"Xerces." "A small world on the fringes of occupied space." "I am Mitri." "The interpreter of the signs." "The oracle of the Game." "I play at the bidding of the All Powerful One," "Planet Master of Xerces." "Master, we have lost all contact with the Remus." "First the hyper-wave and now even the bioscans show nothing." " Location?" " Morganthus." "We do not know why they landed there." "Morganthus, at last." "You would do that?" "Such risk." "It's been too long." "I'm tired of the waiting." "Death will surround you." "It is the only way." "A terrible way." "But sure." "Yes, Master?" "Put together a class-three ship with the normal exploratory and defense equipment." "You will command the rescue mission." "I will personally select the crew." "They are not to be informed of this." "Yes, Master." "Now, old woman, leave me." "The waiting is over." "I play alone." "Who are you?" "And what are you doing at my station?" "I'm flying this scrap heap." "Ilvar, mission Commander." "Welcome, Captain." " Ancillary systems checked?" " Yes, I just..." "Fine." "Seconds wasted here could be costing lives on Morganthus." "Tech check." "Tech check complete." "Main hatches closed." "Give me full standby." "Full standby, Captain." "All crew, this is Trantor." "Liftoff in 30 seconds." "And, mark." "But Captain, no one's prepared." "They've got 30 seconds to get prepared." " Ranger, glad you're with us." " Cabren." "Cabren." "Wonderful." "Just what we need." "Still the same kindly old Baelon." "I don't know what in Master's name you're doing back in active duty." "But I'm second in command this time." "You take orders from me." "It's nice to see you too, old buddy." " Here, here, quick." " We've got a live one." "Liftoff." " Tech Second?" " Yeah." "Oh, Tech Chief?" "Sure gets the gears stowed in a hurry." "Everyone in there all right?" " I think so, Commander." " What's going on in there?" "Dameia, are you okay?" "A little out of breath, Commander." "All systems stable." "Bit long in the tooth for this kind of job, aren't you, Commander?" "I haven't been on an active mission for some time." "Yeah, but you've been on the go now for, what, nearly 25 years?" " Since the Hesperus, if I'm not mistaken." " Hesperus..." "Yes, everyone's forgotten now." "Yeah, if I hadn't kept on the move after that," "I'd be an oxer in a breather bar by now." "Let me see your hyper-jump coords, Commander." "Captain, those were pre-sets." "If we have to get there at all, we might as well get there fast." " This is insanity." " Who is this, Trantor?" "The only survivor of the Hesperus massacre." "She flew the ship back alone." "It's good to know we're in safe hands." "Come on, baby." "Jump it." "Morganthus!" "Full manual override." "Quick!" "Tech control." "When I call it." "I want a five-second null on the gyros and all the reverse thrust the boosters have." "I'm going to try to spin us out of this." "Master knows what's got us, but this is going to be some ride." "If I live through this, she better stay out of my way." "If you live through this, you'll be bringing her roses." "Come on, baby." "Give me more." "That's it, Captain." "On full." "Pox." "We nearly had it!" "There's nothing I can do." " What about the landing jets?" " Are you crazy?" "At this speed?" "Hey, wait a minute." "We're going down, only not so fast." "Give me landing jets." "Gyros." "Thrusters." "Hit 'em..." "Now." "Hang on to your shorts." "We're gonna dump." "Son of a cyborg!" "Take a deep breath." "Hold it." "Okay." "Relax, relax." "It's never easy the first time." "But it gets easier." "Exploratory team prepare for surface deployment to Remus." "And confirm bioscan and atmosphere checks before departure." "It doesn't look friendly out there, but you should be able to breathe." "Well, Commander, I got you here." "The rest is up to you." "Remus team entering airlock, Commander." "Atmosphere reading within 5 % safety." "Remus position confirmed to 5.3 kilolat, but all bioscans read negative." "Alluma, are you sensing anything?" "Absolutely nothing." "If there's anything to be found, Cabren, I'll find it myself." "Baelon, I'm psi-sensitive." "The subtle energies do exist." "They even pay me to sense them." "All right?" "Get back!" "Cabren and Quuhod, Alpha deck and Comm room." "Alluma, with me." "Cos, main control." "I can go with Cos if you want." "I'm in command