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Savros
Chapter Four: Bel Toa

Chapter Four: Bel Toa

Savros rested well. He slept deeply in his new quarters, despite his mind turning to his family and his uncle just before he drifted to sleep. He woke up with a yawn and a stretch, swinging his legs off the bed. Last night, they had spent several more hours in the galley. The mood shifted several times as they all shared different stories. Eventually, they called it a night, deciding to all go together in the morning to track down Sadjier and leave a message for his uncle. Savros was mainly excited to travel in KaiStar with Shin. He'd didn't know it was possible to bond with an A.I., but Shin was different; anyone that spent a few minutes talking to him would see that. Shin was the distinction between artificial and automated intelligence. A standard A.I. makes adjustments and sounds alarms and warnings. It basically translates what the operator wants to do into a language the ship's systems can understand. It's an interface between a person and the myriad of systems and components aboard a ship.

Shin was different. He was the ship. He was also several crew members, navigator, pilot, chef, but above all that; he was a friend to Polly and Jaen. Savros woke up feeling like they were all becoming fast friends, and he was growing more excited to start this day with his new friends. He looked around the room for his clothes and gear, only to see a basic bare room with no clothes and none of his stuff.

"Uh, Shin?" Savros asked, hoping he wouldn't have to go streaking down the corridor searching for clothes. Not how he wanted to start this new adventure with Polly and Jaen.

"Hey, look who's up! Good morning, Savros. I imagine you're looking for clothes. I took the liberty of stowing your gear, as well as supplying you with a few basic crew member items."

He had been facing the door. "Good morning Shin!" Savros rubbed his head as he laughed nervously. "Clothes would be great!" as he spoke, he heard a click behind him and turned to see two drawers slide partially open.

Inside the drawer, on the right, was everything he had on him when he got here. It wasn't much. Everything had been cleaned, as best it could be. Shin could do a lot, but he couldn't turn raggedy old clothes new again. But he did get all the dust out of everything and most of the stains, as well as restitched the busted seams.

There was a neat pile of clothes in the left drawer, under a few trinkets and some tek. Savros picked up the items sitting on top of the clothes. He held a small metal stick about the length of his little finger, but only half as wide and flat, and with a hole in one end. Savros couldn't see any markings or discern a use for it. He also held what he assumed was a communicator. He loved the idea of always being able to communicate with someone. In his other hand was a device that reminded him of his uncle's compass that they used while camping. This one, however, appeared to be military or industrial grade and was quite a bit heavier. Still in the drawer was a stack of clothes.

"What is all this stuff?", Savros asked.

Shin replied, "In the drawer on your left is a crew outfit that I put together for you. I based it on the style of clothes you were wearing when you got here, but I combined it with Polly and Jaen's shared sense of style. I spoke to them about it last night, and we agreed as a member of the crew, you should have a uniform of sorts, something that's 'Us' but still 'You.' We all hope you like it.

"On top of that is a TallyStik. It's how you get paid, and it's also how you spend money on some worlds. The TallyStik also contains your identification, known medical records, and education transcripts. This information is linked to your bio-ID, and without your biosignature, all information stored within remains encrypted and unattainable. It's considered the most secure and generally the best way to handle these things, but it's not without flaws. I recommend leaving it stowed aboard the KaiStar when it's not specifically needed."

"Next to that is a crew communicator. They are linked to the KaiStar and me. I can relay messages or connect you directly and assist you when needed. You'll get the hang of it quickly. Just carry it somewhere that it will be easily accessible to you."

"Lastly, there is a handheld scouter. It acts as a navigator for you. A holographic overlay can show terrain and life forms in relation to each other. KaiStar Crew appears on the overlay as blue. Its sensors can also penetrate up to two feet of solid mass. I can also upload data to your scouter to give you added information when going to an area. It comes in very handy on recovery missions. If the location is known or track-able, I can simply mark it on your scouter's map."

Savros examined each item as Shin explained them. They instantly became his most prized possessions. In truth, they were his only possessions, but that fact made no difference to him. To Savros, these things represented a second life, new friends, and fresh adventures. And in the spirit of sticking to his plan of moving forward, he accepted these things as a part of his new life. For only a brief moment, he peered into the drawer containing his old clothes; his old life, before he pushed the drawer closed and said, "Shin, can you lock this one for me?". He removed his new clothes from the still open drawer.

