The screen showed an enormous pink crystal, one that massed close to a hundred times what the Djinn’s Gift did, if not even more than that, and it had seen better days. The crystal had once been the exterior of some type of planetoid, Evelyn suspected, and it was only a tiny section of the surface, at least that’s what she thought. The section she could see was slightly curved, with regular protrusions that jutted outward, and a large number of pebble-like crystals in between, if pebbles were a dozen meters across. It was the smooth underside that had had Evelyn concerned, though.
“I’m not certain,” Evelyn said after a moment, looking at the gigantic crystal suspiciously. “Control, is it in our database?”
“Negative, Captain,” Control replied immediately. “No cross-referencing shows anything appearing the same or similar. Scans indicate that the object is rich in common astral ores, in concentrations that appear unusually high.”
“I dunno… my hairs are standing on end,” Fya muttered, her eyes narrowing as she asked. “Zoom in on the underside.”
The image focused inward, though it wasn’t quite as clear as Evelyn would have liked. It was the price of having an atmosphere and nebula in the way, but as she looked at the smooth interior, marred by what looked a lot like a spiderweb crack in it, caused Evelyn’s eyes to narrow.
“That’s not good,” Fya said, glancing at Evelyn. “You thinking what I’m thinking, Milady?”
“If you think that this is the exterior of an egg, then yes,” Evelyn said grimly.
“An egg?” Ilyra demanded, spinning around as her eyes went huge. “What sort of creature could have an egg that big?”
“About, oh… a dozen things I’ve heard of, but I think that we’d have heard about this type if it was common,” Evelyn said, looking at Control as she asked. “Can any of you analyze the object to project how large it was if it was an egg?”
“Only by analyzing the interior arc and extrapolating that into a sphere, Captain,” Control replied promptly. “No Dolls possess biosciences specializations at present.”
“Drat. Rough projection, please,” Evelyn said, watching the screen nervously as it zoomed out again.
“Best estimates indicate that the unknown object may have been four-point three-five kilometers in diameter if it was a sphere.” Control reported after a moment, a hint of worry in the Doll’s voice as she looked at Evelyn. “The estimate has a deviation of approximately seventeen percent, based on the sample size and the possibility that the arc may not be consistent across the surface.”
“Damn,” Evelyn muttered, pausing for a few seconds as she thought.
“Well. If you’re planning on making an omelet, I think we’d need bigger guns,” Zelirana said, glancing at Evelyn as she grinned, adding. “Or for you to go outside.”
“I think that’d be dangerous. We’d be a snack for something that size,” Vaneryth said, shivering. “I’m glad the other two decided to stay in medbay and the galley. This is terrifying.”
“Actually… we’ve been watching over the network.” Star said, her voice taut as she spoke. “Terrifying doesn’t begin to cover it. Should we even be here still?”
“Agreed,” Moon muttered softly.
“We don’t have confirmation of what it is yet,” Evelyn told them, letting out a soft sigh as she shook her head and glanced at Control. “Prioritize evasive action over counterfire if anything approaches on an intercept course, Control. Now, set a course for the next echo your sensors picked up.”
“Yes, Captain,” Control confirmed. “Defensive patterns adjusted, setting course to next anomaly.”
As the ship began moving, Ilyra asked. “Um… why are we going to another anomaly?”
“Simple,” Fya said first, unusually serious for the djinn as she turned to look at Evelyn and the celestine. “It could be another piece of the shell, if it is a shell, or it could be something else entirely. We don’t have enough information to know what was here, and just turning and running won’t tell us anything.”
“Beyond which, it’s entirely possible that it isn’t an egg,” Evelyn said, tapping her fingers together as she frowned. “I don’t like going into unknown danger for no reason, but at the same time, the idea of leaving this for someone else to run into, like an unfortunate explorer, strikes me as a bad idea. How would you feel if Orm got eaten by something?”
