3

"Here is our latest report."

Inquisitor Fae'ela looked up from her desk to see Azurella with a data cylinder in her hand. The sky blue Dra'kan female, one of the Watchers under Ship Master D'Narial's command, stood on the other side of the desk in her brown-trimmed, sand-colored uniform with issue sidearm in its holster. Fae'ela noted the expression on Azurella's face as she reached for the data cylinder.

After reviewing the report, Inquisitor Fae'ela frowned slightly and slowly shook her head.

"So, he has been hanging around the_Dra'ka Nulen_'s chambers more than usual, I see," Fae'ela remarked.

"At least one of us has been with Erlanna at all times while she is performing her duties with another discretely nearby. We have replaced the doors and locks on her own chambers and added additional security measures--including a transport scrambler. If needed, we can take her away from Dra'ka until the trial," Azurella said.

Fae'ela slowly nodded her head, looked up at Azurella and said, "I hope to have this done and over as soon as possible." Fae'ela leaned back and crossed her arms on her chest. "From what I have gathered, this all stems from an incident long ago when Kh'nar was a much younger wyrm. He seeks revenge on the_Dra'ka Nulen_ for putting him in his place before his peers after he repeatedly refused to stop pressing his advances."

"So, he takes it out on poor Erlanna, then," Azurella said with disgust.

A small puff of smoke-like vapor sprang from her nostrils when Fae'ela snorted, "I know what_I_ would like to do to him--unfortunately, I must work within our laws."

"We Watchers have a bit more leeway in certain circumstances..." Azurella said, fingering the grip of her sidearm, "...however, I would not wish for Erlanna to endure any more than she already has."

Fae'ela noticed the gesture--it brought to mind a thought she herself had entertained once or twice during the investigation.

"And there is also the issue of the Terran ship master standing up to him in front of everyone who was watching the proceedings in The Hall. If it were not for the Great Lupins putting the fear into him, Kh'nar likely would have had them all flamed," Fae'ela said.

"I tend to agree. Master D'Narial suspects the_Dra'ka Nulen_ contacted the First One who has been following the Terrans and their friends before he could issue the order," Azurella said. "However, those weapons carried by the Mûr Tua'ansa, along with their abilities...they could have brought a swift end to those two guards_and_Kh'nar. I do not doubt that if the Great Lupins had not arrived, we would not be worrying about Kh'nar."

Fae'ela thought on that a moment, thinking back to the incident.

"The master of the black ship...I recall that he called one of the Great Lupins by name and even greeted it." Seeing the look of surprise on Azurella's face, Fae'ela added, "I was surprised myself when I saw it--Great Lupins rarely involve themselves with any other than the First Ones, and practically never with those of the Younger Races. Yet, it acted as if they were friends."

"When did that happen?" Azurella asked.

"Right after it appeared," Fae'ela replied.

Azurella rubbed her chin a moment in thought and said, "I missed that."

"The other Great Lupins may have blocked your view, though the security monitors might have recorded it," Fae'ela suggested.

"Can we see if they did?" Azurella asked cautiously.

Fae'ela looked blankly at the Watcher for a moment, then cocked her head a little, and then a slow grin came onto her face. Inputting a series of commands into her terminal, she looked intently at it for several seconds. Clicking a control pad with a claw a few times, she quickly looked up and glanced around, then motioned for Azurella to come around to her side of the desk. When Fae'ela played the recording, Azurella's jaw dropped slightly.

The view was from behind the Council members looking out towards the stone pillar which the R'Hinsi female was secured to, starting from when she was brought up from below. The two watched the interrogation scene play out--Fae'ela looked away a moment when the video showed her obtaining the information Kh'nar demanded from the alien female; Azurella grimaced when she saw the reaction to the mind probe. Then came the part where Fae'ela's staff was ripped from her hands and hurled towards Kh'nar, shortly before the Mûr Tua'ansa healer teleported herself and the Terran healer to the R'Hinsi female, creating a protective shield of psionic energy around them. The two Dra'kans continued to watch as the Terran ship master confronted Kh'nar--they both felt a bit of satisfaction at seeing someone with enough backbone finally challenging the old wyrm for the first time in a long while. Then the Great Lupins arrived just in time to prevent the situation going from bad to worse.

"There..." Fae'ela said, pausing the playback and pointing at the screen.

Sure enough, the lead Great Lupin greeted the Terran male as if they were friends.

"Interesting..." Azurella said quietly, closely studying what she saw on the screen.

"I could not believe it when I saw it with my own eyes, but...there it is. No wonder why old Kh'nar is afraid--listen to this..." Fae'ela said, turning the volume up.

/* "Kh'nar, I haven't forgotten about you. Shut up and sit your annoying pompous ass down." */

"That was not the Great Lupin's voice speaking--its mouth may have been moving, but the voice was clearly that of another, and I will wager that it was the voice of the First One who has been following the Terrans and their friends. Watch this..." Fae'ela shifted the view to another angle and zoomed in on the_Dra'ka Nulen_ when the Great Lupin spoke. "Her reaction tells me she knows what that was about," Fae'ela added.

Azurella glanced at the Inquisitor and requested, "Replay from where you started, though from this angle, if you would."

With a nod of her head, Fae'ela went back to the time index she had started at, showing the view of the gallery where the_Dra'ka Nulen_ sat with the mortals, along with the view from their view towards the pillar in a smaller box in the corner of the screen. They watched the expressions and the interactions among the crews and also with Arneora herself up until the time the Great Lupins departed, taking the mortals and the_Dra'ka Nulen_ with them.

"I am not surprised at the Terrans' initial reaction to the R'Hinsi female, though..." Azurella said, trailing off as the replay continued.

"They did not hesitate to protect her when...I was forced to..." Fae'ela said.

"I understand," Azurella said quietly, putting a hand on the Inquisitor's shoulder. "Kh'nar enjoyed it, no doubt--at least until the mortals intervened."

"I was glad they were able to put the past behind them and do what was right," Fae'ela said. "When I interviewed Erlanna, she told what had happened after the Great Lupins took the mortals and the_Dra'ka Nulen_ back to the guest chamber they were staying in. With the help of their Mûr Tua'ansa friends, the Terrans taught the R'Hinsi female their language and learned hers, and were able to make their peace with her and she with them."

Azurella looked thoughtful a moment and then said, "I wonder if they will be able to win over the rest of her people."

Fae'ela considered that and said, "I hope they have the chance, and if they do, I hope they succeed."

* * * * *

After making sure Daisy and Rosetta were in bed and asleep, Poppy sat down at her computer and reopened the message she had received from her cousin, James. Even though she had read it several times since it arrived in her inbox, Poppy read it again.

"Hey 'Popps',

"I hope you and the girls are doing okay. Yeah, I know, it's been a while since I've written, but we're so far out in the boonies that if it wasn't for our Mûr Tua'ansa friends and their advanced communication system, it could take months for this to get to you by regular subspace comms.

"Lilly and Tanya say 'hi'. You knew Tan got bumped up to Commander--Lil made Chief since we've been on this mission, so I'm sure her folks will be happy. That came through in time for Lil's birthday. Canberra organized a big party for her, and somehow got a hold of a copy of our nineteenth great aunt Violet's recipe for rum raisin cake and everything to make it with prior to our leaving on this mission. I suspect Aunt Flo had something to do with that.

