Page 63 of Lunar Bound
"The signal is weak," Lunar acknowledged. He felt his friend’s worry over Dani.
After everything they had sacrificed to return, failure was unacceptable. Lunar moved closer to the beacon, allowing more of his shadow essence to flow into its systems, boosting its output.
"What are you doing?" Solar asked, noting the change in Lunar's energy pattern.
"Enhancing transmission power," Lunar explained. "My shadow essence can be converted to electromagnetic energy if properly modulated."
"That will delay your recovery," Solar warned.
"Acceptable cost," Lunar replied simply, glancing at Dani.
The memory of Poppy's face filled him. Just the thought of her could sustain him. He would drain his essence to nothing if it meant a chance at seeing her again.
The enhanced signal pulsed outward, crossing the distance to Earth in an instant. Lunar maintained the connection, his essence growing weaker as more energy transferred to the beacon.
"Conserve yourself," Solar demanded. "We may need your shadow-walking abilities to reach Earth if rescue doesn't come."
"Shadow-walking across such a vacuum would require more energy than I currently possess," Lunar admitted. "This is our optimal strategy."
Dani, who had been examining the lunar landscape through a viewport, suddenly pointed skyward. "Something's happening."
A distortion appeared in the space above their crater, a ripple in reality that reminded Lunar of the dimensional fold they had survived. But this was different, smaller, and more controlled.
"It's a targeted dimensional bridge," Solar observed, his light pulsing with surprise. "But who?—"
The distortion stabilized, forming a small portal through which they could see Earth's blue atmosphere. A familiar voice crackled through their damaged communication system. "Lunar? Solar? Are you receiving this transmission?"
"Pudding?” Lunar identified. His essence rippled with what might have been relief, except for the fact Harris was not the hero he’d been hoping for.
"Dani is with us. Can you extract all of us?" Solar asked. He shared a worried look with Lunar.
“Yes?” Harris replied.
“This is not optimal,” Lunar stated.
“We can’t stay here,” Dani whispered, reaching for Solar. She breathed heavily, as if her lungs struggled to pull in enough oxygen.
“Can you extract Dani safely?” Solar demanded.
"What are you doing on the moon? We sent you specific coordinates.” Gary’s voice replaced Harris’. “I want it on record that this is not our fault. You crashed that ship all on your own.”
“Answer me,” Solar yelled. “Or I swear I’ll set fire to?—”
“Your ship is damaged. The bridge is unstable," Gary rushed. “We can maintain it long enough for transit, but there's a significant risk of energy dispersal during the crossing."
"Meaning?" Dani prompted.
“Boom and poof,” Harris answered. “Big mess.”
"Your physical forms might not fully reconstitute on the other side," Gary clarified.
“Perfect,” Dani muttered. Her head dipped forward, and she stopped talking.
“All must travel together if this is going to work,” Bob said. “We need to act.”
“What do you think? Do you have the reserves left to make it?” Solar asked, though they all knew there wasn’t much of a choice.
Lunar gave another meaningful look to Dani. This was her best chance. She wouldn’t survive much longer without air. If it were Poppy, he’d hope Solar would make the same sacrifice.
