“Ani! No!” Ahsoka shouted as she rushed to her friend’s side, arresting her right wrist as Kowani ignited her saber. “We don’t know what affects it could have.” Ahsoka tried to continue, feeling the Mirialans muscles tighten under her grip.
Kowani felt the Togruta’s hold on her wrist, rivulets of white-hot hatred seething from sources unknown, saturated her like jolts of adrenaline. She wanted to thrust her blade straight into the face of the mocking image of the man in the stone in whatever manner she could, dragging the meddling Togruta along in the process if she had to. Kowani felt another pressure on her left shoulder, immediately dispelling the inexplicable anger and fervent rage that had consumed her so quickly. The saber dropped to the ground, clattering on the stone at her feet as it hissed its blades return through the emitter. Kowani dropped to her knees as the emotion fully grasped her, wracking sobs rifling through her frame, filling the void left by the departed rage. She bent over fully, smacking the fore of her helmet into the stone as she let the tears flow without hinderance.
“Dammit Ani, you’re going to overwork your scrubber...what the hell is wrong with you?” Nara asked, both hands wrapped around her sister.
“She’s dead…..” Kowani responded, her vocater crackling to convey the emotion. She allowed the gentle assist to fold her body back onto her knees. “She’s dead.” She repeated as she lolled her head back, avoiding the stone at all costs as she closed her eyes to it, opening them again to fill her vision with the endless green clouds, mists and fog the sky above offered.
“What?” Ahsoka asked with more exuberance than intended, inclining her head slightly as she lowered her form nearer Kowani’s. “N’dali?” She already knew the answer.
Kowani heard the words, heard the question, but could not move past the creeping shock that was beginning to overtake her senses. Her mind tried and failed miserably to remain rational, to mock Ahsoka’s questions with a return rhetoric or to blame her entirely for the death of her friend. Kowani knew the feelings were foolishness, centered completely around her own sophomoric will to negate acceptance of the hard truth. It didn’t matter to Kowani, she needed someone to blame, someone to become the focal point for the anger that shocked and coursed through her body. She tried to focus on the swirling clouds of differing greens, a confluence of credence through chaotic means. All she wanted to do was stay angry, but the constant touch of Nara’s fingertips would not allow it. There was no explanation that would appease any question her mind imagined toward reason, but she felt an acquiescence flow naturally through her that could not be subjugated.
Ahsoka could sense the raw emotion, more importantly, the raw power of Kowani’s emotion. Too many factors weighed heavily on what was currently transpiring, all of which were feeding the young Mirialan’s rage, all except Nara’s presence. Ahsoka couldn’t understand the impact proximity seemed to play with either of them, emotions, yes, or the physical attunement of being close to a loved one, but these two were operating on another level entirely. ‘Since Vos told them?’ She questioned briefly, ‘no, there was a moment on Ambria…’ Ahsoka finished the thought remembering a simple rift that had centered itself around the two when she was confronting Vader. Although she wasn’t present for it, she was certain if she could feel it, all of Ambria did.
“We don’t have much time left, and these stones aren’t exactly a glaring clue.” Rex informed everyone present. “I am sorry about N’dali Ani, but we have to do whatever it is we came here to do or consider heading back to the ship to regroup.”
Ahsoka looked to the clone with a knowing smile, gave him a wink and approached her center stone again. As before, her reflection greeted her and nothing more. She inspected every inch of the polished surface finding only the reflected images of her own background in a still silence that offered no suggestions. ‘Three stones….’ she attempted a thoughtful regrouping of her own, suspending the thought absently in her conscience as other thoughts begged for her attention. Although aware of haste which events were transpiring it was only now that she began to thread what she had assumed were unrelated circumstances into the larger picture. “Nara...take my place.” Ahsoka instructed without taking her eyes from her reflection.
Nara turned toward Ahsoka with an absent expression as she wrestled with her ongoing conundrum, understanding that Rex was correct, they didn’t have much time, Kowani needed her present and they still had to figure out how to destroy…. ‘destroy what? There’s nothing here….’ she thought in follow up. She felt Kowani gently pushing her hands away and turned back to face her sister’s darkened visor. Kowani nodded gently as she pushed herself back up to her feet, still hesitant to face the polished stone before her. Nara nodded in return as she got to her feet, letting her fingertips fall to her sides. She didn’t know what to expect as she strode slowly but with purpose toward the center stone, Ahsoka already moving toward the last and final natural edifice, both sharing a hopeful glance and approving grins.
