A/N: Interested in learning more about the Eshaar'ne species? Warren is. It's curiosity driven by the need to understand the capabilities of his new teammates, one of which includes the sentient ship. Let's find out what he learns. But first a peek at what someone else is up to...

Chapter 13

Den-neer watched with satisfaction as scanners noted the target ship falling into orbit around Earth.

"Archangel keeps his vows and arrives as scheduled." A glance at the bridge control array told him Bae had scanned the other Eshaar'ne, but as expected, the data collected was extremely limited. "Your offspring appears to have recovered." Thick silence. "You will record any communications emanating from that ship and alert me immediately."

"Yes."

"And you will inform me if she shows any signs of sensing our presence."

"Yes." Another stiff acknowledgement.

"Although our combined technologies should make that impossible, wouldn't you agree?" He pushed.

"Theoretically."

Despite priding himself on being difficult to provoke, he was beginning to bristle. "Bae, you and I must work together whether you accept that or not. You will be more…pleasant."

"Yes, Den-neer."

Less terse and more than a single-word reply. He eased out of the bridge chair. "I anticipate they will go planetside shortly. Alert me as soon as that occurs."

"Acknowledged, Den-neer."

He gave the Eshaar'ne a small, appreciative smile. She was walking the line between the animosity and cordiality. Den-neer couldn't blame her. She'd been captured, painfully augmented, and her Other held hostage to ensure obedience to those she viewed as the mortal enemy of their people…not a situation anyone would react well to.

Then he dismissed all considerations of the living ship's mental conflicts. Imperative matters required his attention. Archangel was going to be at his most vulnerable once planetside. Den-neer had his orders – acquire the Human. His superiors needed what was in that body. Den-neer would not fail a second time.

###

After they put the leftovers away, save a couple zante, he'd dismissed everyone and turned his attention to Volu. He needed to understand the ship's capabilities.

"Have we arrived?"

"We have entered extended Earth orbit."

He expected that. After the attack, Volu hadn't been able to maintain FTL for long so the trip back was naturally equally short. Short, though, time-wise. A ship traveling far beyond the speed of light can go a long way in a matter of minutes.

"No sign of our attackers?"

"None, though my methods of detection are not-"

"-foolproof," Warren interrupted. "I remember."

"If they are planetside, my chances improve. When she is beyond the intense gravitational well, I cannot guarantee success."

"Understood. Just let me know if you sense anything that makes you suspicious. I can't help but feel they're lurking out there." He refilled his glass from the water spigot. "Now, though, I want to know more about you before we head down. Specifically, weapons, shields, etcetera. Okay with you?" he requested and quenched his thirst with a gulp.

"Of course."

"Start by telling me about your weapons." He settled back at the table and snatched up a zante. 'Gotta stop eating these things! Even I might put on weight if I continue to stuff my face like this,' he self-chastised, but it didn't prevent him from biting off a piece.

"You already know about my concussive burst."

He nodded and then reminded himself to ask how Volu saw or sensed movements and gestures. "Housed within a containment field, correct?"

"Yes. Therefore, it is directional not radiating, but only in a straight trajectory. The containment field also works as a penetrating force beam."

"That's how you drove the concussion blast down to the second level of the Etagllot's Hydeera facility."

"Correct."

"And how powerful is the force beam?"

"I can penetrate most materials common in this region of the galaxy. If weapons shielding is powerful enough, such as that used by space-faring vessels, it is more of a challenge. Theoretically, I can overcome the shielding generated by most if not all current technology."

"Theoretically?"

"Yes. Because of the nature of my power source, the shield technology of the races we've encountered should be vulnerable due to the inherent dimensional energy phase shift. I say theoretically, because fortunately I have had little opportunity to test the supposition."

Warren accepted that as he had no basis with which to agree or disagree – energy phase shift was beyond his understanding. "Your own shields, how powerful are they?"

"My sensor shielding thus far has been impenetrable. Weapons shields should protect us from current Imperial or Commonwealth technology. However, I am obviously vulnerable to the weapons of another Eshaar'ne." Her tone was laden with sorrow.

"Was the attack by the other ship unusual?" he speculated. 'Was that a quiver?' Warren wondered as he detected an ever so slight vibration underfoot.

