“I know,” Patton answered, taking a seat and buckling himself in, even though the Switch produced no momentum.

Naecia shared a somber glance with Izairis. She turned to the map and walked across the deck and selected a nice looking, elliptical galaxy. “Guess here is as good as any,” she said. “Ready?”

“Yes,” said Izairis. Patton said nothing.

Naecia donned the axon diadem and triggered the machine. They all watched as the particle data for the Stellarcade and the entire city of Aszerat filled the screen. Then, just as it finished, Naecia told the Fray where she wanted them to go.

They didn’t explode. She quickly thought of their final destination and initiated the second switch.

The holographic map remained up across the deck, only filled now by different stars. And no blue dot. They’d made a trip of a billion galactic light years instantaneously – and dragged a few million people along for the ride.

Smoke began to pour from the base of the machine. “Izairis, kill this circuit!”

Izairis did as instructed. The smoke and heat faded. Naecia toed a cylinder at the base of the Switch. The shrouding sprang open to more smoke and a smaller flame, which she readily blew out. “So, this is why we normally have resistors.” Naecia removed the diadem and quickly powered down the drive, then disconnected it from the ship’s massive power plant. “I’m sure we can find replacements nearby.”

“What now?” said Izairis.

“This place is going to be chaos, and really fast,” said Naecia. “Patton, you have to go find the Chime. Right now, before someone else does.”

“Sure, no problem. I’ll just stroll the grounds and hope it turns up.”

“You’re the only one of us with a fully functioning brain, surprising as that is, so figure it out.” She turned to Izairis. “We have to come up with a way to explain to Aszerat that they’ve been relocated.”

“Right. Can we do it in a way that doesn’t get us murdered?”

“We can try.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

“Okay then, let’s begin: Name?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Place of origin?”

“I don’t know.”

“Your earliest memory?”

“Sitting down in front of you.”

“Lying on the ground, looking up at the sky.”

“I’ve never seen the sky.”

“Parents?”

“People who love you?” I felt alone.

“Dreams.”

“Is this a dream?”

“Life.”

“Am I alive?”

“Wonderous. Joyous. Pallid. Neutral. Indecision. Magnificent.”

“Wonderous. But only because it’s the first.”

“Fire or Ice?”

“Neither?”

“You are walking on a beach.”

“There is sand on beaches, right?”

“Purpose?”

“Whose?”

“A terrifying thing.”

“This moment.”

“A terrifying thing.”

“Not knowing.”

“Your first memory.”

“Waking from death.”

“Your first memory.” Faster.

“Waking from death.”

“Your first memory!”

“Light!”

“Your first memory!”

“You want me to say something else. There is nothing else.”

“Your mother singing after you woke up in the morning.”

“Someone sang to me?” I could feel my eyes welling.