Kharon Part 70

Kharon Chapter 70

         The suns are shining as Luke walks onto the bridge and finds Kiarah piloting.  “Shouldn’t you be resting?”, he asks her.  Kiarah responds with a look that could kill.  “Hey!  Drop the fucking attitude.  You owe us.  We could have just sailed away on Johnny's ship.”

        “You would have been in the right.  I do not understand why you didn’t do just that.”

        “Talk to Emma and Simone .”  Luke takes out the map from his pocket and unfolds it.  He then slams it down on the console in front of Kiarah.  “How are we coming on this?”

        “We are on course I believe.  I estimate three cycles until the Kharon reaches where your map shows The Gardens to be.”

        “You still think I’m crazy don’t you?”

        “That’s not for me to say.”

        “But you have an opinion?”  Kiarah does not answer him but instead furrows her brow.  Luke sees this and also furrows his brow.  “What’s wrong now?”

        “That island that is just over the horizon was not on any of my maps and I do not recall it ever being there in my travels or teachings.”

        Luke for the first time shows a smile on his face.  “Do you mean…we finally reached The Gardens.  It does exist!”

         Kiarah’s eyes go wide.  “No, not The Gardens.”

         “Oh come on what other island just fucking appears.”

         “The floating island.”  With that Kiarah dashes out of the bridge.

         Luke scratches his head.  “The floating island?”

        As Kiarah dashes down the corridors of the Kharon she comes across Simone who is also running towards her with panic in her eyes.  “Is that the…?”, Simone starts.

        Kiarah cuts her off before she can finish.  “Yes.  Follow me.”

        Simone and Kiarah run to the bowels of the Kharon.  Kiarah pulls a lever and a piece of the floor flips revealing on its underside several submersible vessels that can each fit one person.  “Woozoo!  Quarsian Stingers.  I was wondering if this ship had any onboard.”

        “You take port side.  I’ll take starboard.”

        “I get to pilot one?”, asks Simone surprised at the level of trust.

        “I believe that’s prudent given the circumstances.”

        “Let’s do it then”, says Simone climbing into one of the vessels.