You awaken many hours later feeling rested. Returning to the upper deck, you see Couchy Isle ahead. It is the raised rim of a meteor crater that was flooded when the Sea of Tranquility was actually turned into a sea, long ago. You see steep hills clad in thick forest. Here and there, though, you see lights twinkling in the treetops.
You make for the harbour entrance, which is a narrow gap between the two cusps of the crater rim. As you pass, you think you see a woman standing on one of the headlands watching, but in the dimness you are not sure.
The boat sails across the enclosed bay and makes for a stone wharf. By the time you arrive Arahiya and several other elves with a carraige are there to greet you.
"I was not sure that you would come," she says, her eyes resting on Zanax for a long instant. "Let us go to my home, and over breakfast we can talk."
Tully says, "Breakfast sounds lovely."
He follows.
Zanax, looking around like a tourist, follows as well.
You go over to the carriage.
Darian gets in the carriage. "Thank you."
She looks at him strangely for an instant and then a servant helps her up. Tully and Zanax follow, and you set off.
There is a small cluster of buildings along the wharf...too few to be considered a town. You ride past them and into the forest. The boughs of the trees overhang the lane and partially block out the stars and Earth. You climb steadily until at last the lane crests the top of the crater rim and the trees thin out.
You have a dramatic view looking south across the Sea of Tranquility, its calm surface reflecting the stars above.
A short distance down the south side of the rim and you come to a large estate. A home unlike what the humans have ever seen before, it is actually built in and across a number of giant, ancient trees. The carriage stops at the base of one of these trees and you alight.
Arahiya leads you to a flight of steps which ascends around the bole of the tree and you ascend into the house. She leads you through many rooms, richly furnished and clearly ancient. You pass other elves who are obviously servants and she shows you a suite of rooms for you to stay in. Each of you have your own bedroom overlooking the sea, opening into a common sitting room.
When you have cleaned yourselves up a servant leads you downstairs to the breakfast room. It is a large, open area which also offers a splendid view of the sea. A table has been set with fresh fruits and breads, and Arahiya greets you again.
You sit and eat.
"This was where my husband and I sat for our final meal together," she says. "I still remember it as if it were yesterday. Then, he kissed me on the forehead and set sail across the sea, bound for Capella Crater."
Tully listens and eats. He then says, "First, let me thank you again for the invitation. The food and the view are wonderful."
He pauses and says, "We would like to find your husband. I am hoping that by sharing information, we could both achieve the goal we are working toward. Can you tell me where Capella Crater is? Is that here on the moon?"
"Yes it is. It is several hundred miles north of here in the mountains beyond the Sea of Tranquility. It used to be the location of an old Federation transport base."
"I guess we know where we're going next. Milady, is it permitted to use our spaceship to make the trip or will we have to go by foot?"
"Why should it not be permitted?" she asks with a smile.
Darian shrugs. "We don't know your rules or customs. Since the elves at the landing site seemed a bit agitated with our ship, I was concerned that they might not want us landing anywhere else."
"I wouldn't know why they were agitated," she replies, "But there are no rules telling you where you may fly your ship...as long as you do not endanger others. We elves are not big into rules, you know."
"That is why I was a bit surprised. Okay, we will head there later today. Shouldn't take too long in our spaceship."
"Thank you."
Tully says, "I do have a question. If it is only several hundred miles north of here, how long would it have taken him to get there?"
"He walked, so probably a month or two."
Tully thinks and says, "That was years ago, right? Do you think he has been captured?"
She looks concerned.
"Captured? By who?"
Tully, trying to be discrete says, "Well, milady, it was my understanding that your husband has been gone for many years. If it only takes a couple of months to get there and back, I am not sure why he would have been gone so long. Perhaps his work there is keeping him. Either way, we will find out. Is there any other information you can give us to help us on this quest?"
"The buildings are large and within Capella crater. It is a well known ruin."
Tully nods. "My thanks. We will send word whether we do or don't find him. Oh, one last question…is there any portraits of him or any way that we can be sure it is he that we find?"
She stands and leads you to a long room, softly lit. Many portraits hang from the walls. Most of the subjects bear a family resemblance to each other.
"This is he," she says, stopping before a painting depicting a handsome, dark haired elf.
Zanax nods, "And is there some message you would like us to pass on to him? Or something that would indicate that we indeed do know you?"
"Just bring him back," she whispers.
Tully rises and says, "We will do so, milady. Do you have a token or small portrait of yourself that we might be able to show him? It may convince him we are who we say we are."
She unclasps the diamond necklace that hangs around her neck.
