

The Convoy

By: Drew Bell

Published by Drew Bell at Smashwords

Copyright 2010 Drew Bell
Prologue

" _Dear Journal,_

I had the most bizarre dream again; this time it was different from the rest. I woke up a few times to shake the image out of my head, but each time I closed my eyes I found that sleep overtook my consciousness. Again I was floating weightlessly over some sort of vista; below me rolled endless hills and structures. I had feathers, all over my arms, like I was a bird. I took a perch on a tree and looked through a window; in front of me was something strange, something alien. I try as hard as I can to see clearly what this monster is, but then suddenly my dream shifted. This is where it was different; there was a white flash and I could see nothing. I don't know what it all means, but these nightmares have been getting more and more severe, I can only pray that the clarity of the dreams mean that I am gaining control over them. I pray that I won't lose myself to these dreams. I feel a tugging at my heart, as though I am being magnetized towards something, I only hope that this time my heart isn't being prepared for disappointment again."

I need a rekindling of excitement in my life,

Lalia Tarrus
Chapter 1

Miles felt cold; he stood in an enormous empty room. The floor beneath his was tiled green and red. The walls were made of large grey bricks, but what caught Miles' eyes was the tapestry before him. The tapestry hung against the brick, the weave seemed to ripple and move, as though it were liquid. Miles reached out to touch it. His alarm sounded and he woke.

The day began like any other for Miles Hearst, he first heard the alarm go off at 7:10, a good 20 minutes before the time he actually needed to be awake, allowing him plenty of opportunity to stretch and scrape the crust rimming his eyes. Ordinarily he would wallow deeper into his comic-book based comforter, then eventually (always before 7:30) force himself out of his captain's bed into the time-worn slippers waiting at the bed side. Miles typically gave himself approximately five minutes to make his bed, the pillows do not touch the ground, and to go pee (this is occasionally first, depending on how thirsty he was at 9:30 before he went to sleep the night before). Miles usually splashed water on his face, change into the shirt and associated shorts (always the ones on top) and because it was a Tuesday he still had a red shirt (his favorite color) to wear. He would take to the stairs, running the first several steps and jumping the last three steps to the bottom, (last time he jumped four steps he nearly twisted his ankle and stepped on his dog's tail). He would pour approximately five cups of cereal (usually a raisin-bran or healthy alternative) into a bowl that usually can hold four cups of cereal (but hey, he is a growing boy). He ordinarily would run up the stairs (after he have sipped the milk at the bottom of his bowl) then brush my teeth, failing to spit out the toothpaste at the end; simply because he felt that if he were to die by toothpaste then that was simply fate he could resign to. He had sort of resigned himself to an obituary reading "He had a little bit too much fluoride in his system". The mirror showed a mostly average-in-appearance seventeen-year-old; he had just begun to grow out of his awkward lankiness. To his satisfaction his fair-skinned complexion was clear of the acne that had plagued it for the past two years, one of his teeth hung crookedly from the top at an angle. Miles' mother had insisted he get a haircut, his bangs hung loosely against his forehead, he probably would give in to her demands after school. Regardless, he would run a few wet fingers through his thick brown hair, twist the few hairs he had on his chin (he prided himself on growing a beard, in high school this is a really big deal). Miles was by no means handsome; once or twice he had been called cute, but not lately. Miles blew himself a kiss in the mirror and headed back downstairs. He grabbed his backpack, and yes, he did forget to grab his Biology textbook, and no, he did not finish his Spanish homework.

Miles lived in Pyschque, California which was conveniently located close enough to Los Angeles to get horrific smog but not close enough to make Christmas shopping any easier for his parents. Miles sat in his afternoon Spanish class, slowly dying of boredom (which was really little more than a veil for his lack of understanding and the frustration beneath that), his best friend Seymour is picking at particularly gross pimple on his shoulder. He was in the back corner; it was safe for him to look out the windows wishing that somehow he could better appreciate the cool autumn weather, to be more precise; he wanted to enjoy the weather outside of the classroom. Actually, he just wanted class to be over. As he sat next to the window, slowly banging his greasy head against the perfectly clean window, he noted a small glimmer of light. A black bird, probably a crow, and perches it's self on the branch right outside the window. The bird turns its head towards Miles, its eyes unmoving from their target. Miles pressed his face against the glass, in the light it looked as though the bird had blue eyes. He tapped his friend Seymour to get his attention; certainly a blue-eyed crow was more important than the armpit stain he was checking out.

"Seymour, look at this. Seriously, this bird has really sweet eyes. They're blue." Miles said in amazement, he pressed his fingers harder into Seymour's back.

He turned back towards the bird; it looked back at him, and then fluttered its wings.

The crow took flight, and it chose to kamikaze into the window next to Miles. The bird's impact broke the monotonous voice of Miles' teacher. Miles jumped in his seat, his teacher turned from the blackboard to eye Miles;

"Miles! Is there a problem?" She asked with an eyebrow arched.

Miles nodded " _No._ " He turned to look out at the window.

The bird continued to attack the window. It began to shed feathers and scraped its bird feet against the thick glass, the scratches were deep and frightening. Miles cried out loud;

"Mrs. Hoffman, there is this crow and he keeps hitting the window."

"Miles Hearst, stop distracting the class. I have had enough." She replied sharply.

Miles looked to Seymour for support, he gave him a look, this look frightened him the most; he didn't understand what Miles was talking about. The crow was squawking loudly, it's scraping echoing throughout the room, but not a single one of Miles' classmates turned to face the attacking bird. Miles was alone; he anxiously began to shuffle in his seat.

He blurted out loud; "Doesn't anybody see the crazy bird attacking the window?"

A few of his classmates whispered; "Anybody see a crazy kid?"

He had enough and threw his textbook, Spanish: A Simple Language for Simple People, at the student who mocked him, and because he spent more time (a lot more time) playing Risk than Football, Basketball, and Baseball combined it hit the girl sitting behind the intended target. Unfortunately the girl it hit was the really hot blonde girl who moved to Psychque from Australia, she had a sweet German accent.

"Wait, its Australia isn't it?" Miles had once foolishly asked her, trying to impress him with his broad expanse of linguistic skill.

Either way, he managed to completely make a fool of himself, so he ran for the door and out of the classroom. Mrs. Hoffman huffed loudly; she clacked her heels as she quickly picked up the phone and dialed for the school's disciplinarian.

"Shit!" he said out loud, figuring that if he was going to be in trouble he might as well say his first swear word.

Miles ran towards the street, thinking perhaps he could hide in the mall.

" _The community college just got out for lunch, and I am gaining some muscle by playing Wii Fit, I could easily be mistaken for a college student_." Miles thought.

The Crow intercepted him. It began.

"Leave me alone!" He shouted at the blue-eyed crow.

The crow flew at him, its feathers scattered, and Miles flailed his arms to swat it away. His whole vision went black; feathers covered all that he could see. He didn't feel any pain, but the fear when it unleashed its claws and dug deep into his arms brought him to hysterics. He continued to scream and move all around, flailing his arms. The bird was constantly squawking in a noise that most closely resembled a child screaming. Miles' tears streamed and his mouth gaped open. He swatted at the bird to no avail; the bird moved quickly enough to be everywhere at once. Then the attack stopped. The feathers settled, Miles could finally see something other than the black. He gingerly felt his face, which had been attacked, yet felt nothing, he was fine. He looked down at his hands expecting blood and feather fragments.

Miles was made of translucent crystal.

" _I've completely lost it._ " He thought.

He turned to face the direction from which he had run. Mrs. Hoffman and the Disciplinarian were standing in the school's courtyard looking for me; their eyes wandered over past the direction where he was standing. They saw nothing, he was invisible to them.

Miles shouted to them: "Mrs. Hoffman, Mr. Droidt! I am over here. I'm sorry."

They didn't hear him. He tried to move towards them, he looked at his feet, looking for an explanation for why he couldn't move; there was a pile of black feathers weighing him down. He tried to lift his foot, but the feathers began to solidify into crystal as well, he couldn't move.

" _Move, move._ " He tried to will his foot into motion.

"What is going on?" He asked the air, between sobs, his eyes rimmed-red from the fount of water streaming from them.

His whole invisible body began to crystallize; he was going to die a human chandelier. The school bell rang, signaling students to be let out for lunch.

" _This is my last chance._ " Miles realized.

"Someone help me!" He cried to the students who passed him.

Miles tried to turn my head, but his neck wouldn't give. He tried to wiggle his fingers, and then he realized that neither his fingers nor his eyes would move.

He prayed out loud; "God, I'm sorry for swearing. I'm sorry for looking at that blonde girl's butt-crack. Don't let me die like this."

Miles focused all of his being into that next five minutes; he strained every part of his body that could move, he willed that somehow my crystalline form would give way back to his freckled and oily skin.

The other students looked through him, he was envious of one guy's blank stare, his bulging eyes were a perfect round representation of something Miles was certain he would never have again. One girl ran past him, a red homecoming balloon succumbing to its master's will, her elbow made contact with Miles' and caused a shockwave of pain. If he had tears left they would have streamed, if he still had a voice it would scream. They taunted him with their freedom.

" _It will end this way. At least I tried, I was so close._ " He resigned, wishing with all his being that he could escape this crystal tomb.

" _I had always envisioned myself dying with my wife like they do in "The Notebook_ ". Miles thought as he looked outward at all the other students milling around, one of his peers used a Fruit-by-the-Foot as an Indiana Jones whip.

He didn't close his eyes; he simply stopped seeing as his eyes crystallized over.

Miles was left with one chance, his lungs began to quiver inside; he knew, somehow, what was about to happen. He knew that he would want his eyes to be closed for what was about to happen.

Based off of CLERGY 1's radiation scans, a planet just went supernova. There was a flash, the radiant light spread from a single point and eradicated all life from the face of the Earth. It was nearly instantaneous (.06 Seconds for the elimination of a planet), and its point of origin was a seventeen-year-old glass boy in what used to be called Psychque, Ca.
Chapter 2

The Convoy finally broke through the Trillion Veil, the sleek vessels resembled a flying icicle, and the Idinium Repulsors utilized the explosive force of mixing the elements Iodine and Aluminum under zero pressure. The resulting flash freeze jettisons each of the individual CLERGY vessels at high speeds, with the side effect of ice coating the exterior hull of the ship, each repulsor moving like a fish's fin.

Aboard the flagship, Admiral Latarr strides along the bridge, several crew members busily typing at their consoles. The bridge floor was littered with haphazardly placed large box computer consoles, a wide expanse of window faced forward, and a sleek black raised catwalk cut through the bridge floor from the entrance to the window. The walls of CLERGY 1 were reflective panels of metal, the individual angular sheets of metal panel did not meet at the edges, exposed colored cables and wires weaved behind the panels. The members of the Convoy are humanoid in appearance, their light blue skin is slightly different because they have scaly texture, and they refer to themselves as Callos. The Callos range in build as humans do; girth and height varied from one Callos to another. The Admiral stood straighter and taller than most of the Callos, his military upbringing provided that. He, like the other Convoy members, had blue feathers on his head and a beak-like nose. His eyes were a sharp grey, his lips pursed tightly in concentration. He paced with his hands behind his back, his fingers human-like but with sharper thicker nails.

Each of the Callos below him were in brightly colored skin tight suits, the Callos paid no attention to their Admiral striding the platform above them. The Convoy requires precise calculations for trajectory, the slightest mistake in calculation could result in a collision course with a rogue meteor.

Admiral Latarr approached a console jutting from his viewing platform; he pressed the screen as he spoke through to those aboard each of the Convoy vessels:

"This is Admiral Latarr, we are adjusting our course." He said as he adjusted his black and white jumpsuit, the thick padding at the shoulders emblematic of his position.

"We have reason to believe that something we previously calculated to be a small terrestrial ball just went supernova. Therefore our course is redirected approximately 87 reaches." He explained.

Admiral Latarr's voice boomed over several thousand loud speakers placed throughout each of the six CLERGY vessels. Admiral Latarr clicked his shiny black boots and left the bridge heel-toe heel-toe.

The Admiral strode off the platform towards an office nearby; he closed the door behind him.

"We just saved two days of fuel." He explained, holding back a confident smile.

A grayscale face projected from a thin screen, the image moved as the projected Callos spoke.

"Sir, based off of additional analysis." The floating head explained, the face was gaunt and angular; the feathers on his head were thin and wispy. The collar of the doctor's white lab coat occasionally bobbed up and down; the projected Callos was walking as he spoke.

"Analysis of the supernova?" The Admiral asked with his brow raised.

"Sir. You asked me to oversee the data stream from our scouting probes." The Doctor reminded.

"What did the results show?" The Admiral asked with concern.

"I cannot be certain, but they suggest that the source of the radiation burst stemmed from a planet's surface." The Doctor explained, wringing his hands in worry.

"Interesting." The Admiral thought out loud. Reclining in his chair, he ran his hand through his straight-cut feathers.

"What do you suggest?" The Admiral asked, straightening in his seat; this situation needed to be dealt with carefully.

"It is your command, but I have to admit," The Callos in the lab coat bit his lip;

"We need some additional information." He spat out finally.

"Thank you, Doctor. I think I might have something for Alvar to do. He has been anxious to do something." The Admiral decided, pulling the thin tablet off of his desk closer to his face. He pressed against the screen, deactivating the hologram, the Doctor's face disappeared.

Admiral Latarr stood from his desk and returned to the bridge, he leaned to whisper to a crew member. He nodded in understanding and briskly left the bridge.

The Admiral remained stationary, looking out the panoramic window; stars and the black blanket of space filled it. He remained still for a few minutes until the metal doors to the bridge hissed open automatically.

"Admiral, sir!" A male voice called out.

The Admiral turned with a grin to face the Callos standing on the platform next to him; the Callos wore a sleek red military jacket, large gold flourishes marked the clasps used to attach the jacket to his regular skin-tight suit. The Callos filled it well, well-built like the Admiral with the same strong jaw, the Callos stepped closer for a hug.

"Alvar, brother." The Admiral greeted him.

"What was it, which my brother the Admiral needs from me?" Alvar said loudly, glancing to both directions to see whether the crew around him was paying attention to him.

"Alvar, please." The Admiral directed him to be quieter, "Come with me."

The Admiral led Alvar to the side, against the wall.

"Doctor Melric informed me of a strange development." The Admiral began.

Alvar stood quietly, listening intently.

"Apparently the source of the supernova I just announced was a planet." The Admiral explained, "I need someone to investigate. Take whoever you need with you." He whispered.

"What you think that the Yau Tang are back?" Alvar laughed, turning to see whether anyone else thought his joke was funny.

The Yau Tang was a militant alien species who had warred with the Callos two-hundred years ago. Whispers of their continued existence remained, but folklore always took longer to die. Especially because the Callos are capable of accessing ancestral memory; at birth all of the memories of the parents and their ancestors are imprinted on the new born infant. Every generation the Callos grew more efficient... and set in their ways.

"Do me this favor. I ask you because I knew you would be keen on doing something so bold." The Admiral admitted, gritting his teeth to prevent him from snapping out against his brother.

"Yes, sir!" Alvar snapped to a salute and mock marched out of the bridge.

The Admiral ran his hand across his face in frustration;

" _The Convoy is so close to Phlasia. I can't let anything go wrong now._ " He thought. " _We don't have nearly enough food, water, fuel, or minerals to sustain ourselves without. It is my responsibility._ "

He closed his eyes and concentrated, the last thing he needed was another problem.
Chapter 3

A female Convoy member sat straighter in her chair, renowned as a scholar, Doctor Lalia Tarrus was bored at her console. Being of wealthy stock and unequivocal beauty, Lalia had been trained to make her the most eligible bride in the whole Convoy; but she was now the caretaker of the thirty-six Idinium Repulsors on the six CLERGY vessels. The lithe Doctor propped her fist to her mouth as she thought, her eyes were large round deep blue, her scaly complexion was a pale blue, her long feathers flowed from her head, and her cheek bones were strong. She was strikingly beautiful as she turned to face her laboratory assistant:

"Did you hear that?" She asked.

She leaned closer towards the loudspeaker from which the Admiral's voice had rung through; the scratchy audio garbled his every word. She turned to her lab assistant, a chubby male, Galio Forrt.

"Galio, did you understand the Admiral's update?" she asked.

"No, I didn't. But did you hear that Rhondulus was having problems on the maintenance deck? He will undoubtedly be reassigned, hopefully in the telosphere." Galio garbled, his voice always drowned by a seemingly endless cold.

Galio's face was mashed-in; his large cheeks crowded his small head, his chin protruded out due to his minor under bite. Though his blue cheeks appeared a little rosy at times, he was much shorter and fatter than most Callos, waddling as he walked towards Lalia.

"Hmm." Lalia quieted herself.

Galilo's eyes widened. Lalia Tarrus was never speechless; her thoughts usually came so quickly, interjecting an idea when she was thinking was near impossible.

"Lalia?" Galio asked, futilely craning his short neck to raise his head as though Lalia would whisper in it.

"Yes?" Lalia replied, absent minded, she pursed her lips and held a thin finger to her temple. She was utterly lost in thought. She stood to pace the room; the walls were angular, jagged sheets of metal partially concealed hundreds of exposed wires and cables running through the wall. The ground was semi-translucent, small blue lights would trace the same circuitous patter over and over; the floor resembled a moving night's sky.

"What is it that you are so deep in thought about? Is it the Admiral?" Galio asked. "I understand hearing him everyday must be hard on you." He began.

He took a step towards her, slowly, as though she might turn quickly or violently.

"No, no. It is not the Admiral." She answered, though a brief image of the Admiral flashed in her head. She physically shook it off. She needed to focus.

"What if?" She continued, now thinking out loud, excitement showed on her face. "Galio, what if a dream could come true? What if, somehow, I used my consciousness to project actuality?" She asked.

Galio squinted his eyes a bit; Lalia wasn't being practical. She was speaking in theory, the concept made sense, it was simply an impossibility. Lalia Tarrus did not think in impossibility.

"Galio. I think that supernova was my doing. I dreamed that I was on a small planet, that I was emanating light. Then the whole world was void, save me, I was translucent; clear like a port window." She continued.

"Why are you so fixated on this?" Galio asked, "Are you trying to cling to this as an explanation for your weird nightmares?"

Lalia sighed as she slouched in her chair, a hand held to her temple.

"I have never felt so certain about anything." She breathed.

Galio looked at her, certain she had made some sort of important discovery. Lalia's mind often moved faster than he or she could ever try to catch up, but he needed to show faith in her, if he wanted her to trust him.

"Galio, I am telling you the truth. It may sound untrue; I promise I am not trying to fool you." She pleaded with him; her deep blue eyes assured him this was the truth.

"Doctor Tarrus. What would you have me do?" Galio asked with a slight bow, "Of course I will help you." He said with the best wink he could give, he hacked though his perpetual cold.

"Galio, you and I will leave the Convoy and visit this planet." She whispered with excitement.

Galio eyed her carefully; "Lalia, the planet just went supernova! You can't actually expect to take a shuttle. What would happen if our systems encounter interference? We would lose the Convoy. There would be no Phlasia. Ever."

Lalia Tarrus looked out her port window; she stood tall, she knew she was on the brink of something large. She was convinced her dream caused the supernova explosion of a planet, she was also certain that the planet remained and something important awaited her.

Galio hurriedly packed a case with food and long metal cylinders; he also layered stacks of blank holo-foils on top before he latched the case closed. The shuttle would need enough supplies for four days;

"There is no way to know how long the trip might take." Lalia explained.

The trip would be unprecedented, no Callos ever willingly left the Convoy, at Galio's suggestion Lalia agreed to wait until the night cycle aboard the ship began.

Lalia slid out of her laboratory with Galio behind her; they approached the hanger without encountering any of the other Convoy members. The hanger was mostly empty; a few shuttles lay docked to suspended platforms, below them was the mechanic floor. Lalia jogged up the metal scaffolding attached to the hanger command tower, she activated the hanger doors and returned quickly to Galio. They selected a shuttle; a sleek spear-like vessel, with a slight glimmer from the ice coating due to it's miniature Idinuim Repulsors. Galio settled in the pilot's seat, Lalia next to him. Unknowingly they initiated a rescue mission.

Meanwhile on CLERGY 1, Admiral Latarr sat in his deep commander's chair. The Admiral had before him twelve of the Convoy's strongest soldiers; they represented the remnant of the once powerful Convoy military power. The Callos had since returned to a peace-loving species; these brave soldiers were called to protect this peace. There was something suspicious about the terrestrial sphere it was impossibility that a planet could go supernova. The Admiral needed this issue resolved; Phlasia was only two weeks away.

The Admiral's soldiers were outfitted with some of the Convoy's outdated weaponry; the Callos had been at peace for the past two-hundred years, their oldest enemies the Yau Tang had been eradicated. But the military instinct had not died those hundreds of years ago, the pain of war continued to be passed on. Admiral Latarr knew that he personally clung to the memories of military victories, even if they weren't his own memories; he would have one of his own. These twelve soldiers were known only to him, they marched in formation unto the sleek grey shuttle equipped with miniature Idinium Repulsors, their rifles on their backs, they saluted to him.

With a firm swift movement of his hand to his brow, he authorized these Callos out of the hanger bay. The shuttle quietly pulled its nose and the Repulsors kicked on, a brief hover and the vehicle lifted out of the hanger. Admiral Latarr prayed under his breath to Phlasia:

"Phlasia, be with us now. We near our pilgrimage. To you, I send these brave Callos." He whispered.

The shuttle left the hanger of CLERGY 1 towards the remnant of the supernova, as did a small shuttle leaving CLERGY 5. A collision course had just been plotted, someone calculated incorrectly.
Chapter 3

The scene played over and over in Miles' head;

" _What happened?"_ He asked rubbing his eyes.

Miles remembered being in Spanish class, next to Seymour's nasty shoulder pimple.

" _That's right! I remember that blue-eyed crow. That feathery fiend attacked me, first at the window, and then outside the classroom. I checked down at my arms, relieved that my skin was no longer clear like glass, when I moved my arms around I realized that I could again move_." Miles reminded himself with a crooked grin of disbelief.

" _Everything is back to normal._ " Miles thought happily, but he then removed his hands from his eyes.

He stood on a barren planet; Earth had seemingly been wiped clean.

Like some chalkboard, the ridges and color of the chalk had been erased; all he could see for endless miles was a smooth slate grey, as though the planet had been reduced to a cement ball. Miles pleaded with himself to wake-up;

" _This dream was terrifying."_ " Miles thought, starting to whimper, he fell to his knees and began to cry;

"What did I do wrong?" Miles screamed to the blank sky, "How do I deserve this?"

But somewhere knew, somewhere deep inside, that this wasn't a dream. He was terrified; he began to wander aimlessly around this giant grey planet, there were no trees, and there weren't even hills. Miles began to walk anxiously, his pace picked up and soon he was running.

Miles would have said the Earth became flat, except that he could see the curvature of the Earth for miles and miles in the distance.

"God. Please let me wake up." He said out loud, tears mixing with the snot streaming from his nose.

Miles continued to walk along this forsaken planet, pulling at his hair and wiping at his nose with his arm.

"No. I don't want to die like this." He cried throwing his hands in the air, "I don't want to be alone. I want things the way they were. I want to wake up!"

"This is real." He began to admit to himself. He begun to finally realize that it wasn't a dream, somehow he had actually witnessed the end of the world.

"But I didn't really turn to glass." He conceded to himself.

" _If I was going to accept the truth I needed to eliminate the part that was obviously something my brain did as a defense mechanism."_ Miles told himself, still refusing to fully accept his situation.

Miles slumped to the ground and sobbed loudly for several minutes. After an hour, his sore throat compelled him to lie still and quietly. The quiet frightened him the most; silence allowed him to think, and thinking brought him closer to terms with reality. He laid there on the smooth stone planet for maybe an hour or two. The ground didn't feel cold though, in fact it felt kind of warm. Soon he found himself laying facedown on the ground, spread out as though he were trying to capture the warmth. That odd warmth emanating from the planet filled the hug he so desperately needed; he realized then that he was indeed all alone. His parents, his grandparents, his neighbors, and his friends were all gone.

" _Mom, I really am sorry for yelling at you._ " Miles thought.

Despite the warm ground, the deep sorrow brought Miles to shiver, his teeth chattered loudly. His thoughts raced through all of things he wouldn't have anymore;

" _No more family, no more home, no more Wii, no more food, no more talking even_." He listed mentally.

He sat up stupefied, he had nothing left. Miles was certain that he would die of hunger now; his day just kept getting worse and worse. He tightly hugged himself; he was just skin and bones with a 100% cotton tee shirt.

While not known how it came to be, but Miles ended up naked somewhere near his fifth hour of being alone. It is believed that he wanted desperately something to remind him of his old life; so he took his shirt off to read:

"Small/ Chico. 100% Cotton/ Algadon. Wash in cold water, dry in low heat. Made in Mexico. Cotton proudly grown in the U.S."

No one is certain why he needed to read the tag on his jeans; it wasn't the most exciting thing Miles had ever read. But, apparently, he needed to read the sequel to _The_ _Pants Book_ also known as _The Pants Book 2: Revenge of the Boxer Briefs_. So, yes, he ended up naked, Miles was not proud of it necessarily. In fact, for a little while he felt really exposed, after about twenty minutes, however, he figured that he was the last person on the planet anyways. Miles would come to mostly regret not having any clothes on for this next part.

After five hours of lonesome sobbing, wretching, and streaking Miles was wandering the empty landscape, singing the same line over and over:

"One is the loneliest number that you ever knew."

He eventually found the spot where he had been standing when the whole planet died, he knew it was the spot because his shoes had left foot-prints in the cement, Mile silently stood there looking out at the blank vista and wiped his eyes, he only had days to live until he died of dehydration, there was plenty of time to cry.

" _I ought to pray or meditate._ " He tried to calm himself down; he had already vomited whatever food he had in his stomach.

But as he thought this a glimmering object pierced the night's sky, something was crashing to the Earth from outer space.

The spaceship was really shiny, it looked a lot like an icicle, and the whole ship resembled some sort of ice spear being thrown at Miles. He started to run as quickly as he could, ignoring the pain in his lungs he ran for cover. Of course, given the planet is completely void of any thing to hide behind he looked like an idiot ready for the slaughter. At this point Miles was ready to die; whether it was by humiliation, psycho-crow, and the extermination of Earth, hunger, or alien invaders.

Miles stopped mid-stride and faced the now-landing alien ship. He could see steam rise off of the frozen ship as landing pads lowered from its bottom.

"Hey I'm over here." He shouted at the icicle. "Look at me, I'm alive!"

He walked closer to the spaceship, now convinced that he had gone insane.

" _No. It's a spaceship, it hovered for a while_." He assured himself.

Miles Hearst was not going to give into insanity. He looked around quickly to find my clothes;

"S***!" He said for the third time that day.

Miles' clothes were underneath E.T.'s landing pod. He instead cupped his empty hands around his human extremities, embarrassed that he would be humanity's ambassador to the great unknown. He hadn't really considered that aliens might have been responsible for wiping out the Earth; in fact he was fairly certain he killed off all of the universe's life. Miles had always been a little narcissistic, but somehow he was certain that he somehow blew-up the planet. He continued closer to the alien ship; trying to figure out where the windows or doors were. The whole ship was coated in ice;

" _Maybe the doors are on the side."_ He thought as the back end of the vessel hissed open.

From the backside of the icicle lowered a hatch, a tall slender figure started to walk down the ramp onto the planet's surface. He would have screamed, but he was too scared to move or make a noise; instead Miles stood stone still with his mouth a gape and his hands beneath his waist.

Lalia Tarrus's bright blue eyes faced him, and he knew.

" _She recognizes me._ " Somehow he was certain, but before he could say anything she raised a strange tool above her head.

She brought the tool down, her eyes glimpsed over him as he raised his arms in defense, she smiled slightly.
Chapter 3

Galio pulled back slightly on the throttle. The planet had indeed gone supernova, the tell-tell plasma interference was detectable on the sensors, but the planet existed in the core of the radiation. Lalia urged Galio to bring the shuttle into the atmosphere anyways. Somehow, she was convinced that this grey sphere had something to do with her dream, female instinct or something like that he figured.

Lalia stood and leaned with her hands holding her against the cockpit's window, she peered down as the shuttle violently shook and shuddered through the atmosphere. The shuttle's frame had exposed wires running the length of the ship, only the front-facing pilot's console, smooth black swiveling chairs, and several chests and tubes gave the interior any semblance to a viable means of transportation. Lalia twisted the storage compartment's handle and retrieved her survey suit; sealed tight to protect her from the planet's intense pressure.

"The retro-thrusters haven't kicked on yet and we are descending too quickly" Galio shrieked.

Lalia smiled beneath her orange-tinted visor; Galio always managed to panic over the minutest things.

"Where do we land?" Galio asked with a craned neck, his eyes fixed out the window.

"The coordinates I gave you are roughly the epicenter of the explosion. Curiously the explosion seemed to have come from the planet's surface, rather than its core." Lalia explained.

Worried, Galio faced her and made eye contact, fear filled in his.

"What does that mean? That this might not have occurred naturally? As in what?"

Lalia urged him to continue with her eyes, his lip quivered slightly.

" _Is he looking at me differently?"_ She asked herself.

At a time Lalia had been the most important female Convoy member, but even after the scandalous fallout Galio remained.

" _Why?_ " She wondered, " _He is my friend, but is he looking for more?"_

Lalia finally replied, aware that she had been quiet in thought too long; "Yes, there is the possibility that something caused the explosion. I think I may have caused this, I was walking on the planet's surface in my dream."

Satisfied, Galio turned back to his console and pulled a last lever; the ship shuddered and fell the last few feet unto the planet's surface. Already in his large oversized survey suit, he scrambled over the passenger's seat for a mask as Lalia pulled the hatch's release knob. After a slight hiss the hatch slowly pivoted upward, revealing an endless grey vista. She cautiously took the first step, her boot firm on the hard smooth and surprisingly warm surface. Her helmet was picking up some sort of garbled static; the noise was not gibberish, but language she quickly discerned. She turned quickly to face the intelligent life form; a pitiful looking pale figure. The creature looked enough like a Callos for Lalia to recognize the special functioning organs; it stood on two legs, had red rimmed eyes, a gaping mouth, and humorously was covering its genitals. She held back a laugh; she reached with one hand for an electro-grafter usually reserved for fusing together faulty wire connections, but would work as a weapon should she need it. She would need it in this situation. The creature raised one hand from its cupped position into an open palmed greeting of some sort, and then split two fingers into a "V" shape. The creature was about to attack her, she readied her electro-grafter, the creature had the nerve to raise both hands, completely revealing it's self, above it's head in a defensive pose. She brought down the weapon unto the creature's head; with a jolt it collapsed into a spasming ball. She called for Galio to retrieve the creature, he unwillingly obliged, closing his eyes and holding his nose away from the creature.

"This thing is utterly repulsive." Galio gagged as he lifted the creature.

"Stop complaining, this is what I was looking for." Lalia assured him excitedly.

The two Callos loaded the creature on to their shuttle, Lalia closed the hatch and tethered the creature with cables some technician had replaced but not yet thrown away, Galio flicked his console back on and fumbled with the throttle.

"Lets hurry back home!" Galio exclaimed with glee.

The ship raised its nose slightly but then abruptly fell; Lalia looked back at Galio with concern.

He turned to face her;

"Lalia, there is another Callos vessel with bearings in our direction. Someone is coming to get us." He explained.

"Damn it! We can't let them find the creature." She cursed.

"What do think they are doing?" Galio asked in high-pitched voice, higher than his usual garble allowed.

"I don't know. I think perhaps they have come to retrieve us. They may have noticed a shuttle left and might think some young Callos wanted an adventure." Lalia proposed, trying to sound confident, but her voice gave away some of her anxiety.

The creature began to stir, it moaned loudly. Lalia hit it again over the head with her electro-grafter.

"Hide it!" She hissed urgently.

"We should wait for the shuttle to land here. I'll explain why we we're here, but do not mention we found a creature. Do not let them aboard the shuttle." She added sternly, her eyes directed towards the radar. She handed Galio a gun; the weapon had a short handle and a long muzzle, two wings protruded from the sides with a slight upturn at the end of the barrel.

"Use it if you have to." She told him, her eyes lingered on his a while longer. She undid the latch and exited the shuttle, sealing it behind her. She stood next to shuttle waiting.

The second Callos shuttle broke the atmosphere moments later, landing beside Lalia's shuttle, Lalia could clearly recognize the pilot Alvar Tarr, the Admiral's brother and trusted servant. Lalia left her visor on and walked unto the planet's surface, she waited patiently for the hyper-cooled jets to warm before she approached the other shuttle. The fact that Alvar and whoever else was aboard the shuttle took their time to cool the repulsors and to open the rear hatch scared Lalia; they weren't in a hurry to rescue anyone.

The shuttle's hatch lowered half-way and Alvar jumped down in his survey suit. The hatch then quickly sealed back up, preventing Lalia from seeing who else was aboard the craft.

"Lalia Tarrus. My surprise, what are you doing away from the Convoy? Especially without having notified...well, anyone?" He asked in his smug deep voice.

"I wanted to ask you the same thing." Lalia commented, but added "But, apparently you were busy sneaking around too."

Alvar bit his lip; Lalia was one of the smartest Convoy members, he didn't rival her intelligence. But he did have more connections as the brother to the Admiral, he could easily pull rank, but the fact remained that no one was allowed to leave the Convoy. Even with permission from the Admiral, Alvar's task was unprecedented; the only reason he accepted was to gain some reputation and credibility himself. The soldiers aboard the shuttle betrayed this, to receive full credit he needed to handle this himself.

"I apologize my dear doctor. But CLERGY 5 reported a shuttle without clearance leaving for the supernova we sought to avoid entirely." Alvar stalled, he needed to think.

He grinned and added: "Why did you leave your lab to visit a supernova? What was so important you left the Convoy, risking your and your assistant's lives, to go see?"

Alvar craned his neck to see past Lalia to her shuttle, but the equally tall Lalia blocked his view. The two side-stepped each other until his back faced her shuttle.

"Well..."Lalia wasn't sure how to respond. No one had ever been so far from the Convoy intentionally, she wasn't seeking attention, but no doubt the women of the Convoy would see it that way.

She took her chances, she wanted to investigate the creature more closely, and the research could provide answers more valuable than her reputation.

"I wanted to draw attention to myself. I knew that a rescue party, "She started, but she then saw Galio struggling to put the creature in his survey suit, the creature unconsciously lay limp.

"So, here you are to rescue me. I am a stupid female, really, that was foolish of me. But, oh, the thrill of adventure." She finished quickly.

Lalia was certain that Alvar was apart of no rescue party, he was likely sent to investigate the strange supernova too.

Her acting was pretty bad, but Alvar was the dumb brother, and likely would gladly accept being a hero. His stupid grin proved her right;

"Yes, I am here to rescue you. I'm happy to see you're safe, it didn't matter how far I would have to track you. Please, allow me to escort you back to the Convoy." He said in his best imitation of a war hero, drawing on the memories of his ancestors who were much cleverer than he.

Lalia agreed to be led back to the Convoy, in fact she thought, it would make her reentry easier because she wouldn't need to sneak her way back in. But Alvar added in his worst impression of a forlorn lover;

"Let me pilot your shuttle back for you, O, my lady."

Lalia looked hesitantly back toward her own shuttle, seeing portions of Galio as though he was struggling with something. Alvar took a few strides toward her shuttle.

"Alvar, no. I can pilot my own shuttle back." She asserted quickly to no avail.

"Alvar," she said, holding onto his sleeve, "or I can ride back with you on your shuttle."

"No." he said sternly, as though he was hiding something, "No. You'll ride in yours. I'll fly it back."

Lalia cringed as Alvar twisted the knob to open the hatch. The hatch hissed open and the two boarded the shuttle. Lalia gripped her electro-grafter just in case, though she was certain she couldn't use it on a fellow Callos.

Galio swiveled in his pilot's seat to face Alvar and Lalia, his face showed surprise at Alvar's entrance. Galio wore no survey suit, rather only his bandage-like under wrappings remained, he maintained his mask and visor.

"Alvar? What are you doing here? Here to save us?" Galio chuckled.

Lalia strained to see through Galio's visor, to make eye contact, but the creature was nowhere to be found.

