Chapter 29: Six Stars at Twilight
**By the time that Aurora and Future Libby get back to camp, the rain has abated, and the clouds have continued their lumbering march into the horizon. The mountains bathe in the sun’s retreating light, their emerald hues fading into shadow under the approaching dusk. Aurora’s walk is tired but determined, and when she and Libby arrive at the first of the metal huts, Jimmy rushes over to meet them**
JIMMY: Aurora! Libby! Where have you been? We were beginning to get worried.
AURORA: (sarcastically) Touching. But you shouldn’t be wasting your energy worrying about me. I just needed some down time.
JIMMY: Hmm. Battle fatigue?
AURORA: Something like that. Now, where is everyone anyway?
**In response, Nav bursts out of one of the tents, swerving slightly and nearly tripping over his floor length gray overcoat. April follows, and the other kids trail behind her like ducklings**
NAV: (pulling on his hair) Aurora, you’ve fried my cerebral cortex! I mean…alternate universes? Megalomanium? Time dilation? ULTRALORD? This is killin’ me here!
**Aurora crosses her arms and raises one tawny eyebrow**
AURORA: Aha. I see April gave you a briefing.
NAV: Hardly! There was nothing brief about it! This whole thing is ridiculous. I mean, every time I look down I see miniature versions of you and the Dictator scurrying underfoot! Not that he’s too bad – he sure doesn’t look much like his older self. But you - it’s just plain creepy.
** Aurora claps a hand over his mouth, hissing in his ear**
AURORA: Shove a lid on it Nav, someone will hear! Are you really that dense? We’re trying to keep this whole ‘alternate universe’ thing under wraps, remember?
**Nav raises his shoulders in an exaggerated shrug**
NAV: Have you no faith in me? I’m wounded, Aurora. But never fear. That Lee character told the villagers that there’s a rogue boar rampaging on the far side of the lake.
APRIL: (hands on her hips) “That Lee character?”
NAV: Ya ya. Anyway, the whole camp’s gone out to search for the thing. Lee will make sure they KEEP searching for it for a couple more hours so we can get ourselves in order.
AURORA: In that case, we should get to work straight away. Are you SURE we’re the only ones here?
NAV: (curtsying) Positive, your majesty.
AURORA: Uh-huh. As positive as you were the time that you insisted the grenade was defused…you know, the one that took off your arm?
NAV: Ouch. Touché.
AURORA: Anyway, before we digress even further, I left some things in the Desperado that I think we’ll need. April, you and I should take Tolly back to the shipyard and pick up everything, because I don’t think we’ll get another chance. Then I’ll need twenty minutes to plan. After that, we’ll meet up here at the fire pit. Take the time to clear your minds and focus yourselves. Every single one of us will need to be prepared if we’re going to make it out of this alive.
FUTURE LIBBY: Aurora, can I come with you an’ April back to the ship?
AURORA: I don’t see why not. Nav, do you think you’re capable of watching the kids while we’re gone?
CINDY: Uh, news flash, but we don’t need to be “watched”. We’ve taken care of ourselves just fine so far. We’re not five, you know.
AURORA: OK, let me rephrase. Kids, do you think you’re capable of watching Nav while we’re gone?
**Nav drags a huge pelt of some kind from inside the largest hut and dumps it by the fire, then casts himself onto it with a sigh**
NAV: No worries. I’m sure we’ll keep each other entertained. Maybe I’ll tell them about the time my ship blew up and I survived by sealing myself inside the refrigerator…
AURORA: (rolling her eyes) God forbid. Let’s get out of here before we hear THAT one again.
APRIL: I don’t know, I kind of like that story…
AURORA: NOW, April.
**April places two fingers in her mouth and whistles loudly. An earsplitting shriek pierces the air, and a moment later clods of dirt and shredded vegetation erupt from the jungle along with the scaled warthog. The ridge of bristles along its back stands on end, and it bares its yellowed fangs at the group in unrestrained hatred**
AURORA: (taking the reins) Oh, chill out you stupid animal.
**The warthog bucks, and Aurora struggles to keep her grip. April slams her fist into the creature’s head, and it quickly ceases its protests. She vaults onto the animal’s back, and Aurora and Future Libby clamber up behind her**
APRIL: We will be back soon.
