The Azure-Queen Chronicles

Arcadia was unable to sleep that night on Calashadir. Although the Keepers had provided her with comfortable quarters in their dreary underground lair, she was restless. She was plagued by nightmares, and fears of the unknown. She couldn't get Tristan out of her mind.

"You need to get a good night's rest," the Keeper had said prior to her turning in for the evening. "You must find a way to leave us in the morning."

Arcadia awoke suddenly, her heart racing and her blanket soaked with sweat. She listened intently and tried focusing her vision into the darkness which surrounded her. It was useless. She couldn't see a thing. But there was something, or someone, nearby. It was calling to her. She could hear it.

Carefully, and stealthily, Arcadia arose from her bunk, and began moving along the dark wall towards the doorway of her chamber. She exited, and walked down the corridor, approaching what she perceived to be a dim, fluctuating light in the distance. She stopped short of entering the large room were the Portal stood, and peered around the corner inquisitively.

She could see the Keeper sitting in front of the Portal, legs crossed, almost in a meditative posture. In the midst of the swirling, gaseous hollow were images dancing and flashing at high speed. Arcadia couldn't make out much, but she saw a large dragonfly-looking space vessel of some sort, facing a hostile bunch of massive
polygons and little flying drones which resembled amputated arms. The images moved quickly, but Arcadia saw star upon star, galaxy upon galaxy begin to collapse around the insect vessel, until all matter in sight was pulled into a cascade of brilliance that worm-holed and spiraled into a vanishing vacuum. Then, darkness.

The Keeper, seeming to recover from his silent reverie, stood up and faced the awe-struck Arcadia.

"So," he said, quietly. "Have you seen what you came to see?" The Keeper motioned towards the Portal, and the hollow became clear once again.

Arcadia slowly stepped into the room. She continued to look at the onyx circle in amazement and fear.

"What HAVE I seen?" she asked, tentatively.

The Keeper came right up to her, his eyes never leaving hers. "You already know," he answered. "In here." He tapped his hand against his chest. "The Portal is always very selective about who is privy to observe its mysteries. You, Arcadia, have been given a great gift. The Portal has called to you. You have responded, and you have been shown what most others will never see... either in here," he motioned again to the Portal, "or in life."

Arcadia was confused. "I don't understand," she said.

"Yes, you do," the Keeper stated. "Although you may not realize it yet. You have been given a chance... an opportunity so to speak. You must leave this planet. Your path will not be easy, and it might not even be clear at first. But you will know what you must do... in time."

The Keeper placed his hands on Arcadia's temples. He closed his eyes. Arcadia felt the need to close hers as well, but the image of the Keeper's face remained. She felt a sense of reassurance and calm pervade her mind, and she heard the Keeper's voice, both externally and internally it seemed.

"The end is near," he said, ethereal but sure, "but your quest is just beginning. Remember your past." An image of Tristan came to mind. Arcadia could not help but ache in the deepest regions of her heart. "Remember what will be." She saw again in her mind the dark images from the Portal. Her soul trembled in fear. "But also remember the GIFT that you receive today.. that is why it is called the PRESENT."

The Keeper removed his hands. Arcadia opened her eyes to see the old man smiling. He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Arcadia to remember, and to think about what her next move would be.

***

Arcadia found it quite easy to make it to Calashadir's one and only space-port. Her guide left her as she approached the desert center of urban life.

"You should have no trouble," he said, assuring her as he departed, to return to the Keepers' hideout. "Sultan most likely believes you to be dead. No one will be looking for you, which will be to your advantage."

Arcadia entered the terminal confidently, but cautiously, keeping on the look-out at all times. It was a large and busy space-port. Calashadir was on the route of many trade ships. It also drew the attention of pleasure vessels and cruise liners, whose captains often made Calashadir a stop for their passengers (Arcadia had already been given a taste of the reason why!). Today, however, the ships were scarce, and the port was nearly empty. Arcadia was concerned that this would jeopardize her anonymity!

She had already resolved in her own mind that sneaking aboard a ship was her best option. The Keepers had not provided her with a weapon, so hijacking would be nearly impossible. And she didn't have any credit vouchers, so paying for passage was likewise nixed. The question now was, which ship to pick?

Arcadia was checking a list of docked vessels on a nearby screen when something caught her eye at one of the passenger gates. A couple of terminal deputies had arrived on the scene and were positioned as to receive an incoming vessel. But no ship was docking. Instead, next to the gate, a large, two-dimensional rectangular black hole appeared, like a view screen being activated, except there was no panel, neither was there any image, just black. Then, people began to emerge from the hole as if they were coming from nowhere! One of the deputies spoke into a squawker attached to the wall.

"WELCOME TO CALASHADIR!" he said, his voice amplified throughout the terminal. "The Sultan extends his generous hospitality to all passengers and crew of the Azure-Queen, and hopes that your visit to our lovely planet will be restful, pleasant, and luxurious!"

The deputies began to escort the arriving passengers into various ground cars and shuttles, assisting them with their bags. Arcadia continued to watch as the line of people became thinner and thinner until the last person emerged from the shimmering black space. No one seemed to do anything about the hole as the last of the deputies left with some of the passengers.

Arcadia was pretty sure by now that this was a Phase Door, a dimensional portal which bridged huge distances by opening up a "tunnel" so to speak, with "doors" at each end. In this way, people could simply walk through the door on one end, then emerge out the other, miles and miles away, and have only taken a step or two in the process! She had seen this technology in an experimental stage on Ostral-B (similar to the Phase Jump), but had never seen it before outside the laboratory. Some ship, the Azure-Queen she supposed, must be using this technology to transport passengers to and from in lieu of landing or shuttles! Quite efficient, she thought, marvelling at the science and engineering involved. And quite an opportunity!

There was no one looking, and the door was beginning to dissolve, slowly collapsing in on itself. Arcadia took a sharp breath, poised herself, then bolted forward, doing a tuck and roll straight into the shrinking hole as the blackness engulfed her and vanished from sight.

***

Arcadia emerged into a room, obviously on board a ship of some sort. It was round at one end, the section in which she ended up, flopped on the deck in completion of her roll, quite large with a high ceiling, and smaller, squared off at the other, with a man seatd at a console. He got up, somewhat puzzled, and walked over to help Arcadia off the floor.

"Are you all right?" he asked, lifting her to her feet. "All the passengers are supposed to be on the surface. What are you doing here?"

Arcadia straightened up, and looked at the man. He was tall, handsome, with jet black hair. He was dressed in a casual jumpsuit, with a utility belt. She couldn't help but notice the firearm attached!

He was also looking over Arcadia. She was still dressed in her evening gown from two nights before in Sultan's palace.

"Are you even a passenger?" he asked, skeptically. "I'm sure I'd remember someone like you aboard my ship!"

Arcadia quickly composed herself and put on her best seductive smile.

"I'm so sorry," she said, adding a slight and sultry lilt to her otherwise stable tone. "I forgot my bag. A girl simply cannot be without certain things on such a paradise of a planet, wouldn't you say... Captain?" She slided up to him gently, placing her hand on his arm and running it up to his shoulder.

The captain gently took Arcadia's hand and removed it. Still holding it, he walked with her towards the console.

"I'm sorry, miss," he said, firmly. "I can't have non-paying passengers on board. I'm going have to get you back down to the planet." He pressed a series of buttons, and the black portal once again opened, this time in the space where Arcadia had emerged onto the ship.

Arcadia saw her chance, and with speed and strength that bewildered the good-sized man, she forcefully pulled his arm behind his back and quickly unbalanced him by sweeping his feet with her leg, and pinning him to the floor with her other foot.

"Lady, what the hell do you think...?!" he started to say, but Arcadia had already pulled the weapon from his belt. It was a police stunner, a side-arm typically used by law enforcement agents on unruly mobs. She quickly set it to narrow beam and, letting go of her captive, fired it on the man. The captain slumped to the deck,
unconscious.

She rushed to the control panel, but the Phase Door was already closing. Arcadia tried desperately to pull the man towards the portal in hopes of shoving him through before it collapsed, but it was too late. She was unfamiliar with the technology, and was unsure how to re-open it.

Never mind that for now, she thought, and taking the stunner with her, quickly ran out of the room and into the adjacent corridor.

Arcadia didn't know how long the stunner's effect would last. She realized, however, that the Captain might not be the only one left on board, and that she probably didn't have a whole lot of time!

***

Arcadia was quickly discovering the Azure-Queen's nature and purpose -it was a luxury cruise liner! A nice one, too. In trying to find the bridge, she had come across more entertainment and leisure facilities than she did practical and technical. There were at least a hundred staterooms prepared to hold passengers (all empty at the moment, obviously, because they were all down on the planet), commons, lounges, bars, live and video theaters, a rec deck which included a sports complex, game room, and swimming pool, and even a holographic "create your own fantasy" room (something similar to what she had seen on that weird hollow planet). Whoever operated this vessel must have paid a fortune for it, not including the cost of upkeep!

Arcadia hadn't seen any other crew either, which puzzled her. Who was flying this thing? The Captain couldn't possibly be up here alone! Had he sent most of his crew down for shore leave? Who was staying behind to help him with operations?

She got her answer pretty soon when she finally stumbled across the ship's helm. It was nothing more than a control pod near the forward section, leaving more room for the passengers. Arcadia stepped inside, weapon ready. There was a woman seated at the pilot's console, facing forward, away from Arcadia, a red-head. She quickly turned at the sound of Arcadia's footsteps.

Arcadia had her stunner leveled at her crimson head as she pivoted in her seat.

"Take us out of orbit," Arcadia ordered the woman. "NOW!"

The woman seemed to remain relatively calm. She was young, pretty, her fiery hair draped down over her shoulders. Her build was similar to Arcadia's, and she had piercing blue eyes. She barely moved as she spoke.

"I take orders only from Captain Knight," she replied, her voice even and melodic. "And you're not him."

Arcadia repositioned her gun closer to the woman's face, and hovered over her threateningly. "Well, the Captain is indisposed at the moment," she said, mocking the other woman's tone. "You'll get this ship out of orbit, or your Captain will be searching for your disembodied HEAD when he wakes up!"

The woman seemed to glance past Arcadia for a moment before responding. "I suppose you're planning to decapitate me with a police stunner?" she asked, amusement in her voice.

Arcadia smiled patronizingly in return, then with a swift movement, pistol whipped the seated woman across her face. She flew over sideways, thumping to the floor. It dazed her for only a moment, however. Arcadia took that moment to quickly study the console, then begin to hastily input a coordinate. It was rejected. Command code only!

She was violently interrupted by a powerful shove from the other woman, who in turn tried to get control of the console. Arcadia lost her grip on the stunner, and it went flying. The woman tried to enter her code on the console, but was interrupted by Arcadia who landed a punch to her face, deflected. The two women went reeling across the pod, and ended up in a cat-fight.

It was clear that the other woman was trying to enter her command code into the computer. Arcadia was not sure why, but everytime the two would get in close to the console in the midst of their struggle, she would try initiating a sequence. Of course, Arcadia stopped her before she could complete it. But this time, she allowed the woman to finish the code before seeming to recover from the previous fall and getting back into the fray.

The woman had just finished entering the code when Arcadia bounced back from her prone position and tacked her out of her seat. She was expecting an easy take-down, but this woman was unusually tough! Finally, Arcadia had her in a full Nelson, only to be tripped and unbalanced by a swift backwards kick. The woman quickly got out of the lock, and pounced. Arcadia rolled aside, and the other woman landed on the deck. Arcadia was first on her feet, and landed a
powerful blow to the woman's skull as she was getting up. The woman reeled backwards, stunned, but not finished. It allowed Arcadia the second she needed to reach the nearby stunner and fire a shot. The woman collapsed, unconscious.

Exhausted, but needing to move quickly, Arcadia ran to the console. The computer was awaiting an input. She checked the navigation controls, and entered a new set of coordinates. Then, she fired the ship's retro-thrusters and broke orbit. Arcadia leaned back in the chair and breathed a sigh of relief, wiping a bit of blood from her face on her gown.

Leaving the vessel on auto-pilot, and tucking the stunner in her sash, Arcadia dragged the woman back towards the room with the Phase Door. She had to check on the Captain. When she got there, he was gone.

Arcadia dropped the woman hastily, and ducked near the Phase Door control console. The Captain wasn't in the room as far as she could tell. She checked her stunner. Bad news, she realized, the two shots fired had drained the remainder of its already low energy pack. She was about to check the woman's body for a possible replacement weapon or cartridge, when she heard the ominous click of a firearm. She turned towards the entrance to see the Captain pointing a black pack
at her.

"Drop the stunner," he commanded. Arcadia did so, deliberately making slow movements.

The Captain circled around to the console, keeping a lock on Arcadia at all times. He glanced at a panel, and pushed a couple of buttons.

"We've left orbit," he commented. "Why?"

Arcadia remained silent. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that the woman was beginning to regain consciousness. She wouldn't be able to handle two of them! The Captain pointed his weapon more vehemently at Arcadia, and spoke more harshly.

"Listen, lady," he exclaimed. "You've gotten me in a lot of trouble! I've got over a hundred passengers and crew on Calashadir, and I've got a schedule to keep. Just where do you get off commandeering my ship and taking it for a spin around the galaxy?!"

The woman had recovered, and made her way to the Captain's side. He gave her the weapon and motioned her to keep Arcadia at gunpoint. The woman's eyes were narrowed with a fierce intensity. Arcadia wasn't sure if she was going to fire out of revenge or malice!

"Who else is aboard, Vixen?" the Captain asked his pilot, doing more instrument checks on the console.

"Just us three, Captain," she replied. "I can make it two, if you'd like," she said, icily, gesturing with the gun towards Arcadia.

The Captain shook his head and was about to answer, when a klaxon alarm began to sound. Alerted, the Captain quickly turned to Vixen and motioned her to follow.

"The helm!" he shouted, running down the corridor. "Quick, bring her along!"

Vixen forcefully pushed Arcadia ahead of her, running with her behind the Captain back towards the pod. All three arrived to see the view screen showing a bright, massive fissure in space, something that looked like a spiraling funnel of light. Alarms were sounding as it was apparent that the phenomenon's gravitational pull had latched onto the Azure-Queen and was pulling the ship inside!

"Vixen! Get to the controls!" the Captain shouted, taking the gun from his officer and keeping it on Arcadia.

The red-haired pilot scrambled into the seat and began running her fingers over the console, trying to regain control of the ship. She quickly became frustrated, as nothing was working.

"It's no use, Captain!" she cried. "We're getting sucked in! I can't get the maneuvering thrusters on line - the force of that thing is just too strong!"

The Captain clenched his jaw in rage, and fear. Arcadia turned to face him.

"Look," she said. "I know I got you into this, but maybe I can get you out. I'm a pilot myself. Hey, if I was good enough to get your ship..."

The Captain looked at her angrily, but realized the gravity of the situation. He lowered his weapon and pointed to the helm. "Go!"

Arcadia quickly took the seat, as Vixen got out of it. She tried every trick she knew, but nothing was working. What was that thing out there anyway? A gravity well? It wasn't like anything Arcadia had ever seen before. And it certainly was more powerful than any kind of other astral phenomena that she knew! The nav comp had shown nothing like it in the area. It must have appeared close by and pulled the ship off course.

"Well?" the Captain asked.

Arcadia turned to face him. He was definitely in a near-panic state. Vixen's face was white with fear. Arcadia tried to remain calm.

"There's nothing I can do," she stated. "It looks like we're going in."

