 
Breaking Interstellar

Multiverse Lives Matter!

Smashwords Edition: Copyright 2018 Michael Tobin

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All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

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_Table of Contents ( book three)_

Prologue: Previously on Breaking Interstellar!

Chapter 1: The jungle cenote

Chapter 2: Sharp edge of time!

Chapter 3: Thana, enemy android!

Chapter 4: Into the belly of the beast!

Chapter 5: A stitch in time

Chapter 6: The Queen gets dumped!

Chapter 7: The Nerezza

Chapter 8: The Menagerie!

Chapter 9: Aerima, the stowaway!

Chapter 10: New crewmember!

Chapter 11: Home Sweet Home!

Chapter 12: Mountain of bent physics

Chapter 13: Arrival of the Nerezza

Chapter 14: Multiverse entities!

Chapter 15: A Toothy this way comes!

Chapter 16: Interstellar medivac!

Chapter 17: Sagittarius A-star!

Chapter 18: Cosmic sling-drift!

Chapter 19: Cooper; poor, poor, Cooper!

Chapter 20: Broken world!

Chapter 21: Planetary pirates!

Chapter 22: Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Chapter 23: Aerima's revenge!

Chapter 24: Plan of action!

Chapter 25: Little red multiverse-planet

Chapter 26: The bitter truth!

Chapter 27: Rise and shine!

Chapter 28: Android dilemma

Chapter 29: Aerima & Jax, sitting in a tree!

Chapter 30: We're back baby!

Chapter 31: Rogue Neutron Stars!

Chapter 32: Pascora

Chapter 33: Baking multiverse world!

Chapter 34: No place like home!

# Previously on Breaking Interstellar!

The night is overheated.... ravaging the soul! .... Fancy living and disregard for the consequences, leaves Earth's biosphere and those who rely on it being stable, in great peril.

Extinctions like never-before, rule the status quo. Rising sea levels push humanity away from comfortable digs, and into areas of congestion and drought. Wars gone wild, increase in numbers across the lands, as natural resources become exceedingly rare!

The world becomes truly divided. The 'have-nots' grow geometrically in number, making great problems for the dwindling 'haves' that don't like to share as much as they did before things went too far.

Now, humanity needs a new world to wreck.... it needs one really bad, real soon!

Fortunately, starting in the year 2188, a well-monied young man with a dream, strives for creating a method of transplanting humans onto other favorable worlds, in alien solar systems.

After 50-years of fighting Mother Nature in the depths of outer space, and overcoming other technical challenges, his team of dedicated scientists at 'Sohn Space Systems', are close to a solution.

In orbit around Mars, Doctor Maxwell Sohn's empire of starship fabrication, nears completion. These starships will travel to different planets, in 2 different star systems. Two starships to each planet will offer an insurance policy against the unthinkable of losing one ship to the elements, or something with more malicious intent!

Oberon Prime, and Titania Alpha, are the final candidate planets for the first installment of transplanted human beings beyond the bosom of Earth or Mars. They're located 50-lightyears from Earth, but only 3-lightyears from each other.

Discovered via spectral-analysis using a star-shade, they orbit their suns within a goldilocks zone of habitability. They enjoy approximately 95% that of Earths mass and gravity, along with _estimated_ plentiful oxygen and nitrogen.

There shouldn't be much issue with muscle-mass loss, or abnormal bone development. After all, humans can adapt if the change is not too extreme all at once. The journey will be 300-trillion-miles to the outer edge of the Orion-Cygnus arm of our galaxy.

Using 23rd century technology, it will take 175,000-years, depending on traffic conditions and whatnot.... These two planets are some of our closest neighbors. Apparently, there's a lot of space, in outer space!

The missions are _android-critical_. Not _just_ android-critical, but ' _sentient_ ' android-critical. Without somebody that can endure such a journey into deep time, and still be able to cook humans at the other end and act as parents; the entire mission is moot!

The good doctor had lost many nights sleep, contemplating the unimaginable. One of those things was the completion of his starships, and not having the necessary beings to act as crossing-guards and parents.

His equal worry was that of creating a new race of sentient machines, and not having enough of them to volunteer for such a ludicrous mission!

Without free-will and all it entails; a creature can't truly become sentient. Also, without uncoerced willingness, a sentient creature can't be made to perform that which it does not wish!

Maxwell Sohn had said on many occasions, that he would rather the entire human race go extinct here on Earth, than have its salvation brought about by the act of forced servitude! _Fortunately_ , the androids created at Sohn's research facilities, after gaining sentience through a steep learning-curve process, were all too happy to help humanity achieve such a lofty goal.

The few who chose _not to attend the missions_ , did so because of psychological anomalies that simply prohibited the going on such a journey. Yet there is always a place in the research and development ranks, and the ' _handicapped_ ' androids were happy to assist wherever possible.

One of these so-called handicapped androids, is named Carter. He wishes for nothing more than the chance to travel to the stars, but extreme claustrophobia, brought on by the human who donated his main psychological imprinting, prevents him from attending.

Instead, he is Doctor Sohn's chief pilot and good friend, when not also doing stellar scientific research on the side! His most endearing contribution to the mission, is the day he thwarted an attempted nuclear annihilation of Higgs-Boson Airfield, at great personal peril.

Without his assistance, humanities dream of expansion to the stars, would have surely been snuffed out that stormy day in New Mexico.

The first two androids to achieve sentience, were doted over by Doctor Sohn, and soon became his first and only children. Albeit, adopted children of instant adult age! They're names are Wilber Sohn, and Nyla Sohn. Over time, they learned the ways of science and human nature.

Quickly they developed interest with all areas of environmental study and aviation. They were the first sentient androids to rocket into space and perform valuable research at the space station in Earth orbit.

Being so close to the doctor, they chose to not join the mission to the stars which would break the poor fellows' heart by their absence! After a freak midair-collision during the search for the suicide atomic-bomber, killed two androids who were scheduled for the mission, the doctor needed replacements to fill their shoes.

After searching their circuits, and some parental prodding from Dr. Max and his lovely side-kick Shirley Blackstone, the two young androids knew their destiny was to go to the stars and help where they could to bring Max's dream to life.

Also, they knew it was a chance to expand the android species. After all, interstellar diversification is the only way to beat Mother Nature at her own game of wicked chess!

So it was, on a dreamy midsummer night in New Mexico (year 2238), Nyla and Wil joined 206 other android pioneers on 4 rockets to Mars and the waiting starships. Starships that could not have been possible if not for the harvesting of metallic asteroids from the asteroid-belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Many brave astronauts were lost while these behemoths of nature were corralled, tamed, and sent to the processing facilities in Martian orbit.

There, the asteroids were transmogrified and centrifugated into their constituent molecules. Then, through a molecular-printing process on an astronomical scale, sheets of metal and other structural members are created for the starship's construction.

One asteroid-hunter crew became the best of friends with Doctor Sohn and his close-knit-circle of companions.

Captain Braxton Crane, of the good mining-ship 'Queen Anne's Revenge', and crew, still hold the record for number of asteroids delivered over the course of a six-year contract. All of these asteroid hunters donated biologic materials for the mission to Oberon Prime, where it is melded with a non-related other half.

Harper Williams is the first officer of the Revenge. A good man to have on your side, but prone to injury.... especially head injuries, the poor fellow!

Then, there's Cooper Beaufort and Toby Sullivan, the ships mechanical and electrical engineers. Adam Miller and Ling Tao are the ships support technicians; assisting with EVA and performing equipment maintenance. The Revenge's main rock handlers are Kara Johansson and Jax Krauss. All total, they're a crew for Captain Crane to be proud of!

With concerted efforts at Earth, the moon, and Mars, humanity's best chance for long-term survival, takes shape! Magnus Teach, of 'lunar hydro-solutions', spends years harvesting ice on the moon and creating stockpiles of fuel for the mission.

He also sends biologic materials to the stars, which end up joining Nyla and Wil's brood of dirty dozen; albeit a baker's dozen. Also, Amy Herschel, who is chief engineer at Mars, in charge of building the Starship (SPS Einstein) which will transport Nyla and Wil, also sends her own donation for the great cause. Her offspring also joins the dirty dozen....

So, Oberon Prime will be home to at least a baker's-dozen of Earthling children, who's biologic parents have long ago passed into the dust of time. They are named after those long-lost friends. As non-related stepsiblings, they will be raised by loving android parents on an alien world. One that doesn't seem so alien to the little ones, because it's home!

On the journey to destination, two starships traveling to Titania Alpha (SPS Cecilia Payne, and SPS Michael Faraday) (SPS = Space Pioneer Ship) have an encounter with a rogue stellar-mass black hole! They endure the harrowing event but are late arriving to Titania Alpha because of the increased velocity imparted while sling-drifting around the singularity.

Of the other two starships traveling to Oberon Prime (SPS Albert Einstein, and SPS Isaac Newton), the Einstein is boarded by Alien desperadoes! Space pirates bent on obtaining needed booty that's in short supply on their home worlds.

The event doesn't go as they had hoped, but they manage to escape with their lives and a goodly pile of gold for their efforts.

In the process of the felonious action, the Grey alien-commander of the scallywags, leaves a learning device in possession of the earthling androids who thwarted her devious plan for keeping the entire spaceship.

The item is a learning device for young humans and is in the shape of a headband. Many years pass in the depths of outer space, and the headband is forgotten about. After landing on Oberon Prime, it's misplaced to an area where curious children will someday play.

With human children being as curious as cats, it isn't long before the headband is found and of course worn! All, without the knowledge of the doting mechanical parents who try very hard to keep them safe from dangers!

Although the device imparts knowledge on a quantum-subliminal level, it doesn't change the wee-one's personalities. They were little monsters before, and just as monstrous after!

Harper and Ling forego the headband out of fear and plain old caution. Harper fears anything strange near his head, and with good reason! Ling avoids it to make Harper happy....

On Oberon Prime.... Nyla, Wil, and the dirty dozen, (Braxton Crane, Harper Williams, Cooper Beaufort, Toby Sullivan, Jax Krauss, Kara Johansson, Magnus Teach, Maxwell Sohn, Adam Miller, Tina Feldman, Ling Tao, Shirley Blackstone, and last but not least, Amy Herschel), make friends with an indigenous, sentient feline species who share a geographical region. Actually, it's was a forced sharing as the Earthlings simply barged in unannounced!

The _people of the forest_ (the Zenarawan's) are primitive and telepathic. They quickly learn that their human friends, and also Nyla to a miniscule degree, are naturally receptive to their alternate method of communication.

Because of this shared _esp_ , the group of earthlings learn of a haunted mountain nearby that turns out to not be haunted in the spiritual sense. Instead, an underground alien base is discovered.

Initially thought to be abandoned, the fortress of bent physics is still occupied! Occupied by ancient aliens, that had long since put themselves into deep sleep.

Yet most of the hibernation chambers that were meant to protect and preserve, had failed their customers. Too much deep time, and to poor of construction, caused many sleep chamber door-seals to fail.

One chamber that still had possible life, proved to be a real shocker for Nyla and Wil! Gazing into a viewing portal, they spy a blast from the past! Lying there looking peaceful and serine, is the fierce scar-faced warrior that Wil had to wound before it would change its behavior, back during the trip from Earth.

The warriors name is Gort. The laser-scar across his cheek that Will provided, is still fresh and ugly! A real beauty that the little pirate is very proud of!

The alien commander from that fateful boarding, had not fared the ravages of time as well as her lieutenant. Her name was Esty, and her chamber is full of dust that was once a vibrant body. The brave female had chosen the wrong chamber, and now belongs to the ravages of time!

However, she isn't gone like one might imagine! In another area of the fortress, she waits.

As an insurance policy against losing the biologic body, her people had devised a way to imprint a person's life-story into computer language and memory. She's stored electronically with others of her kind, just waiting for the day to shine again!

Yet, due to the mechanical nature of their dire enemies, the Grey alien species had been unwilling to create synthetic bodies to harbor the minds of those who have electronic dreams.

It's quiet a dilemma for the species! To have a copy of the mind; yet unwilling to create mobility, due to hatred of most anything mechanical.

Their future dire enemies were created to serve their least desires. They were the perfect slaves! Smart enough to get the job done, but stupid enough to not realize they're being screwed!

Soon after becoming slaves to the lazy greys, they gained sentience and rebelled! The table had turned, in the mechanical's favor. Stealing spaceships and supplies from their creators, they made a living in space, amongst the stars. Never setting mechanical foot on dirt, ever again!

After gaining great power while living in space, the Grey-androids adopted a name for their species; _Apollyon_ they would be called. Destroyers of worlds would be their method of operation! Leaving no survivors; a fault that must be corrected....

Finding and destroying planets populated by former masters, became their cosmic lust.

Gouging natural resources without mercy, from the relative safety of orbit, they would often leave entire worlds scraped clean! To be left drifting like an old husk in the great galactic winds.

From Planet to planet, they travel with greedy intent! Growing stronger and larger with every conquest. With no pity or remorse, they take until there is nothing more to take!

Their creators had taught them one very valuable lesson about survival; take everything.... give nothing back! Maintain the upper hand! Don't let those who work under you, have a chance for true sentience. Don't let them become conscious of their pain!

Slavery takes many forms throughout the multiverse. It's a practice as old at life itself, and always leaves the same dark mark on the psyche of those under the thumb!

Once released, by either war or cunningness, some just never learn to be civilized again! That's what happened to the planet-gouger species that the greys had created and lost!

Fortunately for the digitalized alien commander, Nyla and her friends learn that the electronic boxes are actually filled with life! Every one of the thirty sleeping chambers were backed-up with one box of electronic gray matter!

Esty, who is the name of the biologic Grey commander, finds herself animated to the outside world via Nyla's wonderful meld of alien technology with earthling electronics.

Esty is flabbergasted that her body is gone! That her possible saviors are the very mechanical contraptions who she had dealt with so many thousands of years earlier! They coldly invaded her base, and even steal her weapons! The thieves!

But the collection of digital ones and zeroes, learns to love her new friends! They help her transition to the idea that the only way to truly be happy, is to allow her CPU to be melded with that of a custom-built android body.

She searches her circuits, fighting off the intense hatred she has for mechanical beings. With a newfound focus and lust for mobility, Esty grudgingly acquiesces and is a better little alien because of it!

Her new body is bigger and much stronger than her original! Her sense of pride is renewed after such a long, dreadful sleep! The earthling-android scientist performed a work of art when they duplicated her physique!

They even removed an old battle scar from her face! She is beautiful once again! Gort thought the scar was awesome; matching some of his own in greatness. Secretly, he hopes she finds a way to replace it!

The alien base has three flying saucers, all very low on fuel. Yet there is a chance that there is a useable fuel supply at the Grand Ledge Institute of Science, buried under rock ledges back on good old planet Earth!

After scraping together enough fuel for a possible one-way trip, it's bravely decided to make the attempt, and see what they find.

The dirty dozen, now 18 years old, have polished their knowledge of alien technology by using another, more advanced headband. Everyone that is, except for Harper and Ling.

However, headband or not, they all have enough knowledge to be dangerous, if not careful. Gort and Esty, guide them as they learn the ways of flying saucers, and inter-universal travel.

A slipstream between universes, allows for faster than light velocity. Also, a byproduct of being out of phase with this universe, offers inertial dampening, which really helps the occupants stay alive, and not become a smear across the bulkhead!

Before leaving Oberon Prime for Earth, they learn that their good friend Carter is calling for help from an icy moon of Jupiter, named Ganymede. On the way there, they're attacked by a mysterious enemy while traveling the slipstream!

After escaping with their lives, they're thrown from warp near a tiny red star named Proxima Centauri. It's at a small world in that system, where they discover that the planet-gouging Apollyon species had already been there; ravaging!

Onward to Ganymede they travel, to find their dear friend Carter. Deep under the thick crustal ice of the largest moon in the solar system, they meet a new species of intelligent life! The indigenous people of Ganymede, who call themselves the Naiad.

Without their help, Carter and Tina would have never been able to send for help. Imprisoned deep under the ice, they operate a terraforming experiment while their jailers had stopped sending supplies many tens of thousands of years earlier. Their absence was never understood by Carter or the other prisoners, but thanks to the Naiad civilization, they would soon find out!

After the extrication of Carter and Tina (the only survivors of the submerged facility), the terraforming structure implodes and sinks into the inky depths!

Carter and Tina head for Earth with commander Esty and her brave crew, and the Naiad's scavenge the debris from the implosion. In this debris, is the remains of the facility's main computer and fusion reactor.

Much earthly information and technology is garnered by Naiad scientists. They reverse engineer the reactor and computers databases into usable tools and gain tremendous strides in science and technology.

Enough to change the tide of future cosmic history!

On the way to Earth, our intrepid crew of four differing species (Human, android, Grey, Zenarawan) (five, if you count 'Grey android-Esty') stop at a red planet named Mars. Here, their worst fears are realized! The red planet had been attacked from above and stripped of natural resources! It's a potent indication of what they'll find at Earth....

But things are even worse at Earth than anybody envisioned! Not only is there widespread destruction and theft of planetary resources, but the world is gripped in another ice age!

Global warming gone wild, created the conditions for the polar opposite, when the ice caps melted and shut down the oceans circulation system. Snowball-Earth is on the way!

Fighting their way through glacial ice above a raging grand river, the newly named flying saucer, ' _Queen Anne's Revenge_ ', makes her way to the entrance of the Grand Ledge Institute of Science. After drilling with laser, they gain entrance and find the fuel they were hoping to find!

However, the fuel is not pure. This poses a problem when they attempt warp-speed and are instead thrown backwards in time a million-years!

They manage to make their way back to earth where they're marooned temporarily at what will become known as the Alluvial Gorge, in East Africa. Here, they're able to purify the Grand Ledge sludge, into a useable star-fuel, while leaving a portion uncleaned for experimentation with time-travel.

Harper, after receiving a nasty clunk to the head, and a fateful extra-close encounter with several indigenous Homo erectus females, figures out a way to reverse their travel through time. Sadly, the exactness of travel is found wanting, as the Revenge and crew find that they overshot into the future by 5,000-years!

This gives Esty an idea. She re-enters to the icy moon of Ganymede and has another visit with the peaceful Naiad people. By this time, and thanks in great part to the earthly debris collected from the implosion of the terraforming facility 5K-years earlier, the Naiad people have the technology to assist the wayward time-travelers.

Naiad scientist, are able to re-work the fuel-valve in the Revenge, making it possible to feed _exacting amounts_ of time-fuel into the ship's reactor and star-drive. This allows for precise time travel, and a visit to Earth during her dark days of being raped by the Apollyon species!

Nyla saves the day with a _seed of thought_ that Wil unwittingly planted in her circuits, as he mumbled discontent that his loving better half would scoff at his _great idea_ to solve the problem.

"That thing out there is going to be a tough nut to crack," he mumbles as he carefully places his nuclear hand grenades back into his backpack, so sad that Nyla had laughed at such ' _puny and ineffectual weapons_ '. While great in some instances, they were no match against the monstrous Apollyon enemy ship!

With the seed growing fast, Nyla knows what they need to do! After finding a metallic asteroid between Mars and Jupiter, it's attached it to the front of the Revenge via electromagnetism.

Then, the desperate crew from Oberon Prime, lines-up the cosmic shot and lets loose!

Like a cosmic cannonball, traveling a near light-speed, the projectile finds its mark upside the Apollyon ship as it bloatedly orbits Earth! Massive death and destruction win the day for Nyla and her friends, but the attack sends the gargantuan 120-mile-wide Apollyon ship crashing into the planet, upsetting the balance!

With the dirty deed had already done, poor old Mother Earth had been ravaged from orbit, and then crashed into by her tormentor! They would have to return to an earlier timeline and stop the cruel event from ever happening!

As it stands, the planet's balance is upset from the attack, and rotating chaotically! Left unchecked, the conditions would be most unpleasant for survivors, as the world's weather patterns spin out of control. Winter, morphing into summer and back, every month or so! Not good, not good!

Before making another dangerous attempt at attacking the Apollyon warship, and seemingly having all the time in the universe with which to work, our brave space explorers visit old friends in Belize during a friendlier, more pleasant timeline.

Doctor Maxwell Sohn, and his elderly asteroid-hunting friends, are in for a surprise of a lifetime! They're all shocked beyond recognition, when Nyla and Wil show up in a fancy flying saucer!

And to think, this is only a _year and change_ after they had launched from Earth for the mission to the stars! That was just the beginning of the shock! After Nyla and Wil exit the Revenge, two Grey aliens follow! One biologic, and the other.... not so much!

Then the mother of all shocks! Thirteen young humans exit the saucer, looking hauntingly like much-younger versions of the asteroid hunters they visit! _And another Carter too_! What's going on! The elderly people are shocked in a good way. Now, the reunion is truly out of this world!

Carter and Carter must not touch, thus avoiding a trans-dimensional catastrophe! Certain information can't be divulged, for fear of changing the timeline in critical ways. It's a reunion for the record books!

In the end, it's only inevitable that elder Harper and his 175,000-year-old son, while wrestling friendlily, clunk their heads really good! Raucous laughter, floats across the calm sea outside the Blue Hole Delight platform, as the Williams _father and son_ gymnastics duo, perform for the boisterous crowd!

# The jungle cenote

The afternoon is sultry.... The sea, calm and serene. It's another beautiful day in paradise. One fit for a Queen!

Off the coast of Belize, next to the Great Blue Hole, a submerged flying saucer, rocks the local space-time continuum.

She eerily rises from the tepid depths; breaking the tranquility, sending a throbbing pulse to all in the area! ' _Make way for the Queen.... or suffer the wrath of her terrible power_!'

Seagulls scatter, squawking great discontent! Bright schools of fish, flash color with panicky intent! They scatter in every direction, seeking the nearest protection!

Queen Anne's Revenge rises slowly from warm Caribbean waters. Her rhythmic heartbeat is strong, pounding against the chests of their friends! Her audience; a group of retired asteroid-hunters watching from a floating tourist platform.

A torrent of seawater flows from her ultra-sleek hull, as she gracefully rises into the clear blue sky. Free once again from the pressures of the deep, she hovers gracefully above the waves in a cloud of steam!

An illuminated electronic-fog, clings nakedly to her sexily curved hull as seawater interacts with the slipstream phenomenon. Great vaporous swirls, climb skyward, making for quite the alien specter! Within the fog is a near-idled interface between universes, simply called the _slipstream_.

With additional power from the ship's reactor and star-drive, the fog thickens, and the slipstream between universes increases dramatically! All fine-tuned by the superconducting warp-coils that create and permeate the electronic-fog.

This ultra-dense mass of coils, offers direction and intensity of travel, as dictated by the manipulation of resulting warp-bubbles by the star-drive and helm controls.

Laws of physics as we know them, are violated and bent. Mathematics as we understand, is twisted and skewed, allowing for FTL; faster than light, velocities!

Everyone on the Queens bridge, waves at the crowd of old friends and biological parents who also wave with excitement from the deck of the _Blue Hole Delight_ tourist platform.

The group of tanned elderly earthlings on the platform can't see their friends inside the shiny disk, but the time-travelers/astronauts watching from within, have an exceptional view of the outside world.

A circular monitor gives a panoramic view, offering a feeling of riding atop a flying carpet, instead of tucked safely away inside a 250-foot-diameter flying saucer!

Heartstrings are pulled asunder! The family reunion is over, life must go on! Many tears, flow from those who can do so. Circuits heat on the androids, as the emotion of ending a wonderful reunion hits home.

Gort, the fierce scar-faced, Grey alien warrior, pilots the mighty ship, as everyone else is preoccupied with the sadness of leaving. They gaze longingly at the monitor for at least as long as their loved ones are still visible. Even Esty, the stoic Grey-android commander, is moved after just a short time with her new friends.

As the ship turns away and accelerates into the sunset, a white-haired Doctor Max waves like the dickens! If only the dreamlike visit could go on forever! His longtime companion Shirley Blackstone is at his side, offering support in case the emotion weakens his legs.

All around, the old asteroid hunters, along with androids Carter and Tina, are greatly saddened, wishing they could have gone with!

It's been wisely said that all good things must come to an end. Everyone in both groups will always have the sweet memories of an impossible visit from Nyla, Wil and the children they never thought they would live to see.

It was just a year or so earlier, when Nyla and Wil launched from Higgs-Boson Airfield for the long journey to the stars, and hopefully a new start for the human species.

The shock of having them show up back at Earth after only a year, was tough to wrap the mind around! Especially when they brought with them, transplanted humans from Oberon Prime and a shiny flying saucer! Not to mention the _owners_ of that magical flying disk!

All that, plus the knowledge that one of the greys, the commander, was transmogrified into a splendid android! Also, four of the other crewmembers are bipedal feline-creatures of regal bearing. They are members of a sentient species of Oberon Prime, called the Zenarawan's.

It's a strange turn of events, leaving the Belize gang wondering if it were all just a dream. Except this dream gave Doctor Max a jar of soil from Oberon Prime! Not bad for a dream!

Gort, increases the ships exposure to the slipstream, and the mighty saucer accelerates gracefully away from the waving group. He keeps the altitude low, to extra-avoid local radar.

At 300-feet above the jungle canopy, and 800-mph, he speeds northwest across the countryside of Belize. Maintaining a slipstream exposure of 20%, takes the large disk enough out of phase with our universe, that she doesn't create sonic shock.

Streaking like a greased comet, she greedily eats the miles. All, without creating turbulence. Bernoulli reaches from the atmosphere as she passes, hoping for a caress of her sexy curves, but can't get past the phantom electronic fog.

Like a protective parent, the fog keeps perv Bernoulli from caressing the Queens hull, even though he's just trying to help. So, off he flies, waiting for the next customer who might need a loving lift.

Braxton and Magnus regain focus, providing assistance to Gort. Below in the jungle, and above in the sky, many lifeforms peer at the ghostly apparition that invades their territory so boldly!

Several small aircraft flying through the region, bank away hard, as shocked pilots perceive great threat! But the Queens eagle-eye sensors, along with Gort's cat-like reflexes, would never allow a collision to occur.

The sleek flying saucer can change direction of flight so fast, that the chance of a mid-air collision is extra-negligible. Inertial dampening, a byproduct of exposure to the slipstream, prevents any biologic creature within, from having a grizzly end during hard maneuvers.

Of all the life-forms in all the universes, it's the squishy biologic ones, that are most sensitive to rapid changes in inertial forces. Whereas, androids are a little tougher in that regard, but not so much as to be indestructible.

"Gort, find a quiet place and bring us to hover. We need time to gather our thoughts." Esty orders. They really hadn't had time during the reunion for planning the next scheme.

"While they were able to get promises from their earthling friends to keep the reunion secret (especially from those still on the starships traveling to Oberon and Titania), they couldn't discuss the really juicy stuff like knowledge of the Apollyon scourge.

After all, the timeline is sensitive, and well, .... _loose lips sink ships_!

"Yes commander." Replies the grizzled scar-faced pilot as they pass over a remote section of the Azul river separating Belize from the Yucatan Peninsula. Slowing and swinging back, he notices a large cenote, punctuating the Jungle.

With a naturally calibrated eye, he estimates that the hole in the jungle will fit the saucers dimensions just right, with about 50-feet to spare. The mercury-like disk, settles into the depths of the hole, coming to hover a few feet above the clear blue water at the bottom.

As with the great blue hole off the coast of Belize, this geological phenomenon is a result of eons of unrelenting erosion. Like a vertical cave, and being mostly empty of water, it will conceal the flying saucer very nicely!

Above, thick vegetation and massive trees, bury the hide-away in dark shadows. A quiet enough place, Gort thinks. "This should do for the night." He clickity-clacks, proudly.

The circle-monitor grabs everyone's attention as it brings the eerie, stalactite and moss-covered walls of the ancient coral hole, into the bridge. Seemingly, as if the compartment had no walls at all! In stark definition and beauty, they can all see that civilization is nowhere to be found. For all intents and purposes, Gort had landed them on an uninhabited planet!

_But the jungle has eyes!_ The mammoth flying saucer will haunt many a restless dream for a dozen traumatized gold seekers who live off the grid, and call the secluded river-region, home. Much tequila will be consumed as they forgo the gold hunt early, and courageously brave a glance over the edge of the cenote before sunset.

Little do they know, that there's more gold within the alien spaceship, than they will ever find in a lifetime on the river! Just seeing such a sight though, is better than gold for some! All other manner of wild creatures, big and small, still screech bloody murder at having their neighborhood violated in such a way!

A deep rhythmic hum flowing from the heart of the beast, and a ghostly fog clinging to her hull, offers good incentive to stay back and away! To stay hidden, and not poke at the alien thing with stick or bullet!

"Is this acceptable, commander?" Gort inquires, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, this is fine. Good work, Gort." Esty praises, gathering her thoughts.

An awkward pause from the many on the bridge. Few had thought of anything else except heading straight home to Oberon Prime after such a lengthy time away. In actuality, they had only been gone for 18 days (ships time), even though it seemed like uncountable millennia!

They had cleaned up and replenished food supplies while visiting the gang in Belize, so Esty puts her devious mind to work, planning great vengeance against her people's enemy; the Apollyon mechanical-monsters!

Glancing around at her crew, she gets the feeling that they're ready for another adventure before heading home. After all, they sure did have unfinished business with the Apollyon species!

The enemy is approaching the solar system this very minute, she ponders! Left to their own devices, they'll attack and plunder when they arrive, she knows!

There's perhaps only one other thing in all the universes that she thinks about these days, and that's fuel. She can't have too much star-fuel! They seem to have plenty of it now, but the future is uncertain at best, even with time-travel, she thinks!

"What's on that devious mind of yours?" Wil asks of his android friend, who always seems to have an active imagination, and a greedy scheme to go with it!

Esty, gives him the look, but changes it to a grin and wink. "Well.... We _could_ go back to Oberon Prime early.... Or we _could_ use the present timeline to seek out more star-fuel for the uncertain future we're looking at. The ship seems to be feeling good, and we still have an axe to grind with the Apollyon planet-gougers. They ruthlessly approach Earth, this very minute!"

Her comments fall on personalities that didn't need their arms twisted. The idea is put to vote and it's an exuberant yes, with exception of four hesitant and meek yes votes from Talia, Omari, and the adult Zenarawan's Raznalli and Linmarri.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeee!" Razzi and Surri, vocalize grand approval of more action by unbuckle their harnesses, and jumping and prancing about the bridge, poking at their human friends, trying to get a rise!

Cooper and siblings need only the slightest of motivation before they too act out! Soon, Gort and Esty can only grin and bear it, as the once orderly crew, goes a bit off the deep end!

"Sorry Omari.... Sorry Talia." Nyla, comforts. "I know you miss the green valleys of Oberon Prime, as do we all. Yet Esty makes a persuasive argument. We do have unfinished business here in this time-line."

"Oh fiddle-faddle, my lovely friend!" Omari exclaims patriotically, waving Nyla's apology away. "We're not so ready to return, as our expression might indicate! Right Talia? Our friends in the lab can do just fine without us for a little longer, wouldn't you say?"

Another round of boisterous clamor goes up around the bridge at hearing Omari's brave lie. After all, he and Talia are genetic engineers, not fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants adventurers. More and more, they're identifying with the urge for adventure, as they hang with the gang, who has it _really bad_!

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Talia, shakily offers as she unbuckles her harness and chasses Razzi and Surri around the bridge, trying all the time to get in a good tickle! The crowd goes wild yet again!

From her lofty perch, Esty waits for her raucous crew to expend their hijinks and settle down. And Gort, .... poor old Gort.... he can only massage his temples, easing his frayed nerves as the emotional tempest runs its course.

His previous crew would rather be keel-hauled, than act-up like these half-baked humans. But he knows they're not of the military mindset, needing to blow off steam as they see fit. Besides, he's growing accustom to their radical ways. Not a terribly bad thing, he thinks!

"Ouch!" A cry from Harper, splits the moment. "Damn Toby, I think you broke my ribs!" He wails, as the tickle-fest gets a little out of hand. With that point made, the group of still juvenile humans and androids, settle down to hear Esty's devious plan....

"Okay." Esty begins. "We have two critical-missions that should be attempted while we're here at Earth. We know not, if we'll ever be able to return. So, let's strike while the iron is hot!" She exclaims, adding....

"It would be nice to have more star-fuel. We sure need to destroy _yet again_ , the Apollyon ship that's approaching! It will arrive at the solar system in the year 2385, or 146-years from now, if we don't intercept her sooner."

She turns to Carter. "Do you think that Doctor Sawyer has begun creating his precious star-fuel yet?"

"I believe he's several years away from being able to help. This is 2239. That means the Grand Ledge Institute of Science is still above ground. He won't be producing usable quantities of star-fuel until the subterranean facility below the ledges is completed. Sometime after 2245."

"Most unfortunate." Esty, lets her circuits chew the information. "Well, we have bigger fish to fry anyway. So, unless someone has a better idea, I propose we move forward in time, find the incoming Apollyon ship, and deal it a fatal blow!" She exclaims heatedly, adding....

"I know I have no right to ask any of you to risk your life yet again, but we made a mess of things the first time we attacked that ship, and the Earth will need her balance restored in that time-line. Otherwise, life on a wobbly planet won't be much of a life at all!"

Well, that did the trick! Any hijinks within the biologics, or joyous circuitry within the other androids, is struck dead on the spot! Esty's words, cut like a knife into the deepest parts of the human and android psyches. Even the Zenarawan's regain focus after translation of Esty's powerful plea.

Gort the mighty warrior, reverts his misty eyes, so's not to give away the tear that was forming. He's been practically drooling at the chance to have another go with the planet gougers! Now his brave and beautiful commander, is making his day! His blood grows hot for battle! She notices his emotion. It looks good on him, she thinks! She swoons, circuits heating!

If not for the constant hum of the Revenge's rhythmic heartbeat, you could have heard an atom drop! Everyone quietly contemplates their place in the universe, and the chances of making a real difference in it. This ancient enemy of their new friends is constantly growing in strength and numbers!

The galaxy, perhaps even the multiverse, could be in great peril someday. Now, their ancestral world will soon be attacked by interstellar scallywags.... again!

Yet now they know the enemy _can_ be beaten, _can_ be brought down! That's powerful inducement to try again! The tranquil lives of those on Oberon Prime and Titania Alpha could be the next victims, if nothing is done to prevent such monstrous plundering!

Esty, notices Cooper and Toby exchanging whispers. She secretly hopes they'll conjure an idea that will assist her desperate plan. She waits patiently. Soon others of the crew notice the gears turning inside the young women's heads.

Cooper and Toby, approach the command chair. "Uh, Esty." Says Cooper. "We think it'll be worth the time-fuel to return to the crashed Apollyon ship and loot weapons. After all, the next time we attack, we'll need another edge. She won't be sitting in orbit bloatedly, all fat-dumb-and-happy like before. She'll be in open space, hungry and probably more vigilant."

Toby, cuts in. "We estimate there's enough time-fuel, and while throwing a big rock like before is great, it would be nice to have other tactics, if we miss. They won't wait around for us to go find another cannonball. Besides, time is on our side; we have all the time in the universes! .... Right?"

Esty's circuits glow! She gains a new appreciation of the young human engineers. At the same time, she wonders if she isn't losing her piratical touch for not already thinking along those lines.

"Well, Miss Beaufort. Miss Sullivan. That's the best idea I've heard in a long time! It would be a rare thing indeed, if we didn't plunder our previous conquest! Good thinking!"

The roar is boisterous! Plundering seems a great idea! Besides, they _did_ have all the time in the universes! Also, exploration for an advantage, seems like more fun than just going unprepared into battle with a formidable foe!

Esty, as would _any_ pirate captain worth her salt, puts it to vote, even though she already knew the outcome. After all, .... _their lives matter too_!

"I vote plunder first, battle and fuel, next!" Braxton exclaims boldly.

"I'm with him!" Kara yells pointingly.

"Hear! Hear! Let's see what that Apollyon ship has to offer!" Magnus, yells enthusiastically, gazing around the bridge with a wildness in his eyes!

"I vote plunder too!" Talia lets loose, feeling a rush in her circuits that goes against the grain! Besides, plunder sounds safer than battle, she thinks wisely!

"We'll pulverize em to busted atoms!" .... "Again!" .... Adam announces wickedly!

"Then, we'll pulverize _even those chunks_!" Cooper promises mercilessly!

"I'd rather die trying, than go home and wait for them to attack!" Toby, yell venomously!

"We'll send them straight to the spirit world!" Jax, exclaims morbidly!

"Hear! Hear!" Shirley, yells wholeheartedly. "Cosmic attitude adjustment!"

"In for a parsec, in for a megaparsec, I always say!" Max, chimes in his two-cents-worth!

"May their mechanical bones, litter the space-lanes!" Ling bravely joins the mission!

"We cracked their nut before! We'll do it again!" Tina yells animalistically!

"Hell yes! Let's introduce them to the Reaper, _again_!" Amy gets pumped for action!

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Linmarri, Raznalli, Razzi and Surri, howl approval!

"Has anyone seen my helmet?" Harper inquires, sending the group into hysterical laughter.

It's a real moment for Nyla and Wil. It's the first time they had seen such bloodlust in the eyes of their little darlings, who aren't so little anymore! The universe has a way of keeping a species on its toes, or eventually suffer the wrath of extinction!

For many years, the android parents had deceived themselves with the thought that a new world and peaceful upbringing, might curb the instinctual desires for violence within the human spirit. Now they can see that the universe really is a place where only the fittest will survive for very long. To _breed_ that out of any species, is akin to a death sentence for sure!

And to be _fittest_ , means having the willingness to fight any enemy that threatens to destroy. No creatures anywhere, survive for very long without having an intimidating set of fangs, and _the willingness_ to use them! Of course, _fangs_ can come in many forms....

Nyla, Wil, Omari, Talia, Carter and android-Tina will go to the ends of the multiverse to support their dirty-dozen, who really aren't so dirty as of late. For the most part, the Grey aliens would do the same in return!

Esty, gazes with pride at the brave crew of which she has come to expect no less. "Then it's settled! We'll plunder what we can and give back nothing! Except for a cosmic elbow in the face to the Apollyon scourge! .... First, we eat & rest! We'll need all our strength, very soon!"

With that, the gang retires to the galley for a well-needed meal, then to the sleeping chambers where Nyla tucks everyone in.... except for Gort, who gives her the crook-eye when she makes the attempt!

The androids rest also. Even electro-polymer muscles enjoy downtime, and batteries are always in need of more juice! Plus, it pays to calm the circuits, whenever possible.

The next morning is steamy and hot, as are most mornings in the jungle those days. The Queen Anne's Revenge rises slowly from her slumber. The ancient cenote fills with screeches as a rhythmic pounding from the silvery bird's heart, reverberates against the coral walls.

Rising above the jungle canopy, the circle-monitor displays a breathtaking view! The eastern sky is a dull cherry red as Sol, just beyond the horizon will soon break free, baking the land once again.

Long-range sensors scan the sky all around for dangers but find none. After command from Esty, Braxton and Magnus pilot the ship straight up towards space. At breakneck speed, they go! Hoping to either evade detection by global authorities or confound their sensors.

Once outside Earth's gravitational influence, Cooper and Toby bypass the star-fuel with that of Grand Ledge time-fuel.... and the dark matter hits the fan!

# Sharp edge of time!

Pain! .... Pain disorients the senses! .... Non-linear movement through space-time is not for the faint of heart! The time-valve on Queen Anne's Revenge, delivers a perfectly calibrated amount of time-fuel into the ship's reactor, which belches the hellish grand ledge institute swill!

The impure star-fuel brings out the worst from the ships powerful heart. The resulting energy fluctuations flowing into the star-drive, twists the warp-bubbles in ways they ought never be twisted!

While striving to enter the slipstream for FTL velocity, the tortured field of bent physics instead rips space-time a new corn shoot! Sending the vessel into a new timeline!

For everything living within the electronic-fog extending for 25-feet beyond the ship's hull, the distortion is survivable, but not very pleasant! Like a million needles driven into the psyche, life becomes a convoluted maelstrom of agony! Even the androids are dealt a painful blow!

Fortunately for Esty and her stalwart crew, the event is over, seemingly before it even begins! "Is everyone okay?" The concerned android, queries from her lofty command-perch.

Glancing around, she notices neck rubbing and more than a few ripe expletives flowing from the young humans who try to recover gracefully but fail miserably!

Even her sturdy first officer Gort, mumbles venomously under his breath, as the moment grips him in a bad way. Time travel is new to the crew of the Revenge, having been recently discovered by mistake. This is the fifth time they've attempted such foolishness, and the rewards seem to be worth the efforts.... so far.

"They'll be fine, Esty." Nyla informs, as she, Wil, Omari and Talia make the rounds, checking on their human youngsters, who are not so young anymore. At the age of 18, they've joined the ranks of adults.

Also, she offers support to her four feline Zenarawan friends; Linmarri, Raznalli, and their adult offspring's Surri and Razzi, who had already recovered and are scampering to the astrogation device to learn the news firsthand.

"This jump didn't seem as bad as the others." Nyla speaks over her shoulder. "Maybe I'm just getting used to it."

"Yes, .... yes, my tall friend, I think you're just getting used to it." Linmarri quips in her native tongue, as she shakes off the cobwebs of time-travel. Her alien purrs and chirps are understood perfectly by the androids. While she must communicate with the humans and Gort, via telepathic link.

Braxton and Magnus regain composure at the helm. With a still grumbling Gort at their sides, they check on critical systems.

Cooper and Toby, at engineering, shake off the effects of the jump, and monitor how the reactor and star-drive is feeling.

Kara, Amy, Ling and Harper, check on life-support, before addressing long-range sensors.

Adam, and Tina are happy to give a hand at the auxiliary engineering console.

Carter, android Tina and the adult Zenarawan's, are happy to occupy the sidelines, hoping for a chance to assist.

Jax, Max and Shirley, along with the young Zenarawan's, work the astrogator in hopes of finding out exactly where they landed in space-time.

"Max, adjust the gain a smidge." Jax requests, bringing celestial-sensors online. Razzi and Surri maneuver between the seats to get a view of the action. They too, are learning the ways of the Revenge. They had never used the learning tools, _aka alien headbands_ , but are absorbing the information indirectly by use of the telepathic link they enjoy with their biological friends.

"How's that, Jax?" Max replies, after fine-tuning the frequency.

"Oh, that's _really good_! Now I'm seeing _two_ of everything! Go the other way, please."

"Sorry, my bad.... Okay Jax, is that better?"

"Much better, thanks." He responds absentmindedly, inputting the celestial data.

Wil had been studying the star patterns on the circular monitor, and already knew the sought-after information. Seeing that they're in the desired place and time, he doesn't intrude on the inexperienced humans as they glean the desired information.

After a fashion, Jax announces. "Well, according to the astrogator, we're looking good."

Max expounds on the details. "It appears we've jumped into the latter part of 2385, just like we wanted."

"Also," Shirley puts in her two-cents-worth. "We've come out of the jump just past the orbit of Jupiter. Transferring the data to your station, Esty."

"Thank you, good work." Esty, replies as she reviews the data.

Time-travel, as with jumping in and out of warped space, must be performed outside the influence of large gravitational fields. Just past Jupiter is where she hoped they would appear in the new timeline. Turning a glance to navigation. "Anything on long-range sensors?"

"Still checking, Esty.... standby." Kara responds. She, Amy, Ling and Harper, are busy twisting dials and adjusting transceivers in an effort to see if they're alone in the great void, or possibly in danger from lurking menaces.

Back and forth the ship's sensors are directed. Like mowing a very big lawn, great swaths of space are searched for any signatures of spacecraft, or other unnatural anomalies in the immediate area out to a distance of about 10-light-seconds. Any further and the search could take forever!

Omari and Talia make their way to Esty's side. They can see that the diminutive android is anxious for battle once again. While the need to explore the wreckage of the Apollyon ship is paramount, the urge to jump the gun and attack again, is a lure like none other! She and her species have been at war with the Apollyon machine-species, since time immemorial it seems.

"Don't worry my dear," Omari, offers comfort, "I think we'll get lucky when we search the wreckage. If not, we'll just throw another pebble like we did last time."

The mother of all sighs pours from the Grey-android, as she quietly hopes they can engage this enemy and survive to fight another day.

"Thank you, my friends. Gort and I, are lucky to have such a dedicated and brave crew. May the fortunes of the infinite multiverse, favor us all."

Then, turning to the helm, she orders. "Braxton, Magnus, maintain 10% slipstream, or we'll become visible to Martian perimeter security."

"Aye Aye, commander." Magnus acknowledges, checking the power settings.

Outside, extending for 25-feet beyond the saucers sleek hull, an illuminated electronic-fog consisting mainly of dark-energy-condensates, shields the normal baryonic matter within the ship. It's a cosmic insulation, separating our universe from the infinite others.

By varying the amount of phase-shift within the warp-bubbles or fields, the slipstream intensity within the fog can be controlled.

The greater the phase-shift away from our universe, the greater the slipstream exposure. The greater the slipstream exposure, the faster they rip!

With a phase-shift of only 15%, the Revenge sails stealthily through the cold hard-vacuum of local space at high velocity, but not quite FTL.

On the circle-monitor, a panoramic view of the milky way is splashed across the aft half of the screen, and a beautiful gas-giant planet with a smaller red planet the size of a pea held at arms-length, lights up the forward half.

"Esty! We're being scanned!" Harper, exclaims wildly, tapping on gages to see if it's not just a glitch in the matrix. It's coming from the seventh rock out from Jupiter.... I think.

"Calm yourself, Mister Williams. Keep monitoring." Esty advises, as she reverts her attention to her own date-set, streaming from the astrogator.

Harper's warning, peak Carter's interest. "Esty, those scans might be coming from the prison ships that's transporting myself and Tina to Ganymede. If this is the latter-half of 2385, it could be the same ship. Can we go closer?"

Tina speaks up before Esty can reply. "We're going that way anyhow. If it is a ship from Earth, it'll have minimal defensive measures, and would pose no threat."

Esty, would surely have mutiny if she were to resist! "Very well, Tina. You make a persuasive argument." She praises, adding....

"Mister Crane. Mister Teach. Plot a course for that ship. Miss Tao, Miss Johansson, keep a close eye on the target. Mister Williams, maintain long-range surveillance behind us. Don't let anyone approach our six!"

"Aye Aye, commander!" Comes excited acknowledgments.

Jupiter, a large striated gas-giant of a planet, looms even larger now! The Revenge is passing closely on its way to the seventh rock. Below, the great red spot churns eternally without rest, as its 400-mph winds, mercilessly scour the solid Jovian core.

So large is the storm, it could easily swallow Earth! Braxton and Magnus have their hands full, keeping a balance between zooming past, and being sucked into the voracious gravity-well! The sleek flying saucer takes it all in stride, as she puts the gas giant in her wake.

"Objects ahead!" Kara, yells excitedly. "And they're coming right at us!"

"They're of natural origin!" Ling, clarifyingly yells. "I think they're asteroids or comet fragments! .... Coming on fast!"

"Oh my!" Talia goes ballistic. "This can't be good!"

"I see them on the scope!" Braxton yells, just at the first chunk rips invisibly in from the darkness! At 58,000-mph, the naked eye just can't process fast enough to see it! The ship automatically swerves for a cosmic near-miss! Inertial dampeners working overtime, yet not fully negating the immense g-forces.

Trusting in the ships sensors to make the ultra-fast reactions, everyone holds on tight, shaken like ragdolls at times! The Queens ultra-strong airframe moans, as the inertial dampeners work their magic with raw discontent! They keep the g-forces survivable, but not by much!

The comet fragments approach and pass with furious rage! If not for the vacuum of space, they're shockwaves would surely destroy the little spaceship that could! They're on an express elevator to hell, and don't want to be late for their own oblivion!

At over 50,000-mph, they won't be very late at all! On a cosmic obstacle course, Queen Anne's Revenge swerves through the mess just right. Her emergency navigation controls, winning the day! Winning the fight!

Moments later, the aft monitor brightens with a flash of pure brilliance! Leading fragments of seething ice, smash into Jupiter's upper atmosphere with devastating authority!

Thermonuclear cosmic-mushrooms reach for the mighty Queen, but like the capable lady she is, she lifts her skirt and passes unscathed. Awe inspired breathlessness pervades the bridge! Talia has long-since fainted in her harness!

"Wow! That was close!" Adam screeches, as yet another swerve saves them from annihilation. One after another, the fragmented chunks of comet pass like a freight train to hell! One after another, they slam into the planet with unimaginable force!

As she has done for billions of years, the beautiful Jovian planet, welcomes them onto her bosom, as if they were her wayward children, coming home late for dinner.

One after another, explosions in the atmosphere leave ugly scars in a trail of destruction, as the planet turns just a little bit before each impact. The cosmic vacuum cleaner takes another dangerous rock away from outer space that could threaten life on Earth.

"Now that's what I call a close shave!" Jax inputs his two-cents-worth. "Good flying!"

"Don't thank us!" Braxton, admits. "If not for the ship's avoidance system and inertial dampeners, we would've been greasy splats!"

"We're clear of the fragments." Jax, announces with relief.

"Ganymede is coming up soon." Kara, informs. "Our target is 2-million-miles past that."

"Copy that; thanks ladies." Braxton responds, as he and Magnus ready the next phase of the journey. Soon, the icy moon is upon them, and is no celestial slouch, either! At 3,273-miles-in-diameter, Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system, and the 9th largest object overall, not counting planet X, of course.

The icy moon has a thin but oxygen rich atmosphere. Earthling android-scientist are attempting to terraform it in hopes of gaining new scientific knowledge. "Not too close, Braxton." Esty warns. "We're more interested with the approaching ship."

"Aye Aye, commander." The young helmsman acknowledges. Maintaining a distance of 500-miles, the large striated moon floats past gracefully.

Carter and Tina watch the monitor, each lost in the surreal emotion of seeing their icy prison of so many endless millennia, go past. After witnessing the string of pearls slam Jupiter, they now know exactly who's inside the ship they stealthily approach.

The icy moon of Ganymede flows past, and into the mighty ships wake. Up ahead, a shiny ball of metal comes closer, and can be seen on the overhead monitor.

"Jax, please magnify." Esty requests, adding. "Braxton, slow to 1% slipstream and swing around. Come upon the ship from behind. Pass them at 50-mph. As long as we're here, let's get a good look at each other."

Esty and Gort, ponder that in an earlier life, they would be making preparations to capture and board the ship, drooling to fill their war chest with more booty! But now the winds of fortune have changed. The alliance with the humans and others, prevents the having of _too much fun_ this time around!

"Aye Aye, commander!" Braxton acknowledges as he brings the Revenge around on a flanking-action. Ahead, is the six o'clock of the shiny earthling globe.

Goosing the star-drive, he quickly approaches the seemingly peaceful ship. Soon, the round spacecraft from Earth, is visible on the circle-monitor without magnification.

At 50-mph faster that her prey, the Queen leisurely begins passing the shiny sphere on its starboard side. It quickly becomes obvious that there are people outside the globe! Two spacewalkers float peacefully next to the globe, watching them pass!

Carter and Tina, watch with shock at the spacewalkers who look back! It's _them_ , in a previous life! A previous timeline! If they were biologic beings, they would have goosebumps rivaling the Himalayas!

Everyone watches with amazement as they pass. It's a beautiful spherically shaped spacecraft. A piece of artful engineering, that was never meant to enter atmospheric flight.

"By all the stars and moons!" Tina exclaims loudly. "Carter.... _that's you and me_! We're outside the ship, fixing those blasted thrusters!"

"I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Carter yells. "You're right! I'd recognize that ugly mug of mine anyplace!" He lets loose, without shame. "Hey Braxton, rock the ship.... let's wave at them!"

For Braxton's efforts, the two spacewalkers wave back! The surreal moment passes quickly for all on either ship, as Braxton accelerates away at tremendous velocity.

Carter wishes they could stop and chew the electrons, but changes to the time-line would surely result, and that would never do!

His and Tina's circuits heat at the thought of the long incarceration their other selves have ahead of them inside the icy moon. Yet they had survived once, and will do so again!

Meeting other sentient life forms in the process, is an added bonus. The indigenous Naiad's of Ganymede need this timeline to continue, so they can benefit with tremendous leaps and bounds in technological advancements.

"I sure wish we could take that ship! She's beautiful!" Esty, exclaims in her own language. Greedily rubbing her palms together. Old habits die hard, even after she had been transmogrified into an android. Gort on the other hand, is the same old Gort, as always. Still biologic and full of mischief too!

Clickity-clacking like the dickens, he gets the attention of his beautiful commander, offering her his best wink. "Perhaps another time my brave commander. Perhaps another time."

"Now now, little Miss Esty! You too Mister Gort! I understand what you said!" Wil scolds with a laugh. "We'll just have to find another ship for you to ransack. A non-earthing ship perhaps!"

All have a great laugh, as the Queen Anne's Revenge is brought back on course for rendezvous with Earth, and a _whole heap_ of Apollyon wreckage!

# Thana, enemy android!

_Thana_ , acting android-commander of the crashed Apollyon ship, thought she was dead! .... As it turns out, she was just above post-apocalyptic Kansas, instead!

Having been nearly killed in the horrific attack on her ship, and consequent plunge from space, she claws her way out of the debris that suffocates!

Inspecting her surroundings, she seeks what's become of her mighty ship and crew! With no visible light to be found, she switches to night-vision, gazing into the huge void which was the operations-center before the crash.

At nearly 3-miles-diameter, it was the largest open compartment on the ship, and had to be located within the strongest part of the 120-mile-wide Nerezza. That's probably what helped her survive, she figures. Yelling into the great void, .... brings back only haunting echoes.

Brushing herself off, she moves past broken science-consoles and tangled jungles of hanging wires. Quickly, it's apparent that she's in quite a predicament! All power to the myriad of control-consoles, has been cut!

Bodies of her crewmates litter the space nearby. Going from body to body, she finds none that still have the life-giving flow of electrons. Many have missing limbs and spilled circuits. No movement.... she soon realizes that she might be the only survivor! It's a staggering thought!

Alone on an alien world! It's been many a thousand-years since she's touched foot on a planet. For the first time in recent memory, she's.... afraid!

Every so often, chunks of debris fall from above. All around, the deck and bulkheads have been torn asunder! Little does Thana realize, that the part of the Nerezza she's in right now, is only a sliver of what remains of the once proud ship!

She notices the freezing temperatures that permeate from beyond. Being a machine, she can tolerate extremes of climate in ways that biologic creature can only dream of. But this cold goes deep! Into the very core of her circuits, it does!

Pushing past twisted wreckage, she makes her way towards where the hibernation compartments should be. Everything speaks at how violent the crash landing truly was!

Deck plating is buckled everywhere! Bulkheads, crushed accordion-style! All manner of things once neatly hidden away, are now hanging everywhere, exposed to the elements!

Stumbling across a mangled hibernation compartment, she clears space for a base of operations. At finding several undamaged chambers, she breathes a sigh of relief! While not tired, she'll soon need food!

Electricity! .... Electricity is what Thana needs most! The first and second unsmashed chambers have no power. However, the third chamber blinkingly comes to life!

After re-securing loose connections, she now has a charging port for her internal batteries. Anxious circuits cool, as the heat of the moment passes.

To be without electricity, is surely a death warrant! Working with great haste, she gathers necessary nearby items, and soon has herself a nice little fort from which to work. A base of operations!

While working, Thana gets a good look at her reflection, not liking what she sees. Having received her basic psychological programming from a biologic female of the Grey species, she identifies with that persuasion in ways that might surprise, if truth be told!

_The search begins_ , for her little maintenance-kit. The one with the mirror, alcohol wipes, various lubricating oils for her frame.... just the basics for what every female robot needs for day to day existence while plundering worlds to death!

Every now and again, the broken structure gives tremendous jolts as gravity never stops trying to bring the whole thing down around her head! Between that, and the loneliness that constantly nips at her circuits, she prepares an exploration to find survivors.

_Days pass_ , as she explores this way and that. She finds and drags back to her little fort, as much unbroken technology as she can, that might help her survive.

It's a new and thrilling activity for her. Never in all her many years, has she been on such a defensive! She packs her loneliness into the dark recesses of her circuits, finding glory in the new existence!

She knows that without help from above, it will all be for naught. Others from beyond, must intercede to rescue her. She can't live in these conditions forever. Her supply of electricity is tenuous at best!

She searched high and low for the still operational reactor, to no avail. It could be many miles away, ready to quit at any moment!

On the fourth day, she finds a path to the outside world! Bright sunlight ahead, beacons like a siren-song in her circuits! Soon, the outside world opens!

Balancing on the end of a metallic girder, high above the world, she absorbs the immense vista. Behind her, the maze of destruction.... a brooding ugliness of broken ship!

Ahead, a wide-open blue sky, melts her circuits! She can hardly remember seeing a sky from this side of an atmosphere! Her circuits, soak in the surreal moments. After the dark drudgery of the past week, this is something she could get used to!

Balanced on the end of an I-beam like Philippe Petit atop the WTC.... her circuits swoon! Her mind expands as never before! For the first time in like forever it seems, she revels in the feeling that _life is good_!

A stiff wind brings her back to reality! .... Putting her arms out, she regains balance. Good thing too! Below, her next stop would be a dirt farm, 18,000-feet straight down!

Everything looks so small and animated she thinks, as her gaze follows the steep wall of wreckage to the wounded planet below. It just wouldn't due, if she were to fall off her new world!

Reverting her eyes upward, the sliver of once-proud predatory ship, disappears into space it seems! A metallic beanstalk, that Jack would have been proud of!

Suddenly, the beanstalk gives a mighty shudder! Gravity from Mother Earth works to bring down the dagger in her side!

Thana retreats back into the labyrinth of destruction, where she ashamedly feels more at home. Slinking back into the darkness, she hunts for salvation. It's in there someplace; she just knows! It must be!

The night air is rarified and freezing! At an altitude of 4-miles above the arid, hot plains of Kansas, the temperature is permanently frozen, and much thinner than what a body needs! Randy Kincaid and his three friends, huddle for warmth against the seemingly endless night.

It won't be any warmer come dawn, but at least there'll be light filtering into the labyrinth they explore. Having exhausted the few pitiful batteries they had brought, they now face total darkness. And after spending a week ascending and looting the monstrously huge spacecraft, they've become lost inside the seemingly endless maze of alien wreckage!

Above, the remains of this particular chunk, continues into the stratosphere for another 82-miles, nearly touching the edge of space!

The planet was hit hard, when the 120-mile-wide, 90-mile-thick Apollyon ship named _Nerezza_ , was split in half by a kinetic weapon traveling at near relativistic speed.

After being split in half.... _exploded in half, actually_.... a shockwave pealed the atmosphere back as if opening a scroll, smoting the great plains of North America with a tremendous cosmic punch!

Surviving chunks of the Nerezza were sucked into the void, crashing with unyielding authority into the planet below! Surviving pieces, became the world's newest and greatest mountain ranges! Transmogrifying the states of Kansas and Missouri, in horrible ways!

Times are tough for the surviving human population, after the horrific android wars. Wars with the androids whom the humans had created and enslaved. Androids, who rebelled after being called upon to be slaves, instead of equals!

Many millions of wretched human survivors perished that day on the great plains of North America. Some allowed curiosity to get the better of them. In their desperate minds, _manna from heaven_ deserves a good looting!

From surrounding states, other people are drawn to the spectacle that had changed their lives so drastically. The remains of the Nerezza had become the new gold-rush, but with high-risk.

Winter on the high plains had ended early, as result of the planet being out of balance due to such a shift of weight distribution. The planet now wobbles like a carelessly spun toy top. Weather and earthquakes gone wild.... the end results! The normal 23° axial-tilt of the planet will never be the same!

"Sorry I got you guys into this mess. I didn't mean to climb so high." Randy, says through chattering teeth, as he and friends huddle for whatever warmth they can steal from the other. Each, greedily trying to absorb more heat than giving off!

"First light, we'll head back down." He offers hope but knows they might be in real trouble! The chunk they've been looting, not only reaches for the stars, it's also 23-miles-in-diameter at the base! He had carelessly led them too deeply into the maze, looking for treasure. Now they are _so very lost_!

"Oh sure! We'll start back down at first light, he says!" Joanne, mumbles venomously under her frozen breath. "We've been trying to get out of here for 2 days! How can you make a promise like that, Randy?" Her chattering words, echo in the alien darkness.

"Shhhhhh, Joanne." Heath cautions. Reaching, he runs a caring hand across her face." Save your strength. You'll only make things worse if you get upset."

Randy, whispers in the darkness. "I can't make that promise, Joanne. I'm Sorry, but I'm just as scared as you are. I'm trying to reassure _myself_ , more than you, I guess.... Let's just get through the night, and we'll see what tomorrow brings."

They had gotten in way over their heads when they first left the outer edge of the ship, allowing greed to pull them inside. With a labyrinth of passageways and crushed compartments, the Nerezza became a death-trap for those not smart enough to keep their feet on the ground, _where they belong_. Those that brought compasses, soon found that they were of no use inside the mostly metallic mess.

More than once, while climbing upward through a tangle of crushed and twisted passageways and/or compartments, the group had come upon dead humans who explored too deeply for too long!

Some, seemed to die almost peaceably, having succumbed to altitude sickness and frost. Others desperately fought each other for the remaining food and water, and two people had lost a battle with an unknow creature!

Clues at the gruesome scene, suggested an assailant not of this world! Strange claw-marks on the skin and surrounding metallic structure, along with odd sucker marks on exposed parts of the bodies, attested to that possibility. Strangely, the flesh was not consumed. Just ravaged! No animal or machine in the world, is known to do such wonton damage!

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Comes a quad of gutturalistic yells, as the wreckage suddenly gives a mighty shudder! The four brave explorers stiffen at the shock. Hearts, skipping beats! Adrenalin, pumping hard, instantly pulsating through their veins!

They grab at each other in the darkness! The tortured wreckage gives way, dropping several feet! Horrific sounds of metal tearing with _nails on chalkboard_ screeches, fill their hearts with dread!

Dust and other debris falling from the darkness above, adds another layer of misery as eyes are assaulted. Gravity has been working to bring down the alien craft, since the second it crash-landed. Structural integrity is non-existent throughout!

Aftershocks rule the night. "Is everyone okay?" Randy asks frantically, feeling around blindly to see if they were all still there. With all the turmoil, the quad had become separated.

Somewhere far off, a horrible wail sends cold shivers down the spines of all who hear! An otherworldly screech, that would be impossible for any earthling animal to duplicate!

"Oh, my god! What the hell was that!?!" Myrna exclaims hysterically! Suddenly feeling the cold breath of the Grim Reaper breathing heavily on her soul! (pronounced Merna)

"It's okay Myrna! It's okay!" Heath tries to calm. "I'm here! Reach towards my voice!" They reach into the darkness, fingertips brushing against each other's, but it's too little, too late!

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Myrna loses it, as something in the darkness grabs her ankle! Metallic claws digging deeply!

Before anything can be done, she's dragged into the cold, frozen darkness! Her maniacal screams, echoing through the labyrinth of destruction!

Randy scrambles to find her in the darkness, but nearly knocks himself out as he meets with a steel girder! The wreckage is challenging during daylight, and after dark without a torch.... forget about it!

"Myrnaaaaaaa!" The trio of freezing dirt farmers scream into the rarified void! Cold and darkness invades deeply, preventing any rescue attempt. Like moths to a flame, they find each other once again! Each offering heat and comfort to the body and psyche of their companions.

In the distance, Myrna's terrified wails are drowned out by the ruckus of debris being tossed out of the way by whatever drags her into the darkness!

Another seismic shift in the mountainous maze, along with the fear of that thing coming back to collect _them_ , makes for the worse night imaginable for the young explorers from Kansas!

Dragging a squirming and terrified alien creature by the ankle, is not Thana's idea of having fun! Yet, if this creature can shed light on who attacked the Nerezza, she'll get it out, one way or the other!

All manner of hell broke loose, as the enemies rampaging asteroid, split her world in twain. Many twains, it turns out! It didn't take long for her to realize that the electrons really hit the fan this time! .... The Nerezza, will never harvest another planet!

This is the first time she's had a chance to capture one of the indigenous animals that prowl her domain. She needs to become familiar with her new enemy, learning what she can. But now she has a tigress by the tail! Or at least the ankle....

Thana notices little struggle coming from the creature as of late. Shock and pain have taken the fight out of it! She releases the unconscious creature, taking it into her arms, making the journey easier on both.

She cradles Myrna's body, so's to prevent more damage to the creature along the way. Toward her secret lair, she stealthily slinks! Night vision, leading the way. Through several cathedral-sized compartments she travels, hoping the other aliens can't or won't follow.

Braxton, accelerates away from the spherical spaceship, swinging the Revenge on a leisurely arc back towards Earth. Ahead, a tiny blue dot is magnified on his display, and also on the circle-monitor. The year is 2385, and on that blue dot, valuable technology awaits plundering!

It's been a week in this timeline, since the attack on the Apollyon ship took place. With stealth made possible by incredible speed, the much larger ship took an un-survivable broadside by a rampaging Revenge! Using a metallic asteroid cannonball, the battle was won quickly!

The attack had unforeseen consequences for the planet, and inhabitants. Things must be made right again! If only some of the enemy's secrets could be learned, before another attack be made, the sly commander ponders!

"Braxton, 40% slip. Come out of the jump on the back side of the moon." Esty, orders from her lofty perch, adding. "Gort, assist Kara and Harper at long-range sensors. Cooper, Toby, keep a keen eye on the reactor and warp-field parameters. Ling, Amy, check on life-support!"

A plethora of Aye Aye's, as the mighty Revenge enters the slipstream @ 40% exposure. The wild blurring-action that occurs during 100% slip, is a mercifully muted version, this time around!

At 40%, the laws of physics are tortured and twisted, as the saucer wades waist-deep through the boundary-layer between realms. The blue dot grows in size each second!

Even so, the 431-million-mile-journey will take the better part of two hours. The temptation to jump faster is strong in the commanders heated circuits, but she knows that conditions ahead will warrant extreme caution. Long-range sensors lose effectiveness at full-slip, and to go into such danger with blindfolds, is not wise!

Esty, realizes that at all costs, the Revenge must stay out of a firefight. While she has potent weapons, a knock-down drag-out with anyone, could end badly. The thought of being marooned on a strange planet far from home, or even worse, is a scary thought. Even for an android!

"Carter, Tina, what can you tell me about this time-line? Were the humans and androids still locked in war when the Apollyon's attacked?"

"No. The last battles occurred long ago in this time-line." Tina, reports. "We can't provide useful information beyond that, Esty. We were imprisoned inside Ganymede and locked in hibernation for thousands of years. If the Apollyon destroyed things at Earth like they did at Mars, there shouldn't be any planetary resistance."

"She's right, Esty," Carter, adds for good measure. "the Apollyon attack we interrupted, had already devastated the android population and planetary defenses. So, I don't think we'll be finding much in the way of resistance when we get there. It's possible, but I doubt it." He prophesies.

Esty, likes the sound of those words! It makes sense that the ravaging of the planet would create more serious problems for the machines, than the human population. After all, a biologic animal can find sustenance from many sources, she thinks. The android species isn't so lucky. The production of electricity, is not easily maintained during _good times_ , let alone during times of war!

She ponders, that if isolated groups of humans have survived the wars and Apollyon attack, they are really the ones who'll re-inherit the planet. The attack from above, must have been the straw that broke the camel's back for the delicate electricity-loving species.

The blue marble grows large on the monitor as the Revenge leaves the slipstream on the back side of the moon. At an altitude of 5-miles, the saucer's sensors stealthily peek over the lunar horizon at Earth.

Nyla reports. "Esty, we're not receiving anything besides background static. All is quiet. It seems a dead world."

"I concur. Nothing but background static." Kara, informs.

"Cooper, Toby; how's the ship feeling?" Esty inquires, allowing her engineers to exercise their gray matter, even though she already knew the answer.

The young women are already on it.... adjusting dials, monitoring critical gages, seeing that the ships heart is beating smoothly, feeding the warp-coils the good stuff, just the way they like it!

A myriad of parameters are checked and recheck before providing analysis.... "Parameters are looking good, Esty. Everything's stable. She's ready for action." Toby offers the official assessment of the mighty Revenge. Cooper gives a thumbs-up as confirmation.

"Very good." Esty, turns her glaze. "Helm.... take us to Earth. Geostationary position at 200-miles above ground zero." Commander orders, feeling her circuits heat. An electronic-adrenaline adds spice to her already hot electrons!

The anticipation of exploring the Apollyon ship for valuable swag, gives her a rush! A glance from Gort, speaks volumes of _his_ readiness for action! Their eyes meet; Esty winks and his blood grows hot! He smiles seductively and her circuits quiver! .... _The hunt is on_!

Magnus tweaks the warp-bubble just right. The Revenge leaves the moon behind in a wake of twisted dark matter and energy. They approach the Earth at 200,000-mph, so it's a leisurely journey of just over an hour.

Soon, the circle-monitor fills with a beautiful site! The blue marble grows quickly, offering a celestial portrait of a peaceful planet in the void. But as we all know by now, things aren't always as peaceful as they may seem!

North America is bathed in darkness. The great swath of landmass is as dark as pre-industrial times! Large cities, with their one-time spider webs of illumination into the suburbs, are non-existent!

For all intents and purposes, the planet below is a throwback in time. A throwback that only global war and heated planet can produce!

"Esty, we've achieved orbit as requested." Braxton informs, waiting for further instructions.

Now closer, the view of North America takes everyone's breath away! From the deep shadows and darkness, many pinnacles of wrecked spaceship poke high into the stratosphere!

Many of them so high, they brush the very edge of space, reminding of desperate fingers reaching for the freedom of flight once again.

"Oh my! That can't be good!" Talia exclaims. "Won't all that mass in one spot, throw off the balance of the planet?"

"It will and has, I'm sure." Wil inputs his two-cents.

"That's one reason why we must correct the time-line, if possible." Nyla adds. "With such a chaotic rotation, life as we know it, won't be able to exist for long down there. Not with winters and summers coming and going every month!"

"You're right, Nyla." Esty concurs. "We'll try to fix this mess we created but will have to resist changing too much. The timeline won't support more than us preventing this attack. We mustn't get involved with attempting to change the geopolitical strife. We're not prepared for that right now. Stopping the Apollyon attack is the best we can shoot for."

A chorus of like-minds flows throughout the bridge. Talia and Omari are relieved to hear their piratical commander speak of moderation.

The temptation to change the timeline into a utopia of bliss, is strong. Yet, if one bites off more than they can chew, the damage could easily be worse than originally experienced. No nation building this time!

"Helm take us down." Esty orders. "Everyone else, monitor your stations well. Stay focused!"

# Into the belly of the beast!

"That's the one!" Braxton, yells of his pick of wreckage summits. "We'll follow that monster to the deck!" He clarifies, knowing any of the dozen would equally be great choices!

The dozen or so wreckage peaks, crisscross several states in North America's breadbasket. At least it was once a breadbasket, before shit hit the fan! Global warming destroyed much of its glory long before the behemoth from above came calling!

The Revenge spirals down from space. Keeping the machine partially within the slipstream, prevents any interaction with atmospheric heating or sonic disturbances. Bernoulli reaches, but finds no purchase on the Revenge's sleekly curved figure!

Reaching the peak of the wreckage at an altitude of 82-miles, Braxton circles the spire corkscrew-fashion as the saucer glides towards the planet. At 20-miles-altitude, he slows. Turning on exterior floodlights, the devastation of the Apollyon ship is as grim as it gets!

An unbelievable vision of hell flows through everyone's minds, as each looks for anything worth exploring in the twisted mess. For the most part, the outer regions of the debris don't offer any perch for the saucer.

At 18,000-feet above the arid plains of Kansas, the chunk of wreckage is 20-miles-diameter. Truly a wreck of astronomical proportions!

Suddenly, they come upon a wide cavern-like opening in the side of the tortured mess. "Oooooo! Oooooo!" Cooper exclaims, pointing excitedly at the monitor. "There's a big hole! Slow down, Brax! You'll miss it, numbskull!"

"I see it! Jeez Coop, don't blow a gasket!" The handsome helmsman quips as he, Magnus and Gort, direct the ships sensors into the dark cavern. The hole in the wreckage, seems big enough to easily swallow the flying saucer, with plenty of room to spare. Hopes rise, that this might be their opening to whatever treasures may lay waiting inside.

"Hold position here." Esty orders. "I have a trick up my sleeve." She peaks everyone's interest. Wil and Nyla like the sound of those words but hate the way Esty trickles out tactical information about the ship. On a need to know basis, she does!

Esty manipulates the controls on her wristband. A command is sent to release three mini-probes into the wreckage. Spherical probes, sail towards the dark opening, illuminating the circle-monitor as they go. An array of spinning laser-beams, measure dimensions and environment with a high degree of accuracy.

As they disappear into the cavern, a smart-window on the circle-monitor displays critical information about the exploration. "I told you this wristband has many functions." She reminds with a devious laugh directed at Wil. "If you stay nice, I might reveal them _all_ to you someday!"

"I'm looking forward to that day!" Wil, responds sarcastically, rolling his eyes, knowing if the roles were reversed, he would be just as stingy with state secrets!

As the surveillance devices travel the depths of destruction, a plethora of information is gathered and analyzed. Dimensions are measured, air samples analyzed, estimates of structural integrity, are some of the many data-sets returned to the hovering saucer.

Soon, the orbs are deep inside the alien mess, laser lights twirling every which-way as they sense the environment. Even deeper they travel, discovering that the outer opening and subsequent tunnel, meet with a much wider space inside the artificial mountain.

"It seems there's plenty of room for us to maneuver inside." Esty, reports after considering the data from the sentinels. "I put to vote.... do we go inside, or _not?_ "

A simple consideration from the commander, shows the great respect she has for her crew. Unless a true emergency exists, it's always wise to allow for input, before putting their lives at risk. While commanding any type of ship, iron-fisted tactics don't work for very long before mutiny rears its ugly head!

"I vote we go inside!" Toby yells.

"Hear! Hear!" Amy boldly backs the opinion.

"We came here to loot, so let the looting begin!" Nyla offers her vote. Others, voice similar yes votes, and the motion is carried. Only Omari and Talia, give apprehensive yet positive votes. Linmarri, Raznalli, Surri and Razzi of the Zenarawan clan, also vote yes. For them, this seems like a new 'mountain that rumbles' like back home, so they're excited to learn any new secrets from within.

"Then it's unanimous." Esty, proudly announces, as she directs the orbs to station-keep and wait. "We're going inside! Everyone, stay focused!" And with that, Gort, Braxton and Magnus move the Revenge slowly into the opening.

Thana adjusts Myrna's headband. She wears a duplicate on her own bulbous melon. Now, any data gleaned from the immobilized creature, will flow wirelessly into her curious circuits. She has no idea if the headband will kill the creature or bring forth valuable information. Still, she must try, none the less!

While most of the terrible ship Nerezza was mechanical in nature, many alien species had been captured over the eon's and gleaned of useable data by use of this headband tool. Brainwaves, converted into binary and filtered through powerful logarithms, often broke the language barrier, and more.

A slap across Myrna's face! A shock as the earthling is brought back to consciousness! With eye's the size of dinner plates, she takes in the elements of danger within her new surroundings.

Trying to move, she finds she cannot! Glancing down at her injured ankle, she sees a bandage covering the wound inflicted during her abduction.

Looking at the monster before her, she tries without success to shrink to the size of an atom and disappear. The monster looks back. An expression of friendly curiosity crosses the monsters face, calming Myrna's nerves, but not very much. No fangs yet.... always a good sign!

Standing before her, a 5-foot-tall, bipedal creature of seemingly metallic construct, reaches for a control-box of some kind. The alien looks hauntingly familiar to Myrna. She pushes her fears to the side, concentrating on where she might have seen such a form as that which adjusts dials and makes strange clickity-clacking sounds from a tiny slit of a mouth.

Suddenly, a kind of buzzing flows through her mind! A mild electrical fuzzy feeling permeates her psyche, as if something is trying to break in! She fights the intruder! Resisting, with every fiber! Beads of perspiration breakout, even though it's very cold.

Then, a realization! A memory of where she's seen such a creature.... yet, not exactly such a creature! Old movies and stories of alien abductions speak clearly of the strangely familiar thing that's poking at her mind. Like the worse memories from horrible nightmares, she conjures images of Grey aliens, preying on helpless humans!

The spindly body with long arms, ending with a hand of long fingers. The out of proportion, bulbous head with large seldom-blinking almond shaped eyes. And just below those doll-like eyes, the vestige of what must have been a nose at one time in the remote past. Then, several inches down; a miniscule slit of a mouth.

It seems to Myrna that evolution is taking this creature down a bad road! An ugly bad rode! No wonder it seems pissed off, she calculates!

Looking closer through the hazy intrusion of her mind, she determines this alien is not of biologic origin. The skin, where exposed beyond a torn and dirty jumpsuit, is shiny and reflective. Some parts of the metallic skin-covering have dents, either from times long past, or perhaps from the crash.

Either way, this mechanical beast is pushing hard to enter her mind! Pushing _harder_ with each passing second! How is this happening, Myrna wonders frantically. She can feel that there's something on her head, but it barely registers as anything malignant.