Alvar addressed Galio sternly; "You piloted Doctor Tarrus away from the Convoy? Do you realize how foolish and dangerous that is? To a supernova no less!" his voice was more firm than Lalia would have thought possible. Alvar was no longer acting, he was serious; he was furious that Galio risked Lalia's life.

Galio tried to defend himself; "Lalia insisted I take her out here. I followed her orders."

"No. You will suffer the consequences. Pilot us both back, I will signal for my shuttle to leave first and provide escort. Then you will be put on trial before the Admiral for your foolishness." Alvar demanded.

Lalia felt deeply sorry for putting Galio up to this, she had forced him to pilot her to the planet. Lalia was also scared; she had only been scared twice in her life; once when she learned she was infertile, and now that Galio was at risk. Her thoughts again returned to the creature, the cables were still missing; Galio had hidden the creature. Then Lalia noticed Galio was not wearing his survey suit anymore; the suit was hanging in its storage tube. Galio had clothed the creature in the suit and placed it in the tube.

Alvar signaled for his shuttle to escort Lalia's ship back to CLERGY 1, Lalia and Galio would need to debrief with the Admiral. Lalia sat back in her passenger seat next to Galio. She strained herself to not look back at the hidden creature; Alvar braced himself by holding the cargo rope net on the ceiling, he was standing next to the tube where the creature was hidden.

"Thank you." She whispered to Galio.

"No problem." He answered, and then added "This thing had better be worth it."

The last sentence was a little loud and Alvar took notice; he struck the back of Galio's head.

"Shut up. Get us moving." He ordered.

The shuttle made better time to the Convoy with Alvar's sense of heroic urgency; whether or not Lalia had killed the creature she was not sure. However, the thing did not make any discernable movements the whole trip back.

Alvar leaned towards the survey suit's tube;

"You should get this cleaned Galio. It smells like urine." He laughed.

Galio looked at Lalia as they pulled into the hanger of CLERGY 1. The two made eye contact as the hatch door opened. Alvar proudly posing for the hanger workers to see him in his heroic glory.

"Phlasia help us both." Lalia prayed
Chapter 4

Alvar strode off of the shuttle, with an enormous smile, beaming heroic greatness.

"That's right, I saved her _."_ Alvar muttered to himself, but he began to think; " _From what? What exactly did I save her from?_ "

Alvar returned to the shuttle and pulled Galio out by the arm, Galio would serve as an excellent scapegoat. Alvar's look towards Lalia told her that she was expected to follow.

"I'll be right there. I need to update my lab staff of CLERGY 5." She lied.

Alvar turned his head and led Galio into the hall towards the ship's bridge, where Latarr waits. Lalia needed to think fast, she didn't know how long she had until the creature would wake, but the maintenance team would most likely check and replace the survey suits when she left. Lalia made a quick glance around the hanger, a hanger worker was heading towards the shuttle, and she had to hide the creature carefully should it wake. She surveyed the hanger one last time and made a gutsy move; she reentered the shuttle and grabbed a holofoil. The holofoil reacted to the heat from her fingers as she typed furiously on it, a small holographic image of text appeared at the top of the sheet, she tore the frame around the holofoil face, allowing her to bend the flexible screen. She laid the holofoil over the survey suit's tube. It would have to do.

Lalia confidently marched away from the shuttle;

" _That might have been a stupid mistake, but now it is out of my hands._ " She thought helplessly, " _Hopefully Galio's trial had not yet begin, he wouldn't be able to defend himself, and he would likely be branded with the stigma and forced to live on CLERGY 6."_

Lalia briskly walked down the hall towards the bridge, the urgency on her pretty face enough for the bridge's guards to recognize her status. Lalia Tarrus was still a powerful female Callos, she didn't officially have clearance but no guard would deny the former wife of the Admiral. The large metal doors swung open for Lalia and she found herself in the brightly lit bridge; consoles with busy Callos typing lined the bow-shaped windows and the breezeway the Admiral usually strutted while thinking.

"The Admiral is in the Council Chambers, Doctor Tarrus." A young Callos technician explained. Lalia recognized the young cadet.

"Thank you. Would you page him for me please? Tell him to expect me." She asked.

"Yes, he is already expecting you. The trial will not begin without your presence." He assured her.

Lalia was led by two of the bridge guards down to the far end of the hall from the bridge back past the hanger, the door to the hanger was closed, and she was unable to tell whether her plan had succeeded. She would know soon enough. The guards brought her to a platform, rushing air held the platform in place, once the guard waved his hand the heat sensitive sensor decreased the air pressure lowering the platform several floors until the Council Chamber was visible. Through the glass tube Lalia could see an enormous garden, gleaming crystal arches and walls separated the many diverse alien gardens in the chamber. A glass gazebo placed at the center of the garden provided both a religious sanctuary and judicial headquarters; the Admiral, Alvar, and Galio were waiting for Lalia.

The Admiral saw Lalia approaching and turned to face the projections of the five captains; he excused himself for a moment. The hologram of Doctor Melric followed;

"Yes sir?" He asked the Admiral.

"Lalia disobeyed direct protocol; she risked her life." The Admiral began, anger rising in his voice.

"She must have done it for attention, yes." Melric agreed.

"But she chose the wrong time to seek attention, she visited that planet." Admiral Latarr said sadly.

"Right. Which means she needs to be contained until we know what she knows." Melric assured the Admiral, "As long as Alvar doesn't inform the other captains of what really happened, we can keep the whole situation to ourselves."

The Admiral nodded his head in understanding and returned to the gazebo, he turned to face Lalia as she approached.

Lalia walked on the crystal paved bridge across the stream to the gazebo. Holograms of each of the six CLERGY vessel captains sat in a semi-circle as the Convoy's Council. Each of Convoy's captains served on the Council, the Council was the governing board of the Convoy. The elder Callos often whispered that the concept behind the captains was seeped in the old tradition; most of the old tradition had been erased, all but the memories of it; many Callos still frequented the Council Chamber to meditate.

Lalia approached the Council, avoiding eye contact with the Admiral.

Admiral Latarr began the procedure;

"Attention Council. Today, our Convoy adverted disaster by navigating around an unusual supernova. I broadcast this to each of our vessels. Yet, Doctor Lalia Tarrus and her lab assistant Galio Forrt took a shuttle and flew towards the supernova for attention seeking purposes, I can only presume." The Admiral faced Lalia for confirmation, Lalia was unsure whether Alvar had explained that this was the cover story, or whether the Admiral was convinced this was the truth. Regardless Lalia nodded her head in agreement to the dissatisfaction of the renowned Council members. The Admiral continued;

"Doctor Tarrus was then instructed by my brother; rescue Captain Alvar Tarr, to return her shuttle back to the Convoy." At this, Alvar straightened and put on his best smile. A few of the Council rolled their eyes they, too, knew that Alvar was a foolish sycophant to his brother.

Galio then asked sheepishly; "That is isn't how I remember it Admiral?"

Lalia noted the fear in the Admiral's eyes as he turned to face Galio;

"I am sorry?" the Admiral asked, "Did you say something? Does my account have error?"

Galio replied, even quieter this time; "Admiral, if we were intercepted in space, how is it then that Alvar boarded our vessel. Neither shuttles are capable of inter-vessel boarding in space."

The Admiral's neck grew darker as blood filled his temple; a vein bulged slightly on his forehead. But the color subsided with a sigh.

"I have made a mistake. No, that is right. According to Alvar's account, there was a pursuit. Galio was holding Doctor Lalia Tarrus hostage." Doctor Melric tried to recover, his eyes drifted over each of the other holographic projections.

Admiral Latarr nodded in agreement:

"I had misspoken, yes. Doctor Tarrus was a political hostage."

Alvar's jaw dropped, he couldn't believe the praise he would receive.

Lalia called the Admiral on his lie;

"No. That's not what happened. I forced Galio to pilot for me..."

The Admiral cut her off, with a curt glance to shut her up:

"Poor Doctor Lalia is sympathizing with her captor. Galio Forrt kidnapped her with the intentions of using her to blackmail me. Because we had been at one time married, he sought to use her..."

Lalia moved towards the Admiral, but the two guards who escorted her held her back:

"No! Don't do this!" She screamed.

"Alvar's quick thinking saved her life; he then ensured she returned safely to CLERGY 1." The Admiral finished.

The Council members began to chatter amongst themselves; the former bride of the Admiral had been taken hostage by her crazed assistant. The stupid brother managed to save her life and apprehend the fiend. The Council was electric, this was not good news, but it was a break from the monotony. The captain of CLERGY 6, Elioc Barras, wasn't as thrilled as the others; his vessel was dedicated to those whose ancestors broke the laws of the Convoy, as well as the living criminals and threats to society.

Lalia tried to talk the Admiral out of condemning Galio:

"Don't do this. Galio did nothing wrong. I forced him to take me to the supernova; we landed our shuttle on the planet. It hadn't blown up."

The Admiral wouldn't hear it:

"I forward the motion to have Galio Forrt arrested and deported to CLERGY 6. I want him to be placed in isolation," Lalia interrupted;

"No, Galio is innocent. We landed on a planet out there where the supernova is."

"I believe Doctor Lalia Tarrus should be given psychiatric treatment to bring her back to full mental health" Doctor Melric added.

Lalia was then grabbed by the crook of her arms by the guards; Alvar looked at her with contempt and disgust. She pleaded,

"Don't do this. I don't need hospitalization. I need a fair trial!"

The Admiral continued addressing the Council without interruption from Lalia as she was dragged away screaming. Galio's head slumped down in shame as he quietly left behind the struggling Lalia.

The Council agreed to the terms proposed by the Admiral; Galio would be deported to CLERGY 6, Lalia would receive psychiatric treatment, and Alvar would receive a hero's honor. Each of the six holograms turned to static and petered out; Alvar was dumbstruck and meekly followed his brother. The Admiral walked over to an exhausted and exasperated Lalia, still held back by two guards.

"I don't understand why you are fighting this. I just made your life easier; I just protected you from a life aboard CLERGY 6. You get all the attention and sympathy you want, and no one needs to know about your little trip to the planet. Your captor-sympathy-syndrome will protect the integrity of your alibi and the charges against Galio." He explained.

"You're a tyrant! Why can't people know there was a planet?" Lalia hissed.

Coolly the Admiral explained; "Because it would disrupt order. Such an event is not calculatable; this would drastically alter our people's course. We are not explorers, nor are we scientists. Our soul purpose is to reach Phlasia intact. I don't want you to jumpstart an era of question asking when we are on the brink of reaching Phlasia!" The Admiral spat.

Sobbing Lalia asked; "What happens when we reach Phlasia? We harvest, and then we leave. What is the point? Why not try something different."

"Because, quite frankly my dear, I would become obsolete." He admitted.

Lalia looked at the Admiral, her face contorted in a mixture of disgust and sympathy.

" _The Admiral was hiding this simply to maintain his status, he was a tyrant_!" She realized.

She calmed herself and tried to comfort him in a last ditch effort;

"Tovar Latarr will never be obsolete. You could lead us after Phlasia. But lead us in a new direction; to discovery."

Phlasia was simultaneously a planet and a deity to the Callos. The Convoy has historically made a pilgrimage every two-hundred years to reap the bountiful harvest of the planet, yet the Callos never stay on Phlasia, their people believe that they are unworthy of the provision of Phlasia. Each of the Convoy ships lower an enormous tube with special lining which transports harvested material on the planet's surface to the interior of the vessel in orbit. Once the harvest and celebration ritual is finished, the pilgrims utilized the slipstream rupture near the planet to be jettisoned zillions of miles away to begin the pilgrimage over again, leaving the glittering purple hazed planet to centuries of isolation.

Admiral Latarr's ancestors were the only Convoy members to know the precise location of Phlasia, offering them the highest social status. Of course none of his ancestors had ever abused their birthrights to this knowledge; who were they to withhold information about their deity? The Admiral's one goal in life was to sustain the Convoy until they reached Phlasia for harvest; their people had flourished in the past few centuries and required additional supplies. The Admiral's father had designed ingenious harvesting tools, the Admiral would be the provider to his people and he desired nothing more, except a female.

The Admiral's status afforded him first choice among the female Convoy members, he chose the most eligible Lalia Tarrus. Yet, to his misfortune she was infertile; a condition that was relatively unknown. He risked humiliated, and more importantly the extinction of the knowledge Phlasia's location. Though he loved Lalia more than his ancestors ever loved their brides (he knew this because he had his ancestor's thoughts), he had to, for the sake of the Convoy and Callos people, leave her.

Though Lalia had been trained by some of the best minds in the Convoy, her scholastic efforts were in vain. No Convoy member would respect a female doctor, especially because she was infertile and would be unable to transmit her knowledge to a child. Every child born to a Callos was born with the combined knowledge of its parents; but a marriage to Lalia would end this chain.

The Admiral was quiet for a few seconds, but then responded sternly, his voice was cold and precise. He had come up with an idea:

"No. I will not be obsolete. When we reach Phlasia I will initiate an era of discovery unlike any before. Everything will be different; I will be the ambassador to the future."

Lalia began to cry: "Tovar, you're scaring me. What are you talking about?"

The Admiral addressed the guards; "Take her away. She needs care. I need to have a discussion with the technicians on level four."

Lalia was dragged away. The Admiral stood in the garden; he would not pray to Phlasia, Phlasia needed a god of its own.

Chapter 5

Garth Linarr, a lanky male Callos, fumbled with his mechanic's jumpsuit. Several sizes too large, he inherited his father's old jumpsuit, and even despite his mother's skillful alterations she must have thought Garth was slightly thicker in build. Garth was younger than the rest of the Callos on the hanger floor, but he was skilled beyond his years; the CLERGY vessels had only recently (two hundred years ago) added fully functioning hangers and Garth's ancestors had been mechanics even further back. After the war against the Yau Tang, the Callos found that fully functioning hangers for warship transport was paramount; Garth's great great grandfather was one of two mechanics who designed the hanger's technology, the second mechanic was killed in the war. The war weaponized every aspect of the Convoy; even the Callos people still maintained a military-like vigilance in day to day life. The hangers became the focus point of the Callos military, and hundreds of Convoy members relocated to lend their aid, yet in the time of peace only a handful of descendants remained working in the hanger. Garth among them.

Garth, at 20 years of age, was barely accepted as a functioning adult in the Convoy, yet, out of necessity he skipped the last few years of his education to maintain the hangers of CLERGY 1; his father needed replacement. Garth's father was the lead mechanic of CLERGY 1 and thus had the forty mechanics aboard the six CLERGY vessels beneath him. Garth's father had been operating the doors to the hanger and tuning them with his electro-grafter, somehow the door lock mechanism had been too lose and Garth's father was sucked into a crack in the hanger door by the vacuum of space. The scene had been rather gruesome; Garth's father was plastered against the wall, his body torn and disfigured by the pull of space and the inability for Garth's father to be fully pulled into space. Completely bypassing his peers, Garth became the lead mechanic.

Garth walked over to Lalia's shuttle, Alvar's shuttle had already left for CLERGY 2, which was odd because Garth hadn't seen anyone board; had the pilot been hidden the whole time? Lalia's ship would need a cleaning; any ship upon return needed to be checked for any extraterrestrial creatures clinging to the exterior of the ship, the Yau Tang had used it as a tactic for invasion. Garth ran his hand on the repulsors; the cool always brought him joy; that freeze represented adventure to Garth.

The hatch lowered a little slower than it should; he would need to grease it, he pulled out a holo-foil pad and quickly typed up a reminder and adhered it to the hatch's knob. Garth approached the console and discharged some of the built-up static on the sensor, noting that the radar had some odd radiation interference which could be very problematic at high speeds. The survey suit's tube had some steam clouding the clear view port; Garth began to talk himself through the situation:

"Crap, grab a spinnerets. Where is that loose combine wire?"

Garth tore at the metal panel beneath the survey tube, searching in vain for an exposed wire that didn't exist. His face level with the clear window, he saw the steam ebb and flow, as though someone was breathing on the other side. Garth froze for a split second, then crawled back as quickly as possible from the tube; someone or something was in there. His eyes then caught a small holo-foil note attached to the survey tube's face; he strained to reach the note without getting any closer to the tube.

It read:

"I apologize to whoever receives this letter, you unfortunate mechanic, but within this survey tube is potentially the greatest scientific discovery in the past two-hundred years. Be careful with this tube, in fact, in all likelihood you will need to press the ventilation button to provide oxygen to the creature kept in this tube. Please be cautious when handling this potentially dangerous creature, if at all possible maintain absolute secrecy and transport the creature safely to my lab on CLERGY 5. Only you can help me, Doctor Lalia Tarrus."

Garth reread the letter twice, to ensure that he fully understood; Doctor Tarrus had brought a living and potentially dangerous creature unto CLERGY 1! CLERGY 1 was by far the most important of all the vessels in the CONVOY, it would have been catastrophic, and strike that could still be catastrophic if the creature had some sort of infectious disease or was an extremely invasive species. The Callos people did not have particularly effective immunodefenses, and would be vulnerable to diseases. The Callos knew they were not the only species in the universe, in fact they had encountered at least a hundred other species; some intelligent, most barely the size of a console knob, some where friendly, others were hostile. But a new species had not been discovered for several hundred years, the Callos could easily be wiped out by a disease carried by an alien species.

But it was Doctor Tarrus, Garth would blindly follow the orders of several Convoy members; the Admiral, Elioc Barras (the toughest son-of-a-bitch in the Convoy), Lerragut Paras (the most beautiful female celebrity in the Convoy), and Doctor Tarrus. Doctor Tarrus was the most influential mind in the Convoy; her invention of the Idinium Repulsors catapulted the Convoy several generations ahead in technology and had effectively cut their voyage to Phlasia by 90%. Even despite her publicized and disappointing divorce with the Admiral, Garth admired the technical genius of the Doctor; she was his personal idol.

Garth couldn't endanger his own people. Doctor Tarrus' work was astounding, and for her to call this creature "the greatest scientific discovery" made his decision even harder; he had to report the creature to the hanger's manager. Garth twisted the lock to ensure the creature was secure in the tube, he grabbed the holo-foil note as evidence to present to his manager; this problem needed to be dealt with quickly, he turned quickly to leave. As his boots pounded against the metal hatch, the creature stirred inside the tube; Garth was at a crossroads, he stood simultaneously half in the ship and half out. Against his will, his eyes were magnetized back towards the tube with curiosity; perhaps if the creature didn't look menacing he wouldn't report it, he could take half of the credit for the discovery maybe.

He closed the hatch door behind him, and reached for a small wrench, he peered down into the steamed-up tube, but couldn't see the creature.

"Phlasia protect me. Forgive me my stupidity, and let this thing be nice." His voice cracked slightly, and he jumped back in fear as the tube hissed open.

The face of the tube split apart and fell to the floor, the yellow cylinder revealed an oversized survey suit with a pale smooth-faced being inside of it.

Garth prodded the creature with his wrench, not intimidated by the pale fleshy thing beneath. It too had eyes and a nose, ears and a mouth. Admittedly the brown on its head more closely resembled fur than the feathers of the Callos. The creature was also slightly shorter than Garth, but enough, Garth realized to put up a fight. Garth had a change of heart, he wanted to turn this thing in to his manager; it was significantly larger than he felt comfortable to hide. But Garth had made a mistake; if the creature had a contagious disease Garth had already been infected and opening the door would only condemn the others in the hanger.

"Oh, this was dumb. I shouldn't have done that. What was I thinking?" He squealed in fear.

Garth began to panic, walking in quick circles and pulling at his feathers in frustration. His fascination with Doctor Tarrus's work had proven to be fatal;

" _Why did I need to be so curious_?" He asked himself.

"Think, Garth, think. What can you do? How can we get out of this? Ahh!"

Garth shouted.

The creature began to wake. It let out an insidious moan.

Garth raised his wrench above his head and prepared to swing down; the creature went into a defensive position and rolled out the wrench's path. Garth swung again, trying to connect with the creature's head. The creature rolled into a squatting position and raised its arms and swiped its leg tripping Garth. Garth screamed for help:

"Someone, help me." He struggled as the creature tried to cover his mouth.

Garth clenched his jaw squeezing down hard on the creature's hand; the creature howled in pain as Garth drew blood.

Garth squirmed to get out from beneath the creature, his leg found a foothold in the side of the pilot's seat; he pushed off the seat throwing the creature into the console. Garth scrambled to open the hatch; the shuttle was air tight and thus sound proof, all of his concerns about contagions was gone, he wanted out.

But the creature grabbed Garth by the shoulders and threw him to the ground, Garth's head hitting the loose half of the survey suit's tube as he fell. Garth cringed in pain and gripped at his head; the creature straddled Garth and covered his mouth with the bleeding hand.

"Shut up!" The creature said, struggling to hold a grip over Garth's mouth.

Garth stopped squirming.

The creature rolled off of Garth and stood at a distance.

"Wait, you understood me?" The creature asked with hands and legs trembling.

Garth crawled into a seat, one hand still clutching his bleeding head.

"Yes. Do you understand me?" Garth asked the creature, eyes wide with fear.

"I do." The creature said calmly.

The two silently watched each other.

Garth noted that the creature was trembling in fear; it rubbed at its eyes in a curious fashion; as though Garth would disappear.

"What are you?" Garth asked.

"I am a human being." Miles responded cautiously.

"I was told to help you. Did you want help?" Garth asked, biting his lip, sure he would regret the offer.

"I do." Miles replied. "I would like your help very much. Please." He added.
Chapter 7

Doctor Lalia Tarrus was escorted by two of the Admiral's men unto a shuttle. The long ride towards CLERGY 5 was lengthened by the endless and mindless banter between the two guards about the latest Larragut Paras concert. The celebrity had an enormous fan following amongst the young Callos, apparently this following reached even the older hardened Callos males. Lalia rolled her eyes as the two discussed whether they preferred Larragut's brown or blue dyed feathers.

"Fellows." She asked with pursed lips and the flattering of eye lashes, "I really need to gain access to my laboratory. If you would."

The two guards looked at Lalia and laughed:

"Sorry lady, as pretty and famous as you are. You're crazy; you're going to the psych ward." One guard laughed.

Another guard chuckled; "Yep. You are a crazy. You've gone wacko!"

Lalia thumped her back against her seat; these two morons wouldn't let her go. Her thoughts turned to the creature she had hidden, hopefully some mechanic realized the significance and done as she had requested. Whether she had succeeded or not would be apparent when she landed; a hospital crew waiting for her meant she had succeeded (partially at least), a crew to take her to CLERGY 6 meant she had failed.

The hanger to CLERGY 5 parted for her shuttle, and the vehicle landed. The guards called into the command tower;

"This is shuttle OVA 9123 from CLERGY 1, transporting Doctor Lalia Tarrus to the pysch ward."

The tower responded:

"This is CLERGY 5 tower automated response system. Hanger floor is available for landing. If there are any problems report it to the lead mechanic."

The guards opened the door to the shuttle and white robed hospital staff waited to unload Doctor Tarrus. Lalia was pulled by the arms and placed in a wheel chair; her wrists strapped to the chair to prevent escape. Lalia recognized two of the doctors; Doctor Melric was the vessel captain in charge of CLERGY 5, and Doctor Belar was the head of the psychiatric ward. Doctor Melric signed off on the patient transfer forms as Doctor Belar took Lalia by the chair and wheeled her towards the psychiatric ward.

Lalia pleaded with Doctor Belar, the two had been friends in school;

"Terr, please I am perfectly sane. Sign me out." She asked her friend.

Doctor Belar continued to walk as she said in a quiet sympathetic voice;

"I am sorry Lalia. I can't do that. Doctor Melric has already told me you are to be treated for four weeks."

Lalia gasped: "Four weeks! In two weeks we already be to Phlasia! I can't be hospitalized for four weeks; this is a crucial window for Phlasia research."

"Actually," Doctor Belar explained, "The Admiral just announced that by redirecting resources to the Idinuim Repulsors, we should arrive to Phlasia within two weeks. Quite remarkable technology you've invented..."

Lalia interrupted;

"Thanks. The Admiral can't decide how long I need to be treated; I haven't even been formally diagnosed. Giving a prescription doesn't even make sense!"

Doctor Belar rolled Lalia into a small hospital room, and an orderly lifted a struggling Lalia into a bed.

"Don't let him do this. He is hiding something and wants me to be quiet!" Lalia shouted.

"I am sorry Lalia. I really am, there isn't anything I can do. Four weeks of treatments isn't so bad. I'll take care of you." Doctor Belar offered as she walked out of the room.

"Don't do this! This isn't right! I'm not crazy!" Lalia screamed as she struggled with her restraints.

As she was struggling in her bed Doctor Melric opened the door and walked into the room. He coldly spoke:

"Screaming doesn't help your situation."

He approached closer to Lalia's bed; she snarled back at him and tried unsuccessfully to spit at him.

"Neither does that. Lalia..." he tried.

"You're disgusting. You are going to lie about my craziness to cover up for your Admiral." She spat, teeth showing.

"It won't be hard, you already look crazy. You are doing all the work, quite well, actually." He began to pace the room, and stood with his hands behind his back peering out the window into space. His blue suit customary of military uniforms and his red boots evidence of a pedigree of warriors.

"The Admiral needs only for you to remain silent about your venture away from the Convoy. It threatens everything we stand for. I will not allow you to threaten our society."

Lalia eyed him, and then she spoke:

"I am not threatening society. I was simply looking..." she caught herself.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat and then whispered, "Anything you may have found out there threatens our very existence. Not because it is a pathogen, but because it is a sense of exploration. Beliefs spread faster than disease, and are an enemy I can't shoot at to kill. The Admiral needs only the next two weeks to ensure our way of life remains static. It is my duty to make sure you keep your pretty mouth shut." He ran his fingers across her lips as she struggled.

A hospital orderly approached the door and alerted Doctor Melric:

"Sir, we have reprogrammed the Doctor's automated assistant to respond to your voice. It is ready to sweep CLERGY 5 for traces of anything foreign to the Convoy."

The Doctor returned his gaze to Lalia:

"I am sorry dear. I need to go look through your stuff." Doctor Melric left with the orderly for Lalia's lab.

Lalia struggled at her harnesses. Screaming:

"Let me out of here. Please someone! I need help." She stopped as she choked on her tears; she laid there in her bed sobbing.

Chapter 6

Miles reached out with his hand, uncertain that the alien would recognize the human greeting ritual. Garth eyed the hand cautiously, and backed into the corner of the shuttle and cowered in the corner. Garth's eyes squinted slightly;

" _It doesn't make sense that we can understand each other._ " He thought.

Garth initiated the conversation;

"What do you call yourself?" he asked.

"My name is Miles. I am a human from Earth." Miles responded. "I am a guy too." He added.

Garth chuckled slightly; the two species weren't very different at all. Somehow they spoke the same language; or at the very least Garth's ancestral memory understood and could override the Callos language in order to communicate with Miles.

"Garth. It is nice to meet you." Garth introduced himself naturally, he felt comfortable around Miles. "I am a Callos, a lead technician of the Convoy."

Miles shook his head in understanding. The two stood silently for a few moments, their introductions, and while sincere, held little value because neither fully understood each other.

Miles spoke first: "Garth. I am afraid I don't understand what has been going on. Today was a normal day until I somehow survived the destruction of my planet. I was then attacked by one of your people. I don't know where I am. I want to go home."

"Attacked by one of my people?" Garth defended, "Why would I trust you?"

"Why would I trust you?" Miles asked back, "Because I have no one else to trust."

Garth nervously glanced out the port window; he had been aboard the shuttle far too long to go unnoticed. If he wanted to protect Miles he needed to act soon.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what to do either. One of our scientists found you and brought you here against the will of the people, you are to be kept hidden." Garth explained.

Miles whimpered slightly, but his sadness gave way to determination quickly:

"What do we need to do? Can your scientist help me?" he asked.

Garth began typing at the console. He pulled up a conversation with the flight manager:

"Attention. This is Garth Linarr. I am requesting permission to transport this shuttle to CLERGY 5." His voice boomed on the loudspeaker high above them. He glanced over to the flight tower, the flight manager tried to peer down at Garth; Garth didn't have authorization to fly a shuttle between vessels.

"State purpose for vessel transport." The flight manager's voice scratched over the speaker in the shuttle.

Garth looked nervously back at Miles, who returned a hesitant smile of encouragement.

Garth continued: "Well, there is something I need to clear in the systems cache. CLERGY 5 would be the best place to fix it, because, well..."

The flight manager interrupted; "Permission granted."

Garth released his pressure on the intercom's button. He sat back in the pilot's chair and let out a sigh. Loud sirens and flashing red lights blared alerting those on the floor to return to an air-locked portion of the hanger.

Miles moved for the passenger seat, but Garth hissed at him and told him to stay covered. Their shuttle lifted and floated slowly out into space, in the far off distance Miles could see a sleek glimmering ship, the vessel they just left coated with ice.

"Wow." Miles breathed, his palms pressed against the window as he leaned to see the hull labeled CLERGY 1. Miles caught himself; the ship was labeled in what appeared to be indecipherable scribbles, yet he understood it to read "CLERGY 1".

"Garth." He asked. "I don't know your language. But I can read the hull of this ship."

"I don't recognize your spoken language." Garth replied. "But somehow I understand what you are saying. My ancestors must have known your language."

Their shuttle slowly floated towards CLERGY 2. Garth explained to Miles that his people, the Callos, were a nomadic species. They traveled constantly aboard six enormous ships, Garth lived on the capital ship CLERGY 1, but the lab they were traveling to was aboard CLERGY 5. The shuttles move very slowly compared to the fast moving CLERGY vessels, the trip would take them an hour.

"Who is this scientist?" Miles asked as they past CLERGY 2.

"Her name is Lalia Tarrus. She is the greatest mind in the entire Convoy. She broke protocol to find you, but she insists that you are important." Garth offered.

"Hey! I like to think I am important. I am the last human..." Miles trailed off.

Miles began to cry and sniffle, trying to hide that he was upset.

"It is understandable to cry." Garth whispers, "Callos cry too."

A mechanic hurried out onto the hanger floor, the shuttle that just left for CLERGY 5 dropped something. If the shuttle was missing a vital component there could be a catastrophe on CLERGY 5. The mechanic approached the red object lying on the hanger floor, it appeared to be a Callos suit; but as soon as the mechanic touched the fabric he knew that it was something entirely different from his own survey suit. It was something alien.

Once he realized this he stood and yelled for help, but several soldiers entered the hanger escorted by Alvar, the Admiral's younger brother.

"Sir, I found something!" The mechanic yelled.

Alvar smiled and raised a gun towards the mechanic.

Thirty minutes later, their shuttle neared CLERGY 5. Miles had noted that he was bear beneath the survey suit, remembering that he had stripped off his clothes on Earth.

"You don't wear clothes?" Garth asked cautiously.

"Oh, no. I do, but my clothes were left back on my planet." Miles explained embarrassed.

Garth laughed when Miles told him that Doctor Tarrus likely found him naked.

CLERGY 5 was labeled with pink stripes, much like a tiger, the stripes formed enormous words in Callos that Miles was able to recognize as "Medical Vessel". Garth explained to Miles that CLERGY 5 housed an enormous hospital for the sick, wounded, elderly, and insane Callos. The vessel was also the scientific base of the Convoy, the greatest minds made decisions on CLERGY 1, but they lived on CLERGY 5.

The shuttle landed without incident, Garth opened the hatch and lowered himself unto the hanger floor; it was late in the day and no mechanics were on the floor. Garth ushered Miles, still concealed in a survey suit, through a metal door which whished open for them automatically. The brightly lit corridor led past several chemical laboratories and ultimately to a dark lab about a third the size of the enormous hanger; Doctor Tarrus's lab was larger than most human homes. Miles reached to depressurize and take his helmet off, but Garth stopped him. In the far corner of the dark lab appeared to be a floating metal octopus, its long tentacles flailing about with light emitting from the tips.

"What is that?" Miles whispered with concern as the two ducked behind a desk.

"That is an automated assistant, it works for Doctor Tarrus. It must be looking for something. Those tentacles are how it sees." Garth whispered as he peeked over the desk.

The machine's arms were motorized and loud at the speeds they were frantically looking around the lab. A voice broke the silence;

"Did you find anything yet?"

The voice wasn't mechanical; some Callos was speaking to the machine. Miles peered around the edge of the table seeing crimson red boots, but nothing more.

"What did you see?" Garth asked, "Who is it?"

"I don't know!" Miles said excitedly.

The machine responded in a calm almost organic voice;

"I have been unable to find anything out of the ordinary. Doctor Tarrus's research pertained almost exclusively to alternative practical uses for Idinium. There is nothing relating to Earth or anything on it."

Miles gasped out loud.

Garth pounced on Miles and covered his mouth.

The machine's tentacles redirected; their lights scanning the dark room. The machine's hovering mechanism audible as it neared the corner where Miles and Garth hid beneath a table, as it closed in on them, Miles pulled open a cupboard they then crawled into.

The machine hovered right outside of the cupboard, the Callos spoke again:

"What was that noise?" he asked.

"I have been unable to determine the cause of the noise I detected." The machine responded in disappointment. It then hovered back towards the door where the Callos stood, the door's hissing signaled that the two had left. Miles and Garth remained hidden for a few more minutes in the musty cramped cupboard until Miles concluded the room was clear.

The two emerged from the cupboard and explored the laboratory, keeping low profile in a hunch, should the two figures return to investigate. Garth walked past the door where the two had left, a red indicator light showed that it was locked.

"Miles, they locked the doors. They won't expect anyone to be in here. We are safe for now."

Miles sighed in relief and quickly depressurized his helmet, breathing in the remarkably fresh air of the laboratory.

"What did you do that for? Are you crazy?" Garth screamed at Miles.

"Do what?" Miles asked.

"You just pulled your helmet off! What if you wouldn't be able to breath in our air?" Garth asked.

Miles shrugged, "I guess I didn't think of that." He admitted.

Garth took a few minutes to calm down. Miles browsed the lab, his curiosity demanding that he touch every shiny object in the room.

"So now what?" Miles asked, "What do we do now that we are here? Wait?"

Garth looked around the room, sighed, and shrugged his shoulders. He didn't have the faintest idea of what to do next.

"We wait for Doctor Tarrus. Why don't you tell me everything about you?" Garth suggested; they would after all, need to know what to expect from one another.

Miles slouched against the corner, he began to sob loudly.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, "I, I..." He began to sputter.

Garth watched, at first he stood at a distance, but then he approached slowly.

"Are you upset?" Garth asked for confirmation.

Miles nodded " _Yes_ ".

"Hey, did you want me to get you something to eat or drink?" Garth asked, trying to be helpful.

Again Miles nodded " _Yes._ "

Garth rummaged through Lalia's desk, but was unable to find anything edible. He then turned to look through Galio's desk; finding a stack of wafer-thin discs and a holo-foil image of Lalia. He held the wafers in the air for Miles to see;

"Look! I found food." He exclaimed.

Miles quieted his sobbing to look up; the wafers were slightly translucent and brown, not at all appetizing. He stopped his sniffling.

"No thanks." He croaked through his tears.

"Well. I'm sorry, but I don't know what else you can eat." Garth apologized.

"Thank you for trying." Miles said gratefully, "Thank you for trusting me."

"If Doctor Tarrus believes in you, I have to believe in you too." Garth explained.

"Doctor Tarrus?" Miles asked hopeful.

"Yes. She is one of the Convoy's leading scientists; she is responsible for several inventions that have drastically improved Convoy life. She was once married to the Admiral; the commander of the whole Convoy." Garth explained.

"So she has the power to help me?" Miles asked.

"If anyone does, she will." Garth assured him.

"Thank you, Garth." Miles smiled.

"Why don't you tell me what is going on, lets see if I can't put it together." Garth offered.

"Ok." Miles agreed, wiping his nose with his arm. "Let's begin."

Miles started explaining what a human being was composed of; which then got to be tedious as Garth pointed out that Callos shared each of the same body parts. Though Miles felt Garth was curious to see whether everything matched, Miles had already been exposed once that day, he then proceeded to a discussion of his people; Americans. Garth was fascinated by these Americans. The two talked for several hours, only stopping to drink water from the cooling chest at the far end of the laboratory. Callos met Human, Human met Callos.

Chapter 8

Doctor Melric's automated assistant had failed in its search to find anything unusual in Doctor Tarrus's lab. The Admiral refused to quit, however, Lalia was adamant about being freed from the psychiatric ward; she was in a hurry.

The Admiral leaned over to the mechanic;

"Scrap the assistant; she won't need it anytime soon."

