Chapter Summary: Miranda continues searching and they encounter survivors of a battle at a derelict space station.
Chapter Word Count: 5,879
"How goes the search?" Andy asked, spotting Miranda entering the lounge.
"I have reached the limit of what I can discover on my own," Miranda said. "I need a focus, someone to link me to the Prophets or those who took them."
"A focus? Sounds like magic," Andy said.
"Metaphysical," Miranda said. "Sophia agrees."
"Sophia?" Andy said.
"She briefly joined me on one of the planes," Miranda said. "But even she was not able to stay long."
"So, who?" Andy said.
"You, or perhaps Memo," Miranda said.
"Me first," Andy said quickly.
"Of course," Miranda said.
"When?" Andy said. "Now?"
"After our next meal," Miranda said. "You will need the energy."
"Okay. I can wait," Andy said, sighing.
"You can keep me company," Miranda said. "Unless you'd rather do something else?"
"Play cards, do some more translating, or talk with you," Andy said. "No contest."
Miranda smiled and taking her hand guided her over to an empty couch. "No contest," she echoed.
"A pleasant meal," Miranda said, closing their cabin door several hours later. "It will work best if you can relax."
"I'm very relaxed," Andy said, flopping down on their bed.
"Make yourself comfortable," Miranda said, sighing, "and start meditating."
"Should I focus on anything?" Andy said "Usually when I meditate I focus on something."
"Just on clearing your mind," Miranda said. "No expectations, just think calm thoughts."
"Make it harder," Andy said, grumbling. "Like telling me to not think about pink elephants."
"There are no pink elephants," Miranda said, puzzled.
"Or so you've been told," Andy said. "My Uncle Fred claimed to see them, but he lived at the bottom of a bottle."
"Is that why you rarely drink?" Miranda said. "Your Uncle Fred?"
"No, I just don't enjoy feeling out of control," Andy said. "And have a hard time getting drunk. The whole family is like that. Though there was a week when you first disappeared where I really tried."
"We don't keep any alcohol in the house," Miranda said, nodding.
"Not anymore," Andy said. "But that's a topic for another day. What else do I need to do?"
Miranda lay down next to Andy and took her hand. "Nothing," she said. "I'll be doing most of it. Just meditate."
"Okay," Andy said, closing her eyes, and attempting to meditate, or at least clearing her mind of all thought.
She became aware of a change, but it wasn't jarring. It just was. Different. She could no longer feel the bed or Miranda's hand in her own. So she opened her eyes, and found herself standing next to Miranda on an endless white field.
"Hello," Miranda said, smiling gently at her. "How do you feel?"
"Okay?" Andy said, not really sure what she was feeling. "Where are we?"
"There are a number of names for it," Miranda said. "The most common is 'plane'. Or layers. The material plane is what you are used to. Above that are a number of immaterial and energy planes. Upper and lower. This is one of the planes above the material plane. The Ancient Ascended, that you've heard mentioned, exist primarily in one of the lower planes when they are in their energy form."
"So, it's one of those mystical things?" Andy said.
"For some," Miranda said. "The gods live above the material plane. Or more accurately, between the material and mystical planes."
"Will we run into any actual gods?" Andy asked, looking around.
"Unlikely," Miranda said. "They prefer not being seen."
"Have you run into any?" Andy said.
"Occasionally? There aren't many ascended beings in this reality and they can be curious," Miranda said.
"Is it safe?" Andy said.
"As safe as crossing the street," Miranda said.
"So, not really?" Andy said. "So, you wanted me here, what are we looking for?"
"We are on one of the planes that the Prophets of Zircon Nine are known to visit," Miranda said. "I can feel their presence but not see them or the ones who took them away. I am hoping you can."
"Okay... what do I do?" Andy said.
"This may require multiple trips before you are able to feel the flow of energy that different beings give off," Miranda said. "Essentially, you need to concentrate and just see what you can feel."
"That's a bit vague," Andy said.
"Unfortunately, there are no training manuals or books to read about this subject. The few who can travel to the planes do not normally write about their experiences, beyond the fact they did it."
"So, no travelogues?" Andy said. "Seems like a potential market."
"Possible," Miranda said, "but unlikely to be very lucrative."
