Crystal recognised her immediately.

  She’d seen this thing many times over the aeons in the spirit realm prison she’d been trapped in with the other Archons, but here she was, free, loose upon the galaxy, and Crystal felt a terror rise up within her that she had not felt before.

  “Crystal? Why, I had no idea you were here. Hunting us down, were you?” the new arrival asked.

  “Lilitu,” Crystal said, saying her name under her breath as she backed away from the Archon.

  “It’s rude to ignore my questions, Crystal. Did no one teach you manners?” Lilitu asked.

  ~Crystal, get to my ship and go,~ Anka said in her mind. Crystal could see Anka off to her right, still fighting some Nomads.

  ~I’m not leaving yet, not with an Archon here,~ Crystal explained.

  ~Yes, you are,~ Anka replied as Essentia flared from her. Fire, energy, and plasma rushed across the room and engulfed the Archon, sending her flying through the wall and out of the room. Crystal watched the display of Magical power in awe when Anka suddenly appeared in front of her.

  “Go, now. I need you to do this. Humanity needs you to do this.”

  Crystal looked up at Anka and into her deep black eyes as her words rang through her head. She knew Anka was right. Personal vendettas had no place in today's fight. The Nexus had to be warned, and she had to do it. She nodded once, concentrated, and Ported out of the room. She appeared on the Gnosis in the middle of the bridge as the ship powered up.

  ~I’m Porting the ship as far as I can to give you a head start. Logos will do the rest. Just make sure you survive.~

  ~I will,~ Crystal answered, feeling a little sad that she hadn’t been able to challenge Lilitu.

  Essentia flared, and suddenly the station was gone from the view screen. She walked forward towards the glowing console screens and watched as the ship came about and then engaged its flux drive, warping off towards the Nexus.

  “Welcome back, Crystal,” the ship's AI, Logos, said. “I’m warping towards the Nexus.”

  “Very well,” Crystal replied.

  She felt bad for leaving Kora, Valerya, and Anka to finish that fight, but she also knew that someone needed to get the message back to the Nexus. There were no communication gates between Crux space and the Nexus, meaning that an Aether ship was the only option.

  She was the right person for the job, she knew that, but it didn’t make her feel any better.

  Crystal suddenly sensed a concentration of energy behind her, three knots of Essentia in the otherwise calm veil of energy. She turned to see three figures walking up the corridor from deeper in the ship. Two men and a woman, clearly dressed for a fight. Their style matched that of the Nomads she’d been fighting on Bastion, making their intentions a little clearer. She pumped Essentia into her Aegis as she stepped towards them.

  “Trying to escape, little Magus?” the lead man asked.

  Crystal frowned. “If only.”

  The Nomad smirked, and Essentia flared.

  Getting Away

  The Arkady II, Inisfail, Quantum Realm, Beyond our Universe.

  With a snap of displaced air and flash of light behind her eyes, Amanda appeared on her ship. She stood in the middle of the main communal area of the Arkady II, a huge, comfortable space filled with soft seats, tables, and carpeted floors. Like the rest of the ship, its design was not unlike that of a high-class yacht back on earth, with sweeping lines and clean white décor and pine wood accents. The lighting was soft and the ship quiet, just as she hoped it would be.

  The events of the Nexus meeting played out in her mind, and as much as her friends tried to reassure her that the events that were unfolding were not directly her fault, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were in some ways at least partially linked to her and her actions.

  Things had really come to a head during that meeting with the Nexus finally breaking. The Accord were sticking to their belief that the Terrans were somehow engineering some kind of coup d’etat in an effort to take control of the Nexus.

  It was, of course, ridiculous, but the Accord seemed to believe it and were apparently willing to fracture the centuries-old alliance of dynasties to make their point, not to mention, kill countless people in the process.

  Amanda walked over towards one of the comfortable seats and dropped down into it, relaxing and trying to clear her mind of her worries. Apart from her date with Maria, she had been incredibly busy recently, dealing with the Accord and their offensives. She felt like she needed to get away from it all for a few days and forget her worries. The Terran Foundation could function without her for a little while.