Trembling, Vixen scooted closer to the Captain. He pulled her in and gripped her shoulder tightly. Arcadia held on to the console as the Azure-Queen began to be pulled through the funnel. It seemed as if space itself was being twisted, distorted somehow. Arcadia felt as if her very body was being bent by the force of the phenomenon. The ship shook violently, and Arcadia could hear a sharp wail. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The ship was thrust through
the fissure. The lights coalesced and blended into a kaleidoscope of hues and blur. Then, stillness and darkness.

***

When Arcadia opened her eyes, she was still seated at the helm. The Captain and Vixen hadn't moved. They slowly opened their eyes as well. The Captain slowly released his grasp from his pilot's shoulder. It was so quiet that Arcadia could hear her own heartbeat!

Vixen broke the silence. "Where are we?" she asked, her voice shaky.

Arcadia forced her trembling hand to check the console. It was giving some strange readings. There were no reference points, no beacons. Nothing to draw coordinates from. She didn't have a clue where they were.

"I don't know," she finally replied. "The nav comp's useless. I can't get a fix on anything."

The Captain approached and checked the controls himself. He ran a quick diagnostic.

"The computer's fine," he said. "She's right." He paused to let the full effect of his next statement sink in.

"We're lost." He glared at Arcadia.

Vixen came up to the chair. "What do you mean, 'we're lost?'" she asked, pushing some buttons herself. "I mean, you should be able to get a fix from any point in the universe!"

Arcadia was slowly putting it all together. She had heard of such experiences, though she had passed them off as fantasy in the past. Now, however, she was pretty certain of what had just taken place. She turned to face Vixen.

"The only problem," she said to the scarlet lady, "is that we're no longer in our universe."

The Captain and Vixen looked stunned. They looked at each other in amazement, then looked at Arcadia.

"Well if we're not in our universe," the Captain said, "then could you please tell us just where the hell we are?"

Arcadia looked back at the screen, scrutinizing the unfamiliar stars and celestial formations. She was afraid to admit it even to herself,
but she answered the Captain, softly and deliberately.

"The Dark Zone."

***

The Captain of the Azure-Queen had apparently decided it wasn't worth it keeping a weapon on Arcadia - after all, where was she going to go? Where were ANY of them going to go for that matter?!

"I appreciate your efforts at the helm," he was saying to Arcadia, as they were walking through the ship. The Captain was doing an inspection, in the aftermath of the turbulence in going through the vortex. Arcadia was accompanying him, using it as an opportunity to familiarize herself with the ship. Vixen was still at the helm, trying to cross-check navigational data in an attempt to find a suitable course in this strange cosmos. It was clear that both the Captain and Vixen were extremely wary of their new "passenger," and didn't trust her.

"I suppose it was the least I could do," Arcadia replied. They were now in the wardroom. The Captain was looking at the empty lounge, his expression faded and worried.

"Despite the fact that it's ultimately your fault," he said, looking at Arcadia, "I still feel responsible for all those people who got left behind. I'm the Captain of this ship. I take responsibility for whoever's on it!" He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing. "That includes you, lady. At least now it does. Remember that the next time you're tempted to pull a stunt."

Arcadia shook her head wistfully, and extended her hand towards him. "Look," she said, "animosity and grudges aside, 'lady' isn't going to cut it. My name's Arcadia... Arcadia Shazemne, from Ostral B."

The Captain hesitated before accepting her hand, then chuckled to himself. "Jaden Knight," he said, returning the introduction. "Ostral B, huh? I should have known with all those moves that you were a heretic!"

Arcadia smiled in return. "A girl's got to be prepared nowadays. Speaking of prepared, is there anything on this ship that I can wear besides..." she fluffed her sash to make her point.

Jaden led her towards the passengers' staterooms. He picked one that obviously had been used a female.

"Take your pick." He motioned to the wardrobe. "I doubt she'll be needing them anytime soon. If they don't fit, try another room."

He turned to leave and give her privacy.

"Captain Knight?" Arcadia called to him.

He stopped and turned back around. "Jaden will do just fine," he said. "What is it?"

She thought about what she was going to say, but decided that it wasn't the appropriate time. She shook her head, politely smiling.

"Nothing I suppose," she said. "Thanks."

Jaden left her to her changing. Arcadia found the garments to be a near-perfect fit!

***

The three of them, Jaden, Vixen, and Arcadia, met in an hour on the rec deck for a briefing. The Captain had made his rounds, and had prepared some work for his new crew.

"First order of business," Jaden began. "Letting bygones be bygones." He turned towards Arcadia. "I should have vaporized you at the first chance I got, but that's way past us now. I could throw you in the brig, but in our present situation, you're far more useful to me as a pilot and crewmate. So, Arcadia, welcome aboard the Azure-Queen."

He motioned to Vixen. "I know that you two got off to a rough start, but this is Vixen Kael, my first officer. I want the two of you to shake hands, and put the past behind. This can't work if I can't trust my only two officers to work together peacefully."

Arcadia slowly offered her hand. Vixen grudgingly accepted it and gave it a quick and cool shake.

"Now," Jaden said, continuing. "Our situation. We're in the Dark Universe. Arcadia has informed me that we have no navigational data, no reference points, no nothing to make a course determination. According to our scanners, we seem to be well-within the confines of a galaxy of some sort. In theory, a star system should be within reach, if we know where we're going."

Vixen cut in with her report. "The ship's navigational beacon has picked up echoes from what appears to be a spinward mass of gravitational energy. It could be a cluster of stars nearby, or maybe a black hole. I can't be sure. Not this far away."

"Fuel status?" the Captain asked.

Arcadia pulled her report out. "Well, I've been discovering more and more about this ship, and it seems that the Azure-Queen is equipped with an FTL Fusion Reactor, meaning that we can make use of most types of energy and convert it into fuel. The only problem is that we don't have an endless supply of energy at our disposal."

"Since we don't have passengers anymore," Vixen commented, "and since it's just the three of us as crew, we can probably divert most of the ship's life support and luxury systems power to the main drive. That should give us a good amount of power, at least until we find a place with enough raw materials to convert."

"What about weapons and shields?" Arcadia asked.

Jaden shook his head. "This is a cruise vessel," he replied. "Strictly civilian. I wasn't able to get a weapons permit. As far as defensive shields go, all we got are navigational screens for things like meteors, cosmic matter, radiation, and such."

"What about food?" Vixen inquired. "What are we going to eat all this time?"

Jaden motioned over to the galley, on the other side of the deck. "Fortunately, the Azure-Queen's designed to feed hundreds over long periods," he said. "If we balance the food banks for just the three of us, the ship ought to be able to sustain us for years! I'd say that's the least of our problems."

"So what's the greatest of our problems, Captain?" Arcadia asked, slyly.

Jaden stood up, and walked over to one of the observation ports. The stars were at a stand-still, as the ship had not moved since their arrival in the Dark Zone.

"The greatest of our problems, my dear," he said, still looking outward, "is where to go!"

Vixen stood up as well, report tucked under her arm. "I recommend we head spinward," she said. "Follow our beacon. There's got be something out there."

Jaden came back to the table. "Arcadia?" he asked, awaiting a sense of confirmation.

Arcadia looked at Vixen. The two shared the first civil glance since Arcadia had come on board. "Agreed," she answered.

"Okay, ladies," the Captain said, closing the briefing. "Let's get to it. We've got a lot of work to do, and a long journey ahead of us!"

***

Arcadia had been wanting to talk to Jaden ever since the day of the briefing. She took her chance about a week later while she was working out playing a solitary game of grav-ball on the rec deck. She had found some gym clothes in one of the rooms, and all the equipment was in the Azure-Queen's rec locker. Jaden came on deck while she was playing.

"You're pretty good with that stuff," he commmented, distracting her from a possibly vicious spike. "A woman of many talents - I like that!" He came on down to the game level. "I had no idea that heretics learned anything else besides how to kill and terrorize."

Arcadia paused the game, gripping the ball one-handed. Setting it down, she took a towel from the bench to wipe the sweat from her forehead and hands.

"I'm one of those educated heretics," she said, smiling. She threw the soiled towel to him. "Besides, there's little else to do on this ship with most of the power diverted!"

Jaden picked up the ball, twirling it on his finger. "Well, you could always go swimming," he offered. "We've got SCUBA and snorkeling gear."

"Already tried," Arcadia responded. "I couldn't find a swimsuit that would fit."

"Who said anything about needing a swimsuit?" Jaden shot back, laughing.

Arcadia rolled her eyes in feigned amusement, shook her head, and snatched the ball from his hands.

"How about a game, big guy?" she asked, enticingly. She bounced the ball on the court to emphasize her point.

Jaden laughed for a second, then nodded. "Okay," he replied. "But I warn you, I'm pretty good!"

They played a few rounds. Jaden WAS pretty good, but Arcadia had the advantage in agility and speed. She let him get ahead, just to boost his ego, then delivered a win at the very end. Jaden was winded after the third match.

"Not bad," he said, puffing and going for the water dispenser.

"You mean, 'not bad for a heretic!'" Arcadia added in jest.

Jaden looked up from the dispenser, and smiled in consent. "Touche'," he said.

***

Arcadia agreed to a drink in the forward lounge after her shower. After all, the Captain DID lose graciously!

"So tell me," Jaden was saying as they took their seats at the table, "were you always this feisty and strong-willed?"

Arcadia sipped her drink, trying to avoid Jaden's penetrating gaze. "I used to be much worse," she replied, a little softness in her voice. "Something happened not too long ago which changed all that."

"What was that?" Jaden asked, intrigued.

She sighed before continuing. "I lost someone.. very close to me," she said. "I've been a rebel most of my life. I've fought for something that I truly believed in, and I really didn't count the cost until it eventually caused me to lose someone whom I cared very much for."

Arcadia was finding it difficult to talk about Tristan. She could feel that she might start to cry if she didn't change the subject soon.

"Anyway," she said, clearing her throat a bit and taking a more generous helping of her drink, "what about you, Jaden Knight? You seem to be an interesting sort of man. What's your story?"

Jaden pulled his drink a little closer, and looked down before answering. "Well," he replied, chuckling a bit, "it's a lot of the usual. Man has dream, man pursues dream, man loses dream. Then man settles for a used cargo freighter that he turns into a pleasure yacht, only to find that he can turn a profit using it to run cruises
for the Cluster-fully confortable." He stopped for a moment and looked directly at Arcadia before continuing. "Then he gets taken for a ride by a beautiful woman and ends up in the Dark Zone!"

Arcadia laughed, more out of politeness than out of amusement. She looked across the table at Jaden, realizing that he too had that look that had once attracted her to another man a few years ago.

Her laugh subsided, as the conversation took an awkward silence. Jaden shifted uncomfortably. He started to stand up. "Well..." he began.

Arcadia quickly took his hands and gently pulled him back to his seat. "Jaden..." she said, not sure how to start, and almost in a whisper, "there's something that I have to tell you."

The Captain's smile vanished, and he eased back into his chair. Arcadia didn't let go of his hands.

She took a long breath, then proceeded. "I need to tell you why I tried to steal your ship."

Jaden leaned back a little, slowly withdrawing his hands from Arcadia's grasp. "I'm listening," he said, softly.

"I didn't want to tell you this," Arcadia continued, "but you need to know. I was stranded on Calashadir. The reasons aren't important, but my reason for wanting to leave is. Something is going to happen, soon. It's going to change our lives as we know it. I'm just now starting to understand it all." She thought back to the scene from the Portal, and the Keeper's words. "I had to escape, and your ship was the best way out at the time, or so I thought. I never meant for any harm to come to you or your crew, and I really didn't intend to get us stuck in this universe, although... I'm beginning to see how it was definitely part of some plan."

Jaden seemed confused. "What do you mean, 'some plan?'" he asked. "Are you saying that none of this is permanent, that we can get back to our universe?"

"I don't know," Arcadia said, a little flustered at not having all the answers herself yet. "I don't know how to find the vortex again, or even if we could, if we can re-enter it and return to the Light Universe."

"Well, maybe it's time we tried!" Jaden stood up quickly and began to make his way out.

"No, Jaden!" Arcadia stopped him halfway across the room. She took him by the shoulders, and held him in front of her. "This is part of what I'm trying to tell you... we can't go back. Even if we found a way, we can't."

Jaden slowly removed Arcadia's hands from his frame, and held them gently in his own. "What do you mean?" he asked her, his eyes carefully studying the attractive woman in front of him.

Arcadia gazed directly upon him. "I mean that..." she stuttered, not sure how to finish her phrase. She figured it best to just level with him. "I mean that the Light Universe is going to be destroyed in the near future. Everything will end. All matter will be collapsed into a giant... wormhole of some sort. I've seen a vision of the future, Jaden, and this IS going to happen! You have to believe me. We are truly stuck here in the Dark Zone, for the rest of our lives. To return to our universe would be a death sentence... for all of us." She placed one hand upon the Captain's cheek and caressed him gently. The mere thought of losing someone again...

Jaden placed his own hand on Arcadia's face and returned the caress. He bent closer, his lips nearing hers.

Vixen walked in at that very moment. "Captain," she was saying, oblivious to the situation. "I need a word with..." She stopped short, seeing the two hastily separate in surprise from a near embrace.

"...you." Vixen finished her sentence, her voice trailing off. She first looked at Jaden, then at Arcadia. Her lip stiffened as she quickly glanced away, then, lowering her head, turned around, and left the uncomfortable pair staring at the empty doorway.

***

Vixen was definitely avoiding Arcadia for the next few days, following the incident in the lounge. It was creating an uncomfortable atmosphere. Jaden seemed to be avoiding both women, only interacting when it was necessary, and then only in a business fashion. The deadlock broke one morning while Vixen was taking a swim. Arcadia walked towards the edge of the pool, squatted down, and waited for her to finish her lap.

"We've picked up a signal," Arcadia said, as Vixen pulled the cap off her head, letting her red hair drape back down her shoulders and dangle in the water. "It's a remote, probably either a derelict vessel or an abandoned outpost, judging from the frequency. It's almost on an intercept course. We can divert to check it out with a minimal loss of power." She stood up as to leave. "Just thought you'd want to know. Jaden's already been informed."

Vixen bristled at Arcadia's use of the Captain's first name. She pulled herself out of the water, reaching for her towel. Arcadia couldn't help but notice that her rival had a beautiful physique, swimsuit notwithstanding. She was slender, well-proportioned for her height (she was only slightly shorter than Arcadia), and had excellent muscle tone. She probably worked out often. Her complexion was much fairer than Arcadia's with reddish highlights that matched her hair. She could see how the Captain could have very well been taken by this woman!

"Is there anything else?" Vixen asked coldly, as she proceeded to dry herself off.

Arcadia shook her head slowly, then turned around and began walking away. She stopped after only a few paces, and turned back around, gazing at Vixen with a new sense of understanding and sympathy.

"You love him, don't you?" she asked.

Vixen returned her gaze, only more sharply. She walked past Arcadia, heading towards the shower, not saying a word.

"I lost someone once, you know," Arcadia said, speaking up to get Vixen's attention. The red head stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Someone whom I loved very much," she said, continuing. "He sacrificed himself for me, so that I could live. He taught me a lot about sacrifice that day..."

Vixen suddenly spun around. She glared at Arcadia, fire in her eyes. "What do YOU know about sacrifice?" she demanded, her voice angry and bitter. "Did you have to sacrifice your ship, your crew, a hundred passengers, all because of a... a selfish, crazy BITCH who went off half-cocked and threw us into the pit of HELL?!"

Vixen inhaled deeply, then let it out gently, as to get some sense of control. Her fists were clenched at her sides, but she slowly relaxed them. She continued looking straight at Arcadia. The fire still remained.

"Yes, I love him," she said, more calmly. "And yes, I too know about sacrifice, deary. I've seen Jaden sacrifice more for his crew, his passengers... and for me, than you will EVER understand!"

