《The Forgotten Moon》 Chapter One: They all Fall Down. The metal rattled as the cargo ship cut through the void. Speeding along at lightspeed as Emma¡¯s eyes fluttered open and then closed again. The smell of marijuana hung in the air in thick clouds, as tendrils of smoke danced around and up Emma¡¯s nose. Tickling her senses triggering rapid fire sneezes. Emma rolled over and pulled the blankets over her head, hoping to block out the day, but fate wouldn¡¯t have it. Felix knocked at the door ¡°Emma, we have run into some trouble I need your attention in the control room.¡± From the direction of the bed a tall black lace up boot flew. Taking on the speed of a bullet and crashing into the door with the sound of explosives detonating. ¡°Felix, I told you I am not getting out of bed today. You will have to deal with it!¡± Emma shouted as she grunted and pulled a pillow over her head. Drowning out Felix¡¯s continued knocking and nagging. Felix knew better than to try and get Emma involved even in such a dire emergency as this. Its this same for about a week ever year. Emma disappears and whatever the hell lives behind that door appears. Felix refused to give up she had her week; time was up he thought has he increased the effort expended on the door. ¡°The gods damn you Emma open the door; The empress of the sky is attacking.¡± ¡°Turn on hyper boost and jump to the nearest system¡± Emma mumbled from behind the door. ¡°Get out here!¡± Felix shouted as the first shots from the Sky Empress landed knocking the ship off course. The hit sent Felix plummeting to the floor. ¡°Now they are attacking Emma!!! It is time to snap out of it and come take control your ship!¡± Felix came to a stand but the lack of cooperation from Emma had lit a fuse. ¡°I¡¯m taking over this ship starting now and there is a new rule! We will no longer be running from the Sky Empress today we stand our ground today we fight!¡± he screamed mad with the surge of electricity running through his circuits. Felix straightened his posture and strode to the cockpit. His white metal frame glowed a regal purple. All part of his programming to display mood and ambiance, important feature for a home droid. A useless feature in battle or helping you know how to fly. Not a average cargo ship either. A worn down cargo ship. Retrofitted with black market, high tech guns and technology. That did not stop Felix from pulling the ship out of auto pilot. Then he pulling the ship around to fight off the pirate invasion head on. Felix learned bits and pieces on the subject of flight. Scavenged from the adventure he and Emma found themselves in. Felix helped Emma get her life together after a life of slavery. In return Emma provided Felix with work and experience on the cargo ship. The small seed of confidence planted by memories and a need to survive grew . Felix flipped up the cover over the laser gun trigger. He began taking aim and blasting one hit after another at the Sky Empress. So caught up in his ego that it took Felix a second to realize that his laser gun was futile again the ship. Leaving not so much as a mark. ¡°What the hell?¡± A bright light flashed. Bright orange think pinks and purples. Felix closed his eyes but the light was their in the shadows of his eyelids too. A kaleidoscope of the sunset flashing in his eyes on repeat. The ship shook and groaned. Rattling like it was going to break apart piece by piece until they were floating in the oblivion. All went quiet and still. Felix peaked over the console he had taken cover behind. He peered out the windshield in wonder and terror. The landscape had changed . The ship was flying on a planet with trees below. The leaves of neon colors¡ªglowing bioluminescence. Off in the distance a desert land with wide open spaces. Displaying bright yellow sand. Adding to the striking colors of the rest of the landscape. The land lacked an array of tall building except for a spot to the north that appeared to be a city of some kind. Felix marveled at the lack of life that appeared to inhabit this place, fearing the worst. The shuffling of feet came up behind him. ¡°What did I miss?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Day late and a dollar short Cinderella.¡± Felix turned from the window and walked towards the controls. He pulled up the navigation system. A blinking red dot appeared on the screen with nothing surround it. ¡°Why is it not showing us on the map, Felix? Where are we?¡± Emma looked at the navigation hologram wiping the sleep from her eyes. Was she still asleep? ¡°What you are looking at they call being completely fucking lost, Emma; and do you know why that is?