“I’m going to have to stop you there, Talcorosax.”

I paused, staring at the investigator.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

She took a deep breath. “This story, it’s all very interesting…” She paused, and adjusted her hat. “But, it’s getting quite late.” She looked me in the eye.

I tilted my head to the side. “It was late when we started.”

“Yes, it was. That’s exactly my point. You haven’t even mentioned Duhrnan yet. Aren’t you getting tired?”

“Tired?” I looked her sternly in the face. “Investigator, I assure you, I have stayed up much later than this.”

“I’m sure you have.” She yawned. “Well, I’m getting tired. Too tired to continue.”

My ears drooped. “There’s so much more to tell. Aren’t you curious about what happens next? About how we try to save the station?”

She stood up and adjusted her uniform. Her voice was almost monotone. “You are a great storyteller, Talcorosax. But I’m too tired. Besides, without being able to interrupt and ask questions, my being here is a little redundant.”

“I thought you wanted to hear the story?”

She sighed, and rubbed her eyes, before looking at her holo-gauntlet. “Looks like it’s past my shift anyway; I hope they pay me overtime for this. I’ll keep the recording going, if you really want to keep telling the story.” She motioned to the computer. “I’ll be able to tell if you tamper with the recording at all, so don’t do anything like that.”

“Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know.” She glanced outside the window, then back to me. “Tomorrow, I’ll listen to the recording, and I can follow up on any questions I might have about it tomorrow night. How does that sound?”

I nodded slowly. “That is acceptable. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Talcorosax, for letting us stay here.”

“Of course.” I bowed my head solemnly.

“I’ll speak with you in the morning.”

She turned away from me, and then paused. I looked at her expectantly. She glanced back over her shoulder. “I was wondering about something, Talcorosax.”

“Yes?”

“Do your people have records of other stories? For instance, other recordings of tales you or your mother told?”

I thought for a moment. “Yes. The library is located on the bottom floor of the temple.”

She smiled. “Great. Do my people need any special clearance to access it?”

I paused. “No.”

“I see. Thank you, Talcorosax. I’ll speak with you tomorrow.”

She walked away from the table, and left the room, closing the door. It clicked when it shut, and I found myself alone in the quiet ambiance of the room.

I looked toward the nebula and the four moons. Shall I continue?

I thought I saw some movement in the stars. My ears lifted.

I turned back toward the table, and lowered my head, closing my eyes. I took a deep breath in.