L Modesitt - Empress of Eternity

All is well with us, although Daerix is having to spend more and more time at thefactorums, something about the change in baseline ambient temperatures requiring more careful adjustments and more training for the technicians…

I must confess that I've never seen so many Protective Services trainees as seem to havecome into Oxara in the past few months, although we only see them when we leave the estate,and only on weekends, at that. Daerix's workers have told him that at times their houses shakebecause of all the explosions out at the training center…

These days we don't get to Caelaarn often, and I suppose that is for the best because I'dwant to stop and see you, and you wouldn't be there. Is it as cold as everyone says up on thegreat canal? Please write and tell me all about it.

Maertyn handed the letter back to his wife. "She wants you to write back."

"She?s lonely," said Maarlyna. "She?s always had the children, and now they?re leaving. Daerix has his work, and the estate doesn?t require that much supervision." She paused. "I don?t care much for the idea that the Unity is training more and more Protective Service troopers."

"Agents…" Maertyn said dryly.

"Troopers." She shook her head. "Are you going to work today?"

"No. I?m spending the day with you. We could even play in the snow."

Her smile warmed him all the way through.

34 Quad 2471 R.E.

Surprisingly, Eltyn slept decently. He couldn?t help wishing he?d been sleeping closer to Faelyna, rather than on the narrow pallet in the corner of his own workroom. He woke early, at the first sign of diffused light coming through the stone "windows" on twoday. A quick check of the system and the outside monitors showed no one and no vessels nearby. He washed and dressed quickly, only to find Faelyna waiting for him by the ramp down to the lower level.

"I couldn?t sleep any longer," he said. "I keep wondering what The Twenty will do now."

"I couldn?t sleep longer either." She looked at him directly for a moment. "I?m glad you?re here." Then her eyes dropped. We need to do something. We can't just stay trapped insidethe station.

Options? he pulsed.

Such as? ?????

Exactly. Nothing else gets us beyond the first command levels…except freezing thesystem. Not good now.

Eltyn had to agree with that. Exactly. Still…someone told me, Eat first. Think later.

Faelyna did smile as they walked down to the lower level.

Rhyana was waiting. "Thought you two might be up early."

"Don?t you ever sleep?" asked Eltyn.

"Not late. Delivery schedules are-were-always out early." She pointed to the table.

"Sit. Eggs…what passes for?em…are almost ready. Pastries…sort of, too."

"Thank you." Both Eltyn and Faelyna spoke almost simultaneously.

"No need for thanks. You both are doing what you can. Least I can do is feed you. Without you two, I?d not be thinking…or not much except what the riffies wanted."

"We still appreciate it." Eltyn slipped into one of the chairs, before which was a platter, and across the narrow table from Faelyna.

As he ate more of the egg-like omelet than he thought he could, Eltyn had to admit that food preparation had improved immeasurably since Rhyana had joined them, especially with the flaky pastries.

"Anyone out there?" asked the delivery woman.

"Antennae don?t show anyone, but the locals are only good for a kay or so."

"Riffies?ll be back. They want everything their own way."

Eltyn stiffened at the warnings coming from the system. Trouble…seismics and localsshowing something…coming our way…

They couldn't…how could they evacuate…

All the lights went out, except for the emergency beacon…

Eltyn immediately accessed the station systems and scanned all the indicators. Readingsshow temperatures… Eltyn swallowed…sensors…vaporized…Entire outside power grid gone,even the tidal pump.

Thermonuke? No…there aren't any…are there?

Eltyn checked the last readings, frozen on the system. Radiation…but notweapons…superheated 3 steam…

…steam…?

Abruptly…the two exchanged glances. Eltyn checked the ventilation system, but something had shut off all the ducts, and the ventilators had cut off. He closed down the internal net, and the nonessentials, leaving just basic lighting for the moment. They?d need all the power in the inside storage system, and they certainly wouldn?t be leaving the station any time soon. Before long they might have to worry about air quality, but with only the four of them and the size of the station, that wasn?t an immediate concern.

"They wouldn?t…would they?" asked Faelyna. "The area to the north…hundreds of kays…"

"Maybe they evacuated the people."

"The Twenty? Do you think they?d bother?"

"What happened?" asked Rhyana. "Something bad, from the look of you."

"Exactly? We don?t know," replied Eltyn.

"Eltyn…"

"The Twenty dropped-we think-a chunk of nickel iron or something like it out of orbit and aimed its re-entry at us. It looks like it hit water, probably to the west and north of us. That?s just a guess from what information the sensors recorded before they all vaporized."

"Vaporized? Turned to gas?"

"That?s an educated guess, too. None of the sensors are registering, and the temperatures outside were hot enough to melt, if not vaporize, most metals and composites."

"You sure? We didn?t feel anything."

"Inside the station you don?t. We didn?t feel any of the shelling. The whole Earth could fall apart and you wouldn?t know."

"Can?t we open a door or window and look out…" Rhyana glanced from Eltyn to Faelyna. "It?s too hot?"

"In more ways than one." Eltyn stopped, then glanced around. Something else had changed, although he couldn?t quite determine what.

"Do you notice something?" asked Faelyna. "The light…"

"It?s sharper…or different…" Eltyn stood, moving away from the table, his eyes going to the ceiling, then to the walls.

Banks of instruments appeared, shimmering as if shrouded in transparent silver, but crisp and solid. They lined the walls of the chamber, but as soon as Eltyn tried to concentrate on a single area, one console or equipment bay was replaced by another, different but appearing equally solid and crisp, and the rate of change varied from moment to moment.

"They keep changing," said Rhyana.

"We?re seeing all the equipment that?s been here…or will be…Do you think?" Faelyna slipped from her chair and moved until she was beside Eltyn.

He wasn?t certain what to think.

Echoing from the adjoining chamber came a moaning that rose into a thin and piercing scream. "No, no, NO!!!" Then there was silence.

Rhyana hurried to the archway, then turned. "Everything?s changing in here, too. Riffie?s passed out." After a moment, she added, "There?s a door here now…a real door. Except it?s got six sides. It?s open. Sort of."

Faelyna started forward immediately. Eltyn joined her as they stepped through the archway. He glanced at their captive, who slumped forward in the chair where he?d been restrained, and then at the hexagonal opening at the east end of the small room. The door didn?t look like an illusion or a projected image, and beyond it stretched a corridor-except that some ten or fifteen yards beyond the opening was another hexagonal door, and it was closed.

Rhyana stepped toward the slumped riffie, reached out, and touched him, looking toward the two scientist-techs. Her mouth opened, but she did not speak.

At that moment, three figures appeared, stepping through the nearer open door. Two of them had short curly brown hair and wore identical shimmering brown singlesuits with the intertwined lightning bolt insignia on their shoulders. All three wore almost resigned expressions, and the man shook his head. Then they vanished.