The light

"Maybe untie me?" I suggested. Odyssa stood up and approached me, glancing to my cousin as if for approval. She nodded and I was set free.

"My head hurts," Charlotte said, "I've had a long morning... I think. What time is it?"

"It's a little past midday up there," Odyssa said, "I need to rest. You have slightly denser bones on this planet, and I've had to carry both of you here in the last twelve hours..."

"Wait how did you find this place?" I asked, "I appreciate you rescuing us and all but... Did you know in advance there would be this warehouse of sorts available to hide in?"

"Yes," she said, "The crew used it as a landmark."

"..And you would have gone where otherwise?" I asked. She merely shrugged.

"I'm hot, I'm exotic, and I'm willing. Someone was bound to take me in... in an ideal situation..."

"That's... very well thought out, 10/10 would do the same in your shoes..." It was my turn to rub my forehead now my hands were free. "Anyway, I want to see what's outside. That light is exactly like the one in the ramparts."

"Oh?" Odyssa frowned, "Come on then."

She led me towards another metal door with a wheel lock, on the far side of the chamber. Charlotte made a fatigued groan behind us, but followed anyway. The alien opened the door and we stepped outside. The damp, weedy smell of the canal was even stronger here, but contrasted by that strange light from above. It was so strange to feel both cold and clammy air while being warmed softly all over. Again my eyes adjusted.

Here the tunnel built on top of the waterways was illuminated, and its tremendous size was revealed. A huge stone cavern was above us, following the slow winding path of the canal, holding beyond its curved roof all the weight of ages' repeated construction, as the City grew on top of itself. I fancied this spot was larger than the rest of the tunnel. The distance from the edge of the trench to the door we came from looked a lot more than my blind tests in the dark elsewhere suggested. It was better protected also. A metal railing went along the sloping edge for several dozen metres in either direction. There was a gap where rusty hinges hinted at a gate allowing access to the water.

I could finally look directly at the light. It was a physical object, a huge sphere of roughly forty feet in diametre. The material was smooth and translucent, every inch emitting that warm orange monochrome. Soon I realized it was slowly pulsating, the colour ever so slightly changing at regular intervals. The whole thing was suspended absolutely still in the air, floating on its own power without the slightest sign of external support.

"Oh my," I said, "That's a ship, isn't it?" I gasped at a random thought and added without thinking "Is it theirs? Did you kill them?" I turned to Odyssa.

She was rubbing her eyes, and her words came out with more blunted vowel sounds than before. "No..." she said, "I wish, but no. That's a wreck." She pointed up to a spot somewhere almost out of view on the surface of the sphere. The material appeared just slightly darker there than the rest. "I think there's a hole in it right there," she said.

"And they just leave it there?" Charlotte moved slowly closer, "For a tiny hole? Why not patch it up?"

"Captain said it's been sitting there for centuries," Odyssa explained. " If it's that old it might be made of arenak. It's very very strong, but extremely difficult to work with. Cheaper to leave it here as a marker. Your people seldom visit the canals anymore and certainly no technology exists that could destroy or even just forcibly move it without releasing enough energy to annihilate the City."

"Oh..."

"This has to be our ticket out of here," I said, "It's got to be functional to some degree, one small hole and it's still floating there. There's got to be a way to get it working, surely?"

"Or there's a good reason it's there to stay," Odyssa countered. "Anyway we can't even get in, the door is shut and the ladder retracted. I imagine there's a button on the outside somewhere but I'm not hot on our chances of pressing it at the moment..."

"It's worth trying perhaps..?" Charlotte said, and immediately yawned, "But I need to rest too. Are we safe here?"

Odyssa yawned again, her eyes glazing over as she slurred "We're of no value to the pirates. None of us is a worthy sample. And they won't come after me... I'm pretty sure."

I pulled my attention from the sphere and to the two women before me. The brighter light made it easier to see their overall countenance, slumped posture and drooping arms. They were unsteady on their feet. My gaze lingered on the alien's cleavage. She had really big breasts. But...

"Has either of you noticed that the closer we've gotten to this thing the two of you have been getting sleepier and sleepier?"

In answer Charlotte sank to her knees. "Yeah... you think that's related? I could really just lie down right here..."

"It's related," Odyssa was also sinking to the ground, "The spheres do that to you... Wasn't this strong earlier though... I dunno why."

It was over before I could add another word, both girls slumped gently forwards and moved no more. Only the shallow swelling of their chests betraying that they had just fallen fast asleep.

"Bugger."