With that, Vixen turned back around and strutted angrily towards the shower. Arcadia remained by the pool, watching her leave, then turning to the water. The waves left behind by Vixen's strokes and turns had softened to mere ripples. It looked so peaceful. Arcadia had not known peace like that for a long, long time.

She took off her outfit, and laying it by the side of the pool, entered the pool naked. The pleasantly cool liquid came up over her ankles, then her legs, and finally engulfed her lower arms and torso. Arcadia pushed off the nearest wall, allowing herself to glide through the water, enjoying the relaxing sensation of the water's
caress upon her body.

"She'll understand soon," Arcadia said to herself.

***

The Azure-Queen approached the source of the signal. It WAS a ship of some kind, quite large. It was holding a course, but the drive system had obviously been shut down a long time ago. The stabilizers were still functioning, it seemed, as the vessel wasn't drifting.

"There are life signs aboard, human" Vixen reported to the Captain. "A lot. In fact, it would seem that the ship is carrying close to a thousand people!"

"A THOUSAND?!" Arcadia gasped. It was a big ship all right, bigger than the Azure-Queen, but it clearly wasn't of military design. Why would a civilian vessel need such a complement?

Jaden stepped up to the console. "Have they responded at all to our hails?" he asked.

Vixen shook her head. "No," she replied. "Most of the ship's auxiliary systems have been shut down, for quite a while it seems. They've got life support, environmental control, artificial gravity, and some back-up systems. But all the propulsion, except for stabilizers, communications, and sensors are apparently off line."

Jaden looked carefully at the massive ship looming off of the Azure-Queen's bow on screen. He nodded to himself, then gestured to Arcadia.

"I want you to come with me," he said, leaving the pod. "Vixen, keep a close watch on that ship. If anything happens, call me on my squawker."

Jaden and Arcadia left together. Vixen watched them leave, sighing to herself. She turned her attention back to her monitor.

***

Arcadia followed Jaden to the chamber with the Phase Door control unit. She watched with interest as he opened up a locker behind the console, and pulled out two stunners. He handed one to Arcadia.

"It's fully charged," he said. "Set it to wide field, just in case."

Arcadia checked her weapon. She walked over to Jaden as he was working at the console.

"Why do you keep these stunners on board?" she asked.

"Crowd control," he responded. "If there was ever a riot of passengers, I could stun the lot of 'em and not cause permanent damage." He continued to press buttons and switches.

Arcadia examined the stunner again. There were settings for narrow and wide beam, light and heavy effect, even an overload switch.

"Have you ever had to use it before?" she asked.

"Almost" he replied, smiling. "When I was in danger of being hijacked on Calashadir."

Jaden pushed a final button. The Phase Door opened on the platform, as Arcadia had seen it once before. She was still puzzled.

"Are you ready?" Jaden asked, pocketing a small device from the console and walking towards the opening.

"Ready for what?" Arcadia asked. "Where are we going?"

"To the other ship, of course," Jaden responded. He made ready his stunner.

Arcadia gave him a strange look. "But how do we know the door's open on the other side? Do they have a Phase Door too?"

Jaden chuckled in good humor. "This is new to you, isn't it?" he chided. "They don't have to. That's what's so neat about this system. I can open a two-way door to anywhere, so long as it's in range of the ship, and there's nothing blocking the signal, say an energy field or too much solid mass. And when I'm ready to come back, all I have to do is use this," he showed her the small device, "to re-open the door at my end, and get back to the ship!"

He walked over to Arcadia and took her hand. "So," he asked again, "are you ready?"

Arcadia took back her hand, and smiling in a "you're amazing" kind of way, entered the Phase Door with Jaden.

***

Jaden and Arcadia emerged from the blackness into what looked to be a city in space! They were obviously inside the enormous other ship, but it didn't look anything like a space vessel at all. They were inside some kind of dome, with a fabricated sky projected overhead, and streets, buildings, and other dwellings down at ground level. It was a peculiar sight.

The door quickly closed behind them. Arcadia held her weapon close, not sure what to make of it all. Jaden took a few steps forward on the paved "road," and motioned to Arcadia to follow. They walked down a street with stone and metallic buildings along the sides. There were some people who were coming out of doors to the buildings, and others who were looking out windows at the two visitors, talking to one another in wonder an amazement. A small group approached Jaden and Arcadia. They looked completely human!

One of the men spoke to Jaden. "Who are you?" he asked.

Jaden lowered his weapon. "I'm Jaden Knight," he said, politely. "I'm the Captain of the Azure-Queen. We came across your vessel in space, but couldn't get a response from our hail. So, we decided to come aboard."

The man looked confused. He turned to his fellows who all had similar expressions. "Vessel?" they were saying to each other, "space?" He finally turned back to Jaden.

"You words are strange, friend," he stated. "You are obviously not from here. Are you traveling through?"

Jaden looked over at Arcadia. She was still holding her stunner, guardingly. Jaden answered the man.

"We're travelers, of a sort," he said, trying to explain. "We've come across your... city," he motioned around him, pointing to the buildings, "and wanted to make contact with you. You see, we're lost, and were hoping to find some directions, and... were wondering if you could tell us what lies beyond your city, and how to get there."

The man again looked puzzled, but still tried to answer cordially. "No one here has been outside our city for a long time," he said. "But you are certainly welcome to stay here and rest before you continue on your journey. Both you and your friend." He stepped aside, directing Jaden and Arcadia to a place further down the street.

Jaden bowed slightly. "We are honored by your hospitality," he said. He began walking with the small group, as Arcadia quickly caught him by the arm.

"Jaden!" she whispered loudly, dragging his ear closer to her. "What are you doing?! We have no idea who these people are! Why don't we get back to the Azure-Queen and discuss this?"

Jaden gently broke loose of Arcadia's grasp, and escorted her with him down the street. "Arcadia, this is the first contact we've had with inhabitants of the Dark Zone. Plus, we ARE lost! If we can find some information..."

"But the Dark Zone is full of depravity and wickedness!" Arcadia objected. "What good do you think we'll find here?"

Jaden kept on walking. "These people seem friendly enough," he said. "A little naive perhaps, but certainly not vicious! I think we'll give them a chance to help us. Who knows, maybe we can help them too!"

Arcadia shook her head, and complied, but kept her weapon within easy reach. "You're so much like him," she said softly to herself, as the two of them continued walking.

***

Jaden and Arcadia were led to a large commons area, similar to a tavern, located in the heart of the "city." Amongst other things, there was a queer dichotomy about the city and its dwellers. They seemed to be rather simple folk, dressing in old-fashioned, rather conservative attire, having no transportation other than their own  feet, and using few modern power sources. But the structure of the village seemed unusually sophisticated, as if it was built by a civilization far more advanced.

The fare which was spread before them was fantastic! If their cooking methods were crude, it certainly wasn't obvious. Jaden and Arcadia both delighted in any cuisine which differed from the Azure-Queen's galley.

"The secret's in the sauce," was the only reply that was given when Jaden asked about the recipe.

Jaden did most of the talking, while Arcadia made it her business to observe the surroundings. The Captain learned quite a bit during their meal. The inhabitants apparently had no idea that they were on board a space vessel. There were approximately a thousand villagers, all living within an area which measured no more than a few city blocks in any urban environment. They had a Council of Elders (of which the man who was first introduced to them was the senior member -
his name was Gideon, it was soon learned). As far as their origins, the people seemed to be unclear. There were references to a variety of myths and legends, which focused largely around a series of rituals and holidays that were observed frequently.

"Actually," Gideon said to Jaden at one point, "you're in luck. Tonight is the eve of one of our most important festive days, the Lottery. Tomorrow, you and your friend can see this great occasion for yourselves! It will perhaps answer some of your questions about our little community. It is one of the few times that we read from the Codex."

Arcadia's ears pricked up at the mention of written texts. As of yet, she had not seen any form of writing, not even street signs, which she thought was strange. Of course, there were a lot of things about this place which gave her the creeps!

Jaden heard it as well, but bypassed it for the moment. "Tell me," he said, continuing his conversation with Gideon, "you mentioned earlier that no one has left the city for a long time. Why is that?"

The room became suddenly quiet. Jaden perceived that he might have stumbled upon a taboo.

Gideon looked around at the reaction, but did not seem to taken aback himself. "Of course," he replied, "you are visitors. There is nothing beyond our fair village except for woods, and there is no reason to venture into them."

Somebody near the table whispered to a fellow close by. "They're haunted, I tell you! Everyone knows that!" A quick but not too subtle "hush" from one of the other villagers silenced the remark.

Gideon stood up. "Well, I can see that you've feasted well," he said. "Would you care to see your accomodations for the night? You'd probably like some rest before tomorrow's festivities and your journey afterwards."

Arcadia was about to object, but Jaden squeezed her knee underneath the table. "That would be most gracious of you, Gideon," he replied, and he and Arcadia were escorted upstairs, after a hearty round of "good nights."

***

"I don't like this one bit!" Arcadia said, protesting. She had slipped into Jaden's room after being shown her own. The Captain had no intention of falling asleep. He had just checked in with Vixen to give her a brief report.

"I'm not about to let this opportunity escape," Jaden said, readying his gear. He quietly checked to see if the coast was clear, then he and Arcadia slipped out of the room, downstairs, and out the front door of the building.

It was dark outside, apparently a simulation of night-time. The overhead dome even had "stars" on it! The two walked stealthily through the streets. Jaden was obviously looking for something. He checked several of the public-looking buildings, peering in windows. Finally he stopped at one rather tall structure. He used his utility laser torch to bust the lock on the door, then he and Arcadia entered carefully.

Arcadia immediately realized the goal of Jaden's midnight search, and the reason for stopping here - it was a library! It appeared as if the building had not been used for ages. There was dust on everything. Arcadia scanned the room with her belt light, checking the shelves and racks. Upon closer examination, it seemed that all the tomes were written in an unfamiliar language.

"Arcadia!" Jaden suddenly whispered. "Over here!"

She walked over to where the Captain was standing, and directed her light to the object of interest. It was a model of the city, but cross-sectioned as to show its position in relation to the ship which contained it. There was a plaque with the same strange writing on it just below the model. Within the model, there were little figurines of people, but some of them didn't look like the villagers that they saw earlier. In fact, they didn't even look human! Arcadia noticed something else, just a few feet from the model. It was a sphere, something that resembled a planet. The model of the city-ship was placed horizontal to it, facing it.

Jaden and Arcadia exchanged knowing glances. "So," the Captain finally said, "they're on a journey, but they don't realize it. And how long it's been..."

Arcadia walked around the model, examining its intricacy and craftmanship. "These people couldn't have built this," she said. "Perhaps the architects of this voyage designed this as a blueprint for this... colonization effort?" She really wasn't sure about her theory. She only had some of the pieces to the puzzle. She hated mysteries, especially the unsolved type!

"Could they be headed to some star system?" Jaden asked, more to himself than Arcadia. "Perhaps the same cluster that we've picked up. Could it be that we're heading the same direction, only this ship somehow knows its way?"

"But how long have they been traveling?" Arcadia asked again, frustrated at the missing links. "I mean, these people couldn't be the same generation who hopped on board this thing in the beginning. And why no memory, no records? What about oral tradition? In fact..." she suddenly realized one of the things that struck her so odd. "Have you noticed anything strange about the make-up of the people here?"

Jaden frowned. "Aside from the obvious," he said, "no. Why?"

"Have you seen anyone here over the age of, say, thirty or thirty-five?" she asked. Jaden had to think about it for a moment.

"Don't bother," Arcadia continued. "You haven't. Neither have I. That's because there aren't any! What population of people, even a microcosm such as this, doesn't have elderly? Grandparents and such? It's too strange!"

Jaden nodded in agreement, but then sighed. "Well, we aren't going to get any more answers tonight," he said. "Let's head on back to our rooms, get some sleep, and see about this Lottery thing tomorrow. Maybe we'll find out some more then." He began heading out.

Arcadia followed, but shook her head with concern. "I still think this is all a big mistake!" she warned, knowing that it probably wouldn't make a difference.

***

The next morning's festivities began shortly after breakfast. The whole town met together in the square. There was a podium, behind which Gideon stood, and a large section of grass-area which had what looked like picnic tables, benches, and a massive grill for barbecuing. It appeared as if lunch was part of the program. Jaden and Arcadia were definitely in favor of that following the meal from the evening before!

Gideon got everybody's attention, then began his speech.

"Centuries ago," he said, "our forefathers set out to create a utopia. They built this city on the foundation that certain rules and principles would be followed and that certain blessings would be enjoyed by future generations to follow. One of these traditions which was set forth long ago is being observed today. Long live our   Brothers Before!"

He paused to give the crowd a chance to echo him in his praise. "Long live the Brothers Before!" they shouted.

Gideon continued. "In order that we might enjoy a degree of prosperity, our ancient brothers in their wisdom decided it would be best to limit our numbers, so that each individual citizen could benefit from our resources, our space, and the time and attention that we can give to one another. The number was chosen - one thousand. And so we have honored this decision by each and every year holding the Lottery, that we might through fair and equitable means decide who amongst us must sacrifice their citizenship so that their fellow villagers might continue to benefit from the utopia that they have too have known and enjoyed."

Another round of applause and cheering arose from the crowd. Jaden and Arcadia exchanged puzzled looks.

Gideon gestured to some of the men standing nearby. "Pass out the tickets please!"

The men began distributing little paper cards with numbers on them. Each card had one number. They went around, giving each individual one card. Jaden and Arcadia also received one each. Alarmed, Arcadia glanced at the Captain. It wasn't needed. Jaden had already begun to approach the podium.

"Excuse me!" he shouted to the front. "Uh, we're not exactly part of this..."

Gideon interrupted him. "I'm sorry, brother," he said, "the rules are clear. Every citizen must take a card, and no exchanges are allowed." Jaden was quickly pushed back again towards the crowd. Arcadia shoved her way through to be at his side.

She was about to object on her Captain's behalf, when one of the men near the podium struck a gong with a baton. The resonance echoed through the square. A large, bound book was brought forth. Gideon opened to a page and began to read in some unfamiliar tongue.

Probably the one that's written in the library, Arcadia thought. She wondered if the man even understood what he was reading!

When Gideon was finished, he closed the book and laid it aside. He then picked up a new piece of paper.

"Let the Lottery begin!" he shouted. He then proceeded to slowly read a list of numbers. When a number was called out, Arcadia noticed that someone from the crowd stepped forward and went to the grass-area. There were a couple of people already there beginning to stoke the fire in preparation for grilling. She also noticed that as some people came forward, others who stood near them cried or choked back tears. Arcadia was trying to figure out the significance when she
heard a number called:

"Number 519!" the caller said, and then repeated. "519!"

Arcadia looked down at her card - it read 519.

She looked at Jaden. The Captain realized what had happened. Some of the villagers who stood close enough to see the card as well also realized it! One of them motioned for Arcadia to step forward. She hesitated. A couple of the folks started getting annoyed.

The calling was soon completed. The line of people near the grass had grown to about fifty or so. The fire was getting quite large... and hot! A couple of people were counting the folks in line and cross-checking their papers. Gideon stood up to the podium again.

"The Lottery is complete!" he shouted. "A new year begins, one which is to be celebrated. Our celebration is not only for the souls of our brothers and sisters who so willingly sacrifice themselves for the good of their fellow citizens, but also for all of us who will enjoy, for years to come, the fruits of their sacrifice!" He pointed to the grill.

Jaden and Arcadia watched in horror as each and every person in line began to disrobe. Two men stepped forward, knives in hand, and slit the throat and bowels of the first victim, then placed him upon the flame-licked altar. The crowd went wild with cheers.

