Disclaimer: Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict is copyright 1999, Tribune Entertainment Co. It's characters are used without permission No infringement is intended

In the Mists of Time

By Jen’ii Starfire

    An indeterminate number of hours later, Boone was awakened by the sensation of sunlight filtering through a window, directly onto his face. Blinking rapidly to get the sleep out of his eyes, he sat up and stretched. Then, something tickled at the back of his mind. The room that he had been given didn't have an armchair, and that was definitely what he was looking at, straight across the room from him. Something was very wrong with this, but in his current state of half-wakefulness, Boone couldn’t quite remember…
    Beckette’s room. He was still in Beckette’s hotel room, where he had passed out at about ten o’clock the night before. Boone groaned softly. There was no way of knowing how long he’d been asleep, or where Beckette was. Or Lili, for that matter. I thought she said that she was worried about leaving me alone with Beckette. So she decided to abandon me with her, after I’ve passed out? She’s going to get it for this one, Boone decided.
    The room appeared to be empty, but the remains of a bowl of fruit sat on the table, along with some unwashed dishes apparently awaiting the arrival of the room service staff. So Beckette is awake. But where is she?
    "Commander Boone?"
Boone turned as quickly as his half-reclined position would allow him. Beckette stood in the doorway into the living room, dressed again in her severe uniform.
    "I assume that you’re well again," Beckette commented.
    "Yes, I’m fine," Boone replied, determined not to let her know that he hadn’t felt this queasy since the implantation of his CVI. "What time is it?"
    "Nearly noon. Captain Marquette and I didn’t want to wake you, since your experience last night obviously drained your energy."
    "Thanks," Boone said, reluctantly accepting the apple that she extended to him. "Captain Marquette ordered some coffee for you, when you feel ready. And as soon as you’re done, Da’an is here to speak with you." Boone shook his head, rubbing his head again. "That was what you wanted, wasn’t it?" Beckette asked.
    "Yes," Boone answered. "I just don’t know if I can give him much to go on. I can’t figure this thing out alone, though. And I think that last night’s little fiasco demonstrated that just immersing myself in the visions isn’t going to work either."
Beckette nodded, and returned to her private room, to allow him time to get ready.
    About a half an hour later, Boone had completely prepared himself for the day. He was in the middle of finishing his second cup of coffee when someone knocked on the door. Beckette emerged from her room, carrying a thick leather-bound book in her right hand, and opened the door.
When Da’an, Sandoval and Zo’or entered, even Beckette seemed a little disturbed by the crowd.    "Commander Boone," Da’an acknowledged, "Lieutenant Beckette informed me that you desired my assistance. Have you found further visions of the past?"
    "Yes, Da’an. Last night when Lieutenant Beckette showed me one of the artifacts, I had a vision of Ma’el, and the night before last, I dreamed of Ma’el."
    "Similar dreams to what we experienced together?" Da’an inquired. Boone nodded and started to speak, but was interrupted by Zo’or.
    "This is foolishness," the Taelon stated fiercely. "He has no right to presume to know the past. And you," he continued, turning to Da’an, "have no right to link minds with this creature."
    "I shared my mind with Commander Boone in order to bring these memories to the fore of his mind, and he studies these dreams on my own orders. You have no right to countermand my orders to my own implants," Da’an told Zo’or, his voice and manner calm. Zo’or glared at him.
    "You place too much trust in these humans. They are ignorant creatures, and you will learn to regret your faith in them." With that, Zo’or left the room. Sandoval started to follow him, glanced wistfully at Da’an, and then left the room, as well. A pained expression passing over his features, Da’an "blushed," and tilted his head to the side for a moment. Apparently recovered, he opened his eyes to gaze intently at Boone and Beckette.
    "Captain Marquette informed me that you were unwell last night, Commander. I trust that you are recovered?"
    "Yes, Da’an. I guess these dreams are more of a strain than I thought they were." Da’an nodded.
    "Lieutenant Beckette, am I correct in my assumption that you bear some psychic ability?" Beckette nodded.
    "Yes, I do. My intuition and insight have always been strong, especially since the implantation of my CVI."
    "Then perhaps Commander Boone’s abilities simply lay dormant until his implantation," Da’an suggested. "Why do you not tell Lieutenant Beckette and myself of your visions, that we might provide our insight," Da’an suggested.

