Episode 4: Prelude to a Dream

Nighttime fell over the fields of a distant world. A small group of people were gathering together for some kind of ceremony. All were dressed in white robes, and everyone was currently talking among themselves, with many of them seemingly having a good time.

However at least one in the crowd was not really paying attention. One little girl just seemed lost in all the commotion. She spent the time aimlessly going through the forest of strangers when she was not being interrupted to talk to them. The only other she could recognize was her grandfather, but he was the one who was leading the event, so he was busy.

It was pretty clear that she didn't want to be there. She didn't even know what this ceremony was even about. But she was told that it was tradition, and that it was expected of someone of her status. But to her, like many recent things, it mostly translated as it going to be really long and boring. But it was too late now, and as the family heir she might as well try to pretend that she knows what she is doing lest she brings dishonor to the family or something.

So continued her walk through the crowd to pass the time, that was until she finally saw a familiar face. Also perusing through the crowd was a boy who was the same age as her and with black hair. She recognized him from her classes, although admittedly they rarely interacted outside of school so she wasn't expecting that he would recognize her. So, it came as a surprise that upon seeing her, the boy gave a friendly wave. He then made his way through the crowd to get closer to her.

The boy started the conversation. "Hey."

"Hey." She tried her best to keep her composure and try not to look overly surprised. "What are you doing here?" She passively remembered something about him being from another house, but she thought it was of minor standing.

If the question came across as aggressive, it fell on deaf ears on the boy's end. "I was forced to be here. Came here last year, and with dad offworld I have to 'represent the family'."

Eventually, the two continued to discuss various things; how was their day, what did they do after school, which teacher's voice has given them nightmares, and so forth. As time went on, the girl began to think about how much she enjoyed the boy's company. TShe even laughed at some of his jokes.

The boy managed to snap the girl away from her thoughts with a question, "Hey, you wanna get away from here?"

The girl was a bit apprehensive. "Huh? Wouldn't the others notice that we'll be gone? Also, I don't think that my grandpa would like it if I just leave."

Realizing of what she meant, the boy quickly reassured her. "Don't worry. The adults wouldn't notice. Done it last year and managed to sneak out without anyone caring. Not even my dad had a clue, and he was sitting next to me. Plus, I just want to show you something. It's close enough that we can still see everybody. And we can quickly run back if we need to."

The girl was still in doubt. She didn't want to get into trouble, and this felt like a big deal if her talks with grandpa were anything to go by. However, a way out of a long, drawn out ceremony seemed appealing. On top of that it would give her a chance to hang out with the boy more. She figured that her familial responsibilities could wait for the time being.

The boy led her to the nearby hills, using only one of the ceremonial candles to light the way, being careful not to give away their position to the adults down below. The girl was trying her best to catch up, but the rocks were not making it easy. Not to mention having longer robes than him as well as uncomfortable shoes. Eventually, the boy stopped on top of the highest hill and extended his hand to help the girl finish the climb. The sight she saw was peacefully calm. She could hear the soft crashing of waves from the nearby beach, and off in the distance was the lights of the city in the distance which surprisingly didn't obscure the night sky full of stars.

She just wanted to savor the moment. It had been a long while since she had a quiet moment all to herself. Far away from the responsibilities forced on her as of late. Far from the constant lectures of how to be a proper lady and future head of the house. Far from the constant reminders of the fact that they are no longer … maybe not everything can be solved with just peace and quiet. She noticed a tear falling down her face and quickly did her best to clean it off. She didn't need this right now, knowing that they won't be coming back: mom, dad.

The boy gently placed his hand on her shoulder. When she turned towards him, she saw a worried look on his face. "You okay?"

The girl tried her best to calm down before giving her answer. "Yeah, it's nothing. You wanted to show me something?"

Grabbing her hand, he led her to a small hole that was nearby a tree sapling and nearly covered with grass. At first the girl wasn't impressed, until the boy cleared away some dirt at which a green light began to emanate from it. She never seen anything like it, nor had she read it from the myriad of books that she had to read. She turned to the boy wanting an answer. "What is it?"

The boy just shrugged. "I don't know. But it's fun to play with." He showed this by holding his hand just above the hole at which point it sent out little bolts of green electricity towards his hand. However, instead of shocking him, his laughter indicated a more tickling feeling. He then took her hand again and placed it towards the hole which led to additional green lightning to go towards her hand. The tickling sensation caused her to giggle, and her turning and moving her hand and fingers around did nothing to interrupt the lightning coming out.

The boy continued. "Found this last year, and I come back every now and then whenever I'm bored."

"And you wanted to show me this because?"

The boy just shrugged. "Thought that you were a cool person to show this with."

The girl felt a bit happy at the thought. "Well, tell me the next time you want to come here. We could make this into a secret spot, just the two of us." She did not realize what she just said as she tilted her head in confusion when the boy had to turn away. She barely missed the redness that crept onto his face.

Following that the boy tried his best to act cool about it. "Uh, yeah. Sure. Whenever you feel like it would be alright." He then remembered that he left out the best part. "Oh, one more thing. I need you to sit at the other side." After the girl did what he said, he continued. "If you relax and concentrate for a bit, you can actually here the hole talking."

The girl was skeptical about this but since she was here, she might as well try it. She copied what the boy was doing; sitting cross legged, hands together, and eyes closed. A few breaths in and she hasn't heard a thing. A little bit later, after clearing her mind a bit more, she started to hear faint whispers. As she concentrated on what the whispers were saying, the voices grew slightly louder. Eventually she was able to make out one word, "Protect."


Wren immediately woke up, nearly jumping out of her chair before rubbing her eyes while waiting for them to return to optimal performance. When she looked up, it took her a minute to remember where she was. Then it dawned on her that she was sitting in the pilot's chair all by herself, everyone else was either asleep or doing something else on the ship. She didn't know if this was either good or bad. These flashes were becoming more frequent. And if the latest one was any indication, it seemed that she was now glimpsing at someone else's life. None of this made sense to her. She was a machine, built and programmed to be a pilot. Who would have thought putting random flashes into her was a good idea?

Looking at the room, she wondered if she should tell anyone about this. The visions were already freaking her out as it is, and they now seem to be getting worse. Maybe someone on the ship could figure out what is going on. Maybe … no, she would most likely be sent for away for diagnostics and repair, far from the Rangers and at worst be considered worthy for decommissioning. This seemed to be far from the occasional glitch and she doesn't want to be separated from the only family that she has known. No, she would figure out a way to control this on her own. With the resources of the ship it seemed like a possibility.

Wren turned around and went back to focusing on steadying the ship. That was when she heard a familiar sound behind her. Turning around, she saw the Orb Detector signaling to the location of a new Cosmic Orb.


A/N: This part went longer than expected so have to cut it off from the last chapter. Might do something like this again if there's more supplemental stuff.