An hour and a half later, Sabrina, Scotty, and Ford were resting in the little sitting area between the control console and the main screen. The ship's interior resembled Khediva almost uncannily, Sabrina felt, except for the lack of potted plants and the other little touches that had made the Wayship feel more like a home. She sighed, rubbing at her forehead. She wanted Khediva. The three of them had been analyzing and arguing over the satellite record for the past hour, but the satellite was not equipped to observe the sort of things they most needed to know.
Though to be honest, Sabrina doubted it would have helped much if it were; she and Scotty had once known a great deal about temporal mechanics for humans, but even at their peak they would have been mere hindrances to Ford. If he had indeed built this ship, as he claimed, he certainly wouldn't need their input, at least from a scientific perspective. She glanced over at Rudolf, standing by silently in a corner, testament to Ford's skill in cybernetics. Well, the ship certainly operated like a Wayship, except that it seemed to need much more of the pilot's attention.
"I still can't believe Homeworld let you get away with this. It goes against everything in the treaty," Sabrina remarked, looking at him curiously. "They were so paranoid about it."
"Well," Ford said, looking momentarily abashed. "To be strictly honest with you, Miss Devon, they don't know."
Scotty snorted. "And how long're you gonna be able to keep that up?"
Sabrina cut off Ford's impatient reply. "But I can't believe Tirqwin would have let you do this, knowing what trouble it would cause."
"Well," Ford said again.
Scotty burst out laughing. "Hoo boy! I don't want to be there when he finds out! You better make sure Rina's there, Ford, she's the only one who can talk to him when he's in a rage!"
"But Mara must have known!" Sabrina protested. "How did you get away with it?"
"Mother's very busy," Ford said. "She knew I was building a ship. She didn't know the details."
"But she knows now?"
"Yes." Ford grimaced. "That's how I discovered she can tell when someone's been out of time. I made the mistake of coming directly home after a jaunt into the distant past. It didn't take much for her to figure the rest of it out. She said it must be kept a secret, even from Father, so that he didn't have to lie to Homeworld about it. She told the Prime Minister and Commander Mukryilla, though. They wanted her to destroy the ship, but I wouldn't let her."
"Wouldn't let her?" Scotty repeated in disbelief.
Sabrina shook her head. "Don't sound so surprised, Scotty. As a spoiled son yourself, you ought to understand. Ford, I take it you applied what you learned from your time on Khediva?"
"Yes. I don't think Father realized how much I would remember."
Sabrina frowned. "He probably hoped he'd taught you enough responsibility that you wouldn't endanger the peace for selfish reasons."
Ford looked affronted. "Homeworld wouldn't go to war with us for this. After all, I'm half Wayfarer!"
"If that's true, then things have sure changed!" Scotty said. "I always thought that's why Homeworld wanted to get rid of the Miahns, because they were too similar."
"Where did you get the crystal?" Sabrina asked.
"I was not aware that you have the authority to question me," Ford said angrily. "I am not accustomed to such—"
"Well, that's obvious!" Scotty muttered.
Ford, flushing, opened his mouth to retort, but Sabrina intervened. "Scotty, mind your manners. He may be our cousin but he's also a prince. Your highness, you must forgive our curiosity. It is understandable that we are concerned with this violation of a treaty we sacrificed so much to bring about." Unbidden images of Rayland's waxen face on his funeral bier and Tirqwin lying pale and still on the floor of a shuttle in a Pharon Way flashed into her mind.
The anger died out of Ford's expression, replaced by curiosity of his own. "Everyone talks about what heroes you are, but no one ever says specifically what you did to bring the treaty about, except that you saved Father's life in doing it."
"Some secrets need to be kept," Sabrina murmured sadly, staring down at her hands. Then she looked at Ford and summoned a smile. "The fact that you can be so skeptical about war with Homeworld tells me the treaty's been a success. Ninety-two years of peace.... Generations of Praxatillians, and a new generation of Miahns, living without that fear. It was all worth it, then. Peace, like war, can be a habit."
Scotty grunted. "Peace may be a habit on Praxatillus, but whoever snatched Mara and Tirq and Khediva didn't do it as an invitation to tea."
With a sigh, Sabrina nodded. "Well, it's always someone, isn't it? If not Homeworld, then Reissians."
"Not Reissians," Ford said. "Their society suffered a collapse after their defeat at the Battle for Dansestari. They've been isolated my entire life and haven't shown any signs of being interested in the outside universe again yet."
Sabrina bit her lip, concentrating. "You say the Miahns in Giandrah can't locate Mara in the Crystal?"
"No. And yet she must be somewhere; the Crystal is still under control. If she were out of touch with it, it would cast about for another Guardian. And since no Inheritor has been born yet, that would mean disaster," Ford said.
"Well, if it's under control, that's a good sign," Scotty said. "So Mara does exist somewhere, only nobody knows where. And she's not using the Crystal?"
