The Contents of a Tesseract

The World Tree Part 1

Nothing had blown up for Eleni Benecor in the past two weeks. She hadn’t been chased by storm troopers, angry half machine men, or members of a crime syndicate in ages. She almost missed the action. Almost. The Mismatch sat parked at a nondescript meadow on one of Bethel’s quieter moons. It sat silently amidst the flying marmots and tall green field grass, refusing all calls and only sending out the daily GPS point required by the local government. Eleni still sported bruises from the trip to Krysin, but had already begun a workout regimen that would hone her fighting skills. She hadn’t had to use them in a while, and the length of the recent cyborg encounter bothered her. What would Reverend Mother say about her inelegant way of dispatching them? She knew too well the answer. Subsequently, the month since her small team had detonated a fusion reactor on that small planet had been spent in exile practicing, meditating, and paying her atonement for her own small part in the alteration of an entire ecosystem.

She had taken a break after several hours of morning exercise to examine the slowly healing bruises on her jaw, abdomen, and back. The young smuggler was relieved to feel a familiar readiness return to her system. It was hard to describe. Vanya would probably say it was a realignment with the force. It was a mixed blessing to Eleni, because it meant that she had shelved a bit more of her newly found freedom to remember ingrained Bene Gesserit teachings. With those memories came others, which screamed at her to forget this foolishness and return to her true destiny. She wiped the sweat from her face with a towel, refocusing on her present. The ship seemed so quiet; the others had gone on their merry ways to whatever life had in store for them, at least for the moment. She lay down in her quarters, upside-down from normal to stretch her back out. The bed brought a comforting sensation to the troubled memories revolving around her brain, and for the first time in days, she slept.

It seemed only an instant later that she awoke, gasping, to the cold metal of a blaster at her neck. Parnell Makola’s smiling face was upside down above her.

“Oh, Pretty.. How many times have I told you to change your codes? I figured trekking through 12 different planets to find you would be the easy part.”

Eleni’s eyes narrowed, and she began to move one hand slowly upwards “I figured if you wanted me, you’d get in anyway,” she replied.

“So true, so true” he nudged at her neck, moving so that he sat next to her on the bed. Parnell set the bouquet of exotic flowers next to her feet. “See the elaborate lengths I went to? Dentrassi hypnoblossoms are illegal in about 10 systems. I was fully prepared to be sultry and even cute for you, but no.”

She hazarded a look down to the flowers, her hand still moving slowly upwards. Eleni felt the beginning of a headache. hypnoblossoms were a quaint way to knock a person out and do whatever you wanted to them. The air was heady with the smell of their pheremones. For anyone else, they meant instant suggestibility. Parnell was not leaving without a yes. She figured she would have a chance to grab the blaster before he shot, if only he didn’t notice for a few… more… seconds.

Parnell glanced over to her moving hand, and quickly grabbed it, pulling her up, but keeping the blaster at her throat. “See, Leni, I knew you were going to be difficult.” There was a click as the blaster’s setting was changed. “both hands behind you. There’s something I have to talk to you about, and you won’t like it.“

Using the voice was a gamble, especially with his finger on the trigger. Both hands went behind Eleni‘s back. So far, his little power trip wasn‘t worth the damnation she faced for killing. Parnell relaxed considerably. Another click on the blaster changed it back to stun as something thick and sinewy wrapped itself around her wrists, holding them tightly behind her .

“If you’re breaking up with me, there’s nothing to break.” she said dryly. Ok, so that wasn’t exactly true, but the sneak attack mentality was getting on her nerves. The dull throb in her head wasn’t helping, either.

He chuckled, guiding her body down to the covers as he fished out a data pad. “No, no, no.” He held the pad steady so that she could read it, “You’ve been gone a bit. I was hoping you weren’t paying attention. Guess I was right. Pretty, there’s a new bounty out there.”

