Traditional disclaimer:

I do not own the rights to either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This piece of fiction is written merely for my own pleasure, no monetary profit is intended.

*Update 2015/02/04 - Just fixing some typos and adjusting the format.

Chapter 01

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The Oncoming Storm

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"Samesh, come down, breakfast is ready."

"Just ten minutes mother, I'm finishing something here."

"I made your favorite."

"I'm coming!"

Avani sent an amused look at her daughter, who just rolled her eyes as she finished putting the dishes on their small kitchen table.

"Sometimes I swear his brain is somewhere near his stomach."

The mother shook her head, suppressing a smile. "Now dear, be nice to your brother, he is just in that growing phase."

"Yeah, right." She snorted. "I bet he will marry a chef or something, you mark my words."

Now Avani did not bother pretending and just giggled. Little Samesh chose that moment to come into the kitchen and immediately sat at his chair, face expectant, which just turned her giggles into laughter.

The boy looked suspiciously between his mother, who had stopped laughing and was now putting the food on trays, and his smirking sister. "What?"

"Nothing, dear," she responded, placing the tray right in front of him, "there you go."

Samesh still sent his mother a narrowed look, but was soon distracted by the much more important matter of pilling delicious food on his plate, as his sister followed suit with far greater decorum. Avani finished setting the table, and sat down to enjoy lunch with her family.

As they ate and talked about their days, the midday sun shined brightly through the open window, and a cool breeze carried the scent of fresh earth to them. It was another calm day on the wide expanses of the Aloquian Plateau, on the planet Shanxi.

It was always something to be grateful for. Colonies where often besieged by constant problems, as far as their more remote settlements went. Such problems grew exponentially when the planet in question was on the more inhospitable side, since any technical malfunction could cost lives.

Shanxi, on the other hand, was very well settled by now, even if it was located on the figurative fringe of know space. It also had the benefit of being an almost textbook Garden World. Gravity was marginally lower than one G. Atmospheric pressure and composition were ideal for sustaining human life, and although temperatures could be a little on the cold spectrum it was not a hazard if one kept to the equatorial belt and inner temperate zones. No true oceans, but instead a ridiculous amount of rivers and lakes, some gargantuan in size, coming up and down from the frozen poles. Almost half of the unfrozen solid surface was a bare, slightly maroon rock, somewhat resembling Mars. Unlike the Red Planet however, the other half of it was actual fertile ground, and there was no shortage of vegetation in general, though it was almost entirely comprised of wetlands, with plenty of relatively small aquatic and amphibian fauna. Windstorms were common on the desert plains, ranging in force from strong breezes, to gales, to hurricane-like (thankfully very rare), and the day/night cycle was almost double that of Earth, which took some time getting used to.

It was no Eden Prime, certainly, but there were far worse rocks to make a living on.

Like every other Garden World discovered by the Systems Alliance's first expeditionary waves, Shanxi was immediately settled, and great incentives were granted to prospective colonists. The planet had much potential for agriculture, was reasonably rich in mineral resources, and also served as the launch point for expeditions on all nearby Systems.

Shanxi had a full time military garrison and, like some other Alliance colonies, a token flotilla of warships in orbit. The main settlement rapidly achieved what could be undisputedly called city-sized. Littered around it were almost three dozen much smaller settlements, mostly agricultural or research communities. Crime was still uncommon at the moment, and mostly consisted of smuggling; there was plenty of work to keep everyone busy and prosperous. The local Marine detachments also kept a close watch for trouble.

The colonists of Shanxi were good, hardworking folk, and Avani was content with her lot.

"Samesh, have you finished your history work for second daylight?"

The boy at least took the time to swallow before responding. "Yeah, did it yesterday at Tommy's! Hey, did you knew that his grandfather was there during the Jovian Disputes?"

Lucretia's head went up from looking at her food. "Really? He served on a ship?"

"Nah," the boy waved an arm, "tech guy in one of the E.U. stations. Still, he said they were there for the whole thing. Could track the ships with their sensors, even saw one with the cameras once!" He was so excited, they noticed, that he even forgot his food for a while. "And guess what? He said that a missile targeted them by mistake, and they had to throw out a module on its path to take the hit! How cool is that?"

"Hum, not hard to believe. That was what, three decades before we discovered Mass Effect tech? Cargo freighters with rocket launchers can hardly be called battleships." The girl said with derision.

"Now, now, that is not a good topic for breakfast." Avani interrupted. "It's good that you have such a great resource Samesh, and of course now I expect an excellent grade." That made the boy much less excited, and she hid a smile. "Lucretia, the gift of the protheans aside, every technological advancements we have today we owe to the pioneers, especially in your beloved military. We must always respect the past."

"Yes, sorry mom. Look, speaking of today, can I go out with the guys later? Aldrin Labs is opening an outlet on Eleven and we want to check it out. Mrs. Harris will drive us back before nightfall."

"An Aldrin store, really? Hadn't heard about that. Why, I might just take a look myself." At her daughter's face, she amended. "Not with you, of course, dear. I would not make you suffer the shame among your friends. Just behave yourselves." The girl looked sheepish, but also relieved. "Now, both of you finish your food."

With a chorus of "Yes, mother!" they went back to their plates. The seventeen-years-old girl and eleven-years-old boy were fruits of her old marriage. Both had inherited more of her features, with dusky skin and lithe frames, though only Samesh got her dark eyes, while Lucretia had her father's deep blue. Unfortunately her union with Lorenzo had not lasted and they drifted apart. It was not really anyone's fault, and they had separated as amicably as circumstances allowed. The man was a mechanical engineer, now trying his luck in a mining expedition in the Exodus Cluster, and both agreed that the children should stay with her. He couldn't take much time off, and passage between systems was not cheap anyway. Still, he and the kids traded messages and videologs every couple of weeks, if possible.

Avani herself was an agronomics engineer and botanist working with special dispensation from Colonial Authority, both essential and much respected professions on any garden world. Her time was mostly spent researching the local plant life and experimenting with different crops, both native and from Earth. It was patient work, meticulously cataloging local specimens, verifying their compatibility with human biology, and analyzing the viability and impact of introducing Earth's flora on the planet's ecosystem. Next to her habitation unit were a lab, two greenhouses, and half a dozen isolated open-air plots for direct cultivation. She had two assistants for the lab and greenhouses, but most of the field work was made by drones.

Her qualifications could have earned her a position on the colony's Scientific Committee, living in Central, but she liked working the fields as much as the lab, and the pay was already excellent. It also left her with enough time to dedicate to her children.

