The Prophesy: Book 4 - Armageddon

 

The Atlanteans and Colibri stood perfectly still, detailing the strange creature standing across the stream, less then fifty feet from them. It was totally hairless, bald without even eyebrows. It was no more then three feet tall, but his face gave the impression of infinite age, with a sharp nose and numerous wrinkles, yet the body itself showed next to none, as if an adult head had been grafted on to a little boy's body, for it was a boy according to Atlantean and human definition, presenting all the external physical characteristics of the mammalian male. In fact, the presence of the umbilical scar and of the pair of small tits clearly placed it within the viviparous animals maybe even placental animals even if there was no formal proof it produced milk as mammals did. The other characteristic that stood out was the long earlobes that beat Edwin's pointy Elvin ears by a far margin. The body was light brown, clearly indicating an adaptation to the equatorial sun in progress. It stood vertically, legs spread to give a solid base to a plantigrade footing, arms spread away from the body, and hands open facing the ground, in a clear indication it was unarmed. The slightly protruding eyes watched them intently, unblinking. The mouth itself was closed and straight neither indicating a smile or a frown. The dentition seemed diminutive because the lips did not show any protrusion or sagging typical of prominent canines. The overall muscles showed strong short legs but rather weak arms, more typical of a four-year old then an adult in humans.

The Atlanteans, unsure of the nature of the life form, kept their mind closed, not wanting to flood the being if it was telepathic.

"Colibri, you lead in this case. You have less experience then we do with strange bipeds, but also a less heavy luggage to overcome on first contact," decided Ian.

Colibri understood that the Gods wanted him to establish the contact by mimics rather then verbal exchange, and that his long experience of it designed him for the task. He studied the strange being in front of him and after deciding it was trying to establish peaceful contact, he began his own dance.

His first gesture was to show he too was unarmed and that he was coming with peaceful intentions. He walked three steps ahead of Ian, opened both hands down, mimicking the open V placement of the fingers he saw the alien hold.

The alien answered by rotating his hands to show it did not hold anything hidden, to which Colibri answered in kind. Colibri then rotated on a single foot three hundred and sixty degrees, clearly showing he hid nothing behind and trusted the alien enough to present his back to him if only briefly.

The alien did the same gesture, acquiescing to the benevolence of Colibri.

"I need a gift, my lords," said Colibri gently.

Figure 3: The First Meeting with a Goblin

Ian created a perfectly formed and iridescent-white pearl of approximately three inches in diameter and ported it slowly in front of Colibri so he could grab it. Colibri had a better idea: he put his right hand right under the trajectory of the slowly descending pearl and waited for it to fall into his palm. Once he had it firmly in hand, Colibri extended his arm and showed the pearl to the strange being that had yet to emit a single word.

The being eyed the gift, then reproduced it to exact specifications and he too extended his right hand so Colibri could in effect take the reciprocal gift. Colibri knew the meaning this exchange had, but did the God know? Then they had trusted him with establishing contact; there would be time later to talk about the intricacies of diplomacy with God Ian.

Colibri gently extended his left hand, as did the visitor, and the exchange of gifts was completed.

"We have diplomatic contact and the exchange of gifts insures immunity for all involved until such time either party returns the gift exchanged. It would be a serious violation of protocol to do so." Colibri informed them. "I suggest we abide by the strictest diplomatic protocols, my lords. You saw as well as I they are magical beings".

"Should we open up telepathic links? If they have magic, they certainly have telepathic links," said Ian.

"Let's wait, my lord. Some might find it intrusive that you could read their minds, and gain access to their language without their consent."

"Colibri has a point, Ian. We are talking about a new form of life. Let's not start on the wrong foot."

"Ok, Edwin. But should we at least talk to each other that way?"

"Were you talking to each other that way before?" asked Colibri.

"That is how we established contact with you, remember?"

"Yes, but I mean, where you talking to each other that way before we met whatever we met?"

"I think Colibri wants to know if we talked between each other within range of that life form, Raja."

"I do not know. We were not very directive and broadcasted. We did not limit range either, at least not intentionally."

"You can direct thought to a specific individual? It's not like everyone can hear what you say, in all directions?" asked Colibri in wonder.

"Yes. We can do that, I can talk in private to Xianathan, and he can answer in kind; or he can broadcast and talk to each other like you do now to us. This is our preferred mode of communication, Colibri, because this is a team effort, and all members must be on the same page and know exactly what everyone else knows, for our safety, and yours little one."

Colibri knew better then to be offended by Raja's comment. He had seen him in dragon form and he knew with certainty that he was indeed a little one compared to the dragon. Even Xianathan's native form dwarfed the boy, and Edwin was considerably taller. The only ones he went overhead were Ian and Hildegard, the dwarf boy.

Their host made an indication with his hand inviting them to cross the stream and to follow. The arrangement of progress was slightly rearranged. First was the host, followed by Colibri, Hildegard, Ian, Edwin, and Xianathan and, closing the procession, Raja. Ian kept a hand on Colibri at all times.

"Why is that my lord?"

"In case you are unaware, there is a force field separating us from our guide, barely an inch in front of you. I'm making sure you won't hit it."

"That might be seen as a lack of trust, my lord."

