Galyn originally didn’t want to interrupt, but he had been watching Arkay work for a while now, and he was pretty sure that the little Decayling was in need of a break. Arkay had been cautiously and repeatedly measuring various distances and making all sorts of calculations, yet he didn’t seem to be making much progress on whatever he was working on. So the least Galyn could do was step in and offer some help.
“You seem to be struggling. Do you need assistance?”
Arkay looked up from the navigation panel. He blinked his pretty, golden eyes a couple of times, trying to focus on the large green and silver blur that was talking to him.
“I… I don’t know…”
“May I ask what you are doing?”
“I’m… uh…” Arkay fumbled over his words, as if he was embarrassed. “Uh… I am trying to work out the quickest route home. In case I ever need to go back.”
“You mean, back to your old universe?”
Arkay nodded. He seemed more upset than embarrassed. “Yeah… Makes me… seem ungrateful… but I feel like I should be able to go back there. Like I might need to in the future.”
Galyn shrugged, then pulled out a chair and sat down next to Arkay. “May I ask why?”
“Are you upset with me?”
“No, no…” Galyn shook his head. “I am not upset. I am just curious. You described your old universe as a hell-hole you hated and would never willingly go back to. Yet here you are, trying to find the fastest route home, should you need it.”
Arkay closed his eyes and sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I hated the assholes who constantly tried to manipulate and control and hurt me. The other deities I lived with deserve whatever agony comes their way. Or, at least, Kenon and Kinisis do. Everyone else though? Most beings there are mortal. They’re just trying to live peaceful lives. It would be… really unfair of me to let them suffer. Even if I keep on telling myself that I’m done with that stupid universe.”
With another sigh, Arkay turned back to the table and went back to work. Galyn left Arkay to his work for a moment, mulling over Arkay’s words. After some thought, Galyn got up, and asked Arkay to join him.
“Come with me.”
“Why?”
“I have a… solution to your problem.”
Galyn led Arkay down the main corridor, all the way down to the cargo bay. He took Arkay to the furthest corner of the room, moving some crates and boxes out of the way and revealing about two dozen large, glass capsules. At least, large compared to Arkay. At a push, Galyn could have squeezed inside one, but the capsules would have made for a cosy sleeping place for Arkay.
Confused, Arkay looked up to Galyn, patiently waiting for an explanation. “What are those?”
“Instantaneous teleportation pods. Normally instantaneous teleportation is incredibly dangerous, as you risk travelling through other universes and disrupting their inbuilt laws of physics. They are also very expensive to maintain and are normally only used in emergencies. That being said, because there are only four of us onboard now, I think an exception can be made.”
“I… I don’t follow.”
Galyn smiled a little. “I would prefer that we keep most of these emergency pods intact. But, should you need to suddenly return home for an emergency of your own, well, I shall allow you to use a couple of these pods. To get back home and save your universe, if you so desire.”
Arkay glanced at the capsules, then turned back to Galyn, his eyes having lit up with realization.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“But… why?”
The Decay Lord tilted his head to one side, looking down at the sweet little Decayling. “You have a heart of gold and always worry about others. At times, even to your own detriment. I cannot help with that, but I can at least put your mind at ease just a little, by allowing you to use these capsules in an emergency.”
“That… does make me feel better…” Arkay smiled weakly. “Thank you…”
“No worries!” Galyn grinned as he led Arkay back to the ship proper. “Hopefully though, you will not ever need to use them…”