A memory or a vision of a more peaceful moment
Crystal glasses clink in muted red lighting, Meade is with Ora.
The Careening Now
On the Way of Light, the gravity controls are off. The warriors of the Flame are equipped with gear they robbed from the Malklaith and then repainted.
Moth, swimming in a haze of pain, remembers healing and repairing the xenos just enough that Dr. Xhu could vivisect them again. Moth remembers the Mem who refused treatment, who begged me with his eyes to let him die. But I sewed him back together anyway. The guilt is revealed within Moth like a black mold in his guts, and he longs to sear it out.
Moth awakens on the gurney, to see the red emergency lights turning white. As the lights dim and change, space-jazz plays, and the volume of the jazz tells us (well, Hard Drive, who is pushing the gurney) which path to take. Moth
Mpho is with Moth on the gurney in her cocoon. And then she is with Moth in his mind. She tells to bring her Priestess Diana to possess.
Following Moth and Hard Drive are the Way mystics rescued from the room of purification:
- Gonsai, who is badly dessicated but could pilot the escape pod to get them all away.
- Zesh, the tattooed mystic of the Vigilance.
- Via the fasting mystic.
- Kray the bandaged and sunburned man with few teeth, who holds a stun baton.
- Selene.
- Her daughter, Carra.
We make it to the escape pod. Moth tries to rehydrate Gonsai with Moth's own blood. It's not enough, and before Gonsai dies, he whispers in his croaking voice, "Don't trust her." But who did he mean? Mpho? Selene? Via?
Moth gives Selene his heavy blaster, saying "They want to take your daughter back. Hold this airlock." Selene, surprisingly proficient with the gun, says "I'll do anything for my daughter."
Meanwhile, with Meade
Meade takes Aram's mag-boots and grabs the motionless body of Diana, floating in the gravless audience chamber. He hollers for the guard to open the gates, and manages to convince them to (1) not shoot him, and (2) take him along with Diana to the medbay (he does obviously need medical attention, due to his missing eye).
Upon reaching the medbay, Meade reveals himself as Dr. Flancey, and convinces the other doctor present that he does have sufficient clearance to know about "Project Diana." That other doctor ushers everyone else out of the room and then asks Flancey to hand him the [insert medical device here]. Flancey looks around the room in vain, then grabs an oxygen tank, and bashes the real doc on the head. This is enough to put the doc on the ground, but not to stop him from screaming.
The warriors of the Flame outside start cutting through the medbay door, but...
Meanwhile, with Hard Drive
Moth convinces Hard Drive to go back and rescue Meade and Diana. Franky plays Darude's Sandstorm down the hallways to guide Hard Drive to the correct location. Hard Drive runs along the walls of the corridors, roundhouse kicking every form of opposition, finally dropping the last Warrior of the Flame just before they can open the door and annihilate Meade.
Meanwhile, on Warren
The multi-tiered ecumenopolis of Warren has descended into a Mogadishu of sectarian fighting, Malklaith vs Stellar Flame insurgency.
Meanwhile, with Franky
The Way of Light flies toward, shoots at the Malklaith nuclear weapons platform. Franky overloads the system to power up the main cannon, and in the resulting blast his flesh is seared away. The Way of Light immolates. The platform detonates. Franky saves Warren.
Meanwhile, Across the Sector
Aleph is now into full rebellion.
Did Alina and Aram the Kind escape the Way of Light?
Lord Malklaith has gone to Holt.
Iota is a battleground.
Rin is shadowed by the dark chaos imp of Meade.
Back on the Firedrake
Franky is rebuilt with an oily, heat-resistant sheen.
Selene wants to take Carrra and get to Carra's grandpa, who is a teacher at the Khalud Academy. Via wants to go with them. Zesh takes the escape pod to join the fighting on Warren.
Franky refits the submersible Boba as a space shuttle.