The Plan

A few hours later on Earth, Cale and Akima had returned to their temporary home in the form of modified drifter colony segments. It was a simple accommodation but it made a nice home for the ones who looked past the rested space shuttle hulls. They managed to do a pretty good job at making it more comfortable and a bit more functional for people with their status. After all, their position had its obligations. The current situation was the same for everyone else so that was no excuse. Akima sat on the worn-out sofa in the awkward room that served its purpose as an improvised living room, studying some interesting facts about Jason's Earth. The Highlander's database was extensive and this was only a tiny fraction of it. Holoscrolls were scarce at the moment so Jason had given them his version, called a PADD. He had also given the order to have some communication equipment transferred to the surface to make communiqués between their home and the ship easier.

"Hey Cale, have you read this?"

"Read what?" his muffled voice replied from the other room. "Ah! Stupid device!"

Apparently Akima's question distracted him from whatever he was doing and she couldn't suppress the soft laugh that escaped her.

"Are you hurt?"

Cale walked in, a black brush on his right cheek and his hands covered with a black greasy substance. Something vital in the adjacent kitchen was broken and he had been trying to fix it in the last couple of hours but without much success.

"No I'm fine. I'm trying to fix the kitchen appliances so we could at least have a hot meal tonight. What's the matter? You've been reading on that thing since you got it in your hands. Is it that interesting?"

She smiled.

"As a matter of fact it is. Come, siddown. I think you've earned a break. I don't think the neighbors will mind if we borrow their cooking equipment for one time."

He sat down on the couch next to her and sighed.

"I'm almost done. I misconnected a conduit."

He was visibly agitated but didn't want to be mad at her just for calling him.

"I'm sorry."

Flinging an arm over his shoulder she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"That's okay. Tell me, what's the reason for me getting grease all over my hands?"

"Remember what Jason said about parallel universes? He was kind enough to provide us with a section of their historical database next to the necessary information about the conflict. I've compared their history to ours and guess what? There are many similarities. In fact, for the most part our history is identical, until…" She searched through the digital documents on the PADD to find the piece of information she was looking for, scrolling through the pages with a gentle sweep of her fingertips. "Here it is. Until April 5th, 2063."

"Okay, what happened?"

He didn't remember anything about that particular date from Tek's history lessons. The Vusstran scientist had taught him some things about the planet he once called home but the more he tried to remember his lessons, the more he thought about his foster-father himself. What happened to Tek when he left Tau-14 with Korso? Before he could drift off in his own thoughts entirely, Akima's voice snapped him back to the conversation.

"On that day humanity launched its first warp capable ship. It was called, The Phoenix. Sounds familiar doesn't it? It was built by a man named Zefram Cochrane."

"Warp drive? In 2063? So soon?" It took them decades to get Earth's economy back on track and rebuild everything to what it was after the last major war broke out in 2367. It took eight-hundred million deaths for the world's leaders to realize they were driving themselves to extinction. "It gets even better. After a successful warp flight, Earth was visited by the crew of an alien survey ship that passed through Earth's solar system. They were a humanoid race called the Vulcans and they became one of humanity's most valuable allies. Earth underwent a major revolution. War, hunger, disease, all of it vanished within fifty years after humanity realized they were no longer alone in the universe." The amazement now clearly trickled from Cale's face. He was just staring at her, completely amazed by her words. "It took us much longer just to overcome those problems, not even mentioning breaking the light barrier."

"Strange isn't it? Another universe, another Earth where things have turned out so different."

"I'm gonna read that too. When I'm finished."

He stood up and went back to the adjacent room. Akima turned her attention to her PADD, digging deeper into the background of the other Earth. It was their homeworld but just a little different.

Next morning, Jason contacted them with good news. Akima and Cale spoke with the Starfleet Captain via an audiovisual uplink with the Highlander. He sat in his ready room so he couldn't be disturbed. As always, he was in high spirits when he spoke about the plans for the months to come.

"Starfleet will arrive here by tomorrow. I want us to discuss what's going to happen next. After all, the Federation can supply you with the necessary equipment to build a civilization, but it's still your planet."

"Hmm, you're right about that," Cale replied.

"There are enough different plans about how to do it, but there's nothing definite," Akima added. "Most ideas are aimed at the concept of living in a very efficient way without disrupting nature and environment in this critical stage of their development. We have our best engineers working on it on a daily basis. We can't live forever in these shelters and we certainly can't welcome delegates from dozens of different worlds under these circumstances."