    Da’an and Beckette listened to the entire tale without comment, as Boone recited the direct dialogue, omitting nothing from his telling. When he finished, Da’an sat silent for a moment.
    "My predecessor was far more deeply involved in humanity than I had ever expected. We must work to see what else these visions will reveal to us."
    "Wait, Da’an. What are you so worried by? Why do you want this information so badly?"
    "In order," Da’an explained, "that I may know Ma’el’s reasoning in cautioning us away from your world. If his theorized consequences are more severe than the Synod anticipated, then perhaps they can be convinced to leave here, still."
    "Why do you want to leave Earth?" Beckette asked, astonished by this revelation. Boone, however, was reassured by the revelation. Da’an doesn’t agree with the Synod’s plans for us! He agrees with what Ma’el said in his message, about how we might someday become their equals, and wants to help us attain that.
    "Ma’el predicted dire consequences for both humanity and Taelons, if we were to come here. Even now, it may be too late for us to avert this disaster. To know whether we still might, we must know Ma’el’s research, and how he arrived at his conclusion." Beckette nodded, but still seemed uncomfortable.
    "Forgive me for requesting this of you, Boone, but we must delve once more into your memories. I am certain that they hold the key, somehow." Boone nodded, and Beckette removed another carefully wrapped package from the box of artifacts.
    At first glance, the object was nothing more than a smoky gray stone twined with some sort of violet metal, but as she placed it into his hands Boone felt a shiver run along his spine.
    "Da’an, what is this thing?" Boone asked, his voice hushed.
    "That is nothing that you should concern yourself with!"
    Boone started. He hadn’t noticed Zo’or when the Taelon re-entered the room and came to stand beside Da’an. Annoyed by Zo’or’s timing, Boone continued to look only at Da’an.
    "This object would have been one of Ma’el’s most prized possessions. In addition to focusing his thoughts so that he might remain in communication with the Synod, it serves as a reminder of our home world, and of our past. In ancient times these stones were used to assist in the bringing about of our collective consciousness, and still they are used to strengthen our ties to bond-mates."
    "You betray our people by allowing the human to touch this object, Da’an!" Zo’or’s temper was obviously breaking as they spoke, but Da’an remained calm.
    "In order that we may find the information that he holds, Zo’or, he must have such a contact. I will not sacrifice this information for the mere fact of your unease." Zo’or scowled fiercely, but took a step back. "Commander, please lay your hand upon mine. We must join, so that I may experience what you do in these visions."
    "Da’an, I don’t think that’s necessary," Boone began, but Da’an stopped him with a glance.
    "Trust me, Boone. I would not insist if this were not utterly necessary. You must become completely immersed in these memories, and I will remain with you, in order to keep you from losing yourself in them." Boone reluctantly nodded his head, and stretched out a hand to Da’an. As their palms connected, Boone focused all of his attention on the Taelon stone. Again, he felt himself slipping away, to be replaced by the calm, peaceful mind of Ma’el.

