Homestar Saga

Chapter 143: Soul Gaze

Silence. Lissa waited a beat, then gave a sharp nod. "Good. We're going to have you stay outside the Skygem for now. The three of us," she gestured at herself, Yvian, and Mims, "will go in, and then a Crystal Guardian will come out. Don't panic when you see it. The Guardian is the one who will give you the Lucendian implants. Are there any questions?"

Again there was no answer. Again Lissa gave a nod. "Alright. The Peacekeeper units are in charge while we're in the Skygem. If something happens to them, Scarrend and Warmaster Scathach will take charge. Is everyone ready?"

There was a muttered assent from the pixens, and shouted assent from a very excited Yuriko. Lissa nodded one more time. "Alright. We're going in."

The Skygem opened her airlock at a touch from Yvian. A bubbling happy welcome washed over her as she stepped inside. Judging from Lissa's smile, she felt it too. Mims remained stone faced. As the door closed, the three of them donned their helmets. As usual, Skygem shunted the breathable air and replaced it with a mix of methane and other gases. It was the atmosphere the Lucendians had once breathed.

Yvian had spent a lot of time with Skygem. The wide expanse of her main deck was almost as familiar as the Encounter. The airlocks weren't visible when they were closed, but she could place them by the ramps located two meters to either side. The ramps led to the upper decks, former living quarters that were now filled with generators to feed the ship. At the back of the ship was an alcove. Inside the alcove was the Guardian.

The Guardian was roughly pixenoid in shape, with a curved featureless crystal for a head. It was three meters tall, two meters wide, and its four digits ended in needle points. The thing weighed several tons and was even more dangerous than it looked. Even now, knowing the creature saw her as a friend, Yvian was afraid to get too close.

"So how do we want to do this?" Lissa's question snapped Yvian back to reality. She was at the front of the ship, near the communion nodes. "All together?"

"Let's not," said Mims. "Having a ship inside my head is weird enough. I don't think I could handle feeling your minds, too."

"You're just scared to let me look in your head," Lissa teased. She wrapped an arm around his waist. "You're right, though. It's weird. We'll go one at a time." She stopped smiling at the man long enough to smile at Yvian. "You want to go first, Sis? Skygem likes you best."

"You just want more time to snuggle," Yvian accused.

"So?"

Lissa's grin was contagious. Especially with Skygem broadcasting a constant stream of joy and excitement. Yvian chuckled. "I guess I'll go first."

Lissa's grin widened. "Thanks, Sis."

There were three chairs at the front of the ship. In front of the chairs were the Communion Nodes. One red, one blue, and one green. Yvian had learned the colors didn't matter, but she always picked the blue one. It was the prettiest. She sank into the chair and reached out, connecting her soul to the ship.

Yvian! The ship didn't communicate in words, but in the series of impressions, images and feelings it associated with Yvian. Yvian didn't know much psychology, but she suspected it was pure thought without a language structure. Whatever it was, Skygem had a way of communicating that Yvian could understand better than she understood the spoken word. Happy to see you!

A cascade of concepts and images flooded into Yvian's soul. Mother is here! Mother is hurt. Mother is spawning! Shard is with mother. Shard is with Skygem! Skygem is happy! Sunlight tastes good! Yvian felt her body smile as she took it all in. The crystal ship babbled for what felt like several minutes, but was probably much less in real time. Yvian shared the ship's joy, letting hope and love and happiness wash through her battered psyche.