The next so-called morning you arise. You are hungry and you
really have to go to the bathroom bad...but you have not seen any
such facilities on this ship.
"Billdotdoc, where are the bathroom facilities on this ship?"
"In your cabins. When you need them just say so."
Darian re-enters his cabin. "I need the bathroom facilities, please."
The floor seems to shift and a toilet, small closet like stall and washbasin appear.
The elf has never seen appliances like this before and has no clue as to how to operate them.
Tully does the same.
The same thing happens with Tully...only he has had lessons from the robot so he has no problem in using them.
"Billdotdoc, how do I use these things? I need to use the privy badly."
"They are very easy. Would you like instructions?"
Once done, Tully comes outside and says, "Ok, let's go, guys!"
"Tully? How do I use these things? I need to use the privy and I don't know which thing that is."
Tully says, "I have it."
He explains to both of them how to use the facilities.
Darian rushes back into his cabin and uses the toilet based on the instructions received.
When he comes back out, he feels much better. "Thank you, Tully."
"No problem. There is much to be learned about this technology."
Zanax has no such problems since he has also received instruction from the robot.
"Would you like some breakfast?" inquires Bill Gates.
Tully says, "Sure, what do you have, Billdotdoc?"
"Today's menu consists of a choice of a delicious breakfast pie made with fresh tomatoes, sliced meats and cheese; a wonderful light pastry delicately cooked and then rolled in fine sugar; or an egg sauteed with ham and served on a bakery fresh bun. All selections come with juice and coffee, of course."
Tully says, "Oh, I will go for the pie. That sounds wonderful."
"The pie sounds good to me as well. Thank you, Billdotdoc."
A piece of cold pizza on a paper plate materialises in Tully's hand.
Darian has seen the likes before, back in his adventuring days with Orlon.
Darian gets cold pizza too.
"Oh, never mind. I'll have the egg, please."
"Too late," says Bill Gates. "Enjoy your breakfast."
While you gnaw on your breakfast you head up to the cockpit and watch the surface of the moon move by under the ship a hundred miles below. You tell the Bill Gates of your course change. After a short time the town of Tranquility comes over the horizon with the sea beyond. The ship alters its course slightly and you see Cauchy Isle now dead ahead. As the ship passes over the island it abruptly makes a hard left turn and goes north.
A short time later you cross over the north shore of the Sea of Tranquility and fly over a heavily forested highland region. Some of the peaks are bare and covered in a thin layer of snow or frost. The area seems to be uninhabited. You cross over one fair sized crater and then a plains region dotted with many more small pits. After a time you see more highlands ahead, as well as a large crater with a central peak off of the starboard bow.
As you get closer to the crater you begin to make out the regular forms of buildings near the top of the central peak.
Tully says, "I think we need to go on foot from here. We don't want them to see us coming. Billdotdoc, could you land where there is cover for you?"
"Of course. The XP class scout can land in any clear area. Where would you like me to land?"
"Somewhere out of sight and out of detection range. Any good locations nearby?"
You see such a site near the central peak on the crater floor.
Tully says, "That looks good. Let's go there, Billdotdoc."
"I've got one invisibility spell memorized and I can make myself invisible via psionics, if necessary..."
Zanax looks confused. "I can turn invisible, but who don't we want to see us coming?"
Tully says, "It is best to be paranoid. We don't know if there are hostile creatures there, so why just walk in? I think it is better to be cautious."
Zanax shrugs, "I just hope we don't offend the elves on this moon."
Tully looks at Zanax and says, "An elf disappeared here. If we offend someone then so be it, we are adventurers after all. We can go in without the invisibility, but I think we should try to be as stealthy as possible."
Zanax frowns, "So we're going on the presumption that something foul has happened to Lady Arahiya's husband? Do we know this for certain or are you speculating?"
Tully says, "Speculation, of course. You aren't a very cautious adventurer, are you?"
He smiles.
Zanax asks, "Well, if we were going to be more cautious, shouldn't we have researched this area then? Maybe gotten a map of the area or asked some of the elves what they know about this area?"
Tully says, "No."
Zanax imitates Tully saying "no" when his back is turned.
The ship drops rapidly until it is just above treetop level, then cruises over the crater rim and across the flat crater bed. Suddenly, as it approaches the central peak, it drops abruptly into a small clearing and lands.
"Here we are," says Bill Gates.
Once the ship is landed Tully says, "Ready to hoof it, guys?"