**She digs her heels into Tolly’s sides, and the beast streaks off into the jungle. Nav kicks off his boots, and they sail through the air and crash into a pile of kindling. The five kids turn to face the robotic man in perfect unison, their synchronization broken only by the range of expressions crossing their faces. Sheen grins wildly, Carl seems distracted by a fly-like creature buzzing around his head, and Libby regards him in amusement, brown eyes twinkling. Jimmy’s face bears a puzzled thoughtfulness, and Cindy scans him from bottom to top, openly and blatantly scornful. Unaware of their attention, Nav fumbles with a couple of screws near the top of his left arm, and it detaches from his shoulder**
CARL: (jumping back) Waaaaaahhhhhhh! His arm fell off!
NAV: Relax, chubby lumpkins. It’s a backscratcher, see?
**He grips the detached arm in his right hand and reaches behind him, scratching his back with the mechanical limb**
NAV: Perfect for those hard to reach spots!
LIBBY: (giggling) You’re a real weirdo, ya know that?
SHEEN: I’ll say! You’re my kind of man!
**Sheen leaps onto the unidentified animal pelt as Nav screws his arm back into place**
SHEEN: You’re like the big brother I never had!
**Nav ruffles Sheen’s spiky hair**
NAV: And you’re like the hyperactive, obnoxious little brother that I never had!
*Cindy throws him a dirty look, then turns up her nose**
CINDY: You’re related, all right.
NAV: (patting her on the head) Same old grumpy. You’re so cute.
**Cindy closes one eye and squints up at him with the other, grumbling under her breath in irritation**
NAV: (sitting up) So. You’ve all managed to land yourselves in a very strange situation. A child genius with a robotic dog and his friends inadvertently launch themselves into an alternate universe and meet up with their future selves…now THAT’S a new one.
**The smile lines around his mouth suddenly fade, and his gray eyes grow sad. He rolls over onto his back and glances back at them, upside down. His eyebrows knit together, and subdued firelight dances over his face, which suddenly seems drawn and tired**
NAV: You all have more power than you think. You kids are dangerous. It’s scary, isn’t it?
**The gang takes half a step back in surprise, and Cindy’s startled expression fades into scowl**
CINDY: Look who’s talking. You’re the big-shot criminal here.
JIMMY: That is a point worth noting. What’s your story anyway?
NAV: You want the whole thing?
JIMMY: Yes.
NAV: Well, it’s a long and convoluted tale, but if you insist…Ahem. It all started 25 years ago on Numeria, when my parents were feeling especially romantic one night…
LIBBY: OK! I don’t think we need to go THAT far back. How did you meet April an’ Aurora, and when did you become a…what was it called?
JIMMY: Samarkandi?
LIBBY: There we go.
NAV: Heh. We met 6 years ago. I didn’t become one of the Seven Samarkandi until I turned 21, though. It took some pretty outrageous heists to earn me that status, let me tell you…
**Nav rests his hand on his cheek, his face radiant with hidden thoughts**
NAV: (smiling) Actually, I met Aurora first. The crazy chick blew up my ship after I siphoned off some of her fuel during a reconnaissance mission above some uninhabited planet. I don’t particularly remember the details, considering I was marginally stressed out over the complete and total vaporization of my ship. But Aurora, being the incredibly caring and warm individual that she is, managed to fish me out of the wreckage and take me prisoner.
**He laughs lightly before continuing**
NAV: Despite the rather hasty circumstances of our introduction, we quickly got to know each other. Well, she got to know me at any rate, considering her effective and rather inventive methods of interrogation. After it became clear to her that I wasn’t a threat, I was given free range of the ship…but was treated with cold indifference. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the so called “uninhabited planet” had actually been the scene of a massacre just days before. The entire population had just vanished into thin air. Apparently the rebels gave Aurora the task of monitoring the place for the next couple of weeks. Man, I’ve never seen anybody so hell-bent on a mission before. It was intense.
**He shakes his head, as if to rid himself of the memory**
NAV: At any rate, I found myself cooped up with a stern-eyed, pouty-lipped 15 year old, and being young, naïve, and rather hormonally charged, I couldn’t help but be completely captivated by her. Her strength, her resolve, and that air of wistfulness that lay under all her actions…she was almost mystical. And of course it didn’t help that she was practically the world’s most dangerous pilot. I was totally head over heels.
**He heaves a sigh, and Jimmy takes the opportunity to object**
JIMMY: Wait a second!...
