Extant

The transport gave a shutter and the human shook slightly as they reached out a hand to steady themselves. They glanced up at the ceiling of the spacecraft and shielded their eyes against the dull artificial light. The transport steadied itself and the human gave a sigh. They returned their gaze to the tablet clutched in their hand and the collage of photos spread across the screen. Their eyes drifted to a particular photo and they tapped it, the photo expanding and taking up the entirety of the screen. It showed three individuals, two humans and an alien adorned with white gowns and golden circlets, holding what seemed to be sheets of white metal. Klal smiled sadly. They sighed and tried to stretch out their arms. Their tunic and trousers stuck to them uncomfortably. Shifting into a slightly more comfortable position, they looked out to the window they sat next to. Their tired reflection stared back at them as they looked out to the starry void of space. A thin, dark face framed by straight, long white locks of hair that fell like blades of grass down the side of their face. The blue-gray eyes that looked back at them were half closed with dark patches around them. They shook their head slightly and ignored their tired reflections's gaze. The ship hadn't moved. As they looked past their reflection, the same moons and stars they'd seen when they'd last glanced out the window still winked back at them. "Klal?" From behind their back, a pale pink hand reached out and clasped their shoulder. "Are you alright?" They turned to their other side, where in the seat next to them, a woman sat. Almost human. At a glance, one might assume she was indeed a human, an assumption that she seemed to encourage. The visor she wore over her eyes just barely managed to cover the fuchsia and orange triangle shaped compound eyes. Her light pink skin might have been mistaken for a bad sunburn. Her eyebrows would be recognized as simply convenient pigmentations on her brow and the hair that fell in two neat locks would reveal themselves as horns upon closer inspection. She sported an identical tunic and slack, the only thing breaking up the gray palette being a necklace she sported. It was aged and worn down, made of a deep violet wood. Diamond shaped, it bore the symbol of a winding curved stem that seemed encompassed by the diamond. "Are you alright Klal? You haven't said anything since we arrived in this system." Klal bowed their head and blushed slightly. "I'm sorry, I just, I don't know-" They shook their head. "I guess I just zoned out. Sorry, I should have-" She clasped their hand in her and smiled. "You don't have to apologize, Klal. Besides, I'm glad at least you were able to rest for a bit." E'le said as she looked around at the transport's interior. "I wouldn't mind doing that now." The passengers of the vessel were all seated in rows of two, a silver aisle separating them into two sides. The seats were high, obscuring the passengers from each other's view but while they couldn't see them, the constant murmurs around them reminded them of the others' presence.

"-been waiting for hours, he's going to throw a fit-"

"Now now, no sense in worrying about a gamma burst."

"-telling you chief, it's just stalled-"

"-a captain from the New Worlds, probably never even seen a starship-"

E'le grimaced and shook her head, "I'll be glad just to get off." Before Klal could say anything, they noticed the tablet in their hand. "What's that you've got there?" "Oh, this?" Klal held up the tablet and showed her the image. She grinned. "Our graduation." She pointed to the alien in the photo. "I can't believe I was even conscious of the ceremony. I'd spent the entire week before staying up all rotation studying for the exams." She glanced at the human closest to her in the photo and chuckled. "I still remember giving you that haircut the night before graduation." Klal smiled as they ran a hand through their hair. "Yeah, although I don't know if we can still do that today. I don't think we can get any light razors that thin anywhere here." Both Klal and E'le's eyes drifted to the third figure, the human with raven hair. SIlence hung between the two as they both glanced away from the tablet. A deep and gravelly voice sounded over the intercom, "Atenshion, Atenshion. This is Cap'n Terpot speking." The Captain growled, stumbling over his words in heavily accented Standard. The voice faltered as the sound rummaging could be faintly heard over the intercom. After a moment, the Captain's voice returned. " 've regret the delay in ar scheduling an' thank ar pa- pass- passengers fur remaining patient dur'ng the unfareseen an' unplanned shtop." The captain droned in a monotone voice as if he was reading off a prepared statement. "Unfortunately, Customs Enfarcement has infarmed us this is due to a cell of Magians attempting to shmuggle themselbes across the star system." Klal gasped along with many other passengers. The current of whispers and hisses around them grew stronger as the Captain's words sunk into the passengers.

"Magian?"

"Did he say Magian?"

"For the love of-" "Calm down they've been arrested-"

"Calm down?!"

"There is no need for alarm and 've ask you to remain calm." The captain said more forcefully. "The situation has been cantained and no one has been injared. If you have any questions ar' concerns, please relay them to our stewards. 've vil resume landing pracedures momentarily and we thank you for the patience you have shown today." A moment of static and the intercom was silent. Klal glanced nervously out of the window where a trio of disk-shaped starships drifted slowly into view, gliding towards the largest moon with a small, venom green and arrow-shaped freighterin tow. "Magians, here? I thought this sector was supposed to be safe." They murmured. "We're lightyears into Collective space, how could Magians be here-" They shifted uncomfortably as they looked out their window, trying to get a better look at the freighter. "I thought we were supposed to be safe." They whispered. E'le took their hand in hers. "Hey, don't worry. They're not here for us." She looked out at the ship, her face falling as her gaze drifted to the window and the starships in the distance. The transport gave a shudder and without warning lurched forwards, gliding past more saucer shaped vessels towards a strange floating structure above the planet. It seemed to be a pair of giant rings suspended on top of each other, and connected to a giant tube that jutted out from the planet's surface like a splinter lodged into skin. Klal gulped and thumbed the strap across their chest that secured them to their seat. Catching E'le's eyes, they chuckled nervously, "Always the landing." "It's alright, it'll be over before you know it." Klal smiled back nervously as with another shudder, the ship fitted itself between the rings. At once a field of red energy came and surrounded the rings and the transport buffeted to a halt. Klal gripped their armrest as they shut their eyes, knowing what came next. The intercom came alive again as this time an automated voice sounded.

Landing process to begin momentarily. Please brace yourselves.

The monotone voice repeated as the straps around the passengers tightened and the lights turned blue. And with that, the transport dropped like a stone. Faster and faster the ship plummeted as all around them flames began to bloom as they entered the planet's atmosphere. They grit their teeth as they gripped E'le's hand and their armrest so hard their knuckles turned white. They screwed their eyes shut as the transport fell faster and faster. The ship shuddered and Klal flinched. The floor beneath them was starting to get too warm. Their ears filled with the pressure of the new atmosphere. The descent was too fast. They were surely going to crash. "Thank you far your patronage and we welcome you to fly with us again." Klal cracked their eyes open. The ship was still. The transport had come to a stop. The rest of the passengers, while looking slightly ruffled and grumbling about the descent, seemed interested by the landing. The Captain was still mumbling over the intercom as he finally came to the end of his speech. "...an' 've vish yau a productive shtay on Ginfloud. The Collective for all." At these words, the passengers all raised their left hand and made a circle with their hand. "The Collective for all." They said in unison. The intercom cut off and with that, the straps securing the passengers popped open and they began to rise and extricate their baggage from underneath their seats. The transport's walls began to slide open and the passengers all clambered out. What awaited them was a cavernous and vast chamber of gray steel, so large that only a single wall was visible to them. Indented into the wall were black booths with tired looking officials sitting inside them. The passengers began Klal and E'le made their way to a free booth where a bored-looking mustachioed human official sat. "Chartas." The official droned. After rummaging in their tunic pocket for a moment, Klal pulled out two cards and handed them to the official. He snatched them from their hand and began to scan them with his datapad. "Please declare the purpose of your travel." He sighed. "Work, we're scientists from Collective Central-" A small alarm began to sound on the datapad as it read E'le's charta. The guard frowned for a moment before rolling his eyes and pressing a button on his datapad. Red lights around the booth began to light up and the sound of klaxons began to screech throughout the chamber. DISSENTING NATURALISED CITIZEN. DISSENTING NATURALISED CITIZEN. ASSISTANCE REQUIRED. The robotic voice reverberated throughout the chamber, echoing into the cavernous emptiness. The other passengers jumped at the sound and whirled around for the source of the alarm. Quickly, they noticed the red booth and soon everyone was staring at them. They began to whisper to each other only now their murmurs were drowned about by the shrieking of the alarms. Some looked on sadly and others turned their heads away. Most just looked on with mild annoyance fear as sections of the wall opened and guards in transparent armor and reflective masks stepped from behind them. The official rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. "Of course, can't go a rotation without an Everyman deployment." He sighed and looked at E'le. "If you'll place your hands on the side of your head," He drawled. "What's going on?!" E'le said in a panicked voice as she looked around at the flashing lights and blaring klaxons. Sighing, the official reached down for something under his desk. When he resurfaced, he held a small black pistol and trained it on the couple. "Hands to the side of your head." He groaned. They obliged fearfully as the klaxons died down. Klal found their voice. "No wait, this is a mistake! Our chartas a-are valid!" They said as they tried to place themselves between E'le and the official. "Emergency Provision 19382022. All Naturalised Citizens with a known-association with dissenting activity are to be screened for potential dissention." He groaned. "What?! That's not a law!" Klal said as four guards finally reached the booth. "Came into effect only a half rotation ago. Direct from Collective Central." He drawled in a bored tone as the guards each grabbed one of E'le's arms and began to escort her away. "Wait, are you taking me?!" The Everymen remained silent as they marched her away. "What are you doing?! No, that's my wife!" Klal said. "E'le! E'le!" "Klal! It's alright, it's going to be alri-" An Everyman shoved her forward and Klal started to race towards them. The Everyman spun around with their pistol drawn. A flash of green. Klal doubled over in pain and fell to their knees. Heaving with pain, they scrambled back to their feet but by now E'le had already gone past the threshold and the wall behind her shut. Klal stared at the wall as panic began to engulf before the official's voice came from near them. "You're a relation of the Naturalised?" He asked, sitting back down behind his desk. "Yes!" Klal said as they turned to the official, their eyes alight with fear. "Follow them." He said dully as he leaned back onto his seat and began typing on his data pad. A small part of the wall opened again and two more Everymen approached Klal. The two of them grabbed both their arms and marched them away.

