Alonzo found himself in an underground cavern. Reddish-brown walls of solid rock surrounded him, and he knew he was dreaming. He looked around, and saw Ulysses Adair standing nearby.

"Uly?" he called softly, the sound of his voice echoing against the hard surfaces.

The boy did not reply, and stood solemnly in place. Instead, he closed his eyes, and trilled.

The ground stirred beneath their feet, and two Terrians 'swam' to the surface, staffs in hand. The tall creatures raised their heads and calmly regarded the two humans.

"We're here to ask your help," Alonzo said, giving voice to his thoughts, though he knew that the Terrians were more adept at perceiving emotions than spoken words.

Uly trilled once again, and the Terrians twittered back a reply.

Alonzo felt an answer enter his own thoughts, but was unable to decipher its meaning.

Uly smiled, and vocalized his 'thank you' in the strange, unintelligible language.

With that, the Terrians sank into the floor of the cavern and disappeared from sight.

Alonzo opened his eyes. He sat up on the cot and met Julia's expectant gaze.

"What happened?" she asked, running a cursory scan of his system with the diaglove. "Did you get anything?"

Uly sat up on his own cot and yawned. "Yeah," he said casually. "The Terrians are pretty sad, because they know I'm sad. You know, about my mom and all..."

Julia smiled softly at the boy and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "That's why we're doing everything we can to help her get better, Uly."

"I know," Uly replied, with nod that caused his blond curls to bounce on his head.

"Well, what did the Terrians tell you?" Julia asked, as she moved to scan him.

"'Ask Mother'," both Alonzo and Uly answered in tandem.

"And you really think finding a chunk of Morganite is going to work?" John asked dubiously.

Julia shrugged. "It's the only thing I can think of."

"'Ask Mother', huh?" John sniffed, repeating the message Alonzo and Uly brought back from their dreaming.

"Yes," Julia said. "Remember how we used the Morganite to decode the geolock the Martins had activated? I can't explain how it worked, but it did. When Morgan interfaced with the locking system and touched the rock, he was tapping into what we theorized was – for lack of a better term – the vast communication system of the planet, connecting us to its cerebral cortex."

"And you're thinking, what, that tapping into this 'communication system' will help you diagnose Devon's ailment?"

"Yes. At least, I hope so. John, I want to try. I see no reason why we shouldn't trust the Terrians."

John grunted. He was skeptical. But deep inside, hope that Devon might be cured blossomed, whereas before he had been dismally resigned to believing she would never be revived.

"Fine," John said. "I guess it's worth a shot, no matter how crazy it is."

Julia nearly laughed. "Well, I wasn't looking for your explicit approval, John," she said. "Alonzo's already gearing up to take the ATV out to some caves that are in the vicinity. He's hoping to find some Morganite to bring back to me."

"Make sure he stays on Gear," John warned.

This time, Julia did laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?" he asked with a confused scowl.

"John, you're the main offender when it comes to neglecting to check in on Gear," she chuckled.

"Yeah, well..." he trailed off, scrubbing the back of his neck. "Things haven't been too great for our group lately, you know?"

Julia noted his serious expression. It suddenly struck her that she had been completely oblivious to his emotional state. It was no secret to her that he harboured certain complicated feelings for their felled leader. And now he had taken on the responsibility of caring for Devon's son. He'd become the default leader overnight, and Julia didn't envy him that. She knew the members of the group looked to her for medical solutions, but they were now looking to John to guide them to New Pacifica.

It was a task that he shouldn't have to shoulder alone.

"Hey, Danziger," she called mildly, causing him to pause and turn back to her. "I know what Devon means to you. You're not in this thing alone. You know that, right?"

John schooled his features and nodded curtly, his lips pressed into a thin line. He departed without offering a verbal reply.

Julia stared after him for a long time after he disappeared through the tent flap, hoping he had taken her words to heart.

Alonzo sped along the dusty terrain in the ATV, heading due south towards a rocky formation that held the promise of containing caves with a Morganite deposit. He smiled to himself. It was a silly name, really, but he knew that their group would probably forever refer to the unusual rocks by the name that Morgan had egotistically bestowed upon them.

"Solace to base camp," he spoke into his Gear mouthpiece.

There was a delay, and he waited patiently. Then Julia's face flashed into the eyepiece display.

"Hi, Alonzo," she said cheerily. "Are you there already?"

"No, but I figure it'll be another hour or so. I'm just 'checking in', since Danziger's turned into such a mother hen about all this."

"I'll tell him you're alright, then," Julia said, smiling.

Alonzo grinned back. "Thanks. I'll beep in when I reach those caves. I really hope I don't come back empty-handed."

