Parts 1 - 10 Parts 1 - 10Futurequest Part 2 (EQ2 # 10)
This takes place a few days after Cauldron City is rescued (Rebels # 12), aboard the Dauntless. Junnard wants the location of the rebels' ship and he may reduce their charges. He seems to be slightly sympathetic to their cause. He takes them to see Shimmer. He's dismantled and being experimented on by Dr. Beneir. He is now more complex than when she first saw him. Rosie is in stasis. Chandra goes into telepathic contact with Rosie and goes into mental shock. She's taken to sick bay and Scorch is taken to a cell. He takes an explosive capsule from a Skyward's belt. Junnard shows Cosmo the footage of the palace's arrival.
Futurequest Part 3 (EQ2 # 11)
Cosmo tells Junnard that he believes the appearance of the palace was the return of the Sojourners (elves). Junnard is skeptical. Chandra remains in contact with Rosie while catatonic. Dr. Beneir is sorry for being forced to experiment on Shimmer. She shuts him down and he appears to be "dead". Cosmo tells Junnard about how the miniature palace works and how they found it (see Rebels). He believes it's the twin of the larger one and that the large palace is a vessel or spacecraft. Junnard does not want to make contact. He's afraid that the incident with the Neverending 40 years ago will be repeated. Cosmo is taken to Scorch's cell. Meanwhile the elf Jink discovers the rebels' ship the Cam Triompe in the Burning Waste.
Futurequest Part 4 (EQ2 # 13)
Jink discovers the Cam Triompe in Sarazen. She was drawn there by the miniature version of the Palace of the High Ones hidden onboard. She vaguely remembers it as home, but having wiped her mind so often, she can't recall more. A jackwolf, who made the ship its home, comes up behind her. The Dauntless arrives at Two Moon Station. Scorch wants to escape using an explosive, but Cosmo thinks it's just too dangerous. He's agreed to do his time, so Scorch and the others can go free. Scorch tells him he's a complete idiot and knocks him to the floor. Dr. Beneir plans to run away with Rosie with L'Cota's help. However, L'Cota didn't tell her everything.
Futurequest Part 5 (EQ2 # 14)
Chandra wakes up to find an attendant nearby. She hears his thoughts and they aren't friendly. She disposes of him. Jink is in the Cam Triompe in Sarazen. She shows the wolf she only has four fingers and it calms down. She thinks of what to do next. Back on the Dauntless, Dr. Beneir receives the chip with a crippler code from L'Cota. She plans to escape with Rosie. Before she can cripple the ship, Shimmer comes alive and attacks her.
Futurequest Part 6 (EQ2 # 15)
Shimmer grabs Dr Beneir. He gets the locations of his friends from the computer by duplicating the voices of the crew. He plans for himself, Cosmo, Scorch, Chandra, and Rose get away with Beneir. He tells her he's different now. 30 years ago humans sent ambassadors to the Neverending. They never returned. Then they sent robotic go-betweens after imprinting human intelligence on them. Halm Junnard's was imprinted on Shimmer. Watchwarden Steele sees Junnard drinking. They'll have to orbit Abode before docking. He says when malcontents are exalted as heroes while there are some who died protecting Abode, is it worth continuing? Scorch wakes up and finds that Cosmo made his explosive harmless. Cosmo plans to sacrifice himself for his friends. Gestrelle comes to see Tal and Barranaco Chirrel. She brings information on the Rebels. Tal says the Chirrels are blacklisted from racing (Rebels 10). Barranaco is in his office. A woman wants something repaired but gives very little information. He wants to keep his business squeaky clean. She throws plenty of cash down. It's Jink.
