from everything, with a river nearby. Probably the most relaxing place I've ever been in my life."

They were interrupted by a chime of the doorbell. This time it was Peter. He had a solemn expression on his face.

"Did you find anything?" Cerah asked.

"We did," Peter said, knowing that Cerah understood the implication. "We found one on the bridge, and another in the captain's office."

"Then it had to have been her."

"It would seem so. I looked up the other members of the team. One of them was a second cousin of Petrov's, but he'd never set foot on the bridge or in the captain's office, so that ruled him out."

"I'll bet the captain was devastated when you told him," Cerah said sympathetically, knowing that he and Crawford had served together for quite a while.

"Especially after he gave her eulogy at the memorial last night."

Elsa and Tomás both realised what they were talking about.

"You mean to say that Commander Crawford was involved in what happened to Cerah?" Tomás asked with contained anger.

Peter nodded. "It's not public knowledge, so for the time being we should keep this between ourselves unless the captain says otherwise."

"Of course."

"How could she do such a thing? What could she have possibly hoped to gain from it?" Elsa asked.

"Who knows what her ultimate aim was," Peter said. "On another note, once Tethys left the nebula and communications were restored we started getting telemetry from several of the probes we launched near Mord'thet that had also cleared the nebula, and one of them picked up a group of Tarosian ships that appear to be on a direct course to Seinarüdth."

"Why would Tarosians be going there?" Cerah wondered aloud.

"I don't know. Taros is even further away from the Scáth Sector than Earth is, on the opposite side of the Solar system in fact, so it's definitely out of their way. We've changed course to follow them in case they've got something to do with what's been going on."

"It's remarkably coincidental timing if they don't."
Chapter 9

Seinarüdth

"I doubt they'd send a group of ships if it was simply a matter of exploration," Cerah said.

"I'd have to agree. The initial exploration of a region is usually done with a single ship, by them, us, and most other races," Peter said.

"Tarosians, they're those Viscera Pirates that I've heard about, right?" Elsa asked.

"That's right," Peter confirmed.

"Sure it's wise for us to be going after a group of their ships? If the stories are true, they're the last people we want to have an encounter with."

"The stories are true alright," Tomás said grimly. "I've heard firsthand accounts from survivors. They steal healthy organs and tissues from their victims to replace their own degraded and failing ones. And all too often they don't even kill their victims before harvesting from them."

"Don't worry, we're using the probe to track them to keep Tethys out of their sensor range," Peter assured them. "We won't engage them if the odds are against us. And on the way to Seinarüdth we'll be scouring Tethys for any sign of Crawford."

"She's got to be here somewhere. She went to a lot of trouble to prevent me from going ahead with an investigation that might prove she's aboard," Cerah said. It occurred to her that the flawed tactics that she'd criticised Crawford for using in Phoenicia could in fact have been deliberate to ensure that her disguised past self was able to get away in the opposite direction without being intercepted.

"Is it possible that she has now transported herself onto one of the Tarosian ships?" Tomás asked.

"Really there's nothing stopping her from doing that, except that we haven't detected any further energy spikes. If she did indeed transport aboard Tethys inside the gas giant then she's still here. The internal sensors are constantly active, so we'll know if she does go to the Tarosians," Peter said.

"A woman in her prime, full of healthy organs; she's probably worried about what will happen to her if she does go there," Cerah said.

"I just thought, won't the Tarosians detect the probe and realise that they're being monitored?" Elsa asked.

"Our sensors did detect them sending a transmission, but they haven't altered their course, so we're certain they haven't detected us, since we and the probe are outside of their sensor range. Since Earth severed all ties with Taros they've had to develop any further technology all on their own, and their advancements have progressed slower than ours, so according to our latest intelligence our sensors are still more advanced and have a greater range than theirs, and that's in 2509. Here where we're over a century in the past their technology will be even less developed. We're just sending the probe on ahead in case there are more of them in the vicinity," Peter said.

"Actually, at this point in history, being 2398, Taros is still an Earth colony," Tomás said. "Their abuse of the discontinued medical drug necrozine doesn't begin until after the turn of the century, and then it'll still be a number of years before the resulting genetic degradation leads them to become the Viscera Pirates." When they all looked at him he shrugged and said, "What can I say, I'm a historian."

"At least we can take comfort in knowing that the people on those ships are ordinary humans then," Elsa said with relief.

"I'm curious. What will happen to Adelphis now? Will it just drift into another star system, since we have no way of stopping it?" Tomás asked.

"There's a point. Just its gravitational influence could do untold damage to an inhabited star system, even if it doesn't get close enough to actually swallow any of the planets," Cerah said. "And since it was shifted through time from our future, we can't even go to where and when it was sent from to prevent it because of Temporal Security's rules that I keep getting in trouble for breaking."

"Not that we'd have any way of neutralising a giant ship like the one we saw," Peter reminded her.

"All the same, having time travel but having so many rules restricting what we can do with it is like having a movie with no screen to play it on; pretty useless. Sometimes it seems like we might as well not have it, since we can't do much with it anyway."

"You know as well as I do that we can't just let people mess about with time as they see fit. That's the whole point of Temporal Security."

"That's just for people who don't know what they're doing."

"I'm afraid it's not for us to decide. But back to your question, Tomás, even at the speed it's moving, it'll be centuries before Adelphis reaches the nearest star system, which incidentally is not an inhabited one. For all we know it'll be captured by that star's gravity and settle into an orbit there," Peter said. "Anyway, if no one is expected on duty anytime soon, might I suggest that we all head over to Stargaze for a drink?"

*

By the time Tethys and the group of Tarosian ships that it was tracking were getting close to Seinarüdth, deep inside the dark nebula of the Scáth Sector, Cerah was fully healed and back on duty. Most of the damage to the engines had been repaired, and the time drive was fully operational. Peter's ongoing investigation had yielded no indication that Crawford was aboard the ship, and there had been no further attempt on Cerah's life, leading both him and Cerah to second guess their theory that she was the traitor and that she'd managed to escape Mord'thet's fate. They dreaded being proven wrong after having told the captain that his late first officer had been covertly operating right under his nose, though not in so many words. But there was the undeniable fact that surveillance devices had been found. They had to face the possibility that Crawford may have somehow managed to get off the ship undetected.

The Tarosian ships had turned out to be three cargo ships with a military escort of three heavy fighters. The ship configurations weren't exact matches to anything in Tethys' database, but Devlin didn't want to take any chances by sending the probe in closer to get more detailed readings, which annoyed Cerah because without more information on them her tactical preparations were limited.

She was at her console going over the sensor readings of the ships for probably the hundredth time when Buhari entered the bridge and asked to speak with Devlin in his office. As the two men left the bridge, Cerah and Peter exchanged a look, both wondering if Buhari had turned up some new bit of information that he didn't want overheard just yet.

Peter was alerted by a sudden reading on his console. "I'm picking up a massive temporal reading directly behind us!"

Cerah knew that it had to be the giant ship that had tried to obliterate Tethys with a gas giant, now only detectable in its moment of materialisation, and that it was about to attack. Being the most senior officer present on the bridge, she ordered Fitzpatrick, "Evasive..." but was cut short as the whole ship was knocked about by repeated weapon impacts.

Having understood her order as soon as she started to give it, Fitzpatrick was already busy trying to shake off the enemy ship, but the shots continued to pound into Tethys in rapid succession, though numerous bursts of energy that missed could be seen flashing past through the window.

All on the bridge were thrown from their seats by a particularly violent energy cannon blast that struck dangerously close to the bridge. Cerah suspected that the bridge had been the intended target, and that it was only Fitzpatrick's piloting that had caused it to miss. The ship could be operated just as effectively from the secondary bridge in the main body of the ship if the main bridge was compromised, but by the time control was established there Tethys would probably be destroyed.

"There's a hull breach in the captain's office!" Peter said urgently.

Knowing that it would be pointless trying to fire back at such a massive, powerful ship, Cerah left her console and dashed over to the office's door. She stabbed at the control to open it but it didn't respond due to the decompression failsafe to prevent a hull breach from endangering the rest of the ship. A quick scan with her multi-com showed that both Devlin and Buhari were unconscious, but at the rate that the room was depressurising they wouldn't be alive for much longer. Addressing the ship's computer, Cerah called out, "Tethys, I'm assuming command of the ship in accordance with emergency protocol seventeen, and I authorise the release of this door."

"Override acknowledged," the computer responded impassively, and the door unlocked.

Before she could open it Peter came over to her and said, "You're in command now, so your place is on the bridge. I'll see to them."

Cerah paused for only a fraction of a second. She'd never really wanted the mantle of command, but right now she needed to direct their course of action. Another barrage of thunderous impacts reminded her how urgently she needed to make decisions now. Despite Fitzpatrick's best efforts, Tethys wasn't going to last long in this battle. She nodded to Peter, and went and sat in the captain's seat, mainly just to hold herself into it so that she wouldn't be thrown about with every impact. "Elsa, take the sensors."

Elsa left her console beside Vyetrus and took Peter's station.

There was a sudden outrush of air behind her as the door to the captain's office opened. Peter was practically blown into the office by the force of the air rushing in from the bridge and then out through a charred tear in the ceiling. He hurried over to Devlin and Buhari, grabbed both men ungracefully by their jacket collars, and with all of his vampire strength pulled them against the unrelenting force of the strong wind until he'd gotten them both out of the room. He immediately closed the door again, and the air was once again still. He called the medical unit for assistance.

"Vyetrus, can you simulate an engine overload? Or even cause a real one, as long as you'll be able to stop it later?" Cerah asked.

"Certainly, especially with the system not yet fully repaired."

"Do it." It felt strange giving him an order. She actually thought that he was the best qualified to assume command, except that he wasn't officially a member of Temporal Security.

"We're now suffering hull breaches on all decks," Elsa reported. "I can't get any readings of that ship though, so I can't even tell you what its hull's made of."

"It's so big it wouldn't matter what it's made of," Cerah replied.

"I have induced an energy cascade in the engines' power matrix. Unless I correct it, the engines will detonate in under two minutes," Vyetrus said.

"The overload will be showing up on enemy sensors, won't it?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Russ, activate an emergency communication channel to record a message, and then transmit it to Epoch on the 26th of April in 2509," Cerah ordered.

"The channel's open," Russ said.

"This is Cerah O'Neil in active command of the time ship Tethys. We're under attack by an unknown enemy, we've suffered severe damage, and our engines will overload in under five minutes. We're attempting temporal transit to the 26th of April, 2509, where we will abandon ship. Please send a rescue ship to retrieve us." She gave Russ a nod, and he finished the recording.

"I sent the message, but our communications are being jammed," he said.

"Perfect. It means the enemy will have intercepted it," Cerah said as Tethys shuddered again violently. "Ensign Fitzpatrick, set a course for Earth in 2509."

As the ship came about on a heading for Earth it was enveloped in a green ripple of energy as it left 2398 on a course for the future.

"We're on our way," Fitzpatrick said as the weapon impacts ceased.

"Excellent. Now change our course back towards Seinarüdth and set our temporal destination for six hours before the projected arrival of those Tarosian ships. We need to find out what they're doing in this sector. Vyetrus, you can restore the engines to normal now," Cerah ordered.

Vyetrus quickly shut down the energy cascade.

"Hopefully when we don't rematerialise in 2509 they'll assume we overestimated how long we had before the engines overloaded and were destroyed during temporal transit, leaving no debris in 2398 or 2509," Cerah said.

"A bold tactic, though risky," Vyetrus said.

Cerah wasn't sure if his tone was one of disapproval or admiration.

Doctor Ashworth arrived on the bridge accompanied by four crewmen with two stretchers. As the crewmen lifted the two unconscious men onto the stretchers, the doctor scanned both of them to check the severity of their condition. "They're suffering from acute asphyxiation. They'll be alright, with treatment," she informed Cerah, aware that she was now the acting captain. Without waiting for any questions, she ushered the stretcher bearers out.

"I didn't think the asphyxiation would be acute in so short a time," Peter remarked.

"If they were knocked unconscious by one of the impacts they would not have been able to control their breathing during the time that they were exposed to a near vacuum, and their blood would have quickly deoxygenated through their lungs, possibly shocking their brains," Vyetrus said.

"I don't mean to speak out of turn, but are you sure it's wise to keep going after the Tarosians if they've got that giant ship protecting them?" Elsa asked.

"If anything, it's because that ship's looking out for them that we need to find out what they're up to, not tuck tail and run," Cerah replied. "Vyetrus, is there any way you could hide Tethys from their sensors?"

"I shall begin working on it right away."

"Thanks. Ensign Fitzpatrick, how long until we'll arrive?"

"Within the hour."

"When we get there I'll take a shuttle to the surface to do a little espionage. Peter, since Lieutenant Emmett is still recovering in medical, you'll be in command until I return, or until the captain or Lieutenant Commander Buhari are fit to return to duty," Cerah announced.

"Cerah, as the commanding officer, you can't leave the ship in a hostile situation," Peter objected.

"We need to gather information on the Tarosians' activities, and I'm not prepared to sit back and send someone else down there, especially being the chief tactical officer."

"That position's been superceded by you now being the acting captain. I volunteer to go in your place."

"You know me, so you know I can't let you do that."

"But it could mean the end of your career, after the other instances of breaking protocol."

"Then I'll just have to hope that whatever I find down there is worth it."

"I hope you're not planning to do it alone. But bear in mind that anyone you take with you could also face an official reprimand. You'd be endangering their careers as well."

Peter's objections in front of everyone were starting to annoy Cerah, and had it been anyone else she would've made sure they knew it. "I'm not going to endanger anyone else's career, but I'm also not planning on going alone."

It took Peter a moment to realise what she meant. "You're not seriously going to..."

"Yes I am. I'm going to take Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor with me. They know the planet better than any of us." Knowing that Peter's next remark would be to the effect of 'just because you're in command, it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want', she quickly added, "Until now it's only because that giant ship didn't want to be known about that it hasn't destroyed us outright. But now that we're 150 light years away from the last place that Temporal Security knew us to be, our enemy seems to feel that it's safe to take us out." And then anticipating that his next response would be 'all the more reason to leave this area', she then said, "I plan to find out why they're here, and then get Tethys away without a shot being fired, but in case things don't go according to plan, I'm making sure I'm the only member of this crew that will be in any danger. Better to risk one person than the whole ship." Other than not wanting to put Peter's life in danger, the main reason for not asking him to come along was because he still cared about the future of his career, which wasn't really that much of a factor of consideration for her, especially with so little hope after being called into the captain's office so many times for breaking protocol, each instance of which would now be on her official record. "Ensign Fitzpatrick, once we reach Seinarüdth, position Tethys on the far side of the planet to keep us out of sight of the Tarosians when they get there."

"Yes, Lieutenant," Fitzpatrick responded.

Returning her attention to Peter, she said, "My final standing order will be for you to get Tethys out of there if you're discovered while I'm on the planet. No arguments."

"If that's really what you want," Peter said with resignation.

Cerah wasn't convinced that he would really do it, but at least there was now an end to the debate. "If there's time when that happens, try to get a signal out to Temporal Security before they jam communications again. And begin making repairs as much as possible while I'm gone, just in case."

"Lieutenant, I believe I have a possible solution to prevent your shuttle from being detected on Seinarüdth, as well as hiding Tethys from sensors," Vyetrus said.

"Let's hear it."

"If a sensor probe takes a detailed scan of the planet it could then be sent to the surface and configured to emit those same readings of no shuttle or life signs to any sensors that are directed at that area."

"Like a sort of smoke screen?"

"Precisely. As for Tethys, I believe I can modify our engine signature to make the ship undetectable unless we're in a direct line of sight of their sensors, in which case we'd be visually detected anyway."

"Can you use the temporal sensors to determine their landing site before we arrive?"

"I believe so," Vyetrus said, and accessed the temporal scanning array. "I have located the site. It appears to be in the ruins of a small city," he said a matter of seconds later.

"As soon as we arrive, send the probe down."

Vyetrus nodded in acknowledgement.

Cerah paced the bridge impatiently until they reached Seinarüdth, all the while avoiding meeting Peter's gaze. The planet before them, the fourth of six that orbited a relatively small star, looked like one enormous jungle, with the verdant vegetation only broken by small seas and lakes, and faintly tinted by a slight orange haze due to traces of methane and hydrocarbons in the upper atmosphere. It was hard to imagine that it had once been the heart of a space-faring civilisation, let alone an empire. Fewer stars than normal were visible in the backdrop of space behind it due to the higher density of space dust that reduced how much light reached this far into the dark nebula that made up the Scáth Sector, hence it also being known as the Shadow Sector. The deep red glow of the nebula's gases in the region gave the ancient planet a forbidding feel.

According to Vyetrus' scans, the Tarosians' landing site would be in an area that was right on the terminator between day and night at the moment, but which would be in total darkness by the time they arrived in another six hours. One of the two small moons would be overhead at that time, which would cast some light on the landscape, though it would be a very limited amount, especially down on the jungle floor.

Vyetrus launched the probe that he'd preprogrammed, and it shot away towards the planet. Already Fitzpatrick was directing their course to take them to the far side before the Tarosians arrived.

"I'm heading out," Cerah announced.

"How can you be sure Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor won't turn on you again?" Peter asked.

"Leave that to me," Cerah replied. She was worried that Peter would try to forcibly stop her, but then again he might not, since he'd know that she'd never forgive him for it. Then again, he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to her because of his inaction. She left the bridge without any sort of altercation occurring between them, and made her way to the holding cells, stopping off at the uniform supply room on the way.

Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor stood from their bunks when she entered. Looking at them, Cerah suspected that they'd been working out in their cells during the time that they'd been confined, as they were both still in excellent shape, and appeared vibrant and well toned. The look in their eyes showed that they were ready for action at a moment's notice, which was exactly what she needed, so long as it didn't end up being directed at her. Curiously, they noticed the bundle of black clothes and boots that Cerah was carrying.

"We've just arrived at Seinarüdth in 2398, and I need your help," Cerah said. She could see that they were interested, and also that they were already running through escape possibilities in their minds. "Several Tarosian ships will shortly land on the planet, and I want to covertly find out what they're doing here."

"What makes you so certain that we will help you?" Uuna-Xor asked.

"If you do this, I'm prepared to cut you loose." She'd certainly caught their interest, considering that the alternative was to stay in their cells until they were handed over to Temporal Security to spend the rest of their lives in some penal facility.

"Your captain approved this?" Jeuls'e asked sceptically.

"He and his second in command were both injured during the attack. With Commander Crawford gone as well, that leaves me in command." Cerah thought she saw a glimmer of admiration for her boldness in Jeuls'e's eyes.

"We will help you," Jeuls'e said, and Uuna-Xor also voiced her agreement.

Cerah went and deactivated the cells' force fields, and handed the two women the clothes she'd brought. They quickly got changed into the black slacks, long-sleeved tops and boots that she'd taken from the uniform supply room. Cerah removed her red jacket and tossed it onto the bed of the nearest cell for the time being, which happened to be Jeuls'e's.

Now all dressed identically and entirely in black ready for the mission, they left the holding area, stopping at an equipment locker to get omniscanners and pistols on their way to the launch bay. Cerah hoped that she was right about the prospect of freedom preventing the two aliens from turning on her, as well as the risk of being hunted if anything were to happen to her, as their two life signs would certainly stand out on an uninhabited world. Even so, she was not planning to take a medi-kit with them in case they got any ideas of trying to infect her with Jeuls'e's brain parasite again and then making a run for it.

They'd no sooner strapped on utility belts with magnetic plates to attach their pistols and scanners to than a call came through on Cerah's multi-com. It was Devlin. Clearly he was awake, and was no doubt aware of the situation. She decided not to answer it, that way she wouldn't be disobeying a direct order. There was no need to make the situation worse for her than it already would be.

Having seen whose image appeared on the multi-com's screen, Jeuls'e said, "You're not pleased that your captain seems to be recovering?"

Cerah hesitated for a moment. "This mission is..."

"Off the books?"

"Voluntary."

"Then how will you guarantee our freedom afterwards?" Uuna-Xor asked.

"I can modify an omniscanner to conceal your life signs. As far as anyone needs to know you were both killed during the mission. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. And I'm sure you'd both be able to survive on Seinarüdth. That's the best freedom I can offer. If it's not good enough you can just go back to the holding cells now."

"A whole world to ourselves? It sounds much better than a holding cell," Jeuls'e said. "We have an understanding."

"Let's keep going then."

They were one passage away from the launch bay when a voice called out, "Cerah, wait."

They turned to see Russ hurrying towards them, puffed from having run to catch up.

"The captain said to tell you that you're not to go down to the planet, and that the prisoners are to be returned to their cells," he panted.

"You ran as fast as you could, but you just missed us," Cerah stated to him adamantly.

