Terra 9996 AD: Full Circle

[Tarlag]

January 5, 9996 AD First Home Iceland

Sofia hurried as She left the the City of First Home, It's brightly colored concrete and glass domes sitting peacefully in a blanket of new fallen snow. The air was clear and cold the stars looked like you could reach out and touch them. Sofia did not notice Her surroundings She had been summoned to the great dome and Her Master who dwelled within. The summons was unexpected and gave no reason, just to report to the Master at the appointed time. Everyone knew the Master He walked among them, visited their shops and spoke with the Elders when necessary. Why did He wish took speak with Me in His dome in privet.

She approached the Domes main entry way, Before She could activate the intercom next to the door it slid open. One of the Master's metal men stood in the door way it head slightly cocked to the left as it spoke. "Miss Sofia, you are on time. Our Master awaits you in His study. Please follow me." The Droid turned and proceeded down what only could be called a tube made of some clear material. Sofia marveled as She looked at the inside of the Master's dome. Trees could be seen on both sides as a geothermal heated river snaked it's was through the man made forest. They approached the end of the tunnel which ended in what appeared to be a large domed rock 40 meters high. "Please enter, Miss Sofia. would you like any refreshments?" Sofia was scarred to death Few if any were summoned to this dome and some did not return. "No, No thank you. I will just see the Master and go. I hope." The Droid turned with out a word and went back the way they had come. The gray metal door opened and the first thing She saw was the Master standing in front of a massive fireplace.

The Master did not look like anyone in First Home, He was shorter, His legs were short, they did not appear to match His massive and muscled torso. His arms also did not match they were longer and well formed. He wore nothing but a thick robe made of a material She did not recognize. Sofia did the only thing She could think of She bowed and spoke. "You summoned me, My Master?"

He gave a slight chuckle and smiled at the young woman. "Be at peace child, no harm will come to you here. I only wish to speak with you. Please take a seat." He motioned to one of two over stuffed chairs in front of the fire place. After taking a seat in the other chair The man spoke. "Child you seem to have taken a special interest in History. Your searches in the data base have been very extensive. May I ask why?"

"What they taught in school was limited at best. They only told us about the history of Iceland and only for the last 2,000 years. The empires that rose and fell before us they only touched on. Of Rome, The United States, of the Eastern Empire of this they told us almost nothing. I am sure we must know more."

"Yes, you are inquisitive just as I had hoped. Yes my child there is more, much more. The Elders keep the past vague for my own reasons. You my child will learn more then even your elders know."

Sofia was scared but She did want to know. The questions of the past seemed to burn in Her brain. She remained quite for a moment then responded. "Master, why me, I am no one special. My Father manages the heating plant. "

"You are special Child, more special then you could ever know. You are now what 17 years old? You are now old enough to know the truth. Also there is no need to call me master, that is only for the sapiens who live outside my home. You can call me by the name I chose so long ago, Neander."

[Xeraph]

Nim sat silently, watching the little ripples rush to the egde of the black sand shoreline. It had been a long day, made longer by the sighting of another falling star. This was the fifth one in as many months. No one was exactly sure what they were, nor, if they accessed Gaia, where they landed. Or perhaps crashed would be a proper description.

He'd been uneasy the past few weeks, moreso than before. He was known as an adept, a knower of things unknown. He did know of things past, but didn't know how he knew. It was just an impression, a tingling in the back of his consciousness that led him down paths of thought that never seemed to end. Despite a certain reputation, he called himself Teacher Nim.

He had a dozen seekers as students, and he revealed to them what he knew. This activity was, of course, secondary to the necessary work of the day. Sowing, reaping, animal care, building repair were constants in this village and throughout the greater InnerSea Lands. Relatively little was known about these Lands, even after a thousand years. The Sea itself was vast, dotted with islands both large and small. Water creatures abounded, fish plentiful, crustaceans and shellfish fresh and clean-tasting. There were larger animals as well, carnivorous and fearsome, some with six or more appendages. Though there were water craft, none had ventured out of site of land. Past this point, the waters ran deeper, and the fishermen were a bit frightened. The nearest islands were just a few acres in size, wooded with fine wells of crystal waters. Some had small farms, homesteads really, with the same rich soil as the mainland.

As he thought about things, he heard a step behind him, the soft crunch of the black-pebbled shore under a leather boot. He smiled. "Welcome, Alyss. Have I again stayed too long past dinner?" Alyss, Nim's wife, sat down beside him, her arm around his shoulder. "You know I keep it warm for you. What is it you ponder this evening?"

"The sky-objects, my love. I have a feeling that they are more than space debris just falling out of the heavens. They seem to have picked a particular place to land, and I am thinking that we need to see where that has happened." Alyss tensed slightly. "My love, they are not for us to seek out. If they are just rocks of space, they are just rocks. So what? But if they are more than that, it is not for us to meddle with. You remember the stories of old, no?"

"Yes, of course. The myths of ancient lands, full of something they call TEK. The entirety of Gaia was all inter-connected by machines both large and small. It ultimately caused what was called The End Of All Things."

She gave a small laugh. "Obviously not, my love. We are here. Nothing ended, but rather began again. And for the better I might add."

"Perhaps you are right, dear. They are after all, just myths. We have just a few yellowed scraps of paper with barely recognizable writing on them in a language not spoken for five thousand years." He glanced up at the rapidly darkening sky. "Yes, let's go eat and talk of tomorrow and forget what might be past."

But he knew he couldn't. He knew that if one forgot the past, that the past had a way of changing the present, and eventually the future. And not in a good way.....

[The Creator Sons]

Commander Nelson decided to make one more round before stasis. He'd been awake for sixteen days now and was scheduled for a six-week reanimation charge. Coming down the hall to a non-descript door, it slid open to reveal a multi-bot occupied room, three over-sized screens dividing the star-system into thirty-three, rapidly flowing sections. The bots missed nothing, droid fingers moving quickly over the touch screens.

"Report...how many of the pods have landed on Gaia?"

"To date, Commander, the fifth one soft-landed in the heavily forested area of the Baja Lands, just 22 kilometers east of the sunken cities of ancient Aztlan."

"How many more are to be launched?"

"Two, Commander, in one month's time. It will take them approximately three weeks to arrive at mach-1."

Nelson nodded. "Good. If this operation is to succeed, the pods need to be available, but not easily accessible. If, as we suspect, there are surviving humans on the planet, they must mount search parties to identify what the pods actually are, not what they think they are." He stared out into the blackness, wondering not for the first time if what they were trying to accomplish was a positive move. The pods contained the basic rudiments of ancient civilizations, most just historical and educational info. No technology. Too soon for that. It would be decades, perhaps centuries, before any human could once again be trusted with anything other than agricultural knowledge. It was a gamble, but after nearly 6,000 years, those in the outer spheres of the star-system and beyond still didn't know if humanity existed on the old planet they called Earth. The devastation wrought by the successive waves of nuclear and chem-bio madness had created a semi-impermeable barrier reaching all the way out some five thousand miles from the planet. The pods could make it through, but nothing living. Much study was still needed. "Carry on."