"Anyway, there's one thing in particular that I wanted to tell you. We stopped for a bit on a world whose population had inadvertently wiped itself out a few thousand years ago, according to our guide to these parts. You remember our Ship's Engineer, Lt. (j.g.) Shauna Eriksson, well, long story short, we got a clue that her brother, Cameron, and his archaeological team had been to that world--it was a gold bracelet he had given Hauvri'ahn on their One Year Anniversary, according to Élendorian custom. How it got left on that world, we don't know, though we're assuming they're still alive. We're heading towards a nebula that Cameron had told Shauna about in a letter years ago when she was younger. There's supposedly a long dead world there that he and his team were heading to, so we hope to find something that proves they were there and where they may have gone next. Now, this is the reason why I've brought this up--we have definite proof that Arlan was with Shauna's brother on his archaeological team. A Vey'ani pilot had been showing them around this part of the galaxy and has a photo of them all together. I'm attaching a copy of it to this so you can see for yourself. The reptilian lady in the photo is Rissanivi Salnuano--she's the Vey'ani pilot who acted as their guide for a time. We rescued her after her little courier ship was attacked by some local thugs, and in exchange for fixing some things on her ship so that she could make it in to a repair facility, Rissa is helping us find Cameron and his team. She's an interesting gal and really nice--you and the girls would probably like her.

"We've met some nice folks from really old cultures out here who have been helpful, too. You wouldn't believe the things we've seen or the experiences we've had so far.

"We're pressing on with our mission and we'll also keep looking for Cameron, Hauvri'ahn, and Arlan. If there is any way we can find them and bring them home, we will.

"Well, I'd better sign off for now. Take care, 'Popps'--love ya and the girls, Yasmin, and your mom. Lil and Tan send their love, too.

Love,

James

Poppy kissed her finger tips and touched James' name on the screen and then said quietly to herself, "Love ya, too, Jamie."

She leaned back in the chair and hugged herself while staring at the attached photo. Poppy struggled with her feelings, seeing the father of her two kits. Daisy and Rosetta had been born after Arlan had disappeared, so they never knew their father. The girls still talked about Felix and asked if their mother had heard from him. They had kept in touch as best as they could, given the distance, and when she had received this letter from her cousin, James, she had also got one from Felix. In a previous letter, he had told her about getting married to Læree'ahna on the ship on the way taking her back to Élenswena from Élendor Prime, and had sent a photo of the two of them taken on their wedding day. Poppy had known about Felix and the Élendorian female since the first time he stayed with her and the girls after James had landed his then brand-new ship in the clearing behind the old mead house in Gelfheim back in 2513. Felix said in a letter to her since he had gotten married that Læree'ahn wanted to meet her and the girls. She had never met an Élendorian before, though she remembered what Felix had told her of his time on Élenswena. Before Poppy met Felix, she had more or less given up on ever seeing Arlan again, not knowing why he had disappeared or if he was even still alive.

Arlan Schneider was a near-human of skunk G.E.L.F. ancestry that Poppy had met through her place of employment. Poppy herself was a part-human skunk G.E.L.F. by her father who had also been a near-human the same as Arlan. Poppy's mother, Mari (short for Marigold), a full-blood skunk G.E.L.F., had been in a previous marriage that resulted in her half-sister, Yasmin, also a full-blood skunk G.E.L.F.. Poppy and Yasmin were close and they were from a branch of James' side of the family, and had grown up with their cousins, Lilly and her sister Daffodil, John and his siblings, in Gelfheim, Alaska.

One of the last things Poppy remembered of Arlan was that he was excited about getting hired on at a company that funded professional xeno-archaeology research. Shortly after becoming pregnant with the two girls, Poppy learned that her mate was going out with a team to a dig in a system no one had ever heard of, and that they had hired a private ship to take them. They were never heard from again except for one cryptic message stating they had found something big on a long dead world past R'Hin space. Shortly after that, war had unexpectedly broken out between the Sol Federation of Worlds and the R'Hin Empire. Arlan and the others were feared lost, though Poppy had held out hope that they had simply been cut-off and had to take a long way around the conflict zone. When the months dragged on into years, Poppy forced herself to accept the fact that Arlan might never come home--a lot could happen out in space far from home, especially during a time of war. Getting the letter from her cousin, James, with the photo attached showing Arlan at a dig, the alien pilot who had known Arlan, and the piece of jewelry found that had been worn by a member of the archaeological team Arlan was a part of, brought Poppy's thoughts back to her long lost mate.

"Arlan, if by some chance you're still alive somewhere out there in the black, what am I to tell the girls? They don't know you at all, except for some photos you and I took together--you're just a name and a face in a picture to them. What if Jamie and his crew finds you and can bring you home? What then? How do we pick back up where we left off, if we even can?" Poppy looked on the wall behind her desk at the picture of her cousin. "Jamie, what do I do if you find him?"

Poppy didn't believe in miracles, but then, since James was involved, anything could happen.

* * * * *

Milashen and her son, Har'jiat, stood nervously before the front door of her grandmother's home on the clan's compound in the country. Reaching hesitantly towards the chime, Milashen felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'm right here, my dear--we do this together," Talera sent.

Milashen gave a nod of her head and rang the chime. Several moments later, the door opened.

"What are you doing here?" the person who answered the door asked quietly with heavy sarcasm. "Never mind, leave before_she_ finds out you have dared the ban and stand on her doorstep!"

"We will see Han'orishan Shirhakrin. Now," Talera demanded firmly, holding up an ID badge.

Despite whatever was actually on the badge, the person answering the door saw in her mind something that shocked her.

"A...a Kharizar![1]"

"You will take us to her or be taken yourself for Obstruction of Law. Your choice," Talera said with a hint of iciness in her voice.

The female looked past the three and her mind "saw" a squad of Imperial Enforcers standing outside, ready to take whatever action necessary.

"Y-Yes, of...of course. This way..." the female said.

Talera smiled slightly and allowed the other to lead the three of them to the grandmother.

"This is a cousin of yours on your mother's side," Talera stated telepathically to Milashen, who simply nodded her head in reply. "She knows more about the situation than she has let on. Well,_that's _interesting... I have found something we can use in this one's mind."

Milashen looked at Talera, her eyes widening at the thought of how easily the Nomenaran female could pick through a person's mind without them knowing about it.

"Forgive me, Grandmother, but..." the cousin started to say.

"You will stay and shut the door, Sal'aquin," Talera demanded quietly.

The cousin's skin paled slightly as the blood drained from her face--the_Kharizar_ knew her name!

"What is this?" the grandmother demanded. "You! You dare show your face to me?!"

"Still your tongue, Han'orishan Shirhakrin!" Talera shot back. Milashen here has been falsely accused of something she did not do, and she_definitely_ does not need to be subjected to further abuse by you!"

Milashen and her son heard the sound of bolts being thrown closed on the room's doors--they were now locked, preventing anyone from entering.

"Who are you and how dare_you speak to me in that tone? I do not recog..._erk!"

Milashen and Har'jiat held each other closely as they saw the grandmother being shoved forcefully back into her tall-backed chair while her hands grasped vainly at her neck trying to pull away whatever was choking her. It was only a few seconds before the grandmother's body was released by the unseen forces acting upon it.

