Partial

by Halira

Chapter 22: Readying for the Future

Jessica slowly made her way through the halls of the administrative building. They were narrower on the second floor than on the third floor, as many more offices were packed into the duplicate square footage.

Making her way over here had exacerbated her anxiety, but it was nowhere as bad as it had been the last few days. Eating a good-sized dinner, breakfast, and lunch seemed to have taken some of the edge off. Jordan was right. She hadn't been eating enough, and it had negatively impacted her. Now, she could deal with her normal anxiety, not the heightened anxiety she had as of late. It wasn't perfect, but it was manageable, which was a worthwhile improvement. She'd even gotten a considerable amount of work on her calculations done this morning.

Violet's office was here rather than back in the other faculty offices. Violet, in addition to being a dean, was also in charge of the university's news releases. Jessica was unsure if it was normal for a professor to be both a dean and head of news releases. It could be common; she didn't usually pay those kinds of things much attention.

After searching for about ten minutes while encountering a few students or staff, she found the office door labeled by a small plaque beside it. She heard two individuals inside. It was Violet and a student, and they seemed to be wrapping up their conversation. She put up a sound barrier around herself so she wouldn't overhear the conversation and quietly waited.

It took another two minutes for the door to open, and a unicorn stallion with a blue mane with red and white stripes walked out. He gave a brief start at seeing her, then smiled.

"Afternoon, professor," the stallion said and hurried past her.

"Doctor Middleton!" Violet exclaimed. "Please, come in!"

She entered the room and closed the door behind her. There were several posters on the walls, all advertising the university. Violet was sitting behind her desk. The dean was dressed similarly to how she had been dressed yesterday, only wearing a black vest instead of white. On the desk was a laptop computer, along with a pair of framed family photos. There was a human-sized chair and a stool for ponies directly in front of the desk. Against the walls were a few bookcases loaded with books and a pair of low couches. Plenty of light came in through the full wall window behind the desk. There was also a fan in the corner, blowing full power.

Violet gestured to the seats in front of the desk. "Please, take a seat. May I call you Jessica? We are both doctors in our fields; calling each other doctors is so formal."

"You may," Jessica said as she sat in the chair. She noticed for the first time that Violet had a tattoo on her shoulder–a newspaper with a bullhorn.

Violet noticed her looking. "Admiring my body art? It's what I imagine my cutie mark would have been had I remained an earth pony. Do you ever imagine what yours may have been?"

"I try not to focus too much on how my life would have been different if I hadn't been injured," Jessica answered.

Violet grinned. "A good philosophy. We should focus on who we are and who we can be instead of who we were or could have been. You can lose yourself in might have beens. Can you do me a favor? I'm aware of your ability to make conversations private. Can you do that for ours so I can speak more openly to you than I would to one of my students?"

"I did that out of habit when I came in. Why did you want to have a meeting with me?" Jessica asked.

Violet leaned back in her chair. "I see you're straight to the point with little small talk. Pleasantries are valuable, Jessica, but very well, I'll get to the point. I take an interest in individuals who stand out from the crowd. I want to build them up and make the world take notice. I was the most stand-out professor until your hire, so I couldn't help but get to know you as soon as possible. I was fascinated by you even when you were a student here; heads and tails more intellectual than your peers while having an appearance that made people notice you. I wasn't in the same position back then, so I couldn't find an excuse to get to know you. I'm rectifying that now."

Her ears flattened. "So, you are interested in people who look different? With all due respect. I prefer not to be defined by that."

Violet shook her head. "You misunderstand me. You have rare talent, a talent that should be celebrated. Your appearance is…marketing. Think of Einstein or Hawking; they had unique appearances. Everyone knew them on sight. They stood out from the crowd. You're smart. You're a hero. People should be excited to see and meet you, even people who aren't really into physics. They should see you and instantly recognize you for your signature look."

"People laugh and stare when they see me," Jessica muttered.

Violet leaned forward. "I know the feeling, believe me. Look at me; do you think I have never encountered that? There's truth to it, but you exaggerate it, and I think you know you exaggerate it."

"How do you deal with it?" Jessica asked. "Forgive me for being blunt, but how do you put yourself on display like you do and not come out a nervous wreck?"