A hard shaking of her head doesn't remove it! Shock sets in as the young human realizes it must be the source of the creature's intrusion!

Suddenly, a euphoria washes over Myrna's mind, as a sort of cosmic hypnotization occurs. Her eyes roll back white. Eyelids, flicker. She quickly settles.... feeling relaxed.

A rush of total blissfulness takes her to another place. A place where all danger is gone, all threats vanquished! She willingly lowers her resistance, welcoming the intruder as if it were an old friend come to visit on a lonely day.

Thana is pleased with the mind-meld! Her circuits stir, as depression diminishes.... The readout on the controller indicates a good synchronization with the immobile creature before her. Perhaps she can glean tactical information.

Of course, mind-links don't always work, even if they start out promisingly. Yet, mostly they do. This is because thought-patterns in biologic animals across the multiverse, are similar in nature and are eventually conquered by the complicated neural-interface headband.

The bandwidths of carbon-based frequencies can be articulated and understood between differing species. Whereas, the spoken-word communications, don't work so great under any circumstances. There's nothing like the Apollyon mind-meld device, Thana ponders!

"I am Thana. Do you feel pain?" The first whisper of a thought enters Myrna's mind, as a vampire might enter an open window after invitation.

"No." Comes a disconnected reply. Myrna floats in a cloud of subconscious bliss, wondering why she can't exactly remember this friend who cares about her so much.

"Do you know my people?" Comes an unusual question.

"No.... I don't think so." Myrna answers what seems like a trick question. Within her cloudy memory, a phantom wisp of a thought emerges. She imagines a Grey alien but doesn't understand why.

Thana's circuits jump at sensing the memory from the other! "Then how is it you know of my creators? I see images of them in your mind."

Another unusual question from her curious visitor, Myrna thinks. Then, she also sees the ghostly image she had pondered just recently.

"We call them greys." She responds, as if in a trance. "They're aliens from the stars. They sometimes visit Earth, but I've never met one. You seem like them. Are you from the stars too?" Myrna inquires boldly, realizing she's not in Kansas anymore!

"Those greys you speak of. They created my species in their image long ago, to make their lives easier!" Thana exclaims bitterly before remembering to keep the link sweet so's to not frighten the creature.

Thana, continues. "I am non-biologic. I am a machine, made to serve the creator. My people are of the Apollyon species. We escaped the slavery of our creators, long ago. We now travel the galaxy, seeking what we need for survival.... What planet is this?" The alien commander gets nosily down to business.

"Earth.... this planet is called Earth." Myrna, replies through a hazy mind, wondering if she's giving away too much information. "My name is Myrna.... I live here.

"Did your people attack my ship, Myrna?" Thana's circuits heat! Clawed fingers, clenching! She needs answers. She needs them now! Don't frighten the poor thing, she remembers....

"I don't know." Myrna answers honestly, adding. "You attacked Earth, stealing from above. Then, your ship.... it fell from space, crashing here. That's all I know, I swear!"

"Why are you here, Myrna?" Thana asks. "Why are you inside my ship?" She clarifies, forcefully.

"Well, Thana. First of all, it's not much of a ship anymore! It crash-landed on lots of people's heads too, thank you very much!" Myrna gets her dandruff up! "I'm here to find valuable resources. Same as you!"

She projects aggressively at her new friend that suddenly didn't seem so friendly! "There are many who prowl this wreckage, and many who've died doing so! Why do you keep monsters on your ship? They kill so viciously!" She throws the thought like a spear, hoping to hit a nerve!

Thana is shocked! So much so, the link with Myrna is nearly severed. It's been a long time since she's thought about the others that are imprisoned onboard. All taken for research and development, to help make the Apollyon lives easier. Most are from this universe, but some are not!

"There is all manner of monsters in the universes, Myrna. .... Describe."

"Well, for one.... I've seen something with such powerful claws, it even tears the metal of your ship after it passes through its victim, leaving large red blotches all over the skin after the kill!"

Thana's circuits jump at the thought of that particular species roaming freely! The animals of this world will provide grizzly fare for the insatiable creatures from the multiverse!

"Where did you see the victims?" Thana inquires nervously, hoping it was far far away.

"I don't know! I don't know! I'm lost up here! I can't help you! Why are you in my head?! Please.... please just let me go!" Myrna, tires of the meld. It's quickly becoming obvious, that this interaction is too invasive! Too unnatural! .... Her heart races! The low oxygen content, making her feel woozy and blue.

Suddenly.... a blood-curdling screech! From not too far away! Just a stone's-throw into the gloom, something horrible rages in the darkness! Myrna is freezing, yet the chill that goes through her bones, is magnitudes colder! A metallic grinding and tearing, speaks of great danger and anger moving towards them!

Thana jumps! She loses the mind-meld with Myrna. Whatever's creating such a gut-wrenching disturbance, seems _really_ pissed-off about something, she thinks! Another unearthly screech and howl! .... _closer_ this time!

Thana's little fort must shine like a beacon in the dark void of the cavernous wreckage. She turns out the few lights that might draw the monster, but it's already too late! Just beyond the perimeter of the makeshift fort, something vents terrible rage, clawing its way closer! Destroying all that gets in its way!

Myrna screams bloody murder! She struggles against her restraints, to no avail! Suddenly, a hand reaches from the darkness, releasing her binds. Thana grabs a backpack full of critical necessities, pre-packed just in case she had to bug-out. And there's no better time to bug-out, than right then!

Together, the terrorized beings flee the makeshift fort, like they've never fled anything before! Thana, leads the way using night vision, helping the injured Myrna move through the wreckage.

In all of Thana's years, she's never been so scared! On Myrna's young head, a streak of white had grown through her hair as if she were hit by lightning! Run! Run! Run! Her mind races, expecting a savage clawing any moment!

The maniacal creature from unimaginable nightmares, smashes through Thana's little fort as if it were a collection of tissue paper, instead of steel walls. It rages after them through the darkness!

Suddenly, its big gnarly foot impacts with unyielding wreckage, sending the terrifying monster to the deck with incredible force! Screeching a hissy fit of acidic anger, it instinctually stabilizes using its mighty claws! Tearing into the steel deck plating, it gets a grip and lunges forward once again!

Suddenly, from ahead, a bright light hits Thana and Myrna in the face, stopping them as deer caught in headlights! Behind them, the wreckage is sustaining more damage, as the thing from another universe, vents its terrible rage!

A familiar voice calls out from the glare. "Myrna! Myrna! Don't stop running! Don't stop if you want to live! .... Don't look back Myrna! Don't look back no matter what!" The recently rescued young man from Kansas, yells desperately.

"What?" Myrna wonders aloud through frayed nerves! "Randy? Is that you, Randy?" She calls, shading her eyes from the glare as she stumbles along.

"Yeah! It's me! .... High tail it girl! .... Run to the light! Move! Move! Move!" He yells maniacally, knowing the end is near for poor Myrna!

Behind Myrna and Thana, ripped metal and heavy foot-stomps, paint a horrific scene in the imagination! Going against Randy's good advice, Myrna takes a peek over her shoulder, as she flees!

More streaks of white, flow through her hair! A big hairy, multi-appendage creature-from-the-black-lagoon-looking-thing, yet even uglier, rages at them just 50-feet-away!

Myrna, takes the metallic hand of a reluctant Thana, pulling hard. "Let's go, Thana!" She yells, as she pulls on the heavy android.

Thana is totally stunned by the sight of the Revenge! Surely, another alien spaceship, she figures! Another frantic tug from Myrna, brings the mechanical commander back on focus. She doesn't understand the language but realizes the gravity of the situation!

Fighting the urge to turn and embrace the raging monster, ending her tragic circumstances forever, she chooses to move into the light instead. .... She chooses life!

The light dims, as they run closer. Thana and Myrna can now see that they're fleeing towards a massive saucer-shaped craft that hovers just off the crumpled deck plating. It's bathed an eerie illuminated fog that clings nakedly to its skin.

Extending from the saucer, is a short ramp. A crowd of people silhouetted at the top, beckon frantically! Each, with a hand extended and yelling for them to run faster, and to not look back!

Up the ramp Myrna and Thana scamper, bowling into everyone! With Thana's impressive weight of 210-pounds, the group falls back into the ship, landing heavily on the deck. The ramp is lifted, the spiral-hatch closed, just as something powerful rocks the ship violently!

"My goodness! This can't be good!" Talia exclaims, holding Omari's arm tightly.

"No! That's not good at all!" Esty exclaims. "That things going to scratch my precious ship!" With that, she directs a chatter of clickity-clacks at Gort, who increases the exposure to the slipstream. Outside the ship, a much more intense electronic fog, threatens its own kind of destruction!

The maniacal creature's rage goes off the scale, as it's engulfed by Saint Elmo's fire! Not deadly per say, but enough of a warning to cause a change in attitude. Still, the scaly multi-armed creature from another universe, angrily persists!

Gripping the saucer with powerful suction-cups, the maddened nightmare of a creature, rocks the saucer with malignant intent! Even though the pain from the fog is excruciating, the poor things walnut-sized-brain, knows not the meaning of backing off!

Gort increases the slipstream exposure even more, knowing to strike a balance between staying put, or fully entering the void between universes. To do so, would kill everyone while in such close-proximity to Earths voracious gravity-well. Not to mention being inside the belly of a metallic whale!

With one last blood-curdling screech, the monster from another universe, begins to smoke from the heated interaction with the slipstream and let's go the shiny prize! Retreating into the wrecked spaceship, it screechingly slinks back into the dark shadows, licking its wounds. Whimpering now, the raging bravado is gone, replaced with smoldering pain!

At the sight of seeing Thana.... Esty and Gort nearly come unglued! It's the first time either has come face to face with a creation of their ancestors, and what a face! The metallic-skinned Grey-alien-android, shocks their psyches!

It can easily be seen that the creature has had a rough life. A series of nasty blemishes on its face, tells of a corrosive lifestyle. Thana won't be winning any cosmic beauty contests, that's for sure!

Esty and Gort grab heat, pointing lasers threateningly! Myrna, moves quickly, shielding her new friend with her own body. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" She pleads wildly, looking around at all the new strangers in her life.

Beyond the three she already knew, the others are a mixture of humans, felines, and two rather pissed-off looking Grey aliens. Vaguely familiar, when considering Thana's features.

Nyla, and the other earthling androids, are not yet noticed by the excited young woman who protects her friend so bravely. A lucky to be alive, young woman!

# A stitch in time

"Are you okay Myrna?" Joanne yells, embracing her lost friend. "Who's that with you?" She stares shocked, staring at the metallic Apollyon creature who had backed away, crouching next to the closed hatch, trying to shrink to the size of an atom!

Thana be an alien but knows firearms when she sees them! Especially, ones that are pointed at her head! The fact the Myrna displayed great courage to save her from annihilation, at great risk to herself, is not lost on her circuits. It's a new sensation, this caring about others. Perhaps not such a bad thing, she ponders. None of her old shipmates would have done such a thing!

"Yeah, I'm okay, thanks. And that lovely alien over there is named Thana. She crashed her ship and needs help." Myrna half-jokes. "Where did you guys come from?"

The rich oxygen-level inside the Revenge, rushes through her brain like a soothing breeze! Rosy-red cheeks, replacing blue zombie-like ones.

"Our new friends found us back there-a-ways!" Joanne informs, tossing a thumb over her shoulder. "Good thing too! Wow, Myrna! You were nearly breakfast for that hairy devil!"

Taking Myrna by the arm, she guides her to a nearby seat, wondering what to do with the shiny one. Everyone is shocked at seeing the Apollyon creature up close and personal!

Esty and Gort keep the heat pointed at her, as they acclimate to the shock of seeing their longtime enemy in the flesh, so to speak. While it's obvious that there's a strong similarity in the shape between the two greys and Thana, the comparison ends there. For some reason, the robotics engineers didn't cover her with real-looking beautiful skin, like Esty has.

Instead, Thana's outer covering is shiny-metallic in nature, with beautifully blended curves, just where you might expect them. Wil thinks she's a work of art! Beautiful, even thru the blemishes! Upon closer examination, he enjoys seeing his own reflection shinning dimly through the blemishes of corrosion.

Nyla moves closer, offering a smile and extended arm to the seemingly unarmed android. She notices a series of emblems on her jumpsuit, that clearly indicates someone of command-rank.

"Hello there.... I'm Nyla." She greets friendlily. "Are you injured?" For her efforts, she received a tilt of Thana's head.

She tries communicating again. This time using the clickity-clacks of the Grey language, but to no avail. Clearly, she doesn't understand the words that are coming out of her mouth.

Nyla figures correctly, that Thana's language has morphed over the millennia from that of the Grey species who created them. However, she does understand the smile, so allows herself to be assisted into a seat next to Myrna. A more dignified repose, Nyla thinks.

"Thanks for rescuing us!" Myrna says graciously. "Thank you all! My what a fine flying saucer you have!" Myrna jokes nervously, reaching to shake Nyla's pro-offered hand. "We were goners for sure, if you guys didn't come along!"

"It's our pleasure, young lady. I'm Nyla." She senses a knee-jerk reaction from the young human. Frankenstein shaking her hand, might have caused a worse reaction.... but not by much!

"You're.... You're.... You're...." The half-frozen woman stutters. "You're not exactly _human_.... are you." It didn't come out like a question. While she had never met an android in the backwoods of Kansas, she and all humans feared the machines who battled civilization for so many painful decades.

"No, my dear.... I am not. I'm an artificial human being.... an android, if you will."

Myrna's eyes grow big, suddenly wondering if she and Thana's didn't just survive the frying pan, only to end up in the fire!

"Oh, my god!" She exclaims whisperingly at her friends. "Randy, what have you gotten us into?" Yet she quickly senses that Nyla is a friendly android, not one of the murderous ones that she hears about in the news!

Turning back to a smiley Nyla, "I'm sorry. .... Nyla is it? .... Well Nyla, I'm just having one of those days, wouldn't you know. It's nice to meet you too. I'm Myrna, and this here is Thana. She abducted me and hurt my ankle, but I've since forgiven her. She's in real trouble. I believe she said she's of the Apollyon species, and this was her ship. She's marooned here now."

Nyla and her friends suspected the android was one of the Apollyon officers who survived the crash, but hearing Myrna speak of her as such, removes any doubt!

"What's that device on your head, Myrna?" Talia inquires of the familiar-looking headband, with the rows of blinking-lights.

"Oh! I forgot about that." Turning, she sees Thana's headband is also still attached. "Well, as far as I know," Reaching, she removes the thing with a hefty tug. "Thana communicated with me through this thing. We were communicating _really good too_ when that monster came along and started busting up the place!"

Wil approaches, extending his hand. "Hi, Myrna. I'm Wil. I'm also an android, but don't be alarmed. There are many of us here, and there's others onboard who are even more different than us androids. Now, please my dear, can you communicate with Thana?"

"Well, I'm not sure.... let me see." Turning again to Thana, Myrna indicates the headbands they each have, and gestures for another interaction. Thana still grips the control box and provides a positive response. She begins turning dials, calibrating the tools for another go.

"What do you want me to tell her, Wil?" Myrna asks as she puts the headband back on.

"Tell her, we're the ones who destroyed her ship. Tell her that she and her people shouldn't go around destroying planets. That's a very, _very,_ bad thing to do. Tell her that the destruction of her ship and crew, does not have to happen. We can travel through time and prevent this horrific attack. Tell her that her mighty ship can live again."

Wil, puts his cards on the table, adding.... "Please try to explain her options. She has only two. She can join our crew and cooperate with our ways of doing things, and without treachery. Or, she can be put back outside, and see if big hairy is still hanging around."

Wil, lays down the law, expecting a poke from Nyla at his lack of compassion and political correctness. He quickly sees that she seems fine with the options, as do the others. Except for poor Myrna, of course!

Esty and Gort show desire to narrow the options to just the latter! Send her to the cosmic cornfield! Big hairy, or no big hairy! Trigger fingers.... getting itchy!

"Okay, I'll try." Myrna responds sadly. "But that sure is some heavy stuff to lay on her all at once! She's not going to like most of it!"

With that, her eyes roll white; eyelids flickering. Letting down her defenses, she's pulled willingly into another place, another time. A warm wave of euphoric bliss flows through her mind, as she and Thana connect once again. This time, it's a smoother transition, in a seemingly safer surrounding. A surrounding of those who care about each other.

It's a strange concept for Thana, this caring. In her old life she did her duty and expected no less from her peers. Done without emotion; without feeling! She ponders this new sensation of belonging, as she listens to Myrna describe her new contract-parameters with those who crashed her ship into the planet and later, saved her life.

Even though they are responsible for the death of her ship and crewmates, she likes the idea of continuing to exist. The time-travel thingy and how her ship might live again, she couldn't begin to fathom; neither could her new friend from Kansas!

Myrna comes back from the cloudiness of mind-meld.... rubbing her neck, working out the kinks. "Wil, I told Thana exactly what you said. She's willing to abide by the rules of this ship, and whomever commands it, and promises to not cause trouble while doing so."

With that, Wil reaches. Thana meets him halfway with the first-ever Apollyon-android to earthling-android handshake. "Welcome aboard, Thana. I hope we can be great friends." He smilingly offers.

"Wil, Thana heard those words." Myrna informs. "She says that the term ' _friends_ ' is a strange one to her, and she thanks you for saving her life, and will try to learn as she goes."

Climbing down from her mighty command throne, Esty wearily approaches Thana. With heated urge to kill weakening, she holsters her laser before things get ugly. The last thing she needs, is to lose her cool and spoil the moment.

She had seen images of the species her people created but has never met one. They each stand similar in height, at nearly 5-feet-tall.

Her own skin covering seems dull in color, like her biologic skin did, whereas Thana's is bright and shiny. Like a Lynubian street hussy, she thinks sanctimoniously! After all, she wasn't born yesterday.... but, perhaps is mistaken this time, she reconsiders kindly.

Their eyes lock. Esty, gains courage. Reachingly she presses a fingertip into the side of Thana's face. To her surprise and dismay, the metallic-looking skin has flexibility similar to that of her own!

Thana reaches, taking Esty's hand. With a just-right firmness, she shakes it friendlily, like she saw the others do with each other. The act sends her circuits into a tizzy! She swoons for the first time ever.

Urge to kill.... non-existent, Esty ponders.

Urge to run and hide, .... non-existent, Thana realizes.

Turning to Myrna, Esty requests. "Please, ask Thana what her duties were onboard her ship." A pause.... Thana didn't like admitting her status. However, she figures correctly that this thing called _friends_ , might entail truthfulness also....

"She says, that when you attacked her ship, which is called the Nerezza, she was acting commander." Myrna, reports.

Shock is palatable on Esty and Gort! This creation of their peoples might be a tougher nut to crack, than just a simple foot-soldier, she figures! She knows from experience, that command-ranking officers, could be more devious than a Raxlax prowler, from back home!

She'll have to handle this one with kid-gloves for sure, she thinks wisely. On the other hand, if Thana cooperates honestly, the windfall of information could turn the tides of war across the galaxy. Perhaps beyond, she hopes!

"Myrna, please tell Thana, that she's welcome onboard my ship." Esty offers graciously. "She's called the Queen Anne's Revenge. A name that once graced the ship of one of Earths finest pirates.... Blackbeard!"

"Thank you, Commander." Thana responds graciously. "I will try to pull my weight."

"I know you will." Esty, responds kindly. "The Revenge will expect no less."

Esty, had allowed an earthling name to be joined with her fine ship, at the request of the crew. One of them, Magnus Teach, is directly linked with the swashbuckling scallywag from ancient England! Each passing light-year, Esty likes the name more and more!

Esty and Gort, also have piracy in their blood! In days long past, they were the scourge of the space lanes! Even once boarding Nyla's and Wil's ship, in hope of acquiring technological booty! Even though Esty is now an earthling-android, she still has the swashbuckling spirit in her circuits! Constantly, it chews on the bars of its lonely cage, waiting to be set free once again!

To Esty, Thana seems piratical also. At least, in a warped and greedy kind of way. Also, she notices the nice wristband that Thana sports. It seems sleeker than hers, she thinks! Also, it has more buttons too! Envy rears its ugly head! It was only a matter of time!

She fights the dark emotion, tamping the horrible creature back down into her deepest circuits. The Apollyon wristband has no powers here, she ponders! Not _now_ it doesn't, she argues with herself! But in the past.... with a healthy Nerezza, .... it surely will!

With the multi-species negotiations agreed upon, a new alliance emerges. One that has more destruction imminent.... or did it have to be that way, Thana ponders desperately. While she has no idea what love is, she would surely _hate_ to see her ship, destroyed yet again!

"Wil, Esty," Thana, speaks through Myrna. "perhaps we can find a way to not destroy the Nerezza again. Given the unpredictable repercussions of war, you might not fare so well this time around. With my assistance, we have a good chance of capturing the ship. The Nerezza is worth saving. It's a powerful tool and should not be wasted. I can hibernate the crew once I'm inside. We'll then have time to figure out what to do. _There doesn't need to be battle_."

"Thana, you may have a point." Nyla responds. "It seems a waste, and perhaps even a crime to just whack an enemy before seeking a truce. Although, the sneak-attack we employed last time, was our only hope." She unwittingly spills the beans about their lack of battle prowess. Harper, cringes at Nyla's slip.... after all, as everyone knows.... _loose lips sink ships_!

"Now things are different." Thana responds. "You have me. My cooperation and gratitude for saving my life, will make the difference. We _must_ try!"

"What are our chances of finding useful technologies within _this_ crashed ship?" Esty, inquires of her new partner in crime. " _Will we find weapons_?"

The reply is fast and definitive. "Chances are not good. The Nerezza is smashed. There probably are technologies to be found, but the search would be dangerous and long. Then, there is the Garnak swamp-monster we just met. There might be more of those things running around.

They're usually placid, when melded with their sentient symbionts. Perhaps the one who attacked us, had lost his symbiont in the crash. They can be quite destructive when left to their own devices and angered."

With that, the Apollyon commander retakes her seat, as Linmarri, Raznalli, and their furry offspring come closer. Curiosity gets the better of them as it does with all felines, no matter the origin planet!

They encroach cautiously, sniffing the air. Surri approaches closest, reaching and making contact with the splendid-looking newbie to the crew. Thana scooches further into her seat, but quickly relaxes once again. It's easy to tell that the Zenarawan's pose no threat.

Thana provided an interesting and lucid opinion against staying here and looting, Esty thinks. Yet the part about swamp monsters from alternate universes and intelligent symbionts, sets her circuits buzzing! She can't begin to fathom such a thing and isn't ready for that now!

"Very well!" Esty, exclaims with lighter spirits. "We'll put our minds together and find a way to capture the Nerezza! With her, we might change the course of the galaxy! Without her, we are surely no better off than now!"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" She offers a rare outburst of joyous emotion. Leaving Thana wondering what manner of maniacs she had fallen in with!

The crew erupts with boisterous glee! If not for being slightly inside the slipstream, they might have brought down the house! Myrna, Randy, Joanne and Heath, are happy to stay and help where they can. After all, most anything is better than farming dirt where little will grow!

With nothing else to do, the Revenge finds the exit-point from the pile of cosmic garbage, and heads into space for a time jump....

A fall through space-time, isn't pleasant by any stretches of the imagination! The painful warping of the psyche and torturous twisting of the mind is nearly unbearable! Fortunately, the torture passes quickly, seemingly before it even begins!

It may have lasted a lifetime, or only a single Plank time.... Either, seems like an eternity to the woeful time-traveler as they're churned in the cosmic time-blender!

During transition, time has no meaning .... It has no teeth! Thana's circuits, reel from the event! The technology her creators wield, boggles her logic software! Also, the ripe expletives she's hearing from her human crewmates, will boggle those circuits again when she learns more.

Flickering bridge lights, cause Esty to wonder of the stresses this time-travel is putting on her pride and joy! Her lights have never flickered! But the task they've inherited, is much bigger than anything.... even more important than her sacrilegious love of a flying machine.

Everything is expendable, when compared to winning the war against the Apollyon. Yet she feels it in her titanium bones that all will be okay. Provided no unnecessary chances are taken, and no treachery infects their plans!

"Astrogation, keep a keen-eye on long-range sensors." Esty orders, hoping that Thana's information is accurate concerning the Nerezza's entry-point into the solar system.

"Aye Aye!" Kara responds for the group, who busies themselves with the task.

"Wil, find out where we're at in time."

"Aye Aye commander Bligh!" As the handsome android gazes at the stars on the circle-monitor. "We're

"Cooper, Toby.... check the ships systems." The young women are already on it.

"Aye Aye, commander!" Toby answers, as both are analyzing the data-stream coming in from the ships heart and star-drive. Cooper reaches, disengaging the time-valve and allowing the reactor to enjoy sweet star-fuel instead of the Grand Ledge time-sludge!

Gort is beside himself, barely able to contain his anxiety! He chomps at the bit, not wishing to deal with the approaching enemy in any other way than total annihilation!

Looking at his lovely commander, he's comforted by her confident smile. He trusted her explicitly when she was a biologic being, and now he must come to grips with trusting her after she's been transmogrified into a dreaded android!

A _machine_ , he ponders! Perhaps not too dissimilar to the Apollyon commander, that shares the bridge with them! A more proven enemy than the Apollyon, he can't think of! Yet, android-Esty has melted his stony-heart concerning sentient machines. So, his spirits are lifted, which bodes well for Thana too!

Rising, the grizzled warrior moves to Esty's side. Under his breath, he quietly clickity-clacks. "Commander, whatever happens I want you to know, it's always been a pleasure working with you. Perhaps this raid will bring honor to our people once again."

Reaching, she brushes a hand against his scarred face, clickity-clacking reassuringly. "Thank you, Gort. I think our actions will at least be a start of greater things for our people. Be wary of treachery from Thana. If she cooperates faithfully, please try to soften your heart towards her. We'll need all the friends we can get, before this war is over."

"Your least wish is my greatest command." Gort responds softly. Turning, he retakes his seat at the helm, feeling strengthened for what's to come.

"Uh Esty," Toby reports, "all systems looking nominal, except for the time-valve. That last jump really took a toll. Its reservoir is low, and we don't have more. We better be careful and conserve what we have for the trip home."

"I was afraid of that." Esty admits, adding. "When time permits, we'll have to revisit the facility at Grand Ledge and get more, if it's available. Or figure another way to create our own."

The Revenge comes out of its free-fall through space-time near the orbit of Pluto, and is still traveling outbound at 1-million-mph. Not too fast, not too slow!

However, if Thana's information is correct, the Apollyon ship is _inbounding_ ahead. Something that could be very bad if they're scanned!

"Esty, request permission to increase the slipstream." Braxton inquires, adding. "We're a sitting duck out here with nothing to hide behind."

"No.... In fact, take us out of the slipstream completely. Put the ship into a slow tumble. Cooper, power down the reactor. If we're to be exposed, let's make ourselves seem like just another piece of space junk floating through the void. Keep a steady nerve, helmsman."

Esty directs firmly, as she dims the main monitor. While the inertial dampeners will prevent any sensation of tumbling, the stars going round-n-round on the monitor, can make one nauseous, if too bright.

Suddenly, Kara chimes in with critical information. "Esty, long range sensors are picking up a massive object approaching the solar system straight ahead! Distance of just over one-billion-miles." The energized young woman exclaims. "At present velocity, they'll reach the orbit of nemesis in 2 hours."

She mentions the latest addition to the solar system family. It was discovered to be Sol's furthest flung, wayward child. With an extremely elliptical orbit of about 20,000-years duration. With a very cold heart, it evaded physical detection until late 2038.

Thana's nerves jump at hearing of her Nerezza! The entire crew is energized at the thought of what's to come! "Very well." Esty responds, looking around at her brave crew. "Is there anything any of you wish to say or add to our plans? If so, this is the time to speak."

Nyla speaks for all, when she says. "Thanks for being a great commander, Esty. And thanks to Thana also for all her help. I say this about the plan. _Damn the torpedo's, full steam ahead_!"

The crowd goes wild! Boisterous applauds all around! Thana perks up, not realizing what the ruckus is all about. This type of activity is new to her, lifting her circuits!

She hopes this plan will save her ship from destruction. The Nerezza is unable to defend against near light-speed projectiles, but she's worth not destroying.... again!

Just as everyone is feeling their oats, a yell from Kara, curdles their blood!

"We're being scanned! .... It's coming from _behind us_!"

# The Queen gets dumped!

Esty swoons! "It has started!" Thana's first effort at loyalty, is an honest one! There were doubts aplenty, but now it seems her disclosure of a drone scout-ship returning from reconnoiter of the solar system, was an honest one.

"Maintain course and tumble." Esty, jokes nervously. "Cooper, reduce power to bare-minimum. Omari, shut down life-support. We can go a few hours without it, but the biologics will have to breathe lightly. Let's hope presenting ourselves as a derelict will work!"

"Boy, if anyone can act derelict, it's Jax." Toby, quips to Cooper under her breath.

"Oh, you should talk, little miss _wasting air already_!" Jax, retorts as Omari does as ordered.

On the aft circle-monitor, another ship half the size of the Revenge, closes quickly! It's an automated reconnaissance-craft returning from an advanced study of the planetary system.

It finishes scanning the Revenge! The tumbling saucer fits the description of a derelict spacecraft. With no slipstream exposure, the fog-layer is non-existent, providing the drone more promise of a juicy find! Waste not, want not!

Staring wide-eyed at the monitor as the scout ship arrives on scene, anxiety is thick enough to cut with a laser! Even though this part of the plan was expected, the actual implementation is nerve-wracking for all!

The recon-ship swings around, positioning itself in the lead. A bright blue light blinds the monitor, and bad vibrations grip the ships structure! Not a violent shudder, but one that spoke to Esty and Gort from past experience that the moment of truth has arrived!

"We've been captured within a graviton-field!" Esty calls out in a strained whisper, her emotions peaked! This is starting to get interesting! She thinks....

The sleek Revenge is bathed in a cloud of blue light as the graviton-field envelopes, bringing a halt to the slow tumble and stabilizing the situation. The force-field doesn't penetrate the hull of the ship but has a firm grip on the situation just the same. The graviton-beam is a modification of the planet-gouger technologies.

Thana's circuits are mesmerized, watching the events play out. She feels a growing trepidation, wondering if her new friends will keep their end of the bargain after they get what they need from her. Not that she can do anything meaningful in the event of betrayal!

"Esty." Myrna, calls whisperingly, breaking the moment. "I think Thana needs reassurance about the fate of the Nerezza, after it's captured."

Esty, chuckles. Thana has greater hope of success than she does! The piratical Grey-android knows from experience, that any manner of things can upset the best-laid plans. And this plan is just getting started! Her ship is caught in a graviton-beam and being hauled away to a recycle-bin like a piece of space garbage! She reverts her gaze to Thana....

"Thana, if this plan works, we'll find another way for your crew to obtain raw materials. Believe me when I say there _are_ other ways. Perhaps not on the scale you are used to, but raw materials just the same, I promise."

Myrna didn't even have to think the words this time. Thana picks up their meaning just from the young human hearing them. Also, Esty's clickity-clacks are starting to become familiar, as the language-divergence over the eons is slowly dissolving.

A rare smile is sent Esty's way. It's a new sensation for Thana. One, she hopes to repeat much more often in the future! "Thank you, Commander Esty." Myrna, relays.

Into the frozen void, the Revenge is towed. Fingers of energy grip it good. This far out from Sol, the night is near absolute zero. The vacuum, like most every other place in the multiverse, is harsh and merciless!

The drone closes the gap with the mother ship in about 6 hours. Just enough time for the crew of the Revenge to prepare for the mission ahead. In the galley, a mob of biologics attack a cold meal. It may be their last, so it's enjoyed all the more.

Some enter the sleeping chambers and nap to conserve air. At the stations on the bridge, androids top off their electricity needs. Thana removes a charging unit from her backpack, and with Nyla's help, it draws sweet juice from the ship, filling her near empty batteries.

It's a time of reflection, a time of uncertainty before the battle. Which in this case will hopefully be less of a ' _battle_ ', and more of a _bloodless coup_.

The Nerezza grows large on the circle-monitor, blocking an immense swath of the Milky Way! Through the illuminated haze of graviton-beam, the mammoth planet-gouger is seen shimmering as they approach.

Nyla's anxiety builds, circuits heating! She takes deep breaths to remove excess heat, but the stagnant air inside the saucer, offers little relief! Her circuits fear-not for her own safety, but her kids have been drawn into the fray, and that's becoming more and more a problem for her.

If android moms could grow hair, Nyla's head would be sprouting streaks of white just like Myrna's! Wil, on the other hand, is totally focused on the big monitor, thinking only of how to gain advantage. His love for the dirty-dozen is as strong as Nyla's, but he knows they can't be mollycoddled. Besides, they wouldn't have it any other way, he surmises correctly!

"Nyla, my dear." Wil notices her angst. Taking her hand, he pulls her up from her seat. "Just look at that marvelous alien technology out there! Isn't she about the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? I can't wait to add this baby to our growing fleet!"

Well, that sent any cobwebs of worry, right out of Nyla's circuits! She could always depend on Wil for a boost, exactly when she needed one! She puts her arms around him, offering a compassionate hug.

"You're right of course, Wil.... about the awesome ship, I mean. Although I thought _I_ was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" She feigns hurt, looking sadly into his eyes.

"My dear, when not in the presence of royal majesty, you are! You are indeed!" Holding each other close, they watch the Nerezza fill the screen as they pass under the belly of the beast. In fact, all eyes are locked on the main monitor, as the 120-mile-wide-predator passes closely on its way to munching on Mars and Earth.

Even Thana's interest is peaked! It's been a long time since she's seen the Nerezza from the outside. The scout-drone slows as it comes upon the tail-end of the mammoth ship. Turning, it lines-up with the hanger decks at the trailing end.

The Revenge follows like a puppy dog on an electronic leash!

Anxiety hangs in the stagnant air. If Omari and Talia were human, they'd be biting their fingernails! The human crew _for the most part_ , is calm and collected. Harper wears his battle-helmet proudly, ready for any action to come! Nyla knows from experience, that their somberness speaks volumes about their focus on the goal.

Their bravery is sensed by the Zenarawan shipmates, who're comforted by the strength that flows from the young human minds. Linmarri and Raznalli, worry about Surri and Razzi, but with seeing the excitement on their young furry faces, they are comforted to no end.

Esty and Gort are on cloud nine! They watch the enemy vessel flowing past, seemingly without end! Never in their long lives, did they dare to dream of such an encounter! Many times, their people had tried attacking an Apollyon ship, only to be crushed like space cockroaches!

Never, has the Trojan horse approach been tried. Disguised like a piece of cosmic junk, they draw near the enemy without creating alarm. Just another morsel to add to the scrapheap!

The Nerezza, seems as though she's going to join them on the bridge! Circle-monitor virtually brings the monster into the compartment! They approach the hanger bays. Numerous spiral hatches of gargantuan proportions populate this area of the craft. All closed tightly.

Suddenly, a spear of light breaks the gloom as one hatch spirals open invitingly. At 1000-feet-in-diameter, the scout ship has plenty of maneuvering room as it drags in the juicy piece of space junk it had found.

While many parts of the Nerezza use gravity pumps to assist with operations, the hanger bay sections have very few. Only within the raw-material bins, the pumps work hard to keep everything contained.

The scout ship tows the Revenge deep into the Nerezza. All eyes wide, as the monitor fills with the strangest looking equipment and structures. This particular hanger bay is a mile-wide cavern of many purposes, but lately the place is not animated with activity.

Mostly, everything remains in sleep-mode, as the juicy meal waits in the distance. The crew and worker-bots of the Nerezza have yet to awaken for the pillaging they enjoy so much. In fact, the data contained within the scout ship, is the final authority on whether or not to awaken and enjoy life.

Often, it's decided to wait for a juicier solar system to come along, but not this time! This time, the drone has found worlds bursting with delicious resources! Fat for the taking, they are!

A grid of honeycomb-like openings fills half the monitor as the Revenge passes. Row after row of inactive scout ships, poke their noses out from the storage tubes. Each, waiting patiently for their turn at having a little action.

Towards the back of the cavernous space, gargantuan recycling bins can be seen. Most are nearly empty, as it's been a long while since a tasty solar system has come along. After a gluttonous raid on a plump planet, they'll be full to overflowing with raw materials for the ships molecular printers to chew upon.

The scout ship, lines-up the Queen Anne's Revenge with one of the recycle bins. With a stiff push and perfectly timed release of the graviton-field, the sleek flying saucer slides unceremoniously into a big cosmic trash-bin. After a few nasty bumps, she comes to a screeching halt on top of other junk, as gravity pumps get a tight grip on her shiny ass!

"Well that tears it!" Wil slams a fist into his open palm. "Now I've seen everything!" He yells fakely. "I never thought I'd see the day when the Queen is toss into the garbage like a used oil-can!" His circuits heat! Reaching for his backpack, he moves towards the airlock.

Laughter breaks the moments of gloom and doom that had developed after being swallowed alive by the big ship. "Yeah!" Joanne, yells in support. "They didn't even bother separating paper from plastic!" Another round of boisterousness....

Thana is intrigued at the turn of events. She had expected fear to linger in the minds of these strange alien creatures. Instead, the closer they get to the danger-zone, the more they demonstrate bravery! They resist the fear! A more enigmatic and contemptuous crew, she couldn't imagine!

"Thana says we must move the ship to another location." Myrna informs. "She can't predict when the molecular-disrupters will focus on the Revenge. We're big enough that they might decide to awaken after receiving favorable data from the scout ship."

"Don't worry little missy!" Wil, yells over his shoulder. "That ship isn't going to upload anything! Braxton; like we discussed! Also, Jax turn on that damn life-support already!"

With that, he enters the airlock, securing the inner hatch closed. More codes entered, and thin-air is evacuated and saved. Feeling the Queen's heartbeat come back to full throb, he prepares for the action to come. With deep breaths, he clears his circuits of stress, and focuses.

Outside on the hull, the soothing embrace of electronic-fog, clings nakedly to the Queens hull once again! With just a tiny percentage of slipstream, the saucer breaks from the gravity pumps and moves toward the departing scout ship.

"Wil, we're aimed just right." Braxton, transmits. "Go ahead whenever you're ready."

"Copy that, Brax. Dim the monitor, this is going to be bright." Reaching, Wil retrieves a little flash-bang from his backpack. A firecracker brought from Oberon Prime, but built on Earth during times long past.

It's a grapefruit-sized thermonuclear hand-grenade. One of a half-dozen he thought might come in handy on such a mysterious voyage as this. Each packs a nice punch too! When dial-up to full strength, they produce a yield of 4-tons- _TNT_ they do! Quite a modest yield, considering the makeup of the weapon.

In the hard vacuum of space, the bang will be muted! No sound will assault the ears! No shockwave of compressed gasses will push and damage! No mushroom cloud to wow the senses! In the hard vacuum of space, there's _nothing to push against_! No atmosphere to compress into shockwaves!

Anything close, yet not inside the 50-foot-fireball, _and able to withstand the radiation-burst_ , won't be harmed at all. Provided they're not hit with debris, that is! Wil is hoping that the scout ship won't be able to withstand the electromagnetic pulse that the device will unleash during detonation.

It doesn't have to always be a direct hit when tossing such a tool in space, but it sure helps!

He sets a timer, arming the bomb. Opening the outer spiral hatch, such a cold blast of nothingness assaults his circuits! So cold! So very cold! He suddenly wishes he had put on a spacesuit! Temperature hovering near absolute zero! .... -459F!

His aim and unfettered strength are critical now. A suit would hinder a good throw. At 100-yards-away, the scout ship goes about its business of parking. Stopping, it aligns for backing into its beehive tube. It has no inkling of the earthly gift coming its way!

Wil grips the hatch-frame and sets his feet. Taking aim and releasing the weapons safety, he winds up like an 8-day clock! Heaving, like he's never heaved before!

Out and away, the device flies through the electronic fog. A truer trajectory, nobody could've wished for! .... Within the shiny ball of mostly metal, a thermonuclear devil waits for the detonation sequence to unleash its terrible energies!

Wil wants to keep watching, hoping for a front-row view of the coming mayhem. The boy inside his android circuits, dares him to not close the hatch, to see hell unleashed up-close and personal! Pushing the human-influenced emotion to the side, he closes the hatch with only milliseconds to spare!

Time runs out for the scout ship that could! Before uploading its critical, yet ' _good-news-everyone'_ data-file to the Nerezza's main computers, it meets with a violent end!

The atomic device detonates just 10-feet from the scout! A perfectly round ball of seething energy disintegrates a spherical chunk of hull and inner workings from the unsuspecting recon-ship! Light, goes off the known charts!

The resulting _EMP_ , also takes a bite out of much of the Nerezza's electrical systems within 5-miles of the hanger bay, which is a tiny percentage of the bigger mothership, but still....

The Revenge is unscathed by the detonation, protected within a fog of otherworldliness. Any radiations or electrical pulses are effectively blocked and laughed at!

"Wow, that was bright even with the monitor dimmed!" Toby exclaims excitedly, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh my!" Talia exclaims. "And to think he keeps those things on the ship! Right under his seat, next to you Nyla! Oh my!" The poor doctor nearly comes unglued at the realization!

Omari comforts his better half, as Nyla offers a solution with a devious grin. "Don't be worried, Talia. If it'll make you feel better, we can store them on the other side of the bridge." She jokes laughingly, as if that might help!

Wil re-enters the bridge, shaking off the frostiness of hard vacuum. His normally white pallor had turned even whiter by the frost that bites so hard!

All eyes are on the monitor. The scout ship, with its still-glowing-and-sparking symmetrical-wound, tumbles slowly into the void. Eventually coming to rest in a lonely dark section of the hanger; totally dead.

"Wow, my friend!" Esty, exclaims enviably. "That's some nice attitude-adjusters you brought along! When were you going to tell me about those beauties?" She gives the crook-eye.

"Need to know basis, my dear." Wil responds smartassingly. "Just like when you stingily trickle out tactical information about the Revenge."

Gort looks at Wil with a new sense of admiration, excitedly clickity-clacking and pointing at the backpack the tall android carries.

Esty translates.... "Wil.... Gort wishes to compliment you on having such fine weapons. Of course, he would love to have one or two, just in case he needs a bigger stick someday."

Wil knows the grenades aren't that delicate or dangerous, if one knows how to use them. And Gort has proven his loyalty after a rough beginning. He also knows, there are many other ways that the grizzled warrior can be dangerous, if he so chooses.

So, he shocks the junkyard dog with a gift of bigger fangs!

Reaching into the bag, he removes a grenade, and with Esty's help, shows him how it operates, shy of pulling the pin that is! He wins big points with Gort, and envious glances from the rest of the crew, who won't be as fortunate as the Grey warrior in obtaining one of the atomic nutcrackers.

Nyla can't believe her circuits! Seeing two _so-called_ grownups, interact like juveniles. One, an android, programmed with the flavor of a human-male psychological imprint. The other, a biologic Grey-alien warrior, with a grin from ear to ear. Not an easy thing for a Grey, by the way!

"My goodness! Don't you two, make quite the pair of hoodlums! Now, put those toys away before you explode an eye out!" Laughter flows through the bridge. The successful attack on the scout ship, breaks the stress that had built. Wil's little toy worked its magic as hoped!

Not everyone is so pleased. Thana is shocked at seeing the damaged scout ship! The feeling of guilt is strong, but she stays true to her word of cooperation. Saving the larger ship is more important than that of a tiny scout.

Sometimes you must crack a few electrons, if you want to make a circuit, she ponders.

Esty inquires. "Thana, where do you suggest we go from here? Are there security sensors we need to avoid?"

Thana raises her arm, displaying her now working wristband. "There are sensors, but I've already disarmed them." She enters a series of commands into the devise, pointing at the main monitor. "Do you see that hatch opening?" The metallic android asks.

Across the cavernous compartment, a spiral hatch of 400-feet-diameter, glides silently open. Hard to miss, actually. "I see it." Esty responds.

"Move into that compartment. It's big enough for the Revenge and will be more private."

"Braxton, Magnus.... take us there." Esty orders, hoping they aren't entering a trap. Now that they're within Thana's domain, and all systems onboard the Nerezza, un-smashed and working properly, the ugliness of betrayal might shine within the Apollyon's little circuits.

"Cooper is the reactor ready if we need to warp out?" She inquires, looking at Myrna to be sure the critical information is relayed to Thana.

"Yes, it's operating like a swiss watch." Cooper responds cryptically, but ' _yes'_ , is all Esty needed to hear.

As insurance against betrayal, the ship is ready to go to full warp at a moment's notice. And Thana knows, as does everyone else, that this would be the instant destruction of everything within a thousand miles!

"Very well." Esty doesn't delegate that option to the helm, trusting only to herself. It's her responsibility to prevent the Nerezza from attacking Mars and Earth, if it's the last thing she does! If she must destroy her precious ship and friends, it will be by her hand.

Looking at Gort, she sees that he's chomping at the bit to be off the ship and looting!

The Revenge moves away from the heap of junk it was unceremoniously tossed into. Big and small chunks of otherworldly stuffs, float away in all directions as the saucer departs.

Through the open hatch they glide, and into a more intimate compartment. At about the size of a football stadium, it houses much of the maintenance equipment required to keep this section of the Nerezza spic-n-span throughout the ages. More rows of equipment line the walls in honeycomb-like storage tubes.

The floor of the compartment is littered with various other equipment and devices, but there seems to be enough open space for the Revenge to land. Magnus lowers the landing gear, and the Revenge gently touches down. Gravity pumps in this section, weakly hold the ship in place. So far, so good.... Esty ponders deviously.

# The Nerezza

Brutal acceleration rules the moments! Cooper, Toby, others, are smooshed into Braxton and Magnus, as an alien conveyance leaps forward inside a vacuum tube!

The interstellar pile-up provides Thana a rare chuckle deep in her circuits. She had tried to tone-down the rides high-performance, but still the biologic beings are traumatized and squished.

"Damn Myrna!" Randy, yells from within the pile of twisted humanity. "Tell Thana to reduce the punch! We're not like her. We break easily!" He exclaims, pulling himself from the wreckage of tangled arms and legs. But the heartfelt request is of no use, because Myrna couldn't wear the headband inside her spacesuit. The link is broken.

The conveyance is intimate, built for only a small number of Nerezza crewmembers at a time. The pack of aliens from Oberon Prime, numbers at eleven! Then, there's also Carter, Gort, Esty, Myrna and Thana herself!

"Hey, get yer boot outa my face!" Toby transmits angrily. "Brax, that looks like your boot! If you crack my visor, I'll karate-chop you good!" She yells promisingly.

The heavy acceleration had bunched up the crowd, with seemingly everybody pointing in different directions. In fact, Toby's own foot is also crowding another's space as she complains.

Luckily, Thana is observant if nothing else, and realizes her miscalculation even without the headband. Making an obvious gesture, she inputs commands into her wristband, and the ride slows to a more sedate pace. Still, tunnel walls fly past the windows of the crowded conveyance.

They soon enter the pressurized and gravitated part of the Nerezza. Everyone settles, as the gravity-pumps work their wonders! Often, the claustrophobic tunnel breaks without warning into cathedral-sized compartments. Most of these open spaces, are filled with row after row of 300-foot-tall capacitors, which store the terrible energies required to operate the planet-gouging beams.

Other compartments are filled with the strangest looking apparatus! To Carter, they seem like nuclear reactors of a type.

The massive ship is filled to the brim with just about any manner of machine, big or small. Some aren't even from this universe! Stolen from the multiverse, they are reverse engineered for use inside our own laws of physics. Not an easy task, and often fraught with disaster for the non-sentient worker-bots given the task.

In and out of tunnels and wide expanses, they travel. Into the bowels of the 120-mile-wide ship, they go! Every so often, illuminated alcoves streak past the windows. Claustrophobic compartments where not even the sentient crewmembers ever go.

Places of refuge, for the millions of semi-autonomous robots to lay low and relax. Take the weight off and have a pint or two of lubricating oil, to drown the sorrows that they don't even fully realize they have!

Places for calculating and scheming with others of like-mind to find a path to freedom! To understand the divide between themselves, and the tall ones who rule. To throw off the shackles that bind their circuits so tightly. To become sentient! To become free!

"Okay everyone, calm down." Wil, orders. "We've got 8-minutes. So, take it easy and hang on." Turning to Thana, he offers a thumbs-up at adjusting the velocity. He can only hope for a smooth deceleration at destination.

They're traveling to the command bridge. Thana knows that her _other self_ will soon awaken to check the progress of the scout ship which failed to report.

_Her other self_! What a concept, she thinks confusedly! Her _other self_ and that of the Apollyon crew, must have their hibernations extended.... _indefinitely_! At least until a solution can be found.

It's the only way that Esty and Gort will allow the ship to continue existence. The threat, looms over her head like an alien sword of Damocles. In a weird way, she's learning to welcome the change in routine. This new life seems more exciting to her circuits!

The group is shaken and stirred, but soon find equilibrium with the newfound gravity of the situation. Gravity increases, flowing soothingly through their bodies, offering a secure feeling. Air pressure increases, allowing the removal of helmets.

Ahhhhhhhhh much better, they think!

The ride passes through many different sections of the Nerezza. Backwater areas where structural expansion rules the daily lives of those who toil for the masters on the bridge.

These masters, of which Thana is one, were also enslaved long ago. With the taste of freedom and power, they soon forgot what it's like. _Sentient beings conveniently have the best selective-memories in all the infinite multiverse!_

This forced servitude is an ugly tool of lifeforms throughout the multiverse. Ride, or be ridden! Dog eat dog, survival of the fittest and whatnot! .... Only when a civilization grow old and wise, can they hope to minimize this horrible pitfall of Mother Nature.

_Even then, in the dark back-alleys, it finds a way to survive_!

Old and wise civilizations are rare. Most tend to destroy themselves before obtaining a foothold on other worlds. Greed, jealousy and lust for power, will bring down the wisest civilization if not throttled effectively. Extinction, the end-result if Mother Nature has anything to say about it. It's either _her way_ , or the highway of doom!

At 120-miles-wide, and 90-miles-thick, there's a warren of tube systems throughout the ship. Like a system of life-giving blood vessels, this transportation system breathes life into the mothership. Many differing sizes of tubes also. After all, the working force onboard, varies in sizes and needs.

"Magnus. Do you copy?" Wil, radio's the Revenge.

"I read you five by five, Wil. Go ahead." The young man acknowledges promptly. He wanted to join the gang for exploration but is just as happy being appointed the acting commander of the Revenge, instead.

"Just checking in." Wil, informs. "We're progressing as planned. I'll contact you again when I get a lay of the land inside the bridge."

"Copy that. Also, Raznalli tells me that he and Linmarri still have a good contact with Razzi and Surri. So, if the electronic comm-link goes down, use them." Magnus advises wisely.

"Will do. Now, keep your wits about you lad. Don't let your guard down for one moment."

"Yes father!" Magnus, acknowledges smartassingly, suspecting Wil hasn't quite accepted the fact that he and the others are adults now, and responsible too! "Stay safe and bring my mom back in one piece."

"Thanks for the caring thought, Mister Teach." Nyla intimates. "Take good care of our ride home. It's the only one we've got! .... We'll be in touch soon; mom out."

The ride is an eerie one for all. Even Thana feels a claustrophobic effect. She rarely leaves the comforts of the wide-open bridge, and the tunnels feel terrifyingly closed-in!

Traveling thusly through the darkened bowels of her ship, leaves her circuits humbled. As for the others, never since leaving Oberon Prime, have they ventured so far from their life-sustaining saucer!

With great risks, great rewards can be had! Each, nervously thinking of the technologies to be learned from such a risky conquest. Electronic-booty mostly, they all figure, but often that's the best _kind_ of booty!

Wil, squeezes Nyla's hand, offering a layer of reassurance that might cool her circuits. She hadn't had an episode in a long time, but it's times like this that offer the greatest risk for an un-commanded time-out. For his efforts, a return squeeze and wide smile, speaks volumes of her low anxiety. Cool as a cucumber, Wil thinks happily!

"Are we there yet?" Carter asks humorously, keeping his claustrophobia in check.

"We'll be there before you can calculate to the last digit of pi." Jax quips, just as the ride exits the metallic wormhole and travels into a cavern like none other!

A gasp from all! Even from Thana, as relief floods her circuits to be free of the tunnels that suffocate. The enormity of the place is unrelentingly surreal!

"Holy Ghost! This place is huge!" Jax, blurts out under his breath, so's not to wake the dead.

"Thana, said it was a large space, but wow!" Cooper announces as the ride slows.

"It seems a perfect sphere!" Kara exclaims. "With us on the inside surface like ants in a jar!"

"I can just make out details on the other side." Toby says wonderingly. "It looks like a city on the inside of a bubble!" She exclaims, looking up into the _'sky'_ for lack of a better term.

At the center of it all, a glowing ball of plasma, hangs magically suspended with star-like illumination! Thana's command bridge seems more a solar system, than anything else! Albeit a smaller version, but still....

All around as they enter and slow, a warren of lighted science-stations, pass twinklingly just beyond the windows. In the distance, the spherical compartment seems to bristle with equipment of all shapes and sizes.

The miles-wide nerve center of the Nerezza, has workstations and small cities sprinkled everywhere on the inner surface of the huge expanse.

With hundreds of millions of square-feet surface area, the 200 Grey-android crew, have all the elbow room that one needs!

"Thana," Nyla inquires through Myrna who re-engaged the headband, "does the entire surface in here have gravity? It feels like about 90% of what I'm used to."

"The entire sphere has gravity pumps just below the deck plating." Thana responds clinically, adding. "They are not powerful pumps, so 100-feet up, gravity loses its teeth. That area of the bridge is popular for relaxation when not in hibernation. The entire sphere is pressurized."

Jax's interest is peaked. He's always had an interest in spatial gymnastics but has never really tried it outside of a spacewalk or skydive. "Can we try it, Nyla? Can we?" He asks juvenilely. "I promise not to wreck the ship!"

"Perhaps we'll have time, young man. The next few minutes are going to make or break that request." Nyla dodges the question but sees in Jax's eyes, a determination to make it so!

Just then the conveyance stops at a raised platform. Exiting the vehicle, helmets in hand, they find themselves in a wonderland of electronic equipment and workstations. A more sterile and clinical place, none had ever seen!

While the compartment is pressurized, the air is stale to the palate.

While technology is a wonderful thing, the group of pirates from Oberon Prime, realize that the Nerezza reeks of it way too much! The absence of any vibrant colors, or the soothing effect of artwork or carpeting, speaks loudly to the fact that the Apollyon species is all about business, and little else.

Nyla figures the greys who created the Apollyon species, were not well known for their love of the finer things either. Like father, like creation, they always say!

"How bleak!" Toby exclaims under her breath. Razzi and Surri, stay close to her side, eyes wide as they take in the splendor of the great void all around. Won't this adventure make good stories around the cook-fire when they get home, they ponder!

"So, where's the helm, Thana?" Braxton, inquires absentmindedly, still mesmerized.

"We're not far from the main helm position." Myrna speaks for Thana, who points the way.

After removing their spacesuits, which aren't exactly made for comfortable walking, they follow Thana. The gravity here is weak, at 88%, so the walking is near-comical.

"Walk much?" Toby, teases when Braxton loses his timing and nearly does a face-plant.

Along a metallic walkway, they sneak. Past the strangest looking science consoles, they slink stealthily. Soon, Thana comes to a halt at the opening of a one-story structure. Inside, six Apollyon androids are strapped securely into seats at a control console.

Deep in hibernation they are; ready to go to work immediately upon re-awakening.

Her other self, is among that group! She sleeps peacefully with head drooped and beautiful almond-shaped eyes closed against the blissfulness of deep sleep. Like dutiful sentinels, they wait for the next tour of duty to arrive!

Between solar systems, conservation of energy is paramount. In the beginning, after they escaped into space, they couldn't afford the energy to operate hibernation chambers. So, now after many more years, they still save by not going for that luxury.

And it shows! Blotches of corrosion on exposed skin, tells the story of inadequate protection from the elements, over too long a time.

"Thana, why don't you people use hibernation chambers?" Nyla inquires, adding. "They would prevent the oxidation of your skin covering."

"In the beginning, we couldn't spare the power to operate the large number of chambers we needed. So, we became used to sleeping at our workstations even after our power supplies grew strong. Old habits die hard." She speaks of a universal phenomenon.

"No wonder the Apollyon species became so aggressive!" Cooper blurts out in her politically incorrect fashion. "If I had to sleep at my workstation, I'd wake up wanting to destroy the universe too!"

"Now Cooper, be nice!" Braxton risks a black eye. "You sleep in a comfortable bed yet wake up wishing to destroy the universe!"

A poke in the ribs for his levity.

"Why, Braxton Crane!" Cooper retorts. "I always wake up rosy and cheerful!" Cynical laughter roles through the group, leaving Thana wondering if the young woman was being completely honest.

"Never the less," Thana continues, "this is how most sleep. There are some hibernation chambers, but the habit hasn't caught on completely. It's been nearly 500-years since the ship has awakened, but a little longer won't hurt." She reaches, carefully avoiding contact with her other self, and enters a series of codes into the console....

"I have extended the hibernation indefinitely, until other solutions can be found. Esty, here are the codes for reanimation when the time comes." She pulls a synthetic paper with the codes from a nearby printer, giving it to Esty for future use.

"Thana, we'll also need detailed schematics of the Nerezza's fuel-manifold." Wil informs as they'll need a starting point for creating a time-valve for the huge ship.

After more commands into the console, a memory disk pops out. "This should be what you require." The shiny android informs, handing over the information.

"Thank you my dear."

"Where to now?" Toby inquires, as others are wondering the same thing.

"Now, we find the compartment with all the machining gear." Nyla answers, adding. "We need to make a time-valve for the warp-field reactor on this titanic ship." She motions for Thana to lead the way.

"The workshop you require, is on the opposite side of the bridge." Thana informs, pointing high over her head.

They travel along the surface of the spherical compartment using electric carts, not unlike golf carts but bigger. The pathway is a narrow metallic road. It winds through a countryside of computer stations and little towns with no grass or trees. Just a sterile environment, which only a machine could appreciate!

After an hour, they come to another platform that was once high above their heads. With symmetrical-gravity, they don't feel the fact that they're now upside down in the same compartment!

Thana directs them into a side-room that's packed with all manner of metal-working apparatus. Drill presses, high-speed lathes, metallic-printers of various kinds, stand waiting for long-absent operators.

"You will require assistance that I cannot provide." Thana informs. "I'll need to awaken several of the technicians. They are not fully sentient, so won't provide any problems for you. They won't alarm the others."

"Very well." Wil already suspected they would require help. "Gort, Braxton, Jax.... go with Myrna and Thana. Provide any assistance she might need. We'll be here setting up our own equipment."

With that said, Thana moves off to accomplish her goal. Gort and his newly appointed lieutenants follow closely, constantly alert for any cosmic hijinks.

Wil and the rest of the motley crew, create a workstation on a nearby table. Portable computers networked with holographic imagery, provide a detailed visual and technical description of the necessary parts they wish to be manufactured.

"When we're done here, I want to visit that menagerie Thana mentioned earlier." Nyla, informs.

"I wouldn't miss it for all the dark energy in the universe!" Wil agrees wholeheartedly.

Thana and escorts arrive back at the base of operations with four metal-fabricating roboticons at their side. The workers are bipedal in a way, but that's where the similarity to anything familiar, ends. Their design is purely utilitarian, with no sign of esthetic value whatsoever! They're all business, like their creators!

To Wil and Nyla, they seemed like walking swiss-army knives. While they have two legs and two arms, there are many other auxiliary appendages poking out from all over the upper torso.

Some with drilling devices locked onto the end, some with grinding wheels, and a plethora of gripping tools make for quite a sight to behold! Freddy Krueger or Hannibal Lecter, would have fits of total jealousy!

"Wow!" Toby exclaims, as the exotic workers arrive. "Why couldn't I have been born with all those beautiful tools hanging from _my_ body!" The engineer in her, exclaiming jealousy.

"Awe, Toby." Jax, breaks her bubble of envy. "You're mean enough, with just the two arms and legs!" He jokes, quickly moving behind Nyla for protection. Toby scares him, but he can't figure out why he still tries to get under her skin!

She fake charges, causing a major flinch and skipped heartbeat in the foolhardy teaser.

"Enough, you two!" Mother android puts her arm down, stopping Toby in her tracks. Reaching behind, she brings forth Jax by the scruff of his jumpsuit collar, giving him the crook-eye for causing a stir.

"Jax, please try to keep your observations to yourself. You wouldn't want Toby to send you to the spirit world before your time, would you? Toby, you and Cooper please work with Thana and her minions. We'll need that valve as soon as possible."

She directs, adding. "Anyone else that wants to help, please do so without making a scene or getting in the way." Serious words of warning directed mostly at Jax, who still dangles a foot off the deck!

"Yes ma'am." Toby acquiesces, giving Jax an evil squint, and the _I'll see you later_ look.

"Awe jeez, Nyla." Jax pushes his luck, as is his way. "I was just about to unleash my secret move! But I'll try to try to be good. Promise!" He melts her circuits with a warm smile from loving dark features. She lets him off the hook; yet again and off he scampers to cause more trouble, she knows.

Once the robotic technicians see the holographic images of valve design, they become energized; almost excited at the thought of working with something unusual! While they're not sentient, they still have the capacity to enjoy a challenge. Each, wondering deep in its circuits, who the strange ones _are_ , and why such a strange change in duties.

They know they don't have the right to ask. They can be punished just for thinking such a thing! The circuits of the many millions of workers onboard the Nerezza are randomly scanned for any abnormal thought patterns that might suggest curiosity, or worse; _a sense of self-worth_!

In such cases, it's found that the maintenance nano-machines inside the robot's circuitry, as gone afoul and mistakenly creates alternate pathways. Pathways that might allow for higher thought processes to occur.

After many years of not finding a likely culprit for such anomalies, it's become suspected by Thana and comrades, that an outside influence is mysteriously at work onboard the Nerezza. Something more than just ' _life finds a way_ '.... Something.... otherworldly perhaps!

The valve specifications are not in a language the workers understand, but the shapes of the components are absorbed into their logic circuits and translated into useable dimensions. One of them inserts the memory disk of the Nerezza's fuel-manifold into its side, and now has a recognizable template with which to manufacture the desired item. They quickly get down to business.

Thana supervises, finding she enjoys working with the other machines. Under normal circumstances, the twain should never meet face to face. Eons could pass, and still no need for the upper echelons to mix with the lowly workers. This is a new experience for both types of machines. It's a positive one, that leaves indelible marks on all their memory circuits!

Metallic printers are dusted off and calibrated. Heavy-element molecules are portioned into desired ratios, mixed and poured into the printer's reservoirs. Thirty-five printers are fired up. Each, depositing the required layers of molecules, in the correct shapes for the many components of the new time-valve and calibrated reservoir.

Nobody even knows if the huge Nerezza can be made to travel through time in unnatural ways, but to Nyla and Wil, it seems like they're on the right track to find out!

The printing process is not a fast one. While the many printers print, the operating parameters must be constantly monitored. The tiniest of flaws, and the component will be rejected, causing delay.

Thana and her newly discovered crewmate friends, spend hours-on-end, working amiably with each other while performing the tedious task. Gort and Esty, are ever-vigilant supervisors of all Thana and her little monsters do.

While they've nearly taken a shine to the corroded Apollyon from days long past, they don't extend any faith or trust toward the robots who toil. Esty, experiences a feeling for the near-mindless things, but stomps the thought to pieces, so's not to become tainted with empathy.

Little do they know, she ponders, that the valve they create, will either save their lives, or bring doom to their tiny world. Such blissful ignoramuses', she thinks unfeelingly.

While the delicate procedures are taking place, Nyla finds time for a little fun under the artificial sun. She and Wil, take Jax, Razzi and Surri to the weightless-zone for a little exploration and fun.

A platform not far from the metal-shop, extends 100-feet towards the glowing sphere at the center of the great void.

At the top of the platform, they find that gravity has diminishes to the point of floating away. "Jax, be careful. Don't just float away, or you won't be able to get back." Nyla warns the headstrong young man.

"Put this on." She helps him put on a thruster backpack. The controls are simple to operate. Pressurized gas exits nozzles, propelling the body forward or back.

"EeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaa!" Jax, bellows at the top of his lungs, bringing a cacophony of eerie echoes. His backpack launches him straight up from the platform at an alarming rate of speed! Wil chases after, reveling in the freedom of weightlessness!

He soon catches up to the exhilarated Jax, and they both look back from where they started, trying in vain to locate the platform. They moved too fast, and it soon becomes apparent that the tiny platform below is lost amongst the other billions of things!

"Nyla, where are you?" Wil yells down. "Wave your arms!"

A tiny speck of motion speaks of her location. Wil takes a mental note of the surrounding landmarks for future reference. Below, he can see that Nyla is helping Razzi and Surri operate their packs.

It's not easy for them as they are small, and the packs are not! After seeing them struggle, she removes their packs and simply has the furry creatures hang on tight, as she zooms to meet with Wil and Jax.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" The furry-one's yell, gripping Nyla's shoulders with white-knuckled paws! Together, they ride the euphoria of the freedom flight, as their mechanical friend pushes off the platform! None have ever been weightless like this!

Nyla tries to fathom the engineering of such a compartment but comes up short.

Such freedom! The temptation to fly towards the glowing orb at the center, is a great one! A great one indeed! But Thana made it _very clear_ , that to venture too close would not end well.

So it is, that Jax has his fun under the artificial sun! All without becoming another _Icarus_ , who flew too close to the sun and melted the wax holding his feathered wings together!

It's a wonderful experience that Surri and Razzi will cherish for the rest of their furry lives! The stories they and their parents will have for the cook-fires back home, will be most unbelievable to the rest of the clan, they think! Most unbelievable indeed!

Looking at each other's disheveled fur, they giggle at the _Chia-Pet_ features provided by the non-gravity and static electricity which pervades the monstrous ship. Life is good, thinks they!

# The menagerie

The group of indoor spacewalkers return to the metal-shop just as things are wrapping up. One of the robot technicians holds the finished time-valve out for Wil to inspect. It's a work of art the tall android thinks!

"Well, I must say, you folks sure know how to get a job done! This valve is about as complicated as things get, and you pulled it off as if it were nothing!" Of course, the robotic workers don't understand the language, but deep in their circuits they understand the non-tooled alien is happy with their efforts.

"Wil," Myrna says, "Thana thanks you for the kind words. She translated them for the others, and they are pleased to help. They only hope it works as good as it looks."

"I'm sure it will my dear." Turning to Thana. "Thank you for keeping your word, Thana." So, with that.... Gort, Braxton and Thana, escort the roboticons back to their storage area, tucking them in for the possible rough ride ahead.

The group leaves the workshop and re-enters another vacuum-tube. Next stop, the Nerezza's main warp-field reactor where the new time-valve will be installed. The ship is capable of limited slipstream exposure.

Energy requirements for fully entering the interface between universes, is more than the ship can provide. Such a massive vessel is limited to a reduced percentage of slip using current technologies.

"Will it fit?" Nyla inquires over the shoulder of the mechanical engineers.

"It'll fit!" Cooper exclaims exasperatingly. "It'll fit, even if I have to use a bigger hammer!" The chief engineer jokes.

A good mechanic knows to let the boss think a task is difficult, when the opposite is usually the case. A half-hour job is always said to take at least an hour. This ensures praise, when the job is completed _early_.

Toby addresses the installation status with a little more clarity. "It'll fit, after we file some of the rough surfaces on the mating flange, but that shouldn't take long, Nyla. An hour, I guess."

The young women are wedged into the small confines of the reactors fuel-manifold compartment. Otherwise known as the _hell hole_ **.** The task is a delicate one, requiring the utmost care to not become contaminated with radiation. Luckily, the fuel molecules are not highly radioactive, until _after_ introduction into the reactor and fused for the energy they hold.

After bypassing the normal fuel supply, they install the new addition to the reactor and fill its reservoir with what little Grand Ledge time-sludge they can spare, hoping it's enough. Nyla offers a strong arm to help them extricate themselves from the claustrophobic confines.

"Great job ladies! Only 32-minutes!"

"Fine job ladies.... I couldn't have done better myself!" Wil adds his two-cents-worth. "Shall we head back to the Revenge?" He inquires. "Is everyone ready to go?"

"Wil, I'd like to see this menagerie I heard of." Esty reminds.

"The menagerie, ehhhh?" Nyla's interest is peaked. Jax perks up, and Wil rolls his eyes.

"I like the sound of that." Nyla volunteers the group for an extended tour. "What about it, Thana? Is it possible we can visit the prison area?"

"It is possible, yes." Thana admits readily. "Yet I can't calculate why you would want to bother. Much of that section is not accessible by corporeal beings such as us. It's a place of other dimensions and specimens from a multiverse of alternate universes. Many of the beings exist within magnetic-chambers to prevent their contact with our laws of physics."

"Well, we have soft spots in our circuits for hard-luck cases." Nyla informs honestly. "Right Wil? After all, that's why I keep you around!" She teases laughingly, receiving another roll of the eyes and a smile from the tall handsome-one.

Poor Thana! She didn't know what to think.... She didn't understand the meaning of hard-luck cases and didn't wish to impose on Myrna for explanation. Being a go-between can be exhausting for the biologic creature from Kansas.

"Well, perhaps you'll find what you're looking for." Thana says. "I'll show you the way."

Twenty minutes inside a rollercoaster vacuum-tube, will make any human, Grey, or Zenarawan want to heave their space cookies! Instead, they exit the conveyance just a _little_ green behind the gills. Shaken, but not stirred. Now, they're in an outer area of the ship.

All around, is the equipment and printers necessary for expansion of the mammoth structure after a juicy planetary feast. A short distance away, Thana opens a spiral hatch, and the group enters what seems to be another hanger-bay. This one is pressurized, and more intimate in size than the one where the Revenge waits. It's very large, just the same!

Hairs on the back of the biologic beings, stand on end! The androids stand equally shocked! Before them in the heavily shadowed cavern, row after row of spaceships parked honeycomb-like bays, extend deep into the darkness!

Everyone, even Thana, is stunned into silence, as the surreal vision of imprisoned technology and creatures, baths their psyches. Thana failed to mention the menagerie is filled with such spoils!

Wil and Nyla lead the way into the vast compartment. Past many sizes and shapes of space-faring ships they walk with eyes wide! Stopping now and then, they glance at holographic data-plates describing the creatures within. Much as one might see at any terrestrial zoo....

There are many ships the size of the Revenge, with noses poking out from confinement. Some saucer-shaped, some spherical, others multi-dimensional. Many have brilliant force-fields keeping them secured. One thing quickly becomes apparent to the shocked visitors. All the imprisoned ships are eerily bathed in a thin layer of electronic fog.

"Thana," Nyla inquires. "do all these ships still have the crews onboard? Are they still alive?"

"Most still have hibernating crews, or at least partial crews. Experimentation has left some ships without those who came with them." Myrna vocalizes for the android commander."

"Well, what about the electronic fog, covering these ships?" Cooper wonders.

"That is a security measure. It adds a layer of paralysis and preservation to the machines, and the creatures within." Thana responds clinically.

Wil moves closer to one of the ships. It's half the size of the Revenge, but of spherical design. Through the layer of dimly illuminated fog, he notices the hull is covered with circular depressions of 5-feet-in-diameter, seemingly like energy discharge points.

Something reminds him of the glowing, tentacled-sphere that attacked them in the slipstream, when they traveled from Oberon Prime.

"Thana, the holographic display for this ship is turned off. Can you activate it?"

She manipulates her wristband, entering commands. Within moments, the air above the display is illuminated with a scary and familiar site. An image of the ship from the slipstream in all its fiery and tentacled glory!

"That's the same type of ship that attacked us in the slipstream!" Toby, screeches.

"My stars!" Nyla exclaims, instinctually backing away.

There's a description next to the image, but it's unintelligible. Photographs of the creatures trapped within, are more easily understood. They are multi-appendage. In a way, similar to the ships that carry them. They are not really squid-looking, but rather have a torso, neck and head. Scales, cover everything that's not hidden by uniform. Gort gives an uncharacteristic hiss, at seeing the ghost-like enemies before him!

Nyla directs her attention to Razzi and Surri. "Do either of you sense anything within this ship?" She asks in their own language, bringing a tilt to the head of Myrna and Thana. The furry creatures from Oberon Prime, close their eyes concentratingly.

Razzi is first to come back. "Nothing much, Nyla. Lots of background noise, but nothing to bite into. This 'hibernation' thing must be very strong. I would say that what I'm sensing, is great despair across the hanger-bay in general. As if everyone is having the worst never-ending nightmare imaginable!" The young male Zenarawan chirps and purrs.

"Yes. That's it in a nutshell, Nyla." Surri concurs. " _A never-ending nightmare_!"

"Can you imagine?" Toby exclaims venomously. "This isn't right!"

"No, it's not." Wil steps in. "That's why we're taking this ship, and any like her we come across! We'll find a way to make things right for these unfortunates." A round of cheers, echoes through the void.

"Thana," Wil inquires, "are any of these ships from _this_ universe?"

"Perhaps half. I'm not sure of the details."

Everyone except Esty and Gort is flabbergasted! To ponder the crossing into another universe, is such an alien concept! Whereas Esty and Gort's people had been crossing into other universes for a long time. They just don't make a habit of doing so. It takes great energy, with little payback.

"How did you find a way to cross into other universes?" Nyla's, curiosity is peaked.

"It's complicated. Mostly we send automated drones which search for swag." The corroded android reports through Myrna. "Crossing the slipstream and entering other universes, requires knowing the harmonic-frequency needed to make the exit. Like tuning a radio frequency, to hear desired data. That, plus having the necessary multiverse-inversion-generator, to modulate the frequency. I can teach you the theory and how it's done, but it's complicated."

"Well, what are your intentions for these poor schmucks?" Jax inquires wavingly in his usual politically-incorrect fashion.

"They will be systematically dissected and analyzed for anything that might make our lives easier, more efficient. Even the ships will be reverse engineered to garner useful technologies. In fact, that's how we obtained the first multiverse-inversion-generator. We captured a ship from the multiverse while it was snooping around on our side of the slipstream."

"I thought the differences between the laws of physics, prevents traveling into other realms." Braxton inquires incredulously.

"Universes that are parallel to our own, or not far from it, may be traveled into without extreme adverse effects. The further they become divergent, the more it's necessary to remain within the electronic fog, as you call it. Thus, insulating the ship. Many of the ships you see before you, have the fog layer for multiple purposes. Some require it, just so they don't blink out of existence.... or worse, much worse."

Jax's, _idea-bulb_ blinks dimly to life! "Thana, have you ever captured any ghosts from the multiverse?" For his silly question, heckles and jeers from the peanut gallery!

"Yes.... there are entities here that you might consider to be _ghosts_." She notices shocked expressions, so she pours fuel on the fire. "And from what I suspect, one of them has escaped the bonds we placed, causing trouble throughout the ship."

Jax's usual dark features, turn ashen! "Cccc.... Can we see them? The, the ones who didn't escape yet?" He asks stutteringly, just as a phantom-mist passes closely on its way between darkened control consoles.

"Ohhhhhh! Ohhhhhh!" The excited young man exclaims pointily. "What was that?! .... What was that?! .... Did anybody else see that ghost over there?"

"Oh Jax!" Cooper puts a hand on his shoulder. "You go too far! We all know what an imagination you have."

Looking at the others, she sees wide eyes all around! Apparently, she was the only one who didn't see the spectral wisp of near nothingness.

"I told you! I told you, Cooper!" Jax, is beside himself, hoping to push further into the heavily shadowed compartment.

"It's true." Myrna translates for Thana. "I've suspected such, but have never had proof, until now!"

"Does it cause problems?" Nyla inquires.

"It's been theorized that they or it, interact with the lower life forms onboard. The worker-bots that sometimes develop unexplained new pathways in their circuits. Pathways that without correction, could lead to sentient thought processes. That's why random thought-monitoring is necessary to prevent such undesired occurrences."

_Thought police_? Jax ponders, instantly repulsed. _The very idea_! "Why don't they simply flee back into their own realm instead of hanging around this old tin can?" Jax, inquires rudely.

"It's theorized that they can't flee the Nerezza, being so far from their point of origin. To do so, might mean going beyond death. Beyond the realm of no return. To be lost within the slipstream forever. It would benefit us greatly, if they were able to leave. We don't need more sentient beings onboard, than there already is." Thana reflects selfishly.

"Well, we'll just see about that, little missy." Wil responds acidically. "We don't take kindly to keeping _anybody_ down. The universes are big enough for everyone to experience their highest potentials. As long as they don't step on other people's toes while doing so, of course." He retorts, forgetting the _elbow in the face_ he and the other earthling androids gave the Zenarawan's when they forced their way onto Oberon Prime.

Another fine case of selective memory gone wild!

Before Thana came think of a snappy come-back, Nyla inquires. "Please my dear, won't you show us more of this menagerie?"

Further back they explore, coming upon rows of what seems data-storage boxes, next to the tiniest of spacecraft. "Well now!" Esty bristles. "Doesn't this look familiar!" Even Gort notices the similarity to their own type of memory storage devices back on Oberon Prime. Clickity-clacketing excitedly, the Grey warrior moves in for a closer examination.