The assistant nodded his head in understanding:

"I have reformatted its system memory. It is a blank slate, so my workers can utilize it."

The Admiral stopped midstride and turned to face the mechanic, concerned:

"Are you certain it won't recall anything?"

The mechanic reassured the Admiral, but the Admiral's attention was redirected to the approaching Doctor Melric. The Doctor's face registered surprise; he hadn't expected the Admiral to make an appearance on CLERGY 5.

The Doctor started:

"Admiral Tarr. I wasn't informed of your arrival. I see you have already met my automated assistant, he didn't find anything directly related to Doctor Tarrus' escapade, but something in particular caught my attention." He rambled, reaching for some holo-foils in his jacket.

"Well, simply because you don't know something doesn't make it not actuality. My friend."

Doctor Melric raised his eye brows:

"Are you trying to tell me something? My best Callos are guarding the Doctor."

The Admiral craned his neck, his mouth near the Doctor's ear:

"A hanger mechanic on CLERGY 1 had to be detained; he found foreign material in the landing gear of the shuttle Lalia took. The material appears to be intentionally woven fabric. Can it be, that you are my trusted ally, you who have provided insight when I needed it, failed to solve this puzzle first?"

The Doctor stared blankly in shock at the Admiral. The Admiral continued:

"There is no room for error. When the opportunity arises, and it will arise," he cleared his voice, "silence her."

The Admiral clicked his heels together and turned to leave. The Admiral silently left down the hall. Doctor Melric sifted through the images the assistant had taken, some of bizarre drawings, others were notes about the intricacies of dreams. He held one up to the light for a better look; it was a sketch of two figures with a cloud connecting the two. He furrowed his brow in thought.

Doctor Melric then approached his assistant; Doctor Belar's work desk.

"Doctor. Could you please check in on our patient?" He asked.

The psychiatrist stood from her desk and grabbed a holo-foil, her body jerked as Doctor Melric placed his hand on her back; sliding his hand from a pat to a hold.

"Administer some neural sedatives, preferably 'M' Grade." He asked.

"What?" She faced him, her body went rigid.

"Terr. I am asking you to wipe the slate clean. Make sure she remembers nothing." He insisted.

Doctor Belar faced her superior, attempting to shrug off his hand to no avail.

"That procedure is limited to those who experienced amputations; its intended use is to prevent the grief associated with loss." She expressed with concern.

Despite Doctor Belar's furrowed brow, Doctor Melric's hand remained in place. He attempted a different angle:

"Yes. I understand the implications. Doctor Tarrus has suffered great stress; this would relieve her of any lingering psychological remnants of her experience."

Doctor Melric left Doctor Belar trembling, his crimson boots clacking against the white of the corridor. Doctor Belar checked her surroundings, and then sat back at her desk.

Doctor Terr Belar had been in many classes with her longtime friend Lalia Tarrus. The two were both the prettiest female Callos in their class, but Lalia excelled in academics where Terr simply preformed adequately. It was Lalia's idea for the two to continue their education in order to be respectively a scientist and doctor, Lalia's pressure ultimately led Terr into the career she had grown to love. Terr looked at the holo-portrait of she, Lalia, and three of their other classmates who had gone on to graduate with doctorates. Lalia's life had not been easy, yet Terr had always been envious of Lalia's coupled beauty and intelligence. Lalia had a quality about her which compelled others to act; a natural tendency to lead. But Terr was a follower, Terr understood that she was eclipsed by her friend, but Terr preferred it this way...at least she thought so.

Terr began to run through her head each of her life's accomplishments, each one, one after another, she did with Lalia by her side. Half of Terr's greatest accomplishments were overshadowed by Lalia's parallel achievements. Terr looked back at the portrait of her classmates, and held it closer to her face; Lalia's face was not only center, but both her shoulders were visible. The photo was no more than four people framing the incredibly perfect Lalia Tarrus.

Terr picked up her holo-foil, and stood from her desk, nearly tripping on herself as she did so. With a quick glance in either direction she assured herself that at the late hour no one other than the two guards were in the psychiatric wing to hear what was about to occur. Her palm signature unlocked the bolted door to Lalia's room, with a hiss it slid open, waking Lalia. Lalia sat up slightly in her bed; her wrists in an obviously uncomfortable position due to her restraints.

"Terr! You have to let me out of here. I made an important discovery. The Admiral is up to something dangerous." Lalia said in a hushed voice, glad to see her friend.

"Lalia, I am sorry." Terr bit her lip. "I am going to do something for your best interests."

"Terr, you can't possibly believe that I've lost it." Lalia pleaded.

"I don't, but it's my time to shine." Terr choked.

"I never wanted you to feel hurt." Lalia pleaded.

"I'm sorry Lalia, but this will." Terr apologized.

Lalia's eyes widened and she started to struggle with her restraints as Terr moved around the room, dragging a piece of equipment from a nearby closet to Lalia's bedside.

"Hold still dear. I need to do this. It will make all of your bad memories go away." Terr told Lalia, and herself. She paused for a second; unsure of whether she believed her friend or Doctor Melric.

"You don't believe them, you can't!" Lalia exclaimed. "You know I am telling you the truth. Don't give into their pressure. Take a stand!"

In exasperation, Terr waved her hands and asked:

"If you are crazy: then I can't believe you. But I also can't assume you aren't crazy; leaving the Convoy is crazy. How can I possibly win here?"

The two sat down, or in Lalia's case; sat back. After a brief moment of silence, with tears in her eyes Lalia spoke:

"Because I am your friend. You just have to believe me."

Terr pulled a large syringe from a drawer and laid it near Lalia on the table. Terr shook her head and moved the metal equipment and positioned it over Lalia's head. Lalia didn't struggle, instead she and her friend both closed her eyes while Terr positioned and adjusted the machine.

Terr let out a loud sob and fell to the floor, crying out loud:

"Forgive me! I'm sorry for being envious. I'm so sorry."

Lalia's blurred vision was clear enough to ensure that the room she was detained in was indeed soundproof. She tried to console her friend:

"Terr. Oh sweet heart. Please, you're making me cry. Get back up. You are such a good friend to me."

Terr shuffled onto her knees and pressed a button lowering Lalia's bed to her level. She leaned in to hug her friend. The two held one another for a moment, Terr apologized:

"I was so wrong and so jealous. I knew you were right, but I was so scared."

In a clear voice, Lalia's mind was already reeling, Lalia directed Terr:

"I can't be certain you aren't trying to trick me, but this," she referred with her eyes to the contraption that had been placed over her head, "this assures me that you are helping me. I need you to do two things and then return to me."

Terr pulled her head away and stared blankly at Lalia:

"What?"

Lalia directed her:

"Two very simple things, actually three," she corrected herself, "first you need to find out what the Admiral has done with Galio Forrt; he is likely on CLERGY 6. Second, I need you to get a message to my laboratory. I think someone there will understand. Third, write a report stating that you did wipe my memory clear."

Terr stood and gathered her holo-foil. After wiping her eyes and nose she exited as stern-faced as possible past the guards. She tried her best to look concerned and angry; shuffling through the holo-foils in her desk.

She typed at her console; Galio Forrt's file was at an elevated reference rate, he apparently had been arrested by Alvar Tarr and was being transported to the portion of CLERGY 6 reserved for high profile criminals. Using her medical access code she bypassed several levels of security and learned that specifically he was placed at detention level "D". Galio Forrt would be transferred in two days to a less secure detention level as his case is retried by the Convoy Council.

Terr then quickly typed unto a holo-foil the message Lalia had instructed her to write:

"This is Doctor Lalia Tarrus,

I am currently being held against my will. As soon as possible I will do my best to return to my lab. No doubt the creature I recovered has awakened, I am certain that if the creature was of any threat it would already have reached my ears. Please keep this creature safe, and tell no one of its existence. Upon my arrival I will then provide further directions. Until then, remain hidden and safe.

Thank you and good luck."

Terr then filed a report stating that Lalia's memories had been effectively erased.

She stood from her desk and walked past the two dozing guards into the room. The console near Lalia's bed showed that a replacement guard would arrive in ten minutes. Lalia leaned forward for an update; Terr informed her of Galio's current location and that he would be moved.

"Thank you my friend. Thanks for everything." Lalia's hands motioned for a hug.

Terr leaned over to hug her friend:

"What do I do next?" she asked.

"You're a good friend and I am sorry for this." Lalia's hand was freed and she thrusted the syringe into Terr's torso.

Chapter 9

Miles sat next to a holo-foil; he noted the rippling effect as he sat. Garth pulled a nutrition bar from a desk drawer and split it with his new friend.

"So, really? That is how it all happened?" he asked,

"Yes. I remember this crow attacking me and then white light. I think I might have caused it." Miles admitted.

Garth reclined and nearly toppled over, then paused:

"The Convoy had to redirect its route when they noted an unusual supernova. That might have been you, then, I guess."

Miles considered the possibility. It made sense, sort of. He approached the sophisticated workspace that belonged to Doctor Lalia Tarrus; in the past several hours Miles had digested a lot of information. Miles was intelligent; he had always done well in school, had the topic been relevant or interesting to him. In the short span of a few hours Miles knew the Callos people better than knew his grandparents; his ability to read Callos script made the chore easier. Garth was a good teacher, he tried his best to explain the day-to-day life in the Convoy, and when he was unable to put something in words he pulled an image up on to the console screen. On Doctor Tarrus's desk were foils detailing her bizarre dreams;

"I was gliding over an ocean. The planet's curvature visible beneath my wingspan."

Another note read:

"The mote of light simultaneously blinded my eyes and warmed my spirit. I was at peace and the screaming within my head ceased."

Miles could see the obvious parallels to his experience and Doctor Tarrus's dreams. Doctor Tarrus had known to travel to Earth against the Convoy's protocols in order to find the source of these visions; Miles himself. Miles didn't have the faintest idea as to why he and this Callos scientist shared dreams, but he was certain that she was the key to unraveling the mystery.

Garth called Miles' attention to a box underneath several books;

"This thing was hidden. There has to be something good in here." Garth assumed.

Garth took the lid of the box off and tossed it on to the desk, his eyes widened and he reached into the box pulling out dozens of holo-foils. Miles jumped out of his seat:

"Are these discoveries? I thought you kept track of all of her research." Miles asked.

"No. I have never seen these before..." Garth's voice droned off in curiosity.

Garth held a sketch up for Miles to see, the scrawled image on the holo-foil obviously resembled a human wearing a tee shirt and pants.

"This a human." Garth concluded. He laid out sketch after sketch on the table; each one a human boy in various mundane human situations. Garth read them out like a test:

"These are pants. This is a tee-shirt." He read.

"Yeah." Miles said absentmindedly. These images proved that Doctor Tarrus knew exactly what she was looking for: Miles. He closed his eyes and tried his best to remember whether Doctor Tarrus or the Convoy had ever been in his dreams.

" _Not really."_ He thought, " _I might have drawn E.T. and some Pokemon. But I didn't draw anything like this."_

He reopened his eyes and ran his hand along the sketch of him sitting at a desk, from a bird's eye perspective; he pulled his hand up to his face and noted the graphite smear on his fingers: Doctor Tarrus had drawn in pencil. Miles held the image closer,

" _A bird's eye perspective...no, that isn't possible..."_ He thought.

"Miles!" Garth shouted.

Miles flinched and held his arms over his head, a beaker shattered loudly.

Miles scrambled away from the source of the noise towards Garth, but Garth's gaze didn't leave Miles. Miles checked his arms to verify that he was not again becoming a crystal, but his hands and most of his arms were seemingly coated in swirling light.

"The light. It isn't coming from me, it is surrounding me." Miles said with curiosity, his voice trailing off at the end.

Garth's eyes widened;

"I saw the beaker next to you rattle. When I called out to you light exploded off of your arms and broke the beaker."

Miles flapped his arms around and brushed at his skin in an attempt to wipe off the light. Garth led Miles to a sink, running hot water and soap over his arms, the light glowed fainter, but didn't ebb completely. The sink began to creak and showed creases, Miles pulled his arms from the sink and with them at a distance from him he ran to the far side of the room while Garth followed behind to turn off the sink. Miles reached for a fire blanket but was unable to smother the light.

"Miles, I don't have any other ideas!" Garth exclaimed.

Miles started to yell loudly:

"Stop. Stop! Make it stop!" as he yelled he flung his arms and a mote of light shattered several beakers.

"Miles! Your arms aren't as bright. They are dimmer! Flick off the light!" Garth shouted with hope.

Miles whipped his wrist and light whipped with a cracking sound like lightening, a small burn was left on the wall. Frightened Miles flicked his fingers to remove the light surrounding them, the beaker at the far end of the lab shattered as a mote of light broke through. Miles shrieked in surprise as Garth jumped behind a desk for cover.

"I don't understand, what is going on?" Miles asked as his voice cracked.

"It is something alright." Garth said cautiously, walking the long way around a desk to keep a distance from Miles.

"Can you turn it off?" Garth asked.

Miles shrugged and waved his arms, one small console's screen shattered nearby as he did so, but ultimately the light emanating around his arms petered out.

"That is amazing." Garth said wowed. "That must have been the source of that...oh, you were _the_ supernova."

Miles thought blankly about it, but the drop in his gaze assured Garth that this hypothesis was probably right.

"But this is a good thing, right? Think of the uses." Miles asked seeking reassurance.

"Other than for destroying stuff. Or planets, I don't see much utility coming from blowing things up with your arms." Garth explained bluntly.

Miles' brow furrowed. Garth tried to comfort him:

"Listen. I'm sorry. That came out wrong and mean. It wasn't your fault."

"No. I don't think it was my fault. It didn't make sense. This doesn't make sense." Miles admitted with a laugh.

Garth approached Miles calmly:

"You realize we can't tell anyone but Lalia about this. Otherwise the Convoy and the Admiral would have you killed immediately."

"Lalia?" Miles sought for clarification.

"Right, Doctor Tarrus is the only one we can tell about any of this. Even then, you will probably need to remain hidden for another month or so. Until after Phlasia, I told you how important Phlasia is to the Convoy. With harvesting and the slipstream portal, we would have to wait until after things calm down to show you around." Garth explained.

Miles opened his mouth to interrupt, but was unable to provide a counterargument; Phlasia was too important to the Callos for him to be introduced; it would throw off their whole system. Not to mention, after the harvest the Callos and the Admiral might be a little gentler to a foreigner.

"You understand what I am saying right? Do you agree?" Garth asked.

"Yes, I get it. I need to remain hidden. But where is the Doctor, or I mean, Lalia?" Miles responded.

Garth hopped into a seat and wheeled himself past the broken console to an operating one; he began typing and muttered something under his breath.

"Well. It isn't good news. She was transported to CLERGY 5." He read.

"That's great news! Should we unlock the doors?" Miles asked.

"No, it isn't. She was sent to the psychiatric ward. This is a medical vessel, remember? She is being detained, the report says that she was taken hostage by her lab assistant Galio Forrt who tried to escape past the supernova." Garth finished.

"Right. Past me." Miles beamed, his arms glowing again as he practiced another shot of light at a far off console, this time missing greatly and shattering a portrait on a desk.

"Yes, but Miles she was sent to the psychiatric ward. I don't think she is about to be discharged anytime soon. The reports say that she had a mental breakdown during her hostage situation." Garth read with squinted eyes.

"Really, though? She was a hostage?" Miles said idly.

"No. These sketches we have prove that she knew exactly what she was getting into. She left the Convoy to find you." Garth thought out-loud.

Garth continued:

"She certainly wasn't hostage. I know that Galio didn't take her, but I can't figure out why the bulletin would be incorrect; where are they getting their information?"

"Before a trial too." Miles added.

Garth glanced at a portrait of Lalia and her lab team; she and six other Callos worked in this large facility. The short male Callos was Galio Forrt, usually he was never named in any of the Convoy periodicals, but Garth knew Lalia Tarrus's reputation well enough to know that most of her discoveries had Galio Forrt by her side. It didn't add up, he thought. Then the horrible thought crept in:

"Miles. I think that the Admiral knows about you. I think he is trying to cover up what happened on Earth. I don't know why, but I have that feeling..." he was interrupted. A console began to beep signaling an incoming holo-foil message.

Miles grabbed the printed holo-foil from the console and read out loud the message Lalia Tarrus had Doctor Terr Belar relay for her. Confirming Garth's suspicions.

"Miles, I don't know what to make of your powers, but we don't have options." He began.

"Right." Miles agreed tenativly, he knew what was coming.

"Will you help me free Lalia?" He asked with determination in his eyes.

"We don't have any other options." Miles pointed out.

"Things are about to get exciting." Garth explained. He unlocked the doors from the lab outward, in the direction of CLERGY 5's psychiatric ward.

Chapter 10

Lalia had Terr removed the restraint on her left hand, and then led her towards the door, Terr's legs limply carrying her in front of Lalia. The door hissed open and one of the guards was asleep, both jolted awake when they realized the hostage situation.

"What is going on?" Terr asked the drugs in her system causing a slur of words, her head began to fall, and she was quickly falling into a coma. Lalia backed into the sterile white painted hallway, CLERGY 5's hospital was void of color or shapes, the white walls blended into the reflective white floors.

The two guards cut off Lalia's exit, the guard's chuckle revealed to her that she had, in fact, mistakenly ran towards the wrong end of the hallway. Lalia directed with her bony finger that the two guards needed to set down their weapons; she was right: Doctor Melric had provided them two of the Convoy's old guns.

"Set down the guns, boys." She said as intimidating as possible. Her neck flicked from side to side, she needed to find an alternative exit, and likely by the time she reached the end of the hall she would be arrested by even more of Melric's goons.

"What are you going to do Doctor?" asked one of the dimwitted guards, both rhetorically and literally.

The other guard's eyes darted towards his gun still within reach.

"Hold it!" Lalia screeched as the guard sprung at the gun. The Callos reached the gun and fired a shot at Lalia despite the hostage; Lalia pulled Terr through a door into an empty patient's room as the shot's hot plasma singed her cheek. The guards ran at the room, but Lalia held them back by hoisting the limp Terr higher into the air:

"Stop both of you!"

The two guards entered into the room taking the opposite corners, one guard motioned to leave to Terr's desk to signal for help.

"Stay here. Both of you." Lalia warned; "Doctor Belar is in a medically induced coma, she will die if I don't reverse what I did."

She was lying; Terr had been injected with a powerful sedative and nervous desensitizer. Terr would likely forget the last three days and maybe how to solve complicated math problems, but she would ultimately recover, albeit angry with Lalia. The two guards took the threat seriously; one guard closed the door behind them. Somehow, Lalia needed to incapacitate both of them in the next five minutes before a patrol came around. She glanced at the bedside console's clock: she had four minutes now.

"One of you, grab that tubing and wrap it tightly around her left arm." She ordered, but the guard wound it too tightly and she would lose her arm without blood. "Not that tight." She added.

The guards set about preparing a mock operation room with the scarce medical supplies in the room; it was a psychiatric bedroom without anything remotely useful for a surgery or an escape.

Two minutes left the clock read, Lalia needed to act now or lose her chance entirely:

"Could you hoist this sheet up?" she asked both of the guards. The two complied and raised a bed sheet like a partition; Lalia threw a punch at the sheet into the face of the guard with the gun. Not the brightest idea she admitted, but she was without options and only two minutes to escape. The guard stumbled and fell over a chair, the sheet acting like a net and keeping him down. The other guard swung his fist at Lalia, with a quick deflect from her wrist, she then leveled a kick at his groin. Her long legs provided adequate reach, her morning regimen of exercise provided ample strength; the guard fell down his face in the grip of pain. Lalia turned to run, but the guard beneath the sheet flailed his leg tripping her. The three were now on the ground: one guard still holding his hands between his legs and another guard dragging at Lalia's leg.

Lalia's memory provided natural warrior instinct; her leg was being pulled tightly with no chance of his grip breaking. She bent her leg at the knee and squatted in a sitting position, her free leg then contorted around the guard's neck bending her back she wrapped her long arms around the guard's torso. She flexed her abdomen, she screamed in pain but the guard was unable to breathe the faintest slur. She relaxed just as a chair was batted into her back.

The second guard struggled to find a suitable piece of the broken chair to slam into Lalia again; Lalia leveled the gun towards the guard but the metal frame of the chair batted her hand. The gun skittered underneath the bed, Lalia and the guard dove after it. The two fumbled in the small space under the bed, the unconscious Terr moaned as she fell deeper into her coma.

Lalia's boot connected with the temple of the guard's head, his grunt was more furious than in pain. The guard dragged at Lalia as she held on to the bed frame, she was exhausted; the clock chimed signaling morning and Lalia was out of time. Whistling down the hall signaled that the next shift was arriving, Lalia tried to grasp at the gun just a foot out of her reach. The guard opened his mouth to shout for help. Lalia reached above her head to reach for Terr.

The guard's face turned to the replacement guard and mouthed horror as Lalia Tarrus wrapped plastic tubing around his throat, she bared her teeth at the replacement savagely. The replacement reached for his gun, but Lalia was too fast, she whipped her hand to the gun on the floor and raised and fired. The window pane shattered and the third guard dropped. Lalia gingerly stepped through the broken fragments of the window, the pieces crunching beneath her feet.

"Sorry Terr. I'll make it up to you later." She promised sadly through the gaping hole in the window as she left down the hall.

The guard coughed blood; she dug her boot's heel into his throat.

Lalia then ran down the hall, clacking as she did so, a small blood trail following each of her steps. Callos can be dangerous if they give into their warrior instinct: Lalia cried as she left, she had failed rational thought.

Chapter 11

Miles and Garth raced down the corridor, taking no chances to be seen by any wandering Callos they ducked behind crates left by some lazy custodian. Miles nearly tripped over his oversized survey suit, he and Garth had used thin metal wires to secure the suit enough for running, but the suit still dragged slightly on the ground as Miles ran. The psychiatric ward alarm had just started to blare and an influx of hospital orderlies were running down the hall. Regardless of the path they tried to take, hospital staff congested each hallway, obviously something important had happened.

"Callos are inherently curious, they rush to the scene of an accident, and it isn't the best quality of our species." Garth explained.

Miles caught Garth by the arm and directed him towards the placard on the wall: a map of CLERGY 5's hospital, the shape resembled the petals of a flower.

Apparently the emergency was occurring at the center of the hospital, Miles traced his finger along the map and found a small access route to the middle, and a busy Callos nurse ran past the two, oblivious to the human. The two turned and Garth unfastened a lock and crouched down a crawled down the chute intended for medical courts.

The corridor got narrower as they went down the chute, the metal lining was cold as Miles bumped his shoulders against the siding. The chute had no light and Miles began to give in to his claustrophobia; the air felt thin and he began to hyperventilate. Garth ushered him along prodding his with his elbow, but Garth retreated as Mile's started to glimmer slightly. Mile's arms glowed more brightly and the chute around him started to warp. Miles voice was raspy because his voice was seemingly caught in his throat:

"We need to turn back. I can't do this." He panicked.

"We are probably half way there." Garth encouraged, "Keep going, I think I see the end." He lied.

"We are nowhere near the middle yet, just back up; we will leave the way we came." Miles commanded in a small voice.

"No. Really we need to keep going. Close your eyes or something, keep walking." Garth refused.

Miles struggled to turn himself around; he tried to lie down but was unable to turn himself.

"Garth, crawl over me. I'll head back then." Miles suggested.

"No. I will not turn around. We don't have a lot of time; once this emergency ends we will be spotted easily. This is our chance to rescue her." Garth refused.

"Garth, dammit. Climb over me!" Miles shouted forcibly, in his lying position he started to try to crawl backwards beneath Garth. Garth resisted and pushed at Miles' feet to move him forward, and then Miles began to kick at Garth.

"Stop being such a baby. Keep going. You're wasting time!" Garth shouted as Miles kicked at him.

"I can't breath! The air is too thin." Miles stopped fighting in exhaustion.

"If you can't breathe, then keep going." Garth stubbornly reasoned.

Miles accepted defeat and returned to a squatting position and began to walk forward. Garth gave Miles a congratulatory pat on the back once they saw the frame of light where the door at the end of the chute waited.

"Try to be stealthy when you..." Garth tried to suggest. But Miles threw to door open with a slam and fell out into the brightly lit corridor. The two took a few moments for their eyes to adjust.

All they could see was brightly glaring, mostly yellow and white filled their vision. Mile's eyes adjusted first; the corridor was empty save for some crates lined up against the wall.

"I hadn't even noticed that the alarm stopped." Miles observed.

"No. Neither did I. Where is everybody?" Garth asked.

The two crept closer to the end of the hall and peeked around the corner, black and yellow clothed Callos walked along the hall placing numbered placards.

"What is going on?" Miles asked.

"They are detectives, this is a crime scene. While you were being stubborn in the chute they must have closed off the area." Garth explained.

Miles peeked around the corner again; the detectives approached a large box and activated a spider-like robot which then sprayed foam next to each of the yellow placards.

"An automated assistant?" Miles asked.

"No. Well, sort of. We call them automated mechanics; their primary job is to patch holes on the exterior of the Convoy vessels. You know, should there be minor damage to be repaired." Garth explained.

Miles checked around the corner again: the spider's foam hardened and the Callos detective took a chisel-like instrument and scraped off from the floor the now amber-colored crystal.

"I get it. They are using the repair foam to make casts and preserve evidence." Miles whispered. But Garth had left him.

Miles turned around and saw Garth at the far end of the corridor.

"What are you doing?" He hissed.

"Come over here." Garth called and signaled with his hand.

Miles tiptoed away from the crime scene back towards the chute. Both continually glanced over their shoulders to ensure that none of the detectives were working their way over. Garth was crouched behind a crate and Miles joined him behind it.

"Ok. What are you doing?" Miles asked.

"Check this box." Garth directed.

Miles stood and looked down into the crate; a deactivated metal octopus, much like the one that they had hidden from in the laboratory.

"I can reactivate it." Garth beamed.

"Why?" Miles looked back at Garth puzzled.

"We can use the automated assistant to check the scene for us, to see if Doctor Tarrus is in there." Garth suggested.

"You don't think that maybe Doctor Tarrus is dead in there do you? Like the Admiral cleaned house or something?" Miles asked.

"I hadn't considered that." Garth slouched slightly.

Miles tried to comfort him: "Hey, go ahead and activate the octopus."

"Octopus?" Garth stopped.

"Oh, it was a creature with eight arms, like this thing." Miles explained.

"That would be terrifying!" Garth said in amazement, a bit too loudly.

Miles hushed him with his hand, in a quiet voice: "Do it."

Garth complied and set about activating the automated assistant; the machine beeped to life and several light indicators flashed. The miniature repulsors on the round body of the machine glowed and began to power up, the long antennas on the top of the robot glowed red at the tips... The sleek black metal-plated round body shuddered slightly and lifted the robot up a few feet off of the ground, the eight limbs handing limply. A large round white light lit up on the face of the body:

"That is the diode indicator; basically it is the brain and face of the assistant."

The light shined with a green tint and dimmed slightly:

"That means the robot is in a state of stasis, it hasn't been given any commands and it isn't busy." Garth explained.

The robot's audio output began to buzz static:

"Hello. I am Octorl, personal automated assistant specializing in the precise manipulation of tools, language, and mathematics." The robot presented its self.

"The thing has a name?" Miles asked.

"Of course it has a name. Why would you have an assistant without a name?" Garth answered.

Octorl whirred his repulsors and floated quietly, his arms began to lift into a resting position, his arms lit at the tips and they pointed their lights at Garth's and Miles' faces.

"Greetings." Octorl stated.

"Hey." Miles greeted.

"Hello." Garth greeted. "I have a command."

"State command." Octorl responded automatically.

"Please head down the hallway and analyze the crime scene. Inform of us any casualties or arrests. We are looking for Doctor Lalia Tarrus." Garth ordered.

The robot paused for a moment, it' screen flashed yellow:

"It is looking through the Callos personnel database. It is capable of facial and voice recognition; its owner must have erased its memory system." Garth explained.

Octorl's indicator shined white and he hummed along the hall and turned the corner.

"We should probably wait back in the chute." Miles suggested.

The two climbed back into the chute and sealed themselves in. Both sat with their ears pressed against the door. Octorl's repulsors were no longer audible, instead the voices of the Callos detectives echoed past the chute:

"What is an assistant doing here?" a raspy voice asked.

"I don't know. Maybe it is for the coroner. Can't figure out why the coroner is taking their sweet time, we already are on CLERGY 5. Really!" a higher-pitched voice rang.

"Greetings." Octorl introduced himself.

"Who is your owner?" the raspy voice asked.

"I cannot state." Octorl answered.

Garth looked at Miles in the chute with concern on his face;

"I forgot that he doesn't have a function for security. He will answer private questions; he doesn't have a moderator tool for memory." Garth whispered.

The raspy voiced detective asked again: "What is your objective?"

"My command was to do all that I could to locate Doctor Lalia Tarrus." Octorl answered.

"Ah, I see. Drak, the assistant was probably deployed by Alvar." The high-pitched voice provided an explanation.

"Alvar is a lazy bum. He isn't a big shot simply because he saved the Doctor from a maniac." The detective named Drak dismissed the robot:

"Get out of here. This is our investigation. Tarrus isn't here; let us clean-up the mess she made."

"It would be just our luck to be assigned this case; especially since I planned to use some of my vacation time on Aurrus." The other detective said sadly.

"Really? You and the family were requesting shore leave to Aurrus? Great place really." Drak replied.

The two then idly chatted about the intricacies of marriage and the power a scenic vacation could have on the "Mrs." Miles and Garth waited in the chute for a few more minutes, Miles loudly crunching on his fingernails.

"Stop that." Garth asked, swatting at Miles' hands.

"I don't need you to..." Miles replied but was interrupted by Octorl's repulsors humming outside of the chute's door.

Garth pried open the door and peeked out in the direction of the detectives who were now loudly talking about Larragut Paras' latest performance on CLERGY 1. He slipped his leg through the opening and dropped on to the floor, he addressed Octorl:

"Did you find Doctor Lalia Tarrus?" he asked.

Octorl's face changed from white to yellow: "No. Doctor Lalia Tarrus has escaped from the psychiatric ward on CLERGY 5."

Garth turned to face Miles who pantomimed to ask further questions:

"Octorl, where is the Doctor?" he asked.

"Based off of latest reports from the crime scene; Doctor Tarrus is on the run from Convoy officials and will be brought to justice. A reward is available for her capture." Octorl answered.

"Great!" Miles sarcastically added.

Garth turned to face Miles:

"I'm kind of out of ideas. Do you have a plan?" he asked in a desperate tone.

"I don't know. Ask the robot." Miles suggested.

Garth redirected his eyes to Octorl; he furrowed his brow and held his finger to his temple. The robot was in perfect working condition, it could work nicely; it could go places Miles couldn't. Of course, Garth wasn't wanted for treason or conspiracy or anything, but Octorl could prove to be valuable.

"It would require a little reworking." Garth thought out-loud. The robot didn't have a privacy setting and could endanger both Miles and himself. But Garth did know a pretty clever Callos mechanic from his hanger, the mechanic wouldn't even think of asking any questions. Octorl would come with them, Garth just needed to not let any information slip before the privacy setting was activated.

"Octorl, follow us." Garth ordered.

"Yes. Understood." The robot faithfully obeyed, its thrusters lifted it into the chute, providing plenty of light for Miles and Garth.

Chapter 12

Octorl quietly opened the exit of the chute, and the hospital was empty save the three creeping through an exit into the corridor leading to the hanger where Garth worked. Only on two occasions did Miles need to jump behind a crate in the corridor for cover, a talkative Callos started a conversation with Garth, and when several Callos left for lunch from their work in the hanger.

"These crate have never been moved, the laziest Callos ever is in charge of moving them and they have been here for months. You can fit between them and the wall while I take Octorl to the mechanic." Garth suggested.

With a moan Miles agreed to hide behind the crates in the corner of the hanger, because it was lunch time Garth was certain that he could get some alone time with Ralt Yorf. Garth ran up the metal staircase connected to the hanger's command tower and tapped on the door.

"Ralt. It's Garth, open the door." Garth called.

"Go away its lunch you stooge! There isn't a reason I need to work through my break!" Ralt shouted back.

"Ralt. It is just some quick job. Then you can go back on your break. I need you to do me a favor." Garth asked.

"No. I am taking my break, come back in twenty-five minutes!" Ralt responded.

Garth raised his fist to pound again on the door, but thought that an unhappy Ralt likely wouldn't be of any help. As much as Garth didn't want to be exposed, he realized that neither he nor Octorl were in danger of anything. Miles was hidden. So he would just need to wait.

Miles leaned against the wall and slid down into a sitting position; he was completely covered by the dusty crates and was finally safe, somewhat. Miles hadn't slept in about two days; his unconscious kidnapping didn't exactly count as sleep. He closed his eyes and entertained the thought that this, _whatever this is_ , was only a dream he would soon wake up from. His whole being assured him that he wasn't dreaming, but he needed an escape, not to mention his eyelids felt really heavy.

Miles laid his head against the wall, and wrapped his arms tightly in a mock hug. The survey suit he was in wasn't form-fitting, so he tugged at a strap on his neck and tightened the suit to be a better fit. It was the first time Miles felt warm since he had been on CLERGY 5; the ship's interior was cold which apparently didn't faze the Callos. Miles jolted awake; he hadn't realized he had been asleep. He peeked to the side of one of the crates and saw Garth and Octorl idly waiting by Ralt's door. So he closed his eyes.

Mile's consciousness drifted and he was transported to a brightly lit room, the radiant white floor expanded so far in each direction the horizon itself became the walls of the room. Miles stood in place, he knew from his last encounter with loneliness to remain still, he knew that nothing awaited him in any direction. He noted something unusual; a faint wind stirred around him, his shirt rippling slightly by the warm breeze's tug. Miles' hands grasped the familiar 100% cotton shirt; he was clothed as he had been so long ago. The breeze became a whisper:

"You are here." The whisper said.

"Yes. I am 'here'." Miles agreed. "I am your chosen one."

"Chosen one?" the whisper said with uncertainty. "There is no chosen one...rather, you who were brought out of your land to ours."

Miles thought: _'out of your land to ours' this whisper is obviously a Callos_.

"Follow me into the depths of what you do not understand." The whisper asked.

"Why are you so cryptic?" Miles asked with slight frustration.

"I am what I need to be. Allow me to show you." The whisper demanded.

Miles obediently followed the whisper, its crackling effect sounded to Miles like the laughter of a miniature people. Miles followed the invisible, though it seemed to lead him nowhere, he stepped onward in faith. His feet carried him far from the spot he had said he wouldn't leave, but in the bright white landscape that spot didn't matter much. He was so accustomed to seeing the ground expanse in front of him that he didn't notice that color had crept into this dream world. The whisper had stopped, but Miles knew to continue onward through the slate grey corridors, he was underground or in some sort of building the echoes of screaming reached his ears. Though he could clearly hear someone screaming in pain he did not increase his pace, rather he slowly approached the source of the commotion.

"You b******!" Miles flinched and covered his ears at the shrill voice of a woman. Miles came around the corner to see a small slate grey room, a brown rug on the floor, and a square window on each of the other three grey walls. He blocked the doorway and witnessed a struggling Callos woman being kicked by a Callos male wearing crimson boots and a black suit. The Callos male directed with his hands for two strong-looking Convoy members to restrain the female, the male in the crimson boots addressed her in a haughty voice:

"Please stop. You're embarrassing yourself. You really thought as a fugitive you would be able to escape the Convoy? Do yourself a favor and shut up." He kicked her in the stomach and she coughed blood.

"Stop! Here I am!" Miles stepped forward to intervene, but his arms failed to block the Callos. He was invisible and apparently inaudible to those in the room. He refused to only observe, nothing in the room responded to his touch, even the purple curtains of the room fazed through his hand.

"I..." the female Miles started to recognize as Lalia Tarrus, was interrupted by another brutal kick, this time to the gut. She clung to her stomach and cried in pain.

"Doctor, please get up." He ordered, yet she lay writhing in pain. "Get up!"

Three of the Callos reached for her and hoisted her is standing position, blood and tears streamed down Lalia's arms as they gushed through her fingers.

"Alvar, where is Alvar?" the Callos male asked another to his right, "If the Admiral's idiot brother isn't here to see this. Then I won't get any of the credit." The Callos in the crimson boots retrieved a syringe from his coat pocket, with a tap and a squeeze excess air was released and syringe was prepared.

"Doctor, this is something my research has founded. I recognize you, too, are a researcher. Perhaps you understand the effects of Ovanium on the Callos mind." The crimsoned Callos threatened.

