We are less than half a unit from the site of the Screnac.3.
As I have been whiling away the auxes, a thought has occurred to me, a slim sliver of a silver lining to the fact that I have been broadcasting the future into the heads of humanity.
All of those in captivity, being forced to do goodness only knows what, are also receiving the vision.
The faces in the crowds witnessing my demise are clear as day.  All of those people are being shown that they will be rescued, that they will be with their friends and family in a place that they can call home.
I flatter myself to feel like I am sending them hope.
Not to mention closure to those who feel, rightly so, that I have yet to make any sacrifice that even comes close to that which they have been forced to make.

Back on the Veroten, twenty-three auxes ago, I lost it.
It was only for a split second, but I certainly made an impression upon any being passing humanity’s new embassy.
For several auxes after our entry to the cavernous rooms, void of any furniture or belongings, I allowed myself to soak myself in the familiar comfort of numbness.
Everybody sat around in the glass-fronted foyer, solemnly discussing what to do next.
I sat a little apart from everyone else, leaning up the ramp that lead from the open doors up to a wide opening that lead to many more rooms and halls.
The area was very quiet, only the occasional being passed by, travelling from one place to another.  A few in groups glanced in and I could not help but wonder how quickly news of our arrival had spread around the station.
The idea that every being that walked by, had probably known about the destruction of the Screnac.3 for so many more units than we had, did not sit well within me.
Each time a face crossed the pale grey walkway that lead past us, I felt the overwhelming urge to hide my face, to burry my head in my hands and cradle myself into some sort of oblivious sleep.
Yet I forced myself to hold my head up.
A group of three female tharat and a hlorsiené made their way past.
They slowed their pace as they drew adjacent to the structure, each taking it in turns to turn their heads to look in.
As one of the tharat perceived me, she seemed to begin to get excited, speaking quickly to her companions, a look of glee on her face.
Then she pointed at me.
The other three turned to look, faces a gawk.
Every thought in my head told me not to react, to stay where I was, to look away and pretend that I did not see them.
My body had other ideas.
In a flash I was on my feet, I did not stand up, I moved up.
Having lifted myself just clear of the floor, I flung myself forward, arms down, face filled with what I was hoping they would perceive as rage.
I had no doubt that I looked entirely possessed.
Stopping several steps before the glass doors I flung my arms up and slammed them shut.
They closed.
With a crack.
I cannot recall how much energy I released, however it had been enough to crack a material that I had been told was tough enough to withstand a small explosion.
My audience appeared appropriately terrified and scurried away, one of them had even let out a sound like a squawk as the doors had shut.
I reached sideways.  A few metres away on the wall was an open console with the command to cover the widows.
I lowered my arm as a reflective sheen coated my vision.
Without turning, I could see the others simply staring at me.
A few of them had ducked out of sight and several more had moved towards the doors of the next room.
I knew before I had even begun moving towards the door that what I was doing would remove me from their thoughts of being one of them.
Perhaps that is why I did it.
I turned to face them.
I think I must have looked as tired as I felt, for no one bolted as I faced them.
I collected my bags and began to walk slowly towards the sleeping chambers on the upper floor.
As I walked, I spoke.
“I will not stay here.  I will not go to Virrion or Rapture.  When I wake up, I am going to get our people back.”
They began talking at full volume as soon as I was out of sight, no one seemed to care that I was still within ear shot.
“What the fuck!”
“They’re all going to think we’re all hostile now.”
“Thank god she’s leaving.”
“Is she likely to do that again?”
“Perhaps we should barricade her in.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’ll work, that glass wouldn’t have cracked even if you drove a truck into it.”
“How fucking powerful is she?”
“Someone needs to call Culpin.”
At which I called out, “don’t worry, I’ll do it myself!” before closing the door behind me.

I do not know how long I slept for, I never did find out.
By the time that I emerged from the room, the only humans left on the Veroten were the four that had chosen to stay.
Everyone else had split up and shuttled off to either Virrion or Rapture.
My initial apprehension over the fact that humans were being targeted were ease by Culpin who had taken up residence in the room next to mine, likely a result of my outburst the previous unit.  It informed me that, due to the risk, the Community had sanctioned a military escort and advanced permission for Hylanx travel and F.T.L. authorization so that they would arrive, safely, before anyone could make a move against them.
Simply put, I believe they simply wanted to get as many of them away from the Veroten as possible.
Humanity had barely even dipped its toe in the galactic pool before it started making waves.
It is hardly a shock that we will need to work hard to earning their trust.
Both Virrion and Rapture have been listed as protected by the Community.  As we are still technically a pre-sentient race, we can still benefit from laws that basically forbid any unwanted interaction, until we have become fully sentient.
We still need to loose our animalistic instincts.
Which I had proven rather unavoidably that at least a minority of us are still far from doing.
I am determined to work harder to control my own impulses.
In my past life, I was so in control that I was quite often mistaken for not caring, when in reality it was the opposite.  However, in protecting my friends and family from my unfiltered opinions and thoughts, I would really be protecting myself from their reactions.
Back then, I was simply being a coward.
Now, I can cause catastrophic damage with my unfiltered emotions.
When I cracked that door, I had not even been using a twentieth of the energy that swirls within me.