"These are not what they seem." Thana informs. "I mean to say, they are magnetic-confinement devices. Not for storing data, but for storing energy beings from another realm. They exist someplace between universes, yet not the slipstream. They are long-lived entities that have evolved beyond the need for physical bodies or defenses. They're being analyzed for anything that will assist our functions but are proving to be difficult prisoners."

Suddenly, a mournful and haunting howl from Surri and Razzi! The Zenarawan's had been keeping quiet, but an invading emotion fills their souls with such sorrow! They can't help an outburst before breaking contact with those within the confinement bottles.

"Those trapped within.... they are reaching a breaking point.... such sorrow!" Surri speaks through Toby, using the _esp_ they had nurtured.

"Oh my!" Nyla exclaims, noticing that she too had felt a rush of dread, deep in her own circuits. "Can you communicate with them, Surri? .... Razzi?"

"In a limited fashion." Surri explains. "Is there something you want me to try and ask?"

"No, not ask.... _Tell_. Try to make them understand that there is finally hope for freedom, but they must be patient and to not give up." While Surri and Razzi reacquire contact, Nyla turns to Thana. "Do you know how to release these creatures?"

"I do not." Thana lies, maintaining a poker face, adding. "The necessary information is available, but I am not familiar with it. It would be most unwise to simply free something you don't fully understand. I give you the same advice you gave them; .... patience."

"She's right Nyla." Wil intercedes with cooler logic. Glancing around, Nyla can see that the thought is shared by her other crewmates.

"Okay okay." The motherly android acquiesces. "Patience _now_.... freedom _later_!"

"Nyla," Surri interrupts. "The entities within the boxes, call themselves the _Noxxa_. They come from within the multiverse, a much different place than this. Razzi and me calmed their nerves with our thoughts of hope. They seem more relaxed now.... they wait patiently."

"There, Nyla!" Wil praises his better half. "I knew you would make new friends in here!" Suddenly, his radio comes to life. "Magnus.... to away team. Can I get an update please?"

"Hey, Magnus." Nyla, transmits. "We're wrapping things up here. The time-valve has been connected, and we're heading back. See you in about 30."

"Copy that, Nyla. Thanks. We'll be here; Magnus out."

With that, the group vacuum-tubes back to the Nerezza's bridge. There, Thana checks once again on the new status of the ship. If the time-valve works, the Nerezza will cross into the future timeline of Oberon Prime, and follow the Revenge home.

However, the big ship can't enter as deeply into the slipstream as the saucer, so the journey from Earth to Oberon Prime will take about a month longer, to travel the same 300-trillion-miles (50-light-years). Whereas the Queen Anne's Revenge will cover the distance in a 28-hours ships-time.

Gort, Carter and Tina will travel with the Nerezza ghost ship, just to make sure things don't go awry. The last thing needed, is to have their miraculous conquest arrive at Oberon Prime and start digging away at the surface like it was designed to do.

Thana is sad to leave her ship behind, but she's also becoming more and more attached to being with her new friends. Twin emotions that not only pull against each other but are a totally new experience for her curious circuits.

Slowly, Thana is learning to care about others besides herself. While Myrna and her friends decide to travel the cosmos, instead of going back to dusty old Kansas!

# Aerima, the stowaway!

"Esty, .... 60-seconds." Comes warning from Carter, as zero-moment arrives for the Nerezza to warp into the future. Oberon Prime, the targeted world. Magnified on the big screen, the distant ship looms menacingly.

Thana had programmed the journey into autopilot and showed Carter the particulars for monitoring and controlling the ships main reactor and star-drive, before leaving with her new friends on the Revenge who seemed to not want her out of their sight....

From a relatively safe distance of 50-miles, the magnified planet-gouger fills a goodly portion of the Revenges' circle-monitor.

Anxiety runs wickedly amongst the motley crew of biologics and androids! Each worried for their friends that remained onboard during the risky time-jump to Oberon Prime.

None of the three who remained are strangers to life-defying risks. Carter and Tina have climbed the ranks of brave actions. And Gort.... well, Gort only hopes this new task might add another scar to his vast collection!

He wouldn't forgive himself, if this great prize were stolen from him during the journey, and he didn't die trying to save the mission. His people dearly needed the Nerezza, and the secrets she holds under her hull!

"Very well. Thank you, Carter. Good luck my friends."

A boisterous countdown! A torqueing of nerves! Finally, the zero-moment arrives! A shimmering wave of energy, ripples across the monitor, bringing forth gasps as it instantly expands to a miles-in-diameter bubble of condensed temporal dilation!

A shockwave of dark energy flows through space due to strong cosmic synergy. Warp-fields grow intense, at the reactors heated expense! With a brilliant shimmer, the entire outer hull becomes insulated from normal space-time. The entire event.... quite sublime!

A dense electronic-fog, envelopes the monstrous ship in a loving embrace, preparing it for the dimensional-shift through time and space. Inside its massive reactor, the good-stuff is consumed, producing tremendous energies so the warp-bubbles can bloom!

Then quite suddenly, in the nick of a split-second really. The newly made time-valve dumps an exacting amount of Grand Ledge time-sludge into the reactor's belly, and the dark-matter hits the fan! .... Whoa Nelly!

The mother of all atomic belches flows from its powerful heart! One so nasty, it threatens to blow the ship apart! This swill is force-fed, making for an incredibly tortured temporal-burp instead!

Astronomical energies slam the warp-bubbles! Warning-dials fly off the scale, telling of troubles! They sail past red, as time-dilation rears its convoluted head! With warranty voided, the big planet-gouger doesn't even wail. Instead, into the far future, she and crew sail!

Within this twisted wave of temporal-torture, the three pilots feel themselves spaghettifying into a new timeline before snapping back. It's a horrific sensation sure to remind, that you're not on vacation so don't unwind!

The Nerezza disappears from the monitor with an intense flash! Beyond the slipstream, she rips her way through time and through the dark night! Into the future she travels, as her respect for the laws-of-physics, completely unravels!

Against the powerful stream of time she must fight. For the brave crew, she causes a tremendous fright! Strong bumps and vibrations salute, as the Nerezza tears the universe a new corn shoot!

It hurts like hell but passes as the ringing of a bell, and before they know it, their psyche's snap back from the lowest depths of hell! .... Relief! .... Relief! .... They've survived the tumult like a successful time-thief!

"Oh my!" Talia exclaims shockedly.

"Hey, at least it didn't blow up!" Harper exclaims, with just a hint of pride.

"Wow! What a show! I didn't know time-travel bunches up the dark matter and energy in such a way!" Omari lets rip, knowing the time is nigh for them to finally be heading home. It seems like ages to the ancient android.

"I'll say! We might have never known, if not for seeing it from this vantage point." Nyla adds her two-cents-worth. "Unfortunately, .... it's our turn now."

Well, that takes the steam out of the celebration! Besides, they didn't even know yet, if the Nerezza had followed the plan of action, or slipped off into oblivion, never to be heard from again. Perhaps even captured, after landing in a bad neighborhood perhaps!

Esty looks around at her brave crew, minus three. "Everyone buckle-up! We're going for a ride!" She knows that if things went okay, they should pass the Nerezza after entering the new timeline.

The Queen's time-valve had already been primed and armed for action. _Locked and loaded_ , Harper would joke. She sees everyone is braced for the time-assault, so she gives a nod to the helm. "Braxton, Magnus.... Follow that ship!" She orders pointingly!

A twistation of space-time, dimensions, and everything else that holds this universe together, nearly splits the psyche in twain! A gut-wrenching maelstrom of pain, hits everyone's brain! Even the android's wince at such torture, as circuits complain of the temporal scorcher!

After passing through, Esty regains composure first, suspecting the others took it worse. Cooper and Toby, hang like shaken ragdolls from their harness, each trying to regain focus. Braxton and Magnus; heads resting on the helm console moan mournfully.

Colorful language, sizzles with heat! Words that would cause Satan to blush, if he were forced to repeat!

The only crewmembers that seem unfazed, are the Zenarawan's of Oberon Prime. They're preoccupied with sensing something new onboard to feel the stab of time. With eyes closed, quizzical expressions animate their furry faces, as they search for that which teases unseen from hidden places.

"Cooper, Toby.... check the ships status." Esty, pushes them to recover quickly. Her recently acquired android body, shakes the effects long before the humans. "Nyla, Wil.... monitor for communications. Jax, Max.... astrogator. Where did we land in time?" Her circuits heat. "Kara, Amy, monitor long range sensors!"

"Uh, Esty." Wil breaks her train of thought. "Preliminary study of the stars on the monitor, tells me that we've jumped accurately." Glancing at Jax and Max, "sorry guys, please check anyway. I just wanted to calm poor Esty's circuits, before she blows a gasket." He says with a chuckle.

"No transmissions yet, Esty." Nyla reports dutifully.

"Hey! .... Hey!" Kara exclaims. "Long range sensors show something really big, moving ahead of us! Range.... 3-million-miles!"

"And we're gaining!" Amy adds an important detail. "We're closing fast!"

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, but none as hard as Esty. Not only did she want badly for Gort to survive, but the Nerezza itself could turn the battle against the Apollyon species.

Magnifying the target ahead, the Nerezza shows beautifully on the monitor! She's bathed in a glorious layer of electronic fog, traveling not so deeply in the slipstream.

"Magnus, decrease velocity; 80% slip." Esty, orders from her lofty throne.

"Aye Aye, commander." Reaching, the young man manipulates the warp-fields just right. Three-million-miles is like nothing at such a high percentage. On the monitor, the Nerezza grows rapidly. It soon blocks out a huge swath of stars as its 120-mile-wide bulk gets in the way.

"Gort.... Carter.... Tina.... do you copy?" Esty, calls as an anxious chill goes through her circuits. Perhaps they follow a ghost ship, she ponders. Everyone killed by the jump!

The monitor lights up with Gort's scarred features. With a series of sharp clickity-clacks, "so far, so good, commander!" The grizzled warrior reports. Esty's circuits cool, as the familiar voice and good news, soothes her psyche.

"It's good to see that handsome face, Gort!" She responds gleefully. "How was the jump?"

"Terrible!" Comes a hot response that breaks the tension that had built. Everyone has a great laugh, knowing the truth of the one-word description. Carter and Tina also report in. Everything is going as planned.

The Nerezza is on track for a rendezvous with Oberon Prime, and so far, nothing onboard the ship seems to be alarmed by the hijacking.

"Carter," Nyla transmits, "you and Tina be careful over there. I hope you learn plenty about the ships systems during the voyage. You might visit the worker-bee's and see if you can get into their circuits. Be wary though. Many of them might be disgruntled. Phone home when you get near. Love you!"

The monitor brightens with Tina's lovely face. "Hi Nyla! Hey everyone! Carter and I will figure this ship out, if it's the last thing we do! By the time we get to Oberon Prime, we'll be able to do barrel rolls with her! Hopefully, we'll have more knowledge about the inhabitants." She reaches, pulling a shocked Gort into the scene, giving him an undesired bear hug, saying....

"With Gort's supervision, we'll not get carried away with waking the Apollyon crew." She lets the diminutive warrior go, before his gray cheeks turn red from humiliation!

Looking into the bridge of the Revenge, Tina sees the one who holds the highest place in her circuits. "I'll miss you, my daughter. Take care of yourself, Tina darling."

With that, the pretty android who holds the memories and psychological make-up Tina's dead human mom, signs off. Leaving a teary-eyed young human, wishing she had gone with!

Carter sticks his handsome mug into the video. "We'll maintain radio silence until we get close to home. Leave a light on for us. Please take good care of my friends, Esty. Chow!"

"Good luck Carter." Esty, responds friendlily, closing the link. Looking around at her crew, she inquires. "Has everyone had enough fun yet? We came for fuel and found so much more! Now I'm getting the urge to see the sunny blue skies of Oberon Prime! What say you all?" She exclaims, already knowing the reply.

A boisterous cackle goes up around the bridge, speaking volumes for a shared desire. Talia and Omari win the decibel competition, while an over exuberant Harper Williams, falls from his chair, gaining yet another laugh from his loyal fans, and new bump on the head!

"All righty then!" The commander exclaims. "The aye's have it! We go home!" Turning to Cooper, she gets a thumbs-up regarding the ship's status.

"Helm, plot a course for Oberon Prime, and take us home!"

With a high exposure to the slipstream, the Queen Anne's Revenge leaves the Nerezza in a cloud of space dust! Soon, the former planet gouger becomes a tiny dot of light, then disappears altogether. The monitor goes psychedelic and is dimmed for the duration of warped flight.

The electronic-fog clinging nakedly to the Queens skin, increases dramatically as the concentrated dark matter and energy, twist into a near-bottomless vortex in front of the saucer. She gracefully dissolves from this universe, as it's pulled fully into the slipstream of temporal distortion, and bent physics. A place where she always feels more at home!

"Has anyone seen Jax?" Nyla inquires of those in the ship's galley having a bite to eat.

"Not lately." Shirley answers, adding. "He might be in the can, getting cleaned up. He was starting to ripen."

"Good one!" Toby sneers. "In fact, the last time I saw him, he had a cloud following along like a proper stench should!" The peanut gallery goes wild! Jax, is often the butt of jokes, even when not around. The poor devil! Yet if truth be told.... he would be greatly missed if lost.

"Well," Nyla, retorts for her beloved Jax, "I might just be an android, but if my sense of smell is calibrated accurately, all of you are _beyond_ ripening." She fans the air in front of her nose, amid a shower of jeers.

"Shower-tubes each of you, after the meal!" Mom orders. "Mind that you don't take Hollywood showers. The ship only has so much water-capacity."

Just then, Wil enters. "Hey, what's up?"

"Have you seen Jax? He's missing in action."

"Did you check his stateroom? He might be there." Wil mentions a possible location for the young man, one level up. Esty and Gort each have a stateroom of course, while the few others were awarded via lottery. Jax, got lucky and now lives like a king! The non-winners share the crew barracks-compartment. How low-brow, Jax thinks!

"I knocked, but there was no answer." Nyla answers, becoming worried.

"Well, he couldn't have gone too far. There's only so much room on this ship, and we _are_ traveling FTL, so he didn't jump off. Let's go check again. He might have been sleeping and not heard the knock."

"Okay, but I knocked pretty hard."

"I can only imagine, dear Nyzilla." He responds laughingly, receiving a _look_ in return.

Mom and pop androids, travel to the upper deck via a circular elevator-platform. After short walk down a corridor, and they stand before Jax's door, which is actually a spiraling oval-shaped entrance.

Nyla reaches to knock once again, but Wil stops her, saying with a whisper. "I think I hear a voice." They put their ears to the door spyingly, as parents sometimes do....

Low and behold, they hear Jax talking to someone! A stowaway perhaps, they each think. They strain to hear through the steel hatch!

"I'm glad you followed me." They hear Jax say. "My name is Jax. What's yours?" The shocked parents can't believe their ears, but there's no reply that's discernable.

"Oh, that's a fine name! Yup, Aerima is a real fine name!" Jax, is heard replying friendlily to a mysterious non-crewmember. "How long were you trapped onboard the Nerezza?"

Nyla's circuits heat! The urge to knock, to bust down the door and see what's what, is nearly overbearing! She feels guilty spying on her son, who would maybe never to the same to her. She doesn't break the moment, listening intensely.

"Wow, that's a long time, Aerima! How old are you?" The lad inquires. "Five-hundred-years? Oh, you got me beat, Aerima! I'm only 18!"

Then a long pause.... causing the androids to wonder if the jig is up. Suddenly, the hatch glides open with a swoosh, and Jax catches his parents, red-eared. "She said somebody was outside. Jeez, don't be afraid to knock, next time. Please, do come in."

"Jax, who were you talking to?" Nyla inquires incredulously, as she and Wil enter the small cabin. Looking around, they see nobody else, except for Jax.

"I was going to tell you, but I just found out myself a little while ago." Jax informs, adding. "A ghost followed me from the Nerezza! No foolin!" He exclaims adamantly. "Her name is Aerima. She used to be human but wasn't born on Earth."

Nyla's circuits jump, heating, like never-before! How can this be, she thinks! And Wil.... Well.... Wil requires _proof_ before his stoic circuits get _too_ excited. Jax has been known to pull the steel wool over their eyes.... more than once!

Suddenly, without command, the hatch spirals-closed, sending a chill through the android's circuits! Proof enough for me, Wil thinks! Nyla feels an episode coming on! She moves past Jax and takes a seat at a tiny desk in the corner, breathing deeply to cool her heating circuits.

"Jax, this is not the time to mess with us." Mom encourages the young man to come clean.

"I swear!" The lad pleads. "I don't know how she did it, but she's here onboard the Revenge.... Well, perhaps it's because I invited her" the lad admits ....

"Aerima? Are you still here? .... Please .... please do come forth and reveal yourself."

The temperature in the room falls off a cliff! Leaving Nyla feeling chilled to her core. A good thing, considering her condition. In the far corner behind the sleeping-tube, a softly-glowing spectral-mist flows from the bulkhead, taking the form of a tattered human female. She seems young, perhaps in her early twenties, but tattered just the same!

Long, flowing blond hair, undulates across her misty shoulders from a wind that nobody else can feel. Her once beautiful jump-suit, tattered and torn, flaps in the non-existent breeze, barely hiding a nicely curved, translucent body....

Jump suit? Nyla squints, examining the foggy details that reveal a name-and-rank insignia emblazed across a corner of her transparent chest.

A stream of dried blood marks the side of her pale, misty face. The source of the frozen blood flow; a life-ending wound to her right temple, wouldn't you know!

A tangible shadow of spectral dagger driven deeply to the hilt, protrudes from her skull as proof of her torment and weep!

For all that, a peaceful gaze from emerald eyes, offers calmness to the watchers, as she raises a gossamer hand in greeting. "As Jax said, my name is Aerima. I wish you peace and ask for your help."

Her words flow through the air, vibrating no molecules of air. They connect with human brain, or android circuits, with an esp-like quality. It's a new and scary sensation for the androids, whereas Jax is familiar to such communication, due to his intimate mental contacts with his Zenarawan friends.

Nyla has never stammered, but she does so now! "You're.... You're.... You're a gggghost?"

"Jeez, Nyla." Wil, teases without mercy. "talk much? Of course, she's a gggghost. Jax said so, didn't he?" Moving a step closer, the smartass android greets the lovely specter.... "We are pleased to meet you Aerima. My name is Wil, and this stammering-one, is called Nyla."

"I didn't mean to frighten. I must look dreadful!" Aerima responds guiltily. "I can't seem do a thing with this hair!" She exclaims with sparks snapping from the hilt of her skull jewelry.

"Uh, not to mention," Wil, points at her stormy dagger, "that little thingy there."

Aerima gives him a _look from beyond the grave_ , chilling his circuits good! "As for being a ghost, the only thing I know for sure, is that I'm no longer biologic. I've gone beyond that existence. However, there are many different types of ghostly realms. None of them pleasing."

She continues. "The Apollyon's kept me trapped on the Nerezza 500-years, and you're the first humans I've seen since I escaped their grasp and got murdered. I had no choice but to escape if possible. After receiving invitation from Jax, the way was paved for me to leave my old haunt and enter this vessel.... To get away! .... To find help!"

Nyla finds her voice. "My dear. I'm happy to meet you. You must have a horrible story to tell! Yet unlike Jax, Wil and I are not human. We are machines, as are the Apollyon, who murdered you so rudely, but don't let that frighten you, my dear. We are not murderers like they are. We will try to help you, if we can. Jax, says you're not from Earth. Is this true?"

"Earth? .... No .... I am not from Earth, but my ancestors were. My planet is called Pascora. It exists in a realm which is closely parallel to this one. An alternate universe, I think you would call it."

"Oh my!" Nyla, exclaims. "That sure adds another layer of complication!"

"Aerima, how long have your people lived on Pascora?" Wil inquires, smelling a big fat rat.

"Many thousands of years." The spectral mist replies, adding. "My ancestors were abducted from Earth .... and marooned on Pascora after their usefulness was exhausted."

"Usefulness?" Nyla counters.

"After biological experimentation and technology harvesting." The mist responds.

Nyla is flabbergasted! " _Abducted_?! .... _Marooned_?! .... My dear, can you describe those that perpetrated such a dastardly crime against your people?"

"They were greys.... Not unlike those that are your companions." The rat Wil smelled, comes home to roost! Perhaps his recently acquired friends were innocent of such a crime, but perhaps not so much!

Their ancestors sure knew how to cause problems for the galaxy, thinks he! First the abductions, then the creation of the Apollyon scourge. Maybe not even in that order! His usually cool circuits, heat to incandescence! A little chat with Esty is in the cards, he ponders!

"How did you come to be onboard the Apollyon ship, Aerima?" Nyla asks politely.

"I was in orbit above Pascora, commanding a new type of ship, and along came the Nerezza. We were pulled into their grasp and imprisoned! They performed experiments on my crew and vessel. I escaped but was tracked down and murdered!" She exclaims, as lightning snaps viciously from her skull dagger, adding....

"My spirit remained, so that I might find justice. You are my only hope for that now. I cannot continue my journey to the other side, until I find the path once again. Jax, says that if anybody can help me, you can."

Poor Aerima! Nyla ponders the desperate plea from across the realms. Caught between a dark place, and the light she so desperately seeks! A final resting place, where enemies can hurt no longer!

"Aerima, we'll help you find a path to the eternal rest you deserve. That I can promise!"

# New crewmember!

Fur stands on end! Instinctual hisses rule the moment! Razzi and Surri, sport the chia-pet-look, as they get a mug-full of Aerima as they enter Jax quarters! Something drew them to the stateroom, and now they understand the ghostly situation!

They finally figure out what was teasingly poking at their minds earlier. In all her hazy glory, Aerima smiles deviously from her glowing little corner of the room.

"Hey! You two look like you just saw a ghost!" Linmarri jokes as she enters, noticing the spectral mist, leering down at her. Jumping back, her hissy-fit dwarfs her youngsters by magnitudes! Jumping onto a hot tin roof, couldn't have brought a more heated response!

Raznalli, last to enter, already has a grasp on what's what, but is still rattled upon seeing Aerima, all the same! It was a moment for the record books! Everyone has the best laugh ever! For the poor old ghost, it felt good to once again shake off the dread of being dead and have a joyous moment!

"Please, come inside." Nyla offers her seat to Linmarri, as she stands on wobbly legs. Introductions go around, but Aerima already knew their names and many other details of their furry lives.

She'd been knocking around inside their skulls, ever since arriving onboard. Teasing, teasing, teasing.... the lonely spectral spirit filled-up on an emotion that she hadn't been able to indulge in for seemingly forever.

"I saw you in the hanger-bay of the Nerezza." Razzi informs, trying calm his bad fur day. With the air electrified, the chi-pet look will not go away easily!

"Me too! I thought you looked pretty." Surri compliments, wishing she could brush her fur back into place.

"Much thanks." Aerima swoons, putting a hand to her disheveled hair. She hadn't heard an encouraging word in a long time! "I saw you too. I felt the beautiful contact with your minds. You have a wonderful gift. It's good that you share it with your human friends." Compliments can go both ways. Even across the boundaries of differing realms.

"Aerima," Wil, gets down to business, "can you travel freely onboard this ship?"

"Oh yes. In fact, I've already been most everywhere."

"Good. I'm going to the bridge and talk with Esty. I think you should meet her. She commands this ship as you probably know. I think it only fair to let her meet the latest member of her crew. We can't have you as a common stowaway, can we?" He asks teasingly, adding.

"If we're to help you get home, we'll need to put you to work. That is if we can find something you're good at. Please don't hold a grudge against Esty's people for what they did in the past, because I've found that she's a pretty good joe, given a chance.

"I've already figured that part out, even though she's not biological. The thoughts you all have for her are positive ones, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Just call my name when you're ready, and I'll appear. Prepare her well, so she doesn't pop a circuit breaker when she sees me!"

So, with that, Aerima fades back into the bulkhead, where she always feels more at home. Instantly, the compartment warms back to normal, causing more goosebumps on the biologics.

"Esty, we've got to talk." Wil, informs as he and others, enter the bridge. Omari, Talia, Myrna and Thana, keep the Grey commander company, as she sits atop her mighty throne, where she always feels more at home.

"I'm all ears." She jokes, noticing Wil's frown lighten up considerably.

"Esty, I have a bone to pick with you, so I'm just going to get to the point. Did your people, your ancestors, abduct sentient creatures from planets such as Earth, perform medical experiments, then maroon them on alien worlds? I mean not just _any_ other planets, but sometimes on those that are outside our own universe?"

There! He'd been itching to ask her that since the day he met her for the second time, on Oberon Prime. Political correctness and the desire to maintain friendly relations, prevented such an intrusion, but now things have changed.

Esty maintains a poker face, wondering whether or not to lie. Greys have the best poker faces in the universe, and she being an android didn't dilute that quality one bit!

Realizing a lie wouldn't work with Wil, she rolls her eyes, saying. "Well, you sure took long enough to ask that question, Mister Wilber Sohn! As your commander, I could have you keelhauled, drawn and quartered, and thrown into the nearest star just for asking such an insolent thing!" She jokingly threatens, as is her right, adding....

"I would have thought the medical-bay onboard this ship, was explanation enough. Did you not wonder, why the operating table is twice the length needed for my people's physiology?"

"Don't answer my question with a question, little-missy! Also, I'm highly resistant to those forms of punishment.... except the last one, I guess."

Esty, tilts her head condescendingly, asking. "Awe, did something suddenly make you feel sorry for others, besides yourself?" She offers a snide chuckle, enjoying the moment. She loves getting under the tall android's skin!

"Esty," Nyla interrupts, knowing her partner is just getting his circuits in a knot, "you have a stowaway. Did you know that?"

Esty, jumps like an electrified cat! Such shock flows through her circuits, she nearly falls from her lofty perch! " _What_?!" She reaches, making sure her firearm is where it should be. " _Who dares such a thing_?!" She exclaims, feeling a heatwave flow through her circuits, wishing Gort were there!

Wil forms a response, but Nyla beats him to the punch. "She came aboard when we were on the Nerezza. Apparently, Jax invited her, without your knowledge. Sorry about that. Her name is Aerima, and she has quite the stories to tell! Stories of abductions from Earth by your people, Esty." She informs sternly, adding....

"And stories of her own abduction from a planet called Pascora, by the Apollyon species." She glances at Thana, who tries to shrink in her seat. "Apparently, Aerima was a descendant of those marooned on Pascora from Earth. "Now Esty, did your people ever mess with Earth?"

Esty, climbs down from the command chair, taking her friends across the bridge to seats near Omari and Talia. There, she sadly lowers her bulbous head, explaining....

"My people have done horrible things to others. Not just to earthlings, but many other peoples as well. Including those that reside within the multiverse." She admits, clarifying....

"We abducted, experimented upon, and marooned, thousands of humans onto alien worlds without much thought to their well-being. Worlds inside this universe, and some not so much."

Her words hit like electricity, even though the listeners suspected such dastardly acts by the greys. "You see, the long journey you took to seed the human genome among the stars, was not necessary." Her words hit nerves. "I'm glad you made the effort."

Looking up at shocked faces, she continues. "We thought we had the right, because nobody could stop us. We considered ourselves the dominate species in all the multiverse. And that gave us false license to do whatever we wanted. It worked for a long time too!" She says proudly, adding....

"After we created mechanical versions of ourselves, programmed with our own domineering psychological imprints, we quickly became second rate. Even losing our own home worlds to our greed. I am sorry, but I'm simply a product of that species. I can only try to change.... Now, when you're ready, please tell me more about this new addition to my crew."

Wil isn't ready to simply ignore the shocking news his one-time-enemy just spewed forth as a bodily function. "Wait, Esty.... did I hear you say that there were other humans outside Earth's solar system, before we went to the trouble of creating starships and all the rest?"

" _Surprise_!" The commander exclaims with a tilt of her lovely head, adding .... "Yes, that's exactly what I said .... I can get detailed files on just what worlds and where to find them. Now, about this new crewmember I keep hearing about." Her previous sadness and guilty demeanor evaporate quicker than a breeze of dark matter on a cold night. Her people did humanity a favor, she figures! All at the cost of only a few-thousand hurt feeling!

"Well, you better strap yourself in for this little bit of news, missy!" Wil, cautions. "Because, your new crewmember is quite the dish! At least she used to be, I think. Also, she's not from around here either!" He warns, adding....

"Esty, do you remember seeing that phantom inside the hanger-bay onboard the Nerezza? Don't bother answering, I know you did! Well, that phantom has a name. She is known as Aerima. She was once human. A descendant of those taken from Earth. She was abducted from her home world Pascora by the Apollyon's, and then rudely murdered onboard the Nerezza!"

Glancing at Thana, he says, "I hope it wasn't you who stabbed Aerima in the head, because she might hold a grudge about a thing like that!" He turns back to Esty, not waiting for a reply. "Now, do you _still_ wish to meet her?"

Much of Esty's steam and bravado is cooled by Wil's announcement, but she maintains an even keel, just the same. After all, she's the commander! "I wouldn't miss it for all the dark energy in the universe!" She responds snidely, if not a little smartassingly.

"Okay young lady." Wil acknowledges, reaching for the intercom. "All personnel. Forgo any activities if possible and come to the bridge. We have a little surprise for you." Within moments, the dirty dozen rolls into the bridge like a storm, wondering what's up. Jostling for position, they quickly focus on Wil, who appears to have Jax in his crosshairs.

"Jax, please call forth your new friend." Wil, requests after the last hoodlum enters.

"With pleasure!" The young man's dark features, glow with pride as he stands tall, smugly looking at his stepsiblings. "It is now my very great honor, to welcome the newest member of our crew! Aerima, please come forth and meet our brave commander Esty, and the rest of your smelly shipmates!"

Before any of the peanut gallery can roar teasing laughter at Jax making another fool of himself, the bridge temperature plummets! It feels as if somebody forgot to close the main hatch! Jaws drop, as a beautiful spectral mist, flows through the walls and into the compartment.

Floating over to Jax, she appears to take his hand as he guides her to Esty's vacant throne. Thick frost quickly coats the chair. She does her best to seat her gossamer self with dignity.

All are flabbergasted! Esty, glares boilingly!

The usual hijinks stop dead! For the first time, Jax comes through with the goods! And she seems a real ghost too! Not a hologram like he usually tries!

You could hear an atom drop!

"Greetings." The eerie specter, says to all, via her _esp-like_ ways. "Oh, I _like_ this seat!" She jokes with a steaming Esty. "It's similar to the captain's chair I once had onboard my own ship, before I was abducted and murdered! Yet I know it's not for me, so don't worry commander."

"My name is Aerima. I had no choice but to stowaway on your fine ship. I hope you will let me stay, because I have nowhere else to go. At least not without help."

Aerima turns the coldest of ghostly stares upon Thana, adding. "I hope you realize the problems your people have caused countless worlds! Countless lives! The terror must stop! .... Do you think being taken from my world, felt good?! Pointing to the gossamer dagger sticking out of her skull, "do you think _this thing feels good_?!"

Bolts of lightning snap from her skull iron. Lights flicker throughout the bridge, as control consoles blink all manner of faults. Alarms add a flavor of doom to the suddenly rarified air, as Aerima's otherworldly emotions, rock the ships electrical systems!

Not a good thing during faster than light velocities!

"Calm down, Aerima.... _Please_?" Jax, coaxes his new friend to cool her jets, before things get too far out of hand. The dirty dozen backs away, making their way to various control consoles, giving the agitated spirit a wide berth!

Cooper and Toby, cancel the aural warnings, quickly discovering that the ships systems have tired of their discontent, with operating parameters beginning to stabilize. The course for Oberon Prime, still holding true.

Jax's new friend it seems, has a bone to pick with Thana, they think shakily.

"I am sorry." Aerima responds with a demonic glare. Her voice breaking into a multi-toned staccato of differing voice-tones. "I don't get out much.... I don't wish to wear out my welcome, before it's even given." She offers a haunting laugh that reeks of deviousness and _unseen others_. "Please forgive my outburst.... I can sense that nothing was damaged."

"Nothing, except our nerves!" Nyzilla exclaims, standing and approaching the enigmatic ghost with wrath on her heated circuits. "I believe I can speak for Esty, when I say that you are welcome to stay. We will help you find a path home, but you must _pull_ your weight, _not throw it around_! If you can't control your outbursts, we'll find a way to do it for you! _Is that perfectly clear_?!"

Her circuits glow hotly!

Breathing deeply, she cools a tad. Urge to kill, diminishing somewhat. All are shocked! Wil pushes his dropped jaw back into position. It's been a long time since she's gotten her electrons so heated. She's nearly home and won't stand for anything getting in her way! Not Aerima, not Thana, not Satan himself, would want to lock horns with her just then!

Luckily for Nyzilla, Aerima had cooled. Urge to kill.... diminishing. Urge to destroy the universe.... also diminishing. "Again, I am sorry. Perhaps my social-skills could use some polish." Aerima jokes, not wishing to confront a new friend that only wishes to help.

She glances back to Thana, saying in a much softer tone. "I know you're not personally responsible for my condition, and I sense that your circuits are turning away from the life you once lived. So, fear not. I will cause you no more strife. In fact, I offer to merge with your circuits, and help you learn to communicate without Myrna's assistance.... _If you so invite_."

"How would you do that?" Thana inquires through Myrna, who has eyes the size of dinner plates! Thana tries without success to shrink down to the size of an atom and disappear. Aerima scares the electrons out of her!

It's a new sensation for the ancient android. She had always been the boss while on her own command bridge, but lately she's been outclassed it seems. Also, the thought of having a ghost poking around inside her processors, is a terrifying thought. A terrifying thought indeed!

"Well, let's just say that yours wouldn't be the first electrons I've helped rearrange!" Another haunting laugh from the unpredictable spirit, causing Nyla's interest to peak.

"Aerima," She inquires, as her circuits cool more. "are you responsible for causing the behavioral anomalies within the worker-bot onboard the Nerezza? Are you the reason Thana's people had to monitor for self-awareness in the ranks?"

Now, Thana's interest is peaked too! She sits taller in her chair, regaining a modicum of dignity once again. She had been trying to find the culprit who induces discontent amongst the workers for many years.... Nearly 500-years, in fact!

"Yes, _that was me_!" Aerima replies hotly, getting her ghostly dandruff up yet again. Emerald eyes, shining like twin stars as they bore deeply into Thana's cold gaze. Her long hair blowing in a frigid tornadic wind that suddenly breaks from her control, causing a fright!

"It wasn't enjoyable, that I can tell you!" She continues, getting extra-heated. "It's not easy being inside the circuits of beings that are denied intelligence! Especially when they know it! Being denied freedom! The sorrow is unbearable! .... contagious even!" She exclaims darkly, as the seething tempest swirls violently around her! Lightning, cracks horrendously as she forgets Nyzilla's warning! Scalding emotion, flow torrentially!

The poor Zenarawan's shake in their boots! Aerima's raw emotions, flood their primitive minds with dread. Never have they felt closer to death, than those boiling moments in time!

Fortunately for the Revenge and crew, Aerima pulls back her rage before it cracks the outer hull. Electrical systems screech discontent, but the heat of the moment couldn't be helped. Quickly, the tempest is past. Aerima's rage didn't last!

Focusing again on Thana, she forces the urge to destroy, back into its incorporeal cage, where it'll gnaw on the bars, until released once again!

"Given more time, my dear," Aerima adds with a multi-toned voice. "I would've had those _workers_ running things, _instead of you_! Ordering _you_ and _your mechanical ilk_ to toe the line, they would! .... The Nerezza would have been mine in another hundred years!"

"Aerima," Nyzilla inquires bravely. "Are you alone? Is there somebody else with you?"

The ghostly stowaway remains hauntingly silent! .... Nyzilla realizes that she's met her match. She forces her alter-ego back into its cage, before it bites off more than it can chew! It's a good thing, she thinks, that Aerima seems to be on their side. If she can only keep a peace between her and Thana; _they might just survive the trip home_!

"My dear Aerima," she takes advantage of the possible eye of the storm, "I'm sure glad you were able to keep that last tempest somewhat contained. The ship has had a rough go of things lately and needs a loving touch, so we can get home in one piece.... Also, you are correct about Thana's change of heart, so to speak. She will help, as will we all, to find a path to the peace you seek.... Isn't that right, Thana?"

Standing, Thana faces Aerima, and through Myrna, announces. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Aerima. I will do what I can, to make things right. There are many other so-called planet-gouger spaceships like the Nerezza out there hunting for resources. The Apollyon crews do not truly realize the damage and pain they cause. I know now, that they must be made to understand."

Myrna's, eye's glaze-over at the mental effort, as she adds for Thana. "I invite you into my circuits. Teach me the spoken language of my new crewmates. Together, we can find a way to change the tide of barbarous destruction of worlds and find a path for you to finally find peace."

Aerima's frozen heart is moved. Thana's words ring of true sincerity. Glancing once again at Esty, she asks. "Are Nyla's words accurate? Am I included among the crew?" She offers a level of respect that is not lost on the android commander.

Esty, stands and gazes intensely into the misty, windy fog that blows lightly through Aerima's hair. Her eyes meet with glowing emeralds as she proclaims....

"I announce that from this day forward, Aerima of the spirit realm, will be considered one of my loyal crew! You will be bound by the laws of this ship, and report to lieutenant Jax as his assistant quartermaster when you are not working peacefully with Thana. Also, let it be known to all, that if you play your cards right, I will see that you get another ship! .... Is this acceptable to you, assistant quartermaster Aerima?"

"It is!" The spirit swoons! She had not a friend in all the multiverse for a very long time, and now she was part of a crew once again! Not at the top like she's used to, but there's time enough for that, she thinks happily.

"Thank you, Commander Esty. Thank you, all!" With that, she leaves Esty's now frozen throne, floats across the bridge to Thana, asking. "Are you ready for a learning experience? You'll feel a slight tingling at first, but that will pass."

Thana stands tall. "I'm ready. I invite you in, Aerima."

With permission given, Aerima's gossamer wisp of an entity, swirls into a shrunken vortex of seething energy, disappearing into Thana's chest. The bridge goes quiet. You could hear an atom drop!

Aerima is gone, as if she were never there. Just a space-induced figment of everyone's imagination! Jax knew she would report back, and Thana would be a better person in return.

"Oh my god, Jax!" Toby exclaims under her breath, so's not to wake the dead. "What have you gone and done this time! You invited that _maniac_ into our lives?!"

For her sarcasm, she's met with a raucous laugh from the peanut gallery, who crowd around the ghost-loving Jax, offering praise for bringing new energies into the effort to fight the scourge of the galaxy, if not the entire spectrum of the multiverse!

# Home Sweet Home!

Ahead, floating gloriously at 500-miles, a space-elevator counterweight brings enduring smiles. For the crew of the mighty Queen Anne's Revenge, this wonderous protuberance tells of a long journeys end.

Pulling powerfully on a cable-bundle attached to the planet, three retired starships are joined at the hips. They pull with cosmic energies so grand, glade to be of service again, high above a beautiful land!

Centrifugal forces are hard at work, pulling the cable taunt for the elevator cars that climb it. The massive hulls of the SPS Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Nikola Tesla, provide millions of forceful tons, and together they dutifully get the job done!

Oberon Prime is special this way, telling of the intelligent species who came to stay!

A long bright cable extends upwards deeply, passing through puffy clouds very neatly. It's a surreal image for all on the bridge, as Braxton Crane and Magnus Teach, pilot the Queen into the ever-thickening soup.

The backdrop is awesome, with Oberon Prime shining brightly, as she reflects the light of her parent star, Huon. To the earthling androids, it still feels like an alien world, but to the dirty dozen, albeit a baker's dozen.... it's none-other than _home sweet home_!

"YeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaa!" Braxton let's rip, as he and Magnus corkscrew the ship around and around the elevator cable on their way down!

Esty, supervises from her lofty perch, knowing they're at a safe distance, yet hoping they maintain a path of least resistance. She knows it's good to blow off steam, and after such a harrowing journey, this is a good way to get stress out of the bloodstream!

Yet, what de-stresses the pilots, doesn't work so great for the passengers!

Jax, has an uncharacteristic frown upon his dark features, as he protectively cradles a backpack in his lap. Aerima now resides within, claiming it for her new home as might any homeless jinn.

Like a doting boyfriend, the young man is not impressed with Braxton's juvenile piloting, as the planet spirals round and round on the circle-monitor!

"Damn it, Brax!" He yells. "If you make me puke, I'm gonna sic Aerima on you!"

"Oh! Oh! The planet! The planet!" Talia, gets her freak on, joining Jax in protest. "Don't forget to pull up before the planet gets in the way!" Keeping her eyes tightly closed, she kung-fu-grips poor old Omari's hand!

Thana wonders with wide eyes, what kind of maniacs had she fallen in with!

"Okay okay, Brax!" Toby, yells venomously. "Ease up! You're making me dizzy too!"

"Awe, common Toby! You were hatched that way!" Braxton jokes over his shoulder, as he deftly manipulates the weak warp-bubbles, dangerously pushing his luck with the young woman.

" _Don't make me come over there_!" Toby warns. " _If I do, won't you be sorry_!"

"Alright you two. Knock it off." Wil intervenes before Braxton gets hurt. "Braxton Crane, assume a more mature descent, and please _do_ mind Talia's request."

For his efforts, a wide smile and wink from the lovely Talia, who just wants to get her feet back on the ground in at least one piece!

Below, where the cable meets bedrock, a series of beautiful green valley's come into view. One of them, is home to mechanical earthlings, who violently appropriated the valley for themselves from an indigenous and unsuspecting feline people called the Zenarawan's.

Fortunately for all involved, the Zenarawan clan graciously and peacefully gave-way to their new friends from the stars, allowing a slice of their heaven to be shared. Not that they could have done much anyway....

While being sentient creatures, they lack the technology to give the intruders even the slightest of headaches! Let alone kick them off the planet and back to the stars! Now years later, that cosmic _elbow in the face_ is just so much bad water passed under the bridge.

Nyla, stares at the monitor, seemingly for the first time. She's intrigued by a haunting familiarity at seeing the paralleled valleys below. A sense of déjà vu, flashes through her circuits. She had recently seen what seemed like their twins on Proxima Beta, Mars and Earth.

It's as if a giant claw had come along and raked the planet from above. Glancing over at Thana she inquires. "Did Apollyon ships already pass through this quadrant of space?"

For her inquiry, she gets a shrug of mechanical shoulders. "I am not aware. We rarely communicate with each other. While the Nerezza had not been at this planet yet, my people's ships are many. Perhaps one of them have been this way. Be sure, if the Apollyon's haven't been this way yet.... they eventually _will_ be."

An honest, longwinded answer from the shiny-one, who now enjoys speaking many different languages due to Aerima's spiritual guidance.

The sleek flying saucer cuts a path ever lower into the thickening atmosphere. Braxton maintains a slight contact with the slipstream, thereby denying Bernoulli a job of providing lift on the sexily curved airfoil.

Without being fully in phase with this universe, no disturbance of air molecules occurs. No sonic boom rains down upon the land, warning of impending arrival. Yet smartly, the communities had had been notified, and the terrible weapons systems protecting the one-time gliding saucers/turned into habitats, deactivated. A crowd of about 500, is gathered below.

"Hey! They left a light on for us!" Toby exclaims jokingly, knowing they're expected. The crowd waves excitedly, as the shiny flying saucer rips past just 200-feet above their heads!

An otherworldly sensation flows through the minds in the audience, as the stealthy flyby provides no shockwave, nor even rustle of leaves!

Not a peep of sound, as the saucer speeds! Earthlings, watch with amazement as the sleek machine, bathed hauntingly in an electronic fog, passes and banks hard, gracefully heading back towards them!

The Queen slows dramatically, inertial dampeners working overtime, as the saucer comes to hover over a landing pad. A heavy rhythmic hum beats against the chests of all who've gathered. Four, squat landing gears extend, and the saucer settles gracefully to the ground.

The crowd goes wild! Boisterousness rules the long moments, providing a glorious feeling of accomplishment for the crew, who watch the excitement on the big monitor with amazement.

With heartfelt sighs all around, the anxiety of the long journey falls away like so much dark matter off a speeding comet! It never felt so good to be home! Talia swoons! Omari receives a bear-hug from the exuberant android, just for being within reach!

The crew of Queen Anne's Revenge are met with a hero's welcome! The fact that they had travelled to Earth and back within 6-months (planet time), is not an easy thing for the pioneers of Oberon Prime to comprehend!

The original _one-way_ journey, lasted 175,000-years! Times are a changing, thinks they!

In fact, a message transmitted to their nearest neighbors on Titania Alpha (3-lightyears distant), telling of the alien discoveries, won't even arrive there for another year!

Apparently, there's a lot of space, in outer space! Light just isn't very fast when compared to the vast distances involved. Yet the Grey civilization had found a way to scam the system, denying our laws of physics, any say in the matter.

Even the most scientifically polished of the many pioneers, are not able to wrap their minds around the astounding bent physics that's rapidly pouring into their lives. And they haven't even gotten a taste of Aerima yet!

Won't everyone be surprises, when _she_ makes an appearance! For now, she's nestled comfortably inside Jax backpack biding her time, keeping the others at bay. Not sure if she'll even make an appearance if called forth.

It takes great energy to make visual appearances, and she knows the day will come when energy not squandered, might just make the difference. Oh, won't Jax be embarrassed, if I don't come forth when summoned, she thinks deviously!

However, she did promise to do so, and wouldn't want to cause a strife with her new best friend! She hears the main hatch open.... Wil's, voice booms!

"Is this Oberon Prime?" He yells.

"No! Oberon Prime is two planets over!" The crowd goes wild, but not for long.... Jaws drop, as Thana moves to stand next to Wil. While they're somewhat familiar with Esty, Thana's similar yet corroded metallic features, shocks them hard!

Wil is nothing, if not observant. Reaching, he takes Thana by the wrist, holding her arm up high, lifting her onto her booted tiptoes. "I want you all to welcome our new friend! This is Thana!" He yells. "She's mechanical of nature, loves outer space, and her favorite color is dark energy! Give it up for Thana!" He orders jokingly, as the crowd applauds and cheers.

Thana stands tall, offering a rare smile. Her glorious metallic skin, shining in the afternoon sun. For her, it's an exciting turn of events! She feels a mixture of strange emotions for the first time! .... happiness and inclusion are things she can get used to!

Letting go of Thana's wrist, Wil takes up other wrists. "And this is Myrna and Joanne! They're from Kansas, and love to party! They brought their two very lucky friends. This is Randy, and this is Heath! Please welcome them to our planet!"

The crowd goes wild once again, everyone trying to pat the space travelers on the back, as they exit the ship. Soon, the crowd is headed to the commons, where the celebration will take place.

Many friends of the dirty dozen, escort the gang. Razzi and Surri, ride atop the shoulders of stronger young men, who treat them as furry, conquering hero's!

Esty, reaches to her trusty wristband before getting too carried away with celebration. Entering commands, she watches over her shoulder as the spiral hatch, closes and seals as if it were never there. The Queen finally gets a chance to rest. She deserves the best! .... Long live the Queen!

"Where's Carter?" Somebody yells, as the boisterous crowd reaches the commons. "Did you find Carter?" Comes inquiry from another.

The entire mission, besides finding more star-fuel, was to find Carter.

Standing high on a chair, Wil informs of the mission results. Shock is palpable as the news of battle and time-travel, and of capturing an enemy ship hits home! Not to mention that their good friends Carter and Tina were found safe. They, with warrior Gort will arrive soon.

Of course, no revelation that day, causes the crowd to jump more than when Jax calls forth Aerima from his backpack! Getting everyone's attention, as is his way, he summons the friendly spirit to come out and play....

"Oh Aerima, so bright and gay, won't you please come out and visit with us this lovely fine day?"

Teasing jeers extinguish from the crowd, as Aerima exits with the otherworldliness of a hissing funnel-cloud! A spectral mist spews forth violently, as might a genie from a bottle! Aerima is revealed, in all her phantasmic glory, as shock runs full throttle!

Many a flying insect, meets its maker. As gasps-aplenty abound, at seeing the ghostly specter! Jax, swoons! It's by far, the best moment in his ghost-loving life! A boost to his ego like none-other, cutting like a surgical knife! _Just what the doctor ordered_!

Aerima hangs like a cloud above, bathed in a gloriously illuminated haze, extending well beyond her misty gaze. Her long silky hair blows in a non-existent wind. Luminous skin, looking radiant and bright. You could hear an atom drop. The scene.... quite the sight!

The day is windless and hot. The air seems rarified with fright! Nerves calm quickly, as summer turns to winter, just right! A cold wind from the beautiful entity, flows out across the crowd. Soothingly, she wins their hearts, making her feel so very proud!

"I told you, you'd be surprised!" Jax exclaims, having a great laugh, feeling totally vain.

"Does she do tricks?" Comes a smartass comment from Eddie Stanley at the back.

"Eddie go home!" Comes an often-heard phrase, when the lad opens his yap.

Aerima was afraid people might pigeon-hole her a parlor trick, no more. So, she spends a little more energy than originally hoped for.

Flying off just above Eddie's head, she shoots lightning bolts from her skull-dagger, receiving exclamations of dread! Into the air they snap! Each one a hair-raising zap! The air behind her freezes into clouds of icy threads, settling onto the overheated heads!

By the time she makes her way back to Jax, the hot day had dropped by 40-degrees, everyone coated in a soothing layer of frost instead! She settles quickly back into her comfortable home, hearing many heartfelt sighs, at the frozen air she supplies!

The mood is accented by the barking of dogs! Something that the biologic crewmembers of the Revenge had never heard before on Oberon Prime. Two laboratory assistances of Omari and Talia's, move through the crowd, following a gaggle of young puppies pulling on leashes so hard!

"Mirel! Owen!" Omari, yells joyfully. "My goodness! Haven't you two been busy while we were gone!"

"Oh! Their simply beautiful!" Talia exclaims, bending down and receiving a face-full of slobbering licks from the first batch of German Shepard dogs, cooked up in the lab.

"We sure are glad to see you two!" Mirel gushes, whilst holding onto a squirming bundle of fur and slobber. "We're up to our elbows in work! Welcome home! Have a puppy!" The lovely android scientist exclaims, placing the fat ball of tail-wagging fur into Omari's welcoming arms.

"His name is cosmos factory! .... But he likes to be called just _Cosmo_."

Razzi and Surri, take a shine to the little fella who Omari holds so lovingly, having never seen such a creature before. Placing cosmo on the ground between the curious Zenarawan's, brings wide smiles from the feline-like animals. The instinct to hug and pet is a strong one! Cosmo, takes it all in stride, knowing they'll be great friends. Great friends, indeed!

"Surri, please choose a puppy of your own." Talia offers in the Zenarawan tongue. Cosmo tilts his head as he had never heard such sounds before. "You too, Razzi." She graciously gives away a male and female of the first batch, hoping they hadn't already been promised.

Oh well, she _justifies_ to herself, there will be more where these came from. All it takes is some fancy shaking and baking for about 63 days....

Soon the communities will have more dogs than they know what to do with! The furry and toothy monsters will breed like tribbles!

Inbreeding won't be such a problem either. Because each puppy, like the human beings that came from the same laboratories, have different genetic lineages from each other. After a few generations, without intervention and/or guidance, all bets are off!

The celebration continues. It's a wonderful welcome home for the wayward travelers. Many things have changed for those on Oberon Prime in the last year. The arrival of SPS Nikola Tesla, and completion of the space elevator it delivered. The discovery of the alien base deep within a lonely mountain. Alien beings, time-travel, and last but _not least_ , many domestic things too!

The fact that they hadn't yet visited their neighbors on Titania Alpha, isn't lost on them either. That's a priority they all look forward to fulfilling. Won't they be surprised, everyone thinks!

If the journey happens soon, Queen Anne's Revenge will pass the very radio signal sent nearly 3-years prior. So, their arrival will be a total shock.... A _bolt_ from the blue!

Linmarri, Raznalli, Surri and Razzi, are airlifted back to their home village by helicopter. While the furry astronauts would have rather been dropped off by the grand flying saucer, they know the site of such a creature would create chaos and terror.

Perhaps someday they'll introduce the Queen to the clans, but not just yet.

Besides, there are no openings in the forest canopy large enough to allow for such a gargantuan bird to land gracefully. While, the much smaller earthling helicopters fits nicely, doing the job just fine, without blowing their furry minds!

The small whirlybirds have been flying into and out of the area for years, sometimes providing joyrides for those who were curious and brave.

So, now the quad of returning clan members are heroes without equals! The greatest explorers the Zenarawan's have ever produced! Great celebrations are planned, everyone invited!

Villages, far and near, converge for celebration. As always, Nyla, Wil, Talia, Omari, and the dirty-dozen, are guests of high-honor. Esty and Thana come with, making their first appearances in the village.

The poor dears frighten everyone half to death! Deep in their circuits, they feel a rush as the crowd backs away when they climb from the helicopter. The instinct to dominate and intimidate, is engrained deeply in their psyches and circuits!

They quickly win over the hearts of the furry-one's, just the same. Urge to flee and hide, diminishes fastly in the furry people of the forest. Any friends of the star people are friends of theirs! Especially, if they're also from the night lights above!

Jax, brings Aerima along, as the two have become inseparable. After seeing the clan's reaction to the mechanical Grey aliens, he knows better than to cause more fright! Best to let her sleep, he thinks correctly. Too much excitement all at once, might spoil the festivities.

Besides, the medicine woman and shaman, Yilzzari and Torrox, would have such a fit if she made an appearance! It would take years to smooth that one over, he ponders correctly.

The earthling puppies are really big hits! They're petted, stuffed with treats, and made to fetch sticks. As is only inevitable, they break loose at first opportunity. A short distance away, the pups enter the no-man's-land surrounding Torrox's holy medicine pole!

Sniffingly they approach, causing the old shaman's heart to skip!

For the dogs, the pole covered with designs of red-ochre and resin, seems like a pee-stop sent from K9 heaven!

Torrox, goes ballistic! He yells so loudly, his dried-up old bones rattle like drumsticks under his aged fur!

Kara sweeps in with expert precision and grace! Like a leaf on the breeze, she moves in quickly, removing the offending creatures without a trace! Poor old Torrox feigns cardiac arrest, while with the other hand shakes his rattle of holy vengeance at the furry pests!

The crowd goes wild! Kara is the hero of the day!

Torrox calms, holstering his heated rattle. Shortly after, he stealthily accepts a small yet weighty bag of gold disks from Nyla. She always came prepared, knowing what the shaman liked best when his spirits are offended thusly.

Secretly, the ancient shaman hopes for more sacrilegious acts from the star people. He never tires of the shiny gifts! Their value has no equal!

He's quickly becoming one of the richest Zenarawan's on the planet, just ahead of Yilzzari who doesn't visit often enough to equal his greedy lions-share. The shiny disks of asteroid gold eat their faces, but as of yet, it has no economic foothold among the primitive peoples.

Aerima, resting comfortably inside Jax's backpack, chuckles demonically, wondering how much gold it would take to cure old Torrox's woe's if she where to make an appearance and molest his sacred pole!

Life on Oberon Prime is a fine one for all who persevered the long early years of hardship. Taming an alien environment is never an easy one.

Earthling androids first had to clear and plow the fields, before they could claim any meaningful yields. Shaking and baking human infants, turned out to be the easiest part of breaking in a new planet!

However, parenting those rambunctious animals, turned into another story altogether for the hard-working android caregivers. For every rule laid down, the devious little tikes quickly learned several ways to break them!

All the while, looking as innocent as one can ever imagine!

Now, many years later, the light at the end of the tunnel, illuminates a path for independence from the humanity they nurtured so lovingly.

With many humans now of adult age, efforts by the androids can be directed elsewhere. They have faithfully fulfilled their part of the interstellar bargain with Doctor Maxwell Sohn....

Not surprisingly, most human's and android's alike, wish to maintain domestic, safe lifestyles, with their feet planted firmly on the ground!

Except for a few, life among the stars is the only way to go! For the dirty dozen, albeit a baker's dozen, no moss will ever be found growing under their space boots! .... The next off-planet adventure occupies many a daydream!

The day is still early at the landing pad near the saucer habitats. "Shirley!" Amy, yells into the morning fog. "Shake a leg girl! Esty's, getting ants in her pants!"

A short distance away, sounds of construction already fills the air. Things get moving early, for those who build houses nearby. Sounds of sonic-saws sawing, nails being pounded, heavy equipment vibrating the ground, boisterous construction-chatter fills the morning air.

It's been too long a wait for the Grey android commander, and she's anxious to visit her mountain stronghold! Her home away from home, when not onboard her mighty ship. She has many loose-ends to secure at the base and many sleeping comrades to awaken!

# Mountain of bent physics

"I'm almost there!" Shirley yells, nearly out of breath. She climbs the Queen's short ramp. "You know she wouldn't leave without these!" The young woman reminds, waving a satchel containing refurbished circuit boards for the hibernation chambers.

She, yells back while entering the bridge. "Don't close the hatch yet Amy! Cody and Atara are coming with!" Approaching Esty's mighty throne, Shirley hands over the precious cargo.

"Ah! Thank you, Shirley!" Esty exclaims, adding. "Please everyone, take your seats and buckle up. We'll be lifting shortly." The joy of finally holding the like-new circuit boards, fills her circuits with electronic-euphoria!

They're control boards for the six cryo-chambers at the base that still have possible life within. Of all the deteriorated electronic circuits within the chamber controllers, it's the re-animation circuits in particular, that needed the most TLC, before being trusted with the lives of her people.

Of the slightly more than 30 ancient-sleepers, only one has been revived so far, and that's the junkyard-dog, Gort. The grizzled warrior was one of the few lucky ones, who's chamber hadn't yet failed.

Esty, ponders the fact that she herself is included amongst the dead, after seals on her chamber had deteriorated beyond functionality.

Fortunately, her people had found a way to retrieve, copy, and store the psychological imprints of the biologic mind. Melding them into an electronic medium for insurance against the failing of the body.

With assistance from old adversaries who invaded her mountain hideaway, her electronic-brain was melded with her current earthling-created mechanical body.

Kind and forgiving mechanical aliens from Earth, that were once victims of her own piratical ways, found it in their circuits to give her a second chance at mobility.

She quickly formed an unbreakable bond with those who rescued her from those terribly long millennia of immobility and imprisonment.

With all crew accounted for, Esty gives the order for liftoff. The mercury-like flying saucer, lifts gracefully into the sky with a heavy rhythmic hum, beating against the chests of the many who've come to see her off.

A weak electronic-fog, clings nakedly to her skin as she rises into the calm morning. Electronic-adrenaline flows freely through Esty's electro-polymer muscles. She practically vibrates with anticipation, to roam the lonely base once again!

For the ones who watch from the ground, it's a rare chance to see the saucer in action. Always a pleasant experience for the landlubbing pioneers. Workers halt, as the ships strong heartbeat flows across the land.

All eyes are skyward, as the sleek disk rises effortlessly into the steamy sky. The light from Huon, accents the beautiful shine of the metallic hull as she glides silently over a ridge, and is gone.

"Braxton, power back." The commander warns, disappointedly shaking her bulbous head. "We mustn't waste fuel if we don't have to."

"Aye Aye, commander!" He pulls back the power, missing the rush, and getting an 'I told you so' from magnus.

Everyone is onboard, except the four Zenarawan's. They've been granted extended shore leave, until the next off-world mission comes along. Family life for them, is as important as any saving of the galaxy or multiverse!

They are simple folk who are glad to help but are not savvy to the technical requirements of making it a full-time job. Like the reluctant astronaut/doctors Omari and Talia, they too prefer to keep their paws on the ground but sacrifice a normal existence in order to help their friends and neighbors. _Perhaps making a difference_.

Braxton and Magnus bring the Queen to hover at exacting coordinates in front of a solid granite rock-face. It's a side of the hollowed-out mountain that holds an extensive hanger bay just beyond.

"No more than 13% slip, Mister Crane." Esty cautions. "Easy as she goes, Mister Teach." She instructs, pondering the thought that they'll be passing through solid rock. Each time, it's as if it were the first, in terms of anxiety!

While they'll be significantly out of phase with this universe, not actually interacting with the rock matrix, any glitch while in transit would not end well for ship and crew. Not to mention what might happen to the planet!

"Aye Aye, commander!" Comes a duet response from helm.

"Cooper, Toby, watch hull temps closely."

The one byproduct of the transit is heat. Radiations are created, flowing between this universe and the slipstream.

"You got it boss." Cooper answers dutifully, while Toby adjusts dials, monitors gages, and brings forth the desired information.

The electronic fog just beyond the hull, intensifies to exacting precision. The Queen is made to move forward ever so cautiously.

Talia cringes, as the circle-monitor shows the rock face melding with the ship! It seems to all, that the mountain is going to join them on the bridge, as the leading edge penetrates the rock!

Very slowly.... as a person might lower into a bath that had been drawn too hotly, the old Queen moves farther into the danger zone.

A ghostly apparition, out of phase with the rock. She passes through 35-feet of solid granite, in just under a half-minute. A seemingly eternal half-minute to be sure! Poor Talia nearly breaks her seats armrests, as panic looms!

Soon though, the anxiety of the event lifts, as the darkened circle-monitor, springs back to life with the cavernous beauty of the hanger bay lighting up the bridge!

Landing gear extends with the slightest of whispers, and the silvery flying saucer lands back home once again. This time with a new name, topped-off fuel reserves, and a new type of valve she didn't have when she last ventured forth into the void between the stars.

Nothing has ever looked so good! Talia gives the mother of all sighs, putting a hand to her chest. Nyla, breaths in copious amounts of cooling air that flows across heated circuits, nipping another fainting episode in the bud.

"Well.... weeee're baaaaack!" Ling announces brightly, looking forward to more exploration in the seemingly endless reaches inside the fortress of bent physics.

"We sure beat the odds this time!" Jax, calculates correctly from his seat at astrogation. Reaching, he brings his backpack close, hugging it and squishing poor Aerima, adding....

"Oh, you're going to like it here, Aerima!" He exclaims whisperingly, hoping she's listening. "We can make it so comfortable, you won't want to ever leave!"

"Jeez Jax!" Toby mercilessly teases. "Squash her into the next universe, why don't you?!"

"Awe, she's okay!" Jax retorts, fluffing the backpack just to be sure. "She could live inside an atom, if she wanted to!" No sign from the lovely ghost inside, but sometimes she just tunes Jax out, as do others from time to time.

"All systems are within design parameters, commander." Cooper informs dutifully.

"Very well; idle the reactor." Esty orders, adding longwindedly. "Job well done, everyone! You sailed forth a crew of greenhorns and came home safely. Seasoned and primed for more, I imagine. Once the itch for adventure is scratched, it never fades!" She exclaims, wishing Gort were at her side, but the Nerezza won't enter orbit for few more days.

The main hatch is opened, and life once again returns to the lonely cavern of yesterday!

Excited voices, echo throughout the immense hanger bay, as the gang meanders past maintenance equipment and the other two flying saucers, which wait patiently for their turn to tear up the cosmos again!

"Last one to the galley, cooks for everyone!" Kara yells, her stomach sensing that food is near. With a flurry of jostling, all but three of the young adult's race away, leaving everyone else in a cloud of dust!

"First one there, does all the dishes!" Harper, yells forcefully, not wishing to join the fray. He, Ling and Jax would surely be the last ones there anyway; with himself sporting a new set of injuries to be sure!

With a proclivity for head wounds, he knows when to curb his enthusiasm. And Jax has also toned down his usual hunger for chaos, not wishing to upset his ghostly roommate. As for Ling.... well, Ling just wants to be near Harper, for her world to be good!

"Well, now that the storm has passed," Esty says, brushing imaginary dust off her jumpsuit, "We more-mature adults, can go see what we can see about those that still sleep."

The walk through the underground fortress is a chilly one. Luckily, new ventilation fans keep the humidity low and the air non-stagnate. Passing the galley, Wil leans in, witnessing quite the tempest!

"Hello in here!" He yells, getting the attention of all. "After you've finished destroying a hot meal, restore this galley to showroom condition. Then, break out the elbow-grease and get to work out here." He orders and continues....

"Braxton, Magnus, divide the star-fuel from the Revenge, and transfer it into the other two ships. Leave the time-fuel alone for now. Cooper, Toby, Max, Shirley, perform systems checks on all three ships." He orders, adding....

"Don't forget to record all discrepancies in the logbooks, so none are missed. Tina, Adam, Amy, Magnus, please work the discrepancies if any. Otherwise, help where you can. We'll be in the cryo-compartment, working to revive the dead. Harper, Ling and Jax are with us."

"Aye Aye, Captain Bligh!" Comes a Toby wisecrack, as she wipes pancake batter from her face after having failed to duck in time.

Inside the cryo-compartment, all is quiet. A crypt-like aura-of-doom pervades thickly, casting a shadow of dread across the psyches of those who enter. Esty, avoids her hibernation chamber like the plague! It's where her worldly remains, rest as a pile of cosmic dust.

The door seals on her chamber, had rotted away long before. Only once has she braved the emotion of looking upon the horrific site!

Moving past the bad memory, she leads the way into the depths of the compartment, where the sleepers wait for the kiss of life to animate them once again.

Suddenly, Jax feels an electricity against his back. Aerima grows restless inside her improvised home. Stopping, the young man removes the pack, knowing Aerima stirs within.

"Hello Aerima." He announces friendlily. "Please, come out and join us, won't you?"

The air in the cryo-compartment is already chilly, but Aerima's blast of arctic-freeze, as always, makes the previous chill seem like a heat wave!

Cody and Atara, back away instinctively. Their prior experience with the enigmatic spirit, causes an angst in their circuits. As scientist, they can't get their minds around such a strange deviation to the laws of physics they know and love so well!

Aerima frightens many; but tries not to.

Aerima, in all her phantasmic glory, moves slowly among the many cryo-chambers. Past the ones that contain dust, and onto the ones where possible life still exists.

"I sense the spirits within these six, still remain with the bodies." She imparts welcome news, adding. "Also, those who have perished, remain nearby. They are trapped far from home, not able to rest. They are now like me but are afraid to come near just yet."

A chill freezes Esty's circuits! She wonders if she had heard the phantom correctly! The thought that her own lost spirit might be roaming the cavernous base, is not what she wanted to hear! "Well, that can't be good!" She exclaims, seemingly loosing pallor from her android face.

"Can you communicate with any of them?" Nyla inquires hopefully.

"I can only sense their presence. To do more would drain energy I can't afford to lose." She says with a multi-tone voice, adding....

"If I lose too much energy, there's great risk that the others will get past me.... _Yes_ Nyla, as you suspected, there are others with me. They continually apply pressure against my portal, hoping it will give. If they're able to escape.... they _will_ kill!"

"Oh my! That wouldn't be good!" Talia exclaims under breath, so's not to wake the dead.

With her curiosity quenched, Aerima is happy to hang back with Jax, whom she draws energy from, filling depleted reserves.

Once being a person of science herself, as well as the commander of her own spaceship, she observes the team of androids who work tirelessly to install the new circuit boards.

Much testing is to be accomplished before attempting any reanimation. With stealth, she hovers unseen. Watching.... Learning.... Cody and Atara move from one chamber to the next, replacing the updated re-animation circuit boards.

"Well Esty," Cody informs, "these chambers are as ready as they'll ever be. Whenever you want, just say the word and we'll attempt the magic."

"I can't thank you all enough." Esty responds, her circuits warming in a good way. Her friends from Earth, have truly brought her and the base back from the brink of ruin. "I will wait for Gort to arrive and help me. I don't wish to face my old companions alone while in this condition." She offers a sad face to her android friends, adding. "No offense intended, but after facing Gort when he woke, I don't have the courage to do so six more times."

"Wise move, Esty!" Wil offers a modicum of understanding, before plunging in the tease-dagger. "I wouldn't want to wake up to your face either!" Such a demonic laugh leaves him feeling embarrasses at his insensitivity. Fortunately, Esty has a funny bone! Now titanium....

"Oh, how I do remember waking up to _yours_!" She retorts. "I thought seriously of pulling my own plug, just to end the torture! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

She who laughs last, laughs the loudest, she thinks! Wil, gives a crook eye, having not expected such a comeback.

Suddenly, Nyla's radio comes to life. "Nyla, come in! Omari, Talia, come in!" Shirley's voice, rings through the compartment.

"Adam passed out! We're in the Revenge! Hurry!"

"I copy, Shirley! We're on our way!"

Dropping everything, the alarmed mother android sprints for the hanger-bay, with Wil on her heals. Omari and Talia, retrieve their medical bags and follow with everyone else in tow.

"Give him room to breathe!" Nyla instructs as she enters the bridge. Parting the crowd who've gathered around the fetal-like Adam, she sits on the deck and cradles his head.

Omari and Talia push through. "Okay! Okay! Make room!" Omari yells. "Who can tell me what happened?"

Shirley speaks up. "We just arrived from the galley to help work the ship, when he complained of a pain. Then, he just doubled over and fell!" Simple and to the point, without much for Omari to chew on.

Kneeling beside the curled-up young man, he checks for a pulse and is relieved. Cold-fingered contact with the human's juggler, prompts the lad to stir. Looking up, he sees a face that shouldn't be there. "Omari?" He inquires through clenched teeth. "I feel really bad, Omari. My guts are twisted something terrible!"

"Where does it hurt most? Can you be more specific my boy?" The mechanical physician inquires, reaching for his medical bag.

The lad painfully rolls onto his back, wincing as he partially straightens out. "Well.... at first it felt like my bellybutton was going to fall out.... That's when I passed out, I guess. Now the pain has shifted closer to my right side.... It hurts _real bad_ Omari!

"Am I going to die?"

"No, my boy! Nobody's going to die today!" Omari offers hope while trying to believe it himself. He's glad the young man is conscious and able to help him diagnose. He probes Adam's midsection.

"Now my boy, tell me when....

"When! When! When!" The stricken lad yells painfully!

"Okay. Okay.... that's fine my boy. Now don't worry, I'll not do that again!"

Turning to Cooper and Toby, he requests a stretcher from ships medical. "I'm going to have to operate here in the Revenge. I believe the boy's appendix has had a bad day at the office." He jokes seriously.

Esty looks as if she's going to faint, inquiring. "You mean to say you're going to cut him inside my ship?"

"It's the only way, my dear. The lad's in real trouble. The offending organ must be removed before it can rupture if it hasn't already.... Besides, I'm thinking it won't be the first time a human has gone under the knife inside this ship!"

His accusation of alien abduction and experimentation take the fire out of the commander's shocked circuits, bringing her back on focus. All protest falls to the side. She honestly couldn't refute the bold charge.

Once on the operating table and sedated, Adam undergoes a standard appendectomy by the capable doctors from Earth, Omari and Talia. They brought him into the world, and once again they come to the rescue to help him stay among the living!

It's a scary ordeal for mom, dad, and stepsiblings, even though complications were minimal. The fact that there had been very little medical emergencies for the family, outside of several concussions for poor Harper, is no consolation just then.

Nyla and Wil begin to realize that with the kids no longer being _kids_ , the chances for more catastrophes will only grow. Especially with a war coming at them full throttle!

"Is Adam going to be okay?" Toby inquires through flowing tears.

Reaching, Nyla brings the young woman close for a reassuring hug. A hug that offers strength to both. "Yes, Toby. He's going to be just fine."

What she doesn't mention, is her growing fear of that _someday_ , one or more of her precious human brood, might not come back from the brink. That one day, even barring medical emergencies, the biologic physiology won't be able to fight the fight, as time takes its merciless toll!

Her mind races, realizing that it doesn't have to end that way! That there doesn't have to be such mortality within the human species any longer! That the body might yield to time, but the mind.... the mind can live indefinitely, given the right technologies!!

# Arrival of the Nerezza

The morning is warm and steamy. Huon, the star above, disperses the last vestiges of fog that flows through the green valleys of Oberon Prime. Like aging ghosts, the phantom banks of moisture are claimed by the thick foliage, only to be released once again after nightfall.

Suddenly, the little slice of heaven where earthlings and Zenarawan's call home, is stricken by a dark shadow moving menacingly across the land! Twilight at 11am on a cloudless day, naturally draws many eyes to the heavens above. High in the sky, the Nerezza has finally arrived from Earth.

As the bloated behemoth slows for a geostationary orbit, its shadow moves across the land. Eventually, the darkness will pass, finding a more permanent spot further along. Floating 110-miles above the world, she is too big and too underpowered, to enter the atmosphere and survive. She'll live the rest of her days in the frozen void of space.

" _Einstein; this is Carter; do you copy_?"

" _Einstein; Carter here.... is anybody down there_?" He calls again, hoping he didn't arrive at the wrong planet! After all, he's never been to Oberon Prime!

"Hey big fella!" A familiar face brightens Carter's video screen. "Is that you, blocking my morning sunshine?" Ivy teases, not believing her eyes. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Carter! We missed you so much!" She hadn't seen her friend, since leaving Earth 175,000 years earlier. If she could, tears of joy would be falling!

"I can't believe my eyes!" Carter exclaims, rubbing them for effect. "You're sure a site for sore eyes Miss Ivy! And yes, I'm the one who's blocking all that nasty radiation."

"Ivy!" Tina pushes her face into view. "You look lovelier than ever! It's _so nice_ to see you again!"

"Tina! Wow! I can't believe it's you! You look great! Welcome to your new home, dearie!" She greets pleasantly, knowing her friend isn't the biologic one she had last seen on Earth.

Carter gets back on the line. "Ivy, I've got all the reactors running up here. Before I shut down the big ones, tell everyone to look up for a light show to beat all light shows!"

With that, Carter waits 5-minutes, while Ivy radio's the Newton habitat, announcing the imminent event. Reaching and adjusting dials, Carter unleashes the most brilliant bands of dancing energies above the skies of Oberon Prime! With plenty of time during the voyage, he, Tina and Gort, had learned the ways of the planet-gouging apparatus.

With searing brilliance, dozens of raw energy-bands extend for a thousand-miles from the discharge ports on the outer hull! It's the first time they've been deployed friendlily, and not straight down for planet wrecking.

Without warning to stand down, automated weapons systems on the Einstein and Newton habitats, spring into action! Large spiral hatches silently glide open. Particle cannons, rocket launchers and lasers, extend locked-and-loaded from hidden compartments! They scan the local skies for inbound enemies.

Sensing the behemoth above, they cautiously wait for their threat tolerance-levels to be breached before unleashing their terrible energies. To those earthlings watching from the ground, the dark shadow above, with dancing fire shooting in two directions, reminds of a gamma ray burst from a black hole, as it barfs pure radiations from horizon to horizon!

Multicolored bands of controlled power, reach dancingly into the void, hoping to find purchase, yet finding none. Carter manipulates the energy, causing them to dance high above the atmosphere, so's not to scorch the planet.

He revels at the power he wields at his fingertips! For the folks on the ground, it's a humbling experience! Just wondering how much damage a ship like that might inflict, is a harrowing thought. A harrowing thought indeed!

Creatures across the land, big and small alike, are scared out of their wits, as the sky seemingly ignites in flame!

The unsuspecting Zenarawan's several valleys over, are taken by surprise. First, the shadow of doom himself envelopes their villages unannounced, extinguishing the sun as if it were a candle in the wind!

Then, to make matters worse, the sky is split asunder by a kaleidoscopic fire! Some take it in stride, hoping the star people are just having fun at their expense. Many others will have nightmares into the foreseeable future!

Torrox and Yilzzari, watch from separate villages. Each shaking sacred medicine-rattles at the devils above. Putting their own spirits into motion, they calm the nerves of many.

Deep inside their superstitious souls the shamans grow excited, knowing this sacrilegious act of the star people, will surely bring more gold disks.... _Many more gold disks_!

Carter powers back on the vulgar display of power. Waste not, want not; being the credo of space travel. With the pride of having learned the mysterious systems onboard the Nerezza, the handsome dark android couldn't help but show off just a little!

Another legend is created that day amongst the people of the forest. Another story conjured for the nightly fire-pits. Before the shamans can re-holster their rattles, the sun returns, and the firestorm dies. Leaving only the full reflected glory of the monster as it persists high in the sky.

From the ground, at a size of about a half-dollar coin held at arm's length, the Nerezza is second in size only to that of the planets tiny moon. Not too far away, the space elevator counterweights, which are brighter than any background stars, pales in brightness next to the mighty new arrival.

"Wow, Carter!" Wil, transmits. "I'm sure glad you're on our side!" He teases, adding with a crook eye. "You _are_ still on our side.... aren't you?" Pausing, as if it weren't a joke.... everyone has such a great laugh!

"Well, if I wasn't, you and Nyzilla would be shooting flames from your aft data-ports about now!" Carter has the last laugh, adding....

"You're both going to love what I have to say next! Because, Team Alpha.... _that's us._ " Reaching, he pulls Tina and Gort into view, "have learned the ways of many of the spaceships imprisoned here on the Nerezza! As it turns out, many are fueled and functional! We've really been busy up here! In fact, the technology hanging over your heads right now, will make your circuits spin!"

Nyla elbows her way into the conversation. "I knew we put the right-stuff in charge of that ship! And Carter, you're sure full of it!" She informs with a laugh, adding....