"Done.", Shin said, adding, "please don't feel obligated to wear the clothes provided. You may choose your own attire. We already loaded your TallyStik with more than enough funds to purchase different clothes if you wish. I can also make any adjustments to these that you need."

"I'm sure these will be great. I've never had a uniform or been part of a team before. I'm proud to wear it." He held it up and examined the shirt.

They made it from a material he couldn't identify. It seemed to be a mix of cobbon, a common plant used as a base for many fabrics, woven in with something akin to leather fibers. The result was a robust and breathable material. It was the same material Polly and Jaen's outfits had been made from. It, too, had similar straps sewn into it as theirs did. Until now, he'd thought they were belts that had to be put on separately. It turned out they were part of the shirt. He pulled it on over his head. As his blue hair popped through the collar, it became apparent that it was at least two sizes too big. He tugged on the bottom as he positioned it on his shoulders. The shirt shrank down to a perfect fit with the second tug on the bottom!

"Whoa!" Savros spun in a circle, trying to look at himself.

Shin chuckled, "Cool, right? The fabric coupled with the tek in the straps makes quite a pair. If you give it three tugs, it will go even smaller for a form fit that doubles as a wet suit and cold protection. The pants perform a similar function although too much less dramatic and noticeable effect. The boots are, well, they're just boots. We matched them to the size of the boots you wore last night."

Savros had the pants on and was sitting down, leaning forward, putting the boots on, "I love all of it. It's perfect! Thank you, Shin!".

"You are welcome, my new friend, but I assure you, Polly and Jaen made most of the decisions. I did try to match the underlying colors to the clothes you had on." Shin sounded pleased that Savros approved of his new gear.

He stood to his full height, almost an inch taller, with the new boots on. They made him feel several inches taller. He put the scouter in one of the little pockets on the strap running across his chest and right side, near his hip. He thought about where he should keep the communicator. It was small enough that he worried about losing it. He found another small pocket on the strap up near his left shoulder. The communicator fit into it perfectly.

"Is there a mirror in here? I wanna see how I look." Savros used his fingers to brush through his hair as he looked around the room. Two panels to the left of the drawers flipped in their frames, revealing a full-length mirror. Savros liked what he saw. The fit of the clothes gave him a tailored look, and the boots added so much to his height that he almost didn't recognize himself. "I look like a real member of a crew!" Savros said, primarily to himself.

"You are—." A knock at the door had cut Shin off. Savros turned to face the door as it opened.

"Good morning, you guys!" Savros greeted his newest friends with a beaming smile as they stepped into his room. Jaen was first. She was about to say something when she saw Savros standing there in his uniform. Her face froze as she looked him up and down.

After only a moment, Polly lost patience and pushed past her saying, "Good mor—wha'?", she had looked up mid-word and was having a little difficulty processing that this was the same Savros she'd picked up in the desert the day before. The two stared for a moment longer before they blinked in unison and started talking at the same time.

"Oh wow! You look great! Do you like the clothes?" they said together.

Jaen followed up with, "Did you find the communicator?".

And Polly right behind her with, "and the scouter?".

They stood smiling, blinking at him, waiting for his response.

"I love the clothes! They fit so well. I've never had anything like this before. I feel like a giant in these boots too!" He stomped around playfully in a little circle like a giant monster.

He patted his upper left side pocket. "The communicator fit nicely in here, and the scouter fit here.", he switched to patting his right hip. "Shin explained them to me and told me about the TallyStik also.". He held it up, "Shin said there is already money on it for clothes, but I don't need any more clothes.". He held it out to them, "You can take the money back and use it for something better."

A slight twinge of pity shot across Jaen's face, but Polly burst into laughter. She took a step forward and pushed his hand down. Polly grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the face. Her face turned severe, "Savulavulous, listen," she said, positioning herself next to him and putting an arm around his back as she turned him slightly to face the mirror, "These clothes, the tek, the money is yours, they are gifts from your new friends. They are just small ways to help you adjust and make things a little easier for you. We're more than just a crew. We're even more than friends around here. We are a family, and now you are a part of our family."

Jaen had stepped up behind the two of them. When Polly finished talking, the three of them were standing together in the mirror. The mirror flashed for a split second. Savros jumped at the flash and began blinking, but the image in the mirror didn't change.