Seeing the look of determination in Cerah's eyes, coupled with the fact that she was flanked by two battle-ready warrior women, Russ decided that he was too exhausted from running from one end of the ship to the other to argue. "What a shame the launch bay was already depressurising when I got there."

Cerah gave him a nod of gratitude, and he turned and went back the way he'd come.

"As I recall, your launch bay has sentries posted outside its doors," Jeuls'e said.

"I was planning to bluff my way past them, but if the captain's aware of what we're up to he might've already warned them that we're coming," Cerah said.

"These weapons have a stun setting," Uuna-Xor said, unclipping her pistol and holding it ready. "The solution seems obvious."

"You can't imagine the sort of reprimand I'd get for shooting at Temporal Security personnel."

"Then you will not be the one to shoot them," Jeuls'e said, also unclipping her pistol.

"I guess we don't really have any other option," Cerah agreed reluctantly.

Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor swiftly but silently went over to the corner that joined the passage where the launch bay was, and at a hand signal from Jeuls'e, Uuna-Xor dive rolled into the passage so that she came up on the other side while Jeuls'e aimed around the corner in a crouch. The two guards barely had time to glance in their direction before they were stunned.

Cerah joined them as they clipped their pistols back onto their belts.

"We made sure they had a brief moment to see who it was who shot them, so you won't be blamed for it, at least not directly," Jeuls'e said.

"I guess that's the best I could hope for," Cerah said, and went over and opened the launch bay doors.

The three women ran to the nearest shuttle, and Cerah quickly took the helm and launched. Once they were in space she relaxed, since there was nothing more the captain could do to stop them short of shooting them down, which she was pretty sure he wouldn't do. Technically he could declare her a renegade, and then he'd be within his rights to open fire, but she was confident that despite the trouble she'd caused him ever since she first started serving aboard his ship, he wouldn't resort to such drastic measures. Bound by his sense of honour and duty, he would have to keep Tethys out of sight on the far side of the planet and maintain communication silence until she returned. And because of the probe that was set to hide any readings of them, he would have no way of monitoring their progress, or knowing if they'd been killed. With a little worry creeping into her mind, she wondered how long he would wait before declaring her missing in action, and return to Epoch without her.

As they descended into the atmosphere of the jungle world on its day side they all gazed out at the planet in fascination, but particularly Cerah, having never seen this world before. Beneath an ochre sky, it seemed as though the entire surface was covered in trees of all heights and descriptions, broken only by low mountains, inland seas, rivers and lakes, and the ruins of buildings that protruded above the treetops. The ruins were a mixture of ancient stone architecture and later metal and cement structures, all crumbling and overgrown by the vegetation that had reclaimed the world. Cerah was particularly fascinated by the way they blended together in some areas, suggesting that the much more ancient buildings had still been used alongside those of a more modern construction. She recalled that Jeuls'e had once said to her that heritage was of great importance to the Thalshük, which was certainly borne out in what she saw now. The stone architecture incorporated stepped, colonnaded and almost Renaissance designs of all sizes, and ranged from temple and palace-like structures adorned with narrow pyramid-like spires to amphitheatres and multi-levelled dwellings. The modern structures had clearly once been reminiscent of those on Earth, from buildings only a few floors high to skyscrapers, with bared girders and metal frameworks still protruding from what was left of the walls that they supported. Both the ancient and more modern structures still retained artistically decorative patterns on their surfaces, similar to those of Mord'thet. Numerous crashed and wrecked starships from the time of the Thalshük demise were scattered throughout the ruins, particularly in and around the major city areas where most of the final battles would have taken place, some of them protruding from the buildings that they'd plummeted into.

While Cerah was intrigued by the mixed architectural types, Jeuls'e was saddened as she reminisced about what her world used to look like when it was the flourishing heart of an empire. Despite her political differences with the empire, this planet had been the home of her people, who were long since gone. For Uuna-Xor, the visual evidence of the Thalshük Empire's demise gave her a sense of justice, that the enslavers of not only her race but many others as well had met the end that they deserved, and had been largely forgotten by the galaxy.

As they approached the terminator the sky quickly darkened to a deeper and richer shade of ochre. After confirming that the probe was emitting the sensor illusion as planned, Cerah brought the shuttle down several kilometres short of the terminator and through a gap in the canopy. She guided it between the thick trunks and boughs of the enormous trees that towered over the jungle floor until she found a suitable location that would be completely shielded from view from above, just to be sure that it wouldn't be spotted by the Tarosians because of moonlight reflecting off its hull.

They emerged from the shuttle into a mildly humid jungle illuminated by a sunset glow, and paused for a moment to take a closer look at their surroundings. The gnarled trees were immensely tall, with buttress roots that rose above head height and trunks that were as wide as a modest house. The branches looked wide enough for the three of them to be able to walk along side by side. Among the shorter plants were several types of ferns, ranging from knee height to ten metres tall. Lizards the size of cats could be seen clambering over some of the lower roots and across the dead leaves that covered the ground.

"So, is there anything I should be watching out for?" Cerah asked as she looked around the darkening jungle, which was now taking on a deeper red hue, as was the sky that was visible through gaps in the canopy. She noticed that just like on Mord'thet, the gravity was fractionally stronger than on Earth.

"There are predators to be mindful of, two main types in particular," Jeuls'e said. "There are the heideth prowlers, which are similar to the sabre tooth tigers that once roamed your world. Then there are the vyrmun. The closest thing I could compare them to would be velociraptors, only bigger, and with more claws for tearing their prey apart. With no division of continents on Seinarüdth, they can be found anywhere on the planet."

"You seem to know a lot about extinct animal species on Earth," Cerah commented.

"With little else to do most of the time on your ship, before we were put in the holding cells, we perused your database quite extensively."

"You know, you were never meant to be our prisoners. The only reason I didn't tell you about that other Thalshük prisoner, who tried to kill me by the way, was because I was under orders not to."

"Had you been permitted to be more forthcoming from the start, we would not have anticipated his fate to be ours when we heard about him," Jeuls'e said sincerely.

"It's getting dark, and not all of us have multi-spectral eyes," Uuna-Xor reminded her.

"Of course. Just one more thing: if you see any bright red berries covered in black spots, stay away from them. They're poisonous even to the touch," Jeuls'e said, consulting her omniscanner to get her sense of direction before putting it away and indicating which way they needed to go.

"I'll keep that in mind," Cerah said, gesturing for her to take the lead.

It didn't take long for the evening to get dark. By the time they reached the area that their scanners told them was the Tarosians' expected landing site they only had what little moonlight made it through the canopy to see by, with the nebula contributing only a faint, almost imperceptible red glow. A few of the nearer stars were visible, along with a few gathering wisps of cloud. Several species of nocturnal flowers had started to bloom, visible by their coloured petals that glowed softly to attract insects, as well as several types of luminous fungi that reminded Cerah of the ghost mushrooms that she'd once seen during a training camp in Australia. Through the trees they could make out the shapes of some of the older stone ruins close by. A gentle breeze started to blow through the jungle.

"Rain is coming," Jeuls'e said, smelling the air.

"We still have a few hours before the Tarosians will arrive. We should eat," Uuna-Xor recommended.

"I won't argue with that," Cerah said, her stomach rumbling. "Any ideas?"

In a flash of movement, Jeuls'e had her pistol out, aimed up into the branches of the nearest tree, and shot down a lizard of the type that they'd seen running around earlier. She and Uuna-Xor then gathered bundles of sticks and fallen branches from the jungle floor and built them into a pile, starting with the smaller ones on the bottom. Jeuls'e then fired into the pile several times, and within a minute they had a roaring fire that she tossed the lizard onto.

"I guess this isn't your first camping trip," Cerah remarked.

"Part of my training in the Thalshük military involved survival skills in various environments," Jeuls'e said. "The most difficult was in the Bre'hadt Swamplands, where the only dry place to sleep was up in the trees where many types of serpents lived."

They all stood around the fire watching the lizard as it cooked, keeping close to it as the breeze got stronger and colder. Cerah found herself constantly on guard because of the various animal and insect sounds from the jungle all around them, but took comfort from the fact that Jeuls'e didn't seem worried, so clearly none of the sounds were those of the two predators that she'd spoken of.

When the lizard had been cooking for over half an hour, Uuna-Xor looked around the nearby area until she found a particular type of rock, which she then smashed against another rock. She picked up a sizeable fragment with a sharp edge. While she was doing this, Jeuls'e broke up a branch so that it had a fork in it, and used it to lift the lizard off of the fire and put it on a waist-height root, where Uuna-Xor used the sharp edge of her rock fragment to start cutting the meat off of it. She offered Cerah a piece.

"Thanks," Cerah said, taking it. Gingerly taking a small bite, she was surprised to find that it was actually quite delicious, and welcomed any more that was offered to her after that.

When it was half an hour before the Tarosians were expected, they extinguished the fire and buried it with a pile of dirt to smother any residual heat signature that could be spotted by thermal imaging during the ships' descent, and made their way by moonlight to the edge of the ruins that would be their landing site, staying within the cover of the trees. There were more clouds now, which frequently obscured the moonlight, and the wind came and went.

Eventually the six Tarosians ships descended through the clouds and came to rest on top of the largest structures, using their flat stone surfaces as landing platforms.

"They didn't fire on us, so it looks like Vyetrus' sensor probe worked," Cerah said. She ascended the steps that led up the side of the nearest building that had been chosen by one of the cargo ships, with Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor close behind her. They stopped short of the top and crouched behind the uppermost steps to keep out of sight as much as possible.

The cargo ships were considerably larger than their military escorts, and were of a bulky design. Their titanium alloy surfaces were plain and generally featureless, other than the protruding cannons at the front and rear and the landing struts beneath. A wide loading hatch opened in the side of the ship that they were watching, and light spilled from its illuminated interior. Antigravity lifting vehicles started unloading cubic metal crates from the cargo bay that were over three metres tall and carried them deeper into the ruins, taking them down to ground level. The same thing was happening at each of the other cargo ships. Several people emerged from the military craft and started patrolling the area, but they were all too far away to see clearly in the darkness, as were the dozens of people who disembarked from the cargo ships and made their way deeper into the ruins where the cargo was being taken.

"Let's have a look at what they're unloading," Cerah said after a couple of minutes, concluding that there wasn't a lot to be learned from where they were.

The three women went back down the stairs and circled around the structure to where the offloaded cargo was being taken. Cautiously, they peered around the corner and saw several Tarosians setting up powerful lamps on poles to illuminate a wide, open area that could've once been the town square. On all sides it was surrounded by what was left of the ancient stone structures, the walls of which were embossed in an artistic way much like Mord'thet had been, reminding Cerah of the Inca ruins in South America, especially as these ruins lacked any of the modern structures that had been visible amid some of the other cities that they'd flown over. The antigravity lifters were depositing their loads in the main area, leaving plenty of space around each crate. Light could be seen shining through the doorways and windows of several of the more intact buildings, with shadows moving about inside.

"They appear to be establishing a base of operations," Jeuls'e said.

"But why here?" Uuna-Xor asked. "It's obvious that they wanted a place where they wouldn't be discovered, but what could the strategic significance of Seinarüdth be?"

"It's roughly a similar distance from Earth as Taros is, except on the opposite side," Cerah said.

"Like a second front of attack?" Jeuls'e speculated. "Are your peoples at war?"

"Not yet. The Tarosians are colonists from Earth originally, but in several years time all ties will be severed. But even on two fronts, they couldn't possibly have the numbers to mount a successful attack against Earth. And to gain what?" Cerah wondered aloud. "The reason for the falling out hasn't even happened yet, so there's no reason for them to be preparing for war."

"Perhaps they have been hired by that same being who released us from Mord'thet," Uuna-Xor said.

"He does have the means of shifting planets across space and time. If he wanted to attack Earth he could probably do it with that massive ship alone. I wonder why he would even need the Tarosians."

"Every ruler wants subjects," Jeuls'e said.

The first few droplets of rain started to fall.

"The rain could be useful to hide any sounds of our movements," Uuna-Xor said.

"It would also hide the sounds of anyone sneaking up on us," Cerah said.

"Except that they don't know that we're here, so they're not looking for us," Jeuls'e said.

"At least not yet."

Fourteen Tarosians carrying tools suddenly emerged from one of the nearer structures and made their way towards the metal crates. As they stepped into the light Cerah was startled by their appearance. They had pale blue skin, and numerous visible cybernetic augmentations. No two had exactly the same cybernetics.

"These Tarosians aren't from 2398, they're from the future," she whispered softly, aware that some Tarosians from her time had amplified hearing and vision.

"They don't look human," Jeuls'e whispered back.

"The blue tinge of their skin comes from decades of their people abusing a particular narcotic substance recreationally, which also degraded their genetic structure, causing their organs to fail and their tissues to become necrotic, to the point where even vampire blood is ineffective at treating them. And the effects were passed down through the subsequent generations."

"Hence the cybernetic implants?"

"Exactly. Hydraulic prostheses to replace muscles, metal and plastic in place of bones or skin. Some even have parts of their brains replaced with various processors. But it's different for each of them, depending on what starts rotting first."

"Cybernetic implants could have their advantages," Uuna-Xor said.

"I think they'd be in too much pain to really consider it worth it," Cerah said. "I think they'd rather be healthy biological beings, as they've been known to steal healthy organs from other people when they get the chance."

"The advantage of them being from the future is that if we kill them it won't affect your timeline," Jeuls'e said.

"And hopefully it'll also mean that I won't be in as much trouble with my captain."

The Tarosians used their tools to open the tall crates at one side, and proceeded to unload various pieces of equipment from them.

"I'm not as familiar with their technology as you would be, but a lot of that equipment appears to be for the construction of weapons and starship parts," Jeuls'e observed.

"You know what, I think you're right. It's definitely a military construction facility that they're setting up here. And by the look of how advanced some of that gear is, I'd be willing to bet that they come from a time beyond 2509," Cerah said grimly.

"In the century between now and your time, with this equipment they could probably construct an armada of warships," Jeuls'e estimated.

"I want to check something out," Cerah said, watching for an opening when it might be safer to move without any of the Tarosians spotting her. It was starting to rain a little more, but still not enough to hide her footsteps on the stone if she tried to make a run for it towards the nearest doorway. And the Tarosians showed no sign of leaving their work to wait until the rain passed.

"Should we not inform your people of what we've discovered here?" Uuna-Xor asked.

"I want to find out more about their plans, their strategy, and when they intend to strike. And I want to run a scan of one of their ships to test a theory, but because of our probe I'll have to get pretty close to get any readings. The best place would be from inside one of the buildings that a ship is on."

"Then we shall accompany you," Jeuls'e said.

The three of them unclipped their pistols from their belts just in case they were spotted and had to fight their way out of the ruins in a hasty retreat. When the nearest Tarosians gathered together to lift a particularly bulky piece of equipment, Cerah signalled that it was time to move. Because of the bright lamps that had been set up, they'd be easily spotted if one of the Tarosian turned around. Moving as swiftly as they could without making any noise, they made it into the nearest doorway without the alarm being raised. It was one of the dark and unused parts of the ruins, and by the light shining in through the windows they found another doorway from that room that led deeper into the structure.

Each room and passage they went through was bare, other than the decorative carvings that also adorned the interior walls, with no furniture, paintings or implements left behind by the ancient inhabitants. It was as though nothing remained of the Thalshük Empire other than the crumbling ruins themselves. Cerah observed that there was no evidence of technology ever having been installed in this location during the time of the Thalshük Empire; no power nodes or conduits, or even light fittings. She wondered if it had been abandoned before the Thalshük ever developed technology, possibly due to plague or civil war, or if perhaps some groups had refrained from adopting a technological lifestyle, like a Thalshük version of Luddites.

They made it to the uppermost level of the structure directly beneath the cargo ship on the roof without having to go back outside. As Cerah had hoped, they were now close enough for her to get some scanner readings.

"Just as I thought, the ship doesn't have its own time drive, but there is a residual temporal signature, indicating that it has travelled through time recently. I suspect that these ships were all being brought here by that giant one, but when it detected Tethys at Mord'thet it dropped them off to make their own way while it went and flung a gas giant at us."

"Where do you suggest we start searching for information about their plans?" Jeuls'e asked.

"No idea. Probably the best thing we could do is split up and see what we can find out, and then regroup in about half an hour outside the ruins near those steps where we watched them land. Then once we're all back we can return to the shuttle and I'll take you to a safer part of the planet where we can go our separate ways."

"Good plan. Let's do it."

They split up, and while Uuna-Xor went down to look for a ground-level exit, Cerah and Jeuls'e stayed on the upper level and made their way towards opposite ends of the building.

*

Once she was on the ground floor, Uuna-Xor kept to the shadows as she crept over to a doorway that overlooked the open area where the crates were being unpacked. Outside it was now raining heavily. She was just peeking around the doorway to see if the way was clear when two Tarosians lifted a piece of machinery and starting carrying it towards her doorway. Ducking out of sight, she waited just around the inside of it, hoping to slip out while they carried it deeper into the building.

When they entered the room neither of them noticed her in the shadows, but her plan was frustrated when they simply put it in the middle of the floor and turned around to go back out. Noticing that one of them had ocular implant in place of one eye, and therefore enhanced enough vision that he would doubtless spot her in the darkness despite her black clothing, especially with her silver hair, she didn't hesitate to leap forward and land a sharp side kick into his solar plexus. The force of the unexpected attack knocked him backwards over the machinery that they'd brought in.

The other Tarosian took a few steps back to put some distance between himself and Uuna-Xor and drew a pistol. In another forward leap, Uuna-Xor closed the distance with an agile double kick; her left foot knocking the gun from his hand while her right caught him under the chin.

Her first opponent was already back on his feet. She figured that he probably had an artificial breathing system, since the strike to the solar plexus should've left him winded and gasping. He swung a right hook at her, which she blocked with both arms up in front of her, but due to his arm being bionic, the force behind it sent her reeling backwards. She hadn't wanted to use her pistol in case the flash from the shot was seen from outside, but realising that she didn't have much of a choice, she waited for the next hook and ducked it, and then raised her gun arm, pressed the weapon up under his chin, and fired. Immediately he went limp and slumped lifelessly to the floor.

In her peripheral vision she spotted the movement of the second Tarosian as he took a swing at her just in time to dive roll out of the way, coming straight back up onto her feet. They started circling each other. Uuna-Xor waited for just the right moment, when the Tarosian took another swing at her, and as she ducked below it she brought a low spinning kick against the back of his knee, bringing him to the floor. Dropping into a kneel beside him, she quickly put her pistol against the side of his head and fired.

She dashed over to the doorway to see if anyone had seen or heard anything of the fight, but it seemed that by pressing the weapon right up against the Tarosians each time she'd succeeded in mostly smothering the flash of the shots, and the rain masked any sounds. The other Tarosians were still going about unpacking the crates and taking the contents into the various parts of the ruins. Acting quickly, she dragged the two bodies into an adjoining room so that they were out of sight in case anyone looked in through the doorway, but she knew that it wouldn't be long before they were missed. Unfortunately she had no way of letting Jeuls'e and Cerah know that they probably had less time than they thought.

*

After dropping to the ground from a window, Jeuls'e had darted across to a dark doorway close to an illuminated one on the chance that the two rooms somehow connected inside. She'd been in luck, and listened through the adjoining doorway as she heard voices conversing. One belonged to a female Tarosian, and by the sound of the other she was sure it was coming through a communication device. Although the second voice spoke in hushed tones, Jeuls'e recognised it as the voice of the man wearing the black hooded robe who'd released her from Mord'thet with the assistance of his brown-robed accomplice.

"The equipment is being unpacked, and will be fully assembled, calibrated and operating within two days," the Tarosian woman said.

"Excellent work. I've always admired Tarosian efficiency. The test of Paragon's abilities demonstrated a greater destructive capability than I'd anticipated. It will be more than sufficient to destroy Epoch and Jidai," the black robed being responded. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Possibly. Something is interfering with our sensors, to the point where they only have a range of a matter of metres."

"Perhaps Tethys wasn't destroyed after all. Stay alert. I will arrive in a few minutes," the black-robed being replied, and the call ended.

Jeuls'e silently slipped into the room behind the Tarosian, and with a quick movement she reached out and snapped her neck. Knowing that she had a vital piece of information for Cerah, and that time was short, she started making her way back the way she'd come.

*

Cerah had also dropped from a window when no one was looking in her direction, and had snuck over to a crate that had been opened but not yet emptied. When it was safe to do so, she took a quick peek inside, but was unable to discern the function of the pieces of equipment she saw. Her scanner was able to take detailed readings because of her immediate proximity, which indicated that they were components of a larger device for constructing both handheld and starship weapons.