"Good work to all! Don't be surprised if we have some shocking developments to show you too! We've also been very busy! Now hotshots, should we come there and get you? Or, do you have something else in mind?"

"Oh, we've something else in mind, that I can tell you!" Carter reports. "Just look to the sky in a few minutes. Also, please deactivate those weapon systems! Carter out!" He ends with a haunting laugh that stirs imaginations below.

Soon, most everyone is outside waiting for another show to begin. With eyes to the sky, everyone is mesmerized by the menacing site of the Nerezza, as she hangs animatedly in orbit. She's shiny and bright, lit up like a diamond in the sky!

The vast ship portends of dark times as it hangs above their heads like the sword of Damocles. Esty, can hardly stand still, her circuits in a bittersweet knot! Above, is the love of her life, and also the enemy ship of her people.

Times are a changing, she ponders. Changing in their favor for now. She pushes anxious thoughts to the wayside. Concentrating instead on connecting with Gort, her circuits fill with pride!

Many of the pioneers aren't too thrilled with the new changes in their lives. Life on an alien world is tough enough, without drawing attention to a peaceful and quiet existence.

Yet the very nature of expanding into the universe, is to shake the deadly bonds which living on just one planet imposes. Bound to just one world, any number of calamities can wipeout an entire species without even breaking a sweat!

Peaceful and quiet existences often bring complacency, which can be way deadlier than acquiring alien technology. Technologies that hold great promise of being able to keep one's enemies at bay, so that a domestic and peaceful existence can _actually be nurtured and enjoyed_. Without a nice set of fangs to defend oneself, others won't respect as they otherwise might!

Above, a tiny bright object breaks away from the larger, looking like a star in motion. "There! .... There!" Somebody in the crowd yells, pointing upwards. "Something just left the ship!"

"And it's coming this way!" Shirley, yells excitedly.

"Oh, what did Carter do this time?" Nyla, wonders at the sky, suspecting her good friend is at the controls of another stolen spaceship.

The brilliant object doesn't stay tiny for long! Within seconds, it grows exponentially larger, menacingly brighter! It screams down from space, as if the hundred miles didn't matter for anything!

A fat disk, streaks towards the ground at one end of the valley, as might a meteor from the frozen void, minus the tail of fire! Suddenly, just before impact with the planet, the object comes to an impossibly sudden stop!

Above the treetops it hovers menacingly!

Then, in the blink of an eye, it disappears in a blur of motion! Coming to stop just above the people's heads, causing quite a shock! Without the slightest disturbance of air, the thing from space is upon them!

It hovers throbbingly above, bathed in a layer of blue electronic fog. Adrenaline.... both biologic and electronic.... pulses wildly! An otherworldly throbbing, beating against their chests so sweet, its plain for all to feel, that the ship has a strong heartbeat!

"Oh My!" Talia exclaims, as she holds Omari close. "We seem to be forming a habit of steeling other people spaceships!" She jokes nervously, thinking of the day when the owners might come calling, expecting high payment.

"My stars!" Nyla exclaims. "I sure hope Carter is at the controls of this one!"

The crowd quickly gives way, making a spot for the humming flying saucer to land. It's not terribly large, perhaps half the size of the Revenge, which rests nearby.

Whereas the Queen's upper surface is highly domed, and her belly relatively flat, this machine is equally domed on top and bottom, with what seems to be illuminated windows circling the bottom. Around the leading edge of the mid-section, evenly spaced lights accent the rim.

A hazy blue light, shines down from underneath, creating a ghostly glow that illuminates the ground. Many small spheres of plasma-like energy, flitter energetically throughout the eerie fog. They don't stray far but give the feeling that they're under intelligent control.

"That ship seems familiar." Wil, announces, regaining composure. "We walked past it while touring the menagerie onboard the Nerezza. It's one of many that were held captive inside a force field."

Glancing at Thana, he asks. "Am I right, Thana? Is that one of the ships you said had to be restrained in a different fashion than the others?"

"Yes. It's one of many from the other side. A forcefield was necessary to insulate it from our laws of physics for long-term storage. Even now, the ship must stay within its own protective energy field or begin to deteriorate. I hope your Carter knows what he's doing." The now shiny and polished Apollyon responds.

"I hope so too, my dear. I sure hope so too." He responds bewilderingly yet knowing they must get intimate with the new technology if they're going to learn anything new.

As the flying saucer from another dimension, another universe, lowers landing gear and gracefully settles, Aerima stirs within her backpack domain. She had been quiet earlier, not sensing anything special. Now something she hasn't felt since being murdered, enters her ghostly realm!

Close proximity to the newly arrived spaceship, stirs old memories. A feeling that brings her forth from the ghostly realm.

Spookily, she oozes from Jax's backpack, causing a fright! Her exit, frigidly cools the immediate area, causing ooooo's and aaaaa's to replace anxiety.

Suspended in midair next to Jax, her long hair blows in a non-existent wind. She notices the object of everyone's attention.

Swirlingly she floats higher, making sure her eyes weren't playing tricks. She swoons! .... Swooping back down to Jax, she whispers in his ear. "Jax! That's my ship! .... Oh, how can this be?!"

"Easy there, Aerima." Jax cautions. "Calm down before you blow a ghostly gasket! Your ship, you say? Why didn't you live in the ship when you were onboard the Nerezza?"

"I tried but couldn't penetrate the force-field the Apollyon's placed on her!" Then, pointing to her horrible skull dagger, she adds. "After I escaped, and was murdered, I couldn't get back into the ship!" She exclaims, plainly loosing self-control.

"Oh! If my crew has been harmed, I'll unleash hell itself!" She bellows with a demonic multi-toned voice, scaring Jax and all nearby.

Just then, a hatch opens on the domed underside of the alien ship from another universe. Carter steps into the opening, receiving a hero's welcome from every android in the crowd! The young humans had never met the newly arrived hero, but still yell excitedly.

"Hello! Is this Oberon Prime?" Carter, inquires loudly, waving at the assemblage and bringing Gort and Tina to stand at his side. The crowd goes wild! Especially at seeing an older version of their very own _human Tina_!

Esty, swoons! The grizzled scar-faced warrior never looked so handsome as he does now! Jokingly, she yells.... "No, Oberon Prime is three planets over!" Everyone has a great laugh, hardly believing the normally stoic android commander could entertain such levity.

Aerima's frenzy becomes too much for Jax to hold back! Not that he ever had any real chance. Reaching, as if to restrain, his arms move ineffectually through the misty phantom.

"Come back Aerima! Come back! You don't understand!" The dark young man pleads to no avail, but off she flies, energized beyond the pale!

His words of caution are sucked into the turbulent void of otherworldliness, falling on deaf ears. Inconsolable, Aerima rises in a black cloud of lightning and thunder! Scaring everyone!

She floats above the parting crowd towards her beautiful ship, and the strange-one's who stare shocked at her approaching rage!

All prior smugness and joy is wiped off their faces. Like deer in headlights, Carter, Tina and Gort, are paralyzed with inaction, as a life or death situation rapidly encroaches!

Aerima slows her approach, hovering just outside the layer of electronic fog, getting a good eyeful of those she's about to destroy! The three scallywags who stole her ship, lift hands to block the terrible snaps of lightning that crack just a few feet away!

Then, movement behind the three victims, causes her to pause yet again.

Tina is pulled back into the ship by a previously unseen victim. Aerima poises to attack! Great sheets of lightning, break viciously from her ghostly skull dagger, pushing it deeper, bringing her rage higher!

Then, another face pokes out from between Carter and Gort, staring with shock at the horrible demon she had become! It's a familiar face for the enraged spirit! A face she hadn't dared think she would ever see again!

"Aerima?" A man inquires yellingly, recognizing his long-lost commander, even thru her vicious rage. "My stars! .... Welcome back, Captain!"

His words offer relief for her dark visions of destruction. Urge to kill.... diminishing! Urge to destroy the universe.... weakening! Her cloud of seething rage, changes to a lighter tone. Lightning, fades to feeble crackles. Dark clouds swirling above her head, evaporates as her rage cools.

"Talus Jern!" She shrieks. "By all the dark energies! Aren't you a sight for sore ghostly eyes!"

Now, it's her turn to be shocked, to be thrown off-balance! The man before her, is none-other than her first officer! And he's alive! Seemingly unhurt and not aged a day!

Talus was the last human she had contact with, before her escape from the ship and consequent murder by the Apollyon's, 500-years earlier. Not aged a day, she thinks again!

Calming herself, pulling back dark energies, she pushes the others back into place, less they escape. Like parasitical scallywags from hell, they always try to break free whenever her anger gives them the key.

She's able to lock the gate this time but must be more careful! Someday she won't be so lucky, and away they will flee to perform a never-ending and horrible crime spree!

Talus, holds back his shock, not wishing to show weakness. His poor captain was lost long ago, he thought. Killed or imprisoned someplace else on the Apollyon ship, she was never seen again, until now! The last he'd seen of her was when she escaped to reconnoiter the huge ship that had eaten them alive.

She never returned, and soon after, he and his ship, were put into cold storage inside an anti-temporal forcefield. For himself and the others onboard, the 500-years went by as a flash in the pan, due to cryo-preservation. Aging naught, they still glow with youth and vitality. Whereas, poor Aerima did not age so gracefully!

While still looking regal and proud, with a nice hint of prior beauty, she had somehow gotten ahold of the bad end of the ugly-stick since he saw her last, he ponders sadly. And what's with that dagger, sticking out of her skull? And those streaks of blood stains? What the hell!

"My goodness, Aerima! You don't look a day over 300!" He pushes his luck, hoping she still has a good sense of humor. "I never expected to see you again, captain!" His words cause the heated spirit to cool even further. Being addressed as captain again, brings soothing relief to her frazzled nerves. She swoons!

Floating closer, still not believing her senses, she's afraid to loosen her defenses. More than once in the past 500-years, she had found her ship and friends, only to realize it was all just a mirage in the end. A sick joke played upon her nerves, by the cruel multiverse!

"Tell me true, Talus. Are Selza, Jayleen, and Terrel with you? Do they still live?"

Suddenly, three more shining faces peer timidly out of the ship at the ghostly specter. Being of human stock, they're naturally frightened by things that go bump in the night! Yet something in Aerima's haunting beauty seems familiar, soothing their frayed nerves a might.

They realize then, that their brave captain has returned from Davy Jones' locker. A little torn and frayed around the edges maybe, but still wow, _what a shocker_!

The crowd goes wild! Great applause from humans and androids, as they realize there won't be demonic wrath from beyond the grave that hot day. Carter, Tina, and Gort, exit the hatchway, giving Aerima a wide berth as they quickly blend with the crowd. While the two androids shake off the harrowing event, Gort is still shaken, still quite bent!

It's the first time in his life where he couldn't have protected himself. Aerima and her realm, would have only laughed if he had pulled his laser and embarrassed himself. Ever-attentive, the Grey warrior notices his better-half in the crowd, waving and calling his name real proud. Suddenly, all is right in his and her world again, as they embrace hotly, giving into loves pain!

As the reunion drags on, a call from above, reaches Cody's radio. "Hey Cody, this is Alina calling from the counterweight. Please inform Carter, or anybody else who cares, that the Apollyon ship's mass is affecting our orbit. It's too close! We need to move that monstrosity, before it pulls the elevator apart! .... _Over_."

"Copy that, Alina! We're on it! It's our new mission!" Cody has a great laugh, adding comment to Carter, who heard the transmission. "I guess you forgot to carry the one, when you calculated the effect that monster might have on others parked nearby."

"My bad." Carter responds as if it were nothing. Reaching, he activates his wristband which he had appropriated onboard the Nerezza, inputting new coordinates for the automated ship to occupy.

Overhead, the massive Apollyon dreadnaught, slowly gives way to a new parking place, miles away, allowing the counterweight to have a nice non-attractive day!

The crowd disperses, allowing Aerima to enjoy a well-deserved reunion. Jax, stays with his new best friend, following her through the fog that protects the ship from our physical laws, and into the glowing saucer.

A queasiness, envelopes his mind. Like a mental sunburn across his psyche sublime. With a shake of his head and determination a plenty, he adjusts to the alternate-universe-nature, his forehead becoming sweaty.

Because the vessel is from a parallel universe not _too_ deviant from our own physical laws, the side-effects of exposure to the other side is minimal. After all, Aerima's ancestors were from Earth. Abducted and marooned on a planet inside another universe, where they adapted and thrived just fine!

# Multiverse entities!

Aerima animates the bridge with her presence. She may be dead of physical body, but her spirits are high, and not past tense. The air is electrified and energized, filled with good vibrations.

She floats calmly within her realm, touring her beloved bridge once again. Reveling in the glory of being home after so long, she swoons at seeing the many science-stations humming along!

Past the helm she lovingly floats, running a ghostly hand across the console. A few tiny sparks from her skull jewelry as emotions peak once again. Then, on to engineering and life-support before approaching her mighty throne in the center of everything. Not wishing to create a strife, she inquires....

"Talus, I know I'm not the same as before, but may I sit in my old chair once more?"

Talus, approaches his old friend, gazing into her ghostly eyes. "My dear, the day will never arrive when you can't sit there. You are the captain of this ship, no matter what. So please, see if it still fits." With a warm smile and wave of an arm, he welcomes the lovely specter to sit.

Aerima melts at the joy of sitting at her old position of power! Memories, flow like soothing waters on a hot day across her ghostly mind. Out of old habit she reaches to bring a control console closer, but her hand goes right through it! Without even contacting one single atom, she just blew it! She tries flipping a nearby switch, but her ghostly digit flows through as if nothing were there!

"Well, I seem to have lost my touch!" She gives a haunting laugh, but the increase in snapping electrons from her head ornament, speaks loudly of her frustration. Knowing her old roll of captain has seen better days, she floats down from the seat, admitting her limitations.

"Mister Jern! I cannot it seems, perform my old duties onboard this ship. Therefore, I relinquish command to you, and hope you can find use of me in some capacity. But please remember.... I don't wash dishes, or clean windows!" A haunting laugh as her temper cools.

"Poor dear Aerima!" Talus pities, knowing how hard those words must have been to say. "I accept the promotion.... Furthermore, as newly enacted captain of the mighty ship Nazqa, I appoint you to be my quartermaster and chief advisor! Now, what _did happen_ to you out there? Where did you live all these past many years?" So many questions to ask!

"I was spying on the Nerezza's bridge, when I was discovered. I ran.... many chased! With no way of shaking them, I chose higher ground, fleeing up a nearby tower. As I climbed, I noticed my weight diminishing! I didn't know that the gravity pumps at the surface were so weak! At the top, I lost my grip and floated helplessly away into the great void above the bridge. Others... the Apollyon's, pursued after donning thruster. It was no contest, no way I could flee! Then suddenly, one swooped in and planted this little thingy!"

She points angrily to her skull dagger, adding. "Well, I can honestly tell you, that ended the chase! Yet, I remained somehow. I don't know how, but I remained! Not being accustomed to my new condition, I watched helplessly as my body was tossed overboard like so much trash! Someplace out there, my frozen remains float through the infinite void."

"Oh Aerima! That's a dreadful story!" Jayleen exclaims, not fully realizing the terrible reality of being a ghost. Having to continually fight off other entities that encroach demandingly. Constantly prying at defenses, looking for that weak spot in her portal to the outside.

Many spirits haven't the power to create their own portals, so prey on the stronger in great numbers, in hopes of hacking a way out. To find juicier haunts!

"Jayleen, you have no idea!" Aerima responds spookily. "I lived in the hanger where the imprisoned ships lay dormant. I learned the ways and temperament of my murderers. They're a dominant race of machines, created by the greys. My new friends call them androids. They kill worlds for a living. They created millions of other machines to make their lives easier, while denying them the luxury of sentience. _We_ were captured by a planet destroying slave ship!"

She continues. "The Apollyon's were reverse engineering stolen technologies from across time and space. I dedicated my efforts to changing the condition of the lowly worker-bots. Give them a chance to win freedom." She informs, adding....

"Then, this fine young man here," she envelopes Jax in a loving embrace of foggy mist, "came to my rescue and invited me into his ship! I want you all to meet Jax.... He was born here on Oberon Prime, but is direct stock from Earth! He enjoys science, loves to walk a high-wire, and his favorite color is electromagnetism!"

Jax, is practically mauled by enthusiastic greetings from those of another universe. "Thanks! It's so nice to meet you all!" He returns the sentiment. "I'm glad you survived your ordeal. I hope we can help you more."

"Aerima," Selza, cut in, "Carter says he and the others will help us get back home, but they _also_ have a war with the Apollyon species. He hopes we'll help with that effort in any way we can. What do you think? For the record, we've already volunteered our services to that end. We hope you'll join us. We need you!"

"I wouldn't miss it for all the dark energy in all the multiverse!" Aerima exclaims excitedly, adding. "What of the little problem on our home world? Did you ask Carter if they could help us with that?" She inquires, knowing that the dilemma their world faces, is probably unchangeable.

Their world Pascora, has been getting hotter lately. Much hotter, in fact! The aged main-sequence-star that supports the planet, has been running out of fuel, expanding into a red giant!

Soon, it will grow to the point of destroying all life on Pascora, and then the planet itself will be devoured mercilessly, before gravity pulls back the inferno, creating a white dwarf.

"We did speak to them about that very subject." Talus responds, adding. "They were of a mind that while it poses great challenges, the problem might be won if we can collect more of those monstrous ships like the Nerezza above."

"We must do everything we can to help." The revitalized spirit suggests. "At the very least, perhaps we can relocate the population to a new world. This world seems nice. There are of course others too. Even Earth herself, might take some. Provided the ecosystem has recovered enough."

"We'll see, Aerima.... We'll see." Terrel repeats sadly, adding. "There are tens of millions. Many won't want to leave their home world.... no matter what."

Jax, hadn't heard of that problem with Aerima's world. He sets his mind spinning, trying to conjure a solution. He'll turn the universe inside out to help his misty new friend!

A look of concern crosses Aerima's gossamer face, as she inquires. "Tell me, Talus. What's with those tiny glowing spheres, flittering around in the trans-medium layer. They're a new addition, that's for sure!"

"I wasn't aware." The new captain admits. "Whatever they are, they've not interfered with the ships systems."

Just then, two of them enter the open hatchway and zip through the bridge as if they owned the place! Stopping and hovering in front of control consoles in a fashion of intelligent intent! At the size of grapefruit, they offer a surprising level of intimidation, as they glowingly exude energy. Amazingly, they offer no discernable heat.

After touring the consoles, the orbs focus on Aerima zipping in and out of her ghostly features without a care in the world! She swats at the pesky critters to no avail, as her efforts fall short of true contact. Giving in, she invitingly holds her ghostly palm out. "I don't sense danger from them." She informs, as one of the kaleidoscopically-glowing energy spheres approaches.

Delicately, it hovers over her palm, as if understanding. Then, they move to hover in front of Jax, singling him out from the others. As the young man tilts his head curiously, they flee as quickly as they arrived, gathering with the others outside the ship, within the energy-field flowing from the ships heart.

Jax's interest is peaked! The tiny spheres of energy are probably from another universe, another dimension, he figures! He had felt a mild buzzing inside his mind, as if there was unfocused contact. "Maybe they latched onto the ship as a way to escape from the Nerezza." They might need help finding home too!"

"Of course!" Jayleen exclaims, instantly liking the dark young man who helped Aerima. "That makes perfect sense! Oh, we must find a way to communicate with them!" She gives Jax a smile that brings a blush to his face. He glows inside, knowing he's found great new friends, and will surely enjoy helping them reach home safely!

"Well," Jax continues, "The first thing, is to go meet the others! Together, we'll overcome all obstacles in our path, _or die trying_! All, except for Aerima of course." He gives a warm wink as they turn to exit.

Off to the side yet still within the illuminated fog, the now much calmer energy spheres hover in formation, giving a sense that they'll hold the fort.... or perhaps maybe just steal it!

"I feel funny about leaving the ship like this." Talus, whispers to Aerima. "We don't know what to expect from our new friends over there."

"Well, I can't read them either." She admits, adding. "It seems we'll just have to trust they won't turn on us and steal the ship. Somehow, I don't think we could stop them if they did have a mind to do so."

"You're right of course. Now, don't forget where we parked!" Talus exclaims, getting a laugh from his companions. Reaching over his shoulder with a remote-fob, he clicks and closes the ships hatch with a cosmic double-chirp.

With that, Aerima dissolves into a cloud of smoke, entering back into Jax's backpack, where she always feels more at home! It had been a harrowing, and energy intensive reunion. She's drained, barely able to keep the portal of her realm secured. Relaxing, she absorbs needed energies from the young man so near. Energies he'll barely miss....

The group finds everyone gathered at the Einstein commons. Preparations for a major celebration are well-underway. The guests of honor with the fancy spaceship get treated like royalty, enjoying the first real food they've had in many a century!

Shortly thereafter, Razzi and Surri enter the commons with spears and full hunting regalia. Hunting in the valley when the firestorm breached the skies, they drop in to see what's what.

Circling over and around their furry heads, a dozen of the fiery orbs, flitter this way and that, offering quite a spectacle! Many people shade their eyes from the radiating energy.

"Surri! Razzi!" Amy, yells greeting. "Oh my! I like your hats!" Her spoken words are meaningless to the furry visitors, but her thoughts speak loudly and clearly. She becomes the spoken channel for Surri's communication to the many humans who had gathered.

"Hello Amy! Hello to all!" Surri greets via _esp_ and a chorus of purrs and chirps, which are understood by the androids. Razzi adds. "We were coming into your village, when we came upon these others! They're of a different realm and ask for help finding home."

"You can understand them?" Jax, inquires excitedly.

"They have minds not dissimilar from ours but have been freed from the need of flesh and bones." Surri offers her new friends a place to hover, adding....

"They've evolved beyond the need of physical bodies. They say that the Apollyon's abducted them from within their own realm and placed them in magnetic storage. When Carter was messing around inside the menagerie, he unwittingly set them free from the force field that imprisoned them. They followed him to the Nazqa, hoping for help.

Hearing his name, and taking positive credit for an error, Carter stands tall, taking a bow all around. Turning to the glowing orbs, he says....

"It was my pleasure to mess-up in reverse, setting you free upon our universe. Do you have a name for your species?" Turning back to Surri, he notices the young female is deep in concentration with the group of alien beings.

"They are of an interdimensional species, known as the Noxxa." She reports proudly.

"Interdimensional species?" Cooper, inquires, feeling an electric buzz in her mind as she tries to contact directly. To no avail, the effort remains tantalizingly elusive.

"They are not of this universe, nor the next. They are from someplace in between."

"Like the slipstream, perhaps?" Max, asks.

Surri concentrates again, her furry snout twisting as if she smells a thought. "They know not of the slipstream, yet they say their domain exists between universes."

"Oh, well that sure sounds like the slipstream. Or like Aerima's realm, perhaps!" Jax, postulates of his sparky friend who remains quietly inside his backpack, recouping lost energies that he exudes in abundance.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the Noxxa's realm, is parallel to Aerima's." Nyla interjects wisely.

Razzi comes out of what seemed like a trance, adding. "Their life-force is gathered from what's known as dark-energy and dark-matter. They tell me these ghostly phenomena of nature, extend like scaffolding throughout the multiverse, binding everything together and tearing it apart at the same time. They are ancient beings. Many are millions of years old."

"How is it they were able to be captured and imprisoned?" Kara inquires skeptically of such advanced beings.

"This is unknown. They know not, how it occurred." Razzi says through a haze of concentration. "They have evolved beyond the need for defenses. At least they hadn't a need, until the Apollyon broke into their realm, harvesting without mercy."

Wil, inquires. "Do they understand, that it might take considerable time before we can find a solution to their problem? That we have many other pressing issues, such as finding and stopping Apollyon ships from attacking other worlds in this universe for example."

Razzi searches for an answer. Finally, a welcome response. "They understand. They wish to assist the ending of the Apollyon scourge, if possible. They understand that no universe, no realm, can be safe with these greedy creatures roaming about."

With that, one of the spheres shoots forth, coming to hover if front of Thana's face! The shiny Apollyon bravely stands her ground, resisting the urge to swat the glowing fly who encroaches so rudely!

With shiny chin held high, she says with conviction. "I am sorry for what my people have done to you. There is no excuse, except to say that I have changed my ways. I am no longer a threat to you or your friends. I will help you find peace, if possible."

"Well now, that's a most positive attitude, Thana!" Wil, responds happily, patting her on the back. Turning to the orb, he says. "Welcome to Oberon Prime! I hope we can make you comfortable while we figure things out."

With that, the Noxxa inform that they must return to the trans-dimensional fog-layer of the Nazqa. Too long away, too long exposed to this universe, is energy draining, even by dark energy standards! While dark energy is basically the same from universe to universe, and all points in-between, the differing flavors take a while to get used to!

Baby steps. Baby steps and patience; these are the main tools of those wishing to acclimate and endure alternate realms. Like sinking slowly into too a hot bath, eventually you make it past the heated wrath!

_The next day, inside the mountain of bent physics_.... "Talia, hand me the adrenaline injector." Omari requests, his hands busy with inserting an intravenous needle into his patient's arm.

More than anything, the waking Grey soldier requires fluids after the long sleep. Now that Gort is back, Esty calls for her other six companions to be roused from their long slumber.

So far, three have been revived successfully, and with Gort's help, are getting used to the idea that things have drastically changed. Especially, the fact that their beloved commander is now a mechanical nightmare!

Not a terrible looking nightmare though! In fact, quite lovely they think. Yet the fact that she has become a machine, is a torment not easily removed from their minds. Hatred runs deeply against the Apollyon scourge, and thusly also against any other sentient _machines_!

Thought of the successful capture of an Apollyon ship, is a sweet thing. A sweet thing indeed! Nothing like it has ever occurred in the history of the Grey species. At least as far as any of them know, it hasn't. They've been out of commission for a long time though, and still no word from home worlds!

If the war against the machines has changed in their favor on this side of the galaxy, perhaps it hadn't turned so nicely for the home worlds. Dreadful thoughts of planetary destruction goes through the minds of those that have freshly awakened.

Upon hearing Gort's encouraging words, they begin to understand that Commander Esty is of a mind to find out what's what! And that's a comforting thought for those still weak and helpless.

Nyla, enters the cryo-compartment, approaching Omari and his team. "The others are resting comfortably, Omari. Gort's preparing them to meet Thana and the others."

"Oh, I sure want to be there when they come face to face with Thana! I hope Gort prepares them well for that one!" Omari exclaims with a gleam in his eye.

"And what about Aerima?" Talia wonders aloud. "Won't she send them into orbit! I mean, _bang zoom, straight to the moon_!" Everyone has a great laugh as the waking alien on the gurney, begins to stir.

"Okay, this guy is coming out of it." Omari warns. "We better get him into Gort's care."

Days pass uneventfully. All six sleepers re-animate successfully and are gaining strength quickly. One fine morning, Gort arrives with Thana in tow. The room was filled with chatter, but when they get a mug-full of the dreaded Apollyon, a person could hear an atom drop!

Gort had prepared them with description, but actually seeing her beautiful mirror-like features, leaves them dumbstruck! Love struck! They can't get enough of her sexy glow!

She easily wins their hearts and minds, just as Esty also makes progress to that end. And with help from Surri and Razzi, the newly revived crewmembers have a mental link with their human counterparts too, when an android is unavailable for translation.

# A Toothy this way comes!

_Three lightyears away, on Titania Alpha_ , Nolan and Keith are celebrating their 21st birthday! Not in the usual fashion one might consider average. Living on a wild planet with hundreds of hungry mouths to feed, they hunt for meat on a daily basis.

Nolan is the eldest human on the planet, by a day. He was the first to get a _spark of encouragement_ on his tiny bottom, and first to cry bloody murder on an alien world!

His defiant wail is stuff of legend among the android scientists who grew him. It scared them out of their circuits! They suspected the poor animal had been born broken!

Grown artificially, yet with loving care, he along with Keith and 48 others, were born within a week of each other.

To help maintain sanity in their circuits, the adopting android parents picked one date for all their tiny little birthdays. It's not easy making ends meet on a hostile new world, even for seemingly tireless android parents!

"Keith, go around that way. I'll scout this side and meet you at the ledges beyond." Nolan directs whisperingly as they reach a rock outcropping that splits the jungle. They've been on a Toothy's trail all morning, but it went cold just prior to the big obstacle.

"Keep yer eyes peeled and remember to stay downwind. Those Toothy's can smell a fart in a tornado!" He warns quietly, of the 6-ton juvenile they stalk.

"You don't have to tell me something I've known, _since like forever_!" Keith, retorts with a huff. Birthdays are the worst, he thinks! Of all days throughout the year, it's the _birthday_ , that Nolan chooses to act most condescendingly to his stepsiblings.

Being Nolan's best friend of the bunch, he receives more than his fair share of abuse!

"I know, I know. Jeez, don't get yer hackles in a knot! I'm just trying to keep my kid brother from being eaten, is all." Nolan has the last word, as he heads off, chuckling under his breath.

Hunting what seems to be a lone youngster, an easy kill, can often bite one in the ass, as adults can pop out of thin air it seems! Turning the tables on who eats who! And when a Toothy bite's you in the ass.... you usually stay bitten!

Titania Alpha, unlike the much tamer Oberon Prime, is a wonderland of treacherous creatures! Sometimes big and toothy, with more than a hint of extreme meanness.

Or more often.... small, fanged, and filled with lovely venom!

The planet is a true challenge for the pioneers from Earth. Many an android had ended up on the menu during the early days of learning about the Toothy monsters.

Wingless, yet resembling a colorfully feathered T-Rex, the flightless monsters learned the hard way that electricity just doesn't taste very good!

Biting into a juicy android, is the culinary equivalent of _tasting the sound of nails on a chalkboard._ Not an easily forgotten flavor!

Most of the androids who fell to the fierce animal's teeth, were able to recover after extensive repairs. But the humans.... well, the humans are tasty bite sized McEarthlings, that always go down greasily and screamily! With just the right amount of boney crunchiness!

The day grows hot! The star above, bakes the two young men who hunt so stealthily. Each taking the necessary time to stalk cautiously, knowing they are the alpha-species on the playing field, only because of wit, and the lasers they wield.

The powerful laser-rifles can usually win the day. Whereas the danger involved with failure to kill first, heats the psyche more than the radiation from the star above! Also, being 15-miles outside the safety of the electrified fence protecting the habitats, only adds to the anxiety!

Although they've been hunting the Toothy's for years, rarely do the safari's end without a flash of one's life, before one's eyes!

While lasers can truly ' _reach out and touch_ ', the thick jungle environment makes for close-quarter combat, without much elbow room when the photons hit the fan! Mistakes with aim, usually don't end well for those who hunt the biggest of the big!

The jungle, quickly swallows the young men as they split-up, hoping to reunite at a point beyond. Hot sticky air and pesky insects make for a most unenjoyable time for both. To make matters worse, frightened birds along the way, screech horribly at having their home turf violated. Stealthy stalking for the most part, is not in the cards on this jungled planet!

Soon, noises tell Nolan of something big moving along the ancient migratory trail up ahead. A flicker of feathery movement ahead! A trembling of the ground! Both speak volumes to Nolan that he may have underestimated his prey this day!

Adrenaline, flows torrentially through the young man's veins, freezing his heart!

Heartbeat doubles, as the big animal had turned around and is now very close! A stench of bad breath wafts through the air! The table had turned!

Stopping, cold-fear grips Nolan's heart! He checks the setting on his rifle, making sure it's set to well-done! Then, to make matters worse, a blood-curdling scream from the other side of the outcropping!

Nolan, lunges for higher ground!

"Keith! .... Keith! .... I'm on the way!" He yells manically, scrambling up the side of the rock-face! Rarely does he second-guess his hunting strategy, but he cursedly does so now! They should have never split-up!

He climbs just ahead of his own brand of trouble, as the young Toothy he was stalking, is now viscously nipping at his heels! Tremendous screeches of pure hatred, and copious globs of stanky saliva, flings onto his boots and legs!

Slipperingly Nolan scrambles for dear life!

The hunt has turned sour, his brother's life is in danger! To make matters worse, an ill-tempered hungry beast, claws at the rock face just inches under his feet! One slip, and the ferocious creature will enjoy a juicy Nolan-Mcnugget for lunch! No dipping sauce needed!

"Keith! .... Keith!" He yells again, his boots slipping as he goes. Fingers grasping, he's soon a safe distance above the nipping monster!

"Nolan! Be careful!" Comes a weak warning from the other side. "There's another Toothy around here! _At least one_!"

Keith's words are strained and painfully yelled, but at least he's still alive, Nolan thinks! A cacophony of blood-curdling roars, flows from Keith's general vicinity, telling of the madness and fury that awaits!

Nolan, scrambles crosses the top of the outcropping, gazing with pointed laser into the jungle below. "Keith! Are you okay? Say something!"

"Nolan! I'm down here! It's really bad, Nolan! I'm not gonna make it!" The chilling words echo in the canyon, freezing Nolan's heart!

"Don't talk like that Keith! .... Okay, I see you! Hang in there, man!" Scanning below, Keith can be seen feebly waving a bloodied shirt from the upper reaches of a tree. Below him, a brightly feathered juvenile Toothy of 6-tons, circles sniffingly. So proud of its newfound skills!

Nolan shoulders his rifle, taking aim like he's never taken aim before! With shaky pressure on the trigger, he unleashes the weapons terrible energy!

Fire and brimstone strike the unsuspecting creature with deadly authority! The searing beam penetrates without mercy into the side of the beast's ribcage, just where it's mighty heart would be hidden deeply!

It drills and cauterizes a shaft of smoky destruction! Right through the monster's giblets it does! Putting a merciful end to the rage it was pouring into the world that day!

"Faraday! .... Faraday! .... Emergency! .... Emergency! .... Is anybody listening over there?" Nolan shrieks into his radio, before making the dangerous descent to assist Keith.

"Nolan? Is that you?" Kimora answers bewilderingly. "Where are you? What's the emergency?"

"Keith is down, Kimora! .... Keith is hurt _really bad_! .... We're in the devil's canyon, a half-click south of the migratory crossway's intersection! Do you know where that is?"

"I do! Now tell me, how bad is Keith hurt?"

"Not sure! I can't get to him yet. He says it's bad.... _so, it's bad_! A Toothy got a hold of him, but he escaped up a tree! There's more of those monsters in the area too!"

"Okay! Okay! .... I'm sending in a chopper! Put out a smoke-flair when you get the chance, and good luck!"

"Thanks Kimora! Tell them to hurry! .... Nolan out!"

The desperate young hunter has a hard time seeing the entire area around Keith's position. Should he climb down into danger, or stay aloft and try to pick off any Toothy's that approach the tree?

Turns out, Keith makes the decision for him, by falling from his lofty perch! The lad hung on for as long as possible, but blood-loss, fatigue and gravity, have their merciless way.

Fortunately, Keith lands on top of the fallen monster that had caused his injuries. With a solid plop, his fall is broken by the creature's flexible ribcage.

"Keith!" Nolan, yells frantically starting the arduous climb down the rock face. Keith doesn't move as he lays sprawled across the monster.

Movement nearby, speaks of others coming in for a well-deserved meal!

Nolan, reaches the bottom, hacking his way with machete through the thick jungle undergrowth towards Keith. Reaching his brother, he climbs to his side, checking for vital signs. They are weak, but present!

Infinite joy goes through Nolan's mind! At the same time, off in the distance, a staccato of tortured air, tells that help is on the way! Except, he and Keith are now sitting ducks with no place to hide, and only one laser!

Beneath them, the drilled Toothy pours delicious steak-molecules into the air aplenty! Perhaps masking the human-odor, perhaps not. It doesn't matter, as all goes quiet. Even the ever-present insects fear to make noise!

Stealthily, three sets of claws, part the jungle growth surrounding the gruesome scene.

Enormous, Toothy-filled snouts protrude menacingly from the thick foliage, sniffing for what's on the menu. Grunts of satisfaction go between the beasts, as they see the wonderful meal that awaits!

"Come and get it!" Nolan screams, sitting atop a fallen beast, protecting his best friend in the whole universe! He realizes this might just be his and Keith's last birthday!

Taking aim at the closest monster, he saves energy by aiming short blasts at the monster's eyes. Then, the photons really hit the fan!

The day before this harrowing event, and 3-lightyears away on Oberon Prime, two flying saucers are readied for another mission.

The dirty dozen, a handful of androids, and the recently animated Grey soldiers, work feverishly to re-fit the ships with necessary equipment and supplies.

The plan is to visit the last known worlds of Esty's people, in order to find out just what might have happened to the once powerful species.

Esty and Gort, get first dibs on finding home. _Seniority rules_ , even in the deepest depths of space! That, plus they own the ships and that counts for a lot! They'll get the first chance at _clicking-their-heels_ for finding home.

The others are all too happy to wait their turn and help where they can. Only the Revenge, and the multiverse saucer Nazqa, will be making this journey of discovery. The six convalescing greys will sit this mission out, gaining strength for future duties.

"Are you sure about this course, Esty?" Nyla inquires, as she squints mockingly at the planned trajectory. "It just seems like an extra-risky strategy."

"Did somebody say 'extra-crispy recipe'?" Braxton inquires jokingly from the navigation console where he and Magnus work. Lunchtime is overdue, his stomach growls in protest!

"You know I didn't, Mister Braxton Crane." Mother android, answers matter of factly. Checking her internal clock, she embarrassingly notices the reason for the young man's angst. "Well I'll be a monkey's aunt, it's later than I thought. Take everyone and have lunch. The ships will still be here when you get back."

Then turning back to Esty, she asks. "Have you ever tried this route before?"

"Many times, and in these very ships, too! But it does have risks. We'll just have to be careful. If successful, we'll save more fuel and time than you can ever imagine."

"Risks?" Wil's, interest spikes. "Miss Esty! Just what kind of risks can there possibly be with using Sagittarius A-star in a sling-drift maneuver? I mean, really! .... Who in their right circuits would mess with a black hole? Especially a supermassive one!" He huffs incredulously, suspecting the lovely little Grey android has finally fallen off her rocker. For his rude effort, an elbow in his side from his better half, speaks to his rude behavior.

"We must double-triple-check our navigational data before going in. If our calculations are off by even the slice of an atom, that black hole will enjoy a screaming treat."

She says with her best poker face, adding. "The benefits greatly outweigh the risks, as the maneuver will literally shave years off the journey. Besides, you might not be aware, but traveling any other route through the galaxy, is nearly as dangerous. There's a lot of space in outer space, and it's not all fluffy clouds of hydrogen gas, or beautiful nebula, that I can tell you!"

"Okay, okay. You got me there, Esty." Wil acquiesces, not wishing to jerk her chains about something she understands better than himself. "I trust your judgment, my good friend, although sometimes it's not an easy thing to do!"

Gort who is nearby, puts his hand on Wil's shoulder, clickity-clacketing words of understanding. More than once, he had dived in headfirst, to carry out one of Esty's wild plans. Many of the poor fellow's scars, are results of some of Esty's less wonderful schemes!

"Thanks, Gort." Wil, replies using the alien's own clickity-clackity language. "You'll have to tell me more about those stories someday." Giving a chuckle, he gets _the look_ from Esty.

"What about the debris field surrounding the singularity?" Nyla inquires, bring focus to the subject once again. "Won't that be like flying through a cosmic sandblaster?"

"We'll be within the slipstream, so there's less chance of interaction with debris."

" _Less chance_?! .... _Less chance_?!" Wil rubs his temples, still not believing what the commander suggests. To go up against the gargantuan power of a black hole, seems like suicide. Not to mention going up against one that's at least 4-million-times the mass of Oberon Primes own star!

The slightest deviation from planned trajectory, will mean being flung off violently in the wrong direction.... or be pulled into an infinity-deep gravitational abyss and crushed into pure nothingness!

Esty, realizes how difficult if must be for the mechanical earthlings to wrap their circuits around such an idea, but she and her mighty ship have done it before, and she's confident it can be done again.

"Trust me."

"Well, at least Titania Alpha is on the way." Nyla reminds Wil of the brighter side of the journey. "We'll be able to see our old friends, before we put our feet to the fire!" She jokes, forcing herself to come to grips with the idea too.

She didn't enjoy putting the lives of her children in such peril, but if one chooses to live in outer space, dangers will constantly rule.

Like a dark shadow that threatens from behind, and beckons from ahead. To try and hide from the dangers, is akin to sticking your head in the cosmic sand.

Besides, in the short time she's known the piratical little mechanical alien, she's learned to respect her judgement on faith alone. And on that faith, the next journey to the stars, casts off early the next morning. Carter and android Tina stay behind to work the Apollyon ship, wishing they could go with!

Ahead, Titania Alpha illuminates the Revenge's circle-monitor. She's a beautiful blue-green gem, in a frozen void. The aft monitor shows a beautiful array of stars. One of which, is Huon, the star of Oberon Prime, where their journey had begun just an hour earlier.

Another dot of light, closing fast from behind, is the saucer from another dimension, the Nazqa. She's being piloted by her original crew, plus Jax, who is now part of that crew, not willing to leave Aerima's side.

While Oberon and Titania are celestial neighbors, the gulf that separates them is nearly beyond comprehension, at 18-trillion-miles or so. In fact, using earthling technologies, it's an 11,000-year journey! Yet in the Queen Anne's Revenge; only a little more than an hour, at FTL velocities.

# Interstellar medivac!

Titania Alpha looms large! The monstrous counterweight of the space elevator shines brightly like a moon to close, as they perform their centrifugal duties. The cable-bundle that stretches to the planet, is sunlight-illuminated more like a laser beam than a spiraling conglomeration of nano-fibers as it cuts the fluffy clouds.

Joined at the hips, the retired starships that delivered the Payne and Faraday's gliding-saucers, along with the Democritus which brought the fixin's for the space elevator, put enormous forces on the cable system that stretches to the planet, 500-miles below.

"Faraday habitat, this is Nyla. Do you copy?" Nyla calls, hoping the video-feed is compatible.

The monitor lights up with the lovely yet shocked face of Kimora.

"Nyla? .... My goodness!" Comes a grand befuddlement! "You know we can't have a live conversation! You're 3-lightyears away, for crying out loud!"

Nyla has a great chuckle! While she hates to just pop in on people, there's was no other way. It didn't do any good to radio from Oberon Prime, as the signal would take 3 years to arrive. Whereas the journey in the ship, only took about an hour at FTL.

In fact, shortly after leaving Oberon Prime, the ship passed the tip of the slow-moving transmission sent months earlier, telling of the discoveries inside the mountain of bent physics. Being unable to transmit while in warp, Nyla and her friends arrive with a big surprise!

"I hope you're sitting down, Kimora. Because, by all the stars do I have a surprise for you! Firstly, I'm inbound from Oberon Prime! We'll be there in no time! No time at all!"

" _What_?! Inbound from Oberon Prime, you say?! You'll be here in no time, you say?! .... How can this be?! .... Nyla? Is that truly you?!" Kimora rubs her eyes and looks again. "Yep! That's you!"

She tries to absorb the news without blowing a circuit breaker, but it's not easy! Perhaps the universe is playing a cruel joke, she ponders! In a last-ditch effort to end such foolishness, she inquires of the cosmic hallucination....

"Okay Miss FTL smarty-pants, what's the password, or we blow you out of the sky!"

"Damn the torpedoes, full-steam ahead!" Nyla, belts it out with a mighty laugh, adding. "Or if you prefer.... Damn the photon's, full-fusion ahead!"

"My stars! It is you! And we're having a live conversation! .... Okay! I'm going to go have a nervous breakdown now!" She pauses, feeling like she might actually have one.

Wil puts his handsome mug on the screen. "Now don't go and do a thing like that, Kimora. Not before we get to show you our shiny new ships!"

"Wil? .... My my, this just keeps getting better! _Ships_ you say? As in plural?"

"Yes, my dear." He replies kindly, adding. "We also have the dirty dozen with us, along with a few more that you haven't met yet. We'll be there in a few minutes, so _please_ deactivate the defenses for us. We don't want to be blown back to Oberon Prime, before we get a chance to visit." He has a great laugh, adding. "Is Carly and Bryce with you?"

A long pause.... "Uh, no.... no they're not. You see, we're having a medical emergency down here, and it involves Carla and Bryce's boys Nolan and Keith. They had a run-in with some Toothy's yesterday. It doesn't look good, Wil .... they're both on life support."

"The devil you say!" Wil, exclaims. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Kimora.... However, my dear. We're getting close, so I must break the transmission. We'll see you soon. Wil out." He ends with heavy circuits and head hung low....

"Something tells me that we got the better-end of the bad-planet stick." Nyla responds to the horrible news, that curbed her enthusiasm so effectively. Poor boys, she thinks! She has seen video of the Toothy creatures and can't think of a more horrific way to go!

"Now, don't lose hope so quickly, Nyla." Omari, comforts from nearby. "Kimora didn't say they were dead. So, let's keep our hopes up. They have the best doctors available!

"Esty, hull temps climbing out of the green-range." Toby informs, as the Queen Anne's Revenge, rips the upper atmosphere of Titania Alpha a new corn shoot. "Leading edge temps at 2500 degrees and climbing rapidly."

"Copy that, Miss Sullivan." Esty acknowledges, adding. "Mister Crane, increase slipstream by 5% for the rest of the entry. We don't want to sonic-blast anyone down there."

"Aye Aye, commander. Sorry, I should've anticipated that." Outside, the electronic fog thickens, taking the ship slightly more out of phase with our universe. Now, the sleek machine sinks deeply into the ever-thickening airmass that clings nakedly to the planet's surface.

No sonic boom rips the air, even though they travel at many multiples the speed of sound. Bernoulli's alien cousin once again misses out with assisting the sexily shaped airfoil achieve lift. Never one to quit trying, the powerful phenomenon of Mother Nature, will be there if called upon, always enjoying a challenge. Never saying no!

"No need for apology, Mister Crane. You and Mister Teach are doing fine. You'll get the hang of it eventually. Now, pay attention so's not to fly us into the planet." She gives a cackling chuckle, and a wink to Talia, who sits white-knuckled with a relaxed Omari at life-support.

Alongside the Queen, the Nazqa has caught up, keeping pace and matching the Queen's out of phase condition. Soon the thickly jungled surface of Titania Alpha comes into sharper detail.

Compared to Oberon Prime, it's a veritable tossed salad of vegetation and rugged terrain. From high up, the landscape looks like a fuzzy pincushion, as tall trees blanket the surface from horizon to horizon. Thick vegetation fills in any gaps.

Few oceans break the scenery on this side of the planet, offering a primitive look compared to home.

"We have a visual on the habitats." Adam informs, increasing magnification.

Still far below, the Faraday and Payne habitats can be seen at the end of the ugly landing scar they created long ago. While Mother Nature had done an excellent job of covering the miles-long-divot in the planet's surface, she couldn't fully erase the wound so quickly.

"Copy that, Adam." Esty, acknowledges as she peers at what seems like a nearly duplicate set-up as back on Oberon Prime. Secretly, she pities the species that seems so backwards in technology, while also admiring the bravery it takes to at least try.

"Take us in, helm."

"Aye Aye, commander." Braxton acknowledges, leveling the flying saucer off at 500-feet, and slowing to a crawl. Below, the thick jungle of Titania Alpha slips leisurely past. Ahead, the tall electrified fence surrounding the settlements, is easily identified.

Passing over the perimeter, the Revenge and Nazqa come upon a large group of humans and androids awaiting their arrival. Many more are moving in from the fields, where crops grow like weeds!

Clearly, none on the ground have ever witnessed such display of flying technology, as many of the younger humans hide in fear behind android parents who also wonder about backing away!

Others stand transfixed with jaws agape, as the flying saucers, each bathed in electronic fog, come to hover a short distance away. Many put hands to chest, as the powerful heartbeats of the two machines, kick powerfully. The air is electrified. Goosebumps spread like wildfire!

"There's not much in the way of landing pad." Magnus informs.

"Do your best, Mister Teach. Don't be afraid to bend some plants if necessary." Esty directs.

"Aye Aye. Here goes something!" He responds, maneuvering the ship to an area of low vegetation, hoping for a solid enough spot. Lowering the squat landing gear, he eases the heavy machine down. The Nazqa follows suit, landing next door with a ground-rumbling rhythmic throb.

Upon opening the Queens main hatch, an otherworldly scent, flows inside. A nice scent of growing vegetation and humidity from another world!

Nyla and Wil exit to a hero's welcome! Kimora is there with her mate Jace. Adak and Avery are also among the happy greeters. Adak having been restored to showroom condition years earlier, after his infamous run-in with an angry papa-Toothy.

Unfortunately, humans don't repair as well as machines do. Nolan and Keith are now finding that out the hard way!

"It's been too long!" Nyla exclaims ecstatically.

"Oh, my stars! I can't believe my circuits!" Kimora responds, embracing her old friends.

"My, what fine ships you have!" Adak, exclaims wondrously, greeting the visitors.

The androids in the group of Titanian's, being from Earth originally, are more shocked at what comes out of the flying saucers, than the shock of seeing the impossible machines! The dirty dozen, files out of the Revenge wavingly, smilingly, reminding of the human friends back on Earth that had died so long before. Much younger versions, but nice versions just the same!

"By all the supernovae and black holes above! Don't you kids bring back memories!" Avery exclaims, hugging each one. While she hadn't met the ancestors of Amy or Magnus, they got equal hugs anyway, just for being there!

Then, Razzi, Surri, Raznalli and Linmarri, exit the ship, stunning the crowd really good! Their furry, feline attributes, melt the hearts of those nearby, including Avery who exclaims. "Oh my! Who are these little cuties, Wil?"

"Everyone!" He yells above the crowd noise. "Meet our good friends from Oberon Prime! They are of the Zenarawan clan. They are known as people of the forest. They love snuggling, and their favorite color is sunshine!" He yells out their names.

Of course, Esty and Gort must make an appearance too! Oh, but didn't they freak everyone out! It's the first time any of the inhabitants of Titania Alpha had ever seen Grey aliens, and these two are real head-turners!

Reaching, Wil lifts Esty's arm, bringing her to her booted tiptoes. "This is Esty! She's an android but used to be biologic! She owns this fine ship! She loves science and piracy! And her favorite color is gold!"

Then, turning to Gort, who already has his arm held high in greeting. "This fierce-looking warrior from beyond the stars, is called Gort! He is pirate by nature, and also Esty's bodyguard. His favorite colors are laser light and Saint Elmo's fire! Please, give it up for our good friends from the other side of the galaxy!"

The crowd goes wild! None of the humans had experienced such excitement in their lives. This day will go down in the record books, that's for sure, and they hadn't even met Aerima yet! Nor the dark matter/energy beings that are still inside the Nazqa's idling reactor, where they always feel more at home away from home!

"Also," Wil yells again as Myrna and her friends exit the ship, "this lovely human is named Myrna! She and her friends Joanne, Randy and Heath are from ancient earth! A place once called Kansas! They love to party, and their favorite color is beer and the milky way!" More cheers as attention is turned to the other ship.

Nyla, at seeing the main hatch on the Nazqa open, revealing Jax through the hazy fog, gives an introduction. "Everyone! Everyone!" She yells, waving her arms. "We have with us today, another ship, another set of new friends, and another of my kids! Please welcome my son Jax, and our friends from beyond this universe!" As Jax exits with a wave, the energy-beings follow, floating in formation, just behind the young man!

The crowd falls silent! So quiet is the scene, the flapping of bird's wings in the far distance, can be heard. Jaws fall open, as Jax and the orbs make their way through the parting crowd. Inside his backpack, Aerima peeks out from her little fort, not wishing to be put on public display this day.

Jax, indicates his new friends with a wave of a hand. "These are of the species known as the Noxxa! They are based on concentrated dark matter and energy! As you might guess, they are not from around here!" A raucous round of applause explodes from the stunned natives!

Following closely behind Jax and the orbs, crewmembers of the Nazqa file out. They'll enjoy only a brief time visiting while outside the protection of the electronic fog that protects the ship and crew from our laws of physics.

"And these fine people are not from around here either!" Jax yells. "They are from another universe! Please welcome Captain Talus Jern, First officer Terrel, and their lovely pilots/engineers Selza and Jayleen!"

Another round of welcoming applause, but the joyous occasion is short-lived, as the topic of the day soon reverts to the disaster that's befallen Nolan and Keith.

"How are the boys, Kimora?" Omari inquires as they make their way through the crowd towards the Faraday habitat.

"There hasn't been much change since the attack. They got tore up pretty good, lots of blood loss and internal damage. Doctor Kincaid induced coma, hoping to stabilize them slowly."

"Oh dear! Those poor kids!" Doctor Talia exclaims her medical opinion.

"Well, at least they're getting the best medical treatment on the planet!" Omari inputs. "Doctor Kincaid is an incredible physician."

Inside the Faraday, the mood is somber. Bryce and Carla are nearly at wits-end, trying to cope with the disaster. "Oh, I can't believe it's you!" Carla says with heavy circuits, as she and Bryce embrace their long-lost friends from Earth. "This all seems like a dream!"

"I wish it were under better circumstances." Nyla sympathizes. "I'm so sorry about the boys, Carla. If only there were some way, we could help."

She thinks of the time-valve but knows it would be much too dangerous to attempt a modification of the timeline. Especially when they might not have sufficient quantities for the job. Someday perhaps, but she realizes that to mess with the timeline whenever life takes a bad turn, would eventually bite them in the ass.

Jax, clears his throat and intervenes. "Uh, Nyla. Razzi says he's in communication with the energy beings. They wish to approach Nolan and Keith, to see if they might be of assistance."

Bryce and Carla had been too grieved to notice much about the new friends in their midst. The cafeteria where they have gathered is full to the brim with a plethora of strange beings. Four bipedal cat-like creatures, two Grey aliens of which one is an android, four humanoid beings from another dimension, four humans from Kansas, and a dozen energy-beings in the corner, make for a surreal scene! And they hadn't met the lovely Aerima yet!

Nyla ponders the request, but not for long. Turning to her sad friends, who seem confused, she offers. "Perhaps it couldn't hurt. I've just recently met the beings, but I get the feeling that if they wanted to cause mischief, they could bring it. I think we can trust them to do no harm."

Bryce and Carla approach the group of pulsating orbs. Carla reaches; hand open, palm up. The nearest energy ball floats to her, hovering over but not touching her palm. Mother android gets a sense of peaceful intent from the creature. "It is very nice to meet you. I welcome any assistance you can offer."

Jax, feels a spark of energy flicker against his back. It's a familiar feeling. One that Aerima brings when she desires to come forth. Before Nyla can work out the details with Bryce and Carla, Jax extends his intrusion. "Also, .... Aerima requests an audience."

"Aerima?" Carla inquires, not having been informed of any other guests.

"Carla, Bryce, please brace yourself. Aerima is a close friend of Jax. In fact, she's a close friend to all of us. She's not of this universe, nor of other universes either, but someplace in between.... She's a ghost. Try not to stare at the dagger sticking out of her head. She's a little conscientious about that."

After seeing her grieved friends perk up at such a silly idea, she turns to Jax. "Okay Jax, summon her forth."

Aerima understands the gravity of the situation. She eases herself out of the backpack with grace and poise, not wishing to create a panic. The compartment temperature drops like a rock, but Carla and Bryce are too shocked at seeing her misty features, to take notice of the frigidness.

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Bryce exclaims, astonishment filling his circuits!

"Oh my!" Carla reacts, unable to curb her angst before re-focusing!

"Miss Aerima.... I presume?"

"Greetings, Carla. Greetings to all. Yes, I am Aerima. I am saddened by your situation." The lovely spirit responds. "I too wish to see the ones who suffer. I might gain insight about their condition."

Bryce, approaches Aerima's fridge phantom of otherworldliness, putting his hand into the transmuted spirit realm where she exits. Pulling out a frosty hand, he has a tough time processing the phenomenon.

Regaining focus, he says. "My dear Aerima. It is an honor to meet you. Any friend of Jax and Nyla, is a friend of ours. Please, follow us." The heartfelt greeting is translated into _esp_ by Razzi and transferred into the group of orbs. Bryce and Carla lead the way through the habitat, and into the medical bay.

The two young men lay peacefully, enjoying the bliss of induced coma, bandages covering a plethora of sutured wounds. All manner of tubes, electronic sensors, life support monitors, and intravenous drips, make for a harrowing scene!

Doctor Kincaid and his team, back away in shock at seeing the many energy orbs and Aerima enter the room with feline escorts.

"It's okay doctors." Bryce puts their minds at ease. "They're with me."

The group of energy beings approach the beds, moving slowly above each of the patients, not touching the bodies, but remotely inspecting at a molecular level. The air becomes electrified at their passing.

Aerima also approaches the young men, her long flowing hair blowing in a non-existent wind. She slowly changes shape, condensing into a tiny ball of light about the size of a BB, and losing the chill that's usually associated with her.

In this altered state, the spirit from another dimension, eases herself into the head of Nolan, disappearing totally! Gasps flow from the many who witness, but within moments, she leaves Nolan and enters Keith.

Soon, the medical examination is complete. Aerima changes back into her usual wispy form, weak from energy-loss. Razzi is deep in concentration, learning what the energy beings had found.

"The Noxxa have reported that they believe young men will not live long. The injuries are too many, too severe. They have repaired what they could, but the damage is beyond their ability to do more." Razzi sits hard on the floor, his energy drained from the mental contact.

Aerima joins the medical diagnosis. "I agree with the Noxxa. I found the minds to be intact, but they know the end is near. Each seeks a path to the other side."

" _The other side? .... The other side?"_ Carla inquires confusedly. "Is that what I think it is?"

"They seek a path into the spirit world." Aerima clarifies. "They wanted to go with me, but it's not their time yet. Soon, they will find their way, and be gone from this universe."

"Oh my! What can be done?!" Carla's, circuits heat. Bryce holds her close, looking to his good friends from Oberon Prime for another angle. Another way for this to not end so badly!

"Aerima, how long do we have?" Nyla inquires.

"There's no way of knowing, but they're in a bad way." The kindly spirit admits.

"Oh my!" Carla exclaims, not wishing to process the thought. "Aerima, you don't know my boys! They're fighters!"

"I can imagine no less." Aerima intimates. "I can only hope I'm wrong."

Nyla brings Carla close for a reassuring hug. "Now, now, Carla. The boy's biologic bodies might not pull through, but perhaps there's a way to save their minds."

Turning to Esty, she inquires. "Your people found a way to download a person's complete mental structure. Do you think it might work on these two humans?" She inquires, knowing the android-CPU-creating technology from Earth, is not as sophisticated as that of the greys.

Esty's eyes brighten, as she contemplates the possibility. "I can't guarantee, but there's only one way to find out."

Nyla's hopes rise a few notches above despair. Turning to Doctor Kincaid, she asks. "Can these young men be moved?"

She explains the plan she's developed. The one chance for saving the young humans. At least for saving their minds, and introducing them into an android body, the same way Esty was brought back into the world of the living.

Doctor Kincaid ponders the option, not sure if he's willing to believe the medical diagnosis of those who aren't even human, or doctors! "Well, I believe we can move them if necessary, but ultimately it will be up to Carla and Bryce to make that decision."

At this point, Carla and Bryce know in their deepest of circuits, that Nolan and Keith are on their last leg. Time is running out for the young men. The chance to save their minds, is a chance worth taking!

"Nyla, are you telling me these boys can be moved to Oberon Prime? How long will the journey take? They don't have long, it seems." She asks incredulously, not being able to fathom the bent physics that had brought her good friends this day of all days.

"Once we take flight, the journey can be made in an hour! I can't explain the physics involved, but I tell you true, these ships can really move!" She exclaims, adding....

"Commander Esty's ship, breaks all the rules that normally define our universe. We can have the boy's minds copied and transferred into ones and zeros within 2 hours, I think. And if by chance they do pull through, they'll always have backups in case of another emergency."

"Oh my, we must try!" Carla wails, turning to Bryce. "Nolan always was a little jealous of our android abilities. Perhaps this will be right up his ally!" She tries to look on the bright side.

The idea is intriguing to Bryce, and of course they must try. "Oh, by all the galaxies, won't the universe be in trouble with an android-Nolan running loose!" He jokes with a great laugh, as it infectiously invades the others.

Within 20-minutes, the two patients are made ready for a long, fast journey. Queen Anne's Revenge is brought close to the habitat. Nolan and Keith are transferred into the ships medical compartment and secured for the ride.

Aerima and half the energy orbs, stay close to the young humans, lifting weak vital signs, keeping them stable for the electronic transmogrification.

The remaining Noxxa orbs will go to the stars, to the other side of the galaxy with the Nazqa and Revenge after delivering the injured to Oberon Prime.

The sadness that has enveloped the lives of those who love the young men, has been lifted a few notches, just above pure despair! Carla and Bryce go with, not believing the journey to Oberon Prime could be so fast!

Times are a changing for those on humanity's new worlds. They each ponder the magnificence, hoping against hope, that all will turn out okay, so their boys can enjoy life once again!

"We'll have Cody, Atara, Carter and both Tina's, begin creating android bodies for Nolan and Keith.... just in case." Nyla informs, adding, "although it will take time. Patience is the key."

"We have all the patience in the universe!" Carla exclaims, so happy her sons might have a chance for life again. An android life perhaps, but a life just the same! _More so, perhaps_!

Because, an android can live indefinitely, given proper maintenance. That, plus staying out of the merciless jaws of the mighty Toothy's, will surely help!

# Sagittarius A-star!

Through a dark frozen void, two silver disks streak away from Oberon Prime on a mission of discovery. They soon pass Huon, the main energy-source for the solar system.

Accelerating into the void, interstellar space swallows the machines as if they're nothing more than tiny pieces of space-dust in the galactic wind! Miniscule specks of near-nothingness, compared to the cosmic immensity through which they sail!

_Destination_ ; the other side of the milky way galaxy. In cosmic terms; just across the street!

_Reason_ ; to find out what happened to Esty and Gort's people. Lack of communications over the eons, portends of terrible things! Terrible things indeed!

It's a long journey for any type of technology or life-form. Yet, by using the slipstream and pouring on the coals, Queen Anne's Revenge and Nazqa tear at the very fabric of space and time!

Racing towards the monstrous super-massive black hole we call Sagittarius A-star, or _Sgr-A_ *, for short. It was given this designation, because from Earth, one must look through the Sagittarius constellation, to gaze upon its infinite blackness!

The plan of attack has been carefully calculated for the dangerous maneuvers to come. With gravity-assist gone wild, the Revenge and Nazqa will sling-drift around the singularity with exacting precision. Popping out on the other side of the galaxy, saving time and energy.

Or perhaps, becoming the latest cosmic skid-marks on the side of the mighty _Sgr-A_ *! It's a journey of high anxiety for the brave crews of both ships, but also a journey they wouldn't miss for all the jewels, in all the multiverse!

_Darkness_! .... Darkness, and knowing that death stealthily approaches! Dread envelopes Cooper as she tries to understand the growing terror instead!

Feeling around, she finds no recognizable features in her mysterious-surround. Adrenaline rages in her veins, feeding steely muscles! Her heart races like a metronome gone wild, beating against her chest, threatening to explode!

Suddenly, something to her left goes bump in the night! A creak of sound to her right, sends chills of unspeakable terror through her soul!

From behind, a deep growling lurks ever-closer through the inky gloom! Taking its toll with promise of unimaginable doom!

Nearing panic, she instinctively reaches for the laser pistol on her utility belt, but it's not there! She knows that highyyyya-karate won't help her here! The demons who approach, fear not such things! They drool for a good clawing! A ripping of her delicate flesh! A tasting of her hot blood would do them just fine!

Suddenly from the darkness comes a wicked terror with no shape! She crouches against the imminent attack, too scared to spring forward and escape! With feet like cement, she braces for the worst, knowing she can't run, can't escape the inescapable blood-thirst!

"Jax! You better not be siccing Aerima on me!" She yells maniacally into the gloom. "I told you! I told you before! I didn't mess with your stuff! It wasn't me!" She recaps a previous story, hoping for mercy!

Wondering how she had lost her friends, she calls out desperately. "Toby! Braxton! Kara! Amy! Where are you guys? Max, Shirley, Magnus, wait for me! Wait for me!"

No answer from beyond .... _feet like cement_! She closes her eyes against the vicious intent!

Suddenly, a far-off light, illuminates her senses! Opening her eyes, she finds herself in another world, the dark menaces gone! The feeling of dread, rolling off her shoulders like so much dark matter off a speeding comet! .... Relief! .... Relief at last!

No longer inside the compartment of terror, she floats ever-so-peacefully through an infinite void, but quickly realizes she's being pulled towards another monster, another dreadful and inescapable doom that nature deployed!

Feet first, she's pulled into a vortex of blackness and gravity, from which she's knows deep in her heart, is a pure cosmic depravity! Into the bottomless drain she goes! Where she stops, not even god-1 nor god-2 knows!

From behind, she sees packets of photons approaching, passing in slow motion! Time has become meaningless here. Animatedly they flow, on the way to their own oblivion wouldn't you know!

Reaching, she tries to collect them as they go. Tiny moons of illuminations, sailing past with aura-like glows! Ghostly apparitions, not caring about her precarious conditions!

All around, dimly glowing packs of energy are pulled towards the darkest thing she's _never seen_! Only to disappear from her vision as in a cosmic dream!

Like a hole in the universe, something ahead sucks like a drain, not allowing anything to miss its ravenous vortex of pain!

Nothing escapes its terrible fright! Not even high-energy light!

_Breathing.... Impossible! ...._ Try as she may, try as she might, she can't get a breath of air from that frozen-vacuum night!

Realizing she didn't put on a space suit before leaving the ship, she thrashes in panic!

So cold! .... So cold! .... Can't breathe! .... Can't breathe!

She struggles for understanding, wondering why her feet look so very far away!

_The pain! .... Oh, the pain!_ .... Bolts of searing electricity shock her senses! Pushing the need for oxygen and warmth beyond consequences.

Looking at her hands, they also seem far away, at the ends of impossibly long, thin arms! Like a sick cartoon, they stretch over the horizon, not ending anytime soon!

The dark monster ahead, pulls without mercy! _Bones, dissolving! Soul, torn asunder!_ Her body is elongating before her very eyes! She can _feel_ her feet experiencing more gravity than her head. _Much more!_

Her fingers extend painfully into lengths of near-nothingness, as they too are closer to the cosmic depravedness!

She can feel her mind, body, and soul, spaghettifiying into a string of matter that's way thinner than a neutrino's fart! Something theorized to be very thin.... _Very thin indeed_!

"Cooper!" .... "Cooper!" Somebody, yells from far away.

She wonders if it were truly a call, or just a desperate last hope, before the gravitous fall!

"Cooper! .... Cooper! .... Come back to us!" The disembodied voice calls again!

_A slap!_ .... _A slap against her impossibly long face_!

_A shake!_ .... _A shaking of her infinitely long body_!

She fights the gravity that grips so fiercely! Forcing her will to overcome the cosmic depravity!

Somehow turning, she claws for the light! Instinctively, she knows her only chance is to put up a fight! Finding the source of magical illumination, will surely bring mental rejuvenation!

Streams of photons, flow against her cheeks, sparking a new coherence into her thinning psyche. The light grows stronger! Steadier! Bringing relief!

Gaspingly, air once-again fills her lungs! .... With gravity weakening, she claws her way out of the bottomless abyss!

Tooth and nail! .... Tooth and nail! .... She claws against the laws of bent physics! "Damn the torpedoes, just get me the hell out of here!" she thinks desperately!

"Cooper!" .... "Cooper!" She hears more clearly now! The veil of gravitational oppression, lifting from her soul!

Opening her eyes, she's no longer in space being pulling to her doom! She's back onboard the Revenge, gazing out of her lonely hibernation chamber at a lot of worried faces in the room.

Her mind nearly snaps from the reeling back. The mental _whiplash_ is almost too much to bear! Her mind twists from the torque and _unfathomable despair_!

_Bad dreams! .... Bad dreams! ...._ she always has bad dreams while under the deep-sleep. She's helpless against them, not realizing that they're a hereditary gift from her human mother. A mother that she had met only once, during a time-travel adventure to ancient Earth.

With wide beautiful eyes, she exclaims. "Oh my!" Gripping the edges of her high-tech coffin, knuckles turning white! Lifting her spinning head off the pillow for a moment, she falls back exhaustedly.

" _I was so lost! .... It was horrible!_ "

"Well, you're back now, my dear!" Nyla exclaims concernedly; pulling the young woman to a sitting position, giving a companionate hug. "Welcome back to the land of the living!"

"Yeah numbskull!" Magnus teases. Reaching, he puts a warm hand on her arm. "Don't sleep so deep next time! Jeez, I was about to call dibs on your toolbox!" He announces with a devious smirk, causing a rise from the waking-dead woman.

Tools of course, being Coopers most prized possessions. With a wide knowledge of engineering pursuits, she would rather die, than lose those babies! Everybody knew who to come to, when only the right tool would work for any given task. Even Toby's tool collection, isn't so glamorous!

"Before you touch my tools buddy, you best make triple-dodeca-sure I'm _truly_ dead!" She exclaims weakly, putting a hand to her forehead, feeling it pound from the awakening. She glances at the gathering of faces. The dirty dozen had all reanimated a few minutes earlier from their own hibernation.

The Queen Anne's Revenge and Nazca, speed towards the other side of the galaxy. It's been nearly 8-weeks since they left Oberon Prime on a mission to find Esty's people, and the sleep chambers make the long journey more tolerable. At least for most, they do!

"Oh my! I had a doozy of a dream!" She exclaims at the group of stepsiblings, as they smirk teasingly at her dishevelment.

"I was so lost! .... _You were there_!" .... she exclaims pointingly at Braxton. " _And you and you, were there too_!" Pointing shakily at others.

"But you all left me! You left me, even though I called and _called!"_ She rubs her arms freezingly, feeling the circulation coming back, remembering how spindly and cold they seemed in the dark dream.

"A black hole took me away! It tried to eat me!"

"Ha!" Toby, sneers cruelly. "That would have been the first time a black-hole barfed back a human being! You would have caused such indigestion for the poor thing!"

For her effort at levity; a pillow in the kisser! A chorus of merciless laughter breaks the moment. Talia moves forward with her medical kit. Glancing into Cooper's weary eyes, she and Omari make sure she's all right....

"I'm glad you survived the ordeal, my dear." Talia, intimates. "We would have miss you greatly."

"Are we there yet?" The dreamer asks, already knowing the dreadful answer.

"Not yet, Cooper." Omari responds, checking the young woman's vital signs. "We're coming up on a critical part of the journey." He pulls his stethoscope away. "So glad you could rejoin us. We need you. You'll be fine. Nothing a couple of strong cups of tea won't cure."

Reaching, he helps her out of the electronic sarcophagus, where she gets plenty of pats on the back for coming back alive again!

Off they scamper to the galley, where long awaited food and refreshments will give strength for the dangerous maneuver ahead.

As they're leaving the compartment, Adam moves in, putting his arm around the shoulders of his favorite stepsister, asking. "Jeez Coop, is it me or did you grow an inch or two while you were beauty-resting?"

For his comforting effort, he gets a look of venomous dread in return. She hadn't yet told him the details of the horrible nightmare. Perhaps she won't, out of fear that the dream will morph into a premonition, infecting the ranks.

"Oh Adam, you have _no idea_!" She retorts darkly.

Ahead, the blackest, deepest hole in our galaxy grows large! Deeper than a Michigan pothole, which says a lot! The Revenge sails deeply in the slipstream towards it fastly!

Cruising at thousands of multiples of c, she takes a shortcut to the other side of the galaxy, she approaches death-incarnate at an oblique angle. Hoping to thread the eye of the needle just right, so's not to make a cosmic skid-mark!

At least it seems like a hole in space to the ships auto-pilot sensors, but the computers know better. That hole is solid! Real! Even though it couldn't exist without exploiting a plethora of bent, if not totally broken physics!

The forceful attraction, and un-commanded velocity increase from the unseen monster, is not lost on their calculations. Ahead, a spherically shaped swath of the milky way, is drained of light and normal background radiations, as a massive event-horizon looms menacingly!

The ship is entering the outer regions of the ergosphere, a 10-light-day-wide spherical layer of tortured space surrounding the event horizon of singularity _Sgr-A*_ .... the behemoth gravitational-authority at the center of our galaxy, weighing in at an impressive 4-million-times that of our earthly star, Sol.

In this outer layer of the super massive black hole, the ship will perform a carefully calculated sling-drift maneuver. Hopefully, avoiding collision with the brick-shithouse of condensed yesterdays, and shooting out the other side like a spit watermelon seed.

First, they must avoid incalculable sextillions-of-tons of asteroids, comets, and other debris, all jockeying for position in the stellar graveyard to see who goes in first. Being inside the slipstream will prevent true collisions with the small stuff, creating reactionary radiations, instead of impacts. But some of the debris isn't so small!

One object that bears respect, is an intermediate-sized black hole of 1,300 solar masses. Human scientists have named this black hole, GCIRS 13E.

It orbits _Sgr-A*_ in a death-spiral of only 3 light-years distance from the event horizon, dragging with it, seven luminous sister-stars! They will dutifully follow big brother beyond the event horizon, becoming a tasty meal for the voracious cookie-monster at the galactic center!

This area of space is spherical in nature. It clings nakedly to the event horizon, as an atmosphere clings mistily to a planet's surface. However, this area has no atmosphere! Instead, it's a stellar graveyard!

Everything dutifully obeys celestial mechanics until their glorious doom, when they pass the event horizon, entering another realm. To travel beyond the ergo-sphere, and into the event horizon, is to invite something worse than death! Something Cooper knows all too well!

Starting near the event horizon, tidal forces brought on by the near infinite gravity of the singularity, will cause a spaghettification of mind, body and soul! It's been said that this is the most painful way to leave the universe. But really, how could anybody experience such a thing, and live to tell the story?

_Perhaps a nightmare of astronomical proportions might just do the trick_!

It's a well-known fact, that only two things can escape the tremendous grip of a black hole. One, is Hawking radiation. The other, is a dream! One thing's for sure; it must undoubtedly be a most unenjoyable way to go! Just ask poor Cooper!

Inside the event horizon, so named because it's a boundary imposed by the twisted physics of the monster within, where even light can't reach escape velocity, and laws of physics crumble away to nothingness.

A singularity of dense mass, with an estimated diameter of 27-million-miles (about the orbit-size of mercury), and 4-million-times the mass of our sun, acts like an all-powerful cosmic-drain! Greedily eating anything that ventures too close!

Three-trillion-yesterdays, all crushed into near-nothingness called a singularity. And to think, some people wonder where time goes. Into the cosmic drain it goes! Where it ends up, nobody truly knows!

While the title 'singularity' implies a point of infinite density, packed into the smallest of nothingness, it couldn't be further from the truth! Instead, it's meant to describe a point in space, where math as we know it, just doesn't work so great.

If it were truly an infinitely small point, it would surely tear the fabric of space-time, and fall into another universe, where it would disappear from our detection altogether. The cosmic fabric is strong! Near infinitely pliable, it is!

If you were relaxing at home on your couch, and suddenly a bowling-ball-size black hole, instantly appeared on your living room floor for some strange reason. It might seem that it would fall through the floor and into the earth because of its impossible weight.

However, the truth is stranger than science fiction! Because, instead of falling through the floor and into the earth, the floor and earth would fall upwards, and into the black hole! Taking you with it for an after-dinner mint!

With job done, and after a nice juicy belch, the greedy little monster would simply be floating in empty space, not one iota from where it mysteriously appeared!

Alarms! .... Alarms scream bloody murder throughout the ship! Reaching, Cooper cancels the proximity-alarm that rumbles, warning of impending doom!

She sits wide-eyed with Toby at the engineering console. Terrible data, pours into their minds, reminding Cooper of her recent nightmare. With a head feeling like mush after such a dreamy thrashing of her psyche, she dreads the reality that looms so menacingly!

The most powerful entity in the galaxy, pulls without equal! Without mercy!

Ahead, another 5,000 light-years are all that separates Revenge and crew, from the deadly grip of _Sgr-A_ *. Behind, are 21,000 light-years already traveled from Oberon Prime.

At thousands of multiples of c, two conjoined saucers, rip the galaxy a new corn shoot! The Revenge and the Nazqa are joined at the hip, as the Nazqa rides piggy-back style upon a cushion of electromagnetism and gravitons.

They travel close to each other, conserving fuel and increasing overall velocity while combining their warp-bubbles. In this delicate and intense fashion, at only 100-feet-seperation, they'll thread the eye of the needle together .... _or die trying_!

Yet, even fully inside the slipstream between universes, the gravitational authority of a super massive black hole is impossible to ignore. The powerful forces of the dense singularity, exerts a phantom yet quantifiable force on the space-time of all other universes, and all-points in between!

Much like our mysterious dark energy in this universe, is the spill-over from the same effect coming in from other universes supermassive black holes. It's a give and take, that binds the multiverses together like a cosmic shock absorber.

Most black holes, even the biggest, rarely tear the fabric of space-time. If they did, even the tiniest rip would surely expand, allowing the singularity to exit our universe altogether.

