Chaz and company had just finished their picnic and were clearing up the place when Wren decided to stomp in. He didn't walk in like a regular person, he actually stomped. Before that they had been having a wonderful time, properly catching up on each other's lives that they had missed.

They had all wondered why Gryz and Kyra had not turned up. Those two were the only people missing from their team. It was nice to be back together again, but it didn't feel quite right without their circle of friends being completed. Hahn hypothesized that perhaps their friends had heard the call just as strongly as everybody else, but were either too preoccupied or in a position unable to do anything about it. Gryz was lending a hand in rebuilding his destroyed hometown and was constantly travelling between the new construction site and Tonoe, making sure that the materials reached their proper destination. It was long, tiring work and Rune could understand why Gryz would be too busy to reply.

Kyra may have a different, but no less valid reason. The esper mansion was a very hidden and sacred place. It was not easy to get into, and even harder to get out of. Espers spent a great deal of their lives training there and it was just like any other monastery, they would train a person of promise for no fee, provided that the neophyte would stay within the mansion for a certain amount of time. When they had met Kyra and the other espers in Meese that had been a gigantic exception to the rule, as they had been dispatched there to help the victims of the black energy wave.

Rune knew, he himself had only been able to escape the mansion twice in his life, once when he had been a young child of fourteen, and again just before the war against the darkness had begun. He could not go back again, into the deep freeze that would keep him young and safe for ages, no, would rather grow old and die normally like the rest of them. Kyra had probably heard the call but was unable to leave the mansion, the red tape of tradition barring the way. How frustrating it must be for her! Rune could just imagine her fuming, peering through the snow-glossed windows of the mansion and huffing.

They would just have to cope with the lack of two of their friends. Hahn did not tire of telling everybody about his wonderful life, his excellent job and his wife who was already expecting their first child. That was many months away, however, so Hahn didn't feel very edgy about being away from Krup for so long. He practically lived in Piata anyway, and only came home for weekends and the spring break. Saya was used to his absences and her job as a teacher kept her busy enough as well.

It was almost amazing how different Hahn looked when he wasn't wearing his scholarly gear. His hair was much longer and he had braided it loosely so it wouldn't get in the way during combat or other activities. Hahn had gone from a stumbling weakling to a proficient fighter during the great war, he could kill with a single touch using his deadly navol technique. It made Rune wonder if Hahn still fought at times, now and then.

Rika and Chaz had clearly adapted to a much less violent life than they were used to. Chaz had skyrocketed through the ranks of the hunter's guild until he had even bested Alys' old record, but he had insisted that the guild keep her name up there as a tribute to her memory. He had become the very best hunter that the guild had seen in many a year, yet because monster outbreaks were declining rapidly on Motavia his opportunities for employment were greatly diminished. This was actually a good thing despite the strain that it was placing on Chaz and Rika's finances. They could still make ends meet and that was enough, for now.

The youth had actually been studying and planning for a new career. The money from the hunter missions wouldn't last forever, so Chaz had enrolled in a correspondence course from Piata academy in architecture. He wanted to be a carpenter so he could design and construct buildings, a trade that was sure to boom eventually when monster-infested areas became habitable again. Normally said training would have been far too expensive for him to handle, living off such unsteady means, but the headmaster of the academy had been able to cut Chaz some slack provided his grades remained good. He owed the hunter that.

And as for Chaz's moral support, Rika was always helping him in the background. She knew that she couldn't do much for him in the way of his career, as that was something that Chaz had to figure out for himself, but there were other ways in which she could aid him. Kind words and love was all it took. The girl was eager to live her life to the fullest now, to finally let it begin. She had earned that right from her great participation in the war against the darkness.

Rune and Raja told everybody their stories, and Demi too, although there wasn't much to tell. She and Wren had been working on Zelan for the past three years. That was it. The female android looked a little embarrassed at having such a boring story to tell, then Wren walked in and all stories ceased. He was carrying something under one arm which he tossed purposefully onto the floor in front of his guests. It was an empty space suit.