NAV: No, no, let me finish before you ask questions, or I’ll just have to repeat myself. Anyway, it soon became blindingly clear to me that Aurora was…how shall I put it…unavailable. Meaning she punched me full in the face when I tried to put a move on her. The only thing she cared about was her mission…her all-consuming desire for revenge. Still, even now, the same force drives her. She won’t stop until she either kills him or she has him. It’s like the two of them are joined by some sort of twisted, mutually destructive bond. I just can’t understand it…
**His gaze wanders off into the distance. After a moment he snaps back to attention and forces a smile**
NAV: Then, I met April. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight. When we first met, she was a lanky, oppositional teenager with a killer right hook and perpetual helmet-hair. Frankly, I didn’t know what to make of her. Yet, as time passed, I found myself spending more and more time with her. We consistently ran into each other on missions, and when I wasn’t stealing my weight in priceless artifacts, I was passing the time in her company. I could act like a total idiot around her, and she wouldn’t hold it against me. And when I got myself into more trouble than I could handle, she was the one to bail me out. I came to rely on her in a way I had never relied on anyone. So I guess you could say that Aurora was the one who brought me into all of this, but April was the one who kept me here.
LIBBY: (with a satisfied smile) I thought there was somethin’ funny going on between you an’ Aurora.
NAV: Key word there: was. And it was always one-sided, so it doesn’t really matter. Still, don’t tell April about it…the subject’s always been a bit touchy.
APRIL: (out of nowhere) Don’t tell me what?
NAV: (smoothly) That I think you should grow your hair out longer.
**April emerges from the tangled foliage leading Tolly by the reins**
APRIL: Ugh, Nav, we’ve been over this. Long hair is a sign of rank; I can’t just grow it out anytime I please.
NAV: Then you’ll just have to kick some serious backside and rise up in the ranks.
**April smiles in response, and Aurora and Future Libby materialize behind her. Aurora’s arms are laden with dozens of papers, maps, logbooks and scrolls. She heads over to the flat-topped rock next to the fire pit, and the others gather around her**
JIMMY: What are THOSE?
AURORA: What do they look like? They’re my case files…they contain all the information that I’ve collected on the Dictator over the past ten years. They’re the key to our battle strategy.
JIMMY: Why so primitive? This is the future. Shouldn’t all that data be categorized and put onto some high-tech handheld device so you can easily access the files? You know, criminal profile, fortress schematics…that kind of thing.
**She slams the whole pile down onto the rock**
AURORA: (wiping her forehead) Nothing digital is safe. Anything that’s on a computer can be hacked. The second this stuff gets converted into binary, the Dictator would know about it…and it wouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes for him to destroy it. And even if that didn’t happen, somebody else could hack into the files and steal all the information that I risked my life to obtain.
**She pats the stack of files thoughtfully**
AURORA: These days, paper is a lot safer than computers. The things written here are for my eyes only. I have more accurate information about his habits, his past record, and his base than the Galactic Police and the Gorlock High Council combined.
**She leans forward and rests her head in her hands**
AURORA: Ugh, and now I’ve only got a few hours to cram 10 years worth of notes into your heads.
**She pauses for a moment, then takes a deep breath and begins**
AURORA: Dictator Jimmy’s fortress is located on P24-505, an uninhabited planet on the far edge of the spiral arm. The planet is covered in a shallow, warm ocean that extends across its entire surface. There are no land masses.
JIMMY: But then how…
AURORA: The Dictator’s fortress is under water. The structure is submerged 100 feet beneath the surface of the tropical sea. The water adds an extra layer of protection and makes infiltration difficult, since most spacecraft aren’t waterproof and few intelligent life-forms can breathe under water. It also protects against remote gunfire for those who actually manage to breach the global defense system.
LIBBY: Wow, a fortress hidden under the water…kinda like the lost city of Atlantis.
AURORA: Kind of, ya.
**Aurora fiddles with the tiny communicator on her wrist, and a holographic image of the planet springs to life**
AURORA: (indicating the hologram) This is a 3-D representation of P24-505 from the Galactic Planetary Database. As you can see, there are no moons, and the absence of a tide makes the ocean very different from Earth’s. Little is known about the creatures that live there…the only documented organisms are some phytoplankton, a few species of jellyfish, and a predatory animal that closely resembles a giant Planarian.
SHEEN: Pla-whatywhat?