Violet grinned. "Nothing wrong with being blunt, at least when there's no real threat of offending, and sometimes even then." Her smile fell away. "I was a nervous wreck when I was your age–well, slightly younger, but the same general age. Growing up, most people didn't realize I had fur or my hair was this gorgeous color. My parents made me dye my hair black, and I always had to wear turtleneck sweaters, even during the summer. They told me that people would find me disgusting if they knew. They taught me to hate myself."

"So, how did you change that?" Jessica asked.

Violet laughed. "Honestly, I got pissed. Getting angry didn't change everything all at once, but it was the impetus for change. I was angry, and I was tired, tired of making myself miserable. I won't say what was the last straw; that's a personal matter, but it made me decide I needed a change. It started small. I stopped dying my hair and let its natural color grow out. I started wearing regular t-shirts instead of sweaters. They didn't show much fur, but some could be seen, and it wasn't so damn hot. The first few weeks after I decided on those changes, I felt like puking every day due to the anxiety. I only endured that feeling because I had puked so often when I had been overheating in those sweaters. Fuck my parents for making me wear those things. I have a built-in sweater already."

"And the anxiety went away over time?" Jessica asked.

Violet pursed her lips. "Not exactly. Over time, I got mad again, and so I decided to get defiant. I decided that if they were going to stare, I would give them something to stare at. Then, I noticed that the nature of my interactions with others changed. Yes, I still had my detractors, but there's a thing in the animal kingdom where animals prey upon those they sense are vulnerable. Humans, we think we aren't animals, but we are, and somewhere deep inside, all those instincts are still there. Bullies are predators, and predators are opportunists; they back off from fights where there is no easy prey. I was bigger, stronger, and, most importantly, bolder. I even started wearing high heels only so I could reinforce the idea I was the big bear and they were the little bear. I ensured they knew I wasn't easy prey, so they went for easier game."

Jessica frowned. "And now you try to help others be the big bear."

Violet shrugged. "Well, not everyone is a bear, but I want to help others stop seeming so vulnerable, build them up, nurture their pride. This university is full of individuals capable of great things, but they're hampered by insecurity. To be honest, your aunt came to me with the idea."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Arbiter? You are working for the Dreamwardens?"

Violet shrugged again. "I work with Dreamwardens, but not that one, although Arbiter did introduce me to the two I do work with–Ghadab and the Marshmallow, patrons of the outcasts, and it's more me getting advice on and off than me working for them."

Jessica blinked; there seemed to be some religious overtones to that. She knew there were cults dedicated to the Dreamwardens. In this loose, unorganized Dreamwarden religion, beliefs could differ wildly from one group to the next, like Shamanism, but she had never met an actual follower of one. "I never considered Ghadab a patron of outcasts."

"What is the persecuted but the outcast? His sense of justice makes him care about the persecuted," Violet explained. "But I meant your other aunt, Sunset Blessing. She always wanted to get her hooks in the influential, and colleges are where many influential people are forged. With me as her agent, she could gain influence with them."

"But Sunset Blessing is gone," Jessica said in confusion.

"Thus, I am no longer her agent, doing her dirty work," Violet said, putting her feet on the desk. "Now, it is all my mission. I have no ulterior motives. I just hate seeing the bullies win. We, the stand-outs, should rise to the top."

"So, you want to replace the old bullies with new bullies, us," Jessica clarified.

Violet laughed again. "No, not everyone is a mama bear, and the mama bear only roars, bites, and claws to protect her cubs–at least until her cubs can defend themselves. I'm a mama bear, Jessica."

"And what would you suggest to help me get through my anxieties?" Jessica asked.

"Stop trying to hide from people seeing you," Violet immediately answered, taking her feet off the desk. "Not only that, go out of your way to be seen. Everyone should recognize you. I would suggest getting on some talk shows, letting yourself be interviewed for documentaries, or doing some educational talks. Make them see you and know you. Get your face out there; let them see your form."

Jessica briskly shook her head. "I'm sorry, you're very pretty, but I could never be comfortable dressing like you."

