PEGASUS (FARSIDE SAGA: BOOK TWO)

The Impala cleared Stema 12's hanger bay and headed towards open space. A short ways away from Xein, the Impala came to a stop, then turned back around to face the once again cloaked nebula. Danny, distracted by Nano's presence, snapped back to reality upon hearing his name for the third time.

"Sorry captain, ejecting the Stardrive now." He said as he looked over at the viewscreen, then back at Nano. Nano, looking like a floating faceless mannequin, showed no signs of awareness, but just stared at the viewscreen with his hands behind his back, as a grey cylindrical casing, housing the Stardrive's main core, floated away from the ship. The six jump ships appeared from the sides of the Impala and flanked the casing, attaching tractor beams to it and holding it stationary between them.

"What's with this dude. The little ones are acting like he's their God or something, and aside from the cameras, I can't scan him." Danny said, squinting his eyes trying to see past Nano's shiny black surface.

"Forgive me. My composition will not allow you to register me on any scanners." Nano said as he slightly turned his faceless head towards Danny.

"It is for the safety of the Krev. We are still here because the Lesser was not interested in us, it only took those that attacked, which happened to be over half the network. As far as your little ones, you humans have managed to duplicate our technology exactly, but not our power source. We recognize them as descendants, but not Krev. They are curious. They see us as a higher intelligence and wonder if we are related. I've explained to them the situation and they are happy to know that they are part of something greater than themselves. They will serve their purpose with pride now." Nano said as he returned back to his original position.

"Hmmph, ookay...thank you...I think." Danny said, clearly impressed, but not sure if it was a compliment or an insult.

Jason didn't figure his own nanites to have an actual life of their own. He only thought of it as an evolved programming, much like Danny. Dismissing the thought, he ordered the Impala to head forward towards Xein. Another lifeform to take into consideration.

Xein was a collection of nanites that worked as one on an individual level, much like the parts of a human body. As they approached, the nebula once again came into view. Instead of a partially solid surface this time, it remained like a dark mist against a multicolored cloudy background.

They traveled for about fifteen minutes before anyone said anything about the nebula not appearing any closer.

"The illusion of its distance is also part of the cloak. I apologize, but I assumed you caught on to it by now and just thought you couldn't travel any faster without your main engine. I was just about to suggest a more conventional way of traveling had your helmsman not spoke first." Nano said. Nano communicated to the swarm and their true distance was revealed. A tiny spec against the clouded background, Danny recalculated the distance and fed it to navigation control. Jason let out a soft whistle as he chuckled to himself when he read the distance to Xein. Giving the order to engage the Arc Generators, Jason explained to Nano that the Stardrive was not the Ship's main engine, but the main component to their intergalactic slipstream. The Arc Gen motors grew to an imperceptible whine as the Impala shot forward in a rainbow-colored streak of light.

In another fifteen minutes, the Impala found itself in the midst of a dark cloud surrounding the ship. The outer layer began to solidify, incasing everything inside.

"Hey...heeyyy, these things are getting a little crazy in here." Danny said as he lifted his arms and examined his body.

"Don't be afraid. They're just....excited. They believe to be where they call...home. I understand they are bound to serve on your ship, but they are more than welcome to join us for the time being if allowed." Nano said. Jason gave it a quick thought, then opened all the nanite shielding ports. He almost felt as if he was losing a family member as he watched the nanites eject from the ports and blend in with the surrounding mist. Nano guided them to what appeared to be a large....Empire State Building?

"Seems you guys took to our architect too." Jason said to Nano.

"We have replicated much of Earth's structural technology as sort of a reminder to what we thought was your short-lived existence. The Left Ones returned with news of your continued lives, including new culture and architectural designs such as your Empire State Building. We thought you might enjoy the familiar view, with a few modifications of course." Nano said as he addressed the oversized landmark now looming in front of them.

"The vessel you seek is inside." Nano continued as the Impala flew towards the sliding doors.

Instead of the doors opening like normal, they simply disintegrated into a golden bronze mist as the Impala entered through it.

The outside of the building looked like the redesigned version when it was torn down and rebuilt in 2028 after the Arc Generators were invented, but the inside was like a blast from the past. The oversized lobby was an exact replica of its predecessor the day it opened in May of 1931. The only difference besides its size, was the doors misted instead of opening like normal. No one cared as they were amazed at the lobby's sheer beauty. Those that never seen the inside before its demolition, seemed to pull lumitablets out of nowhere and started taking pictures. Jason looked at his crew in a sort of comical amazement.

'Of all the things we've encountered so far, they still chose to savor an Earth relic above all else.' He thought to himself as he put his head down chuckling inside. The Impala slowly glided towards the elevator between the two elegantly curved staircases. They entered the elevator and turned back towards the opening as the double doors once again became solid. Elevator music began to play on the intercom as they ascended to the top.

"Ha!..." Danny laughed as he looked at Nano. "I thought I was a stickler for details. You guys really go to the extreme." He finished, tapping his foot to the beat. Some of the bridge crew bobbed their heads to the classical tune as the elevator slowly came to a stop. The doors misted and the Impala entered into a long featureless hallway with a single door at the end.

Jason's silver striped wrist began to slightly irritate him.

"The vessel is just beyond the doorway." Nano said as they approached.

Jason looked over at Mike as Hugo made his way behind him and started scanning, but by the time they entered through the mist, Jason was the one doubled over in pain as he gripped his head tightly. Series of miscellaneous numbers and letters scrolled across his vision behind his tightly closed eyes while Bianca's vocals malfunctioned in his ears before going completely silent.

Fearing it to be the translator, Udar rushed to his side and tried to help him to his chair. Jason, in incredible pain, shoved Udar to the side, almost knocking him down, as he rolled on to his back still gripping his head tightly.

Mike and Hugo ran over. Hugo scanned him, his pupils turning a deep blue as he looked him over. Mike bent down and tried to help him sit up, only to meet the same attempted resistance. Jason tried to shove Mike but only succeeded in sliding himself across the floor.

"There's something interfering with his A.I." Hugo said as his pupils returned to normal.

For the first time since meeting him, Nano's feet actually touched the floor as he burst into a cloud of nanites. He swarmed around Jason, lifting him slightly off the ground as he entered through his mouth and nose. After a few minutes, Nano returned to his original position.

"I see,..." Nano started. "...Now I know why this particular A.I. was infused with Krev technology. Give him a few minutes, he will be okay." He finished.

A small portion of Nano streamed out to Jason, lifting him up and forming a 2019 hospital bed under him. Slowly, Jason regained himself as he lay breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" Vanessa asked once his breathing became normal.

Sitting up, loosely gripping the edge of the bed, he looked up at Vanessa with blurry eyes.

"I'm fine." He said, groggy, as he wiped beads of sweat off his forehead.

Slowly and cautiously, Jason stood up and wiped his eyes, trying to regain his focus. In his darkness, a series of numbers scrolled down. He blinked his eyes open, still seeing the numbers scroll down. He closed his eyes to shake the vision out just as he heard a soft ping. Expecting to hear Bianca, Jason listened to complete emptiness. He opened his eyes and looked at everyone on the bridge, who was staring back at him concernly. He felt warm in his heart knowing that his crew and new friends cared for him that much. He looked at Udar and was about to apologize for shoving him when he noticed Mike staring at him intently. What caught him off guard was not the feminine sharp intake of breath, but the familiar-sounding nickname that came afterward that he knew could only be his wife speaking.

"Momma?" Mike said when he heard his childhood nickname. At the same time, Jason responded...

"Samantha?"