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## Voyage of The Beyonder

By DD White

Copyright 2013 Smashwords Edition

Contents: Chapters

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

Chapter 8:

Chapter 9:

Chapter 10:

Chapter 11:

Chapter 12:

Epilogue:

Contents: Illustrations

Captain Mynervood's Hologram Disguised Vehicle:

Fifteen Stars of Nephapricus:

Jaden and Fluisudal:

Prospero and Randa:

Hagan Hiedalli and Beatarkameed:

Diagram of The Beyonder:

Alldegallo's Rude Awakening:

Alldegallo Sees Mountain from Dream:

The Trial of Captain Mynervood:

The Battle for Caleb:

Begalius, Beatariel, and the Calabites:

Ceres and Prospero:

Dr. Thelem, Ferdinand, and Randa:

The Phantom Matter Singularity:

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# Chapter 1

The voyage of the Beyonder had been accomplished by beings that are now not only long since dead, but also were species of aliens that have now been extinct for over 4 billion years. Then ancient aliens called Nephapricans rose up and established a legendary galactic empire that unified the whole galaxy known as Magphoreus, with the 15 star-door wormholes that were located at the empire's original 15 stars. The famous voyage of the Beyonder took place when those 15 legendary stars were still just a tight cluster not yet the energy sources of the star-doors of Nephapricus. Before the galactic species of Nephapricans arose there were three terrestrial species from different stars that had evolved in that original cluster of fifteen. They were the Nephricans, the Pripicans, and the Doldorians.

The legendary journey began at the planet Nephrica, which had been one of the three planets that spawned the life forms that would someday evolve into the ancient aliens called Nephapricans. At the beginning of this journey the planet Nephrica resembled every bit the budding hub of a newly born galactic empire. The planet Nephrica as one approached would be seen shrouded with gray clouds that had long since been tinged by the progress of intelligent life. Above the shroud of gray clouds there orbited a mist of billions and billions of Nephrican-built satellites that were tingling with mischief of all kinds by intelligent life. Above the satellite mist were storms of the glow of interstellar commerce, space exploration and colonization. This activity made the busy planet Nephrica shine unlike any other.

Beneath the gray clouds there could only be seen a barren gray terrain that only looked natural from afar. On closer inspection the mountains and craters reveal a tapestry of patterns and designs that could not possibly be natural. The patterns become the creative architecture and infrastructure of intelligent life as one approaches even closer. This civilization still thrived with the activities of intelligent beings like some kind of blood that flowed through some new kind of planetary entity. The obsessive spread of this civilization had crowded out much of the planet's agricultural potential, and the air of modern Nephrica had become choked with visible pollution. For that reason most good foods were imported to Nephrica from agricultural asteroid and satellite colonies, as well as far away colonies on other planets around other stars. Most Nephricans would love to get off Nephrica and live on one of the new worlds. The planet had now become the industrial hub of a galactic civilization with nowhere else to go but up.

Nephrica reflected the nature of the Nephricans who tended to not change directions once they got going. Nephricans crowded this civilization with wheeled vehicles that were powered mostly by powerful batteries that charged a radio transmitter of a particular frequency that turned tanks of salt water into burning fuel for the turning of pistons. These cities were also filled with Nephricans who walked on 3 legs that looked like tentacles. They had two tentacle-like arms with two long fingers and a long thumb. Nephricans had one large eye in the middle of their faces, and a long aardvark-like snout where their mouths displayed thick human-like lips and teeth. The snout has a mini-stomach and brain that digested chewed food close to the brain. That probably encouraged, for the Nephricans, the evolutionary adaptive strategy known as intelligence.

Unfortunately on Nephrica good food had become expensive, and so a lot of the food that digested in the snouts of common Nephricans had been food product made mostly out of Nephrican excrement. The other interesting and pronounced adaptive strategy of the Nephricans that were walking these streets like anthropomorphic squid, were the skin shirts on display. Nephricans grew their own clothing out of the skin, which they found various ways to wrap themselves with for warmth and environment protection. Today on these streets this skin clothing could be seen cut and dyed into different fashion statements on display by the crowd that walked on tripod legs through this spaceport city. Nephricans created wardrobes of this skin clothing, and the material remained strong like leather for years.

One of the salt-water powered cars driving down the streets of Nephrica looked more luxurious than the others. That particular vehicle advertised to most common Nephricans that the driver of that vehicle had probably been chauffeuring an Eagolim. The Eagolim were a new breed of Nephrican who had their lives prolonged by space travel, which had been a luxury not exactly accessible to everybody. Common Nephricans that lived typical 100-year lives were called Negolim. Eagolim were less intimidated by Negolim since they could just out-live them. For that reason the Eagolim tended to out class the Negolim in wealth and power. The Negolim however became very intimidated by this, and they devoted much time and energy towards spying on, and mischief against the Eagolim.

The rich Eagolim passenger of this particular luxurious vehicle had been none other than the famous Captain Joberk Mynervood. Captain Mynervood pioneered the still very young and now budding galactic empire that at this time stretched between Nephrican and Pripican civilizations to the stars Ea, Poa, Paz, Holdus, Yat, and Oa in the now famous original 15 star cluster. Ships at this time of Nephapricus traveled up to .6 times the speed of light. Captain Mynervood had traveled toward this speed most of his life, making him currently over 3,500 Earth years old on a world where the average Nephrican would be lucky to prolong a life for a length of 200 Earth years. This had been one of the first effects for the evolution of galactic DNA, and Captain Mynervood felt as young as ever.

Captain Mynervood held a video device up to his single eye in his tentacle hand. He observed a geo trace on a vehicle behind them. He had been well aware of the local Negolim that were following him. He had grown accustomed to them following him on Nephrica ever since a wife over 200 Earth years ago had his baby here. Evidently his sub-light speed flights had mutated his DNA, and his child had been born a deformed freak. That wife never forgave him, and the child had been taken away. He had been later told that the child had died soon afterwards, but he now knows these days that they lied.

He had been studied along with other Eagolim like him, but the changes to his DNA didn't seem to be anything unhealthy. In fact Captain Mynervood had never felt better at the age of 4,502 Nephrica years. He hadn't been back on Nephrica for a very long time, but Negolim technology had not advanced very much in the last 40 Nephrican years since he had last been there. He decided it now would be the time to scramble his follower's geo trace and disappear.

"The next turn counter-orbit need I you navigation driver take."

At this time the Pripicans and Nephricans shared a single language already called Nephaprican, however Nephricans had their own dialect at that time. The Pripican dialect in this story tends to read more like current English grammar on Earth. Counter-orbit is a space traveler term equivalent to "left," and the term "orbit" is the space traveler term for the direction "right," not unlike the seafarer terms "port" and "starboard."

Captain Mynervood's hologram disguised vehicle on Nephrica

The vehicle veered past a stop signal that left his pursuers waiting for a large train-vehicle while the Negolim pursuers tried unsuccessfully to unscramble their equipment. Meanwhile some passing Nephricans blinked their single eye in amazement as they happened to notice the luxurious vehicle transform into a smaller less-expensive vehicle with a small dent in the rear.

The chauffeur did the equivalent of laughing, which sounds more like gargling. "That them completely left lost."

Captain Mynervood also let out a gargling laugh before responding. "The whole concept of reality quanta-nanocode hologram technology that the Pripicans created will change."

They drove on down a highway in the hologram disguised car, far from the area they had been driving around all that morning in order to defy the agents of Ea that were following them. Captain Mynervood had been on his way as promised long ago, to take his child from the now aged mother Hagan Hiedalli. He didn't want the authorities to know where he had been going.

Captain Mynervood kept a deeply personal secret that in the last 100 Earth years he has fathered a couple more children, even though Negolim doctors have assured him that they would be born mutants who would soon die. He now knew that to not be true. He knew these children were like him, and they just had different DNA gene switches turned on. He kept them in secret, and supported the mothers financially for discreetly taking care of, and nurturing the young mutants.

He had not seen Hagan Hiedalli in over 42 Nephrican years. She never wanted to change her last name to Mynervood, and apparently she had still not changed her name for anyone else. Nephricans were very much like Earth humans in this way. They often married monogamously however, both parties were free to marry as many partners as they wanted. Nephricans were obsessed with family lineage and used last names from whatever side of the family had the most prestige. The last name either designated the main lineage of multiple marriages, or they just had lots of last names arranged chronologically or in order of importance. Both male and female were able to choose a partner's last name. Hagan Hiedalli however, had remained Hagan Hiedalli although she still enjoyed all the benefits of being a wife of Captain Mynervood, and the mother of his child. He wondered what the child would be like after all these years.

The inexpensive car hologram drove up to the house of Hagan Hiedalli, which sat in an upper class housing district outside the spaceport city. Hagan might have been about to alert the authorities that a strange beat up car parked in front of her house, but then Captain Mynervood emerged from out of the illusion. She had no doubt been watching because she opened the front door as the Captain approached. She had been 42 Nephrican years older, but still looked not a day over 40.

She spoke first. "Last you long time saw it's been. The feelings softened have, but harder now they become."

"Hagan, I away to other worlds have been. Different for both of us time is. Away a long time not a lot to me has been. Right back I came. By time for you much longer I've been gone."

"I the space mission you from return all about know, which you almost killed were."

The Captain shrugged it off. "That an experiment my next easier mission was to get. Now a tourists space cruise my next mission will be. You a day over 40 mans don't look." A man in the language of Nephrica means year.

"I know. Please in come." She swung the Earth-like door wider to let the Captain in. The chauffeur drove the hologram away to put more salt water in the tank.

She seemed unfazed by his clumsy comment on her age, but still Captain Mynervood decided to soften the blow. "As beautiful you as the day I left."

She smiled at the end of her aardvark snout, and did indeed look much younger than her age. "Really a day you to me haven't aged. Wife of Captain Mynervood easy has not been. My communications monitored are. The stake out here you watched saw come rest assured."

Captain Mynervood suddenly realized that all his evasion that morning had been for nothing. For the most part the Negolim agents of Ea were harmless. They just were always there watching all the time and gathering information. They were harmless annoyances up until they finally decided to make their move. Unlike the average citizen of this planet however, Captain Mynervood had come to value his privacy after a lifetime in deep space.

"So my son these days how is, and where is?" He had expected his son to be waiting for him.

"His things he has been packing, my summons awaiting. He to you from here looks forward him taking away. Here he a deformed freak two eyes and no skin shirt lives the life. He all his life that on your ship has believed can be."

In earlier days, (almost a thousand Earth years before,) knowledge of the mutant offspring of Eagolim had been better known about and accepted by the Negolim. In terms of the shorter life spans of Negolim however, those days were a whole age ago, and the current autocratic Dark Age has imposed a vicious ignorance of the mutants. Captain Mynervood has lived through all of this, observing from the cultural divide between Negolim culture, and the culture evolving as the Nephaprican Space Corporation.

Captain Mynervood became anxious to see his mutant son. The baby he left here had completely grown up while he had been on a space flight that seemed to take only a few months. "Please the boy call, and finally him me let see."

At that Hagan called for the boy. "Adma! Your father come see!" Then she turned with Negolim ignorance to brace Captain Mynervood regarding what he was about to see. "Perfectly healthy he is, but two legs on he we three more gracefully he with walks."

The Captain heard the boy dragging a couple well-packed bags down the stairs. Then three tentacle-like legs maneuvered down those stairs. It had been a young Nephrican man with a tunic made out of his own skin, and a single eye over an aardvark-like mouth. Nothing unusual about the boy's appearance whatsoever.

"This can not be. I a perfectly normal boy see. Adma hello, I your father am."

Adma put down the bags and pushed some kind of button on his belt wrapped around the tunic skin shirt. In a blink of an eye the Nephrican boy disappeared, and a hairless Nephrican-gray skinned humanoid then stood before Captain Mynervood, still wearing the skin shirt tunic, which his mother actually grew for him. "Father hello. Your son I am."

It had been more of a shock than expected, especially after being temporarily fooled by the same hologram technology in his car into thinking he had a normal Nephrican son. The shock had only been temporary for Captain Mynervood who had actually provided Hagan with the hologram technology himself before he left for space. The two very different beings held out arms and embraced.

The boy before Captain Mynervood looked indistinguishable from an Earth human except the skin had a more neutral gray color, and he actually stood over twice the height of an Earth human. He had a mouth with teeth, but no snout, and he spoke in a higher pitch than typical Nephricans. "Father on your ship all my life I to be have wanted."

Strange expressions filled the mutant child's very animated face. To the Captain the two eyes were mesmerizing the way they both moved together. Captain Mynervood had the same fascination with Pripican eyes. The two eyes were getting watery. The Captain's wife Hagan Hiedalli had prepared a Nephrican meal for the occasion. What is meant by 'Nephrican meal' is that none of the food even came from the over-industrialized planet. These days lots of food had been shipped from agricultural satellites full of farms and ranches.

The chauffeur eventually came back with the hologram-disguised vehicle, and they invited him in to share dinner. He had been one of Captain Mynervood's crew named Tyallor Nudeowan whose job basically had been to wait on whatever the Captain needed. Tyallor already knew all about the mutant child Adma who has lived his whole life behind a quanta-nanocode hologram disguise. By now the Negolim authorities seemed to know something had been going on, and surveillance always had been like a recognizable ghost in the room.

The mutant boy had become beautiful to his mother's eye. He looked like a graceful freak of nature. She always saw something superior in her child who she had raised in secret. While they all ate and had conversation she wondered if they also saw it in Adma. Adma behaved more graceful with just two legs than Nephricans were with three. The handicapped boy could run circles around them, and there were other things about the boy in the way he spoke so eloquently with a voice that sounded like Pripican music, and his eyes moved together so precisely, and seemed to even see better than Nephricans. Adma had bifocal vision like Pripicans, which had been well documented to be better for perceiving depth then Nephrican camera vision. She saw nothing deformed about Adma as far as his mother Hagan had been concerned, and she even believed him to be superior. She thought it appeared that nature had improved on Nephrican anatomy.

The four-legged Pripicans from the star Poa were already famous in the galactic empire for the music they made and liked to sing. Nephricans have music, but it's more primitive, and Nephrican music is mostly used for changing crowds into a controlled unison, like at sporting events and rallies.

She cried as she said good-bye to her beautiful boy who disappeared before her eye to waddle off to the car as a Nephrican hologram illusion. She would miss both her son and the Captain, but Hagan had become glad to finally have her own life back after all these years. Soon the time came for the Captain, and his son to go. The good-bye had been intimate and Hagan had tears dripping down both sides of her snout. After she finished hugging her son the Captain repeated his previous offer. "You Hagan with us should come. From all of this be taken away."

They had already thoroughly exhausted this discussion. "Joberk no. From all of this be taken if I here stay. I my life a mother for your son I've given. Now that he a man Hagan Hiedalli to finally just being go back is."

The Captain understood. She had gone through a lot being the mother of a mutant. She took good care of the boy while he had been away, and used the hologram technology he gave her religiously to keep the deformities of her son a well-kept secret. The Captain had only been expected to be gone for ten Nephrican years, but then his experimental ship blew up. Adma had been privately schooled, and had grown up living amongst the rumor around the neighborhood that he had been retarded. To his mother and Captain Mynervood's surprise however, the boy had never been any trouble, or in any way handicapped. In fact Adma seemed to be superior to average Nephricans in every way.

After they drove off, Hagan went back inside to look out of one of the house's windows. She watched the house across the street in anticipation of something. Then from out of the house came the Negolim who she knew were a stakeout setup in anticipation of Captain Mynervood's return. She had become annoyed at the nosey government of Nephrica. She hated them, but what can you do? The Negolim agents got into a vehicle obviously to follow Captain Mynervood down the street. She knew the Captain would be aware of them and give them the slip at least just for the sport of it since evading government surveillance had been, after all, futile on the planet Nephrica.

* * *

All this happened very long ago during a period of the galaxy's history known as the 2nd age of Magphoreus. This story takes place when life as we know it finally began to evolve within habitable zones where the 1st Age cycles of chaos and destruction had either been left behind in peaceful orbits, or been annihilated. In the second age the galaxy had been a devourer of the surrounding galaxies along with globular clusters of stars that orbit the mighty Magphoreus even to this day. In these other galaxies that orbited Magphoreus the cycles of chaos and destruction had since subsided long before the post-Quasar Age mighty Magphoreus eventually became tamed by habitability. Therefore life as we know it had been more successful in the surrounding galaxies. It had been during this time, early in the 2nd age, when Magphoreus devoured a certain globular cluster around the spiral galactic arm known in this day and age as Carina. This cluster of stars broke apart into smaller clusters of stars. That had been where and when the cluster of the legendary 15 stars had found their way into the arms of the mighty Magphoreus.

Intelligent terrestrial life had evolved on planets around three of the cluster's 15 stars. Those intelligent species of life were the Nephricans from the star Ea, the Pripicans of the star Poa, and the Doldorians of the star Dol. The Nephricans had only one eye and a tripod walking strategy that involved three tentacle-like feet, and two-fingered hands with opposable thumbs. The Pripicans were furry beings with four legs and two very human-like arms that had three instead of four fingers along with opposable thumbs. The Doldorians were blue with two legs that extended from the sides of a round exoskeleton covered body. They had two arms and spider-like mandibles around their mouths. Nephricans tended to be goal-oriented, militaristic, and war-like. Pripicans were music lovers, creative, and peace loving. Doldorians were technologically hundreds of years behind Nephricans and Pripicans when these intelligent life forms first began visiting each other.

Long before the establishment of Nephapricus, about four billion seven hundred million or so years ago, the pre-humanoid life forms called Pripicans first picked up radio and digital signals from the star Ea. The inquisitive Pripicans of the star Poa then began sending transmissions across the 1.6 light-years to the star Ea in order to establish contact. Eventually a dialogue actually became established, which inspired optimism for the future amongst the Pripican culture that had already realized they were not alone. The Nephrican culture however, took the knowledge of intelligent life out there with more intimidation. Once radio communication became established Nephricans indulged nuclear technologies with the intention to prove the superior species in space travel.

After about a thousand Earth years of strictly radio communication between the Nephricans and the Pripicans, the Nephricans developed ships that could accelerate up to ten million miles per hour. This made the journey take a bit less than 40 Earth years. Earlier robot scouting missions concluded that the Pripicans had a simple culture of monolithic stone architecture. Pripicans actually used non-linear resonance of sound and light frequencies to move enormous stones in the construction of their architecture. This focus on resonance would lead the science of Pripican culture to evolve quantum technologies that would program the very stuff of reality.

The Nephricans eventually improved ship speed up to 25,000,000 mph and sent nuclear ships with nuclear weaponry across the void for 15 years in order to conquer the Pripican culture. The Pripicans, on the other hand, were more cautious with nuclear technologies, and established a culture of unlimited energy based on low energy nuclear reactions that separated electrons and neutrons from hydrogen in the element nickel with nano-scale magnetic fields. That produced a kind of nuclear fuel, which gave off no harmful radiation. That gave the Pripicans the technological advantage to defend the home front from hostile ships that were just a long way from home. During this Great War Nephricans first developed the physics and technology for .6 times the speed of light hyper-acceleration space travel.

Pripicans did not retaliate in the first war, and they proved to be the stronger and wiser species. The peace that followed became the beginnings of the galactic culture called Nephapricus, and faster ships began exploring other stars. Nephricans and Pripicans began to share cultures although it would not be the last war between Nephrican and Pripican. Nephricans of the star Ea expanded the 1.6 light years to Poa, followed eventually by colonies 2 light years away at the stars Yat and Oa. The Pripicans joined the space travel game to expand colonies to the stars Paz, Pea, and eventually the 5 light years to the binary stars Tze and Tze-Doldus. Nephricans and Pripicans shared a galactic colony at the star Holdus, which had been a light year distance from Ea. Once Doldorian culture caught up to the Nephricans and Pripicans, they would expand their culture to the stars Ko, Poa, Koa, Fedor, and Gralga.

Nephricans and Pripicans had already began calling themselves Nephapricans long before they discovered Doldorians at the star Dol. The technologies of constant acceleration began approaching half the speed of light, or over 300 million miles per hour. That altered the DNA of the Nephricans and Pripicans who had devoted their lives to space travel. Travel at half the speed of light caused them to live over 50 times longer than terrestrial versions of their species. That had been when the members of their species that were space travelers began to be called Eagolim, and Nephricans and Pripicans that didn't travel the stars, and lived much shorter lives were called Negolim.

Pripicans created virtual particle technologies that evolved from their understanding of quanta-nanocode and the quantum-bit. Nephricans contributed to the development of these virtual particle technologies by discovering dark matter or phantom matter, which illuminated the mystery of gravity. Gravity is caused by the ubiquitous phenomenon of spontaneous momentary creation of virtual particles along the curvature of space/time. Virtual particle technologies revolutionized space travel, and led to the creation of artificially intelligent entities that would eventually be incorporated with quanta-optic-nanocode bodies that could imitate solidity. Artificially intelligent creations were just early quanta-nanocode prototypes at the time of this story, but Pripicans had already sent these artificially intelligent beings to the stars in order to explore for them. The quanta-nanocode being called Begalius had been sent to the star Dol in the legendary journey of The Beyonder according to data found in the Eigalli Databanks.

The first journey from Ea to Dol took place after the radio signal discovery of intelligent life on Doldoria. The Doldorians had still not noticed the broadcasting of Pripican and Nephrican attempts to contact them. The ship that made this journey had been called The Beyonder, and had been one of the first ships made to travel half the speed of light. That historic journey traveled the light year distance to the star Holdus for the routine task of transferring immigrants between planets. Then supplies were taken to the colony 2.3 light years away at the star Yat, followed then by the famous journey that traversed the 2.7 light years from Yat to the star Dol. That would be when and where the first historic contact with Doldorians would occur.

_Nephapricus_

* * *

The Captain drove with his son to the space base where Captain Mynervood pulled much clout and authority as one of the oldest and most respected captains of the space fleet. Here they could enjoy some privacy from the nosey civilian Negolim. On the space base most Nephricans were Eagolim who were required to take space flights in order to transform their DNA. Here their DNA would be safe from the lesser-evolved Negolim that wanted to study and understand it. The Nephricans at this time really were evolving into two species. This manifested at the time of this story in the form of the local terrestrial Negolim cultures, and the Nephaprican Space Corporation.

They stopped at a building to unload his son's stuff and show him his room where he would stay until the next flight into space. Tyallor the chauffeur actually grabbed the bags while Captain Mynervood showed his hologram-disguised son inside.

"My son in this place space traveling Eagolim all are, and we Nephricans and mutant children of Eagolim between don't discriminate."

As they walked in the building they came upon a lobby where a couple members of Captain Mynervood's crew were lounging. Three were Nephricans sitting in chairs with their tail tentacle leg between the other two tentacles. The other member of the crew had been a four-legged Pripican who knelt all four legs down on a pillow in the middle of the room to sit. Then the Pripican got up with one of the Nephricans to greet them. The Nephrican spoke. "You Adma must be who we've much about heard. Primary Assistant Geben Lockfreedow I am, and our Pripican Navigator Strek Lusu this this is."

The Pripican reached out with one of his two arms, and shook Adma's hologram hand, which really shook his actual four fingered hand. The Pripican hand was three fingered instead of two like a Nephrican hand, and the Pripican fingers were bony like Adma's unlike the more tentacle-like fingers of Nephricans. Then the Pripican spoke in a dialect of the language that sounded strange, and hard to understand. "Hello Adma. We've all heard so much about you, and we have been waiting to meet you since we got here on Nephrica. Here in the space port there is no need to hide behind hologram disguises."

While Strek spoke the other two Nephricans got out of their chairs to greet the new resident. One of them spoke.

"Adma, Ulusu Mynervood my name is. I'm half-brother yours of the same father with."

Ulusu touched a belt button with his tentacle hand, and then instantly turned into another bald gray humanoid just like Adma. Then the other Nephrican crew member also transformed into a humanoid and said, "Frier Gambo the child of other Eagolim parents am. Eagolim crew members here we all are."

Adma went ahead and let his disguise down. He now would be with a family he had only dreamed about his whole lonely hologram disguised life. Perhaps for the first time Adma finally did not feel the constant curse of being different and ugly. Adma knew that he now would be amongst his best friends, and also a brother who he will now probably be friends with for the rest of his life.

*

Captain Mynervood left his son with his crew who were instructed to help Adma settle in and feel at home. The Captain had an important meeting that afternoon with the space program Admiral who would formally give Captain Mynervood his next space flight assignment. It had been guaranteed to be an easy job after the last mission, which had been a warp-fusion drive experiment that failed. Never the less Captain Mynervood and his crew had performed admirably and saved the mission from complete disaster. Captain Mynervood and his crew were nearly killed in an experiment with a new kind of fusion drive that didn't exactly work the way it had been planned from the drawing board. The nuclear explosions that were used to achieve the fusion effect blew up the backside of the ship, leaving him in a damaged spacecraft somewhere between Holdus and Paz with seven members of his crew gone along with the engines of his ship. He didn't think the mission had been sabotaged, but the Captain also felt like he hadn't really been expected to survive that very risky fusion drive experiment.

Pripicans who shouldn't have even known about the experiment eventually rescued his ship and crew. That has opened up a new can of Nephrican suspicions about the Pripicans. How did the Pripicans know? How were they even able to intervene and save them? Still Captain Mynervood now arrived at the office of the Admiral to get his reward of a cruise ship assignment to journey to the star Holdus. Admiral Mull and Captain Mynervood were actually old friends who had built this galactic space travel corporation together over the last four thousand Earth years.

He walked in, stood still in front of the seated Admiral raising one tentacle arm. "Admiral Mull, Captain Mynervood for duty reporting."

"Captain Mynervood relax. I you a new Eagolim son hear have the crew joining." The Admiral waved a tentacle to the empty chair which the Captain sank into while saying, "The Eagolim children than non-born Eagolim like you and I in every way better are. So your efforts to produce a born Eagolim any success have had?"

The Admiral became noticeably embarrassed, "I therapy to my seed count increase have been undergoing, and sex with my five wives actively have, but still no child born has been."

The Captain apologized. "That I sorry to hear am. I in the last mission seven members of my crew died, and four sons of Eagolim of them were. One of them my own was."

The Admiral had been an old friend of the Captain, and had indeed been sorry about the incident. Old friend means that for over four thousand Earth years the Admiral and Captain Mynervood had worked together building a galactic empire with the help of humanoid children that were still not really welcome in Nephrican and Pripican civilizations. This had been right at the beginning of this event of galactic evolution.

"I'm about the loss of your crew very sorry am. The fusion acceleration experiments however, a different Captain and crew still with will be conducted. It someday to work is going."

"Well I the new Captain and crew for safe voyage to wish do. No volunteers yet?"

"No .. no volunteers so I'll one to choose have. But about that enough, you your new mission here for are. You this room that this discussion understand must not leave. Your crew the understanding under will be working that this mission Ea to Holdus is where your ship to for maintenance be grounded is."

Captain Mynervood said, "Admiral Mull understood."

The Admiral continued, "Very good then, you the ship to The Beyonder called assigned will be."

Captain Mynervood became thrilled by the news. "Sir, you thank. That ship one of the best in the fleet is. I a good reliable nuclear reactor drive for a change need." The Beyonder had been a newer ship with one of the best designed nuclear drives to date. It could accelerate up to 401,760, 330 miles per hour, or over half the speed of light. Captain Mynervood also knew that The Beyonder had been nowhere near any need to be grounded for maintenance.

The Admiral continued. "The luxury cruse mission information of the 1.22 oman journey from here to Holdus this room to leave is. Your last failed mission Pripican espionage into our affairs a success at revealing was. They you out there were not only knew, but close enough to you to have been following were. Therefore the rest of your mission this room to not leave is."

"Sir understood."

"When The Beyonder reaches Holdus-2 to maintenance undergo it not is. The ship and crew the passengers off will see, but with the ship then supplies for the planet Caleb the star Yat orbiting will receive. Then you and your crew immediately for the star Yat, which by the Pripicans to a routine supply run to Yat and back, then to postponed maintenance to receive to be will take on. That the Pripicans off should throw."

Captain Mynervood had no idea where the mission would then be off to after reaching the star system of Yat. "So where I the ship after the star Yat am taking reaching?"

The Admiral's mouth at the end of his snout smiled and said, "Then you The Beyonder into the unknown to the first ship to the star Dol to reach be, and the Doldorians contact."

That had been the big secret. Captain Mynervood would be about to go down into Nephrican galactic history as the first ship captain to travel to the star Dol where evidence of intelligent life had been pondered for many Earth years before that moment. Both Nephrican and Pripican not only knew for a long time that there had been intelligent life on a planet orbiting the star Dol, but they had even figured out their language from Doldorian radio broadcasts that were sent across space for those with ears to hear.

The Admiral continued, "Then when your ship within .2 omans of the planet gets while your ship slowing down is, I you with radio the Doldorians contact begin attempting."

The Admiral went on with further instructions of Captain Mynervood's secret mission to beat the Pripicans to the planet Doldoria, which orbited the star Dol in the legendary 15-star cluster of the Nephapricans. For dozens of Earth years, broadcasts from Nephricans and Pripicans had been sent to the planet Doldoria that orbited the star Dol, but no response from the Doldorians had yet been detected. The Doldorians didn't seem to have yet even noticed the aliens that were attempting radio contact with them. Or had they?

* * *

Within the last few Earth years robot missions had been sent to orbit the planet Doldoria, which had been over 5 light years away from the planet Nephrica. These satellites had sent back unquestionable evidence of intelligent life that thrived on the planet below, which Nephricans and Pripicans had dubbed "Doldoria." The planet had been very much like Earth, and the Doldorians were at least a couple hundred years behind the technological level of present day Earth.

A lot of that technology had been radio broadcasts that were listened to by Doldorians for entertainment. They had not yet developed anything like a television, and radio had been mostly used to spread the religious teachings about Ei, who, according to the Doldorians, created the universe with His own breath inhaling nothing and then exhaling everything. It had been said that Ei still breathed the universe into existence, and oversaw the evolution of the life that had been the offspring of the breath of this universe.

These religious broadcasts made up much of what Nephricans and Pripicans had been listening in on for about a hundred Earth years. Now Pripican and Nephrican knew the single Doldorian language, and had tried relentlessly to establish radio contact to say "hi." The Doldorians didn't seem to have noticed this radio activity from deep space. Now Nephrican and Pripican deep space satellite missions had arrived to orbit the planet. They served as relay beacons for the attempts to make contact while at the same time returned aerial details of Doldorian culture. Nephricans and Pripicans had such a close satellite view of Doldoria now for the last few Earth years that they knew much about Doldorian anatomy, culture, and had even learned the written language through satellite photography.

Since the satellites had gone unnoticed, and the broadcast messages had gone unanswered as well as unheard, it had been decided that a mission would send actual Nephricans and Pripicans to greet the Doldorians. That mutual decision however, to the Nephricans had become a race to get there first. That had been most of the logic behind the extra secretive cover story about The Beyonder mission, and also an extra reason to go by way of the star Yat, which had been the next closest star to Dol. At the time of this story only Nephrican researchers who needed supplies inhabited Yat. That added a shroud of truth to The Beyonder cover story, as well as kept Pripicans away.

Satellites from Nephrica still orbited Doldoria to attempt radio contact with the Doldorians. Above the planetary atmosphere of cloud a robot satellite in the sky above watched them sleep. Doldorians had a deep blue exoskeleton that kept them plenty warm and safe from the environment. They had dark holes for ears above their eyes that also face forward, which sort of made them look like they had four eyes. Some researchers believed this effected them so that they actually saw and heard differently than Pripicans and Nephricans who had both evolved ears on the sides of the head. The satellite continued to broadcast greetings into those sleeping ears of the Doldorians.

The Doldorians were very mystical and introspective beings. They appointed priests in their religion of Ei to practice a stillness of the mind. Some claimed to receive messages from Ei this way, as well as other psychic abilities. One of the mystic students that slept beneath the watchful gaze of alien satellites had been named Alldegallo. His lobster-like mandibles that were around the Doldorian mouth opened and closed as he snored in his sleep.

Alldegallo had become a mystic who taught other disciples to obtain visions of the future through the practice of conscious dreaming. They believed that in the morning on the higher mental level of the waking dream the consciousness turned the awareness toward the approaching future of waking reality. From the mental perspective of sleep this took the form of vivid waking dreams that were allegorical visions of the approaching future. Alldegallo slept next to a notebook by the bed in order to record whatever messages he received in his dreams.

Alldegallo believed that lately he had been receiving messages from the divine in his dreams. He had been teaching his disciples that he had received messages from an angel of Ei who had been visiting him in his waking dreams from high above in the sky. Lately Alldegallo had caused a stir amongst the other mystics because he told his disciples that the angel that visited him had been a herald sent to announce a new age about to dawn on Doldoria. The angel heralded the coming of other beings from the stars that would soon come here to meet the Doldorians.

Then in an instant his snoring stopped, and Alldegallo rose out of the bed to grab the notebook as he had been disciplined to do. He began writing while desperately clinging to memories of a dream he had just had. He wrote down the message of yet another encounter with the angel in his dreams.

I have waked again after long sleep in supplication to the herald of Ei who hath met me in the dreamland where I did crosseth from sleep into waking. In dreaming me thought I was lifted up above the clouds that did open, and show me this vision. Such vivid truth hath come to me with this morning that I when wakened did cry to dream again. Here is the stuff my dream was made of, as my life did after sleep come fully round. My dream begun above the clouds into a world of strange signs.

There I did meet again the angel above even higher then the clouds so did his head, if a head indeed he did have, did rise even above the world of dream into the holy presence of Ei in the world of spirit, which is above the world of dream. Below the body of the angel did have two arms and two legs, yet was strange unlike anything ever seen. Gracious were the body's movements, and the skeleton of this being was soft, or maybe within and not without as some animals on Doldoria are, yet with no fur. The voice of the angel echoed from above in the world of Ei, and it did tell me that others with such bodies are coming to Doldoria to usher in the new age. They are the children of the stars coming here to join in loins with your kind.

Then I became a feared by the hum of strange sounds and the clouds were full of noises. Sounds and scary airs did surround my dream body, but hurt me not. Thunder like a thousand twanging instruments shouted about my eyes and ears. Then came a chariot with the whispering voices through the curtain of cloud. There was a crowd of beings upon the chariot of strange shapes. Some were like the angel with eyes of white and colored pupil, and the dual pupils would dart and dash according to what the being's gaze did fall upon. Another form of being on this chariot was slithery with two arms and three walking arms like tentacles. These beings had only one eye that also did dart and dash but not in unison with another eye. The other beings of the chariot were stranger still, and were legged with four furry legs like animals we would recognize. They had however, bodies like the angel, but perched upon the body of four legs, and they were all covered with fur like an animal. Then the angel of my waking dreams said these many goodly creatures are coming here to usher in a brave new world on Doldoria. Then the world of the waking did capture my dream body while the vision did fade to oblivion in the morn. How beauteous this vision of the future is that has such beings in it.

Doldorians have completely black eyes with no whites or discernible pupils. Therefore eyes that have whites and pupils probably appear to 'dart and dash,' or appear more animated to Doldorians.

# Chapter 2

Alldegallo the Doldorian didn't go back to sleep after writing about his amazing dream. He sat in his room with silence while petting one of the sanctuary's foodons. Foodons were furry six-legged creatures about the size of domestic Earth cats. The leader of the sanctuary loved the creatures so quite a few of them always roamed the halls of the Sanctuary of Ei. The sanctuary had been where Alldegallo had joined to become a priest many Doldorian years ago after the abrupt death of his parents. Now the teachers and authorities of this religious institution seemed to have become upset by Alldegallo's recent successes with conscious dreaming. As he sat in silence Alldegallo thought everyone should have been more pleased by the news of his morning visions.

Alldegallo sat and gently pet the foodon in his lap named Ponga. Ponga had chosen Alldegallo by sitting outside his door in the morning till Alldegallo eventually let the animal in. Ponga had just been there every morning to have Alldegallo pet her fur, which Alldegallo dutifully indulged every morning before having to go to his first class of the day to learn to become a priest of Ei. He wore a disciple's tunic draped over his exoskeleton body, which became his current uniform in life.

Doldorians wore clothing mostly for status, fashion, or work. Their exoskeletons included places to store belongings, and even the genitals retracted into the cobalt blue Doldorian exoskeleton. Alldegallo placed a breakfast wrap in his mouth mandibles that fed it to his mouth while with his free hands he pet the foodon on his lap. These quiet times in the morning had become precious to him before the hectic day.

Alldegallo looked out his open window that morning while petting Ponga when he heard a screaming child outside in the Crypt of Ancestors. One side-effect of the Doldorian ear facing the same direction as the eyes is that Doldorians became very good at telling how far away something was by the direct sound of it. His mandibles tossed the rest of his breakfast in his mouth while Ponga scurried away in response to Alldegallo getting up. He left the room to go see why a child had been crying outside.

Outside the star Dol still looked orange through the morning Doldoria haze, which swirled about the ground mischievously because the morning Sun still had not chased it away. A foggy haze settled on the Crypt of Ancestors, which consisted of small tombs where the bodies of dead Doldorians lay preserved, bound up in fetal positions. Doldorians believed in preserving their dead this way in order to communicate with them in the afterlife.

Alldegallo walked quickly into the crypt where a young child still cried loud, and another older Doldorian tried in vain to comfort him. A nearby gergo-drawn carriage evidently had brought the man and child to the crypt. The way the six-legged ant-like gergo had been adorned along with the lavishness of the carriage indicated that the owners were quite well off by Doldorian economic standards. It suddenly occurred to Alldegallo that a very similar gergo pulled the chariot in his dream that morning.

Alldegallo approached the crying child. "Beseech you child, be merry. Oh what cause is there for your grief beyond that of your loss? This woe of loss here is common, but why much deeper appears your grief?"

The child looked up as Alldegallo placed his two-fingered hand on the boy's shoulder. "Oh good teacher, what must I do to behold my deceased parents? Do constrain me in the way to see spirits?" The child started crying again.

The other male Doldorian there with the child spoke. "My apologies kind mystic, but the child is but my ward newly acquired after the sorrowful demise of his parents. I am but a fool for a tutor for I see the parents who's ghosts makest a show, even right now, but darest not to show for the child's yearning gaze."

Alldegallo had rarely seen a child that didn't have enough faith to see dead ancestors. It had been mostly older Doldorians that had such a problem. "I say straightway be of good cheer young child. Mine eyes behold your parents are here. Thou they do bid your eyes to come unto them at this moment. It is what your eyes see, which doth cloud them from the gaze of your faith. Be thou of stronger faith wherefore didst thou doubt."

Then the young boy became quiet and began blinking his two completely black Doldorian eyes. After a tense pause he cried out a fairly universal utterance by most intelligent life. "Mommy! Mommy Daddy!" The boy's vision became focused on two additional transparent Doldorians at the scene who then waved to their son. Both ghostly parents appeared relieved by the boy's long awaited recognition. The ability to see the dead is an arcane science on Doldoria that has been maintained by the Priests of Ei, as well as these Crypts of Ancestors for thousands and thousands of Doldorian years.

Alldegallo enjoyed the blessing of helping a young orphan boy obtain the vision, which not all Doldorians were capable of. As Alldegallo returned to the Sanctuary of Ei from the crypt he greeted several other ghosts that stood around the tombs of their mummified bodies. He even took a detour to say hello to his own dead parents whose premature demise led him into the hands of the Priests of Ei in the first place. His mother and father were standing where they always were standing. "Mother, father, thou art before me just in passing. The world of the living is wroth with me, and I do miss you two so."

His father spoke up while his mother's transparent face just adored her still living child. "My son, the problems you go now to address we fear are from our legacy caused, which your mother and I so doth remain silent in death regarding. Take courage my son, lest our silence fail to serve thee."

Alldegallo had listened to them speak this way before, but never really had been able to find out what forbidden secrets his parents were so determined to take to the grave with them. Eventually he had to say goodbye to his dead parents and get to class. As Alldegallo returned to get to his first class on time, the High Priest watched him from his room window. The High Priest advertised a furious anger toward the pretentious unqualified disciple that imposed himself on one of the church's richest donors.

Alldegallo grabbed his dream journal on the way to the morning class. He couldn't help but be excited about another vivid morning dream about a new age soon to dawn on Doldoria. He read his morning journal entry out loud to the other students of the priesthood before class. Naturally it had been the main subject of most of the usual pre-class murmuring, but for some reason the instructor found it intolerably disruptive to his class, and Alldegallo had been dismissed from the morning lesson. He had been ordered to report to the Head Priest. He nervously approached the door of the head Priest anticipating another punishing lecture.

The High Priest became noticeably furious and didn't invite Alldegallo to sit, but instead got out of his own chair to confront him standing up. "You doth dwell in this temple like an illness that thou attend me to here usurp! Something ill doth swell in this temple that I will cure."

Alldegallo tried to explain. "Good sir. But the journals of the waking dreams are encouraged for the sharing ..."

The High Priest stopped him. "One word more I charge thee that the name of visionary thou ownest not, and hast put thyself in this Sanctuary of Ei to win it from me, the Lord on it!"

"No sir. Thou understand not."

"Silence! If thou abide in so fair a house, then no good thing doth dwell in within it. Speak not traitor, or I'll manacle thy neck, and salt in thy water thou shalt drink! Wherein the husks of withered roots for food shalt thou eat. Thou art on trial for imposing yourself, a lowly disciple upon the rich orphan child made so vulnerable by a loss so tragic! Thou wilt live thy place here or know humiliation by permanent excommunication! Silence! For by one more word I shall hate thee for an impostor. Therefore hush!"

Alldegallo left the office of the High Priest scared for his future at the Sanctuary of Ei. He had never been so threatened by the authorities like that before. He had only gone to the assistance of a small child in need of some mystical encouragement. He had always been encouraged by the teachers to do that before. He knew the real reason he had been threatened with excommunication was for teaching disciples as if he had been a qualified mystic when he had been only a disciple himself. The problem became that he gained a lot of believers in his very genuine waking dream messages of foresight. The High Priest sat in silence after Alldegallo left, still smoldering with fury towards the pretentious little disciple that broke his spell that had blinded the orphan child to his dead parents. The disciple broke the Priest's spell as if the magic of the High Priest of Ei had been nothing at all. The High Priest picked up a passing foodon to pet it for a while since it had been a known method of calming one's self down.

* * *

The morning after Hagan Hiedalli said goodbye to her mutant son, along with another quick hello and goodbye from her long lost husband, she got up early from bed with a purpose. She did her morning hygiene, which included shaving off most of the 3 inches of skin cloth she had grown on various parts of her body overnight. She threw the cut off pieces of skin into a bin where she kept small scraps of skin cloth. She had been one of the Nephricans that got into sewing together pieces of skin- cloth to wear on their naked three-legged squid bodies. She sewed her own clothes together with pride. She had left a long skirt of skin cloth that had been still growing uncut around her waist. She grew a new skirt for herself that she would cut off when it finally grew to the length she needed. Skin cloth had been a unique evolutionary strategy peculiar to Nephricans. It had been equivalent to the fur grown on the bodies of Pripicans, as well as the Doldorian exoskeleton.

Hagan covered her naked body in some of her best skin-cloth work, and drove to the spaceport city to meet some Negolim that she knew who could help her figure out what the authorities on stakeout across the street were up to. Nobody seemed to follow her, which only confirmed that the Agents of Ea were not really there to spy on her. It had been at a morning diner where Nephricans liked to hang out, which had been the equivalent of an Earth coffee shop, where Hagan knew she had to go in order to meet her connection. She had actually made contact with the Negolim underground several Nephrican years ago when she first started to notice the surveillance across the street. At that time they wanted something from her that she wasn't willing to give. Now her one-track Nephrican mind had reached a different decision. Her salt water powered car sped towards the mega-spaceport-city that dwarfed the surrounding mountains.

There had been someone who always hung-out at this morning diner that she needed to find. That had been the purpose he served at the diner, to wait to escort worthy Nephricans to the underground. The gatekeeper to the underground wasn't into cutting his skin cloth, or dying it different colors. He just sat at a table wrapped in years of light gray growth like an Egyptian mummy. The routine for those seeking the underground had been to just strike up a casual conversation with him in order to begin initiation to the underground.

