"Hey, Ghost, what the hell's goin' on?" Wingman asked as he caught up with Ethan on his way to the council building.

"Commander Ellis lost his family on that ship," Ethan replied tiredly.

"Sure, we've all lost family, but I don't mean that."

Ethan stopped walking and looked at Wingman. He was too tired and confused at the moment to play any guessing games, but before he could say as much, Flash joined them.

"Sir, it's getting creepy around here."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ethan looked around and shook his head. "There's a lot going on right now that could fall under that category."

"The natives," Flash said. "The ones running the market shops, they're gone. Or leaving." He glanced at Wingman, who nodded.

"They've been packing up and leaving since before you all got back here, sir. Once word started coming in about that old ship wreck you were exploring, the council started holding meetings."

"Meetings?" Ethan glanced up at the large white building. He'd been heading there to find Ara and see where his sister and her group had been situated, where Colonel Patterson had just ordered him to bunk down.

"Yeah," Wingman replied. "Rumors started moving around here like office worker gossip. First it was that signal that Captain Marshall claims brought the ships here. Some of his people were intimating that signal came from here, in the city. Then word was comin' in about that old ship, and before you knew it, shops were closing and the people here were all leaving the gray and going back to their sides."

Ethan rubbed his eyes. "Has anything been said by the council? Did Captain Marshall speak with them?"

"I don't think so," Wingman replied. "Not officially, anyway. I was keeping an eye on his people, and never saw him go into the council building. Although when Commander Ellis came back with that group from Fleet Ship One, they held a closed door."

"You don't think these people really brought down our ships, do you, sir?" Flash asked.

Ethan shook his head. "How could they? I haven't see so much as a light bulb on this planet. How could they send a signal to ships they wouldn't even know about?"

Flash nodded. "Yeah, you're right. It doesn't make any kind of sense."

"Neither does ELM, but they get along fine," Wingman noted.

"I'll see what I can find out." Ethan sighed and looked back at the council building. "Colonel Patterson has ordered Marshall put under house arrest, so things could get pretty ugly around here. Keep your eyes and ears open." He wanted to add a caution about the colonel's behavior, but instincts and protocol kept him from it.

As he continued to the council building, he glanced around at the marketplace, noticing the closed shops for the first time. The café Ara had taken him to was still in operation, but it was filled with their people. The man running the café was from the light side, and he gave Ethan a polite nod and smile as he walked by.

Before Ethan could enter the council building, Ara stepped out the door.

"Ethan, I was coming to find you," she said with a smile. "Your sister and her people are below, where we have much open space."

"That's who I came to find," Ethan replied. He hefted the vest and rifle he was carrying and shot a final glance at the marketplace behind him. "I'm moving out of the other building and need to bunk down with them, if there's room?"

Ara's smile widened and she took Ethan by the arm, directing him into the building. "Yes, there is much room. I will show you."

They entered at the ground floor and Ara showed him a long, white corridor that terminated in a downward spiraling staircase.

"They have room for their equipment, and there are rooms for each of them to occupy. I believe they will find the space more than adequate for their studies."

"That's great," Ethan nodded. "Ara, I noticed a lot of your people have left the city since we were here last." He glanced at her as they walked. "Is something happening?"

Ara pursed her lips and made no effort to hide her frustration. "Yes, something is happening. But I am not sure exactly what just yet."

"What does that mean?"

She shook her head. "The council has been meeting to discuss issues. Our people are confused, as I am, about these new happenings."

"Our ships?"

"No," she shook her head and paused on the stairs. "Not your people, ours. I have tried to explain that we are not yet sure what is happening, but many are having doubts."

Ethan leaned against the railing of the stairwell and ran a hand over his hair, fighting back the urge to just lie down right there on the steps and catch up on about twenty hours of sleep. "I'm sorry, Ara, but so much has happened in the last forty eight hours, I'm having trouble keeping up."

Before Ara could respond, they heard a shout from below.

"Ethan, down here!"

He turned and looked over the railing, where his sister was waving to him.

"There is time to explain," Ara said quietly. "And I still have many things to learn before I can explain them. Let us wait until we have rested."

Ethan sighed, then nodded and started down the final steps alongside Ara. He looked around the expansive room as they walked to where his sister and Doctor Knott were standing. It looked like a library, with shelves of thick glass stacks with diagrams and markings on them, tables for setting them out and studying, and chairs that were mostly pushed out of the way now that a group of scientists were setting up gear and equipment.

