The motley crew of people from both planets and the space station bid farewell to Rune and Wren in the launching bay, outside of a ship larger than Demi's Buggy but still much smaller than the mammoth Landale. This ship did not seem to have a name. Wren stood by, detached, as farewells were exchanged and only spoke if a question was aimed solely at him. Demi seemed to be worried but did not say a word regarding that, it was not her place to kick up a fuss.

Rune had never done anything like this before. He touched hands briefly with everybody fated to remain on Zelan, the helmet that completed his full space suit under one arm. He didn't have to put on the cumbersome thing until all the fresh air was gone, and he knew that he'd look silly once they were out walking in space. It would look like he'd have a large fish bowl on his head. Lucky Chaz would not be around to comment on it, then.

"Remember that if something goes wrong to contact us immediately. We might be able to help." Rika said in nearly a mothering way. Truthfully if any mistakes were made the team on Azura would only have themselves to rely on, but Rika wanted to be close and up-to-date with all the happenings so she wouldn't have to fear. The radio equipment on Zelan should be more than up to the task. Rika turned to Rune. "Keep track of the time. You only have four hours worth of air before you suffocate."

"I'll be okay. I can take care of myself." Rune reassured her gently, looking down into Rika's anxious blue eyes. The girl had changed as much as Chaz had, Rune realised after a single glance. When her will to fight had left her so too had her reassurance that the others could fight and look after one another perfectly fine as well. Rune was confident with his abilities. He was the Lutz, what could possibly go wrong? Well, a million different things, but as long as he was careful everything would be alright.

"Master Wren has consented to allow us to partially obtain and stream his optical relay through Zelan's computer system. This means that we should be able to get visual as well as audio once the mission has begun." Demi explained helpfully from where she stood beside Rika.

"Do you really think there's a chance you might get into a fight?" Hahn asked, not referring to Wren and Rune fighting with each other but the probability that they might run into dangerous or hostile life forms. It could be either the living palmans that populated the Alisa Three, the wildlife or monsters from the domes running about, or worse. There really was no telling what the two explorers might find.

But their task was very simple, to activate and reprogram the auto-pilot on the ship's bridge and return unscathed. It was nothing more than that. Wren had no intention to parley with the ship's local inhabitants and catch up with the thousand years of history spread between them. He thought only of his mission and his desire to have everything over and done with. "If combat initiates we will act accordingly." Wren reassured Hahn without much actual reassurance at all.

Raja waved enthusiastically as Chaz had one last word with them before they departed. It was almost time for the countdown and everybody had to be safely away from the ship when it blasted off. "Come back to us safely." He said. Chaz was not used to watching his friends leave on missions without him. During the Great War he had always been their leader, but now all he could do was watch. Times surely had changed. Chaz raised one hand in a mute gesture of farewell.

As Wren turned to walk up the ramp and into the spaceship Rune smiled at Chaz. He would have to follow the android in a second but for now the esper admired just how much of an adult Chaz had become. Three years ago the kid would have been whining and screaming to be brought along for the ride. Rune would have gladly given his job away to somebody else but Chaz did not deserve that, not when he had somebody like Rika depending on him. He gave Chaz a thumbs-up. "See you guys soon." He replied.

The walk along the ramp to the entry hatch seemed abysmally long. Rune could sense the many pairs of eyes boring into his back and wondered how the others felt, watching him march off into the unknown. Three years of peace and then suddenly this. Suddenly a challenge. The Lutz was somewhat grateful that this had happened, as it had caused him to meet all of his friends again. Without the call, the one that they had all felt, Rune probably would have spent the rest of his natural life living in the Myst Vale.

Sure, he would have promised that one day he would go out and see the world again as the years rolled by, but Rune knew deep down in his gut that he would only be lying to himself. He'd say it, over and over again until the time came when he would have to copy his memory down into the telepathy ball and then pass it onto the next Lutz. Rune was still relatively young in body, if not in his heart, and he was immediately horrified that he had planned to throw the rest of his life away. His hermitage had become his waiting room for death, as he had already done so much in his life that there was not much left for him to accomplish, save for his training.

