Maria leaned on the console looking at the read outs from the probe. Just empty space. She frowned and looked down at Dr. Khan.

“Destroy the probe. Reset and try again with the next set of coordinates.”

“Ma’am, we need to shut everything down for maintenance. The power relays and capacitors in the portal pilons are operating way outside their expected lifetime. We need to shut it down for at least three months.”

“No, try again Dr. Khan, you can be replaced.”

“Admiral, with all due respect it’s been almost nine hundred years, three months will not make a difference.”

“My sister never gave up on me, I am not giving up on her, now charge the capacitors and go again at the next set of temporal coordinates.”

“Ma’am you’re going to blow them and take out the pylons then we’ll need another three years to rebuild them.”

Maria’s fangs were out when she shoved him aside and entered the next portal target coordinates and had started shunting powers to the capacitors. She heard her name being called on the loudspeakers stating a communication coming in from Earth. Maria stormed off. Dr. Khan pressed the cancel button with a shaking hand. The rest of the team looked to him, and he wiped the sweat from his brow.

*****

Maria was standing arms crossed looking down at Pluto from her office window. She was wearing the standard issue blue Pluto Station jumpsuit. The patch on the left shoulder showing a dimensional gateway and the other Pluto, with the station in orbit with WTO embroidered along the bottom and Pluto Station along the top. On the collar were four stars. The comm from earth was finally patched through and she turned to the hologram of her nieces, Eyre and Mineta.

“Merry Christmas Aunt Maria!”

Maria’s face softened when she saw the pair.

“Is it Christmas again already?”

“Yes, why didn’t you come back to Earth? I thought the equipment was due for servicing.”

“I decided that continued attempts were worth the increased risk of failure.”

Eyre crossed her arms.

“Aunt Maria there was a time where you’d never miss a Christmas mass.”

“I watched it on the system-net.”

“Its not the same and you kept your workers there over the holidays too.”

Maria nodded.

“Aunt Maria, I want to find mom as much as you do but giving up on everything else is not healthy. It didn’t end well for her; It won’t end well for you.”

“Is that an order Empress.”

“No, just a suggestion from your concerned niece.”

“Noted. Did you receive my gifts?”

“We did. Did you receive mine?”

“I saw the ship jump into orbit while I was waiting for your comms to get moved to my office. My present would not happen to be an antimatter core for the station and next gen power relays and capacitors.”

“You’ll have to open the crates to find out.”

Eyre blew Maria a kiss. Mineta waved.

“Come home, we miss you.”

“If you got me what I asked for Christmas, once I have the refit schedule and assignments laid out for the next three months, I will hop on the next ship back.”

“We love you!”

“I love you both too.”

The holo-call ended, and Maria sat at her desk and looked at the latest test data while drinking a mug of synthetic blood. Her other hand stroking the aged silver crucifix.

We are coming for you sis.