Jack finished the last page of the book and tossed it over the side of his bed into the trash. The nurse chose that moment to enter the room and wade through the blue protective rubber gloves Jack had blown up into balloons and left covering the floor. The glove-balloons bounced and skittered around the nurse’s feet, giving Jack an odd sense of satisfaction at having accomplished something truly important. The nurse bent and retrieved the book from the trash can. She read the title before setting the book on the bedside table. “I take it you’re not a fan of ontology?” “That was the dumbest book I’ve ever read,” said Jack. “It’s just a bunch of silly talk for the gullible and semi-intelligent with nothing better to do with their time.” “Don’t you think understanding the theory of objects and their relations is important?” Jack found the button to raise the back of his bed into a better sitting position and pushed it. The bed made a whirling sound as Jack was pushed up. “As it relates to physics, or quantum entanglement, or dimensional mathematics, or just plain common sense, yes. But that dribble is nothing but pseudoscience. Any Aeden caught spouting that nonsense would be exiled to the furthest colony world in the fringe, and hopefully never seen again.” The nurse smiled and wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Jack’s arm. “All books you might find here are property of the library, you can’t throw them away just because you don’t like them.” Jack rolled his eyes. “I’m doing the library a favor getting rid of that nonsense. So, when’s my surgery, I’ve been here three hours. I missed lunch.” We’re waiting for the surgeon that specializes in Aeden physiology to arrive, you’ll be staying over-night. Your surgery is scheduled for first thing in the morning.” The nurse finished the blood pressure test. “90 over 50, you have excellent blood pressure for an Aeden human, but your heartbeat is a little high at 25 beats per minute, our records say you should have a heartbeat of 20 beats per minute.” “I’ve been a little stressed,” said Jack. “Would you like something to relax you?” asked the nurse. “No, but another box of those gloves would be great, and maybe a roast beef sandwich.” “I think you have enough balloons, and you’re on a liquid diet until surgery. I’ll have some soup and gelatin sent up.” Jack waited until the nurse had left the room to throw his legs over the side of the bed and hop to the floor. He’d exhausted all the available options to amuse himself in the small windowless room. He wanted to explore the hospital. He kicked at the blue rubber-glove balloons to find his shoes. They hadn’t made him put on a hospital gown, though it was draped over the bathroom door for him to change into later. He found the shoes and slipped into the sole-worn remnants of the birthday present Tan had given him four months ago. Jack remembered that on the side of the box the shoes had come in was a boast that the shoes were ‘indestructible’. Maybe Tan could get his money back, if he didn’t mention that the shoes had traveled 190-billion light years, been to six planets, crossed a rip in time and space, and run across the Desert of the Land of the Dead. Jack heard a familiar chittering sound and jumped over the bed to crouch on the other side. He wildly whipped his head back and forth looking for something to use as a weapon against the large Eroden with brightly colored legs entering the room. Jack recognized the markings on the legs, they were so unique he’d know this Eroden anywhere – it was General Cluth. Jack stared over the hospital bed at the General, he barely fit through the door, and had shopping bags hung over his front legs by their handles that made the task of getting through the door even more difficult. The General looked like he’d just come from a shopping trip at the mall. “You tried to kidnap me!” said Jack. The General deposited the shopping bags on the bed while making that chittering sound that was the Eroden language. The device hung around his neck translated. “I heard you were in the hospital, I hope nothing too serious.” Jack was forced to stand as the shopping bags were now blocking his view. “So you thought I was vulnerable and came to finish me off?” The General started poking around inside the shopping bags with his lethally sharp front legs. “You wound me, Jack. I would never attack an injured soldier in a hospital. What a terrible thing to imply.” “What do you want?” “To visit my friend in the hospital and wish him a quick recovery. I wasn’t certain what a human might like, so I picked up a little bit of everything.” Jack glanced down into the shopping bags filled with puzzle books, games, toys, stuffed animals, and other worthless Knick-knacks. The General found what he was looking for and lifted out a multi-colored cube. “Look at this.” The translation device somehow reflected the General’s excitement. “It has moving sections along the x, y and z axis. Each side is split into nine sections that rotate independently along each axis. The lady at the Gift Shop says the idea is to get each side arranged to display a solid color – The General twisted the cube several times even further getting the colors mis-matched.” Jack reached out and snatched the toy from the General and twisted the sides until each side displayed a solid color. “It’s called a Rubik’s Cube,” said Jack, tossing the cube back to the General. “It was invented on one of the lesser human worlds.” General Cluth turned the cube over to verify it really had all the sides arranged correctly. “Amazing! This very well may be the greatest achievement of the Human