The Eternal Wanderer travelled silently through the multi-colored ocean of Phlogiston. Things had been quiet since Onestar and Crystal Ravenheart's mysterious reappearance just before leaving Krynnspace. The captain was the worse of the pair: he spent the next ten days confined to quarters resting and recuperating.
Whisper disappeared for a few days in the second week of the trip, only to reappear with a rat in his mouth. Phantom and Ville followed Whisper to locate a small colony that had boarded while they were on Krynn.
The Fleetfoot clan did their best at preparing hot food, although they did have to rely on Zebart's Phlogiston-heated-meal-preparation-device: A breadbox-sized object that used flow gases and heat in a nonharmful way to heat food. Crew morale was high, since hot food in the flow is something of an oxymoron.
Zebart did not please the crew as well when, one day, Blaise saw him working in his shop with several small bottles, some combustible compounds, and lots of padding.
"BUTSIRHOWAMISUPPOSEDTODEVELOP PHLOGISTONBOMBSIFICAN'T CONDUCTSOMESMALL HARMLESS(forthemostpart) EXPERIMENTS?" Zebart tried his best to plead his case, but was told that Hall had developed a new form of punishment: tying a sentient to a long, leather tether, placing them in the jettison, and launching them beyond the gravity plane. After a few minutes (at Spelljamming Speeds, of course), they'd be brought back in, after having several personal 'accidents.'
Blaise couldn't tell how Zebart took the news: with fear, like he was supposed to, or if he actually wanted to TRY it. Blaise decided it might not be a bad idea to keep a closer eye on this gnome.
Hall, ironically, had been quiet. Some crewmen joked that it came with being in command of the ship. Hall had assumed command while Onestar recovered, and he had become more withdrawn and moody with each passing day.
His behavior made no sense. His friend had survived his ordeal, and he had recently been re-united with his wife after five years. What's more, all was well on the ship. In short, Hall-ee-mor Dargess had a lot to be happy about. And yet, he spent most of his off duty hours in the library, brooding. One day, Belieth had finally decided that enough was enough. She walked into the library and locked the door...
"OK, big guy," she said, "put down the book and get over here."
Hall knew she was up to something, but even with their empathic link she could still surprise him sometimes. She was leaning against one of the tables, giving him a coquettish smile.
"Belieth, I..." he said heavily.
"Shut up," she purred. At that she reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him down onto the table. After several minutes of spontaneous lovemaking, right there on the table, Belieth looked at Hall.
"OK," she said softly, "now that you're in a good mood, tell me what's bothering you."
Hall just looked at the ceiling for a moment, slightly embarrassed.
"You did this just to get me to talk?" he asked.
"Not entirely," she purred, "but that's a good part of it. Something has been bugging you for several days, and you have been spending more time in here than is healthy. Now talk."
"I think we are fighting a loosing battle," he said quietly.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"Spelljamming. Space travel. Traveling the spheres." Hall sighed before continuing. "Spelljamming companies are closing left and right, it's becoming impossible to even find equipment, hell, some groups are going so far as to financially destroy some of the arcane trading houses," Hall explained.
"That's Te-Ess'Arr's work," Belieth said, "and like any other maniac his day will pass."
"I don't know about that." Hall sighed heavily. "By that time the damage may be permanent. Te-Ess'Arr controlled almost the entire spelljamming society, at least economically. He has decided that spelljamming was no longer profitable, so he is going out of his way to make sure that no one else invests in it. He is also forcing people to invest in his new lines... something to do with the outer planes."
Hall sat up and pointed at the window.
"All of that out there, all of that wonder, knowledge, adventure... all of it could be lost because some greedy arcane wants to sell certain things and have a guaranteed market for it."
Belieth just paused for a minute, then started to laugh. Hall looked at her, somewhat taken aback.
"Will you listen to yourself?" she asked as she sat up next to him. "You sound like you're predicting the end of the universe! You're just having some kind of faith crisis! I got all worried for nothing."
Hall gave her a strange look.
"Listen, big guy..." she started as she curled up against him. She was wearing only a shirt, and it was unbuttoned, so naturally it was becoming difficult for Hall to concentrate on what she was saying, but somehow he managed.
"You know better than this. Even if the whole universe collapsed in on itself tomorrow, that can't change what has happened already," she said. "We have friends out here, we have seen lots of places, and as long as this big tub is still moving I say we keep going. The future may indeed have an unhappy ending, but the past and the present won't be changed by that."
