See Part One for Disclaimers

Elysia's Hope limped along through the vast expanse of space, its shields in place, hiding them from the watchful sensors of passing ships.  Two more of the crew had been found dead or dying that very morning.  If they didn't find what they needed soon there would be no-one left to continue and Elysia would become just a half-forgotten name in the history books.

Captain Mareen paced his bridge, hands clasped tightly behind his back, as he stared at the monitors all around him.  He was not prone to pessimism, whatever he had set out to do he had done, defeat was not in his vocabulary.  It was the reason he had been chosen to lead this mission.  But when they had set out, over a year ago now, to cross the divide he had held a full ships compliment of four hundred and sixty five men and women.  Military scientists, linguists, all had served under him on this most desperate of tasks.  Without their success Elysia would spiral into oblivion in less than a decade.

Over those nerve-tearing months that they travelled through the bleak area known as the rim, he had lost a full third of his crew.  It seemed the closer they came to this region of space, the quicker the disease accelerated.  There had been no choice but to continue forward.  Without the knowledge held by the Technomage society there would be no hope for his people.  Desperate for their secrets, he would use any means in his power to obtain that information.  Almost from the beginning it seemed their cause was cursed with mishap and misfortune.

Among the first of his crew to die had been his own companion of fifteen years and one of the leading scientists aboard the ship.  Hit by both a personal loss that had almost crippled his thought processes, he had lost maybe the most necessary of the researchers.  And then the engines had gone down, a massive explosion that had only been contained by some fast thinking on his chief engineer's behalf.  It had left them with barely enough power to keep up shields and manage a paltry speed that would add considerably to their journey time.  Time they possibly did not have.

Sabotage had been proved after an exhaustive investigation, for though they knew that this mission had to be undertaken to ensure the survival of Elysia there were those who believed it was the will of Elys that they should pass on and be no more in the universe.  Fanatics, whose religious beliefs had caused havoc on the home world and may now have endangered Elysia's last hope.

Shima entered the bridge without ceremony and strode swiftly to his captain's side.  The two men hurried into the private office and closed the door on the anxious crew manning the bridge.

"Well?"

Shima's shoulders sagged in defeat.  "Nothing.  She hasn't uttered a word since we took her on board.  No matter what I do, she won't talk.  Ericsy has taken every sort of sample from her body, tested it until there was nothing left to try; whatever the secret may be it seems she does not hold the key."

"What about the mind probe?"  Anxious eyes turned to Shima, waiting for an answer.  The probe had been invented only ten years before and had proved so dangerous that an edict had been issued banning them from use.  It was the last resort of the truly desperate for invariably the subject was left in a vegetative state and would have to be disposed of with merciful justice.

"We haven't tried that yet, Captain.  I wanted to be sure there was no other way to obtain the information.  She will be useless to us once we have performed the test, and even then, we have no guarantee that she holds the knowledge.  We found nothing in either of the Technomage's systems that even vaguely related to the formula."

Mareen bit his lower lip in frustration.  Shima was right of course; they might use the probe only to find that the female had no knowledge that could be used.  Although he had authorised the use of force to obtain what they could from her he balked at the use of the probe.

"There is something else you should be made aware of."

His eyes flew to the inquisitor.

"The female is carrying a child.  It could be that the natural imbalances are affecting her system, or it could be that she was just a breeder for the Mage who lived there.  I can't tell, and the Lab can only confirm that nothing in her blood samples points to her having the formula in her system."  He gave his superior time to think over his words before asking, "What do we do with her?"

***

"Plague carriers!  Galen!"

"Calm yourself, Matthew.  We don't know for sure that the Elysian even still survive.  Anyone could be running the ship.  And even if it is the Elysian, I do not want to spread panic among the habitable worlds unless it becomes absolutely necessary.  My order is keeping watch on the most likely systems, but most are still at the hiding place.  I want to find them alive, Matthew.  If they have Dureena I am not letting some trigger happy Earthforce moron blow them to pieces -- no offence to your uniform."

