Galactica: Book 1 - Via Lactea

 

After returning the Foreman to his group Harold made his way to the Throne Room and the adjacent Council Chamber. He had to discuss the next step with Ian.

Down below, the Atlanteans busied themselves with cross-referencing two maps: the map of Marsupial settlements compared with the map of the Repositories of Knowledge. Paschal took control of the analysis from the start.

"Okay, From what I see, the Marsupials dispersed across the surface of the planet during the attack, trying to keep the Insects from discovering the Caves by making sure they did not congregate near their known locations. That makes strategic sense, since they knew they would need the contents of these caves should they ever kick the Insects’ butt off planet. Now that the Insects are out of the way, there is a migratory process that has those that survived and know the approximate whereabouts of a cave moving toward them. Again, that makes a lot of sense. So, if I take into account displacement, we can expect the Marsupials have managed to keep 890 or so cave locations hidden from the Insects but known to themselves. According to the mapping report from this Cave’s Computer, the Marsupials had managed to open about 1,140 caves before the Insects arrived. So the Marsupials lost the location of 250 caves. There are 50 times more caves, and as you can see from the numbers I mentioned, the vast majority have never been found. We know of them from Thebes’ sensor mapping."

"What is the plan?" asked Mark as he looked at the sheet on a wide table.

"We scrape the planet’s surface bare and move everything to Thebes, much like we did on the Earth and Atlantis One."

"Does that include the caves?"

"Yes. And when I mean we scrape, I mean what I say. By the time we are done, that planet will be devoid of life, of atmosphere, and if we can figure out what motivated our ancestors to colonise that planet, whatever vital mineral resource it might have. Harp, what can you do magically to help us figure out what brought the Atlanteans of old here in such a rush?"

"Apart from a scan, nothing much. But I think I shall enrol the Matriarch of the Seraphrims to sense the planet. Her long-range sensory capabilities are astounding."

"I never did understand how that worked," said Sitar.

"Apparently, she can sense minerals using what we call the 8^th resonance dimension. I have been trying to create an artificial ‘smelling machine’ but I have had no success. Maybe Paschal would have a better chance.

"Maybe I would, but we have other issues to resolve."

"I am off to the Matriarch Nest. Paschal, do the planning for the surface transfer into Tessaract 32, layer 12, section 14, subsection 18. Set the compression level to 9.9. Plan to take the entire crust of the planet. Whatever our ancestors wanted has to be in it."

"Ok, Harp. I am putting AI-6 on the task of mapping normal astronomical conditions for the surface."

"I shall be waiting for you on the Bridge," added Sitar.

***

Planet-side, the diplomatic mission looked at the map of the caves produced by the computer.

"This one!" decided Zen as he used his head to point to a dot on the floor map, "If I read the keying report, they are close to breaching the side-door. We need to be in it before they do."

"Can I accompany you?" asked the Foreman of the Mill.

"It is expected," said Mark. "Grab Zen, he will port you with him."

"Grab?" said a shaky Marsupial.

"Yes, grab. He does not have hands, but you do."

After distributing the work and transferring the authority to his second-in-command, the Foreman was ready. The tickling sensation of a port took him by surprise but he held tight to Zen.

«I am lucky my body is essentially muscles! He is so scared he would have crushed a hand!» said Zen as they materialised in the new cave.

"Let there be light!" ordered Timor, not a fan of dark places.

The cave light system powered up, revealing the contents of another Repository of Knowledge.

"Report on breaching efforts!" said Ovid, using ancient Atlantean.

"The secondary access door will be breached in 25 minutes, my Lord!" replied the cave’s computer.

"Where is the Repository catalogue?" asked Iridia.

"Follow the green arrows. It is within the central core."

"Foreman, you will stay with me and Zen to await the breach, near the door. The others will go to the catalogue room," said Timor. "I think size has its importance in making the others realise we are not pushovers. Iridia, do you mind transferring to Harold-Ian’s shoulder?"

"I will be carrying mom?" said the Fairy-Troll hybrid, beaming with pride.

"Yes and it is ‘I shall’, son. You are old enough to walk on your own and be responsible. Protect your mother, boy. Mark, please stay as well."

The Atlantean party split and the headed for their respective destination at a good pace.

"I wonder why we ported so far inside?" asked Ovid, as they were nearing the side-door.

"Safety reasons, my friend. It was the only clear area of the Repository I could detect: the floor map."

"Oh, Okay, Zen. I must admit it is packed tight. We can barely walk between the rows of boxes, machines, and what not. Ah, I see the wall. We are almost there."

"And just in time. According to my watch, we have been walking for 22 minutes," replied Timor.

A minute later, the door came into view, and they could see that the eight lights tracking the progress of the breach were almost all green. The last one was yellow, showing more green flashes as the solution was computed and confirmed. Timor sat on a big box, after lifting the Foreman, Ovid and Zen on adjacent boxes. Finally the solution was confirmed and the light turned a solid green, and a motor began pulling out the stops, composed of huge rods.

