Tranquility in Darkness Pt. 12

by G. Lawrence

Though Grey grew up isolated on the moon under the guidance of Tranquility's computers, he has recently gained friends and a girlfriend, but also many enemies. Enemies that have now been challenged. This is the final chapter and epilogue of Tranquility In Darkness.

A reminder, these have been two stories; Governor Thomas McKinsey in 2046, and the lunar rebels in 2070 dealing with McKinsey's earlier actions. But the two stories come together. All characters are over 18 years old. All rights reserved.

* * * * * *

Chapter 12

RECKONINGS

Friday, February 7, 2070

Grey reached the landing bay operations center in time to see the sho'kar lift off and turn south, passing through Tranquility's defense perimeter without molestation. He ran back toward the preflight circle where a sub-orbital survey hopper was waiting for him on the elevator. He quickly shed the badly beat-up armor, put on a common flight uniform, and climbed into the pilot's seat.

"Starhawk, prepare to launch," Grey instructed.

"Course and speed?" the on-board flight computer requested.

"Let me worry about that. Is our cargo aboard?" he asked.

"Affirmative. All equipment loaded per prime security directive," Starhawk confirmed.

As the elevator locked in place at the top of the shaft, the hopper was pushed into the launch tube and ejected into the lunar vacuum. Grey took manual control of the craft and turned south.

"You're having a busy day," a voice said from behind.

Grey turned to see Kes staring at him with disapproval. Next to her sat Dr. Meriwether still wearing the same outfit from the day before.

"Aunt Kes, how nice to see you again," Grey said.

"I'm very unhappy with you, young man," Kes lectured, taking the co-pilot seat.

"Don't strangle yourself waiting for an apology," Grey replied. "It was necessary to have you out of the way. If time wasn't short, I'd put you back in the brig. As for you, doctor, I'm surprised you haven't learned from your previous experience. Is this assignment really so important to you?"

"I just wanted to help," Tey said.

"My chances are better without your help," Grey responded, refusing to look at her injured expression.

"Has Quexitor been harmed?" Kes asked.

"Not yet," Grey answered.

"If it's your intent, I must stop you," Kes warned.

"The Arikhan are my primary concern at the moment," Grey said as he pushed the engines hard, knowing that even at full speed, he still wouldn't come close to catching the sho'kar. "Quexitor and I will settle our differences afterward. You are not invited to interfere."

"You truly are a creature of unmatched arrogance!" Kes complained. "You'd be dead if not for me. And Roman. Yes, and Quexitor. Never have I heard of a more ungrateful creature."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Grey said.

Kes noticed the slump in his shoulders, then saw the odd coloring of his skin, especially around the neck. She placed a hand against his cheek. Tey moved forward, ran a medical scanner over him, then showed the results to Kes.

"By the Great Lords!" Kes said. "Grey, you're terribly sick. It's not possible after the cleansing, but you are."

"I am not sick," Grey replied. "Not yet, anyway. I've taken a two-stage hybrid of the M-14 toxin that killed Crystal Waters. The first stage keeps the poisonous elements active in my bloodstream. The second is a buffer sequenced to my D.N.A. that prevents my respiratory system from shutting down."

"The antidote?" Tey asked.

"Ask Red Room. That's where I got the drug," he said, seeking to end the questioning.

The hopper veered east, then bypassed the Crystal Caves Tourist Center and dropped into the canyon, rushing headlong toward the crater. Grey saw a large disk-shaped object rise from Cauchy's north face, then gradually grow dark as it disappeared into the heavens. The hopper accessed the tunnel and landed in the large crystal encrusted cavern. The cavern still looked bare except for the Quexelian spaceship, the abandoned hopper Bonanza, and the Arikhan scout craft. The dead bodies of the Arikhan soldiers were gone, as was the Quexelian walker.

"Cal!" Mordari said, running toward them with Ryndari trailing behind.

Grey wore two holstered weapons as he disembarked. One was the heavily charged Marsden that had proven so effective against the invaders. The second was Thomas McKinsey's thirty-year-old Lassiter. Kes and Tey stayed in the hopper, ducking low so they wouldn't be seen.

"Where is the Group Leader?" Grey asked.

"Zendar has taken the rocks away in the alien suit," Mordari reported.

"What will happen now?" Grey inquired.

"Our attack on the food creatures was repulsed. We must return to our base," Mordari said.

"I gave you the rocks, where is my enemy?" Grey demanded.

"Your enemy is not a food creature," Ryndari said. "It is curl. Possessed of Faleh's Spirit."

"Yet still must I have revenge. When will you return?" he asked.

"Not for many solar cycles," Mordari answered.

"We are allies," Grey said. "When you're ready to strike, I will join you. But next time, I must have revenge on my enemy. Do not disappoint me again."

"There will be no disappointments, food creature," Ryndari said with a sharp click of his tongue.

"You look hungry, Ryndari," Grey teased, adding a low click at the end of the sentence. "Want a taste?"

Grey pulled back his sleeves to reveal the bloody bandages wrapping his arms. Then he tore a bandage off to display delicious red streaks in his forearm. Ryndari pawed lightly at his holstered weapon but knew better than to draw it. Grey smiled at the alien's discomfort.

"Zendar has captured the rocks, thus do we abide in victory," Mordari said, climbing into her spacecraft.

Ryndari followed, pulled the canopy closed and the sho'kar floated lightly off the floor. Anti-gravity power? Grey wondered. A moment later, the Arikhan were gone.

"You monster! How could you?" Kes said, storming toward Grey with fury in her eyes. "Do you realize what you've done? How you've betrayed our family?"

Tey was not more than a few paces behind her.

"This is indeed a day of reckonings," Grey said. "Would you like to use your knife, or will Doctor Meriwether's blaster be sufficient?"

Kes glanced back at Tey, noticing a danger in the doctor's expression she'd never suspected before.

"You're the assassin?" Kes said, more surprised than Grey had ever seen her.

"I'm a Scottish patriot," Tey said, resting a hand on her Remington 4-0-6. "What I do, I do for my people. You can accept that or not."

"I act for my people as well," Kes said, displaying a long slender knife tucked in her belt.

Grey laughed. "I'm beginning to miss Ryndari and Mordari already," he said.

He started to rewrap the bandage around his arm but Tey intervened, examining the ugly gashes in horror.

"Bite marks! Dozens!" Tey said, the pain making Grey flinch as she grabbed his arm. He noticed an increasing dizziness that was becoming harder to fight off.

"By the gods! You let those filthy beasts feed from you?" Kes asked.

"It was crucial to my survival strategy," Grey explained.

"You're burning with fever," Tey said, holding a hand against his forehead. "We must find a remedy immediately,"

"I suggest you do nothing. That way you won't need to violate your Hippocratic Oath," Grey advised.

"Damn smart ass," Tey cursed, looking through her medical bag for something that might prove useful.

Kes perceived genuine worry in Tey's expression and guessed her concern for Grey's welfare was sincere. A curious reaction for one charged with his assassination.

"Even with Roman gone, my life science module might help," Kes offered.

She led Grey and Tey toward the Quexelian spaceship, entered through the hatch, and went down a short corridor into the control room.

"This is your base?" Tey asked, looking at the darkened monitors.

"This is an interstellar spacecraft," Kes said. "It has been my duty station for more than fifty years. Though without my guardians, I have no hope of ever returning home. Giving the Quexelians to our enemy will have terrible ramifications for generations yet unborn. For generations who will never be born. You have eternally disgraced our clan, my nephew."

