TRIP THROUGH TIME
"Sorry," Suni apologized.
Atreus sighed. Basic shuttle repair was a course that all potential StarDogs had to take to graduate, but mechanics just wasn't Suni's thing. Atreus had been patiently trying to teach her how to repair a broken repulsor lift, a must know for their upcoming exam.
"Try it again," Atreus said, tossing back the torch. "You almost had it."
"I hate this," Suni frowned. "I'm not even going to be in space! I'm going to be an ambassador, like Aunt Catalina."
"Even Catalina knows her way around an engine," Atreus reminded his friend. He ducked again as the torch came sailing through the air.
"Watch it!" Atreus cried as he retrieved the instrument.
"That was for your big mouth," Suni said.
"I don't have to help you, you know," Atreus reminded her, rising to his feet as if to leave.
"Okay, okay," Suni said quickly. "I'm sorry again. Could you please show me this one more time?"
Atreus came around and knelt next to his friend. "You'd think with your electrical powers you'd be better at this."
"Like mother, like daughter," Suni said with a laugh. "I think my mom failed this course too."
"That doesn't inspire much confidence in me," Atreus said with mock seriousness.
Suni hit him playfully, knowing that it wouldn't hurt the Andromedan. Atreus rubbed his shoulder, pretending to be in pain and Suni laughed.
"This is the last time I show you this before you're declared officially hopeless," Atreus told her.
"Just shut up and help me," Suni replied.
**********
Suzee had hung around for a few days before disappearing with her portal device. One of the most important discoveries Suzee had made was that her link with Catalina would be weaker or stronger depending on the dimension. Some times, it was like Suzee sat right next to Cat, but other times Cat didn't see her friend for weeks. The loss of the link used to worry Catalina, but she had become used to it, although when Suzee didn't contact her for several days, the old worries would return. She had lost the link with her friend the previous night after Suzee had reported finding a strange dimension inhabited by what she called 'butterfly people'. Catalina shook her head in memory and chuckled to herself.
"Grozit, Suzee," Catalina said. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Suzee smiled. "Sorry about that. You know how it is. Guess where I am now?"
"A dimension that lets our brain waves interact?" Cat guessed.
Suzee frowned. "Obviously. Remember those butterfly people I spoke about yesterday? Well, I switched dimensions last night and lost contact with you. Then I saw another butterfly person! In the new dimension! Apparently, they can go back and forth without using a portal device! Isn't that amazing?"
"So you followed one back to tell me?" Cat said.
Suzee nodded. "That, and I misplaced Yensid's coordinates again. The memory part of the device was a little. . . broken for a while. I think I fixed it."
Catalina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Suzee, you should have them memorized. What happens if you get stuck in a dimension and can't contact me?"
"I'd go find Clito," Suzee teased. "Come on, Cat. Give them to me."
Catalina spouted off the series of numbers from memory as Suzee programmed them into her device. She smiled triumphantly as the last number was inputted.
"I'll be back in Yensid in time for dinner," Suzee promised as she tweaked with the portal. "Keep it warm for me."
"It'll be ready in ten minutes," Catalina warned. "Will you be able to find Yensid before then?"
"The portal should be opening in front of you now," Suzee reported, ignoring Cat's comment.
Sure enough, Catalina looked away from Suzee and saw the familiar pinkish oval of the dimensional portal. It swirled around in mid air, a rip through planes of existence. Catalina never did understand how millions of dimensions could exist, no matter how many times Suzee or Bova explained it to her. She stepped back and waited for her friend to come through.
Suzee's head appeared, smiling and looking around Catalina's garden. Next came a booted foot, but as soon as it touched the ground, Suzee's expression turned to surprise.
"What's wrong?" Catalina asked.
"I'm stuck," Suzee replied. "Hang on a minute."
The device appeared through the portal in Suzee's hand and she began to push buttons. The portal shifted colours from pink to gray to blue, and began to close with Suzee still half inside, half out.
"Suzee!" Catalina gasped.
"I'm being pulled back, Cat!" Suzee exclaimed.
Before either woman could say another word, Suzee was tugged back through the portal and it closed firmly behind her. In her shock, Suzee had dropped her portal device and it lay on the ground at Catalina's feet. The ambassador picked it up with shaky hands, knowing well that without it, Suzee could never return home.
**********
"I give up!" Suni moaned, throwing her compupad away. "I hate shuttle repair!"
