TULIA: Took them long enough.
The shuttle departs from the condemned station. Planet-side, the escape pods are being sought out by local police patrols. Now that they are occupied, the sleek black shuttle disappears into the short void of space between the unmarked station with a treasure trove of blighted secrets and Orelius, which could do with some secrets rather than have all be known.
Esben tinkers away at his prize for the adventure. Safe is coming along. Its shell has been restored and foot is currently being repaired. Esben slaps away Valory's loving hand probing as if to tickle the brave contraption. She has not forgotten the favor it did her. And all the attention has turned Safe's beeps into chortles.
Aaron begins to wander up the ladder into the cockpit and Ross passes the ladder and reaches up to his shoulder with a long grey finger.
ROSS: Can I speak with you?
AARON: Sure.
Aaron takes a quick glance to scan the compartment and finds everyone preoccupied from their seats. The two of them slip into a small computer room on the chin of the ship below the cockpit. The ceiling is low here and they are forced to kneel down or stand bent over for the duration.
AARON: What's on your mind?
ROSS: How did you know
that water would do what it did?
AARON: Well... the memory of it is fading away.
I have some things that I could try to explain.
ROSS: Hit me with it.
AARON: I saw a woman.
ROSS: Yeah?
AARON: At first nothing was clear.
Then all at once it seemed really
clear that I was supposed to save
you. But even that stopped being
so clear afterwards. I'm sure it's
like asking you what you saw.
ROSS: I was lying on the floor in engineering
and then the next I knew I was in the station infirmary.
There was the sensation of being carried between
these two times. Something was wrapped around me,
but it felt like I was in zero gravity.
AARON: That could have just been
Rune carrying you. He already said you
didn't die until he got you in the shuttle.
ROSS: Yeah. Maybe.
AARON: I don't know what
else it could have been.
ROSS: So you're all sure I
was dead then? I mean, really sure. Right?
AARON: Rune cried.
ROSS: Damn.
AARON: So... you're feeling better.
ROSS: Yeah... yeah.
Even my ears have improved.
Silence falls between them.
AARON: Good.
He tries to leave then and Ross grabs his arm.
ROSS: What if I'm still dead?
AARON: Ross...
ROSS: Well who the hell are you to
bring me back from the dead?
I must have been (gulp) unconscious,
let's say, for several hours.
And I'm supposed to believe that
you came along with this magic water?
AARON: Because I knew it would work.
ROSS: How could you, though?
AARON: Because it did the
same for me. It brought me back.
ROSS: (fascinated) Really?
AARON: While you were dead we
hung around and the drones that
have been trying to kill all of us
sabotaged the station. A lot of people
were hurt. I needed to go close
a hull breach somewhere to save
everyone else. It was supposed to be
a simple job. But in the end... I didn't make it.
ROSS: So... maybe we're both dead.
AARON: Now don't start up again.
ROSS: Why? Because I'm supposed
to believe in your magic water?
AARON: Life after death?
Neither one's looking like a settled issue.
Ross falls silent with downcast eyes.
AARON: What is it?
ROSS: (timid) How do I know what
heaven looks like? All my friends were
there to greet me when I woke up.
AARON: You don't have anyone else?
He shakes his head slowly.
AARON: I don't think we're dead, Ross.
I doubt we're going to come across anyone
to tell us what did happen. Maybe we
should just be grateful and leave it at that.
ROSS: Okay.
AARON: But... if it's at all possible,
I do intend to be on the lookout for
any answers that come our way.
We've all been thrown into the middle
of something here. Before they killed Ellan,
she said something about failing
to procure a Shadow's Heart.
ROSS: Do you know what that is?
AARON: Not at all. When I first met her
and Kanon they were treading pavement
having had their ship just stolen.
Or, so the said. We ran into
all of you right after that.
ROSS: If she's dead then where is she?
AARON: I told you to stop starting.
ROSS: Alright, alright. I'm sorry.
We keep an ear to the ground for
this Shadow's Heart.
What do we tell the others?
AARON: Tulia knows as
much about it as we do.
ROSS: She knows you came back too?
AARON: No. I left that part out.
She was there when Ellan
mentioned the Shadow's Heart.
ROSS: What do you want to do with this?
He holds up the smooth stone.
AARON: I don't know. Do you want it?
I doubt our mystery benefactor is going to
be doing much benefacting over it now.
Ross turns it in his fingers and studies it.
ROSS: No. You can have it.
It's looking funny at me.
AARON: It's dead.
ROSS: Well we can't be too sure
about things like that now can we.
AARON: Alright, I'll take it to the meet.
ROSS: If we find out about the mystery
person who wants this it could
answer a lot of questions.
AARON: You ready to follow
this wherever the trail leads?
ROSS: I'm with you all the way.
I still need to know whether
I'm alive or dead. Might as
well knock about the afterlife
awhile and take in the sights.
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