Someone close to Jaden and Arcadia spoke up in protest as the cheers subsided.

"Hey!" he shouted. "You forgot someone! This lady's been picked - she needs to get up front!"

Gideon frowned at the counters, as they quickly double-checked their sheets. They nodded in affirmation. Gideon addressed Arcadia.

"Sister," he said gently. "Why do you delay in offering yourself for the good of your brethren? Come down, quickly! The feast is about to begin!"

Arcadia suddenly felt quite sick to her stomach. She leaned over as subtly as she could to Jaden, and whispered, "let's get the hell out of here!"

Jaden smiled cordially at Gideon and the onlookers, then, grabbing Arcadia by the wrist, bolted as fast as he could through the crowd.

Cries of "stop them! stop them!" were heard immediately. Several of the bigger men tried to intercept the duo, but fortunately Jaden was prepared. He fired his stunner, wide field, into a section of the crowd, allowing a possible avenue for retreat. Arcadia wasted no time in drawing her gun, and covered their rear as they took off through the streets, past buildings and homes. The angry crowd picked up pursuit.

"Can you get your Phase Door opened?" Arcadia asked, breathing heavily as they ran.

Jaden didn't even bother with the unit. "No use," he said. "Too much time. The crowd would be upon us."

They kept running, putting a little distance between them and the villagers. They were approaching the outskirts of the town. Arcadia could see woods ahead.

"Come on!" she said, motioning Jaden to follow her into the forested glade. "They won't pursue us in here!"

They took a sharp detour, and headed for the trees. The cry of the crowd grew distant, as the pursuit was slowly broken off. Jaden and Arcadia kept running. They were both getting winded, and were getting well within the forest's borders. Arcadia checked behind here and could see the woods closing in behind them,separating them from the town and the angry mob.

"That's it!" she cried. "We're just about..."

Arcadia suddenly lost her footing on a tree root. She tripped and went sprawling. She managed to grab onto Jaden's belt as she tumbled, and took him down with her. They both landed in a pile of tangles and leaves on the hard forest floor.

"Jaden!" she cried. "Are you all..."

Her statement was interrupted by a sudden energy burst at her feet. She quickly looked up, and saw the source of the shot. Standing only a few meters from her and Jaden were a half a dozen figures, holding what looked like longbows, only strung with energy fibers and drawn back holding what looked like shimmering laser arrows, nocked and aimed straight at the two runners.

They were surrounded!

***

Jaden and Arcadia were blind-folded, fettered, and marched at "arrow" point to a cluster of trees near the center of the woods. Their blind-folds were removed and they were escorted to the top of what looked like a tree-city. Unlike the stone and metal structures of the village, this appeared to be completely natural in design. But the aesthetics were amazing. The tree-dwellings seemed to be "built" right into the very structure of the mighty arbors. And unlike the village beyond the woods, there was ornate and intricate carving on many of the wooden posts and beams... writing which resembled the strange script found in the library.

The two were taken to a particularly large and fanciful "tree-house." The inside of it was nothing to be compared with tree-house Arcadia had ever seen, however! It was truly an arboreal palace. There was an anteroom, then a hall which led to a central chamber. In the chamber, seated at giant "tree-tables" were an assortment of elegantly dressed individuals. One in particular was obviously an elderly being, with locks of silvery white hair, and wrinkles on his pale, shining face. This struck Arcadia as odd, seeing that no other patriarchs had yet been seen. There were guards here as well, each armed with a bow.

Arcadia got her first chance to really examine these peculiar people. They seemed almost human-like, but it was clear that there were some prominent differences. For one thing, they were unusually tall. Arcadia herself stood 5'10", quite tall for a woman. Jaden was just over six feet. But all of these individuals, even the women, stood at least a head and shoulders above the two humans! Their skin was different. Most of them, including the older leader-type seated at the head of the table, had a pale, bluish complexion, almost the color of moonlight. Their eyes were a brilliant shade of green, even more striking than Arcadia's. Their hair was worn long for the most part, even the men, and it was of a silvery hue, varying from individual to individual, of course, the older people having more white. They were slender, graceful, and a very handsome group!

But what attracted Arcadia's attention immediately was when one of the women seated at the table, an elegant, beautiful female of noble bearing, gently brushed her hair aside to shift it away from her shoulders and drape it more down her back. Arcadia couldn't help but notice the shape of her ears - though perfectly rounded at the lobe, and conforming almost identically to human shape, the tips were drawn upwards, ending at delicate points!

The older "man" at the head of the table stood up and addressed Jaden.

"Our scouts picked you up near the perimeter of our forest," he said, his voice deep, melodic, almost like a song. "You were blind-folded so that you would not know the way to our home, and brought here to our council chamber." He stopped and gazed deeply into the Captain's eyes. "Why did you enter the woods?"

Jaden was quite struck by the aged being's manner, and by the awe-inspiring surroundings, not to mention the mere curiosity of the people themselves! He tried to open his mouth, but nothing came out.

Arcadia was quick to recover on his behalf. "My Lord," she said, slowly and carefully. "We are visitors from a distant place. We made contact with the people of the city, and were... surprised by some very bizarre rituals. Our lives were put in danger, and we were forced to flee. We did not know about your forest, nor about your people. We simply needed a place of santuary. Our pursuers would not follow us into the woods. We meant no trespassing on your domain. Please forgive us for inadvertantly causing distress or concern among your fair folk."

The elderly being looked intently at Arcadia, then his lips slowly formed into a smile. One of his associates quietly spoke to him in a strange language. Arcadia thought it similar to the words uttered by Gideon at the Lottery, read from the ancient text.

"You are indeed not of the Terrans," he said, scrutinizing Arcadia more thoroughly. "No one from among their kin could speak so eloquently and diplomatically." He paused to utter a command to the nearby guards. The tall archers bowed reverently and exited. The two escorts quickly unbound Jaden and Arcadia, and departed as well. The leader then motioned to two empty seats.

"Please," he said, giving them a chance to sit down.

The conversation proceeded from that point at a less awkward pace. Jaden quickly found his tongue and began a dialogue with the people seated. It was discovered that these folk were of a different race. They called themselves "Sal'terran," while the city humans were known as "Terran." Both groups had begun a journey ages ago, to leave their war-ridden world behind and colonize a new planet where both peoples could live in peace. Generations passed, and while the Sal'terrans had much longer lifespans, and could remember the beginnings of their journey and the initial purpose, the Terrans soon forgot. Survival became more important than vision.

The two races grew apart. The Sal'terrans were teachers and intellectuals. They retained their ancient script and language, understanding its meaning and teaching it to their own. The Terrans, however, were more concerned with food and resources. The architects of the voyage were unfortunately short-sighted. They had not planned that the journey might take more than a generation or two. The Terrans began to find ways to conserve, but their population was growing too fast. The Sal'terrans, far fewer in number, but with cooler heads, tried to use their advanced skills to adapt. However, the Terrans reverted to barbarism. They initiated the Lottery, and other inhumane practices to keep their numbers steady and preserve their means of existence. The Sal'terrans, horrified by the transformation of their companions, separated themselves. They founded a place in the woods, and used whatever means necessary to keep the Terrans away, thus as generations passed, rumors of the woods being "haunted" began to spring up. The Terrans abandoned the old texts, and the ancient learning, returning to a simple, agrarian lifestyle which would suit their dysfunctional philosophy beter. The Sal'terrans, keepers of the old knowledge, and still adept with technology, held onto the secret of their journey, but allowed the Terrans to go on with their barbarism. Fearing that both races might one day reach a planet, and that the Terrans would be loose upon a world, no longer confined in their microcosm of cruelty, the Sal'terrans sabotaged their vessel's drive systems and communications, and allowed the ship to wander endlessly for eternity, keeping the terrible secret, and failure of the experiment, hidden.

"I am old enough to remember the start of our journey," the old leader said, sadly. "I was but a youth. We had high hopes and dreams, a vision of reaching the shores of a brave new world, and creating a paradise where our two races could live in peace. That ended long ago."

Arcadia finally spoke, still in a spell-bound state from the incredible story. "Do you still remember where this ship was originally headed, before the sabotage was necessary?" she asked.

The Sal'terran nodded. He stood up, and went to a cubboard on the other side of the room. He pulled out a chart and placed it on the table. It had the same runes written on it, obviously for directions and coordinates.

"We retained all this information," he explained. "We still speak the old language, and read and write the ancient script. The Terrans still have a library of many of our old books of lore and science, but they have long forgotten the words. It is now only a gibberish to them, used at corrupt ceremonies and festivals, with no meaning."

He pointed at the map. "Here is where we began." He showed them a dot, representing a star system near the center of a swirling, spiral galaxy. "Here," he said, motioning to another point, far from the center, in the midst of one of the galaxy's outer arms, "was to be our destination. It is the third planet of a yellow sun. Our
scientists observed this world using their technology over a millenia ago. From their reports, it was a primitive, but bountiful world, an ideal place for our civilization."

He rolled up the star chart. "Unfortunately," he said, "it is a world which we will never see."

Jaden had a gleam in his eyes that Arcadia could observe. He was still in awe at the prospect of a star chart! He motioned Arcadia in close and whispered some words in her ear. She nodded in agreement. The Captain addressed the leader again.

"Sir," he began, "I have a proposition for you. We have a vessel sailing next to yours at this very moment. It's how we came to find you initially. It's not just any vessel, it's called the Azure-Queen. It's a cruise liner, with the ability to accomodate hundreds on long trips. I suggest a trade, of sorts. You hand over to us any star
charts or navigational data that you have regarding this galaxy, and I will guarantee you and your people safe passage to your original destination... on our vessel! You can leave the confines of your derelict ship, and go on your way, free from the fear of having the Terrans in your midst or letting them loose on your new world."

For the first time since their encounter, the Sal'terran leader appeared in shock. Several of the other Sal'terrans began speaking at once in their own language. The old leader silenced them with a wave of his hand.

"Your offer is quite interesting, Captain Knight," the patriarch said. "The council needs some time to discuss this. In the meanwhile, you and Miss Shazemne are our guests, and will be treated accordingly."

He called out to an attendant in the anteroom. The lovely young maiden came quickly to the elder's side. He spoke to her briefly, then she came alongside Jaden and Arcadia.

"Lorewen will assist you with anything you need," he said, preparing to hold conference with his peers.

"Could we please have our belts and devices returned?" Arcadia asked. They had been searched upon capture, and their items had been confiscated.

"Of course," the leader replied. He called for yet another attendant. "You will probably wish to contact your vessel." Jaden and Arcadia were then escorted outside the chamber and were given their belongings. Lorewen guided them to another part of the tree-palace, where they were shown their accomodations.

"You were FANTASTIC!" Arcadia squealed, jumping into Jaden's arms the minute they were alone.

Jaden winked at her, accepting her embrace. "I don't know about you," he said, barely containing his excitement at the prospect of a predictable journey, "but I think our wandering days might just be over!"

***

The council met with Jaden and Arcadia shortly afterwards. The decision was unanimous - they would accept the Captain's offer. The leader, whose name it was discovered was Taur-Kaylen, gave the order to begin packing up and moving the Tree-Colony.

"It is unfortunate that so many of our possessions will have to be left behind," Taur-Kaylen said to Jaden, "but it is clear that we can only transport the most dear and precious of our relics, our remaining texts most especially. It is important to have our history and culture made avilable to future generations. How tragic it would
be if the Sal'terrans suffered the same fate as our Terran companions!"

"How soon will your people be read to leave?" Arcadia asked.

"By nightfall," the aged Sal'terran replied. "This vessel provides an artificial day-night cycle, as you have undoubtedly noticed. Are you prepared to receive us on your ship?"

"I've already contacted my first officer," Jaden explained, "and informed her of our plans. She had assured me that accomodations will be ready."

Taur-Kaylen nodded in silent understanding, and walked towards a group of his people who were preparing a small wagon full of books and other valuables.

"Jaden," Arcadia said, as the Sal'terran was moving out of earshot, "why do we have to wait for nightfall? Why can't we just open the Phase Door right here and now and start loading up?"

"It's not quite that simple," Jaden said. "Unfortunately, the Phase Door is location specific. It leaves a trace signal which allows me to open it up again here and take us back to the ship. But in order to do that, I have to be at the same location where I originally arrived. In our case, that's back in the Terran city. I've already discussed this with Taur-Kaylen. We can't just walk into the city in broad daylight. They'd start a massacre! We'll have to sneak in under the cover of darkness, find the same spot as before, and open the portal." He gestured to his small device on his belt. "The trace is only strong enough for one re-open on this end. If we don't get everybody trough on the first try..."

"Why can't you just tell Vixen to open a new door down here?" Arcadia asked.

Jaden shook his head. "That would be great, except that Vixen doesn't know how to operate the console," he replied. "Not too smart, really, I suppose, for me to have left my first officer ignorant of the mechanism. There were a couple of other crew members besides myself who were familiar with the technology. Unfortunately, they were left behind on Calashadir."

Taur-Kaylen approached again. One of the archers was with him. "We will be ready as promised," he said to Jaden.

He turned to his associate. "This is Gaer-Edhel," he said, introducing him. "He is the Commander of our militia. You will coordinate your strategy for entering the city with him. He is knowledgeable in tactics, and familiar with the forest's perimeter.

Gaer-Edhel bowed slightly. He addressed Jaden. "I have a unit of fifty archers," he said. "We will need to scout ahead into the city with you to locate and open your portal. Once the coast is clear, Arcadia and the rest of our people will follow and go through the door. We'll bring up the rear."

"Why can't we just force our way through any opposition?" Arcadia asked the Commander. "I mean, how much trouble can the Terrans be?"

"The Terrans will likely post a guard near their border," Gaer-Edhel explained. "They will probably be looking for you to return at some point. Also, we have only about 150 in our number, and only a third of that is militia. They have nearly a thousand, and half of them are capable of fighting. They use crossbows, with poison quarrels. I have seen them. Their men have killed some of my archers in the past."

Jaden looked at Arcadia. She smiled, touching the handle of her stunner. "We'll give them a little extra to worry about this time," she offered.

***

Night came soon, and Gaer-Edhel and his team moved out. Jaden kept close by, but quickly discovered how difficult it was to match pace and stealth with these agile people! Gaer-Edhel was a skilled huntsman and tracker. He moved with the dexterity and cunning of a cat.

The archers approached the edge of the city. All seemed quiet. Gaer-Edhel motioned for his people to take strategic positions, ready for the slightest move by the Terrans. He and Jaden began walking along the street, keeping to the shadows. Jaden soon recognized the location, and halted.

"This is it!" he whispered. Gaer-Edhel nodded and made a subtle "whoosh-whoosh" sound, like a muffled whistle, calling his troops to attention, and giving the signal to begin transport.

Jaden activated his device. The black portal appeared, shimmering with silent static.

"We must hurry!" Jaden said, quietly. "We've only got a couple of minutes!"

Arcadia had heard the signal and, with Taur-Kaylen and the rest of the Sal'terran, hurried to the spot where Jaden and Gaer-Edhel stood. The people rapidly began walking inside the portal, carrying as much as they could. The wagon was about to be pulled in, when a quarrel flew through the air, hitting Taur-Kaylen squarely in the back. He cried out softly, then crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

"Ambush!" Jaden cried. He quickly drew his stunner. "Arcadia, quick! Take cover!"

A battle cry arose from down the street. A flood of Terrans armed with torches and crossbows was coming down the way, using the buildings as cover. The Sal'terran archers, already in position, began firing. Laser arrows and crossbow quarrels began darting back and forth, each as deadly and precise as lightning. Jaden and Arcadia began firing their stunners at the mob.

