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NEW: COE-PILOT 2: COE-LECTRIC BOOGALOO, A STARFIELD LOVE STORY

Chapter 2: Preemptive Strikes

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9k words. Please see tags. No notable TWs. MDNI. Mature themes/language. In-game quotes from Starfield noted by bold/italic typeface and asterisk. Summary: Since revealing she is Starborn to Constellation and giving them the locations of key Artifacts, Lilu has embarked on a solitary Artifact hunt with a list that Vladimir has given her. Enlisting help makes the job go faster, allowing her to revisit the Lodge, her old friends, and one very upset Sam that much quicker. But Barrett wants a favor, one that makes Lilu question everything all over again. And a knock on the door portends a worst case scenario.

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LILU, NOW, onboard the Frontier:

Lilu sat alone at the Frontier’s little crew table, surveying the wound to her shoulder, her shirt pulled off to one side. The trauma pack had done its job. Luckily it had been a laser blast she had taken and not a ballistic weapon. The Ecliptic mercenaries she had run into at a deserted scientific base on Sirius III-A put up a terrifyingly strong fight. Without any backup, she was hard pressed by their determined resistance.

She wasn’t that powerful a Starborn yet. She often forgot to use any of her powers, powers she had acquired at Starborn Temples near Artifact sites over time in her prior universe. Plus, she was afraid using them might be debilitating like it had been gathering them or picking up Artifacts. And she was alone, no one to watch her back if she went down. Before, Sam had always been there, even to pluck her from the jaws of death on occasion.

Now, as she sat there in orbit by herself, without anyone to help her tend her wounds, Lilu began to consider if she should hire some help to get the remaining Artifacts. She had managed to get three of the relics, and visit one Temple. But at one of the three sites, there had been a Starborn waiting for her, not to mention the resistance at the locations themselves. Va’ruun zealots, Ecliptic. There could be Crimson Fleet ahead, vicious fauna, who knew?

She didn’t want to have to return to the Lodge. Besides, all of Constellation were probably out getting their Artifacts, or trying to rescue Barrett and Andreja. Plus there was the matter of Sam, with whom she had gotten into a scrap. So, where could Lilu find help?

Then it came to her… Akila City. It wasn’t as far away. The bars like Aggie’s, the Hitching Post... there were plenty of people looking for work there. Wouldn’t hurt to take a break and find out. Maybe sleep in a real bed at the Stoneroot Inn. She set course to Akila in the Cheyenne system.

When she landed, she couldn’t believe it when gate security told her there was an incident at the GalBank. Of course, but why would it happen just in time for her to get there? This was odd. “Let me guess,” she said to the Akila City Security guy. “It’s a robbery gone sideways and now they’ve taken hostages.”

“That’s a pretty good guess. It’s just a standoff now. Try to steer clear of the area.”

“I’m just heading to the Stretch. I won’t get in the way.” The last thing she needed was to get tangled up with the Shaw Gang hostage situation again for no reason. So Lilu made her way on down into the Stretch.

As soon as she walked into Aggie’s, Lilu was the center of attention for a myriad of crew types looking for work. A few were loitering there, quick to try to catch her eye. A weapons specialist said hello. Shields guy. Engines systems. But these were purely shipbound folks. She needed someone for the field.

Then she spied who she was looking for, sitting by the back wall pretty much as she remembered seeing him in her prior universe. Tall, slender, dark hair, cowboy hat, some wicked scarring on his right cheek. Drinking solo. Lilu walked up to him, but was greeted with a surly response.

“You must be a tourist, Akila locals know better than to interrupt a man when he’s drinking alone.*”

Shit, she thought, I wasn’t expecting this; let me try something else. “Interested in some company?*” Lilu flashed what she thought was a winsome smile.

And boom, she was shot down. “Not really. If you have a job that needs doing, I’ll hear you out. That’s the only kind of company I’m looking for.*” His voice was deep and melodious, and his eyes were the strangest shade of… what was that? Light green? He was quite handsome, and if she’d been looking for that kind of companion, he would’ve fit the bill. But as far as utility went, he might still fit the bill if he was even moderately competent.

“You’re right, I am a traveler. My ship and I arrived at the spaceport recently.*”

The man looked her up and down and decided she wasn’t quite a write-off yet. “This isn’t the best part of town for sightseeing. The crowd at the Hitching Post is a whole lot friendlier to strangers. But since we’re already talking, I guess I ought to introduce myself. The name’s Ezekiel. Some folks around town call me Easy. Is there something I can do for you?*”

“I’m here looking for people to join my crew. You seem like a decent fit.*”

“A job offer? Huh. I haven’t been on a starship in years. Maybe it’s time to change that. But, let me ask you something first. What are you looking for out there? What keeps you traveling?*” He fixed those otherworldly eyes on her, very earnest as he waited for her response, so she gave him the truth.

“I’m searching for a series of ancient artifacts with strange powers.*”

Ezekiel blinked a couple of times, then shrugged. “Never heard that one before. Well, for better or worse, you’re clearly a person of conviction. If you’re serious about your offer, I’ll join you.*”

“You don’t want to talk about pay?”

“No, you can keep your credits. I mean, I’d appreciate it if you’d see to it that I’m fed, and given a place to sleep, but I’ve got money. I just think I’ve been wasting away a little too long in Akila City, and you showing up like this is a sign that it’s time to get on up out of here and start seeing the galaxy again. It’s a long story. We can maybe talk about it at some point.”

“Sure thing, Easy, is it? My ship is the Frontier, it’s in the Spaceport on the first landing pad. I am going to see Doc Cartwright over at the Rock and spend the night at the Stoneroot Inn so I can get some proper rest, and I’ll look for you first thing in the morning. Deal?”