"I hope so, too," the young doctor said.

"Doc?"

"Yes?"

"I thought you said you were going to get some rest while I was away."

"And I will," Julia said.

"When?"

"As soon as you sign off."

"Hmm. Alright," Alonzo said, unconvinced.

"What, you don't believe me?" Julia retorted with mock indignation.

"Knowing your track record? No. You allow yourself rest about as often as John remembers to turn on his Gear. Admit it."

Julia suppressed a giggle. "Okay, I promise I'll rest as soon as we finish this conversation if it makes you happy."

"Fine," Alonzo said.

"Fine," Julia repeated.

"Doc?" Alonzo spoke tenderly.

"Yes?" Julia responded, an unconscious smile tugging at her lips.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," Julia replied, feeling an unexpected, but welcome warm rush of emotion for the handsome pilot.

"Solace out."

The connection was broken, and Julia was once again staring at the walls of her tent as Alonzo's image disappeared.

She swung the eyepiece away and returned her attention to her work. She told herself she really would take a little nap, just not yet. Her brain was still too active. On the table was her hand-held medical scanner and her diaglove. Julia was puzzling over how she would be able to use either device in conjunction with the Morganite in order to investigate the reasons behind Devon's sudden collapse.

When Morgan had used one of the rocks to break the coded tiers on the geolock, he'd simply touched it with his bare hands, and used the VR Gear to interface with his conscious thought patterns. Those thoughts were amplified and enhanced through the VR simulator into a visible representation of the geolock's complex schematics. The Morganite somehow learned the language of that complex coding system, aided by Morgan's own knowledge of the technology.

His hands had been burned by the prolonged contact with the stone, but they had since healed without any long-lasting effects.

Should I just touch the rock and hope to get some sort of answer? Julia thought to herself.

Ask Mother.

It sounded so vague. And ludicrous. The last thing she wanted and needed was false hope.

If only I had more sophisticated equipment at my disposal, she thought. Nothing I have is really geared for advanced diagnostic functions...

If there was ever a time she wished she were back on the Stations, now was that time. On the Station hospitals, she would have had access to the best diagnostic tools and technology. She could also consult with other medical professionals who were much more experienced.

Frontier medicine, she thought sardonically. She'd already exhausted her own medical databases as well as Yale's library. While they were both extensive, Julia knew that they were far from being complete and comprehensive.

Nothing she'd experienced in medical school or Council training simulations had even remotely prepared her for life on G889. VR could never truly capture, for instance, what rain felt like: how it smelled; how it sounded when it pattered on the tents, or the effect the droplets produced when they beaded on the windows of the TransRover.

The rumble of thunder or the flash of lightning still evoked a primal fear and an eerie fascination in all of them, including Bess Morgan. Even though the former Earth-res had experienced storms, such events on Earth's surface hadn't been pleasant. Earth's rains had turned so acidic that when they fell, it was always cause for fear and consternation.

Julia reflected on other new experiences and sensations, like the call of a wild bird, the brush of the fresh wind through her hair, or how the warm rays of G889's sun tanned their skins.

Then there was the snow that socked them in while making their way through higher elevations. The sheer whiteness everywhere and the silence due to the sound-dampening effect of the snow was profound. The wintry weather and chill seemed to seep into the very marrow of their bones, and turned their breaths to icy vapor. The atmospheric controls on the Stations meant the temperature was constantly maintained. Deviations were simply not part of the programming.

She thought of evenings spent around the fire after evening meals, sharing stories under G889's twin moons. The lesser, third moon hovered in a lonely orbit on the other side of the sky, always dwarfed by its larger sisters. Julia recalled its pale light had shone down the night of Bess' trek while under the influence of the strange substance she and Danziger had inhaled.

Even gravity felt different on the planet's surface. The Station gravitational controls mimicked Earth's gravity, but Julia had to admit that the natural pull on G889's surface was nothing like the artificial pull created by the gravitomagnetic G-forces on the Stations.

The best part was the air: fresh, clean, unfiltered air. The air on the planet even had extremes, something quite foreign to their senses. When she, Alonzo, Devon and John had made their unsuccessful trip to find New Pacifica through the spider caves, the sea-breeze on the shore carried a warm, moist, salty tang. It was different from what she was used to, but pleasant. The mountain air, in contrast, was drier, thinner and more crisp. It took more effort to comfortably breathe for the first little while in both instances.

Then also was how the perfume of the flowers and trees carried effortlessly on the winds, tickling their noses. Such a variety of aromas would never be available to them in the recycled, characterless, sanitized air of the Stations.

How could Franklin Bennett and Elizabeth Anson so desperately want to abandon such a beautiful planet?