A new bounty. Eleni couldn’t help but remember Boba Fett’s presence on Krysin. Surely he had been too busy to even notice her. There was also the question of her involvement in Darth Feyd’s death on Camino. Her eyes flicked over to Parnell‘s, for the first time worried that he had finally shown his true spots. He smirked at her expression, and tapped the data pad once more with an exaggerated sigh.

“Your faith in me is overwhelming, really.”

She read the data pad as he selected his own image “You? There’s a bounty on you? For… Is that in Tapani credits?”

“Oh no.. that’s cold hard Imperial cash there, Pretty. And all for me. One of the reasons I wanted the upper hand with you. I figured with all the good you’re doing, you’re probably running low on funds these days.”

“And I have little faith? Ha..” she wiggled slightly, turning so she could see his face better, “You gave me my new life. You’ve protected me from .. Frell, everyone at one time or another. Why would I-”

“You’re new to this, Pretty. Betrayal’s part of the game. Forgive me if I cover all the angles. Anyway, I‘ve got a guy trying to fix the misunderstanding. He‘s good with the bureaucracy”

She nodded, noting that he wasn’t untying her. “And the other reason you wanted the upper hand?”

The corner of his mustache twitched into a smirk, and Parnell fondly brushed some of her hair away from her forehead “I like seeing you like this.”

Parnell soon found out that she was far from defenseless as she gave him a hard head butt. He fell back on the bed, laughing, but the blaster was still close enough that she didn’t gain the advantage. She tried the straps again, but found no slack, even with her control of every muscle. It was conforming, growing to fill in when she stretched it, giving slack when she stopped. Odd. The laughter finally stopped, and her mentor met her eyes again.

“The other reason is that I have to blow this sector for a bit. I want to take you with me.”

She did sit up at that, calling his bluff. The blaster fell to the bed.

“Mak, I can’t just run off like that. I’ve got paying customers that-”

“No, you don’t.”

She narrowed her eyes “Well, I have the Alliance that needs- “

“No, it doesn’t.”

“But”

He put his finger to her lips, his eyes sparkling “There’s treasure involved.”

One eyebrow raised, and Parnell winked at her.

“Why didn’t you say that in the first place?” she grinned.

Even with Eleni’s interest in the treasure, Parnell wasn’t taking chances. Her hands remained tightly bound as she followed him around the ship and took note of provisions. The Black Sun Operative was obviously worried that bounty hunters had tracked him to the small moon. He kept checking the area scans as he finished the preflight check and sent notice to the government of their imminent departure. Eleni cleared her throat, sitting in the chair closest to him as the engines hummed to life.

” I think we need to talk about faith again,” she said, motioning to her hands. “What is this stuff, anyway?”

A silent battle of wills ensued. Parnell watched her carefully for a long moment, and she knew he was really, truly weighing his options. Finally, he held out a hand to her wrists, and whistled. The strange substance released her hands, falling into his palm. At first, the small pile of blue seemed more like plastape than anything else, but it changed quickly, undulating to the heat in Parnell‘s hand and presenting what passed for a small rounded reptilian head. Its eyes moved from Parnell to Eleni with interest. The rest of its body was amorphous, and constantly pulsing.

“Picked it up near the area we’re headed,” he explained, “It’s a kind of constrictor. I’ve named him Collin.”

Weird name for a pet. Eleni blinked a few times, feeling her headache lessen as she watched Parnell pet the strange creature.

“Found him on the ground in a forest where I was meeting.. “ he paused “well, that’s not important. I don’t think he eats. Maybe he does something with light? “ the head seemed to nestle against Parnell’s thumb. “He’s a life saver, really. One time, he jumped onto this guy’s face in a bar fight to help me out.” Parnell stowed the thing in a pocket and finally realized Eleni was staring at him “Yes, Pretty?”

“Why do you think um.. Collin is a male?”

Parnell frowned, exasperated “because his name is Collin!”

Eleni burst out laughing.