Hours later, Klal found themselves sitting on a small bench . They shook from head to toe and they gripped the edge of the bench with white knuckles as they stared as if entranced by the door that they had been told E'le was behind. A scowling official had admitted them in earlier and for the most part she had ignored them. She sat behind an elevated desk and had tried to busy herself with typing out a report on her keyboard. Her jaw set, she turned to face Klal. "You mind, mx?" The official spat as from her coat pocket she extracted a small respirator. Klal bowed their head and stopped. They said apologetically, "I'm sorry. They didn't say how long it would last or-" Looking up the guard, they said pleadingly, "Please, can you tell me-" "And how am I supposed to know, eh? Now shut it." She grunted. She put on the respirator and at once the sound of rushing air sounded from the mask. Sighing, she took off the mask as a slightly glazed look came across her eyes. She looked towards Klal and smirked, "Where'd you find a dissenter anyways?" "She's not a dissenter!" They shouted as they half rose from their seat, their eyes alight with a desperate sort of anger. "Oi!" The guard barked as she straightened up, her eyes narrowing as she put a hand on her pistol. "You know it's an offense to try to intimidate a Collective Official, do you?! You wanna make it harder for 'er?" She jerked a thumb behind her. Klal looked between the guard and the door, their hands fidgeting as they slumped back into the chair and hung their head. "Yeah." The guard said as she leaned back on the wall and took out her respirator again. "Smart of you." She muttered as she put the respirator back on and the rushing sound came again.

"State your identity." E'le's own petrified face stared back at her through the reflective mask of the Everyman in front of her. The room was miniscule, with just enough room for the six people inside to stand with an arm's length between them, E'le and five Everymen. There were no lights and yet the room was filled with a blinding light that E'le had to constantly blink away from her eyes. One Everyman loomed over her from an elevated spot in the floor with four of their fellows standing sentinel in the room's corner as they stared impassively at the scene in the center ."Na- Naturalised Citizen E'le, Species, R-Remeluan, 8719." "Are you lying?" The Everyman asked. They spoke with some sort of vocaliser, as their words seemed to be made up of several voices spliced together. It didn't help that the Everyman had been stock still since E'le had been brought in. She gulped and shook her head. "Verbal confirmation is required." They snapped. The Everymen seemed to tense at this, crossing their arms and revealing their holstered pistols. Her eyes flitting between the Everymen, she said timidly, "Uhm, no, t-that is my identification. But I don't understand-" "You will speak only to answer questions. Otherwise you will remain silent." The Everyman standing over her said. "When was the last time you returned to your homeplanet?" "Remluos? I- I don't know... six years? The Everyman stared at her,​​ stock still as she glanced between them and the other Everymen. "I- I don't know what's going on. Why-?" At once the surrounding Everymen raised their pistols and fired. Four flashes of pale yellow light. Sometime later, she found herself on the floor, her body aching all over. Dimly, she was aware of the Everyman over her. "You will speak only to answer questions. Otherwise you will remain silent." They repeated. A moment passed. "Get up." The Everyman added as if as an afterthought. Slowly, she began to herself up as the Everyman plowed on. "Tell me your experience with the Moimo uprising." She stopped mid-rise and nearly collapsed back onto the floor. The blood drained from her face as she forced herself not to react and get back onto her feet. The Everyman stared at her. Impassively? Curiously? Expectantly? Her petrified face was all that looked back at her. Finding her voice, she said in a nervous voice, "I... was off-world at the time. I was working at Collective Central Observatory, the orbital one, when I first heard of it." "And you never returned to Remulos during or after the uprising?" "No." A longer pause. "Five members of your family were involved with the Moimo movement, members that you had contact with beforehand. Did they ever relate any of their seditious attitudes or designs to you?" Measuring her response, she said carefully, "I spoke to them over- over hologram but they never mentioned anything about the movement or anything political at all." She looked trepidatiously at the Everyman before saying her next words, "As I told the investigation committee when they interviewed me about it five years ago when the uprising was... was over." The Everyman's response was quicker than she had anticipated. "And you didn't support their actions in any way?" "No. No, I thought they were wrong to attack the Collective peacekeepers." She said with a sincerity she didn't feel. A pause. "And you believe that the amnesty granted by the Collective was not only just but far better than they deserved?" Her hands twitched and with a great effort she fought to maintain her calm demeanor. Her lips began to tremble slightly. "Absolutely." If the Everyman noticed anything they did not seem to be cause for comment. "Do you acknowledge the Collective as the one and singular authority, moral in the Galaxy?" "I do." "Do you disavow any and all misguided attempts at dissent or insurrection against the Collective?" "Yes." The Everyman cocked their head at E'le, the first motion they had made since the interrogation began. It was impossible to tell what was going beside the mask and E'le found it hard not to stare at her reflection as the seconds grew into minutes and the minutes became hours.

Klal sat doubled over with fear as they kept staring at the door, their face alight with anxiety and dread. The sounds of rushing air came again from the official's respirator. Suddenly the door swung open and there she stood, frazzled and fearful looking but alive. "E'le!" Klal raced towards her and they embraced each other. Hastily the official ripped off her mask and tossed it beneath her desk as she straightened in her seat, peering behind E'le to see if she was accompanied by an Everyman. E'le winced and detached from Klal as they looked at her, fear and jubilation written all across their face. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you, what-" "I'm fine, I'm here." She said as she beamed at them. Once she was sure that there was no one coming after E'le, the official groaned and pulled out a data pad that she began to read off of, not caring if the two heard them. Her words were slurred slightly and her voice faltered.. "We needa- a report of all your comings and g- goings- goings on- on-planet. Failure to report this will result in deta- detainment." The official said as she fumbled around searching for something before finding it. She handed back E'le's charta. "Right, of course." E'le mumbled as she took the charta from the guard. The official stumbled slightly and tried focusing on E'le. "Bef- Before you leave the planet you'll come back 'ere for further interv- view- view. Exit'suh down there." She gestured towards the hallway adjacent to the She said in a slightly dazed as she looked up from her data pad and feebly raised his left hand in salute. "The Collective forall." Klal and E'le copied her and with that, she turned round and started searching for something underneath her desk. Once they had collected all their luggage and clambered out of the doorway, the door slid behind them and they were alone. E'le dropped her luggage and embraced Klal in a passionate kiss. Breaking after a while, Klal looked at her with fear written all over their face. "What did they do to you? Did they hurt you?" E'le shook her head. "They just stunned me. It'll wear off after a while." She said as she winced. "I was so worried, if anything had happened to you-" Klal breathed. "But it didn't." She smiled. They kissed again and after a longer time, they came apart. They reached the end of the hallway and stepped out. Before they could even take in their surroundings, they were blasted by a gust of icy wind that bit into their faces. As they shielded their faces from the wind, they could see that aside from them, the white landing pad was very nearly empty. Only one other figure stood in the whitering cold. A squat, light gray alien with round black eyes and a lipless mouth. They were dressed in a heavy coat that nearly obscured them from the view and they stood in front of a small and beaten looking craft, frost covering nearly every square inch of it. Catching sight of the couple, the alien walked over to them. "Doctor Klal, Doctor E'le. I am Kugo. I am to escort you to the Observatory." The alien said in clipped Standard as they nodded to the two respectively. "Doctor Rtoa sends his warmest salutations and asks your understanding of his absence." "Of course." E'le said as she extended a hand to greet them. "It's nice to meet you Kugo." The alien stared at the hand for a moment before taking it. Klal too raised a hand but unfortunately Kugo had turned back to check on something in the craft and they put their hand back down slightly embarrassed. "He also sends his apologies that a larger voltaire could not be sent," Gesturing around them the small and boxy hovercraft. "It seems the majority were needed for an expedition that won't return until the next revolution is complete." They gave a punch to the control panel and the voltaire grumbled to life, floating "That's alright." Klal said as they lifted their luggage and tried to insert it into the voltaire. "Please, allow me." Kugo said as they snatched the case from their hands and began to lift it into the voltaire. The three of them clambered into the voltaire and after a few buttons had been pressed, a couple switches flipped and a leaver pulled, the voltaire began to rise higher and higher into the air before soaring away from the landing. The journey was quiet. Kugo seemed to not be interested in conversation and after the disembarking process, neither E'le nor Klal were eager to engage. They simply sat there and held each other as the voltaire sped through the air as it was buffeted by gusts of icy winds. The scenery outside was mostly icy tundra and the cramped voltaire's windows did not offer a good look at the sky. Not long after, they caught their first look at the Observatory. At first glance it might have been mistaken for a giant spinning top. The base of the structure seemed impossibly small as compared to the topmost level which stretched far beyond the clouds. The levels were spinning slowly, each one at a different pace and in a different direction and thus the impression was of a statue of a tornado that had been enlarged ten times from its actual size. Kugo pressed a button on the control panel and spoke into a communicator. "Naturalised Citizen 3810 with the researchers from Collective Capital, requesting landing permissions. Clearance codes forthcoming" For a moment there was only static until, "Acknowledged Naturalised 3810. Proceed to landing zone D38-C." Static for a moment and then silence and gently, the voltaire came to a rest in a small white hangar. As they clambered out of the voltaire, Kugo extricated the luggage and together, the three of them exited the hangar and entered into a maze of hallways. The interior was cold, sterile, almost overwhelmingly white as they passed through identical corridors. At last they came to a stop next to a pair of sleek white double doors, almost indistinguishable from the walls. "Your residential suite." The gray skinned alien bleated. "Doctor Rtoa has invited you to dinner in his receiving suite." Kugo continued. At this, Klal gulped and said with somewhat forced offhandedness, "Uhmm, I'm not sure. We've had a long trip and we might want to..." Klal glanced at E'le. She shook her head and said placidly, "That's alright, you can tell Rtoa we'd be happy to dine with him." She said. Kugo nodded their head and swiftly saluted them. "The Collective for all." Kugo murmured and after E'le and Klal followed suit, they swept down the hallway. The residential suite, as it transpired, was rather over-furnished. The domed walls were the same shade of white as the halls and collection of crystals suspended above the circular living room illuminated a mess of sofas, tables, armchairs that seemed to be scattered haphazardly throughout the sitting room with only a desk with a keyboards to break up the clutter of furniture. The kitchen was connected to the sitting room and there were only two open doorways that lead to the bedroom and the bathroom. As they entered, the lights dimmed and the roof of the room flickered for a moment before coming alight as it became a screen that showed the flickering lights and glittering stars above. A crystal moon shone above them and through it light poured to illuminate the sky with beams of radiant light. E'le sat onto the nearest armchair and looked up at the projection in awe. "I can't wait to go outside and see the real thing." She said wistfully. Klal glanced up at the projection too, a small smile breaking through the mask of worry as they said, "We can take a walk outside and see it after..." They glanced at E'le with something like trepidation in their eyes. "Look E'le, if you don't want to see Rtoa now, we don't have to." Klal said as they bent down to be level with E'le. "It can't be helped." She said simply. "He invited us here. It would be rude of us to ignore him." She said simply. "I know but..." Their brow furrowed as they searched for words. "You know what he's like, what he says." E'le sighed. "It's fine, I'll make it through the evening." She said as she began to open her luggage case. "Well... I just... I know Rtoa's... I just don't- don't want him to say something stupid." They mumbled abashedly. E'le took their hand in hers and squeezed. "I know what Rtoa's like. And I also know what you're like. Believe me, I know you're nothing like him." When Klal still looked worried, she gave a small smile. "And besides, he's paying."