"Maybe, but he has his own force field, and that too might be seen as a lack of trust in us. And I would not like to see the fireworks if the two force fields collided. It would be spectacular."

"Have you analysed its signature?"

"No, Edwin, I have not. He would detect this and it might be an even bigger breach of trust."

They progressed ever deeper in the valley, following a stream by walking in the middle, on round, slippery rocks. Then they climbed off the river to engage on a rock ledge that followed the riverbank for a short distance before turning resolutely toward the mountain and beginning to climb. The narrow path was entirely rock, and the boys had to crawl under low-lying branches to keep up with their guide. Finally, they emerged into an overhang that spanned a very narrow stream like a rocky arch. They had to climb on the arch, walk over the vertiginous drop, and then climb back down on the other side.

"That's one advanced drawbridge! Who would have thought this could be walked over!" said Edwin.

"Especially if you cannot fly. I'm surprised you did not get scared, Colibri."

"I was. There is a substantial difference between the watch tree and this, especially the crosswind. But I was sure one of you would keep me safe."

The rocky trail continued between a series of unstable boulders, and finally, the trail opened in an upper valley, after a delicate rope bridge let them cross over a fall.

"They sure care about safety. Given this planet's history with invaders, I'm not surprised," said Hildegard.

"Dad told me about the Dwarf Keep on the West Coast, Hildegard. I'm not surprised about your fascination with these defence structures."

"He has seen the Keep, Ian? It's now legend, you know. None of the younger ones have seen it, and even if I was born in it, I was too young to keep a memory of its appearance."

Beyond the rope bridge, the last shoulder of the mountain was walked around and the path came to an end abruptly. An arch of granite was cut out of the mountain's shoulder, an entrance to a tunnel. The boys followed the guide into it and emerged, a few minutes later, at the top of a monumental stairway. Below them was a magnificent valley, showing numerous structures, rivers, and pathways that were covered with hexagonal flagstones of basalt so tightly joined that not a single blade of grass could grow between them. In the distance was a monumental bridge that spanned the valley, bridging a dry riverbed.

Their guide began descending the stairs and they kept up with him. That staircase seemed to be endless, and rarely used, as the edges of its steps were sharp, and its granitic blocks showed no sign of wear and tear. It took an hour to reach the bottom of the stairs, and then the guide turned toward the dry riverbed. A few minutes later the boys found themselves walking on its wide, dry bed, and progressing toward the ever more impressive-looking double-deck arched bridge.

Figure 4: The 'Bridge'.

The group made its way rapidly across the dry river; walked under the bridge, and then their guide brought them to some natural steps on the bank. A quick hop and they were again following a paved road that combined stairs and steep climbs. After another hour of this strenuous exercise, the boys were getting tired and hungry, but their guide showed no sign of slowing down.

Ian materialised water jugs for everyone, but especially for Colibri, who gratefully drank the refreshing water. Their guide never even looked back to check on them. Finally, they reached another tunnel, and their guide entered it, turning quickly as soon as they had stepped inside, he released a lever and the massive door closed behind them. The Atlanteans' fine hearing revealed that the door was operated hydraulically. The guide then turned again and began walking without a sound. Only the thermal signature of their guide told them the way, and they quickly caught up with him.

In the total darkness, the guide began climbing steps as if it was daylight. Ian guided Colibri, who would have hurt himself at any moment were it not for the soft voice of the Atlantean telling him where to step. If their guide was surprised at their ability to move in darkness, he did not show any sign of it.

At the top of the landing, the guide again activated another hydraulically powered door. After passing it and letting his guests walk through he closed the door back, and then released another lever. A thunderous noise was heard from beyond the now closed door.

"He just flooded the passage," said Hildegard. "Good luck to any invader trying to follow them here."

The guide began walking away, always silent. The boys followed him immediately. The dark hallway seemed to be endless, but Ian and the Atlanteans knew they were in the core of the mountain. As they emerged into yet another valley, they saw a huge tumulus whose discoidal shape was way too regular to be of natural origin. All around the tumulus were fields of different plants, and they could see round lakes in layers, while the valley sides were cut in ever-smaller parcels of cultivated land as they climbed to the assault of the mountains encircling the small valley on all sides. The parcels' soil was held in place by granitic walls locked within each other like giant three-dimensional puzzles.

"We are getting near our destination, it seems. Let's keep up!" said Edwin.

Their guide brought them along a wide path that crossed the fields. This path showed frequent and intensive usage, as witnessed by the ruts that were beginning to show in some places on the flagstones.

"Ah, they know the wheel. That should not be a surprise given the doors we just crossed," said Ian.

They finally reached the tumulus. Once they had reached the end of the path, which ran around the base of the protuberance, their guide stopped and waited. They had yet to see anyone else. The only sounds that could be heard were birds, the rush of cascading water, and the wind in the trees.

***

Meanwhile, Colibri's genome was being worked on by the combined power of the six pyramids and Paschal's top-notch bio team. The plasmid was the first to be fully decoded.

Paschal was sitting in the simulator and watching the cellular modelling done by the combined power of the pyramids, trying to figure out what that plasmid changed to the metabolism of the hyper-mitochondria. The result was always the same: nothing.