"The Ovanium will act quickly and establish the link. Both of our problems will be solved immediately."

"Melric, don't do this." Lalia choked as she pleaded. The Callos restraining her released her and she fell to the floor with an audible thump. Miles dropped to his knees in a position to comfort her, though she would be unable to feel or hear him.

"Don't give up. You'll get out of this. You escaped once before." Miles assured Lalia and himself in tears.

The crimson Callos named Melric plunged the oversized needle into Lalia's arm; her eyes rolled back into her head and she began to convulse. Miles screamed in agony and fear, she was dying and there was nothing he could do to save her. The convulsions stopped and Melric's men leaned in to see whether she had died. She then snapped into a seat position with her mouth gaping open; she made a loud gasping noise.

"What is she doing?" one of the Callos cried in fear; "Make it stop."

But Melric held his hand up in the air to signal silence. He then signaled for each of the Callos to leave the room.

"We are done here. Let's head out." He directed.

The four Callos left the room through the door which Miles had entered. Melric followed them afterward;

"See you soon." He whispered in a sickening voice to Lalia.

Miles crawled over to the Doctor he had never known, and tried in vain to cup her head in his hands.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything." He told her.

Her mouth began to move, and Miles heard the whisper:

"I'm sorry too."

The color disappeared from the dream and Miles was once again in a field of blank white.

Chapter 13

Garth's butt quickly became sore waiting on the metal staircase for Ralt to open the door to the command tower, and he considered walking over to talk with Miles as they waited, but he had seen Miles peek from the side of the crate, and figured it would draw less attention if Garth would stay put. So Garth waited on the stairs, Octorl quietly hovered in place asking on occasion: "Objective same?"  
Garth would respond; "Objective same." and Octorl would remain in place with a green indicator. After twenty minutes had passed Garth again banged on the door requesting Ralt finish his break, but Ralt responded:

"Go away you ignorant child. An adult needs to complete his meal, as meager as a mechanic's lunch might be. You realize I got twice as much food when I was working on CLERGY 1?"

Garth rolled his eyes and slumped up against the tower, he pried open Octorl's exterior shell and unplugged a wire, but Octorl then fell to the ground and rolled down the stairs, each arm clanging as they fell. Garth cursed under his breath and chased after him, Octorl was badly scraped from the metal stairs, but none of the wiring seemed damaged.

"Better to let Ralt to take a look, I guess." Garth admitted.

"That is right." A voice said from behind Garth, he turned to face a very tall and lithe Callos in a bright blue jumpsuit.

"I heard to drop the whole thing down the stairs. What, you want me to dismantle it?" Ralt asked jokingly.

"No. I need you to reactivate the privacy setting on it." Garth responded.

Ralt gave Garth a curious glance and then asked:

"What are you trying to hide? Your fetish for some female Convoy..."

"No. No, not at all. Listen, I simply need the robot to do a job without being compromised as soon as someone thinks to interview it." Garth explained.

"Sure. I understand, I can work my magic. Just know that the fix doesn't work retroactively. Obviously if there is anything already in the system cache..." Ralt explained as Octorl began to speak:

"New command?" he asked.

"Stupid machine. Don't you worry your innocent little head Garth, I'll fix it up." Ralt offered.

Garth shook his hand and turned to grab an electro-grafter.

"Hold on." Ralt asked, "Wait." He reached for the electro-grafter himself.

"Could I ask you to do me a favor?" Ralt asked, his eyes serious.

"Well, I. I'm kind of in a hurry. You did already make me wait for you to finish your lunch." Garth reminded him.

"Yes. I know. I was obnoxious. I need someone to clear the hanger work log." Ralt asked.

"The work log?" Garth asked.

"Yes. I haven't been the most punctual this month, and the Captain has already put me on probation. If someone would clear my log...say you." He pleaded.

The work log was Garth's responsibility; he couldn't falsify the document, especially since Ralt was on probation for the problem already. Garth didn't want to encourage the laziness and irresponsibility of Ralt, but Garth needed Ralt to reformat Octorl.

"Yes. I will erase the work log. Only this once, as soon as I am back, I need you to be done." Garth bargained.

"I will be done. Deal." Ralt promised. "Secrets require secrets. I get it."

Garth quickly marched down the staircase, passing a dozing Miles to the holo-foil work log adhered to the wall. Callos were beginning file in as lunch ended. Garth had perhaps only a minute until the majority of the Callos would return.

A scream broke the relative silence, Garth peered down the hall to see a tall female was running down the corridor towards the hanger, several of the mechanics were parting for her as she ran. Garth turned to look at the command tower to see Ralt letting Octorl hover down the stairs, the female was nearing and a few Convoy guards were in pursuit. It was Lalia.

Garth stopped erasing the work log; there were more pressing concerns. They needed to escape.

"Miles!" Garth shouted. "Miles wake up. Run! We need to get out of here!" Miles shuddered and woke; he climbed out from the crates and ran towards the shuttle. Garth beat him there and unfastened the hatch, Octorl slowly hovering toward them.

"Ralt. Open the hanger door!" Garth ordered, facing through the cockpit at the tower. Ralt stood outside of the tower looking down.

"Open the door!" Garth shouted.

"Did you erase the work log?" Ralt asked.

"Yes. I erased the work log. Open the hanger. We need to leave. Now!" Garth ordered.

Ralt then entered the tower and began the authorization process to open the hanger. Garth set Miles in the pilot's seat as Octorl hovered into the shuttle. Garth then ran back out on to the hanger floor, Lalia rounded the corner her face void of color; full of fear and short of breath. The Convoy guards then unholstered their weapons firing a volley of hot plasma rounds.

"Doctor Tarrus! Come with us!" Garth shouted, beckoning her with his hands.

Lalia strode in a few steps into the shuttle as Garth sealed the hatch. Lalia fell into the passenger's seat gasping for air, a blank-faced Miles staring at her. Octorl spliced one of his cabled arms into the pilot's console and activated the shuttle's thrusters.

The shuttle lifted its nose and slid out of the hanger, the Convoy guards shooting at the tail end, the plasma leaving molten red spots where they hit. The hanger doors open and the guards each donned masks and fastened themselves to safety cables that sprung from the ground. Several of the hanger's personnel we lifted off of the ground only to be caught in a precautionary net a few feet from the gaping mouth of space. Ralt sealed the hanger at his console, he turned to see the chaos, but instead found Alvar Tarr and three of his men heavily armed standing at the door.

"We should probably talk." Alvar concluded, with a gun raised between Ralt's eyes.

Chapter 14

Octorl piloted the shuttle far from CLERGY 5 into a nearby dust field; they were hidden from the radars of the vessel and wouldn't be found.

"Good job. We should be far enough out." Garth commended Octorl as he wiped sweat from his brow. Lalia had stopped panting and sat straighter in her chair, Miles rotated his captain's chair to face her.

"Hi. My name is Miles." He reached out with hand in greetings.

Lalia didn't take her eyes off of his hand and the timidly shook his.

"He is alright. I have spent the past day talking with him." Garth assured her.

"My name is Lalia Tarrus." Lalia introduced herself, her voice now more firm.

"I know. I have heard a lot about you." Miles admitted, he looked at a concerned-looking Garth.

"Doctor Tarrus." Garth addressed her, "I did do what you asked me to, right?"

Lalia swiveled in her chair and faced Garth; "Yes. You did, thank Phlasia you did."

Garth's countenance broke, and he laughed nervously. He caught himself and turn away to stifle a sob. Lalia redirected her attention to Miles:

"I am pleased to see that you are still alive and not nearly as hostile as I had previously assumed. I apologize for kidnapping you." She spoke slowly with much emphasis as she moved her lips and tongue.

"I understand you just fine." Miles assured her, "I am capable of understanding and speaking your language apparently."

"I apologize." Lalia said with a slight bow.

Lalia cocked her head and pursed her lips in thought. She addressed Garth:

"What are we doing with my automated assistant?" she asked.

"Oh, Octorl?" Garth sputtered out, "We found him deactivated in a crate. He is yours?"

"Hmm, yes. It doesn't matter; thankfully this means I have access to his memory cache." She said optimistically as she switched Octorl off and began to pry open his face. Her fingers nimbly dancing around the wires and sprockets inside.

"Doctor, I don't think his system will be accessible. He was fully wiped." Garth tried to explain, but Octorl beeped loudly.

"System memory is inaccessible." Octorl chirped.

"Oh. I guess you are right. How unfortunate." Lalia sighed and released Octorl to continue piloting the shuttle's hover through the dust field.

"Doctor Tarrus." Miles asked.

"Please call me Lalia. I'm not a certified doctor anymore. I am a fugitive." She said dismayed.

"Lalia, I saw your sketches. That was me." He approached her.

"Yes. I am one-hundred-percent certain that that was you."

"So what did you make out of it? Are we, like, dream sharing?" He asked.

"As far as I am concerned, scientifically what occurred makes zero sense. As a Callos and pilgrim aboard the Convoy, I can only say that I believe Phlasia brought us together." She admitted, sounding only half-certain.

"You think Phlasia brought us together? You don't have any other guesses?" Miles confronted her, his voice failing to hide his disappointment.

"Science has failed me thus far; you obviously aren't a Callos, yet understand what you couldn't possibly. You weren't a supernova but destroyed an entire planet. Phlasia is a planet! Yet a million Callos are certain that some damn planet, simply because it provides us food, is a deity worthy of worship. Does that make sense to you?" She snarled and banged a fist against the console.

"I thought maybe you would be of some use to us. You kidnapped me after all!" Miles shouted in anger, he turned to face an exhausted-looking Garth:

"Right? Really! She brought me here. I was at least safe on Earth." Miles shouted looking for some sort of agreement.

"Doctor Tarrus, please. Can't you provide some other hypothesis?" Garth pleaded.

"Sorry kid. I haven't got a clue. Thanks for bailing me though." Lalia said crossing her arms and reclining in her chair.

"Doctor, please. I was certain you would be able to answer my questions. I just lost everything, I haven't eaten or slept, and I am in a world I don't understand." Miles begged.

"To be honest; I thought that meeting you would provide me with the answers. I guess we are both out of an explanation and thrust into a world we can't understand." Lalia said with disappointment.

"Garth. Let's space her. See how she likes being thrust into something she can't control." Miles suggested with bloodshot eyes.

"Miles, stop. We are all frustrated, and none of us know what to do." Garth tried to calm them both.

Miles exhaled loudly, "I am sorry." He apologized.

"Attention: CLERGY 6 is approaching our vector. They are unaware of their current collision course. The dust field is concealing our signal." Octorl warned.

"Unaware of us?" Lalia sat up, intrigued.

"Yes. The Convoy vessel is nearing our location; we will collide in approximately twenty minutes. I recommend an immediate change in coordinates or a signal to the command bridge of CLERGY 6." Octorl whirred.

"We aren't on a collision course..." Lalia thought out loud, she turned to look at Miles and Garth, who moved nervously in their seats:

"We are on a course to intercept." She finished.

"What? They found us?" Miles shouted.

"That isn't possible!" Garth exclaimed.

"No. They don't know we are out here. But we can use that to our advantage; we can rescue my lab assistant Galio." Lalia explained.

"The Callos that kidnapped you?" Miles asked.

"No." Lalia paused, "I basically kidnapped him."

The two faced each other and then nodded patiently for Lalia to continue.

"Galio was my partner in much of my experiments. He was my support; I owe it to him to free him. Especially because I am certain that once word of my escape reaches CLERGY 6 Galio will be tortured. I can't let that happen." She explained.

"So, we are going to stage a prison break? Considering you just escaped and I am an alien species? Where then will we go?" Miles asked.

"Octorl. Would you please access the travel log?" She requested.

"Voyage date: R596667, current coordinates of CLERGY 1..." Octorl recited as his indicator shined yellow, Lalia cut him off:

"Right. The Admiral increased the speed of the Convoy to reach Phlasia quicker. That means we are ahead of schedule by several days."

"So that puts us around Aurrus?" Garth reasoned.

"Exactly. We can free Galio and escape to Aurrus." Lalia finished.

"What is Aurrus?" Miles asked.

"Aurrus is an oasis of sorts; the Aurrus people are peace loving and have a long-standing pact with the Callos. Every trip we exchange valuable minerals with them in exchange for some of their water and food, we have a major festival with them for three days and then we depart." Garth explained.

"Aurrus." Miles whispered to himself.

"We will need to free Galio tonight. He is currently in a secure detention block; but the Admiral has ordered that he be moved to a less secure facility." Lalia explained.

"If he is going to be moved to a less secure facility why then do we need to free him now?" Miles questioned.

Lalia paused; she stood at the cockpit window and peered out;

"Because, without being secured, the other prisoners will kill him for his crimes. The Admiral realizes that he has given Galio a death sentence without getting his hands dirty, Galio will surely die." She explained.

"So then we need to do it tonight." Garth clarified.

"Do you have any weaponry?" Lalia asked.

"We have something better." Garth answered gesturing towards Miles.

Chapter 15

"It really is quite simple." Doctor Melric spat. His crinkled face was close enough to Doctor Terr Belar's she could not only feel his breath, but taste it too. Terr was strapped down by her ankles and wrists, the throbbing headache prevented her from even considering opening her jaw. She didn't remember anything, yet her superior held her against her will and continued to interrogate.

"I assure you Doctor, I don't know anything." She pleaded. She closed her eyes against the harsh light shining from the operating room she was trapped in.

"I know you and Doctor Tarrus are school-chums, but are you really willing to risk your life for her?" Melric asked with both surprise and disdain in his voice.

"No. Lalia and I aren't friends anymore. Everything we ever did she alone got the credit. I have no reason to protect her. I promise." Terr shouted angrily.

Doctor Melric motioned for someone in the darkness and spoke, but his face was turned and the groggy Terr was unable to make out what he said:

" _Get me the serum?"_ She thought he asked.

Disembodied hands provided the Doctor a small syringe with florescent green fluid in it;

"Yrrsltt Vacclis..." Terr slurred, unable to speak as she gave back into the medication Lalia had administered.

Melric injected the fluid into Terr's neck, her head straightened and her mouth gaped open, she gasped for air. Her muscles flexed to the point of excruciating pain, but then she relaxed. She breathed heavily.

"Do you have anything to tell me?" Melric offered in a quieter voice.

"Where am I?" Terr asked, her eyes widened and she began to cry.

"Raah!" Melric roared as he tossed the empty syringe aside, it shattered on the floor. He left the light of the operating room to the darkness in the corner, waiting for him was Alvar.

"Can you get information out of her?" Alvar asked with curiosity.

"I can, but to do so would completely eliminate all mental facilities. She would be in a vegetative state." Melric answered, with his hands in a praying position.

"I have my own source. I will interrogate him myself." Alvar said leading two of his men out of the operating room.

As the door closed Melric whispered to himself:

"Not if I get the information first."

The Doctor reached into a cupboard for another green fluid filled syringe, his lab assistant tried to reason with him:

"Doctor, that would be an overdose. I cannot medically allow you to..." warned the assistant. But Melric pushed him aside, the assistant pleaded:

"Stop. This isn't right. We are held to a higher standard. I will not stand silent..."

The Doctor dropped to his assistant's level;

"No. You're right." He smiled crookedly as his hand reached for the shattered syringe; he swung the sharp fragment across his assistant's throat. He then stood to face Terr as the Callos lay on the floor gurgling blood, a crimson puddle forming around Melric's boots.

The Doctor squeezed the green fluid into Terr's neck, and began the interrogation over again.

Alvar pulled a chair next to Ralt Yorrf, he grinned and started colloquially:

"I understand that a mechanic from the hanger left aboard that shuttle?"

"Yes. Garth ordered that I open the hanger." Ralt agreed, sweat pouring from his brow.

"Did the mechanic have anyone else aboard when he left?" Alvar asked in a sweet soft voice.

"Yes. Yes, he had this automated assistant that I..." Ralt stopped midsentence.

"What did you do with the assistant?" Alvar asked smoothly.

"I reactivated the privacy protocol. It had been erased." Ralt answered.

"I see..." Alvar's voice trailed off, "That is perfectly understandable. You were under orders."

"Exactly. I knew you would understand. Are going to arrest that maniac?" Ralts agreed.

"No, no. I understand perfectly. Now tell me who else left aboard that shuttle." Alvar asked, more serious this time.

"Well, the female who was running from the medical wing." Ralt listed, with Alvar nodding understanding at the appropriate times, "The automated assistant, Garth, and this Callos in a survey suit who was hiding behind some crates."

Alvar's eyes lit up and his ears twitched:

"Who?"

"Someone in a loose survey suit. They were hiding behind some crates. I don't know who it was." Ralt talked quicker, afraid he lost favor:

"I think it might have been that crazy Callos: um, what is his name? Right! Galio something-or-rather!" Ralt guessed.

"No. It wasn't." Alvar said aloud as he walked out of the small command tower where Ralt was being kept.

As Alvar neared the door:

"Hey, wait. Are you going to let me go?" Ralt called out, craning his neck.

"No. Unless you know where they went." Alvar called as he left.

Ralt stood, only to be pushed back in his seat by one of the guards left by Alvar:

"They were heading into the dust field!" He called out. "They are on a trajectory to bypass CLERGY 6."

Alvar stopped on the stairs; he snapped his fingers and a guard ran up the stairs.

"What did you say?" The guard asked.

"They went towards the dust field; they are trying to get past CLERGY 6. I don't think they'll make it. At the last minute I sent a trace on their signal, it is gone. This means they did go into the dust field." Ralt answered.

The guard signaled for Ralt to be released, Alvar reentered the command tower.

"You are free to go. Thank you for your service."

Ralt glanced back once, but then ran down the stairs and out of the hanger.

"Signal for my shuttle to be prepared. I want to be on CLERGY 6 immediately!" Alvar ordered.

Doctor Melric set down the vial next to a half dozen empty syringes, he wiped the sweat from his brow. Terr lay limply in her seat, her saliva tinted green and running down the side of her face, her eyes blank slates of grey. Melric slid his hands into his black gloves and put on his coat; he pulled his holo-pad and typed on the screen:

"Have my cruiser prepped. I will be there immediately; I will approve all flight logs. SECRECY A MUST."

Chapter 16

Octorl masterfully edged the shuttle from its collision course with CLERGY 6, the bow of the vessel nearly scraping against minute vehicle.

"Careful now." Garth cautioned as Octorl banked slightly past the command bridge of CLERGY 6.

"CLERGY 6 doesn't have windows; they would be a structural weakness and could enable escapes." Lalia explained to Miles.

The shuttle wavered slightly in the wake of the larger vessel, and began to shake violently. Lalia fastened herself to her seat as did Miles; Garth wound his arms around the cargo net and bounced off of the roof of the shuttle.

"Are you ok?" Miles turned back with concern.

"Yes. I'm fine." Garth assured them as the shuttle finally stopped shaking.

"We will need to bore a hole in the vessel to gain entry." Lalia directed, "We can land the shuttle near the aft end of the vessel, and Octorl can weld the weaker panels beneath the Idinium Repulsors."

"The panels behind the repulsors are weaker?" Garth asked.

"Yes. They needed to be flexible for the movement of the repulsors, and they are coated with ice which will make boring a hole that much easier." Lalia answered.

The shuttle swiveled sharply and flew into the narrow gap between the icy repulsor blast and the hull of the ship. The windshield of the cockpit glazed over with frost and steam from the passenger's breath. Each of the three organic passengers donned survey suits, Garth and Lalia paused to allow Miles to transfer from his baggy suit into a more appropriate form fitting suit. Garth lowered the pressure in the cabin and released the hatch so Octorl could hover three feet over to a crinkled panel, his tentacles whipped and the light tips on each shined brighter, lasers beamed from the tips and the eight arms preformed an odd dance. The creaking of the panel under pressure proved that the panel was giving, a loud snap echoed down the corridor only to be absorbed by the vacuum of space. The three carefully lowered themselves into the vessel, cautious as to not puncture their pressurized air-tight suits on the serrated edge of the metal, save Miles slight misstep and slip the trio cleared the metal edge and entered an adjacent corridor.

The door hissed closed, which signaled that the corridor was again air-tight, the three unfastened their helmets. The prison vessel was eerily quiet, the three could hear faintly in the distance the loud chanting and yelling of the prisoners. The air was damp and smelled like wet dog to Miles, but the taste of the air reminded him more of gasoline.

"What is that smell?" Miles asked.

"That is the residual burn from plasma blasts." Lalia answered, directing his attention to the red and black painted stripes that cut across the white walls of the corridor; singe marks the size of hockey pucks were burnt through the metal paneling to the wires behind.

"Octorl," Garth called, "Bring up a map for us."

Mile shivered as he exhaled; steam rose from his breath.

The robot obediently flashed on his face a small diagram. Garth traced his fingers along the maze-like pattern of the prison ship, they had boarded near the middle line of the ship; they were effectively on the equator between the prison block and the officer's chambers.

"We need to go here." Lalia directed their attention to the middle portion of the ship. "Thankfully, Detention Block D isn't too far from the repulsors."

Lalia led the group with Octorl hovering quietly behind, Miles whispered:

"Where is everyone?"

"I don't know. Its pretty late, the officers are probably asleep, there aren't many prisoners on this side of the ship. We are between sides, so patrols are infrequent." Garth reasoned.

One patrol member rounded the corner at the end of the hall; he turned to face the four heading his direction. He reached for his holster, but Lalia tackled him, she raised her fist to punch but his elbow connected with her jaw. He pulled his gun, but was unable to aim it before Garth kicked it from his hand. Garth pressed his foot against the patrol member's throat:

"Shh." Garth hissed. Garth then motioned for Miles to come out of cover and fasten the patrol member with his own restraints. The flexible bands snapped onto the member's wrists and the two dragged him into an empty office they then latched shut.

Garth reached to help Lalia back to her feet: "Are you alright there?" he asked as he reached for the patrol's discarded gun.

She spat blood on the floor, "Yeah. I'm fine. But you both need to realize that there will be a lot more guards than this one. I thought you said that he would be useful." She directed at Miles.

"I already showed you I am pretty accurate." Miles defended.

"Yes. But you need to use it. Obviously don't shoot to kill, but our whole mission could have ended just now." Lalia said frustrated.

"I understand." Miles finished.

They continued down the hall, but stopped and took a step back; they had passed the central security surveillance for the detention level. Lalia typed at the console;

"My security clearance has already been voided." Lalia explained as the console beeped loudly.

"Try my clearance." Garth suggested, but the pass code failed.

Miles pushed the two aside, with a bloodcurdling yell he slammed his palms against the door, the metal creaked and bent slightly. The light emanating from his arms dwindled and he gasped for air.

"Are you alright?" Garth caught him as he fell to the floor.

"Yeah, I'm good. But that knocked the air out of me." Miles coughed.

Lalia slid her slender body through the doors and began to type at the console; the screens in front of her flickered to life showing dozens of inmates shuffling down brightly lit corridors.

"They are transporting all of the prisoners right now!" She exclaimed.

Garth laid down Miles and approached to get a view for himself, on each of the monitors prisoners were being escorted by small squads of patrol officers.

"What do we do now?" Garth asked, "All of the guards are active, we counted on no one being on patrol."

"They are moving towards the largest detention block." Octorl observed through the slit of the door, unable to fit through the crack.

"All of the prisoners in one place. Why?" Miles asked.

"I'm not sure." Lalia muttered, her eyes glued to the screen.

"If we don't move now, then we will lose Galio for sure." Garth turned to face Lalia.

"Agreed. We need to get him out now." Lalia voiced, her eyes still stuck on the monitor.

With a shock, Lalia quickly reached for the console, her fingers quickly swiping at the control pad until the camera had panned towards the cells of Detention Block 'D', Galio sitting in his cell against the cage. But what caught Miles attention were the adjacent cells;

"Look! The whole detention block is empty!" Miles exclaimed, now standing again and leaning over Lalia's chair to view the screen.

"They moved all of the prisoners in a perimeter around the detention block." Garth observed.

"The guards are all assigned to hold Galio." Miles thought out loud.

"But why then..." Garth's voiced droned out.

"Why would they leave the prisoners without guards in the surrounding corridors?" Lalia finished.

The three stared the monitors until Octorl interrupted them:

"It would appear that our shuttle has been discovered." He said mechanically.

"We need to get going. Things are only going to get harder." Miles ushered them through the slit.

The corridor ended at a large metal door which hissed open. The doors parted revealing an enormous cell block completely empty, save a tall burly Callos and a patrol Callos on each side. Miles inhaled deeply, his arms were again enveloped in light, he faced his palms at the Callos, but the burly Callos spoke:

"Hello. I am Elioc Barras, this is my ship, and you are not welcome here."

Lalia raised her arms into a fighting stance, Garth reached for his gun, and Miles gritted his teeth.

Chapter 17

"This facility is my responsibility and I hold one thing sacred; my authority over all that occurs on this ship. You broke the rules, and for that you must be punished." Captain Barras chided sternly as he clapped the dust from his heavy work gloves, the Callos stood in a tall canvas-like suit. To Miles he resembled a cowboy or a construction worker; to Garth and Lalia he resembled discipline incarnate.

"Release Galio Forrt. He hasn't done anything wrong." Lalia commanded.

"No. I make the commands." Captain Barras warned, "You're under arrest!"

The Captain reached for his gun and leveled it at his hips, firing several rounds down the corridor. Molten plasma burns dotted Octorl, his repulsors failed and he dropped to the ground. Garth turned to shoot, firing blindly at the three. He cursed out loud as one plasma shot burnt his hand; he dropped his gun in pain.

Miles snarled and released a pulse of light down the corridor; the pulse sent the three Callos flying down the hall. One of the guard's head connected with the roof of the corridor, he fell to the ground without movement.

Lalia and Garth remained behind the cover of the indentation of a door way, Miles stood firm-footed in the center of the hall throwing blasts of white light at the remaining two Callos.

The loudspeaker blared:

"Detention Blocks: A, B, C, F, and K are unsealed. All personnel are needed on floor."

Miles unrelenting fired wave after wave of light, the remaining guard buckled under the pressure and slid further down the hall slamming against the back of the wall. Captain Barras turned in shock, the guard who had slid down the hall was engulfed in a barrage of escaped prisoners each shouting in primal bloodlust. The Captain turned to face Miles who held an illuminated palm to his face:

"I won't kill you." Miles said through clenched teeth, the Captain dropped his gun. Miles then turned and ran to the door where Lalia and Garth hid. Garth slid a card through the access slot, the door slid open. Lalia pulled at Octorl's arms and dragged the robot with them.

"This is madness." Lalia exclaimed, "How did all of the prisoners escape?"

Garth checked the hall and saw a badly beaten guard stripped of his uniform, the sound of escaped prisoner's feet echoed further away.

"I don't know whether the riot is helping or hindering us." Garth concluded.

Garth checked his burn, his skin was a mottled pink color, but he would be alright. He cringed slightly as he touched it, it definitely hurt.

Lalia fiddled with Octorl who rebooted and again started to hover, his repulsors weren't as consistent, but he was operating.

They turned to corner to see an open detention block where several guards were firing upon the inmates. One inmate came behind the armored guard and bludgeoned him with a heavy-looking pipe, once the guard was on the ground a horde covered him, one happy inmate ran off with his gun; firing a pot-shot at another bystander inmate.

"Try to stay hidden." Lalia whispered, the group then quietly inched along the catwalk on the second floor; they were close to Detention Block 'D'. However, a burly prisoner wearing a guard's helmet blocked their exit. Lalia raised her gun, but from behind the bars of the cell at Lalia's side a hand shot through, grabbing her. The inmate hiding in the cell bit at Lalia's arm, dropping the gun to the floor. Miles drew in breath to prepare an attack, but the enormous prisoner backhanded him, Miles was swatted over the guardrail where he dangled. Garth fired at the prisoner, Garth's ancestral memory finally starting to be summoned. Lalia threw her long leg back between the bars crushing the ribs of the female prisoner behind the bars who let out a yelp.

Miles hung over the guard rail and tried to pull himself up, but in school he was never any good at doing pull-ups. Garth continued to struggle with the large prisoner, Garth leaped at the prisoner in an attempt to gouge-out his eyes. Garth held tightly to the prisoner's uniform, the prisoner tried to slam Garth into the guard rail but both lost balance. The two toppled over the guardrail...

The prisoner landed hard with Garth on top of him, the booming sound of the giant impacting the ground silenced the whole block. Each of the frenzied prisoners averted their attention to the lanky Callos who stood on the body of the downed prisoner.

"Kill him!" One prisoner snarled above the silence.

The wave of enraged prisoners converged on Garth, one prisoner held above their head a gruesome-looking blade, but the prisoner was slammed by a blast of white light. Miles dropped to the floor from the guardrail, his feet hitting echoed nearly as loud as the fallen prisoner who collided with bars at the far end of the block.

"Kill him too!" Snarled the same voice.

Dozens of Callos prisoners descended upon Garth and Miles, Garth's instinct overpowered his consciousness and soon he snapped elbows and gouged-out eyes of the unfortunate prisoners who fell on top of him. Miles acted as a windstorm, his energy blasts jettisoning unfortunate prisoners into the walls of the detention block. Lalia watched down in amazement as the two fought off the two dozen prisoners with deadly skill; Garth swung his leg around connecting with a prisoner's jaw, only to wrap his leg around the prisoner's neck with a twist effectively snapping it. Miles threw an uppercut punch with a short blast of light into a prisoner's stomach hurling him face first into the ceiling.

Garth shouted through the din to Miles:

"Come on! We need to move on!"

Miles then yelled with an enormous pulse which sent the remaining prisoners backward. Garth opened the door and they walked through. The door sealed closed behind them, Garth typed at the security panel locking it.

Lalia called out to them:

"Good work. This is the right block; Galio should be right through here!"

Miles faced the second floor and gave Lalia a "thumbs-up". The door behind her opened, behind her stood Alvar and several of his soldiers.

"Doctor?" He called. She turned to face him, a fist in the air. He caught it and with a knee to the stomach knocked her to the ground.

"I should have known you would free all of the prisoners!" He snarled in contempt.

Lalia began to crawl backward from him; Alvar raised his foot to kick her. Miles reacted quickly and slammed a blast of energy into the scaffolding they stood on, the metal snapped and Lalia rolled off down to the floor. Alvar unholstered his gun and began to fire,

"So there you are!" He shouted at Miles.

The door to Detention Block 'D' opened, nine soldiers in heavy armor with rifles leveled at Garth stood in the center of the block. Galio in the cell immediately behind them.

"It's a trap!" Galio shouted.

Garth jumped towards the soldier closest to him, and ducked to avoid plasma fire. He slid on the slick floor of the block, the twisting of his legs knocked the soldier over, and with a quick motion he pulled the rifle from the soldier and bludgeoned him with it. Miles raised his arms to blast the soldiers, but he struggled to breath. Miles fell to the floor gasping for air.

A soldier approached the gasping Miles, but he was downed by a shot to the head from Lalia. Lalia stood in the doorway shooting and killing three of the soldiers while Garth struggled on the ground with one.

"Stop!" Alvar commanded.

Garth, Lalia, and the soldiers stopped fighting; Alvar stood near Galio with a gun pressed against his head. Garth bent down to help Miles sit up.

"I'm fine. I'm really weak though." Miles whispered hoarsely.

"I will kill him unless you surrender that creature!" Alvar shouted, pointing at Miles.

"No, you should help us Alvar." Lalia petitioned, "Your brother is wrong."

"My brother is wrong!" Alvar agreed, "Out of fear he wants the creature eliminated. I will be the brave hero; I will kill the monster and be elevated above my brother."

"Really? You are going to kill him to become a hero? That is what this is about?" Garth questioned in frustration.

"I will earn my brother's favor." Alvar finished a slight twitch of his lips.

At that the locked door behind Miles broke, a stream of angry prisoners burst through, the soldiers fired their rifles into the mob. Miles got to his feet and ran with Garth, leaving the slow Octorl behind. Lalia threw the rifle strap around her and followed after Miles and Garth.

"I will kill you! I must have favor!" Alvar shouted with an insane laugh, he then fired into the mob killing several prisoners, Galio whimpered in his cell behind him.

The shot that killed Galio rang louder to Lalia than the rest of the rifle fire. Alvar's laughter rang out, he and his squad retreated through a side corridor, the soldier left to hold the rear held back the prisoners but was overwhelmed and eventually fell.

Lalia let tears run down her face as she ran, the two boys far ahead of her. Garth was leading them towards the emergency escape pods, usually used to jettison only the worst criminals. The pod was at the end of the hall but an armed Captain Barras stood before them, two dead prisoners lay at his feet.

"Don't try to go any further." He warned. "I am taking you to the Admiral."

The three stood still, Lalia out of breath didn't try to raise her gun at the Captain.

"We really just want to leave the ship. We didn't want any of this to happen." Lalia said in exasperation.

"Unfortunately, I am under the orders of the Admiral: you are a threat to the Convoy." The Captain responded after a pause, he then checked behind himself and towards the corridor's camera obscured by a metal beam.

"You have spared me." He looked at Miles, "Though an alien species, and though I tried to kill you, you chose to let me live."

Miles looked him in the eyes, the Captain broke the stare:

"I will let you escape. Know if you ever return the Admiral will have you killed." The Captain took a step to the side to let them pass; cautiously they walked past him towards the cylindrical chamber attached to the corridor's exterior.

Garth heaved open the lid of the pod, Miles flopped himself limply into a seat, Lalia jumped in and sealed the pod. Garth pulled the release lever, and the pod snapped from the vessel and floated away slightly. The thrusters on the top of the pod fired it towards the planet Aurrus.

Doctor Melric watched from the screens in the security hub, they were escaping to Aurrus; Alvar had failed. Melric pulled from the console his security authentication card; his Captain clearance afforded him control over the locks in the Detention Blocks:

"Damn prisoners couldn't kill a kid, a doctor, and some alien. They didn't even kill Alvar." He slammed a fist on the console. He couldn't tell who they had stopped to talk to in the corridor closest to the pod, but he was certain of their pod's bearings. The festival on Aurrus began the next day; hundreds of Callos would be warmly invited to celebrate the approach to Phlasia with their Aurrus hosts. The convicts would have no problem in finding a suitable place to hide;

"I will have to draw them out."

Chapter 18

The escape pod from CLERGY 6 was designed to enter the atmosphere of any of the predetermined prisoner drop-off planets, inside each pod were enough supplies for an abandoned prisoner to survive seven days, the eighth day's survival counted on the prisoner having found food themselves. The pod provided the essentials for a Callos to fend for themselves, the Convoy didn't believe in abandoning even the worst criminal with nothing; the pods each carried a flare gun, several feet of rope, a small knife, and cans of food. The flare gun, however, was not intended for rescues; every Convoy member had heard stories of a lonely Callos prisoner using it to end their suffering, to join Phlasia immediately. Over the years, several Callos prisoners petitioned for a minor change, they felt that a short-wave communication channel should be provided so an abandoned prisoner could potentially communicate and assimilate into the culture of an intelligent alien race. Lalia herself had been a major proponent; she figured that perhaps, a prisoner might come in contact with an alien species. Of course, the legislation didn't pass; the error was that prisoners would only ever be jettisoned to a planet that had already proven to be hospitable to the Callos species. Lalia thought to herself:

" _A short-wave would come in handy right now._ "

Their pod shuddered as it entered the pinkish-orange clouds of Aurrus; the thin clouds quickly gave way to a view of the vast empty orange planet. As far as they could see orange soil with the appearance of pink streams flowing to a far off center point, hidden by the horizon.

"Between those pink groves are enormous expanses of desert. Ailios is the oasis over there." Garth pointed out a brown city in the distance.

"Those are ovalt groves. Ovalts are pink fruit that grow on those pink trees, you can't see them until we hit the ground, but the groves have overgrown the streams that provide them water. Further over there," Garth directed Mile's attention to the center point hidden by the horizon, "that is the Aurrus marketplace. In Ailios you can buy most anything; it is the largest marketplace we have ever known."

"Of course, I have never been there. It is probably even bigger and better since my ancestors have been there. The Aurrus people are incredibly friendly; they like to take in Callos for their festival." Garth continued.

"When is their festival? Aren't we here early?" Miles asked, the ground beginning to fill the view of the pod, each of them fastened themselves tighter to the seat in the pod.

"Well, the Aurrus don't have an established calendar. Aurrus doesn't have seasons, it is always arid and warm, and the Aurrus species takes a very long time to age. The average Aurrus can live to be one-thousand-years-old." Lalia explained, tightening her grip on her restraints.