Ten minutes later they were standing in a wide and nearly empty room with just two chairs awaiting them. Klal looked around nervously as they constantly checked the nearby solar clock. "Well he should be here by-" A voice from behind them called in a boisterous shout. "Klal!" They spun around to find another human walking towards them. Rtoa's figure was larger and more muscular and he strode with a devil may care attitude befitting his youth. He had paler skin than Klal but not by much. His flowing robes were of a vibrant lilac and they gave him an all together festive look. His dark raven hair swept back into a high bun, his silver eyes crinkled with a smile as he genially clasped Klal's hand, "Glad we could drag you from Collective Central, eh?" He said as he jovially embraced them. "How are you Klal?" Klal smiled in spite of himself as the two came apart and gave a shrug. "Haven't had quite the same fortunes as the Deputy Director of Scientific Progress." "I think you mean misfortunes." Rtoa smirked. "The title is nice, but I'd like to see how you enjoy a meeting with those fossils at the Science Council. How long's it been? I don't think we've seen each other since that class reunion in the Sesmo Cluster. I still can't believe that we were the only three to graduate directly to research scientists." Catching sight of E'le, his smile faltered slightly as he extended a hand to her. "E'le! How nice to see you." She nodded her thanks. "It's nice to see you again Rtoa." She said. Rtoa nodded. "Good to see you looking so good." Turning to face them both, he asked, "How was your journey? Did Kugo bring you to the station alright?" "Oh yes they were excellent." Klal responded. "They're useful for those kinds of things. Found them on one of Zovald's moons. Not like those New World types, you know- oh." E'le winced at this last comment and Klal looked aghast. "I'm sorry E'le, I didn't mean it like that, just that he's- well... acclimated to life in the Collective more then some, uh, not including you, of course." "It's alright..." She said in a wouldbe calm voice. Klal found E'le's hand and squeezed it. She squeezed back and relaxed her shoulders slightly. Completely oblivious to this, Rtoa continued, "I could have sworn you were supposed to arrive hours earlier. I was beginning to wor- Oh- this way please." He added, gesturing towards a massive set of double doors. "I've selected the best observation deck for our supper this evening." He said as the doors slid open and revealed a tall hallway of glass. The group stepped through the threshold and walked through a tall hallway of glass. "Well, the journey was alright, the landing was a nightmare though." Klal sighed. "Oh?" Rtoa raised an eyebrow. "Well at first we were delayed in orbit because..." Glancing around as if to check no one was eavesdropping, whispered, "Well, because they found a group of Magians in the next ship." "The Magians." Rtoa spat. "Yes, I was informed of that. You know this is the second time this lunar cycle a group of Dissenters have passed through this system? Haven't they caused the galaxy enough hardship?" Looking between the two of them with slight apprehension, E'le murmured, "They weren't doing anything illegal, they were just there." Rtoa waved his hand dismissively, "They were committing a crime just by being there. It's an affront to our generosity. Besides, they have their whole planet to ruin and corrupt. Why bring their barbarisms here?" An uneasy silence fell over the three. Klal's eyes darted and they opened their mouth to say something before Rtoa cut in, "I was also informed of what happened at Customs." E''le tensed and gripped Klal's hand tighter. Rtoa shook his head and gave a theatrical sigh "I'm sorry that happened to you E'le. Truly, but, I suppose the way things are now, it's necessary if we want to protect ourselves. If we're to maintain order, well, we've got to do what's best for all of us, don't we?" E'le winced slightly but forced a smile and nodded. She quite suddenly became very interested in the snowy landscape outside. "Well, at any rate, you'll be safe here." Rtoa said. "We're lightyears away from any of the rabble." The group reached the end of the hallway. "But enough of that," He said as the doors swung open. A vast and open pavilion stood revealed, a large circular table bedecked with food and surrounded by three footing chairs overlooking the wintery landscape and the crystalline moon. "Make yourselves at home."

"Well the research is obviously invaluable to the Collective." Rtoa said as he took a sip of his vial, a clear and slightly indigo tinted liquid. The remnants of dinner lay strewn across the dishes, like carcasses of devoured beasts. The three diners now sat back in their chairs and watched the moon's light shine like a kaleidoscope in the sky. "The Ayukagan Crystals on the planet's moon could set telescope technology ahead a couple centuries. That with the meteors this world attracts, and of course, that's not even getting into some of the material we've found deeper into the planet. Well, so I've been told. I haven't had the chance to see the mining process myself but I wager it's worth a trip." He grinned, leaning back onto his seat and stretching out. "Well, that sounds incredible." Klal said, straightening themselves up as they turned to look at E'le. She was sitting straight, her arms to her side as she gazed down at her nearly full vial. "Well it'll certainly be a nice change of pace." E'le said as she gave a forced chuckle and took a sip of her drink. "A crystal moon in constant eclipse isn't something you see everyday." Rtoa nodded and leaned closer to the table. "But tell me, how have things been at Collective Central?" He asked. "The things I've heard, well, they just seem impossible." Klal sighed and rubbed their forehead. "It's been impossible. The protesters I would be able to live with if the Everymen didn't practically kidnap us whenever or wherever just for questioning." They muttered. Rtoa paused mid sip and looked at them with a puzzled expression. "Klal, those measures are vital for the security of the Collective. They're necessary to prevent the spread of dissent, anarchy, all the things that threaten us." "I know," Klal said, raising their hands in supplication. "I'm- I'm not saying anything otherwise, just-" They shook their head and took a sip from their vial. "So, it's true then?" Rtoa said as he leaned closer. "The rioters have been at it for forty rotations?" "It's felt longer." Klal said. "It's impossible not to see them." "You know, I've heard some of them are even protesting the treatment of the Magians." Rtoa raised the vial to his lips. "Despicable. After all the chaos they caused, the lives they took trying to keep their people sheltered from the Collective, they should feel grateful they got to keep their planet." He murmured as he drank some more of the beverage. E'le raised her vial to hide the scowl she was wearing as she stared grimly at Rtoa. "I- We wouldn't know. We've tried not to follow them as much as some on the Observatory." Klal responded timidly. "Anyone we know?" Rtoa said, peering over his vial at Klal. They shifted slightly under his gaze and they shook their head. "Obviously not. Obviously not..." Rtoa frowned at Klal before shrugging his shoulders and taking another swig of his vial. "And the riots themselves?" He asked. Klal gave a small shrug. "We haven't seen any personally but we thought it might be best to get away for a while." "I'll never understand the Dissenters." Rtoa said as he shook his head in disgust. "Bleeding hearts and New Worlders." He snorted, "The New Worlds. Those systems were hardly civilised before the Collective made contact with them. They attacked us with sticks and stones and whatever primitive tools they had. And we accepted them! We forgave their ignorance and we gave their lives purpose. And now they repay us with this- this backstabbing treachery!" He was incoherent with rage, his vial shaking in his hand as his drink spilled. "They're incapable of respecting authority, they're-!" He caught sight of E'le and faltered. "Oh E'le, forgive me, I- I didn't mean you. Of course you're not like them. You're different." He said apologetically as he shrunk back into his seat. "I-It's alright Rtoa." She said in a small voice. Rtoa looked down at his vial and took a small sip of the liquid. "At any rate, I'm glad you both are safe now." He said, looking up and giving an apologetic smile. "But, I seem to recall you cited a personal reason in your transfer request?" At this E'le and Klal caught each other's eye and shifted rather uncomfortably in their seats. "We... we..." E'le's words petered off as she hung her head. Klal went somewhat red in the face as they said awkwardly, "We're trying... Well- We're trying to have a child..." "Oh- oh! Congratulations!" Rtoa's face split into a wide grin as he got up to wring Klal's hand. Klal allowed themselves to be manhandled by Rtoa before falling back into their seat, a look of almost mourning on their face, one mirrored by E'le who had put her face in her hands. "Why the long faces?" Rtoa said, looking between the two, his smile faltering slightly. Exchanging a look of sorrow, Klal straightened up and said sadly, "We've...seen most of the fertility experts on the Collective Central and...and..." They gulped and tried to go on but only a slight whimpering sound escaped them. With a great sigh, E'le murmured, "It seems our- our genes aren't really compatible... They say there isn't too much chance that we can..." Klal reached out and put their arm around her shoulder as she began to blink rapidly and Klal covered their face with their free hand. "No, no!" Rtoa said as he slapped the table. "Our biological division has a top-of-the-line genetic synthesisation tube. I'll send it to your suite at once." Starled, Klal and E'le at once began to try and protest. "Oh, Rtoa, this is too much-" Klal said. E'le said, "We- we really can't accept..." Rtoa shook his head, "No no, I insist. There must be a way. I'll see to it." Klal made to respond, caught sight of the rosy flush about Rtoa's cheeks and thought better of it. "I... well..." Catching each other's gaze, they sighed and E'le shook her head "Well, thank you for the meal Rtoa." Klal said as they rose from their chair and E'le quickly followed suit. "And please don't worry about our... well... just please don't worry yourself." "Don't worry yourselves." Rtoa said genially. "Everything's going to be fine. I'll see you two at the top observatory." "Right..." Klal said. Raising his hand in a salute, Rtoa bellowed, "The Collective for all!" He beamed as he saluted them with his left hand. Klal and E'le copied him meekly, "The Collective for all."