JIMMY: Planarian…it’s a microscopic organism found on Earth. But that’s not important. Please, go on…
AURORA: There are two distinct levels of security surrounding the base. The first is the global – or orbital – defense system. As its name implies, the orbital system extends from the exosphere and out a million miles in all directions, completely surrounding the planet.
**She chooses a scroll from the pile and unfurls it. The diagram inside, which has been sketched in red and blue pen, shows the outline of the planet and a mesh-like shield around it**
AURORA: The mesh sphere you see represents the orbital defense. First off, there’s a tightly-packed, magnetized minefield which is designed to prevent large ships or fleets of ships from getting close. Interspersed in the mine field are dozens of artificially generated, miniature black holes. The Dictator controls them by partially shifting them into another dimension. They only suck in matter if their trans-dimensional generator is disabled – which happens when a spacecraft gets too close. The only way to get through the field is with a few very small ships and some intense maneuvering.
**She closes the scroll, then fishes out another one. This one contains a drawing of a strange little machine shaped like the tip of an arrow**
AURORA: As you make your way through the minefield, you have to deal with these little buggers. I call them seeker drones. They continually circle the planet in erratic orbits as they monitor the nearby space for any thermal or nuclear signatures that might indicate the presence of a ship. Once a drone detects an invader, it changes direction and heads for the source in exactly the same manner as a heat-seeking missile. If it hits you, it’s curtains for everybody.
**She tosses aside the diagram and fishes out a piece of folded paper from one of the folders. She opens it, revealing a detailed depiction of an elegant, deadly-looking spaceship**
AURORA: This is perhaps the most dangerous part of the orbital defense system. This is the Dictator’s personal spacecraft, the Half Life.
CINDY: Half Life?
AURORA: (nodding) The name has a double meaning. It refers to the property of nuclear decay in radioactive isotopes, but at the same time hints at the untimely death of its victims. Some people have theorized that “Half Life” could be an ironic statement on the part of the Dictator about his own existence, but I doubt it. At any rate, the ship orbits the planet right near the exosphere and can pinpoint a speck of dust approaching if it needs to. The ship has destroyed whole planets, so it should be interesting trying to slip by undetected.
**She replaces the drawing inside the folder, then pauses to stretch her arms**
AURORA: Any questions before we move on to the internal defense system?
**Her audience stares back at her in stunned silence**
AURORA: Good. Because the internal defense is infinitely more complex than the orbital.
**Jimmy lets out a small moan**
JIMMY: You can’t be serious. How are we going to pull this off?
CINDY: Can it, Neutron. This is no time to go all defeatist on us. Now listen up, because it was your big brain that got everyone into this mess in the first place, and it’ll take your big brain to get us out again.
**Future Libby stifles a giggle, and Aurora removes a crumpled, tattered sheet of paper from among the others. A closer examination reveals a hastily drawn schematic labeled with barely legible scribbles and symbols. The structure looks vaguely like an asymmetrical, five-pointed snowflake**
AURORA: This is what the actual base looks like. Well, it’s an approximation at any rate. I had to draw it from memory, so it’s a bit incomplete. Let me explain the layout. The base consists of a central “hub” with five self-contained arms branching off of it. The five arms are labeled Sectors 1-5.
**She indicates the uppermost point of the star-shaped building**
AURORA: This is Sector 1, and it contains the Dictator’s personal quarters and an extensive laboratory. Continuing clockwise around the base are Sectors 2-5. Sector 2 has two levels. The lower level contains the prison, and the upper level contains a secondary lab for…live experimentation. Sector 3 was incomplete at the time I was held captive. I have no idea what it’s being used for now. Sector 4 consists of the armory and munitions bunker as well as extensive storage. Sector 5 was apparently part of some sort of large scale experiment at one point, but I think it’s since been shut down or converted. Then again, I could be wrong. I’ve never actually been to Sector 5 myself, so it’s anyone’s guess. The security seems to be most lax in this area, however, which will factor into our plan.
CINDY: What exactly is our plan?
AURORA: Hold on, I’m getting to that. But first, a little more on internal security. Each Sector can be remotely sealed off from the main control room and the other Sectors, which prevents potential intruders from moving freely about the base. The only way to get into the main control room is with a DNA scan, retina scan, voice match, and password combination. Fortunately, our goal isn’t to infiltrate the main control room. All we have to do is get close enough to the Dictator to administer the antidote, and then get the heck out of there.