here." "Death trace, there may be survivors." "Wait, Baelon." "Anything?" "Anything?" "Baelon!" "What is this?" "What is it, Cos?" "What is it?" " What's that?" " A Remus crew member." "Anything else?" "One death trace, one burned one." "Let's get back to the ship." "I want that analyzed." "If I didn't know better, I would say it was coming from Cos." "Come on, kid, let's go." "Cos, come on!" "If it weren't so gruesome, it would be fascinating." "Yes." "The human mind is still as dark as Morganthus, isn't it, Sir?" "What do you mean, it just disappeared?" " How can a life scan just disappear?" " It did." "I sensed something around Cos." "Then when he died, it just vanished." "Gone." "Those are the facts, Baelon, I don't guess." "What I can't understand is how it disappeared so quickly." "We were all there." "That's how it was on Hesperus." "At first you don't see them, but then they're everywhere." "The other one you brought back, he'd sealed himself into a room and still something got him?" "Dameia, anything?" "Sorry, nothing useful at all yet." "Cos died of a massive hemorrhage from the puncture wounds." "Just as it looked." "Nothing revealing on the other one, either." "What was left was such a mess, the cause of death is uncertain." "The fact of the matter is, we don't know anymore now than we started except that the Remus wasn't safe, neither were we." "We're not even doing the repairs we need." "Baelon!" "This is a rescue mission specifically ordered by the Master." "We are required to do everything within our means" " to locate and assist survivors." " There are no survivors!" "We know of five certain deaths, so there are still four unaccounted for." "Look at this." "Here it comes." " Scan malfunction?" " No." "Once again." "There's something along 4-1-9 that so overloads the instruments, we can't even get a reading on it." "Whatever sucked us into this slag heap pulled from a single point." "A point I'm afraid we have no option but to investigate." "I don't sense life." "I feel absolutely nothing at all." "I've never felt anything so empty, so dead." "I'm not getting any surface movement, but I'm getting a neg density reading in the center well up." "What do you say, Commander?" "Uh..." "Yeah, I suppose." "Well?" "All right, Baelon." "You take Alluma, Quuhod." "Dameia and Cabren, come with me." "We'll check the perimeter before joining you." "Let's get out of here." " Be careful." " You be careful." "Commander?" "Shall we go, sir?" "Of course." "I wonder why the Master put me in command of this mission." "I'm getting old." "I'm tired." "I'm tired of giving orders." "And I much prefer home." "You're not old, Commander." "Not when I'm looking at you, I'm not." "Commander!" "Commander." "What's the matter, Commander?" "What's the matter?" "I'm sorry." "I must have lost my grip." "Doubt is brother demon to despair." "The demons tail, doubt withers those who dare not dare." "Commander?" "Shouldn't we be moving on?" "I..." "I don't know." "Maybe it's just my nerves." "Commander, you don't need to do that." "If there is something down there we all should go down." "Commander, why take the chance when we could?" "I give the orders here, Cabren." "I'm a tri-crom rated climber, why not let me?" "You and Dameia cover me." "Nothing so far." "I'm going down another four lat." "Cabren, the line!" "Your piton slipped, Commander, we've got you now." "How much more?" "Commander!" "Three lats." "Anything down there yet?" "Not yet." "Pull!" "Ahhh!" "Belay me." "Okay." "Quest calling Commander Ilvar." "Scan please." "Quest..." "Ranger, why don't you get your butt down here and eat, boy." "They're too busy being heroes out there to talk to us." "Fame is the food that dead men eat." " That's very good, Captain." " Yes." "You know what they say, Cook?" "The master sends meat, but the devil sends cooks." "Did the Master send you to keep an eye on this mission?" "Joining the crew, are we, Kore?" "I tried calling you, Captain, but you had your key off." " I know." " Okay." "Sit down and eat, boy." "This cook is almost as good as a machine." "So, there we were, wide open when they hit us." "So I gotta move fast." "Take her down to 3015 and scoot her through." "Is this Hesperus?" "No, it's not Hesperus." "Hesperus was..." "They're out there." "This time I'm ready." " What was that?" "How?" " One of the