"Now that I have your attention_,_child, we will discuss this matter like civilized people," Talera said. When she initiated the change to her true form, Han'orishan and Sal'aquin would have screamed if they could, but Talera prevented them from doing so. Little Har'jiat could only stare in wide-eyed wonder. "Now then, we are going to discuss the issue of my young friend here having been falsely accused of something and then booted out of the family. When I am finished showing you the_truth _of the matter, you will formally apologize to her and her son before the entire family and accept her back--if she wishes to come back after the abuses she has suffered because of your idiocy."

"W-Who...w-what are you?!" Han'orishan asked hoarsely.

"I am Talera, of the Nomenara, we are one of the original Elder Races, directly descended from the First Ones. I have walked this galaxy since before your kind existed, child_. Why I came here to your world in the first place is not your concern. When I met my young friends here, I could not let them suffer as they had been and I have made sure they have ample food and other necessities to get by on. I promised them that things will get better--and they_ will_. Now then, we are going to get to the heart of this matter, starting with what_ this_youngster knows_," Talera sent, pointing to Sal'aquin.

Talera eventually got to the truth of the matter and made sure that Milashen's obstinate grandmother knew beyond a doubt that her granddaughter was truly innocent of the accusations, and that the other granddaughter, Sal'aquin, knew what really took place, but had kept quiet about it.

"Now then, as I see it, Milashen and her son here were the only ones among you who kept their honor intact--the rest of you should reflect on what you did and why, and then work on bettering yourselves. There are far more important things you should be worrying about, like getting along with your neighboring star systems instead of starting wars with them for no reason. I know for a fact that several of those among the Younger Races would not have hesitated to provide R'Hin with whatever aid it needed--food, shelter, medicines, equipment, and such, without asking for or expecting anything in return. Some, like myself, have been quietly working when and where we can to help straighten things out for your people. Before you can be a shining example for others, you have to get your own house in order first, and that does_not _mean doing foolish things like you have been." Talera turned to Milashen and sent, "We should let them think on what they've done for a bit. I'll take you back to your apartment, now, if you wish."

Milashen spoke softly with her son a few moments and then they both faced Talera and nodded.

"We shall be leaving now. Think on what I have told you and on what you have learned. I will be checking in on how Milashen and Har'jiat are doing from time to time--I expect better behavior on your part, Han'orishan. Yours too, Sal'aquin."

With that, Talera disappeared in a swirl of light, taking Milashen and her son with her.

* * * * *

Zhir-Rhi'an leaned back and rested her chin on her hand, contemplating what she had just read. The message was from her youngest daughter, Zhir-Chi'an, who had returned to her previous posting on the_Chel-Sar_ class exploration ship. It had been nearly half of a sun-cycle since she had completed her temporary assignment on Terra as a Cultural Aide by order of Empress Krel-Mri'ana. What Chi'an had learned while on the homeworld of the Sol Federation of Worlds helped pave the way for the new Terran Embassy to be established and formal trade to begin between the two civilizations. Rhi'an had gained new respect for the accomplishments of her youngest child, though she still was not completely over the shock of Chi'an having brought the furry off-worlder to the house--even though he was among those who had rescued Chi'an, had first shared_queth sliat_[2]with her, and then taught her the main Terran language which she in turn taught to the Empress[3].

Zhir-Rhi'an's mate, Nhir-Cor'ta, entered her private office and came to stand behind her. Rubbing his mate's shoulders, Cor'ta looked at the text displayed on the monitor.

"A message from our dear Chi'an, beloved?"

Rhi'an closed her eyes a few moments, enjoying the attention of her mate.

"Our youngest is very far away." Looking up and meeting Cor'ta's eyes, she added, "Few of our people have ever ventured as far away from home as they now are."

Cor'ta paused a moment, sensing his mate's concern.

"Does she say where?"

Rhi'an nodded her head slightly once.

"They are nearing the shoreline of our little island of stars, beloved--they are uncertain how much further they must travel in their search for that strange object, though they hope to find more answers to its whereabouts on a world said to be long dead by those of the Old Ones they have met. Old Ones, beloved! I...I cannot imagine what our Third Daughter has seen so far away from home!"

Cor'ta bent down and hugged his mate from behind, bringing his cheek against hers. He read Chi'an's message and looked at the images attached to it, knowing that those would only be a fraction of what their youngest of five children had seen so far on the mission she was part of. Like his mate, Rhi'an, Cor'ta was no less impressed with what their Third Daughter had accomplished and the places she had been during her time in the Imperial Star Service.

"Our dear little Chi'an, please be safe in the dark places between the stars and return home to us soon. May you_all _return," Cor'ta shared with his mate.

Rhi'an wrapped her tail around his and sent, "I wish it as well."

* * * * *

On Irenda, the surviving advanced learners had gathered in a quiet place to commemorate those who had perished at the hands of the Pliq raiders on their ill-fated research trip to a planet in a nearby star system.

Before they had started, Ne'ri, one of the survivors, burst onto the scene excitedly waiving some printouts in her hand, crying, "I have news from Meyleh!"

The other surviving learners--along with a few of their close friends--gathered close around Ne'ri.

"What does she say?" Anessra, one of the survivors, asked with great interest.

"I read!" Ne'ri replied, trying to slow her breathing down so that she could read the message aloud.

"My Friends,

"Elí and I continue to learn many things on the ship that saved us. We are very far away now, nearing the outer trail of stars. Before us is a bright cloud of gas our new friends call a_ne'bu'la _in their speech. They have funny name for it, too. They call it,'Thors Hel'met'--some type of protective head covering made from metal with wings attached. I send image with this to show.

"We saw something that made even those of an Elder Race afraid--a large and very old ship sitting still by itself. Our ship captain had everyone come up to control cabin to see. Was told it was alive, but not like any life we know of. It was full of hate so strong all could feel it. After we quietly went around it, the thing woke up! Big beast ship of the First One who I told about before, jumped on it and killed it before it could hurt us. It screamed horribly in our minds! Some of our new friends were hurt by the scream, but not me or Elí. We were tending our plants when it happened. Remember strange tree plant I told of in last message? We think it protected us from worst of mind-scream, but do not know how. Our dark-skinned friend, Khel'zet, came to check on us, then we went to see where we could help. I went to the other ship, the one with our tall friends, to help. Elí went, too. First time we been on their ship--very different from our ship, but nice.

"Elí and I enjoy what we do on this ship. We grow our plants and plan activities, such as celebrations, games, and stories. Our new friends teach us about their people and how they live, and we study all the things they learn in their schools. We are teachers, too! The longer we are with them, the more we wish our people had met theirs sooner. We have met other good people along the way--not everyone among the stars wish to control or hurt others! Our ship captain said the surveys of our new homeworld are being made--early reports say it should meet our needs easily. He will try to get images of it to share.

"The special trail we follow, is one only meant for few, I think. We meet the First One soon, on some old dead world ahead of us. Why there, we not know--maybe to learn something very important. Not sure what happens after or where we go, but we do what must.

"We still miss our lost friends, our homes and kin-herd, and all of you. We hope to see again and be on new homeworld together.

"May the ancient Guardians of Light protect us all!