Atreus retrieved the pad and held it out to his friend. "You should try out for the Starcademy softball league. You've got a great arm."
Suni snatched back her compupad and glared at her friend. Tethys lifted her eyes from her own pad and smiled reassuringly.
"You'll be fine, Suni," the princess said. "Don't worry about it so much."
"Easy for you to say," Suni snapped. "You have spatial botany. You practically teach that course!"
"Calm down," Atreus said. "Remember what we went over in the shuttle bay. You did repair the lift, you know."
"Yeah," Suni grumbled.
"So, no problems. I'll go over it with you again tonight if you want, after dinner," the Andromedan said.
Suni perked up. "Would you? Oh, thanks Atreus! You're the bestest friend ever!"
"Humph!" Tethys said. "What am I? Cold fish?"
Suni laughed. "Of course not, Tethys. You the bestest friend ever, too."
The trio laughed and went back to studying when Suni's compupad began to beep. Atreus and Tethys looked up, annoyed at the sudden disturbance while Suni checked her most recent message.
"Uh oh," Suni mumbled. "It's from Aunt Catalina in Yensid."
"What's wrong?" Tethys asked.
"Aunt Suzee disappeared," Suni replied.
"What else is new?" Atreus laughed.
Suni lowered the compupad to meet her friends in the eyes. "It's worse this time. Her portal device is still in Yensid."
**********
The sensation of passing through dimensions made her skin crawl. It was almost as if she was being torn into pieces and scattered throughout the cosmos. She clenched her teeth and tried not to cry aloud when suddenly she was through.
Tethys and her friends had visited Yensid numerous times, usually over spring and summer holidays. The last time the trio had come was for Catalina's surprise birthday and that had been years ago. Suni had come herself right before the Kaesar war, but Tethys had been away at the Neptunian court and Atreus had stayed at Starcademy. The princess risked opening her eyes and was greeted by the familiar landscape of Catalina's backyard garden.
"Great, you're here," a voice said from the house.
The three cadets turned to see Catalina standing in the doorway. She wore hear hair long now, its multicoloured shades framing her face and trailing down her back. She wore a simple orange dress with a light blue shawl and smiled.
"Hi, Auntie!" Suni exclaimed, running forward.
Tethys smiled. Suni's enthusiasm was always infectious, one of the reasons she liked the Mercurian/Uranusian so much.
Catalina enveloped her 'niece' in a hug and motioned for the other two to join the embrace. Tethys came forward in a graceful motion while Atreus seemed ill at ease with all the affection.
"How are things with all of you?" Catalina asked.
"Terrific," Suni answered. "You got us out of exams!"
Catalina frowned. "You realize you'll have to make them up when you get back."
"Yeah," Suni said glumly, "but until then we're at your disposal."
"What happened?" Atreus asked, cutting through the small talk.
Quickly, Catalina told them everything that had happened two days ago. The portal device lay on her outside table, untouched since that day. The three cadets listened carefully and without interruption until the Saturnian ambassador was done.
"So, all we have to do is use the device and go get Aunt Suzee," Suni summarized. "Sounds easy enough."
"Except I don't know where she is," Catalina sighed.
Atreus picked up the device and turned it over in his hands. "I studied Suzee's basic design in school. I think I can make this work."
"Good," Suni said. "Let's get going!"
The impetuous girl made a move to Atreus to take the portal device from him. The Andromedan held it over his head, making it impossible for Suni to reach.
"Why don't we rest, have something to eat, get supplies, first?" Atreus recommended.
Suni lowered herself from her tiptoes and nodded. Tethys rolled her eyes at her friend while Catalina lead them inside.
"Why are we always suckered into these adventures?" Tethys whispered to Atreus as the walked inside.
The Andromedan shrugged. "Think of it as adding spice to your life."
Tethys sighed. "Too much spice spoils the soup, you know."
Atreus grinned and playfully pushed his friend into the house.
**********
"The coordinates back to Yensid are on the compupad," Catalina told them. "In case of an emergency, Earth's coordinates are there too. You can just make your way to StarDog headquarters and speak to Harlan."
"We know, Aunt Catalina," Suni said. "You told us this a million times."
"You have your communicators? Breathing masks? Medkits?" Catalina asked.
"Yes, Aunt Catalina," the trio said in unison.