  She’d been enjoying the occasional grav bike race, and she could feel the call of the track once more.

  She smiled to herself. Yep, that would be perfect. Just what she needed to get away from all this crap.

  Amanda heard the sound of movement from nearby as the voices of two people approached. She looked up to see Matt and Jinx wander into the communal area.

  “…I don’t know, but it seems like a big deal… Oh, hi, Amanda. Didn’t realise you were in here,” Matt said as he walked over. “Everything okay? You look tired.”

  Amanda gave him a thin smile. “Thanks,” she replied, her tone deadpan.

  Matt shrugged. “Just calling it as I see it. Are you alright?” he asked as he sat in the chair next to hers. Jinx stood a little way behind him.

  Amanda threw her head back and grunted. “I guess. You’re right; I am tired. Well, fed up is more like it.”

  Matt nodded. “The meeting…?”

  “To be sure, all this politics shite is doing me’ head in, so it is.”

  Matt smiled. “I like how your Irish accent suddenly appears when you’re stressed or excited. But yeah, I get it. Did you want to get away for a while?”

  “I was thinking about it. I could do with hitting the track again I think.”

  “Some grav bike racing?” Matt asked.

  “Uh-huh,” Amanda answered, looking up at her two friends.

  “Matt and I have been looking into grav bike tracks,” Jinx said. “We have a few options that I think you might like.”

  “Yeah, there’s some really cool ones. Depends what you want, really,” Matt added.

  “Well, I’m open to suggestions,” Amanda said.

  “How about that Ring Track at Sadus?” Jinx asked Matt.

  “Yeah, that’s a good one,” Matt agreed, and turned back to look at Amanda. “Do you fancy racing around the rings of a gas giant?”

  Amanda nodded. “Yes, I do. That sounds great,” she answered as the thought of such a race took form in her mind. “Let me guess, is it an endurance race?”

  “Got it in one. Looks like fun with some spectacular views.”

  “Perfect, let’s do it,” Amanda replied, already feeling her spirits lift.

  “I’ll get the ship underway,” Jinx said with a smile.

  “Thanks, Jinx,” Amanda replied.

  “My pleasure,” Jinx said. “I’ll be on the bridge.”

  Amanda nodded as she watched the AI walk away. She’d settled in well after her arrival here from her universe, but wondered if Jinx would ever want to return home.

  Amanda shook her head and banished the thought from her mind. Once again, she was worrying about things. She sat up with a grunt and looked over at Matt who still sat beside her.

  “Thanks for this,” Amanda muttered.

  “Not a problem. Anything I can do to help.”

  Amanda smiled. She liked him. Matt was a kind and considerate man and very grounded; something she really appreciated in the madness of the Nexus, Aether ships, and Void Dragons.

  “Why are you out here, Matt? Why are you helping me and putting yourself in these dangerous positions?”

  Matt looked at her and seemed to think about it for a moment. “I’d heard you talking about the Nexus and what’s out here a few times before the dragon attack on New York. Your stories about travelling between systems and everything, it sounded, well, crazy, but good crazy, you know? I mean, I’m a geek, like you.”

  “Thanks,” Amanda replied with a wry grin.

  “You know what I mean. You’ve watched Star Wars and Dune and Alien, just like I have. Well, it’s one thing to see these things on film, but it’s something else, something entirely different, to see them in real life. I was curious from the moment you first told us about it. I mean, I was a little scared as well, but I knew I had to come out here and see it for myself.”

  “And what do you think of it all?”

  “Well, it’s amazing to see, there’s no doubt about that. People are people, of course, so there will always be fights and disagreements over something. It looks like it doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with mortal politicians, local Covens, the Magi Council, or the Nexus; you’re still dealing with people and their issues. I guess it doesn’t matter where we are or how advanced we become, humans will still human.”

  Amanda laughed. “We certainly will.”

  “Everything apart from that, though, is incredible. These Aether ships, Axia, Inisfail, the dragons, it’s all mind-boggling, but just wonderous. I never thought I’d ever get to the moon, let alone leave the solar system.”