“Deal.” Lilu and Ezekiel shook hands on the arrangement, and Lilu paid Aggie to send another beer over to him as a thank you gesture before returning up the steps to the Rock. She chanced a glance over to the GalBank and saw that the commotion had cleared itself. No one was bleeding in the street and no bodies were being carried out, so hopefully all was resolved peacefully.

Dr. Mary Cartwright took a look at Lilu’s shoulder and declared that it was a good thing she had come in because there was a small piece of charred fabric still stuck in the wound. A bit of proper cleaning with an antimicrobial wound lavage, the fabric was dislodged, and the healing tissue looked clean and bright. Fresh dressing was packed in, antibiotics dispensed, and Lilu got a meal and a room at the Stoneroot Inn where she slept like a baby until her alarm went off.

Ezekiel was waiting for her at the loading ramp of the Frontier, shading his eyes against the early morning sun. “It’s a little smaller than I was thinking.”

“Yeah, I got the company ship. But, believe me, this little ride gets the trick done.”

Their first stop was an abandoned Muybridge pharmaceuticals lab, and Lilu let Easy grab a gun from some of the extras she’d taken off corpses during her prior runs. As she suspected, he favored a rifle. It seemed to be an Akila City trait, between rifles and shotguns. Lilu gritted her teeth as the memory of Sam came to her. Ezekiel was just similar enough to cause her some bittersweet pain. He seemed to notice it, too, because he asked her, “Everything okay? You looked sort of lost for a moment?”

Lilu glanced up at him. He was taller than Sam, and it would be a lie to say he wasn’t attractive. His voice drove her slightly crazy. And she was so lonely. But it wouldn’t be right to seduce him, or let him seduce her, and have an awkward situation on her hands. Especially when it wouldn’t go anywhere.

“No, everything’s fine. You just remind me of someone I used to know. Or, someone I still do know, really. It’s one of those things. I’m choosing not to dwell on it.”

“Old flame?”

“Yeah, something like that. But more than just a flame. I’d call it a five-alarm fire. Anyway, it didn’t end well and I don’t see any resolution in sight, so it’s best I forget it.” Lilu made ready to head towards the exit hatch.

“This is someone you’re still in contact with? Sounds like maybe you don’t want it to be over.” Ezekiel’s voice was so calm, deep, soothing, reasonable. Wait… was he hypnotizing her? Oh, if only Sam was there to hear that joke. No, that would’ve been the old Sam, not the new Sam. More’s the pity.

They both stepped outside the Frontier. Lilu’s mind was grappling with what Ezekiel just said. Maybe she didn’t want it to be over? Of course she didn’t. But… how could she even start again with new Sam? She’d beaten the crap out of him. “I mean… maybe… but it’s a longshot I could even make it happen. You make it sound so logical. Do you usually provide emotional support and psychological counseling as part of your job duties?”

Ezekiel laughed. “No. Look, I didn’t bring this up, some people aren’t thrilled about it… I’m a member of the Sanctum Universum, so I’ve spent a lot of time with their teachings. I always feel better trying to help people in turmoil… if they want to be helped. If you don’t, just tell me to shut up, I won’t be offended.”

“No, I mean… I am having a hard time sorting through my feelings. But I’ve met the Keeper Aquilus in New Atlantis. By happenstance. Let’s go take care of getting this Artifact and I’ll tell you how it’s all related to what we’re working on in Constellation.”

Easy turned out to be a dab hand at watching Lilu’s back. There were Crimson Fleet holding this facility, and where the Artifact was, a Starborn appeared, startling Easy and forcing Lilu to put herself between them so he wouldn’t get hurt. He wasn’t prepared for the cosmic being’s appearance. Lilu reminded him that they could show near the Artifacts or outside the Temples, which they had yet to visit, and that he always needed to be on his guard. He set his jaw and nodded, like he had steeled himself for future excursions.

As they cruised towards the next Artifact site, Lilu asked him if he’d learned about the concept of Unity in any of his previous Sanctum teachings. He answered in the affirmative, so she explained to him what the Artifacts made, and what, ultimately, this led to: the Unity. And what the Starborn were. He shook his head. “I don’t know if I’d want to meet one of those.”

“Oh, you’re a little too late, there, friend.”

“How do you mean? Do you mean... you? You’re one of those… but you look… human.”

“I am human for all intents and purposes. I think I re-inhabited my body when I came back to this universe. But if they try to get a scan on me, let’s just say that I’m emitting a lot of curious radiation.”

“I bet. Then... are you reliving your old life?”

“Yes, in some ways I guess I am, but in other ways, I’m living it in a way where I’m trying to save some of the people that I care about from the pitfalls they would have encountered hunting for these Artifacts. Somebody died in my past universe, Easy. Because of the Starborn. And I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.” Lilu’s face was forlorn now, and Ezekiel seemed to catch another drift: that somehow it might involve the “old flame” in one form or another.

“Okay, fair enough. So, what are we getting here? Doesn’t look so scary, this place.”

“An Artifact. This looks like just a cave. Maybe animals or something lives inside. Might be simple. Let’s go look, bring a flashlight.”

The Artifact was tucked deep within the cave, nothing but dung piles, some bones and beetles around it, the critters themselves having long abandoned the area. Not even a Starborn hiding in front of the Artifact. Lilu got it free with the cutter. She turned to Easy and said, “Being Starborn has one benefit, at least. Before when I used to pull these from the rock, I would pass out. Now, I feel a jolt, but at least I’m not losing consciousness. Still, it’s good to have someone to watch my back, just in case.”