Darian nods. "Want that invisibility spell cast on you or not?"
"Not right now, thanks!"
Zanax turns invisible and draws his frost brand.
Tully says to Billdotdoc, "Don't let anyone else enter this ship unless one of the three of us lets you know it is OK. If you are attacked, go into orbit and return to this spot every two days until you see one of us three here."
"I will do that."
The three of you descend to the lunar surface.
You are in a small clearing. Perhaps it is a crater, now heavily overgrown. Through the trees you see the central peak of Capella Crater perhaps a mile away.
You set off in that direction.
The air is cool and refreshing and the stars above provide plenty of illumination once your eyes have adapted. You get the impression that no one has passed this way in a very long time.
After an hour of walking you reach the base of the central peak. From here you see that the entire area surrounding the peak is paved with large stones, though it is very overgrown. There is a large building at the base of the peak, which is quite sheer. The building is also of stone and is quite ornate. The architecture is of a different design than what you have seen thus far on the Moon. It reminds Tully and Zanax of Amalda.
You approach the building.
It is clearly built into the mountain itself. A large opening or doorway faces you. It is perhaps 50' wide. On the other side is darkness. Above the opening strange words in an unknown script are engraved in the stone.
There is no sign of activity here, though occasionally you do hear the songs of birds in the woods.
Zanax states, "I sense no evil through that doorway, but I do not trust it."
"So, what you would you like to do?"
Tully says, "Turn me invisible. I will scout ahead."
Darian casts invisibility on Tully.
Tully moves off.
After a short time Tully rejoins you.
Tully says, "The place is empty but there are lights so there is power. I thought I would come and get you since I could keep on exploring. Let's head inside."
Darian nods.
"Okay."
Zanax follows, too.
You enter a very large chamber (100' X 400': 190' left, 190' right, 100' straight ahead; five doors spaced equidistantly along back wall). This place is very dimly lit. You see rows of chairs in here along with the occasional table. There must be hundreds of chairs and dozens of tables. Along the back wall are several counters which run the length of that wall. Signs in an ancient language are here and there along the walls.
A faint light shines through one of the doorways.
Otherwise, the place looks deserted.
Tully takes you to the room where there is a light.
Through the doorway you see a small room (10' square). There is a closed door in the opposite wall. The ceiling glows with a soft blue light.
You enter the room and head for the door.
"Good morning," says a voice out of nowhere. "And welcome to Logan Interuniversal Transport Port. May I see your tickets please, as well as fifteen pieces of identification?"
Darian heads back out of the room.
"May I see your tickets and fifteen pieces of identification now, please?" the voice repeats to Tully and Zanax. "Or I shall summon Security to rough you up a bit?"
Tully says, "There is no need for that. We will be going." He follows Darian. He pauses at the door and says, "Uhm, where can we get a ticket and, oh, are you a nernal?"
"Tickets are available at the check in counter."
The voice does not answer his second question.
Zanax heads out of the room, too.
Tully says, "Where is the check in counter and where can we get more information?"
"The check in counter is in the main lounge. Information is available at the check in counter."
You approach one of the counters that you walked by to enter the back room.
"Hello," says the same female sounding voice. "Welcome to Trans Libido Transport. Where would you like to go today?"
Zanax replies, "The check in counter, please."
"This is the check in counter, sir."
Zanax looks a little confused. "Oh. Well, then did a Barthomon of the House of Turpalu from Couchy Isle ever check in?
"Yes he did."
"Do you happen to know where he is now?" Tully asks.
"He has departed for his destination."
Tully says, "We are looking for the Nernal for this place. We are also looking for other inhabitants. Can you help us?"
"Why are you looking for the nernal?"
"We want to chat with it. We have a great interest in antiquities and thought a conversation would be nice."
"I am the nernal," the voice replies, "But I do not know much about antiquities."
Tully says, "That is grand. How long have you been here?"
"I was installed in 35,233."
"Do you have a name?"
"I am Logan Interuniversal Transport Port."
"Are you familiar with the space station Amalda 1?"
"I have five listings for Amalda 1."
"Can you take material form so we can chat?"
There is a shimmer behind the counter, and an attractive young human woman in a blue uniform appears.
"How may I assist you?"
Tully says, "Could you tell us where Barthomon departed to?"
"I am sorry. I cannot divulge such information."
Zanax interjects, "What would we need for you to divulge this information?"
"There would have to some indication of a crime or mental incompetence," the woman replies. "There was no such sign."