Catalina forced a smile. "Be careful. I hate sending you into the unknown, but if something is wrong I know you three will be the only ones Suzee trusts. If I can contact her again, I'll let her know you're coming for her."
"We're all set," Suni said. "Let's go!"
Atreus entered the last coordinates of Suzee into the portal device and aimed it away from the house. A bluish portal appeared, hovering in mid air. Suni waved once to Catalina and dove through.
"I hate traveling by portal," Tethys muttered as she followed her friend in.
Atreus nodded to Catalina and followed his friends. The portal closed behind him, leaving Catalina standing alone in her garden.
"Good luck," the Saturnian whispered.
**********
Atreus scrambled to his feet, stepping on one of his friends who squeaked a protest. He ran to the device and gently picked it up. It sparked angrily at him and he held it at arms length.
"That doesn't look very good," Suni said as she helped Tethys to her feet.
"I know," Tethys mumbled, fixing her clothes. "I must look a fright!"
"Not you," Suni snapped. "The portal device!"
The Neptunian raised her eyes and gasped, one hand rising to daintily cover her mouth. Atreus smiled grimly as he set the device down.
"Now what?" Tethys asked. "Can you fix it?"
"Probably not," Atreus replied, "but Suzee can."
"We know these were her last coordinates," Suni said. "Now all we have to do is find her."
Tethys and Atreus exchanged glances. The trio stood deep in a forest of massive trees and vines. Tethys shivered as a strange animal howled, and moved closer to Atreus. Suni took a few steps away from her friends and turned, still walking backwards.
"Come on, guys," she called. "We'll never find - "
Her words broke off abruptly as Suni disappeared from view. Atreus lunged forward and grabbed his friend's shoulder before she completely vanished in the muck.
"Quicksand!" Tethys gasped. "Ugh!"
From out of the quicksand, an eyeball emerged. It blinked a few times then looked from Suni to her friends.
"Hang on," Atreus grunted, pulling Suni.
The Mercurian/Uranusian rose a few inches before halting. Atreus pulled harder, but Suni gasped in pain. The Andromedan eased off.
"Something's got my leg," Suni cried. "I'll zap it!"
"Wait!" Atreus exclaimed. "If you zap it, you'll get me too!"
Suni sank further and Atreus fell to his knees to keep his grip on her. Tethys stood nervously to the side, eyes darting from the creature to her friends. Suddenly, she saw movement from the corner of her eye. A few forms drifted just behind the quicksand pit and they seemed to be getting closer.
"Guys," Tethys whispered.
Atreus raised his head. Suni, already neck deep in the quicksand, looked up at her friend. Atreus's arms were elbow deep, his hands still locked on Suni's shoulders.
"What is it?" Suni asked.
"Hang on!" a strange - yet familiar - voice rang out.
Two people, roughly the same age as Suni and her friends, slid down an embankment and landed on the other side of the quicksand pit. They were both humanoid, although Atreus found it difficult to see their faces. The dark skinned one pointed to a vine and the one with long blonde hair began throwing fruits into the quicksand. The eye of the creature spun around to look at the newcomers.
"It's letting go!" Suni exclaimed.
The long haired rescuer abandoned his fruit throwing and jogged around the quicksand to help lift Suni out. Atreus beat him to it, effortlessly freeing his friend from the sand. The long haired humanoid stopped short to stare at Atreus, and for the first time the Andromedan saw his face.
"I don't believe it," the blond gasped. "A-Another Andromedan?"
The dark skinned human joined the others and stuck out his hand to Suni.
"The name's Harlan - Harlan Band," he said with a grin. "Nice to meet you."
**********
"How did you find us?" Tethys asked finally.
Harlan flashed her a grin over his shoulder. "Radu heard you with those big ears of his."
Atreus glanced behind and saw Radu blush and lower his head. "We followed the sound just in time to save you," Harlan finished.
Atreus barely heard Harlan's last comment. Why did Radu let himself be treated like that? His uncle back home would never permit it.
"How far to your ship?" Atreus asked Radu.
Surprised at being spoken to, Radu lifted his head. "N-Not long now," he stammered. "Just o-over that hill."
Harlan sprinted the last few paces to the top, eager to show off their ship. He gestured through the vines and the new visitors peered through. Spread out in front of them lay the Christa.
**********
Atreus and Suni stared in awe at the man who had been like a father to their parents. Tethys had heard of him through her mother, who had met him briefly, and in her 'StarDog Heroes' class at the academy. Commander Goddard tried to avoid their uncomfortable stares as he faced his crew.
