“The what?” Sheila asked flatly. Something tickled the back of her memory, a sliver she may have read, or might have heard someone mention…but nothing she could think of matched the description of the ship in front of her. Nearly the size of a city-ship, the massive craft was covered in black rectangular plates, each of them larger than a person, which were stacked horizontally in offset rows. Some jutted out, accentuating its vaguely ovular shape, and ovular glassed-in viewing platforms bubbled out from the sides, complimenting the aesthetic. The ship was clearly meant for cruising as opposed to combat, or more likely docking for long periods while guests visited for a few hours at a time… though the exterior looked strong enough to hold off an assault, and powerful thrusters at the stern betrayed its ability for speed.

“The Library of Alexandria,” Maxis Finda repeated, his loose black tunic moving lightly with the wind. “Well, her full title is the Noble Starship Library of Alexandria, but she serves the same purpose as her namesake.” He’d spoken the name with reverence, and the more Sheila wracked her brain, the stronger that itch of recognition became. Still, she kept her face passive. Finda was watching her carefully, studying her reaction… a look Sheila knew well, from countless passengers sizing her up for one reason or another.

“Zara, define the Library of Alexandria,” Sheila said coolly, lifting the wrist holo to her mouth, and hopefully denying Finda the satisfaction of explaining it himself. It had to be something important, but what? The wrist holo chirped once, the sound of Zara’s programming accepting the query, and Zara replied a split-second later.

“The Library of Alexandria was one of the Twelve Wonders of Ancient Earth One,” she replied from the wrist-holo speaker. “Created at the request of the conqueror Alexander the Great, the Library served the land called Egypt and the surrounding areas as a storehouse of knowledge and education for centuries before its eventual decay, destruction, and erosion to history.”

“Very good,” Maxis replied, then chuckled. “A good start, anyway.” Sheila’s wrist holo made a flat chirping noise.

“Good start?” asked Zara, sounding offended.

“As I said, this is the Noble Starship Library of Alexandria,” Maxis continued, ignoring the AI. “She actually does contain all the information and knowledge from the original Library, including many physical texts and tomes, artworks, and more, all preserved onboard. She also contains the equivalent information for, well, much of human history, stretching all the way back from Earth One, through the First Reach and Expansion, to the present, and beyond. The ship is, for all intents and purposes, the full and complete record of humanity.”

“Oh, is that all?” Sheila replied. Outwardly, she was keeping her calm, but her mind was racing to catch up. And what it was catching up to was… pretty arrogant, actually. Sheila narrowed her eyes. “So that makes you, what? The steward of human history? You must think quite a bit of yourself, don’t you?”

“Hardly,” Maxis replied, looking somewhat taken aback. Clearly, this wasn’t the reaction he expected, which gave Sheila the advantage. “The ship is the steward of herself. I’m fortunate to call myself the ship’s… caretaker, if you will. Or chaperone. I wouldn’t presume to lay claim to any of the knowledge onboard, let alone the ship herself.”

Sheila crossed her arms. “Steward of herself? What does that mean?”

“It’s… hard to explain.” Maxis Finda turned toward the ship, gazing vaguely toward the bow. “The Library is always where it needs to be. Throughout history, it always has been and always will be, both where it is safe, and where it will be useful.”

Sheila raised an eyebrow. “Always will be?”

“Always will be, yes.” Maxis didn’t bat a lash at the apparent prophetic nature of his confirmation, and as the moment stretched, Sheila shivered, realizing the advantage was his once again. What was he implying? Mentally, Sheila felt for the weight of the blaster on her hip. Not intending to use it, just making sure it was there. It was.

Shaking herself, Sheila challenged once again, “And how exactly does that work?” Her voice sounded steadier than she felt, which gave her a mini-confidence boost. She let the sensation fill her, and straightened her back, trusting the adrenaline.

“To be honest,” Maxis began, finally turning to Sheila again, “I don’t exactly understand that part myself. All I can tell you is, the Library exists… outside of time. I know that it docks here, but to be blunt, I couldn’t tell you where or when we actually are at present.”

Sheila blinked three times. Not in quick succession, but spaced out, with several seconds between each. A wisp of green hair fluttered in front of her vision, and she felt something start to itch on the back of her leg. She tried to ignore it. Maxis Finda had just said something… ridiculous. It was ridiculous, of course. It sounded like…

“Are you trying to tell me,” Sheila began cautiously, “This Library is… a time machine?” She felt a flush start to rise, but distracted herself by tucking her hair back behind her ear. It came loose.