The final Artifact was in a Mech Graveyard, which was relatively abandoned, but there was a small Spacer outpost just overlooking it. That was no issue. What became an issue was the Spacer ship that landed almost on top of them while they were clearing the outpost. Lilu and Easy were almost done when they heard the screaming of incoming jet engines, and the bright flames cascading around the outside of the hut. The ramp was coming down and no less than eight Spacers emerged, weapons bristling.

This time, Lilu really saw Ezekiel’s worth in a firefight. He was a scrappy and determined fighter, accurate with his rifle, calm under pressure. He called out his targets and checked in with his partner. After they had dispatched the Spacers, Lilu asked him if he’d served in the military, but nothing more than odd jobs around the Akila frontier after his sister died. He didn’t offer up much more than that. Touchy subject, perhaps.

After they grabbed the Artifact, Lilu mentioned she was going to need to head back to New Atlantis to check in with Constellation at the Lodge. Ezekiel agreed to go with her. He was happy to live on the Frontier but wander about the city until she was ready to head out again. He’d always wanted to see New Atlantis, he said. Maybe visit with the Sanctum Universum and the Keeper Aquilus.

Lilu told him where she could be found, if needed, and when they landed, they went their separate ways. Lilu explained to ship services about the arrangement, but it turned out this wasn’t unusual for crews on leave, so she headed to the Lodge. The apprehension returned to gnaw at her stomach. She didn’t know what she might find upon her return, or whether everyone would greet her with open arms as a Starborn.

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LILU and CONSTELLATION, NOW, at the Lodge:

When Lilu walked into the Lodge, she could tell immediately that things had changed. There were more voices, and there was more activity throughout the public areas. Looking through to the Library, she saw Matteo, and Sarah, but there was Andreja! And upstairs, she could hear Cora telling a joke to a laughing Barrett. So the rescues were successful. She breathed a sigh of relief. Now to see how the Artifact hunt went. She sought out Sarah to give and get a briefing.

“Ah, you’ve returned. I was a little worried, you were gone a fair few days there. Did everything go alright?” Sarah’s forehead was creased with concern that seemed to fade when she looked Lilu over, then renew when she studied the Starborn’s face. “You look exhausted.”

“It was rough going, I won’t lie. Maybe there’s a point at which you cross through the Unity enough times where you become one of these powerful Starborn I remember fighting, but trust me when I tell you I am not there yet. It wasn’t just the typical baddies occupying some of the deserted stations over the insertion points where the Artifacts were. Sometimes other Starborn were guarding the sites. And, to be fair, I’m terrible at this. Not regular combat, but being Starborn, using my powers.”

“Powers?” Sarah looked confused.

“Oh, yeah. Each Artifact site has a corresponding Temple that generates a similar signature after the Artifact is extracted. If the extractor goes to the Temple, they’re granted a sort of... supernatural power that’s based on some kind of elemental energy. Gravity, solar energy, that sort of thing. Anyway, remembering that I have them is the first thing. Remembering how to use them is the other. It’s a lot trickier than it sounds because you don’t expect to have magic powers out of nowhere.”

“I can see why becoming Starborn might be enticing for certain personality types,” Sarah deduced.

“You don’t have to remind me,” Lilu replied, sullenly. But then she continued. “In the end, I ended up heading to Akila City and recruiting someone to help me finish the job.”

“You could have come back to see if one of us could help. Although… most of us were out for a while. I just… don’t want this getting out to the general public.”

“I completely understand. This was someone I had seen in my past life, as it were. Calm, steady hand, didn’t want money. He’s part of the Sanctum Universum. They are more connected to the Starborn in some ways than you might expect. One day you and I might sit down and discuss it. The concept of the Unity sometimes comes up in Keeper Aquilus’s sermons.”

Sarah stared at Lilu, then said quietly, “Matteo has never mentioned this.”

“It’s because the connection hasn’t been made yet, and now it won’t organically since I’ve disrupted how this timeline might have played out. There’s an Artifact in Nicolaus Slayton’s possession that you need to convince Walter to buy before Slayton’s employee steals it. That is how I first met the Starborn in my prior universe and set in motion the events that would lead to... one of you dying and the rest of us learning about the Unity.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but which one of us was killed in your prior universe?” Sarah asked, her face clearly showing the apprehension she felt in learning this truth.

“I don’t think we’re ready for that conversation yet. I’m not sure I’m ready to have it, myself. It’s horrible to remember. Because it’s partially my fault and I still hate myself for it. I did it to save someone else and in the end… it was for nothing.” Lilu’s face registered the hurt and betrayal.

“I… I see. So, you know all of us from your prior universe? Even our secrets, perhaps? It’s a bit unsettling, honestly,*” Sarah chuckled, a little tightly.

“I get it. But I’d like us to start over. Get to know each other like we did the first time.*”

“There is no ‘first time’ for me. You mean your ‘first time,’ with another Sarah. I don’t even know where to begin.*”

Shit, that’s true, Lilu thought. “Just treat me like the miner from Vectera. Like the soldier from Old Earth. All Starborn were human once. I’m still a person like anyone else. I bleed real blood, feel real feelings.”

“So we play pretend, is that it? I guess with you it’s only half pretending.*” Sarah broke into a smile. “Fine, but no tricks. I don’t want you racing to the end of something you know I’m going to say. Equal footing, all right?*”

“Equal footing, thanks, Sarah*. I guess I’d better say hello to Andreja and Barrett.”

“And don’t you think you should say something to Sam? He’s not angry, he just wants to understand what happened.”

Lilu’s face changed into an expression of bitter sarcasm; Sarah didn’t miss it. “Oh, he’s not angry, is he? Well, maybe, if I catch him.” Her expression was cold, blank, with flat, lifeless eyes. She leaned away as if making ready to leave, and when Sarah didn’t seem to want to keep her on the spot, she drifted over to where Andreja was standing, talking to Matteo. Or, rather, Matteo was talking to her, eagerly. Matteo always did take an... unusual... interest in Andreja.