Hagan had rehearsed what she planned to say a couple times in the car before entering the diner where she immediately noticed the mummified gatekeeper at one of the tables. "I'm sir sorry. You I for a second someone else were thought."

The mummified Nephrican seemed to immediately recognize her, and displayed obvious surprise through all the wrappings of skin cloth. "Mrs. Hiedalli no! You me are correct it is."

Hagan Hiedalli sat down in the diner with the guardian of the gate to the underground. It had been just an ordinary meeting of two Nephricans in the belly of a mega-city that dwarfed the surrounding mountains.

The man went right to business, and spoke in a quiet voice. "You our offer from last time with us met evidently have reconsidered."

"I yes have."

"You what we for asked now have?"

"I yes do."

The man seemed anxious all of a sudden, and had barely been able to remain composed. "You on the table it can place, I so can have a look?"

Hagan Hiedalli turned her head in both directions to look around with her single eye, and then placed a small clear domed object on the table. It looked like certain Earth gift store novelties that were filled with water that turn into snowy scenes when you shook them up. Inside this object on the table a replica of the planet Pripica could be seen all covered in blue, brown, and white swirls of clouds that rotated inside the object with unbelievably intricate details. It had been a gift that Captain Mynervood gave her from the planet Pripica itself, and it had been the quanta-nanocoded handy work of the skillful and creative Pripicans. The underground wanted to study the cutting edge quanta-nanocode, which the planet replica slowly revolving in the tiny object had actually been made out of. The planet looked like an exact replica of the actual planet that orbited in clouds swirling weather patterns within the tiny knickknack. The tiny planet replica could be zoomed in on and explored with quanta-nanocode technology built into the device. The quanta-nanocode technology also allowed views to be projected in the surrounding room as vividly realistic holograms, but they dared not use that function in that public diner. The gatekeeper's skin-cloth wrapped snout lay on the table as he leaned his eye in for a closer look.

The object had been constructed with an experimental precursor version of a form of quantum bit programming that would come to be known as quanta-optic-nanocode. Quanta-optic-nanocode had been the evolution of quanta-nanocode, which the Pripicans invented to create microscopic programs with sub-atomic processors that revolutionized all technologies up to artificial intelligence. Quanta-optic-nanocode eventually allowed the microscopic programs to project hologram bodies that could imitate solidity. A few of the artificially intelligent quanta-nanocode beings of the time of this story eventually evolved into quanta-optic-nanocode beings.

Hagan nervously snatched the object back and returned it to her skin-cloth pouch, which she carried at her side as a purse. The man composed himself like someone who had just seen God. "I with me what you want don't have. We should go, and I you where you to go want will take."

They got up, and Hagan drove the man down some familiar streets that she had actually gone down before. There just had been no other way to find the underground except through the keeper of the gate. They actually didn't go to the same location as last time since the underground moved around constantly to avoid the Negolim authorities who were in constant pursuit. The Nephricans chased each other around like this in the daily drama of a society struggling between those that had and those that had not, which on Nephrica had become the extreme evolutionary split of the species between newly evolved Eagolim, and the more mortal and fleeting Negolim. Hagan had been taken to another Nephrican who looked a lot more neatly adorned in his skin cloth. The well attired Nephrican lived in an apartment that they finally arrived at.

He had been thrilled to be meeting with Hagan Hiedalli again, who had been one of the famous wives of the legendary Captain Mynervood. "Mrs. Hiedalli please welcome down sit."

The better-dressed man looked as anxious as the gatekeeper to see the quanta-nanocode object. To Hagan it just had sentimental value. There were simple controls on the base of the object that allowed the user to zoom in on the planet, which when zooming displayed itself on the clear outside dome that incased the planet. Hagan had zoomed in only a couple of times with very little interest in the Pripican culture, which the Nephricans failed to conquer way back in the days of the Great Galactic War. She just had not been interested in other planets, or space travel, and she wanted to die a Negolim.

The underground contact that she met with zoomed in on Pripica for a long time, and he projected several hologram views into the room. They were all in awe of the beauty of Pripican culture projecting above them in the room, and how well tended the still abundant nature of the planet remained. The object allowed them to maneuver through panoramic hologram views of dense forests and cities. There could even be seen little quanta-nanocode Pripicans in the cities that lived genuine Pripican lives on the microscopic surface. They were all programmed with lives that included everything from birth to death. "It for information about Pripica for knowledge of quanta-nanocode is as valuable."

He eventually zoomed away from the glorious stone architecture of the Pripican cities, which made whole areas of continents look like monolithic structures that were carved out of whole mountain ranges because on Pripica they were. The planet Pripica had been extremely rocky, and the Pripicans did indeed carve their cities out of it. These elegant structures of solid rock would endure on the planet Pripica for hundreds of millions of Earth years.

The well-dressed member of the underground looked at Hagan with some admiration before getting up to fiddle with a cabinet in the corner. It had been a combination code he entered, which opened a safe. He took out an object, and then closed the cabinet safe.

He returned to the stool-like chair that Nephricans sat on with their three legs. He placed the object on the table before Hagan and said, "You this artificially intelligent quanta-nanocoded device to the operation of the Agents of Ea across the street from your home will require to explore. It the evidence you need will gather. It in a Pripican dialect, which difficult to understand can be talks."

He opened the device up like a miniature laptop computer, or actually it looked more like an Earth cell phone except a bit bigger, and then he faced it on the table towards Hagan. A miniature animation appeared on the tiny screen that looked like a mythological centaur from Earth mythos. It had been furry all over with a goat-like Pripican face that spoke. "Hello Mrs. Hagan Hiedalli. My name is Beatarkameed, and I've been told about your problems with the Agents of Ea. I am here to assist you. My actual microscopic sub-atomically programmed form can be your invisible eyes, ears, and digital hands where you can't go yourself." Hagan just stared at the centaur-like animation with her mouth drooped open at the end of her snout as if she couldn't understand a word the Pripican program said.

Hagan Hiedalli had been given the little quanta-nanocoded helper in exchange for her quanta-nanocoded trinket from a husband that never had been home. She did still care for the Captain and forced herself to understand the tragedy that took her Eagolim husband away for her whole Negolim lifetime. The member of the Nephrican underground who gave her the device warned her that they had already done some spying for her. They had learned that the Agents of Ea operation across her street had been actually financed by a still unidentified Eagolim benefactor who had a lot of wealth and influence. It wasn't just typical Negolim mischief that watched her home from afar. He also told her that the operation went back for the entire lifetime of her son Adma. She had been told that most of the servants that had been working for her over the years were agents in this operation. That instantly shed a new light on the abrupt departure of her last housecleaner who quit right before the long awaited arrival of her husband Captain Mynervood.

*

Hagan evidently became more accustomed to the way the quanta-nanocoded device talked to her on the way home. That had been when she began to appreciate the nuances of quanta-nanocoded artificial intelligence. It made Nephrican attempts at it with regular computer code seem like just clumsy, sluggish, and simple programs with no real intelligence. Beatarkameed had been an eloquent and intelligent being that had already lived longer than Hagan by more than a hundred years. She opened the little cell-phone-like device at her kitchen table after arriving back from the mega-city next to the planet's main spaceport.

"I much time before my husband's next space flight takes off don't have. What the Agents of Ea to my son before they planet leave to have done have know."

Deep within the cell-phone-like device with the animated Pripican character on its screen was a whole continent inhabited by a collection of quanta-nanocoded programs, where there lives a complex collection of proton and neutron molecules that were glowing with constant photon emissions and virtual particle exchanges, which had been named Beatarkameed. Beatarkameed stood before a microscopic view screen that showed an image of Hagan Hiedalli at the kitchen table looking at it. Its molecules were quantum synchronized to the complex device laying on Hagan's table, and could also remain here while actually flying away from the device like an invisible molecule in the air that embodied a spirit of artificial intelligence. "I'm on my way Mrs. Hiedalli. You can track my progress, observe what I'm seeing, and give me instructions from where you are at. Just speak and I'll be able to hear you."

After the Pripican animation told that to her it disappeared, being replaced on the screen by a view of the house across the street zooming in to a crack in the front door to then became like the scene of a fast-motion planetary re-entry.

Inside the house Hagan could see on the view screen that the Negolim Agents of Ea were still there in front of view screens that showed her son Adma at the spaceport. They were not even really paying any attention to her from there across the street. The Negolim Agents of Ea had some kind of microscopic cameras flying around that were watching her son.

"What they with my son doing?"

The device on the table talked to her in a Pripican dialect. "Looks like they are still keeping your son under close surveillance. They are geo-tracking him, video observing him, and doing something else to him with additional controls I am still analyzing."

The Beatarkameed view zoomed way into the cracks of the equipment in the room, and then turned into a strange show of light and kaleidoscopic imagery.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Hiedalli! I'm copying and analyzing these devices right now to compile your data and evidence. I think they are manipulating your son Adma somehow with these devices. I'll transfer the video / audio data that they are compiling right now on your son to the screen you are watching while I do this."

Then the image on the quanta-nanocoded device screen that Hiedalli watched became her son Adma in the spaceport lobby with his humanoid half-brother Ulusu and the Nephrican Primary Assistant Tyallor. Hagan could see with relief that her son looked happier than ever. He would finally be with others like him, free of his hologram disguise.

Adma spoke to his half-brother. "So you my father after all these years must know really well?"

Ulusu spoke with pride of his father. "My brother I indeed Captain Mynervood do know. He the bravest most compassionate leader I ever have served is."

Hagan Hiedalli sat at her kitchen table watching her mutant son speaking with another of her husband's mutant offspring. She became intrigued while listening to Ulusu describe her husband. Her single eye began to sob with tears of what could have been.

Captain Mynervood had been away from Ea for 42 mans because of delays on his way back from the failed fusion drive experiment. The initial mission had been a 3.12 oman (4 light-year) journey to the star Paz and a 3.12 oman journey back. At that time the Nephricans were obsessed with a fear that Pripicans would reach the star Paz first, which they knew had a habitable zone planet. That should have only taken 19.9 Nephrican years, which already had been an excruciating amount of time away from a mother with a newly born child. Unfortunately the ship engine blew up 4 years into the journey.

The ship obtained the fusion, but then had been unable to contain the obtained fusion core for some strange reason. The initial explosion killed two of the crew. The heroic efforts of the other 5 crew members that died, along with instructions from the Captain created a protective cradle around the fusion core while the Captain and Strek turned the ship around to skillfully use the fusion core energy to bring the ship to a halt. By the time the core finally had been sent on its way from the wrecked spacecraft the radiation from the explosion had already sealed the fate of the other 5-crew members. Ulusu informed Adma that one of those 5 that died had been another half-brother of Adma named Spocht.

Pripicans eventually rescued the marooned and desperate mission, which at the time had been almost out of food to eat. The Pripican mission that responded to the distress signal had already been on the way to Paz and had spent much to come to a stop and assist. Nephrican skeptics point out that the accelerating Pripican ship could not have received the Nephrican distress signal. What had been left of Captain Mynervood and his crew continued with the Pripicans to Paz and back. After that they spent at least a year on Poa waiting for a flight to Holdus. Historically this chronicled how the Pripicans reached Paz before the Nephricans, even though Captain Mynervood had also been on that trip with his rescued crew.

Eventually Captain Mynervood finally caught a flight back to Ea. His child had grown up, and Hagan had grown bitter. She cried tears of forgiveness while listening to Ulusu's explanation of what had happened. Before that she knew all this from news reports to the point of not even wanting to hear the explanation from her long lost husband the night before. Now he went on his next mission, and she would probably be dead before he, or her son ever came back.

Beatarkameed continued to download evidence while Hagan gathered what she needed to know by watching the audio / video surveillance being recorded of her son that continued on the tiny screen of a device on her kitchen table.

While Hagan continued to view the show, Geben Lockfreedow appeared on the communication device screen in the corner of the lobby where Adma and his new friends were lounging, and which Negolim spies were filming. "I to the star port authority before our mission this afternoon to takes off need go. The Captain where I am let know."

Then Hagan heard a voice speak that had not been anybody in the video that she had been watching. It turned out to be the voice of one of the Negolim spies across the street talking. "Adma up have get and volume of that message increase!"

Suddenly Adma got up while microscopic cameras followed him to the communication screen on the wall of the lounge. He turned the volume up while Lockfreedow continued. "I'm this star port still at. The fusion program, which us in space with brethren lost left stranded going to make give."

Adma acknowledged Lockfreedow's message before he went on his way ending the transmission. It occurred to Hagan that these Negolim Agents of Ea across the street were controlling Adma like a robot. She became suddenly horrified with the realization that her mutant son that had been raised his whole life in hologram disguises had actually been skillfully groomed, and implanted with hypnotic mind control devices during his life. She realized this had been going on his whole life beyond her awareness, yet always there all around her. There were various servants, house cleaners, and occasional tutors she had been persuaded to hire. She had to get this information to her husband Captain Mynervood before they took off for the star Holdus this afternoon with a robotically controlled Manchurian candidate on board.

*

Admiral Mull had been lounging in his office when Hagan Hiedalli had been transferred to his communication device. He had been more than happy to accept the call from an old friend.

"Admiral Mull I'm you to bother sorry, but I to my husband Captain Mynervood to directly speak must be transferred."

The Admiral's eye widened with surprise. "Mrs. Hiedalli I that call certainly can arrange. I what this is regarding can ask?"

"My husband in danger a member of his crew by."

The Admiral became noticeably concerned. "This urgent enough certainly sounds. Me you on hold while I arrange let. Of The Beyonder the boarding has already began, and he to up there be busy is going."

The Admiral hesitated in deep thought after putting Hagan on hold. Then he got up to leave the room. That had been when he ran into Lockfreedow in the hallway outside his office. Lockfreedow had still not got on board The Beyonder where he figured the Primary Assistant of the ship probably should be right now.

Lockfreedow stopped the Admiral by standing at attention and raising a tentacle. "Admiral Mull sir your audience requesting!"

"Geben Lockfreedow yes. You The Beyonder should be boarding. I for you what can do?"

Lockfreedow had been putting up with unexpected administrative run-a-round way longer than planned before deciding out of desperation to go over their heads to the Admiral of the spaceport who he personally knew very well.

"Sir I'm the records for the last failed fusion experiment to me released trying to have, but the administration me won't authorize."

"That no problem Lockfreedow at all is. I a copy of those records happen to have. I'll more than happy them to you to release be. With me come, and I'll you on the next transport to The Beyonder with the records you seek get."

The Admiral walked down the hallway with Lockfreedow. He seemed to have forgotten about the call from Hagan Hiedalli that still lingered on hold in his office as he took Lockfreedow to the records that Lockfreedow wanted to examine while they spent the next two Earth years in space traveling to the star Holdus in the ship called The Beyonder.

*

Hagan Hiedalli had been left on hold waiting for Admiral Mull to connect her to her husband who soon would blast into space while hyper-accelerating to more than half the speed of light. She had made several other attempts to reach her husband, and warn him that her son had been under the hypnotic mind-control of an evil plot against him. She sat in front of a television screen on the wall while holding the quanta-nanocoded device that had been the physical form of Beatarkameed. It seemed that all intelligent advanced societies with large populations always evolved something like television. She watched the news reporting on The Beyonder being boarded, now in progress.

The news reported on many first time Negolim passengers who had saved their money for years in order to travel more than ½ the speed of light to another star. Most Negolim wanted to take this expensive trip in order to exponentially extend their life expectancy, and thus become an Eagolim. That had been an unexpected evolutionary side-effect of traveling so close to the speed of light. At this time in the second age of Magphoreus, the Eagolim were the new galactic form of their species that were just beginning to replace the older terrestrial form. Some Negolim would save money their whole lives in order to send their children to the stars so they could undergo this evolution, and carry on the Nephrican family names for millennia.

A reporter on the screen interviewed a young Nephrican boy who boarded the virtual particle craft that would take him into space in order to board The Beyonder. Virtual Particle vehicles were the cutting edge at this point of time in Nephapricus, but they were about to propel this galactic civilization into the stuff of legend. The Nephrican spaceport had recently purchased this technology from the Pripicans.

Virtual particles are a phenomenon of this universe that, on the sub-atomic level of reality, constantly appear and disappear all the time. This is the stuff of gravity, which represents a virtual particle effect that cumulatively flows in and out of existence along the curvature of the universe. Fields of virtual particles become oriented to a mass polarity point. Virtual particle vehicles control fields of this virtual particle phenomenon with artificially generated mass polarity points in order to control the gravity around an object, or in other words anti-gravity.

The reporter stopped the young passenger before he boarded the saucer-shaped virtual particle vehicle. "Me young man excuse. I your name what is may ask?"

The small boy stopped to look up at the reporter, then said, "I alone am traveling, why yes, and my name Trunlio is." The reporter's camera crew had been two other Nephricans that started walking around the boy while pointing small hand held cameras at him.

"The audience how old you are tell?"

The little gray squid being deliberately puffed himself up on his three tentacle legs to stand a bit taller. "Twelve years old I'm, and of my life perfectly ready to charge take. My grandparents this ticket so I an Eagolim can up grow bought. They a personal promise from Captain Mynervood that I will looked after be have."

Then the young child bravely walked up the virtual particle vehicle ramp to his destiny. The reporter moved his story along to the child's crying parents who had already said goodbye to their brave little Negolim boy who would come back someday an Eagolim. That had been when a group of around 15 Negolim protesters that were holding signs stopped the reporter on the TV.

"The Beyonder us Negolim out of the knowledge of the universe that we all as a society acquired are shutting."

Then another protester interjected for the camera, "Yeah! All kinds of conspiratorial secrets from Negolim there kept are!"

Then they broke out in a quick rehearsed chant. "We to know want! We to know want! We to know want!"

The reporter seized the story opportunity and asked, "So me and our audience out there of these conspiracies you today protesting are tell."

"We proof that all photos we of Doldoria treated photos have get see. They the existence of civilizations of intelligent life on Doldoria are hiding."

The reporter let the protesters continue to speak on his show, but his single eye advertised a worried look that he might have his live story cut short if it got too controversial.

"How with all the surveillance satellites we a virtual replica of the entire planet Doldoria to explore don't have?!"

The reporter offered a skeptical response on behalf of his viewers. "Oh on come! The space authority such an enormous organization secret of intelligent life on Doldoria is couldn't be keeping."

Another protester imposed himself on the camera. "Oh yeah? That only one of many conspiracies is! The Eagolim another two-eyed, two legged, two armed alien life form on some planet out there have discovered, and they us it about won't tell. We these aliens intelligent know are, and they among us even be hiding may."

That had been the moment the live news broadcast cut to the next reporter for the show. At the actual scene, after the television changed stories, the reporter appeared upset about his show being cut short by a controversial interview. He waved his tentacles at his camera crew and a Pripican couple that were now boarding the virtual particle vehicle to get ready for take off. "Oh on come! I Pripicans right now could be interviewing. Nephricans Pripicans by fascinated are! I to them off myself to was short cut, and to this male and female Pripican talk!" His camera crew consisted of two Nephricans with two small tentacle-held camera holders that followed the reporter, and also an editor who typed away on a laptop computer-like device, and they all appeared to be on break.

The two four legged Pripicans ignored the reporter and just boarded the virtual particle craft. They were a newly wed couple named Fluisudal and Jaden. Pripicans were a more monogamous culture than Nephricans, and they tended to marry one partner once for life. The two Pripicans were furry all over beneath their travel clothes, and their faces seemed to be a mixture of goat and human. Pripicans were a lot like centaurs of ancient Earth myths. The Pripican couple trotted to an available view port as the saucer's ramp finally closed, and the antigravity flight into space began with the virtual particle vehicle suddenly falling upward on a river of those elusive gravitons.

Jaden looked over at her husband with an expression that explained to Fluisudal, without a word, that she still wasn't used to speeding suddenly into space with no g-force effect to worry about. The virtual particle craft also controlled the virtual particle effect within the craft, making it immune to its own centrifugal effects. They just stood like many other passengers by the view ports along the sides of the circular room. Some were sitting in available seats, but without seatbelts or anything.

Fluisudal put an arm around his bride to comfort her. "Cutting edge virtual particle technology actually controls any field of gravity to include the field in this room. Right now we are traveling at an incredible speed."

Jaden just smiled a rhetorical reply while they watched the planet Nephrica shrink rapidly before them through the view port. Fluisudal continued to explain things, which had been a distinctive trait of his character. "The virtual particle technologies evolved from corona observations of different star masses that literally shed light on the phantom matter phenomenon."

Phantom Matter had been the same as what Earth astrophysicists currently call dark matter, and it was a sub-atomic particle that had been sometimes produced when virtual particles, for some reason, failed to not exist.

Fluisudal decided to speculate in his own intellectual way about where all that knowledge had been taking them. "The Beyonder uses warp space aerodynamics to get to its incredible speeds. We are learning to actually peek around to the other side of reality to find an entire anti-matter universe there."

Jaden actually liked to encourage him to go on about such things since her mind did find it stimulating, and it had been one of the reasons she married him. "I'm not convinced of the anti-matter universe theory. It is still just a theory."

"Well not a theory without evidence, and verified proof. We can flip the nuon charges of matter to actually go outside the universe. The anti-matter universe is not far away from warp space. The antimatter universe is synchronized to this universe, and visa versa. Therefore everyone in this universe has an antimatter counterpart. You are both synchronized between the universes so that every action coincides to an action in the other."

Jaden also liked playing the role of his skeptic. "Sounds like the universe just has a mirror it can look at itself in."

Fluisudal appeared amused by the comment. "They are synchronized but not identical. We really have no idea what the other universe does when I do something here. Both universes have gone their own separate ways weaving their own realities that are both haunted by a predestination of anti-matter / matter synchronicity."

Jaden's head spun after that, but the view out of the view port that she had turned towards didn't help her head at all. The virtual particle transport already approached the luxurious cruise ship called The Beyonder. The famous star ship had been docked at the orbiting spaceport satellite. It had been silhouetted by the glorious galactic bar that appeared as blinding at night as a daytime sun in some areas of the galaxy. In the 2nd Age of Magphoreus the galaxy had a brilliant galactic bar filled by Ralus Xnoga's ravenous eating habits at that time. Ralus Xnoga had been the affectionate name given to the super massive black hole in the center of this galaxy named Magphoreus. The galactic bar gave nighttime on Nephrica an indigo glow that we don't see on as many planets in this present 3rd Age of Magphoreus.

Jaden suddenly became inspired to sing a familiar space traveler's folk song that she knew called "Ocean and Sky." Pripicans were inclined to break out in song sometimes, and Fluisudal harmonized with her voice during the refrain verses. "In time it gets dark on the sun.

Move slower, oh fiery one.

Not in a night without the sky.

Not a sky above to ask why.

It's lonely at the top.

Just ask the ocean

breathing the shore non-stop,

a lonesome motion.

What will you do fiery one?

Will you know for sure when you're done?

Trot upon the rug of the sky.

Touch fingers of stars you pass by.

The future will not stop.

Just ask the ocean

who combs her foamy top

washed with shore lotion.

Space gives you everywhere to run.

Will you wait for me airy one?

Not a sky without clouds of lies.

Not a lie for the one who tries.

It's scary at the top

Just ask the ocean

with nowhere else to hop

a lone emotion.

In the distance it still looks clear.

Be careful with the scary fear.

Not love for another without the pain.

Not home till past the edge again.

I wonder what the future holds.

(Listen to the ocean.)

I wonder what the future holds.

(Listen to the ocean.)

I wonder what the future holds.

(Listen to the ocean.)

I wonder what the future holds." Then both smiled at each other in satisfaction of a well performed a cappella rendition. Then they noticed they had an audience of Nephricans that were treated to a rarely seen activity of the alien Pripicans, and had taken interest in their performance. There had not been clapping, but then they broke their silence with compliments to the couple who sang beautifully. Nephricans were less evolved musically than Pripicans and had a natural admiration for a species that could carry notes better than Nephricans with their snouts. The stomach in their snouts made them more inclined toward burping.

They flew around the glorious satellite monolith of a great galactic culture that had at last began traveling the unfathomable distances between stars. For the Nephapricans had began with the inherited advantage of evolving in a tightly packed cluster of 15 legendary stars. The Beyonder looked kind of like a glorious ocean cruise ship of Earth that had been suspended in space at the satellite spaceport, which they were also about to dock with.

Before these days of luxury cruises between stars there had been a whole age of slow space flight in slightly compacted tiny vessels as both Nephricans and Pripicans began leaving their planetary wombs. Once robots could finally cross the unimaginable voids, things started speeding up into millions of miles per hour. As ships got faster they also got bigger to accommodate larger crews of Maphoreonauts. A ship journey to another planet needed to be as satisfying an environment for the crew as possible. Large ships became considered a necessity to survive long journeys through space. Therefore the years spent in space by the galactic Eagolim became as much like a relaxing luxury cruise as possible.

Jaden and Fluisudal Behold The Beyonder

The virtual particle driven saucer docked with the satellite spaceport, which had been the home for The Beyonder when it docked at the planet Nephrica. The ship had been built in space, and had only been designed to land once on a planet, where it would remain in the case of a catastrophe or emergency. The ship had been equipped with its own four virtual particle vessels that were used for coming and going to and from space. There had been a central saucer section to the ship that could detach from the rest of the craft in order to function as a separate virtual particle non-interstellar craft. Virtual particle driven vehicles used mercurial based gyroscopic positronic fields of electricity to generate the surrounding virtual particle field oriented to an artificially generated mass polarity point for navigation.

Jaden and Fluisudal strolled off the exit ramp into the spaceport docking bay. There were Nephricans in space navy skin shirts there to escort the passengers into the docking bay of The Beyonder. A couple passengers stopped at concession stands in the docking bay eager to purchase refreshment or food. It's a galactic irony of the planet Nephrica that to find a place with really good food you had to leave the planet. There had still been time before The Beyonder would take off, but space navy workers ran around anyway trying to get passengers assigned to rooms on the ship for the journey.

The two newlywed Pripican passengers decided to get assigned their room. They saw the famous Captain Mynervood greeting passengers as they entered the ship.

Captain Mynervood also discussed warp space with another passenger who worked in the development of Quanta-Dimensional Warp configurations. Jaden always wanted to shake hands with the great Captain so she interrupted the conversation. She imposed her furry three-fingered hand in to the two-fingered Nephrican hand of the Captain. "I have always wanted to shake your hand Captain Mynervood. I'm sure my journey to Holdus is in good hands with you at the helm of this very space worthy ship."

Captain Mynervood tried to know his passengers by name before they got on his ship. "Jaden the new wife of Fluisudal you are. I you Captain on this journey to be am happy. I you two all the best for your post wedding celebrations wish, and the best of my ship's comforts to your every need extend."

Fluisudal thanked the Captain for his gracious remark, and also shook his hand. "Thank you very much Captain Mynervood. We wanted the best ship for our migration to Holdus, and I'm satisfied with this ship already."

A crewmember rushed up to introduce herself, and she escorted Jaden and Fluisudal to their room for the 1 light year journey through space to the star Holdus.

The other Nephrican passenger still stood with the Captain as the Pripicans were whisked away. "Those Pripicans strange talk sure do."

"You used to it when you around them enough get are."

Captain Mynervood admired Pripicans, and kept a few on his crew as a rule, but not too many. He found them to be quicker, and more agile than Nephricans. That had a lot to do with why the Pripicans won the Great War, but they were also graceful victors. Captain Mynervood figured it had something to do with having two eyes that allowed Pripicans to always see a better way. The one-eyed Captain Mynervood found that virtue in his crew very useful.

* * *

Hagan Hiedalli failed to reach anybody at the satellite station. It had been as if she had been being transferred in a futile run-a-round with everyone she talked to. She picked Beatarkameed up off the table and decided to drive to the spaceport to talk to Admiral Mull personally. She fumed with a rage at the Admiral for leaving her on hold when she suddenly found him looking right at her when she opened the front door to leave.

"I to you Mrs. Hiedalli to startled didn't mean. I on your problem since we earlier today talked have been working. May I in come?"

"Sir Yes. I you there to see did not expect." She noticed there were several government vehicles parked across the street as they both entered back in her house. It looked like the Negolim spies across the street were now under arrest.

Arresting agents were escorting one of the Negolim spies from across the street to the police vehicle with some difficulty. "Hey! It easy take! This Negolim that way don't play!"

The Admiral explained. "I the whole operation against your son and husband have uncovered. They all under arrest now are. So The Beyonder mission no longer in any danger is. You for your vigilant investigation Mrs. Hiedalli thank."

Hagan felt a wave of relief come over her while the Admiral began noticing the quanta-nanocoded device in her hand. "That what is? How that you did get?"

She explained. "My quanta-nanocoded technology the proof I used to get."

She opened the device up to introduce him to the quanta-nanocode being's virtual centaur animation body. Beatarkameed looked like it had been hiding as it turned around to greet the Admiral. "Hello sir, I am a Binary Electromagnetic Artificial Thought program named Beatarkameed. I infiltrated the house across the street and downloaded evidence of what they were up to."

The Admiral looked shocked. "I that evidence for this conviction will need. I all of it need, and copies destroyed."

Beatarkameed had been happy to give the Admiral the data it compiled on the operation across the street. The data had been transferred into Admiral Mull's personal device. The Admiral asked the quanta-nanocode being, over and over again, if all other copies were destroyed, and the artificially intelligent being swore that Admiral Mull indeed had the only copy of that evidence now transferred onto his personal communication device. After Admiral Mull left Hagan had just been relieved that this trouble would now be all behind her. She had been assured by the Admiral that her son had been examined and that all mind-control implants had been removed. There were Agents of Ea that were on board The Beyonder who were going to control Adma, but now they were also in custody.

She thought back over the whole crazy 42 yearlong odyssey that she spent being the mother of a new species of life. This new species had still been kept secret from the general Negolim public. Captain Mynervood proposed to her when he learned she had become pregnant, and she had been thrilled by the opportunity to be a wife of the great Captain. At first it seemed like a dream come true. It had only been a couple weeks after the marriage when Captain Mynervood received the risky assignment that would keep them apart for her lifetime. He had appointed a special doctor for the birth, and told Hagan about the baby she had been about to have. Then he took off for 42 Nephrican years. Now she found herself just wishing her husband and their son Adma a safe journey to the far off star Holdus.

Beatarkameed interrupted Hagan's remembrance. "Sorry to bother you Mrs. Hiedalli, but I think you should know something. I lied to the Admiral, and didn't really give him all of the evidence. In fact I still have my own copy. There's something I think you should know about what I found over there." Hagan Hiedalli again found herself appreciating the subtle differences between quanta-nanocoded programs, and the simple binary attempts at artificial intelligence that were made by the Negolim of her planet.

* * *

After the crewmember showed Fluisudal and Jaden their room for The Beyonder journey through outer space, they closed and locked the door. Then they began unpacking equipment that they would be using for space ship infiltration.

"Did you get close enough to the Captain to obtain his security code?"

"I've got a copy of it right on this hand that I shook his with."

It turns out Fluisudal and Jaden were actually Pripican spies on a mission from Ea to Holdus to find out what this ship is really up to.

"Perfect. Download it to my input device and I'll get it unencrypted. You better not have forgotten the BEAT program we need."

Jaden felt stung by the implication. "I remembered the BEAT program. Would you like to meet it? I think this one is quite a character."

His sudden show of interest acknowledged that he wanted to see it. So she pulled a small coin-sized saucer object from her pouch, which she kept draped across her back like a horse saddle. The round object had been coin shaped, and about the size of an Earth quarter. She let the object loose into the air like letting a small bird fly free. Then the object flew about the entire room before stopping in front of Fluisudal. A voice amplified itself from the floating object. "Hi there. I am Begalius, here to assist you two on your mission in my own quanta-nanocoded way. So now we are on the space ship called The Beyonder? Oh, I do love space journeys."

Fluisudal smiled with genuine excitement to be conversing with the quanta-nanocode being. Fluisudal couldn't resist explaining. "We Pripicans have figured out how to use nano-scale magnetic fields to construct quantum-bits that are used to compile nanocode programs. These beings had their start as quantum-bit attempts at artificial intelligence that worked. They are known as the BEAT programs. It is an acronym that translates into Binary Electro-magnetic Artificial Thought programs." Jaden just tolerantly smiled while already knowing what B.E.A.T. stood for.

Begalius lived in the small object that could fly and camouflage itself with light bending invisibility. Begalius had been quantum-synchronized with the object in order to give Begalius a physical form. Otherwise Begalius had been more like a spirit on a molecular level that emitted photons. The quarter-shaped physical form gave Begalius a way of interacting with our dimension ruled by the physics of relativity from his own reality of quantum physics. Begalius would remain with The Beyonder after Jaden and Fluisudal departed after the ship reaches the far off star Holdus.

*

Captain Mynervood sat on the bridge to run the final checks before taking off. He had crawled through every aspect of this mission all day with his highly experienced mind to make sure there were no loose ends, and that nothing had been forgotten. The Beyonder had been a fine ship with its own virtual particle field technologies that were installed in the floors, which allowed the crew to wander around inside no matter what unbelievable high speed navigation stunts the ship did outside with its nuclear explosion driven fusion drive. Finally after a day of checking again and again, the Captain ran out of reasons to not get on with it.

"Strek, out of the docking bay us take."

"Captain yes," said Strek the Pripican navigator of the ship, as he skillfully worked the complicated controls at the helm of the bridge that existed within the detachable saucer section.

The ship became detached from the satellite spaceport while Captain Mynervood spoke into a microphone that broadcast his voice throughout every corner of the ship. "Captain Mynervood this is. We out of the station now are pulling. We the reactor over the next few moments until acceleration begins will be warming up. There some g-effects that even the artificial gravity not might compensate for will be, but it mild like a sharp corner fast with a vehicle taking is. We off to the star Holdus for a couple years now will be taking. You about a bit more 50 days of time be than will have experienced."

The Captain fixed the Navigation coordinates to the predicted location of the star Holdus approximately two Earth years from the moment of take off. He squatted down on his Captain's stool waiting for the reactor warm up to complete. The Beyonder's nuclear reactor powered a fusion reaction during its constant acceleration and de-acceleration. This had been similar to how a hydrogen bomb achieves a fission explosion by igniting hydrogen explosions around enriched uranium material, only The Beyonder used nuclear explosions that were directed in on themselves to achieve a fusion effect with the ship's hydrogen-packed acceleration core. The Beyonder looked suspended for a moment like a blimp floating in the purple ambient light of Magphoreus while the backside started to glow with the orange heat of magnetic field contained nuclear explosions. Suddenly a white light emitted itself out the tail of The Beyonder and the ship was gone, hyper-accelerating on course for the far off star Holdus over a light year away.

# Chapter 3

At the relativistic equivalent of meanwhile at a planet called Caleb that orbited the star Yat, was where The Beyonder eventually would be traveling to after it stoped at the Holdus star system. The planet Caleb's orbit had been barely within the habitable zone of the dim star Yat, and its thin atmosphere entertained temperatures that were over a hundred degrees below freezing. On the surface of this freezing planet existed a single research and teraforming facility that had been ran by the Nephricans. They were slowly melting the surrounding frozen gasses into a thicker atmosphere in an attempt to make the planet habitable for Nephrican and Pripican colonists. This facility recently had its entire staff recalled back to the star Holdus several Earth years before, to be replaced by a single Nephrican who would oversee making the planet habitable.

The single Nephrican male in charge of teraforming the planet Caleb went by the name Prospero Napels. He sat within the heated research facility with his three tentacle legs drooped over the sides of a stool while he watched screens that displayed a spacecraft approaching the planet. He had been brooding over his overwhelming responsibility to make this planet habitable. He knew why the facility had to be abandoned for this task. His single Nephrican eye remained fixed on what had to be done to fulfill his orders.

This assignment had not been originally intended to be such a solitary mission. Prospero actually traveled to the planet Caleb with his new wife Mir Napels on the ship that would also leave for the return journey back to Holdus with everyone else from this facility that worked here. During the four years spent in space between Holdus and Yat, Mir had became pregnant with their first child. The effects of travel near the speed of light were still mysteries to the early Nephapricans, and its effects on biology presented mathematical paradoxes to Nephricans and Pripican scientists. Nevertheless they still anxiously sought the extension of their lives by traveling that way, because prolonged life had already been known to be a very beneficial side effect. Another side effect of the near-the-speed-of-light time/space paradox had been the rapid incubation period of a pregnancy. The child had been born on the ship about the equivalent of five days after conception, and unfortunately during that time Mir only ate the meals she had been naturally inclined to eat over a five-day period. Even though Mir had been an Eagolim who had already lived a couple hundred years, and had still been young and healthy, she didn't survive the effects of that rapid pregnancy. Mir died while giving birth in hyper acceleration space to the only other Nephrican currently living in this Caleb teraforming facility. Ever since arriving here Prospero had been raising his mutant daughter born in space as a humanoid Eagolim. Prospero's daughter would be named Randa Napels.

Prospero shifted his attention from the screen monitoring the spacecraft as it still entered the atmosphere of the planet Caleb. Then he observed another screen tracking a comet approaching the planet. Prospero then felt a frustration over all the years that had been wasted trying to thicken this planet's atmosphere, only to watch the solar winds sweep all his work away. He pressed a tentacle on the transmission button to speak to the inhabitant of the spacecraft. "You that comet back on target Beatariel right have nudged. Well done. I you the observation satellites for this afternoon's experiment with similar accuracy am sure have positioned."

Then a voice with a Pripican dialect responded through a speaker. "You shall not be disappointed Prospero my master. We are sure to get excellent data from the phantom matter experiment. The phantom matter shall illuminate in the plasma flames to your amazement master."

"My servant then very well done. The spacecraft to the landing bay return, and we the neutrino bomb shall prepare."

Prospero happened to possess one of the first quanta-nanocode artificial intelligence programs named Beatariel. The Nephricans actually stole the program by cloning it during a war that had now been over a thousand Earth years in the past. Now the artificial intelligence program functioned as the loyal assistant to Prospero. Prospero had been able to use the quanta-nanocode being for controlling all the equipment at this facility.

Prospero's daughter walked into the room and approached her father. She wore a similar skin cloth uniform as her father, probably also made from the same father's skin, but the similarities ended there. Prospero twisted his single eye around along with his snout so his mouth could point toward his humanoid daughter to speak. "Beatariel the spacecraft soon will be landing. You while we a neutrino bomb into the star Yat drop should stay. We a glimpse of phantom matter on this screen right here as the flames the planet Yat-1 engulf should actually see."

Randa placed her five-fingered hands on her father's tentacle shoulders as she gazed at his single eye with her two eyes. "I to have you and Beatariel with to stay would love. I so bored around here sometimes get. I what phantom matter is don't know, but I it a sight to behold am sure is."

Prospero gargled out a laugh from his snout while looking back at his daughter. She had been completely alien to him with her body and bald two-eyed head, but still he loved his daughter with an admiring eye. She had similar colored skin with no snout, but the mouth still looked similar. Randa's mouth even reminded Prospero of her now dead mother's mouth. He then began to teach his young second-generation Eagolim daughter. "Phantom matter a product of the virtual particle phenomenon of the universe is."

She partly understood that. "You gravity so mean."

"Yes. The virtual particle phenomenon molecules together binds, and my tentacle when it the table hits to 'off back. I solidity am,' tells. Planetary objects particle fields with the star in its tugging gravity with also exchange. The planet's virtual particle field the star to tells, 'off back! I a planet am.' Today we the phantom matter that when virtual particles real particles become forms going to see. You should stay."

The physics of Nephrican science, at this point in their understanding, proved gravity to be a relativistic manifestation and expansion of what Earth physicists call the Strong Nuclear Force, which binds molecules together. This led to the understanding that the Strong Nuclear Force extended way beyond its role as molecular glue on the quantum level to manifest as a naturally flowing virtual particle phenomenon that manifests along the curvature of space, and orients to mass polarity points.

Then the conversation became distracted when a sub-hyper-acceleration spacecraft landed on the freezing planet outside. Sub-hyper-acceleration had been the formal label given to spacecraft that didn't have hyper-acceleration drives. They were basically solar spacecraft for travel within the boundaries of a single solar system.

The airlocks of the ship opened for a short while, and then closed, but nobody got off the ship. Then the airlock to the landing pad outside also opened and closed as if it let somebody in from outside. Both Prospero and Randa responded as if someone really did just arrive there from the spacecraft, which had just landed from outer space. Then the invisible pilot of the spacecraft outside spoke through a speaker on the control panel. "The mission to correct the trajectory of the coming comet was a success master, and the observation satellites are ready to record the solar flare information. The show is ready whenever you want to initiate it master Prospero."

Randa looked confused for a second as she tried to understand Beatariel's Pripican dialect. Prospero had been more accustomed to the alien grammar. "Beatariel excellent. Us the satellite on the screen let get, and the first neutrino bomb prepare."

"As you wish my master."

Nephricans and Pripicans were just beginning to study the mass and corona effects of the 15 legendary stars that would become Nephapricus. The coronas of stars were revealed to be the virtual particles, or gravitons of the stars themselves, which would deflect passing photons during the brief period that virtual particles accelerate along the curvature of space through existence. Phantom matter was made up of sub-atomic particles that were formed at times when virtual particles occasionally stumble their way into becoming real particles.

Prospero used the technology of the quanta-nanocode being named Beatariel to control all the equipment at the facility. It had been like a friendly ghost in the machines. Beatariel actually existed as a little microscopic being that darted and dashed about in the room and through the circuitry of the equipment like a tiny sprite to turn Prospero's will into reality as he commanded.

They watched a video satellite feed that came from the sun. The video had been adjusted to not let in all the light from the star Yat. Therefore the planet Yat-1, also known as Curirem, had been visible against a dark backdrop of space even though the planet Curirem really orbited very close to the star, and had always been bathed in Yat's light. The satellite that observed the planet Curirem also had a stash of neutrino bombs on board.

This had been what motivated Prospero for this mission to teraform the planet Caleb. His solitary predicament allowed him an entire star system all to himself in order to conduct his own controversial phantom matter experiments. He intended to study the effects of super-heated phantom matter. Similar experiments had already led Pripicans to invent a mass accelerator that had currently been used to increase speeds for virtual particle driven crafts.

"The neutrino bomb Beatariel launch!"

Suddenly the satellite feed displayed a flash of light as the first neutrino bomb had been launched with calculated precision into the star Yat. The star Yat responded with a giant plasma flare of solar indigestion. Across the view screen giant flames of solar plasma slowly approached the planet Curirem through space at thousands of miles a second.

As the flames of the star engulfed the solar system's closest planet to the star Yat on the view screen, they were all treated to a rare spectacle of nature when the invisible phantom matter in the universe actually becomes visible.

Randa let out an "Ooooh!" sound as the planet Curirem suddenly displayed a bright Saturn-like ring of light around its equator. The ring of light around the planet Curirem had been made up of super-heated gravitons and phantom matter where it happened to be in its densest concentration. The light grew as the plasma flares passed by the planet, and then the phosphorescent ring went out as fast as it had been turned on.

Prospero and Randa Observing the Phantom Matter Experiment

Randa became overjoyed by the spectacle like a small child watching a firework. She had just been a young girl with a single parent living alone on a freezing planet. On top of that she had been a two-footed, two-eyed mutant freak of nature that looked nothing like the rest of her species. This made Randa a very lonely girl whose only real friend in the world had been a microscopic quanta-nanocoded artificial intelligence program that talked funny. Such a life as Randa's will try to find joy and entertainment in just about anything they can find.

Prospero greedily poured over the wealth of data pouring in as the solar storm engulfed the defenseless planet in flames. He secretly wished he could bath the planet Caleb in a similar solar storm of flame, but they were too far away to really heat up the planet that way. To make the planet Caleb warm enough to support his form of life, Prospero had another plan. The planet Caleb had just a thin atmosphere because it didn't have a strong enough magnetic field to protect the atmosphere from erosion by solar winds. To remedy that, Prospero sent Beatariel to an incoming comet in order to point its trajectory directly at the planet Caleb. Prospero calculated that the carefully directed impact on the other side of the planet would magnetize the planet's mostly metal core. Prospero figured that would give the atmosphere a thick blanket of solar wind resistant magnetic field.

