96

  

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Act I
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The scene is dark and indistinct, like a hazy deep blue twilight, still as a winter's eve. Slowly, it brightens to show an airy laboratory, high up in a tower overlooking a crystal city.

* SCENE 1: An airy crystal laboratory
This is a spacious, domed room with smooth white walls. There is a certain sterile impression to the surroundings: the entire laboratory is furnished in clear crystal, from the smooth, frosted crystal floor to the gleaming countertops. Utilitarian blocks of pale blue crystal form unassuming chairs for the inhabitants to sit at, and odd-looking panels with flashing lights are set into the walls. A crystal prism projects upon the ceiling a representation of the planar spheres. A large, arched window overlooks a sweeping panorama of the empty sky, with the indistinct glitter of a city below.

* COSTUME: Professor Edbik Oolin
Edbik Oolin is a tall, severe-looking lucidian man, with pale and translucent crystalline skin, short quartz hair, and a seemingly perpetual expression of vague disapproval. He is dressed in an austere white laboratory coat, and an array of gems spins in an orderly manner around him.

ENTER: Edbik Oolin, silently.

The light outside the window is pale and cool, suggesting an early morning. The laboratory seems deserted: there is hardly any motion at all, apart from the periodic beeping of a panel. If not for the slow motion of a crystal prism in the centre of the room, the laboratory might seem almost frozen in time.

A white-winged dove suddenly dives through the arched window, depositing a letter neatly in the middle of the nearest countertop, before perching itself on a construct of blue crystal behind the counter, ruffling its wings in a satisfied manner.

EDBIK (in a cool monotone that nevertheless manages to convey displeasure): What a feathered nuisance.

The blue crystal shifts and rises - it is no construct, but a lucidian, who slowly stands to his full height, dusting off his white laboratory robes. He swats at the dove, which takes to the air again, flapping indignantly, before Edbik stares suspiciously at the letter.

EDBIK (to himself): I hope it is not from the Dean. Or the Board. Or the undergraduates.

EDBIK grabs a nearby scalpel and neatly slices the top of the envelope open, before unfolding the paper within and quickly scanning it.

EDBIK: 'Dear Professor Oolin... trust this missive finds you well', yes, fine, 'follower of your work on planar sciences' - hmm - 'spherical nature of elemental geography on the Earth and Water planes' - more toric, actually..."

EDBIK continues to read the letter, even as he absently pats around the counter. At length, his hand finds a stray quill, which he picks up.

EDBIK yells: Saraneh! Outgoing correspondence!

EDBIK: 'Believe that it would be possible to cross any two points using this same principle' - bah, bending the aethers like that? One would likely need a Nexus of Power. Unsound science!

EDBIK yells: Saraneh!

Dead silence reigns in the room. No answer seems to be forthcoming.

EDBIK: Never mind, then... where is my delivery sphere?

EDBIK rummages around under the laboratory counters, clearly looking for something, before he emerges triumphantly with a glowing sphere that bobs obediently in the air before him.

As Edbik continues to read the letter aloud, inserting various interjections and commentary on its contents, the scene shimmers briefly, growing hazy and indistinct, and his voice fades until it suddenly merges into another: a woman's voice, soft and mellifluous, though speaking the same words.

A soft female voice: ...your input would be greatly valued by myself and all my colleagues here in Celest. Sincerely, Aliynth Sinenth, Archivist of the Celestines.

As the voice finishes speaking, the scene suddenly comes into focus again, now depicting somewhere completely different: a cosy pearl-adorned study, with a dignified merian woman sitting behind a desk piled high with books.

* SCENE 2: A cosy pearl-adorned study

* COSTUME: Aliynth Sinenth
Though faint laugh lines cross this middle-aged merian woman's face, her strong, regular features are still striking to the eye, though one would describe her as handsome rather than beautiful. Sharp brown eyes look out at the world, and her face is the cool, delicate blue of the ocean shallows. She wears a patterned blue robe and a necklace of green seaweed.

* COSTUME: Telahi Ladyn
This young merian woman exudes a bubbling exuberence rivalled only by the actual bubbles that she occasionally idly pops forth from her mouth. Her skin and finned ears are a turquoise blue, and she bears a small seashell tattoo on her collarbone. Her attire is simple though well-made, and she bears a satchel slung jauntily across one shoulder.

ENTER: Aliynth Sinenth, silently.

A knock sounds at the study door.

ALIYNTH looks up from her desk, where she is fiddling idly with a small white seashell in her hands, blinking at the interruption. "Come in," she says.

* PROP: A small white seashell
There is nothing particularly unusual about this small seashell, which is of a comfortable size to fit in the palm of a hand. It is a pleasingly regular fan shape, and is a pure and snowy white in colour.

ENTER: Telahi Ladyn, bearing scrolls and missives in her arms.   