"For one so wise, you jump quickly to the wrong conclusions," Grey said as he stopped before the central monitor. "Would you not agree, Quexitor?"

As if by magic, the abandoned control room suddenly came alive with cognizant energy.

"My watcher is rash indeed," Quexitor said.

"Master!" Kes exclaimed, turning toward the largest screen where a faint light registered.

Tey was stunned by the sudden transformation, and noted the feeling of Quexitor's presence despite its intangibility. And she had no doubt the entity represented a formidable power.

"Your concern warms us, precious one," Quexitor said. "Though you should know we were forewarned of the enemy attack by Tranquility's Life Support Computer. With little choice, we took protection and left feeble clones in our place. It is the clones the Arikhan carry back to their base in triumph."

"I don't understand, my nephew," Kes said. "You had the Arikhan trapped in the Loop. Why didn't you destroy them?"

"It was necessary for there to be survivors," Grey replied, though Kes could tell that wasn't the whole truth.

Though the change was subtle, the sensation of two new entities was introduced to the environment. Tey could not describe the feeling. Grey recognized Red Room and guessed the other was Stirwin.

"The enemy presence in this solar system presents a new dilemma," Stirwin said. "It would seem Earth is not the firewall between Homeworld and our enemies that Thomas McKinsey promised."

"How do you suggest we deal with this dilemma?" Grey asked.

"We will continue the moratorium on our scorched earth policy," Quexitor said. "However, if an Arikhan force again poses a threat to this facility, we will need to fulfill our assignment."

"Scorched earth? As in, the planet Earth?" Tey asked.

"Master, is that not ungenerous? Grey has sacrificed much to serve us," Kes pointed out.

"The youngling serves his own interests," Stirwin asserted.

"I fear that may be true," Roman agreed.

"The offer is not ungenerous, given the alternative," Quexitor insisted.

"Sorry, not good enough," Grey declined.

"You have no other option," Quexitor made clear, the room feeling darker.

"Foolish entity," Grey said, a cold glint in his eyes. "I began this mission with three goals. First I needed to expel the Northern Alliance soldiers from the moon, then drive the Arikhan back to their base in defeat. Now I intend to eliminate the last of my domestic enemies."

Grey reached into his belt beneath the holstered Lassiter and pulled out a strange looking hand weapon.

"The katal!" Kes shouted.

"The what?" Tey asked.

"A molecular dissolver," Grey revealed. "A most effective device for settling troublesome issues."

Kes planted her feet before him and drew her knife.

"I love you nephew but you will not attack my guardians without a fight," Kes resisted.

"Once again your concern is unnecessary, my favorite. We have other ways of testing this one's resolve," Quexitor said.

"No, Master! Don't!" Kes objected.

Grey felt the shift in reality even before it happened. One moment he was standing in the control room with Kes and Tey, then he was suddenly someplace else. A place so strange he could hardly fathom it. The planet Earth. Outdoors. On a spring day.

Grey looked up at a beautiful deep blue sky that seemed to go on forever. The sun was bright and warm, unobstructed by a spacesuit or reinforced view port. He stood on a shrub covered dune wearing sandals and a goat herder's frock. A greenish-blue sea lapped in waves to his right. Steep wooded cliffs hovered to the left. Before him stood a broad-shouldered warrior equipped in ancient Greek armor, a heavy bronze shield strapped to his left forearm, a short sword held in a leather sheath on his right, and a tall helmet that covered the upper portion of his bearded face. Grey had to admit, if it was an illusion, it was an effective one.

"My clothes!" he heard Tey cry out.

Grey turned to see Tey and Kes standing near the remains of an old stone wall. Kes was dressed in white flowing robes. Tey wore nothing at all.

"What's happened? What is this place?" Tey asked, seeking to cover herself with her hands.

Grey looked at Tey with interest, having seen few females unclothed. Twenty years older than Kris, Tamera, and Catarina, he noticed differences in structure. Her skin was not drawn so tightly. The large breasts tended to sag a bit. And she was red-faced with embarrassment. For a moment, he enjoyed an odd revenge in her humiliation. Then he turned his head, shaking the idea off. Tey was not his enemy, nor was such a revenge appropriate.

"Being naked is natural for beginners on this plain of existence, my dear. Here, take my hand," Kes said.

Tey accepted the gesture and suddenly found herself wearing a plain white medical smock reminiscent of her intern days. But no shoes.

"This is too weird," Tey said, seeing Grey's simple clothing and the Spartan warrior standing just beyond him.

"Master, why are we here?" Kes asked.

"To settle that which may not be settled in any other way," Quexitor replied.

"This isn't your true form," Grey said to the bronzed warrior.

"This is as your kind as perceived me for nearly four thousand years," Quexitor explained. "You demand a solution. We will test your resolve. Is it agreed?"

"No sling?" Grey questioned.

"This is not the Valley of Elah," Quexitor answered.

"Grey, what's going on?" Tey asked.

"Kes can answer that better than I," Grey said. He bounced on the balls of his feet ever so slightly and flexed his arms, gaining experience with the strange environment. The bandages on his arms were gone, as were the wounds. The intermittent dizziness of the drug had disappeared.

"Are you ready?" Quexitor said.

Grey nodded.

Quexitor drew the sword and pointed to a steep cliff that overhung the ocean.

"A challenge awaits you," Quexitor instructed.

Grey took a step toward the cliffs, then abruptly turned and charged toward Quexitor as if ready to attack, but stopped just short of the mighty warrior's reach. Startled, Quexitor stepped back before regaining his composure. Grey offered an evil smile, then started for a trail at the foot of the cliff.

"What's this scorched earth policy all about?" Tey asked.

"Many years ago, Quexitor was charged with preventing the Arikhan from establishing a base here on your world," Kes explained. "Now that the alien threat is at hand, it may be necessary to carry out the instruction."

"To destroy our planet?" Tey asked.

"I'm sorry, Tey. It's not a decision we approach lightly, but we have our own people to consider," Kes revealed.

"How long has Grey known of your leader's intentions?" Tey asked.

"Far longer than I realized," Kes said. "Perhaps as long as five years."

"And those aliens? They'll be back in force?" Tey asked.

"Without doubt."

"How long has Grey known about them?"

"Several years, I'm sure," Kes guessed.

"My God," Tey said, watching Grey start up the cliff. "To have carried this kind of burden all by himself. And he's just a kid."

"I fear it's too great a burden for one so young," Kes lamented.

"It looks like I've got to rewrite my psych report," Tey sighed.

____________

The passenger hopper Clarabell dropped into the Cauchy Fault and continued south, all four engines burning at full capacity.

"We're almost there," Kris said

"Almost where? The tourist center is behind us," Tamera asked.

"I don't know where, I just know we're almost there," Kris replied. "At least, this is the way I came before."

Within minutes, the crater loomed before them. Only at the last moment did a small tunnel become obvious. Kris directed the old passenger hopper inside the dark shaft and soon came to a landing in a huge, crystal encrusted cavern.

Kris jumped out first, her sidearm drawn. In the center of the cavern she saw the strange metallic hub. Nearby were the hoppers Bonanza and Starhawk, both abandoned.

"Grey must be in that dome," Tamera said as she and Nicholas drew their weapons.

"What is it? A fortress?" Nicholas asked.

"Let's seal our suits and go find out," Kris said.

____________

Grey ran up a well-worn goat trail with a happy spring in his step. He had occasionally wondered what Earth might be like, and even though he was convinced Quexitor's challenge was just an elaborate illusion, he saw no reason not to enjoy the experience. As he reached the top of the path, he veered toward a marble temple perched on the cliff edge. A goddess stood outside the pillared entrance dressed much as Kes had been, with long flowing locks of black hair and intense blue eyes. Grey thought her attractive in a slightly older sort of way.