¡± Emma looked at Felix his face serious, but it was hard to tell with him or any droid. They''re not known for their expressive expressions. ¡°It¡¯s because you would not get up, Emma ! You would not get up and get us away from the Sky Empress. So, I did the only thing I could I fought her, and I lost.¡± ¡°You What?!!? Emma¡¯s eyes shot open, and posture straighten becoming rigid as a board. She locked her eyes on Felix and her gaze narrowed as the tint of her eyes went from a light gray to a pitch black. ¡°How many time must I tell you! You are Never NEVER to Fight Ie¡¯ella! She is too powerful for you.¡± Emma paced with furious short steps. Stomping up and down the deck of the control room. ¡°Then you should have woken up. And we wouldn¡¯t be here.¡± Felix Shouted back his lights flashed red. His temperature warming flashed an overheating light. He clenched his fists and held them down to his side. He had never hit a human, or anything for that matter, but he¡¯d seen it enough times. He was confident he could do it if he had to, but what did have to mean. ¡°I never wanted to be here Felix. I told you this would happen. I¡¯m useless the week of Angeline¡¯s death and you know this, so why did you schedule a run this week of all weeks.¡± Emma calmed down, her body sagged under the exhaustion of the fight and the weight of her grief. ¡°I wanted to help you. Get you out of the house and give you something else to think about besides your grief. Show you life goes on outside the house. Every year you do this. You get depressed the week of Angeline¡¯s death, but it last a little long every year. I am afraid one year you will not come back to me.¡± Felix had calmed and moved closer to his dear friend. Placing his long white metallic fingers on her shoulder, ¡° I love you Em.¡± ¡°I know Felix and I love you too buddy. Alright now that we got that figured out what¡¯s up with this damn thing.¡± Emma threw her hands up pointing in the direction of the navigation screen. ¡°That¡¯s the part I hadn¡¯t gotten to yet.¡± Felix pursed his silicone lips and shifted his eyes all around. He wished he could escape the rest of the conversation. Knowing that Emma was about to blow like a massive solar flare. Taking out all intelligent life in her path, when she found out the rest of the story. ¡°I Went to shoot them down the way you taught me. The guns they had no effect and she passed close to the ship and sucking us into a portal. She opened it right in front of the ship when they passed.¡± Felix let his hands fall to his side and hung his head in defeat, today wasn¡¯t the day he¡¯s prove himself. Emma looked at him and gave a small smile, while slugging him in the shoulder. ¡°Damn it Felix events like this are the exact reasons why I what I say. Now help me figure out how the hell we are going to fix this so we can deliver this load and get the hell home.¡± Felix took his usual long and precise strides over to the navigation stand. He began to analyze the data. Emma made efforts to make connection with the intergalactic space station. The hum of progress was in the air when a large thud knocked them to their knees. ¡°What was that?¡± Emma grabbed hold of the edge of the control central and heaved herself to standing. Holding tight to the console with one hand and extending the other out to Felix. Who took it out of curtesy more than necessity. ¡°360 scan¡± Emma said a holograph pulled up next to navigation. It revealing the source of the disturbance. Vines from the ground shot upwards grabbing hold of the ship trying to pluck it from the sky. Their presence felt and unwanted. Felix hit the force field activator. The red bar started to power up glowing brighter, but then vanished. The roof began to cave inward like a pop can under a board kid¡¯s foot. ¡°Why is the force field not working¡± Emma cried across the control room as she made her way to the gunner¡¯s seat. Felix took the wheel trying to hold the ship straight. ¡°The pressure from the vine is too great for our small force field.¡± Felix Hollard back struggling to keep the flight stick in his hands. ¡°That lying sack of Zorgen shit!¡± Emma screamed as she mashing on the fire button of the automatic laser gun. Blasting the vine off the ship, sending the ship spiraling for the ground. ¡°Pull up Felix for god¡¯s sake dude!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Trying its not going. We have lost control!¡± Felix Jumped to the back letting Emma take back control. ¡°Hold on buddy we are going to crash.