ALIYNTH (Raising an eyebrow): Ah, Telahi. Any news for me?

TELAHI (Sounding dubious): Well, they're still holding council up at the Palace, and now there's some kind of delegation from the south that just arrived. I'm not entirely sure what the situation is there. But there is a letter that just arrived for you from Hallifax.

ALIYNTH seems to notice Telahi's skepticism. "Why do you look like that?" she asks curiously, even as she reaches her hand out.

TELAHI (Handing the missive over): This is the letter, mentor.

The two women look blankly at the letter for a moment, taking in its rumpled appearance in slight disbelief.

* PROP: Edbik's note
This note is scrawled on a dog-eared, unevenly torn sheet of graph paper. It is not sealed, and is apparently much the worse for rain. Between the splotches of running ink, one brief line can be seen clearly: "Apologies. Have no time for this. E. Oolin." On the back is a complicated graph with various runes along the axes.

TELAHI: Yes. It appears to be a corner torn off a laboratory graph. Fortunately for him - or I suppose unfortunately for us - the data doesn't seem to be that interesting.

ALIYNTH (Glancing briefly at the paper): It is highly unethical to take other scholars' data, in any case.

TELAHI fixes Aliynth with a long, skeptical stare, raising an eyebrow. "It doesn't count as taking if they give it to you. And since when were you Lady Saintly?"

ALIYNTH smiles a sudden, impish smile that makes her look much younger than she is. "Since the data relates to the effects of aeonics aging on the breeding habits of the mountain rockeater," she says. "In other words, nothing we would publish on."

TELAHI regards the note with a sort of horrified fascination. "You were able to tell that with a glance?" she asks, before cutting herself off. "Never mind that - what exactly are the effects of aeonics on the breeding habits of the mountain rockeater?"

ALIYNTH (Cheerfully): The older the rockeaters get, the less they feel like breeding. We could probably have told Professor Oolin that, and saved him the trouble.

Aliynth and Telahi look at the sheet of paper some more, the same look of perturbed fascination still on their faces.

TELAHI: So... is there a secret code somewhere? A message hidden in a corner?

ALIYNTH: I don't think so. I do think this is all it says.

ALIYNTH smiles wryly as she reads aloud, 'Apologies. Have no time for this. E. Oolin.'

ALIYNTH shakes her head. "Well, that's that, I suppose."

A glowing sphere darts through the study door, and deposits another letter into Aliynth's hands. This one is printed on thick, creamy paper, with an official-looking seal on it.

* PROP: Official letter
An impressive-looking missive on thick, heavy paper, this letter is sealed with red wax bearing a complex insignia.

TELAHI gives Aliynth a significant look. "Well?" she asks. "Are you going to open it?"

ALIYNTH opens the letter and quickly scans it, before dissolving into laughter.

TELAHI looks expectantly at Aliynth for an explanation.

ALIYNTH shakes her head, still laughing, and hands Telahi the letter instead.

TELAHI (Reading aloud): 'Please accept our sincere apologies on behalf of Professor Oolin... possesses blunt temperament... previous short missive to you is a statement regarding his busy schedule and is in no way intended to reflect on the merits of your proposal.'

Another glowing sphere drifts through the window. Unlike its predecessor, this one sways unsteadily from side to side under the weight of a large parcel. Unceremoniously, it drops the parcel in Aliynth's lap, then makes an odd chirping noise, sounding vaguely disgruntled. Its mission complete, it bobs up and down briefly before darting back out the window with a relieved air.

ALIYNTH: Oof. That's heavy.

ALIYNTH unwraps the package, revealing a stack of heavy books, their pages marked with colourful slips of paper bearing notes. She pulls one out to inspect it.

ALIYNTH (reading): 'Please note page 238, paragraph 5, which contradicts your theory of planar travel.' Well, that was fast.

TELAHI: What now?

ALIYNTH smiles suddenly. "Now we prove him wrong."

ALIYNTH and TELAHI exit silently.

* SCENE 3: High above the Basin of Life
Far in the distance are the jagged teeth of mountains, and the warm green expanse of the Serenwilde lies to the west, contrasting with the cool, regular towers of Hallifax to the east. Below, the ocean glitters like an expanse of diamonds.

The stage goes dark, and then brightens again, though nothing can be seen upon it but a fine white mist. Suddenly, as if blown by a great gust of wind, the mist clears, showing a magnificent bird's eye view of the Basin of Life. Avechna's Peak looms in the north, and the major rivers of the Basin glitter like silver skeins. Celest lies gleaming and jewel-like in the lap of the land, contrasting with the gentle green of Serenwilde in spring, and far to the east, the cold glitter of Hallifax.

The sun rides swiftly across the sky, sinking in the far west. The moon rises silver in the east, casting the Basin in its gentle glimmer, before the cycle continues, marking the passage of time.