Her hair and clothes now dripping wet from the constant rain, and not wanting to linger for too long in a position of such limited cover, she quickly made her way towards the nearest dark doorway. With the rain being so heavy now she no longer had to worry about the sounds of her footsteps.

She was still some distance away when she saw the shadows of people about to emerge from one of the illuminated doorways. Breaking into a sprint, she darted towards a window instead, being several metres closer. A glance at the shadows told her that she only had moments to make it out of sight. As soon as she was close enough to do so, she gave a final leap and dove straight through the opening just as two Tarosians emerged from the doorway. On the other side, she timed her landing perfectly and went into a roll that brought her back up onto her feet, and had to put her hands out to stop herself from slamming into the room's back wall.

Keeping out of the shaft of light that shone through from the lamps outside, she went back over to the window and was relieved to see the two Tarosians continuing on their way to assist with unpacking the crates. She checked her scanner for any more life signs in the rooms that they'd come out of, and found that they were empty. She went over to the doorway and looked around it carefully. After having to wait a minute until no one was looking in her direction, she dashed over to the illuminated doorway and went inside.

Communication and sensor equipment, as well as several computers with holographic screens, had been set up on portable tables, giving Cerah the impression of a makeshift headquarters. One in particular caught her attention, which seemed to be a tactical scenario. Displayed in a three dimensional projection was an image of Earth as well as Temporal Security's two time stations, with highlighted vectors of attack. She touched a control on the projector to play the simulation. A blue icon labelled 'Paragon' streaked towards Epoch and then Jidai, destroying each in turn, following which it descended towards Earth. After the destruction of the stations, several hundred green icons that presumably represented Tarosian warships approached Earth, half from the direction of Taros and half from Seinarüdth, as she could tell from the positions of the stars in the detailed scenario, which targeted Earth's planetary defence satellites, marked by red icons. They then attacked dozens of additional red icons that launched from Earth indicating human military ships. She noticed a larger black icon away from the battle, where the Paragon icon had come from, and guessed it to be the giant ship that had attacked Tethys.

She turned as two Tarosians entered the room, a man and a woman, who stopped in surprise at the unexpected sight of her. Cerah sprang forward and caught the man with an elbow strike to the jaw, and brought her knee sharply into the woman's abdomen. She then side-kicked the man in the side of the knee, and as he collapsed she gave a second kick to the side of his neck. He collapsed to the floor motionless. Cerah couldn't tell if he was dead or just unconscious from the strike, but didn't have time to worry about it as the woman tried to land an uppercut under her chin. She moved back just in time and countered with a couple of punches and then a shove that sent the woman stumbling back into the wall where the back of her head smacked against it with an audible thud that knocked her out.

Cerah dragged both bodies deeper into the room so that they wouldn't be spotted through the doorway, and was about to leave when she heard hurried footsteps approaching. Another Tarosian, drawn by the sounds of the fighting, entered the room with his pistol drawn. Acting purely by reflex, Cerah dropped into a crouch as she grabbed her own pistol, and the Tarosian's shot flashed just over her head. She fired back, hitting him square in the chest.

After a quick glance outside she left the building to make her way back towards the rendezvous point. She'd learned all that she could safely. If she tempted fate any further she might not make it back to Tethys alive to report on her findings. There was also the fact that she was wet and cold from being drenched by the rain, which still showed no sign of relenting.

Several of the Tarosians moved on to another crate that was dangerously close to the way that Cerah had planned to take. Reluctantly, she was forced to find another way, and started moving in the opposite direction to go around the back of the building she'd just come from.

Even over the rain, her vampiric hearing picked up the sounds of unhurried footsteps in the puddles that were forming on the flat roof above her. She looked up and saw one of the patrolling Tarosians approach the edge, looking over the open area where the others were unpacking the crates. By his relatively casual posture, it was clear that he had no idea of her presence. Pressing herself against the wall, she made her way beneath him and around a corner to a shadowy gap between buildings that none of the lamps shone directly into, though there was still a glow from the moonlight through the thinner parts of the clouds.

Because of the slight angle of the rain her place of cover was out of it, so she took a moment to brush her wet hair out of her face. She was about to proceed around the back of the building when the moonlight was suddenly obscured by something more than just thicker clouds passing in front of it. She looked up, and with a feeling of dread she saw a massive silhouette in the clouds blocking out the moon. A black shape reminiscent of a giant submarine descended through the clouds, and came to a stop just below them where it remained in a motionless hover high above the ruins. It was so completely black that it didn't reflect any light whatsoever, and seemed more like a hole in existence itself than a physical object. Cerah estimated it to be over a kilometre in length.

Suddenly several bright flashes of energy erupted from it, directed at a point in the jungle several kilometres away. With a pang of apprehension, Cerah realised that it had targeted the sensor probe that Vyetrus had modified. She took out her scanner. The fact that it could get clear readings to the full extent of its range confirmed the probe's destruction. Several more flashes erupted from the massive ship at another point in the jungle. With a sickening sense of despair, Cerah confirmed on her scanner that her shuttle had also been destroyed. She had no way off the planet. As quickly as she could, she modified her scanner to mask her life signs, hoping that she'd done so before anyone had been able to isolate them.

Her scanner alerted her to a familiar energy spike, which she pinpointed as being in the open square, but away from where the crates were being unloaded. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she chanced a look around the corner.

In a ripple of teal light, a solitary figure materialised wearing a loose brown robe with the large hood covering its face. In one hand it held a phased positron pistol, not yet pointed anywhere. It looked around, and called out in an angry tone, "Show yourself!"

Even without seeing the being's face, Cerah recognised the voice: it was Daphne Crawford! Clearly she didn't know exactly where Cerah was hiding, but with the level of attention she was getting from the Tarosians within earshot, it wouldn't take long for her to get a search under way.

Cerah was torn. One instinct was to make a run for it while she could, while her strong sense of vengeance demanded that she do her best to see that justice was done. She detached her pistol from her belt, and keeping to the darkness in the gap she was using for cover, she carefully took aim.

She paused at the sight of a blue shimmer coming from within one of the dark doorways of the structure along the adjoining side of the square. It lasted for only a few seconds. She was just perfecting her aim at Crawford when a similarly dressed being wearing a black hooded robe emerged from the doorway.
Chapter 10

Faymar

Crawford raised her pistol at him. "You left me to die on Mord'thet after everything I've done for you!" she hissed venomously.

"Your incompetence jeopardised the plan more times than I care to count," the black-robed being replied calmly and without raising his voice at all, seemingly unperturbed by the weapon pointed at him.

As Cerah listened from the shadows, she thought that the hooded man's voice had a hint of familiarity about it, but it wasn't something she could put her finger on. It wasn't one that she could clearly identify, which she figured could be attributed to the fact that he was speaking in a lowered tone.

"I have been loyal to the plan. I believe in the plan," Crawford said in an anguished voice.

By now several of the Tarosians had stopped unloading and were gathering at a distance to see what was going to happen. Several of those who'd been patrolling the rooftops of the ruins now had their weapons trained on Crawford, but with a raised black-gloved hand the being in the black robe gestured for them not to take any action at present.

Crawford was aware that numerous weapons were aimed at her, but her conviction to exact revenge didn't falter. Her pistol remained steady. In her mind she went through any possible routes of how she could escape after she did what she'd come to do. Even though it was probable that she wouldn't make it away alive, she still intended to give it her best attempt.

"If you think it'll make you feel better, take the shot," her former master said, holding his empty hands out to the sides.

Hoping to buy herself an extra moment by putting the Tarosians off their guard, she lowered her weapon and slumped her head forward a little as though in defeat, and then quickly raised her pistol and fired. Keeping an eye on her target even as she moved to run to the side of the square that had the fewest armed Tarosians, she watched as the bright positron burst flashed across the distance between her and him, and hit him square in the chest. She was shocked and disappointed when he remained standing, having not even attempted to evade the shot. As she kept running she fired a few more times, each time hitting him, but with no effect.

He thrust the open palm of his left hand out towards her, and despite being a good dozen metres away, she felt an invisible force knock her off her feet, sending her tumbling painfully along the stone-paved ground. The pistol fell from her grasp, and she scrambled over to it and retrieved it, wondering why no one had shot at her yet. Looking back at her former master she saw that he was signalling to his Tarosian followers with an upraised hand that they still shouldn't take any action.

Crawford got back to her feet, and despite the futility of it, she pointed her weapon at him again out of sheer desperation. She'd been willing to die if it meant killing him too after he'd betrayed her faith in his plan and left her to die, having nowhere else to go now and being unable to return to her normal life, but she couldn't accept simply being killed for nothing. She tried to make another run for it, but this time he raised his right hand towards her, and she felt herself being lifted off her feet and being pulled through the air towards his outstretched hand. Just before she reached him, he lowered his hand and she dropped to the ground on her hands and knees a couple of metres in front of him. She'd had no idea that he possessed such abilities. Had she known the futility of her attempt at vengeance she would've simply turned herself in to Temporal Security and told them everything she knew of his plans.

She'd retained a firm grip on her pistol this time, for all the good it would do her. As she tried to get back to her feet he crouched in front of her, brought his hand up under her hood, and clamped it around her throat in an iron grip. As he stood he lifted her into the air, and she struggled in vain as she felt the life being choked out of her. The pistol slipped from her grasp.

"Time to tie up a loose end," the being said, throwing her roughly to the ground.

Unable to focus properly as she gasped for breath, Crawford only saw the dark shadow of his hooded shape loom over her.

Cerah watched as he crouched and untied the rope belt around Crawford's waist and removed her now dripping wet brown robe, leaving her in the black top, slacks and boots of the Temporal Security uniform that she was still wearing beneath it. Aside from it being the first time she'd ever seen Crawford with her hair down, Cerah also observed that she wore a belt with a noticeably large metal belt plate that wasn't part of the uniform.

"I'll find a more worthy use for this robe. It will be given to another," the black-robed being said, holding it right in front of her. As he stood and turned away from Crawford he stopped as his gaze fixed on Cerah in the shadows between buildings.

Realising that he had heightened vision and had spotted her, Cerah jumped aside just as he raised a hand in her direction, her vampiric reflex getting her out of the way just in time as was evidenced by a crack that suddenly appeared in the stone wall right where she'd been standing. Having seen that energy weapons were ineffective against him, she darted deeper into the gap and hurried around the corner to get out of his sight, and ran deeper into the ruins. She heard him order his Tarosian followers after her, and moments later several bursts of energy flashed past as she was shot at by the ones on top of the buildings.

Cerah fired a few shots behind her as she ran, trying to aim as best she could, but only one of the shots hit a target. She heard the distant sounds of a couple of the Tarosians aiming down over the other side of the building, so presumably Crawford had taken the opportunity of her former master's momentary distraction to make a break for it.

Swerving as she went, Cerah kept running until she was in an area of the ruins some distance away from any of the Tarosian ships, and far enough that she was out of the shadow of the giant ship overhead and once again had the moonlight to see by. Ducking into the doorway of an empty building along a narrow street, she paused for a moment to catch her breath. The rain still hadn't stopped, and the wet and the cold weren't making things any easier for her. It was a long shot, but she checked her scanner for any sign of a rescue shuttle from Tethys, but there wasn't one, which was probably just as well since the enormous black ship would no doubt shoot it down. Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor's life signs were together near the rendezvous location, apparently waiting for her, but that was on the far side of the ruins to where she'd ended up. She was on her own.

When she was ready to keep going, she looked out of the doorway the way she'd come and spotted two Tarosians rounding a corner at the other end of the street. They'd spotted her too. After a brief exchange of fire they both lay dead, all of their shots having missed her, and without having had time to summon backup. She decided to take a different direction to throw off any other pursuers who might discover the bodies and keep following the direction she'd been heading.

After a couple of minutes of steady jogging she rounded a corner to take an adjacent street and collided with Crawford, who'd been about to round the same corner in her attempt to get deeper into the ruins, or at least further from her pursuers. In the tumble they both lost their pistols. Quickly getting back to their feet they stood staring at each other with unhidden mutual malevolence.

"Surprised to see me alive?" Cerah asked, the assassination attempt still fresh in her mind.

"More like disappointed."

Seeing that Crawford was about to turn and make a run for it, Cerah leaped towards her, but it had been a decoy move and Crawford quickly turned and punched Cerah in the abdomen. Although it caught her by surprise, Cerah took the hit well and countered with a palm strike at the centre of Crawford's chest that knocked the breath out of her, and followed through with a solid punch to the jaw that dropped the human woman to the ground.

In desperation against a vampire, Crawford looked around for anything she could use to her advantage and spotted a lump of stone that'd come off of the crumbling ruins. With a quick aim, she flung it up at Cerah, striking her in the side of the head. Cerah stumbled back with a bleeding cut, slightly dazed. Making the most of Cerah's distraction, Crawford got up and started taking a few swings of her own.

Only the first one made it through before Cerah's reflexes allowed her to block the ones that followed. When Crawford swung a right hook, Cerah deflected it while at the same time stepping out to the left and landing a low punch into Crawford's side, cracking at least one rib, as she could tell by the feel of the impact. She then grabbed Crawford by the shoulders and pulled her into a knee to the gut, and finished with an elbow to the jaw that knocked Crawford to the ground, face down.

Cerah climbed on top of her and put her in a head lock, tempted to choke the life out of her. "Why did you betray Temporal Security?" she demanded.

"I was trying to set the human race on a better path," Crawford croaked as she tried to break Cerah's hold.

"By killing people?"

"It was the only way to fix everything."

"That method never fixes anything," Cerah said, turning her head lock into a sleeper hold. Within seconds Crawford's struggling ceased and she slumped into unconsciousness.

Cerah stood up. Her only option seemed to be to try to steal one of the Tarosian ships to get herself and Crawford back to Tethys. Then she recalled the time that she'd spotted Crawford in Phoenicia, and how she'd activated a device under her robes to produce a holographic screen just before dematerialising. Presumably her belt plate contained the device that she'd been using to transport herself from place to place. Confident that she'd be able to operate it if she could figure out how to activate it, Cerah reached down to give it a go.

"Don't move!" a voice behind her said.

Cerah straightened up and raised her hands.

"Turn around," the voice ordered.

Cerah did so, and saw five Tarosians standing several metres away with their pistols aimed at her. They'd kept enough distance between themselves and her that she couldn't attack them or make a run for it without being shot down.

They looked her over for weapons. Seeing only an omniscanner on her belt, one of them indicated with his pistol for her to head along the street that led back towards where the crates were being unloaded, and said, "Our master wishes to speak with you."

Cerah didn't expect to live long after meeting their master, but at the moment there wasn't anything she could do but comply. She started along the street with the Tarosians keeping a short distance apart from her. Her best chance would be to wait until they headed around a corner where she might be able to take advantage of the gap between her and them. The odds still wouldn't be in her favour, but it was better than nothing.

As they passed an alley they were all surprised when Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor dashed out of the shadows and attacked the Tarosians with a combination of kicks and strikes, as well as shots with their pistols. The moment the Tarosians' attention was no longer on her, Cerah went and joined them.

When the Tarosians had all been neutralised, Cerah said, "Good timing, thanks."

"We're just upholding our end of the deal," Jeuls'e said, holding out her scanner meaningfully.

"How did you find me? I've already masked my life signs," Cerah asked as she took the scanner and proceeded to reconfigure it, and then Uuna-Xor's when it was offered.

"We just tracked the direction of the Tarosians, and then when a group of them started heading back to base we figured they'd found who they were looking for. Earlier I overheard a Tarosian talking over a communication channel. By the sound of it they were talking to the man with the hood from the giant starship. They seem to be aware that Tethys is nearby. Their plan is to use Paragon to destroy your time stations. Having tested the weapon, they've concluded that it's quite capable of doing so."

"And then they intend to attack Earth. I saw a mission plan," Cerah said. "Do you have any information about Paragon that could be useful?"

"I'm sorry, I don't. Your Messaran friend might be able to figure out a way of stopping it. His people are known to be wise scientists."

"Since it was contained on Mord'thet, you can at least be sure that it's as vulnerable to the effects of time as anything else," Uuna-Xor said.

"Unfortunately the man in possession of the weapon has some very advanced temporal technology," Cerah said. "Well, I need to find a way of getting back to Tethys. I appreciate you both coming along, and for your coming to the rescue just now."

"You have our gratitude for liberating us. May you die with honour when the day comes, but may it not come for a long time," Jeuls'e said.

Cerah was sure there was a note of hidden respect in her voice, as though by going into battle together they'd established an unspoken bond. She could see the same regard in Uuna-Xor's eyes. "And the same to both of you. You should try to get as far away from here as possible."

"We certainly will," Jeuls'e said, and with a parting nod, she and Uuna-Xor set off at a steady jog.

Cerah watched them go, grateful for their timely intervention, and confident that they'd be capable of surviving in the jungle on their own. Thankfully the rain was at last reducing to a drizzle. She glanced back along the street to where Crawford was just struggling to get back to her feet, dazed and shivering from the cold and the wet. One way or another, she wasn't going to let Crawford get away with the things she'd done, which had led to so many deaths. She picked up two of the dropped Tarosian weapons and pointed them in Crawford's direction, but paused when she heard numerous sets of hurried footsteps that made no attempt to be stealthy. They were coming from several directions.

Before she could make it to a doorway to hide, several groups of Tarosians entered the street from either end and from a couple of the alleys, totalling over a dozen, all armed. The ones nearest to Crawford herded her along with them before she could pick up either of the pistols that she and Cerah had dropped when they'd run into each other.

The Tarosians stopped a good ten metres away from Cerah on either side as though waiting for something. Their weapons weren't aimed at her, but they were held ready. Cerah backed up against a wall, desperately trying to come up with any kind of escape plan, but there was nowhere for her to go. She was much too far from any doorways or alleys. The only thing nearby was the square opening in the stonework directly behind her that had once been a window, but as tempting as it was, there was no chance of her getting through it without being shot several times.

"Drop your weapons," one of the Tarosians ordered.

Reluctantly, Cerah did so.

As though to confirm that there was no longer any possibility of escape, the man in the black hooded robe came and stood with his followers, facing Cerah, his face still hidden in the shadow of his hood.

Crawford tried to take advantage of everyone's focus being on Cerah and shoved at the nearest Tarosian as she tried to make a break for it, but the robed being raised his left hand towards her and she was knocked off her feet by his invisible power and tumbled painfully to the ground and into a wall. He then returned his attention to Cerah.

"Should we spare her?" one of the Tarosians asked.

"No. Kill them both," his master replied.

Unseen in the shadows of the room behind the window that Cerah was standing against, a man silently walked towards the opening. One hand was reached out towards Cerah, the other was behind his back holding a large rounded sapphire that was six inches in diameter and which glowed with an inner energy. As the Tarosians raised their weapons to carry out the order they'd been given, the man clamped his hand down on Cerah's shoulder.

Alarmed by the sudden touch, Cerah instinctively looked down at her shoulder and saw the loose, wrinkled skin of an old man's hand. The next thing she knew she was enshrouded by a shimmering violet glow that swirled all around her, obscuring everything else, and she felt a sudden lurching sensation.

The robed being and his followers watched in frustration as the violet light faded, taking Cerah with it. The desperate shots from a few of the Tarosians either hit the stone wall where she'd been standing or passed through the empty window. There was no sign of the owner of the hand who'd touched her either.

Turning his attention to Crawford, the robed being saw that she was still on the ground where she'd landed, but was operating the holographic controls that were projected from her temporal displacement unit. Just as he raised his right hand out towards her she was enveloped in a teal shimmer, and she too disappeared from sight.

*

When the violet light faded, Cerah found herself standing on the Tethys' bridge, to the surprise of everyone there who'd witnessed her sudden appearance. She turned around but the man whose hand she'd felt was nowhere to be seen. Somehow he'd sent her on alone.

Devlin activated his multi-com and ordered, "Security to the bridge."

Cerah was momentarily perplexed until a pair of armed officers entered. They'd come for her. "Captain, I need to talk to you. It's important."

Silently, Devlin looked to the officers and nodded towards the door.

"Lieutenant, please come with us," one of the officers said, not wanting to disgrace her further by dragging her out.

"The hell I will," Cerah said hotly.

As she took a step towards Devlin, the officer grabbed her arm, while his fellow levelled his weapon at her.

Fighting down the urge to break the man's arm, she was forced to let him lead her away, or else be dragged away unconscious. Before she reached the door, she turned back to Devlin and said, "You need to take Tethys out of time immediately. They know we're here."

"What about the prisoners?"

Cerah cast her gaze downward as though with deep remorse, and said, "They didn't make it."

Devlin gave the officers another nod and they resumed leading Cerah away.

Before the bridge door closed behind her she heard Devlin give the order for a time shift. At least he had the wisdom to not disregard her advice out of obstinacy or spite.

