Aquavy Island Chain, Three Months Later

The lighthouse was gigantic. Nearly seven hundred metres in height, and almost four hundred

metres in diameter, it was a monolithic testament to the engineering skills of a civilization dead four

thousand years. Still working, at night the beam of light from the gigantic lenses played over the surface

of the ocean for nearly a hundred kloms. Many vessels still sailed to avoid the immense reefs that were

lit by the ancient lighthouse,

However, at the base of the lighthouse, a smaller, less-documented feature existed. Hidden in

the mesh of massive gears and energy storage cells, an elevator lay dormant, having been used once in

five years. Slowly, that changed. A faint rumble, followed by a dull grinding noise echoed up through

the shaft, though it was almost an hour before the large elevator platform arrived at the surface. There,

in the centre of the hundred metre-square platform, a lone figure stood, clad in the heavy clothing of a

Bledavik dustman.

Sighing, the figure pulled off the hood of the protective uniform, walking towards the exit from

the lighthouse. "Damn. Where could she be? Crescens is down there, but even the emergency power

cells were drained. Still, where could she be?"

The white eyepatch, currently a dusty grey, and long blonde hair gathered into a ponytail

instantly pegged the speaker as Bartholomew Fatima. A few wrinkles had made their home in his face,

though his infectious humour still sparkled gleefully in his working eye. Currently, instead of the

habitual grin on his face, there was only a pensive frown that added the appearance of another dozen

wrinkles, but said frown was quickly erased when he looked out at the hulking Sky Cruiser that was

resting calmly less than a klom away from the base of the lighthouse.

The rebuilt and reconditioned Yggdrasil-Class battlecruiser was the last of its kind, and as a

result, it was recognised everywhere it went., notwithstanding the fact that it could easily hold a

gathering of about two thousand people on the gear deck when it was open. Looking up at the bridge

of the ship, Bart noticed a quick flash of red, telling him that Margie was waiting for him.

Pulling a two-way radio from his belt, Bart flipped a toggle and started speaking. "Hey Marg.

Just got off the lift, and am headin' in your direction. Got some tea ready for me?"

Margie's soft voice, underscored with a faint hiss of static from the radio, responded quickly.

"Depends on how quickly you get back to the ship. If you run, you'll get here by the time we're ready

to take off."

Bart grinned as he broke into an easy jog towards his ship. "Yeah, and who'll take care of you

then? Don't worry. I'll be there in five, though you might want to heat up the long-range transmitter.

Citan's not going to like this."

Margie sounded worried through the scratchiness of the radio, though only Bart would have

been able to pick out the fact that she was concerned. She had changed so much in five years. "Why's

that?"

"People have been trying to raid the ruins. I saw a few mining tunnels in the walls of the cavern,

and most of the critters are gone now. Also, Em's not there."

"Bart, we haven't seen her in five years. Nobody in the group has, and you could bet that she'd

have stayed with Fei as a first, second and third choice."

Bart frowned again, mentally wondering why they seemed to be getting easier and easier to

summon onto his face. Slowing in his jog, he noticed the massive propulsion vanes on the underside of

the Yggdrasil III begin to revolve, telling him that if he didn't hustle, he'd be left to his own devices for

an hour or so. "We'll talk on the ship Marg. Right now, I have a ladder to catch."

With that, he turned off the radio, stashed it in his belt, and pelted full out for the rope ladder

that was just beginning to move upwards, though he was a good two hundred yards away. Bart caught

the last three rungs with seconds to spare, and quickly scrambled onto the Ygg's heavily armoured hull

with a little effort. With a little more, he managed to climb up to the conning tower of the heavily armed

and streamlined cruiser, and, after planting his feet on the solid deck plating, he turned to Margie,

grinned, and waved a thumbs-up at her.

Margie smiled shyly and undogged the heavy hatch that was normally closed during flight

operations. She had filled out appreciably in five years of travel, having toned her natural physique

while retaining all her more feminine qualities, including hair that currently travelled down to the small

of her back in a cascade of ringlets and curls. The only thing that hadn't changed in five years was the

almost-permanent smile on Margie's face, which only tripled in size whenever Bart was within fifty feet

of her.

"In. We're heading to the Aquavy Orphanage next. Maybe Billy and Jesiah know something."

Bart shrugged as he helped Margie open the hatch, struggling against the slowly increasing wind shear

that plucked at their clothes. in whistling gusts. Margie dropped into the cruiser first, followed by Bart,

who literally grabbed onto the inner wheel of the hatch and used his body weight to pull the hatch

closed. After dogging the hatch shut, Bart scrambled down the ladder, listening to the unnerving thrum

of the powerful engines that laboured to keep the Sky Cruiser from yawing too far in the infamous

crosswinds near the lighthouse.

A few seconds later, Bart was at his usual place on the bridge, the old-fashioned wheel gripped

firmly as she brought the immense ship around to its new destination. Then, with a slow hum, the

manoeuvring vanes angled themselves, and the ship began to move towards the Orphanage.