"There they are!" one of the Terrans shouted, pointing at the two humans in the midst of the Sal'terrans. "Get 'em!"

Jaden checked the progress of the departure. Most of the women and children were through. Some of the archers were backing their way in, firing as they went. The mob was drawing closer.

Arcadia fired a burst from the stunner, then the power pack went dead. Frantically, she tossed it aside and quickly took up one of the fallen archer's laser bows. She nocked an "arrow" and fired. It hit one of the Terrans directly, and he fell.

The portal was shimmering less now, and beginning to lose cohesion. Jaden estimated another five seconds or so before closure.

"Gaer-Edhel! Arcadia!" he shouted. "The portal's about to close. We've got to go through, NOW!"

He grabbed Arcadia and hastily ushered her through. Gaer-Edhel got off one more blast from his bow, then jumped through as well. Jaden made one last check. Several of the Sal'terrans had fallen from the quarrels, and a few were still trying to make it to the door under the heavy fire. The Terrans were nearly on top of them. He had run out of time. Jaden threw his stunner at a Terran who was about to jump him, knocking him away for a second, then dove into the vanishing blackness, leaving the street and the mob behind.

***

The Sal'terrans requested a special memorial service for their fallen and those left behind. Jaden was all too willing to accomodate them. Taur-Kaylen had been the first to fall under enemy fire. The remaining seventy or so grieved his death.

Lorewen, one of Taur-Kaylen's aids, was also apparently a priestess of some sort for the people. She led the ceremony on the Azure-Queen's rec deck. It was a sad day for them all!

Gaer-Edhel appeared to be a natural leader. The rest of the Sal'terrans seemed to be looking to him for direction and guidance now that their patriarch was gone. He worked closely with Jaden, Arcadia, and Vixen in making sure that the Sal'terrans all had rooms and food, and that any injured received what first aid the Azure-
Queen could provide. Fortunately, the Terrans' poison had not affected any on board.

Arcadia began to study their new guests more closely, spending time with some of the Sal'terrans. She seemed to form a friendship with Lorewen right away, as the young priestess seemed to like grav-ball! The Sal'terrans were a fascinating folk. Arcadia observed that they were usually quiet and subtle in manner as individuals, but could be merry when they got together in small groups. They seemed interested in learning about the Azure-Queen, about the crew's journeys and so on. They caught on to things quickly, so quickly in fact that Jaden was able to train a couple of them as pilots within just a few days, an added bonus for Vixen and Arcadia! They were a warm-hearted and generous people, very artistic and musical (they had brought some instruments on board, and enjoyed playing songs and singing), and were a pleasant diversion to the tedium that had once been characteristic of the ship.

It also seemed as if Vixen was becoming quite taken with Gaer-Edhel! This caught Arcadia's attention right away, as Vixen's attitude towards Arcadia began to slowly improve the more time she spent with the Sal'terran Commander. The two of them would spend most of their leisure time together, either talking, swimming, or sometimes alone in Vixen's quarters. Arcadia considered joking with the first officer about her new-found beau, but figured that she had better not push her luck!

About a month after the Sal'terrans initial arrival, Jaden called Vixen, Arcadia, Lorewen, and Gaer-Edhel for a special meeting. The Captain had a set of maps and charts on hand.

"These are the maps given to me by Taur-Kaylen before we left the city-ship," Jaden explained. "As you can see, we've got a long journey until we reach the Sal'terrans' original destination. I'm guessing that it might take up to twenty, perhaps thirty years, assuming we can last that long."

"What do you mean, 'assuming'?" Vixen said, taking Gaer-Edhel's hand nervously.

Jaden pointed to some places on the map. "We've got a little problem," he stated. "Our additional guests require additional power diverted from the fusion reactor. This is no problem, except that at our current rate, we'll be out of fuel in less than a year. I've run the calculations on our nav-comp. There is one star system between us and the Sal'terran's new home which could be reached in just a few months. Here." He showed them the position. "In theory, we could make it, barely, achieve orbit around a planet in the system, and hopefully acquire the energy we need to feed the reactor for years to come."

"Twenty or thirty YEARS?" Arcadia asked in disbelief.

"A drop in the bucket for a Sal'terran," Lorewen said. "I've already got five or six times that under my belt!"

"Well, I've barely got one!" Arcadia exclaimed. "Jaden, are you sure we can do this? The three of us will be old and grey before we ever reach that system!"

The Captain leaned over and faced Arcadia. "I made these people a promise," he said softly, but firmly. "We WILL carry out our end of the bargain!" He turned to Gaer-Edhel.

The tall Sal'terran stood up to speak. "We appreciate your sacrifice, Captain," he said. "I speak for all my people when I say that we will cooperate with you and assist you and your crew in any way to make the journey as bearable as possible." He gave Vixen's hand a slight queeze, and looked down at her, smiling.

Arcadia pulled Jaden aside as the meeting ended. She sat down with him in the lounge.

"Look, I know you gave Taur-Kaylen your word," she said, "but couldn't we reach a compromise... say, take the Sal'terrans only part of the way, and find a suitable planet for them to colonize?"

"Arcadia, I know you disagree with me on this," Jaden replied, "but you've got to trust me on this one. Remember that I took you along for the whole ride some time back. These are good folks, and they need our help. In the meanwhile, we get a ship with some people on it for a change, people who we find enjoyable - Vixen especially!"

Arcadia smiled. "Yeah, I've noticed she's got the hots for Mr. Tall, Pale, and Nimble!" She paused, taking Jaden's hand and holding it close. "It's made SOME things easier, I suppose," she said.

Jaden smiled at her, then stood up, pulling her up as well. "You up for a game of grav-ball?" he asked lightly. "I've been wanting a re-match for quite a while!"

Arcadia laughed. "You got it... Captain! Just be prepared to face the consequences when you lose!"

Jaden began walking with her to the rec deck. "Consequences?" he asked, amused.

Arcadia turned to enter the locker room, stopping to face Jaden before closing the hatch.

"Yes, indeed!" she said. "Loser has to give winner a full-body massage!" She closed the hatch before Jaden could answer, disappearing from view.

***

It was DEFINITELY the best massage he had EVER had, Jaden thought to himself an hour later!

***

Three months passed. It was getting clear that living in close quarters with the Sal'terrans was proving a challenge. It wasn't that they were unfriendly or difficult people. It was simply that their ways were different. Despite his ease with passengers, even Jaden was finding relations a bit strained after the first month. Unlike his
prior practices, there were no ports for shore leave en route to the distant system. He suspected that a sense of cabin fever was starting to set in.

It was obviously difficult for the Sal'terrans as well. They had been accustomed to open spaces, trees, and meadows during centuries of travel. Although the Azure-Queen was spacious, and everyone had plenty of elbow room, it just wasn't the same. Jaden finally risked a diversion of power to the holographic chamber, programming a series of woodland simulations to help his sylvan guests adapt and feel more at ease. This helped a lot!

Lorewen approached Arcadia one day on the rec deck during her daily grav-ball workout.

"I've noticed that you've been avoiding me lately," the elegant Sal'terran said to her recently acquired friend. "I was just wondering if I had said or done something to offend you."

Arcadia wrapped up her game, and sat down beside Lorewen on the bench. It was nearly time for her watch at the helm, but this was obviously important.

"No," Arcadia explained, "you haven't done anything. It's just that with more people on board now, I find myself guarding my privacy a bit more, I guess."

Lorewen nodded in understanding. "I've seen the same reaction in your Captain as well," she stated. "It's very understandable. You were used to having such a big ship to yourselves, and then we came along."

Arcadia reached over and touched her friend's arm. "No, Lorewen, I didn't mean it that way," she said, trying to explain. "I think it's great that you've joined us. Hey, we really needed some company aboard, and you folks have been wonderful." She smiled slyly. "I've especially noticed the powerful effect it's had on our first officer, Vixen!"

Lorewen returned the smile. "Yes, I've noticed that too," she said. "I've talked to them some about their relationship, some counseling if you will. I think it will be soon before Gaer-Edhel and Vixen decide to bond."

"Bond?" Arcadia asked.

"Yes, it's the Sal'terran equivalent to your marriage," Lorewen explained. "It's much deeper, though. A male and a female enter into a spiritual, mental, emotional, and obviously physical bonding process. There is a ceremony involved, which I will likely perform when the time comes. It involves a kind of empathic sharing and
melding. It's quite personal, and in the beginning, it is fragile. As the couple grows older, closer, the bond becomes stronger."

Arcadia was quite amazed. "Are your people psionics?" she asked.

Lorewen shook her head. "Not really," she replied. "Most Sal'terrans are born with a certain degree of empathic ability, but it is quite limited, and we use it primarily in our personal lives, in meditation, communing, and such. Some, like myself, are gifted with an unusual sensivity. Most often, we become priests. The gift helps us in our vocational calling."

Arcadia smiled, nodding. "So," she said. "It was your empathy towards me that brought attention to my concerns and feelings about your people and our situation."

"Partly," Lorewen said. "But it was mostly the fact that I overheard much of your conversation with the Captain a month ago in the lounge." She moved her head slightly, drawing attention to her pointed, and obviously more sensitive, ears!

Arcadia just stared for a moment, then burst out laughing. She gave her friend a brief hug around the shoulder. "I gotta go," she said, standing up and heading towards the shower. "I'll catch you for a game tomorrow, and I definitely GOT to hear more about this bonding thing!"

***

Arcadia and Vixen both happened to be in the control pod when the Azure-Queen's sensors picked up the signal. It was a vessel of some kind, drifting. The sensors were giving some strange readings, and they were not yet in visual range.

"It's almost organic," Vixen was saying, checking the data from the scanner. "It's like it's part living and part... machine, I guess." She seemed really puzzled.

"Any life forms?" Arcadia asked.

Vixen looked again, but just shook her head. "I don't know. The ship itself sort of reads as a life form. As for the inside, the readings just aren't clear."

Arcadia called Jaden to the pod. By the time he arrived with Gaer-Edhel, the Azure-Queen had obtained a visual. All four of them looked in amazement at the image on screen.

It looked like an enormous insect, rotating on its central axis, adrift. It had a huge "head," with a long spine extending back from it. The ship was much larger than the Azure-Queen. Its shape resembled something like a dragonfly, although far more complex.

Arcadia was stunned. It took her a moment to recognize the mammoth space bug, but when she did, her jaw dropped, and she sat there paralyzed. It was the same vessel that she had seen in the Time Portal when she was witnessing the destruction of the Light Universe! It was the ship which had been sucked into the vortex as the cosmos was collapsing. Somehow, and Arcadia could only guess how, it had been flung into the Dark Zone!

Jaden checked the console. "What are we geting now on the scanner? Anything?" He looked at Arcadia, her eyes still fixated on the screen, as if hypnotized. "Arcadia?" he asked again.

Arcadia came out of her daze, and turned to face the Captain. "Jaden, I need to see you for a minute, alone."

Jaden looked at her oddly, but agreed by walking with her to the corridor outside. Vixen and Gaer-Edhel exchanged puzzled looks.

Jaden and Arcadia came back to the pod. He looked at the strange vessel again on screen, then turned to address Gaer-Edhel. "I'd like you and Arcadia to take a small group of your archers through the Phase Door on to that ship," he said. "Keep in constant contact. If you need help, holler, and I'll open the door again from here."

The Sal'terran Commander nodded, and began walking with Arcadia to gather their team. He stopped and looked at Jaden. "What exactly are we looking for?" he inquired.

Jaden sighed, and glanced at Arcadia, knowingly. "I'm not sure," he replied. "But I think you'll know when you get aboard!"

***

Gaer-Edhel had chosen four of his best archers and, with Arcadia, took the Phase Door over to the strange bug-like ship. Arcadia was packing a laser bow herself, having become quite proficient in its use thanks to time spent in practice on the Azure-Queen's archery range!

The six of them emerged onto the vessel in what appeared to be a cargo bay, although nothing truly resembled any portion of this odd bio-mechanical construct. The walls, floors, ceilings, even features on board were of the utmost peculiar in nature. In this bay, there were several smaller insect-looking flying contraptions, with
transparent hatches where the "eyes" would be, and strange, mechanical "wings" for propulsion. There seemed to be no other way out.

"What is this thing?" Gaer-Edhel asked. He seemed to be on a high level of alert and suspicion, as he clutched tightly at his bow.

Arcadia sighed and tried to come up with a suitable answer. "It's a ship from the Light Universe," she replied. "If I remember right, this was some kind of prototype vessel from the Cluster, to be used for His Divine Shadow's purposes. However, it was said that heretics stole it." She shuddered in remembrance of a life that now seemed so distant and somewhat alien.

The Commander slowly nodded, half understanding to some point. It was clear that Vixen had not filled him in on ALL the details of their previous existence.

Gaer-Edhel posted two of his archers to stand watch in the bay, while he, Arcadia, and the other two got inside one of the flying things. There didn't seem to be any controls, except for some kind of fleshy "stick" in the middle. Arcadia soon discovered that it was indeed the throttle, as the insect-shuttle began flapping its wings
and lifting off.

She was amazed at how easily the thing was controlled - it really almost flew by itself! Arcadia easily guided the contraption over to what she perceived to be some kind of platform in the distance.

"This thing is HUGE!" Gaer-Edhel commented, noticing the size and volume of the massive ship.

They landed and exited the moth-like courier. They were standing onan elevated high-rise, far above the vessel floor. It overlooked a vast section of the ship. There appeared to be some kind of control seat in the middle, facing a blank viewscreen. A few feet from the helm was a disembodied robot head, sitting on the floor. Its power seemed to be currently turned off.

Fascinated, Gaer-Edhel walked over to the metal skull-like head, and picked it up.

"It's probably a 790 unit," Arcadia suggested, as the archer turned it over in his hands, examining it. He set it down after a few seconds. "Although I have no idea what it would be doing here!"

They explored for a minute before getting back in the moth. Arcadia tried once to use the helm, but there seemed to be no obvious control mechanism, just a chair of sorts which one could stand up in and face the screen!

They flew off the platform and began exploring some of the large passageways which could accomodate the moth. They took one which led them to a narrow point in which they could go no further. They got out, and began walking down a corridor, until they came to a room.

It was a rather long, narrow chamber, darker than most of the rest of the ship. There were conduits and valves lining the walls of the chamber on one side, and on the other side were some cryo-pods. Arcadia recognized the design. There were three, all of them apparently functioning, as cold vapors and mists periodically formed around the bases. She drew closer, her archer companions hanging back with anxiety concerning the unknown. There was a control mechanism (Arcadia unfortunately had never certified in cryo-mechanics, so the device was unfamiliar). As she examined each pod, she could see that one contained a man dressed in the red outfit of a Cluster security guard, one contained a woman, very attractive, with stringy red and auburn hair, and the other contained...

Arcadia drew back suddenly gasping. The third occupant was a pale, dark-haired man dressed completely in black - a divine assassin! Arcadia recognized the attire immediately. The frozen, undead man had a handsome face, surprising for a stone-cold killer, and looked a little familiar. Arcadia could not place him, but thought that he might have been one of His Shadow's protectors during her last rebel assault on the Cluster, the time in which she had first met...

She turned away, and began walking back towards the three Sal'terrans. They had not said a word during the examination of the cryo-pods. But Gaer-Edhel suddenly made a move for his bow as his two fellows followed suit. Arcadia heard the sound of one of the cryo-pods opening. She spun around quickly, readying her bow in like manner. The hatch hissed and cracked as the cold seal slowly gave way. It opened, and as the gaseous cloud slowly dissipated, she could see the man in black open his eyes and lift himself out of the pod.