She was led to the holding cells and put in the same one that Jeuls'e had occupied. Her uniform jacket was still there where she'd tossed it. It hadn't been part of the plan for her to bust the two alien women out just to take their place, but she'd known the risks and probable consequences.

It was only a matter of minutes before Devlin came to the holding area to speak with her. Because of the force field between them, the sight of him seemed to gently ripple and distort.

"Where's the shuttle you took?" Devlin asked.

"It was destroyed when that enemy ship turned up."

"And you got the prisoners killed?"

"They died trying to help me gather information on the enemy's plans. In fact if it wasn't for them I'd probably be dead," Cerah replied, keeping up the pretence of grief for their deaths, although it probably was true that she wouldn't have survived if they hadn't come to her rescue.

"And did you learn anything?"

Cerah nodded. "I'm sorry to tell you, sir, that there's no longer any doubt that Commander Crawford was our traitor. I saw her down there dressed in a brown hooded robe talking to the enemy. It was definitely her that I spotted in Phoenicia. That time that she and Petrov were both incriminated and then cleared was all part of a clever ruse."

"Another energy spike was detected while you were on the planet. It would seem that she was stowing away on Tethys until she had somewhere to transport herself to."

"The enemy turned on her. He gave the order to kill us both just before I was taken from there. She'll be dead by now."

"I would have much rather taken her alive. There's a lot she could've told us, and likely would have, given that we can now be sure that the enemy left her for dead on Mord'thet. I don't suppose you got a look at him?"

"Not his face. He kept his hood up the whole time."

"What information did you manage to gather?"

"The Tarosians aren't from 2398. They already had blue skin and cybernetics from genetic degradation. They're at least from 2509, possibly a good deal later, based on how advanced some of their technology looked. They're establishing a military production facility there. They had machinery for constructing spacecraft and weaponry. I saw a battle plan scenario. They're planning to use the Paragon weapon to destroy Epoch and Jidai, and then attack Earth with a war fleet."

"The fact that they're establishing that base on the far side of Earth to Taros would seem to corroborate your findings. Looks like they intend to attack on two fronts."

"That's precisely why I had to go down to find out exactly what it was they were up to."

"Now that their plans are known they may change them. I'll send a message to Admiral Rivette apprising him of the situation. I imagine he'll order a follow-up investigation."

"Tell him to make sure it's a well armed investigation. That massive ship turned up while I was there, and even without it those Tarosian ships would be able to handle themselves pretty well in a battle."

"I'll take that under advisement."

Almost afraid to ask, Cerah broached the question, "So what's going to happen to me now?"

"You broke protocol and abused a command opportunity, took the ship into a hostile situation when your responsibility of acting command dictated that you were to get your ship and crew out of danger, released prisoners without authorisation who then died as a result, left your post in a hostile situation, as well as the theft of a time shuttle which was then destroyed. At the very least your actions constitute criminal misconduct. And that's without even mentioning the shooting of the two crewmen who were guarding the launch bay."

"That was the prisoners."

"Can you tell me that you didn't sanction that course of action?"

With a pang of guilt, Cerah remained silent, so Devlin continued.

"I'm sure the fact that you obtained information about plans to invade Earth will temper the charges against you somewhat, but to what degree I cannot say. There's also the fact that you positively identified a traitor in the organisation. You're certainly very capable, but you lack a sense of due caution, which could have now cost you your career, I'm sorry to say."

"If it prevents an attack on Earth then it's worth the sacrifice, even if I have to be locked away on criminal charges."

"Out of curiosity, how did you return to Tethys? Did you find Commander Crawford's transportation device?"

"No, that I can't explain. Someone put their hand on me when I was about to be shot, and next thing I knew I was standing on the bridge, all in the space of just a few moments. I didn't even see who it was."

"A pity. Well, for whatever it's worth, although I don't condone your actions I do understand why you did what you did. When I speak with the admiral I'll explain your situation to him, the merits as well as the violations, and I'll let you know as soon as a decision has been reached," Devlin said. He held Cerah's gaze for a few seconds in silence before leaving the holding area.

Although the captain was acting in accordance with Temporal Security procedures for such a situation as hers, Cerah was sure that he didn't seem to bear any hostility towards her personally, despite the number of times she'd been called to his office after taking matters into her own hands. She hoped that it meant that he would permit some degree of leniency, or at least not obstruct the possibility of it. Although temporal execution wasn't a likely outcome, hopefully, she certainly wasn't looking forward to imprisonment for any length of time, which would almost definitely be the case.

She'd been brooding about her situation for the best part of an hour when Peter came to visit her.

"How are you holding up in there?" he asked.

"Nowhere else I'd rather be," Cerah replied dryly. "They could've at least given me a book to read. Even a pamphlet would be better than nothing."

"I'll see if I can smuggle one in."

"I thought you'd still be on your shift for a few more hours."

"After we got under way the captain wanted to be certain that we weren't being followed, but once he was sure we were in the clear he gave me leave to come and see you."

"That's surprisingly generous of him, considering what I'm in for."

"As grateful as I am for that, I'm really just glad you made it back in one piece. It saves me having to take a page out of your book, and steal a shuttle to go back in time to save you."

Cerah couldn't help but smile. But then the smile faded as she realised that he could actually be serious, and was just disguising it as a joke.

"So tell me about how you did manage to get back. The captain didn't tell us anything," Peter said.

"That's just it, I have no idea. I'd just been fighting with Crawford, and then with some Tarosians, and then the guy with the black hood ordered them to kill me. I saw a hand on my shoulder, and the next thing I knew I was surrounded by this purple light, and then I materialised on Tethys but the man didn't."

"Can you describe the hand?" Peter asked, his curiosity burning.

"It definitely wasn't an alien. By the size of it, it was definitely a man. An old man, actually, considering how wrinkled the skin was. But his hands weren't gnarled or anything. In fact, they were almost as well manicured as yours."

"Sounds like a man of distinction," Peter said with a smirk. "No rings or anything?"

Cerah shook her head. "No, I would've remembered if there were."

"I wonder if he somehow got hold of Crawford's personal transportation device."

"I don't think so. I noticed that she was wearing a distinctive belt plate, which I'm pretty sure was her device, based on what I saw in Phoenicia, and she was still wearing it when I was taken away. And in Phoenicia her device created a sort of bluish-green light, but this one was purple."

"That could mean it was more advanced."

"Which would imply that it came from further in the future," Cerah said, her mind racing with possibilities.

"Well the sensor log did show that there was another energy spike at the time you were transported on board, so it must've been something similar. So what happened to Crawford?"

"She's as good as dead. That robed guy ordered her killed as well. I guess he didn't want to risk her blowing his plans since they've both turned on each other now."

"Can't say she didn't have it coming after being responsible for so many deaths, directly or otherwise."

"It did feel good to hit her a couple of times," Cerah said in reminiscence.

"If your case goes to trial, you probably shouldn't mention that."

"As it stands, I've got no idea what will become of me now."

Peter heard the worry in her voice, despite how well she tried to disguise it. "Having been on the bridge when you assumed command, my testimony in your favour might help. I'll certainly do whatever I can."

"I know. And I appreciate it. But I don't want to think about that right now, not until I know what's going to happen."

"Of course," Peter said, and redirected their conversation.

They'd been chatting for another ten minutes when Devlin returned, just as Peter was telling Cerah that Tomás and Elsa had wanted to visit her, but he'd advised against it, knowing that she wouldn't want them to see her locked up behind a force field.

"Sub-lieutenant Dawson, I'll need a few minutes with Lieutenant O'Neil," Devlin said.

"Of course, sir," Peter acknowledged. To Cerah, he said, "I'll visit you again later." He then left the holding area with a respectful parting nod to the captain.

Devlin paused for a moment before saying, "You've been exonerated." He reached up and touched the control that deactivated her cell's force field.

Cerah couldn't believe that she was off the hook. It certainly seemed too good to be true, and hadn't even been among the outcomes that she'd considered as possibilities. "Thank you, sir..."

"Don't thank me," Devlin interrupted. "The decision wasn't mine. If you were to be tried, the details of your findings on Seinarüdth would go on record, and if word got out that Earth was facing an imminent invasion it could start a widespread panic. There's also the embarrassment of having a Temporal Security commander involved and collaborating with the conspirators, especially after the recent case of Commander William Herschel, who's been convicted for attempting to smuggle narcotics across time."

"I did hear about that case, sir," Cerah said, deciding not to mention the detail that her sister was dating William Herschel's friend Luke.

"It was the admiral's call. I'm pretty sure that by the time we get back to Epoch he'll declare the matter classified," Devlin said meaningfully.

"Understood, sir."

"You ought to be aware that I recommended that you be reassigned. I'm sure I don't need to explain my reasons for that."

"No, sir."

"In the meantime, return to your post and continue performing your duties. Within Temporal Security's guidelines."

Cerah nodded. "I will, sir."

"Dismissed," Devlin said softly.

Cerah picked up her jacket and left the cell, walking briskly from the holding area as though worried that the captain might change his mind about releasing her.

Before doing anything else, she stopped by her quarters for a shower and a fresh uniform, still hardly able to believe her luck. When she returned to the bridge, Peter and Elsa both looked like they were struggling to contain their delight at seeing her at liberty. Even Vyetrus seemed happy, for a Messaran. Buhari on the other hand looked like he didn't agree with the admiral's decision to release her, though he made no remark to that effect, neither did he attempt to dampen anyone else's happiness for her.

Cerah went over to him and asked, "Sir, might I assume that we're on course for Epoch?"

"We are, but first we'll be stopping at the Ross 490 system. Admiral Rivette has asked us to look into an explosion that was detected there, since it's more or less on our way to Earth," Buhari replied. "Take your station, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir," Cerah said, and went to the tactical console, relieving an ensign who'd been temporarily filling in for her. She was so relieved to not be in a cell that she didn't even mind the prospect of the two month journey it would take to reach the Ross 490 system.

*

When they closed in on the Ross 490 system Cerah had to suppress a sigh of relief. The life span of a vampire hadn't imbued her with a sense of patience, and she hated the long journeys that some missions took. The elation of her freedom had only lasted the first few days before the boredom of the journey started getting the better of her. They were back in 2509, and it was the 24th of April; two days before they were expected to return to Epoch.

"We'll reach the planet where the weapon test took place in ten minutes," Fitzpatrick informed the captain, who'd just emerged from his office. Its hull breach had been repaired during the journey.

"When we reach it, put us into a geosynchronous orbit over the site," Devlin ordered.

In the distance, the small Ross 490 star was visible. Casting its comparatively feeble glow across the system, the small red star was less than a quarter of the size of Earth's sun. The planet that they were heading towards was outlined by its light, but little could be discerned of its features since they were approaching from its night side. It had an atmosphere, which gave its outline a hazy glow. The second of four planets, it was a small world, not much larger than Jupiter's moon Ganymede, and its single moonlet was only forty kilometres in diameter like Saturn's moon Siarnaq, and like Siarnaq it wasn't perfectly spherical.

"The test site is currently on the day side of the planet," Peter said.

Hopefully that means we can wrap this up sooner and be on our way, Cerah thought to herself. Since her future was no longer on this ship, she wanted to move on as soon as possible and get on with her life. Her only regret was having to leave the ship that Peter was on. Wherever she went from here, she'd be on her own.

As Fitzpatrick piloted Tethys around the curvature of the planet, all eyes were focussed through the window. There was no mistaking the test site when it came into view. In the middle of the verdantly forested main continent that covered the majority of the planet there was an enormous blast crater where the ground was scorched black. Around the circumference of the blast radius the charred trees had been knocked over away from the detonation point. Surrounding them was a ring of browned vegetation that had either suffered from the heat released by the explosion or by radiation afterwards.

"How wide is that blast crater?" Devlin asked, still in awe of the sight.

"Approximately a thousand kilometres across, roughly the width of Greenland," Peter replied.

"Considering everything that has transpired recently, in relative terms, could it not be possible that this was a test of the Paragon weapon?" Vyetrus speculated.

Devlin knew that if it was, it would easily be capable of destroying the time stations in an instant, but he kept that thought to himself. "We can't rule it out."

"Then might I suggest that we try to gather as much information about it as we can."

"Captain, in support of Vyetrus' suggestion, I'd like to remind you that in my report about Seinarüdth I stated that Jeuls'e had overheard a conversation about a successful test of the Paragon weapon's destructive capability," Cerah said.

"Duly noted," Devlin said.

"What are the radiation levels like down there?" Buhari asked. Shortly after they'd left the Scáth Sector he'd been promoted to commander, and was now the first officer on Tethys. Accordingly, he now wore a darker crimson jacket. As yet a new second officer hadn't been selected.

Peter performed a more detailed scan. "Surprisingly minimal."

"Minimal enough for a landing party to survive a closer inspection of the site?" Devlin asked.

"Provided they don't stay for more than twelve hours," Peter said.

"Sir, I'd like to volunteer for that mission. If I can determine the weapon type we might be able to work on a defence or countermeasure," Cerah said, probably a little too quickly. But she hoped that being the chief tactical officer would qualify her for the task.

Devlin took a few moments to mull over her request. "What are the ultraviolet levels like down there?"

"Less than ten percent of what they are on Earth at surface level," Peter answered. "She could withstand several hours of exposure without suffering any serious ill effects."

"Very well. Commander Buhari will lead the mission. Vyetrus, would you be willing to accompany them?"

"Certainly, Captain," Vyetrus said, rising from his seat.

The three of them proceeded to the launch bay, and within minutes had launched towards the planet.

Vyetrus was manning the sensors during their descent. "The air on the planet is breathable, but it's too thin to keep us alive. We won't need to wear full bio-suits, but we will need respirators."

"Where would you like to set down?" Cerah asked him from the helm.

"Inside the crater, but close to the edge of the blast zone, so that we may examine any residual effects upon the surrounding forest as well as the explosion site itself, if you have no objections, Commander?"

"None at all," Buhari said.

As the shuttle got closer to the surface the immensity of the widespread damage became even more apparent. Cerah directed the shuttle's descent near the centre of the crater and then levelled out just a couple of kilometres high as she took them towards its edge, taking sensor readings along the way. The area of destruction extended so far that even from their altitude all they could see was churned and blackened rock and soil and fused silica all the way to the horizon. Cerah also noticed how on such a small planet the horizon was much nearer than it would be at the same altitude on Earth.

A couple of minutes later the edge of the tree line came into sight. Cerah brought the shuttle down short of where the blasted over trees lay on their sides, with the healthy trees barely visible in the distance.

Buhari located the respirators in the equipment room behind the cockpit and handed them out. They were essentially head masks that were mostly transparent to give a full field of vision, with the respirator unit built directly in front of the mouth and nose area. Once they were all wearing them, Buhari handed them each an omniscanner and set the shuttle's atmospheric pressure to match that of the world outside. They activated their respirators, which gave a faint whirring hum as they compressed the air to a breathable density for their oxygen needs. Buhari opened the hatch and they stepped out of the shuttle, immediately feeling a lot lighter in the planet's lower gravity. They all immediately noticed a difference in their breathing; it was easier to breathe in with less air pressure pressing against the outside of their bodies, and harder to breathe out against the greater air pressure in their lungs on account of the respirators. Without them, the effect was the other way around, as Cerah discovered when she experimented by raising her respirator to see what breathing the atmosphere naturally was like.

The burnt ground crunched underfoot, though in such a thin atmosphere the sound was barely audible. It was like walking on the igneous rock and black glass that one would find on the slopes of an active volcano. The air was quite cool, with barely any breeze. Overhead, the sky was a pale yellowish grey. Although it was afternoon, the star's weak light made it seem more like twilight.

"I would've thought that everything down here would look red because of the star's colour," Cerah commented, noticing that other than the colour of the sky, everything looked pretty normal. The Ross 490 star looked larger in the sky than Earth's sun did due to the planet's proximity to it, but because it was a relatively dim star she could look directly at it without any trouble. She took a moment just to appreciate the experience. It had been well over a century since she'd been outdoors during the day without having to wear a protective body suit, and it gave her a sense of freedom that she wanted to cherish for as long as she could. The low ultraviolet level did still leave a warm sensation on her skin despite the temperature only being eleven degrees Celsius, according to her multi-com, but she was happy to take a little sunburn for the experience.

"Although Ross 490 is a small red star, it is still main sequence, so its light output isn't entirely at the red end of the spectrum. As it interacts with the atmospheric gases it gives the sky the colour it has, and illuminates the surface as you see it," Vyetrus explained, raising his voice to be heard clearly through such a thin atmosphere. "There are other red dwarf systems where the light on the planets does appear entirely red. I never fail to find it fascinating to stand on another world."

"I take it you haven't visited many other worlds, Lieutenant?" Buhari asked.

"Several, but they've all been pretty much Earth-normal planets, although one of them did have a purple sky," Cerah replied.

"Yakish Four?"

"That's the one."

"I've been there a couple of times myself. It has some of the most magnificent sunsets in probably the entire galaxy."

Cerah was quietly relieved that Buhari was speaking to her openly again. It'd taken a while for him to accept that she'd retained her position without any apparent disciplinary repercussions after her actions when she'd taken command of Tethys; not so much as an official censure. Although he was generally a flexible command officer, he had little tolerance for the rules being outright broken, which she'd done a number of times since the Christopher Columbus mission. "Does this planet have a name?" she asked.

"Faymar," Vyetrus answered.

Still getting a feel for the planet's lower gravity, Cerah gently bounced on her feet, intending to just jump up about a foot or so, but was startled to rise over a metre before taking a couple seconds for her feet to touch the ground again. Seeing the other two watching her with hidden amusement, she commented, "It's almost like being on the moon, except with a slower descent on account of atmospheric resistance."

"We should get to work," Buhari said.

They all activated their omniscanners and proceeded to examine every aspect of the site, from atmospheric ionisation levels to the irradiation of the minerals in the soil.

"There's very little residual radiation for such a devastating explosion," Cerah commented.

"Surprisingly little," Vyetrus agreed. "Even on our approach to Faymar our sensors didn't pick up any readings of excessive gamma ray levels, such as would be the case in an antimatter explosion."

"So it's a clean weapon?" Buhari asked.

"It's probably an inadvertent attribute of the weapon then, since generally when you make a devastating weapon you design it to cause as much damage as possible, in the aftermath as well," Cerah said.

"Unless you intend to stake a claim to the place afterwards."

"The radiation that is present appears to be of natural origins, largely from solar winds due to this planet's relatively weak magnetic field, as well as from radioactive mineral traces in the soil," Vyetrus said.

"So even our phased positron pistols generate more radiation than whatever was detonated here," Cerah remarked.

"Any theories as to what that weapon could be, that leaves nothing behind but a crater?" Buhari asked.

Neither Cerah nor Vyetrus had an answer for him. Cerah's best speculation was that it was an explosion of pure energy, though she couldn't come up with an explanation of how it had been achieved.

As she wandered about continuing her scans, taking gentle steps so that she didn't make a fool of herself by launching into the air again, she noticed a hole in the scorched ground. Going over for a closer look, it turned out to be an opening in the upper part of a tunnel that ran underground, which appeared to be a natural formation. As she looked around she spotted a couple more holes. "I think I've found part of a subterranean tunnel system that was exposed by the explosion."

Both men came and joined her.

"Old lava tubes, perhaps?" Buhari asked.

"I do not think so," Vyetrus said. "This planet's not volcanically active. It could be caused by large veins of soluble minerals dissolving in the water table, though I'm not detecting any aquifers in the surrounding area."

"It could be some sort of aftereffect of the detonation, like from a compression wave," Cerah speculated. "By the shape of the blast area, the explosion didn't originate from underground. The device was probably dropped from orbit."

"Unless this was caused by the Paragon weapon," Vyetrus said.

"But that would mean it would've had to be in close proximity to the explosion when it occurred," Buhari said.

"Indeed. And to withstand such an explosion, it would have to be nearly invulnerable."

"And if this was some sort of test site, it may not have even been the weapon's full yield," Cerah said.

"Even just a few of these detonations on Earth would devastate the planet, especially if their level of destruction can be increased. And if this was caused by Paragon, we can be sure that Earth is the target, based on what you saw of their plans on Seinarüdth, Lieutenant," Buhari said.

"Let's continue to gather information. We may yet learn something that may help us to neutralise the weapon during an attack, or impede its effectiveness," Vyetrus said.

"Lieutenant O'Neil, if you'd like to take some readings of the forest outside of the blast zone, I'll examine the outer edge of it while Vyetrus continues to scan the crater," Buhari said.