That made Violet bray with laughter. "I admit, I do sexualize myself and make it part of my brand. I even admit to deeply enjoying watching men try to hide the lump in their crotch, and even some women get visibly aroused. It's my way of spitting in my parents' faces for trying to make me believe people would only ever see me as disgusting, but don't worry, you shouldn't be copying me and my brand. That is who I am, not who you are. You've got other qualities to cater to. You're a brilliant scientist and a hero, but you're also a partial, and it is up to people like you to destigmatize being a partial. You reinforce that stigma by trying to hide what you are. It isn't just you who you're helping by being seen; it is every partial and unusual person out there who society cruelly labels as a freak."

People like Mark. She doubted Violet knew about Mark, but Violet was unintentionally speaking about him. This made it about more than Jessia's anxieties; it made it about helping Mark not get unfairly judged when he finally started interacting with the outside world. Violet did seem to be honestly trying to help her out; maybe she should give it a try.

Jessica took a deep breath. "I'm not very familiar with setting up being in a documentary, hosting a public speaking event, or arranging to be interviewed. I'm going to need help with any of your suggestions. You play a major role in the university's public relations. Is there anything you can slot me into?"

Violet grinned broadly. "I don't have anything yet because I didn't know if you'd be amenable to that. What I have going right now is meant to promote others, and you shouldn't be stealing their thunder at events I booked for them. I'll look into options and get back to you next week. I promise I'll work out something specifically for you."

"Thanks," Jessica replied, then stood up. "If you'll excuse me. I have my masters class at six to teach, and I should prepare my materials."

Violet stood up as well. "Of course. It was good talking to you. I shall speak with you again next week. Oh–and I heard about your little stunt with your first class. Good concept, horrible execution. You should make them respect you; just make sure you don't break any rules to do so."

Jessica's ears flattened as she opened the door. "I'll keep that in mind."

---

"Do you know where my toothbrush is?" Rebecca asked as she paced the counter of the bathroom. "I don't know how I misplaced it."

"Are you sure you even unpacked it?" Russell asked from the bedroom. "Most of my things are still in the luggage from the last trip."

Rebecca tilted her head and considered. Nope, she hadn't unpacked it yet. That meant it was already packed and ready to go—one less thing to do. It also meant she hadn't brushed her teeth in the last few days. Her breath likely stank, and Russell hadn't said a thing about it! How much kissing had they done? She probably needed to unpack it just to brush her teeth and repack it. She couldn't be kissing her husband with stinky breath!

"Thank you, babe!" she called out as she hopped off the counter.

Russell came into the bathroom. "Are you sure you need to make this trip? Can't Phobia or whoever is the Warden of Order do it? I mean, Phobia can fly at least as well as you, if not better. She can cover plenty of ground."

Rebecca sighed and rubbed up against his leg. "We've talked about this. I'm the eyes and ears. When I'm projecting, they see and hear what I see and hear. It's like they're all there when I'm there. And my projecting covers a lot more ground than flying can. It's a city, but it is a really-really-reeeeaaallly big city–four times bigger than the whole Earth. Even with my projecting, I'd never be able to cover most of it in ten years–I'm not hanging around there that long."

"And you are sure you are going to be safe?" Russell asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine. People only go missing at Jeg'galla'gamp'pi when they wander off alone. That's why all the dragon people back in the day traveled in pairs. I'll have people watching my body the whole time," Rebecca said dismissively.

"And what about your projection?" Russell asked. "That's going to be wandering around alone."

"Eh, Triss has supposedly projected there before, and the city never ate her," she said, waving a wing.

"You aren't calming my nerves about this," Russell said. "You aren't even going to have Josie or Blanche with you to watch your back."

Rebecca sighed and looked back up at the bathroom counter. Russell saw her look, picked her up, and set her on the counter.

Now that she was high enough to look him in the eyes without straining her neck too much, she continued. "Luna will be there. She can protect me better than either of them. I know you're worried. This is a huge trip, but it's a trip that has been planned since before I even had a cutie mark. This needs to happen."

"What were they planning on doing back then?" Russell asked, crossing his arms. "They couldn't have predicted your projecting abilities."

Her ear flicked. "Likely bribed Josie to go and send Phobia with her. I cover both the Dreamwarden and projector jobs. I've got this, don't worry. I'll be home by Monday, safe and sound."