¡± The once beautiful leaves now whorled passed the window in a terrifying display. Smacking into the window. Chipping away at all that remained between them and the hostile world outside. The world spun and then it all when black. Chapter Two: Thundering Skies The ground beneath Emma¡¯s flesh crawled. She stirred, at first in small movements, then bigger. The more she moved the more the ground stirred, and quaked, shifting in shape, almost seeming to scurry. In bewilderment she scooped the soil up in her hands only for it to melt into little translucent crabs and scurry off towards the sea. The vines crept along the forest floor, desperate to grab hold of anything. Their leaves wild, painted in bright colors and streaks of bioluminescence. They sensed the intruding body heat and the reached out for it, grasping at Emma¡¯s ankles. She tried to stand up, but her legs wouldn¡¯t let her, they felt weak and shaky, she pushed herself back away from the creeping vine. All The while kicking at its searching tentacles. Edging backwards further from the monstrous plant and closer to her pack that she dropped when she fell. She walked her fingers out slowly, to grab hold of the bag without gaining the attention of the plant, which was attentively locked on its hunt for her leg. With a swift fluid motion, she pulled out her photon gun and began to blow the vines off the plant one by one. She grabbed her bag and gathered all the adrenaline and strength she could, and Emma ran. Her heartbeat pounded in her head keeping pace with her run. The world was blurry and spinning the taste of blood filled her mouth. ¡°Keep running fuckers¡± she mumbled to her legs. Which throbbed. Regret filled her mind, as images of how she could have prevented this situation flashed in front of her face. ¡°Emma! Thank the stars I have found you.¡± A familiar voice interrupted her spiraling self-hatred. Emma looked over to see Felix not far behind, with him he had an over sized backpack stuffed full of possessions from the ship. Too attached to everything to let anything perish he did his best to pack it all up and bring it with him in case they never made it back. They came upon a road dug out of the ground, with long wooden rods laid out horizontal rows within the inset, creating wooden tracks leading to a tall staircase of whimsy. Straight wooden rods curled into fanciful shapes and swishes, twisting, and curving into the trees. Disappearing into the bright neon leaves. They stood and stared up at the massive staircase in amazement. ¡°How to you think they made this Felix?¡± ¡°According to my search in ancient times people handmade things like staircases to get to high heights.¡± Everything in their world was manufactured made of metal or plastic, there were few trees anymore, not on her home planet of Tauri, and not on most planets in the Galactic Union. ¡°Ahoy there travelers! You better come up, not everyone in this wood are as friendly as the Sef ¡®ell.¡± A voice called for aways up the staircase, just before it disappeared into the trees. Felix looked over at Emma her brows raised in intrigue. He knew that she couldn¡¯t resist knowing what was just out of sight. Emma strode a few long strides and stopped looking back over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. ¡°You are coming?¡± She said with a bouncing tone, as if to say come on already, adventure awaits. Not giving Felix a moment to answer, Emma bound up the staircase with surprising ease. No one would guess she fell from the sky, only hours earlier. If she hurt, she hid it well, but Felix knew better. The crash may have snapped her out of her personal hell for now, but it never strayed far. Felix sprinted forward at breakneck speeds to catch up with Emma, who almost made it to the top of the stairs by the time he caught up to her. ¡°Wait up speed racer, its not actually a race.¡± He chuckled as he slowed coming to a walking pace beside her. ¡° I Know, but we have to get home I have a delivery to explain¡± Emma¡¯s demeanor had shifted leaving a strange tension hanging in the air like smoke. They both recognized the shift in energy, but neither spoke of it. Instead, Emma moved on, bouncing to a new topic. She was like a rabbit shifting direction seconds before the jaws of the predator clamp down around its neck, forcing them to confront the uncomfortable truth, that Emma was not alright. ¡°If we can get our hands on tools here, we should be able to repair the airship. At least we should be able to get her back up and running well enough to get us home.¡± Emma deep in thought, plotting their daring escape that she overlooked a step and was propelled forward. Felix lurched forward reaching out to catch hold of her but was a moment too late. Emma ran face first into the shin of a stranger. Felix scuttled to collect Emma from the ground. Bending down scooping her up in her arms. She brushed him of ¡°Felix, I¡¯m fine just a bit clumsy, you have to stop worrying so much.