Commander Nelson headed to the stasis-bay. As he entered, his replacement greeted him. He smiled; she was quite beautiful. "Tell me, Commander Angell, why we are never awake at the same time?"

Angell stared. "Because I don't care to be. We are not compatible. Have a good rest, Commander."

She pushed past him, not giving him a backward glance. Nelson sighed. 'Women', he thought.............

[Tarlag]

Inside the Great Dome First Home, Iceland

"Please understand Child the history of your people is long and bloody. Rome fell in a blood bath as did America and the Eastern and Western Empires. All started with good intentions but time and Sapiens foolishness caught up with each. In the long run they had no chance." Neander leaned back and lit a clay pipe with a twig from the fire place.

Sofia looked a bit puzzled for a moment. "You said your people Master with out including yourself why? Forgive me but you look different but your are human just like the people in the city."

Neander put down his pipe then looked to the girl. "No child, I an not the same, I am an immortal the eldest in fact. I predate Adam and Eve in the garden. My people wandered the earth and used its bounty to survive and prosper. I am what your science books would call a Neanderthal."

"How" Sofia asked now more frightened then before.

"My own foolishness child, I was old and a powerful Shaman of my tribe. I was dying of what you would call cancer. So I used dark magics to extend my life but at great cost."

"If I may ask Master you said a great cost what was it?"

Neander leaned back in the chair looking tired His mouth forming a frown. "The life force of my people, not just my tribe but all those of my race faded away and died over the next two centuries. I was the direct cause for their extinction."

[Dystopic Swine]

Chief Balon looked disprovingly at the training exercise. The men moved half-heartedly, not interested in their routine. Balon knew what they needed. Action. Real action.

"Alright you bunch of fucking swine! To the meeting hall, double time!" As the warriors formed a single line, Balon glanced over to the woman watching them, once again unsure as to what she could be thinking. Though female, she had yet to be bested in any of the fighting arts. Sword, spear, knife, wrestling, none could gain the upper hand over her.

She called herself Lilith, an odd name for these parts. She stood two meters high, well-formed, muscular, long multi-hued hair falling to her waist. Her eyes were the outstanding feature though. Oval, feral, pupils the vertical slit of the reptilian. Clad head to toe in black leather, broadsword strapped to her back, knives about her waist. As she watched, she held a spear some eight feet in length, it's razor-sharp tip made of an unknown metal. As the last of the training squad entered the hall, she looked over to Balon and said, "Tomorrow is the day. I've waited long enough. Those peasents over the mountain and their village will become one with us!"

"Lilith, they are not ready. They do not know how to properly fight yet."

"And you think those villagers do? They don't have any fucking idea what's coming! No, we'll be successful. The captives will work the fields and be bred for more warriors. When our borders are full, we will expand to other areas. All the way west to the ancient lands of the VancSeatts. With bases on the Ocean, we'll proceed south to the warmer lands, the lands of the fatness, the lands of plenty, the lands of the fallen cities of the ancients. Though the Ocean may be lapping at the edge of the mountains, we'll begin a conquest the like of which the world has not seen since the Plague Wars of old!"

[Shyyt]

Just minutes into the gathering, the tribes had already fallen into arguments. Of the ten tribes represented, only the Rangers and the Shyyts sat silently, watching. Gorum of the Rangers banged his war hammer on the round wooden table and shouted, "Silence! We are here today to talk of peace! You bastards better sit the hell down before I knock you down!" And he was very capable of doing that very thing, a big man known for his ferociousness in battle.

Kamla of the Shyyts nodded at him. "Thank you, Gorum. Now to the business at hand. For centuries, we of the Ten Clans have fought each other, mostly over trivialities. I attack the Runners, the Runners attack the Nugs, the Nugs attack the Skulz, a never-ending circle. In 1300 years, none of the tribes have ever known more than a few years of peace, and have never grown in size. The largest of us number a mere 66 people." The Pengs laughed, knowing that Kamla spoke of them.

Gorum pounded the table again, and silence descended. "We all desire more of this life, not just the scraps we manage to steal from each other. This land was spared most of the cataclyms of the far west. Yes, there were the Plagues and the quaking of Gaia. The Mother Goddess was displeased and so she eradicated the eastern coastlines. The great waves, higher than forty men, crashed their way over the great dwellings of the ancients and didn't stop until water covered them deeply. We can see to this day only the very tops of their buildings, buildings now the home of fierce sea monsters and ghosts." He looked at each man around the table.

"But that was ages past. We are here now, today, looking for a new life free from just basic survival. We know of lands to the west, north, and south where there is food aplenty, grown in the rich soil there. And, there is peace. Peace so that we can live without fear of being slaughtered, of sudden attack, of having to place the bodies of our loved ones on a funeral pyre."

One of the tribemen stood. "I am Chocha of the Runners. I want to say my piece." He continued. "We have lived this way for many centuries. We are alive, and we continue to live. What more do we need? Food, shelter, and the hunt. What do we need of peace?"

[John Wayne World]

[quote="Shyyt";p="39292915"]Just minutes into the gathering, the tribes had already fallen into arguments. Of the ten tribes represented, only the Rangers and the Shyyts sat silently, watching. Gorum of the Rangers banged his war hammer on the round wooden table and shouted, "Silence! We are here today to talk of peace! You bastards better sit the hell down before I knock you down!" And he was very capable of doing that very thing, a big man known for his ferociousness in battle.

Kamla of the Shyyts nodded at him. "Thank you, Gorum. Now to the business at hand. For centuries, we of the Ten Clans have fought each other, mostly over trivialities. I attack the Runners, the Runners attack the Nugs, the Nugs attack the Skulz, a never-ending circle. In 1300 years, none of the tribes have ever known more than a few years of peace, and have never grown in size. The largest of us number a mere 66 people." The Pengs laughed, knowing that Kamla spoke of them.

Gorum pounded the table again, and silence descended. "We all desire more of this life, not just the scraps we manage to steal from each other. This land was spared most of the cataclyms of the far west. Yes, there were the Plagues and the quaking of Gaia. The Mother Goddess was displeased and so she eradicated the eastern coastlines. The great waves, higher than forty men, crashed their way over the great dwellings of the ancients and didn't stop until water covered them deeply. We can see to this day only the very tops of their buildings, buildings now the home of fierce sea monsters and ghosts." He looked at each man around the table.

"But that was ages past. We are here now, today, looking for a new life free from just basic survival. We know of lands to the west, north, and south where there is food aplenty, grown in the rich soil there. And, there is peace. Peace so that we can live without fear of being slaughtered, of sudden attack, of having to place the bodies of our loved ones on a funeral pyre."