* * *

    The day had dawned cold in the small town of Finbarra. Ma’el, used though he was becoming to the climate in the Celtic lands, found himself sitting quietly by the fire in his chamber, holding his focus-stone in his hands. Just feeling the smooth, polished stone made him feel closer to home, a feeling that he needed after being away for so long. Just as he was getting up to put another piece of wood on the fire, he heard soft, familiar footsteps across the stone floor of his chamber.
    "You are not fond of cold, are you, Ma’el?" The Taelon smiled and turned to face Fiona, who now knelt beside his chair.
    "No. The land that I came from was a great deal more temperate than this one. We rarely experienced such cold weather." Fiona touched his hand softly as she stood and pulled over another, smaller chair for herself.
    "What is your land like?" she asked.
    "It is a land very different from your own. Our skies are covered by thick gray and violet clouds, and our land is covered in vegetation. The earth itself is a gray-tinged shade of blue, and most of the plants are shades of green, purple and blue." Fiona stared wonderingly at him, her eyes large and bright.
    "Might I see it, someday?" She asked, forgetting her usual shyness in her delight over the thought of this new land. Ma’el flushed slightly.
    "I fear that you may not," he told her, gently. "The journey to my land is a long one, and I will not be making it again before my death." Fiona’s eyes turned down, her face sorrowful. "What causes you pain, Fiona?" Ma’el asked her.
    "You must miss your home greatly. If I could never return here, never see the forests and hills again…" She shook her head, as though unable to consider the concept. "Besides, I don’t like to remember that you are older than you appear. I will be very lonely when you die."
Ma’el reached out to touch her cheek, focusing his affection and love for her into his hand so that she could feel it. Before he had come, he now knew, Fiona had been hardly accepted as a member of the close-knit village. Her thoughts were so different from the normal ideas of the land, and her abilities to heal didn’t make this any better. She was an outsider, tolerated because she could cure sickness, but no one was truly her friend. No one watched over her, or spoke to her just because they enjoyed her company.
    Now that you’re here, Fiona thought to him, things are so different. I feel as though I’ve found a part of me that I never knew existed, until I met you.
    Ma’el agreed whole-heartedly. He had been surprised when Fiona showed the ability to not only accept his feelings and thoughts into her mind, but also send her own into him. Their connection had grown, over the last year, to the point that a simple touch was all that was required to initiate contact, and after this the connection might last for hours. Neither had ever experienced such a close relationship with another.
    Ma’el, Fiona thought, why do you sometimes avoid sharing like this? I thought once that you didn’t find me pleasant to be around, anymore, but I don’t sense that…
    No, Ma’el answered, I still desire your presence, as I always have. I have only begun to wonder whether it is good for you to spend your time with me as you do. Don’t you want to find a mate for yourself? He felt Fiona’s mind pull away from his, to hide something, but before she could remove herself he felt a hint of it.
    Why are you bothered by my speaking of this, Fiona?
    I love you, she thought, reaching up to wipe tears from her eyes. I don’t want to marry anyone, because I love you. Beneath her thoughts, Ma’el could feel her unvoiced wish that she had been able to hide her feelings better, and a deep anguish and fear that she would lose his friendship because of her love for him. Who would want to be near one who loves them, if they do not feel the same? Her mind cried out. Ma’el lost control of his façade, but was too wracked by emotion to bother with regaining it.
    Fiona, he thought, I do love you. I hid my emotions from you, so that you would not be hurt or offended by them. The room around them had vanished completely; all that mattered to each was the other. Ma’el reached out and lay both his hands on Fiona’s shoulders. Her face a mask of pure joy, Fiona looked up at him, and reached up to touch his cheek with one hand.
    "Ma’el," she whispered, "I wish that you had told me before. Think of all the pain we could have both been spared if we’d known from the start." Ma’el nodded, reaching up to take her hand in his own. The Commonality no longer mattered. It took so much concentration to send to them, he would be able to hide the joining from them. Nothing mattered more than the gentle human woman before him, who had taught him so much, and made him feel loved. He slipped his arms around Fiona’s waist, pulling her close to him. She lifted her face to his. He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to hers. A ripple of energy passed through both their bodies as they kissed. Fiona sighed and pulled him closer.
    Ma’el slowly untied the sash that she wore about her waist and let it drop to the ground, and then slipped her dress off her shoulders. Trembling slightly, Fiona stepped out of it and nestled against him, running her fingers along his chest as they shared another kiss. He picked her up into his arms and carried her to the fire, pulling a blanket off of his pallet and laying it out as he lay her down. Holding her head in his arms he stared deeply into her eyes as the firelight danced about them…