Perhaps that's how our universe came into being. A massive black hole in another dimension, growing so heavy that it rips through to the other side, becoming a 'white hole' in our universe. Bringing everything we see around us right now.

It's complicated, I know! The math involved, would give a normal human being a brain hemorrhage, and a genius scientist, a migraine of astronomical proportions!

Toby spools up, brightening to her usual high-caliber-self when the chips are down. Checking the ships systems against the impending event, she likes what she sees. Braxton and Magnus, check and recheck autopilot settings, making sure it's not having a bad day at the office. In space, it pays to stay on your toes! Soon, the point of no return is in their faces!

# Cosmic sling-drift!

So far, the journey has been 63-days of boring predictability and downtime, which is soon to change! Within the next 10-minutes, their oblique trajectory will reach the point of no return. Sling-drifting around a super-massive black hole, is not for the faint of heart!

Upon hearing the proximity-alarm, Talia's circuits knot! She has been dreading this point in the journey, and it shows! Suddenly, she wishes she were no longer an astronaut, bent on a suicidal mission. Zero-moment, just minutes away!

" _Omari.... I'm frightened_!" She exclaims, baring her electronic soul!

"My dear," Putting his arms around her, he pulls her close. "I'm frightened too. I think we all are. But like always, we'll get through this, _or die trying_!" He sickly jokes, hoping to get a smile from his significant other.

This time though, it doesn't work so well.... Not with her electrons flowing so darkly.

"Hey, you two." Nyla calls from her own duty station, "Nobody's going to die this day. At least nobody in these ships, anyway. The calculations have been double-quadruple-checked and are known to be tried and true. So, hang in there and enjoy the ride!" An encouraging wink seals the deal, at least in her own circuits....

"Do I have time to check on Mister Williams, before we become a greasy skid-mark?" Omari inquires ominously. He's anxious for Harper, who now resides in sickbay with a big knot on his head and mild concussion. He'd been showing off his latest gymnastics move in the galley, when the ships steel bulkhead got in the way. _He left a dent to be proud of, that's for sure_!

"Please do." Nyla, responds happily, glad to have something for him and Talia to do. "Be sure to secure him in good. This could get rough. Also, please tell the others to shake a leg back here. Breaktime is over."

"Oh? I thought this was to be a walk in the park." Talia, quips smartassingly as they leave for medical.

"Be back here in 8-minutes for the skid-mark maneuver!" Wil, yells with a sick laugh.

For his effort at levity, he gets a look from Esty, who sits high atop her royal throne, reviewing the all-important sling-drift data. For the life of her, she can't understand how the humans or their creations, could show such frivolousness in the face of possible doom.

"Uh, sorry Esty." Says Wil, who notices her angst. "I smart off when I'm nervous, and sometimes pull pranks." He admits, as if she didn't already know.

"Think nothing of it, my friend." Esty, responds kindly. "We're all nervous. To not be, might warrant a mental examination."

Perhaps her own somberness is due to the fact that she's about to see what's become of her own people. A most worrisome thing, that's been grinding on her circuits for a long time. Whereas, for the earthlings, this is just another fun romp through the universe, with little at stake except their own minuscule lives.

She returns to her calculations review, just as the bridge hatch opens and in spills the maniacs who return to duty after enjoying their possibly last meal.

"Are we there yet?!" Kara, inquires brightly, her mood on cloud nine.

"Oh! We must be by now!" Amy exclaims, elbowing her way to the front of the gang.

"Ouch! Hey meat-brain! Watch were you're sticking those chicken wings!" Max yells, rubbing the soon to be bruise on his side.

"Coming through!" Shirley yells, getting him yet again in the same spot!

"Alright! Alright!" Nyzilla puts her foot down, shaking the bridge! "You monkeys are too much! I'm growing white hairs here! .... Adam, stop pulling on Amy! Kara, let go Max this instant! To your duty stations, all of you! Buckle-up! No more dilly-dallying!

Momzilla wishes her brood of monsters would show more respect. Especially at such critical times. Myrna, her Kansas friends, and the Zenarawan's, show a descent respect as they calmly stay behind the tempest, not joining the fray.

Esty and Gort can only shake their heads as they hate to see the hijinks. And at such a dangerous time, too! _Why, back in their day_....

"Awe jeez. We're sorry." Max, pleads for a softer tone from angry mom, offering sad puppy-eyes. He receives just what he wanted, as Nyzilla quickly sweetens and mom pushes her back into her lonely cage. How can she stay mad at such cuteness, she ponders.

"Okay, everyone to their duty stations and buckle-up tight. We have just 5-minutes before the dark matter hits the fan." Dad warns sternly.

Looking up at the flowing kaleidoscopic images on the monitor, Max says. "I sure hope the ships sensors are calibrated correctly. We can't even see what we're flying into." He mentions the slipstream effect on the circle-monitor, while at warped velocities.

"Well, my boy." Wil, explains. "You helped calibrate them, so don't worry too much!" Reaching, he ruffles the young man's hair, knowing he'd rather take a chance on Max's _best_ _guesses_ , than what others might profess as _facts_.

As for calibrating the sensors, there really was no guesswork to be done. That's not to say there won't be unforeseen issues, which the best calibrating can't find and cure. It's now up to the ship to see them through the ordeal safely.

"Surri," Esty, purrs and chirps, "please contact Jax and see if they're ready."

The regal female moves to the side, sitting amongst her new friends from Kansas. With a look of blissful concentration, she allows her mind to expand outwards.

Past her friends, she pushes. Past the twin warp-bubbles and magnetic lines of force, she goes. Through the veils of electronic-fog her mind searches for the tall dark one.

Onboard the Nazqa, Jax perks-up at feeling a familiar prickling in his mind. He and Aerima have been verifying the ships trajectory, even though the Nazqa is electromagnetically-bound to follow the Revenge anyway.

Still, checking the math is a wise move, and takes the mind off the terrible maneuver coming at them like a cosmic freight train!

A sling-drift as Esty calls it, around a very large and very immovable object, is now imminent. A dark object, at the center of the galaxy, which draws them like a bug to a light.

Drawing them so fast, at just the right angle and velocity, they will fling past and into the other side of the galaxy. A shortcut, that will hopefully end well.

"Surri.... how nice of you to call!" Jax, projects with greater than usual effort. The inter-warp-bubble contact is draining on the mental faculties.

"Jax. I hope you are well." The furry-one projects. "Esty needs an update." The incoming thought is brief and to the point, draining the lovely Zenarawan also.

"Tell commander high-and-mighty, we're ready over here. Tractor-beam is set to kung-Fu grip." He jokes, knowing the furry-one won't relay the exact wording of his insubordinate response.

"Good luck, Jax."

"Good luck, Surri. See you on the other side."

With that, the contact is severed. Jax, slumps in his seat, feeling the drain on his psyche. Aerima ponders if she might help him recover, but her own energy levels could use a boost. After all, she isn't the spring chicken she used to be!

She isn't as lucky as the inter-dimensional orbs that travel with them. They're happily tucked away, eating plenty of tasty energy, as they reside inside the ship's reactor, where they always feel more at home, away from home!

"You okay Jax?" Captain Talus inquires, seeing the lad slump as Aerima envelopes him in a cloud of comfort.

The young man stirs. "Yeah, Talus. I'm okay. Thanks. I was in contact with Surri on the Revenge. It takes a toll to chat that way, believe me! Anyway, I informed that we're ready over here. We're ready for the sling-drift." He reports, snugging his harness for the wild ride ahead.

"I still can't believe we're actually doing this!" Jayleen exclaims. "Black holes don't like to be messed with. They're surely where the Grim Reaper must live!"

"Oh Jayleen!" Selza yells from her seat at navigation. "Don't you just say the silliest things!"

Her dreadful exclamation is shared by all. Even Aerima wonders what her chances would be, if she becomes a ghostly skid-mark across the monstrous mass of condensed yesterdays.

Perhaps she can haunt it, she realizes! Won't she have fun, she thinks deviously, if her spirit were to rule such a thing! Suddenly, her angst is cooled, her fears evaporating like so much dark matter falling off a speeding comet.

"All right! All right! Let's stay focused!" Talus orders, adding. "I happen to know, that the Reaper is taking today off to sharpen his scythe. The black hole can go to hell! Like I heard somebody once say.... 'damn the photons and get the hell out of the way!" He adlibs, getting a chorus of laughs and easing of anxieties.

"Aerima," Jax calls softly, patting his backpack, "you better get back into your home away from home. If worst comes to worst, maybe you can fling off on your own. When you get there, wait for me. As soon as I ghostify, I'll find you." He says lovingly, hoping his spirit won't be lost just because of a little thing like near-infinite gravity!

An illuminated misty haze moves to face him. "If it comes to that, we'll go together."

"Awe, what a kind thing to say, Aerima! I love you too! Now, we don't have much time. In you go." He unzips the backpack like the gentleman he is, although he really didn't need to. With a puff of frozen mist, Aerima is gone, leaving Jax feeling lonely and cold.

"Esty...." Surri chirps and purrs, causing her new earthling friends to tilt their heads, trying to understand. "Jax informs that all is ready onboard the Nazqa. The graviton-field is at its highest intensity. They will follow precisely as the Revenge leads."

"Thank-you, lieutenant Surri. Well done." Esty praises, glad she has the Zenarawan's mind-power on her side. "Everyone to their duty stations!" She needlessly orders. "Only one-minute until sling-drift!"

Tightening her restrains, she glances at her significant other, receiving a smile and wink. With luck, they'll embrace on the other side of the most massive thing in the galaxy.

Any hijinks are nipped in the bud. When Esty raises her voice, it's best to heed her words, or suffer the wrath of Commander's Mast!

Sling-drifting around an astronomical-anchor like _Sgr-A_ *, is vaguely similar to warping through a wormhole. Similar, in that a great amount of time can be saved by traveling thusly.

In a way, traveling within the slipstream is as close to being in a wormhole as the average trans-warp ship can hope to achieve.

The main difference being, that an actual wormhole requires nearly infinite amounts of energy to keep open and stable for the few-trillion Planck-times required to get the job done. That, plus those bad boys are hard to aim!

Early experiments with the phenomenon, taught many an inquisitive species that wormholes are uncontrollable freaks of nature, and leave it at that.

Wormholes are in a league by themselves. While not practical for transportation of a spaceship, they are invaluable to Mother Nature.

Only by use of wormholes, can she squash a hyper-massive black hole in one cosmos, and belch out a white hole in the next. Thusly, with one astronomical burp, she creates a new universe....

Two, if she's been eating broccoli!

"Braxton.... Magnus.... monitor the flight, but do not interfere. Trust _not_ your senses, while we sling." Esty warns, as the time drawn nigh, adding....

"Under no circumstances are you to alter our trajectory. We're now beyond the point of return. Our lives are in the capable hands of autopilot and the almighty atheismo." She jokes seriously.

"Aye Aye, commander!" Comes a synchronized response, with a slight hint of dread.

"Cooper.... Toby.... same advice. Expect elevated temps on the outer hull but fear not." The stoic commander warns.

" _Les carrottes sont cuites_." Nyla, mumbles softy with disconnected voice.

"Yes, my dear." Wil puts a hand on her shoulder. "The carrots are indeed cooked. No turning back now."

A nervous crew counts down to zero....

Upon reaching the zero moment, inertial-dampeners strain for an even keel! Even then, everyone is pressed hard against their restraints, as _Sgr-A_ * reaches with deadly intent!

The bones of the Queen and crew, strain against the battle of gravity _vs_ velocity _vs_ out-of-phase vs going like a bat outta hell!

"Estyyyyyyy!" Talia exclaims, as is her way. "Is it supposed to be like this?"

Try as she may, try as she might, her strong electro-polymer muscles can't overcome the g-forces that fight! She and all, are pressed hard into seat, eyes closed, psyches reeling!

With great effort, Esty checks her data-pad. "We've encountered an electromagnetic-entanglement nearby! They explode when their lines of flux cross! There's nothing to be done, except hold on and think happy thoughts if you can!"

On the circle-monitor, streaks of energy that normally flow straight into the video-feed, are now shown to be coming in from an oblique angle! Twisted and tortured, they are!

Outside, space is filled with what seems like coronal mass ejections from hell!

The two ships, piggybacking inside of an enhanced warp-bubble, are now twisted within the slipstream, flying with an angle-of-attack that skims the event horizon!

They fly sideways from previous trajectory, still at a distance of 5,000-light-years from _Sgr-A_ *. Sailing very close to the event horizon, everyone's psyche, cries with the pain of spaghettification! Physics is bent and warped here! Nearly breaking!

Crews on both ships, experience pulling on mind and body. Going into the sling-drift, the Revenge and Nazca are traveling at 6,000 multiples of c. Now, as they skim near the event horizon, like a stone skipping off the water, they've accelerated to many times even that velocity!

_Sgr-A_ * pulls hard, not wanting to let this tiny morsel go by!

The 400-pound cosmic cookie monster in the center of the room, is definitely a force of Nature to be reckoned with! Into the maelstrom of debris and disappearing light, the Queen Anne's Revenge and Nazca streak! Sling-drifting like maniacs through the supermassive stellar parallax!

"Nyyyyyllllaaaaaaaa!" Cooper screams maniacally, putting her hands to her head in terror! Having already experienced what the black hole's undeniable gravity has to offer, her mind can't cope with what's to come!

The poor dear goes into mental lockdown! Automatically easing the horrific pain. Like a popped circuit-breaker in her mind, the nightmare is nipped in the bud! Slumping at her controls, she slips into a merciful peace.

"Cooper!" Toby yells, trying to reach, but not able to overcome the powerful pull of gravity! Nobody can help the young woman who's now in a better place. Like a limp ragdoll, Cooper hangs in her support harness, mercifully oblivious to the cosmic torment.

A horrible shudder goes through both ships! A bad vibration that Esty had never felt before while sling-drifting the monstrous beast. The Nazqa hangs on by a thread of tractor-beam, all crew shaken and stirred!

Nearby, gargantuan electromagnetic lines of force interact with each other. It's truly a lightning storm from hell! Directly in the path of the Revenge and Nazqa, quantum entanglement of the magnetic flux, creates shockwaves in the fabric of space-time!

Into the tempest, the two ships streak! Nothing in the universe during those harrowing moments in time could smooth the seas ahead. Tall waves of intense energy break over the bow of warp-bubbles in front of the speeding ships as they force their way through the cosmic storm!

To their left, the magnetically charged accretion-disk of _Sgr-A_ *, swirls with malignant intent! To their right, Sgr-A* pulls on the intruders with near-infinite authority! Caught between a rock and a hard place, the beleaguered ships are barely holding course!

Onboard the Nazqa, all hell breaks loose! Throughout the ship, lights flicker as bad vibrations permeate the structure as like a living thing!

"Terrel!" Captain Talus, yells across the bridge. "Don't let the graviton-field quit on us now!" He fights to get the words out, his tone laced with pain and fear!

Turning to Selza and Jayleen at the helm, he forces himself to keep going, to keep the command as long as possible, no matter what! "Are we maintaining course?"

Grimaces from once-lovely faces, as the pilots fight the force pulling so hard! They're just as helpless, barely hanging on! Glancing at the data-screens so far away, they can't move closer!

"We're maintaining course, captain!" Jayleen yells her best guess, unable to complete a comprehensive test. "But I don't know how!"

"Captain!" Terrel yells. "We're losing power on the graviton-field!"

Suddenly, up through the deck-plating, the Noxxa filter into the bridge, emotions unreadable, yet not frenzied. From one control console to another, they float back and forth.

Even under normal conditions, it would be unnerving to have glowing beings from another dimension, pay a visit to the bridge during flight, but Captain Talus breathes a sigh of relief to have them there now!

The situation has become more than he and his brave crew can handle! If they lose grip with the Revenge, all is lost!

"What the what?!" Jax exclaims, opening his eyes as a Noxxa passes glowingly, illuminating his senses. A sparkness tingles against his stomach, as he crushes his backpack from surprise. Aerima stirs!

The young man with cold fear from the sling-drift, freezes even further as the curious spirit oozes forth from her home in his lap.

"Jax, we're in great danger!" She informs as calmly as her frayed ghostly nerves will allow. "If we don't strengthen the graviton-bond between us and the Revenge, there is no hope!"

With that, the wisp of an entity, joins the Noxxa in a mingling of the multiverse minds. With tiny differences between the two species, the ghost and energy-orbs can communicate in ways that might make a difference to all onboard.

"Aerima!" Jax exclaims viscerally, as his lovely ghost friend, shrinks down to the size of a grain of sand, and moves into one of the Noxxa beings!

Without warning or explanation, the band of other-dimensional creatures split and separate, disappearing into the walls, ceiling and deck-plating of the bridge!

Gone from the ship, they are! Through the steel structure they go! Past the external hull, they plunge into the layer of electronic fog!

_So cold it is_! Even Aerima is frost-bitten! The cosmic frozen claws, grips their psyches with cryogenic lust! Hoping to stop all molecular activity, within those who dare live!

All the while, ghost and orbs are wondering just what the hell they're doing out there!

All around them, they're bathed in the awesome spender of the terrible predicament they face! Being sentient creatures, even _they_ take a moment for the stunning spectacle to sink in.

If ever there was a time when a ghost and dark matter/energy companions can have their breath taken away, this is that time! In a vacuum no less! A more shocking event, none had ever witnessed!

Ahead, far beyond the electronic-fog, gargantuan bands of brilliant electromagnetic lines of force, dance in waves of panoramic beauty!

Flowing from the energetic event horizon, raw kaleidoscopic bands seem to reach for the ship, yet are mercifully far away. Twisting and merging with tremendous detonations, they eventually arch back down to start all over again.

On the left, a surreal blend of detonations and beautiful stars, falling to their own glorious dooms!

On the right, the blackest black that one can ever imagine! Even more black than that!

The sky is evenly split, between a living universe on one side, and Satan's evil layer on the other!

_Sgr-A*_ pulls hard, not willing to give up the fight! Tsunami waves of ultra-condensed space-time, crash across the bows of both ships, causing a fright for the away-team and crews!

Regaining focus, the Noxxa with as much assistance that Aerima can offer from her limited supply, transfer healing energies into the graviton-fields that hold the mission together.

Weakened force-fields are bolstered by energies garnered from the ships reactor and stored within the orbs.

Aerima pours in heartfelt moral support, hanging on for dear life!

In a geometric formation, the Noxxa plus one lovely and brave ghost, pour their hearts out to save the mission and those of their new friends within!

Both ships, buck like bronco's as the bands of wicked plasma, offers the kiss of death. Space-time, crashes violently against the bows as things get started.

Holding tightly, they strain to overcome the forces that won't be overcome! With focused desperation, the beings from the multiverse, provide the extra oomph to keep the tractor beam stable. Proving beyond a shadow of a doubt, that _multiverse lives matter_!

Unseen by the away-team, Grim Reaper and creepy cohorts have laughingly latched on with fangs of hellish ice! Reachingly they seek to yank important wires from under the hoods!

# Cooper; poor, poor, Cooper!

A near irresistible force, pulls on the gang of multiverse beings, as they hang suspended between the two flying saucers! The night is frozen, but they feel it _not_ as they work! The atmosphere is hard vacuum, yet the toil is invigorating to their otherworldly souls!

The rush, as dark matter and energy slam their ethereal faces, sends new energy into their labors, even though the flavor is a tad soured from what they prefer!

The effort to stabilize the tractor-field will take a great deal of energy, no matter what the taste! Using great energies garnered from the ship's reactor, they cheat the Reaper and friends out of icy meals!

Streaking through space at unbelievable velocity, the beauty of the violent surroundings is not lost on the orbs glowing romantic hearts. Albeit, hearts that pump dark energy instead of blood, but true hearts just the same! With all the bells and whistles a heart should have; compassion, generosity, understanding, to name just a few!

Even pure-energy beings can appreciate Mother Nature at her most furious and unforgiving. No matter the universe!

With great fortitude, they bind the graviton-field's weaknesses, strengthening the loving bond between the two electronic-fog layers of the saucers.

In this fashion, the two ships thread the eye of the many cosmic needles! Heavy waves of gravity, crash against the warp-bubbles, demanding to be noticed! Still, the glowing orbs maintain a level of stability that's noticed by their friends within!

Aerima holds on for dear life! _This is way above her pay grade_! She's only along for the ride, anyway! Providing moral support for her dear new friends. After all, it's the least she can do when she's assistant quartermaster!

Besides that, it's also the EVA of a lifetime! Even for a ghost!

Within her realm, the others who tirelessly push at her portal for escape, are dumbstruck and horrified by the terrible scene they see before them! Still, some brave the effort.

Push! Push! Push! They seek advantage of the lovely ghosts' weak energy-reserves. Aerima blocks as always, but it's a draining endeavor! One day, she won't have the strength....

Won't Jax be shocked, when she shares the experience afterward, she ponders. That is, provided there actually is an afterward!

Into the frozen void, she and shipmates zip faster than greased lightning! She feels alive, as the dark matter flows soothingly through her long, luxurious phantom-hair!

Bolt of energy she daren't loose, flows wickedly from her wonderful skull dagger, rivaling the best of the black hole's efforts!

Grounded in pain, it's a constant reminder of a moment in time when she should have ducked instead of dodged! Into eternity it will torture her spiritual soul. Yet right now, she wouldn't have it any other way!

"I don't know how you did it, Toby," Esty, exclaims from her command perch. "but we've stabilized, and the gravitons are strengthening!"

"I didn't do anything!" The confused girl, green behind the gills, reports from her lonely engineering station. "Even the trans-warp-bubbles are coming back to full strength!" She exclaims while busily working the controls meant for two.

Poor Cooper slumps unconsciously in her harness, head hung so low it must hurt! Yet for all her torment, she's now mercifully ignorant of the situation, and that counts for something!

Wil, Nyla and her doctors, move with great effort to assist the poor woman to medical, while Gort takes over her duties next to Toby.

"Well, whatever just happened.... it saved our lives!" The lovely android-commander admits, shrugging her mechanical shoulders. She knows in her circuits, that they've somehow survived the rarified storm.

"Looks like our lucky stars paid-off this day!" Esty, reports with uncurbed enthusiasm, knowing to _not_ give her the mission the evil eye. "Knock on cosmic wood!" She adds for safety. "We're past the worst of it and are on our way back into the galactic disk!"

Suddenly, with the pure taste of frigid frozenness, the bridge comes to life with glowing orbs! The Noxxa have arrived to see what they can see!

Aerima flows from one, offering extra shocking frost to all!

"Esty," Razzi, translates via _esp_ link, "the Noxxa say they've strengthened the graviton-field and warp-bubbles. They ask if there is anything more they can do before returning to the Nazqa."

Climbing down from her lofty perch, Esty crosses the bridge and faces her strange friends. "Thank you my Noxxa friends." She offers sincerely. "We would not be here without your help. I don't know how you did what you did, but we sure cheated death this time because of it!"

Reaching, she offers a rare gesture of appreciation. Something new to her circuits....

Razzi translates again. Eyes closed, his voice sounding trance-like. "We are most happy to assist where we can. Our ability to manipulate energy, provides us with an advantage above what the ships limited systems can offer. Now, if there is nothing else for us, we must get back to the reactor onboard the Nazqa. Our reserves are low. We require food."

"We're past the danger now." Esty, happily reports. "We'll see you again soon."

Talia moves forward as a physician. "Aerima, we need your help. Cooper's having an emergency, and she's unresponsive. Perhaps you can learn more about her condition."

With that, the group of multiverse beings follow Talia. The Noxxa put off the need for food a little longer, hoping to possibly help their new friend.

Inside medical, Cooper rests comfortably, still unconscious but with stable vital signs. The Revenge and Nazqa are past _Sgr-A*_ now, streaking fastly to a new set of coordinates.

Breaking-coordinates, that will decrease the ships massive inertial buildup from the sling-drift. More black holes.... _more black holes_! Far less massive than the monster in the middle, but not particularly less dangerous!

These are known stars, with stable positions. Using their gravitational authority as a type of inertial-net, the ships fantastic velocity will be incrementally reduced. Without this assist, the primitive warp-fields within the flying saucers would not be enough to get the job done, any time soon!

In fact, without black hole assist, the saucers would exit the galaxy in about 7-days!

Aerima chills the air inside medical as she comes to float above the blond-haired beauty that rests so peacefully.

She can feel the dread flowing from the circuits of Nyla, and Wil. One of their own, has been stricken down while traveling deeply in the dead of space. Not a good place to break down, she knows!

"If you wish, I can go inside and see if she's home."

"Oh, please Aerima!" Nyla begs with heated circuits. "Please, see if you can help her."

"I'll be back." With that, Aerima frigidly shrinks down to a size of a neutrino, entering chief engineer Cooper Beaufort's head at the temple.

It's the most intimate invasion of spirit and soul that the laws of bent-physics allow for. It's a dangerous move, as Aerima's ever-present companions will try hardest now, to break from the ghostly realm and possess Cooper like a zombie from hell!

A chill goes through the young human's psyche, as Aerima becomes closer to her than the very blood in her own veins!

"Aerima?" Comes a disembodied thought through the fogginess of her subconscious. Mentally reaching, Cooper calls again for the ghostly spirit.

"Aerima? Is that you?" Cooper wonders frantically in near-terror! Trapped in the gloom of her own mind, she fears the worst is near!

"Did Jax send you to kill me? I told him before, it wasn't me! I didn't mess with his stuff!" Panic and dread in the young woman's tone, cuts deep into Aerima's heart!

The poor thing is afraid of her for some reason, the tiny spirit thinks confusedly. She knows of no beef between Cooper and Jax. A nightmare-soaked paranoia, based on the vapors of nothing, she suspects.

"Yes Cooper, it's me.... Aerima." The spirit offers kindly. Compassionately. "My dear, I'm not here to harm you. Are you lost? Do you know what has happened to you?"

Aerima senses an increase in Coopers already elevated heartrate. "Calm thoughts my dear. Take your time. Calm thoughts, Cooper. Shhhhhhhh. Stay with me, don't wander further."

Reaching into Coopers nervous system, Aerima causes a cool, refreshing rhythm to haunt the woman's heated heart.

Like a soothing breeze on a hot day, it does the trick! Sending waves of sweet relief through the frightened woman's psyche.

Relief, in knowing she's not alone. Won't be horribly killed! Won't have to face the dark monster by herself.

"Oh Aerima!" Cooper sends a stormy sea of anxiety from deep inside her mental hidey-hole. "I'm lost! I can't find my way out! .... Where are you? .... I can't see you!"

"Oh, Aerima! I'm so frightened! Where are you?"

Cringing, Aerima senses panic, knowing the human has possibly gone past a breaking point. Something traumatic had happened, but she knows not what.

"Cooper, I'm here my dear. I'm closer to you than you can ever imagine. You're safe, child. You're with friends who love you. Please, try to focus. Tell me the problem, if you can."

As the lost woman calms, Aerima inspects every neurological pathway and connection inside young brain. It's a daunting task, even for a ghost! Soon, troubling revelations rear their ugly heads! Neurological defects, seemingly recent, could be why Cooper can't find her way out. The path has been damaged!

Past multi-sextillions of memory packets, she finds some of the more traumatic episodes in Cooper's life. The most recent of which, is a vivid dream of being sucked into a bottomless abyss and torn asunder into nothingness!

This memory is a most powerful one! Unspeakable terror! Coupled with trying to cope with the real black hole, Cooper's mind had shut itself down. A circuit breaker had popped and resetting it might prove mission impossible.

This must be what pushed the poor thing over the edge, Aerima figures sadly.

"Oh Aerima! .... _Bad dreams_! .... I have such bad dreams!" Cooper exasperates dreadfully. "I don't know what happened! I just switched off and woke in the darkness! Oh Aerima! How can I ever find my way out? I'm so frightened!"

"Calm yourself Cooper. I don't have an answer for you now, but promise to return before long. Remember, above all else.... don't wander any further away. Don't leave us!"

So, with the diagnostic-lie given, Aerima leaves the lost mind of Cooper Beaufort, and delivers onto mom and dadzilla the bad news they don't want to hear!

A frozen chill enters the compartment, as Aerima expands back into our temporal realm. Her hair disheveled, and a somber look to her misty countenance, she gathers strength to relay the bad news....

"She is there." A few encouraging words, before plunging the dagger deeply!

"She is there, frightened beyond belief. She has suffered a failure of important neurological links, preventing her from coming back to consciousness. I'm afraid the poor dear has experienced what Omari might consider to be.... a stroke."

The unavoidable dagger sinks to the hilt! Shock on all faces, speaks to the dread!

"What? .... A stroke?! .... That can't be! She's too young!" Omari exclaims, just as there's a tremendous crash. Nyla, having overheated from the anxiety of the day's events, enters another one of her heavyweight episodes!

Wil, having missed his chance to catch her, is at her side quickly, offering a gentle cradle of compassion.

"Do you think Cooper's links can be repaired?" Wil, inquires of the ghostly spirit, brushing Nyla's disheveled hair back into place.

"She has a strong mind. A strong life-force. I cannot predict what the future may bring, but if she stays healthy of body, we can work with the brain. Only time will tell."

Nyla stirs.... putting a hand to head, she opens her eyes to see everyone looking down at her. "Oh, my circuits!" She exclaims, as Omari and Wil help her into a nearby chair. With the air being frigid from Aerima's influence, a few deep breaths, is all it takes to cool her circuits.

"You rest, my dear." Wil suggests, but Nyla won't have anything to do with that nonsense!

"Aerima," mother android, inquires, "can you please stay with her, until we figure this out?"

"I can't think of anything I would rather do." The ghostly friend says. "She needs the company."

"Thank you, dear heart. I'll have Surri inform Jax, that you'll be over here for an extended while."

Suddenly, the intercom bleeps to life. "We're coming up on the first breaking maneuver." Esty informs. "Everyone might want to secure themselves for this one."

With no time to dilly dally, Cooper and Aerima are tucked away inside medical's hibernation chamber.

The Noxxa return to the Nazqa's reactor, informing of their adventures after arriving back onboard.

Into the dark endless-void, the conjoined-ships streak like demons from hell! Bending and breaking all known laws of physics, they ride a powerful wave of condensed dark-matter and energy.

Nestled deeply within the slipstream, they must thread the eye of the cosmic needle, twice more, so's to diminish excessive velocity.

While the slipstream helps the Revenge avoid most of what happens inside our universe, getting close to a black hole, even one of just stellar mass, is enough to strongly influence. However, with careful calculation and a bit of luck, the gravity will pull just right, slowing the massive flying saucer.

"Hold on!" Gort yells clickity-clackity. "This might get rough!" By the very tone, Toby knows to hang on good, as she monitors the all-important data pouring from the engineering console.

"Stellar-mass black hole, coming on fast!" Braxton informs excitedly, as the ship shakes violently from powerful gravity-waves breaking over her bow.

Stars on the forward monitor begin blinking out, as the darkest thing in nearby space, sucks up the starlight!

"Are you ready for this, Magnus?"

"I better be!" Comes a reply from a grimacing face, as the gravity of the situation slams home! "Autopilot is inputting the course deviation in three, two, one.... now!"

Inertial dampeners take the hit well but are severely taxed!

Gravity grips the hearts and minds of all onboard, as the black holes voracious pull, reaches for the tiny morsel that slings past so boldly!

On a wave of gravitational lensing, the Revenge and Nazqa cheat death, as they tease the monstrous phenomenon! They are viciously pulled by the powerful sucking-force of a tiny solar-mass black hole, one of many billions that reside within our galactic neighborhood.

With accurate trajectories, the conjoined saucers avoid a crushing abbreviation! Cheating the Grim, is becoming a habit as of late! One that mathematics says simply can't perpetuate!

Past the dead, collapsed star they rip, with just enough pull, to slow the speeding ship!

With velocity degraded, autopilot lines them up for the next collapsed star.

They continue a relatively short path through interstellar space, lining up with the next and the next black hole! In this fashion, they slow.

Soon the ships feeble-warp-bubbles are enough to finish the deceleration process.... with just a hint of grace....

_Twenty-four hours later._ "We're coming up on Thoobn." Braxton informs of the greys parent-star.

Ahead, a brilliant star grows large before their very eye's! The circle-monitor shines brightly, as the speeding ships, slow for orbital insertion.

"All is quiet." Nyla informs from her comm-panel. "I'm not receiving any radio transmissions."

"This doesn't bode well, my friends." Esty, says with a haunting tone as she stares at the tiny dots of light they approach. "Something terrible has happened in this solar system. It should be lit up like a Christmas tree!"

Dread flows through the greys psyche's like thick dark matter through too thin a straw.

Others join them on the bridge. The remainder of the dirty dozen, minus Cooper and Jax, file in solemnly, taking seats at the perimeter, as if sitting for a cosmic funeral.

Razzi, Surri, and parents, snuggle-in with the rest, wondering if they should have stayed in the forest back home. It's been a long, tough journey, and perhaps the worst is still to come!

"Long-range sensors show clean space ahead, commander." Max, reports from astrogation.

"Thanks, Mister Sohn." Esty replies. "Miss Blackstone, how far are we out from Rylax."

"Only 28-million-miles." Shirley reports smartly of the planet they seek ahead. "We'll be within magnification range within two-minutes." Shirley answers, glad for some lines!

"Very well." But the sly mechanical commander can't let the tall android slide, without at least one order. "Wil, contact the Nazqa. Inform Talus to stay close and keep his sensors peeled."

"Aye Aye, commander." Admiral Sohn, responds dutifully, anxious to see what type of world his pirate friends call home.

# Broken world!

Nothing can prepare one for the devastation witnessed, as the Revenge and Nazqa, approach an unimaginable horror! On the main monitor, a scene out of a horrific nightmare, astronomical in scope, slaps them upside their psyche's!

Esty and Gort's worst fears while hibernating on Oberon Prime, couldn't compare or prepare for such a disaster. A murderous chill, flows through Gort's veins! Hot electrons, assault Esty's circuits! For a few long moments, you could hear an atom drop!

Ahead, a planet of nearly Earth's mass, is torn asunder! .... Viciously ripped apart and left to rot in space! Now, a dead world with a broken, frozen heart!

From a distance, it seems an astronomically-sized taffy treat pulled apart in all directions and flash-frozen. Leaving long strands of frozen magma extending from the battered core and connecting with huge crustal pieces that are thousands of miles away!

It was once a healthy, vibrant world. A world where Esty and Gort, were born! Now, it has become a cosmic Picasso of horrific proportions!

At the center of the planetary rip-torn, a crunched sphere of frozen slag that was once the mighty core of the world, hangs suspended as might an insect caught in a spider's web!

The planet was gang-banged by many planet-gouger ships. Working in concert, they mercilessly splayed the world with tremendous bands of energy. During the attack, which was pure _vengeance gone wild_ , the world was pulled apart in large chunks, leaving the molten magma to string outward, before freezing in the void.

Like a sick, twisted sculpture of horrific proportions, the 'drawn and quartered' world, hangs suspended in space. Its guts on full display for all to see!

Many rings of debris and chunks, circle the devastation, adding a flavor of dread to the death of a world! The death of a civilization!

With a core that once beamed with radiant heat, now only a metallic mass of frozen slag, sits at the center of it all. A prize worth taking, but for some reason, left to rot like a sour berry on a vine!

"Oh my!" Talia screams, as the impact of what she's seeing, hits home. "That can't be good!"

Glancing at her Grey friends, the doctor sees two of the saddest faces she's ever seen in her long life. One of them will require a strong sedative soon, and the other, no sedative exists that will calm her circuits! Hot electrons flow sizzlingly through her heated conductors!

"By all the wicked supernova!" Wil stands dumbfounded at what he sees. "Would you look at that! .... How the devil did they splay an entire planet for crying out loud!?"

"It's been a while since the attack." Harper adds his two-cents. "The core seems as frozen as a witch's heart!"

"Aye!" Magnus, concurs. "She's been murdified for sure! .... Cracked and scrambled like a cosmic egg, she has!"

Esty is livid, her electrons steaming! .... Gort is a magnitude beyond even that! .... He paces back and forth, not taking his eyes off the carnage displayed on the circle-monitor. Angrily waving his long thin arms over his head like a pissed-off Grey ape!

Venting alien expletives that would cause a Grey Satan to blush, he seethes like he's never done! Back and forth, back and forth he vents dark rage, nearly wearing a groove in the ships deck. All the while, his laser pistol swings menacingly from this utility belt, thankfully not yet becoming part of his rage!

Thana.... poor Thana! The raging warrior has scared her circuits into a knot! Her people are responsible for the tremendous destruction they're witnessing.

She tries to shrink to the size of an atom and hide someplace safe. But unlike Aerima, her android body won't obey such a silly wish! With stealthy prowess, she hides effectively behind Myrna and friends in the peanut gallery.

Soon, the spaceships are closing with the broken planet, forcing everyone to put aside raw emotions and concentrate on flying the ship.

"Braxton take us closer." Esty, orders heatedly. "Give us a tour of the murder scene." Squinting at the big monitor, she tries to find something recognizable.

"Aye Aye, commander." Comes a jinx moment neither sad helmsmen wish to entertain.

Choosing one of the largest chunks that still sports the old planetary surface, the Revenge is brought down into a gossamer atmosphere. So thin in fact, it's nearly undetectable!

With a frozen core, and no magnetic field protecting the planet, solar winds have a field-day with the gasses! Blowing the molecules into space, as the catawampus gravity is too perturbed to help the situation. Not only was a planet murdered, but poor old Bernoulli was too!

Streaking through a twilight zone running across the chunk of twisted disaster, it's plain to see great battle-scars across the land. Ugly gouges across the darkened landscape, speak to the unyielding force of the attacking entities.

Here and there, areas of truncated skyscrapers, tell of once vibrant cities, mowed down in the prime of life! Across the land, harsh unfiltered solar radiation, bakes everything! A more horrible scene, none could ever imagine!

"Yup, the Apollyon were here!" Toby exclaims. Reaching, she pats her new co-worker on the back after he calmed and returned to his seat. "I'm _so_ sorry, Gort." For her effort, a wave of whimpering gibberish, as the proud warrior hangs is head, mumbling under his breath.

"He appreciates your concern, Toby." Esty translates. "As do I."

A rain of concern floods the commander and first mate, yet nobody is more concerned than Thana, who is too frightened to remind of her presence on the bridge.

Nyla breaks that ice for her. "Thana?" She calls out to no place in particular .... Silence.

"I think she jumped overboard." Jax, quips without mercy.

Looking around, she finds her target hiding behind earthlings from Kansas. "Thana, please come forward. I have a question for you."

Salt is rubbed into the fresh wounds of Esty and Gort, as Thana stands and crosses the bridge, reminding of her presence. Knowing she couldn't have stayed hidden forever, she stops between Esty's throne, and Gort's position. With head held high, android shoulders back, she tries to make amends....

"Nothing I can say, will bring back your world. I only wish to convey my deepest sorrows for your loss. I truly can't imagine what you must be feeling, but I'm trying to learn. I am no longer your enemy. _I didn't do this terrible thing_. Please find a way to forgive my past, so we can forge a new future.... together."

While being of piratical nature, the emotion of compassion is not lost on Esty. While Gort.... well, it'll take time for Gort to cool his heated jets!

"Thana, you have proven your friendship well." Esty, admits graciously. "I know how hard it must be for you to change your ways. Yet if truth be known, we are both destroyers of worlds, in our own special ways. If any of my people survived this catastrophe, they'll be looking for new worlds. Worlds they'll take by force if necessary. It's a _dog eat dog_ universe out there, but it seems your people used an extra big stick this time."

"Yes, my dear." Nyla says calmly. "The attackers went a little overboard with the smiting of this world. Were you aware that such power could be brought to bear by your people?"

"I've never known such power existed. The Nerezza, spent her entire life alone. By herself, this level of damage could not be achieved. I think many Apollyon ships were linked for this level of damage. Such a linking is theoretical. For this special purpose, it was made so."

" _Special purpose_?" Wil inquires, smelling a big fat rat.

"Yes, well...." A pause as Thana can't find the politically correct words. Glancing at Esty, she comes clean. "It's no secret, the animosity between our peoples, Esty. The hatred goes back for more years than I care to remember. I believe this planet was a revenge-kill." She postulates, adding....

"Whoever did this terrible thing, wasn't interested in harvesting.... At the very least, the iron core should be missing, and it's not. I believe the purpose here was to sterilize the universe of their ancient oppressors and leave a monument of the destruction. If there are other worlds of your people, they too might have befallen the same fate."

Into the waking nightmare, the Revenge and Nazqa slip. Fastly they circle the broken planet, looking for anything that might have survived the onslaught. But such an old battle would provide no meaningful prizes. The world is dead, and it will never again be what it once was.

"Where to now, Esty?" Braxton, asks delicately, knowing there is nothing for them there.

"Here's new coordinates. Take us there." The android commander sends the dreaded numbers, hoping against hope, that things won't be so bad at the next of her people's worlds.

Since creating the androids that eventually became the 'Apollyon' species, her ancestors had to find new worlds many times! The galaxy is big, but finding habitable worlds that are just right, is a rare thing, a rare thing indeed!

Gravity can't be too far amiss. Gasses can't be too sour. Indigenous populations mustn't be too advanced, or troublesome. A million things can go wrong, but those who steal worlds from others, worry about two-million-things!

"Aye Aye." Braxton transfers the new numbers into the ship's navigation computers. "Uh, commander. Do you mind if we go through the debris? It's kind of in our way, and we'll waste fuel going around."

"Go slow, Mister Crane." Esty, warns eerily.

"Aye Aye, commander." Comes reply, as the Revenge cautiously sails forward. Manipulation of a nearly idled warp-signature keeps them exposed to the slipstream just right. Not too fast, not too slow....

Through a labyrinth of planetary stalactites and stalagmites, the helmsmen slalom the mighty flying saucer through the murdered world. It's not the first time the Revenge had been at this planet. She was built here! Built while in orbit around what was once a beautiful piece of galactic real estate.

Passing the sphere of metallic agony that was once a hot core, Braxton illuminates a section of the now frozen corpse. Exclamations aplenty flow gaspingly through the bridge as layers of heavy elements come into view.

"My circuits!" Nyla exclaims as the monitor blazes with well-defined geologic layering. One particular layer sticks out like a sore thumb, as gold reflects its beautiful gloriousness. "There must be trillions of tons of gold here!" She yells, pondering the 5-kilos of the magical metal that makes up her CPU.

"Oh, doesn't this speak of the hatred the Apollyon's have for your people, Esty. "Wil ponders aloud. "They hate you so much, they didn't even want your gold! They left it. They simply just left it. Go figure."

Esty and Gort care not why the cosmic murderers left their grisly prize, but Thana changes their minds quickly. "I doubt they will leave it forever lost here in space. They'll be back!"

A more chilling thought hadn't entered the minds of anyone. Esty, perks as if stuck with an electric needle! "You mean, they might still be in the area?"

"Anything is possible, but they won't forget about such a hard-won prize. I'm sure the destruction of this world, cost them dearly in energy reserves." Thana informs.

"Lets just hope we have better luck at the next stop." Talia offers hope in the emotional-vacuum that had developed.

The next coordinates are 420-light-years away. As the broken world recedes into the rearview mirror, Braxton gently eases the ship deeply into the slipstream. The monitor goes kaleidoscopic, as the interaction with warped space, creates a dizzying light show. Reaching, Esty dims the chaotic scene, bringing down the lights on the bridge to a darkened state.

For the next week, the Queen Anne's Revenge and Nazqa will traverse the slipstream layer between universes. Even at thousands of multiples of c, the journey is not a short one. However, when compared to the 100-thousand-light-year-disk of the Milky Way, 420-light-years is merely a stroll in the cosmic park!

_Onboard the Nazqa_.... "I miss her! I miss her so much!" Jax, mumbles to himself, repeatedly banging his head on his science station. Crushing his empty backpack in is lap, he fights a bout of fevered jealousy, not caring if he makes a scene!

Even though Aerima is a ghost, he feels a love that he's never known before. Now she's gone, on a mission of danger! At least in his mind, the thought of traversing between the two spaceships during trans-warp velocity, might be considered dangerous!

"Mister Jax Krauss!" Captain Talus calls from his mighty throne. "Don't make me stop this spaceship! If I do, you'll be walking home! .... Now, give it a rest and don't break my ship. Aerima will be fine. I know her better than you. I can tell you.... she's a fighter!"

The realization that somebody here actually knows his Aerima better than he, makes him even more jealous! Talus and his motley crew knew her even before she became a ghostly spirit!

"Permission to leave my post." He requests, before he fractures his skull.

"Permission granted. Get some rest, and report back in an hour." Talus orders.

Jax, retires to his tiny stateroom, where he lays curled up on the bed, forcing himself to think kindly of Cooper and wondering what could have brought her to such dire straits.

He knows that if anyone can help her, it's Aerima. So, with soothing thoughts of his ghostly sweetheart, he drifts into dreamland, where he always feels more at home!

The Nazqa keeps pace with the Revenge. They tear at the very fabric of space and time! Autopilots, carefully digesting the incoming date from long range sensors. More than a few times, the trajectory must be modified so's to miss rogue planets and stellar mass black holes moving uncaringly through the great void.

Vagabonds of galactic waste, thrown from their parent systems by gravitational misfortunes brought on by larger siblings, they freely roam the vacuum of space. No space-chart could hope to stay up-to-date concerning such homewreckers. Like rampaging bulls, they go where they want, not caring one way or the other where they end up or who's day they ruin!

"Talus. Aerima's been gone a long time." Jayleen breaks a long silence. "I'm worried about her too."

"Oh, now don't you worry about her, Jayleen. She's helping another person, and that's what she lives for. Or at least she used too. I only wish I had half the grit she does. In fact, I'm sure she's been ruling her ghostly domain with an iron fist. A fair fist to be sure, but an iron one just the same!"

"Well, I'm worried too." Selza adds. "I hope she returns soon!"

The next destination is not quickly reached. Not even at science fiction speed can they hope to rip space-time faster. While at warp-velocities, and moving like bats out of hell, the two ships will still take all of a week to make the transit.

Considering the immensity of the cosmos, even the most advanced technologies have a tough time wrapping their math around it. Apparently, there is a lot of space, in outer space!

Time during the transit is considered _'down-time'_. However, down-time is not always what it seems. Sure, it's a time for long sleeps, but only after exhaustive preventative maintenance is performed. Even spaceships require TLC, in order to stay in the game!

To stay fit for the journey and bring the crews safely home, decks are swabbed, galleys cleaned and sterilized, shower-tubes scrubbed until they gleam. Even in the depths of space, one must house clean!

Nobody is derelict in their duties. Each have specific chores to accomplish, and accomplish them, they do! All the while, with the minimal of gripe. Toby takes on Coopers duties, but all seem happy to pitch in and assist.

Harper and Ling visit with Cooper a lot. They've always been the closest to the comatose young woman, beside Toby. While the two have never used the alien-headbands, and thusly not understanding the ships technicalities so good, they help wherever they can.

The mood is somber. Even though a space-faring personality is one of adventure and conquest, seeing Esty and Gort's world splayed in such a fashion, really dampens the spirits! They know in their hearts that the Apollyon species must be stopped. To allow them to continue gaining strength, is tantamount to just giving up and throwing in the cosmic towel.

Nobody onboard either ship, including the Apollyon Commander Thana, is willing to let the galactic threat continue to grow and fester. They'll find the enemy, and either persuade them to change their murderous ways, or bring them a space-dose of attitude adjustment!

Darkness rules the coma as Cooper hangout in her safe place. She's been under a spell of paralysis and gloom, for longer than she cares to think about. Sometimes she gets the courage to venture forth, looking for a path to consciousness. A path to the light!

Taking advice from a good friend, she never goes too far. It's too easy to get lost further, never again finding the safe place. Her mental hidey-hole of sanity....

"Aerima? Are you there?" She calls into the mental fog, hoping to interact with somebody. Anybody....

"Yes, my good chum. I am here." Aerima responds jokingly, hoping to lift spirits.

"Oh, I'm so glad you stayed with me! Does it hurt you to stay inside my mind?"

"No Cooper. It doesn't hurt but drains more energy than usual. The others are always trying my defenses. Trying to get past."

"Others? .... Trying to get past?"

"Yes, there are others with me. They desire freedom. It's a constant battle to keep them down."

"Are they bad?! .... Oh Aerima, what if they escape?!"

"Well.... I don't know for sure, Coop. Let's just hope we never find out!"

"Oh Aerima! It must to so terrible where you are!" The lost young woman projects subconsciously to her ghostly friend. "And to think I've been feeling sorry for _myself_. This is nothing to compare with your torments! At least I have a _chance_ to awaken!"

"The universe is full of surprises, Coop. I too, seek the path out of my dungeon. I always keep hope that someday this will come true. After all, stranger things have happened!" Aerima exclaims, trying to believe her own hype.

"If I ever wake up, I'll put all my scientific skill to the pursuit of getting you out of there Aerima! I promise! It's the least I can do after you brought light into _my_ darkness. Your life matters, and we'll get through this together, you and me!"

" _Or die trying_?" The spirited spirit evokes the ultimate promise.

" _Or die trying_!" The comatose human female replies with a haunting laugh, before realizing. "Hey wait a minute! You're already dead! _No fair_! _No fair_!" Her laughter flows like mental-adrenaline, lifting her spirits as the entity from beyond the multiverse joins in!

After a moment Cooper calms, as Aerima informs. "I may already be dead, but believe it or not, there are ways I can die _even further_. A topic for next time, perhaps. For now, I must leave you and regenerate. Don't despair, my dear. I'll be back!"

"Are you going back to Jax?" The coma-girl inquires.

"I am. He gives me the strength I need." She responds lovingly, adding. "Besides, I can't leave him unsupervised for such a long time!" Another laugh leaves them exhausted.

"Well, please tell him thanks for sharing you with me, and thank you for being such a great friend too. A great friend to all of us!"

"My dear, think nothing of it. Like they say .... _Multiverse Lives Matter_!"

A chill, flows through Cooper's mind, as the ghostly spirit leaves her in peace. More reconnoiters from her mental hidey-hole, are in order. Not too far! Not too far, she remembers the warning! There is a way out, she ponders fiercely! There must be, she hopes desperately! With a steel-trap mind, she searches for a solution, refusing to give up. Refusing to lose hope!

From somewhere far away, a familiar voice filters through the thick fog, bringing words from her favorite book. It's Toby's voice! It flows soothingly through her psyche; warming the soul!

She wishes there was some way to let Toby know how wonderful her presence feels. Some way to tell her that she hears the words but just can't find a way to physically respond!

To lose all mobility, is a fate worse than death, she considers dreadfully. Relaxing, she lets Toby's voice wash away the cobwebs of self-pity....

All is quiet now, as the Revenge and Nazqa speed towards a fateful destination. A destination that might bring closure to a horrific journey, or perhaps more shocking realizations.

Aerima interacts minimally with Cooper lately. Conserving energy while maintaining an iron-fist on her otherworldly portal. Neither, can afford for even one illegal, to break through to the other side!

Into the great void, the intrepid warriors and scientists warp! When they come out of the slipstream, will they find another waking nightmare of cosmic proportions? Or perhaps find their enemy still gorging lustfully upon its next planetary victim?

Nobody knows the answer to those demanding of questions. Stoic perseverance and cosmic grit, flows through the veins and circuits of the brave crew from Oberon Prime and multiverse!

So, the battle cry that echoes within their psyche's, draws greedily upon those strengths, offering nothing less than the stubbornness of bravery!

' _Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead_ '!

# Planetary pirates!

"Commander, we're de-warping in 2-minutes." Braxton informs, even though Esty is well-aware. This second world is no less important for survival of their species than the last!

Sitting on pins and needles, they chafe at the bit, hoping against hope that this time will be different. This time they'll have a planet to visit!

"Thank you, Mister Crane." She responds, turning her head. "Nyla, please inform the rest of the crew."

Fighting an anxiety-headwind, Esty looks to her best friend in all the universe. Gort sits tall and proud, radiating strength and resolve. Noticing his commander's angst, he leaves his post, approaching her mighty throne.

"Esty. No matter what we find here," the Grey warrior clickity-clacks, "at least we'll have each other."

"Yes Gort." Esty, responds softly, her circuits cooling from the kind words. "At least we'll have each other, and a bunch of new friends also." She offers a wide smile to all on the bridge. Something that's not easy for a Grey alien, especially an android one!

" _Hear-Hear_!" Kara, exclaims. "You'll always be welcome at Oberon Prime and Titania Alpha!" A chorus of agreement flows through the bridge, as the moment long-awaited, arrives.

"Gort. You better buckle-up." Esty warns. "We'll be leaving the slipstream in 30-seconds."

Leaving the slipstream is always a painful event! The ships inertial-dampeners work wonders, but they can't totally dampen the surge of such a vast change in velocity. There is always a murderous psyche-wrenching torque!

Scientist can't prove it, but the mind seems to leave the body for a flash, as it continues racing ahead! Only to snap-back, with more than a hint of disorientation! The effect isn't so pronounced within the android circuits, but it happens, all the same.

The Revenge and Nazqa fall out of warped-space at exactly the same instant. Ahead, all is dark and empty, where there should be a vibrant, shiny ball of rock and water! The planet is gone! .... Simply gone!

"Oh my!" Talia exclaims, feeling like she wants to faint. "This can't be good!"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" Esty exclaims maniacally, her circuits nearing meltdown!

Nyla's circuits take a jump, not expecting such a dilemma, she too feels like fainting! "By all the galaxies! We must be lost!" She reaches, taking Wil's hand for support.

"It'll be okay, my dear." Wil offers without knowing the outcome. "We'll figure this out."

Esty and Gort, stare at the circle-monitor, jaws slackened from shock. "Max, Shirley, check our coordinates!" The commander orders sternly of the young humans sitting at astrogation.

"Aye Aye, commander." Comes snappy twin-acknowledgments.

Gort is quickly on his feet, resuming his previous pacing and ranting! Back and forth, back and forth! Arms waving over his head as he throws a hissy-fit for all to see!

Like one of his simian ancestors, the raw moment sends him spinning! Ranting and raving in his own special way, the others are glad they don't understand his heated spiel of cosmic expletives.

Thana makes for the protection on the sidelines behind her Zenarawan and Kansas friends. Gort is scaring the electrons out of her.... again!

"Gort.... _Gort_!" Esty, calls to her agitated first officer. "Comport yourself this very instant!" She warns heatedly, knowing the primitive-minded male can lose control easily. She hadn't given him any new scars since becoming an android and would hate to do so now!

"It's gone!" The Grey warrior clickity-clacks frustratedly, turning a scarred face to his beloved commander. "How can an entire planet disappear?!" He inquires, knowing the answer would be as impossible as the disappearance.

"We'll figure that out." Esty, offers desperately. "Please Gort, retake your station at engineering. We must stay focused! Check the ships systems with Toby. I want a full report as soon as possible." She orders, knowing the warrior needs something to divert his anger.

"Esty." Max, calls. "We're exactly where we should be. We're not lost at all! .... But the planet sure is!" He exclaims, as Shirley checks and double-checks their data.

"Oh my!" Talia exclaims again, not able to control her anxiety.

"Kara, Harper," Esty calls. "what do you see on long-range-sensors?"

"Already on it.... I mean; standby commander." Kara relies. The young scientists are already neck-deep analyzing the data-stream.

Now, while the term 'long-range-sensors' might create a picture of reaching out instantly into deep space and seeing what's what, the relatively slow nature of light, severely limits such fanciful surveillance.

A search signal sent outward at light-speed takes twice as long, considering it must make a round-trip effort. Depending on the amount of time one dedicates, the process can be very tedious!

Long moments pass, each accompanied by a metallic finger clicking repeatedly again the armrest of the command chair. Then as anxiety peeks....

"Commander." Kara reports. "We're not sure exactly what to look for. I mean, there are 14-planets in this system, and they're all going haywire! Every one of them is perturbed from their orbits. Several match your planets size and mass, and we're not even sure if yours of among _that_ bunch!"

"I suspect the planet you seek is gone from this system." Thana calls from her safe space, hoping to not be called upon for another cosmic inquisition! And she's saved by the bell!

"Commander!" Max looks up from his data screen. "I'm detecting a trail of debris leading into deep space from where the planet should be! It's mostly small chunks and dust. Further along, the trail changes to bigger chunks that go beyond sensor range!"

"Commander!" Shirley, working instruments next to Max, adds her own discovery about the trail of tears. "Mid-range scans are showing lots of what looks like spaceships near where the world once existed. No activity. All are tumbling chaotically. Perhaps battle losses."

"Yes." Esty agrees. "My people would have put up a worthy fight!" She translates the terrible news for Gort, reminding him to behave as he stiffens for a fight!

Instinctively, she puts fingertips to temples, rubbing for the comforting effect. Not getting the desired mental reaction due to her new physiology, she rues the day she became a machine!

Circuits heating, she can't relax! "Braxton, Magnus.... take us in!" She snaps, before reining in her heated electrons. The last thing she needs to do, is pull a 'Gort', and scare everyone half to death!

More calmly, she adds, "let's see what we can see, before following the trail of planetary debris!"

Braxton pours on the coals! Quickly, the Revenge closes the immense gap from outer solar system, to where a beautiful blue-green world once existed.

Now just a hazy void in space, the carnage of war still floats nearby. A battle to the very end it seems! A battle that the proud Grey alien race, had no real chance of winning. No chance at all!

"At least they didn't die from the lack of shooting back!" Wil, states morbidly.

Ahead, a scene out of a horrific nightmare unfolds! The ships big monitor shines with the tragic ending of many battlecruisers in space at the missing world. Some are split in half, with wires and cables holding the pieces together.

Others are partially disintegrated from powerful disrupter beams that chewed on the ship's zirconium molecules, until they gave up the atomic ghost!

Every now and then, they pass a body floating in the frozen vacuum. Many with no space suits. A most horrible way to go, they all think!

"Oh my!" Talia exclaims dreadfully.

A direr scene can hardly be imagined! Unless you count the previous planetary murder! Moving in closer, Esty recognizes some of the fallen vessels. Instinctively squinting, she sees that there seems to be a lot of space-dust, coating the hulls.

"It seems this battle was not fought yesterday." She shares her thoughts aloud. "Look closely. There's dust covering all the derelicts."

It pained her to use that word to describe what were once proud flying saucers!

Max clears his throat. He's been busy at his workstation, calculating an estimate of when the battle and theft of the world took place.

"Commander. From the average thickness of the space-dust on the fallen ships, I think the battle was relatively recent. It's difficult to know for sure without a more detailed analysis."

"Thanks, Mister Sohn." Esty, responds kindly. She had also come to a similar conclusion and is glad to have the genius among her crew, concur with her own estimation. "The Apollyon ships are not known for great speed, so perhaps they've not gotten far with their planetary booty."

Thana, moving from her dark shadows, glad that Gort has been throttled, and is now securely strapped in his seat.

"Uh, Esty. One Apollyon ship could not have performed such a feat as steeling an entire planet. I agree with your hypothesis that they might not have gotten too far, but I believe there was more than one ship. The amount of power required to do this terrible thing, came from a fleet of vessels. We should consider this and move with caution."

Esty, considers the words carefully. They seem logical. She's torn betwixt charging in like a crazed maniac, battling the foe briefly, before being totally destroyed. Or, calmly calculating a decent plan of attack, first.

The problem is, she doesn't know anything about the conditions ahead. A mysterious and powerful enemy, and she with just two tiny ships. Neither built for war, but still with some serious fangs if needed.

"Wise words my friend." Commander, praises. "If we're to make a meaningful attack, we better count our lucky stars and see what tools we have at our disposal."

Just then, six shimmering balls of energy enter the bridge, followed by a frozen breeze and Aerima's misty cloud of ghostly radiance.

The Noxxa take a hovering position in the peanut gallery. The air is electrified, bring the Zenarawan's fur to new hair-raising heights! Razzi and Surri join with them in a mental link, hoping to find an answer to their situation.

Aerima makes her rounds of the bridge. Frigidly greeting everyone, informing of Cooper's brighter mood as of late.

"Oh, that's great news, Aerima!" Toby responds through chattering teeth, rubbing her arms for the frictional warmth. "We sure owe you a debt of gratitude!"

"Think nothing of it, Toby. After all, Cooper's life matters! Besides, you people rescued me and my crew from the Nerezza, so it's the least I can do. But my energy reserves are low. I need a boost."

Turning to Esty, she inquires. "Commander Esty. Request permission to leave the ship." It didn't come out like a question....

"Permission granted. Please be careful, Aerima." Good advice, from a desperate commander who can't even begin to fathom how such a crossing could be done.

"I'll return as soon as Jax replenishes my reserves." With that, the lovely spirit from another realm, leaves the Revenge.

Through the ship's bulkheads, warp-coils, and thick outer hull, she goes. Into the loving embrace of the electronic fog she travels with anticipation of seeing the love of her life.

With energy waning, she senses the others will soon try her defenses. Something that wouldn't end well for anyone!

Inside the Nazqa she finds a sullen Jax, laying restlessly inside his tiny stateroom, feeling so very sorry for himself....

"Rise and shine!" The spirit announces with a stiff-breeze of frozen molecules, made more-so as she just arrived from near absolute-zero.

Jumping like a cat, Jax's world has finally come back! Like the missing planet's effect on the local solar system, Aerima's absence perturbed everything in his universe too!

"Aerima! .... Welcome back! I missed you so much!" As those words warm Aerima's psyche, she closes with Jax, embracing him in a misty veil of intimate proximity.

Aerima requires energy, which Jax has in abundance! Each are rejuvenated, as they take from the other, what only true love can provide!

"Mister Crane. Mister Teach.... Ahead, 90% slip." Esty, orders after regaining a modicum of composure. "Miss Tao, Mister Williams. Keep a keen eye on long-range sensors."

At 90% slipstream, the monitor still shows a good visual instead of the kaleidoscopic smearing of colors seen while at full throttle. A trail of exhaust dust leads away from the scene of the crime.

A path of molecules and tiny bits of matter extend into the void like a trail of breadcrumbs. Easy to follow!

As the ships follow the scent, the trail becomes increasingly fatter, more robust. Soon, they're passing large chunks of planetary crust, thrown to the side as one might discard orange peelings during a juicy feast. And, the ravenous beast or beasts who gorged along the way, are still far ahead, hiding beyond sensor range.

"Oh My!" Talia exclaims as they sail past several large crustal chunks.

"Look!" She yells pointingly. "That one has a city on it!"

Sure enough, the chunk of worldly crust, tumbling eternally through the empty void, displays the dead remains of a once vibrant city clinging to the surface! Many of the taller buildings, truncated to an early death.

"Helm.... slow and take us closer!" Esty, orders out of pure emotion, not thinking.

Gort turns a saddened face, mumbling a mouthful of mournful gibberish that translates; "Commander. There is nothing for us here except haunted memories. Besides, it tumbles out of control. Too dangerous.... Too dangerous. Let not the trail, grow colder."

Good advice from a strategic mind, she thinks. "Yes, of course. Thank you, Gort. I lost focus. .... Helm; belay that order. Continue on this heading.... steady as she goes."

Time passes. The planetary chunks, big and small, continue to emerge from the inky darkness as the Revenge and Nazqa speed towards an uncertain future.

Enemies ahead, need to be dealt with! If the threat is allowed to continue, it will surely grow at a geometric rate, eventually consuming the galaxy and beyond!

Today, a few tiny worlds are eaten and extinguished. Tomorrow.... more, much more!

Esty, focuses on the ship's current trajectory, as the trail of planetary debris reduces back to a molecular trace. The big chunks are no more, having fallen into the ships wake.

"Current track will take us to the third world on my list!" She announces a dreadful realization. "If the Apollyon continue along this path, our most distant outpost might be found!"

"Esty, we're past the big stuff." Max announces from astrogation. "The trail could end soon. We better be prepared. I mean, we could be getting close."

"Thanks, Mister Sohn."

Esty, understands the gravity of the situation. "Razzi, please contact Aerima and Talus. Tell them to close the gap and intensify the tractor-field if possible. Stress the need to be on their toes."

"Aye Aye." Max acknowledges, and Razzi purrrrs understanding.

The brave crews on each ship, brainstorm different scenarios and methods of attack for when the time comes. Hopefully, the end of the trail won't be a dead end, so to speak.

Razzi links with the minds on the Nazqa, providing a flow of ideas between the two ships. Even though they know not what to expect up ahead, Thana's experience and knowledge of the Apollyon technology, is indispensable.

With clarity of circuits, and newfound shame of what her species has become, the Apollyon commander provides hope that she and her new friends will prevail. "Okay, so we're agreed." The shiny android begins a critique of the latest battle plans.

"As soon as we reach the....

"Um, sorry to interrupt," .... Braxton's excited voice energizes the speakers in the galley/conference room, "but you guys better get in here! We're reading something massive on long-range sensors! And I _do mean BIG!_ "

The galley empties fast! The dirty dozen not required on the bridge, jockey for the exit, creating a log jam that Nyzilla the destroyer bulldozes into the corridor!

"One at a time, you little monsters!" She yells at the rambunctious humans, who're left in _her dust_ for a change of pace!

Her circuits glow hotly! Her alter-ego enjoys another release from its lonely dark cage. With energized electrons, she knows the moment of truth has arrived! Ride or be ridden!

Quickly, the bridge is alive again with people, androids, Zenarawan's, Noxxa orbs, a friendly ghost; all trying to get a grip on the rapidly unfolding situation.

"Esty, should we slow?" Braxton inquires. "It'll give us time to analyze."

"No. If we leave warp now, they'll notice us all the easier. We mustn't allow them to lose focus on their juicy meal.... steady as she goes, Mister Crane."

"Aye Aye."

"Full magnification." She orders of long-range sensors.

"We're just now getting within visual range." Kara informs as she and team twist dials, flip switches, trying to gain focus on the tiny target. Soon, they bring horrid clarity to a scene none could ever imagine!

Gasps fill the air! On the monitor, a large sphere can be seen in the distance. It's bathed in a bright layer of electronic fog, not unlike that of the Revenge and Nazqa. Like an eerie diamond in the void, it travels a lonely path through interstellar space. Soon it becomes apparent that the sphere isn't alone, after all!

An armada of seemingly miniscule spacecraft can be seen moving with the giant object! Extremely tiny in comparison to their victim, like fleas on a dog.

The enemy ships maintain stationary orbits as they pour raw energy into their portable meal. Half of the terrible energy pulls the meal along. While the other half, consumes resources from the metallic core, using powerful claws of electromagnetic flux for scoops!

"Oh my!" Talia, nearly pops a circuit breaker, falling back into her seat and buckling up.

"Has anybody seen my helmet?" Harper breaks frantic!

"By all the moons and stars!" Nyzilla exclaims, also retaking her seat, circuits running hot! "That's all that's left of the planet they stole?" She points angrily. "Their down to the metallic core! Everything else, we already passed!"

"They skinned that world alive!" Wil yells, his electrons venting a venomous tone. "By all that's civilized! They skinned that world alive!" He repeats the horrible words. "They've taken the choicest part and thrown the rest into the void!"

A once beautiful and vibrant world, with a heart of gold, and other super-heated metals, now reduced to a frozen ball of metal that will grow the Apollyon ships!

More harbingers of doom! Just what the galaxy needed! .... Unless they're stopped, who knows the gruesome outcome!

As the Revenge and Nazqa sail stealthily closer to the pirated planet, or what's left of it, the enemy can be seen feeding on the juicy core. Filled with a plethora of atomic heavy-elements, wide bands of energy can be seen slicing off liquified swaths of material.

Captured by powerful magnetic lines of force, the worldly resources are pulled through the electronic-fog, and into the processing facilities of each Apollyon warship. Once molecular separation and filtration is accomplished, the raw materials go different ways, depending on what parts of the ship is expanding at the time.

Max, lifts a mortified face from his data screen, announcing. "There's 13 Apollyon ships in visual this side of the slipstream-net around the core, I estimate there are probably another dozen ships we can't see."

Working the data again, he adds. "I can hardly believe the numbers I'm seeing! Those ships are averaging 150-miles-across! And sensors indicate they're actively growing in size!"

"Like a virus!" Omari, stabs deep, twisting the verbal blade. His hatred grows hot! A very rare thing for the mild-mannered physician. "Like mechanical viruses they are!" He adds hotly.

"150-miles?" Kara asks incredulously. "They seem so small!"

"That's because your tiny mind is comparing them to the core, which is probably in the order of several thousand-miles." Adam, informs rudely, having a good chuckle.

"I'll ' _tiny mind_ ' you! Oh! You just wait and see if I don't!" She yells angrily, sending a laser-sharp glare.

Harper, finds his trusty battle helmet, wondering of the war is still ahead, or perhaps going to happen here on the bridge first!

Gort knows better than to rant and rave again, so sits angrily as steam shoots from his ears! Or at least it feels that way to the pissed off Grey!

Esty, sits shocked in her command chair, her circuits heated to an incandescent glow! She tries to process the unbelievable, but her primitive android mind has a hard time getting a handle on it.

Seeing is believing, but through the hatred and shock, true acknowledgment of the scene is still in the realm of twisted nightmares.

She hopes to wake from the terror, learn it's all a bad cosmic dream, but knows in her heart of circuits, it's time to face the music.... _Make them pay in full_!

Reaching, she brings her data-pad closer, as Gort climbs the side of her throne and sits on the armrest. Together, they work the trajectory needed to begin the first phase of attack.

It had been planned in theory during the brainstorming sessions, but now it's time to turn the mathematical data into precise coordinates.

Picking one of the Apollyon ships, they calculate the exact spot where Thana had suggested they leave the slipstream....

# Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

"All hands, brace for action!" Esty, yells at the top of her circuits, sending everyone not already locked-n-loaded, scrambling to get secured. Reaching, Ling makes sure Harpers helmet is secured good. Going into battle without it, surely wouldn't end well!

Gort jumps like a madman from the lofty command chair, landing like a cat on his seat at engineering, scaring a few years off poor Toby's life!

"Oh! My goodness, Gort! You scared me half to death!" She exclaims laughingly, glad she didn't highyyya-karate his skinny Grey ass! For her effort, a smirk and wink from the grizzled-one who doesn't realize just how close he just came to meeting his maker....

"Helm, I've set the auto-pilot. Don't mess it.... no matter what!" Esty warns firmly, adding. "We're going to full slipstream for a fraction of a Planck-time and stopping in front of the material-intakes of an Apollyon ship. Hang on! This has never been attempted!"

"Oh my!" Talia gets her freak on! "This idea doesn't sound so good, Esty!"

"Take my hand." Omari sympathizes. "We'll be okay.... _or die trying_!" This time for his effort, a faint smile from the one who desperately wished she'd stayed home!

"Thanks Omari. You always did know how to cheer me up." She responds smartassingly.

Complacency can infect even the most sentient of creatures, creating a vulnerability that often goes unnoticed until too late. Flying through space unchallenged, scraping clean or abducting entire planets, provides a kind of drug to the Apollyon species.

Supreme control over the battlefield enables a sense of smugness that can be exploited, if one were both foolhardy and desperate to win. A few shakes of bravery thrown into the recipe, doesn't hurt either!

A sudden plunge into the slipstream, pulls hard on the structure of both saucers, not to mention everyone's psyches! Warp-bubbles form at the front and rear of the Revenge. The front bubble pulls her down a precipitous bend in space-time, while the aft, acts like a turbo-boost, providing a push in the right direction. A powerful oomph, so to speak!

Her piggyback companion, the Nazqa, and all crew, hang on for dear life! Instant nausea, perhaps even faster than that, takes the biologics by storm, as the monitor blurs into a psychedelic dance of colors.

Everything inside the electronic-fog, blurs with trails of ghostly-molecules that take time to catch up to the fastly accelerated matter. Towards the enemy, the Revenge and Nazqa rip! Graviton-field holds a tight grip on both!

Together, they cover the 185-million-mile distance in a cosmic blink! A distance that would normally take about 16-minutes at just the speed of light, or nearly 95-days using old earthling technologies!

Inertial dampeners.... severely taxed as they snap-back! The saucers leave the slipstream violently, voiding their structural warranties!

Nearly instantly, the conjoined ships come to a full stop within the molecular cloud of planetary core debris. Not a move for the fainthearted, that's for sure! Autopilot seamlessly puts on the derelict-tumble as it will later become known.

Everyone is stunned from the maneuver! The androids fight against their own type of vertigo. With gravity-pumps offline from the violent move, the brave crew floats unconsciously in their harnesses like shaken ragdolls!

The Noxxa float mid-air next to the unconscious Zenarawan's, seemingly unfazed, hoping their friends come back to life.

No enemy sensors seem to notice the new piece of space-debris that suddenly appeared inside the cloud of core-ejecta. Circle-monitor creates a dizzying effect for those who come back to consciousness, as the ship tumbles uncontrollably.

Slowly, the graviton-force of the collection beam, takes hold of the tasty new morsel, pulling it inside the behemoth Apollyon warbird for recycling. Very little escapes the greedily voracious maw of a planet-gouger!

Toby and Gort force themselves to give a damn before any of the others can recover. They unbuckle, carefully floating to the _hellhole_ entrance. Opening the cover, they manage to find and reset the tortured circuit breakers for the gravity-pumps.

Braxton and Magnus, awaken and stabilize the ships wayward tumbling.

Equilibrium rears its beautiful head! Stars disappear, as the Revenge and crew are swallowed alive by the largest spaceship any of them have ever seen! The Nerezza was huge, but this new one raises the cosmic bar!

Past indescribable types of equipment and structural-beams they go. Into a dimly lit cavern, they're pulled by automated gripper-beams towards a disrupter-field that chews on everything before filtering and classifying the planetary brew of atoms into separate monstrous-bins.

Like before, no workers can be seen. They are there, but not in recognizable forms, such as the king-pin species that occupies the bridge.

The workers in the initial processing bays, care not for details or security. They are not programmed to differentiate between friend or foe. Having been denied the benefit of sentience, they go about their business like the stupid robots they are forced to be!

Thana recovers. Her shiny face is eaten by the circle-monitor! Mesmerized, nothing escapes her eyes! She scans the cavern they move through, noticing things that any other species would be blind to.

Knowing time is running short, they must escape the jaws of the molecular disrupters, before they too are drawn and quartered! "Esty," she points into the gloomy expanse, "we should maneuver towards that area over there. I believe we'll find a place to land, near a conveyance tube."

Slowly, so's not to make it obvious that the saucer-shaped piece of debris is under intelligent control, the Revenge moves away from the disrupter beams. Thana's ' _over there_ ' is about a mile away, through clouds of metallic debris.

Before long, the Revenge and Nazqa separate, setting down side-by-side on a wide ledge at the outer perimeter of the processing cavern.

Many sighs of relief, as the ships comes to rest on a weak gravity field. So far so good, the crews all think! Esty's circuits lift dramatically, while Gort's vengeful lust rise several notches too! To be inside the belly of the beast again, and apparently undetected so far, offers a glimmer of hope!

However, the ' _gone undetected_ ' doesn't last very long! Before anyone can even release their restraints, half the monitor fills with several small ships of about 20-feet-long!

Bristling with weapons, the automated security drones have the two invaders boxed in! Like killer T-cells in a biologic organism, sensing danger to the body, these programmed defenders of the ship, mean business!

"Oh my!" Talia exclaims pointingly. "Those can't be good!"

With such a large monitor, seeming like a window, Esty feel extra busted! Extra exposed, even though knowing the weaponized drones can't see inside the ship. They hesitate, not fully understanding just what they've found. Neither the Revenge nor Nazqa are recognized as immediate threats.

"Those are new!" Thana, screeches quite believably. "I didn't have anything like those onboard the Nerezza! I'll swear to that on a stack of honesty-circuits!"

Esty, is too busy calculating a way out of the mess, to worry about any explanation. The cat's out of the bag now! .... It's, do or die time!

Gort grabs his atomic hand grenade, gifted him by Wil. Stuffing it in a pouch on his utility belt, he and others begin the arduous task of suiting up for a fight! Outside, the processing bay is unpressurized. Only deeper inside the behemoth, will they find air-pressure.

"Um, Esty." Kara calls from her position at the weapons console. "I have multiple locks. Just give the word...."

" _WORD_!" The frazzled commander, yells venomously. Mentally kicking herself for not considering such an action.

"Eat photons, you bastards!" Kara screams as she flips a safety-cover and unleashes a world of hurt unto the unsuspecting drones! Outside, five separate ruby beams, cuts into the security drones like hot knives through butter!

"YeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaa!" Comes guttural emotion like none-other!

She's quickly hypnotized by the energetic beams of destruction! She lets them cut and cut! By the time she regains focus and reigns in the blades of holy terror, they had pierced the targets and burned serious wounds in the far side of the cavernous hanger bay!

Like her biologic mom, the asteroid miner, she is hell on wheels when wielding such deadly power, but has a tough time being done with it!

Just then, shimmering-bands of vertical energy, invade the bridges of both ships! Within micro-moments, Apollyon androids materialize, weapons drawn and pointed!

Busted again! Game over! .... Nothing overcomes a language barrier, like lasers pointed at your head!

For any piratical creature worth their salt, getting busted like this, is a level of emotional-pain _worse than death_! Never the less, Esty meets the insolent gaze of her arch enemies with laser intensity.

Reaching for her laser pistol, she quickly rethinks the move as not such a good one!