In her last universe, Andreja had been a bit of a confidante of Lilu’s from the point she had been “rescued” from a mine where she’d been ambushed by Va’ruun zealots. A member of House Va’ruun herself, she listened to Lilu as she went through the trials and tribulations of trying to establish a relationship with Sam. Plus, as is the duty of crew mates, Andreja and Vladimir took great pride in ribbing Sam over the complete capitulation of his pride in pursuit of his red-haired chaos-gremlin.

Now, as Lilu walked up to her, Andreja’s stare was frank. Without preamble, she said, “The others told me what you are. And how much of what you said has come to pass. That you knew where to find me. That I’d be standing over two dead bodies. What else do you know about us?*”

“I don’t want to assume anything. I want to know who this Andreja is.*”

“‘This Andreja’ like there is a shelf of them somewhere with copies to just choose from. Nothing about this is comforting.*”

“Uh, actually, a shelf of Andrejas sounds kind of terrifying, but I bet we could clear a room full of Crimson Fleet like that,” and Lilu snapped her fingers, grinning her wolf’s smile.

Andreja began to smile a little. “Well, I like your attitude, Star…born?”

“Lilu, just call me Lilu. That’s my name, it always has been. I eat, drink, sleep just like a regular person. So, yeah, I’ll see you around. Thanks, Andreja.” Looking upstairs towards the mezzanine in front of the lounge and bar, she could still hear the voices of Barrett and Cora, then she heard Sam laugh. There was nothing else for it but to head up and face the music.

Scaling the steps and walking down the long upstairs hall, Lilu pondered how fortunate she was to be back in this place. Sure, she might have ended up someplace tolerable, but this was really her home, here at the Lodge, with Constellation. The next best place had been at the Core Manor home she’d shared with Sam and Cora. When she was Mrs. Sam Coe.

Lilu was just about to step onto the mezzanine and through to the lounge when she bumped right into Cora, who was heading downstairs. They both made “oopsie” sounds and then took each other in, Lilu regarding the child with affection, and the kid soaking in every detail of the woman with excited eyes.

“Wow. So you’re the extra dimensional entity, right? Do you still, like, cry and stuff?*” She looked up wonderingly at Lilu.

What a question, thought Lilu. She could feel rather than see both Sam’s and Barrett’s eyes upon her. “Yeah, kid, I still cry. I’ve done plenty of it.” She glanced ever so briefly at Sam. Their eyes met and she swiftly looked away. “I’ll see you around, we can talk more and you can ask all the questions you want. Oh, and I may have a book for you.”

“Alright!” Cora exclaimed, and continued on her way downstairs. Lilu sat down at the table with Barrett and Sam, the latter of which was burning holes into her soul with his piercing, blue-eyed stare.

But Barrett was too excited to let any kind of tension settle in the room. “This. Is. Amazing! One minute we’re looking for an Artifact, the next you’re walking through our door talking about the Starborn. I admit, even I was surprised when everyone showed up to rescue me, saying that some ‘Starborn’ told them where that pirate base was.*” He paused to look Lilu over. “You really do look like that miner from Vectera. Let me guess, that was you in your original universe? So we do already know each other in a way.*”

“I wouldn’t mind starting over. Get to know you like I did with the Barrett from my universe.*”

“You know what? I’m one hundred percent on board. Not every day you get to meet someone who already knows everything about you.*”

Lilu’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. “You agreed to that awfully fast.* Why am I not surprised?”

“See what I mean, you already know me.” Barrett smiled back, like the proverbial Cheshire Cat. Lilu continued to look at him, but then Barrett glanced at Sam, who was still waiting to be acknowledged. When Lilu said nothing, Barrett prompted, “And Sam? Seems like you had something to say when you first met the other day?” Again with the Cheshire Cat smile.

Lilu sighed. Leave it to Barrett to instigate. He had caused trouble between her and Sam in her prior universe, too. She dragged her eyes over to Sam’s face, reluctantly, taking in the swollen lip, the puffy eye, and felt like those blows should have landed more squarely. But she had been emotional when she punched him and she whiffed it. She finally looked Sam in the eye and muttered, “Yeah, sorry about your face.” And looked down at the table again.

“That’s it? Everyone else gets an ‘I’d like to get to know you again,’ and I get ‘sorry for your face?’ What did I do to you? Will you finally tell me?” Sam was frowning, his ridiculous frowny face that was hard to take serious because he was so pretty.

“Nothing of consequence,” Lilu mumbled.

“Why do I not believe that? And besides,” Sam insisted. “It wasn’t me. It was prior universe Sam, not me. That’s how it works, right? We’re not exactly the same people in every universe?”

“In theory.”

“Oh, okay. In theory. For them, but not me. Cute. Real cute.” Sam was already getting angry.

Sarah had come upstairs now to see how Lilu was getting on with Sam, given that the introduction went poorly, and now she was growing concerned again from the tone of their conversation. “What’s going on? Lilu, Sam, is everything alright?”

“Ma’am…”

“Please, call me Sarah.”

Lilu swallowed hard. “Okay, Sarah, I apologized to Sam about his face. He is not happy that I haven’t made the same overtures to him about getting to know him again like the other members of Constellation. I didn’t realize I was under obligation to do so.”

“Obligation?” Sam was fuming. “We’re all working together, we’re colleagues at a bare minimum, if not a family in function. I mean, I can’t believe you’ve kind of done this before. It makes my head spin.* But you’re going to specifically exclude me? And I haven’t even done anything wrong!”

“Clearly you have a hard time controlling your temper,” Lilu sniffed.

“Can you blame me? You’re unfairly singling me out!”