Nara let loose a small gasp the moment she focused on the stone in front of her. An aged and gaunt man greeted her with a passionate smile, his crinkled brow revealing time earned creases that seemed too numerous. His bright blue eyes hiding nothing as they carried a deep compassion within them. A long white beard twisting into itself with subtle waves of overlapping strands stretched down to his stomach. Nara felt a sudden knowing within his gaze without knowing anything at all. She quickly glanced toward Ashoka who was looking at her, ‘had she been watching the whole time,’ and saw a wink flicker in her eyes. Turning back toward the old man, she reached out her hand as the reflection mirrored the action.
“This isn’t the configuration I had imagined…” Ahsoka said softly between the three of them.
Nara traced her fingertips across the polished stone, watching the old man’s own fingertips with rapt attention. “You knew?”
“Only when Ani described...the Son.” Ahsoka admitted, her memory of Mortis anything but fleeting as she struggled with her memories of the embodiment of the Dark side itself.
“What does it mean?” Kowani asked with genuine astonishment filtering through her continuing emotional struggles.
Ahsoka stared into the deep emerald eyes of the Daughter, the depths of which held the truths she herself would sacrifice for, one for the other. Ahsoka reached out her own hand and pressed her palm flat against the cool stone, feeling an impossible warmth from the reflection as the Daughters palm pressed into hers. They both looked toward the physical connection before returning to stare into each other’s eyes, gentle smiles teaming with altruistic sensitivity and empathic affinity broadened across both of their faces in unison. “Everything….and nothing….” Ahsoka finally answered Kowani’s question.
Rex grumbled from behind the three of them, Ahsoka imagining the complimentary eye roll, “answers like that are my cue to back up twenty paces and rethink my life you know.”
“I have no idea what is happening, but it is apparent this is nothing new to this group.” Areti spoke up for the first time since stepping foot on the strange planet.
“That’s an understatement…” Rex responded immediately.
“What are we supposed to do?” Nara asked aloud.
Kowani chortled a gargled laugh, “Nara...we’re here because you continually impressed the need to destroy….a temple.” She turned toward her sister, “and this doesn’t look like a temple.”
“We need Sabine.” Ahsoka shot out, confounding anything else anyone had ready to say.
Kowani turned to face her, “N’dali thought as much...she is already on her way.”
Ahsoka turned to face her, trailing her fingertips lightly over the stones surface before her, “Rex can you try and reach her?” She asked over her shoulder, turning slowly back to face the simple serenity within the Daughters image.
Nara crooked her brow as she dove into her subconscious, certain she had the answers she sought to carry out the task Zannah had given her, a task begun centuries earlier. She bored her gaze deeply into the shimmering blue orbs of the Father, willing the old man to yield his secrets, daring him to expose the key to their riddle. ‘She would have destroyed it herself if she had ever found it.’ Nara’s subconscious rebutted. ‘But she knew it was here, how could she have failed.’ She thought in reply, uncertain how the methods of conjecture in the present could impart any sight into the deeds of the past. ‘If only she were here.’
“But she is….” The old man said. At least she thought he did. Nara whipped her head from Kowani to Ahsoka who hadn’t moved from their own transical stances, clearly not hearing what she had.
“Get me in closer Rex…” Sabine’s image said in the palm of the clone’s hand, the small holo emitter chirping its refresh as the image shifted its weight from one foot to the other. Sabine crossed her arms before her chest as Rex walked right up to Ahsoka, placing his palm directly in front of Ahsoka’s own chest, providing Sabine the same view.
“We are seeing the same images you described at the temple on Lothal Sabine, although represented differently.” Ahsoka said without taking her eyes from the Daughters.
“Well, that’s obvious…” Sabine began, intent on delivering an enthusiastic retort, but cutting herself short upon seeing nothing but polished dark gray stone, a flickering blue distortion and Ahsoka’s reflection. “Your all going to have to be incredibly descriptive because I don’t see anything.” She finished, the small figure uncrossing her arms and leaning closer to the stone in Rex’s palm. “On Lothal, the figures where represented via painting and the locations of their hands in relation to the hands of the others provided Ezra entry.”
“I don’t see how that is helpful here.” Nara responded as she waved her hands across the stones surface, the old man’s following the action with precision.
