Izzi's radio was turned off, that much Nelson could tell. At the base the doors were wide open, seemingly torn to pieces. There was carnage everywhere indicating that Izzi wreaked some havoc on his way down to the Besh Site. In a large chamber, a generator like device occupied approximately 200 yards of space in both directions and in front of the massive block of inactive metal, Izzi was slumped down in front of it, still hooked in.

Two humanoids entered the building, but only one got close to Izzi.

"Izzi, can you hear me? What's going on? What is Besh Site for?" Nelson asked quietly, his hand on his partner's shoulder.

"Not a generator..." Izzi said quietly, barely above a whisper.

"...not a generator...then what the hell is this thing?"

"My people... oh my people..."

"Izzi? What's going on? What about your people...?"

"I... I... killed them..." Izzi finally replied after what seemed like an eternity of silence.

"Your people? You killed your species? How?"

Nelson went up to Izzi and held him up a little so he could see his face and hear him better. All he saw was pure fear and sadness.

"What happened, Brother?" Nelson asked. Izzi looked away for a moment, both out of fear and shame before finally overcoming the emotions he wasn't used to even being able to feel and looking back at the Captain.

"The generator wasn't just powering their defense systems..." the AI replied quietly, "It was also powering the Core. The Core which held all that remained of my people. All of their minds electronically stored. When I cut the power... it erased them all." he finished making Nelson's eyes go wide and Hannah to put her hands over her mouth to stifle a gasp.

Nelson looked at him, his eyes already wide before they somehow got bigger as something dawned on him.

"Not a just a generator... but an Archive too... Can they be recovered? Can we save them?"

"They will never regain consciousness, if that's what you mean. All that is left is meaningless information and memories."

"Dust in the wind..." Nelson said painfully as they both just stood there for a while one staring at the floor, the other at the ceiling... until Nelson broke the silence, much like he had many months earlier during their previous raid on Forn Site.

"Are the shells that held their minds still intact?"

"I suppose so." Izzi replied, his voice mirroring his hopelessness.

"Could we implant those memories into those shells?"

Izzi didn't respond and honestly, the machine didn't really look like he was paying attention. Nelson understood why, he was no stranger to grief. Of course before he could offer his condolences he was once again cut off.

"It wouldn't work. Essentially, their soul is gone." Izzi said solemnly causing Nelson's shoulders to slump down.

"Let's get you back to the Kindred Spirit, I can handle negotiations with the Governor; take time to recharge and think. If you'd like, after we recover all of their bodies, we can hold a funeral..."

"I... I would like that. Let's get me back, I need time to think." Izzi said as they all walked out to the landing craft that Izzi had taken and headed towards the capital while Nelson contacted his men.

"Nelson to Joshua. How are things up there?"

"Finished sir, negotiations are over, we control the planet. Though I am anxious to hear what this artifact is used for."

"I'll tell you when I get on board; get Hannah and the strike team back on the ship; we're leaving Besh Site." Nelson said quietly before looking out the main viewport at his fleet floating proudly in the safety of orbit before they disappeared from view inside of Hangar C. Once on board Nelson and Izzi went directly to the bridge.

"Sir if I may... what happened?" Joshua asked as the Captain entered the bridge.

Nelson went over to the AI's pedestal and told him the whole story. After a few momentsas he processed the information, Joshua simply nodded in solemn silence and added,

"Alderaan and Taris all over again sir..."

"I know..." Nelson replied before turning back to Izzi, "What now Izzi? Can you still use Besh for anything?"

"Storage space. Generator." the AI told him in his usual emotionless tone.

"Joshua..." Nelson said with a tired sigh, "Get us back to Aurek. Leave the fleet here to oversee colonization and rebuilding efforts."

"Aye sir, calculating jump now."

"Have the Alderaan head back for Aurek as well. Izzi, take your time to do whatever you need, we won't be at Aurek for a day or so and we both need some time to cool off after..." Nelson trailed off, not really wanting to finish repeating the events of that day.

Izzi simply stared at the planet's readout on the holotable. Nelson looked at it too, and then to his partner as the stars behind him became lines and the Kindred Spirit jumped into hyperspace.

"All the men on my ship know what it's like to lose their home and their race...Alderaan was a planet before we named a ship after it. As for grief, you will get over it but the wounds will take time to heal, though they never really heal fully..." Nelson said before Klaxons started to blare all over the Kindred Spirit.

"Status!"

"We're losing power! Engines are now at critical levels and we need to drop out of hyperspace." Lieutenant Dominguez announced.

"Drop a beacon for pickup and contact Torcille." Nelson said before a huge planetoid mass appeared a few million kilometers to starboard as they exited into normal space. The planet was almost the size of Forn Site and it looked almost as is it was... moving on its own power.

"Joshua what am I looking at?" Nelson asked as he walked up to the side viewport.

"Dorn Site, sir." Joshua replied, getting a smile from both Nelson and Izzi as they looked on.