others." "Who knows." "It looked like his face had been torn off." "Baelon, we're trying to figure this out." "You can't just fry off evidence." " Quuhod, out the way, out of the way!" " Will the crystals hold?" " Wait, the others are coming!" " Cabren, there!" "Dameia, over there!" "We lost the Commander." "He was no fighter." "He had no business being here in the first place." "There was nothing around." "Nothing at all!" "Except these damn worm holes." "I hate worms!" "Quuhod!" " Anything?" " I'm not sure." "Quuhod." "Guard the entrance!" "I live and I die by the crystals." "Use it!" "We'll take that one." "I want you each to follow me at 10-second intervals." " You a little tight?" " I hate it." "I must have gotten stuck coming out of the womb." "I'd rather dance on top of this damned thing than have to squeeze through it." " Let's get out of here!" " Wait." "Wait a minute." "It's like when Cos..." "I said, let's get out of here." " Enough, Baelon." " Enough?" "What do you know of enough?" "When have you ever had enough?" "Just follow me." "Okay." "We're with you." "Can you get a fix on it?" " Place anything?" " No, but it's not far away." " Quuhod?" " I said follow me!" "Why don't I go and check on Quuhod?" " When you get there, stay together." " Mmm-hmm." "With pleasure." "I'll do anything to get out of this place." "Sometimes I wish I was like Baelon, see 'em and shoot 'em." "You!" "Ahhh!" "Kore." "Listen, have you seen the Captain?" "What's that?" "A book." " A real book?" " Here." "Yeah." "Uh..." "No, no, that's okay." "Oh, yeah." "Have you seen the captain?" "Funny." "She doesn't answer on the comm either." "I can't find her anywhere." " This place rattles me." " Don't let it." " Huh?" " I said don't let it." "Come on." "We'll locate the good Captain." "Quuhod?" "Ahhh!" " Same room." " Cabren." "Now, don't start up with that again." "This is Dameia calling the Quest." "Dameia calling the Quest." "Come in, please." "Captain Trantor." "Are you there?" "Dameia, calling the Quest!" "Please be there." "Kore?" "Ranger?" "Dameia, calling the Quest." "Ranger?" "Ah!" "Hey, wait a minute here." "All the overrides are..." "That's one of the retro-cannons." "Retros?" "You can't fire those cannons planet side." "It's a space-only weapon." "They'll destroy us." "Our good Captain has us on emergency manual." "It's a last-ditch fail-safe." "Listen, Kore, maybe we could..." "Kore?" "Kore?" "Come on, you Hesperian bastards." "Fry!" "Fry!" "Trantor!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Flight Officer Second Class Trantor, Second Hesperus Expeditionary Force." "Best Holo-shuttle player of the fleet." " How do you know that?" " I am Eremun." "Weapons System Coordinator on the Romulus." "Do you remember?" "Cook." "A spy!" " You spy for them, Cook." " You were just a kid." "But you were the hero that day, Trantor." "You were magnificent." "You saved my life." "You lie." "I was the only one, the only..." "What?" "Where is it?" "Where is it?" "The screen does not lie, Trantor." "Listen to me." "There is no attack." "Listen to me, Trantor." "There is no attack." "There is no attack." "Trust me." "Oh." "No." "No." "You see." "You see, the screen does not lie." "Kore!" "You okay?" "Somebody hit me outside of main control." "I haven't seen anyone." "Where's the Captain?" "The airlock." "Vapor locks are sealed." "Security scans all clear." "So, maybe we're safe." "I don't know." "They're like snipers." "Picking us off, one by one." "The way they're appearing and disappearing, they could be moving through dimensions." "But there's no sign of dimensional distort." "Well, it's obvious there are no survivors from the Remus." "Let's fix the ship and go home." "You forget the field that pulled us down here." "What makes you think we can lift out of it?" "I won't go back into that thing." "I don't run out on fights." "We've got to find the source of the field." "Baelon, will you quit?" "You are driving me crazy." "When you do go back, I'd like to join you." "It's no place for a cook." "Can you handle a weapon, Kore?" "I can take care of myself." "Cabren." "Baelon?" "You're a fool, Cabren." "I'll be damned if I'm staying here alone." "There is something." "Like whispers, nothing formed." "Where's Kore?" "Ranger, why are you so concerned with Kore?" " I don't trust him." " Why not?" "At the ship, when