A dove darts across the stage, flying from the walls of Celest to the northeast.

A soft female voice (Sounding aggrieved): ...dismisses too soon the prospect of near-instant planar travel, which ought to be possible according to your own observations - is not the plane of Water an endless expanse joined to itself? What is to stop one from travelling by joining one's own location briefly to a different location?

A glowing sphere floats the other way.

A cool male voice: ...neglects the impossibility of shaping planes the way you suggest...

As the days blur together, the voices continue. The wind catches snatches of their words, even as the messengers bear their correspondence across the Basin, and the verdant green of the Basin darkens to the riotous growth of summer.

A soft female voice (earnestly): ...each man or woman a vessel in themselves, able to cross the expanse of the world...

A cool male voice: ...mere wishful thinking... will be out of laboratory for the next three days to attend a discussion on the recent mining dispute...

A soft female voice (With some satisfaction): Refer, for example, to Uliud Nerale's Treatise on Planar Dimensions, Chapter Five -

A cool male voice: ...is not without merit; however, the power necessary for the deed would be tremendous.

As time passes, the verdant green of the forest to the north begins to shade to gold and then to a bright, fiery blaze of orange and red.

A soft female voice: ...will be absent for coming week, as I have been summoned to the Palace for testimony about the procedures of a proposed project... my preliminary calculations show...

A cool male voice: ...insufficient to change the shape of an entire plane...

The first touch of winter comes over the land, and the rich colours of autumn fade to the pale grey of barren branches and fallow fields. The messenger birds still fly, and the spheres seem not to notice the cold.

A soft female voice (With sudden excitement): ...need not influence entire planes. Think of it not as a warping of the aethers, but as a piercing: the space that one's own self occupies being suddenly brought adjacent to somewhere entirely new...

A cool male voice: Yes.

-------
ACT II
-------

The scene fades in an indistinct flurry of wintry snowflakes. When the snow clears, the stage once more depicts the crystalline laboratory of Edbik Oolin. Golden sunlight slants through the window, marking the hour as late afternoon.

* SCENE 4: an airy crystal laboratory

EDBIK enters silently.

EDBIK is here, bent over a countertop, his reserved features unusually intent as he pores over a scholarly-looking ledger.

With a crackle, the aetherwaves come to life. There is static, and behind the static, the distant sound of people shouting.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Are you there? Hello?"

EDBIK starts briefly, clearly not expecting to be contacted at this time.

EDBIK (evenly): Yes, Dr. Sinenth. I am here.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "I'm sending you all my notes and all the books I've pulled from the city library for our project. Hold on to them. Keep them safe. Don't tell anyone!"

EDBIK stands up suddenly, his reading forgotten. He speaks aloud, even as his brow furrows in concentration at the aetherwaves.

EDBIK (With the briefest hint of unease): Dr. Sinenth, is all well with you? To what do I owe this sudden delivery?

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "No. No, all is not well. By the Nine, I have an honest-to-goodness mob at my door - Telahi, shutter those windows!"

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "They've been hearing tales of doom, and they want to stop the research, never mind that our project has nothing to do with - "

The aetherwaves begin to crackle, distorted by static. There is a clatter, as if something - or a pile of somethings - has toppled over.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "I'm not even in that department, you idiots!"

The sudden sound of breaking glass resounds throughout the room, followed by silence.
 
EDBIK yells: Aliynth? Aliynth!

* COSTUME: SARANEH GOLDFEATHER
This trill woman is confident and composed, with a clipboard in hand and a cool, crisp manner, though a trace of mischief occasionally dances behind her eyes. Her mouth is wide and turns up at the corners, giving her an impression of a perpetual faint smile. She is wearing a clerical uniform, and her head feathers are held back out of her face by a jewelled hairpin.

SARANEH Goldfeather enters, drawn by the sound of Edbik's voice.

SARANEH: Professor?

EDBIK does not turn around to look at her. He is staring mutely instead at nothing, his body flushed an uncertain shade of grey.

EDBIK whispers: Aliynth?

SARANEH takes in Edbik's expression, and runs a hand through her head feathers. "You should return to your quarters, Professor," she says, not ungently. "The undergraduates will keep. I will let the Dean know that you will not be here today."

EDBIK seems to come out of a stupor. He blinks his crystalline eyes slowly, shaking his head at Saraneh. "My duties," he begins, as he starts to pulsate in hues of ruby, emerald and sapphire. "I do not have the time to - "

SARANEH: You are going to stand here, in this city, in this Institute, and say that of all things you lack time?

EDBIK grows even stiller than before, turning slightly away from Saraneh, the colourful shades fading to a deep amber.

SARANEH: At least ask after her. The authorities in Celest will have a handle on it by now.