After everyone finished their plates, the leftovers where stored and the dishware put in the dry cleaner. Their house might be a rectangle of composites and plastics, but it was one of the good ones, with all the equipment and comforts a person might need.

Avani checked the sky outside her window. Cloudy, but unlikely to rain, just like weather control said. It should be a nice day. "Lucretia, I have a meeting in Central. As you will be staying for the morning, do me a favor and go to Hiro's later. He should have that circuit board ready and drone nº 08 has had a long enough vacation. Just remember to call first and make sure he is not on his shift."

"Got it, mom." said the girl as she sat on the couch with a datapad in hand, reading something the mother could not see. She hoped it was school related. Her son, his mission apparently complete, had already disappeared to his room.

"Samesh, we leave in half an hour or miss the transport. I want you showered and dressed in fifteen."

"Yes, mother."

Suddenly remembering something, Avani went to her small office. There she brought up the holographic interface on her desk computer and entered a command. With a soft sound, one of the drawers opened, from where she took a glass cylinder only slightly bigger than her open hand. Inside it a flower could be seen carefully preserved, shaped like a bell with bright orange petals, little spines jutting out from the stem. It was one of the natives, found by her on an expedition to the largest marshlands on Shanxi's southern hemisphere. She chuckled to herself, cataloguing the biota on that region alone would be a job for a hundred years.

She went back to her daughter and extended the container to the girl. "While you go to Hiro's, dear, please give this to Harry. I promised to keep an eye for stand-outs, and this little one has some truly amazing properties. Tell him I will send my notes later."

The girl took the gift and sent a sly look to her mother. "You know, usually it's the guy who sends flowers."

That earned her a swat to the head. "You watch it young lady. Mr. Evans is too young for me." Her daughter went to open her mouth, still with the teasing look. "And he is also too old for you. Now, I believe I will be back before lunch, if not I trust you can fend for yourself."

"Liutenant, is everything ready for the activation?"

"All systems report optimal, Commander. All hands on their stations and all preparations complete. Engines are primed to go at any sign of trouble. We are clear to begin on your order."

"Excellent, Lieutenant! Comms, give me a ship-wide channel, and put the Mountain in it, too."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

Leandra Stirling gave a nod of acknowledgment to her subordinate, before turning her attention once more to the view outside the SSV Aldenhoven's bridge windows. Amongst the countless lights of stars, planets and galaxies, she could barely identify the speck that signalized their companion ship, the SSV Kings Mountain. Much closer, just five thousand kilometers to their left, stood the imposing, if elegant, purple visage of the Shanxi-Theta Mass Relay, its gigantic spinning rings were still, the bright orb of energy that would illuminate its center notably absent. If not for the many guiding lights they had put around it, it would have been almost invisible in the void.

The commander considered their mission. Contrary to popular belief, only the Alliance Navy could legally activate a dormant Mass Relay, and they did try to exercise some caution and patience when doing so. Upon finding an inactive Relay, standard procedure demanded a minimal, covert observation period of 30 days before any activity was allowed in the system. Just because humanity did not know how to turn off an active Mass Relay did not mean that someone else would not have such knowledge. If any "visitors" where to come from the construct, it was best they did not find evidence of human presence until they could be identified.

Given the all-clear, a few ships would proceed to activation, after which a single probe would be sent through. It would travel back and forth between the systems for increasingly longer periods to collect preliminary data. The next step was to send up to a dozen Unmanned Observation Crafts, traveling much further from the Relay, to draw a precise picture of the destination and to stand watch for yet another 30 days period. Only after all these steps were completed would ships be allowed to make the transit.

If at any point in this process there was any sign of alien intelligence, no matter its technological state, all activity was to be canceled and Alliance Command was to be immediately informed. Although every starship crew was trained in the First Contact Protocol, they were only allowed to initiate contact if there was no other choice. Ideally, when sapient extraterrestrial life was finally discovered, the Alliance would be able to prepare a scientific, diplomatic and military Task Group to deal with it.

The truth was, the Alliance Navy always advised caution on space exploration, and did its best to curtail the frenetic expansion of human presence in the galaxy. But they were still subordinated to the United Nations, and the politicians back on Earth were foaming at the mouth for the vast resources being found in every new system they claimed. So they pushed for the Alliance to continue the expansion efforts with little regard to logistics, and as a result the Navy was stretched dangerously thin in trying to protect so many new distant colonies.

The Shanxi-Theta Mass Relay had been known to the Alliance for almost half a year now, orbiting a red dwarf just two light-years from Shanxi. Command had managed to postpone its activation for some time, but could finally delay no more, so here they were. Stirling had been part of expeditionary groups twice before now, but this would be the first time her ship would lead the entrance in a new system, once the observation time had passed.

Even thought it would still be more than a month before they would get to make the jump, just turning the Relay on still felt like a leap into the unknown. She was excited, and the charged atmosphere on the bridge showed she was not the only one.

With a gesture to her Comms Officer she was broadcasting to both frigates. "Attention all ships, this is Commander Stirling. In five minutes the Aldenhoven will initiate activation of the Mass Relay. We will proceed in accordance to Operation Plan Beta. Please maintain full situational awareness at all times until second order."

A couple of seconds later, and a voice responded in a strong baritone. "This is Captain Drugov, we acknowledge the instructions, Aldenhoven. We will keep watch and stand ready to assist at any time."

"Thank you, Kings Mountain. Hopefully we won't need it. Stirling out."

Comms cut the channel and Stirling turned to look at her bridge, where everyone was dividing their attention between their stations and herself. She gave then a smile. "All right, ladies and gentlemen! This is it! Ready to claim a new piece of land for humanity?"

"We seem to be planting flags right, left and center, Captain. We will have to be careful not to run out of space." joked her navigator. The crew shared a laugh at that.

Stirling joined in the mirth. While she was technically a commander, it was traditional for the crew to informally address the Commanding Officer of a starship as 'captain', regardless of actual rank. "No, Mr. Rodriguez, something tells me we won't have to worry about that at all. All right, let's do this. Atkins, initiate data stream to the Relay. Specialist Olivier, make sure that drone is ready to go. Everyone stand ready. Enjoy the moment folks, because soon you will be bored to your bones again. Trust me, I know."

Sitting on her chair with a small sigh, Leandra took a moment to reflect on her path until now. All her years of service on the North American Space Command, the frantic, turbulent months leading to the formation of the Systems Alliance, with the technological revolution upon the discovery of the Prothean Archives and the incredible political and social furor that accompanied it.