The Mismatch easily made its way out of orbit, and Eleni soon busied herself with plotting a way through hyperspace to the new coordinates. “This is taking us pretty far out, Mak,” she murmured, noting several
interfering white dwarfs and novas obscured the route. She noted her ability to think more clearly, and took comfort in the fact that all bad decisions from now on would be her own.

“That’s why I need a good pilot and a ship I can count on, “ he explained, “Mismatch is fast, and you‘re good, even if you‘re green. Plus, I know you won’t kill me and take all the glory for yourself.”

Eleni rolled her eyes “Well, I won’t kill you, anyway. I could always hire out, though.”

Parnell’s head turned towards her sharply, and she held her hands up “Joke! “

He almost snarled “Don’t joke about that. I told you, betrayal is part of this business. I’ve been waiting for a knife in the back from you for a while, now.”

“Mak, There’s no knife with your name on it. I told you. I owe you so much.” Eleni’s hand went to his knee, “Whatever we find, and whatever happens, you do not need to worry about me.” she gave him a hopeful smile, “C’mon. Do you think I dance with every smuggler I run into?”

He thought a minute, then shrugged, but couldn’t hide the smile entirely. “I know you don’t.”

She let her mouth drop open in surprise, although she’d suspected it for a while that he’d been keeping tabs on her. He gave a wolfish smile, then pointed up to the star chart and changing the subject.

“The coordinates I gave you are reported to be the beginning of a very special territory. There are all kinds of legends about a tribe of humans that broke off to be at one with the cosmos, or some trell like that. I got the info through my *ahem* networks, and I thought I’d check it out before the place got a huge “Property of the Empire” stamp on it.”

With a series of clicks, the nav console zoomed in on the specific system. It was not deep enough into Alliance territory that they could protect it, but it was too close for comfort to think of the Empire having jurisdiction. “What else do you know about it? “

“Acres of treasure, I was told. It’s mostly a myth. No one’s ever been known to return from this area with more than babbling senility. All kinds of ghost stories out there about why, too.” Parnell caught a particularly nasty look “Hey, you want to find out just as much as I do, so don’t give me the eye-roll”

“I didn’t barge onto your ship and kidnap you without telling you the dangers, now did I?”
“Well, next time, you’ll know you can.” Parnell smiled at her. Yeah, he knew she was hooked.

“Deal” Eleni had to admit, she did want to go.

As a finishing point to the argument, Eleni shot into hyperspace with no warning, pressing him into his chair.

The trip was about 2 weeks through hyperspace, and Eleni and Parnell knew enough about each other to enjoy themselves. He proved himself to be intelligent, sarcastic, witty, and not too smelly, even with the illegal flowers safely locked in the hold. Parnell‘s past was filled with travel and adventure. He had anecdotes for every occasion, and offered several philosophical theories regarding the universe and the answer to the ultimate question. The more time they spent together, the more she allowed herself to be at ease with him, and soon, he was hearing vague tales about her sisterhood days. He seemed to know that a great secret had to be protected, and didn’t press when she stopped answering his questions. It was just as obvious that he could not speak of his Black Sun dealings, and so they spent long stretches discovering other things to do with each together.

Oddly enough, they were in such a mode of discovery when they came out of hyperspace.

With a startled jerk, Eleni recovered the fastest, and checking various instruments on the way, sat in the captain’s chair. She glanced over the readouts, frowning “We are early by 50 full minutes” she muttered, checking her calculations.

Parnell was quickly at her side “Time dilation?” he offered, “caused by the close proximity of so many gravity wells. Or something.”

Eleni was not convinced, but shrugged. It sounded better than her own theory, which was that she had messed up the calculations. She took manual control of the ship as Parnell surveyed the star field before them. After a few seconds, he pointed to a small greenish-hued star

“There!”

After a few minutes, Eleni pulled the ship to a halt and stared at what lay before her.

“I don’t think we’re going to fit that in the cargo hold” she managed, standing with an exaggerated gesture to what lay before them.