Gaer-Edhel and his people had their laser arrows nocked. Arcadia quickly waved them down, and looked at the assassin. He swiftly raised his arm, poised to fire his brace, but paused. His lifeless eyes narrowed as he gazed upon Arcadia and the three Sal'terrans.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice flat, emotionless.

Arcadia inched forward, trying to ascertain the assassin's next move. This was uncharacteristic, as far as her information went. She had never encountered one of His Divine Shadow's assassins before. The fact that she was still alive was tangible proof of that! Divine Assassins were known to be ruthless, unmerciful, and oftentimes unpredictable as far as their tactics went!

She finally answered the dark figure. "We are travelers," she said, slowly and carefully. "I am Arcadia Shazemne, an exile from the Light Universe." She decided to avoid mentioning Ostral-B, just in case! "We came across your ship adrift... and decided to board, in hopes of finding out... who you are, and what you're doing in the Dark Zone." She already knew something of the answer, she suspected, based on her experiences with the Time Portal. But she couldn't figure out what the hell a Divine Assassin was doing on board!

The assassin looked at her, studying her carefully. He finally replied, "It's a long story." He began walking past her towards a corridor at the end of the chamber, opposite from where they had come in. "You don't seem to be a threat," he observed, and continued walking.

Arcadia stood there for a moment, then motioned Gaer-Edhel and his men to follow.

They followed the assassin on another route to the helm platform. He was studying the scene. He then picked up the robot head, examined it briefly, and set it down again. He turned to face Arcadia, noticing that she and the Sal'terrans had followed him. "Do you require anything else?" he asked, stoically.

Arcadia thought about her reply carefully. "Well," she said, "I'd kind of like to know why you haven't killed us yet? Not that it's something I want necessarily!"

The assassin remained expressionless. "Why should I kill you?" he asked.

Arcadia was thrown off at that. "I thought it would be something that His Divine Shadow wanted... or that YOU wanted perhaps!"

He looked to his side momentarily, almost seeming to be in a state of reflection. "I no longer serve His Divine Shadow," he replied, quietly and evenly, "as He and His Order are destroyed, along with the Light Universe. As for me..." he paused before completing his sentence, "the dead have no wants."

Arcadia shook her head in confusion. She just wasn't getting good answers from this guy! Of course, what could she expect? He was, after all, dead.

The four visitors followed the assassin back to the cryo-chamber. He addressed the party one last time before entering his pod.

"I must return to cryo-stasis," he said. "I suggest that you leave now."

Arcadia nodded in farewell and turned with her team to exit as the pod closed, sealing in the assassin again, until next awakening. Had Arcadia known that it would be another year before the man in black awoke again to check on the ship, she might have made a different choice regarding their hasty departure!

***

Back on the Azure-Queen, Jaden asked Arcadia for her report. "Do you think we ought to salvage the bug for reserve energy?" he asked.

Arcadia looked for the last time at the giant drifting insect on the screen as they slowly pulled away from it. She shuddered, remembering what she had seen, and what she now knew.

"No," she replied, somewhat shakily. "My recommendation is that we get the hell out of here, and not look back!"

Arcadia quickly strolled out of the pod, to the perplexed gaze of Jaden remaining behind. She didn't stop walking until she had reached the rec deck.

She definitely needed a dip in the pool!

***

It took another eight months after the encounter with the space bug for the Azure-Queen to reach the star system en route to the Sal'terran's final rest. Things got pretty tight! Jaden had been right on target with his estimates. The ship had just enough fuel to achieve an orbit around the fourth planet in the system, a world
which seemed capable of providing energy, according to distant scans.

Two important events had happened in the interim, however, which affected life aboard the Azure-Queen. The first was that Gaer-Edhel and Vixen had undergone the Sal'terran bonding ritual. Lorewen conducted it, of course. There had been some reluctance among the Sal'terrans whether or not they would accept this. There had not been a recorded incident of cross-racial bonding in their history for centuries! However, the couple made it clear to all that it was ultimately their decision. Few questions were raised after that.

There were some combined cultural elements in the ceremony, planned by the couple and Lorewen. Jaden was given the honor of handing Vixen to Gaer-Edhel, while Arcadia was asked (much to her surprise!) to be the maid of honor. The ceremony was simple, and reverent. Gaer-Edhel and Vixen engaged in the initial rite of the empathic bonding, with Lorewen assisting as a mediator and guide. She explained that this was only time a priestess woule be involved in the couple's bonding, that from then on, it would be a private, personal activity. She also did a short teaching homily, telling something of the history of the bonding ritual (more for the benefit of the three non-Sal'terrans present), and giving some advice concerning the unusual nature of the cross-racial bond, particularly the difference in life-spans.

"This is a difficult element in the bonding," Lorewen told the couple near the close of the ceremony. "Gaer-Edhel, you will most likely outlive your partner by centuries. When the bond is severed by the death of one of the partners, it is a painful experience for the remaining one. This is part of the reason why Sal'terrans usually bond with someone close to them in the cycle of life. When one dies, it is usually not to long to wait before joining their beloved in the hereafter. In your case, there will be some difficult decisions to make in the near future. I give you my blessing and pray for years of joy and happiness for both of you."

Arcadia couldn't help but notice Jaden's gaze upon her during the ceremony. She smiled over at him in return, winking intuitively. The same thoughts were crossing her own mind. Arcadia simply wasn't ready to make that kind of commitment. She had lost someone once before. She wasn't sure if she could handle losing someone so close to her again, particularly a mate!

The other significant event which took place was more administrative than personal. It happened when Arcadia was approached by Jaden and Vixen.

"Vixen has discussed some ship-board changes with me," the Captain said. "We've talked it over, and I'm in full agreement with her. Particularly, it involves you."

"Me?" Arcadia asked, getting concerned. Things had been going well between her and Vixen. What had happened now to cause the first officer to stab her in the back, and get Jaden to go along?

"Yes," Jaden replied. "It seems that I'm no longer satisfied with you as a helmsman, Arcadia. I want to place you elsewhere."

"WHAT?!" Of all the... "Vixen! What's going on?" Arcadia shouted at the red-haired woman as she stood up angrily.

Jaden sort of smiled, expecting the reaction. "What's going on is that I need a new first officer," he said. "Vixen's offered me her resignation on account of an unexpected development. She recommended you as her replacement. I couldn't argue!"

Arcadia was stunned. She did a quick double-take at Vixen. She started to laugh, amused at Arcadia's jumping to conclusions. Arcadia blushed, rather embarrassed. Vixen offered her hand.

"Congratulations... Ma'am!" she said, humorously. Arcadia took her hand, but pulled Vixen close in an embrace. Jaden couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

They sat down again. Arcadia was still not quite all together. "Just what is this 'unexpected development'?" she asked Vixen, although she thought she already knew the answer.

Vixen patted her abdomen. Arcadia nodded, her guess being correct. "It's been two months already, or so says Lorewen. She's apparently a midwife as well as a priestess. It seems that the jobs cross over in Sal'terran culture! Anyway... I'm pregnant!"

Arcadia started laughing, tears of joy coming to her eyes. She hugged Vixen once again, then brought Jaden into the embrace as well. There was something about all this that gave Arcadia a feeling of confidence and comfort, amidst this journey of conflict and loss!

***

The Azure-Queen settled into a shaky orbit around the planet. Jaden was conserving as much power as he could. Over three-fourths of the ship was without life support, and all luxury facilities were shut down. The seventy-five or so were cramming into the forward staterooms in order to maximize energy efficiency. Arcadia and Jaden had both taken Sal'terran roommates. Arcadia had requested Lorewen. Auto-pilot had been disabled, as well as several of the automatic functions, so the helm was being constantly manned, causing long hours for Arcadia. She was beginning to envy Vixen, who was taking maternity, being six months pregnant. Lorewen told her that with a Sal'terran, the pregnancy could last up to a year and a half! Vixen wasn't exactly thrilled with this prospect. A significant amount of
her animosity was returning, with the only exception that Arcadia was no longer the sole recipient!

Arcadia was on duty when a signal came through from the planet surface, shortly after the Azure-Queen obtained orbit. She summoned the Captain.

"My name is Rex Alphaestus," the image on screen said. He was a stately looking man, middle-aged, and well-groomed. "Our sensors have picked you up in orbit around our planet. Please state the nature of your business."

Jaden got on the comm. "We appreciate your welcome, sir," the Captain said. "My name is Jaden Knight, and this is the cruise vessel Azure-Queen. We've come a long way through space, and are badly in need of some supplies and rest for our crew and passengers. We were hoping that in your generosity, you could perhaps accomodate us."

The man seemed puzzled at the reply. "I'm not sure I understand," he said. "What kind of ship are you?"

"We're a cruise liner," Jaden repeated. "A pleasure vessel, designed for luxury travel and recreation."

Rex was still obviously uncertain, but shook his head as to dismiss it. "Well, whatever that is," he said. "You require some supplies, huh? What do you have to trade?"

Jaden seemed a little surprised by the shortness of his conduct. The man seemed civil enough, only not very big on pleasantries. "I'm afraid we have very little, sir," the Captain answered. "We've been out here for nearly a year, and our fuel is..."

The man cut him off. "Without sufficient goods and materials to trade, doing business with you would not be conducive to the welfare of our planet. Good day." He was about to close the channel.

"WAIT!" Arcadia shouted quickly. The man hesitated. She pulled Jaden down and whispered to him. The Captain's eyes widened and he smiled in reassurance.

"Sir, we might just have something of great value to trade for fuel and supplies," Jaden said. "As I said before, this is a pleasure vessel. For adequate energy sources we would be happy to offer our services to the people of your planet in the form of recreation and leisure."

Rex was still confused, but was obviously still in the bargaining mode. "What is 'recreation and leisure'?" he asked. "And what value do they have?"

Jaden was really perplexed. He glanced at Arcadia for some reinforcement. She stood up and face the screen.

"What do your people do for fun?" she asked. "Don't you have games, sports, past-times, other activities that you do when you're not working?"

Rex's eyes lit up. "Yes, working!" he exclaimed. "That's our philosophy. We are a very industrious and productive planet! We produce all sorts of goods that are shipped throughout the galaxy."

Arcadia shook her head. "No, I mean is there anything ELSE you do, when you're NOT working?"

Again, the confusion. "I don't understand," the man replied. "We're always working. What else WOULD we do?"

Arcadia exchanged a cunning smile with Jaden. The Captain stepped up, getting the picture. "Well, sir," he said, slyly with a grin, "we can answer that question for you. You see, we have with us a whole assortment of things that one CAN do when they're not at work! I'll be willing to bet that your people will simply love what we have to offer, and I think you'll realize its value almost immediately. Would you care to come aboard and discuss the deal with us?"

Rex slowly began to nod, not fully understanding, but obviously appreciating the business angle of Jaden's offer. "I'll come aboard with some delegates from our world," he replied. "Prepare to receive us and discuss the bargain in exactly one hour." The screen went black.

Jaden patted Arcadia on the shoulder. "Good thinking," he said to her. "Imagine, a planet which has no concept of entertainment." He laughed aloud. "I'm not sure where to begin with these guys!"

"You can be sure of one thing," Arcadia stated. "Life on their world might never be the same after we get done with them!"

***

The delegation from Kai Epsilon (the planet's name, as Jaden soon discovered) arrived promptly on time. Rex seemed more curious about the Phase Door than anything else at first!

"We have something similar to this on our planet," he claimed, examining the components with enthusiasm.

"Please, this way," Jaden said, escorting Rex and his group to the rec deck.

"We will have to make this brief," Rex said firmly. "I've sacrificed my rest interval for this meeting. It better be worth it!"

"I'm sure it will be," Jaden responded, smiling.

The Captain led the delegates to the rec deck. Their eyes opened wide in amazement at the variety of new, interesting diversions awaiting them!

"So," the Captain asked, quite pleased with himself. "Where do you want to begin?"

It seemed as if the Epsilonians were very curious by nature. They began trying all sorts of things. Some were taken by the video entertainment theaters, others by the game room. Arcadia was on hand to give a grav-ball demonstration. She even convinced Rex to try a game (she let him win)!

Jaden had been careful to only allocate a small amount of precious energy to the demonstration. After about 30 minutes, he shut down the deck and took the group to one of the lounges. Some of the Sal'terrans had agreed to prepare some food and drink, and provide musical entertainment.

"What do you think so far?" Jaden asked Rex.

Rex was definitely suffering from over-stimulation. He was tasting everything offered, consumable and otherwise!

"How do you find time to DO these marvelous things?" he asked. "On Kai Epsilon, our day is carefully structured between work, sustenance, and rest intervals. We would never have TIME to enjoy such diversions!"

Arcadia responded to him. "Our lifestyle includes work, rest, and sustenance as well. But we try to allow ourselves hobbies and other pleasurable distractions from some of the harsher realities of life. Even our work can be fun, if we take enjoyment in what we do. Sustenance can be more than just providing nourishment. It's a time for fellowship with friends, and conversation, such as what we're doing now."

Rex was obviously astonished. He spent a few minutes talking with his colleagues about their experiences, then returned to the Phase Door with Jaden and Arcadia.

"I want to talk more about this 'recreation' that you're offering," he said. "Could we meet again during another rest interval? I'm sure my associates wouldn't mind sacrificing one more for such important business!"

"That would be fine," Jaden replied. "There is one thing, however."

"Oh?" Rex inquired.

"We have a slight problem," Jaden explained. "Remember our original dilemma? We need fuel. This demonstration alone severely taxed our reserves. We can't risk another run without jeopardizing our life support systems."

This seemed to concern the Epsilonians.

"However," Jaden continued, "if you were to say, give us a 'line of credit,' so to speak. Provide us with power to keep our ship out of trouble and to offer you more of the entertainment. This would give you a chance to decide whether or not to accept our offer. If you do, wonderful! If you don't, then you really haven't lost anything in trade, as your own energy has provided recreation for you."

The Epsilonians nodded to one another in agreement. "That sounds quite fair," Rex stated. They soon returned to the planet surface.

Arcadia came over to Jaden's side. "Is that a wise gamble?" she asked. "What if the Epsilonians don't bite, then what do we do? We'll be stuck here around a hell-hole of a planet!"

Jaden put his arm around her. "My dear Arcadia," he said. "You saw those people. They couldn't get enough of it! If we can get a few more of them on board to sample our wares, there's NO WAY that they'll back out on the deal! We'll be re-fueled and ready to go in a matter of days, I guarantee it!"

***

It didn't even take a few days for the word to spread around Kai Epsilon. The Azure-Queen soon became the planet's biggest, and only, off-world attraction. Rex arranged for the power to be transfered to the ship's fusion reactor. Club Epsilon was in business!

It turned out that the planet was a highly advanced technological and scientific center. The people were intelligent, sophisticated, but completely naive when it came to leisure. The crew had to devote most of their time to teaching the Epsilonians about the various diversions that the Azure-Queen offered. Once the ship was out of
danger of power failure, Jaden went whole hog, activating the holographic chamber, theaters, whirlpools and saunas, and even opened up the ship's on-board casino for the first time since leaving Calashadir! The natives had a ball!

Jaden and Arcadia made a couple of visits down to the planet during the negotiations. It was an amazing place! Everything was centered around production. There were factories, plants, and mills everywhere! Most of the population were laborers. They worked the machines, did the data analysis, coordinated the day-to-day program. A small percent, like Rex, were administrators. They handled business on a planet-wide scale, and were liaisons between Kai Epsilon and other worlds which contracted for high-tech products.

