“What is it and why is it lit up like that?” she asked, holding her palm closer to her face to examine the crystal from all angles. Its deep red color was shot through with tiny threads of black, she saw. It was almost like the crystalline structure had been invaded by another, darker element.
“That is an extremely rare substance, at least in your universe. It is calleddimriel,”Commander Rarev told her. “This particular piece comes from the heart of the Mother Ship.”
“I see,” Lucy breathed. “But why is it glowing?”
“Because it has an affinity for you—or ratheryouhave an affinity forit. I had hoped you would when Iyanna told me about your specialty,” Rarev told her.
He plucked the crystal out of her hand and put it down on the desk. It stopped glowing at once and sat there looking dead and cold, as though it hadn’t lit up like a light bulb when she cupped it in her palm.
“An affinity?” Lucy asked, looking up at him. “I don’t understand.”
“I will explain.” He went back to sit behind his desk, leaving thedimrielcrystal and the other two stones lying on the desktop. Steepling his fingers, he leaned forward and looked at Lucy intently. “Dr. Heartwood, as I said, this substance is from the heart of our ship. But I fear it has become infected.”
“Infected?” Lucy frowned. “I’ve, er, never heard of a crystal becominginfectedbefore.”
“Did you see the streaks of black in the center of the crystal?” Rarev asked her.
“Yes.” Lucy nodded. “Those aren’t supposed to be there?”
“No,” Rarev said gravely. “I fear they are a symptom of heart-rot—a sickness thatdimrielis sometimes prone to. And if the heart of our ship sickens and dies…”
“The entire Mother Ship will die,” T’zaren finished in a harsh voice.
“I’m afraid you’re correct,” Commander Rarev said, nodding at him. “And unfortunately, those black veins of heart-rot that you saw are already infecting every part of the ship’s heart,” he said to Lucy.
“That’s terrible!” she exclaimed. “Look, I’ve never seen this kind of crystal before but if you’ll give me a few days to study up on it, I’ll certainly see if there’s anything I can do.”
“Thereissomething you can do for us, but I’m afraid it has nothing to do with study,” Commander Rarev said to her. “You see, oncedimrielis infected by heart-rot, it cannot be saved. The rot will simply continue to spread until the entire crystal is black and dead. The only cure is to remove the infected crystals and replace them with new, fresh ones.”
“So you’re saying…your ship needs a heart transplant?” Lucy asked, raising her eyebrows.
Rarev nodded, a relieved smile spreading over his leonine face.
“I knew that you would understand.”
“So…you wantmeto do it?” Lucy asked uncertainly. “I mean, I’m not any kind of a surgeon and I really don’t know anything about, er, transplanting crystals. On Earth they generally take years and years to grow and form naturally. I’ve never—”
“I do not need you to do any kind of surgical procedure,” Rarev said, shaking his head so that his mane ruffled again. “Once the old, infecteddimrielis removed and the new crystal is put in its place, it will grow on its own. What I need from you, Dr, Heartwood, is togetthe new crystal in the first place. We must have some fresh, uninfecteddimrielto keep the Mother Ship alive.”
“You needmeto get it?” Lucy frowned. “But why me?”
“Because thedimrielcrystal shows an affinity for you, which means you will be able to safely handle the newdimrieland keep it alive until it can be transplanted into the Mother Ship,” Rarev explained. “Also, you’ll be able to tell if the crystal you are given is real or fake.”
“So I’m assuming the fake crystal won’t give me that, er, tingling feeling?” Lucy asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Exactly.” Rarev nodded in apparent satisfaction. “I’m so glad you understand.”
“But where do I go to get the new crystal?” Lucy asked. “Since you said it’s very rare—in this universe, I mean.”
“It isextremelyrare. In fact, the only place that has it is the stronghold of Lady Twa’linda on B’ron Three,” he said.
T’zaren sat up straighter in his seat, his forehead creasing into a frown.
“That’s not a safe place for a female to go alone,” he objected. “Lady Twa’linda is a Twainer!”
Rarev raised one furry eyebrow.
“Who said I was sending Dr. Heartwoodalone?”he rumbled.