Chapter 17 #2
To demonstrate, he allowed his form to shift, the darkness within him thinning slightly until hints of twilight-like energy became visible in his core. It wasn't true twilight, and Eclipse would have been insulted by the imitation, but it might be enough to balance the fold.
Solar's light dimmed slightly in what Lunar recognized as surprise. "When did you develop this capability?"
"During confinement," Lunar explained. "I had extensive time to experiment with the Earth modifications to my essence."
"Earth modifications," Dani repeated thoughtfully. "You mean Poppy."
Lunar didn't answer directly. "The calibration will require precise synchronization between our energy signatures. Even then, the success probability remains below optimal parameters."
"Again, translate that for the human. What are our chances?" Dani asked.
"Carrying a human with us? Thirty-seven percent," Lunar calculated.
"That's better than I expected," Solar admitted.
Dani looked between them. "You're both crazy, you know that? Thirty-seven percent is terrible odds."
"The alternative is returning to Zorveya or drifting through space, hoping we meet a friendly ship until our resources are depleted," Lunar pointed out.
“Neither one of you thought to mention this to me before we left the surface?” Dani asked.
Lunar and Solar shared a look.
"Right," Dani sighed. "Okay, then. Let’s do it. Why not? We only live once. Might as well make it count."
They worked in silence, Lunar and Solar calibrating their energy signatures while the transport limped away from Zorveya. Long-range sensors showed pursuit vessels launching, but they remained hours behind. It was enough time to attempt the dimensional fold if they worked quickly.
As Lunar interfaced with the ship's systems, part of his consciousness remained fixed on that faint energy signature from Earth. Poppy.
"Calibration at eighty-four percent," he reported.
"It's not optimal, but it may be sufficient," Solar answered.
"Milano might be monitoring for arrivals," Lunar cautioned. "They tracked our original landing."
“That’s probably because we crash landed in a public space,” Solar countered.
"Can we mask our approach?" Dani asked.
"Plot a trajectory for Earth's moon," Solar instructed. "We can use it for gravitational assistance and to avoid detection."
Lunar considered the possibilities. "The damage to our vessel creates irregular energy patterns that might confuse standard detection protocols. If we time our arrival to coincide with a solar flare, the electromagnetic interference could provide additional concealment."
Solar checked the astronomical data. "The next significant solar activity occurs in two standard units. That gives us little margin for error."
"When has that ever stopped us?" Dani's attempt at humor didn't quite mask her anxiety, but Lunar appreciated the effort.
They completed the final preparations as the pursuit vessels closed the distance. The dimensional drive hummed with unstable energy. The balance between Solar's light and Lunar's shadow-twilight approximation created patterns that the ship's systems struggled to process.
"Dimensional fold initiating," Solar announced, his golden form pulsating as he channeled energy directly into the drive.
Lunar did the same, his new essence flowing into the systems, carefully modulated to fill the gaps where Eclipse's twilight energy should have been. The strain was immense, forcing him to draw on reserves he didn't know he possessed.
"Ten seconds," Solar counted. "Nine. Eight."
The pursuing vessels appeared on their long-range sensors, weapons charging.
"Seven. Six. Five."
Dani reached out, placing one hand on Solar's arm and the other on what passed for Lunar's shoulder, bridging them in a surprisingly effective way. Her hands trembled violently as her grip tightened. The calibration suddenly jumped to ninety-two percent.
"Four. Three."
"For Poppy," Dani said quietly to Lunar.
"Two. One."
Reality folded.
The sensation was unlike anything Lunar had experienced before. There was a reason ships didn’t jump such great distances. This was chaotic, reality stretching and compressing around them as the imperfect energy balance struggled to stay on course.
Colors that shouldn't exist in deep space flashed through his consciousness.
Sounds became visible. Light had weight, and darkness sang with voices that resembled Poppy's but weren't quite right.
Lunar felt his shadow essence being pulled in multiple directions, fragments of his being threatening to scatter across dimensions.
With all his remaining strength, he forced himself to focus on the faint resonance of Poppy's energy signature.
For an eternity that might have been seconds or centuries, they existed in the space between realities. Then, with a violent surge of energy that nearly tore the transport apart, they emerged.
