The watercolour world held her mind in a gently painted bliss; every thought was slow, warm, and calm. A sense of calmness kept her senses close to the edge of the subconscious. But suddenly, it ended.

The light, the sounds, the pain came back when Pax regained her consciousness, and everything hit her back really hard, really fast, like a cinema of sounds turned back suddenly in the middle of a scene.

She looked around, startled, trying to remember what happened.

"Hey, hey... it's just shock," Ino was there, holding her hand, washing her face, and trying to calm her down. She was in a medical vehicle, outside of the building. The door was left open, and there were things she could see, although her vision was still messed. A mixture of sounds and sirens told her there was more than one vehicle, with other fire control and police units supporting. A column of smoke still filled the air, still, she could hear cries, screams. From inside the vehicle, she could hear a hover fire engine as it passed above them with a sharp buzz of the engines in the direction of the damaged building.

"You were thrown clean through the room in the initial explosion, at least that's what I remember," Ino said to Pax with a silent voice, not too loud as they both still couldn't hear properly.

Till now, she didn't really pay attention, but she saw Ino's clothes were burnt together with some hair, there were dirt and blood stains all over her hands and face.

"Are you OK? Is that?" Pax startled.

"It's fine... I'm fine, it's not... not my blood." Ino hesitated. "A doctor has already seen me."

"How... how many explosions were there?" She felt pain in her neck; it was sore when she tried to touch it. The skin felt as if it was burnt to charcoal. Her hands and legs must have been affected the worst as they were covered in tape plasters and gel medical aid. She knew it would keep her wounds sterile and enable the body to heal itself much quicker.

"I'm not really sure..." Ino hesitated again. She was startled when she heard a sudden noise outside.

"I heard the first one, and Athamos immediately pulled me down on the floor and covered me with his body. I can't believe how fast his reaction was." Pax just noticed that the man wasn't with them, and that got her worried. Ino noticed her face change and added, "Hey, he's alright. They called all male personnel to help with the victims and secure the site."

Pax nodded as she understood.

"There were four more explosions, and a few after one's caused by the damage; that's all I know. It hit the building hard... there is a lot of dead outside and inside."

"I should go and help the forensic investigation sweep team." She tried to get up, and each part of her body immediately hurt and sent signals which she shouldn't ignore. Her eyes blurred with pain for a second, but the time that counted most was now when the evidence was still fresh and literally hot. Her training taught her how to set up her mind by placing herself in the middle of the events to understand the scene. In this case, she only had to try and remember what happened. Suspicious objects, people, sounds. The gunshot. The blast. The moment she regained consciousness. The man who helped her. But as much as she tried to remember anything else, the pain surfaced again, and she felt crippled and immobilised once again.

"The man who helped her!"

Pax sprang from her seat, almost landing on the floor if it wasn't for Ino holding her.

"Where is Protau?!"

"You are not going anywhere, not in this condition." A sharp voice broke her will immediately. He was her best friend, almost a father and a guardian since she was very young. It just occurred to her how much time has passed since the accident, and he must have been helping the rescue forces.

Pax lifted her head and forced a smile, and then it hit her that he didn't look like the man she remembers. The same blonde hair, the same eyes, almost the same lines, where are the scars? As her face pulled, Ino got uneasy detecting something was wrong.

"Is everything alright?"

"You didn't pull me out of the building, did you?" Pax unconsciously ignored her and looked straight at the man.

"Pax, I just got here." He stepped back bewildered by the question. Confused.

"What is it?" Ino pushed back.

"Somebody... a man, with your face. He pulled me out of the fire. Saved my life." There was a mixture of suspicion, surprise, and bewildered amusement in their faces.

"You know, I can't be everywhere just to pull you out of trouble? Even if you see me like that." Protau tried to lift the grim silence that came afterward with a bit of sarcastic humour. It worked. A little bit.

Maybe it was him, but it wouldn't be possible to get here that fast from the spaceport where he worked. Maybe it was just the shock; that face was so blurred, and she was injured. And maybe it actually was her subconscious mind.

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They heard a lot of voices outside, and then a face appeared in the entrance.

It was Athamos, he lost his military jacket which was probably burned to pieces now, and his shirt barely hung on a few buttons, and he missed a sleeve. But just as Ino, he got out with only a few bruises and burns. Pax really wanted to ask her friend about the situation, how many wounded there were, how many killed, and in the end, just embrace them as she was happy they were alive. In time she would also tell them what happened.

After him, followed by a very annoyed nurse and a group of officers and soldiers. The woman presumably wanted to dismiss everyone who wasn't necessary for the medical vehicle, and she would have been successful, but her authority was beaten down when one of the officers from the group stepped up and spoke.

"Doctor Pax Inthem? Is she here?" He inquired, his voice seemed a bit too upbeat for the situation. The nurse hesitated and stepped aside. It wasn't because the vehicle was full, as they could take on board many more people, but because she knew in such situations, the investigation and military orders have priority.

