PEGASUS (FARSIDE SAGA: BOOK TWO)

Named after his Great Grandmother, the small transport shuttle, The Ebonice, descended through the dense ionic shielding. The sleek near diamond-shaped craft was tossed around in the planet's rough atmosphere. The pilot activated the stabilizers and leveled the craft. AT'gru, sitting in the copilot's seat, made a few clucking noises into the comlink, then told the pilot to head to the coordinates he downloaded into the navigation control. Fifteen minutes into the flight, AT'gru told him to stop and hold his position. Jason walked into the cockpit and stood behind AT'gru as he made a few more clucking noises.

A long wall of water rose from the surface. A small section parted open and AT'gru gestured for them to enter. The ship maneuvered in and angled itself along the inside wall. The outer wall closed encasing them in a water tunnel as the ship proceeded forward. The tunnel began to angle downward until they were almost at a vertical descent as the wall of water descended back into the surface. The ship began to increase speed as the controls were taken over by an unseen force. AT'gru reassured everyone that this was normal. The tunnel began to curve sharply in different directions, almost exceeding the ship's maneuvering capabilities, as the wingtips sliced through the edges of the watery walls coming around the curves.

Finally, the Ebonice entered a large watery chamber filled with small crafts of different and unique designs. There were latticeworks of water floating throughout the chamber on which the ships were docked next to each other. One such ship, Jason noticed as his ship docked next to it, was what looked to be a luminescent stingray, almost reminding him of an old movie called 'The Abyss'. The docking station was made from water but felt solid like metal as the clamps gently grabbed the ship's wings. The rear hatch opened as a platform of water formed, connecting to the ramp. The large chamber sounded like a distant waterfall as the water flowed around the room. Distant flashes of lightning revealed silhouettes of large creatures on the other side of the dark walls. Everyone followed AT'gru onto the platform except the humans.

"It's ok. Just pretend the ground is flooded a little. You have feet coverings but the feeling is like what you would call....' walking in mud'" he said as he wiggled his webbed feet.

Vanessa, stopping the captain from moving forward, took the first step, cautiously, on to the platform. After applying a little pressure and not feeling her foot sink, she walked on and stood next to AT'gru. She turned around and was surprised to see the last of her gel-like footsteps quickly disappearing into watery ripples. Magi followed suit as he stepped past the captain. Jason slowly walked across with his arms out to his side.

"I believe your Deity had his arms held out in front of him," Gremlet said with a smile as Jason reached the group. Looking down and lifting his foot, he was intrigued by the platform's technology. He wondered if they used some type of arc gen too as he thought about Earth's lumitechnology.

Mike shook his head with a smirk as his feet transformed into thrusters. He hovered over to the group and settled down. Magi watched Mike's feet as they converted back, then at Mike.

"Do I label you as cyborg or android?" Magi asked.

"Human," Mike said. "I'm sorry, " he said, looking at the expression on Magi's face.

"Don't mean to sound rude about it. Old habit. Had to go through the ooo's and aaaah's when I was first...fixed, I guess. Anyway, I guess since my brain is still organic you could say I'm a cyborg. Although my brain is heavily augmented too, so in a sense, I'm a hybrid." Mike said as he shrugged his shoulders and looked straight.

The platform detached from the ramp and floated towards the wall. A small section of the wall opened to a squared tunnel as the platform entered. It amazed Jason that they didn't feel any acceleration as the platform began to pick up speed. Once again flashes of light showed silhouettes of large creatures swimming within the watery walls of the tunnel. A school of small half shark and half octopus looking creatures leaped in and out of the water below trying to keep up until the platform's speed overtook them.

"Those are Gildens," AT'gru said, pointing to the small creatures as they passed.

The platform reconfigured, separating the group as they approached a split in the tunnel. AT'gru, John, and the High Council went left. Jason and the rest went to the right.

The platform began to form a bullet-shaped cocoon around Jason and his group as the tunnel became round and straight. Suddenly, as if they were a bullet, they streaked forward in a bluish white flash.

After a while, they began to slow down and they could see the silhouette of a large boxy looking structure in front of them. As they approached, the tunnel curved and took them around the side to a triangular indentation along the bottom edge. Entering the indentation, which had began to open up to a greenish glowing tunnel, the platform finally came to rest, dispersing into the circuitry looking flooring. Glancing around, the group slowly stepped forward into the tunnel.

"Guess it's my turn," Mike said as he stepped ahead.

"This is Stema 12, my home. Hugo found me adrift in space and brought me back here, although here wasn't here. Hugo can explain that better than I can but this whole facility is a giant spaceship...kinda. Anyway, my pod was ruptured during evac. Didn't quite get into my suit all the way and as a result, what you see here." He finished as they approached a light blueish chamber.

The opaque doors hissed open as the group entered. Kurie stepped forward as his helmet shifted back to his shoulders. Looking around, he spotted a 3d hologram of the dragon-like creature rotating in a ceiling to floor liquid filled glass cylinder in the center of the chamber. The cylinder had a metal desk-like table wrapped around it, some parts extended out a few feet to accommodate a few various items. Behind it was a series of sophisticated computers and equipment along the curved walls. Another opaque doorway opened and a bluish gray humanoid circuit board walked in toward the floating image, carrying a variety of different glass plaques.

'Upgrade' Magi thought, reminding him of an alien character from an old cartoon called Ben 10.

He set the stack down on the table as he looked at the group. He lifted his right arm as a cylindrical device formed on the inside right forearm. He grabbed it and tossed it to Mike. Catching it, Mike looked at the device then at Hugo.

"It's an upgrade for your next trip out." Hugo said as he changed the image to a section of space that no one but Kurie recognized.

Mike took the device and placed it in the opening that formed in his forearm.

"Ummm...hi. I'm Captain Jas...."

"Forgive me Captain, " Hugo said, cutting Jason off. "I know who you and your crew are, and the whole of the Peacekeepers. Although I've known Kurie as a long time student before then. Mike has explained how I found him. That leaves only me. I am Hugo." He finished as he turned towards the control console.

"I like this guy already!" Vanessa said sarcastically, hooking a thumb at Hugo as she faced the Captain.

"Forgive me Ms. Ray for being so straight forward, but in light of our current circumstance, time....is of the utmost importance." Hugo said as the image unwrapped from the cylinder into four screens slowly rotating around it.

It zoomed in to what appeared to be a small astroid field. The group all gathered in closer to get a better look.

"This is what's left of Hyderia."