"Here we go." Miles said with his eyes shut, the pod collided with the ground. The sound of the collision was deafening, the thunderous quake rattled the whole pod, and Miles slacked his jaw as Lalia had suggested to prevent the breaking of teeth. Each of them loosened their bodies, their skin and bones rippled from the inertia. The pod then beeped loudly:

"Destination reached. Exterior pressure optimal, exterior temp..."

Lalia interrupted it by unlatching the pod's door; it hissed open, dusty arid air blew in. The three coughed and covered their eyes, the dust storm from their pod began to fade, Lalia reached into the prisoner essential's chest for the flare gun and other equipment.

She stepped out onto the caked dry planet, a miniature dust cloud rose with each step. She turned and beckoned to the boys, still in their restraints:

"If they decide to send a search party we don't want to be sitting here, now do we?" she asked.

The two unfastened the belts and jumped out of the pod, the blaring sun blinding them momentarily. Dust kicked the sand in the air, Miles licked his lips:

"I'm thirsty. Is there any water nearby?" he asked.

Lalia looked at him in astonishment;

"Didn't we just explain to you that the streams are lined under those ovalt groves?" she chucked and tossed him a metal disc.

"What is this?" Miles held it closer to his face to examine.

"It is a canteen." Lalia laughed as she continued towards the ovalt grove.

Miles drank only a little bit, Garth then took a swig, Lalia then took a sip. The three walked towards the ovalt grove closest to them, from the air the groves looked like stripes very close to one another, on the ground, however, the grove was about two miles away. Once each of them took a drink, Lalia then began a light run for the cover of the grove; the three neared the pink wall of leaves and branches in only a few minutes.

Lalia ushered them into the cover of the pink bush, looking towards the sky for any incoming search shuttles, only the purple hued moon of Aurrus faced her:

"It doesn't look like they are sending anyone after us." She concluded, dropping to one knee to fill her canteen with the cool water from the stream.

"Why wouldn't they chase us down here?" Miles asked.

"I guess that they don't know what happened to us or where we went quite yet." Garth surmised, taking a seat.

The stream was incredibly clear; the water flowed quickly, no moss or creatures in the stream. The ovalt grove was only three or four trees wide, the water swirling around each of the exposed ovalt roots. Garth jumped to reach a plump pink fruit, which resembled to Miles a football, and then he took a bite into the soft juicy flesh of the ovalt. Lalia led, walking the narrow winding path between the trunks of the trees and the stream.

"Either way, eventually someone will come looking for us." Lalia admitted in a tired voice. "In the meantime, however, we should head to Ailios. The city is large enough we should be well-hidden."

Miles and Garth nodded in agreement. The Aurrus city would provide plenty of places to hide from Callos soldiers. Garth explained to Miles:

"Many Callos have, over the years, decided to stay permanently on Aurrus."

"Try not to walk along the stream; you don't want to walk too far wet, not to mention you would quickly get tired sloshing through river rocks." Lalia advised.

For a few hours the three sloshed through the twisted ovalt roots and the stream, stopping only for someone when they got their foot caught in the roots or river rocks.

"Lalia, I was wondering about how I could understand Callos." Miles began.

"As was I." Lalia admitted, "I think I might have come up with an explanation."

"Do you?" Miles asked excitedly.

"Yes. Perhaps we have some sort of shared telepathic connection; you are accessing my memory which allows you to understand Callos." Lalia theorized.

"Telepathic?" Miles asked with his brow furrowed.

"Maybe, it is just a theory. I thought about it in my notes, it still holds some potential." Lalia thought out loud.

The three remained silent for several more minutes, until the roar of the city in its festivities reached them.

"What should I expect in Ailios?" Miles asked Garth.

"Well, Ailios is an enormous open air bazaar. Vendors and craftsmen sell their goods to visiting Callos." Garth explained.

"What do the Callos give in return?" Miles asked.

"Callos provide technology and several of the rare resources not found on Aurrus." Garth explained.

"Well, then, what do the Aurrus do in the two-hundred years between Callos visits?" Miles asked in confusion, scrunching his eyebrows.

"Actually. I don't know. I've never thought of that. We should ask." Garth admitted.

The trio continued along the stream, the sound of thousands of Aurrus joyfully laughing and shouting reached them hours before their weary legs were able to carry them to Ailios. They marched on, Lalia occasionally turning to ensure that they were not being followed.

"When will the Convoy arrive at Aurrus?" Miles asked.

"Tomorrow night." Garth responded.

They reached a misshapen tree, Miles and Garth scrambled on top while below Lalia stood in silence; before them was the great city of Ailios. The city spread out as far as the eye could see, each of the buildings sat close to one another, square brown rooftops. Wooden beams and mud composed each of the adobe homes, their flat roofs had scattered gardens and aviaries from which colorful birds took flight.

In the distance children ran through the streets with sparkling wands, bright colorful explosions boomed in the sky.

"Looks like fun." Garth and Miles said with smiles.

"It sure does." Lalia sadly muttered under her breath looking at the boys from beneath the tree. She glanced over her shoulder to see an orbital drop shuttle break through the atmosphere, its white tailwind slicing through the purple of the moon; a search party had arrived. She wouldn't tell the other two, she decided, they needed some semblance of hope.

Chapter 19

Ailios' roads, while wide, were cluttered with the merchants and vendors selling their wares. Excited Aurrus children ran through the streets, purchasing sweet candies and sparklers, their laughter piercing the deeper laughter of the adult Aurrus watching from balconies of the homes facing the streets.

The Aurrus adults appeared to be slightly shorter than Miles; probably about four and half feet tall, resembling short biped elephants. Their limbs ended in hands with hoof-like fingers, they clumsily grabbed goods from their vendor carts, handing them to the children. Their noses were elongated like an elephant's trunk ending in a bulb, their ears fan-shaped, but their eyes were small; about the size of a button. Miles surmised, without asking, that the Aurrus didn't use their eyes as a human would. The Aurrus continued with their festivities ignoring the two Callos and the odd-looking alien.

"Was there somewhere we were planning on going? You know, in particular?" Miles asked.

Lalia continued to lead the way through the busy streets:

"Yes. I am hoping that a friend of mine is still in Ailios."

"You have a friend in Ailios?" Garth asked.

"I don't but my great grandmother did, two-hundred years ago; there is a chance that her friend is still alive." Lalia reasoned.

Lalia cut between two vendor's carts and led them down a narrow alley way. The alley way was dark and damp. Miles stepped on old discarded fruit; the smell of rot inducing his gag reflex.

Garth stopped to help him: "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. This stuff is gross." Miles answered kicking the fruit down the alley.

The alley gave way to an open pavilion, the curtains of the houses were each drawn, and the round space was dark and empty. Lalia approached the fountain in the middle, dropping her hand into the cool water to splash on her face; the grit of the dust washed off.

"This is as far as I can remember." Lalia told them.

Garth approached the fountain and sat on its edge:  
"I don't recall any memories of Ailios, sorry I can't help." He apologized.

The festival continued, down the far end of one alley Miles could see several Aurrus children prodding the rotted fruit with some toys that they had just purchased. Their shouts of delight wore on Miles, he was tired, they continued to sit in the pavilion for several hours. The rotted fruit split open and the children each giggled and screamed as the fled from the stench of the fruit. Miles moaned and held a hand to his temple, Garth eyed him curiously. Miles slumped up against the wall of one of the Aurrus homes facing the fountain, Lalia, and Garth:

"The Aurrus are friendly right? Why don't we just get them to talk with the Admiral on our behalf and have them settle the situation?" Miles asked.

"I'm afraid that the Aurrus don't have a formal government. Ailios has prospered with a live and let live mentality. Besides, in all likelihood they would turn us over to the Admiral as a token of good favor." Lalia explained.

"You sound just like her." A voice said from the shadowy alley beyond the fountain, a silhouette appeared in a robe. The silhouette approached slowly.

"I should. I am Trelier's great granddaughter after all." Lalia replied, cocking her head and facing the stranger.

"Yes, you are. You also inherited a precision in thought and decisiveness in language from your great-grandmother in the war. You are the great granddaughter, but one clearly different from the rest. I could hear it in your voice." The cloaked figure reached out to touch Lalia's shoulder; "And in your posture."

"I would presume that you are Braes Attounkos?" Lalia introduced herself; "I am Doctor Lalia Tarrus."

"Ah, Tarrus eh? So you are married to the Admiral's lineage?" Braes asked.

"I was." Lalia said sternly.

"No matter. Interesting; yes, relevant; not so much." Braes chuckled and walked back down the alley from where she had come. Her voice cracked, the age in it seeming to fade.

Lalia followed Braes, Garth and Miles cautiously got up from where they were sitting and followed down the alley. Braes seemed to pick up her pace slightly, the maze of alleys were dizzying to Miles who began to lose all sense of direction. Initially he used the sound of the festival in the street as his guide, but then he began to hear partying in all directions. Braes stopped at a flight of stairs heading into a home; she beckoned them up the stairs, she then followed the three of them to the pink wooden door and unlocked it.

"Ovalt wood?" Miles guessed, the hooded figure nodded _"Yes."._

The home was sparsely furnished, but was warm and had several cushions and pillows littered on the floor haphazardly.

"How old do you think she must be?" Miles whispered to Garth.

"I was wondering the same thing. She must be ancient." Garth agreed.

Lalia approached the far wall of the living space and picked up a lantern, she lit the candle's wick and flicked the match in the air to quickly extinguish it. The light from the candle filled the room; the cushions and pillows were plain, but the walls were etched in emerald green and golden trim. The room was brilliantly glittering in the light; more ornate than any palace Miles had ever known.

"This is my home." Braes welcomed them; "I made up some cushions in preparation for your arrival." She said directing with her hands to each of the pillows lying in the room.

Braes still stood in the darkness; she lowered her hood and stepped into the light. She was unlike the other Aurrus; she was slender and fit. Her ears were pierced and studded with jewelry. Her nose, while still elongated like a trunk, had less prominent ridges and accentuated his strong cheek bones. Her eyes were comparable to human eyes, grey rings around blue. Most of all, however, Miles and Garth noted how young she appeared.

"Wow. You look so, young!" Garth exclaimed in a hushed voice.

"Thank you." Braes thanked him with a slight curtsey. "I try to maintain my youth; which isn't always convenient at my age." She chuckled with Lalia.

Braes's skin, while grayish like the other Aurrus, was also adorned with emerald green and gold calligraphy and tattoos. She raised her hood, this time only partially covering her face:

"I apologize; I am still slightly sensitive to the cold. I'm recovering from illness last week." She coughed, her voice again hoarse.

"How old are you, exactly?" Miles asked.

"Oh, I am," she coughed, her voice now clear again; "I am nearly four-hundred-years-old. Really, three-hundred-and-seventy, but I prefer to round upwards. It gets me a discount at my favorite vendor."

Miles silently nodded understanding, unable to formulate words.

"I brought the three of you here for a reason." Braes began,

"You three," her eyes lingered on Miles, "Were called upon by Eurithalos, Gamaliel, and Brontus."

Garth interrupted;

"Who are they?"

"The three goddesses of Ailios." Lalia explained, encouraging Braes to continue.

"Yes, our three goddesses have chosen the three of you to be their stewards in a time of great need. I, as their oracle and priestess of Ailios, will lead you to your destinies." Braes finished.

"You're going to lead us to our destinies?" Miles asked in stupor.

"I don't believe in Brontus, and whatever!" Garth argued.

"You may not, but they have selected you, nonetheless." Braes sighed.

"Perhaps Phlasia chose us." Lalia half-heartily offered as an explanation.

Braes's face gained a red hue: "I take my position seriously, I am their priestess."

"Understood. Somehow, you knew that we would be coming, I can accept that." Miles interjected, Garth nodding in stubborn agreement.

"Yes. I have been directed to keep you hidden in my home tonight. I will decide what to do tomorrow. Please go ahead and rest." She patted Miles on the back.

Miles lay down on a long cushion and propped his head against a pillow, his mind was a flurry of thoughts:

" _A priestess for some alien gods? She is 370 years-old? I am being hunted by an alien nation. The Aurrus are having a festival, Phlasia is getting closer..."_

His eyelids proved to be too heavy and he fell asleep. Garth's snoring made it clear to Lalia that both of the young males had fallen asleep. She stepped into the sitting room where Braes meditated.

"You don't really think we have some sort of spiritual significance do you?" Lalia asked.

"I can't say for certain. For centuries I have thought that the goddesses had shunned me, forgotten their own priestess. How could I preach to all of Ailios if they wouldn't talk to me? But, I found renewed faith; I was given a vision. I saw him, the alien, and you and the young Callos. I saw pain and the gnashing of teeth, I saw conflict, but I saw a radiant hope in resolution." She said pointing her hand towards where Miles slept in the other room.

"Somehow, he brings this all together. He brings salvation and freedom to the Callos; he will save the people of Ailios. He will be light in our darkest hour." Braes prophesied.

"I do not believe he is a chosen one in any capacity. He will be met with tragedy, many will die, but many more will be saved." Braes finished.

"Tovar will send soldiers after us. I already saw a reconnaissance shuttle; they will begin sweeps of the city in the morning." Lalia explained.

"I understand. I promise that I will do all I can to protect him. That child cannot stay here, Lalia. He must continue on to Phlasia." Braes responded gravely.

"Why? He was a scientific discovery, a triumph for exploration! Why must he now be on a pilgrimage to Phlasia?" Lalia asked in exasperation.

"I do not know. Maybe you are right; maybe there is nothing supernatural occurring here, nothing done by Phlasia or my goddesses. But you cannot deny that fate has brought him here." Braes challenged.

Lalia averted her eyes, allowing them to dance across the beautifully ornate room. She nervously ringed her hands, and her eyes began to water.

"You shared dreams with him haven't you?" Braes guessed, wisdom in her eyes.

"Yes. I thought that dream sharing couldn't happen anymore. I thought it was an ancient practice, I thought it wasn't real." Lalia whispered.

"Oh, it is very real. Your ancestors have provided you with something extraordinary, you were given a premonition. To separate yourself from this would be to forsake your ancestors, all that you are. You were born into this faith, you cannot leave it." Braes warned.

"I refuse to accept that; there must be an answer to this. I cannot accept that I am incapable of escaping the superstitions of my ancestors." Lalia cried in frustration.

"This is why you are needed, for a time such as this." Braes pulled Lalia's chin up and smiled: "You leave what is known or thought to be known in search of what you do not know. This is why fate has brought you and the child together; you believed in him, rather than some lifeless planet."

Lalia listened, her sniffling began to stop.

"Neither of us can explain the origin of this dream sharing, but it needs no explanation. The two of you are given the unique opportunity to change everything; the Convoy will never be the same. You have been called to be an agent of change. Tomorrow, things will change, but you must move forward on your own accord. Lalia Tarrus, you bend to the will of no planet or goddess." Braes finished.

"I thought you just got done explaining that you were a priestess?" Lalia laughed.

"I thought I just told you that this job hasn't done me any good for centuries." Braes admitted.

The two sat at the table late into the night, as they spoke Miles drifted further and further into the sleep his body and mind so desperately needed.

Miles was in a damp dark chamber, a faint roar of mechanical parts hummed nearby. Miles turns around to see an orange object in the darkness of the shadows, the orange bobs up and down, keeping pace with Mile's breath. Miles squints to see what the orange bulbous thing in the distance is, before he feels a sharp pain in his arm.

The dream ends, Miles opens his eyes to reassure he is in Braes' home. Braes and Lalia sit talking at the table in the other room. He closes his eyes, grateful that he doesn't dream for the rest of the night.
Chapter 20

Admiral Tovar Latarr stood military rigid, his arms crossed, as he inspected the blueprints his best scientists had been able to produce. The machine he had imagined would become a reality; each of the pieces would function correctly with one another. Electro-grafters hissed as they welded sheets of metal together, the enormous mechanism before the Admiral glinted in the reflection of the work lights shining on it. The mechanism it's self resembled an enormous heart, a pointed tip stemming from a thicker base with two large lobes on either side. This tool would be used to launch a new era in the Convoy, with the Admiral as its head. The mechanics had been working only for a few hours, but the fruit of their labor was already showing. Though the scientists had insisted that the mechanism would take days to build, under his command the pieces seemed to assemble themselves. The only potential problem that could arise existed in the form of three escaped convicts.

Lalia had found something very much alive on the surface of the planet that had gone supernova. Lalia hid from everyone her discovery; she understood the significance of introducing to the Convoy an unknown alien species. The alien was intelligent, and based off of reports from CLERGY 6, only hours ago it had killed several dangerous criminals and several of Alvar's soldiers with unusual powers. The creature was far more dangerous than just a concept of exploration; it was a monstrosity capable of slaughtering hundreds of Callos.

The Admiral had already made the orders to send Alvar and his eight remaining soldiers to Ailios; they were currently combing the impact radius of their escape pod. Lalia, no doubt, already led her two cohorts to Ailios; the enormous city would act as a refuge.

" _However, once the machine is complete. The Aurrus will scurry, and Lalia, and her pet monster will have no place to hide._ " He thought.

"Admiral, Sir!" A Callos soldier called out to him, in the past hour, once news of Lalia and the creature's escape reached him, the Admiral reinstated the Convoy military. The Admiral now had several dozen soldiers at his disposal, hundreds more Callos in reserve for duty. The Callos knew not of the threat or the situation, but each sensed that the Admiral had reasons for placing them on call.

"Yes. What is it soldier?" The Admiral asked.

"Permission to speak?" The soldier asked.

"Yes, yes. Permission granted." The Admiral sighed, his ancestral memory failed to recognize the tediousness of military conversations.

"Sir, one of our scouting ships is no longer relaying information back." The soldier explained.

The Admiral stepped closer to the soldier:

"Was this the shuttle deployed to Aurrus?" He asked, concerned.

"No, Sir. This was the ship assigned front of the Convoy as a scout, Sir." The soldier replied.

"Do we know the reason for a loss in signal? Is there a dust field?" The Admiral asked, his mind still on Aurrus, Lalia, and the creature.

"No, Sir. But a dust field is the most reasonable explanation for a loss in signal, Sir." The soldier agreed.

"I will take note of this." The Admiral cleared his throat.

"Sir, should we send another scout ahead towards Phlasia?" The soldier asked.

"No. We will not need another scout." The Admiral answered, a lost scout was of little importance, because even if a dust field blocked the Convoy's trajectory to Phlasia, the Admiral was in no hurry. Phlasia was of no consequence, until the creature had been dealt with, and until the Convoy's harvester had been modified, the Admiral would just wait.

Chapter 21

Miles woke slowly, first his ears began to pick up the sizzling sound of food being cooked, and then his eyes opened slowly. The crust around his eyes forming a resistant shield to his efforts, he gave in for another few minutes but then woke fully. He wiped the dried drool from his face and looked around the room, Garth was still asleep against the wall, and Lalia's bed was empty. Miles got up slowly, his head hurt slightly; he held his palm against it. In the next room stood Braes cooking what smelled to Miles like bacon:

"Good morning. I hope you feel rested up, you slept halfway into the afternoon." Braes smiled.

"I did, thank you." Miles smiled back. "What are you cooking?"

"Well, it doesn't sound appealing to you, I'm sure. But, it is actually meat from the rear end of a farmed animal." Braes chuckled, expecting Miles to be repulsed.

"Actually, it smells," He leaned in to look at the skillet, "It looks good. Not to different from something I would eat at home."

Braes used some tongs to pry the meat from the greasy skillet and offered it to Miles who gingerly picked the meat between his thumb and forefinger, eating it with happy grunts.

"This is so good. I didn't realize how hungry I was!" Miles laughed loudly.

"Be quiet. It is too early." Garth moaned, rolling over and pushing his face into his pillow.

"Get up! It is lunch time already!" Miles shouted, Garth just moaned and lay still.

Miles sat at the wooden table, facing Braes.

"So where did Lalia go?" He asked.

"She already ate. She left to do some errands; she wanted to be sure you all were stocked up on supplies, before the merchants are told that you are fugitives. Right now was the best time to go, it is still early and a lot of the merchants will have severe headaches from their party last night." Braes explained, returning to her skillet.

The day was already warm; Miles felt uncomfortable and realized how dirty his suit had become, both inside and out. He unfastened the attached gloves from his suit and held his sleeve up in a vain attempt to air out the suit.

"You're dirty and reek, don't you? Go down and the third door leads to the washroom." Braes nodded her head towards the hall. Miles nodded in appreciation and followed her directions to the washroom; the hallway was cooler, the stone walls were dark and bare. The washroom was dark until he stepped in, bright bulbs lit red, several bulbs rose vertically in the middle of the walls, and the door behind Miles sealed shut. Miles started to panic; he began to pound on the door.

The door hissed open, Braes stood in the doorway.

"I am so sorry to have scared you. I assumed you understood what I meant by 'washroom', I didn't mean to scare you. Let me explain how it works." Braes apologized.

"The washroom can sanitize your survey suit and clean you up. The lights will light up and you will hear a loud hissing for about a minute, keep your eyes closed until it stops. You might feel a tickle or a scratch, maybe, but you will be cleaned." Braes assured him.

"Ok. Thank you." Miles exhaled in relief, "I think I can do this."

"If you will be alright." Braes offered.

The door hissed close again, the bright red lights lit up. Miles closed his eyes as a high pitched hiss whistled through the room; air whipped through his oily hair and water jets blasted his body. The hissing continued, the jets of water worked their way down from Miles head, spinning around him quickly. The air jets quickly followed, fragrance laced air blasted and dried him.

The hissing stopped. Miles opened his eyes, feeling clean for the first time in several days. He stooped to pick up his suit, sliding it back on, enjoying the clean feeling it provided. The door hissed back open and Miles quickly covered himself.

Lalia stood in the doorway:

"Miles. I bought you some clothes that might better fit; they are practical and can help us blend in."

The clothes she offered were loose pants, brown and made of heavy fabric. The long sleeve shirt was beige and had padding on the elbows. Miles tried it on, it fit well, and the shirt was snug but was warm. The clothes also seemed less foreign to him, resembling something someone on Earth might actually own.

"Aurrus seems a lot more like Earth than the Convoy." Miles thought out loud.

"You might be surprised; Ailios is a lot like how the Callos used to live. Before we were a Convoy." Lalia explained.

"Really? Why don't you have a home planet?" Miles asked.

"A millennia ago our people abandoned a planet falling victim to earthquakes and tidal waves. It was an ancient planet, doomed to fall. When we became a space-faring species, we all abandoned Ciavllos. Ever since our ships and people have expanded and prospered." Lalia explained.

"Interesting." Miles agreed.

"I can't explain it, but I feel like somehow our species are connected. It may offer an explanation for how I am able to understand you." Lalia mused.

"I can read Callos, and understand your language. Maybe." Miles agreed.

The two then reentered the room where they had slept; Garth was awake talking to Braes. Garth was eating meat and drinking a green liquid.

"We are not going to return to the Convoy." Lalia announced to all of them.

"What?" Garth asked.

"I said that we will not be returning to the Convoy. Instead we will stay here in Ailios. Once the Convoy leaves this next week, they will reach Phlasia they will then make the jump through the Phlasian Portal. Once they have done that, then the convict status on us will expire." Lalia explained.

"But that means I can never go back home..." Garth's voice trailed off.

"No, we can't go home. But there are plenty of Callos in Ailios, and many Aurrus are the nicest," Lalia offered, Garth interrupted:

"I had friends on CLERGY 1." Garth objected.

"This decision wasn't hard for me either. But, we can stay here and live better lives than we would have in the Convoy. We have freedom here, and opportunity is as big as Ailios. We just need to stay hidden until the festival ends, or at least not be arrested until they make the jump through the portal." Lalia promised.

"Ailios seems like a nice enough place. I can live here; it is more like home than the Convoy was." Miles offered. "I would want to stay, Garth, you still could return to the Convoy, maybe."

"No. I couldn't, I helped stage a prison break." Garth said sadly, slumping over his plate.

"In the mean time. Garth, I need you to come with me, I bought something I will need help carrying. Miles will need to stay here." Lalia directed.

Garth finished his meal, and quickly entered the washroom, in a few minutes he and Lalia left the house. Braes sat next to Miles;

"You and I need to talk about your rather unique abilities. Lalia has already told me what you helped her do in the prison. I am impressed, I have never heard of anything like it. But, I am convinced I can do something to help you better master them. Would you like to try?" She asked.

"Yes. It won't hurt will it? What do you have in mind?" Miles responded cautiously.

"I know some old Aurrus tricks, I can show you. Let's go for a walk." Braes fumbled with a small device; she pressed her fingers against the screen.

"Hello?" Lalia's voice came from the device, a miniature hologram of her face appeared from the screen.

"Lalia, Miles has agreed to go with me. We will be back in two days. Notify me if plans change." Braes explained.

"I understand, be safe. Miles," Her hologram faced him, "Do your best, but try to not be overwhelmed. We will see you in a few days."

The hologram flickered off, and Braes grabbed her cloak off of the peg. She then fastened a small bag to her shoulder and beckoned him to follow.

"What was that about?" Miles asked, struggling to keep pace with Brae's.

"We will be heading to my work. I need to impart additional wisdom on you." She said, almost with spite in her voice.

"Your work? Aren't you a priestess?" Miles asked, turning back towards where they came.

"Yes. Lalia and I both agree that perhaps my superstition is archaic, but neither of us can deny the powerful techniques used by the clergy on Aurrus." Braes explained.

"Aurrus has clergy? Like the Convoy's ships?" Miles inquired.

Braes stopped.

"Yes, in fact we had a similar clergy. The Callos and Aurrus were sister species, both did the same thing. But their species lost faith in their deities, after their planet was consumed by chaos. They turned to science; they named their vessels of escape in mock of ours and their own superstition. Their council of spiritual elders had failed us where their ingenuity hadn't." Braes told him.

"I see. It makes a lot of sense actually." Miles answered, "Why don't they teach that to the Callos? I always assumed the names were without significance."

"It is because years of travel have made them migrant, when once they had a destination, they were taught that there was no end, only the journey. They lost their culture on the way." Braes answered.

"I have a feeling that we aren't planning on staying on Aurrus." Miles surmised.

"No. I don't believe Lalia will. When the opportunity arises, she will be leaving for the Convoy. She will stand against the Admiral and his cronies if she must. But his tyranny over the Convoy will end. He is suppressing more than their will, but also their birthright to the truth." Braes pronounced.

"He is suppressing their ancestral memory, somehow." Miles rubbed his head.

"Yes. You know what I am saying is true. As I tell you the truth your hardened heart breaks, light seeps into darkness. Ignorance flees from knowledge." Braes spoke louder, more empowered.

"What is your plan?" Miles asked.

"I will take you to the temple courts, and then I will impart on you the combined wisdom of the Aurrus and Callos. From there, I expect you will be able to provide a solution." Braes answered.

The two of them continued down the alley, one Aurrus vendor in grey took note of Brae's glittering tattoos; he snapped at the child viewing his booth. The Aurrus with a grey cape slammed the doors around the cart closed, he locked the doors and entered the same alley way.
Chapter 22

"What exactly is this?" Garth held up a metal panel, its wobbling caused a deep echoing vibrato. He laid the panel on top of a similar panel with slight ridges and creases, Lalia's eyes not leaving the metal sheet.

"They are teryiitll plates. I think that we might be able to shape this into armor plating." Lalia said, running her fingers over the smooth metal.

"Well, these sheets aren't very heavy. How will they protect anyone?" Garth asked.

"You do realize that these are refined versions of the sheets used to coat the hanger doors on CLERGY 1, right?" Lalia asked, irritated.

"Actually, no, I didn't." Garth answered, embarrassed, "So these things could take a blast from a ship's main gun?"

A squatty overweight Aurrus approached them:

"Why, yes it could!" He said with a drawl, "But why would you need such a small sheet of metal to need to take such a hit? Norm'lly the solar miners would plaster these here pieces to th'ar ships, it dun'nt melt from the heat." He whistled as he spoke.

"Actually, we would only need a few of these tiles. We don't need very much." Lalia explained, "It is for a project, I can't afford to be too extravagant."

"Ooh, yes. I un'nerstand, but I have this metal made for me in big 'ole sheets. That tile 'er is worth at least ninety-six Pobroles." The Aurrus clarified.

Lalia checked her holo-foil, the number next to her name showed that she had forty-two Pobroles; Aurrus currency was difficult for Callos to convert to.

"I suppose the Aurrus had to have some sort of system other than bartering when the Callos aren't in orbit." Garth sighed, "Maybe we should wait to buy the tiles until tonight or tomorrow, after the Convoy arrives he will bend over backwards to sell us his metal."

"Maybe. But, I'm sure we can come up with something. I think we need something similar, that plating would come in handy." Lalia bit her lip in thought.

"Thank you." Lalia excused them both.

The two then left the vendor, standing next to the metal tiles with a bewildered face, "Hey! How about half price?" He called.

"I'm sorry?" Lalia turned to ask, surprised, "Did you say half?"

"Yes. I recognized your holo-foil identification; you're the Admiral's wife!" The Aurrus exclaimed.

Lalia quickly turned and grabbed at Garth's elbow to run, but Garth didn't move, she made eye contact with him.

"You're the wife of the Admiral." Garth's tone and grin indicated with Lalia to play along, he directed with his eyes to go back to the merchant.

He mouthed:

"You're ok." He directed.

"Please, buy 'em from me. I got the best prices in Ailios. I will sell you an entire sheet for a fraction!" The merchant offered. "Tarrus, right? That means you were married to the Tarr family. I know all 'bout Callos stuff."

"Tomorrow, I can be waited on. I think I will hold off on making any purchases." Lalia responded in her most haughty voice.

"Please, then, just take these tiles as a sample. Let the Admiral see these, and tell him how good I was to you." The merchant pleaded.

"I may take all four tiles?" Lalia asked.

"Well, I offered two." The merchant grinned, showing yellowed teeth, he was sweating profusely.

"I'm not sure if I..." Lalia began,

"Take all four tiles. Take them! It really is no problem for me to give them to such a royal beauty as yourself." The merchant's smile didn't break as he talked.

"Thank you. I may be back tomorrow, then." Lalia directed Garth to grab the tiles and then she marched off, Garth awkwardly carrying the large metal sheets.

Garth excitedly turned to face Lalia:

"That was fantastic! I wonder what else we could get for free." He asked.

Lalia continued to walk:

"Yes. But the Admiral will know that we were there. We should take the long way back to the house; I don't want it to be easy for the Admiral's soldiers to be able to track us from the store." She turned sharply across a narrow bridge over the stream, Garth followed.

Chapter 23

The center of Ailios was breathtaking; the hundreds of streams and ovalt groves each convened in an enormous garden. Ailios Plaza was an enormous garden, the homes and vendors stopped at the plaza's edge, the sheer number of streams in their circular placement prevented any structure from having a foundation. Beautiful golden scaffolding allowed a hooded Miles and Braes to walk above the streams and foliage. A hundred other Aurrus meandered about on the raised platform. Miles gasped in awe as they neared the center of Ailios Plaza; each of the streams began to spiral along guided metal railings in a funnel. The hundred streams twisted around one another, seeming to never intersect, each individually pouring in to a narrow hole.

"How does one stream, let alone a few hundred, flow into that hole?" Miles asked.

"That is a mystery we have never and will never try to solve." Braes answered with a smirk. She held Mile's wrist and set his hand upon the golden rail, its warmth coursed through his body.

"This place is sacred to the Aurrus; it is where all of life on Aurrus flows, to a center point where it then restarts. For eons we have found this to be a universal truth; all life ends, but life begins again... different." Braes recited, as though a priestess creed.

"It is really beautiful." Miles said, while he leaned over the rail to look down the swirling funnel. "It smells good too." He inhaled the fresh air.

"It is, and it does." Braes allowed herself to appreciate the scene. Finally, she found a purpose; she was responsible for the boy. Where she had failed as a religious leader, she would succeed as a mentor.

"Does anyone ever try to climb beneath the scaffolding to pick the ovalt fruit?" Miles asked curiously, the then amended his thought; "Actually, the streams might be running a little too quickly for it to be safe."

"Yes, on occasion children will play under the plaza to pick the fruit, it is a very popular game. But, no, the streams actually do not run as fast or as deep as they appear. The Aurrus ordinarily use up a large portion of the water before it reaches the plaza." Braes smiled.

"Wow. That sounds fun." Miles thought, after a moment of silence he turned to face Braes:

"What is your plan for me?" He asked, confident, and by Braes' instinct he was also calmed in the spirit.

"I brought you here to access your spiritual condition. I believe you are already prepared to receive my gift." She told him, "Come now, it is a long walk to the temple court."

Miles walked by her side, "Why wouldn't the temple be next to the plaza?" he asked.

"Much like these streams, the temple was built long before anything was recorded. When you see it I think you will understand." She explained.

The two walked through the crowded streets, none of the Aurrus paid them any attention, save an Aurrus in grey following at a distance. Each of the Aurrus fumbled with their large fingers to set up their wares in preparation for the Callos arrival; occasionally one Aurrus would look to the sky to check that the Convoy was not yet in orbit. The street was swept clean by several younger Aurrus, while some native Callos yelled loudly in an attempt to prepare their home for their relatives.

"Travel season is always the worst." Miles joked, Braes didn't respond, he itched his head; back at home humor translated a little better.

They continued, taking only one break to eat. Miles was hesitant to eat a black furry fruit, which Braes insisted did not actually move as he claimed. The fruit was decent enough, but only after Miles peeled off the fur coat.

They climbed up some stairs to stand on the rooftop of a home, before them was an enormous Aurrus crowd chanting "Larragut! Larragut!". With a loud squawk and the flash of bright lights a Callos took to the stage; her scales and feathers were neon green as opposed to the normal muted blue. The stage appeared to be made of moving water, undulating platforms and dazzling lights provided a blue fluidity to the stage that wowed Miles. The Aurrus approached the center of the stage and then screamed loudly with delight, Larragut Paras posed as she shrieked loudly. Miles had to cover his ears, Braes sat happily.

"So, you don't like Larragut Paras?" She chuckled.

"Not really!" Miles shouted over the piercing shriek.

"Come with me." She took him by the hand and led him away from the concert.

"You don't seem too shocked to hear about an alien who is capable of blasting light out of their arms." He mentioned casually.

"I would be, but I knew that you would be coming." She said dryly.

"What?" Miles' jaw dropped.

"Lalia didn't tell you?" She asked, pursing her red lips, she teased him, "Actually, yes. For about a week I was having these terrifying nightmares, I was in this room filled with aliens, they would turn and yell loudly at me. I would run out of the room, and I shattered, like I was made of glass."

"I can imagine that being scary." Miles said, reflecting to a very real scene he had lived.

"It was. Until I recognized it was the same every time. The predictability began to comfort me, each time it was the same, but each time it became a little clearer." Braes said, sipping from a cup. The two sat on a bench facing the flowing water, the birds chirped as Miles finished something much like a granola bar, _"Dessert"_ Braes had told him.

"How did it get clearer?" Miles asked.

"I started to see more details once I was no longer afraid. For instance, the scene kind of began in a blur, but by the end of the week I knew that a feathery creature, much like those," She directed to the scaly green birds fighting over granola crumbs on the opposite side of the road, "That face, with deep blue eyes began the sequence."

"Braes, do you think it was possible that your dreams predicted what happened to me?" Miles asked slowly.

"Yes, Miles. I do believe my dreams were visions. Lalia also dreamt of you. We were all connected before anything had even begun." Braes reflected.

"I have, since hearing Lalia's side of the story last night, and seeing you..." Braes started, but Miles interrupted;

"Garth! Garth and I didn't share anything! What if that means something?" Miles shouted, afraid.

"What do you mean?" Braes asked, concerned, holding a crying Miles by the shoulder.

"Does that mean that Garth shouldn't have met me? That something bad will happen?" Miles cried.

"Shh." Braes tried to calm him, handing him her cup to drink from. "No, just because you didn't dream share does not mean he is in trouble. Simply because one doesn't have any lines to speak, does not mean that they don't have a role in the play." Braes reasoned.

"I am afraid." Miles admitted to Braes, "I have been afraid this whole time. I only have been putting it aside in order to get things done. I really just want things to be as they were."

"I am sure you do, anyone who has ever lost anything wishes that they could undo the past. But you, my dear, were not given the power to move through time, you were given the power to shoot things with light." She chuckled, "Light from your arms." She began to laugh loudly.