The arrival of Colibri's tribe added another layer to the mystery. The genetic structure was also modified, and also presented thirty chromosomes. The plasmid was also present in every member of the tribe, along with the Cohen markers. Paschal had expected to have a subset of the tribe with one or the other, but for all to show their presence was strange indeed.

Paschal began doing comparative genetic mapping in an effort to figure out when both events occurred. Since the plasmid was smaller, he began by that bit of DNA. The result was shocking. There was no drift whatsoever. It seemed a mitochondrial virus had infected the entire tribe that same day. Dating the plasmid's insertion by drift was impossible under these results.

Paschal then resorted to analysing the four additional chromosomes that had been added alongside the Atlantean-Human chromosomes. Again, the shock was total: there, seven sets of four chromosomes were found, for a total of twenty-eight different chromosomes. What surprised the analysts was that each specific chromosome showed no drift, no crossing over with the human or Atlantean segments of the chromosomal set, and no crossover from one extra chromosome to the other. There were twenty-eight identical chromosomes. How could that be? Again the possibility of using genetic drift and gene translocation to measure elapsed time was discarded.

As Paschal and Harp were discussing the results with a couple of technicians and Harold, Francesca listened, trying to make sense of the data as well.

"It would seem that identical twins spread their genes, but even twins have genetic drift from one another. They are close, but never perfectly identical," she said.

"The only solution would be for a unique individual to implement his genes artificially in that population," said Harold.

"But that would mean splitting his chromosomes into seven quad sets and inserting them in-vitro in fertilised ovules before implementing the egg back in the carrier mother!" said Francesca, paling at the task.

"And I wonder why that tribe more than any other?" wondered Sitar, which had been listening in the background.

"From what we know, that tribe is highly isolationist. They probably interbred intensively, and refused any contact with external tribes other then to get slaves. The discovery of Colibri's genetic structure has all but stopped any attempt at rewriting their memory. It's too vital we gain as much knowledge as possible from them first to touch their memories. We are doing a systematic dump of their memories into memory cores for comparative analysis, from the youngest to the oldest. Hopefully, it will shed light on the oral history of that tribe, as well as understand the underpinning culture," Paschal told them.

"Did we lose any?"

"No, Harold, we are still processing the population from that last bunker, you know, the one where everyone was blind. We are barely at eleven percent of the total and they use all our resources for long-term treatment, exception made of Greywolf."

"Oh, dad, I forgot to mention that Yamato says he should be finished in a month marking the areas to transport from the African equatorial forest. He is asking we be available to boost the magic contingent."

"Harp, tell him he only needs to state when. How's that pup going with magic?"

"Greywolf's runt is runt no more. He is three times the size of his dad, and still growing, albeit at a smaller rate. If he is like wolves, he will reach adulthood and be ready to take his own pack. Sitar can better tell you how he is on military aspects of life, but on magic, he is everything we expected and more. He has bounded with a superb gold male dragonling, and is currently training him in flying and hunting, much to the pleasure of the nest mother. He has acquired shape-shifting like he was born to it, and had accrued over twenty species maps already."

"The Runt, as he likes to be called with some irony, is one heck of a nice addition to the army, dad. He already outruns every wolf except Timor when he is in that shape. He has an innate sense of strategy and command. I am going to suggest he get his officer's commission as soon as he reaches adulthood. The cadets look up to him and he is only enlisted as a cadet himself, without any rank whatsoever."

"What about the rank and file?"

"His dedication to his job and making sure everyone succeeds and survives training has earned him the respect of every species, including superior officers of the regular army. That suggestion for direct officer ranking comes from the cadets, the enlisted and the officers. And quite frankly, dad, I agree with them."

"What rank?"

"A Centurion, dad. He can bypass the Scout and Decurion stages; he has shown more then enough wits about him to get these under his belt from the start, having shown an immense talent at handling Decurion-level tasks, and standing in for a couple of Centurions with brio."

"Then so be it. But keep it quiet until he graduates. When will that be?"

"In four months. Just in time for Greywolf to pin the bars on his fur coat."

"Anyway, dad, it's getting late, and we need a clear mind to continue probing that mystery. I've left the Pyramids do some circuit-scratching overnight, maybe they will find a solution."

"Ok, Paschal. Boys, tomorrow comes early, and I too need to rest. Have a good night."

***

Samson, Diamondcutter, and Bjorn had decided to take the day off from their duty on the Privy Council and explore together the innards of Thebes. The three companions had been working day in day out without pause, and all three showed traces of the stress. Their first visit was to the Gold Dragon king, to pay him homage. Amongst all of the Royals, he had paid the highest price so far and they thought he deserved their first visit.

After spending an hour with the dragons that visited their old king continuously, they moved off and made their way to the Pterodactyls. There, they observed the dinosaurs' behaviour and Samson was fascinated by the delicate attention the big beasts lavished on their young. They met with Enron as they were leaving, and exchanged pleasantries before parting ways.

The next visit was the tessaract reserved for the Equines, including the Centaurs, Pegasuses, and Unicorns. Its vast expense of lush meadows, green prairies, and occasional clumps of trees called to them for a quick picnic on the grass, which they took on a slight bump overlooking a narrow stream while watching Lord Agramon teach some basic herd tactics to a group of young Zebras and Unicorns, while Pegasuses played the role of offence from both ground and air in the distance.