* * *

    William Boone’s eyes snapped open, and he found himself staring into the equally astonished eyes of Da’an.
    "I believe," Da’an said quietly, "That I now understand." Unable to do more, Boone nodded     numbly.
    "I demand to know what you have seen!"
    Da’an and Boone both turned to Zo’or. The Taelon representative to the United Nations sat beside Beckette, his eyes narrow with fury and indignation. Beckette seemed curious, but unwilling to speak. Zo’or stood and stepped menacingly toward Da’an.
    "You will not withhold this information from me!"
    Before Boone could move to separate them, Zo’or caught hold of Da’an’s hands, clasping them tightly in his own. He’s forcing Da’an to give up the experience!
Terrified for the safety of the American Companion, Boone stood and tried to pull Zo’or’s hands away. Da’an turned to him.
    "Please leave us."
Boone stared at him for a moment, and then turned and left the room. Sandoval and Beckette followed close behind him.
    Boone went across the hall to inform Lili of the events that had occurred, while Sandoval and Beckette went down to the lobby to obtain rooms for Sandoval and the two Taelons. Lili’s response to Boone’s discoveries was predictable.
    "He what? And you…"
    "Were there, yes. And Da’an," Boone added. Lili’s eyes widened, followed by a series of swift blinks.
    "So that’s why Ma’el didn’t want the Taelons to come back to Earth? To protect his human lover from whatever it is that the Taelons plan on doing with humanity?"
    "That’s my guess," Boone agreed, "And Da’an seems to think the same thing."
    "Where is Da’an, anyway? I would have thought that you two would be trying to get through the remaining mysteries of Ma’el."
    "We were going to, but Zo’or interrupted. The last I saw of them, he had Da’an in some sort of forced mental link, trying to get what we saw in my memories." Lili looked worried for a minute, and then began to laugh.
    "I can just see the look on his face when he gets it."
    "I know. I’m worried about Da’an, though. Zo’or and him have never been what I would call friendly. What if he decides that he’s better off without Da’an?" Lili nodded, shaking her head a little.
    "Couldn’t you have…No, I suppose it would have been suspicious if Sandoval and Beckette both left, but you wouldn’t. We can’t let them figure you out, no matter what." Lili looked much more concerned than Boone would ever have expected. She really does care about what happens to Da’an, Boone mused. That bonding-thing had more of an effect on her than I’d thought.
   "There is something strange, though," he told her.
    "About what?"
    "When Da’an and I slipped back into the present, our connection stayed for a few minutes, and I got the sensation that he knows something that he’s not telling me."
    "Something about the visions?"
    "Yeah, and me in particular. I think he knows how I got these memories, or at least thinks he knows."
    "How?" Lili asked.
    "I couldn’t get that before we lost the connection. I’ll have to ask him when we get back into the visions."
    Lili nodded, and they sat still for several minutes together. Then she turned back to him. "I called Jonathan on a secure line from the shuttle, so that he knows what’s going on."
    "What did he say?" Boone braced himself. Their superior was bound to not be pleased with him.
    "Exactly what I thought he would; he said that you were risking yourself without reason. These visions, whatever they are, aren’t worth your life."
    "They aren’t going to kill me. I just shouldn’t have gone so deep without someone to pull me back, that’s all. Da’an will keep that from happening again."
    "That’s the other thing he wanted me to tell you. You are, in his words, spending too much time hooked up to that alien’s brain." Boone snorted indignantly. Lili glared at him.
    "Boone, I know you don’t like it, but he’s got a point. I like Da’an, too, but we have to keep in mind that he’s an alien. He’s working for his people, for their agenda. If he finds out that you’ve been lying to him…"
    "He won’t!" Boone assured her, "Besides, to tell you the truth…"
    Before he could finish, his Global Link began to chirp urgently. A little annoyed by the interruption, Boone opened it, punching the key to accept the communication. Da’an gazed up at him from the screen.
    "Commander Boone, I require your presence once more."
    "Yes, Da’an," Boone acknowledged, closing his Global. He started to leave, but Lili caught his arm.
    "You were about to tell me something, Boone," she reminded him firmly.
    "I’m not sure, but sometimes I feel like Da’an already knows about both of us, and doesn’t care. Like he thinks that the Liberation might be right in its fears." Lili stared at him.
    "Well, you’d better hope that you’re wrong, Boone. Can you imagine if Zo’or got a hold of that information? I don’t want to even try."
    "Yeah, but I don’t think that Da’an will tell anyone."
    "Jonathan would say that you’re putting too much trust in someone that you know nothing about." Boone shook his head.
    "You’ve felt his mind, Lili, just like I have. I may not understand him yet, but I think that I can trust him to keep his secrets. And I think that deep down, you trust him, too." Not allowing her a response, Boone walked out the door and returned to his Companion.

* * *

    When he walked into the front room of Siobhan Beckette’s suite, William Boone found Da’an sitting quietly on the far couch, staring out of the large window.
    "Zo’or now knows all that I saw within your mind," the Taelon told him, a note of sadness in his voice.
    "Da’an, are you alright? Did Zo’or injure you at all?"
    "No, Commander, I am unharmed. Zo’or merely desired the information that we had discovered."
    "Where is he now?" Boone asked. Da’an gave him a weak, tired smile.
    "He desired to speak with the Synod. I assume that he will tell them of the relations that Ma’el had with Fiona. This will, no doubt, cast serious doubt on the validity of Ma’el’s decision to advise us away from Earth." Boone sighed.
    "So what do we do, now?"
    "We must finish our exploration of your memories from Ma’el. They hold the key to Ma’el’s reasoning, as well as to why you hold this knowledge."
    "Do you have any theories about that, Da’an?" Boone probed. Da’an tilted his head slightly, pondering.
    "I believe that I know, but I am uncertain. We must be assured." Boone nodded and extended his hand to the Taelon. As Da’an’s hand touched his, he felt himself being pulled back to the past, in yet another vision. He barely had time to be surprised that they seemed to be continuing to come more easily before his conscious mind was pushed into the recesses of his mind, to be replaced by Ma’el’s thoughts.