FUTURE LIBBY: What ‘bout Sheen? An’ Carl for that matter? An’ suppose there are other prisoners bein’ kept there? We can’t just leave them.
AURORA: That does complicate things a little, but we’ll just have to figure that out as we go. The main problem is going to be surviving long enough to meet Dictator Jimmy in person. The base is crawling with robotic soldiers, programmed to kill anyone who might be a threat. There are gun turrets located around key entrances, and if our luck is bad, we might run into all sorts of other nasties. I have no idea what kind of new stuff he’s invented in the three years since my capture. He’s been fairly dormant lately in terms of attacks, so that can’t be good for us.
JIMMY: (frowning) I don’t get it, Aurora. With that kind of security and no previous knowledge of the base, how on earth did you manage to escape the first time?
**Everyone looks at Aurora expectantly**
AURORA: (sighing) I promised I’d never tell anyone incase word somehow got back to the Dictator, but I guess it can’t do much harm to tell you now. The truth is, I never could have gotten away by myself…it was Carl who helped me escape. If it weren’t for him, I’d still be in that prison, or worse.
**Everyone stares at her in surprise. Carl’s eyes seem to sparkle as he looks up at her**
CARL: Wow! I’m a hero!
CINDY: (through clenched teeth) Puh…keep dreaming…
NAV: Wow, and this whole time I thought he was just a spineless coward. Who knew.
AURORA: It’s not important. We need to get back on topic…each of you has a vital role in the plan, and you need to know it. So here we go.
**The group leans in, all eyes fixed on their leader**
AURORA: The first hurdle will be leaving Planet Gorlock undetected. Now that the Council knows of our plan, they’ll be carefully monitoring April and me to make sure we don’t try anything funny. That means we won’t be able to take the Desperado without arousing suspicion. Luckily, Nav has provided a solution.
NAV: I’m scheduled to leave tomorrow in my ship, the Shahada, so its sudden departure won’t attract any attention. Granted, it’s a bit of a junk heap, but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that it’s equipped with a hyperdrive, which we’ll need to get to the Dictator’s planet. Of course, it won’t do us any good after that, considering that his entire defense was designed to prevent big ships like the Shahada from getting close. Luckily, I recently…how do I put this? ...“liberated” a few small fighter craft from their original owners, and they’re sitting in the cargo bay this very minute. We’ll leave the Shahada in distant orbit and hop into the fighters, then work our way through the orbital defense, through the atmosphere, and down to sea level. Well…provided we don’t get blown to smithereens by the mines, sucked into a black hole, pulverized by the seeker drones, or incinerated by the Half Life.
JIMMY: A comforting thought. Thanks.
NAV: Any time…
FUTURE LIBBY: If the surface is all water, how are we gonna land? How are we gonna get into the base for that matter?
AURORA: Actually, I was hoping Jimmy could help come up with a solution. Neutron?
JIMMY: Uh…
SHEEN: (waving his hand around in the air) Oh! Pick me! Over here! Right here! I HAVE AN IDEA!
AURORA: (rubbing her temples) All right Sheen, what is it…
SHEEN: OK, are you ready? Here it is…We’ll chew gum!!
**Before anyone can accuse Sheen of ultimate stupidity, Jimmy’s eyes light up**
JIMMY: No, wait! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Sheen’s right! I completely forgot about my Neutronic Air Gum. When chewed, the gum temporarily allows you to breathe and speak underwater, as well as tolerate extreme pressure. It’s perfect for the sort of diving we’ll need to do to get down to the Dictator’s base.
CINDY: Whoa, you mean…Sheen actually came up with a GOOD idea?
**Everyone gasps in unison**
LIBBY: Wow, if things keep goin’ like this we might actually be able to pull this off!
**She looks over at Sheen, who has picked up what appears to be a shriveled raisin from the ground and is licking it tentatively**
LIBBY: …On second thought, we’re all doomed.
CINDY: Yup.
JIMMY: Pretty much.
**Aurora ignores the running commentary**
AURORA: The seating arrangements in the fighters are as follows: I will pilot craft 1, and Jimmy and young Libby will accompany me in the back seats. April will pilot craft 2, and her passengers will be Cindy and my Libby. Nav will handle craft 3, and Sheen and Carl will go with him. Got it?