"We are going down there." He said.

"You made contact with the ship? What happened? Did you learn anything interesting?" Rika asked as she put the plates and the rest of the sandwiches away. She wished that she could have listened in on the transmission. Rika had been more than interested in the worldships ever since she and her friends had discovered one crashed in the Nalya desert. The idea of them heading down into one of the ships made Rika very excited. It would be like seeing an entire culture trapped in a scientific sample dish.

Even though Rika had turned away from the world of science she was still quite fascinated with this. That was good. Seed would have been proud of her. "This is what I have learned from talking with the ship's computer. The ship trapped in orbit around Algo is named the Alisa Three, key worldship of five. The auto-pilot of the ship has either been deactivated or has fallen into disrepair. If we are able to repair this mechanism from the Alisa Three's bridge then we can program a new flight course that will send it out of our star system. It would be able to search for a new home world in peace."

Rika thought about this information, sifting through all her knowledge of history to see if she knew anything that would match that name. "Do you know how it came to Algo?" She chanced saying instead, but Wren only shook his head mutely. So they had to go into the ship. They had to go into the ship? Rika hadn't really properly absorbed that piece of info yet. She jumped to her feet immediately. That was what the space suit was for, Wren was planning on sending one of his friends into the Alisa Three. "How many people are going?" Rika demanded eagerly, hoping that one of the explorers would get to be her.

"It is my advice that no more than two people should go on this mission instead of the traditional five-person party that we are accustomed to using. This is the only space suit I could find that I would deem completely 'safe'." If that suit was the only good one left on Zelan, then why had Wren chucked it so unceremoniously on the ground? His bad mood, perhaps. Wren continued dully. "This two person party should be comprised of one android member and one member of organic composition. Demi and I have no need for space suits."

The space suit would not be able to fit Demi anyway, she was too small while Wren was too big. They couldn't both go either, as everybody could see that if something were to happen to the party they needed at least one android here to manage Zelan. Somebody from Motavia, or somebody from Dezoris had to go along too. Surprising everybody Raja raised his hand, volunteering himself. "I'll go. That sounds like fun. I want to walk about in space." He said.

"No, let me go instead. The historical value of that ship is monstrous. I have to see it myself." Hahn argued zealously, pushing Raja out of the spotlight. Even if the priest wanted to go Raja was not quite qualified for the job. Hahn had missed out on a great deal of space exploration during their fight against the darkness and he wanted to make up for that loss. He had come to Zelan with Chaz, Rika and Demi but that was not enough. He needed to see more.

"But Hahn, you have a wife to worry about back on Motavia. We just don't know how dangerous of an exploration this trip will be. If something happens and the Alisa Three shoots off into space with you on board you might never see Saya again." Rika explained to Hahn softly, taking him by the hand. The scholar seemed to crumble under that line of reasoning. He really wanted to go but there were other things more important to him first. Rika smiled. "I think I should go to the Alisa Three. My knowledge and abilities would surely be of some use."

Chaz immediately butted in, boldly, in a manner that nobody was quite familiar with him using. He stepped out in front of Rika and frowned. "Now wait a minute! Nobody is taking Rika anywhere without me accompanying her. If she's going then I'm going too, and I know we only have one space suit for this trip." He turned to his fiancée and saw the manner in which she was glaring at him. She was not a child. She could handle this on her own. Chaz looked apologetic. "Sorry Rika, but its just like what you said about Hahn. I can't risk losing you because of some stupid ship."

The girl sighed, understanding his point of view. She probably would have protested just as vehemently if Chaz had volunteered himself instead. Rika had really wanted to see the ship but she backed down, both her and Chaz. Rune was in the very back of the conversation, not voicing his opinion or volunteering himself at all. He had no strong feelings on the subject. The esper knew that the ship needed to be moved but that didn't mean he had to be the one to do it.

