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  On contact, I felt a small tingle of electricity, but ignored it. The moment I fully embraced the crystal, my back spasmed and I arched as what felt like a thousand volts of electricity entered my body. Losing control, my lungs bellowed out their remaining air and I tried desperately to let go. My lungs filled with water and I struggled as panic set in. The energy of the crystal no longer hurt. Maybe the electricity had burned out my pain receptors.

  Strong hands wrapped around my wrist, pulling my fingers from the edge of the crystal. For the second time that day I started to black out, only this time no amount of mental self-talk could stave it off. Partially conscious, I was dimly aware of the nests along the cliff face as we sailed past. Finally, I was released onto the cold rock floor of the main chamber.

  "We've got you, Liam." Sendrei's voice was confident as he worked to express the water from my lungs. I coughed up what seemed like a million liters of water and fought for the sweet taste of air. I rolled, only able to make it to my hands and knees as I leaned over to gag. After what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, the wracking coughs had their intended effect and my lungs were mostly clear.

  "Liam, your eyes," Tabby said, lifting my chin so I could look at her.

  "You survived," Ferisk said, cautiously approaching, probably still worried about Tabby's earlier challenge.

  "You knew this would happen," Tabby turned. I reached for her, hearing the dangerous undertone in her voice. "You endangered him."

  "Tabby," I croaked. "No. The crystal. I'm okay."

  She turned back to me, willing to ignore the pugnacious Piscivoru who clearly had a death wish. "Liam, your eyes are glowing. Just like theirs."

  I smiled, recalling a favorite story. "The spice, Tabby.”

  "What? Don't mess with me."

  "The spice must flow," I croaked, causing me to laugh, which set off a chain reaction. I now needed a lot of air, but inhaling deeply resulted in a hacking fit as I continued to expel more water.

  "You're worrying me," she said. "There is no spice; we're on Picis."

  "Are my eyes really blue?" I finally managed.

  "Yes."

  "That's fantastic!" I said, sitting back on my heels. "You really need to read your late twentieth century science fiction. Dune is a classic." Looking around the chamber, I was able to make out details that I hadn't seen before. It was as if someone had turned on the lights.

  "Iskstar has accepted you, Liam Hoffen," Noelisk said, padding up next to me and peering into my eyes. "It is unusual for a mature adult to bond with the Iskstar and in Ferisk's defense, we had no idea how you would interact with the crystal. Your gambit was successful. There is no Piscivoru who would deny your rightful place next to the Iskstar."

  "I ask that you release my friend, Jonathan," I said.

  "You are our guests," he answered. "You are free to go wherever you like. We have cleared our largest nest that you might rest. Let it be known to all, that what little we have, we will share gratefully with humans and their machine friend, Jonathan."

  Chapter 20

  Of Iskstar

  Turns out crawling through claustrophobic tunnels for hours and almost drowning causes a lot of stress to a human body. We were on the other side of that particular adventure, but it had left us all feeling pretty run down. Without further ceremony, we ate meal bars from the go bag. Sendrei, Tabby, and I were led to what was little more than a gash in the side of the cliff face about halfway down to the pool.

  As tired as I was, I found I couldn't stop thinking about the crystals. Minutes turned into hours as I lay there thinking while Sendrei and Tabby soundly slept. Almost before I consciously knew what I was doing, I used my grav-suit to lift above the two of them. Scooting from our nest, I slowly sank toward the water. With my suit on, I couldn’t feel the water’s warmth, which was something I'd forgotten about until just that moment. Retracting the grav-suit's gloves, I slipped further into the water until I was directly across from the crystal that had nearly killed me only a few hours ago.

  Reaching out, I placed the palm of my hand against the crystal and felt the now familiar tingle. Instead of intensifying, the pulses of energy remained at a trickle, feeling more like warm thoughts from an old friend than an electrical charge. Not quite a religious experience, the sensations were much more intense than just touching a rock in the water. There was something more here, something comfortable or in slumber. I could feel the mystery, but couldn’t find the answers. Perhaps, in time, I would uncover the secret of the Iskstar.

