Colberton spent a restless night in his cell. He had to assume the damned bird was continuously reading his mind.

"Bird indeed!" he thought. He didn't know how the illusion worked, but it must be the same trickery as the leopard in the fire. He couldn't deny that he had been instantly transported to a small cell without doors or windows. He tried reciting mathematical tables, poetry, or anything he could think of to cloud his mind.

His quarters were comfortable enough with a soft bed, table and reading chair. A small privy was behind a half wall in the corner. Meals and snacks were delivered unceremoniously through a slot in the wall above the table. He didn't think he had an appetite until a toasted beef sandwich arrived with a savory dipping sauce, crisp green salad and grilled vegetables on the side followed by a glass of his favorite red wine.

The wine relaxed him, and he decided to lie down to get some rest. There were no light switches to be found but the lights dimmed, then went dark as he drifted closer to sleep. He was jarred awake with the realization he was still being monitored. Fatigued by the effort of keeping his thoughts from drifting to military matters, he turned his attention to a selection of classic literature perched on a small shelf. Among the books was a copy of the Holy Book of Sera Luca. It was a new Novaland edition he'd never seen, never heard of in fact. It featured a section on the current history of Beldora dating up to the present year. He skimmed the text and took in a deep breath when the book stopped at the current date with recent events, including the torpedo attack on his ship and hostage situation. Fifty or more blank pages followed.

The last three words rang in his head, "To be continued."

"I'll kill myself before I stay on this accursed ship another day!" he shouted to the walls. "I won't be played for a fool."

A full bottle of wine and a fresh glass was passed through the wall nestled in a basket of flowers. A coil of rope followed, tied in a hangman’s noose.

"That!" he shouted, "Is what I'm talking about."

"You should read the book. It may have some useful information of interest to you," Widhbo spoke telepathically.

"I'm not a religious man."

"Alright, General," Widhbo said telepathically inside Colberton's head. "I'll leave you alone."

"I don't believe you."

"Word of honor, I'll leave. But, if any harm comes to the young lady, all social contracts are null and void. Good night."

* * *

Widhbo teleported to the Luca Luna and replaced the faulty helmet. Hal had fallen asleep beside Gengor. They looked so peaceful he decided not to wake them and uploaded Hal while he was sleeping. It may be the last sunny afternoon on Beldora for a long while. He cursed the day he had made the decision to first give nuclear technology to the Theopians those many years ago. After seeing what Colberton and the Council of Nations were capable of doing, he should never have put his faith in anyone on Beldora. Widhbo returned to the Sora.

The transports had left. Widhbo in his haste had forgotten about the video call. He hooked up the link and called over the intercom to gather the crew to the conference room. They weren't ready to meet him in person yet. Perhaps never would be. He recharged his energy while monitoring the situation. It took a huge amount of energy to teleport so far as to catch up with the Luca Luna.

Widhbo watched remotely as the scene played out in Kalara and was relieved to see his transport design held up under fire as they escaped injury and returned. He must upload Tajlon soon and tagged it a a priority.

Being able to read minds was overwhelming at times. Widhbo had picked up some juicy tidbits from Colberton in spite of him trying to prevent it. Once the general discovered Widbho could read his thoughts, he had been actively trying to obscure them by reciting mathmatical formulas and rhetoric.

The computer chips made it much easier to read Jejliard and Tajlon. Widhbo knew Jejliard was still upset with him but trying to get past it. Tajlon was worried about Soshe and could hardly think of anything else.

Tajlon's mind kept going back to the conversation he and Nova had with Widhbo on the Solar Wave after bringing the wreck up from the rift. Tajlon held his tongue knowing it would be the worst time possible to inform Jejliard of Widhbo's role in providing the technology which allowed the hostile forces to burn Sera Luca to the ground. Now nuclear technology was destroying their current home on Novaland and perhaps the entire planet.

It was fortunate that Jejliard and Tajlon couldn't communicate telepathically. Of course, that was Widhbo's doing too. He kept them blocked from one another. He let Tajlon and Nova connect but had always shielded their minds from Jejliard's. Neural override. Simple really.

"I should never have admitted to anything," Widhbo told himself. "Honesty never goes well for me."

Widhbo tried to keep out of Jejliard's way after dinner. He slipped down back stairwells and avoided the control deck entirely unless Jejliard was in his private quarters.

***

Jejliard returned to the control deck to wait for Widhbo and the inevitable confrontation. Finally, he called out to the walls of the Sora, "I know you're avoiding me. Let's get this over with. We need to talk, Widhbo."

Widhbo relented and teleported to the deck. "You go first."

Jejliard looked up with both relief and apprehension on his mind. "I get it. You're a superior species. You play by your own rules."

"Correct."