He still didn't seem to be placated. "If it is so safe, why don't I accompany you? I'm strong. I don't mind doing manual labor. I'm assuming you'll have at least some need for that."

She shook her head. "No! We know it is safe for me, but we have no idea how that place will react to someone without magic. The area is going to be supersaturated in thaumic energy. We know it is safe for magical beings, but I don't know what that would do to you. I'm not risking you."

"How it will react?"Russell asked in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's sentient or sentientish, it's complicated. It has an awareness. It knows you are there. It watches. It reacts–kinda. You'd have to have visited to understand. It's like a ghost city, except you never actually run into the ghosts. You feel it in your bones," Rebecca explained.

Russell looked skeptical. "And this is worse for me than you; why?"

"And as far as I know, it has never encountered life that didn't have magic," Rebecca insisted, stomping on the counter. "It could react negatively, or the high saturation may alter you, or it might try to fix you. We don't want you getting magic. If you get magic, then I get into your head when we sleep. I don't want to see what you're thinking. I want you to share that with me of your choosing. It changes the entire dynamic of our relationship if me being a Dreamwarden has me dreamwardening you."

He breathed deeply. "Is that even a word, dreamwardening?"

"I said it; you understood the general meaning; that makes it a word," she asserted.

He looked up at the ceiling as if the roof could offer wisdom. "How about I at least accompany you to where you leave and wait for you there? Can I get that much?"

She blinked. "That's the farm…I'm not sure you would be comfortable waiting at the farm. The farm is kinda freaky. I'm used to it, but you might struggle with it."

He gave her a doubting look. "Hun, I'm married to you. I'm used to the strange and unusual. You have the market cornered. What could top that?"

She gave him a sheepish grin. "Um, zombies?"

He stared at her, "Zombies?"

She nodded. "Zombies. They're nice zombies, most of the time. Oh, and their necromancer can show you graphic ways you could die, but he only does that when he loses control. He's only killed one person with those visions."

"Are you trying to scare me off?" Russell asked.

"I'm not lying about the place," she insisted. "Even if it isn't dangerous, would you be comfortable waiting around in a place filled with the undead? It's horror movie stuff."

He smirked. "Last night, I dreamt the Queen of Hearts was sending each of her cards out as werewolves to steal playground equipment. That's about the same as zombie farmworkers. I can do horror movie stuff."

Rebecca tilted her head. "Why was the Queen of Hearts stealing playground equipment?"

"It unlocked the secrets of Atlantis," Russell answered. "So the kids started trying to rebuild their playground exactly how it had been, but the Three of Hearts and Ten of Hearts werewolves came back to stop them."

"Oh no!" Rebecca exclaimed. "Then what happened?"

"Then I woke up because the alarm went off," Russell concluded.

"Argh!" Rebecca said in disappointment. "That sucks. I wanted to know what happened. You have such cool dreams. I'm going to borrow that one for some kid and finish it. Kids can deal with scary stuff, especially when it allows them to be heroes."

Russell smiled. "So, since I bribed you with a dream, does that mean I can go to your zombie farm?"

She considered this. "We'll travel down there together, and if you can get along with Patches, you can wait for me at the farm."

"Who's Patches?" Russell asked.

Rebecca grinned. "She's a pony filly sewn together from multiple ponies with the mind of a creature from the primordial universe that used to live on the surface of a star."

Russell sighed. "Of course she is. I'll try to get along with Patches."

"Can you do one more thing for me?" Rebecca asked.

He nodded. "What you need?"

"Can you get my toothbrush out of my luggage? I need to brush my toofies."

---

A student raised a hand. "Doctor Middleton, I don't understand. If the two atomic clocks progress at different rates, doesn't that confirm relativity, which would also account for the observed photon speed change?"

"That is a good question," she replied. "I won't be answering it tonight because it is too long an explanation and because that is also a good segway into next week's discussion of how false closed functional systems work. I have uploaded several studies on the subject onto the campus server for our class. Please read them before next week's session. For a more in-depth study on the subject, Doctor Jefferson will be teaching a class on the subject in the spring–it is his specialty. Does anyone else have any other questions before we dismiss tonight?"

A unicorn raised a hoof. "I pay a lot of attention to the NASA message boards, and there's a lot of chatter about you finding something in space. What did you find, Doctor?"