Wren tried to make good on his promise to himself to be kinder to his friends. He smiled slightly and attempted to iron out this strange indecisive conflict they were having. He just wanted the job done as soon as possible so they could get back to their normal lives. "Please. This is a matter of great importance and we need to leave immediately. Stop bickering and decide. We do not have time for this." Saying that, however, had the opposite effect to what Wren wanted. Everybody began talking and arguing all at once.

"How can there be danger on that ship anyway - It's been dead for a thousand years - I'm not weak anymore - I can fight just as well as the rest of you!"

"Shut up Hahn - You think your curiosity is worth your life - When have I ever let anybody here down - Don't look at me like that Chaz - I'll improvise - I was perfectly capable of things like these before we got together and you know it!"

"I think it would be great if I got to be the first dezorian in space - Gyuna and Valos would be so jealous - If somebody showed me how the gizmos worked I could do it - don't you call me old, boy!"

"But Rika, it's been three years since you last fought a battle - You didn't bring any weapons either - I'll worry myself to death - At least I can still remember how to fight - You know I'm a dependable guy - Let me go instead - You're too old Raja, you'll have a heart attack in space!"

"Um… everybody… please stop fighting - You'll make Master Wren angry - Talk one at a time - Nobody can hear anything that you're saying - Please, everybody - Hello?"

All five of them talking at once made it impossible to follow any one person's line of reasoning. Hadn't they gotten over petty arguing during the great war? After three years they all must have regressed a little. Wren had his arms folded and his eyes were closed, trying to ignore them until they quieted down. He was almost scowling. Rune was on the other side of the fight and he wasn't handling it as well as the machine was. A lot of confusing things had happened to him today and even as the Lutz he didn't feel mentally prepared to handle it.

Finally Rune exploded. "Shut up!" He roared, eliciting silence at once. Everybody turned to look at him, surprised. "Stop acting like damned children! Has three years living as mush-minds made you forget just how important teamwork is? Right now I don't think that anybody should leave on this mission, because it's obvious that most of the people here aren't ready to go just yet. We've all had a rough day. Calm yourselves down a little."

Chaz and Hahn hung their heads in shame. Rune was right, and then hadn't heard him raise his voice like that in ages. Rika's face had gone slightly red from embarrassment and Raja just snorted grumpily. The magician breathed out deeply, venting his frustration. Demi reappeared from where she had hidden behind Raja when Rune had started shouting. Meekly she said; "You know, there is another way to solve this argument without resorting to shouting or juvenility."

"What idea did you have in mind, Demi?" Wren asked gently, a soft contrast to the earlier frenzy that had been in the room. The female android frequently had more creative ideas than Wren did. Most of it had to do with her intuitive personality, so because of this Wren asked ideas of her often and it was the closest thing that Demi could get to ordering her master around.

The girl smiled and pressed her hands together in a gesture of either prayer or peacemaking. "I do believe it goes a little something like this…" She hinted, and then began to explain.

†††

"This is the dumbest idea I have ever heard of." Rune mumbled bitterly.

"Stop complaining and play with me." Chaz replied with an idiot's grin, amply amused.

"Alright. Paper, scissors, stone! One, two, three!"

Even if Rune thought it was a stupid idea it was much more sensible than a heated debate would be. Everybody had crowded around the players as they took their turn. The two overall winners of the games would take a space shuttle down to Azura and then the Alisa Three. Paper covers rock, rock smashes scissors and scissors cuts paper. It was basically a game of chance, a lottery, but a little skill could be used to win. That skill was the ability to read one's opponent.

With Chaz it was easy. The hunter was so predictable; he always chose rock. He had his whole life ahead of him and it would be a shame to separate Chaz from Rika for awhile, so Rune beat Chaz swiftly and easily, taking his place. The youth groaned and cursed his bad luck, stepping down. A few more games of Janken were played, with Rika beating Hahn, Raja beating Rika, and then at last Rune beating Raja. Scissors cuts paper. The esper had won.

Rune felt that he had no choice but to win. His four other friends were far too eager to rush off into the unknown and that would spell trouble if something were to go wrong. Rune was the Lutz, the guardian of Algo. Dangerous duties like these were meant for him. The esper was a lot like the androids in that sense, protecting Algo was his everything, his life, and there was nothing else.

