'Oh, glorious Leader!' The Conductor said, dancing in a circle, 'you have made me so very happy!' He darted away, leaving the Captain and I alone on top of his cell. He waved his arms as he descended and almost bashed into the podiums as he dove down.
The Captain let out a small laugh as she stretched her arms and sat down on the floor. She crossed her legs and tapped the ground next to her. 'Join me.'
I obliged and ducked my shins under my thighs. The ground was so warm it heated my suit. I noticed something glistening on the Captain's chest and tapped on my own torso. 'I haven't seen that before.'
'This old thing?' Captain Maximova lifted the small bronze medal. 'No, you wouldn't have. I keep it hidden most of the time. I just decided to wear it when I came here.' She rubbed her thumb over the orange metal dangling from her breastplate. 'It belonged to my grandfather. He was the leader of a six-man squad, and thanks to him, all six of them survived the war. They all came home. He told me that blessings like that don't come for free. He said that to be a good leader, you must always be ready to sacrifice yourself.'
I reduced my voice to almost a whisper. 'Did he die? Your granddad?'
'He made his choices,' she grunted. 'I thought that bringing this thing with me would...' she took in a deep breath and splayed out her arms. She leaned on her hands and said, 'I don't know, Fletcher. I thought I'd bring a piece of his bravery with me. The suits are a little...' She pinched her trousers and wrinkled her nose, 'they're inelegant. I am used to more sophisticated wear.'
I giggled at her disgust. 'I never had you pegged as a fashionista, Captain!'
A rumpus started to occur below us with raised voices and the sound of metal being crushed. Captain Maximova dived ahead of me and landed on her belly. I followed her lead and we peered over the edge of the pathway.
Down on the ground floor, The Conductor was dragging a cylinder along the ground that looked like a giant grey cigar. He was begging for Sam, Doctor White and Hoshi to help him, but there seemed to be quite a disagreement about their involvement.
'We have to help him!' Hoshi argued, but Sam's arm kept her away.
'I'm sure he can handle himself, can't you, buddy?'
Doctor White was leaning away from The Conductor's prize, hiding behind Sam's broad shoulders. 'I am definitely not touching any of this alien stuff without a full inspection first.'
'Please, humans, I need your assistance to initiate this piece of equipment.' The Conductor rubbed one of his hands over the cylinder.
'Oh yeah?' Sam said, 'why don't you tell us what it does first?'
'It is easier to show you than explain.'
'That's what you keep saying, but I don't—!'
'Sam, he needs our help!' Hoshi said, wrestling with his forearm.
'And I'm not trusting anything just yet! The last time I trusted an alien, I got a vine around my neck!'
Captain Maximova watched the scene furtively. She rubbed the back of her neck and then got to her feet. 'Hoshi, you can help our host,' she announced as she teetered near the edge. Before Sam could argue with her, she shot him a look and said, 'I know. Just let her. I'm interested in seeing what this thing does.'
The Conductor wrapped his willowy fingers over his hands and hopped on the spot as Hoshi approached his cylindrical machine. 'I have noted that humans enjoy watching events. This machine will provide a suitable spectating arrangement.'
'That's got my attention,' I said, rushing to the Captain's side.
The Conductor told Hoshi to lift the cigar-shaped device and to do it quick. She gave a small salute and planted her legs apart. Her body quaked as she heaved the device upwards. The Conductor looked on, staring at her petite body. Sam and Doctor White whispered to each other and I saw Sam take a step to help Hoshi, but the good doctor pulled him back.
With one last push, Hoshi guided the device so it was stood upright. I expected the whole thing to come crashing down, but somehow, the silver sliver kept itself vertical.
'Very good! Your physical strength is exceptional,' The Conductor said, touching Hoshi's chin.
'Anything for you,' she smiled back.
The Conductor laid his frail hand against the metal and closed his inky eyes. The stubby rounded tip of the cylinder ducked into the main shaft and out came a transparent tube with a thin line running through it.
From atop the sphere, the Captain and I could barely see the detailing, but it was obvious that something was buried inside it.
'Looks like there's a wire in there,' she said, putting a hand above her eyes.
'Could be some kind of transmitter.'
'Could be.'
The Conductor's body shook once. The precious metal on his body smacked together and his eyelids wrinkled. The glassy conduit started to glow, and then, as The Conductor took a deep gasp, the space above our heads was filled with a gigantic hologram of the Pangaea.
The wrecked remains of our majestic ship hung in the air as a rippling ghostly illusion. Tiny white dots flitted around the hull and weaved around the exposed steelwork. The engines looked to be in better shape than when I last saw them, and some of the outer shielding had been patched too. Jaq had evidently been very busy.
I felt a ripple of adrenaline rush through my body as I looked at our damaged vessel. It hit me, right then and there, that we were working with an alien. We were actually going home. We'd overcome everything thrown at us, even Hoshi's hypoxia was cured, and now the stars had aligned. We were going back.
'This is Sight. We will use this to survey the reclamation,' The Conductor said, letting go of the machine. 'The white dots you see are my Vultures. They will dismantle your ship and reuse the pieces.' He paced over to Hoshi and lowered his head. She giggled and prodded his single antler.
'Wait,' Sam said, 'why are they just dots? Why can't we see them?'
'The size of your ship means that it would be impossible to see my Vultures at this scale.'
'Right, right...' Sam slipped his hands into his pockets and walked around the projector.
'I assume you know what you're doing.' Jaq had crossed her arms. 'Those reactors are radioactive and fragile.'
'I have encountered dangerous materials before.'
'How many of those Vultures do you have?' she pressed.
'As many as I need,' the alien replied, 'most of the asteroids in this area contain a Vulture. If I need more, I will send out the signal. They are very efficient at their job. I do not think I will require more than two hundred, but...' The Conductor swayed his neck up to the Captain. 'If your ship proves to be challenging, I may call for more. Are you still sure you want to proceed with this process?'
The Captain met his stare and hooked her thumbs around her belt loops. 'We'll get home, yes?'
'If I continue, we will arrive at Earth soon.'
'Then carry on.'
The Conductor turned back to his machine and waved his digits at the hologram. The Vultures followed his fingers and collected at where his fingertips stayed. The Conductor methodically removed The Eye, the engines, and pieces of the hull. Some of the Vultures collected their prizes and flew off to the left, disappearing from view. The Conductor waved his feeble arms with encapsulating swiftness. If it wasn't for the Captain tapping me on the shoulder, I would've been transfixed for hours.
'I want you to interrogate The Conductor,' she said. The blue lights above made her narrowed eyes look black. 'I don't like being left in the dark. I'm convinced this thing is hiding something from us.'
'Interrogate him how?' I passed a fake smile to Hoshi and waved. She bounced around The Conductor, twirling and dancing.
'Don't be obvious about it, but get it to open up to you. You're smart, Fletcher. Use that brain.'
My mouth turned dry. 'What do you want me to find out?'
Captain Maximova skirted past me. 'Everything you can,' she said over her shoulder.