"I wonder how we shall be received."

"It depends on who comes in, my Lord. Workers will be surprised. Power-hungry jerks will we pissed," replied the Foreman.

Finally the door seal was released, and a deep hiss was heard due to the equalisation of atmospheric pressure. A group of Marsupials were busy pulling the door open slowly, surprised to see light inside. There had never been light in the caves before.

The first Marsupial to walk in was a tall red-furred one, and he looked around with surprise. At first, he did not see the Atlanteans and the other Marsupial sitting high up on a pile of crates.

"Hey there, cousin! I thought you had been killed!" said the Foreman, jumping off the crate he was sat on and landing right in front of his blood relative. "Your Mother will be pleased! She has been mourning your death for two years! Where have you been?"

The other Marsupial was shocked and jumped back in surprise.

"You? How in the Fires of a lava flow did you get in here? That place has been locked since the first days of the invasion! As for your question, I was left in charge of killing any invader that came near this cave, with about 150 members of our forces. The instructions were clear: no contact with anybody whatsoever. We have been in the wilds since the invasion began. Sadly, we lost many, but there was a constant flow of runaways to replace our losses. Of the original bunch, I am the sole survivor. I am glad this is over. I have seen enough blood and guts to last me a lifetime. I am tired of seeing young lives getting shortened by these horrors."

"The Insects, you mean?"

"Insects? What are Insects?"

"This is how the builders of these Repositories call them."

"What are you talking about? The Builders are long lost to history!"

"It is not so. They are back. It is they that put an end to that invasion by destroying the invaders’ home world and removing the threat from the sky."

"You talk like you have met them. Are you sure you have not eaten too much fermented fruits?"

"Hey, you are the one that rolled under the table and into the stream on your 21^th birthday, not me!"

"Do not remind me! I felt like someone was beating a bell in my head for I do not know how long!"

"Three days, and you puked your guts out. I must admit it was fun to run a bottle of fermented juice under your nose to wake you up! You kept puking every time we did that!"

"Fun for you! For me? It was another matter. You never did explain to me how you managed to out-drink me that day, you little..."

"I never heard water coloured with a drop of juice could make anyone drunk, Cousin!"

"But that is impossible! We took the bottles from the same box!"

"So, you do remember that. But you never did notice that the bottom of the bottles were marked: Alcohol in red, water in blue! I shook every bottle I took and checked the mark before opening it, giving you the red-marked ones!"

"You sneaky bastard!"

"Yes, that is me, and I am proud of it!"

"Now, let us get serious, my team and I have work to do. How did you get in here, really?"

"I told you. I met the Builders. They took me here."

"Oh, come on! Not again! Get over the joke!"

"He is not joking," said Ovid sweetly as he walked around the crate that had been hiding him from view.

"See? Here is one!"

"I thought they were much taller!"

"Oh there are some that are, believe me! From what I understand, this one, named Ovid, is a pre-teen."

"Timor, would you mind joining us?" asked Ovid, not looking in any particular direction.

Timor jumped off the pile of crates and landed near the Marsupial team leader with very little noise given his huge size.

"This is King Timor Troll, leader of his people, the Trolls. Around his neck is Zen King Cobra Snake, the King of the Snakes. We are all part of the Atlanteans, those that built these Repositories. Others are currently consulting the catalogue to check what was taken out and what is inside this Repository."

The task leader was stunned speechless, looking at Timor, Zen and Ovid in turn, and wondering if he had not taken too much beer again. His Cousin understood the body language, and kept laughing, much to his growing irritation.

"Stop laughing you dolt! You are giving me a headache!"

"Without the use of alcohol? That is a first!"

"That still does not explain how you got in here?"

"I do not know how, but your eyes are not cheating you, we were in before you breached the side-door."

"We teleported, that is how," said Ovid as if it explained anything and everything.

"Tele... what?"

"We teleported, meaning we folded space so two points occupied the same place at the same time."

"I told you these were the Builders, Cousin. Do you believe me now?"

"Oh, I have no issue with that, but the Satrap will."

"Do not tell me that useless piece of lard survived?"

"That useless piece of lard lost a lot of it while on military diet, but the thing he did not lose is his insufferable character."

"No one thought of drowning him?"

"What, with the bunch of tail-suckers that gravitate around his holy mass? I am surprised rain can reach him!"

"Who is that Satrap you are talking about?" growled Timor.

"That is the oh so loved leader of the planetary government. It is said he began running a planet-wide marathon the day the first invader ship landed, not even trying to organise our defences. He collected a bunch of dumb big-arms big-legs no-brainers as his private army and has been terrorising everyone in giving him what he wants while keeping out of reach of the invaders."

"I wonder where he is now?" asked Ovid.

"The last time I heard, he was not too far from here, heading our way. We trapped the road to our camp, so he will have to walk not run!"