At first glance, it was a bright green ball, much like other forested planets. Only when the ship parked in orbit could the difference be understood. The planet-sized ball was a three dimensional tree. Glowing green branches supported billions of silvery leaves that shimmered with the solar wind. The branch system’s complexity crossed and bent around itself, tapering into the fine canopy of leaves. It rotated in a slow continuity, allowing each branch its own brief allotment of sunlight.

Eleni reached out to feel its life force. The enormous plant responded so strongly, she sank back into her chair. “It’s full of life.” she whispered.

“It is?” Parnell tore himself away from the dazzling find. “Pretty?” He crouched in front of her “The treasure. Can you sense it? Even with acres of the stuff it‘s going to be hard to find. I wonder-”

Her eyes closed tightly for a moment, trying to make sense of what she felt. “Mak, I think this IS an Acre.”

They both looked out at the giant tree again. Off in the distance, other green planets could be seen. It made sense, actually. The nebulas provided nutrients, the star light radiation, and passing comets seemed to be prevalent around here. Made of ice, they were probably the source of water somehow.

“This is so amazing!”

“Oh.” he muttered “ amazing. But hard to investigate. I’m not exactly fluent in tree. Are you?”

“No.” She was already taking vids.

Parnell pushed a few buttons on the sensor array, looking at the results “no metallic content that I can find, either. I think the treasure myth is a bunch of trell.”

“Maybe it’s a different kind of treasure. Look at it, Mak. Life in the middle of space. A treasure of information.”

“Yeah, well I was hoping more for something I could spend.” He headed for the galley, obviously disappointed, and she glanced back at him before she steered the Mismatch closer to the tree for a better look.

Eleni shook her head, thinking that the smuggler needed a stiff drink as she eased the ship between the branches. The Mismatch was small enough to slip through the outer canopy, which quickly shut out most of the star field as she continued on. Within, the light came from glowing nodes, growing in symmetrical pattern along the branches. These caused everything to be bathed in a soft green. A few kilometers more, and she found a forked branch wide enough to set her ship carefully down. A sensor sweep declared breathable atmosphere, but no gravity. Eleni’s call roused Parnell from the galley, and he returned to the cockpit, hands stuffed into his pockets.

“Why the frell are we landing?” he muttered.

“You still have to hide, don’t you?” Eleni smirked. Never had he looked so much like a boy.

“Yeah, but I could be hiding on a casino ship, making some dough.”

“and getting into firefights” she added. “Boba Fett’s in Tapani sector, Mak.”

He gave her full attention at the name. “He is?”

“Yep. Saw him on Krysin. I was in the middle of - of something, so I didn’t get to chat.”

Parnell‘s fingers played along her hand, “yeah.. You never told me what you found there, Pretty. Holding out on me?”

“Long story short: we ended up destroying most of the stuff we found.” She sighed. It was good stuff, too.

The fingers slipped away. “Figures. Ok, you win. Boba Fett’s not someone I want to mess with.”

“Everything happens for a reason, Mak” she grinned at him, “Maybe you’ll get enlightened.” His only reply was a derisive snort.

The two donned small jetpacks and walked down the landing. Outside, Eleni expected a vacuum of sound, but she had not accounted for the soft whisper of moving leaves and the low, almost whale-like sounds of branches as they grew and adjusted with each breeze. Parnell patted the blaster on his thigh reassuringly. The bark of the branch did not allow for much traction and both of them floated along in the zero g, taking in the incredible scenery. Above them, waving leaves made a maddening glitter of patterns in the dark, while stars winked through every few moments.

Eleni ran her hand along a vertical branch and followed it’s length upwards. The jetpack was a new toy for her, and she was several hundred feet away in moments. She coasted to a halt and gave a glance backwards. Parnell seemed preoccupied with his pockets for some reason.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Collin,” he replied in a worried voice, “He’s gone.”

Eleni was about to return to him, when a winking light, much too close to be a star, caught her attention “I’m sure he’s on the ship or something. “

“Yeah, maybe.” Parnell muttered.

“Something’s up here, Mak. I’ll be back shortly.”