There was something important for him to accomplish now. Rune stepped through the threshold and into the craft, turning slightly as the doors rocked closed behind him. Chaz and the others watched Rune smile encouragingly, the wide metal teeth of the entry hatch swallowing him alive. The look in Rune's eyes as he disappeared was unmistakable. He would be okay.

Once the doors were closed and sealed tight the esper sighed, glad that that part was now over with. The large metal barrier separated him from his friends. It was better that way. It meant that if he changed his mind and tried to back out of the mission it would be a lot harder to call the whole thing off. Rune glanced about with interest. He hadn’t ever been in this spaceship before and the interior design seemed much more modern than the design of the older Landale, simpler and minimalistic. It was something that Wren would probably elect to drive if given the choice of spacecraft.

Wren had probably left for the bridge to wrangle control of the ship out of the hands of the auto-pilot. He didn't really know which direction the cockpit was in so Rune randomly picked a direction and went that way, eventually irked by the lack of signs that were supposed to direct him to the correct path. His suit was heavy and just walking normally was tiring him out. The magician swore lightly under his breath. If he used up all his strength now while aimlessly wandering he wouldn’t have enough left for their mission on the satellite.

Ten minutes after he had entered the ship the floor began to rumble. Oh crap, had the count-down started already? Zelan had an external runway that the ship would use to propel itself out into empty space, so the craft was most likely rolling its way over to that launching strip right now. Rune frowned and rubbed his head with a thickly gloved hand. He at least wanted to be in the cockpit when the countdown reached zero. There was also something else he recalled about having to be strapped down in a chair when the ship accelerated, too. Maybe he should have followed Wren earlier, when he had the chance.

Rune jumped in surprise as a disembodied voice flooded into his right ear. It almost scared him half to death, but after a second he realised that it was the little radio system in his suit and attached to the side of his face. The line was unnaturally clear and he recognised the voice speaking on the other end. "Rune, where are you? Come to the bridge. I cannot delay the departure any longer."

The way that Wren said it made it seem like Rune was on a brisk casual stroll and was taking the grand tour of the ship. If he knew where the bridge was he would sure as hell go there. Please excuse him for only having limited measures of mental capacity. It wasn't like he had ever been on this ship before. Rune felt a little ticked off at Wren, at how distant the android seemed to have become. "I think I'm lost. How do I get to the bridge from here?" He asked, mildly irritated.

"Go back to the entry hatch and climb the ladder. That should bring you to the upper deck and into the bridge." Wren said coldly, then dropped his communication line out from the radio. Rune had gone in totally the wrong direction. How stupid of him, he should have been paying much more attention. Rune did an about face and plodded back the way he had came, grumbling softly to himself.

It was no wonder that Rune had missed the ladder the first time, it was pure white plastic and alloy upon a pure white plastic and alloy background. The décor of the lower floor surely hurt his eyes. He left his helmet on the ground floor and decided that he would come back for it later, as there was no way that he'd be able to carry the thing and climb the ladder at the same time. Rune grasped a rung of the ladder and felt how lightweight the material seemed to be, yet it held him easily once he put all of his weight onto the lower bars.

There was a sealed hatch fastened shut at the very top of the ladder. Rune kept his legs perfectly straight and reached out with his hands to release the seal, then pulled himself up to get into the pilot's cockpit. He was breathing a little heavily once he was inside. This was strenuous stuff. The upper floor was more metallic and cramped, littered with functioning machines.

"Get in the chair." Wren commanded from where he was sitting. Rune didn't enjoy taking orders but he did as he was told, moving towards the other empty seat in the cockpit and strapping himself in. Wren seemed to be busy with the final preparations. He watched the android pull a long length of black cable out from underneath and control panel and then plug it into himself from a port behind one of his audio sensors. The esper didn't know what it was, but it seemed to be important. He hadn't ever seen Wren do that with the Landale, at least.