The debate wasn't over yet and as long as people continued to disagree, they were relying on these shelters for the time being. Jason frowned and scratched the back of his head.

"Hmm, I understand. Meet me aboard the Highlander with a team of engineers and the building plans. If we give it some thought together, we might be able to figure it out."

"Sounds like the best plan so far," Cale said approvingly.

"We'll contact you before 1400 hours. We'll meet at the same time as yesterday," Akima proposed.

"I'll make sure the conference room is ready. See you then. Jason out."

He ended transmission. Akima turned off the com. system and Cale was half on his way to take action immediately.

"I'm going to inform the engineering corps. They'll be happy to hear that-"

He was interrupted by Akima who flung her arms around his neck and gave him a long and passionate kiss. Their mouths were locked together for a good ten seconds until they separated, a leering look in their eyes.

"I love you Cale. You and I saved the human race and now we're going to rebuild it together. Isn't that wonderful?"

"You don't have to say that twice." It was all he said before he returned the favor. Love at first sight dominated. It was everywhere. He could see it in her eyes, feel it in the air around them. It was almost touchable. Nothing existed outside this single moment they were neither intending to let go of. "I love you too Akima. I love you more than anything else. I can't describe my feelings for you at the moment but I'm sure you feel the same."

They gave each other a last kiss before focusing on the task at hand.

"I'm going with you."

"All right, let's go then."

Opening the creaking door that separated their small living space from the outside world they were greeted by the comforting warmth of the Andali sun. The night had brought a refreshing rain that seemed to give life the moment it touched the ground. The moist lush green grass under their feet added to the whole experience just like the rippling sound of the river supplying the lake with fresh water from the mountains. Who looked past the rested shelters, could see a beautiful flourishing world in its early stages of development. The image of resting metal was soon about to change.

"It's brilliant!"

The engineer's enthusiasm bared some resemblance to Gune's though it wasn't shared by anyone else in the room. Jason and a few of his engineers, Akima, Cale, Marcus Taylor and the Earth engineering corps were sitting in the well known conference room they were currently using as a private place to discuss the plans regarding the newly created planet. Plans had been brought on the negotiation table and had been wiped off under the criticizing look of the council. Akima in particular really didn't share the enthusiasm with the good fellow.

"It's brilliant, but underground cities are not exactly the thing I hoped for."

"She's right," Cale supported his fiancée. "We've lived in the darkness of space for, what, fifteen years? And now we're gonna live underground?"

"I agree," Taylor said. He was a tall, muscular, dark-skinned man with a bald head and a deep low voice. He emitted strength and authority but remained calm under any circumstance and his criticism was most of the time well substantiated and rightly so. "Living underground covers some points of the plan but not all of them. Our comfort for example."

The engineer was quiet in an instant and Jason felt the urge to act as a mediator. A dozen different ideas had been dismissed and they were getting nowhere.

"What are your exact demands?"

"Simple, but not that simple obviously," Akima replied. "We wanna live in relative comfort, in an efficient way without harming the environment. Because it's in a developing stage, we can't risk overburdening the ecosystem."

"It's proving to be quite difficult to come up with a good solution," one of the engineers added. "But we can always take the experimental road."

Everyone turned their attention to the speaker. He seemed to be serious and ready to come up with something that hadn't gotten their attention yet.

"Speak up," Cale encouraged him.

"Captain, if you allow me?"

"Of course."

The engineer stood up and retrieved a data storage device from his pocket. After sliding the device into the imaging system a detailed blueprint with all the necessary measurements, data and construction materials of a building appeared on the screen on the opposite side of the large window. It began with a very wide more or less rectangular base and went straight up on one side and curved up on the other side. It eventually ended in a sharp tip.

"What is that?"

Cale had seen many things so far but this was radically different from all the other ideas.

"In secret I've been working on a project of myself. It's almost completed except for some minor details. It's a building, but not just a building. It's a completely autonomous habitat with an eventual height of over twelve thousand feet tall. It offers luxury apartments, working space, malls, hydroponics and recreational facilities to sustain approximately nine and a half million people. It's capable of producing its own power without pollution by using windows that act as highly efficient, multilayered, transparent solar panels. Waste disposal is taken care of by molecule disassemblers. There's virtually no pollution at all. In essence, it's a highly efficient self-sustaining vertical city."