“No, the Library is not a time machine,” Maxis replied firmly, and Sheila slowly let out a held breath. Then, Maxis continued. “Though, I suppose it’s possible there’s a time machine on board. The case is the time machine. If you want to call it that. Really, it just enables me to carry the portal, which is actually what brings you to this place.”

“This place, which is outside of time,” Sheila said slowly. She tried to make the suggestion sound ridiculous, but her adrenaline had run out by now, and was maintaining her poise through balance alone. If a strong wind whipped through, she was bound to fall over.

“Correct,” confirmed the man in the black tunic. Perhaps his name was Maxis Finda, but he had vastly misrepresented himself in Sheila’s eyes. The itch on Sheila’s leg grew itchier as she began to feel taken for a ride herself.

“I’m sure you’ll understand if I reserve judgment until I see some further proof.” Sheila felt her weight balance on each word, but her voice remained steady. She refused to lose herself to this moment. At the same time, she had started to accept a few things as true, which only a half-hour earlier she knew to be impossible. Clenching her fists, she concentrated on the feeling of her fingernails pressing into her palm. The pain told her she wasn’t dreaming, and kept her grounded.

Maxis Finda looked Sheila up and down, from head to toe, three times. Not judging her looks, Sheila quickly realized. She was very familiar with that kind of glare, but Finda was sizing her up for another reason. Sheila stood stock still, chin held high, as the man in black completed one final pass. Not to please him, but as a show of defiance. He would not find her unworthy, and she told him so with her eyes when they finally met.

Then, frowning, Maxis nodded. The somber ritual, whatever it was, was complete. “Come with me,” he said, and gestured toward the Noble Starship’s bow. He turned from her and started walking, and Sheila followed, almost tripping as she shifted her weight.

As they approached the ship, which Sheila suddenly realized was hovering without visible landing gear in complete silence, just like the metal case they were somehow inside of, a black speck emerged from a portal midway up the side of the ship, and floated down toward them. The tiny speck grew in size as it approached until Sheila could recognize a black, pill-shaped elevation pod, standard for craft of this size. Often these pods would be cramped, and standing-room only. However when the elevation craft finally landed, Sheila was surprised to see that it was much larger, and more luxurious, than she anticipated.

Black shining metal seamlessly met black shining glass, and Sheila couldn’t make out where the door was until a person-sized rectangle of glass slid off to the side, revealing an opening. Maxis stepped in first, barely breaking a stride, but Sheila paused at the door to look in. Windows circled the cylindrical pod entirely, giving passengers a 360 degree view around the lift. There was also a half-column in the middle, and a dark green cushioned bench around the column, which allowed passengers to sit and look outward. The pod itself was dark, which was probably better for the view out the windows, and Sheila was surprised to hear a light musical jingle coming from hidden speakers.

Maxis Finda approached a small holo panel near the door, and began to dial in a sequence. “Are you coming?” The pod shuddered, and Sheila hopped inside. She glared at Finda, who raised an eyebrow and shrugged. He turned back to the panel and pressed a final button, but Sheila could see him hiding a grin. Silently, the glass slid back and with a tiny squeak, sealed into place. Then, the pod gently lifted off the ground.

“You may want to get comfortable,” said Finda, who turned and sat down by the column. “This is going to be a bit of a ride.” Sheila paused, then sat down herself, a third of the way around the column. She didn’t want to look at Maxis Finda, but didn’t want him out of sight either, so she settled for keeping him in the corner of her eye.

Still, that quickly proved to be a difficult task, as Sheila’s attention was immediately drawn outward, toward the Noble Starship Library of Alexandria. The elevation pod picked up speed as it gained altitude, bringing them nearer the massive craft, and Sheila began to make out more detail on the ship. The plates surrounding the ship were not a flat black, as they appeared from the ground. Instead, they had ornate carvings, the features of which were revealed in the reflecting light as they passed, making the plates sparkle. They were moving too quickly to make out specifics, but Sheila could see that some of the designs were decorative, while others depicted characters or scenes. Others had writing on them, in languages Sheila didn’t recognize.

They passed a viewing platform, and Sheila could make out a vast, cavernous space that looked very much like, well, a library. Inside the glassed-in bubble were three landings stacked one atop another, with rows of shelves on each extending deep into the ship itself. Each level had what appeared to be a study area with cushioned seats and desks with lamps. Moving higher, another viewing platform looked more like a museum. Again, there were multiple landings, but this time they were filled with statues of all shapes and styles.

