Nitha made a step toward Finn while he made one back to the door, holding himself up at its frame; his legs felt like two Jenga towers on the verge of collapsing.

"You look good," said Nitha rather glumly. Her voice was so real, and yet—

"I'm dreaming," Finn muttered to himself. His agape eyes fixed on the azure blue bracelet on her wrist. He clawed his scalp, pulling his damp hair. He felt it; the water. And not just that, he could also smell the scent of the lake upon himself. He could smell the aroma of pines and woodruff around him, and of the turf and spruces. He could hear the birds chirping outside, and the leaves in the trees rustled. All of his senses were screaming at his brain, demanding an explanation, but there could only be one, and it was an extremely implausible one; "This is not a dream."

The wood creaked when Nitha made another step. Finn's eyes shot back up at her face. The sunbeams drizzling through the window behind her blessed her with a heavenly halo. She looked pale but beautiful like the day he lost her.

His heart could scarcely bear her looks, for it poured painful memories over him. From her eyes, to her nose and lips, she looked gorgeous, making Finn all the more confused about the possibilities of it being a dream.

"Happy birthday," she said, and he shivered at the touch of her hand.

While shaking his head in denial, Finn stuttered, "Y—you—uh, how? How are you here?"

"Your father. He sent me here to talk to you."

"My—" Words decayed in his mouth and were carried by his straggled breath, "Father? Mine?"

"Yes. Christopher," she nodded and stood now close enough for him to smell the fragrance of her perfume. It was the same she wore six months ago; exotic and dewy, like a tropical morning breeze.

"He sent you?" Finn breathed. Barely. "I don't—I don't under——understand."

"KSP knows what you're up to, you have to stop looking for the lost ship. You're putting us all in danger."

"Wha—huh?" he sought to seat himself, but Nitha was blocking the way and Finn found no strength to move or even touch her.

"You know why, right?"

"Why? Know what? Nitha, I—Are you real?"

"Pull yourself together, Finn. We don't have much time."

He did not recognize his own name in the sounds of her voice. Finn could merely open his mouth, only to leave it frozen at that. He swallowed the crippled thoughts he had managed to form with the little sense for sanity left in his head. He wanted to throw up, but his stomach was knotted up, just like his mind and heart. Everything was tangled in pain.

Finn's huge eyes dove down to his hand, still held by Nitha. He jerked it away from her grip with such energy that his knuckles slammed into the wall. He had pressed his back against the planks to find a distance to the ghost he saw standing before him.

"I spoke at your funeral," Finn said to her, gaining confidence in the belief that he was not imagining things. Her sudden appearance was real, he felt sure of it. It was in every way distinguishable from the dream he once had.

"You always knew I wasn't really gone," she said, seeking to hold his hand again. He tried to back up, but he was stuck between the wall and Nitha.

"Nitha," he shook his head again. "I was given hateful looks whenever I asserted that you are still alive."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that. No one was supposed to know."

"Know what? That everyone on A154 survived?" Finn raised his voice, unable to control his emotions. "Hundreds of people shed tears for a lie! A lie! And for what? I don't understand the world anymore."

"Wait," Nitha retreated, giving him the space he sought. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" he said angrily.

"You really don't," a smile appeared on her lips, her blue eyes, however, were as stale as the air that Finn was trying to inhale. "KSP thinks you have it all figured out. Did you even find the bunker? Or did Arrakis lie about that too?"

Finn felt the ground beneath his feet falling apart. The cabin seemed to be whirling. He clutched tighter to the door frame and found some balance. "Arrakis?" His head swirled like a whirlwind. "You—know—Arrakis?"

"I wouldn't say I know him. I think I saw him on the rocket when—"

"On the rocket?" Finn interrupted in a loud gasp, "He's here? You brought him here? He's dangerous!"