Wren was connected to the cable for about three or four minutes, then he disconnected himself and sat back, his hands on the controls. Rune could see through the clear windscreen that the ship had been moved onto the runway and that his friends were gone from his sight. He was to be stuck with Wren until their mission was over with. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem for him as he had never had an argument or a disagreement with the android before, but of all the Protectors Wren seemed to be the only one who had changed negatively. He had once been friendlier than this.

"Do not speak until I tell you to speak." He admonished Rune without even looking at him. The magician's eyebrow ticked slightly. He had a limited patience of being spoken to like that and he was getting worryingly close to it. Wren was fortunate that Rune was practically sealed away from his magic. Sniffing in response, Rune looked away from the windscreen and carefully studied a cluster of dials on the dashboard. The dark-haired machine spoke solemnly to the ship's computer, which was the reason for the silence. "One minute until launch. Myau Eighteen launch as directed. That is all."

He couldn't help himself. Rune burst out laughing. "Myau? This thing is called a Myau?" He choked out between giggles, infinitely amused that his old friend had been immortalized in this way. He had spoken to the real Myau that very morning! Rune wondered if the ancient cat knew about this spaceship series, and if he did, what did he think about it? He'd ask him once he got back to the valley, but for now all he could do was ride within the bowels of the Myau Eighteen ship. What wonderful imagery that thought conjured up.

The pilot of the Myau Eighteen didn't look very amused. "What exactly is so funny? I did not name this ship." He asked tonelessly as Rune fought to gain control of himself again. There was no way that he'd be able to explain the irony to Wren, it would be too much of an inside joke for the android to understand, granted that he understood jokes in the first place. Rune didn't answer his question, smirking cattily at him instead.

"And what exactly is your problem today? I've never seen you so moody before. Don't tell me it's because of this damn mission though, because I've seen you walk off into the dark dimension with a smile on your face." That was a bit of an exaggeration, but Wren should know what Rune meant. His previous annoyance forgotten, the Lutz regarded his friend like a mouse he had been able to trap in a corner. He wasn't too worried about Wren but their mission would go smoother if he didn't act like such a grump.

"That is none of your busi-" Wren began, but then the both of them lurched in their seats, surprised, as the minute-long countdown came to an end and their ship was blasted into outer space. The runway became a long grey blur then disappeared altogether, Myau Eighteen becoming swallowed up by the velvety blackness of nothing. The cockpit grew cold. It was bearable, but Rune shivered at its sudden touch. Wren had gone back to the controls. It seemed like their previous conversation had been involuntarily dropped. "Landfall in thirty six minutes." He said.

Half an hour wasn't a very long time to review all the steps of their mission. They would land on the outer surface of Azura and find a way inside. It was believed that there would be no sustainable air within and without the satellite. Going through there would be the difficult part, but once they got inside the Alisa Three Rune would be able to breathe easy, both figuratively and literally. He could spare two hours on Azura the first time, and two hours again on the way back. Any more than that and he would be in trouble.

Rune could simply not afford to let that happen. In his mind he carried one of Algo's most important treasures; the memory of the Lutz. If that were gone Algo would lose its timeless guardian. It would lose its chronicler, its scribe, part of its very soul. No offense to Wren or anything, but the android was only its physical caretaker, and the physical plane only extended so far. What would he do if Lutz's memory was threatened? Rune didn't know, not right now.

Maybe he was taking too great of a risk coming on this mission. Perhaps the job should have gone to one of the others who had been so desperate to take his place. Rune's thoughts wandered like a child searching for its parent. "Demi seemed sad in some places today. Did you notice that?" He said whimsically, speaking his mind.