  I startled at a touch on my shoulder. Tabby had entered the water and was directly behind me. "How long have you been down here?" she asked.

  "Just a couple of minutes." I raised my eyebrows as my AI displayed that I'd been submerged for more than forty minutes.

  "This is reckless," she said. "Even for you. And I'm not just talking about coming down here by yourself."

  "I know."

  "Earlier, when you seized in the water, I thought you'd died," she said.

  "I would have if you hadn't been there to pull me out," I said.

  "What if I'd had the same reaction to the crystal?"

  "You were in your grav-suit," I said.

  "Why are you here?"

  "Just a feeling," I said. "It's like this crystal is … I don’t know. It's weird."

  "Jonathan wants to talk to us," she said. "The elders have prepared a meal. You need to come up."

  "I will," I said. "Give me a minute."

  "Only a minute," she said. "Don't make me come back down."

  "I won't," I said and watched as she swam to the surface.

  Motion from the corner of my eye caused me to look over at a female Piscivoru, who was missing part of her arm, swim up to me. Wordlessly she considered me for a moment and then swam off, following in Tabby's wake. Considering it my cue, I released the crystal and followed along behind her.

  "Are you the one called Jaelisk?" I asked, floating up next to the rock face as she climbed.

  "How would you know this?" she asked.

  "Sklisk talked of you on our journey. He said you lost your arm to a Kroerak attack," I said.

  "A small sacrifice for the people. With Engirisk's machine, we will easily confuse the Kroerak," she said. "They will not find our entry as it is once again well hidden."

  "Not sure that matters," I said. "Kroerak bombed the tunnel shut. There's at least five hundred meters of collapsed tunnels, if not more."

  "They will come again. They always do," she said. "It is more important to understand what you will do now that you have found us."

  "Getting trapped put a crimp in any plans we might have had," I said. "Honestly, this is a trip based solely on faith. The Kroerak so totally fear Piscivoru, we had to find out why. Now that we're here, it seems like we've made a mess of things."

  "Kroo Ack fear Iskstar, not Piscivoru,” she said as we reached the upper chamber. “You are not trapped. There are many entrances they know not of."

  Hearing my voice, Tabby turned. She sat cross-legged next to Sendrei in front of long flat rock slabs arranged in the center of the room. On the opposite side sat Tskir and a host of Piscivoru, many of whom I now recognized. Atop the table were chunks of what I could only imagine to be Kroerak parts.

  "Breakfast?" I asked quietly as I slid down next to Tabby. My attempt at stealth was lost as all eyes, human and Piscivoru, followed my every move.

  "Your mate says the Iskstar called to you," Noelisk said, breaking the silence. "Does she speak truth?"

  "I don't know," I said. "I guess I just needed to see the stone – to feel it again. The desire was strange."

  My answer caused a lot of hissing, tongue flicking, and blinking between the elders around the table. As this was occurring, Jonathan, in their small egg-shaped capsule slowly floated over me. It was an unnecessary move, as they could communicate easily through our comms.

  "What are they saying?" I asked.

  "Our best understanding is that an
argument is taking place," he said. "There are those who believe you manufactured the conversation with the Iskstar crystal. The Piscivoru are at an important moment in their history. Many prefer their lives beneath the surface to that of their ancestors in homes within the cities."

  "Prove to us you are of Iskstar," Ferisk finally said.

  "He did," Tabby shot back immediately. "It nearly killed him. How many tests do you have? We never said we were related to your dumb rock. We just want allies to help us fight the bugs who wiped out most of your people. Is that really so frakking much to ask? Do you have a better way to fight them? Frak, everywhere we go, puissant little megalomaniacs are always the first to get in the way."

  I placed my hand on Tabby's arm. Her face was bright red with anger. She was on the edge and I needed her to calm.

  "Hold on, Love," I said. "What is your test, Ferisk?"