He started to follow, but she was lost in the foliage too quickly. Floating towards a small branch of several leaves, he grumbled something about how Collin would have been helpful in keeping tabs on her, . He plucked one, wondering at the shiny silver quality, and tucked it in his coat pocket.

As Eleni moved further along the vertical branch, she realized that the lights were growing in size. She reached out with her mind again, and stopped, shocked.

“Mak, We’re not alone.” she managed. The lights surrounded her, hovering at eye level. Eleni was face to face with the natives.

Parnell didn’t reply. No blaster fire from below, which was either a very good sign or a very bad one. She smiled innocently at the small gathering of creatures.

They weren’t human. Sure, at one point in development they had been human. A golden light came from their inner organs, clearly visible through transparent skin and musculature. Their eyes also glowed, and had it not been for the dangerous spears, she might have thought they were happy to see her. The new creatures held their weapons with human-like hands, but that is where the outer similarity ended. Their legs had joined through evolution into long tails which undulated through the weightlessness to provide a fast, precise movement.

“Hello.” Eleni managed in all the languages she knew.

Her attempt was met with stony silence. She frowned, and tried waving slowly with a smile. Wasn’t that universal for “I mean no harm”? Her movement elicited the tilt of heads accompanied by a slippery melodic language. She bit her lip. Did she dare to open herself up to the memories around her? She decided to try again, this time using more hand language

“I am Eleni. I want to be friends.”

The melodic language seemed to caress her skin softly with each attempt to communicate. After several failures and confusion on both parts, two of the tree people grabbed her shoulders gently and guided her further into the branching tree. It was a long trip, and she managed to see inside several of the glowing nodes. The tree people not only lived around the Acre, they lived inside of it, and the small hemispheres of light were windows into that world.

They must have traveled for hours, deeper into the mass of the tree, its branches becoming thicker as they went. Every few minutes she tried to raise Parnell on the radio, but he did not reply. Something was interfering, she decided. Any other answer bothered her too much to contemplate. The small group of natives had grown to hundreds, all interested in seeing the newcomer. Eleni found herself on a branch wider than the housing facility on Geidi Prime. The bark was still smooth, although the glowing node was much grander in size. She could make out several dozen beings flitting about within it. The group of them urged her towards the node, and she obeyed, mostly out of curiosity. She tried Parnell on the comm again.

“Mak? Look.. I think I’m in one of their cities. Mak where are you?”

“He cannot hear you,” came a familiarly proper voice.

That was odd. What was a protocol droid doing out here?

“The Bracca Consul wishes me to tell you that your friend is being held for crimes against the great Acre Fen and its people.”

Of course he was. Eleni winced slightly. The voice soon had an owner as a larger native with a glowing staff emerged from the node, accompanied by the tethered disembodied head of a gold protocol droid. She bowed reverently to the Consul.

“We are guests to the Acre Fen. We do not mean any harm. I am sure that this is all a misunderstanding.”

The head interpreted for her, which caused the Consul to flash in a rainbow of emotions as he replied.

“Oh dear. Your actions are also under investigation at this time.”

It was suddenly much brighter around Eleni. Every one of their bodies was undulating a myriad of colors, but none as boldly as the council elder.

“I am deeply, deeply sorry” She managed, “for anything I have done. Please, we are new here, and have no understanding of your ways.”

Now, what had become of Parnell, she mused. The Acre was truly the size of a planet, and almost impossible to navigate using normal senses. As if answering her worry, a group of armed Bracca left the giant node, dragging Parnell before them. His face was a mask of anger as he jerked away from them to stand on his own. With many of the Bracca between them, Eleni was unsure if he even noticed her presence. The protocol droid spoke again

“The Consul says that others of your kind have come here before, wanting to take a part of Acre Fen and its people. It says that you are no different. You only come here to destroy.”

“Whoa.” Parnell managed, “now wait a minute. I’ve been trying to explain to you guys. I swear, I just thought the leaf was pretty. I was gonna give it to my girl. That’s all!’