"Why is it that leaderships believe running away is a solution to all problems?" said Timor. "I had to snap a few necks from the Fairy Council to break them out of that same habit!"

"Do not feel bad, Timor. From my history lesson at the College of Magic, I learned that most Royals had similar issues and solved the problem with that same method. Even the Emperor of Atlantis dealt with the problem similarly."

"I know, Ovid. I took the same lessons you did! But this does not make it any easier."

"If it did, I would begin to worry."

«Enough politics. Ask them what would happen if that piece of lard were to vanish, along with his cronies?"

"Zen has a good question for you two. What would be the consequences if the Satrap and his bunch of toadies went missing?"

"Probably an explosion of laughter then worry about finding poisoned wells," replied the Foreman, to some nods from his Cousin.

"Then we shall deal with him. From the Emperor’s visit, we have all freedom of action to deal with any issue requiring immediate action. Let us get out of the cave to see what is around here and move to your camp."

"The camp is just down the hillside. We had dismantled a village to hide the entrance and it was a breeze to rebuild it from the components once the invasion was halted. But you will have issues climbing down, the path is narrow."

"It is for now, but I plan to fix the issue," replied Timor. "The other members of our team will catch up with us later."

The exit led to a small clearing. The main doors were well hidden behind trees that were several hundred years old. Only the small side-door had been cleared over time for access, and the Marsupials had used its narrowness to their advantage when they had decided to lock down the cave. A huge boulder had been rolled in place, and bushes planted around its base, with fungus and mushrooms to complement the illusion nothing had changed in thousands of years in the area. Off to the side was a construction site where a village was quickly being assembled from construction beams. Further off, a sinewy road could be seen disappearing in the distance.

"That is the road from which the Satrap is expected to come," said the Marsupial leader. "From the last report, he is still six hours away."

"That is if he reaches this place. Zen plans to deal with the walking blubber-mouth before then."

"How?"

"By using Magic, I suppose, but he could bite him."

"Please! Could he? Too bad we shall not be there to see that pile of refuse die. It was quite a show when he got rid of the Elder in my camp!"

"That guy must really have been hated for you to ask that kind of death."

"Oh yes! We do not put up with cowards that desert their office at the first sign of trouble to run in hiding."

"I understand. We do not either."

«I shall do as asked. My venom bags are too full, I have not been hunting enough and it is becoming painful.»

Timor and Ovid looked at Zen with a bit of consternation, but admitted the hunting had been poor lately. Zen ported by sight to the winding road and began moving uphill to reach the crest as quickly as possible. He wanted to get rid of his discomfort as soon as possible, before he became temperamental, not something that suited a Snake very well.

"Where did he go?" asked one of the Marsupials as he saw Zen vanish.

"Satrap-hunting!" replied Ovid. "Prepare the funeral."

"Would you mind if we dumped him in a tar pit?" asked the Foreman.

"With or without feathers?" replied Ovid, with a grin wider than his face.

"Your leader, the Emperor, as you called him, hinted at something big coming up and that we were on a tight schedule. We are from the two biggest concentrations of our people and can probably give you a relatively fair reply to any question you might have concerning us."

"It is not necessarily your past that this concerns, but your future. You had begun a migratory effort before the Insects came. From what we understand, you had no other motive than curiosity. What if I gave you a serious motive and an alternate way to deal with the issue?"

"What would this motive be, young one?"

"Cousin, I visited their space-ship. It is huge and contains many worlds. They are offering us a chance to survive by moving everything to their space-ship."

"That does not give me the motive."

"Simply put, our Star is going to come very close to another Star, the primary of the invaders."

"But they are dead!"

"Yes, but what will happen to our planet when the two Suns almost collide? The planets’ orbits will be modified and nothing guarantees us that the new orbit will be either stable or life-sustaining. That space-ship is like a giant life-raft. I have seen immense areas dedicated to life, so huge they match our planet’s surface many times over. And I am told this is only a tiny portion of the space available. I have no idea of how they do it, but they do it. That should be enough to tip the balance in their favour."

"If you can convince the leader of the Spitting Fire Islands, you will have a majority vote, Cousin. I for one, stand with you on this. I am sure I can convince those of the village to follow me in this, and we are looked upon for guidance by just about every village on this continent. The only ones left would be the small southern continent, but their numbers are too small to overturn a common decision or block it on procedural issues."

"How does this work?" asked Timor, not much of a fan of votes.

"Actually, we could win the majority from our combined weight, but it would be close. I prefer a ²/₃ majority, and that requires the Spitting Fire Islands to agree. They are located in the equatorial ocean that marks the separation with the Southern continent."

"The issue is that we never found caves on those Islands. They never last long anyway. The sea eats them up as soon as they stop spitting fire. Luckily for the people, between the time they stop spitting ash and the time the sea eats them up, the ground is the most fertile of the planet, so they are the grain basket of the planet."