"What is so funny?" Miles asked, sniffling and wiping at his tears.

"Really, this is the most unusual experience in my life. I am sitting with an alien capable of blowing up planets, laughing _at him_!" She laughed so hard she began to cry.

"I am sorry." She caught her breath and apologized. "I cannot understand how difficult this must be for you, but I think with my gift you will feel more capable of accessing your situation." She stood and helped him to his feet.

"Where do we go now?" Miles asked.

"We are closer now. The temple is just a few more minutes away. You can actually see it from here." She said, leaning over a bridge to see a bell-tower above the homes.

The Ailios temple was an enormous cathedral, buttresses lined both sides, and in lieu of a stained glass window was a protruding aviary. Colorful birds flew in an out in droves; the large opening provided a resting place for dozens of the cawing and squawking creatures. The entire temple appeared to be carved out of a single piece of sandstone; its base was connected to the planet. Miles turned to look for similar formations, but the temple was the only such protrusion he had seen on Aurrus.

"The temple was carved from the planet." Miles said with wonder.

"Yes. Unfortunately, today wasn't the best day to see my favorite birds; they are bright yellow and look incredibly soft." Lalia sighed, but continued the awed Miles closer to the temple's entrance.

Due to the hour, only a few Aurrus children and their parents sat on the temple's steps, feeding the birds. A grey cloaked Aurrus stood in the large doorway tossing out bread crumbs.

"Braes." Miles asked, "If you are the priestess, why then do you live so far from the temple?"

"I never really took my position seriously." Braes confessed, "I am one of fifteen Aurrus priestesses, most of them have given up on the ancient religion. I was the youngest and most naive. These tattoos," She directed with her hands to the gold and green inscriptions painted on her side, "were symbolic of my dedication. But in the hundred-some-odd-years since: I couldn't care less."

The two entered the temple; the chamber seemed to swallow light with its high dark roof where the birds rested on the rafters.

"Don't worry, they won't poop." Braes answered before Miles could ask.

"This entire temple," Braes shouted, her arms raised spinning in a circle, "goes unused. The Aurrus could never fit into this building; as beautiful as it is, not even a tenth of Ailios could fit. As a priestess I had this room filled, convinced that our planet was devoted to the faith. But even the fullest building isn't the point of worship, it simply becomes a hazard." Braes admitted, "As a people we missed the purpose, once I stopped, the whole planet moved on, they couldn't care less."

Braes turned to face Miles who was bent over a glowing orb,

"Is this a light bulb?" Miles asked, poking at the orb.

"No, that is a meerkly bulb. They are bioluminescent weeds growing through the floor; we really should just pull them out." She explained, Miles stooped over to pull the bulbs out from their roots.

Braes continued, coming closer:

"On a more positive note, that means we came at the right time, in a few moments the birds..." she was interrupted.

The Aurrus in the grey cloak entered the temple chamber, the giant doors slammed shut behind him, his arm was raised towards Braes.

"Does he have a gun?" Miles asked. Braes shook her head; she didn't know.

He stepped into the light, the glint of his gun more evident.

"Temptress!" the Aurrus shouted, "You took all that I had, and dispersed it to your people!"

Braes reached for the gun strapped to her thigh, but the Aurrus stopped her:

"Don't reach for it. I know you are armed." He spat.

Miles pulled Braes and tried to back away from the approaching Aurrus.

"Better not move, boy. She will lie to you and take all of your money. She doesn't care about anyone; all she wanted was a charitable donation." His words were slurred.

"You're drunk! You aren't making any sense." Braes shouted.

"Am I? I think I need a confession, come with me..." the Aurrus stumbled forward.

"Run!" Miles shouted to Braes, as his arms glowed brightly, a white pulse of light hurled at the drunken Aurrus. His whole body flailed, the gun shot upward.

Miles ran after Braes, jumping over the fallen Aurrus, but the Aurrus caught Miles' leg. Miles looked up to see the rafters of the temple light up, each of the birds were brightly colored. The Aurrus moaned as he dragged Miles toward him, holding him by the neck. Miles struggled to repel the Aurrus with a blast, but he was unable to draw in air to breath. The light around his arms dwindled. Braes tried to pry open the doors, but was trapped.

Miles vision began to blur, he gasped for air, his punches failed to knock the Aurrus off of him. Miles reached blindly for the dropped gun, he tried to turn the gun towards the Aurrus, but the Aurrus used his free hand to struggle for the gun. Mile's vision was reduced to brightly colored blurs; he pulled the trigger and fired a round towards the rafters. His eyes began to close, his lungs were starved for air, he was unsure whether Braes escaped. All he could hear was the sound of loud squawking and fluttering wings. The birds scattered in an attempt to escape the temple, their fluttering glowing wings filled the air with light and noise. Distracted the drunk released his choke hold, instead watching the whirlwind of color.

Miles wheezed and coughed, retching for oxygen. He inhaled deeply and jettisoned the drunk to the far end of the temple, where he collapsed. Braes fell to the floor to pick Miles' head up; she pocketed the drunk's gun.

"Thank you." She hugged him, he blacked out.
Chapter 24

Braes managed to pry the temple doors open, using her shoulder and a chair as a battering ram, however. After she was certain that the drunk was dead, she approached the altar where he had fell; his head was cracked open and his limbs were twisted grotesquely. Rather than drag him from the temple, she pulled a curtain and covered him. Miles lay across the floor on the opposite side, she propped him on a cushion she found, it looked dirty, but he wouldn't notice in his unconsciousness. For the rest of the night she sat next to him, letting him sleep, but she ensured that he continued to breath. Miles eventually stirred and yawned, he cracked his eyes open to check his surroundings, Braes comforted him. He began to cry, she cradled him.

At about midnight the Convoy broke the atmosphere; the Aurrus began to launch their firework displays and danced wildly in the streets. Braes sealed the doors of the temple closed; no one would likely bother them until morning. She led a weak Miles to the far end of the chamber, offering them plenty of cover should someone search the temple. She watched out the window as droves of shuttles carrying Callos were lowered to the Ailios outskirts, a single shuttle flew towards Ailios Plaza; the Admiral. Aurrus and Callos native to Aurrus rushed through the streets to the edge of town to greet their visitors and guests. The Convoy's vessels blocked out the view of the purple moon, in the far off distance, CLERGY 5 and CLERGY 6 remained in orbit. Joyful screaming and yelps of adulation echoed down the empty streets around the temple; they would be safe for the night. It was the party of the century, but Braes didn't miss it; she was happier fulfilling her purpose.

The festivities continued throughout the night, Miles felt stronger, and Braes felt comfortable to sleep as well. The two locked themselves in the back room of the temple, and the relatively soundproof room allowed them to sleep through the celebration.

The next morning Miles was the first to wake, but he waited until Braes woke to unlock the office doors; the Callos had arrived. No doubt that the Admiral had let loose some of his soldiers in search of them, if they hadn't been looking for them already. Once Braes was awake, they opened the door, prepared to fight, fortunately the temple was empty.

"We need to be especially careful. Let me show you where to go." Braes directed.

She and Miles approached the altar behind the door; behind a tapestry was a metal door.

"Kind of a pretty obvious secret passage." Miles remarked.

Braes reached behind the panel and pulled a crank, a creak came from the rafters above them. Dust fell and several slumbering birds fluttered from their perches.

"Actually, the room is above this chamber." Braes lashed.

"Oh." Miles said, biting his lip.

Braes directed Miles to the ladder propped against the wall, he climbed halfway until he was sure that Braes was following. He stood on the rafters, he helped Braes up, they both shuffled towards where the dust has been unsettled. Miles wrapped his body around a wooden beam, and gingerly stepped around it, Braes followed suit. Miles looked down; he was at a dizzying height, easily three-dozen feet above the ground.

"Are these beams just for the birds?" Miles asked.

"Other than access to the hidden room, yes, only the birds use these beams." Braes thought out loud.

Miles neared the center of the chamber, some of the beams were slightly green while others were deep red, he hadn't realized it from the floor, but the top of the beams were decorated. He began to see a pattern in the cushions, rugs, and tapestries below him.

"Don't look now; it will be easier to see once we are higher up." Braes promised.

Miles shuffled to the side, still hunched over, so Braes could stand on the center beam. She pressed up with her palms and slid the piece of the roof to the side, revealing an attic of some sort. She motioned for Miles to help give her a boost up into the chamber; he cupped his hands and raised them for her to step on.

Once she was in, Miles could hear furniture or heavy objects being slid across the floor above, Braes grunted as she slammed herself into a stubborn object.

"Sorry. It was just dust. It didn't want to budge, all better now." She explained.

She lowered her hand to help lift Miles into the room with her. She had lit a few candles and illuminated the dark room; after Miles' eyes adjusted he could see that the room was circular with several seats, a dozen or so were pushed to the side leaving just two chairs. Miles peeked down through the hole from where they had come; the chamber below resembled several stripes of red converging on a center point beneath him. Miles hadn't realized that the seats and beams together comprised the stripes, he recognized the pattern immediately.

"This room is designed to resemble Ailios Plaza! The stripes and everything!" Miles exclaimed.

"Yes. But the pattern is only visible to those with the proper vantage point." Braes responded, her voice more serious than it had been.

"Miles," she began, Miles straightened in his seat, "I brought you here to transfer unto you the gift of the combined wisdom of the Aurrus and Callos. I believe that you will be capable of receiving such typically irreconcilable memories. Our species were once conjoined, but have since split apart. You are capable of understanding both of our cultures, thus I am certain you are fit to receive."

"How can you give me memory?" Miles asked.

"I assume you have a brain?" Braes asked.

With a look of hurt, and as a recipient of an insult Miles defended himself:

"Yes. I have a brain!" He pointed to his head.

"Exactly, your brain is located there." She leaned over and tapped his head.

"Right." Miles said cautiously, relaxing in his chair.

"Callos have the unique ability to pass on their memories to their descendants. Each Callos can draw upon this ancestral memory, allowing them vast quantities of information. Similarly, Aurrus are capable of sharing dreams and memories with one another to access thoughts and memories." Braes explained.

"Why then is it such a shock that you would share dreams with me and Lalia?" Miles asked.

"Lalia and I..." Braes corrected, before she caught herself.

"Well, because such memories don't travel between species. But the night I spoke to Lalia, and we determined we both dream shared with you." Braes stopped.

"What?" Miles asked.

"Usually, dream sharing can only occur through direct contact. That was the second confusing part..." Braes stopped, again trapped in thought.

"Continue." Miles requested.

"Right. Because we were both able to share with you; we attempted a memory transfer but were unable to do so. I believe it is because you were the link between our species, between us. Without you in our dreams, we wouldn't have shared in the first place. I am prepared to offer you my memories, if you are willing." Braes asked.

"Why wouldn't I be willing?" Miles asked, afraid.

"Lalia refused to attempt the transfer with me, 'the risks were too high' she said." Braes admitted.

"What risks?" Miles asked, cautious.

"Because, you will be unable to distinguish your memories from mine." Braes warned, biting her lip and looking away as she said so. Miles didn't notice the movement.

"That is a small price to pay." Miles chuckled, but Braes remained stern-faced.

She warned; "To perform this transfer will be very difficult on my end, perhaps more so on yours. This room seems to aid the process in the past; we need all of the help we can get. I am certain we will be provided answers, once the transfer is complete."

"I apologize. I am ready." Miles answered.

"Let us begin. Hold my wrists." Braes directed, Miles did so. Braes held her fingers around Mile's ears and eyes. She breathed heavily; Mile's breath became shallower.

"Soon, you will feel a slight..." Braes whispered, her wrists began to shake violently. She fell to the floor, as did Miles. Both lay still and silent, neither one breathing at all.

Chapter 25

The Admiral rubbed his temples, and then ran his hand down his head. For three days he had been managing, himself personally, the mechanics on CLERGY 1. Around the clock he forced the Callos to work in shifts refitting the aft end of CLERGY 1 to better suit his purpose. The mechanism was an alteration of two of the Convoy's greatest inventions: the Idinium Repulsors on the sides of the Convoy vessels, and the Harvest Transporter used to move harvested material from Phlasia. Together they would make a devastating weapon, capable of fast-freezing the terrain of any planet...or moon.

The Aurrus failed to provide the Admiral with any valuable information regarding the whereabouts of Doctor Tarrus and her accomplices; mainly the creature from Earth.

"The machine is only a means to an end, a way to flush out the creature." Doctor Melric assured him.

The Admiral felt strongly about the creature, at first he thought he felt fear, but now he was unsure of why he felt drawn to the creature. At first the machine would have been used on Phlasia, but then to his dismay the situation with Lalia escalated. The machine would now serve two purposes.

He consulted his trusted advisor Doctor Melric via communication device; the Doctor's face was projected:

"Doctor, I am unsure of whether to authorize the test of this weapon."

Doctor Melric mused silently for a moment, and then responded:

"Admiral, sir. The Aurrus have not been cooperative, finding this creature is our number one priority."

" _Once I have the creature in my custody, then there will be no distractions from Phlasia. The Doctor can run tests and diagnostics, and then we dispose of it. The problem doesn't need to be a problem. It is as simple as a plasma round._ " He thought.

"Doctor, I am not sure I feel threatened by the creature any longer; for a moment, then I felt sympathy for the creature that had lost its planet, then I felt exhilaration at the prospect of a new discovery. Besides, it is on Aurrus." The Admiral thought out loud.

Doctor Melric's brow furrowed:

"Do not lose sight of your end goal. This creature can potentially be damning to your career, to our way of life. Proceed with the demonstration of the weapon; the Aurrus will realize who holds power of negotiation. Until they provide to you the creature, threaten them."

The Admiral glanced around his surroundings, the weapon was nearly complete, within a few hours he could assault the planet, and a demonstration could be preformed in less time. He faced the planet; the Aurrus were peaceful partners, and had been for eons, they were the sister species.

"I will send an order to all our troops; they are to bring back our Convoy members to their home vessels immediately. The festival must be cut short, no Callos will be left on the planet should we proceed with the weapon." The Admiral reasoned.

"Sir Admiral, you have proven once again how effective and insightful you can be as our leader. Will your brother remain planet side searching for the convicts?" Melric asked, his voice demonstrating false concern.

"Yes. Alvar has dedicated himself to the pursuit of Doctor Tarrus and the alien creature. I will alert him to my plan immediately." The Admiral answered.

"Very well. Did you need anything else from me, sir?" Melric asked with a slight bow.

"I also wanted to make sure that CLERGY 5 isn't in too bad of shape. Your staff has since managed to put everything back in order?" The Admiral asked thoughtfully.

"Ah, yes. I am in my laboratory right now, accounting for anything that may have been shifted during a confrontation." Melric lied.

"Very well. Thank you." The Admiral's transmission ended.

Doctor Melric stood in a slate grey room, he peered out of his window; Ailios was still bustling. He paced over towards a beaker; he poured into a washing basin and mixed in a green fluid from a test tube. With a heating rod, he stirred the mixture, it began to glow faintly.

"This synthesized nicely. I need only the proper recipient." He chuckled.

Loudspeakers blared:

"All Callos must return to their shuttles. All Callos must return to their shuttles."

Melric watched from his window as confused Callos began to angrily shuffle through the crowds, Aurrus vendors shouted loudly in protest. Soldiers forced the crowds outward, to the fringes of the city, a few shuttles began to leave back to their respective vessels.

A few moments later a loud thundering noise shook the house; several of his glass tubes fell to the floor and shattered. He peered out his window, the bazaar had stopped moving, and each of the faces looked upwards to the sky.

Chapter 26

The bazaar was loud with laughter and children still running around. Vendors cried out to dozens of wide-eyed Callos. It would be their final outing; Lalia needed the last component for her shield system. The system would provide protection from solar radiation and zero atmospheric pressure, as well as being nearly impenetrable from plasma shots. The shielding system could be added to three separate survey suits, so that she, Garth, and Miles could use them for protection as they stormed the bridge. Of course, Lalia lied to Garth;

"These will provide adequate protection from the environment; we can use them on the exterior of a ship in case we need to do some repairs. You never know, right?" She asked him, biting her lip. But Garth was always worrying, she needed to set his anxiety aside and focus; she needed a way back to the bridge, to confront the Admiral. She shuffled in her cloak, she and Garth were keeping their faces hidden, and the vendor in front of her was still scanning the crowd looking for a potential customer to harass.

It wouldn't be as easy as stealing a shuttle from unsuspecting Callos, each shuttle had a soldier aboard; the Admiral had initiated a heightened state of alarm. Short of a war, there was no possible way for her to board CLERGY 1...alive.

"Garth, I may need to fake my death." Lalia mused for a moment.

"Listen. I already know your plan; you want to reach the Admiral yourself. I have known it the whole time; I am actually disappointed you didn't trust me enough." Garth admitted.

"I am sorry. I wanted to protect you..." Lalia tried, but Garth interrupted;

"Did you think I was oblivious to the patrols of soldiers scouring the market for us? It was fairly obvious that you were keeping us hidden." Garth yelled.

"You are right. You are plenty capable, I was being irresponsible; yes, I want to take the fight to the Admiral himself." Lalia confessed.

"As do I." Garth agreed confidently.

Garth continued; "Neither of us should be forced to live on Aurrus. As great as the planet is; we know the truth and shouldn't need to hide in fear. The Admiral's regime of cover-ups needs to end." He proclaimed.

"I didn't realize you felt this strongly." Lalia admitted.

"I didn't either. But..." Garth paused, "I want to go home."

"I don't intend for anyone to get hurt." Lalia said, staring across the road at some Aurrus squabbling over spilt juice.

"No one will." Garth assured her, "I promise."

Lalia walked past the vendor, no w watching the arguing Aurrus, slipping a small metal disc into her pocket. She and Garth continued down the street arm in arm. They rounded the corner, but the two were too excited to keep their heads down, Alvar and his soldiers were interrogating an elderly Callos, Alvar turned at just the right moment to make eye contact with Lalia. He raised his arm and shouted.

"There!" Each of the soldiers then turned to look at Alvar, and then followed his finger to two cloaked figures fleeing down the alley; they unholstered their weapons and gave pursuit.

Lalia and Garth cut through the large open bazaar, with their cover blown, their best chance for escape was to lose the soldiers. Each of the soldiers ran down the steps into the bazaar as well, Alvar remained at the top of the stairs to provide a vantage point; he called into his communication device.

"They are heading away from the plaza, past the green vendor, they made a right." He shouted, jumping to the roof next to him.

Lalia pushed Garth behind a wall for cover, she raised her gun and fired several plasma rounds, one connected and dropped a soldier; he clutched his shoulder.

The other soldiers fired in response, she dropped behind a barrel and rolled to her side, Garth helped her up. They sprinted to a bridge over an ovalt grove, Garth slid onto his knees, and lowered himself into the stream, Lalia quickly followed him. They ran down stream, doubling back form where they had come. Two of the soldiers ran across the bridge, Garth and Lalia sloshed through the water, Garth helped Lalia into an ovalt tree. Lalia unlatched a window and stepped into the house; Garth stepped off of the branch and pulled himself into the house.

Gingerly, they tiptoed through the dark home; Lalia leaned against the wall to peek out into the street. Alvar stood on a roof a few houses down directing several soldiers to split up and search nearby areas. One soldier opened a door a house down to search inside.

"They are searching the houses." Lalia whispered.

"Are they coming this way?" Garth whispered back.

"Yes. What should we do?" Lalia hissed.

"I'll check the back." Garth answered, he ran to the window from where they had come, two soldiers sloshed through the stream looking for them.

"There are two out here." Garth observed.

Several loudspeakers blared; Lalia could only distinguish "Callos" and "Return".

_Callos?_ She mouthed to herself in thought; they were broadcasting a bounty on their heads, she thought.

"Go up. Go upstairs." Lalia ordered. She and Garth ran up the stairs, a snoring Aurrus lay in bed as they ran past the open bedroom.

"Open your door!" A Callos soldier demanded downstairs.

Lalia looked out the window; an escape across the roof would put them in Alvar's view.

"What to do..." Lalia asked herself.

"I am coming in!" The soldier warned loudly, breaking the door in.

Garth grabbed Lalia by the arm and yanked her into the dark bedroom; he lay down and directed her to do the same. He rolled under the sleeping Aurrus' bed; Lalia went into the prone position and hid next to him.

The soldier slammed cupboards closed and he slid furniture across the room loudly.

"They are broadcasting a bounty on our heads." Lalia warned Garth.

"Is that why there is such a commotion outside?" Garth asked.

Garth's breath was hot on Lalia's neck; she noted how dusty she was after sliding under the bed, as well as the streaks of water her boots left. She stuck her hand out from under the bed to wipe the water away. A foot landed next to her hand, the Aurrus woke up. The soldier stomped up the stairs and slammed open the bedroom door:

"I ordered you to open the door." The soldier boomed.

"I was sleeping, you wretched Callos!" The Aurrus shouted.

"Sir, I apologize, but I am looking for these convicts." The soldier fumbled with something in his pocket, the room lit blue.

"I don't care! Get out of my house!" The Aurrus shouted, a smack noise reverberated in the room, a holo-gram flickering Lalia, Garth, and Miles fell to the floor next to Lalia.

"I understand." The soldier whimpered, turning to run out of the room, he ran down the stairs.

"Callos live on a ship and they have escaped convicts. Harrumph!" The Aurrus muttered as he got back into bed. Lalia and Garth exhaled a sigh of relief, a cloud of dust puffed into the air, Lalia's nose tickled.

The familiar stomping of the soldier ran back up the stairs;

"Sorry sir, I need to grab my holo-gram." The soldier apologized, leaning to pick up his equipment. He stopped; the holo-gram fell in some water.

"Sir, your floor is wet." The soldier said accusationally.

"You tracked all sorts of water into my house." The Aurrus said, losing his patience.

Lalia inhaled some of the dust, her nose began to itch and her eyes began to water.

"I am going to check the room one more time." The soldier said slowly, as he searched the bathroom and closet. Lalia needed to sneeze.

The soldier scanned the room, the Aurrus cleared his throat to shout, and the soldier took the cue.

"I will just leave, then." The soldier turned to leave.

Garth sneezed, Lalia turned to look at him. He gave a frightened smile.

The soldier approached the bed, Lalia reached for his leg; Garth slid from under the bed and shot at the soldier. The plasma bolt hit him square in the chest, dropping him.

The Aurrus yelled: "Help! They are in here! They are in here!"

Garth led Lalia towards the window at the end of the hall, jumping though it onto the roof of the neighboring house. Alvar stood on the roof across from them, shouting madly:

"Get them! Get them!" He shouted, waving his gun towards the escaping convicts. The soldiers were struggling to push their way through the crowded streets, Alvar gave pursuit himself, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. He was gaining on them, he leveled his gun at their silhouettes, and he squinted one eye against the setting sun and fired until his clip was empty. They had escaped.

Chapter 27

Garth took a deep breath and leaped, his foot landed on the roof of the house, he tumbled forward and landed in a heap. Lalia stopped short of the jump.

"You can make it! Get a running start!" He yelled.

She measured with her gaze the jump, easily ten feet. She clutched her side, the running proved to be too much for her; her side ached unbearably. She yelled in pain as she forced her legs to jump, her chest hit the edge and she began to fall. Garth's hand shot out to catch her.

"I got you." He assured her. He lifted her onto the roof.

The two panted, Garth looked up, and no one was following them anymore. The streets were empty, further away however, Callos and Aurrus were arguing loudly. Shots were fired in the distance, screaming pierced the air, but silence followed. The crimson sky faded to shades of blue, the sun was nearly set, the purple moon shined in the far off distance.

"We should be safe now." Garth coughed, "The streets are empty, and the Convoy must be leaving."

"You don't think that they caught Miles and Braes?" Lalia gasped, coughing for air, holding her side.

"No. I don't see why everyone would be forced back to the shuttle." Garth said.

"Ungh..." Lalia moaned, clutching her side. Her side felt warm and wet, she lifted her hand to find she was bleeding badly. She glanced up to see if Garth had noticed, but he was already watching her.

"You were shot." He said, his voice squeaked slightly, he bent down to help her.

"I'm a doctor. I can handle this." She chuckled.

"You have a doctorate in science, I know that. Don't try to fool anyone, you need this fixed up." Garth comforted her.

"You really do know a lot about me, don't you?" She asked.

"I was your number one fan. You were my hero." He admitted.

"Was your hero?" She asked.

"Still are." He corrected her, "You'll be fine."

"You've grown. Admittedly I forced you into this situation, I am sorry." She apologized.

"Don't be. This has been the greatest adventure of my life." He assured her.

"No." She straightened her body, choking on the word.

Garth turned around to see from CLERGY 1 a bolt of blue; the Aurrus moon shuddered from impact. The stream of blue from CLERGY 1 continued, slowly the moon transformed from its luminescent purple to an icy blue; it was being frozen.

"They are freezing the moon?" Garth gasped.

"Why?" Lalia asked.

The scene continued for a few minutes, the rim of blue expanded to a quarter of the moon's surface. The two watched from the roof top for a few minutes, Garth helped lower Lalia into the house they were on top of. The two story home, much like the other Aurrus homes, was built of mud, straw, and ovalt wood. The ovalt wood was ornately carved into the doorways and windows. The walls were painted over a slate grey. The furniture in the room was built from the knarled roots of the ovalt trees, the wood twisted and bent wildly, a nightstand, a chair, and a bed made of the roots sat plainly in the large empty bedroom. The room was dusty, evident that it had been left vacant for some time.

He laid on her on the bed.

"Is it still happening?" She asked. Garth peeked out of a window to confirm.

"Yes. The moon is nearly completely frozen." He told her.

"I have the bandages. How do I wrap you?" He asked, clumsily holding the bandages to her side. "Oh, dear. You are leaking clear blood." He cried.

"No. No. The clear is my skin trying to repair the wound, it is a burn, that would be the cytoplasm secreted from burst cells, it is completely normal." She explained.

Garth wrapped the bandages around Lalia's torso, she cringed each time the fabric touched her open wound.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying my best so it doesn't hurt." Garth explained.

"No. It will have to hurt, tie it tightly or it won't do me any good." She directed.

Garth bit his lip and wrapped tighter, Lalia cried out in pain. He too, began to shout as he did it. He snipped off the bandage and set it on the nightstand close to the bed, he ran downstairs and returned.

"It isn't tape, but I think these clips will work." He explained as he attached metal clamps to her bandages.

"I think you did just fine." She smiled weakly.

"What does that mean? Are you resigning to death or satisfied in my doctoring?" He asked nervously.

"Relax. You did well." She assured him, "Agh!" She clutched her side, "I'll be good in a day or two."

Garth peered out of the window; most of the Callos had already left for the Convoy. Aurrus were closing their windows and locking their doors, something ominous was in the air.

"I don't think we have that much time. The Convoy just declared war on the Aurrus." Garth sighed.

Lalia straightened in her bed:

"Then we should keep going. We need to meet up with Miles and Braes at the house." She tried to get out of bed.

"We should stay here. I think we just need to wait it out. In a few days you'll be better, and the Convoy will be long gone. Aurrus isn't that bad." Garth decided.

"If I am holding you back, you need to carry on without me." She told him, her eyes free of tears, she was not sad.

"I will not leave you." Garth assured her.

"Go. Take the shielding system." She pointed at her at the piece they had just narrowly escaped with. "Head back to the house, assemble it. You, Miles, and Braes can wear them. After all, there are only three." She cried, squeezing her side.

"I will be back for you." Garth promised, grabbing the final component, and heading towards the door.

"I'm not dying. I am just sorry I can't come along." She shooed him off.

"Goodbye, Doctor Tarrus." Garth said, wiping at his tears.

"Get out of here!" She yelled, laughing, and squeezing her side. Garth ran off down the alley, looking back only once.

"Phlasia protect them." Lalia prayed, she lay back in her bed. She lifted her shirt slightly; her bandages were being bled through.

" _I should have had him get me some spare bandages and glass of water first."_ She thought to herself.

She rested her head against the pillow and closed her eyes, she needed to rest the wound off, and a few moments of quiet could help her get her mind together. She sensed movement in the room, a damp rag was placed over her face, it smelled like chemicals.

Chapter 28

Miles was in an enormous dark space; as far as he could tell everything was black. He resisted his impulse to run and test the boundaries of this landscape; by this point he had figured it did no good to run around dream worlds. It felt as though the floor began to slip beneath him, the blackness gave way to a stone chamber decorated with ornate tapestries. The tiles were alternating emerald green and gold, before him was an altar.

"You are in my memories." A voice whispered.

"Braes?" Miles called out.

"Yes. The room represents the totality of my knowledge, face the walls." She directed.

Miles turned to face the walls; the walls were covered in dozens of tapestries, each one showing a spectacular scene.

"These are scenes you have seen." He said.

"Yes. Each one has made an impression on who I am today." Braes responded.

One tapestry showed a sunset over Ailios, hundreds of Aurrus and Callos were dancing in the streets, another showed a muscular Aurrus reaching and hand down to help Braes up a ledge.

"This must be your first Convoy visit, and this must be one of your friends." Miles chuckled.

"Don't laugh. I am over three-hundred-years-old, and I have remained in celibacy." She chided.

"Oh, sorry." Miles apologized quickly, he bit his lip.

Mile approached the tapestry picturing the party in Ailios; it looked like the individual stitches were moving almost. The tapestry appeared to moved and flow slightly, as though it were liquid. He reached out to touch it, expecting it to be wet.

When his fingers touched the tapestry the room he was in transformed to the scene; he was on a rooftop watching over Ailios as Callos and Aurrus danced. Fireworks screamed in the distance, their explosions crackled in the dark night's sky. An Aurrus called to him:

"Braes, come down from there. You will miss Ralto's dance!" He called to Miles.

Miles reacted, waving his arms:

"Who me?" He asked,

But the Aurrus didn't respond, instead, Mile's world moved around him, bobbing up and down slightly as he moved closer to the source of the joyous noise. There was a bonfire with several young Aurrus dancing around it, the bright light glared in Miles' eyes. Miles felt elated himself, the festival was exciting and everyone was enjoying themselves, Miles felt as though he belonged. But then a figure moved across the scene, phasing through the other figures. Miles recognized her; it was his mother.

"Mom!" Miles screamed for her.

A short brown-haired woman in a yellow summer dress continued to walk through the Aurrus festival, oblivious to anything around her; including her son.

"Mom! It's me, Miles!" Miles screamed for her.

"It is no use." Braes explained, "She is from your memories, you cannot interact with her either."

Several more human figures began to enter the scene; Mile's friend Seymour entered the scene, picking at his shoulder.

Miles began to sob as he recognized the dozen figures walk past him oblivious that they are apart of his memory.

"I'm done." Miles sobbed.

The scene ended.

Miles was back in the room with the alternating tiles, he released his grip on the tapestry. Braes called out to him:

"That night was one of the most fun I had ever spent." She said sadly, and fondly.

"He meant a lot to you. Didn't he?" Miles began to cry...

"Yes. Bralvo loved me, and I never retuned the favor. At least, I never showed how I felt." Braes' voice admitted.

"Will your other memories show people from mine?" Miles asked, sniffling.

"Yes. Most likely." Braes admitted sadly.

"I don't know if I can do this then." Miles began to doubt.

"Please Miles, you must continue. I am certain something I have to offer you will make all of the difference." Braes pleaded.

"Difference how?" Miles asked.

"I believe it is possible for you to save your loved ones." Braes explained.

"Really?" Miles stopped his sniffling; his voice was hopeful and determined.

"The memories will be challenging." Braes warned.

"We need to continue." Miles stepped towards the next tapestry.

Miles looked around the room, searching for a tapestry which looked like it would hold more relevant information. Though none of them had Callos or the Convoy pictured.

"Do you have any memories pertaining to me? Or the Convoy? Something that could help me?" Miles asked the ceiling, hoping Braes could answer.

"I cannot say. I do not know how my memories are organized, there should be something." Braes responded honestly.

"No organization though?" Miles asked disappointedly.

"Obviously I am doing my best to help you. Look for something that stands out." Miles took a step back and guided his eyes along each of the tapestries; one showed a half-moon, another showed an Aurrus grave, one showed a toy vendor in the street, another showed a filled temple.

"Which do you suggest?" Miles shouted, he closed his eyes and waved his finger across each one, and back again. Where his finger settled, he opened his eyes. He was pointing towards a tapestry with a silhouette standing in a door way.

"I guess fate has chosen 'tapestry number six'!" Miles announced as he stepped towards it and reached out.

Again he was shifted into the scene, the room was dark and he was facing a wall. Actually, it was the ceiling, he learned as his perspective shifted forward. Braes' view adjusted towards a doorway where a figure stood.

"Braes, dear. You have been chosen. Come now, get dressed and ready to go. Your mother is ready, it is cold out tonight." Her father's voice calmly said.

Her father's face alternated with the mustachioed face of his own father. Miles wanted deeply to cling to his face, but for the sake of perseverance closed his eyes and tried to physically shake off the image.

The view adjusted and Brae's got out of bed, she approached a dresser and slipped on some shoes and a fur coat. Miles noted that Braes' small chubby arms did not yet have tattoos on them. Braes' parents quietly led her from her house across the nearby Ailios Plaza towards the temple. The sun was close to rising, Miles could see, red was breaking through the night. In front of the large wooden doors stood several robed figures, by lamplight Miles could make out some gold paint on one of the figure's faces. Miles ignored the blonde Austrian girl from his Spanish class, as well as his old cat as they walked along the street next to him.

"This is the child?" A tall female Aurrus asked.

"Yes. This is our daughter, Braes." Her father answered.

"Come in, it is cold outside." Another robed female ushered them in.

The doors sealed behind them. Each of the robed figures removed their hoods, they varied in age, but were each adorned with tattoos. The eldest of the group approached Braes and got on her knees, now level and close to Mile's face she comforted Braes:

"You are fortunate to be chosen, you..." She was interrupted.

A faint child's voice whispered with fear: "Can I go home?"

The priestess answered slowly:

"You were be anointed a priestess for the goddesses this sunrise, your duty will end at sunset. Then you may go home."

The priestess then pulled a paintbrush with gold paint on its tip and dabbed Mile's forehead. Miles reached to wipe off the paint, but then remembered he is experiencing Braes' memory.

"Good morning Braes." The priestess whispered.

Miles was transported back to the room.

Miles sat back on the tile and ran his fingers through his hair; going through each of Braes' memories was tedious and emotionally exhausting. He could feel the depths of sadness in each scene.

"Have you found it yet?" Braes' voice asked.

"No, not yet." Miles answered. He got back on his feet and faced the wall of tapestries; he didn't look forward to it. But he needed to try it; he reached out for the tapestry with a grave marker, he squeezed hard on the cool fabric.

Chapter 29

Lalia could first hear the voices of several soldiers in the room, she could tell the voices were soldiers because none of them spoke out of turn, one voice talked more than the rest; Doctor Melric. She opened her eyes, both were sore, she reached to rub them, but her wrists were bound behind her back. She was still in the house where Garth had left her, but someone covered the windows with sheets from the bed.

"You're awake!" Melric exclaimed, his loud voice hurt Lalia's sensitive ears.

"Please get the good doctor some water." Melric directed a soldier near the stairs, the Callos obediently left the room, pounding as he went.

Lalia tried to speak, but her mouth was dry, instead she rasped out:

"Monster."

"Oh, I am flattered. Really, I am. I would obviously prefer, I don't know..." He paused for emphasis, "Information!"

A soldier grabbed Lalia by the throat and held her firmly against the chair she was restrained to.

"Step back." Melric ordered, the soldier released her, "I don't need to strangle her. She will cooperate."

A soldier returned with a cup of water, he held it to Lalia's lips for her to drink.

She slowly rinsed her mouth and swallowed the water. She cleared her throat, it hurt:

"I am not going to cooperate." Lalia assured him.

"Yes. Yes, you will. Doctor Tarrus," he began, "Do you realize how elusive you have been?"

"Elusive? Yes, that is what an escaped convict aims to be." She spat, blood trickled down the sides of her mouth.

"You have been more elusive than that!" Melric jumped around the room giddy, he then closed it; his face next to hers.

"I always wanted you to be mine." Melric explained, "I wanted you to be my partner." He rubbed her leg, she squirmed, but the soldier stepped in to hold the chair.

"Get away from me." She warned, baring her teeth.

"Of course I don't want you anymore." Melric stepped away, "What good is it to have an insane bride?"