  “I know what you mean. I remember feeling quite overwhelmed when I visited Ultima Thule for the first time. I was just speaking to Maria about this the other day. Looking up and seeing Saturn right there, almost close enough to touch. Amazing.”

  Matt nodded. “There will be people, right now, sitting at home or on the train into work, reading a sci-fi book or watching a space opera film, wondering what it would be like to leave Earth, fly around on a ship, travel between solar system, not realising that there are people just like them out here; right now doing just that. I’m living every sci-fi geek’s dream, what’s not to love?”

  Amanda nodded, agreeing with him and seeing the awe and wonder in his eyes as he thought about the life he was now leading. He smiled at her and held her gaze for a few more moments, and then looked away. He seemed suddenly self-conscious and seemed to want to focus on something, anything else.

  “Do you like me?” Amanda asked, deciding to poke that particular hornet's nest to see what would happen.

  Matt looked back at her. “Well, yeah. Of course. I wouldn’t be on this ship if I didn’t.”

  “No, Matt, I mean, do you like me,” she pressed, curious to see what he’d say. Amanda had spent centuries in various relationships. Even getting married and had a child in one of them, but these days she preferred to be something of a free spirit. She’d had exclusive relationships at various points in her life with both men and women, and they were great. There were many happy memories from her time with the people she had loved, all of them precious to her. In more recent centuries, though, she’d chosen not to be so exclusive. She wanted to be free from such a pairing and be with the people she wanted to be with when she chose, even if it was a different person each day. Amanda loved Maria deeply. She was a wonderful woman and someone she just felt really close to. Someone she could be with and not feel judged by, and she loved that about Maria. She was open and keen to experiment, which had led to some of the wildest nights of Amanda’s life.

  Sabine was a part of that same part of her life. Sabine was a lover of Maria’s as well, and someone Amanda could spend time with in the same way as Maria, but she didn’t feel as close to Sabine as she did to Maria.

  With Sabine, it was more physical, which was great when the mood struck her. She’d had flings with Howie back on Earth, before the dragon attack as well. Howie was great. He was a Riven like Matt, and he’d also been a part of her life since before she’d become a Magus as well.

  Matt had always kept his distance in that regard. He was friendly with her, but there was a separation there, despite Amanda noticing him looking at her in a way that implied there was more than just friendship on his mind. But she wondered if maybe he was looking for something a little more exclusive in his life, whoever it might be with. Admiring glances were one thing, but it didn’t mean that Matt had any desire to take it any further.

  And suddenly, Amanda felt terrible for pushing this as she watched him flush and shift uncomfortably in his seat.

  “Well, I mean, I don’t know about that. I mean, you’re a good looking woman and all…”

  “I’m sorry, Matt. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that. I suppose I can be a little blunt when it comes to these things. I’m a fairly liberated girl when it comes to relationships, you know?”

  “Oh, I’m aware,” he answered with a smile.

  “Yeah,” Amanda replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious herself. “I guess I’m just wondering why we never hooked up?”

  Matt shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you want, too? I mean, I like you, Mandy, you know that. You’re a very beautiful woman.”

  Amanda wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at him in reply.

  Matt laughed. “Is it all about sex with you?”

  Amanda smirked. “No. Of course, not. But you know me and my sense of humour.”

  “I certainly do, little miss innuendo.”

  “That should have been a thing.”

  “Yeah, in the adult version of the Little Miss books, right?” Matt replied.

  “I tell you, there’s a market for Little Miss BDSM and Little Miss Missionary,” Amanda replied with a grin, running with the analogy.

  “Oh, jeez, what have I got myself into? Was this going anywhere?”

  “I don’t know, was it going anywhere, Matty boy?” she said with a suggestive wink.

  “You’re deflecting, Amanda. We can talk about this some more if you like, but I’ve seen you these past few days. You’ve not really been yourself. Is everything alright?”