¡± Emma turned to the mysterious stranger ¡° I am so¡ªs¡± but she stopped. Her words grew barbs are hooked themselves in the flesh of her throat, leaving Emma speechless. ¡°Somethings never change huh Em?¡± The deep voice and the black eye hypnotized Emma, she knew how this ended. She must put a stop to this. ¡°Rye It¡¯s been a long time, how are ya?¡± Emma tried to recover from the shock of Rye¡¯s sudden appearance, but the shock overtook her like a tidal wave, leaving her sputtering out word that didn¡¯t make a lot of sense. ¡°Uhhh¡­. Look¡­ tools¡­ we¡¯re going. Bye¡± She grabbed Felix by the wrist and took off in a sprint. ¡°Would you care to explain?¡± Felix interrogated as soon as they came to a stop hidden between two quaint buildings. Nestled in the shadows, Emma panted trying to catch her breath after her mad dash. Her skin flushed, even in the shadows her cheeks had a hint of a red glow. Emma took a deep breath in and out and just like the closing of act one. The curtain came down and when it came back up the scene had changed. Emma let go of the deep breath, and she was calm nonchalant carefree like nothing had happened.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°That¡¯s Rye, he was the navigator on the ship I worked on before I came to Tauri and met you.¡± She said laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder. ¡° He just took me by surprise, I didn¡¯t expect to see him that¡¯s all. So where can we find tools around here.¡± Once again Emma took of on the wind on to a new subject leaving so many questions in her wake. Emma wandered down walk after walkway crossing over suspension bridges and winding her way through the maze of cottages among the trees. The likes neither of them had ever seen. Life in the galaxy shimmered and shined with the glint of metallic and progress, not much room for things such as wildlife. After some time of touring the kingdom of the trees Emma finally wandered into a tavern with a worn out Felix dragging behind her. Felix plopped down in the first available seat with a crash as his metal frame contacted the wooden seat. The noise in the bustling tavern lulled a bit, patrons casually glanced over to see what the commotion was, but quickly lost interest and returned to their previous conversations. ¡°Rest here for a bit buddy, I¡¯m going to go make the rounds. See what information I can dig up.¡± Felix sighed in relief as he leaned back in the chair and watched the scene of the tavern play out like a movie. The Sef¡¯ell radiate elegance, not ever a brawl detracted from this innate characteristic they possessed. Their faint lavender skin and pale blue eyes became pastel ribbons swirling around the tavern turned the brawl into a ballet. The graceful pastels floating effortlessly across the dark wood floor. Each movement fluid one leading into the next until the pastel ribbons lay motionless on the floor and the victor did their last lap around, leaving the barmaid to pick up the pieces. When the area cleared Felix could see Emma across the room tucked into the shadows. She found herself engaged in conversation with a Sef¡¯ell man of advanced age. His pale lavender skin faded to white. Gathering into pools of wrinkles sagging from is jawbone, heavy with the baggage of time. His eye milky and glazed over no longer that eye catching blue. His grace and elegance aged transforming to wisdom. Felix came to a stand and began to wind his way through the chaos and over to stand beside Emma. The old man stopped speaking and turned to face Felix. ¡°Is this Felix?¡± He turned back to Emma with a thoughtful, easy smile, one that a grandfather would give a granddaughter. ¡°Yes, Mamo this is the one that got us stranded here.¡± Laugher rippled across the mans weathered face. His wrinkles undulated to a crescendo as he observed confusion cross Felix¡¯s face and then morph into horror as he realized Emma said ¡°stranded¡± ¡°Stranded? What do you mean stranded? We just need a few tools and then we¡¯re going home?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not the case, we¡¯ve had a change of plans¡± Emma spoke with extreme precision and matter-of-factness. It was what it was and there was nothing more to say, but Felix needed, wanted more than Emma¡¯s brave fa?ade. ¡°Can you please start explaining what is going on!