One of the tribemen stood. "I am Chocha of the Runners. I want to say my piece." He continued. "We have lived this way for many centuries. We are alive, and we continue to live. What more do we need? Food, shelter, and the hunt. What do we need of peace?"

Another chief stood. "I am Jon of the Wanz. I am of the same opinion as Chocha, yet also drawn to a new way of life. I have buried two wives and six children because of violent death. I'm tired of it. If we can come to an understanding, I am for it."

[Synrz]

"I am Dengg of the Synrz. I, too, seek peace. But how is this to be?"

[Shyyt]

Kamla grinned to herself and said, "It seems we have a majority looking for a way out of this stupid cycle of life and death. I propose that we look at our present areas of settlements and draw up plans for expansion of each. Slowly at first, and we need to emphasize that we don't attack each other, just lands outside of ours. As we expand, we divide the spoils equally to include captive slaves, food, and weapons, should there be any. I propose we do this soon. What do you say?"

Eight of the ten nodded, a few reluctantly. But two shook their heads. The Segals and the Nugs were the most warlike of the tribes and had no use for peace.

Kamla scowled. "If those who are opposed want to leave, so be it. But know that if any of the rest of us are attacked, we will, together, fight back. We will eradicate the attackers. We will have peace....one way or another!"

[Knaves Rock]

Amidst the vast forests of the western continent lie the fabled lands of the Parisii who in the far distant past were the first settlers of an island in a river that fed off of the Oceane Ouste. Today, some 11,000 years later, that island was four hundred kilometers north-west of Le Mer de Bordeaux. The Sea was the result of a major ripple in the Terran crust, where two plates pushed against each other until one gave way and caused the eruption of a huge volcano that had been thought dead for thousands of centuries. The resulting Sea had displaced tens of thousand of square kilometers of previously occupied land causing an unimaginable death toll. Millions had died in the initial eruption, millions more in the subsequent tremors, and for months on end people drowned in the rushing waters pulled down the river, past the old islands of the Parisii, to finally come to rest in the Massif Centrale portion of the continent.

In the ensuing centuries, the land had become dotted with small settlements of survivors and their descendants, eaking out a living from the rich Terran soil. The settlements were few and far between, perhaps a total of 45,00 people in the vast woodlands that ranged from the Ocean to the eastern mountains and from the frozen glaciers of the Northmen to the warm lands of the Southern Sea.

Ianthe, Trillia, and Qac, priestesses of the Goddess, stood by the edge of the Southern Sea, chilly despite the warming Spring air. "My sisters, I feel an evil is present. I know you feel it, too." Qac paused, allowing one of the others to speak.

Ianthe spoke. "Yes, you are right. Trillia and I spoke of it just a few days ago. We've all seen the object in the night sky. That they are not of this world is obvious. But they actually are is a mystery. We need to decide what, if anything,we are to do about them."

Qac said, "Do we need to do anything? Who are we to decide about such things? Surely the Goddess will show the way."

Trillia shook her head. "That is always your answer, Qac. Do nothing until the Goddess says to. Did she not give us brains to think for ourselves?"

"That is the dangerous path, Sister. We all are aware that in the old days,men thought for themselves and nearly caused the end of all things. Gaia had over 9 billion people on her. Too many, to be sure, but man's self-will has caused that number to fall to our present alarming population of perhaps five million globally. Thousands of years later, we are still digging up the bones of our ancestors and even discovering civilizations of antiquity. It is rumored that the structures known as pyramids still exist in the far south-east, in the deserts across the Southern Sea. If true, these could be the oldest things on Gaia."

Trillia grimaced. "So, what's your point? Do we just hide ourselves and hope that what we fear will just go away? Shouldn't we try and find out if the cycle of life is now turning toward towards death? Do we want to be subject to the same destructive mentality that led to the bad times of anciant days? We need to find out if this is what is happening, and if so, find a way to stop it."

Ianthe agreed. "I understand your hesitance, Qac. But this is not a small thing. If these falling stars are of significance, we need to know so we can begin the response. We know that there are clans already preparing forceful incursions into territory that does not belong to them. It is the beginning of the main problem of the ancients, that being the want for more and more despite having enough. Greed was the first step in a chain of desires that became a culture of self-centeredness. If these object are a danger, we have to find them and stop their influence before it can begin again."

[Ssyn]

Jackie Briggs woke up, the noon sun making his hangover even worse. He glanced over to see his friend, Toots Jones, still passed out on the floor of the bathroom. It was evident that Toots had not been entirely successful in targeting the toilet with his various bodily fluids. And the smell.....

Jackie struggled up to a sitting position, the sunlight making his head throb all the more. He slowly began to piece together the events of the previous night. He and Toots had sucessfully found their way past the immense, monolithic wall that seperated the North Border Lands from the Rat Lands. The wall had been originally erected as a metal barrier, not entirely successful in keeping out the undesirables of the southern nations. Subsequent additions had eventually resulted in a massive stone, steel, and concrete construct that ran from the western ocean to the shores of the Caribe Gulf. It was twelve meters high and a uniform five meters wide, enough for a team of horses pulling a security cart along it. In addition, the land south of the wall was littered by massive boulders for a quarter-mile into the Rat Lands. The North Border Lands were occupied by heavily armed warriors which allowed no incursions from the south to the north via the narrow gates that were spaced one hundred kilometers apart. People were allowed to go south, but they had better have a damned good reason to come back north, or they stayed put where they were.

The one and only exception was the gateway known as Gate 47. This was the one that allowed two-way traffic on a daily basis, and was therefore the most heavily guarded. South of this gate was the so-called Neutral Zone where crime and the dregs of humanity were kept to a bare minimum. It was a vacationland for those a bit better off than the run-of-the-mill farmer. They could afford a few days of nihilistic thrills out of sight of the rigid norms of the north. Certainly not a place for children, hence the need for minor-centers to leave them as their parents indulged themselves.

"Toots, you awake? C'mon, wake up. We got shit to do." His only answer was a groan from the bathroom followed by some loud farts of the semi-liquid variety. Jackie decided to go it alone. He had to piss, but he wasn't about to go anywhere near that bathroom. He got up and poked his head outside the hacienda door. Seeing no one, he went behind a tree in the front yard and relieved himself. It was taking a while, so he allowed himself to drift off a bit, remembering that a woman was somehow involved in the previous night's debacle. He was jolted back to the present when he felt someone grab his leg.

Looking down, he saw a stranger lying on the ground to his left. It was a woman, scantily clad, dried blood on her shredded t-shirt.

"Shit. Now what." He could see that she was breathing, so she wasn't dead. He became aware of some others standing in their doorways watching him. He grinned and said, "Nothing to see here, folks. Just the result of a routine Saturday night." He hoped that was accurate because he didn't know who the woman was or how she came to be holding onto his ankle.