The door to their quarters slid open and Klal and E'le ambled through. E'le sank onto the nearest chair, her head in her hands as she sat there, silent. Klal reached their hand out to her. "Are...are you ok?" E'le was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry this is all my fault." Klal said as they got up and began to pace anxiously. "I checked everywhere for a posting that was far from Collective Central. Rtoa heard about and- well you know how he is, he practically rubber stamped the request without asking us if we wanted this posting." E'le lifted her head and affixed Klal with a stern gaze. "No, stop." She said. "It's not your fault he's the way he is." "I know I just- I want you to be happy." They said, going somewhat scarlet. "I'm happy if I'm with you.' She said earnestly. "Well, I suppose if dinner is done." Klal said with an attempt at coquettishness, "I suppose we did agree to see the crystal moon tonight.." Her face lit up with a smile. "Thought you'd never ask."

The voltaire came to a halt in a field of snow that rose in mounds and clumps. It was quiet save for the howling of the wind and the lights of the Observatory were specks in the distance. Clambering out of the voltaire, the couple walked some distance as they gazed out at the night sky. They made no footprints as the snow had iced over and was now as solid as stone. E'le gazed up at the iridescent sky. In person it made the projection of their suite seem like a grainy rendering of the sky. The crystal moon was a kaleidoscope of lights that scattered blinding beams across the starry heavens, a riot of colors that weaved between each other as they dyed the sky in vibrant lights as comets streaked. And through all of it, the backdrop of the black night sky with jewel-like stars that winked back at them made the spectacle all the more breathtaking. "It's beautiful." Klal whispered, their breath coming out in a misty vapor that was picked up by the wind. The couple gazed a while at the sky, watching comets race each other to and fro, the lights shift and bend as the moon spun in its slow orbit and light the sky with its rays. In fact, had it not been for the crash, they may have simply stayed there until they were blown over by the wind. From the two's datapad came an identical robotic voice that called out into the howling of the night,

WARNING. WARNING. SNOW STORM DETECTED. VACATE THE IMMEDIATE AREA.

"What are they talking about? There's no storm forecasted tonight." E'le frowned as she took out the datapad. As they looked around them for the imaginary storm, a loud booming sound came from the heavens. Looking up, they caught sight of something up in the sky. A crimson streak began to line the sky as it descended faster and faster. "Is that a star?" "No, it looks like a comet." The streak burnt brighter and brighter until finally they could make out its shape. "That's a ship!" E'le gasped. Klal's eyes widened. Though it was missing part of its two engines, sporting several scorch marks and currently hurtling towards them from the sky, they recognized the venom-green arrow-shaped figure. It was the vessel that had been detained as they had arrived on Ginfloud. The vessel that had been smuggling Magians across the system. "E'le, we need to leave." Klal said as they grabbed her arm and attempted to turn back. As Klal tried to get up, they caught sight of the ship and, for a moment, it seemed to glow a bright cyan before the light flashed and disappeared. The light burnt itself into Klal's retina but before they could even blink, the ship impacted onto the snowy surface, shattering into thousands of flaming pieces of scrap. The mushroom cloud rose and rose into the sky before dissipating and giving way to the flames. Klal and E'le were knocked to the ground as the impact sent snow flying into the air. Blinking rapidly and rising quickly to their feet, the couple's attention was diverted from the wreckage by something else. A glow of cyan light shone from behind a particularly large mound of snow that sat some distance between them and the burning wreck. A voice drifted from the mound. Ragged and weak, its whispers carried by the wind to them, "Savakiav, En- Ah! En...Entahreiwa..." E'le looked at the mound trepidatiously. "Is that...?" "E'le." Klal said as they started backing away. "E'le let's go!" "There's someone there." She whispered and without a second thought, she started towards the rock, running as Klal called out for her, "E'le no!" They reached out for her as she dashed away. Looking back at the distant lights of the base, they groaned and sprinted after her. The wind howled against their exposed face as they panted under the layers of coat. They skidded to a halt next to E'le, who had stopped behind the mound and was staring aghast at what lay behind it. Stopping to catch their breath, Klal turned around and saw what exactly had arrested her. At first glance, it was a corpse that was slowly turning into light. A frail and withered looking Magian lay before them, her appearance human-like if not for the two horns that sprouted from their lobes and ears that pointed to the sky. She was an elf and she was dying. Her skin was cracking slowly before them and from these cracks, soft blue lights rose into the air like steam before they faded into nothingness. Clutched in her bony arms was a bundle of bright, pink and green rags that she held to her with what little strength she had. She looked up at the two of them hazily, as if seeing them from a great distance. Her lips began to tremble as she tried to form words. "E'le..." Klal said as they placed himself in front of her. They put a hand in front of her and began to slowly step back from the elf. "Back, away, slowly..." They said as they fumbled for the communicator in their pocket, all the time warily eyeing the elf. They finally managed to extract the communicator from their pocket. It slipped between their gloves and fell at the foot of the elf. Klal made to retrieve it but, catching sight of the elf, inched away slowly. The elf tried to rise but winced. The cracks across her skin spread and the lights began to glow brighter with each second that passed. E'le bent down and tried to reach for her before Klal pulled her back and said in a strangled voice, "Don't touch it." The elf spoke with a weak voice, almost a whisper "Please..." Klal jumped and stumbled back on the snow as they made to flee. "E'le run!" They cried. "Please! Don't... don't leave." She rasped. She trembled as the wind around them picked up, howling into the frigid desert of snow that surrounded them. The elf looked down at the bundle, her eyes watering as she croaked, "We only just escaped... the ship." She pointed a bony finger at the burning scrap heap. "They...they found us... tried to... to... kill us..." She began to trail off and for a moment, it seemed as though her eyes had glazed over as she stared into flames with tears slowly beginning to fall down her bony cheeks. "I know...you have no reason to trust a Magian. But...but..." She looked down at the bundle in her arms. A scream pierced the night, sobbing against the howling of wind lost to shrieks of the whirlwind. "Arialva Caliamiok." The elf whispered as she put a finger to the bundle. "Please... have mercy on her... her family is gone... our clan has been killed... she has n-no one." She winced and for the first time cried out as a crack in her skin disintegrated. "Please! Take her..." And with all her strength, she raised the bundle to Klal. Trembling, almost unconsciously, Klal took the bundle from her wizened arms. They peered down at the bundle, or rather what the bundle was wrapped around. The baby had a small fuzz of pink hair that covered the top of her head as if someone had sprinkled powder over it. She was asleep now but the tear stains of her tirade were still etched into her cheeks. But what caught the eye most were the pair of wings protruding from her back. Cyan and pink, they seemed to glow slightly against the snow. E'le inched closer to get a look at the child. She gasped and she clutched her mouth. "She's... she's beautiful..." E'le whispered. "She... is the...the last member of our clan... the last fairy..." The infant squirmed and gave a small whine as her eyes opened a fraction. She caught the barest glimpse of Klal's dumbfounded face, their mouth hanging slightly agape before she shifted in her blanket and went back to sleep. "Her...her magic has been s-sealed..." The elf breathed. "I have placed a spell on her so that she will...will not discover who she is until she comes of age." Shaking their head and blinking their head rapidly, Klal turned to the elf and opened their mouth, the words that they meant to say dying in their throat as the elf collapsed back onto rock, her breathing became more ragged as the cracks finally covered her body. "Please...give her... a life..." She stroked the child's cheek as with the last of her strength, she whispered, "Rekunotrad nousoi..." A small, sad smile appeared on her face as the cracks began to shine brighter and brighter. The couple shielded their eyes as the light finally engulfed her body. And in a final flash of light, only cyan mist remained of her. The wind picked up and the rags were plucked into the air, soaring off into the fields of ice. Klal took a step back from the place that the elf had been. "She's..." E'le whispered. She made a gesture, bringing a fist to her chest and with her other hand, holding the fist. The shock of the encounter was slowly wearing off and panic started setting in. "Th-that was a Magian." They peeped as they backed away from the place the elf had been. They looked down at the baby in fear as it shifted in its sleep. "And-and this... this..." E'le reached for the baby and plucked it from Klal's shaky grasp. Her eyes glazed over as her mouth opened to say something and yet, words failed her as she just continued to stare at the child in wonderment. "Klal, she's..." But at that moment, three massive sonic booms echoed throughout the sky. Three new streaks had joined the riot of color in the sky, falling faster and faster towards the planet. Hastily, Klal pulled out a telescope from their jacket and peered through. Three saucer ships were hurtling towards the crash site. E'le tore her eyes from the child and was staring at the streaks too and although she didn't have a telescope, there was no mystery as to what they were. She grabbed Klal arm and together they shot off towards their Voltaire, slipping on loose snow as the ships began to shine as they entered the lower atmosphere. Leaping into the voltaire, Klal punched a few buttons on the control panel as the craft roared to life and rose into the air before like a shot it blasted away just as the Collective ships managed to find the burning wreck. Looking behind their shoulder to see the saucer-shaped ships in the distance, Klal gave a sigh of relief but accelerated still, determined to put as much distance between them and the wreckage as possible. "We'll circle around the Observatory and come in through the opposite entrance, say we changed course because of the warning." They said to themselves nervously as their mortified reflection looked back at them through the windshield. Glancing at E'le, they saw that she was still looking down at the swaddled baby. "Klal, look." The child was stirring slowly. She opened its green eyes and for the first time looked up at Klal and E'le. She smiled faintly and reached out to them.