  Amanda held her breath for a moment and then sighed. Maybe she was deflecting. Lord knows her mood hadn’t been great recently with the events taking place in the Nexus following the offensive by the Accord.

  “No, not really,” Amanda replied. “I’m just wondering if I’ve done the right thing.”

  “What? Like in fighting the Accord?”

  “No, I know that’s the right thing. We can’t let them kill people. I mean with me and the Earth Magi coming out here and bullying our way onto the Nexus.”

  “Oh. I see,” Matt replied, clearly processing her point. “Well, what do you think?”

  “That’s just it; I don’t know. I mean, I guess so, but maybe the Nexus would still be working as a whole if we’d been a little more circumspect,” Amanda explained.

  “Hindsight is a wonderful thing,” Matt answered her. “You know, I didn’t see you as someone who had doubts, not after everything you’ve been through.”

  Amanda smiled. “I might be able to teleport halfway across the Orion Arm of the galaxy and visit other universes, but I’m still human. I still have emotions and needs, and yes, doubts, too.”

  Matt nodded. “Of course, you do. I guess I didn’t see it. I just see a driven Magus who seems to know what to do at the drop of a hat. You always seem to have it together, you know?”

  “I guess I can see that,” Amanda replied, trying to put herself in Matt’s shoes. She guessed it was like a child looking at an adult and seeing how they always seem to know what to do. But that’s just experience.

  “Does the prophecy still bother you? I know that was an issue for you for a while, having that hanging over your head.”

  “Before the Weaver incident it was…”

  “Your time travel,” Matt clarified.

  Amanda nodded. “I learnt to understand it and come to terms with it over the centuries, and knowing where it had come from certainly helped. That came later, though.”

  “It’s still there, though, isn’t it? That Prophecy still stands.”

  Amanda nodded. “Apparently, yes. I still have the tattoo as well, although you can’t see it under this suit.”

  “What is the Prophecy again? What does it say?”

  “Most of it talked about signs to watch for to find me, which have all happened. All it said after those was that I would be a guide in the dark times ahead.”

  “A guide. That’s fairly vague.”

  “Yeah, no shit, Sherlock,” Amanda answered, thinking back to the conversation she’d had with Maria back on Earth, about the red dress and how she’d been wearing it when she’d first learnt of the prophecy. She wondered why this was coming up now. What purpose did it serve, or was it all coincidental? “Look, I’m alright; I just need a break, you know?”

  Matt nodded. “You’re only human, after all.”

  Amanda smiled. “Got it in one. Hey, you hungry?”

  ***

  Standing on the main loading ramp of the Arkady, Amanda zipped up her bright red racing leathers as she looked out over the platform. It sat right on the outer edge of the Sadus gas giant’s rings that stretched off left and right in the void. Before her, the vast jovian planet filled the night, its roiling clouds wheeling around each other in a lazy dance that belied their ferocity.

  It was breathtaking.

  “You know, it’s views like this that make all the danger worth it because that is fucking stunning,” Matt said, standing beside her.

  Amanda turned and gave him a wicked smile while sticking her bum out. “Why thank you, but what do you think of the planet?”

  Matts side-eye was on point and said everything without him saying a word. Amanda laughed.

  “The interplay between you two is fascinating. One might almost think you were a couple,” Jinx said from the other side of her red grav bike.

  “No! Don’t you go there, Jinx,” Matt blurted out.

  “I agree, though, the view is most impressive, and the cloud structures are very pleasing,” Jinx continued.

  Matt groaned. “Women,” he muttered to himself.

  Turning, Amanda stepped forward and took her helmet from him. “You love us, really,” she said with a wink and a smile.

  “For my sins…”

  “Right, let’s get this show on the road,” Amanda said, donning the helmet, taking hold of the bike's handlebars, and walking it down the ramp and over the platform. Other ships were docked around the edge of the structure, each with their own repair crews, large and small, going about the business of getting their riders and bikes ready for the race. This was a small race meeting. Non-league and would be played for a prize fund donated by the Foundation. Amanda wasn’t in it for the money, though. She just wanted to race and have fun.