AN: I know it has been awhile since my last update. Thank you for waiting. Here is a brief summary of what happened in chapter 28.

Jasper surprises Edward with a trip to one of the settlement control rooms and the hangar bay. There Edward learns about the resupply runs to the space station and the truth about the accident that claimed Bella's parents' lives. Boarding one of the shuttles, Edward gets his first introduction to flying as Jasper treats him to a bird's eye view of the settlement, their valley and the Wastelands. Then turning away from the planet, they proceed to the waiting space station.

The Protector

Chapter 29

EPOV

Over the next couple of hours, Jasper and I discuss all things space, flying, and ship-related.

I bombard him with hundreds of questions that pop into my head.

How far away is the space station?

What does the term 'atmosphere' mean?

If we are above the 'atmosphere,' how can we continue to breathe inside the station or the shuttle?

And, speaking of the shuttle…

When – and how – did he learn to fly it?

What is the power source?

Why isn't it just falling back to the planet?

If the space station, shuttles, and ships are old – built even before Avaro came to power – how is it that they still exist, and haven't fallen into decay?

What does he mean by a 'space vacuum' – and how does that protect the ships?

The questions flow one after another, each answer leading naturally to another question – and on to seemingly unnatural, new, reality-changing information to absorb when Jasper answers all of them, patiently, one by one.

It crosses my mind that he would make a good trainer, and an even better instructor.

Eventually, our main topic of conversation becomes the ship we are heading towards. My most immediate concerns center around why there is not enough room on board for everyone, and why it is so important for me to suspend time inside the ship.

From my brother's answers, I learn that although the ship is huge – bigger than anything we've ever seen – most of the interior is merely one enormous cargo hold; just an empty, cavernous enclosed space, built primarily to transport bulk metal ore that was, at one time, mined on our moons.

Our planet, he explains, contained only a few scattered deposits and veins of most of the metals and minerals our ancestors discovered they would need for their expanding technology. When these existing resources were soon exhausted, they ventured into space – theorizing that those same metals and trace elements detected in small rocks hitting our surface might also be found on our moons, or in a nearby asteroid belt.

A few years later, after exploratory missions in which they successfully identified deposits of what they were seeking, they eventually built ships to travel back and forth – ferrying small but highly specialized crews, trained to source and extract the metal ore they found there.

Since only a minimal crew was ever needed during those mining trips, the ship was never designed to hold, separate and dispense the massive amounts of water, food and supplies that would be needed; nor is it equipped with the capacity to process the waste that would be produced by such a large number of people, over the many months it will take to reach our new home.

And therein lies the problem: carry fewer people, with plenty of supplies; or, evacuate more people – with fewer provisions to sustain them.

The first option of leaving anyone behind is completely unthinkable; the second would result in unimaginable horror if some unplanned disaster struck, and all food and water ran out before the ship could reach our new home.

Yet my shield, with its time-stopping abilities, seems to solve that problem.

For as long as Bella and I can maintain it, all of our people should be able to leave on the ship, then remain safely onboard – suspended in a sort of mental and physical state of twilight, without the need for food or water – until we arrive at our destination.

Jasper also explains how my shield will protect the ship against any space debris that we might encounter during our journey. I find it hard to believe how something as small as a fist-sized rock could cause extensive damage to the ship; but he assures me that it is a real possibility, considering the substantial speed at which we will be traveling – referencing still another concept I have trouble comprehending.

It is while we are discussing my shield and its abilities that Jasper suggests I practice opening it around the shuttle so I can experience how it feels. When I hesitate, not knowing how it will affect him, he reminds me that he and Bella were both able to function while inside it during our escape from the Yippers.

Surrounding the shuttle with my shield feels a bit odd. I know it is there; but I can't feel any pressure against it, or actually see it in the darkness outside the windows. Jasper coaches me to expand it, then contract it. I practice making it thinner, weaker; then I try strengthening it to a hard, solid enclosure. Each alteration affects my energy in a slightly different way – from an insignificant buzz of effort, to a determined push of exertion – and I concentrate on memorizing the way each one makes me feel.

Finally, Jasper recommends that I leave it open around the shuttle – then try to ignore it, as we eat a lunch he has provided and we continue our normal activities.

This proves much easier to do than I thought it would be.

The shield is there, just beyond my consciousness; yet I'm able to enjoy our meal and conversation, without actively thinking about it. My brother laughs at my smug satisfaction when I realize it has been well over an hour since I've thought about the shield; but it is still in the same location – still open, still protecting us, without too much effort on my part.