"Hello, Grey," the goddess said.

"Hello, Roman," Grey answered.

Roman was startled that he had made the recognition so quickly, the surprise obvious in her expression.

"You amaze, as always," Roman said.

"Kes explained my maternal ancestors are from the ancient Aegean," he said. "Much of the era's lore is built upon gods and goddesses offering epic challenges to mythic heroes. Is it Quexitor's purpose to test me in this manner? Or does he seek to confuse me with artificial images?"

"The images you see are not artificial," Roman replied. "This plain of existence has its own reality. Different than yours, but just as real. Are you daring enough to accept our challenge?"

"I'll play your game," Grey agreed.

The stately goddess led Grey into the temple. The interior was covered with brightly colored murals and hand carved marble reliefs, most showing strangely garbed people engaged in battles and hunts, though a few showed more domestic scenes.

"Behold the House of Atelle. The history of your ancestors are etched upon these walls," Roman said.

Though Grey pretended to show little interest, he felt a quickening of his heartbeat. And a sense of awe. Generation upon generation was represented in the pictures, many showing men and women of great prominence. Some were warriors, other lawmakers. A few were religious leaders. Grey wondered what it meant to have such a heritage.

They passed through the rear of the temple out onto a rock terrace overhanging the greenish blue sea. There Grey found a simple wooden table set near the ledge. On the table were three hand painted vases capped with crude sealing wax.

"Each vessel contains a possible future," Roman said. "One foretells your death. The second your hopes and dreams. The last predicts defeat for your enemies. Break the correct vessel, and your enemies will fall before you. Break the wrong one, and your life or all you wish for may be lost."

Grey examined the three vases, each painted in a similar pattern though with different tints. He saw no obvious clues to their contents.

"If I break the right jar, my enemies will be defeated?" Grey asked.

"Yes, that is the challenge," Roman said, her vivid gaze studying him with intensity.

Grey huffed with impatience, then kicked the entire table off the ledge.

"By the gods!" Roman exclaimed, watching all three vases tumbling through the air until they smashed on the rocks below.

"Do you seek to defy the challenge?" Roman asked.

"You've offered no challenge," Grey bitterly responded. "I've been raised to stop the Arikhan from conquering this solar system. To achieve my goals, I've been allowed no hopes and dreams that don't result in victory. I fully expect to die in this effort. You are foolish to think me too dull to understand, or too weak to act."

Roman looked deeply into Grey's eyes and realized his words were truly spoken.

"Another challenge awaits you," Roman softly informed.

"I'm sorry if my words offend, Red Room. I know you've been my friend," Grey apologized, sensing distress in Roman's manner.

"I was your friend, I am your friend, and I will always be your friend, Grey Waters Governor of the Moon. And I am shamed, not offended."

"In what manner are you shamed?" Grey asked.

"Until this moment, I never guessed you are a far braver creature than I," Roman answered.

"That remains to be decided," a new voice interrupted.

Grey turned to see a tall heavyset man bathed in bluish light. Almost robes, but not quite. He knew it to be Stirwin.

"The youngling has no binds to this reality," Stirwin said. "No fear in face of a fable. We shall see how he thrives in a reality closer to his own experience."

____________

"Damn this place is creepy," Kris said, leading the way down an empty corridor within the Quexelian spaceship.

"I think we are walking in a big circle," Nicholas said. "Why are there no doors?"

"Was it like this before, Kris?" Tamera asked.

"I didn't see any of this the last time," she said. "My hopper was guided into a blacked out landing bay. Kes suddenly appeared, we talked, that healing thing got loaded aboard, and off we went. The whole visit hardly lasted a few minutes."

"I think this base has been here a long time. To be buried so deep below the crater and have no one know," Nicholas said.

"Look! A door!" Tamera shouted, running the last few meters.

They entered the control room stunned to see Grey, Tey and Kes sitting on the floor as if in a trance. Kris noticed the women holding hands. The monitors surrounding them were dark except for the largest one which held three faint images.

"You guys stay back. And on guard. I'll return in a minute," Kris ordered.

"Where are you going?" Tamera asked in surprise.

"I'll send you a postcard," Kris said, taking a seat next to Kes. Then Kris closed her eyes, hummed softly, and took hold of Kes's hand.

____________

Grey found himself floating in outer space high above the planet Earth. He was wearing a bulky Quexelian walker, the snug mucus membrane comfortable despite the intimacy of the fit. The visuals were good, allowing him to see the planet and the stars beyond. He could not see the moon.

"In the course of your short life, you've shown much bravery," he heard Stirwin say in his mind. "Have you the courage to face your future?"

"This is about your future, not mine," Grey argued.

"That remains to be written," Stirwin communicated, the presence disappearing.

Grey looked down on the oceans and continents rotating beneath him, the bright colors inviting. He had never seen Earth so close before, nor imagined it so large. And floating in orbit was strange, too. He had space walked on a meteor several years before but that had been far different. Now there was no meteor. Not even a spacecraft to get home in.

What am I doing here? he wondered.

He soon discovered a container floating next to him, a box no bigger than an army footlocker. It was a tactical nuclear warhead from Tranquility's arsenal. A short tether kept the device from drifting off.

What's that for? he wondered.

A shape loomed on his suit's instrumentation. A spaceship in an orbit matching his own. An alien spaceship. A big one. Grey felt a lump in his throat. Unlike the previous challenge, this had a feeling of reality. His reality. This is my future, he realized. Or a possible future.

Grey noticed something about the planet he'd never seen before. Huge plumes of smoke darkening the daylight side. As he orbited toward the planet's dark side, he saw hundreds of raging fires. Earth was under attack.

The alien spaceship rushed forward unopposed. No orbitals blocked its path. No fleet of defending ships. The world he had watched so often was taking a fearsome beating and could not defend itself. Are the Arikhan truly so invulnerable? he asked.

There was orbital debris all around him. Pieces of a spaceship. Pieces of his spaceship. All moving in the same orbit as the alien craft, only the aliens were moving slightly faster. Catching up. Grey hugged the warhead close to his chest, realizing what it was for. And why he was there.

What year is this? he wondered. How old am I? Did I ever have a life of my own? Does it matter?

The alien spaceship began to close the distance, the debris field deflecting off the thick hull. Two hundred meters in length and nearly forty meters in diameter, the craft appeared huge. And what is that glow surrounding it? Grey questioned. Is it a force field similar to the ones used in combat, only larger? Is that why Earth's weapons couldn't stop it? No, he decided. Even a big energy screen couldn't provide that much protection. It must be a negative energy field like the one produced by a step-two variable reactor, only more controlled. The Arikhan technology really is better than ours. Much better. We can't beat them.

Then why am I here? he asked.

The Arikhan spaceship loomed close. Grey realized it would pass so near he could float through the negative energy screen and grapple onto the hull. Just a speck in the debris field, the aliens would hardly notice him. There was a thin hemp rope in his hand with a catch on the end. It had been planned.

As the huge ship passed by, Grey cast the line toward the hull now only a dozen meters away. The spaceship's negative energy screen looked like a wall of blue static. Under normal circumstances it would be a wall of instant death. Would the Quexelian walker protect him?

The catch on the end of the rope attached to the huge hull, drawing Grey in as the spaceship rushed past. The energy screen struck him like a wave of electricity. At first there was pain. Then agony. Then nothing.

____________

"Kris, dear, you adapt quickly," Kes said.

