Alien Dreams

"But we can't just leave her like this," Shane said angrily. "Sealed in a tube with only her mind awake. That's a torment not even the worst criminal would deserve!"

"Shane maybe we can," Moira said suddenly as the answer came to her.

"How?" he asked eagerly.

"Through you," Moira replied simply. "You can tell us everything we need to know to activate the revival system."

"Me?" Shane said, amazed by her words. "How could I do anything like that? I'm not trained for that kind of thing. I'm an archaeologist. If you want to know how these people built their cities I can tell you. But there's no way I have the training to repair any of their machines. Especially something as complex as an alien suspension unit."

"No you don't, " Moira agreed. "But T'cara does. She said she was the one who made the thing. So if anyone can fix it she can. Through you T'cara can tell us everything we need to know. It won't be easy, but with a few techs. from the ship we should be able to do it."

"You're out of your mind," Shane said, looking at the woman as if she had just sprouted a second head. "Moira, you've really lost it if you think something like that would work. I mean what do you think I am some kind maintenance droid? That all you have to do is pull on a virtual-suit. Flip a switch and there you are, you have complete control of my body?"

"Like I said, it won't be easy," Moira answered. "But Shane if you really want to help her. If you really want to get T'cara out there's no other way."

"Alright, alright," Shane said, knowing Moira was right. "What do I have to do?"

"First of all," Moira said. "You have to tell her what's happened on this planet since she went into suspension. You have to tell her about her people. Then you have to tell T'cara about us and what we want to do."

"It did not work," Shane said angrily after an hour had passed. "I failed!"

"Give it some time Shane," Moira replied gently. "T'cara has been here since before our race even dreamed of space travel. You can't expect her to leap up the second we're done."

"Its been more then an hour since they repaired the last circuit break," Shane countered angrily. "We should have seen something by now."

The last fourteen hours hadn't been easy on Shane. They had tested him in ways he never imagined. First there had been the difficult task of telling T'cara that not only was everyone she had ever known dead, but that her entire race had died out over two hundred thousand years age. To his surprise T'cara had taken this well, saying she suspected some great disaster had befallen her people. That only this could explain why they would leave her where she was. T'cara had also accepted that he was one of a group of star-travelers who discovered her world and were now exploring it with an ease that told of the openness of her mind. Shane had marveled at the way she could accept all of this. Had he been in her place Shane knew he would have been utterly devastated by half of what he told her.

Having informed her of the fate of her people Shane then outlined Moira's idea for freeing her from suspension. T'cara had listened to this plan carefully and agreed that it might be possible. She said that though the entire suspension system was incredibly complex. There was only a small part of it they needed to be concerned about. T'cara said the work would be difficult and the chances of success very small. She had never intended for the system to operate so long or under such conditions. However if the choice was of dying in an attempt to awaken or remaining as she was forever. T'cara decided she

would rather meet death than stay where she was any longer.