“Can you still fly your ship?” the Ancient One asked earnestly. “Because if you can, you must go now, Kindred. There is no time to lose—go while you are still able.”
“But…but what will happen to us when we get back to…to that other place we came from?” Danielle asked uncertainly. “We’ll still love each other—won’t we?” She looked up at Brav appealingly.
“Of course we will, little girl,” he told her, stroking her cheek. “I’ll never stop loving you.”
“Ah, but I fear that you will.” The Ancient One sounded sad. “Just as your memories of your home have faded here on Soluu Four, I fear that your memories of what you experienced here—and the feelings they engendered—will fade from your minds when you leave. That is another after-effect of exposure to the Mother Stone.”
“That’s bullshit!” Brav said harshly. “I’ll never forget how I feel for Danielle—and I’ll never stop feeling it either!”
“I hope you are right…but I very much doubt it.” The Ancient One shook his head pessimistically.
“What about our bodies?” Danielle asked, frowning. “Will we go back to the same age we were before?” She shook her head. “I seem to remember feeling really achy sometimes. My back hurt when I bent over and I couldn’t get into certain…certain…” A frown of concentration creased her forehead. “Certain yogurt poses—I think that’s what it was. Some kind of bendy exercise, anyway.”
“I do not know about that,” the Ancient One admitted. “It may be that your bodies will revert some of the way or all of the way back to the way they were before you came—but then again, they may not.”
“So basically, nothing is certain but the fact that we need to get the Seven Hells out of here,” Brav growled. “Is that right?”
“That about sums it up, I’m afraid.” The Ancient One sighed and shook his head. “Please give my apologies to your leader—if you can remember to do so,” he added. “I only wanted what was best for my people and the fact that ten percent of them have become mutated monsters weighs heavily on my heart.”
“Maybe something could still be done,” Danielle said, frowning. “Maybe we could develop some kind of…of…jeans therapy? No wait, those are denim trousers. What I am trying to say?” She seemed to be struggling to recall information from her past. “I used to know more about this kind of thing,” she said apologetically to the Ancient One. “But I can’t seem to remember it all now.”
“It will come back to you as your memories of Soluu Four fade,” the Ancient One assured her. “And if you can, indeed, send any help to us here, I would be most grateful. Simply tell Kozen what to do and I will have him do it—he is my mouthpiece when dealing with such things.”
“Thank you,” Brav said. “For warning us. I don’t think we would have left if you hadn’t. I knew that Danielle and I were getting younger and younger but somehow it didn’t seem to matter.”
“Nothing matters but being together,” Danielle said, looking up at him.
“That’s how it feels to me, too, little girl.” Brav stroked her long hair lovingly. But inside, he was already wondering how she would feel once they got back to the Mother Ship and her memories of Soluu Four started to fade. Was the old hologram right? Would they really forget how much they loved each other?
“You should go now—tonight—before you lose your purpose,” the Ancient One said earnestly. “I would hate to be the cause of your deaths, my friends. And please forgive me for calling you here in the first place.”
“You only wanted what was right for your people,” Danielle objected. “Any good leader would do the same. Maybe we can still help you—we’ll try once we get back to the…to the…” She frowned. “Now, I’ve forgotten the name of that place we came from! Was it the Brother Ship?”
“The Mother Ship,” Brav corrected her. He frowned—the Ancient One was right—they really did need to get away from Soluu Four while they still could. Before his piloting knowledge got too fuzzy.
He had learned to fly a ship when he was around eighteen cycles old and he wasn’t apparently much older than that now. If he de-aged past the point when he had gained that vital knowledge, he wasn’t sure what might happen. But nothing good, he was certain.
“We have to go, little girl,” he said to Danielle. “Right now—right away.”
“But can’t we say goodbye to everyone first?” Danielle looked like she might cry. “The H’rakens are like our family now! I want to see Navii and Kozen and Yolii and little baby Gazimba one more time!”
“I’m afraid there isn’t time,” the Ancient One said. “If you linger too long, the Mother Stone will sap your purpose. It wants, above all things, to draw people together. Which is why you feel that these people you met only two weeks ago are your family, though your true family is doubtless waiting at home.”