Eleni cursed inwardly. So he really had done something. Blast it. More melodic interchange between the droid head and its masters. She tried to get closer to her agitated friend, but the Bracca would not move out of the way.

“Mak” She called out, “Don’t worry. They look like a peaceful people. I’m sure they will do the right thing.”

Parnell turned toward her voice in astonishment. Part of his dark hair covered his eyes, and he brushed it out of the way.

“Pretty! I thought they’d killed you!” the entire side of his face was bruised, but he tried a brave face for her. “Look, just stay calm. I know there’s a way out of this.”

A shake of her head was all Eleni could muster before the droid spoke again.

“The Consul wishes you to know that the Bracca are a gentle people, and wholly understand love tokens.” Parnell flinched visibly at the term, “and that the Great Acre Fen would most likely forgive such a small misunderstanding, if that were the only crime.”

Eleni raised an eyebrow at that. Parnell seemed equally confused.

“What? That’s all I did.. I swear!”

The murmuring of melodies from the crowd made Eleni look about. They had all floated to just outside of the large node. Some of the Bracca had raised their spears. Displayed proudly within were an odd assortment of armor and smuggling equipment. The Consul had mentioned others, she mused. These things were most likely a testament to victories past. But were they war trophies or cautious reminders for these people?

“The Great Acre Fen has proof that you sought its destruction” the head reported.

Eleni made a step towards the Consul “What proof? We landed on its branches. We got out and looked around. I touched the bark. Were we in a sacred area or something?” she looked over to Parnell, and he shrugged.

There were angry minor notes in the discussion now, and finally the head announced “The Bracca are a fair people. You will be shown the proof before you are judged.”

-x-
Moving slowly, Eleni made a graceful circle about the floor as she performed one of her morning exercises. Sunlight streamed into the old practice room on Geidi Prime. The Reverend Mother Weisz regarded her sternly as she prepared for her weekly test.

“You are lax in your regimen,” she noted, “Exploring the galaxy is no excuse for lack of discipline.”

Eleni’s eyes hardened, but she said nothing, picking up the pace of her movements. She concentrated primarily on the subtle changes required for the difficult stances.

“You are fat.” The reverend mother exclaimed “None of my acolytes have ever been one gram more than ideal weight, and look at you. Fat. Lax. Unworthy. Weak.”

Still, Eleni continued, ignoring all outer stimuli. Reverend Mother’s words were nothing; her disapproval meant nothing. Only Eleni’s place in the universe was important at this moment. She flipped onto one hand, legs bending in an impossible position, then continued the cycle of movements to her feet again.

“You are not concentrating.” Reverend Mother Weisz accused. “You are thinking beyond the moment.” The older woman moved closer, scrutinizing. She held a hand to her acolyte’s forehead as Eleni’s face paled with trepidation. She knows.

“Show me your thoughts, child.” Reverend Mother Weisz’s eyes closed as she delved into Eleni’s mind. “Such a jumble. You are not completely focused. There is something unresolved. Something you long to make right.” her eyebrow went up curiously, “who is this man I see?”

At that, the young Eleni rounded on the Reverend Mother in a defensive strike, but was caught in a lightning move. The older woman twisted the offensive arm at the wrist and bent it backwards. The young acolyte cried out in frustration.

“Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty!” The words echoed around master and student as Eleni was held for a long moment.

“So emotional…“ The Reverend Mother Weisz released her pupil’s hand; her voice had become a concerned whisper. “This will not do. No, not at all.”
-x-

“Leni, we’re here.”

It was Parnell’s voice coming through her dream. She had not remembered falling asleep, and raised her slightly pounding head to view their surroundings. They had traveled for hours, this time with hands lashed to each other, to the outer reaches of the Acre Fen’s canopy. It was a good strategy on their part, she mused. With both jet packs confiscated, she and Parnell would tumble endlessly into space if they tried to escape. The Mismatch still sat where Eleni had parked her, but something was different. She frowned at Parnell’s worried tone as the Consul and it’s droid finally caught up with them.