"No. If she did, the Miahns in Giandrah would sense it. We'd be able to locate her," Ford said.
"She must be unconscious, or in stasis," Sabrina guessed. "Which means whoever's got her knows enough about her to know that's the only way they can keep her."
"We've been through all this!" Scotty said in frustration. "Ford, you're sure it's not the Xoentrols again?"
"Yes. That was one of our first thoughts too. Our task force discovered no evidence of that."
"But you haven't been yourself?"
"No." Ford looked angry at the memory. "The Prime Minister and Commander Mukryilla insisted I find you first."
"It makes sense," Sabrina said. "You're the only Miahn with time travel capability, except for Mara, of course. I hope this won't blow your cover with Homeworld."
"I hope so too," Ford replied. "And if it does, I hope your contribution is worth it."
"If it isn't, it won't be our fault!" Scotty resolved.
A chime sounded, and Ford got up and hurried to the control console. "We're approaching Shzhin Colony. We'll be at the emergence coordinates in a few minutes."
"Right," Scotty said. "This is it. Do you have any combat armor, Ford?"
"No."
"Right. Well, then, where's the weapons locker?"
"I don't need guns."
Scotty rolled his eyes. To forestall another argument, Sabrina asked, "Does this ship have any defensive capabilities, Ford?"
"Certainly. The shielding exceeds anything you'll find in the Praxatillian space forces. I've also added a short-range, low-powered energy weapon for dire emergencies, but it wasn't my intention to build a ship for combat," Ford replied. "Wayships aren't heavily armed, after all."
"Yes, we know," Sabrina said, holding up a hand to prevent Scotty's imminent outburst.
"I want a blaster!" Scotty hissed at her. "We don't know who we're up against or what—"
"Scotty, if they can make part of a planet disappear, a blaster's not going to do you a bit of good."
"Don't count on it! Besides, that's what you said when we went after Malvarak, and it's a damn good thing I had one!"
"Well, since there aren't any weapons, there's no point in arguing," Sabrina pointed out.
"I still want a blaster. If I'd known, I'd've brought my sidearm!"
"Like that would have helped. I don't think guns are going to be the answer to this, Scotty."
"Oh, I suppose you're gonna solve it by doing diplomacy! 'Hi there, I'm Sabrina Devon, please give us our Guardian back and I'll bake you some nice cookies,'" he mimicked.
"Don't you dare make fun of my diplomacy! You of all people should know how much blood and sweat and tears went into it!" Sabrina cried, stung.
"I hate to interrupt your quarrel," Ford said, working busily at the console, "but please prepare for emergence."
The Devons sat down, glaring at each other briefly. A moment later, they looked at each other again, this time in concern and puzzlement. "Is that vibration normal?" Sabrina asked, fighting to stay in her seat.
"No!" Ford replied, perplexed. "Something's wrong. Something's interfering with the Way!"
Sabrina and Scotty got up and struggled to the control console, clinging to it and gritting their teeth against the bone-jarring vibration that was quickly becoming a quake. Rudolf joined them, plugging himself into the secondary console.
"I can't get a fix on whatever it is. It—" Ford broke off as an alarm cut in. It wailed by itself for a few seconds, then was joined by a chorus of others. "Brace yourselves!" he yelled.
Sabrina and Scotty grabbed for new handholds as the shaking increased, jolting them off balance. "What's happening?" Sabrina shouted.
"The Way is breaking up!" Ford yelled. "Prepare for crisis emergence! Rudolf, distress beacon, all channels!"
Rudolf said, "Master, hull integrity is at eighty percent and falling—"
"Not now, Rudolf!" Ford barked. "The defense screens are buckling!"
Sabrina, shaken loose from her hold, stumbled into Ford. He freed one arm and shoved her roughly at a chair. "Sit down, Miss Devon!" he commanded. "Rudolf, ready the escape capsule!"
Sabrina, knowing she could do nothing to help, concentrated on not being shaken out of her chair as Scotty was thrown loose and skidded across the floor. Ford managed to keep his balance, still frantically working the controls. As she watched, the ceiling seemed to waver and buckle. "Watch out!" she screamed.
"By the Crystal!" Ford swore. "Get down! Get down!"
A huge shock wave rocked the ship, knocking the control room sideways. Ford skidded into Sabrina's chair, jarring her out of it. In a heap, they slid across the tilted floor into the wall.
"What's happening?" Sabrina screamed in Ford's ear.
He put an arm around her and held her in an unbelievably strong grip. "Crisis emergence! Just hang on!" With his other hand, he reached for the base of another chair bolted into the floor.
"Ford—I can't—" Sabrina cried as an awful pressure threatened to crush her. "I can't breathe—"
"Just hang on!" he shouted back. "We'll be through it soon!"
Sabrina's vision began to narrow as she fought for breath. She felt strangely divorced from the situation, and her last conscious thought was, But I didn't get to see Mara....