"Hmm. Maybe if we adjust this section here and rotate the glass..." Addison mutters.

"Yes," Errol agrees, reaching out to perform the task, his hands working delicately, careful of sharp edges and fragile sections. "If the meteorite glass has the proper electromagnetic properties, the map should work."

They continue to tinker with it as I and the group working on restoring tech to the city watch.

When Fallon went with Kate to meet with their friends, the females they first arrived in the city with, I decided to go with Errol to see if he is indeed correct about the glass.

When he told Addison about his hypothesis, she'd been excited at the idea, listening intently as Errol explained it.

"We need to see if you're right," she said as soon as he told her. "We've been trying to get some of the other gadgets here working without a whole lot of success. Maybe this is just what we're missing."

The only way to see if the glass could be the missing link for the tech here was to figure out a way to insert it and see if it worked. So they'd decided on a table that could create a three-dimensional, interactive map of the areas around the city. It would work or it wouldn't, and it was one of the simpler pieces. It was also something they felt they could test quickly, or at least what they considered quickly.

The only problem is, the glass isn't the same shape as the stones used to power the tech before. Even if it does have the right properties, it isn't an exact match for whatever was used previously, so adjustments will likely have to be made. All of that means that the test is understandably taking some time.

Addison finally lets out a frustrated huff after about forty minutes.

"Maybe this wasn't the best one to pick," she says, straightening and wiping a hand across her brow. "The glass doesn't want to conform to the space we need it to."

Errol says, "Yes, if there was a quicker way to know if this is even worth our time and energy." He stops talking abruptly and frowns. "Wait. Perhaps we are approaching this incorrectly. There must be a machine here, a scanner to sort through the stones and find the quality ones. I have a vague recollection..." He shakes his head, turning to Addison with renewed energy. "It should be about this big," he explains holding his two fists together. "Made of a hard, shiny material, with a handle on one side, a screen on the other, and a—"

"—funnel-like protrusion on the other side of the screen?" Addison finishes, perking up. "Hold on—I think I might have what you're talking about!"

She hurries away, and we hear her rummaging through a nearby room, muttering to herself. She seems to mutter to herself quite a bit. Perhaps she’s spent too much time with the machines rather than people. She is back within a moment, holding out an object that seems like it fits Errol's description quite well. How many objects like that could there be here?

"I found it going through one of the smaller rooms. It seems like it works, but we weren't sure what it was supposed to be for."

She stops talking as the thing lights up in her hand, a blue light shining out from the screen while it emits a mellow beeping sound.

Errol holds out his hand in a silent polite gesture of request, and Addison places the new machine in his grasp. After nodding his formal thanks, Errol moves the object closer to the glass. The beeping intensifies, the blue light shifting to a warm orange.

"I believe we have our answer," Errol says, staring down at the scanner. "The glass contains the properties we need. We simply need to learn how to use it properly."

"Oh, wow!" Addison exclaims, staring at the scanner. "We could do so much! I mean, we still have to figure out how to adjust it properly and so on, but...this could mean bringing everything back! There's so much tech here, so much to revive, to explore." She is almost hopping in her joy, her face aglow with it. "Oh, I have to go tell Rosalind and Visidion—I know they'll want to hear the news right away!" Not waiting for any kind of response, she almost runs from the room, off to deliver the news.

Everyone around me is abuzz with excitement at this confirmation, while Errol continues to tinker with the glass.

I attempt to connect with the atmosphere. I do.

However, I do not feel the same joy, the same excitement everyone else around me seems to be feeling. Frankly, at best, I feel conflicted. Yes, having use of some more of the technology would be wonderful in some ways. I know for a fact life could be made much more convenient. Which I want, both for us and the humans.

A renewal of the technology has other possible ramifications that give me pause. One in particular stands out. This new development could mean a resurrection of the ability to travel into space. Which would in turn make it possible for the humans to leave Tajss.

For Fallon to leave Tajss.

Even just that possibility has me wanting to halt this right here. Not that I could. There is no putting this away now that it is out, now that we've determined the glass could work. Once the kedi is out of the basket, there is no way to make him go back inside, as my mother used to say.

I shake my head, pushing the thought aside. I do not like feeling this way. As though I have to trap Fallon here in order to be with her. I do not want to force her into anything. Do not want her to simply be with me because she is forced to stay. If space travel again becomes a possibility...we will decide what to do when the time comes. Together.

The desire to push the thought aside is tested that evening.

Upon hearing the news that the glass can be used in the tech and the resulting possibilities, Rosalind and Visidion decide to hold a special communal dinner for everyone in the city. Everyone appears to be in their best spirits as the abundance of food and free-flowing drink creates an atmosphere of celebration.

I appreciate it, appreciate the warmth of the dinner, even if I have to set aside my feelings on the matter. It reminds me of those held in the Tribe's caves, like all of us are part of this community, united. There has been a lot to worry about recently and the spirits of those here have felt the burden of that, but the hope sparked by the meteorite glass has everyone buzzing with excitement.

"...and then Errol reminded me of the scanner that we'd set aside because we didn't know what it did. And bam! We had our answer!" Addison recounts once more to her interested audience.

"That's amazing," Sarah murmurs, shaking her head.

"It really is," Kate agrees. "If you hadn't had that hunch, Errol, we may never have realized the glass could be so useful."

Errol shakes his head. "Someone would have thought to check eventually."

"Maybe. Maybe not," Fallon interjects as she leans against my arm, tilting her head to rest it on my shoulder. "Sometimes it's the most obvious things that get overlooked."

I rest my hand on her thigh and she smiles up at me, making no move to hide her affection for me. Actually, she has been openly affectionate towards me all night. Holding my hand, sitting close, rubbing my arm. The open display of connection soothes something inside of me, the part that's been slightly on edge since I realized the possible implications of the glass. She has no problem with people knowing we are together, claiming me in front of them. That gives me a sense of security I appreciate.

"We need to get everything back online if there are going to be more invader attacks. I don't like that they have technology, even rudimentary technology, while we're still trying to play catch up."

"This is true," Drosdan agrees. "Any advantage we can have on our side, we need. Our numbers are simply too small not to gather every resource we can in preparation."

I murmur my agreement with that as Fallon slips her hand into mine. Drosdan is correct. We need the tech. Now that the invaders have seen we are working with the humans, they may come back with greater forces.

As Fallon squeezes my hand, I feel the conflict in me once more, a heaviness that wants to take over. We need the technology. I acknowledge that, admit it. But it may also be the very thing that separates Fallon and me in the future.

I look down at her beloved face, at the light in her eyes as the conversation veers away from the serious topics again and Lanie starts to regale us with kedi stories.

"...and when I woke up, the stuff was everywhere! With Spock in the corner, looking like the cat that stole the canary!"

Fallon laughs, and I take a moment to simply absorb this scene. Absorb her and the easy affection she displays towards me. Now that I have it, that I have her this close to me, not just physically but mentally and emotionally...

My hand tightens on hers. She gives me another smile, shifting to be closer still.

I know that losing her would break me, break me in a way I have not yet experienced.