EDBIK: One's concern for colleagues ought not to interfere with -

SARANEH: Edbik. You've never been able to work with any colleagues before. You barely notice their existence. You do not concern yourself with their successes. You are, I believe, what the Dean calls a bad collectivist.

EDBIK: What is the meaning of your stating these facts?

SARANEH: I mean that you should take the day off and find out what happened to your Dr. Sinenth.

EDBIK (After a moment): It is most unusual for a member of the bureaucrats to order around a scientist.

SARANEH: I am a most unusual bureaucrat.

SARANEH rummages around in a drawer and produces a thick sheaf of papers, before taking up a quill and going through the stack with brisk efficiency.

SARANEH: I will take care of the paperwork.

EDBIK blinks at the papers, before leaning forward to take a closer look. Saraneh ignores him completely, instead scribbling something with a flourish.

EDBIK (peering): Is that my signature?

SARANEH (unrepentantly): Yes.

EDBIK: Clearly they should have done a more thorough job of your re-education when you returned to us from the wilds.

SARANEH: Nevertheless.

EDBIK: (Appearing to waver slightly) Nevertheless...

A flock of white-winged doves soars through the open window, depositing a bewildering array of hastily-filled boxes on the countertop in front of Edbik.

EDBIK's uncertain expression settles into something more fixed, almost mulish. He turns away from Saraneh and begins to unpack the boxes instead.

EDBIK: The best thing that I can do at this juncture would be to fulfil my duties. I have a duty to continue my work. Your input is acknowledged but unnecessary.

EDBIK falls silent, a clear dismissal.

SARANEH (throwing her hands up in exasperation) Scientists! Lucidians! Lucidian scientists!

SARANEH exits, muttering under her breath.

EDBIK: methodically sorts out a number of strange looking gadgets from the box: a glowing miniature beacon pulsing with energy, several stacks of books, and a decidedly dog-eared ledger stained with water, which bears a strip of dried seaweed as a bookmark. He flips open the ledger, revealing pages upon pages of intricate diagrams that bewilder the eye.

EDBIK's crystalline form flushes palest pink as he looks at the diagrams, his fingers tracing lightly over the drawings.

EDBIK lingers over the book a moment more before setting it aside. He frowns, then slowly opens a drawer and pulls out a sheet of official-looking paper and a quill. He begins to write, murmuring under his breath.

EDBIK: To the authorities of Celest... wish to lodge a complaint... inexcusable failure on the part of the city...

* SCENE 5: A seaside infirmary

The scene shimmers briefly, becoming somewhere else completely - a bright infirmary, with the sound of sea waves lapping in the background. ALIYNTH is lying in a simple infirmary cot, her face half-turned away. TELAHI sits next to her, seemingly none the worse for wear, with a letter in hand.

* COSTUME: Aliynth Sinenth (Act II)
This merian woman possesses strong features are still striking to the eye, though marred by angry red scars on the right side of her face. One finned ear is mangled and mostly missing. Her eyes are no less sharp than before, though her expression is weary, haunted by pain. She wears a simple white infirmary robe, which is loose around her thin frame.

TELAHI (reading an official-looking letter): ...'inexcusable failure on the part of the city to protect one of the best minds in the Basin'... Goodness, Aliynth, who would have thought that our stolid Professor Oolin was capable of such wrath?

ALIYNTH (laughing quietly): What, to write a strongly worded letter? I could well believe it. It's a very civilised form of wrath, in any case. Unlike some other forms...

ALIYNTH goes quiet, as if only now hearing her own words. An uneasy silence settles over the room. Somewhere in the distance, a seagull cries.

TELAHI (cautiously): Aliynth, are you quite all right? I know the nights have been difficult. The healers have made you a tonic for the pain.

ALIYNTH finally turns her face towards TELAHI and the audience, revealing a series of jagged red scars crawling down her cheek, and the mangled ruin of a finned ear.

"It is not the pain that bothers me, dear Telahi. Nor even the scars, though I have never thought myself vain..." ALIYNTH trails off, with a small and wistful smile, before clearing her throat.

ALIYNTH: How did you come by the letter, anyway? It's addressed to the palace, isn't it?

TELAHI: It came into the Chancellor's keeping somehow, and he gave it to me and said to tell you to call off your friend, and that they're already doing everything they can to quiet things down. There's talk of a curfew.

ALIYNTH (continuing): That's no good. Trouble will still be brewing.

TELAHI: What are you going to do?

ALIYNTH: (Distantly) The best thing I can do is to finish this research as soon as possible. There will be less of an opportunity for trouble, then...

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Dr. Sinenth?"

TELAHI (hastily): "I'll go tell the Chancellor it's sorted. I'll see you tomorrow!"

TELAHI exits in a swirl of robes, a small smile on her face.

