Hábrók was slightly disappointed when Joel’s great voice awoke him from his slumber. He was not sad to have been awoken but rather sad to have realized that he had slept the entire journey across the ocean. “I slept the entire way?!” he said a bit dejectedly. “It’s alright, I am sure you’ll get your fill of viewing stars soon enough.” Joel said with a jovial laugh. “Plus it isn’t a proper Hagufa feast if you don’t sleep too much afterwards. Once I drop you off I fully intend on sleeping for at least ten cycles.” “That was quite the feast!” Hábrók licked his lips, relishing the memory of the feast. “You and your clan sure know how to party.” “Well, we have much to celebrate. A successful migration takes eons. If we are lucky, we each accomplish only one in our lifetime.” Joel let out a great big yawn. “Well, thank you so very much for the lift and for the feast. I am so very grateful for your hospitality,” Hábrók said as he slid off of the whale’s back and landed in the soft sand of the beach. “Which way should I go to get to the space port?” “You are most welcome.” Joel splashed the water with his tail and flopped out into deeper water. “Climb the tall sand dune in front of you, you cannot miss it,” Joel called over his fluke as he slid silently into the water. Hábrók turned to ask another question, but when he did, Joel was nowhere to be seen. A few moments later, as Hábrók gazed out at the ocean, he saw Joel silhouetted against the azure sky and he erupted out of the water and arch his back. Hábrók scampered quickly up the massive sand dune. When he reached the top, what he saw took his breath away. Towering into the sky was a superstructure shaped like a dark metallic mushroom. A million tiny lights blinked and glittered along its stem and cap in a display of reds, golds, white, and orange. From the cap protruded, in all directions, a dozen or so massive towers. Perched at the top of several towers were gargantuan metallic crafts which appeared to be spaceships. At the top of the tallest tower was a ship that was at least twice as big as the other space crafts. He could see a smattering of tiny specks darting about next to the spaceship. _Those tiny specks darting around the space – I wonder if they are resupply shuttles or maintenance droids..._ In his exuberance to have made it this far, Hábrók leapt from the top of the sand dune and careened down the sandy hillside as fast as his legs could carry him. He lost his footing in the soft sand and tumbled end over end before coming to rest on his backside at the foot of the sand dune. He picked himself up and brushed the sand from his tunic, turning towards the imposing mastiff on the horizon. “Argh, my eyes!” Hábrók shielded his face with an outstretched arm. The rising sun reflecting off of the space port was so bright it was now impossible to look at. “I don't have much time left before the ship leaves,” Hábrók whispered to no one in particular. _If I keep my eyes on the ground I won’t go blind!_ Hábrók broke into a dead run. The coastal dune ecosystem made it hard to cover ground quickly. The ground was soft, and running in a straight line was next to impossible. Every so often he would spook a flock of birds and they would take off into the sky, unleashing a cacophony of cawing, trills, and whistles. He could feel the salt spray from the ocean sticking to his neck, arms, and legs as he ran. It was hard work running in the soft sand. The space port appeared to be quite the distance from where Joel had dropped him off, and he knew there was not much time to spare. The sand dunes were draped with a botanical mosaic of windswept pines and a tapestry of green and brown vines and hardy grasses. Splattered across the landscape like a master painter’s afterthought were flowers bursting out of the sand in an array of oranges, reds, blues, yellows, and purple. The smell was absolutely divine. “I wish I had more time to just be!” Hábrók huffed to himself as he hurried through the landscape. “It is quite a shame to not stop and take in this holy place…” As Hábrók continued running towards the port glaring like an impossibly bright torch, the sand dunes gave way to grasslands and the running became considerably easier. His thoughts wandered back to the conversation he had had with Aiōn. “Your training is complete,” he had told him. What training? I don’t recall any training. How come I can’t remember it? “You maxed out your rotations and then agreed to add one more.” That bit had really confused Hábrók. He had tried to ask what a rotation was and why he had agreed to one more. Aiōn just smiled and said that the escort would explain everything in greater detail. Hábrók grunted as he catapulted over an ancient fallen tree and landed with a puff of dust on the other side – _Aiōn said I would enjoy my time with the escort._ Something about the look in his eyes made him laugh, almost like Aiōn knew something that I don't. _Of course he knows something I don’t. I barely know anything. All I know is that I have to get on that ship._ ![[annihilation-i-spacePort.jpeg]] Hábrók was so focused on getting to the space port that he almost collided with the spaceport’s support structure. However, the whoosh of a spaceship’s engines roaring to life startled him and he looked up just in time. “Holy shit! This thing is MASSIVE.” Hábrók reached out and placed his hand on the cool metallic superstructure. Now that he was standing at the base of it, craning his neck in a vain attempt to catch a glimpse of the top, the scale of the engineering marvel before him was stupendous. “Should I go left or right?” Hábrók asked himself out loud. “I guess it’s always best to go clockwise… so I go left.” Hábrók set off at a brisk pace as he began to circumvent the superstructure’s massive body in search of some way to gain access to the inside, or better yet an elevator that would carry him up to the bridge deck so he could board his spaceship. It didn’t take him long to come across a door, but there was no handle and it appeared to be locked from the inside. So, he continued his walk around the giganitc structure. A little while later he began to hear the hum of conversation and the sound of carts rolling on pavers, and the occasional cry for “Taxi!” or a shrill whistle. He stepped around a large planter filled with a cornucopia of palms and other tropical looking plants to see the sight of hundreds of travelers bustling about with all manner of luggage. The smells of food wafting into the breeze from a collection of nearby food carts made his mouth water. “No, I don’t have enough time. I need to hurry.” Hábrók said aloud, if only to motivate himself to keep moving. There was a person carrying a clipboard, and clipboards always meant you were official – surely this person could direct him where to go. Hábrók took a deep breath, straightened his hair and outfit, then stepped towards the clipboard. “Excuse me, but might I ask you a question?” Hábrók began timidly. “Of course, what do you need.” The clipboard-wielding being replied coolly without even looking up. “I need to board my ship soon. Can you direct me where to go?” “Let me see your ticket.” The clipboard-wielding official asked as they scribbled a few things on the paper inserted in their clipboard. “I don’t have a ticket.” Hábrók stammered. “I just have this…” He held up the golden coin that Aiōn had handed him. The clipboard looked up, and when they saw the golden coin, they straightened up a bit. “Where did you get that?!” they stammered. “From Aiōn.” “Oh right, well of course. That must mean you are bound for beyond the Virgo Barrier. I only just found out this morning that the newest ship in King Brahman’s armada had been commissioned for the journey. How were you able to secure passage aboard such an illustrious vessel?” The clipboard asked in awe. “To be honest, I’m not quite sure. All I know is that Aiōn told me that I could not miss it.” “Why, of course. You definitely don’t want to miss it. Luckily you have some time before liftoff.” The clipboard said as he pushed his hair back out of his eyes. “If you would please follow me, I can show you to the elevator.” “Oh, thank you very much. I haven’t the foggiest idea where to go.” Hábrók replied with a sigh of relief. Without another word the clipboard spun about and marched briskly into the bustling crowd – Hábrók hustling along behind him trying to keep up. ### Next Chapter: [[1 - Coming Soon 😯]] ### Previous Chapter: [[7 - Beauty 👩🏼‍❤️‍👩🏼]]