"I had an MD on board?" she murmured and left.

Protau immediately responded, "Yes, it's her, what do you need?"

The officer eyed him coldly for a second. "The Admiral wants to speak to you, ma'am." The man said to her, ignoring him.

Pax only nodded in response. She was sure the man was one of the over-serious assistants of the military bureau who don't seem to be in touch with reality. He disappeared for a second, and from nearby, they heard a short and harsh exchange of words. She was pretty sure she heard Athamos whisper to Protau, "I'll hold, and you punch." A shadow of a smile immediately lit her face.

Not long after, Admiral Theba appeared in the entrance to the ambulance. It was obvious he told the officers and his consultants to stay behind as he needed privacy. There was concern in his eyes when he looked at her. His clothes were in disarray under a coat somebody brought him. There was a very nasty burn on the palm of his hand, and the left side of his face would need some treatment due to open wounds. His chin was still bleeding, dripping onto folds of clothing.

"I hope you all are holding on." The Admiral turned to everyone. "What just happened was... "There was some reflection in his voice. " I can't find sensitive words to describe this in any way. I can't see myself giving any more of those speeches..." He paused.

"I think you all should know, the confirmed number of dead is 47 within the building..." He paused momentarily. "Outside... much, much more, with over a hundred being hospitalised and many in critical condition. Among those who died were the graduates and the whole awarding committee of senior officers. "

Ino covered her lips in shock and pain; both of the men looked down and listened without moving. Pax found it hard to believe and understand what she was hearing.

"Sadly, these numbers are going to change as we progress with the rescue operation." His voice was full of ash. Right now he didn't look anything like a leader but a beaten-up vagrant.

"But this wasn't a single incident."

A brief pause.

"Somebody purposely attacked men, women, and children today. Once you are able, I want everyone to report for duty. We are at high alert right now, and I will be damned if I let anyone else die on my watch."

The concern in the admiral's eyes vanished slowly, replaced by a cold fire, something you see in the eyes of a fanatic.

"We have reports incoming that a similar attack happened in other colonies at almost the same time. We have a lot of killed and wounded. The targets were military officials, hospitals, science institutes, and gatherings of importance. We assume this was a job of the Federation."

They knew it was bad news; the Federation consisted of colonies on Venus and the Earth's moon. After the great collapse, everything went mad, and for some reason, the inner planet colonies turned hostile.

"How can we help?" Athamos jumped in front.

"Let me help with the investigation," Pax finally spoke. Her voice was broken, thin, but there was still fire kindling in it. Protau immediately reacted.

"Pax, no!" But the last word belongs to the admiral. Always.

"There is plenty of help we need. You will all get your assignments. But Pax, the reason I'm here, is because I need your help. "

"Anything," she gasped.

"I need your help in finding Diana. We need her back. You need to go to Earth, find the expat community, and bring her and them back with you. These are desperate times." Anything but this. That name immediately sucked all of the sounds of the room. Unconsciously she looked around, as everyone started directly at her, and her only. Even Protau's expression changed now.

"We haven't seen each other or spoken for 17 years," Pax responded slowly.

"Pax, I understand but we need her now. All senior command is dead. In these dark days, and if there is to be a future for us – we will need all the help we can get."

"This may be harder than this admiral. Diana was my captain if she doesn't want to be found we will never reach her. She is like a shadow and knows how to disappear from any hunt. "Protau added, trying to give Pax some time and space to think. But the admiral wasn't easily discouraged.

"That I know. If I didn't know about the difficulties, I would be a fool."

The ambulance and its sterility suddenly felt claustrophobic to her. Alien, and uncomfortable. Pressure pressed on her ears and head.

"I need some air," she whispered but loud enough for others to hear. Trying to escape. Trying to delay the decision, or just run.

"Pax please." The Admiral pressed.

"I wouldn't know where to start," her voice was getting quieter.

"She may be in danger!"

No, no, no. Pax's brain kept saying rapidly. Let me go. Where is Prometheus? Where is my light bringer? She could still change this.

But, a shout outside pulled her out of a mindless frenzy. A minute of panic. The same officer that earlier spoke to her appeared in the entrance. He was trying to catch a breath.

"Admiral! Sir, new reports coming in through the microsatellite belt."

"What is it?" Protau immediately jumped on the officer. The man gave him a cold glance, but Admiral Theba nodded at the question.

"We have movement. A large-scale force. Probably the same one that attacked the convoy days ago."

"Where are they headed?" Ino asked loudly above everyone's heads.

"Unknown," the officer seemed to get confused with him having to respond to unauthorised personnel. "But if the trajectory holds for the next couple of hours, well then we need to warn Earth."

"I will go." Pax said quietly but then repeated again louder "I have to go." As everyone turned their gaze to her, she stumbled and slowly got up. Her body injured, her mind in pieces, but a longing in the heart and a commitment in the soul lifted her above all. There was no turning back, and this was too much beyond her to change in any way.