"That's an image worth saving," Shin said as the remaining panels that made up the wall flipped in their frames. The mirror and the image of the three of them now covered the entire wall. Shin continued, "I proudly present the crew of the KaiStar." There was something special about the picture, especially to Savros. It was evidence, and it was documentation. It was proof that he was not alone.

The three of them smiled, standing there looking at their larger-than-life portrait. Before Polly spun around and headed for the door, "Come on, you guys, we still gotta go track down this Sadjier before we head to Idyll Quies.". She stood at the opening, rocking back and forth on her heels. As Jaen headed for the exit, Savros placed his TallyStik back in the drawer he'd taken it from and pushed it close. With that, the trio headed toward the door.

"Later, Shin," Polly said as she stepped into the airlock.

"We should be back before lunch." Jaen was next through the door.

"Bye, Shin." Savros stepped through and pulled it shut behind him.

Once they were all in the main airlock, with the doors secured, the outer door sounded an alarm and swung open.

"Good luck finding Sadjier, you guys. Let me know how it goes." Shin worried it would take longer than they thought to track this guy down.

Savros nearly had a panic attack when he realized they would be taking the "Pod of Agony" around town.

"Can we just walk?", He wasn't joking, but the two just laughed it off.

"Relax," Jaen said, tossing him a pair of goggles. "The dampeners were damaged, but I patched them this morning. Now she should purr like a Fur."

"Yeah, sorry 'Ros, I didn't have any earplugs for you yesterday, but I brought extras this time, in case something like that happens again." She opened her hand and showed him a handful of little beads. "Just squeeze it until you feel it pop, and then hurry and stick it in your ear." She demonstrated with one in her hand, and Savros watched as it swelled. It reached its maximum size and stayed for a few seconds before shriveling back into a bead.

"Tek." she said, "If there's no pressure on it, it will revert to its smaller state. You can reuse them if you need to, but carrying a few extra doesn't hurt. And Shin will clean them for us, good as new, when we get back to KaiStar. Plus, you get like two hundred and fifty of them in a package." Polly gave him several beads, and he quickly found a small pocket for them on his belt.

The three of them climbed onto the pod with Jaen driving, Leaving Polly behind her, facing backward, and Savros in the back seat facing Polly. Jaen fired the engines as Savros winced, preparing for the worst. To his surprise, the little pod fired right up and was running smoothly, without so much as a whimper. Savros smiled, Polly cheered, and Jaen hit the throttle. They were off zooming around town in an almost silent terrapod. Upon hearing about Sadjier and that he was supposed to "look for the tek," Polly and Jaen had concluded that the best place to start their search would be the tek dumps on the other side of town. While most of Abriva was a bustling, thriving commerce location, the town of BelToa was not that.

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BelToa was the less glamorous side of Abriva. This number of tourists, and not to mention the number of goods being made, tended to create a lot of waste. From scrap materials to broken tek, anything useful, in any way, that had filtered its way out of the surrounding larger cities, ended up in BelToa. All the tek in BelToa usually ends up in or comes from the northern blocks of town. KaiStar was hangared in the southwestern blocks. With the pod working so well, they moved through town at quite a clip.

"Are you excited to go off-world in an actual ship instead of a little box?" Polly leaned forward and asked Savros with a grin.

With the biggest smile, Savros leaned forward and said, "I can't wait to see how it all works and to see Shin in action. I can't believe we're going to a new planet already. I was so afraid that I'd be stuck somewhere alone. But now I have you and Jaen and Shin. I'm a crew member, and we're going to a luxury resort planet! Excited doesn't even begin to touch it."

"I know!", she tapped her knees and clapped her hands. "I'm excited too! We haven't made a delivery to Idyll Quies before or any of the proper worlds. So far, we've only been to the moons, usually for ration delivery for the resort workers. But this time we're going to Idyll! The most expensive and luxurious resort planet in Living Space. I've heard they've been known to give free rooms to delivery crews in the offseason. But based on the delivery manifest, I'd say things are in full swing around there. But hey, we can still take in the sites. Jaen says to be on my best behavior so that we'll keep getting jobs like this, so I guess that means we can't crash a pool party." She made a mock sad face and gave him a wink before leaning back in her seat.