"I see. You are talking about volcanoes. From our survey, the planet’s equatorial belt is dotted with thousands of islands of varying sizes, with quite a few spewing ash on an almost continuous basis. That is the area you are talking about, I presume?"

"You presume well, young one."

"Okay. Organise your referendum while we go to these islands and talk them into accepting a move. Foreman, I suggest you give your Cousin a hand in the matter."

"That is fine by me, Ovid."

"I shall be honest with you two: the result of the referendum is not likely to influence the Emperor’s decision. You are on the rescue list and you will be rescued whatever the result of the vote is. What this will change is whether we will incorporate you openly in Atlantean population or not. Nothing else."

The two Marsupials looked at Ovid wide-eyed.

"Why that look? We know politics well enough to realise that some will use scare tactics to stall the change to the last possible minute. By then we will be worlds away and it would be impractical for us to hop back here to pick up your people because they finally realised they have been had by conservatives."

"The people will know!"

"How? The transition can be done seamlessly. Who says you are still on your planet, Foreman? It might well have been completed during you last sleep cycle, and you would be none the wiser."

"You scare me, young one!"

"Why is that? Because we dispose of powers you do not have? That is only the beginning, and it plays in your favour. Imagine when we get pissed and deal with our enemies. Now, they have reason to run scared!"

***

Off, some sixty miles in the hills, the Satrap met Zen, for a brief moment. Zen dropped on him, took a mighty bite at his jugular and slithered away in the underbrush. Five minutes later the Satrap was dead and Zen felt much better. His jaws, while still hurting, were feeling much better. To really feel well, Zen injected venom in six more Marsupials before feeling satisfied.

After that he ported the carcasses in the high atmosphere, intent on disposing of them before the transfer of planetary surface began. He also ported in the high atmosphere some 25 members of the elite military forces charged with protecting the Lard, as he called the Satrap, and moved back to where he could feel Ovid.

«Bye-bye Satrap and ugly forces. I disposed of a quarter of his supposedly elite forces. The others were not present. They are in a camp hidden in the mountains north of here. Do you want me to rid the planet of them as well, Ovid?»

«Yes.»

«Okay. I shall be right back.»

"He disappeared again?"

"Yes, the Satrap is a cold cut, well, distributed in the atmosphere as ash, and he went back to finish the job. Knowing Zen, the others stand no chance whatsoever."

"He seems efficient."

"He is a very good Hunter."

"Accompany us to the village, if you do not mind. The more see you the easier convincing them of the offer will be."

Ovid ported everyone to the central plaza, shocking the Marsupials once again.

"That is what I meant by teleportation. It has its uses."

While the introductions were being made, Zen returned and climbed on Ovid.

"He says the rest of the Satrap’s forces have been disposed of. You are free of that pile of walking garbage."

As the Marsupials rejoiced, they were surprised to see other strange life-forms appear beside the big furry one called Timor, including a much smaller one that had strange features.

"Hey Son, how did it go?"

"Fine Dad. We found the Catalogue, and also managed to access the planetary-wide Catalogue. There are a lot more of these caves, and some are layered."

"Iridia, how about helping the two Marsupials here convince the others of moving star-side?"

"How?"

"Play taxi service for them. Move them from village to village and let them do the talking while doing some minor miracles."

"Such as?"

"Repairing a structure with a snap of a finger, healing the injured and the sick, who knows? The possibilities are endless. Just try to have the maximum positive effect."

"If I get you right, you want me to be a show-off?"

"You and the others. Do not forget we all are magical."

"Okay, Husband. Harold-Ian, what do you want to do? Be with me or with Dad?"

"Can I hop from one to the other depending on where the fun lies?"

"Is he ready for that?" asked Timor, as he looked at Ovid and Mark.

"I think so. He has been training hard, and has line-of-sight teleportation pat."

"Okay Son, you do as you wish, but remember: validate the mental link before undertaking any teleportation whatsoever."

"Kids," muttered Mark, much to the amusement of Zen and the others.

***

Timor, Mark, Ovid and Zen did quick work of porting to the seashore.

"Where to?" asked Ovid as he eyed the empty span of water laying ahead.

"According to the map I have in memory, the nearest island is 123 miles off-shore, so we will never be able to see it due to the planet’s curvature. I suggest we shift shape and swim," replied Mark.

"Mammal or Fish?" asked Timor.

"Mammal. Definitely Mammal, since Zen can not shift shape and needs to breath gaseous oxygen. I think a Bottle-Nose Dolphin will do just right. We only need to oversize ourselves so we can swim faster and keep predators in respect."

The three Mammal made their way into the sea until they lost their footing, with Timor carrying Zen like a Fakir’s turban. Once everyone was swimming, the conversion took place and Zen found himself on the back of a Dolphin measuring a good 25 feet in length.

«Let us set a heading at 45°, that should bring us upwind from the nearest island. I prefer being upwind because if it is spewing ash, we will not have the option to dive below water to escape its damaging effects.»