Zipping up, he bent down and shook the woman. "Hey, sweetheart, what the hell? This 'aint your house." He shook her hand free from his leg, and she moaned, coughing up blood and yellow spittle. Jackie's head began to spin, so he straightened up before he passed out.

"Excuse me, neighbor. Let me give you a hand dragging the bitch to the curb. That way you 'aint got any legal problems." Jackie turned to see an old man grinning a toothless grin, his hand out. It took Jackie a minute to understand that the old man wanted some cash to help him dispose of the woman, who was rapidly gaining consciousness. He dug in his pocket and came out with a few wadded, somewhat moist, paper credits. He held it out to the old man. "This enough?"

The old man grabbed the bills, stuffed them into his filthy shirt pocket and stooped to grab the woman's legs so as to drag her to the dtreet-side curb. He cackled as he dragged her. "Right nice ass on this one. Wanna see?"

Jackie was rapidly losing awareness of what was going on. The hangover was impairing his better judgement, and all he could do was stand there watching the old man rubbing the ass of the semi-conscious woman lying in the street.

"Well, I hope you got your moneys worth, Bub." Jackie knew that voice. It was the voice of the local sheriff. mJackie closed his eyes.

"Shit."

[Xeraph]

Nim mopped his brow and took a sip of cold water from his canteen. The late Sprimg weather was beginning to turn hot, signalling the need to deepen the trenches that meandered through the field of beans he'd planted just 56 days earlier. Beans were a water-heavy consumer. More would be needed to give them the nourishment necessary for a good harvest.

He thought once more about the things that had fallen from the sky and made a decision. He had to find out what...if...they were anything to worry about. If they were nothing but rock, so be it. But if, as he feared, they were something else, that information had to be dealt with. His latent abilities whispered to him that the things were a danger. Actually, an eventual danger. Nim wasn't sure what that meant, but he was all too aware of the past history of Gaia to chance an eventual repeat of the horrors of a TEK society. No, he would have to take steps to prevent that from happening.

And he knew just who to contact, an old man that lived high up the slopes of a northern mountain range in a hollowed-out redwood tree. He decided to leave on the morrow with a horse and a companion. He smiled at the thought of his young, restless son Conor jumping at the opportunity to get off the farm for a while.

Nim wiped his face again and then continued hoeing the field, already plotting the course of events that would entail their trip......

[Tarlag]

The Great Dome,Iceland

Sofia was trying to process what she was hearing. She could not grasp the scale of time this Man has lived. Neander could see the confusion in the girl and asked a simple question. "I will give you one minute of absolute truth my child. Ask me any question you will."

Sofia gathered Herself for a second the asked. "Why live along side of us? You seem to hold us in contempt so why?"

"Simple, I crave companionship. One cannot live alone forever, You sapiens can be ruthless genocidal with not limit to the organized forms of destruction you have indulged in for the last 20,000 years. I unfortunately need people to interact with. Now let me ask a question, when was the last murder in Iceland? the last time a woman was raped? Even a child bullied by His class mates?"

"I have never heard of any of those things happening here, in the old stories yes but never here. OK Master why is that?

Neander gave a small to the girl then answered. "I breed it out of your people. It took me 2,000 years but I have eliminated aggression. Combined with the elimination of poverty and greed. you live in a perfect world. "

"No you have not Master, I feel those things every day."

"You are different Child, a wolf among sheep."

Before Neander could continue a droid entered the room. "Excuse Me Master, our satellites have detected objects entering the atmosphere at different points of the globe."

"Nature of the objects? More space junk I think."

"No Master, they are directed by a preprogrammed course. Six objects detected. We are picking up some form of communications beacon from each object. It is coded and is directed out to deep space."

Sophia looked to the man. " Master, what is happening?"

"Old sins coming back to haunt me."

[Ginger Blue]

Alexxa trudged back from the edge of the glacier toward her hut. It was just a short distance away, but every month or so she had to move it a bit farther south. The glacier was moving about four inches per day, pushing the permafrost up about two feet in the process. As far as she could see in all directions, there was nothing but the bright white of the snow. It was April. Soon, in around 45 days, she would begin to see some green popping up here and there, and so she knew it was time for her to pack up and head due south where the alpine forests began. A day's hike past the tree-line brought her to the village of Ospe. Ospe was the nearest place she could go to get out of the heavy furs she had to wear eight months of the year. Many had told her she was out of her mind for taking on such a job, but she knew it would be worth it in the long run. Just a few more years and she could put in for almost anywhere else on Terra. The thought of palm trees and soft, warm breezes kept her going.

In addition to the usual notations she put in her journal, she made a footnote indicating another sighting of debris falling from the night sky from an East to West direction. Last night was the third such sighting. As she entered her hut, she immediately smelled the savory aroma of seal meat roasting on an open fire, the warmth of it bringing the temperature to almost 23 degrees celsius. Tossing back her hood and removing the thick wool face covering, she sensed rather than saw movement at the back of the hut. Pulling her flint-bladed knife, she turned to see her cat crouching on her cot. She relaxed when she saw her hut-mate, Elcou, dozing under a heavy covering of furs.

"Hey, Elcou, time to get up and feed me. Move your ass!" Elcou sat up slowly, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "About time you got back. Supper has been done for 30 minutes." She rose, nothing on her stocky body other than a thin shift. Alexxa walked over to her and gave her a hug. "Sorry about that. Saw another one of those objects moving across the sky. I tried to see if it landed anywhere nearby, but no luck. If it did, it's miles away."

Elcou was spooning the seal meat into a wooden bown, a piece of corse bread on top of it. "We gotta go check that shit out, y'know? No tellin' what it might be, y'know? Could be trouble, and we're hundreds of klicks from any help."

"Yeah, well maybe near to the end of our duty here. A small side trip for knowledge purposes. The bosses won't complain about it if we learn something." Alexxa sat, her legs crossed near the fire. Her cat waited impatiently for a scrap or two, making it's hungry noise. She tossed a piece of fat to it, which the cat gingerly picked at for a time before looking up for more. "That's all you get tonight. Your'e getting a bit chubby." As if the cat understood, it jumped up on a cot and curled up to sleep.

Alexxa wondered aloud if there were sightings in other parts of the world. Elcou said, "I dunno, but if they come from the dark of space up there, I reckon somebody else coulda seen 'em."

Alexxa's eyes grew heavy. It had been a long day. As she drifted off to sleep, her mind was on the possibility of being the first to discover one of the strange objects......

[Xiberya]

They didn't have to search very long. The thing was just laying there, partially buried under three feet of fresh snow. Not quite as long as a man lying down, it shone dully in the failing light. A small patch of darker metal had markings: OCS-16A.