As they made their way around town, Savros took in the sites what there were of them, anyway. The town was constructed primarily of large warehouses and recycling plants surrounded by smaller dwelling-style buildings. As they made their way further north, they eventually came across a part of BelToa that was more like what Savros had expected to see on Abriva. In the town square, quite a few pedestrians made their way across the square or gathered in small groups here and there, discussing the news and weather and making small talk while enjoying the fresh morning air.

He saw an enormous animal pulling a cart and stared in awe. He'd never seen anything like that creature. It was twice as tall as the man leading it through the square. The creature's head was as larger than the man's torso! Four legs, nearly as long as the man was tall. If the creature's belly hadn't hung down so low, the man could have walked under this thing. Savros craned his neck and turned his body to watch it a little longer as they made the corner, headed out of the square. With it no longer in sight, Savros turned and repositioned himself in his seat. Still wondering what the creature was. He'd never seen anything like that in his books or lessons.

"Crazy, huh? That's Crive and his Felbore, Myen. The first time I saw them, I had to ask him about it. Crive said Felbore are basically extinct, and their original homeworld was devastated by centuries of miners, scavvers, and pirates ravaging the land and resources. He said Felbore lived for centuries but only reproduced every eleven years. With their homeworld gone... As far as he knows, Myen is the last Felbore left. It's so sad. I try to bring him a treat every time I come to the square. He loves those little opples that grow around here." It was apparent Polly felt a special connection to Myen.

A few more turns, and Jaen brought them to a stop in front of a large building. The sign on the front of the building said "T-P-4.6".

Jaen climbed out of the pod, "This should be the place," she said, pointing at the sign, "Tek Processor four-six, according to Shin's research, there is a record of a Sadjier Nevala being assigned to this station about eight years ago. Unfortunately, all current information pertaining to Tek Processors is stored in-house, so we don't know if he's still here. At least it's a start, though." Jaen headed up the steps while Polly and Savros hopped out of the pod and caught up to her.

Savros half expected to walk in the front door and be greeted by giant piles of old broken tek sorted through by even bigger machines. What he did not expect was to walk in through the front door and be greeted by the largest man he'd ever seen.

"Ahhhh, welcome friends, I am Sadjier, if you need tek you're in the right place! HAha, haha! I have everything!" He threw his arms out to the side and let out a bellow of a laugh. He was loud, and his long hair, long beard, and large belly only added to his almost overwhelming presence.

"Goddamn!" Polly pushed through the other two. "You're as big as a house!" she said, walking up to him and standing next to him. "Look at this!" Polly was standing next to him, looking like a three-year-old next to her father. Sadjier's ankle was bigger around than Polly's entire body.

She burst into laughter, "I don't know, Savrow, maybe your uncle knew what he was doing after all. This guy's big as shit! He could definitely keep you safe. Well, as long as he doesn't eat you, anyway."

Savros stepped out from behind Jaen as Polly commented on the man's size, and Sadjier's face dropped. He crossed the span of three men with a single step and stood in front of Savros.

"Savros! Thank the stars! You're safe! I had gone to look for you yesterday, at the depot your uncle told me about, but you weren't there! I sent two more out to look for you this morning. Your uncle entrusted your safety to me, and I let you down. Forgive me, Savros, and please don't tell Savrotores about this." Sadjier looked into Savros' eyes with tears in his own, pleading.

Savros watched in disbelief as this mountain of a man begged him not to tell his uncle. He heard Jaen say, "Well, at least the old man made some kind of plan for Savros."

Polly responded with, "Yeah, I suppose it's better than just dumping him on another world, but still."

"Listen, Sadjier, I won't tell him, but I do need a favor from you. Last night I met Polly and Jaen, and Shin. They are the crew of the KaiStar, and they've allowed me to join them. I want you to tell my uncle when you hear from him. Tell him I'm safe. You can even tell him you got me this job if it helps. Okay? Just let him know I'm okay. And tell him to keep himself safe too, okay?" Savros stood in front of this mountain as it wiped tears and snot from its face.

"Okay, Savros, sure. But are you sure you are safe?" He asked, looking at Polly, then Jaen, "these two don't look like they can keep themselves safe, let alone someone else."

Polly's face was immediately red as she stomped towards Sadjier. Savros intercepted the beating he was about to get, though. "I'm safer than I've ever been. And we keep each other safe."

