Long Days in Paradise - The First Book of the Shards of Heaven

by Amos T. Fairchild

Chapter 23 – Mission III

  There are new wonders, darkened eyes can see.

  From blood-red skies to the golden tree.

  But there are lands beyond the mind.

  Some mortals cannot hope to find.

  I

  Jorden wondered exactly what his next move should be. He contemplated jumping ship and trying to swim for shore, but that wouldn't help Taf and the Domain. More importantly it wasn't going to do him very much good either.

  He thought of Kaeina and Moonwater, and even Midnight, knowing that every hour that passed could see their world rocked by the quakes. No matter how manipulative Hura might be, they certainly didn't deserve possible obliteration. To save them, and himself, he needed a plan, and he needed to think a lot quicker and smarter than he had in the past. Jorden was on his own in real time in the real world, and he couldn't expect help from the witch-god of the Domain in the near future. At the moment he was quite willing to have her and her magic. He sweated, glancing to the nearby member of crew. At least he didn't seem surprised by Jorden's presence.

  The crewman was still squatting, staring bewildered toward Jorden as he stood and brushed off his suit. The only thing for Jorden to do was compose himself and look like he belonged. Maybe then he could fudge his way through until Hura managed to open a portal or something. Of course since they hadn't parted on the best of terms she might just leave him. Jorden discarded the possibility. It was to soon to accept defeat after surviving the Darkness of the Domain.

  “Came in on the last chopper?” Peter asked as he stood. Jorden stared blankly in return. “Didn't get time to change?” the crewman then chuckled. “The suit, you know...” There was another difficult period of silence. “You'll settle soon enough. We dress pretty casual in the labs.”

  “Jorden Miles,” Jorden tried quickly, regretting using his real name immediately, and forwarded a hand. He had to think smarter than that. He glanced to the suit Moonwater had insisted he wore. It could have been worse. He could have been wearing a skirt. “Yeah, I'll have to change. I was just... Having a look around first.” Keep it vague, he thought. “Must have tripped on something...” He tried to stay confident. He'd survived the Darkness, this was just reality... “You are?”

  Peter took his hand. “Oh sure, Peter Nelson,” he said shot back, “from control systems.”

  So far so good. Unfortunately Jorden had no idea what to try next. Hura had left him short on information. He was an elastic band who might have been useful in knocking out some of the ships systems. As for exactly what the rig was actually doing, Hura probably had no idea herself.

  In desperation Jorden patted his jacket and looked over the side of the ship toward dark waters which were actually in motion now, swearing quietly. “Damn... my wallet,” he tried unconvincingly, then tensed. That solved the problem of not having any identification when whatever amounted to security personnel on the rig caught up with him. Of course a quick radio call was going to quickly put him on the spot. He had cleverly used his real name after all. Then there was the small matter of how he got on board.

  Peter followed Jorden's gaze, then he looked back along the decking. “If it went over the side then its long gone now.”

  Jorden managed a more convincing sigh. “Not much I can do about it now...” He noticed the uneasy look that had come over the crewman. He had gone too far perhaps. “Maybe I left it inside,” he then shrugged, quickly scanning the deck in the hope of spotting Taf or Hura. All he could think of earlier was getting away from her, now he would give anything to get her back. “So,” he thought furiously. “How were things in, ah, control today.”

  Peter frowned uncomfortably, causing Jorden to tense even further. There was a distinct indication that he had said the wrong thing, and the crewman seemed more uneasy than ever. “Maintenance this morning, of course.” He coughed then continued more quietly. “Then we ran a few low power tests before sunset. That was all cleared by the mainland as far as I know. The main seismic runs are still done at night.”

  Jorden just nodded. He was playing for time, all the while hoping for hints that he could use. He was still unsure why the crewman seemed to accept his presence or his age, but then Jorden was tall for his age, it was dark, and Peter appeared in his very early twenties at best anyway. It wouldn't last forever, but Jorden knew every moment he could stall gave Hura more time to get back thanks to the twisted differences in time. And he might also learn more about the rig and how to stop it. All he could be sure of for now was that the ship was some kind of test rig, and they had to be looking for oil. He smiled and propped casual against the rail. “So how are we going. Found any new reserves.”