* * *

    "Ma’el, I must speak with you."
    Ma’el turned, pleased to hear Fiona’s voice. She lingered in the doorway of his chamber, fidgeting slightly with her long, graceful hands. Despite their distance, Ma’el could feel her discomfort. He walked smoothly over to her and took her hands to comfort her.
    "What is it that you must tell me?" Ma’el asked gently.
    "Ma’el…" Fiona hesitated a moment, but then pushed forward, hastily forcing her words out.     "Ma’el, I think that I’m pregnant." Ma’el started, astonished. For a moment, no words would come to his mind. Fiona felt his shock, and he sensed her amused agreement.
    "I wasn’t expecting it, either, but the healer… she thinks that I’m right. I had her check me over just today. Are you…unhappy?"
    "No," Ma’el assured her, "I simply was not aware that such a thing would be possible. Our peoples are very different from one another."
    "But there have been other times when Gods…"
    "Fiona," Ma’el broke in kindly, "I have often told you that I am not a god. My people are merely different from yours. We are an ancient people."
    "I know, but the Sidhe have also intermarried with my people before, and they had children. Ma’el, I know you don’t like talking about your people, but I think that now we must. You will have to teach me what to expect of our child." Ma’el sighed, but the look of love and warmth, and joy, outweighed any apprehension. She was right, he decided. She did deserve to know at least a little. Besides, what other law of my people have I left unbroken?
   "The child will be born early," he told her, "because my people develop more swiftly than your own. And it will require much sleep, and learn quickly." His face softened for a moment, and he reached out to touch Fiona’s cheek. "And it will be beautiful," he added. "With a mother such as you, it must."
    Fiona blushed, but held tightly to Ma’el’s hand.
   "Think of it, she thought, perhaps he will bring our people together, some day."
    "Perhaps," Ma’el answered. "Or perhaps his descendants will be those who will protect your people from mine." Fiona shivered, wrapping her arms around his neck.
   "I hope not. I hope that your people follow your advice, and when they do come, they come out of friendship."
   Ma’el nodded and pulled her close to him, praying to the nameless Gods, that he had never really had a close relationship with, that she would be right.

* * *

    When the baby was born, two and a half months later, they gave the cheerful, white-haired girl the name of Kirdan. To Fiona’s delight, the baby had Ma’el’s crystal blue eyes, and skin so pale that she appeared almost pure white.
    As she grew, Kirdan’s skin tanned somewhat in the sun, but she always remained very pale. In her first few months of life, she matured to the appearance of a human ten year-old, causing the villagers some confusion. Thankfully, most accepted it as merely another part of her father’s magical heritage.
    Her desire for knowledge was great; by the time she was three years old she had already learned the basics of how to weave, make jewelry, heal the sick and wounded, and read and write. Fiona carefully taught her all the legends of the Gods and heroes, while Ma’el spent long hours reciting to her all the stories and legends of the Taelons.
    The only shadow on their lives was Ma’el’s increasing unhealth. Finally, when Kirdan had the outward appearance of a twelve year-old, he decided that the time had come.
    "Fiona," he began that night, "there is something that I must speak to you about."
Fiona smiled, shaking her head. "Do you remember how the last conversation that started that way turned out?"
    "I do. And it is that which I must speak of." Fiona nodded for him to continue. Ma’el took a moment to gather his thoughts, and then took her hands in his.
   "I have told you often that I am much older than I appear. Now I fear that I am near the end of my time in this existence." Fiona opened her mouth to protest, but Ma’el silenced her with a finger laid softly across her lips. "There is nothing that we may do. I cannot prolong this very much longer." Fiona reached up to softly caress his cheek, tears welling in her eyes as she did.
   "I don’t know what I’ll do without you," she thought. Ma’el sensed, through their connection, that before Kirdan was born she would have followed him, taking her own life to end her loneliness.
   "But you will not, now," Ma’el told her. A crystal tear found it’s way down her cheek.
   "No. I have to be strong, for Kirdan. But my heart will always be with you."
Ma’el nodded and took her hands, holding them tightly. "If I find myself still capable of thought, then all of mine will be of you, Fiona, and Kirdan."
    "I wish you didn’t have to…leave. Kirdan will miss growing up with you to teach her."
    "You will teach her, as you have since she was born. It is your knowledge that she needs for her life. Teach her to be wise, and to pass on her kindness and wisdom. Someday your people will have need of one such as you both are."
   Ma’el reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her against his chest as she cried. They spent the rest of the night together, speaking of the burial marker that he had carefully crafted for his people to find if they did not heed his advice, and of the chamber that he had designed, as all kings designed their chambers. Late in the night, Kirdan had come in, unable to sleep. Her psychic abilities often allowed her to read the emotions of others, particularly those close to her. Her parent’s anxiety had kept her from calming down enough to rest.
    "Father," she asked softly, "why do you have to leave us?" Ma’el smiled a little. Despite his offspring’s intelligence and precocity, she was still a child, and an innocent one at that.
"Kirdan, we have spoken often of the ways that you and I are different from your mother’s people. Someday you will understand death, and you will know when you must join the void. Now is my time to allow myself to leave."
    "No! You can’t leave Mother and I, we want you to stay here. Besides, who will lead the land if you don’t?"
    "I have chosen Conor to take my place after I leave, and he will protect you and your mother."
    "Kirdan," Fiona began, running her fingers through her daughter’s long, white-blonde hair, "Someday you will have children of your own, and you will tell them about your father, and the stories of your people that he has told you. You and all of your line after you will be very special people, and they will help our people to grow and live."
    Uncertain, but agreeable, Kirdan nodded her head and then nestled softly against her father’s chest, her arms around his waist. Moments later, calmed by his gentle thoughts and soothing energy, she fell asleep in his arms.
    The next evening, after a speech to the people of the village, Ma’el lay in his chamber and died. Fiona, standing by his side, held Kirdan’s hand in her own as they watched a cloud of blue energy disperse above their heads, like stars blown by some vastly strong wind, leaving behind only a strange, reddish shell for them to bury.