Jaen cut in, "If or when you hear from Savros' uncle, you can send any messages to this location." Jaen handed Sadjier a small slip of paper. "And please don't worry about Savros. Polly and I are much more capable and resourceful than we may seem." Jaen took Polly by the hand and headed for the door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any offense to you," Sadjier called after them. He looked back at Savros, "You know, with the fire coming out of those two, I believe you are pretty safe with them. Okay, Savros, I'll tell Savrotores you're safe and sound. And I'll send his messages along to you. But stop in once in a while and let me know you're safe, okay?"

"It's a deal," Savros said with a smile. "Thanks, Sadjier, I owe you one!" He said over his shoulder as he headed for the exit.

As Savros pushed the door open, Sadjier started laughing again, "Okay, friend, live your life! But remember, if you ever need tek, you just come find Sadjier. Sadjier has ALL the tek!” The door swung shut behind Savros, and the smile left Sadjier's face as he entered the back office.

Polly and Jaen stood next to the pod of agony. He stood at the top of the stairs, looking at them. He didn't understand how he could feel so close to them and like he's known them forever, when this time yesterday morning, he was sitting in a small magic box waiting to see what would happen when he opened it. With no idea any of them even existed, he never would have ever guessed that his life would change so abruptly and drastically. It seemed surreal to him, but it felt so good he decided not to question it and just to appreciate it and them.

'I'm gonna have to give it a new name,' he thought to himself as he descended the half dozen stairs. 'the TerrorPod of Agony' was actually a pretty nice little pod when it wasn't screaming.

"All set?" Polly and Jaen asked together.

"Yep, yep, thanks, you guys. It feels good knowing I can get in touch with my uncle." Savros said to the pair. "Now, let's get the fuck outta here!" as he hopped in the pod.

"WOOOO!" was the response from Polly as she threw up the devil-horns and stuck out her tongue before jumping into her seat.

Swinging her leg over the saddle, Jaen was in similarly good spirits. "Let's do this!". She hit the accelerator, and they were off. Racing back to Shin, who, by now, should have KaiStar just about ready for takeoff.

Shin had been ready for some time now. The Hangar Maintenance Technician team was not. The crew walked into a hangar with chemical lines and electric charging cables strewn all over. A handful still remained connected to KaiStar.

"What the hell is this?" Jaen demanded of the closest HMT to her.

"Sorry, Ma'am, there was a hangar fire in the 3 Block of Eastern section this morning. Nearly everyone has been called in to help with that situation. We've got her all charged and everything topped off. We're disconnecting the last hoses, and she'll be ready to go. And we'll have all this cleaned up before you get back." He stood in a civilian salute, stiff back, one arm bent behind his back, right hand held vertical in front of the sternum with palm facing left.

"Him." She corrected the tech.

"Huh?" the tech looked at Savros, confused and pointed, "Him?"

Jaen rolled her eyes, already bored and ready to go. "KaiStar is a 'him' not a 'her.' You've got 'him' all charged up, and 'he's' ready to go." She looked at the tech standing there in that awkward pose.

"Oh, of course, 'he,' got it, sorry ma'am."

Jaen waved him on and turned to her companions with a bit of a grin and a shrug. "What?" she mouthed to them.

"Come on, guys, let's go see how Shin is doing." Polly was on the move again. The three of them raced to the ladder, and about halfway there, *Pop* Polly disappeared!

"Cheater!" Jaen screamed before she too disappeared in a *Pop*.

Everything had happened in the span of two footsteps, and Savros was left stumbling to a halt, trying to figure out what had just happened. As he came to a stop, *Pop* Polly reappeared right next to him, grabbed hold of him, and *Pop* he was standing on the bridge, facing Jaen with Polly's arm wrapped around him. He was baffled, and stuttering as Polly laughed and squeezed him.

"Here," she said, letting go of him and handing him a small piece of tek, "I built the hardware, Jaen did the software, and Shin just finished integrating the software with his own! So now. We have." She was pausing for dramatic effect. "Short-range teleporters!" Polly was beaming. Jaen was enjoying Polly's enthusiasm, and Savros was marveling at the capabilities of such a tiny piece of tek.

"Shin handles most of the work. These are basically just tracking beacons. Once we get all the bugs worked out, we won't even need these. Shin will sync our bio-data with the software, and it will recognize us as crew members. I'm thinking voice-activated is the way to go. What do you guys think?" Polly was actually asking what he thought, but he was still coming to terms with the fact that he had just teleported for the first time and hadn't even begun processing that he now had a teleporter he could use whenever he needed it, let alone think of ways to improve it. He sat down in the chair next to him, still staring at the tracking beacon Polly had given him.