"That is currently not my concern." Wren answered in a soft, yet convinced tone. He seemed utterly unshakable. "Any problems that she has she can solve by herself. That was what she was given a brain for."

There was a long silence that lasted for about fifteen minutes. Rune knew that he was the one most suited to breaking said silence, but was hesitant because it might be the last bit of peace they would get for a long while. The esper looked out the window. Azura was a large blue ball hanging suspended in the void of space, growing ever larger as each minute ticked by. It didn't really look like an artificial satellite. If Rune hadn't known any better he would have mistaken it for a tiny planet.

"I'd rather the fire-storm of atmospheres than this cruel descent from a hundred years of dreams, into the starkness of the capsule." Rune quoted slowly from his memory, a memory made long before he as Rune Walsh and Wren were born. The rhymes were leaden, falling like heavy stones. Tombstones. "This was reality, however grim; our journey's end. The landing itself was nothing. We just touched upon a shelf of rock selected by the Automind, and left a galaxy of dreams behind…"

Wren turned to look at the musing palman by his side. He did not understand poetry very well, but the verses reminded him a little of the first few years of his life, as turbulent and as confusing as they had been. Wren had never seen Algo in her prime, as a series of happy, flourishing worlds, but he had very carefully and studiously witnessed its tumbling fall. Rune was speaking of a world before his. "What was it like when the espers froze you, Reverent Fifth?" Wren said from out of nowhere, his moodiness temporarily gone.

He was of course speaking to Lutz collectively, not to Rune himself as a person. This happened to the magician much more frequently in the esper mansion, so he knew how to reply. Rune couldn't speak as the Lutzes who had already passed away, but he could empathetically remember how they had felt and form an answer like that. "I hated being frozen." Rune admitted with a bit of a shrug. "I found it frightening, voluntarily immersing yourself in a living death and not knowing if you'll ever come out of it again. I'm not going to do that this lifetime. I've played my part well up to this point. I should be able to do whatever I want with the rest of my life."

The android glanced back at the windscreen, mute. Mortals looked at life so differently compared to the ones that did not naturally die. Wren was far from being an immortal, only the Great Light held that status, not that Wren believed in such a silly notion as a god anyway. Still, he felt guilty and that was the origin of one half of his bad mood. "You are fortunate. Not everybody has that choice in life." Wren told the esper, giving nothing away.

"I'd feel sorry for the poor fool who ends up becoming my descendant, but we all have a reason for being alive. The Great Light made us and assigned us to these duties for a purpose. If I can believe that then I guess I can stomach everything that goes on in my life." Rune explained as he crossed one leg over and propped his chin up using his hand and elbow, gazing at the stars. The Lutz smiled. "Do you believe in the Great Light, Wren? I've never actually asked you that before."

"Do not take offense at this, but I am a strict atheist. It is the way I always have been." Wren said, giving Rune a bit of a surprise. That sort of made a whole lot of sense, considering who and what Wren was, but the esper had thought that their last adventure of meeting astral entities and fighting incarnations of a god of darkness would have had some sort of effect on him.

"You tell me that you don't believe in the Great Light even though you're wearing a Ring of the Stars on your hand?" Rune asked gently, incredulous. It wasn't really his business to pry like this but he enjoyed a good debate now and then. All his time talking to Myau had kept his mind rather sharp. Those rings had been the final gift to Algo and its children before the Great Light had departed to places unknown. They bore special powers within. Who else could fashion an artifact like that other than a god?

"I have made it a point never to argue over religion. Let us drop the subject. I will begin landing procedures in a moment, so do not disturb me." The half hour had managed to slip by fast. Rune started to feel nervous again. He understood why Wren didn't want to talk about something as open as faith. He would not be able to defense his opinion against the crushing evidence that there was a god all around them.

That was what Rune thought, anyway.