The hunters approached the thing cautiously, spears at the ready. They watched it for a time, then walked up to it and prodded it with the tip of their spears. Still nothing. In a gutteral language, they spoke about the two women on the tundra, and had decided to let them know that a strang thing was on the glacier.

There was nothing more to do now...it was growing darker and colder, so they ran back to their crude shelter to await the morning.......

[Tarlag]

Government House, Alpha Three Colony


Governor Campbell sat behind a large wooden desk going over the daily reports on His computer. A knock was heard and a large Gorilla walked in the room holding a tablet.
The Gorilla handed the tablet to the governor and saluted. "Report from space Command. Data from the Black Knight satellite in the Sol System. An unknown craft moving at high sub light speed is being tracked. When it was first sighted it was making an airobraking maneuver around Jupiter."

Campbell looked up from the tablet and asked. "It could be from Mars, nothing to be concerned about." The Gorilla gave a slight grunt then responded. "No Sir it was clocked at .4 light coming in system. Those Martian folks don't have anything that fast. It is a sublight ship so it is not A Galactic Federation ship ether."

Campbell looked at the data and scans of the unknown ship for a few moments without saying a word. "If I did not know better I would say that reminds me of several ships that one of my companies were constructing for the Western Empire just before the fall. Prototype Sleeper ships with advanced Ion drive. But that was thousands of years ago. Last I knew they we destroyed by my people."

Giving another grunt "I sometimes forget you are an immortal Sir. Last living person from the New Frontiers. Savior of my people." With that the Gorilla gave a slight chuckle "All the bullshit stories they teach us in school about you." Campbell placed the tablet on the desk "Mr. Cain you really don't believe everything they say about me?"
"No Sir, things get passed down, our people know the only reason you saved the uplifted Gorillas is one of them was the only one who understood how that warp drive system worked. Some old American prototype. You had to take them along or you would of been sublighting it."

Campbell laughed. " You got me there. Old Zeus had me over a barrel. He had taken apart that DARPA probe and was the only one who new how it worked. We barely made it off Terra before Lilith's forces got to us." Turning to look out the window Campbell spoke again. "Alert Space Command to prepare a Ship to go to the Sol System. Also pack my bags I will be going to. I want to see with my own eyes what is going on."

"Sir, Sol is a no go system. Unmanned probes only and no closer the .5 AU to Terra."

"I am the one that wrote that order so I can rescind it."

[Dystopic Swine]

The group of farmers were enjoying a break from their labors, laughing and joking about the goings-on of the villages. As they were preparing to return to the fields, one asked, "Has anyone heard anymore about the smoke a few days ago? Something was burning for a long time."

Another said, "Probably just a careless toss of a lit branch, or at most a lightning strike. Nothing to worry about." He was about to add to his statement when he made a strange sound. The others looked up and saw him clutching his throat, an arrow transfixing it, blood pouring from his open mouth.

They were so shocked at the scene that it wasn't until two more were feathered with arrows that they began to run. But, it was too late. A band of thirty well-armed men burst from the woods, screaming and wielding swords were upon them. Two more of the farmers were slain, the rest herded together and tied at their wrists.

Balon wiped his blade and said, "Satisfied now, M'Lady? This is the fourth farm we've taken in a week."

Lilith stood, hands on hips, surveying the land. "It will do for now, but I want more. I want the larger farms and villages, then the towns. We have to take all we can before winter sets in. We need to enlarge the warriors. These peasents are an easy mark, but there are a couple of larger towns with a better-trained militia. Perhaps as many as forty fighters. And there are stone walls to consider as well." She looked around once again, still bewildered at the feeling she had that somehow there was an outside force keeping her from conquering as she wanted.

"Well, M'Lady, We are off to a good start. To be sure, we grow stronger by the week. Before the snow flies, we'll be a force to be reckoned with!"

"Perhaps, Balon. But there's something that is pulling at me. As if a long-hidden memory is refusing to be remembered. A way of fighting, of waging war. It's as if the past were being denied me."

"The past? You mean the past few months?"

Lilith looked at him. "Balon, it's time you knew about me. You know that my name is odd for this part of the world. You don't know from whence I came. In time, I will reveal more of who I am, but for now, know that I have been alive for a long time. A very long time."

Balon stammered, "My Lady Lilith...I do not understand. How long?"

"Almost from the very beginning of life on this planet, Balon. I'm sure you've heard the ancient tales about a Garden where the first humans were placed by the Creator. The Creator made the first man and then made me to be the man's wife. But I was made from the same dirt as he was, and so had an independent streak within me. I refused to be subservient to anyone and so became the first one to rebel against the Creator. I fled the Garden and gathered others around me. A few were as I am, most were mortal."

Balon looked even more bewildered than before. "As you are, M'Lady?"

The pupils of her reptilian eyes darkened to scarlet. "I am an Immortal, Balon. Ten thousand years ago, there were many of us. Now, who knows. I know there is at least one other Immortal. He is far away, on an ice-filled island far to the north. There may be others, and that is why I desire war against these insignificant humans. I don't give a shit about them or their shitty lives. I want...need...to find more of my people. What we're doing is just a start, but it will end in oceans of blood as the Immortals come together to fight the last battle." Her eyes blazed with malevolence. Now....get your ass in gear! The next village is just over that ridge!"

[Ssyn]

Jackie was cuffed and hauled down to the local lock-up along with the old guy who had dragged the unconscious woman into the street. He still occasionlly cackled as he thought of the woman's ass, but would stop when Jackie elbowed him.

They'd been in the jail for several hours with several other undesirables. Most were drunk or stoned, and there was a guy dressed in drag eyeing Jackie is a very disturbing manner. "Hey, jailer. What the fucks happening with my lawyer?"

The sherrif, one Pablo Smythe-Jones, strolled to the cage. "What the fuck you talkin', Jack? You got no lawyers south of the Wall. Best I can do for you is a guy who'll arrange your bail."

"Okay, so how much?"

Pablo grinned. "How much ya got?"

"Not much on me, but I have a few options. Say, fifty pesos?"

Pablo laughed. "Fifty pesos? I don't want pesos. I want North Border bucks. And a damn sight more than fifty."

Jackie remembered that the old guy had money in his pocket. "Gimme that cash so we can get the hell outta here." The guy laughed silently. "Fuck you. I've saving that money for the chick in the street. She'll be conscious in a little while and she'll need some tender loving care."

Jackie snapped. He drove two fingers into the old man's eyes and a fist into his gut. As the guy flopped around on the floor, he grabbed the wad of cash from the man's pocket. It smelled worse than when he had given it to him. He held it up for the sherrif to see. "This enough for you?"

Pablo counted it and said, "Toss another twenty my way and you'll be outta here in five minutes." Jackie emptied his pockets. "Here, all I got."

"Wait here." In less than five minutes a slovenly deputy rattled his keys and opened the cell door. "Get the fuck out."

