Chapter 5: The ESF

She just lied, Collin thought, a little curious. Ella appeared normal, but the SSS shouldn't be wrong. The point where the system had activated was really weird as well. Everything had been true up until she said, I haven't seen you before.

"Why did you lie just now?" A puzzled look crossed Ella's face.

"Lie?"

"Yes, when you said that you had never seen me before." Collin pulled back his hair revealing the SSS around his ear. "This allows me to tell if someone is lying."

"But I really haven't seen …," Ella's voice trailed off. Maybe it really was him, she thought.

"Did you or did you not see me before finding me in the forest? If so where? When? This is the first time I have ever left the ESF."

"I guess, sort of. It was in a dream; I saw a ball of fire in the sky, the forest to the south, and you, lying under a tree. Well, at least I saw your face." The SSS stopped beeping.

Collin focused his attention on it to see if its former clamor would resume. Nothing. It remained silent. How could a dream count as seeing me before? He pondered the idea for a moment, realizing the implications of the fact that the dream events had actually occurred. Could people here really glimpse into the future? Was this an example of some sort of human mutation?

"What is this ESF you say you're from. I have never heard of it." Collin cursed his slip of the tongue.

"Does it matter?"

Ella held up the bowl she had yet to return to him.

"If you want more stew it does."

Collin sighed. The name probably wouldn't mean much.

"The Earth Survival Fleet," he said. "It's my home, and its where I would have normally spent my entire life."

"Well, if your whole life is supposed to be there, why did I find you in the forest?" Ella asked as she handed him the bowl

"Classified," Collin muttered causing her to yank the bowl back and out of his arms reach.

Would I really spill more secrets for a simple bowl of stew, he wondered? The grumbling in his stomach answered the question for him. Yes. He would.

"I'm on a mission," Collin stated. Seeing that it wouldn't satisfy Ella enough to give him the bowl, he sighed and continued.

"I am under orders to obtain a wide variety of information regarding this planet; from the ecosystem to possible dangers, and even the existence, geographical location, and composition of the communities along with their respective strengths and weaknesses."

Finding the information satisfactory, Ella finally relinquished her iron grip on the stew, allowing Collin to start his third bowl. After tasting it, he confirmed that it was indeed worth the information he had given her.

"Sounds like quite the task. I wish I could help, but I don't know much about the things you mentioned. I have lived here in Borg village for as long as I can remember. It's just a small farming community so no real strength to speak of."

All true, Collin thought, remembering that the SSS was still on. It seemed like Ella didn't really have any ill will towards him. If she really was an enemy, she probably wouldn't be so open with him.

"By the way, when you say planet, do you mean the spheres in the sky, the stars that aren't stars? Are you trying to say that we are actually on one of these planets?"

The question confused Collin. Did she think that this planet was the center of the universe, and that space was merely part of their sky?

"Well yes," he answered, "but the stars aren't really in your sky, but in the vast space far beyond it."

"So, does that mean that the ESF, the place where you're from, is beyond the sky?"

"It's not really a place," Collin clarified.

"The ESF, is a way to travel through the stars. That ball of fire you saw was actually the destruction of my ship, which had a similar function before it exploded. The ESF, however, is actually a group of ships traveling together, all of which are at least a half a million times larger than mine. Whenever it pauses its nearly ceaseless travel, one can see the magnificence of even the smallest star. Now, until I can find and fix my ship, I'm stranded here, far away from my home."