Kris was surprised to find herself in eastern Greece on an ancient battlefield she had visited while a midshipman at Annapolis. Unlike her previous venture into the strange Quexelian dimension, she was clothed this time, wearing a duty outfit from the NA Independence.

"Where's Grey?" Kris asked, seeing only Kes and Tey standing near a broken-down rock wall.

"Visiting with Roman, I believe," Kes said, glancing toward the temple on the cliff.

"Not anymore," another voice said.

Kris turned to see the tall Greek warrior standing nearby, a hand poised on his sheathed sword. Kris smiled.

"Pull that sword and I'll shove it up your ass," Kris announced, setting herself in a fighting stance.

"You are unarmed," Quexitor said.

"I've taken down bigger guys than you," Kris answered.

Quexitor made no effort to draw the sword.

"Kris, it's all right," Tey said, coming to her side.

"Am I supposed to believe you?" Kris asked.

"Yes, you are," Tey insisted.

"Why?" Kris said.

"Because Grey is my friend," Tey assured her. "And he's also the best chance this world has to survive. Am I so blind that I can't see what's happening here?"

Kris studied Tey, particularly the intensity of her expression. She had only known Tey for a few months, but they had been months filled with hopes, fears and camaraderie. And Tey had saved Grey's life more than once.

"Okay, so where is he?" Kris finally said.

"At the end of a long road," Quexitor commented.

Suddenly reality shifted and they were back in the Quexelian control room. Kris lifted her head to find Nicholas and Tamera kneeling next to her. Kes and Tey were shaking off the effects of the trance. Grey did not stir.

____________

The Arikhan battleship moved on, circling the Earth, occasionally firing a powerful energy beam into some helpless city. Grey regained his senses to find himself hanging against the hull, the warhead still tethered to his spacesuit. He felt sick. Fatigued. The negative energy field had disrupted the electrical synapses in his brain, but being a biological entity, the interruption wasn't long enough to shut his systems down. A computer would not have survived, Grey realized. Neither would a timing device. That's why I'm here. The Arikhan ship is invulnerable to a mechanical attack, but not to me.

Grey clamped the warhead to the hull, then opened the control panel. The arming device had been shutdown to prevent disruption by the energy field, but now that he was inside their defenses, he recharged the battery with a hand crank. Within minutes the warhead was active again, prepared to gut the alien ship in a manner the enemy probably never expected. A trick that would only prove effective once. Grey worked quickly to activate the ignition prompts without dwelling on the ramifications. Not until he reached the final arming sequences.

This is it, he thought, when the red warning light appeared. The challenge no longer seemed important. The reality of the situation was too real. This is my future, Grey knew. My destiny.

He looked again at the planet below, noticing the huge plumes of smoke. The great fires. The Arikhan were battering the world into submission. Thousands must already be dead. Maybe hundreds of thousands. Soon it will be millions. The humans can't stop them. Maybe I can.

Grey studied the readout on the warhead, now ready for activation. For a moment, he considered using the timing sequence. The delay might give him enough time to kick off the hull and fall behind. But what if the timer fails? he wondered. There would be no second chance. The only other option was to trigger the device manually.

Will this give the world a future? Grey asked. Will it give Kris a future? Tamera and Nick. Roger and Tey. Tranquility.

Yes, he decided. This is the moment I was born for. Raised for. I'm not offering the goat's throat, as Kes might say, but bringing defeat to my enemies. Though Grey could feel tears in his eyes, he no longer felt fear. Or doubt. If anything, he felt the oddest emotion of them all. Love. Grey took one last look at Earth before whispering lines from an ancient poem;

"No cloud so dark, nor night so bleak;

Blocks the paths of hopes we seek.

Glory lives in heartfelt shouts!

Death is but a whisper."

Then he pushed the detonator.

____________

"Grey! Grey, can you hear me?" someone was calling.

"He's coming to," someone else said.

Grey regained consciousness on the floor of the Quexelian control room, his head in Kris's lap. He could feel perspiration on his forehead and a tightness in his chest. The final challenge had not been an illusion.

"Hey, lover, are you okay?" Kris asked.

"Adequate," Grey answered, surprised to find Tamera and Nicholas kneeling nearby. Kes and Tey were there, too, appearing concerned.

"What happened?" Tamera questioned. "Was it another of their tricks?"

"Yes, a foolish trick," Grey whispered, getting to his feet with difficulty.

Nicholas looked at Grey, then glanced at Tamera, who was noticing the same thing. Grey's hands were shaking. His breath was short. Whatever the trick had been, there could no doubt it had left him shaken.

"What does this mean? Kes says it's some kind of challenge," Kris wondered.

"Who is challenged? Us?" Nicholas asked.

"I don't know," Kes said, moving toward the central monitor. "What has been discovered, my guardian?"

"Only one is tested," Quexitor replied. "The others show promise, but not the necessary qualities."

"What qualities? Why have you hurt Grey?" Tamera asked.

"The qualities we seek are not your concern," Quexitor said. "You have invaded our headquarters. Your continued survival is now a matter of negotiation."

"Negotiation?" Kris said, immediately putting a hand on her sidearm.

A cold breeze blew through the control room. Reality shivered but held its form. There was a sense of dread that none could ignore.

"The humans have nothing to do with our disagreement," Grey objected, pushing Kris and Tamera back from the control station. "Send them away so we can settle this privately."

"They have everything to do with our disagreement, Grey Waters," Quexitor insisted. "And if you wish them to live, you will need to offer something of value in return."

"What is it you want?" Grey asked.

"The katal," Quexitor said.

"What's a katal?" Kris asked.

"A weapon," Grey replied, showing her the pointed crystal object tucked in his belt next to the Lassiter.

"Do not give it to him," Nicholas urged, ready to draw his sidearm.

"I'd rather fight," Tamera agreed, squaring her shoulders.

"What do you think, Aunt Kes? Should the weapon be surrendered?" Grey asked.

"What assurances may we have, master?" Kes requested.

"We? Have you now chosen sides against us, my beloved?" Quexitor queried.

"I must stand with my family. And my friends," Kes decided.

"We have offered to keep the agreement once made with Thomas McKinsey until the enemy threat grows nearer. It must suffice," Quexitor concluded. "What have you decided, Grey Waters?"

"Threatening the humans is not a sign of friendship," Grey said.

"We both understand this was never about friendship," Quexitor responded. "Make your decision."

Grey drew the katal, held the weapon in the ready position for a moment, then set it on the counter and stepped back.

"Grey, what are you doing? Don't do it!" Kris said.

"Iacta alea est," Grey quoted.

"What does that mean?" Tamera asked.

"It's Latin, Tammy," Tey said. "A declaration from Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon. It means, the die is cast."

"This is no time to shoot craps," Kris complained.

Grey said nothing, watching as the monitors remained in quiet contemplation. Finally, there was a stirring on the screen.

"You disappoint, Grey Waters," Quexitor sadly remarked. "To come so far, only to fail the final test."

"Fail?" Kes said.

"This was the true challenge," Quexitor responded. "Grey was forced to choose between the power at his command and the lives of his friends. By surrendering the katal without a fight, he has proven unworthy to..."

"Quexitor," Stirwin suddenly interrupted.

"Hold your opinion for another time, Stirwin," Quexitor rebuked.

"There is something you must know," Stirwin said.

"This is more important! The fate of a world is about to be decided!" Quexitor said in a rare burst of temper. "By surrendering the katal to save a handful of lives, Grey has proven too weak for our needs. We now only have one option."