Speaking of the androids, it was now Wren's turn to play Janken with Demi to see who would accompany Rune on his mission. The four losers watched them play, defeated. Rika and Chaz were holding hands again, regretting that they had argued with one another in the first place. Rune didn't understand how he felt right now, observing Demi repeating the rules to her master so he wouldn't get confused. The girl still seemed to him like she had been hexed, marked for some horrible deed that was just around the nearest bend.

Rune suddenly experienced a flood of great understanding. Of course! If Demi went on this mission something terrible was going to happen to her! He prayed that she would lose, that Wren would go with him in her stead. Wren did not feel marked, not in the sense that Demi was. "Are you ready, Master?" The girl asked courteously, looking up at the dark-haired machine. She had no knowledge of just how crucial the next few moments would be.

And Wren was unaware either. "I believe so. Let us begin." He answered blandly.

"Paper, scissors, stone! One, two, three!"

When the results of the game became apparent Rune sighed deeply in relief. Demi had lost. She took the defeat quite well, perhaps more confident in Wren's abilities than her own. Rune did not know this but Demi had lost on purpose, correctly guessing her master's decision and then selecting the action that would succumb to it. She knew that she was not an explorer and such difficult tasks should be left to those with the proper abilities to undertake them. Wren was one of those people. Demi was content to just stay on Zelan with the others and observe. She stepped down graciously. "I give in. Are you sure that you and Rune should enter the ship?"

"I don't think it's right to turn back now, not after all we've done to get to this point." Rune intoned, crouching down and picking up the space suit that was destined to be his. Its simple looks belied the considerable weight that was behind it. The magician struggled a little to throw it over his shoulder. How the heck was he going to wear something this heavy? "Wren and I will be able to slip in and out of the ship in just a couple of hours. We both have some idea of how a worldship is designed."

Wren did not refute that. He didn't know how much Rune remembered as the Lutz but he was willing to give Rune the benefit of the doubt. Wren was rather pleased that he was going down into the Alisa Three, because if a job was to be done properly it was best that it was done by oneself. He trusted Demi with many things, with his life if need be, but he as the caretaker of Algo could not afford to put the fate of the system out of his hands and into the hands of another. Wren trusted people, but maybe he did not trust enough.

There was only one person that Wren had trusted utterly before and that had ended with tragic results. He had been thinking about that earlier, but now it gave him a good idea instead of merely disrupting his current thoughts. "Would you please come with me for a short while?" He asked kindly of Demi, then he turned toward Rune and his other friends. "I need to retrieve something that will be of some help in our mission. Take it upon yourselves to get Rune suited up and ready to go. I have already directed Zelan to prepare a shuttlecraft for our usage. We leave in one hour."

Demi bowed respectfully. "Of course. Lead the way."

They departed together right after that, leaving everybody else in the central nucleus of the station. Chaz crept over to Rune and shouldered half of his burden when it looked like the space suit was becoming too heavy for Rune to handle alone. He passed it to the hunter and stepped away, beginning to remove his pale blue cloak. "Is this lead or what?" Chaz joked, looking like the weight didn't bother him much. He was stronger now and he could manage it.

"I suppose it's to stop space from crushing me to death." Rune guessed as he discarded his cloak and then both of his dark gloves. All excess clothing needed to go because he was not on Dezoris anymore and he'd die from the heat in the space suit otherwise. From one extreme to the other in less than a day! That was the life of an adventurer.

Rika realised what was going on and prudently turned her back to the men with a little giggle. Getting Rune into the suit was an unexpected chore and a half. Chaz and Hahn had to help him inside the metal-lined garment and Rune protested and cursed at being yanked about like a child's dress-up doll. When Rune was safely inside the suit it took nearly half an hour for Hahn and Rika to connect up all the machinery that came with the suit. The life support, the oxygen supply and the radio system needed to be checked and running before Rune was ready to depart.