Meyleh

When Ne'ri finished reading Meyleh's letter, she passed around prints of the images sent along with it, showing the nebula they were heading towards, some photos taken of Elí and Meyleh among the crew, and some from places they had visited. The group quietly shared the images between themselves and discussed them along with the message; when everyone had a chance to see, Ne'ri dutifully placed the printouts of the letter and the images into a scrapbook she was making that documented their friends' time on the alien ship they had boldly (or foolishly, depending on who you asked among the Fansq) snuck aboard before it left to continue its mission.

"They are very brave," Halisa, the sister of Línal, one of the male learners of their study group who was slain by the Pliq raiders, said.

"They do things no Fansq has done since our kind left ancient homeworld many generations ago," Anessra commented.

"If Elí not make help call..."

"...And if it was not heard by _good_strangers..."

"...We not be here now."

The group grew quiet for several moments as they thought about the chain of events that led to their rescue and return home. They also reflected on their friends, Elí and Meyleh, who willingly went against the norm and did the unthinkable--taking a huge risk by daring to sneak aboard the alien ship and then leave everything behind so that they could learn all that they could about the strangers who had saved them. It was a gamble that apparently was paying off, for news of their exploits had spread like wildfire amongst the Fansq. It would not be long before this latest message from Meyleh would find itself being circulated among the advanced learners in their school, and through them, to those in other cities.

* * * * *

Admiral Kenneth Donnelson, still the current head of JSOC--the Joint Special Operations Command, carefully read and then reread the latest mission report from his nephew, Captain James Daugherty, in command of the long-range_Spirit_ class scout ship, S.F.S.Nightwing, SLG-78.

Admiral Donnelson shook his head slightly when he saw how far out the black, dagger-shaped ship was at the time the report was made. Since starting on their mission to attempt to find, and hopefully recover, the strange alien artifact known as The Heart of Élendor, they had traveled further than any ship in the Sol Federation of Worlds. Some of that distance was covered due to a mysterious ancient and incredibly powerful being known as a First One, who had somehow taken them nearly ten thousand lightyears in the blink of an eye, and another five hundred lightyears by those of an Elder Race known as the Dra'kans. They were now over nineteen thousand lightyears away--nearly to the distant bright nebula, NGC-2359, located near the Outer Arm of the Milky Way galaxy.

"Ah, my boy, what I would give to see with my own eyes what you and your crew have seen on this mission..." Adm. Donnelson mused quietly to himself.

At the end of the duty shift, he caught a personnel shuttle from the Fleet Operations Station back to the main space station in orbit above Terra and then transported down to the Eielson military base in Alaska. From there, he caught a ride to the maglev station in Fairbanks and took a rail pod north to Gelfheim. Adm. Donnelson zipped up his parka before stepping out onto the rail platform--the October air was a frosty minus five degrees Celsius. He elected to walk the distance to the old mead hall, where he would be meeting his mate for dinner. After sitting behind a desk for most of the week, Adm. Donnelson figured the walk in the crisp, clean forest air would do him some good.

"There's my hunky skunk!" Flora said with a loving grin when she hugged and kissed her mate.

"Mmm, keep that up, Flo, and we'll have to get a room," he said quietly in her ear.

"Oh, I think you can count on that, dear," Flora said mischievously.

"Well, let's grab some chow first and then snuggle in front of the fireplace back home with a glass or two."

"We'll have the house all to ourselves...at least until Jo gets back," Flora said as they took their seats at a table.

"Oh? Where's she off to?" Kenneth asked, giving an ear a twitch.

"At a concert in Anchorage with some friends, then they're going out to dinner after. It'll be late by the time she gets back," Flora replied.

"Late, eh?"

"Oh, now, you're just going to have to get used to the fact that our baby girl is all grown up..."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"She's not twenty-one yet..."

"Close enough to it..."

"We had a good chat before I allowed her to go--she's sharper than you think about some things, dear. Besides, Cerri went with them, so she'll keep an eye on them," Flora said.

"Cerri?" Kenneth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If you knew who was playing, you'd understand why she wanted to go." Seeing the look on his face, Flora added, "It's 'Pipes of Innisfree', dear; Irish music."

"Oh..." Kenneth said, relieved that it wasn't the latest form of wild Thabbani party music, or worse--_Élendorian_party music.

After dinner and visiting with a few friends, Kenneth and Flora walked back to their home, stopping to look up at the night sky.

"The aurora is pretty tonight," Flora commented.

Kenneth said nothing as he continued looking up.

"Kenny...? A raisin for your thoughts..."

"Huh? Oh...just thinking about our nephew."

"James?"

"Yeah."

Flora stood in front of her mate with her back against him; Kenneth put his arms around her and held her close.

"I worry about them," Flora said quietly.

"Me, too."

"Have you heard anything of them?"

"I got a mission report today through the Mûr Tua'ansa military communications net. They're over nineteen_thousand_lightyears out."

"Jeezers, Kenny...that's...that's a long way."

"Yeah."

"Are they still okay?"

"Seem to be. James noted in his ship's log that they passed through the remnants of the nebula's shockwave with no problems, and they're on track to reach that dead planet in a few months. So far, they haven't met up with anything they haven't been able to deal with...though they_did_ have one scare," Kenneth explained.

"What was that?" Flora asked, looking back at her mate a moment--he saw the concern in her eyes.

Kenneth told her about their encounter with the Dark Blood ship and what happened after.

"He sent a photo of it."

Flora looked back at him again.

"Scariest damn thing I've ever seen," Kenneth said quietly. "Made my fur stand on end."

Flora turned around and hugged her mate. She couldn't imagine what it would take to scare_him_ of all people, not after spending the majority of his military career in Fleet Special Warfare.

"Will they make it back home?" Flora asked.

"James is convinced that odd wolf-ship that has been following them belongs to a First One. If they're anything as powerful as he's been told..."

"Then..."

"All we can do is hope."

* * * * *

Given the historical significance of the current whereabouts of the long-range scout ship,Nightwing, the Space Service issued a press release. When it played over the various media outlets, people across the Sol Federation of Worlds stopped what they were doing and listened or watched with rapt attention.

Announcer: /* "Fleet Admiral David Harrington, Chief of Naval Operations, speaking in front of Federation Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland, Terra. With him are government representatives of several worlds, including Mûr Zhæn and Élendor." */

CNO: /* "Yesterday word was received from our newest long-range scout ship, S.F.S._Nightwing, SLG-78, and her companion, the I.E.S.Chel-Sar Se'nika. They have passed the farthest point any ship of the Sol Federation of Worlds or of the Mûr Tua'ansa Star Empire have traveled. They are over nineteen thousand lightyears away from Sol, nearing the nebula cataloged as NGC-2359, commonly called 'Thor's Helmet'. Along the way they have encountered other civilizations previously unknown to us, and have had friendly contact with no less than three so-called Elder Races--civilizations millions, if not billions, of years old._

"The two ships left Terra approximately two and a half years ago, in attempt to find an ancient alien artifact of unknown origin that had been on the planet of Élendor Prime since life first evolved there. The exotic energy trail left by the artifact has been difficult to follow, though given the skills and determination of the crews of both ships, they continue the hunt wherever it leads them.

"We cannot imagine what wonders they have seen, odds they have faced, or what is still in store for them, since they have been on their mission. Theirs is as much a mission of discovery as it is one of find and recover. It is certainly one for the history books.