She thought about her little daughter Kaira, and how proud she was of her mommy.

The greatest moment of her career was the day she was promoted to commander, soon after joining the new multinational Alliance Navy, and given command of the Aldenhoven. She looked at her crew, a mismatched group of people from such different nations and cultures, yet here they were, united under a common dream and a common purpose. Humanity against the void.

"Commander, data stream established. Activation signal sent. ETA to full activation is 4 hours and 37 minutes."

Awakening the slumbering giants was an easy but slow and methodical procedure, requiring a continuous data stream. She supposed it was only fair, as soon the construct would be generating as much energy as a small star. It was the reason why only two ships were allowed in the system during activation. There had never been a problem, but no one wanted to see what would happen if a malfunctioning Relay suffered some kind of catastrophic failure during the process.

"Understood, Atkins. Keep me informed if anything unusual happens."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

While everyone occupied themselves with their assigned tasks, Stirling opened a private channel to the CO of the Kings Mountain. "Captain Drugov."

"Commander Stirling." came the immediate and apparently stern reply, but she was one of the few who could hear the almost imperceptible hint of amusement beneath it.

She smirked. "So, who is tip of the spear now, huh?"

"You are, Leandra, you are." her fellow officer responded, the amusement now clear. "Seems like it's our turn to relax while the grunts do all the work."

"Oh, shut up Andrei. Just stay there and look pretty."

"Well, someone has to make sure you amateurs don't mess up too badly. I bet when it's time to make the jump that you will…"

Their banter was interrupted by one of her sensor's officer signaling to her. "Commander, I'm getting some strange readings from the long-distance scanners, I think you should see this."

"I will get back to you, Andrei." before she cut the channel, Stirling thought she heard Drugov's own officer calling out to him.

"What is it?" she asked, coming down to look at the woman's screen.

"I'm picking some suspicious EM signals from the vicinity of that bigger gas giant, ma'am. I suspect they have been there for some time, but it was just now that we managed to single them out. Just give me a few more seconds to clear the planet's background radiation and… here we go." The young specialist suddenly looked closer at her screen, before turning to face her commander. Her face was very worried now.

"Ma'am, I believe a group of unknown ships exited FTL inside the system at least three hours ago."

A short trek along the dusty road saw young Lucretia leaving her mother's compound, carrying her trusty knapsack, and arrive on the main area of their settlement; dozens of mainly white, steel gray and blue prefabs, somewhat haphazardly arranged together in one of the many large depressions of the Plateau. One of many similar "villages", it was populated by colonists who either had jobs that required wide open spaces, like her mother, or simply wanted a little peace away from de hustle and bustle of the main settlement. The Alliance encouraged them, selecting suitable locations and providing the entire basic infrastructure needed. Those who wanted to live in places outside of previously approved zones could do so entirely at their own cost and risk. Independent settlers had to tread with care, as the environmental laws varied from region to region and could be extremely harsh in some cases.

Officially designated Outer Settlement 14, and called Green 14 by the locals, the community had almost two hundred residents, many of which were agricultural professionals of some sort, explaining the nickname. Mostly comprised of habitational and research units, the settlement was not exactly known for its striving commerce, so frequent commuting to other settlements was a necessity for many. Some of the school-aged youth took their lessons from a distance, while some other parents, like Avani, preferred to send their children every day to a physical school. Central was too far away for daily commuting, but Inner Settlement 03 was large enough to have its own little school. Personal vehicles were rare, but the Alliance maintained regular transportation from the settlements to the city and back.

Hiroishi Takana was one of the technicians responsible for the maintenance of the support installations around Green 14. When he was not attending to his duties, he served as the local mechanic and electrician. He had a garage beside his house from where he worked, and that's where the girl went. Lucretia responded to many greetings on her way, knowing almost everyone there personally, especially the five members of Green 14 Marine detachment. She quickly collected the fixed circuit board from the stern-looking, middle-aged man. As she was carefully stashing the piece of hardware on her pack, she heard the news coming from the active screen projected from an emitter on the wall.

There was no actual footage, just the still image of the Alliance News Network logo, as a smooth male voice spoke. "And on to our primary news: it has been confirmed that, at 31:00 hours of this Second Daylight, a detachment from the 7º Expeditionary Flotilla has initiated the activation of the Shanxi-Theta Mass Relay, after almost six months of waiting. Once the next vigil is over, as is standard procedure, civilian ships will be allowed through to conduct survey operations, and the Flotilla will remain on site for some time to assure the conditions on the other side. Now we can just wait and imagine: what new wonders await in those uncharted worlds? As the primary hub of this Cluster, Shanxi will be the launching point of any and all exploration and colonization efforts on the newly discovered systems. We will come back in five minutes with Prof. Eclair Hillbrent, who will give us his estimations on the expected economic growth of our fair colony in the next years, depending upon what we find. Stay connected to the ANN for all the latest news."

"Seven years out of Sol, scores of Relays opened, and every time is a party." Mr. Takana said with a grunt. "This is what, the fifth time now?"

"Huh, no, Mr. Takana, it's the second. We just had Shanxi-Sigma before this one." responded the girl, a little hesitantly. Mr. Hiroishi was polite, but very stern.

"Humpf! Authority just better not declare it a holiday, like last time. These systems do not maintain themselves."

Lucretia did not really have anything to say to that, especially as she did not agree. So just thanked the man and went on to her next, much more pleasant, task. After all, it was a visit to the most interesting person on the planet.

On the outer edge of the settlement and up on a slope, Mr. Evan's house was a little removed from its neighbors. It was small, suited for a single inhabitant, and pretty much average, at least by itself.

What made it stand out was the customized V-51 "Trailblazer" Reconnaissance and Exploration spacecraft stationed on the landing pad to the side: flat and streamlined, it was based on the standard Alliance design of Small Tactical Ships, though a little bigger, suitable for transport of up to four personnel and some limited cargo, and equipped with its own, FTL capable, Mass Effect Drive. The rear stabilizers, where the thrusters were located, were larger and forward-swept, the frontal ones much shorter, and the ship had an overall very 'fighter-like' shape. The standard V-51 was already a top-of-the-line craft, designed to handle itself well both in and outside vacuum, but this one had been modified for extreme atmospheric maneuverability. Emblazoned on the left side was the name "Astrid".

It was painted a deep crimson color, with brilliant gold lines sweeping elegantly all over the hull. Some would say it was a little garish.

Lucretia thought it was gorgeous.