"Listen to what I'm trying to say!" Stirwin demanded. "The youngling has not surrendered the katal! The object before you is a replica."

Grey quickly drew the Lassiter, opened a clasp on the side, and popped off the casing. Inside the Lassiter's empty shell was the real weapon.

"Everyone get back!" Grey shouted, firing at the access panels below the central monitor. The bright red beam ripped the panels open, the molecules floating apart in sputtering flecks of dissolving matter. Within seconds a gaping hole revealed a chamber below the primary console.

"There's a warhead in Starhawk's engine compartment under motion lock," Grey said to Kris. "The timer is counting down. If this doesn't work, get everybody out and never look back."

Without waiting for a response, Grey dove through the melted portal and dropped into the Celestial Chamber several meters below. The three pedestals were still there, each crystal stem shimmering with unique energy. He considered turning the katal on the Quexelians, perhaps destroying them forever, but quickly decided to ignore the tempting targets. He had no desire to kill them, nor could he be sure they were real. Instead, he fired at a secure hatch to his right, the sturdy material dissolving into bits of nothing.

"Grey! Grey, are you okay?" he heard Kris shout from above.

Probably not for much longer, he guessed, crawling through the damaged hatch into the spaceship's engine room. As suspected, the complex had two energy modules. One to drive the ship home when needed, the other to remain behind and implode. The second section, a step-two variable converter, was by far more powerful. It became his target.

As with all things Quexelian, the arrangement was remarkably efficient. None of the instruments were labeled, but Grey was an engineer from childhood. He needed no diagram to assess the equipment, firing the katal at a section of ignition coils to his right. The first two caught fire. The third exploded.

In an instant, the reactor chamber became an inferno. Grey found himself on the floor against the bulkhead with painful burns on his arms and legs. Flames were spreading along the walls. He was relieved to find the katal still in his hand and fired at the initiator unit, blowing out the stabilizers. Then he fired for the last time, severing the primary junction feeds. Quexitor's ship still had enough power to return home. It would never again have enough power to endanger Earth.

Operation T.H. is complete, Grey thought, experiencing a rare sense of satisfaction. Now how do I get out of here?

A flaming substance was spreading through the engine room, gradually getting closer. Grey tried to get up only to discover his legs were weak. Then another explosion threw him hard into a smoke-filled corner. He looked for an exit but wasn't sure which way the hatch was. He coughed, tried to crawl along the floor, then had to stop. His ears hurt, the only sound was the thunder of the flames, and every direction he looked appeared equally futile. He made another effort to get up, but his knees gave way. Crawling was useless. He couldn't breathe. He hoped the others had gotten out in time.

Then, suddenly, someone was kneeling at his side.

"Kris! Kris, I found him!" he heard Tey shout.

"Doctor Meriwether?" Grey said.

"Everything's okay, Grey," Tey assured, helping him sit up.

Grey felt her drag him past the flames, and hardly a moment later, Nicholas was lifting him up through the melted portal into the control room. The smoke wasn't so bad there. He could breathe again.

"You had us scared, moonman," Kris said, wiping smudges off his face.

"You get in too much trouble," Tamera scolded. "You shouldn't be allowed to run around loose."

Grey laughed even though it hurt. He noticed Tey being tended by Nicholas and Kes, her face blackened with smoke. The ends of her red hair were scorched. She had taken a great risk on his behalf.

"Thank you, doctor," Grey said.

"Am I forgiven?" Tey asked with a hopeful smile.

Grey nodded. If the others knew the meaning of the exchange, they were discreet enough not to say anything.

"You have met our challenge," Quexitor announced, the feint images still on the central monitor screen.

"Are you willing to listen to reason now?" Grey asked.

"We will weigh your arguments," Quexitor conceded.

"But first you must be mended," Red Room interfered. "Captain Fairfield, with your permission, I would keep Grey here a few days to restore his health. No harm will come to him."

"Grey?" Kris asked.

"I would appreciate Red Room's help one last time," he agreed. "And a chance to say goodbye. This chapter of my life is about to close forever."

As Grey went to the hanger with Kris and the others, Kes paused to attract Red Room's attention.

"How is my sister?" she asked. "Were there affects from the instrument of disruption?"

"Her statis chamber was not disturbed," Red Room confirmed. "As her body was frozen within minutes of her death, the deterioration proved minimal. Upon returning to Quexel, she shall be taken to the Citadel for restoration."

"It's been nineteen years," Kes worried.

"Only the Creator may determine the final outcome," Red Room reminded. "Yet her chances are strong."

"Are you going to tell Grey that his mother might be revived someday?" Quexitor asked.

"There is no point in raising his hopes," Kes replied. "Without a stargate, it would be three decades before Crystal could return. Better not to make his life more complicated than it already is."

Monday, February 10, 2070

"Feeling better, Grey?" Red Room asked.

"I think so," he answered, waking up on the padded bench.

Surrounding him were the comforting red walls and soft tints of the Quexelian healing chamber. He looked at his arms and realized there were no longer any bite marks or burn injuries. His breathing was good, the flaming smoke now gone from his lungs. The dizziness of the M-14 agent had disappeared.

"Yes, you are better," Kes said, entering the room dressed in a white robe.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, wrapping himself in a sheet.

"They returned to Tranquility several days ago," Kes said. "Kris was reluctant at first, but I assured her all would be well."

"I'm sorry you were treated in such a rude fashion," Grey said, genuinely contrite. "There was danger enough without involving unpredictable variables."

"It is I who must apologize, nephew. I'm ashamed to have had so little faith in you," Kes said, sitting on a stool that suddenly appeared. "When did you gain possession of the katal?"

"New Year's Eve. Just before we left for Cauchy," Grey revealed.

Suddenly new presences were felt. Quexitor and Stirwin.

"And when did you realize the Arikhan were here?" Quexitor asked.

"I suspected something about a month before that, but had no proof until the funerals," Grey said.

"Do you now understand, my companions?" Kes explained. "Grey knew the Arikhan were here. He knew we would proceed with our assignment, and it was within his power to destroy this facility with the katal. Instead, he initiated this elaborate charade. Risked his life to find another path. He did this for us, not for himself."

"I also maintained a back-up plan should the strategy fail," Grey confessed, wanting to be honest. "Initially, I intended to detonate a warhead here with the Arikhan scouts present. Then, when Life Support gave me McKinsey's journal of his visit, I realized another solution was possible."

"The warhead served a useful purpose," Stirwin said. "We viewed the explosion two days ago. Zendar and her soldiers are now dust."

"But the sho'kar survived, didn't it?" Grey asked.

"Yes, the scout craft was spared," Stirwin said. "Which means?"

"Ridiculous entity," Grey said with a smile. "The scouts will report the rocks were captured but then destroyed when Zendar's ship exploded. They will not come back looking for you again. Nor will they threaten Tranquility until supported by their fleet, believing the risk too great."

"You have striven much on our behalf," Quexitor admitted. "Your actions combine nobility and recklessness in a most disquieting manner."

"I know nothing of that," Grey said. "I was prepared to destroy all of you. Even you, Roman, who has helped me many times. And you, Aunt Kes, even though I've begun to sense the importance of family. I initiated this mission out of desperation, not nobility."

"I see. Rather than use the katal to neutralize our reactor before the Arikhan arrived, you challenged a powerful enemy, nearly became a food source, and endured the fire of our engine room rather than attack us directly, all because you were afraid?" Quexitor mocked.

"And curious," Grey replied. "I'm particularly curious about where we go from here."

"Haven't you already decided?" Quexitor knew.