The confidence I gain from this achievement is immediately and badly undermined, however, when Jasper abruptly announces that it is time for my own first flying lesson.

Shaking my head in denial, I nevertheless pick up a headset like he is wearing, and – following his instructions – adjust it to fit over my head, ear, mouth, and eye. Then, I deliberately place my hand over the recessed panel beside me… and watch the rounded globe gradually emerge under my palm, as I carefully fit my fingers into the indentations on its sides.

Even though I am expecting the tiny wires that start to emerge, I'm still startled at the feel of them twisting over my flesh. I gasp in surprise when I feel a tiny prick on each finger tip and realize that a wire, or wires, have actually entered my hand. There is no real pain; just a slight tingling feeling where I am now throughly connected to the navigation ball.

I can hear Jasper's voice in my ear reassuring me that I am doing just fine, encouraging me to relax.

And then something happens.

For the briefest moment – a minuscule delay, between one blink of the eye and the next – I feel suspended; cut off from my senses, as if I have been… for a few subtle seconds… paused.

I feel a pressure in my head, a sense of someone or something waiting just outside my mental awareness. When I open my mind, it is there: not fully human in its intelligence and power; but still strangely human-like in its presence.

The foreignness of the contact causes me to hesitate before deepening our connection; but before I can explore the feelings further, I am distracted by a voice speaking in my ear.

"Welcome, Edward, son of Esme," it says. There is an odd quality about the voice. It sounds male; but its words are slightly altered, both in their rhythm and pronunciation.

"Who…? What…? How do you know who I am?" I finally manage to stutter out.

"Cora informed me you would be accompanying your brother, Jasper, today," it tells me. "When you placed your hand on the navigation ball, I took the liberty of testing a small sample of your blood to confirm your identity. I hope you don't mind that I did so, as it will facilitate our partnering in the future."

"Do you… do you have a name?" I ask, hesitantly. "What should I call you?"

For a moment, there is silence… and I begin to wonder if I have asked the wrong question. Then, suddenly, one of the large screens in front of us flickers on, and I see the image of an older man. He is facing forward; his head, shoulders and part of his chest visible. His clothing is nondescript: a cream-colored shirt, with no visible markings or insignia. Light brown hair, with a liberal sprinkling of gray and startling blue eyes, highlight an otherwise normal-looking face. There is nothing in the dark background behind him to indicate where he is, or to give any clues of his identity.

Although there is something vaguely familiar about him, I know I have never met him.

His eyes search the room around us, before focusing on me. "Hello, Edward, son of Esme," the voice repeats. This time, I hear the words in my ear piece, as well as from the man on the screen. His voice is deeper, the rhythm more normal. He smiles, slightly, and then greets me one more time.

"Hello, Grandson."

"Who… who are you?" I manage to choke out, my mind reeling from the possibilities of what he has said. "Are you Esme's father?"

"No, not her father. I'm actually her grandfather, too – though many, many times removed."

"I don't… I don't understand." Even as I say the words, I realize I do know who he is; but the implications of admitting that knowledge are more than I can accept at the moment.

Staring at the image in front of me, I finally manage a whisper. "Ares?"

"Yes."

And that one word suddenly shatters all the preconceived notions of reality that I have been clinging to over the past few days.

I've had to learn, understand, and accept so many new truths about my world and my place in it.

But that one, small word alone – uttered in a simple, declarative tone of recognition and reckoning – confirms there is a vast, entire and established hidden world of secrets still waiting for me. Existing secrets that will absolutely affect my every understanding about the past, present and future of time, and death, and existence.

I slump back into my chair, bewildered and confused. "But you're… you're…"

"Dead?" he chuckles, interrupting my stuttering. "You are correct, Edward. My physical body died long ago; but my intelligence and my personality were added to the computer when I modified its programming. What you are seeing is a representation… a recording of my face and my voice that was taken long ago, then stored on the computer. My image is being manipulated to help us communicate."

Frowning, I study his image, trying to understand his explanation. Am I speaking to a man, a machine, or something that is a combination of both? The strangeness of the entity I touched with my mind argues for a blending of the two.

Ares also watches me. His eyes blink, his head tilts, and his lips curve upward in a slight grin. I find it hard to believe that he is a projection on the screen and not a real person.

"You are trying to decide what I am, aren't you, Edward?"