Yet another platform had what looked like… trees. Yes, Sheila was sure of it. Trees of every breed, size, and color, on landings covered in beautiful rolling foliage. Leaves and flowers rustled in an apparent breeze, and between it all, falling through all the landings right in the middle of the glass…

“Is that a waterfall?” Sheila asked, incredulous. The words had come out involuntarily- she didn’t need Finda’s confirmation of the giant mass of water streaming between the landings. But how? And why?

“Ah yes, that’s a very famous room,” Maxis said, interrupting her thoughts. “I’ve never actually made it there myself, but I hear it’s spectacular.”

“Never made it there? Why not?” Sheila was reluctant to ask more questions, wanting to maintain her aloof demeanor. Still, she was already in the elevation pod, so she allowed herself the curiosity of someone exploring a new space. The pod was getting closer to the ship, the detail on the shining black panels becoming clearer and more intricate.

“I’m not sure if you noticed, but the ship is on the larger side,” Maxis replied, and Sheila could see him in her peripheral vision, eyeing her sideways and grinning. She sniffed.

“You don’t say." They were flying even closer now, skimming along the side of the ship. The pod was slowing, and Sheila knew they were approaching the same hatch on the side of the ship where it had originally emerged.

“It would be impossible to visit every room in the Library, just like it would be impossible to visit every room in mythic Alexandria. The easiest answer is, my work hasn’t brought me there. But I do hope to visit one day.”

Finally, the elevation pod took a sharp turn toward the side of the ship. Sheila twisted to see if she could make out where the hatch was, and was relieved to see a black rectangular opening directly ahead of them. The pod flew through, shrouding the windows in darkness as they passed through the thick exterior hull of the ship. After a few seconds, they exited into the light, and Sheila rubbed her eyes. Not just due to the sudden brightness, but also to make sure she was seeing clearly.

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The interior of the Noble Starship Library of Alexandria didn’t look like a starship at all. In fact, it probably looked more like Alexandria itself. The immense open area was dominated by marble buildings, some the size of a groundhome, and others as large as a skyscraper, which Sheila was certain housed the multitudes of information contained on the ship. They had emerged to hover about two-thirds of the way up, giving them a bird’s eye view of the cavernous space. There were platforms and tree-lined walkways and multiple levels with gardens and parks, artfully designed and arranged so that someone on a higher level, like where the elevation pod was hovering, and where there even appeared to be fully-formed atmospheric clouds, could see all the way down to the lower gardens.

The pod continued to move, gliding between buildings, then rounding a corner. With each passing moment, Sheila realized the truth of what Maxis had said before - how he simply “never got around” to visiting the waterfall room. The scale of knowledge on board must be… Sheila could only come up with the word “staggering”. She tried to calculate. If only one modest-sized building here were filled with physical media, books, and the like, it would take a lifetime- no, three lifetimes, to review it all. If it were full of digital media, a review would take a hundred or more. Maybe a team of researchers could get through some knowledge, after a time. A large team. But there were hundreds of buildings here, and as the pod continued to glide, Sheila realized that what she thought were decorative rings circling the interior of the ship, were actually more walkways, which presumably led to more rooms of knowledge and information, like the viewing platforms on the exterior.

And yet.

Something was unsettling Sheila beyond the immense scale of the Noble Starship Library of Alexandria. It took a minute to set in, and the pod had already started to slow at their apparent final destination, a glassed-in platform hanging from the roof of the ship’s interior, before she could put words to it.

“Is there anyone else on board?” Sheila asked, finally turning to Maxis. “There’s nobody walking around. Is anyone here?”

Maxis shook his head. “Just you and me. When the Library isn’t needed, or when she needs protection, she lives here, dormant.”

“Empty?” Sheila shivered. It’s one thing to feel alone on a nice, cozy ship like the Twilight Princess. It’s quite another to feel like the only person in a city. Even knowing it to be true, Sheila felt like she would always be peering around the corner, expecting a surprise.

Maxis nodded in response as the elevation pod slipped through an opening in the side of the platform. It came to a stop, and the glass panel slid to the side, allowing the passengers to exit. Sheila stepped out onto a deep green marble floor in a circular space the size of a ballroom. The glass windows gave a 360 degree view around the platform, and spaced every few feet in front of them were podiums with dark data panels. In the center of the space was a lounge, with green plush couches and tables and chairs. There was also a circular desk, where Sheila imagined guests could ask questions to a worker, or an AI.

“Welcome to Reception,” said Maxis, and Sheila felt the different elements of the space click together in her mind. Suddenly, she could picture the platform as being full of people. They weren’t specific, and they didn’t have faces, but Sheila could imagine them here. Scholars poring over the data pads, preparing for a research excursion, and students visiting on a school trip. Even families, with small children running between the couches and chairs. She smiled, feeling their joy, and their hope of discovery.