Once they had talked to the Equine Lord, they moved off to visit the wolves and Greywolf's mate and family. Felicia was coming back from visiting Greywolf and was glad to meet more friends of her mate. By the end of the hour chat, the Runt walked in, his size totally taking the three visitors by surprise. They had heard of Ness' involvement with rearing the wolf pup, but they had clearly underestimated the result. The Runt, always the gracious host, shifted shape to dragon boy. That served two purposes: it let him talk to the three visitors and did not favour one species over the other. As vespers was upon them and dinner was due, he invited them to share his family's meal, which was graciously accepted by all parties. The other four pups made their way from training and headed off to wash up before dinner. The presence of the three royals made for a rather formal dinner in Greywolf's den, but the discussions were nonetheless lively and fun. The sharp intellect of the pups, especially the Runt, surprised the royals. Their insight into what was happening around them piqued their curiosity, and they kept probing them for their thoughts. Many comments said in passing stuck them for their clarity and sharpness. By the end of the meal, as the royals were leaving, Samson thanked them for the fun they had provided and the interesting discussion. Everyone was formally invited to the next meeting of the Privy Council, to be held the next month, as the last one had just concluded the day before.

"We will send you a formal convocations by canine mail tomorrow," said Diamondcutter. "Felicia, make sure you are around the den come sext."

"I had nothing planned tomorrow. What about my pups?"

"They will get their own convocation directly at their work."

As they made their way to the Royal suite, the three kings discussed what they had learned from the pups and Felicia.

"I plan to write down the entire exchange as soon as I reach my suite," said Samson. "Would you do the same?"

"Together?" asked Bjorn.

"No, I think we each had distinct discussions and heard different things. Let's write the reports separately and then, tomorrow morning, let's meet in the Privy Council at tierce to compare notes and see if other things we missed pop up. These discussions were lively, and I feel like I've been listening to an army of voices. I have eidetic memory but this was putting it to the test!"

"They sure hold Greywolf's standards high. The Wolf Lord is sharp and his pups and Felicia are too. I'm shocked."

"Why is that Diamondcutter? I, for one, am far from surprised. I've seen the progress my own people have made in the past few years. Are you aware that, for the first time in the history of the Trolls, we have a little one getting what they call a high school diploma, and with distinction at that? He wants to be a scientist! When I heard that, I almost broke a leg from slipping down into the den! The Wolves are benefiting from their status as full-fledged Atlanteans and it shows every day, much like it shows with my own people. The children play with each other, mindful to respect their differences without making these differences obstacles to exchange and fun. Fairies and Trolls share in everything from games to work, and admit with me our two species are diametrically different."

"I think I get where Bjorn is going with this line. This is another example of the Tessaract Effect. We live in one, and, if the adults have gained as much as they have, imagine the gain made by our youth. Their intellect is exploding, their magic as well, and they have become so close to each other they no longer refer to themselves by species but by the generic term Atlantean. I think that our Liege Lord is winning his wager. Bringing everyone under the Atlantean umbrella is paying off handsomely."

"I wonder what Ian finds so fascinating with Colibri? We met briefly during dinner and his mind seemed preoccupied by food and only food. He gave me the impression he was a food vacuum."

"Maybe it is the case when you starve all your life, Diamondcutter. I sure was focussed on it a lot before Sitar took care of my family!" replied Bjorn.

"It's a known fact that if you deprive someone of essentials, it becomes an obsession: water in the desert, sex in priests of old, and food in the case of Colibri and you, my friend," replied Samson.

***

Ian and his group looked at the strange biped, which stood still, unmoving.

"I think he is waiting for us to do something."

"I figured as much, Colibri, but what?"

"Ian, let me get closer. Remove the force field so I can move more freely."

"Ok. Anyway he has removed his own."

Colibri moved closer to the being and stood over, looking at the unblinking eyes questioningly. Finally, he placed his right hand up, the palm outside and the fingers stretched in a V form. The alien did the same and touched Colibri's hand gently. It was the first physical contact between the two since they had met earlier that day. The alien then moved to the side and pointed at the tumulus. Colibri understood he was asked to investigate the mound and he moved past the alien. After taking his time he turned to the Atlanteans.

"The only thing I see is this strange rock with a hand print in it. What should I do?"

"Put the proper hand matching the pattern and press on it. Be ready for anything, but under no circumstance remove your hand from there. That sounds so much like the Blue Pyramid's key its is uncanny," replied Ian.

"Ok. But you will have to tell me about that blue key you are talking about."

"Ok. Later. When we get back to Thebes."

Colibri pressed his right hand against the handprint. He felt a sting, but, mindful of Ian's admonition, he left his hand in place.

"I got stung by a bee!"

"No, it sampled your blood, it was a prick. This is blood magic."

"Should I remove my hand?"

"Not right away. There must be a signal telling us when to remove it."

"How about telling me about that blue key while we wait?"

Ian told Colibri about the giant pyramids, how he and Enron had opened the door to it, and what had transpired, skipping over the extensive and very private ordeal that led the first group to travel across six pyramids before gaining their full heritage. The story fascinated Colibri and he was impressed that the young boy had managed to survive a task fit for hardened men. But then Ian was a god, a young god, but a god nonetheless.