"Yes, sir," Cerah said, and set out towards the trees in the distance. Considering how far away they were, and how slow her progress was over the uneven, scorched ground, she started taking longer steps with a gentle kick-off each time that allowed her to cover almost two metres with each step. Considering how gentle the landings were because of the low gravity, she started taking bigger leaps, trying to keep her direction forwards rather than upwards. In her peripheral vision she noticed Buhari doing the same thing to reach the area that he was heading towards, so she didn't feel so conspicuous or ridiculous for doing it. Once she'd become accustomed to it, she started taking leaps that launched her several metres into the air, covering almost ten metres at a time. With such good progress it was only a matter of minutes before she reached the ring of dead, bent-over trees around the perimeter of the crater. She paused for a quick look at them. They'd been uprooted by the force of the blast, and had been blackened by the heat and stripped of their leaves, more so the closer they were to the blast. The nearest ones had also had most of their branches either blasted or burnt away.

As she continued, taking smaller leaps now so that she could better control her landings on the trunks of the flattened trees, she soon reached an area at the outer edge of the ring where they were bent over at less of an angle, and before long she reached the unscathed forest. All of the trees and plants were tall and thin because of the low gravity and hardly any wind, and they had large leaves that were a darker shade of green than those generally found on Earth to better facilitate photosynthesis with limited sunlight. The forest was quiet and peaceful, the only sound being her footsteps on the dried leaves and twigs that covered the soft ground.

When she was deep enough into the forest to not be seen by the others, she decided to properly test the low-gravity effect, and pocketed her scanner. Crouching down, she jumped up into the air as hard as she could, and was alarmed at how high she was actually going. She was heading right into some of the upper branches of the trees. She reached up to catch one to avoid hitting it, and found herself hanging from it. She looked down, and wished that she didn't. The ground was a good fifteen metres below her. She didn't relish the idea of having to climb down the trunk, and there was no way she was going to call the other two for help. Deciding that her best option was to drop and hope for a soft landing, she let go and descended smoothly to the ground without hurting herself. All the same, she took a quick look around to make sure the others hadn't seen her.

She resumed taking some scans. These healthy trees showed no sign of any adverse effects caused by the explosion, not even from any initial radiation emissions that may have rapidly dissipated.

When she looked up from her scanner she was startled to see a thin alien with beige skin standing a few metres in front of her. It was humanoid, but even its face was thin, with large eyes that had crimson irises, and subtle ridges that extended back from its eyes and either side of its narrow hooked nose. Its ears seemed a bit too large for its head, but Cerah figured that it was to better hear in such a thin atmosphere. It wore a basic sarong that was made from woven plant fibres and a crude necklace made of mollusc shells on a piece of string, as well a small pouch that hung from a string shoulder strap. In its hand it held what looked like a multiple function weapon; a stone axe head was bound to a wooden handle, and it also had a stone knife blade protruding from the top as well as a rounded stone attached to the bottom like an oversized pommel.

As Cerah took a moment to look at the being more objectively, she realised that its expression was more of curiosity than anything else, and that the object in its hand was held like a tool, not poised as a weapon. Its pouch probably contained berries or roots that it had been gathering for its lunch. Although primitive, it was clearly a sentient being, but they hadn't detected any life forms from Tethys. Her conclusion was that the ambient radiation had hidden their life readings. Moving slowly so as not to alarm the being, she scanned it, and was able to get detailed readings of its physiology from that proximity.

Wondering if the neural interpreter implant in her brain would be able to adapt to this unknown being's language, she asked, "Can you understand me?"

The being tilted its head before responding with a series of sounds that resembled the cooing of a pigeon mixed with clicking noises.

Cerah asked again, and got the same response. She couldn't even be sure if the sounds constituted a developed language.

More of the sounds started coming from her right, and she turned to see another of the aliens emerge from a narrow but deep split in the ground, which she figured could lead to more of the tunnels like the ones she'd seen in the crater. Then another two aliens came out after it, all holding similar tools to the first. She started to get a little worried. Although they probably weren't very strong physically, there was no way of knowing how many of them there were. Deciding it was best to return to the others before they took exception to her, she started to slowly back away while still facing them. They still didn't appear hostile, but it was best not to take any chances.

Suddenly her multi-com beeped, and all of the aliens quickly took several steps back in alarm. Keeping her movements slow and calm, Cerah took the call. It was Buhari.

"Lieutenant, how's your progress?"

Keeping her voice low and gentle, Cerah replied, "We're not alone here. I've just encountered a primitive but intelligent life form."

"Hold your position. We'll come to you," Buhari said, and the call ended.

Considering that making a run for it might mark her out as prey, Cerah decided to stay where she was, though she remained constantly on guard. These beings were well accustomed to moving about on this world, whereas she would probably end up stuck in a tree again. Her group hadn't brought pistols with them, since there hadn't appeared to be any need to. There were a few stored in the shuttle, not that that did her any good at the moment. In any case, the aliens looked so fragile that even the stun setting might kill them.

As a few more aliens emerged from another split in the ground a little further away she realised that the tunnels were where they dwelt. There was no sign of any huts as far as she could see in the forest. With a mixture of sadness and anger she realised that the tunnels under the crater had probably been home to more of them, who'd no doubt been incinerated by the hundreds if not thousands when the explosion had occurred.

She tried talking to them again, but again the response was more cooing and clicking. Whatever their dialect, if it was one, it was beyond the ability of her neural interpreter to decipher.

Within a few minutes Buhari and Vyetrus approached. The aliens looked a little wary at the sight of Buhari, being of a considerably larger build than Cerah, but they seemed to warm to the sight of Vyetrus. Despite the clear differences between a Messaran and their species, he still had more of a resemblance to them than a vampire or a human did.

"With the shuttle in the crater, if they see us going to it they might associate us with the destruction that took place. Those underground tunnels are where they live," Cerah said softly.

"Perhaps if we take a roundabout route through the forest? That way we can at least ascertain whether or not they intend to follow us," Vyetrus suggested.

Aware that the aliens found him intimidating, Buhari said, "I'll take point. If they see me leading they may fear to act against us."

"Good plan. After you, sir," Cerah said, and she and Vyetrus moved into step after him while at the same time keeping an eye on the aliens, who didn't make any move to try to stop them from leaving. If anything, they still seemed merely curious.

"I think we're in the clear," Buhari said when they'd put some distance between themselves and the aliens. "Back to the shuttle."

They made it to the edge of the crater, and there had still been no signs of pursuit, so they proceeded towards the shuttle. Once they were inside and it had been repressurised they removed their respirators. Grateful to be able to breathe naturally again, Cerah took the helm and launched them back into space. She was almost glad to be back aboard the shuttle, as she felt like she was starting to get a mild sunburn, and her skin was starting to look a little red.

"Did anyone happen to get any readings to go on?" Buhari asked.

"Nothing conclusive, I'm afraid," Vyetrus responded.

"Me either. All we've been able to do is rule out antimatter or nuclear devices," Cerah said.

"That's a shame," Buhari said with disappointment.

"I do have one idea as to how we might find out more," Vyetrus said.

"I'm all ears."

"It may seem like taking a page out of Lieutenant O'Neil's book, but if we were to travel back in time to before the explosion occurred and plant a sensor device, we could then travel forward to now and examine its readings from the moment of the event."

Buhari gave it some serious consideration. "Doing so wouldn't interfere with our past events, since there would be no risk of encountering or interfering with our past selves, and at the very least it could confirm if it was indeed a test of the Paragon weapon."

"But if it is, it will probably have been brought here by that giant ship, which was able to detect the sensor probe we put on Seinarüdth to mask any sensor readings of it or us," Cerah pointed out.

"In all likelihood, it would have detected its power signature," Vyetrus said.

"Is there a more effective way of masking it?" Buhari asked.

"Perhaps a different approach would be better. If we design it so that it will be powered by the explosion itself, such as by a solar panel that is energised by the infrared part of the spectrum at high levels, then it will only activate when the explosion occurs, while the event itself will blind sensors from detecting it. As the explosion dissipates, so will the sensor's energy, leaving it once again undetectable by its power signature."

"That could work. And the background radiation on the planet should prevent the alloy of its casing or its circuitry from being detected," Cerah said in support.

"I won't authorise it without the captain's approval, but I'll explain the idea to him as soon as we're back aboard Tethys," Buhari said.

It didn't take much for him to convince Devlin that it was a necessary idea, with the possibility that the weapon used was Paragon, and the danger that it posed to Earth. Within an hour Vyetrus had refitted a sensor probe's power system with an infrared solar converter that would only become active when there was a sharp spike in infrared emissions so that the sun alone wouldn't make it generate a power signature. Tethys was taken back in time one week, so that they arrived several days before the explosion occurred, well before the arrival of whoever caused it. The probe was launched to partially embed itself in the soil at a location just outside of where the outermost ring of destruction would be, after which its guidance system shut down, leaving no power signature that could be detected. At least on Tethys' sensors it no longer showed up by its metallic composition, so they hoped it wouldn't on anyone else's sensors either. They then went forward in time one week to the time that they'd left. The massive detonation crater was still there, so their planting of the device hadn't in any way altered what had transpired. Once again Buhari took Cerah and Vyetrus with him to the surface.

They were relieved to find the probe intact, and downloaded the readings it'd taken during the explosion to an omniscanner before returning to Tethys. As soon as they were aboard, they hurried to Vyetrus' science station on the bridge to examine the readings, with Devlin and Elsa joining them.

Vyetrus brought up the data, which started from the moment of detonation. It showed a massive release of energy, with a crystalline object in a semi-fluidic state at the heart of the explosive force, which was still there and perfectly intact as the explosion dissipated.

"There's no longer any doubt. It's Paragon," Devlin said grimly.
Chapter 11

Choices

"What can you tell us about the explosion itself?" Devlin asked Vyetrus.

"It's not caused by combustion, although the release of energy evidently burnt everything it came into contact with, even fusing silicates in the soil."

"How long would it take for Paragon to build up enough energy for a second detonation following the first?" Cerah asked him.

"Since the probe didn't become active until the energy was released, we have no way of knowing for certain how long it took to build up in the first place, but since Paragon still appears to be highly energised in the moments after the detonation I am forced to conclude that it would not take long, if any time at all."

"I didn't recognise the energy type," Elsa said.

"Nor did I, which is most unusual," Vyetrus said, troubled by the fact. "Unfortunately it means that I am unable to devise a way to counteract it."

"If Paragon is completely infused with energy, maybe water could short it out like it would an electrical device," Elsa speculated.

"I'd imagine that it would be aware of its own limitations, so if that would work there's no way it'll allow itself to go anywhere near a mass of water," Cerah said. "But we do know that it is susceptible to time. Surely Epoch and Jidai could redirect their time fields to trap it?"

"Theoretically that would be possible," Vyetrus agreed.

"I'd rather not let it get close enough to Earth to test that theory," Devlin said.

"I agree with the captain. If Paragon ever reaches the stations it means that the rest of the invasion force isn't far behind. Any action we take at that point will probably be too late," Buhari said.

"And from what I saw of their plans on Seinarüdth, when the time comes they'll probably have enough ships to carry out a successful invasion even without Paragon," Cerah said.

"They wanted Paragon as a means of destroying our time travel capability swiftly so that we couldn't use it to counter their invasion," Devlin said.

"Or so that no one could use it to get away," Cerah added with a terrible thought. "What if their objective is genocide?"

"The Tarosians have always been bitter about their dissociation from Earth," Buhari said. "For all we know, the man in the black robe that's leading the invasion could be a Tarosian leader, either political or military."

"Even after the dissociation, and even if their presence on Seinarüdth is indicative of them having developed time travel technology of their own, it's hard to believe that the Tarosians would go that far, even if they are hell-bent on revenge," Devlin said.

"It would be an extraordinary measure for political recriminations," Vyetrus agreed.

"The whole time I was on Seinarüdth I never saw their leader's face, and he was wearing gloves, so I never saw any part of his skin, but when I spoke with Lieutenant Emmett, he said that what he saw of the man's face lacked any distinctive features, other than the fact that he wasn't old. I'm sure the lieutenant would've mentioned if he had blue skin, so it's possible that he's a member of another race who's using the Tarosians as an invasion force for their own ends," Cerah said. "He did after all demonstrate an ability to use psychokinesis."

"That does make it an undeniable possibility," Devlin said.

"A possibility that we need to prepare for," Buhari said. "I recommend that we contact Epoch and find out if the Tarosians have had any recent contact with other races."

"Most worlds refrain from having anything to do with them because of their self-made reputation as Viscera Pirates, therefore any contact that they do have would stand out, so it shouldn't be too hard to find out about," Devlin said. "Although consideration has to be made for the fact that Lieutenant O'Neil was under the impression that the Tarosians on Seinarüdth could be from beyond 2509. Whatever their association with another race, it could be an arrangement that has not yet taken place, from our perspective."

"Is there any way of detecting Paragon by its energy signature so that Epoch will see it coming?" Elsa asked.

"Or so that we can track it down?" Cerah added.

"It has a unique molecular structure that makes it highly distinctive, and would be detected as soon as it enters the sensor range of any ship or station. However, if it's aboard the starship we encountered in the Scáth Sector we may not detect its approach at all," Vyetrus said.

"Then how can we ever hope to find it before it's too late?" Elsa asked.

"Perhaps if we transmit the details of its energy signature and molecular structure to all starships and have everyone keeping an eye out for it we'll get lucky," Cerah suggested. "We could even send it to the ships of allied races, such as the Messarans."

"With so much at stake, anything's worth a try," Devlin said. As he caught Cerah's gaze he was tempted to add, almost anything, but refrained, deciding to let past issues rest. "Compile all the information that you feel is relevant and send it to Sub-lieutenant Turner for inclusion in a message."

"At once," Vyetrus responded.

"Then all we can do is wait."

"Shall I have Ensign Fitzpatrick set a course?" Buhari asked.

"No. Hold orbit here. Since this is where the test of Paragon's capabilities took place it's reasonable to assume that they'll be somewhere in this relative vicinity. No point going anywhere until we know which direction to go."

A few hours later, while Cerah was sitting in Stargaze during her meal break, Peter came and joined her.

"For what it's worth, you don't look sunburned from going down to Faymar."

"What I did get was pretty mild, and it's mostly healed already," Cerah said.

"So what was it like?" Peter asked with burning curiosity.

"Amazing. I'd never even thought it would be possible for me to stand out in the sunlight again. At least not without a full body suit. And because Ross 490 is such a dim star, I could look directly at it."

"To be honest, I'm quite envious."

"Maybe the captain won't mind if you go for a quick trip to the surface. We could be here for a while."

"Or we may need to get under way at a moment's notice."

"Maybe you could use the pretext of having to retrieve the sensor probe?"

"I can be patient. At least I know where to come when I get some leave."

"The low gravity makes it even more fun."

"I'll bet it does."

A waitress came over and took Peter's order.

"What were the aliens like down there?" he asked when she left.

"Primitive, but peaceful. But don't forget that Tomás and Elsa have invited us to join them for a holiday."

"Yes, of course. Maybe they won't mind if we turn up a few days late."

"Well you'll definitely have to come back here sometime. I can't really describe what it was like. It's probably been a good hundred and twenty years since the last time I stood in direct sunlight," Cerah said, getting lost in the reminiscence of the experience.

"Even longer for me then," Peter said, the envy quite clear in his voice. Changing the subject, he asked, "So have you given any thought to what you want to do when we get back to Epoch?"

"You mean my reassignment? Or resignation?"

"I certainly hope you won't resign. And if you're reassigned you probably won't have much of a say in where you're transferred to. Have you given any more thought to joining one of the Vampire Elite Squads?"

"Not really, to tell you the truth. On a starship with a full crew I find it hard to find even a few people who I can tolerate, let alone like. In a small squad, with the same few people all the time, the odds aren't exactly favourable of it being a group that I could fit in with."

"What if I joined the squad with you?" Peter asked.

Cerah looked at him for a moment. He was certainly a very good friend, and if they had become more than that she would most likely take him up on the offer, but she didn't want to hinder his career. "I wouldn't feel right asking you to do that. Especially when I'll probably get 'reassigned' again after breaking someone's nose for being an imbecile. I think I just need something else in life. Trouble is, I don't know exactly what. I've even been reconsidering the idea of joining an exploration ship, but I don't know if I'd have the patience to start at the bottom and have to work my way up again." She distractedly took a sip from her glass of en'teel nectar and idly fiddled with the chips that were left on her plate. Her thoughts were distracted when her multi-com beeped.

"Lieutenant, I'm sorry but I'll have to cut your meal break short. Paragon's been detected in a nearby system. We're already under way," Devlin said.

"I'm on my way," Cerah said. When Peter got up as well, she added, "So is Sub-lieutenant Dawson."

On the small screen Devlin nodded, and the call ended.

When they entered the bridge and relieved the temporary fill-ins who were manning their stations, Devlin informed them, "We've received word from an Urettan cargo ship passing through the Deorc Dweorg system that detected Paragon's energy signature, which wasn't there the day before."

"Deorc Dweorg is comprised of a hot Jupiter orbiting a brown dwarf, with a small rocky world orbiting further out that's believed to be a captured stray moon. Ships don't normally pass through that system as it's a navigational hazard," Peter remarked.

"Our ships don't. The captain of the Urettan ship recently upgraded his vessel with Tarein sensors, which have a sharper resolution, even while travelling at a superluminal velocity."

"That being the case, if the massive black ship was still in the area they might assume that the Urettans didn't detect Paragon, hence why they made no move to intercept or destroy them," Cerah said.

"That's very likely. Unfortunately we have no way of knowing if that ship is indeed in that system, or if it left Paragon in position there until the right moment for the Tarosian invasion," Devlin said.

"Since we lack Tarein sensor technology, we might not be able to get so close without drawing attention, especially if Tethys is recognised," Peter said.

"At our top speed we're four and a half hours away from Deorc Dweorg. That's how long we have to come up with a plan. The clock's ticking," Devlin said. "At this point, if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, no matter how absurd, I want to hear them. Vyetrus is already working on coming up with a way to disable Paragon, or destroy it if possible."

Cerah was aware that Deorc Dweorg was a neighbouring system to Ross 490, and was only 23 light years from Earth. It seemed as though Paragon was ready for deployment. She had a suggestion, but after what she'd done when she'd assumed command she didn't expect Devlin to welcome it. She looked up some details of Deorc Dweorg to be sure it was a workable idea, otherwise there would be no point mentioning it. After wondering for a few moments if she should voice it, she finally decided to spit it out. "Captain, I have an idea, but you may not like it."

"Whether or not I like it, I still want to hear it. There's too much at stake to disregard any option."

"What if we do something similar to what I did on Seinarüdth, and go a day back in time to before Paragon arrives in the system and lie in wait for it, hidden. Even half a day would probably be enough. Then we'll be able to see if that other ship remains in the system or leaves, and without the risk of Paragon launching before we're ready."

"I'll keep it under consideration. If no one comes up with a better workable plan we may have to go with that. Even if all we can achieve is neutralising Paragon it will be worth the risk. But in such a small system, where do you suggest we hide Tethys? That rocky planet is most likely where Paragon will be, if it's not still aboard a ship," Devlin said, dreading what her answer might be.

Now was the moment when her idea would probably be considered too dangerous to keep under consideration. "In the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter." In a glance around the bridge, Cerah could see the apprehension on people's faces at such an idea, especially on Elsa's, whose dread of being inside the atmosphere of a gas giant was still fresh in her mind.

After a suspenseful moment, Devlin said to the bridge crew at large, "I want a statistical projection of the likelihood of success and survival, but I'm still open to other suggestions. I don't want to do this if there's another feasible option."

Two hours later no one had been able to propose an effective plan with less risk, or without going back in time to a point where their past selves were heading into the Ross 490 system just a couple of light years away. That being the case, Devlin had ordered Fitzpatrick to take them half a day into the past prior to their arrival in the Deorc Dweorg system.

Cerah was working with Vyetrus and Elsa at Vyetrus' science station, trying to come up with a way of implementing her plan.

"We need a way of disabling it as well as a way of destroying it, because I doubt we'll have time to destroy it before it destroys us if we can't neutralise it first," Cerah said.

"Even though Paragon is semi-fluidic, it's still made up of a crystalline structure. Maybe a precisely calculated sonic resonance will shatter it, like an opera singer and a wine glass," Elsa said.

"The rocky world in the system, which is the most likely location of the weapon, has almost no atmosphere, certainly not enough for any kind of sonic weapon to be effective," Vyetrus said.

"What if we could lure it into the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter?" Cerah asked.

"The high wind speed would distort the sonic emissions, making it almost impossible to maintain an exact frequency even if we were in close proximity to Paragon. There's also the fact that Tethys doesn't have any exterior hardware for generating the necessary sonic resonance, and to construct one would take more time than we are likely to have. Also, we lack sufficiently precise sensor data to analyse Paragon's molecular structure by which to calculate the exact frequency to cause it to resonate."

"So much for that idea," Elsa said with disappointment.