The doors slid open and E'le and Klal barreled through the doors, covered head to toe in snow as they panted to a halt. The door slid behind them and their suits began to steam and the snow melted from their clothes. The water was absorbed into the jackets and quite soon the couple were as dry as when they had first put on the coats. Taking off her hood and goggles, E'le peered down at the child, her eyes alight with adoration. The child giggled and reached out for E'le, her arms stretching out as if to grab her face. "Look at her." She gasped. Trembling, she held out her finger to the baby. With both hands the child latched onto it and cooed, her wings fluttering with delight. "Klal, look at her-" E'le glanced back at Klal before she noticed what they were doing. Klal was sitting with their head in their hands, their stricken face showing between the cracks of their fingers. They stared at a spot on the floor, "We shouldn't have taken it." They whispered as they feebly shook, their face a mask of fear. "Klal, what are you talking about?" E'le held the sleeping child closer to her as she looked at him incredulously. "E'le if we're found with that thing- it's a Magian." They said, looking up at her with a half-scared, half-pleading look in their eyes. "They're wanted by the Collective, the trouble we could be in if we're found harbouring one..." They gave a gasp and covered their mouth. E'le looked at them, disbelief written all across her face. "Klal, I know this is a lot but- but- Klal we can't just- just abandon her. If the Collective finds her they'll kill her. "But it-it's a Magian!" "Listen to yourself! She's a baby, not a monster! Her family is gone, the Collective will kill her, we're all she has!" At this, Klal rose to their feet, running their hands through their hair as they said desperately, "We don't know that. They might just- just-..." Klal spluttered. "You heard what happened to her family. What do you think they'll do to her if they find her?" She said incredulously. "E'le, if we keep her, we-" "We can say she's ours." Klal gaped at her, their eyes glistening in the soft artificial light. "E'le- that's- that's not p- possi-" "Rtoa just offered us a synthesisation tube, there couldn't be a better moment to tell people we'd made a child. Klal blinked rapidly as they grabbed the head of an armchair to steady themselves. Breathing heavily, they shook their head. "This- all this is just-" E'le sighed and put a hand on their shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spring this all on you, I just-" A chime sounded at the door. The two spun round. Edging towards the door, E'le clicked a button on the control console. The door flickered and revealed Rtoa standing behind the door, sighing as he waited for the door to open. "What do we do with her?" Klal whispered in a panic. "Hide her." E'le mouthed, placing the child into Klal's arms before shooing them away. They scurried into the bedroom just as the door swung open and E'le said in a falsely pleasant voice, "Rtoa, nice to..." The voices faded as Klal looked around wildly for a place to put the child. Their eyes fell on the empty closet. "Please, please." They hissed as they gently placed the child on the closet's floor. She looked up at them with her emerald eyes curiously as she cooed softly. "Stay quiet." They whispered as they softly closed the closet door. Taking a deep breath, they walked back into the sitting room. "-I was just hoping - Oh! Klal." Rtoa said. He was standing in the illuminated hallway, his robes slightly stained as he swayed slightly on the spot. Affixing a forced smile onto their face, they said with much more calm than they felt, "Rtoa! Wh- What are you doing here?." Abashedly, he looked down to the floor and said in an apologetic voice, "I-I came to apologise. It was rude of me to impose like that and I apologise if I made you uncomfortable." He murmured. "No, no it- it was alright." Klal said as they waved their hands in supplication. Looking between Klal and Rtoa, E'le said in a hurried voice. "Well, if it's not too much trouble, I think we'd like to have that tube." Rtoa's eyes light up. "No, no trouble at all." He said, a grin spreading across his face. "I'll have it sent before sunrise next rotation." Rtoa eyed Klal, a look of slight concern on his face. "Everything alright, Klal?" Klal's head jerked up, startled. "I..." Klal sighed and ran a hand through their hair. They looked back up at Rtoa and shook their head. "I guess I just needed this posting more than I realized." They sighed. Rtoa put a hand on their shoulder as he put on a sympathetic frown. "I understand. If this was a better universe, honest people like you wouldn't have to suffer because of a few of malcontents." He gave a great sigh and patted Klal on the shoulder. "Well, have a good rest. You'll need your strength for the work we have tomorrow." He smiled. "Same to you E'le." He added. Standing back, he raised his left hand and with it made a circle gesture. "The Collective for all!" He exclaimed. "The Collective for all." Klal and E'le repeated. And with that Rtoa left, the door snapping shut behind him. Klal clutched at a nearby chair for support as they let out a gasp. E'le stumbled back and sat on the nearest table. Looking up at Klal, she said in a forcibly clam voice. "Are- are you-?" "I'm alright." They said. They looked up desperately at E'le. "For now, can we just, just keep this between ourselves?" "Of course." E'le said. "But Klal-" "Please, can we talk about this later?" They said as they collapsed onto the armchair and looked up at E'le beseechingly. She nodded, "Of course, we'll talk in the morning." And with that, she rose to her feet and dashed to the bedroom. From their seat Klal could hear the baby's cooing as E'le voice drifted through the doorway, "Hey there beautiful."

Klal, E'le and Rtoa were standing at the station's topmost observatory, a large circular room with a panoramic view of the clouds it stood above. It not only allowed for the best view of the planet but also looked down at the lower levels, where hundreds of scientists and researchers were all busy with holograms or datapads, discussing in hushed tones the quality of the crystals or where they should be placed to best amplify light collection. The three at the top level were similarly deeply engaged in conversation as a hologram of Ginfloud, its sun and crystal moon floated before them. "-and if we want to get the optimal usage out of these crystals, you're going to need better light." E'le surmised. She glanced back at Rtoa. Rtoa gazed unfocused at the floor as he held up a hand to his ear, where an earpiece sat. "No, I said triple Plasma Clasps. Yes, for the voltaire bays. Yes, I'm aware of the costs, just take some from the excess sustenance funds. Yes, thank you." He looked up at the others and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, administrative business. You were saying?" "Just that with a better light source, the crystals would be better suited for telescope usage." "What do you mean?" "Well," She reached out and grabbed the hologram of the crystal moon and enlarged it, revealing the sun that it was eclipsing. "If we want to optimize the use of the crystals you need a different light source." E'le said as she circled the hologram. "Ginfloud's sun wouldn't refract as well as, say a white dwarf and because the crystals have been exposed to that sunlight for so long, it's sort of worn them down." Klal nodded and added, "We were experimenting with this new refracting method over on Collective Central. It works by scattering the light through a neutron star and processing the image with a D821 Supercom-" A small chime sounded from Rota's belt. He sighed and pressed his earpiece again. "What is it now?" He hissed. Klal and E'le glanced at each other. Rtoa turned his back to them and muttered furiously under his breath. Rtoa sighed and returned to the hologram. "You think that's feasible here?" Klal asked. As he opened his mouth to respond, a beep sound came from E'le's datapad. She turned to Rtoa and said hurriedly. "I... have to go. The synthesisation tube-" Rtoa waved a hand absentmindedly. "Of course, of course." She rushed down the stairs connecting the platform to a door. Rtoa sighed and sauntered over to the edge of the platform. He leaned over the railing to gaze at the hundreds of people scurrying beneath them, like ants around their nest. "You know, I really am glad you're here Klal." Klal edged towards him and looked down at the bustling scientists. "Yeah, it's nice to be here with you." They glanced at Rtoa. "Are you... alright?" Rtoa kept staring at the lower levels, trapped in his own thoughts. "I think this position's getting to me." He said as his shoulders sagged. "So many responsibilities, have to delineate this for some side project, the budgeting committees want my neck for something and the mines..." His shoulders seemed to tense and he no longer seemed to be looking at the scientists. He shook his head. "I just have no idea how to get any of this right." He sighed. "Oh, I see." Klal said. "Well, it should take some getting used to. You'll grow into it, give it time." Rtoa smirked. "I'm a scientist playing administrator." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "And I'm not doing enough." "Well, no one can say they're more dedicated than you." Klal said as they gave a snort of laughter. Shaking their head, they said more earnestly, "You'll be alright Rtoa, trust me." Rtoa looked wistfully once below as he frowned slightly. "Well, anyhow." Rtoa said as he took his eyes from the work below and gestured to the hologram before them. "We should continue without E'le."