"They were lost," Harlan shrugged. "I rescued them."
Goddard raised and eyebrow and Harlan scuffed the ground with his boot, eyes downcast.
"Okay. We rescued them. Radu helped. A bit."
"Where did they come from?" Goddard demanded. "Three Starcademy students don't just drop out of the sky."
"We did," Radu muttered low enough for only Atreus to hear.
"You can ask us, sir," Suni spoke up.
Goddard turned and smiled in embarrassment. They stood outside the Christa, the Commander unwilling to allow any strangers into the ship without an explanation.
"All right," Goddard said. "Who are you and where did you come from?"
"We're from - " Suni began.
"An escape pod," Atreus interrupted. "Our ship was attacked by space pirates and we evacuated. Our pod crashed here."
Suni glared at her friend for interrupting, but a sharp look from Tethys told her to stay quiet.
"That's right," Suni agreed, and Tethys nodded.
"We didn't see an escape pod," Harlan said suspiciously.
"It landed in a lake," Tethys said. "We've been wandering for days."
Goddard looked at them dubiously for a few moments, one eyebrow raised. Harlan and Radu stood behind him, arms crossed over their chests.
"My name is Suni," the pink girl said, trying to ease the tension. "These are my friends Atreus and Tethys."
"Commander Seth Goddard," the older man said gruffly.
"What's that?" Harlan asked, pointing to the device in Atreus's hands.
"This?" Atreus repeated. He had picked up the portal device before they had left for the ship. Apparently, Harlan had been too caught up in his hero roll to notice it before.
"It's our log," Suni replied quickly. "You know, reports and stuff from our ship before it crashed."
Commander Goddard nodded slightly. Behind him, the door to the Christa opened and a tall woman with short reddish hair came out. She was flanked on either side by two more members of the Christa's crew.
"Commander," the woman began, "Thelma was saying something about new people out here. Do you know - oh," she broke off, seeing Suni and the others for the first time. "Hello. My name is Ms Davenport."
"Who is it?" an enthusiastic girl asked, poking her pink head out from behind her teacher.
"Probably no one who can help us," a more pessimistic male voice added from the other side.
Suni stared dumbstruck at the younger versions of her parents. Rosie and Bova stepped into full view, the Mercurian introducing herself happily and the Uranusian frowning next to Ms Davenport.
"Weird," Tethys whispered.
Suni nodded and sneezed. She was still coated in sand and the sun had started to set, cooling off the strange jungle planet.
"Oh my," Ms Davenport gasped. "Commander, how dare you leave these poor children standing out here in the dark. Come on, now. Follow me. We'll get you cleaned up and fed."
Despite Goddard's objections, Ms Davenport brought Suni, Atreus, and Tethys into the legendary Christa.
**********
"They're obviously lost," Ms Davenport replied. "Like us."
Seth sat down. The two adults of the Christa were alone in the mess hall after their students had unanimously decided to give their guests the grand tour. TJ sat beside him and patted his knee reassuringly.
"A Mercurian, an Andromedan, and a Neptunian coincidentally end up on the other side of the galaxy and happen to crash on the same planet as us?" Goddard said.
"We've seen others from home," TJ reminded him. "The Spung, for instance."
Goddard made a distasteful face. "The Spung are everywhere, like a disease."
TJ rose to her feet. "Well, we're not going anywhere and neither are they. We might as well make the best of it."
Goddard nodded and TJ smiled. The Commander, however, told himself not to let his guard down. Something fishy was going on; he could practically smell it.
**********
There was something odd about the log. As far as Suzee's trained eye could see, there was no recording mechanisms on it anywhere, except one that would record numerical data. The design of it looked almost Yensidian, but that was impossible. No one from this dimension had ever come to hers. Except Cat.
Suzee sat back and sighed. A puzzle, right there in front of her and she didn't dare touch it. She wondered what Cat would do if she were here. The Yensidian girl hated the fact that this planet disrupted their link, making it impossible for Suzee to check on her friend. She also felt that the others resented her, compared her to Cat, and that they liked Cat better. Sure, the joked and laughed with her while she was around, but she knew that they were wary of her.
Suzee reached out and picked up the device, looking from the door to the jumptubes to make sure she wouldn't be interrupted. Definitely not a recording device, she thought. A weapon, maybe? Why would these three people conveniently appear with their 'log' and come straight to the Christa? The Neptunian had said they were walking for days. Were they looking for the Christa in particular?