Admiring the spacecraft all the way, she was soon standing in front of the doorway to the unit. On the wall next to it was a standard holographic panel for calling in, and she did just that. A couple minutes went on without an answer, but she was not concerned. It was know that Mr. Evans almost never answered his door promptly, for whichever reason. He always did answer though. When he was away from home, the panel would be turned off, and the Astrid would generally be gone.

"In a moment!" came a man's voice from the side panel speaker. A few seconds later, the door slid open and there he was. "Oh, hyia Letia, can I help you?"

Mr. Harry Evans was not a tall man. He was not short either, just average. His build was fairly athletic, if a little on the lean side, and he carried the healthy tan of someone who spent much time on the "sun", like many in Green 14. Jet black hair was kept at ear length, and always seemed windswept for some reason. He appeared to be nearing his thirties.

His most striking feature were his eyes, of an unusual bright green. It was entirely possible that was not their natural color, as changing hair and eye coloration was almost as easy as changing clothes, and some people liked really outrageous shades. Lucretia never tried to ask for confirmation, though.

Despite her teasing of her mother, she did have a minor crush on the man. But she recognized it for what it was, and knew better than to try and pursue anything there. Besides, she was sort-of-dating Private Hughes from the local garrison. With full permission from her mother, too.

"Hey there, Harry. Nice day? Didn't interrupt anything, did I?

He shook his head with a smile. "Not at all, not at all, I was just reading. Good morning, by the way. Did you not have school?" his British accent came out very strongly.

"Just after lunch, teacher had some personal stuff to do and just assigned us some work. I actually came here on behalf of mother," she patted her bag. "I come bearing gifts." She finished cheerfully.

His eyes lit up. "Ah, wonderful! I was hoping she might find something interesting. Well, come in. I have some fresh Earl Gray, if you want."

The girl hid an amused smile; Harry always had some fresh tea ready. He must drink the stuff almost non-stop. And it was not the processed, premade fare that most people used. He did it old-style, with a kettle and everything.

"I would love to."

He nodded. "Just sit at the counter, I will get it."

She went inside the house and to the counter table, while Harry closed the door and went to the small kitchen. The main room was divided into living and dining areas, the kitchen and an office, all open. On the back was the entrance to the bedroom, the only area that was walled. As she sat, she got the preserved flower out of the backpack and put it on the table. As always, she just had to let her eyes wander around the interior of the unit. It had all the common stuff, all the usual appliances and furniture one would expect, but just like on the outside, there were details that stood up.

Most of the floor was covered in a plush light-brown carpet. The living area had an old bronze clock in one of the walls. The office had a tall bookcase filled with actual paper books about a wide sort of subjects, some of them claiming to be editions from the 19ht and 20ht centuries. Sitting on the office table was also a very well-made and convincing gas lamp imitation; even the light it emitted was the characteristic yellowish glow. Harry told her it was authentic, but she knew he was joking with her. There was no way that was true, not a working one at least. There was a smattering of other ancient looking items decorating the place, things that would not look out of place in an old collector's house back on Earth, but did do so when in the habitational unit of a bachelor hundreds of light-years away. Still, it was nice. Strange, but nice.

Like Harry.

"So Ms. Bhatia came back all right, then? That is very good, I overflew those marshes once and they looked nasty." He said, as he put a steaming mug in front of her; milk, no sugar, just how she liked it. Keeping in character, the mug was actual porcelain, with images of stars and half-moons. She came to think of it as her mug, as he always gave the same one to her whenever she came. Her mother's mug had flowers and vines, while Samesh's had dogs, cats and other little animals (manly ones, of course). He sat opposite her, his own usual mug decorated with funny little winged golden balls and wooden brooms of all things, and picked up the alien plant to take a closer look, expression fascinated.

"Thanks. And yeah, mom came home just fine. Not soon enough, though, if you ask me. I love my brother, but I definitely was not born to be a babysitter." She made a slight face, as she blew up a little on the hot beverage in her hands.

Harry just sent her an amused look, taking a sip from his tea. "Sam is a good kid. Just give him a pad and he can keep himself entertained most of the time. He actually got quite interested in some of my fantasy stuff the last time Ms. Bhatia was here," he said, pointing to the bookcase with his mug, "I let him take a couple with him. Wonder if he finished those."

She nodded and took her own sip, enjoying the citrine flavor. Harry's teas were the best, but they were yet another oddity. Her mother liked her tea, and had passed that to Lucretia herself, so she was not ignorant of the culture. Predictably, Harry liked some truly… old-fashioned blends. The strange thing was that a couple of the stuff he drank had actually gone out of normal circulation for a while, according to her mother. And to have it here, on a fringe colony, was amazing. It would be suspicious, if the idea of some kind of black-market for tea was not just ridiculous. When asked from where he got his supply, Harry would just smile, say he had his ways, and change the subject. He did that a lot.

"This one is beautiful," he finally proclaimed, "I just might have to show Ms. Bhatia something nice now." there was a smugness in his voice that made Lucretia suspicious.

"What about you? Find anything in your latest adventure?"

"What makes you think I've had any?" his face was all innocence.

"Oh please, Harry. It's not hard to notice when that big red flying tub out there is gone."

"Oi, you leave my girl out of this, she looks blinding in red! And also don't let her hear you say that, she gets offended very easily."

"You know, there has to be a problem with a guy who treats his ship as if it was alive."

"Why not? Astrid is one of a kind, and she is also the prettiest."

"And of course you named it, officially, not as if it is a small personal transport and so only requires an ID number. You need a girlfriend, Evans."

"Do you want to hear the story or not?"

"So you admit there was a trip." She stated triumphantly. He just put his hands up in surrender, acknowledging her victory, and giving a fake pout.

He quickly replaced the pout with a smile though. Wordlessly, he got up and gently put the flower on a table in front of the sofa, then he went to a hanger on the wall upon which laid a long black coat. His hand went inside a pocket and withdrew a small silver device. Bringing it back, he fiddled with it for a moment before placing it on the center of the table. A blue light went up on the top, and immediately a high definition screen was being projected in the air between them.

It was a recording, being shot from the cabin of an aircraft, the camera clearly attached to the pilot's head. The interior was mostly in black and light gray, the panels were alight with multicolored hues, and the soft thrumming of engines could be heard. Outside the frontal windows, snowcapped red mountains were rapidly approaching; dozens of peaks packed tightly together. What followed were images of a rapid flight between the rocks, some of the maneuvers being show where patently unsafe as the ship turned and twisted, the sound of engines rising and falling as the speed changed. She raised her eyes to look at Harry, but he just gave her an unrepentant smile, which she returned. She felt exhilarated just by watching the recording, Harry was an amazing pilot.