“Oh, it’s very fair...”

“Lilu,” Sarah interrupted the rising animosity as Barrett bore witness, grinning devilishly, “did Sam do something, I mean, something in your prior universe?” Sarah put a hand on Lilu’s shoulder. “Something we should know?”

“Great. Now it’s a witch hunt.” Sam threw his hands up in disgust.

“Oh… no… nothing like that. Sam is genuinely a credit to Constellation.” Lilu’s voice was very sincere, and Sam turned to gape at her. They all did. “Trust me when I say he is all in on its mission of exploration.” Lilu’s tone turned venomous now. “Pretty much to the exclusion of anything else.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? That sounds personal. Who was I to you?” Sam demanded, leaning forward, staring at Lilu intently.

Lilu got to her feet and backed away from the table. She could feel the tears wanting to prick at her eyes. But then she turned to Sarah. “But I promise you, you can count on him. And I’m not going to turn on him again.”

She turned to walk to the bedrooms, and she heard Sam ask Sarah, “What’s her name again?” And then he called to her, “Liluana, wait, can’t we talk? What did past me do to you?”

“No. I need to rest. You have all the answers you need. Because it’s not past you, it’s parallel you. There’s a difference. Goodnight.” She disappeared down the hallway.

Sarah was deep in thought. Could this be who had hurt Lilu, the one she mentioned when they talked on the Frontier? Was it Sam? Sam in her prior universe? Had they been romantic?

“You really have a way with women, Sam, I have to hand it to you,” Barrett chuckled, and Sam cast him an evil glance.

“Go to hell, Barrett. It isn’t funny. First off, she didn’t beat the stuffing out of you from the clear blue sky. You see the size of her, she’s as big as I am, and strong, too. Second, I’d like to know if I was some kind of monster.” Sam was sullen now, slouched down in his chair in a pout.

“Yes, I do see the size of her, in all the right places. Cute face, too. I’ll tell you something else, Sam. It takes effort to shut someone out like this. She’s fighting what she thinks will be history repeating itself. You know, me, you, her, and Andreja could go on a double date…”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Sarah chided, quietly. “Constellation is not a dating pool. I’m not against fraternization, but please bear in mind that what I said was true. Regardless of what we’re only speculating might have happened in her past universe with any members of Constellation, the physical and emotional trauma she suffered outside of our organization was very real, as was her loss. So please keep this in mind before you do anything rash. We are still her wards as far as UC SysDef is concerned. They still believe she is the original Lilu, and have no idea she is Starborn. I do not want to fail in our role as her safe-keepers where they try to take her back into custody.”

“Why was she in custody in the first place?” Sam asked. “Was she a security risk?”

“Yes, but of a different kind. She’s very special, even without being Starborn. And if the residents of the Settled Systems knew about her, speculation and even panic might run rampant that random events like the one that brought her here could happen to them. The rest is classified, I’m afraid.” Sarah put her hands up, placatingly. “I know, I know, but that’s all I can say for now.”

“She’s certainly like no one I’ve ever met before, that’s for sure,” agreed Sam, and his gaze returned to linger on the empty hallway.

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SAM, NOW, at the Lodge:

About a week ago, if you had asked Sam Coe what he predicted the trajectory of his love life (or even his life, for that matter) to be, he would have told you it had flatlined.

Sure, there were worse ways to live. He had joined the fabled Constellation to be an explorer, that thing he wanted most to be. But the problem was he wasn’t an exceptional explorer. There was always something that didn’t turn out quite right, or he got sidetracked, or he came up empty handed.

Getting here had been a battle. It cost him his marriage, although to be fair, that was an inevitability. Lillian Hart was in love with being a Freestar Ranger, and he just didn’t see the romance in it. She was never that much in love with him, nor was she in love with being a mother. Sam suspected that Lillian was more attracted to the Coe name than him as a person. But she was strangely possessive over a daughter she didn’t have time or desire to raise.

That left Sam in a strange conundrum because he still had to fight to get custody of their daughter, Cora, even though Lillian was devoted to being a crime-fighting army of one. But now that the sun had set on his own time with the Freestar Rangers (despite a few ruffled feathers) and the dust had settled on the divorce, he was happy enough.

Happy enough because he enjoyed the work. He might be happier if he could meet someone who enjoyed it with him, but despite being reassured that he had the looks, there was something about him that didn’t seem to attract the right women. After the split, he tried a few times to go out on dates. But his sense of humor didn’t click, or he didn’t spend money on pointless baubles, so he just didn’t hold anyone’s interest, or vice-versa. He wasn’t really interested in one-night stands with Cora around. Cora, in turn, asked him if he was lonely for a girlfriend, which he denied, but he knew he wanted the companionship of another adult, at the very least.

So when he heard the news from Matteo that a pretty, redheaded miner from Argos Extractors had joined Constellation and was out with Sarah on a run to get an Artifact from a UC Vanguard Captain, Sam was a little bit excited to meet this woman, even if chances were nothing would come of it. He became considerably less excited when the woman ended up beating the stuffing out of him, yet… he had to admit to himself, reluctantly, that he was intrigued.

The news that she was “Starborn” just intensified his curiosity, as did the fact that she had lived through all of Constellation’s mission with the Artifacts from start to finish, leading to her becoming this extra-dimensional being. Which meant she knew all of them in this past universe, including himself. But then hints kept dropping which suggested she and the version of him in that universe were somehow intimately involved? This was beyond titillating. First, if past universe him was anything like him now, how the hell did he get next to someone like her, miner or not? And second, why would he have given it up?

The way Lilu had attacked him was pretty intense, so maybe that was the answer, past him wasn’t happy? But she sure seemed like she had loved him a lot. She had been heartbroken. Sam just knew he would love to have someone love him the same way. Heck, even a little bit the same way as long as it was genuine.