ALIYNTH turns her head to look after TELAHI's departing form in equal parts amusement and resignation, before her wounded cheek grazes the pillow and she winces slightly.

ALIYNTH: Yes, Professor?

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "I hope I find you well, after the recent events. It does of course follow without saying that I find the recent state of affairs in Celest a true travesty."

ALIYNTH: (After a moment) I will recover, I think.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Good."

An awkward, painful silence settles on the room, broken only by the faint crackle of static across the aether. ALIYNTH tilts her head back, her expression pensive as she stares at the ceiling.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "You will be pleased to know that all of your notes, as well as the books you have sent to me, are safe within my keeping, far away from the ignorant mob."

ALIYNTH smiles at the words, though her expression is still pained.

ALIYNTH: (wryly) The ignorant mob? I do believe that was an adjective. Even more, I could swear that was a subjective opinion you have just voiced, Professor Oolin.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Opinions that are factual are facts. To fear that which is new is ignorance."

A small crease appears in ALIYNTH's brow as she frowns. "That is... not exactly how I would put it," she says.

ALIYNTH: You see, what they feared had nothing really to do with me. The research we are doing is rather obscure -

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Obscure? On the contrary - "

ALIYNTH (impatiently) Put aside your professional pride for a moment; you know it's true. Our research team consists of you, me and a host of messenger birds. It's small, well-documented, and well-contained. Mostly irrelevant.

ALIYNTH (continuing) The thing is, they're not wholly wrong on principle. It's not just the mob that tells the tale of scientists who sought too much... Gaudiguch is full of madmen who probed too far.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Some things are worth the risk."

ALIYNTH: And other things are not. If we risked everything we'd be dead. If we risked nothing, we might as well be.

ALIYNTH laughs mirthlessly.

ALIYNTH: But that's not the problem, is it? Twenty people didn't charge into my laboratory because they considered the risk of my particular research and deemed it unacceptable.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Is it then the lack of specificity that bothers you?"

ALIYNTH (With sudden vehemence): If one is going to hate something, one should at least understand it first.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "I do not believe that one who understood you could hate you."

ALIYNTH: That's not what I mean. It's not about me. I am a scholar who lives in this city, and my research looks complex. Guilt by association. Why not blame the entire city next time?

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Why not?"

ALIYNTH (breaking into in a startled laugh): That was a rhetorical question, Edbik. But to answer it: because it would be absurd, that's why.

Another silence settles on the room, this one somehow more comfortable. Aliynth turns her head slowly towards the window, gazing at the city outside and frowning as she gazes off into the distance.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Dr. Sinenth, I wish to inform you that, in light of recent concerns about your personal safety, completely irrelevant to the competence or lack thereof of the Celestian authorities and the ability of the city to ensure the personal safety of its citizens - though certainly recent events have cast such in some doubt - I have managed to persuade the Board and the Dean to extend an offer to you to relocate to the Institute for the duration of our research, or until you wish to return to your home."

ALIYNTH (blinking): What?

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "...It is not safe there. Will you come here instead?"

A complex look comes over ALIYNTH's face - surprise, gratification and then regret crossing her expression in quick succession as she turns away from the window. Painfully, she pulls herself up until she is sitting in bed, with her pillow propped against the headboard.

ALIYNTH: I'd love to. But I can't. I need the archives here, as well as my laboratory.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Hallifax's facilities - "

ALIYNTH (interrupting): Are the newest, yes. But some of what I'm looking for is old. Very old. I think we aren't the first ones to have tried something like this, and if I can draw on the data of those who came before... I can't ship the entire library to Hallifax, Edbik. If I'm to do this, I need to stay here.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "The risk - "

ALIYNTH: Some things are worth the risk. You said it yourself.

Another long silence. Finally, the aether crackles to life again, softer than it was.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "I do not like it, but I must accept it."

ALIYNTH (staunchly): It won't be so bad, Edbik. And you'll be the first thing to know if something happens.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "I will indeed regularly monitor your status."

ALIYNTH (with amusement): You have a gift of making things sound so terrible. And clinical. Terribly clinical. Just - we'll keep in touch, all right?

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Yes."

ALIYNTH exits, silently.

-------
ACT III
-------

The scene shifts and shimmers until we see the exterior of a crystal tower, soaring sharp-edged and austere into the sky. The tower is awash in the sounds of efficient activity: the low susurration of calm conversation, a regular beep from one of the lower floors, and the steady hum of a generator.

From one of the upper floors, a woman's laugh rings out, clear and mirthful. As if following the sound, the scene shifts yet again to show Edbik's laboratory, where Aliynth's voice is floating across the aethers.