“The light,” Parnell said softly, “It’s blue, not green. And it’s not coming from the tree.”

He was right. The nodes of each branch near the ship were dimmed considerably, replaced by an undulating blue glow that wrapped along the wood and crossed in various places like jungle vines. The pain in her head matched the pulsing rhythm of the light.

“Oh Trig, Mak.. That’s..”

“Yeah” Parnell rested his chin on her head morosely, “It’s Collin.”

Eleni and Parnell remained bound together as the situation and their fate was discussed. There was no way to heal the Acre. Collin was a pestilence that had not been seen in eons, and the Bracca were momentary beings, their history kept alive in tales and legends. These stories told of a kind man that came to the Acres’ aid and banished the blight, but how had been beyond their simple comprehension. Only a weapon of light was mentioned. She grew impatient after the small group of Bracca began to argue amongst themselves, since the protocol head was no longer interpreting for them.

“Call him back” she suggested to Parnell. “Tell Collin to get back in your pocket.”

“I think he’s a bit too big to fit now, Pretty.”

“Would you just try it?” she glanced over to the Consul, who was shaking his head at the others. “There’s got to be a way to fix this.”

“Yeah, all right.” Parnell brought one hand up, with Eleni’s, and whistled sharply.

Suddenly, Eleni’s headache grew staggering, but a tendril of the pulsing blue parasite moved over to the couple, it’s snakelike head forming to look at them both. Eleni closed her eyes tightly, willing the pain to the back of her mind.

“Time to go, Collin.” Parnell offered. Collin’s small head tilted a little. “We have other places to explore.”

After a few silent moments, Parnell sighed, his hand dropping once more.

“Trig. He winked at me.”

Eleni’s eyes popped open at that.

“I think it’s not going anywhere. Not willingly, anyway.”

The small head-like protrusion had returned to the branches. Eleni gave another glance towards the arguing Bracca, and let out a deep breath.

“Let me try something.” Quietly, cautiously, she held out her own hand towards Collin, and whistled. The head reappeared, but didn’t come as near this time. She quietly said “Go back to the ship,” her use of the voice causing Parnell to stare at her strangely.

Collin’s head shifted, changing from reptilian to something resembling the Reverend Mother’s face. It smiled knowingly, and slowly shook it’s new head. “It’s laughing at me?” Eleni glanced up to Parnell, completely annoyed. She almost whispered it “It used you.. Used both of us.. Mak, this is not a cute little critter. This thing is.. It’s Evil.”

“This is my fault, Pretty, “ he sighed, then looked over to the Consul “HEY! Do you hear that? I said it’s all my fault. I brought it here! Let the captain go.”

The protocol droid interpreted for the small group, who turned around as one to look at their prisoners. Presently, the droid’s head spoke again

“She is guilty as well, but your attempt at noble sacrifice is touching.”

Parnell winced again and muttered “urgh, don’t call it that.”

“There is no known cure for saving the Acre Fen, and so this crime is truly unpardonable. Our great home will slowly die alone, as we Bracca must relocate to other Acres. To prevent the spread of this blight, Acre Fen will be quarantined from all.”

“Excuse me, but from the stories you have told us about the time the Acres fought off this parasite, I think I may know of someone who can help the great Acre Fen.” Eleni definitely had their attention now.

Parnell frowned a little at her. He‘d never known her to lie.

Eleni avoided Parnell‘s eyes. “But, I will have to leave here to contact her.”

The Consul’s body erupted in waves of rainbow light as the protocol droid relayed the news. “You know of such a person? If so, there is no question of your release. You must bring her here. Any chance to heal the Acre Fen cannot be treated lightly.”

YES! They were going to get out of this! “Mak and I will return with our friend as soon as possible.”

“NO.” She knew the answer before the head could even spit it out. The Consul and its droid approached the two. “The Consul says we are wise in the ways of your kind. You will never return. No, This one must stay. He must pay for the crime. Even should you succeed in destroying the parasite, the damage is still extensive. If he lives until your return, we will reconsider this judgement.”