Back at their suite, Klal sat hunched over the keyboard. It was their shift to look after the child and for the most part Klal and the child had come to something of an understanding of mutual ignorance, with Klal checking every once and a while to make sure she had not flown out the door. Leaning back in their chair, they typed in a command onto their keyboard and at once, billions of holograms of stars, planets and moons appeared all across the room. Shifting through them, they finally found Ginfloud and zoomed in on it so that in front of them was a ball sized hologram of the moon and the collection of nearby star systems were scattered across the room. It was then that Klal glanced back at the baby. She was sitting on the table nearby, the comb she had picked up earlier in the day lying forgotten on the floor as she stared at the holograms with wonder in her eyes. She reached out and picked up the hologram of a small yellow sun and held it in her hands, giggling as she gazed into the light. "Don't touch that." Klal scowled as they moved the holographic sun away from her. She whimpered, reaching out for the holograms as she tried to crawl closer. Sighing, they zoomed out slightly to the star system so that the planets engulfed more of the room. The baby's eyes were as wide as the holographic moons as she gazed in awe at the celestial bodies. In spite of themself, the hint of a smile began to spread across their face. Looking between the child and the hologram, Klal adjusted it to zoom out. The stars reflected in her eyes, she cooed and clapped her hands together as she tried to grab them. To Klal's own surprise, a giggle escaped their lips. The child tried to get up but stumbled and she crawled closer to the stars. She stumbled to a halt in the middle of the star system. "That's the Hyperion System." Klal pointed up at a giant red star above the child. "I don't think there's a more beautiful place in the galaxy." They murmured as they gazed at the slowly rotating hologram. "Or was I guess was." They muttered to themselves as they winced slightly. They looked back at the child. She was staring transfixed by the star, its warm red glow glimmering in her eyes. Her wings began to flutter and for a moment, she hovered off the ground and slowly floated towards the red sun before the wings' strength gave out and she began to plummet to the ground. "Woah!" Klal bent over and caught her just as she was about to hit the floor. The baby looked up at them and giggled, her wings fluttering with excitement. As Klal came back up they caught sight of another hologram. Cold and almost white, it was a star, a blue giant with dozens of small planets encircling it. Swarms upon swarms of saucer shaped starships crowded around the planets, like ants they seemed to blend in with each other as they drifted between from planet to planet. Occasionally, a small flash of light would shine from one of the ships and a mushroom shaped cloud would bloom on a world's surface. As if their hands were burnt, they put her back down on the table as the smile evaporated from their face. They turned back to their hologram and zoomed back onto the image of Bolmo. They shook their heads, sighing as they furiously typed a command into the keyboard before looking away from the child. The infant stared at them, slightly scared at this sudden change in mood. Klal glanced back at them, almost fearfully as they moved themselves away from where she sat. The baby tried to reach out for them. They shut their eyes and buried their face in their arms. A hand touched them on their neck and Klal jerked up. E'le was standing over them with a concurred look on her face. "Is something wrong?" Klal was about to respond when they glanced back at the child. She was still looking at them in something like worry. "No, no I'm fine E'le. Thanks though." They said mildly as they straightened up and smiled at E'le.

"Colonel Zorar-ka, with respect, we are scientists. I fail to see how we can contribute anything of merit to this that your defense officers would not be able to." The hologram of a small and rodent-like alien squeaked. Around the circular table were the holograms of ten other individuals, nine of whom dressed in the same pale red tunic that Rtoa was sporting. However the tenth figure could not have stood out more from the rest of the group had they been on fire. Tall and muscular, the tunic the alien was wearing seemed to barely contain the sheer mass of bulk. Three scarlet eyes stared at all the scientists at the same time as her scaly skin changed from a light blue to a darker shade of crimson. "For being the greatest minds of the Collective clearly all of you are oblivious to the obvious." She spat, "The riots on Collective Central have spread throughout the civilized worlds. Dissent is infecting more and more worlds and I intend to make sure every system that hosts a member of the Science Council is insulated from this rot." Rtoa chimed in, "The Colonel is right, we cannot be any less vigilant against protecting our worlds from falling into chaos." All three eyes snapped onto Rtoa. He had to stop himself from cringing back from their blood red gaze and instead forced himself to look unconcerned. "This from the councilor who on the same rotation saw not only a Naturalised with ties to past uprisings in the New Worlds but who managed to let slip the Magians he had previously detained at a border checkpoint?" Rtoa's face dropped and he quailed under the look the colonel gave him. Trying to appear more humble, he continued, "I- we are all dedicated to the peace and security of the Collective. All of us want nothing more than-" "And that dedication translates to what exactly?" Zorarka hissed. Her eyes turned back to face all of the assembled. "Dedication and loyalty only mean anything when they're acted on. You sit here and you talk of 'peace' and 'security'. What does any of that mean if you're not willing to do what needs to be done!?" At this last outburst the Councilors jumped slightly. Looking over them with a sort of savage smugness, Zorar-ka continued, "These new measures will be implemented sector-wide until the Collective deems it prudent to repeal them." The scientists all nodded. The Colonel nodded grimly. "You're all dismissed. Councilor Rtoa, stay." Rtoa was reaching for the hologram control when he heard the last words. The blood drained from his face as he leaned back into his chair and straightened slightly. The other scientists exchanged glances and looked at him with something almost amounting to pity before their holograms blinked out of existence. The hologram of Zorarka recentered itself so that it was directly facing Rtoa. A moment of silence passed between them as Zorarka glared at Rtoa with thinly veiled contempt. Rtoa tried to meet her gaze but found it much easier to stare at a spot on the floor. "You're lucky you have some use in the research department, Councilor." She said at last. "A record like that would have cost anyone else their position." Rtoa nodded dumbly, still unable to look at the Colonel. She growled, a low and guttural sound that seemed to shake Rtoa to his core. "I... I..." "I didn't keep you back so that you could splutter excuses at me. I wanted to give you a word of advice." Bewildered, Rtoa looked up to face the Colonel. "You have zeal, but fanaticism only means anything when it's coupled with decisiveness. The Collective is in need of people like you but you're useless if all you are is talk." Zorarka considered him for a moment before sighing and saying, "Director, are you familiar with the Irjo Bloom?" Rtoa was slightly taken aback. "Erm...no I can't say I have." "It's a plant from one of the New Worlds, Remluos I believe. When the fruit is just ready to ripen, these colorful flowers will sprout from the plant. They're beautiful, probably the most beautiful thing on that backwater. But they constrict the fruit's growth. It stays small and weak and when it falls, the seeds are few." Rtoa nodded slowly, still slightly puzzled. Zorarka continued, "Now if you're trying to not only survive but provide for your people, you have a choice to make. You can let the flowers bloom and keep the fruit weak, or you eliminate the flowers so that the fruit can grow strong." Rtoa stared at her, dumbfounded. "Do you see what I'm getting at, Councilor?" Rtoa finally looked up to meet Zoraraka in the eye and nodded. "Very well. Dismissed." And with that her hologram vanished. Rtoa stared at the spot she had been before turning his chair to face the transparent wall behind him. The starry night sky was pierced with iridescent beams of light that shone from the kaleidoscopic moon. He turned his back to the window and busied himself once more with the report.

