"You have Nova Base, go ahead." Jejliard Castonea spoke into the mic. Tall and dark haired, Jejliard was a handsome man with a well-muscled body. He looked much younger than his thirty-seven years wearing a casual shirt, slacks and leather sandals. His view from the control tower looked out for miles across the southern Sora Sea. Built on a remote island on the planet of Beldora, Novaland's Oceanic Research Complex (NORC) spread out from the tower, its modern steel and glass contrasting sharply with the thatched roofs and simple cottages of the island.

"Dad, Tajlon here. I'd like to check something out before we come in."

"Where are you? I expected you back an hour ago."

"South of Agartoon." Tajlon said then sent his coordinates.

"We've been over that area dozens of times mapping the faults. What have you found?"

"Nothing yet. Greyla's picked up on something. We'll have to go down and get a closer look. It's in the rift,"

"Send in a nodda. The rift's narrow and too dangerous for the sub."

"I won't go in far, but I'll have to drop down a few feet to stay in touch with the nodda. Tajlon out."

"Stay in the sub, son." No answer. He realized Tajlon had signed off before hearing his last words.

Jejliard returned to working on tomorrow's presentation for the scientific conference in session this week. Jejliard had worked the majority of his adult life to build Novaland and make it a world-renowned scientific community. He had seen the planet of Beldora go from the steam age to motorized vehicles in only a decade. Thanks to the reasearch originating from Novaland, Beldora was entering a modern age of electricity, computerization, and advanced communications systems. Jejliard had been the primary instigator. His tireless efforts had paid off and his dream was finally a reality.

An envelope caught his attention as it fell down the mail chute to his inbox. It was a sealed letter marked confidential from the Beldorian Trade Partnership, Security Division. It must have been sent by special delivery since the normal mail was not scheduled to run for a couple more days. This couldn't be good news. They were mainly concerned with trade disputes, currency exchange rates and piracy. Anything urgent would have to do with something larger, such as a breach in a treaty agreement or outbreak of violence between members of the partnership.

Before he could pick up the letter, the communication console buzzed and demanded his attention again. This time it was an internal message on the intercom system which connected the entire complex.

He recognized his mother-in-law's voice coming through the speaker. "Jejliard? Are you there?"

"I'm here. What's up, Mara?"

"Didn't Tajlon call you? I told him to ask you."

Oh, the rift. Yes, he called just now."

"You let him go?"

"Hal's with them."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better... how?" Mara asked.

"Hal knows what he’s doing."

"Going into the rift this time of day isn't safe. It's not long before sundown."

"Apparently they think it's worth a look. Greyla had an empathic vibe of some sort," Jejliard explained.

Greya was Captain De'Marc's granddaughter. She was only a young girl when the two of them had joined Jejliard in the early days and made Novaland their home. Greyla was now thirty years old, an avid marine biologist and the only empath he had ever met.

Mara continued. "You know Hal would go along with anything Greyla wants."

"I doubt they find anything. They'll eventually give it up and come in."

"I can't help but worry about my grandson, Jejliard." Mara insisted.

"I told him to send in a nodda. Tajlon will be in the sub. He'll be fine."

"I'm holding you to that."

"If I don't hear back in an hour or so, I'll take the Luca Luna out to check on them." Jejliard toyed with the letter in his hand, turning it over and folding it.

"I’m at the docks. Your yacht is still in dry dock and will need to refuel. I'll check to see if there's any craft in port that might be available tonight."

"The captain is taking out his boat, the Casgora Wind. He's showing some new guests around, some astronomers he met. I believe they were planning a little evening pleasure cruise to do some star gazing," Jejliard said.

"I'll ask them to wait a while before leaving," Mara said.

"Tell Captain De'Marc to put in these coordinates just in case." He forwarded Tajlon's location to Mara.

"Thanks. I've got them," Mara said.

Jejliard unfolded the letter. It was on formal letterhead, neatly typed and signed by the head of the Beldorian Securtiy Division. It was a civilian force which contracted with military units from the Council of Nations which originally formed the trade partnership.

'Director Castonea: We have been informed of certain covert activities and suspect there has been a serious breach in security which may have an impact on your plans to present the Aeronautics Test Program at the conference as well as the private demonstration planned next week for the Nuclear Technologies and Design System. We will arrive tomorrow to advise you of specific details in advance of the conference. Regards, General Robert Colberton.'

Novaland was on friendly terms with the Council of Nations and their Beldorian Trade Partnership, but not a member as such. It had been little more than a primitive island at the time of the Agartoon wars and was not involved in the treaty. Being in close proximity to Agartoon and the Theopian continent, Novaland sought to remain neutral throughout. The security breach was unexpected. Nothing of this magnitude had ever happened before and Jejliard wanted everyone back in port until he found out what was going on.