¡± Felix yelled at the top of his lungs. The bar fell quiet. All eyes turned and locked on Emma Felix and Mamo. Mamo raised his bony hands, long brittle nails protruding from the ends, dingy and yellow like the sands of time. ¡°Perhaps I could shed some light on this subject for you, young man. I am Mamo, retired airship commander for the Galactic Union as you have probably surmised by now, I have known miss Emma for quiet sometime. I met our fair Emma aboard the Orion Cargo ship many moons ago, when I was but a deck grub and she a consort. You have found yourself on Carina Astraeus, the forgotten moon, a prison planet.¡± ¡°Fucking Iella¡± frustrations boiled in Felix¡¯s circuits. Felix grew tired of the nonsense, the delivery started off simple, only to end trapped on a prison planet and Emma running around the planet hooking back up with ever criminal no one knew she knew. Felix had a nagging sense that he did not know Emma as well as her thought. ¡°Iella is behind this?¡± Mamo interrupted Felix¡¯s internal rage. The tranquility of Mano contagious as a virus, quelled the anger of Felix if not just temporarily. ¡°Yeah, we were making a deliver on Alpha Centari and ran into Iella. She opened a portal and sent us here. Where we were attacked by the vines.¡± ¡°That explains a lot, Iella that spiteful bitch am I right Em?¡± turning to Emma with a mischievous grin. ¡°You know it, she never did forgive me for stealing her last ship.¡± Emma¡¯s face lit up as she laughed. reminiscence washing over her filling her with much needed serotonin. Time froze and they stood preserved in the time capsule of the memory a place in time where things were still right, and Emma absolutely glowed. ¡°¡ªand when Angeline¡ª¡± Mamo paused what remained of the lavender tint drained from his face leaving him gray. The world stopped spinning and turned to see what Emma would do next. Her heart pounded in her ears; the rushing river of blood pressed hard against her veins begging to burst. At least then she would not have to think about Angeline, or that awful place and what happened there. ¡°I hate to interrupt this reunion but none of this helps me get us back home.¡± Felix saw a way out of this conversation, one that had taken a quick turn south, and he grabbed it with both hands and ran. ¡°There is no way off Carina Astaeur at least not that anyone knows. It is a prison planet, a force field was placed over a moon many eons ago, during the galaxy wars, they used to house Bhuvilian and other prisoners for the Galactic Union, but at the end of the war the inhabitants and force field were left and what use to be a moon became a living breathing planet¡± ¡°Where does that leave us then?¡± Felix stood expressionless the thoughts tossed back and forth in his mind like a competitive game of moon ball. Felix¡¯s mind then wander off thinking about moon ball. A game in which players throw a ball around the court in certain patterns and then into a goal, before being intercepted by the opposite team. Moon ball is known to get aggressive from time to time, especially when droids where involved, and Felix enjoyed a particularly competitive atmosphere. The thought of a good game of moon ball always brought Felix joy. Felix¡¯s mind snapped back to the present predicament. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not looking good, your best bet is to find a ride to the city. I hear there is talk about a man, I think he is called the Librarian. The local gossip says that he knows a way out, but it isn¡¯t cheap.¡± The old man said with no indication to his opinion on the matter. ¡°We have a ship that crashed a few miles back, if we could get our hand on some tools, we could fix it and fly to the city.¡± Both Emma and Felix looked at each other and then at the old man. He spoke plainly. ¡°I believe that you will find all that you need at the emporium, when they reopen in the morning, but if you¡¯ll excuse me, it¡¯s grown late, and I have grown tired.¡± The old man said coming to a slow rise grabbing a hold of his hand carved cane he began to shuffle his way toward the door. He turned just before stepping out and said with the tip of his hat ¡° I hope you find what you¡¯re looking for.¡± And walked out disappearing into the night. Emma looked at Felix the excitement of the day wore heavy on them. Like the time they got caught out in the purple rain of Tauri after delivering a mysterious package. The clouds appeared out of nowhere and the rain pounded the ground which gigantic droplet of purple rain. Emma forgotten her jacket, but ever prepare Felix had a blanket in his storage compartment, from a date he got stood up on, he lent it to Emma, but even that ended up getting soaked weighing Emma down. That¡¯s when they first met. Ever since then, Felix and Emma have been inseparable. They linked arms and walked to the counter ¡°Can we get a room for the night?