"How they have been able to cover so much distance in so short amount of time is, in part, due to a mysterious vessel which has been following them since the incident near the Élenswena colony. Little is known of this vessel or those who it belongs to, or their motive, other than it matches no known vessel of any civilization yet encountered. Whatever it is, it is immensely powerful and unlike any concept of what we might think of as a starship. The crews have reported that the strange alien vessel appears to be benevolent and has come to their aid on occasion, just as it had protected the colony of Élenswena two and a half years ago. All attempts to communicate with the strange vessel have gone unanswered to date, though the commanding officers of both_Nightwing _and Se'nika_have stated that they believe a face-to-face meeting is likely soon._

"Our thoughts and hearts are with the crews of both ships and their families at home. We wish them success on their historic joint mission and a safe return with all hands." */

When the press release was over, the President of the Sol Federation of Worlds spoke next and called for a minute of reflection and silent well wishes across all worlds, each according to their own convictions. On Mûr Zhæn, Empress Krel-Mri'ana also addressed her people.

/* "My own, you have heard the words spoken by our friends concerning those serving on our dear little_Chel-Sar _class exploration ship, the Se'nika_, and the honorable ship that had rescued her crew in their time of peril, the one known as_Nightwing_. They fly into unknown territory, deep into the dark places between the stars, so very far from home. Hold them in your thoughts, my people, so that they will not be lost to us. May the All-Mother see them safely home when their task is finished so that they may share their stories with us all_." */

In a small establishment called, The Drift, located near the main starport in the capitol city of Zhæn'ana, the proprietor--a tall, muscular female with unusual red hair--stood with friends and patrons in an upper floor gallery. Lining the walls were images of ships, crews, and others, who had been listed as lost among the stars. Before her was a holo-image of four ships--three were black, dagger-shaped ships of the Sol Federation, and the fourth was the_Chel-Sar_ class ship mentioned by the Empress, along with their crews in a group photo. The caption read, in part, "Until the stars give up our own, we must not give up hope." Tsal-Asa'an, the proprietor, lit a candle and placed it upon a table before the image. She had personally met a few of those from the_Se'nika_ and some from Nightwing's sister ship,Dark Fire.

"May our own and their friends return to us," she sent openly to those in attendance.

One by one, everyone present lit a candle and placed it among the others on the table.

"Until they return," each person sent.

* * * * *

Elsewhere in the galaxy, on a world so old that it should be long dead, if not for the fact that it and its entire star system had been neatly tucked away in a pocket of space-time created by the First Ones, members of its truly ancient--and quite advanced--civilization began to make preparations for some long awaited visitors.

Two black and white furred females sat with their backs against an ancient tree under which was a den nearly as old. The Great Forest was a very special place, for it was in actuality an extension, after a fashion, of the realm known as Ayoo-t'ahna nal-Zhidôr, the home of the First Ones. It had always been a timeless place, and the two individuals--once born immersed in the flow of time and now were forever removed from its touch--found the timelessness of The Great Forest of Y'Nahra more to their liking. Oh, they liked the conveniences of their homes in the great city of New Hope well enough, but...The Forest always called to them, and they made a point to return as often as they could. And this occasion was no exception. While they waited for others to show up, the two females quietly talked about what was on their minds.

"Ya know, sis, it still_squishes my berries how the ol' Forest never _really changes. I mean, it does an' it doesn't. The seasons turn an' all, but...it's still the same ol' place, just like, um, well, however long ago it was when we first came here."

"Yah, I know what ya mean. How many times have we sat right here thinkin' and yakkin' 'bout stuff?"

"I dunno...I quit tryin' to remember."

"I betcha ol' Misty remembers--he remembers_everything_!

"Yah, well, Warri does, too."

"Yah."

"Hey, ever think much 'bout those folks the First Ones made from ya?"

"Yah. We got a couple comin' here...well, eventually. Misty's ma said they gotta finish their journey thingy. I think it won't be much longer. I told ya about them getting' that message, right?"

"Yah, hon, ya did. Are ya excited 'bout meetin' 'em?"

"Yah. Kuri?"

"Yah?"

"I really hope they turned out nice an' all."

"Me, too, sis. Hey, didn't Dahmi's great, great, whatever, grandkit, Kei'sa, send ya some pictures of 'em?"

"Um...oh, yah! Lemme see if I remembered to bring that..." Meri rummaged through her traveling bag until she found the old-fashioned journal book she kept. Flipping carefully through the pages, she found the thin, flexible display and removed it. After activating it and making it rigid, she showed the images to her sister, Kurietta.

"Hey, this one looks a _lot_like ya, sis! Same fur style, even!"

"Yah, weird, isn't it? Check out the other one..."

"Ooo, he's a cutie..."

"Yah, I'm sure some of the gals here wouldn't mind checkin' him out," Meri said with a smirk.

"Yah," Kurietta agreed. As she was flipping through some of the other pictures, she said, "Geez, they have some weird-lookin' folks travelin' with 'em."

"Yah, those tall ones are scary lookin', but Kei'sa said they're pretty nice."

Kurietta flipped through some more images until one caught her eye. She stopped on it and examined it closely.

"Which one ya lookin' at?" Meri asked out of curiosity.

"Huh? Oh, this one...," Kurietta replied, holding up the display. Seeing the expression on her sister's face, Kurietta asked quietly, "Remind ya of anyone?"

The image shown on the thin display was of three people wearing black one-piece uniforms--one was the female that resembled Meri, one was a female that looked like she could have been one of the Ayoona-Lu-Nehm'a, and the third looked kind of like a "furless one" who was part Eastlander and part Southlander, except for his eyes and to a lesser extent his ears. In some ways those three reminded them of another three they had seen once while in a dream-like state when they were before The Heart long, long ago.

"Yah, Red Moon's great grandma told us 'bout 'em a long time ago. I don't know why I still remember that," Meri replied.

"That's because it's important, dear," Meri and Kuri both heard in their minds.

Everything around them disappeared in a flash of light and they found themselves in the otherspace where First Ones communicate with each other--they had experienced it themselves several times over the course of their long existence, usually through the efforts of Mist Runner and Grimm Tooth.

"Oh, jeebers!" Meri exclaimed as she and Kuri hugged each other, surprised at suddenly finding themselves in the weird space with a particular First One they hadn't seen in a while.

"M-Mistress N-Naoia...!" Kurietta stammered.

"Always good to see you two dears. You know, we should visit a bit more often. Well, Char'ena and I will be bringing our new friends there after they finish some other business so we'll have a chance to visit properly," Naoia said, greeting them warmly.

"Um, are they still on The Heart thingy?" Meri asked.

"Of course, dear...won't be too much longer," Naoia said.

"Oh. Has she...?"

"Not yet. Soon, though."

"Can...can I talk to her...and maybe him, when...?"

Naoia smiled and said, "I'll be holding her, so we'll see, dear."

"Why does it have to be so hard on 'em?" Kurietta asked. "It was bad enough what it put my lil' sis through."

"Well, that's a good question, but you'll have to ask someone else who knows our little creation better. I'll ask a friend of mine who does if he'll explain it to you--he's a little busy rummaging around in the past at the moment, trying to find out some background information on a people whose current leader I'm going to have to have a little chat with to straighten his tail out when I'm taking my young friends back home," Naoia explained.

"Oh, okay," Kurietta said.