"So, I just concentrate and try to feel things?" Andy said. "Do you know what they are supposed to feel like?"
"Something bright, and tart," Miranda said. "I know that isn't a very helpful description but I find it hard to describe these things. There is not a lot of sensory information on the planes that translates well."
"Tart? I can go with that," Andy said. She frowned in concentration for several minutes. "I'm getting something citrusy from that direction." She turned and pointed off to Miranda's left.
"Citrusy?" Miranda said, turning. "More than one?"
"Maybe?" Andy said. "Something is definitely there. If it's them, will they know we're looking for them?"
"Possibly," Miranda said. "It depends on their ability to use the planes. If they just use it to connect with their gods? Probably not. If they visit? They may detect us looking for them."
"Is that a good thing?" Andy said. "I'm also getting something closer, sort of like cinnamon."
"Cinnamon?" Miranda said, trying to spot whatever Andy had sensed.
"I like this one," a deep voice said, the sound seeming to come from all around them.
"Please identify yourself," Miranda said, turning rapidly.
"No, I think not," the voice said. "We have not seen one of these in a long time. Almost like those others but quicker and less suspicious."
"Who are the others?" Andy said, squinting and trying to see whatever was with them.
"That would be telling," the voice said. "Be wary of their motives, little Furling."
"Thanks for the warning," Andy said, giving Miranda a concerned look. The impression of cinnamon faded away.
"I think we've spent enough time here for today," Miranda said.
Andy blinked, and found herself back in their bed, holding Miranda's hand. "That was different," she said, her voice hoarse. "Feels like I just ran a marathon, or two."
"Even with my assistance, it still takes energy to visit the planes. It will get better the more we do it," Miranda said. "Though hopefully we won't have to do it for long."
"Who was that voice? The one that smelled like cinnamon?" Andy asked, turning her head to look at Miranda.
"One of the gods, though I am not familiar with them and cannot tell you who they are," Miranda said.
"They seemed to know what we are looking for," Andy said. "Do you think the ones who took the prophets are what they were warning us about?"
"Yes," Miranda said.
"If we can't trust them, it will make things more complicated," Andy said.
"We'll just be careful," Miranda said, "which is always a good idea. But we will need to find the Prophets first."
"So, more searching?" Andy said.
"More," Miranda said with a nod. "But not right now. Dinner and rest first."
"I can do that," Andy said, yawning.
"How close are we to Blue Clan territory?" Andy said, slipping into the navigator seat next to Garnes.
"Another day," Garnes said.
"We still have no idea where the Prophets are," Andy said. "I'm working with Miranda on that but so far nothing solid."
"There's an old outpost on this side of the Clan boundary," Garnes said. "It hasn't been occupied in a long time, but should be safe for a few days while you figure out where we need to go next."
"Okay," Andy said. "We'll stop there. Not sure what you can do while you wait for us. And what the others will do."
"What they are doing now," Garnes said. "Searching the crystals for information that might be useful."
"Ginny and Harry are going to go stir crazy," Andy said. "I'm surprised they haven't already. And what about Sophia's ship and crew?"
"Don't worry about them, or us," Garnes said. "Find the Prophets so we can see them."
"As long as we don't have to bring them back with us," Andy said. "We probably don't have room for them or anything larger than a lunch box."
"No," Garnes said. "We definitely can't bring them back with us. Neither the Lucia or Poe have room for any other being."
"So, if they don't have their own ship, we'll have to come back for them or ask someone else to pick them up. I think the Wind Clan should foot the bill on that one," Andy said. "The Prophets are theirs, we just want to ask a question or two."
"They may not want the Prophets back if it's going to cost them," Garnes said.
"They have no choice," Memo said, standing in the door. "The Prophets are part of our Clan. They need to come home."
"Can I be there when you tell them that?" Ginny said, peeking over her head. "They won't want to."
"I'll make the popcorn," Harry said. "It's sure to be very amusing."
"They would lose," Andy said. "They may have been hijacked centuries ago but that doesn't change their responsibility to their own clan."
"Definitely will need some popcorn," Harry said. "You said something about an old satellite base?"
"We need to stop, before entering Blue territory," Andy said. "Garnes knows of a derelict old base we can use."