They sat in the semi-gloom of Galen's flyer, racing towards the Excalibur's current position.  It had taken less than an hour to enter Earthforce' computer systems, change records and issue bogus orders giving the command of the Excalibur back to Captain Gideon for a special mission.  Matheson had been traced to a special training facility where his now enhanced psi abilities were being traded upon by the Alliance and, again, Galen put through the orders for his return, sending a private message to the Excalibur's second in command explaining what he had done.  He wanted their willing co-operation in this venture and had changed the habits of a lifetime to actually explain what and why.  Sarah Chambers had left the service some six years previously to take up a post in Dr Franklin's research facility as a private researcher.  Galen's image, reaching her home during the middle of the night, did little to improve her temper that had been irritable of late.  But, she had listened attentively to all he had to say, agreeing to his proposal after all but a moment's hesitation.  Her cryptic "You've changed, Galen," had stung him until he realised that she had meant it as a compliment.  At least he hoped she had.

"Okay, if we are in pursuit of these Elysian's just what are we looking for?"

On his journey to Gideon's new quarters on Mars, Galen had spent his time researching all that the Technomage's had accumulated on the Elysian race.  Their history had been thoroughly documented, details of their technology itemised and a projected advancement plotted.  As all races did, the Elysian had a unique signature to their space going vehicles.  Providing that the technology had not changed dramatically over the last two centuries the flyer's sensors would be able to track the vessel even if cloaked.  It had taken him best part of a day to remodulate his sensitive tracking systems, but when linked to those of the Excalibur it would give them an enormous sensor range.  He could only go back to his home planet, plot a projected flight plan and hope that it would not take them too long to find them.

His stomach turned at the thoughts that crammed his mind.  Blessed with an extraordinary intelligence he was also cursed with a powerful imagination; mix that with a wealth of experience of what the universe was capable of and it was a wonder he could function at all.  But he found that he could still put on his mask every day, face the eyes of concerned companions with relative composure and survive each day only giving in to his thoughts when alone in the dark hours of the night.

Gideon studied the orb that hung in the middle of the cabin.  Walking around the image his eyes flitted from protuberance to protuberance, gauging the size and strength of his enemy.  "And they were only travelling at lightspeed?  It sounds as though they are damaged.  Or it could be a ruse, though to what end I'm damned if I can see.  You are sure they didn't tamper with your computers?"

"They eliminated a message that Dureena tried to send.  It did not appear that any other files had been tampered with.  The knowledge stored there. . ."

Matthew turned comprehending eyes to his old friend's face.  "But if they found what they wanted, why take Dureena?  Truth to tell, I'm surprised there wasn’t bits of alien splattered all over the place.  You said there was no trace of the intruders, apart from the footprints and a small molecular disturbance?"

"Correct."  If he tensed it seemed Gideon had not noticed.  But in that one casual comment he had seen the blood spattered grove come to life in his memory, and felt every nerve in his body flinch from the reminder.

"Molecular deconstruction.  Wasn't there some attempt, a few decades back, to come up with a way of breaking an item into its molecular components then reconstruct them?"

"It was an experiment that failed, miserably.  Some of my order had also tried to perfect this but to no avail.  Even the most basic of elements would reconstruct in the most abstract order.  Occasionally there were deaths, rather messy ones as I recall.  Combine the elements in the wrong order and you have an atomic reaction.  That happened twice that I am aware of, the second one spelled the end of the work."

"Could the Elysian have perfected the process?"

A sceptic by nature, the thought that this race could have perfected a technological feat that had evaded his order, was not a welcome one.  True, the society was not infallible, far from it, but their knowledge and expertise was unrivalled in the galaxy -- until now.

"It would explain how they got through your defences," Gideon stated emphatically, as though aware of Galen's indecision.  "Well?"

"It is a possibility," he said, grudgingly.  "If they have perfected that technology. . ."

"Yes, this could be harder than we thought."

"This was never going to be easy, Matthew."

***

He did not sleep at all on the two-day journey that took them to the rendezvous with the Excalibur.  Every minute was taken up with fine tuning his sensor arrays, extending their range and sensitivity.  Once added to the power generated by the huge Earthforce ship they would be able to scan almost twice his current range.  They had arranged to meet Dr Chambers on the Orion outpost where they would then transport her to the ship.  Matheson was already on his way, their respective vessels skimming from one jump gate to the next in a race towards the rim and the area of space near to his home.

