Author's Note: Based on an episode from an old animated television series.
Chapter One
The Red Dwarf Stinger voyaged through a seemingly empty vastness of space with nothing but darkness and distant pinpricks of light to see. The spaceship was currently heading towards Skye, planet of the S'kytri. On board were eight sentient beings and one protocol droid. Most of the passengers were sleeping as the hour was late. The lights on the ship had been turned down save for a few scattered around the many sections.
The cockpit was the liveliest of the ship with three occupants inside. Two female S'kytri occupied the two seats as they talked and giggled quietly, being careful to not wake up anyone. The other occupant was a cerise red protocol droid who seemed more interested in the systems than anything the two teenagers were saying.
Both had similar shades of green skin and each of their wings were tucked up behind them but that was where the similarities ended. Neash lounged in the pilots chair, her legs kicked out in front in a relaxed pose while one arm hung by the side of the chair and the other laid across her stomach in a peaceful manner. She had a delicate face framed with moonlight blonde hair and round eyes that housed pale green orbs. Her thin body was covered by a strapless pink dress that ended mid-thigh and matching pink boots that made her long legs look longer.
Beside her in the co-pilots chair sat Keing. She was sitting up straight with one leg crossed over the other while she leaned forward on them with her hands linking in the middle. She had short, silver hair and silver eyes that suited her sharp features well. A blanket covered most of her but underneath it was a one shoulder, red dress that covered her torso, ending at the top of her legs and at the moment, she was barefoot, having taken off her shoes at the start of the journey.
"I'm surprised you're not sleeping," commented Keing, leaning her head against the back of the chair.
"I slept most of the afternoon away," said Neash, grinning from ear to ear. "Is everyone else asleep?"
"I think so," said Keing. "Except for Yeraq. He's still soaking away in the refresher tub."
The cockpit went quiet again and as Neash looked out the front viewing window with a blank expression, Keing looked to her left at the droid standing beside her. She watched as RA clicked through the systems in the computer, seeming to check each one individually. It made her wonder if the droid was often bored when Murata was busy elsewhere or sleeping.
"Are you going to contact him?" asked Neash, suddenly, a new smile forming on her face, both eyes lighting up.
Keing's head turned back to the right to look at her companion. Out of the whole group, Neash was the one who put gossip and sleep above all things. Sometimes it was useful, like in situations like this and sometimes it was a complete and utter pain in the backside. Occasionally she speculated on what would happen if she were to tape her mouth shut and lock her in a room by herself.
But she pushed the thought aside to answer the question. "I don't think so."
The reply was honest and it was enough to make Neash's eyes widen a little in surprise. "But you two got on so well and I think he enjoyed the bare show you gave him on Paulking XIV."
The tone of her kin's words made Keing repressed the eye roll that threatened to surface. "First off, it wasn't a show and second, I wasn't naked. Only Sukin was."
"Yeah," agreed Neash with a light giggle. "And that's something we all could have done without."
Both girls giggled with their heads down, attempting to keep the noise down. But a grunt echoed up the corridor and both of them burst into laughter at realising that they'd been heard. The sound easily travelled out of the cockpit and down towards the other rooms.
Suddenly, the ship went dark, cutting off the sounds of amusement and replacing it with a small, startled yelp from Neash. Both Keing and Neash jumped to their feet, the blanket rolling off the former and bunching over her feet as they looked around, trying to see what had happened.
A yell from the other end of the ship was heard and they knew it was Yeraq coming out from the refresher and rushing towards the others, the fear in his voice as he roused the others was unmistakable. The girls remained in the cockpit, attempting to fix whatever was wrong. Keing's slender fingers typed at the console on the far right in an effort to gain back full power.
"What's our status?" she asked, directing the question to the protocol droid.
It turned on the spot to look at her, already knowing the answer. "Most systems are not functioning," said RA accurately. "All that remains in working order is the life support and the emergency lighting."
"Can you fix it?" asked Neash nervously, biting her bottom lip.
"I am not sure," replied the droid. "I will do what I can for the moment. Then I will retrieve my mistress."
RA turned back to the computer and pressed a few keys but none seemed to work. Keing sat back down and opened the draw underneath the console. Neash looked down at the sliding noise and frowned faintly, impatiently waiting to know what she was doing.
"What are you looking for?" she asked, patience gone.
