Elisabeth Sterck and Alara Fen sit at opposite sides of a long table. They are both visibly exhausted. Elisabeth reclines in her seat, drifting in and out of sleep. Alara rests her head in her hands, drumming her fingers on the table. In the center of the table stands a small device—a Habitability Detector. It emits a periodic sound.
Habitability Detector
*bzzt*
Time passes.
Habitability Detector
*bzzt*
Time passes.
Habitability Detector
*DING!*
Elisabeth and Alara push back their chairs and stand in unison. Elisabeth looks surprised.
Elisabeth Sterck
Alara—you know you're not—
Alara Fen
—not what? You think you've got it all figured out, don't you. Who, exactly, do you think I was doing this for?
Elisabeth Sterck
For us! For the future of alchemy!
Alara Fen
Not exactly.
Alara reaches into her pocket. There is a loud POP!
Alara Fen
Don't hurt her. Let's just get what we need and go.
Elisabeth Sterck
What? How did *you* get here? And how did they know what we were doing?
Alara Fen
The warp device isn't the only thing we designed. You're so focused on the flashy stuff, Elisabeth.
Elisabeth reaches for something under the table. Mikael Eltus raises a device of his own.
Mikael Eltus
Don't move a muscle.
Elisabeth Sterck
Ridiculous. This is an affront not only to my honor, but to the honor of all House van Bergen. You should be grateful! You could never have gotten here if not for me—if not for us!
Mikael Eltus
Get the coordinates and let's get out of here.
Elisabeth Sterck
That's it. I won't stand for this any more!
Elisabeth finds what she was reaching for. A flash of light, the now-familiar POP! of a warp device, and then darkness—
Time passes.
Alara wakes up, eyes blurry with light—light from a sky she's never seen before…