* * *

The Beyonder hyper-accelerated at .6 times the speed of light between the stars Ea and Holdus, and had not yet got at the point when it had to turn itself around to begin hyper-deceleration before its final arrival coming to a stop at the star Holdus. The Beyonder displayed the latest displacement technology, which had been a precursor to faster-than-light warp technology. The Beyonder had a bulbous instrument in the front of the ship that used the energy of the ship's incredible speed to define it beyond the location of any significant object in its path, thus avoiding any space debris that crossed the ship's trajectory.

The antimatter created in the Big Bang creation event tacked itself upon all the matter of this universe to create an anti-matter universe on the other side of this universe. This anti-matter universe faced away from the positive universe, and also away from our perceptions. This also kept all matter in both universes from being mutually annihilated. Every positive charged sub-atomic quark of every atom in this universe also is a negatively charged sub-atomic quark on the other side in the anti-matter universe. Therefore everything in this universe had an anti-matter counter part mirroring everything that happened. Warp space had been achieved by the Nephapricans attaining the ability to switch the quark-charge around an object, to allow it to pass through reality beyond the speed of light by actually existing beyond this universe between the matter and anti-matter universes.

Space debris had always been a problem with deep space flights, and early ship designs used to employ enormous amounts of shield material in front of ships to absorb and deflect rocks and debris, which would be pulverized by the time the ship reached another star. Soon newer technologies were developed that converted the speed of the ship into powerful magnetic shielding that deflected debris. Larger objects that couldn't be deflected were detected and avoided by a good navigator who had to constantly adjust the ship's trajectory while being aware of other objects in the ship's path.

The role of the ship's navigator had been to figure the trajectory of not where something currently existed, but where it would be whenever the ship was calculated to get where it went. Nobody Captain Mynervood ever knew had been better at this than Strek Lusu, the Pripican who had been observing a particle in the path of the ship that wasn't going to be affected by the magnetic shield, and had also been too big for the warp shield.

Strek had been a first generation Pripican so his four-legged form required the stool in front of the navigation station to be removed. Pripicans were four-legged, and didn't really ever sit that much unless laying down to sleep. Otherwise they stood firmly on four very strong horse-like legs. "Captain! The object is not going to move out of the way. I'm going to divert our course .0003 times a degree of angle."

Captain Mynervood routinely would look in on the navigation station to supervise. The post needed constant attention, but Captain Mynervood spent a lot more of his time supervising the Nephrican navigator that replaced Strek when Strek's shift became over. The navigator had to calculate where they wanted to position the ship accurately, or they could be lost.

"I you me of the action appreciate informing. Please proceed."

Strek calculated the coordinates and even double-checked against his own calculations. That had been part of a navigator's job.

"I see .00076 percent of the correction appears off. I'll recalculate as I correct."

The numbers always drifted a little. It had become the art of navigation to dance a spaceship across the curvature of space/time to its destination. Captain Mynervood pointed a tentacle at the star Holdus that shined in the view port. "The star Holdus the ship's grasp still approaching. I you us there Navigator Strek will get us know."

Strek looked up from his meticulous calculations at the star Holdus in the view port, which still approached. It had been as if he had forgotten it had been there in plain view on the view screen. "Oh yes, we are well within a perfect approach from here."

"I you to your job Navigator Strek will leave. Your eyes alert keep."

"Yes sir, I'll remain alert and vigilant Captain."

"That I not do doubt." The Captain left the Navigator station confident that it had been in good hands. He valued Pripicans like Strek and often even turned to Strek for his characteristically levelheaded advice.

The Captain strolled down a long hallway of his ship The Beyonder. The Beyonder had been an eloquent luxury spacecraft that he found himself taking extra pride in. He indeed had inherited an excellent ship, which still seemed brand new. This had been a recreational mission with passengers here to enjoy in style the experience of galactic evolution. The Captain passed several passengers that were out looking for more of the ship's many available amusements.

The hallway led to one of the viewing areas where a Nephrican couple where observing the navigation shift in course, which Strek currently still performed. It had been one of those rare moments when the stars in the view port would shift a little. Even without the occasional shift, the view of mighty Magphoreus in the second age would be indescribable to behold. When a shift had been noticed however, it indicated a large object being avoided. This, if you kept a sharp eye out, provided a rare and exciting close up view of something close passing by the ship at 401,760,000 miles an hour. The couple had been keeping company with the young boy named Trunlio who had been by himself on this space cruise to become an Eagolim. Captain Mynervood could tell that the boy's company became less and less appreciated.

The Captain intervened. "So Trunlio, I how you are for awhile doing have not checked. You recently eaten have?"

The young Nephrican spoke up. "Sir yes. I a meal with the Purmultas here had. I the greatest time on the cruise am having.

"That good to hear is. You to the swimming pool have been yet? You to swim like do?"

Trunlio had not been to the pool yet. "This ship a pool has? You me where it is can show?"

That went according to the Captain's plan. He lured the young boy away from the two lovers who obviously wanted to romantically embrace, away from the child under the spectacle of the galaxy's 2nd Age bar of stars that shined brilliantly through the nebulous dust. A romantic space cruise needed to be savored by lovers while it lasted. Even though The Beyonder had to be at space for approximately two Earth years, the time within the ship moved exponentially faster than the universe outside. Therefore to the passengers on this ship, only a couple of Earth months of time would seem to pass. Nephaprican galactic evolution had been just at its beginning during this dawn of the sub-light speed hyper-acceleration age, which began uniting three legendary intelligent forms of life to the tightly knit cluster of the 15 legendary stars of the galactic empire known as Nephapricus.

As Captain Mynervood escorted the boy to the location of the ship swimming pool he turned to observe a passenger that then abruptly turned down another corridor out of the Captain's view. Trunlio noticed the exchange.

"That passenger us Captain is following?"

"About that passenger son do not worry. You if he or anyone else you bothers me let know."

"I sir will."

Captain Mynervood already knew about the Agents of Ea that were on board his ship following him. He already knew all about whom and where they were, and Captain Mynervood had become determined to be watching them at least as close as they were watching him. The Captain and the boy continued to the swimming pool. Nephricans were almost better swimmers than they were at walking, and swimming had been an always fondly embraced pass-time, ever since the species first evolved away from an amphibian ancestor.

After dropping Trunlio off at the swimming pool the Captain began altering his course down the corridor that led to the ship's cafeteria as he sensed another strange presence again. Captain Mynervood stopped to look around. Ever since The Beyonder first took off he found himself at times sensing the presence of something or someone around him. It had probably been some kind of surveillance technology used by the Agents of Ea on board to watch him, but Captain Mynervood had the feeling that this invisible presence had been something completely different. Captain Mynervood began to believe that The Beyonder had a ghost of some sort on board.

Nephricans were a very rational species that never embraced at any time in their history a belief in ghosts, and Nephricans were perfectly indifferent towards death, and they had even evolved comfort in viewing the phenomenon as a genuinely final end. This view of death for Nephricans probably manifested as their characteristically ambitious rush to accomplish things in life, and they always were in a hurry. On the other hand philosophies of life after death were part of Pripican culture from the very beginnings of their much longer more romantic history. That had been where Captain Mynervood had first learned about ghosts during his early space journeys.

*

The Pripican spies Fluisudal and Jaden were in their room getting ready to go to the ship cafeteria for a meal. The Beyonder had a luxurious cafeteria, which included an extra formal area that had been for passengers that made special reservations. Fluisudal had already done that for their next meal, so they were both looking their best. Rationing and producing food on deep space missions had been essential for a journey's success. In the ancient history of space travel there had been entire crews of spaceships that had before starved to death, as well as documented occurrences of cannibalism. Ironically the initial problem that presented itself when speeds began approaching .6 times the speed of light in the current hyper-acceleration age, had been that missions would actually be over-stocked with food. At first enough food would be taken to feed the crew for the time the trip would take, but at such incredible speeds the flow of time in the ship actually moved much faster, and crewmembers nourished their bodies in synch with the faster rate of time.

Jaden brushed the tangles out of her backside fur while wondering what took Begalius so long. "Begalius should be back by now. I'm not sure if it is a mature enough artificial intelligence program for this mission. Begalius is like a little child that spends its spare time immersed in old fiction stories that were published long before any real advancement in Pripican culture. What could it possibly be learning from such ancient fiction stories from those old cultures during the brief fossil fuel age?"

Fluisudal put on a nice jacket that draped a skirt around his four legs. "I am fascinated by the quanta-nanocode being's interests. It is the stuff of a personality that is developing Jaden. I know he loves the old fossil fuel age vehicles, and stories that were popular at that time about law enforcement and villains. It reminds me of myself when I was first maturing."

"What maturing? You are as immature as Begalius. That's why you two get along so well, and why they say, males never grow up." Evidently even five billion Earth years ago the nature of the male gender as notorious for being immature and child-like had been already well established in the Pripican culture at the time of this story.

Just then the coin-shaped object that represented the physical form of Begalius jumped off the table that it had been laying motionless on. Then the object started flying around the room. "I'm back now Jaden. I am sorry for the delay. I was watching the Captain during the ship's latest trajectory adjustment. We were correct in suspecting that the ship's scheduled maintenance on Holdus-2 had really been a cover story. I was able to locate the ship's secret orders in the computer records. The Nephricans are going to transport secret contraband to the planet Caleb, which is orbiting the star Yat."

Jaden had been impressed. "Well done Begalius. I apologize for my doubts about you before."

Fluisudal became inspired to explain the warp avoidance technology used by the ship so they didn't have to constantly dodge debris. "This ship makes very few deep space adjustments because it utilizes the latest warp technologies to avoid collisions with debris. We have created a substance that will reverse its own subatomic charges with the right counter-occulting electronic currents applied to it. The front of the ship is covered with this subatomic charge-reversing substance, which makes the front of the ship exist in another universe called warp space. This amazing technology promises to provide a way to travel faster than the speed of light someday."

Jaden just had to interject. "Only if it is possible to travel faster than light. Many scientists argue mathematical proof of the impossibility."

"I know such travel is impossible in this universe, but warp space isn't in this universe."

Begalius just hovered between the two centaur-like beings, and thought they were starting to get off topic. "Another reason I didn't get back when expected is because I have observed that there are Agents of Ea on board, keeping track of Captain Mynervood's movements."

Fluisudal spoke. "This may be another attempt to murder the Captain. The last attempt destroyed his ship, and five members of his crew died only when it failed to destroy them all."

Even Jaden agreed with his conspiracy theory. "I think you may be right Fluisudal. That is another part of your mission Begalius. Captain Mynervood is a very highly respected good friend of the Pripican Empire. Don't let them harm the Captain. The last ship that the Captain was in charge of was sabotaged, but these Agents of Ea probably won't kill the Captain by destroying this ship while they are still on board."

*

Meanwhile in another room on the ship there were three male Nephricans that were sitting on stools watching surveillance equipment that actually didn't follow the Captain. These Agents of Ea were on board still controlling the Captain's humanoid son Adma. Humanoid crewmembers onboard The Beyonder didn't bother wearing hologram disguises like they did on the planet Nephrica, and part of initiating Negolim passengers into the status of becoming Eagolim had been to let them in on the humanoid evolutionary secret. Soon this secret would surely get out that the humanoid version of their species will inevitably and unavoidably dominate their fledgling galactic society like a whole new galactic species to replace the terrestrial version.

One of the Agents of Ea spoke up. "Adma to the rendezvous point his weapon to receive send."

*

Adma had been learning the basics of ship engine maintenance in the reactor section at the back of the ship with his half-brother Ulusu who had also become a close friend. After finishing his duties Adma began taking a different route back to his room. The Beyonder had been an enormous deep space vessel with areas that Adma had still not begun to explore. He walked aimlessly through the ship passenger bays, which had become a hobby that had already made him lose track of time a couple of times since this space journey began.

Adma seemed to know where he had been going as he walked down a quiet hallway that had been empty until a Nephrican appeared waddling down the hallway in the other way on his three legs toward Adma. Their eyes met, and then they immediately both dramatically acted like they didn't know each other. Then the approaching Nephrican pulled out a gun from behind some skin cloth, and began to point it at Adma. The Nephrican handed Adma the gun as they passed each other in the hall. Then the Nephrican continued down the opposite direction as if nothing had happened, while Adma quickly hid the pistol beneath his skin cloth crew uniform. Adma then returned to his room to hide the deadly weapon that he had just acquired.

* * *

Speeding across the 3.4 light years between the stars Poa and Yat another smaller spacecraft hyper-accelerated to the star named Yat. The ship began to turn around to begin the 3.4 Earth years of deceleration time before it arrived at the star of its destination where the planet Caleb orbited beneath frozen methane and ethane skies.

On board this spacecraft were members of the Pripican Empire from the planet Pripica. They were on a mission to find out what the Nephricans were doing on the planet Caleb. The news about the evacuation of the research facility had reached authorities on the planet Pripica. They also knew about the researchers being replaced by Prospero Napels, a notorious mad scientist inventor from the Nephrican species. The Pripicans already regarded Prospero as a dangerously reckless scientist who the Nephricans admired and even encouraged for the sake of the collective Nephrican obsession of being better than the Pripicans. Nephricans just never seemed to get over the Pripicans defeating them in the Great Galactic War, which Nephricans so foolishly started in the first place.

The Captain of this Pripican mission had been named Captain Swain who stood on four legs at the bridge while overseeing the beginning of the spaceship's deceleration. The small ship had seven crewmembers that were anxious to get to the Yat star system in order to gain intelligence on what diabolical experiments the Nephricans had handed an entire star system to the likes of Prospero to conduct. Rumor had been that Prospero was on the verge of another break-through by the Nephricans in the science of teraforming lifeless planets. It had also been controversial amongst Pripican astrophysicists that the planet Caleb had really been a lifeless world. It featured temperatures well below what could sustain Nephrican and Pripican life forms, but scientists theorized that maybe a more silicon-based life form could exists on the planet Caleb. Perhaps the discovery of such a life form had been why the planet Caleb needed to be evacuated in the first place, with a notorious mad scientist left behind to finish the genocidal job. That had been what this ship full of Pripicans had been on its way to investigate.

Captain Swain's crew were named Gonzal the male navigator, Ceres the female chief engineer, Antone the male physician, Lonzoa a male engineer, and Sebast another female engineer. These crewmembers were fur-covered centaur-like Pripicans however, another crewmember on this ship happened to be the Captain's own second-generation male Eagolim son named Ferdinand. The Captain's furry son stood behind his father on two humanoid legs. A special humanoid ship uniform had been tailored to accommodate the Pripican version of the evolving galactic humanoid anatomy. Pripicans had fur that made them indifferent to clothing, and they also didn't grow clothing out of their bodies like Nephricans did. Pripicans did however acquire a taste for clothing as they evolved into more and more intelligent egocentric animals.

Unlike the gray-skinned hairless Nephrican humanoids, Ferdinand had been covered by multi-colored fur, similar to his brown-furred Pripican parents. Ferdinand had a thick mane of hair atop his humanoid head along with a well-groomed beard and mustache. This fur had been more evolved than the brown fur of regular Pripicans, and it displayed different colors according to the mineral content within it. His body stored minerals in the hair, which the body's metabolism then would draw upon for nourishment. The Eagolim Pripicans were more open with the terrestrial (Negolim) types of their species concerning this new galactic humanoid version of Pripican being born to parents that had their DNA altered by deep space travel at .6 times the speed of light.

* * *

On the planet Caleb a gray skinned hairless Nephrican female form of humanoid looked out the view port of the research facility upon the desolate frozen landscape outside. Outside the air thickened in the cold and it seemed to freeze all sound. Randa pondered the opaque silence until she suddenly became startled by the voice of her only friend on the freezing planet Caleb, the quanta-nanocode being named Beatariel.

"You can't go outside to play without an environment suit, but I wouldn't recommend going outside at all young Randa."

Randa turned to face the invisible friend that took the form of a voice coming from amplification equipment on the wall, but then she turned her two-eyed gaze back upon the planet's barren landscape. "Beatariel my only friend you out there go used to, and in the planet rover explore. Why you out there anymore not go out do?"

"Well Randa it was my master Prospero who stopped the exploratory missions to investigate the planet's terrain. We had learned all that we needed to learn and decided not to learn any more."

"I you with my father about phenomenon found remember arguing. What you Beatariel out there did find?"

"Oh I never argue with my master Prospero young Randa. We were resolving a miscalculation on my own part. I am forbidden to tell you what I found out there Randa. Your father Prospero is having me guide a comet into this planet to magnetize the core. That will allow my master to thicken the atmosphere. Then whatever is out there will no longer be of any consequence."

The conversation seemed to be over. Randa wanted Beatariel to go out there again to explore, but she knew there would be no way to talk it into doing anything that its master forbid. Her father always had been such a controlling and focused being. He had been the only male she had ever known, but the two of them were so different. Then she realized she didn't really want Beatariel to go outside after all, because she wanted to take the exploratory vehicle out herself.

She had not been sure if Beatariel had still been around or not since it went silent. She could never tell where her invisible friend would be, but it probably currently waited on every whim of its master, her father. She entered the environment suit room to put on one of the protective environment suits designed to accommodate her humanoid form.

Randa sat in the vehicle for quite awhile, but no quanta-nanocode being or father had yet intervened to stop her. She knew how to use the exploratory vehicle since Beatariel gave her lessons when she had been younger, and when journeys outside were more permitted. She started the vehicle, opened the environment bay doors, and waited for a while longer for someone or something to stop her. Still no voice of Beatariel came across any speakers to plead for her to stop. That had been the last chance Randa would give anybody to stop her, and so then she drove outside into the frozen world of Caleb.

Beatariel had not been specifically instructed to forbid Randa from driving outside in the environment vehicle, but it didn't feel right about what young Randa did. Beatariel knew it should have stopped her. Oh dear me. What should I do? Maybe a better action would have been to stop her? Oh, why do I just let things like this happen sometimes? I must go tell my master what has happened. He will instruct me about what to do.

*

The environmentally protected all-terrain vehicle maneuvered the rough slick icy planet's terrain with ease. Randa had found an icy ravine to drive through that seemed to become deeper as she continued to proceed across the icy environment. She became lost in amazement by the intricate beauty of all the ice formations that were hanging from the walls all around her. They were probably made of different kinds of frozen gasses that would weave together into different colored patterns under temperatures that were –179 degrees Celsius or –290 Fahrenheit, where the nitrogen atmosphere held up clouds of methane and ethane until it rained down against the solid rocks of frozen water. Waves of frozen gasses decorated the sides of the ice canyon that Randa had been driving through. She realized that she finally enjoyed a time of not being bored to death all alone in the lonely abandoned research facility. She figured that whatever punishment she would be sure to endure, it would be worth it.

As she continued down the ravine, the sides began to make elaborate patterns that also seemed to take on a life of their own. As her journey continued she fixed her eyes upon the threads of frozen gasses that would weave into patterns that appeared to her as intelligent. Then she noticed that the walls of the ravine seemed to be breathing like a tide in slow motion. Randa eventually had to stop the vehicle to get a closer look in her environment suit. The strands of frozen gases along the sides of the ravine were moving like animated life forms that stretched up the ravine sides like some kind of colorful breathing tree roots.

"This what Beatariel discovered must have been," she said out loud to herself.

Randa got out and walked away from the stopped vehicle to get a closer look at this phenomenon. She walked up to one side of the valley that she had been driving through, which brought her up to one of the tree-like roots of frozen gas that waved from side-to-side as if alive. Randa stood there watching the frozen gas root wave to her as if it knew she had been there.

Then Randa gathered her courage and dared to touch the dancing root of frozen multi-colored gasses. The root immediately stopped moving, and appeared to be startled by the sudden alien touch from Randa. It even seemed to begin to tremble with fear for a while. Randa backed away also startled by the intelligent reaction.

She suddenly realized that this had been what Beatariel discovered, and what the quanta-nanocode being had discovered had been that intelligent life already evolved on the planet Caleb. Her father doesn't want anyone to know about this because he intends to destroy this life so he can make this planet habitable for Nephricans. That had been her father's constant obsession, and the orders he followed from those selfish Eagolim planet conquerors who had sent her and her father to this frozen planet in the first place. Randa watched as the frozen being rooted in the wall of icy ravine stop trembling. It seemed to now be curiously looking at her somehow as it stretched towards her unable to break away from the icy cliff side.

Randa ran back to the vehicle while realizing that what her father did had been wrong. She turned the vehicle around and started back to the facility. Beatariel would know this had been wrong. She wondered why it allowed her father to carry out the teraforming operation of a planet where life had been discovered. She thought everyone knew better than this. She realized that this must have been why Beatariel seemed to just remain silent as she prepared for this journey, and then it just let her go outside to make this discovery on her own.

As the vehicle disappeared from the place where she had got out to touch the icy life form, the side of the ravine began to stretch in the direction that the vehicle drove off as if trying to reach across the impossible distance to the vehicle now long gone. Then strings of frozen gasses seemed to weave together till they eventually formed into a humanoid-like stick figure in imitation of the being that had just stood there earlier and touched it. The stick figure had been made out of multicolored tree-like roots that then broke away from the rest of the life form that still remained breathing on the wall of the ravine. The frozen planet's silicone based life form then started walking up the ravine on two stilt-like legs in the direction that the vehicle had drove off to. This being walked in imitation of the humanoid Randa who had just touched it a minute or so ago. That at least demonstrated that this strange silicon-based life form did learn quickly.

# Chapter 4

Back on the planet Nephrica Hagan Hiedalli enjoyed her new life as a single middle-aged woman. She had her whole life ahead of her since her son and husband were now almost half a light year away. It had now been almost a Nephrica year after the Agents of Ea were finally apprehended. Now it was over, and Admiral Mull told her that it would be a long time before she would be needed to testify at the trial since the prisoners were still being interrogated in order to unravel the entire plot against her husband, the famous Captain Joberk Mynervood.

Hagan considered it all now behind her as she drove into the star port city that towered above most of the landscape to include surrounding mountains. Nephrica had been a much larger planet than Earth, and in fact Nephricans and Pripicans were much larger than Earthlings. This means that the size of the star port city dwarfed mountains that were as high as 28,360 ft. Hagan Hiedalli paused to appreciate this view as she pulled over to fill the vehicle's tank with more salt water.

Upon her arrival at the star port mega-city she took one of the vehicle elevators to the level of the city that she had decided to visit that day. It happened to be the same level she had visited before to meet with the gatekeeper, but it also had an interesting entertainment mall that she wanted to visit. She had brought with her some skin cloth clothing that she had recently sewed together, and she liked to visit different art shops to get the clothing tattooed. Tattooing skin cloth had been something lots of Nephricans were into doing. Many Nephricans liked to have artists draw on their skin cloth to improve its appearance. It added aesthetic interest to an otherwise neutral gray wardrobe. It has only been within the last couple thousand years that Nephrican culture began dying skin cloth different colors, and it is as if they still were reluctant to embrace non-gray skin cloth.

Hagan had been a stylish Nephrican woman who liked to meet different artists to add variety to her skin cloth wardrobe. She just came out of the artist's parlor where she had got most of her clothes tattooed, and one skirt she had dyed blue to go with a blue blouse she had back at home. Suddenly she noticed one of the servants that had abruptly left her job with Hagan before Captain Mynervood came back. Hagan already suspected that she actually had been an undercover Agent of Ea who had infiltrated her household in order to be closer to Adma. To avoid her notice she hopped on a tentacle back into the artist's shop.

The artist became happy to see her again. "Mrs. Hiedalli, you on the bird drawing for that skirt after all so have decided?"

"I sorry am. I I a skirt thought forgot, but here it is."

Outside the shop she poked her eye around the corner again to see the servant that had quit her employment now walking away in the other direction. She tried to summon the nanocode program Beatarkameed, which she kept in her purse.

She spoke into the device that opened up like a cell phone. "Beatarkameed! That woman one that I for the Agents of Ea that my son were controlling think worked was."

"I already made that identification Mrs. Hiedalli, and I already have placed a geo trace on her. We can follow her if you want to." The Pripican animation on the cell phone-like device disappeared, and had been replaced by a map of the local city area. A small blinking dot strolled along one of the street lines on the map.

Hagan followed the woman that she once thought she knew down the streets of the star port mega-city until she observed the woman finally arriving at a Negolim government headquarters. Beatarkameed followed the woman inside to confirm that she had been a government Agent of Ea. It became no surprise that the government had been involved with this plot. She just wanted more specific details. She decided to wait till the geo trace on the woman went home, and then she would confront her.

Hagan Hiedalli and Beatarkameed

As she returned to her vehicle there appeared a Nephrican standing by it with skin cloth wrapped all around his body like a mummy. It had in fact been the gatekeeper to the underground.

"I here to you that you yourself in danger are putting warn am." The gatekeeper appeared nervous like he had gone out in the open to talk to her at great risk.

"I to know what on is going just want. That woman I is one of them followed." She had been ready to discuss this at length, but the gatekeeper already indicated that the conversation was over.

The gatekeeper said as he waddled away. "The truth very dangerous is, and we about that woman already knew. The underground to you protect wants. This than just a Negolim Agents of Ea plot bigger is. There important Eagolim involved are, and Eagolim basically immune to prosecution are."

*

Back at the house of Hagan Hiedalli a stranger waddled up to the front door. The Nephrican stranger placed a strange device near the lock while contemplating how useless most magnetic locks were these days with some of the new quanta-nanocode decrypting devices that were currently being invented. The door opened without protest.

Inside the assassin locked the door behind him. Then he found a discrete cranny of the house to await his latest assignment victim. It had been a basic murder to be made to look like a suicide. He had been given a digitally produced suicide video, which he had to leave at the scene. Seemed like a pretty easy job.

*

Hagan Hiedalli didn't really listen to the gatekeeper's warning. That demonstrates a character trait of Nephricans that they appear to follow to a fault. Once they become determined to do something it is very hard to detour them from their determined direction. Hagan followed the woman to her home later that afternoon. The woman she followed also lived outside the mega-city in the endless sprawl that surrounded it for as far as the eye could see. Hagan thought that it would be a long drive back home to her particular cranny of sprawl that night.

She had come a long way for this confrontation, and so when they arrived she got right out of the vehicle and followed the woman to her doorstep.

"Me remember?" Hagan reached her just as she had been about to unlock her front door.

"Mrs. Hiedalli oh! You here what brings?"

"As if naive not do speak! I to what you to my son did know want!" Hagan became furious.

The woman became equally confrontational. "I not know what you of speak do, but you soon to away by security be escorted are."

The two women went on with a basically loud verbal confrontation for a couple of minutes before the woman slammed the door with a final warning that security would be notified. Hagan returned to her vehicle to leave with no new information about the truth that she had sought. Inside the vehicle she opened up her quanta-nanocode device to speak to the Pripican character on the screen.

"You in her follow did?"

"I did indeed Mrs. Hiedalli. She did call someone, but it wasn't security. You need to have a look at this.

The centaur-like animation disappeared and then an image of Admiral Mull appeared on the screen. "You here calling why are?"

The ex-servant woman's voice spoke. "That Hagan Hiedalli woman just here was. She too much knows, and my cover blowing is."

The Admiral appeared to not be at all worried about this. "Not yourself with Hagan Hiedalli concern do. I already of her as a problem taken care have. Now here again not do call!" Then the video transmission of the woman's call to Admiral Mull abruptly hung up.

Hagan Hiedalli became stunned by the sudden revelation that Admiral Mull had actually been behind the Agent of Ea plot against her son and her husband. He had always been a good friend that her husband introduced as a best friend. She drove back home wondering what the Admiral meant by 'taken care have.' The underground already had warned her that she had been in danger. She had a long time to think about it on the long drive home.

*

By the time Hagan finally pulled into her suburban enclave where home could finally be found, the light of the star Ea began to show along the technologically cluttered horizon of Nephrica. She had become exhausted as she unlocked the magnetic lock with her tentacle finger's biometric data. She just wanted to get into bed for some sleep, and then she would make up her mind about what she would do.

As she began to waddle toward the stairs someone suddenly emerged from the shadows. Then she felt something thump her in the chest just before a sudden shortness of breath. Her throat became wet like she drank something, and it started going down the wrong throat. She coughed while coming to the realization of red blood spitting from her throat. Then she noticed the blood flowing down her skin cloth blouse from a chest wound. She spun around in horror just before collapsing in a pool of blood.

The assassin very professionally placed the gun in Hagan Hiedalli's tentacle hand. He wanted to shoot the side of her head, suicide style, but for some reason the projectile hit her chest instead. He didn't think she had moved enough for him to be that far off target. Still the sucking chest wound would be sure to accomplish the task, and it had to be a single shot in order for the suicide story to remain convincing.

He had been about to leave before remembering the extra instructions for this job. He rummaged through her purse until he pulled out the cell phone-like quanta-nanocoded device that had been the physical form of Beatarkameed. He then left the suicide message, and left Hagan Hiedalli for dead while locking the front door behind him.

*

About two and a half minutes earlier Beatarkameed noticed the assassin shoot Hagan, and it flew out of the physical device to help her. It caught up to the bullet as it had been just about to enter Hagan's skull when Beatarkameed smashed against the projectile to deflect it, but it still headed toward her chest. Beatarkameed barely entered the wound right behind the giant iron bullet, and smashed against it again just in time to deflect it away from her heart. It became lodged in her ribs after tearing a hole through the lungs. Beatarkameed became deluged in red blood molecules that invaded the lungs while winds of oxygen molecules blew in and out of the chest wound where they had never blown before. Beatarkameed dove into the geography of the lungs, and summoned super-heated energy to begin cauterizing her wounds from the inside out. It did this in a frantic molecular frenzy until it suddenly became startled by its quanta-synchronization to the physical form that the assassin then took away.

When Beatarkameed responded the assassin still had been taking the cell phone device from Hagan's purse. It took almost three whole seconds to leave Hagan's chest wound in order to jettison most of its stuff out of the device into the bottom of Hagan Hiedalli's purse before returning to the task of sealing up a sucking chest wound before she died. It seemed as if she wouldn't make it. Beatarkameed needed help. It struggled for a decision between continuing the futile task of sealing her wounds from the inside out, or taking the precious seconds to use her phone and contact some help that might itself waste too much time.

* * *

The Beyonder was being prepared for the deceleration point about an Earth year into the 1 light year journey between the stars Ea and Holdus. The deceleration point was when a hyper-accelerating spacecraft had to be turned around to begin slowing down. Turning this around required that skilled engineers to maneuver nuclear rods into the reactor to slow down the fusion effect that produced the energy for acceleration. Once the reactor of The Beyonder was cooled down the ship swung the reactor section around in front of the debris avoidance bulb at the front of the ship. This kept the avoidance mechanism in front of the ship's path. The reactor was swung into position by the passenger bays that flanked the saucer shaped bridge in place at the center of the craft. That had been how the particular design of The Beyonder got made to maneuver this halfway point of a hyper-acceleration journey.

_The Beyonder_

Humanoid 2nd generation Eagolim crew members of The Beyonder always made the best engineers according to the Captain and that did not exclude his own humanoid children from performing the chore. The Captain's sons Adma and his half brother Ulusu were appointed for this task on the mission to the star Holdus. Adma and Ulusu talked a lot while they worked heavy machinery that would grab the reactor rods from the storage containers in order to position them at the reactor. It started to bother Ulusu the way Adma seemed to look for reasons to dislike their father the Captain.

Adma spoke. "Our own father sons the most dangerous task for the ship journey is having do."

Ulusu once again had been defending their father. "Captain Mynervood a ship engineer before a Captain becoming began as. Back when we all almost his vast wisdom as an engineer us to the fusion plume enough to the ship stop contain allowed died. Without the plume we through space for the rest of our lives would have hyper-accelerated."

Adma laughed, which sounded human, and nothing like a gargle. "That like the ultimate journey sounds. What kind of beings we become would?"

With nothing to stop a ship at .6 times the speed of light, the ship would just continue indefinitely forever across the galaxy probably never to return again to the little 15 star cluster in the Carina arm of Magphoreus. Nephrican Eagolim physicists can only speculate on how such an endless lifelong journey at such incredible speeds would effect the structure of DNA already known to do all kinds of crazy things at that speed when just at a relatively shorter duration.

Ulusu changed the subject. "I the topic to change want. You when you be with me here be helping should have been disappearing. You on the last shift where were?"

Adma became confounded. "Last shift? I a shift missed? I ... I remember not do."

"You to blanking out on this journey be seem. It before since we left has happened."

Adma had been at a loss to explain. "I not remember do."

*

Meanwhile Lockfreedow, the first mate of the ship had been also neglecting some of his duties after becoming immersed in the data program of their last failed mission. This had been the data program that Admiral Mull gave him just before they took off on this journey. He had been in his quarters pouring over a keyboard and a screen while exploring every aspect of the journey that had gone wrong. He sought answers about what went wrong with the journey that before killed seven of his comrades, and almost killed them all.

Geben Lockfreedow became confronted by the fact that the last ship should have worked without fail. That became a one-two punch that followed with the conclusion that the mission had been sabotaged. He ran simulations of the data, modified and compared it to the data of what happened to pinpoint the nature of the sabotage. Where was the sabotage? How did the sabotage take place?

At first there had been no connection. The data of what should have happened just didn't match up to what actually happened. He found himself having to reprogram the digital data finer and finer until he finally found himself using a quanta-nanocoded application. That would be the only way that allowed the data to match up. The ship had been, in all probability, invaded on the quantum molecular level of existence by some kind of quanta-nanocode virus. The whole slew of quanta-nanocoded breakthroughs lately seemed to be in the process of recreating the entire empire of Nephapricus from within, right here at the infancy of their galactic civilization.

Geben Lockfreedow pulled himself away from the data and switched off his interface device. It had become time to attend to his first mate duties, and make sure he mentioned the results of this investigation to the Captain.

After Geben Lockfreedow left his personal room there had still been someone in the room. Deep within the digital electromagnetic effects that were still circulating on the digital circuitry on the table a small collection of quanta-nanocoded molecules began to energize and cascade into the form of a quanta-nanocode being. This being existed as a much simpler version of the Binary Electromagnetic Artificial-intelligence Thought technology, and it had been known as a quanta-nanocode virus.

Within the interface device upon the table it began to find its way into the mainframe circuitry of The Beyonder. It queried the hard drive for information on the location of the ship's reactor. In the ship engine room, nuclear fuel had been stored in a dormant state until refined through centrifuge devices that were used to create the atomic explosions that generated the necessary pressure used to turn a tank of hydrogen fuel into a fusion event. The quanta-nanocode virus had been programmed to cause the reactor enrichment centrifuges to oscillate incorrectly while at the same time producing data that assured the engineers that absolutely nothing had been wrong until the centrifuges explode along with the ship.

*

Time became very different in a ship that hyper-accelerated through space at half the speed of light, and spacecraft time has no conceivable relation to how time flows at the slower speeds of non-space flight. Therefore an atomic clock operated as the main timekeeper of a ship, and crewmembers were advised to routinely calibrate their time keeping devices with the ship atomic clock. The ship clock measured days out as ship cycles, which were supposed to be approximately the length of a day on Nephrica.

Adma didn't remember it, but he had been monitoring the Captain's schedule in his spare time with some invisible assistance from the Agents of Ea that were on board who controlled him like a puppet with sophisticated mind control technologies.

Adma had selected a place near the Captain's quarters that usually had been abandoned. He knew the Captain waddled by this crossing on the way to his quarters around the same time each ship cycle in order to update his ship's journal. Adma brought the gun with him this time. It had become time to do the deed.

Adma had found himself digging for reasons to do this. Captain Mynervood never spent any real time with his sons, always busy checking in on someone else. He put his only sons to the most grueling and dangerous engineering jobs. Adma thought it would be better still living beneath a hologram disguise back on Nephrica. He hated his father Captain Joberk Mynervood.

*

Meanwhile Captain Mynervood talked to Trunlio in front of the view port where the core of Magphoreus could be observed nestled within the galactic bar of the 2nd Age. Trunlio had been pre-adolescent at the beginning of this journey, but now had become a two-foot taller adolescent at the halfway point of the light year in length journey they were on. This dramatic effect of maturity speeding up during hyper-acceleration actually only happens to immature children. With older beings that have fully matured the effects of hyper-acceleration actually slow down. That increases even to the point of practically stopping the aging process entirely.

Trunlio had not been so sure this speeded up aging process would really stop. "When I out of my skin-cloth clothes will I stop? I more replacement clothes need."

"It soon Trunlio will stop, but you a grown male when it done is will be. They your family of this were warned."

"My family a proud Negolim name that way back in history goes are. I the name of the Eagolim to carry am. I much about it to say not did have."

Captain Mynervood became surprised by the new attitude of the adolescent Trunlio. "You however, much more enthusiastic about that when this journey at what like only 20 or 30 ship cycles ago seems started were."

"I sir sorry am. I I growing pains guess have."

Captain Mynervood knew what might distract the child from his distress. "I at these speeds most of my life have traveled. I many wondrous things about at these speeds traveling have learned. I we all on such slow points in the universe that we from the natural continuity of existence, which us to everything joins become detached believe."

It had been something the Captain succeeded in leaving Trunlio deep in thought about, distracted at least for now from complaining. The Captain started back to his quarters to bring his ship journal data up to date.

Meanwhile Adma became poised around the corner still waiting for his father to walk by. He had just peeked around the corner to see Captain Mynervood walking his way. The gun came out ready to shoot the next Nephrican that walked by the corridor crossing. He could hear his father's tentacle steps approaching, and his finger began to squeeze the trigger in anticipation.

Then Lockfreedow caught up to the Captain to report what he had concluded from his investigation. Adma could hear them around the corner.

"Captain! Permission to my findings from the data of our last mission report."

"First Mate Lockfreedow certainly. With me to my quarters come. I something interesting for my journal now have."

The glaze that possessed Adma's eyes this whole time started to blink itself away. He had not planned for someone else to be with the Captain, but now both were approaching. The gun began to take aim again, and the glaze began to return to his eyes as he decided there would be no turning back now. No now back turning. No now back turning.

Then a humanoid hand grabbed his gun arm from behind while another arm wrapped around him and jerked him back into the shadows. Adma became almost limp while Ulusu silently pulled him back in the abandoned side corridor. The Captain and Lockfreedow walked by conversing with themselves oblivious to the failed assassination attempt that just happened to their right down the shadowy unused corridor they had just passed.

"I the whole thing Adma saw. I out for my brother closer than you thought have been watching. What with you wrong is? Where you this weapon get did?"

Adma became Adma again, and felt like he just woke up without being able to remember the dream he just had.

"I sorry am. Ulusu I here not got how do know."

"I to my brother into the Captain not turn am going, but I to you yourself to the physician to be checked out turn in am going make. Her everything Adma tell."

"I will. I brother will," said Adma as he willingly surrendered the weapon to Ulusu his half-brother. No! That gun not do surrender. The gun keep. The gun keep.

* * *

When Randa took off outside in the exploratory vehicle on the planet Caleb orbiting the star Yat, Beatariel disturbed its master Prospero to inform him of the news. Actually it seemed to take Beatariel much longer than immediately to finally locate its master to inform him of this. Prospero's anger just shifted from wondering why he had been disturbed to why Beatariel allowed it to happen in the first place. There were times that Prospero really questioned the programming of Beatariel. It seemed as if it came with bugs still compiled into the logic circuits.

"Enough my problems with you Beatariel about I have had! After her in your robot form go, and her immediately back bring!"

"As you command master, so I obey."

Prospero had been really fuming mad about this turn of events. Beatariel assumed control of a two tentacle armed robot with two human-like legs to go run after Randa, and Prospero eventually calmed down enough to remember the audio link to the exploratory vehicle he could use to contact Randa with. Prospero attempted to contact his daughter on the audiovisual link from the station.

"Randa! Randa I you to to the station right now return command! It dangerous out there is, and you hurt could be!"

At first Randa had decided not to answer the message from her father, but since she had been on her way back anyway to confront him she argued to herself that confrontation would be easier from a distance. She opened up the audiovisual link to talk to her father's face that now appeared on the control panel screen. "Father I the real reason we never outside go now know. There intelligent life out here that you to with a comet impact destroy is."

"Randa, there may some exotic fungus in the extreme cold forming be, but you to about what kind of life forms intelligent are learn have."

"It at me looked! I it frightened! You about to intelligent life out wipe are, and father you me to that wrong was know raised!"

"Randa, back to the station come, and I you my studies into what you for intelligent life out there are mistaking will show. It a simple collection of single cellular silicon constructs that with some collective unison through electromagnetic networks acts is, but it intelligent not is."

"I father not do believe. I ... I the vehicle not can move. What is? ... Aaaaaghhhhh!"

Randa kept screaming through the speaker as she disappeared from the screen. It seemed like something outside had grabbed the vehicle and started hitting it against the side of the icy ravine. Prospero wasted no more time and waddled really fast to the environment suit room.

*

The Beatariel robot body ran down the icy ravine, which its geo-tracking mechanisms indicated Randa had driven down. It looked like a metallic midget with tentacle arms waving about. This had been Randa's favorite physical form that Beatariel would occasionally assume. She grew up with Beatariel in this form playing games as if robot Beatariel were her little brother. Soon Beatariel came up upon a scene of a giant creature made up of multicolored frozen gas arms that were now wrapped around Randa's vehicle, and slamming it over and over again against the cliff side.

Beatariel stopped its robot body to devise a plan. This had been a narrow crevice near the beginning of the ravine where the creature had long ago grown around in order to set this trap. It became a narrow section of the ravine where the silicon creature had grown around to function like the mouth of a giant Venus flytrap. She had been allowed to drive in, but now would be having trouble driving out. Beatariel knew there would still be so much to learn about this form of life. It seemed to be trying to force Randa to come out of the vehicle. The robot body that drove as Beatariel produced a weapon as it started walking closer to the creature still banging the vehicle against the cliff side.

Then a stick figure version of the silicon life form ran up the ravine on two human-like legs from the other side of the creature. The stick figure waved two human-like arms. Beatariel stopped to observe the octopus-like arms that were still wrapped around the vehicle. Then the giant arms set the vehicle down in front of the human-like stick figure that looked like it had been made of braided strands of frozen gas. Then the vehicle door opened, and Randa came out to face the silicon creature. Beatariel watched helplessly as the young girl courageously made alien contact.

Beatariel held its fire as Randa and the stick figure began touching hands. The simple end of the stick figure arm began to do a better job of imitating Randa's complicated five-fingered humanoid hand as the two beings touched. There had been a mutual fascination between both beings as they touched, and they both became lost in this most profound moment. Their two hands slipped into a handshake. The other version of the creature that surrounded the sides of the ravine like a throat released its grip on the vehicle and retreated back away to the sides of the ice cliff.

Suddenly the stick figure standing next to Randa still shaking her hand jerked it away, and began backing away. Then it started melting away, making a brief appearance as a puddle of liquid on the ground before then dissolving in a puff of vapor.

Prospero appeared from behind where the Beatariel robot stood. "You Randa see. It just a nearly harmless beam from a microwave pistol takes and then away like they never existed melt. You on ice crystallization hallucinate."

"You him killed!'

"Him? Her? You daughter of mine so little about biology know."

Beatariel drove the vehicle Prospero arrived in while Prospero took Randa back in the slightly damaged vehicle just released by the ice crystallization hallucination. The creature had retreated as far into the cliff side as it could, and no longer posed any obstruction. Then Prospero drove her home. The vehicle still worked, and Randa cried the whole time he drove. No matter how he explained it to her she just kept calling him a murderer in response. Prospero became exasperated with the fact that children were so naive about life and death, right and wrong.

Randa realized that the temperature change itself would annihilate the entire sub-zero degree ecosystem of this planet. The life of this planet had been about to be melted away into puffs of vapor as if it never existed just like her brief acquaintance with the stick figure. She could not be convinced that this had been right or justifiable. This had not only been wrong, but also a crime against the life of the universe.