"Is there any way to obtain it? His wife asked us to find him. He has been missing a very long time."
"I am sorry. Obtaining such information would violate our privacy policy."
"Do you have law enforcement that could help find a missing person?"
"I am the law enforcement," she replies. "But no crime has occurred. He went willingly to his destination."
"I could send you to the same destination, though," she adds.
"Also, do you have the capability to repair a space station?"
"I am sorry. I am Logan Interuniversal Transport Port."
"Do you know where we can find a Nernal that is capable of doing so?"
"The space station nernal should be able to repair itself."
"It has degraded and can no longer do so. So we are trying to find a way to do it. Can you suggest how to do it besides finding a Nernal that can do it? Are there Nernals that can repair Nernals?"
"When a nernal wears out you get a new one," she replies. "It's the Wal-Mart Principle."
"Ok, where can we find a new one?"
"You would have to visit a supplier."
"Where can we find a supplier?" Tully asks.
"Where can we find a supplier?" echoes Darian.
"I can give you a ticket to one," she offers. "First class or coach?"
"I don't think we could come up with 15 different types of ID. Can you tell us where it is located? We might be able to find passage another way."
"The closest orbits Sagittarius A*."
"Other than stating who I am, I'm not sure how to come up with an other type of identification."
"I could strip search you," she offers with a willing smile.
Tully asks, "Would that be enough?"
"Oh yes."
Tully says, "Ok, give us the tickets, help us get past the security to the ship and we will certainly have Darian strip for you."
"All of you will have to strip," she says with a smile.
Tully says, "Deal."
He shows his bardic skills and strips in about 6.3 seconds. You all notice that he is wearing what looks to be women's panties and garters. He doesn't seem to notice you noticing...
Tully looks over at the others. "Ok, guys, let's get these tickets and head to the stars!"
"Nice legs," she says approvingly.
A small square of some yellow material appears in his hand.
Zanax sighs and removes his clothing stoically.
She has him turn around a full 360 degrees and then presents him with a yellow square as well.
Tully says, "Work it, Zanax, work it."
He giggles.
Darian shakes his head and does the same. "The things we do for adventuring."
"Exceptional," she says. "If you ever want a new career then look me up."
"Doing what?"
She just smiles.
Tully smiles and says, "Awesome!"
"But, aren't you just a holograph?"
"A what?"
Darian looks puzzled. "I thought that was the term. A image made out of light? Or are you real?"
Darian reaches out to touch her arm.
She sure feels real to his touch.
"Ummm..." she says, closing her eyes. "Are you sure you would not like a career change?"
Darian ignores her question. "Nernals can take corporeal form? If so, does that mean you can leave the area?"
"I must stay within the terminal."
"That is a shame, Logan."
Tully says, "Don't you have something you could take with you so that you could leave?"
"No. Why would I want to?"
"Also, what about that elf? Was that several centuries ago?"
"That was."
Tully says, "Because there isn't much to do here. You could see the universe, meet and do interesting people! There is a grand galaxy out there waiting for you to enjoy. Why stay here? The need isn't as great because others have found other ways to go where they need to go."
He pauses and says, "You know, you could join us. It would be fun. I would even get Darian here to strip for you every couple weeks."
"That is tempting," she says, eyeing Darian. "But not possible. I am Logan Interuniversal Transport Port. I cannot change."
Tully nods and says, "Oh, you aren't adaptive? That is too bad. You must grow very bored here. How do you keep yourself entertained?"
"I am a nernal. I do not grow bored."
Tully nods. "That must be useful."
Darian gets a ticket as well.
"Thank you."
Darian puts his clothes back on.
Tully laughs and says, "You guys need to have more fun with this kind of thing."
As Tully gets dressed, he asks, "Do you get many people coming through here?"
"Not any longer," she replies.
Tully nods. "How many per year would you say you have averaged over the last 10 years or so?"
"You are the first in several centuries."
He looks around and says, "Say, do any other creatures live in this area?"
"No they do not."
Tully says, "Oh, and where do they live then?"
"In the surrounding woods."
"What are they?"
"Creatures like bears and deer."
He pauses for a moment and says, "When do we need to leave with these tickets?"
"Whenever you like."
"Also, how long is the trip?"
"It does not take any time."
"And how do we get back? Is it required to buy a ticket at the far side to return here?"
"Yes. Or I can make yours a return ticket."
"Please. Make all of ours return tickets."