  "Your companions will not eat the Kroo Ack. They say it is too hard for them to bite through. It is the same for Tskir," he said. "If you are of Iskstar, you will be able to eat of it."

  "And if I do this, will you stop challenging me?" I asked.

  "No, Liam," Tabby said beneath her breath. "You know we can't bite through that shell. It's like nano-crystalized steel."

  Ferisk, overhearing Tabby, blinked twice in rapid succession as he stared at me. "I agree to this," he said and pushed a chunk of shell the size of my hand over to me.

  "Does anyone have further challenges?" I asked, looking around the table. When none responded, I picked up the shell. My stomach lurched as I discovered a slimy covering and I shut that part of my mind off. The thing was, I felt different. Something about my contact with the crystal had changed me, but not in a bad way. I was something more and felt quite peaceful about Ferisk's challenge.

  "Don't," Tabby said as I brought the shell to my mouth. "Oh, Jupiter piss, he's eating it."

  I bit down and when my teeth came into contact with the shell, the thought occurred to me that I'd finally gone nuts. Something about being confined deep underground with a bunch of lizardy aliens had pushed me over the edge. Certainly, that was what Tabby was thinking.

  "Spit it out, Liam," she said. "There's got to be another way."

  The shell gave way and my teeth sank into it. I pulled the remainder of the shell out and held it for all to see. Although I gagged, I chewed the generous portion I'd bitten off and finally swallowed.

  "Water wouldn't be the worst idea," I said, turning to her.

  The look of disgust on her face told me that kissing was likely off the table for the foreseeable future. "If you hurl on me, I'm never going to forgive you," she said.

  "It is too much," Ferisk said as he turned away from the table and skittered from the room.

  "Is that how you feel too?" I asked Noelisk.

  "Ferisk is afraid of the unknown that you represent."

  "And you are not?" I asked.

  "The Piscivoru have a proverb that says it is only with danger that advantage is discovered," he answered. "The assembled at this table recognize the danger humans represent. We believe it is outweighed by the promise of freedom from the Kroo Ack. On behalf of my people, I ask what it is that you seek. If it is within our capacity, we will provide it."

  "Unfortunately, that's a problem. We're not sure what we need. We were hoping you'd be able to show us how to defeat the Kroerak," I said.

  "Captain, if I may, we believe your statement is no longer accurate," Jonathan interjected before Noelisk could answer.

  "Seriously?" I asked. "You have something already?"

  "We do," he said. "Elder Noelisk, how is it the staves come to hold Iskstar crystal. Do you mine the crystal by breaking off parts from a larger crystal?"

  "No," Noelisk said. It didn't take being a Piscivoru to realize the very idea made him uncomfortable. "We ask the Iskstar to provide for the weapon and after the next sleep cycle the crystal lies at the base of the pool, below where the seeker requested it."

  All of a sudden, I became aware of something sharp under my belt, sticking into my waist. I felt a sense of urgency and reached to pull free a perfectly cut, glowing Iskstar crystal shard, about the length of my palm. Almost without thinking, I pulled my glove off so I could hold it against my bare hand.

  "Liam?" Tabby asked. "Did you chip that off while you were in the water?"

  "He could not," Noelisk said. "If the Iskstar is injured the fragment holds no life. Liam Hoffen must have asked for it."

  "No idea," I said, rolling the crystal over in my hands, staring at it.

  "This is quite fortuitous," Jonathan said.

  "That shard is about the right size to fit in the blaster turret," Sendrei said. "Matter of fact, it is exactly the right size. I had no idea you were so knowledgeable of blaster technology, Liam."

  "I'm not. What are you talking about?" I asked. I knew the energy portion of a blaster turret had to be attuned to a particular frequency and that crystals were often used for that purpose, but that's about all I knew on the subject.

  Noelisk spoke before either Jonathan or Sendrei could answer. "It is not unexpected. The Iskstar has protected the people for five hundred stans. Without crystals upon our staves we would all have been killed long ago."