“So what happens from here?” Sheila asked. As if on cue, a deep bell chimed through a speaker hidden in the floor in front of her. Then, the air shimmered and lit, finally resolving into the image of a bald-headed man with a pale gray complexion, ambiguous age, and an angular jaw, wearing cream-colored robes which stretched from his shoulders to the floor. He was exactly Sheila’s height, though Sheila imagined he would appear at exactly the height of anyone he was speaking to. When he did speak, his voice was an airy tenor.

“Thank you for visiting the Noble Starship Library of Alexandria,” he began, and bowed to Sheila, then Maxis. “I am Bo, your guide and personal research assistant. Please, may I have the pleasure of learning your name, and access to your personal data files?”

“Personal data files?” Sheila asked, taken aback. Bo, the AI, smiled pleasantly.

“All beings and all things are recorded in the Noble Starship Library of Alexandria,” replied the hologram, who opened his hands in a welcoming gesture. Then, he pressed them together gently in front of him. “The privacy of our guests is of the utmost importance. By granting access to your personal files, I can answer questions about your past, as well as give you specific insight into events which impact your life. Without access, we must restrict our work to topics which have no peripheral impact on your timeline.”

“Are you telling me,” Sheila began slowly, “that my life is recorded somewhere on this ship?” She turned to Maxis, but he inclined his head in Bo’s direction, who bowed to Sheila before answering.

“All beings and all things are recorded in the Noble Starship Library of Alexandria,” Bo repeated, smiling. “Please, may I have the pleasure of learning your name, and access to your personal data files?”

“A bit robotic, isn’t he?” observed Zara, still listening from Sheila’s wrist holo. Sheila turned to Maxis again.

“Is it safe?” She turned back to Bo. “He’s not going to like… hack my life or anything?”

Maxis laughed behind her. “He’s not going to hack your life. He just needs to know who you are so he doesn’t reveal your future.”

“Maxis Finda is correct,” offered Bo. “No being may research events which are still in flux for that being, and no being may research their own path forward.”

“Why not?” asked Sheila, though possible answers were already floating to the forefront of her mind, a paradox of some kind being the most likely.

“It is for the protection of the being,” Bo replied simply, once again opening his hands in a welcoming gesture. “Please, may I have the pleasure of learning your name, and access to your personal data files?”

Sheila considered. Bo had addressed Maxis by name a moment ago, meaning Maxis must have given the library access for himself at some point.

“Sheila Cosmara,” she stated clearly, then added, “Yes, we can access my files.”

“Wonderful,” replied Bo, bowing once again. “And a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sheila Cosmara. The Noble Starship Library of Alexandria is at your service.”

“Go ahead,” Maxis said from behind her. “Ask him something. Whatever you like.”

Sheila gazed at the pale gray hologram in front of her. He looked wise, but also youthful, his face a strange mixture of young boy and old man. He really did look like he had the answer to anything she could possibly ask, and she began to wrack her brain for something interesting, or at least not embarrassing to ask in front of Finda. Finally, after gazing around the platform for inspiration, she found a question.

“What is the purpose of this ship?”

The question had been gnawing at her since setting eyes on the Library. Its sheer size and impracticality were one thing, but the incredible volume of information that was supposedly on board… Sheila kept asking herself why? Finda had said it was the full record of humanity, but even if that were true, who was going to review that record?

Bo closed his eyes for a moment to accept the query, then opened them again and smiled.

“The Noble Starship Library of Alexandria was designed and built for the gods, a gift from the beings they created to showcase the struggles, triumphs, lessons, loves, achievements, disasters, connections, creations, and overall experience of life in the universe.”

“A gift to the gods?” Sheila asked, incredulous. “There are… gods?”

It was a question she had wrestled with her whole life. Every planet had some form of religion, usually hundreds of them, whether or not every inhabitant believed in them. But with as many planets as there were, with as many religions, Sheila always found it difficult to understand how anyone could believe in just one of them. What was to say that religion was the correct one?

Then there was the concept of belief in general, which again, was difficult for Sheila to understand. Sometimes, laying in her bunk at night, she could imagine a pattern to her life, and see coincidences that seemed to involve divine intervention. At the same time, she hadn’t gotten to where she was through prayer. No gods had blessed her life that she knew of. Sheila had become who she was through sheer determination. Gumption. Self-confidence. Knocking, then breaking down the door if she was refused.

“This answer is in flux,” said Bo, interrupting Sheila’s thoughts, and she suddenly realized she had just asked if gods exist. And he… didn’t answer. Sheila waited for him to elaborate, but when he didn’t, she scrunched her forehead.