The three were-Dolphins swam at a steady 25 knots and quickly lost sight of the coast. Almost two hours after beginning their swim, they spotted the island, lurking low on the horizon. A plume of ash was visible, rising in spurts on its most distant shore.

«That one is off-limits. Where to next?» asked Zen, as his thermal sensors saturated quickly from the heat dispelled by the pile of ash.

«The next one is due North, or heading 0°. Let us take heading 358°, which would bring us somewhat west of the island. If we continue at our current speed, it is an hour off.»

They took off in the proper direction, but Timor grew progressively nervous, communicating his anxiety to the others.

«Something is off. Guys, double in size and increase speed to 50 knots. We are being encircled by Hunters.»

The sudden change of behaviour of their prey took the Hunters by surprise. They had been planning to intercept them in a narrow between two land masses, and suddenly, they were being out-run! The predators were a sub-clan of a much bigger regrouping of the same species. Well aware they now stood next to no chance to catch up with the elusive prey, the signalled their failure and asked for a blocade of the narrows.

The enormous Pod of Hunters distributed its members along an ark that would funnel the prey in shallow waters, where they could be easily out-manoeuvred and reduced to mercy. As they eyed the progress of the massive were-Dolphins from a distance, they were fooled by their size in estimating the distance separating them. This might explain why the collision between the were-Dolphins and the Pod took the later totally by surprise.

Timor took the point, while Mark and Ovid took the wing. The were-Dolphins rammed into the middle of the enemy’s defence structure and broke though easily, leaving it its wake bloody water filled with gutted inhabitants, which were immediately attacked by hundreds of smaller predators.

«Keep moving! I do not feel too reassured in the middle of a feeding frenzy.»

Everyone agreed with Mark’s assessment and picked up speed, much to the surprise of the Hunting Pod. The were-Dolphins made some powerful jumps to break over reefs and made for the shore, shrinking as the sea floor rose. Once their belly began scratching the sea bottom, Zen ported to the beach and the others recovered their original form before doing the same.

"That was close. These beasts seem to have a lot of intelligence, much like our Dolphins."

"Your assessment is correct, Ovid. We barely made it," replied Timor. "I think we should leave a marker and walk the shores. Any society living near the sea usually constructs docks or other means of wetting a boat."

A quick look around revealed three huge boulders left on the shores by the sea’s incessant work, much to the surprise of the Atlanteans.

"I thought this was pure ash?" wondered Timor.

"Apparently not. This looks like porphyry. It is a very hard type of rock, so the sea must have been breaking its teeth on it for quite some time," said Mark.

The Atlanteans made quick progress, staying on the packed sand washed regularly by waves. After several hours they noticed they were standing on the opposite shore of the island, and still had found no trace of inhabitants whatsoever, much to their dismay.

"Lunch, rest, then we resume our exploration," decided Ovid, to the agreement of the others. «Zen, how about a fat Rat?»

«No thank you. I am hungry, but if I eat a copious meal, I shall be sleepy and that is dangerous here.»

«Zen’s comment goes for all of us. Let us limit our food intake to water, some fruits and vegetables but no meat. We need our full attention,» said Timor. «After lunch, rest, I shall take watch for an hour, then we begin the last leg of that walk.»

After a quick lunch and a rest, the party resumed their walk around the island, As they neared a chink in the coastline, Zen asked them to slow down.

«I taste smoke, and it is burning vegetation, not the rather acrid smell of ash. Put me down, Timor. I shall slither forward and have a look.»

The King Cobra made his way to the high grasses, and disappeared. After fifteen minutes, he contacted the others.

«I see a group of Marsupials. They are coming out of the ground very carefully. They are looking around anxiously. I was going to ask that you crawl but Timor looks like a walking mountain even if he does his best to hide.»

«Do not worry about me, I have your genetic map, my slithery friend.»

The others did also and joined Timor in converting to Snakes. They quickly joined Zen at the edge of the tall grass, eying the Marsupials that seemed to wearily look around, mostly in the air, for threats.

«I think they are trying to hide from the Insects still. Not everyone must know these creeps are gone for good.»

«I think you are right Timor,» said Mark.

«How can we contact them without freaking them out? Given their experience with the Insects, anything out of the ordinary is bound to create an aggressive response,» asked Ovid.

«Do you think we can slither inside their nest without being detected?» asked Timor as he pondered Ovid’s question.

«I think so. The soil is rather loose and composed mostly of ash held in place by grass roots. We can probably use the roots to hide us and reach the edge of the door without being detected.»

«Lead the way, Zen. You have more experience than we do in that form.»

«That is the only experience I have, Timor.»

The four Snakes began progressing, keeping to tall grass as they made their way to the door. Once all four had reached the entrance, they ported inside within the shadows as a Guardian was eying the door’s entrance with undivided attention.