"This is our knowledge room," Ara explained. "It was appropriate that they work here. Few ever come now, so the room is unused." She pointed to a door at the far end of the huge space. "Through there are smaller rooms, many of them, that are becoming rooms for sleeping. You will find space, I am sure."

Ethan nodded. They'd reached Kathryn and Todd now, who were standing beside one of the tables now lined with some equipment and scanners, with cables and wires draped along the floor to a stack of computers.

"What's this?"

Kathryn lifted the scanner she'd used in the old ship and pressed a button. "This is our virtual autopsy."

As Ethan and Ara watched, a detailed and disturbingly life-like hologram of the large, ape-like beast appeared on the table.

Ara was instantly amazed, and reached out to touch the hologram. "It is so real," she said, smiling when her hand passed through the hairy creature's chest. "And you can determine the insides from this?"

Kathryn nodded and pressed a few more keys. "We can peel back the layers and examine the entire animal without actually having to cut it up."

"On our world, cutting up a creature to learn what's inside has been outlawed for generations," Todd said. "But this way, we can do the same thing without touching it. So long as you get a good scan."

Kathryn pressed a few more buttons, and the skin of the creature peeled back, revealing the thick muscles beneath. "This animal is pretty amazing." She waved for Ethan to come closer and look at the legs. "This thick set here, in the thigh, are so strong they can propel this beast forward at an alarming rate."

"Yeah, I saw this guy in action," he replied.

"Well, the resemblance to an Earth ape is pretty superficial," she continued. "General body shape, covered in black fur, bipedal, etc. But beyond that, it's as alien as they come." As she was talking, Todd was adjusting the hologram, opening more layers to view, until Kathryn suddenly flipped a switch and the entire display vanished.

Ethan blinked. "You're done already?"

She glanced at Todd, who shook his head. "No, not completely. We haven't had enough time."

"But we did get a quick glimpse of the digestive system," Kathryn said quietly.

Ethan looked from her to Todd and back again, trying to get his tired mind to catch what they weren't saying. He shook his head when he failed to do so. "And?"

Kathryn set the scanner down and looked at her brother. "This is one of probably several who killed your man, Pyro."

It took several seconds for her words to sink it, but when they did, they sent Ethan's stomach reeling. He closed his eyes tightly, willing out the mental image.

"I'm sorry," Kathryn offered. "Listen, we're shutting down for the night. It's been non-stop around here since our ship woke us all up, and I can't even remember how long ago that was."

"It is late," Ara agreed. "Ethan has come to take a room here, with your people."

"Babysitting, huh?" Kathryn grinned, then took her brother's arm. "I'll show you were we're bunking down." She tossed the scanner to Todd and started across the room toward the other door.

Ethan let his sister lead him through the doorway and halfway down a corridor, to the second door on the left. It was a good sized room, with a table, three chairs, a bed in the far corner and several sconces holding lit lamps.

He tossed his vest on the table and set his rifle on one of the chairs while Kathryn pulled the door shut.

"What's happening, Ethan?"

"In what category?" he quipped tiredly, taking a seat. "The fact that we're not on 581c? The possibility that there's a signal out there, or down here, pulling our ships off course? Or maybe you meant Fleet Ship Four blowing to bits in the sky this morning?"

"Ethan."

"Unless you meant what the hell Colonel Patterson's thinking, because I sure as hell can't figure that one out."

"Ethan, stop."

"Oh, don't forget Ellis," Ethan continued, undaunted. "John killed him not more than an hour ago."

"Ethan, stop!" Kathryn grabbed his arms and gave a shake. "Look at me."

He blinked, then looked up.

"When did you sleep last?"

He thought for a moment, then just shook his head.

Kathryn sighed, then crossed her arms and stared at her brother. "One at a time. What happened to Commander Ellis?"

Ethan laughed shortly and shook his head again, giving a slight shrug. "I have no idea. His wife and kids were on that ship."

"Oh, God."

"Yeah, well, he wasn't in his right mind," Ethan said. "He came into the room armed, going on about Captain Marshall causing the explosion. He was deserting, and threatening to kill a superior officer." He closed his eyes for a moment and saw the whole scene play out again in his mind. "Only his gun wasn't loaded."

"Did he know that?" Kathryn asked. "Was he trying to kill himself in his grief?"

Ethan took a long breath and let it out slowly as he considered his answer. "That's the official conclusion."

