After reaching her private sleeping quarters, Maya closed the enormous mahogany doors behind her and slid [i]Capella[/i] through the bronze handle grips, thus barricading anyone from intruding. Now that she was in a safer location with her weapon nearby, she relaxed her shoulders. Somewhat nostalgically, she circled around her room, soaking in every detail. Her reflection in her vanity’s mirror caused her to stop, however. Her hair, which was once a brilliant white, appeared duller, verging on gray. Her eyes were bright, but tired. Numerous pink scars decorated her delicate skin, creating a map of the violence she had endured. She hardly recognized herself anymore. Exhaling sharply through her nostrils, Maya broke away from the mirror. 

	Not wanting to repeat her past mistake, Maya decided to pack some of her own clothes before embarking back to the ship. The generic clothing provided by the [i]Leviathan[/i] was enough to make a girl go mad. She flung open the doors to her walk-in closet, soaking in the beautiful array of exotic silks and lacy garments. She brushed her hand admiringly across rows and rows of fabric; she nearly cried at the sight of her shoe collection. There were definitely perks of being royalty that Maya missed dearly, and this was one of them. Grasping clothes by the handful, she shoved her favorite selections from her wardrobe into a cloth suitcase. With Paul in mind, she also packed a variety of delicate intimates. By the time Maya jammed five pairs of shoes into her bag, the seams were struggling to withhold all of the contents.  

	“Now, how do I get back to the [i]Leviathan[/i]…” Maya questioned herself as she heaved her suitcase onto her bed. It wasn’t as though she could hijack a space cruiser and zoom off into galaxies far away. The technology on her planet, while sophisticated in certain regards, was centuries away from space travel. Furthermore, it lacked the ability to even communicate with extraterrestrials. Her species, blinded by willful pride, didn’t even entertain the notion that there could be other intelligent lifeforms out there.  

[color=00aeef][i]Open a rift.[/i][/color] Andromeda stated matter-of-factly in the back of Maya's mind.

Maya groaned.

[i]You know I’ve only been able to do that twice successfully.[/i]

[color=00aeef][i]Successfully, nonetheless.[/i][/color]

	For countless months, Maya, under the instruction of Marcus, practiced relentlessly to achieve the skill of opening rifts. Rifts, which are akin to portals, act as shortcuts between two places. Like tectonic plates crashing together, a rift occurs as space folds and allows two points to touch. An Archon could activate a rift by imagining a specific location and thrusting their weapon downward, causing a tear in the fabric of space to take form. At first, Maya was only able to open dime-sized holes which she could only keep open for a few seconds. Over time, however, she managed to create and maintain larger and larger rifts. The act required not only physical endurance, but it was also psychologically taxing since undivided concentration was imperative to a successful rift opening. It was the mental equivalent of trying to balance on one foot on top of a quivering ball while juggling flaming swords. One slip of thought, and [b]boom[/b] the gateway closes, severing anything still suspended in-between. Maya recalled a time during training when she sneezed while holding a rift open; a steel bar that Marcus was holding into the rift was instantly sliced in half. She grimaced, knowing that she could be divided down her middle just as easily. 

	“Okay, Andromeda. As dubious as I am, I don’t have any other options,” Maya conceded, “Plus, I don’t even know if the others are still alive. They can’t rescue me if they are dead.”

[color=00aeef][i]You can do this. You are stronger than you know. Concentration is key. [/i][/color]

	The Water Archon retrieved [i]Capella[/i] from the doorway and then centered herself in the middle of her room. Maya closed her eyes, filled her lungs to capacity, and then slowly breathed out. She hoisted [i]Capella[/i] above her head. As she emptied her lungs, she emptied her mind. Once nothing but oblivion filled her skull, she envisioned her quarters onboard the [i]Leviathan[/i]. She was in a modest sized [url=http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100719075850/masseffect/images/6/6f/Normandy_SR2_Captains_Cabin.jpg]room[/url]. It wasn’t luxurious like the castle as it had a more pristine and sterile aura to it. The walls were paneled with various futuristic screens. The floor was bi-level as a short set of stairs led to a double bed clad with a gray comforter against the far wall.  A skylight above the bed revealed a black sky illuminated by thousands of burning stars. Maya mapped a mental framework of the area and fleshed it in with details until she felt like she was actually there. 

	With one fell swoop, Maya sliced her trident downward. The air rippled as reality peeled away before her very eyes. From her room in the castle, she was staring into her living quarters onboard the Leviathan. It was as though a fragment of an image had been torn from its origin and pasted upon another picture. While maintaining concentration, Maya chucked her suitcase through the portal. It skidded into her room, slamming into her bed. Feeling a little more confident, Maya followed quickly in pursuit. The sound of her footsteps changed tone as she shifted from the surface of a marble floor to the metal floor of the [i]Leviathan[/i]. And just like that, in a matter of just a few seconds, Maya traversed thousands of light years. The rift closed noiselessly behind her. Maya laughed, bubbling with pure satisfaction. Her heart was still fluttering, but she felt her apprehension and stress crumble away. 

	[i]Now, to see if there is anyone onboard,[/i] she thought ominously to herself. Questions infiltrated her mind that she was hesitant to find out the answers to.  Exiting her room, Maya made a beeline for Paul’s room across the hallway. Empty. Her stomach sank. That doesn’t prove or mean anything, she consoled herself. Next, she headed towards the bridge of the ship, hoping to find Marcus sitting casually at the command chair. The [i]Leviathan[/i] was strangely empty, like a hollow shell of a corpse. The silence was deafening. Maya picked up her pace, her royal garments flowing like a comet’s tail behind her. Finally, she made it to the bridge just as two figures appeared.
 
“Why, hello boys,” Maya greeted in relief. She rushed to embrace Paul, throwing her arms around his neck.