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The barmaid handed them a pair of keys as they slid a handful of coins across the counter and headed up the stairs to their room, which indicated by the light green tag dangling from their key was room two. Once inside they both plopped down on the doble beds next to each other and sighed. Neither of them said anything. Nothing needed said, because they already knew what the other was thinking. ¡°So yeah...¡± Emma said. Felix followed with ¡°yep okay, love you talk to you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Alright, love you too Felix.¡± Then Emma flipped off the light and they both lied there in silence and let the events of the day wash over them. Combing over and analyzing the details, and missteps of the day and planning for the day to come, each alone in their thoughts. Hidden in the cover of night, they mourned the events of the day. Old dog and old tricks. Emma and Felix ran up onto the ship. Felix threw Rye¡¯s body on the ground. As both he and Emma slid beneath the ship and began flinging their arms every which way. Metal shards and broken pieces flew out from underneath the ship at fatal speeds. They both worked with the goal of getting the hell out of there as fast as they could. The battled vines that grasped for any part of them they could get a hold of. They kicked at the vines that slowed their progress. The vines grew closer and closer, grabbing hold of bigger and bigger pieces of their victim each time. One vine¡¯s grip drew tight around Emma¡¯s thigh dragging her from beneath the ship and into the wood¡¯s feet first. Locked in deep concentration, Felix didn''t notice Emma making a swift exit. ¡°God Damn it, Felix!¡± Felix jerked his head up. His steel head clashed with that of the ship drawing even more unneeded attention. Stumbling around, lost in the ringing that bounded around in his head. Felix pulled himself together. Grabbed his gun and took off after Emma into the woods, leaving Rye¡¯s limb body to fend for itself. When Felix turned his back to run after Emma, the flora and fauna of the woods seized the opportunity. Reaching with their long spindly arms they snatched what they saw as an easy snack. Rye mummified in leaves and twigs. Looked like nothing more than another addition to the forest. The air began to rush from his chest. In a burst of adrenaline Rye¡¯s eyes burst open, full of fear and fight. He sucked in as deep of a breath as he could manage against the tremendous pressure exerted upon his chest. As he drew his breath the vines tightened, but it was too late. Rye had created space that his tall lean muscular build could slip from the grasps of the plants and reach his gun. Rye took aim and began to shoot at anything that moved. The injured vines released him all together and began to retreat deep into the forest. The frame of lean muscle collapsed to the ground, panting, and completely disoriented. ¡°Where am I? How did I get here? ¡° Rye thought as his eyes darted around. He looked for landmarks to help orient himself, but everywhere he looked, trees. One right after another the last one exactly like the one before it. The sounds of panic died down as all the Sef ¡¯ell were slain or retreated to their underground allies. A scream Rye would know anywhere came from deep in the forest. Fear paralyzed him. The rock that had formed in his throat made it impossible for him to swallow. He gulped but nothing happened, that painful lump stayed stuck in his throat. Keeping him from calling out, to confirm his fears. Rye managed to peel his feet from the ground and turn around towards the forest as Felix and Emma rushed up to him. Emma¡¯s dark hair wild, matching her dirt smeared face. ¡°Rye?!?¡± Emma said her tone put an already confused Rye into a tailspin. Was she happy to see him? Rye thought. He shook the thought from his head. Glad they didn¡¯t catch him frozen in fear. What would Emma think of the strong man she used to know, if she knew the truth. ¡°Emma! Are you okay? I thought I heard you scream, but the plants, and it was too late.¡± He sounded like a blathering idiot. Hearing his own voice reverberate in his head, bouncing off his skull gave him a headache. He winced. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but you don¡¯t seem to be. Please, sit down.¡± She helped him to a stump of an old, long forgotten tree. The moss was soft underneath his throbbing palms. When everything settled down Rye could feel every ache and pain. Ever since the accident that killed Angeline. Rye was marked with the invisible scar of chronic pain. ¡°I¡¯m fine, really¡± Rye gave a nervous chuckle, pushing her fussing hands away as he stood up. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this, he said pushing past Emma who was still running her healthy scan on him. His obvious disregard did not stop her from completing what she set out to do. She followed close behind as he made a beeline for the ship. As he reached the driver seat, Emma stepped out from behind him and blocked his path. ¡°What the hell do you think you''re doing?¡± No longer was her tone saccharine sweet and full of concern. She had shifted gears from the caregiver to the commander. ¡°No one drives, but me.¡± Emma stared Rye in his eye with such intensity it stirred passion he had long forgotten. His will weakened as his desire for her became that apparent with every passing moment. Rye looked away and mumbled something about helping Felix in the supply room and left. Emma turned and sat down in the captain¡¯s chair. It''s good to be back, she thought as she flipped the engines on. The rumble of the jets shook the floorboards and rattled the loose parts. ¡°Enter coordinates.¡± The computer nagged. Emma shuffled through the piles of papers stacked all around the cockpit. Star charts, maps, and other documents always seemed to collect wherever Emma went. No one used them anymore with all the new technology produced by the Alliance. Leaving most were more than happy to off load the wasted space onto Emma. ¡°AHHA!¡± Emma shouted with triumph holding the crinkled paper aloft, as if it were the most cherished prize. On the rough surface, scratch in with a pen that was running dry, a map. The margins of the maps are filled with notes and coordinates. A top of the map ¡°Carina Astraeus (The Forgotten Moon)¡± Written in black ink and underlined. Emma stared in disbelief. Memories of Po-Po¡¯s stories flooded her memory. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Late nights as he tucked her into bed. Husky words would melodically flow. They wove intricate tales of faraway places and magical adventures. The stars played their part in re-enacting the tales in the night sky with the moon as their spotlight. Searing the stories into the memory of Emma until the end of her days. One story always stuck with Emma. The memory had faded a bit and grown covered in dust, but all the same it came back clear as the night she first heard it. It rushed back when the merchant at the market greeted her welcoming her to ¡°The forgotten Moon.¡± She always thought it was a Faery tale, never in a million years did she think she would be standing on it she thought. ¡°Whatcha got there¡± Felix said as he snuck up on the daydreaming Emma. The surprise of an unannounced visit sent a jolt of adrenaline through Emma¡¯s body. The jolt catapulted her from her seat and landed her on the floor. ¡°Damn it, Felix, I hate it when you do that¡± Emma said, coming to a stand, brushing herself off and coming to rest back on her seat. Emma smoothed the paper back out the best she could. Looking down at the map she ran her hand over the course paper. It felt like the maps that used to lie around Po-po¡¯s study. He may have been a simple farmer but in his spare time he was a great adventurer, at least he was in Emma¡¯s eyes. Felix cleared his throat. ¡°I hate to break up this memory fest or whatever moment you are having here. It''s most pertinent that we get a move on.¡± ¡°Of course, we are setting course to the Capital city, Eureka, now.¡± ¡°Fantastic, Rye is in the engine room mumbling pretending to fix things. My fear is that if we do not get to where we are going soon his madness may cause permanent damage.¡± Emma rolled her eyes and shook her head. Felix the excellent entertainer and storyteller. His exaggerations tended to wander into daily life, and it was exhausting at times. ¡°Computer estimated arrival time.¡± Emma said to which the computer beeped and replied. ¡°Estimated arrival time twenty archen-seconds.¡± ¡°Is that soon enough for you?¡± ¡°I suppose that is the best we can do.¡± ¡°It is .¡± Emma frowned at his impatience. Felix brushed it off. He was anxious to get to the city and be rid of Rye. How Felix saw it, nothing good could come from his spontaneous reappearance. Furthermore, he wouldn¡¯t be missed when he spontaneously disappeared again. After all that¡¯s what he¡¯s good at, Felix thought to himself with a self-righteous ¡°Hmph¡± beneath his breath. ¡°Fine, I will go ensure the rat stays out of trouble,¡± Emma rolled her eyes as Felix marched off. Turning back to the controls, she took the ship off auto pilot as they neared their approach. She clears her throat and picks up the mic. ¡°Incoming cargo ship ID#9043 requesting entry to Eureka.