Days passed, and the Wanderer moved ever quicker through the Phlogistion, pulled by some magical, orange colored hand. Hall ordered the crew to use the time to relax and heal, but most were too tense. True, they all healed, but no one could relax. The events of a few days back were still fresh on everyone's minds.
No one had seen Crystal for two days. The elven maiden stayed to herself, praying and mourning over the loss of her lover. No one on the ship seemed to speak that much; Onestar was such a powerful, binding force to this ship and crew that many have had trouble accepting his death.
Hall seemed to be taking his death especially hard, for two reasons. One, he knew the samurai longer than most anyone on the ship, and two, it now meant he was the captain of the Wanderer, something he accepted but didn't relish.
Hall couldn't rest. True, there were times in the past when he thought the samurai was dead, but somehow Onestar always managed to cheat fate. Onestar always managed to pull through, but this time he saw the body. He knew there was no coming back.
Burial arrangements were considered, but finally it was decided that Onestar's body was to be launched into the heart of Lora, Omnispace's sun. Some thought it a fitting final tribute. Only Meridian scoffed at the idea. He knew Onestar's dislike for Omni. He thought the samurai might prefer some other world, but deferred to the wishes of the majority.
That was if they ever made it there, Hall thought. Meridian's computations put the Wanderer's trajectory straight for the heart of the Radiant Triangle, the triumvirate of Realmspace, Greyspace and Krynnspace. There was something important about that area, but Hall couldn't remember what it was.
"The anomaly!" Hall yelled out. He was sitting in the captain's chair on the command deck. Only a skeleton crew manned bridge stations, simply because there was nothing to do while the hand dragged the ship. Delvin Warhammer was finally fixing up some of the damage the deck sustained in the Steel Shadow's attack, while Kath, now fully healed, manned a security post. Normakon floated around the decks aimlessly, as if he was waiting for something. When he heard Hall call out, he floated up to see what the problem was.
Hall stood from the captain's chair and walked over to a row of bookshelves stored nearby. He looked over the tomes and pulled one from a short while back. Normakon floated up behind him, several of his eyestalks trying to look over his shoulder to see what he was reading.
"What have you found, Hall?"
"Normakon, before we arrived at Spiralspace for the CONORG conference, Onestar and I noticed an anomaly, but it was too far away to see." Hall leaned over the deck.
"Kath! Get Meridian! I need him here now!"
"Aye!" Kath took off, running down the stairs two at a time to the lower decks. Hall, meanwhile, began looking over a chart within the book.
"Look here," Hall said, pointing for Normakon to see. There was a small symbol marked on a chart placed in the journal. "I'd bet each and every last Cartanian Ingot I own that that's where we are headed."
Behind them, the sound of wings could be heard coming from below. Seconds later, Meridian joined the bard and beholder on the captain's deck. Hall explained to Meridian what he found, and Meridian looked over the charts.
"Correct," was all Meridian would say.
"Do you have any idea how long it will take to get there from here?"
Meridian looked behind him at the portal. "Within the hour."
Hall turned back to the railing below. Kath had returned, along with some of the others. "All hands, battle stations!"
The entire crew of the Wanderer had assumed their battle positions. Jettisons and ballista were all manned and ready. Hall stood on the bridge, Belieth and Blaise beside him, ready for anything. The spellcasters were placed around the deck at strategic intervals. Weapons were ready, and everyone was in place.
The orange hand that carried them for so long suddenly disappeared. Crystal sat on the helm, just in case they could power up. As the hand disappeared, the helm came to life, altering its shape to fit her lithe elven form, and the usual, tell-tale hum filled the ears of the crew. Hall sat down in the captain's chair. It functioned properly, and the first thing the bard did was conjure an image of where they were.
The crystal glowed vibrantly for a moment, then returned to its normal color. Within, an image began to form. Off in the distance, in front of them appeared to be an island within the flow. All gathered on the bridge just stared at it.
It was an island, indeed. Roughly 10 miles across, it looked like it had been ripped from some planet and tossed into the flow. Underneath the rocky belly of the island was a tripod of sorts, long massive metallic columns, ending at what was perhaps the largest diamond any had ever seen. The diamond (and there was no denying that it was a diamond, pure and shaped), held an inner glow of fiery red within.
Crystal could feel the Wanderer back under her control. She tested the ship, seeing if the hand had caused any damage.
[The Wanderer is operating normally, captain,] Crystal said, her voice coming from everywhere, yet nowhere. [What are your orders?]
Hall pondered as he looked over the structure. On the top of the island, there was a lush, vibrant forest surrounding the only visible structure, a large stone fortress. There was a lake on the fortress' shore, and a river that encircled the island's perimeter. Hall could swear he could see animals running around. Near the edge of the island, Hall could make out what must have been hundreds of weapon placements. Jettisons, Ballista, and Catapults.
[Captain?] Crystal reminded.
Hall never had a chance to answer. The image in the crystal became distorted, changing. Suddenly, there was a face within the crystal, a familiar visor- covered face.
"Well, don't just hover around out there all day! Come inside, why don't you?"
Hall stood and walked over to the rail slowly. His jaw was open and hanging.
"Lord Monitor?"
"Who else? Welcome to New Glorin, Hall-ee-mor Dargass. Welcome to my new home."