The door slid open and Suzee guiltily returned the device to the table. The Neptunian walked in, her head held high and her movements fluid. She glided over to the circular couch where Suzee sat and picked up the device.
"There it is," she remarked. "Suni should be more careful where she leaves this."
Without waiting to be invited, she sat down. Suzee watched her without saying a word. The Neptunian looked around, then leaned forward to speak quietly.
"Are you really Suzee?" she whispered.
Suzee blinked. "Yes."
"But you've never been to Starcademy, right?"
"Nope," Suzee replied. What was this girl talking about.
Tethys sighed and leaned back, cradling the device as if it were a child. "Nevermind, then. How did you end up here? In this dimension, I mean."
"There was an explosion," Suzee replied. "It caused a rip in the dimensional fabric and I pulled Catalina through to safety. At the same time, I ended up here."
Tethys nodded. "So, Catalina is now in Yensid?"
"Yeah," Suzee said slowly. How did she know about Cat and Yensid? Were the others talking about her behind her back.
Tethys stood up smoothly and smiled at Suzee. "Thanks for watching the log for me," she said.
The Neptunian left the room, leaving Suzee to ponder what had been said.
**********
"You should have seen Ms D," Harlan laughed, "standing in the corner, howling at every wall. Just because she thought she would become a ghost!"
"Those were the predictions Aun - uh, Elmira gave you?" Atreus asked. "And they came true?"
"All except Radu's," Harlan replied, gesturing over his shoulder.
"Fire and darkness you will tame. Hero added to your name," Radu murmured under his breath. "Noble Radu, worthy and brave. Those who scorn you, you will save."
Atreus listened with interest. Could Elmira's predictions have come true in his time? Radu had been a hero after the second Andromedan war, and he certainly tamed his own fire and darkness as the pirate DogStar. Would he save the Spung as their Warlord?
The door slid open and Tethys walked into the command post, followed by Thelma. The Neptunian held their device under one arm.
"Ms Davenport would like me to inform you that it is late and lights out will be in fifteen minutes," Thelma announced.
Harlan groaned, but stifled a yawn in the same breath.
"Thank you, Thelma," Radu replied.
Tethys headed straight for Atreus. "Suzee was looking at this," she whispered to him. "Do you think we should - "
"Shh!" Atreus cut her off, glancing up at Radu. "We'll talk while they're asleep."
As Atreus and Tethys left the command post, Radu watched, curious about what he had overheard.
**********
Finally, the trio halted. Tethys and Suni sat down on a fallen log while Atreus paced back and forth. Suni directed her flashlight on his face, light a spotlight,
"What do we do?" Tethys gasped, breaking the silence. "We're seriously messing up time!"
"I know," Atreus answered, "but our Suzee must be around here somewhere. We have to find her."
"We can't just wander around out here," Tethys objected. "Remember the stories Radu told us about their time on this planet? Spung and space pirate? Tangle trees? The Hil people?"
"Not to mention quicksand monsters," Suni added dryly.
As if to emphasize the point, a growling sound filled the night air. Suni whipped her flashlight around and Tethys shivered.
Atreus sighed and sat next to his friends. "I can try to fix the device, but it won't be easy without Suzee's help."
"So why don't we ask Suzee?" Suni suggested. "If we tell her the truth, she can help us."
"But we can't," Tethys stressed. "The Suzee from our time will still be lost, and the past Suzee will know the future. We can't tell them anything!"
Atreus sighed. "I wish I could warn Radu about becoming DogStar. He and Elmira could make up for so much lost time."
"No screwing around with time," Tethys said firmly.
"Then we have no choice," Atreus said. "We'll have to explore on our own."
"We'll head back to where the device dropped us off," Suni decided. "If we start from there, maybe we'll run into our Suzee."
The other two nodded in agreement and they headed back for the ship. From the bushes nearby, a shadowy figure followed them.
**********
"You're sure you can find your way back?" Suni asked.
Atreus rolled his eyes. "Andromedans can't get lost, unlike some Mercurian/Uranusians I know."
Suni ignored the insult and paced around the clearing, searching for signs of another humanoid. Atreus listened for Suzee, but could not distinguish her from the rest of the creatures in the jungle. Tethys tried to help Suni as much as possible without dirtying herself.