After a few more minutes of dizzying low altitude stunts, the ship smoothed its flight and set course to the base of one of the mountains. There was a cut, and the next video revealed the Traiblazer on the ground, standing upon a wide and relatively even clearing, the loud howling indicating a very strong wind current. She saw Harry actually wave goodbye to his ship before turning around, and she had to roll her eyes at that. As the image turned away from the craft, it showed a slow and careful trek upwards, the surface not yet making straight up climbing a necessity. At this point, Harry took the emitter and quickly pressed some more buttons, and the next image revealed the climber standing in front of a cavern, a long and narrow vertical cut on the face of the mountain, hidden by protrusions on both sides. The wind was much quieter now.

The entrance looked a little too uniform. Lucretia noted a sizable pile of rocks nearby. "You had to open the cave? How did you do it?"

"It is easy to cut rock, if you have the right tools," he replied easily, "and I am always prepared. I am just skipping the boring parts here. And before you ask, yes, it was bloody cold out there."

She laughed and pointed to the image. "Shouldn't we be seeing your breath in there, then?"

"Thankfully, I had full insulation, so I mostly knew about the cold through the readings. You heard me say 'always prepared', yes?"

"Just asking, you big jerk." She said, without any real anger. "How are you recording this anyway?"

Harry just gestured to a nearby shelf, where a collection of small equipment could be seen. Readily visible was a sleek multi-purpose visor, with amber lenses.

She nodded, turning her attention back to the projection, and watching entranced as Harry fearlessly entered the dark fissure. Inside, even just beyond the entrance it was already almost pitch black. She thought she saw him moving his right arm, although it was very hard to see clearly. Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the cave, coming from somewhere right next to Harry's head on the opposite side of the camera. There must be a flashlight in that visor too.

"Your fancy glasses don't come with night-vision?" She asked in a teasing tone.

"They do," his eyebrow was raised in mock-arrogance, "but I prefer using my own eyes, whenever possible."

"What is this place?"

"The second biggest mountain range on Shanxi." He answered. "Roughly three thousand miles to the northwest of Central, hence the cold. There are some bloody gigantic cave systems inside and beneath those peaks, thousands upon thousands of miles of tunnels. It was actually picked up by the Alliance surveys of the planet, but no one has had the time or inclination to investigate deeply yet. There are more pressing concerns on establishing a colony, after all." He pointed to the image, which displayed his careful trek beneath the earth. The coloration of the rock reflected the flashlight eerily, the red glow sending a small shiver down Lucretia's spine, but Harry was all excitement, clearly unconcerned. "On the upswing, I had the place all to myself. I've been poking around for some weeks, and already explored a dozen other entrances. Mostly just what you are seeing right now: bare rock, although there was many an underground stream."

"And this one?"

"Ah," he said, giving his patented lopsided smile, "this one is special."

"Special, how?"

"You will see."

She gave him the evil eye, eliciting no reaction whatsoever, so she just went back to looking at the footage. The Harry in the recording just kept going forward, up and down inside the mountain, the only sound that could be heard was his faint breathing, and the very low echoes of his steps. In that place, they should be much louder, but she knew specialized footwear could do that. Most of the time, the cave was large enough for the man to walk unhindered, though there was still plenty of crouching and slithering through narrow passages. There was no sign of life. After a few minutes, Harry took the device again - "Boring parts" - In the next scene, she saw that the red rock had given way to a darker tone. Now that she was paying more attention, she noticed that the light source Harry was using could not be a flashlight, as it was not a concentrated beam, rather it seemed to illuminate uniformly in all directions, like a lantern. It also bobbed up and down slightly, more than could be caused by Harry's own movements. Was it hanging from some kind of support? Perhaps it was shoulder-mounted then? About to ask, she finally saw something different.

Some way deeper inside, the natural corridor made a sharp turn to the left. The not-flashlight made it difficult to be certain, but she tough she saw another light source reflected on the distant wall. The past Harry seemed to agree with her, as his equipment suddenly went off, throwing the immediate area in darkness.

And there it was, a faint blue glow could clearly be seen, coming from somewhere beyond the curve of the path. Lucretia though she saw another quick arm movement, but again the darkness made it impossible to be certain. Harry was slower now, moving very carefully, even the sound of his breathing and steps seemed to have stopped completely. Around the bend, the tunnel went on almost straight, and sharply downwards. The longer it went, the more illuminated became the walls. Some fifty meters away an opening could be seen, and there was light coming from it. Bright light, and it appeared to be slowly shifting colors. The girl could feel her excitement building with every step the recorded Harry took, a quick glance up to his face showed him just as focused on the image. There was no doubt now, the light was definitely changing colors: a forest green, than yellow and than even pink. And was that the faint sound of water? The light also revealed a radical change on the cave walls; they were now completely black, and right before the opening they became almost glass-like. Harry took the last few steps, bending a little to pass through, and…

It was a big cave, with a roughly elongated oval shape. The passage opened almost middle-way on one of the sides. On the center of the stadium-sized area, a lake of crystalline water rested, fed by small streams coming from hundreds of fissures on the walls. Beneath the waters, a carpet of light seemed to cover every square centimeter of available surface. Every couple of meters it would change color, as if a rainbow had decided to take make its home inside.

Above the lake and all around the cavern, millions of wisps of light in every color imaginable floated lazily around. Like little fairies, they went up and down, left and right, no pattern to their flight. Before Lucretia's astonished eyes, a few emerged from the waters, not even disturbing the surface. The ones in the air would sometimes merge with one another, and their individual colors would give place to a new one, completely different, before separating once more, some maintaining their new color, and most returning to their original hue. They went all the way to the top of the cave, their light becoming fainter the higher up they were. On the ceiling, large pockets of light could be seen; faint, ethereal things.

The glass-like stone that dominated the area multiplied the effect a hundredfold, until she imagined she was looking at some fantastical new galaxy, with the giant core in the center and the uncountable bright stars around it.

The girl did not know for how long she stayed seated at that small table, watching the projection, until she felt dampness in her left cheek and realized she was sort-of crying. That snapped her out of it and she hastily went to wipe away the tear. She could feel the embarrassment burning in her chest, and she raised her head hesitantly to see Harry's reaction.

There was only kindness in the smile he sent her however, and the clear understanding in his eyes washed away her shame as she smiled back. Giving her a gentle pat on the hand, he spoke softly.