†††

Azura had a natural, earthy outer crust. It was vibrantly blue from the vantage point of outer space but once Rune peered greedily through the windows of the spaceship he could see that most of the colour was an optical illusion. The rocks strewn throughout the environment were indeed a dull bland blue, probably through some mineral in the stone, but it was the reflective light streaming from Algo's sun that bounced off Azura and made her nearly glow. 'Her' was the correct term to use when referencing a moon, right? Rune wasn't sure at the moment.

The Myau Eighteen noticeably bumped as it made contact with the ground. Wren was a competent pilot with a specialty in landings but gravity seemed different on the satellite, much lower, and that spoilt a bit of the ship's grand entrance. Had Rune not been strapped in he would have whipped forward and smacked his head on the dashboard in front of him. After the heavy bump of landing there was nothing, just silence, save for the low, barely audible hum of the machinery all around him.

Almost immediately Rune became aware that he was the only living being upon the entire satellite. The only one with a heartbeat and a pulse, anyway. Azura was a dead, lifeless moon. It had been so pretty hanging like a sky-blue orb in space, but on the inside it held the cold heart of a stone. Rune unstrapped himself from his seat with ample relief. If Azura was dead then they surely wouldn't be hindered in this part of their mission.

He and Wren descended to the lower deck and endured one final safety check before opening the airlock and beginning their mission. Rune had his life support and oxygen tanks examined for the billionth time that day, but thankfully Wren wasn't nearly as fussy as Rika and Hahn had been. The esper put his helmet on and felt like a moron the very moment the new piece of gear was equipped. It was like being a reptile trapped inside a ludicrous terrarium. He had to admit that he did feel a little cool for doing this though, for being an explorer in space.

The preparations were carried out in near-total silence. Rune and Wren didn't have any need for small talk. They knew why they were there and what they had to do, so they would get it done as soon as possible. Wren reconnected his gun arm to his photon eraser cannon and activated a program that had been lying dormant for three years. His basic combat protocol. He checked his radio once, then they were both ready. The magician and the android stepped outside.

Their spaceship did not have a ramp or steps like the Landale did, making it a bit of a jump down to the surface. The doors opened with an efficient hiss and Rune bravely became the leader, encountering the new alien atmosphere like a pro. He placed his hand against the frame of the door and then leapt the six or so feet to the ground. He had expected strong effective gravity, so he was a little startled when he floated slowly and effortlessly to the floor, like the ending of a levitation. It had felt so weird! Rune smirked. So far so good.

The floating was a new and interesting experience for him, but the downside was that it slowed down his movements a lot, enforcing the idea that Rune was moving in slow motion. A light, feathery caress tickled his face, a thin stream of oxygen supplying his helmet with air. He took a couple of steps away from the ship, surveying the unfamiliar world. He had been to other planets before, obviously, but they had all been full of life. This was just like standing upon a giant skeleton, a corpse. It kind of gave him the creeps.

Wren jumped down beside him. Gravity didn't hold him as lightly as it had held Rune. The android looked about in a bemused manner and then turned to Rune, saying something that the esper couldn't hear. The Plexiglas barrier of Rune's helmet prevented sound from reaching his ears. He looked perplexed and shook his head, trying to get the point across that he couldn't hear what Wren was saying. He had never been able to lip-read very well. They were less than minute into their mission and something had already gone wrong.

Things clarified a little when Wren said something else, carefully, it seemed, and then lightly tapped the side of his chin, where on Rune his radio equipment was positioned. He finished off by pointing to his left wrist. Well, Rune wasn't stupid. It was pretty obvious what Wren was trying to tell him to do. He inspected his left gauntlet closely and there banded about his wrist like a bracelet were a series of small buttons. Rune picked one randomly and pressed it, the radio in his ear popping once before it came back to life. "Is this better?" He ventured uncertainly, not sure if his comrade could hear him or not.