Daily life was very routine. As Rex had stated, everything was divided up among work, rest, and eating. People were organized based on labor type and shift. A shift group would all live in a large communal residence, sleeping in cubicles to conserve space and resources. They would wake up together, take their meal interval
together, work, rest, work, have another meal, work some more, rest, work, then eat a final meal before sleeping. Then the shift began again. This was the way it was done, every day. Meals were processed and bland. Workers were allowed only 30 minutes to consume food. Rest periods were an hour long, but were used for resting, literally. Not socializing. Sleep periods were six and a half hours.

However, with the arrival of the Azure-Queen, and the introduction of entertainment, things began to change. Initially, workers came up to the ship during their rest intervals. But it was soon clear that inadequate rest was affecting work. So, the planet administrators decided to incorporate a new segment, the leisure interval. Shifts were allowed two hours each day (one in the morning, one in the afternoon) to go aboard and enjoy the recreation. Within a couple of days, however, this was extended to four hours (two and two). The work day was being cut down, and production began to suffer.

This was brought to Jaden's attention after about a week. He had been on board himself most of the time, supervising the energy distribution. The Epsilonians, as efficient as they were, had provided some material in a far more raw and practical form than what the Azure-Queen was accustomed to. Jaden noted, with delight, that the fusion reactor's efficiency was doubling, even tripling!

"I've been asked to come and speak with you," Rex said to Jaden, during one of his leisure intervals on board. "Our Director of Scientific and Technological Advancement has requested a meeting with you and your first officer."

"I don't think I've yet had the pleasure of meeting this director," Jaden said.

"You haven't," Rex stated. "He's been cautious about your arrival and the new developments on our planet. He wanted to wait a while before coming aboard and discussing his concerns with you."

Jaden appeared somewhat dismayed. "I'm not sure what would give him cause for concern, but yes, please him that I'd be delighted to meet with him."

When Rex was out of sight, Arcadia pulled the Captain aside. "Do you think they're going to renig on the deal?" she asked, worried.

Jaden looked across the rec deck, observing the Epsilonians living it up at every turn.

"I don't think he'd want to risk it!" he replied.

***

The director was brought up the very next day in an Epsilonian shuttle (he was a little wary of the Phase Door for some reason!). Rex was with him, along with a couple of native specialists and administrators. Jaden was looking over some engineering reports in his office when they arrived, so Arcadia met them at the airlock.

She called the Captain on the squawker as they were en route to his office.

"Jaden," she said over the comm, "they're aboard, and..." There was an unusual pause. "Well... there's something you've got to see!"

"What is it?" Jaden asked, putting aside his report.

Again, an unusual silence. "You're just going to have to see for yourself," Arcadia replied, her voice hinting at some amusement or surprise.

Jaden's office door chimed after another minute. "Come in," he answered, standing up to greet the visitors.

The door opened, and Arcadia walked in. Behind her followed Rex, the extras, and...

Jaden knew this man. The Captain had been a citizen of one of the Reform planets, before they were destroyed by the Divine Order. He had met several well-known heretics and enemies of His Shadow's forces. But this face was easily recognizeable, although it couldn't have possibly been him, not in the Dark Zone, and certainly not on Kai Epsilon.

"Thodin?" Jaden whispered softly. He looked searchingly at Arcadia. His first officer simply nodded, understanding the mystery.

The director approached, extending his hand. "Ace Capulin," he said, introducing himself. "You must be Captain Knight. An honor to meet you."

The arch-heretic look-a-like had an unusual demeanor, not near as stuffy and stoic as most Epsilonians that Jaden had met so far. He was certainly groomed in a far more sophisticated and refined manner than his Light Universe counterpart ever was!

It took Jaden a moment to get over the shock. "Please have a seat, gentlemen," he offered. Rex, Ace, and the others sat down. Arcadia remained standing near the door.

"Rex said you wanted to meet, Mr. Capulin," Jaden began. "So what can I do for you?"

"First of all, please call me Ace," the director said, rather informally. "I get enough of the 'Mr. Capulin' bit at the office." He and the other Epsilonians broke into a round of polite laughter. Jaden tried to imitate it, not very well.

"No, actually I wanted to meet the man himself," Ace continued. "Rex had told me so much about you and your ship. And I doubt you're ignorant as to the powerful effect it's had on our planet the past couple of weeks."

"Sir, I can explain that," Jaden said, going on the defense immediately. "You see, we had no idea that the Azure-Queen would..."

Ace interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "Uh, uh, uh," he said, "no need to offer explanations or apologies. Part of the reason of my visit is to thank you."

Jaden was even more confused now. "Come again?" he asked, timidly.

Ace chuckled once again. "I'm so sorry to give you the wrong impression, my dear Captain," the director said, cheerfully. "No, I'm absolutely thrilled at the developments during the past few days on Kai Epsilon. I've been pushing for reforms in this direction throughout my tenure. You came along at the perfect time! My people were ripe, and you did the harvest, brother! We've been needing this kind of reform for a LONG time!"

Jaden relaxed somewhat at this revelation. He still had some questions though.

"But I understand that our introducing of leisure and recreation has stifled production on your world," the Captain stated. "Doesn't this concern you?"

Ace shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a temporary adjustment," he replied. "I'm sure that when things ease up, production will actually increase now that our people are learning the value of entertainment and diversion. It's great therapy! Besides," he added, slyly, "we've got a whole new industry to market that's going to shyrocket our industry!"

"New industry?" Jaden asked, unsure of his meaning.

"Entertainment, of course!" Ace exclaimed. "Just think what we'll be able to produce in the realm of games, toys, and other diversions! The Azure-Queen has set the pattern for a jack-pot here on Kai Epsilon!"

Jaden was now feeling quite relieved. "Well, Ace," he said, more comfortable with the chummy director's first name, "I'm glad that we've been of some service to your planet. I hope that we can soon complete our exchange, as bargained, finish receiving your energy products, and be on our way."

Ace laughed again, this time not so benevolently. "Oh, I'm afraid that's not going to happen, Captain," he said, an evil gleam flickering in his eyes.

Now Jaden was getting concerned again. Arcadia heard it as well, and straightened up a bit, alarmed.

"Just what do you mean by that?" the Captain asked.

"There's no way we're letting the Azure-Queen out of our hands now," Ace explained. "Your ship and its services are far too valuable to us. You'll need to remain in orbit for some time, offering your ship to the citizens of our world, until perhaps we do some research and construct some avenues of entertainment to provide to our own and market to other star systems."

Jaden laughed weakly, hoping this was just a joke. "Uh, I'm sorry, Ace," he said to the director, trying to take this in stride, "but we had a deal. The Azure-Queen was going to give your people a taste of the good life in exchange for fuel, with the understanding that we would LEAVE in the near future. Besides, you can't keep us here against our will! I've got an obligation to take a group of Sal'terrans to their new home halfway across the galaxy. Plus, why would I want to remain on your planet anyway?"

"Oh, come now, Captain," the director replied, still making light of Jaden's predicament. "Kai Epsilon's a great place to live. We'll find a place for all of you. And besides, you'll get to enjoy the fruit of your labors, right here on our new orbital pleasure ship!"

"What do mean 'find a place'?" Arcadia asked, jumping in. "I've already got a job. So does Jaden."

"Well, that would change, of course," the director explained. "We'd make sure that you, your Captain, and all the folks on board were put in shifts that would make use of your talents. You'll be far more productive, anyway."

Jaden laughed, mockingly. "You've got to be kidding," he said. "What about the Sal'terrans? What about their children?"

"No problem," Ace said. "We'll find work for everybody. Trust me, there's no shortage of jobs on Kai Epsilon! As for the kids, they'll be trained like all the other children, in one of the Labor Academies, and put to work when they're 12 like all the rest."

"Child slave labor?!" Arcadia exclaimed, revolted. "Jaden, you've got to put a stop to this right now!"

"Absolutely right!" the Captain shot back, standing up in a threatening position. "The deal's off, Ace. We're leaving orbit immediately. You've got ten minutes to get you and your posse off my ship!"

Ace seemed completely unmoved. "You mean MY ship, Captain," he said, amending Jaden's statement. "As of today. I've already entered it to acquisitions. It's academic, Mr. Knight," he continued, making a noticeable change in Jaden's address. "Your fuel belongs to us, and as of this moment, we have the majority of personnel aboard the Azure-Queen. Come now, you didn't think our shuttles were bringing just patrons up here, did you?"

Arcadia moved swiftly to Jaden's side. "Sound the alarm, Jaden. Quickly!"

Ace was already one step ahead. He signaled to one of his men, who withdrew a small device from his pocket. He pressed a button. There was a high, focused squeal for a moment, then what appeared to be a "bubble" of some kind of energy formed in the room, enclosing all who were inside the office. The bubble shimmered once, then POP! It vanished into thin air, Jaden and Arcadia with it!

***

Lorewen had just come from Gaer-Edhel and Vixen's suite on board the Azure-Queen, one of those standard pre-natal visits! Vixen was coming along fine, Lorewen was pleased to see. There were far less complications than she had anticipated, although her experience with such pregnancies was very limited!

The Sal'terran priestess halted suddenly in the corridor. Her perceptive ears picked up the faint sound of laser fire coming from what seemed to be the rec deck. There also seemed to be an unusual quality of shouting and screaming, unlike the boisterous noise of recreation which had characterized the ship's company lately.

She quickened her pace towards the rec deck. Several of her people, archers mainly, came running down from the opposite direction ahead of her. Gaer-Edhel was bringing up the rear. They were armed, and appeared to be in retreat from something.

Lorewen tried to intercept the fleeing Commander, only to change her course and run along side of him in the withdrawal. "What's going on?" she asked, trying to keep pace with the lengthy strides.

Gaer-Edhel and his men darted into one of the lounges, closing the door quickly and bolting it. They took a moment to check their bows for potency.

"It's the Epsilonians," he replied to the priestess. "They brought some weapons aboard undercover, apparently. The workers are trying to take over the ship!"

Gaer-Edhel, seeing that his archers were ready, opened the door to the lounge slightly, and peeked out. Although the fracas was still in full swing on the other decks, the corridor seemed clear for the moment. The group cautiously exited, only to aim their weapons immediately down the hall at the sound of fast-approaching footsteps.

An Epsilonian turned the corridor, sprinting. He was one of the administrators, by the look of his outfit. He was beaten and bludgeoned by all appearances. He staggered towards the lounge, only to be quickly intercepted by a forceful blow from Gaer-Edhel. The Epsilonian went down. Two of the archers dragged him back inside the lounge, and they bolted the hatch again from within.

"What's your name?" Gaer-Edhel asked the wounded man. "And what's going on out there?" he demanded.

The man was gasping for breath. He reached up to pull the Sal'terran closer, but was pushed back down. The man shook his head, trying to speak.

"No," he panted. "No, I'm not with them. You've got to believe me." He wiped a bit of blood from his mouth. "The workers are under orders from the Director's office. I tried to stop them. They're trying to take your ship, but I tried to stop them, really I did!"

Gaer-Edhel looked at Lorewen for affirmation. The priestess knelt down, keeping some distance. "Why are your people trying to commandeer the Azure-Queen?" she asked. "I thought that your leaders and Jaden had made a deal."

"It's all the Director's idea," the man replied. He tried to stand. Gaer-Edhel carefully allowed him up, keeping a bow on him. "He's using you, all of you. He never intended to keep the bargain! You're going to have to get away from Kai Epsilon if you ever hope to save your ship, or your lives!"

The man pulled himself up all the way, checking his battered clothing for tears. "My name is Virgil," he said. "Virgil Starza."

Gaer-Edhel nodded slightly, and motioned for one of his men to stay with the rebel administrator. "Okay, Virgil," he stated. "Come with us, and keep close. The first sign of treachery and I kill you, got it?"

Virgil nodded in agreement, and the party headed out of the lounge towards engineering.

Jaden and Arcadia found themselves being taken to separate communal living quarters. Arcadia was placed in a cubicle amongst a whole slough of other such cells. Her "door" was simply a force field, and a magnetic collar had been placed around her neck.

"This is your room," the Resident Mistress said. "You will be working with the first shift of data processors for Installation 14. You will conform to work, rest, and sustenance intervals. Any disobedience will be quickly corrected." The woman pushed a button on her wrist band. The collar gave off a mild shock. Arcadia wretched in a brief moment of pain.

"That was the lowest setting," the woman stated. "Rest now. Your work interval begins in twenty minutes." She activated the force field and left.

Jaden was taken to a similar communal area, given the same kind of accomodations, with an identical collar. He also got to experience the shock warning.

"We do not have prisons," the Resident Master said to him, "as crime is most often the result of idleness, something which is not a problem on Kai Epsilon. Your placement is with Installation 23, where you will be working a distribution and receiving shift at one of our docks."

The Captain sat down heavily on his bunk as the man activated the force field and departed. He couldn't help but think about what must be happening on his ship!

***

Gaer-Edhel, Lorewen, and Virgil were the only three that made it to engineering. The airlock was close by, and the Director's shuttle was still docked (he and his party having left the ship using other means!). The Sal'terrans had taken casualties. Several of the archers had fallen in a firefight while passing the casino. Gaer-Edhel's men were slowly taking back control of the ship, although they had lost numbers. The Epsilonians were tough, but not near as quick! The
workers had suffered ever more losses, thanks to the Sal'terrans' swift bow.

"Commander, we've got helm control," one of the Sal'terrans reported over the squawker. "Most of the workers are dead. The remaining few are being held in the galley, under guard."

"What about the Captain and Arcadia?" Gaer-Edhel asked.

"Still no sign of them. We've searched everywhere, but I doubt they're on the ship."

Gaer-Edhel closed the channel. He looked at Lorewen, concerned. "They probably got abducted and taken to the planet surface," he said. "We've got to find them."

"But where would they be?" Lorewen asked. "Where would we look?"

"I think I know where we can start," Virgil offered. "Most likely, they've been taken to a communal residence and put on work detail. If I could get to a computer terminal on the surface, I could find out which one."

Gaer-Edhel nodded and started for the Epsilonian shuttle. "It looks like the three of us are taking a little trip planetside!"

"Are you sure it's wise to go down there?" Lorewen said. "Shouldn't we take a few more of our people?"

"We need everyone else here," the Commander replied, shaking his head. "We're down enough people as it is. We can't afford any more losses, especially if the Director tries to send more workers up here to try again."

They got in the shuttle and took off for the planet below.

"I just hope they're still alive!" Lorewen remarked.

"Don't worry about that," Virgil said. "Capital punishment is outlawed on Kai Epsilon. Too much a waste of resources!"

***

Arcadia had just been returned to her cubicle after the last sustenance interval of the shift. It was now lights out, but Arcadia was hardly sleepy. It had been a hard day, and she had been pushed beyond her comfort level, but though she felt physically weary and mentally drained, she simply could not fall asleep!

Arcadia must have drifted off at some point, because she awoke with a start. Someone was calling her name!

"Arcadia," the voice said again in a half whisper, distant, but coming closer.

She sat straight up on her cot, and listened in the darkness, straining her ears to pick up the sound again. She could faintly hear footsteps approaching from down the hall of the commune.

"Arcadia!" the voice repeated. This time it was definitely closer, and more audible. She also recognized it - it was Jaden!

Arcadia went to the edge of the force field. "Jaden!" she called out, attempting to keep her voice low, but also trying to get her Captain's attention.

The footsteps quickened, until Jaden, Gaer-Edhel, Lorewen, and an unknown Epsilonian were standing in front of her cell.

"Stand back," Jaden ordered. Arcadia stepped away from the doorway, while the stranger used a small device near the force field. The field flickered, then vanished. Arcadia ran to Jaden's arms immediately, kissing him.

Jaden's reaction was receptive, but brief. "We've got to get out of here!" he whispered.

