Lunar: Black Star Rising
By Thomas Knapp
Chapter Five
"I'm… sorry…" Lemina said softly, turning her head away from the gathering in the assembly hall.
Jean appeared shocked, and replied, "Whoa, Toras… this is an EVENT! Lemina APOLOGIZING!"
Lemina glared at her friend sourly. "Oh, come on… it's not like I've never done it before. Anyway, now that we've gotten everyone straightened out, we can get to business, right, Toras?"
The twin she was referring to looked puzzled, then replied, "I'm Taras."
Lemina pursed her lips, then said, "Okay… ANYWAY… We need to figure out just how to get you two back to your home."
Toras shook his head, and answered, "We need to find out if the communications systems in our shuttle are still intact."
"So you can contact the Black Moon and have them rescue you?" Miria queried.
"I'm… afraid that's impossible." Toras answered, "By the time a rescue mission could be launched, the Black Moon and Lunar would no longer be in the necessary alignment for travel between the two. That was one of the risks we undertook when we accepted this mission."
"Then why do you need communications?" Borgan cut in.
Finally, Taras felt comfortable contributing to the conversation, "Because we still have a mission to perform, and we intend to do it."
"Taras can continue to analyze the geological and physical status of Lunar, while I, if that is acceptable, would like to look more in depth in regards to your history and culture." Toras commented.
"That was NOT part of the mission plan." The elder twin emphasized.
"Plans change, dear brother. No doubt historical study of these people could help me understand how they got here, and why we are so compatible linguistically."
Taras glowered, and still staring banefully at his younger half asked no one in particular, "Is there some place private where Toras and I can talk?"
Miria blinked twice, processing the strange request, finally saying, "Well, you can probably go back onto the roof. I don't think anyone would be able to disturb you there."
"Thank you." Taras answered simply, then grabbed his twin by the collar, dragging him back out to the stairs leading to the roof of the Guild. Once there, he hissed, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"I'm trying to find the common link between the civilizations of Lunar and the Black Moon." Toras answered, waving his arm about his surroundings, "Listen to me, both civilizations refer to the primary planet as the Blue Star."
"Yeah, so?"
"I recently heard Lemina use the name 'Althena' as well."
"Yeah, so?"
Toras was sensing a developing pattern in this discussion, but forged ahead anyway. "Althena is the Goddess of the Old Religion, the supposed creator of humankind. It's obvious that the people of Lunar and the Black Moon shared a religious doctrine."
"Yeah, SO?"
With a sigh, Toras concluded, "If we shared religion, then most likely we ALSO shared a historical context. I would wager to say that we all have the same origins, just for reasons I don't understand yet, we got seperated."
"And the point of this is WHAT? Unless you forget, we already have a mission to complete!"
"And you can gather the raw data on your own, all I'm needed for is calculating the results of our observation. While you are hunting down the numbers I need, I can do some study here."
"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? We don't have time to be mucking around with events long past! In case you have forgotten, we have to focus on the here and now, and that here and now involves a goddamn space rock that just might obliterate us ALL!"
There was a gasp from the entrance to the roof, and Lemina stepped forward, hand over her mouth in surprise. "What did you just say?"
Toras glared at his sibling, and hissed, "Thank you, big brother. You've saved me the trouble of giving them the news lightly." He turned to Lemina, and explained, "About 40 days ago, the observation stations on the Black Moon reported a massive piece of space debris, about 5000 kilometers in size heading in this general direction. However, from the angle we resided, we couldn't get any clear calculations as to its heading and speed."
He took a deep breath, "That is the primary mission that my brother and I failed to inform you about. Using Lunar's better vantage point, we were to figure out if, when, and where the planetoid, which is a general term for such a large object, was going to strike."
"Oh…" Lemina replied, "So, what if it turns out this… thing… IS going to crash into one of the moons or the Blue Star. What do we do then?"
"There would be little we could do." Toras admitted, "We don't have the sort of ability to intercept a space object of that size. If it is coming at us, we might as well prepare for the end. If the planetoid struck one of the moons, it would totally obliterate it, and the dust and debris from the collision would most likely render the other moon totally inhabitable in a few years. And if that same planetoid hit the Blue Star, the force of the impact would drastically disrupt the delicate gravitational forces that keep the moons in orbit around the Blue Star, flinging one or both into deep space, where nothing could survive very long."
Taras cut in, saying softly, "So perhaps you can appreciate why we'd keep such a thing secret. The last thing your kind needs is a mass panic."
Lemina nodded, "Well then… I suggest we find out if there IS a problem, right?"
Taras agreed, "I suppose I shall head back to the crash site for the shuttle. I have to see if the equipment we need is even salvageable."
Jean then appeared behind Lemina, and volunteered, "I'll join you. You might need some help."
Taras then frowned at his younger sibling, and replied, "I suppose you still intend to look over the history of Lunar, huh?"
Toras returned the frown with a smile, "But of course. If I can prove my thesis, it will drastically change how we once viewed our own history. The impact would be tremendous."
"Yeah… same goes for that damn rock if it hits." Taras reminded ruefully.
At that moment, Miria called from the inside of the guild, "Lemina… Ramus is here…"
Outside the Guild…
"Lemina, I just came to tell you that my business will be expanding once again. At this rate, I'll be all over Lunar by the end of the year." Ramus stated.
The elderly man behind him, Ramus's grandfather, if she recalled correctly, added "Once he does that, he'll win the bet, and you'll have to marry him!"
"Grandpa…" Ramus moaned, and gave an apologetic glance at Lemina.
But the old man refused to listen, adding, "You've got a long way to go. There's NO way you'll beat Ramus. Might as well start shopping for your dress now!"
"I wouldn't be staking your claim just yet, my old man." A male voice stepped in.
Lemina nearly jumped out of her skin at hearing Toras's voice, and Ramus asked the age-old question, "Who are you?"
Toras stared down the stocky young man opposite Lemina, and replied, "I am a privately hired civil engineer. I've been examining the state of this city, and I have come to the conclusion that I can have this city repaired to full capability, short of flying anyway, in less than 30 days."
In the mass surprise of Toras's statement, Taras leaned in, and asked his brother, "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Hey… don't worry about it. You just focus on getting the equipment we need together. I can handle this."
Taras watched the exchange between Ramus and Lemina as Toras explained his plans to rebuild the city of Vane, and couldn't help but think, "Little bro, I get the feeling this is one situation that doesn't WANT to be handled. You're setting yourself for a hard fall…'