Trantor disappeared..." "Well?" "The corridor does appear to remain open." "Let's get out of here." "You do what you want to." "I don't want Kore behind me." "I'm not going down in there, Cabren." "It's too tight." "It's definitely getting stronger." "I can't take in anymore." "I'll burn out if I do." "Aren't you afraid?" "Too scared to be." "Well..." "What are the odds of us getting out of here?" "If we play the odds..." "We'll lose." "Come on, Baelon." "Baelon." "Baelon!" "Baelon!" "Stop it!" "What is it?" "I don't know." "I thought I saw something." "This idiot here starts firing." "Baelon." "I'll go first." "It's gonna be tight, Alluma." "But don't worry." "He nearly got me." "He nearly got me." "What a magnificent piece of work." "It's still here." "Baelon." "The pack." "Baelon." "You should stay close." "What are you doing, Baelon?" "It's the second time you nearly killed me, you..." "Shut up, Ranger!" "Shut up!" "Baelon!" "Baelon?" "Stupid son of a Caleban bitch." "Go ahead, I'll catch up." "It seems to be activated by this." "Cabren!" "Kore, move the door again." "Not all the way." "See?" "If we could complete the form..." "Kore, close the door all the way." "No, wait!" "Hey!" "Baelon!" "Kore, open the door!" "The other way, Kore." " Baelon!" "Baelon!" " There's another one!" "Come on." "Come on, open the door!" "Yes!" "Ahhh!" "He did this." "Kore!" "It's not Kore, he's just an old man." "Oh, yeah?" "Well, where is he?" "There's nowhere to go." "I hate this place." " I hate it." "I hate it!" " Alluma." "Alluma." "Where the hell is he?" "I don't know where he is." "Forget Kore!" "Ranger?" " Ranger?" " What is it?" "Nothing." "I keep seeing something..." "And then nothing." "Stay close." "We can't afford to be separated." "Damned if you do and damned if you don't." "Ranger." "In future, you see something, you call us." "Quit lording it over me like you were still the patron saint of the Academy, Cabren." "Believe me, those days are long past." "What?" "I said quit playing the Master with your friends, Cabren." "Old buddy!" "'Cause I'm done crawling after you!" "Do you know that, buddy?" "I'm shredding myself with my own bloody fingernails." "Did you know that?" "Do you even care?" "Whether you care or not, you're gonna pay for all this." "'Cause I'm gonna stop your sniping at me." "I'm gonna stop you, Cabren." "I'm gonna!" " I'll stop you now!" " Ranger!" "Ranger!" "Alluma?" "Alluma?" "Ah!" "Blood, no guts." "Can't be real." "I'm fighting myself." "Cabren!" "Cabren!" "Cabren!" "Cabren!" "No!" "No!" "Cabren!" "Get off of me!" "No!" "Stop!" "Get off of me!" "Stop!" "Ahhh!" "Cabren!" "Well..." "Cabren." "It was my own fear that attacked me." "Brought to life, somehow, by..." "By this place." "I knew that when I saw Alluma." "There's no horror here we don't create ourselves." "If that's true, it's finished." "Finished, Cabren?" "There has hardly been a beginning." "I knew it!" "Where is he?" "Damn you, Kore!" "You watch out for him." "Kore?" "You..." "You know this place." "Yes." "And you watched while we died?" "And you said nothing." "I will find a way to kill you for what you've done." "Perhaps you will." "But enough, Cabren." "Why let your emotions rule now, after showing such admirable control of your fear?" "You already won the game." "A game." "A children's game, Cabren." "This pyramid is an ancient toy." "A brilliant initiatory toy for the children of a vanished race, to see their deepest fears and to learn to control them." "How can you know this?" "This is where I became Master." "Why did she have to die?" "Why did they all have to die?" "Damn you, why?" "They could've lived, Cabren." "They could have chosen as you have chosen." "Until now." "Dameia?" "Quuhod!" "Cabren." "Cabren." "Cabren." "Cabren." "Cabren." "Cabren." "Cabren." "Now." "It's just you and me." "But now, you cannot find the rage that made you want to kill me." "Yet I am the same man I was before." "It is done." "You wanted me to kill you, and I have." "I've killed the Master." "No." "Only an old man." "You cannot kill the power that is a Master." "I will never do what you have done." "Too late." "You are the Master." "I can leave." "Refuse, and allow your planet to plunge into chaos?" "That, too, would be the effect of your power." "But you would still be Master." "That is who you are." "You are the Master."