  "Jonathan, you think putting this into Gaylon Brighton's blasters would do something?" I asked.

  "We believe it is worth a try," they answered.

  Tabby snorted derisively at Jonathan’s response. "I'd like to have seen the votes on that one," she said, referring to how the collective we referred to as Jonathan often voted to formulate an answer.

  "Indeed," Jonathan said. "The Iskstar presents a significant unknown, just as does Liam's interaction with it. Even as we speak, the voting fluctuates considerably as many are skeptical, believing Liam has fallen prey to a pathogen or psychotropic. Simply put, we don't see a better alternative."

  "Jaelisk said there are other ways to get to the surface," I said. "Would you take us there, Noelisk?"

  "It would be better for you to wait," he said. "When the bugs are upset, it takes much time before they settle. It is too dangerous for you to go now."

  "How long are you thinking?" I asked.

  "A standard year will yield safety," he answered, my AI translating the timeframe he provided.

  "We can't wait that long," I said. "There is nothing holding the Kroerak back from attacking the Felio and twenty other species, including humanity, now that they have a cure for the selich root. We might not have a stan."

  "Yup. Nope," Tabby said. "I'm not hanging out down here for a stan."

  "How will you defend yourselves without your machine skins?" Sklisk asked.

  "There is only one answer," Sendrei said. "Tabitha and I must encounter the Iskstar. We will become as the Piscivoru warriors."

  "No," I said. "I almost died. Why do you think you'd be any different?"

  "The Kroerak will slaughter us if we are caught in the open," he said. "There is no other choice."

  "You can't, Tabby," I said. "We can just fly back to the ship with our grav-suits. If there are any Kroerak on the ground, we'll avoid them. We can carry Sendrei between us."

  "There is another way," Noelisk said. "The Piscivoru will defend you. Many will volunteer."

  "If the Kroerak find us, many Piscivoru will die," Sendrei said.

  "I will go," Sklisk said.

  "I will go," Jaelisk said, standing next to him.

  "If it is as you hope, we will be rid of the Kroerak and bring life to Picis once again," Noelisk said.

  "When can we go?" I asked, not interested in Tabby and Sendrei risking contact with the Iskstar.

  Chapter 21

  In Triplicate

  I clawed at the debris blocking the tunnel. For ten days and nights (something impossible to distinguish below ground), we'd crawled through an ancient series of tunnels and caves. We'd spent so much time below ground that I had started to wonder if the Piscivoru intended to abandon us. This debris was different, however. It had
an earthy smell that I couldn't quite place and the presence of roots gave me hope.

  When my arm finally poked through and fresh air and moonlight spilled into the tunnel, I nearly wept for joy. Instead, I clawed frantically and scrabbled to the surface, flopping out onto the ground beneath the canopy of a heavily-treed forest. Tabby, right behind, crawled up next to me and pushed to her feet, stretching her arms as far as she could.

  "Let's not do that again," she said, reaching down to help Sendrei out of the hole.

  "I've been wondering," Sendrei said, unable to suppress the smile on his face. "Why is it we have ships if we spend so much time outside of them? I find I prefer space-faring travel."

  The sound of explosions in the distance broke the light mood as we were reminded of the Kroerak's bombardment of the mountaintop entrance.

  "We are thirty kilometers from our Gaylon Brighton," Jonathan said.

  "How long will it take to get weapons back on line?" I asked.

  "Before leaving the ship, we were able to affect repairs on the weapon control systems," he said. "It is a simple matter to re-engage them once we arrive. We are of the opinion that to do so will alert the Kroerak as they have shown a great capacity for sensing ship power signatures. We estimate the ships that attack the mountain will arrive within ninety seconds of initiating the power-on sequence."

  "And if the crystal doesn't work?" Tabby asked.

  "We recommend hiding within the city," Jonathan said. "Although we believe it unlikely the Kroerak would fail to find us."

  "That's a lot of risk," I said. "It would be better if a couple of us stayed hidden while I try to power up the ship."