His message was received okay. It looked like Wren could hear him. "The suit is not in optimal condition. The radio tends to switch off if left idle for too long." He replied solemnly. "This is satellite Azura. There appears to be an entranceway into the subterranean levels of this moon about two kilometers north of our current position. From there we can hope to reach the spaceport that will take us to the Alisa Three."

"Looks like I'll just have to keep the radio on by constantly talking. What happens if the entranceway is locked? Do we bust the door down?" A good flaeli would blow open any kind of barrier, Rune reckoned. That was one of its primary uses. He remembered as a little boy using it to blow open perfectly ordinary doors in the esper mansion, and how seriously punished he had been for doing so. The Magus had made him go hungry for three whole days to appreciate the 'benefits' of fasting, and he had been sealed into silence for a week. It had seemed so horribly unfair.

Wren's voice on the radio knocked him out of his memory. He had already started off walking north so Rune followed him. It was slow going due to the wonky gravity. "Blowing open barriers will be our very last resort. I have a key, though I do not know if it will work or not. Let us consider all our options before we resort to violence." The android paused abruptly. He did not smile, but he turned to Rune knowingly. "It seems that we now have some guests. Hello, can you hear me?"

He had probably not suddenly gone off the deep end, so Rune guessed that Wren was telling the truth. A quick glance around the area revealed no other people, however. The esper trusted his instincts. If there were no other living souls on Azura then what in Algo was Wren referring to?

// "Oh boy, he looks so confused! Can you see him, Hahn? Ha ha!" //

// "I can see him. This is an amazing piece of technology! Hello Wren, hello Rune. What's it like over there?" //

// "Hey, you can both answer this question now. Is the moon made out of cheese? Really?" //

There was no mistaking Chaz, Hahn and Raja's voices coming from the radio. They were all so far away on Zelan yet they still managed to muck up their airwaves. It was like having a couple of morons trapped inside his skull. Rune groaned. He should have known. "Shut up all of you. This is a serious mission." He said. A couple of voices on the other end groaned right back at him in retaliation, then there was a bit of a scuffling sound as if some people were being pushed aside.

// "With all due respect Rune, this is a serious transmission. Too many things can go wrong for the both of you to be allowed to continue on your own. We will observe your progress and offer assistance when needed." // The dependable voice of Demi answered instead of the chatter of the other protectors. She laughed a little, politely. // "And when you don't need us just pretend we aren't here. We'll be quiet, right everybody?" //

Rune heard a few begrudging affirmations. Demi was really the one in command right now. Something that the others had said earlier stuck in his mind, refusing to make any sense. Chaz and Hahn had mentioned being able to see him. The radio equipment was able to broadcast sound but not a picture. He didn't know where they were getting that information from. It bugged him. "How come you guys can see us?" Rune found himself asking Demi, needing to know before they could continue.

// "Master Wren is recording the visual for us and is sending it back to Zelan via a wireless up-link. I told you about it earlier before you left. We, well, Zelan that is, is tapping his optical sensors. It's a really good idea, isn't it? They used to do it to scouts during the Collapse Wars." //

Ah, that explained why Wren was kind of staring at him. It wasn't because he had any kind of interest in Rune right now, but because he was practically an intelligent camera creating footage for the others to observe. The dark-haired machine looked away and began to walk north again. "Demi, you are talking too much. We are wasting Rune's oxygen standing here idly. Let's keep moving."

// "Um… could you sort of observe the area while you guys are moving? Just every now and then? I'd like a better idea of what the surface looks like." // Hahn said timidly. It sounded like he was afraid he'd get snapped at if he spoke. Rune took the lead again without any fear, momentarily wondering why he had not heard Rika's voice on the line. Everybody else appeared to be there except for her.

"I don't see anything except for rocks and dirt. It's not much different to a Motavian desert at night." Rune commented offhandedly as he and Wren marched up a bit of a hill. The clearness of the sky was truly something to write home about, though. He could see Zelan's shape up there in space, like a tiny little moon of its own. The Alisa Three was not visible to them right now; they were on the wrong side of the satellite for that. "Hey Chaz, where's Rika? I haven't heard her yet. Is she there?"

