Space Wizards

15: Rescue Ship

"Ick. More magic," said Øregård. 

"So you want me to trust my life to your spells then, wizard?" asked Grimble. 

"I assure you it will be fine." 

"And you trust him?" Grimble asked Øregård. 

"Thus far, he speaks the truth."

"If you can get a Gastraddar to believe in magic, this old gnome will have to give you a chance." 

"Splendid," said Melock as they stepped into the airlock. 

The inner door closed behind them, Øregård took a big breath and held it, Grimble did the same, the air rushed out of the room, and the outer door opened. Just a step away from the outer edge of the ship was a wall of color. An invisible door opened and a clone in a seafoam green spacesuit with a thin glass-shielded helmet waved them over. 

Øregård hopped over to the clone ship. Melock did the same. Murphy looked down at the gap between the two ships. It was infinite; space went on forever into a field of blackness and sparkling stars. When she stepped over she felt the weightlessness of the cosmos wrap around her. The gravity ship secured her to the floor on the other side. Grimble began to walk his robot over. 

"You cannot bring Makina technology onto our ship." 

"I've removed its transponder." 

"If you bring it, it will be confiscated." 

Grimble looked cross. The clone reached his arm across and Grimble hopped out of the robo-suit and into the clone's hand. The door closed and the airlock slid deeper inside the clone ship. Air flooded the chamber, a beam of light scanned everyone, and the inner door opened. Another clone was waiting for them.

"Øregård, we have not seen you in many years, we hope your clan is well?" said the clone. 

"Do you know them?" asked Murphy.

"Not them specifically, but the clones have a long memory," he said and stepped into the ship with a grunt for the clones.

Murphy stepped aboard and the clone scanned her with a handheld device. 

"Human female, Abraxian strand. No Terran genetic markers, no mutations or contaminations, late-stage childhood development in progress. First contact," said the clone. 

"That's Sister Murphy to you, bub, and I'm no child."

"I think they are talking about your physical bodily growth," said Melock stepping in.

"I am a woman. I've lived for 18 winters," said Murphy. 

"Different societies have different standards. They're saying hello."

"Ok, then. Hello," said Murphy to the clone.

"Greetings. And greetings to you Melock the Wise, greatest of the conjurers. The 71EEB8 are pleased to make your acquaintance in person. We are aware of your travels near our quadrant of the galaxy. We have questions about the technology you use for space protection and locomotion. But first, is there anything you or your travel companions need?

Melock put his hands behind his back mimicking the posture of the clones. He lifted himself up on his toes and then rocked back on his heels drawing the clone's attention to his bare feet. The clone holding Grimble behind him saw his fingers move in unusual patterns behind his back but was not aware of a connection to rudimentary charm spells. 

"My reputation proceeds me again. I too have heard much of the 71EEB8 species. We've been traveling for some time to find you. Mr. Øregård's ship was lost and we found ourselves in the company of Mr. Grimble Grumble here."

"We, of course, honor our contract with Ursa Minor and apologize for the conflict of interest with your Makina hardware," said the clone. 

"I'd protest but I know your decisions are final," said the gnome. 

"What Mr. Grimble here is saying, is that his ship was also destroyed and he wished to study the perpetrators if possible. He was simply returning home when we ran into him. The trouble is nothing for the 71s to concern themselves with and the loss of our ships is an acceptable outcome."

"We understand," said the clone accepting his statements at face value. 

"I come to you seeking an audience with her. If she is available? I'd like to discuss a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas." said Melock leaning in toward the clone.

"She is part of the 71EEB8. We are in direct communications with our deep space ambassadors guild. You may use us as a conduit to communicate with her directly. Our species shares information differently than your own." 

"Interesting, would you be so kind as to show us where we are at? And where she is at? With our damaged ships we have very much lost our way."

"Certainly." 

The clones led them up two levels to the flight deck of the ship. Øregård carried Mr. Grimble on his shoulder and Muprhy whispered with Melock as they walked the ramps between the sections of the ship. 

"This reminds me of the inside of the Lich's tomb." 

"A coincidence. Or something more? The similarities are certainly uncanny."

Two more identical clones stood behind complex tables of light. They only minorly interacted by swiping their hands over various glowing gems. The ship controls had no monitors and the pilots interfaced with the computer using their minds. The flight deck was dark with smooth walls, ceilings, and floors that acted like dim reflections of the outside of the ship.

A massive viewer showed space in front of them and the outer hull of Mr. Grimble's freighter. Its engines were mostly destroyed and a trail of chemical smoke drifted behind. Its outer surface was scorched with blaster holes and the doors to the massive cargo hold were bent outward like a tin can pried opened with pair of pliers. 

The viewer faded away and a star map labeled in a mathematical language overlaid a photorealistic view of deep space. Their location was highlighted in red as was a second location some hundred light-years away. 

"Ah, so she is there and we are here. Where is this in relation to the center of the galaxy? I need some kind of anchor point. Some way to triangulate. I'm not familiar with the stars in this section of the galaxy." 

"Are you familiar with the layout of the Flower Nebula?" asked their clone guide. 

"Vaguely, can you share any of your star maps?'' Melock pulled out his mobile device.

The clone pilots looked at each other. The projection altered to a fifty thousand foot view of the galaxy and maintained the two points in red as well as adding points that indicated the center of the Flower Nebula and the giant black hole holding the galaxy together. 

"Abraxas is somewhere around here," said their guide gesturing at the other side of the galaxy. Then he pointed about two-thirds the way out on the Orion arm and said, "the other known human seed world of Terra is in this region." 

"Ok, this should be enough. And she is on a planet?" 

"A deep space cruiser," corrected the clone as the visual zoomed in on her location and displayed a geometric triangular plot between them, the cruiser, and one of the clone worlds inside the nebula. 

"Perfect," said Melock fiddling with his mobile. 

He rummaged around in his bag, brought out a small vile of whitish pigment, and poured it in a stylized pattern on the floor. He blew and it sparkled for a few seconds before drying. 

"Let her know I'm coming." 

Melock stepped onto the swirling pattern and vanished. 

The clone guide scanned the area where he just was and the two pilots fell into a comatose upright state crunching computer data. 

"So, that's how it's done?" said Grimble.

"Magics," huffed Øregård. 

"Now what do we do?" said Murphy giving their clone guide an intense questioning look.