Becka and Dylan entered Medical, where they saw Harper lying on a bed with Golden Trance and Rommie standing next to him.
"Hey Dylan!" Harper shouted, with much excitement. "Have you heard?"
"I heard you passed out Harper." Dylan said. "What's this all about someone boarding the ship? I keep asking Andromeda who it is, but all she says is Trance. I think you may have to check her systems Harper. I think she's a little confused."
"She's not confused Dylan." Purple Trance said, as she entered the room holding what looked like a very old book.
"I know that voice." Dylan said. "But it's impossible."
Dylan turned toward the voice, and couldn't believe his eyes.
"Trance?" He asked, looking back and forth between the two.
"Hello Dylan." Purple Trance said in her soft sweet voice.
"Trance?" Dylan tried very hard to accept what he was seeing, but his brain found it hard to cooperate with his eyes and ears. Finally he found the words to speak.
"How is this possible?"
"Remember when I switched places with my older self?"
"Yes."
"Well, she came to my time, and I was supposed to go to hers. Apparently in one timeline I did go to her time, but I don't remember it. Our other selves saw what happened to me in that time, and what I ended up doing. They decided to intervene, and have me come to this point in time instead. Here I will be able to help myself and all of you defeat the Abyss and the World Ship once and for all. Does that about cover it Trance?"
"Yes Trance. You covered everything very well." Golden Trance said.
"That explains how you're here, but I now have another question." Dylan said.
"What is it Dylan?" Golden Trance asked.
"You mentioned your other selves. How many of you are there"
"Hmm,… gosh,… that's a hard question." Purple Trance said. "Oh Rommie I brought that book I was talking about earlier. Give me a minute and I'll find the passage."
"Trance." Dylan said. "I'm not going to let you change the subject this time. How many of you are there?"
"Dylan." Golden Trance said. "When she said it was a hard question she was telling the truth. You see, there is no way for me to tell how many of me there are. All I know is that there is one of me for every possible timeline. Every time I make a decision, or anytime any of you make a decision, our timeline follows the path of the decision we made. On the other hand every possible decision we could have made was made in alternate timelines. It is possible for us to communicate on rare occasions with our other selves. Recently, while I was meditating on the Maru, I was contacted by a great multitude of,…me. They know that the timeline that I am in has the greatest chance of bringing about the one perfect future. They informed me that sending my younger self to the future that I came from was a terrible mistake. Also they told me that I alone would be unable to help you to defeat the Abyss, so instead of Trance going to the future that I came from, she came here"
"If what you're saying is true," Dylan said. "then there could be millions of you"
"That would be a very low estimate." Purple Trance said.
"More like trillions." Golden Trance said. "I've lived a very long life and made many choices."
With the Questions and answers session over, Becka gave Purple Trance a huge bear hug.
"It's great to have you back Trance."
"But,… Becka,… I've always been here. Well, my older self has been here."
"I know Trance, but it wasn't the same." Becka said, as Golden Trance quickly left Medical, clearly upset.
"Damn it!" Becka said. "Why is it that I always manage to say the wrong thing?"
"It's not your fault Becka." Purple Trance said.
"Yes it is Trance. You're my friend, She's my friend, and what I just said made it sound as if she wasn't good enough."
"She'll forgive you Becka." Purple Trance said.
"Yeah? Well, I'm going to go find her and apologize for what I said. Any idea where she might have went?"
"Try Harper's bunk on the Maru."
"Harper's Bunk? Never mind. I'll see you guys later." Becka left Medical, in search of Golden Trance.
"Hey Trance." Harper said. "Is that book what I think it is?"
"Yes Harper. Inside this book is everything you ever wanted to know about me. I still can't tell you everything, but I'll tell you what I can."
"Trance, maybe you should wait for Becka to return with the other Trance." Dylan said.
"No it's OK. She'll tell Becka and I'll tell you."
"Are you finally going to tell us where you come from and the name of your people?" Harper asked.
"
To start off, I'd like to apologize to you Harper."
"What for Princess"
"For lying to you. Remember when I told you that you wouldn't be able to pronounce the name my people are called?" Harper nods. "That was a lie Harper. Please forgive me."
"I forgive you Trance. Don't worry about it. No big thing."
"Thank you Harper." Purple Trance said, as she took Harper's hand in hers. "You've always been my best friend and that will never change. I just hope that after you hear what I am that you will still feel the same way."
"Nothing can change the way I feel for you Trance." Harper said.
Purple Trance looked around the room at Rommie and Dylan. "I want you to know that although I kept things from you, I would in no way ever harmed any of you."
"
Trance." Rommie said. "What are you?"
"I'm an Avatar."
"You're an android?" Dylan asked.
"No Dylan. But, I'm not exactly what you would call organic. You've probably read in mythology of gods taking on the form of men to interact with people."
"Yes." Dylan said, remembering all the creatures and gods of Greek mythology as well as the legends of Tarn Vedra. "Trance, are you saying, that you are a god?"
"No Dylan. I'm not a god. I'm a star."
"What?" All three asked in unison.
"I'm the avatar of a star. I can show you if you wish, but we would have to move to a larger room."