"Hey, why is it important that I remember that stuff about those three...and the other ones?" Meri asked.

"It'll take a bit to explain--we'll work on that when everyone involved are together in the same place and time. Until then, go ahead and figure out what to do when we arrive, though keep in mind that our young friends might be a bit overwhelmed from experiencing a lot in a short amount of time," Naoia said.

"Okay," Meri agreed.

"I know you've been waiting for this a long time, dear," Naoia said with a smile, stroking Meri's fur-hair. "Oh, and by the way, yes, they_are _rather nice people," Naoia added with a wink. "Well, off you go..."

"Wait! Can...can we say 'hi' to Char'ena before we gotta go back?" Meri asked quickly.

Naoia cocked her head slightly at the request and considered it.

"Only for a moment, dear, she has to keep her attention on other things."

Meri smiled brightly and nodded her head, which made Naoia smile in return. She disappeared in a swirl of light.

"Char'ena!" Meri cried, throwing her arms around the Great Lupin's neck when she appeared in Naoia's place.

Kurietta joined her sister, saying, "Hey, ol' gal, we've missed ya!"

Char'ena gave them both licks and a nuzzle, and said, "Not forgot about you. We play when get back with new friends. Char'ena met them on Elysinar and Dra'ka. You will like. Not stay here long--must keep watch for bad ones."

"Yah, we know. We just wanted to see ya again," Meri said quietly, understanding what Char'ena meant by 'bad ones'.

"Char'ena go now, will see again soon."

The Great Lupin allowed one more hug and gave another gentle lick before disappearing in a swirl of light.

"Okay, off you go, dears," they heard Naoia say.

There was a flash of light and Meri and Kurietta found themselves back where they were sitting with their backs against the ancient tree.

After spending a few moments thinking about their quick visit, Kurietta asked, "Ya think they're gonna be like us?"

"They look like us an'..."

"Nah, not that...I mean the _other_thingy."

Meri thought a moment, looked at her sister and asked, "Ya mean being made...?"

"No, ya fur-ball, _this_thingy...!" Kurietta said in mild exasperation, tugging at the small symbolic device on her cloak's left shoulder near her collar bone.

"Oh...that. I dunno, maybe," Meri said softly, fingering the identical symbol on her own cloak.

It was a symbol only a few special individuals worthy of the honor and responsibility were given, having been tested and chosen by The Heart to receive its gift.

* * * * *

It was late and it was dark for the moon had not yet risen. The night sky was clear and comfortably cool, and the stars shone brightly upon the lone figure sitting on a rock ledge near the woods. Like the person sitting on the rock, the trees that formed a semi-circle around the ledge were not as tall as those found on other worlds, though their squat trunks and broad canopies were a tell-tale sign that they grew in a heavy gravity environment. The dense, gold-streaked dark wood of the trees was prized for its beauty as well as its strength and durability.

Naverilasanna Anshathuaithsan was the younger sister by one year of Thavialasoona, or Thavi, as non-Thabbani called her. Naveri looked up at the stars and wondered about all the interesting things her sister had seen so far from home.

Unlike most of her relatives who were Builders, Naveri was a Smith, having been discovered to have the interest and talent as a child. After attending her formal general education classes, she learned The Way of the Forge and Hammer, excelling at coaxing metal from its ore, purifying and shaping it in fire. Naveri had studied the writings and works of the great metalsmith, Dakanevinbanansathchan. Upon graduating, she was taken--along with several other novice smiths--to The Forge of Dakanevin (as Thavi had shortened it to when she told the story one evening[4]on the ship). Each had the chance to create one item on The Forge as their Final Test--Naveri's project was a geologist's rock-pick that she made from a collapsed metal alloy, which passed the test. During the ceremony that followed, Naveri presented the rock-pick she had created to her sister, Thavi, as a gift in the tradition of Dakanevin.

Naveri was greatly interested in Thavi's recounting of her time on Dra'ka and what she had learned while there, having reread the message several times. But the one thing that had brought Naveri to tears the first time she saw it (and nearly every time after) was a photo of Thavi with the beautiful silver Dra'kan female, Erlanna, while in her full form. The photo reminded Naveri of the story where Dakanevin had returned with a "huge being with scales like metal, claws like gems, great powerful wings, and eyes that shone with fire."

"Could that be...?" Naveri thought in awe, especially when she learned how old the Dra'kan female was.

* * * * *

Erlanna lay resting her chin on the wrist joints of her wings, thinking. It was nighttime and she had just finished off her meal, which had been light by Dra'kan standards. the air in her rest chamber was comfortably cool, making her drowsy. Although she was not completely alone, for while a female member of the Watchers was in the sitting room and writing a report, Erlanna was alone in her thoughts. She longed to be with James, of course, for she missed his company. But this night, Erlanna's thoughts had turned to her mother, Valerna, who she had not seen for several thousand years.

Like her young daughter, Valerna's scales were bright shiny silver and her mane as white as the purest new fallen snow. A contemporary of the_Dra'ka Nulen_, Arneora, Valerna was highly skilled in what many called "magic"--the ability to wrest control of elemental forces and use them according to her will.

One day, while Valerna was tinkering in her work chambers, she was approached by a First One by the name of Naeressa Halinu'ena, who had knowledge of primordial e'nchiekh crystals.

"There will come a time," Naeressa had told her, "when the Dark Bloods and their minions must be fought. Weapons will be needed that have the ability to counter the negative energies channeled through e'nchiekh crystals. There is one who has promising skills with metals--would you be willing to work with him and other individuals to create such weapons and means of protection?"

Valerna knew the growing threat posed by the Dark Bloods to all the races, Elder and Younger alike.

"Certainly, Mistress," Valerna agreed. "Who will be the first to use what we create?"

"We have selected individuals who will train others to fight the Dark Bloods and their minions--these we will bring to you so that you may work with them. They will have ideas and suggestions of their own--if they are workable, use them," Naeressa replied.

"Yes, Mistress." Valerna acknowledged. She thought a moment and then asked, "When may I meet the one who has skills with metals?"

Naeressa smiled and said, "I will take you to him."

Erlanna's mother was taken to Ayoo-t'ahna Nal-Zhidôr, the home of the First Ones, where she met the one known then as Nevi n'Ban. Nevi was, by all accounts, a handsome chap with a thick mane of dark brown hair. His muscular body was covered with soft fur--along his arms, legs, back, and the upper half of his tail it was light brown; his face had a mask of dark fur while the lower part of it along with his broad chest, and the underside of his tail were a creamy tan color. There was long thick dark fur growing from his forearms, lower legs, and the very top of his tail. His golden-brown eyes were bright and cheery. Although much shorter than Valerna when in her smaller anthro form, she immediately admired Nevi. When he first laid eyes on Valerna, all Nevi could do was stare at the beautiful silver Dra'kan female. So overcome by what he saw, Nevi's strong legs gave out and down he went onto his knees, his eyes welling up with tears, for he had never seen such beauty before in his life.

The two quickly became friends as they worked together on the designs he had made. After a particularly long work session, Valerna needed a good stretch, so she changed into her full form and looked longingly up at the sky. But then, something tugged at her heart of being, causing Valerna to turn her gaze towards Nevi.

"Would you like to fly with me?" she asked him sweetly.