"Eshaar'ne do not hurt other Eshaar'ne, as Eshaaru do not harm Eshaaru. It goes against our design. Until her. They have corrupted her; it is the only explanation. It greatly saddens and concerns me. Until the attack, I had faith she would never fire upon us. That faith has been shattered."

"I am sorry, Volu. Perhaps one day, she can be rescued and rehabilitated."

"Perhaps." Volu did not sound hopeful.

"She can detect you?"

"All Eshaar'ne can detect other Eshaar'ne, but only while not phased or shielded can detailed data be gathered. She is obviously using additional technology and, therefore, I am uncertain as to her full capabilities."

'So they may already know we're here if they hung around,' Warren concluded to himself. "What other weapons do you have?" he requested with a sip of water to wash down the sweet biscuit. 'Oh, for a cup of coffee!'

"The same energy that powers the containment field can be used on its own in varying degrees of intensity and zone of impact. I can focus very narrowly, equal to about the span of your hand, or in a wide dispersion that can cover an area roughly the breadth of…" she paused, likely searching for a reference Warren could easily relate to, "the Imperial Valley on Sat'rey."

"That's a broad area. What is the destructive power of the beam at that width?"

"Against typical building materials, near total destruction. A single burst against a Turzent battle carrier's shielding, should cause significant damage, but not full penetration."

"I'm impressed."

"The races of this sector are advancing their technology at a steady pace. There will come a time when I am not so impressive."

"We'll worry about that when and if the time comes," he offered to the concern in the Eshaar'ne's words. "What is your power source for weapons?"

"While I can generate a significant amount of bio-energy, I augment that with energy from The Source."

"Explain."

"As you have learned, The Source is a reservoir of lifeforce energy, Aru, which comes from Ozshi'wanae. Her realm is a dimension separate from this one. Eshaar'ne open a small portal to that dimension and channel its energy, as do Eshaaru."

"The way we channeled it to heal you?"

"Yes, but my filters are different from Eshaaru. Eshaar'ne use The Source for weapons and shields."

"Is The Source unlimited?"

"The Source is, but like you and Ettwanae, there are limits to the amount I can channel without injury."

'A built-in failsafe by the U'larr?' he wondered. "Any other weaponry?"

"No. Eshaar'ne are not warriors, Warren. We were created to assist the Eshaaru in gathering knowledge. My weapons are defensive."

"So you have skills in other areas."

"Data mining. My purpose is to retrieve knowledge from species who use more advanced storage techniques."

"As in computers."

"Or other similar technology."

"You're a master hacker then." Warren used the American term, hoping Volu understood. The Turzent word he didn't know.

"That would be a fair comparison." The reply came without hesitation, telling Warren either Volu understood or she used a form of translator. "Volu, do you understand English without using a translator?" he said in his native language.

"I taught myself your language when we arrived here the first time," she voiced in perfect English.

Warren wasn't necessarily surprised – she was a being designed to absorb information. "How many languages do you speak?"

"I am conversant in 23, including yours."

"I'm going to assume that you have total recall."

"Sections of my brain, yes. For example, the portions containing navigational information by necessity must have flawless recall. For that function, my memory works much like a computer. Other sections function more as yours does and my recollections aren't always complete. Unlike some species, my brain has no bias against voids and false memories are not created to fill gaps. Thereby, memory output is reliable, if not always total."

"How does the knowledge gathering work?"

"I have vast storage capability for holding collected data. That information would be uploaded to Etxan'Ir if Ettwanae and I were gatherers. However, I do not have access to or remember the mined data – that memory is for temporary storage only and not part of my consciousness. I use other parts of my brain for data I wish to recall."

"What if you wanted to recall everything you uploaded? Why not use the conscious portion of your memory?"

"My conscious memory has limits. If I exceed those, it will begin to overwrite existing memories."

"A circuit breaker? Otherwise, at some point, you'd be all-knowing. Perhaps to the point of being superior to your creators."

"A reasonable assumption."

Warren nodded. "Sounds like the U'larr engineered limits to their creation's abilities as failsafes." Then another thought came. "Why create the Eshaaru? Sounds like Eshaar'ne could handle the information gathering by themselves."

