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

Episode #10

I noticed Eyuran stretching his hand out to me and shook my head. My mind was desperately searching for an answer. Anything, anywhere. As I turned away, I saw Eyuran's face fill with horror.

Slowly, step by step, I walked away from him to face the enemy.

I turned the corner and there it was. The hull repairer.

The eight-legged mechanical creature, equipped with various cutters and claws, towered above me in the hallway. As soon as its sensors detected me, it quickly turned my way with its full body. Though it was huge, it remained highly maneuverable, even in this restricted space. The whole frame was covered by a layered shell of exceptionally hard thermal-protective composite and the flexible joints were shielded with armor; it was designed to operate in extreme environments.

As it made its way through the wall to reach Orewen, the hull repairer left cut-out pieces of metagrid in its path.

Someone had seriously messed up this primitive arcai's brains. It didn't respond to any of my commands and seemed indecisive as to what it should do with me. Just as it was about to resume business with Orewen, Eyuran jumped from behind the corner and grabbed my hand.

"Falaha, come here!" He tried to pull me back with him. "Are you insane?!"

With his sudden appearance something changed in the machine. Within seconds, it crossed the distance separating us and aimed all of its instruments at us.

Breaking free from his hold, I didn't recognize my own voice as I shouted, "Eyuran, get as far away from it as you can!"

There was no time left.

Rage filled me; my heart was pumping blood faster and faster. Black shadows of flames surrounded me, distorting the space around my body. I couldn't stop anymore. Noise disappeared; everything became red-hot. All I could hear was my own heartbeat. The energy was building up, circulating within my soma. It knew my wish before I could realize it myself. I was floating in space, bathing in blinding light and the warm embrace of a star. Sla, our beloved home star. It was in front of me and inside me, flowing through my blood.

I am the star.

Rushing forward, I touched the cold surface of the machine with both hands. A fierce desire to live and to preserve life burned within me; I drove all of that power out, straight into the lifeless hunk of hardware before me.

My inner heat ate through it fast, molecule by molecule, deeper and deeper into the frame, right down to the control circuits and arcai brain, until the hull repairer stopped moving.

The sound of a large mechanical body crashing to the floor brought me back to reality.

I saw Eyuran sitting on the floor with his eyes wide open, staring at me, his mouth soundlessly repeating, "Falaighnn... Falaighnn..."