Julia wondered for the umpteenth about Elizabeth's dire warning, and again she convinced herself that the other doctor had been wrong; her conclusions flawed because she had been lacking sufficient information.

She didn't see what I got to see, Julia thought to herself. She didn't see the planet give a part of itself to heal a hopelessly sick and dying boy. Elizabeth didn't know that a connection was possible. She didn't understand what sort of sacrifices were necessary... She didn't know that this planet could show compassion to humans... and if she had known, would she have fought the Council tooth and nail to protect it?

Julia wanted to believe Elizabeth's answer would have been a "yes".

An hour-and-a-half later, Alonzo slowed the small, solar-powered vehicle to a stop just outside a natural entrance to the caves he'd been seeking. He got out and stretched his cramped legs, then switched on the Gear to inform the Eden base camp that he'd reached his destination safely.

To his surprise, Magus answered. "Hi, 'Lonz," she said to him.

"Oh, hi, Magus. I was expecting Julia," Alonzo said, having not believed for a second the younger woman's promise to take a nap.

"Believe it or not, our good doctor is dozing," Magus explained Julia's absence.

"Well, good for her," Alonzo said, genuinely pleased to hear Julia had chosen to get some shut-eye after all. "I'm just checking in. I'm at the caves now. If I find some Morganite, I'll call in again."

"Sounds good, 'Lonz," Magus said. "Be careful in there, okay?"

"Will do. Solace out."

Alonzo approached the mouth of the cave, which was really a narrow opening he barely managed to squeeze through. He had to position himself sideways, and with a little effort, guided his shoulders, then his hips and legs inside. He turned on a luma-light and flashed it around the interior of the cave. It was considerably cooler inside, and Alonzo was glad for the respite from the unrelenting rays of the sun. The luma-light revealed a natural tunnel to his immediate right. Dauntless, the pilot took off in that direction, keeping his eyes peeled for the all-important Morganite rocks.

After about five minutes of creeping along the cavern, he started hearing an almost-familiar pulse. The sound started low, then built to a crescendo, and dissipated once again.

Another spider tunnel? He wondered. His question was answered when he came upon a chamber with a giant web spun across the entrance to another tunnel that branched off to the left. Alonzo heard the rush of another energy wave; saw the flash of light, and then it was gone as quickly as it appeared. He'd be avoiding that tunnel for the time being - he had no way of knowing where he'd end up, even if there was a remote possibility it led to New Pacifica.

Alonzo opened a channel on his Gear. "Solace to base camp... I'm in the caves, and I've found another one of those spider tunnels..."

There was no reply.

"Solace to base camp," Alonzo repeated. "Anybody there?"

Again, nothing.

Alonzo pouted. Something was hindering his Gear signal. It must be these caves, he decided. Must naturally dampen the transmission... Great. Just hope I don't end up trapped in here with no way to call home for help.

Avoiding the spider tunnel, Alonzo instead continued along a branch of the cavern that twisted again to the right. He used his Gear to log his progress so he could find his way back on the return trip.

His efforts were soon rewarded when he saw the tell-tale signs of a bright, glowing vein running along the side of a wall he came across. Alonzo grinned at his discovery. Good news had been in such short supply recently, he was glad for the emotional boost.

Alonzo used a chisel tool to loosen a chunk of Morganite. He chipped away gently, and used a pair of tongs to place the stone inside a heat-resistant pouch for the return trip.

Ask Mother, the pilot thought about the Terrians' message. Well, I sure hope this will help us do just that, once I get it back to Julia...

On his way back to exit the cave, Alonzo paused for a moment in the cavern that branched off to the spider-web tunnel. The vacuum current pulsed at regular intervals, just as it had with the spider tunnel they had encountered so many months back.

We'll have to come up with some way to safely test where you go, Alonzo thought, but for now, Devon is our priority. He squeezed back through the opening and out into the afternoon sun, and keyed his Gear.

"Solace to base camp," he said, and waited for a reply.

"What's going on, Alonzo?" Magus' face flashed in the display field.

"Good news! The caves had a deposit of Morganite. I'm bringing one of the stones back right now."

"Hey, that's great!" Magus said enthusiastically. She turned to inform the rest of the crew. "Hey, everyone! Alonzo found some of those sunstones. He's coming back with one right now."

Alonzo heard background exclamations of rejoicing. "I should be back in about two hours, give or take," he informed Magus. Then, "Is Julia still asleep?"

"She sure is," Magus said, "you want me to wake her to tell her the news?"

"Nah," Alonzo said, starting up the ATV. "The more rest she gets, the better. She'll probably be working overtime once I get back with the Morganite as it is."

"True enough."

"Solace out," Alonzo said, and logged off.