¡± She released the talk button. Her calls answered with the irritating sound of static crackling through the air. ¡°Command Post do you copy?¡± again nothing but static. Emma¡¯s heart sank to her toes as a lump rose in her throat. This scene felt familiar. It left her feeling like she could upchuck all over the control panel. The static continued in the background. Ominous background music foretelling the upcoming horror they were about to witness. Time froze like ice fractals in the air in wintertime. Hanging by the threads of fate one wrong move and all could shatter. Emma sucked the air in, but it burned her throat. She tried to force it from her lungs but the lump in her throat prevented her from exhaling. You must breathe stupid was the last thing she remembered before the world went black. Emma hated the color black. Smoke filled Emma¡¯s nose. She did not remember opening her eyes, but they were open nonetheless now. The smoke filled her nose and began to burn her eyes. She tried to close her eyes but no matter how many times she closed them they were open again, burning. The static filled the air; it was all she could hear. It overwhelmed her to the point all she could do was lay in the smoke covering her ears. She squeezed her eyes closed as tight as she could. A bursting light came through the cloud of smoke and the cloud cleared. Emma blinked and she was laying in her bed in the captain¡¯s quarter and Felix was shining a flashlight in her eyes. His cold metallic finger poked at her periodically. Rye alternated between pacing the floor and hovering over the droid. His forehead wrinkled. Emma couldn¡¯t decipher whether his contorted features were irritation or concern. ¡°Emma? Are you okay?¡± Felix increased the vigor of his poking and prodding. Rye paused mid stride and rushed over to stand tall above the droid leaning over Emma¡¯s bedside. The world felt like it was closing in on her. Emma cleared her throat in the most exaggerated fashion possible before speaking. ¡° I need you both to back the hell up and tell me what happened, before I throw you both off this ship.¡± ¡°You passed out in the control room while waiting for clearance from the guard post.¡± Emma¡¯s head was pounding. She rubbed the back of her head as she sat up on the edge of the bed. Felix took a seat next to her as Rye stood stern by the door of the cabin. After he was sure she was okay he resumed his safe distance between them. ¡°What happened?¡± Felix looked at her as he ran a full body scan. ¡°I don¡¯t know the Guard post they weren¡¯t responding to my request for clearance and next thing I know all I saw was dark.¡± Emma wasn¡¯t ready to divulge her fever dream. She feared that it would only add to everyone¡¯s suspicions that she was unwell. ¡°I am sure I am a bit dehydrated or something of the sorts. Let¡¯s not make a deal of it, alright.¡± Felix eyed her suspiciously. looking down at the health report generated from the biometric scan he performed. He stood up and looked at Emma, promise you¡¯ll be careful okay.¡± Felix said as he patted her shoulder and left the cabin, Rye turned on his heels to follow behind Felix. Emma called out to him as he was about to walk away. ¡°Rye?¡± Her voice was shaky, and strained. Her eyes dewy, cheeks tear stained. Now crumpled up in a heap on the bed. The memory replayed in her head. ¡°What happened?¡± Rye stepped inside the room. His expression softened as he eased on to the side of the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t know, you passed out. Felix brought you in here while I got us through the guard post.¡± Emma sniffled and wiped her face on her sleeve. Trying to pull herself together. This wasn¡¯t her, but when these strange memories hit, she lost control. It all started after the storm that killed Angeline. Even thinking her name still hurt, enough for Emma to wince. ¡°Talk to me, Emma? I know you have your reason for not wanting to talk about it, but I was there too. You don¡¯t have to do this alone.¡± Emma sat straight up in bed and wiped her face. Her make up smeared, looking more like war paint then make up. ¡°You don¡¯t get to talk about her or that night!¡± Pillows began to fly at high velocity at Rye. He silently thanked the gods that they were in the bedroom and not the kitchen. He began to make for the door. Dodging flying objects that had grown increasingly harder the longer he was in the room. Rye ducked out of the room and began making his way down to the control room. Maybe Felix has something for me to do, he thought. Bottling what feelings that managed to bubble up back down. He could not afford to push her any further away. Not when he got this close to her.