"How do you think I felt? You may notice I am still standing there totally gobsmacked."

She looked back and, sure enough, the camera was still recording but Harry had apparently not moved a single muscle except for his neck. For a few minutes they both stayed silently watching the projection, the explorer not taking a single step, until Harry once more reached for the emitter and gave it a single tap, freezing the image.

"What was that, Harry?"

"Life, Letia." He said, gesturing to her mother's present with his head. He pointed to the underground lake with a finger. "These lights you see in the water are thousands of colonies, each individual one varying from the length of my arm to that of my pinky," as he spoke, he indicated the aforementioned body parts, "they are formed by these minuscule algae, less than an inch in size. They grow one upon the other forming a filament, and then start detaching themselves at the top. They rise from the lake and ascend all the way to the ceiling, losing whatever fuels their bioluminescence as they go. The process is very slow, though. I made some quick estimates, and it must take anything from six months to a year until they reach the roof."

"Some seemed to… fuse together."

He nodded. "They do that, all right. Probably a part of their reproductive cycle. You noticed how some would stay with their new colors?" at her affirmative gesture, he continued. "What is hard to see is that the ones that do that start moving downwards instead of up. They go back into the lake."

"That's so cool."

"Those are just the guesses of an amateur, though." he smiled ruefully. "For all my interest and fascination with nature, I am not, as they say, a professional. I didn't even wanted to risk collecting some samples, I didn't know if they would survive outside of the cave, and I do not have the equipment or expertise to make a container for them. I was actually planning to visit you guys later today or tomorrow, and see if Ms. Bhatia would be interested in helping."

"Interested? Mom is going to freak out! This is amazing, Harry."

He just nodded, looking at the image. "I live for moments like these, you know? Do not take me wrong, outer space can be incredibly beautiful, and I do enjoy wandering the stars, finding new systems. But to me, nothing can surpass the magnificence of life." He gestured to the screen. "How it can flourish, big and small, even in the most unexpected of places, how it can whether the greatest storms. Things like this… they are the closest thing to real magic that you can find."

The way he said those last words and the look in his eyes gave a sharp thug to Lucretia's heart. Most of the time, Harry was the very picture of the fearless adventurer, even if he was also one of the wisest men she knew. But sometimes he would get this faraway look, and you could glimpse a deep melancholy behind the cheerfulness. Not that his disposition was fake, like some kind of mask, but it was obvious to those who got to know him more intimately that Harry carried a great sadness with him, some old and terrible hurt that never truly healed. It was amazing how a man so young could sometimes look so old.

It was also obvious that he did not let it control him, however. As her mother once said, that was all anyone could really ask for.

Hoping to steer him away from whatever depressing thoughts he was having right now, she began speaking, albeit a little faster than normal. "I totally agree. Hey, you heard about the Shanxi-Theta Relay, right? So, you know anything about that, what with you super-secret Voyager contacts and everything?"

She got what she wanted, as he gave her and amused little smile, whatever shadow of his past forgotten, at least for the moment. "Super-secret Voyager contacts, huh? I wish! No, I don't have any information about the destination of Shanxi-Theta. No one will know anything for some hours yet. Though they did ring me a few days ago and said to expect a proposal for a new contract soon. Whether it will be to chart the cluster in general or some specific planet will depend on what they find."

"Oh, that's cool. You're going to take them up on that?"

"Well, I will need to have a gander at the contract first, won't I? But most probably yes, if Shanxi-Theta doesn't lead straight into a black hole or something. I have been basically gallivanting since my last contract ended. Of course," he tapped the emitter still on the table, "not that I regret the vacation. But it will be good to get out there again."

"Great, it means you will stick around for a couple more months, then." she said, unashamed. She saw no reason to hide her appreciation of the man's presence, something shared by many of the inhabitants of Green 14. Harry was just a nice guy, always willing to help whenever needed. "Mom and I were beginning to wonder when you would move on. We can see you are getting restless."

He gave her an embarrassed shrug of the shoulders. "I was considering a proposal to make a stint on the Artemis Tau cluster, but I had just begun exploring those caves." his expression turned apologetic "Everyone here has been wonderful, you guys most of all. I know it is bad form to just up and leave but…"

"Oh, please, Harry. Stop that!" admonished the teenager in front of him. "You are a Voyager, traveling is what you do. No one was expecting you to stick around forever. Not that it would be a bad thing, mind you, but of course we understand. Well," she gave a smirk, "Samesh will probably ask you to take him along when you go."

"Don't remind me. I'm definitely not looking forward to that conversation." he said with a sigh.

She just laughed at him. "Don't worry, he will get over it. So, you still won't accept mining contracts, then? Don't they give the best pay?" she asked curiously.

"No, not my cup of tea." he shook his head, "Don't take me wrong. I know full well the importance of titanium, platinum, noble gases and of course, eezo, to space travel and the maintenance of our colonies. And yes, they usually are the most profitable contracts."

He opened his arms, gesturing to the little prefab around them. "But I didn't chose this life to get rich. I chose it because I wanted to see the galaxy and search for new life. There are dozens of other Voyagers, not to mention the Alliance's own surveyors, who will happily search for rare rocks. And it is not like I don't note down any deposits I come across, I just don't go out of my way to look for them."

"Well, I'm glad you say so, because if you said you had chosen the life of Voyager to pick up girls, it's clearly not working that well."

"Cheeky brat."

A deathly silence dominated the bridge of the Alliance cruiser SSV Nairobi, standing in orbit over the planet Shanxi. Rear Admiral Carlos D'Amico stood straight in front of the main viewing screen, his old face graver then at any other time of his life, reflecting his inner thoughts. The screen was currently split in half, and on the left side everyone could see the tall and lean image of Captain Andrei Drugov. The man had clearly passed through a difficult time; physically he only had a large, hastily treated cut on his forehead. But his blue eyes told the truth; there was a profound and raw grief in them, forcibly kept at bay in the face of duty.

The admiral did not blame him. He knew Drugov had just witnessed the death of a very dear friend.

"Captain, I'm sorry but we must confirm this situation. Are you absolutely sure your attackers were of an alien nature?"

The captain had to visibly shake himself before responding, but his voice was still firm despite his apparent state. "As sure as I can be, Admiral. Their energy readings were unlike anything we have ever seen, and the vessel's profiles did not match any human design schools on record." the man heaved a deep sign, before continuing "Admiral, sir, I realize there is a possibility that those ships were built by some unknown human party, especially given the similarities in our ship's structures and armaments. But if that is the case, I can't think of a single good enough reason as for why they would attack us in this way."