* SCENE 6: An airy crystal laboratory (ACT III)
This is a spacious, domed room with smooth white walls. There is a certain sterile impression to the surroundings: the entire laboratory is furnished in clear crystal, from the smooth, frosted crystal floor to the gleaming countertops. A crystal prism has been moved to one side of the room to make space for a number of boxes scattered haphazardly across the floor. A large, arched window overlooks a sweeping panorama of the empty sky, with the indistinct glitter of a city below.

EDBIK enters, silently.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "So then I looked at the Chancellor, and said to him, 'Why don't you just eat some kafe?'"

EDBIK is seated next to one of the countertops, books and ledgers scattered around him. Though his posture is as rigid as ever and he says nothing at the joke, he is flushed a cheery citrine yellow.

EDBIK: I am highly surprised that you live to tell the tale.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Well, we're not as much for protocol as you lot. Though I still didn't manage to get out of having to go with the rest of the Academy on their trip later this year. Something about logistics and security. Maybe it'll be interesting."

EDBIK: (Managing somehow to sound more serious than before, though his even tone appears completely unchanged): If things had gone according to my preference you would be here instead.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Well, it's worked out so far, hasn't it? We've made good progress."

EDBIK: It is not the duty of a scientist to put herself in danger.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Really? You've never had a scientist have to investigate a generator meltdown, or try to find a cure for plague? That seems pretty dangerous."

EDBIK (a little helplessly): That is completely different.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Ha. A statement of opinion. Besides, it's not duty that keeps me here, you know."

EDBIK tilts his head, seemingly not realizing that Aliynth cannot see him, his body flickering pale green as he awaits elaboration.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Haven't you ever felt the thrill of being on the cusp of a new discovery? That we're venturing forth into an unknown world, and the prize is finding something that will make a difference. Someday we'll be more than we are."

EDBIK (uncertainly): I... had not considered the question.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "You are thinking that I am emotional about this. But why else would we become scholars?"

EDBIK (quietly): I do not think I ever really chose. My family has been in the Institute for generations. And though all have their place within this city, some of us are a little more well-placed than others.

EDBIK: I suppose I could have been a bureaucrat, or joined the Sentinel Company. But people would have been disappointed, which is almost as bad as being disapproving.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Oh. I didn't know that."

EDBIK: It is all right. I did not choose, but I am content in my duty.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Well, for me it was the opposite way around, I guess. House Sinenth rose to fame and power because of art and entertainment, and that's what my family expected all of us to excel in. I did a good deal of dramatics, when I was younger.

EDBIK turns a hazy shade of grey, looking about himself uncertainly. "Dramatics?"

 (Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "The stage, you heathen. Don't you watch plays?"

EDBIK glances down for a moment, expressionless.

EDBIK: No.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "That's probably just as well, or you'd have seen... hm. 'The Swashbuckling Adventures of Gib Gnizzle, Gnome Genius.' Or 'The Comedy of Juliara the Odd-Handed.' The props were particularly well done on the latter, I thought."

EDBIK stares out the window for a long time. "Such things exist? We would never permit something so frivolous."

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Oh, yes. Very popular too, among the people. Your theater scene is a bit more restrained. Though I thought you said you didn't watch plays?"

EDBIK flushes a pale red in embarrassment, the ruddy tones washing through his crystalline body.

EDBIK: I - you are devious.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Hush. It's all right to like things."

EDBIK: You sound as though you liked the stage.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "I did. I was good at it, too - I wonder if I can still do it."

Across the aethers, ALIYNTH's voice suddenly changes to a high, clear, girlish tone, declaiming as if on the stage. Then, it takes on a dark, gravelly note as she abruptly switches to a different persona, before ending in the soft, cool voice of an imperious queen.

EDBIK flickers an alarmed orange at Aliynth's impressions, before relaxing once more as his crystal grows clear again.

EDBIK: Why did you leave it behind?

A small silence settles across the room, cool and thoughtful. When Aliynth speaks again, her voice is quieter than usual.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "I suppose playing the part of explorers and scholars and dashing adventurers became less interesting, after a while, than trying to actually become one. I had the urge to leave behind something useful. Something lasting."

EDBIK: It is an altruistic urge.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "If you must classify it so. I would call it a love of one's work. So you see, it's not duty that impels me to run towards danger."

EDBIK says nothing, but instead reaches out to fiddle with one of the impossibly-shaped crystal mechanisms on the countertop.

EDBIK: Well, our research is stalled, in any case. I haven't been able to refine the process of isolating the aether pathways at all. It takes an unreasonably long amount of time to run the calculations to determine the precise location of the destination.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Well, we don't want to mess that up. You might arrive in the middle of a solid mountain."

EDBIK: Among other problems. How can we ensure that the destination is valid?

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "What are you using as the reference point for your coordinates?"

EDBIK: The Matrix, of course.

A rueful, long-suffering sigh drifts across the aethers.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Is there any reason that needs to be the reference point, as opposed to a movable marker of some sort?"