Everyone was quiet for a good fifteen seconds. They were all astonished by this idea and maybe it wasn't that bad. It covered all points on the list and wasn't so bad to look at.

"Yes, it sounds very interesting and I believe you've put a lot of work in developing this plan, but you're forgetting one thing."

Akima crossed her arms. She was almost at the verge again of turning the whole plan down.

"And what would that be?"

"Don't understand me wrong, but it is impossible to build this in a reasonable amount of time. It would take years just to get the materials together and then a few more to actually build the thing even with Jason's help. We can't live in shelters for that long."

"Not necessarily," Jason interrupted. He got the attention of the engineers the moment he spoke because he was for a great deal responsible for realizing their ideas. "The drones use technology from another universe. They operate using an advanced form of matter energy-conversion. They're capable of creating matter out of pure energy, much like your father's Titan I've read about Cale. We just have to load the exact schematics into the control matrix and the entire building will be put together in a relatively small amount of time in a very efficient way. They will be able to work twenty-four hours a day without a break. We're talking about building the entire thing in maybe a few weeks if we're lucky."

"I think this is the best plan so far."

"Okay, then that's everything. Accommodation, production facilities, a space station, orbital shipyards, it's all done."

"Well, shall we go home and call it a day or do we have more to discuss?" Akima asked.

"One more thing. Think about a general ship design. What's your future fleet going to look like? I know it's a little early to think about rebuilding the fleet, but since we're this close to war."

Cale made a decision. After all, his father designed the Titan, the most advanced ship in the universe. Something he wasn't so sure of anymore but at least it had the technology and the power to create a planet, something he didn't expect to see another ship do any time soon.

"We'll think of something. I'm quite creative. With a little help it shouldn't be that hard."

Before the team returned to the surface, Pierce proposed a toast on the project.

"To a peaceful future."

Of course they all raised the glass to that thought.

Aboard the Valkyrie, the crew was just busy doing things for themselves, fraternizing with each other and performing the regular maintenance when an alarm sounded through the corridors. The fading hum of the warp engines indicated they were no longer at warp. A few seconds later, Korso's voice sounded over the com.

"All hands, please report to the bridge, we're approaching the nebula."

Stith stood up from the side of her bed with an annoyed grunt. She was just busy with her beloved guns when her Captain interrupted. A large rifle was standing with the muzzle on the ground between her legs, ready to be cleaned by its owner but unfortunately it had to wait.

"Stupid cloud of dust."

A quick look out the window confirmed why they couldn't go around it. It spread out too far in all directions. Although the nebula was large, it wasn't very dense so it shouldn't give too much problems with the intake manifolds. At least she hoped it, because she already knew who would be the one to clean them if they got clogged.

The entire crew arrived on the bridge in about the same time, finding Korso sitting in his chair on the upper level. He turned around to face his crew and began assigning tasks.

"Okay, I wanna see your best piloting and navigational skills. Preed, take the helm. Stith, I want weapons standing by. Who knows what's hiding in that nebula. There could be asteroids, debris, pirates and the last thing I want is a hull breach in the middle of a stellar dust cloud."

"Understood sir."

She was always busy fine-tuning the weapon systems so if anything showed up on scanners it wouldn't be there for long.

"Gune you're our navigator, keep a close eye on the scanners. Sound the alarm as soon as you detect something." The small alien muttered something under his breath and climbed the ladder to the upper level, activating all external sensors. "Kero, I was really impressed with your piloting skills. You can help Preed if you want."

"Yes sir, I'm right on it."

"Preed, take us in."

Preed obeyed and flew the ship into the nebula at thrusters only just to be on the safe side. They felt a slight vibration when the cloud of particles and dust touched the ship's exterior for the first time, completely enclosing the vessel into its swirling matter.

Authors note: Music track 5 (Nebula)

Cruising at low sub-light speed, the ship had little trouble with the strange environment.

"Preed, I think we can steadily increase our speed now."

So far so good. They just had to be careful not to overdo it and cause the engines to overload. If they got stuck no one would be able to find them in this soup of gas and dust.

"Yes Captain."

"Switching to ion drive," Kero added.

The ion engines jumped to life resulting in a slight burst of speed. The ship vibrated a bit as it gained more forward motion, the pressure on the hull increasing together with the ship's speed. To compensate, Stith rerouted power from other systems.

"Diverting more power to structural integrity field."