Now, stepping out into the huge hanger deep in the bowels of the Excalibur, he felt an almost tangible sense of hope.  This ship and its crew would be dedicated to his mission.  He knew, with an unshakeable certainty, that they would succeed.  His mind would not contemplate any other outcome.

Dr Chambers left them as they headed toward the bridge, she wanted to settle in and check over the facilities that had once been her preserve.  Not that she doubted the competence of her successor, as she assured Captain Gideon.

The two men strode with swift determination along corridors long since decorated after the interlude with Shelob's Children.  Their passage brought back unpleasant memories for both men.  These clean grey walls had been scarred with their fire, the floors littered with dead and dying.  Crew nodded a welcome to the Captain; most of them had served on the ship during their search for a cure to the Drakh plague.  He was known and trusted.  Galen noticed that they still avoided his eyes, even after all that he had done for them.  He did not care; so long as they were willing to follow any orders that he gave, they could think and speculate as much as they liked, his chosen way of life had always made him an outcast.

Matheson was already at his post.  He had seen the current captain off the ship -- Galen had reassigned him to Matthew's now vacant post on Mars, much to Gideon's amusement -- and now stood by the console checking the read-outs.

"All systems clear, Captain.  Ready for your orders."

Gideon turned to Galen with a raised eyebrow.  "Where to?"

Making his way to the nearest terminal he quickly linked the Excalibur's sensor array with his own heavily modified circuitry.  The crewman at ops, new to the Excalibur, opened his eyes at the suddenly expanded range as it flashed onto his screen, sending a baffled look at the XO standing over him.

"You'll get used to it," Matheson said, as he directed the man's attention back to his screen.  "It can be. . . interesting, having a Technomage on board."

Galen caught the comment and gave the telepath a wide-eyed innocent stare belied by the almost imperceptible twitch of his mouth.  Giving the co-ordinates to the helm, Galen, Gideon and Matheson retreated to the conference room.  With the doors closed Galen called up a map of the area of space the vessel was last seen in, namely his section of the Depana system.  Virtually uninhabitable, the various leagues had ignored this section of the Galaxy.  Pinpointing where Alwyn had seen them, and then his own sighting, though not admitting to the exact location, it was easy to see that the Elysian ship was heading from the rim into some of the more densely populated areas.  Since the raid on his home, now heading up for a month ago, the ship had not been sighted.  At its last known speed it should, if it kept to its original course, be shortly heading into the area fondly known as 'the vortex'.  Ships entering that section of space had an uncanny way of vanishing.  Galen knew, as his companions did not, that the Mage who resided within that system protected the area.  It was his interference that led to certain ships being lost.  The natural phenomena that drew so many unwary travellers into the vortex, was the least of their worries.

"This route they are taking has already passed by two Mage homes and is now heading for a third.  I need hardly state that this knowledge goes no further?"

"What do they want from you?  What could you hold that would have drawn them into this journey?  From what you have told me, they managed to gain access to your computers?" Gideon turned a questioning eye to Galen's still figure, receiving a slow nod in reply.

"Then what could be gained from taking Dureena?  What information could she possibly supply that is not contained within your records?"

He had given much thought to that very question.  There were many secrets that were handed down from teacher to pupil, things that were never committed to files or paper, any one of which would be of enormous value to any species.  What the Elysians might want had him perplexed.  Although the Technomages had accumulated a huge medical database, a cure had never been found for the plague carried by that race.  There had been frenzied research at the time, but with their banishment the research had fizzled out.  Two hundred years was a long time to wait for a cure.

Suddenly Alwyn's words returned to him in brilliant clarity.  He had said he felt old, that he remembered the incidents involving the Elysian.  Was that what they were searching for?  The secret of the Mage's extended life span?