The child giggled as E'le rocked her in her arms as she hummed softly, a smile beaming across her face. The baby's eyes suddenly lit up as she noticed the thin necklace hanging from her neck. Glancing between the necklace and the baby. "You like this huh?" The child cooed as it reached for the wooden necklace. She dangled the necklace over the baby. The child giggled and reached up to grab it. Laughing, E'le lowered the necklace gently into the child's grasp. The baby grasped it firmly to her chest and her wings fluttered with excitement as she giggled softly. The door opened and a disheveled looking Klal stepped through. "Klal? I thought your shift ended later?" "We finished. Rtoa's gone to scout the- the area outside for a new observation station." They said as if in a daze. E'le frowned at them and said with concern, "Are you ok? You look like you're unwell." Shaking their head feebly and said in a tired voice, "Listen, can we talk?" "Sure, what's up?" E'le said as they turned to face them. Klal sank into an armchair. "E'le I've been thinking..." Their hands were fidgeting as they looked at every spot in the room aside from the chair E'le sat in, looking mildly puzzled. "Listen I've been thinkin about it and... ok just hear me out. If we go to Rtoa with the b- the Magian, we can explain it to him and- and hell understand." E'le stared at them incredulously. "Klal, Rtoa's a fanatic. He'd hand her over to the Everymen in a second," "But- but w- we just can't keep her." They spluttered. "She's dangerous, we're in danger as long as she stays with us." "I know this is dangerous. I know but," She looked down at the child and shook her head, "Giving her up is wrong, I just can't do that to her." Exasperatedly, Klal ran their hands through their hair as they pleaded desperately, "I don't think you understand E'le, our lives are at stake the longer we don't do anything." "Sometimes that's not all that's at stake. If we hand her over they'll kill her." "But you don't know that!" Klal found themselves on their feet without quite remembering rising from their chair. "That- she- it just endangers us and I can't, I won't-" "Klal she's a child!" E'le set down the baby on the sofa and rose the met Klal, fury blazing in her eyes as she rose like a viper about to strike. "She's a child whose family is dead! We're all she has! That- it- it's wrong to just abandon her" "I know!" Breathing heavily, Klal's eyes grew wilder as they started breathing faster and faster. "I know this is wrong! I know everything about this is just- just- evil! I hate the Collective! I hate everything about what they do but- but- what can we do about it? We're just two people. We can't change anything!" "Don't you care about anything other than yourself?!" "I don't care about myself, I care about you!" Breathing heavily, they shot a hand through their hair and tears began to well their eyes as they continued in a whisper, "You are the only thing in this universe that means anything to me and I won't- I can't-" Shaking their head, they looked back up E'le through watery eyes, "I won't let anything happen to you." They collapsed onto the nearest chair, trembling with fear. "Klal, I-" She gulped as she looked into the child's eyes. "I know- I know this is all difficult for you. I- I love that you love me but..." She picked up the child again. She had remained placidly content with the necklace as the argument had gone on. E'le gazed into her eyes before continuing. "But... I know what's going to happen to her if the Collective finds her." She whispered. Turning to face them dead in the eye, she said, "It'll be the same thing that happened to my family." Klal looked at E'le, trepidation in their eyes as they said, "You never talk about your family." "There's nothing to talk about, not now." WIth a shuddering breath, she clenched her fists together and with what seemed an enormous effort, said, "I told after we first met they were part of the Moimo uprising that happened there." Klal nodded silently. Taking a deep breath, she plowed on, "They never really accepted the Collective on Remluos. All the forests and jungles just... just became endless fields of grain. We got on fine farming but-" She shook her head and gave a sad chuckle. "My father always talked about the days when you could see the trees light up at the equinox." She was silent for a moment before she continued. "I went back from time to time. I didn't use any of the public transport so I couldn't be detected because at that point there was already talk of a crackdown on the planet." Tears began to fall freely as she held the child closer to her and squeezed Klal's hand tighter. "I told them over and over again to stop." She said in a strangled voice. "But they didn't listen." She closed her eyes as more tears streamed from her eyes. "And when it all happened I- I went back as fast as I could. I... I... went back." She whispered. "They- They didn't hurt anyone. The Collective called it an uprising but it was ten people who marched to the overseer of the farms with- with- a list of grievances and suggestions." A sob escaped her lips. "They never hurt anyone..." Klal embraced her and she sobbed into their arms. After a while, after a couple shaky breaths she continued in a ragged voice, "I couldn't- couldn't see them when they were in custody. But...but..." Her sobs faded away and she continued huskily. "Only my father and mother marched. Everyone else... they had work that day..." She shook her head. "It didn't matter. They... they were there when they were arrested so they were charged with abetting dissent." She gasped for air. "The Collective decided that this was a teachable moment for everyone and they... they granted them 'leniency'." E'le said in a horrible, mad sort of chuckle that gave way to another sob. "They were going to publicly excavate the site for their new resource gathering complex... by..." Her eyes changed. They were still tinged with sadness but there was something different in them. Rage. "By... hand..." Klal gaped at her, tears forming in their eyes. "My father died first. He had a bad leg from when he was a boy." Her eyes were closed and she bared her teeth as much with sadness as anger as the images of her family dying flashed before her. "My brother kept on going. He-" She took a few deep breaths before continuing in a rush, "He didn't want my mother to die... to die... with any more of her children dead. At least- at least..." A single tear fell that she didn't bother to wipe away. "My sister had just given birth. She couldn't stand the heat. She was next. My brother told our mother she'd just fainted, that she'd wake up any minute. I don't know if she believed him but she kept going and then- then-" She held the child closer to her as she whispered her next words, "Then- then... the hole they'd dug collapsed... and buried..." Horror was written all over Klal's face. They clutched their heart and opened their mouth to say something. "Please, don't apologize." She said, shaking her head. "You had nothing to do with it. And anyway, the dead won't take an apology." Opening and closing their mouth soundlessly, they finally managed to eke out a question. "How... How could you watch it? "Because they wanted people to see. To see what the Collective did to people who just spoke out." Her voice was alight with anger as she forced herself to keep speaking. "They wanted to know that someone saw them. That there was still hope that their suffering wouldn't be forgotten." She opened her eyes for the first time. They were ready from crying but their gaze was steel. "That's why I won't let them take her." She said in a voice rigid with resolve. "Whoever she is, whoever she will be, I can't let them hurt her." The room fell silent for a long time. A beeping sound from E'le's back pocket. Her datapad was sounding off an alarm. Taking it out she read the text on it. "Right, I forgot." She said as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked at the text on the datapad. "I've got that comet to observe." "I'll do it." Klal said hurriedly. She shook her head and patted their hand softly. "No it's alright. I think going outside might help me a bit." Klal nodded stupidly as she put on her outdoor gear and pocketed her telescope. She was just at the door when Klal blurted out, "E'le-!" She turned around to see Klal risen from their chair and looking almost desperately at her. "I love you." They blurted out. E'le beamed at them and in a loud and clear voice, said, "I love you too." She left.

Trudging through the snow, E'le looked up at the sky. The crystal moon still shone as the centerpiece of the grand spectacle that was the night sky. She raised her telescope and squinted through it. The comet she was supposed to be observing was still too far off in the distance. Sighing she took a couple steps forwards and made to raise the telescope again when her datapad lit with an alarm.

RESTRICTED AREA. RESTRICTED AREA. TURN BACK TURN BACK.

She looked around her. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary and the comet was just out of range. Shrugging, she climbed back into her voltaire and followed the comet's path. Once she had come closer to the spot of maximum viability, she dismounted the rickety craft and, affixing her telescope to the stand, she turned the recording knob as she caught sight of the comet. It came closer and closer and as she watched, parts of the comet broke off and began to fall to the planet's surface. A shower of meteors cascaded in the distance and E'le watched as they impacted onto the snow. The largest crashed into a nearby snowbank that overlooked a series of caves, sending a column of snow into the air. Squinting at, she noticed a flash of light shine briefly within. Frowning, E'le brought up the telescope and looked into the cave's mouth. A human was lying on the floor, unmoving and unmistakably dead. Over them stood an Everyman who was holserting their pistol. Two other figures entered her view, an alien and another human who tried to carry the body away. The Everyman kicked out at the, their boot connecting with their heads and the two crawled away. Breathing fast, she zoomed out and saw the cave's interior in its entirety. Thousands and thousands of humans and aliens of all sizes and species were crowded next to each other. They were hunched down, scraping at the cavern floor with bleeding hands and bruised arms for crystals. When they found one it pierced their skin and they rolled onto their back, howling silently with pain before returning to their work. Over them leered the Everymen, vultures that hovered over dying animals. When someone would collapse or pass out, a flash of light and the Everyman would reholster their pistol, looking around to see if anyone else had faltered. The telescope fell from her slack hands. Her face was transfigured, etched with shock and horror. Tears welled in her eyes. Snow crunched under boots as a voice called out, "E'le?" She turned around slowly. A Voltaire with flashing lights had landed silently nearby and a squad of Everymen had disembarked along with a frazzled looking Rtoa. Looking at E'le, he blinked and pointed behind him, speaking as if from a daze, "I- I was going to inspect the mines for the first time..." He gulped as he looked between the cavern and E'le, he said, "E'le you can't be here. Just, walk away." "Rtoa," E'le said, shaking with barely contained rage. "You are murdering these people." "It's not like that." Rtoa said quickly, "They're not normal people, they're Dissenters-" "They're just people! People who spoke out against the Collective! People with families" E'le shouted. "I- they're Dissenters- they- they deserv- "How?! Because they spoke out against the Collective?!" "They- they're bettering-" "Have you even seen what's going on?!" She screamed as she gestured towards the mines. A small flash of light sparked from within the cave and the ghost of a scream echoed throughout the cave. "This isn't bettering anything, this is a drawn-out execution!" She seethed. "E'le please." Rtoa said pleadingly. "You don't understand. This is for the greater good." "Greater good?!" With tears streaming her eyes she cried, "You talk about greater good and you kill people who speak out against you! Can't you see how wrong this all is?! Can't you see what you're doing to everyo-!" A flash of red. E'le stumbled slightly. She gave a small frown as she looked down at her stomach. A smouldering, black burn mark had appeared on her abdomen. She swayed on the spot as the world around her began to spin. This couldn't have happened. She wasn't even sure she'd seen the bolt. She must have fallen because she was suddenly on her back and yet she didn't feel the cold of the snow biting into her. The wind's howls began to fade as if it was the song of a bird that was flying into the distance. So this was death. But strangely the world was not growing dimmer. The stars seemed to expand and encompass her view as everything became brighter and brighter. Tension left her body as she found that she was smiling softly. She wondered why for a moment. A tear welled up in her eye and again she found herself wondering why. Was it grief, fear, love? She remembered Klal and the child. The world was encompassed by the light. She gave a last sigh. Love, she decided.

Holstering the still smoking pistol, the Everyman rounded on the mortified Rtoa. He stood trembling as he looked at E'le's body with horror. He was silent, too stunned to speak. "There was an accident with her telescope. The model will have to be recalled for inspection. It was an unfortunate incident that was due to faults within the engineering division. You will have to find someone responsible for this." Rtoa gave no sign that he had even heard the Everyman. The Everyman grabbed him by the collar, "Do you understand me?" "Y- yes!" Rtoa spluttered as he snapped out of a trance. The Everyman let go of him and shoved back as they and the others began to trudge towards their voltaire. "And find a replacement scientist." They said as they walked past him. Rtoa stood rooted to spot as he slowly turned back to E'le. She lay there, spread eagle as she looked up at the whirlwind of snow with her unseeing eyes. Clutching his stomach, Rtoa gagged a couple times falling to his knees and retching. After a minute, he steadied himself. He opened his mouth as if to say something but all that escaped was vapory breath. Inching closer slightly, he caught sight of the caverns. At this range without a telescope the aliens working within the cave systems were invisible to him. He made to reach for his telescope before he stopped himself. The wind whistled in his ears and for a moment, he stood there, looking at the cavernous abyss before him. He turned back to E'le's body and bent down to pick up her fallen telescope. The wind and snow biting his face made it hard to see his reflection, even wearing goggles. His hands tightened around the telescope before he hurled it into the cave. It took a long time to fall and when it finally impacted onto the crystalline cave floor, the broken pieces were impossible to make out. "Faulty wiring, destroyed in the explosion." He murmured. The wind picked up his whisper, the sound joining the bellowing wind as Rtoa gave one final glance at E'le body before walking back to return to the Everymans' voltaire.