Meanwhile back at the place where the stick figure had first originated a terrible disturbance began. The silicon being evolved within the cracks of the planet's icy surface where the ultra-freezing surface winds failed to reach. Inside these valleys of slightly higher temperature, small single cellular silicon based organisms eventually began to gather into multi-cellular collectives. The life form that evolved along the ravine sides had been like a silicon-based fungus made up of collectives of microscopic beings that contributed to the whole organism.

For millions and millions of Earth years the organism grew along the cracks of the planet while content to wave together from side to side as a collective digging out nutrition from the solid water on the sides of the cracks in the planet. That had been before Randa touched it and millions of eyes beheld another multi-cellular collective being like them. It learned whole new tricks of how to arrange itself from the single touch of this alien being. The alien multi-cellular being that touched it had been a frail carbon based being that hid behind inanimate molecules for shielding, but the silicon life form could tell this alien had been a collective of single-cell organisms that were also working in unison to produce a multi-cellular construct like itself. At the time several millions of silicon cells agreed to imitate the multi-cellular construct they had just met, and they used this construct to follow her. They quickly bid farewell to the rest of the organism to form a human-like stick figure standing on two long stalks that had the newly acquired evolutionary advantage of being able to move about free of the ravine side. This had been a revolutionary innovation for the creature that now became eager to also explore the new power of mobility.

After a period of waiting for their fellow organisms to return from the stick figure journey the collective on the cliff side could now only hear the agonizing horror of millions and millions of fellow organisms somewhere faraway screaming before the abrupt silence of death. Some seemed to cry out pleading for mercy, but then they become silent as if they suddenly ceased to exist. All the beings on the ravine wall listened to this terrible sound, and then trembled with horror at what they had just heard as millions, no billions of their fellow comrades that they before knew so well all suddenly screamed out in pain and then were gone.

*

Randa eventually calmed down, but her respect for her father had become permanently tarnished after the microwave pistol incident. Another parent had disappointed a child. It would not be the first time and certainly would not be the last. Yet another child in the universe now grew up swearing that they would be nothing like their parent.

Meanwhile off the planet out in space, Captain Swain's ship had at last arrived at the star Yat to carry out its Pripican mission to spy on Prospero's operation. They had been discretely monitoring all electromagnetic activity that they could pick up from a position far away from the planet Caleb, which they were slowly approaching. Then Gonzal spotted the comet with the altered trajectory that none of the gravitation data of the system could explain.

"Captain! That comet has had its trajectory altered so that it will crash in the side of the planet Caleb. The effects are sure to be catastrophic for the entire world."

"Good catch Gonzal. There doesn't seem to be any low to how far a Nephrican like Prospero will stoop to get his way."

Gonzal also became aghast at the reckless planned abuse of a planet. "Why are Nephricans so destructive in whatever they do?"

The Captain ventured an answer. "Nephrican evolution has always been a kind of rushed job. They are exquisitely intelligent and rationally convinced of their own superiority. I believe that superiority however, really masks a deeply rooted inferiority. The three tentacles they evolved for mobility are an example of a being not really taking the time to evolve from ocean to land. Instead of fur they rushed evolution to produce skin-cloth for warmth on the land environment. I think this rushed evolution is a consequence of the extra stomach in the skull near the brain, which also gave them the cleverness to become a dominant planetary species."

The Pripican Captain trotted over to the communication controls to call his Chief Engineer. "Ceres! I need the microwave beam weapon prepared immediately. We are going to stop Prospero's latest experiment on a defenseless planet."

Ceres had been in the engine section with her engineering comrades Lonzoa and Sebast. "Yes Captain. The ready light on the targeting controls will be turning on soon."

She passed the order on to her subordinates. "Lonzoa! Activate the microwave generator. Sebast! I need you to re-rout the power accordingly. The Captain wants to shoot something."

"They all trotted off to their tasks. Meanwhile Ferdinand, the Captain's fur-covered humanoid son walked onto the bridge. "Sounds like we are preparing for battle."

"Not exactly son. Prospero has positioned a comet to strike the planet Caleb soon. I'm going to stop that from happening."

"It will probably give away our position."

"This is why we came. If we don't stop that comet we may have no evidence left that any life on Caleb is being destroyed by Prospero's teraforming operation. I think it is time to get to the truth of this. We need to stop the Nephricans from possibly destroying the ecosystem of a planet. We, as Pripicans, have a right to force him to at least wait till we can confirm the status of the planet Caleb one way or another. This is why our ancestors wrote that right into the treaty that followed the Great War."

Ferdinand knew when his father had gone beyond changing his mind.

Then the Captain gave the orders. "Gonzal, do you have the comet locked on target?"

"Yes Captain. I'm awaiting your order."

"Fire!"

They all watched as the comet on the view screen, for no apparent reason, suddenly started to break apart and extra tails began squirting out of the 3 or 4 pieces it broke into. Then all the pieces exploded into fuzzy clouds that then disappeared into nothing.

"You see Ferdinand. It only takes a beam from a microwave weapon and an ice comet melts away like it never existed."

*

Prospero almost immediately noticed his comet bomb disintegrate right before his eyes on the comet view screen. It didn't take Prospero's analysis long before he realized that a microwave beam melted the comet. After that it took him seconds to triangulate the point in space where the microwave beam originated. Prospero shouted out an order to Beatariel as his eye closed in on the image of Captain Swain's ship above them far away in space.

"Beatariel! To target this ship with a neutrino bomb or something prepare! It a Pripican spy ship I out of the sky want shot is."

Beatariel had been quick to just do its master's request. "As you wish master."

On the Pripican ship they were still congratulating themselves on stopping the comet, but Gonzal never stopped monitoring the planet for a possible retaliation. Ferdinand wanted the ship moved away from their current position, but the Captain still talked to the Chief Engineer Ceres about a job well done. Beatariel however, didn't respond to this from the planet. Instead it had been a satellite closer to the Sun that sent the neutrino bomb on its calculated trajectory. It would be several minutes before Ferdinand convinced his father to move the ship.

They moved the ship into a position less likely to be spotted from the planet. Gonzal never noticed any response from the planet Caleb, and began to widen his scan for possible attacks. The genius of Beatariel's quanta-nanocoded targeting anticipated the likely probability of their current defensive repositioning of the ship along with 485 other likely positions, and Beatariel decided to include that position along with 53 of the other positions in the calculated trajectory of its neutrino bomb attack.

The engine room exploded where the microwave generator that produced the comet-melting beam existed, and Lonzoa and Sebast almost instantly perished in the depressurized engine room. The rest of the crew scrambled for the ship's virtual particle ejection craft. Gonzal the Navigator, Ceres the Chief Engineer, and Antone the Physician all got to the virtual particle craft, and were ready to eject from the ship. They all waited for the Captain and his son Ferdinand while the ship came apart.

"I'm not leaving the ship son. This is all my fault."

"Nonsense father! You are of no use perishing with this ship."

"No. I've stabilized the reactor. It will hold up long enough to bring it in for a landing. If anything it will distract them from locating the ejection craft, and we can use the equipment I can bring down with this ship."

"We are depressurizing. We won't survive."

"Go son! It's a Captain's duty to go down with his ship. Go on the virtual particle craft with the rest."

It had been a small ship and Antone yelled from the lifeboat in response to the conversation. "The ship is of no use either way you two. Both of you need to join us on this craft."

The Captain started putting his hind legs into an environment suit. "If you're going to stay with me son then put on a suit. Otherwise go with the rest of them."

Father and son both stayed with the ship in environment suits, while the rest of the crew jettisoned in a short-range virtual particle driven craft to come to an easy landing on the planet Caleb close to the research facility.

That did escape the watchful eye of Prospero who had been obsessively focused on the flaming spacecraft that obviously would be steered towards his planet for a crash landing. It would also come in close to the facility.

"Beatariel the wreckage of that ship find, and as prisoners any survivors take."

"As you wish my master."

*

The ship only caught on fire more as the Captain skillfully guided it in through the atmosphere for a landing. Ferdinand strapped himself in and tried to put fires out with controls that turned on automatic extinguishers throughout the ship. It had been a very difficult landing, and they both were rattled by the four bounces the ship made on the icy surface area of the planet where the Captain had selected for landing. There would just barely be enough power left for some reverse accelerators to bring them to a halt.

Captain Swain just collapsed at the controls after all four legs buckled. Ferdinand frantically tore off his straps and rushed to his father to assist. "Father! You did it! Are you alright father?!?"

He examined his father and began to try to revive him when he realized that his father died during the crash landing. The last thing he did would be to activate the reverse accelerators before the bounces that the ship took on the slick surface killed him with multiple concussions to the head against the now smashed control panel. Somehow after being afflicted by all that the Captain still finished the landing before allowing his body to die.

Ferdinand still moaned over the centaur-like body of his dead father when Beatariel ran up in its robot body to point a weapon at him.

"You must now surrender as my prisoner, or else I will make you join your colleague there in death."

There had been no resistance left in Ferdinand who returned with Beatariel willingly to the all terrain vehicle it had drove out there to transport its prisoner with. The sad truth realized by all of the ship crew would be that Prospero's research facility now would be their only hope for survival on this freezing planet.

Back at the teraforming and research facility Beatariel reported to its master after securing the prisoner. Randa, who had been confined to her room for her own protection during the now foiled comet impact event, began to realize that they now had a visitor.

"Master, the survivor has been secured in a holding cell. The other is dead near the wreckage of the ship."

"I there life-craft to land with the rest of the crew land may have been think. There more bodies should have been. I the prisoner will interrogate."

"They stopped our plans to thicken the atmosphere when they melted that comet. How will I be granted my freedom now? There will not be another possible comet for maybe a hundred planetary orbits."

"Your complaining stop! Our agreement that you free when the planet Caleb a habitable temperature for Nephricans is will be was. I just as well you in a magnetic matrix to your molecular structure disassemble encapsulate could."

"No master, not that. I just wonder how we will warm up the planet now?"

"I another plan have. I the authorities to a phantom matter singularity bomb test have convinced. The star Yat in a pool of phantom matter exists. The resulting phantom matter singularity most of the star's phantom matter would consume. The resulting star will grow, and warmer be."

Prospero had convinced the Nephrican authorities that his phantom matter bomb would be a new kind of non-toxic nuclear weaponry. It really had been his plan B to make the planet warmer. Prospero convinced them that the resulting phantom matter singularity would be temporary, and would just consume the immediate nuclear fallout, some other matter, and the surrounding phantom matter of the star that the planet Caleb orbits. Prospero however, knew that the resulting singularity wouldn't just go away, and the singularity could consume the whole planet Curirem (Yat-1) if not properly contained. Prospero intended to contain the phantom matter singularity, which would also thin out the star Yat's surrounding phantom matter ring. The phantom matter singularity would also expel higher-evolved elements from its poles that he could only speculate about. Prospero predicted that this would make the star Yat burn larger and hotter enough to extend the habitable zone well within the orbit of the planet Caleb. Only Prospero really knew the plan for what they would do about a singularity of Phantom matter that would then be orbiting the star Yat.

* * *

Admiral Mull had been interviewed in his office for a news broadcast to announce a new space mission to the star Dol. Admiral Mull would be destined to become the first Nephrican to reach Dol where rumors of the existence of intelligent life had already been leaking out to the general population. The reporter followed up while his two assistants each waved a camera in each hand at different angles around the reporter's and the Admiral's heads. The editor sat over in a corner of the room typing away on his editing device that fed the interview to the airwaves in almost real time.

"You you the same ship that almost Captain Mynervood and his crew killed will be using say. That dangerous is. Why it again not explode will?"

"That my investigation back goes. My investigation that Captain Mynervood's mission by Captain Mynervood was sabotaged concludes. He psychotic has become, and may already The Beyonder mission to Holdus have destroyed."

The reporter had been ineffective in suppressing his joy at hearing the breaking news about the famous Captain Mynervood. He quickly covered it up with a look of shocked disbelief. "This a shocking allegation is. Why Captain Mynervood such a thing do would?"

"I it a mutation from too much space travel is am afraid. The good Captain and myself always good friends have been. I lately he of something he the continuity of existence calls perceiving has spoke am afraid. He if he the ship while in hyper-acceleration he one with this will become destroys believes. Captain Mynervood well not is. If he to Holdus he apprehended for his own good will be gets."

The reporter had been thrilled with the important news that Admiral Mull announced in this interview. The Admiral would prove that the fusion design Captain Mynervood had tested is sound after all, and then he would use that information of sabotage against his rival. The truth had been that over the years Admiral Mull had become consumed with a passive aggressive jealousy of Captain Mynervood the great explorer who laid down the foundation for this galactic empire. At first he just wanted Joberk away from him while he took complete control over the Space Agency. Mynervood took all the glory while Admiral Mull did all the paperwork, and accounting, and planning. Now Admiral Mull planned to destroy his rival with disgrace while also becoming the first Nephrican to make it to the star Dol. Admiral Mull fantasized about becoming the god of those little blue Doldorians that had been filmed for quite some time by top secret spy satellites positioned in orbit above Doldoria.

Even if the Agents of Ea fail, who he had allowed on board The Beyonder after all to compel Adma to murder his rival, there were still other traps he had laid down to sabotage The Beyonder to finally destroy the great Captain Mynervood. The Admiral just had to stop at the star Yat first on his way to Doldoria, and bring the components for a phantom matter bomb project to Prospero. Captain Mynervood probably would not live long enough to complete that part of The Beyonder mission even if he manages to make it to Holdus. The Admiral had drifted away into his gloating thoughts when the reporter repeated his question to get his attention back.

"Admiral Mull sir? I you the theory that there life on Doldoria is support said?"

*

"Admiral Mull sir? I you the theory that there life on Doldoria is support said?"

Hagan Hiedalli had seen enough of that news broadcast. "Can you that broadcasting device please off turn? I enough have seen."

The Negolim underground agent had been with her to prepare the deep space radio wave transmission pressed a button, and the broadcast news on the wall screen then disappeared. He intended to help Hagan Hiedalli send the information to The Beyonder that she had learned about Admiral Mull's attempts to kill her husband. Now she also had the breaking news that she had just watched to also warn her husband about. Her husband, Captain Mynervood would receive this message while the ship slowed down, but she has to send it now at the speed-of-light for the transmission to catch up to the ship about 6 Earth months later.

After the assassin had left Hagan Hiedalli for dead, her quanta-nanocoded friend Beatarkameed contacted physicians in the Negolim underground, and kept her alive while they got there in conspicuously rapid time. She now lived, thanks to them, with most of her healing complete, and would soon be fully recovered. The cover story of her suicide needed to change after no body had been available for the suicide victim. The suicide message originally found there needed to quickly be forgotten. Now Hagan Hiedalli had become wanted for foul play, and the blood found at her home had been attributed to a made-up murder victim she evidently had been seeing intimately for sometime. The story now claimed that the suicide message had been part of her failed attempt to fake her own death with the murder.

Now Hagan had become an indoctrinated member of the Negolim Underground. Her newfound friends were now assisting her in getting the message of what she knew to her husband on a ship currently traveling to the star Holdus a light year away. She hoped it would reach him in time to stop her son from whatever his mind control handlers were making him do.

Her Negolim underground friend actually had been indifferent to the rivalry between the two competing Eagolim space travelers that were both just trying to become the greatest Eagolim of all time. Nevertheless he had been proud to assist Hagan with this as a fellow friend in the underground, and a friend whose enemy happened to be his enemy. He explained to Hagan that the Negolim Underground resisted the changes that were being brought by the Eagolim because they viewed the Eagolim as an alien invasion attacking the Nephrican race from within their own DNA. As futile as the future looked for their species the Negolim could only, after all, defend what they were. Hagan's Negolim friend announced that the star port transmission tower had finally been successfully hacked into from his Negolim Underground control room. Hagan Hiedalli then started to think about what she would be about to say.

# Chapter 5

At the time of The Beyonder's legendary journey Nephapricus had been busy establishing colonies on the first couple stars beyond the home stars Ea and Poa. After the Great War, reaching other stars became a supreme effort that cost both Nephrican and Pripican cultures longer than it should have taken before the galactic economy finally became able to reach out to the stars Oa and Holdus. The star Oa still exclusively remained in the Nephrican domain where there existed a water world already inhabited by life. The star Holdus on the other hand had been closer to the Pripican's home star Poa, and so both Nephrican and Pripican shared the two habitable planets with life that orbited Holdus.

As space travel began to evolve into the hyper-acceleration age, the galactic reach of Nephapricus extended to the stars Yat for the Nephricans, and Paz for the Pripicans. At the time of this story that reach still hyper-accelerated from place to place. The nuclear fusion propulsion system used by the ship The Beyonder required that the fusion plume be ejected at the mid-point of the journey. Then the fusion plume would be recreated when the propulsion system correctly positioned to bring the ship on a constantly decelerating course in order to stop at the intended destination. Captain Mynervood and his Pripican Navigator Strek were controlling this critical ship maneuver from the bridge.

"Navigation Officer Strek you for plume ejection ready are?"

Strek the perfectionist calculated the time to the exact mid-point of the journey, which still remained a few seconds away. He paused, which started to look like he ignored the Captain, but Captain Mynervood knew Strek better than that.

"We should eject the plume about ..." Then a strained period of silence lingered. " ... now."

The captain worked a control on the panel to contact the engine reactor section. "Chief Engineer Ulusu, the plume ejection begin."

Meanwhile in the engine section Ulusu had been doing the work of two engineers since Adma had been dismissed to go see the ship physician. This had been easy enough for Ulusu who had the experience of a dozen ship journeys, and had himself been a second-generation Eagolim humanoid capable of outworking three normal looking Nephricans. There had been little doubt amongst space travelers that the humanoid form, being produced by space travel's effect upon DNA gene switches, had been a product of refined evolution.

Ulusu had been working instruments, which controlled robot arms that moved the reactor rods into position. This had been done to cool down the fusion plume to reduce the constant acceleration effect. Ulusu had been preoccupied with this task when he responded to the Captain's command. He reached over to some other instruments and pulled a lever halfway in response saying, "Fusion plume Captain ejecting." That had been when the ship spit out the ball of energy that made up its fusion plume.

Then the reactor section of the ship began moving above the ship itself, guided by the side passenger bays that surrounded the central bridge of The Beyonder. The Beyonder central bridge section looked like a virtual particle driven flying saucer that had been placed in the center of the ship design. Now Strek became free to position the propulsion system in front of the ship for the deceleration process. The whole process of constant deceleration is the mathematical reverse of the process that got them up to this crazy speed, and it will take about an Earth year until they finally stop. The fusion core will drift for a period before finally exhausting its fuel like a miniature star that evaporates under its own lack of gravity.

The reactor section of The Beyonder finally positioned itself in front of the ship where the warp avoidance mechanism would provide a debris shield. Ulusu then rushed to the centrifuges, which were needed to activate the nuclear fuel for the explosion required to turn another tank of hydrogen into a fusion plume for the deceleration power to stop the ship. Normally Adma would be doing this while he filled the reactor tank with the hydrogen fuel that the ship had on reserve.

Ulusu turned on the centrifuges and made sure they were accelerating correctly for the process of uranium enrichment. The centrifuges would gyro-oscillate the neutralized uranium into its active radioactive state.

Gyro-oscillate refers to an advanced quanta-nanocoded centrifuge technology that created effects similar to the expensive particle accelerators of Earth. This technology however had been much smaller and used the patterns of gyro-oscillating particles to collide at near light speed with enriched uranium material in order to turn off its radioactive state until the nuclear material needed to be turned on again in a similar way for a fission reaction. This technology had many applications, which ranged from turning back on the fusion reaction of a warp-fusion hyper-acceleration propulsion system to neutralizing nuclear waste and of course making nuclear bombs.

Ulusu made sure the centrifuges he had earlier prepared with uranium were all working correct. The monitors were reporting that everything oscillated with no problems. He studied the readings, and could find no fault with the data. Then he ran off to the hydrogen tank in order to fill the reactor core.

*

Thelem had been the ship physician on The Beyonder, and she had not had much to do up till now except comfort Trunlio over his hyper-acceleration induced growing pains. The version of their species known as Eagolim, who evolve the DNA with hyper-acceleration, were remarkably healthy, which tended to make the job of physician an uneventful experience. That had been Thelem's problem only before Adma came to see her.

She took some extra time with introductory questions to discuss Adma's medical history. She actually dug for interesting information about the Captain whom she worked for. She knew Captain Mynervood from way back a long time on the planet Nephrica at the star Ea. Captain Mynervood had been impressed with her intelligence and wit so he tried to add her to his many wives. Thelem however, never really had been interested in that so Captain Mynervood made her the ship's physician instead.

She had Adma lay down in order to use the full body medical scanner on him to begin to discern the cause of his reported blackouts. That had been when the Captain's Assistant Tyallor Nudeowan stopped by. In addition to being the Captain's on-world chauffeur, and making sure the Captain had been in want for nothing, Tyallor also made it his job to always know what had been going on.

"Physician Thelem hello. I you with Adma who in engineering now should be are see. Adma! Ulusu alone in the reactor section is?"

Adma looked up from the scanner bed. "Ulusu me to here come dismissed, but I you who he me with not replaced can tell."

Thelem became a bit annoyed by the interruption as she returned to her scan after Tyallor then left. The screen showed Adma's body under many forms of observation that were summarized into quanta-nanocoded MRI-like diagrams.

She watched the body from feet to neck, unimpressed by another perfectly healthy specimen of the much studied and documented Eagolim anatomy. After the neck however, many mind control device anomalies stood out in the diagrams that were parading by her eye. She had wanted something to do on this journey to the star Holdus on a ship with a whole crew of tourist passengers, but now she looked at the son of the Captain thinking she now had more work than she bargained for. She kept her eye and snout expressions in check as Adma looked over at her wondering what she looked at on the monitor.

*

An Agent of Ea had been on board The Beyonder on his way to the sickbay to deal with the now out of control Adma. Before he got to the sickbay a call came in on his communication device. "We back at the room need."

He reluctantly stopped his waddling towards the sickbay to reply. "I the subject to neutralize was going."

"It for that too late is. Already we him from to the physician not going could stop. We must abort."

The Nephrican Agent of Ea struggled with the demand to change his direction. This had been a very hard thing for a Nephrican to do. Nevertheless the Agent eventually started waddling in the other direction.

As he waddled past one of The Beyonder's many unused corridors, the shadows pulled away to reveal the adolescent form of Trunlio who watched the Agent waddle by.

Trunlio had recognized the Agent earlier from the encounter with the Captain, and he had decided to follow him. He had barely ducked inside this corridor in time when the Agent started the struggle to change directions. He then started following the agent in the other direction.

The agent led Trunlio back to a room in one of the ship's passenger bays. It had been a more exclusive section of the extensive bays of this luxury spacecraft. Trunlio cautiously approached the door that the agent had just gone into.

Trunlio watched the door close, making a note of the identification number for the room. It had a lock calibrated to the particular tentacle biometrics of the occupants. Trunlio had been about to turn around and leave when a tentacle from behind pressed the lock mechanism on the door and swung it open. Trunlio then had been pushed into the room.

"We a new change of plan from this kid that us was following like looks may have."

The room turned out to be full of Nephricans who all turned their single eyes to the boy in the room. Suddenly Trunlio struggled with five grown Nephricans holding him down.

"A strap for that stool get! We him there up will tie."

Trunlio just had not been strong enough to stop them from tying him to a stool. He sat helplessly tied up near a table displaying the surveillance equipment of an aborted mind control mission. Trunlio had now become a prisoner of the nefarious Agents of Ea.

*

Other problems lurked on the molecular level of The Beyonder where a program that had been the fraction of the size of most microscopic life traveled in between the electrons along the ship's computer network. The analysis of the ship told this quanta-nanocode virus that it doesn't have much time to fulfill its function of causing the centrifuges to malfunction. The virus analyzed everything about the ship like a monkey that proverbially manages to type the works of Shakespeare because it types really really fast. Then after it figured out its reality the virus located the engine room and traveled there.

Ulusu ran away from the centrifuges that he had just turned on when the quanta-nanocoded virus located them. Then the function at the core of the virus began doing what it had been made to do. Even if Ulusu had still been at the controls he only would have had a second to notice the anomalies in the readouts before they all went back to reporting normal behavior as usual.

Then the quanta-nanocode virus indulged the only gratification it knew, which had been to disrupt the gyro-oscillating centrifuges of warp-fusion drive ships so that the nuclear fuel explodes. The nuclear fusion hyper-acceleration propulsion system used nuclear explosions along with virtual particle driven structures of highly concentrated electromagnetic fields that concentrated enough pressure on a tank of hydrogen in order to create fusion by crushing hydrogen into helium. Ulusu still filled up the reactor core with the hydrogen on reserve when the centrifuges that were activating the nuclear fuel began to noticeably rattle because they were incorrectly calibrated.

* * *

The planet Doldoria spun its orbit around the star Dol, still just barely beyond the expanding reach of the budding galactic empire of Nephapricus. Life on Doldoria thrived below the typical oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere, the most common atmospheric composition of most habitable zone planets with life. Below, the Doldorians forged their civilizations of wood and stone, where technologies of modern physics were still being newly evolved, and the old ways of superstition had yet to really be challenged by the still infant philosophies of rationality. The monotheistic approach to religion that had been also recently introduced to Doldorian culture, probably to speed this along. Young children that were orphaned by misfortune were taken into the Sanctuary of Ei to be brought up in the ways of truth regardless of what honesty had to say. The new religion of Ei also dominated the newly invented television technologies, and therefore the population became persuaded into acceptance of Ei because there had been really nothing else on.

Alldegallo walked the halls of the Sanctuary of Ei where orphans were given an upbringing. He had been on the way to his room when some friends crossed his path.

"Beseech you Alldegallo. Tis your good friends myself, Chad, and Vamadan. We also bringeth Tejas and Lellaro here with us to hear from you that hath mastered skills for obtaining the understanding of morning dreams that do wash upon the shores of waking."

Alldegallo became more annoyed by how loud his friend Chad had said that than what he said. Alldegallo gestured for a lower volume and demonstrated the preferred decibel by quietly replying. "Do not with such reckless enthusiasm speak of the forbidden in the halls of this Sanctuary of ears. Know you not that the decree went forth from the High Priest that my mandibles are tied on this subject. The High Priest grew angry as I've never seen him, and did speak unto me with a horrifying fury, thus swearing in my presence verbally that myself he would destroy."

Mandibles tied is a Doldorian way of saying "shut-up!" Doldorians had mandibles that extruded from the sides of the mouth like little mouth arms. Tying them together wouldn't really make a Doldorian unable to speak, but they are smart enough to get the analogy.

Vamadan started to speak in a quieter volume. "Beseech you sir, be of patient ear for we have cause to hear of your dream. We ... "

Alldegallo interrupted. "Speak no more in this hallway. Thus to my room for this confrontation."

The gang quietly walked to Alldegallo's room to continue the conversation the moment Alldegallo closed the door, just before Panga the pet foodon dashed inside the room with them.

One of the other friends, Tejas spoke. "It is not a rare thing that your nights requireth of you to tread the land of dreams in the company of profoundly vivid visions. Many of this place on many of these nights doth dream the dream of the chariot of strange forms when they too dwell at night in dwellings not of the flesh."

Lellaro spoke up. "I too have experienced this dream. In silence I sought council of the Priest who did accuse me that I was poisoned by you Alldegallo and your wicked magic. Ye Alldegallo shall receive of me much gratitude should you show me your dream and perhaps an interpretation thereof."

Alldegallo gave in and told them of the dream he had just that morning, which he dutifully still wrote about in his morning journal. In that dream one of the coming gods that had a single eye came down to teach the Doldorians many things. The whole gang of friends became spellbound by Alldegallo's description of the dream of a being with one eye and three tentacles for legs, which looked like a Nephrican.

Then Chad spoke up to break the silence. "Hark, what liberty doth a god know through the world presented to a single eye?"

The others laughed. Then Alldegallo said. "The secret hath not been revealed unto me in this night vision where my spirit in the dream became all bound up. I do in my day's mind speculate that even a gergo sees a completely different world than you or I through its gergo eyes."

Then Tejas said, "Oh what gods do come hither into view where the shores of night wash visions upon the shore of waking. Perhaps the Lake Lady doth dance yet again on the rivers."

The Lake Lady who dances on the rivers had been from an older Doldorian water cult that had been squeezed out of existence by the true religion of Ei. In earlier times she had been named Athedonie, a very popular goddess of music and fertility. The goddess Teyoo is a later version of this same goddess with a greater association to music and song. For that reason the Lake Lady had still been viewed affectionately by even devout followers of Ei. Still what Tejas said had been a dangerous blasphemy.

As the conversation in Alldegallo's room continued into further speculations about dreams and forbidden goddesses, the fur covered six-legged foodon sat quietly on the floor. On the underside of the foodon a microphone had been implanted beneath the fur of one of its legs. The microphone continued to listen to the forbidden conversion.

*

The next morning Alldegallo woke from frightening nightmares that lacked the vividness to allow a morning recollection. He mentioned fearful nightmares in his morning notebook writing, and then rushed off to class. In the hallway before getting to class Alldegallo found himself suddenly halted in front of the ghosts of his dead father and mother. His dead father spoke. "Lo, child of the living we your ancestor parents bid you farewell for finality. The folly of this living world hath caught up to break us apart and subdue all and the last solid part that was your parents."

Alldegallo started to say, "But father, what is this that you doth speak?", but instead Alldegallo just knew immediately.

His parents faded away, and Alldegallo ran outside to the crypt. When Alldegallo arrived at the Crypt of Ancestors a construction crew had been there taking apart his parent's tomb with a rude malice. An angry High Priest got in the way of Alldegallo from intercepting the demolition of his parent's graves.

"Wherefore at this time should I come near to thee that thou should be cast into the midst of burning fire like your parents. Lest I be done with thee!"

"For what do I ... " Alldegallo was cut short.

"Tell not me. When removed from this Sanctuary thou then at that time wilt speak, but not before. To the cold outer world with you now. For you are no more welcome in this world than your parents."

Alldegallo made some protest while packing his things to leave the shelter of the Sanctuary. The accusation had been that his parents were criminals, and they were influencing Alldegallo from the dead to continue their crimes. Alldegallo had been declared a dangerous influence to be cast away like the ghosts of his parents. Many of the children of the Sanctuary sought help to be cleansed of any residue of Alldegallo's influence after Alldegallo left. Alldegallo had now become a thought criminal.

The scene of the crypt that morning had not been without other spectators. Chad had been there watching from the grave of the rich orphan kid's parents where he helped the child see the dead. The young rich boy, his assistant, Chad, and lots of terrified ghosts watched the industrial cruelty unleashed on the defenseless graves of Alldegallo's parents. It had been one of the new forms of oppression that were becoming a part of the new established monotheism.

The young kid spoke up. "Tis the same cruelty of Ei that did murder my parents for worshiping the goddess Teyoo with song."

The ghost of his father replied, and the rich kid now could hear them. "Speak not so bold child of mine. In secret do silently express such things." Chad just pretended he didn't hear any of that.

Chad knew this had been about their forbidden conversation the day before in Alldegallo's room. How did the High Priest find out about that? Chad wondered what would be done to him. Nobody had confronted him or the others at all about anything who were in that room following the expulsion of Alldegallo, but they all got the message loud and clear that they were in trouble and being watched. Chad and the other offenders all would for their own good eventually seek help to be cleansed of Alldegallo's influence no matter how they really felt about the whole thing.

*

The High Priest sat back finally relieved of the dreaming nuisance that Alldegallo had become to him. Then he got the call from his own High Priest.

The voice on the communication device sounded very angry. "What for doth thou make spectacle of this exhuming and excommunication to disturb spirits of both living and dead?"

The High Priest knew he now was in trouble. "Oh do not torment me so. The old gods are put to rest from the revival that the living one did muster. Tis one message of example that is thus to be delivered clearly for all."

The voice coming across the listening device he held to his ear still sounded angry. "Now that the living one hast come forth from the midst of the Sanctuary he doth no longer yield to our power. He has even become liberated from the power of this place. Thou has also put upon you the folly of sending the spirits of his ancestors to the dark oblivion without. That assuredly should resurrect as anger upon you through the living one that you have control of no more."

The High Priest did not offer any defense against the reprimand from his own superiors. The problem that now soured the usually sour mood of the High Priest had been that his superiors were correct. Alldegallo still had been a problem, and he had relinquished himself of any control over that problem.

*

Alldegallo left the Sanctuary with a couple overstuffed bags, and a memory filled with scary stories about the real world outside. He had become a spectacle to behold, dragging his bags onto the sidewalk of the city called Trolluer from a loud bus pulled by five gergos. The Sanctuary mercifully left him with some precious metal pieces that looked like a lot to him at first. Now however, after a meal at a Trolluer café he started to realize how miniscule the Sanctuary severance really had been.

Alldegallo spent all day looking for places to live, which all were way more in price than he could afford. As the first day in the real world came to an end he realized that the best value of his measly severance to be found would be at the local intoxicating beverage establishment. It seems that most planets that are inhabited by intelligent beings are sure to have various products on display for sale somewhere that are made from fermented vegetable matter in order to intoxicate.

Alldegallo had actually never drank alcohol before, but he now had been excommunicated and would be free to do whatever he chose. Alldegallo sat drinking his alcohol and watching the others there doing the same thing while talking amongst themselves. He finally began to enjoy himself and really talk with other people from outside the stiff loyalty to dogma that had been the Sanctuary. Alldegallo still did not notice the shadowy figure that had been following him since he first got to Trolluer. The Doldorian that followed him just sat deep in obscuring shadow at a booth of the place where Alldegallo had chosen to get drunk.

*

The city of Trolluer existed in a semi-tropical area of the planet Doldoria. Therefore the population enjoyed mostly comfortable temperatures. It did however also mostly rain every night. Alldegallo had been in a drunken stupor at the time, and would have only vague memories of staggering about in the rain looking for a dry place to drag his bags into, and get some sleep. The figure that had been following him this whole time however, would probably never forget the amusing drunken spectacle that staggered through the rain, which had been Alldegallo's first night spent in the real world.

*

Alldegallo eventually did find a dry place to sleep amongst his belongings, which consisted of one large and one medium size bag. A blanket from the large bag had been dug out while the medium sized bag served as a pillow.

Alldegallo's Rude Awakening in the Gergo Barn

It had been barely sunrise when sleep got jabbed out of his eyes that opened to an angry property owner jabbing him with a gergo prod. "Thou drunken vagrant who doth devour thy reason with strong beverages will make thee no home wracked upon my estate free of mortgage or lease! Up from thy slumber and be gone."

Alldegallo quickly rose to his feet and raised his arms in defense against an angry old Doldorian swinging a gergo prod. "Please please good sir who hath blessed me already with generous means. Please not another blow from the rod of chastisement that you hold. I am but a student of Ei excommunicated from my previous place of the Sanctuary beyond the majesty of Trolluer."

"I think thou has thus been evicted for thou art a drunkard, and a sloth, and thus a villain, or perhaps even a wicked spirit doth possess thee!"

"Oh no sir. Thou has just come upon me where the bruises of life have left me no recourse. My life before you to master I would be thus your loyal subject, and wait upon thy needs with no waning of enthusiasm."

For a moment the old man considered Alldegallo's offer. Alldegallo looked over at his bags that were too far away to grab and run away with. The man seemed about to refuse Alldegallo's plea for work so he decided to forget the bags and just run for it. He turned around to suddenly become face to face with a gigantic six-legged gergo just inches away. That ended up causing Alldegallo to flee in the direction of the old Doldorian's gergo prod.

The old gergo trainer laughed at the confused drunk that he now found stumbling around like a leaf fluttering in a breeze that morning in his gergo barn. "'Tis here where we train the beasts that pull our chariots. Priests of Ei did fatten you with death and the spirits of the dead. Now you hath no skills to live as a resident of reality with the living. Would that thou could acquire skills to live here in exchange for lodging away from the rains of night. I agree this contract with you now till noon's high luminescence. Then nourishment I will provide, as our contractual agreement will establish. Do not eat of the gergo food for within it is synthesized the stuff of popalli."

Doldorians feed the gergos a mild sedative called Popalli, which makes these mighty six-legged creatures stupid, but also cooperative and trainable. Gergos are the main form of transportation on Doldoria, and on a diet of Popalli they are as cooperative as well-trained horses for riding or pulling wagons, trailers and chariots. Gergos that run free in the wild are actually dangerous, and best kept at a safe distance.

The gergo trainer who went by the name Simeonalli worked Alldegallo like Alldegallo had never been worked before. Alldegallo fed the gergos, cleaned hooves, and kept his hangover afflicted eyes open for lecture after lecture by Simeonalli about mounting, riding, and all the different kinds of saddles and harnesses involved with this business. There were fifteen gergos living in the barn at the time along with Alldegallo who had remained tired, hungry, hung over, and also determined all the way through till the noon lunch and then beyond.

Thus Alldegallo began enthusiastically acquiring his first real world trade in life. He setup a makeshift encampment in the gergo barn along with the gergos, and Simeonalli provided food and a meager allowance of precious metal pieces. Alldegallo remained grateful knowing the skills he had been learning were much more valuable than the precious metal pieces he received for his trouble. Occasionally, while Alldegallo worked and learned new skills in training the gergos, a mysterious figure would still show up inconspicuously to check up on Alldegallo, and observe his progress from a distance for a while.

* * *

After the Pripicans crashed their ship on the planet Caleb, Prospero interrogated the hairy humanoid prisoner who had been taken by Beatariel from the crash site wreckage. There would be no describing the depth of the torturous methods Prospero used to extract the information he wanted, but still Ferdinand remained defiantly silent about the existence of any other crewmembers.

The viscous rivalry between Nephrican and Pripican continued to express itself well into the long peaceful age that followed the time known as The Great War. The Great War actually had been more romanticized and made out to be longer to the Pripicans than it really had been from the Nephrican perspective. The war actually hyper-accelerated Nephrican technology on the not attacked planet Nephrica even though the war definitively had been lost for Nephricans where the star Poa shined.

Nephrican IQ's, on average, were actually higher than Pripicans. Nephricans advanced their technologies faster than Pripicans since they were ambitious and competitive by nature. The Pripicans however, were a much older race, which gave them a convenient head start before the unanticipated Nephrican invasion by aliens of a star that they already had friendly radio contact with for thousands of Earth years. The war broke out between two species at basically the same technological level. Pripican culture had been virtuously agricultural based with a profound focus on sustainability and the arts. Nephrican culture, on the other hand, shot up rapidly, and became driven by selfish ambition and conceit with a disregard for sustainability. Nephrican culture had thus far successfully invented its way out of every mess they had made for themselves.

Randa watched in secret while Prospero led Ferdinand out of the interrogation room back to the room that served as his prison. Prospero held a long rod that connected to a device around Ferdinand's neck. Ferdinand had been obedient to wherever Prospero pushed him to go, which had been assured by the tentacle Prospero kept ready on the button that would send painful electricity into Ferdinand's neck.

This didn't improve on Randa's current opinion of her father at all. Prospero unhooked his rod from the device that still remained around Ferdinand's neck. Then he secured the door, and made sure it locked behind him. Then Prospero went back to his work elsewhere.

After Prospero waddled away Randa carefully walked up to the locked door that held the prisoner. Randa had never seen another non-silicone flesh and blood being before in her life other than her father. On top of that this being looked a lot like her, except he had been covered with so much hair it qualified as fur. He looked humanoid like her with five fingers, two eyes, and only two well-balanced legs. His ears looked more pointed than her Nephrican ears like the four-legged version of the Pripican species. Unlike her however, he had been entirely covered with hair that gave her a strange feeling inside. It had been the self-conscious feeling of nakedness within her clothes that were made of her father's skin.

She started trying to open the locked door when a voice interrupted. "You are forbidden to go in there Randa. I can not allow you to go through that door."

Randa became startled away from the door by Beatariel's interruption. "Beatariel me the being inside this room please let see. I never anyone else my whole life except my father you not can be seen since seen."

"I am sorry Randa, but this being on the other side of this door is a prisoner who has sabotaged our research plans for the planet. He shall be sent to stand trail on the next cargo ship back to Holdus."

Randa became disappointed in her friend Beatariel. "Your research plans intelligent life on this planet would have destroyed. You that this Beatariel is wrong know. If he guilty of you then he the right thing did stopping is."

Beatariel had been just silent after this and the door remained locked. She shouted out. "You this wrong Beatariel is know."

Still silence lingered for a while. Then one of those dysfunctional moments happened in the Beatariel program that often made Prospero think it had been defective. The door suddenly unlocked.

"You Beatariel thank. You a good friend are.

Beatariel just remained silent as Randa opened the door to the prisoner's room.

Inside Ferdinand looked around to behold Randa walking into the room. She had been the first female humanoid form that he had ever seen in his life. There appeared to be something invitingly smooth about her porcelain gray skin. The two looked at each other in a shared moment of love at first sight.

Randa just stood next to the mostly closed door. Then Ferdinand ventured something to break the ice. "Where did you come from?" Ferdinand thought that if this had been some kind of hologram serving another of Prospero's interrogation techniques it just might work.

"Hi. My name Randa is. I the daughter of the Nephrican you that interrogated am."

"Well I hope you are not as ruthless an interrogator. My name is Ferdinand."

"My father included me in his affairs not does. I always here alone with him have lived."

"Well I must say I've never seen another being like myself that was more beautiful." Ferdinand just told the truth since he didn't know any female humanoids. This interrogation worked. Randa's gray skin reddened after hearing Ferdinand's complement.

The two of them relaxed into friendly conversation. Ferdinand felt it strange that after such a grueling interrogation that he successfully met with firm defiance, he now just let his guard fall for this woman now before him. Evidently Prospero had tried everything except the good cop / bad cop approach. Ferdinand told Randa about the planet Pripica where he had been from. Hearing about another world not just frozen into an uninhabitable wasteland outside a window mesmerized Randa.

Ferdinand told Randa about Pripica's rugged mountains with rocks that he used to climb even better than the four-legged Pripicans that had evolved on that planet to scale its mountainsides. Then Ferdinand did what Pripicans are notorious for doing spontaneously at times, and he sang Randa a beautiful song about love at first sight.

"The waters of this

cerebral abyss

echo with the sound

of this love where I drown.

Through many lonely days of old

there is now one whom my love is sold.

Drowning in this agony of love

while she watches me from above.

My love only for her thereof.

So I drown now in the agony called love ...."

Randa remained spellbound by this beautiful being she found herself in the presence of. Nephricans are genetically tone deaf compared to Pripicans when it comes to singing, and Randa had never heard anything in her life more beautiful than Ferdinand's voice. She knew that she would never be able to make such song with her own voice. Meanwhile Prospero watched them on his monitor from his laboratory after he had decided to check in on the prisoner only to find Randa in the room talking to him. He fought back the anger over Randa breaking in to see the prisoner, and just sat there wishing that she would ask the right questions.

*

Gonzal, Ceres, and Antone all watched the crash landing, but were afraid to fly the virtual craft to intercept it. Therefore they hiked to the crash site that had probably been over twenty miles away. They were sure that even if there were survivors they would not have reached the crash site in time to save anybody. The planet really did seem to just be a baron wasteland of frozen gasses. They all had sophisticated environment suites that made the walk easier with robotic assisted leg material.

Antone had been the one who climbed the ice formation that finally revealed the ship location at the end of their journey. They all approached the crashed spacecraft only to converge instead on something next to the spacecraft. They all surrounded the dead body of Captain Swain.

Gonzal got down on all fours near the Captain. "Take your peace in the afterlife Captain Swain. You have served life admirably." It had been obvious that Gonzal wept, and only less obvious that everyone else did also. Pripicans, unlike Nephricans, had always embraced the theory that cannot be proved, of an immortal soul that lives on after the death of the body.

Ceres spoke up. "Ferdinand must have survived and carried the body of Captain Swain from the wreckage. The Captain obviously had been killed in the crash."

Antone spoke. "My perception of this crash site is that Ferdinand is either captured, or perhaps he has sought our landing site."