But… Lilu seemed hell bent to shun him now, like she was getting revenge for past Sam’s mistakes. How could he get her to give him a shot? Or would it be too weird to hope she’d go for the same person a second time in a row?

Sam figured the best he could do was set himself apart from whatever her past universe Sam was like. So he would be better. He just had to find out exactly what that other Sam had done. Apparently he had done some things right. So... do the right things, and skip the wrong things. Sure, Sam, great plan. But there was something in her eyes that he saw, it was just a flicker of recognition, that gave him hope that she saw something in him, in the here and now. He was willing to bet on it.

--------------------

LILU, BARRETT, and SAM, NOW, at the Lodge:

Lilu hated that breakfast coffee was no longer cafe con leche. Sam in her prior universe had learned to make it for her just because he was trying to prove that he loved her and cared about the things that made her happy. Now, as she stood at the breakfast bar set up in the lounge, she stared at the coffee machine forlornly. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to make her own coffee, but that she had gotten spoiled in her prior universe. She’d loved the eyerolls and snipey comments the rest of Constellation had made as Sam doted on his lady. Ol’ Sam Coe, sprinkling cinnamon on top of the frothy hot milk. All that was gone now. Why even bother to have coffee anymore?

Feeling someone at her elbow, she was jostled out of her sad reverie. It was new-universe Sam. She startled, then mumbled, “Morning,” and moved as if to get out of the way. But he stopped her.

“Do you need help with your coffee, I’d be happy to…” he started, but she cut him off.

“Not unless you happen to know how to make cafe con leche?” Lilu turned the full blast of large, dark, soulfully sad eyes upon him, her face somber to the point of almost being tearful.

“I’m sorry, make what now?” Sam’s confusion was etched across his face.

“I didn’t think so.” She slumped off, nothing in her hand, and collapsed like a dropped marionette into a chair at the table across from Barrett, leaving Sam disheartened at the breakfast bar.

“Not having any breakfast, Lilu?” Barrett observed. “That’s not a great idea. It’s the most important meal of the day.”

“Yeah, where have I heard that one before.”

Sam came over to the table and plunked down a cup of coffee light with milk, and a piece of toast with butter and some sort of spread. He shoved both of them in front of Lilu. She looked up sharply. “What’s all this?”

“The breakfast you forgot.”

“Wait…”

But he had returned to the breakfast bar and was starting over again. Barrett looked at the food, then back at Lilu, and whispered, “He’s in dad mode, let him be.”

“Wonderful, what I always wanted, to be treated like an overgrown child.” But she tried the coffee and shrugged, and was eating a corner of the toast when Sam returned. “Thank you,” she mumbled without looking at him.

“Mmhmm,” Sam grunted, also careful not to look up. He wasn’t going to push his luck. Maybe, just maybe, he could chip away at her defenses where they could at least be friends. That was enough, right? Right? Just drink your coffee, Sam.

Sarah and Andreja had made their way in to take a seat at the next table after grabbing some breakfast bread and coffee, and Sarah made a request of Lilu that she had been dreading. “Lilu, didn’t you fly in on a ship of your own, since the Frontier was already here when you arrived? I was wondering… would you be willing to part with our ship and use your own? I got rumor of your Starborn ship, everyone at the spaceport is buzzing about it.”

“I mean, sure, Sarah, you can get the Frontier back, but I may just buy another ship. To be truthful… I hate that stupid Starborn ship. It’s ridiculous. It’s cold and sterile inside, I couldn’t hardly figure out how to get out of the damned thing, and then you have to walk down the wing like an enormous ramp. I’m so clumsy sometimes, I was afraid I was going to slide into the Ship Services guy and take out his legs.” Everyone laughed at this thought.

“Was there no one to help you when you became Starborn? When all of us went with you, we all became separated?” asked Andreja.

“There was nothing. It was like I was dreaming, and then I woke up and I was in the ship, in a Starborn spacesuit. No beacon to home in on, not even a slate saying, ‘Haha, bitch, the joke’s on you.’ There’s nothing. Presumably just the will to gather the Artifacts and do it again. Get stronger. To what end? I don’t know. If I had the chance, I’d tell him… I’d tell them not to do it. It’s not worth losing everything.” Again, her eyes subconsciously flickered towards Sam. “At least, I don’t think so. Anyway, though, back to the topic of the Frontier, nobody fly away with it quite yet. I told you I hired help out of Akila City; Ezekiel might be surprised if you take off with him on board.”

“Ezekiel? With the scars? You got him on a starship?” Sam was frowning.

“Yeah. Why, is there something I should know?”

“No, no, there’s nothing wrong with him, I’m just surprised.”

“I’m not,” Barrett was grinning like a Cheshire Cat again, and Sam bristled.

“Ezekiel’s not like that,” Lilu reassured them all. “And he saved my ass.”

“You know you could’ve asked one of us,” Sam groused but now Lilu bridled at this.

“Oh, I’m sure I could have, but I thought it was better to grab a neutral third party.”

“Well, Captain, now that you’re here,” Barrett interjected before Sam could retort, “So, I’ve been pondering over what’s happened, and what it all means. And I’ve got a favor to ask. A teensy, weensy favor. About the size of a Planck length, really. I think it’s time I joined you in the physics-bending powers business. See if one those Temples works for more than just you.*”

“Oh… because you had the visions when you pulled out the Artifact, too, right? Sure, why not, I mean, it doesn’t hurt to try. In my past universe, I kept pulling out Artifacts and having the visions, but when I went to the Temples, Sa… somebody else was with me and they never got powers but they never touched the Artifacts. Or, at least, they weren’t the first to touch them.”