"Nevi surely would, but...how would Nevi stay on?" he asked.

The two--now accustomed to thinking and working together--quickly devised a simple means by which Nevi could secure himself to Valerna's back. Once the strap was in place, Nevi climbed up and hooked his legs in the strap and held on to her thick mane. When he was ready, Valerna launched herself into the air.

Nevi held on for all he was worth for he had never been far above the ground. Valerna knew this and reassured Nevi that she would not let him fall. How long they flew together is not known, for the realm of Ayoo-t'ahna Nal-Zhidôr is timeless, though when they returned, the bond that had been growing between them was well forged and tempered beyond breaking by the power of love.

When the techniques of making the powerful Weapons of Light were perfected, Valerna and Nevi taught them to others, including one by the name of Bren who had been given the Gift of The Fire by the First Ones. With their help, Bren created the mighty Blade of Mûr Tua'ansa which would be wielded by Aana-Ael'an in the fight against the_an'im-Raleen_ and their Dark Blood masters on Mûr Zhæn[5].

When Valerna had to part with Nevi, she cried as she nuzzled him. Nevi sought to wipe away her tears, only to find that they crystallized into diamond-like gems as they fell into his hands.

"Please do not cry, dear Valerna. Nevi see again, Nevi promises! Nevi's words don't break, Valerna will see," he told her lovingly, holding his cheek against hers.

"I don't want to be without you!" Valerna whimpered softly.

"Nevi knows, Nevi wants to be with Valerna, too!"

Naeressa saw the strength of the love between the two and knew that it was true; she could not be the one to break them apart.

"Valerna, you may go with Nevi to his home if you will help him teach his people what they will need to know. The skills you both possess will be needed again, so I offer you this: when you are finished teaching his people, you both will return here where you will stay to continue your work. When it is time, you will again go forth to teach the new youths. Keep in mind, Nevi, how much things may have changed since you were last among them, for they are subject to the effects of Time--here, you are not."

"Nevi knows," he acknowledged quietly.

What Nevi did not know was that during his stay in the realm of Ayoo-t'ahna Nal-Zhidôr, his body had become permeated with_chanitha_ from being immersed in its energy. If he were to stay in the space he was from, from this point forward, Nevi would likely live long past others of his world.

When Nevi and Valerna went to his homeworld, one of the first things Nevi did was to fashion a pendant into which he set the crystallized tears of his beloved immortal Dra'kan. It is rumored that, wherever he is, the pendant always hangs around his neck. It was because of his love for Valerna, the Thabbani people added_Daka_ to his name, making it Dakanevi n'Ban. Over time, his name was lengthened by adding more descriptors until it evolved into its current form, Dakanevinbanansathchan, or "Dra'kan lover, Nevi n'Ban, the Great Smith".

Like her mother had done thousands of years earlier, Erlanna had fallen in love with a mortal from a Younger Race. In her case, it was with Captain James Daugherty of Terra, the commanding officer of the Sol Federation Ship,Nightwing, and despite the fact that he already had mates. James was nearly to the long dead world of Chenau-Ri by now--Erlanna longed to share in the adventure, but she had to remain on Dra'ka for the trial of Kh'nar. Erlanna felt trapped. A Watcher had to accompany her everywhere she went and there was always another nearby, out of sight. Despite the investigation that was closing in on him, Kh'nar made it a point to be as near to Erlanna as he could, as often as he could. His lust for revenge upon Arneora for scorning and humiliating him in front of his peers in years long past, the added embarrassment of the mortal daring to challenge him in The Great Hall, and the threat leveled against him through the Great Lupins, all added up to make Kh'nar increasingly unstable.

One day while Erlanna was being escorted from her chambers to the_Dra'ka Nulen_'s office, Kh'nar was waiting for her. He said nothing at first, merely leaning against the wall of the hallway by the door, leering at her. Qinara happened to have been the one escorting Erlanna.

"Clear the hallway!" Qinara ordered.

Kh'nar snorted and said, "You should not speak to me in that tone of voice,child."

A warning growl rumbled in Qinara's throat as her colors shifted to black and shades of dark gray. She drew her side arm and pointed it directly at Kh'nar--the safety was in the "off" position.

"Clear...the...hall," she repeated, menacingly. Qinara then slowly, purposefully, lowered the muzzle of her weapon from his chest to pointing at the part of his anatomy below the belt. "Now. Unless, you wish to lose something you would rather keep," she added icily.

"I suggest you do what she says, Kh'nar," came a deeper voice from the other side of him.

The elder wyrm quickly turned his head and saw the form of another Watcher shimmer into view, one who also had a weapon pointing at him.

"D'Narial!" Kh'nar hissed.

"You have been given a lawful command by a Watcher in the performance of duty. You will obey immediately or pay the price, your choice."

"You would not dare...!" Kh'nar growled.

"My First will not miss...neither will I," D'Narial said calmly.

Kh'nar growled something under his breath and stalked off; he hissed when he passed by D'Narial, who simply watched and kept his weapon aimed.

Snorting his contempt, D'Narial holstered his sidearm after the head of the Dra'kan Council was out of sight.

Erlanna had stood wide-eyed behind Qinara while the scene played itself out, hoping that it would not come to violence.

"Would you really have...?" Erlanna started to say to Qinara, though D'Narial answered for her.

"Of course she would, and so would I. We have sworn ourselves to protect you, and you_will_ be safe as long as we are here to keep you so."

Erlanna could see in D'Narial's eyes that he meant what he said. She lowered her head and nodded slightly.

When the door suddenly opened, Qinara--who was in the process of holstering it--quickly raised her sidearm, while D'Narial reached again for is own.

Arneora poked her head out and said, "Oh, there you are Erlanna," and then she saw the two Watchers in a ready stance. "Ah, is everything...?"

D'Narial and Qinara visibly relaxed.

"Kh'nar was here waiting for her," Qinara stated in disgust.

Arneora frowned.

"That fool is up to something--he is being too obvious for some reason. Well, come on in, dear, and help yourself to something to drink." Arneora smiled and gently put her hand on her assistant's shoulder as she walked by. Stepping a little further out into the hallway, she asked quietly, "Did he say anything to her?"

"No, only to us," Qinara replied.

Arneora nodded her head in thought and then asked, "Has all of his cronies been found?"

"Inquisitor Fae'ela is tracking down the last of them. We hope to have them all identified and detained before the trial," D'Narial replied.

"Good. The sooner he is dealt with, the better," Arneora said.

Stepping aside so that the two Watchers could enter the office, Arneora poked her head out into the hallway one more time. Scanning the immediate area intently, she sniffed the air.

"He was up to something, I know_it! I feel it in my_ scales_..._" Arneora thought to herself. She entertained the thought of flaming the section of hallway just to be sure, but decided against it and shut the door.

A minute or so after the door was closed, a section of the wall began to move. The surface seemed to ripple and sag and then flowed into an oddly colored glob of something onto the floor before changing shape again into something else that had multiple legs, before scurrying off in the direction Kh'nar had went.

* * * * *

On their way back from a patrol in sector 149, the long-range scout ship,Blackfrost, arrived at the new forward operating base designated Golf Foxtrot One, where it met with its replacement,Night Spirit. While their pilots were getting drinks in the small officer's club, the android avatars of the ship A.I. entities, Cyrilla and Lilith, sat at a table waiting on them.