Jejliard sent out a sonar pulse from the Agartoon tracking station. He pinged the sub a couple of times before the screen went blank. Tajlon was already heading into the rift and couldn't be contacted. Jejliard questioned the wisdom of letting his seventeen-year old son pilot their prototype nuclear sub, Solar Wave. Of course, it was hard to deny him since Tajlon had helped design it. He also knew his son was the best pilot in his fleet, if not the most manageable. He tried to reassure himself with the thought that Halston, his lifelong friend and chief naval engineer, was on the sub with them. But Hal wasn't known for being overly cautious.

***

The Solar Wave glided deeper through the azure waters. Tajlon looked far too young to be piloting such a vessel. His lean body had yet to catch up with his height. Dark curly hair fell to his shoulders and set off a handsome face. His strong features were refined but not delicate His tanned skin was a shade lighter than most of the other islanders, marking him as mixed blood. His father, Jejliard, was an off lander from the continents who had married a chieftain's daughter.

"Why do you believe me, Tajlon?" Greyla asked. "Nobody else does."

"Hey. Not true. I believe you," Hal protested and tried to look hurt. His unruly sandy hair and freckled face gave his pout a boyish quality in spite of his thirty-eight years.

"You wouldn't just make things up, Greyla" Tajlon said. "And you always believed me."

"What' not to believe?" Hal asked. "Tajlon talks to his leopard and Greyla talks to..."

"I don't talk to anyone. I just feel things, Hal." Greyla said. "I wish I could talk to them."

"Does that include, Hal?" Tajlon asked.

"Hey buddy. I'm intelligent and sensitive."

"Don't confuse our empath, Hal.

The Solar Wave sank silently into the rift. Tajlon stopped about a hundred feet below the top of the ridge.

"What are you getting now?" he asked.

"There's definitely something down here," Greyla said. Novaland's top marine biologist pulled back her thick brown hair into a ponytail and pulled one of Hal's shirts over her swimsuit. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on her empathic feelings.

"If we find anything, we can prove to everyone there's something to this," Hal said.

Hal pulled a drink from a cooler and tossed a piece of ice toward a sleek black leopard lying stretched out on the floor. Nova thrust out a lazy paw and batted the ice back to Hal.

Taljlon said. "He wants what you're having."

"Not in my job description, but okay." Hal grabbed another beer, poured it into a bowl and placed it in front of Nova who gave him a smug look as he lapped it with his long rough tongue making loud slurping noises.

"Be quiet guys and let me focus."

Nova stopped lapping, cocked his head to one side and let his tongue loll halfway out of his mouth causing Hal to laugh aloud. Tajlon shot them a sharp look and held up an index finger to his lips. Hal raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"I lost it," Greyla said. She took a deep breath and scowled at Hal.

"Too bad. I was hoping to be amazed."

"Let's just sit here a while. Maybe you'll pick it back up." Tajlon set the controls and moved to a seat next to Greyla. "Just ignore him. I'm convinced you had something."

"I've got a better idea. Let's go down with the nodda like Jejliard suggested and see what we can find," Hal winked at Greyla. "Just you and me sweetie."

"Hal, please. You're throwing her off." Tajlon said.

"Flirting does that to a woman."

"Fine. Let's go." Greyla got up and pulled on a pair of shorts.

Hal flashed a big grin at Tajlon and grabbed his gear bag. "Who knows? We may be engaged by the time we get back."

Hal followed Greyla below the main deck to the nodda craft. The vessel was equipped for short range exploration. It was battery powered and conical in shape with domed ends. It was designed to withstand extreme pressure. Hal sealed the door hatch and checked the portholes before he pressurized the cabin. Greyla checked the remote camera and navigation lights.

"How deep is your empathic reading?" Hal asked. He had difficulty keeping a straight face, the corners of his mouth giving him away.

"Just take it slow, okay? I don't have a depth gauge in my head."

"Slow it is." Hal launched the craft from the docking bay and pointed its nose downward into the deep rift in the ocean floor. They had sent probes to map the area previously and found it was nearly 3 miles to the bottom. The nodda hadn't been tested for that depth.

"I know you don't like deep dives. If you get scared, I'm here for you," Hal said.

"Scared, that's it!" Greyla paced the length of the small craft. "I'm feeling fear."

Hal turned toward Greyla and stretched his arms out to hug her. "Like I said, I'm here for you."

"Not me, its what I picked up on. Fear. Something down there is afraid."

"If I was sitting at the bottom of this hole, I'd be scared too."

"Take us down a bit farther."

Hal guided the nodda deeper and stopped after 100 feet,

"Keep going. I'm getting a stronger impression."

"We're getting close to that outcrop of rock." Hal went down another few feet, then slowed their descent and leveled out. The lights from the nodda seem to illuminate a dark shape covered in silt.

"What's that?" Greyla asked. "Thirty yards on port side, ten-o-clock."

"Not sure. I do see something though," Hal turned the main search light toward the blurry shape.

"I can feel it again, even stronger. See if you can dust off the ledge with the prop."

Hal moved closer then turned the craft 180 degrees to direct the back of the nodda toward the ledge. The prop churned up the fine silt, blurring the visibility around them.

"Great idea. Now we can't see anything."

"Give it a minute to settle."

Hal turned the nodda back around to face the location in question. He started humming a simple tune to pass the time.