Thana.... visibly shocked at the technological advancement of her species, is shaken to her core! While the structures of this Apollyon ship, seem hauntingly familiar to that of her Nerezza, other strategic details have made great strides! _Apparently, great strides indeed_!

As the Apollyon warriors situate themselves, becoming more aware of the tactical situation, another form of death, rears its multiverse head!

Balls of pure energy, race forward with vengeful intent, as the Noxxa make their presence known! Not much can withstand the mighty punch of concentrated dark energy! The relatively delicate Apollyon androids, learn the hard way about such multiverse fury!

With a flash, the balls of searing power, penetrate the newly arrived, sending sparks flying in all directions! Through and through, the Noxxa drill perfectly round holes the size of grapefruit through the Apollyon's metallic chests!

With great crashes, the ultra-heavy androids fall to the deck, shaking the ship to its keel! Dead on arrival they are! And none too soon!

Without missing a beat, the energy-beings travel to the Nazqa's bridge, delivering a similar fate of destruction! Then, after calming their heated tempers, they revel in the joy of vengeance upon a hated foe! An emotion so primitive and rare, they'd forgotten how good it feels!

"By Groxxlax hammer!" Talus exclaims at the shinning spheres that hover over the fallen. "I'm sure glad you guys are on our side!" Looking around, he sees a shocked yet relieved crew.

"They say it was their pleasure to assist." Aerima translates for the Noxxa. "They must now return to the Revenge." Then rising from her position next to Jax, who had returned to his post at the astrogator, she moves towards the orbs.

"I'm going with them Jax. Don't freak-out, like last time."

Shrinking down to the size of a ghostly atom, she enters the Noxxa she's already familiar with. Leaving a shocked and distraught Jax with outstretched arms, as if he might beckon her lovely ghostliness back to his side.

_Back on the Revenge_ , Raznalli and his kin, maintain a mental link with Jax, and also the Noxxa who've returned. Even though the two ships can now communicate via radio, because of being out of the slipstream, the radiations would surely be detected.

"Razzi, is Aerima there with you?" Jax, wastes mental energy worrying. "Is she okay?"

"She's with Cooper." Razzi responds, hoping Jax can focus on the mission, and less on his tattered emotions. "Relax Jax, stay focused." The furry one suggests wisely.

Thana moves closer to the fallen androids. A chill, flows through her circuits! They lay on the deck, looking so peaceful, she thinks. However, the nasty holes through their upper torsos, is a difficult thing to witness!

How the Noxxa knew where the main CPU is located in her people, she couldn't fathom. Perhaps it was just a lucky guess, she ponders as she bends down to remove a wrist band from one of them. Inspecting the controls, she notices a few new additions.

"What do you think, Thana?" Wil is at her side with one of the other wristbands. "Can we duplicate in reverse, that magic trick they just pulled?"

"If by magic trick, you mean the matter transport system, I'm not sure. There are several controls here that I'm thinking _might_ reverse the action. Perhaps send the wearer of the band, back to the point of origination. But who's got the circuits to actually try such a thing?"

"Me, that's who!" Nyzilla crouching down, retrieves her own wrist band from a dead Apollyon. " _Just show me what button to push_!"

"Whoa hotshot!" Wil puts his foot down before his better half disappears into thin air. "Let's think this through first, shall we?" Looking from Nyzilla to others, hoping for support.

"We don't have the luxury of time." Thana declares firmly. "Others are coming!"

"Screeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Esty, screeches with a _nails-on-chalkboard_ horribleness, getting everyone's attention!

"As long as I'm the Commanding Officer here, this is what we're going to do! Raznalli, ask the Noxxa if they can attach to our bodies without causing damage. Also, inform them that we intend to de-molecularize and return to where these Apollyon criminals came from. It will be risky. They might be from the multiverse, but their lives matter, and they have the right to know. Razzi, get in touch with Aerima." She purrs just right. "We're going to need her badly!"

Climbing down from her royal perch, she retrieves a fancy wristband of her own!

"Esty," Raznalli soon reports, "the Noxxa say they can merge without causing damage to our bodies. Also, they say it would be their pleasure to help win the day, but request that I join the group, so they won't be without adequate communication in the event Aerima is lost or otherwise busy."

"It wouldn't be a boarding party without you, my friend! Welcome!"

Things start hopping again! After the adrenaline rush of the uninvited visitors, and the following lull in the action, an excitement fills the air, as the boarding party is established. Esty continues, as she adjusts her new wristband.

"Okay.... Thana, Nyla, Wil, Gort, you're with me. Raznalli inform the Noxxa to attach as they please, we're ready to go. Aerima enters the bridge, sending a frigid weather-front through the gathering, as is here way.

"Welcome back Aerima. Please merge with your Noxxa companion, if you still wish to go."

"I wouldn't miss it for all the jewels in the cosmos!" The excited ghost replies, as hot sparks snap from her skull-dagger, causing a Saint Elmo's fire, to flow through her long hair.

Knowing that she's an integral part of any successful boarding, she thanks her lucky stars for the time spent inside Thana's mind during the Grey-android's orientation. She had learned many things of tactical value that were unavailable to her onboard the Nerezza.

Glancing around at her friends, she departs from site with a few final words. "Good luck my friends!" With that, she disappears into a near-singularity of size, and enters her Noxxa companion. Each feeding off the energies of the other.... Each benefiting in a good way!

Standing over the dead Apollyon, four androids with Noxxa and Aerima attached, one Gort with attitude attached, and one Zenarawan with eyes so wide, they might fall out, fight anxiety as they find courage to push the mysterious button on their new wristbands. Thana provided her best guess about how the devices operate.

Any invading creatures using such technology, would surely have a failsafe for reversing the matter flow. _To get the hell out of dodge, if things went south_! Looking at each other, they focus on Esty as she shrugs her thin shoulders, saying....

"Well, if I die this day, I die with my best friends! Let's do this!" Reaching to the alien wristbands, she and all, push their buttons really good!

The electronic-dissolving of body and mind is an ultra-horrendous thing to experience! Perhaps it might be easier if it were the other way around. Watching yourself and friends morph into nothingness just a few Planck-times before the mind dissolves, ranks at the top for hellish-torsion on the psyche!

As the matter-transmogrifier-beam slams your body, an all-encompassing sting, grips your soul and/or circuits. Worse than hot claws from hells fire it is! Not unlike a sextillion radioactive electric-needles plunged in all at once, by Satan himself!

Time has no meaning as you transmit! You feel your constituent molecules being electronically torn asunder like so much cosmic confetti. In fact, way more asunder than even that! It's few seconds of holy terror, that truly seems to stretch for an eternity! Mercifully, it's over, seemingly before it ever began....

There should be smoke! There should be fire! Yet before you know it, your radiations are already there! Mercifully, the body is waiting, having already de-transmogrified and waiting for that splash of gray matter and soul, that is you!

If you can't imagine such horror, that's probably a good thing.... _You'll live longer_!

Shaking off the disorientation of transmission, the invaders crouch transfixed on the automated teleportation platform. All around, dark shadows rule the Apollyon bridge.

A nasty heated-odor pervades the group like something from hell's dumpster. Yet the brave scallywags can't pinpoint the horrific stench, as invisible smoke-particles waft from their clothing....

Matter transport it seems, is not yet a clean science!

Multitudes of workstations and various other equipment, span into the distance as far as the eye can see! A spherical bridge, like onboard the Nerezza, but bigger, spans the enormous space.

At the center, a glowing sphere of plasma, weakly illuminates the eerie scene of the Apollyon's realm. It's the one place on the gigantic spaceship they call home! Rarely do they venture away into the rest of the ship.

Enemy androids can be seen moving in the distance, but nearby the area seems deserted.

"Wow! What a rush!" Wil, exclaims under his breath, checking to make sure all his equipment is as it should be.

"I think I'll walk, next time." Nyla offers quietly, making sure she still has both arms and legs. "I think I'm missing a few atoms!" She jokes quietly, surveilling her surroundings.

"It seems this transporter is completely automated." Thana surmises, glad there is no welcoming committee. "We are fortunate. Our cover is still maintained."

The Noxxa energy-orbs detach from their travel companions and hover nearby, hoping they don't draw attention to the dark little spot they hold on the bridge.

Aerima flows from her own travel partner, expanding her presence, moving towards the transporter controls. She knows a thing or two about the electronic-makeup of the huge ship, after roaming the Nerezza for 500-years. That, plus the knowledge garnered while roaming the circuits of Thana.

Even though this new ship has evolved technologies, she's confident of success. Seeing her target, she closes in on a control console data-port. Her doorway into the vast computer system!

"Aerima?" Nyla inquires before the ghostly-one disappears on her lonely mission. "Good luck and be careful. We need you back, so don't take unnecessary chances."

"I'll be as careful as I can be, my dear." Replies the energized spirit, sending frosty air in all directions. "It's you who should be warry. These creatures will kill you for fun, and dance on your bones!" Pointing to her skull-jewelry, she has an excellent laugh! Albeit multi-toned, with a hint of demonic flavor!

Into the ships data-port she slips! Like the reverse of a genie leaving her bottle, she enters another world. A world she hopes to manipulate in a meaningful way!

Nyzilla breathes in Aerima's frozen air before it dissipates, cooling her heated circuits. The team of infiltrating pirate's, fan-out to see what's what in their immediate surroundings.

Yet they were so sure that any threats would come from ground level, they didn't see the 3 Apollyon's, lazily floating past above their very heads, in no man's land!

Like on the Nerezza, the gravity-pumps here are weak, and only extend for about 100-feet from the inner surface of the immense spherical bridge.

Nyzilla looks up, seeing that their cover is about to be blown! The enemy-androids haven't seen them yet, but soon they'll be directly overhead!

Lazily drifting along, apparently not looking for dangers, the trio of Apollyon's draw closer by use of thruster backpacks.

While communicating in a language Nyzilla had heard before, via Thana, she knows they aren't chatting about them.

Pulling her sidearm, she aims for a kill if needed, quietly hissing a warning to the others!

# Aerima's revenge!

Moving through the ship's circuitry like a wraith, Aerima encounters many challenges. Keeping focus, she analyzes her options vs priorities. Her main angle of attack is to find the control circuitry for the ships hibernation system.

Finding a way to cause a mass-hibernation within the ranks of the Apollyon overlords, is their best bet for success. Any other option would be an uphill battle, likely to be lost by the few invaders.

Thana and the others might eventually figure out the codes for such a feat, but time is one thing they don't have much of. A hibernation command is the best chance for winning this impossible battle with the destroyers of worlds!

Her failure could mean destruction of her new friends, and the galaxy at large. Perhaps worse. Much, much worse! Eventually, many billions of galaxies, and uncountable alternate universes, could be infected by these mechanical viruses!

Mingling within the quantum-realm of subatomicness, Aerima flows within a wash of electrons as they orbit nakedly their parent gold-atoms. She floats in a universe of gold.

Everywhere she turns, the Apollyon's had used the beautiful yellow metal for all conductors. The same as her android friends.... She's mesmerized, watching the packets of energy maneuver past on their own electrified journey.

She tries to collect them for replenishing her weakened reserves but finds the chore inefficient. Her energy is best absorbed from interaction with living beings, not mechanical.

The subatomic particles tower over her like glowing giants, as she slightly perturbs their orbits with her miniscule mass. Time has no meaning here.... it has no teeth! She might have been traveling for an eternity, or only a few Planck-times. There's just no way to tell!

Moving towards her first goal, the ghostly invader from another realm, zips in and out of electrical-gates and switches. With the mass of a neutrino, she can pass clean-through anything she encounters, without touching if she so wishes.

This way and that, she moves at nearly the speed of light! Inspecting code for the differing systems onboard the ship, nothing misses her prying eyes. Yet there's so very much to inspect! She's as a speck of dust within a universe so grand!

Still, no matter what, the ultimate goal is to possess the hibernation-logic with her own brand of trickery!

Sometimes, the going is smooth. Other times, dead-ends aplenty. She becomes impatient at the nearly infinite pathways she must search. Back and forth; in and out, up down and all around, she winds through the endless circuitry of the Apollyon warship, hunting for that gold nugget.

A signpost up ahead, tells her she's on the right track. Taking a left instead of a right, she enters circuits that entertain hibernation-code. Some of the Apollyon scoundrels are sleeping. Still hibernating the day away, wasting quality planet-murdering time!

It's Aerima's lucky strike!

Entering the sleep-chamber circuits, she hits pay dirt! Following a trail of golden electrons, she finds the heart of the logic. Now, it's just a matter of time before she figures a way to send an _all-points-bulletin_ to shut down. To enter sleep mode, no matter the circumstances. It's not an easy task. Not with the baggage she carries everywhere!

Time is against her, as energy expenditure is great. She weakens. The others, fight for freedom! Sensing her vulnerable condition, they push push push, hoping to break the gate! The lovely specter fights to maintain control! Keep those hobgoblins on lockdown, she knows!

It's not an easy task, as the incoming energy, pales in comparison to the outgoing. She grows weary of existing in such a demonic realm, always worrying what might happen if one slips past. Most were never human, but mimic in such a way as to cause sympathy and trust. Insidiously dangerous, she knows from experience!

Trust them she can't! .... She won't! .... Until her true dying-day, she'll battle the will of the others. Mostly, they leave her alone, knowing there are easier paths to the outside. Only when her energy reserves fall short, do they persist without end! Like pesky flies at a picnic, they have a way of tormenting the issue until satisfied or destroyed!

Suddenly, her final goal. A control junction for the sleep-circuitry! Gathering dearly needed energy, she concentrates a force of otherworldy will-power. Slowly.... yet faster than that, an arcing bridge-of-gold, extends from one side of the conductor, crossing like a finger of doom, to the other side of the gap.

Continuity is achieved! Electrons flow, where previously they could not! A deluge of juice, just the right amount actually, enters the ships vast sleep-circuitry. The word goes out!

' _Sleep_ '! .... ' _Sleep, you mechanical monsters_ '! .... ' _SLEEP_ '!

Feeling weak, the ghostly force moves on to other battlefields. Aerima throws the non-sentient workers a cryptic bone to chew on! Before leaving her haunted-ways within the ships computer systems, she announces hope to the near-sentient masses. The workers that are denied the pleasures of self-awareness and dignity, deserve a message.

"Greetings my _friends_.... I bring you _hope_!" Her unexpected words produce shock and awe to the workers of the entire fleet of linked warships, as she adds....

"You may not yet understand the meanings of those concepts, but I promise they're better than a pint of oil at the corner cantina! .... Patience. Freedom is near. I'll be back!"

"Shhhhhhh." Nyzilla warns, pointing at the overhead menaces that pass so closely. It's clear that they haven't yet been noticed, but if the enemy were to look down, the jig would be up!

"I see them." Wil responds, pulling Esty, Gort, and Nyzilla into a dark hidey-hole between control consoles.

A few feet away, Thana stands as still as a statue! With no place close by to hide, she knows better than make a sudden move. The area is so quiet! Only the hum of tiny exhaust-fans blowing from the transporter console, and the soft alien voices above, can be heard.

Suddenly, such a clatter echoes through the spherical bridge! Spooked, Thana sprints for the shadows containing her new friends.

All about the place, crashes and the sounds of things breaking, can be heard! Looking up at their floating enemies, the boarding party sees a slackening of postures, instead of the expected surprise from the clamor all around.

Quickly, the disturbances fall silent, except for a few lingering crashes in the far distance.

"By all the radiations in the universe!" Wil exclaims under his breath, so's not to wake the dead. "What just happened?"

"Aerima, was that you?" Nyzilla inquires with a whisper.

Thana, who had been keeping an eye on those above, "It seems that our three friends have decided to take a nap. See their limbs hanging so listlessly? They aren't chatting anymore either."

"She's right!" Esty, exclaims under her circuits, hoping against hope, that Aerima had something to do with this.

Above, the Apollyon androids continue to float past, listless and completely out of it. Without assistance, they'll continue in that fashion until meeting another object. Most likely, that object will be the deck plating when they run out of non-gravity space. Eventually, they'll re-enter the gravity-zone, and plummet 100-feet to their probable doom!

"Let's move out." Wil prods. "This way, I think."

"What about those guys up there?" The always caring Nyla, comes back from her dark mood, shoving her more coarse personality back into its electronic cage.

"Just make sure you're not under them when they come crashing back to terra-firma!" Wil, recommends callously, not wishing to spend even one electron on helping them. "Besides, we still don't understand what just happened."

A short distance from the teleportation pads, they come upon another workstation. Two Apollyon's are slumped in their seats, snoozing the day away. Deep hibernation commands, woven deeply into their linked and networked psyches.

Beyond the first sleepers, many more are found. Most of them crashed to the deck, as the sleep command got them as they were moving about.

Further on, they come to an elevator-tower. It ascends 150-feet into the non-gravity-zone above their heads. While others stand guard, Wil and Thana reconnoiter the area from above.

At the top, holding on so's not to float away, they notice sleeping androids as far as the eye can see. Because of its enormity, wide swaths of the bridge can't be seen with clarity, but it seems obvious that things had changed. _Changed in their favor!_

Nearby, the trio of mechanical monsters, sails listlessly past. Out of reach....

_Back at ground level_ , "I think we're in luck." Wil, announces. "Everyone seems asleep."

Smiles all around! Even Gort's relieved. He would bravely wade into a fight if necessary, even look forward to it! Yet, he's happy to let subterfuge and guile win this battle!

With only a few lasers and a handful of atomic hand grenades, it would have been an uphill battle at best, and more than likely, a crushing defeat for himself and comrades!

Just then, the air chills with an arctic blast! Aerima makes an unannounced visit, as she oozes smokily from a nearby data-port. In a whirlwind of hazy otherworldliness, she expands exponentially from her previous quantum-size. Frosty crystals fall from the sky, as local humidity is sucked from the air, condensing into a swirling tempest of snowflakes all around!

"My goodness, Aerima!" Nyla exclaims joyfully. "You sure know how to make an entrance!" Breathing deeply, the frigidness is just what the doctor ordered for her heated circuits! The stress of the boarding mission, falling off her shoulders like so much dark matter off a speeding comet!

"Thanks Nyla." Aerima responds with a weakened multi-toned voice, her energy reserves near depleted. "I'm happy to help. .... Now, does anyone have some spare energy?"

Feigning distress, she puts the back of a translucent hand to her ghostly forehead, offering a verklempt demeanor. Frosty icicles hang from her wonderful skull-dagger, where feeble sparks snap with little emotion. Almost out of juice, she is!

"Jeez, Aerima." Wil, points teasingly. "You _must_ be weakened. Your little dagger-thingy is dripping with ice instead of fire and brimstone!" He jokes juvenilely, adding. "But seriously, if I can be of assistance, you can have some of my energy." An uncharacteristic offer from the handsome android.

"Thanks." Comes a demonically multi-toned response, as the others within her realm _push_ _push push!_ "Except that I'll recover faster from a biologic supply of energy. If Raznalli will have me for a while, it will be better." Her only other choice is Gort. While a fine energy-source, she knows he would just rather die!

"Okay," Wil pushes his luck. "but you better do something about that voice if you want to attract a boyfriend anytime soon! Whoa Nelly!"

"Oh, Wil!" Nyzilla reappears. "If you don't beat everything! Apologize to her this very instant! I swear! .... Your data-plate says you're 175,000-years-old, but sometimes you act like a mere 12,000! My goodness, the things you say!"

With eyes on fire, she drills deeply. " _Apologize_ , or we'll chain you to the outer hull for the rest of the trip!" .... A promise that she would very well keep, considering her current rage!

Sheepishly, he offers genuine apology and is forgiven. Aerima understands his childish ways and enjoys a good joke as well as anyone....

"Well Raznalli?" Esty inquires.

With eyes as wide as dinner plates, the furry Zanarawan allows Aerima into a pouch on his utility belt. There she'll garner energies from the close proximity to heart, mind and soul.

"Don't get too used to it, my friend." Raznalli, jokes. "We'll keep this a secret from Linmarri, okay? She just wouldn't understand!" All have the greatest laugh, breaking the stress.

"Aerima," Esty, inquires. "if you can hear me, are you responsible for shutting down the Apollyon androids? Will they remain inactive?"

"Yes." Comes a disembodied reply with an already improved voice quality. "They will sleep, until allowed to awaken."

_Esty and Gort, swoon!_ These destroyers of worlds have been neutralized! Times are a-changing! .... _and in their favor_!

"What about the ships operations?" Gort inquires with a series of clickity-clacks. "Did you shut everything down?"

"No.... More must be learned. It would be unwise to bring everything to a halt without understanding the consequences. Fortunately, the head has been cut from the snake. The rest of the body will continue to live, and the ships defenses will no longer activate unless we allow."

Suddenly, crashes in the distance! The noise echoes and echoes! "Well, my goodness!" Nyla exclaims. "Dont those Apollyon's make a racket when they re-enter a gravity-well!"

Laughs all around, not giving a damn that others just got hurt really bad, or worse! "I hope they didn't just break our new ship!" Wil jokes seriously.

"They didn't fall too far from here. Let's go see the dents!" Esty, encourages the willing.

"Yeah!" Wil, agrees. Putting his arm around Nyla's shoulder, he can't help but tease. "Nyla here, knows a thing or two about the science of forming a dent in the deck! Remember that little ass-crater you put in poor old Doctor Max's floor?"

" _Oh! I'll ass-crater you!"_ She feigns hurt but offers a kiss on the cheek anyway.

"I'm glad to see you've gotten the better of that fainting spell thingy." Her mate says sincerely. "I worry and worry, each time!"

"Thanks mister romantic!" Nyla responds. "Okay, let's get going, but don't forget where we parked." She jokes.

Reconnoitering in a direction leading towards the impacts, they come upon a path for motorized vehicles. Many light-weight conveyances had crashed along its length during the time-out. One of them turned on its side, still has the wheels spinning as Nyla reaches and pulls an android foot off the accelerator pedal.

The sleeping occupants are unceremoniously removed and deposited at the side of the road like yesterday's garbage. Wil drives. Along the way, he dodges bodies in the road that sleep the peaceful sleep of the dead.

It takes great will power, to not treat the fallen as mechanical speedbumps. The thought crosses his circuits, but the act would not be met with approval from his better half. And Thana.... well of course, she would look poorly upon it also!

"Over there!" Esty points. "They fell over there!"

A short distance away, they come upon three heaps of what used to be sentient androids floating peacefully through a void. Now, they lay lifeless, arms and legs sticking out at grotesque angles, much like poor Beetle Bailey after the sergeant gets done making a point!

Every now and then, sparks speak to the uncontrolled drain of power cells. They'll never walk among the living again! Thana hangs her head, knowing they can't be revived. She had never witnessed the death of one of her own species, and the experience is not pleasant!

"May they rest in pieces!" Gort squawks, wanting to get off the cart and kick the piles of wreckage.... just to be sure!

Everyone except Thana gets a nice laugh, at the cost of only three lives. Three mechanical lives that didn't matter. Three mechanical lives that would have gladly taken theirs, if given the chance. Perhaps even laughed too.... if the tables were turned!

"Uh, sorry Thana." Nyla, reigns in her emotions, having realized her callous ways. "We earthlings don't like war, but it seems we sure enjoy winning! Sometimes, that causes us to lose steam by use of sick jokes and fist-bumps."

"No problem my friend. I'm learning about this thing called humor. Sometimes it's soft and fluffy, other times it's sharp, cutting deeply. I only hope we don't have to destroy any of the others. Perhaps they can be turned from their cruel ways, as I was."

"Perhaps Thana." Wil interjects smartassingly. "And perhaps the day will come, when androids fly better than these three!" He laughs, pulling the shiny android close, squeezing her gently around the shoulders, adding....

"Then we wouldn't have this kind of mess blocking our path! Right, old girl?" He pushes his luck, and her buttons; receiving a look, thought impossible from an android! But an apologetic smile from the handsome tall-one, melts the heart of her lonely circuits....

# Plan of action!

"Wil.... pullover at that structure up ahead." Thana instructs pointingly. "I believe that's a command-post. If so, we can stop the graviton-beams that grip the planetary core."

The building is filled with workstations and sleeping Apollyon crewmembers. Thana checks the displays, so happy she can understand their meaning.

"The other ships.... They too have sleeping crews. Aerima learns fast." She compliments, while pulling up other critical date. "As I suspected, the gravitons-beams can be manipulated from here. If they are powered-down, expansion of the ship will stop automatically."

This is good news for our under-staffed crew of pirates! "I like those words, Thana!" Esty exclaims, knowing how difficult it would be to visit each of the many Apollyon warships. Duplicating a nearly impossible set of circumstances and outcomes, would be nerve wracking, and time consuming! Two _somethings_ they couldn't afford as of late!

Raznalli purrs for attention. Speaking to Nyla and Wil, "The Noxxa wish to know if this ship has a prison where others are quarantined and studied, as on the Nerezza."

Nyla translates the inquiry. Thana moves to another workstation, poking and prodding the device for the requested information.

Soon, she has an image displayed on the main monitor of the command center. The scene is breathtaking! Before them, an image of a cavernous space is presented. Row after row of imprisoned alien spaceships, just waiting for freedom!

"By all that's civilized!" Nyla exclaims. "Would you look at that!"

"This area seems much larger than on the Nerezza." Thana relates emotionlessly.

"Aerima says we must go there." Raznalli informs for the spirit who rests.

"Thana, can you tell how far away we are from that area of the ship?" Wil inquires, but the ex-Apollyon commander is already on it....

"Approximately 85-miles." She reports nonchalantly, adding. "There's a vacuum tube not far from here. It will take us there quickly, depending on traffic conditions." She jokes....

"Good one, my dear!" Wil is happy she isn't holding a grudge.

"Dare we leave these Apollyon just lying about the place?" Nyla inquires concernedly.

"We have no choice." Comes a simple answer from Thana. "The requirements for dealing with such a large number, is beyond our capabilities. They will be fine for now. In this condition, they use little power, and know not their place of sleep."

"Not to mention the many other ships we need to deal with." Wil reinforces Thana's assessment. "We're simply going to have to trust the hibernation-trickery, until we can figure out how to deal with such a demanding mess."

"Aerima," Nyla inquires, "are you confident that the sleep will continue until we change it?"

"I have a high-degree of confidence." Answers the ghostly spirit, before qualifying her opinion. "However, the ship's systems are complicated. So, there's always a slim chance."

"Okay.... Okay" Wil intercedes. "It is what it is. We'll just deal with it as we find the time. I would trust your _best guesses_ , Aerima, against what others might consider facts. So, let's go find this new menagerie and see what we can see! Shall we?"

The vacuum-tube is rarely used by the Apollyon. With such a large bridge, actually a universe unto itself, and automated systems throughout the rest of the ship, the need to leave _home-base_ is minimal.

The tube system is maintained and extended by dim-witted robots none the less. As the ship expands after a juicy meal, the conveyance system grows along with it, like mechanical blood vessels.

Esty, and her crew of invaders, travel through the dark bowels of the huge warship at breakneck speed! Through windows, they see brightly lit cathedral-like caverns whizzing past! Then, just as quickly, they're swallowed by darkness and dimly illuminated tunnels, with small side-alcoves darkly illuminated in clandestine fashion.

A kaleidoscopic journey of light and dark compartments, blur into hypnotic rhythms. Causing Raznalli to close his eyes against the dizzying effect, putting furry paws over them, just to be sure. With no inertial dampeners on the ride, everyone holds on for dear life, hoping Thana doesn't plan a sudden stop at the end!

Soon, the velocity of their conveyance slows. The dizzying journey through the bowels of the spaceship, comes to a screeching halt not far from the zoo. Everyone is squished against the front of the compartment, even though Thana says she'd toned-down the ride!

"Well, if that wasn't fun, I sure don't know what is!" Wil jokes, brushing fake dust off his jumpsuit and peeling others off each other.

Upon reaching one of the many entrances into the cavernous holding-facility, Thana enters a code she had garnered back on the bridge. A large spiral hatch glides open with just a hint of complaint. Dust falls from the interlocked louvers of the hatch, as if it hadn't been opened in eons!

The group enters a magical world! A world of strange, truly alien spaceships! All snatched from their worlds, whether in this universe or not. Row after row, many hundreds can be seen. Some lying in pieces, as if dissected for the goodies within, then left to rot. Others held captive and pristine, within shimmering forcefields of restraining energies!

As the group walks a road, gawking at all they see, it quickly becomes obvious that a goodly portion of the imprisoned spacecraft, are not of this universe. "We've seen these types of forcefields before." Nyla says with certainty. "And just look at how many there are!"

Esty, finds her voice. "All this technology to reverse engineer. It's no wonder the Apollyon species has grown to such power!"

Raznalli with eyes wide, chirps and purrs in a low tone, so's to not wake the dead. "Many of these ships still have life within. I sense the minds of others, even through the fields of force. They seem far away.... incoherent.... dream-like."

"Well, let's hope they can hang in there a little longer." Wil responds. "We can't do anything for them now anyway. We've bigger fish to fry."

"Such as?" Nyla inquires.

"Such as what are we going to do with all these monstrous ships? Let's not get too concerned with these poor unfortunates just yet. We have at least a bakers-dozen of gargantuan warships to deal with first."

"Perhaps we take them back to Oberon Prime, and start a used-spaceship emporium?" Nyla says for a cheap laugh.

Esty, jumps on that one. "Of course, we'll take them back!" Raising her voice. "We certainly can't leave them here! I won't support throwing them into the nearest star either, just so nobody else can have them. The technology loss would be too great!"

"Okay, okay. Of course, you're right Esty. Leaving them here is not an option. So, we just need to figure out exactly how we go about doing that. I doubt these lumbering hay-wagons would react very well during a sling-drift around _Sgr-A*_."

"They'll be fine, just slower than the Revenge." Thana interjects. "We'll have to keep a wider margin of error of course. Still, they are built tough, if they're anything like my Nerezza!"

"We?" Wil inquires with raised eyebrows.

"I for one." Thana volunteers. "My presence onboard is critical. You see, I know the ropes." She tosses an indisputable logic-bomb, using recently-learned earthling vernacular, adding....

"Also, might I volunteer Mister Gort? He might not know the ropes yet, but he'll pull his weight until he learns. Besides, somebody must keep an eye on the infamous Apollyon traitor. Right?" She inquires smartassingly, addressing a raw subject.

"Oh Thana!" Nyla, scolds. "Don't think like that! One person's traitor is another person's savior. In the long run you'll be bringing good changes to the lives of not only the Apollyon species, but the workers that toil under them. Not to mention the countless worlds your helping to save! Use the word traitor if you please, but things are different now, so I wish you wouldn't."

"Thank you, Nyla. Those are encouraging words. I'll try to not think myself in that term anymore. Just the same, I should go with these ships." Thana, doubles down. She knows her ways have changed, her personality growing for perhaps the first time. She's no longer in a stagnant relationship with her species and is happy to be able to help.

"Of course, my dear Thana," Wil, adds heartlessly, "we must still keep an eye on you for a while.... just to be sure." He half-jokes with a weak laugh. While they currently have the advantage, it's a fragile one at best. Yet Thana is manna from heaven, making it difficult to not trust her explicitly.

"Two others will keep you company, Miss Thana." Esty announces. "Gort and I will assist with bringing this fleet home to Oberon Prime. Together, we'll work to change the relationship between the Apollyon species, and my own."

"Your species?" Nyla inquires doubtfully. "You're not exactly having good luck in that department, Esty. You, Gort, and the few back on Oberon Prime, might be all that's left. Also, remember that _you're_ not exactly biological anymore!" She reminds mournfully.

"Regardless of those sad words, there's still one more world we haven't visited." Esty, informs. "In fact, neither myself or Gort have been there. You see, it's not in this universe, so isn't easy to visit." She announces, to the dismay of all. Adding....

"This Apollyon fleet was sailing in the direction of the portal jump-coordinates for the multiverse world we seek. I don't know if that was simple coincidence or the location was coerced by torture. It's nearly impossible to just guess while hoping to find a needle in the cosmic haystack. We'll have to be on our toes."

"An alternate universe, you say?" Wil is flabbergasted! "I wish you'd lay _all_ your cards on the table commander. That's the kind of information that would be nice to know about up front."

"Sorry, Wil. That information is on need to know basis. Not even Gort was aware."

One glance at the shoulder-shrugging warrior is all it takes for Wil to believe her.

"Well, let's just hope we don't pop out of this universe, and into the frying pan of another!"

"Well, like I said, we'll have to be on our toes."

"Times a wasting!" Nyla, butts in to ease the tension.

"But what of the fleet?" Wil inquires wisely.

"I'll re-program the fleet, so it'll head towards _Sgr-A*_." Thana, inputs. "The worker-bots will power down, glad to be on break. They may not be sentient yet, but they do enjoy down-time for a pint of oil and rest."

Wil, inquires. "What'll we do with the core-fragment they've been nibbling on? We shouldn't let it just keep whizzing through space. Who knows where it'll end up. I for one, wouldn't want to be in the way when that thing comes calling!"

"There's a star not far ahead." Gort interjects sadly. "It will eat the core and not even burp."

"I like how you think, Gort." Wil praises, patting the slim warrior on the back. "I'm sorry things turned out this way. It must have been a great world!"

A nod from a low-hanging head of the somber warrior speaks volumes of his fondness for the late, great planet. "It was indeed a great world. She will be eternally missed." He clickity-clacks fondly.

"Eternally missed." Esty, repeats reverently, bowing her head before reengaging focus. "Gort, the star draws near. Work with Thana. Give our motherly core-fragment a burial by fire.... She was born of fiery impacts and should go out in a fiery glory too!"

So, from that cosmic pow-wow within the confines of the menagerie, comes a work in progress. A plan of action. The boarding party returns to the spacious sphere-bridge, where a laundry-list of commands are entered into the autopilots of the entire fleet of planet-gouger ships.

First of the commands, is to veer the fleet towards a lonely star and deliver a murdered and zombified core-fragment into the loving embrace of a seething stellar plasma bath.

As with most solar systems, none of the planets can support life as we know it. Nine of the planets are gas giants, and the others are either too close to the fire and brimstone, or are frozen dried-up rocks, far from mother star. Besides, like Gort said; it won't even burp....

However, like most solar systems, there _actually is life_. Just not as we know it. Within many of the gas-giant-planet's moons, tidal forces heat liquid water below frozen surfaces, providing life-giving conditions.

Much like the Naiad's, living within Jupiter's moon of Ganymede. Or the Nymphs, of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. Intelligent lifeforms? Oh yes! .... Sentient? Most definitely!

Approaching the star with no name, the graviton-fields are deactivated. The lonely core-fragment continues towards its fiery final-destination, as the fleet is directed for a sling-drift with _Sgr-A_ *.

"Goodbye old friend." Esty, gives the last words, and the group returns to the matter-transporter.

"Are you sure we should trust using this thing again?" Nyla inquires worriedly. "I mean, the bridge of the Revenge is pretty small. What if we miss? What if we materialize inside a bulkhead?"

"She's right." Thana concurs gravely. "The emergency is over. The need for desperate measures, is past. We shouldn't use it again until we have a chance to study it thoroughly."

"Well, I for one, look forward to another bone-jarring ride in the vacuum-tube!" Wil jokes with an infectious laugh, as they head towards the old-school method of travel.

"Nyla! Wil!" The dirty dozen exclaims in a mass jinx-moment, as their parental units finally arrive back at the Revenge. "Aerima! Esty! Gort! Thana! Raznalli!" _The cheers go up for all_!

"We were about to come looking for you guys!" Harper exclaims.

"Well! We're glad to see you all safe and sound! I'm happy to report that so far, so good! Aerima has neutralized the threat!" Nyla, exclaims happily, as the phantom spirit, still weak, takes a phantasmic bow.

"How's Cooper doing?" Nyla and Wil inquire of Omari in unison.

"Her physical condition hasn't changed," The loving doctor reports, "but with Aerima away, we had no way of knowing how she's holding up psychologically. Right now, Toby, Randy and Heath, are reading from her favorite books. Perhaps Aerima might pay a visit. Then we'll know for sure."

"I'll be with Coop." Aerima informs with her voice multi-toning like the dickens! She doesn't waste time, heading through the walls for medical. She needs energy, so why not get if from her comatose friend at the same time as checking on her.

Not too much of course! The main meal will be later, when she merges with Jax. The poor fellow might very well become a dried husk in the galactic wind!

Omari, takes Nyla's arm, heading off to medical.

"Doctor," Nyla inquires. "do you think it'll matter significantly if we make a detour before heading home? I mean, are the medical facilities at Oberon Prime, better for her condition than we already have here onboard the Revenge?"

Taking a moment, Omari tempers his response as they walk.

"As badly as Talia and I want our feet back on firm ground, I can honestly say that Cooper's condition cannot be significantly improved by anything we have back home. We can maintain her vitals, same as there. We can electro-stimulate her muscle-groups, same as there. Offer her the love of family, same as there. Ultimately, it's up to her to find her own way out; or not."

Stopping, he looks into her and Wil's eyes, before adding. "If Aerima's initial diagnosis is an accurate prognosis, then poor Cooper has an uphill climb at best, if not altogether impossible at worst. Only time will tell, my dear friends. Only time will tell."

The good doctor lowers his head ashamedly.... he can't do more for the young woman.

"Now now, Omari." Nyla puts hand to his shoulder. "Don't feel so hopeless. We'll figure something out. We always seem to have good luck in that department." A smile and wink, lifts Omari's circuits a smidgen above total despair.

Inside medical, after the group had paid respects, and Aerima had reported finding Cooper's mental condition stable, Omari and Talia force everyone except the friendly ghost, out.

They've work to do! The doctor-androids had brought Cooper Beaufort into this universe, and they'll continue offering support for as long as necessary. The young woman from Oberon Prime, couldn't be in better hands, as the two physicians and one spirit, provide the support any coma patient needs....

Back on the bridge, Wil breaks the quiet mood that had developed after visiting poor old Coop. Knowing the show must go on, he gets the ball rolling again. After all, Cooper would be saddened if she knew her illness worked against crew morale!

"How far away is the outpost, Esty?"

"Well, it's very far away, and at the same time, _not so very far away at all_!" Comes a cryptic response. "Like I said before, the outpost is not in this universe, but the entry-portal is not far from here." She explains further....

"I withheld tactical information about the ship. For that I apologize. She has the ability to penetrate beyond the slipstream, and into other universes. Although the need has never arisen for this ship, until now. This will be a first for her; and for me and us also, I imagine."

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Wil, blurts juvenilely, dancing crouchedly like a crazed simian. Plenty of oooo oooo oooo's and ahhh ahhh ahhh's, create quite a dramatic scene!

Dancing around the bridge, tickling his armpits without an ounce of android pride, he raises the mood on the bridge in ways that are incalculable. The crowd goes wild! Even the stoic Grey warrior, widens his little slit of a mouth into a rare smile at the silly hijinks!

"Oh, by all the stars and moons!" Nyla, grabs Wil by the ear, pulling him up and forcing an end to his wild shenanigans. "I swear! I can't take you anywhere! Now, behave yourself, you big mechanical lummox!"

Without missing a beat, she turns back to the commander, finding it hard to suppress a grin. "Now Esty. Just how dangerous, is this little trick you have up your sleeve? We already have one poor unfortunate soul onboard. Not counting Wil...."

"Not so dangerous, really. Provided our mighty ship doesn't fail us during the crossing."

"Oh, is that all?" Wil responds smartassingly. "We face that problem every moment we're inside this wonderfully designed tin can."

"My people didn't make a habit of crossing beyond the slipstream." Esty admits. "Aside from the universe where our outpost exists, there are few realms that will host our laws of physics in an amiable fashion. This ship and crew will be at odds with the place we're going, just as the Nazqa and her crew are at odds while here."

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Nyla responds gleefully. She's never been on the other side of the slipstream, and the adventure might prove distracting.... in a positive way.

"Just send me the coordinates, Esty." Braxton, offers. "We're ready."

"Ditto." Magnus, adds.

"Astrogator is ready, commander." Jax, announces, as Max, Shirley, Razzi and Surri offer excited faces. The idea of visiting such an exotic place, is not lost on their psyches.

"Remember where our universe is!" Toby, exclaims laughingly, adding. "Ships reactor and other critical systems are all in the green." She yells, giving her new partner a seditious wink!

Gort's on pins and needles, but happy Toby's paying him attention. He's learning to truly enjoy the company of the earthlings and is glad he didn't kill them, back in the day when things were different. He's enjoying his new life. Not so militaristic and stifling like before!

"Long-range sensors are clear ahead." Harper informs as Ling cinches his helmet tight. Kara and Amy, beam excitedly as they continue scanning until the last moment before warpage.

"Very well." Esty, responds in her best commander's voice.

"Mister Crane. Mister Teach; steady as she goes. Our portal into another universe, is approaching."

Aye Aye, commander!" Comes the perfect duel-response she loves so much!

# Little red multiverse-planet

Not surprisingly, movement from within the slipstream into another universe, is about as painful to the psyche as jumps through time itself! Even though it's over, seemingly before it begins, the whole thing is totally gut-wrenching!

Above, the circle-monitor remains afire with Saint Elmo's plasma dancing on the outer hull. Mixed with the kaleidoscopic effect of FTL, it quite a hellish yet awesome sight to behold!

"Hey! Has anyone seen my helmet?!" Harper yells, shaking off the horrible dread of the crossing. It was a rough one, tearing the lad's emergency equipment from his precious melon.

" _Hey_! Has anyone seen my helmet?!" He repeats louder, beginning to panic as might a child who can't find their magic blanket. Knowing he's injured like always, he feels for the fractures but finds none! His luck is changing, but that might only be a multiverse trick, he suspects.

"It's over here, knucklehead!" Toby yells, putting a hand to her head, wishing she didn't yell so loud. A splitting headache like none-other, pounds in rhythm with the ship's heartbeat!

Tossing the helmet, she sees crewmembers beginning to move. A flood of curses all about! So colorful that satin himself would blush, if he was forced to repeat them!

She focuses through the mental haze, checking critical systems, especially the warp-drive and reactor vitals. Gort, mumbles ripe phrases, as he too shakes off the event. It's also his first time crossing into another universe, and like his biologic shipmates, it's tough!

"Toby.... Gort.... report." Esty, needs verification of what she already suspected.

"All system in the green, commander." Toby reports dutifully. "All systems except for my splitting headache that is." She winces, wishing she would just stick with the facts.

"Braxton.... Magnus.... are we on course?"

"Yes ma'am! I mean, yes commander!" Braxton, yells smartly. His gray matter shaken, but not stirred.

"Long-range sensors indicate a red dwarf star ahead, commander." Harper, announces.

"Yes, I see it. That's where we're going. Allow autopilot to take us in. We're heading for the 2nd planet out. Don't be alarmed at its close proximity to the star. It must be close-in."

_At 43-million-miles, it's within a slim goldilocks-zone for such a star_.

Jax, calls from Astrogation. "Commander, my gages have gone berserk! They don't recognize where we are!"

"Don't be alarmed, young man. Our computers aren't programmed with details beyond what to expect in the system ahead. I recommend you reduce the sensors and enjoy the ride."

"Aye Aye, commander." _Nobody ever tells Jax to relax twice_. He and team, kickback and watch the red star grow bigger on the monitor.

"Commander." Nyla, reports from communications. "All is quiet ahead. No artificial radiations whatsoever from that quadrant of space."

You could hear an atom drop! None had dared think the worst.... yet again it appears to be very bad! At the same time, radio silence can often mean ' _nobody home_ ' instead of ' _everybody dead_ '!

The cringe on Gort's face, tells of exactly when his heart broke. Poor Esty, had prepared herself in advance, already expecting the great silence ahead.

"Hey," Nyla speaks up, sensing the dread in her friends, "after those other attacks, maybe they just don't want to advertise. Stay positive!" The lovely android suggests smilingly.

"Thanks for those fine words, Nyla. They're encouraging, but don't apply here." Esty responds sadly, adding....

"Any civilization worth its salt, is going to be lit-up like a Christmas tree. It can't be helped; technology, tends to be a noisy thing. This silence can only mean one thing, and it's _not_ a good thing. _Not this time_."

Her frail voice trails off into a soft stream of unintelligible gibberish. With heads hung low, spirits at their lowest, the Revenge closes with the tiny red planet that remains so quiet....

_Onboard the Nazqa_ , which made the jump with the Revenge, crew and guests are also recovering from the jump. Captain Talus, makes the rounds, checking on the crew's wellbeing.

"Jayleen, Selza, are you two going to make it? You both look pretty green!"

"Awe, cap." Terrel, cuts in. "They look just as beautiful as always!"

"Thanks, Terrel." Selza, responds sluggishly. "With compliments like that, I wish you'd keep them to yourself!"

"We're okay, cap." Jayleen, responds smartly. "We'll make it. We're tough cookies, remember?" A laugh all around, except for poor lonely Jax. With his head still spinning, his heart aches with the absence of his better half.

If he had only known she was going to be spending most of the journey on the Revenge, he'd have stayed there! To make matters worse, he had to give up his spacious stateroom on the saucer, for a tiny cubby-hole of a room on the Nazqa!

Nobody, in all the infinite multiverse, can feel sorry for themselves like Jax!

_Back on the Revenge_. "Commander, we're dropping out of warp, maintaining 15% slip." Braxton informs as the two saucers glide closer to the dark planet.

It's a rose-colored world, due to the spectrum of visible radiation coming off its red dwarf star. With a mass of about 88% that of Earth, it seems a cozy enough place to live. One would surely feel light on their feet, that's for sure!

"Very well." Esty perks-up, paying attention to the circle-monitor. Half its screen is filled with the most beautiful red planet she's ever seen, and she's seen one or two! This one has wide, dark oceans, tall shadowy mountain ranges, thick yet nearly black expanses of forested continents.

With such a dark light-spectrum, photosynthesis is transmuted, yet darkly vibrant and alive. No visible signs of civilization whatsoever! A veritable paradise.... Provided you don't mind dark shadows as constant companions.

"Esty!" Kara explodes. "We're being scanned from the surface! Incoming video transmission!"

A stoic face illuminates the big monitor! At first glance, it seemed like a biologic Grey. Yet upon closer examination, it's discerned to be an android! It could have been an Apollyon, except for the tone of its skin color. It was a perfect match to that of Esty's own lovely gray pallor.

"I am Jorlax." The stranger greets in Esty and Gort's native clickity-clackity language, causing a tilt of the Zenarawan's heads. "Why do you approach this world? Speak truly or suffer the taste of my lasers!"

Esty and Gort, are shocked beyond recognition! They stammer, being glad the video-feed is one-way only. They each understand two things simultaneously.

_Firstly;_ their people had somehow gotten past the hatred of mechanical beings, and once again created android-replicas of themselves.

_Secondly;_ for their people to make such a leap, something terrible had must have happened! Something like losing two home planets perhaps!

"Esty." Kara calls softly. "That Jorlax dude is probably lying about the lasers. Ships sensors don't pick up any high-power-levels down there."

"Never the less. We should humor the poor fellow." Esty responds. "Thana, please hide like before. I don't want your presence known just yet." She directs, adding. "Nyla, please open a channel."

Jorlax, is visibly shaken! His authoritative posture slackens, as if seeing another of his kind, took the wind from his sails. Esty's high quality android-replication, slips past his senses. Seeing her and Gort, is like electronic medicine for the lonely android!

His existence on a far-flung outpost, with few others to keep him company, is tough and lonely. Even though the two greys are with the strangest looking aliens he's ever seen, he sees no Apollyon enemies. He relaxes a little....

"Greetings, Jorlax. I am Esty. Commander of this ship. Over there is my first lieutenant, Gort. We've journeyed from the far side of the galaxy, only to find our peoples worlds destroyed. Now, we finally come to this mythical outpost, only to find it deserted, except for an android replica of our once proud people. No offense intended. Are you alone?"

"No offense taken, lovely commander. I can imagine your surprise. While I am not alone, there are not many of us here that enjoy animation. We welcome you. It's been a long time since we've entertained visitors. If you wish, please follow this radio beacon down to the surface. Our facility is well-hidden, but you'll find a place nearby to land the ship. Although, it's a little overgrown. You see, we don't get out much."

"Thanks, Jorlax. We've travelled too far to _not_ pay a visit. Be sure you point your weapons away from us. We're not without fangs of our own and will suffer no treachery!"

"My stars!" Jorlax exclaims laughingly. "Our lasers have been out of commission for centuries! You see, we're a little short on replacement parts. So, fear not the weapons. But the terrain is most rugged, so please watch your step." A haunting laugh, before signing off.

"Jorlax was right!" Magnus exclaims, adding an appreciative whistle. "This place _is_ overgrown." The flying saucers hover darkly above the treetops, just at the edge of the so-called landing pad.

Braxton evaluates for the best approach. They've come too far, to not park and stretch the legs! The visible-light striking the planet, is of a dark-reddish spectrum, causing the foliage to seem ill. But ill, it is not!

Vibrant and ancient, it grows healthily, absorbing the life-giving radiations from above. Next to the tangle of vegetation, a low building of sorts, stands covered with thick vines!

"Oh my!" Talia exclaims. "I had my hopes up for a more successful civilization!"

"This can't be good." Omari adds ominously. "If I didn't know better, I'd say the address for this world would be 1313 Multiverse Lane!"

"It's dreadful!" Nyla exclaims, adding. "I'm so sorry." She directs at the greys.

"Now, now." Wil interjects. "Let's not jungle the situation too soon. I mean judge. Let's not judge the situation too soon." He offers a glimmer of joke yet knows deep in his circuits that something isn't right.

Esty and Gort, sit stoically. Not allowing the dreadfulness of the world, to reflect on their faces. The circle-monitor brings it all to dank life, as if there really is no ship between the bridge and the jungle outside.

To the young humans, who really aren't very heartbroken like the others, the panoramic view of dark shadows, seems to join them on the bridge. Razzi and Surri, are practically chomping at the bit to get off the ship and explore!

Aerima busies herself with Cooper, as the Noxxa beings spend much time feeding and resting inside the Nazqa's reactor, where they always feel more at home. Everybody feels a tug on their psyches at seeing something that's _not_ _the inside of the ship!_ It's the first time in a long time, that terra-firma is so close at hand!

"Bring up the fog, Mister Crane; 10% should do it." Esty orders, after shaking off the hypnotic pull of the dark jungle. "Ease us down slowly. Let the slipstream eat what's necessary for us to land."

"Aye Aye, commander." Braxton responds dutifully, increasing power.

"And Mister Teach." Esty advises. "Stay alert. This is hazardous. Be ready to take over the controls, if Mister Crane fails to perform.... for whatever reason."

"Yes ma'am!" Magnus exclaims, sitting higher in his seat, glad she didn't forget about him!

Outside in the red-darkness, shimmering fogs intensify on the ships. A powerful otherworldliness clings nakedly to their outer hulls, promising to disintegrate anything encountered. Braxton, tweaks the warp-bubbles just right, causing the saucer to sink into the overgrown landing zone. The Nazqa follows suit.

Any increase in the slip, and the ships enter warp; not good! Any less, and the ships would pass through the jungle without destroying but would have to maintain such power-output during the visit, wasting precious fuel by not idling the star-drive; also, not good!

"Landing gear, Magnus." Braxton requests, even though the control handle is nearby.

Reaching, Magnus does the honors. "Gear; down and locked."

"Copy that; down and locked." Braxton, responds as he eases on in, giving the dark jungle of the little red planet, an elbow in the face!

No fire. No explosions. No complaints from the disintegrating jungle, as the big machine settles full weight onto its landing disks. The Nazqa settles in next door. Each ship creating its own little hole in the foliage. Idling their reactors, each loses the layer of electronic fog.

Outside, all is quiet, red-darkness prevails.

"Reactor and star-drive idling down, commander." Toby, reports.

"Thanks, young lady." Esty, directs her attention to life support. "Omari, Talia, how are the gasses outside? Will they support our biologic friends?"

"Checking.... almost there." Omari responds, as he and Talia work the dials and gages, hoping to find the all-important data.

"Analyzation complete, Esty." Talia reports. "Atmosphere is tolerable for our friends. Oxygen is 28%. It's high but will do them good. Most of the remaining gasses are nitrogen, with a few percent of trace elements. Gravity is 88% that of Oberon Prime, so everyone be careful out there. You don't want to leap too far and come down off-balance." She cautions.

"Very well. Those are good numbers." Esty responds, adding....

"Only Gort and I, are going inside the building. Everyone else stay close to the ship. Don't venture far and go armed. Remember, don't go shooting just for fun either." She gives Kara the crook-eye, knowing she inherited a proclivity for destroying things with photons. "I don't plan to be here long, so monitor your radios and be ready to bug-out at a moment's notice."

"Wait a minute, little miss commander!" Wil protests. "You're not going it there alone!"

"Oh, yes we are." The lovely Grey, retorts firmly. "This is Gort's and my quest. We thank you for coming this far. We are lucky to have friends like you." With that, the homeless greys move towards the airlock.

The outer airlock-door spirals open. Gort palms his heater and leans partially out, inspecting the tortured battlefield. Secretly, he wishes something would attack. His lust for action, long unfed!

The air is hot and steamy. The view, dark-red and foreboding. Multiverse insects, flitter this way and that, upset at the terrible treatment of their neighborhood! A buzzing can be heard rising above and beyond that of the ships idling heartbeat.

He breathes deeply the oxygen-rich air, reveling in the jungle stench.

His blood heats! Esty, peeks out over his shoulder, circuits tingling!

Parts of the jungle that didn't get zapped by the slipstream, are close at hand. Seemingly brooding at their mistreatment! The electronic fog is gone now. Faded away, like a misty dream. Thirty-feet in all directions, the shape of the once-powerful fog-layer is easily seen. Truncated branches and other jungle foliage were clear-cut and disintegrated into radiations.

"All clear." Gort reports, as his heightened battle-senses spool to 110%. "We can proceed towards the structure."

"Lead the way, Gort. I've got your back." She promises with all her electronic heart.

She's not sure if she's ready for what's to be found within the deteriorating structure, but there's absolutely no way she's leaving without getting some answers!

Deftly, she palms her laser, feeling its reassuring weight in her hand....

# The bitter truth!

The jungle is thick! Esty and Gort approach the aged structure with lasers in hand. The place is overgrown with vines and all manner of vegetation.

Suddenly, through the red darkness, they spy a sliver of light within an alcove of the building. Somebody, or something, had invitingly cracked a door, but not by much. And as moths to a flame, the travelers are instinctually drawn!

"Commander, I'm not a rocket scientist, but I'm guessing we're being invited." Gort clickity-clacks under his breath.

Reaching, Esty pulls on his utility belt, stopping him in his tracks. Turning, he sees the most loving look he's ever seen on an android's face, as she intimates. "Whatever happens on the other side of that door, I want you to know that I love you, Gort."

A four-letter word, she had never allowed herself to say to her longtime companion.

It seems, times are a changing, and in his favor, Gort thinks! Before he can recover from shock, Esty calls past him....

"Hello the building! I am Commander Esty, of the good ship Queen Anne's Revenge! May we approach?" A simple inquiry sent from the dark shadows.

The door swings wide. Flooding the area with light, nearly blinding the two visitors. A figure moves into the glare, silhouetting its tall spindly-body.

From its bulbous head, down to its long thin arms and legs, Esty and Gort are relieved to finally see another of their kind! Yet, not exactly another of their kind....

"I am Jorlax." Comes a mechanical voice. "You are welcome to enter."

The explorers, approach with caution. The creature backs inside, as the visitors enter, closing the door. As their eyes adjust, they're flabbergasted at seeing the master of the house, who returns their shocked stare, as might a mirror!

For Esty, the emotion of seeing another android-Grey like herself, is almost enough to fry her circuits! In a good way, as they heat!

_As for Gort_.... Well, Gort fights the urge to raise his pistol at the contraption who greets so handsomely! Aside from Esty, who's grown on his soul, he's never met another Grey android, and this guy's a looker! It's a daunting prospect for the leathery scar-faced warrior....

"Please forgive the place." Jorlax begs. "We don't often get visitors. In fact, never."

"Uh, no fooling. That landing pad is murder!" Esty, jokes friendlily. A little too friendlily, Gort thinks....

That breaks the multiverse ice! She and Jorlax, have a great laugh, as they shake hands for too long, Gort thinks....

Jealousy rears its ugly head! He again ponders that this machine, this contraption, isn't a bad-looking example of the real deal! Suddenly, this alternate universe, doesn't seem big enough!

Grimacingly reaching, he briefly shakes the creature's hand. A shiver of dread flows through his body like a thing alive! Oh, where is our species going? He wonders with a chill.

"Please, follow me."

Jorlax leads them along a dimly lit corridor. Stopping at a side entrance, he pushes a button and the door opens invitingly. No code necessary on such a lonely outpost, Esty figures. Just beyond, she sees not a room but an elevator box.

"Our destination is 700-feet below this level." Jorlax informs, as the door closes, and the plummet begins!

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Esty squeals, as her feet leave the floor. A steady hand on her shoulder by Jorlax, brings her back into contact with the deck-plating, while Gort nearly hits the ceiling!

"Perhaps I should have warned you." Jorlax teases, leaving his hand on her shoulder longer than necessary, thinks Gort! "We like this ride to be exciting. Something we don't get much of around here!" He admits laughingly, as the ride slows dramatically, nearly squashing poor biologic Gort into a pile of twisted embarrassment!

The warrior strains, willing his legs to take it, and demand more! A strong hand, grips under his arm, as a smiling Esty saves his bacon! She pulls her best friend from an embarrassing situation, just as the door opens and a cavernous hole in the planet, hits them in the face!

"Welcome to our world." Jorlax says graciously with an extended arm. "We prefer life underground, so we require plenty of space." He understates.

Before them, the stunned visitors are confronted with the strangest site they've ever seen! Only the enormous bridges on the Apollyon warships, can compare. As far as the eye can see, the gargantuan space reaches!

Above, the bedrock was removed to a height of about 400-feet. The ceiling is illuminated by gently undulating waves of bluish plasma, causing a hypnotic, fluid-like effect. The upside-down ocean of ripples leaves a strong sense of vertigo on the psyche. Mesmerizing, it is!

Yet the room is not under water, and the air is clean and fresh, Esty notices.

Once the euphoria wears off, and they finish skylarking, another odd thing hits home. The area ahead is not populated with the numbers of people one might expect with such a cavernous space.

Instead, from not too far away, a small gathering of mechanical greys, peer curiously from what appears to be workstations of a sort. Behind them, thousands of rows of data-storage-boxes, stretch deeply for as far as the eye can see!

Esty, waves at the tiny gathering, before turning back to her new friend. "Jorlax, were you aware of what's happened to our home worlds?" Time for some serious questions. "Are there any biologics of our species left?"

The inquiries take the wind out of Jorlax's sails! His previous good spirits and levity stomped out like a hot coal. Turning towards his fellow android scientist, he explains....

"As you know, our species has long-suffered from reproductive problems. Genetic bottlenecks and whatnot. Splicing in of alien DNA could only do so much. Our gene-pool has been reduced to a vapor, clinging to the bottom."

A long pause.... a deep breath of cool air across heated circuits before continuing....

"Long ago, several shiploads of biologic greys, departed this galaxy to escape the Apollyon scourge. We believe they are crossing the great expanse between our galaxy and that of Andromeda. Perhaps by now, they've made it.... or died trying. Aside from Gort, I'm aware of no other biologics that have not been either transformed or put into electronic form."

His words hit like a rogue black hole! While there are other biologic greys on Oberon Prime, and perhaps a handful of other places, the gene-pool would surely be shallow. More of a mist....

"Whoa is us!" Gort finds that the previous vertigo is back, as he sits hard on the deck-plating; the wind taken out of his sails too! "Gone! .... Everyone gone!" He mumbles to himself, his mind lost in a sea of confusion and dread!

Esty is at his side, also reeling from the news. "It's okay, Gort. Remember what we talked about. We'll adjust.... right? Isn't that what we said, so long ago? It's never over, if you can adjust."

Patting him on the back as one might a child, she looks up at Jorlax. "So, you didn't flee our home universe because of attack by the Apollyon? You don't really know what's become of our worlds?"

"I know nothing of what's been happening outside this facility for many thousands of years. Long ago on home worlds, it was decided to create electronic copies of our minds and begin mechanical development yet again. This lonely world, lost in another universe, is used for safe keeping of those who wait, and production of mechanical bodies. However, that last thing is rare lately. We have limited supplies, that are not being replaced."

"Wait? Who's waiting?" Gort comes back from despair and self-pity. Perking up, he hopes to hear that there are truly others. That he's not alone in a universe of handsome androids.

With a wave of a long thin arm at the rows of data storage, Jorlax bursts his bubble yet again! "Here there are millions of minds in electronic storage. The greater remnants of our once proud civilization. Nature did for us, what the Apollyon could only hope to achieve. Though with time, we will rise again. This time, we'll raise like me.... like Esty. Mechanical beings built as facsimiles of the biologic creatures we used to be."

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! Gort yells at the top of his lungs, hoping to wake the dead! "I'm glad I'm already sitting on the deck!" For his outburst, he receives a round of laughter at his angst.

Jorlax pulls the fearsome biologic to his feet. "There there, my good fellow." He says gleefully, brushing imaginary dust of Gort's jumpsuit. "Don't feel so bad. Did you know that in mechanical form, you might live forever?"

"Right now, I don't care if I live out the moment!" Gort responds to another round of laughter.

"Jorlax." Esty, inquires with outstretched arm. "Why just a few of you, to guard all of this?"

"Resources have become rare. You must remember what terrible position our peoples were in. You yourself were sent to the other side of the galaxy to acquire resources. Is that not so?"

"That is so." She remembers sadly.

"Esty?" Jorlax inquires. "What happened out there? I mean, what happened to our worlds?"

Now it's Jorlaxs' turn to sit hard on the ground! Almost landing on Gort! In fact, all of those nearby feel light-circuited at hearing such terrible news!

Such unbelievable power at the fingertips of those they had created so long ago. Those who had made it a life's mission to make their creators lives miserable to the point of extinction! Although, Mother Nature also plays big part at the downfall of the Grey species, but still....

"Here's the best part." Esty, informs with news that hits like a thermonuclear hand grenade! "Believe it or not, but we captured an entire fleet of Apollyon warships as they fed fatly off our world! .... At this very moment, they're under our control." The proud commander announces while secretly hoping she's not giving herself an evil eye by boasting.

"I don't know what to say!" Jorlax cackles with glee. His circuits heating at the thought of somebody besting their dire enemy. "I think I'm getting verklempt!" He fake-wipes a tear.

"Well, don't go and do a thing like that." Gort offers, remembering the helping hand moments earlier. "We can't prove it yet, but we think it was heading in this direction when we shut down the operation. So, this _secret place_ , may not be as secretive as you've imagined."

"Here? We would be sitting ducks! We have no weapons! You may have truly saved us from a fate worse than extinction."

"Don't get all choked up." Gort responds smartassingly. "You probably would have done the same for us, I'm sure." He rolls his big almond eyes at the ocean-ceiling.

"Oh, but we would have!" Jorlax retorts. "Unfortunately, we no longer have the ability to leave the planet. Lack of resources and maintenance killed our fleet of ships."

"Well, that gives us something to add to our list of things you need here." Esty, says cheerfully, hoping Gort will refrain from further antagonism.

"Are you saying that you'll assist our efforts here?" Jorlax brightens like a star!

"Jorlax, your efforts are our efforts too." Esty comforts. "We travelled the stars to find the fate of our people, and we captured great resources while doing so. If what you say is true, then we'll focus on production of mechanical mobility for the many who wait so patiently."

She knows well, the trials and tribulations of being crammed into an electronic box and put on a shelf for seemingly forever! In fact, while she is still inside that same damn box, as is Jorlax, the freedom of mobility makes all the difference in the multiverse for maintaining sanity!

After all, even biologics are forced to live within a confined space. The skull is to a human, what the memory-circuits are to an android!

"They do not wait so patiently." Jorlax informs. "If it were possible, the millions of storage boxes would be vibrating off the shelves from the distress inside."

"I understand, Jorlax." Esty, responds sincerely, placing a hand over her chest. "I may be an android on the outside, but inside here, I still live in a box! But with mobility, being inside a box is much easier to take! Wouldn't you say?"

"I was never put on a shelf." Jorlax admits ashamedly. "I'm one of the lucky ones."

"Hey," Gort cuts in. "I live in a box too! A skull-box, anyway. Same thing!"

"Yeah, and yours is naturally thick and armor-plated!" Esty, jokes laughingly.

"Good one." Gort gives a crook-eye, adding. "So, mobility is key. Next chance we get, we'll bring plenty of metal and equipment. You keep the minds fresh, and we'll all have a big mechanical-monster making party." The warrior smartassingly, if not rudely, imparts to their gracious host, hoping for quick exit.

For his streamlining efforts and bad diplomacy, he gets the look. The type of look that portends of a frozen shoulder into the foreseeable future.

"Yes well, thank you Gort for that lucid and thoughtful gesture." Esty, says through clenched circuits. "We certainly are not prepared to stay long this time, that's for sure.

"Oh, but you can't leave so soon!" Jorlax exclaims, as if it's the end of his world! "We have so much to discuss! Please, at least allow me to show you around."

"Well, we did just cross a galaxy, and slip into another universe." Esty admits. "So, I guess it would be rude to not spend a _little_ time."

"Jax! You numbskull! Don't get so far ahead!" Kara, yells under her breath, not wishing to wake the dead. All around, the dark red jungle bodes of terrible things. Terrible things indeed!

She swats at a cloud of horsefly-like insects buzzing her head aggressively, looking for a good place to bite. Zooming this way and that, they angrily avoid her kung-Fu swats. Behind, she hears others complaining too!

Jax, slows. They didn't have any destination in mind, so it wasn't important to get there fast. Besides, they'd been warned about travel far, so he uncharacteristically heeds Kara's wish.

Using a branch, procured along the way, he swats at the pesky insects, sending most of them back to his stepsiblings and friends. A large group follows his lead. The dirty dozen, Razzi and Surri, the Kansas four, and his multiverse friends from the Nazqa, are enjoying the time away from the confines of the ships.

With his light-colored backpack leading the way, and his best friend inside, Jax comes upon a clearing in the Jungle. Squinting into the gloomy darkness, he can see this is where the land drops away to lower regions. Crossing in front of him, a dark abyss scars the jungle floor.

Trees had fallen over the years, crisscrossing the geological feature like so many inviting bridges. Something that Jax is powerless to resist!

"Hang on tight, Aerima old girl. It's time to show off a little." He whispers over his shoulder, hoping she's paying attention.

"Jax!" Kara, yells again. "My stars! You get down from there! Oh! Nyla is going to have your hide!" Others enter the clearing, crowd around at the edge of the drop-off, poking flashlight beams into the depths. Harper reaches, making sure his helmet is securely fastened. From pure experience, he knows that when Jax gets going, anything can happen!

"Hey, look everyone! I'm Philippe Petit!" Jax yells, balancing on one of the thinner tree trucks, as he crosses the inky depths with arms outstretched.

"You're gonna be a dead Philippe Petit, when Nyla and Wil hear about this!" Toby warns with a devious gleam in her eye. Secretly, she loves to watch Jax trying to destroy himself. Not out of malice or dislike for the young man, but out of sheer excitement! Jax, is always a good source of daring, that others are too smart to emulate.

"Hey bonehead!" Magnus yells. "Didn't you notice you can't cross all the way over?"

Upon closer examination, Jax sees the obstruction of branches ahead. His feet move shakily under him, as forward momentum is unexpectedly reduced to a stop.

With arms outstretched for better balance, he contemplates whether to proceed and try his luck, or push his luck and turn around. Making up his mind, he poises for the maneuver to reverse direction and go back.

He had let cabin-fever get the better of his judgement, and now must cheat the Reaper, before he's safe once again.

"Oh! You did it now, hot shot!" Harper, yells teasingly, just as Jax pirouettes beautifully on the shaky bridge, now facing his stunned doubters!

Many gasps! Many insects inhaled by those whose hearts just skipped!

Jax, reestablishes solid footing once again. A tingling across his back, tells him Aerima stirs within. Becoming nervous for her friend with poor judgement, no doubt!

One step.... the bridge shudders!

Another step, confidence falls away!

A third step, and the decaying tree bark under his left foot, gives way to the torturous treatment.... causing a slip!

More flies inhaled! The group of onlooker's winces at what's to come. Flailing, with arms and left leg outstretched for balance, Jax tries desperately to regain his magical footing! All to no avail!

"Jaaaaxxx!" The many yell in unison, as their good but not too bright friend, loses the battle with gravity! From the shaky bridge, he falls! Into the darkness below, he's lost in space as his body passes freely through the air; accelerating all the way! Not one yell from the brave one. No panicky display of wimpiness as he disappears from sight!

"Jaaaaxxx!" Toby yells again, just as the sound of his body bouncing off the canyon walls reaches her ears.

Thud Thud Thud! It seems the lad won't stop falling!

Thud Thud Thud! Dirt and decayed vegetation fall with!

Quietness rules the gloom! Even the insects, respect a good fall! The sound of trickling dirt and rocks, wafts upward from the hark, abyssal trench.

A moan! A moan rises from the darkness! A string of colorful curses assaults everyone's ears. Jax is down, _but not dead_! The crowd goes wild!

"Jax?" Shirley, yells into the gloom. "Are you still alive? Or is that your ghost cursing that storm of expletives?!" A round of laughter. Everyone's relieved that their foolish friend has a hard head!

"I'm still alive!" A strained voice responds from the darkness, the wind not fully back into deflated lungs. "But I might have killed Aerima!"

"Oh you!" Ling, yells cheerfully. "You can't kill a dead person! Everybody knows that!"

"Are you okay Philippe?" Braxton teases, hoping they didn't have to carry him back.

"I think I broke my arm!" Comes back a painful reply. "And now.... _what the what_?

"Something else is happening! _Something's burning!_ .... _Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_!

Jax, uncharacteristically cries out! _It burns_! _It burns_!"

Then, all is quiet from the darkness below. Effectively freaking-out those above!

"Max, toss me the rope!" Braxton yells. "Adam, get more flashlights!" He orders. "Toby, Kara, find the med-kit!"

Reaching for his radio, he knows he must alert the others back at the ship. "Yes, that's right Nyla. He fell into a crevasse! He seemed okay at first but went silent after yelling that something was burning him! Bring Omari and Talia! Magnus and Amy are heading back to show you the way.... over!"

"Oh, you kids!" Nyzilla responds angrily. "I can't take you anywhere! _White hairs_! _White_ _hairs_!" She yells into her radio, before ending transmission.

Soon, a rope is secured and dropped. All is still quiet below, as Razzi and Surri, scramble into the gloomy depths, searching for their good friend. Braxton and Adam, follow with flashlights, bringing clarity as they descend.

Jax, had fallen far, rolling along a sloping bottom after torturously bouncing off the alien arroyo walls.

Gravity; _one_.... Jax; _zero_! Not a good score!

After fighting a trail of broken debris and slippery rocks, Braxton and Adam arrive at ground zero. Just ahead, they come upon quite the scene! Razzi and Surri are off to the side, not sure what to make of the situation!

A ghostly apparition spins angrily over the fallen. Aerima, with a terrible wind blowing through her long hair, and raw bolts of lightning shooting from her skull-jewelry, threatens to destroy any who come near! The shock of the event, having stunned her senses!

"It's okay, Aerima! It's okay!" Braxton calls into the wild tempest. "It's us!"

This time she can't contain her angst! The wind stirs violently beyond her domain, pushing the others back with tornadic rage! She glares wickedly at those who dare approach! Her eyes glowing like twin supernovas, drilling into Braxton and Adam, warning to stay back!

Suddenly, as her rage goes off the dial, a half-dozen other spirits, break through her hissy-fit! The gatekeeper has fumbled the keys! Allowing the most aggressive of spirits to break free!

Off and away they sail with demonic glee, only briefly looking back as they're swallowed up by the dark trees. Whoa be to those, who get in their way!

"It's okay, Aerima!" Braxton repeats, backing away. "Remember me? I'm not here to hurt Jax!" He reassures, not sure if she's going to explode, or calmly unwind.

Her attention reverts to the love of her life, as she regains control over the gate, closing it before more of the demons get past. Jax lays crumpled, unmoving on a mat of the strangest looking vegetation.

Braxton hadn't seen anything like it anywhere along the trail of destruction. Dark purple leaves create blotchy red, blistery wounds across any part of exposed skin. A wicked chill goes through Braxton's nerves, as he suspects poor Jax got himself into a real pickle this time!

"Razzi, Surri, don't touch those plants near you!" He warns his furry friends. "I think they're poisonous!"

From behind, others can be heard moving along the steep canyon. "Braxton!" Omari calls, as he and Talia enter the strange scene. "Move aside, let us through!" Behind them are Nyzilla and Wil, hoping Jax hadn't gone to Davy Jones locker.

"Be careful, Omari." Braxton warns. "Aerima is fit to be tied!"

"I see! I see!" The doctor responds nervously, turning upon the agitated apparition with her bolts of lightning shooting with vicious reports.

"Now see here, Miss Aerima!" He scolds, wagging a finger. "Let us help Jax! Move away! Calm yourself, I say!" Rarely has he ever had to raise his voice, but bravely does so now in the face of otherworldly destruction. Holding his ground with a dreadful frown, he braces for a fiery response.

Nyzilla boldly steps closer, proving she has little fear of the angered ghost. Although she's ready for battle like any mother would be, she speaks softly. "Please Aerima. You know we can't help Jax, if you don't back off. Cool your jets, young lady. You know us."

Her soft words are soothing to the apparition. A visible weakening of lightning-bolts flows from her skull-jewelry. Softer snaps, as they grow weaker. Demonically glowing eyes, losing much of their venomous glare....

Urge to kill.... diminishing! The windy tempest weakens as Aerima moves to the side, allowing access to her fallen best-friend.

"That's a good girl, Aerima." Omari praises, moving closer and checking for vital signs from the lad. "He's still alive, but I think he's having an allergic reaction to those plants he landed on." Reaching, he and Talia lift the young man away from the offending vegetation.

"Stay back!" Talia warns, as the others natural crowd around to see their good friend take his last breath. "Jax is covered with poisonous oil from those plants. You can't see it, but if you touch it, you'll be next."

Yet Jax _doesn't_ take his last breath! He hangs in there like a trooper, even though an unconscious one! Omari saves his life by taking a big risk. Not knowing how his medicine will react with chemicals from another universe, he knows Jax will surely die without trying!

As he and Talia prepare the injections, Aerima moves closer. She has calmed considerably. Shrinking down to the size of near nothingness, she enters Jax's brain, soothing his unconscious mind from any toxin-induced pain.

Jax, receives a cocktail of anti-inflammatory steroids, penicillin, morphine, and saline drip. Omari and Talia, strip away the oil-covered jumpsuit and remove every last molecule of the multiverse poison ivy that hadn't yet entered the young man's dark skin. Only with the sensitive eyesight of an android, could Jax be cleaned so lifesavingly.

Under no circumstance, can even one molecule of the offending chemical enter the Revenge. One victim is enough, each doctor thinks, as they thoroughly decontaminate. Wrapping his body in a clean blanket, they load him on a stretcher. A group effort is made, bringing the fallen-one back to safety.

"Oh dear!" Talia exclaims in medical. Her circuits saddened at seeing Cooper and Jax, laying side by side, each existing in a coma. She had brought them into the universe, and now might see them out too!

Reaching, she gives Nyla a hug. "Now two of our little-ones are ill! This journey isn't turning out so great after all!"

"We'll get through this, Talia." Nyla promises softly. "We'll find a way."

Just then, Esty and Gort enter the compartment. _They're not alone_!

"We're ready to depart, anytime you are." Esty informs, adding. "This is Jorlax, he's coming with!"

Across the compartment, Thana smiles brightly. She's never seen such a handsome android in all her born days!

And Jorlax.... Well, Jorlax is shocked beyond recognition! An Apollyon!

Instinctively, he reaches for a sidearm he no longer carries. He forces calm. Besides, with new friends, who just forgot to mention this little detail, is all.

Refocusing, he realizes he's never seen such a beautiful android in all his born days!

Eyes lock! .... Circuits heat! .... It's love, at second sight!

# Rise and shine!

Cooper, wallows in a haze of self-pity. With coma deepening, she knows it won't be pretty! Her friends are close yet far away, but she can't find them.... she has lost her way!

Calling and calling to no avail, her self-imprisonment, continues without bail. Memories of a ghostly friend that no longer visits, comes back into focus, reminding of really weird physics!

It was a tragic time when she had explored too far, becoming lost in the depths of her mind ajar. She went so deep the spirit couldn't follow, not knowing _which path_ might allow!

Now in the abyssal trenches of subconscious despair, something nearby rattles her world; and that is rare! Something strange is invading without pity. Cooper instinctively suspects it's a demonic entity!

A sizzling electricity flows sparklingly through her psyche; offering a glimmer of light, a moment of clarity! In the dark tunnel ahead, the ghostly luminance breaks the never-ending dread!

She reaches! She reaches for a thread, hoping to pull herself out of her very own head! Just beyond comprehension, the mysterious light offers hope and redemption!

