‘They say it’s pretty Ilorians and happy Nol-Duggun what live on them Durmul Expanses; say they’re fine places to visit, or settle even… I’m telling you, there be monsters there… and worse things than’s ever met you in your nightmares…’

-Xantor Gallbring - a smuggler - on the dangers of Durmul Expanses to a pair of young, wide-eyed starchasers

With a crack and a shudder Ha’dun flashed out of Hyperion, and almost immediately engaged the cloak, his surface shimmering away into invisibility. Ahead lay the twisted, living Durmul Expanse, and high above it was a fleet of brown, beetle-like starships, with vicious horns flowing out of their prows.

Nell, who’d been unable to sleep, stood at the forward window, staring out at the strange alien ships. He was alone, deep in thought – he’d thought of asking Ha’dun if he knew where Genesis was, but felt awkward and muttered to himself that she probably wasn’t too keen on seeing him at the moment.

‘They’re Durinian ships,’ Ha’dun said in his usual snarky tones, represented as a cloudy whisper-image, a few meters behind Nell.

Nell turned to face the whisper-image that resembled him, and walked toward the table. ‘Durinians?’ he asked.

‘They were warriors of the Olden Souls in the last war,’ Ha’dun sighed, and though he made as if it was a bother telling Nell these things, the man could tell there was really nothing he liked more. ‘It makes sense that they’d be somehow connected with the Regol, doesn’t it?’

‘I suppose,’ Nell said, turning and looking out the forward window again as the great brown scaly ships grew larger and larger. ‘You’re sure they can’t see us?’ Nell asked, feeling uncomfortable.

‘Humph!’ was all the response Nell got back

Ha’dun plunged through the alien fleet and down, down, down, toward the twisting mass of mountains, forests, fields, and lakes. The nearer the ship drew, the less it looked like a web, and the wider the world seemed to lay out before them. By the time they landed in a meadow - encircled by forest, the starry sky canopied above them - it looked to Nell like any other world.

‘This place is bizarre,’ he said keenly at the forward window, staring up and down, and all around.

Echoing footfalls drew his attention and he looked toward the starboard-side doorway of the command deck. Genesis walked through it and stopped when she saw Nell. She looked down for a moment, seemed to take a steadying breath, and strode up to the whisper-image table where the whisper-image of Ha’dun hung.

Nell hesitantly joined her.

Genesis didn’t look at him, and just began typing into a keypad on the sloping side of the table. A moment passed, then Ha’dun nodded and turned to face Nell.

‘Okay, right, Genesis has given me the plan to pass on to you,’ he sounded quite pleased with himself.

Nell glanced at Genesis, and then looked back at Ha’dun. ‘Okay,’ he said, ‘let’s have it.’

‘She’s very, very smart,’ Ha’dun offered, sounding as though he approved. ‘It’s startling really that they need you to find the worlds, and the pieces for the Hell Gate. Genesis… she seems to know everything about this world, and how to get where you need to go and what you might face on the way there.’

Nell looked at Genesis, but she didn’t face him.

‘It wouldn’t surprise me if she knew about nearly all of the habitable planets left, and a great number of the dead and dying ones too... Quite intriguing that she holds that much knowledge. It dwarfs even…’ Ha’dun stopped himself. ‘Yes, well,’ he went on, ‘the plan…’

‘How do you know all of this about her?’ Nell asked.

‘Well, I was programmed too, wasn’t I… and… well, she came to me earlier and asked for a chip like yours… I’m connected to you both.’

‘Why the keypad?’ Nell wondered.

‘Why am I talking to you?’ Ha’dun snarled.

Nell frowned.

Ha’dun smiled and said, ‘So, the plan is simple, as plans go… you do what she says and follow her, and you don’t get killed. Simple… oh, and she may need you to talk for her... I’m sure you’ll all work that out.’

Nell looked at Genesis again and still she didn’t face him. ‘Yeah,’ he grumbled under his breath, ‘I’m sure.’

*

When Nell followed Genesis out of the port-side doorway at the back of the ship, and onto the green meadow, they both wore their uniforms. Genesis had a sword, while Nell had a gun and a sword. The dark forest lay before Nell rather forebodingly, and while he was hesitant to enter, Genesis marched on without any fear, and Nell could only follow her. He wished he could say something to make things better… or at least less awkward. He’d not meant anything by it at all; her looking at him like that hadn’t really bothered him.

It surely beat the way most other girls tended to look at him.

He hastened to match Genesis’s pace as she stepped into the woods and hurried along a narrow animal path. They walked for a short time and then Genesis entered a small clearing, across which stood an ancient well, built of grey stone, with a conical, shingled roof over it, set upon two sturdy beams that had turned grey with age. A bucket, tied to a frayed rope, was wrapped around a cylinder of wood, with a handle on the outer edge.

‘Hang on,’ he said, staring at the well, and causing Genesis to stop and turn to face him for the first time in a while. There was a question in her eyes. ‘We’re not here already?’ Nell asked. ‘I mean, the piece, I saw it, it was at the bottom of a dark shaft, but… is this well it? I don’t remember it as a well. It was just a hole in the ground.’ He glanced around. ‘Though it was in a clearing.’ His thoughts were jumbled now as he tried to remember what he’d seen.

Genesis stepped up to Nell and looked seriously into his eyes. ‘Trust me,’ she mouthed.

‘Trust you,’ Nell repeated. ‘Right, trust you… I just… there’s something…’ She was giving him a look that told him he was trying her patience. ‘Blast it!’ he growled. ‘I wish you could just talk! It would make all of this easier.’

The look Genesis gave him chilled Nell to the core. She turned sharply and walked to the well. The closer she got to it, the slower and more carefully she moved, her hand falling toward the hilt of her Hanul-Kal. Nell began to follow, but she waved a hand, warning him back.

Nell stopped moving and watched Genesis peek over the edge of the well, down into the darkness below.