Void Star

[Keeper]

10.15 am Worldline Helios II (UNIC DESIGNATION; C17483)

The air smelt oddly of cinnamon as the wind picked up, carrying scents from the south.

A tall woman with long wavy blond hair and golden tanned skin emerged from a dark pool of water surrounded by green plants and grasses and those in tum surrounded by tall palm trees.
The green patch was in stark contrast to the vast desert around it.

Water ran in rivulets down her face and glistened on her skin. She stepped onto the hot sand and allowed the sun to bathe her in warmth. It felt so good to wash and swim in the open instead of the cramped shower on board the Polaris.

“Oh, my!” a voice to her left exclaimed. Harriot ‘Hettie’ Brockelsby let out a shrill scream of fright instinctively turning to the sound but also covering her nakedness as best as she could.

"I'm so sorry!" Andrey Kidd said and turned to face the other way.
Audrey was slightly shorter and stockier than with black hair cut to shoulder length and almost permanently tied back in a pony tail.

"It's alright. And we're both girls. No harm done, Just let me get my things on."

At that moment heavy footfalls were heard as someone crashed through the undergrowth.

A man, tall, broad shoulders, with dark brown medium length hair and a neat stubble beard burst out of the foliage.

"What?” he urged, then seeing Hettie bending to pick up her clothes exclaimed, "Oh Sweet Jesus" and pivoted on his heels to face away too.

"What the hell, Zach?" Hettie asked in exasperation.

“Well, how the hell was I supposed to know you were… naked?” Zachary Sabbath asked the trees before him. “I thought something had come out of the water and was trying to eat you, for Christ's sake!"
"Yeah, it did! Me!"
"So I see, and now cannot unsee. Anyway ship's prepared, ready to go when you're on board. Oh, and Doctor Murphey said he'd like help with something. Apparently it's not something I can help with.”
Hattie quickly dressed. "I'll be night with you."

Zachary Sabbath made his way back through the lush vegetation. The green stopped as though someone had drawn a line in the sand that the plants dared not cross. But as he crossed it, he was hit by the dry intensive heat that instantly brought him out in a sweat.

The Oasis was in a depression in the desert and Zach had to climb the steep side. As he surmounted the edge of the cater (that's what it reminded him of) the vast desert was revealed, disappearing into the hazy distance in all directions, rolling orange-yellow dunes as far as the eye could see.

Breaking up the monotonous vista was a strange looking Vessel, a cross between ship and aircraft. It had three hulls, the port and starboard being rounder at the front and the central hull bigger than the other two being almost square, a great wall of windows spanning two decks that offered the pilot and crew a superb view.

The two outboard hulls contained the engines that turned the numerous propellers mounted aft and also the large cavernous tanks that held lighter than air substances which gave the ship its lift.
blue

All three hulls were red, although many areas were patched and there were many scrapes and dents showing testimony to how rough her journey had been. Her name was Polar's and to Zach Sabbath she was home.

There were six of them living on her at the moment, himself, Hettie, Audrey, Dr. Murphey, Robert (Bob) Lomax a geologist, and Deitrik Lens, a botanist. Hettie served as the quartermaster and pretty much made sure the shop and crew ran smoothly, as much as Zach would never admit it was her. Audrey was Polaris’ chief engineer. She knew the ship inside out, almost as well as Zach did.

Zach climbed the steps into the Polaris and made his way to the bridge and started firing up systems. Hettie, Zach's life long friend and co-pilot came in moments later, slightly dishevelled from her rapid dressing. "We're not in that much of a rush,” Zach smiled at her.
"I know, but this is the exciting bit. I can do my hair later," Harriot replied.

Zach nodded acceptance and did a quick check through the vessel, making sure everyone was accounted for.

The port engines whirled and sputtered into life. Then the starboard followed suit.

Zach eased a lever forward and the Polaris began to lift from the Ground.
The propellers turned and the unusual airship eased forward, climbing into the blue sky.

Below, the oasis receded and became just a mere blemish on the sand coloured landscape.
This really was one of the bleakest worlds they had visited.

"We have a hit!" Andrey called out from a console to the rear of the compartment.
Zach handed control to Hettie and peered into the Viewer. Odd colours and lines appeared on the screen. To most they would be meaningless but both Zach and Audrey understood the signs well. There was a gate ahead, some hundred miles off by the strength of the signal. It proved their readings from the previous night.
Zach fire-tuned the sensor. "It's not particularly big,” he said aloud and a giggle from beside him made him shake his head.

"Umm, yeah! I'll get the amplifier ready,” Audrey said and climbed up a ladder to the next deck.

Zach returned to the pilot's seat and pushed the throttle forward, taking the yoke and turning the ship to a bearing of north-north-east.

Two hours later the airship approached a rock formation jutting up from the sand like an aging castle with crumbling ramparts and part-fallen towers.

For over an hour Zach had steered the Polaris towards the gate without the need for consulting the scope. He could sense the gate, and all he had to do was close his eyes and open his mind to it and he would know which direction to aim the bow.

He brought the ship low, drifting slowly towards two great pillars of rock.
Audrey was in the amplifier chamber and with the aid of goggles that made the gate appear as a bright yellow and orange orb hanging between the two rock pillars.
She aimed the projector dish.

The Polaris’ lights dimmed as power was taken up by the amplifier.
Zach watched as the gate flared and pulsed, energy being drawn into it by the beam, and being pulled into this this realm from the space between realities.

Eventually the gate's energy became significant enough to expand it, and it flared with blueish energy and sparked with lightning around its periphery.

"Hold tight!" Sabbath called out as he pushed the Polaris forward.

The transition through the gate was bumpy, as always, rattling the whole ship. Something crashed to the deck in a compartment aft of the bridge.