"I think it's time you go home," Grey suggested, pulling the sheet a little tighter. "Not that I'm in a position to dictate terms."

"A challenge was offered," Stirwin said. "You surpassed expectations. The outcome must be honored."

"Are decisions of such importance dealt with so easily?" Grey wondered.

"Not always," Quexitor said.

"I have added my voice to yours, as has Roman," Kes informed. "With the challenge won, Quexitor has accepted the decision."

"I have a voice?" Grey asked.

"You are a warrior of Atelle," Kes answered. "Such a voice speaks loudly in our society."

"This one's voice would speak loudly in any society," Red Room said.

"Our star drive is warming up, Grey Waters," Quexitor advised. "Seventy-two hours from now, we will depart for Quexel. This planet's fate has become your responsibility."

"That's what I've been programmed for," Grey concluded. "Will you be staying, Kes?"

"No. I wish to return home," Kes said. "I long for the hills of Atelle. The green valleys. Breezes from the sea. The smell of goat. Perhaps one day we shall meet again."

"I would like that," Grey said, reaching to take her hand.

* * * * * *

Epilogue to

Tranquility in Darkness

Friday, February 14, 2070

"Okay, I'm leaving now," Kris announced, walking toward the waiting hopper in landing bay major. Following her through the big hangar were half a dozen of Tranquility's new ruling elite, comfortably attired but each wearing a sidearm. They were relaxed, but they would never again be complacent.

"I can't wait for Grey to come back," Glenda said. "That Security Computer is driving me crazy with all these new regulations."

"How can anyone live up to the expectations of these machines?" Johnston asked.

"We can't run this place without them," Kris insisted. "At least, not yet, so I think we'd better get used to it. And let's do Grey a favor, okay? He's been through a lot. Let's not add our petty little problems to his."

"That is only fair," Nicholas agreed.

"Kris, about leaving Vandebrown in charge?" Michiko asked.

"That's the way it is," Kris said. "I know some of you don't like him, but he's a good man. He put his life on the line for us. Try to give the guy a chance."

"I am with Kris," Nicholas said, his voice firm.

"Me, too," Tamera said with just as much resolve.

Though no one else appeared enthusiastic, they didn't object.

When the ready signal activated, Kris jumped into the hopper's cockpit and reached for the restraining belts. Lisa and Michiko followed, helping her strap in.

"So why are you really going to the Crystal Caves Tourist Center?" Lisa whispered.

"Life Support suggested I meet with Grey before he returns," Kris said. "There's been plenty of changes while he was gone. Our population's gone from twelve to sixty, and now we're adding another hundred. By Grey's standards, that's a hundred and seventy too many."

"Very logical," Lisa said.

"Is that why you packed enough underwear for three days?" Michiko said with a smirk.

"I need time to review our plans with him," Kris defended.

"I'm sure having Grey all alone in a romantic resort has nothing to do with it," Michiko smiled.

"And that black negligee in your travel bag? Office wear for your meetings?" Lisa asked.

"Will you guys get off my trolley?" Kris smiled. "Okay, I admit it. I've got sin on the brain. Are you happy now?"

Her friends laughed and closed the canopy. A moment later, the elevator lifted the hopper up into the launch tube and gave it a shove into the lunar vacuum.

"Launch complete, Captain Fairfield," the on-board flight computer announced. "Are there any amendments to the flight plan?"

"No, Groundhog. Proceed as scheduled," Kris said, resting back in the seat.

Immediately below her were the landing bays, garage structures and maintenance sheds, but within minutes there was nothing but a lonely stretch of rough-cut gravel road leading south away from the colony. Kris realized she was excited about seeing Grey again, but apprehensive as well. It wasn't easy to enjoy the ride.

An hour later, the hopper hovered over a small landing pad, giving Kris a beautiful view of the Cauchy Fault before making a gentle touchdown. She waited for the conveyor to pull the hopper into the hanger, then popped open the canopy when the airlock registered all clear. It wasn't an ordinary hanger. Not like the bleak aircraft deck of NA Independence or the vast landing bays at Tranquility. This hangar was small, brightly painted, and the ramp to the inner airlock was carpeted.

"Greetings, Captain Fairfield," Grey said, appearing at the entrance.

Dressed in a clean work uniform and wearing a tool belt, Grey smiled as he came down the ramp. Kris threw her travel bag on the floor and ran to his arms.

"It's good to see you again," he said.

"I've missed you moonman. I've missed you a lot," she answered, giving him a kiss. "How are you? Jesus, you look great!"

She stepped back and felt his arms, put a hand against his chest, and looked deeply into his eyes.

"You don't just look better, you are better. A lot better," she said with astonishment.

"Affirmative," Grey acknowledged.

He walked back toward Groundhog, picked up the travel bag, and led her into the airlock. Only a double lock, they exited a few minutes later into a lobby made of polished white crystal floors and blue crystal walls. As promised, it wasn't like anything Kris had ever seen before.

"I've made reservations for us at the lodge, but if you're not too tired, maybe you'd like to see the arboretum first?" he asked.

"Not tired at all," Kris said. "I hope the reservations weren't hard to get?"

"No, we are the only ones here," Grey said.

"Maybe it's the off season?" she said.

"I don't believe the moon has an off-season."

"Grey, it's a joke."

"Humor. Yes, I had forgotten," he said.

"I hope you haven't forgotten everything?" she said with a subtle squint of her eyebrows.

Without seeming to notice, Grey showed her through Jeremiah's Cafe and the Darla McKinsey Memorial Theater, pointed out the corridor to the Juniper Early Mineral Museum, and ended the brief tour before a final airlock. He checked the environmental monitor, then opened the hatch.

"Paradise," Kris whispered in awe.

Before her spread a forest of wild growing swamp trees under a huge glass dome. Halfway through the two-week light and darkness cycle, the solar managers were partially withdrawn showing a spectacular view of the star-studded sky. Babbling brooks crisscrossed the dome, some forming small ponds, and the paths were so overgrown that Grey and Kris had to twist sideways in places to get through. In the center of the arboretum was a gazebo accessed by several quaint bridges. At the edge of the dome, an extension of glass flooring overlapped the canyon, allowing them to stand above the gapping chasm. The canyon was well lit, colored lights glistening off the shining rock formations like sparkling stars.

"This is wonderful, Grey," Kris said, snuggling close to hold his hand.

"There's no other place like it in our solar system," he recalled. "Some say it's the most romantic place in the universe, though they may be exaggerating."

Kris turned to say something and saw a picnic basket sitting next to a clear blue pool. And a blanket. And a bottle of vintage red wine.

"You never fail to surprise me, moonman," she whispered.

"Moonman is an inaccurate term. The moon has no indigenous life forms," Grey said, scooping the woman up in his arms and carrying her with such ease that Kris shouted in surprise.

"You're strong!" Kris said. "That Red Room's a miracle worker!"

"My reflexes are still sluggish, but I'm completely healthy," Grey said.

"Completely?" she inquired. "Not shot up, chewed up, bashed, burned, poisoned or radiated?"

"Completely, and I hope to prove it to you," he promised.

Grey set Kris down on the blanket, poured her a glass of wine, and unsealed her flight suit. Kris bent her shoulders back to let the suit fall free, then opened Grey's uniform and peeled it down to his waist. He wore no undershirt, allowing her to run her hands over his chest. He rose up to climb out of his suit, then tugged her uniform down from her hips. In hardly a minute, their flight suits were laying off to one side, along with everything else they had been wearing.

"I love you," Kris said. "Sometimes I love you so much, it makes me afraid."

