Mindshard (ON HOLD)

Under the Light of a Dark Star

     A reasonable explanation but hardly enough to justify telling him, Finn silently noted as Oda took the lead and they began the descent along the hill face.  No, it wasn’t information the Halinor wanted to pass along.  She wanted to remind Finn just how much in control of the situation she was, taking him along like a pet to wherever she wished.  Subtle, but effective; Finn felt the collar tighten around his throat with the wave of frustration that passed through him.

     It took another great effort to quash the frustration a second time before the Praetor took notice.  By the time he had throttled his emotions back into submission, they were a good distance down the winding path that led from the hill’s crown.  Thankfully it was a prepared path, complete with steps cut into the hill’s rocky heart whenever the way got too steep, so he was able to continue without paying much attention or he would’ve had a nasty spill during his distraction.

     Widening into a road of sorts by the time it reached the hill’s foot, the path continued its winding passage between a number of the taller hills before it dipped into a low, narrow run which ended abruptly against one of the hills.  Here, growing clearer with each step towards it, the path actually entered the hill via a low, arching opening, framed by intricate carvings and etching into the dark stone that formed the portal.

     With Oda still in the lead, the trio quickly passed beneath the arch, giving Finn little time to examine it, and into the corridor beyond.  It was an equally low passageway, lit at distant, but regular intervals by oblong crystals that glowed a soft blue.  Standing about shoulder height, they illuminated the ground at their feet with dull pools of dim light while keeping everything above them in shadow.

     Obviously used to the low light conditions, lis’Katenor didn’t hesitate to follow Oda along the corridor, her robe flaring around her legs in the winds of passage, her pace forcing Finn into a light jog just to keep up with them.  The trio traveled thus for a good five or six hundred metres before the corridor took a hard right and opened into a broad space.

     Here a platform of sorts had been carved from the raw stone, cut flat and polished smooth until it glowed in the low light cast by the crystals.  It spanned a good ten metres to the edge of a deep groove cut into the stone and stood about twenty wide, some sort of public access point to what appeared to be mass transit.  A moment later Finn had his suspicions confirmed when a cigar-shaped vehicle appeared out of the darkness to his left and slowed to a halt in front of the platform, several doors along its side silently opening to disgorge a number of Teserin passengers.

     Holding them back with a subtle motion of her hand, lis’Katenor waited until those disembarking at this station had cleared the doors before letting Oda lead them onto the car.  She immediately stepped to the back, as far from the passengers still in the cabin as possible, forcing both Oda and Finn to join her.  There the Praetor stiffly sat, looking straight ahead and ignoring the curious looks the handful of Teserin in the car were throwing in her direction.  Taking up a position just off the Halinor’s left shoulder, Finn finally let his curiosity loose, eyes sharp as they examined the space he now found himself in.

     The car was much like the tube cars the cities of Icarus Prime and Secundus used in their mass transit systems, little more than a shell with formed plastic seats bolted directly to the cabin floor.  It bore little in the way of comfort, more function than form, an efficient use of resources.  As he finished his cursory examination, a soft vibration reached up through the soles of his boots to announce an energy field coming to life around the car and, with no further hesitation, it smoothly left the platform on its right and darted into the continuing tunnel in front of them.

     Instantly the car was thrown into darkness, the tunnel itself possessing none of the light crystals that lit the way in and the platform area.  If they were alarmed by the abrupt cessation of illumination, however, the other passengers gave no sign, sitting calmly in their seats.  At least, that’s what Finn thought they were doing, each Teserin form nothing more than a slightly darker shadow to his human vision.  It wasn’t until the car broke out of the tunnel’s absolute black and into a relatively well-lit space that he could see one way or the other.  But he swiftly found his attention drawn away from the passengers.