Arcadia pulled back slightly, still in an embrace. "How did you escape?" she asked, delighted nonetheless. She turned to the Epsilonian. "And who is this?"

"We found Jaden on one of the loading docks," Gaer-Edhel replied. "He was working when we landed in the Director's shuttle. Virgil here," he pointed to their new comrade, "got him cleared to accompany us past the check-point and into the communal residence."

Jaden pointed to his bare neck. "Virgil got the collar off, too," he mentioned.

Virgil held his device up to Arcadia's neck. "Hold still," he said. He input a series of commands, and the collar fell off onto the floor. Arcadia rubbed her chaffed neck tenderly. It felt good to be rid of that nasty choker!

"We've got to hurry," Virgil said. "The Network will pick up my authorization code in use before long. They'll shut down my password, put up the planet's defensive screen, and strand us down here! Come on!"

The five fugitives began running down the corridor of the communal residence. Virgil had explained to Jaden that they needed to get above ground before using the "bubble" transport, which Virgil had access to on his unit.

They made it to a entry point at ground level. Virgil ordered the group to stand close together. He began inputting a command into his device. The bubble formed momentarily, then fizzled out, leaving the five unmoved, as a siren began blaring from the nearby Installations.

"WARNING! WARNING!" the metallic voice sounded. "Defensive shield now engaged! Class Alpha authorization needed for planetary transport! Fugitive Alert! Fugitive Alert!"

Virgil quickly pocketed his device, and hastily ushered the group underneath a partially concealed steel awning.

"The Network's onto us!" he exclaimed. "The shield's up."

"What does that mean?" Gaer-Edhel asked, readying his bow. He handed one to Arcadia as well, one that he had taken off one of his fallen archers.

"Our transport is cut off," Virgil replied. "I can't use the Network's interface, and the shuttle would be useless against the planet's screen, even if we could make it back to the dock."

"So does that mean we're trapped?" Arcadia inquired, preparing her bow.

Virgil sighed, then focused his attention on a tall, triangular building in the distance. "There is one chance," he said, "but we might not all make it! If we could get to the Network's central control station, I could possibly overload the system. It's been tried before, when a sect of dissident workers once staged a revolt. They didn't succeed because they lacked the technical know-how. However..." he paused, looking at Jaden and Arcadia. "We might be able to pull it off. There's only one real risk."

"What's that?" the Captain asked, as if the already established risks weren't enough.

"The Net is the primary channel through which all energy and power on this planet is directed," Virgil explained. "Overloading it will probably destroy Kai Epsilon, and everybody on it."

"No great loss," Arcadia muttered under her breath.

"Is there another way?" Jaden asked, not liking what lay behind curtain one.

Virgil shook his head. "Not if you want to get out of here," he said. "The alternative is remaining here and begin captured. And I, for one, am not in favor!"

Jaden exhaled deeply, then motioned to Arcadia. "Well, then I guess it's off to the Net!"

***

Getting to the central control station wasn't easy! The Network had alerted the planet to the presence of fugitives, who were likely to be saboteurs. Gaer-Edhel and Arcadia had their hands full laying down cover fire in order for the team to approach the building. Once they were inside, the job didn't get any easier.

Net Central was a complex structure. It was also heavily guarded. Without Virgil, they wouldn't have even had a clue as to where to go. Fortunately, the administrator was familiar with the layout. He was able to get them past most of the security teams, and those which they encountered regardless, well, that's when Sal'terran bows came in useful!

They had made it to the Netcore, the chamber where the channeling of power was monitored and regulated. Their biggest stumbling block was yet to come!

Ace had been monitoring the fugitives' progress on his screen the whole time from his office, smiling. He called Rex and had him set up the "welcoming committee" in the Netcore ahead of time. Then, the Director casually summoned his personal guard and made his way leisurely towards the central control station.

***

The team was ready. Gaer-Edhel had planted a small explosive on the hatch, and ignited it.

"Stand back!" he shouted.

The fuse caught, the explosive ignited, and the door was blown clear. Gaer-Edhel and Arcadia were the first to enter the chamber, with Virgil, Jaden, and Lorewen following close behind, cautiously.

The first volley of the security force's fire hit Gaer-Edhel head on. The Sal'terran was blasted with a shimmering plasma "web" which constricted around his body, paralyzing him. Arcadia quickly dodged the second volley, tumbling backwards behind the doorway. The other three made a hasty retreat.

"We're pinned down!" Arcadia shouted, firing her bow as rapidly as she could into the room. Some of her shots landed, but the numbers were far unbalanced.

Jaden turned to face behind as he heard footsteps running towards them from where they came. They were soon going to be sandwiched! Virgil took cover behind a blasted chunk of metal door. Jaden rushed to Arcadia's side, as his first officer continued to fire at the security forces in the chamber using the doorway as cover. The guards from inside the chamber were advancing, as the group from behind with Rex and Ace in the lead, was almost in range.

"We're trapped!" Jaden shouted to Arcadia. His first officer turned to see the oncoming squad from behind, and fired a warning shot in their midst to stall for time. Rex and Ace took cover.

Arcadia spun back to the chamber, but caught a plasma web squarely in the chest. She squirmed, but the web constricted, holding her paralyzed!

Jaden tried to wrest the bow from her frozen hands, when he saw Lorewen out of the corner of his eye. She had boldly entered the chamber and was facing the security force. She closed her eyes, extended her hands outward, as some kind of "wave" of energy emanated from her fingers. The plasma shots already in mid-stream were stopped in the air, and forced back upon their source. They struck some of the guards, paralyzing them. But the wave didn't stop!

It seemed to grow stronger, pushing the security team off their balance. The men who were caught in the wave, held their hands over their ears, screaming. Then, the wave subsided, as the men fell down, unconscious.

Lorewen turned, her eyes filled with a kind of radiance that Jaden had never before seen in the priestess. She held forth her hands once again, and the same wave shot out towards the team coming from behind. The same effect occurred, Ace and his men being struck backwards, and falling to the deck stunned.

She lowered her hands, as the wave died out. She turned to look at the dumb-founded Captain, as she softly smiled and said, "I only use it in emergencies. I think this qualified as one!"

Virgil slowly came out of his hidey-hole, as Lorewen and Jaden rushed to check on their incapacitated friends. Apparently the plasma's effect was very short-lived, as the constricting tendrils began to dissipate, freeing Gaer-Edhel and Arcadia.

Virgil went over to the Netcore's control console. He began pressing buttons and switches. Arcadia looked in wonder at the knocked-out members of the Epsilonian security force, scattered throughout the chamber and in the hall. "What did I miss?" she asked Jaden.

The Captain looked over at Lorewen. A wink from the priestess gave him his answer. "I'll explain later," he replied.

Virgil was just about to finish the sequence when a shot was fired from the hallway, landing on a portion of the Netcore's control system. The console hissed and sparked, Virgil darting out of the way of the small explosion.

Rex was standing in the doorway, weapon in hand. "You'll never get off this planet!" he shouted, "not if I can..."

His sentence was cut as Gaer-Edhel quickly unleashed a laser arrow into the man's torso. Rex screamed, then fell down, dead.

Jaden rushed over to the console with Virgil. "How bad is it?" he asked. "Can we still initiate the overload and lower the screen?"

Virgil checked some of the circuits, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes," he replied. "The channeler's still intact. But..."

"But what?" Jaden demanded hastily.

Virgil looked at him troubled. "The automatic relay's been destroyed," he said.

"So?" Arcadia asked.

"So, that means I've got no control over the timing," Virgil explained. "I've programmed the Net to overload, but on a delayed timing sequence, so that we can get out of here. Without the auto relay, the Net won't know when to release its charge into the channeler."

"Well, can you fix it?" Jaden asked.

Virgil glanced at the Captain, eyes narrowed. "I'm a Data-Tech Administrator," he answered, "not an engineer!"

"Well, what does that mean for us?" Lorewen inquired. "Can we still do it?"

"Yes," Virgil replied, "but the charge is going to have to be released manually, and when that happens..." he spread his hands as if to say "poof!" He looked again at Jaden. "That means that someone is going to have to stay behind and activate it."

Jaden lowered his head, then looked back up again at Virgil. The man was sincere. There was no other way.

Arcadia stepped forward. "Wait a minute, you mean that someone's going to have to sacrifice himself so that the rest of us can get out of here?"

"That's exactly what he means," Jaden said, answering. The Captain looked at his first officer, with an expression that made Arcadia shiver. He also looked at Gaer-Edhel and Lorewen, their faces unyielding as to their emotions.

Jaden sighed, then walked over to the console. "Show me what to do," he instructed Virgil.

Arcadia blocked Virgil's way over to the Captain. "No way!" she exclaimed. "Jaden, you're not going to commit suicide over this! There's got to be another way!"

Jaden slowly pulled Arcadia out of Virgil's way, and held her hands in his own. "Arcadia," he said gently, "there's no other way. I got us into this mess, remember? It's only right that I be the one to stay behind."

"But you'll be killed!" Arcadia cried. "You can't do this, Jaden! I won't let you!"

"Would you rather allow me to let a ship full of good people, and all of us as well, be enslaved on this planet?" he asked. "Would you rather see me sacrifice all of you so that I can live as a captive, rather than to die a free man, by my own choosing?"

Arcadia pulled Jaden in close, tears in her eyes, her lips quivering. "I would destroy this whole universe if it meant being able to spend the rest of my life with you, Jaden Knight!" she said softly.

The Captain was nearly in tears himself, but made a valiant attempt to be strong for the woman he loved. "Arcadia, you must go," he said. "Get these people to their new home. Take care of them. I made a promise to them. You'll have to keep it for me."

"But the Azure-Queen needs a Captain," she said. "Jaden, we just can't go on without you!" she paused to wipe her tears on his shoulder. "I can't go on without you. I lost someone once before. I simply CAN'T LOSE YOU NOW!"

Jaden looked into his first officer's glassy green eyes. He smiled, feeling assured and confident in his decision. "The Azure-Queen DOES have a Captain," he said. "You. I'm giving her to you. Look after her for me. I wouldn't trust her to anyone else. Now go, please!"

He held her in his arms one last time, and kissed her passionately on the lips. Arcadia lingered in his embrace, her heart dissipating as painfully and slowly as she could ever remember.

Jaden gently let her go, as Arcadia backed away, still clutching his hand. He allowed one last touch from her fingers, as she followed Gaer-Edhel, Lorewen, and Virgil out of the chamber towards the shuttle. Arcadia turned and looked one last time at Jaden through the doorway. Their eyes met for the last time.

"I love you," she said to him, barely a whisper.

"I know," he replied. With a farewell gaze, Jaden turned to the console, and prepared for the release.

Arcadia turned back to the hallway, and bolted.

***

Virgil hit the throttle of the shuttle, pushing the craft higher and higher into the atmosphere. They were gaining altitude, but the planet still loomed in the distance behind them, unharmed.

A light on the console blinked. "The screen's still up!" Virgil exclaimed. "I just hope that Jaden can get the charge released, or this is going to be one short trip!"

His answer came as the light cleared to blue. "He did it!" Virgil cried, accelerating past the shield perimeter, and towards the orbiting Azure-Queen.

The rear screen came into view, showing a series of explosion upon explosion on the planet below. Finally, there was a burst of energy near the world's equator, as Kai Epsilon began to crackle with searing ripples of static, then disintegrate into a mass of particles and sizzling planetary remains!

Arcadia turned her head, choking with emotion and pain. Lorewen gently reached over to her, trying to give comfort and sympathy, but Arcadia withdrew from the Sal'terran's touch. She left her seat and moved slowly back towards the aft of the shuttle, curling up on a bench, and sobbing to herself softly.

"Jaden... Jaden!" she cried in a whisper.

As the shuttle raced on to dock with the Azure-Queen, Arcadia looked out a nearby portal into the blackness of space, the void of the Dark Zone. She felt as if her soul was just as empty, and just as dark. She felt as if a part of her very essence had been ripped away from her, only to leave a gap as big, as wide, and as empty as the nether-space which Kai Epsilon once occupied.

Her Knight had fallen, and would never see the morning star again!

***

Arcadia would have liked to stay locked away in her quarters for the rest of her life, but her sense of duty got the better of her within a day or two. There were some problems to be solved.

Virgil, despite his claims to the contrary, was quite an engineer after all! The Epsilonian refinements to the fusion reactor were a blessing beyond belief. Arcadia and Virgil worked out the equations and figured that with the improved efficiency and speed, the Azure-Queen could reach the Sal'terrans' colony world within five years, and consume less raw material in the process! Five years seemed a whole lot better than twenty of thirty! He even figured out the Phase Door mechanics on his own, and taught Arcadia. The ship's power was fully back on line within a week, and energy was able to be diverted to most systems, luxury and functional, without much loss of efficiency. Arcadia was secretly hoping to spend more time on the rec deck now!

There was the issue of the dead bodies, both Sal'terran and Epsilonian. Although Arcadia had no preference as to their disposition, the Sal'terrans had strong convictions regarding their deceased. Virgil came up with an answer.

"There's a planet in our star system called Klaagya," he said. "It's a secondary resource planet, used mostly for the recycling of used materials. My people have an outpost there, but for the most part, it's isolated. We could conduct a burial service on the surface, if you wish."

Arcadia was agreeable to that, and the plans were made.

The other problem was the surviving workers who were being held on board. They had no planet to which they could return! Arcadia finally offered them a choice. They could either remain on board, on the condition that they allied themselves with the crew and gave their support, or they could take the Director's shuttle and fly down to Klaagya when the Azure-Queen arrived for the burials, in hopes of contacting the outpost. Several of the workers, about six, had already made the decision to cut their losses and stay aboard, seeing that they had nothing else to go to. The other half of them agreed to take the shuttle, and make no trouble about it. With the Sal'terrans severely reduced in number (there were only about a dozen left now!), this made for a lonely, but liveable ship.

***

It was about a week after the Azure-Queen's stop at Klaagya that Lorewen came to visit Arcadia in the Captain's office. Arcadia had been reluctant to move her stuff in there, perhaps out of feelings of guilt or betrayal, but she had finally taken the first step by moving her personal data-comp and her favorite chair in.

"How are you doing with all this?" Lorewen asked, taking a seat opposite the new Captain.

Arcadia sighed, closing the journal entry that she had been inputting. "It's hard," she replied. "I've never commanded my own ship before, and in this case, the Azure-Queen still doesn't feel like MY ship. In a way, I don't want it to. Everywhere I go now, it seems that there are ghosts haunting me, and this ship." She paused
and looked away. "I miss him."

"We all do," Lorewen said, comfortingly. "Arcadia, you may not realize this, but the Azure-Queen is the ark which brought my people to safety. Jaden brought us a new hope that we had lost. This ship, him, even you have played a role in our legacy which will never be forgotten." She stopped, smiling. "And call it intuition, but I
believe that you and your people will continue to share a legacy with mine for generations to come!"

She reached over and took Arcadia's hand, holding it tenderly. "These ghosts will be with us for a long time," the priestess said. "But they're a part of our journey, a part of our past. We've got a long way to go still. There will be time for mourning, and one day the long night will end, and dawn will greet us with a brave new world that awaits us. It can be your world too, Arcadia. I know your heart. You've been without a home for so long, that you're afraid to claim anyplace, or anyone, as your own. That will soon pass, my dear friend. When the bright yellow star greets our vessel at journey's end, and the beautiful green planet spreads her arms to welcome us, you shall receive your homecoming."

Lorewen released her hand, and got up. As she left Arcadia's office, the Captain re-opened her journal and began recording a new entry. There was much to think about in the days and years ahead.

Yes, they still had a long way to go. And the adventure had really just begun!

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