"Okay," Harry said, giving Garnes a doubtful look. "We'll have to see how defensible it is. Probably riddled with boobytraps or full of space vampires."
"If there are actual vampires on it, we aren't visiting," Andy said. "But we need a safe spot to park before entering Blue territory."
"Not much choice out here," Garnes said. "Either derelict, destroyed by the Bugs, or some pirate's lair."
"We can always clean them out," Ginny said. "Lady Air would probably give us a medal for dealing with some pirates."
"Not today," Andy said. "If you want to go explore when we get there, make sure you are ready for it."
"We're always ready for adventure," Ginny said.
"Shall we try again?" Miranda said, taking Andy's hand later that night in their cabin.
"Is this the same plane as before?" Andy asked, rubbing her arms. "It feels a little different. Chillier."
"A little further from the material plane," Miranda said. "We are less likely to encounter other entities here."
"Okay," Andy said. "So, no gods likely to drop in and watch us."
"In not so many words," Miranda said. "Yes. They are a distraction we don't need at the moment."
"So, whomever that was yesterday, wasn't the only one?" Andy said.
"No," Miranda said, but didn't say anything more about their observers.
"On to business then?" Andy said, receiving a nod from Miranda. "Hmm..."
She turned in a circle, before sitting on the ground. "What's this made from? Really?" she asked, patting it.
"It has no name," Miranda said. "Well, possibly some mystic has given it a name, but it is just the surface of the plane. A powerful enough being could give it some other form."
"So, someone with power could make it look like grass? Or carpet?" Andy said. "Huh." Patting it again, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "We're not here physically, at all, are we. When you come here by yourself, is it the same?"
"No," Miranda said. "Right now it's similar to what mystics call astral projection. That is how someone like Sophia would access the planes."
"Astral projection? That sounds familiar," Andy said. Keeping her eyes closed she carefully stood. "I smell that citrusy thing over there." She slowly opened her eyes. "I can't tell if it's the same direction as last time, but that probably doesn't matter, does it."
"No, it's a different direction," Miranda said, frowning. "They may know we are searching and are trying to hide their presence."
"That's not good," Andy said. "How are we going to turn this into actual coordinates?"
"Once we find them here, I should be able to find them on the material plane," Miranda said. "From there I'll get their coordinates."
"Sounds like a neat trick," Andy said. "If it works, how far away do you think they are?"
"I do not believe they are in Blue Clan territory but they are close," Miranda said, sitting down next to Andy. "Another hour," she added.
"You can tell time while we're here?" Andy said, surprised. "How? Is it some Ascended thing? Talent?"
"Possibly," Miranda said. "But you have an hour left before your energy reserves become too low to be here."
"Right. Right. Keep searching..." Andy said.
"That didn't work, again," Andy said, sitting up on their bed and rubbing her eyes. "I can tell they are there but not where."
"One more time," Miranda said. "Tomorrow."
"Are you seeing them any clearer?" Andy asked.
"Not yet," Miranda said.
"We'll reach the old outpost tomorrow evening," Garnes said. "It appears to be more occupied than I was aware of. It appears to be occupied by several Blue Clan ships, based on the traffic we are detecting."
"Are we still stopping there?" Harry said.
"Yes," Garnes said. "But the Poe will not. And no exploring."
"Okay," Ginny said. "I'm assuming there's a reason we're still docking there."
"Intel gathering," Garnes said.
"We're not spies," Harry said. "We're more into brute force."
"Oz will be gathering information while we are docked," Garnes said.
"And we'll be prepared to repel boarders," Harry said, nodding.
"Hopefully that will be unnecessary," Ixchel said. "If I understand the readings, we are better armed than any other ship here."
"The sooner we can leave, the safer we'll be," Romana said.
"We can always come back later, and explore," Ginny said. "Bring a whole squad and clean it out, if necessary."
"The natives are getting restless," Garnes told Andy later. "It's too dangerous to explore the outpost but they don't think so."
"They're Troopers," Andy said. "Their idea of danger is not the same as ours. It'll just be another day, hopefully, before we know where the Prophets are and can leave."
"But not out into Blue Clan territory?" Garnes said.
"Miranda doesn't believe so. We may need to get really close to the border," Andy said. "What has Oz found out about the Blue Clan ships docked at the outpost.