  The frown Peter kept flashing was doing very little for Jorden's confidence, and he wondered what he said wrong this time. “I don't like their chances of that,” Peter said eventually, “but the results might help get the most out of what's there. We should be able to pump the power up a few kilowatts on the next run and get a deeper trace. And if you guys can speed up the data analysis on the servers, then we should be able to do an extra run each night”

  Jorden wasn't sure what he was talking about, but it was obvious enough that the next run was not going to do the Domain or its sister shards any more good than the last one, regardless of whether they pumped the watts up or not. And he was not sure of what role Peter thought Jorden might play in all of this. “Sure,” he said unconvincingly. Jorden tried to think of anything he knew about computers and servers and anything that could possible be relevant, mostly picked up from internet chat groups. “I'm mostly stuck behind a screen. Do a lot of C++ and some fortran. It's so... different being out here... Out on the ocean like this.”

  Peter appeared somewhat blank, worrying Jorden. “Right, sure,” he said slowly. “You've lost me already. I started with the company on straight electrical work, then helping out in control. Mostly routing power lines and networking for a start, but lately just monitoring the high power side of things in control.”

  Jorden didn't want Peter thinking too hard, especially about details. Better to get him talking about himself. “Sounds a lot more interesting than the sort of... data stuff I do,” Jorden tried as enthusiastically as he could manage. He began to think it had been easier facing the polythorn.

  Peter shrugged. “I can take you up to the control room if you like. Its pretty quiet up there at this time of night. You see the front end first before slugging it out at the rear end,” he smiled.

  “Sounds great.” Stay vague, Jorden thought to himself, and try not to look totally without a clue. “I don't see myself getting any sleep for a couple of hours. Haven't got my sea-legs yet, and I need to get to know my way around.” With a little luck he might even find out enough about the operation to put it out for good.

  That wasn't going to get him home, of course, but then maybe he was already close enough.

  II

  The control room was quiet indeed, and actually empty before Peter showed Jorden in. They had only seen other members of the crew from a distance and had not been confronted by any. Jorden knew that luck like that couldn't last long. He just wasn't that lucky.

  As for the control room, there was not a lot to see. It was filled with racks of various electronics and displays that meant very little to Jorden Miles. The one that Peter sat in front of was just numbers. The one next to it showed a series of coloured bands.

  “The transducer is down about three hundred metres,” Peter was saying. “We run an ultrasonic pulse every forty to fifty minutes depending on the wattage, the capacitor banks are charging for the next. We used to only manage about one every two hours, but the new power generation plant really stepped up the schedule.

  “The echoes from that pulse are picked up by the receiver array and the raw data gets fed from here into the servers down in analysis where you guys are. It's all your problem then,” he smiled.

  That was all very well, Jorden thought, but what he really would like to know was how
to stop it, and preferably destroy it. It would be nice to show Hura that he wasn't just dead wood – or just an elastic band. Jorden doubted, however, that Peter would react well to such a line of questioning.

  “The first blasts of the run usually knock out a few nearby fish,” Peter went on to say, “even as deep as the transducer is. But by now the area should be reasonably clear.” He pointed to a flicking number. “Only about three minutes before the next programmed pulse.”

  Jorden swallowed, that would mean another quake for those of the domain. He looked to the few glowing lights and sparse switches on the equipment lining the walls. “And this gear does it all,” he speculated.

  Peter was in his element and becoming familiar with the man he thought was a kindred technician, albeit from the data analysis team who liked to think they were somehow better than the rest of the crew. “The power transmission side, sure. All the control gear is for that side of things. The pulses are timed and directed from here,” he said, gesturing to the display ahead. “After the run is finished the main CPU farm down where you are puts all the numbers together and gives us a picture of that quadrant. Of course the capacitor banks and the high current switch gear are actually back near the stern near power generation. I do a lot of the work down there as well.”

  Jorden looked carefully around the room, thinking furiously. Saving the Domain suddenly seemed all too easy, or at least delaying the tests for several days was. Actually getting away afterwards, however, might not be quite so easy. Sure, he could smash the computers up pretty bad, and he might just be able to jump ship before they caught him, but how long would it take for the authorities to catch up with him. He had conveniently given them his name after all.

  The numbers were still ticking down on the screen, only seconds until the next disruption. There was a distant whine, a vibration more felt than actually heard, and Jorden tensed, expecting the worst. When the counter hit zero he flinched reflexively...

  ...only to find that the blast was no more than a faint click that echoed through the superstructure. He was about to sigh relief when the aftershock hit, a physical shudder of the ship beneath. It was brief, but the vessel groaned stress and lighting fixtures flickered. Only the data equipment seemed immune. Jorden murmured under his breath, knowing that the Domain had fared worse. He tried not to think of Taf and the rest of his friends there.