"There is knowledge that is only in the minds of the people. As one example, in T'Qilla and T'Azrued's memory node, they talk of seeking the wisdom of the Basti by drawing close to one of their spiritual leaders. It was implied that T'Qilla posed as Basti."

Warren's mind took the quick leap. "The image inducer?"

"Again, a reasonable conclusion, yet we have been unable to activate any image in Ettwanae's inducer other than Sat'reyan."

"Theories?"

"That she must become a gatherer for that capability to fully engage."

"Yet another failsafe? Allow the bearer to pass as a member of one known race, yet not become a chameleon unless fully indoctrinated into the predetermined role," Warren advanced the speculation.

Volu remained silent, perhaps also in contemplation, so Warren moved the discussion forward. "If I understand the picture correctly, the Eshaar'ne mine a planet's computers for hard data and the Eshaaru go after the soft data. How much time did a gathering party spend at a planet?"

"From what Ettwanae's parents recorded, sometimes several imperial weeks."

"It'd take a long time to make the rounds to all the sentient species."

"Hence, there were many gathering pairs in times past, but no longer." Her voice was heavy with melancholy.

"What happened?"

"The Shozen perhaps. We know they hunt our people."

"Why the feud?"

"That knowledge is lost to me. All we know of the conflict is from the node and the messages T'Qilla recorded for Ettwanae. She warned of the Shozen and that they would hunt Ettwanae. T'Qilla said the Shozen were chasing them and responsible for T'Azrued's disappearance and presumed death."

Hydeera jumped to mind. "How does the Etagllot enter into all this? Why did they want Ettwanae?"

"Unknown, though they appear to be involved in advanced biogenetics. Having her as a research subject would be highly desirable as Eshaaru are the result of genetic engineering at its ultimate."

That reminded Warren of the possibility he saw an image of Ettwanae's father. He'd save that for Ettwanae herself, but he'd pose his other thought from before. "Is it possible the Etagllot and Shozen are one and the same?"

"I have considered that possibility and the evidence suggests they are not. The node does not mention the Etagllot and thus I believe they are a newer threat. Their motives and methods appear dissimilar. Not once in my investigation has the two names been linked. In fact, there is no mention of the Shozen within the Turzent Empire or Commonwealth knowledge bases I have scanned. Extrapolations lead me to conclude the Shozen are technically superior to the Etagllot. It would take highly advanced technology to have systematically captured and destroyed our people. Additionally, if the Etagllot and Shozen were one and the same, I believe T'Qilla would have warned Ettwanae of that."

"But despite the superior technology, the Shozen messed up capturing Ettwanae on Sat'rey?"

"Only because I arrived in time."

"Did they display any unusual technology in that incident?" he pressed, still wondering if it was really the Etagllot.

"Not that I witnessed. However, her attackers' ability to track her movements amongst millions of Sat'reyans when she should have appeared Sat'reyan to scanners raises questions. We know the Etagllot on Hydeera were unable to breach her disguise."

"You know more than I do on the topic, so until we know differently, we'll assume they are two separate organizations."

"It worries me greatly that the Etagllot have an Eshaar'ne." Her tone spoke of dire consequences.

"Could they reverse engineer her?"

Heaviness settled over the galley. "Nothing is impossible, Warren." A long pause. "Why would she allow this to happen? She should have performed ru'zha as soon as captured."

Warren remained silent as he had no answers, no explanation. "All we can do is wonder, Volu. Let's get back to the task at hand – your capabilities. What else should I know?"

Volu took a few moments to respond. "My mode of faster-than-light travel is via dimensional phasing and works differently than what you are familiar with. For sublight movement, I manipulate gravitational wells."

That piqued his curiosity, but his mind was beginning to dull after the long day and two meetings of collecting and digesting a multitude of facts, despite a nap. "Let's talk more about that later. My brain is going into overload. Any other survival or tactical abilities I should be aware of?"

"One important ability. If food stores are depleted, I can keep Eshaaru alive indefinitely producing monle, a high-caloric, nutritionally dense mash specifically designed to sustain Eshaaru biology."

"I remember monle from one of the node memories you showed me of Ettwanae's parents. Do you know the affects on non-Eshaaru biology?"