"They aren't controlled by the Blue AIs like most of their ships," Garnes said. "They appear to be survivors of an early encounter with the Bugs."
"It may be useful to talk with them then," Andy said. "I'm assuming you've let Lady Shadow know about them."
"Yes, she's sending a Shadow investigation team to talk with them," Garnes said. "We just need to make sure they are still here when the team gets here."
"And how do we do that?" Andy said, puzzled. "Why would they even want to talk with us."
"Unknown," Oz said. "They do not know we will be arriving in several hours."
"So we surprise them and hope they don't run away?" Andy said.
"Yes," Garnes said, appearing nervous.
"Spit it out," Andy said. "What did Lady Shadow ask us to do?"
"She suggested that Lady P could talk with them," Garnes said.
Miranda nodded. "I shall see what I can do once we dock, but they may not want to talk."
"Indications are that they are at the outpost because they cannot go anywhere else," Oz said. "I am currently unable to access their diagnostic systems but according to the Outpost docking system the Blue Cruiser suffered heavy battle damage." "That doesn't make the situation any better," Andy said. "They are going to be even more suspicious."
"One more time?" Andy said, lying down on their bed. "Same plane or a different one?"
"A different one, closer to the upper planes," Miranda said. She reached for Andy's hand and gripped it tightly. "Concentrate."
Closing her eyes, Andy cleared her mind and concentrated on finding the Prophets. There was a slippery feeling for a brief moment. Opening her eyes, she found herself next to Miranda standing on a sky blue plane. "This is different," she said.
"You are adapting to entering the planes," Miranda said. "This is the highest you can go at this time. If we continue this you'll likely be able to enter the upper planes."
"But not yet?" Andy said. "We don't have time for that do we."
"No," Miranda said. "We need to find where the Prophets are hiding and also deal with the Blue Clan ship at the Outpost. That doesn't leave much time for exploring. Or experimenting with this ability."
"Is there anything special about this plane or is it just that it is closer to those upper planes?" Andy said.
"If you were time sensitive, you'd be able to sense the flow of time across the different planes down to the material plane," Miranda said.
"So, what does that mean?" Andy said. "Could I time travel?"
"Not exactly," Miranda said, "but it is possible you could detect others traveling in time. Or possibly those with a high time affinity.."
"Like that 'Lady of Time'?" Andy said.
"And her companion, the young Furling," Miranda said. "But making use of that ability from the material plane takes training which I cannot provide. I know it is possible to learn to see time but am not aware of how to use it myself."
"Something for later then," Andy said. "How often are we going to run into time travelers?"
"Almost never," Miranda said. "If we hadn't run into them already I would have said never."
"So, any advice? How will this time plane affect searching for the Prophets?" Andy said.
"You may be able to sense them in the past, if they are hiding in the now," Miranda said.
"Okay," Andy said. She sat down, closed her eyes, and cleared her mind, something she'd now done often enough that it seemed to pass quickly. "Okay, this is different," she said. She opened her eyes and stood up. Turning in a circle, several times, she started walking. "They're this way."
Andy lost track of how long they walked in the featureless landscape, following something she couldn't define other than it was distinctly citrusy. "What happens if we go too far?" She asked Miranda.
"There isn't 'too far' here," Miranda said. "We aren't physically traveling."
"That's good," Andy said. She looked around. "It doesn't look like we've gone anywhere but they are getting closer. Can you tell?"
"Only if I touch you," Miranda said, taking her hand. "Then I can clearly feel them."
"That's strange," Andy said. "I wonder why."
"It's as if you are a large magnifying glass," Miranda said. "You have a connection to them I don't."
"And that matters?" Andy said, stopping.
"On the nonmaterial planes, yes," Miranda said. "There is a mystical component which is why the gods can travel the planes."
"We're not being watched right now are we?" Andy said.
"Not that I can detect," Miranda said. "But if they want to hide from us they can easily do so."
"Some of us can," a musical voice said, causing Andy to jump. A purple and yellow sparkling presence appeared in front of them. "Some lumber along and you can see them coming from far away."
"Should we know you?" Andy asked the entity.