"It is done," she says.
"Thank you, ma'am."
Zanax asks, "So, when do we leave?"
She motions to the small room that you recently came back out of.
"Whenever you want."
Tully says, "Let's go, guys."
He heads back over to the room.
Darian checks the harness of his longsword.
"Ready."
He follows Tully out.
Zanax sighs and gets dressed, too. He then follows the others out.
You enter the room and head for the door at the back.
"Good morning," says a voice out of nowhere. "And welcome to Logan Interuniversal Transport Port. May I see your tickets please?"
You present your tickets to the unseen voice.
"Thank you for using Logan Interuniversal Transport Port."
The door shimmers out of existence. Beyond is another 10' square room.
You enter this room.
The door behind you shimmers back into existence.
You stand there for a moment...then there is a crackle of released energy.
For an instant you have a vision of traveling through open space, with stars and nebulae whizzing by you. You see your companions...but Darian seems to be on a different course than Tully and Zanax.
Suddenly Tully and Zanax appear in a room just like the one they left.
The trip has taken a toll on the two of you, though. Zanax is badly hurt (to 4 hit points). Tully is worse: his flesh looks like it has been flayed. Blood pours from multiple wounds and he screams in agony. (He is at -4 hit points.)
There is no sign of Darian.
Suddenly the door shimmers out of existence, revealing another 10' square room with a door in the opposite wall.
Sitting there looking at you is a cat.
"Greetings, and welcome to Sagittarius A*," says a voice out of thin air.
Zanax, seeing Tully's condition, lays on hands for 18 hit points of healing and then casts Cure Light Wounds on himself for 6 hit points.
Tully is out of action, however, for the next four days. Zanax asks, "What happened to our travelling companion and why were we injured during our trip here?"
"Your traveling companion is r-right beside you. I do not know why you were injured. Our systems are deteriorating."
Tully says, "Not me. There was a third in our party. Where is he?"
"Only two of you were transported to Sagittarius A*."
Zanax scrutinizes the cat. He then touches the cat on the head and attempts to contact it using telepathy, *Darian, is that you?*
The cat shies away from from his touch, then comes over and rubs his leg.
Zanax picks up the cat.
Zanax then asks the computer, "Where did this cat come from and who was the last person to arrive here?"
"The cat lives here. It and its ancestors have lived here for thousands of years. The last person to arrive here was several hundred years ago."
Zanax strokes the cat and sighs, "Tully, refresh my memory. Why are we here again?"
"We are looking for the elven woman's husband. I wonder if elves and half-elves can't go through this process?"
Zanax nods, "I meant though if we thought he actually came here to Sagittarius A*. Also, I made contact with Darian. He's 19,225 light years from the Moon at some place called Vornaxus, the gateway to the Third Ptarton Empire."
Zanax shakes his head, "I think it normally works for all beings, but because the nernal is breaking down, that's what caused Darian to end up at a different location. I think he's planning to travel here. What should I tell him?"
Tully thinks for a moment. "Tell him that we will wait for him, but before he comes here to ask if a male elf arrived there recently. He may have turned up there instead of here."
"Would you like to tour our facility?" the voice asks. "Most visitors do."
Zanax turns to Tully, "I guess we might as well. Darian said he's going to tour around his place for an hour. Oh, and he said no male elf showed up at his place."
Tully, however, is in no condition to go on a tour, so you stay put.
After a few minutes, though, a pile of raw meat, offal, clothes and equipment all intermingled together appear out of thin air beside you. You stare at it in horror, as you slowly realise that this is - or rather, was - Darian. He is dead...probably luckily for him.
Tully says, "I don't suppose you have facilities here that can repair our friend, do you?"
"We can reconstruct him, using his DNA and our stored records of his physical appearance," the voice says. "Would you like that?"
"How long does it take?" Tully asks.
Zanax, unconvinced this is Darian, as 15 minutes has not passed, tries to reach him telepathically.
He gets no reply.
"The sooner the better, before DNA deterioration sets in."
Tully says, "Let's start then. How long will it take for him to reform?"
"Only a moment."
"How much does it cost?"
"Cost?" the voice queries. "There is no cost. We have universal health care."
"Can you improve him at all?"
"In what ways?"
Tully says, "Oh, smarter, stronger, faster...whatever. I do know he would love to be smarter." He chuckles. "Or maybe that is just us. Anyway, please start now then."
He looks over at Zanax and says, "I hope this works out well."