  He glanced instead to Peter as he reset counter and then went through the rest of his procedures to prepare for the next run. Jorden struggled with possibilities and options. Time was passing fast this side and he knew he need to do something – anything – but he was clearly in the middle of a major research operation of a major company. Thoughts of futility returned, and Jorden knew that no matter how much he slowed the operation down he would never stop it completely. The shard worlds, whatever, wherever and whenever they were, would always be at risk. Perhaps in a few more of Hura's centuries, and after a dozen more such missions, the company just might consider the system a failure.

  But even that was a big maybe.

  III

  “Well...” Jorden began, halting as the chill set in and gravity seemed to take a brief vacation. Then the computer displays flickered, scrolled, and were blank, the light of the room fading to red. Jorden caught his footing and watched the crewman's fingers snap freeze on the keyboard, coherent enough to realize what had happened. He scanned the room for Hura and Taf, thankful of the timely rescue.

  He caught sight of the witch-god standing toward the centre of the cluttered time-frozen control room, but there was no sign of the aestri. “About time,” was all he could think to say.

  Hura came toward him quickly, ignoring the contents of the room. She was frowning and actually puffing breath, her hair and clothing more ruffled even than her norm. “I would have been here yesterday,” she admitted hurriedly, “but another of the disruptions set us back quite a bit.”

  “And there are plenty more where that came from,” Jorden told her, directing his attention toward the stationary crewman. “So you better do whatever you have to do and get us the hell out.” If that meant destroying the room, or even burning the ship, then so be it.

  She was shaking her head. “I have only a few moments here and the port could fail any second. It was the best I could do.”

  There were lines of stress and tones of genuine concern that made it difficult for Jorden to get angry, but the sinking feeling in his gut was impossible to ignore. “Okay so what's the good news? Can you at least get me out?”

  The pause then was long and difficult. Hura's gaze locked to his own for what seemed like an eternity. When she spoke it was laced with genuine regret. “I'm sorry Jorden.” She shook her head. “I can't. You're on you own.” At least she was being honest, Jorden considered. She approached and held his shoulders. “But if there is anything you can do for us... for Taf...”

  So that was it. He couldn't be angry. Hura was just doing her job, protecting her Domain. He had wanted to get home and he was home. Now there was one last thing he could do for Taf and the others in thanks for all they had done for him. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Jorden said carefully. It was the least he could do. “I have a feeling that this is as close to home as I'm going to get. I'll do what I can to delay the rig, at least for a few cycles, so if you could just say goodbye to Taf for me...” Words trailed.

  Hura managed a faint smile and faded slightly. “All I'll say is until we meet again, Jorden Miles...” Then the witch-god flickered and vanished into the void of paradise.

  There was a flare of heat as the ship's lighting returned, but this time it was far more mild, the shortness of breath more brief than Jorden had expected. Even so he stood staring at the spot Hura had vacated for some time, his thoughts of friends now well out of reach.

  Then Jorden was aroused by the sudden movement of the nearby crewman, Peter looking for the young technician who had vanished suddenly from his side. There was a distinct air of defeat, especially when it came to escape, but at least Jorden knew that it had not all been for nothing. There wasn't all that much to fear on the ship anyway. There were no polythorns or lizard beast, it was just a few mere men with only a remote chance that any were armed.

  “So,” Jorden sighed, calm. “Which bit of this stuff did you say did all the work?”

  Peter was still staring. He was certain that Jorden had been over his shoulder one moment, and on the other side of the room the next. And now he was fondling logic components that cost more than either of them earned in a month.

  When Jorden received no answer he simply snapped back the clips and slid the component from its rack, tearing away the trailing metal and plastic ganglia and tossing it all toward the centre of the room all the while hoping it was excessively fragile. He was able to toss three more before the crewman even tried to stop him, yet that hardly mattered. The rest were screwed to the racks.

  Jorden found that Peter's chair to be an effective tool in disabling the remainder.

  The only difficulty was ignoring Peter Nelson's shouts of horror.

  IV

  Jorden Miles was dismayed to learn that there were at least two security personnel on the ship and both were armed. Fortunately they kept their weapons well secured at their hip, and neither seemed in the least interested in using them. There was no reason to. Jorden had offered no futile resistance, and now sat calm in the corner of the office. He actually felt better than Peter currently looked, and he had a feeling that the crewman who had taken him to the control room would be in just as much hot water. He shrugged. That was someone else's problem and he had enough of his own.