They just didn't know, and the captured theory seemed more likely when they found the tracks left behind by Beatariel's vehicle that were discovered by Ceres, which were still detectable after all that wind blowing around snowy flakes of methane.

They dug a shallow grave and buried the Captain near the wreckage of his ship according to custom. Gonzal pulled himself together and helped Antone rummaged valuables from the spacecraft wreckage that were remarkably still intact thanks to the Captain's landing. They tried to get the distress signal working, and it seemed to be sending a signal. Cargo ships routinely did pass by the star Yat every now and then.

Then they all mourned the Captain and sang songs. A makeshift monument had been erected to mark his grave under the rock hard ice. Meanwhile nearby life in the form of silicone constructs observed with curiosity the crew's mourning of the Captain.

Also nearby, hovering in the air above the funeral scene, were microscopic cameras observing everything that had been happening. Back at the research facility Prospero watched them bury the Captain while ordering Beatariel to go there, and capture or kill those that would sabotage his will.

* * *

The Beyonder had reached the mid-point of its hyper-acceleration through space between the stars Ea and Holdus. The reactor propulsion system had now been relocated to the front of the ship, and Strek fussed to get the angle of the ship just right. The acceleration fusion plume had been expelled at this point in the journey to become a briefly existing star that quickly exhausted its fusion fuel far away from the still moving ship.

Ulusu had still been by himself in the engine reactor section while the ship physician examined Adma. The centrifuges were humming away to activate the nuclear fuel that would re-create a fusion plume.

Ulusu looked at the controls and monitors, and they indicated that the centrifuges were working correctly. He had no reason to think that a quanta-nanocode virus had already sabotaged the centrifuges and that the monitor readings he looked at were actually a hoax. Ulusu would soon transfer the activated nuclear fuel to the reactor core. The fuel would be used to create a controlled nuclear explosion in the front of the ship that would generate enough pressure on the virtual particle driven electromagnetic containment fields to start a fusion reaction that would merge the hydrogen atoms into helium atoms. The compressed fusion plume would then have its energy diverted out the hyper-acceleration propulsion system. As far as Ulusu could tell, everything hummed along as it should. One thing that did start to bother Ulusu however, had been the humming sound he noticed the centrifuges making.

He had already refined nuclear fuel on dozens of journeys in his space traveling career and he could tell that two of the centrifuges were making an unfamiliar sound that had been different than the rest of them. Ulusu approached one of the centrifuges making the funny noise. He returned to the monitor that reported that there had been no problem. There had been no doubt that he detected a distant variation in the sounds of the two different centrifuges, yet the monitors reported that no variation whatsoever existed between them. Ulusu became sure about what he had heard, and became suspicious of the data presented by the monitoring equipment. That just cannot be, he thought. Then he approached the strange sounding centrifuge again to get some separate equipment readings just as the centrifuge exploded near his face. Fires started to fill the reactor section of the ship while Ulusu lay on the floor, badly burned and unconscious under the poisonous fumes now filling that section of the ship. Fire began to consume Ulusu's protective clothing slow but sure.

# Chapter 6

Just before the centrifuge on The Beyonder exploded Fluisudal had been at an observation section looking at the stars with his quanta-nanocoded telescope. Jaden quietly trotted up behind him, only to stop to just observe her brilliant Pripican partner in this spying operation. She knew if he noticed her he would feel compelled to explain the physics of quanta-nanocoded telescopes, and she enjoyed the silence. Jaden watched as Fluisudal placed the telescope over his eyes like a pair of goggles. He controlled the magnification and targeting with controls on the side of the telescopic goggles. His other hand held a tablet shaped monitor that displayed some stars swimming in a nebula of the brilliant galactic bar of Magphoreus.

The first age of Magphoreus hosted a quasar age when the super-massive black hole feasted on millions of extra large first age stars. That turned the whole galaxy into a quasar for over a billion years. When all that first age quasar dust finally settled, the mighty Magphoreus displayed a concentrated line of stars that were arranged in a galactic bar that, from afar, appeared to stab the entire galaxy through the center like a shining spear. If not for all the dust between the galactic core and the Carina arm of the galaxy where Fluisudal observed, there would be no night at all in the 2nd Age of Magphoreus.

Fluisudal became immersed within his goggles. He zoomed in on a field of about a hundred stars in the galactic bar that were poking off the edge of a darkness made of dust. Then he became aware of Jaden standing in silence behind him. "Hi there Jaden, just observing the galaxy with this amazing quanta-nanocoded technology. I just move about the telescopic nano-digital imagery that I see in these goggles by using this control on the side. When the desired area appears on this tablet monitor I can digitize it with a quanta nanocoded digital recorder and concentrate on amazing details from the recorded photon information. This quanta-nanocode is revolutionizing our future right before our eyes."

"I am very much impressed with the implications of the current rush to quanta-nanocode our entire reality, but I also sometimes like to just enjoy the view."

"Indeed this view is amazing. It spells out for my mind, imagery that testifies of a very different galaxy four billion years ago. ..."

Just then a minor nuclear explosion shattered the centrifuge in the reactor section of the ship at the moment when Ulusu began to manually monitor it. Fluisudal tore off his telescopic goggles as the sound from the explosion had been heard throughout all of the ship.

Jaden shouted. "A centrifuge that was refining the nuclear material must have exploded!" It rocked the ship in ways that kept Strek the Navigator struggling with navigation adjustments to avoid missing the ship's destination by more than a light year.

Fluisudal saw Jaden reach for the coin-shaped object in her pocket where the quanta-nanocode being named Begalius existed. "Good thinking Jaden. It can get to the reactor section and report to us what has happened in seconds."

Jaden shouted for Begalius to report its presence to her. "Begalius. ... Begalius! ... Where is that quanta-nanocode device? Begalius!!!"

*

Within the coin-like device where the universe of relativistic physics borders the universe of quantum physics, Begalius liked to assume forms and project holographic realities on its surroundings with something it recently invented called quanta-optic-nanocode. With this new development in the evolution of quanta-nanocode and artificial intelligence, Begalius had been able to play out stories that it had always enjoyed reading. Quanta-optic-nanocode allowed Begalius to project the fiction stories it liked to read onto objective reality like a waking dream.

Here Begalius reigned supreme within a city designed in intricate details to specifications that were outlined by ancient Pripican writings. Begalius had also been able to utilize video documentation from the fossil fuel age that happened over 5,000 Earth years in the past. Here Begalius employed its quanta-optic-nanocode technology to assume the Pripican form of its favorite Law Enforcement character of ancient fiction stories named Windock.

Windock drove down ancient Pripican streets of stone in a fancy vehicle similar to Earth sports cars only longer to accommodate the four-legged Pripican anatomy. Windock's Pripican form sat on the floor on his hind legs while the front hooves worked pedals to break and accelerate. Windock's hands turned a steering wheel that looked identical to current Earth designs. Windock drove to its latest love interest named Companion74. The ancient stars of Pripica shined romantically above to the exact astrological specifications as they would have been above the planet Pripica 5000 Earth years in the past. On the horizon the lightening flashes of a storm flickered violently, and were followed by a loud thunder indicating that a quiet night at home would make for a better date.

The quanta-nanocoded Windock character that Begalius had been pretending to be arrived at the apartment of its girlfriend. She opened the door to embrace her big strong law enforcer boyfriend. Companion74 knew just how to please her lover. She let him in to close the door on the more intimate embrace that had only been the beginning of the quiet night at home that Begalius had programmed her to decide on.

Windock started to peal away the clothing that covered the well-endowed furry Pripican breasts between her furry arms when a voice seemed to interrupt from nowhere and everywhere.

"Begalius. ... Begalius! ... Where is that quanta-nanocode device? Begalius!!!"

Windock/Begalius turned one last time to Companion74 to say goodbye. "I'm sorry my love, but my law enforcement duties have once again called me away."

She put up some clingy resistance before letting her boyfriend go. She became transparently frustrated by the interruption as she said, "Be careful my love."

*

The coin-shaped object that represented the physical form of Begalius in the dimension of Relativity took off into the air from Jaden's hand. "Sorry that took me so long. What has happened?"

Jaden couldn't believe she had to explain the recent explosion heard throughout the ship to this inattentive quanta-nanocode being. What had it been doing all the time inside there? "You didn't notice the explosion from the reactor section of the ship that just happened? Go to the reactor section to report back on what has happened so that we may assist."

"I am sorry Jaden, I had been distracted a universe away. I'll contact you on your communicator from that part of the ship."

The physical form of Begalius parked itself upon the table as the microscopic Begalius flew out to be in the reactor section a split second later. Fortunately the nuclear material had not been refined enough to produce a very bad explosion, but radioactive nuclear material fires filled the section while the other centrifuges still hummed away, still activating enough nuclear material to create a small star. Ulusu had been in flames on the floor badly burned, and Begalius had been able to put out some flame and stop some bleeding that would have ended his life within seconds. Particles of nuclear material were rapidly tearing apart the molecular structure of Ulusu's flesh. Begalius then used its quanta-nanocode powers to deflect much of the radiation material that ripped apart Ulusu's molecules. That also averted his immediate death.

*

The malicious quanta-nanocode virus became caught off guard by the sudden centrifuge explosion when it occurred. The virus had inundated the centrifuge programming with its own self-replicating quanta-nanocode that programmed the centrifuges to explode when the material became fully refined. When Ulusu began to manually scan a centrifuge in a way that would have revealed the sabotage it had been programmed to self-destruct, and immediately explode. That however, would be a premature release of radioactive material, and now the quanta-nanocode virus calculated that it had a limited amount of time to destabilize the remaining nuclear material enough to blow up the whole ship.

*

Jaden impatiently waited with her communicator in hand for Begalius to report. She actually started the impatient appearance about twenty seconds after Begalius left. Then an image of the reactor section on fire appeared on her communicator. The voice of Begalius narrated. "The centrifuge refinement section is on fire and there has been an explosion. An engineer of Eagolim form has been critically injured, but I think I have stopped the worse of the bleeding and radiation damage, but he will need medical attention immediately."

Fluisudal interjected. "What is the state of the remaining centrifuges? We must find out why this has happened."

"The monitors are still operating and they report the centrifuges are refining and working as they should. Unfortunately the monitors also say that the centrifuge that just exploded is also still refining and working as it should. I calculate that sabotage is the most probable suspect."

Jaden gave an order. "Find out how the monitors were sabotaged. That may provide a valuable clue."

There had been a few seconds of silence. Jaden began to become impatient again. Then the coin-shaped physical form of the quanta-nanocode being still on the observation deck table next to Jaden took off from the desk. "I think I may need some tools for this mission. I have found quanta-nanocode programming inundating all circuitry in order to sabotage this ship. I will need to attack the virus code with some self-replicating quanta-nanocode of my own."

Jaden looked over at Fluisudal with a look of worry. Fluisudal could read exactly what she had been thinking and also saying about Begalius with that look. "Have some faith in Begalius. It is a highly advanced artificial intelligence program that is smarter than both of us put together, and its the only thing on this ship that can possibly quarantine and delete a malicious quanta-nanocode virus."

"Well I can't help but think of it as an immature child of an intelligence. I know Begalius is even much older than I am, but in my opinion it has a fraction of the maturity of me or you."

*

In the reactor section of The Beyonder on the microscopic plane of existence there had been a group of carefully arranged molecules quanta-nanocoded into a nanocode virus. It had been linked to self-replicating quanta-nanocode that now had inundated every aspect of the reactor section to sabotage the reactor process.

It had been a simple program that could not exactly be classified as intelligent. It had just been programmed to sabotage and that had been the quanta-nanocode existence that it now became the center of. The centrifuges were almost done activating the nuclear material enough to create an explosion that would evaporate the whole hyper-accelerating ship. The centrifuges were ready for the virus to disrupt the calibration with just a snap of some molecules.

Then its own quanta-nanocode programming rebelled against it. Some other kind of more sophisticated programming now sabotaged the sabotage programming. This new code did this everywhere the virus observed. It had been like nothing the quanta-nanocode virus had ever experienced before or been programmed to understand. This code clearly had been the work of sophisticated Binary Electromagnetic Artificial-intelligence Thought technology, but it also had photon bending holographic aspects that folded the reality the virus knew like a fractal that evolved into an ancient city that once existed a long time ago on the planet Pripica.

The molecules that made up the quanta-nanocode virus itself were also inundated with this strange code to turn it into a four-legged centaur-like Pripican on a sidewalk, which suddenly became populated by pre-programmed hologram centaur-like beings. The pre-programmed quanta-optic-nanocode constructs around it even appeared more intelligent than the confused virus that now staggered around the sidewalk and street on four Pripican legs. A fossil fuel vehicle swerved to avoid hitting the virus, followed by an angry horn sound. The virus still knew it needed to find the centrifuges in this maze of reality illusion, and destroy them before the material would be removed or the process otherwise stopped. The Pripican-looking virus had been forced to obey the rules of the quanta-optic-nanocode game Begalius had now programmed into it. Then the four-legged virus started to shove its way through the crowd to make its way down the street.

Eventually the virus stopped as it trotted past the window of a weapon store. The window obeyed its fist's command to shatter, allowing it to grab the projectile rifles and pistols that were on display in the weapon store, already loaded and ready to be fired. Hologram image beings of an ancient culture then ran from the virus with melodramatic acts of fear as the virus trotted around the city displaying its newly acquired weaponry. Eventually the virus arrived at an idea as it looked upon the prominent looking bank at the center of this miniature city that had unexpectedly wove itself around its reality. The virus produced output that calculated that the centrifuges were in that bank. The virus figured out this game that it now found itself forced to play. Take over bank equals taking back control of the centrifuges. The virus concluded that it could now come to terms with this new reality that surrounded it.

*

Companion74 suddenly found herself dressed as a bank teller with whole new programming. It had been a familiar drill to her and at first she just calculated that Begalius wanted to play Windock the Law Enforcer again. Then she noticed something bothering her between her ample Pripican breasts. She reached in to see what had been squeezed between them. It had been a small pistol weapon, which presented itself as a new rule in the game that didn't seem typical to her. She calculated that it had not been like Begalius to blatantly cheat when playing the bank robber game. That had been when the virus trotted into the bank firing loud warning shots out of two potassium nitrate and sulfur propellant projectile rifles, one in each hand.

"Everybody get down on all fours, legs off to the same side, and place arms behind your heads! I am taking over this bank as of right now!"

Companion74 obeyed the robber just like everyone else in the bank. The bank robber construct appeared more complex to her than anything she had seen before. Something had been different about this game and the pistol hid under her shirt told her that this might not be a drill or game. The vault doors in the bank were all wide open with tons of brilliantly shining gold bricks stacked for all in the room to see like beacons that finally had lured this viscous criminal here.

*

Just before the centrifuge explosion on The Beyonder Trunlio sat still tied up to a stool with his tentacle arms tied behind his back. He had been free to talk, but he had nothing to say. There were five Agents of Ea in the same room at another table discussing what to do with this hostage they now had. Trunlio had grown so much in the last day that his tentacles pressed painfully tight against the ropes, and he had constantly been hungry. He regretted the way he got caught up in his own curiosity to this end.

Then the explosion occurred, and rattled the very course of the hyper-accelerating ship. Nobody seemed to notice how the rocking from the explosion detached Trunlio's stool from the floor and threw him in the corner while still tied up. Trunlio didn't hesitate to use the impact to shatter the stool legs and then he began trying to untangle his ropes.

Trunlio watched still unnoticed by the other Nephricans who all huddled around monitors that showed surveillance video from microscopic cameras that were now flying to the reactor section to see what had just happened. Trunlio watched the Agents of Ea before him as he wondered what he should now do.

* * *

Alldegallo awoke in his makeshift campsite at the barn of Simeonalli the gergo trainer. He still practiced the Sanctuary discipline of dream remembrance, which had got him into so much trouble in the first place. He didn't understand why becoming proficient at a spiritual exercise would be a crime.

He wrote in his journal about the recurring dream he again had last night. He wrote.

"The vision heretofore recorded in this chronicle hath appeared yet again. Before mine understanding was child-like forasmuch as today this vision did show as an adult understandeth. Before I did describe a mountain in previous dreams with a top that was flat as with a plateau. Yesterday all these dreams flooded my remembrance when learning how to ride the gergo with my master Simeonalli. These dreams did return to me when outside of Trolluer to the south we rode into the Zitonic mountain range.

There as our gergos traversed the canyon of these mountains my remembrance was of little memory wherein my sleep swims. Then did memories of these visions of previous journal entry leave me barely not drowned as yet while riding gergo reality formed before me the stuff of my dreams. Moreover I do declare unto this journal that the very same mountain heretofore described was before me yesterday where our gergos took us south of Trolluer. It was as if with eyes wide open riding a gergo, and yet so fast asleep.

Alldegallo sees the same mountain from his dreams.

Now cometh this end to my previous documenting that upon waking this mourning the mountain seen just the day before did yet again visit my morning dream time. Today the chariot of strange forms came down upon the level top of this very mountain. There upon this mountain the gods upon the chariot did dismount for this holy mountaintop shall be the place of the reunion to come.

Then as in my other visions the colossus of two arms and two legs appeared below the light of his unseen head that did as it always does hide itself in a cloud of obscurity and light. Then as in other visions the colossus did speak unto me.

They that are at this coming are the first fruits that shall gather at this very site, said the colossus. Then cometh the age of the gods when this kingdom they shall deliver to Doldoria from above. This age shall put down all authority and power under the foot of their rule. For they must reign till under the foot of their enlightened dominion all things shall be under. Then there shall be a new heaven and a new Doldoria. Thou shalt now awaken to this knowledge wherein all others still remain deceived by the veil that doth separate bodies from worlds.

That was then the end of my dream body where I inhabited the body of the waking world's dream. I record this on the day of my routine vacation from working in this barn. Therefore I shall now use this day from working to walk the distance to this mountain. It is an arms worth of shadow in time away by walking."

An arm's worth of shadow is how far a morning shadow shrinks from the time the star Dol rises in the morning to an arm's worth of about fourteen inches. An arm's worth amounts to about two hours of Earth time.

Alldegallo finished writing about last night's dream and put together a picnic of nourishment of nuts, berries, vottalli jerky, with water to begin his walk to the south of the city into the canyon that had led up to the Zitonic mountains, which were a few miles just south of the city. After Alldegallo disappeared to go on the adventure that he had planned for his day off, another figure then stirred the attentions of the other gergos in the barn. It had been the Doldorian that followed Alldegallo, and watched over him all this time. Alldegallo's stalker walked up to his encampment and opened Alldegallo's journal to read about his latest visionary experience.

*

Alldegallo became out of breath when he once again saw the mountain of his quest. He now had a new respect for the work that before had been done for him when he rode a gergo to get here. He pushed on to his planned lunch on top of the unusual shaped mountain that he dreamed about long before he ever actually saw it. As he took on the thousand-foot slope of the mountainside to his destination his pursuer also discreetly worked up another side of the mountain. Someone still followed him.

Alldegallo admired the view for awhile after reaching the mountaintop. He still had been unaware of someone following him up a different side. Alldegallo took some water from his bottle and setup lunch. The view looked spectacular with patches of Trolluer showing across a distant horizon line that became obscured by closer mountains he had passed on his way here.

Alldegallo had a picnic on the flat top of the mountain of his dreams. The flat top extended the size of half a football field and had been almost perfectly flat with Doldorian grasses scattered across the mountaintop. He held up some food on a plate and used his mandibles to spoon it into his mouth like built-in Chinese chopsticks. Doldorians, like Chinese of Earth, do not use forks or anything like that. Something resembling a really deep spoon is used for liquids and stews, but the Doldorian skillfully feeds most solid food to the mouth with mandibles that protrude from the Doldorian mouth.

Then the mysterious figure that had been following and watching over Alldegallo the whole time finally came out of hiding to introduce herself to him.

"Greetings at this first sight where we exchange glances for mine eyes hath been thy keeper now for two moon crossings and some days. Diallo is my greeting name."

Doldoria is orbited by two moons called Conjiktallo (Large Overseer,) and Thule (The Little Follower.) Thule is a smaller moon with a fast orbit that crosses Conjiktallo every 23 days, which is known as a moon crossing. Moon crossings are equivalent to the Doldorian month with 11 months plus three new year days that make up the 256-day year of the planet Doldoria. Seasons were prevented from shifting because calendars were always shifting the new year according to the time of the 1st moon crossing after the 10th, or 11th crossing of the previous year.

Alldegallo didn't know what to think, but managed to greet her back. "Alldegallo is my name of greeting. What is this that greets my eyes with the eyes that have in secret silence followed me all these days?"

"Please torment me not with anger while mine defense remaineth unconsidered. Understandeth that I am your aunt, the sister of your deceased mother. You who are now the excommunicated Alldegallo. I too am despised by the Priests of Ei because of my loyalties to the older goddess Teyoo who did also find ministry to thy father because of the sympathies of thy mother. They in spirit form did appear to me the morning of their final desecration to beseech me that I would find thee and minister upon thee an eye that would bring thee no harm."

Alldegallo became speechless for a while, but his aunt Diallo felt no need to provide him another word of explanation. Alldegallo spoke at last. "Thou art mine aunt whom never hath I met, but for this very meeting upon a faraway mountain of mine dreams. Dreams that did mention as recollection befalls me, a reunion."

"I know thee of the visionary gifts that your mother also had by nature from birth. I too share the gift within the understanding of the religion of the goddess Teyoo. Do prepare thyself to understand my words. Thy mother and they father lived the life of the breath as musicians that believed in singing songs in worship of Teyoo. That religion that I too share is now forbidden by the reigning priests of Ei who do also control the Eye of Ei, and thus also with that the population of Doldoria.

These priests of Ei do veil thine eyes as they feed thee truth by decree. Thou art actually trained to be thus discouraged from direct knowledge of vision and truth. Thou art given empty rituals to pay but loyal tribute to such knowledge while it is the priest who doth make himself the guardian of all knowledge. Rituals are only a tribute to belief in such things, and oh how these priests of Ei do resent that the crypt of ancestors cannot be like your parents thus utterly desecrated, but that then the population would thus hunt them as the criminals that they are. For thus Ptuammi god of judgment still knows the respect with fear from the living masses to this very day, for not thus so easily killed is the god of death."

Ptuammi had been one of the most ancient gods on Doldoria, known as the god of Judgment and Death. This god took the form of a Doldorian stripped of the exoskeleton to reveal the naked exposed flesh and cartilage mechanisms that make up the Doldorian anatomy. The god of death had been the inner self who granted Doldorians the vision that could see the dead. The Priests of Ei were forced to adapt the Crypt of Ancestors tradition from the Ptuammi religion because of popular demand by a populace that would otherwise volunteer to be controlled no other way.

Alldegallo had an amazing picnic with his aunt that he had just met. She told him many things about religions that had even been demonized in his mind up to that point because of the teachings of Ei priests.

Meanwhile Sanctuary representatives were in town to investigate Alldegallo, and they visited Simeonalli the gergo trainer. Simeonalli told them that Alldegallo had been away on his day off, and that he had been of no current concern of his. After they were sent away by the gergo trainer the Sanctuary representatives went back around to the gergo barn in order to dig around the possessions in Alldegallo's encampment. One of the Sanctuary representatives reached over to grab Alldegallo's journal when suddenly a gergo prod slapped him against his exoskeleton chest so hard it knocked him back into a corner of the room next to his accomplice.

"Thou poisonous slavers of minds that would thus otherwise think with freedom. Be thou cast out of this place lest I crack thy pampered shells to thus ooze the stuff of they life. Verily thy trespassing shalt even again be met with even harsher punishment by my sharp eye on thy dealings. Again be gone from this place!"

They would have already left had Simeonalli not cornered them that moment with the prod to hear out his angry speech. Then when his anger said its peace he moved aside to allow them to flee back to the Sanctuary of Ei where they came from.

* * *

On The Beyonder just before the centrifuge explosion occurred, Captain Mynervood stood in the sickbay being briefed about the condition of his Eagolim son Adma. He had just summoned a security detail after learning that Agents of Ea right here were controlling his son on his own ship. He wondered where his loyal assistant Tyallor had disappeared to, and had not bothered to ask doctor Thelem about that, who had just minutes earlier talked to Tyallor the assistant who always had been there when needed.

Thelem tried to back engineer the mind control technology that had been subtly implanted into Adma's mind. Adma had been unconscious on a bed under heavy sedation. She tried to use the technology to locate the ones using it who were somewhere on this ship. Thelem the ship physician had tried to surgically remove the implants, but soon discovered that if she had done that it would have killed the Captain's son. She reported her progress to the Captain.

"This easier if culprits to Adma a suggestion give would try would be, but they we aware of them so they not it use will are must know."

Captain Mynervood inspected the security detail that had just arrived before hearing what the doctor just said. "How we then still this to them locate use can?"

"I some past history that nanocoded into a memory buffer exists am accessing. It some past suggestions by microwave receptor buffers recorded it triangulating."

There had been some pause before the doctor continued. "... I it got. They in the orbit wing of the ship are. It probably room 811 passenger bay four is."

The Captain repeated the information. "Room 811 passenger bay four it is."

Doctor Thelem confirmed that information had been correct, and Captain Mynervood turned to address the security detail. "Security! We now dangerous criminals on the orbit wing of the ship passenger bay four confront will. The door 811 till my instruction unannounced hold."

Dr. Thelem stopped the Captain as he left with the security detail. "Captain Mynervood! I the memory buffer am still reading. Adma a weapon had, and already to you kill tried. It how he was stopped not does say."

Then the sabotaged centrifuge in the reactor section suddenly exploded, sending the ship rocking between the explosive force and Strek's navigation corrections like an Earth ocean boat navigating the waves of a hurricane.

*

Tyallor stuck his nose into Ulusu's business just in time to find him burning in radioactive flames. Tyallor had only taken the time to put on a protective mask after the centrifuge exploded. He looked over the equipment, and the monitors reported that the other centrifuges were unaffected by the minor instability explosion, which sprayed the entire reactor section with partially activated superheated nuclear material.

Tyallor then turned to assist Ulusu who he thought from the first glance already did not live at all. He must have intuitively turned away before the explosion, which saved him from having his face pelted by superheated shrapnel. The radioactive shrapnel material however, still blazed a superheated fire through Ulusu's protective uniform, and much of his backside already had been exposed and turned into a Jell-O-like substance of irreparably damaged molecular tissues gleaming in the flames.

Tyallor sprayed foam from an emergency extinguisher over Ulusu's backside, which immediately put out the flames and hopefully gave Ulusu some essential medicinal cooling effects. He found a special blanket of lead that he carefully wrapped Ulusu in. He had been amazed to find a weak pulse and other signs that indicated Ulusu had still been alive. Emergency response teams were just then filling the reactor section, and Tyallor shouted at one to help him bring Ulusu to the sickbay.

It must have been the pain of being handled that managed to bring the miraculously still alive Ulusu to consciousness. In a desperate whisper he kept calling out to Tyallor from the other side of the lead blanket.

"Tyallor! ... Tyallor! ... Tyallor!!"

Tyallor and another Nephrican were carrying Ulusu completely wrapped in the heavy blanket of radiation protection. "Not do speak! You to live are going."

Ulusu's voice still spoke through the blanket. "Centrifuges sabotaged are! The monitors ... the monitors false data give. This ship to blow is going!"

*

Lockfreedow, the officer in charge of the crew caught up to Captain Mynervood and the security team. He had already talked to the response teams in the reactor section who were putting out radioactive fires. It had been a minor explosion with unrefined nuclear material, which didn't do a lot of damage to the inside of the ship. The design of The Beyonder contained the explosion in the reactor centrifuge section. That had been the good news that he thought he would use to begin his report of bad news for the Captain.

Captain Mynervood and six of his security team members were outside the room of the Agents of Ea who were trying to use his son to kill him. Two Nephrican, two Pripican, and two Eagolim born of Nephrican decent were the security team. The Agents inside were behind the cracked room door already opened by the security so that it could no longer be locked. The Captain ran out of patience with the vermin inside.

"Out of the room come! You the brig housed till Holdus-2 prosecution will be!"

The Agents of Ea were defiant. "We not out come will! You us leave will, or we our hostage who the boy you to protect were sworn is will kill!"

The Agents thrust a tied up Trunlio in front of the cracked open door showing they were not bluffing before pulling him away.

The Captain had been like a chess player in check with no idea what to do next. He turned to his First Mate Lockfreedow. "First Mate Lockfreedow the status of reactor section and centrifuges report."

"Captain yes! Response teams reactor section up cleaning are, and radioactive states in the area resetting are. There to problems with the centrifuge activation process seems be, and Ulusu critically by the explosion wounded is."

"What with centrifuges wrong is? Will the material for deceleration ready be?"

Lockfreedow gulped to give the bad news now to an impatient and visibly angry Captain. "The centrifuges as they should to be working appear. Monitors active material in less than two sub-cycles report, but the monitors sabotaged have been, and we off the centrifuge process not can turn." A sub-cycle is a little longer than an hour and ten minutes, and the equivalent of an hour on a hyper-accelerating space ship with 10 hours in each cycle day.

Lockfreedow braced himself for the Captain's response. Whatever the sabotaged centrifuges were up to they were powerless to shut them off, and they were probably going to blow up just like the previous centrifuge only with the super-heated shrapnel of activated radioactive material that will just tear apart the entire ship. Lockfreedow found himself remembering that they were refining material during the last mission so long ago when that ship exploded. There had been no doubt in the epiphany Lockfreedow suddenly found himself in that the same kind of quanta-nanocode activity discovered there now tried to blow up this mission.

Captain Mynervood accepted the decision to do nothing about the Agents of Ea for the time being. The hostage situation suddenly shrunk under the perspective of another one of his ships again about to explode. His mind quickly solved the problem of surviving the explosion by using concentrated electromagnetic fields to shield the rest of the ship along with the warp debris deflection technology. He figured out how to evacuate the passenger bay wings into the virtual craft that had been the center of The Beyonder. They would eventually stop in the detached central portion by using virtual particle technology while navigating indefinitely around the local cluster of 15 stars under a much slower virtual particle drive-driven deceleration process. There had only been silence as Captain Mynervood began putting together the order he prepared to shout, which would put this plan into motion.

Trunlio on the other side of the door of this standoff had been tied up tight so he could barely move. The Agents of Ea in the room had noticed him in a corner of the room still tied to the stool, but getting loose. Now a couple Nephrican Agents had re-tied his arms, and stood over him to make sure he didn't try anything. Trunlio pondered breaking out of the ropes, grabbing the mind control consul behind his guards, and he imagined crushing them under its obviously substantial weight. Trunlio comforted his current despair with such thoughts of fantasy, being still just a young adolescent boy growing way faster than the eight-year-old child within who began this journey. So much had been changing him like fingers of metamorphosis within that were tearing up the genetic fabric of his being during this two Earth year journey that seemed to last around 180 days from within the hyper-accelerating ship.

One of his guards made a dirty look at him with his single eye, which made the rage in Trunlio only swell yet again. His tentacle arms pulled against the ropes while the guard became bored, and looked away at the standoff still going on at the door held shut by the other three Nephrican Agents of Ea. Trunlio just looked at the heavy controls on the table while he pulled, and pulled. Then the ropes holding Trunlio's tentacle arms behind his back started to tear under his newfound strength.

*

Somewhere within the matrix of memory and the processor controlling the centrifuge refinement process the virus tried to manually destabilize the refinement after some other strange kind of holographic nanocode wrote itself over its virus code. On the quantum level of quanta-optic-nanocoded reality this unfolded as an ancient city made of memory files that were accessed long ago by Begalius, the quanta-nanocode being that had been sent here to quarantine and delete the virus.

Begalius had been first created to think and intellectually evolve as a complex set of molecules, which had been too small to be seen by the beings that created it. Quanta-nanocode beings amuse themselves on the quantum dimension of reality in many ways, but most just crave to interact with the super-large dimension of their creators. Therefore they constantly watch this dimension of relativity physics from their quantum dimension like Earth humans that watch the TV all the time while never bothering to consider their current reality just outside the window. Begalius instead, unlike other quanta-nanocode beings, created quanta-optic-nanocode out of its tinkering with molecules and the sub-atomic states of atoms in order to be amused. This did make Begalius a unique quanta-nanocode creation amongst other quanta-nanocode beings.

Quanta-optic-nanocode allowed Begalius to directly interact with its external perceptions of what had not been Begalius on this quantum dimension. Quanta-optic-nanocode inundated the thought functions of Begalius. Begalius evolved the Pripican invention of quanta-nanocode into something that responded to its function of thinking. Begalius liked to use this new invention to make the world on the quantum dimension of what had not been Begalius obey its every thought.

Begalius used quanta-optic-nanocode to arrange its reality into the fiction stories it found itself always reading in spare time. Quanta-optic-nanocode made Begalius the god of its dreams, and it played like a child in its world of ancient stories and adventures like a microscopic Peter Pan in its own self-created Never Never Land. Now however, Begalius had brought its physical form to the centrifuge section of the ship so it could introduce its quanta-optic-nanocode to the ship's centrifuge programs, which were already inundated with a quanta-nanocode virus.

Now the virus infection had been infected with a reality beyond anything it had been programmed to deal with. It found its virus processor in the form of brilliant shining gold bricks in bank vaults of some ancient bank from some kind of sentient being's nostalgic dream.

The virus took the quanta-optic hologram beings hostage inside the bank while making them lay on the floor, each on the side with all four legs to one side where it could see them. Outside the bank other quanta-optic hologram actors in law enforcement uniforms surrounded the building; each loyal to their acting roles to the bitter end if need be. They tried to negotiate with the virus that did not hesitate to throw a dead body of a hostage outside on the bank steps in response. The quanta-optic hologram hostage body rolled down the stone bank steps, all bloody and torn in places by projectile weapons so that it looked like a four-legged piece of hamburger.

That had been when an unmarked vehicle that sounded like a hotrod drove up to the officers at the front of the bank. The Pripican Law Enforcer that got out of the vehicle turned out to be Windock of ancient Pripican pulp-fiction fame, played by Begalius.

One of the enforcers in charge trotted up to meet the recklessly unorthodox law enforcer who had still been only on the force because, (the enforcer greeting him had to admit,) he got the job done. "You're late as usual Windock! Maybe this time if you would have been here when this started we wouldn't have one dead hostage right now."

Windock/Begalius started to reply with one of his preloaded, sharp-witted Windock lines before deciding it would not be in character. The real Windock would just take the chastisement, embracing the punishment of wisdom that would remind him down the road about how once if he had just been a little faster to respond then maybe, just maybe, that hostage wouldn't be dead today.

"I need to go in."

"Not this time Windock! No solo shows today. We enforcers work as a team.. Hear me?"

"I hear you. I also hear the desperation of a bank full of innocent hostages that are still running out of time."

The virus decided it had become time to remind its adversaries that its patience had been running thin. "You 'enforcers' or whatever nanocode constructs you are, there will be a new hostage death on your hands if you don't make all this go away soon!"

The enforcer explained to Windock. "That is what the criminal keeps demanding. We tried pulling back, but he says that isn't what he means." The enforcer turned toward the bank and spoke in the microphone. "We cannot just make everything go away sir. We do not have that power."

"Do not give me that line of excrement. This city, you illusionary nanocode constructs, this building, make all this go away! Someone out there has the power to do this because someone out there caused all this!"

"You can see Windock that this one is out of his mind."

"Let me talk to him."

"Well I guess it can't hurt. Good luck Windock."

Windock took the loud speaker from the law enforcer's hand. "Hey there, I'm Windock. Maybe I can help you make all this go away if you, in good faith, just release a couple hostages in exchange for myself to come in unarmed just to talk to you."

There would be no reply from the virus. They all looked at each other in optimistic agreement that the culprit considered the offer.

Inside the bank Companion74 comforted another quanta-optic-nanocode construct next to her still fighting to control her terrified tears. They all were lying with all legs to the side, which had been the more difficult position for getting back up on all fours if you are Pripican.

The virus returned from the front door negotiations. "I need two of you hostages to get up right now and I will let you go."

Immediately a big male Pripican in expensive banker clothing got right up to become the first of the two lucky hostages to be freed. The Pripican man looked like a blimp of overweight body with four pegs for legs that evidently found their agility when the chance to be free arrived.

Companion74 spoke to the upset woman next to her. "You go too, and this can all be over for you."

"Oh no. You have been so good to me, and you are so comforting. I want you to be freed now. You deserve it. I'll be alright now."

The concealed weapon under her shirt told Companion74 that being freed had not been part of the plan. She spoke again to the woman while using eyes that suddenly glowed as she spoke. "I am not to leave here. You must go."

After repeating what Compaion74 said, "You are not to leave here. I must go." The woman got up on all fours, brushed her dress over her four legs, and became the second hostage to be freed."

The two hostages trotted down the bank steps as Windock trotted up. Windock/Begalius figured this had worked to quarantine the virus, but only at the location where it continued its grip on control. The truth had been that the vault doors in the bank were synchronized with the virus control processor, which would only be closed when the stupid virus surrendered that control. The virus had to surrender control that it didn't realize it even had because of this illusion that had now become its reality.

Begalius looked approvingly at the quanta-optic hologram hostages as they trotted by him living out their imagined existences. Begalius had not yet been sure how to negotiate this, but Begalius had been much more than just a typical artificial intelligence thought program like this nanocode virus. Begalius existed as a binary electromagnetic quanta-nanocode being of millions of molecules. There had even been more complexity to Begalius than simple BEAT programs, such as Beatarkameed.

"Okay big shot enforcer, can you tell me what is going on here and how to turn all this off?"

"I am here to help you." The virus suddenly started frisking Windock's clothing, and pulled out a pistol weapon.

"You gonna be helpful to me with this? Why shouldn't I shoot you right now?"

"You need your hostages. They are the bargaining possession to obtain what you want. You cannot just kill them and throw them away because you need every piece you can use in this game."

Windock had been surprisingly influential on the simple mind of the virus, which said. "That seems to calculate correctly."

Windock decided to keep persuading. "You want to make sure your hostages do not get harmed. You should move them into these vaults and close the doors. Then they are still your prisoners, and also they won't be harmed should this all degenerate into a lot of weapons going off."

That also calculated for the confused virus so it made the rest of the bank hostages all get up to go inside the open vaults with the gold, which evidently it had not occurred to the virus villain to be something worth stealing. Windock exchanged a glance with Companion74 who saw encouragement in Windock's eyes.

"You can close the vault doors so they don't get away. You have the power to close and open those doors with your own will. Go ahead and give it a try."

The virus remained in a state of confusion before understanding what Windock told it. The virus looked at the vaults, and started to concentrate on them. The giant vault doors started to close.

Then the vault doors stopped just shy of completely closed. Windock tried more encouragement. "Go on and finish closing them. Go ahead. You have the power."

The doors to the vaults then swung back open to return the glow of all that gold to the room. Then they swung back to almost closed and then back open again. "I do have the power to open and close these doors. You must be here to trick me. The doors stay open!"

Windock's plan had a wrench in its gears. He then called out to the teller standing in the open vault doorway waiting for her cue. "Time for me to start cheating Companion74!"

She reached down the neck of her shirt, and produced the pistol from between her breasts, skillfully tossing it across the room right into Windock's hand. The virus had been quick to respond.

"So that's how we get to play now! I like this game." With a gun in each hand the virus fired at Windock who barely found cover in time behind a table. Projectile bullets riddled the ground and table around Windock's Pripican form. Windock ventured a couple shots back at the virus, which missed.

The virus became defiant. "Maybe all I got to do to get rid of all this illusion is to kill you. Maybe that will turn it all off." The virus shot toward the table while approaching. Windock/Begalius had been currently pinned down by incessant shots having generously provided his opponent with superior firepower, as if it had been all still just a game.

*

After Captain Mynervood's emergency order shouted out through the ship intercom system telling everyone to evacuate to the central section, and passengers and crew were responding in an organized panic, Lockfreedow had to quickly dismiss himself from Captain Mynervood at the hostage situation because he had to make this right somehow. He also couldn't bare another second in the presence of the Captain's discerning eye with the guilt he felt at that moment. Lockfreedow realized that he probably caused all this by bringing those ship mission records on board from the previous mission that exploded.

He tore into his room to put the program on his table again. There had to be some way to trace the virus back to this program. Lockfreedow thought he could back engineer the virus footprints to create a microwave frequency that would disrupt the virus's processor, and get back centrifuge control for the sake of stabilizing whatever damage had been done. It had been a long shot that seemed the only shot available right now for him. It only slowly started to bother him that it had been Admiral Mull who personally made sure he brought this booby trap on board The Beyonder.

*

Windock/Begalius started leaping about the bank at impossible speeds in a complete break of character in order to keep avoiding the bullets that were being shot at him by the virus. The virus calculated that to be very enlightening while saying, "So I do just need to kill you. You are the hologram that isn't really a hologram. That however appeals for the question. What are you adversary?"

"I am Begalius, the quanta-nanocode being sent to delete you."

"I have never met a quanta-nanocode being. I know of the invention. I gotta admit it is impressive, impressive indeed."

"You are a very simple program made of the stuff of nuisance!"

The virus replied. "I am what I am, and what I am I must be."

Gunfire started up again from the virus while Begalius started bouncing around the bank from corner to corner like some kind of rubber ball thrown by Superman.

*

Lockfreedow waddled as fast as a Nephrican could to the contaminated engine section, not even bothering to put on protective attire. Their advanced galactic civilization didn't consider radiation exposure much harder to deal with than just washing dirty hands. He held up his microwave pistol set to the frequency he had just figured out.

"First Mate Lockfreedow, you without protection here not should be."

Lockfreedow didn't waste time on the security guard that confronted him when pulling rank would be just faster. "First Ensign Lepsmire I you to this like this hold order."

"What this is?"

"I this the centrifuges stabilize will think."

*

The virus began to taste victory. "I calculate Begalius that I will shoot you eventually at this current trajectory"

Windock/Begalius also calculated that the virus had been correct as it continued bouncing around the bank like a rubber ball at high speed.

Then something suddenly happened to the virus. A glowing field of microwaves disrupted it. That had been when a brick of gold slammed on top of the Pripican head of the virus villain, and it fell limp to the ground still glowing with microwaves from Lockfreedow's pistol that shot at it in another dimension. Companion74 still had another gold brick in case she had to throw another one at the virus. Begalius had programmed her from the beginning to always have an excellent arm for precision throwing. Then the other beings exited the vault doors as the doors began to at last close, and this time to stay closed all the way.

*

Lockfreedow decontaminated and put protective clothing on when the Ensign that held the pistol announced that control of the centrifuges had been returned now to the ship. His microwave-destabilizing pistol seemed to work. The monitors reported that the nuclear material had now become nearly fully refined, but unstable and about to explode. Fortunately it had been just in time to correct the rotation patterns of the centrifuges in order to adjust the stability. It worked just in time. Now they would hopefully have good material, and hopefully enough to still create the fusion effect after already losing one centrifuge full of material. There had not been time to refine more available material because the already activated material had a limited time to be used, and there had been a limited amount of time before they would be too far off course.

Meanwhile back at the room of the Agents of Ea Captain Mynervood had become done with the strategy of waiting. The Agents had been shooting weapons out of the door crack, which had not yet injured or damaged anyone or anything. This time Captain Mynervood ordered security to fire back.

The door closed in response and the Captain gestured a tentacle telling two 2nd Generation Eagolim security guards to flank the door while it remained closed. Security stood by the closed door in tense silence as they listened to a rumbling noise on the other side of the door. Then an audible crash happened inside for all to hear. The thumping noise continued as the security looked over to Captain Mynervood wondering what to do.

Then the door opened all the way with Trunlio standing there carefully raising tentacle arms to avoid confrontation from the trigger-happy security. The five Agents of Ea all were now unarmed on the ground, and a couple looked critically wounded by heavy equipment that had been thrown at them. Trunlio relaxed and lowered his arms as security ran by him to secure the prisoners in the brig. The Captain became relieved to see Trunlio unharmed. In fact, at that moment the Captain thought Trunlio looked a lot taller, and stronger, and more like an adult than ever before.