"I don't know if I love you," Grey said. "I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to love anyone. Or if I should. But I'll never care for anyone more than I care for you."

He kissed her and felt excited when she responded. Before long they were making love more wildly than ever before, rolling away from the blanket to splash near the pond. The soil beneath them was moist, the arboretum kept in greenhouse condition by the regulators, but neither seemed to mind.

"That was great," Kris said sometime later. "This whole thing is great. How did you ever think of it?"

"Are romantic interests so far beyond me?" Grey asked.

"Yes. Well, no. Come on, you know what I mean," Kris smirked.

"If confessions are in order, Kes suggested we have some private time together," he confessed. "I described the facilities available in the tourist center and several recommendations were made. Red Room was more specific."

"Is everything okay with Kes? And you-know-who?"

"It's unlikely we'll ever see them again," Grey said with a trace of sadness.

"I'll miss her, but at least we don't have to worry about that scorched earth thing anymore," Kris said, pouring them each another glass of wine. "So? What's next?"

"I need to go on a scouting mission, but preparing the necessary equipment is going to take three years," he said.

"Three years? Where are you going? Mars?" she laughed.

"Yes," he replied.

"Mars? You're going to Mars?!"

"It's not that far away," he suggested.

"Most people who go to Mars don't come back," she warned.

"Three survivors out of eighteen isn't a good ratio," he agreed. "But I don't believe it will be too dangerous. With the new ship I'm designing, the voyage should prove routine."

"Nothing with you is ever routine, and I'm going with you," she said.

Grey gave a noncommittal shrug.

"What? No arguments? Aren't you going to say it's too dangerous for us humans?"

"I didn't come here to argue," Grey said. "I'm here to make mad passionate love to the most attractive woman I've ever met."

"Where did you read that?" she grinned.

"It's on the napkins in the restaurant," he admitted.

Kris sipped her wine while stroking Grey's legs, feeling the hard muscle. When she remembered how weak he had been, and how good he looked now, it almost brought tears to her eyes. She paused to look around at the arboretum. The lush green trees allowed to grow unchecked year after year. The beautiful sky. The trickling of the creeks all around them. A blanket and a picnic basket. Without warning, she did start to cry.

"What's wrong?" Grey said, wrapping his arms around her as he had seen humans do in the entertainment vids.

"Nothing's wrong," she said. "Here I am in the most exotic place imaginable, with the man I love strong and healthy. All of our troubles are someplace else, and for this one moment in time, everything feels perfect." She put an arm around Grey's neck and pulled him close for a kiss.

"Life does tend to get more complicated than this," Grey said, not immune to the luscious setting. "But if we ever forget what this moment was like, we can always watch it again on the security vids."

"The security vids?" Kris said, crossing her arms over her chest. "We're being recorded doing this?"

"Mister Davis wants to produce another biography of me," Grey explained. "Return to Governor of the Moon. He thought a look into my personal life would interest the viewers."

"He wouldn't dare!" she sputtered.

"Don't you want the Earth humans to know how manly I am?" Grey asked.

"I don't give a fuck... Wait a minute. Return to Governor of the Moon? You're teasing me, aren't you?" she said. "You rascal! You had me blushing redder than a sun flare!"

"Life Support said you would be happier in our relationship if I developed a sense of humor," Grey explained, giving her a kiss to make up.

"You have a sense of humor, all right. Sometimes it can be pretty awful, though," she mentioned, settling back in his arms. "Grey? What were the challenges the Quexelians gave you?"

"Just foolishness," Grey hesitated.

"How foolish? Why was Quexitor standing on the field at Thermopylae dressed like a Spartan warrior? And what about those other two?"

"By recalling my ancestral heritage, Roman sought to intimidate me. To force me into a choice between personal desire and familial obligation. But I didn't react as expected. Having no sense of family, her challenge held no meaning for me."

Kris wasn't sure if that was entirely true. Of even if Grey really believed it.

"What about that other challenge? The one that rocked your cage?" Kris asked.

"No one rocked my cage," Grey objected.

"Something bad happened," Kris insisted. "Everyone in the room could see you were turned inside over."

Grey sighed. Kris noticed a faraway look in his eyes that she'd never seen before. It was as if he seemed to leave her for a moment to exist somewhere else.

"The second challenge was about the end of a journey," Grey finally said. "A journey I've barely begun. Stirwin thought to break my spirit by showing me a future filled with darkness, but he misjudged me. Just as Quexitor did. I've dwelled in darkness my entire life. Stirwin's challenge showed me the light."

"I don't get you. What light? You looked pretty scared to me," Kris said.

"It was certainly Stirwin's intention to frighten me, but he also gave me hope. My focus has always been so narrow. So fixated on duties. I never realized that life could have such a sense of completion. To know those I care for have been given my best possible effort. Stirwin gave me the gift he thought he was taking away."

"I hate it when you talk in riddles," Kris said. "Will you tell me what happened?"

"Someday," Grey promised.

Kris sensed there was more that Grey wanted to say, but he wasn't ready. Maybe he wouldn't be for a long time.

"Did I mention we invited more colonists to help out at the base?" Kris said, deciding to change the subject.

"I suspected as much," he said.

"You're not mad?" she asked.

"No," he said.

"But I can tell something's wrong. What is it?"

"This may sound strange, but I feel like I've lost something," he sighed. "All those years when I was growing up, I wondered what humans... that is, what people might be like. I'd go up to the Hexagon Tower, climb into the Crow's Nest, and stare at the Earth for hours. But it was only a dream. I never truly believed I would meet anyone who lived there, let alone share such close contact. Even when I met some people for the first time, it didn't seem real. Somehow, I've had this feeling all along that everyone would eventually go home and life would get back to normal. I realize now that's not going to happen. The world I grew up in is gone forever."

"It was a lonely world, Grey. Are you going to miss it that much?" Kris asked.

"Yes," he said without having to ponder the question. "But thou much is taken, much abides."

"Shelley?" Kris asked.

"Tennyson," he smiled.

"Well, don't get in a knot. It's not that many new colonists," she said.

"Have no concern, I'm sure adding an extra hundred workers to the labor force will prove useful," Grey assured her.

"You already knew?" Kris said. "Damn it! You're hundreds of kilometers away, and I still don't have any secrets."

"You're a secret to me," Grey said with a kiss.

"What napkin is that one on?" she asked.

"It's a poem by Chandhurst;

Fear not, my love; The years will wait.

We have yet but to start.

No cloud, nor wind, nor rain of time;

Steals the secrets of our hearts."

"You better be careful, moonman, you're getting me hot again," she warned, sitting in his lap. To her surprise, he was ready again, too.

"You know, whenever we've made love before, I've always felt kind of clumsy," she apologized. "Bouncing around in this weird gravity. It's hard to keep it together, if you know what I mean."

"I noticed you were more physical this last time," Grey said.

"You've always been injured before," Kris said. "This is the first time we've been together that you weren't shot to pieces."

"You have been greatly deprived," Grey concluded, seeking to summarize her feelings.

"I don't feel deprived," Kris said, lowering her eyes. "But that doesn't mean it's not fun to get a little depraved now and then."

"I'm not sure what that means, but there is something you might find interesting," he suggested, kissing her softly at first, then quite strong. Suddenly Kris felt herself lifted up and carried to the edge of the dome where they walked out on the glass platform overlapping the gaping chasm. Kris squealed in surprise when Grey put her down on the transparent floor, nothing but a thick sheet of glass between her and a fifty-meter plunge into canyon.