Jackie scrambled to his feet and headed down the hall toward the front door of the jail. As he passed a door marked 'Interrogation', he saw two deputies taking turns with a couple of hookers. The sheriff was waiting for him. "If I were you, I'd get back on your side of the Wall, muy rapido. That woman's pimp is lookin' for you and the old man."

Jackie stood in the filthy street, trying to decide which way to go. He was of a mind to follow the sheriff's advice, but didn't know which way was north. He shrugged and made a left and started walking.

He chose the wrong direction...........

[Auralinia]

"So you see, ladies and gentlemen, we are near 88% coverage of this planet. The others, Gand, Pson, and Aria are at 44%, 34%, and 21% respectively. All six OBPs, OCSs, and docks are fully functional. Most docks are at full capacity. There is full commerce and economic contracts with most of the out-lying colonies in the northern quadrants." First Speaker Freem paused for the question he knew was coming.

Speaker Lana asked it. "Impressive, Freem, but still no vessels headed Terra-ward? No breakthroughs there?"

Freem scowled. "You know as well as we all do, Lana, that whatever has been preventing us from contacting the Terran system is still in place. We are no closer to getting there now as we were 4500 years ago. The ships get just so far and then simply start slowing down until they stop. We strain the drives until they red-line, to no avail. We measure, probe, and send out drones. None return, but they send back the data that there is no measurable reason stopping our advance. We have a few scientists who are beginning to think the are metaphysical possibilities at work."

Lana smiled. "Metaphysical? You mean mysterious spiritual forces? Or ghosts, perhaps? Some kind of boogeymen?"

Freem shrugged. "Any better ideas?"

Speaker Lana turned and spoke to a man across the room. "Professor, would you repeat what you told me yesterday?"

Professor Natio Ing, astrophysicist, pushed his glasses up off his nose and cleared his throat. "You may all remember some five to six thousand years ago that there were massive tensions on Terra. Wars, plagues, politcal corruption, strange sighting in the Terran skies became commonplace. It was a miracle that the planet survived these tensions. The only reference to possible metaphysical...or spiritual, if you will...actions are a few veiled references to being called Tower Lords. It seems there were twelve Towers in twelve different locations on Terra that had beings occupying them that somehow, someway, maintained the ability to stop the worst of human folly from occuring. Every time humanity came to the very brink of exterminating themselves, the mechanisms of destruction simply stopped working, whether it be chemical, biological, or even nuclear. Missiles, bombs, bullets, viruses, you name it simply didn't do what they were designed to do."

Speaker Jenks asked, "Tower Lords? You mean that ancient myth of, what were they, oh yes, angelic beings that were set in place by a god of some sort to protect the planet from destruction? The story mothers have told their children at bedtime for centuries in order to get them to believe in a spiritual domain? Your'e kidding, right? You are saying that they, or their powers, are still in place keeping the space settlements from going to Terra?"

Ing cleared his throat. "Speaker Jenks. We scientists have tried to show every possible reason for this phenomena. The physicists, engineers, microbiologists, and doctors have used every string theory premise, every parallel universe theory, and every mathematical formula known to man to come up with an answer. There's nothing, not a theory of any kind that can even come close to even a basic understanding of the problem. Our best efforts, like the drones and probes, have simply disappeared with almost no information. All the solid science has come to nothing and so all we're left with is surmise in the form of a greater power doing what it wants to do. There's no other avenue to follow."

Lana said, "I have here reports of the inhabitants of three planetoids in Edge Sector 1, the so-called angelic realms. These are beings who closely fit the descriptions of angels in a number of old holy books of several religions. They are rarely seen, as they seem to have the ability to disappear at will. There is almost nothing known about them except they are humanoid, tall, they glow, and they have wings. They have been seen throughout the system for centuries. They use no vehicle of any kind. Probes and limited visibility show that there are very few structures on the planetoids. They appear to be low, maybe 12-14 feet high, and approximately three hundred feet in length by forty feet wide. Their purpose is unknown."

Jenks snorted. "So, what do you propose? Sending ships out there? To look for angels? Excuse me, but what the fuck do you hope to achieve? These planetoids are eleven sectors from here, meaning that those aboard will have to be in stasis for at least six months due to the immense distances involved. And by the time they return, we will have been deceased for twenty years!"

Lana said to Speaker Freem, "Mr. Speaker, what is your decision?"

Freem rose and walked over to the wall, and touching it gently, watched it slowly turn clear. The beauty of the stars always affected them, no matter how many times they took in the view. "We're out here, ladies and gentlemen, to seek, find, and categorize whatever is out there." He paused, then continued. "I'm authorizing two ships, one Discovery vessel, and one BattleStar. Each will depart for Edge Sector 1 in 72 hours. Any questions you may have you wil ask now. There will be one hour of discussion. Proceed."

[Xeraph]

Nim and Conor headed north and a bit west, following the sun. The distance to their destination was not all that great, just 200 kilometers as the crow flies. But first they had to get around the InnerSea which added another day and a half to the journey. Once on the western side of the Sea, it would be a slow, uphill hike to the foothills of the mountain range, and then another 72 hours of a hard climb to the plateau shown on the map as Coeurdaho. It was said that this plateau was once a large city of some 600,000 people. Now, the crude drawings showed the bare outlines of ruined buildings and roadways. There were not too many settlements there, perhaps 13,000 inhabitants in about fifty areas. But the best potatoes came from this region, white-skinned, clear flesh, a favorite for baking. Someone not too long ago found that if the spuds were sliced thin and fried, they made a tasty side dish or even a snack."

Nim stopped, surveying where they had been and where they were headed. "We'll stop here for the night, Conor. We're making good time and should be at the Master's dwellings in another day and a half." He swung the pack off of his back and said, "You set up the lean-to. There's a goodly sized tree over there that will keep any rain off our heads."

Conor quickly found the branches necessary and began to add smaller ones that criss-crossed the larger branches. Then he placed a large, woven tarp over the whole structure and placed rocks along the edge to keep the tarp from blowing off. "Father, tell me again about the Master. Who is he? Where did he come from? How does he know so much about the distant past?"

"There's not much to know, Conor. He's been alive as long as when your great grandparents were alive, and if you want to believe the legends, quite a bit longer than that. I saw him at a distance once, in my youth. From what I could see, he didn't look much older than a person does in their mid-thirties. Stocky, animal skins and fur for clothing, a short sword and a staff for protection. Yet even at a distance you could sense the power, knowledge, and wisdom of the man." He stopped to stir the porridge cooking over the fire, then continued.

"He is a man of letters and in fact is rumored to have actual books from antiquity some of which were written by himself under different names."

"Why would he have different names?"

Nim smiled. "The legends also state that he is so ancient, has lived so long, that he had to rename himself every few hundred years or so."