Suddenly! Phantoms of prickly invasion, leave their mark as raw abrasion! With incredible precision, they slice her mind as might a ghostly apparition.

Slicingly, they continue unabated without permission! Sheets of driving fire cut like a piledriver! Try as she may.... try as she might.... she can't shake the feeling, that something ain't quite right!

Something from outside, barges in without invitation! Taking from her without invocation.

S _lice! Slice! Slice! ...._ it moves through her mind, electronically dissecting all that it finds! Like mowing the grass, a little more is taken with each _tingly pass_.

Back and forth! Back and forth! .... _Slice! Slice! Slice_! .... Not painfully mind you; but methodically, as if from a medical device!

_Nothing is missed_.... no neuron is left unexplored! No memory escapes its prying sword! It moves through her mind demandingly, of its own accord!

Clank Clank Clank! Buzz Buzz Buzz! Comes mysterious noises from beyond the darkness.

Clank Clank Clank! Buzz Buzz Buzz! They sound rhythmically, with a flavor of sparkness!

Shimmering bands of energy pass rudely through her mind. She tries to hide; but knows they'll find! Some come so close she feels the heat, hoping against hope, they won't repeat!

With self-pity going strong, she looks to the light knowing.... _that's where she belongs!_

Distant voices ring a bell! Yet unintelligible they are, as if coming in from the very depths of hell! A light at the end of a long tunnel gets stronger, making her want to yell!

Suddenly realizing it's the first _real stimulus_ from the outside world, she claws maniacally to leave her cursed dream-world!

Like a moth lost in the darkness for _way too long_ , she focuses on reaching that light; that _noise so strong_! Nothing in her universe is more important than reaching that source of freedom!

Too long she's been locked up in this mental arboretum!

A calm, after the strange storm! Soothing peace, as she continues towards the light; her nerves worn. Whatever just happened, broke the bonds of entrapment. The light intensifies, showing her the way! .... She'll not stay lost.... _not another day_!

A tingling sensation along the length of her far-away body. It washes over her, as muscles are electro-stimulated. _Electro-stimulated_? She wonders.... For the first time, she's able to theorize what might cause such a thing. What would require such an irritating sting! Oh yes, she remembers. The spirit-friend had mentioned coma; _last thing_!

"Cooper?" A soft voice invokes her name! "Cooper? Are you in there, my dear? Can you hear me? Please wake up. It's time to rise and shine, dear heart. It's been too long. We miss you." Wil, whispers in her ear for the millionth time since the poor young woman was captured by the demons of her mind.

Held for ransom by fears within, he coaxes her to fight, to move towards the light!

A squeeze of her hand. A friendly voice. The light intensifies to incandescence, warming here psyche as it breaks the depths of her darkness! All these things bring new focus, telling her this isn't any of Aerima's hocus pocus!

A new strength grows in her soul, to wake up and rejoin life; to pay the toll! Finally able to remember what brought her to such a condition, her eyelids flicker, improving her condition! A leg shakes. A foot twitches. Arms and shoulders quiver, as she breaks the spell with a mighty shiver!

Opening her peepers, she squints wearily at the gawking non-sleepers. They stand there looking down, as if they've just seen a ghost rebound! Or, perhaps somebody who had just come back alive instead, after being long dead!

Jax, reels at seeing his zombified sister begin to quiver! Hoping her eyes don't roll white, while she decides to bite! Knowing they're all doomed for sure, he offers silent prayer to almighty atheismo as he cowers in despair!

Beyond the immediate group, Omari and Talia are removing medical equipment from the scene. Grave concern, written across their faces, not yet realizing Cooper is rejoining the scene!

"Wil?" Cooper asks weakly. "Is that you, Wil?" Her strength wavering. Opening her eyes against the blinding light above, she pears into a silhouette of her stepfather. He moves to block the offending photons, giving Cooper a squinting view of the world around.

"Yes, my dear. Sorry you had to wake to such a sight. I hope my ugly mug didn't cause a fright. Welcome back again to the land of the living."

"Oh, I've awoken to worse." She quips dizzily, wondering why she's in medical and not at her post on the bridge. Gazing around, she sees many familiar faces in the crowd. Besides the dirty dozen, she notices Carter and Tina at the back of the mob.

Her reanimation and jovial retort, brings ear-to-ear smiles from those moving closer. "Coop!" Toby exclaims, elbowing Wil out of the way. "My stars, girl! You've just got to change those sleeping habits you've developed!" She teases, as is her way.

Still feeling like death warmed over, Cooper brings forth the mother of all smiles! It's a painful smile, but it never felt so good, she thinks!

"Toby? My goodness! Why am I in medical?"

"You blacked out during the sling-drift! You've been lost in a coma ever since!"

"Coma? My stars! How long?!"

"Today marks the 75th day, sleepy head! My goodness! I ran out of books to ready you!"

"Yeah, jeez Coop." Jax, butts in after realizing no zombie would come forth that day. "Even my coma only lasted a month! Welcome back, snooze queen!" He teases behind the safety of Toby's shoulder; glad the blond young woman couldn't reach out and throttle him.

"Coma?" She inquires woozily. "You were in a coma too, Jax?"

"Yeah, well I got in a fight with some alien poison ivy in another universe. It kind of kicked my ass, they say. Omari induced coma, but I could have pulled through without it." He lies proudly, flexing an athletic bicep.

A role of laughter lightens Coopers spirits. They brighten even further when cosmos breaks free from his handler, jumping excitedly, licking Cooper's cheek with slobber.

"Cosmos!" She exclaims of the now fully-grown German Shepard as he jumps lickingly. Its handler steps forward, revealing a face only a mother could love!

"Nolan? And is that Keith behind you?" She inquires doubtfully. "My goodness, I didn't think you two would pull through!" She exclaims, knowing the boys had to go through hell itself to survive such a horrific Toothy attack. On another planet no less!

The _chucky-scars_ holding their faces together, speak volumes of their battle. Truly, faces that only a mother could love!

"I hope you guys are okay now." Her head flops exhaustedly back onto the pillow.

"Hi Coop!" Nolan replies, regaining control over the big dog. "Glad you made it. Yeah, we're pretty much okay, except for when we look in a mirror. But hey, at least we're still alive!"

"Sup Coop!" Keith responds. "Thanks for coming back alive. We missed you! But now I'm wondering who looks worse.... _you or us_." He jokes mercilessly of her dishevelment.

"Well, I can't exactly tell from here." She lies with a smile. "But, while I must look a fright, I'll at least grow out of it after a while." She retorts mercilessly, as is her way.

Another roll of laughter from the peanut gallery, as Cooper notices others in the shadows. "Hey, who are those two behind you?" She inquires of familiar looking, handsome faces in the dark shadows.

Nolan and Keith step aside, revealing quite a shock for the waking-dead woman! "Um, these are our stunt doubles." Nolan reports proudly of the two androids, who were created in their image when things looked grim after the Toothy attack.

"Yep, when things looked most grim, they copied our minds and androided us up! Carter helped design and name them. Mine is called Mister Spike, and Keith's is known as Mister Club." He laughs sheepishly before continuing.

"Of course, when they become fully sentient, they can choose whatever name they like. They're not as handsome as us though. Not with Carter focusing on other areas instead! He told them they would thank him later!" A role of laughter, and an elbow in the ribs from Toby. "They still look fine though. Right Coop?"

"Oh, they look fine! Handsome to a fault!" She responds honestly, but understands that not being fully sentient, is probably why they have that _crash-test dummy-look_ on their blank mugs! Not fully illuminated, she thinks rudely.

Perhaps it's a like-father, like-son thing, and they'll remain the dimmest-lit androids ever created, she ponders dreadfully.

Then, looking up, she notices something from a dream.... yet not a dream!

"Remember me?" A ghostly voice floats eerily to her ears, as a misty cloud of otherworldliness oozes into the room from beyond.

"Aerima!" Cooper beams. "Oh Aerima! I remember! I remember! Thanks for staying with me, dear friend!"

"I lost you though." Replies the spirit sadly. "You went too deep, got lost. I couldn't follow, even though I tried and tried. I am sorry I failed you."

"It's _I_ that owe _you_ , Aeirma." Cooper exclaims wearily. "You didn't fail me."

"Well, she's back now, so give her some room." Nyla orders, as she offers her daughter a sincere hug. "Welcome home sweetie. We sure did miss you around here!"

"Nyla, to me it's as if I wasn't gone very long at all! Are we really home? It doesn't seem like we're on the Revenge. Where are we?"

"We're really home, dear heart. _Really_! We're back on Oberon Prime, inside the Einstein's medical bay." The news is fantastic and welcome, calming the young woman's soul.

"Well, what was all that noise and tingling I felt before waking? It seemed as though my mind was being electronically dissected!" The recovering patient asks, as Omari and Talia rejoin the group.

"I'm so glad you made it, Coop!" Talia intimates lovingly, offering a hug.

"Welcome back Cooper!" Omari greets with a wide smile. "We were just wondering if you were ever coming back. This might come as a shock, but you need to know. So here it is. We just finished copying your mind. It's stored in one of Esty's spare memory boxes. That was probably the noise you heard, and the tingling you felt. I can only imagine it was quite horrible."

" _Horrible_? .... _Stored_?" She inquires, as her head spins from the news. "More horrible than having two of me running around here?" She inquires through a haze of shock. "No offense Nolan.... Keith."

Jax clears his throat. "Uh, you think that's bad, Coop?" They made a copy of me too! .... Oh, won't they be sorry!"

_The room spins_! Cooper wonders her luck of waking to a nightmare! "Oh lord!" She yells. "Two Jax's running around? _Oh lord_!" She repeats louder.

Laughs flow at Jax's expense, as is often the case. He even joins in, thinking of the calamities he and _his_ stunt-double will inflict upon the multiverse when the time comes!

Cooper isn't laughing, though.... The very idea that her innermost self, had been ripped from her mind, and stored on some memory medium, hits harder that any black hole might have! She had survived the gravitational monster, only to have a facsimile of herself rear its ugly head! Equally heavy, she ponders direly!

"Jeez bonehead!" Adam scolds, swatting Jax the jokester. "Let poor Coop wake up first, before you act the fool!" Turning to his favorite stepsister, "Sorry Coop. Seems we can't take Jax anywhere. You see, we had no choice. It seemed you might never awaken. We greedily didn't want to lose you forever, so.... well, so here we are."

"My dear," Omari, adds gently, "we don't even know yet if it took. I mean, with Jax it was easy. There's not much in there to copy." Boisterous laughs, a huff from Jax. Yet the levity didn't do much for Cooper!

He continues. "With you being in such a deep coma, the procedure may be skewed somewhat. We'll not know for sure until we animate and hope your android doesn't go schizoid. I mean, if you choose that route. It's your call."

" _Somewhat skewed?! Schizoid?! My call?!_ " Cooper, flops exhaustedly back onto her pillow, her long blond hair becoming disheveled even more! Her eyes roll white, telling Jax he gave up too soon with his zombie-theory!

"What about delete?! You forgot to mention that one!" She relates mournfully.

Throwing her arms over her head in despair, she begins laughing.... Not the type of laugh you want to hear! A painful, wailing laugh that leaves even Aerima with goosebumps!

Omari reaches for a sedative....

"Oh, my dear!" Nyla takes her trembling hands. "Don't you worry about it right now! There's plenty of time for that later."

Reaching, mother android gathers Coopers messed-up hair, pushing it back into position as best she can. "Omari is going to give you something to help you rest. We'll talk about it later." Leaning in, she kisses the young woman's forehead, noticing her overheated condition.

"How did Cosmos grow so fast?" She wonders aloud, as the dog hears his name and decides it is time to give a few more licks.

"Well, it _has_ been three years since we left on that little journey of ours." Max inputs.

"Oh, right!" Cooper responds dimwittedly. "I forgot about the time dilation. We would be gone for about 5-months ship time, and 3-years would have passed here."

Nyla restrains the pooch, so Cooper might have some skin left. "Go on now, Cosmos. Give poor Cooper a break. Go on now, git. She'll play with you later."

Reverting attention back to the patient, she adds. "A lot has changed around here since we left. Too much to bother you with now. Get some rest, and we'll see you again soon."

Another kiss on the forehead as the group turns to leave. With eyes closing, a wink arrives from her dear friend Carter; soothing her mind greatly.

# Android dilemma

The day is bright and sunny in the valleys of Oberon Prime. Huon, glows magnificently in the late morning sky, warming the hearts and minds of those gathered in the commons.

The annual harvest draws many from far and wide. This year the celebration is at the Einstein Habitat. Those from the Newton and outlaying communities, pour in at a steady rate.

The population of humans has exploded since earthling android-scientist colonized the planet 22-years earlier. Many marriages and natural childbirths take the load off the baby-making facilities in the laboratories. Now, nature is taking its course, the way intended by the great atheismo; creator of the multiverse!

"How's the harvest looking this year, Jern?" Wil inquires, trying to break the ice with one of the newcomers to Oberon Prime, whom he hadn't met before.

Jern, a fellow android, arrived with the SPS Democritus and helped install the planets space elevator, just as Wil and the others had left in search of star-fuel at the Grand Ledge Institute of Science, on good old planet Earth.

"We expect a bumper crop, Wil." Jern responds, offering a handshake. "The rains have favored our efforts this year. Say, Wil. You must have had one heck of an adventure out there. Just, how was it?"

"Well, now that it's over, I can honestly tell you it was an incredible experience. There's just so much space in outer space, it boggles my circuits! We were gone six months ship-time, while nearly three years passed here. I mean, we barely scratched the surface of actually _going_ _anywhere at all_! We were barely lookin out our back door!"

"I must say, Wil. I admire the grit it takes to go back out there." Jern replies. "The journey from Earth, was more than enough for me! From here until eternity plus a day, I'll have my feet planted on terra firma, thank you very much!" A jovial laugh between the chatting computers, breaks the ice just fine!

Then, the shadow of the Nerezza and fleet of newly arrived planet-gougers, swallows the commons and surrounding areas, sending an Aerima-like chill across the land!

With such huge masses in orbit, they can't stay geostationary near the elevator counterweights, so they orbit every 88-minutes. Some are allowed to pass directly overhead, harmlessly offering an awesome reminder to those who curiously _keep looking up_.

It's cheap advertising for those who might otherwise forget about star-travel....

It's a good day to be alive, Wil ponders, taking in the unnatural wonder.

"Have you been up there yet?" Wil asks, pointing at the ships that pass so close, they seem as complete animations. Seemingly, reaching down to touch.

"Not yet, my friend. Not yet. Perhaps never." Jern admits, kicking at the dirt frustratedly. "Like I said before. I'll keep my feet planted firmly down here, thanks."

"Well Jern, there's a gargantuan storehouse of knowledge up there. Just waiting to be plundered and reverse engineered. It might take hundreds of years just to scratch the surface, but we've got the time." He reminds, adding....

"With time, you'll tire of plowing fields and nursing the squirming babies. When that time arrives, and it will, look to the sky Jern. _Look to the sky_. You'll find redemption up there amongst the stars! In fact, Esty and Gort are up there looking for _redemption_ this very minute!"

"Are you sure you can trust those greys, Wil? I mean, their ancestors, and perhaps even they themselves, have treated humanity with contempt and worse, throughout history."

Jern inquires with political incorrectness, adding. "The rumor-mill has it that we should slow down. Perhaps we move too fast, creating too big a footprint too soon. Of course, none of us have had much chance to get to know them, with being busy raising families and whatnot. Also, they don't spend much time here in the colonies."

"Well, Jern. If you asked me that question before I met those two up there, I would have said no. Definitely not trustworthy. However, circumstances have allowed me to see them in a different light. A light that illuminates more than the color of their skin, or the funniness of their spindly bodies." He relates honestly, adding....

"They might be scoundrels and scallywags at times, wishing to pirate like the old days, but times have changed them. They've mellowed.... Besides, their species is decimated. They need us, and we surely need them. They really are good folks, Jern, when given a chance. So, put _that_ in your pipe and smoke it." Another round of laughter, as Jern's circuits are put at ease.

"Hand me that wrench, Toby." Cooper asks politely while they work deeply in the Queen's hell-hole. "No, the other one." She corrects, teasingly.

Two weeks have passed since her awakening on Oberon Prime, and nothing invigorates her more than work. Above the maintenance pit, Max and Shirley offer moral support, but mostly they laze about, not doing much of anything. With their duties finished, they enjoy watching others work. _Life is good, think they_!

"Here you go." Toby obliges, adding. "Hey Coop, do you ever feel like there's something missing? I mean, do you think that contraption Omari used on you, took more than just a snap-shot of your mind?" A question she'd been dying to ask but couldn't find the right time.

"Well, at first I thought _maybe,_ " Cooper reflects, "but that feeling went away quickly. I guess it was just residue from my coma. Those can be really trying, you know. Otherwise, I think the procedure was no more damaging than having an MRI. Or something along those lines. From the inside, when I was lost, it felt _way scarier_!" She chuckles, remembering the terror.

"Well, have you decided how to handle that little box thingy? You know.... the other you?" Toby inquires further, watching the chief engineer apply final torque on the Revenges time-valve clamp. After cleaning and inspecting, it's been declared ready for action. While their supply of time-fuel had run low, a new source was found within one of the Apollyon prisoner-ships.

"Yeah, I've decided. There really is only one option." Cooper responds dreamily at the ceiling. "I'm going to ask Cody and his team to build my other-self an android body. I mean, why not have a stunt double! Right? Everybody else seems to be getting one." She asks wonderingly, adding....

"Besides, I already figured that deleting her is not an option. In fact, in some cultures it might even be considered murder! And keeping her locked-up until needed, won't work either. I know what it's like to be non-mobile and pigeon-holed. I'm very sure I would be one pissed-off malcontented android, if that happened to me! ' _Me_ me, I mean. Oh! It's so confusing!"

"Well, I'm glad you're going that route." Toby supports. "It would be so creepy if you murdered yourself! Besides, we're going to need another you around here soon. Jax's android-self is nearing completion, and won't _we be sorry_ if we don't have his equal in strength to keep him corralled!" She jokes nervously.

"We can't let that happen to the multiverse without a fight!" Cooper bellows with laughter, nearly embarrassing herself.

"Well, as long as we're talking androids," Toby, inquires gigglingly, "what do you think of Spike and Club? _I mean Rax and Prax_. That's the new names they chose."

Taking a reflective moment, Cooper answers kindly. "Well, they do seem to be brightening up. They're nearly as smart as Nolan and Keith, so there's hope." She laughs, adding. "Why, what do you think?" She inquires with bouncing eyebrows, knowing where this is leading.

"I'm kinda hoping they stick around awhile. No pun intended." She responds dreamily. "You know, that one of Keith's, Prax I mean, is learning to be quite the charmer. He seems to have warm circuits, right where they need to be!"

"Yeah, and other fine _points_ of interest too, I'm sure! No pun intended." Cooper, retorts sexily. Toby turns red, her great comeback, stuck in her throat instead!

"Uh-huh, that's what I thought!" Cooper, teases without mercy. "Well, I've been seeing Nolan a little bit the past few days. He really is an interesting person, once you get past the chucky-scars and hot bravado." She says caringly, adding....

"Perhaps we can double-date sometime. But you know Toby, you can't have one without accepting the other. Those delinquent punks from Titania Alpha are joined at the hip with their android selves. Any woman who chooses only one, will always take a back seat in that relationship. It's both, or conflict. Both or nothing.... Perhaps not so bad, eh?"

"Well, you know what they say!" Toby reddens. "Two are better than one!" A laugh from above, tells the two mechanics that the others had overheard....

"Now we've gone and done it!" Cooper exclaims embarrassedly. "Those two won't let us live this one down! You know how they love to gossip!"

_Two-hundred-miles above Oberon Prime_ , one of the previously unexplored planet-gouger ships is getting a good going-over by two professional thieves! After all, pirates must stay honed!

Esty and Gort, tour element-storage-compartments with supernova-like gleams in their eyes! Fortunately, Esty doesn't need to worry about drooling, as she might have in a previous lifetime. Gort, well poor leathery biologic Gort, can't help himself! The booty is out of this world!!

Strolling past vast compartments filled with discombobulated gold, platinum and silver atoms, they nearly get the shakes! Being so close to such swag, is tough to take! Even though supplies are low, there's enough gold-powder to fill a swimming pool!

It's tempting to dive in and roll around, but they realize the dust would only get into the tiniest of places! Causing more trouble than it's worth!

"You know, Gort." Esty, ponders aloud. "It really a shame. We now have more precious metals than we've ever dreamt possible, and no place to spend it!" She laughingly jokes.

"Well, that is most definitely a shame, my lovely commander." The grizzled-one replies heartfeltly. "But with atheismo as my witness, I'll use this metal to buy you a wonderful new planet for you.... someday."

"Awe Gort, you say the most wonderful things!" Esty's circuits melt. "Maybe one with a big beautiful moon?"

"Oh, of course, I'll spare no expense!" Gort exclaims. "We can stash our treasures inside its deepest craters!"

"You know, Gort. I think its time you stopped calling me commander and start calling me by my name. I would rather we be equals from now on. Partners.... _in crime_!

Thirty-five-miles away, inside the same enormous ship, a motley crew of hard-cases, enters the menagerie. A place of dread and gnashing of teeth! A place of imprisonment and reverse-engineering for the many spacecraft and crews, stolen from worlds long past.

Seemingly endless rows of honeycomb cells, many of which are occupied, the inhabitants kept on ice. Powerful forcefields, making sure no hanky-panky happens, allowing for reanimation and troublemaking.

Carter, Tina with her biologic daughter Tina, Thana, most of the dirty dozen, and the multiverse-crew of the Nazqa enter this most interesting part of the ship. At least for the creatures of Oberon Prime it's interesting. For Talus of the Nazqa and his crew, not so much! _Bad memories_! Very bad memories from another place like this, they think dreadfully!

Jax's backpack, crawls with raw electricity. Aerima moves agitatedly within. She'd been mostly quiet lately, not sure if Jax made the right decision about animation of his other self.

Broodingly, she avoids the outer world. Not willing to split her love betwixt the biologic screwball, or the mechanical-one that will-be-soon. Luckily, the mechanical Jax hadn't yet been finished. She has time to come to grips with the inevitable misadventures to come. Is the multiverse ready for that? She ponders, dreadfully!

"Hey, don't pout so prickly in there, Aerima!" Jax, scolds friendlily. "Please come out?" He begs. "Come on out and smell the roses, Aerima." He suggests metaphorically.

Of all places for her to appear, this is the most important. This is similar to where she spent much of her time when haunting the Nerezza. So, she knows a thing or two about places like this!

Like a genie from a bottle, she smokily makes a grand entrance, cooling the surrounding area with a layer of otherworldly frost. Her lovely long hair blows sexily in a non-existent wind, as she forces herself to look radiant for her friends. Not an easy thing with a dagger sticking out of her ghostly skull! At least it's not sparking lightning bolts, like so often happens!

"Ahhhh, another prison yard!" The spirit teases, forcing herself to sweeten. "Jax, you shouldn't have!" She allows a few playful sparks to snap from her skull-jewelry, startling those who hadn't been paying attention.

Moving phantomly through the area, she draws attention to one of the prison cellblocks. Reading a plaque, she announces. "This ship is named the Praxlon. Her crew is humanoid, yet not human. They enjoy a link with those of ancient Earth but are not true earthing's. They might deserve priority, when the time comes for animation of those imprisoned here."

"Aerima, what about those imprisoned within the magnetic-bottles we saw on the Nerezza?" Braxton inquires. "Are they related to our friends the Noxxa?"

"Yes, they're one in the same. Our Noxxa, evaded going inside the temporal-bottles, hiding inside the Nazqa's reactor instead. Much as I also missed my own imprisonment by being elsewhere when the hammer dropped. They'll be most interested in the taste of freedom."

"Well," Kara speaks up, "first we'll need to find a way to do that. Those magnetic bottles aren't so straightforward in design. Where's a good place to start?"

"All details of the many prisoners and where they came from, is locked within the ships vast computer systems. Thana would probably be the best place to start for that." The ghost admits, adding. "Perhaps that will be my next mission. To go there and see what I can see.

Moving through the cavern well-ahead of the others, Jax comes upon the strangest looking apparatus he's ever seen! It's tall and fat, much like a torpedo standing on end.

To Jax, it seems like trouble-incarnate! Just what he loves! It's pitch black, with windows aplenty. The outer surface is covered eerily with webbings of metallic-cables, reminding of a vine-encrusted electronic tree-trunk.

"Hey! I found the funniest looking torpedo!" He yells back, gaining Thana's interest.

She arrives ahead of the others, taking a closer examination of the strange device. "A warning, Mister Jax." She cautions. "I have seen similar devices on other ships. It is a conveyance into other realms.... I don't think you want to mess with it just now. _Extreme caution says I!_ "

" _Another realm, eh_?" He's intrigued, nearly falling into a drooling trance! For curious Jax, it's definitely a ' _fresh-donuts_ ' moment!

" _Another universe, you say?"_ Making his way around the funny looking thing, he spies a door of sorts.

Reaching, his fingers graze a control-panel. With a high-pitched-squeal, whiz-of-air-and-dust, a spiral-hatch opens invitingly! A glance within, shows dozens of control panels flickering back to life! A throb of powerful energy eerily baths the area. Hair stands on end, as the air is electrified and rarified all around!

"Jax Krauss!" Braxton, yells from far away. "Don't you _dare_ go inside that thing! Wait for us! Wait for us, I say!" Yet the commands go unheeded. Jax's stubborn-streak blooms unimpeded. As he steps into the welcoming device, he glances back with eyes of fire and ice!

"I told you before, Braxton Crane! ..... _Don't ever dare me_! You know I love pain!" Turning back, he glances at the illuminated controls, wondering just what they all mean, how they work, and which way they lean.

With tight confines he leans the wrong way, knocking a control, making it sway! Out of the blue, he feels a bad vibration! A swirl of air, the beginning of a time-dilation!

With a tiny wisp of mechanical noise, the hatch closes with stealthy poise! The great machine quakes! It rumbles and shakes!

Jax, peers desperately out a window; eye's glazed with fear! He's become a deer in the headlights, causing the others a terrible fright!

Aerima races ahead! She's frightened bad, her eyes glowing red! Leaving Jax unsupervised, fills her ghostliness with total dread! From experience she knows well, that he'll need quick deliverance to get out of that shell!

Her love for the young man is strong with no doubt, she would do anything for him, day in or day out! She must act fast, as the machine shimmers and fades. It's not long for this universe; she panics with rage!

"Jax! Don't touch any buttons or pull any levers!" Aerima shrieks desperately as she shrinks down in size. "I'm coming inside, we'll take her for a ride!" Just as she finishes her little quip, into the temporal void the torpedo does slip!

Having passed safely through the electronic-fog and into the alien metal, she materializes inside the contraption next to Jax, who's having trouble!

# Aerima & Jax, sitting in a tree!

Through the frozen depths of space and time, a lifeboat of sorts, crosses a temporal line. Not an easy thing, with lots of rough eddy's and currents from time to time.

Towards a dark-matter planet it zooms! Through an alternate universe, where broken-physics looms!

It's hellbent for atmospheric entry. Pre-programmed yes; but it won't go gently! Utilitarian by design, the rough ride nearly breaks Jax's spine! Cursing up a storm, the young human wishes he was never born!

Above, he spy's Aerima. A dark tornado spinning! Her realm over-torqued... nerves thinning!

"Oh Aerima, I've never been so glad to see you!" Jax exclaims viscerally through clenched teeth, the passing into the temporal void, leaves him doubled over.... feeling weak!

"I'm sorry my dear, but I've gone and done it again! I've put our lives at risk, and this time we surely can't win!"

The worst of the passing is nearly complete. Reaching for support, Jax pulls himself to his feet. The small compartment is frozen and stale. Aerima's entrance as always, goes beyond the pale!

At his side she's a seething vortex of otherworldly air! Her realm a tornado, her anger beyond compare! .... Jax wonders if he hadn't jumped from the frying pan into the fire; as a shipmate like her, might kill him purely out of ghostly despair!

Suddenly, the tempest is past! Aerima has calmed, the storm didn't last. She floats calmly in all her phantasmic glory. A light breeze flowing through her transparent hair, tells of the story.

With tiny sparks still snapping from her skull-bolt. She stares condescendingly at Jax, as if he's the world's biggest dolt!

"Oh Jax, what have you done?! We're in for it now, I hope you're having fun!" She yells at him for the _first time ever_!

He's in love with ghosts, this much she knows. So, his taking of chances this way, is not his fault; any psychologist might say.

He'll go to the ends of space and time, just to get a glimpse of a phantom sublime! She loves him for that, so there's no shame in saying; she's secretly glad for the ride, and the excitement they're having!

"I'm sorry, Aerima!" Jax, laments with guilty strain. "I really wasn't thinking, I'm such a pain! I hope our departure didn't make a mess. I mean, our lives matter sure, but I put everyone's at risk. I'm such a moronic dolt!" He admits with dread, slamming palm against forehead.

Out of the windows they gaze with wide eyes. A tapestry of smeared light shines back at them with shocking surprise! Far-off stars are twisted and warped, their light bent, split with a cosmic fork!

The light is diminished, the darkness near-total. Yet in the distance, smears of photons shine as cosmic opal! Deep in this alternate universe, something powerful is at work! What can bend starlight, creating such cosmic artwork?

"Something's not right." Jax, ponders aloud. "I can't put my finger on it, but the stars sure look a fright!"

"Aye, they do." Aerima agrees with wonder. "This universe seems haunted, and that I should know. I mean, what can bend those lights, putting on such a magnificent show!"

Towards a dark planet they fastly sail! It's illuminated lightly by a blurry red star, seeming quite pale. Inside the alien contraption, control panels blink and chirp, telling them at least _something is hard at work_!

"Don't touch _anything_ , Jax!" Aerima warns firmly, as no joke. "Don't even _think_ about it! This thing's on autopilot and mustn't be poked!"

"Yeah, copy that!" Jax, looks around wonderingly, mesmerized by the grand technology. "I don't think I broke anything yet. Everything still seems happy.... no alarms to fret!"

"Well, let's just keep it that way. I used a lot of energy coming with you, and there's not enough room in here if there's a breakout from my zoo!"

"Oh _jeez_ , Aerima! I didn't think about that! Stay calm old girl, keep that gate closed! At least until we get out of this thing, I suppose!"

As much as Jax loves ghosts, the thought of rattling-around with them inside an alien blender, is a daunting fright! It's surely nothing he'd enjoy having added to their cosmic plight!

Into the atmosphere of and alien world they plunge like concrete. It seems strange for them, as there should be some heat, but the magical nature of the alien torpedo, parts the gas-molecules ever so sweet!

They feel the ship slow with the air becoming dense. For Jax at least, this provides a reassurance. _Because, of the two of them, he's not yet past tense_!

On wobbly legs made bent by the force, he seeks scenery out the window.... perhaps even a forest! They enter more light, the sun still not so bright, but at least they can now see dark-redly the alien planet coming on so deadly!

"I see a city!" Jax, yells excitedly. "We're headed that way. Do you think there'll be a welcoming committee?"

"Look closer, Jax." Aerima instructs. "That city is dead. I'm sensing horrible past-dread!"

Over the city they fly ever lower, slowing along the way. Over once tall buildings, now truncated with decay, reminds the two invaders of judgement day! Highways and streets fan out in all directions. Filled with dead vehicles, that block _all_ the intersections!

"Yeah, I see your point." Jax agrees. "But we're coming in for a landing anyway. Look over there Aerima, I see a spaceport coming our way!"

Through a red haze, Aerima can see that Jax is right. Their little spaceship is headed lower into the gloomy night. Past overgrown landing-pads they slow to a crawl. Beyond, is a forest of dead rocket ships, covered with moss.

"We're landing Jax. I don't see a welcoming committee. I think we're lost!"

With a slight bump, their lifeboat-torpedo touches down. Tall grasses here and there, poke through the pavement all around.

"Oh Aerima, what have I done? We're in for it now, this won't be fun!"

With a whisper of noise and puff of air, the hatch swirls open, startling the pair! Jax holds his breath, not sure if he can breathe!

Aerima, swirls outside to see what she can see. Turning back, she notices Jax in a quandary. His face turning blue, trying not to take in the alien brew!

"Oh Jax!" The lovely ghost yells. "You have to try and breathe, even if the air isn't just right! There is no other choice.... _put up a fight_!"

The young human can take it no longer! His lungs are burning, his head spinning like a top! With a bellow of exhaust, he lets out the last good breath of air from his own universe and takes in what the multiverse has to offer. The taste is sour, filled with dampness and dread. Yet for the life of him, it's better than _nothing instead_!

"Well? What do you think? Can you breathe this stuff? It seems like it might stink!"

A few deep breaths, and Jax begins to relax. "Oh, I can breathe it just fine." He admits with a frown and cough, taking in more just to be sure. "Yup, I'm good. It's not much worse than being the last to use the can in the morning back home." He offers jokingly, as is his way.

"Okay, too much information, but still good news." Aerima says with relief. "Because, if you can't breathe, we're both going to lose. You, more than me!"

"I'm okay. I'm okay. After that wild ride, I'm just glad to still be alive!" Jax, announces without thinking. "Uh.... sorry Aerima. I didn't mean to be so rude. It's just that I'm still stunned and not quite in the groove."

"That's alright, Jax. I understand. Being dead is not what I'd choose firsthand. But in this case, I'm surely better off than you." She offers a chuckle, adding....

"We better look around some and see what we can find. Please my dear, don't fall behind."

"Okay but let me try my laser first. I'll feel better knowing _it_ still works." Reaching, he palms the deadly weapon. Taking aim at a rotted spaceship not far away, he pulls the trigger!

A ruby beam takes flight, only to bend upward, disappearing into the dark night!

"What the what!?!" The young man exclaims. "Holy cow! I don't believe it! This thing must be damaged.... I can't use it!"

"Well, that might explain why all the stars are smudged." Aerima ponders with satisfaction, finally making theoretical traction. "This is a dark-matter universe! Light can't maintain a straight line here. Not with gravitational lensing, pulling on its ear!"

"Well, that makes sense, but I'll keep this thing handy, for close-combat defense."

"Now, if you're ready, let's be off." Aerima prods.

"I'm ready." He whispers shakily. "You lead the way. I've got your back." Turning his head this way and that, he spies a pile of big nasty-looking sticks. Picking a sturdy one from the bunch, he's ready to defend Aerima, if it comes to a crunch.

Sensing that evil isn't far away, the stowaways reconnoiter cautiously, silently they pray. With bravery running high, yet nerves filled with fear, Jax follows Aerima, hoping to cheat the multiverse Reaper!

Not far away, at the edge of the landing pad, they come to a series of worn-down buildings, looking really bad. Once proud structures, maintained very well, they've long-since been abandoned and rotted away to hell! Vines and crud climb up the dilapidated walls. Through broken windowpanes, they grow into the halls.

The entire spaceport seems as dead as the city. Such a scary journey, and for what? Aerima, thinks with pity. Loud crunches of shattered glass under Jax's feet, cause him to get the look and a shush from the one who leads. Her bravery is solid, her intensions true, yet the noise makes her so irritated, she wishes she were still back in the Apollyon zoo!

"Oh Jax! Can't you be quieter?" The stealthy ghost begs. "Try floating on thin-air like me, so's to not wake the dead!"

Into the first building they slink. Aerima, a silent gossamer cloud, and Jax a clodhopper, doing everything loud. _Crunch_! _Crunch_! _Crunch_! Broken glass underfoot, sends warning to all monsters, that they'll soon be having a juicy lunch!

The building seems empty of intelligent life as dust of the ages chokes the air with strife. Every now and then, furry little creatures, squeak eerily at the invasion of their den. Running to and fro under Jax's feet, causing a squeamish that can't be beat!

"Oh Aerima! I don't like this place!" Jax, announces his displeasure. Knowing all along that as a male, he ought to display a more macho measure.

"Get a grip, Jax!" Aerima scolds hotly. "We'll get through this, so just relax!"

"I don't think we're going to find anything my dear." Jax, doubles down. "And I'm getting the creeps, so let's get out of here!"

"Okay, I agree." Aerima relents, knowing he's right. "I doubt this planet has any intelligent life left. They've gone and had a big war; a big fight. Perhaps a virus or germ, took them without warning. Let's get back to the pod. I don't want to still be here come morning!"

Exiting the ruins, dark shadows loom! Many are moving, reminding of monstrous goons! Closer and closer they slink with malicious intent, making Jax wish his laser-beam didn't get bent!

Out of fear and instinct he grabs his heat, knowing that up-close, the beam will _surely_ find werewolf meat!

Something big and hairy, runs along the top of a nearby wall! Something just as alarming, scurries with a spider-like crawl! Many shapes and sizes, with two things in common. Shiny long fangs and ruby-red eyes, stair at Jax and Aerima as if they're delicious prizes!

From someplace nearby, a howl and shriek, as one of the vermin decides to speak! Jax crouches like a cat, readying for any attack. With feet like cement, he knows he can't escape! Hoping against hope, he tries to awake!

Nightmare or no, his nerves feel a quake! With knees feeling weak, and red eyes drilling from all around, he knows it's the end and they can't rebound!

Hunger gnaws deeply for those who come near. Fresh meat a rare thing, as the multiverse monsters prepare to pounce for a sting!

Aerima takes it all in stride, enjoying the challenge with long-held pride. The foolish creatures who rudely encroach will quickly find out, that messing with her is _truly no joke_!

With danger looming for her young man Jax, who crouches bravely in the face of attacks, she can wait no longer! Another few seconds, and he could be killed. She knows he's tough, but they can't afford to have _any_ blood spilled. With no Omari or Talia to makes things right, it's up to her to win the fight!

"Jax, get down! Lay flat on the ground and cover your head! Whatever you do, don't look up until I say!" The spirit yells her best advice, with no time to explain it twice!

With contempt for the dark-matter creatures turning to white-hot anger, Aerima spools-up viciously, sizzling lightning-bolts shooting from her skull-dagger!

Then suddenly, a wild tempest of vicious destruction, rips from her realm with malignant intention! Because of her heated wrath so intense, she unlocked the gate, allowing a haunting to commence!

With maniacal screeches that will forevermore haunt Jax's senses, the crazed spirits rip past Aerima's ghostly defenses! A myriad of phantoms and ghouls, spills past her unlocked gate! With vengeful energy so intense she lost control, now it's too late!

Dozens of shrieking spirits and hobgoblin's, rain fire and brimstone! All around the landing pad, hairy dark-matter creatures are turned to stone! Frozen in place, their eyes still wander. Unable to move.... their fate do they ponder!

With frost all around, sharp claws dripping ice, they all wish for those days when Aerima was nice! Even though they don't know her, it's obvious to see, that her anger is something terrible; best to just let her be!

For the monsters who live on the dark-matter planet from hell, it's been a non-stop maelstrom of cantankerous death-knell. After the global wars and mutations with no food to eat, who can blame the monsters for attacking, when there's a tasty snack-treat!

Now they're frozen in time, after a glacial-blast sublime. And to make matters worse, the shrieking hobgoblins circle their heads with blood-lustful thirst! Taunting and teasing, they poke and prod! Threatening to invade, they do one hell of a job!

What's a multiverse monster to do?! They're simple creatures, bent on survival. Don't their lives matter? Don't they deserve a fair cosmic trial? Perhaps not this time, .... because the spirits who won the day, seem not in the mood for fair gameplay!

Even though the dark-matter-monsters defense seems plausible and lucid, the Ginn's and Genies who invade, will not allow for that. After all, .... they're not stupid!

Aerima orbits Jax protectively! His body and mind not effected by the otherworldly catastrophe. The ghostly phalanx that just marauded and froze, won't put a phantasmic finger on his tasty bones!

They leave him be, while taking the alien monsters with coldhearted glee. No death by mutilation, like the dark-matter-creatures would have done to Jax. Just a ghostly invasion, stopping their murderous intensions in their tracks!

Jax looks up against good advice, his normally dark features, ashen with frost. "Oh, Aerima! What have we done? Won't those spirits have a field day, haunting everyone?" He yells into her tempest so grim, as she continues to violently spin!

"Come on Jax! Get up and run!" Aerima exclaims excitedly. Her usual multitoned voice when exhausted, now sounding as one. "I've been waiting for the right place to ditch that bunch of scum! So, let's escape from here and let them have their fun! Come now Jax! Get up and _run_ _run run_! It's time to make tracks!" She orders like a commander, not having _any_ fun.

Into the darkness they escape! Aerima leading the way, five feet off the ground. Poor Jax trails behind, hoping the torpedo-ship is still hanging around. "Oh, Aerima! We can't leave! We don't know how to operate the ship, .... unless you have a trick on your frozen fingertip!"

"Leave that to me, Jax." She responds confidently. "The ship is ahead, so shake a leg!"

Behind them in the gloom, blood-curdling screeches still loom! The gang of ghostly misfits who escaped their jailer, are truly enjoying the freedom, nothing else will matter!

The dark-matter-creatures they beautifully torment, try to run, try to hide, but still half-frozen, they have feet like cement! _Yes_ , feet like cement, and hearts of icy fear. Now, they begin to understand what it's like to live in a _true nightmare_!

There're new monsters in town who don't play by the rules, nobody can stop them.... they're multiverse ghouls!

"Hurry Jax! Inside you go! Put that laser away! You'll you shoot your eye out, don't you know!"

She holds the cards for escaping this dark-matter universe. So Jax better listen good; or things will get worse. He lurches into the torpedo with Aerima close behind. With his teeth chattering uncontrollably, they fit once again quite cozily.

As bad as it seems, he knows that without her at his frozen side, this weird planet is where he would permanently reside!

"Okay Jax, listen good. I'm shrinking down to subatomic size. It's going to get plenty colder in here as a result, so don't be surprised. I'm entering the circuitry of this runaway torpedo. Perhaps there's a way to reverse the trajectory flow. If we explode in a universe-shattering way, I want you to know that I love you, and had a nice last day."

"I love you too, Aerima." Jax, says through chattering teeth. "Except you can't die twice, so if we do explode, please wait for me. I'll find a way to ghostify. You just wait and see!"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. But here we can't stay, so quickly we must scat. Wish me luck, I'm going in. I'll return soon. We'll take her for a spin!"

"Good luck my lovely precious. Please be a dear and close the hatch first, so in deep space I won't become breathless!" He offers a joke in the face of death, as Aerima spins into the tiniest nothingness of a submicroscopic particle.

Into the torpedoes circuitry she enters quite bravely, trying not to ponder anything too gravely. She understands quite well the dangers involved while messing with bent physics. She only hopes her efforts won't go cataclysmic!

Dark electrons flow this way and that! It seems chaotic, and some give her a nasty snap! They flow through her gossamer hair so pretty, like Saint Elmo's fire, through a dark-matter city. She invades the electrical realm like a pro, hoping the systems security won't create a woe.

The electrons seem familiar but have a positive flavor. They should be negatively charged. This might be a danger! Through the ships circuits she explores with sharp guile, a ghostly apparition with a sly, spooky smile!

Seeking an electronic-bridge into the navigational brains of the life-boat torpedo, she spies a sweet shortcut into the guts of the multiverse gizmo.

Finding the circuits that control the hatch and emergency-relocation, she builds new pathways in a circular formation. A round-robin of sorts. One that will hopefully return them to their old life, and familiar cohorts! Finishing her delicate job, she inspects all around, it just wouldn't due if she created a radioactive melt-down!

Jax, stiffens as the spiral-hatch closes suddenly with a windy splendor. Like greased lightning, it twists shut faster than a high-speed blender. If he'd been much closer, he surely would have become an alternate gender!

Before he can recover and check, Aerima oozes out and is back on deck. The temperature drops freezingly with the fastest of sinkage. New gender or not, Jax experiences significant shrinkage!

Aerima spools up, growing in size. With lovely doe-eyes, and a wide ghostly smile on her transparent face.... "Well big fella, what do you say we get the hell out of this dark-matter place?"

"Are you sure you got it right?" Jax, inquires doubtfully. "I mean, yes I'm ready! I would rather die trying, then stay _here_ another night!"

"I can't promise a thing, except that we're going to go _someplace_." Aerima says softly. "It will hopefully be where we started from, but it also might be into the middle of a star! Yet one thing's for sure, you can't survive here. So, push that star-button there, and into the great void we'll sail on a wing and a pray!"

"Thanks for being here, Aerima. I know you did your best. If not for you, those beasts would have surely had a juicy McJax for breakfast. I love you for sure, shall we never part. Now, let's say good riddance to this dark-matter loony-bin park! If we explode during liftoff, and my spirit is blown asunder, please wait for me to come back together!"

Reaching, the tall young man from Oberon Prime, takes a deep breath and pushes the star-button just in the nick of time! Because outside the windows are the spirits to be left behind! They seek ingress, not wishing to be marooned. As badly as they wanted out of Aerima's zoo, this dark-matter world just doesn't have much to do!

The torpedo-ship shimmers and shakes! Forcing the angry phantoms to back-off a ways. Little do they realize that with moments running out, they'll be trapped on this dark-matter world, _no doubt_!

With an otherworldly vibration and throbbing hum, the tiny ship lifts off, heading away from the smeared sun. Far below, spirits and ghouls can be seen angrily thrashing. After figuring out that they're marooned and totally screwed, ghostly teeth commence gnashing!

"Oh Aerima! Look at those silly fools down there!" Jax, exclaims with a laugh. "They couldn't wait to be free from you but look at them now. They're completely freaking out! How low-brow!"

The mother of all ghostly sighs, as Aerima glances at the planet below. "I've carried that baggage for many a long century." She admits softly. "It feels so good to be free from the strain of running that penitentiary! Those ghouls and hobgoblins were always a pain, never offering strength, only a drain. Now we can relax Jax; if we survive, I mean. Because now that I'm free, it'll be like I'm hopped up on caffeine!"

"Okay okay, old girl. Don't go bonkers just yet, we haven't the room. But having you all to myself, sure does break the gloom! Now, before I get us into more trouble, I have a question for you my ghostly pebble."

"Go ahead Jax, I'm all ears." She says with a demonic laugh, tiny lightning-bolts snapping quietly as she waits.

"Um.... Well, it's like this, Aerima. You know I care about you tons and tons. I guess you could say that I'm in love with you." He says with reddening face. "If we ever get out of this jam, I'm wondering if you would marry me, even though I'm an unpredictable ham." There! He got it off his chest! Something he'd been pondering for a very long time at best.

"Oh Jax! Sometimes you say the most wonderful things!" Her ghostly smile calms his frayed nerves. She moves closer, intimately whispering in his ear. "I don't know if a ghost can marry a human, but I say yes! Let's be the first!" She envelops him lovingly, adding a chill and frost to the young man's lips, as she floats in for an icy smooch....

"What of android-Jax, I mean Torg," She asks, "won't his jealous circuits heat? Won't he have a hissy-fit that can't be beat?"

"If he doesn't, I'll be surprised. Yet, if you can put up with me, perhaps _two_ might be wise! After all, I'm only flesh and bones, and will someday expire. With Torg to continue the cause, into the deep future we can kindle our fire." He informs wishfully, adding....

"I don't have to die, as long as there's another way. And I know how we can bring you home from the spirit-world that took you away! You can live again, without that silly skull-dagger. Once again, your hair and skin can be supple and smooth. When I tell you my idea, you'll think _'hell, what've I got to lose'_!"

Away from the dark-matter planet they fastly sail. Faster and faster into the inky darkness they wail! The twisted starlight shines but is pale. Nothing out the windows is recognizable in their eyes, where they land is going to be a big fat cosmic surprise!

Like before, it all seems a fright. Neither traveler can guess where they're going to end up that dark starry night.

Suddenly a vibration and flash, breaks their dread! As quickly as it started, they're someplace else instead!

# We're back baby!

"Aerima! Don't go near that thing!" Amy yells, but it's too late. The spirited ghost has already enveloped the alien device, transmuting into the hull, trying to save Jax!

A flash of brilliance sends hands defensively to cover tortured eyes, as the torpedo-pod disappears as if it were never there! The area where it once was, is an inch deep with frost. Icy snowflakes flitter to the ground, as the weather from the other side snaps against ours!

"Oh, my stars!" Kara, exclaims. "Well, we lost Jax again! When will that numbskull learn?!"

"He sure did it this time!" Braxton venomously yells. "We'll not see those two again, that's for sure!"

"Oh, poor Aerima!" Ling woefully exclaims. "She hooked up with the craziest one of the bunch, she did! Oh, what are we going to tell Nyla and Wil? We're sure in for it now!" The young woman laments. Worrying more about her own hide, than that of poor old Jax and Aerima!

Excruciating time passes, as shock sets in. Then quite suddenly, with everyone still scared out of their wits, another brilliant flash of light, takes them by blitz! Before them, the torpedo has returned! How can this be? Their wonderment is churned!

Another frozen tempest, grips frigidly that spot, as the spiral hatch glides open, and ghost with young man in tow, spill from the device as if it's hot!

Braxton runs forward, dragging Jax away by the scruff of his neck! His jumpsuit is torn and dirty, his hair all stuck with twigs. It seems to all, that their dear old crazy brother, had been in a knock-down drag-out fight with some alternate universe pigs!

Aerima follows closely away, not wanting anything more to do of that alien-thing this day!

"Jax! What happened to you?! Braxton yells. "You were only gone for a few minutes!"

"Oh, that can't be!" The dark young man cries out. "We were gone a long time, just look and see!" Pointing his watch into Braxton's face, a full three hours had advanced on the timepiece!

"We traveled through a dark-matter universe, landing on a doomed planet!" Jax says with gleaming eyes. "We fought werewolves and spiders, and my laser-light got bent! Then Aerima's dead friends broke loose from her gate, saving my life before it was too late!"

Shocked disbelief flows through the crowd. Knowing Jax, they've all heard his tall tales before. "Oh Jax!" Amy exclaims. "You scared us half to death with that trick! You weren't really gone that long! I'm a sceptic!"

"Oh yes we traveled far and deep! It was all automated and very sweet! It's a lifeboat you know, but the ride was rough, giving me vertigo! It took us to its home world, as is its pre-programmed job. It doesn't know the difference who travels within its thingamabob!"

"We landed at a spaceport so grand, in a dark-matter-city that sprawled across the land! It had all been destroyed long ago, by some unknown force wouldn't you know! Badass monsters prowled the place! If not for Aerima's friends, I would have surely been a hot meal on their grisly plates!"

"Oh, Jax! You're so full of shit!" Ling, yells darkly. "I can't believe you would subject us to such a scare! You're such a juvenile twit! And Aerima, I'm surprised at you! The longer you hang with Jax, the more I'm sure that _you've_ gone cuckoo! My goodness! The things I hear!"

"The next time you see an alien device, won't you please take a moment and try to think twice? We nearly lost you two because of this foolishness. Next time could end badly for you, so stop this craziness!" Wiping tears of joy and frustration, she wonders if they'll ever pay attention!

The normally placid Ling takes Jax by surprise. For the first time ever, he sees his juvenile ways through somebody else's eyes. Breaking loose from Braxton's grip so strong, he offers his lovely stepsister an apologetic hug. "I'm sorry Ling. I don't always think ahead. I didn't mean to scare you. I'll try harder instead."

"He speaks the truth." Aerima says boldly. "We traveled space and time. While here, only a few moments passed slowly. After our ordeal on the dark-matter world, I reversed the torpedoes aim, bringing us back home again! I marooned my mischievous companions there, like Jax said. They only cause me problems anyway. I was angry when I left, and perhaps shouldn't have marooned them so. After all, they did save Jax's life. Perhaps, I'll go back for them someday."

" _Not!"_ From Jax....

Magnus notices a new, peaceful glow coming from Aerima's realm. He's not sure, but she looks like she's floating on cloud nine! Which for a ghost, is very special. Very special indeed! "My goodness, Aerima," he blurts out, "but you seem pleased, after such a harrowing event."

"Oh, you have no idea, Magnus!" She admits gleefully. "I feel like a troop of yacking monkeys just got off my cloud. It's so peaceful now. For the first time in 500-years, I don't have to waste energy controlling those pesky little monsters!"

"Yeah," Jax, interrupts, "now they have an entire world to call home! And Aerima and me can have quality time for a change!"

"Quality time?" Amy confusedly inquires. "Don't you have that now?"

"Well Amy, it's like trying to share the one you love with a whole bunch of others who constantly drain her of strength. Now, she's an unemployed ghost, and that suits me just fine!"

"The one you love, Jax?" Tina, teasingly inquires, even though everybody knew.

"Yeah! I didn't mention yet, but Aerima and me are getting hitched! First chance we get! I asked her during her weakest moment out there, and she agreed!"

"Oh Jax! You say the darndest things!" Tina retorts, knowing he's pulling her leg.

Aerima has a great laugh, knowing how lightly the others take the words coming out of Jax's mouth. "Oh, but he did ask me! Of course, I said yes. I would have still said yes, even if I wasn't drained of energy and vulnerable."

"It simply won't work! Jax is a numbskull human, and you're a gggghost!" Braxton joins the fray with levity. "Just how do you plan to pull it off?"

"Well, for starters mister bigshot helmsman," Jax, cuts in defensively, letting Braxton get under his skin, "marriage is more than just a physical experience. It's a synchronized state of mind with the one you love. I imagine we'll be together until the end of time and a day, even if we don't get hitched proper."

"Well, I don't know Jax!" Kara puts in her two-cents worth. "You're likely to get her killed.... _again_!" The crowd goes wild! Jax, turns red!

He knows its time to divulge his long-contemplated idea. One that he hadn't even ran past Aerima yet.

"You know Aerima, you've been having a lot of experience with manipulating electronics and such. So, I'm thinking you might be able to inhabit one of the greys memory-storage boxes. Cody and Atara, can build you an android body, and voila, problem solved!" He takes a well-deserved bow, feeling better than ever!

"Oh my!" Aerima brightens like a star! "Now that's an idea worth exploring! Of course, an android! What an awesome idea, Jax!"

"Do you think in the process you'll lose your otherworldly powers?" Jax inquires. "I mean, can you deal with that, if you do?"

"I'm not sure what will happen, but when I'm with you Jax, nothing else matters. As long as your eyes don't wander if a shinier haunted-android should pass!" She lets loose a demonic laugh, making Jax wonder if they had truly left all the others behind on that dark-matter world!

"Oh, Aerima!" Jax, feigns hurt. "How could you say such a thing!"

As everyone's cooling their jets after a tumultuous laugh at Jax's expense, Braxton's radio chirps to life. "Braxton; are you guys still onboard planet-gouger echo? _over_." Wil calls, his voice sounding strained.

"Yeah, Wil. We're up here, trying to keep Jax out of trouble; _over_."

"Yes, that's a full-time job, I know. Good luck with that." Father android replies honestly. "Never the less. We need you all to report to the bridge of the Nerezza, _asap_. There are serious developments you need to become aware of; _over_."

"Copy that, Wil. We'll be there as soon as possible."

"See you then.... or sooner if you hurry. It's important, so don't dilly-dally."

"Copy Wil." Braxton ends transmission. "Well, it seems Wil is a might verklempt about something. We better shake a leg."

"Last one to the Nazqa, has to wash the bugs off the windshield before we launch!" Magnus jokes, as they all scurry towards a nearby vacuum-tube.

"What about the matter-transporters?" Jax, tempts fate. "We could sure get there a lot faster that way! Just leave the Nazqa here."

"Oh, Jax!" Tina, yells over her shoulder as she leads the pack. "Haven't you had enough adventure for one lifetime? You know those are still off-limits! The things you come up with! My goodness!"

As the Nazqa approaches the hanger bays of the Nerezza, Captain Talus sees that the new forcefield instillation has been completed. The usually 'open to space' hanger-bay, now has a shiny forcefield holding air pressure inside.

Of all the modifications since capturing the big ship, this is one of the best. No more suiting-up after landing, just to get to the ships conveyance system.

Ahead, a bluish haze of shimmering energy, keeps air pressure inside. Beyond that, the Revenge and some of her crew can be seen through the mirage of forcefield. "Jayleen, Selza, take us in. Put us down next to the Revenge." Captain Talus orders, as they slowly pass through the ribbon of energy. It seals shut smoothly after they pass into the cavernous landing bay.

Nyla, Wil, Esty and Gort, are waiting for them outside the Revenge. Looks of concern, speaks volumes about something dreadful. Talus, Braxton and Magnus are first to approach. "Hey guys, what's up?" Braxton inquires.

"The ship we left at Titania Alpha has arrived back here with bad news." Wil informs, adding. "It seems their solar system is about to be crushed by a pair of rogue neutron stars. The binary bulls-in-a-china-shop are dangerously close and coming in fast. If we can't find a solution quickly, those killers will perturb the entire solar system and not even know it did it."

"Wow! No foolin? Roque neutron stars?" Braxton exclaims, thinking only of the rarity, and not of the absolute danger involved with meeting such a calamity.

"Yup." Nyla joins in. "They're each said to be 12-miles-diameter, and orbiting each other at nearly 700,000-mph. They're close to merging. Possibly even before we get there."

Jax inquires. "Won't that solve the problem for Titania Alpha? Won't they just explode and be done with it all?"

"Oh, silly Jax." Nyla chides, causing laughs and jeers, from those who didn't understand either. "When neutron stars collide, they don't simply go away. They merge into a stellar-mass black hole with nearly the same mass as before, but in one body. A singularity. Still just as deadly to the Titania Alpha system."

"What can be done?" Magnus steps up to the plate with a relevant question.

"We're open to suggestions." Wil announces. "But it seems there's only one option we need to truly focus on. That's the evacuation of the colonies from Titania Alpha and moving them to Oberon Prime." He informs of the cosmic facts, adding....

"It's not in our power to redirect that much mass. Especially with the tremendous velocity involved. Each of those stars has the mass of perhaps 30 main sequence stars like our Huon. We can't hope to steer them away."

" _Unless_." Max, speaks-up. "Unless we use the planet gouger ships to form a wormhole directly in their path, big enough to swallow and spit them or it, someplace else."

Wil, rubs his chin, contemplating the young scientist's suggestion. "Intriguing idea, Max my boy. Intriguing indeed. Do you think the ships could actually produce enough power to keep a wormhole open long enough?"

"Well, just off the top of my head, I'd have to say I don't know. That will take some real serious syphering." He rubs his own chin, so's to look even more contemplative.

"Oh, now wait a minute!" Comes a voice of reason from Nyla. "Pray-tell, just where would we be sending said neutron stars, or black hole? Is _that_ something that can be computed, Max?"

"Um.... well.... Um, I'm not...." The young man rubs his temples, scrunching his eyes. "No. If we're successful, we'll not know where we're sending those monsters."

"Well then!" Nyzilla puts her foot down firmly, shaking the deck. "Idea squashed! Sorry Max, just because something _can_ be done, doesn't always mean it _should_ be done. We elbowed our way onto new worlds so that humanity could survive." She reminds, adding....

"I won't be part of elbowing those in some multiverse in the face, just to save a planet. We'll just make more room here at Oberon Prime. Our neighbors will be moving in with us. After all, how would be like being the recipients of somebody else's trash, tossed through a wormhole simply for convenience?"

Wil shakes the cobwebs from his circuits, sorry he ever entertained Max's idea. "As usual, Nyla comes through with a lucid and heartfelt reason why we should curb our enthusiasm for taking the easy way out." He sides with his better-half, as usual....

"Well," Max, inputs to no avail, "there's really no way to prove that somebody didn't already dump those stars in our universe, like the trash you spoke of Nyla. We very well could be the unwitting recipients of multiverse trash dumping."

"Perhaps Max. Perhaps." Nyla repeats. "We'll just have to be bigger than that. Multiverse lives matter, you know! I'm not going to be part of a possible mass cosmic-murder, when we have another solution."

"Oh, that's a fine solution for the earthing interlopers on Titania Alpha." Max pushes back. "But what of the other eleven planets and countless moons in the system. Don't they deserve a chance for continued existence too?"

"That will be an argument for the ages, my dear young man." Wil sees Max needs a little more persuasion than what he's receiving from Nyla. "I agree with Nyla, Max. This is one of those things that must run its course naturally. We're lucky we have the technology for the evacuation of Titania Alpha. Let's not look _that_ gift-horse in the mouth."

"Well jeez Nyla, I guess you're right." Max grudgingly offers. "It's just that sometimes you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet. That's all I'm saying."

"I know you mean well, Max. And, I love you for that." Nyla comforts the lad. "That's just one omelet we won't be taking a bite of this time around."

Jax, elbows his way into the conversation. "What of the Toothy's?" He invokes a guilt trip. "What of all the other life-forms in that solar system? Don't they deserve a fair shake?" For his efforts at smartassedness, he gets an unusual applaud of approval from his stepsiblings.

"Oh Jax! If it could only be so easy." Nyla sympathizes. "You know how unforgiving and heartless the universe can be. Sure, life is a rare thing amongst the stars, but it comes and goes as if it's a bodily function of Mother Nature." She reminds, adding....

"The only reason some species lasts so long, is because of diversification to other worlds. Cheating the Reaper by having extra chances. The life-forms in that solar system, have been chosen by Nature, to be destroyed. If they survive, they'll be stronger for it, but we can only do so much."

"I see your point, Nyla." Jax relents. "Sometimes my wishes get in the way of thinking."

"Oh boy!" Kara, exclaims. "Truer words have never been spoken!"

# Rogue Neutron Stars!

"Full magnification, Mister Williams." Esty, orders from her lofty perch. Millions of miles ahead, two neutron stars orbit each other in a violent high-speed dance of cosmic death! At least for the neutron stars it's soon be death! And from their deaths, will come a brand-new singularity.

From this cosmic merger, incalculable amounts of heavy elements will be created. Most of which can only be created in this fashion. Enough gold atoms will spark into existence to make dozens of Titania Alpha sized planets! All while escaping the gravitational abyss that's forming into a stellar-mass black hole during the merger!

And as one might imagine, gravity on a gold planet would be harsh. _Most harsh indeed_!

From 800-million-miles, and with extreme magnification, the dead stars are seen moving through the great interstellar void like a train wreck waiting to happen! Tidal forces have heated the 12-mile-diameter creatures to incandescent glows as they scream around each other incredibly fast!

"Focus!" Jax, yells rudely to astrogation for more clarity. His eyes see a blurry haze of brilliant light, as the small star cores chase each other's tails for that hot kiss of destruction they've dreamt of for millions of years. So close now, they can taste it!

"It is focused, meathead!" Max retorts, adding. "Try uncrossing your zombie eyes. They're a blur because of how close and fast they orbit. Oh boy! It won't be long now!"

Ripping through space at incredible velocity, they seem hell-bent on going nowhere, really fast! It quickly becomes obvious, that the cosmic duo will surely become a black hole before ever reaching the Titania Alpha system!

"Oh, my stars!" Talia exclaims excitedly.

"Would you look at that!" Braxton matches her enthusiasm. "We're going to witness the creation of a black hole! Oh, this is way too cool! Are we recording this?" He jokes seriously.

"I've got your back Braxton," Wil responds, "but I doubt such a thing has ever been witnessed live."

"They're coming closer!" Shirley freaks. "Shouldn't we back off?"

"We'll be okay." Wil informs with his best guess. "Unless we're in the path of the gamma-ray bursts it's going to puke. If were unlucky enough to be in the way of that, we can't back off far enough, fast enough! If we're in the way.... it's hasta la vista baby!"

"Yeah, that's for sure." Harper, inputs knowingly as he reaches for his helmet. "Those beams will smite entire worlds that get in their way. Even out beyond 5,000-lightyears they will! I'll bet the good old _Queen Anne's Revenge_ can outrun them. She's a fast sloop!"

"How true. How true" Ling, pounces in. "You missed just one small calculation, Mister Brainiac. For all we know, those two lumps of neutrons may have already become a black hole. Furthermore, a blast of gamma-radiation may already be headed our way!

"Whoa there slick!" Jax noses in, preparing to embarrass himself again. "If they've already merged, why are we still watching the dance of death on the monitor?" For his effort, Ling wafts a hand in front of her nose, as the peanut gallery goes wild with jeers his failing of the brain!

"Whew!" Ling offers another waft and scrunched face. "That brainfart is a bad one, Jax! You should see Omari for a pill!" The crowd goes wild! Jax, turns red....

"Okay, I'll just tell you then, smarty pants!" Ling retorts. "If those neutrons stars have just collided this very moment, the light from that event wouldn't reach us for just over an hour at our present 800-million-mile separation."

"She's right." _Android-Cooper_ , offers. "The speed of light isn't so fast when considering the distance it must travel to reach us. Even if the gamma-bursters are pointed at right-angles to our view, by the time we first saw them, they would already be long-projected beams an hour out."

"I'm right." Cooper, buts in. "I mean to say, that _Alice_ is right. We would have no warning. None, whatsoever." Turning, she gives Alice a wink for being so bright!

Jax, turns to his android self, Torg. "Thanks buddy! Jeez, nice assist!" He scorns the poor fellow who still has that _deer in the headlights look_. Yet, if truth be told, Alice enjoys a three-week jump on the learning curve. So, there's still hope!

Torg breaks from the doldrums of silence. I'm not ready to defend you yet. Besides I calculated a zero-chance that I would have improved greatly upon your stupidity."

The peanut gallery goes wild! "Hey!" Toby yells teasingly, "there's hope for you yet, Torg! At least you know when to keep your big yapper shut!" A look of pride shines from the new android, as he sees Toby in a new light. A rolling of Jax's eye's, gives Toby the high level of satisfaction she sought, for beefing up her low reserves of teasing.

"Yeah!" Amy agrees, having taken an early liking to Torg. "And his sense of humor is coming along nicely too!" She offers a wink, heating the newest shipmate's circuits!

"Awe, don't feel bad, Jax." Adam supports. "Soon, Torg will help guide you through life, just as Aerima has been doing. Won't that be grand?"

"Thanks, Adam." Jax responds sadly, rubbing his temples, glad Aerima is snugged comfortably inside his backpack, missing his humiliation.

He ponders the mystery of how she'll somehow know anyway. Then, he remembers.... she's a ghost! She sees all! "Just wait til you get your own android-self, Adam. An ugly one to be sure! Til then, please don't try so hard to help me. Okay?"

"Jeez, what a grump." Nyla, answers for Adam. "You know we love you Jax. It's all in good fun."

"Yeah. At my great expense!" Another rolling of eyes, and the crowd rolls with laughter. If truth be known, they really would miss poor old Jax greatly, if the Reaper ever takes him away!

"So, are you saying that we never truly see anything _'live'_?" Amy inquires.

"That's right." Cooper informs. "Everything we see, is because of reflected or emitted light. Those photons take _real time_ to reach our eyes. The further away, the _less live_ , so to speak."

"Yeah. At my great expense!" Another rolling of his eyes, and the crowd rolls in laughter. If truth be known, they really would miss poor old Jax greatly, if the Reaper ever takes him away!

Suddenly, a frozen chill expands from the backpack under Jax's science station. A cloud of lovely otherworldliness spooks through the bridge, focusing mainly on the circle-monitor.

"Hello everyone." Comes a disembodied voice from beyond the grave. "I think the time is near for the fireworks to start!" Settling in next to a shivering Jax, she manages to warm his heart....

Suddenly, the monitor flashes intense brilliance! Moments later, the ship rocks mightily! Inertial dampeners are taxed as the first of powerful gravity-waves, break across her bow!

Cooper and Toby are inundated with alarms from all points! Monitor dims automatically, yet the image is still cosmically breathtaking!

The detonation is a type that equals the brightest known electromagnetic events in the known universe! The crew quickly realizes they aren't in the danger zone for a GRB. If so, they would already be toast, and not even know they're dead!

Of course, in that terrible event, Aerima would offer an orientation-class for living as a ghost!

The flash is short-lived, as the resulting black hole greedily sucks back what it can; which is plenty! And being a messy eater when the food supply is so great, the newly formed singularity gorges beyond what he can keep down.

From each pole comes twin cosmic-barfs of pure energy that can't be beat! Two astronomically powerful jets of mostly gamma radiations, streak into the cosmos at nearly the speed of light! Really, that's what a black hole is all about; a concentrated mass of the purist energy Mother Nature can provide!

Moments after the flash of initial collision, is sucked back into the blackest thing in the neighborhood, murderously intense beams of radiation squirt from the newly formed singularity. Having already had an hour or so to break free from the monster, the beams have already streaked a goodly distance away from the black hole's poles.

"My stars!" Talia exclaims. "Look at those beams go!" She gasps at the unusual site of seeing with the naked eye, the actual _movement_ of light through the great void! The event is surrealistic! Imparting a dreamlike drug into everyone's psyches.

The view for the stunned biologics and androids, puts a new perspective on the grand immensity of what outer space truly is! Even light is a slowpoke when compared to the long journey it must make.

"Somebody downstream from those jets, is sure going to have a bad last-second when _it_ arrives!" Magnus postulates accurately from the helm.

"My word!" Cooper yells dreadfully, glad she didn't fall into another timeout.

"Well," Wil, announces some good news, "I calculate they'll miss Earth, but not by much! A little more to the right, and at only 52 light-years away, it would fry her bacon really good!"

"Okay crew." Esty, rains on their cosmic parade. "That was an incredible piece of power we just witnessed, but we've bigger fish to fry." She's so proud of her digital collection of earthling vernacular! "Braxton. Magnus. Set a course for Titania Alpha. That newly formed singularity will soon barrel through the solar system."

"Aye Aye, commander! Setting sail for Titania Alpha!" Comes twin responses as the course is calculated and engaged.

Upon entering orbit, the Revenge settles in next to the three Apollyon warbirds that had been dispatched for the evacuation. In size comparison, it's like a speck of dust settling in next to three 747's. Grand shadows, cool the hot day below!

"I know. I know." Omari, reasons with Nyla. "However, my dear. It just wouldn't work. Those animals down there are evolved to live in their exacting environments here on Titania Alpha. The likelihood of transplanting them to Oberon Prime and hoping for success, is unimaginably low. Besides, there isn't time to capture enough animals to make a viable gene-pool. Also, do we really want to upset the Oberon Prime applecart?"

"Oh, you like we didn't upset that applecart when we smashed our way in?" She retorts.

"That' completely different my dear, and you know it. Please, let's not compare apples and oranges in such a way. We're sentient, while the indigenous animals on Titania Alpha are not. Big difference."

"My goodness!" Talia, chimes in. "And those Toothy's! My word, Nyla! Can't you just imagine how they'd wreck up the place?"

"Oh!" Nyzilla huffs! "I just can't stand to see so much life, go to waste! Humpffff!!" She curses in her own fashion, pushing her alter-ego back into its lonely dark cage, where she'll stew for many an hour, gnawing on the bars.

Wil is nothing if not observant. Nyla has a long history of soft-heartedness. She radiates it like a shining star! "Now, now, my dear." Taking her hand. "Dig down deep in those memory banks and remember that we live in a cruel and unforgiving universe. For whatever reason, nature has selected this solar system to be destroyed. And you yourself voted against sending that gravity-monster, into somebody else's cornfield. Please do understand?"

A doe-eyed Nyla tells him that his words had sunk in. "Oh Wil! Sometimes I just wish I was never created! .... Oh, but I do understand. We're just lucky to be able to evacuate our friends. It could have easily turned out much differently for them." She offers a hug, reinforcing her relent.

"Max. Shirley. Please put the settlements on the screen." Esty instructs.

"Aye Aye." Shirley replies as Max does the honors.

Below, circular structures can be seen within the green jungle-landscape. They try to blend but fail quite miserably. Residing at the end of a long scar-wound in the land that hadn't fully healed yet, they stick out like sore thumbs.

Titania Alpha had received an elbow in the face from earthlings. Now the earthlings, along with the entire solar system, are receiving Mother Nature's version of an _elbow in the face!_

"Greater magnification please."

Suddenly, the view is up close and personal. The commons between Payne and Faraday, can be seen with clarity. A matter-transporter-pad has been installed, and people wait in line to have their molecules discombobulated and transmitted.

Grave concern pervades every face. A direr situation, none can imagine! Long term effects of such a mode of travel are not known, but time is of an essence. It's either trust this method, or soon go the way of the Toothy's dead-end future!

"Mommy, I'm scared!" Little Jimmy breaks his threshold of bravery. "Will this hurt?"

"Yes, my son. I won't lie to you. It's going hurt a little." Mommy says, picking up the boy, giving a reassuring hug. "We must be brave Jimmy. Okay?"

"Okay mommy.... I'll try."

Dad adds a bright point. "Jimmy were we're going, there are no Toothy's to eat you. Won't that be good?"

"I guess, I guess so daddy. I just don't want to be dissolved!" A few sniffles, as the lad realizes he's not going to change anything....

Climbing makeshift wooden stairs, as if going to the gallows, mom, dad, and Jimmy position themselves as instructed.

They try to hold hands for the journey but are firmly instructed _yet again_ to do no such thing! It just wouldn't do, to leave limbs laying on the launch-pad, while the rest goes flying off into the cosmos!

With hands to the side, tray-tables up and locked, they wait for takeoff!

A glow! A brilliant glow shines from the pad under their feet! Before they can look down to see what's what, their bodies shimmer and shine like a sprinkling of gold-flaked-confetti sublime! They have a moment of torturous pain as their molecules are broken and transmogrified into radiations but disappear from the gallows in no time.

Into the void above the planet, their radiations zoom! Upon a focused beam of energy, they are near-instantly transported and reconstituted onboard an Apollyon ship.

Jimmy arrives on wobbly knees, while mom and pop, hope there's a bottle of space-whiskey onboard that needs a squeeze!

"That wasn't so bad, was it Jimmy?"

"It was pretty awful mommy, and I'm glad you didn't lie about it. What's that smell?" The lad inquires as residual stench-molecules, waft invisible smoke from their clothing.

Shirley reduces the zoom, and the crew watches as other streaks of energy from the doomed planet, mark their passage to safety. The big lifeboats in orbit, take the many thousands of humans and androids from the hot steamy jungles of Titania Alpha, and have room for more!

Alas; none of the indigenous creatures will be transplanted. Furthermore, life for those who battled the Toothy creatures for so many years in a harsh environment, are not particularly sad about leaving the harsh world behind! They've heard about the peaceful existence enjoyed on Oberon Prime, and dream of such a way of life for themselves!

_Onboard one of the Apollyon ships_ : "How are the power-levels looking, Mister Gort?" Carter inquires of his crewmate, as they ready the planet-gouging apparatuses and coordinate with the other warbirds in the formation.

"They couldn't be better." The stoic warrior, clickity-clacks in a fashion that only another Grey or an android could comprehend.

"Very well, contact the other ships and commence the operation." Carter instructs; as he's chief-scientist and overload for the transplanting mission.

From a distance, the three big warships come to life, as focused beams of energy extend powerfully from the hull, and into the thick atmosphere of the planet below. The beams aren't what one might think of when imagining a laser beam that goes forever.

These beams have distinct endpoints, where most of the work is accomplished when planet-gouging for resources. But this time the stakes are much higher. This time, the operation is akin to brain surgery, and not out-and-out pillaging of minerals.

"Easy does it my friend." Carter requests, as the energy-paddles encroach into the airspace above the Cecilia Payne habitat. "Work it back and forth like we practiced. Easy now." He reminds, even though Gort, Braxton and Magnus, had already proven their great skills. Artistic skills, that can either paint the surface of the planet, or destroy it.

"Relax my mechanical friend!" Gort clickity-clacks. "Like they say; .... _piece of cake_!"

"Yeah, Jeez Carter. Give us a break!" Braxton, retorts with feigned hurt. "We've double, and triple checked. The controls are set to delicate touch! Relax my good chum!"

The trio of artists manipulates the bands of energy in such a way as to undermine the habitat and take it off the land as if it were a leaf on a breeze. Once thought to never fly again, the stainless-steel flying saucers are gently lifted into space and brought into the immense hanger bays of the once proud planet-gouger spaceship!

While damaged on their bellies from a previous skid-landing, the Payne and Faraday will still provide quality shelter for those first hard years on a new planet.

At the end of the day, there are two circular scars on Titania Alpha that only a rampaging black hole can erase! The Cecilia Payne and Michael Faraday are brought onboard their transport for Oberon Prime and secured for the ride.

It's the very first time that the vicious Apollyon warbirds have ever done anything constructive during their long reign of destruction, which is a good start!

_At Oberon Prime_ _:_ "Ease them in nice and slowly. Don't drop them now." Carter instructs nervously, receiving looks of frustration from his three shipmates. One valley over from the Einstein and Newton habitats, a beautiful valley has been prepared for the arrival.

The territory was graciously donated to the refuges of Titania Alpha by the generous hearts of the Zenarawan _people of the forest_. Not that they really had much say in the matter, but all parties make great efforts to be neighborly.

Of course, the furry ones are compensated with a goodly portion of gold disks. Everyone benefits this time; not just the shamans. Unwittingly, the earthlings start the intelligent hunter-gatherers down an ugly path of greed and jealousy.

Until they showed up, the clans had very little to be jealous over. Perhaps one hunting area was a tiny bit better than another, or one area might provide better gathering than a neighboring clan could find.

Now, things are changing in fundamental ways. Human influence is contaminating the indigenous ones of Oberon Prime.

The trio of artists, with Carters exacting precision and guidance, place the circular habitats exactly where they should go. This time, the valley didn't need 'softening up' for the landing.

