Gabe swam in an ocean of knowledge.

Coordinating the push to save the Concord had need OMNI’s help, and that meant he had needed to focus as the entire calculation had sped through his mind. It had worked, but he was still lost in the network that had been formed. He almost felt like there was some mystery that he could discover, if only he could concentrate for long enough.

A sound disturbed him. He frowned and tried to ignore it. The mystery was right there. All he had to do was reach out and…

“Gabriel.”

He jerked around, his concentration faltering. It had been Susan’s voice. Where was she? Was she also looking for the answers?

“Gabriel, come back.”

As he looked around wildly, he saw a window. Unlike the streams of light, it opened into a slightly dingy room. He could see figures moving inside of it, but couldn’t recognize them. What did that matter when he had a mission to complete?

“He’s not responding.”

“I’ll get the Keeper.”

“No. It will take too long. Shut the system down.”

“We can’t just…”

The voices faded away as he turned from the window. He saw unknown conclusions to questions he had never pondered before, waiting amidst the stars. Gabe began to reach for one.

“Gabriel Miller, it’s time to wake.”

His father’s voice yanked him around again. This time, the window was rushing towards him, and he tried to brace himself for what he knew was coming.

“Wake up, Gabriel. Now!”

His eyes snapped open, as they had every day for years when his father had woken him for school. Gabe felt his lungs freeze for a moment, and then adrenaline flooded in. He sucked in a single, gasping breath, tasting dust and stale air.

Clark Miller stood over him, side by side with Susan. Off to the side was a worried-looking cluster of technicians, led by Chief Kowalski. He looked back and forth between each of them, trying to make sense of himself. “D-dad?”

The Speaker of the Way nodded. He knelt down next to him and put a hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “Welcome back, my son.” His nose wrinkled slightly. “Perhaps you should take off that interface now?”

Gabe blinked and then put a hand to his head. He felt the metal of the headband and yanked it up and off his head. The OMNI chamber groaned softly as he did so, setting the technicians scurrying, but it subsided a moment later. “Father, what are you doing here? Is the battle over?”

“It is, Gabriel.” Clark glanced back at Susan, who looked as worried as an admiral with her professional face on could be. “We had some difficulty rousing you from the OMNI system, though. Apparently, this is a danger that Arland had encountered before. Some who assisted him simply never left it.”

With a shudder of horror, Gabe pushed the headband a bit further from him. “Well, that is enough of that, I think.” He tried to force himself to stand.

“Stay seated, please, Captain.” Susan actually stepped forward and shoved him back into the seat. Her eyes blazed for a moment, and he grunted at her. “I would like some medical personnel to look at you before you go wandering off into danger again.”

“I was just going to see what was going on. It wasn’t like I was going to go fly again.” Not until his rig was repaired, at least. “Did we take any major losses?”

Susan shook her head. “A lot of the ships took damage.” She paused. “The Surveyor was hit hard. Professor Jimenez was wounded, and a lot of their data was lost. We may not be able to navigate to a new location from this system without their help.”

Exhaustion and depression crashed in on Gabe. They had won, but if the Wild Colonies continued to search for them, they couldn’t escape the system. Even with the Concord, it could take months to calculate a new cascade. “Could we use the Compass to recover some of it? Maybe the Keeper…”

He paused as Susan shook her head. “I have already spoken with Keeper Schreiber. He was grateful for our help, but he does not feel confident that the Compass could help.”

“Then perhaps I can.” Clark smiled as both of them stared at him. He made a dismissive gesture with his free hand. “While you both were occupied with the battle, I had other work to do. Fortunately, I was not as distracted by your efforts to throw the ship every which way…”

It clicked for Gabe, and he gave a tired laugh. “Eagro. You managed to speak with him? Maybe his people can help.”

“They most certainly can.” Clark leaned on his cane. “They call themselves the Zerecedo, and their ship was damaged fighting the Wild Colony forces in the area. Apparently, they were far less prepared for a pair of ambushes than you were, Admiral.”

“Understandable.” Susan shrugged uncomfortably. “Is he certain they haven’t already left? We could have missed their resonance cascade easily these past few days.”

“He is absolutely certain. From what Colonel Eagro was sharing with me, their cascade drive was damaged during the fighting, and they were unable to leave the system without our help.”

Gabe laughed again, though the feeling of being drained did not seem to lessen at all. “So they have the data, and we have the cascade drive. They’ll show us where to go?”

Clark nodded. “Yes. In fact, he was sent to negotiate a similar deal with us by his commander before the Wild Colonies interfered. He was actually asking permission to send a signal to his ship during that last fight.” He glanced at Susan. “I made the decision to wait until things were settled. If we were lost, I did not wish for them to share our fate.”