Conor stared. "Surely, Father, this is not possible! We are taught, and so believe, that we live, grow old, and die so that we can return to our Creator forever."

Nim replied, "Yes, that's true. But remember, there are always exceptions to what is commonly believed. The Master seems to be one of these exceptions. Now, come and eat. Enough questions for now. Eat and then sleep. There is still a ways to go."

[The Father World]

"Thank you for inviting us aboard, Admiral. I'm sure we can figure out how to get you back into the Milky Way." The voice was metallic, precise, a monotone. It came from one of the small boxes on the conference table. There were ten of them, each six centimeters by 6 centimeters by seven centimeters. Others present were Admiral Greene and his aides as well as Commander Rokovv and Captain Nyells.

Green raised an eyebrow and asked, "How should we call you? What's your name?"

"We do no carry names as do humans, Admiral. We are binary forms, constructed by nano-bots. If you must focus on such things, you may call us Cubes."

"You say 'us'. You are numerous, yet you are one?"

"Correct. We exist in what you would call a network. The composit allows us to fully communicate with whatever language or mode of communication is presented to us within seconds. There are approximately 344 million seperate and distinct languages in the two galaxies. We know them all."

Greene glanced at Capt. Nyells, then said, "Very well. We asked you here to aid us in returning to our galaxy. As you are no doubt aware there is some sort of wall, or barrier, between galaxies. We know that there are hundreds of miles of rock and other waste materials present, but there is more. We think we have it narrowed down to a sound barrier, one that is comprised of frequencies unknown to us. They are almost as if they can adapt to each human on board each ship and tap into their memories and eventually their psyches. The resultant confusion created by these most unusual sensations is what keeps us from getting into and through the barrier."

"Quite correct, Admiral. Frankly, we are surprised that you humans are sufficiently evolved to have discovered this concept. Nonetheless, we have been traveling throughout the various universes for millenia with no problems. Apparently, the solution is as simple as realizing that as binary forms, we have no memories or psyches and are therefore not subject to sound, or any other, waves that would affect any organic nerve synapses."

Capt. Nyells said, "So what you are suggesting is that humans have to refrain from thinking, is that right? That way we can move throught the universe as you do."

Silence for a few seconds, then the cubes continued. "In your limited understanding, yes, that is correct. And since it does not seem that any of you can stop thinking for even a few seconds, we need to create another means of hyper-space travel, one that bypasses organic processes. Aside from removing your brains surgically, we are currently at a loss as to how to go forward. Which actually brings up our prime question: how did you humans get on this side of the barrier?"

Cmdr. Rokovv replied, "Good question. We are the descendants of the original settlers sent out from Earth in the 22nd century. We have been out here for over 7,000 years, exploring the worlds and star systems. We have settled existing worlds and planted hundreds of various stations and planetoids constructed of metal and concrete. There are 63,753 humans in sixteen sectors of what we call the Taiueen Expanse and another 167,912 in the Typhon Expanse." He paused, looking out at the millions of stars. "But now we want to go back. And we don't know how we got here. The energies that allowed our ancestors to get here are obviously different than those we presently have."

The Cube asked, "You entioned a place you call Earth. What is that, please?"

Rokovv answered, "Why it's the planet we originally came from. The third planet of nine in a system served by the star Sol."

Again, silence for a few seconds. "Ah, the planet is now called Terra with a smaller number of people calling it Gaia."

Admiral Greene asked excitedly, "So Terra is still populated? With humanity?"

"Yes, but after thousands of years of cataclysms, there are fewer than ten million humans on the surface of Terra."

The crew was stunned. "Ten million? When we left there were 13.6 billion."

Though it was impossible, the cube answered in what sounded like an annoyed voice. "That is irrelevant to our primary discussion, Admiral. What we are here to discover is how to get your fleet back to your galaxy. And the first thing we need to know is how many humans are in this fleet, and how many vessels are involved."

Capt. Nyells said, "We have three Warhammer Class Carriers, one Vengeance Class Super Carrier, three JFK Class Battleships, three Perseus Class Destroyers, two hospital ships, and a dozen support vessels. Total of 52, 683 personnel."

"What you call carriers have additional vessels?"

"Yes, Wasp, Tarantula, and Copperhead fighters, total 766 FAS....fast attack ships."

"So nearly 800 vessels of war."

Admiral Greene said, "We prefer to call them Peacekeepers."

The Cube replied, "The galaxie has changed in 7,000 years, Admiral. While there are many human settlements in your galaxy now, none come near your military strength. Even the non-human beings cannot match this fleets strength and power."

"Non-human? Aliens have been discovered?"

"Actually, humans are the aliens. The non-human species have been there for millions of your years. When your ancient neanderthals and cro-magnon people were discovering fire, the Angelics and Annunaks were traversing the solar systems. But let us stick to our initial conversation. We need to figure out how to get you back across the barrier. I have already instructed the nano-bots to construct whatever theses and algorithms we need to accomplish that. We ten will stay here and reconvene with you in two days time."

Capt. Nyells yelled, "Wait we have more questions......." But the cubes were silent.

"At ease, Captain. It's been 600 years since we began trying to figure this out. A couple of more days won't make any difference. Get some shut-eye. See you in 48 hours."

[Dystopic Swine]

As the villages and towns burned, word spread quickly about the new threat. Wild tales of mutant warriors and beasts slaughtering innocent people peacefully going about their business. A man named Balon was seen as the driving force behind these atrocities, but some of the surviving refugees began to think differently.

There was a ferocity inherent in the surprise attacks. They were all without provocation, an assault without any recognizable reasons. "I tell you, there is something other-worldly about these attacks. A small percentage of people are killed, but most are captured and sent north. Rumor has it that they are little more than slaves."

"There are so many rumors and guesses around that it is useless to try and understand what and why this is happening. We've had peace for hundreds of years, and suddenly there comes an aggressor. But I'll tell you one thing. It's not that general who is directing the assaults. There's something, or someone, behind it all." Josh sliced off another piece of the apple he was eating. As he looked up and down the road they were traversing, he saw nothing but suffering. There were perhaps fifty refugees camped along the road, those who had escaped the villages being burned by Balon. Off in the distance, they could still see the smoke, and could imagine the rotting bodies of their family and their neighbors being gorged upon by he carrion birds.

Then, out of nowhere, came horsemen over the ridge. Spears and swords drawn, they converged on the refugees roaring their battle cries. In a panic, the people rose and tried to flee, but were soon cut down. Josh looked over his shoulder and saw one rider casually riding along in the back of the pack.

The rider shouted 'hold' and the horsemen stopped, surrounding the refugees. As the lone rider approached, Josh could see that it was a woman who held an oddly-curved sword in one hand and a long spear in the other. She pointed at the man standing next to him and said, "Where are your chiefs?"

The man was trembling at the sight of this fearsome woman. "I don't know. We fled our village and have not seen the head-men since."