"No traces," Suni said finally. "If Suzee was here, it was a long time ago."
"No kidding," Tethys muttered.
"Quiet," Atreus hissed. The girls fell silent as the Andromedan cocked his head to listen. "I hear something coming, but its from the wrong direction."
"Oh no," Suni moaned as the trees parted and Radu broke through.
The blond Andromedan stared at them for a moment, nervously licking his lips. Suni couldn't help but notice how handsome he was in his youth, before the scar destroyed his features. He took a few steps forward.
"Okay," Radu said. "I want to know what's going on."
"Just out for a stroll," Tethys replied.
Radu shook his head. "I-I don't believe that. Something is going on. I-I heard you last night, followed you from the Christa into the jungle."
"So now you've taken to spying?" Suni asked angrily.
Radu reddened in embarrassment. "It's for our own good," he explained. "If you're endangering the Christa - "
Atreus laughed in spite of himself. Radu whirled around to stare at the other Andromedan, his confusion all too evident on his face.
"We have to tell him, guys," Suni said. "He already knows most of it."
Tethys frowned. "It could destroy our world if we do, Suni."
"Tell me what?" Radu demanded. "Why where you talking about Suzee last night?"
"He won't believe us," Suni said in a singsong voice.
Atreus put a comforting hand on his uncle's shoulder. "We're from the future," he said.
Radu blinked. "The future?"
"Not that far," Tethys said quickly. "About thirty or forty years."
"How did you get here?" Radu asked.
"We're looking for someone," Suni explained. She pointed to the portal device Atreus held. "That device lets us travel between dimensions. It malfunctioned on our last trip and left us here."
Radu licked his lips as he looked from one to another. "I have to tell the Commander!"
"No!" Tethys exclaimed. "You can't tell anyone! We've already disturbed the future timeline by telling you. Who knows what could happen if the others knew?"
"Let me get this straight," Radu said. "You're from the future and you used a dimensional portal device to find someone, but ended up in the past?"
The three friends nodded. Radu shook his head in disbelief.
"Told you he wouldn't believe us," Suni whispered.
Tethys hushed her and turned back to Radu. The blond Andromedan was staring at them in confusion, trying to make heads or tails of what he had been told.
"Who are you looking for?" Radu asked.
Suni looked at Tethys. The Neptunian shrugged and Suni took a deep breath.
"We're looking for Suzee," Suni said.
"She's on board the Christa," Radu replied, pointing behind him. "You already found her."
"Not that Suzee," Atreus said gently. "The Suzee from our time. She invented this device and is trapped here."
"A future Suzee?" Radu gasped. He sat down on a tree stump and shook his head. "This is too much."
"That's why we didn't want to tell you," Tethys explained, crouching next to him and rubbing his back.
"And you shouldn't have," a new voice said angrily.
The four cadets looked up and saw an older woman step into the clearing. She had shoulder length brown hair, streaked with colours, and wore a blue jumpsuit.
"Aunt Suzee!" Suni exclaimed, rushing over.
"Suzee?" Radu croaked.
**********
"Thelma!" Goddard cried.
"Yes, Commander?" the android replied, appearing right behind him.
Goddard jumped and clenched one hand to his chest. He exhaled slowly and turned to face the android.
"Where is Radu?" he asked.
Thelma thought for a moment. "Radu is not on the Christa."
"I know that," Goddard said.
"Then why did you ask?" Thelma inquired.
From the sidelines, Rosie giggled. Ms Davenport hushed her and Suzee rolled her eyes.
"I didn't ask if Radu was on the Christa," Goddard said slowly, "I asked where he is."
Thelma smiled at the commander. "He left early this morning, right after Atreus, Suni, and Tethys left."
"I knew they were up to something!" Suzee exclaimed. "That communications log of theirs looked more like a weapon than a log."
"A weapon?" Rosie squeaked. "I don't think Suni would do that!"
"A weapon?" the Commander repeated, whirling to face Suzee. "Why didn't you report this earlier?"
Suzee shrugged. "I have no evidence. I just said it doesn't look like a communications log."
"Let's move team!" Goddard snapped. "Radu may be in danger. We have to find him and the other three before something happens."
In a matter of minutes, Goddard was leading his crew through the jungle to rescue Radu.
**********
"Oh dear," Suzee sighed. "This is a mess."
"What happened?" Suni asked. "How did you get here?"