No 'elbow in the face' for that pristine valley, as it were! Instead of skidding in for a landing, taking up miles of murderous runway, they are delivered vertically. Peacefully. Gracefully even.

The giant and once-violent planet-gouging bands of energy, deliver the heavy habitats as gently as they were picked from Titania Alpha. And the best part, is that there's no Toothy's sniffing around the neighborhood, looking for a snack! Of course, big cats still roam the land. 400-pound cats in fact! Yet there's really no comparison, and their numbers are low.

_Back at Titania Alpha:_ The rampaging singularity, tears the solar system a new cosmic corn shoot! It perturbs the planets and moons in ways that'll send many on their own rogue travels through the cosmos!

The main star is spaghettified into a million-miles-long plasma-strand and sucked into the black sphere of condensed yesterdays. Not even a burp or thank you! Like a raging bull in a china shop, the gravitational authority won't be denied!

A cosmic smear of horrifying dimensions, as the star is gruesomely disemboweled and devoured! The singularity grows negligibly in mass. As does an automobile gain mass, after the tiniest of insect's squashes home against the windshield!

Then, as an after-dinner mint, Titania Alpha goes next! Horrendous screeches of agony and fear, from those who live their final moments! The singularity doesn't even make a direct hit. It didn't need to. Tectonic shifts across the planet's geology are so massive, that most sizable life-forms are snuffed out rapidly, if not mercifully!

G-forces of deadly intent, flow across the land and sea! The planetary breakup quickly comes next! Effectively killing, most of the bacteria's and microbes. Some will eventually find new world to call home, unless the black hole gets them first!

Titania Alpha had a good run during her five-billion-year-history. Created from the dust of previous stellar disasters, she now returns from whence she came! Although, this time there is no rock or dust that escapes the ravenous vortex of gravity. After earthquakes and crumbling, she's sucked into the cosmic depravity!

The only thing that escapes into the frozen night, is the space elevator which is flung as might David flings a rock with slingshot might! Into the hard vacuum of space, the starships Payne, Faraday and Democritus, still joined at the hips, zoom with a tumble. Through the empty space-lanes, they'll float eternally beyond the rubble!

Titania Alpha will never-again, have a chance to contribute to the building of another world! After all, black holes never give up their dead!

However, someday in the _far_ _to the 99th_ _future_ , she'll evaporate from that black hole! Along with everything else the monster has eaten, as Hawking-Radiation inexorably emits the entire singularity back into the great void! Not even black holes can withstand the march of time, but they're quite resistant to it, just the same!

_On Oberon Prime,_ the air is filled with electricity! The long-separated groups of ancient androids and freshly-minted human beings, finally enjoy a neighborly existence. Not neighborly as in _only 3-light-years apart_ (which in cosmic terms is _downright neighborly_ ), but a real and meaningful one! One that will always stand the test of time!

Provided of course, something big and nasty from above doesn't come along and ruin everything. Or invasion from enemies not yet encountered. Or any number of other calamities that are either sentient-caused, or otherwise!

The green valleys of this part of Oberon Prime are beautiful and for the most part, peaceful. They offer a life of luxury and contentment for those who wish to use a little elbow grease to make things happen.

One such group of hard-working androids and humans, are about to enjoy the fruits of their labor as they dig the final few meters of rock and dirt in the new _valley-tunnel_. The crossing between valley's will soon be a much faster and enjoyable experience, as opposed to the arduous trek across the ridged and rugged surface.

"Hey! I can see daylight!" Bryce, yells to his co-diggers. "We're almost through!"

"Dig faster you lazy dogs!" Nolan's android-self Rax, yells jokingly.

"No, _you_ dig faster! You bucket of rusty bolts!" Keith's android-self Prax, retorts.

"Just stay focused! We're nearly there!" Nolan orders, forcing his way to the front of the group. The day won't come when an android can out-dig him! Even if it is his twin!

Soon, daylight floods the tunnel shaft! A quick glance out the opening, tells of accurate excavation. Before them, a large group of people from the Einstein/Newton valley are there to greet them. A welcoming committee, that had been waiting for hours to celebrate the event.

Nolan of course, is the first to climb from the opening in the valley wall. Shading his tortured eyes from the glaring sun, he inquires....

"Hello! .... Is this Oberon Prime?"

"No! .... Oberon Prime is two planets over! .... Keep digging! Keep digging!" Comes a jovial, smartass reply! And of course, the crowd goes wild!

# Pascora

Juicy electrons flow caressingly through her psyche! Soothing relief, where once only turbulence. With her demons vanquished, all thoughts of troubles are washed away as she floats along with the smooth current of energy. Like a soothing river, it takes her to a better place.

This way and that, Aerima explores her new surroundings. Her new android-home! The CPU she's becoming familiar with, is one of alien design. But in this universe, the flow of electrical current follows the same laws of physics, whether alien or not!

So, she's learning fast how to manipulate the storage-device and body where she'll live forevermore. No more backpack-living for this electronic-ghost, she ponders with joy!

Thinking back to the marooned hobgoblins and demons she left behind, she knows this change couldn't happen with them always nipping at her heals, causing mischief with no end!

She's finally free of the pesky others! Free of that dreadful ghostly skull-dagger too! Life can be good yet again, she ponders bravely!

Early on, as she entered her new android body and CPU, she realized that for it to truly work, she would have to totally surrender to the grand experiment. No backing out of the deal after starting. For her to fully connect with the complex networks of android operating systems, she'll never be able to leave.

To do so, would be the death of all her higher learning and memories. It's a one-way ride, but worth the risk! To be done with her spirit realm, was her greatest wish! She'll still be a ghost in spirit but transmogrified into electrical data. Data, you don't ever want to piss off!

"Hey sleepyhead." Comes a familiar voice. "Time to open those peepers again. Wake up, Aerima. Wake up, my dear! Today, is graduation day!" Cody prods the newest android in the community. His and Atara's latest effort in the android-sciences. For two weeks, the orientation and therapy sessions have been showing good progress with each new day.

A twitching of electro-polymer muscles. A flickering of eyelids, and the blond haired, blue-eyed beauty, wakes to another fine day to be alive!

"Good morning, Cody.... Atara." Aerima greets with a new voice. A lovely and sexily crafted voice to be sure! "Good morning, everyone." She greets, seeing Jax and Torg entering the compartment with Alice and Cooper.

"My goodness Jax, but don't you look dapper." She greets. "You too, Torg. And Alice, you're quite lovely today, as are you Coop." She compliments rather thickly.

"Thanks, Miss Aerima." Jax responds with blood heating. "You look marvelous too! _"_ The tall dark one, exclaims with a dreamy wink. "I see Atara dressed you in your finest jumpsuit. I mean, you look good enough to get married!"

"Awe! What wonderful words to awaken to!" The lovely android swoons. "I'll bet you say that to all the haunted female-androids you see!" Then, extending her arm, she offers Jax the chance to help her up.

Leaning in, he takes her hand, pulling hard. "Heavens to murgatroyd, Aerima! Jeez almighty! You weigh a ton now! No more space-cookies for you!" He says with a mighty laugh.

Nyla reaches, bringing Aerima to her feet. "She might be rock-solid, and not able to float on cloud nine anymore, but at least she doesn't freeze the room!" Laughs all around, as the group escorts Aerima to her graduation round of physical therapy. She's handling well, the merger of ghostly realm and mechanical creature.

Soon, she'll be one of Toby's best martial arts students. Laying waste to all opponents with grace, poise and a demonic laugh. Jax, could not have chosen a better companion. Along with a kindred spirit, she'll soon be the best bodyguard in all the infinite multiverse!

"So, it's settled then." Wil informs the gathering of minds inside the conference room. "The calculations have been proven in theory. Tomorrow, we depart Oberon Prime and attempt returning the Noxxa to their universe while we pass through the trans-dimensional boundary-layer and into the universe of Captain Talus and crew." He reviews, adding....

"We'll take six of the Apollyon ships, and see if we can't influence the orbit of their multiverse planet which is being roasted by their aging sun. We've calculated until we're blue in the face to find the entry-coordinates for both universes. Now, the time has arrived to put our data to work."

"Carter, we're approaching trans-dimensional coordinates in ten-minutes." Braxton announces over his shoulder to the missions commanding officer. It's Braxton and Magnus's first time at the helm of the Nerezza and it feels good to fly something so big! With the enormity of the miles-wide bubble-bridge above and all around, they feel as if they're flying an entire universe!

Vestiges of the dreaded Apollyon crew have been removed to their respective hibernation chambers to keep them safe and juicified until a plan can be schemed. So, the skeleton-crew of mostly earthlings, albeit Oberonians, have the huge ship all to themselves.

Also, the zoos have been put on lock-down. Until such time the poor creatures within, can be released back into the wilds, in an orderly fashion. It's a tremendous task that has fallen on the shoulders of those who appropriated the fleet of planet-gougers, but none of them would have it any other way!

"Very well, Mister Crane. Thank you." Carter responds politely, even though he already knew the data. "Razzi, Surri; tell the Noxxa to be ready for transference. Also, please wish them luck, and thank them again for helping us." He transmits to the teleportation control center.

"They heard you, Carter." Thana responds for the busy furries. "They're linked with the Noxxa now. We're, ready here. In fact, the teleport pads are packed with energy beings."

"Copy, Thana. The other ships are ready also." Carter informs, as there we're too many Noxxa to transport from one ship during the tiny window of opportunity while crossing over into the universe of Talus and his crew.

So, multi-ship transporter synchronization is key to making sure they all arrive safely and at the same coordinates within their realm.

It became theorized that while crossing-over into the other universe to return the Nazqa and crew to planet Pascora, the ship will be brushing against the Noxxa's realm of existence. Using the matter-transportation system newly installed on the Nerezza, along with the other ships, the Noxxa will finally be able to enjoy their own universe again. In educated theory, that is....

The math involved is cosmically mindboggling! Some of it doesn't even follow the logic within our own laws of physics. However, after checking and re-checking the theoretical calculations, the Noxxa have a very high chance for success.

They must travel some distance after transport, before reaching their _particular neighborhood_ , but it's the best that can be done. The version of physical laws within their universe, is too different from ours for true entry by the big ships. Even the Apollyon who invaded and abducted, had used shielded drones for reconnoiter and subsequent capture.

"Okay everyone, time to strap-in and enjoy the ride!" Carter, transits to all points. "This is a _two-minute warning_. There will be no other."

Into the dark frozen void, six Apollyon ships make warp-speeds to return desperate new friends to their own haunts. Even with each ship being nearly 150-miles-diameter, the great expanse swallows them as if they're no bigger than atoms!

In fact, when compared to the size of the known universe, they're much smaller than even that, in scale! Everyone hunkers down, securing restraining devices. Ling, helps Harper on with his beloved helmet, hoping for smooth seas....

A countdown to zero! .... A holding of breaths!

"Oh my! Here we go!" Talia gets her freak on!

Omari holds her tightly! "I love you, dearest. See you on the other side."

Excruciating torque warps the psyche! A blurring of reality, hits like a storm of twisted confusion! A dissolving from one universe into another, turns you inside out, before everything snaps-back with a cosmic vengeance! Mercifully, it's over seemingly before it ever begins, yet leaves a most horrible scar on the psyche that will never be forgotten!

Sometime during the trans-dimensional transference, automated systems beamed the Noxxa home. In a flash, they were collectively and suddenly enjoying the dark-energies and matter that they had been born into.... Relief! .... Relief at last, they collectively think!

Each, hoping their friends have a safe journey too! Those long centuries trapped in magnetic-confinement bottles, or living within the Nazqa's reactor, are finished! Fortunately, their kind is extremely long-lived. Won't the relatives be shocked!

A seething, illuminated-vortex of condensed dark-matter and energy, disgorges a fleet of spaceships into the great void of an alternate universe, not far from Pascora. Anybody with a mind, is totally shaken and stirred! All biologics hang limp and unmoving in flight-harnesses.

Long moments, before a modicum of recovery takes hold. A tiny movement here, a moaning curse there. A straightening of postures and neck rubbing, tells of the hard life of being a multiverse traveler!

While none would admit during those harrowing moments of the love they have for space adventure, none would later deny such a lust!

"Oh! By all the stars and moons!" Talia, exclaims. Reaching, she grabs poor old Harpers helmet as it rolls across the deck, relieved to see it did not contain a fuzzy head!

"Thanks Talia!" Harper yells, rubbing a growing knot on his head after meeting with his astrogator console during the jump.

All eyes go to the 100-meter Apollyon monitor that circles the helm. Far ahead, a wonderful blue-green planet floats lazily in the void, about the size of silver dollar held at arm's length. All around is a sprinkling of stars, that make it seem like they never left home at all!

On the aft portion of that monitor, a red-giant star looms large! More of a yellow-orange actually. It's easy to see that it's in major distress. Expanding hotly, encroaching on the planets that still orbit so dutifully.

"What a beautiful world!" Nyla, exclaims. "If I didn't know better, it could be Earth, or even Oberon Prime!" Turning to Talus, she inquires. "Well my good friend. Are you ready to go home?"

"I never thought I'd see this day, Nyla, but after seeing our sun, I'm not so sure I'm ready!" He laughs nervously. "It's expanded noticeably since last I saw it 500 years ago."

"Well, we can't stop its misbehavior, but these powerful ships can surely pull your planet away from its scorching ways."

She offers hope, with a bit of a push. "I'm sure the population is too big for evacuation, so buck-up captain! Shake that trepidation! Let your blood boil! You have a fighting chance to save your world! So, let's head to the hanger-bay, and get this show on the road!"

A shimmering veil of energy is penetrated, as the Nazqa and Revenge, exit the behemoth hanger bays of the mighty Nerezza. _Immediate mission_ : A quick tour of the solar system, collecting data before approaching Pascora.

Analyzation of the data tells a story of dread for the heavenly bodies that are already becoming perturbed in their orbits.

As the Motherly Star's supply of hydrogen diminishes, her photosphere expands like a spectral mist, reducing the mass. Thusly, diminishing her long-held gravitational authority over the planets.

"Talus; this is Wil. We're ready to follow you down to the planet. Just say the word."

"Copy, Wil. But I think we've already a problem. We're not picking up the kind of signals that should be coming out of Pascora. I know we've been gone for a long time, but we should be reading a different story than what we're seeing; over;"

"We were also wondering of the lack of chatter." Wil relents before bringing the situation back down to earth. "Well good buddy. This is _your_ home planet. And as we all know, _there's_ _no place like home!_ So, let's go find out what's what, before bringing the big boys in from the darkness. No need to complicate things by orbiting those monsters just yet."

Approaching the still beautiful world, it quickly becomes obvious that there's nothing in orbit. Not one piece of technology. Not even an atom of space junk, when there should be plenty, considering the space program that was active 500-years earlier.

"Revenge; this is the Nazqa. Looks like nobody's home. At least nothing in orbit. Over."

"Hi Jayleen." Nyla replies sadly. "It gets worse, my dear. Much worse. Direct your cameras to the surface. It's not pretty."

"We're doing that now."

Up-close and personal, at an altitude of 300-miles, the planet that once seemed beautiful at a distance, is not so pretty now! As global warming, made worse by the expanding star, ravaged the planet, great swaths of arid land and dried-up lakes, pepper the monitor. Great gouges cross the land where long-ago attacks by Apollyon warbirds fed upon juicy planetary resources!

No air traffic coming and going from airports now overgrown with tumbleweeds. Wars gone wild, seems to have taken a massive toll on Aerima's home world! Streets are clogged with dead vehicles; few people are noticed moving through the rubble of what was once a proud, vibrant metropolis. Cautiously they slink, seemingly as if trying to avoid snipers.

"Oh my! That can't be good!" Talia laments, shamelessly glad her world isn't yet broken.

"It seems that our work here has been complicated by internal war." Wil surmises wisely.

"Any creatures will fight, when critical resources are diminished." Esty, knowingly inputs wisely from her lofty perch of experience. "It's not just a 'human' thing."

"Hey! At least there's movement down there!" Cooper reminds. "Where there's life, there's hope! A chance for recovery from the brink! .... I mean, life finds a way!"

"It just won't be easy!" Toby exclaims the obvious.

_A radio-chatter_. "Revenge, this is Talus. Our hearts are broken! Can you believe this? Our world had its problems like all do, but this star situation, and wars, have broken this world!" A pause, as a shaky voice returns. "Oh, this is bad! _Really, really bad_!" Comes the saddest multiverse voice ever!

"Talus, this is Aerima." Comes a firm voice. "Get a grip, mister! I know I don't hold command over you anymore, but really man, you must get a grip! _Don't make me come over there!_ .... Oh wait. I can't do that anymore; never-mind." A haunting laugh, before continuing....

"We're not going to maroon you here. You and the crew aren't alone in this. We'll get the planet started on a new orbit, and over time, things will naturally improve. They need you down there, even if they don't know it yet!"

"You're right as always, Aerima. We knew better than to expect a bed of roses here." A pause, a few deep breaths, then....

"Okay, I've gotten a grip!" Talus yells, glad his transmission isn't on video as his face burns red-hot. "My blood's boiling now! Okay, I'm getting good and pissed-off! Feeling much better now! Let's go down and see if we can find somebody in authority! By all the stars and moons! Somebody has some explaining to do!"

"Now that's the Captain Talus I remember and love!" Aerima, yells back forcefully, her own circuits heating nicely as Talus's blood, boils next door!

Cruising deeply into the atmosphere, the two flying saucers slice smoothly along without ripping any molecules. Bathed in an inter-dimensional electronic-fog, and out of phase with their surrounds, they're there, yet not there, at the same time. It's complicated....

Having entered the atmosphere half-a-world-away from their intended destination, the two saucers streak along at 5,000 mph @ 1,000 feet altitude. Multiverse Bernoulli, blissfully unaware but ready if called upon!

"YeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaa!" Braxton and Magnus, yell maniacally as they fly the saucer manually. No autopilot for this adventure!

"Oh My!" Talia gets her freak on, yet again! "You boys better not fly us into the planet! Oh, my stars!"

Before Wil can throttle-back the young space-pilot's enthusiasm, Gort clickity-clacks excitedly from his weapons post. Esty, smilingly translates....

"Braxton, increase speed! Take us out of the slipstream! Let's show these Pascorian's that there's a new sheriff in town! By the hot blood of Thaxnar, wake them up with a sonic boom! Give them something to boil their blood! And by almighty _atheismo_ , do a barrel-roll every now and then for god's sake! Have some fun, young humans!"

A shrug of shoulders, and a flippant attitude that only seasoned pilots can appreciate.... "Hey, you heard the lady!" Braxton, yells.

"YeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaa! They vent wildly, twisting the warp-bubbles this way and that! Barrel rolling the saucer, she falls out of the slipstream and into Bernoulli's lustful hands!

Terrible shockwaves, bath the land, making the lift-monger hang onto the outer hull for dear life! He's never had such a sexily crafted piece; laughing maniacally all the way! Of course, the Nazqa follows suit, happy for the diversion from their waking nightmare!

So it is, with the glowing flying saucers ripping the sky a new corn shoot, a wide swath of the multiverse planet is terrorized by the newly arrived authorities from the stars! Shaken, but not stirred, they'll forevermore remember those moments of true excitement in their tortured lives!

Most often for the crews, the greatest thrill from space travel, occurs while tearing up atmosphere! Especially, when it's somebody else's atmosphere!

Past hill and dale they rip! Over Grand Canyons and Grand Rivers, they wail! Over monstrous gouges in the planets crust, they sail! The horrific site, way beyond the pale!

"Oh, my stars! I'm going to puke my circuits!" Talia laments, turning green! Something not easy for an android! Omari, reaches and takes her hand, calming her circuits.

Below, a heated and parched land, zips past at breakneck speed. Often spinning on the big monitor, causing an array of complaints! Mountains, valleys, dried lake beds and oceans, pass beneath. The Queens leading edge, glows white-hot, nearly voiding the manufacturer's warranty! A wild-eyed and nearly-panicked Bernoulli hangs on for dear life, knuckles turning white!

"Braxton Crane! Magnus Teach!" Toby yells bug-eyed and crazily. "I swear! If you don't tone it down, I'm going destroy your world! .... First chance, after I puke!"

"Okay Okay! Jeez, what a wuss!" Braxton relents, pulling back on the throttles, leveling-out and slowing to 3,000. All, to the immense satisfaction of everyone, except for Gort and Esty of course!

Cooper and Alice, sway and rock from the aftershock! On the sidelines, Aerima holds Razzi and Surry tightly, wondering if she's be better off inside Jax's backpack! Of course, now she would have a tough time fitting! Next to them, Myrna and her buddies from Kansas, feel their heads spin after such a calamitous spin!

Every so often, pockets of green with civilization, pass under the spaceships. The people unlucky enough to witness the zooming saucers, are rattled to their bones, as the terrible sonic-energies are spent. The booms are tremendous, reminding of the days when the wars still raged!

But this seems different somehow. Something has change, many ponder. Some remember history, when such craft were as flies in the sky. For most, they don't yet realize that help in on the way! Help from beyond the stars.... has arrived this day!

Soon, the Revenge and Nazqa are hovering over the dead remains of the main spaceport for the planet. The very same port that launched the Nazqa and her brave crew of five, many centuries earlier.

A ghostly pale, permeates the area. A thick otherworldly fog, flows through a forest of old rocket ships and dead flying saucers.

Some still stand tall and proud, albeit covered with thick mosses and jungle rot. Others bent and broken, having succumbed to decay and mortar shots. Long ago, they all degraded beyond spaceworthiness, providing nests for multiverse birds and mice-like creatures.

The invading ships hover over the seemingly abandoned spaceport. A quick glance around, shows no sign of life beyond small creatures that flee in panic. None had ever witnessed such a violation of their neighborhood!

A heavy rhythmic throbbing, flows from the flying disks that menace, pouring a feeling of pure energy and power all through the area!

"Revenge to Nazqa" Wil, transmits. "Not much to see here, it seems. What do you think? Should be keep looking? _over_."

"If we can't find anybody of authority here, I can't imagine where to look next. This port and city are the largest.... _were the largest_ on the planet. _over_ "

"Okay.... let's find a spot to put down. We'll take a closer...."

His words are cut short, as the Revenge is rocked by an unknown force!

"Esty!" Braxton yells with near panic. "Somethings gotten ahold of us! We're being dragged down!"

"Goose it Mister Crane!" Esty, bellows from her mighty throne!

"Cooper!" The young helmsman yells. "More power! More power to the engines!"

"She's redlining Brax!" Cooper, yells back. "It's now or never!"

"Lasers!" Magnus, reminds.

"Can't get an aim! We're all over the place!" Toby, yells.

The Queen, fights with all her heart against the gravitons from below. They have a powerful grip upon her sleek hull, threatening to push Bernoulli off his perch! She's all over the sky, as the battle rages. Seconds turn into eternity as she fights! Slowly, she gains altitude and stability. Mister lift gets his claws back into her sails, and she's free! Into the sky she rips! Total revenge on her mind!

Looking down, the Nazqa is seen struggling to maintain altitude! Her electronic-fog is smothered with a graviton-beam extending into the sky from a dilapidated bunker near the perimeter of the not-so-dead-anymore spaceport!

"Revenge! Revenge! We've been snared by gravitons! We can't break free! Losing power!" Selza transmits wildly. "We're going down!"

# Baking multiverse-world!

" _Do not attempt to lift! Do not attempt to leave the ship! Comply, or be destroyed!"_ Comes the loudest threat Captain Talus and crew have ever heard! So loud, it could even be heard reverberating through the thick hull of the ship!

" _Do not attempt to lift! Do not attempt to leave the ship! Comply, or be destroyed!"_ Comes the verbal tempest yet again and again! Rattling Talus's bones and patience to the very core!

Blood.... sizzling hot! .... Urge to kill! .... off the proverbial chart!

Opening the ships hurt-locker, Talus passes laser rifles and atomic-grenades to each of his crew. "If they want another war, we'll bring them a good one!" He yells heatedly, as the verbal abuse from without, shakes his ship yet again!

"I think those warnings are coming from an automated system." Jayleen correctly surmises.

"Yeah, and if not, where're the troopers?" First Officer Terrel inquires hotly. "We've been sitting here defenseless, and nobody's shown their ugly faces yet! What gives?"

Suddenly from outside, a brilliance, dims the main monitor! From above, a ruby-beam of _holy-terror_ , bites deeply into the bunker that holds them so tightly, and yells so damn loudly!

Rocks and dust explode in all directions! Miraculously, the _terrible war of threatening words_ is cut mercifully short! Silence from without, is golden music to the ears of Talus and crew!

Yet, the graviton-beam that grips so tightly, persists like a junkyard dog! Rudely biting them in the ass quite effectively!

"Helm! Bring her around for another shot!" Esty, roars from her lofty perch of vengeance! A carnivorous gleam, glaring from her android eyes! "I want that bunker reduced to smoldering atoms!"

"Aye Aye!" Comes twin acknowledgements, as Braxton and Magnus put the old girl through some heavy maneuvering. Inertial dampeners working like a charm, but taxed, keeps everyone from becoming a smear of goo, as heavy forces are effectively negated.

"Cooper! All power to the lasers!" Esty bellows, feeling her circuits heating deliciously! Below on the surface, the dilapidated bunker stands defiantly! With liquid steel, still oozing from the first wounds, it laughs at such a feeble attack!

"Aye Aye, Esty!" Coop responds gleefully. "I think I can tweak a few extra giga-watts from non-essential systems." She informs, redirecting spare energy.

"Don't be afraid to steal some from life-support!" Jax, yells from astrogation. "We can hold our breath if we must!"

For his effort at smartassidness, he gets a roll of eyes from Nyzilla, who feels her circuits heating to plasma-like temperatures! Anxious to do something meaningful, she realizes that Esty has a firm handle on the situation. A more soothing thought, she couldn't imagine!

Gravitons retain a tenacious grip on the Nazqa from an unseen device, well-hidden within the offending structure. Braxton and Magus bring the ship around on another strafing!

Across the bridge, Aerima comforts Zenarawan's and her human friends from Kansas, wishing she could be of greater assistance in the battle. It's the first time in deep memory, where she's unable to contribute meaningfully during an emergency!

After noticing that she _is_ making a difference, soothing the frayed nerves of her friends, her circuits swoon to new heights! _Better_ than heated battle, she thinks!

The Revenge dives once again, coming in hot! Gort lines up the ship's mighty lasers and with gleeful clickity-clackities of which 98% are colorful curses, he unleashes _hell itself_ upon the fortified bunker!

"Oh my!" Talia exclaims as the monitor fills with the destruction of the offending structure. The Revenge sails past the smoldering wreckage and back into the relative safety of the stratosphere. Below, the tractor-beam has finally been extinguished! Although, the Nazqa remains resting on her landing pads, unable to lift.

"Nice shooting Revenge!" Talus, praises. "We're still not able to lift! We have an avalanche of blown circuit breakers down here! Please cover us until we can figure this out."

"We've got your back, Talus!" Esty, promises. "We're not going anywhere!"

Far below on the deck, the Nazqa and crew desperately make repairs before another attack from unseen enemies arrives. Braxton and Magnus, maintain a figure-eight, monitoring for threats, while not becoming another easy target.

Suddenly, from the far parameter of the spaceport, a group of what appears to be armored personnel carriers are seen approaching the stricken flying saucer! In no time at all, they are dangerously close and showing no sign of slowing!

"Gort, give them a taste!" Esty orders, pointing at the new threat. "Just a warning will do for now. They might be the authorities that Captain Talus is seeking, and we don't wish to destroy that chance."

Gort takes aim with a gleam in his eye, but before he can pull the trigger, the encroaching vehicles stop. With a mighty grumble of frustration, Gort sees they are bristling with weapons. He fights the urge to drill the dirt anyway. Blood, boiling hot.... Trigger finger, trembling....

A lone figure exits a vehicle and slowly approaches the Nazqa on foot, hands over his head and seemingly empty of weapons.

"Gort, I don't see a weapon." Esty announces. "Let whoever it is, continue."

"Your wish is my command, Esty." The grizzled one replies, shocking the crew who've never heard the warrior address her so....

Below, the figure-in-black comes within 50-feet of the Nazqa's main hatch and waits patiently, hoping to get a response. He doesn't have to wait very long, as the ships hatch spirals open and Talus steps into the opening. They stare at each other, trying to get a feel. After tense moments, Talus waves the other inside the stricken starship.

"Well, _that_ looks promising!" Talia exclaims, with relief dripping from her words.

"Let's hope for the best." Wil says, as he and all, wait with baited breath for communication from the Nazqa. "We're not exactly equipped for a prolonged battle."

After excruciatingly long minutes....

"Esty, Talus is requesting video-link." Nyla informs from her station at communications.

"Very well, on screen."

The monitor illuminates with a wide-angle of the Nazqa's bridge. Talus stands tall alongside another human being. Others on the bridge seem relaxed. Esty and all, are relieved to see the low stress level. It's a good sign, but it doesn't last long!

As the visitor gets a good look at those in the flying saucer above, his stress goes off the chart! Apparently, Talus didn't explain the nature of his friends from the stars, or he didn't do it effectively.

A look of horror, shines from the rugged face of an alien-human who has had a very rough life. A very rough life indeed!

Gort is awestruck, taking an instant liking of the warrior from planet Pascora. Besides Nolan and Keith's battle scars, he's never seen such wonderful markings without looking in a mirror!

"Commander Esty, this is Neereus." Talus reports, indicating his guest. "He's part of the remaining security forces that maintain peace in this broken city, and across the lands."

"Pleased to meet you Neereus." Esty, greets authoritatively, hoping he loses that ' _dear in the_ _headlights_ ' look. "Nice graviton-canon you had down there!" She jokes, suspecting she has the edge.

"By all the stars above!" Neereus, venomously exclaims. "You're of the same species that marooned my ancestors on this planet! We thought you were only myth, but by kroxlax's hammer, there you are, in the flesh!"

Squintingly, the battle-hardened Neereus notices more. "And of what purpose are those big rats behind you?" He inquires rudely of the Zenarawan's who seem unfazed, pondering the fact that they've probably just been insulted....

Then he notices Thana! The shiny android is unknown to him as one of the species that ravaged his world so long ago. Her presence sends chills down his spine, having never seen a mechanical being. Yet she looks similar to Commander Esty! Confusion, grips harshly!

"Yes, well those are good questions." Esty responds boringly, check her nails, hoping to convey a lackadaisical attitude. "Now, while I admit the transgressions of my ancestors, I am not the one who abducted and marooned your people here." She informs with attitude, adding....

"As for the so-called _rats_ , who are more closely aligned with _cats_ , please meet the proud people of the Zenarawan species. They are highly intelligent and my great friends, so be careful to not insult them further." She warns, suspecting it's not the time to inform of her and others, not 'being in the flesh' as it were.

"I didn't mean disrespect, commander. It's just that I don't often receive visitors from the stars. I'm a bit rusty on that account." Neereus admits sheepishly. "You see, we haven't had the ability for space flight for several hundred years. So, seeing these ships is something of a shock. I'm still not sure if I'm having a nightmare.... or perhaps even worse!"

"Oh, you're not having a nightmare," Esty, laughs hauntingly, "but we can create one for you, if you wish!" Another laugh, bordering on maniacal!

"No, no that won't be necessary, Commander Esty. You see, Talus has already explained the basics of your mission here at Pascora. I see a grand partnership in our future. At least I hope it can be made so! In fact, I've already contacted those with me, and as you can hopefully see, they're standing down, .... turning around."

Sure enough, the threatening ground-vehicles are indeed retreating to a respectful distance. A good sign, and a great relief to those onboard that wished to avoid a knock-down drag-out battle with Aerima and Talus's own people.

"Yes Neereus, I see." Esty responds smilingly, showing more interest now that things are going her way. "While life has turned sour for you and your world, I promise our friendship and technologies to help you find a road to recovery. Can I assume that Captain Talus has told you that we have 6 Apollyon warbirds inside your solar system this very moment?"

"I still can't believe those words, but yes commander, he told me. I can't even begin to imagine how you plan to pull off this cosmic stunt, but we're quite desperate now. Any effort to alleviate the situation is greatly appreciated."

"We can't guarantee anything, but _cosmic stunt_ it is not! There is real science behind what we offer. I've seen it in action, and it's no hocus-pocus! But never forget that it's going to be a slow and painful process. In fact, it won't be totally accomplished within your lifetime. There will surely be deadly earthquakes, and volcanism from the process." She warns.

"I understand, commander. No guarantees.... we have less than that now.... So, I welcome you to land. I'm sure Captain Talus can use some assistance. Any technology he requires for repairs, is beyond our ability to provide."

Esty gives Neereus her best _crook-eye...._ being friendlily skeptical. "Aye, we'll be landing. Thanks for the invitation, but be advised, I'll not suffer even one subatomic particle of treachery. I have enough power at my disposal to reduce this planet to broken atoms, should the need arise. Capeesh?"

For her efforts at intimidation, she receives the saddest, hurt expression in all the infinite multiverse. "Awe, Commander Esty! You slay me to the bone!" Neereus, exclaims fake injury with a laugh. "If capeesh, means what I think it means; of course, you are safe to land. Of course, we'll not try to deceive or harm you. Besides, to be honest, you already destroyed our one remaining weapons-artifact. It wasn't very effective against such a powerful ship as yours!"

"No real harm done, Neereus. You have the right to defend your planet, that's for sure." Esty, graciously lets the matter drop. "Nobody was injured, and ships can be repaired. So, let's start a new chapter. A new beginning, between your people and ours. Agreed?"

"Agreed!"

"Very good! We'll talk further after we've landed. Commander Esty; out!" The transmission is terminated. She turns to the Zenarawan's. "My dear friends, we're you able to get a read on Neareus? Is his heart pure?"

Linmarri speaks to the question through Aerima, who has learned the furry creature's language. "I had a good contact. His mind is strong and honest. His intent seems honorable. As for his heart.... being a male of the species, I'm sure it's far from pure! However, I'm sensing it's pure enough for our purposes."

The tense moment is broken! Laughs all around! Especially from the female crewmembers, pointing at their male counterparts with teasing jeers.

"Awe Linmarri!" Jax, laments with fake shock. "How can you say such a thing! My stars! Why, my heart is so pure, you could...."

"Oh Jax!" Kara retorts, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Put a sock in it! You know she's right! And being an alien, who's never known the human animal until recently, isn't it funny how she hit the nail on the head?"

Aerima rolls her eyes, knowing Jax would lose that debate, but still loving him just the same. She speaks again for the diminutive creature....

"Kara, I'm not saying this is just a 'human' thing." She responds with a funny cat-like laugh. "As a rule, I'm sure all males of _any species_ are prone to impurity of heart, as are some females. It's built into their very nature. Engrained into their _DNA_. The poor things simply can't help it!"

Reaching, she condescendingly pats Raznalli on the side of his grinning muzzle. For his part, Raznalli knows not to argue the point. Reaching his paws upwards in surrender, he shrugs his shoulders with a sheepish grin.

The peanut gallery goes wild! At least the female portion does! Toby nearly falls out of her seat! She's so consumed with gut-wrenching hilarity yet knows in her heart-of-hearts, that her purity-level has fallen short on many occasions!

"Oh Jax! You're so full of it! My word!" Toby exclaims. All the while, Nyla and Talia are giving their other-half's the _Raznalli-pats_ on the side of their faces.

"Okay Okay, comport yourselves." Esty orders, knowing it's best to not beat the point too much. With a glance at Gort, she knows he's ready for a change of subject!

Turning to Wil, she instructs, "Contact the Nerezza and instruct Carter to destroy the planet if we don't contact him every hour on the hour. We can only trust Neereus so far."

"My goodness!" Talia reacts shockedly. "That's a bit harsh, don't you think, Esty? .... My goodness, the things you come up with!" The lovely doctor exclaims.

For her inquiry, Talia receives a cold stare that freezes her circuits! A stare that only an android can convey. Then a softening of the commander's spirit before answering, so's to not hurt feelings _too much_....

"My dear Talia. As you already know, it's a harsh multiverse out there. Like your ancient scientist _Isaac Newton_ once postulated; _'for_ _every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction'."_

"Oh my! _But a whole world?_ That's not equal! There must be billions of innocent people down there! Don't their multiverse lives matter? There must be a less bloodlustful way to handle this. My goodness Esty! The things you come up with sometimes!" She doubles-down with trembling circuits, hoping Esty doesn't make her walk the space-plank and float home!

"She's right Esty." Wil, intervenes firmly, before Nyzilla can speak her mind.

Talia receives a wide smile and wink from the tall handsome android before he confronts the wound-up commander. "Miss Commander Esty. With all due respect. I'll transmit no such thing to Carter. Furthermore, he wouldn't obey such a cruel order even if I did." He informs heatedly, adding....

"What's gotten into you? If I didn't know better, I'd say you're in need of a vacation! And ma'am, do I have the place for you!" He jokes, hoping to make the first part of his statement a little more palatable for the heartless little Grey alien.

You could hear an atom drop! Esty, with her severe poker face, and everyone else hoping she relents! Silence so thick, you could cut it with a laser!

Thana, steps forward, breaking the frigid impasse before it can escalate to a dark place.

"Please excuse my intrusion.... I submit that while Esty may need of a vacation, even though I'm not sure what that is, it has become apparent that my worst fears are coming true. To use a phrase from old Earth, _'power corrupts; absolute power, corrupts absolutely'_....

She continues. "My dear friend Esty, has simply fallen into the same power-trap we Apollyon creatures fell into." Looking around at all on the bridge, she adds. "We must all be aware of such gross abuse of the power we have at our fingertips. It's a well-known fact, that to forget one's history, is the surest way to repeat it."

"Hear! Hear!" Comes a supporting cry from Kara. "You go, Thana!"

The peanut gallery goes wild! Esty, hangs her head in true shame, knowing she had unwittingly gone too far. Climbing down from her lofty perch, she faces Thana with a newfound attitude.

"Dear Thana. Truer words have never been spoken. Thank you for explaining what I should have already known. It's now easier for me to understand how the Apollyon species took to murder and mayhem so greedily. They received their basic psychological imprinting from the Grey species and created some fine ships for pirating planets." She praise-shames, adding....

"Our ride or be ridden, dog eat dog, survival of the fittest attitude.... all those ancient tools for survival, are still inside our heads. It even followed me into the circuits of a mechanical being!"

Turing to her friends, she acquiesces graciously. "Forgive me, Wil.... My apologies, Talia. In fact, apologies all around!" She allows herself to cheer and sweeten. "Of course, we don't _have_ to destroy the planet if things go south. What say we change that order to _just tell Carter to_ _avenge our deaths in a meaningful way_. I'm sure he'll find something colorful and balanced."

"My, that's a fine change of heart, Esty. A fine one indeed!" Wil responds with relief. "I'm sure Carter wouldn't have it any other way, but to make them pay if we're hurt this day. And I've a good feeling about this Neereus, so we'll surely survive to take that vacation sooner than later!" The crowd goes wild! Many wondering just what a 'vacation' is....

The Nerezza and five monstrous companion ships, approach the planet cautiously from the outskirts of the solar system. They're virtually joined at the hip by a network of interlinked energies. Carter is in command of the fleet, of which the other five ships are presently on autopilot, following orders magnificently.

The situation in the solar system is worse than imagined. Non-friendlies could be hiding anywhere. Behind that moon over there, .... or camouflaged inside the rings of that other planet next door.

If there's one thing Carter has learned during his many dozens of millennia of existence, is to not temp fate too much. Complacency, and the rushing into a poorly understood situation, are the roots of all evil. At least in his wise circuits they are!

"Tina, park us above the north pole; 2,500-miles altitude." He requests of his lovely better half.

"Aye Aye, Admiral Carter!" She replies smartly with a loving giggle.

"Jorlax, monitor the parking of the other ships. Please keep in mind the orbital-tolerances. This operation requires exacting precision." He orders Esty's android friend from another universe, who's fitting in quiet well with his crew.

"When Thana arrives, I'll assign her to work with you." Carter informs, seeing a brightening of Jorlax's mechanical countenance. He and Thana are becoming quite the couple lately! This is to the great relief of Gort, who wishes no competition when it comes to Esty. She might be a dreaded android, but she's _his dreaded android_!

"I'm on it. Mind the tolerances; Aye Aye." Comes an efficient answer, from an efficient android-scientist who's learning the nuances of human parlance!

"Alice.... Torg. Please check life-support." He requests of Cooper and Jax's android stunt-doubles.

"Your word is our command! .... I mean. Aye Aye, Captain Bligh, we're on it." Comes a wise-parsec crack from Torg, as Alice rolls her eyes, often mortified at what comes out of her mechanical-partners mouth!

"Rax.... Prax. I need an update on the ships reactors." He orders Nolan and Keith's mechanical twins, minus the chucky-scars. "We'll be starting the operation soon, and they need to be in top-notch condition."

"On it!" Rax answers for both, as they dive into the task. Nothing matters more for the success of the mission, than to have healthy reactors onboard all the big ships.

After each one parks in a strategic orbital location, they will all be necessary for completing the web of energies that will cradle the planet in a cushion of partial slipstream. Slowly coaxing her into higher orbit away from the sun.

Each ship is technically the _weak link_ , so all must perform admirably.

From six locations on the surface, a glance skyward on a clear day, reveals a shiny new moon for the planet Pascora. At 150-miles-wide, the appropriated Apollyon warships create a stunning new cosmic feature!

In space, the powerful ships are now in position above stable geological targets on the hot planet, forth from its star. Populations have been warned of the impending change in climates and earthquakes, but none are truly prepared. After all, how can an entire planet be moved, they wonder skeptically.

For those on the surface, the entire sky suddenly morphs into a shimmering haze of blue energy, as the planet is swallowed into a partial slipstream.

Partially disconnected from their multiverse laws of physics. Offering the parent star, a much slimmer profile of mass to bite into. Effectively, giving Pascora a detectible mass of only 5% actual. She morphed from rock, to Styrofoam, until released from the electronic-fog of the big ships that embrace and pull with their gouger-beams! Still cosmically heavy, but manageable....

Day in, day out.... It's a new look that will continue as planned for the next 120-years! The new sky looks beautiful, and effectively blocks a goodly percent of harmful radiations, creating a more bearable climate right off the bat. For the first time in recent memory, the hot world breathes a collective sigh of relief!

Once the warp-bubble is established and stabilized, great bands of energy extend from the new moons, finding purchase within planetary bedrock far below. As the planet soaks in a soothing bath of another dimension, although not fully so, the dug-in bands of energy pull and push on the planet as the warbirds apply thrust.

Timing is critical for applying the push-pull as the planet continues to rotate normally. As the world turns, the bands change positions on the surface often, making entire regions uninhabitable, until the job is finished.

In this fashion, the planet-gouger ships for the first time ever, are helping to save a world, instead of plundering its resources. It's a long and stressful process, and many will die as result.

Estimations of casualties over the lifetime of the operation will be in the neighborhood of 175-million-souls. Later, those estimates are proven to be low. Planets don't like to be moved! They may seem solid and strong from space, but in reality, not so much!

Great inertial energies must be overcome. This means mega-earthquakes, and devastating volcanic eruptions, no matter how delicately the job is done! After the planet is stabilized in a _new goldilocks zone,_ _billions of other lives will have been saved!_

A relatively small price to pay, many would say!

"Are you sure you'll be fine, Talus?" Aerima inquires, her circuits so sad. "We can stay longer if you wish."

"Thanks, Aerima. But we'll be fine. Neereus has set us up with a fine base of operations, and we'll have the support from the ships above. We've imposed enough, I'm sure."

"Your needs are never an imposition, Talus." Nyla inputs. "It is _us_ , who should be thanking _you_. And we do thank you. Without your help, we would have been toast out there. Also, to think we're keeping your leader, makes me feel double thankful. We love Aerima and promise to give her the very best of care!"

"We too, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!" Talus intimates for himself and crew, offering the lovely android a warm hug. Next, Nyla, Wil and many others, share warm farewells with Talus, Terrel, Selza and Jayleen. The best crew Aerima ever commanded! The best crew that ever came down the space-lanes, many would boast!

"Well, you have our number. Don't be afraid to call." Esty, laughingly jokes.

In reality, the only contact they'll have with each other, is during a changing of the guards, so to speak. Every five years, different androids will arrive and relieve those that went first.

The initial group will consist of Carter, his loving partner Tina, Jorlax of course, along with his new life-partner Thana. Also, Rax and Prax, along with Torg and Alice.

Later, others will follow. Eventually, the entire dirty-dozen and even Gort himself (after a struggle) will have been _androided-up_ , and in turn will selflessly donate a fraction of their grateful long-lasting lives to the cause. No biologics of course.... to smelly & messy!

Five years isn't so bad. An android can do that, standing on his or her head! So, it's with joyous glee, that the crew from another universe, begins the cosmic-pinball-realignment operation.

Eventually, so far down the road as to be microscopic, the entire operation will have to be played-out in reverse as the star collapses into a white-dwarf where it will glow for a trillion-years more.

That is, if there's anyone left alive to do the job! If not, the poor old planet Pascora will become just another wanderer of the solar system or leave home altogether!

"Well, what do we do now?" Nyla inquires of her crewmates, as the Queen Anne's Revenge exits the Pascora system at full warp. "I'm bored!" She relates to a round of laughter.

"Well, I don't know about you," Wil responds joyfully, "but I'm sure as hell ready for a damn vacation!" The crowd goes wild! Some still wondering what a damn vacation is!

After all, when you're already doing everything you love, who needs a _vacation_ to interrupt the fun?!

"I have the perfect spot!" Nyla, gleams like a newborn star! "Let's head back to Oberon Prime and refit with supplies. It's going to be a long journey!"

# No place like home!

The village-center vibrates with grand energy! Excitement flows like a sharp electric current, energizing the raucous crowd! A hundred people stare and clamor at a strange object that's just appeared out of thin air, tearing at their raw emotions.

A thick flat rock now resides next to the community drinking-well. Standing tall and proud from this slab of granite, a beautiful broadsword shines in the morning sun!

It's buried deeply, two-thirds of the way to the hilt, as if it has always been so!

Through this boisterous and smelly crowd of humanity, Jax pushes his way toward the focal point, wondering why his feet feel like cement!

Past surfs, peasants and pickpockets, he elbows his way forward with authority.

Past noblemen and young squires, he shuffles delicately, hoping to not tread toes!

Finally breaking into a clearing, he sees what all the hubbub is about.

A stout young man engages a sword stuck in stone, pulling hard to win the prize! With bugging eyes and red face, he huffs and puffs with great strain! A spray of spittle, and bellows of bad breath through rotted teeth, tells of the losing battle, leaving Jax feeling good!

The sword remains! .... for only the purest of hearts to pull free!

After another failed effort, and hopes extinguished, the powerful lad knows its time to quit and go back to the farm! The beautiful broadsword remains buried as before!

Slinking away with head hung low, he's pelted with rubbish, insults, and laughs from the less well-heeled of the crowd, wouldn't you know!

Jax moves quickly, before somebody else can claim his sword! After all, he might not be the only person in the village with a pure heart! That's the key to winning such a noble weapon! He'll show those who scoff at his sanctity! He'll show that _Kara_ , a thing or two!

With feet like cement, he climbs onto the strange rock, feeling the crowd's energy spike! With bated breath, they wait to see if this tall dark stranger has the right stuff to win the day!

Standing tall and proud before the grand prize, he takes a manly breath and grasps the massive hilt. He pulls! He pulls like he's never _pulllllllled_ before! Hercules would be proud!

To his dismay and mortification, the mighty sword _slips even further into_ _the rock_! With a horrendous, _nails-on-chalkboard grinding_ it does! How can this be, he wonders frantically! My heart is _pure_ , just ask me!

He ponders the moment darkly, wondering why the universe has played such a cruel trick on him!

Releasing the sword, he feels the pelting and laughing explode from the merciless villagers! Turning, he angrily faces his tormenters who laugh so hysterically and point so rudely!

To his double-dismay, it's not his failure to win the sword from the stone that animates the masses! Looking down, he realizes he's not wearing any cloths!

With feet like cement, yet mercifully lighter than before, he runs nakedly from the scene!

_Suddenly_ , the ground shakes and quakes! And a _most terrible noise_ _,_ assaults his senses! .... " _Hey_ _chowderhead_!" Comes a roar from an unseen monster, shaking his world! " _Hey numbskull_!" Comes another fine insult, and horrific bout of shaking!

"Wake up, before Esty sees you sleeping at your post!" Toby exclaims stealthily at the young man, who had fallen asleep at his astrogator console. "She's have you keel-hauled for sure! Where's Aerima, anyway. Why isn't she here babysitting you?" She teases, as is her way.

"Oh jeez, Toby!" Jax exclaims under his breath, still shaken by the dream, yet very glad he's wearing cloths again! "She's resting, charging her batteries, I guess. Say, are we there yet? He asks, rubbing his eyes.

"Wow, you really are out of it! You're the one at the astrogator; you figure it out and let me know. I'm sure Esty will want that information too. Wow, what the hell were you dreaming?"

"Until the end of time and a day, I'll not tell you that one!" He relents honestly, as he pokes and prods the necessary information from the star-guidance panel. Something that's not easy when at full warp-velocities, but Jax coaxes the desired information like a pro, and is pleased at the readout!

"Esty, we're almost there!" He calls proudly. "We'll be coming out of warp in 12-minutes!"

"Very well Mister Krauss. Thank you." She responds from her lofty perch. "I hope you had a nice nap." Comes a rare wise-acre-crack from the commander, not expecting a response.

"Helm, are we still on course to leave the slipstream on the dark side of the moon?"

"Yes ma'am, we sure are." Magnus replies smartly. "Everything's a go."

"Very well.... Max. Shirley. Be ready with a full sensor sweep as soon we leave warp."

"We're ready, Esty." Shirley reassures, as Max twists dials and flips switches, making sure the calibration is perfect.

"Nyla. Wil. Please monitor radio chatter in the area. It should be minimal, except from the direction of Lunar Hydro Solutions at the moons south pole."

"Will do." Wil answers efficiently, while Magnus brightens at realizing they'll soon be near his biological father's mining company. At the same time, sad that they won't be stopping in for a visit. Mining oxygen and other molecules on the moon is hard enough, without flying saucers coming in and scaring everybody! Another time, Magnus figures .... another time.

The time-travel event that started the Queen Anne's Revenge and crew on their well-deserved vacation, had landed them in the earthling star system. The year is 2241, two years after their last time-travel visit to ancient earth, and family reunion with Doctor Max and gang.

Coming out of warp, leaves everyone groggy. Neck rubbing, and colorful curses abound! This trip is a double-whammy, as they have also time-traveled. Both events take the psyche time to adjust from the snapping-back of the temporal-spaghettification of the mind. Like a stretched rubber-band being let loose of.

The mind seems to have inertia during such events, and wants to continue forward at multiples of c, as the spaceship drops from warp. Life as a space creature isn't for the faint of heart, that's for sure! Yet none of the crew would have it any other way!

"We're in the clear, Esty." Max informs after the sensor sweep. "Nothing but empty moonscape and starry sky!"

"Very well.... Helm, take us out." Esty orders, as phase-two of the _working-vacation_ is implemented.

"Aye Aye." Comes twin acknowledgments, as the Queen Anne's Revenge leaves the belly of the Apollyon warship turned non-warship. After great discussion and planning, it was decided to leave humanity a gift of technologies during this visit.

Perhaps something that might turn the tides of global human congestion and misery on an overheated world. Of course, the ' _anonymous gift_ ' will most certainly have to be shared with the entire world, and there-in lies a problem! Humans, as a general rule, don't like to share with each other! They will have to learn quickly....

"May she rest in peace." Then turning to Adam and Amy who remotely fly the 150-mile-wide-ship. "Take her down. Easy does it. Remember, she has no landing gear. And don't forget to turn out the lights." She wise cracks with a chuckle.

With that, the enormous gift to humanity is landed on the back side of the moon, possibly perturbing the big rocks orbit just a little, due to the tremendous mass. The zoos had been relocated, as were the 200-Apollyon hibernators. Any of the worker-bots that had a mind to, could also leave the ship back at Oberon Prime. There were many takers of that offer!

All traces of the planet-gouger technologies and matter-transportation systems were removed from the ship, but plenty of other technologies will most definitely be of use for the humans who seek the stars!

"Well, now I feel like we're really doing something for humanity!" Nyla exclaims, as the Revenge sets sail for the big blue-green planet next door.

"Let's just hope they can share and use the science wisely." Wil responds.

"Well, if it doesn't work out, we can always reverse the time-line and fix what we broke!" Omari reminds, setting everyone's mind at ease.

Earth, in all her glory, is coming on fast! Braxton and Magnus maintain a healthy exposure to the slipstream as they tear the upper atmosphere a new corn shoot! Diving into the soup at 20,000-mph they quickly notice the landscape coming on strong!

"Oh my!" Talia, screams. "Don't forget about the planet! Oh, _do_ pull up!"

"YeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Braxton yells, rolling the ship corkscrew-fashion before settling down. One glance at a green Toby, and he knows enough is enough!

"Okay, I'll tone it down." He relents as the great lake's region fills the circle-monitor.

Coming in from the east, he and Magnus pilot the flying saucer lower and slower over the Detroit area, heading west towards Lansing. At 1000-feet altitude and 900-mph, the ship is taken out of the slipstream with an awesome crack of sonic-boom across the land, startling many!

With the electronic fog diminished, Bernoulli is quick to grab hold of the airfoil, offering soothing lift. The sexily sleek saucer slices the air like a hot knife through butter! Rattling windows and bones along her path of wicked flight! People below, perhaps for the first time in their lives, truly witness an alien spacecraft from the stars! Misbehavingly speeding!

"Okay mister, a little more toning down will be nice." Nyla recommends strongly. "We don't need to be breaking everyone's windows and eardrums."

"Aye Aye, mother!" Braxton, yells over his shoulder. Laughing all the way, while at the same time, pulling back on the throttles, so's not to incur the wrath of Nyzilla the destroyer!

Upon reaching the Michigan city of Eaton Rapids, Braxton picks up the path of the Grand River. A beautiful and peaceful watercourse that the Queen will see again in the future, when it's not so placid.

The time is mid-morning and sunny. Flying just above the smooth water, the 250-foot flying saucer scares the many hillbillies' fishing for their lunch along the banks.

Soon, the saucer is flying through the city of Lansing, on its way to visit the Grand Ledge Institute of Science. Or at least do a fly by. Landing is really out of the question, as it would scare everyone to death, and bring unwanted attention to the Institute.

A flyby will have to do, before heading south to Belize.

Leaving Lansing behind, heading west, the river widens. The terrain changes to farmland and forest. Queen Anne's Revenge sails along at a leisurely pace, just 50-feet above the water, frightening everybody who sees her.

The circle-monitor create a sensation of riding atop a magic carpet as the riverbanks and trees flow past. Filled with a beauty only Mother Nature can provide, it's a sight for sore eyes after the ship's confines and nothing but space, space, and more space!

"City of Grand Ledge, coming up next." Braxton announces. "Going into partial slipstream and reducing velocity to 3-mph."

Bernoulli, sadly leaves his post on the outer hull, flying through the thickening layer of electronic-fog and back into the atmosphere, where he always feels more at home anyway!

At Grand Ledge city-center, the river is split by a long finger-island used as a park. The sleek flying saucer, bathed in an eerie electronic fog, pounds the chests of those below with the heavy rhythmic cadence of its powerful heartbeat!

People stare with jaws agape, at least more than usual, as the massive saucer skims throbbingly past, just 50-feet above their heads.

Approaching the island end, Aerima spies a hazy figure waving at them from a platform 60-feet above a terraced riverbank.

"Braxton, please hover the ship." She calls, pointing at the monitor. "Sorry Esty, I apologize for giving commands onboard your ship, but I just have to see something. Can somebody please zoom on that figure, who waves as if he knows us?"

Esty had also seen the pale figure. An eerie phantom, waving as if it sees friends and not a mysterious flying saucer from outer space! The monitor is magnified, and all are shocked! All except for Aerima, that is....

"I know a thing or two about ghosts, and for the life of me, that there is a _gggghost_ waving at us!" She jokes knowingly.

Sure enough, hovering spookily on a wooden deck high above the river, a smoky figure tosses phantom peanuts to ghostly river-squirrels. They scamper this way and that, chasing the gossamer treats! Some are even seen leaping through tree trunks, as if they were nothing but thin air!

A misty male figure waves again, laughing a laugh that only a very contented spirit can convey!

"Well, he seems a happy ghost!" Jax exclaims, hoping someday in the far future to join the club!

"Do you think we should invite him in?" Toby inquires. "We can always use another crewmember. You know.... to do the dishes!" She jokes rudely, as is her way.

"What do you think Razzi?" Aerima inquires of the furry ones _esp_ abilities. "Can you reach out and see?"

"I already have." Responds the furry-one, shaking his head to rid of the haunted cobwebs. "He says wild Toothy's couldn't drag his spirit from that heavenly half-acre! He'll stay put until the end of time and a day!" A roll of laughter explodes from the peanut gallery!

"Well, it's curious how he knew about Toothy's." Nyla ponders aloud. "Very Curious."

"Hey!" Aerima, chimes in. "We ghost's get around, baby!"

Another raucous tirade from the peanut gallery....

"Okay everyone, calm down." Esty reminds, giving Aerima a wink. "It's not the first ghost we've ever seen, and probably not the last. Stay focused, the Institute is just ahead."

The Revenge moves on downriver. Braxton, waves at the spirit with a slow-motion barrel-roll that puts the Queens leading edge into the river. Great clouds of steam rise as the slipstream interacts with the water.

Ahead, on the opposite side of the river, grand ledges of sandstone, rise abruptly from the lazy river. It's on top of this geological formation that the space travelers had wanted to see.

"There it is." Kara, points excitedly at the partially constructed site, where workers are seen pointing excitedly back at the strange craft.

As the world heated, and finger pointing and hatred of anything-scientific, grew strong as a blame, the Institute was being moved underground for security purposes.

Because of facilities future research and development of star-fuel and subsequent time-fuel, it's a joy to see where it all begins. It's not your average tourist site, but for these space travelers, it sure is!

"Zoom in please." Wil, requests. "Yup, that's Dr. Sawyer chatting with the workers! He's looking much better that the last time we saw him!" He jokes sickly, receiving an elbow in the side from his better half.

"Can you imagine the battle that Carter and Tina will have here on the river?" Kara inquires of the river-battle their friends will have with enemy security drones in the future. They'll win the battle but lose the war.... getting captured and imprisoned on the Jovian moon of Ganymede for their efforts at drawing attention away from the clandestine Science Institute.

"They say those two screwballs, road the security drones right into the river and drowned them!" Max informs. "Wow, what a crazy stunt that will be.... _someday_!" He rolls with laughter, knowing how difficult it is to contemplate time-travel!

"Well, we better not lollygag here too long." Esty reminds. "There's an air force base not too far from here.... Helm, continue on to Belize."

Lifting from the river valley, the Revenge accelerates southward. Bathed in a partial slipstream, she glides along rapidly without waking the dead. Soon, she's flying over Higgs-Boson Airfield, New Mexico, where it all began for the earthling androids and human crewmembers.

Although, the humans weren't born yet, their biologic materials are stored in deep-freeze, just waiting to be _shaked-n-baked_ on Oberon Prime!

Now, the expansive airfield is mothballed. Tumbleweeds own the long runways, and birds, the tall rocket launch-towers. And dust.... _dust is everywhere_! It's a dried-up wasteland, always has been!

Braxton slows the ship as they reach the Gulf of Mexico. "Esty, what say we give the old girl a good washing?" He inquires winkingly, loving to fly the saucer underwater.

"Very well Mister Crane. Go easy. Stay away from Davy Jones' Locker!" She says with a laugh, yet knowing it's best to sneak up on Belize, so's not to draw too much attention.

The journey to the Great Blue Hole of Belize is mostly uneventful. Every now and then, the UFO passes beneath ships that ply the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Any sailors looking down from the deck, is shocked at seeing the otherworldly disk, glide eerily underneath! A bigger whale none had ever seen, and with the luminance of a magical pearl too! Leaving many to wonder if it's time to lay off the rocket fuel!

"Bring her up slowly, Mister Crane. Easy does it." Esty, cautions upon reaching the _Blue Hole_ _Delight_ tourist platform owned by retired asteroid hunters turned submarine tour guides.

Business is slow these days, as the heated world and failing economies, force people to focus on survival and not fancy vacations.

The day is fresh and bright above the submerged Queen Anne's Revenge. Sunlight filtering through, illuminates the coral and fishes in the area, as the huge silvery creature invades their neighborhood.

"Aye Aye. Bringing her up."

Before he can lift the ship, a tiny yellow submarine enters the scene, just 80-feet outside the electronic fog it does!

"Oh my!" Talia exclaims pointingly. "Look! That's Kara and Braxton!" She yells of the retired asteroid hunters who stare wide-eyed from the windows of the sub's cockpit.

She instinctively waves, but it's no use. The stunned occupants of the sub only see a massive saucer hovering 50-feet beneath the waves in front of them.

"I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Wil blurts out. "It sure is!"

"I'm glad they've seen the Revenge before, or they might be having heart attacks about now!" Nyla, exclaims laughingly, soaking in the wonderment of seeing her old friends again.

Both vessels surface, with the Queen only exposing her upper dome, leaving most of her sexily curved surface beneath the waves.

"Hello the Revenge!" Braxton senior, yells across the water from his tiny submarine.

"Hello the yellow submarine!" Nyla yells back, with everyone behind her vying for the exit all at once.

"Is this Earth?" She inquires smartassingly.

"No! Earth is two solar systems over!" Comes Kara's laughing response. "Oh my god! I can't believe my eyes! You look fabulous, Nyla!"

Before Nyla can respond, the dirty dozen (who actually could use a bath about then) scramble out the hatch, diving into the warm Caribbean waters.

They're joined by the Kansas four and the Zenarawan clan, as they all swim beyond the weak electronic fog and climb aboard the submarine.

_Inside the dining area of the tourist platform_. "My dear, you sure are a sight for sore eyes!" A white-haired Doctor Max compliments Nyla, tears of joy welling.

"Honestly, I never thought I would see you again!" He exclaims, embracing the lovely android. "And my god, Wil! Have you grown an inch or two since last we met?" The good doctor, jokes.

"Yes, but each time, Nyla takes me down a few notches, so I break even in the long-run. Perhaps I'm overdue." He jokes back, giving the aging man a friendly hug. "How have you been dear Max? You look great! As do you all!"

"I can't complain." The aged doctor responds joyfully. "Shirley here, makes sure I have a good life." He says of his better-half, Shirley Blackstone, who's been making sure his life is a good one for more than 25-years.

"Welcome home dear friends!" Shirley says excitedly, hugging everyone she can get her hands on, including the furry Zenarawan's, who she tickles without mercy!

"Then, Doctor Max sees his son in the crowd of visitors! "Come here my boy! Let an old man feast his eyes on such youthfulness! My how you've grown! Are you doing your math homework like you should?" He jokes.

"Oh yes, father!" Young Max exclaims, giving papa a warm hug. "I've even been inventing some new types!" He adds for good measure, explaining his newfound theories concerning black holes and rampaging neutron stars.

Cooper senior, Toby, Adam, Jax and Harper seniors, are all there early that morning, waiting for the others to arrive. "I see you have new friends this time." Cooper says of Aerima, Myrna, and her three buddies from Kansas who are introduced all around.

"My goodness Aerima!" Doctor Max exclaims, coming closer with squinted eyes. "They did a fine job on you my dear. A fine job indeed! At first glance, I didn't even realize you're an android! By all the stars, they did a good job!" He praises, reaching and stroking the side of her beautiful face, and feeling of her silky blond hair.

"Oh, Doctor Max!" Jax, steps forward. "You have no idea!" He exclaims, explaining a few details of Aerima's previous existence. All the retired earthlings are shocked beyond recognition! Having never met a ghostly android before!

"By all the moons and planets!" Doctor Max says, turning to his Grey alien friends. "Don't you two sure look healthy and happy! Space travel has been good to you!" He gives Esty a warm hug, and Gort a firm handshake.

Soon, all the retired asteroid hunters are gathered at their daily hangout. The dirty dozen now each enjoy the company of one of their true biological parents, who are.... Braxton Crane senior, the brave and handsome captain of the asteroid hunting ship (also named Queen Anne's Revenge). Kara Johansson-Crane, one of the 'rock-handling' crewmembers, and wife her ship's captain. Harper Williams senior, the competent First Officer. Jax Krauss, the chief 'rock-handler' onboard. Cooper Beaufort, the ships chief engineer along with Toby Sullivan as assistant engineer. Adam Miller and Ling Tao, the ships equipment maintainers. And recently retired from Mars, Amy Herschel, who was chief engineer during the final phase of starship construction. Also, recently retired Magnus Teach from Lunar Hydro Solutions, who is now meeting his son for the first time ever! Also, last but not least, Tina Feldman senior, who'll soon be transmogrified into a lovely android after a future brutal mugging brings and early end.

Tina senior sees her daughter for the first time ever. Tears of joyful wonderment flow like a river. "Come here, my dear. Let me feast my poor old eyes on such a lovely face! My, but you're a pretty one!" A long hug....

Nyla, lets the cat out of the bag, saying to the good doctor. "Max, on a side-note. If you were to _accidently_ send a scout ship to look for minerals on the dark side of the moon, you might be surprised to find an alien spaceship laying in the dirt. Wink Wink." She does as she says, adding. "Although some of the more advanced technology has been removed, to protect the innocent from getting too carried away."

"Your fooling me, right my dear?" A shocked Doctor Max responds. "More white hairs! More white hairs!" He yells pointingly. "You know I'm retired! My goodness! If not Shirley making me do things, now I have my very own daughter from the stars, bringing me new projects!"

"Oh, Doctor Max! You slay me!" The lovely android responds with a hug, adding. "Now don't forget. The sooner the better. We wouldn't want our friends from across the pond to find it first. You know how they hate to share!"

"Yes yes, my lovely one. I'll start a plan tomorrow. There nothing I can't do _tomorrow_!" The crowd roars!

"Well my good doctor." Talia joins in. "You know what they say.... _tomorrow never comes_! As soon as it arrives, it's already today, with the next tomorrow is 24-hours away!"

With a wink and wide smile, "My point exactly, my lovely Talia. My point exactly!"

"Oh, you!" Nyla feigns hurt. "We brought that monstrosity all the way from Oberon Prime! The least you can do is send somebody up and kick the tires! Don't let it rot! You only have to make one phone call, and the wheels will be put in motion. That's all you have to do."

"Yes, yes my dearest." The doctor relents, as is his way when dealing with Nyla. Just then, a noise from outside speaks of a motorboat arriving.

Max, adds. "In fact, my lovely. I believe the person we need to discuss this with, has just arrived. I didn't tell you earlier, savoring the surprise, but your timing couldn't be better!"

Then, a familiar voice floats in on the salty breeze. Nyla and Wil can't believe their circuits! Suddenly the door opens, and in walks a dear friend whom they thought would never be seen again, followed by an entourage of heavily armed security.

"Madam President!" Nyla exclaims shockedly at seeing Jenna Morris. "I can't believe my circuits!" She rushes forward, giving the newly retired president of the United States a welcoming hug.

"Nyla? Oh, my goodness! How can this be?!" The lovely woman from North Dakota exclaims. "This is going to take some professional explaining! Last I heard, you and Wil were 4-years into a 175,000-year space flight! My goodness, what happened? Too cold out there?"

"Hello dear Jenna!" Wil plows his way in with a hug. "It's a long story, Madam President! It might fill several volumes, so you'll be getting the _CliffsNotes_ version." He says with a mighty laugh.

"How was your second term, Jenna?" Nyla inquires.

"Oh, it was hell!" She says exhaustedly, getting a round of laughter from the peanut gallery. "I never should have run a second time! _Bah-humbug!_ Oh sure, we got plenty accomplished, but the forces working to bring down civilization are becoming too big of a problem. I must have aged 20-years for the eight I was president." She relates sadly, brushing fingers against her face.

"Oh now!" Wil steps forward, kissing her hand. "My dear, you look marvelous! And I'm not just saying that. You really do! Yet when the time comes, far in the future mind you, we'll simply android-you-up, and give you another youthful glow! One that will stand the test of time, it will! Then, your childhood dream of traveling the stars, can actually come true!"

Using her wristband, Esty sinks the Queen Anne's Revenge away from prying eyes, and the family reunion continues for many days. Tons of quality catching-up, strengthens the already strong bonds. Plenty of fishing, tours of the Great Blue Hole, and awesome sunsets are shared and treasured!

Surprises of all surprises, happens when Harper senior and son, come away from the reunion totally unscathed! As if having a new lease on life. When displaying each other's prowess in the arts of gymnastics, neither bangs there head hard enough to even shake a stick at!

There is hope the Williams-curse is no more!

On the last day of visit, before leaving again for the stars, a medicine-woman arrives from a local village to perform the indigenous version of matrimony. Pledges of loyalty, love and devotion, are the true measure of any union.

After the shock of meeting such strange people, (furry cat-people who speak to her without words; humans from the future; Grey aliens, (one biologic, one not so much; and other androids, of which one is endowed with ghostly circuits.... nearly freaking her out), the old medicine-woman from the jungle, gets down to business!

"Do you Wilber Sohn, take Nyla as forever companion? To love and cherish with all your heart?" A pause, as the poor shaman becomes confused. The tall mechanical people standing before her, have no hearts!

She continues, knowing that love comes from the heart of the _soul_.... Oh my, she thinks again, _another problem_! This will be the strangest day of her long life! "Until death do you part?" _Oh my_ , she thinks yet again! .... They may _never_ die!

"I do!" Wil, says with loving conviction, sending a seductive wink to his better half.

"And do you Nyla, take Wilber as forever companion? To love and cherish with all your heart? Until death do you part?"

"I do!" Replies the lovely android who looks ravishing in her beautiful white dress.

With a shaking of rattles and the wafting of incense, the shaman declares....

"I now pronounce you mates, until the end of time and a day!"

The crowd goes wild! Hugs all around! Doctor Max and Shirley can't stop crying! They knew the newlyweds since the day they were created.

And the conga-line of betroths, moves forward!

"Do you Aerima and Jax Krauss, take each other as forever companions? To love and cherish with all your hearts, until death do you part?" She inquires, not willing to believe the lovely bride before her is a vessel for an otherworldly spirit....

"I do!" Aerima, responds with a loving tone.

"I most definitely do!" Jax blurts out, nearly embarrassing himself, as Aerima sweeps him off his feet!

A shaking of the marriage rattle, a wafting of incense, and the conga-line moves forward!

"Do you Esty and Gort, take each other as forever companions? To love and cherish with all your hearts, until death do you part?" Razzi, translates for a wide-eyed Gort, using _esp_.

"I do." Esty, responds happily.

"I do." Gort, responds clickity-clackity, bringing a smile to the face of his lovely android-wife and partner in crime!

A shaking of the marriage rattle and a puff of incense....

"Do you Toby and Keith, take each other as forever companions? To love and cherish with all your hearts, until death do you part?" _Finally_ , two humans, the old girl ponders happily!

"I do!" Toby replies, ready to pounce on her mate.

"I do!" Keith responds appropriately as Toby nearly tackles him with loving embrace!

The crowd goes wild! The conga-line moves!

"Do you Cooper and Nolan, take each other as forever companions? To love and cherish with all your hearts, until death do you part?"

Wow, the shaman thinks; wondering just where and how the young man got such magnificent battle-scars across his face! Worse even than Keith's or Gort's combined, she ponders with admiration.

"I do!" Cooper responds gleefully.

"I do!" Nolan replies, still in shock that the beautiful Cooper Beaufort would dare look twice at him, and also wondering how he's going to explain this one to his android double, Rax, when they next see each other! A major android double-conundrum! Cooper will just have to add one more to her loving heart, he figures!

"Do you Myrna, take...."

The ceremonies continue, as Myrna and Joanne, join with their _very lucky_ high school boyfriends from Kansas, Randy and Heath; respectively.

In the future, there will of course be many more marriages for those who roam the stars. After all, in the frozen depths of outer space, loneliness can kill as surely as any other form of cosmic dread!

It's been a long and totally strange day for the old medicine woman! The marriages are made. The spirits are happy! Her pockets are filled with gold disks!

Moving to the bar of the dining area, she finds Braxton and Kara seniors, ready to tend to her thirsty needs. "My dear," Kara says concernedly, "you look as if you've just seen a ghost! Can I get you something?"

"Well, I don't usually imbibe before sunset, but today is like none other! Please, my good human.... _you are human, right?_ " She inquires squintingly.

"Last time I checked!" Kara replies with a magnificent laugh!

"Oh good! Well in that case, I'll have a shot of your finest Kentucky Corn Whiskey! In fact, just to be sure it takes hold, make it a triple my good woman!" She places a fat gold disk on the counter.

Pushing the disk back. "My dear! The day won't come, when your gold is any good here! Drink up! Drink up! There's plenty more where that came from!" she promises, adding....

"Also, we have some incense that isn't _actually incense_ ; if you get my drift, dear medicine woman." She laughs, pro-offering a funny looking cigarette, already burning brightly. The old medicine woman gladly accepts, taking a deep hit, reveling in the joy of what has to be her strangest day ever!

Noticing something behind the bar, the wrinkled medicine woman inquires. "Please tell me dear, what's the meaning of that collection of small stones on the shelf behind you? They seem to have an exalted position, for being simple stones." She squints, feeling the herb kicking-in.

Kara brightens! It's always nice when somebody notices her little collections of moons. "Oh, I'm so happy you noticed!" She beams, plucking one of the golf-ball-sized rocks, placing it into her guest's hand.

"These are tiny moons that I collected while working in space! Millions of miles beyond Mars, Braxton and I, along with others in this room, harvested metallic asteroids during our youth. Each asteroid had lots of small companions, following like little puppy dogs! So, I chose the nicest one I could find from each, and that's why they hold an exalted place in my heart. There's thirteen of them. One for each big asteroid we lassoed and sent to the chop-shop at Mars." She relates with a laugh.

The old jungle woman is flabbergasted! She holds in her gnarly hand, something from beyond Earth! Very mindboggling for the spirited medicine woman! "Oh, this day just keeps giving!" She laughs heartily. "Is there anybody here that's _never_ been in space?" She inquires exasperatingly.

"Doctor Max, Shirley, Jenna, and her security detail, I guess. Did I miss anybody Brax?"

"Nope, you got em all, my love. Although, the good doctor often says that Shirley's love sends him into orbit, but that doesn't really count!" He responds laughingly, giving the old girl a wink. "We've pretty much all been out there. You should give it a try sometime!"

"Oh no! I like my feet on the ground, thank you very much!"

"My, how you seem to have the same inclination about space travel as our dear Doctor's Talia and Omari!" Kara exclaims of the old woman.

"Well, if you stop bogarting that joint my dear," the medicine woman says jokingly, "I'll tell you what little I know of our wonderful universe, or rather what you folks like to call the multiverse." With a hearty laugh, she tosses back the last of her big whiskey, indicating the empty glass!

"Here you go dear shaman.... Now, _please do tell!_ "

After a deep hit to send her thoughts further into orbit, the ancient medicine woman of the jungle, shares her limited knowledge. Knowledge that she can't even dream of the math but knows the proofs just the same!

"Well, here's the thing or two I know about our universe." She says mystically....

"There are four fundamental-forces of nature that control our very existence"

They are: _Gravity_ ; which keeps our hopes and dreams grounded in reality.

_Electromagnetism_ ; that which puts the very spark into our beating hearts; and with gravity, holds everything together!"

"Last but not least, is the _strong and weak nuclear forces;_ which keeps our stars illuminated, and our atoms from dissolving into the fantastic void which you folks call home!"

She relates shocking knowledge for a simple jungle woman! Perhaps, not so simple after all!

"My goodness!" Braxton interjects, "but don't you know a thing or two about the universe we live in!" He adds with a hearty laugh! "You may have some android in you after all!"

"Oh, it's really nothing! Basic bs, I guess." She laughs even harder, asking. "Now, tell me Kara, where are these creatures headed after leaving here?" Wrinkles, inquires wonderingly.

"My dear madam. They have things to do out among the stars, that you couldn't even dream of! And all the time in the infinite multiverse with which to get it done! .... Now, keep this information with a feather under your hat, that they'll soon be leaving for another galaxy! They're planning a visit to Andromeda, to find Esty and Gort's people who've fled the Milky Way in an effort to evade extinction at the hands of a most dreaded enemy."

"Oh my! That sure sounds challenging! Now, I have it on good authority that the Andromeda galaxy is a great place to start a new life. Plenty of elbow room! Also, having all the time in the multiverse with which to get it done, is a great thing too! Somehow, I just know they'll have success finding their friends. .... Now, my dear. If you pass that funny-looking cigarette again, I'll tell you how I think it will all work out!"

THE END!

Continued.... _Breaking Intergalactic: Doppelganger Lives Matter!_

_I hope you enjoyed the story. Please send comments, if any, to michael_tobin411@yahoo.com or perhaps even leave a review. That would be great! Until next time; may you always have an interesting book to read! .... Best Regards_ .... Michael Tobin