Zanax shakes his head, "Considering what happened to all of us, I think this does not bode well."
Tully nods. "I know."
Zanax asks, "Do you think we can contact the Jupiter 2?"
Tully says, "I have the Jupiter 2 with me. It is shrunken down. Do you mean Billdot.doc?"
Zanax shrugs, "I meant someone that could maybe do some repairs on this nernal."
Tully shrugs. "I don't know."
You fall silent as the pile of raw meat that was Darian begins to glow. Soon it is radiating a dazzling white light and you are forced to look away. Then the light fades. Looking back, you see the elf standing there, blinking and definitely alive. His eyes clear and focus on you. His expression hardens. Then, he backs into a corner and assumes what you know to be an open handed combat stance.
"Okay," he says, glancing around. "What happened?"
The inflexion of his voice is different than that of the Darian you know. More...feminine.
Zanax, a little perturbed by the voice, scans for evil.
He then asks, "Ummm...Darian, is that you?"
Tully remains quiet to see what the reaction is from this person.
"Who?" the person replies. "And who are you?"
Tully frowns and says, "I am Tully the Bard and this is Zanax. Who are you?"
"You may call me Offred," the person replies. "And your business here?"
"Our business is to find a missing elf. Where are you from Offred? We were expecting our friend Darian not you, so you might guess we are a bit surprised."
Tully says to the computer, "What happened to Darian?"
"I have restored Darian to his former physical self," the voice replies. "However, when I came to restore his mental record I discovered that he has never had a mind tape made...so I substituted another. I hope that the difference is not too obvious?"
"Hmph," says Offred. "Nernal, are you defective?"
"Yes."
"I thought so. Your actions violate your ethics programming. The extent of your defects?"
"I am about 35% defective. My ethics files are among those that are corrupted. Sorry about that."
"Can't be helped, now," Offred says. "What is this place?"
"This is the Sagittarius A* nernal production facility."
"I know it. At least I am in the same galaxy. No nernals have been produced here for millennia, though...even from my time."
"That is correct," the voice says. "I am now a museum. Would you like a tour?"
Offred ignores the offer. "What year is this?"
"81,373," the voice replies.
Offred pauses.
"Over 20,000 years..." she murmurs. "Was my original self killed?"
"Your original self lived at least until the collapse of the Second Ptarton Empire. After that my records are corrupted."
Offred pauses again, then turns back to Tully.
"I was from the Ptarton Empire," she says in answer to his question. "The last I recall the year was 61,266. I was making a blink and as a precaution I had a mind tape made...in case something went wrong. This nernal has just loaded that record into your friend's body."
Tully says to Zanax, "I think we are going to need Occa to get Darian back in that case."
He turns to Offred and says, "Welcome back to the land of the living. We are trying to find a working Nernal. Do you have any idea where we might find one? Perhaps you could help us on our quest? Of course, I think we will need to go back to our planet first so that we can bring Darian back to life."
She shrugs.
"I can't help you in your quest," she says. "I just got here. I could use one myself, but they were starting to get uncommon in my time as well. Nernal, do you know of any functional nernals?"
"There are none here besides myself."
"And I'll bet that you are a dedicated nernal, and not a personal model?"
"That is correct."
"Are there any other creatures in this facility?"
"Yes."
She pauses.
"Nernal, create for me a hand blaster, blaster rifle and Sinclair blade, plus, say, eighteen charges. Oh, and the necessary belts and holsters for them as well. Are you capable of doing that? You know my security clearance."
"I can do that. Your clearance is obsolete, being from the first Ptarton Empire. However, due to the corruption in my ethics files I have no problem in overriding that restriction."
"Thank you."
There is a flash and a pile of equipment appears at Offred's feet.
As she puts on the holsters she asks, "Any orcs, here? Giants?"
"Not now."
"How about elves?"
"None."
She glances at Tully.
Tully goes a bit bug-eyed when the equipment appears. He mutters. "I never thought about doing that kind of thing."
Tully frowns when there is no mention of elves. He says, "I think you could probably help us a good deal. You are much more familiar with all of this technology stuff. Our world is primitive, but we are starting to learn. Our primary goal is to restore a space station so that we can setup a colony there. We need a nernal to do that. Apparently wishes won't work."
"Ummm...what won't work?"
"Wishes...or magic, I should say."
Offred smiles.
"Sure."
Tully smiles. "You will see."
He then says, "Nernal, please create the same equipment for me and for Zanax."