«Keep the shape and let us port from one dark area to another. Do not forget to fold your tail, we do not want to be seen, much less stepped on!»

«Why is it I suddenly have this urge to eat raw eggs?» asked Ovid as he followed Zen down deeper in the cave.

«Maybe you are pregnant?» replied Timor.

«Do not scare me! I can just barely spit some watery liquid, I am still far, very far from doing anything like that!»

«Someone was sleeping during sex education for shape-shifters, it seems!» said Zen.

«More, he plugged his ears tight. He was so red I thought he would combust!» replied Mark.

«Ha, ha, so funny! You were no different!»

«The short and sweet thing is, there is no such thing as pre-pubescent for a shape-shifter, Ovid. You can be any age you wish, including fully mature, even in your standard form.»

«That is not true! It can not be true! It is not true, is it, Timor?» asked a panicked Ovid.

«Oh, but it is true, young one. But let us focus on this mission, please. We have some work to do.»

They progressed quickly and quietly, rapidly reaching a cave that measured several hundred feet in length and a width that varied from 10 to 25 feet. Along the walls were cots and food storage bins.

«We have reached our goal. What next?» asked Zen.

«We shift back to our shape and try to enter in contact?» offered Mark.

«I do not agree. If you want a panic and some deaths, that is the way to go,» said Timor. «Just imagine me appearing in their midst!»

«Timor has a point. We all have genetic maps of Marsupials except Zen. Zen, stay hidden, and we shall handle things as best we can.»

«Before converting, try to find who is the cave leader.»

«That is a good suggestion, Zen. Let us observe the dynamics of this cave. That should tell us who leads, and what kind of character he or she has,» decided Ovid.

The Atlanteans began a quick social study and rapidly noticed there were five Marsupials that seemed to take all decisions collectively. They seem to stay near the centre of the cave, and quietly exchange information carried to them by others.

«That is a collegial leadership. That may be to our advantage or play against us. Is everyone ready? Zen, are you hidden?»

«I am under the bench they are sitting on. I figure if they act aggressively, it would be a strategic position to cool down tempers.»

«And bodies.»

«And bodies, Timor.»

«Shift shape behind these columns and walk slowly toward them. Let us not freak them out more than necessary.»

The shape-shifters ported behind the columns mentioned by Timor and shifted in the darkness offered by the cave supports. They then slowly emerged in the flickering light of the fire and walked toward the group of leaders. The Atlanteans were-Marsupials stood silently beside the group of leaders while the Marsupial leadership distributed work and listened to reports.

***

On the northern continent, the Marsupials were being popped to each settlement and explained that the Builders had returned and were ultimately responsible for the destruction of the invaders. Scepticism reigned uncontested until Magic was applied profusely to heal the wounded, repair weapons, and the access to the Repositories reopened from the inside by the Atlanteans.

"How many settlements did we visit?"

"Ten since the departure of the other four earlier today, if my count is exact. We should be able to visit 20 or so tomorrow. In twenty-five days we will have visited every major centre in the two northern continents. Add two or three days for the southern continent and we shall be done."

"So few settlements, so few!"

"Yes, Iridia. Most of the population is dispersed and has yet to regroup in numbers bigger than family units. It was a saving grace for the Marsupials during the Insect invasion, but it is a pain now that we need to contact them. I think we shall run the referendum with those that have rejoined civilisation, and let the others learn of the decision as they treckle into villages. Those that return early seem those more likely to accept the change anyway."

"Life sucks, Greywolf."

"It sure does. So, Harold-Ian, are you regretting staying with us?"

"No. It feels so nice to walk in the forests. Mommy, when shall I be able to shift like uncle Greywolf?"

"When you have bonded to a Dragon, Son. I think you will be ready when we return home to undergo the Ordeal, along with some close friends of yours. Zen is furious he missed his chance last time because the egg he was interested in was infertile. You can count on him to be there when you go into the Pyramids for the test."

"I wonder why he so wants a Red Dragon?"

"Maybe to balance his temper? Who knows?" said Iridia as she combed her Son once more.

"But Zen is so calm!"

"That is the reason he wants a fiery Dragon, so he can experience what a hot temper is, Harold-Ian."

"So we merge tempers as well?"

"Actually, no, you merge psyche. I am bond to a Dragon, and I feel what he feels and vice-versa. We are so close together I can be him and he me, and no one will ever know."

"Head to bed, young one," said the Unicorn. "Tomorrow, you ride on my back and I do not want you to fall asleep!"

"Yes! I have been wanting that for ages!"

"I know."

The young Fairy-Troll jumped in the river, washed up, came out and shook the water off his fur doggy-style, wetting everyone and everything for several yards around him before laying down on a cot. Five minutes later, he was snoring gently, having dreams of horse rides and flying with the Pegasus or running with the Unicorn.

"You are lucky he has an even temper and is obedient, Iridia. Imagine the issues you would have had, had he been like some of my Pups."

