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Vida was sitting quietly in the boots and modest dress that Daphne had given her. The shuttle pilot wasn’t the chatty sort. He simply engaged the engines and lifted off.

She wanted to bite her nails, but instead, she folded her hands in her lap and concentrated on breathing. In, out.

The pressure of the acceleration shoved her back in her seat. Breathing took up her entire world until they released from the atmosphere. The mother ship glowed in the sky.

Vida watched as the shuttle she was in approached a minute port in the metal hull. It was amazing to think that she was heading toward the largest collection of aliens that the Gaians could ever have imagined, and they had a greater right to the planet than the current colonists.

They had landed eons earlier and evolved their own distinct adaptations to the world until they had travelled out into the universe to split up and become distinct societies from one parent species.

Knowing and learning all she could about the Nine was her hobby. Vida had known deep inside that they would be the key to her quest. Now, she was about to test that theory.

The shuttle glided into position and lined up with a series of lights inside the ship. It cruised inside, and she stared out the thick plexi window at the hundreds of fighter ships parked in bay after bay of the inner workings of the giant vessel.

The moment that the vehicle settled, she could see a walkway extending along the side a moment before she heard the thunk of contact. Her harness released itself, and she took that as a hint to get to her feet.

Her legs wobbled and her body didn’t feel quite right. Vida used the seat backs for support as she walked toward the door she had used to enter. It hissed and popped open before she reached it, and a familiar face poked around the corner.

“Vida!”

Vida grinned and ran to her, bumping in to the cushions and careening into Ziggy’s arms.

Her friend had changed, Ziggy had added more power to her already considerable energy, but her innate signature was unmistakable.

In the time after the Tokkel attacks, Ziggy had become a friend. Ianka had enjoyed the scent of flowers as a break from the blood and smell of fear, and anything that kept her sister happy had made her happy.

Eventually, Vida’s obsession with looking for their parents had driven Ianka to seek silence on the far side of Gaia. She had requested, and been granted, one of the sled-like transports, and every six months, she returned with samples of faraway lands.

“Ouch, Vida. That is quite the download.”

She quickly broke their hug. “Sorry, Ziggy. This trip has gotten me all wound up.”

Ziggy smiled and linked arms with her. “It is fine. So, it has been a while since you saw her?”

They walked down the walkway and into the ship.

Vida was glad that she was using her eyes and not her other senses. There were people everywhere, and they all looked fascinatingly strange.

She prodded Ziggy, “I know that there are supposed to be nine races, but this looks like considerably more.”

“Ah, just like with the Gaians, there are variations in size and function. Each race has its own hierarchy. Light, dark, air, water, forest, rock, beasts and, of course, then there are the two that you will be dealing with.”

Ziggy wrinkled her nose. “They are harder to describe.”

“How so?”

“Well, we have the Fury and the Balance. The Fury look like ancient Earth demons and the Balance . . . well they look like pieces of starscapes come to life. You don’t run into them that often. They don’t mix well with the other races. Well, they do, but the other races get uncomfortable.”

“Why will I be dealing with them?”

Ziggy rubbed the back of her neck. “For what Apolan described and knowing what I do about your talents, a power boost seemed a safe bet. The Balance are nothing but power.”

“And the Fury?”

“They are some of the best pilots and most aggressive fighters. Their auras make them hard to look at, so most folk just look right past them as if sensing evil and not wanting to tempt it.”

“Are they evil?”

“I have spoken with their magistrate on this matter. He seems polite and well spoken.”

They paced up to a pod on a rail platform. Ziggy tucked her inside and sat next to her.

“Where are we going?”

“To the medical bay. According to the news reports, you ended up with a bolt through the shoulder, though the news didn’t name you . . . as always.”

Ziggy sighed heavily.

“When do I meet your husband?”

“Once you have been healed. Rothaway is always eager to meet new Gaians, especially ones that I consider to be friends. Once you have been up here for a while, you will appreciate Gaians just as much as I do.”

Ziggy smiled.

“I only want to remain here long enough to find the trail and follow it.”

“We will see what the doctor thinks. She’s a lot of fun once you get to know her but a little hard to get used to. She is one of the people of the Rock, but one of the taller ones. We would call her a giant.”

Once they arrived in medical, Vida had to admit that Ziggy wasn’t kidding; the doctor was indeed extremely tall.

“Stand in the scanner, miss. We don’t want any infection to set in, so I need to get a check of your general health.”

Vida winced and stepped into the scanner, knowing what was going to be found.

“Madam Potential, please leave the room. I need to have a talk with your friend.”

Vida sighed. “Anything you want to tell me, you are welcome to do in front of Ziggy.”

The doctor read the scans and focussed them on several points. “Your bones are not strong. You have broken over a dozen individual bones in your lifetime and several of them have been broken more than once. I am amazed that the trip up here didn’t crush you. It is like you are made of pressed paper instead of calcium.”

Ziggy scowled. “So you are telling me she is not fit for space travel.”

“Good lord, I wouldn’t allow her back to the surface without weeks of treatment to build up the levels across her body. How could this happen? Don’t your people have regulations about supplements?”