"Good I finally get out of the sick room." Harper said.
"Let's go to the Observation deck." Dylan said. "Will that be large enough Trance?"
"Yes Dylan. Thanks."
Once they arrived at the Observation Deck, Trance moved to the far side of the room.
"You may want to shield your eyes." Trance said.
"Here Dylan." Harper said, handing him a pair of welding goggles.
"What about Rommie?" Dylan asked.
"My optics are capable of filtering out intense and harmful radiation." Rommie replied.
"Alright Trance." Dylan said. "Whenever you're ready."
As her three friends watched, Trance took on her true form, that of a small, but very hot and bright star. Andromeda also watched as Trance completed her transformation.
"Wow!" Harper said. "You look absolutely radiant Trance!"
"Amazing." Dylan added.
"I'm detecting an immeasurable amount of energy emanating from you Trance." Rommie said. "It's really quite incredible."
Trance once again takes on her sparkly purple form.
"Radiant Harper?" Trance asked, feigning anger.
"I'm sorry Trance, but when you sparkle, you REALLY sparkle."
"Thanks Harper." "Trance." Dylan said. "I don't know what to say. That was breathtaking."
"You really are a star." Rommie said. "All my scans show that while you were in that form, that you had all the attributes of an actual star."
"I told you."
While Purple Trance was revealing her true nature to her friends, Beck was entering the Mauru.
"Trance! Trance are you in here?"
Becka walked through the Mauru's corridor back to the crew's sleeping quarters. There she found Golden Trance sitting on Harper's old Bunk with her head in her hands.
"Trance?" Becka said, but Trance didn't look up.
"Trance, I'm sorry for what I said. I wasn't thinking. I feel awful for hurting you. Please say something. Shout at me. Say anything."
"Becka. I lost you, all of you. Well, you were still alive, but you had changed so much that it was like being with an entirely different person… Perhaps that's how you all felt about me when I came back. I was paying so much attention to how everything was changing around me, I had neglected to see the changes in myself. I knew I had changed physically, but I never really comprehended how much I had changed mentally and emotionally till I saw my younger self again today. When I saw you welcoming her back and embracing her, I couldn't help but wish that my reunion with all of you could have been as joyous of an occasion. When I saw you Becka,… I had almost forgotten how beautiful you were. Then I saw Harper. I wanted to be able to put my arms around him and tell him how glad I was that he was alive, but he was mad at me. Becka my best friend in the world was mad at me for saving his life and for sending his Purple Princess away. I had my friends and family back alright, but I realized that it would never be like it was before."
Becka put her arm around Trance. "I'm sorry Trance. I don't think any of us stopped to think what it was like for you in the timeline that you came from. I can't imagine what I would do if I had to live through what you lived through."
"My Becka did live through it, but it wasn't pleasant."
"So. Are we still friends?" Becka asked.
"Always Becka." Trance said. "Becka, there's something I need to tell you….."
So Golden Trance told Becka of her true nature. Afterwards, the both of them exited the Mauru.
"Are you sure you're not a god Trance?" Becka asked.
Trance laughed. "Yes Becka. I'm sure."
"Just wanted to make sure." Becka replied. "Hey! There could be perks to having a god as one of your best friends." They continued to talk and laugh as they headed for the Observation Deck. Somehow Golden Trance seemed to know that's where the others were.
"Wait till the others find out!" Becka said.
"She's already told them."
"How do you know?"
"I know her like I know myself Becka."
When Becka and Golden Trance arrived at the Observation deck, Purple Trance had just finished showing the others how bright she really was.
"Becka?" Harper asked. "Did Trance tell you?"
"Yes Harper." Becka replied. "She told me. I always knew that there was something special about her, but I would have never guessed that she was a star."
"Trance." Dylan said. "You said that your younger self was brought here to help us defeat the Abyss. Do you have any idea how to accomplish this?"
Golden Trance looked out the Observation Deck's giant view port. Suddenly an idea came to her. She turned back to face the others.
"I believe we've been going about this the wrong way." She said.
"What do you mean Trance?" Rommie asked.
"I told you that I'm an Avatar of a star." Purple Trance said. "What I didn't tell you is that the Abyss is also an Avatar."
"You're saying that tall dark and scary is an Avatar of a star too?" Harper asked.
"No Harper. He's an Avatar, but not of a star, at least not a living star." Golden Trance explained "He's the Avatar of a black hole."
"So. Destroy the black hole and the Spirit of the Abyss will also die." Purple Trance added.
"And without him to protect the World Ship," Golden Trance said. "You will then be able to destroy it."
"Harper do you have any suggestions on how we might go about destroying a black hole? Dylan asked.
"I have several theories Boss." Harper replied. "One involving a Hawking radiation extractor and a slipstream portal. I'll need some time though, to work out the particulars and have a working model."
"We don't have a lot of time Harper." Dylan said. "Rommie could you assist him?"
"Yes Dylan." Rommie said.
"Trance?" Dylan asked. "Where is this black hole we need to destroy?"
"You're familiar with it Dylan." Golden Trance answered. "You were his prisoner for three hundred years."