"Do you still think I am insane? You must already know about the creature I brought." She asked.

"No. You aren't insane. You've proven that much. But you were greatly mistaken to believe you could change anything. Hiding a _human_ in the Convoy would have been impossible. What did you expect to do?" He asked.

"You know?" Lalia was speechless, her jaw dropped.

"Yes. _Human_. The _boy_ with unique abilities. I am surprised you haven't already damned the entire Convoy. The Admiral is convinced the child will destroy each of the vessels, causing the extinction of all Callos." Melric explained.

"I knew better. Humans share a common ancestry with the Callos, for years medical breakthroughs on CLERGY 5 stemmed from research on humans we had kidnapped." Melric continued, pacing the room, fiddling with something in his coat pocket.

"But, my ancestors kept this information secret. Are you aware of any of the three dozen species my ancestors have kept secret from the Convoy? It was our duty; it is my duty, to ensure that the Convoy remains on track. The pitiful little path from the far end of the Phlasian Portal back to Phlasia keeps things predictable." Melric laughed.

"That doesn't make any sense! Why not come clean?" Lalia asked, shaking with fury in her chair.

"The beauty is this; I don't need a reason! By holding all of the knowledge I hold complete control. The Admiral is a figurehead; Tovar simply keeps the boat in the right direction. We are basically moving on rails! I am the one with the power! That's all that really matters!" Melric shouted, he straddled Lalia's lap.

"All I want to do is kill you, and your little human friend. You threaten my control, in fact, while I am at it; I should just knock off the Admiral and his idiot brother." Melric decided.

"You won't find him. He is safe; he is going to prove to the Convoy they are making a mistake by trusting you. You lost your opportunity." Lalia lashed.

"The funny thing about opportunity is that," Melric pulled a syringe from under his lab coat; "It will always come knocking at my door." He laughed, and plunged the needle into Lalia's throat.

Lalia began to cough and jerk, the soldier released her and she fell to the floor writhing in pain.

"It burns doesn't it?" Melric laughed, he kicked at her stomach, she choked on a cry.

"Alvar reported having shot at you and you mechanic friend. It turns out he did hit you, tracking blood is whole lot easier than scouring the entire city." Melric stooped down to taunt her.

"I killed your friend Terr Belar. She shouldn't have helped you. That was naughty." He waved his forefinger back and forth.

Lalia clutched her side and rasped for breath, she knocked a table over, the glass on it shattered across the floor.

"She wouldn't cooperate; in retrospect it would appear I overdosed her on Yorno Vaccilis." He held up a florescent green vial, "It works as a neural sedative, but you already know that much."

Lalia coughed, "No. I still won't tell you."

Melric beamed, "I don't expect you to. That weakens your mental faculties, this is my masterpiece: a serum to induce a psychic reaction. I derived the formula from Aurrus cerebro-spinal fluid. Your brain will operate as theirs do, allowing for your telepathic connection to open. In short, your brain waves will transmit a live prime-time feed." He explained.

He dug the needle into Lalia's arm.

"You three. Leave the room. I want it to be empty when he gets here." Melric directed his soldiers; he stared back at Lalia's glare.

"He won't fall for your trap!" She cried.

"Yes he will. I watched the footage from your stunt in CLERGY 6; he looked to you for direction. A surrogate mother almost. He will come." Melric promised. He began to kick at her.

"Try to look distressed. Look sad for the camera." He yelled, kicking at her burn.

Lalia tried to remain as composed as possible, but the pain proved to be too much.

"I am sorry." She whispered under her breath, as though Miles was in the room to hear it.

"I am disappointed you didn't put up a fight." Melric pouted, "I wanted to practice some theatricality, to toy with you and look pretty for the camera."

"I..." Lalia tried.

"No matter, come with me." He directed to the remaining soldier, the two left the room, Lalia lay still and cried, unable to move.

Chapter 30

Miles was transported to a rainy day, it was cold and dark, someone behind him sneezed. He stood at the foot of an open grave; an elongated urn was being lowered into the hole. Mourners wept, one Aurrus blew their nose for an entire minute. Miles peered around the funeral service, each of the mourners wore festive colored suits, but none of their faces reflected any festivity. An odd sounding horn played in the distance, the rain picked up and several of the elderly Aurrus were ushered out of the downpour. Callos were at the funeral in large numbers; Miles turned but saw only blackness; because Braes' memory was fixated on the urn being lowered. Miles heard the familiar noise of a hand pat near his ear, someone sought to comfort Braes.

"It wasn't meant to be." An elderly female voice comforted.

"No. I think it was." A mature Braes' voice disagreed.

Mile's perspective moved suddenly, pushing through the two mourners in front, Miles was lowered into the grave as Braes jumped down after the urn.

He was dizzied as Braes' view spun to face the crowd of confused onlookers:

"They did this! They killed him! Why are we standing around? Does the blood of the innocent not cry loud enough for action?" She cried.

The crowd around Miles began to argue with one another, each began to raise their voice. One Aurrus demanded blood, another recommended refraining from rash decisions. Around the grave stood the grieving Aurrus and Callos, but also hundreds of humans; Miles recognized his parents, his family, his friends, and strangers he saw on a regular basis. The crowd murmured loudly incoherently. Miles did his best to filter out the distraction, Mile's perspective shifted to the urn behind him, Braes' view changed; she must have been embracing the long cylinder.

"I will never forget you. I loved you." She cried, Miles began to sob.

"I'm grabbing my gun." One Aurrus shouted angrily.

The crowd dispersed slightly, many of the males began to run. Braes had initiated some sort of confrontation. The elderly priestess lowered her hand to help Braes out of the grave;

"That was foolish." She chided, the back of her hand flung towards Miles, he instinctively ducked, but the hand phased through him, instead connecting with Braes. "You may have very well initiated a war."

"I loved him!" Braes' voice screamed out, the priestess tried to cover her mouth.

"Hush!" The priestess hissed. "You shouldn't love, love no one. Our work demands it! Love no one but the goddesses! They were wrong in choosing you."

"I don't choose them." Braes confessed her voice cracking.

"You do realize what you started? A pretty young innocent priestess, crying over the remains of her lover. What better picture to provide a hunger for vengeance? Our race will war with the Yau Tang; imagine the lives that will never be the same." The priestess cried out.

"I, I want revenge." Braes yelled.

The humans around the grave began to yell gutturally, Miles held his hands to his head as though it would stop the noise.

"You got it, but at what cost? Do you understand the pain of revenge?" The priestess screamed, holding Braes' hand.

Braes was silent, she began to sob.

"Revenge." Miles mouthed, pondering the true meaning of the word. The humans around him were silenced by the word. He turned to face them, aware that he could direct the perspective.

"At what price?" The priestess sighed, exhausted. The two embraced, the rain continued. The memory ended.

Miles was thrust back into the tiled room. He dropped to the ground, sitting and digesting what he had just experienced.

"That was the worst moment in my life; I lost my loved one, and doomed the loved ones of others in my quest for revenge." Braes' voice whispered.

"I am sorry. You have lived through so much hurt." Miles apologized.

"Yes. On that day, three-hundred years ago, I ignited a fire which would burn a swath through our galaxy. Whether the Yau Tang were prepared for a war, we can never be certain, but ever since, they became a savage people. Killing out of a primal bloodlust." Braes explained.

"Three-hundred?" Miles asked.

"The Yau Tang, wreaked destruction on our planet, they aimed to destroy Phlasia too." Braes continued sadly.

"Wait." Miles directed, "The day the Convoy last visited was three-hundred years ago?"

"Yes. Approximately three-hundred years ago. The Aurrus don't have an established calendar. I might be off by a few standard years." Braes answered.

"Maybe, but maybe you aren't. The Callos have recorded that they last visited two hundred years ago." Miles explained.

"The Aurrus are more exact with dates. I won't try contending with their measurements." Braes conceded.

"Do you think that maybe the Aurrus and Callos have a different perspective on time?" Miles asked.

"I don't know." Braes answered honestly.

"What if, to the Aurrus the span between visits is three-hundred years, and to the Callos the span is two hundred years?" Miles proposed.

"I don't understand. What does this have to do with my memory?" Braes admitted.

"I think traveling through the Phlasian Portal sends the Convoy far away, and far back into the past. They time travel but have no way of knowing it!" Miles guessed.

"How does this help us?" Braes asked, confused.

"I might be able to go back in time..." Miles stopped, the room shook slightly.

"Miles, I am sorry." Braes apologized.

"What?" Miles asked, the room began to shake harder.

"By opening a memory transfer, I gave way to death. I knew this when we started, I am content if it provided something useful." Braes told him.

"I am not done yet. Why would you let me do this? Why are you stopping?" Miles cried out.

"I am sensing something: your connection with Lalia is active. I need to let you go. Good bye, Miles. Good luck." Braes bid farewell.

"No. You don't need to go!" Miles shouted. The room faded as though it was melting, he was back in a seat in the upper room. Braes was slumped over in her chair, he ran to her and held her, and she limply laid still.

"You didn't need to go." He clung to her, he felt something square and hard in her robe pocket, he dug for it. A metal chain came from her pocket, a small picture on its end; her lover Bralvo's portrait. She did it for him.

Miles fell to his knees and cried, he wretched sobs and clenched his fist around the portrait of Bralvo.

" _Braes didn't need to die. Galio didn't need to die. I need to avenge them._ " He thought, returning gently the portrait; the serene face of Braes reminded him of what he had just experienced. Her memories of love and loss remained in his consciousness; " _Revenge..._ " He questioned his motives for a moment.

"Lalia!" Miles involuntarily cried out. He ceased crying, he was confused as to what had just happened. His body began to spasm and shake without control, he fell to the floor.

He was back in the slate grey room. It was his dream, but it was happening; Miles was experiencing Lalia's torture alongside her.

" _This is different._ " He thought, " _Different, because it is more clear, I see it more clearly now._ ".

Lalia was lying on the floor; she was bound and bleeding badly.

"I am sorry." She cried.

Miles tried to reach out to her, but his hands phased through her;

"I will come for you." He promised.

Miles rose silently, his arms and legs shaking, his hands closed into fists.

He lowered himself from the upper room, and left the temple. He stood on the steps and faced the city before him; the sun had set and the moon above him was an icy blue.

He was ready.

Chapter 31

Miles felt as though he was floating, he was so intent on reaching Lalia he didn't even notice the pain in his legs. Somehow he could pinpoint Lalia's location, she was near the center of Ailios, but Miles wanted to find Garth first. Miles needed to try Braes' home, though it meant it would take him longer, Miles was certain he wanted Garth by his side while he rescued Lalia.

Some Aurrus stopped what they were doing to turn and watch Miles, concerned to see an alien running through their streets; most of them screamed and fled, some threw fruit at him. A soldier was caught in the street by Miles, before the soldier could reach for his weapon; Miles had already raised his hand and blasted him with a bolt of light. The soldier was catapulted into the air, and was smashed into a far off wall.

Miles deflected the swing of an aggressive Aurrus, slamming his light-coated fist into his gut; the Aurrus grunted and collapsed with several broken ribs. Garth met him outside of the house:

"Miles! Thank Phlasia you're alive." Garth exclaimed, his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Where is Lalia?" Miles demanded.

"I left her; she wanted me to come find you." Garth explained.

"Why did you leave her?" Miles shouted angrily, his arms began to glow.

"She was hurt; she didn't want to slow us down." Garth tried to explain, Miles let out a guttural yell.

"She was hurt and you left her!" Miles screamed.

"She was shot." Garth confessed calmly.

"Where is she?" Miles asked, calming down, he knew what was at stake,

"I left her in a house, she is resting. She is recovering." Garth explained.

"No. She has been captured, she is being tortured. We need to leave now." Miles directed.

"I am already packed. Let's go." Garth agreed. "Here," he pulled a smaller pouch from his bag, "This goes under your clothes. We might need the added protection, I am already wearing mine."

"There are three?" Miles asked.

"One for Braes..." Garth asked, "Where is she?"

"One for Lalia. Braes is gone." Miles began walking.

"I don't get to be angry?" Garth yelled, half joking.

"Let's save it for the Admiral and his goons." Miles answered.

The two picked up their pace and moved quickly through the empty streets, most of the Callos had already boarded shuttles and were taking off for the Convoy.

"We don't have long." Garth observed, "The Convoy is preparing to leave."

They ran, down the alley ways, led only by Mile's psychic connection. They were close. The moon, with its icy glare, was bright in the night sky. The streets were empty and eerily silent, Miles and Garth slowed their pace and gathered their breath, they crept quietly closer to the home.

"This house?" Miles pointed, turning to Garth.

"Yes. We looked for a single-story, but this one seemed like it has been empty for a while." Garth explained.

Miles crept closer to a side entrance to the home.

"Stop." Garth whispered, "Maybe I should come from the roof, we can go in at the same time." He directed, loading his plasma pistol.

Miles nodded his head in agreement and remained hidden behind the neighboring house. Garth scurried up an exposed pipe and through a window, a minute later he was on the roof looking down.

"I'm ready." Garth gave Miles a thumbs-up.

"Let's go." Miles inhaled deeply, his arms infused with spiraling light.

Miles used his open palm to shoot down the wooden door on the back of the home, while Garth leaped across from the neighboring roof. Miles entered the home and spun quickly, the light from his arms illuminating the dark room. He called out:

"Lalia! Lalia!"

Figures emerged from the darkness, a shot was fired upstairs and something fell hard. Miles blasted one of the Callos soldiers; the sound of bones snapping filled the room. Another guard fired a plasma shot, hitting Miles square in the chest; the shielding system designed by Lalia absorbed the hit completely. Miles spun and shot a bolt in turn, the Callos' arm was shorn off, and the Callos' face contorted in pain before Miles delivered another crushing blow. Two more soldiers rushed towards Miles, but he shot blasts at both of their heads, both catapulted through the wall into the adjacent room, neither living. Miles ran up the stairs, before him lay both Lalia and Garth; Lalia not moving on the floor, Garth with his hands behind his back. Miles froze.

"Welcome." Doctor Melric stepped from out of the shadow, his gun leveled at the back of Garth's head.

Miles snarled, squinting his eyes as he tried to count the soldiers in the room, he counted four.

"As you can see, I have been taking good care of our friend the Doctor." Melric coughed, he taunted gesturing with his gun.

Miles seized his opportunity, he projected a blast at Melric's hand, the gun skittered across the floor. He leapt towards Melric, but a guard caught him by the leg. Garth jumped to his feet and swung one leg under Melric dropping him to the floor. Garth scurried for the gun.

Miles double-over, focusing intently. Several of the soldiers in the room shot their weapons at him with trembling hands, one soldier ran downstairs out of the house. The room was filled with swirling light, as though a fog had entered. Melric sat with his jaw a gape, speechless and afraid; the room began to tremble. Miles lifted his head and screamed in pain, a pulse emanated from his body and slammed into each of the standing soldiers, incinerating them in a flash. Garth toppled over and fell in a heap, not moving. Miles flinched slightly; his shielding system crackled with static. He quickly tossed it off, blue flashes darted across it as it hit the floor.

Miles turned to face the quivering lip of Doctor Melric:

"Don't kill me. Don't kill me. I, I..." he stuttered as he crawled away and bumped against the over-turn nightstand.

Miles turned to face Garth, he stooped over him:

"Garth." He called, trying to shake him to consciousness.

Melric rushed at Miles screaming, his arm raised above his head in an attack position, Miles raised his palm to return an offensive blast but found himself unable to do anything.

Melric began to laugh: "What's wrong?"

Miles glanced down to his chest where Melric had stabbed him with a piece of broken glass. Miles choked for air.

"Can't breath?" Melric taunted, lowering his arms for momentum as he put his body weight into a kick; Miles was sent sprawling. Miles writhed in pain.

"Based off of footage from your prison break. You can't use your powers when you can't breathe. Funny, I thought I would need some sort of magic rock." Melric stood over him grinning.

"Come bring me my shuttle." Melric called into his headset communication device.

Melric reached for an empty syringe that had leaked on the floor, but then stopped.

"I know a different type of sedative." He raised his boot and kicked at Mile's head, Miles blacked out.

Chapter 32

Miles woke in a small cylindrical cell, wearing only a thin suit; his breath fogged the glass in front of him. The room had two Callos in lab coats hurriedly typing at consoles. He tried to move his arms to bang on the glass, but his wrists were restrained, his whole body was strapped to the gurney inside the tube.

He called out to them, his voice weak:

"Let me out! Where am I?" He shouted.

One of the Callos faced him, his eyes wide behind enormous glasses:

"You are aboard CLERGY 1, Captain Doctor Melric has ordered that we access your capabilities before we present you to the Admiral." He responded.

"Listen." Miles said in a hushed voice, his breath fogging up the glass even more, "I am not dangerous. Let me help you, I need to escape."

"How does letting you escape help me?" The Callos scientist asked.

"Because, the Doctor and the Admiral have been hiding secrets from you, from the Convoy." Miles explained.

"I must get back to my work." The scientist turned away from Miles, returning to his desk where he shuffled through holo-foils.

"The Doctor killed Lalia Tarrus!" Miles shouted, both scientists looked up for a moment shocked, but then returned to their work.

A door hissed open, Alvar Tarr stepped into the laboratory, the other scientist tried to hold him back from Mile's pod, Alvar batted him away; the scientist hit his own desk scattering his holo-foils.

"This is it?" Alvar shouted, pressing his palms against the glass, his own breath fogging the glass.

"Yes..." The scientist stuttered as he tried to recompose himself.

"So, this is the creature that killed my brothers, which killed a squad of the best trained and equipped members of the Convoy?" Alvar demanded an answer.

"Best equipped?" Miles laughed, "They were nothing!" He taunted.

Alvar banged his fists against the glass and began to enter a release code on the key pad; he stopped when the door hissed open again; Doctor Melric and two of his guards stood in the doorway, Melric with a gun raised at Alvar.

"Step away, Alvar." Melric demanded, "He is my prisoner, he is within my rights. Do not touch the detainment cell."

Alvar backed away with his hands held up mockingly;

"How did you do it?" He asked spitefully, "How did you find him?"

"To be honest you made it easy for me." Melric teased, Alvar lunged at him but a guard caught him and threw him back. Alvar brushed himself off and stormed out of the room, as the door hissed closed Melric hollered:

"You shot her, I followed the blood." He laughed, Alvar continued down the corridor furious.

"You're a hot commodity." Melric named Miles.

"Am I? It seems like maniacs are in demand up here." Miles sneered.

"Keep in mind, I am in control here." Melric warned, "I could depressurize this tube and expose you to space-like vacuum. But you're worth more alive, for now."

"What will you do with me?" Miles asked, with resentment.

"I will show you to the Admiral, and ask that I be named his second-in-command. You see, only blood descendants to the Admiral can succeed the Admiral, due to a biological requirement for ancestral memory transference." Melric explained.

"Even then, the Convoy will never accept you as a replacement Admiral. Even a dead Admiral would hold more prominence than you!" Miles exclaimed.

"Perhaps. Should an Admiral die, the next rightful heir would be a relative; that means Alvar." Melric began to pace the room, he dismissed the two scientists with his hand, the guards remained.

"You plan to kill both the Admiral and his brother?" Miles assumed.

"Yes, in a round-about-way, yes." Melric continued pacing; "Alvar will die first, and then I will proceed to dishonor the Admiral. The beauty of my plan is this; I won't kill either of them." He said excitedly, smiling through the glass at Miles.

"You are going to frame me!" Miles solved.

"Yes! Initially I was going to use you as a token to get myself a position below the Admiral, but then I realized I have so much potential for more!" Melric exclaimed.

"I won't do it! Not for you!" Miles refused.

"I will kill Alvar, which will be easy. The Admiral, however, required a more thorough plan. Already he appears to have lost his sanity; he fired upon Aurrus and its moon..." Melric started.

"Aurrus?" Miles interrupted.

"Oh, yes. While you were out, I assured the Admiral destroying the Ailios Temple was in the Convoy's best interest. Never again should the Aurrus aid enemies of the Convoy. A lesson needed to be learned." Melric explained.

"Where was I?" Melric asked rhetorically, "Ah, yes. The Admiral is currently planning on using the very same weapon on Phlasia. He will destroy the deity of his own people! I won't need to kill him; the Convoy will do it for me!"

"The Admiral isn't the one to blame! You are!" Miles exclaimed!

"The best part of all of this; the Admiral considered pardoning you for the prison break. Only due to my advising did he do otherwise." Melric smiled.

Miles shouted squirming in his restraints; "I won't help you. As soon as I am out of this tube I will..." He began to cough and wheeze.

Melric turned a dial at the console, lowering the amount of air in the tube:

"This is to make sure you stay there."

Melric turned to leave the lab; he snapped his fingers and his guards followed.

Miles slumped in his restraints, there was no way out. He closed his eyes.

A faint rumbling began in the distance, it grew louder and louder until Garth opened his eyes; he was slumped in the corner of the house. The last thing he remembered was Mile's pulse. Garth glanced around the room; singe marks on the walls formed silhouettes of the Callos Miles incinerated. The rumbling grew louder, screams and wails were carried on the breeze. Garth stumbled towards the window, rubbing his head; a large knot was forming. Outside the window the air felt frigid, the screams were coming from towards the middle of the city, Garth leaned out of the window to get a better view. A pillar of blue was drilling into Ailios Plaza, huge clouds of dust and snow flew into the air. Garth's eyes began to well with tears; he pulled his head back into the house. He turned to where Lalia had been lying; he had forgotten about her, he dropped to his knees to help her.

"Lalia." He tried to shake her awake, "Lalia, are you ok?"

She began to stir; she opened her eyes and gasped: "Water."

Garth set her on the bed, he ran downstairs to fetch her some water. He held the cup to her lips and helped her drink; in a few minutes she was able to speak.

"Did they take him?" She asked.

"Yes. I was out. They just abandoned us here. CLERGY 1 is firing upon Ailios Plaza." Garth explained.

"Are you ok?" She asked him with concern.

Garth paused, "Yes.".

"We need a way back to the Convoy." Lalia thought out loud, "We need to save Miles."

"The Convoy hasn't left yet, they are trying to freeze the planet. We need to find a way back up." Garth sighed.

"I am out of ideas; I don't have any other connections on Aurrus." Lalia said with defeat.

"Why haven't you asked about Braes?" Garth asked.

"Because I knew her intentions, she gave her life to provide insight to Miles. It was her decision." Lalia explained, taking another sip of water.

"Are you ok to leave? We need to leave this house; they might send someone after us." Garth lifted Lalia to her feet.

"I think I will be fine." Lalia stood, wobbling slightly, but ultimately regaining her composure.

Garth stepped on Mile's shielding system; now having regained its static charge.

"He took it off." Lalia assumed.

"He must have." Garth picked it up, "It saved our lives."

"It might save them again. Lets head towards the outskirts of town, and maybe if we hurry we could stowaway on a shuttle." Lalia thought out loud.

As they stepped outside into the cold icy air, their hot breath was visible; the freezing attack had stopped. Above Ailios, CLERGY 1 loomed ominously.

"It was a power statement, not an attack to destroy Ailios." Lalia explained.

Garth helped Lalia down the street towards Braes' home; they turned the corner to find two Callos soldiers armed with rifles. Garth clenched his fist in a defensive stance, Lalia behind him.

"Stand down!" The tall Callos soldier called out to Garth, "My name is Terk Lovar, we were sent to retrieve you. We must leave quickly." He introduced himself.

"I am Yaric Lovar, Captain Elioc Barras sent us to pick you up. The Convoy will be leaving soon, come with us. We are on the same side." Yaric assured them.

Garth took a step back, cautiously," How did you find us?"

"We captured one of the Admiral's soldiers; they led us to where Doctor Tarrus was being held." Yaric answered, showing them a groveling Callos soldier tied to a vendor's cart.

"Why would Captain Barras offer us help?" Garth asked.

"Because the Admiral has gone too far. He requests your assistance; he refuses to tolerate the senseless attacks on our allies." Terk answered.

Garth turned to face Lalia, she shrugged:

"It is your call. I don't know Elioc well enough to trust him. He did let us escape the prison." She reminded him.

"We can use a little support." Garth shook Terk's hand.

"Come now, we have a shuttle waiting. We must rendezvous with Captain Barras on CLERGY 6 before we confront the Admiral." Terk ushered them towards the wider street behind the houses.

Their shuttle's engines revved slightly, the shuttle began to hover as they approached;

"As I said, we are in a hurry. The Admiral is planning a jump to Phlasia; Captain Barras needs to exercise martial law immediately. We were waiting for you." Terk hurried them aboard.

The shuttle doors lowered down quickly, hissing shut. Lalia and Garth sat in jumper seats across from the backwards facing seats Terk and Yaric took. The shuttle lifted from the ground; its nose pointed towards the belly of the departing CLERGY 1.

"We were told there would be three of you, one of you would be a foreigner." Yaric shouted over the roar of the thrusters.

"There was, he was kidnapped." Garth shouted in response.

"It isn't the Admiral you need to worry about!" Lalia shouted.

"Tell the Captain when we reach him." Terk responded.

They exited the orbit of Aurrus with relative ease, they leveled towards CLERGY 6. Each of the vessels began to line behind CLERGY 1 in the distance.

"How long until we make the jump?" Terk asked the pilot.

"Approximately an hour until CLERGY 1 activates their jump sequence." The pilot answered.

"Damn." Terk cursed, "This is gonna have to happen fast, people! The Convoy will be floating dead with our engines fried from such a long jump; CLERGY 6 won't be in a position to block CLERGY 1."

"What does that mean?" Garth asked, concerned.

"It means we can't just board CLERGY 1. We will have to space walk on." Yaric answered with a serious face.

Chapter 33

Miles heard his voice first, he snapped back to attention. The Admiral stared with his face near the glass. He frowned.

"So you are the human creature I have been so worried about?" The Admiral asked mockingly.

"Apparently. I am, can't see why." Miles responded showing teeth.

"Don't mock me. You threaten our entire way of life." The Admiral began to pace.

"So I have heard. Want to hear my secret?" Miles breathed against the glass, clouding and concealing his smile.

The Admiral stopped pacing and turned to listen,

"You are being lied to," Miles began seriously, but Doctor Melric entered the lab.

"Admiral, sir. I was told you wouldn't be here, until the screening was done." Melric approached cautiously, eyeing Miles.

"What has he told you?" He asked the Admiral, whose back was still turned to him. Melric grabbed a scalpel from a lab station, prepared to kill the Admiral.

"He has only taunted me. He hasn't told me anything, yet." The Admiral maintained his eye on Miles.

Melric set the blade back on the lab station. He approached the Admiral and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sir, they will be fast approaching. You must be prepared; you should leave for the bridge now." Melric began to push him out of the lab.

"Doctor, stop. I must finish with him." The Admiral brushed him off to stand straight in front of Miles.

"Are you a threat?" He asked softly with a serious tone.

"No, but your friend the Doctor is." Miles answered.

The Admiral's pressed a palm against the glass;

"You had your chance, and you just lost it. I will tolerate it." The Admiral left the laboratory, "Do with him as you wish. We are done." He called back angrily.

The door hissed close, Melric approached the glass:

"That was a sneaky move, it is a shame he didn't trust you." Melric sneered.

"I would dissect you, or even just kill you right now. But I don't have the time to; it appears that there is some sort of rebellion against the Admiral. I guess I didn't need to do much to eliminate his reputation. I will be back for you, that is, if the rebels don't kill you first." Melric turned to leave.

"My friends will come to rescue me!" Miles cried out.

"No, they won't. Besides, it will be Phlasia that needs some rescuing." Melric chuckled as he left.

Alvar directed his soldiers to stand at the ready facing the hanger doors; each of them raised their guns in preparation.

"Sir, what are we going to do about their shuttles?" A soldier asked.

"I will take command of the cannon control, it is already up and running per my orders, I have directed them to fire." Alvar smiled as he licked his lips; he wanted blood.

Chapter 34

The stomach of CLERGY 6 opened, the two enormous doors spread apart and several dozen shuttles hung from their racks. The shuttle Garth and Lalia were aboard attached its self to the rack and killed its engine. The doors beneath them sealed close, a voice came on the communication device in the shuttle's console:

"Lieutenant Lovar, Sergeant Lovar. The Captain requests you join him on his shuttle."

Terk and Yelric unfastened their belts and lead Lalia and Garth through the hanger, Callos guards ran around shouting as they prepped their shuttles for flight. Two Callos struggled hoisting a rack of rifles unto their shuttle.

"What are they doing?" Garth asked Terk as he struggled to keep up with their fast pace.

"We will enforce an orderly transition, each of our fellow guards have sworn allegiance to the Captain over the Admiral. We are ensuring that no one is endangered by the process." Terk explained.

"Is this a coup?" Garth turned to Lalia.

"In many ways," She looked around the busy hanger; one Callos fastened a helmet on, "Yes."

Captain Barras' shuttle was larger than the rest; red and white streaks differentiated it visually, it also was the only shuttle equipped with front-facing guns. The Captain was stooped beneath it wearing goggles as he welded with his electro-grafter.

"Captain." Yelric called, standing at attention.

"Stand down." The Captain said, turning to face them.

"Aye sir!" Yelric and Terk called in unison, slacking from attention.

The Captain scanned from top to bottom and back again Lalia and Garth.

"I finally get to meet you both, and it is still a hurried situation. I am Captain of CLERGY 6, Elioc Barras." He introduced himself, taking off his gloves; shaking their hands.

Garth introduced himself:

"My name is Garth Linarr; I was a mechanic aboard CLERGY 1."

"Linarr? I worked with your father, ingenious." Captain Barras complemented.

"I am Doctor Lalia Tarrus." Lalia introduced herself.

"Yes, Doctor Tarrus I have heard a great deal about you." He smirked.

"All good things I hope." She smiled.

"Come, let's get going. We can talk on the way." He ushered them aboard his shuttle, "Load up!" He ordered each of his guards with a wave.

Lalia and Garth again took their seats, sitting across from Captain Barras with Terk and Yelric on each side.

CLERGY 6 took its place behind CLERGY 5, each of the vessels lined up behind CLERGY 1. The Idinium Repulsors on CLERGY 1's side blared, the nose of the vessel glowed hot, the enormous thrusters on the aft end flared and the vessel catapulted through space.

The Captain's shuttle began to shake, through the cockpit Garth could see that all of CLERGY 6 was rattling violently; their dock's hinge absorbed much of the motion.

"We are currently in jump." Captain Barras explained.

Their shuttle lifted from its platform and dropped through the enormous doors below, each of the shuttles lifted and followed through. Each icy white shuttle emptied from CLERGY 6, before them was an enormous planet; Phlasia.

Phlasia was far larger than Aurrus or Earth had been; the planet filled their cockpit view. Swirling orange and green colors composed the enormous sphere.

Each of the Callos in the shuttle were silent. They sat with mouths gaping and pressed their faces against the glass.

Their shuttle continued past CLERGY 5 towards CLERGY 1, their fleet unwavering; radio silence remained.

The enormous planet was alone, no dust or debris floated in orbit, there was no Phlasian moon. Far off in the distance, however, was a spot darker then the rest of the space around it; the Phlasian Portal.

Lalia broke the silence:

"Sir, you must know: Doctor Melric is the one behind everything that the Admiral has done. Melric is manipulating the Admiral." She explained with urgency.

The Captain remained silent, thinking, he then spoke slowly:

"I will consider your input, if what you say is true the Admiral is still a dangerous threat. Though Melric may be manipulating him, the Admiral is still the only one with the authority to do anything. We will secure the Admiral, to ensure he doesn't do anything foolish. Then we will arrest the Doctor."

"What do you mean by 'secure'?" Garth asked.

"I will arrest the Admiral if I need to, then I will assert my authority over his soldiers and order them to stand down."

"It won't be easy. The Admiral has called for his own militia." Garth pointed out.

"I never said it would be." The Captain corrected, as he spoke a flash of bright light cut across their view of the planet; the shuttle next to them exploded. It became a twisted sheet of metal, several Callos drifted into space; the lack of atmospheric pressure caused them to balloon, Garth averted his eyes before they too exploded.

Another laser darted across the space, narrowly missing their shuttle.

"They are shooting at us!" Garth exclaimed, shaking in anxiety.

A flash again darted across their shuttle, their shuttle rolled once; the console in front of the pilot shot out a shower of sparks. The pilot grunted and fell face down into the console, unmoving.

"Lieutenant, get us out of here." The Captain ordered, Terk unfastened himself from his seat and crouched into the cockpit. He slid the pilot from his seat and took the controls; the shuttle banked to the side as another laser flashed past.

"Is he dead?" Garth asked.

Lalia leaned from her seat to hoist the pilot onto her lap, she felt for his pulse:

"No, he is unconscious." She examined his face, which had been scarred with shrapnel; "I need to remove these." She said calmly.

"But you aren't a medical," The Captain began, the ship banked to the other side dodging another laser, he grunted; "Doctor." He finished.

"No, but that doesn't mean I can't help." Lalia directed, "Give me that kit."

Yelric passed to Garth who then passed the container to Lalia; she pried it open; the individual pieces fell across the floor.

"Damn!" Lalia cursed, Yelric unfastened his belt to crouch on the floor to retrieve the pieces.

"Hang on!" Terk shouted back, a volley of lasers shot their direction from CLERGY 1. He pulled back on the throttle lifting the shuttle up sharply, Yelric scrambled to reach his seat, Garth reached out to hold him. Garth pulled him down and hugged at him tightly as the ship rattled.

The shuttle pulled higher and higher, the lasers each barely missing the spot where the ship had been seconds prior. Garth gritted his teeth.

The lasers stopped and the shuttle leveled back out.

"They have stopped shooting, we are within landing range. Prepare to board?" Terk turned to ask the Captain.

Barras responded, exhaling to catch his breath:

"Patch me through to the surviving shuttles." He commanded.

Terk passed him a wired communication device from the front console, it had several singe marks.

Captain Barras addressed his soldiers:

"This is Captain Barras. You have each professed your allegiance to the Convoy's best interests, over that of your allegiance to the Admiral. Admiral Latarr has made several dangerous decisions, but now in an act of cowardice he began to shoot upon his own kind. We will board CLERGY 1 and ensure that the Admiral and any conspirators are subdued. There will be, in all likelihood, some form of resistance. I would hope we each practice restraint and preserve the life of our brothers and sisters aboard CLERGY 1, but know that they have been deluded. Protect yourselves and the lives of others, and to all of you; Phlasia and luck."

After he had finished, Garth thought out loud:

"Sir, were you able to figure out where we had entered CLERGY 6 from?" He asked.

"No. All of the tapes in CLERGY 6 were torn out; I assumed you were responsible; the security hub was vandalized." The Captain said accusationally.

"No. We didn't destroy the tapes." Garth defended himself, before continuing;

"We boarded the vessel from the structurally weak point behind the repulsors; we could gain entry that way again." He explained.

"Lieutenant. Take us to the repulsors." The Captain ordered.

Lalia finished removing the shrapnel from the pilot, she dabbed at his face with a swab.

"You aren't sending just the two of us in are you?" She asked.

"No. Sergeant Lovar and I will escort you both." He nodded towards Yelric.

Their shuttle lowered against the side of CLERGY 1 beneath the repulsor, each wearing a survey suit and gun. They lowered themselves through a hole Yelric carved with an electro-grafter. A single Callos saw them in the hall and remained frozen in fear.

As the four walked past quietly, Garth pursed his lips and held a finger to them:

"Shh." He hissed. The Callos fainted and collapsed to the floor.

Captain Barras took the lead, Yelric to his side with a holo-foil layout of CLERGY 1.

"Sir, do we go to the bridge or to the laboratory?" Yelric asked.

Barras turned to Lalia and Garth;

"I apologize. You will be doing this alone; I need to take the bridge. Otherwise many more lives will be lost in a battle aboard the vessel. If I can take the Admiral, then I can force his soldiers to stand down. Once I have done this I will meet you in the laboratory." He finished, both Lalia and Garth reluctantly nodded their heads in understanding.

"Go." Garth told him, Yelric shook Garth's and Lalia's hand giving them the map.

The Captain gave them each a salute, then he and his Sergeant turned down the hall towards the bridge. Lalia and Garth continued down their corridor; to rescue Miles.

Chapter 35

CLERGY 1's hanger doors refused to open to the attacking fleet, Captain Barras' shuttle signaled for a prepared attack. Lights on both side of the shuttle flashed as warning.

"Don't open the doors!" Alvar shouted to his soldiers from above them on scaffolding, approximately one-hundred Callos responded to the call of duty; each stood armed waiting for the enemy-filled shuttles to land.