  The office itself was spacious, considering it was on an otherwise cramped ship. There was a table and plenty of uncomfortable metal chairs, and a few locked filing cabinets, but otherwise very little within its chart filled walls. Security stood at the door and there was an expected absence of windows. Aside from Peter there were an assortment of company staff, so
me in suits, others in overalls emblazoned with the company logo. And no-one in the room looked particularly happy.

  “I don't suppose you'd believe I was with the Environmental Protection Authority,” Jorden tried. Or was that Agency, he considered. He should have listened in class...

  One of the men in a suit glared back. They were speaking amongst themselves and ignored the remark, Jorden picking up only portions of the conversation, most of it directed toward Peter.

  “He could have been some sort of industrial spy,” one said, “and you were giving him the bloody tour.” The words came sharp, Peter sinking further.

  “And even if he is just some crazed environmentalist we're in trouble,” spat another. “Today we have one. Tomorrow we might have a hundred.”

  The next speaker, a middle-aged man in overalls, was slightly more calm. “Panic isn't going to help the situation,” he began in an obvious American drawl. “Okay, so we've lost some equipment and perhaps a few days survey. We just have to step up security and put it down to experience.” He looked toward Jorden. “Just lock him up for the night and hand him over to the cops in the morning.”

  The second speaker wasn't convinced. “And we've got police and insurance investigators all over us for the rest of the week.”

  “Well then what the hell do you suggest,” Overalls shot back. “Tie him to the anchor and toss him overboard?”

  It was a moment before Jorden saw the humorous side of the suggestion. Back on the Katerina the crew might well get away with such a thing, but these men were trapped in a rigid system that forced their hand. The worst case scenario saw Jorden in a prison that would be equivalent to luxury accommodation back in the Domain. He laughed quietly to himself.

  It was enough to gain the attention of the group, even Peter glancing up momentarily. “You see something funny about this, boy,” Overalls then said. Jorden shook his head and returned to a more sombre expression, the American adding: “Then perhaps you can tell us exactly why you decided to jump our rig and start tearing up the god-damn control room.”

  Jorden opened his mouth but closed it just as quickly. It would be a real exercise in futility, even if he did know where to start. “I have a feeling you just wouldn't believe a word of it,” he eventually managed. “But you might as well give it up, unless you just want to keep losing money on this deal.” That caught their attention, Jorden considered, and he smiled. He also noticed that a few were ready to have their own word on the matter, so he kept it up. “I'm not the first one to come here, and I won't be the last.” He shrugged. “Step up security as much as you like. You won't stop them.” A few started to redden considerably in rage, so Jorden backed off. “Look. There's more to this universe than you people are ever going to know, and this rig is affecting enough of it to make sure that you are never going to get any peace...”

  There was a growl. “Get him out before I wring his neck,” Overalls interrupted. “I've already heard enough of this damn voodoo bullshit from the guys in maintenance.”

  Jorden stood and waited for his security escorts to take him elsewhere. He didn't really care whether they believed or not... Except that a little fear would always help slow them down for the near future, and days were likely years for Hura and the Domain.

  V

  Morning, however, and a long night of contemplation, brought a certain realization of the very real situation Jorden now found himself in. He hadn't slept well, all to be expected, but at least he need not worry over the current state of the Domain. He knew there had been no quakes in a very long time. It was knowledge that brought a certain comfort that might endure over the coming difficult days.

  They were on deck, not far from the heliport. The aircraft that was soon to land there was still a mere speck above the horizon, yet it brought an inevitable chill. Jorden wondered what his mother would think of all of this. She would find it difficult to even accept that he had made it to the ship. This was, after all, only the morning after he had left the note. It was going to be very difficult for her. Jorden cringed at the reality of it. It was going to be very difficult for himself as well.

  Fear began to set in. After the authorities did read the note and heard what he had told the crew, he was just as likely he would find himself committed. As Overalls had suggested, what sane person would come all the way to the rig simply to destroy their computer. The life he didn't have was definitely not taking a turn for the better. The Domain he had lost was starting to look like paradise after all.

  Jorden wondered if things could get any worse than they were now. It seemed that they always could. He recalled the attacks he had suffered previously, his withdrawal from the world of dream, but even if they killed him it could only be an improvement. It seemed like he had been dying for years anyway. It was inevitable.

  He might even come back as something better.