"No," the entity said. "Our worlds rarely connect. I just happened to be examining fluctuations in time and noticed your presence. Your reality does not have much use for the energy of my reality that is referred to as magic. Though, I suspect I should look into your Fox God and his worshippers. They seem to be connected to similar energy which is mine, as such things go.
"You're a god of magic?" Andy said.
"Goddess is a more appropriate term," the entity said. "All gods and goddess have some connection to mine but few consciously, except in realities where magic users are plentiful, but yours is not one. And I see you've attracted the attention of others. I will leave you to them."
"Thank you?" Andy said, giving Miranda a concerned look.
"Nothing to worry about," the entity said, before fading away.
"Well, that was different. A goddess?" Andy said.
"I do not thing so," Miranda said. "not exactly. An entity at a different level, above our gods."
"Well, that's slightly scary," Andy said. She looked around. "But here we are. Can you feel it?"
"There's a ripple in the substance of the plane, as if some being has spent a lot of time here or in the planes below it." Miranda reached out.
"I'm getting that distinctly citrusy feeling," Andy said. "If they aren't here now, they have been."
"Please do not leave this spot," Miranda said. With no fanfare and no sound, she simple disappeared.
"Don't go anywhere? I can do that," Andy said.
"Interesting," Miranda said, reappearing.
"What's interesting?" Andy said. "Did you find them?"
"Possibly," Miranda said. "If it is them they are in a form of suspended animation."
"How far away?" Andy said.
"One of the worlds with the Ancient Rings," Miranda said. "One we haven't visited."
"I thought we went to all of them," Andy said.
"Apparently not," Miranda said. "It must be in the other direction."
"Harry and Ginny will like that," Andy said. "That's something they know how to do."
"Neither the Lucia or Poe will be able to travel all of the way there, if I understand the coordinates," Miranda said. "These are not the Space Gates of the Furling."
"Let's get back and see how close Garnes can get us," Andy said. "Did they see you?"
"I am not sure," Miranda said. "There was a conscious entity, but I do not believe it was the Prophets."
"As long as they don't go running off." Andy said.
"No," Miranda said. "They did not appear to be mobile."
"That's good, as long as they aren't in the path of the Bugs," Andy said.
"I do not believe so," Miranda said.
"They are here," Miranda said, pointing at a distant star system.
"That is several months travel," Garnes said. "We'd have to restock first."
"So, back to Terra?" Andy said. "Or can we get someone to meet us closer?"
"There's a Ring Gate. If we can get to the closest one we will be able to travel there in a reasonable amount of time. Weeks instead of months," Miranda said.
"The closest Ring Gate is several weeks of travel away," Oz said.
"We should get started then," Andy said. "After we do something about that Blue Clan ship."
"Yes," Garnes said. "We need to do something about them for the Shadow team."
"When will it get here?" Andy asked.
"Three days," Garnes said.
"Three days won't make much difference," Andy said. "We'll need to request a resupply so it is ready for us."
"I shall contact Fleet," Oz said. "And let them know when and where to expect us."
"The Shadow team will have better long range comm gear," Garnes said. "We can use that to contact Lady Shadow to let her know the next stage of our plans."
"We'll need a resupply for the Poe also," Ixchel reminded them. "I'm assuming they are still going with us."
"They are out here because the Weaver believes her presence will be important," Romana said. "Leaving them behind would not be appreciated."
"Lady Sophia wouldn't like that," Ginny said. "For an academic she can be very firm. If we tried to leave without her we would regret it."
"She's Lady Air's cousin," Andy reminded her. "It runs in the family. No matter how mild mannered they may appear, they expect to be obeyed."
"I shall contact the crew aboard the Blue Clan ship when we dock," Miranda say.
"That will be in another 6 hours," Garnes said. "You may want start putting away any loose objects now."
"I think she's saying we've been sloppy," Harry said, shaking her head.
"You've been sloppy," Ginny said. "I'm very neat and clean."
"I stopped believing that during the Boston job," Harry said. "Pizza boxes everywhere."
"I was keeping count," Ginny said. "It was part of my inventory system."
"Ladies, save it for some other time," Andy said. "Are your suits ready?"
"Always," Harry said, "but we can double check."
"Need to make a list of any parts we need for all of the hard suits and EV suits for that resupply ship," Ginny said.