"Will anyone remember it?"
"You would know better than I would," she answered. "A lot of people think we have no business being out here. They believe that all adventurers should stick to the old dungeon crawl."
"Ack," Hall said with a smile. "After traveling in space I don't think I could ever go into one of those pits again. But you're right. Most people think that's the only place we should be, and that traveling in space is not a place for adventurers. They only want to challenge what the can see, touch, and understand at a glance," Hall said, looking out the window.
"This from the same people that have no reservations about crossing the planes or gating into who knows where," Belieth added.
"Hypocrites," Hall grunted.
"Narrow-minded, unimaginative philistines," Belieth said.
The pair just chuckled for a moment.
"You still amaze me sometimes," Hall said quietly.
"Does that mean you feel better?"
"Yes."
"Good, because the crew is getting jumpy. Onestar is the gloomer on this tub, not you," she joked.
Hall smiled and started moving his hands over Belieth's skin.
"Care to go back to our quarters for another round?" he whispered.
"What's wrong with right here?" she said with a wicked smile. At that she rolled onto her back, pulling him down with her. Their laughter could be heard over half of the ship.
Onestar resumed command of the ship two days later. He and Hall took to discussing their next, and future missions. During Gamma Shift, the two men were up late of the observation deck, looking into the flow and making plans.
"After we stop at the Rock, where do we go next?" Hall asked, sipping some warm ginger tea Onestar brought with him.
"I was thinking the same thing myself," the samurai nodded. "I think it might not be a bad idea to explore some of the outer spheres, or maybe take on a delivery run to two. The gold might come in handy."
"True," Hall agreed. "Expenses aren't as bad as we originally predicted. The wedding party did take a chunk out of petty cash, however. What about your psionic helm?"
"Estress is meeting us at the Rock. He had to pick up a few necessary parts for the prototype to operate. Namely, Tonaltalium."
Hall took another sip of the hot beverage. "Isn't that found only in Omnispace?" Onestar just glared toward Hall. The Bard of Wildspace arched his eyebrows and nodded.
The pair were silent, looking into the glow of the Phlogiston for a few minutes before something caught Onestar's eye. Reaching down to a pouch on his belt, the samurai removed something Zebart invented... two spyglasses connected at the center with an adjuster.
"What's the matter?" Hall asked as Onestar tried to focus on a black spot off in the distance.
"There's something out there...far out there." Onestar handed the binoculars to Hall for the bard to see. "I remember looking over Meridian's charts; that part of the phlogiston is dead."
"Dead?" Hall asked, noting a small image, too far away to tell what it actually was.
"No rivers in the flow," Onestar added. "These spaces are rare, but they do occur. Ships can travel there, but they only move a fraction of their normal speed."
"Mmmm, a stagnant region. There are some of those in the Pentiacate. They can be a real nuisance."
Hall handed the binoculars back to Onestar, then checked over a few maps he was using. "According to this chart, that's about the center of the Radiant Triangle."
"Krynnspace, Realmspace and Greyspace?" Onestar asked, watching the image fade away into the distance.
"Yeah," Hall added, looking up from the map. Onestar put the glasses away. "You think we should go see what it is?"
Onestar looked toward the image, too far for the naked eye to see, for a few seconds before answering. "It's too far off, and we do have a timetable to meet." The samurai took another sip of the tea. "Mark it in the logs as an anomaly and when we get to Spiralspace, we'll report it to the local Spelljammer's Aid Society, or perhaps an office of Holinor's company I know he keeps there."
Hall nodded and finished his tea as he scratched a small symbol on one of the star charts.
The next day, the senior officers of the Eternal Wanderer met in Onestar's office for a strategic meeting... or at least that's what they told the rest of the crew. Onestar, Hall, Belieth, Meridian and Blaise (the others were on duty on the main deck) all gathered around a circular table. Blaise had a strange visor on his blue head, shading his eyes from the glowing gem overhead. Each player had several cards in their hands, and multicolored chips lay on the table.
They were playing poker.
"Your bet," Meridian said.
"I still don't see why we can't play Cartanian Poker," Hall commented. "I bet 10. I mean, it's not that hard."
"This is true," Onestar commented, looking over his hand once more. "See your 10, raise 10. But even after all these years, I have yet to master it. The two of you would clean the rest of us out."