After fifteen minutes, a brick changed colour from its current dull grey to red.

"I wonder if it means I should remove my hand?"

"Probably. Before doing so, do you see anything else that strikes you as odd?"

"Well, there are seven polished stones set in a man-like shape. The one that turned red is on the right torso."

"Maybe it is time one of us take your place and see what happens."

Ian repeated the handshake with the alien before proceeding to take Colibri's place near the handprint. He pushed forward his Atlantean signature, while keeping his gold dragon boy form.

As he pressed his hand against the handprint, he too felt a small prick and waited for a change. Fifteen minutes later, another piece of the manlike figure turned red, the head. The boys had kept quiet for the duration. As soon as the piece turned red, Ian removed his hand, and invited with the eyes for Edwin to enter the first contact ritual. While they waited for the process to repeat itself for the Elf, Ian spoke to the others.

"In our culture, red means stop and green means to continue. Apparently this culture has reversed the coding. Maybe green has no meaning, even."

"And you assume they see the same range of colours we do, Ian," replied Edwin. "Remember how our perception of colours change when we go from one species to the other; we see far infrared while in dragon form, but lose ultraviolet; the wolves see all in gray; and I found out that I could tune my vision to see ultraviolet and even x-rays! It can be fun too! I figured it was one way king Thorsten could see faulty elements in Thebes. X-rays are pretty good at seeing micrometric cracks."

The wait resumed, and then it was the turn of Xianathan.

"We are lucky we aren't under attack. Imagine having to wait another hour to get in!" said Colibri.

"Apparently, the process is following its normal course. Our guide does not seem overly concerned."

Everyone had to admit the exactness of Xianathan's observation. The small alien showed no sign whatsoever of emotions. The ritual repeated again for Raja and Hildegard. Once the process was completed, the figure was all red except for a single triangle, the left torso one. Hildegard backed away, clearing the way for the alien. He too placed his right hand on the handprint and waited for the blood analysis to be completed. Fifteen minutes later, the entire figure was a deep bright red.

The alien then pressed on his triangle and gestured for the others to do the same. Each boy pressed on the triangle that his blood magic had changed and realised the triangle sank in. As the last triangle was pushed, the entire figure entered the wall. Deep from within came a gentle, deep purr.

"I didn't know we brought Spare Ribs with us!" said Ian, to the smile of the other Atlanteans.

"Who is Spare Ribs?" asked a curious Colibri.

"A pet sabre tooth leopard."

"What is that?"

"A big, and I mean big, cat, much, much bigger then the cats you are used to around here, with teeth to go with their size and appetite."

The purring came to a stop and the alien pushed gently into the thick vine cover that had grown on the tumulus. As he did so, the face of the tumulus backed away, opening into a dark tunnel. The alien passed his hand on the left side of the wall and bright light flooded the area immediately.

"That's a spaceship!" exclaimed Ian. "I was expecting this, but not that size! If I get this right, the tumulus is the spaceship!"

"I was expecting the tumulus to hide the spaceship too, but not that the tumulus was it!" exclaimed Edwin, as the alien walked inside, inviting them with a hand gesture to walk in.

The alien pressed on a lever and the door closed behind them. They were inside the spaceship and still not a single word had been exchanged with the alien.

"What now?"

"We follow him, my lord, I do not see any alternative," said Colibri as he saw their guide move away toward the centre of the spaceship, as the Gods had called this strange place.

The boys followed the alien and he began going down to the core of the ship. There, they found out that there were small oblong boxes, showing red light everywhere. For the first time, the alien's face changed expression, from flat to something else.

"I wonder if that means he is happy or sad?" asked Ian.

"I can't tell, my lord; of course if he was human we could try a guess. But he is calling us with his hand. Let's go see what these boxes are."

The boys made their way and peeked in the boxes. There, aligned neatly in twos, were carbon copies of the alien.

"Fascinating. These boxes are cryogenic chambers. We need Paschal and Harp to figure these out. But I see they put in external power, let's follow that maze of cables and see where they lead."

"Actually, I'll wait to call in the big artillery. Let's first see what this leads to," said Ian as he pointed to the cables.

The alien understood Ian's hand movement and took off along a hallway. The cables ran along it on both sides, tied together in huge bundles. As they progressed further in the tumulus, they became aware of a deep vibration that kept amplifying as they made their way behind the alien.

As they neared a double door, they could feel the ground shake, and hear a powerful rumble. The alien opened the door and their eardrums were assaulted by a very loud noise. There, at the bottom of the room, were giant turbines turning at full capacity!

Beyond the turbine was a drawing that showed red lights everywhere, and strange symbols.

"I get it! These turbines supply the energy to sustain the cryogenic chambers! And look at the side of that room! It's been torn open, leading directly to the rock face! Remember that riverbed we crossed, the dry one? I would bet my right hand its water was harnessed to feed this system, and that the bridge we saw is no bridge but a hydraulic supply system adding even more water to the flow."

"I understand that, Edwin, but where are the others? That alien could not have done everything alone. There must have been an entire colony!" Hildegard said.

"I think the colony is in stasis. For some reason, this guide was left as sole guardian of this repository," commented Xianathan.