"Oh, my god," Kris whispered. It was like they were floating in a dark sky over a field of stars, and when she felt him come to her, any fear of feeling clumsy was forgotten.

Monday, February 17, 2070

Tey Meriwether entered the Governor's Quarters having already searched several other haunts. At last she had success, finding Roger Vandebrown sitting before the main computer station deep in conversation. Blue signature patterns swirled through the monitor screen flux. As she approached, the Defense Computer signed off and Roger turned around.

"Hi, Tey," Roger said. "What brings you into the boondocks?"

"Just curious," Tey said. "With Kris and Grey gone, you're the acting governor now. Has power gone to your head?"

"If you mean working twenty hours a day, skipping meals and hardly seeing another living soul, the answer is yes, I'm drunk with power," he smiled. "Thank God they'll be back tomorrow."

"You need a break," Tey said. "Take it from a professional, these long hours won't improve your effectiveness."

"Are you inviting me to dinner?"

"How could I ever look Grey in the face again if I let one of his units malfunction?" she said.

"You'd be living dangerously, that's for sure," Roger laughed, shutting the com panels down before escorting Tey into the hallway.

"Tey, I just wanted to say that... well, I was pretty worried about you," Roger said. "Maybe you should stick with doctoring and leave the adventuring to us rough and tumble types. It's great that you wanted to help, but..."

"I couldn't agree more," Tey said, hooking her arm through his elbow. "I don't know what possessed me to jump my boundaries like that."

"Hey, I'm not saying anything like that."

"Roger, it's okay," Tey laughed as they strolled together in the light lunar gravity. "I'm the doctor, you're the spy. It's a relationship I'm comfortable with. By the way, did you know you might finally be gaining some respect around here? I had lunch with the kids today, and not one suggested drowning you in the Crystal Fountain."

"Such rapid progress makes me giddy," Roger said as they reached a junction. "Well, what do you think? The cafeteria, Restaurant D'Oasis, or the Lucky Clover?"

"How about my place?" Tey said.

Roger stopped and looked into her twinkling hazel eyes, trying to make sure he wasn't mistaking her meaning. Then he checked to see if anyone else was in hall before giving her a kiss.

"Now I am dizzy," Roger whispered.

"You're not the only one," Tey said.

TWENTY-FOUR YEARS EARLIER

Thursday, March 8, 2046

"I'm pleased we were able to reach an agreement," McKinsey said, standing in the Quexelian control center dressed in his walker.

"How will you explain the death of your friend?" Quexitor inquired.

"Accidents happen. By leaving Juniper's body here, it won't be necessary to offer detailed explanations. Any other problems can be solved by the usual means."

"The usual means?" Kes asked. Dressed in long flowing robes, she was the only other person in the room.

"Bribes, promotions, threats, transfers," McKinsey said. "With the Northern Alliance divided by these new trade proposals, my powers here on the moon are virtually unlimited. You'll see, all the progress I've promised will be delivered."

"It's essential," Quexitor said. "Mastering sub-space energy fields should take a dozen generations, assuming a culture could master them at all. To achieve such an accomplishment in just one generation, and utilize the knowledge in productive forms, may be more than you're capable of."

"Our world depends on my ability then, doesn't it?" McKinsey said, displaying no fear of the challenge. "Plus, I might learn a few extra tricks by studying this katal of yours."

"We would still prefer that you return the device," Quexitor said.

"And I would rather not," McKinsey said. "As much as our agreement depends on a degree of good faith, I'll feel better knowing this weapon of yours might provide some balance."

"Have we not already offered you enough balance?" Quexitor complained.

"It was her decision as much as mine," McKinsey responded, glancing at Kes for her reaction. Kes did not appear pleased.

A moment later, Crystal entered the control room. She was also wearing a walker recovered from the tractor. In her hands, she carried a satchel filled with personal items.

"I'm prepared to go now," Crystal said, her tone sad and hopeful at the same time.

"If you wish to stay, another method of establishing trust will be discovered," Quexitor offered.

"No, I am satisfied with the arrangement," Crystal said.

"Are you sure, dear?" Kes said. "Are you truly prepared to spend the next few years among these barbarians?" Kes looked at McKinsey to see if he was offended, but he only smiled.

"It's not for us to say who are the barbarians," Crystal answered. "We're the ones who were quick with our knives. And we are the ones prepared to exterminate this world if it becomes necessary. I'm anxious to meet these clans. To discover what our own people might have become had fate chosen a different path."

"I believe this decision is misguided," Kes persisted. "And you, Thomas, are a monster for insisting on a hostage for Quexitor's good behavior!"

"Crystal isn't a hostage," McKinsey said, putting a clumsy arm around Crystal's bulky surface suit. "I find your sister very attractive. More attractive than any woman I've met in years. At Tranquility, she'll meet the best and brightest our culture has to offer. She'll have the best quarters, her choice of duties. In the next few years, our world will change like it has never changed before. It's going to be an exciting time."

Kes waited for Crystal to shake off the cloying arm, but Crystal simply smiled as if she enjoyed the feigned affection.

So that's your game, Kes thought. Be careful, little sister, for in its own way, I suspect this society is just as unforgiving as ours.

"Then I wish you well," Kes said, stepping forward to take Crystal's hands. "May the Great Star follow your shadow with all its blessings."

"And you, sister," Crystal said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Sure you won't come along?" McKinsey asked Kes. "Going back to sleep in one of those tubes doesn't sound like much of a life."

"I'm content that it should be so," Kes said. "With Lord Stater and Loam gone, and Crystal on assignment, my duty must be here."

"If you ever change your mind, just contact us. I can have a sub-orbital hopper here in an hour," McKinsey said.

Kes smiled in her elusive way but made no commitment.

"I guess that's it, then," McKinsey said. "I'll set up a communications protocol through my MC5000 Life Support Computer. Nothing direct, but enough to touch base from time to time."

"It seems an odd choice," Quexitor said.

"My Life Support Computer isn't an ordinary machine," McKinsey said with a knowing grin. "We try to program at least a few human characteristics into all of our MC Thousand computers, but Life Support seems to surpass the sum of its programming. Even I occasionally ask it for advice."

"Contact will be rare enough that it shouldn't matter," Quexitor said, the tone indicating the entity was unconvinced. McKinsey shrugged.

"Come along, sweetheart, time to go," McKinsey said, herding Crystal toward the door.

Crystal gave Kes and Quexitor one last glance, then allowed herself to be led away. Within minutes they had reached the airlock, sealed their walkers, and entered the spectacular crystal cavern that McKinsey remembered seeing on the way just eight days before. It took half an hour to walk along the rough-cut tunnel that led to the bottom of the Cauchy Fault, the path behind them seeming to disappear as they went. When they finally emerged on the floor of the canyon, there was no evidence of the tunnel they had walked through, not even a cave.

"Someday you'll need to explain that to me," McKinsey said over the limited band transmitter.

"Maybe, but probably not," Crystal said. "I would like to have a few secrets."

McKinsey grew excited as they climbed over the rockslide that blocked the trail, then started up the winding path toward the Crystal Caves Tourist Center. His sudden reappearance after being missing for a week would enhance his legend, as would his beautiful companion. With an inward grin, McKinsey looked forward to the years ahead. There was much to do, and great responsibilities. The world needed to be saved and he couldn't think of a better man for the job.

* * * * * *

This has been book five of what is informally called the Tranquility series. There are nine Tranquility books followed by Slave of Akrona and Rebels of Akrona. If this entry is well-received, I will see about posting book six, Tranquility Down, where Grey visits Earth for the first time. Thanks to the readers for your support.