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returned, he discovered that Oonak had indeed not moved at all. He was still standing by the wavering shape, except that his eyes, and the ship’s door, were now closed. He appeared to be in a state of quiet concentration.
    “Oonak?” Zahn whispered.
    Oonak didn’t respond.
    “I’ve got it.”
    “Wait,” Oonak said and held up a single finger, his eyes still closed. “I just realized. I do not know your name, Avanian.”
    “Oh yeah, that’s right. I apologize; I’m Zahn.” He hesitated and then thought he should probably introduce himself in a more official way, as Oonak had. “…of the Ashraya Observatory,” he added.
    “There is no reason to apologize for that.”
    “No, I meant, I apologize for not introducing myself earlier,” Zahn said.
    “Are you sure that is what you meant?”
    “Yes.”
    “Good. It is wise to be sure of what we mean.”
    “Anyway, here it is. I found it buried in the sand. I saw it when it was falling from the sky, actually.”
    Finally, Oonak opened his eyes, and his gaze radiated a profound peace that Zahn hadn’t tasted in a long time.
    “Intriguing. I suppose you really were in the right place at the right time. Thank you, Zahn.”
    “You’re very welcome.”
    Oonak took the fragment, turned around, and knelt down onto the moonlit sand. As he worked, Zahn tried to understand what he was doing, and the momentousness of what was happening began to dawn on him.
    “Are you really a spacefarer like your ship said?” Zahn stopped himself and swallowed. “You’re not from Avani at all, are you? You really are an extraterrestrial.”
    There was a pause while Oonak focused on reattaching the fragment to his ship. Zahn noticed that his hands glowed for a moment, and then the fragment disappeared, presumably because it was now part of the ship once more. Oonak stood up and faced him, and once again Zahn found himself wondering about his age. He guessed that he might be as old as his father, but it was difficult to be sure.
    “Yes, yes, and yes. I am what you could refer to as an extraterrestrial. However, those of the Confederation never use such a term. Instead, we refer to similar life forms as merely ‘people’. Life forms such as ourselves reflect the galactic template for intelligent life. In truth, we are all merely people, so we refer to such life forms simply as people. However, this does not mean that this galaxy is harmonious. Just as on Avani, not all are aligned toward preserving life. It is important to remember this.”
    Oonak stopped for a moment, as if trying to remember something, and then continued.
    “And please, you may call me Oon for short.”
    “Whoa…” Zahn looked deep into Oonak’s eyes. Now that he studied them, he noticed that they weren’t black like he had first thought. They were actually a shade of dark blue that reminded Zahn of a deep, calm ocean. He thought he saw something at the bottom of that ocean that he didn’t understand, as if they contained secrets he would never know.
    “Zahn, I have one more request of you, but I want to be clear that you are under no obligation to accept this request. It is your choice, and believe me when I say that it involves great risk. However, I ask you now because, in the light of current circumstances, I believe that you are the most logical candidate.”
    “What is it, Oon?”
    “When I crashed on your planet, I had the divine fortune of crashing near your South Pole. In the process, I discovered an incredible machine: an ancient gate that lies far beneath the ice. This gate, which far exceeds the technology of your people, has the ability to transcend spacetime itself. I’m not even sure how it came to be on your world, and unfortunately, because of the damage to my ship, it is the only way to accomplish my mission.”
    Zahn was held spellbound.
    “But there is a problem. No matter what I tried, I could not activate the gate. However,” Oonak continued, “Navika and I have deciphered some