"A glowrod or glow sticks or something," said Keing harshly. "We've got emergency lights but we'll need something if they fail too."
After another moment of searching Keing straightened up and gave a noise of triumph. She had found two glowrods and four unused glow sticks. Keing placed them on the top of the console and closed the draw gently with her foot before she went back to the console itself to help RA in restarting the engine or at least getting some portion of control back.
"Uh… Keing," whispered Neash.
Keing turned her head slightly but didn't look away from her task. She waited to hear what the other had to say but nothing else was forth coming.
"Keing," repeated Neash, voice barely audible.
This time Keing heard the fear thickly coating Neash's voice and she finally stopped what she was doing and looked at her instead. But Neash wasn't looking back. Her eyes were focused on something outside the ship and she was pointing out the front view port.
A trace of fear hit Keing's chest as several different scenarios passed through her mind as she turned to see what Neash had been pointing towards with wide eyes and shaking lips. Outside there was a giant luxury passenger liner drifting passed. The massive spaceship lumbered forward before it seemed to slow, almost coming to a complete halt.
A short corridor away from the lounge was the nearest sleeping quarters. It housed five small rooms, two of which were presently occupied. Radquao had one of them, wanting a little peace and privacy from the others after their long vacation. For most of the trip she had studied the planets they'd visited, sometimes to the point of annoying her friends but in her mind it had still been one of their best vacations ever.
The room she slept in was bare other than a bed lying opposite the door, vertically and a small footlocker in the corner, containing nothing. A pair of flat, black shoes sat just inside the door but the plain black skirt and top she wore remained on, the colour contrasting nicely with her green skin tone.
The silence was suddenly shattered by a strangled scream that last only seconds. It was enough to wake Radquao who bolted up right and glanced around wildly, looking for the source of the disruption. But there was no one else with her and the rest of the ship seemed quiet. On lying down and turning onto her back she noted that the emergency lights were on and it kicked her into action.
Radquao rolled off the bed in a fluid motion and in two short strides; she was at the door, tapping on the panel for it to open. But it didn't. Radquao stared at it for a second before trying the panel again and she got the same results. A terrified gasp left her mouth as a few noises surrounded her. It came from the side and she sidestepped to the other side of the room and pressed her back flat against the wall.
The lid of the footlocker on the other side was moving on its own, the metal clasp banging loudly against the lock, showing the emptiness that was inside it. Radquao's eyes expanded impossibly wide as she watched the impossible happening and she reached out and continued trying the panel with desperate taps.
A couple of rooms down were Umyd's. He was the oldest and wisest S'kytri on board. He mentored the young members of his clan and it had been his job to watch them on this trip and keep them out of trouble. And he succeeded, for the most part which was why he now meditated. He needed a rest from the unending sunshine and music that rang in his ears for days afterwards.
This room was the smallest and contained only a round, cushioned meditation chair which Umyd sat on cross-legged, the long grey robe still covering him well, the hem spilling over the side of his seat. The elderly S'kytri's blue skin showed his age as did the mound of thinning white hair on the top of his head.
The meditation was almost finished when something unperceivable entered his mind and was reflected in the feelings of unease that rose up within him. The sense rushing forwards wasn't something he'd ever encountered before. It was strange and yet intriguing which was the reason he didn't pull back. Instead, he allowed the feeling to pass through him but it wasn't the only thing that did.
A chilling laughter bounced off the walls of his room and the door open and closed on its own. The sound sent a single cold shudder down his spine but he remained focused, not wanting to lose what felt significant in its own way. Whatever it was passed but the laughter continued down the hallway and once it disappeared, Umyd opened his eyes and looked to the now closed door, the unease remaining.
On the far side of the ship was one of the other people still awake. A young, blue skinned S'kytri reclined in the refresher tub, his head resting back against a small, white pillow that had been propped back against the wall and he sighed contently for the fourth time since he'd gotten in. The water was still hot enough that spirals of steam curled upwards and the bubbles still frothed thickly around him.
A smile remained on his dapper face as he sunk a little further into the water. He ran his wet hands through his dark blonde hair and sighed again, happy to think of nothing but this relaxing moment. It felt a relief from all their activities before. It almost seemed like they'd hadn't really taken a break until now.