"Shizer! Zat is my fault,” Deiter said for no real reason other than to let everyone know that it was nothing to worry about.

Then they were through to the space between worlds.

"Everything looks good," Hettie said as she checked over dials and gauges.

They were now in "The Space Between Worlds."
It looked like swirling blue-red clouds that sparkled with electrical energy. But it was possible to navigate through the clouds, which formed pathways and tunnels and the Polaris pressed on. This bit was always a spectacle and all six crew members looked out in wonder, even though they had done this many times. Zach suddenly pitched the Polaris upwards and banked to starboard.

"New gate," he announced.
Hettie grabbed the controls again as Zach went to a map table and wrote down the co-ordinates (they weren't really co-ordinates. They were more a set of turn-speed-time readings, but they called them co-ordinates for ease).

He returned to the controls.

"Okay! Let's see what the next world has to offer! Everyone ready?" He slowly approached the gate. Again from this side it was visible to the eye, but it didn't seem to need the Amplifier to accommodate the size of the Polaris.

More sparks, the ship lurched, and then it was through......

[arcanus]

British Etherworks Offices, 122 Porter Street, London (Brunel Earth)
The fourth floor of the office building was somewhat more lavishly appointed than the lower three, which were utilitarian and practical, the open layout of clerks, accountants, secretarial staff and managers.
Instead the upper floor resembled a gentleman's club, a comfortably sized lounge replete with gull wing armchairs, strategically placed near fire places or windows depending on the occupants desire for warmth or scenery, the room had several entrance doors, senior staff verses staff or visitors, the latter initially placed in a waiting room at the top of the public stairs.
On the other side of the lounge double doors opening into a larger board room, this room where BEs board were assembling, gossiping, gawfawing and filling the air with cigar smoke.

Lady Constance Varr entered the lounge looked into the board room and snorted, turning her attention to her older brother sat in an armchair at the opposite end of the lounge from the boardroom, Lord Gabriel Varr barely looked up at his sister from his scrutinizing the financial times.
"Gennevieve why don't you pop yourself over their by the window where they will bring you some tea"
"Must I cousin" replied the younger woman accompanying Constance
"Well if I could trust you not to say something entirely inappropriate or socially destructive, I would mercifully let you go shopping or a walk in the park, but that simple is not the case is it!" Constance replied sternly
"Yes I suppose so, but it's really not my fault, Connie, it isn't I just excel at speaking my mind"
"I rest my case, off you go, tea is on the way" Constance watched Genevieve set herself amongst the chairs beside one of the main windows, where a Steward promptly appeared and set the table for the forthcoming tea set.
"Good afternoon Gabriel, not even a greeting for your sister I see" she said turning her attention to Gabriel
The latters eyebrow and mustache twitched in annoyance "I was letting you get rid of that irksome creature" he replied folding his paper "Wouldn't want her thinking I am remotely interested in anything she has to say, bloody liability, she'll never get married"
"Stop being grumpy and harsh, you might be greying but your not that old" his younger sister chided, Gabriel shot her a venomous look

"Before we go in, I want to talk to you about mother"
Gabriel scowled further annoyance crossing his face "What about mother, I have a hundred things to think about or do, including wrangling this group of gasbags" he retorted glaring at the board members "Without adding further distraction or headache"
"Yes poor you, must be terrible with all that inheritance and everyone giving you money"
"Have you quite finished, that inheritance is largely tied up in enterprise and the contributions keep it all going, I'll remind you we were very nearly destitute had I not got hold of things, and much of my time is occupied by preventing one reputational or social assault on our good name or another, think of all those people who rely on us for homes and food on their tables"
"Constance looked about her at the somewhat old but still impressive decor, yes slumming it aren't we" she winked as she looked back at Gabriel
"Right that's quite enough, whats your game winding me up before a meeting!"
"Its good for you, your sharper when you are angry, but its Mothers Society shenanigans that I want to talk with you about"

"What now" he replied
"People are talking about how young she's looking, the Scandal Sheets have a character of her that drinks blood, its quite shocking it looks just like her"
"Constance you without doubt one if not the brightest of our family, and that's considering little brothers savant like ability with machines, so in Twenty years when haven't we been the subject of scrutiny, gossip or in the Scandal Rags, Zachariah's even been in a Penny Dreadful of all things!"
"Yes but this is different, she's a woman in her sixties who looks in her thirties, she looks a similar age to me"
"Jealous are we" it was Gabriels turn to annoy his sister
"Stop being petulant, you just look like your sulking not being witty!" she shot back
"This Chinese remedy she's been taking, she's not alone its the latest fad amongst the Society Mares, Lady Madeley takes the same thing and looks younger, even the Queen isn't adverse to it!"
"Yes but none of those people are Varr's are they, none of them are gossiped about and she really is not helping, if anything she's got worse she's openly sparring with Lady Madeley, and the Madeley's have much deeper pockets than we do!"
"So what would you have me do, tell her to stop taking it that she should resign herself to old age and decrepitude"
"Of course its good to see her healthy but wouldn't it be more helpful if she was a little more discreet"
Gabriel chuckled and grinned "You are talking about our mother, does that sound like her in any way"
Constance signed "Well no, but if you are already having to shield the Varr Family name she cannot be helping, now can she"
Constance patted her older brother on the arm, squeezing it as she made her way off toward the Board Room, the board members whilst greeting her also gave their usual derisory looks at a woman being sat at the table, Constance for her part responded by telling them to open a window to let the smoke out, chastising them that it was a place of commerce not a bordello.

Lord Gabriel Varr allowed himself a small smile and mentally conceded that she probably had a good point about mother, he would have to think on the best way to tackle that particular problem, think upon it very hard