FALAHA'S JOURNEY: A Spacegirl's Account in Three Movements

Episode #9

"Falaha!" A voice startled me, whispering directly into my ear. Eyuran grabbed my shoulders. "Don't run off like that! And get your Node back online." I had been so absorbed in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed his presence until the very last second. "Hmmh... Opening any of these will make too much noise." With his hands still on my shoulders, he studied the elevator doors and the closest doors leading to the next section. "And it will definitely attract unnecessary attention to the mechanical malfunction. We can't use this way to get around."

"Your dad, why did you leave him there all alone?!"

"He'll be fine."

"Really?"

"Really. His life is not in danger anymore." I turned around to see his face. Eyuran was serious, but also a little embarrassed. As usual, his blushing ears gave him away. "This crazy strength runs in our bloodline. Aunt Anika is a Mechmaster, so why would her younger bro be any weaker?"

Speaking of Anika Falgh, I bet she could have trashed a hull repairer with a single glare. At least that's how I remember her.

A Mechmaster is a very powerful individual, a battle expert, who is competent enough to be the safeguard for an entire active Explorer armada. Not all system fleets, and even kennar, have Mechmasters. These are legends, like the rare Falaighnn.

"So, how do we get out of here?"

"Communications lane. I think it's the only free route on this ship now. And it's wide enough for us to crawl through." With a little screwdriver in hand he was unscrewing one of the floor plates near the elevator. Oh boy, this guy has everything in his pockets.

"You mean squeeze through. It's way narrower than a maintenance trail!"

"Yet it's better than a spacewalk, though I wouldn't leave that possibility out. Think of it as a reserve way."

As he was loosening the plate, I noticed some weird sounds coming from the other end of the block.

"Did you hear that?"

Eyuran nodded. There was only one screw left to go and he continued to work in a hurry.

The strange noises, both muffled and clanking, were getting louder. Something big was approaching us fast. The doors at the other end of the hallway opened.

The machine stepped in and continued to advance. It was halfway along the hall, just around the corner, when it suddenly stopped.

A screeching noise of metagrid being bent echoed through the whole section.

Eyuran finally got the plate open and whispered, "Hurry, get down there!"

My heart jumped. The recreation room! This thing was sent here to check out the area because we had broken the door!