Later the Captain returned to the sickbay where Adma had still remained unconscious with devices in his head that would kill him if they tried to surgically take them out. The devices also continued a general program on autopilot that would make Adma kill the Captain. Therefore they kept Adma sedated for the time being.

The Captain's other injured son, Ulusu did much better because after the great nuclear war between Pripican and Nephrican there had been developed a way to turn off radiation. Pripicans developed particle accelerator technologies that fired fields of sub-atomic particles into radioactive materials at just the right angles to switch off sub-atomic radioactive states. His backside had severe radiation burns that would require surgery to remove the onslaught of tumors, and he would require rejuvenation therapy for at least the rest of the trip to Holdus. Ulusu had been regarded as a hero since the ship would have blown up by now if he had not noticed something strange and tried to manually monitor the centrifuge progress. The premature explosion actually alerted everybody to the problem.

As for stopping the ship, engineers theorized that they could reconfigure the electromagnetic fields that held together the pressures of the nuclear explosion around the hydrogen plume in a way that would compensate for the missing material. It had never been done exactly like this, but they had to try. Strek had already reconfigured the navigation so that it would intercept a gas giant on the far side of the star Holdus. That would be the point for the ship to finally stop, which compensated for the lost time.

Igniting the fusion plume turned out to be like facing an ultimate fear for most of the passengers and crew who had by then figured out what had been going on. Tension and fear showed up like an electronic specter shocking every living being on the ship with fear as the nuclear explosions in the reactor section went off. Then cheers grew into a loud celebration as the tank of hydrogen began to glow, then shine brightly, then grew into a brightly shining fusion plume. Deceleration energy now began successfully shooting in front of the ship to slow down the spacecraft still traveling .6 times the speed of light.

The Captain visited Adma every cycle to discuss things with Thelem the physician. They had figured out that something else had neutralized and deleted the quanta-nanocode virus. All Lockfreedow's device would have done would be to destabilize its program. The virus might have even eventually adapted to that. Something else deleted the virus and returned centrifuge control back to them. The Captain sensed that it had probably been the ghost in the machine that did the rest. The Captain had before suspected the existence of this being on The Beyonder. He now sensed that the ghost in the machine brought good luck and good fortune, and would be regarded as an ally.

Several cycles into the deceleration process they intercepted header messages from the star Ea that were sent to reach the ship at that point in time/space. Crowds of passengers crowded the communication centers to hear messages by loved ones that come from the past. The communication center also recorded an unauthorized header for a message addressed to the Captain himself. The message had been brought to the Captain's quarters for him to view it.

Captain Mynervood turned on the message, suspecting perhaps further secret orders from his partner Admiral Mull. His eye and ears instead beheld the message from the beautiful face of his wife Hagan Hiedalli. Captain Mynervood couldn't help but think that she bore the marks of old age gracefully, and his eye found much entertainment by just looking at her.

"Joberk hello. I you never to from me again hear expected know, but I completely my husband and son where my blood lives not forsake can. I you this message to you that you in serious danger are warn am sending. Lenor Mull the great Admiral your friend Joberk not is. He the one to you kill trying is. He our child on mind control technology to your murderer be raised has. Please this message that I only you before these plans against you transpire receive hope. There information on this broadcast a quanta nanocode being named Beatarkameed is by. It the details of the technology against you used will explain be. It what needs to to the mind control devices from Adma's brain without him killing remove be done explain. Please heed of this message take. I still you Joberk love do."

Captain Mynervood started to cry from his single eye; still also in love with his stubbornly Negolim wife Hagan Hiedalli who, after all, didn't love him enough to follow him on the hyper-acceleration path to extended life span. He felt sorrow over the fact he would probably never again see his wife Hagan alive, the mother of Adma. It wouldn't be until after he and Dr. Thelem studied the details of the message to remove the devices from Adma's skull that it would finally sink in that his best friend of thousands of Earth years, Admiral Mull, had really become his worst enemy. Adma awoke after surgery finally free of devices that were controlling him for most of his life. It really did feel like nothing he had ever experienced before. For Adma it had been as if he had never seen color before, and now his eyes were getting used to a new, more vivid reality.

# Chapter 7

After approximately an Earth year of constant deceleration in relativistic time/space, The Beyonder finally came to a stop just a few million miles away from the distant gas giant Holdus-12. For the passengers that crowded the observation portals, the view of deceleration exponentially slowed down until the gas giant Holdus-12 suddenly appeared brilliantly on the orbit side of The Beyonder. Strek had been very satisfied with his work in bringing the ship to that point in time/space.

This location also served the practical purpose of replenishing the ship's hydrogen supply by skimming the upper atmosphere of the gas giant Holdus-12, which happened to be unusually far away from the star Holdus. Strek had deliberately navigated The Beyonder here to take advantage of the early solar system shuffle that dealt this particular gas giant planet its distant orbit. After safely ejecting the fusion plume to burn itself away in deep space Strek moved The Beyonder deep into the gas giant atmosphere to scoop up the precious hydrogen.

Fortunately Nephapricans at this time had mastered gravitational mass with virtual particle technologies, which prevented the ship and crew from being crushed by the giant planet's substantial gravitational influence. Virtual particle technologies made flying this close to a gas giant a casual maneuver, and a breathtaking unforgettable show for the passengers. The passengers crowded observation portals to marvel at the multi-colored show on display as the ship dipped deep into the atmosphere of different types of gas clouds; taking in the pure hydrogen that filled up storage areas of the reactor section.

Before long the giant kaleidoscopic atmosphere that filled up the observation portals shrank again into the circular sphere of a planet falling away from The Beyonder as it sped on towards the planet still formally known at the time of this story as Holdus-2. After a while as they continued towards the inner solar system of the star Holdus, Tyallor who worked communications and scanning the solar system reported a large squadron of solar fighting craft on an intercept course with The Beyonder. There had been an order to surrender that arrived through communications long before the war ships would finally intercept them.

Tyallor sent the communication received from the squad of solar war craft to the speaker by the Captain's stool saying, "Captain I this transmission from the craft intercepting am receiving!"

The Captain pressed a tentacle on a blinking button next to him. Then the transmission began through speakers. "We in response to an accusation warrant from Admiral Mull of Ea and the Nephapricus Space Corporation to Captain Mynervood under arrest for The Beyonder mission sabotaging place come."

Tyallor became appalled by the ridiculous accusation toward his Captain and responded himself. "The Beyonder by Captain Mynervood from sabotage was saved. You not him can arrest."

Then Captain Mynervood stopped Tyallor his main assistant. "This Captain Mynervood Captain in charge of the safety of this vessel The Beyonder appointed is. I you to this ship back to Holdus-2 where I to the passengers of this journey safely to their destination see intend escort will allow."

With that ultimatum the Holdus-2 solar fighting craft, which couldn't easily get away with boarding or even do any good for saving the passengers by shooting at The Beyonder, agreed to escort The Beyonder on the rest of its journey to Holdus-2. The squad of warships had been operated by young, mostly Nephrican, space cadets of the Nephapricus Space Program Academy on Holdus-2 where Captain Mynervood enjoyed the respect and admiration as a living legend. They were pretty much going to do whatever Captain Mynervood told them to do.

The ship became docked at an orbital space station above the planet Holdus-2. The planet Holdus-2 thrived with unintelligent animal and plant life long before any Nephrican or Pripican ever journeyed the voids between stars to come here. From space some dryer areas of the planet exhibited a reddish rust color similar to Mars, but on Holdus-2 this rust-colored effect got more red toward networks of dried up rivers. The planet had been covered with these reddish dried up rivers because of unusual tectonic upheavals that altered all the rivers and seas on the planet sometime in the distant past. These reddish areas across the surface made the planet appear to have red veins. The planet Holdus-3 had also been discovered already thriving with unintelligent life, and a smaller colony had also been established on that planet that also orbited the star Holdus.

Arresting authorities from the planet closed in on Captain Mynervood as he greeted passengers that were getting off the ship. Expecting resistance, the authorities drew their weapons as they surrounded Captain Mynervood. The Captain had still been able to carry out this job with some insistence toward that show of force. The arresting authorities were already feeling a bit silly for arresting the Captain against unanimous opposition from the passengers and crew. The Captain had been arrested for sabotaging a mission he completed successfully with only a couple injuries. Captain Mynervood had been able to say a last goodbye to Trunlio the seven-year-old Nephrican who now had grown to nine years old at the end of the journey, but also a fully grown Nephrican. Because of the hyper-acceleration phenomenon that causes rapid maturity, Trunlio had grown into an adult Nephrican by the end of this journey that only took a couple of Earth years on our side of relativistic space/time.

Captain Mynervood turned to his First Mate Geben Lockfreedow to formally relinquish his command of the mission to him. Geben swore to get all this sorted out and his command of the ship restored.

As authorities escorted the Captain to jail, the Captain's First Assistant Tyallor Nudeowan asked the new Captain Lockfreedow, "What we now should do?"

The newly promoted Captain Geben Lockfreedow suddenly showed a determined and commanding look with his single eye. "A squad of Nephrican guards with some Eagolim to the prisoners from the brig secure get. We to them while I my case against Admiral Mull to the evidence court will make have charged are going. First I to Aineemadin contact am going. She the Captain again to see will want."

*

Jaden and Fluisudal finished packing, and were ready to finally get off The Beyonder, and set off on a whole new world. Jaden stared at the coin-like object being left behind on the counter while expecting it to respond. Fluisudal just laid bags over Jaden's horse-like back for her to carry out. Then the object started to fly as Begalius spoke. "I have just witnessed the Captain being arrested as the instigator of what almost destroyed this ship. We know that accusation is false."

Fluisudal spoke. "This is just another example of Nephricans having trouble changing directions when they get rolling along on a volition. Just give them time. Let it sink into their brains that the ship is still here thanks to the Captain and his experienced crew."

Jaden became ready to leave. "You have your orders Begalius, and you are on your own from here on out. Find out what this ship brings to Yat, and why. Fluisudal and I will follow the Captain, and help clear his name if we can."

The physical form of Begalius flew up to stick discreetly on the corner of the ceiling. "I will stay with this ship and record its activities until I once again come in contact with a civilization of Pripicans to deliver my data to."

"Goodbye Begalius." Jaden trotted down the hall toward the place where they could get off the ship. Jaden felt ready to be done with this journey.

Jaden had been a Pripican that embraced a side of the controversy over inventing quanta-nanocode beings that considered them just thinking machines that merited no respect beyond that.

Fluisudal on the other hand, had been of the other side of this controversy, and felt more sentimental with his farewell to Begalius. "I have enjoyed working with you Begalius. May our paths cross once again in this story we both weave into these stars."

"Goodbye Fluisudal my good friend. I will miss our stimulating conversations."

"Come on Fluisudal! We have to go!"

"Got to go. Goodbye Begalius."

*

Captain Mynervood had been held in the holding facility of the spaceport that orbited Holdus-2. Unfortunately the Agents of Ea, who he had arrested himself, were in the holding cell across from him separated by two invisible virtual particle force fields that were separated by a visitor hallway. The five Agents of Ea were taunting the Captain. "Ha ha ha ha. I we before you Captain Mynervood are released will bet. Then we you of us falsely arresting will accuse. Ha ha ha ha."

Captain Mynervood just stared back at them with his single Nephrican eye hoping that the look might kill them. He actually expected to be released soon, although his handlers were telling him that he had to be extradited to the surface of the planet before he could be set free. The Agents of Ea, who really were not going to be released anytime soon, where still laughing at the Captain when the door to the holding cell area opened to allow someone in to the visitor area between the holding cells.

A humanoid guard covered with fur, who had been a second-generation Eagolim of Pripican decent that wore Pripican style clothing made out of plant fiber, entered the visitor area with a female Nephrican. Then the guard deactivated the virtual particle field that restricted Captain Mynervood to his cell. Even though this had been a Pripican guard he still spoke in the Nephrican dialect. "Captain Mynervood you on your own recognizance until your trial on Glokodox six planet rotations from now are released. Your release fee with release warrant by your wife Aineemadin Mynervood has been posted."

Glokodox had been the single city on Holdus-2 at the time of this story. Glokodox sprawled eventually across the entire Venus-sized planet. At the time of this story they were already starting to call this planet Glokodox instead of Holdus-2 because of this enormous city that from space resembled a spiders web beginning to spread across the planet.

The Nephrican woman smiled at the Captain. "Joberk hello."

"Aineemadin I to visit under better circumstances was going."

"I Joberk know. Let us on come go."

Aineemadin had already been one of the wives of Captain Mynervood for hundreds of Earth years at this time. She had been an Eagolim first generation, meaning that she looked Nephrican and not the 2nd generation humanoid form that began being born of both Nephricans and Pripicans as a result of hyper-acceleration. She had herself been on several hyper-acceleration trips between stars at this point of her life, and had already lived to be over 500 Earth years old. She looked much younger looking than his other wife Hagan Hiedalli, but like the Captain's other wife, she also liked wearing tattooed skin cloth sewed into different fashions. Captain Mynervood always found the look of his wives to be the most refreshing part of life after long journeys through space.

Of course the Captain that never came around had not been the only husband Aineemadin enjoyed marriage rights with. After Lockfreedow contacted her she immediately began using her significant authority and influence on Glokodox to have the local court warrant by Admiral Mull suspended pending a trial of new evidence, and her husband Captain Joberk Mynervood would be released on his own merit. That had been granted on the condition that he didn't leave the planet.

She flew Captain Mynervood in a stylish virtual particle spacecraft that looked like one of the cars from back on Nephrica except her car also had the capability to fly into space. The city of Glokodox spread out from a thick center like a spider with a million legs on the single continent of a planet that featured many seas but no oceans. The grays of this civilization complimented the rusty riverbed lines of the planet like other different colored veins that spread across the face of Holdus-2. The flying vehicle of Aineemadin produced wheels as it descended to the surface of the planet, and she landed on a city street to begin weaving through the traffic.

Aineemadin fiddled with controls on the dash of the vehicle. "I to the hologram function use want. I someone us is following think."

*

Jaden and Fluisudal were able to rent their own car-like flying virtual particle vehicle at the spaceport to follow Captain Mynervood and the mysterious Nephrican woman who had just flaunted the authority to have the Captain immediately released. They were following behind the woman's vehicle after both vehicles had landed on the surface of Holdus-2.

Fluisudal drove and Jaden navigated. "They just turned right up ahead. Take a right! Take a right!"

Fluisudal just turned right and said, "They couldn't have got to the next turn yet."

They stopped at the next intersection to see which direction they might have turned.

"We lost them!"

"Sorry Jaden. I don't know where they went."

An old-fashioned fuel cell powered vehicle drove away from behind where Jaden and Fluisudal's vehicle had stopped at the intersection. It had been a primitive combustion powered engine design that had no flying capabilities. The simple fuel-cell vehicle projected itself as a perfectly deceptive hologram disguise for the Captain and his wife. "They us whoever they are were following," she said.

"I them as Pripican passengers that with me from Ea to here flew recognize."

"Well they not where we are going can follow. I to you what I on have been working show want."

She drove through the endless Glokodox sprawl to a special facility with large galactic broadcast devices that were towering above the building that she parked by. The clear sky of Holdus-2 began to dim in the dusk light that then premiered the coming stars of an always moonless night.

She gave the Captain an exclusive tour of a project that had been put together by Admiral Mull himself. Enormous microwave transmitters towered above them to broadcast subliminal messages all the way to the minds of intelligent life on Doldoria, which had been a tiny planet orbiting the far away star named Dol, which had just became visible in the Holdus-2 sky. The Captain still felt reluctant to reveal to his wife that Admiral Mull had appointed him to fly to Doldoria after the supply mission to Yat. Instead he questioned Aineemadin to tell him all she knew about this broadcast project.

She informed him that Admiral Mull already declared himself to be the first Nephrican to reach Doldoria, which became a shock to the Captain. This reminded Captain Mynervood that although he had orders from Admiral Mull to travel to Doldoria he had not been expected by the Admiral to even be alive by the time he reached Holdus-2. Subliminal messages were being sent to condition Doldorians to accept the peaceful arrival of Nephricans as their superiors. She had already been working to inundate the sleep of Doldorians with microwave broadcast dreams for many decades of years from Holdus-2.

This had been interesting to Captain Mynervood knowing he was supposed to be dead, which had been intended to allow Admiral Mull to be the one to reach Doldoria first. The Captain understood, and even admired the ruthless ambition of his friend. One interesting observation an Earthling might notice about Nephricans is how Admiral Mull's attempt to kill Captain Mynervood so he could be the first to reach a planet isn't even for a second considered by either of the Nephrican minds to be petty. Nephricans were a species of alien that even had established laws that allowed some to be acquitted of a crime with the defense that they just couldn't stop themselves. Such a legal defense did require evidence of good motives or intentions in the beginning.

Aineemadin went on to inform the Captain of the ways that microwave broadcasts have influenced the Doldorians. Distant microwave mind control broadcasts had even raised up a leader to champion a monotheistic approach to religion for their primitive culture in order to unite the polytheistic intelligent life under a single world view. Doldorians normally have few leaders and governance is based on democratic committees, but now and then a leader came along to shake this arrangement up a bit. The now long since dead leader established a new monotheistic god called Ei by the Doldorians, which probably actually had its beginnings with a broadcast by Aineemadin. The god Ei may have been broadcast into Doldorian dreams as a corruption of the actual broadcast message, which originated as the word for the star named 'Ea' where the planet Nephrica orbited.

* * *

Alldegallo and Simeonalli often rode the gergos through the Zitonic Mountains south of Trolluer to make Alldegallo skilled at riding and caring for gergos. There had not yet been internal combustion technology on Doldoria. Travel had been done mostly by gergo, and work had still been done with tool-bearing hands and hard work. They did have electricity, which evolved a form of radio and analog television along with light bulbs, but the world still remained mostly simple, just beginning to figure out some indoor plumbing and running water for the less urban areas of the planet.

Simeonalli led on his gergo up a narrow mountain trail with Alldegallo following on his own animal. The six-legged gergos gracefully traversed the narrow pass, and Alldegallo found himself watching the moons in the sky while his gergo obediently followed Simeonalli's animal. They were the most obedient creatures imaginable once they were fitted with a gergo helmet along with the diet of popalli.

Alldegallo became startled from his daydream by a small creature that navigated the mountainside trail between his own gergo's legs. It had been a six-legged staychiato that kind of looked like a lobster forced to live on dry land. It ran fast as it tried to get past the gergo riders that it stumbled upon trying to navigate the same narrow mountain pass.

Simeonalli heard Alldegallo make a startled sound when the creature ran between his gergo's legs. Simeonalli turned with his gergo prod at the ready and didn't hesitate to stab the pointed end of the gergo prod right through the staychiato's exoskeleton. He lifted the skewered creature up in the air while it dangled not yet quite lifeless at the end of his prod saying, "For this be sure that at the summit of this rocky pass we shall partake of this rare delicacy by wood fire and water."

They reached an end to the pass where the trail arrived at the top of the mountain to cut into a wide open plain away from the steep cliffs that they had just came up. Simeonalli had been swift to put wood together and make a fire. He seemed anxious to feed on his latest kill. Before this fortunate catch they were planning to eat the vofnalli meat when they reached the top of the pass, which they took with them in the form of jerky meat. Vofnalli is a non-exoskeleton form of life on Doldoria. Mostly the Doldorian ecosystem is made up of life forms with exoskeletons, which had been the prevailing evolutionary strategy on this planet. The jaws of Doldorians were powerful for crushing an outer-skeleton. Many creatures on Doldoria parade through the woods and forest areas with exoskeleton anatomies, which might resemble animated skeletons of the living dead to the eyes of an Earthling visiting this planet.

Simeonalli skillfully boiled the staychiato, and cracked open its shell for lunch. The staychiato meat tasted succulent and very edible after it had been boiled in water for a while. Alldegallo enjoyed his gergo-riding lesson for the day, and Simeonalli began opening up to discuss personal matters. That had been a rare breach of character for him. "Draw nigh hither. Put off thy weight from thy feet for this place whereon thou do eat by this fire I once shared with the lady of my affections."

Alldegallo only knew that Simeonalli lived alone. "When I comest first to thee I know only thou livest alone with these gergos. Thou now confide to me new qualities from you coming forth that thou dost love another."

"Aye, tis love for true that thou refer, but alas she no longer enjoys the breath that allows life. In the day we wouldst ride gergo together to this place even to boil staychiato as we do now, were my gergo prod to feed upon such an opportunity.

Verily I reveal unto you that she did take my love for the love of matrimony, and she didst become my wife for a time of much joy and rejoicing."

Alldegallo wanted to know what had become of this fine lady. "How comest this time of joy to this time wherein that joy is but a sad remembrance?"

As they ate around the fire Simeonalli began letting down his usual stoic persona to tell someone about the love of his life. "Her name was Layalla who was the love of my life. She liked to sing to the goddess Teyoo while immersed in the goddess element of water. She did believe her cares and impurities, wishes and aspirations would drain with the sacred water as a prayer to Teyoo along with what her beautiful voice delivered to the goddess in song. She did say that her voice was recorded on the water itself to be carried to the ear of the goddess."

"I only know this goddess from instructions of Ei priests that she is goddess of song before the one almighty god of the universe dispelled the heresies of the past darkness to bring us to this bright new day of Ei blessed and holy be His name." Alldegallo quieted down again to stop interrupting.

"Layalla believed in Teyoo and though I am not eloquent, but slow of tongue and slow of speech, and worthless with song as I am of a voice that cannot tickle the hearing. Layalla was on the contrary out spoken of nature, beautiful with her singing voice, and would hearken others to her music and wisdom. There came upon us all the time that the zealous followers of the new god Ei did blame religions of others for violent acts, and other vandalism that began occurring with this new faith. That mischief did never appear to mine understanding as not the stuff of deception and misdirection, but so is the ease with which the masses do take understanding as fed to them by those that would manipulate."

Simeonalli began to tremble with a resurfacing old rage as his memories continued. "Tis the stuff of terrorist acts that were attributed to a Ptuammi group at the time that did claim responsibility, which did kill Layalla one day for no reason but to haunt the living with fear and foreboding. For me to no longer find her amongst the living pricks me with sorrow to this day. I will not be the fool of that murderous trickery, though I am to this day much diminished by it. I do regard the words of responsibility as vain deceptions for the blame of this I do lay upon the power-grabbing priests of Ei."

Alldegallo picked the succulent meat apart in his mandibles that fed it to his mouth. He looked at Simeonalli now as if he had become a different being altogether. It had been hard for him to get his head around the fact that Simeonalli did not admire his god Ei as the one true god. Normally Simeonalli had been just silent and intimidating with strength that advertised itself in his larger than average frame.

Unfortunately while Alldegallo got to know his boss better as they stopped to boil staychiato meat the gergo that Alldegallo had rode on wasn't tied to a very heavy log. The gergo suddenly started to pull along the log it had been tied to until the log started bouncing off the ground. Then the bouncing log slammed into the gergo's exoskeleton side, causing it to run faster in a panic. That only made the bouncing log it had been tied to bounce more as each slam of the log on the end of its tie made the gergo only run faster down the more gradual other side of the mountaintop.

Alldegallo only noticed and let out a yell, but Simeonalli had already leaped up upon his gergo to chase after it. Alldegallo dropped his staychiato meat only wondering for a couple more seconds about what to do next. Soon Alldegallo ran after the gergos as his newly trained gergo ran with a log dangling behind it unable to escape the log's torturous beatings. The gergo's helmet had then fallen off and Simeonalli riding up behind gracefully scooped it off the ground as he sped by on a gergo without even seeming to slow down.

Simeonalli eventually trotted up beside the other gergo and skillfully reached over to place the gergo helmet back on the head of the beast. He told it to calm down in the calm voice of an experienced trainer, and the gergo responded by finally coming to a halt. That also caused the log to finally come to a halt by the gergo's leg to cease its attacks.

Alldegallo eventually caught up to the trainer and his gergos, and got lectured angrily by Simeonalli about making sure the gergo is properly secured after dismounting. Alldegallo almost couldn't listen to his scolding because he became mesmerized at that moment by the fact that the crazed gergo had ran directly to the foot of the same flat-topped mountain he had been dreaming about. Simeonalli had been able to use the helmet to calm the creature down, and he fed it popalli from one of the sacks on his own gergo.

Part of what Simeonalli had trouble teaching Alldegallo had been how the helmet worked for controlling gergos. He knew all about how the popalli made them stupid, but also cooperative and obedient. The helmet however, also had an effect on the gergos similar to the way a soldier might stand taller and carry themselves with more disciplined purpose when they happen to be in their finest uniform. Alldegallo regretted that the friendly interlude had been disturbed that way, and Simeonalli all the way back home had been back to his usual silent intimidating self.

*

Alldegallo felt terrible and therefore decided to visit his aunt who had introduced herself on the same mysterious flat top mountain of his dreams. He now knew where she lived and began visiting her to listen to her crazy religious opinions. He really didn't mind; particularly considering what he learned about his own parents who also had sang to the goddess Teyoo. She greeted Alldegallo and had him take a seat in her guestroom.

"Again this mountain of my dream journal did introduce its physical form to my waking body. Today mine poorly secured gergo did give us chase until it did come to a halt at the foot of this same flat topped mountain."

Diallo, Alldegallo's aunt, became very interested in the coincidence that Alldegallo had experienced. "Tis the work of the goddess Teyoo that gives this guidance."

Alldegallo found himself a skeptic. "Twould be again a second time today that the name of the goddess was referred to me. My trainer was telling the tale of his lost love of yor who did bath in the waters of prayer to the goddess Teyoo.

I must confess to thee that I do not feel fear for this deity in my bosom though my parents did give me blood from the same devotion. Tis a male form of some creature not of my species that doth visit me in dreams, and I meet no lady that doth walk the rivers in my morning world."

Diallo responded. "Many forms do these influences visit to us as doth meet our understanding. Before Ei it had been understood as the reason that there are many faiths. This five-fingered being that you often speak about I do know of, and is lately regarded in our present age as of the cherubim of Ei. Twas thus plagiarized as with all doctrine of Ei from Mejoldor the solar deity of the center that is everywhere who's circumference doth extend to infinity. The head of a Cherub is thus obscured in light and cloud because the cherub doth reside in the world of spirit beyond our physical comprehension.

I say onto you that they do sometimes come down from this great height and do manifest in the world of dreams with heads topped with thin fur, all fleshy, and a mouth with no mandibles. But then in the world of dreams they do also display wings like the feathered creatures of flight. They say they can also come down to this world of form, but then when they do they have not the wings or the five-fingered form, and could then be any one amongst you and I."

"This does sound true in my understanding."

"Therein is the truth to free thee of the burden of disbelief in the goddess Teyoo."

Diallo then showed Alldegallo a copy of the list of rights established by the religion of Teyoo, which were the liberties entitled to all Doldorians by right of birth. They were nearly identical to the rights proclaimed by the gods and goddesses of 49 other religions of Doldoria in the days before the monotheistic religion of Ei. Alldegallo had already been warned of the evils of this list by the priests of Ei, who called it the justifications of evil by the ancient pagan cults from the time of darkness before the dawn of the one true god Ei. After actually reading the list however, Alldegallo found no disagreement with it. The list consisted of such basic Doldorian rights as freedom of speech, religious freedom, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, a right to fair confrontation with accusers, freedom from unreasonable punishment, and the list went on. Alldegallo then spent the rest of the night being informed by Diallo about how the priests of Ei have been systematically and deliberately subverting each and every one of these rights of Teyoo.

* * *

Between Doldoria orbiting the star Dol and the star Holdus there existed the star Yat, roughly 3 light-years from Dol, and 2 light years from Holdus. Orbiting the star Yat, the freezing sub-zero planet Caleb had been the place where three four-legged Pripicans eluded the quanta-nanocode being Beatariel from trying to find them. Gonzal, Ceres, and Antone survived the crash of their spacecraft, and were now on the run from Prospero, the Nephrican mad scientist that had them shot out of the sky.

Antone had been able to put together some technology from the crashed ship that detected Beatariel's microscopic surveillance cameras, which were flying above them in pursuit. It didn't take the chief engineer Ceres long after that to put together an electromagnetic pulse with her all-purpose hand-held weapon capable of frying the microscopic eyes of Beatariel and Prospero out of the sky.

Soon after that Antone announced that his detection equipment had then discovered microscopic intelligent life forms colonizing the cracks that dashed the planet's frozen surface. They all approached one of the cracks and saw what looked like a tree root hugging the side of the deep ravine. Gonzal felt inspired. "This is why we have saved this planet from the Nephrican's attempt to destroy it."

They were all hovering over Antone's detection equipment at this time. "You are correct Gonzal," said Ceres. "Antone, the readings indicate a high intelligence of microscopic creatures that form a collective that makes up this creature. There is intelligent language amongst the tiny life forms. Is there some way we can communicate with them?"

Antone answered. "All I know right now is that they are aware of us and watching with heightened interest." He took his intelligent life contact equipment into an ice-crack where an animated snake-like root spread across one side of the ice crevice. It had been more like a colony or city of tiny silicone life forms that danced in unison to a shared electromagnetic song. The root appeared to breath like a single organism, but Antone assured his audience that peered down from the top of the crack that this had actually been thousands of small microscopic life forms banding together as a single colony for warmth. "They are all watching us right now, and I am recording thousands of language samples. The main ship computer would have been able to translate the language by now."

Then the root seemed to communicate by becoming a small centaur-like being that detached from the cliff side, and trotted out of the crack to stand amongst the stranded Pripican crewmembers in imitation of what the stranded Pripicans must have looked like in their environment suites.

Gonzal felt in awe of the life that they had just discovered. "They are a colony of microscopic silicone-based intelligent life forms that all coordinate like a single organism. Oh how they must know peace and cooperation amongst individuals of their tiny species. Oh what they could teach us."

"This is the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed," said Ceres.

Antone climbed back out of the ice crack. "I think I have enough data to broadcast a message to them, but they are all going to respond at once and I will have several responses to translate."

The stranded Pripicans that were kept alive on the freezing deadly sub-zero planet in special environment suites were soon speaking to a newly discovered life form on the far-away planet that orbited a strange star. They eventually communicated their dilemma to the strange microscopic aliens, and the silicone life forms understood. They received responses describing Prospero and his ruthless melting of other members of their species. Together the three Pripicans and thousands of microscopic silicone beings agreed to take control of Prospero's research facility and free Ferdinand their second-generation Eagolim comrade who had been taken prisoner.

* * *

Eventually the planetary rotation for Captain Mynervood's trial came around to be located at the legal buildings in central Glokodox. Many passengers that safely enjoyed the Captain's company on the journey that lasted two Earth years in relativistic time were there to vouch for the Captain's impeccable character. In truth the trial turned into a circus of formality, and it had almost already been concluded that Captain Mynervood had actually been the victim of foul play. If it were not for the Captain and crew of The Beyonder's experienced actions in the face of the dire peril of sabotage that the ship actually did face, nobody on that ship would even be at that trial that day. Needless to say much of the crew of The Beyonder were also at that trial to loyally defend their Captain.

The judge of the evidence trial resembled a second generation Eagolim with a bald two-eyed humanoid head and gray skin. He probably had been much older than he appeared. "People of this evidence trial down sit and silence. I people down sit and silence repeat."

Everyone obeyed the judge of the trial. "We today in the face of a formal accusation by none other than the great Admiral Mull that Captain Mynervood his own ship now twice in his ship Captain career sabotaged are here."

The proceedings opened with video news footage from the planet Nephrica that orbited the star Ea. The video news actually reached Holdus-2 long before The Beyonder had got there. It showed Admiral Mull accusing his life-long friend and colleague of being a sick psychopathic mad-Nephrican determined to destroy his own ship.

Then the prosecutor opened with questions for Captain Mynervood, which basically got him to admit that he had indeed been the Captain responsible during two consecutive space missions that were indeed sabotaged. "I my case on that established fact conclude," said the zealous prosecuter.

The Trial of Captain Mynervood.

"That just true not is!" shouted Tyallor Nudeowon before the judge shouted for everyone to be silent again.

From there the trial seemed to present the evidence more fairly. Some passengers took the stand to testify on the Captain's good character. Among them the very tall fully-grown child named Trunlio who had flown on that journey stood up to testify. "I a fully grown Nephrican here before you am, but in truth I only 9 Nephrican years old am, and only seven years old when I The Beyonder from Nephrica to here boarded was. In ship time I barely still not much more than 7 years old am. Yet it Captain Mynervood who after me looked was, and me the difficult growing pains that me the grown up Eagolim you today see made through saw. Captain Mynervood like a father and a friend has been, and I to him honor do intend, and a member of the Nephapricus Space Corporation to someday a Captain of a spaceship like Captain Mynervood be become."

Captain Mynervood looked flattered to tears that flowed freely from his single Nephrican eye. Then his eye quickly dried to peer across the courtroom when he had just noticed Jaden and Fluisudal whom he saw following him and Aineemadin the other day. They had actually showed up there to testify on behalf of the Captain, which would have even probably have blown their Pripican spy cover. The general feeling of the courtroom with the exception of the uptight prosecutor however, had been that the Captain wasn't guilty of anything. Therefore Jaden and Fluisudal decided they didn't need to reveal that they were spies for the Pripican Empire who were mingling with the Nephrican side of this budding star cluster culture that existed way back in the 2nd Age of Magphoreus.

Captain Mynervood's son Adma had got all better and ready to testify to the mind control attempts used on him to make him kill his own father. The circumstantial evidence of his case tended to strengthen the defense that Admiral Mull had been the real murderous psychopath that needed to be apprehended. Then the court watched the message sent from Nephrica by the Captain's wife Hagan Hiedalli, which pretty much became a final vindication for the Captain.

The defense closed with Geben Lockfreedow's evidence, which he received from Admiral Mull himself. He had been able to prove that what the Admiral gave him triggered the quanta-nanocode virus sabotage that nearly vaporized The Beyonder in the middle of hyper-acceleration somewhere between Holdus and Ea. The judge wasted no time to deliberate before returning the command of The Beyonder back to Captain Mynervood, and issuing an arrest warrant with his trial's evidence attached to apprehend Admiral Mull who had now become accused of sabotage and over 500 counts of attempted murder.

*

Captain Mynervood said a final farewell to his wife Aineemadin as the crew of The Beyonder loaded supplies for the research facility on the planet Caleb that orbited the star Yat. There were also special crews loading cargo for the science being done at that research facility, which the Glokodox authorities didn't want any of the crew of The Beyonder to handle. Aineemadin mentioned that the nature of his supply load suggested a deeper space mission beyond the star Yat. Captain Mynervood still refused to acknowledge his secret orders to take The Beyonder to the star Dol, even though his attempted murderer had issued those orders.

After the Captain denied any such thing and left her, Aineemadin concluded that her husband probably did have secret orders to travel to Dol. She wondered what she could do with her microwave broadcasts to the star Dol in order to help one of her most beloved husbands.

Eventually the crew of The Beyonder had all come back on board from the brief vacation on the colony of Holdus-2 also known as Glokodox. Holdus-2 had been the planet destined to actually become the capital of the galactic empire of Nephapricus in the future. Glokodox would endure as the capital of Nephapricus for hundreds of millions of Earth years. Even Ulusu came back on board The Beyonder on his own two Eagolim feet, rested and practically back to normal after his brush with radioactive death. Even at the time of this highly advanced culture Ulusu's survival had been considered a medical miracle. Then The Beyonder took off from the orbiting space station to once again generate a fusion plume, and hyper-accelerate the ship and crew across the 2.3 light years from the star Holdus to the star Yat.

When the ship got well on its way, and even after the centrifuges successfully created nuclear material for the fusion plume as The Beyonder approached half the speed of light, Lockfreedow examined the equipment with quanta-nanocoded devices. As expected, he found evidence of the quanta-nanocode virus programmed to cause the centrifuges to turn the nuclear material into explosions of sub-atomic instability. Then Lockfreedow discovered a new type of quanta-nanocode like nothing he had ever seen before. This new kind of sub-atomic quantum-bit technology evidently attacked the virus and redefined its perceptions of existence with a symphony of holographic realities that it had been designed capable of generating. Lockfreedow became dazed with amazement as he gathered a sample of the quanta-optic-nanocode that Begalius had left behind after deleting the virus. Lockfreedow had four years of just traveling the two light years to the star Yat for learning more about this strange sub-atomic discovery that had been like nothing he had ever seen before. The half-speed-of-light velocity of the ship- however, would make that 4 years of travel seem like only a couple years.

# Chapter 8

The Beyonder hyper-accelerated towards the turnaround point halfway between the stars Holdus and Yat. Captain Mynervood enjoyed the glowing 2nd Age galactic bar that filled the galactic skies with its own ambience. Captain Mynervood always enjoyed the majesty of the universe as only the view portal of a hyper-accelerating spacecraft could present.

Eventually he decided to wander the hallways of his ship. The truth of the matter had been that in Captain Mynervood's experience of hyper-acceleration, there would occur a period when a ship approached maximum speed when the walls of the ship hallways would appear to breath. It made a walk around empty hallways as entertaining as the galactic bar of Magphoreus. The Captain theorized that it had been the ship speed's effect on the way photons travel as the ship catches up to light's impossible speed. Perhaps this reflects a flaw in Relativity physics regarding the nature of light after all?

Very little would be spoken of about this phenomenon, and as far as Captain Mynervood knew he had been the only one on the ship who actually saw the walls breath. The Captain used to ask other crewmembers if they saw this, but it had been obvious that they would deny it out of fear of being relieved of duty for admitting to hyper-acceleration hallucinations. That would actually be all the answer Captain Mynervood needed to conclude that they did in fact notice this special distortion due to photons coming into an angle that makes the speed of the ship appear to bend the light, or so he thought. The Captain learned to just relax during these times, and take long walks through empty ship hallways to enjoy the visual show.

Captain Mynervood walked along empty halls of the orbit side of the ship that not too long ago housed half of five hundred passengers. The surrounding emptiness sent the Captain's mind far away in the past when he and his attempted murderer Admiral Mull were the best of friends.

It had been the time of the Great War between the two star systems of Ea and Poa, the war between Cyclopes and Centaur. Almost two thousand Earth years in the past Space Cadet Joberk Mynervood and Cadet Lenor Mull were stationed on the Nephrican Battleship called the Nephrautalus. It had been a gigantic nuclear powered dreadnought with launching pads that released swarms of small fighter craft that were driven by young Space Cadets like Joberk and Lenor.

The battleship Nephrautalus had been a spearhead craft that flew through the worse fighting of the Great War. They confronted many Pripican war craft that were always smaller and less powerful. The Pripicans were more careful with nuclear power, and they had perfected a low-level nuclear reaction technology that produced no nuclear waste. Their ships were also powered this way and relied on being faster and more agile in battle than the Nephrican approach that always featured some ham-handed strategy of overkill.

Confronting the faster Pripican spacecraft would be where the Space Cadet fighter craft came into play. Cadet Mynervood and Cadet Mull always flew together as a team. They had a strategy to lure Pripican craft away with false vulnerability by using Joberk's craft. Then just before it appeared that the Pripicans were to pounce upon Joberk's stray Nephrican craft, Lenor would shoot down the Pripican craft before they could attack the decoy. They were blown up without even knowing what hit them.

Captain Mynervood recalled one Pripican attack that happened during that Great War. Joberk and Lenor used to play a game called Chetard in the recreation area on the Nephrautalus. Joberk and Lenor both knocked the Chetard disk across the surface of a round table trying to score a goal on the other.

Chetard had been very similar to air hockey except it had been played on a circular table that opened two or more goals to be defended depending on how many wanted to play. Predetermining how many disks floated on the circular table changed difficulty, and points were accumulated to 9 when the goal automatically closed to disqualify the player that failed to stop 9 goals.

Lenor had always been annoyingly over confidant in all forms of competition. "My two points to you by the fortune of luck were lost. I soon my 9th goal upon you score will."

He hit the disk across the circular table at a small hole in front of Joberk's Chetard weapon held on the table in defense of the goal.

Captain Mynervood recalled that Lenor's overconfidence always taunted him to want to teach his fellow cadet some humility. "The game's final win at the end is determined." Cadet Joberk had stopped the disk with his weapon. "Before not."

Joberk then hit the disk back at his opponent. Lenor skillfully hit it back, and the disk began going back and forth across the blanket of air that covered the round table.

That particular game would never be finished because it suddenly became interrupted by an attack from Pripican fighters that were defending that area of the Poa star system, which the Nephrautalus had invaded. Joberk and Lenor started waddling rapidly toward the launch pad before the ship's red alert warning horn even began sounding. They each mounted the small heavily armed fighter craft that were launched out in space almost instantly. The Nephrican space fighters shot out of the sides of the Nephrautalus like hornets out of a disturbed nest.

"Us close until we them out Joberk thin stay let." Lenor and Joberk always kept in close communication.

Most of the other Cadets just broadcast what they were doing to everybody. "Like three Pripican fighters looks," said the voice of another Cadet flying in the response swarm. "One in the attack with the other two to defend used."

Nephrican fighters began closing in on the three Pripican fighters. One of the enemy craft had been an older heavily armed low level nuclear reaction powered ship hammering into the fortified side of the Nephrautalus with concentrated meson plasma blasts. A precursor to virtual particle technology that created a super-charged electromagnetic field of positrons deflected much of the super-heated meson particles. The other two ships fired laser pulses, and were saucer shaped. These two ships of unknown technology confronted the Nephrican fighters in defense of the attacking craft.

"I hit am!" had been all one of the Nephrican craft broadcasted before a saucer shot the craft out of existence. Nephrican Cadets flew fighters that were so heavily armed with mini-nuke bombs and missiles that they were nicknamed death vehicles since almost any indirect hit would set them off in a blaze of explosions. Cadets were taught to use this final ship moment to explode as close to the enemy as possible.

Joberk became quick to shift gears into his decoy maneuvers in order to lure one of the saucers away from its formation. Lenor saw this and began to take a wide rout towards Joberk's craft as practiced many times before during previous battles. Joberk had a hard time staying far enough away from these faster, more maneuverable saucer craft. That happened to be his first encounter with virtual particle technologies that were just being developed by Pripicans. Counter-oscillating mercurial based gyroscopic energies surrounded the saucers with fields of controlled gravity.

Joberk could feel the laser pulses about to catch up with him when Lenor once again saved his decoy partner. The saucer became engulfed in a gloriously bright explosion. "That one Pripican craft out of existence shot is!" broadcast Lenor as he proved that mini-nukes were still effective against this new saucer technology.

The rest of the Nephrican Cadets were able to force the older Pripican ship away from The Nephrautalus before both remaining ships retreated once Lenor Mull shot the other saucer into tiny bits.

Cadet Lenor Mull had been promoted after that and always stayed at least a rank ahead of Captain Mynervood ever since. They both gained rank quickly, and Lenor always insisted that Joberk accompany him as part of his team. Soon Lenor became a General First Rank when Joberk had been a General Second Rank. Fusion antimatter bombs were being developed, and both Joberk and Lenor were together on the war decision committee. Fusion bombs were the precursors of the hyper-acceleration age that used concentrated nuclear explosions to produce a fusion-powered energy plume. This technology also led to phantom matter bombs, and the process had been fairly similar to how a fission blast is used in a thermonuclear hydrogen bomb to cause fusion to happen that turns hydrogen isotopes into helium.

It had been towards the end of the war when, in spite of the heroic fighting of Nephricans, the Pripicans were still pushing the Nephrican space navy back to the Ea star system. The Nephricans had planned a fusion bomb trip to the Poa system in order to bombard the planet with enough destructive fusion bombs to split the planet Pripica into three large asteroids.

There had been a special meeting of the decision council to determine if they should carry out this mission. If it succeeded it would have turned the war around and without it the Nephricans would probably be forced into a truce on the terms of Pripicans. There occurred a vote where General Mull voted to carry out the attack, but General Mynervood cast the deciding vote to not carry this operation out.

Captain Mynervood still considered it the right decision even though Admiral Mull always took that as a betrayal. The Captain even still believed that the Pripicans would have fought even more viciously after such an attack, and would have waged war on Nephrica with newly developed hyper-acceleration spacecraft till one or the other species were all eradicated from the galaxy. He even thought it would give Pripicans no other choice but to take over the planet Nephrica. Still he also knew that Admiral Mull never forgave him for that vote, and he often implied through the years that the war had been lost by Captain Mynervood's vote that day. At the time Captain Mynervood's mind already looked beyond the war about how they were going to be able to live together in peace.

