At the Barrier

"Are you certain?"

"Completely. I've isolated the frequency and I believe I can duplicate it."

"How is this any different than the last dozen 'breakthroughs' you have tried to sell me on, Torres?"

"Because this time I can measure it."

There were a few moments of silence.

"Well. That is different, isn't it? Start the trials. You have the church's blessing."

"Can I get that in writing? I don't want to end up on the wrong side of-"

"No. You may not. Not until there are real results that I can show them. I will not summon an ecclesiastical hearing for another false lead. The church leaders are far less patient than I am. Besides, you said yourself that the signs are increasing. The stars are going out. And we cannot wait for them. Move ahead with your experiment."

"I won't risk rushing things, Madam. These are delicate-"

"Did you not hear what I just said? We cannot wait. No one else has noticed, not so far as we know. But the most distant stars are gone. Things are escalating. It is our curse to live in these times and have this burden fall upon us. But fall upon us it has, and now we must rise. I will risk it all, to prevent the coming catastrophe. And if I cannot prevent it, to save as many people as I can. Do you understand, Torres?"

He didn't reply. The silence stretched.

"The stars are going out," she repeated. "And we are running out of time."

****

"You're happy to get to Eldorado?"

Sasha smiled, resettling her bag over her shoulder.

"Can't wait to get on the ground again," she chirped, "anyway, I've never seen Eldorado before."

She was not surprised to see the incredulous expression on the pilot's face as he glanced over his shoulder at her. The trip from Skry to Eldorado had just been Sasha, Brook, and his co-pilot, Rikkard, a taciturn older man who had spent most of the trip taking apart and rebuilding the back-up lander. Not that they would need it. Brook and Rikkard weren't going anywhere near the ground on this trip. They would be dropping her off at the Space Port orbiting the planet, rather than risk being stuck in their own quarantine for the next week.

"You aren't missing much," the young man said flatly, before turning on what Sasha was sure he imagined to be his charming voice. He'd been trying it on her for most of the trip, to no avail. "You should stay here. Or anywhere else other than Eldorado. Why, I would fly you to the edge of known space if that was what you wanted."

Sasha just kept smiling as she shook her head.

"I've had quite enough Starfall to last me awhile, Brook," she said with a laugh.

The feeling of being in real space again had her giddy after a few days of the emptiness of Starfall. She'd spent most of the trip quietly nursing a dull but persistent headache. Brook, not understanding, had taken it as his personal mission to cheer her up. He seemed perplexed now by the cheerful woman who had replaced his taciturn passenger. Maybe he thought his flirting would be more welcome now. Sasha didn't take it personally. She suspected flirting was a way of life for Brook. It had very little to do with her. She reached over and patted him lightly on the shoulder.

"You have been a magnificent host, truly. But I have work to do."

"Well then," he said, sighing theatrically, "I shall be resigned to your absence."

She rolled her eyes, glad he couldn't see her face. The approach to the Space Port required the rest of his attention.

It took another hour to dock at the Space Port, and a half an hour after that before she could secure passage on one of the shuttles down to the surface. It was early, only shortly after dawn at the Landing Docks on Eldorado when she arrived. She settled her bag on the floor for a moment, using a public information kiosk to access a station map. Her finger skipped over the blue lines, finding bay 6-D. Red lines pulsed on the screen, marking off the refugee camp, warning people away. Tilting her head slightly, she traced the perimeter of it, trying to get a better idea of the scope. They could easily keep ten thousand people in the area they had cordoned off, she realized. Much more than the few thousand who had so far been discovered. She nodded to herself, satisfied. At least whomever was in charge of things had prepared for that possibility. If there were more of them, they wouldn't be stacked cheek to jowl.

Hefting the bag, she started heading toward docking bay 6-D. The Landing Dock was relatively quiet this time of day, and she wondered if the crew of the Star Stealer were even awake yet. She debated in her head what she should do as she walked, chewing on her lower lip. See if they were awake? What if she woke them up? That would be a bad way to start everything off. They were her contacts here and she'd be staying with them on their ship for at least a week, not counting returning to Skry when the time came. Abbott Tobias had told her that the Captain was an old friend of his, but she wasn't an old friend of Sasha's, and she had her doubts about that claim anyway. In truth, an hour past dawn on any planet wasn't hideously early, but by the time she reached the hallway she needed, Sasha had convinced herself that the crew would be furious at her for waking them up. Instead of making the left to reach 6-D, she made a right.

Immediately, she felt better. The tension and anxiety eased, telling her that she had made the right decision. Maybe not for the right reasons, she thought sheepishly, but that hardly mattered. It was always a struggle, trying to sort out what was unfounded anxiety and what was the Universe guiding her steps. She didn't always get it right. But at least this time, no harm would come of it. Even if she was wrong and they were already up, meeting them in a few hours instead of right now wouldn't change anything.

Besides, she was here primarily for the refugees, she thought to herself. It made sense to get a general feel for things first. There would be someone there already up and about, she reasoned.

She wasn't disappointed. As she approached the barrier, she looked curiously over the pair of soldiers guarding the gate. A pair of armed soldiers, she realized with some vague surprise. As she drew closer, they straightened slightly, one stepping forward to block her path.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. No entry beyond this point, except for official personnel."