"Weight gain and some nutritional deficiencies and overdoses, obviously depending on the species."

"So Ettwanae would be fine and the rest of us would likely be okay for awhile?"

Volu hesitated. 'Classified myself as non-Eshaaru and she's considering her reply,' Warren concluded.

"I believe your physiology to be similar enough to Ettwanae's that the monle would sustain you indefinitely as well."

'Diplomatic.' He was getting restless – too much sitting. Warren stood to stretch wings and legs, then began idling walking around the galley. "What's monle taste like?" He recalled T'Azrued seemingly didn't care for it.

"The spigot extrudes it. I will produce a small amount for you to try."

Within a minute, a whitish substance began to ooze out. Placing his hand beneath, a glob dropped into his palm. It looked similar to thick oatmeal in consistency and color. He dipped his finger into the substance and took a taste.

"It hasn't a lot of flavor, but what's there is nutty. A little on the gooey side. Can't say I'd like to eat this regularly."

"Emergency rations, Warren."

"Meant to sustain life, not provide a sublime culinary experience."

"Precisely."

"Anything else to share?"

"We have covered the fundamentals of my capabilities."

Warren was ready to ask the question he'd noted to himself earlier. "Can you see? I mean in the same way I do?"

"Yes, Warren. I have excellent visual acuity."

"Inside as well?"

"Are you asking if I can see you as you see me?"

"I am."

"I can."

"You see everywhere inside?" Warren heard what he thought was an amused modulation.

"Warren, your privacy will not be invaded. What you do in your chambers I do not see."

"And your other senses?"

"Within your chambers, I can hear and sense you, but will not intrude unless you address me. I respect privacy unless you request my presence or your health is in jeopardy. I am not a Peeping Tom."

Warren smiled. That term likely came from one person. "Flint asked these same questions, didn't he?"

"Not quite as delicately as you."

Warren laughed. "I can just about imagine!" He examined elements that formed the necessities of a ship's galley – counter, sink, water/monle spigot, and storage. A slightly protruding, rectangular outline caught his attention. Situated about waist high on the wall next to the counter, its surface had a different look to it – less solid. As he ran his hand across the surface, a membrane opened much like an eyelid. He peered in.

"A warming pod," the living ship explained. "Cooling pods are on the opposite wall."

Warren glanced to the far end of the counter. Another embossed rectangle broke the otherwise smooth surface of the wall, but much larger that the warming pod. "You feel my touch and activate the openings?"

"Not as you would experience a touch to your body. Opening the pod is an auto-response. I can control it consciously, but only if I concentrate."

"You mentioned you can tell if my health is in jeopardy. I assume via internal sensors."

"You assume correctly."

"Anything else about your internal senses?"

"For the purpose of our meeting, we have covered the most significant. My other functions are for creating and preserving a life-sustaining environment."

Warren ran his hand along the counter as he made his way to the cooling pod. Volu's internal surfaces were sensual, like supple leather. "Internal defenses? I've noticed the jabs you give Flint when he uses his nickname for you," Warren said with smile.

"Those are but minor bio-energy bursts meant to gain attention."

"Effective," he chuckled, sliding his hand across the cooling pod. Opening in the same fashion as the other pod, it revealed a stash of food and beverages. "How powerful can those attention-getters become?"

"Sufficient to stun most intruders."

"What else?" He pulled out a container of orangish liquid. The label was in a language he couldn't read.

"I can use sound to stun and disable."

Warren winced in remembered pain of that sound burst. "Any internal shields or force fields?" He returned the container to the pod, but wasn't sure how to signal the membrane to close.

"No."

Warren waved his hand in front of the cooling pod with no affect.

"Brush the top of the pod," Volu prompted. Warren did as instructed and the orifice closed its eyelid.

"Ettwanae's personal cloak…is there another one I could use?"

"Unfortunately, no. It was implanted by her parents and I have no such devices."

"Too bad. It could come in handy. Your weaknesses? In general…particularly compared to standard ships."

"As made obvious from the attack, I feel pain. That can be a hindrance. Aside from the limits of my shields and weapons, no unexpected weaknesses."

Volu's tone changed almost imperceptibly. Had he somehow offended the Eshaar'ne? Perhaps the opposite question for balance. "And your greatest strength?"