Susan nodded slowly, her eyes narrowed in thought. “A fair decision, Speaker, though next time I would appreciate being consulted. Tell Eagro to send the message, and that we would be more than happy to accompany him home.”

It was a bit of an understatement, but Gabe couldn’t manage another laugh. All the losses and effort and strain had been worth it. The Lord had given them a way to continue their journey. As he laid his head back against the seat and relaxed, he smiled at Susan. “So, Admiral, any other plans for the moment? Any new enemies to fight or mysteries to solve?”

A corner of Susan’s mouth quirked, as if she were fighting the urge to smile. “No Captain. Here.” She stepped forward and helped him up into a standing position. He leaned heavily on her, and she grunted. “Perhaps we need to secure a cane for you as well, Captain.”

“Just get me to a bed, and I’ll be fine after a few hours’ sleep.” Gabe took a step and nearly fell on his face when his leg gave out under him. Susan was forced to stagger, and they both ended up tumbling to the floor of the OMNI. Only a final desperate twist kept him from smashing her into the grating; instead, she landed on top of him with a thud that knocked the impact out of him.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

For a long moment, he let the world spin around him, partially nauseated and partially more than happy to have Susan in his arms. When it finally steadied out, he looked down to see Susan Delacourt glaring at him. It suddenly occurred to him that no Directorate poise or stern expression could make lying on top of someone look dignified. He glanced around and found both the technicians and the Speaker of the Way watching them with a mixture of scandal and amusement. “Uh, oops.”

Susan glared at him a moment more, and then she shook her head and sighed. She pushed off him with a rough motion, and stood, brushing her uniform off. “I think I’ll bring the doctors to you, then, Captain. If you don’t mind?”

Gabe finally managed one last chuckle, laying his head back on the grating. “That sounds fine by me, Admiral. Fine by me indeed.”

Two days later, Gabe sat on the bridge with Susan, looking out over the command consoles.

It wasn’t the first time he’d been here, but somehow, the chamber seemed new. He examined the consoles and seating arrangements with a fresh eye, noting the little details that popped out at him. The occasionally worried expressions on the bridge crew’s faces seemed to stand out the most, but he tried not to draw any attention to them by glaring.

Perhaps the other visitors to the Concord had something to do with his newfound interest. The Zerecedo commander had not spoken much, but his encounter suit was a magnet for idle stares and whispers. He had come from the Zerecedo flagship, which had answered Eagro’s call the day before. It had given several sensor watchstanders a near heart attack when it had appeared out of the dark. Gabe couldn’t blame them, given that the thing looked like a mass of spikes and claws, but the damage to it was obvious enough, and Susan had been quick enough to keep anyone from opening fire.

No one had gotten any more comfortable when the visitors had come aboard a short while later. They looked closer to miniature rigs than people, standing nearly a full two and a half meters tall. Gabe suspected they were permanently bound to their machines, just as Eagro was, but he hadn’t shared that with most of the other Wayfarers. Things were tense enough as it was. Their leader, Zepeda, had said little besides his name after he’d come aboard with a handful of others, and after consulting with Eagro’s still crippled rig, he had shared their data for the resonance cascade to a nearby system.

The remaining technicians aboard the Surveyor had claimed that the data checked out, and as the Zerecedo ship tied itself in to the network of tetherdrives, the fleet had prepared itself to leave the system at last. Their mysterious visitors had been invited to the bridge to view the cascade, but only Zepeda himself had arrived, while the others had remained clustered around Eagro down in the rig bay. Apparently, they were keeping the man company.

His father and Keeper Schreiber were present as well, wanting to be there for the moment that they left the system. Clark Miller was standing very close by Zepeda, having engaged him in low-voiced conversations throughout the visit. The Speaker’s understanding of the Zerecedo language was improving at an alarming pace, and if the twinkle in his father’s eye was any indication, he had quite a few little secrets he intended to dole out by the day’s end. Not that he would make it quite so easy for anyone to weasel them out of him, but for once, Gabe looked forward to the contest.

“Commander Mesic, you are clear to begin the resonance cascade.”

Mesic nodded, his face as expressionless as ever. One of Susan’s monitors showed every remaining Wayfarer and Zerecedo ship linked in a web of gravitic tethers. They were finally ready to leave the wreckage behind and discover some place new.

Gabe felt his heart beat faster as the resonance drive began to wind up. The Concord had taken a beating during the battle, but the engineers had certified that the drive was intact. Hopefully, whatever outpost the Zerecedo were directing them to could help with the other damage the ships of the fleet had taken. At the very least, maybe they could barter for supplies before they continued looking for—

There was a burst of light, and the resonance burst began. Dimensions warped, space and time twisted, and the fleet briefly left the void behind. Gabe felt a twinge of nausea as his senses fought to adjust to the sensation, and then he felt Susan’s grip tighten on his arm. Gasps and murmurs tore through the discipline of the bridge crew, and when his eyes focused on the monitors in front of him, he felt his jaw drop open.