There was a moment's pause and then the hunter's voice popped up on the radio. It seemed like all four of them were sharing the same microphone and they were passing it to and fro amongst each other. // "She was worried about you guys, so she went for a walk around Zelan to clear her head. I was going to go with her but I'd much rather watch you play at being a space explorer. Rika will be back soon." //

"Don't think you can pick on me just because I'm not there to kick your-" He didn't really get a chance to finish his sentence. Rune had been paying far too much attention to his radio and not nearly enough to where he was walking, so that when the hill he and his comrade were climbing turned into a cliff Rune did not even notice. He would have stepped straight off the very edge if Wren had not grabbed onto one of his wrists in time. One foot hovered above empty space, the other grounded firmly to the stones.

Wren pulled Rune away from the precipice. He looked annoyed and just a little bit exasperated. "Gravity may be low but you will still damage your life support if you do no pay attention to the environment around you. Look." He pointed with his free hand to the land beyond the cliff. Halfway between themselves and the horizon was a building not unlike the entranceway to the Machine Center near Krup. It was close enough for Rune to see it as their destination.

The esper shook his hand free from Wren's grasp. He didn't need to be babied throughout this mission. He was not Chaz or Hahn; he knew what he was doing. Low gravity gave Rune a myriad of new tricks to try out, just like when he had floated like a dust mote from the mouth of the Myau Eighteen. Raja, probably seeing Rune and the cliff through Wren's eyes suddenly crowed on the radio, laughing from thousands of miles away. // "Hey Rune! Try jumping! Maybe you'll fly away!" //

Rune considered his options and smiled. Why the hell not? The gravity was low just as Wren had said and it was unlikely he'd ever experience this sensation again. "You really think I could fly?" He asked through his devilish grin.

This time Demi answered him. She sounded amused. // "You won't fly, but you won't exactly fall either. Go on and give it a shot." //

"Demi, please do not encourage him." Wren said, irritated.

// "Don't be such an old fuddy-duddy, Master. All work and no play, you know." //

A few distant voices behind Demi agreed with her. It looked like the Zelan team had turned against Wren. The android gave in. If Rune slipped and busted his life support then that was his own fault. He wasn't prepared to play the vigilant parent role forever. "Very well," he said in monotone, "but I am going to continue the sensible way. I will see you at the entrance, Rune."

He turned away and walked down the hill again, intent on reaching their destination without any elaborate aerial maneuvers involved. The truth was that Wren would be unable to follow Rune anyway, so a secondary route was required. The magician watched him go, and knowing that the others would not be able to see him because Wren's back was turned, he spoke into his radio instead. "I'm gonna do it. Everybody watch!"

Rune walked backwards at least eight or nine paces to give himself a clear runway and to pick up some speed. He licked his lips and focussed, as there was still a large part of his mind that insisted he was crazy. Cliff plus flying leap equaled suicide, even children knew that. He could hear the three men back on Zelan cheering and yelling at Wren to keep his eyes on Rune so they could see. It couldn't be too dangerous if everybody was cheering him on, right?

He stayed there for slightly longer than was necessary, trying to find his daredevil's courage that was quite different from the normal, nobler brand of courage. It was one third stupidity, one third peer pressure and one third guts. Wren watched Rune jump solely because the others were pestering him and didn't want to miss out on the stunt. It was so inane. Wren just didn't understand palmans sometimes.

Finally locating his daredevil's courage, Rune ran. It was slow, clunky and silly. He didn't know if he should be shouting or laughing or both, but Chaz and company were doing enough of that for him. Rune's foot hit the edge of the cliff and in that one step he forced all the momentum of the run into his spring. He thought that he should have been feeling some kind of wind while doing this but the air was still.

Trapped in his own sterile bubble Rune jumped, and flew.