"Or they died out and he is the sole survivor. The forest is unforgiving," Raja noted.

"My lords, I think it is time to open your mind. You have held back long enough. To continue would not lead to any more gain."

"Colibri is right. I'll go first. Keep your thoughts under control until I tell you otherwise."

Ian relaxed his barrage of down-to-the-moment thoughts and let himself open.

Feeling no mental probe, Ian extended his hand and waited. After a few seconds, he scanned the mental frequencies, and distinctly heard: «what does he want? That is not in the protocol.»

«To communicate.» replied Ian, hoping the answer would be caught.

«How come I hear you in my mind now and I did not hear you before? All I could sense were practical issues.»

«We are as circumspect of you as you are of us. We decided not to show all our capacities until we were sure of your intentions. That we could create object out of nothing should have given you some thought.»

«It did, but since quite a few of my own do not have telepathic powers, I figured none of you had these powers either.»

«Is there a place where we could rest and talk at the same time? This place is noisy!»

«Yes. Come. It is indeed noisy.»

The alien walked back out of the giant generation room, closed the door much to the comfort of the Atlanteans and Colibri, and then led them up several stairs to a hall that seemed to contain couches and tables.

"I am sorry, the couches are too small even for the smallest of you. This is the crew quarters."

Indeed, if the couches were just about the right length for Hildegard and Ian, they were way too narrow for either of them, clearly showing that these people were rather on the thin side.

"It's all right! Let us create comfortable couches along that far wall, and you can join us."

Ian didn't even move a finger to create the six Atlantean-sized couches and one for their host.

«How about telling us your story?» said Ian.

«I will bring the mental transfer to your range, Colibri. That alien is in the higher range and you have yet to reach that bandwidth.»

«Thank you, lord Raja, I was beginning to feel left out!»

«Our voyage began some five hundred million years ago. We left our planet to escape the attack of strange beings that could reduce our minds to slavery. We jumped from star to star, in the hope of escaping them, but they constantly found us everywhere we halted. Their hunt was relentless. Some two million or so orbits of this planet, they stopped and we thought we had managed to give them the slip. We were desperate to find a new home, as the shipboard resources were dwindling. We began the stasis project in order to reduce the load on the resources. By the time the project was ready, our situation was dire. We needed to replenish water, air, and repair the external shell of the disk, which had been damaged by repeated attacks from these ferocious hunters and by collision with drifting debris. We found a huge asteroid belt, some fifty thousand light years from here, and began the repairs, while extracting water and using the dying sun's rays to supply energy and split the water into its component oxygen and hydrogen. We were also using the solar energy to replenish our food supply, while maintaining the vast majority of our population in stasis. Unfortunately, the hunters found us again, and we had to leave in a hurry, before all the tasks were completed. Then, mysteriously, the attacks stopped some seventeen thousand years ago. We never did understand what happened, but we were aware it was only a reprieve. We were adrift in space, and too afraid to restart the slipstream drive, as it seemed to attract them. We drifted toward the core of the star island, and made some close encounters with them. They were running away from something, and we decided that anything they were running away from was good for us, so we used slipstream pulses to give our ship direction and inertia without giving them a way to pinpoint our position. A few picoseconds' burst was all we needed. The trip lasted a long time. Most of the crew went into cryogenic stasis, and only a few of us stayed to insure the maintenance and final guidance to the objective. Everything went well, and we managed to pinpoint this planet as the area from which they were running. It seemed strange, given our long-range sensors indicated nothing worthy of a mass exodus. It was rich, and teeming with life. Some seven thousand years ago, it glowed with gamma bursts, and we concluded that the planet had self-destroyed. We were sad, but it was now too late to change target. Our ship had dropped out of warp, and we could not restart the engines because of a mechanical failure that had ejected the slipstream core. It took us four thousand orbits of the planet to reach it, and it came as a surprise to us that it still teemed with life! Why had it been abandoned when it apparently held such a residual potential? To be honest, the problems we faced were more urgent then to find the answer to that question. We were nearing the planet, and control of the ship's trajectory was touch and go at best. As we came down in the atmosphere, we detected vast expanses of devastated areas, incompatible with living safely, but there were two areas that seemed to hold promise, this one and another one on the other side of the planet. This one was selected because it was easier to reach, being in the terminal area of our incoming trajectory. The landing was violent, rough, and the ion pulse thrusters exploded catastrophically, condemning this ship to the planet forever. Luckily, the auxiliary ion drive survived, but it would not last long without fresh supplies of energy. The skeleton crew decided to use a very primitive form of power, based on the flow of water along a gravity well, to supplement, and eventually replace the drive. It took us several years to build first the dam, and then change the path of another river to add more flow to the first one, and then to build the power central. The whole process was done over one hundred and fifty orbits. Then we began converting the power input for the stasis chambers so they could take this new source of energy. That took another fifty orbits.»

The alien gladly accepted a glass of water from Ian.

«We then began arranging this valley for our needs, in the hope of establishing a permanent colony. Things went well, and we began exploring the land outside. At first, the planet seemed deserted, but we quickly found otherwise. At first, we tried peaceful coexistence, but we soon found out that even trade did not prevent aggression. We decided to retire here and live on our own. As a last ditch effort, we established contact with a very strange group of people. They were no less aggressive then the others, but they had strange markers. We had seen those markers before and we hoped that the people that had left them would return someday. We decided to leave a hidden message within that tribe, and one day, some two thousand orbits ago, we went there, all five of us, and implemented our genes in them, four chromosomes each. We also implanted a lock so these genes would never express nor mutate, directly within another structure, that we knew was typical of these visitors of old.»