Nodding, I admit to him and to myself that I still don't understand what he is, or how he came to be a part of the computer and this shuttle.

"It is a bit of a story; but I believe we have time for me to tell it – and even though Jasper has heard this before," he nods towards my brother, before turning back to me with another smile, "I don't think he'll mind hearing it again."

I glance at my brother, who is watching me closely. "Did you know about all this?" I wave my free hand towards the screen and the equipment in front of us. "You could have warned me, you know."

Jasper just smirks back at me, rolling his eyes before stating that I wouldn't have believed it until I experienced it for myself.

He's right, of course; nothing in my world at the time could have prepared me for seeing and speaking to the image of my revered ancestor, and the renowned hero of almost all our legends. Any explanation Jasper could have given me – or anyone else had offered, for that matter – would pale in comparison to the actual act of communicating with Ares on the screen and in my head. Even in the middle of our conversation now, I am still questioning what is real… or thinking, perhaps, that my understanding of what is real needs to be changed… and broadened to accept a different conception of reality.

Overwhelmed by the direction of my thoughts, I store them away to be examined at another time; focusing my attention, instead, back to Ares – who is still watching me, patiently.

"Perhaps if you hear more of my story, it will help you understand what I am, Edward." When I nod, he continues. "I know that Esme has explained the circumstances surrounding the founding of our valley to you."

He pauses, waiting for my acknowledgment before beginning again.

"You know about our escape; the weapon that made it possible, and the agreements we had to make with the other cities in exchange for their help. It was an exciting, but also… frustrating time."

"Exciting, because we were building a new society, a new way of living. Exciting, because – for the first time, ever – we had the real possibility of reuniting two factions of the same people who had been divided and separated, both by distance and ideology, for far too long."

Ares leans forward, warming up to his story as he continues.

"Imagine the physical and intellectual challenges! Oh, Edward, the engineer and scientist in me reveled in the planning for the water system; in the layout of the roads, villages and cities. There were fields and orchards to design and arrange; manufacturing centers for our cloth to establish; metals to process, and lumber to mill."

Ares face is alight and animated as he continues to talk about the early days of our valley. His eyes sparkle, and his eyebrows move dramatically when he smiles and frowns during his story. Faint lines and wrinkles appear and disappear, even as his facial expressions change so quickly that I can hardly keep up – though it is impossible to miss the excitement in every single note and tone of his voice.

I realize I am smiling and nodding, reacting to him in the same way I would to a person who was actually seated in front of me. A person who was real; a person who was alive.

"But Elizabeth was the most frustrating thing of all!" I hear Ares say, as I pull my mind from its musing, trying once again to concentrate on listening to the rest of his story.

"She was the most amazing person I had ever met. So talented, so powerful… and still so loving and forgiving, even after everything she had endured in her life." His face and voice have softened as he speaks of the founder of our valley.

"She was also the most stubborn, hard-headed, set-in-her-ways woman I had ever tried to deal with." He laughs then, shaking his head and rolling his eyes, before he continues, fondly. "We fought our attraction for a long time before we finally had to admit that our feelings could not be denied."

Ares pauses, and I watch as sadness slowly overtakes his face.

"I loved Elizabeth very much. After she passed on, I wanted to leave the valley. I missed her, Edward," he whispers, sorrow reflected on his face and in his voice. "But I had a daughter to raise, and a promise to keep. So I stayed."

I watch while he pauses again… his eyes unfocused, as if lost in his memories. After a moment he sighs, shrugs his shoulders, and begins to speak. Once again, I find myself reacting to him as though he were a real person; but at the same time, part of me wonders: how can he appear so life-like? How can he merely be an image that the computer is manipulating?

There must be more going on here than I am currently understanding.

"Eleni was a remarkable woman," he continues proudly. "A unique combination of the best of Elizabeth's gifts and my scientific background, I watched her mature into a skilled leader and a successful administrator. After she was happily married, and had made me a grandfather several times over… after all the plans and safeguards were in place to protect our valley, and we had fulfilled our promises to the other cities… well that's when I knew it was time for me to leave."

"I know the Histories say I walked through the door in the wall and disappeared into the Wastelands. But what they don't tell you is that I then proceeded directly to the underground settlement where I had grown up, joining the other scientists who had already foreseen that someday we would have to leave the planet."