He felt the blood drain from his already pale face, cold settled like a lump of ice in his stomach.  This secret was guarded so closely that only those who actually had been adapted knew the incantations and formulae required.  It was the one secret that no Technomage, no matter the circumstances, would ever reveal.  Once a Mage's implants had been fitted certain chemical changes began to react with the body's natural systems.  Synaptic codes were re-written, the whole way a brain functioned changed beyond recognition, enhancing and freeing the incredible powers available.  His order had been the only ones to realise the untapped potential and to be successful in accessing it.  And yes, it was the most closely guarded secret that was handed down by oral tradition.

Blank eyes stared unseeing at the swirl of planets hovering in the centre of the room, as the full impact of his conclusion took hold.  It was one of the few things that he had not taught to Dureena, and the one thing that she could never pass on.

"Galen?"

Gideon's voice brought him back to the present.

"You know what they want?"

"I think I do, Matthew," his voice bleak.  "It is something that no Mage would ever give them and an answer that Dureena does not hold."

Suddenly the thought that her uselessness to her captors might mean her death, that she might already have been discarded flooded his mind.  Turning quickly, he released the doors and strode from the conference room, blind to those around him.

He walked the corridors in a haze, seeing little, acknowledging nothing.  An unwary cadet almost collided with him and yet he was impervious to the incident, leaving the shaken woman staring after him.  He entered the transportation system, the car empty and quiet.  Letting his head fall back against the glass he thought through the possibilities available to him.  The soft rumble of the carriage vibrated through his skull and down through his body, providing a grounding force that kept him from flying apart.  He could not, under any circumstances, give up the knowledge he now believed the Elysian wanted.  Not even to save the life of the woman he had loved for the last ten years.  His calling asked many sacrifices, this would be the worst.  But he had to hope that she lived still, that there would be a chance of rescue.  In all events, the Elysian, if they still carried the plague, had to be stopped.  Twice, crew made to enter the carriage, but Galen's still, taut body exuded enough warnings that no one took a step to enter.

He was left to his solitary musings for nearly two hours, word of his presence in the transport system must have filtered throughout the ship and he had been left severely alone.  Inevitably it was Gideon who finally braved his self imposed isolation.  The man had never held him in the awe that existed elsewhere on the ship.  In a vague way, he found that quite pleasing.

Galen spoke before Matthew could begin.  " I know.  We have to stop them, and we will.  But, no matter whether they hold Dureena to ransom or not, I can not part with the knowledge they seek."  The other man began to speak.  Galen cut him off abruptly.

"This is not open to discussion, Matthew."  He stood and brushed past the Captain, heading back to the bridge where he hoped they would soon pick up traces of his enemy.

***

Mareen entered the cell where the captured female had been confined.  She sat, still defiant, tied to the chair that had been her place almost from the moment they had brought her aboard.  After her many escapes this had been the only way to control her.  He turned his eyes from her naked form, seeing the contempt on her face as he did so.  Her body bore many wounds; some that had festered and bled against the strange coloured skin.  Although he had authorised this, the full impact of what he had instigated only now reached him.  He had been isolated from this horror as he sat on his bridge.  Only the desperate need of his kind had led him to try this, and it had not worked.  The female, her stomach even now beginning to distend with her pregnancy, still would not yield up the secrets that surely she must know.  Shima had requested that they use the mind probe, but he had wanted to see for himself the captive that had held out so long.

"Why won't you tell us?" he said, sorrowfully.  "If you know, we will discover it.  Do you understand that we can take it from your mind?  The process will leave you virtually brain dead; do you want that?  You carry a child within you, do you want that child to die?"

Still she glared defiance at him, though some of her colour had drained when he threatened the child.

"Do you even understand what I am saying?"  For the first time he wondered if maybe this creature was even intelligent enough to understand the extreme danger in which it stood.

"Go.  To.  Hell!"

They were the first words she had spoken in her long captivity.  Uttered between dry lips, in a voice that rasped with the need for water, she had the nerve to curse him!

Shima returned to the room, and looked expectantly at his superior.

"Very well, do it.  But cover her up first, she is offensive to the eye."

Shima pulled a thin gown over her head before grabbing her hair in one hand, a knife brandished in the other.  With swift strokes he cut away the long tresses and tossed them aside with contempt, running a soothing hand over his own bald head.  Wheeling in the machine he set up the headset and placed it on the prisoner's skull.

