The Game

Both skiffs have an operational grappling hook launcher. It is a kind of harpoon gun with 100 feet of spidersilk rope and a winching mechanism that would allow for reeling in the thing you hook onto, or reeling yourself closer to it if it was a larger object. Ideal for anchoring onto something for boarding actions. It has a manual triggering mechanism, but you could extend that to a remote place, such as the bridge.

Aleksander explains the limitations of their ghost form.

"Alas, the ritual has bound us to The Aurora. Necromancy, like all magic, has rules. Ghosts cannot exist without a physical anchor point to "haunt" as we called in less enlightened times. It was our theory that we could travel to the stars safe from the damage of Siberys radiation if we went as ghosts andwith a crew of undead, our fragile bodies suspended just beyond life. Even our ship's systems are immune to overloading from radiation as runs solely on negative energy. We could have sailed right up to the ring and filled it to the brim with Siberys shards. Despite our theories and preparations we did not anticipate such strong foes would be waiting for us."

L0-C0 chimes:

"Hi boss! Looks like we are all attuned! Enjoy accessing these new knowledge and language libraries! Also magic!

"Is it possible? None of this was possible even two years ago, so it is hard to say if what you propose is possible. But, I have no idea how to do it."

L0-C0 responds: "Sure thing, I'm ready for your update."

Aleksander considers the both ideas.

"You must both understand, ghosts are not anchored to things - they are anchored to places. Brush, what you propose may be possible temporarily, but I am uncomfortable with putting you in so much danger. And Tamara, although the Heart is an important part of the ritual, we haunt The Aurora. The supernatural does not always operate logically, but its rules are no less firm."

Tamara thinks this over. If ghosts haunt places, then the manifest zone between Mabar and the Aurora is as much the place they haunt as the ship itself. Transferring the Dark Heart to The Way could move the manifest zone onto the ship. There is considerable danger however; the Endless Night ever seeks to devour, and transferring the Dark Heart between ships could destabilize it. In the worst case, it could consume both ships and forever trap them in Mabar.

Brush also considers Aleksander's words. With a large enough Siberys shard, he is confident he could hold the Karrnathi ghosts within his life force. For how long, and at what cost is still not certain. Worst case, all four of you could be lost in an eternity of drifting between life and death.

THE SIBERYS SHARD

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B-9, Warp X, and Whispers board the skiff and guide the nimble craft over the edge of the asteroid and point it straight at the luminous, golden sea that is the Ring of Siberys, one mile below them. As they descend, they see the effects of the increasing Siberys radiation manifest. Their skiff's crysteel frame is actually growing - fractal crystal patterns emerge on its surface at random, and begin to spiral outward. The skiffs compass that points to the Riedran's cloaked Star Temple is rattling in its glass orb. It, too, is mutating. New magical geometries are orbiting the orb as the spells enchanting it are rewritten. A small image of the Star Temple is forming, although glitchy:It stands to reason that similar effects may be happening within yourselves as well. Any plan to dampen the radiation exposure must happen now or it will be too late.

THE HEART OF DARKNESS

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Meanwhile, Brush and Tamara begin prepping The Way to transport the Heart. Clearing out just about everything in the cargo bay, even B-9's infirmary, they make enough room to place the Binding Circle. Tamara is one of the few people outside of the Gnomish lands of Zilargo to learn the secrets of elemental binding, and she uses these techniques to repurpose the elemental binders on The Way for the task at hand. Brush's assistance and his divine magic is invaluable.