**Everyone nods**
AURORA: Once we've reached the surface of the ocean, we'll jump ship and swim down to the base. We’re not any bigger than the local aquatic life, and without generating any kind of EM signal, I don’t think his sensors will freak out when we get close.
APRIL: Aurora, how will we get into the base?
AURORA: Here comes the fun part. There are a series of water-filled ducts that run throughout the walls of the entire building. They’re designed to equalize the pressure between the interior and the surrounding ocean. There are three separate openings that suck water into the aqueducts and circulate it. We’ll split up into three groups and enter through the openings. Libby is coming with me. April and Nav will go together, and you kids will be the final group.
CARL: By ourselves?
AURORA: I’m not going to make the mistake of underestimating you. I remember the kinds of things we used to pull off when we were kids. You’ve rescued your parents from aliens, defeated insane villains, saved the town…you can handle it.
CINDY: I guess…
AURORA: (looking her straight in the eye) Not only can you handle it, but you’ve GOT to handle it. You’re the trump card to this whole plan. The Dictator doesn’t know you exist, and he certainly won’t be expecting you. You also have another advantage: Jimmy’s mind…and his DNA. Jimmy, because your genetic code matches the Dictator’s, the weapons won’t fire on you and you’ll probably be able to use most of his technology. It’ll be up to you to keep the others safe.
**Jimmy swallows audibly**
AURORA: However, we still have one final problem, one glitch in the plan… Lady Jaya took the third vial of antidote, which means one group will have to go in without it. If the Dictator catches them, there won't be much they can do.
JIMMY: If I stayed up tonight, I could probably make another…
AURORA: No. You haven’t slept in God knows how long. You need to be rested so you can focus tomorrow. There must be another way…
VOICE: C-Can I help?
APRIL: (pulling out her gun) Who’s there? Show yourself!
**Whimpering emanates from behind a pile of firewood, and Nav dives toward the sound. His foot gets caught on a stump and he crashes headfirst into the woodpile, sending chunks of dirt and shards of bark flying in all directions. When the dust settles, he holds a squirming Gorlock child in his arms**
CHILD: Let me go, please! I will not tell, I swear!
FUTURE LIBBY: Wenna??
WENNA: (tearing up) I’m sorry! I did not mean to listen! I did not want to go after that scary Warthog with the other villagers, so I hid here. I’m sorry! Please don’t hit me!
**Nav pats her head awkwardly, and April points the gun at her**
APRIL: Pathetic child! I should…
**Future Libby silences April with a wave of her hand. She turns and slowly approaches the small Gorlock**
FUTURE LIBBY: (gently) Wenna, it’s me, remember? Now you can’t tell anyone what you just heard, OK? Cause otherwise all of us will get really hurt, and I won’t be able to come back and see you again. OK? Promise?
WENNA: (sniffling) I-I’m s-sorry! I won’t tell! Promise!
FUTURE LIBBY: (smiling sweetly) There’s a good girl!
**Something crashes in the woods nearby, and April whirls around and fires three shots into the night. Wenna covers her ears and buries her face against Nav’s chest**
AURORA: April, what was it?
APRIL: I cannot tell…but I think I see something moving…
**A figure walks out of the smoke cloud, the firelight glinting off her sharpened fangs. The sparks from the fire flutter past her small face, and their dancing reflections are the only indication of two narrow eyes hidden in the shadow of her helmet**
NAKKI: You may have convinced my weak-minded sister to keep her mouth shut, but will not be so easily silenced! I am going to Lady Jaya. I am going to tell everyone about your plan. Pathetic, ungrateful traitors! You will not go unpunished!
**She takes off at a dead run toward the forest**
AURORA: Stop her! If she gets away, we’re as good as dead!
**April fires two shots into the canopy, and a huge branch crashes to the ground, cutting off Nakki’s escape route. Before she has time to react, Nav materializes behind her and slips one hand over her mouth. She kicks and squirms violently, but he holds her fast**
NAV: Phew, that was a close one. Hey, what are you…?
**Nakki bites down hard on his hand, then yelps in pain**
NAV: Won’t work, knucklehead. My hand isn’t real.
**Aurora storms over and glares down at him**
AURORA: (angrily) Nav, this is a disaster. I thought you said you checked the area!
NAV: I did! How was I supposed to know these two kids were hiding out?
AURORA: Idiot! Now what are we going to do? It was bad enough when just Wenna knew about this, now this little brat too? We can’t count on her to keep her mouth shut!