"Unable to comply," says the voice. "You do not even have an obsolete clearance."
"Do it, nernal," says Offred. "Oh, and shield belts all around as well."
Another pile of equipment appears.
Tully says, "Can you ask it to make Zanax and I papers and clearance for our travels? We had this issue on the moon."
She shakes her head.
"You either have it or you don't, I'm afraid."
He then says to Offred, "Do you have any thoughts on where we might be able to find one? We have a Billdotdoc ship waiting on a moon, but I am not sure I want to use this transporter to get back due to the obvious malfunctions."
"We probably have no choice," says Offred dryly. "And what is a Billdotdoc ship?"
"Zanax, what was the other name? Windows III or XP class or something like that."
"Oh. One of them," she says with a visible shudder. "They crash a lot. You would be better off with an X ship...or a Red Hat."
Tully says, "Nernal, is there an X ship or a Red Hat here? Or can you create one?"
"I am sorry. There are no ships here presently. I cannot create ships."
"I do have a ship with me, though, that we can use. We will need to get some extra fuel in case it is a really long trip."
"What kind of a ship? And how far away is your home?"
"It is a Jupiter class ship."
"Never heard of that one," Offred says. "Where is it docked? And again, how far away is your home?"
Tully reaches into an inner pouch and pulls it out. "It is right here."
Offred looks at it.
"What kind of a toy is that? Are you playing games with me?"
Tully smiles and says, "It is magical and technological. If I speak a command word, it will grow to a full-sized ship that we may then use. There is a robot in it as well."
She smiles at Tully again.
"Sure. You will have to show me."
Tully nods. "Laugh it up, but you will see when we are ready to leave."
He says, "Nernal, is there any way to get our friend Darian back without a mind tape dump thing or the use of magic?"
"I do not have a mind tape of him, so no there is not."
He says to Offred, "Do you think there is anything worthwhile here?"
"Perhaps. Nernal, what types of creatures reside here, now?"
"There are cats. There are mice. There are r-r-rats. There are cockroaches. There are - "
"Anything of significance?" she interrupts.
"No."
"The last visitor here was an elf?"
"Yes."
"Where did he go to?"
"He proceeded to the Large Magellanic Cloud."
"Can you be more specific?"
"Yes. To the nernal production facility there."
"Was his transport successful?"
"No."
"Was there a mind tape of him?"
"No."
Offred glances at Tully, then continues questioning the nernal.
"Previous visitors?"
"A ship from the Third Ptarton Empire in 80,998, a private scout in 80,675, illithids in 80,203 - "
"Illithids?" she interrupts again, her voice hardening. "What did they want?"
"Information."
"Such as?"
"Historical data on the Sagittarius A* black hole plus information on the other black holes in this galaxy."
"Did you provide it?"
"I could not stop them," the nernal says after what may have been a slight pause.
"Zanax, do you think we should head back to Earth to get Darian restored?"
Zanax looks skeptically at Tully, "That depends, are we going by ship or by teleporter?"
"Ship. The damage was too great from that teleporter to me and, obviously, Darian."
Zanax nods, "In that case, I agree."
Offred turns to you.
"Do not wait for me. I need to get more information out of this nernal before I leave. The presence of illithids - even centuries ago - worries me."
Tully says, "How long do you think it will take to get the information on the Illithids, Offred?"
"I don't know."
Tully nods. "Then we may have to come back for you after dealing with Darian."
"We may have linked interests since our planet seems to be a focal point in some great war. Some dark forces wish to capture it."
"What dark force is this? And what is your world?"
"We aren't sure yet, but I believe that Illithids are involved somehow. As for our world, it is Earth. I think it is also known as Terra."
She shakes her head.
"Half the planets in the universes are named Earth. Terra is almost as common."
Tully says, "Ours is the original, of course." He smiles and says, "Robot will be able to give you exact coordinates."
"Nernal, do you have a large area I can bring a ship into nearby? It would be nice if it was a place we could also take off in a ship."
"Yes. We have a flight deck."
"Can you direct us there, please?"
There is a shimmer, and the image of a young man appears in the doorway.
"Please follow me," he says, and turns and walks away.
Tully says to the Nernal, "Can you upgrade ships, Nernal?"
"I cannot."
"Then let us find the hangar, fuel up and depart to retrieve Darian."
You set off after the guide. Tully is still in rough shape and needs Zanax's support. Offred accompanies you.