"The environmental damage was past the point of no return even before Elizabeth and I released the weapon that destroyed Avaro's empire; but none of us had any idea how powerful Avarus' modifications had made it. The antimatter he had somehow managed to manufacture and add to the bomb set off a chain reaction when it exploded – ripping through our atmosphere, destroying the magnetic fields that protected us from the solar winds, and ensuring the ultimate death of our planet."

Ares looks away, shaking his head sadly, before focusing on me once more.

"A lot of innocent people died that day, Edward. I carried the guilt of my actions for the rest of my life; and the memory of that guilt is stored here, with me, in this computer."

An expression of deep remorse settles over Ares' face, and I can't help but wonder how terrible it must have been to live with the knowledge that you had caused so many deaths. The image on the screen is of a man humbled by that experience, not the proud hero of our legends.

When he speaks again, his voice is quieter, more subdued.

"Afterwards, when I realized what we had done, I dedicated myself to improving the life of the people left on our planet – and to finding a way to provide them with a safe escape, when the time came to leave."

"So, we began planning. We no longer had the materials or the technology to manufacture or build new spacecraft; we concentrated, instead, on keeping what we did have repaired, and in good working order."

"Our main emphasis was on the computers that served the ships and the settlement. This was my area of focus; and I spent the rest of my life finding ways to increase their efficiency and improve their performance. The first step was to unite them into one cohesive system, with all the individual components under the direction of one main program."

"The second step was to find a way to increase the ease and accuracy of communicating with the computer. The headset you are wearing – and the navigation ball under your hand – are two of my inventions. They led me to explore other more tactile, immediate and effective ways of uniting our minds with the machine."

My fingers – buried deeply into the indentions on the round globe, and wrapped snugly in the sensory wires – jerk spontaneously at his mention of our connection. I huff in annoyance at myself when I realize I've subconsciously tried to pull away from this strange union between machine and man.

Ares must have sensed my sudden discomfort, because he pauses in his narrative to give me time to settle myself, before continuing with his story.

"By the time my physical life came to an end, I had spent so much time connected to the computer that my memories, my thoughts – indeed, my very consciousness – had all been stored and integrated within its data banks; and although it was not my original intention, I realized I had essentially become part of the electronic brain that is in control of the whole system."

"So. To answer your question about what I am, Edward: I am Ares. A person who helped found your valley; a man who once loved a woman named Elizabeth, and fathered Eleni, your ancestor. Everything that made me a unique individual is still here. But I amalso a computer; a thinking machine in charge of monitoring and controlling all the systems that operate this shuttle, the settlement, the space station, and the ship docked there."

"Right now, my consciousness is focused here with you and Jasper, while we are communicating; but at the same time, other operational parts of me are simultaneously and systematically performing all those functions I just mentioned."

"And just to make it even more confusing for you… "

Another grin creases his face, before he chuckles and continues.

"I am also the shuttle itself. It is I, and I am part of it. Just as your brain does the thinking and critical decision-making for your whole body, so I do the thinking and decision-making for this vehicle."

The frown on my face must convey my complete bewilderment, because Ares pauses in his explanation, giving me the time I need to consider the implications of his analogy.

I glance down at my knees, my toes, my elbows… all parts of me that I rarely think about, yet are used for all my daily activities. Is this what Ares feels? Are the ships, the settlement, the station all 'parts' of his body that continue to exist and function, even though he is not consciously thinking of them?

It is all too much to consider, to understand at this moment; and I shake my head in defeat, vowing to examine those thoughts another day.

When I look back to the screen, I find Ares watching me closely. He nods, as if to tell me he understands, before continuing his explanation.

"My primary objective is to ensure the safety of the shuttle, and all the people on it. If the need arose, I could pilot and operate this ship completely on my own; but when we link together, it enhances both our abilities to perform our mission. Your more immediate reactions and senses, that I can access when we are connected, might prove more efficient and capable at any singular moment than the thousands of sensors previously wired into this vehicle, when accessed alone. As a result of the symbiotic enhancement, our combined whole – working together, utilizing my pre-programmed procedures with your responses – becomes exponentially greater than our individual parts."

"For instance: I can sense and monitor the protective shield you have placed around us."

"You can?" I interrupt, in surprise.

"Oh, certainly," he continues. "Already, it has deflected several small amounts of atmospheric dust. Not enough to be dangerous; but still enough to prove that it is capable of protecting us. In fact, Edward, I believe you could lower the strength of the shield without altering its effectiveness – thereby requiring less of the energy drain I am detecting from your body – while it continues to maintain and perform its function."