Sasha smiled brightly. "I am official personnel. At least, I'm going to be."

The soldier looked her over dubiously. "I highly doubt that ma'am."

She shook her head, letting her bag fall from her shoulder with a thud. "No, really." She drew herself up, putting the full weight of her training behind her. "My name is Sasha Caleb, and I have been sent by the Skry Abbey to aid here however I can."

The two soldiers exchanged glances.

"No entry beyond this point, begging your pardon ma'am, means no entry beyond this point. Not without official clearance."

She looked at him, nonplussed. "But didn't you hear what I just said? I'm a Mage of-"

"Frankly ma'am, I don't care if you are the bleeding Father Justice of the Church. You aren't getting in here without official clearance. Send a message through government channels, and I am certain someone will get back to you."

Sasha shook her head, frowning and gesturing toward the barrier. "What if you let me speak to your superior officer? Who's in charge?" A Mage rarely needed permission to become involved in a project, especially one that was sanctioned by the Church. "Who is the highest church official here? Let me speak to them and I can-"

"You aren't listening to me," he interrupted, "You. Need. Clearance. Right now, you don't have it. I can't let you in so you can get clearance to come in."

"But if you'll just-"

"I'm sorry Miss, but you can't come in here,"

The new voice startled her. She'd been so focused on who she was talking to, that she hadn't noticed the arrival of someone from inside the compound. That was startling in and of itself. But the man who was walking toward her was familiar, and someone she never thought she'd see again. She waited while he stepped over the barrier before starting again.

"No, I'm sorry, but you don't understand," she said earnestly. "I'm here to help. I'm-"

She paused for a moment as she took in the neutral expression on his face. Sasha knew that she had a knack for remembering people and faces. She also knew that she had changed more in the last few years than he had. Oh, he was older. There was premature grey just around his temples. She didn't expect him to remember her. They had met briefly and in uncomfortable circumstances. But still, she might have hoped. She always did.

"You don't remember me, Lieutenant Gates," she said abruptly. That got his attention. "But we've met before. My name is Sasha. I'm not rabble trying to get in to a restricted area. I've been sent here to help by my Abbey, and I won't leave until I have some assurance that I will not have to jump through a dozen bureaucratic hoops that will take months, before I am allowed to do what I came here too do."

He just stared at her through all of that, eyes narrowed slightly as if trying to see something through her words, suspicion written all over his face for the span of several heartbeats.

"Sasha Caleb, the student-Mage from Adeline Abbey," he said slowly, looking her up and down.
 Surprise registered on his face, but he quickly shuffled it off again.

"Yes," she replied stiffly. "Though I am a full Mage now. And I'm here because I think I can find out where these people are from. But I have to actually talk to them, sir," she continued, her tone softer. "And I can't do that from this side of the wall."

Gates studied her for a long moment, a small frown on his face. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. "Be that as it may, I still can't let you in."

He raised his hand, stalling her protest. "Right now. But I can pass on your intentions and credentials to the Colonel in charge of this operation." He paused, eyes hooded and distant for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, haunted.

"I remember what you did, at the Alpha Theta facility, Miss Caleb. I also remember what happened after. And to know that you come here to help, after that-"

"They aren't related," she said gently. "And they were doing what they were charged to do. No harm came to me, and they were right to question me. The Church and I are not at odds, and I certainly never blamed you."

He was hard to read. He had been back then, too. But Sasha was not surprised to see a flicker of relief cross behind Gates' eyes. He had always wondered, she realized, if he should have stopped the inquisition. If he should have stepped in and sent her straight on to the Skry Abbey. She smiled gently.

"It was never your jurisdiction," she said, "you did your job and they did theirs. And now I'm here for these people, because they need someone who can figure this all out. I don't know if I'm the person to do it. But I'd like to try."

Gates nodded, mute for a moment as he looked her over again, but now seeing her as if for the first time. As most people saw a Mage, she realized with a small regret. Not as a person, but as a force of nature. It was good that the Church oversaw the Abbeys, she thought sadly. It would be too easy to let this sort of fear-tinged awe go to your head.

"I'll pass on your message, Mage Caleb," he said formally, and she felt the shift from person to Mage in his mind completed, like the sound of a heavy lock falling in to place. "Where can we reach you? It may take some time, of course."

She nodded, knowing at least it would be hours or days, instead of weeks now.

"I'll be on the ship Star Stealer," she said, "Bay 6-D."

Gates visibly startled, but composed himself again swiftly. She looked at him curiously, but did not ask. They weren't friends. They probably couldn't be. Mages found companionship with other Mages. It was too hard to be friends with someone who didn't understand. Someone who was afraid of what they did, or who forgot that you were a person too. Abbott Tobias could claim the freighter captain as his friend. But they both knew it was a lovely fiction, spoken for convenience's sake.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she said with a smile, picking up her bag again. It seemed heavier this time. "I'll await your message."

Gates inclined his head, expression serious. "I will contact you as soon as I have word."

She gave him a small, cheerful wave, and he was reminded of just how young she was, even years later as she turned and walked away. He smiled slightly to himself, a weight he hadn't known he'd carried for six years eased. He was glad she was well. And maybe she could help here. Stranger things had happened.