The night was beginning to fade as the gray dawn slowly cast away the twinkling stars. Klal had fallen asleep in a chair with the child sleeping next to them in a nearby armchair. The room was still. A beeping sound came from the datapad clutched loosely in their hand. With a jolt Klal sprung awake and with glazed eyes looked down at the data pad. With another jolt they leapt off the chair and dashed to the keyboard. They tapped a few buttons on the keyboard and the datapad and at once identical loading screens appeared on both of them as holograms began to flow from the keyboard into the datapad. They were halfway downloading the data onto their data pad when they noticed something. E'le was missing. The bed was untouched and none of the sofas. They frowned and quickly put on their gray tunic and gently tucked the sleeping child into the bedroom's bed. They dashed from their suite and through the halls as they frantically dashed. They were just about to enter a lift when a voice called behind them. "Klal Klal!" They spun round to see Rtoa racing towards them. "Rtoa, I've been meaning to ask, wheres-?" "It's...E'le..." Rtoa said mournfully. The blood drained from their face as their eyes widened with dread. "What are you talking about Rtoa?" They said in a tone of unnatural calm. "There..." Rtoa covered his mouth with a hand and spoke to the floor in a whisper. "There was a malfunction with her telescope and... and..." He sighed and looked up to Klal."I'm sorry, but she's gone." Klal blinked and stared at Rtoa, mystified. "What do you mean?" Klal asked belligerently. They grasped Rtoa by the shoulders and shook them violently. "Where's E'le?!" "She's dead!" Rtoa shouted. Klal staggered back. "No... No, that's not true." They whispered as they shook their head. "You're wrong, she's- she's-." They began to run away before they tripped and fell to the floor. They stayed on the floor, their shoulders heaving as they wept and wept. People passed. They glanced down at the heaving mass on the floor and for the most part ignored them. They looked back at their datapads or simply looked anywhere else. Some whispered and threw annoyed glances at them. Klal didn't notice this. They didn't notice anything. They lay there and wept. For hours, for a minute, they didn't know. All they knew was that they felt a hand on their shoulder and looked up groggily. It was Kugo. They were staring down at them withs something close to pity. "Accidents happen close to the mines." Klal looked up with scarlet eyes to see the gray alien that had brought them to Urgo Station. "W-What?" As Kugo continued in their flat, quiet voice, their Standard become more accented and his voice became higher. "Somtaimes somun'll get too crose to zha maines. But no'an allowed in." "What are you talking about?!" Klal cried as they rounded on Kugo. "Zha terischopes." The alien said simply. "What- what are you trying to say?" Klal demanded they crawled towards them on their knees. "T-That Rtoa or someone- that they-?" As if a switch had been flipped, their voice at once snapped into its clipped and flat voice. "You'll be needed back at your suite, Doctor." Klal looked at them for a moment before nodding dumbly and rising to their feet. Leaning on Kugo for support, they staggered back to their quarters, tears streaming down their face. Once they reached the suite doors, Klal let go of Kugo and opened the door to a scene of carnage. "What's going on?!" The suite looked as though it had been through a tornado. Chairs and tables were upended, clothes were strewn across the floor, drawers were opened and an Everyman was at the keyboard, searching through all the files. The synthesisation tube had been ripped up, as if to search for hiding places within it. Rota turned round and gasped, instinctively taking a step back as he looked from Klal's confused and slightly enraged face to the Everymen going about their work as if no one was there. "This-? Just- just." Rtoa spluttered before he straightened up. "Just a routine search. You really shouldn't be here, Klal." Rtoa said as he tried to block them out. Rtoa turned to Kugo and said, "Kugo, contact the Quartermasters Section. Tell their head of department the telescopes have a fatal defect that...that killed one of our researchers. I'll expect to see them in my study to explain themselves." "Of course sir." Kugo turned to Klal. "My deepest sincerities." They caught their eye for just a moment before turning back to Rtoa and saluting, "The Collective for all." Klal stared after them as they swept down the hallway and out of sight. A cry came from the bedroom. "What is this?" The distorted voice of an Everyman said as the crying grew louder. Their face fell as they started fighting their way through the Everyman, shouting out, "That's my daughter!" Fighting their way passed to Everymen, they reached the child. She was hysterical, crying and howling as she tried to squirm out of the Eyerman's iron grip, their wings fluttering in panic. "That's my daughter." They gasped, panting for breath as they reached out for the baby. The Everyman looked to Rtoa who nodded. The Everyman shoved the baby into their hands and kept searching the room. "Your daughter?" Rtoa repeated. "We'd been using the synthesisation machine. We'd just gotten it to work before...before..." They collapsed onto a chair and gazed at her. Recognizing Klal, her crying subsided and she looked back up at them. Rtoa glanced over at her and said in a slightly incredulous voice, "Wings...?" "What? Oh, it's a- a recessive gene in E'le's family. Her mother had them." They gulped and shifted uncomfortably. Rtoa nodded distractedly and became very focused on a green chair at the far side of the room. "She's beautiful." He muttered. His voice came in an unnaturally calm tone. "I... I had no idea... that you and E'le..." He said. As if forcing himself to look back, he whispered, "What's her name?" Klal looked back down at the baby. Her cheeks were rosy and tearstained. She looked up at Klal, her eyes still wet. The woodcarving that E'le had given her was still clutched in her fist. Their eyes met and in that instant, Klal spoke her name. "E'le." They whispered. The baby looked up in confusion. She hadn't been this long without her mother to hold and rock her and she was starting to get anxious. "E'le..." Rtoa repeated. He took a single look at E'le and immediately averted his gaze. An Everyman approached Rtoa and said, "The Quartermaster Division Head is waiting for you in your study." "Yes, yes." Rtoa said distractedly. He rose to his feet and made to walk away when Klal spoke from behind him. "Where did it happen?" Rtoa's face went even paler as he said to the window behind Klal. "N-Near the mines." And with that he left the room without so much as a salute. Klal stared at their retreating back, their eyes hardening with cold fury as their hands clenched into fists.

"Rtoa, I'd like to ask for a transfer." Rtoa blinked, "Transfer?" "I know this is sudden but-" "No." They were seated in Rtoa's office. Rtoa cut them off. "No, I don't think that'll be feasible. The research here is too important here and as E'le's... well... we're in need of your expertise now more than ever." He said calmly. Ignoring this, Klal continued, "I was hoping to go to Remluos." Rtoa was taken aback and he said incredulously, "Remluos?" Klal nodded. "What would a scientist do there? That's an agricultural world." "There's a small research station that's in need of oversight. I've applied there and I've been accepted." Rtoa looked at them through narrowed eyes. "I just... I need time. I don't want to bring E'le back to Collective Central and... I'd like her to see her mother's home." Klal said. Ignoring that, Rtoa said darkly, "You applied without informing me?' Klal shifted slightly and looked up at him defiantly. "Well, I'm not obliged to share that information with you, aren't I?" The two of them stared at each other for a while, somewhat sizing each other up with narrowed eyes. "Why come to tell me at all then?" He said frigidly. "I wanted to let you know in person." Rtoa sighed and said, "Klal, this... isn't a very smart move. I have to insist you reconsider." "My mind's made up." They said as they shook their head. "As friends Rtoa. I can't stay here and I can't bring our- my child back to Collective Central." Klal looked up at him beseechingly. "As friends..." Rtoa nodded cooly and frowned slightly at Klal. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought said, "If you're going to Remluos, if you can manage, I'd appreciate you sending me a plant native there, the Ijro Bloom." This caught Klal slightly off guard. "No, that wouldn't be a problem. Why that... particular fauna?" "No reason." Rtoa said coldly. "Just something I'd like to have around." He steepled his hands together and sighed, "Well, it'll be arranged." He said simply. "I can do this for you but I'm afraid I've run out of favors. The Collective won't be happy with your contributing your talents to... to farmwork. I guarantee you won't find another high posting like this, not for a while." Klal nodded and rose to their feet. They began to walk away when they said, "Just one more thing." Rtoa continued to look down at his work. "Yes?" "I think you're wrong." Klal said forcibly. Rtoa's head snapped up so fast an audible crack sounded from his neck. Ignoring it, he stared intently at Klal like a cat looming over a mouse. "The administrator role seems to suit you quite well Rtoa." They said blankly. Rtoa looked at them and blinked. The intensity was gone from his gaze and he shifted in his seat. Somehow, he felt put off by what Klal had said. He shook his head and as he raised his left hand in salute, said with great fervor, "The Collective for All!" Klal copied his motion but stopped as they caught his gaze. It was impassive. "The Collective for all." They whispered. And with that, the two parted.

Less than a day later, the luggage was packed and the synthesisation tube was wheeled away. Klal took one last look at the cluttered sitting room as a human in a white tunic carried the luggage out of the room. E'le gave a sniffle. She had been crying most of the day and it had taken all of Klal's strength to soothe her and not join her. She hung her head out, as if expecting that E'le might walk in through one of the doorways to hold her again. Klal held tight to her as they whispered, "It's alright. We're going to be safe..." They held tight to E'le as for the last time they left the suite. They held tight to her as the voltaire tumbled through the air and as they went through the customs booth. They held her tight as the transport to Remluos sped through the atmosphere and as it rumbled out of the ring. Klal looked down at E'le. She was looking out at the view from the window, grinning and giggling as she gazed at the winking stars and solemn moons. Klal smiled. They brought E'le closer to their chest, as like a cannonball the transport rocketed away from the planet, the stars and planets blurring together as it sped on and on. E'le looked out at the speeding stars, not knowing that she had just escaped the fate that had befallen all of her kind. Her chubby hands found the necklace E'le had given to her, the memory of the adoptive mother that had given it to her already becoming hazy with time, the latest in the mounting number of dead family that would soon become half forgotten memories to her. She slept, not knowing of the fate that had brought her here. She was all that was left of her clan, their last child. She could change the future of the galaxy. She was just a baby, being held by her parent as their ship sped through star studded space.