Crust Vol. 4

It had been eight months, since recovering from the Bejiri chamber and learning that he had been freed from the temporal stream. Telbur stood in front of the mirror, the reflection of his cold, gray gaze still belaying the disbelief, in the facts of his circumstances. His hands traced the outlines of his pointy, stubble filled chin.

He didn't look any different.

He didn't feel any different, aside from the constant pangs of anxiety and sadness, in his mind, heart and stomach.

Hard to grasp? Not at all. He had been trained and informed as to the possibilities of such occurrences. He had even heard stories.

The probabilities.

In that was the difficulty.

The lack of a choice, in having to accept the facts.

I'm alone, he thought to himself.

Well, there is Silya.

                                                                       * * *

"While you were in the Bejiri chamber, a feminine, future-extrapolated doppelganger of yourself boarded our vessel and initiated an exit vector, and told me to tell yourself good luck."

"That's impossible."

Silya was already prepared for his skepticism. "As I have eliminated the possibility of genetic cloning, my data indicates that the future you, was an alter dimensional facsimile."

Of course, he thought understanding the scenario, but still trying to grasp it all.

"But wait!", he realized an important detail. "If I was trapped in the temporal rift and in the Bejiri chamber, how was I able to warn any version of myself, much less mount a rescue.?"

"After your retirement, to the Bejiri chamber, I initiated a warning and point of location transmission, at regular intervals."

Silya thinks of everything. "How was I-she-able to free us?"

"Details have been excluded, as per the universal sentient anti temporal tampering mandate, section 8741-87562.87.11, stating that given the fore knowledge of the impending death and/or incapacitation of an alternate self, though you may assist, details or implication of future details are strictly prohibited."

"Well at least we're free. I do not wish to investigate this anomaly any further. Redirect our course heading to our prior destination point."

"Unable to comply."

"What!", Telbur exclaimed, at the unexpected response. "Redirect our course, to the Franjium system, immediately."

"Unable to comply. The Franjium system is no longer in my navigational mapping data."

"That's impossible.", Telbur said, nearing outrage, at the reception of this news.

"We were just in the Franjium system. How can it not be in your navigational data."

"Your information is incorrect. After extrapolating, cross referencing, interposing and reconfiguring my previous mapping and navigational data and protocols, utilizing previous vector points, Calvaritis system and Dekanian equatorial, standard orbital timing, I have concluded that the Franjium solar hub imploded approximately four-hundred-seventy-five years, three-hundred-fifty days, fourteen hours and eleven minutes ago."

To be continued...