"Captain, my readings are getting odd."

"What's wrong Gune?"

"Sensors are not reading correct values."

Stith grunted.

"It could just be the particle flux. Our engines must've increased the effects. I'm modifying the targeting scanners to compensate; I suggest you do the same."

"I'm compensating. It worked Captain. Readings are returning to normal." The crew continued to make small modifications as they headed deeper into the nebula. The flux was interfering with some systems but it didn't pose a significant threat. It was almost beginning to get boring until Gune detected something on scanners. "Captain, my readings are changing!"

"What's up Gune?"

Probably nothing. He couldn't be sure though. He stood up to take a look and joined the alien behind the console.

"The composition of the nebula is changing. It was all helium, chloride and traces of xenon and argon. But now, I detect small traces of hydrogen and something else, it could be Ostetium."

"Ostetium? That's highly combustible, we must not-" He was interrupted by an explosion outside the ship. If he hadn't grabbed the console he had fallen on top of Gune. A small amount of Ostetium had exploded outside, sending a shockwave at the ship, causing it to tremble violently as it was knocked off course. "Preed, cut the engines!" Thanks to some quick handling by Kero and Preed they could prevent another explosion just in time. "Are we still in one piece?"

Stith checked the readings on her console.

"The hull is reading as intact. But this is gonna be a problem."

"Can we use thrusters?"

"Negative," Kero replied. "I've dealt with Ostetium before. Use of any of the propulsion systems causes the compound to ignite."

"Suggestions?"

"We could try to blow up the traces with the lasers."

Stith made a rude sound and looked at the Akrennian as if he were a complete fool, which he was in her eyes.

"Okay, now one that doesn't involve blowing up the entire nebula with us inside."

"Gune, if I'm not mistaken the string of Ostetium we ignited didn't blow up in an instant. Am I wrong?"

His navigator and scientist shook his head.

"No Captain, there's a slight delay between ignition and detonation. According to sensors approximately six point two seconds."

Korso grinned. He just might have found a solution although it was going to be a rough ride.

"Okay, listen up! This is how we're gonna do it. Listen carefully, we don't wanna be blown back to the Stone Age. Sensors detect denser concentrations of Ostetium directly in our path. Since we can't go around it, we're going to outrun the explosions."

Stith scoffed.

"Do you seriously think we can keep up?"

"That's why we're going to warp." Stith opened her mouth again to protest but Korso broke it off with a hand. "I know, the hull isn't designed to handle that much stress. I want you to divert all power to the forward structural integrity field but leave just enough to reach warp velocity." Stith shook her head. "What's wrong Stith?"

"I don't know. This plan sounds so crazy and reckless that it might actually work."

Korso flashed his weapons expert a smile.

"I know you guys can do it! So let's rock!"

The crew had the modifications ready in half a minute, waiting for Korso to give the order. It was definitely going to be the most sensational part of the trip, assuming they didn't run into any further trouble.

"I've left just enough power for the engines to go to warp. I'm using the rest to reinforce the forward structural integrity field."

"Excellent work Stith. Preed, she's yours."

Preed configured the engines for a rapid start and a fast jump to warp speed. Releasing all of the ship's power at once the Valkyrie sped forward, igniting the volatile compound in the process.

"Engaging warp drive now!"

And he did just in time as a series of explosions followed in their wake.

"Structural integrity at eighty-five percent!" Kero yelled. "I'm detecting massive shockwaves behind us!" The ship trembled severely. The hull wasn't built to withstand this much stress. The explosions followed the Valkyrie from behind, a chain reaction caused by her engine exhausts. "Seventy-five percent and dropping!"

"Gune, how long?"

He was trying to hold on to his chair, shouting through clenched teeth.

"Another forty-five seconds Captain," Gune yelped from behind his console.

He could barely stay on his feet.

"Hull integrity at sixty percent!... Fifty percent!... Thirty-five! The hull is starting to buckle! If we're not outta here soon she'll collapse!"

"Stith can you give me more power?"

"I'm afraid that's all I have!"

She checked her console to be sure but shrugged and shook her head.

"Take power from life support if you have to!"

"I'll try!"

"Come on old girl. I know you can do it," Korso whispered to his ship between clenched teeth.

Luckily the nebula was starting to become less dense around them as they approached the other side at a rather unsafe velocity.

"Hull integrity at fifteen percent! We've gotta slow down!"