After another sip of water, the alien continued.

«As we were going back to our valley, one of us fell sick, and in his delirium projected an image of a strange animal. He had the four of us create an image of the animal in an igneous glass, and to give it the tribe we were going to cross the land of to reach our home. His instructions were very precise and we followed them to the letter. We gave that glass animal to the leader of the tribe, and brought him with us to the door of our valley. They were to guide the people that brought this animal to the entrance and leave, never to enter the land beyond.»

«That is strange. They told us they had met you before the Cataclysm?»

«If you define the Cataclysm as the eradication of life planet-wide by atomic weapons, they are off. But it is not surprising. It seems time does not follow the same rule for these people as it does for us. Events collide rapidly and become merged.»

«Yes, we noticed!»

«You said the skeleton crew was composed of five members? Were are the others?»

«They were placed in stasis. I am the only one left awake. The others got sick in time, and rather then die, they decided to go to sleep, in the hope that one day someone would find the cure for their strange sickness.»

«And you are not sick?»

«I am very tired, but no, I am not sick. I have adapted to this valley and its life forms, and I've learned the things I can eat and those I cannot.»

«I see. Talking about food and rest we need to eat and rest. Do you need to leave this ship to get food?"

«No, I can get some from the galley, but I do not know if it is fit for you. It has been in stasis for the past five hundred orbits.»

«Why so long?»

«I have been unable to re-enter the ship. This was a protection mechanism, should all except one, fall sick, get killed or captured. It also added additional protection, as it was the very delirious one that suggested we modify the door lock to recognize specific patterns none of us carried. His description of the pattern to look for was concise. It took us an orbit to do as he asked, and the task was completed well after he had been put into stasis. I have lived outside for the past five hundred orbits. I have learned to love this place, and its rich life. The flying ones are a joy to the ears and the eyes.»

«Let us eat, freshen up, and sleep. We have a lot still to discuss and I think a night's rest is required so our mind is clear.»

«That is one thing I had to adapt to. I had to change my biorhythm to take into account the night and day cycle of this planet. In space, we used to run on three cycles of the same duration. That was one of the hardest parts of adapting to this planet, and probably contributed to the stress of the crew.»

The Atlanteans and Colibri ate a hardy meal created from scratch by Ian, while their host went to the galley to get food he had not eaten in centuries. At first the Alien seemed to enjoy rediscovering his native food, but then, he pushed it away.

«This food is so disgusting after I have enjoyed this planet's variety. Could you make me some? I am unable to create edible food, even if I can create inanimate objects like the pearl I gave to you.»

«Certainly. We noticed bananas, pineapples, some coconut trees, and a wide variety of wild berries as we walked to get here. We have their genetic maps. Are all fruits edible for you?

«Yes. In fact, what you are eating would be fine. But I particularly like the big spheres that hang from these tall thin stalks.»

«I see a coconut tree in his mind,» said Hildegard.

«So do I. Here come a dozen coconuts.»

«These?» asked Ian after creating the fruits.

«Yes, but my tools are outside.»

«Hildegard?»

The dwarf took a gentle swing with the end of his axe, piercing the nut and letting the milk escape in a bowl. Once it was drained, the dwarf smashed the nut with a mighty punch of his closed fist.

«There you are. Enjoy the juice and the meat. I'll get a couple more ready for us.» Hildegard repeated the procedure for two more coconuts that the Atlanteans shared with Colibri.

***

The night passed quietly and by morning everyone was refreshed and ready for another day.

«It is now my turn to ask you about your origins. But first, I was expecting to see that animal with you?»

As they were in what must have been the ship's hood, there was ample space for Xianathan to shift shape, and he promptly did so, much to the surprise and amazement of the Alien.

«That species is called a Unicorn,» said Ian.

«And do all of you fit that shape?»

«If you mean our basal shape, the answer is no. Each of us represents a specific species. Colibri is the human one and is already in his native shape. Raja?»

Raja took the Dragon form, and impressed the Alien even more.

«This is a Dragon. Hildegard?»

Hildegard, although smaller, looked impressive with his barrel chest and very muscled body.

«That is a Dwarf. Edwin?»

Edwin's long, thin body and pointed ears fascinated the Alien as much as the Dragon did as he towered over him.

«Now, myself.»

The youthfulness of Ian was apparent, but what struck the Alien the most was the almost slender look Ian presented. Yet he projected physical strength that indicated a life outdoors and a lot of exercise. His strange irises, that kept changing colour, reminded the Alien of a long lost story that his people had carried over the stars in their fruitless effort to escape their enemies.

«Are you a Lenten, a long-lost space-faring people?»

«The name seemed to have suffered the pains of time. It is Atlantean. And yes, we were space-farers and will be going back to the stars shortly.»

«We met your people once, they told us we would meet again in our days of need. This is probably why we were so surprised to see your mark on these people, of all people. We hoped against all hope you would, one day, return to this place. They give us a genetic signature so we could identify you, whatever shape you took.»