  He thought of Taf, and her talk of Domain theology, the helicopter ever nearer. She was safe now, at least for quite some time. Years perhaps. And Jorden was home. He was alive and he was back in reality. And he was still technically sixteen. This was the real world and he was a juvenile. Things wouldn't be very easy for a while, perhaps a couple of years. But it would all blow over in time even if he did survive.

  It was all worth it. He had done the job Hura had wanted and all was well. There was only one nagging thought that remained, and that was he had just bought his friends so little time. A few cycles in the Domain at most. He should have done more...

  He sighed.

  In the corner of his eye he caught sight of a dim shape that seemed to hover nearby, vanishing before Jorden could focus on it. He allowed himself a glimmer of hope, wishing, more than anything, that Overalls and the others who surrounded him on the deck nearby would get a healthy dose of unreality. The security guards certainly did, their guns flicking from their holsters and screaming seaward before they could slap their hips.

  Jorden was unsure of whether to run or simply wait for Hura to appear. He waited, but she didn't. She had to be there. Only the magic of Hura could move material objects in his world in such a way. But for what. The guns of security were gone. An escape plan perhaps? Hura's last gift to Jorden. He glanced to the rail and the sea beyond. He could jump ship, but he would not get far.

  Before he could move, other things started happening, and Jorden found himself as much in the dark as the rest. The ship was slammed forward, and those on the deck who didn't fall quickly crouched to make sure they couldn't. Alarms started wailing toward the stern, soon joined by a chorus of badly tuned bells. Overalls was shouting orders that very few were taking notice of, most eyes turned upward as the pale sky flared.

  Jorden felt the bite of a promising coolness in the air and looked for Taf, yet sensed that all was not well. It was not a transition he had experienced in the past, the cold deep and slow to build. Chill winds began to sweep across the deck, icy vortices whipping about the railings, snap frozen raindrops smacking hard against the glazing of the nearby bridge. The helicopter was gone, faded into ever brighter skies, and with it vanished the mountains of the nearby mainland.

  Sheets of wet ice formed on the decking and jagged spines soon sprouted on the nearby rail, Jorden catching only glimpses as he squinted through the sleet. He shouted, but cries were lost easily in the cyclonic demon winds that grew in intensity each moment. Jorden dug fingernails into the ice, knowing that at any second the gale could prove victorious.

  As if trying to ensure such, there was a sudden surge, then a snap of thunder that echoed a flash of a thousand suns.

  And it was over.

  Jorden lay breathing, contemplating a daring peek.

  VI

  It was warm at least, the ice at Jorden's fingertips melting quickly.

  Icy daggers dropped from the railing and shattered against the deck, the wind now no more than a casual sea breeze. Gentle waves broke against the hull and a single bell rattled forlorn in the distance.

  Jorden
rose to all fours and tried to ignore the pain, still too shocked by the ferocity of the transition to wonder why. When he stood and rubbed stinging eyes he could at least see that the ship and the ocean remained, but what didn't seem right was the way the ocean continued to move rather that lay in fixed dunes. Then there was the light...

  A voice distracted him, familiar and comforting. As Jorden turned it attacked with unusual vigour, leaping into his grasp and threatening to take them both over the railing. After that he risked suffocation, its grip firm about his torso.

  Jorden hugged briefly, then pried Taf free. “Its good to see you too,” he puffed, “but give me a chance to catch my breath.”

  The aestri stepped back, hovering enthusiastically. “I've missed you so much,” she was saying. “I thought we would never get you back.”

  Jorden had never seen the aestri dressed the way she was, but it was definitely Taf. There was a skirt and full top, as she had worn in the castle, but then there were the blue ribbons in her hair and the shoes. Jorden shook his head. He had never imagined Taf in shoes. She even smelt as if she had discovered perfume.

  Hura stepped nearer, bringing with her the familiarity of jeans and T-shirts. Yet even she seemed to have taken the time to do her hair.

  The nearby moans and mumbled conversation distracted Jorden, and he looked back to where Overalls and the crew were pulling themselves off the deck. One of the security guards remained latched firm to the railing and the other was nowhere to be seen.

  Jorden glared and turned to Hura. “I don't get it. How the hell did you and Taf get here,” he said, but that was only half of it. How were they there in real time. Jorden looked for the helicopter.

  The white skies were empty, very empty, and the mountains of the mainland were long gone. White cliffs crowned in forest rose off to port, no more than a thousand footfall distant, and anchored near was another vessel that looked all too familiar. Its sails were furled, outriggers riding high in the green seas. And crystals hung on tiny towers that sprouted from buoys surrounding the rig, flashing green under the starfish sun.