"But this is my home planet, which is about to be destroyed, not yours. You owe us the simple courtesy of keeping us informed. We're in this mess largely because of you, but I realize we can't get out of it without your help." Jejliard forced himself to sit and assume a relaxed posture.

"That's a fair assessment."

"We agree then."

"I'll agree to keep you better informed and you in return will defer to my plans," Widhbo said.

"So, you want to be in charge?"

"I'm the logical choice. I can work with you or go around you."

"How do we know you're keeping our best interests in mind?" Jejliard asked.

"You don't. It's a matter of trust."

"Right. So why are you invested in our well-being?"

"Somebody has to look out for you poor fools. Once you are uploaded, you will never truly be gone. You've been my family for all these years, and I'd be lonely if you all died, if that counts for anything."

"It does. I'll accept that answer."

"Do you care about my well-being?" Widhbo asked rather timidly.

Jejliard smiled. "You saved our lives a long time ago and led us safely out of the Wayless Sea. You brought us from a primitive world to this," he said looking to the ship around them. "You've given us a springboard to immortality."

Widhbo stood silent for a moment then, "That's half an answer."

"Of course, we care about you. I suppose we just have to take the good with bad sometimes."

"I'll try to see the good outweighs the bad, Jejliard."

* * *

Soshe looked out from the bars of her small holding cell. She was used to being cold and exposed to the elements, but the cold hard floor was much less forgiving than her bed on the ground. They had interrogated her for hours. She really did just want to go home and forget any of this ever happened. It was an easy truth to tell over and again. Of course, she left out her trip to the Solar Wave and the rescue mission she had abandoned in an emotional breakdown. She didn't want to believe Tajlon could desert her in the middle of such a looming disaster and uncertain future. In any event she wouldn't betray him and tried to convince herself to calm down. She didn't have all the facts. There had to be an explanation. And it had better be a good one.

She had been captured in the cayes to the east of Novaland and taken prisoner on the large battleship anchored in the main harbor. The ship had moved in the night and Soshe had no clue where she might have been taken by now. Finally, a few rays of morning light filtered through to the long hallway. The sound of a guard's footsteps shattered the silence as they walked toward her cell. It was the same guard who'd locked her there with an unshaven face. He looked as though he had been on duty throughout the night and hadn't gotten any more sleep than Soshe.

"Time to go," he said roughly.

"Over easy," Soshe said irritated by his lack of manners.

"What?"

"My eggs. Over easy, thanks." Soshe said.

The man snorted at her and pulled her from the cell.

"Keep your hands off me," she said and yanked free of his grip. She had a few bruises from being captured the day before. This just added another one to the collection.

On deck she could see the shore of Turodey in the distance and the familiar round shape of the wreck, though it was tilted to one side. She wondered if it had been damaged further. The battleship was too large to get any closer to shore and an amphibian craft was being prepared for launch.

A ranking officer approached and relieved the former guard of responsibility

You are being traded for their hostage, General Colberton," the officer said with a sneer. "Someone must think very highly of you to release such a valuable man in exchange for a mere girl."

Soshe glared at the officer. "They probably don't value him as much as you do."

He turned away from her to watch a small craft being launched from Turodey with a lone figure heading out from the shore.

"Alright. Get in the boat and we'll lower you over the side. The deal is for you to go in alone."

"Glad to leave this inhospitable lump of metal behind." Soshe climbed in and checked over the controls. They looked simple enough and she was glad for what little experience she had.

"You have no idea how to drive a boat do you?" the officer asked.

"You'd be surprised, but I do." Soshe replied. "Strangely enough the boat your men pulled me from had an engine on it too."

He ignored her again and motioned to lower the craft to the water. Colberton was about halfway to the battleship when Soshe's craft reached the water and was set free. She revved the engine and it jumped forward with a surge of power. She threw it wide open and sped toward the figures of Tajlon and Jejliard standing on the dock. As she grew closer it was obvious something was wrong. The dock was blackened, and she could smell the remnants of a fire.

Tajlon ran forward to catch her bow rope and pull her to the charred dock. "Soshe! You were supposed to be on the sub," Tajlon said.

"So were you," she retorted.

I'm just grateful you're alright," Tajlon said his voice cracking with emotion.

She jumped into his arms and felt the tears begin to flow. She had sworn she wouldn't cry, but sobs of relief racked her body. She'd be mad later.

"The bastards mistreated you," Jejliard remarked looking at the bruises on both of her bare arms.

Tajlon backed away to examine her and cursed silently to himself, then said to Soshe, "You're cold and exhausted. Let's get you inside and out of the wind."

He led her toward the Sora, and she balked. "I can't. Mara forbids it."

"Superstition, Soshe," Jejliard said. "We've repaired the ship and remodeled it. It's safer than any other place on the island, the whole planet actually."

Soshe looked back to see Colberton being taken aboard the battleship. Memories of the long night in the cold cell returned.

"I'll take the demon ship over that one.”