"If they are experimental ships of some kind, then perhaps this could've been a test of combat effectiveness? There are few occasions were only two solitary frigates would be found in a vulnerable position like that." suggested the man appearing on the right side of the screen. Almost in opposition to the younger man sharing the screen, he was short and stocky. While Drugov's face was naturally stoic, his came more on the stern side. The captain shook his head.

"I do not believe that is the case, General Williams. I've sent forward our combat data; if you pay attention, sirs, you can see that the hostile's initial attack patterns are too cautious, uncertain. The specifications of our first-generation frigates are well known by now. While they were clearly intent on eliminating us, they were also acting like someone facing a total stranger."

He waited while the two senior military officers on the system reviewed the data the Kings Mountain was able to collect. The admiral had to agree with the captain's point. He also looked intently to the LADAR images of the unidentified ships; multilayered hulls, all angular lines and sharp edges; they brought to mind images of birds-of-prey. And if these ships could be described in just one word, it would definitely be predatory.

They certainly looked alien enough from where he stood.

"Captain, while it's clear these aggressors were not concerned with taking prisoners, I also do not believe the simple destruction of your frigates was their purpose." said General Williams. "By this information, there were only four enemies?"

"Yes, sir. Four frigate-weight vessels, although one was distinctly larger than the others."

Williams nodded. "And what is your assessment of the enemy's capabilities?"

The captain stood straighter, and the sorrow in his eyes was being slowly replaced by a cold, calculating fury. "Within range of our own, Admiral. While the enemy ships are obviously superior to ours in every aspect, I do not believe it is by an unsurpassable margin." he could be seen clutching the arms of his chair very tightly. "If the attack had not come so suddenly, if they hadn't taken us by surprise, I'm sure we could have escaped easily enough. As it stands, the Mountain managed to take out our target's shields, and got a shot to its armor that caused visible damage… before we were forced to retreat."

"Before the Aldenhoven was lost." finished D'Amico in his thoughts, there was no need to state it out loud. Analyzing once more the combat data, the admiral could picture it in his mind as two of the smaller unknowns jumped out of FTL less than a thousand kilometers of the Systems Alliance frigates, and immediately opened fire on them. While taken by surprise, the two defending ships responded admirably, and D'Amico could see that Drugov spoke the truth; the attackers where a little faster, their shields stronger and their mass accelerators could hit harder, but the difference was not overwhelming.

It would have been safer to flee, but the Navy directive on encountering an unknown hostile force was to do what could be done to evaluate the threat, and it was clear defensive and offensive capabilities were being evaluated on both sides. Although at a clear disadvantage, they were holding themselves with deft maneuvering. That is, until two more enemy ships joined the fray, one being the heavy frigate, and went to gang up on the Aldenhoven. Already weakened by its first attacker, the ship was quickly incapacitated by the sudden flanking assault, its engines damaged and rendering it unable to escape to FTL. The Kings Mountain went on full offensive, desperately trying to save its sister ship and, like its captain had said, even managing to strip the shields of his own attacker and lightly hurt it, but sustaining nearly critical damage itself in turn. It was already too late, though; possessing much lighter armor and shields than heavier ships, a frigate had to rely on its maneuverability to stay in a fight. Crippled as it was, it took only a short time for the Aldenhoven to be torn apart by the combined fire of the three aggressors.

Seventy brave souls, lost in a less than five minutes.

Faced with such odds, and no longer with a reason to stay, Captain Drugov gave the logical order to retreat.

"My suspicion, gentlemen," continued the general, "is that the hostile's objective was the Mass Relay." he put his hands together, brown eyes sharp as he explained his theory. "Their opening moves suggest these people, whatever they are, follow a tactical doctrine that is logical to us. After that shot, it was obvious the Aldenhoven was dead on the water; if they wanted to make sure both of our ships were destroyed, they would have immediately turned their attention on the Kings Mountain, instead of wasting their time hammering a mostly disabled target."

The other men nodded. Any party could escape very easily from a space battle. Once it enters FTL, it was impossible to do anything against a target. If one intended to truly destroy an enemy, one had to commit everything they had to end the fight as fast as possible and keep the chance of retreat to a minimum. Overwhelming and surprise attacks where the rule of thumb, as had been showcased here. The only reason a ship would stay and fight after defeat was certain was if it had to protect an asset it simply could not afford to lose.

By removing that reason, the attackers had guaranteed that their second adversary would flee.

"I agree, General. I think we can safely assume that this foe wanted us out of that system, and Shanxi-Theta is the obvious candidate as to why." said D'Amico. He put his hands on the console in front of him and leaned forward, as if to more clearly see his interlopers. All the while, the crew on the bridge of the Nairobi stood silent watch. The old man was sure a thousand thoughts were running through their heads, mostly centered on the fact they had probably just found their first sapient extraterrestrial life, and it had shot them down.

But they had to stop contemplating, and start acting. "Now, gentlemen, the question is: what should our response be? I'm sending a courier to Arcturus right now, but it will be three days before it arrives, and at least three more before it returns with instructions. Can we afford to wait that long, while this unknown force prowls our neighborhood?"

"Let's not forget we have almost fifteen thousand civilians that currently call Shanxi their home." pointed out Williams. "Assuming these are aliens, those four ships are surely not the sum of their forces. What if they call for reinforcements? What if they find the colony? They have already proven themselves ready to attack without asking questions."

"I know this is not my decision, sirs." began Drugov. It was clear he wanted to say his piece, and the admiral just motioned for him to continue.

The captain allowed his expression to turn harder. "Understand that I speak this regardless of my personal feelings at the moment, Admiral, but I think we should confront the unknowns immediately. We currently have a cruiser and five frigates remaining on the 7ht. The Nairobi also carries a squadron of fighters. We already know the enemy can be fought, despite their technical superiority against a vessel of the same class."

He waited for his superiors to acknowledge the point, before continuing. "In the case these enemies are of human origin, than this was a criminal action of a rogue organization. If they are, indeed, aliens, than they are aggressive by nature, and they now had almost five hours of unfettered access to the Aldenhoven's remains. Who knows what could be salvaged from the wreckage? Schematics, navigational charts, defense plans… what else?" he took a breath before finishing his thoughts. "Not to mention what they could do with the… remnants of the crew."

The other men shared equally grim expressions, as Drugov was once again right on the money. It was only expected for an alien intelligence to try and learn what they could in such a situation. They would have done much the same themselves, after all.