NAV: Well don’t look at me! I’m not going to do it! I make a point of not hurting kids, remember? Especially girls!
AURORA: Ugh, Nav, your condescending morality really ticks me off sometimes! Fine…I'll do it!
FUTURE LIBBY: Aurora, do what? What are you talking about?
AURORA: (darkly) It’s standard Gorlock procedure. Eavesdroppers have their tongues cut out. Obviously we can’t do that to a kid, so we’ll just have to burn her tongue so she can’t talk for a few weeks. It's no big deal; it'll heal eventually.
FUTURE LIBBY: Aurora! You can’t be serious! She’s just a child!
AURORA: Well then what do you suggest we do? If she tells them before we leave, we’re done for, and so is our plan! I wouldn’t feel right about killing a kid, but short of that, rendering her unable to speak is the only other option!
FUTURE LIBBY: Can’t we just tie them up or somethin’? You know, until after we’ve left?
AURORA: And what if one of them escapes? Should the price of your compassion be all of our necks?
FUTURE LIBBY: But if we go around hurtin’ kids, we’ll be no better than criminals ourselves!
AURORA: That’s just it, Libby, we ARE criminals! All three of us! Nav, April, and me. I’ve led a very different life from you, Libby. It’s us or them, kill or be killed. So unless you have a better idea, I’m going to stick to that credo!
**Future Libby looks distraught for a moment, then Jimmy steps forward and grips her arm**
JIMMY: Aurora, this is wrong. If you stopped to think about it for a minute, you'd realize.
CINDY: Granted, she’s a nasty little kid who probably deserves to get some sense beaten into her. But jeez, burning her tongue? You’re being a little bit radical here, even for me.
JIMMY: Goddard’s batteries are almost drained, but I think I have just enough juice to run a memory wipe on the two of them. They won’t remember anything that happened in the last twenty minutes. It's not foolproof, but at least it's humane.
AURORA: (turning away) Do whatever you want. Just do it quickly, and then get them out of my sight.
**She storms off, and there is a moment of silence**
SHEEN: .......Now wouldn't be a good time to say that I really have to use the bathroom, would it?
**Twenty minutes later, Cindy, Libby, Carl, and Sheen are sitting around the campfire, each lost in the privacy of their own thoughts. Jimmy approaches out of the night’s yawning darkness, and he heaves a tired sigh as he slumps down next to Libby**
JIMMY: Well, that’s taken care of…
**He fakes a yawn to cover the silence that follows**
JIMMY: …So, uh…what’s everyone doing?
LIBBY: Oh, just thinkin’ ‘bout stuff…
**Libby’s gaze wanders skyward, and after a pause she reaches up and points at the heavens. A patch of nameless stars twinkles through a tiny break in the cloud cover. The starlight plays over her face, reaching her only now, after having traveled billions of years through the endless void of space**
LIBBY: Look, six stars! ...One for each of us, if you count Goddard.
**There is another pause**
LIBBY: So, uh…where is Goddard anyway?
JIMMY: (shrugging) Nav let me hook him up to a specially adapted power outlet on the Shahada. His battery’s charging as we speak.
CINDY: Where’d Nav go?
JIMMY: (clearing his throat) Um…I think he and April went off together somewhere…
**Grinning nastily, Sheen leans over and, waggling his eyebrows, elbows Cindy conspiratorially**
SHEEN: I bet there’s gonna be a lot of Gorlockan trust-sealing tonight, eh? Eh?
**He elbows her some more, and she swats his arm away**
CINDY: Get a grip, Sheen! This might be the last night they get to spend together. Show a little respect, will ya?
**Silence takes hold again, and the group shifts uncomfortably. Jimmy gazes intensely into the fire, its searing reflection temporarily coloring his eyes a vivid orange**
JIMMY: It’s kind of sobering, contemplating the possibility of your own death, isn’t it?
**Cindy and Libby look up in surprise, but nobody answers. At last Cindy speaks**
CINDY: I guess it’s just…never mind.
JIMMY: What?
CINDY: Well, it’s just…we’ve never had to sit around and think about it before. All the other times we faced danger, we were always caught up in the heat of the moment. Things just happened so fast, you know? There wasn’t time to sit around and think about what might happen. It’s this waiting that’s the worst. I can’t stand it. I just want it to be over with.