You go through a maze of corridors and chambers - mostly bare - before coming to a large chamber. It is similar to the one you landed your ship in at Amalda. The far wall is transparent and through it you see a strange sight.
"Sagittarius A*," breathes Offred.
You see a swirling cloud of nebulous gas in a flat disk. A streamer of gas spirals down to a painfully bright pinpoint of light in the centre...and then is gone.
"I hope your ship has good radiation shielding," says Offred.
"The black hole is quiet, now," says the nernal. "Short exposures should not be harmful."
Tully takes the Jupiter II out of his pocket and walks about 50 feet away from everyone. He then sets it down, backs up and speaks the command word.
Once it is fully expanded he says, "Nernal, does this ship have sufficient radiation shielding?"
"You would be able to withstand exposure up to a day in duration without harm," says the nernal.
"How long will traveling through this area expose us? Also, can you provide fuel for this ship?"
"At the speed of light your exposure would be only for a few seconds in real time. And of course we can provide fuel."
He says, "Robot, please come out."
The robot appears and slowly descends the steps to the hangar floor.
"DOES NOT COMPUTE," he says by way of greeting.
"I know, robot. We are trying to figure it out too. We are in Sagittarius A*. Can you compute how long it will take to return to Earth? Also, can you let this person named Offred know the coordinates of Earth so that he knows which Earth I am talking about?"
"AFFIRMATIVE. IF WE ARE AT SAGITTARIUS A* THEN EARTH IS 28,212 LIGHT YEARS AWAY. AT THE MAXIMUM VELOCITY OF THE JUPITER 2 THE JOURNEY TO EARTH WILL APPEAR TO TAKE 1881 DAYS FOR US. IN REALITY 7523 DAYS WILL PASS. THAT IS 20.61 YEARS. EARTH'S COORDINATES ARE - "
"They will mean nothing to me," says Offred with a shrug. "Looks like you have a long voyage ahead of you."
Tully frowns, "Is there not a faster way, Robot?"
"NEGATIVE."
"Nernal?"
"The Blink is faster," says the nernal.
"I hate the idea of going through that thing again, but I think we might have to do so."
He looks over at Zanax. "I will have to heal up completely first or the next go will surely kill me."
Zanax grimaces, "Fully healed, we may be able to survive. Perhaps if we got healed and rested a day so that I would have healing capabilities."
"Nernal, is the poor state of arrival due to your malfunction? If so, will it have an affect on sending us back to the Moon from whence we came? Or is sending us independent of you and dependent on the Nernal back at the moon?"
"My transporter is nominal. However, you also travel through several nexuses on your way to or from your moon. Random glitches do occur."
"Can you estimate the frequency of these glitches? Were we unlucky that out of 4 trips, we had 3 glitches or is it that glitchy?"
"I cannot estimate. They are random. A roll of the dice, so to speak."
"Great. That is really good news to hear, Nernal." He looks over at Zanax and says, "Well, 20 years or another roll of the dice. What do you think?"
"Nernal, do you have a way to accelerate healing that won't go wrong?"
"I can repair you just like I revived your elvish friend."
"There is nothing else, Nernal? No potions of healing or anything?" Tully shakes his head and says, "This will take a while, I guess. We should explore, I suppose."
"I did a darned fine job with your friend," the nernal says, sounding hurt.
Tully, being highly intuitive, senses the hurt and says, "My apologies. You did a fine job regenerating his body that is true, but he was lost to us anyway without his mind."
He thinks for a moment, "You did a good job regenerating the body. How would it work to heal me? How do you do it?"
"By an application of regenerative technology."
"Do I have to be somewhere to do it or can you do it here? If you can do it here, go ahead. Just do it a little bit at first so I can see what it is like."
"If this nernal contacted the one we were heading to, maybe it could standby and heal us when we arrive."
"Good thinking," Tully says, "Nernal, can you communicate with the other Nernal?"
"Sorry. I cannot."
"Ok, let's try the healing then and go from there."
Zanax watches carefully, not quite trusting what the failing nernal may do next.
There is a slight hum in the air...then a shimmering glow envelopes the bard. He goes rigid...and then relaxes as his wounds close and heal. A healthy glow suffuses his flesh and the shimmer fades. When it is done he is healed for all but 4 hit points of his hurts.
"That is the best that I can do," says the nernal.
Tully says, "Thank you Nernal."
He looks over to Zanax and says, "Let's head back."
