“She’s more than rare. She might be one of the last pure-blooded Aurelians in existence.” Faith swiped the datapad, and the image changed to show complex genetic data that meant nothing to Emma. “The refugees from Aurelius Prime intermarried with other species in order to survive. Within three generations, the distinctive Aurelian traits—the silver coloring, the aquatic adaptations, and the unique neural patterns—became increasingly diluted. Most modern Aurelian descendants have only trace amounts of the original genetic markers.”
“But Ari...”
“Ari appears to be pure-blooded. Her genetic profile matches historical records of pre-plague Aurelians almost exactly.” Faith met her eyes. “Do you understand what that means?”
Her stomach dropped. “It means she’s valuable.”
“It means she’s priceless. The Grorn aren’t the only ones who believe the legends about the Vault and the Keys. And the fact that they have been becoming more aggressive with their search means that more people are paying attention.” Faith’s voice was gentle but firm. “She’s not just a baby who might be able to open an ancient treasure vault. She’s the last living heir to one of the oldest civilizations in the galaxy.”
The weight of it pressed down on her shoulders. She thought of Ari’s dark eyes, her curious fingers, the way she’d learned to grip Emma’s braid and refuse to let go. Just a baby. Just a tiny, vulnerable life that depended on her for everything.
“I won’t let anyone hurt her.” The words came out fierce, almost savage. “I don’t care who wants her or what she’s worth. She’s just a child.”
“I know.” Faith reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “That’s why I’m telling you this. You need to understand the scope of what you’re protecting. And you need to know that you’re not alone in protecting her.”
“But she must have had a mother and a father who were also pure-blooded. Doesn’t that mean there are others?”
Faith hesitated for a moment. “What do you know about stasis?”
“It’s like suspended animation, right?”
“Exactly. And it can last for many years. Even hundreds of years.”
She stared at the other woman. “Are you trying to say that Ari may be?—”
“Hundreds of years old? I’m suggesting that it’s a possibility.”
Before she could respond, the door slid open and Taresa appeared, carrying Ari carefully in her arms.
“I think she wants you,” Taresa announced.
She held out her arms, and Taresa transferred the baby with obvious reluctance. Ari snuggled immediately against her chest, her small hand finding the familiar grip on her robe.
Could her tiny baby really be that old?
Pushing the thought aside to deal with later, she smiled at Taresa.
“Thank you for watching her.”
“Can I come back later? I want to show her my shells.” Taresa’s hopeful expression was impossible to resist.
“Of course.”
Taresa beamed and darted away, her footsteps fading down the corridor. Faith watched her go with a mother’s fond exasperation.
“She’s been like this since her brother was born. Convinced she needs a little sister of her own.” Faith stood, moving to retrieve something from a bag she’d left by the door. “Which brings me to the other reason I came. I have something I would like to try.”
She returned holding another disk, similar to the one they already had, but smaller and covered in different symbols. The metal gleamed with an inner luminescence that seemed to pulse slightly, as if it were alive.
“Athtar acquired this years ago. He thought it was just a piece of Precursor technology too damaged to be valuable.” Faith held it up, letting the light catch its surface. “But I’ve been studying Precursor artifacts since I arrived here, and I don’t think it’s damaged. I think it’s dormant.”
“Dormant?”
“Waiting for the right activation sequence.” Faith’s eyes gleamed with scientific excitement. “Or possibly waiting for the right person.”
She looked down at Ari, who had noticed the disk and was reaching for it with obvious interest. Her tiny fingers stretched towards the gleaming metal, grasping at air.
“You want to see if she can activate it.”