EDBIK: Hmm. Hmm. Though one would then need to construct an arbitrarily large number of them to use.

EDBIK stares out of the window with a frown.

Outside, the city glitters with all the colours of the rainbow. A pair of birds-of-paradise soar past, each flying in wide circles around its mate.

EDBIK (suddenly): Or a person.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "And then you wouldn't need to calculate the trajectory at all, merely focus on a familiar vibration in the aether - "

EDBIK begins to flicker erratically, cycling through all the colours of the rainbow in his excitement.

EDBIK (in an unusually loud voice): Yes!

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Wait - proof of concept - "

EDBIK jerks suddenly, the air around him filling with sparkling motes of light.

A tiny portal appears in the room, a gash in the fabric of the planes, out of which drops a small object. The room is suddenly filled with the fresh scent of a sea breeze, and the echoing sound of ocean waves.

Aliynth's voice, when next she speaks, is full of glee.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "There, did you see that? Was that not worth the risk?"

EDBIK bends down slowly to pick up the object. It is a small white seashell, worn smooth by time and tide. The flickering hues beneath his skin fade into quiescence as he stares at it - to be replaced, sudden as a breaking dawn, by an intense rosy quartz.

EDBIK: All good things are. Dr. Sinenth - Aliynth - will you enter into an interpersonal relationship of a romantic nature with me?

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "I - well - but you've never even seen me."

EDBIK: Irrelevant. Seeing and knowing are not the same. And you have not answered the question.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Yes."

EDBIK exits silently.

-------
ACT IV
-------

* SCENE 7: Tasteful living quarters in the Sinenth estate
This room is open and airy, with a high roof supported by fluted marble pillars. Wide, glass-paned doors lead outside to a semicircular balcony overlooking the sea. The room itself is tastefully yet lavishly decorated, with a mosaic floor done in sea-glass and gold, and frescoes of dolphins upon the walls. The elegance of the room is somewhat spoiled by the truly alarming amount of things draped across every available piece of furniture, and a large, overstuffed suitcase sitting on the floor.

* COSTUME: Aliynth Sinenth (Act IV)
Angry red scars cross this merian's face, though the shadow of old pain has faded from it. Despite the scars, this middle-aged merian woman still looks imposing, though there is a touch of fond softness to the set of her mouth, and a small smile often flickers across her lips. She wears a practical tunic and trousers, and a warm blue travelling cloak is slung across her shoulders.

ALIYNTH enters silently.

ALYINTH is here, sitting amidst piles of books, clothing and complicated-looking gadgets, frowning slightly as she tries to fit everything into a suitcase.

From somewhere off the stage, TELAHI yells, "Aliynth! Hurry up, it's almost time."

ALIYNTH makes a vexed sound.

ALIYNTH: I should not have left this until the last day.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "You have no one to blame but yourself, dear."

ALIYNTH (wryly): On the contrary, I blame you for encouraging Telahi to drag me off to rest. I was going to do this yesterday.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Three o'clock this morning is not yesterday."

ALIYNTH: Don't you know it's not tomorrow until you sleep?

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "That makes no sense. There is no temporal field currently known that is determined by sleep."

ALIYNTH laughs, a trillingly melodic sound, tilting her head back in mirth. Though the scars still show angry and red upon her cheek, she somehow looks younger and softer.

ALIYNTH: I wish I'd had time to visit you before this. What's the point of inventing instant travel if you don't make use of it?

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "We could not have been sure of your safety before we ran the latest tests."

ALIYNTH: Yes, I know. I agreed with that, remember? You needn't sound so aghast.

(Project Teleport): Edbik says, "Also, you wished for the first instance of travel to be performed in front of your entire department.

ALIYNTH: Ha, yes. That'll show the big wigs up in the Academy. My opposition to their little project hasn't made me any friends, since that proposal came straight from the top. The Chancellor has been making disapproving noises about wasted budgets and dead-end research in my direction for weeks.

ALIYNTH (with a sudden, impish smile): Perhaps I haven't left my past in dramatics behind quite as much as I thought.

TELAHI yells, "Aliynth!"

ALIYNTH: Yes, I'm coming!

ALIYNTH looks at the suitcase, then shakes her head and shuts the lid, before sitting down on it vigorously, her cloak swirling around her as she does so. The suitcase snaps shut with a click, and she heaves it up and quickly begins to walk.

* SCENE 8: A bustling city square
White cobblestones pave this bustling city square in the heart of Celest, the bright morning light lending everything a slightly golden tinge. In the middle of the square, a large group is gathered, dressed for travel, though at present people are milling around talking to one another. A few orclach warriors are standing watchfully around the group, furled blue banners in hand.