No wonder this was the only space suit that still functioned properly on Zelan. The built-in systems were so delicate! Rune was afraid that he'd break any one of them before his job was complete. Hahn had fitted him with an ear and mouthpiece that was uncomfortable and weird when he first put it on, but after only a couple of minutes he seemed to grow used to it. Raja tested the radio by grabbing a receiver tuned into Rune's frequency and zipping all the way to the other side of the control room. The priest screamed a dezorian word as loudly as he could into the radio and Rune almost fell over, twitching in pain.

He dearly would have liked to teach the old man a lesson using one of his esper techniques, but Rika had warned him of the dangers of using his skills in such a state. His black gloves had been skintight and therefore immune to being affected by his spell-casting abilities, but the thick gauntlets that he was now wearing were roomy and loose. Rune had the notion that the suit had been made for a much larger man than he. If he used something like a foi technique he would run the risk of setting his own fingers on fire. Magician or no, Rune was forbidden from casting magic while on the mission. Should something bad happen Wren would just have to protect him.

If that was true and Rune was to become more of a burden than a benefit why did he have to go on this mission at all? He disliked being so restricted in his abilities, it was like losing a limb or one of his five senses. A crucial one. He raised his wrist and checked the back of his hand, where a tiny gauge fitted into the gauntlet measured his oxygen supply. Once he was in space he'd be fed air from oxygen tanks strapped to his back. According to the gauge the maximum amount of air he could carry was four hours worth. That did not seem like enough.

Hahn and Rika stepped back, admiring their work. Rune looked just like a space explorer. It was so cool! They had gone over all the systems carefully while Rune had waited with patience, something that he usually had in short supply. Chaz fought back sniggers. He thought that Rune looked absolutely ridiculous. Maybe it was better that the esper had been selected to take the mission, or else Chaz wouldn't have been able to get such a cheap laugh otherwise. "What do you think?" The soon-to-be space explorer asked of everybody and Chaz couldn't keep his laughter in anymore, he let it out with a sense of relief.

Rune narrowed his eyes and wished that his space suit came with a standard weapon, or failing that, a 'kill Chaz' button. He walked forward and the suit was still heavy and ungainly, but he had been promised that it would greatly improve once he was introduced to a lighter gravity field. Then the extra weight would seem like a blessing to him. "Don't laugh. You're not the one who's going to be dangled about in space like bait on a fishing hook!" He scolded. Chaz stopped laughing, but only with considerable effort.

"You'll be a well-equipped piece of bait, in any case." Hahn said reflectively, pointing to Rune's right arm. "I'm not sure, but I think that gauntlet might be outfitted with a gun of some sort. Look at those small funnels lying parallel to your knuckles. They look like gun barrels to me." Now that Rune thought about it his right gauntlet did seem a little tighter than his left. It felt like there was a small brace hooked under the mid joint of his thumb. That was very interesting.

He pointed his hand at the formerly snickering Chaz and depressed the brace slightly, waiting to see what would happen. The hunter froze for a moment and then wisely leapt out of the way, hearing a quiet click coming from Rune. Two laser charges seared the ground where Chaz had been standing. The youth would have been quite nastily burned if he had stood still. It wasn't nearly as powerful as Rune's esper techniques but it would have to do for now. It was good to know that he wouldn't be utterly defenseless on his mission.

Chaz glared at Rune angrily from his cowering spot behind Rika. "Don't point that thing at your friends!" He exclaimed, horrified.

"Well whaddaya know, this thing does have a kill Chaz button!" Rune said privately to himself, smirking. He figured that he was ready to go. Once Wren and Demi returned he'd be all set to go to Azura and the Alisa Three. With a little skill and a moderate amount of luck they could do this, yet Rune could hardly shake the sensation of foreboding away.

Noticing Rune's troubled look Rika frowned, concerned. Sure this mission would be a romp into the unknown but nobody had any clear idea if it would actually be dangerous or not. It might be a piece of cake; a walk in the park. Rune looked like he was preparing himself for a night in a nest of cranky bladerights. "How do you feel?" She asked with hesitation, not quite willing to pry but doing it anyway.