"How are the new wings performing?" Cyrilla asked her sister A.I..

"They function quite nicely. The mass has been reduced by a significant factor while their strength and flexibility have improved. My favorite is the fact that they are no longer the bulky things the originals were and are not conspicuous, unless I deploy them, of course," Lilith replied with a sly smile. "Thanks to the advanced nanotechnology the Mûr Tua'ansa gave us, along with the design changes offered by the Ganthorens, I now enjoy appearing as any other bat G.E.L.F. of today--or as one of their original predecessors from the late twentieth century to early twenty-first century. The Ganthorens did much of the programming on the subroutines required to utilize the advanced wings." Lilith glanced from side to side and then leaned closer to Cyrilla and said quietly with a grin, "I_like_them!"

Cyrilla chuckled and suggested, "You will have to demonstrate them when we have a chance."

"Demonstrate what, dear?" Captain Allen Ruddel, the command pilot and commanding officer of_Blackfrost_asked with a cheery smile as he sat down beside Cyrilla.

"Lilith's new wings," Cyrilla replied, putting her arm around Allen.

"Ooo, yeah, I remember Cheryl telling me about them," Allen said, referring to his friend who works at the Avatar Assembly and Testing Facility, in the Maintenance and Repair Division.

Captain Leo Trovsky, the current CO of_Night Spirit_ said as he was returning to his seat, "They did an amazing job on her remodel. The old wings kinda looked cool in a way, but the new ones are far more practical. Vertical ladders and crawlways aren't a problem for her anymore."

"That is so," Lilith agreed.

Allen and Leo took a few drinks of their beverage of choice and sat quietly for several moments.

"Has anyone heard from _Nightwing_lately?" Allen asked, breaking the silence.

"I heard the admiral received a mission report and a copy of the ship's logs recently," Leo said.

"Any idea where they're at?" Allen asked.

"Way out in B.F.E., last I heard," Leo replied with a shrug.

"Moira had sent me a message in their latest mail packet," Lilith added.

"What did she have to say?" Allen asked, taking another drink while glancing at her.

"They have passed through the nebula's shockwave and are on course for the dead planet mentioned in the report. She said they hope to make contact with the First One who has been following them," Lilith replied.

"Cho told me a while back what Daugherty told him what happened on that planet the dragons live on."

"Dra'kans, dear," Cyrilla corrected gently.

"Same difference," Allen retorted quietly. "Anyway, that boy has got some nads to stand up to the arrogant son their leader is. He's lucky he didn't get crispy crittered, from what I was told," Allen said.

"All this talk about First Ones and Elder Races and such...sounds like old sea stories to me," Leo mused.

"There is evidence that those called the First Ones have been to worlds such as Mûr Zhæn, Élendor Prime, Thabb, and several others--possibly even to Terra. Of all the possible galaxies in our universe, the question is, why did they come to_this_ one?" Cyrilla asked.

"Another question is, what do they want? Though perhaps the most important one is, why are they interested in our sister and her crew?" Lilith asked.

No one cared to speculate on that.

"One thing's for certain, though, if anything happens to them way out there, we may never know. It'd take_decades_for a survey ship to reach that far out. Even our fastest ships would still take several years, and there's no guarantee that we would ever find any traces of them," Allen said matter-of-factly.

"Then we must hope that James will bring them back, with or without help from those who have put them on the path they now follow," Lilith said solemnly.

Leo looked at his glass a moment and then raised it, saying, "To_Nightwing_..."

Allen raised his and said, "...And to_Se'nika_. We can't forget our friends who fly with them."

Lilith and Cyrilla, not having glasses of their own, placed a hand on top of their pilot's hand.

"May our brothers and sisters find their way home again," Cyrilla added.

"As do I," Lilith said, joining in the toast. Looking thoughtful for a moment after it, she added, "Moira once said to Admiral Donnelson, after he had asked her if she was ready for the mission to sector one-four-nine, that she would carry James and her crew, to the best of her ability, even if they must go in harm's way to the very heart of Darkness itself. We learned about a 'darkness' spreading on that mission, approximately three years ago, when my youngest sister was fresh from the yards. I hope her poetic response to that question does not prove to be a prophetic one."

Allen thought on that and said, "We haven't seen anything yet in that direction, though there have been reports trickling in from distant places of similar things happening. Whatever is going out there in the boonies seems to be spreading this way. The thing is, though, we have no idea what the extent of it is."

"Other than the reports we've received from_Nightwing_ and Se'nika," Leo pointed out.

"Right. If it wasn't for that Mûr Tua'ansa ship and its comms, by the time we'd hear something from_Nightwing_--_if_we got anything--it'd be months out of date because of the distances involved," Allen agreed.

Allen and Leo were silent for a minute or so while they thought about the situation. Cyrilla and Lilith, on the other hand, spoke privately on the subject and related matters, and performed their usual routine of checking systems, monitoring message traffic, and other things ship A.I.s do. But then Cyrilla had a thought which she voiced.

"I wonder if the message Moira helped create ever got delivered to its intended recipients."

"Oh, you mean that one they put on that little ship and sent back to the Wurnak Da'i?" Allen asked.

"Yes."

"Jeez, I haven't thought about that in a while," Allen said.

* * * * *

A cloaked long-range probe that had been sent along with the little courier ship carrying the message to the Wurnak Da'i, had detached when it was programmed to and quietly went about gathering intel on the hostiles. Periodically it would send the data it had collected through a series of relays back to a listening post on the outskirts of the Sol Federation. For the first year or so, it detected very little of interest. During its second year of stealthy observation, activity had kicked up a notch, though still nothing that appeared to be of much interest. However, that suddenly changed. New Wurnak Da'i ships began to appear in numbers, sometimes with ships that didn't match known Wurnak Da'i ship configurations or power signatures. These the probe dutifully recorded and sent back when the area seemed clear. Then it witnessed a strange event. A large Wurnak Da'i capital ship had gone by at a fairly close range with a contingent of smaller warships--forty-eight hours later, the capital ship limped by in the opposite direction, appearing to be heavily damaged and taking fire from a pair of vessels of considerable power for their small size. The smaller warships seemed to be incapable of defending themselves from their attackers and were being destroyed one by one. The unknown alien vessels concentrated primarily on the large capital ship, though whenever a smaller warship came within range it was summarily destroyed. The sensor probe carefully followed at a safe distance, attempting to record as much of the battle as it could.

It was not long before the large capital ship was destroyed. The probe continued to record as the two small but powerful vessels went through the debris, firing here and there at things. When the two small vessels seemed to be done taking pot shots at the debris field, they turned and headed back the way they came, passing by close enough to the probe that it was able to take good clear still images of them both.

The two relatively small alien ships_did_ match the configuration and power signature of a ship that had joined_Nightwing_ and Se'nika on their trip to Chenau-Ri.

They were Y'Nahran.

---

[1] Kharizar - (_pronounced_Khar-i-zar) a R'Hin Imperial Justice Giver.

[2] Queth sliat - "water" in the Tu'an language.

[3] See "Daggers of Darkness #1 - Into the Black", chapter 11.

[4] Thavi told the story of Dakanevinbanansathchan in "Daggers of Darkness #3: On the Trail of Legends", chapter 1.

[5] See "Tangled Vines", chapter 9.