Alarms blared throughout the vessel. Systems failed in cascading sequences. Through the viewport, the familiar curve of Earth's moon filled their vision, its cratered surface rushing toward them at terminal velocity.
"Engines offline," Solar reported, his light dimmed from the effort of maintaining the fold. "Navigation compromised. Structural integrity failing."
"So in human terms," Dani translated, bracing herself, "we're going to crash."
"Impact in forty-seven seconds," Lunar confirmed, redirecting his remaining energy into the emergency systems.
"Can we make Earth's atmosphere?" Dani asked.
"No," Solar replied. "Our trajectory is locked on moon impact."
Lunar's shadow essence expanded throughout the ship, seeking any system that might still respond to his control. Most were beyond repair, but the emergency thrusters showed minimal functionality.
"I can adjust our impact vector," he announced. "Direct us toward a specific crater with optimal shadow conditions."
"Do it," Solar ordered, focusing his own energy on maintaining what little remained of their shields.
Lunar poured everything he had into the thrusters, ignoring the warnings of imminent system failure. The transport shuddered, veering slightly as its descent trajectory shifted toward a deep crater on the lunar surface.
"Secure yourselves," he ordered.
Dani tightened her restraints, her face set in determined lines. "If we survive this, I'm never leaving Earth again."
"Ten seconds," Lunar continued.
Solar's light flared brightly, surrounding Dani in a protective cocoon of golden energy. "I will absorb the impact force."
"Five seconds."
Lunar's thoughts turned to Poppy. So close now, yet still beyond reach. If they survived this impact, if he could reconstruct his essence in the lunar shadows, he might still find a way to reach her.
"Poppy," he whispered as the lunar surface rushed to meet them. "I'm coming."
The impact came with devastating force. The transport broke apart around them as they slammed into the crater floor. Lunar felt his shadow essence fragmenting, scattering across the impact zone despite his efforts to maintain cohesion.
Darkness claimed him. Not the comfortable darkness of Lunaris or the gentle night of Earth, but the absolute void of consciousness disrupted. His last awareness was of his essence spreading through the lunar shadows, seeking stability in the perfect darkness of the crater's depths.
Time lost meaning.
Then, gradually, awareness returned. Lunar found himself reforming in the deep shadow of the crater. Around him lay parts broken off the transport, twisted metal, and shattered components spread across the lunar surface. Their arrival had been far from subtle.
Solar was nearby, inside the bulk of the ship. Lunar automatically flowed toward the vessel, slipping through the cracks to get in. Dani was unconscious but alive within Solar’s protective field.
"Status?" Lunar managed, his form still wavering as it reconsolidated.
"Functional. Oxygen is low. We must conserve it for Dani." Solar replied, though his light was dimmed significantly. "You appear severely fragmented."
"I will recover," Lunar assured him, though the process would take time that he was reluctant to spare.
"Can the ship reach Earth?" Solar asked the critical question. He focused all his strength on keeping Dani safe.
Lunar extended his senses, seeking any functional components among the wreckage. "The emergency beacon remains operational. If calibrated, we might establish communication with Eclipse."
“If we don’t…” Solar looked at Dani. “She can’t die like this.”
“We won’t let that happen,” Lunar said, unsure how he was going to keep the promise.
Together, they tried to salvage what they could from the wreckage. Lunar's shadow essence flowed through broken systems while Solar used his light energy to power a makeshift communication device.
"The signal will be weak," Lunar cautioned. "And Milano may intercept it."
"We have no alternative," Solar pointed out.
Dani regained consciousness as they worked.
"Did we make it?" she asked groggily.
"We have reached Earth's moon," Solar informed her.
"The moon?" She leaned up in her chair to stare through a viewing port. Her breathing visibly deepened. Blood trickled from the back of her head. "Please tell me you have a plan."
Lunar calibrated the emergency beacon to match the frequency Galaxy Brides had given them. The connection was tenuous, the power barely sufficient to transmit across the distance to Earth. But it was their only hope.
He sent the simplest message possible, one that would require minimal power but convey everything necessary. "Help."
Then they waited, conserving their energy, hoping against probability that the message would reach its intended recipient.
Lunar's fragmented essence continued to reconsolidate, drawing strength from the perfect darkness of the crater.
Solar maintained an energy field around Dani to protect her from the lunar environment as oxygen reserves became dangerously low.