Excerpt: The Dreaming

With these words, the Sergeant Major opened his office door, beckoning the two younger folk out into the hallway in typically curt fashion. Euria was used to this sort of behavior from her father in particular, and Arthur was used to such treatment from most superior officers, and so neither was offended by the abrupt dismissal. Instead, as the door closed behind them, Arthur turned to Euria with a smile.

"I appreciate your willingness to take time away from your duties to escort me," he said with perfect politeness.

"I do as the Sergeant Major orders," Euria replied. "He may not be my superior officer, civilian that I am, but he is my father, and therefore is owed my obedience."

"Of course," Major Frick replied with that same smile still on his lips, and still not reaching his eyes.

"Do you have a preference as to what portion of the base you wish to see first?" Euria asked. Her initial excitement upon learning of the honor she was receiving was quickly becoming tempered by the prospect of spending so much time with this man. At the moment, she would have given a lot to replace him with Andre. At least Andre was a decent, honest man, whose smile crinkled his eyes genuinely and whose voice didn't send shivers down her spine.

"It is your preference, Euria," came the reply. "I have only just arrived and know very little about the layout of this facility, other than that which I have already seen. I will leave the details up to you, though I suggest we visit the officer's mess come lunch time and retire to my quarters, or to yours, or to some private office with our food. I wish to avoid the possibility that some unauthorized person might overhear our confidential conversation when I give you details regarding this project."

Confused, uncomfortable, and distinctly unhappy with the whole situation, Euria nodded and beckoned for Major Frick to follow her as she headed down the hall to the elevator. "Are you at all interested in the dome?" she asked him over her shoulder.

"I would love to see it," the disconcerting young man agreed.

"Then we shall start there," Euria replied. "It is fascinating to see the technology involved in such a thing. I do not know where your interests and specialties lie, but most laymen are fascinated even without knowing the technology behind it."

"I understand it is reinforced with magic," Arthur said as the two young people stepped into the elevator.

Euria pressed the button for the first floor and continued as the small plastic car swept them downstairs in less time than it took her to complete her sentence. "To an extent," she said. "The basic structure is grounded in technology. Most people tend to get a bit nervous when magic is involved. They don't trust it as much."

"Is that how you feel?" Arthur asked as he followed his companion off of the elevator and down the hallway toward the door.

"Not at all," Euria told him. "I, personally, do not have any magical ability, though there are times I wish I did. Despite this, I must admit that I am utterly fascinated by anything involving magic in any form. I think most people distrust it simply because they are jealous of those who possess such an amazing ability."

"You are most likely right in your thinking," Major Frick agreed blandly as he held the door open for her. "It seems to be ingrained in human nature that we all fear that which is foreign to us. Most certainly we fear that which is superior."

"It is only natural," Euria replied. "That which is superior to us is very likely to possess the ability to destroy us. But this talk may not be productive. Let me tell you more about the dome."

"Of course," Arthur agreed. He followed half a pace behind Euria as she led the way to the outskirts of the base.

"We'll walk along the dome until we come to the generator," Euria mused out loud, trying to think ahead and plan what to show Arthur, and in what order. "It is a beautiful thing, at least to my eyes. The main body of the dome is generated from four main locations, arranged to be as equidistant as is possible on the uneven terrain we have to work with. Together, these four generators create what you might call a 'force shield,' a rounded dome that completely covers the area on which this base stands. It also extends below the surface of the moon in an arc of equal size, to form a giant sphere."