"But?"

He shrugged. "Commander Ellis was a flight instructor before the exodus. He'd never been in battle." Ethan looked at his sister and saw her putting it together.

"You think he didn't realize his gun was empty?" she asked. "That, blinded by grief, he just didn't know?"

"He took that answer to his grave," Ethan replied. "But either way, it doesn't sit right. Either he really did mean to kill Captain Marshall, and didn't care what happened, or he wanted to die and had to make a point first." He took another long breath and looked at the ceiling for a moment, searching for an answer that would let him get a few hours of sleep. "I don't even know if Colonel Patterson saw the gun was empty or not."

"He couldn't have," Kathryn said. "He wouldn't have fired if he --" She stopped herself and looked at Ethan. "What aren't you saying?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "One minute he's fine, the next minute I have to wonder. But he hasn't done anything I can confront him over. And maybe I'm wrong." He leaned back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling again. "This situation we're in isn't like anything we expected, and he's under a lot of pressure here."

"As are all of us," Kathryn interjected. "And the native people here, they're certainly being forced to adapt to something they never could have anticipated."

"And that's another thing," Ethan continued. "Something's happening here, with these people. Ara wasn't even sure enough to tell me, but there's something going on. The city's practically empty now, except for us."

Kathryn shook her head. "It's too much, too soon, for everyone. They're all walking around in a state of shock. Todd and I started that autopsy just so we could focus for an hour on something familiar."

"There just hasn't been time," Ethan agreed. "If we could just go a few weeks with nothing falling from the sky, maybe things will sort themselves out."

Kathryn nodded, then hopped up to sit on the table. "One thing Todd and I were worried about, that we were discussing before launch, is the effect of such a long time in cryo. You and I, and a handful of others, have done jumps in sleep before, but no one has ever gone this long."

"Someone apparently did," he corrected. "Unless that ship we found was manned by a conscious crew for twenty years in flight."

She nodded. "Okay, maybe they have. But we have no way of knowing the effect it had on that crew. At least, not yet. We're working on the data download tomorrow, to see if we were able to cull any information from the wreck." She glanced at the closed door. "Colonel Patterson told us to keep the data from Captain Marshall's techs. I didn't ask why."

Ethan rubbed his face with both hands. "He doesn't trust Marshall. I'm not sure I do either."

"Seriously?"

"Katie, right now the only person I know I can trust, is you."

"You know better than that," she quipped. "You're just exhausted. Sleep is making you paranoid, and everyone here is still in shock. Seriously, Ethan, we all need to just take the time to understand what's happened." She put her hands on the top of his head and grabbed his hair. "Promise me you'll get some sleep?"

He shook his head under her grip. "I can't promise."

"We're right across the hall," she said as she let go of her brother's hair.

Ethan looked up at her, eyebrow arched. "We?"

"Can we discuss it later?" Kathryn asked. "Right after you tell me about you and Ara."

"Ara?" Ethan blinked, confused by the sudden change in focus.

Kathryn laughed lightly and started for the door. "I thought as much. And hey, thank the heavens for a race advanced enough to have indoor plumbing, huh? The bathroom's communal here, but it's nice, and right at the end of the hall." She turned and smiled back at her brother. "Get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning."

"Hey, what's the M95 virus?"

Kathryn blinked. "M95? Why are you asking?"

"Captain Harold said something about ELM getting their hands on it."

She shook her head, but her face had lost some color. "No, they couldn't have. It's one of the most guarded virus samples ever created."

"Created?"

"By the Chinese, in the war of 2319, but they never used it. It has a ninety-eight percent fatality rate, with the surviving 2 percent becoming infectious carriers." She shook her head again. "No, there's no way they could have gotten their hands on that. They keep one sample, and it's more highly guarded than -- well, than anything I can imagine."

Ethan nodded tiredly. "Must have been a rumor."

"God, we'd better hope so," she whispered.

Ethan didn't bother to reply as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Too much had happened that needed his attention, but he couldn't get his mind to settle long enough on any one thing to even make sense of it, so he gave up. After a quick visit to the washroom down the hall, and a pause at Kathryn's door for a listen, he got undressed and tested out the bed.

Instead of the traditional carved stone with thick, quilted padding, this one was built from a sturdy wood and sported a generous mattress and fur blankets. He secured his com unit around the bedpost and eased himself down, feeling the pull of his bruised side as his head hit the pillow.