Euphrankes turned with a grin.
"Then, you believe it will work? The mag drive? It's a pretty radical jump from how we navigate between the veils, but if we're right?"
"I'm sure it will work," Zins said. "We will see soon enough, I think. For now, we have to concentrate. A lot has been gained these past few days, but it could be as easily lost. We have to hold up our end and support Urv. If we do that, and if things open up between Urv and the outer cities, we'll be testing that mag drive together."
Euphrankes smiled.
"Who will take over the Axis, then? Surely you won't retire her."
"Termac will make a fine Captain," Zins said. "Can you imagine it? Even after seeing the Tangent, he would rather keep his boots closer to the First Veil. I don't pretend to understand how he can resist the urge to see what's out there, but I respect his decision. I'll be transferring all responsibility to him as soon as we have the cargo arranged. That is, if you'll have me on board?"
"We haven't the crew to handle the Tangent alone, and you know it," Euphrankes said. "I could use a Navigator, if you're interested? First Officer slot is taken, and Slyphie handles Engineering…"
"It sounds like a fine position for discovering the stars," Zins replied. "Consider it done. I will be sending most of my crew back out with Termac, but I suspect he will return with any remaining volunteers we need within the week. Word needs to be carried to the outlying cities, and I want him to get a start on that, but there's no reason he can't use this as a home base. We're also going to need a crew left behind here to handle the manufacture of the patches, and to reestablish communications and trade with Urv."
"There's more," Euphrankes said, staring out over the huge workroom, where already men and women were spreading out and digging in to the tasks at hand. "You are going to find this hard to believe, perhaps, but The High Councilor himself is somewhat of an engineer at heart."
Quickly, Euphrankes outlined High Councilor Cumby's design for a mobile, moveable seal that would allow work crews to pressurize the road behind them, and never be too far from safety as they moved out, repairing the damage to the great roads.
"It's brilliant!" Zins said. "This planet is slow to give up things like water and food, but there is no lack of metal or building materials. We can shore up those roads in no time, and with traffic restored, supplemented by the airships, it will be a new age. Families will reunite – business should prosper."
"And if the priests actually act as Cyril's words seem to indicate they might, the pumps may be cycling a lot more breathable air before long. Who knows, we may end up in the business of either manufacturing pumps, or at the very least, large pieces of them."
"It's going to be busy," Zins agreed. "I almost wish I was going to be here to see all of that, but…"
"I know," Euphrankes said with a grin. "Let's get out there and see if we can be of help without getting underfoot. We need – at the very least – to arrange the schedule to keep people working without anyone dropping off on us. We also have to prune out enough of a crew to take the tracker back through when the first cargo is ready."
They descended the stairs into the main workroom and split up, each heading for one or another group of workers.
~ * ~
The machinery was already in place to produce most of the parts for the patches. Euphrankes pulled Slyphie and Bonymede free of the process, which needed minimal supervision, and got them to work on designing the new mobile airlock. He assisted them until he was certain they had a good handle on what needed to be done, and then he slipped way and climbed up the tower to where the huge, hulking mass of the Tangent rested.
There were a few workers still busy on the hull. He waved to them as he passed on to the main airlock and sealed himself inside. He hadn't visited the ship since prior to his failed trip to Urv. It had only been a few days, but it already seemed like years. So much had changed and so much remained to be done. Only the bridge and the main engineering compartment had been pressurized. The Tangent had her own pumps, but they hadn't been brought online yet…what he breathed had to be cycled in from below, and it was a little thin.
To Euphrankes, it tasted like freedom. He stepped up to the Captain's seat, ran his hand over the polished wooden back, and stared out of the domed shield. It was not dark out yet, but it also wasn't light. The Tangent rested between the veils, so he could see the darkening sky opening up above him, and the tiny shapes of workers moving around the outer extremities of the main complex.
He heard a rustle behind him, but he didn't turn. A moment later, Aria's hands rested on his shoulder, and he leaned back into her as she wrapped her arms around him.
"It's still out there," she whispered in his ear. "It's not going anywhere."
"I know," he said. "I know it will be there when we're ready. It's waiting for us. I just have to come up here every now and then and watch it for a while. It's like I can feel it, some great mystery dragging at me and trying to lift me up into something brand new – something we can't even really conceive."
"I have some thoughts on conceiving," Aria whispered. She licked his ear lobe, and he shivered.
Euphrankes turned with a laugh and dragged her closer. She pressed into him eagerly.
"We spend so little time alone," she said. "I miss you."
"I know," he said, "and yet, once we take off, you may see more of me than you ever wanted to. It won't be like we can escape."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take," she said. She reached up and started to undo the buttons on his shirt.
"The door…" he gasped.
She silenced him with a single finger on his lips.
"Is sealed. I gave strict orders that we were not to be disturbed."
Euphrankes blushed slightly, thinking about whoever it was working out on the hull, and what they'd think of such an order. Then, as Aria slipped from her own work clothes and pressed him back into the ornate chair, all thoughts of those below slipped away. His vision was filled with her body, her eyes, and the endless stars stretching up behind her, calling them home.