"We know," said Nitha, trying to soothe Finn with her hand, but he was willing to hit his elbow on the wall behind him to prevent a touch from her. She did not let it irritate her and continued, "He was locked up. I'm pretty sure he's going to Pluviam5A3. You know, to—to pay. I heard about the execution, what he wanted to do to you. How's your shoulder?"

She raised her hand to move his hood and see the wound, but Finn dodged and moved away to the center of the room. "My father!" Only then did he truly comprehend her mentioning Christopher, "He's okay?"

"Yes, he's doing alright."

"He's in Westlake?"

"No. He's still in Payden. He needs more time to heal."

Finn nodded unintentionally. "That's good. Very good. He must take it slow."

"Finn, we need to talk."

"I can't believe you're here."

"It's good to see you too," she smiled. He did not. "But we really have to talk about Asgard."

"Asgard? The space station?"

"What else?"

"What about it?" he asked, curious to know if Earth had to do with it all as well.

"You know——the threats." Finn looked more confused than before. She added, "The contract." But his furrowed brows remained stiff and rigid. "Asgard threatened to destroy Kepler."

"I'm sorry, I think I'm having a stroke. I have no clue what you're talking about."

Finn dropped rearward into the sofa chair, flakes of dust particles flew through the air, breaking the stream of sunlight. He pushed his hair up. Was it Nitha's resurrection or the fact that Asgard was a threat that made him sick and cold.

"Finn, listen to me, Asgard threatened Kepler. You didn't know that?"

"The space station? They threatened—us?" he asked and Nitha nodded impatiently. "They left our solar system hundreds of years ago. Why would they be threatening Kepler?"

He wanted to mention Earth, but it felt so surreal and absurd that he could not bring himself to asking her. When Nitha continued her speech, he felt glad that he had not ask his naive question.

"Asgard came back. They never found another survivable planet and wanted to return to Kepler, but the government didn't let them."

"Those poor people have been locked in the space station? All this time?" Finn felt dizzy even in the chair.

"Yes, for centuries. And they wanted to return to Kepler, did you hear me?"

"Why would the government disapprove? I'd want to come to Kepler, too, if I were locked in a titanium cell with the same view day after day, night after night." Finn's talk turned into a whisper of mumbled words. "Titanium cell—" and then he remembered, "cell!" Finn ripped his eyes open. "Who sent the signal from the cell? Nitha, I found a signal from a rescue cell! Was it you?"

She shook her head. "It wasn't me. How did you even get a signal? They made sure that the nearest space station could not receive a signal."

"The nearest station was on Pluviam?"

"No, Boreas. A154 didn't go near Pluviam."

"But Pluviam's system was destroyed, too! Someone needed help! What if someone still needs help?" Guilt wrung out Finn's conscience like a wet towel, ridding it of any innocence he had considered exempted by the faults for another death. Or perhaps the only death. Regret took his conscience's place. "I should have told KSP about the signal when I found it. If it wasn't a rescue cell from the lost ship, someone else needed help, but the call never reached the nearest station, because that was most likely Pluviam. What have I done?"

"Asgard was the one to send the signal you found. And KSP tried to help, but the government destroyed Pluviam's system to keep this stuff a secret. Kepler wasn't the only planet they tried to enter. But no one gave permission for them to land. Asgard never wanted to use threats, but when they saw no other solution, their desire to live like us just pushed them to do horrible things."

"So they kidnapped our people?"

"What? No. That was KSP."

"Why would KSP lock you guys up and lie to the world. It's wrong."

"They did it to protect us." Nitha paused and awkwardly said, "This is weird, we thought you knew about everything, but you don't seem to know anything. It's actually good that you don't. Just stop searching for the ship, and don't tell anyone that the passengers are alive. You'd kill us all. And by all, I mean all. Everyone on Kepler. Promise me, Finn."

"I have way too many questions to make any promises right now."

"I guess I don't need your word. No one will believe you anyway," she sneered.

"Hey!" Finn shot up from the chair as Nitha was about to exit the cabin. "Don't leave!"

"Oh honey, haven't we been there already?"