Rune shrugged and laughed nervously. He was feeling three dozen things at once. He would have to sit down with a pen and paper to figure them all out.

"Like I'm about to do the stupidest thing in the world." He answered, summing up all his feelings simply.

†††

"Master Wren, what are we doing in the graveyard? You know I hate this place." Demi quavered, glancing down the drab metal hallway. The graveyard wasn't a burial ground in the palman sense of the word, but it was a dumping ground for old bodies and remains. Ten percent of Zelan was part of this storage, this cemetery.

But even if Demi did not like this place she knew that she and Wren came here on rare occasions to salvage old parts and machinery. The graveyard was a treasure trove of parts and add-ons, their previous owners either dead or shut down. They would not miss the pieces. Wren was leading Demi down the block C area, along a corridor in the three hundred series range. This alarmed her a lot because block C was where the dead crazy androids, the criminals were kept.

"I need to get something from one of these rooms. I have never required it until now." Wren replied cryptically, gravely counting down the numbers on the cell doors as they walked on. Long ago Zelan had been staffed with hundreds of different androids and now only two were left, the rest locked away like fragments of scrap that may one day become useful again. Technology had become so precious after the Great Collapse that not a single part was ever discarded.

Demi wrapped her arms about herself, wishing that she could shiver. It was like she could sense the dozens and hundreds of artificial souls all around her, barely contained by the steel walls and automated doors. The girl held in the back of her mind an irrational fear that one of the doors along the corridor would open and a figure would stagger out, a criminal android driven mad by death, wielding a gun. "Why block C? Can't you find a part in block A or D? Those androids died naturally. I hate these criminals, these executed madmen." Demi paused, then said in a tiny voice; "I'm frightened."

Wren stopped walking and turned to look at her, attempting to see if she was telling the truth. Demi's face did appear honest and a tad scared. Of course, he knew that Demi possessed the emotional capabilities to be scared, so he believed her. Wren didn't much like this block himself. Androids were built to be faithful servants, the concept of criminal and anarchistic behavior was appalling to him. He spared Demi some reassuring words. "All block C units have had their operating systems removed post-execution. Even if they were active, which is impossible, without the OS they would not be able to move or speak. There are no such thing as ghosts."

Her master sounded so definite, so sure. Almost half a century ago she had asked Wren why they hadn't tried to revive any of the androids that lay dormant in storage. He had answered her by saying that half the androids in storage were duds that he could not repair with his skill alone, and that he was forbidden to awaken the other half even if it was in his means to do so. The girl didn't know who had forbade him to do that but Wren seemed rather adamant about it. He changed the subject by saying that she was the only other android that he really needed, and Demi had been so flattered by his deadpanned statement that she also dropped the subject entirely.

In the middle of the criminal block those thoughts came back to her again. What did her master need from this creepy place, and how would it be connected to the Alisa Three? She could only wait and find out. Demi stayed close to Wren's side as they stopped outside a certain room, cell three hundred and twenty three. This must be the place that he was looking for. "Um… I went into room thirty nine the other day. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't help myself. 'Nearly went into it again when I was guiding the others to the observation deck. It was embarrassing." She admitted, the silence drawing a confession from her.

"We should have moved her to block C. She belongs here." Wren remarked offhandedly as he inserted his password into the door's number pad, the door creeping open slowly and then jamming halfway. Wren pulled the rest of the door open with his great strength. He had not meant to use those words in a harsh way, but they hit Demi just as if they were. They struck the girl right to her core.

She looked at the floor dejectedly. "I know, but she isn't doing any harm in block A. Keeping her there means I can see her sometimes when I pass by. I'm allowed to have that, right?" It was one of the things she was most grateful for. Wren let room thirty nine stay as it was solely because it meant so much to Demi. The dark-haired machine did have a heart, but it only revealed itself to certain people. Besides, he understood how she felt.

