Page 28 of Abalim

“Land your vehicle at the coordinates uploaded to your system. Do not deviate from this or we will take it as a sign of hostility.”

“And there’s the warm fuzzy welcome we always like to hear,” Kodyn quipped.

“All right, everyone. Let’s get this done.” Saphira’s voice was firm.

Abalim stayed on the bridge and watched Aera land theGalactic Serpenton the planet Qorath with ease. Just as when they took off from FiPan, the gravitational forces as well as the atmosphere didn’t feel any different from one moment to the next. But when the crew gathered at the airlock and Saphira activated the opening, the change in pressure caught him off guard. The gravitational pull was not as heavy as Earth.

As the elevator touched ground and the cylinder opened, he took a deep breath and noticed the air was thin. Even so, he enjoyed the fresh scent. He never said anything to his family, but transporting seven thousand years into Earth’s future had one nasty side effect. The air was full of pollutants that made it hard to breathe. Without him being in tight control of his senses, he doubted he’d been able to function there half as well as he did.

Glancing up at the night sky, he relished the exotic view.

Qorath had three moons, with two large spheres dominating the star-filled sky while its third satellite was off in the distance, like Earth’s moon.

He squinted and studied the larger moon with a slight ring circling it. If he wasn’t mistaken, there were lights on its surface as well, like it had been colonized. First chance he got, he’d ask Yve if he was right.

In front of them was a three-story building that blended into a rugged mountainside. It’s massive doors opened in invitation.

“Come on, people.” Saphira waved an elegant hand. “You know the drill.”

“The drill?” Abalim followed Saphira along with the rest of her crew.

“Yeah, keep your hands to yourself, your mouth shut, and let Saphira do all the talking.” Rodrock’s firm tone left no doubt he’d enforce that directive.

It didn’t take long to walk through the open threshold into the warm building. Once they were inside, the colossal doors once again reappeared, cutting them off from the outside.

Clasping his hands behind him, Abalim took in the immense room that had the look and feel of an auditorium. The walls were made of a reflective material that emanated a soft glow. Even with the PsyShields he wore, he could sense everything around him had its own psychic energy. As if it was partly sentient. Various three-dimensional objects were displayed on the walls that waved in and out of focus. Maybe the Xeltrians used them to project data or images. Might be some type of simulation.

Gliding toward them was the creature he’d met in the Dreamwalk, Rerqel.

He wore a one-piece suit surrounded by a cape, complete with a cowl.

Abalim narrowed his eyes and examined the alien to see if he carried any weapons. “JR15, can you sense if he’s carrying any kind of weapon on him?” he whispered in a low voice to his companion hiding at the nape of his neck.

A faint scratch from the bot's tiny feet told him JR15 moved into position to better analyze everything around them.

“No, Mister Abalim, sir. There are no weapons here except the strange signatures of the pendant Captain Saphira has around her neck.”

He didn’t bother to reply.

Rerqel stopped in front of Abalim. “What have you done that prevents us from communicating without speaking?”

While the Xeltrian’s voice had no inflection, Abalim could tell the alien didn’t like being blocked.

“We thought it’d be best if we started out on equal footing and not let you have an unfair advantage by invading our minds,” Saphira answered with her arms crossed and her green eyes narrowed.

“Unacceptable.” Rerqel lifted one hand and wiggled his spindly three-knuckled fingers.

Saphira and her crew disappeared.

Abalim dropped his hands and clenched them into fists. “What did you do to them?”

“They will not be harmed if you remove the blockage that prevents us from communicating.”

“I’m not doing anything until you tell me what you did with them.” He widened his stance.

The wall to his left shimmered until an image of Saphira and the other Crichians appeared back on the bridge of theGalactic Serpent. They were in their normal seats but unmoving, as if frozen.

“These creatures will remain on their vessel until you and the human woman finish the Quandary of Existence trial we have created for you to partake in.”

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