Parnell watched her, ready for action. Once he caught her gaze, he nodded towards the closest guard, indicating her was ready to grab the spear and fight his way to the ship. Eleni managed not to send anything through body language. She nodded to the Consul.

“All right. That’s fair.“

Parnell stared in disbelief for a long moment, then cleared his throat “So that’s it? You’re not even going to fight for me?” Eleni stared at him. Didn’t he know that she wouldn’t rest until she figured this out?

“It is what you wanted, isn’t it?” The droid offered as a guard cut them loose from each other. “She will go free.”

“Yeah, but I’m kinda worried about me, now.” his voice held pain and betrayal.

Managing to stay perfectly still Eleni forced Parnell to look at her. He had to see reason. “I‘m not leaving you here forever, Mak. I promise.”

“I knew this was gonna happen, Pretty. Didn’t I tell you? I’ve been waiting for the knife. I guess this is as fatal as you can get.” The Bracca led him away, and he followed without a backwards glance. “Knew I shoulda used the flowers.” It would be the last words his protégé would hear from him.

Eleni mentally cursed this whole situation. She found herself using some of Yeager’s words as the Consul presented her with the silver leaf which had started the whole mess. Still, she managed to smile tightly.

“What are you going to do to him? “ She asked, her eyes following the glow of guards that were taking Parnell away.

“He is to die with the Acre. To keep the Acre Fen company in its last days. He will be placed inside the heart of our beloved home, and as the Acre dies, his air will dwindle. It is as pleasant a death as our home is experiencing. This thing that is destroying the Acre Fen is taking its very life essence.”

Life Essence. Collin had been causing her headaches all along. Eleni felt her breath catch in her throat as she listened to the droid. She remembered Reverend Mother Weiscz’s words from her dream, and knew that she had to keep her wits about her. As much as she wanted to grab Parnell and never look back, she had to bring Vanya back here to deal with Collin. She couldn’t let the darkness win. Parnell would just have to forgive her later.

“Please, tell Mak that I will return. Tell him I promise. He knows I don’t promise things lightly.”

“I can tell your intentions are good. However, he will be harder to convince.” The Consul motioned and a Bracca guard began to push her towards the Mismatch.

“Wait! How long do I have?”

“I do not know. The blight grows quickly, but spreads slowly.”

The Consul nodded a farewell as she found herself surrounded by Collin’s numerous strands. Was it her imagination or had they increased around her ship? She found one blocking the landing ramp, and moved to brush it aside. It burned her hand! She took a quick look around. Collin was growing, but slowly, and he definitely was attempting to cover her ship. Her temple suddenly thudded with pain, despite the mental blocks.

“Get out!” she told the guards, shooing them away. “I’ve got to blast out of here before-“

The guards were suddenly grabbed by glowing tentacles as well and flew upwards, out of view.

“Triggin’ Frell.” she muttered, dodging the blue snakes that were making an attempt to enter the ship.

Of course the thing was trying to stop her. It had heard every part of her plan! She closed the landing ramp quickly, using a knife to cut the glowing things off. They fell, helplessly writhing on the floor. Eleni grabbed them, and despite the burn, trapped them inside a vacupacket, the kind she used for dry goods. They still wiggled, but could not break the tough material. In an instant, she was at the com, and in the next instant the Mismatch blasted out of the Acre Fen, trailing blue tendrils and dead broken branches. Hyperspace would take care of those, she hoped. Her eyes went back to the shrinking green lifeform where Parnell Makola would breathe his last. If she didn’t hurry, anyway.

Collin could move fast, but wasn’t spreading fast. It disturbed her to think that it would cover the entire planet-sized tree eventually. Eleni reasoned she had a few months at the most to figure this out and prove to Mak that he was wrong about her. She nodded with finality, blinking back any emotion, and set coordinates back to Dentari. Hopefully, Vanya would be easy to find.

To be continued…