Valkyra came out of starburst in the shadow of Xenik VI, an enormous planet even by gas giant standards. To port and approaching at a steady pace was Xenik VI-F, the sixth moon of the sixth planet. Carefully, Valkyra, at her mother’s urging, entered into an orbit around VI-F, such that the moon would always be between Valkyra and Xenik III, some few million kilometers away.

Cel looked incredulous. “So you’re telling me that no time will elapse? That’s impossible.”

Kat tried to explain it all patiently. “No. It’s improbable or, more accurately, uncertain. It’s simply an application of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, but taken in a different direction. With starburst, the application of energy is distrubuted along a different set of variables, which…”

“I don’t get it,” Cel interrupted while turning to the viewscreen. “Hyperspace is still space and movement takes time there. So, how could we just… woah! We’re here already? When did that happen?”

CJ smiled and looked at Cel. “Just do what I do and remember Clarke’s Dictum. ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Just chalk it up to magic and be done with it. It’s easier that way.” Turning to Bern, she asked, “Has Valkyra finished her modifications to Hope?”

“Yes,” came the quick answer. “The DRDs are finished with her. Hope is now cloak-capable.” Bern paused and smiled. “Valkyra asks me to remind you that active cloaking is not invisibility. Hope will be transmitting an electronic signature to give any sensors nearby the illusion of invisiblity. It will not protect against the ‘Mark One Eyeball’. If you get sighted, any drone can reprogram sensors to filter out active cloaking transmissions. So, don’t get too close to whoever you choose to hitch a ride with.”

“Gotcha. Thanks, V.” The ship’s lights dimmed a bit in response. “Any prospects out there? We don’t want a large convoy of ships, too many eyes, but I’d rather not tail a single ship either. Singles are always on guard, particularly the crowd that’s gathered out here.”

Bern closed her eyes, concentrated and frowned. “This is interesting.”

“What is?”

“A single Mentath diplomatic courier popped out of hyperspace just outside of Xenik XIV.” Bern paused, then continued, “It’s not doing anything. It’s just sitting there, drifting. Oh wait! Valkyra, record that transmission and put it on the speakers!”

“This is High Priestess Senta K’Gannon, aboard Envoy One, calling the goddess Relia aboard the Protean starship Dinara City. We, the ruling council of the your sect, humbly request an audience with her most august presence. I repeat. This is High Priestess Senta K’Gannon calling the goddess Relia aboard the starship Dinara City. We humbly request permission for an audience.”

CJ frowned. “Interesting isn’t the half of it. Bern, was there any video with that? Kat, Cel. Get down to Hope and get her ready for…”

Bern shook her head as a familiar voice entered the discussion. “This is Relia, Goddess of the Southern Peoples of the Holy Ark of Mentath. Senta K’Gannon, you have permission to approach and board the Dinara City. On your approach, all unnecessary systems on your ship will be unpowered, including weapons and sensors. Failure to do so will result in your immediate destruction. I shall receive you shortly after boarding where you will submit to me and reaffirm your obedience to me. Failure to do so will result in your immediate execution. Now, approach and be recognized.”

For a second, everyone aboard Valkyra was stunned. The voice was unmistakably SunKrux’s, yet the tone and bearing were completely foreign. Bern broke the silence. “I got a visual,” she said quietly.

The face on the viewscreen was also familiar yet foreign. The pale skin was gone, in favor of a blue-veined black. The eyes had lost their natural playfulness as well; a hardness lay in its place. “She’s gone,” Cel said simply.

“Of course, she’s gone,” CJ replied louder than she meant to. “If there were any doubts about our mission, this should have erased them. If anything, this only straightens our course. Sunny is gone and we’ll mourn over her later. Right now, we need to kill that thing before events really get out of hand. Now, move!!”

That final emphasis on ‘move’ was enough to uproot Kat and Cel from their place on the deck. As they disappeared down the hall, CJ turned to Bern. “You know your instructions, right? If things don’t work out like we planned, you know what to do?”

Bern grimly nodded. “Yeah, CJ. We know.”

“And Valkyra understands?”

Bern softly caressed the arm of the chair and replied sadly, “She does.”

The lights dimmed.

CJ stood there for a few seconds wondering what else to say. Finally after taking a quick look around the bridge and returning Bern’s gaze, she turned and ran down the corridor toward Hope and what lay beyond.