Chapter Eighteen
Over the next several weeks, both the tracker, and the Axis, came and went several times. Supplies, parts, and the first prototypes of the portable airlocks – fully tested on the road to Urv – were delivered, traded, bartered and presented. Though things had returned to a semblance of normalcy in Urv, there was no indication that The Council would back down on their new directives.
Zins, who flew with the Axis on her second voyage out of The Outpost, reported that the streets of the city were almost as busy as they'd been upon their last departure. There were crews currently working on all the roads out of Urv, and they had actually been required to hover for half a day to get a berth at the air towers. Rumor had it that High Councilor Cumby had commissioned the construction of a third tower with a larger airlock to be built as soon as all roads were complete, and the workers were available.
The air in the city had already increased in quality. Cyril had been as good as his word. Though there was still some resistance in The Temple, he'd begun a program to study the pumps. As yet, they had made only minor changes to their rituals, but they had managed to increase efficiency, and had located and replaced several parts that were on the verge of failure. There was also a small contingent of priests working to painstakingly recreate the manuals so that a copy could be presented to the city's engineers. The hope was that, with some time and patience, they might be able to machine parts to build more pumps and increase the breathable atmosphere in the city, the roads, and eventually throughout the range of the First Veil.
Priests had also been flying with the airships, reaching out to The Temples in the other cities. They had to spread the word that there was a new High Priest, and to pass on Cyril's changes to the rituals. Most of the other cities had already experienced more trouble with their pumps and air than Urv had and were happy to comply. Councilor Cumby believed that the few pockets of resistance would crum
ble once the roads were opened up. The entire world was changing, but Euphrankes, for all his involvement, felt detached from it.
He was focused on the Tangent. He'd spent nearly every waking moment on board the great ship, changing design criteria, working side-by-side with his own people and those of Zins' crew who'd been assigned to the task. Others had flown in – volunteers from different engineering disciplines and airship crews who'd heard of the great mission and wanted to be a part of it.
"We may actually have to draw straws to see who gets to accompany us through the veil," Euprhankes said.
He and Zins stood alone on the bridge of the Tangent. The interior was fully pressurized and the air was fresh and clean. They'd managed to use bits of design copied from Cyril's manual to improve on their designs, and now all that remained on the interior of the ship was the control and propulsion panels, and the wiring of the major systems. Everything gleamed. The metal was polished, every other surface was painted. She was a beautiful ship.
"It's a fool’s mission," Zins said gruffly. "Everyone is probably going to die. They all know this. It's why they are so eager to sign on."
The two of them laughed softly.
"We're really going to do it," Euphrankes said. "We're going to pass through the Second Veil."
"And what will we find on the other side, do you think?" Zins asked. "I have found myself wondering this more and more as the day grows near. Slyphie estimates that the Tangent will be ready to fly within a week. After a shakedown between the veils, what then? Do you have a plan?"
Euprhankes shook his head. "We need to test the propulsion, and the range," he said. "Our telescopes are not powerful enough to reach much beyond our moons, and the nearest planets. My hope is that there will be other worlds that could sustain life – maybe even other cities and people we can learn from."
"And if they don't want to teach?" Zins asked. "If we only fly out to find barren rock, or worse yet, new enemies that will fall upon us and take what little we have?"
Euphrankes shook his head.
"That can't be all there is," he said. "All of this," he waved his arm to encompass the veils, the airship, the compound below, and the planet, "came from somewhere. At least one civilization much more advanced than ours has existed, and if they were the predators you speak of, they would hardly have put all of these protective measures in place."
"I'm not sure sometimes," Zins said, "if they are protections, or a cage. I hear what you're saying, though, and I agree. I'm just thinking out loud. I don't doubt that we will find something amazing out there, the only question is will we find it soon enough, and close enough, to do our planet any good."
Outside the view port they saw a shadow coming into view.
"The Axis is returning," Zins said. "They should have the last of the Imperium we need to be certain we're sealed in tight."
"Let's go and greet them," Euphrankes said. "I'd like to know what new things have happened in Urv since we last heard. It's been so many years since there was any good news at all that I find myself looking forward to it more than I would have believed."
They climbed down through the airlock and onto the platform. The Axis would dock at the next tower, but it would take half an hour or so to get her into position, so they had time. They climbed down and walked over from the base of one tower to the next. In the distance, the cargo carriers were rolling out of the complex and making their way slowly to the base of the tower.
By the time the airlock opened and the crew began their initial descent, half the workers in The Compound were gathered. When Lyones came down the ladder two rungs at a time, his hair wild around his head, they cleared the way for him. He ran straight to Euphrankes.
"You have to come!" he said. "You have to come to Urv. The Council gave the debris to the priests – to Cyril. You have to see what they've found."
"What…"
Lyones shook his head.
"I'm under oath to say nothing. You have to come. Frankes, it's important. Before you pass the veil, you need to see this."