* * *

    Boone’s eyes opened slowly and met with Da’an’s. His Taelon friend was apparently so moved by what they had just witnessed that he had dropped his façade, and stood before Boone in his natural state. Then, as though suddenly rediscovering his physical form, he felt tears streaming down his cheeks. The loss of a mate was far too familiar a feeling for him, but the gentle, quiet thoughts that Ma’el’s passing had left him with were a great comfort. Somehow, believing that a similar thing had happened to Katie’s energy and spirit made her death easier to bear.    
    "I have no words to convey my feelings," Da’an told Boone after a moment of silence. Boone stared at him, finally realizing, through the remains of their mental link, the reason that Da’an had been so fascinated by his visions in the first place.
    "You knew all along," he accused. "You knew that Ma’el had conceived a child on Earth, and you thought…"
    "That you were the descendant of that union. Yes, I suspected when we witnessed their joining."
    "What made you know that it was me and not anyone else?"
    "A variety of signs. Your ease in learning the Taelon language, the memories themselves, your ability to sense my feelings and needs. You have, since the first time that I met you, been an object of extreme interest to me. I realize now that our minds were already linked, through your Taelon DNA."
    "That was why you chose me as an implant?"
    "Although I was not aware at the time, yes. And, perhaps, why you have retained much of your unique views and personality."
    Da’an’s eyes seemed to bore directly into Boone’s soul. He’s giving me the perfect excuse, Boone realized. If he tells the Synod that this is the reason for my sometimes strange behavior, then they might back off.
   "Yeah, that might be it. I’ve never really seen it," he added, for safety, "but I know that you and the Synod have spoken of it before." Da’an inclined his head slightly.
    "Perhaps," he suggested, "you are the one of whom Ma’el spoke. The one who will assure your people’s safety from mine."
    Implant and Companion shared a long gaze, speaking volumes without saying a word. Then, Da’an stood and gestured Boone to the door.
    "Shall we complete your mission together, and return to Washington?"
    Boone nodded, picking up the first box of artifacts, but before he could take it out to the shuttle Da’an stopped him with a hand on his arm.
    "I believe that you should keep this, Commander."
Boone looked down at the object that the Taelon had removed from the box. Resting in the Taelon’s pale, delicate hand was the focus-stone that Zo’or had reacted so strongly to.
    "Da’an, I don’t think…"
    "It will help you in your quest to understand your heritage, Commander Boone. I am certain that you will benefit from the further tales that Ma’el’s memories impart to you."
    Boone smiled and accepted the stone, tucking it softly into his shirt pocket. He almost missed it, but he could have sworn that for a moment, it seemed to pulse slightly against his chest.

Fin