"But perhaps we can still use the principle of your idea," Vyetrus said as a thought came to him. "If we could encapsulate Paragon in a time field to create a stasis effect we could then alter the frequency of the field to create a sort of temporal resonance that could disrupt its molecular structure, effectively tearing it apart at a molecular level."

"That would effectively neutralise and destroy it in one go," Cerah said. "So how do we generate a time field around Paragon?"

"Could we redirect Tethys' time field at it?" Elsa asked.

"Perhaps in conjunction with another time ship with a matching temporal frequency, such as another Heritage-class ship, but alone it would lack the necessary stability for it to work," Vyetrus said.

"And I'm pretty sure the captain wouldn't authorise us to double back in time so that there would be two versions of Tethys to coordinate such an attack," Cerah said.

"I'm certain he would not."

"What about if we use a spatial field instead of a temporal one?"

"I'm intrigued. What do you have in mind?"

"I'm thinking of the principle of how our spatial engines work. They envelope the ship inside a spatial rift that very slightly displaces it from space-time, and which is projected to a point well ahead of the ship to cut its way through space dust and pebbles that would otherwise be destructive if they collided with the ship at an extreme velocity. If we could effectively line Paragon up in our sights while it's on a planet's surface, and head right for it, we might be able to trap it against the end of the spatial rift so that it can't get away," Cerah said.

Vyetrus thought about it, and ran a few calculations in his head. Finally he nodded thoughtfully. "It is possible that such an idea would work, although I don't believe such a thing has ever been tried before. It could present unforeseen consequences and dangers. But assuming we were successful, once we have Paragon trapped, how would we destroy it?"

There were a few moments of silence as they each tried to come up with a solution.

"If we could project the time field along the spatial rift, would that give it enough stability to create the temporal resonance?" Elsa asked.

"I'm afraid not," Vyetrus said.

"How about if we used shuttles?" Cerah asked. "Our shuttles are all the same model type, so their spatial and temporal frequencies will match, and their spatial rifts are still powerful. If we coordinated four of them to close in on Paragon from different vectors we could trap it right at the epicentre of their converging spatial rifts. Then we could use multiple matching time fields to resonate the thing straight to hell."

"That could be a workable plan. The shuttles would require some degree of modification, but it would be relatively simple. I will speak to Captain Devlin," Vyetrus said, and got up and went over to the captain's office where Devlin and Buhari were having a private meeting.

A few minutes later he returned, and informed Cerah and Elsa that the captain had approved the plan, though somewhat reluctantly. The three of them left the bridge and went to the launch bay, where Vyetrus demonstrated to them how to modify a shuttle's time field so that it would be projected along the spatial rift instead of simply surrounding the vessel. They then each went to another shuttle to make the same modification, so that when they were done they had four shuttles ready to implement the plan.

When they returned to the bridge, Devlin and Buhari were already there overseeing the final approach to the Deorc Dweorg system. According to Peter they were minutes away, but there was nothing to be seen but the endless vista of stars.

"Give me an infrared overlay," Devlin ordered.

Peter brought up a holographic screen in front of the main window that portrayed the infrared image from the sensors. It showed a bright red sphere in the far distance, the brown dwarf, with another nearby that was about a quarter of the size, the hot Jupiter. There was also a faint and much smaller sphere some distance away from the other two.

"That's a small system," Russ commented.

"The whole system could fit inside Mercury's orbit with room to spare," Peter said.

Over the next few minutes as Tethys drew closer, distinct horizontal striations became discernible across the surfaces of the two main objects, predominantly on the larger brown dwarf.

When they were near enough for the brown dwarf to dominate their field of view with the hot Jupiter off to one side, Devlin said, "Disable the overlay. Let's have a proper look."

Peter touched a control and the holographic screen vanished.

The brown dwarf had a surprisingly soft magenta glow, giving off barely any light, and its striations were now barely visible. Its hot Jupiter companion had a gentle red glow of its own on the side facing it due to a combination of its own inner heat and that which it received from the brown dwarf. There were only a few faint wisps of cloud in the hot Jupiter's upper atmosphere on the side facing the brown dwarf, and faint bands in different shades of scarlet and crimson could be seen deeper in its atmosphere. Its night side was completely covered in clouds, through which only the faintest glow was discernible, probably mainly due to reflected light from the small rocky planet that was currently outside of their field of view.

"I can see why ships generally don't come through this system," Elsa said. "By the time you see anything you've crashed into it."

"Give us some details, Sub-lieutenant Dawson," Devlin said.

"The brown dwarf is not much larger than Jupiter, but it has a much greater density, as its mass is 34 times greater. I'm picking up thermonuclear fusion of deuterium in its depths. It has a surface temperature of 1,050 degrees Kelvin, high infrared emissions but less in the x-ray wavelength, some lithium in the atmosphere, and a strong magnetic field that rules it out as a possibility to hide inside, as does its extreme gravity, which is many times greater than that of Jupiter just at surface level."

"What about the hot Jupiter?"

"It's 0.78 times Jupiter's mass, with an orbital period of five days. Very little eccentricity in its orbit, tidally locked, intense winds with manganese sulphide clouds. The surface temperature's 980 degrees Kelvin. The outermost planet only has a surface temperature of 115 degrees Celsius, and is a similar size to Ceres, about 950 kilometres in diameter, therefore extremely low gravity."

"How fast is the wind speed in the hot Jupiter's atmosphere?" Elsa asked a little worriedly.

"About 700 kilometres an hour, which is quite gentle for a hot Jupiter," Peter answered. "Most hot Jupiters orbit proper stars, and often have wind speeds of thousands of kilometres an hour."

"At least it will be a lot slower than it was on Adelphis, probably only half as bad," Cerah said, trying to reassure her.

"We survived Adelphis, so we can survive this," Devlin said confidently. "How deep into the atmosphere would we need to go to not show up on sensors?"

"Because of the concentration of metal-based compounds in the atmosphere, one thousand kilometres below the surface of the clouds will hide us from even Tarein sensors," Peter said.

"At least the Urettans won't detect us when they pass through the system then," Buhari said.

"Ensign Fitzpatrick, take us a thousand kilometres into the atmosphere on the night side," Devlin ordered.

"Aye, sir," Fitzpatrick said, and adjusted their course.

Within minutes the hot Jupiter loomed in front of them, the dark clouds of its night side completely filling their field of view.

"It looks so close," Elsa commented.

"It's actually further away than it looks. It just appears closer because of its size," Peter said.

It wasn't much longer before Fitzpatrick announced that they were entering the upper atmosphere, and would be entering the cloud layer in another twenty seconds. As they descended into it, he levelled the ship out to avoid conflicting gravity, using the antigravity thrusters to control the descent and the spatial engines to hold the ship steadily in position against the building wind. The turbulence started out gently, but the further into the clouds Tethys descended the stronger it became as the ferocity of the wind increased. The upper clouds billowed past at an incredible speed, appearing as little more than an indistinct grey blur.

Minutes later the clouds surrounding them started to glow a little more with a red hue from the planet's heated depths. As soon as Tethys passed through the bottom of the clouds the window started being spattered with rain that had a pink tinge, blown horizontally with the wind.

"The temperature must already be hundreds of degrees. I thought it'd be too hot for raindrops to form," Elsa said, her scientific curiosity coming to the forefront of her thoughts since Fitzpatrick was doing a good job of keeping the ship stable in the turbulence.

"It's manganese sulphide rain, but don't worry, it won't damage the hull," Peter said after checking the sensors. "Some of the hotter hot Jupiters even rain liquid iron."

"Fascinating."

"There are also worlds where it rains liquid diamond, where it's collected for use in manufacturing starship windows," Devlin added.

As they descended further they passed below that wind layer, and the rain started falling almost normally and not as heavily against the backdrop of a red sky that looked like an endless sunset. The level of gravity had started to increase to a noticeable level, but not so much that it caused any real discomfort or difficulty.

"When we reach the designated depth, keep the sensors operating on passive reception only so that we're not detected by our sensor beams, and inform me as soon as there's any sign of Paragon. If the gravity level passes 1.25, invert the gravity plating to compensate. Commander Buhari, would you join me in my office?" Devlin said.

"Certainly, Captain," Buhari said, and the two men left the bridge.

Once they were gone, Elsa couldn't contain her curiosity any more, and got up and went over to the window for a better look outside. The vista was magnificent. She felt like she had to hang on to something when she looked down, seeing nothing but the unfathomable depths of the atmosphere into which the rain was falling, seeming to disappear from view hundreds of kilometres below them since there was no solid surface for it to fall on.

Cerah was also intrigued, and went and joined her. The endless ruby sky with no horizon was a breathtaking sight. The rest of the officers contented themselves with looking through the window from their stations.

"I'm surprised we can see so well at such a depth on the night side," Elsa said.

"It is magnificent," Cerah said appreciatively.

"Many of the atmospheric gases are illuminated by the heat, unlike other gas giants, whose upper atmospheres are generally a thousand degrees cooler than this one," Vyetrus said.

"You may want to sit down. We'll be entering another wind layer shortly," Fitzpatrick advised.

Cerah and Elsa returned to their stations after a final lingering glance out of the window.

Tethys entered the next wind layer with a severe jolt followed by more turbulence that put Fitzpatrick's piloting skills to the test, but he managed to keep the ship level. Once again the manganese sulphide rain was blown almost horizontally, except this time it was blowing from behind the ship with such speed that none of it was hitting the window.

"We've reached a depth of one thousand kilometres below the upper clouds," Fitzpatrick reported.

"The gravity's 1.4 at this depth. I'm compensating for it," Peter said.

Moments later they all suddenly felt quite a bit lighter, which in turn seemed to alleviate the effect of the turbulence to some degree. The upper clouds were now only visible as an indistinct greyish-scarlet haze high above them.

"How's the sensor resolution from here?" Cerah asked.

"On passive reception we won't receive anywhere near as much detail as we otherwise would, but it will be sufficient to pick up Paragon's energy signature when it arrives," Peter said.

"We will receive readings of energy signatures, but sensor beams from outside won't make it this deep and then back out through the atmosphere again, as their resolution would degrade too much because of the mineral dispersion," Vyetrus added.

"Well since that enemy ship doesn't show up on sensors, anything inside it won't show up either. If Paragon suddenly appears we'll know for sure that the massive ship brought it here. If we detect its approach it'll be safe to assume that it came in a ship of its own, unless it can fly here under its own steam somehow," Cerah said. "It survived the explosion it created on Faymar, so it's a fair bet that it can survive in space."

"If the black ship does drop it off, will we be able to tell when it leaves?" Russ asked. "The fact that the Urettan ship's upgraded sensors didn't pick it up doesn't mean that it wasn't still here."

"Since we can't get any readings from it when we're in open space, there's no way we'll get anything from it in here. The best we can do is time our strike to be just after the Urettans have passed through the system, based on the time that they detected Paragon. Hopefully by then the enemy ship will have already left, if it's going to, but Paragon won't have yet. Not to mention that we need to avoid being detected by the Urettans to avoid inadvertently creating any sort of paradox in what they detected and reported," Cerah said.

"I guess that makes sense. So what do we do in the meantime?"

"We wait," Cerah said without enthusiasm.

Several hours passed, during which time Devlin and Buhari returned to the bridge, and Cerah and Peter got to have a proper meal break. Following several hours more of waiting at their posts on the bridge, the time came and went that they'd previously gone to investigate the detonation site in the Ross 490 system.

Finally the moment came that a reading of Paragon's energy signature was detected.

"It just appeared suddenly, so it must've been brought here by the enemy ship," Peter said.

"What's it doing?" Buhari asked.

"After it appeared it descended to the surface of the smaller planet, apparently without a ship or pod or anything. We've still got a good couple of hours before the Urettan ship will have come and gone," Peter said.

"Maintain position. But I want to know the moment we're no longer in their sensor range," Devlin said.

"Yes, Captain."

"We need to be ready to act the moment we're able to do so. Vyetrus, how are your piloting skills?"

"Quite good, though I say so myself," the Messaran replied, torn between the traits of honesty and modesty inherent to his race.

"I need good pilots for the four shuttles, and with your scientific expertise I want you to be on that mission."

"I'd be happy to assist in any capacity, Captain."

"Ensign Fitzpatrick, as our best helmsman, I'm also assigning you to a shuttle. Lieutenant O'Neil and Sub-Lieutenant Dawson, you'll pilot the other two. Your vampire reflexes make you both excellent choices. The four shuttles will launch first and fly at this altitude along the wind layer for a short time, matching its speed to reduce turbulence. Tethys will emerge from the planet first to distract the enemy ship's attention to give you a clear shot at Paragon. I'll be piloting Tethys myself."

The shuttle pilots acknowledged their orders.

"To avoid being detected by Paragon too soon, might I suggest that the shuttles travel a short distance back in time, and then forward again when we're close to the spatial coordinates where we'll need to be to intercept it. That way we will materialise in our relative positions around it without a detectable approach that could give away our intention," Vyetrus suggested.

Devlin nodded. "We'll consider that the plan."

When the engine signature of the Urettan ship was detected entering the system, Devlin ordered the four pilots to their shuttles, to be ready to launch as soon as he gave the word.

Shortly afterwards, Russ reported, "I've just received confirmation signals from all four shuttles saying that they're ready to launch."

"Thank you, Sub-lieutenant," Devlin acknowledged from the helm, where he masterfully kept the ship as stable as was humanly possible in the unrelenting turbulence.

"The Urettans are leaving the system now," Buhari said, manning the sensors. Neither of the commanding officers wanted to leave those posts to less experienced crewmen in such a crucial situation. "We'll no longer be in range of their Tarein sensors in three minutes." He remained fixed on his displays until the moment came, and reported that they were in the clear to begin.

"Signal the shuttles to launch," Devlin ordered.

Russ promptly did so, and a few seconds later Buhari reported that all four had cleared Tethys.

*

In her shuttle, Cerah was doing her best to compensate for the turbulence as she guided it along with the wind. She had no idea how Fitzpatrick had managed to do it so well with a starship. At the speed the wind was carrying them it was only a matter of seconds before Tethys had receded to being just a tiny silver speck in the background. Her sensors showed when it began its ascent towards the cloud layer high above.

Vyetrus' face appeared above the communication part of her console as a two dimensional hologram. The transmission was being sent to all of the shuttles. "Set your temporal coordinates for exactly two days into the past. I'm sending you each your own spatial coordinates of where you'll need to be, as well as the vector that you'll need to be travelling along, for us to all materialise in position at the compass points around Paragon's position on the planet's surface, and to be on course to intercept it where our spatial rifts will converge to trap it. Calculating Tethys' ascent speed, and allowing a few minutes for them to get the enemy ship's attention and draw it away if it's out there, but without wasting any time, the temporal coordinates for our final rematerialisation will be exactly twenty eight minutes from now. I've sent the exact coordinates to each of your navigation systems so that we can operate in perfect synchronisation."

Cerah sent her reply to all shuttles as well. "Given the speed of the hot Jupiter's orbit, if we dematerialise here, when we rematerialise it will be in open space since the planet will be on the other side of the brown dwarf two days in the past. I suggest we then travel to our spatial positions and get into formation before re-engaging our time drives for the final jump."

Each of the other pilots sent an acknowledgement, so she gave the order to get under way. As they activated their time drives, each shuttle was encompassed in a rippling green aura, and they dematerialised and started moving backwards through time.

*

Tethys emerged from the hot Jupiter's clouds and left its atmosphere. The small rocky planet was visible in the distance. The first thing Devlin noticed was the blue pinpoint of light on its surface that was Paragon. For a moment it seemed like they were in the clear. But then he discerned an absence of stars in an area some distance above it, and realised that it was the enemy ship, which blended in against the backdrop of space perfectly other than the blank patch that gave it away. "Can you get any readings?" he asked.

Buhari shook his head. "None whatsoever. It would certainly have detected us or seen us by now, but it's making no move to come after us. It's just staying in orbit above the planet."

"We need to draw it away somehow." Devlin thought for a moment. "Ensign Lindholm, can you redirect our time field along the temporal scanning array's sensor beam?"

"I believe so. But Vyetrus said that channelling a single time field wouldn't have the stability to be effective against the target," Elsa responded.

"It doesn't need to be a workable plan, it just has to appear that way."

Elsa caught on to what his intention was, and brought the temporal scanning array online. After making some adjustments, she said, "I'm ready when you are."

Devlin accelerated Tethys towards the planet. "I'm activating the time field. Redirect it at Paragon."

"Yes, Captain."

As Tethys swooped towards the planet, a wide beam of green light was emitted from the array on its underside, and shone directly on Paragon. Being aware that the temporal beam's calibration didn't pose a threat to it, Paragon made no move to retaliate. The black submarine-like enemy ship, however, responded immediately. Its numerous cannons started firing as the silhouette of its shape started moving towards Tethys.

Trying to stay in his seat at the helm as the ship was jolted about violently by the cannon blasts, Devlin said, "Disengage the array. I'm shutting down the time drive."

"Done," Elsa responded.

"Hopefully the enemy will think that we've given up on a failed attempt to take out Paragon. I'm getting us out of here." With his fingers dashing quickly over the helm controls, Devlin veered the ship at high speed, bringing it about on a course back the way they'd come, all the while swerving and dipping randomly to evade as many of the powerful cannon blasts as possible. The constant jolts and lurches made it clear that Tethys wouldn't last long against its barrage. He knew that against such a colossus there was no point assigning someone to the tactical station to return fire.

"The enemy ship's still in pursuit," Buhari said. "They're targeting our engines."

The ship lurched more violently several times, while the regular jolts from weapon impacts continued.

"They've taken out four of our engine cells, all on the same side, so we can't travel beyond light speed without destabilising the engines and tearing the ship apart," Buhari reported.

Tethys could still travel at full sub-light speed, at least for the moment, so Devlin redirected additional power to the engines to increase their output even further.

On the sensor display, Buhari saw that the burst in speed was putting some distance between them and the pursing ship, but it wouldn't get them outside of its weapons range before Tethys was destroyed, especially if they lost too many more engine cells. Then he realised that Devlin wasn't taking them out to open space, but back towards the hot Jupiter, directly towards the dark clouds of its night side.

As they got close to the planet, Devlin veered Tethys and started levelling their descent so that they'd smoothly enter the atmosphere at the right angle. At the speed they were going, it was only a matter of moments until they entered the upper cloud layer. This time the turbulence was added to by shots from the enemy ship that were still being fired through the clouds.

"The last I saw from the rear external cameras, it looked like the enemy is planning to follow us in," Buhari said.

"That's the idea," Devlin said.

*

The four shuttles materialised in open space two days in the past. The hot Jupiter was visible in the distance on the far side of the gently glowing brown dwarf, about to pass behind it in its fast orbit. Without delay, they set their course away from the brown dwarf and towards the location in space where the smaller planet would be in two days' time. At present it was barely visible hundreds of thousands of kilometres away.

When they were all in the exact positions that Vyetrus had sent to their navigation systems, spread equally apart like the points on a compass at such a distance that each others' shuttles looked like tiny metal specks, they set their temporal coordinates for the specified time, twenty eight minutes into the future of their original moment of departure.

"Everyone ready? Let's do this," Cerah said.

Simultaneously they engaged their engines and time drives.

As Cerah watched through her window its edges shimmered with the green aura of temporal transit. When she arrived at the destination she was suddenly flying above the surface of the rocky planet, which was littered with craters of all sizes like Earth's moon. Its atmosphere was so thin that it was almost nonexistent, and overhead the black sky filled with stars was almost as clear as anywhere else in space. She shut down her time drive and the aura faded. In the distance she could still see the other shuttles, so everyone had made it to the same moment as planned, and they were all on course towards the centre of an exceptionally large crater that they could detect Paragon in the centre of, though at the moment it was out of sight, hidden by the crater's high rim, which also kept their shuttles from being spotted too soon. Tethys was nowhere to be seen, and didn't show up on sensors, but neither was there any sign of the enemy ship, so the plan to lure it away from the area must've succeeded. A closer look on sensors showed small fragments of debris in the direction of the hot Jupiter, comprised of damaged engine fragments and several pieces of hull plating. It seemed that Tethys had been fired on and had taken refuge inside the planet's atmosphere. Chances were that the enemy ship had followed it in.

Cerah also noticed on her sensors that Paragon wasn't moving from its position in the crater. Either it couldn't detect the four shuttles closing in on it at high speed, or it didn't consider them to be a threat. At the speed they were travelling, it only took a few seconds before all four shuttles passed over the rim of the crater, and the vibrantly luminous blue form of Paragon came into sight, still motionless as it hovered in the crater a few feet above the ground. Cerah tried to fathom the power it contained; a being that was capable of obliterating them all in an instant, and yet it didn't.