"Need to check with the Poe to see if they need anything," Harry said.
Miranda examined the two Blue Clan ships carefully from the outside. She wasn't an expert on battle damage but they did look like they had been through some kind of rough activity. There were a lot of scorch marks along one side of the larger one, and covering the entire length of the smaller one.
The larger vessel also looked like it had come under attack by large rocks. There were large dents, and scratches on the side opposite the scorch marks. And if she was seeing it correctly, where the main thrusters should be was a tangled mass of metal.
"What do you think, Lady P," Garnes said. "From here it looks like they lost a fight with something."
"I would agree," Miranda said. "I'm not sure how the larger one, the cruiser, even made it here. Its main thrusters appear to be mangled beyond use."
"Probably used their emergency thrusters," Dart said. "Slow but meant for such emergencies."
"The smaller one, which looks like a larger scout ship, doesn't appear as damaged up close," Miranda said, frowning. "I am not sensing any life signs from the cruiser, and just three faint ones from the other ship."
"The cruiser is small, compared to ours, but it should have a crew of at least fifty," Garnes said. "At the very least, a watch crew of ten should be on board it right now."
"Where do you think they went?" Andy said, over the comm. "Stasis?"
"Can you detect life signs in stasis?" Garnes asked Miranda.
"I haven't tried," she said. "Would the entire ship be in stasis or just part of it?"
"Unknown," Dart said.
Miranda sighed. She'd have to look inside each ship. "Cruiser first," she said, cautiously approaching it. Finding the main hatch, she phased through it. There was a faint resistance, the air feeling more solid than normal. Frowning, she followed the passageway until she came to a closed bulkhead, and phased through that also.
"Still no signs of life," she said, over the comm. "The ship has an unusual texture it. As if everything is slightly out of phase."
"Possibly some form of stasis," Dart said. "If it's ship wide it'll be controlled from the bridge."
"Of course," Miranda said. Now she needed to find the bridge. She stretched out her senses, feeling for something that could be the bridge. Sometimes she just knew where things were, but here, all she was getting were a lot of empty rooms, with the occasional solid one.
One room seemed to contain a large amount of electronics, so she floated up and through the floor into it. "I'm on the bridge, I believe," she said out loud. "It's empty. The feeling of stasis is gone."
"The bridge won't be in stasis. There should be a panel on the wall, flashing red," Garnes said. "If the ship is in actual stasis, it'll provide information such as when the ship went into stasis."
"That seems odd," Andy murmured. "If it's in stasis, how do you even get near the panel?"
"I didn't design it," Dart grumbled. "Brain dead Blue Clan design. If the entire ship is in stasis no one should be able to enter it. The scout ship probably has a link to it to control it in some way while it is in stasis."
"The ship is in stasis," Miranda said. "This panel claims that five crew cabins were occupied when it went into stasis, with a total of twenty crew members. One of them is the captain's office. Engineering and medical were also occupied. I don't recognize the other two locations."
"Must have caught them by surprise," Garnes said. "That's not even half of their crew."
"Do we turn off stasis?" Andy said. "Can we turn it off?"
"No," Garnes said. "We don't know why it happened. It's an emergency protective feature. Turning it off could kill them."
"That would not be appreciated, I suspect," Miranda said. "I'll check the other ship. If they aren't in stasis they should know why this one is." Now that she knew where she was, she popped out of the cruiser, out onto the dock.
"Are you going to let them know first?" Andy said.
"No," Miranda said. "Observation only. There is no reason to frighten them."
Finding the main hatch for the small ship, Miranda phased through it into a dimly lit passageway. Without stasis, her ability to detect where the occupants were was working again. All three seemed to be in the same area. She cautiously entered the cabin. So far, only the Shadows had been able to detect her energy form but she wasn't taking chances with an unknown Clan.
One of them was sitting in what appeared to be the Pilot's chair. One, their left side covered in medical tape, was sitting on the deck, leaning against a closed hatch, and the third was pacing back and forth, waving their arms wildly and shouting in what Miranda assumed was the native Blue Clan language. They did not appear to be armed.
Understanding that was not an insurmountable task given her abilities, but she needed to concentrate. Their voices slowly came into focus.
"There are two ships of unknown origin inbound," the pacing person said. "We need to leave."