Futurequest Part 7 (EQ2 # 17)
Kullyn Kenn and Firstborn play a game called Siege in a bar on Abode. Kenn is weary of the relationship between he, Tamia, and Jink. Between them and the Skyward, he feels like a pawn. They say they love him but he doesn't like how he's treated. Jink is putting ideas in Tamia's head. Tamia is behind him. She heard it all. He gets insulting. Lately only she and Jink are together. They don't wonder how he feels. Both of them are used by Jink, her playthings. Once they're old she'll drop them. Firstborn doesn't like how he's talking. The Dauntless: Junnard says there's a group called the Starward. They're against Abode. Steele believes it's a passing phase. She asks why he doubts himself. He asks her if she ever followed an order that cost a life. The Dauntless has a dark history that bears his name. The Junnards are a military family. His father sired two boys, Halm and his younger brother Nohlam. He was ten years younger and married early. He's father of Halm's racing nephew Elan and youngest to reach Captain. Hostilities with the Neverending were coming to a close. Newly appointed Commander Bellambara planned open negotiations with them and appointed Nohlam as head of the mission. Halm was concerned. It was a first contact mission. She ignored him and they haven't got along since. He told his brother not to go. His wife was pregnant. But both brothers told her it was routine. The ship soon met with a larger Neverending ship. It appeared from the folds of space. Halm thought something was terribly wrong. They engaged with the Neverending.
Futurequest Part 8 (EQ2 # 19)
The Neverending ship caught them off guard. It flickers on and off their instruments. The aliens express their impatience. Halm says they can wait. He calls Nohlam in the diplomatic shuttle. Nohlam says this mustn't seem suspicious. One human needs to meet them. He hangs up. Halm calms down. Nohlam must know what he's doing. But he doesn't have battle experience. Merton says they all know the risks. They're all scared too. Halm informs the Neverending the ambassodor is being sent. Organic tentacles pull the ship in. They wait. Soon the ship reemerges. The Neverending say the host was not suitable. It was frail and weak and its life ceased after the enhancements were placed. The alien ship disappears. The shuttle is brought in. Nohlam is dead. Wires were embedded in him. Soon Tivah died giving birth. Halm raised her son Elan. Halm stayed with the Dauntless. Belambara gave him no chance of advancement. He's retiring and he wants Steele to take his place. Two Skyward go to the sick bay to see Greener Lokan. They go to find Chandra, but find Lokan tied up. The real Chandra is disguised as Lokan. She gives them sedatives and will do the same to Lokan.
Futurequest Part 9 (EQ2 # 20)
The Dauntless: Chandra gets a medical cart and runs into ensign Roul. She says she's Greener Chaka, Dr Beneir's assistant. She agrees to have dinner with him. She runs Lokan's security card through a lock and enters. She sees Shimmer holding Rosie. She's ok. She holds a gun to Beneir and tells her to change Shimmer back. She says he's fine but Chandra knocks her down. Shimmer pulls her away. Rosie wakes up. Beneir was protecting her own by freeing Rosie. Rosie is a product of human and preserver blood. Beneir was the human donor. Technically she's her mother. Abode: Jink and her new partners Tal and Barranaco are in Sarazen. She gives Barranaco metal legs. She goes to the transport to get him a worksuit. Tal got information on Jink. She has records going back 40 years. Belambara wants her bad. The ship is a Skyward prototype. Scorch's datapad was inside. The ship has Cosmo's log entries. They were on Cauldron, meeting with L'Cota. It's unknown how it got here. They'll fix the ship and find the kids. Jink brings his suit. Barranaco lost his legs to blackweb and Tal has bad eyes. Only Scorch can race. Jink's friend Tamia is coming.
Futurequest Part 10 (EQ2 # 22)
The brig: Cosmo thinks giving away the location of the Cam Triompe will let the others go free. Scorch says the Skyward don't care about individual freedom. The Doma's death was a blessing. She had a chokehold on the colonies. He has no respect for Cosmo. He's always the good little soldier. Chandra shows up to free them. Cosmo thinks it'll only make things worse. Shimmer is running the computers. The guards' patrols keep them away from the area. She gives a gun to each of them. They head to the emergency pods and meet Shimmer, Rosie, and Dr Beneir. Terrorist G'Kahrii S'ha escapes her cell after killing the guard. She'll kill Steele for her wounded leg, after killing Scorch. Tamia arrives in Sarazen. Jink says she's good with computers. The vessel has answers Jink needs. She flies off on a sky-sled. She goes to Father of Memory, Egg, in Blue Mountain. Her behavior is less and less tolerating to him. She acts like a human. Jink takes on her elf appearance. He says the Palace is part of them, they'll learn from it. He'll reacquaint her with what she lost. She must give in to it. A bright light comes out of the little palace and engulfs her. It seems like she's in space. She goes to the palace but a big elf-thing says she doesn't belong, she's not a follower of the Way. He casts her out.