Carlos D'Amico straightened himself once more, and nodded decisively. "Well put Captain. I will call an immediate meeting of the senior officers in the Flotilla to discuss plans, but I'm inclined to follow your suggestion. We will try our best to talk with these hostiles, but if they start shooting, we will respond in kind. General Williams, I would greatly appreciate your input and that of your staff."

"Of course, Admiral. I will coordinate with Governor O'Neil to begin quiet preparations on the colony, no need to risk a panic attack just yet. We also have some eggheads down here who could take a better look at this data, perhaps find some weakness we can exploit."

D'Amico nodded. "If they can be trusted to keep it quiet, them by all means."

"If worst comes, we will be ready. But for the sake of all these people, I hope the spooks on the UN don't waste too long deciding on what the Alliance should do."

The admiral grimaced. "You and me both, Williams. I will set the meeting to begin in half an hour?"

With a nod of confirmation, the general disconnected, and the screen was now solely occupied by Drugov. D'Amico gave sharp orders to his officers to start preparing the flotilla and distribute their data to the other COs. He also arranged for a corvette to leave with the urgent news to Alliance Command, before once more turning to the CO of the Kings Mountain, who still remained at attention. He released a sigh.

"You know I cannot allow the Mountain to come, Captain. She is too damaged and would be a hindrance more than an asset. You are to stay here and perform whatever repairs you can; coordinate with William's people. You are good enough to attend the meeting?"

Although the frustration was apparent in the captain's face, he was not about to argue against the truth. "I know, sir, and I am."

"Good. Right now, you and your crew are our experts on these hostiles." he paused for a moment, before continuing in a softer voice. "I'm terribly sorry about Leandra, Andrei. She was a damn fine woman, one of our best."

"That she was, sir. That she was."

Harry waved goodbye to the young woman from his front 'porch', a little smile on his face. A visit from any of the Bahtias always brightened his day. Shanxi might have been located on the current arse-end of the galaxy, and been a little too cold for his liking, but it was filled with great people. Colonists, in general, were welcoming folk. If you carried your own weight, and were polite, you were alright in their book.

He certainly had spent far more time on Shanxi than any other colony so far, even the better looking ones.

He felt the smile slowly falling away. Truth was, he was taking a vacation on Shanxi. A little break away from all the traveling, the Voyager contracts...

...the disappointment.

Harry sighed, looking upwards into the cloudy sky. It had been four years now, since he began his self-imposed mission. His mission to find on the cosmos that which had been lost on Earth.

Magic.

And he had found it. Oh, yes! The very first time he had stepped foot on the surface of a garden world, he had felt it; the magic. Wherever there was life, there was also magical energy. Even if the planet only sported microbial life, the magic was there.

At first he was ecstatic. He still remembered Demeter's magic; it was wild, vibrant, like the wind atop a grassy hill. So different front Earth's generally much older and charged feeling. He had spent hours just basking in the feeling. He must have looked completely off his trolley, come to think of it. But it did not take long for him to realize; there was magic in Demeter, yes, but there was no Living Magic. No magic shaped by intent, crafted by will.

So he kept looking. To gain more freedom of movement he trained and studied hard, got himself a ship and a job as a state-sponsored surveyor, a Voyager. He went to every new planet with life or great potential for life, even found one himself, and in every single one he found magic. Always a little different, always with a singular 'taste', but nonetheless always there. But he never found that spark, that most precious of presences.

He was now convinced that his initial suspicions were correct, that only a planet with a fully sentient species could give birth to Living Magic. Still, he supposed he should keep trying. He had not lied to Lucretia, he was fascinated by all the strange alien life he found.

His forlorn thoughts were interrupted by a feminine voice coming through the intra-auricular speaker he always wore on his left ear. Though usually smooth and melodious, the voice currently had a snarky tilt to it.

"Great red tub, huh? I'll remember that, girlie."

Barely restraining the urge to facepalm, Harry quickly went inside his house and locked the door. Then he took his trusted holly wand from the concealed holster on his left forearm. With a gesture and a thought, he made sure his door could not be opened by anything but magic… or high-powered explosives, possibly. Big ones, though.

That done, he went to the portion of the wall where his work table stood. Three quick taps and a bright cobalt-blue runic array was now shining on the white surface. Harry passed the tip of the wand slowly above two groups of runes, first removing the concealment charms, then reactivating his usual enchantments. Immediately, all the walls expanded outwards, almost tripling the available space, much of the furniture growing accordingly. New objects seemed to just pop in existence; like the new bookcase besides the normal one, filled with some absurdly large tomes; or the wall stand covered in framed photos, most of which sported rather animated characters; or the large portrait of a magnificent black castle atop of a hill, surrounded by forests and overlooking a black lake. A portion of the prefabs's ceiling now showed an exact image of the sky above it, and a new, wooden door appeared on the back wall.

Once again holstering the wand, Harry finally turned to his window and shot a disgruntled look at the red starship stationed not ten meters from it.

"For Merlin's sake, Astrid! Will you not stop eavesdropping on people's conversations!?"

The Trailblazer did not show any sign of activity, but the feminine voice still came loud and clear. His immediate response was a scoff, followed by the now sullen tone. "Well, forgive me for being bored. It's not like I have to stay parked here all day with nothing to do, while you have tea parties with your friends. Oh, wait a minute; yes, it is!"

The man bit back a caustic retort, reminding himself that she had a good point. He could not claim to fully understand the thought process of his travelling companion, but he of all people knew the feeling of being cooped up.

Sighing, he went to the Everlasting Kettle sitting atop his heater. It was everlasting not in the sense that it would refill itself, but in the sense that it would store outrageously large amounts of liquids, and keep them preserved and heated for an indefinite, but supposedly infinite, time. With a small turn of the lid, he poured the now green tea on his mug. When he spoke, it was in a much softer voice. "All right, fine. Look, just let me finish editing the videolog of our trip for Ms. Bhatia, and we can go for a ride, yes?"

Her tone was equally soft. "So, I'm forgiven?"

"Yes, Astrid; you are forgiven. Cheer up, girl." damn his soft heart. Who had the brilliant idea to give consciousness to a spacecraft anyway?

Oh, right, he did.

"Great!" the cheerfulness was completely at odds with her earlier behavior, but Harry was more than used to her mood swings. "By the way, Harry, she is right, you know?"

"Right… about… what?" he asked very slowly.

"You really should get a girlfriend."

This time he did facepalm.