The only farewell that cycle that held any weight at all was with Phoebe.
Despite all that had happened in between loosing my eye, the deaths, the missing and the visions, she still was unable to look me in the eye without showing me the pain in hers.
She pulled me into a tight embrace, “it may be a fools errand but if anyone can find and free them, I’m gonna choose to believe that it’ll be you.  The moment I get those lists through, I’ll send them to you.”
When any being signs a contract, even thulai races, it has to be registered, a record of which is stored within Sakoporieme.
Sakoporieme is an administrative archive.
It contains digital information about everything.
Transactions, records, histories and information.
So much information that the servers are the size of a dwarf planet.
The information can be accessed anywhere via the galanet, however the connection fees are so exorbitant that it is generally more effective to dock at one of its satellite stations to access what you are after.
Phoebe has managed to convince a Community member by the name of Tauglo to use his authority to get lists of every human registered on a contract.  Depending on the type of contracts, we might even be able to find out where they are and who holds them.
I pulled myself out of her embrace and forced as confident smile as I could muster, “I’ll use it to find them.”  Placing my hand on her shoulder and squeezing, I said, “I will get them back.”.  I hoped that the gesture seemed comforting to her, when really I was just trying to steady myself.
As I walked away, she called after me, “just make sure to bring back that adorkable husband of mine, right?”
I turned and with a solemn look on my face, “I swear I’ll bring him back to you.”
With a wave, I turned a corner and out of sight, contemplating the word that had been left out of the promise.
Alive.
There are still nine deaths unaccounted for and Phoebe was too careful not to make me promise to bring him back alive.
I cannot say that I remain optimistic, there would be no possible way in hell that I can be anything other than realistic, however until I have confirmation of who is dead and who is enslaved, I refuse to assume that anyone particular person is dead.
The cargo bay of the Piti was empty aside from eight half-height chests, each containing the belongings of each being that waited above, including as one for myself.  I placed both of my bags within it and began to climb the ramp.
Silence fell as I arrived on the middle deck (which, from here on forwards, will be referred to middeck).  As had become usual, everyone turned to look at me, nodding in turn as my eyes traveled from one to another.
They had all sat down around the central, circular table at which there were ten chairs.
I chose a seat next to Desmosa, who smiled reassuringly at me.
As conversation cautiously resumed amongst them, I took some  to take stock of my traveling companions.
To my left was a highly evolved synthetic being capable of seeing certain futures and interacting naturally with anything digital.  To her left was a giant, green telekinetic bird who was so outgoing and friendly there was clearly something that he was hiding.  One seat further round was Bernard, a man desperate to find his partner and unborn child, his warmth and protectiveness which had been freely given to all was now hidden deep within.  The next seat housed a snake that was trained to heal and had substituted herself for her brother in order to keep him safe.  The being in the next seat had assumed the shape of a tailless hlorsiené, being the race that fit most comfortably into to the straps of the seats, only recognizable by the colour of her skin.  One seat separated myself and the genderless telepath that was directly responsible and accountable for my actions off of the Veroten.  On the bridge above us was the being to which what remained of humanity owed a debt greater than could ever be repaid, he had been granted a hero’s status that had given me cause to become the character whose folly had ruined so many lives.
They make up a veritable pick’n’mix of a company.  Smart, heroic, talented beings that been caught up in the inevitable wake of destruction that I was the catalyst for.
I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they could be relied upon absolutely to help humanity to reunite.  Such a thing would never be in question,
Yet I had never felt so alone.
None of them held me in any kind of personal regard.  Our relationships were all purely professional or a means to an end.
Since our journey began, I have come to realize that I do not truly believe that I would trust any of them with my life.  Not that it is worth much, however I have an impossibly important task ahead of me, which I suspect that I will be the only aspect that may keep me alive, if it ever comes down to it.
And so I keep to myself.
I train.  Either by myself or with Ishni.  I eat my meals inside my secluded bunk and rarely emerge otherwise.
Remaining in zero gravity means that the slightest movement tends to move me around like the old DVD video logo on a players screen saver.
The effects of not having to put any effort into moving around can deplete muscle and bone density.  To remedy this there are exercises apparatus within the bunks that use springs to provide the necessary opposing force to fully work the muscles.  There is also a supplement added to the usual daily medication that strengthens bones.
Staying fit and healthy is all that I can focus on until we arrive.
And we are mere moments away from our destination and the sound of a proximity alarm is coming from the flight deck.
The image of what is outside, is now being displayed around the room.
I can see what has set of the alarm before we have even reached our destination.
Arnold Claude drifts towards us.