Suzee shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. It'll be something to puzzle out once we get back to our time. All I know is that I was trying to get into Yensid when I got stuck through the portal. It was like it solidified with me half way through. Anyway, I tried to compensate, but something pulled me back. I dropped the device, the portal disappeared, and I ended up here.
"At first, I thought I was just back on the crash planet. We lived here for months when I was younger, so I followed my memory back to where our campsite used to be. When I saw the Christa still there, I hid. It didn't take me too long to see I was reliving my past."
"Months?" Radu gasped. "B-But we just landed here a few weeks ago. We're going to be stuck here for months?"
Suzee frowned at Radu. "You're not supposed to be here, Radu. In fact, you weren't supposed to save Suni from the quicksand either. I was on my way when you and Harlan arrived. I was too late to stop our timelines from crossing."
Radu shook his head. He opened his mouth to ask another question when Atreus held up a warning hand. The group fell silent.
"Here comes the calvary," the Andromedan sighed.
Before anyone could move, Commander Goddard and the rest of the Christa's crew plowed their way through the underbrush and into the clearing. The Commander looked from Radu, to Atreus, to the elder Suzee.
"What is going on?" he demanded.
The elder Suzee's eyes flooded with grief as she saw her commander standing before her again. She remembered the funeral all too well, as if it had been yesterday and not seven years ago.
"Who are you?" Goddard asked.
The elder Suzee's gaze shifted from her commander to the younger version of herself. She remembered those days well, how arrogant and cocky she had been, thinking she could change the world with her brains. The younger Suzee stepped forward.
"You're Yensidian, aren't you?" she asked.
The older Suzee nodded.
"Something terrible has happened," the elder Suzee explained. "Myself, Suni, Atreus, and Tethys are not supposed to be here. You are not supposed to be aware of us at all. We are from a different time."
"A different time?" Goddard repeated incredulously.
From the tree stump, Radu nodded mutely. Ms Davenport stood behind her students, looking about ready to faint. The elder Suzee's heart wrenched again at the sight of her teacher, the woman she had hated while aboard the Christa, but had come to appreciate as she grew older.
"Atreus, Suni, and Tethys were sent to this time from the future to find me," Suzee continued. "I was about to rescue Suni from the quicksand when Harlan and Radu burst in and inadvertently altered the timeline."
"Way to screw up time, Harlan," younger Suzee teased.
Harlan blushed but stayed quiet. Goddard took a hesitant step forward.
"Prove that you're from the future," he dared.
Suzee smiled with tight lips. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"I know you, Commander Seth Goddard. I know all of you intimately. Especially you, Suzee."
The younger Suzee shook her head in disbelief as realization dawned on her. The older Suzee nodded.
"Yes, I am you, Suzee," she said. "In about thirty years, you will be me."
**********
The trio of friends sat outside in case a member of the Christa's crew should appear and see them again. Suzee had assured them that it would be painless and that all they would do is fall into a deep sleep, waking up none the wiser. In the meantime, Atreus repaired the device as per Suzee's instructions, inputting Yensid's coordinates and saving them.
Finally, the elder Suzee came out of the Christa, looking tired. She was physically and emotionally drained after visiting the place of her youth. Seeing her friends - and herself - young and full of adventure made her crave for the old days, but she knew nothing could bring them back.
"Ready to go?" Suzee asked.
The trio nodded and Suzee took the device from Atreus. She activated it, and a bluish portal appeared. One by one, they stepped through to the Yensid of their time.
Suzee took a last, lingering look back at the Christa. She sighed wistfully and went through the portal. When she was through, it flashed once before disappearing, leaving the Christa alone again on the desolate planet.
**********
From inside the house, Catalina came running out, enveloping her friend in a huge hug. She then did the same to her nieces and nephew.
"Don't ever do that again!" Cat scolded Suzee.
"How long were we gone, Aunt Catalina?" Tethys asked.
"About three days," Cat replied. "You missed your shuttle repair exam, Suni. I told your professor you would make it up as soon as you got back."
Suni made a face. "Can I stay here a few more days?"
Catalina laughed. "Not a chance. Fixing a shuttle is easier than it sounds, dear. Let me give you a few pointers."
Suzee watched from a distance as Catalina lead the three youngsters into the house. Her memory of meeting her elder self had disappeared, although she did remember meeting her younger self. Another puzzle to sort out, and by the looks of the portal device, she would have a lot of time to think about it.