Korsha slammed the side of her fist against the raised ramp sending a shock of pain into her wrist. Once more there was a barrier between Deidra and herself. She hit it again and again wishing she could somehow merge the ramp with the interstellar divide that had grown between them. Hot bitter tears streamed down her cheeks. They dripped onto her armor as she continued to pound against the door. She didn’t stop until her arm was as numb as she was inside. Dropping to her knees, her head, now heavy and weary, fell forward pressing against the ramp.

She wanted to scream.

But nothing came out.

For a long moment she stayed there. Somehow she’d always been one to linger. To sit patiently on her knees as she waited to be told what to do. There was safety in it. Submission was like a fortress. It allowed other’s choices to barricade her in keeping her well away from the inevitable consequences. She sighed. Hated herself for sighing and sighed again. It didn’t help. She didn’t know if anything would ever help. Part of her was terrified that this feeling would stay. That this would be her new reality. Forever fixed in static.

Rolling onto her back, she slid to the ground. Once again she'd failed. She wasn't able to bring Deidra back. She'd barely been able to keep up with her and yet looking back on the fight was something off about her. Perhaps it was the burning hatred inside Deidra that had clouded her. Emotions were often hindrances in such matters. Unless they were taken in small controlled doses, they just got in the way.

The ship shuttered announcing that they'd entered hyperspace. A weight lifted off her chest that she didn't know was there. She closed her eyes. They couldn't be tracked now. It was of little solace as she was without resources, hurtling through the black of interstellar space. Cut off and alone. A castaway upon a metal island.

"What now?" She whispered.

In the past she'd ask herself this question as a means of motivating herself to analyze the problem. It was the same thing her master had said to her over and over. He'd ask her questions, she'd give him an answer and then he'd ask what now. It had been a way that he had trained her to analyze the problem from multiple angles. But if she was being truthful with herself right now she was tired. Bone tired. So tired that just breathing was a monumental effort.

You can sleep when you're dead. She scolded herself as she shoved herself up. Her muscles protested in burning silent screams. Her feet were clumsy, causing her to stagger down the hallway. Numbed and bloodied hands slapping against the walls as she headed towards the bridge. Part of her made a note to come back and clean up her mess. After sleep. A voice whisperer in her ear. She nodded, eyes half lidded. Exhaustion pulled at her like a black hole, sapping away her strength and drawing her ever closer to oblivion.

“Gotta check…” She trailed off, speaking to herself.

Her shoulder pressed against the entryway to the bridge allowing the hard lines to anchor her in place. Her head flopped to the side, eyeing Koklan. The acrena’s eyes were blinking, head jerking as though catching glimpses of some fleeting thing. His boy jolted in short spastic movements. He was lost in his work.

"Status."

Koklan continued as though they hadn't heard her. Korsha opened her mouth to speak again.

"I estimate navigation is off by three percent. I have no way of compensating at this current time. I've locked onto the signature of the nearest Stargate."

Korsha nodded. Though it never felt like it, the universe was moving. Drifting. It was a constant state of motion and that required a constant update on that motion. Stargate's on the other hand had little drift, at least from day to day. She’d heard that they’d drift over centuries to maintain parameters set within the solar system they were bound to. She cursed for not having time to update their astro navigation. That was now going to be a problem. A problem for future Korsha. The thought made her grin, though it was a half hearted thing.

When they got to port Koklan would have to connect to the local network to download the latest navigation data. If he discovered an apprehension order by Ina then his programming would override his soul and he’d be locked down but not before sending out a signal identifying her as well as their location. Under normal circumstances this was the best way to ensure security among Dominion ships but right now it was a risk. They also didn't let acrenas have the ability to calculate new data. That ensured that everyone had to contact a local network.

"Wake me up when we drop out of hyperspace. Do not connect to the network until I say."

"Orders registered."

Korsha trudged across the bridge. Her boots thudded against the floor as her shoulders slumped forward. She reached out and pressed her hands against the door that led down to her room. She leaned forward, resting against the palms. She stood there. Unmoving. Unthinking. Just being. Part of her recognized that she was gathering herself. Organizing one last valiant stand before she surrendered to the fatigue. She stared down the hole. It was only an eight foot drop. But it might as well be a bottomless chasm for how tired she was. She pushed the weariness down, though the act was like stuffing fuzz into a box. She shoved one section for another to burst out.

She groaned. Pushed off the wall. Grabbed the ladder rung. Slung one leg out. Then the other. Then slid down. Her gloves whistled as they scraped against the iron rails of the ladder. The impact was harder. More jarring. It surged up her legs, settling into her bones as a dull ache. She ambled through the room like a drunk. Weaving a sloppy line as she made her way to her bed. She reached her bed and almost teared up. In that moment it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Without thought she dropped into it’s warm embrace, armor and all. Rolling over she stared up at the ceiling until her world faded to black.

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"We have exited hyperspace."

Korsha groaned as she forced herself up. How long had she been out? Her body answered that question with all its aches and pains. She let out a grumpy low groan. Apparently not long enough. She scooted to the edge of the bed and placed her hands on her knees. She took a deep breath, stealing herself before pushing herself to stand. Jelly filled her legs and she swayed from the effort of trying to find some sort of stability. Reaching up to her chest, she called upon Anaku.

“I give you purpose.” She muttered.

