The blue-skinned woman sat cross-legged and barefoot on the floor. Hands on her knees, eyes closed, she opened up her mind and listened.

She had chosen not to hide and sat in her room. She did not worry about being found. It would be simple enough to mess with the humans' heads, make them see what she wanted them to see... or, in this case, not to see. If they came here--though that was unlikely--they'd only find an empty room.

But no one was coming.

Starrider had landed hours ago, and still nothing. The battlepods had left, and now they waited.

Mrill could sense Val's growing annoyance. The woman paced back and forth in the control room, every once in a while glaring at the communicator, as if daring it to make a sound. None was forthcoming.

The ship's halls were similarly quiet. And empty. All the rebels had found places to hide--many in the hollow of the hull--and she could sense their worried thoughts. Only Evor and Galdin remained. They waited in the infirmary, ready to put on their act if it came to that. They sat there on cots, not speaking a word, playing card games to pass the time.

Mrill did not mind the quiet. She rather found it soothing. It was good to be on her own again, if only for a while. There was irony there, she realized. She had felt hollow for so long on her own and had sought a community she could join, where she might feel like part of a family. She believed she had found this with Peter and his merry misfits. And yet, being constantly around them could be taxing. She resolved to more often seek moments of solitude such as this--though perhaps under less straining conditions.

In the control room, Val cursed as she let herself fall into her chair.

"This is driving me nuts," she grumbled.

Her fingers danced on the keyboard, and soon a tri-dimensional image formed, floating before her. She leaned back and crossed her arms as the man's face spoke.

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"... in a straight line. There has been much debate about this. Some claim it is mere chance, while others argue this proves the aliens know much more about us than we do about them. A chilling thought, to be sure. The silver lining, notes senator Atros Kalen, is that we know which worlds will be hit next. Accordingly, the government has declared martial law and measures have been taken to evacuate all the threatened planets. From this moment until further notice, all private gateways are requisitioned by the military. Depending on the circumstances, any citizen using one without proper authorization could be fined--or even jailed--without a trial. Since this announcement, many have voiced their discontentment with the new measure and--"

Val grunted and waved her hand in the air, wiping the recording.

"All wealthy idiots, I'm sure. Anyone not doing all they can to help save lives can rot in hell, for all I care."

She straightened and tapped some more on the dashboard.

"Hello?" she called out. "Can anyone hear me?"

Mrill shifted in place, though still she kept her eyes shut. She could sense the human was trying to reach out to the healers. If this went on much longer, she was likely to crack. What form this would take, Mrill could not guess.

"Hello? Damn you! Answer already! Why is no one coming? Haven't you heard about the virus? We need help! People are dying over here! Hello?"

She threw her arms in the air as she sat back, sinking into her chair.

"This is ridiculous," muttered Val.

Mrill reached out with her mind.

Have you considered, she said in the human's head, they might have their hands full?

Val jumped out of her seat, letting out a little yelp of surprise.

"What? Who? Mrill? Mrill, damn you! What are you doing poking inside my head?"

You seemed agitated. I thought you might need some comforting.

"Oh. Is that what this is?" She grimaced. "Never mind. I appreciate the intent, if not the form. As for those fools having their hands full, I don't buy it."

Why not?

"Everyone's dead, for crying out loud! I'd think treating the sick would matter more than counting corpses, no?"

No one is sick, Val.

The human pointed at the screen.

"But they don't know that, do they? So why are they not here?"

Mrill could not answer, so she said nothing.

Val started pacing again, clenching her fists.

After a moment, she stopped and cursed.

"To hell with it. I've had just about enough of this crap." She turned toward the door. "I'm going out there. Now."

The onboard speakers crackled, and an unfamiliar voice rang through the control room.

"Please do not leave the ship at this time."

Val spun around, startled, and stared at the dashboard.