There was a hint of panic in Kero's voice but they weren't there yet. If they stopped while still inside the nebula they would be vaporized.

"Hold your speed!"

Just in time, the ship rushed out of the nebula, dropping out of warp at a safe distance. A chain reaction of explosions went through the nebula, causing entire parts of the cloud to dissolve into nothing. It was actually quite the sight to see but the crew let go of the controls with a sigh of relief.

"Let's not do that again please," Stith said, hitting a button to return power levels to normal.

"I'm not guaranteeing anything," Korso replied with a smirk. "Status?"

Kero breathed a sigh.

"Structural integrity is holding steady at ten percent. We're lucky to be out of there in time. Micro fractures were already starting to form on the engine nacelles."

"All further systems are registering as normal Captain," Stith added.

"Resume previous course."

His crew obeyed but Gune seemed to have found something new and not life threatening or anything.

"Captain, I believe Gune has found shorter route."

"What's up Gune?" Korso asked in a friendly manor.

He was in the mood for good news.

"At warp, we left the nebula faster and I believe that if we follow this course through this star system we can cut a few hours off our journey."

He was already calculating trajectories and speeds to plot a new course. Korso nodded his approval. He always managed to get them to their destination faster than expected or detect something interesting on the way.

"Nice work Gune. If I give you maximum warp, how long do you think it'll take?"

Gune fastened his calculations and answered.

"If we follow this exact course at maximum warp… then the calculations predict it will take… seventeen hours, forty-seven minutes Captain."

"Preed, you're receiving a new course. Enter it into the computer and set the ship on auto-navigation. Stith, Kero? You might need some time to plan you arrival. Especially now everyone thinks you're dead Kero."

Kero gave it some thought and agreed. Rising on his massive legs he joined Stith to her quarters.

Authors note: Music track 6 (All of My Life – Phil Collins)

Stith closed the door of her room with a loud bang.

"So, what're you planning?"

She picked up the weapon she was busy cleaning before they entered the nebula and put it carefully in the locker. One of my best. It was a high-powered plasma rifle with scope for sniping tactics, used for taking out most targets from great distances. It was quite heavy and required someone with a strong set of muscles to handle. Someone like her.

"I was thinking. Since everyone thinks I'm dead, the best way to confront my father is to sneak in undetected and face him directly, without him knowing about our arrival."

"Why would you wanna do that?"

She flattening an ear and snorted.

"I… I eh… My brother and I are not getting along with each other very well lately. He never told me the reason but I think it's because I'm older. According to tradition that makes me the one to follow in my father's footsteps." He sighed and shook his head. "Being my father's oldest son means I have a lot to live up to. I'm the Crown Prince Stith. I may be Emperor one day." He sighed again. "How can I lead an Empire if I can't even live up to my father's expectations?"

"Oh no, not this again," she growled.

"I can clearly remember the day my brother discovered I was the one to lead our people. He was mad at me like I was personally responsible for our traditions."

Kero was looking at his feet instead of Stith. Stith however couldn't take it anymore.

"So what? According to tradition you're the rightful heir of the throne. There's nothing your brother can do to change that."

"Usually no. But they think I'm dead. They've probably found debris of my ship and thought the entire crew made 'the crossing'. It's reasonable for them to think I was among them. Anyway, he's now probably trying to claim the title for himself since he's the oldest son alive. When I return, the title will be mine again. As long as I'm alive I'm destined to rule. He'll be furious. He might even try to kill me."

"I'm not afraid. I'll kick his butt if he tries."

"Stith, no. This is something I must do alone. Rajah always did his best to gain father's affection. He was always the more aggressive type. Always using his fists. But the traditions cannot be broken. I must tell him there's more beside power once and for all."

He was no longer looking at his feet but straight ahead with determination. Rajah hadn't always been this way but his late puberty, bad temper and violent mood swings had done no good to their relationship. In this state he was even dangerous to the people he loved. When he looked he noticed Stith smiled.

"I'm proud of you. I knew you were fully capable of taking matters into your own hands when things get rough."

He returned her smile, his bright blue eyes twinkling.

"And I knew somehow you'd understand. But there's one more thing. What do you know about our culture? You grew up on Solbrecht, right?"

She wasn't sure what he was getting at. Did that make her so different from him?

"Right. I hope you can live with that."

"Well, I don't mind. Have you ever been to Sogowa?"