The fiery spirit burst forth. She growled at his enthusiastic motions. It was too much for her. Yet she flopped back onto the bed and let the spirit do its work. She ignored the skittering of legs as it went from one bruise to another. Soon the soreness that permeated her thighs and calves diminished. Then ceased. She rose and was satisfied that she could actually stand this time. She returned Anaku to its gem. She wasn’t about to let it send her on one of its acid trips again. That’s the last thing I need.

Crossing the room, she reached the ladder and was careful to ensure that each step was firmly planted before continuing forward. She was well aware of the time discrepancy that existed as she hauled herself up. It was going to take more quality time with Anaku if she wasn’t to get back in peak condition. Arriving at the top, she stepped to the side and made her way out into the bridge.

The viewport was filled with the large face of an orange and brown planet. Its surface shimmered in the distant sunlight. She could see long striations racing across the planet’s surface and wondered what they looked like from the ground. Turning her attention away from the sight, she made her way to the ship’s radar. The system was pretty busy, with plenty of traffic around the gate. She glanced back over her shoulder at Koklan to check and see if his eyes had turned purple. They were still the typical orange which meant that they weren't connected to the network yet. Crossing her fingers, she hoped that Ina was using discretion instead of throwing her face all over every wanted listing in the sector. Her eyes widened as she remembered the probe. Had that really only been yesterday? It felt like a lifetime ago.

"Probe status?"

"We received one burst transmission before we entered hyperspace."

Korsha activated her omnivice and selected the data packet. She tapped her foot as she watched the download bar inch across the screen. It took only a dozen heartbeats or so but it had stretched on for a short eternity. She watched as the new window populated the air before her. On the screen she could see a figure entering the facility. She zoomed in and saw the familiar features of Ina.

“Shite. Goddess damn his determination!”

Her heart dropped down into the pit of her stomach where it was swallowed up by the thick mucky quick sand that had settled there. She fought back the nausea. She licked her lips as her ribcage collapsed in on itself. How could she be so careless? It was the work of an amateur. She’d been trained better than this. One never left evidence behind unless it was intentional. What were the odds that Deidra had taken it? She shook her head, there was no reason for her to take it. It was likely that Ina had it now. It was now going to be evidence used against her.

There was nothing she could do about it now. It was on to the next problem. She needed to check on her master's condition. She made her way over to the center console. Tapping on the display, she flicked through the contacts until she found the one she wanted. Leaning against the console, she closed her eyes and listened to the chirps as the connection was established. There was a chime.

"Thatcher."

Korsha gazed up into the holographic image of Thatcher.

"It's me." Korsha said not wanting to say her name.

"A moment."

The hologram sputtered, glitching out as a sharp hiss filled the spaces between lines.

"Apologies but I wanted to secure the connection."

Korsha's eyes widened. Another failure. It may have been her master's apartment that she was calling but without him around there was no telling who was trying to listen in. That went doubly true if Ina had put out a warrant for her arrest.

"How is he?"

"I received a report yesterday that he's still in critical condition. They estimate that the fire has caused damage to forty-six percent of his body. They were unable to stop the burning.”

“So it was arcane.”

“They are preparing to put him through a Urtesian purification ritual."

Korsha shut her eyes as her heart ached. She clenched a fist and slammed it against the console. Such rituals were dangerous. It was developed to be a formalized way to negate magic much in the way that technomancers did. But with the chaotic nature of magic it made it extremely dangerous to undergo unless one knew precisely where the magic originated from.

"Is he still in stasis?"

"Yes."

Korsha sighed, relieved. Stasis wasn't perfect. Full stasis wasn’t possible but most medical stasis pods had a one to a hundred ratio. Things, such as neurons, blood and arcane fire, were still moving but at a greatly reduced pace. It bought them time. Her face tightened into hard lines as she knew that she now had to find Deidra again and bring her in. Then they could force her to undo the damage she’d done.

"Give me a minute." She told Thatcher as she checked through the probe's surveillance. There was a new data packet available. Now made available since the ship was now out of hyperspace. She downloaded it and watched as the technomancer left, lasher in hand. She cursed as she ran a filter through the probe's data logs but found no sign of Deidra. She'd lost her sister once again.

"Keep me up-to-date if something changes."

"Will do, Thatcher out."

Korsha's head dipped as she just sat there. The silence was heavy about her and she felt as though she were drowning in it. It was an ocean and she was lost. How could she solve this? She needed Deidra to stop the burns. She blinked. Her hand rose to the orb on her chest. Did she actually need Deidra? Anaku could mend wounds but could it fight against the effects of magic? She didn't dare go back to Megara but she didn't have to. There were other paths open to her. Couldn't she just drop into the underworld and go visit her master's spirit structure? She'd never done a blind search before but with Enaru's help she should be able to do it.

She pushed off the console, a surge of determination and hope gave her a renewed sense of purpose. She imbibed it like a heady drug. She could do this. She turned to Koklan.

"Download the astral navigation data. Do not link to the network for any other reason. Security protocol three."

"It will be done."

With that Korsha headed back to her room. She made her way to her meditation chamber and sat down. She moved back and forth trying to find a comfortable position but her back was already aching and she knew her left leg would become numb in a matter of minutes. She thought about getting out and stripping her armor off. There isn't time for that, she scolded herself.

“Stick me.”

Her chalice armor complied and she winced at the sudden stabbing pain in her thigh. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing. She activated the chamber's audio track. The twin drum beats greeted her like an old friend. She fell into their embrace, slipped between the cracks and dropped down into Keshkigal.