I found out NASA needs to clamp down on what is being said on their message boards, she thought to herself. Still, this could be a chance to wrangle some more help.

"That is not relevant to our current discussion. If you wish to discuss that with me, stay after class, and we can discuss it then," she instructed. "Any other questions pertaining to what we discussed tonight?"

No one spoke up. A few of the students shook their heads. Hopefully, that meant they were understanding the material. Perhaps she should start doing quizzes at the end of each class to check–not this week or next week, but sometime after.

"Good, then class is dismissed," she announced. She then pointed at the unicorn. "You, follow me to my office."

She unhooked and picked up her laptop before heading out of the auditorium. A few students were still sitting around talking while others had already exited. The unicorn stallion apparently wasn't expecting her to go so quickly, and he had to gallop to catch up to her.

She glanced at him as he caught up. "I haven't learned any names yet. What's your name?"

"Saturn Ring, ma'am," he replied. She saw his flank was indeed a stylized picture of Saturn.

"With a name and mark like that, and you being on the NASA message boards, I assume you are interested primarily in astronomy," she said.

He nodded, lightly trotting to keep up with her pace. "Yes, ma'am."

It wasn't busy on campus at this hour. So, the halls were devoid of students, and she heard little activity near them. She should see if she could get all her classes at night next semester. She still put up a sound bubble to keep their conversation private.

"How well did you understand the math in today's lesson?" she asked.

"Very well, ma'am. I have studied all your work. Being in your class is something of a dream come true to me. I was going to see if I could transfer advisors to you," Saturn answered eagerly.

She wasn't advising any students at the moment and hadn't thought about it until Saturn brought it up. She was part-time, so that may be the reason they weren't assigning her students.

"You may speak to Dean Francis about that with my blessing," she said. "In regards to your question, I'm a little disturbed that it is even on the message boards, but that's not any fault of yours. I'll have words with someone about that. However, if you want further details, I'm seeking help on a project involving it."

Saturn let off an excited whinny. "I would be overjoyed to help, Doctor Middleton."

"There's an extreme time crunch involved," she warned. "I would need that help completed by tomorrow evening. I'm sure I'm not your only class, and you may have other obligations. I would also need you to keep this confidential. You can't talk about it with anyone I haven't pre-approved. This project is classified. In fact, if you agree, you might get a visit from one of Dreamwardens when you sleep tonight to seal you to secrecy."

"I can do that! I will end up missing a class, but it is just one. I can catch up on it. It is worth it to work on a big project with you," Saturn said with even more eagerness.

She nodded and held out her laptop. "Can you hold this with your magic for a minute? I need to make a call."

"Yes, ma'am!" Saturn said, grabbing the laptop with his aura.

She reached into her lab coat and pulled out her phone. Luckily, she had added the contact she needed yesterday.

"Hello? Can I ask who’s calling?" the voice on the other end of the line answered in confusion.

"This is Doctor Middleton. Is this Orion Eclipse-Moon?"

A small gasp was barely audible on the other end of the line. "Doctor Middleton! Yes, it is! What can I do for you? Is something wrong with my test?"

She shook her head. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. As you might be aware, my test was a little more advanced than you might have been anticipating.”

“I…” the young stallion hesitated for a moment. “Did I fail?”

“Far from it,” Jessica answered. “You passed with flying colors.”

“I did?!” Orion exclaimed, sounding almost surprised. “Well, that’s great! I don’t think I’ve ever had a professor call me about a test before… so uhh, I’m honored!”

“That’s part of why I called you,” she clarified. “As you might have noticed, some of those questions were well beyond anything I’ve taught. Actually, beyond anything I expected my students to be able to answer. You did well enough on those specific questions that I’d like to ask you about something significant.”

“I…ask away!”

“I need you to understand that what I’m about to tell you is to be considered incredibly privileged information and will not under any circumstances be discussed with anyone. If you accept the offer I’m about to make, you’ll most likely be formally sworn to secrecy by the Dreamwardens later today.”

There were a few silent moments before she was given a response. “That’s a big thing to drop right now… but if you’re serious about this, I’d be a fool to say no. I’ve always been raised that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is… but I want to hear this out. So count me in, Doctor Middleton.”