«We were always here, hidden within the mass of humans, our genes biding their time to recombine. Now it has occurred and we are back.»

«The day has come of our needs. Will you honour the promise of old?»

«What is your need?»

«We wish to travel the stars again. We cannot live eternally on this planet. We get sick.»

«Especially since this planet is doomed by the mechanics of celestial body motion. In the name of Atlantis, I grant you alyssum, effective immediately. Let me contact our Architect, so he can prepare room for your people. By the way, how many are we talking about?»

«Twelve million of us are in stasis. Are you sure you can handle them?»

«It is a drop in the ocean for us. I figure you would need assistance to release those in stasis?»

«Yes.»

«Before we start on this, Ian, may we see the four members of the crew that got sick already? They should be ported to Thebes in priority for immediate medical attention.»

«Edwin's concern is correct. Please lead us to them, and I will ask Francesca and Prince Harp to report here immediately. I have already requested the appropriate space for your people in Thebes and Paschal has already set about constructing them living quarters as per the specifications I forwarded him.»

«You seem to have a lot of authority within that community.»

«I am the Heir to the Pharaoh, the king of Atlantis.»

Harp and Francesca appeared just as they were leaving the holds.

«What can we do for you?» asked Harp, surprised at the appearance of the Alien.

«I need your help to diagnose some members of his crew. It seems they caught a tropical disease.»

«Ok. Lead the way.»

The Alien brought them right to the bridge of the space ship. Five beds were placed in a circle along the outside of the hemisphere. Four were occupied, and the fifth was empty.

«These are our own stasis chambers. The same power grid that feeds the bulk of the stasis chambers also feeds them. Please have a look at my colleagues.»

It took a single glance for Francesca to understand the nature of the disease: smallpox!

«That disease is extremely virulent! Are you sure you do not have it?»

«I was slightly sick at the time they were, but I never developed the disease.»

«Francesca, he developed an immunity, or he happened to eat some plants that metabolised a natural protection against the infectious agent. Let's test the hypothesis by magic. If he has developed a natural immunity, he has antibodies; if it was an imported toxin, he did not,» said Harp.

It took ten minutes of magical scanning for Harp to come up with the answer: natural immunity.

«He is immunized. He is also immunized against quite a wide variety of tropical diseases, including malaria, dengue, yellow fever, and Ebola to name a few. You, sir, are a living encyclopaedia of tropical diseases!»

«What can you do for my colleagues?»

«Actually, in their current state, we can do nothing. But in Thebes, we have specialized stasis chambers. Given the extensive spread of the virus in their body, I would encourage Paschal to map their genome, rebuild a fresh body and imprint their neural pathways in the newly build brain, before destroying their current body, and the stasis chamber as well. A nice fall in the primary would solve the issue.»

«Is the process long?»

«If the reconstruction of Greywolf is any indication I say a year, or for your time frame, a planetary orbit.»

«I wish I could consult with someone, but unfortunately I am the only one of my people around. It therefore rests on my shoulder to decide, and I decide in favour of the procedure.»

«What name do your people give themselves?»

«The Goblins.»

«A last question, if you do not mind. Why do you not speak verbally?»

«The process is slow, conducive to errors in interpretation, and allows hiding the truth. We can, and our spoken language is rich, but we have taken to telepathic communication across the ship, as it did not require mechanical interventions.»

«Would you let us download your language?» asked Harp. «Not all of us are telepathic, and would benefit from verbal exchange at a later date.»

«I see no objection.»

«Harp, if they have spent a long time in cryogenic chambers, they will need reconstruction of body mass to be able to move on Earth. We should transfer the entire population in our own stasis chambers, and then start taking them out to short-term stasis for reconstruction of body mass.»

«I agree, Francesca. Before we port them, I will have Paschal examine the parameters her so the cryogenic chambers match and there is no transfer shock. Let's go back to Thebes to help him prepare the stasis chambers. The whole process will take some time, as we are now nearing the maximum capacity of the long-term stasis chambers. We will be releasing about thirty-three thousand chambers for use per day, given the progress we are doing with the blinds from the bunker. That gives three thousand places freed for them a month. Paschal had decided to order that priority be given to the children, since the adults are both slower to heal and require longer psychiatric treatment for reconditioning.»

«Let's just hope Yamato will not meet another Orc nest to save!»

«You worry too much guys! I've already added another cryogenic wing to the General hospital, containing an additional twenty-four million long-term cryogenic chambers. I believe in being prepared!» said Paschal.

«And what is the current power grid load?»

«It is at fifteen percent. We will have a lot to spare when we are ready to move our butts out of here. The addition of these stasis chambers barely registered on the total load. The next big jump will be when we activate the wide-area Tessaracts, and then we will be at twenty percent! Harp, I'm porting to your location; please report to Thorsten, he has found something you might be interested in.»

The Goblin, who identified himself as Rockhook, was astounded to hear a voice that seemed to come from a great distance.

«How far is that person identified as Paschal?»

«Right beside you, Rockhook,» said Paschal teasingly. "But I was three thousand five hundred miles away, or one-eight of the circumference of the planet. I asked Healer Francesca to come also, Ian.»