"I am alive. Unlike my AI counterparts, I love, I hate, become angry, sad, or happy – all the emotions you experience. Understanding my occupants' emotional state is a strength. My caring is not programming mimicry." Pride tinged the words. "But the U'larr gave me objectivity as well. I will make the hard choices necessary to protect my Other, though emotionally I may desire to take another action."

"In other words, you don't let your heart rule your head."

"If I understand the adage, you are correct."

Warren took a moment to once again marvel at Volu. A species bio-engineered as a space ship. A species that was viable, reproducing, and apparently symbiotic with another created species – the Eshaar'ne. The U'larr's technology and knowledge must have been almost god-like to pull it off. Then a yawn escaped. He was tired.

"Another question. When we healed you, why didn't you suppress what you call first mating in me like you did Ettwanae?"

"Because of how you described your manifestation of The Source. Ettwanae filters it through her enhanced healing ability and, therefore, she can heal physical injuries in others with the energy. You filter through your limbic brain, the area involving pleasure and sex. If I had suppressed first mating in you by numbing that portion of your brain, it would have interfered with your ability to channel Source energy. Numbing Ettwanae's limbic brain has no affect on her channeling ability."

"That explains things." Warren finally a reasonable explanation for the erotic nature of his ability. "And I'm not unique? Ettwanae said she'd heard of my form of channeling."

"She learned that from me. My medical knowledge describes several forms of channeling by Eshaaru, including yours."

Warren stiffened at the implication her in reply, but he let it pass. He didn't feel like defending his Humanity yet again. "I'll have more questions without a doubt, Volu, but for now I'm done unless there's something you want to add."

"We have covered everything of relevance to your purpose."

"Any questions for me?" Warren wondered what the ship was considering as the seconds passed in silence.

"Only one, Warren." Another shorter pause. He waited. "Can I trust you?"

His warning to Ettwanae sprang instantly to mind. Had that troubled the Eshaar'ne more than he had intended? "You can trust me to do as I say I'll do. And while I am joining the search for my own purposes, I will not jeopardize any of you to accomplish that end. You can trust me to be honorable – to do the right thing."

The ship was again quiet before responding. "I will hold you to that, Warren Worthington. Trust in this – I will protect my Other above all else, with my very life if need be. Ettwanae is my entire reason for being. I will not tolerate anyone harming her physically or otherwise."

Warren appreciated the straightforwardness. "Understood, Volu." He moved back over to the table, grabbed up the plate, and placed it in the sink. As he drew his hand away, a membrane closed over the dishes and he could faintly hear a buzzing sound. 'Ultra-sonic washing, like the clothes cleaning pod,' he concluded. Leaving the galley, Warren made a mental note to ask sometime about the term "my Other."

Satisfied with what he'd accomplished in the meetings, Warren decided it was time to take care of business planetside. "Volu, I'd like to head down to Earth at your earliest convenience."

"Then I will notify Ettwanae of your wish to do so. It is nighttime, though, where your home resides. Do you wish to rest first?"

Warren let out a heavy sigh as the depth of his fatigue hit. "I do. It's been a long, eventful day. Where are the others?"

"Sleeping."

As he headed to the gathering room to crash, Warren consciously push aside all thoughts, worries, and strategizing. What he had to accomplish on Earth required him to be well rested. He stretched out on the comfortable lounger.

"Good night, Volu."

"Good night, Warren."

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A/N: I know this was another information-dense chapter, but I hope you came away with a better understanding of Volu. I have to admit, Volu is right up there with Moit'de and Atichi from the previous books as a favorite supporting character. I'd like to hear your thoughts on her. How is Volu coming across, does she seem realistic, is her personality different enough from the other characters to set her apart?

I can take well thought out criticism – got a pretty tough shell. Your opinions and thoughts on how the story and characters are playing out will make me a better writer. In later chapters, I may prompt you for the same sort of feedback on the other cast members as well, but feel free anytime to share your observations on characterizations.

Looking forward to hearing from you…reviews and emails keep me motivated to pump out the chapters. I am so blessed to have such incredible, intelligent readers. Thank you for sharing in my make-believe world!