The shuttles all dipped down and levelled out a couple of metres from the surface to be at a similar level to Paragon for the plan to have the greatest possible effectiveness. A warning came up on Cerah's console informing her that her spatial rift was about to intersect with that of other vessels, which would normally be a detrimental thing if the operation hadn't been so precisely calculated by Vyetrus.

Paragon could be seen more clearly now, and seemed only curious as it looked from one shuttle to the next.

When the shuttles' spatial rifts intersected with Paragon at the exact centre they all experienced a jolt of sudden deceleration as each rift struggled to press against the others. As their forward movement continued, though at a reduced rate, their invisible rifts compressed, preventing Paragon from being able to move in any direction, despite its great power. They eventually reached a point where the shuttles became motionless, hovering where they were despite the engines still being fully active because their rifts couldn't compress any further, and had formed a spatial null-point that held Paragon trapped.

Their final positions were closer to Paragon than Cerah had expected, barely a couple of dozen metres, and she found herself looking into the eyes of its blank, expressionless face. Somehow it was facing her shuttle directly. She was startled when an audio channel on her communication system suddenly activated.

"Since your vessels are temporal transit capable, I assume you have come to attempt to prevent my part in the attack on your people. Although you have me trapped in a state of immobility, your weapons cannot harm me. I have no wish to harm you unless it becomes necessary." The genderless voice had an ethereal echo to it.

Such was Cerah's surprise that all she could say was, "Paragon?"

"I am Paragon," the voice confirmed.

Cerah realised that it wasn't actually vocalising its words aloud and sending them to her, as they wouldn't carry in the negligible amount of air on the planet. Paragon had interfaced directly with her shuttle's communication system remotely. "We do have a means to destroy you, and it's only out of necessity that we'll do so. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that we have to, but you've left us no choice," Cerah said, regretting that they were about to destroy what seemed to be a genuinely sentient being that clearly had capabilities beyond simply being a weapon. That being the case, she wondered if it could be reasoned with. She was interrupted by a call from Vyetrus.

"Lieutenant, we are all in position, but we must act in unison for this to be successful," he said.

"We've got it successfully trapped. Stand by until I give the order," Cerah responded.

"We will await your instruction," Vyetrus said, and his image disappeared.

"Why would you want to assist in the invasion of Earth? What do you hope to gain from it?" Cerah asked Paragon.

"I myself have nothing to gain. It is the purpose of the invasion that convinces me to act."

"What purpose is that, to kill a whole lot of people?"

"The man who emancipated me from my captivity explained that he wanted to save his people from their millennia of evil, and to set them onto a more noble path."

"By invasion, possibly even genocide? Those are not the methods of a good and noble man."

"He took me to numerous instances of your world's history, and showed me that it is replete with war, where thousands of humans march onto battlefields to kill other humans, while others develop weapons to kill as many humans as possible. I saw rampant oppression and egocentricity at the expense of your species. Your people conspire and murder each other for personal gain, and suppress what is right and just for the sake of conformity to what is made to be popular. Countless of your people have suffered because of these and other psychopathic traits, and have been deprived of the opportunity to reach their potential because of the self-focussed greed of those in positions of power and authority." Paragon's voice seemed pained at describing such concepts. "It was for similar reasons that I turned against my creators and was imprisoned, since they lacked the means to destroy me."

"The last wars on Earth were in the early twenty second century. That was about four hundred years ago. Do you even know what Earth's like now? So much has changed. War and poverty have been done away, a full education is available to absolutely everyone so that they can pursue their dreams and explore their potential, and we now traverse this part of the galaxy in a spirit of peaceful exploration. That's not to say that we won't defend ourselves if we're attacked, but we certainly don't go out looking for a fight." In the moments of silence that followed, Cerah wondered if she was getting through to Paragon. Deciding to take it as a good sign, she continued, "The things that man showed you were true, and it's probably fair to say that the atrocities you were shown were happening somewhere in the world at any given time in history, but in most places those things were not constant, and whole generations have lived in peace between times of war and suffering. There have been many civilisations that have lived in peace and prosperity. Even in times of war, many good people have been compelled to fight even though they had no desire to raise arms against another. Just because there have been wars, that doesn't mean that all of the people involved wanted it that way. Usually the wars between nations have just been at the behest of the comparatively small groups of people who rule those nations, sending their people to die while they remain well away from the battlefields in safety. The unjust people you feel should be destroyed have generally been the minority, they've just managed to gain more power and influence in the world." Cerah paused for a few moments. When there was still no response, and being aware that the other pilots were still waiting for her order, she asked, "Are you still there, Paragon?"

"I am listening."

"While there was truth in what you were shown, it wasn't the whole truth. He was trying to deceive you to enlist you to his cause, which I'm certain by his methods are far from altruistic. He probably didn't tell you that there was a primitive but intelligent species living underground on that planet you demonstrated your power on a couple of light years from here."

"I regret to have ended any life unjustly."

"I just had a thought; if you can tap into my communication system, does that mean you can access other systems in my shuttle?"

"I can."

"Then access the historical database. It'll show you the good as well as the bad, and should give you some idea of the path that humanity is now on since those times that you've seen." It occurred to Cerah that Paragon might even be able to find a way to access the propulsion systems of the shuttles, in which case they would have no way of stopping it. Reasoning with it could actually prove to be the only hope of stopping it from attacking the time stations and then Earth.

After only five seconds, Paragon responded, "I have absorbed your historical database, and have concluded that your race is not worthy of destruction."

"I'm delighted to hear it. Does this mean you won't participate in the invasion?"

"I will not."

"That's great! It means that we might not have to destroy you after all. You can find a new purpose for your abilities."

"I will only ever be used as a weapon of death and destruction. That is the purpose for which I was constructed."

"Not necessarily. You could find a new purpose in Temporal Security, for instance. Your abilities could prove invaluable."

"Until other species fear the power your people would have because of me, and attempt to create similarly powerful weapons of their own. That is a pattern I observed in your historical database. My presence would only put your people in further jeopardy. I must cease to exist."

*

Tethys materialised some distance away from the hot Jupiter, and was on course towards the rocky planet.

"What's their situation?" Devlin asked Buhari.

"The four shuttles are in position and appear to have Paragon trapped, but they have not yet destroyed it."

"Why the hell not? It won't be long before that ship is on our heels again. A ten minute time slip won't fool it for long, and chances are by now it will have detected the shuttles and have figured out what we're up to." He turned to Russ and ordered, "Open communication with Lieutenant O'Neil."

"Aye, sir," Russ said crisply, and placed the call.

A holographic screen of Cerah's face appeared in front of the window as she answered. "Yes, Captain?" she asked in a tone that seemed to be struggling to suppress annoyance for the interruption.

"The enemy ship will be after us again at any moment. We need your team to complete the objective and return here immediately," Devlin said.

"Sir, Paragon has changed its mind about assisting with the invasion. Its destruction is no longer necessary."

"How did you reach that conclusion?"

"It told me," Cerah replied, feeling a little foolish saying it that way, certain that the captain would think that she was just being gullible. "It was misled as to the cause that it'd been enlisted for."

"We can't afford to take the word of a weapon of mass destruction that could very well be using psychology to gain a strategic upper hand. You have your orders, and I expect you to carry them out."

Buhari watched with dread on his display of the rear external camera's view as the dark mass of the enemy ship emerged from the clouds of the hot Jupiter. "Captain, they've found us."

"Time's up, Lieutenant. It's now or never. We're closing in on your position to retrieve you." Devlin nodded to Russ, who ended the call.

*

Cerah was tempted to ask Paragon if it wouldn't mind destroying the enemy ship, especially as the man was aboard who'd tried to misuse it for whatever his own agenda was, but figured that it would make her look just as bad as him, and undermine the progress she'd been making during their discussion. "Come aboard our ship with us," she urged.

"Your commanding officer has ordered you to destroy me, and that is what you must do," Paragon stated with finality.

"I don't think I can," Cerah said. When there was no reply she checked the communication system and found that Paragon had just closed the channel with her.

A brilliant blue light caught her attention. She looked outside to see that Paragon was now shining brightly, and its luminosity was steadily increasing.

Another call came through from Vyetrus. "Lieutenant, we cannot afford to wait any longer. The weapon is powering up for detonation. The rest of us are preparing to engage our modified time fields, and you must do the same, otherwise the ensuing instability will kill all of us."

Cerah was now horrified at the thought of destroying such a being that had a better moral sense than most people she'd encountered in her various missions, but she had no choice. The lives of her shipmates were in danger if she didn't, including Peter. There was also the fact that the enemy ship would quickly close in on Tethys while it waited for them to return, so any delay put the entire ship at risk there too. A tear rolled from her eye as she activated her time field.

With synchronised timing, four thick green beams from the shuttles converged on Paragon, enshrouding it in a time field. As the frequency of the field shifted it created the intended temporal resonance, resulting in rapid bright flashes where they surrounded Paragon, and within just a few seconds there was a final much more brilliant flash of a mixture of green and blue light that was almost too bright for the shuttles' windows to filter. Blue shining fragments were scattered in all directions; all that was left of the weapon that didn't want to be one. The fragments lost their glow as they rained into the layer of rock dust that covered the crater's floor like tiny meteorites.

The engines of all four shuttles disengaged simultaneously, collapsing their converged spatial rifts, and they used antigravity thrusters to ascend to where Tethys was waiting for them. The silhouette of the enemy ship was dangerously close.

As soon as the shuttles were aboard, Tethys shot away at its best speed and dematerialised through time in a green shimmer just as the first shots were fired by the enemy ship.

The four pilots hurried to the bridge, where Fitzpatrick relieved Devlin and Peter relieved Buhari. Cerah and Vyetrus also returned to their respective posts.

"Our temporal destination is two days into the future, and we're on course for Epoch, which will take another day or so to get there. By the time we arrive it'll be the day that the admiral expected us to report in," Devlin said to fill the others in on the situation. "There have been too many small time jumps recently for my liking, but our objective was accomplished and we survived. That's the main thing."

"There's no sign of pursuit, not that we'd be able to detect that ship even if it was right behind us," Peter said.

"I want everyone to remain at their posts for the next hour, just to be sure, then if all is well we'll swap over with the other shift. I'm sure we could all do with a rest," Devlin said. "Lieutenant O'Neil, I'll be expecting a report about your conversation with Paragon."

"Yes, Captain."

Cerah's mood was sullen during that hour as she went over Paragon's destruction and their conversation that preceded it over and over again in her mind. She kept reminding herself that it was an artificial life form, but it didn't help. It had seemed to have a genuine sense of remorse and justice; essentially a moral sense of right and wrong, and in an almost child-like kind of way. It sounded like it had been tricked and misused since its creation, and had for all intents and purposes lost the will to live, and that was where she felt she'd failed to help it. If she'd been able to give it a renewed sense of purpose it might not have provoked them into having to destroy it.

When they were dismissed from the bridge, Cerah, Peter and Elsa made their way straight to Stargaze for a drink and a meal. Peter went to the bar to place their orders while Cerah and Elsa chose a table and sat down.

"I've always wondered," Elsa said almost conspiratorially while Peter was over at the bar, "how is it that you and Peter never ended up together? You're obviously very close."

Cerah shrugged. "We're too deeply entrenched in friendship, I guess. At this point, trying anything else would probably be weird."

Elsa looked at her with concern, sure that something more was weighing on her mind. "What's the matter? You seem troubled."

"It's just that whole Paragon situation," Cerah began, but was interrupted when Peter returned carefully managing their three glasses.

"Haemohol vesper martini, just like we had the last time we were on Epoch," Peter said, placing his and Cerah's identical drinks. "After everything that we've been through, we both need one." He placed the third drink before Elsa; a simple glass of red wine, like she'd requested. "There'll be about a half hour wait on the steak dinners, I'm afraid," he added apologetically. "What were you saying before I came and interrupted?"

"I guess I'm just feeling guilty about Paragon," Cerah said.

"I understand from what the captain said that you actually spoke with it?" Peter asked.

Cerah nodded. "That's why I asked everyone to wait for a bit rather than destroying it outright. It had been led to believe that humanity was a warlike race that needed to be destroyed, but when I showed it what humanity is like now through the shuttle's database it changed its mind, and wanted no part of the invasion."

"I hope I don't sound insensitive, but how could you be sure it was sincere, and that it wasn't just a ploy to get you to release it from the trap?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know how I knew, I just did."

"I wonder why it chose you to speak to," Peter said.

Cerah thought about it for a moment before responding, "It could access the shuttle's systems, so maybe it could tell from the log who was the highest rank among the pilots."

"You never know, it may have chosen you for more of a reason than that," Elsa said. "But I wonder what it was doing on that planet while it waited for the time that the invasion was supposed to happen."

"Probably quietly absorbing extra energy for the attack from Deorc Dweorg's emissions. It wouldn't have been apparent, but that brown dwarf was emitting a lot of invisible energy," Peter speculated.

Cerah noticed Devlin and Buhari enter Stargaze. Once they'd fetched a drink and chosen a table, Cerah excused herself from Peter and Elsa and went over to where they were sitting. "Excuse me, Captain, but could I speak with you for a minute?"

"Have a seat," Devlin said, gesturing to an empty chair.

As Cerah sat down, Buhari asked her, "Would you prefer if I excused myself so that you can speak privately?"

"No, it's fine."

"So, what's on your mind?" Devlin asked, taking a casual sip of his drink.

Cerah was surprised at how friendly his manner was, considering the number of disagreements they'd had over the last several months. Then again, neither of them was on duty at the moment, and he could simply be really good at separating his professional life from the rest of it. "I've given it some serious thought, and I've decided that I'd like to join the Vampire Elite Squad program. I know you said you wouldn't offer me a recommendation, but I'm hoping that you'll reconsider."

"And there I was thinking that you were going to tell me something about your conversation with Paragon. I was looking forward to that."

"It'll all be in my report."

Devlin was silent in thought for a short time before he said, "I can tell that you're feeling guilty about Paragon's destruction, and believe it or not I do understand. I'm not without sympathy or compassion. For all intents and purposes it did seem to be an intelligent life form in its own right. But first of all, you need to accept that you were acting under orders. If there's any blame to be had, it's on my head as your captain. So don't punish yourself for it."

"Destroying Paragon was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do, but I followed orders and did it."

"My point exactly. Even though you disagreed with the decision, you acknowledged that it wasn't your call to make and completed the mission. And to be honest, for a moment there I didn't think you were going to." After pausing again, Devlin continued, "I'm going to give you that recommendation, but with one stipulation: I'm going to recommend that you not be in command of your team, at least not until you've done it for a while and demonstrated ongoing self-discipline. I don't think you're ready to call the shots yet."

Cerah couldn't help but smile, despite the stipulation. "I guess I can live with that. Thank you, Captain. I really appreciate it."

"It's going to be a shame to lose two good officers."

"Two?"

Devlin tried to suppress a smile of his own as he delivered the news. "Your friend Peter also expressed an interest in joining the program."

Cerah shook her head with a smile. "He knew I'd go for it in the end."

"He seemed to think that his presence there would be beneficial to you, and I agree with him."

"I'm aware that they're planning a number of teams. The chances of being on the same one aren't all that great," Cerah said with a hint of disappointment.

"They are when your captain has some pull with the admiral in charge of the program." Seeing how happy Cerah was at hearing that, he added, "Lieutenant, you still have a future in Temporal Security, as long as you're willing to grab it by the horns. I'll prepare that recommendation tonight."

"And I'll submit that report tonight."

As Cerah stood to leave, Devlin also rose from his seat, extended his hand, and said, "Maybe when you're ready you'll find yourself back on a starship. Our paths might even cross again."

Cerah shook his hand, and said, "And hopefully by then I'll have a promotion, too."

Buhari also offered his hand. "I think you'll do well, Lieutenant."

Cerah shook his hand too. "Thank you. Both of you." She excused herself and returned to her table. She needed to have a talk to Peter about being presumptuous.
Chapter 12

Not the End

A few hours before they were due to arrive at Epoch, it now being early evening on the 26th of April, Cerah decided to call Cephra to see if she could arrange a time to catch up and to meet that Luke guy that she was dating, assuming she still was. It would be a gesture of sisterly outreach, and hopefully things wouldn't end in an argument if her boyfriend was present. And there were so many things she wanted to tell her about what had happened recently, to do with Paragon and the guy in the black robe with the massive submarine-shaped starship, not to mention the Tarosians being in on his invasion plans. There was also the experience of walking around in the daylight on an alien world. She got comfortable on her lounge and sent the call on her wall screen. As she took a sip of her en'teel nectar while she waited for it to go through, it crossed her mind that usually the only time she drank haemohol was with Peter, and she wondered what that might mean.

When the image of Cephra appeared she was wearing an elegant black dress. "Hey, Cerah. What's up?"

"Where do I start? I've got so much to tell you about the mission that I'm coming back from, and I need to do it while I still can, because Captain Devlin's pretty sure they're going to classify it," Cerah began, but noticed that Cephra had a look of distracted sadness. "Is something wrong? Because you look like you're dressed up for a special occasion."

Cephra hesitated before answering. "I've just got a tough decision to make. Whichever way I go I'll have something that I really want, but I'll also have to sacrifice something that I really want. It's a great situation for me whichever way I go, while at the same time being disappointing."

"You can't just leave it there. You've got to give me more than that."

"Well, remember how I applied for a xenoarchaeology assignment a while back?"

"You were accepted?"

"I was. I've just been notified."

"That's great! I know it's something that you've wanted for a long time. So what could be wrong with that?" Cerah asked, and then realised what the reason for Cephra's indecision was. "You're not thinking about turning it down for that guy, are you?"

"I've finally found a really decent guy, and I don't want to lose that."

"There are a lot of decent guys out there. He's not the last one you'll ever meet. This is a decision that will affect what path your entire future takes."

"Do you think I'm not aware of that?" Cephra said with exasperation.

"Look, if he really is a decent guy, he won't make you give up your dream."

"He doesn't even know yet. I'm about to meet him for dinner to talk to him about it."

"What's there to talk about?"

Cephra sighed. "I know you don't get out much, in terms of relationships, but when you find someone that you have a real connection with you don't just drop them and run off on some new adventure."

"You've only been seeing him for a month! It's not like you've married him. Have you?" Cerah asked a little worriedly.

"You really don't have a lot of faith in me, do you? And to think that I was actually considering introducing you to this other guy I met to try and help you to have some sort of happiness in your life."

"Thanks, but I'll pass."

"And without even knowing anything about him. He's actually really nice. For a start, he's blond, good looking..."

"Trust me, if he's your type he's not mine."

"Look, I need to finish getting ready, so unless you have some advice that's actually useful..."

Cerah cut her off by abruptly ending the call, wondering why she'd even bothered in the first place. Every conversation they ever had always seemed to end the same way. She took a deep breath and tried to put it out of her mind. Having planned on the conversation going longer than it did, she still had a bit of time to kill before she was expected to report to the bridge, so she put on the first quarter of a recorded martialball match that she hadn't yet gotten around to watching while she drank her en'teel nectar.

When she did go to the bridge she was no happier than before she'd started the match, with the Marauding Martians being six points down at the end of that quarter, and her favourite player out of the game on account of an elbow strike that he'd failed to block or dodge.

"I'd like a word with all senior officers please," Devlin said, and led the way into his office. Being just a brief chat, he gathered everyone into a standing group. "I've just spoken with Admiral Rivette, and he's informed me that there's a situation going on at the moment on Earth, a major temporal upheaval that's been attributed to the exiled agent William Herschel."

Cerah's first thought was that it didn't bode well for Cephra's boyfriend's best friend. As she recalled from what she'd seen on the news reports at the time, the clemency of exile instead of execution was under the stipulation that he wouldn't have any impact on history.

"When we arrive, we can expect to see a decimated planet, and from what I hear, even the moon's been destroyed," Devlin continued. "The admiral assures me that the situation is completely unrelated to the events of our own recent missions, and instructs that we return to Epoch as planned and remain on the station until the situation has been resolved."

"Sir, wouldn't a major timeline event have affected us too?" Russ asked.

"In all likelihood, the change in history occurred while we were in temporal transit, and protected from its effects. In short, we got lucky. But as a precaution we're keeping our time field up until we reach the station. I've also been informed that the military time ship Bonaparte was sent to investigate the installation that the Tarosians were building on Seinarüdth, and after arriving there a couple of days after we left, they found the site to have been obliterated. From the admiral's description, which had all the hallmarks of the Faymar detonation, it sounds like they packed up and then used Paragon to erase any evidence of their activities there."

Cerah could see why they wouldn't stick around once their operation there had been discovered, but her foremost concern was for Jeuls'e and Uuna-Xor; she hoped that they'd managed to get well away from the area before it was destroyed. "Captain, we may have prevented them from using that angle of attack, but that massive ship is still out there, and we have no way of detecting it. Chances are they're planning something else even as we speak."