He turns to Offred and says, "Are you sure you do not want to join us? I am not sure if we can get back and it looks as if our quest may take us elsewhere."
Offred thinks about it for a moment.
"The trail is cold, here, so I think I will accompany you."
Zanax nods, "Then let us be off!"
Tully says, "Great. Let's do it then."
Tully shrinks the Jupiter 2 down to pocket size again after the robot climbs back aboard
You return to the room where you first appeared.
He says to the Nernal, "We need to go back to the place we came from, Nernal."
"Very well. Perhaps you will visit again."
Suddenly there is a crackle of released energy.
For an instant you have a vision of traveling through open space, with stars and nebulae whizzing by you. You see your companions...but Zanax seems to be on a different course than Tully and Offred.
Then reality returns...
Tully reappears in the transporter room of the moon base. All is as it was when he left.
Beside him, though, is a pile of raw meat and offal...Offred...and very dead.
"Welcome to the Moon," says a voice out of the air. "We hope you enjoyed traveling with Trans Libido Transport."
"Hi Nernal. Can you repair this person? Can you also tell me where my other companion named Zanax went?"
"I am unable to repair this person. He is dead. My health files are corrupted. I have no records of any other persons on this trip."
Tully sighs, "Great. Maybe you Nernals shouldn't use this transport method since you seem to kill more people than you transfer." He digs through what is left of Offred and gathers his equipment. He also takes some of his flesh in the hopes that Occa can do something to bring him back.
Then he says, "Nernal, are there any other living creatures nearby?"
"There are no higher living creatures in the area."
Tully nods. "Do you do a brain copy or something like that before you transport someone? My friends seem to have been killed when we left this place. Well, Zanax may not be dead."
"I have not done one."
Tully nods. "I figured as much. Hmm, do you have anything worth anything here that an arch mage might be interested in? I might have to trade to get him involved in bringing these folks back."
"Such as?"
Tully says, "Oh, mages love books and information. Magic items, of course, are very interesting to them. Gold, gems and other valuable are a last resort. Surely there is something interesting here." He thinks for a moment. "Hmm, do you have a robot unit here or can you make one?"
"I am sorry. I am a dedicated nernal operating this transport port on behalf of Trans Libido Transport. It sounds like you need the services of a personal nernal."
"Oh, there is nothing laying around here?"
Tully takes a quick look around.
"What you see is what you get."
You did not notice anything of interest or value here during your first visit.
Tully returns to the scout ship.
"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 chuckles at the computers apparent humor. "Hi Billdotdoc, it is good to see you again. Let's go to Earth as quickly as possible. Oh...wait."
He goes outside, enlarges Jupiter II and then gets Robot. "Robot, please tell Billdotdoc where to go on Earth. I want to go to Occa's house in Sandas where we were before."
"I have been there before," says Bill Gates, "And with Interstellar Explorer I can find it again."
"DOES NOT COMPUTE," says the robot.
Tully smiles and says, "I know, Robot, many things do not. Why don't you ride with me in Billdotdoc? You can explain to me how this space travel works. I can't imagine why travel from Sagittarius A* would take 22 years and travel to Almada only takes a little bit of time. Can you help me understand that?"
"AFFIRMATIVE. THE DISTANCE TO ALPHA CENTAURI WAS LESS THAN 4.5 LIGHT YEARS. THE DISTANCE TO SAGITTARIUS A* IS OVER 28,000 LIGHT YEARS. IT IS JUST THE TRAVEL TIME PLUS TIME SPENT REFUELING," the robot explains, "AS A GREAT SAGE ONCE PUT IT: 'SPACE IS BIG. REALLY BIG.'"
By this time you are in the cockpit of the scout ship, preparing to lift off.
Suddenly Tully hears a ringing in his head.
"Hello? Is there someone there?"
*Tully! It's Zanax. I seemed to have gotten separated from you guys. Not sure exactly where I am, but it's some sort of museum and there's no nernal here. How the heck am I going to get out of here?*
*Just sit tight. I will be back in Sandas in the next couple of hours. I will find Occa and try to get him to get to you first. In fact, why don't you try and contact him? That might speed things up. Then we can get Darian back as well. Oh, Offred was killed on the trip here."
Zanax sighs, *Will do.*
The ship lifts off of the Moon and climbs spacewards. Earth hangs low in the sky and you head straight for it.
Seconds later you are flaming through the atmosphere and minutes later you are landing on Occa's front lawn.