Euphrankes turned to Zins in consternation. Zins shrugged.
"When can we be ready to leave?" Euphrankes asked.
"Dawn," Lyones said. "We have to unload the cargo, and it's full. It will take at least that long, and we'll need a crew. Can you go back and make preparations?"
"Why not take the Vector?" Zins asked. "We can fly that with a skeleton crew. She's been unloaded and waiting for more than a week. If we leave within the hour, we could be there by morning."
"Let's do it," Euphrankes said. "Let's get back to the complex. I'll get Aria, and Bonymede, and we can be back here within the hour.
"I'm going too," Zins said. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."
Chapter Nineteen
They docked at Urv's main air tower before sunrise. Despite the early hour, when they passed the airlock and climbed down, they were met by a small entourage of guards. None of The Councilors were present, but the guards explained they had orders to bring Euphrankes without delay.
They walked through the streets of city, and Euphrankes marveled at the changes. There was evidence of work – repair, and even some construction. Lights were on, and at this time of the morning, that was a thing that hadn't happened in Urv in a very long time.
"What's happened," Zins asked the guards. "What is so confounded important that we had to fly all night to get here?"
"I couldn't tell you," the guard said. "All I know is that the High Priest, Cyril, came here yesterday with a metal case. His eyes were wide, and he was almost running. He took that case into The Council Chamber, and they closed the doors. No one knows what they talked about. All we know is that when High Councilor Cumby opened the doors, he sent runners to catch the Axis before she took flight and to send her for you."
Zins turned to Euphrankes, who shrugged. They'd both seen the smoking, charred bit of machinery that had caused the damage to the veil, but it had been beyond their experience, and too damaged to make out. Euphrankes had figured it for a monument, or an artifact that would remind them of how close they'd come to disaster. Now it appeared they'd missed something.
As they climbed the steps to The Council Chamber, the doors opened, and Cumby stood framed, his hair askew and his eyes wild.
"Come with me," he said.
He turned then, and disappeared inside. Euphrankes and Zins exchanged a last look, and then, with Aria trailing behind, they hurried into the building and down the main hall. The doors to The Council Chamber stood open – another thing that Euphrankes, who had been there many times, had never seen before.
They entered the chamber and found the entire council gathered. Cyril was with them, and in the center of the main council table sat the box the guards had mentioned. Euphrankes wasted no time. He wasn't on trial this time or asking for favors. He'd been summoned. He hurried to the table, the others at his heels.
"What is it?" he asked without preamble. "What have you found?"
It was Cyril who stepped forward. He drew the box to one side of the table, and Euphrankes stepped up beside him. Zins and Aria crowded in on the other side. The box was lined with cloth, and in the center the artifact lay. It looked very different than it had the last time they'd seen it. For one thing, it had been disassembled. Instead of a charred chunk of circuits and metal, several long strips and a bit of casing rested in separate notches in the padding.
There were circuits clearly visible on the strips of strange material, and metal trails could be made out criss-crossing the surface. That was not what Cyril pointed to. On the case, faded and scorched, words had been written.
"What does it say?" Euphrankes asked, turning to Cyril.
"I have no idea," the priest replied, "but look here…"
He slapped a small book onto the table beside the crate. Euphrankes pulled his gaze away from the fragments of the artifact and stared at the book. It was one of the manuals for the pumps that had been pulled from the back of the forbidden locker. He
could not read the lettering in the manual, either, though the diagrams were very clear. Then it hit him.
It wasn't an exact match, but there was no doubt that the letters and words printed on the artifact were a very close match for those printed in the manual. Euphrankes stared in shock, and then pushed the book across to Zins, and turned to Cyril.
"Oh my," he said. "This…"
"Yes, exactly," Cyril replied. The old priest's eyes were open wide and gleaming with excitement. "Whoever made this was associated with The Protectors."
"You think it was them?" Zins asked, glancing up from the manual. "Does anyone read this ancient text? Can we translate it?"
"We have tried," Cyril said. “The words don't make any sense, really. They may be names, or some sort of a brand. The letters are the same, but we can't find them repeated in the same pattern in any of the manuals. We can pronounce them – but we have no idea what we're saying."
"What about the artifact itself?" Aria asked. "Have you made any sense of it? Do you know what it does?"
Cyril shook his head.
"It's like nothing we've ever seen. It is made of unfamiliar materials. It's not a metal alloy, it's much weaker. It has a fiber content, and it is somewhat flexible. There are metal trails all over the surface that I suspect conducted signals, but with only this one small piece of the whole, we can't even make an educated guess at its purpose."
Euphrankes turned to Cumby.
"If it's them…"
"I know," Cumby said. "If this belonged to our protectors, then we have a good idea now why they have not come back to us, or given us further gifts of protection or technology. It also means, I think, that they are not the only beings or creatures or men, or whatever they are, that we are not aware of. Someone did this. Someone destroyed a thing so complex we can't even begin to understand it – and we have to wonder. What could such a force do to us? To the veils? What would they do?"
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