It turned almost midnight when the patrol drone returned to the ship, finding its way back from the thick of the forest and into the edge of the woods where we landed. As the drone approached, my goggles started getting the patrol feed which I fast forward to see if it found what we were looking for on Six Gate, a small Earth-like planet orbiting Tau Hydrae, a triple star system in the equatorial constellation of Hydra, 59 light-years from Earth, after a long 3 years journey from Python - my home planet and the nearest planet in this desolated corner of the galaxy.
The drone landed quietly and the onboard AI flashed a quick message over my googles view screen.
"We found her, Ser. 2 clicks north-east from our location" - together with the exact timeline pointer on the video feed recorder.
"I am carrying a message from the Hikaru, Ser" added the AI nonchalantly.
"A message??" I almost screamed back.
The drone found her sitting at a spinning wheel outside a wooden shack, the dim sunset light falling in a pool around her and casting long shadows around her. Strange-looking feathered birdlike creatures were walking calmly around her pecked by a massive tree, whose branches grew all above the clearing where a wooden shack stood, right by a small stream that flowed from the woods behind it. It all looked so calm and beautiful, almost dreamlike.
The drone approached the Hikaru slowly and the camera zoomed closer and closer to her. This footage will be worth a fortune when I get back home, no one has ever been able to get that close before to the reality shapeshifter before she simply vanishes to a parallel universe, away from reach ever again.
It's a child - I realized to my surprise. A young harmless-looking child wearing drab clothes and a strange-looking head scarf of some sort.
My heart was beating faster. If she can't see the drone approach, I might be able to get close enough for my stun gun to reach her. Bringing back the Hikaru with me means I will never have to risk my life on endless flights around the galaxy. Riches beyond imagination, and with it fame and glory on Python for the rest of my life.
The drone camera kept zooming in as the Hikaru lift her hand suddenly and pointed at the carving on the shack entrance door.
"Leave Now" was carved on the door top frame in large fine letters.
My heart skipped a beat. She was aware of the drone, and probably aware of me seeing her through the cam.
The drone zoomed back to the Hikaru, her face filling up the screen, and I found myself gazing into her strange eyes.
I thought of the many prisoners which I captured and delivered back on Python. Many had screamed or wept or begged to spare and free them. None had simply looked at me straight back as she did with that pure looking 10 years old child-like face, waiting dead calm for my decision.