"I wish you guys could have met my mother. Back in the day, she was a tek-dev at the Center. She developed and modified new tek from the old stuff, and she was really good. She could get things to work that no one else could. Once, she told me how she and a friend had made a makeshift teleporter in their dorm so they could sneak out without anyone knowing. She would have loved you guys." He looked up from his hands at the now somber faces of Polly and Jaen.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry, guys, I didn't mean to kill the mood." He chuckled and rubbed his hair. "I just meant to say thanks, is all. You guys are incredible!"

"Hey, don't sweat it, Savray; you've been through a lot. I'm amazed you're even functio—"Jaen's elbow in Polly's rib cut her off.

"We're here, all of us if you want to talk. It seems Polly's use of language is rubbing off on you, though, so maybe you should talk to me or Shin instead." She winked at Polly and Savros as they both looked at her simultaneously. "I'm just saying; we can't all be cussing like stailors."

"I'll show you 'cussing like a stailor,'" Polly said, taking a deep breath.

"All lines are free. All doors are secured. All ground personnel are clear. KaiStar is ready for departure." Shin's voice cut in right as Polly's lungs reached capacity. She held her breath until he finished.

"Agast, me maties. Battle down the scratches and sliver the shimbers, you skallypags and billowigs! We set sail! To stations you tulip-tummied-wrench-ringing-void-trash! AARRRGGGG!" Polly had one eye closed, and the other one bulged outward as she pretended to brandish a sword at them.

"That was 'cussing like a stailor'! I speak with the refinement of.. of… something fancy, whatever. You heard Shinhan. We. Are. Ready! WOOOO! Let's do this damn thing!" Polly plopped into the chair next to Savros and spun in a circle.

Jaen took her seat next to Polly as the three of them turned to face the screen. The view from the console was the same view they would have if they could see through the hull. They watched as the hangar split down the middle and began to draw apart on either side.

"That's cussing like a pirate." Jaen leaned back in her chair.

"Pirates are stailors, though," Savros added,

"Thank you, Stavros." Polly smiled in victory.

"Hangar doors, clear. Beginning flight sequence. Gravitational break in three, two, one, break." The trio felt a small bump and then nothing.

"Beginning ascension to Halo Field altitude. Halo Field altitude reached. Contact with Halo established. Halo Proxima has control."

Savros watched on the screen as they cleared the hangar doors and began ascending, but he couldn't feel them moving at all. Savros was beginning to feel like nothing was ever quite as fantastic in real life as it was in his mind. All he'd ever known were his father's ships. Clunky old freighters that until now he had nothing to compare them to. They had been frightening and wonderful to him as a child. Big noisy engines, blasting off all that power and heat. The whole ship felt like it would rip apart every time they left the surface. The booster engines would push him hard into his seat, and as a child, he'd imagined being on a crew of a dozen guys, all battle-hardened, leaving home again to return to a war they knew they couldn't win. The planet below celebrated them for their bravery, and eventually, he would return as the hero who won battles in an un-win-able war. Childhood fantasies aside, compared to KaiStar, everything in his father's fleet was obsolete. And KaiStar started life as a ship that could have been in his fleet! He couldn't help but wonder why his mother had never stepped in to help modify and update his father's ships.

KaiStar was very heavily modified, but he could imagine many improvements could be made without taking it this far. Polly and Jaen were obviously both very gifted and could make anything mundane into something extraordinary. There was still no fanfare, no celebrations as he imagined as a kid, and now there wasn't even the force and vibration that he'd come to associate with breaking gravity. He wasn't really disappointed. In fact, he was a little relieved that this experience was so much different from the ones he had with his father.

"Savros, look!" Polly whispered excitedly.

The view on the monitor screen now showed as much below the KaiStar as it did above it. As Savros watched, the glowing edge of the atmosphere came into view at the top of the screen. Below the bright line was Abriva's atmosphere. Above it was a clear view of space. The trio watched in appreciation.

If they were as close to the equator as Savros guessed, then the Halo would be almost directly above them at this point, and as the KaiStar slowly rotated to face away from the planet, they could see it just off to their left, extending down in front of them and up behind them. It appeared much, much closer than Savros would have guessed. He could actually see people walking around on the lower section of the Halo.