For a moment the bridge was quiet, then Ilyra spoke softly. “Yeah… that would be bad.”
“Could we see a map of the local clusters?” Zelirana asked after a moment, the succubus sounding particularly nervous.
“Why not?” Evelyn said, and she brought up the sector map with a thought, the holographic projection spinning into place in moments, and it also helpfully highlighted their approximate position.
This chart was much larger than the others they’d used before, and like them it was specifically showing the distance between systems in astral, not in normal space. The problem with trying to navigate based on normal space astrogation was that the distance between stars didn’t exactly match up in the astral, which made the job of explorers a bit riskier than it might otherwise be.
Evelyn immediately noticed something, though. The sector ended before getting past the outermost members of the core worlds, but more important was where they were. Each cluster was about a hundred AU across, centered on whichever system had been chosen to host the most FTL nodes, which most other systems connected to, but they were right on the edge of two clusters… and to the astral west there were only four or five inhabited systems, the rest was dominated by the darker icons of explored or unexplored systems.
“Interesting.” Evelyn murmured, her eyes narrowing. “You suspected this?”
“I thought we might be near uninhabited space, yes. I seemed to recall seeing some blank spots when you had the map up the other day, but I wasn’t sure. But if there’s something unknown, that usually means that either it was transported here, or it came from someplace relatively wild. Sometimes both, if the creature is attempting to expand to new areas. We see that a lot in the lower planes.” Zelirana explained, frowning. “Now, I don’t know much about the astral, but can I assume there isn’t that much something that enormous can prey on?”
Fya nodded, answering for Evelyn as she relaxed slightly. “That’s right. Sure, there are lots of creatures, but you’ve seen how few we’ve run into since leaving Nald. They aren’t so common that you run into them everywhere, they tend to cluster where there are things to eat.”
“In which case, something like this will almost have to have a wide range. It could be a predator, or it might not be,” Zelirana said… then smiled and shrugged as she added, a bit more helplessly. “Unfortunately, that’s about all I can tell you.”
“I think it’s more than enough,” Evelyn replied, and settled in to wait as she sighed, banishing the map as she frowned. “I really hope it isn’t some titanic monster, though.”
“What, you don’t want to kill something no one has ever killed before, Milady?” Fya teased, her smile fully returned.
“Pfft. You know better than that, Fya.” Evelyn scolded, though she did smile at everyone as she shrugged. “Killing a poor, dumb beast isn’t my idea of fun. A threat and a menace like the darkborn ooze? That deserved it, sure. But I think fighting random creatures is a bit… boring, and usually unfair. Though if it’s something preying on starships, that’s a slightly different situation.”
Vaneryth nodded, looking satisfied, while Fya just giggled.
They continued to chat a little while moving toward the next site, but Evelyn fell silent and let them, focusing instead on the sensors… but as they got closer, her eyebrows furrowed again. The sensor readings as they closed didn’t match what they’d already run into, which was… strange. Very strange.
“Okay, that’s weird,” Fya announced as they came into sight of the next object, sounding particularly surprised. “Who decided to bring a castle wall into astral? I mean, I guess you could, I just don�
�t see it doing much good.”
“I’m not sure it’s just a castle wall,” Evelyn replied, looking at the object more closely as it emerged from the mists. “More like half a castle.”
That was exactly right, as a matter of fact, as the building was slowly spinning as it drifted through the astral. Evelyn was mystified by it as well, since the cracked, somewhat crumbling wall looked like it’d been taken from a historical vid. The only people she could think of who had something similar were eccentric nobles or archeologists, as even most nobles tended to use more advanced materials in their projects. Here there was half a curtain wall and its attached tower floating through the astral. She had no idea what was going on.
“Captain, there’s a heat source in the center of the tower,” Control reported after a few seconds. “The source is small, heating an area of approximately five cubic meters to a level most mortal species can survive in.”
Evelyn’s eyebrows rose and she paused, examining the building again, then her eyes narrowed.