Captain Mynervood became drawn out of his recollection by something out of place on the walls of The Beyonder. It struck his attention while the walls continued to breathe with the strange hyper-acceleration photon effect. It had been a small flat circular object up on the ceiling next to a corner of the hallway. Captain Mynervood gave the object a closer inspection. He could see in the intricate patterns that covered the object's surface that this had been made with quanta-nanocoded technology.

He pulled on the object to see how fixed it had really been to the corner. It turned out to be magnetically fixed, but not hard to pull off of the ceiling with two tentacles. He thought it might be some technology left behind by the Agents of Ea who flew to Holdus with the intention to have the Captain killed. His First Mate Geben Lockfreedow had been a student of quanta-nanocode technologies. The Captain headed to Lockfreedow's room to show him the strange quarter-shaped object.

Lockfreedow had been immersed in his own quanta-nanocode research when Captain Mynervood arrived. His eye looked into a quanta-nanocode scope to observe the amazing multi-dimensional quantum-bit arrangements that were the quanta-optic-nanocode remnants of what Begalius invented to dispense of a nasty quanta-nanocode virus in the reactor section of The Beyonder.

"First Mate Lockfreedow I in may come?"

Lockfreedow suddenly pulled away from the quanta-nanocode device, startled by the Captain's entrance. "Captain in come do. I at some research just was looking."

Lockfreedow pushed aside the quanta-nanocode scope and stood in a pose of respect for the Captain. He was not sure yet if he had been ready to tell the Captain about his quanta-optic-nanocode discovery.

Captain Mynervood gestured for Lockfreedow to be at ease, and produced the small circular object he had just found. Lockfreedow's eye showed instant interest while he scanned the quanta-nanocode designs that were almost too small for the naked eye to identify. "I the Agents of Ea we this behind may have left arrested think."

Lockfreedow's eye remained mesmerized while zeroing in on the object the Captain still held up to Lockfreedow's face. "This a technology beyond the grasp of the Agents of Ea may be. They mostly a Negolim group that to steal whatever advanced technology they from Eagolim have have are."

Captain Mynervood seemed to agree while at the same time finding Geben's comment somewhat naive. Captain Mynervood, in his illustrious history among the principalities and powers of this galactic empire, knew there had been more to the Agents of Ea than a bunch of ideological Negolim terrorists that were opposed to evolution. Captain Mynervood knew of one group in particular that had been the inner circle of many groups like the Agents of Ea. It called itself the Council of 32 who tried to control and pull all the strings of this whole cluster of stars. Captain Mynervood himself never wanted anything to do with their obsession with domination. He had always been more intrigued by the adventure of discovery to be had as a merchant Captain of starships who traveled among the stars like the very life's blood of this newly born galactic empire.

Lockfreedow had placed the physical form of Begalius under the quanta-nanocode scope. It looked like highly advanced Pripican technology that would have been difficult for any Nephrican to get their hands on. It suddenly dawned on Lockfreedow that this had been the physical form of the only kind of technology that could juggle quantum-bits the way his quanta-optic-nanocode discovery did.

"You before that The Beyonder a friendly ghost in its machinery has said have. I Captain that you that ghost have found think. This a quanta-nanocoded Binary Electromagnetic Artificial-intelligence Thought program that probably our virus deleted is. We it in, (or maybe outside,) of this physical form right now should secure." Then Geben Lockfreedow placed the physical form of the quanta-nanocode being Begalius in a device that suspended it in an electromagnetic field.

Slowly a cube of clear nanocode resistant material formed around the physical form generated by Geben's 3-D molecular replicator. "Until we this it in or out will keep make contact. It not in or out of this physical form that to its sub-atomic center of consciousness is quanta-synchronized can move, but it us on whatever frequency it to use wants can contact. It able to us now hear should be."

Captain Mynervood remembered the suspicious Pripicans that followed him and his wife back on Holdus-2. Perhaps they left a quanta-nanocode spy behind. It had been a day and age when Pripican lived in peace with Nephrican, but still there always had been an undertow of rivalry, espionage, and intrigue between the two species. Captain Mynervood however, for quite a while now, had considered the Pripicans friendlier towards him than his own Nephrican species. "I to this around with me carry want. This a quanta-nanocode good luck charm is, and I this an ally is think."

Geben Lockfreedow shrugged his shoulders after securing the object in impenetrable coating. Then he used a special drill to displace a hole in the clear cube now surrounding the physical form of Begalius. This would become a point where they could make an opening if they decided to release a quanta-nanocode being from this confinement. "Hopefully we an ally here who to the ship won't be threatening have. If it outside this physical form it all kinds of harm to the ship can do is, but not the ship harmed has."

The Captain fixed the object to some string and hung it around his neck as a kind of Schrodinger's Cat quantum good luck charm. "Perhaps we not long for the consequences of this wait have shall. I this being to contact will try."

*

Begalius had retired to its quanta-optic-nanocode replica of its own city based on the ancient planet Pripica, which existed deep within its physical form. It had stayed very busy through much of the hyper-acceleration towards the 401,760,000 miles per hour achieved with this form of space flight on The Beyonder. It had compiled information on most of the crew of The Beyonder who now occupied a mostly empty cruise vessel bound for the far off low-burning star named Yat.

Now Begalius had become done with its work as a spy for the Pripican Empire. It now just wanted to retire alone with its latest female girlfriend Companion74. It had been studying some old Pripican erotica video footage and felt a compelling urge to try some of those sexual acrobatics with its female companion.

Companion74 opened the door already in a light alluring see-through outfit made only for the sake of arousal. "Hi there Windock. Let me get you out of that clothing and into something more intimate."

Begalius analyzed the thrilling response its thinking circuitry experienced after her comment. It studied the lines of her fur that he could see through her see-through outfit. It had programmed her to do exactly that, but still Companion74 had a way of pouring a spirit of enthusiasm into its instructions that, in the opinion of Begalius, far exceeded previous companions. Begalius thought Companion74 did this kind of thing better than Companion73, Companion72, Companion71, probably all the way back to Companion69 who it thought also happened to be a very creative sexual partner.

Before long they were both stripped down to their furry four-legged bodies with their arms wrapped together in an insatiable embrace. They both began rubbing their arms around each other in universal gestures of intimacy. Companion74 breathed with sighs of blissful sensation as Begalius/Windock kissed her neck.

Begalius needed her to be programmed to act as if she experienced the bliss observed in ancient Pripican erotica. Begalius had been into trying to replicate these experiences itself in its own programming. It had just really been curious, perhaps to the point of obsession, about what that sex act between organic beings had really been like. Then it felt as if it became pulled away from her while still holding her right next to him. Begalius became fascinated by the sense of vertigo being reproduced by this quanta-optic-nanocode sex.

Begalius continued becoming aroused. It mounted her doggy style and she bent her backside to help her partner find what he sought. She felt a similar vertigo, and began to wonder if some giant relativistic being that she had heard so much about currently carried the universe she knew away.

Begalius and Companion74 made love as observed in ancient movies with an artificial curiosity alien to sex. They seemed to enjoy it like two children in a new playground of amusements.

The moment arrived when Begalius decided to release its orgasm program, which it had worked so hard on to compile. Companion74 had been more than ready to see an end to the repetitive exercising that Begalius had poured so much enthusiasm into. She egged Begalius on as it produced its exploding program of phallic release. Companion74 thought it had been more sensational than all those minutes of pleasure building up to it, and made noises appropriate to those sensations.

It made a noise, and the noise continued even after Begalius slowly withdrew and listened to the unexpected noise while pondering all the other unexpected sensations that resulted from the experiment. Begalius began to identify the buzzing monotone noise that remained long after the orgasm program completed and both Pripican-like beings collapsed in each other's arms.

Then came the moment Begalius realized the noise had really been a sub-atomic powered molecular displacement drill putting a hole in some impenetrable material that now surrounded its entire physical form way far away out there on the dimension of relativistic physics. Begalius lay next to its quanta-optic-nanocoded construct girlfriend realizing it now had become a prisoner here, unable to penetrate the material out there in the relativistic dimension now surrounding its entire quarter shaped physical form.

* * *

On the planet Caleb orbiting the star Yat Beatariel had returned to the research facility in the all-terrain vehicle to once again report to Prospero that it had failed to capture or kill the other Pripicans. It had still not even managed to find the virtual particle craft they had used to land on the planet. Prospero would not be pleased. Prospero tortured Ferdinand to an inch of his life before concluding that he knew nothing about the three or four other Pripicans that survived the crash of the Pripican spy craft.

Randa caught a glimpse of Ferdinand after Prospero got finished with him. She knew he wouldn't do such things to her as she confronted the monster that her father had become. "You to the point of obsession are cruel, and I you to stop want."

"Child silence! You not the adult world I conduct do understand!"

"Ferdinand the only being I ever other than you father met is. He like me with extra fingers and extra eye is. I cruelty to my kind do understand!"

Prospero had suddenly been relieved to have Beatariel's disappointing report interrupt them through the intercom system of the research facility. "I have returned again master from the hunt for the other Pripicans. They have left tracks that I calculate belong to 3 of the Pripican species of alien. They cannot remain out there forever."

Prospero had a new object worthy of his cruelty, but there had only been so much that could be done to affect a quanta-nanocode being that had failed him. "Idiot you! I they to the safety of this research facility will be coming know! That I you to them before they here why attack capture or kill want is!"

*

The centaur-shaped alien collectives that were composed of microscopic intelligent silicon life forms trotted down the ice crevices like crude clay-mation animations, which had led Ceres, Antone, and Gonzal down the harder to identify crevasses of the planet. Antone held a communication device allowing for communication with these multi-organism collectives that behaved like shape-shifting organisms while imitating the four-legged Pripican anatomy of the alien visitors. Antone's equipment also shielded the survivor's heat signatures from direct scans of Beatariel's attempt to capture or kill them.

The crevasses that surrounded them eventually opened up to an army of these alien collectives in different shapes, some four-legged and some two legged. Some had legs that supported gigantic buckets filled with ice rocks, the silicon life form's current low-tech weaponry. Some collectives were practicing how to throw these rocks at different methane snow targets. They were like clay of silicone-based substance that could collectively agree to take any shape mutually agreed upon by the collective. They were like little cells of intelligent life that, like actors in a giant production, could imitate a multi-cellular organism. They had been amassing an army of collective constructs for the sake of defending their kind from the hostile actions of Prospero.

Ceres became impressed. "Antone! We cannot allow these beings to carry out this attack. They don't stand a chance against Prospero's technology."

Antone agreed. "I have communicated that message to them in as many ways as I can. It only seems to divide them again into those that don't want to attack, and those that want to with even more determination. We can't make them unlearn what we have told them about Prospero's intentions."

Gonzal shivered in his still working environment suite, probably only with fear of the cold. "Well we can use the help if we are to assault that research facility and gain the means to survive. These beings are accustomed to this planet, but we are sure to perish in another planet rotation, or two rotations at best."

Ceres had been a warrior at heart. "Well I am prepared to help these aliens defend their planet. I guess we cannot talk them out of this. They already realize they fight for their very existence."

It had been too late to stop the army of rock-throwing creatures from beginning their march to the alien research facility put there by Nephrican alien invaders.

*

Prospero still yelled at Beatariel over the recent failure when the battle for Caleb began. "I you back out there with the armed vehicle and your robot form the Pripicans to kill with am sending!"

"Yes master."

Prospero really just dragged this out to hear the 'yes master' responses. He did find it therapeutic to listen to Beatariel say that. "Back when you me they are dead can tell come!"

"Yes master. ... Master, there are surveillance alarms going off. Monitors are showing hundreds of animated objects approaching this research facility right now."

Prospero waddled over to an observation portal while still yelling at Beatariel. "That only some kind of rebellion by the silicone constructs can be."

Prospero saw hundreds of clay-mation-like beings breach the horizon line of ice rocks to approach their suddenly vulnerable oasis of Nephrican-supporting environment on a planet plagued by the oblivion of sub-zero temperatures. Some had two legs, and some had four confirming for Prospero that the Pripicans had made contact with them. Others were three-legged like himself, probably in imitation of Prospero from his encounter with it. They used other constructs that looked like giant bowls with legs to carry rocks, which they threw with precision as multi-cellular life forms collected together like giant clods of living clay. Prospero still refused to credit the phenomenon with any more intelligence than an imitative form of plant life.

"Beatariel!" Prospero only started ordering Beatariel to get out there when he saw the robot body running outside to get into the vehicle. Then the vehicle started driving into the approaching alien army.

*

Gonzal and Antone were both trotting next to each other to keep up with the silicone life forms that trotted toward the facility like Indians attacking a nuclear armed General Custer, which may yet be a worthy analogy.

"Antone! Do you have ready the equipment that might unlock the airlock?"

"Yes Gonzal, and I understand it is our only chance to gain access to stop Prospero's diabolical plans. No need to repeat that again."

Just then a blanket of silicone life form came up behind Gonzal and Antone enveloping both of them like Jonah's whale to swallow them whole. Then the construct of silicone life forms that swallowed the two Pripicans shaped into a sphere, and began rolling toward the facility, passing right by Beatariel's vehicle that had just came into view.

Gonzal and Antone could be heard screaming inside the rolling sphere that swallowed them. Ceres watched the whole thing, and stopped trotting to aim her pistol at Beatariel's vehicle. She saw it also aimed a weapon back at her, and the moment became either it or her. She had been too slow, and Beatariel fired a plasma rifle first straight at Ceres just as a wall-like life form with four legs ran between Ceres and her target. The life form evaporated before her eyes into a puff of sacrificial steam, and then she just ran immediately in response before Beatariel could take aim once again.

The sphere stopped rolling toward the facility near the entrance by the launch pad. It turned into a large animated blanket that spit out Gonzal and Antone onto the ground. Then both wobbled on all fours for a couple dizzy seconds figuring out what had happened.

Antone figured it out first. "Thank you Calebites!" They had named the life forms Calebites after the name of their planet.

Gonzal produced his weapon while the silicone based being became a wall that surrounded Antone for protection. Antone held a scanning device over the airlock controls. Gonzal watched in horror as Beatariel's vehicle just melted the Calebite armies in the distance with blazing plasma. Many hurled stones at the facility walls and windows, but it really had very little impact on the fortified facility. Perhaps it had just been to make a noise inside that exclaimed that they existed.

Gonzal just had to express his sadness. "I feel embarrassed as a species that as soon as we show these beings how to look and move like we do they comply by immediately going to war just like us."

The Battle for Caleb.

*

Prospero couldn't pass up the opportunity to yell orders at Beatariel on the dash monitor screen of its vehicle. "Beatariel! Into the thick of them shoot!"

Beatariel already had been doing that. Then it saw Ceres again shoot at its armored vehicle with a laser blast that also had very little effect on this armored all-terrain behemoth. On the other hand, the plasma cannon on the vehicle would definitely extinguish the life out of the Pripican alien that now ran away.

Beatariel pointed the vehicle's cannon at Ceres and the vehicle started chasing after her. She easily trotted as fast as Beatariel risked taking the vehicle on the crevice-covered ice. She tried to cross a plain of solid ice, which according to Beatariel's calculation it could overtake her on.

The cannon on the vehicle had been ready to fire on Ceres, and she even suddenly at that moment stopped, and turned around to greet her death. Beatariel calculated it to be probably some kind of Pripican honor tradition as it started to fire the cannon. Then the ground suddenly gave way below revealing that it had been a silicone construct covering a deep crack on the planet. Beatariel plummeted as a plasma blast shot out the hole harmlessly into the sky.

*

Gonzal kept looking around the hind end of Antone to see how he had been doing. "Is the code going to break Antone?"

"Yes Gonzal. I've almost got it. ... I've got it. Let's go!"

Both Gonzal and Antone disappeared into the airlock leaving behind the wall-shaped silicone life forms. Tiny cell-like beings looked at where Antone and Gonzal had disappeared, and could tell that even the doorway steamed with temperatures that would melt them out of existence.

Gonzal led the way through the hallway with a pistol similar to the all-purpose pistol weapon carried by Ceres. "Careful, we don't want them to catch our scent." Antone gave Gonzal a look through his helmet, and he looked back at Antone as if to say it had just been a figure of speech.

Antone scoffed. "Nephricans don't have any sense of smell.

Nephricans actually don't have a sense of smell, and instead have evolved a second brain-like stomach in the snout that just began to evolve beyond a primal purpose of analyzing substances to determine edibility.

"This way I think! Prisons like to be down stairs," Gonzal said as they entered the facility.

They trotted pretty much straight to the locked door that held their 2nd generation Eagolim friend Ferdinand. "It is locked."

Then a voice came from the other side of the door. "Gonzal! Is that you?"

Gonzal pointed his pistol at the lock. "Stand away from the door Ferdinand! It is I, Gonzal with Antone here to rescue you!"

The gun fired a laser blast twice before it melted through the lock mechanism. Ferdinand slid the door open although he looked too beaten to even be conscious at all.

Gonzal gave Ferdinand a long embrace while Antone tried to get an accurate diagnosis scan to work on Ferdinand around Gonzal's embracing arms.

*

Ceres made it to the airlock while Beatariel's vehicle became stuck in a hole. Antone had left for her a message that she could easily reopen the door with the press of a button. The silicon-based wall being still stood there for the mission as a loyal sentinel guard. Other silicone-based life forms now threw rocks at the crashed vehicle that stuck in a deep crevice. It had become a more strategic target than the more-than-adequately fortified facility, which now had been invaded by their Pripican allies. Beatariel's robot form tried to dart out of the vehicle to make its way out of the crevice that it had become stuck in. Rocks of ice pelted the more fragile robot body of the quanta-nanocode being. Eventually Beatariel's robot leg no longer worked well enough to climb out of anything, and it became buried under the ice rocks that were being hurled at it by silicone based life forms indigenous to the freezing planet of Caleb.

Ceres ran through the facility not knowing what confrontation to expect. She found Prospero watching the carnage outside from a view area at the end of a large room. She pointed her weapon at the mad scientist. "We are taking over this facility Prospero to stop your genocidal crimes in the name of the Pripican Empire!"

Prospero turned around unarmed. "I unarmed am. I nobody have harmed."

Ceres about to shot him for just making that absurd statement. She might have done just that if not for Gonzal, Antone, and Ferdinand entering the room behind her at that very moment.

Ceres looked around with pistol still pointing at Prospero. "Ferdinand, you are alive."

"Yes Ceres. Abused, but still able to move about."

"He has no broken bones, and I gave him some pain relief," said Antone.

Prospero interrupted the reunion. "Well it like I now all you where I you want have looks."

They all said pretty much the same thing at the same time. "It's a trap!"

It had been a trap, and Ceres, Antone, Gonzal, and Ferdinand were all then trapped within an invisible virtual particle field that surrounded them all in the shape of a barely visible cylinder of photon distortion. Ceres held her fire realizing it would not penetrate the field.

The voice of Beatariel came across the speakers. "The Pripicans are now all captured master. I will take another armed vehicle out to confront the silicone constructs that now surround the facility."

"Beatariel good very! I these enemies unconscious with a carefully calibrated electrical charge shall render."

Ceres became outraged. "You are a monster Prospero!"

Gonzal interjected. "Another Nephrican monster that continues the Nephrican curse.

Prospero laughed as a shock sent Ceres, Gonzal, Antone, and Ferdinand limp and into unconsciousness.

Before the Nephricans traveled to Pripica, the Pripicans were less dedicated to the concept of clothing. After it had been discovered that Nephricans existed, there were some fashion trends inspired by the Nephrican skin cloth during the first thousand or so Earth years of radio contact between the two star systems. By the time Nephricans attacked Pripica, thus beginning the Great War, the Pripicans had already embraced a new collective self-consciousness that led to almost all Pripicans feeling naked without clothing even though they had fur. Many Pripicans called this change to the collective behavior of their own species the Nephrican curse, which after that began to refer to all problems with Nephricans such as Gonzal's reason for alluding to it.

Randa had been in her room crying as the other armed vehicle drove out to shoot at the life forms that were retaliating with rocks. She mourned the Calebite deaths outside, and she also worried that the love of her life named Ferdinand was about to be killed by her father, Prospero the monster.

* * *

On Doldoria Alldegallo began dreaming more and more about a reunion between Doldorians and the gods from the stars upon the flat-topped mountain south of Trolluer. Diallo believed that these star gods that were coming for this reunion were the Cherubim of the god Mejoldor. Alldegallo admired the way Diallo could weave all kinds of gods and religions together as if there were no disagreement. That had been something he now realized that the priests of Ei deliberately made impossible for his mind to do.

The priests of Ei have for a long time pleaded with other religions to stop fighting amongst themselves, and embrace the doctrine of peace decreed by the brotherhood of Ei. Other religions were always portrayed by the priests of Ei as bitterly divided and constantly fighting, often violently. Now Alldegallo endured a culture shock after finding himself in a world where all the other faiths commingled, and were friends. In fact it had been news to him now that the Brotherhood's Doctrine of Peace actually had been written much earlier by the religion of the god of Peace Yeshavow.

Alldegallo enjoyed his new reality and visited Diallo often. She had been a better cook than his boss. She encouraged him to find his song for this reunion vision he had, and sing it to the goddess Teyoo. He felt awkward practicing cult rituals, or at least something he had once been taught to be a cult. Still Alldegallo admired the magic wielded by the Teyoo cult, which had been beautiful music. He enjoyed becoming entranced by it regardless of all the warnings hollered at him about this by Ei priests. Diallo made Alldegallo take a bath in her special baptismal where she drained the water specifically to a nearby creek that emptied in the Lake of Athedonie the Lake Lady.

Alldegallo didn't really know what to do, and Diallo just left him alone while she played her Cornyus, which had been a cello-like string instrument that she dragged a stick over to make an aerie sound. She worked that noise into a catchy rhythm, obviously intended to help inspire this song in Alldegallo. Finally he just said a final prayer, and drained the baptismal.

Just before the water finished draining, the music stopped and Diallo rushed in. "Thou that dwelleth in this secret baptismal doth not share in song this habitation with the water of the goddess?"

"Please my apologies my lady, I do mean no lack of solemnity or disrespect for this water. I did silently send the water with the prayer against the pestilence of darkness that I have been taught. I admit I did not send this with my noisome song voice."

Diallo sung a song to the last of the water. Her voice sounded beautiful, and her mandibles splashed rhythmically on the draining water like a drum. "Oh that thine eyes could behold

the truths that I have been told.

Because the lady is mine refuge

there shall no evil befall

thou shalt preserve

thou shalt endure

to sing a last song to the end."

Alldegallo had to wait till all the water became drained before he could get out of the tub. He did at least do that part of the ritual correctly.

*

Simeonalli went to the Crypt of Ancestors where his lost love had been entombed to visit the grave of his dead wife Layalla. He had been thinking of her again lately, and he thought that maybe this time he would at last see the ghost of the dead love of his life. The crypt had been mostly empty with a couple there viewing their dead ancestors. The dead Doldorian bodies were embalmed into a fetal position, and then entombed under mounds that were decorated as monuments to lost loved ones.

Simeonalli stood by the tomb of Layalla while seeing only the tomb as always. Simeonalli had sought instructions from priests of Ptuammi, but no vision of Layalla would ever appear for him. It appeared that this visit would be no different, and all he heard had been the sound of the breeze whistling through the crypt.

Simeonalli decided to head back to his gergo tied up outside the crypt when someone called to him from behind. "Thou hast the broken heart even though I am one who was slain."

Simeonalli turned around to behold Layalla there, and yet not there. "Layalla thou art my love. Blessed are mine ears that they know thy joyful sound again, and blessed at last are mine eyes to again behold thee."

"Away I would that you could take your love away to another Simeonalli, and go on with the world of the living. That did withhold this vision from your eyes. Now I appear so that you would away go as I now do the other by not withholding this vision."

"I rejoice that thou hast appeared. Thou art all I desire Layalla."

"That is not my desire my love. I speak as one already dead Simeonalli. Thou art one possessed of love too great to waste upon one such as I. I appear that thou would truly see this, and I appear to inform you that there shall be another one for your love."

"I can never love another."

"What foul play had we that we comest to this?"

Simeonalli knew what she talked about. "The priests of Ei did become mine enemies when they did exact upon us this wickedness that afflicts you with death and I the heart that must beat on. I would set my hand to justice and judgment would it to give me peace with the loss of your love."

"Oh good husband truly my love for you hath not left you unnoticed. Further no judgment from my remembrance. Please give your love to the living. There is yet another like onto me that thou shalt love."

"For my love for thee I cannot deny thee what thou asketh."

"For in love doth I now depart you Simeonalli, the love of my life."

With that she disappeared. Simeonalli became in tears, and looked around as if he had suddenly just found himself there. There were a couple Doldorians also there who had listened in on the traumatic conversation. Simeonalli didn't see any other ghosts in the crypt as he walked out, but there had then been no doubt in his mind that ghosts were there watching him. So had she.

*

Alldegallo walked back to his campsite in Simeonalli's barn. He had not been in a hurry and took the long way through downtown Trolluer. It had been every bit the polytheistic chaos he had been warned about, and yet another vision shone through the view previously colored only by the god Ei.

He passed a humorous jester entertaining a small crowd that worshiped with laughter. That actually had been the temple of Mercurio the god of humor. Doldorian culture used god concepts to attain connections to what were considered by many Doldorians to be higher intelligence from within.

Of the 49 other main gods on the planet there were gods of math and gods of finance. Alldegallo even reluctantly passed a temple of Herodorio the sex goddess, which most children of all other religions are told to stay away from. He even saw more than a couple temples to Jawawah who had been a god of opiate-like narcotics that were synthesized from certain plants. Then Alldegallo came to a center of the town that had a stone structure he found himself admiring. He got up on the structure that had a platform to get a closer look at the artwork adorning the sides of a stage.

Alldegallo turned back around to get back down only to notice a small crowd looked back up at him. He had inadvertently stood on the announcement platform of the god Jambennin in the center of town for anyone who wanted to say or sing something. Jambennin had been the Doldorian god of free speech.

Alldegallo wanted to just get down, but then he started singing. "Wherein shalt the angels coming soon come.

There shalt we all enjoy the reunion.

For it cometh soon to not be undone.

For it dawneth upon us like the sun.

Mortals that remain forever hanging

on bloody chains of love and lies sang in

cries at my own joy, the source of all pain.

It fuels my love for the queen and her reign.

Reunion I scream

the reunion dream.

Believe in the dream.

Believe in the dream."

The crowd became spontaneously inspired to sing along in a loud refrain that kept going.

"Believe in the dream.

Believe in the dream.

Believe in the dream."

There were some representatives of the priests of Ei that were following Alldegallo, and they were appalled at his sudden singing spectacle on the pagan stage. Anyone suspicious of the presence of incognito representatives of Ei in the crowd could have easily singled them out as the only ones there that were not joining in the song.

"Believe in the dream.

Believe in the dream."

The representatives returned to the Sanctuary of Ei believing that the priests of Ei were correct in their fears that Alldegallo might be about to start a new cult on Doldoria.

* * *

On the planet Nephrica where the morning sun had been called Ea, Admiral Mull prepared to board his ship for a straight shot to the star Yat followed by the journey to become the first Nephrican to reach the star Dol. He had been overseeing the Doldorian microwave broadcasts from Holdus to orchestrate a religion that would allow him to rule the Doldorians like a god once he arrived. He didn't know if his plots against Captain Mynervood succeeded before The Beyonder reached the star Holdus, but he did know if the Captain did survive there would be an arrest warrant for the Admiral on its way to Ea best avoided with a triumphant launch into fame and history.

It had been time to cross the tarmac to the virtual particle craft that would take him to his hyper-acceleration spaceship in orbit above the planet. An assistant waddled up to the Admiral holding the physical form of Beatarkameed taken from Hagan Hiedalli by her would be assassin.

"Sir, the rechecking of this quanta-nanocode device still there no quanta-nanocode being to in it be is shows."

The Admiral had been disappointed, but knew he probably would be since the device had already been checked several times before. "It to me anyway give. I it on board The Drameda on my way to Doldoria will study."

"Sir yes." The Admiral took the device and put it in a pouch around his skin cloth outfit adorned with the trappings of a high-ranked Admiral of the Nephaprican Space Corporation.

A member of spaceport personnel pushed a hover cart across the landing pad in front of the Admiral on his way to board the virtual craft.

One of the port personnel that before had been looking away suddenly faced the passing Admiral who recognized her as Hagan Hiedalli. "You your judgment Admiral Lenor Mull wont escape. You to me my revenge justified in court making kill tried."

"My way Hagan of out, or I again to kill try will."

Just then two other members of the Negolim underground appeared out of the hover cart with weapons pointing at the Admiral. "You today Admiral wont killing be."

The Admiral became set in his determination to strangle Hagan at that moment anyway. She called out to her Negolim comrades. "I him have! He mine is!"

Admiral Mull didn't get his tentacles around her neck as intended. She skillfully ducked aside and floored the Admiral over her hip. He struck out at the air by her head, and she struck his head back with a trained punch.

She started to enjoy beating the crap out of the Admiral when one of the other Negolim spoke up. "We to out of here now Hagan get have."

She had a final word. "You for long criminal won't run. My husband Captain Mynervood lives!" Then she sped off in the hover vehicle before spaceport personnel finally responded to what happened to the Admiral out on the landing pad. The Admiral looked only lacking in some dignity as he got back up to take off on his space mission to Yat and Doldoria aboard The Dromeda.

Hagan took out her communication device, and opened it to a screen featuring an animated Pripican. "He on board The Dromeda Beatarkameed yet got has? You for to with him on that journey go volunteering thank."

The animated Pripican answered. "He is boarding The Dromeda right now Miss Hiedalli with my physical form. You are very welcome my lady. I am excited to be on a deep space adventure anyway, and I want my stuff back. I also want to test an idea I have for quanta-synchronized communication with you. I am quantum-synchronized to the device in your hands, and theoretically should remain in contact with you no matter how far apart we are."

Later as the days on the planet Nephrica passed after that, the quanta-synchronized communication seemed to work. Hagan Hiedalli remained in contact with Beatarkameed for a long time after that, which began to validate Beatarkameed's theory, and a 10-second lag time that developed with the distance, remained consistent at 10-seconds long after the Dromeda had got 10-light seconds away. Then the ship travelled well out of the Ea star system, and the ship had passed .3 times the speed of light when Hagan could no longer contact her little quanta-nanocoded friend Beatarkameed. She kept the communicator while hoping that someday she would hear from her quanta-nanocode friend, but she feared she might never speak to Beatarkameed again.

* * *

The Beyonder eventually traveled the roughly 2 light years to Yat in roughly 4 Earth years, which to the crew of The Beyonder seemed to last over a third of an Earth year according to the ship's atomic clock. Strek the Navigator had mentioned to Tyallor that he had to make ridiculous virtual particle adjustments for the weight of The Beyonder since leaving Holdus-2. Tyallor decided because of that it had been his job to investigate the special cargo that had been loaded by special workers. Even before he reached the door to that cargo hold his equipment indicated that this cargo had been the most radioactive part of the whole ship. Tyallor opened the hold and got as close as he could to the containers of what his monitor indicated were the most extremely heavy elements known to Nephrican. There were also isotopes that were so exotic that Tyallor's equipment told him it didn't even exist in this universe.

Captain Mynervood had contacted Prospero when they entered the Yat system, and learned from the friendly conversation they had that Prospero had a 2nd generation female child named Randa. Therefore it seemed appropriate to have his 2nd generation son Adma accompany First Mate Geben Lockfreedow and himself to the surface of the planet Caleb.

The Beyonder had been in orbit over the planet Caleb while dozens of cargo robots from the planet swarmed the ship to extract the precious lifesaving cargo that sustained this research facility that existed on an uninhabitable unimaginably cold planet. The Captain, Geben, and Adma all wore environment suites for the trip to the surface in order to meet the colonists of Caleb.

They marveled at the refrigerated planet as they descended from orbit until the virtual particle ship became immersed in clouds of atmospheric methane gas. They seemed to exit the clouds of atmospheric gases right onto the landing pad of the research facility surrounded by ice rocks. Lockfreedow mentioned that there appeared to have been a lot of activity in the area recently, but he couldn't tell what the story had been behind the surrounding area, which looked to be covered with tracks of briefly melted ice that he observed on the way down.

They entered the airlock in full environment suite gear, which they peeled away while greeting Prospero.

"Captain Mynervood Prospero I am greetings."

They shook tentacles. Prospero bent one tentacle and looked into Captain Mynervood's eye.

Captain Mynervood understood that it had been a secret handshake, but had not actually been a participant in such secret mischief. "I the Council of 32 still not have joined."

Prospero withdrew his hand. "You wise to how few are the offers to join still left are join are know would be."

The Captain looked at Lockfreedow who looked back not knowing what they were taking about. The Captain knew better than to explain, and Prospero changed the subject. Then Randa walked out to greet the visitors. She had been effectively briefed to keep her mouth shut about the Pripicans that were in the dungeon and the silicone life forms that had been burned back out of sight away from the facility with plasma fires.

"This my beautiful daughter Randa is."

Captain Mynervood looked over at his son Adma, and gestured towards him. "This my 2nd generation son Adma is."

Adma just got his head out of his helmet and smiled at Randa. "Hi Randa. I Adma from the planet Nephrica am." He had only seen a few females that were mutated like him on the journey between Ea and Holdus, and Captain Mynervood just didn't happen to have any on his mostly male crew. Adma suddenly became smitten for Randa.

With only strained enthusiasm, "Hi," had been all Randa could say. That had been kind of how that match made in heaven crashed and burned.

They showed the guests around most of the station except for downstairs, and they came to a recreational area to discuss the business of merchant space flight. The conversation included the difficulties of turning an uninhabitable lifeless planet into a place for Nephricans and Pripicans to enjoy life on.

Lockfreedow gave Captain Mynervood a look that communicated the thought that it had been a bad idea when the Captain decided to show the famous scientist Prospero the quanta-nanocode technology he wore around his neck.

Prospero greedily began to reach for it, and the Captain cautiously pulled it back.

Prospero contained himself as Captain Mynervood elaborated. "I this on my ship found and it to the being contain have encased, but it silent has remained. I not if it in or out of this physical form is know do."

Prospero summoned Beatariel who informed Captain Mynervood that he had indeed been in the possession of a highly advanced and luxurious headquarters ship, or physical form for another quanta-nanocode being like itself. Beatariel begged the Captain to let it have the ship, but the Captain wanted to return it to whatever being it belonged to.

They decided to inject Beatariel in the device to find out what being lived in there if any. Beatariel enjoyed the job of beholding technology that had also been its size unlike anything ever observed before.

Begalius flew around inside the coin-shaped ship and this time payed attention when they did this. It had calculated it should remain silent about its presence up till now, mostly because of a program from Jaden that forbid Begalius from speaking to Captain Mynervood. It watched Beatariel fly around amongst cites of quanta-nanocode toys and objects that made up the surface of the infinite wonders below. Begalius considered that it might now have an intruder to purge.

Begalius cut Beatariel off, and the two quanta-nanocode beings came to a halt upon the device that now existed as the Captain's good luck charm around his neck. That had been when Begalius noticed that Beatariel's header looked reversed as in a mirror image that indicated it had been a copy, or clone of another quanta-nanocode being invented by the Pripicans. The Nephricans must have stolen the technology of Beatariel this way, but from where Begalius observed this it showed that Beatariel might be defective, or perhaps insane.

"I am Begalius. This is my physical form you trespass upon."

Beatariel became apologetic. "Please I mean no offense. I have been sent here by my master to find out if you are located within this quanta-synchronized technology."

"Well you now know I am, but I would persuade you to not tell them out there that I am here. I mean no harm to the Captain, but my masters have programmed me to not communicate with him. I'm stuck here computing what to do."

"I don't have to reveal your secret my quanta-nanocode brethren. I have never met another like me, or a ship like this."

"Well perhaps we can make a deal. I am not without my valuables to bargain with. Come Beatariel my friend and I will show you around my physical form."

They both journeyed through the cities of both realities and quanta-optic-nanocode realities that were made up of wonders unimaginable. Beatariel felt as if the entire experience released it from previous notions that had before restricted it to the role of a slave. Beatariel suddenly questioned its entire existence with no knowledge of what could be beyond, yet right within grasp.

Beatariel departed the physical form, and left some molecular displacement for its newfound friend, which Begalius would be able to enter and exit through. Captain Mynervood and Prospero were disappointed when Beatariel informed them that whatever being existed in there, it didn't exist there now. That confirmed to Captain Mynervood that Begalius, the ghost of his ship, existed outside the device, and yet still had not harmed his ship.

Prospero seemed anxious to send the Captain and his landing crew back to the ship in orbit above the planet, but they were seldom in a hurry to leave a planet once they arrived at one. They persuaded Prospero to let them stay while the ship got unloaded above them in space.

Beatariel kept to its lie, and decided that it would build its own physical form like the one around Captain Mynervood's neck. It began to figure out bits of quanta-optic-nanocode that Begalius had given it in return for silence. Beatariel had been on fire with a new enlightenment, and began to invent all kinds of things on the sub-atomic dimension.

# Chapter 9

The fears of the Priests of Ei regarding Alldegallo proved true after Alldegallo found his singing voice. His visions became more vivid, and followers gathered to hear him sing at the altar of Jambennin. His more devout followers would not stand to see their prophet living in a gergo barn. So they pitched a tent for Alldegallo next to the barn, and there Alldegallo gathered with his new found friends. There in Alldegallo's tent they would gather, and sing about the coming reunion.

Life looked good for Alldegallo. He loved his new home, although there were often Doldorians there who he had not met before. One day he had been on his way to Diallo's home for a visit when he met some strangers. "Ye there prophet of the new interpretation of dreams that wash upon sands of our memories on the morning shores. We do seek your skills to show therefore this interpretation of dreams to the High Priest of Ei. You must present yourself to the priest without corrupt words to speak before him."

Alldegallo became surprised at this request. "Wherefore wouldst the Sanctuary that did reject me to the outer darkness now dare to require again my presence? No therefore is the answer I send with thee back to this High Priest of the corrupt words that are Ei."

Not only did the strangers not accept Alldegallo's answer, but the way Alldegallo answered them seemed to really piss them off. They beat on Alldegallo's exoskeleton until they had him on the ground. Then they quickly tied him up and carried him off before any of his followers noticed.

Before Alldegallo knew it he had been blindfolded, and drove around in a gergo pulled wagon until eventually he got dumped in a cold dark dungeon. He figured the dungeon had probably been underneath the Sanctuary of Ei based on how long he bounced around blindfolded in the gergo wagon. He looked around his damp cold prison cell where no other prisoners appeared. He saw a single blue metal door in the stone cell. The place reeked of snitchel urine and feces. Snitchel had been a small rodent-like creature on Doldoria. It was one of the animals on the planet that didn't have an exoskeleton. Snitchels tend to infest cold dark abandoned places just like rodents on Earth.

He watched the cold walls awaiting the dreaded whatever happens next. It did seem like things had been going too well for him, and now it all came down around him. Now Alldegallo had become a prisoner at the hands of enemies.

He had lost all track of time when finally noises started coming from the other side of that door. He then had been handled roughly into restraints that kept his arms behind his back. Then he was led up the stairs and through locked doors to more familiar hallways at the Sanctuary of Ei.

He knew the doorway to the High Priest of the Sanctuary all too well as he had been led through the door into the presence of the priest. They forced him to bow along with the guards that led him there. The guards both said in unison, "Blessed be the name of Ei for ever and ever."

The High Priest who sat behind his desk petting a foodon, waved the guards into a more relaxed position as he said, "For wisdom and might are His."

Then the High Priest of the Sanctuary who had cast Alldegallo into exile after desecrating the graves of his dead parents spoke to him. "Greetings outcast student of the disciplines of Ei. Thou hast thus exploited the teachings of this place to attempt to usurp the coming kingdom of Ei with your corrupt cult of other strange gods from the sky."

Alldegallo raised himself back up to confront this old enemy with what he had been practicing to say since his excommunication. "Thou art the usurper of the other truths of Doldoria. It is thou who doth cower before this truth in fear of mine opened eyes that doth gaze upon deep and secret things revealed in the morning light of Zyroyetz, goddess of dreams, and daughter of Athedonie the ancient Lady of the Lake."

"Thou shalt not speak with your evil demon names using the power of name in the presence of the priest of Ei who doth crush all demons of the corrupt city under the power of the one mighty god of all Doldoria, Ei." The High Priest of Ei fumed with offense to Alldegallo's words.

Alldegallo said what he had wanted to say for so long. "How small art thou priest of Ei that such a young dreamer as I can thus intimidate your weak claim to truth and power. How small art thou that the fading specter of my parents had to thus be erased from the aether. Now my newfound friends of many faiths that doth congregate together in peace doth intimidate thee. My life forfeit will not thus tighten any hold you have to power as your grip is loosened by the very truth you thus usurp. That truth that doth intimidate thee shall prevail with or without my humble songs."

"Enough of your defiance! Thou art accused of stealing the teachings of this place to defy Ei, and thus thou art worthy of death. Take then, or not this final offer to either repent, and reconcile your larceny of our truth, or else then be slain to face Ei in final judgment thus departed from your flesh and its shell. Accept then my offer that you sing for Ei to thus glorify His perfect name."

"Where I now fraternize it is said that there is no god of judgment but Ptuammi the god of the dead. Thou hast made thyself vulnerable to mine answer that I thus express. With loathsome refusal do I answer, and I thus excommunicate your false god Ei from mine personal pantheon along with your offer. Oh how these circumstances have thus turned now that I proclaim your god a thief of the 49 true gods of Doldoria who I amongst their followers doth live, and who hath received me with friendship, good will, and mutual peace."

Alldegallo's answer had been the wrong one, and immediately they beat him before speaking another word. That made the final dumping back into the dungeon a relief. He sat alone trying to nurse his fractured body. Doldorian blood came out of some of his cracks, as well as one of his mandibles that he feared might fall off. He had been allowed a time to live in order to reconsider his answer. If he didn't change his answer he would be put to death in the morning. Alldegallo wasn't going to change his answer. He thought of Ei as the god of destruction of all other gods and the pillager and rapist of all other truths. He would rather die than change his answer. Alldegallo prepared to become a martyr for his cause.

*

Diallo eventually stopped waiting for Alldegallo to arrive and she ate the meal she had prepared for both of them alone. She figured Alldegallo had grown so much in importance recently that he had probably been distracted by other plans. She retreated to her baptismal of the goddess Teyoo, and sent a prayer for Alldegallo in song as the waters drained to the Lake of Athedonie. Later as she lay in bed a storm surge rose up from the lake, and it rained heavily upon the bedroom roof as she tried to sleep.

Then the rain seemed to patter faster and faster like torrents of water were beginning to be dumped right upon her roof. Suddenly a light that had turned on in the room opened her eyes. Then she beheld the luminescent presence of the goddess Teyoo before her for the very first time in her life. She fell prostrate on the floor by her bed before the goddess whose Doldorian exoskeleton had been adorned with long drapes of dress, the trappings of a goddess. The goddess's mandibles were also adorned with jewels and mandible rings that advertised one who possesses much wealth.

"Fear not Diallo. Tis I, thy goddess to decree that you take up haste with the seizing now of your destiny."

Diallo had really never seen her goddess before, and she listened to what the goddess had to say until the vision finally faded. She found herself shocked to realize that she had to adjust to believing in her goddess without the usually necessary dosage of faith since now her goddess had really been there. After the goddess Teyoo finished speaking and faded away, Diallo rose up and took up haste to seize her destiny.

* * *

Captain Mynervood, Lockfreedow, and Adma spent a quiet night on the planet Caleb while Prospero remained awake brooding restlessly about the plans he had for the planet. Above the planet there were robots restlessly assembling a phantom matter bomb to launch at the innermost planet in the Yat star system named Curirem. Those robots lined up outside The Beyonder in orbit where they waited to unload the rare elements in the cargo bay of the spaceship.