But the relaxation ended abruptly as an unexpected noise grabbed his attention. Yeraq sat up sharply and looked around. Nothing had changed and he was still alone. The noise was heard again and this time it sounded like it came from the towel rack.
Yeraq leaned forward, placed a hand on the edge of the tub and looked to the floor as though the answer to what had made the noise had to be down there. But there was nothing on the white tiled floor and he gave a clear look of confusion before he smirked slightly.
"Sukin? Is that you?" he asked. "It's not funny."
There was no reply and it made Yeraq swallow thickly. It sounded again and the metal tube holding the towels spun rapidly, the two towels on it dropped to the floor in rolled heaps. Yeraq stood up in the tub, all traces of the relaxation gone, now replaced with fear that numbed his legs and hands.
The lights then shut off, shrouding the refresher in total darkness, Yeraq letting out a squeal of fright. It took a minute for the emergency lights to kick in and as soon as they did Yeraq grabbed the towel on the edge of the tub and wrapped it around his waist as he ran out, determined to find the others.
Towards the rear of the ship were Murata's private quarters. The room was only four metres wide and six metres long with a low ceiling that dropped on one side. A tall, narrow metal locker sat in the far corner, opposite the door and beside it was a square mirror that hung on the wall, bordered by a solid wooden frame, with a basin made of white porcelain beneath it. A rectangular rug lay on the floor just before the bed which lay under the slope of the ceiling, draped in sheets that were white and pale shades of pink.
Murata lay asleep with the covers twisted around her legs, the blue and white stripped bra visible. The pink hair had come loose during the night and had now become a tangled mess on the pillow. The young girl's eyes moved side to side fast against the closed eyelids as though something were disturbing her dreams.
The mirror on the wall suddenly began to liquefy but the substance remained intact. It shivered as a ball of light passed through it and into the room itself. As the light slowly diminished a shape began to take the form of a small, female child. She remained in the one spot, her big, round blue eyes searching the small room with a passive expression on her face.
The young girl was pale with hair that shone silver in the dim emergency lighting. It was pulled into twin tails and reached far past her hips, the ends curling softly in long spirals. The white dress she wore was modest, reaching her ankles. The sleeves were puffy, the hem honed into points and elaborate belts of lace and ribbon chopped the dress into sections. Black shoes could be seen underneath, firmly pressed together as the girl stood in the same spot, clearly interested in the still sleeping girl.
Finally, the girl moved. She approached Murata's sleeping form and gently placed a hand on her arm. "Wake up," she whispered in a faint voice.
Murata's eyes shot open at the strange voice and it was echoed by the scared squawking of Mralkara, the Kiros bird that sat on a perch near the door. A chill ran through the air and Murata twisted the blanket and pulled it up to her chin without once taking her eyes off the stranger. But the initial fear didn't last long as Murata took a moment to study the other girl's face.
The skin was beyond pale, virtually a deathly grey. Murata sat up and pressed her back against the cool metal wall, wondering if she should speak first. Never before had something like this happened and she wasn't even sure where in the galaxy they currently were although she might've been able to take a pretty close guess.
"Who are you?" asked Murata, her voice sounding more meagre than she intended.
"Do not be afraid," came the reply. Her voice was chilling. It sounded hollow with an insinuation of melancholy. "I am Me'lan."
"Murata," she returned, placing her free hand just below her neck. "Where did you come from?"
Me'lan lifted a thin arm and raised her hand up towards her, giving a shadowy gesture for her to come closer. "I can show you."
Murata's curiosity overtook her concern and she discarded the blanket and scooted off the bed with two swift movements. Me'lan turned to face the mirror and Murata did the same but her eyes were still on her. Me'lan raised the same arm as before and she pointed to the reflective surface. Murata turned her head as well as her body and waited.
Within seconds, the mirror no longer showed their reflections. Instead it showed an area outside the spaceship as though it were a viewport. A very large passenger liner was there, seemingly drifting past casually. The back looked as though it had at some time sustained a little damage but other than that, there appeared to be nothing wrong with it.
Slowly, Me'lan turned to face the Kiros bird still squeaking indignantly behind her. Its blue and purple feathers were rifled and puffy, clearly showing its anger and insecurity about the new person in the room. Me'lan offered a vague smile but nothing else. "What is wrong with it?"