“That painting also depicted symbology relevant to Lothal itself, look for anything that could offer any insight as to where you are.” Sabine continued, her tone hiding nothing as her curiosity was flawlessly conveyed.
“Sabine, none of us had even heard of the system yesterday, relevant symbology might be a…….” Kowani stopped herself as she focused on the ground in the reflection, a large metallic double ended pick, complete with wooden handle, lay several meters distant through the reflection. Kowani quickly turned her body to see if she had just simply missed the tool before walking up to the stone, yet there was nothing there. She turned back to the reflection, seeing the pick once again, “well...I’ll be….”
“What Ani?” Sabine asked with exuberance.
“There is a pick...a hand tool, behind me in the reflection but not in reality.” Kowani described the sight through her own curious excitement, avoiding the harsh gaze of the crazed man in the stone.
“I see a helmet, dented and worn lying behind me.” Nara added.
“And a derelict hydraulic jack?” Ahsoka added with an inflected question.
Sabine brought a slender finger to her tiny chin, “mining?”
“That could have been the Empire’s agenda in the system...I mean considering what we saw out there…” Rex added, Sabine turning to him. “About that,” Rex continued, “be careful out there Sabine, the system is littered with wreckage.”
“It fits…” Areti replied over everyone’s shoulders, her own attention drawn exclusively skyward as she watched the merging green clouds overlap one another.
“Who is that?” Sabine asked, her diminutive form twisting within Rex’s palm.
“Later Sabine….we need to stay on topic.” Ahsoka interjected immediately, “we have two of the same elements then between our location and Lothal. This isn’t a temple at all, it’s another gateway.” She finished, narrowing her eyes in thought. Again, she felt the unmistakable sensation of missing something, as if their actions weren’t their own. Ahsoka pushed her subconscious musings to fall in line with her own advice.
“Are there any symbols within the images?” Sabine asked, ‘perfect timing,’ Ahsoka thought as she began flexing her gaze throughout the stones surface, looking beyond her benefactor and the mining tool. Razor thin golden lines crisscrossed the image, directly behind the Daughter that she hadn’t recognized before, ‘had they been there all along?’ She asked herself as she followed one to the end of the stone. A similarly golden circle with internal arcing lines stood at its terminus. She traced her sight back to the conjuncture of crisscrossing lines, realizing then that the remainder of the image was distorted, blurred, beyond normalized recognition. She followed another line in the opposing direction with the same results, the sphere at its own terminus containing a circle within a triangle. “Look beyond the reflection, there are slim golden lines leading to spheres with differing geometries.” Ahsoka said aloud.
Kowani’s vision, impaired with the helmet’s visor, couldn’t see anything immediately. She reached up a hand to change the static view the visor offered between a host of individualized settings, coming to rest on a primary inhibitor, removing all blue tones from the sight the visor offered. The disturbingly gaunt man, blurred into obscurity as the stones surface exploded with the view Ahsoka had described.
“I see them…” Nara added with a gasp.
“Ok, we’re making progress….” Sabine stated, drawn off video for a second as she leaned to grab a data pad.
Nara leaned in closer to inspect adjacent spheres, one of which looked eerily familiar to her. ‘Where have I seen this?’ She thought the question into existence, letting her mind carry out the task, her hand involuntarily lowering to her right-side pocket.
“If each are similar, it’s simply a matter of activating the correct sphere to enact the desired results. On Lothal, the image of the old man collapsed his hands together to destroy the gateway outright so look to the very top of your respective images.” Sabine said, her head buried in the data pad she held between both hands.
The muttered conversations became an overlapping jumble of words in Nara’s ears as her fingers wrapped around the small cube in her pocket, the tips of which were trailing over the details of the contained sphere within. Her attention focused entirely upon the image before her and the upper most sphere she could see, two angled lines, a triangle without a base, stretched in opposing directions. Nara followed the trajectory mentally, hoping they would lead to another sphere contained within her stone, yet neither did. The angle represented a terminus outside of her own stone. Nara turned toward Kowani, “Ani, do you have a broken triangle within a sphere on the right side of your image?”
Kowani looked toward the ninety-degree mark and began inspecting the spheres in a positive radial arc toward the bottom of the image, finding precisely what Nara had described aligned with the reflections knee. “Yes. Just here.” Kowani said pointing to the location with outstretched finger on her stone. Nara’s right fingertips tracing the inscribed triangle she felt on the spheres surface in her pocket.