“Scan for any signs of advanced technology. Electronics, polymers, water pipes, anything of that sort.” She ordered.
“Scanning,” Control said. Then the Doll at tactical spoke up softly.
“No signs of advanced technology, Captain,” the human-like construct reported. “There are water pipes that appear to have frozen and ruptured, which appear to have been made of iron.”
A ripple of conversation crossed both the implant network and filled the room at the new information, but before it could properly get started, Evelyn interrupted by clearing her throat. The others quickly fell silent, looking at her.
“We know that there are worlds which haven’t achieved spaceflight yet out there, even some of the species that we know. This could easily be a spell gone wrong for one of those civilizations,” Evelyn said, her voice calm as she looked at the screen, then stood. “However, if that’s the case, we could have survivors in the castle, especially with the heat source. I’m going over there.”
“What about communicating?” Fya asked, looking at her curiously. “If it’s from an undiscovered world, they’re probably going to have different languages than any of the ones you’ve learned or uploaded.”
That thought brought Evelyn up short, and she considered for a moment, then shook her head, grimacing.
“That is a problem, isn’t it? I don’t have any dedicated translation programs… I never had any need for them,” Evelyn said, scowling as she glowered at the screen, crossing her arms.
“Me neither,” Fya said, shrugging. “I just thought I’d bring it up. Most of the time when we’re summoned, djinni are gifted with temporary knowledge of the language of the summoner. It doesn’t always work, though.”
“Ah… on the other hand, angels like myself can speak any language,” Vaneryth interjected, looking between them. “It’s a magical ability, so we can only speak and understand one unknown language at a time, but… if you’d like, I can come with.”
“Or I can. Succubi have the same ability,” Zelirana added, grinning as she leaned against the wall, attractive in her new armor. “Though I should say, I think she’d be less likely to scare any of them off. Angels are more beloved than demons, and you’re a bit intimidating, Evelyn. We don’t need both me and you going in there.”
Evelyn just gave the succubus a skeptical look, since with her helmet on, the succubus certainly wouldn’t betray her nature. Without wings or a tail, and with the helmet masking even her eyes, it would be easy for the demon to hide her nature from anyone. She could shapeshift, for that matter, so it wasn’t like that was a concern either. No, she suspected this was mostly to make Vaneryth feel more useful and happier.
“As you like,” Evelyn said, looking at Vaneryth curiously. “Are you sure? I don’t know that you’ve used the thrusters on your armor before.”
The angel smiled, visibly relaxing as she nodded, though Evelyn saw the way she looked at Zelirana with both gratitude and a hint of confusion. Then she explained, her voice a little more relaxed now. “Yes, I am. And I have been practicing. Ilyra showed me the simulators, which are supposed to give a good idea of how to use them.”
“Simulations can do a good job, but they’re no replacement for experience,” Evelyn told her, then smiled. “On the other hand, with us moving, you haven’t had a chance for that. There’s no time like the present, so, why don’t we go? The sooner we investigate, the better odds there are that we’ll figure out what happened here.”
“Um, what about us?” Ilyra asked. “What about that… egg-thing?”
Evelyn laughed softly and shrugged, looking back at them. “If it’s able to avoid the sensors, there’s nothing we can do anyway. Just stay aboard and try not to worry too much. We’ll be back soon.”
And with that, she headed for the nearest airlock, Vaneryth following her. Evelyn wondered what they’d find in the building and hoped it wouldn’t just be a pile of bodies. That was always depressing.
Chapter 43
“This is different,” Vaneryth said, her voice tiny in the vastness of astral, and Evelyn couldn’t help a smile as she glanced back at the angel.
“It is. There are lots of theories about astral, why it doesn’t have gravity despite the incredible amount of mass here, or why it doesn’t grow to densities that would crush us. It’s alien, and yet… I find it oddly freeing to travel through,” Evelyn replied, hitting her jets again to stay on-course. “The question is… what seems different to you?”