Still confused by the concept of talking to a thinking machine, I hesitate… unwilling to completely trust our safety to something I don't really understand… until I hear Jasper's voice in my ear urging me to just try it.

"You agree?"

"Yes," he answers. "All three of us are linked together, and I can actually sense your shield through the computer. It's amazing, Edward!" he exclaims. "I had no idea what to expect."

Bolstered by their confidence, I concentrate on gradually lowering the strength of my shield… until I'm told that it is at the perfect level.

"Now, we'll be able to duplicate that same degree of protection on the larger ship, without over-stressing your body – and I'll be able to alert you in time, should the shield strength fluctuate too far above or below this level," Ares assures me.

"Are you ready to continue with your flying lesson, Edward?"

"Yes."

"Then let us begin."

Over the remaining hour or so of our trip, I learn all I can about flying and handling the shuttle. Jasper transfers the controls to me so I can experience the reactions between my thoughts, the shuttle itself, and the computer controlling it. Images appear on the large screens in front of us, and Ares directs me to maneuver the vehicle through a series of increasingly threatening obstacles.

I discover that the small screen in front of my left eye serves as a type of 'sensor' for the computer. By monitoring the subtlest shifting of my head angle and any changes in my eye focus, it can track my intentions and decisions even before I am aware that I am making them. Minute movements of my hand and fingers on the navigation ball signal my objectives through the technical tendrils wrapped around my hand and fingers. The tiny wires embedded in my fingertips constantly record changes in my stress levels, heart rate and respiration.

As we progress though each of the practice run scenarios, they become more difficult, more hazardous, and much more dangerous. Soon, I'm reacting purely on instinct – twisting and turning my body, scanning the screens for ways around and through, over and under the obstacles that appear, all with increasing velocity and imminent danger threats – depicted on the screen in front of us. I speed up, then slow down; increase the strength of my shield to ward off space debris, then quickly remember to lower it to save energy.

At one point, I actually tilt the shuttle on its thinnest, most tapered side edge in order to narrowly slip through a constrictive opening between two massive space rocks blocking our way.

All of this is done with a high amount of unexpected assurance, but without making or voicing a single conscious decision. The shuttle has somehow, suddenly but surely, become an extension of my body – and I've become the will that controls it.

When the screen clears, I'm left breathless. My heart is racing, I'm gasping for air, and my muscles are shaking with fatigue; but I'm also exhilarated, and almost giddy from the adrenaline rushing through my body.

A gleeful giggle begins working its way up my throat – and even though I choke and snort trying to contain it, I can't stop the jubilant peal of laughter that escapes my mouth.

"Oh, my… Did you…? Did you see…? " I start and stutter, trying to marshal my thoughts. "That was… that was amazing!" I finally exclaim.

Glancing over at my brother, I see the same excitement and exhilaration radiating from his own face; and then, we are both laughing – great, loud guffaws of mirth, releasing the tension from our shaking bodies.

"Well done, Edward," compliments Ares' voice in my ear. "Your physical reaction time is very impressive, and you displayed remarkable agility in using all four dimensions to avoid the obstacles around you. Integrating the use of your shield in certain situations was pure genius. I believe that in its hardest, most dense form, your shield could actually be used to push obstructions away from the ship, or vice versa. Hmmm. An unexpected, potentially valuable side-effect that I will need to consider further in the future."

"Thank you," I reply, cocking an inquiring eyebrow at Jasper.

"It means you done good, little brother," Jasper smirks back at me.

The blank screens in front of us blink to life again. This time, the image of the space station and its attachments – including an enormous ship that dwarfs them all in size – is displayed on the surface. It looks much like the picture Mother showed me in the archives room; but this one is missing most of the ships, pods and modules that were in the original photo.

"Would you like to try docking a shuttle to the station?" asks Ares.

"Sure," I reply, eager to practice flying the craft again.

"Then let us begin."

Over the next thirty minutes or so, as the station continues to grow bigger and closer on the screen, I listen to Ares' voice instructing me to change course, reduce speed, and align the craft with an oversized door that yawns open on one side of the platform. I'm directed to leave my shield at its lowest setting, to protect us in case of an accident, as I follow blinking red lights into the black maw of what is called a 'shuttle bay.'

The shuttle hovers for a moment, then lands with a realistic thump before the screen darkens again.