“Jesus Christ, Liluana, it was me, wasn’t it?” Sam sighed.

“I never said that.”

“You started to.”

“I hesitated over the ‘S,’ don’t read more into it. And would you please call me ‘Lilu?’”

“Anyway,” continued Barrett, with a bemused smile, “As it so happens, I’ve already talked to Vladimir. Seems our eye in the sky is back up and running. He sent me the coordinates for the Temple already, he thinks it’s the one that matches the Artifact I pulled, We just have to visit!*”

“Okay, Barrett, let’s go get you your power. We need to stop by the Sanctum Universum first and see if Easy is there before we go to the Frontier.”

“Easy? You’re on a nickname basis?” Sam couldn’t help his sarcasm but Lilu clapped back.

“Yeah, Easy. That’s what he said he wanted to be called. Sort of like how I keep saying I want to be called Lilu. I know it’s a forgotten art but I try to respect people’s preferences.”

“Fine. Well, can I come along?”

“No, there isn’t enough space,” Lilu sniffed, superciliously. “Max crew is two.”

“Max crew is two, but you can take passengers.”

“To do what? Sit on the ship and play cards with Easy? Barrett’s the only one coming into the Temple with me.” Lilu’s tone was final, and Sam was frustrated bordering on angry.

“Fine. Have fun, I guess.” He got up and stalked out of the lounge towards the bedrooms. Eventually they heard his door close, hard. He didn’t slam it, but it was close enough. Lilu felt like a bitch but he had it coming. Sam was acting too familiar. Like he could work his way into her good graces, or even her heart, or something. That was just a no fly zone for him. Lilu had to keep it that way.

--------------------

LILU AND BARRETT, NOW, on the Frontier:

The Frontier sat down on the aptly named Frost, all ice plateaus and snowy mountains. Lilu looked through the windscreen and shivered involuntarily as she got up from the Captain’s chair to get suited up.

She had seen the obsidian black spires of the Temple extending out of the icy plains as they were landing, so she knew which way to take their surface vehicle once she and Barrett disembarked from the ship. As they got closer to the alien-appearing structure, her companion exhaled in awe. “This is incredible. And we have no idea who built them? The Starborn didn’t build them?”

“It doesn’t seem so, no, but they use them to get these powers. I found some sketches in my past universe. It’s hard to gauge what the implications are. These may have existed as far back as Old Earth, to ancient mankind. I’d love to make more of a study of them now.”

Lilu ran up the narrow stone chute to the door of the Temple, watching the flinty rock door panels shift and change in response to her presence. Sliding pillars moved aside to create a sort of hatch for her and Barrett to climb through, allowing them inside.

“I’ll follow your lead. Clearly you know what to do around here,*” Barrett prompted.

“There are rings which will come up from the ground and start spinning. And then lights will start appearing in a pattern around the room. I have to fly into the lights, following the pattern. If I can get about five lights in the pattern, the lights sort of explode, the rings stop spinning, and you fly into the center of the rings to collect your power. Easy peasy.”

“And how are we supposed to fly…oh!” Barrett had begun to float upward.

“Just like that. There’s no gravity on the Temple floor. Now follow me and use your boostpack directionally. Tiny bursts,” Lilu added.

And they zoomed around the Temple air, hitting the light sequences in order until there was an explosion of sparkling lights and the rings stilled, a pool of glistening sparks in the center. Lilu beckoned to Barrett. “Come on, Barrett, come to the center and get your power.”

Barrett darted to the center to meet Lilu, and then a rushing sound started, as the air and the light and the strange phosphorescence in the room coalesced to the center of the rings where they stilled. Barrett and Lilu were locked in stasis, hanging in the center. The flash of the white light as it entered her body was just as intense as it always was. Being Starborn didn’t dull the sensation. And then just like that, it was over and they were teleported out of the Temple, outside onto the snowy ice plain.

Barrett seemed to be concentrating on something, his gaze turned inward. And then, about ten feet to his left… a second Barrett appeared. Same spacesuit, helmet, face, everything. “You’ve got to be joking,*” he guffawed as he looked at his doppelganger.

“I’m glad you see it, too, otherwise I was going to ask you to fly the Frontier back and drop me off at a psych ward,” Lilu gaped. “OK, Who’s the evil one?*”

Other Barrett spoke right up. “You know, my Captain asked the same thing.*”

“Different Captain, though? So you aren’t an exact facsimile,*” Barrett concluded.

“From my readings,” Other Barrett stared down Barrett with narrowed eyes, “you don’t have your appendix and you’re a quarter of a centimeter taller than me.*”

“Wait, there can be physical differences in other universes, too? Besides…shit… besides behavioral differences… maybe? Well…” Lilu was flustered now, thinking about Sam, but she brushed it off because this was just too much, what she was seeing in front of her. “What do I call you to keep you separate now?”

“I’ll be… Barrett Prime,*” Barrett said.

“Amundsen is fine. Usually the barrier between us is too thick to communicate much anyway.*”

“Amundsen?” Lilu raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” explained Amundsen Barrett, the duplicate formerly known as Other Barrett, confirmed. “That’s actually our first name. You didn’t know that?”

“No, I don’t think I ever did. Welcome aboard. What am I going to do with two of you?*”

“I could study this forever,*” Barrett sighed.

“Ervin told me to just enjoy it and collect data on the side for later… and I’m glad I did.*” Amundsen smiled at Barrett, but Barrett stared back at him in shock.

“Ervin? He’s with you? He’s… okay?*”

Now Amundsen’s face became grave when he said, “By the tone of your voice, I’m gathering some things in our lives might be a bit different.*”

“Is he… is he happy?*”

“Yes, he is. Our daughter pilots the ship after Vasco was destroyed, but otherwise we’ve survived the war well.*” Amundsen’s voice was gentle. He realized he just told his alternate universe self, someone bereft of his husband, that the man was alive and well, that they had a daughter that Barrett would never see.