"I know, Greywolf. But did you notice that hybrids seem to be even-tempered?"

"No, I did not notice. I shall look into it as I have an extensive collection of Pups from all venues of the Atlantean society."

"Do you think the Emperor will allow us the time required to visit the settlements?" asked the Pegasus representative.

"I do not think so. The decision to move the crust to Thebes seems decided already. The referendum is only to see if they should be made aware of the move or not. We are on a tight schedule and there a billions of galaxies to visit."

***

On Thebes, the visit of Harp to the Seraphim nest was greeted with joy by the Nest Mother. After exchanging formal greetings, Harp went directly to the crux of the problem.

«Nest Mother, we need your senses. Can you tell us the composition of the planet we are orbiting?»

«I am sorry. There is too much Orichalque around me. It obstructs my senses. I know we are orbiting a planet because of the Magic flux’ behaviour but that is all.»

«What if we brought you to the surface of Thebes and kept you safely within the grip of an artificial gravity well?»

«That might help. But the best would be to go to the surface itself.»

«Unfortunately, we still do not dispose of atmospheric vessels. And you have not been trained in the use of FSS.»

«Does it have a Moon?»

«Yes.»

«Then drop me there for a while and pick me up after. Make sure to deposit me so I am on the face of the satellite facing the planet you wish scanned.»

«That is acceptable and feasible. Please follow me to the Bridge, where I shall instruct Ian on what needs to be done.»

The two slowly made their way to the Bridge. The arrival of the Matriarch took quite a few crew members by surprise. She was greeted with utmost respect and joy by those present.

"Ian, I need you to land Thebes on the Moon orbiting this planet."

"Okay, but I shall nullify Thebes’ gravitational well for that or we would change the orbit of that Moon. It is closer to a small asteroid than anything else. Why do you need that?"

"We shall drop off the Nest Mother so she can scan the planet. How long will it take for that asteroid to run its course and do a full orbit?"

"The orbit is 22 hours and 55 minutes," replied Samson from the Navigator’s station.

«So, we pick you up in 24 hours, Matriarch. Is that acceptable?»

«Yes.»

Thebes moved slowly to catch up with the fast-moving asteroid, and the Matriarch was allowed outside of the shell. Once the Atlantean space-ship matched speed with the asteroid, it closed in, until less than three feet separated it from the cratered surface.

«Releasing the gravitational bubble in three, two, one, now!" said the science officer.

Thebes silently took off, leaving the Matriarch alone. It moved off to the asteroid belt, far enough from the Matriarch not to perturb her measures.

***

Down below on the planet, the disappearance of the Atlantean space-ship was noted and met with relief by most inhabitants.

"Where did your home world go?"

"They backed away so their mass would not bother the scanner left on the asteroid. We need to understand some things about this world, and the scanner is so sensitive our world would interfere with its task," explained the Unicorn, which had been in contact with Thebes’ crew.

Down below, in the cave occupied by the Marsupials on the volcanic island, the report was met with an explosion of joy.

«I wonder what is the event that brings this rejoicing?» asked Timor.

«Let me check. I am hidden and can enter trance safely,» offered Zen.

After a minute he came back with the answer.

«Thebes backed away, because its nature would interfere with the Matriarch’s scan of the planet for a mineral map.»

«That explains a lot. But I feel sad to break their mood with a reality check,» said Ovid.

«You better come to a quick solution, because they are finally noticing us!» replied Mark as he saw one of the leaders eye them questioningly.

«It is time to get wet. Pray things will work out.»

"Yes?" asked the leader nearest to the Atlanteans, as he tried unsuccessfully to give them a name. He thought he knew everyone by sight. His memory must be playing tricks on him he decided.

"We have some news for you," began Ovid.

"Good news?"

"It depends on what you consider good news."

"Spill. I have no time for riddles."

"Right. The invaders have been destroyed."

"That is not news. We just heard their mother ship left."

"That was not their mother ship. That was the destroyer of the invaders. They have wiped the invaders off the surface of the planet."

"How can you know? Not a single ship has been able to reach us in weeks!"

"The past does not guarantee the future."

The Marsupial eyed the three visitors he could see suspiciously.

"I do not recognise you. Name yourselves."

"That is normal. We come from the mainland north of here. Our names would be meaningless to you."

"There were no sightings of ships on the sea!"

"Who said we sailed a sea ship?"

Another Marsupial called attention to himself.

"I heard of flying ships, but that was only a rumour. And I heard they were very noisy. We would have heard anything of the sort coming."

"Probably. And no, it is not an aeroplane we used."

"A submerged ship then?"

"No."

"That does not make sense. You can either fly, sail, or go underwater. But you said none of them. It is like you are telling us you swam to get here, and we know that the waters here are infested with predators that would gladly convert anything into food."

"Yes. We met them, much to their displeasure!"

"Let me get this right. You claim you swam the straits and survived?"

"Yes. And we met the predators, that found out we were not what we seemed to be."