She glared at the man and in one fluid move thrust the spear through his throat, blood gushing from his open mouth. "I'll ask again. Where are your chiefs?"

To his surprise, Josh answered. "Lady, as far as we all know, they are dead. They have not been with us for days." The warrior woman stared at him, and for an instant he thought he was a dead man. "What is your name?"

"I am called Josh Hinkson, lady."

"Well, Josh Hinkson, you will ride alongside me for the next few days. We have much to speak of. And you will guide us to the next village."

"it is about six miles from here, lady. More of a town than a village. It has it's own mill. Maybe a hundred people."

"Good. Tell your people that if they cooperate, they will be chosen for my court as servants. If not, they'll be crucified."

[Tarlag]

S.S. Rogers, Orbit Alpha Three Colony

Captain Brooks knocked on the VIP cabin door, The door slid open reveling the spacious cabin. Governor Campbell was looking out the transparent aluminum window. The Captain entered and saluted. "Sir, we brake orbit in two hours I hope you quarters are to you liking." Campbell turned and looked to the younger man. "Far better then we ever had on New Frontiers. The air is better also, the air aboard her always smelled like unwashed socks." Brooks smiled. "I get it our scouts have the same smell. I just wanted to inform you we will be arriving in the Sol system in 107 hours." Campbell walked over to the cabins desk. "Damn it took us over a year subjective to make that trip."
"FTL has improved since the days of New Frontiers. Rogers is not the fastest ship in the fleet but she is the biggest. 700 meters long with four warp rings. I wager they never had anything this size back in the old days."
"Son new Frontiers was over two miles long and it was built back in the 20th century, granted it was built with only a sublight drive but she was bigger. Then there were the ships of the Solar Warden fleet."
"I never heard of them what were they?"
" They were a clandestine space fleet made in the same ship yard New Frontiers was on the Dark side of Luna, later on Mars. Little is known about them, We think they were built by the old American Empire to combat some sort of perceived threat. When things went to shit mid 21st century they stayed in space and did nothing to help. My people tried to figure out why they sent no aid but as I said the records were fragmentary and they left no clue. The locals informed us the fleet destroyed the records just before they left. We think they left the system in the mid 22 century. At least that is what the Martian records state." Campbell paused for a moment then continued.
"The records on Mars were sparse at best as I said. the records on Terra were nonexistent, not even a clue on what was there. When the Western Empire got to Mars they had no idea that people had been living there since the twentieth century. The surprise of finding a massive infrastructure for habitation on the planet was welcome. It came as an even bigger surprise when it was discovered that they had started terrafroming the planet."

"Are we going to contact them Sir?"
"No, not unless we have to. As far as those folks know they are the only people alive in the Sol System. They have never tried to leave the system. They mine the belt, the moons of Jupiter and once in awhile launch a probe at Terra, the probe goes splat against the shield around Terra and they give up for a generation."

Turning for the door Brooks responded. "I have to return to the bridge for finial preparation for warp. I trust you will be joining us for dinner?"

"Of course Captain."

[Tarlag]

The Great Dome, Iceland



Neander with Sofia trailing him walked to a Command center. Several men and women were monitoring screens. Neander went to stand behind one of the Women. "Carla, What is happening?" Carla responded without turning. "Our satellites picked up man made objects penetrating the planetary barrier. Your projections were correct, the barrier is weakening." Neander looked at the screens for a moment then motioned Sofia to come closer. "I set a barrier up centuries ago, a way of protecting Earth from the so called Tower Lords they had a nasty problem of sticking their noses in my business. I found setting up a shield around the planet stopped them from doing this."

Sofia looked at the screens the to the Immortal. "So are these Lords returning?" Neander went back to looking at the screen studying the data. "No I think not, unmanned drop pods are not their style, no this is someone else. Not Mars ether, we would see their nuclear/ chemical drive emissions out past lunar orbit. The Martians have not changed the type of ship propulsion for millennia. They found something simple and easy to build and just kept on using it, so no not them."

Carla stood and walked over to a plotting table. "These pods are making hard landings all over the planet. All on land, and all in habitable areas, so that tells me that they we under intelligent control. As for the shield they penetrated it with no issue. The space junk in orbit seemed to move out of the way not trying to intercept the pods. I think they had some sort of deflector shield built in." "Any idea who launched them?" "No Master, the launch point was well beyond Luna, who ever they were are well out of our sensor range. They just coasted in launched the pods then just kept on going." Neander thought for a moment. "So someone is interested in us. Not the locals so someone out of system, not aliens those pods are to primitive. Someone who went to a lot of trouble to land those pods." Turning to Sofia Neander smiled. "Child I have a job for you. Recover a pod for Me and return here with it."

[The Father World]

It was a much smaller meeting than the one two days earlier. Three of the Cubes were present on the table, and Capt. Nyells was the sole human representative.

The Cubes began. "Greetings. We have solved the problem. Very simply, we had the nanobots follow an algorythm that was infused with a nano poison. The algorythm was set up much as an elemental human nervous system that required nothing more than hyper-speed in a vacuum. What essentially happened is that we shut down the system and established carbon nanotubes."

Nyells nodded. "My physics is a bit rusty, but what your'e describing is a corridor surrounded by tachyons enabling strings of mass to travel through them."

The Cubes were silent for what seemed a long time. Then they said, "Let us rephrase your statement. Tachyons travel faster than the speed of light, and this is due to to the fact that they have negative mass squared. Yet even with imaginary mass, they can decay to closed strings which in vibrational mode, can cause instability in spacetime itself. So we developed a tachyon emission stabilizer which disrupts the spacetime factor and opens up what you call wormholes in which, though they be random, conversely imposes order on infinity."

Nyells rubbed his head. "Please, in Terran." He thought he could hear the Cubes sigh.

"We punched a corridor in the sound barrier around the edge of the galaxy. It has been set to be as large as necessary for your fleet to return to your Milky Way and set course for Terra. But there is one caveat."

"What would that be?"

"You get just one opportunity to use it. All of your fleet must go through together, in a staggered formation, thirty Terran kilometers apart and maintain that exact distance."

Nyells had a bad feeling. "Or else....what?"

"Or else the corridor will decay faster than the tachyon-strings can maintain it. Our calculations indicate a probability of 86.7% that your entire fleet will be able to maintain that formation for he entire trip, which should take 1.43 hours. But if there any sort of deviance, it drops to less than 49.4%."

"So best case is all of them make it through, worst case is about half of them make it. That's what your telling me?"

"Or possibly somewhere in between those estimates. The integrity of the formation is critical. It must be exact."

Nyells thought for a minute, then said, "I will take this to the Admiral. If he gives the go ahead, when can we do this?"

The Cubes answered. "Anytime you are ready. We need just twenty minutes to set up the algorythm. The you just hit the button......"