Page 21 of Star Cruise Captain's Story

“On this ship, yes. In the wider world where you wish to dwell, no.” V’terre shook her head and smiled. “Humans are a young, impetuous people and you, my dear, are even younger and more headstrong.”

“Does this mean I can’t ever walk free of my ship?” Maeve asked, knowing Gil couldn’t stay on theNebula Zephyrforever. He was human and mortal, unless the Mellureans swooped in one day to grant him a longer life on their world.

“For all practical purposes, yes. You need an AI anchoring structure relatively close at hand. It doesn’t have to be this specific cortex, although this one works best since you’re part of it. Any AI of sufficient complexity will do.” V’terre held up one hand and Maeve’s eyes were drawn to the pendant dangling on a golden chain from her graceful fingers. “Our final gift to you, as our help pertains to your becoming an independent sentient.”

“What is it, besides beautiful?” Maeve stood patiently so the Mellurean could fasten the necklace behind her neck and then ran her fingers over the locket’s surface. When it opened, revealing a representation of the Mellurean solar system done in precious gems and sparkling lavender enamel, she gave a little gasp. As she watched the interior vista was replaced with a swirling vortex, black, purple and blue flashes of light spinning around a sparkling core. “I never had any serious jewelry before.” She’d amused herself by buying a few pairs of earrings and a bracelet or two at the shops on the ship.

V'terre put her fingers over Maeve’s and closed the locket with a snap. “Only to be used in case of emergency. This is a fallback, to allow you to travel out of range of AI infrastructure and still have an escape if needed.”

“How do I?—?”

V’terre exerted her mental powers and showed Maeve the way to shape her cerebral impulses to activate the tiny warp held inside the pendant and remove herself to another spot. “Pick carefully and visualize the destination in detail or you’ll go to theNebula Zephyrby default.”

“From anywhere?” Maeve was startled, even though she knew the power of the Mellureans firsthand after all these years.

“We’ve designed it so you can take others with you,” V’terre said, nodding her affirmative to the question. “In case you and the captain need rescuing at some point.” Next moment the Mellurean Mind had disappeared from Level 10 while Maeve was still trying to stammer out her thanks.

Now, in the small safe space inside the damaged temple, Maeve looked at the people with her, coughing and hacking in the dust filled, hot air and wondered if she had enough power in the pendant to take all of them to safety. V’terre had probably never imagined this kind of scenario—how much margin of error was built into the miniature warp?

Deciding to aim for the clearing where the shuttle would land, which was also where the team had been dropped off hours ago to start this mission, Maeve rose to her feet. “I can get us out of here.”

“How?” Jake asked from his spot next to Emily, who was doing her best for the injured man, now freed from the pile of rocks, but left with a crushed leg. “I’m used to you doing astonishing things, Maeve, but we’re not on the ship now.”

“I have surprises left to spring on you,” she said, shaking her finger at him. “We need to be in a tight circle and all holding hands for this to work.” Maeve didn’t know that to be true. Certainly V’terre hadn’t specified any procedure for using the pendant to rescue others besides herself but the idea sounded right to her. “We need to do this now before I lose control.” If she devolved from the corporeal form, she’d revert to theValkyrie Revenge, far above in orbit and Maeve was sure she couldn’t go back to the caved-in temple from there. Not in any form which would allow her to save her crew members and the people they’d freed from the Jlonngi.

The urgency in her voice startled the others and they formed a tight group wither her in the center her. She took Jake’s hand in hers on one side and Red’s on the other side, not wanting to have physical contact with strangers. Closing her eyes, trying to ignore the new set of tremors occurring below her feet, Maeve concentrated on the mental pathway V’terre had shown her which would activate the pendant. She found it a challenge to keep her intention to bring the four ex-hostages with her since she didn’t know them at all but she wasn’t going to fail this test. Having made her decision to care about them and to rescue them, anything less was unacceptable.

She wanted Gil to be proud of her and if she lost the freed hostages in the process, she knew without a doubt he’d be unhappy. He’d wouldn’t reproach her but he’d be disappointed.

With his approval as her impetus, she issued the final mental command to the pendant. Immediately her gut was full of butterflies and her senses were overwhelmed with inputs. Maeve felt herself dissolving, which held no terror for her but she heard Jake cursing, Emily gasping and shouting from others. She had no time or attention to spare for reassuring anyone. The best thing to do was to get them to safety without delay.

Gil brushed awaya persistent blood sucking insect and adjusted his hold on the blaster. Impatience was rising in him and concern about their window for a safe extraction. What the seven hells was holding Jake and the others up? Owen had said something garbled on the subaural com about another collapseand there’d been no end of steadily increasing tremors, which did nothing to calm Gil’s anxiety. He and Daveed and the other armed individuals stood at their posts, guarding the unarmed women and men but if the Jlonngi or even Main’s men showed up, the firefight would be short and overwhelming. He simply couldn’t withstand an assault from either group with the resources he had.

Theo kept calling, offering to make a run and pick them up, returning later for Jake, Maeve and the others, but Gil held him off. Allowing himself and the others to be extracted from danger, leaving Maeve and her group behind wasn’t a move he’d agree to make. Jake’s original plan had been a sound one and Gil intended to stick to it. He was concerned Theo, who could be impetuous, might decide he’d had enough of waiting and arrive on the scene anyway. If an unscheduled arrival happened Gil was resolved to send Daveed and the others to theValkyrie Revengeaboard the shuttle while he would remain and wait for the rest of the group. In a way that might be better because he’d be free to rush to the temple and search Maeve out.

Midorri suddenly sat upright, gazing at the sky and chirruping as if greeting someone. Gil followed her line of sight but found nothing except the stars and the waning moons. Then there was a flash of illumination, like lightning although the sky was cloudless, and he watched Maeve, Jake and the rest appear as if they were standing on a cloud, only to immediately fall from a height of about fifteen feet.

“What in the name of space—” he said, preventing Daveed from moving forward. Being struck by one of the falling bodies would be bad for his brother and the newcomer.

Maeve and her seven companions tumbled to the ground, which luckily was fairly soft and covered in the lush tropical vegetation. One man screamed in agony as he hit but the rest were silent. Afraid of what he might find, Gil rushed to her,kneeling at her side. He was relieved to find her breathing, with a steady pulse. “Wake up, sweetheart,” he said, brushing her tousled hair away from her face. “You’re safe now.”

Opening her eyes as if awakening from a deep sleep, Maeve stared at him blankly before she grabbed him and began kissing him wildly. “We made it, the pendant worked,” she said in between frantic kisses.

Gil gathered her close, hoping to ease her anxiety. “Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”

“I’m fine,” she said, making the effort to stand up. “Did I—did I manage to bring all of them? I knew you’d want me to rescue them all.”

“I don’t see Owen or Jayna,” he said.

“Those two weren’t with us in the collapsed rubble,” Jake answered. Hand to his ear, he issued orders to Owen and Jayna, who were presumably still at their post at the temple. “Come running now. Maeve worked some miracle of her own and we’re all here at the extraction point.”

On our way, Owen replied.Things are getting hot here. Not only are the Jlonngi swarming but the ground is becoming unstable under the temple. There are steaming mudholes opening up and Jayna said she observed lava flowing from a fissure in the rocks when she did a patrol of the area.

“The deity is going to literally erupt,” Maeve announced. “His anger has reached the breaking point and his power is activating a dormant supervolcano. We’re not going to be safe at any distance—the planet needs to be evacuated.”

Jake was already calling Theo.We need you, buddy, like ten minutes ago. The situation is deteriorating fast.

I’m actually on my way,was the pilot’s response.I couldn’t wait any longer.

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