Better, Gluneria thought. She had promised Kaari someplace better. Maybe this was better than oblivion, but it certainly didn't feel like it. Kaari continued to tremble in her arms as the Antiquity Archives inserted itself into different dream. It felt bad, not quite ready to collapse but certainly something was very, very wrong. Glue didn't want to look outside, but... best to get this over with.

Almost mechanically Kaari got up with her, as the Fluff Empress's computer beeped warnings. The sky was dark outside the walls of the Archives' courtyard, menacingly so. It wasn't until they passed the wall that it really hit them just how... off this dream was. Though, dream might not be a proper term for this anymore, there didn't seem any light left save what the Archives could provide.

It would be much better termed a nightmare. Consumed by horror, pain, and fear, this dream didn't have any hope or joy of its own coursing through it. Glue swallowed the lump in her throat as the energies of the dream rumbled around her. Maybe Kaari wouldn't understand exactly what was going on, after all places like this were just textbook theory to her up until this moment, a note on causes of dream collapse. Certainly not someplace that cadets were ever prepared to go...

"Come on, let's go back to the Empress," Glue said, petting her own cheek to assure herself that was the right course, "There's... things to do." The computer was surely complaining that there was no in-dream communication line, to start of with. As she got to the console, that wasn't all that was stacked against them. No comm signal, no gate energy trace, abnormal energy fluctuations... Glue had seen the first two plenty of times before, being the first Dreamspinner in a dream. The last was more of a worry to her, as it suggested that this dream wouldn't be around long either.

Kaari finally spoke up, "There's... nothing here? Not even a way home? What... I..."

"We're here, Kaari. So are the Archives, and we can hole up. Stay right here," Glue tried reassuring her.

"I... I should... Mother told me to come home. I... I disobeyed, and... now... I..." Kaari went quiet.

Shit, Gluneria thought, and tried to give Kaari a hug. The younger Dreamspinner was already well in the process of curling up into a ball with her tails. Still, she did what she could to reassure her friend. Could she call Kaari that, even? Maybe charge was a better term, but Glue didn't see herself as the particularly nurturing type. Maybe she should make cookies, the Empress still had a good store onboard, and Dreamspinners could survive on dream energies alone, so it wasn't too worrysome...

"You're here, though. Still alive. We'll make contact, get a gatefinder to the gate... you ever get training on that?"

Her only response was a quiet mrff from the ball of pale purple fur. For a few moments, at least, until a yellow-topped nose poked out from under a tail, "Yes. My family..." she paused, focusing herself. Glue could tell that the girl wanted to be useful, to cling to something, anything. Trying to pull herself out from the attack.... "well, parts of my family are responsible for making them."

"And of course I have a few on board. We're going to launch them," Glue paused... taking a breath, "All of them."

"Uh.."

"The Empress's computer can't get a direction for the gate. At all."

"So they'll..." Kaari paused. None of her Academy training had covered this, she'd learned it from the techs. Mother didn't like her talking to the plainer parts of the family... Glue wasn't Mother, "They'll have to network and hunt for a pattern. One that's likely weak, a closed gate. Maybe never opened even."

Glue followed Kaari to the front of the Fluff Empress, beyond the "mission module" that served as enlarged quarters, living area, and computer housing. Into the aircraft's proper body, past the more spartan bed and kitchenette, the primary computer system, and to the drone bay just behind the pilot compartment. A few finger strokes brought up the inventory... The Fluff Empress was carrying six Gatefinders, far more than usual for a solo adventurer, Kaari thought as her finger traced her count.

"I know. I'm used to doing this by now," Glue added, seeing Kaari's thoughts as the still unsteady Dreamspinner the information the Empress was giving her. She could see Kaari taking inventory of how much space in her drone bays Glue kept for each type of drone. She knew that most adventurers would have more recon drones than she did... but this was a setup that worked for her, and gave her more peace of mind. Besides, the interesting one was still to come.

"What's a Gaterunner?" Kaari paused, looking at a drone that took up perhaps three, maybe four times as much space as any of the other drones in the bay.

"That's... an alternate branch for the Dill Gatefinders. Based off the same basic reconnaissance drone concept, but with different optimizations."

"Optimizations?" Kaari was already peering at its specs, "It looks like someone took a recon drone and made it bigger, doubled the energy displacer's volume, crammed... how did they even wedge that in there anyhow? Why?"

"Stereoscopic sensor suite, high gain. Helps isolate any energy peaks while reducing ambient noise." Glue explained.

"I meant the combat laser."

"Oh. That. Yeah. This thing was designed to fend for itself. The antigrav emitters are designed to also function as a gravitic focus for the beam emitter..."

"Why..."

Glue just pointed out the windshield with her left hand, as she keyed in her password to launch all her drones. Gatefinders zipped of into the distance, the Gaterunner made it's way more deliberately into the darkness, while still others assumed a stoic watch. If nightmares came, they would be ready.

Hopefully.