“What do you mean, in flux?” Sheila pressed. Deep down, she realized the ridiculousness of asking a hologram, which is basically a computing device, if there are gods in the universe. How could it answer without a non-answer? At the same time, if this Library held the record of “all beings and all things”, shouldn’t there be some kind of answer?

Bo calmly provided an explanation, “When an answer is in flux, it is impossible for the Library to provide an accurate response for a variety of reasons. The question may have to do with an event in the questioner’s timeline which has not yet been resolved, or the questioner’s future choice or choices may determine the answer itself. Still other questions have no answer at all, or will not have an answer until a greater universal resolution. In this case, we refer to the answer as being “in flux”, because while all beings and all things throughout time are recorded in the Noble Starship Library of Alexandria, certain events and elements outside of time may impact those within.”

“You want to try asking him the meaning of life next?” asked Maxis from behind her, and she spun around to see him bouncing on his toes, eyebrows raised in amusement. “I should tell you, I’ve asked before. The answer is probably still in flux.”

“Very funny,” said Sheila, turning out so she had both Bo and Maxis in her field of vision. She planted her feet. “Well, color me impressed, I guess. But there’s one more question I have, which even if Bo here can answer, I want to hear it from you.”

“I’ll do my best,” Maxis said. He stilled himself, though his look of amusement didn’t vanish entirely. Sheila met his eyes, and did her best to bore into them.

“Why did you climb into the case?”

Maxis blinked, and his face fell. “I’m sorry?”

“Even if all of this is true,” Sheila began, gesturing at Bo and the platform, “and at this point I’m inclined to believe it is. Even if it is true, why would you climb into the case in the middle of the journey, effectively disappearing into thin air in the middle of my ship, and not expect to be caught or questioned? Any ship will have security feeds, and what if I walked through the cabin? It’s sloppy. Why not wait until we arrive?”

His face fell as she pressed, and she knew she found something. Then, Maxis lifted his chin, and squared his jaw.

“That was sloppy, I admit,” he replied in a clipped, matter-of-fact tone. “I would have waited, but I got a holo note and needed to check a proximity meter in the office hanger.”

“Proximity meter?” Sheila asked. “Proximity to what?”

“It doesn’t matter, the readings were normal,” Maxis said, cutting her off. “As long as we stay on schedule, we’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Well, we might have something to worry about in that case,” Sheila replied sarcastically, shifting her weight casually. “I wasn’t going to keep flying without a passenger. We’re stopped.”

Maxis blinked again. “Stopped?”

“Of course,” Sheila said. “I saw you disappear into a box on my security feed. I had to investigate.”

Abruptly, Maxis took two steps toward Bo, who turned and bowed to Maxis.

“Maxis Finda, how may-”

“Bo, shut up,” he said. “Sheila, the name of your ship. The Midnight Princess?”

Sheila, eyes wide in surprise, stammered a reply. “The- no, the Twilight Princess, why?”

Instead of answering Sheila, Maxis questioned Bo.

“Bo, what is the current location of Sheila Cosmara’s ship, the Twilight Princess.”

Bo closed his eyes, opened them, smiled, and replied, “This answer is in flux.”

Maxis cursed.

“What?” Sheila asked, but Maxis kept on the hologram.

“Bo, I’m authorizing executive override number three-dash-three. Does the Twilight Princess reach its next destination?”

Bo closed his eyes, opened them, smiled, and replied, “This answer is in flux.”

Maxis cursed louder, then grabbed Sheila’s hand, dragging her toward the elevation pod. Sheila barely had time to make out Bo, waving politely as the pod shot toward the nearest interior wall of the Noble Starship Library of Alexandria. She turned to Maxis, who was using the control panel to manually pilot the flying craft.

“Why were you asking about the Princess? What’s going on?”

Maxis glanced at her once, sighed, shook his head, and began: “The missing piece to your puzzle is why I hired you in the first place. I’m being followed, and I was hoping a mid-size passenger transport like yours would go unnoticed. I’m sorry, but it looks like I was wrong.”

Sheila’s mouth fell open. “Followed? Who’s following you?” Her mind was racing once again.

“Not everyone believes the gods favor us,” Maxis replied. “Some believe they want to punish us, and see the Library as a mockery. A golden calf. They’re led by a zealot who will stop at nothing to tear it down.”

“You mean he’ll capture the Twilight Princess?” Sheila felt the blood boil in her veins… then drain from them as Maxis answered:

“I’m very sorry Sheila. The Twilight Princess may already be destroyed.”