The scene shifts behind her as she walks, briefly showing the green gardens and white paths of the Sinenth estate, before she arrives at a pleasant city square. A vast number of people are gathered there, milling about haphazardly, most dressed for the road. Most of them are merian, though all the races of the Basin are represented, from taurian to orclach.

ALIYNTH quickly takes her place among them, as the entire column begins to move out, down the broad city streets and to the harbour, where a fleet of ships awaits. As the expedition boards the ships, the orclach warrior standing behind Aliynth unfurls a bold blue banner, blazoned in gold with the words EXPEDITION COSMIC HOPE.

As the ships start sailing, the scene draws back, until the white sails are no more than small specks moving across the blue like birds in flight, which soon merges into the image of actual birds in flight across a bright sky. As the birds swoop lower, Edbik's crystal tower comes into sight once more.

* SCENE 8: An airy crystal laboratory (ACT IV)
This is a spacious, domed room with smooth white walls. There is a certain sterile impression to the surroundings: the entire laboratory is furnished in clear crystal, from the smooth, frosted crystal floor to the gleaming countertops. A pile of books and letters are stacked neatly on the nearest countertop, and a wide, empty space has been cleared in the middle of the floor, where the outline of a pentagram is drawn upon the tiles. A large, arched window overlooks a sweeping panorama of the empty sky, with the indistinct glitter of a city below.

EDBIK (tentatively): Aliynth? Is it time?

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Almost. We'll wait for them to finish their attempt first, I guess - only the Emperor and his immediate circle are actually going up to Shallamar to pierce the Supra Plane, the rest of us are just observers here in Magnagora City. Have you made the preparations?"

EDBIK: Yes. I've enchanted my robes insofar as possible against the damage. I am also raising a greater pentagram as we speak, so that no one can enter and interrupt the process.

EDBIK raises a hand and begins to trace the shape of a pentagram across the floor, following the outline already drawn in charcoal. Streams of shimmering power cascade from his fingers, and energy swirls through the air.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Just think. Fates willing, soon we'll be together."

EDBIK says nothing, though his precise motions slow just a fraction, the energy that wreathes his fingers mingled with a soft rosy hue that rises in him. He finishes the pentagram, which flashes with sudden power.

A sudden, unnatural silence spreads across the stage. The daily sounds of life - the birdsong outside, the unending hum of energy through the tower, the sound of wind - falter briefly, as if a great weight has fallen across the world.

Far below and to the south, where Magnagora stands, something begins to glow with an otherworldly intensity.

A great, deafening crack resounds throughout the world, and the light is suddenly changed to darkness. On the horizon, a cloud of roiling black smoke rises.

EDBIK: What just occurred? I am coming to join you.

(Project Teleport): Aliynth says, "Light preserve us! Telahi, get back! No - let me through, damn you! NO!"

Through the aethers, a woman's sobbing scream echoes.

EDBIK yells: "Aliynth!"

With a sudden, decisive gesture, EDBIK draws himself up as he searches the air in front of him, then tugs upon an invisible strand of force.

SARANEH rushes into the laboratory.

SARANEH: Something has gone terribly wrong with the Cosmic Hope expedition - all faculty are summoned immediately by the Dean.

SARANEH is stopped short by the force of the pentagram. She pushes against it, to no avail, then begins to pound her fists against the force.

A slight distortion begins to form around EDBIK's form, which is flickering a dark and stormy grey. Outside, the day grows darker, the ominous shadow growing bigger on the horizon.

SARANEH (yelling): Professor, you can't possibly mean to go through with this now!

EDBIK says nothing, his face a picture of concentration as he works.

SARANEH (pleading): You are running into danger.

EDBIK: Yes.

EDBIK turns translucent and then vanishes, leaving behind nothing but sparkling motes of light. With his departure, the pentagram fades, and Saraneh rushes into the room, but it is too late.

Outside, the winds begin to howl, a great shrieking cacophony. Sirens begin to blare. The tower shakes, and Saraneh grabs the counter to stay upright.

The crystal counter tilts and overbalances with a crash, shattering into shards and spilling its contents across the floor: ledgers fall open, displaying rows upon rows of crabbed handwriting, and crystalline gadgets lie smashed to smithereens. And letters: reams and reams of letters in a fluid, graceful hand, fluttering through the air like falling leaves.

An unfamiliar voice crackles through the aethers.

(Institute): A stern female voice says, "This is Dean Taroch speaking. Have you located Professor Edbik Oolin?"

SARANEH bends down, her fingers sorting delicately through the prismatic shards. When she straightens again, she holds something in her hand: a small white seashell, unbroken by the fall.

SARANEH (distantly): He is where he wishes to be.

SARANEH stands in silence, staring out the window at the world outside. To the south, the shadow spreads across the land, overwhelming the Crystal Sea. She looks down at the shell in her hand, the sole remnant of an old world now forever changed. Around her, the stage dims, and fades to darkness.