**The flames spiral lower, flickering wildly as they perform their final dance over the cooling embers**
CARL: Do you…do you really think something bad will happen tomorrow? …That one of us might…you know…?
LIBBY: You can’t think like that, Carl. It’ll just get you down. Whatever happens, happens. Sittin’ around thinkin’ about it won’t make it any better. So just concentrate on somethin’ else.
CINDY: That’s easy to say, Libs. But you know we’re still gonna think about it anyway.
**Cindy averts her gaze, and Sheen pokes the fire absently. Suddenly he looks up**
SHEEN: Do you think there’s Ultralord in heaven?
LIBBY: (smiling) For you Sheen, I’m sure there is. Video games too, and awesome music 24/7. And mountains of candy, and all the purple flurp you can drink…
**Sheen’s worried expression morphs into a wide grin**
SHEEN: Man, what the heck are we waiting for? Who’s got some arsenic?
JIMMY: (sternly) Sheen, that’s not funny.
SHEEN: Sorry…
**Jimmy looks lost for a moment**
JIMMY: (pensively) You know, all my life I’ve subscribed to an orderly, logical, and scientific worldview. Science means everything to me. But at times like this, I almost wish…
**He swivels his head to look away, but Cindy catches his gaze before he can turn**
CINDY: You almost wish what?
JIMMY: Nothing.
CINDY: No, what do you wish?
JIMMY: I don’t know…that I could share Libby’s views on the afterlife, I guess.
CINDY: Why? What do you think happens when we die?
JIMMY: Well, to be honest…nothing.
CINDY: Nothing?
JIMMY: Ya. I mean, we’re just organisms like everything else. When we die, we biodegrade and then there’s just…nothing.
**There is a moment of bleak silence**
CARL: I don’t like your heaven too much Jimmy.
JIMMY: It’s not heaven, Carl. It’s not anything.
CARL: Oh.
LIBBY: (looking skyward) Well, I think there’s more to it than that. And if you ever need proof, just look up there – up at the night sky. What do you see?
JIMMY: Empty space interspersed with pockets of matter.
LIBBY: No, I mean, what do you see? When you think about all those countless stars...if you really stop to think about just how vast the universe is, you realize that we’re a part of somethin’ so much bigger, somethin’ so amazing and beautiful that we can’t even hope to understand it.
JIMMY: (smiling sadly) I hope you’re right, Libby.
**The silence seems to stretch on for an eternity**
SHEEN: Hey…Libby? Do you think that when, well, you know…when we die and everything…that we’ll end up somewhere where we can be together? Heaven just wouldn’t be heaven without all of you.
**Cindy, Libby, Carl, and Jimmy do their best to hide the wide array of emotions that they feel at these words**
LIBBY: Sheen…
CINDY: Jeez…
**Jimmy rubs the back of his neck awkwardly**
JIMMY: Well, guys, whatever happens tomorrow, I just want you to know that…ah boy, how do I say this? Maybe there is something more to all of this, but if there isn’t, well…I’m glad I got to be here while I did.
CINDY: Me too.
**The two of them smile at each other, enmity temporarily forgotten**
LIBBY: Wow. I wish we had wine glasses or somethin’…My mom always makes toasts on these kind of occasions. Maybe we could pretend?
**The others nod, and they each wrap their fingers around an imaginary glass. After some brief hesitation, Libby raises hers, and the others follow her example**
CINDY: (muttering) I feel totally ridiculous right now…
JIMMY: Shh!
LIBBY: Ahem! Here’s to friends…
SHEEN: …and to all our adventures!
CINDY: Here’s to new beginnings…
CARL: …and to getting home safe again.
JIMMY: Here’s to whatever happens next…
**They ceremoniously drink the emptiness from intangible cups. They smile at each other, lost in a warm glow that real wine could never produce. Sadly, the moment is utterly ruined when Sheen burps loudly and tosses his glass over his shoulder**
SHEEN: (stretching) Well, that was the deepest conversation I’ve ever had. Man, I feel a mother headache coming on. What I need right about now is a ten pound bag of sugar and twelve straight hours of video games. That’d get her done.
JIMMY: (rubbing his temples) Maybe we should just go to bed.
CINDY AND LIBBY: Good idea.
**One by one they stand, and Jimmy
douses what’s left of the fire. The tired group then shuffles into
a waiting hut and, from the perspective of the stars far above, they
disappear forever**