Murata turned to look at the bird before walking over to it. "Don't worry. He's just scared," assured Murata as she stroked its feathers. Slowly, they calmed and the bird's body turned sleek.
"Friend," said Me'lan, blinking once, still staring at the beautiful animal.
"How did you get in here?" asked Murata, taking the attention off the bird.
"I can show you," repeated Me'lan, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she offered a hand to the young pilot.
Murata gave it a weary glance before she held up a finger and went to the metal locker. Quickly, she grabbed her yellow and white dress with black stripes and threw it on before pulling on the matching boots and hat after brushing the knots from her hair. When she was done, she faced Me'lan again and gave a gesture behind her. Mralkara chirped once before taking flight from the perch and gently she landed on Murata's shoulder. Murata had every intention of taking her small friend with her.
Then she took a firm hold of Me'lan's hand, just managing not to flinch at the coldness of the girl's skin. They faced the mirror again and as before, it shimmered and appeared to dissolve. Murata felt lighter as she lifted into the air gently and a pure light surrounded them. Little by little it engulfed them both and suddenly, wrapped in something bright and warm and they moved forward, vanished through the mirror, neither of them registering the presence of RA behind them.
"Mistress?" called the droid, clearly alarmed. "Mistress!?"
The lounge was arguably the largest room on the ship, big enough to comfortably accommodate ten people. It was modestly decorated with a circular, red lined couch in the centre and a red and grey woven rug in the centre. The six lights mounted on the walls were out and the emergency lights in the ceiling were on instead, giving the room an eerie flush.
Most of the S'kytri on board were now together and the expressions all matched each other's. All of them were full of fright and panic with a mix of confusion. Nalrana and Sukin had been sleeping in here, the latter in a drunken stupor while Radquao had been bunking in a room alone and Yeraq had come running in from the refresher, a white towel wrapped around his waist, water still running off him in steady drips.
RA entered the room at a quick speed, almost crashing into the couch as he did, eager to get out the words that filled his processor. "Mistress is gone," he said, almost stumbling. "My mistress is gone."
"What do you mean?" asked Keing, half worried, half curious.
"There was a light in her room and she was taken through the mirror," the droid replied.
There were looks of incredulity exchanged at the droid's claim but it seemed there was more to tell.
"There's a ship outside," said Neash in a tight voice, adding to it. "It just appeared out of nowhere."
"I got woken up for this? A rouge ship and a droid's bizarre claim of people disappearing through mirrors?" asked Sukin, clearly displeased as he pushed a few wayward strands of messy black hair off his forehead, the stink of alcohol still on him.
"Have you looked around?" asked Radquao, turning on him. "The lights have gone out and strange things are happening all around us and we appear to be stu..."
Radquao's sentence was cut short as an indistinct rattling noise sounded above them. It continued across and seemed to continue out in the hallway. They all continued to stare up at the ceiling and follow its path but then they went back to exchanging looks of uncertainty.
"What in the blazes…?"
"Something's out there," murmured Neash, ignoring what Sukin had just uttered.
The chatter amongst them rose momentarily before another of their kind entered the room, making all of them quieten down quickly. "Calm yourselves," said Umyd.
The others nodded as they watched Umyd join them near the couch. The light, floor-length grey robe swished about his ankles as he walked, his blue wings moving smoothly with each step. The pale, tired blue eyes searched all of them measuredly before he spoke again.
"There is a presence among us," he said in a reassuring tone. "But I do not believe it is of evil…"
The emergency lights in the ceiling flickered and a new sound reached them. A couple of them flinched as scratching at the metal walls pierced through their eyes while the others just covered them and squinted, waiting for the chilling sound to disappear.
"You call that not evil?" asked Nalrana in a shrilly, disbelieving voice when the noise had stopped.
"It's more of a side effect," said Umyd, unworried. "We should all stay here. I do not believe we are the intended targets."
There was a slight pause.
"Oh, is this all that force-sensitive stuff?" asked Sukin after a slight yawn.
Umyd only nodded once. "Then why didn't I sense anything?" asked Radquao, a slight frown on her young face.
"You're still young, child," said Umyd. "You're still honing your skills. Whatever it is, it wanted Murata."
"So… what do we do now? Wait?" asked Nalrana, looking around.
"Search the ship," said Keing before their mentor could speak. "We need to make sure nothing else is wrong."
"Agreed," said Umyd. "Pair up."