“Ahsoka, look toward the bottom left of your image, you should see an inverse of the same.” Nara said, half turning toward the Togruta.
“I see it, roughly forty-five-degree path toward the top of your stone and baseline toward Ani’s” Ahsoka answered quickly, her own understanding dawning at the similarity between what they were faced with and Sabine’s description, “The focused geometry then would permit the Father to close the gateway permanently but only through the assistance of both Son and Daughter.” She continued, pulling her gaze toward the opposite side of her own image. In the same location toward the reflections right knee was an identical image, ‘of course.’ she thought as her mind forced her stomach to churn with a slight fit of tightness. “Um...we have more than one option. The angles are only a matter of perspective, the finished triangle can be made whole in two separate ways.” Ahsoka added to her commentary, a dire, and inexplicable, exasperation finding reason to take root. “Two separate ways with two completely different meanings.” She concluded, verbalizing her concern.
“The Son closed the gateway as the Daughter had opened it, but both sacrificed themselves respectively to allow the Father to destroy it.” Sabine said looking up from data pad at Ahsoka’s insight. “And, it should be noted, Ezra was able to manage it by himself, meaning each action was a singular event. Your scenario magnifies the possibilities three-fold, if you follow…”
“Because we can only interact with this as a collective it seems.” Ahsoka finished the thought.
“What of the other spheres? Although we cannot see them, by your descriptions there should be numerous paths.” Areti volunteered, tossing another layer of doubt into the mix.
“My only guess is that they would represent destinations in and of themselves.” Sabine countered.
“Not if they can only interact as an established collective. The destination, as you put it, would need to be a universal choice, aided by the other two in some fashion.”
“Perhaps, but I am certain the angles are the path we need. It’s just a matter now of figuring out the configuration.” Nara interjected, retrieving her hand from her pocket.
Rex followed along with the verbal exchange as his head swiveled between active speakers, willing to acquiesce to the consensus between them. He had witnessed firsthand the marvels these types of conversations had revealed and was growing a genuine excitement within at the prospect of revisiting the mystical results they routinely led to. A sound that stood in stark contrast to the natural elements he had come to expect from their location on Conum Arnia peeled his attention from the conversation fully. His sense of direction lost to the wall of flora beyond the table and stones, the sound only resonated as echoes despite the unnatural whine defining its contrast. Multiple incarnations of Ps5 Ion engines overlapped one another as they screamed in and out of his hearing, blending into the sounds of the ever present winds. He rocked his head in a chaotic assortment of directions as he squinted his eyes to the exotic greens of the sky above, hoping to catch a glimpse or silhouette of the offending source. “We have company.” He offered, his eyes still skyward, waiting, impatiently for the signature whine of Sienar Fleet Systems latest addition.
“And we are out of time.” Ahsoka said hurriedly, “Sabine, best guess?”
“Invert the notion of sacrifice and concentrate on completing the geometry encompassing all of you. As you said, this can only be achieved through a collective.” Sabine said, her voice wavering.
“Your guessing?” Areti asked with astonishment, “that seems highly reckless…”
“We don’t have time for precision.” Kowani fired back, her smoldering anger rekindling its detrimental flame as the whine of the Ion engines overtook the winds once again, all of them aware of the airborne threat.
“Entering the system, I’ll see you shortly…” Sabine stated quickly and ended her transmission, the chip in Rex’s hand returning to a natural stasis. He jammed the device into his pants pocket as he reached for the first of his blasters, refocusing his efforts skyward in search of the approaching enemy.
Hurrying her own actions in response to the whine of the encroaching engines, Nara collapsed both hands around either side of the topmost sphere on her stone. Reaching out to the Force, she found it still negligible and unresponsive to her call yet felt its presence just the same. She looked toward Ahsoka who was on her knees leaning to the right of her stone, then swiveled her head to see Kowani hesitating outright, “Ani, we need to do this!”
Kowani turned to face her sister, hesitant to follow through with the proposition, she could only stare through the indecision. “Ahsoka?” She asked through the mindset of apprentice, “is this your will?”