" _Each traitor to the Admiral will be arrested._ " Alvar thought to himself, " _Or killed._ " He amended.

"Sir, we are all ready!" A soldier beneath him shouted.

Alvar turned and entered the hanger command tower, Ralt shuddered in his seat; the Admiral's brother fiddled with his gun. Alvar was obsessive, the gun turned over and over in his hand, a bloodlust began to fill his eyes.

"Sir. Did you want me to open the hanger?" Ralt asked cautiously for clarity.

"Yes. Open the fu..." Alvar screamed, waving the gun at Ralt's head, the shrieking of the metal sliding against metal drowned out Alvar's command.

The doors parted open slowly, shuttles hovered in wait.

"Am...I done?" Ralt stuttered.

"You're done! Get out!" Alvar pulled at Ralt's collar and yanked him out of his seat throwing him out of the tower against the guard rail, "Run!" He screamed leveling the gun at a groveling Ralt. Ralt obeyed and ran out, bumping against the armed Callos soldiers as he went.

Each of the dozens of shuttles lowered themselves into the hanger, armed Callos stood waiting. One, than two, than each of the shuttle's dropped quickly to the ground; CLERGY 6 guards piled out armed as well.

Alvar stood on the scaffolding safe above, waiting to give an order; he looked at the gun in his hand. Unsure whether to proceed with detaining the traitors or to fire upon them. Several of his soldiers looked upward for direction.

"Shoot!" He yelled, the veins in his neck and forehead bulging.

Plasma bolts shot across the hanger in both directions, as some of the Captain's guards jumped out from their shuttles to fire they were struck; falling to the floor. By the time each of the shuttles had emptied there were some casualties on both sides.

One of the Callos guards called:

"Use the shuttles for cover, fall back!"

The guards each fell behind their wall of shuttles and peeked above to fire in response to the never-ending firing from the soldiers. Alvar fired two shots at the guards, neither hit, but he jumped in his crazed laughter. Then he noted that one of the guards had a small band around him, they were moving towards the side of the hanger in a flanking formation.

"To the side! They are flanking you!" He cried to the soldiers below, the roar of the lasers droned him out.

Terk led a small squad along the side of the hanger using crates for cover, when the opportunity came they made a break for the stairs up the scaffolding to where Alvar stood.

Alvar stood square in the center of the scaffolding, his gun at his side, his eyes on Terk.

Terk stood opposite of him, his legs spread apart and his gun at his side. Terk's squad fanned out behind him, each prepared to fire.

"Tell your men to stand down!" Terk ordered.

Alvar twitched slightly, a single eye blinked and he cocked his head to the side.

"Tell your men to stand down!" Terk repeated.

"Only by the Admiral's orders will force them to stand down." Alvar hissed back, his arm snapped upward, he fired at Terk. Terk's left shoulder was hit, he spun slightly but didn't lose his footing; he raised his arm and fired. Alvar twisted slightly and fell against the scaffolding's railing, he laughed hysterically.

"Is my brother proud of me now?" He laughed maniacally.

Terk approached him and looked down in pity;

"Let me help you up. Tell your soldiers to stand down." Terk ordered, offering a hand for assistance.

Alvar laughed even harder, wheezing. He swung his leg dropping Terk to the floor; he pounced on Terk and attempted to strangle him. Terk's guards were unsure of how to react; watching helplessly. Terk kicked Alvar in the gut, throwing him to his feet, Terk fired his gun at the standing Alvar.

Alvar was struck between the eyes, his red-rimmed eyes lost some of their intensity, and his crazed grin disappeared. He leaned slightly towards the command tower, and then over-compensated the other direction falling over the guard rails into his soldiers below, laughing the whole way, he whimpered as he hit the soldiers beneath him.

The soldiers below crumpled under his weight, they redirected their fire towards Terk and his squad. Terk directed his squad to the safety of the command tower, the firing stopped soon after the soldiers realized that Alvar was dead.

"Stop! Stop! I surrender!" A soldier yelled, dropping his gun and raising his arms above his head. The soldiers around him did the same and in turn were surrounded by Terk's guards.

"Captain, please hurry." Terk whispered under his breath.

"Sir!" A soldier yelled to Terk, Terk turned to face him.

"Yes, soldier?" Terk asked.

"Disturbing news. Something is coming from behind Phlasia." The soldier directed Terk's attention out through the hanger's windows; an enormous black figure began to obstruct Phlasia.

Chapter 36

Lalia turned the corner with her gun raised, a soldier grunted in effort to reach for his before Lalia shot at his knees dropping him to the floor. Garth slid past her to check down the corridor the opposite direction;

"Clear." He called.

Garth then diverted his attention to the keypad in front of the steel door, his fingers flew over the keys; the door slid open as the keypad beeped. A dark room lit up immediately as they stepped in with guns raised; the laboratory was empty.

"Your ID authentication code still works?" Lalia asked as she scanned the room.

"No. But I know that my father's was never retired." Garth answered as he opened a door to an adjacent room, and reentered on the other end of the lab. Both stopped at a mist filled tube against the wall, a faint thumping sound came from inside.

"Miles!" Garth shouted, "We are here to save you!" He typed at the keypad, but the beep signaled that different pass code would be needed.

"I don't know the code." Garth muttered to Lalia.

"Three, two, three, one, three, six, nine." A voice whispered from inside the tube.

Garth typed in the code as it had been said, the tube hissed loudly, Garth and Lalia both jumped back. The glass face of the tube fell to the floor and shattered.

Miles lay in a restraint strapped to the back of the tube; he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Light emanated around his body, the restraints snapped off of him with a flash of light.

"Miles." Lalia beamed.

Miles continued to breathe in deeply, "Thank you, thanks." He said with a tear.

"How did you know the passcode?" Garth asked.

"I could hear the different beeps the pad made as Melric typed." Miles answered.

"Where is Melric?" Lalia asked.

Miles caught his breath and stood straight; confident:

"Melric is on his way to the bridge. He is planning on doing something to Admiral Latarr and his brother," he paused, "and Phlasia."

"Are you good to come with us? Did they do anything to you?" Lalia asked as she surveyed Miles.

"Other than a blood sample and an oxygen suppression tank, no they didn't do anything to me." Miles answered.

At that moment the door to the laboratory hissed open, three armed soldiers raised their rifles and began to fire. Garth, Lalia, and Miles dove behind a table for cover; Lalia slid slightly and fired a shot from the ground connecting with a soldier's throat sending him into fits of gasping on the ground. Miles stood with both arms raised and fired two pulses of light slamming the two remaining soldiers out of the lab, across the corridor and into the wall. Neither one got back up.

"Saving that one up?" Garth joked.

"No. I'm saving that one for the Doctor." Miles answered with his teeth gritted; he led the three into the hall. Down the hall a squad of four soldiers ran towards them, with a guttural yell Miles shot a pulse wave scattering the squad across the floor in an unconscious heap.

They came into the large corridor where the soldiers were fighting, guards and soldiers held cover behind crates and barrels left in the hall. Miles confidently strode into the hall slamming the crates into the Callos that hid behind him; Lalia and Garth followed behind with their guns prepared. A Callos soldier began to reach for his gun; Garth shot the weapon further out of his reach:

"I wouldn't do that." He warned.

The Callos soldier continued to crawl for his gun, Miles fired a pulse knocking the soldier through the metal wall into an adjacent room where he collapsed.

The whole ship began to shake, the groaning of metal creaked and echoed through the corridor, a loud vibrating sound could be heard.

"What is that?" Garth asked.

"I don't know!" Lalia shouted over the din.

"Which way is the bridge?" Miles asked Lalia, she directed forward and down the hall.

"Are you going to be able to keep this up?" She asked him, worried.

"Oh yeah. I haven't felt like this before." Mile responded with a crooked grin.

The groaning continued, but not nearly as loud, the shaking was much more subtle; rattling guns against the floor tell-tell of something powerful at work.

"Miles. Don't do anything stupid out of revenge or anger." Lalia cautioned.

"No. I want to stop Melric before he does something drastic." Miles explained,

"He said something about Phlasia being in danger; I think he might try to sabotage it."

"I think he may already have." Garth told them, he looked through a window across the room; a bright blue stripe cut a swathe through the clouds of Phlasia hiding the damage of the freeze.

"He is attacking Phlasia!" Lalia exclaimed.

"He tricked the Admiral into doing it, to ruin his reputation. Melric wants to be the new Admiral." Miles explained sadly.

"We need to stop him!" Garth responded, his brow furrowed with deep hatred.

"Captain Barras should have been there by now. Why hasn't he stopped him?" Lalia asked.

"I don't know. But we need to do something." Miles said, staring out of the window at the vast planet of swirling colors.

She called into her communication device:

"Barras. What is the status?"

"That is Phlasia, huh?" Miles sighed.

"Yes. It is beautiful isn't it?" Garth asked, appreciating the variety of colors each blending into the next.

"It is." Miles answered. The enormous planet was a deity to the Callos and he could see why; he had never seen something as extraordinarily beautiful as the planet Phlasia. The planet stood majestically unopposed against the starry backdrop of space; the fast moving clouds and fantastical colors reminded Miles of a surrealist painting.

"Let's go." Miles decided, breaking his gaze from the planet and the ice spreading from the continuing impact of the attack.

Lalia and Garth followed, they didn't need Phlasia, Phlasia needed them.

A voice scratched on the communication device:

"Council Chamber."

Chapter 37

The Admiral faced silently out of the bridge's panoramic view; Phlasia was indeed a remarkable beauty, far better than his memories would have led him to believe. He could almost stare out at it for days; its warm glow seemed to fill his stomach and heart. A cold voice broke his concentration;

"They will soon reach the bridge." Doctor Melric approached.

"I know." The Admiral tried to refocus on the planet.

A female crew member spoke up:

"Admiral Sir, we are picking up a strange vessel signature..." She was interrupted.

"Sir, unless you act now you will lose your opportunity." The Doctor spoke loudly over the female crew member, the Callos busy at their consoles stopped to watch the reaction of the Admiral; he had never been second guessed.

"I have decided against abandoning Phlasia. I have allowed enough pain, I have failed the Convoy. We will harvest as planned." The Admiral responded.

"But, unless we continue past Phlasia, after the harvest you risk complacency." Melric tried.

"Our people rely on Phlasia, to simply move past would be foolhardy." The Admiral turned.

"What then will you do about Captain Barras and his insurrection?" Melric's voice was raised, he began to quake with anger. A female Callos crew member hurried her pace off of the catwalk to hide at her console, getting out from between them.

"I have decided to call off my soldiers; there is no reason for infighting. I am not too stubborn to admit I was wrong." The Admiral confessed.

"Sir!" Melric shouted, storming towards the Admiral, "You are making a mistake!"

"No. I am done hiding the truth. I need to tell the Convoy the truth, show them the human. It's not right!" The Admiral shouted in response, the Callos crew now stopped everything to watch the Admiral.

"I am the Convoy! I decide what is right and what isn't!" Melric snapped as he pushed the Admiral from the catwalk on top of a frightened Callos navigator. The whole bridge fell silent; the bridge's soldiers remained still.

The Callos in the room began to stir.

"Get out! All of you!" Melric ordered all of them; the Callos crew emptied out of the bridge, two soldiers remained at the door.

"Arrest him!" The Admiral shouted at his soldiers.

"No, they answer to me." Melric hissed from above, he jumped down to the Admiral's level. "Because I am the Admiral now!" he sneered.

"You're insane." Admiral Latarr spat as he jumped to his feet and swung a punch at Melric. Two of Melric's teeth fell unto the floor, Melric swung his arms back and kicked the Admiral in the stomach; he fell back into a navigation console, his gun skittered across the floor.

"What good are you without your title?" Melric chuckled, kicking the Admiral in the gut, "None." He answered.

"Bring it here!" Melric shouted to the soldier at the door holding a metallic case.

"Do you want to know something?" Melric asked the Admiral.

The soldier brought the metallic case and undid the latches, a keypad sat in the protective foam around it.

"All I ever wanted was your respect." The Admiral tried to swing a punch, but Melric stepped on his groin; crippling him. "But you made a stupid mistake; the human was of extreme value. I began to think; how can I use this situation to get the respect I need, when I decided; to get such respect I needed to be Admiral!" Melric laughed.

"I did it!" Melric continued, holding the Admiral by the collar; "Your rash decision to attack the Aurrus angered Barras and his crew enough for them to stage a coup. When they get here, I will have arrested you. I will be placed in command."

The Admiral's eyes shifted to the metallic case, Melric laughed:

"Oh, this is the trigger to the Idinium weapon you made. Quite ingenious, I must say. Alas, you felt the need to use it on Phlasia too."

Melric reached his hand into his pocket and pulled a key, which he twisted into the miniature console, he typed in his passcode.

"Activate." He said as he pressed the green button. The whole vessel shuddered; metal creaked and a bright streak of blue shot from the belly of CLERGY 1 at Phlasia.

"Take this for me to the Council Chamber." Melric calmly directed the soldiers, "I will meet you there shortly."

The two soldiers left the room. The Admiral and Melric were alone, the enormous wide window in front of them a panoramic view of Phlasia's destruction.

"It will freeze over. In the chaos they will turn to me. You will go down as the most notorious villain in the Convoy's history." Melric explained putting his face close to the Admiral's.

The Admiral head-butted Melric who fell to the floor; the Admiral then reached for his gun and leveled it at Melric's head.

"Looks like you made a mistake." He said looking down the sight, "Only the winner writes history."

"Don't shoot me. You need me to type the deactivation code." Melric warned, "It was an intentional safeguard."

"Fine. You and I both will head down to the Council Chamber. You deactivate the weapon. I should never have believed you, the human was right; you were using me." The Admiral said with a mixture of anger and betrayal.

"Believe me. The human is very dangerous; he will kill all of you!" Melric tried.

"Your lies won't work on me, I see now that you are the monster." The Admiral ushered him to the door, it hissed open; Captain Barras and Yelric stood in the corridor. Both raised their guns at the Admiral who had Melric in front as a shield.

"Release him!" Barras shouted.

"No. He is a traitor!" The Admiral shouted, "He has a human!" He tried to explain.

"Admiral Latarr, release your hostage." Yelric ordered.

"I am the Admiral, trust me. He betrayed the Convoy!" The Admiral explained.

"Let him go. The human isn't dangerous, he hasn't betrayed the Convoy." Captain Barras tried to explain.

Admiral Latarr then understood; the Captain thought that he alone was trying to kill the human. The Captain didn't understand that Melric did not only have the human, but intended to kill him.

But Melric was too fast, he blurted out a lie:

"I am protecting him, Miles. The Admiral fired the Idinium weapon at Phlasia; he has lost it entirely."

The Admiral was caught off guard; "No. That's not true." He released Melric in an attempt to prove he was telling the truth, but he made the mistake of raising his gun too high. Yelric fired defensively at the Admiral.

The Admiral collapsed to the floor, clutching the wound through his chest.

"Thank Phlasia, you saved me." Melric gasped, clinging to Captain Barras.

Yelric stooped over the Admiral to check his pulse, he was alive.

"Doctor Melric, I need you to remain with me." The Captain began holstering his weapon, "I have reason to believe you were apart of a conspiracy to kidnap and kill an alien species."

Melric looked into the Captain's eyes with concern:

"What gives you that idea?" But he knew; either Lalia Tarrus or Garth Linarr had lived.

"Sir, the Admiral is still alive." Yelric informed him.

Melric pulled Barras' gun and ran down the corridor, turning at the first corner before Yelric could fire a shot.

"Damn. What do we do?" Yelric asked, "He could escape on a pod."

"What is the status?" Lalia's voice scratched over the communication device.

"Where is he going?" Barras crouched to ask the Admiral, he cradled him and asked again: "Where is Doctor Melric going?" He held the communication device to the Admiral's lips;

The Admiral hoarsely said: "Council Chamber."

Chapter 38

Melric rode down the long elevator to the floor of the Council Chamber. His two soldiers waited for him at the gazebo at the far end of the garden. Once the elevator landed he ran to them:

"Quickly, bring the trigger. We are leaving..." He was interrupted by the sound of the elevator returning upward; someone else was entering the chamber.

His soldiers raised their weapons toward the source of the noise; the elevator began to head back down. They both pulled the trigger and fired, the glass front of the elevator shattered, the pieces of glass did not rain down, however. The shattered glass remained still, as the elevator lowered. Melric strained his eyes to see Miles, Lalia, and Garth behind the shattered glass; Miles raised his arms and the shards cut through the air towards Melric and his soldiers. They dove for cover behind the crystal gazebo. A beep signaled that the elevator had landed.

Melric pounded his chest and jumped up and down a few times, releasing a roar; he was prepared for a fight to the death. He fired his gun rapidly, but none of the shots connected. The whiz of a plasma bolt cut past his ear, but both of his soldiers fell to the ground. He spun to face them; singe marks on their foreheads, two shots had been fired at the same time, and he turned back towards the elevator. The human approached, flanked with Lalia and Garth at his side, the two lowered their guns.

"Die!" Melric screamed, firing the Admiral's gun at the three of them. Even the shots that did connect with Miles seemed to do no damage; they continued to walk towards him.

"Die! Why won't you die?" Melric screamed, as he tried to scurry across the garden to the far side of the Council Chamber.

Miles' lifted with the raise of his hand a boulder and flung it towards Melric who was slammed into a crystal pillar. Miles raised the boulder again, but Melric jumped from his position in time to dodge the attack.

Melric raised his gun to fire again; Miles' hand glowed brightly the gun was knocked out of Melric's hand. "My turn." Miles glared.

Melric jumped from his position on a boulder to a small ravine hidden by yellow grass reeds and large purple thorny plants, the grassy hills obstructed view of the towering walls of the Council Chamber. Miles jumped down into the ravine as well, the gravel crunched beneath his feet.

Melric tried to charge at Miles, but Mile's batted him away with a glowing hand; Melric tumbled several feet away into the rocky hillside.

"You're a monster, such power is unnatural." Melric screeched, "You threaten the Convoy's way of life, but you don't even realize it."

"I threaten the Convoy?" Miles asked angrily, "Do you see where you are? This is the Council Chamber; the hall of the sacred clergy who regulated the worship of your planet deity Phlasia."

Melric threw another punch at Miles; Miles caught his fist and slammed a knee into his gut. Melric brought his leg up for a kick, but Miles punched at his knee breaking it backwards. Melric fell to the ground writhing in pain.

"The Callos and the Aurrus are sister species, but differences in theology set the two apart, the Callos abandoned their faith in light of science, even then they are oppressed by lies. The Callos are constantly in pursuit of the truth, a pilgrimage that literally never ends; because of the selfish decisions of Callos like you. They deserve the truth, the truth you have been hiding from them; there is more beyond Phlasia. You limit them, they have always been limited. By attacking Phlasia you attack their heart, but you know what else?" Miles explained.

Melric hissed: "Thanks for the sermon."

Miles stooped over him: "You are the real enemy to the Callos."

"Kill me then." Melric spat.

"You're not worth it." Miles dismissed him, "I learned that vengeance isn't my call. Revenge only spills more blood. No, you'll live to fix your own mistakes."

Melric lunged at Miles, and dug a blade into his chest. "No! You made a mistake!" He licked maliciously. Standing back to appreciate his work.

Miles stifled a pity laugh, tearing off his survey suit to reveal the shielding system beneath, "I didn't take it off this time."

Miles shot a pulse and blew Melric out of the ravine and through a crystal column and into the gazebo, the structure quivered.

"I meant for it to be more theatrical." Miles mocked him.

"No." Melric had time to say before the structure collapsed on top of him.

"It is done." Garth explained, he typed three, two, three, one, three, six, nine into the keypad, deactivating the weapon. The vessel stopped rattling, the garden became silent.

"It is done." Miles sighed.

"You knew more about the Callos than Melric did, I'm impressed." Lalia admitted, crossing her arms.

"Now for Phlasia." Garth said excitedly.

Chapter 39

The trip back to the bridge was easy, none of the Callos fired at them. The door hissed open and Captain Barras stood at the helm. The crew of CLERGY 1 worked busily, shouting commands and typing at their consoles. Captain Barras turned to speak to Miles, Lalia and Garth:

"I assume you were responsible for stopping the weapon." He guessed.

"Yes, Doctor Melric is dead and the weapon has been deactivated." Miles answered as Garth handed the Captain the metallic case containing the trigger.

Lalia's and Miles' communication devices scratched:

"Report to the bridge immediately." Terk's voice rang over the speakers.

Several Callos officers poured into the bridge, looking for Acting Admiral Barras' guidance.

"We have a problem." Garth told Lalia and Miles under his breath.

After Terk approached Barras, the Acting Admiral began to speak:

"Over the past few weeks there have been warnings that have been ignored due to infighting; but now there is absolute certainty that an enemy vessel awaits for the Convoy beyond Phlasia." Barras announced.

A few of the Callos soldiers and crew exclaimed, some began to cry slightly, the rest fell silent:

"The signature of the ominous vessel is comparable to a..." The Acting Admiral paused and took a breath, "A Yau Tang warship." He rubbed his hands across his face.

The crowd started to murmur loudly, several of the female Callos openly wept. Lalia, Miles, and Garth remained silent in thought, waiting for commands.

"I called each of you because you were leaders, I am asking you not to panic. Please, together we can get through this." He pleaded.

"Sir, the vessel is positioning it's self in front of the Phlasian Portal; they are blocking our route of escape." A Callos crew member called out.

Miles and Garth pushed through the crowd to Barras;

"What do we do?" Miles asked.

"Prepare for battle!" The Acting Admiral ordered, the crew began to frantically scurry.

"Miles, Garth, Lalia. Come with me." Barras led them out from the bridge into a small office space, he stood behind his desk, Lalia closed the door behind her.

"This is undoubtedly a Yau Tang warship; they are waiting for us to make the first move." The console at his desk beeped and an image was projected. "Apparently, also, they have pulse cannons capable of ripping through the Convoy already charged for attack. Several of our linguist analysts confirmed that they sent a declaration of war over short-wave communications; but it was ignored while we were dealing with Melric." Barras explained.

"I have a plan." Garth interjected.

"I need you to reequip the weapons to my shuttle." Barras directed.

"Sir, I have an idea." Garth repeated.

The room fell silent as CLERGY 1 turned from Phlasia towards the Phlasian Portal.

"Sir, we can use the Portal against the Yau Tang. If we can cripple their ship it should freefall into the portal; the velocity of the object that enters the portal determines the destination that the worm-hole spits it out." Garth explained.

"Where did you learn this?" Barras asked doubtfully.

"Miles did." Garth answered. They turned to Miles for an explanation.

"Yes. When I was transferred Braes' memories I noted a discrepancy; the Aurrus and the Callos are on a different calendar by a century. The portal could effectively banish the Yau Tang in any variety of eras or galaxies." Miles proposed.

"We just fought a miniature civil war, and we unequipped our shuttles, we are not in any position for war. Half of our population is planet-side harvesting; now they are panicking. I'm putting you three in charge, if you fail many lives will be lost in a confrontation; only CLERGY 1 has weaponry." Barras explained.

"I will realign the front-facing cannons." Garth volunteered, "Lalia and Miles; you should prepare the velocity coordinates."

Lalia nodded her head in understanding; she turned to leave, pulling Miles by the crook of the arm. Barras stopped them:

"I owe you each an apology; I am sorry for all that you had to suffer." He apologized, they continued out the door.

"Thank you for everything." The Acting Admiral called out as the three left, then under his breath he prayed:

"Best of luck to you. Saviors of the Convoy."

Garth ran past Miles and Lalia to the weapon's bay;

"Meet you in the bridge in a few minutes." He called, running past.

Lalia pushed Miles through a doorway, he caught himself from falling.

"What is your problem?" He shouted.

"Shh." She hissed, "We need to act fast." She started to type quickly at the console.

"What are you doing?" He asked, confused.

She spun in her seat to look him in the eyes:

"Do you want to go home? Yes or no." She asked.

He remained silent.

"I think you can use the portal to go back home, before you destroyed it. With the proper velocity and adequate accounting for the dimensionality of space, of course." She thought out loud as she worked with an equation on screen.

"Wait." He stopped her, "You want to send me through the portal? Past the Yau Tang warship?"

"Yes. You can disable the warship with a pulse, then you fly a shuttle straight through to the portal. You save us and return home. Barras and Garth won't let you try it; it needs to happen now. Before we are within cannon-firing range." She explained.

"Are you sure this will work?" He asked her, breathing in deeply so that his body began to glow.

She didn't answer.

"I trust you." He told her. "How do I get there?"

"Make sure you're wearing your shielding system and a survey suit. We'll put you on a shuttle." She directed. "Come on, let's go."

Lalia led Miles to the CLERGY 1 hanger, and ushered him up the ramp.

"The ship can pilot it's self, but you may need to override the controls." She explained, quickly pointing to a square red button, "From there the flight controls are inverted; up is down and down is up. You won't be able to take a hit. So be quick." She embraced him, hugging tightly. She whispered:

"I'll see you on the other side." Her deep blue eyes felt like hot embers to his heart, he recognized them. Fiery warmth spread through his body, providing courage and confidence.

"Time to go." He told her.

She ran up the metal scaffolding to the command tower and opened the hanger. The ship's engines roared and it lifted off of the platform and through the gaping doors, Miles was gone.

"Good bye. I'll miss you." She bid farewell, sealing the doors behind him.

A light flashed on the tower's console; Garth knew what had happened.

Chapter 40

Miles prayed quietly to himself as the shuttle flew closer and closer to the enormous warship and portal in the distance.

" _God, please get me through this. You've protected me thus far. Keep me alive, watch over the Convoy. Please._ "

Miles had never been one for faith, but of all the things he has experienced thus far nothing was as frightening as facing an unknown enemy, with thousands of lives at stake. The Callos and Aurrus both feared the Yau Tang; both placed their fate in Mile's hands.

" _Fortunately my hands are glowing._ " Miles thought to himself.

The console in the shuttle lit up:

"Miles! Turn around now! You are almost within firing range!" Garth ordered loudly.

"Garth, no. I need to do this. I need to save you all, I need to go home." Miles refused.

"Don't be a martyr, we have soldiers getting prepped. You don't need to sacrifice yourself. This is foolish, Lalia's calculations aren't tested, and you could end up spaced forever!" He warned.

"Garth. You were a good friend; you helped me more than I could ever say. But, you forget sometimes that fate calls us to do things we don't think are possible." Miles assured him: "I will be fine. You were my best friend, take good care of them. Someday, I think you would make a great Admiral."

Miles deactivated the communication device. The scanner alerted him that he was in firing range. He preemptively pressed the square red button Lalia had pointed out earlier. He pulled back on the throttle as Terk had lifting the shuttle at a sharp angle right as a wide red flash cut below where he had been. The Yau Tang's cannon jutted out of the rest of the warship, like a human cannon it was long with a large round opening at the end. Miles could see it even at a distance because it glowed red with heat; it gathered light in preparation for another attack. Miles pushed the shuttle sharply to the side, holding at the steering column with all his strength, the shuttle stubbornly refused to turn sharply enough and the immense red beam of light tore through the shuttle's small wing.

Miles reactivated his communication device to hear screaming:

"He was hit, he was hit!" Miles could hear Yelric screaming in the background,

"Shh. He turned his comm back on!" Garth shouted over the chaos in the background.

"How badly was I hit?" Miles asked Garth, "I am missing most of the wing on my left side, but the shuttle remains stabilized."

"You won't immediately lose stability, especially since you are banking to one side; it compensates." Garth explained, "But once you straighten out, you won't be level anymore." He warned.

"So, that means I just shift my seat, right?" Miles asked.

"Yes. As long as you maintain your thrusters and your right wing you should be fine." Garth assured him.

Another flash of red narrowly missed Miles' shuttle, Miles could now see individual lights on the warship; he was close.

"They won't be able to aim quickly enough, you're too close. You made it." Garth exclaimed with a sigh of relief, the bridge was silent in the background; static began to garble the transmission.

"Then here we go." Miles said, adjusting his helmet, it loudly snapped on.

"Was that your helmet?" Garth asked with concern, his voice barely audible.

"Yes. I am boarding the warship to disable it." Miles explained.

"What? You are going on?" Garth screamed, the bridge began to panic; Miles was unable to pick up their transmission.

"Lalia, he can't hear us. He can't find his own way around." Garth yelled, his words quickly pouring out.

"Shh!" She hissed, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.

"What are you doing? Miles is in trouble!" Garth panicked.

"I'm trying to open a telepathic channel." She explained, keeping her eyes shut.

" _Miles, listen to me._ " She pleaded.

Miles lowered his shuttle's belly against the razor sharp edge of the Yau Tang ship. He took an electro-grafter as he had seen done before, and welded a hole through into the warship. He was certain he heard the hiss of whispering:

"Yes. Miles, you must board the warship, their shields will protect them. You must be within their shields for your pulse to disable their electronics." Lalia explained telepathically, he could clearly hear her voice.

"Don't. Stay where you are, I have troops mobilizing as we speak. You don't need to do this." Garth pleaded Lalia to relay.

"Garth is worried about you; he says you don't need to do this." Lalia relayed.

"I am sorry, tell Garth. I do." Miles bore into the warship's hull, and kicked the molten metal into the room below. "I'm going in." Miles said, attaching the communication device to his helmet as he jumped down into the Yau Tang ship.

The corridors were filled with steam, orange clouds floated along the top of the room and the corridors; they provided an orange glow by which Miles was able to note the jagged barbed-wire edges the lined the doorways.

"Where am I?" Miles asked.

On the other end of the telepathic channel Lalia shuffled through holo-foils:

"You are in the bunk room; be quiet. Through the door and at the bottom of the staircase is the entrance to the engine room." She directed him.

Miles crept quietly through the room, empty web-like hammocks hung vertically from the ceiling; an orange cloud light followed Miles through the room.

"Is this orange thing alive or a camera?" Miles asked.

Lalia's thoughts became a flurry of activity, causing Miles to flinch:

"No, those are bioorganic; they work as personal lights. The Yau Tang are nocturnal, but over time their night vision has weakened. They now rely on low intensity light to see." She explained.

Miles held his breath as he tip toed past a sleeping Yau Tang; it was hard to discern what it was. The creature appeared to have a black exoskeleton; but also secreted from orange bulbous pockets clear fluid that bubbled down the pointed bone ridges. The Yau Tang had slits for its nose, but Miles couldn't tell whether it had eyes or a mouth; it did however have long arms with talons for fingers.

Miles entered the corridor, which was also empty and quiet. He slipped through the doorway to the engine room; the engines were also quiet.

"I don't think the engines are even on. It is like everyone is asleep." Miles reported.

"Their highly technologically advanced; their equipment runs on little energy and even less sound." Lalia explained, "Be careful, they won't leave the engine room un..."

A Yau Tang soldier interrupted her, pouncing on Miles; its claws dug deep into Mile's arm. Mile's felt the pressure of the attack, and the shielding system gave out; his suit lost its integrity and the claw drew blood. Miles repulsed it with a blast from his arms; the creature recoiled but then charged again. Miles raised his gun and fired rapidly, the creature took three of the hits and maintained its charge, and the fourth hit dropped it. The creature squirmed as it died, curling into a near perfect ball, its skeletal plates offering it protection in death.

Miles heard the clacking of footsteps; there were many more working their way down the stairs.

"I need to focus; I need to get the job done." He told himself.

Miles pressed his palms against the engine; it was cold to the touch. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate as he had with Braes. His world went dark; he could sense nothing but the cool of the engine he was touching. Around him he sensed the translucent figures from his and Braes' memories, they surrounded him;

" _Finish the job. Come home._ " They urged him.

" _I will, I'm coming home._ " Miles assured them, and himself.

Miles was unaware to the dozen Yau Tang that had surrounded him, several of them hissed as they tried to swipe at the glowing being in front of them. Mile's glowing shield prevented them from even disturbing him.

Miles thought of Lalia, Garth, Braes, Barras, and each of the unique creatures he had encountered. He channeled all of his thoughts into one:

" _Save them all._ " He allowed his energy to close in, he felt his lungs constrict and his breathing stop. He didn't care. Miles remained still.

The Yau Tang now numbered about fifty, the whole dark engine room was filled the shuffling movement of curious Yau Tang scurrying about the mechanical pieces and stairs of the room.

" _I use this power to save lives, not take them._ " Miles told himself silently.

The light around Miles vanished, several of the creatures shrieked in surprise.

The room was filled with light, the Yau Tang screeched, but all sound faded as the light ebbed away. Miles alone remained in the room.

"Their engines are offline!" A voice called through his communication device, Miles was brought back to the present situation.

"Miles! Get out of there!" Garth called.

Miles turned and ran out of the engine room, up the stairs. He ran as quickly as he could. Garth was shouting orders and updates to the crew around him:

"Their engines won't be disabled for long. We need to attack now. This is our only opportunity!" He called.

Miles ran down the corridor, Yau Tang stood in his path screeching at him. Miles interlocked his fingers and shot a pulse down the hall. But they dug their feet into the floor, unmoving. Miles turned the other direction as they chased him.

"Garth! I can't get back to my shuttle." Miles exclaimed as he ran.

"Sir! The shuttle has been sheared off! The Yau Tang removed it from their hull." A crew member alerted Garth.

"Miles, you can't go back to your ship. It is gone." Garth told him, "We have been firing upon the ship, but the shields are still up."

"My shield is broken, by suit isn't pressurized. I can't leave the ship." Miles explained exasperated.

Lalia's voice came on the communication device:

"Miles, if we don't attack now. Their engines and weapons will come back online, we are closing in for our guns; we will definitely be within firing range." She informed him.

"You need to attack then. Do it." Miles told her, "I'll find a way."

"We can use CLERGY 1 as a battering ram; if we use the Idinium Repulsors at their highest performance level we can hyper freeze the hull. We can crash through the warship." Garth exclaimed, "Their shields will give into our collision. Without their artificial gravity generators, they will fall into the portal."

"Do it. I have an idea." Miles told them.

"What? What is your plan? Wait for a shuttle." Lalia directed.

"Goodbye guys. This is a leap of faith I need to make." Miles said, tossing his communication device aside, he stopped running. He turned to face the Yau Tang closing in on him.

There were ten of them closing in, their claws rapped against the floor, Miles roared and attacked with pulses of light. He crushed one against the wall, and blasted two through a doorway. One was impaled by another's spine. The rest were crippled as they were flung to the end of the corridor.

CLERGY 1 was a glimmering icicle spear, it glistened a reflection of Phlasia as it cut towards the Yau Tang warship. Its nose bore through the rippling blue shield of the ship, a static explosion formed around the hole. CLERGY 1 sheared through the warship, tearing it in two halves.

Miles raced up the hall, the corridor began to lift, Miles was running up the slope. The corridor's angle rose sharper and sharper, Miles sprinted to the hole where his shuttle had been. The corridor was nearly vertical and Miles held his breath and jumped as the shield broke around the warship, the artificial gravity of the corridor was lost. Mile's momentum carried him as he dove through the hole and into space; he held his breath to maintain a light aura around him; coating the hole in his suit and maintaining pressure. He drifted from the devastated warship as it exploded silently, he could hear nothing in space except the throbbing of his arm and his lungs.

" _Here goes nothing._ " He thought to himself as he drifted towards the Phlasian Portal alongside the wreckage of the Yau Tang warship.

" _You need to go faster._ " He felt as though Lalia whispered in his ear, he turned to see the bridge of CLERGY 1. Unsure if the silhouettes he saw were Garth and Lalia. He waved goodbye. The swirling darkness of the Phlasian Portal was before him; he closed his eyes and decided to go the whole way.

Had the hole not swallowed light, Garth and Lalia would have seen a final pulse as Miles shot himself into the portal at a higher velocity. Miles was on a pilgrimage of a different sort, the stories of a human savior would be passed on for ages.

"The portal is fading." Acting Admiral Barras exclaimed.

"Which means opportunity is rising." Lalia observed as the Yau Tang warship melted into the black hole.

"We aren't going through the portal." Garth assumed.

"Exploration and discovery await us. We finally move forward." Lalia stared into the distance.

A bandaged Tovar Latarr was wheeled into the bridge by a female crew member, he turned to face Lalia.

"He was the best Callos I ever knew." He confessed, reaching with his hand for hers.

"Yes. Yes, he was." Lalia finished, as she took his.

The Phlasian Portal closed, the Convoy moved on.