"I am going inside." Wren stated in monotone and did just that, ignoring Demi's important question. She hurried along after him because she did not want to be left in the corridor all alone. By herself her imagination might start to run amok. The cell was rather small, not much bigger than a palman's bedroom, and very dark. The lights seemed to have burnt out many years ago. The only things that were visible in the cell were a wide table, two or three chairs, a shoebox-shaped container on the table and lastly a visual data storage device. It was not a very comforting place.

They were not alone in the room. Cell three hundred and twenty three's tenant was also sitting on the edge of the wide metallic table, like a patient anxiously awaiting a doctor to enter the room. Demi felt a slight pulse of fear at the way the body had been left there, like it would just hop off the table at any moment and lunge straight for her throat. She could not see much in the lack of bright light, not without switching to night vision, but she could see that somebody had shot a good third of the android's face off. "What are we here for?" If Demi could feel physical sickness, she would have.

Wren went straight for the box on the table. He knew what he was looking for. "One moment." He assured his servant and broke open the case, searching. The box was practically empty so the search did not take long. It contained a chain with two tiny plaques on it, a small badge shaped like a purple heart and lastly something else, an adamantite star on a blue ribbon. Wren removed the star and ripped the ribbon away from the trinket. He showed it to Demi. "This is what we are here for." He said.

It was such a little trinket, Demi was not at all certain of what it was. Before Wren had removed the ribbon it had looked very much like a prestigious medallion. The girl extended her hand for the item and Wren carefully passed it down to her. It seemed unnaturally heavy. She carried out a very quick scan on the item and detected an elaborate microchip embedded in its center. This brief interface endowed this item with a name in Demi's mind. It was a Waizz Star, named after King Waizz, father of the heroine who had first saved their worlds millennia ago.

Written on the back of the star was a very short message;

Here dead they lie because they did not choose
To live and shame the land from which they sprung,
Life, to be sure, is not a lot to lose,
But young men think it is, and they were young.

Mjr #683, AW 1288

"This is a collapse war medal, isn't it?" Demi asked her master but had no need for a reply. She knew enough of history to draw her own conclusions for herself. From the passage on the back it seemed like the medal was given for the feat of saving lives, not taking them. If that was so then why would the star be found here, in block C, where the crazy and murderous dead androids were kept? She couldn't help but feel that she was missing more than several pieces of an already complex puzzle.

"It does not matter where it came from, all that matters is what it can accomplish. Only half a dozen Waizz Stars were ever made and they possess a very unique function. When held near an electronic lock not unlike the locks on Zelan and other space stations or ships the embedded electronics will swiftly deactivate the lock." Wren made a slight gesture to the wrenched-open door. "Because the Waizz Stars were conceived in the same time frame in which the worldships were launched, I can assume that it would be effective on the locks of the Alisa Three. It is in essence a skeleton key."

"Why give such a precious tool away as a medal?" Demi pondered out loud. Back in the days of Palma the qualities of certain precious gemstones were used to open locks, but she had never heard of anything like this before.

"For the same reason that feudal societies distributed the keys of their most fortified cities to certain important people. It is a sign of near-ultimate trust. Sometimes that trust is ill-spent." Wren explained, taking the star back from Demi's curious hands and regarding inmate three hundred and twenty three solemnly. When it came down to things they were all nothing more than a number. All of them.

"The time is drawing closer to departure. Rune and the others must be waiting for us. Can we leave this awful place now?" Demi asked. The ominous, imaginary rank smell of death grew stronger with every passing minute. She also felt that she imagined some kind of sadness, a variety of regret.

Wren nodded. "Yes, let's go." He said. The two androids crept out of the cell just as quietly as they came, leaving the extremely aged door jammed wide open. The dead android watched them leave blindly, carrying off one of the last and only treasures it had ever possessed. A vacant, cloudy sky-grey eye peered at their retreating forms. It did not see, it did not understand, but it still watched.

There were such things as ghosts. They were only hiding under the surface, biding their time.

For a thousand years, biding their time.