Ahsoka turned to her in astonished surprise, the tone in Kowani’s voice timid and meek, bordering precariously on the brink of fear. “I’ve witnessed this firsthand Ani, whatever their initial intention, we cannot pass an opportunity to keep the Emperor as far removed from them as possible.”
“I just have a bad feeling about this.” Kowani replied simultaneously with a nod to Nara. She turned her head back to her stone and dropped to her left knee, placing both hands delicately upon the appointed sphere.
The torrential inrush of Force energies came from all directions as the three acted in unison, projecting their will through the placement of their hands. All three involuntary gasped with sharp inhales collectively as the Force consumed them entirely, each sphere glowing under their hands with intense white light, bands of the same shocking contrast firing off within the stones surface toward the three established points. A dull thud resonated within the clearing as the table rocked under their feet, each of them experiencing the impression of the rock dropping a few centimeters.
A fine layer of dust issued from the edges of the polished stones as the whine of the encroaching engines pulled their attention skyward fully. Deafening blasts filled the grotto as the first of four TIE Interceptors unleased their quad salvos from solar wing tipped laser cannons, adding their own shade of green in quick bursts of flashing energy toward the idle freighter. Kowani had no time to react as the lines of flaring white within her stone flashed brilliantly and presented themselves as solid gold lines of connection. She wheeled her head quickly to see the Liberator consumed likewise in a blinding flash of orange and white, a concussive shockwave reverting her gaze to a tumult of grays and greens as she was taken off her feet, the seal of her helmet dislodging itself from the puffer that had clamped it securely under her chin.
Both Ahsoka and Nara were rocked from their footing by the concussive wave, their bodies pressed hard into the stones they had been standing before as they fell into motionless heaps at the foot of each, shrapnel and flaming chunks of the Liberator’s internal parts pinged sharply off the smooth stone. A tumultuous roar belted forth from the epicenter of the ships remains before it faded into the numerous sounds of secondary explosions and raging plasma fires.
Rex felt his blaster torn from his grip as the shockwave took Areti off her feet and straight into his chest, her body coming to rest where his had been, his own only centimeters from Ahsoka’s left leg. Although his vision was severely blurred, he attempted to prop himself up on his right elbow to survey the damage, shielding his head with his left as he pulled his legs up to his chest immediately after a secondary explosion rained the area with flaming debris. He opened his eyes as narrowed gaps under his hand as the upper dome of R3’s spherical head came to rest at his knees. Rex began wracking with involuntary spasms as his lungs contracted in earnest, making him aware only in that second that his mask was no longer on his face. He fought the burning pain within his chest as his throat ached to cough to draw in air. Air he knew was not present. He only had seconds to convince his mind to hold what little breath he had retained as he felt the solidness of the stone under his prone form begin to crumble under his weight. He fired a glance up toward Ahsoka seeing that her body was sinking as well. He gripped her ankle with ferocious resolve, determined to, at the very least, perish at her side.
Kowani was roused by the irritating chime lacing its warning directly into her ears and rotated her helmet back into position quickly as she rolled onto her back, feeling the effort rewarded by a latching click and a pinging purge of her oxygen cycler. She drew in several heavy breaths of the refreshened air as the targeting array in her helmet swung its reticles in dizzying arcs through her field of view through the visor. She reached out a hand to toggle the grip on her blaster finding that it wasn’t in its holster. Extreme waves of mind-shattering fear swept through her as she involuntarily pulled randomly for the Force’s embrace. The hilt of her saber slammed into her fingertips as it bounded just out of her reach, pulled inherently toward her from wherever it had come to rest after the blast. She mouthed words that would not materialize, intent on satiating her own churning fears as she lifted her head in agonizing pain. She could hear the intense whine of the Ion engines as they made several passes overhead, surveying their handiwork. Kowani pushed through the pain to look toward the stones, seeing the prone form of Nara, Ahsoka and Rex sinking quickly into the tables surface. Immediately she pushed herself up on her elbows and tried swinging her legs underneath her, but an intense pain shot through her lower extremities preventing the action altogether. She looked to her left leg, finding a protuberance, a smoking shaft plunged deep into her calf. She let her body fall back down to the ground without support, slamming her back and helmet into the solidness of the rock beneath her. She heard the sharp pitch of laser cannons before feeling her body redeploy itself, the view through the visor a tumult of chaotic color exchange before coming to rest before a vibrant green leaf that filled the visor. Her mind began to accept the fact that she was dying as her hand reached out with trembling fingers toward the most beautiful leaf she had ever seen.