“Things sound very different where you’re from.*” Lilu whispered. Her mind was racing. What did all this mean? How many variations could there be? What were the Starborn really after every time they jumped? A lottery roll at a perfect life? More than just eternity?

“We named our daughter after Aja, my mentor. She died in the crossfire between the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective decades ago,*” Amundsen added.

Lilu remembered Aja at Sarah’s memorial in her last universe. But Barrett had an even more tragic spin to add when he disclosed, “For me… Ervin died instead of Aja in that crossfire.*”

“She’s best friends with Cora and she’s smart as hell.*” Proud fathers and their daughters, Lilu thought. Long may they continue to prop them up.

“Imagine all of the variations, it’s endless. I have so many questions. I wonder how many paths I’ve taken… we’ve taken. How many variations. How many ended with heartache, and how many with joy.*” Eyes shining, looking to the horizon. Poor Barrett. What a way to come to this reckoning. Or were those Lilu’s feelings confronting the same basic truth of how a multiverse really worked? And she was both terrified and hopeful of what it could mean.

“Wait… what’s that noise?*” Barrett was suddenly alert.

“Starborn ship.*” Amundsen replied.

“Goddamnit… Barretts… get ready for a fight!*” Lilu turned and pulled her RK1M down off her boost pack, made sure it was fully loaded, and looked up at an ice cliff where she could just see the elongated, silvery wing of a Starborn ship settling back from the edge.

She ran towards the cliff, hit her boostpack, and landed on the cliff’s edge, surprising the Starborn, which briefly appeared in front of her. She brought up her gun to fire but missed. Boostpacking and firing a gun accurately were still not her strong points. But it goosed the Starborn down off the ridge and into range of the Barretts.

Lilu boosted down awkwardly and landed heavily, but there was no time to lament aching ankles. She leapt forward towards the Starborn, careful to stay out of the crossfire from the Barretts, who had also taken aim and were unloading at the figure. They made quick work of him, and Lilu wondered that Amundsen knew all about the Starborn but Barrett, of course, did not.

When she checked in on the Barretts, however, the firefight had weakened their connection. “Something’s happening… I think I’m losing you… Amundsen, take good care of them,*” Barrett implored.

“I already do, my friend, I promise.*” And Amundsen collapsed into a shower of sparks that bounced away along the ice until they disappeared.

Lilu looked helplessly at Barrett, mouth agape, but he turned to her almost to calm her more than himself. “So, look. For the record. I am the same Barrett that came here with you. For sure. I think.*”

“Sounds like something an evil Barrett would say,*” Lilu’s mouth twisted in a smirk as she cocked her hip, and Barrett grinned back at her. “Can you still use your power? It seems useful.*”

“Yes, although it takes a lot of concentration. If I do it a lot, I bet I’d give myself a headache, from myself. I’m my own migraine. Other Barrett… seemed like he was able to handle himself well in that fight. I just need to digest what just happened.*”

Lilu nodded. “Use your power when you want to, Barrett.* I mean, within discretion, because it might freak out the civvies. Anyway, let’s go home, I’m sure the others will be excited to hear about this.”

--------------------

LILU, NOW, at the Lodge:

They boarded the Frontier and got back to New Atlantis. Lilu let Ezekiel know she might have to give up this ship and look for a new one but it wouldn’t be hard for her to afford a quality used ship, she just needed to find out if that would be the plan. He assured her he’d be fine with the other “Universals” over by the Sanctum when she was ready.

Back at the Lodge, Barrett was regaling Constellation with the story about getting his power and how different Amundsen’s universe was. Aja being dead, Ervin being alive, having a daughter who was friends with Cora. Lilu watched Sam closely during the discussion and saw how deep in thought he was after he heard the whole story. She knew she was certainly conflicted by the ramifications of it all. There was a lot of chatter, but they were jarred out of their conversations when someone outside hit the doorbell at the Lodge’s entranceway.

“Huh, wonder who that could be?” Sarah said, getting up from her chair. “We seldom get a visitor.”

They all watched as she walked to the doubled doors and opened one, the late afternoon sun streaming in and obliterating their view of who she was talking to. There was the vague impression of uniformed legs and boots; a long, officer’s dress coat. Lilu felt a pang of apprehension. She didn’t need to be Starborn to be blessed with a solid sixth sense. She heard Sarah say, “Just one moment, please,” and she walked back to where they were sitting and standing about in the Library, her face tense.

“Lilu… it’s UC SysDef. They’ve come for you.”

--------------------

cc: @a-cosmic-elf

--------------------

Chapter 2 Song: Soda - Nothing But Thieves

I'm an exception It's hard to accept Because I try to be happy But then I forget They tell me I need to chill, man It's all in your head Maybe I'm paranoid

I don't wanna be myself It's making me so unwell Yeah, yeah, yeah

I don't wanna be myself Just wanna be someone else Yeah, yeah, yeah

I once had a thought But don't know where it went 'Cause I've been living off soda And cheap cigarettes Maybe when I was a kid I was dropped on my head Yeah, that would make some sense Yeah

I don't wanna be myself It's making me so unwell Yeah, yeah, yeah

I don't wanna be myself Just wanna be someone else Yeah, yeah, yeah

I don't wanna be myself It's making me so unwell Yeah, yeah, yeah

I don't wanna be myself Just wanna be someone else Yeah, yeah, yeah

I don't wanna be myself It's making me so unwell Yeah, yeah, yeah

I don't wanna be myself Just wanna be someone else Yeah, yeah, yeah

#coe pilot 2

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