"I think I see something reflecting the light." Greyla said. "This is weird. I'm definitely feeling a strong presence over there."

"Yeah, it's weird. We're sitting down here trying to communicate with a rock when we could be home lying in a hammock on the beach." Hal peered through the front porthole. "Well, this is getting more interesting. I see something and it definitely isn't a rock. It looks more like the side of a ship. Maybe someone or something on board liked my humming, huh?"

"Try singing then. Perhaps it responds to music."

"You sing to it. I'm suiting up."

"Hal don't go out there."

"Oh, the things a man will do for love..."

"Hal, wait. There is something alive on that old wreck, I feel it."

"Could be a squid or such. I'll take a spear gun."

"Hal don't."

"I won't shoot anything if I don't have to."

"No, I mean don't go out there. This could be dangerous."

"It's not my first shipwreck."

"This isn't an ordinary wreck," Greyla protested.

"Seriously? I'm just going to poke around a little. I want to try out this new atmospheric suit of Jejliard's. It's rated for 2000 feet."

"I'm letting Tajlon know you're going outside."

"I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself," Hal said and wriggled into the dive suit.

"Buddy system, Hal. You're breaking your own rule."

"I make 'em, I break 'em. I'll see if there's something we can hook on to and pull her up. Be right back."

Hal locked his helmet into place and exited through an air lock on the side of the nodda.

Greyla hailed Tajlon on the radio.

"Solar Wave, come in please."

"I've been listening actually," Tajlon replied,

"Hal just went outside the nodda. It looks like we've found an old shipwreck. He wants to pull it up. Is your sub equipped to do that?"

"Yeah, it can. I'll get a cable ready now."

"Send up a buoy so Jejliard can locate us from the surface."

"Why? He's still at base."

"I noticed a ping from Agartoon right after you spoke with him. If I know Jejliard, he's been on his way here the second he lost you on the sonar. He keeps a closer eye on you than you know, Tajlon."

"On his prize sub more likely."

"No, on you, dear boy."

"His experimental boy with the computer chip in his brain?" Taljon quipped.

"Like father, like son. In his defense, Jejliard experimented on himself first. And your leopard, Nova."

"He did. I'm not complaining. I love designing nuclear power cells and submarines."

"You handle it pretty well. Nova gets a little full of himself at times."

"He can hear you, Greyla."

"Good."

***

Jejliard jogged down to the docks and was relieved to see the sloop was still in port. Captain Dane De'Marc stood on deck speaking with a gentleman in a light-colored suit beside a slender woman dressed in a pale sundress topped by a thin shawl. De'Marc wore his usual dark blue uniform but in a tropical weight wool. A brightly colored bird was a familiar fixture on his shoulder.

The bird rarely left the captain's side and was rumored to harbor the spirit of an old island chieftan. Jejliard well remembered his first meeting with the minacaw known as Koutou. It had guided them out of a stormy sea to the safety of Agartoon harbor when they first ventured to explore the Sora Seas some twenty years ago.

"De'Marc. Thanks for waiting,"Jejliard called out. The captain waved in response.

"Find Tajlon," Koutou called back.

"Yes, we're going to find Tajlon," Jejliard replied.

"What's that boy up to now?" De'Marc asked.

"Something caught Greyla's attention. They've gone down in the rift to investigate."

"We should be able to get there in less than thirty minutes if I run her wide open."

"It'll be dark by then at best. Let's go." Jejliard hopped on board and took the rope loose from the forward cleat. De'Marc tossed the other rope clear and soon they were heading out to sea.

"Permit me to introduce my guests, William Raemolle, and his charming wife, Danlea. They are interested in building an observatory on Novaland and wish to revise the celestial map using a new deep space telescope system they've been working on."

"Delighted to meet you both," Jejliard said, offering his hand to Ms. Raemolle. When she moved her arm toward him, he grasped it by the delicate jeweled wrist and lifted her hand to brush his lips across the back.

A blush spread across her face. "We're thrilled to be here at last."

"Yes, the university was more interested in your labs and power cells than examining the stars," Raemolle said. "It took forever to get our financing to go through."

"Let's move inside to avoid the spray, " De'Marc said, leading everyone to the aft cabin.

"You should know that I sponsor grants for unusual projects such as yours. I have a keen interest in mapping the heavens as well," Jejliard said.

"Splendid," Raemolle said. "There's much to discuss. I've brought detailed plans of the observatory for your approval. This chart shows some of our latest work."

Koutou hopped on the table in the chart room and keenly examined the plans laid before Jejliard.

"Hellsaxe. Hellsaxe." Koutou screeched.

"He knows the name of our star system?" Danlea asked directing a wide-eyed stare toward the bird.

"I can read," Koutou retorted.

Jejliard laughed. "Yes, you can." He turned to their new guest. "Don't be alarmed. Minacaws are known for their intelligence, which rivals our own. Koutou's a wise old bird and a fast learner."

"It's a little unnerving," she replied.

"Get used to it," De'Marc said. "He's full of surprises."