"Why, captain, afraid of losing?" Belieth commented, tossing a few silver onto the pile.
"Hardly. I just don't trust your husband."
"And I don't trust Meridian," Hall joked. The kenku raised an eyebrow with that last comment. "He has the best poker face I've ever seen!"
"Practice," Meridian said deadpan and tossed more silver onto the pile. Blaise just studied his cards.
"So what about this thing you saw in the flow last night?" Belieth asked.
"Some strange anomaly," Onestar answered. "Deal one," he said as he dropped one card.
"To be honest," Hall continued, "it looked like, well, a huge rock."
"A rock in the flow?" Blaise asked. "What's strange about that? It's happened before."
"But not in a stagnant region," Onestar continued.
"That is strange," Blaise said.
Blaise then discarded one of his cards and dealt a new one. It was a mistake.
"I fold, " he said. "The odds of me maintaining a winning hand are slim."
"HAH!" Hall laughed. "You've cleaned us out every other hand. Now when the chips are against you, you fold!"
"I call them as I see them," the Arcane commented, tossing his cards to the center of the table.
"Deal one," Belieth said.
Blaise dealt a card to Belieth. Her face contorted into a frown.
"I'm down," she said.
"That's what you said four nights ago," Onestar ribbed. Hall and Belieth gave the samurai icy looks.
"Do you have any idea how much noise you two made down there?" Onestar continued, making the two half-elves more and more embarrassed.
"You're envious," Hall shot back. "You have your own source, and you know it."
"Don't start on that now, Hall," Onestar hissed.
"More play, less talk," Meridian grumbled.
"Why, Meridian," Belieth said, "that's the most I've ever heard you say!"
"I believe you got him angry," Onestar said. "Five words, and he'd be ready to go for his sword."
"If he starts speaking in complete sentences, sound evac maneuvers," Hall joked.
Laughter broke out among all gathered, except for Meridian, who just harumphed. Meridian switched one of his cards.
"Raise 30," he stated.
"By the powers," Onestar groaned, "I fold."
"Aaawww," Belieth said in mock sympathy, "poor little samurai lose his money. aaawww."
Blaise couldn't help but chuckle.
"Call," Hall beamed, as he lowered his cards: A royal full house.
Meridian just raised his eyebrows and slowly lowered his cards to reveal a royal flush, ending with the ace of spades.
Hall grumbled and threw his cards into the center of the table.
Meridian just chuckled.
Meanwhile, Ville, Phantom, Kath and Illeria were holding the bridge. Spiralspace had appeared in the distance - a black disk no larger than a coin, still a day's travel away. The air on the bridge was very relaxed...
"...my scro mercenary," Kath said, "I thought he was your scro mercenary!"
At that the four broke into peals of laughter.
"I've got one," Ville said. "How many barbarians does it take to..."
"Ship ahoy!" a voice called.
"Senior officers to the bridge!" Illeria called, as she went to join Phantom who was heading for the muster deck to see the approaching ship.
Phantom lifted a telescope and looked out into the flow. Indeed he did see a ship, but it was unlike any he had ever encountered. Illeria joined him with another scope.
"Small ship," Phantom said quietly, "I'd say less than ten tons, travelling parallel to us."
"Almost looks like it's drifting with the flow current," Illeria commented. "It's elven," she added, "you can tell by the wing configuration."
"Hmmm," Phantom agreed. "Odd arrangement, however. It almost looks like a large leaf, and look at the landing gear. They look like seashells."
Illeria took a hard look at the landing gear. "I think those are weapon platforms. I can see what looks like bolt slits."
Phantom also focused on the landing gear. "Ah yes, I see what you mean. Those are weapon platforms, alright."
Some of the senior officers arrived on the bridge and inquired about the strange ship.
"It hasn't made any threatening moves, cap'n," Kath stated. "It's flying parallel to us."
Blaise walked onto the muster deck and strained his eyes to see the ship. Suddenly his expression changed.
"Illeria, may I?" he asked, gesturing to her telescope.
The wizard handed the scope to Blaise, and the arcane focused on the strange, elven ship.
"By the stars," he murmured, "what is that doing here?"
"You recognize it?" Phantom asked.
"Yes," Blaise said. "That's an Astromundi Doombat."
"Astromundi?" Phantom asked, slightly amused.
"Yes," the arcane answered, "from Clusterspace, where I was born."