"Give him this."
Tully says, "You do us a great honor to trust us so quickly. I thank you and rest assured we will do everything in our power to bring him home."
He takes the necklace and place it in his pouch.
Zanax asks, "And what was he planning to do there that he would choose one day to just up and leave his beautiful wife?"
"As I said at the party, he had heard that there were functioning nernals there."
Zanax shakes his head, "Yes, but such a long time?"
She smiles.
"We are elves, Zanax. I did not start to worry until about 50 years ago."
Then Tully says, "Shall we go, my friends and travel to this crater?"
"Certainly. I'm ready."
Zanax bows to the lady, "It has been an honor to meet you, milady."
Outside, the carriage is waiting for you. You make the trip back to the harbour in silence.
Once there, you board the sailing ship and it casts off.
The voyage back to Tranquility takes the rest of what would be the day on Earth.
Reaching the lunar mainland again, you see that the party near the water has finally ended, though you hear the sounds of music and laughter coming from a number of inns and taverns.
You are tired and so return to the Bill Gates and take the rise tube into her.
"Hello," says a voice out of somewhere. "Welcome aboard the space scout Bill Gates. You may call me Bill for short, or Bill.doc if you prefer."
There is a mechanical sounding chuckle at this apparent little joke.
Tully says, "Billdotdoc, could you take us into orbit?"
"Of course."
He turns to the others and says, "Let's sleep and then head to Capella Crater after we are rested."
He looks up again, "Billdotdoc, do you know the location of Capella Crater or can you get the location from the local Nernal?"
"I do not know the location. I have not detected any nernals in the area."
Zanax yawns and nods, "Sounds good to me. I just hope her husband is still alive and at the crater."
"That's going to make this a bit more difficult. Billdotdoc, please make contact with Lundar Environment Control Nernal 1 and see if it can supply you with a map of the Moon."
There is a pause, then a globe of the moon appears in the air before you. However, it is not labelled with anything that resemble words that you know. All of the features are identified with numbers or coordinates. However, based on what you saw when you were landing here and what you have seen of the area since that time, you are able to identify Tranquility, the Sea of Tranquility and Cauchy Isle. You recall the directions that Arahiya gave you, and are soon able to identify a crater in the mountains to the north of the sea. Several of them, in fact.
Darian shrugs. "The only other thing I can think to do is go back to the library and see if we can find a map with names. Billdotdoc, can you please print out the craters in the mountains to the north of the sea?"
"I do not understand your request."
"Can you provide a copy of the map on parchment paper so that we can carry it with us when we leave the ship?"
"Of course. It would be two dimensional, however."
"Of course. But someone local to this area might be able to help us with the details from there. Thank you, Billdotdoc."
There is a shimmer in the air and a map on some sort of flexible flat material appears.
Darian looks at the others. "Let's get some sleep. When we're ready, we can land again and see if someone can show us on this map where we need to go."
Tully says, "Do you think it is necessary? We know which area. We can do a fly over and look for the ruins. We might be able to find them that way."
Darian shrugs. "For all we know, each crater could have ruins."
Tully says, "It would only take a few minutes to find out...unless you want to go to the library for something else? If so, we can take the time to go to the library."
Zanax shakes his head, "I would think that going to the library would not be prudent at this time. Perhaps Darian will have time to dally with the librarian after we have visited the crater."
Darian smiles at the other two. "No, not to visit her. Just trying to be practical. If you wish to fly by the seat of your pants, by all means, I'll keep quiet."
Tully chuckles, "Oh and here I thought you were the one flying by the seat of your pants...or rather the other side of your pants."
Darian smiles and shakes his head. "You seem to think the worst of me."
"Nonsense, my friend, I honestly thought there might be something else you wanted to look up there."
"Not in the least."
"Then let us go to the North and do a fly over. If we can spot ruins, then we will go to them."
"Billdotdoc, can you find buildings and ruined buildings?"
"Certainly. It is one of the prime functions of an XP class scout."
Tullys says, "Great! Let's go!"
With those words the Bill Gates rises from the surface of the Moon and accelerates skywards. A few minutes later you are settled into a low lunar orbit. You head down to the main cabin of the ship. It is a large room which takes up roughly the fore two-thirds of the ship. Along the back wall are four doors, each of which opens into a small sleeping cabin furnished with a table, chair, and what looks like two tomb stones spaced about 7' apart. However, when you put your hand between the latter it encounters a soft, warm and slightly yielding energy field...and you realise that this is a bed.
You are tired so you retire for the night.