Her screams echoed down the hall and wrapped themselves around the quickly departing Mareen.

***

Galen felt as though he was caught in the middle of a tsunami, buffeted by hopes and fears in an endless circle that washed over him day after day.  Frustrated almost beyond his ability to cope, he stared again at the sensor readings.  Nothing; not a damn thing.  They had reached the vortex in three days, skipping from one jump gate to the next.  If his calculations were correct they should arrive in Draken's system ahead of the slow moving Elysian vessel.  He had left the Excalibur at speed; his jet-black flyer quickly lost on visual displays, not even registering on the sensor relays.  Sending ahead to Draken that he was about to enter his purview, Galen had waited tensely, fingers drumming impatiently on the console.  Receiving a reply he had sped toward the Mage hideout to meet his brother face to face; he would not impart details of his mission over the communication system.

He had come away from that meeting with his emotions in a whirl.  The Elysian ship had passed that way just forty eight hours before.  Draken, having been warned to keep an eye open for the plague carriers had increased his defences, and had beaten off an attempt by the Elysians to raid his home and his person.  Three humanoids had materialised within his Laboratory, only his keen senses had kept him from being struck down by the weapons that they held.  Automatic defences had come into play, surrounding the invaders in a force field that neutralised their weapons.  For a brief moment they had been confused, a moment later they had dematerialised from sight.  They had tried four more times, each time thwarted by his defensive systems.  That they had this technology fuelled Draken's thirst for knowledge and it had been difficult to dissuade him from joining in their mission.  He would be better served by Draken's continued vigilance.  Gathering all the data that he had accumulated, Galen returned to the Excalibur to analyse and extract what he could.  Not only did they have the ability to materialise but it seemed that when cloaked their vessel was undetectable, even by his enhanced systems.

They were now sixty-three days into the search.  Time and again his sensors would pick up a reading, time and again they arrived to find nothing.  The only way to catch them was to be at hand when they uncloaked.  The Elysian's speed seemed fairly constant, sometimes slower, hardly ever faster than he had calculated.  But, if they did not find them within the next month he would have to warn the outer colonies of their intrusion.  Although he was sure in his own mind of what they wanted, he could not guarantee that they would not try and assimilate a planet again.

And all the while he agonised over Dureena's fate.

He was deep in conversation with Matthew and his first officer, when he felt a strangely familiar tingle deep in his mind.  The feeling so temporary that he hardly knew if he imagined it.  His sudden silence elicited concerned glances from his companions.

"I'm sorry, Matthew, could you repeat that?"  A half-hearted smile played across his lips, only to be frozen there as that same tingle swept through him again.

Over the years, as their intimacy had grown and the bond between them grew stronger he had the feeling that Dureena and he were linked more intimately than he could have prophesied.  He knew where she was most of the time, could 'feel' when she was low or frustrated, or wanted the comfort of their joining.  It had made those last few days so much harder as they argued and fought, and when he had left, he had known how much he had hurt her.  It was that same familiar sense of her that tickled at his senses, almost out of reach.

"Dureena?" he murmured, lost to his surroundings.

Matheson, although he had heard her voice in his mind once before, shook his head at Gideon's questioning look.  "I don't pick up anything, sorry."

Galen held up a hand, requesting their silence as he tried to home in upon the source of that vague impression; and then it was gone.

He turned quickly to the telepath.  "You could not feel her?  There was no sense of Dureena in your mind just then?  I know you read her once before, are you sure you had no. . ."

"Nothing.  I keep my barriers in place all the time, Galen.  I have to; if I didn't I would be swamped with images and thoughts from everyone around me, like standing in a huge room crowded with people all shouting at the top of their voices.  I can't filter one out of so many unless I have time to prepare."

Although he was aware of disappointment, Galen now had something with which to hold onto, a small hope that did much to ease his gnawing fears.

Over the next twenty-four hours the fleeting impressions grew stronger though less and less frequent, leading them on slowly, like following a scattering of breadcrumbs set too far apart.  There was no way that Matheson could help the tortured Mage; only he knew the unique signal that was Dureena.

Continued

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