Jessica nodded. “This isn’t something I’m offering lightly at all. I’m reaching out because you have an understanding of advanced astrophysics that I think could be a very valuable asset for a project I’m working on. If you accept, you’re most likely going to be missing class tomorrow. If you can’t afford to miss any or can’t commit, then I understand.”

“It’s something to do with deep space, isn’t it?” Orion asked.

“You’re very bright,” She smiled. “That’s certainly a part of it, but I can’t discuss everything over the phone. I do need an answer now, though. This project needs to be completed in the next twenty-four hours. Consider yesterday’s test your semester final. With how you performed, you’ve secured an A.”

The realization must have struck Orion because his voice suddenly took on a far more serious tone. “It’s a lot to agree to right now, but I can’t turn away from something like this, so I’m going to commit.”

“Alright. I’m going to ask you something very strange, and I need you to treat this as professionally as possible. When this call is over, I will send you the address to my apartment, and I need you to come over as soon as possible— at least within the next hour. This isn’t a friendly get-together. This is going to be work, and it’s going to be work with an incredibly tight crunch. I expect you’ll be as professional as possible and not discuss anything with anyone. I’d like to brief you and another student on this work tonight, with the expectation that we can begin immediately.”

“My mom’s worked on some big projects for NASA; I know how tight those deadlines can be. Go ahead and send me your address, and I’ll head over as soon as possible. My marefriend will probably ask me about this. What should I tell her?”

“Be honest. Tell her you’ve been offered an internship under your professor and that it’s under a strict NDA. If she has any concerns or doubts, I can talk to her and explain as much as possible, but I can’t give her any more than I’ve given you now.”

“I understand, Doctor. I know she’ll understand; her dad’s worked for some important ponies in Equestria, and she’s no stranger to being out of the loop on stuff like this.”

“Good, I’ll see you shortly.”

She hung up the phone and quickly texted Orion the address to her apartment.

She then turned to Saturn and nodded. “Thank you for holding that. Are you free in an hour? I’d like to brief you both as soon as possible. I can give you a ride if you need one."

Saturn excitedly nodded his head. “Of course!"

---

Orion soared through the air, occasionally checking his gauntlet to ensure he was headed in the right direction. Doctor Middleton lived clear across town, which wasn’t an unreasonable flight. However, lugging a backpack full of notes and electronics was not the most comfortable flight ever.

Come on, Orion, you should have shelled out a little more for the nice saddlebags, the stallion thought to himself.

Luckily, the apartment complex was close to the school, so it wasn't too difficult to spot once he reached the general area his GPS indicated. He came in for a landing and tried to locate the right building and apartment number.

"Here we go," he said to himself as he finally found the numbered door he was looking for. He could barely contain his excitement. What was the famous Doctor Middleton's apartment going to be like? Maybe it would be filled with strange scientific equipment and star charts on the walls, or perhaps it would be more standard and simply functional.

He rapped on the door with a hoof and was almost immediately answered by her voice.

"Orion Eclipse-Moon? Is that you?"

He looked around for an intercom but didn't see one. Oh, yeah, she had sound powers. She was projecting her voice. Maybe the entire apartment was one big sound dampener?

"Oh, Orion’s fine. And Yes. I hurried over as fast as I could," he answered.

"Good. Saturn will get the door for you, and you two can introduce yourselves to one another while I finish getting the data together. There's a box of donuts out in the living room somewhere. You are free to eat those while you wait."

The door opened just enough for a pony to squeeze through, gripped by a light purple glow, and he found himself looking at a unicorn stallion. The stallion gestured with his horn to enter and backed away from the door. Orion squeezed through, tucking his wings tightly against himself as he did.

Well, he hadn't settled on what he was expecting, but this certainly wasn't it. Aside from some barren bookshelves against the wall and a tall floor lamp, the entire rest of the room was a cluttered mess of boxes, making it look like a poorly kept storage room of some retail store. He looked around for a couch, a stool, anything to sit on, but unless he wanted to risk the contents of whatever was in the boxes by sitting on them, there wasn't anything. There was the floor, but there wasn't much of that visible. Where those donuts were was a mystery.

The unicorn looked at him silently, but the look said it all. This was not what either of them were expecting.

