The Infinite Nebula Star

Trine took hold of the Detector Stone and scowled. He was lying. Of all the blasted, insufferable men!

"I don't believe you," Trine hissed and Chrysth swiveled his eyes in her direction. "You are lying, Blesser!"

"I assure you that I am not," he said wearily. "It is my tale to tell and I tell it correctly."

"I believe you tell it in a biased way, leaning it toward the good of yourself!" Trine snapped, her hand tightening around the stone in anger.

Chrysth's eyes dropped to her fist. "You seem to know a little too much, Blesser Trine."

"I do not care for games!" Trine spun on her heel and marched to the front of the ship. "If we are leaving then let us leave."

"We are returning to INS," Chrysth said softly as he stood behind her. "I told the truth."

"Your version of it, maybe," Trine hissed as she shoved her hand into her pocket.

"I am curious, Trine, as to how you would know." Chrysth took the captain's seat and stared at the instrument panel. "What secrets are you harboring, I wonder."

"Then wonder until you are damned, Chrysth!" Trine turned and strode away, her hair swinging angrily.

"What have you done to piss her off?" Zalla asked as she flopped in the seat beside him.

"Nothing to concern you, child," Chrysth snapped, his anger near the boiling point.

"We can't go back to INS, you realize," Saffire said as he pressed a red button to Chrysth's left.

An image, distorted and full of static, rose before the them. Chrysth pushed the yellow button for sound.

"-dead! I repeat, the Protector is dead! The new rulers of INS demand that all ships return to port immediately! Any ship or person who knows the whereabouts of the three missing Blessers must report in! The Protector is dead! I repeat, the Protector is-"

With a curse, Chrysth turned off the transmission. "I hate to say it." He growled as he swiveled in the chair. "But Trine had the right of it, getting off INS when she did. Now, the question remains. Where do we go? We have definately overstayed what little welcome we had here."