"I do not understand. You are like us."

"We look like you. We are not like you. We are the Builders. We have returned."

The five Marsupials looked at each other, stunned into silence. Finally the first one to talk looked at Ovid.

"Prove it."

Ovid and Mark slowly shifted shape, returning to their original form, yet maintaining a Dragon’s skin for safety reasons.

"Do you need more proof?"

"If you are the Builders, can you tell us why this part of the planet does not have Repositories of Knowledge?"

"That is simple. Your islands are too unstable. They are born and vanish too quickly to represent a valid place to store knowledge. We placed the caves in the continental nucleus, the shields as they are called, because they represent the most stable part of your planet."

The Marsupial leaders knew these comments were on the dot and they could not logically contest them. Ovid continued.

"When our ancestors left, you were not yet what you are now. For our people, you were pets, albeit intelligent ones. We came back here and met some of you in the space between the stars, much to our surprise. We also met the invaders and destroyed them and their world after they dared attack us. You saw our ship leave a short time ago, and that is what caused such an explosion of joy. This situation is temporary, and the ship is simply out of sight. It has another mission to accomplish and will be back shortly, well before dawn tomorrow."

"Yet, I sense you are hiding something."

«That one is a sensitive. Be direct.»

«I agree Mark.»

"I am not hiding things but rather I have not finished explaining things yet. Your planet is doomed because another star is in a near-miss collision course with your primary. The impact on your planet’s orbit are unpredictable, but all dreadful. It goes from being thrown in one of the stars to a radical change of orbit that would render life impossible to sustain on the surface to squarely ejection into interstellar space where your planet would join rogue planets that travel between stars. But rest assured of one thing: nothing will be the way it is now."

The shock was visible on the leaders’ faces.

"I do not feel well suddenly," said a fourth leader.

"I can understand that. We are offering a one-time way out. A planet-wide rescue of every life-form on this planet, but you have this single chance, and no other. We have too much work to do in this Universe to haggle with people that do not wish to live."

"How are the others taking it?" asked the first Marsupial that had acknowledged them.

"Some were aggressive and lost their lives. Most have decided to hold what is called a referendum. To my humble opinion, this is utmost stupidity and is tantamount to a refusal, because organising that kind of planet-wide poll is taking precious time off dealing with the problem and its only solution, the move itself."

"You are direct, I must give you that, but not very politically advised."

"Maybe not, but we deal with life or death issues daily. Hopping on one foot and the other like Boys waiting for the bathroom only increases the urgency of the situation, it resolves nothing. This is not a political issue. It is a live or die one."

The Marsupials looked at each other, stunned once again by the small Builder’s directness.

"You sound like one of ours I met shortly after the invasion began. He was very proactive. He came from the southern continent. Without him, I doubt our people would have dug these caves to hide from the invaders."

"All military have similar thought processes. We are always at war, sir. Space may seem like a peaceful place, but enemies lurk under every Moon, behind every rock, in every gravity well. You experienced it with the invaders. We have seen war ever since we could walk. I am military to the bone, and I have my own Unit to command once I return home. We all do. We keep meeting enemies, but also rescuing allies. We hope you will one day be part of that process and contribute to our war and peace effort. Now, what are your plans?"

"We represent the surviving core of the government body of the Spitting Fire Islands. I vote for the move," declared the fifth member of the directorate. It took less than three minutes for a unanimous vote to be held.

"Finally some good sides to politicians. I was despairing of finding any with some balls!" said Timor.

"Are you not one of ours?"

"Oh no. I represent one of the many species they saved. I am a Troll. That is my true form," replied the Troll King as he shifted back to his gigantic shape. "Come out, Zen, and climb on my head so they can see you."

Zen obliged and made his way up the huge Troll body, scales shiny from the fire light.

"This here is Zen, a Cobra Snake. He is another rescued species, one of millions."

"Oh." After some thought, the same individual asked a question that had been bugging him since they had decided on the move. "I wonder how the Satrap up north will take that decision. He will oppose any change. He is scared of taking a pee in the dark."

"Were there many up north?"

"Two, one per continent, but the one further east died fighting. Only the coward survived and he proclaimed himself leader of both land masses."

"He is dead. Zen took care of the blubbering mass of gelatinous cells. Zen’s bite is unforgiving. Is there a Satrap on the southern continent?"

"There was, but his capital city, from which the space ship was launched, suffered the brunt of the invasion in the first days, and he died fighting. His family was moved to one of our islands and is in hiding."

"So, in short, you are the only surviving leaders of this planet, except for village Elders, of which we had to dispose of some so far on one of the northern continent."

"I am not surprised. They seem to believe that their status as village Elders gives them rights that the planetary government never recognised."

"That is the problem everywhere. Some try to wear britches that are too big for them and they look like they took a dump in them!"

The image of sagging pants filled with dejection made the Marsupials roar with laughter. All in all, that had been a quick and good mission.