"What's in all the boxes?" Orion asked, assuming Doctor Middleton could hear him in here if she heard him outside.

"Books, posters, star charts, family photos, odd little mementos," Doctor Middleton listed off. "I'm fairly certain my coffee maker and good coffee mugs are out there since I didn't find them in the kitchen boxes. It is the next thing on my list of things to find in that clutter. Sorry about the mess. I moved in just this Monday, and I've been too busy to unpack anything not essential."

Oh, that made sense. It didn't explain the lack of furniture, but it explained the mess. It was a little disappointing that it fell short of his expectations, and now a tiny bit of worry crept into his head that this might be a case of too good to be true with this project. He needed to see things through, though. It’s still too early to make assumptions, he reminded himself.

His gauntlet dinged with a message, and he lifted it to check. He had a new email from Doctor Middleton, labeled as class test grade. He was tempted to check it, but it was impractical to read much more than quick text messages on its tiny screen. He would check on his computer later. He already knew he got an A.

Doctor Middleton walked into the room, carrying a pair of flash drives in one of her hands. "Orion, that email you just received has the class grades, an attachment with the completed test with all the correct answers, and a notice that class will be canceled for tomorrow. and students should review the attachment to see what they may have gotten wrong. I don't want you to worry about that. This project comes first. If either of you have any instructor who has an issue with you missing their class tomorrow, I'll write you a note and speak to one of the deans about it. I think anyone having issues with you missing a single day is ridiculous, but I've known some second-rate doctors who were too full of themself from my time in school."

"So, what's the big project?" Orion asked.

Doctor Middleton sat down on the floor, likely so she wouldn't tower over the pair of them so much. "There is an object in space, roughly the size of Neptune, that we need to calculate the current position of based on where we just observed it with the Starpiercer."

Wait, his mom had said she was doing some special project with the Starpiercer. Could this be related to that? The Starpircer was not designed for observing nearby stars. In fact, it was terrible at observing things nearby in the galaxy. It was designed specifically to observe things in extremely deep space, in other galaxies. This sounded like a planet, even though Doctor Middleton was vaguely saying object. Starpiercer had detected planets in other galaxies before and could tell some rough details about them. Why would they need to know about where it was now? Planets observed that far away existed billions upon billions of years ago. They might not even exist in the present.

"Due to how far away this is and how much conditions may have changed in its region, it is impossible to pinpoint an exact location. There are too many variables, and the nature of this object adds additional complications," Doctor Middleton continued. "I can assure you that the object still exists. As far as we are aware, it is effectively indestructible, hard as that is to believe. It had been observed orbiting in very close proximity to a star. We can safely assume that the star has gone through expansion and collapsed into a white dwarf in the past few billion years. If this is the case, one possibility is the object may have been expelled from its system. We need to create a chart of ranges for where it might have gone while still accounting for the expansion of space and movement of its galaxy, and we need to do it with extreme haste."

"Why?" Saturn asked. Orion was confused as well.

The doctor took a deep breath. "Because the Dreamwardens are mounting an expedition to it this weekend, along with Princess Luna, myself, and I'm unsure who else. Don't ask me why they are rushing the second we found it; I don't know. It is probable we will initially arrive in the wrong location. The less hunting we have to do after we arrive would be preferable. Yes, they do have the capability to reach it in that short period. Don't ask how because I don't know that either. I just believe them when they say they can. Dreamwardens don't lie."

This made some sense to Orion, even if it seemed like a long shot at best. While he physically comprehended what was being relayed to him, a part of his brain still expected this to all be an elaborate dream that he would wake up from any minute. Yet, here he was, standing in disbelief at the news that something this big would happen with no real time for him to prepare or even comprehend it. In a way, it was almost like he was a character in one of the fantastic bedtime stories his father had crafted for him as a foal… except it was actually happening this time. If there was one thing he was confident of, however, it was that his entire world would change in less than a day and perhaps even change the course of his destiny–everyone's destiny. Time would tell whether he was making the right choice or not….

Author's Note:

Forgot to intially thank tikibat for once again helping with chapter.

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[AvoidingFever17]

I am not one to allow this veil to last
The dream wardens underestimate how humanity will fight to stop the devourers