Vida stepped out of the scanner. “They do, but my body does not absorb and reuse the calcium like it should. I was the feeble twin.”

Dr. Meevin cocked her head. “Identical twin?”

“No, fraternal. She is stronger, faster and generally in better shape than I am.”

“Too bad, I could have cultured a treatment from her system if she was amenable. Ah well, I will treat the torn tissue and you can be on your way. I will design a calcium treatment, and you will be here tomorrow morning to start it.”

Vida blinked. “I will?”

Ziggy nodded. “You will. How did you break so many bones?”

“Well, I run around blindfolded a lot. Sometimes, I miscalculate my trajectory.”

She shrugged. It was a side effect of looking for missing children in the woods. She banged into things quite often if she was moving at speed.

The doctor pointed to a medical bed, and Vida hopped up onto it without comment. Dr. Meevin loomed over her and shot several hyposprays into the tissue around the wound.

“Whoever gave you first aid knew what they were doing.”

Vida smiled. “Daphne, the ambassador’s wife.”

Dr. Meevin grinned. “She is taking to our ways. Good. It saved your arm. There are traces of an infection here that could have easily turned septic, but the traces of the strong antibiotics in your system have them on the run.”

“She was very thorough.”

The doctor grunted and squeezed lightly at Vida’s arms and legs. “Any problem moving?”

“No. A slight ache in my right wrist, but it has been broken three times.”

The focus shifted to her wrist, and the doctor hummed to herself before disappearing into the outer office. She came back brandishing another hypogun, and before Vida could brace herself, she was jabbed in the arm and that limb felt like it was being dipped in fire.

Vida writhed on the table, and Ziggy wisely kept back. This was knowledge she didn’t need.

When the first wave of agony faded, Vida was covered in sweat. She sat up with a dazed expression. “You could have warned me.”

Dr. Meevin winced. “Sorry, you may experience some slight discomfort. It is an enzyme that the Balance have been working on to restore harmony in the body. I didn’t know what it would do to a Gaian.”

“That was the worst of it, right? It was just my arm, right?”

The doctor winced. “I think so. You may want to contact Researcher Lerinian. He designed it.”

Ziggy helped Vida off the table. “I will bring her in tomorrow morning. We will consult with the researcher.”

Vida hobbled out of medical feeling far worse than she had entering it. They hopped back onto a pod and were whisked through several distinct neighbourhoods before arriving at a series of structures all lined with heavy plexi to allow for a full view of the stars.

“Oh wow. The Balance, I presume?”

“Yeah, they have battle shields that cover those views during a fight. All the different races have their own environments. It was part of the initial agreement to get this ship together.”

Unlike the area near the shuttle bays, there were no people randomly milling around. Occasionally, a cloaked figure would pass through the open area near the rail, but they didn’t stop or even look over.

“Come on, Vida. The labs are over here.”

Vida closed her eyes and sighed. This area of the ship was the kind of spot she could get around on her own. Every path was clearly marked by the slow paces of dozens of the robed figures. Their energy was all slightly different, but it vibrated and swirled with a slow and steady roil of light against dark. Whatever the Balance was, it was powerful.

Pain began to tighten on her arm, and it spread through her chest. She tried to hide it, but Ziggy had her ways of knowing these things. “Come on, Lerinian’s lab is this way.”

They walked past the occasional silent robed figure until they were in a wheel of large bubbles filled with lab tables and equipment. Ziggy looked into one and scowled. “Damn. I thought he would be here.”

Another crippling wave of pain went through her. “Can you call him?”

A robed figure approached. “May I help you, Potential?”

The voice was low, even and soothing. It rang like a deep soft bell to Vida’s fried senses.

“Yes, I am looking for Lerinian. Is he around?”

“He is doing a locked meditation. May I assist you in some way?”

Vida’s tense muscles were the only thing holding her up. Her teeth were clenched and the pain was spreading.

“Dr. Meevin administered a treatment that Lerinian had been working on to my friend here, and she is having a rather extreme reaction to the meds.”

“Ah, the regeneration project. There are other contributors with the research, including myself. If you will come with me, I will run a diagnostic.”

Ziggy turned to follow him and Vida moved more slowly. Her entire body was going into rigor.

The member of the Balance opened the door to his lab, and when his hooded gaze turned toward her, she heard his bell-like tone curse. He quickly grabbed her and brought her into the lab. The medical bed was firm under her, but her body couldn’t appreciate it.

“Easy, Lady. I will counteract the treatment. It was never tested for use on Gaians.”

Vida muttered through clenched teeth. “I guessed as much.”

Ziggy was wringing her hands. “What can I do?”

The man said, “Call the Gaian, Ularica. She has a compression suit that she has been working on. It will help with the pain.”

Ziggy went to the com unit and made a call. Vida’s body twisted while the member of the Balance took a blood sample and analysed it.

His head turned toward her. “My name is S’rin, by the way. It will make me seem less off putting.”

She wanted to say that if he could help with the pain, she would accept the devil, but nothing came out.

She was locked in place, and she clenched her eyes so she could see what was going on around her. Her inner panic eased when Ziggy’s energy pattern calmed.

S’rin was always calm. He really was as advertised, balance.