species.” “You’ve got some low expectations if that thing fascinates you,” said Jack. “It’s probably the easiest puzzle there is to solve.” “Ah, but puzzles and games are very important, Jack, they can tell you much about the species that created the game.” “Apparently the Eroden like games a lot,” replied Jack. “You’ve been playing games with me since we met.” “You are in a foul mood, my friend,” said the General. “I’m not your friend,” said Jack. “Did you read the book I gave you?” asked the General. “No, I gave it to Jack 432, it’s his blood smeared across the pages, he should have it, he paid for it with his life.” The General held the puzzle cube up. “May I keep this?” “I can think of a lot of things you can do with it,” replied Jack. The General chittered a laugh. “You’re welcome.” Jack raised a brow in confusion. “For what?” “I have given you the answer you seek.” “You haven’t given me anything.” The General dropped the puzzle cube into a pouch at his side and backed up to the door. “Your theory about not being the last fragmented Jack is correct, but also not correct. You are not a warrior, and that you have proved many times over. It is in that knowledge that you have your answer.” “More silly riddles,” said Jack. “When we meet next on the field of battle, come to me with your blade sheathed and though I must kill you, I will spare Mara.” Jack stared at the General for a long moment before dropping his head in defeat. He knew he couldn’t beat the General, and even if he could, it would leave him as a broken fragment. It was destiny that he had to die before he could be whole again. “Swear it,” whispered Jack. “You should have read the book I gave you, foolish Dreamer.” The General backed out into the hall and disappeared around the corner. Jack could hear the clicking of his legs against the floor as the General walked down the hall. Jack swept the shopping bags of gifts onto the floor in anger. The nurse arrived in a rush only a moment later. “Oh my, I had no idea you had such important friends, it was so sweet of her to visit you in the hospital. I’ll be right back, I’m going to try to get her autograph, I’m such a fan, they say she’s the most beautiful Eroden Queen there’s ever been.” Jack stared at the nurse in confusion. “What?” But the nurse was gone before Jack could get an answer. He shoved his hand into his pocket and retrieved the library card and tapped on it. “Zilinth library ruins, Scholar’s location.” The apeirogon door opened onto the ruins he’d left a few hours ago. The other apeirogon door was still open with the librarian standing next to it. Scholar looked up from the Membership Contract he was reading. “Are you done with the surgery yet?” “Not yet, they’re waiting on the Aeden surgeon to arrive, probably tomorrow morning. Hey, most Erodens have black legs, is there some significance to an Eroden with color markings on its legs?” Warrior came around the edge of the door and peeked into the hospital room full of rubber-glove balloons on the floor. “You’ve been busy.” Warrior kicked at one of the balloons attempting to escape through the door. Scholar set the contract aside and stood. “Only female arachnids have color markings on their legs, and all female Erodens are queens.” “Then General Cluth is the Eroden Queen!” said Jack. “Are you sure, I thought he was a guy,” said Warrior. “Did you two read anything while you were in the library?” asked Scholar. Jack and Warrior both shrugged at the same time. Scholar shook his head. “You’ve got to be kidding, you two have been talking with an Eroden Queen and didn’t know it?” “What do you mean, ‘an Eroden Queen’?” asked Warrior. “The Eroden civilization is organized into colonies with one or two queens per colony. The Prime Queen lives on their home world in the Prime Colony. I thought you guys knew that.” Jack put his hand over his eyes in frustration. “General Cluth said he… I mean, she said she’s personally killed many of the Jacks, so she’s the queen we’ve been searching for. Crap, I can’t believe we missed that.” “It’s spilled milk,” said Warrior. “Where do we go from here?” “Do you have the book the General gave us?” “It’s in my tent.” “Okay, give the book to Scholar, I think General Cluth has been trying to tell us something and we’ve been too stupid to see it. Scholar, drop everything and read that book, I think the answer is in there.” Warrior stepped through the door and into the hospital room. He knelt and started shoving all the puzzle books, games, toys, and stuffed animals back into the bags. “What are you doing?” asked Jack. “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since we’ve had anything like a crossword puzzle, or a game? This is pure gold, and you obviously don’t want it. I’m going to pass this stuff out. See if you can find more stuff like this, and comic books, I miss comic books.” “I miss socks, and clean underwear,” said Scholar. “And toothbrushes, and shampoo,” said Warrior tossing the shopping bags through the door and heading into the bathroom. “I’ll go down to the gift shop and see what I can find,” said Jack. Warrior came back out of the bathroom holding a bar of soap to his nose. “Ohhhh… real soap, and there’s a real shower, and a real toilet in here, with toilet paper.” “Sir, if I may,” interrupted the librarian. “The Gift Shop has a limited supply and won’t allow a bulk sale like that. I can, however, arrange for a remote trade market to visit, but it requires a minimum purchase.” “Dreamer, pay the man whatever he wants,” said Warrior pulling the door shut to the bathroom. A moment later Jack could hear the shower running.” “Yes! Hot water!” shouted Warrior.