✦
“Tristan, Cordon, check your five, I’ve got your six!” Sabine shouted into her comm, before cranking her grip tight over her own fire control, her Gauntlet Krom’rk annihilating the Interceptor caught within her targeting control, reducing it to a flaming ball of destruction that rained its ruin into the canopy of foliage below it.
Tristan Wren weaved his own fighter into the tight back and forth ribbons of confusion his cousin, Cordon, was mirroring, the Interceptor behind them hesitant to engage either as a result. “Peeling off, wrap around Cordy.” Tristan belted into his comm before arcing his fighter to the right. Cordon mirroring the tactic in the opposing direction. The Interceptor acquiesced to following Tristan as it barreled itself into identical trajectory, unleashing a hail of blaster fire in quick succession.
Tristan twisted his fighter in an opposing barrel roll, timed with the successive volleys from the Interceptors wing mounted cannons, continuing to carom precariously close to the forested canopy below him before pulling up hard on his yoke.
“Too easy.” Cordon voiced over the comms as he had pulled out his own graceful arc right into a line of fire behind the Interceptor. A quick succession of cannon fire turned the Imperial fighter into a brilliant ball of instant fire before it was consumed by the treetops below.
“I have Ani’s signal, keep the skies clear and I’ll get them out of here.” Sabine said, “nice shooting Cordy.” She added with a clipped laugh. She toggled her console screen to pull up the tracing signal, just as her ship crested a dense line of trees and revealed scorched devastation. She slammed her palm into the landing cycle actuator and sealed her helmet on her head before rocketing out of the pilot’s seat and dashing toward the descending ramp. She saw Kowani lying along the edge of the blasted stone, facing away from her, another form curled over the body, dressed from head to toe in Imperial regalia. “Don’t move a muscle or you’ll be introduced to whatever afterlife may be waiting for you.”
Areti Sigurn froze in place huddled over Kowani, “she needs immediate medical care.” She said with a broken, wavering voice.
Sabine relaxed her arms as she slowly approached the scene, her ship only now recoiling its landing behind her. Her attention was immediately drawn to the metallic shaft harshly buried into Kowani’s left leg. Sabine quickly surveyed the Imperial noting the rips and burns on the uniform top, a pooling of blood under the woman’s left elbow and the countless lacerations lining her own legs. Sabine quickly lowered her blasters and holstered them both, “so do you, can you walk?” She said as she decided the Imp was not a threat.
“Yes. I’ll help you move her. We need to be careful with that leg.” Areti said, her voice finding more solid ground.
Sabine flashed her gaze from the Imperial to Kowani then back toward her ship. “We don’t have time to be careful, the SD in orbit will quickly reinforce.” She said turning back to Kowani and grunting forth the strength to lift Kowani onto her shoulder and offer an assisting hand toward the crook under Areti’s left arm.
The grinding report of Tristan and Cordon’s flyby provided Sabine with all the encouragement she needed to haul all three of them quickly up the ramp and into the passenger compartment of her Gauntlet. “Get yourselves buckled in; I have to get us out of here in a hurry.” Sabine stated, placing the endeavor into Areti’s hands entirely. She blindly hoped her faith was placed correctly as she dived into the pilot’s seat, ripping off her helmet. Her eyes found the smoldering remains of the Liberator for a fraction of a second before she fired up her engines and guided the ship promptly from the planet’s surface.
“That SD is moving quickly to intercept.” Tristan noted over comms.
“Then we just need to move faster.” Sabine replied as the three vessels regrouped in high orbit over Conum Arnia.
“It’s already closed on our lane…” Cordon said, his voice raspy and direct.
“Don’t do it cuz.” Tristan said, “We’ll find a way together.”
“No, we won’t.” Cordon replied with a squelch over the comms, Sabine understanding as her mouth opened itself in surprise.
“Cordy, what are you doing?” She shouted into her own comm without reply.
“Saving your ass cuz….” Cordon replied, a distinct chirp registering, noting that he had terminated the exchange on his end.
Sabine knew any further verbal communication would be one sided and punched in her own jump coordinates to match her brothers, catching the sum of the scans on her cousin’s vessel. “He’s engaging his hyper drive?” She asked aloud, just before she followed Tristan’s course straight into hyperspace’s twisting vortex.