"And that thought will probably prevent me from getting a good night's sleep tonight. But I'll make sure Temporal Security is on full alert for the least indication of their presence or activities anywhere in the sector. At least now they don't have a weapon like Paragon at their disposal. But we're all under orders not to speak of Paragon or the events of our missions, as they've now been classified."

"Sir, why have they been classified?" Peter asked.

"It was thought, by the higher echelons of Temporal Security, that knowledge of what could've been an imminent invasion could cause panic, or at the very least unrest, especially if it came to be known by the general public on Earth."

"That's probably a sensible precaution," Vyetrus said.

"I have one final announcement, and that is that two of our officers will be leaving Tethys for new assignments. It is with best wishes that we must bid Lieutenant Cerah O'Neil and Sub-lieutenant Peter Dawson farewell. You both have my gratitude for your service aboard Tethys." Devlin then led the round of applause for them.

Peter accepted it with his usual grace, but Cerah felt herself blushing with the attention being on her, even in such a small group of people. It was, however, the first time she'd ever seen a Messaran clapping. Even Buhari looked happy for her.

Devlin then ended the meeting.

As they filed out to the bridge, Elsa said to Cerah and Peter, "You could've told me you were leaving. What about that holiday to Takarshay that Tomás was planning?"

"We'll put in for a short leave after our first new assignment," Peter said. "I've got enough leave banked up that it shouldn't be a problem."

"Me too," Cerah said, aware that she was well overdue for a holiday.

"So what's the new assignment?" Elsa asked.

"A special vampire taskforce," Cerah replied.

"Well, I guess you're both qualified then."

Behind them, Devlin softly cleared his throat, reminding them that they were supposed to be manning their stations, which they promptly did.

The last part of the journey seemed to pass agonisingly slowly. Cerah was surprised to find herself actually looking forward to joining the Vampire Elite Squad program, especially since she knew that Peter would be there too, and part of the same group. She couldn't help but be deeply moved by what he'd done for her, changing his career direction just so she wouldn't be out on a new assignment alone. She also found herself wondering how he could do such a loving gesture, and yet not be with her. Maybe it just wasn't the right time yet, or like her, he was worried about it compromising the exceptional friendship that they had.

It was as they were passing near Mars, with the red planet visible in the distance on the starboard side, that something unexpected happened.

"Captain, the internal sensors have detected an energy spike, just like before!" Peter called out.

"Was it someone leaving the ship, or coming aboard?" Devlin asked.

"I can't say."

"Vyetrus?"

"Regrettably, there's no way to say for certain. But I would postulate that someone has left. It is possible that we still had a stowaway on board, who may have been retrieved by that undetectable black ship."

"Unless someone just came aboard who's trying to get aboard Epoch," Cerah said.

"That also is a possibility," Vyetrus said.

"I'll inform Admiral Rivette, so that he can use Epoch's sensors to triangulate any energy spikes that appear on the station when we get there, and we'll monitor each person who walks off the ship," Devlin said, and went into his office.

"Do you think your friend Crawford might have survived somehow?" Peter asked Cerah softly.

"Well I didn't actually see her die," Cerah replied.

"I think it would be best if we all kept our idle speculation to ourselves," Buhari said from behind them, although he had also reached the same conclusion.

"Of course, sir," Peter said quickly, and he and Cerah both gave their console's displays their full attention.

Minutes later, all eyes were on Earth as they approached the decimated planet. The majority of the planet's surface was hidden by thick dark clouds, and what was visible of the sea was black. Instead of the moon there were numerous rocky chunks orbiting Earth, which now had a fine ring made up of smaller pieces of lunar debris.

"The world's population is less than a quarter of a million people," Peter said as he checked the sensor readings. "Earth's orbit is shifting, so it wouldn't be long before it's no longer habitable for anyone left alive down there. I'm not picking up any active technology readings. They must be living in Stone Age conditions down there."

"If that William Herschel guy got done for it we'll be hearing about an upcoming execution pretty soon," Russ said grimly.

Once Tethys had docked with Epoch, Cerah and Peter collected their belongings from their quarters, which they'd already packed before their final shift, and disembarked with Elsa and Tomás. A security checkpoint had been set up to confirm the identity of each person leaving the ship using genetic scans in case someone had transported themself aboard near Mars to infiltrate the station.

"Would you two care to join us at Green Tim's?" Tomás offered once they were through the checkpoint.

"Sure. Just let us get rid of our gear first, and we'll meet you there," Cerah said.

"Sure thing," Elsa said, and she and Tomás went their own way.

"Which deck are you on?" Peter asked Cerah.

"41. You?"

"53. Meet at Green Tim's?"

"See you there," Cerah said.

They did their two-finger handshake that ended with a snap-back and went in different directions.

As Cerah walked along one of the semi-crowded passages she passed an Asian vampire in her twenties who stood out from the Temporal Security personnel in her long silvery-grey frock. Her raven-black hair was coiled neatly into a bun. Although they'd never actually been introduced, Cerah recognised her as Admiral Rivette's wife, Larissa. She seemed preoccupied, and had a reputation for being reclusive.

Cerah took a lift to deck 41, found her temporary quarters, threw her baggage inside, and made her way straight to deck 38 where Green Tim's and countless other restaurants were located.

Despite being quite late in the evening now, at the time when most people would already have finished their dinner, the restaurant area was still busy. When she entered Green Tim's she started looking around to see where the others were, if they'd arrived yet, and spotted Cephra rising from a table by a window in the company of a man with short spiked blond hair. Cephra was wearing the black dress that she had been when Cerah had called her, and the man, obviously Luke, wore a Temporal Security uniform with the light red jacket of a lieutenant commander. They'd just finished their dinner by the light of a single candle in the restaurant's lowered lighting. As much as Cerah really wanted to know the outcome of Cephra's decision, regardless of how they'd left things at the end of their last conversation, she knew that she'd be intruding if she approached them now. Deciding to wait for a more appropriate opportunity to talk to her, she didn't draw attention to herself as they left the restaurant without having seen her.

Elsa and Tomás were already sitting at a window table with their drinks only a few tables away from where Cephra and Luke had been sitting. Cerah went over and sat with them, and it was only a matter of minutes before Peter joined them. Once they all had their drinks, Peter proposed a toast to their future endeavours, and as though it was an omen, the timeline was restored moments later and Earth returned to being the flourishing world that they knew.

*

In the Schiaparelli Colony on Mars, Crawford made her way as casually as she could along the streets of the main shopping and restaurant district. Enclosed within a huge dome overlooking the Valles Marineris canyon that cut an enormous swath across the Martian landscape, being the largest canyon in the Solar system, this colony was the largest on the planet. Being the size of a small to moderate city, she figured that another stranger in the crowd wouldn't be conspicuous. The whole colony had gravity plating to give it an Earth-normal feel, so it was like walking through any city on Earth.

Upon her arrival she'd found the region to be desolate, as though the colony had never been built. Fortunately she'd had the foresight to steal a bio-suit from Tethys before transporting herself there with the temporal displacement unit in her belt plate. Suspecting that there was a historical alteration in progress, which wasn't unusual to see for those who worked for Temporal Security, she'd waited for a while within her personal time field. Just when she'd been about to give up and attempt to transport herself to Earth, as risky as that would be, the colony reappeared as though nothing had happened when the damage to the timeline had been repaired. After then transporting herself into the dome, she'd hidden the bio-suit and swapped her Temporal Security uniform for jeans, boots and a dark green turtleneck top, partly to blend into the crowd better, but also because the uniform had become quite worn out after having it as her only attire since she'd stowed away again on Tethys before it left Seinarüdth. She wore her large belt plate over her clothes, since no one here would know what it was. She'd had to obtain clothes a couple of sizes smaller than normal, having lost a noticeable amount of weight while hiding in a remote part of Tethys' maintenance passages that was only ever used during a refit. In fact now she'd hardly have to bandage her breasts down to disguise her gender like she'd done when wearing the hooded robe. She'd survived undetected by keeping her life signs hidden by her temporal displacement unit, and stealing small amounts of food that wouldn't be missed from Stargaze's storeroom every other night, which had been barely enough to live on. And each day she'd felt the guilt of having left the others from her shuttle to die on Mord'thet when it fell into the gas giant, considering that her temporal displacement unit could've transported at least a couple of them back to Tethys with her, especially if she'd made a couple of trips, but she couldn't afford to have anyone know about her.

Although no one in the colony would recognise her by sight, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched as she tried to blend into the crowd.

She'd wanted to change the world, and when the man in the black hooded robe had approached her with a proposition to do just that, it had seemed like the perfect opportunity to make her life really mean something. But that dream had died when she'd been left to die on Mord'thet, and when her attempt to seek revenge for that betrayal on Seinarüdth had failed miserably. She knew she should've just used her temporal displacement unit to leave Seinarüdth immediately after she'd miraculously gotten away into the ruins after failing to kill her former master, but she'd been so hell-bent on getting some sort of retribution that she'd stuck around, and was almost killed yet again because of it. Being unable to kill him, she'd wanted to sabotage his operation in some way, or at least gather more information about his plans and the forces and equipment at his disposal, which she could've then sent to Temporal Security before disappearing for good. Even taking out that thorn in her side, Lieutenant O'Neil, would've given her some measure of satisfaction. But the best she could do now was to assume a new identity, and leave on one of the Martian transports that would take her to a distant neutral colony where there were very few humans, if any. There she could live a new life in the background of the galaxy, and be content with that. Her only comfort was that her failure hadn't been for lack of trying.

The sense of being followed seemed to be getting stronger. She had to find out if it was a combination of guilt and imagination, or if someone really was onto her. Taking a couple of the smaller streets to leave the main shopping district, she took a roundabout way towards the outskirts of the colony, not far from where the side of the dome met the ground. Eventually she took an empty alley that ran behind part of the residential area, and partway along it she ducked around the corner of a building and waited. After a minute she peered around the corner the way she'd come to see if anyone was following her, but there was no one there.

With a sigh of relief, she started back up the alley, but had only taken a couple of steps when a sinister voice behind her said in barely more than a whisper, "I'm meticulous when it comes to tying up loose ends."

A tremor of fear and dread coursed through Crawford's body as she turned and saw the being in the black hooded robe standing in the middle of the alley. He raised his gloved right hand and she felt herself suddenly pulled off of her feet and drawn towards his outstretched hand. The moment she reached him his hand closed around her throat, and he proceeded to drag her to the far end of the alley. Such was his grip that she was unable to shout out for help. As she continued to struggle against his immovable iron grip, she realised that he was taking her to a nearby airlock in the wall of the dome that led out to the Martian surface. In a mortal panic, she flailed and kicked at him, but to no avail. Her frantic efforts didn't even slow him down. In desperation she reached down to her belt plate, but with his free hand, and without even breaking his stride, her assailant reached down and tore the device from her belt. He crushed it into an unrecognisable lump of metal and circuitry in his fist, and tossed it aside.

He dragged her half stumbling up to the airlock, and with no apparent effort he bypassed its security protocol. The heavy inner door slid open. He pulled her inside and it slid closed behind them. As Crawford watched, terrified, he opened the outer door. As it slid open there was a fierce outrush of air, during which Crawford did her best to take a breath and hold it, which wasn't easy with a hand tightly around her throat. She was roughly pulled out onto the Martian surface of red dirt and rocks and dragged a little further, and then the being threw her to the ground.

Finally released from his grip, her first instinct was to try to breathe, but the rationality instilled by her years of Temporal Security training allowed her to resist that urge, otherwise the moment she opened her mouth the thin air pressure would draw the breath out of her lungs, and whatever she could breathe in wouldn't have any oxygen in it. She managed to hold the half a breath that she had. She felt the shock in her body of suddenly being in the planet's arctic temperature. As she glanced around, looking for any option of survival, she observed that the normally beige sky was now a pale, dusty blue, with the sun looking very small a short distance above the horizon. It meant that even if she could find a surface vehicle with an oxygen tank in it before her breath ran out, she wouldn't survive long out here anyway as it would quickly get much colder. Already she could feel the icy stinging all over her body, even under her clothes. To her dismay, there were no vehicles nearby, not even occupied ones that she could try to signal for help.

Seemingly unaffected by the cold or the lack of air, the man in the black robe stood there watching her, as though enjoying her final moments. She took a couple of steps back, her footsteps making barely any sound in the thin atmosphere, but then she stopped, remembering where the colony was situated. A quick look behind her showed that she was at the precipice of the Valles Marineris, overlooking an eight kilometre drop.

Struggling to hold on to the breath that threatened to escape, she realised that her only option, a very slim shot, was to get around her former master and into the open airlock before he could stop her. With certain death only a matter of seconds away, she made a dash to the side, which was all the more difficult to coordinate properly in the one-third gravity of Mars.

In a swift, effortless movement, he sidestepped and was suddenly standing in front of her again, blocking the way. He lunged forward, again took her by the throat, lifted her up, and hurled her over the edge and into the canyon.

As the involuntary scream left her mouth as she plummeted towards the inevitable, so did the air in her aching lungs in the space of a second. Such was the length of the drop that asphyxiation took her life long before she reached the bottom, her final thoughts being of regret for the lives she'd been manipulated into taking in the name of her failed cause, and all for nothing in the end.

*

After a superb dinner at Green Tim's with the others, Peter had declined the offer to meet in one of their quarters for a movie under the pretext of being quite tired and wanting to get some rest, but promising that they would soon.

Instead, he went to the decks that were dedicated to science labs, and went to one door in particular.

The moment he touched the doorbell an irritable shout could be heard from within the room, saying, "Oh what in hell's name is it this time? Did you leave your moustache behind?" This was followed by a muttered, "Imbecile."

The door slid open to reveal a lanky, balding man with just a wreath of slightly greying black hair around the sides and back of his head. He had a conspicuous mole on his right temple, and was wearing a well-worn old-fashioned white lab coat. The scowl on his deeply lined face faded when he saw that his visitor was Peter. "Sorry, I didn't realise it was you. I thought it was Walker, that bumbling oaf who likes to think of himself as a scientist. Come in," he said, standing aside to let Peter pass.

"Thanks, Professor," Peter said, accepting the invitation. It wasn't the first time he'd been in Professor Zahlmann's lab, but every time he was always curious about the various devices and pieces of equipment that all appeared much more advanced than what any of the other scientists on the station had.

"I assume you've just come back from a mission?"

"A couple of hours ago."

"Well, what can I do for you?"

Peter held up the tiny metal phial that he normally kept attached to the inside of his boot. "I had to use it to save the life of one of the best friends I've ever had. I can't be absolutely certain, but I believe it tipped the balance between life and death in her case. She was stabbed with a poisoned blade."

Zahlmann took the phial when it was offered. "I dare say it would have made the difference then. It would've very quickly permeated her cells osmotically. I suppose I'd better refill this for you." He went over to a wall locker and took out a medi-kit, and removed a cardiovascular injector. "I take it she's the friend whose mother you once spoke of?"

"The very same."

Zahlmann pressed the injector to his own neck and extracted a small portion of blood, which was a rich blue colour that had a faint glow of energy, and then removed the ampoule and tipped the contents into the phial. He then handed the phial back to Peter.

"Thank you. I'm very grateful," Peter said, tucking it into place down the side of his boot.

"It's the least I can do. I'll never forget what you did for me," Zahlmann said, holding his gaze with sincere gratitude.

*

Late that night, in the depths of Epoch's infrastructure, a figure wearing a brown hooded robe with a rope belt made his way through the dark maintenance passages near the station's quasium reactors, furtively glancing about as he did so for the least sign of anyone else in the area.

When he reached the rendezvous point in a particular passage he found his master waiting for him expectantly, wearing a black hooded robe.

"Crawford has failed, but she's been dealt with," the master said in a lowered voice so that their conversation wouldn't drown out the sounds of any maintenance personnel who might be approaching, so that they'd have plenty of time to move away from the area without anyone spotting them. He held out a bundle of brown cloth. "This is her robe. You will know who to give it to when the time is right."

"The historical alteration has been rectified," the one in the brown robe said apologetically, also in a soft voice, as he took the robe that was made of the same coarse material as his own.

"The false readings I sent to Epoch's temporal sensors were intended to make it appear as though Herschel had created a historical alteration. If the agents sent to apprehend him had managed to do so, it would have looked as though they'd succeeded in averting the alteration, and Herschel would have been removed from the equation for us."

"What should be done about those agents?"

"Nothing. Any action taken against them would draw attention."

"They may question the order of events that led to the alteration, and an investigation could ensue."

"Then I'm sure you will handle the situation adequately. Since the discovery of our second base of operations on Seinarüdth I've had to alter our plans, but it was only one of many possible courses of action, as was using Paragon to destroy the time stations. Even though the loss of the weapon has been a disruption to our plans, it hasn't undermined them. But now I must take more extreme measures to achieve our ends. One way or another, Earth will fall, and then at last we shall succeed in our noble destiny," the master said with assurance. "I understand Tethys has returned to Epoch."

"I'll see to it that none of their sensor readings or other data, or even reports of your ship, go any further than they already have," the one in brown promised.

"Even if someone looks a little deeper and starts putting pieces together, by the time they act on it, it will be too late. My plans are already in effect. One way or another, we will still destroy the present to save the past."

*

The next morning after breakfast, Cerah was on her way to Admiral Rivette's office to speak with him when she crossed paths with him in one of Epoch's main passages while he was on his way to the temporal scanning room.

"Ah, Lieutenant O'Neil, I'd intended to meet with you today," the admiral said, slowing to a relaxed pace to stroll with her as they talked.

"I was actually just on my way to come and see you."

The admiral glanced back and forth along the passage to check that no one else was within earshot before saying, "This is privileged information, but I thought you should know that Commander Daphne Crawford's body was found at the bottom of the Valles Marineris canyon on Mars last night."

"That would explain the energy spike we detected. She'd been hiding on the ship again and wanted to leave before we reached Earth or Epoch."

"It would seem so."

"How did she die?"

"All indications point to murder, and quite violently, too. Unfortunately the assailant remains unidentified, although in a manner of speaking they have prevented her from evading punishment for her crimes. When her life signs were detected outside the Schiaparelli Colony's dome a security detail was despatched to investigate, but by the time they arrived the deed was done."

"Will there be an investigation?"

"We've arranged for the matter to be kept quiet so as to avoid any embarrassment for the organisation."

"I'm sure that's for the best."

"Anyway, you said you wanted to speak with me?" the admiral prompted.

"I just wanted to thank you for accepting me into the Vampire Elite Squad program. And for allowing Sub-Lieutenant Dawson and I to serve on the same team."

"That's quite alright. I'm sure you're more than capable for such a role. And from what I understand, you and Sub-lieutenant Dawson make quite a formidable team together."

"Is it alright to ask who else would be on our squad? Or who our commanding officer will be?"

"It'll probably be a few days before the squads are properly delegated. There will be six squads in all, most likely in groups of four or five. There have been a lot of applicants, but so far the only two people with definite positions are you and Sub-lieutenant Dawson. I'm afraid you'll just have to wait."

Cerah would've preferred to have some time to study the files of her fellow squad members, especially whoever was put in charge, so that she'd have a good idea of exactly who it was that she'd be working with, but she contented herself with just knowing that her career was still moving forward.

"So am I to take it that your earlier reservations about your future in Temporal Security have been resolved?" the admiral asked.

Cerah nodded. "I've decided to stay. I think I can do a lot of good here. And a change from the starship structure of missions could be refreshing. But I'm forced to ask, in such a path as the vampire program, will there still be opportunities for progression in Temporal Security?"

"I can assure you that you won't by any means be sidelined. In fact, and I don't feel I'm breaking confidence by telling you this, Vyetrus came to see me last night to make sure that your contributions during your recent missions weren't overlooked, unorthodox as some of your methods may have been. He spoke very highly of you, as a matter of fact, and insisted that a special citation from him be added to your record."

While Cerah was mindful of the unspoken regard of mutual respect that she shared with Vyetrus, she hadn't expected him to go out of his way to not only vouch for her, so to speak, but to ensure that she wasn't misrepresented as far as the official record went.

"You'll also be interested to know that Captain Devlin's final report of you was not condemning like you might assume, and he made particular mention of your efforts to better honour the chain of command and the following of correct procedures. He's of the opinion that you have the potential to go a long way. Of course, this conversation that we're having is off the record."

"Of course, Admiral."

The admiral paused and turned to face her. "But how do you feel about your professional direction?"

Cerah also stopped, and considered her answer before replying, "It'll continue to be challenging, I'm sure. But I think I'm ready to tackle whatever lies ahead now."

* * *

End of Cerah

The adventure continues in

Book One of The Course of Time series:

From Time to Time