  “Holy crap,” was all Jorden could manage for a moment. He never imagined that Hura would ever try anything so major. “This is going to take some explaining by the authorities back home. There was a police helicopter that would have seen the rig vanish.” Jorden managed to laugh, but it was more in relief than anything else. He had doubted that Hura would ever try to help him once the quakes stopped.

  Overalls was wandering nearby, but most of the crew were hanging over the rail pointing toward the Katerina and locked in noisy argument. Jorden shrugged when the bewildered stare of the crew was directed toward him. “Don't ask me,” he smiled. “I just work here.” He glanced toward Hura. “Where the hell are we?”

  The witch-god returned his smile and looked out across the bow. “About two-hundred thousand footfall out of Thagul harbour... And a very very long way from Tasmania.” Near the Western Pacific Line, Jorden considered, but then where else could she pull such a stunt. He had heard they imported ships from Thoria...

  Longboats were heading out from the Katerina, Hura abandoning her smug stance to sigh. “So let's just clear this pile of junk as quickly as we can and sink it. Somehow it just doesn't fit the décor here...”

  Jorden watched Overalls' face drop and tried not to smile. It had been a difficult day for them all.

  “With a little luck we might have them home for lunch,” Hura then added.

  Jorden frowned. Time again elusive.

  VII

  Although Orani had tolerated Jordenmiles and allowed him the freedom of the ship, she was not about to do the same with the seventy refugees from the odd vessel of Beyond, even if Hura Ghiana herself should be aboard. And Hura had no intention of suggesting otherwise. They were less danger to themselves and the Katerina when stored safely below decks in the all but empty holds.

  “The choice of ship was Taf's, of course,” Hura admitted. “There was too much gear to teleport efficiently, and after your success with the quakes there seemed no rush.”

  Jorden was again on the open bridge of a ship he had doubted he would ever see again, or at least hoped he would never see again. Drey was at the wheel, Orani and Johnathon standing alongside Aestri Finesilver. The only new face was a Peter Nelson, an exception to the rule who had no intention of returning home to try and explain his involvement in the loss of the ship.

  “Of course,” Jorden echoed. “But I still don't quite understand what happened to the Time of Darkness.”

  Hura shrugged. “As I said, it took several months to set all of this up and we couldn't set sail before the Time of Light. And surely you must realize that the Domain is irrevocably tied to your world. The Time of Darkness occurs only during your Tasmanian night.”

  “Ah,” Jorden considered. That made sense, or at least as much sense as the rest of the Domain. He glanced to Peter and wondered how he would cope with their next stop in Thagul. Jorden remembered his own difficult first days.

  “This was all Taf's idea, by the way,” Hura added. “I don't think I would have ever come up with such a crazy plan, and there was no way she was going to let me leave you stranded here.”

  Jorden smiled to Taf and could just imagine the trouble she must have given Hura. He should have known that, of course, known that there was no way she would allow him to be stranded on the ship, not when there was a chance to bring Jorden back to her world.

  And her ship, Jorden looking over it yet again.

  The sails were taught, a strong fourteenth radial breeze catching the Katerina from slightly forward on the starboard. The voyage into the southern city of Thagul would at least be relatively quick. Jorden glanced to the cliffs that law downwind, knowing they would pass near to Tucaar and the Kaedith Tsarin. He pointed. “I should drop in to visit Perrin and the girls as we sail past,” Jorden joked.

  Hura forwarded a playful frown. “I doubt that Tsarin would be pleased to see you, and I would like to see our guests over the Line while their minds have a chance of surviving their present nightmare.”

  Jorden snorted. She had never been quite so concerned over his own welfare. “Peter here seems to be coping okay.” He gestured toward the man from control systems, Peter returning a strained smile.

  Hura gave a faint nod. “And what about you, Jorden.” Her words caught the attention of Taf. “Now that the ship is gone, and the word of its crew somewhat negated, it should be safe for your own return home with little to worry over.” Her gaze caught that of Taf's. “Of course you are also welcome to stay for a little while longer. I have a bit of a trip planned and you would certainly be a great help. Just a few days, perhaps.”

  Jorden frowned. “Is that Earth days or Domain days?” He looked to Taf, the aestri looking better than she had ever looked. “I need to go home to sort a few things out...” He noticed Taf's downward gaze. “Of course I don't suppose another few hours will make much difference.”

  Or days...