"I know a way to escape," Ereshkigal stated.
"Then what are you still doing here?" demanded Max Vasser, unwilling to trust the old woman. She still blamed her at least partly for Jo Schmidt's gruesome death at the hands of the Aqrabu, the monstrous scorpion beings that inhabited some of the caverns here on Kurnugi. "Or do you just like the food here?"
"Yes, I heard of your misfortune at dinner last night," replied Ereshkigal sympathetically.
"Hardly misfortune!" barked Max, becoming more agitated by the second. "We were lucky to arrive too late to get any of that gray slime you people call food!"
"Max! Calm down. That's an order," said Lee Carter before Max got completely out of control. To her relief, the hot-headed XO of Banshee Squadron clamped her mouth shut and folded her arms across her chest, resigning herself to stew quietly for the time being.
Apparently, Ereshkigal had not taken offense at Max's remarks however, for there was a hint of joviality in her voice as she said, "The food we have here isn't what any of us were used to before we wound up in this place, but on a planet orbiting a black star instead of a bright yellow sun, it is hard to grow anything besides fungi and insects. Despite that, I manage to cultivate a few spices for myself and a select other few, and they are quite effective at masking the unpleasant flavor..." She motioned for Carter and the others to follow her through a low doorway into the next room where a long table awaited them. There were eight place settings, one for each Banshee, herself, and the boy Enki, and at each place was a bowl of the ubiquitous gray porridge.
"I think you'll find these a little more to your liking," said Ereshkigal. "You must be very hungry after not having eaten for so long."
"Starved!" said Sam fervently and immediately moved to take a seat before one of the bowls. She stuck her index finger into the gray, lumpy contents and pulled out a generous dollop and stuck it in her mouth. While Sam chewed, the others held their breath, anxiously waiting to hear the verdict or to catch her if she fell stricken out of her chair, whichever came first. Finally, she swallowed and declared, "I didn't even have to switch off my olfactory system!"
"Good enough for me!" said Max, elbowing her way to one of the other bowls and digging in with both hands. Alex and Dexter followed Max's example, though with more dignity and restraint. Captain Cross gallantly seated Carter, which caused eyebrows to rise in delighted surprise and curiosity all around the table, before sitting down himself. Ereshkigal smiled and took her own place at the head of the table, with Enki parking himself at her left.
For a few minutes, they just ate in silence, the business of soothing their rumbling stomachs taking precedence over everything else, even escape, but finally Matthew Cross reopened the subject. Around a mouthful of thick fungi-and-insect porridge, he said, "Tell us about your way to escape, Ereshkigal. Do you mean the Black Gate?"
At the old woman's uncomprehending stare, Dexter Gray attempted a clarification. "The spatial disturbance in the center of the three planetoids at the edge of this system."
"Ah-- you are speaking of the 21-dimensional space-time-thought discontinuity."
This time it was Dexter's turn to stare blankly, but Max came to his rescue. "I think it's clear you're both talking about the same thing. Let's just pick a name and move on, shall we?"
"Alas, the Black Gate does not flow in both directions," continued Ereshkigal, taking Max's cranky but practical advice. "The Black Gate has no entrance leading away from here, as you no doubt discovered on your own, else you would not have been forced to land here seeking another route."
"Who would build a one-way wormhole?" asked Sam. "And why?"
Ereshkigal shrugged. "This place is ancient beyond imagination. Some say it is older than the universe itself, though that is no doubt merely superstition. Who the builders were has been lost to the ages, as has the purpose of this place. For us, however, it is a prison. Most of those who live here are the descendants of spacefarers who were pulled through Discontinuities and deposited here with no way to return to their own worlds and loved ones. A few of us, like yourselves are more recent arrivals."
"You say 'discontinuities', plural," commented Cross. "There is more than one Black Gate?"
"Oh yes," replied Ereshkigal, a touch of awe coloring her inflection. "The universe is criss-crossed by a great net, tying the farthest corners of existence together, and not just this universe, but everything else as well."
"What else is there besides the universe?" asked Alex from her place at the table.
Ereshkigal smiled as with parental indulgence of a loved but slow-witted child. "Other universes, other dimensions, other planes of consciousness. Realms where space, time and thought are as interchangeable and as easily traversed as left and right are to you."
Cross noted that the old woman said 'you' and not 'us', and wondered again who she really was. Her seeming understanding of 21-dimensional discontinuities belied her ragged, primitive appearance. Aloud though, he said, "All this is very interesting, but if the Black Gate has no opening on this side, then it can't be the avenue of escape you mentioned. Let's talk about that."
"There is another way," said Ereshkigal. "A dangerous way, which is why I have not been able to use it to escape. One must open the Mountain Gates, defeat the Guardians, and climb the Stairway to Heaven. It is a perilous journey; one which only the strongest, smartest, and bravest can even hope to accomplish."
"This is all starting to sound rather epic," commented Max impatiently.
"So where are these gates, guardians and stairways?" asked Carter.
"The Gates are deep in the territory of Nergal," replied Ereshkigal.
Carter groaned and rolled her eyes. "Of course. Like we didn't all see that coming."
Ereshkigal continued. "Nevertheless, you will have to defeat him and his minions somehow to get through the Gates. Once beyond the Gates, you will face the next challenge -- the Guardians."
"And they are?" asked Carter.
"They are a race of beings that came through the Black Gate ages ago from an unknown, dark corner of the multiverse. They are the Aqrabu, the same creatures that slew your unfortunate comrade, Lieutenant Jo Schmidt."
"Yeah, we didn't see that one coming either," groused Max.
"They are superstitious creatures, though, and are held in thrall by an ancient relic called the Heart of Tiamat. Nergal holds the Heart, so you would be well advised to obtain it before confronting the Aqrabu. Only with it will you be able to defeat them."
"Or we could defeat them with out phasers and shield belts," said Max pointedly.
"Nergal also still has possession of your devices," replied Ereshkigal. "You will have to rely on your wits."
"In that case, we're half-way there," quipped Max.
Ereshkigal ignored Max's flippancy. "Finally, you will need to activate the Stairway To Heaven."
"How do we do that?" asked Cross.
"Once you have cleared the path of all other obstacles, I myself will be able to accomplish that last task," replied Ereshkigal mysteriously. "I have studied many years, searching for the correct code sequence that will activate the Stairway. I am confident I will have it before much longer. Once I have the codes, you may commence your portion of our undertaking."
"Whoa there!" interjected Carter. "We haven't agreed to anything yet, Ereshkigal." Captain Cross nodded his agreement with Carter's statement.
But Ereshkigal displayed a complete lack of concern over their objection. Instead, a mirthless smile grew on her craggy and weathered face and she said, "You will. You have no choice. If you ever want to leave Kurnugi, you must do as I have asked. It is the only way."
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