A planet hung ahead of the fleet, suspended like a jewel in the night. Brilliant blue oceans and verdant green plains gleamed at from the screen, promising Earth-like vegetation and stores of fresh water. Even if the atmosphere wasn’t perfect, perhaps it would still be similar enough for them to resupply almost completely. If it was perfect…

Gabe stood up out of his chair before he realized he was moving. He reached for the image, his fingers stopping before they could fail to touch the hologram. His voice was a whisper. “Beautiful.”

Susan cleared her voice and raised another eyebrow at him when he looked back. Her eyes darted to the visitor on their bridge, and Gabe blinked. Seeing a habitable world, without any kind of warning, had made him forget exactly who had brought them there. The Zerecedo had claim here, of course; they were friends, and they had defended them. How would they react if the Wayfarers asked to start a colony on a world they claimed?

As he turned to Zepeda, the outsider made a motion with one robotic arm. His low, warbling voice echoed through the speaker places just under his helmet. “Benvenudo ae Zerecedoma. Welcome to the home of us.”

Astonishment raced through Gabe a second time, and he glanced at his father in time to see a twinkle of mischief in Clark’s eyes. Clearly, he hadn’t just been learning their language. Inwardly, he sighed. At least it would make some things easier to understand.

He looked back at the screen just in time for the sensors to begin reporting. There were towns on the surface, and cities. Lights sparkled over much of the night side of the planet, and there were space stations in orbit. Not as many as he would have expected, but enough for him to realize that this place was far more than a simple colony.

Ships were in the system as well, though the Concord’s sensors were having a much tougher time picking them out of the void. He could see enough of them to know that their arrival had stirred up quite a bit of distress. The Zerecedo craft already with the fleet were breaking off now, leaving the gravitic tethers behind to race out ahead. Fragments of broadcasts and signals were already racing through the system, hopefully reassuring the defense forces that the Wayfarers were friendly. Otherwise, Gabe doubted they would leave the system alive.

Susan’s voice was cautious as she spoke. “Zepeda, this is your home? Where you all live?”

“Yes. Zerecedoma is the home. Our home.” Emotion was now filtering through those warbling words, and Gabe turned to look at him. Zepeda’s glowing eyes were fixed on the distant planet, and despite his robotic appearance, Gabe felt they were filled with the longing of someone that had never expected to see home again.

He looked at Susan, who had turned from the display. She exchanged a look with him, enough to reassure him she had the exact same question he did. “It is a good home. Are we welcome to rest?”

Zepeda glanced at Clark, and the Speaker of the Way paused for a moment. He said a few words in the Zerecedo language, and Zepeda nodded slowly.

“Rest, you will.” Zepeda turned back to the image of the planet and extended one hand. “The home of us and the home of you. We, all of us, are home.”

The significance of those words struck Gabe like a battering ram. He stared at the Zerecedo, his breathing growing heavy, as he realized they were being invited to stay. Not just for a visit, not even just until they were resupplied. Forever. The Lord had led them to a new home.

Even as his heart began to race, his father stepped forward. “Thank you, Captain Zepeda. Tae duy grabias.”

The Zerecedo bowed, his bulky suit towering over the Speaker. Clark returned the bow, and then looked at Susan. “Admiral Delacourt, I believe the fleet might need some guidance from you. Would you mind if I addressed them afterwards?”

His impish tone made Gabe dart a suspicious look in the Speaker’s direction. Clark glanced at him, and his face glowed with mischief for just a heartbeat. How long had the man known?

“Thank you, Speaker.” The tone of Susan’s voice told him she’d seen the same look, and she shook her head slightly. “Comm watchstander, open a channel to all ships.”

She stood. “This is Admiral Delacourt, to all ships in the Wayfarer fleet. We have arrived at the Zerecedo’s main colony, named Zerecedoma. We are being invited to stay for as long as necessary. I believe that means we may be offered a place to live here.”

At that point she paused and glanced at Zepeda. The Zerecedo officer nodded, and a rush of relief went through the bridge like a gust of wind. Susan continued, obviously struggling to avoid showing that same relief in her voice.

“We will remain at our current location until we receive instructions from the planetary authorities. I’m sure negotiations and arrangements will begin shortly. For now, remain aboard your ships and be patient. We may be here a while.” She paused and turned to look at Gabe, and for once, her professional expression slipped completely away. Her smile shone like the sun, and he returned it.

“We’re home.”