“I’m not sure that I could say. Maybe it’s just that I have the suit rather than wings… maybe it’s just that I’ve only rarely been in a place that extended without limit in every direction, but…” Vaneryth let her voice trail off. For a few seconds Evelyn thought she wouldn’t say anything more, but then she spoke again, her voice barely audible. “I’m lost, I suppose. I thought that once I humbled myself they’d take me back, or give back my strength. Were my sins truly that bad? How long had I been walking down the wrong path?”
Evelyn made certain she was on course, then turned in place to look at the angel, whose light-colored suit stood against the purple nebula and the ship glittering behind her. She couldn’t see Vaneryth’s face, but even so she felt she could tell a lot from how the woman was almost hunched over. It made her sigh as she shrugged, ensuring that her implants weren’t transmitting their conversation.
“That’s what did it? Arrogance?” Evelyn asked, tilting her head as she spoke.
“Um…” Vaneryth looked up suddenly, and Evelyn somewhat regretted not being able to see her face. A couple of seconds later she nodded, speaking sheepishly. “Yes… at least that was the last straw. I went back, and they were… upset with me. I wasn’t properly grateful that you’d rescued me… they said that I was acting as though it was the privilege of mortals to save an angel in my position, when I should have been as thankful as a mortal who I aided. It was only one thing, but the last in a litany of errors. At least, that’s what I was told.”
“Hm. I didn’t think you were arrogant,” Evelyn said, a bit amused that they’d thought that Vaneryth had been arrogant. Maybe reserved, but she thought Beatrice and Peldri in particular were far more arrogant in the aftermath. Not that she exactly blamed them, it wasn’t like they’d asked for anything she’d done. She turned back to face the castle, which they were slowly approaching, and continued. “The question is… how much do you want to worry about it? I take it you weren’t given conditions for the restoration of your power?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it? Worrying about it, I mean,” Vaneryth said helplessly. “No, I didn’t get any conditions. I asked, but they said that if I got conditions, it would make anything I did suspect, and less sincere. So instead, I was sent back as I am, and just left to figure it out for myself. It’s terrifying, you know… I’m adrift, without guidelines or orders to point me to the next task.”
“In which case… why should you care?” Evelyn asked, rolling her eyes.
�
��What?” Vaneryth asked.
“Why care what those conditions are? Yes, your current state is much weaker than you were, but you’re about equal to most mortals even now,” Evelyn told her, resisting the urge to scold the angel. She didn’t need that right now. “Mortals have managed to do incredible things with what you have, so… why view it as limiting? Make the most of what you have and choose your future. Like with the others, make your way forward, and hope that you’re doing what they want you to. Though I’ll admit, personally I’d just assume that I wasn’t ever going to get my powers back. If you don’t have conditions… it’s gone. Live with that knowledge and try to improve in the ways that you can control. You can’t control them, not without becoming as bad as the people who captured you.”
“I… are you sure that’s the right thing to do? I’m an angel,” Vaneryth said, her voice plaintive now. “I haven’t been a mortal in so long that…”
“Control that which you’re able to, accept the things you can’t. Simple words, but incredibly difficult to put into practice,” Evelyn said, shrugging. “I had enough trouble with it when I was younger, and even now… well, you’ve heard about my temper. I do have anger management issues. Fortunately, none of you seem like you’re going to set me off.”
“I think that’s because you draw a careful line between those you’re close to and those you aren’t. Somehow you put us in the first category, so you’re more tolerant of us than you might normally be,” The angel said, her voice soft now.
Evelyn laughed, thinking about that for a second, then shrugged. “You very well may be right. I’ll also admit, you’re nice enough most of the time. As long as you and Zel aren’t fighting, anyway… but here we are. Keep an eye out for anyone alive, or for threats. I wouldn’t put it past the astral to throw a few critters to eat us in there.”
Chosen of Chaos (Eve of Destruction Book 1) Page 29