"It's safer here, Klerk," the one in the Pilot chair said. "The closest open docking port is on the other side of the outpost."
"Boktil, If they want to shoot us they don't need to dock," Klerk said. "The Star Ranger is defenseless sitting there. Even in stasis it's an easy target."
"And how do you expect us to move it? The emergency propulsion units won't take it far," the person leaning against the hatch said. "We need to know who they are and if we can negotiate with them."
"Pirates or one of those damn AI ships," Klerk said. "Who else would come out here to the middle of nowhere."
"It's a crossroads," Boktil said. "It could be any of the Clans or a merchant."
"It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before," Klerk said.
"That doesn't make it a threat," the other said. "If it's Clan, at least they'll send a message for us."
"Send it to who?" Klerk said. "The AI's are pretending the regular Fleet no longer exists, and the Council is gone, off to the ancestors."
"Not all of the Clan Council," the person leaning against the hatch said.
"You're only one, Devril," Klerk said. "The rest are dead. And the AI probably think you are dead also, which is why they aren't listening."
"If the Council is destroyed, they are supposed to find our successors," Devril said. "Though usually they only have to find one new Council member, not replace everyone."
"Can they replace you when you aren't dead?" Boktil said.
"If they think I'm dead, who will stop them?" Devril said. "Maybe it's time I retired anyway. I was just a figurehead for the AI, though you didn't hear me saying that."
"They have too much power," Boktil said. "It was a bad idea to assign an AI to each member of the Council to assist in their duties."
"It seemed like a reasonable idea at the time," Devril said. "We just came to rely on them too much."
"And now they are running the Fleet. And proving how badly AI's are at fighting battles," Boktil said.
"We didn't have to fight the Kraal like that," Klerk said. "A head on confrontation? That was suicidal."
"It must have made sense to the AI," Devril said. "But the Council going on a trip to watch the action? That was the truly stupid part."
"You survived," Boktil said.
"I didn't agree with the idea, and hitched a ride on the L'xtrium to watch at a safer distance."
"How did you end up with us anyway?" Klerk said. "The L'xtrium is locked in stasis."
"I can't say," Devril said. "Something told me that being here was better than there. Just lucky."
"I'd heard that some on the Council had foreknowledge," Boktil said. "Not that it seems to have done them any good."
"That's just a superstition," Devril said. "The Weaver may commune with our gods, but no one else has any psychic powers."
"If you say so," Boktil said. "I've heard that the Wind Clan has real mystics who can see the future."
"I'm sure they don't," Klerk said. "They're just good at faking the mumbo jumbo."
"Well, they managed to avoid being stomped on by the Kraal," Boktil said. "They must have some way of seeing the future."
"Seeing the future doesn't seem practical," Devril said.
"Interesting," Miranda said, appearing to them. "But wrong."
The three turned to look at her, freezing in surprise. "Are you one of the gods?" Boktil said.
"One of your gods?" Miranda said, making her voice echo slightly. "No. I have no need of worshipers or prayers."
"What are we wrong about," Devril said, slowly standing on her feet.
"The Wind Clan," Miranda said. "They do have Seers who can see the future, somewhat. Which can be helpful, in many cases."
"When can seeing the future be a bad thing?" Devril said.
"Much in the way your AIs appear to have interfered with your Council, and potentially your future as a Clan, knowing the future can make it harder to do things," Miranda said. "The Wind Clan is stagnating, though there is some hope that will change."
"Are you their god?" Klerk said. "If you aren't ours?"
"I am not familiar with the Wind Clan gods," Miranda said. "If we've met they haven't introduced themselves."
"Then what are you?" Devril said.
"Many things," Miranda said. "Today I am a messenger."
"For who?" Boktil said.
"The ships you appear to have noticed, heading this way," Miranda said. "Which are not pirates."
"Who is it, then," Klerk said. "Who are you? Are they all like you?"
"The ship is a long range scout of the Serpent Clan," Miranda said. "They mean no harm but are curious about the condition of your cruiser."
"The Kraal, and idiotic orders from the AI's," Boktil said. "Our encounter with them did not go well."
"If you are amenable, there are members of the Serpent Clan who would like to discuss your Kraal encounter," Miranda said.