"Once, but that was a very long time ago. I don't remember much."

"Well, my people, on Sogowa live in a substantially different way than yours on Solbrecht. Some of us call it cultural contamination. On our world we live in complete harmony with nature. Preservation of the environment is one of the most important things on our homeworld. Everything from production of food and machinery till our methods of transportation is designed to cause as little impact on the planet's ecosystem as possible. Even ships from outsiders are required to land in specified areas to limit pollution of the atmosphere."

"Sounds wonderful."

She could live with rules like that. Most species just kept polluting their world until it was practically uninhabitable. On average, it took an awful long time for a species to realize they were destroying their own living environment. At least hers seemed to be smarter than average.

"I'm glad you like it but all those precautions also have their drawbacks. Most of us merely tolerate members of other species but some are not so sympathetic. It's hard to find an alien on Sogowa. That's my world in a nutshell. I wanna show it to you so badly. I'm sure you'll think it's beautiful."

Stith sat down on the side of her bed.

"Siddown, your feet are gonna become one with the deck plating if you keep standing in the same spot."

A bit reluctantly he sat down on Stith's bed. His right leg touched her left one as they sat next to each other.

"I hope they taught you something about our customs and religion on Solbrecht."

He sounded hopeful but he wouldn't be disappointed.

"How could I forget Kirliya the Enlightened?"

It was one of the few things her real mother taught her about her people. Kero smiled when he heard her saying that.

"The first Mantrin warrior."

"I know the stories." A smile played on her lips. "We call her a 'She' because She looks that way."

"But she's actually genderless and She's the one who gave birth to our beautiful race," Kero finished her sentence. "I think you'll fit in Stith. To be honest I had my doubts. I didn't know if our people on Solbrecht still know what they are and where they come from."

"May Kirliya enlighten your path."

Kero's smile became wider when he heard the saying. He was really starting to like this girl. This young woman who had become his friend and maybe not just a friend. They just talked so well and he had the feeling she understood him better than his own parents ever did.

"May She do the same for you." In some way Stith hoped he would fling an arm around her shoulders. She was now really certain she liked him but instead he stood up and yawned out loud, covering his muzzle with his hand. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little tired." He made a smacking sound with his lips and excused himself. "I think I'm going to bed. If I'm not mistaken we'll arrive at daytime so I'm off for a few hours."

"Sleep well."

"You too."

He winked and it didn't go unnoticed. Stith watched as his large muscular body disappeared behind the door. The door closed shut with a metallic sound and she kept listening as his heavy footsteps removed themselves from her quarters. I think I'm in love. She shook her head. The thought alone filled her with confusion but secretly also joy. She had been a warrior her whole life and sharing it with someone she loved always seemed so unreal to her. But there was something about this Mantrin, this young Prince. In some way he was a warrior too, serving the Imperial Guard, his Empire. He was handsome, well-build and kinda sweet. No, he was sweet for a Mantrin and she liked that about him. But the thing their clashing personalities seemed to have most in common was when they were among each other. They just got along so well. She had to admit she was beginning to love him in a romantic sort of way. One full week on Sogowa. It would help her discover if the feeling was mutual or if they were just gonna stay good friends.

Although he promised himself to go to his quarters and sleep, Kero kept turning over from one side to the other. He had been relatively calm about the situation at Stith's quarters but now, when he was alone, he felt the anxiety again. He turned on his back on the bed that was actually too small for him and stared at the ceiling, following the tubes and wires that carried power and data streams to all the systems that kept the ship running. Would you be happy to see your parents again? Of course had to answer yes. They were his parents. The'lah always seemed to understand him more than Zahn did but she still failed to see the point sometimes.

"Your father only wants what's best for you Kero."

She had said it so many times. But he was in no way like his father. They both didn't understand. But Stith? Stith was a whole different story. At least he could finally talk to someone who truly seemed to understand what he was going through. He secretly enjoyed the moments when he could talk to her alone. He frequently noticed in their conversations that she sometimes understood him better then himself. He had also noticed he was beginning to feel a certain affection for her. Am I in love? It could be. She was a beautiful young Sogowan Mantrinesse, so why not? He wasn't sure the feeling was mutual but her behavior didn't say the opposite. Besides, a little bit of flirting wouldn't hurt either of them. He grumbled. She always tells me to calm down so turn around and go to sleep. And with Stith's wise words in the back of his head, he turned around one more time before he did.