Jenna was aggrieved. Thurgod still had not given any information out since they had entered hyper space. They were a standard day out from Quellar II and had about half a standard day period to travel until they reached the demon planet. Thurgod and the professor had been closeted but uncommunicative, keeping whatever they talked about between themselves. It was frustrating!

The Ilisa puzzle was something else that was no better for the time passed. Since they had left, there simply had been not enough time or, more importantly, privacy for the two to talk. I must get some sleep now. She told herself. The headaches are starting again. Not good.

Uncoiling from her seat, she glanced at Amard Petter. “Take the next watch. I will relieve you in eight periods.”

“Sure, he replied, get some rest, you don’t look to good.” He smiled, “Too much excitement lately I bet.” A flash of a smile.

He is young and does not look half bad, Jenna thought, virile too I bet, but I don’t want to complicate things at this time, if we survive the next few days …. Well we will see. The thoughts ran around her head like figures on a racing track. She looked around. “Where is Lista?” She spoke sharply.

Amard looked around and shrugged.

At his console Fastos was working the board and humming to himself. Jenna walked over, “Fastos.” He looked up in surprise, his eyes questioning.

Indicating the scanner and life support panels, “Lista?”

“Oh, I think that she said that she was going to her cabin.” He paused, “She seemed to have calmed down.”

Standing indecisively for a moment, Jenna shrugged, Lista was Thurgod’s problem. If she harmed the professor or, possibly, Ilisa, Thurgod would put her in an airlock and punch her out into space. Maybe, he could be hard to read sometimes, besides, after their talk, she felt that Ilisa could take care of herself. It was one of the things that was worrying her. She shook herself and left.

Fastos looked after her, glanced at Amard who shrugged. Fastos sat for a moment considering the possibilities of conflict between the two women, then included the possibilities of Ilisa. Making his decision, he left as well.

Alone on the bridge, Amard laid back in his chair and grinned.

*********

Jenna was at the door of her cabin when Fastos found her. She looked up at the counsellor’s call with surprise. “Yes Fastos, is there something that you need?”

“A fraction of your time.”

Indecision warred inside her and it showed for a moment, Fastos eyes sharpened. “I see that you are bothered by something. I can help.”

“No.” Jenna shook her head.

Fastos looked up and down the corridor, “Perhaps inside, you do not want this in public I think.”

When the counsellor had his teeth into something he did not let go as the pilot well knew, so with a shrug Jenna entered her cabin, waving for Fastos to follow her.

*********

Down the corridor, Thurgod and Denner Venkriller were discussing what would be entailed after entering the tunnels when they reached Trilla.

“My research is incomplete in that regard, but nothing I have seen indicates anything other than the tunnels being dry and well formed.” Turning to his luggage, he extracted a data cube. “I have the scans from the last time someone tried to enter the tunnels.” He said.

“And how deep do the scans go?”

The professor was clearly uncomfortable at being put on the spot and Thurgod felt some amusement at Venkriller’s evident discomfit. “Not far, only a klick or two.”

“So the conditions could change. And just how deep do we have to go?” Thurgod kept pressing for more details

There was more discomfort shown by the professor.

“That is uncertain. You see, dealing with something that was evidently made by someone close to the Dark Lords power, or perhaps by the Dark Lord himself and designed to appear in this time and place, well that is imponderable.”

“What! I do not understand. Explain yourself.” Thurgod was showing anger openly now.

Unused to being treated in this manner and intimidated by the aggressive pirate, the professor began to tremble slightly. “Well you see, the tunnels may extend anywhere, even into hyperspace, another planet, possibly another galaxy even.” Most of the pomposity was now gone. “Without knowing who designed the tunnels, or how long they have existed, it is impossible to tell where they go.”

“But the entrance is here.” Indicating the scans.

“Oh yes, or at least one entrance. And I am sure that we will be able to avoid any traps. So long as we stay with the map!” Venkriller was becoming even more nervous and starting to sweat.

“What do you mean by ‘one entrance’?”

“It is possible that there may be more than one entrance. You see the way the tunnel is formed is similar to other tunnels I have read of. Yet quite unlike others that have been described.” The professor was shaking. The menace exhibited by Thurgod was intimidating the professor who was becoming more and more anxious. “Yet there have been no tunnels found in this galaxy or any other galaxy that I know of with any similarity to the one on Trilla.”

Good, thought Thurgod, I can really get working on him now. If I get everything I need, maybe I can dispose of him. That would be good.

“Good, let us see the map now, I want to see what is ahead of us.” The abrupt command sent the professor hurrying to the map projector. Thurgod hid a malicious smile. Jenna would like this. The inconsequential thought crossed his mind and was dismissed.

Placing the cube containing the map on the table, the professor activated it. Above the table, the map glowed and expanded.

“How is this thing controlled?”

“It is a historical artifact.” The professor replied. “When I touched it, it came to life.” When he withdrew his hand, the map disappeared. “Touch it and you will see.”

Thurgod touched the cube. Nothing happened. With a deepening frown he touched it again and again with no result. “What is this?” He hissed. “Why won’t it turn on?”

At the open anger, Venkriller stepped back stuttering.

“Speak up, I can’t understand a damn word you say.” Thurgod had to make an effort to keep his anger under control.

“It may be a security feature built in so that it only works if I touch it. I have read in some of my research that there were data storage units of various types made which could only be accessed by a person linked to them in a biometric or other manner. This may be one of those.” The explanation stumbled out of the professors’ mouth.

Thurgod’s frown deepened to a scowl. “What? And why would someone do this?”

“For security purposes I imagine.” The professor began to recover. “They fell out of favour due to the shortcoming that no one could access the information for as many years as it was programed for if the owner died or had an accident. It needs a live hand you see.’

“How did you find this out?” The scowl was still there. The words a quiet growl.

“After I found the cube, I put it down and one of my colleagues who came by later picked it up. When it did nothing for him, but appeared again for me, I realised what it could be. That is how I found out what it is. I examined it in secret so no one else realised and they all thought that it was useless.” The words came in a jumble.

Damn, rumbled through Thurgod’s mind. Lista is going to be disappointed when we get to Trilla. And she had set her heart on playing with him for a while. Another thought crossed his mind. “Why will it work for you? You were not the original owner.”

“The data cube would reset after a period of time. Not less than several years for reasons of personal security I suppose. The time could be set for any length by the owner of the cube.”  

Damn again, he thought, Lista is going to be really disappointed. “Show me the tunnels.” Came without a missed beat. They bent over the map.