Sophia - Throne Room 2

A deep gong pulled Sophia slowly awake. A strange bluish-green glow flickered against her eye-lids and a feeling of enfolding warmth and comfort held her securely. The bones of the massive throne were warm and pulsing slightly to the deep, steady heartbeat Sophia could feel more than hear. Her eyes opened to see a translucent image floating in front of her. Written on it were clusters of strange symbols that slowly twisted and morphed into words. "Summoning Gem AE3_666_01 activated. Coordinates transmitted. Jump system inactive. Data: Save/Purge"

"How do I get more detail?" A second window faded into view with more text and an image of two women in the early morning light with a heart shaped sapphire gem held into a shaft of sunlight. She stared at the image of two familiar faces before shouting, "Irena? Shandi? Can you hear me?"

"I'm sorry mistress, the summoning gems aren't communications devices. If everything was working, we could jump to them. But that isn't possible until the hut is fixed. I would recommend saving their location," Tyana commented as she faded into view , standing to the side of the glowing windows.

"What if they change location?"

"Then we hope they use the gem again."

"What is our current status?" Sophia asked. Instantly half a dozen screens popped up in the air in front of her with status for various sections of the hut. Many were green, however, the ones dealing with main power and jump systems were red. In each one power and control crystals were marked as damaged. "What do these crystals look like?" Another screen opened with images of seven crystals, each a different color, displayed inside. Three, a blue, a dusty rose, and a scarlet shot through with blue had red circles around them. Underneath, they were marked as "damaged, non-functional". "What size are they" Immediately a three dimensional image of a crystal appeared, rotating near Sophia's right hand. The crystal was about the size of a closed fist, egg-shaped, with seven flat pads polished into it. "And there are no spares inside the hut?"

"No mistress," Tyana replied.

"They can't be natural with those polished points, can they?"

"No, they were created by technology and were originally designed for hyperdrive systems. The creator of the hut based the power systems on a similar unit. In some places they are very common, in others, almost impossible to find."

"What is outside the hut? Can you tell me that? Do you think we are in a place where I can find these easily?" Another widow opened, larger than the others, showing a round dark granite chamber, lit with phosphorescence on the walls. Odd patterned carvings swooped between tall protrusions of rock, whose function was not at all obvious. A round well, surrounded by twisted spines of rock, puffed steam into the center of the chamber. A dark passage ramped up from an opening in the far wall. "Alright, that's rather strange."

"I don't know how easy finding them will be here. The air will support you, ambient temperature is cool compared to your body temperature, but barely below the comfortable range. I have no indication of local conditions or life-forms. There are none in the immediate area. I recommend selecting protective gear and weapons from your wardrobe before exiting the hut," Tyana replied.

"Weapons? What am I going to do with weapons? I've never fought in my life!"

"I am afraid you will need to learn, mistress. Most of the multi-verse is rather hostile, particularly to strangers."

"Uh, and where am I supposed to learn? Can you teach me? Do I have to worry about survival in here with the power systems messed up?"

I can teach you some things. We have as long as it takes. There is no serious risk with the systems as they are. I will join you in your rooms, you can select weapons, and we can begin. You realize, I hope, that this will take a while. These skills aren't learned overnight."

"Figures."