"That was… " I turn towards Jasper, only to find him unfastening his harness and safety belts. "What are you doing?" I ask in surprise. "You said we needed to leave these on until we arrived."

"I know… and we did."

"But… " I start to protest, only to be distracted by the movement of the wires on my hand. They are quickly disengaging themselves, leaving a slight tingling feeling as they slither across my skin, disappearing into the navigation ball as it retreats back down into the panel.

I feel a sudden disconnect from the shuttle and the computer; I can no longer sense the weight and power of them in my mind. My shield has automatically retracted, too; and for one disconcerting moment – one minuscule, entirely unexpected fragment of time – I experience the absolute oneness that is my physical existence. I know and understand why we seek out companionship; why family and friends are so important to our wellbeing.

To be alone, truly alone, is a frightening thing.

Even as those thoughts form in my mind, I feel the presence of someone… of something… hovering on the edge of my metal awareness. It is Ares. And with another sudden realization, I understand that this is what has been lurking, just below or beyond my consciousness, all afternoon.

This is what made me slightly wary of our interactions. This is why he seems so real in his reactions and movements on the screen. Because this is what Ares is: he is real.

My thoughts stray to my solitary trek across the plateau to Korinth. I remember all the life I felt as I jogged along the trail; all the small animals that froze on my approach, then resumed their lives after I passed them by. Sometimes if I concentrated hard enough, I could almost sense the plants that struggled to survive on that dry, dusty plain. I could feel them because they had energy, because they existed, because they had a real physical body.

But I can sense Ares, too. He has energy; he exists. And even without a physical body, he is real, too. Ares is alive in a whole different way, in a whole different reality of time and existence.

When we are connected through the navigation ball and the headset, I can feel the shuttle and the computer that guides it. I can feel the engines that power it, and and all the systems that operate it. I can feel the 'machine-ness' of it.

But I don't need that connection to feel Ares.

He is there, waiting on his own, separate from the machine. All I have to do is open my mind to touch him – and all the knowledge, all the emotions, all the experiences of this extraordinary man are waiting there to be explored and absorbed.

The ramifications of all the possibilities leaves me smiling in anticipation.

I picture myself with Bella… the two of us spending long stretches of our journey, connected to Ares… as he shows us the remarkable history of our planet. We'll both be able to experience, firsthand, the world as he knew it – as well as all the events that transpired, long before we were born. Together, we'll be able to feel his emotions: his pride, his joy, his sorrow, his love.

My mind races with eagerness and anticipation for all the stories we will hear, for all the opportunities of understanding what went before us – just waiting for us, now, to discover in our future.

A feeling of approval and of welcome touches my awareness, and I know Ares has sensed the direction of my thoughts. Before I can pursue them further, they are interrupted by Jasper's voice.

"We're here, Edward. You landed us safely."

My musing is brought to an abrupt halt when I hear my brother's words – and the sound of unlatching gear – as I realize I have actually flown and landed our shuttle inside the space station.

"But… I thought it was just practice!" I protest, looking back at the blank screens in front of us. "I could have crashed us, I could have… " my faces blanches at the possibilities.

"You did just fine," Jasper interrupts me. "Besides – Ares would have assumed control, if you had made any kind of serious mistake. Be proud of yourself. You did a great job."

The blank screen captures my attention again – especially when I remember the massive rocks and other debris hurtling by us, as I twisted and turned the shuttle to escape them.

"Jasper," I whisper, drawing his attention back to me. "Before… before when I was flying the shuttle around the rocks, when I was doing all that… that stuff… " I question, mimicking with hand gestures the flips and rolls of the shuttle. "That was practice, wasn't it?"

"Oh, please… tell me that was just practice," I beg, slightly nauseous, once again, at the thought of what could have happened.

Jasper just flashes me his usual smirk, telling me to take off the headset and the safety harness because we have a shuttle to unload.

With trembling legs, shaking hands, and a mind reeling from everything I've learned and experienced in the past few hours – trying at once to anticipate, yet not think about, what the future could hold – I silently follow my brother's lead… thankful to have something as mundane and ordinary as unloading supplies to distract my thoughts from protective shields, space debris, and an intelligent, thinking machine that is the incarnation of Ares… my ancestor, and the hero of my valley's history.

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Thank you for reading. Thank you to Bellebiter for her time and effort. I had a lot of trouble loading this chapter, so any mistakes are mine and the site's. LOL Thanks again.