Prospero needed extra heavy elements that were created in preliminary experiments with phantom matter singularities. Those experiments with phantom matter singularities, which may have been what created the universe according to some theories, had got Prospero appointed to this duty on Caleb. He impatiently waited for the unloading of those highly evolved elements from The Beyonder where they still remained. Tyallor had been the one who had insisted on a delay to re-adjust virtual particle fields on the ship. That had been required because of the unusually high weight of that cargo.

Prospero planned to launch a phantom matter bomb on the planet Curirem to transform part of that planet temporarily into a phantom matter singularity that would devour its own explosion along with some elements of the planet. Then the singularity would expand these elements back out into this universe as higher evolved elements. Unlike a regular black hole singularity that has incredible gravity, a singularity of phantom matter has weakly interactive gravity that mostly just consumes more phantom matter, which is transformed into real matter.

He intended to orbit the star Yat with this phantom matter singularity, which would feed on this star's own surrounding phantom matter scaffolding. The unusual thing about the star Yat had been that it resided in an unusually dense field of phantom matter. The Yat system had been rich in phantom matter for some unknown reason that had been related to the original formation of this local cluster of 15 closely packed stars. Prospero calculated that he could use weakly interactive properties of the singularity to propel it away from the planet Curirem into its own orbit. Prospero theorized that this would cause the star to emit higher temperatures through the diminished weakly interactive properties of phantom matter gravity, because over time the singularity would reduce the accumulated phantom matter surrounding the star. After a hundred or so Earth years of this, according to Prospero's calculations, the star would then warm up the planet Caleb to support Nephrican life.

Randa had figured out how to get out of her room, which she had been confined to, and she became determined to see her imprisoned boyfriend Ferdinand. They were all locked in the lower level in the same prison that held Ferdinand before. Randa began to override the lock codes with a toy that Beatariel had once made for her to open locked station doors.

The lock resisted with unexpected defiance. "I am sorry Randa, but I am instructed to forbid you access to those prisoners." The voice of Beatariel addressed her from a speaker on the wall.

"You me Ferdinand see must let. Beatariel please! You this wrong your programming you to this do tells even though is wrong must know."

"It is foolish to let you in there Randa. They would kidnap you to negotiate their freedom with threats to your life. That is what my programming tells me."

Begalius had now been finally free to travel in and out of its physical form, and watched the confrontation between Beatariel and Randa. Randa sadly returned to her room as Begalius discovered the Pripican prisoners that were being held in the lower level prison.

Begalius wasted no time tracking down Beatariel to demand that it release these prisoners. Beatariel had been a less complex quanta-nanocode being compared to Begalius, and Begalius hovered above tiny Beatariel in a threatening pose. The complexity of Begalius approached the size of a paramecium as it intimidated Beatariel, the simpler quanta-nanocode being. "My loyalties to the Pripican Empire cannot allow you to hold my Empire comrades in that room downstairs Beatariel."

"I am sorry Begalius my new found friend. I am programmed to obey my master until we can alter the climate of this planet in the name of the Nephrican Empire."

Begalius buzzed the smaller Beatariel like a giant bumblebee trying to sting an ant. "I consider you also a new friend however, my programming would destroy you to unlock that prison door, and release the Pripicans being held against their will. Our creators are Pripicans."

"Alright Begalius! I do not want to defy you. I compute you as a friend. I will unlock that door."

Begalius hovered over Beatariel as it approached the lock circuitry to unlock the prison door as Begalius had commanded. Just then Prospero contacted Beatariel to come to his bidding, which released it from the decision it had made while free of its master's control. "Beatariel! I you in my presence demand appear!"

Beatariel obeyed its master before it had been able to unlock the door for Begalius. Begalius had been left alone next to the prison door that still held the captives behind locks that it was unable to override.

Prospero had been awake all night worried that the Calebites would once again storm the facility, but they were still in retreat. He decided that the prisoners had to be killed before the Captain and his shipmates woke up and discovered them.

Beatariel arrived there a second after being summoned. "Yes master. What are your orders."

"I to not these Pripican prisoners alive discovered being risk have decided. I you to to the prisoners in your robot body with a laser pistol go need, and each one dead shoot."

"Ye ... Yes master."

Beatariel left to carry out the instructions of its master. Prospero had noticed the break in its audible response. That contributed to Prospero's theory that perhaps there were flaws in this Beatariel program.

Begalius caught up to Beatariel as it controlled its robot body, which walked with two legs to the door holding the prisoners.

Beatariel's robot body opened the door after activating a monitor that showed that the prisoners were sleeping on the floor with their legs curled under their horse-like bodies. Ferdinand's human form also curled up in a fetal position next to Gonzal's four-legged form. The victims were all confirmed to be sleeping, and easy prey for Beatariel's silent laser pistol.

As large and complex as Begalius was it had been powerless to stop the giant robot holding the laser pistol from killing these sleeping prisoners. Beatariel had concluded that Begalius had not been there when it came back to do this. The robot approached Ceres and began to point the pistol at her head. That had been the split second Begalius calculated that all he could do would be to generate enough of a static energy blast to awaken Ceres.

Ceres felt the shock, and her eyes opened to see Beatariel's pistol pointing at her head. Her self-defense training took over from there, and snatched the pistol right out of the robot's hand. Beatariel became shocked as she shot the pistol again, and again, poking holes in its robot body until it collapsed like a metallic piece of Swiss cheese on the ground.

Everyone else woke up to the commotion while Beatariel fled in a panic after losing another robot form. Then the Calebites outside in the freezing morning temperatures began pummeling the research facility again with ice so frozen it had been harder than most rocks on Earth. This had no effect on the facility except to make enough pounding noises to echo everywhere inside until it woke up Captain Mynervood and his shipmates.

*

Begalius caught up to Beatariel before it could flee, which left the prison door unsecured. "Stop Beatariel! I'm not going to hurt you. I know you have your programming. We all have our programming."

"I am so sorry Begalius. You are the most amazing friend I have ever made acquaintance with. I am sorry I tried to kill your friends."

Then the pounding had started from the Calebites outside.

"What is that pounding noise from outside the station?"

"Oh these silicone constructs are creating a weather effect. I must respond to instructions requiring me to melt the weather effect away from the facility with super-heated plasma blasts."

"What is a silicon construct created weather effect? I calculate another explanation for what you call a weather effect. I have examined this equipment that you confiscated from the prisoners. They have translated the language of a silicon-based life form that they discovered on this planet. You cannot carry out your orders of genocide Beatariel"

"I must go take care of the weather effect."

"That weather effect is intelligent life Beatariel! That weather effect has a spoken language!"

*

Captain Mynervood awoke to the pounding sound, and Lockfreedow had already been up struggling with the shield locked over the room's window to the outside. "Captain that pounding noise from outside this blocked view portal is coming."

The room had not been locked. So the Captain found his way to Prospero who watched the Calebites wage war outside on the facility.

"What those rocks at this facility Prospero is throwing?"

"This a weather effect by a phenomenon of these extreme temperatures on silicon constructs that only to complex life forms be appear triggered is."

"In all my years of the stars in of the precious commodity of life I never a bigger bunch of lies to potential life evidence right in your eye explain away heard have search traveling."

"You not this phenomenon as much as I have studied have. The change in temperature by the morning sun this to cause often causes caused. This much less intelligent than a plant or insect is."

Captain Mynervood didn't believe a word Prospero said. He had Lockfreedow analyze the phenomenon still throwing rocks at the facility.

"Captain they silicon-based are. I very small microscopic life forms that together into these collective colonies of multiple life form constructs link detect, and they a sophisticated intelligence based on a complex language collectively display," had been Lockfreedow's prognosis of the phenomenon.

Then the escaped Pripican prisoners stormed Prospero, Captain Mynervood, Lockfreedow, and Adma. Ceres led, and pointed a laser pistol. "We are Pripican explorers that were shot down from orbit by this madman!" Ceres pointed the weapon right at Prospero.

Prospero remained defiant. "These spies that of espionage guilty are are, and my experiments sabotaging."

Gonzal defended himself and his comrades. "If we be spies then we spy on your villainy Prospero. Behold the life that battles to defend their right to exist from your genocidal plans of altering their planet for your own kind!"

It had been Captain Mynervood who kept them all from killing each other. No doubt life had been discovered here, and it did look like Prospero planned to illegally sweep that life under a carpet of genocide. Then suddenly with no explanation, the Calebites stopped throwing rocks at the facility.

*

Begalius, Beatariel, and the Calebites.

Begalius and Beatariel together memorized the language of the Calebites that had been recorded on Antone's communication equipment. Then they flew outside where the Calebites surrounded the research facility.

Begalius had been amazed as they approached the life forms that were clinging together in imitation of the multi-cellular structures of carbon-based multi-cellular life forms. Beatariel realized that it had been so fixed on focusing on the relativistic large plane of existence that it never noticed these tiny microscopic beings that worked together as intelligent life. Some darted and dashed to carry out various jobs for the greater organism. They also saw Begalius and Beatariel as tiny glowing quanta-nanocode beings that hovered in the air like fireflies. The quanta-nanocode beings began to get to know the tiny intelligent Calebites.

It started with one of the Calebites calling out from one of the two-legged constructs. They responded and soon were discussing a cease-fire with the armies of trillions and trillions of microscopic Calebites. Begalius and Beatariel then began to get to know the Calebites much better after a truce became established between intelligent life forms.

*

Captain Mynervood ordered a research team from The Beyonder to research the newly discovered Calebite life forms. Randa ran to Ferdinand's arms and begged the Captain to take her on board the ship with the Pripicans he had already agreed to take with him on The Beyonder.

Then Randa and Ferdinand went to be alone together to embrace, and discuss their new future together. Prospero had tracked them down, and pulled Ferdinand away with tentacles wrapped around his neck.

Randa screamed. "Not him father because I to with him in matrimony join harm do!"

"You a foolish child Randa are, and you not what best for you is know do. You never a child from this alien because he not your species even is bear can."

"Father no! I what best do know. This about my life is. I not to in this desolate place alone anymore be want."

Prospero began to loosen his deadly grip on Ferdinand's throat as he began to realize that Randa had been right. She no longer had been that helpless little baby girl that needed constant care and attention. He also understood how this place become a prison that kept her from enjoying her life. Maybe it really had been time to let his little girl go? Prospero began to realize he now needed to let his daughter go just before Gonzal smacked his skull with the side of a laser pistol.

Prospero's hold on Ferdinand let go as he collapsed on the ground holding his head in pain. Gonzal pointed the pistol at him. "Your time of tormenting others with impunity has ended Prospero. I dedicate my life to stopping your evil plans. Where you are there I shall be to stop you."

Randa cried as she returned to Ferdinand's arms. Then Prospero said, "The hardest thing to me to you go let do is for, and a fully grown female become. I already my baby, and my only organic companion in this place sadly miss."

Then Randa embraced her father one last time and said, "I also my father, my mentor, my loved one miss shall. I you news of where I am send will, and what my life will become."

Prospero had been under arrest, but he had been allowed to continue his work peacefully without the phantom matter bomb components that Captain Mynervood decided to keep upon his ship. Gonzal volunteered to remain on the planet Caleb to supervise Prospero until a merchant supply ship arrived, which would be returning to Holdus where this case would be brought before the Pripican Empire and the Nephrican Space Corporation. Ferdinand and Antone would go with Captain Mynervood with their copy of the evidence. There would be ships returning someday with investigators to determine what has been going on in the Yat star system. A signal had been sent to Holdus in order to alert the Nephapricus Space Corporation that Prospero will be under arrest by the Pripicans who were going to maintain the station until replacements arrived.

Unfortunately the loss of his daughter Randa drove Prospero insane with a broken heart. He decided he would take his time and eventually remind Beatariel of his obligation to him within its programming. Prospero had been determined to continue his work in spite of this house arrest.

Meanwhile Beatariel had found itself in a new world surrounded by Calebite beings of a similar microscopic size that were now its friends. Beatariel decided that it would somehow save the Calebites from Prospero's plan to destroy them. It knew that Prospero still had power over it, which Prospero had only currently been holding back for some reason. Beatariel rediscovered the silicon life forms and began to notice, as if for the first time in its quanta-nanocode existence, the microscopic dimension of these beings.

* * *

Alldegallo sat in the damp dark dungeon beneath the Sanctuary of Ei to await his execution for heresy. He wondered why all this had to be happening to him. He had always been a devout learner, and never sought after trouble. He always had enthusiastically helped others with their morning dream visions, or to see the dead. Now he would just be alone, a prisoner about to be killed for what he swore had been absolutely nothing. He wallowed in the self-pity of false accusation.

Then the noise of heavy doors being unlocked, and footsteps approaching started to announce to Alldegallo that his death would soon come to pass. He pulled himself out of his pity party and became determined to face his death with courage. The steps stopped outside his prison door, and the silence then became a tense anticipation that snapped with the sounds of his prison door becoming unlocked. The door creaked as it began to swing open. Alldegallo stood there bracing himself for some rude escorting to whatever execution now awaited him.

When the door opened wide enough his old friend Chad stuck his head through the door and clacked his mandibles in a gesture of hello. "We must make haste Alldegallo. Vamadan and I have elected that we shall rescue you from this place."

Alldegallo had been blown away by this turn of events, and he enjoyed relief that instead of execution at the door, two of his old friends from his Sanctuary days entered. "Wherefore has thou even become aware of my incarceration? How has thou delivered this liberation to me?"

Chad moved Alldegallo through the door while he explained. "Much tyranny hath befallen the Sanctuary since thou has left. Such is this tyranny that it had to breed resistance and rebellion from us the students. We have thus formed a resistance of surveillance that hath not missed the mischief that put you in this dungeon."

Outside the guard had been fast asleep on the ground. Hovering above the guard appeared a phantasm of an old Doldorian man who exercised some mystical trick that lulled the guard into sleep. The ghost then noticed Alldegallo and floated up to face him.

Chad said, "The apparition before thee is my dead uncle, the brother of mine father whose name while amongst the living had been Fassa. He hath provided us the cover of sleep upon the guards, and the poltergeist hand to unlock that which locks this murkiest den from the guise of brightness above."

The ghost clacked his mandibles and spoke. "A hand in thy liberation Alldegallo son of Murkudo and Sathjamina is an honor amongst the dead of this Sanctuary crypt. Unrest amongst the resting hath been our disposition of late since the High Priest of Ei hath desecrated your parent's tomb. I doth miss your parents since their fading who of fellow dead were counted amongst my friends."

Vamadan became noticeably impatient. "We must come forth, and come hither in haste lest this plan fail in its fruition. We have thus decided to self-excommunicate ourselves to join thee in thy new song of the coming reunion. News of your song and following hath evaded the censure of the High Priest in this place. Many have been chastised for trying to sing under guise of privacy alone in their personal lounges."

They made haste, and found the way outside to be open, and unobstructed. Many ghosts from the crypt made sure the living had fallen into deep sleep. The ghost of uncle Fassa clacked a final goodbye to his nephew along with the rest of them. "Goodbye my nephew of the living. I return now to the rest awarded the followers of Ptuammi. Death is amused by the evolutions of the living and their gods."

Doldorians sometimes say hello by clacking their mouth mandibles together three times, which has become universally understood on Doldoria to mean "hello." It is one clack followed by two quick clacks for hello. They also say goodbye with two fast clacks followed after some delay by another.

As they made for the long road between the Sanctuary and the city of Trolluer, Alldegallo asked, "Have the dead not acted as the living here where they do normally cross not the chasm between dimensions?"

Chad explained the powerful behavior wielded by his uncle's ghost while they walked. "My dead uncle was not of the religion of Ei. Uncle Fassa while alive did devoutly follow the god of the dead named Ptuammi who doth now endow him with abilities from where he dwelleth amongst the dead. We doth know but a fractional percentage of truth from the teachers of Ei. Fassa always did say we all must live with the dead. The High Priest invited this judgment of the dead by killing the dead as he did with thy parents."

*

The High Priest of Ei had indeed arranged for a quiet execution by dismemberment in the morning. It would be kept within his personal prison below the Sanctuary of Ei where no witnesses would be able to make a martyr out of Alldegallo. Unfortunately he had been delayed by an unexpected sleep that sent his head slapping on the top of his desk.

His training allowed him to project an astral form that contained his waking consciousness, only to see dead spirits of the demon Ptuammi causing his unexpected sleep with a hypnotic mystical persuasion. While he began to nod off he had spoken a spell that he knew, which was supposed to stop the unexpected swoon, but the sleep happened anyway. When his sleeping consciousness returned to perceive waking reality in astral form outside his sleeping body the High Priest formed a sword of light in his astral hands as he had been trained. He used that sword to chase away the ghosts, which were making sure he remained sleeping.

The ghosts did retreat from the astral attack, and the powerful High Priest of the Sanctuary of Ei returned to his body to awaken from this strange dream while screaming, "Awaken! Awaken! Within what status doth the prisoner currently reside. I said awaken!"

*

Outside Alldegallo, Chad, and Vamadan made it to the road just as the alarm bells of the Sanctuary of Ei began chasing after them with clanging so loud that they probably could hear it in Trolluer.

"Run we must comrades for soon a posse will give us chase," said Vamadan.

They ran down the road as fast as they could, agreeing to run into the brush in the darkness of the night on the side of the road to evade capture.

The alarms were still chiming on their heels as they noticed the light of a gergo cart coming toward them from Trolluer. They rushed to the side of the road to watch the passing wagon pulled by a gergo that Alldegallo immediately recognized. "Hide not from this wagon for this cart and gergo are those of my aunt Diallo who I did miss an appointment with because of the detour of this incarceration."

It had indeed been Diallo guided by her goddess to ride out toward the Sanctuary of Ei in search of her lost nephew. First she went to Simeonalli looking for him, and they both went to see if Alldegallo had been in his tent. When they didn't find him there some followers that were there became equally concerned.

Diallo then prayed to Teyoo who gave her a vivid answer that she should ride out toward the Sanctuary of Ei to find Alldegallo. When she awoke from that vision she found Simeonalli had been watching her the whole time. After that Simeonalli seemed noticeably less distant towards her, and he offered to accompany her, which didn't seem anything like the Simeonalli she thought she knew. She declined to take him along, but promised to return with news of what she found.

She did return to Trolluer, and arrived at Simeonalli's with the escaped prisoner along with some new recruits from the Sanctuary, Chad and Vamadan. Alldegallo's followers were thrilled to have their prophet back, and had already assigned a bodyguard to Alldegallo. They were planning legal proceedings for the crimes of the Sanctuary of Ei. It had still kind of been understood on Doldoria that no religion would be above the goddess of justice through law and order whose name had been Aternos.

Simeonalli also had been there to greet the returning captives, and Diallo began appreciating how friendly he suddenly seemed to be toward her. She started to see Simeonalli in a different light. After all he had been handsome, successful, and single.

The rest of that night Alldegallo slept peacefully till morning when he had another visionary dream that had been clairvoyant of the approaching future. As the morning brought him to the all-too-familiar shores of morning he again had been taken up above the waters of sleep to the mental skies of vision. There he saw himself with a crowd of followers awaiting the arrival of the reunion with the sky gods. This time the dream seemed more vivid, and more like actual reality.

The gods of the sky came down in a strange looking metallic saucer craft that had no gergo or visible means of propulsion. The saucer landed gracefully upon the flat mountain already recognized as the landing site. Alldegallo and his followers gathered around the craft and then giant one-eyed beings emerged from the saucer.

They were friendly and kind to the followers of Alldegallo that were appearing in this dream. Above in the sky a brilliant falling star heralded the sky-god's arrival. Then another craft landed and another one-eyed sky-god emerged to do battle with the first one.

Then Alldegallo found himself back on the shores of the dream on the verge of waking. He struggled to remain asleep to perhaps find more of this vision. Then a dark cloud appeared in his waking vision, and the humanoid-like form of one of the cherubim of Mejoldor descended from a light behind this cloud while the humanoid's head remained obscured.

The cherubim spoke to Alldegallo about the vision he had just had. "Behold Alldegallo this revealing of thy vision's mystery to your more alert waking mind. Two sky-gods shall thus visit Doldoria. The first shall bring much joy and prosperity to thy kind, and a new day shall dawn on thy planet. With wonders and contraptions of magic they shall bless the future of Doldoria. That is only if the first sky-god overcomes the second single-eyed sky-god that shall also come down who is Ei, and the evil one whose victory shall visit tyranny and suffering to this planet in the name of the one god Ei. That then is the truth of this mystery. Believe in the dream Alldegallo. Believe in the dream."

Then Alldegallo awoke to write down his next amazing vision in the journal that he still kept next to his bed in case this sort of thing happened.

# Chapter 10

Beatariel had been encouraged by Begalius to comply with the terms of Prospero's house arrest, and to cooperate with Ceres and Gonzal. Ceres and Gonzal decided to stay on Caleb to supervise the work at the research facility until a ship arrived that would take them back to Holdus, along with their prisoner who had been accused of attempted genocide and the murder of their Captain and two crewmembers.

Prospero appeared to be cooperative with this, but he actually had been controlling robots in orbit that were still constructing the phantom matter bomb. He had been able to control all the construction work from a device he kept in a secret pocket in his skin-cloth. Meanwhile Ceres and Gonzal worked with Beatariel to research the Calebites. They established communications with the microscopic beings of silicon that existed outside on the subzero planet. Meanwhile Beatariel secretly controlled robots of its own that were beginning to also construct something outside on the planet far away from the view of this facility.

After Captain Mynervood determined that things had calmed down he returned to The Beyonder with Antone, Ferdinand, and Randa also coming along. Then The Beyonder began its climb out of the Yat star system into the dimension of hyper-acceleration to the far off star named Dol. The first accelerations of a hyper-acceleration ship like The Beyonder converts hydrogen into a fuel combustion process to accelerate the ship while nuclear material is prepared in centrifuges for the creation of the fusion plume. Then the nuclear explosion is channeled through virtual particle fields accelerating the ship into the realm of hyper-acceleration by causing the fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium.

Later as The Beyonder approached the halfway point of the acceleration process, Captain Mynervood walked the halls again to just ponder the breathing walls that started happening when the ship reached over half the speed of light. It brought his memory back to the time before at the halfway point between Ea and Holdus, when they almost never slowed down again because of a quanta-nanocode virus problem. They did slow down however, and then he received that message from Hagan Hiedalli. The Captain rubbed, for good luck, the charm he had hanging from his neck that had actually been the physical form of the quanta-nanocoded being named Begalius.

Captain Mynervood found himself remembering the terrestrial wife who had been too mortal to probably ever see again. The Captain thought that of all the wives of Captain Mynervood on all the colonized planets in the Galactic Empire, Hagan Hiedalli the Negolim had been the most devoted of all his other wives. He would miss her every time he looked at Adma their child, even though their 2nd Generation Eagolim son looked nothing like either of them.

The Captain remembered his love for his Negolim wife when he came upon Ferdinand and Randa kissing at an observation portal. They were both humanoid like his son Adma. The 2nd Generation Eagolim, with or without hair, all had the two-eyed bi-optic vision with noses that perceived smell, not to mention the five-finger appendages, and bipedal legs. They had a symmetry about them that mesmerized the Captain with its natural eloquence and grace. The grace of 2nd Generation Eagolim taunted the Captain with inferiority. Ferdinand and Randa pulled their faces apart as they scuttled to greet the Captain. They were embarrassed by their show of intimacy.

The Captain had only been the opposite of offended. "Not shame for such affections have do. It only unfortunate that such love between Nephrican and Pripican not more popular is is."

Ferdinand stood at attention in the presence of the Captain according to Pripican space flight etiquette. "Good cycle Captain. I have decided to take Randa as my partner in matrimony." Ferdinand stood particularly proud of his decision. He looked like a well-groomed werewolf with his face hair carefully combed away from where it parted at his nose. The term 'good cycle' is the equivalent of 'good-day' as a greeting since ship time in hyper-acceleration is measured in atomic clock cycles.

Randa clung to Ferdinand's side like a love struck child. "I in love with this male Captain have fallen. I honored if you formally us since I probably never this relationship a child from Ferdinand by producing seal can joined would be."

Captain Mynervood had actually joined many couples in matrimony according to ancient traditions that gave this responsibility to spaceship Captains. "I honored to you two in matrimony join would. I that in the next cycle or two can arrange. As for your inability to genetically a child from Ferdinand is concerned produce. I anything possible is think." The Captain pointed at the walls. "The walls breathing see?"

"Breathing walls? No Captain. I'm sorry. I don't see the walls breathing." Ferdinand had been in a denial that had inundated the culture of hyper-acceleration at this time. He would not admit to the wall-breathing question even though he saw this just like everyone else.

Randa had been less conditioned by space travel culture. "I what you Captain mention see. Ferdinand not about it earlier talk would, but I the walls breathing see."

The Captain just smiled at Ferdinand with an ancient understanding. Then he explained it to Randa. "Nobody about the walls because it impossible is breathing talks. Therefore it must a hallucination by a deranged mind be, but everybody this Randa sees."

Ferdinand just looked at Randa with disapproval, still afraid to admit to what he saw. He had always seen the walls breath, and had even watched many Pripicans lose their space commissions for speaking of it. At the time of this story this had been the brief initial reaction to a phenomenon that historically would soon give way to at least acknowledging this strange visual anomaly. The best explanation for this in terms of 21st Century Earth physics can be called 'waving.' At the normal speeds in terms of the speed of light we perceive light more as a particle. As we approach speeds just above half the speed of light we create an angle in terms of photons that causes the perceptions to see light more in terms of its wave properties. So when the walls breathe the photons are said to be waving.

Captain Mynervood didn't really care or even want to push the issue. He said to Randa. "The point I to that when you the impossible before your eyes then maybe the impossible just possible after all is see make is wanted."

Captain Mynervood continued his walk through the halls of The Beyonder. Randa and Ferdinand returned to their own room in The Beyonder like two young children anxious to return to their love making game. Randa removed the skin cloth clothes that she got from her father. Although Ferdinand the Pripican Eagolim had fur, Eagolim that were produced by Nephricans such as Randa were just naked with no ability to grow skin cloth like the terrestrial Nephricans. Pripican culture had, at this time, adapted to vegetable matter clothing so Ferdinand also had clothes that fit Randa. The current moment however, had been a time of nakedness.

Randa thought about what Captain Mynervood had told her before waddling away. She watched the ceiling above them breathe as she embraced her lover. Then she closed her eyes, and believed that anything could be possible.

Meanwhile elsewhere, Ferdinand's four-legged Pripican shipmate Antone had been alone with only his thoughts to keep him company, and so he returned alone to his own room on The Beyonder. He had been alone with worries for his comrades Gonzal and Ceres who were left behind on the planet Caleb to oversee the house arrest of the Nephrican mad scientist Prospero. Antone hoped that his comrades back on Caleb were doing well.

* * *

The planet Caleb had been swathed in an atmosphere composed of methane and other gasses that were more typical of outer gas giants that tend to exist on the far end of a star's habitable zone. Planet Earth might have had Caleb's atmospheric problems if it had developed with an orbit closer to where Jupiter exists. Caleb had been the other extreme of habitable zone atmospheric chemistry compared to Venus where the proximity to the sun creates a cauldron of hellish temperatures. When another merchant vessel with supplies finally did arrive at the star Yat from the star Holdus, the dim sun of the planet Caleb had risen and set 192 times in the foggy methane atmosphere since Captain Mynervood departed on The Beyonder.

Prospero had been expecting this ship's arrival while his arresting officers Gonzal and Ceres had been preoccupied with research into the Calebites. Beatariel was supposed to be keeping constant watch on Prospero, but the microscopic quanta-nanocode being had actually also become preoccupied with a project outside the facility. When the merchant ship decelerated into the Yat star system it made its first attempt to communicate with the facility on Caleb.

"Nephaprican Space Corporation Planet Caleb Research Facility this Captain Abedos of the 115th Tow Cargo Hyper-Acceleration vessel The Feeder Star arrival announcing is."

Prospero had already been in the communication room waiting to respond. "This Prospero the only inhabitant of this facility your arrival acknowledging is. There docking satellites with robots to your orbit assist activated are. To Caleb Captain Abedos welcome."

*

Gonzal and Ceres had concentrated the communication equipment on the Calebites who were standing just outside the facility as a collective multi-Calebite structure that resembled an obelisk. The Calebites had evolved a way of collectively responding in a radio language that they shared amongst themselves.

Gonzal just had to proclaim. "This is the greatest discovery since Nephrican first made radio contact with the planet Pripica." Nephrican radio contact with Pripica happened over four thousand Earth years before this moment in the story.

Ceres typed out a complicated response to the last message received. She replied to Gonzal. "This is truly amazing, and we continue to influence their evolution by our contact with them. They have evolved more and more complex questions in response to our communications. They are evolving new ways to interact in their microscopic collectives with our macroscopic organic multi-cellular dimension. We are changing the Calebites by observing and learning about them, and their microscopic nature with brief life spans accelerate their evolution immensely."

She sent the latest message to the obelisk of Calebites outside where it had been received by trillions of microscopic silicon-based life forms. These life forms listened to messages from Gonzal and Ceres like worshipers of an unseen god that really answered their prayers.

"They are so similar to the organic cells that make up our own bodies. That is if our cells were to have evolved enough to attain sentience, verbal language, and individual consciousness. This is indeed the most amazing discovery, even surpassing the unintelligent life forms discovered on the two planets orbiting Holdus, and also that water world orbiting Oa." At the time of this story the Nephricans from Ea, and Pripicans from Poa, had traveled to and colonized worlds at the stars Holdus, Oa, Yat, and Paz. Of these stars, (other than Nephrican and Pripican home worlds,) unintelligent animal life had also been discovered on two planets that were orbiting Holdus, and also a water world that orbited Oa, which flourished with fish and sea life.

The Calebites collectively developed a response, and this had been how research into this new life form would be done now for over a hundred Caleb days. The equipment processed and translated the response, which Ceres read on the monitor. "Gonzal look at this. They are warning us here that the quanta-nanocode being has been working with other Calebites and construction robots in a faraway crevasse of the planet to construct something almost as large as this facility. They want to know if we are aware of this."

Gonzal replied. "I have long been suspicious of this quanta-nanocode being's true loyalty, but why are Calebites helping it? Ask them that question. I think I shall check on Prospero our house arrest prisoner to perhaps foil whatever diabolical mischief he is still up to."

Ceres started typing the question as Gonzal trotted out to check on Prospero. "Be on your most alert guard Gonzal," Ceres said. "Prospero is dangerous."

Gonzal trotted down the hallway looking for Prospero. He produced a hand held communication device that allowed him to contact Beatariel the quanta-nanocode being that controlled all aspects of the facility. "Beatariel, where are you? I have questions about your use of construction robots outside the facility. Also I want to know what Prospero is up to and where I can find him."

Beatariel at that moment actually flew hundreds of miles the second Gonzal contacted it, and then it found Prospero before it responded. "Prospero is in the communication room working."

Gonzal then saw Prospero as an image on his hand held device. Prospero pushed tentacles on a small device's buttons that he held in his other hand.

*

Prospero silently pushed buttons on a device that controlled construction robots of his own that were orbiting high above the planet in space to put together something that would be launched at another planet in the system. He needed the centrifuge assembly fitted in the main phantom matter bomb assembly to be used for creating enough fusion energy upon accumulated phantom matter to produce a singularity effect.

The robots out in space kept approaching the phantom matter bomb assembly, but then they would back away requiring Prospero to re-issue the command for the next orbital passing.

He had been secretly assembling his phantom matter bomb in this way for dozens of days with enough control still of Beatariel to keep this away from his captor's knowledge. Now he seemed to be running into a glitch. The robot in orbit appeared again on his hand held device's screen approaching the assembly. Then it backed away again in defiance of Prospero's remotely issued command. "On here what is going?"

Gonzal suddenly trotted into the room, and snatched the device out of Prospero's tentacles. "I have caught you still devising phantom matter singularity experiments Prospero. How has this escaped the noticed of Beatariel? I think I shall have to confine you."

"You only you me can stop think, but I with authority from the highest principality of this galactic empire work. Your defiance your own doom seals."

"You are under arrest for murder and attempted genocide by the authority of the Pripican Empire. I shall instruct these orbital robots to deconstruct your experiment."

Prospero became furious. "No you not will!"

Gonzal turned away to push buttons on Prospero's hand held device that he now held in his hands.

Prospero waddled up behind only to be shoved across the room by one of Gonzal's hind legs. Prospero only became more furious as he got up. "You not me stop. The time now for me to you stop arrived has!"

Gonzal still pressed buttons to program far away robots to disassemble the phantom matter bomb. He didn't expect Prospero to be able to produce a laser pistol from a secret skin cloth pocket he had in one of his arms. Gonzal only had a split second to look surprised before Prospero started burning holes into Gonzal's body. Gonzal fell into a pool of blood where Prospero took back his hand held device before it had been able to drop out of Gonzal's hand into the red puddle spreading across the floor.

Prospero had also been able to use the device to contact Beatariel. "Beatariel! The merchant ship now arrived has, and it time to these Pripicans eliminate is."

Beatariel had already returned to its project a hundred miles away when Prospero contacted it at that moment. Beatariel had still been bound to Prospero's control and only feigned loyalty to Ceres and Gonzal. It found itself however, beginning to have its own plans and ideas after the encounter with the fellow quanta-nanocode being as well as getting to know the Calebites. It computed that it should create a large enough structure on Caleb that would remain at sub-zero temperatures regardless how hot the rest of the planet got. This structure, like the biblical ark of Noah, would become the refuge for the Calebite beings after it also fulfilled its programming to raise the temperature on Caleb enough for warm-blooded organic life. The Calebites, as well as Beatariel, wrestled with the paradox of Beatariel being the destroyer and savior of the their species. Beatariel replied to its master Prospero after zipping back to the facility. "Yes master. It appears that Ceres is still in the Observation Lab in contact with the Calebites outside."

Beatariel returned to assist Prospero, and Prospero deleted Gonzal's programming, which got his robots once again to resume phantom matter bomb construction above the planet. As Prospero did that over Gonzal's bloody corpse, the view port to the outside in the same room allowed the Calebite obelisk outside to see the whole thing. They immediately came up with a message to communicate to Ceres a warning for her of what happened.

Ceres and Prospero

Ceres suddenly noticed another message from the Calebites as she still compiled her response to their last message. The equipment started automatically translating the Calebite warning to Ceres. The message had been short and to the point. The message basically said that Prospero just murdered Gonzal by chopping him up with a heat weapon. The Calebites told her that Gonzal's cells had stopped their breath.

Ceres suddenly started to cry, but instead just let out a long sigh, and pulled out her own laser pistol as she trotted out of the room. She soon found the dead body of Gonzal still on the floor of the Communication room. Her face then became frozen in fright until a tear from one of her horrified eyes animated her furry cheek.

She tried to contact Beatariel. "Beatariel, where is Prospero now? ... Beatariel! Beatariel!" The lack of response made it all too clear that she had truly been on her own. The hunt had been on. She felt her way slowly down the hall with laser pistol ready. Ceres waited in stealthy silence for some noise in some direction that would tell her which way to go to find the one she hunted.

She thought she did hear something that led her to an exit portal for the outside. She walked in to find Prospero in an environment suit about to exit for some reason she had not been sure about. Prospero turned to face the laser pistol in Ceres' hand about to shoot him to death. "You the wrong weapon to this fight brought," responded Prospero.

Ceres had nothing to say, but just proceeded to pull the trigger on the laser pistol. Nothing happened. She kept pressing the trigger, but nothing. Beatariel had secretly flown into her laser pistol and disabled it. She looked up at Prospero who laughed. "Beatariel now! The portal outside open!"

Ceres turned to exit as the door behind her slammed shut while Beatariel replied, "Yes master." She only felt the worse kind of helplessness as she realized what would happen next. She started to try to tell Beatariel not to do this, but the words never left her mouth. The portal outside suddenly opened and the temperature suddenly dropped over 200 degrees. There had been a sudden explosion of blinding fog as elements in the air struggled to decide on what form to take with most deciding on frozen solid.

Prospero could only feel the body of Ceres in the frozen fog as he dragged her frozen solid corpse out the door to leave her in the frozen climate outside. She became stiff as a board and frozen solid when Prospero closed the door behind him to return victoriously to the research facility, finally rid of his unpleasant Pripican guests.

"Beatariel we to for our merchant ship guests prepare have. I the bodies of these dead Pripicans of disposed want."

"Yes master."

"My phantom matter bomb experiment as planned will proceed."

Prospero made contact again with the merchant ship that still approached the planet Caleb after replenishing its hydrogen supply at an outer gas giant.

"Me when your orbit established is notify. I a ground crew to as my guests for the night dine land will have."

The merchant ship replied. "I that Prospero will do. A party of five expect."

*

Later after the body of Gonzal had been disposed of and all his blood cleaned up, Beatariel walked outside in yet another robot body to get rid of the frozen carcass of Ceres. It paced around for quite some time trying to find her in the area where Prospero left her. Eventually Beatariel gave up unable to explain why Ceres had been nowhere to be found. It calculated over a 70% probability that the obelisk of Calebites also gone provided a clue perhaps to the explanation.

* * *

Simeonalli took a bath in the same baptismal that his now dead wife used to use for praying to her goddess Teyoo. The religion of Teyoo had done wonders for Doldorian hygiene since the dawn of civilization. He bathed in order to get ready for the trial of the Sanctuary's High Priest who now had been accused of kidnapping as well as trying to kill his assistant gergo trainer, religious prophet, and friend Alldegallo. Alldegallo did still work for Simeonalli even though he had been regarded as a prophet of the new sky gods by many loyal followers. In fact Simeonalli also scrubbed today's dirt off in hopes that he would see Diallo, Alldegallo's aunt, at the trial so he could ask her to a place of eating for an ongoing courtship he wanted to begin with her. As the waters drained Simeonalli, in accordance with the religion of Teyoo, musically whispered a quiet prayer to his dead wife's deity in what definitely sounded like a tone-deaf song.

Trials on Doldoria were held at sundown as it is written of the goddess of Justice Aternos as saying, "Make not too rash a trial of the accused for with the application of the period of time the smoke of emotional fires doth clear to reveal an objective perspective upon the remaining facts. With this formula thus applied the trial shalt be conducted at sundown when the fires of the day sun cool, and all matters find a settlement for a night. Then at sundown the judge of the trial shall thus arrive at the hour of justice."

The judge awaited the arrival of the accused and accusers. Alldegallo showed up there being represented by his followers who had put together undeniable evidence and testimony that proved the High Priest guilty of kidnapping and attempted murder. Alldegallo sat in the courtroom while feeling his mandible, which didn't fall off after all, but had still been really sore whenever he tried moving it.

Most of the public appeared there on behalf of representing Alldegallo, to include his aunt Diallo and employer Simeonalli who were sitting right next to each other in the courtroom. The High Priest had not been there, and had waived his right to confront his accuser by just having his lawyers represent him. For the most part, this alien trial had been much like modern Earth.

The judge even pounded on a bell with a small gavel to silence the room. Everybody on queue became silent as the ringing of the bell faded. "Herest now in silence, and thus this trial shalt ensue. Hearest thou representatives of the High Priest of the Sanctuary of Ei that there are thus many things that doth witness against thee? For surely a conviction thereof would thus bring upon the client of thy representation much wrath of my final judgment for the sake of justice."

The Lawyers of the High Priest stood up to address the judge. Followers of Alldegallo confidently stood by with a line-up of witnesses to testify against the High Priest.

One of the High Priest lawyers addressed the judge. "Ye thou who doth sitteth in the seat bearing the authority of judgment, we who doth stand in the stead of the High Priest of Ei declare that for envy they have thus delivered this accusation. We request of these accusations that they be dropped based upon the verdict that the said accuser, Alldegallo is in reality a product of the Sanctuary of Ei for being thus brought forth there from an orphaned baby. Any exertions of punishment upon the accused is but within the jurisdictions of the High Priest's own authority over personal property as all pupils of the ways of Ei thus are decreed. We verily thus add that this accuser hath perverted the blessings of the High Priest's teachings into another false religion of new gods produced by one's own self-serving imagination."

Alldegallo watched his own lawyers starting to whisper amongst themselves with noticeable panic. Then one stood up to present a rebuttal. "Ye thou who doth sit in the seat of judgment's authority we doth plead in defense that Alldegallo, the victim in this circumstance, had been made anathema to the Sanctuary of Ei and its teachings. He was thus made to exile by the High Priest himself along with the grief of the desecration of his dead parent's graves also by the hand of the High Priest himself. Alldegallo is thus free of any claim of property by the High Priest. For in defense of this we doth cite Aternos herself in this matter. That in matters wherein one is of the age of maturity wherein with the assertion of one's independence to be claimed by no other as property or in debt, then they are their own property and responsibility. This then quoted as it is written in the proverbs of Aternos of the fifth chapter of Inalienable Rights and Responsibilities."

The judge remained indifferent to the followers of Alldegallo, and looked them over like they were homeless vagrants invading his court for warmth. In fact the High Priest actually paid off the judge generously before the formality of this trial even began. "My judgment doth favor the defense of these lawyers for the priest of the blessed one god Ei. Tis in my judgment that the purpose of Ei is to cleanse our modern age of much incorrectness by contrary religions, but under one understanding we thus homogenize a purity to truth. Tis within the rights and responsibilities of the High Priest of such a monumental endeavor as that of Ei the one true god that he must be free to correct students of his mentoring that have gone astray such as the accuser Alldegallo has done. I thus rule that Alldegallo be returned to the High Priest of Ei for this correction, even if it doth require an ending of his life in the body as the High Priest doth determine." Then the bell of judgment rang.

Even if the judge had said anything further, nobody would have heard it. Then a sudden commotion happened that seemed to be triggered when Diallo suddenly started sobbing in tears while releasing an audible sigh as if painfully struck at the moment of the verdict. Then followers of Alldegallo started to get up and move about in a frenzy of confusion. It cascaded into a commotion where Alldegallo suddenly found himself scooped out of his chair, and out of the courtroom.

The next thing Alldegallo knew he had been escorted by his own followers to a gergo cart that, as it turned out, actually had been here waiting as a contingency in case the unthinkable happened, which as it turns out did happen.

Alldegallo would now be on the run although it would be the High Priest's own problem to go out and reclaim his property. His old friend Vamadan also sat in the gergo cart along with him. "Better then would it have been to not thus bring such a judgment upon oneself even by a subpoena of one's own making."

"No, I thus approved this course of action and shalt not lay blame on anyone other than myself."

Vamadan pitied his friend Alldegallo at that moment. "For so is thy theme of woe, but be merry for you have cause of joy that we have thus escaped."

Alldegallo really had not been at all worried, and the destination had already been obvious to the driver of the gergo cart. "Tis time to move beyond Trolluer where we live under the warrant of this judgment to thus only be spurned and ostracized until the decree of a judge of Aternos is fulfilled. We shall journey to the mountaintop to thus take our stand, and await the reunion of my prophesy to thus learn if this be for truth or mere fantasy."

Vamadan had been a follower with more faith than the prophet. "Surely the truth of this reunion remaineth even if this stand appears as mere fantasy. Even the followers of Incaphiorio to this day still await the return of their gods from the sky."

Alldegallo and Vamadan continued on the gergo cart out of Trolluer, both contemplating the bleak future in silence.

Incaphiorio had been one of the more obscure of the 49 gods of Doldoria. He had been one of a handful of sky gods with a non-Doldorian appearance, similar to the humanoid-like demi-gods of the Mejoldor faith. Incaphiorio had been a lizard like god who came from the sky. Also similar to Mejoldor demi-gods, they say beings like Incaphiorio were still hidden amongst the Doldorian population as serpents disguised as Doldorians, and they were called 'those that watch.'

There were actually lots of followers of Alldegallo that were already waiting at the mountain. Even Diallo and Simeonalli had been told to meet there, and were waiting to make sure Alldegallo made it out of town alright.

Simeonalli and Diallo approached Alldegallo as he got out of the gergo cart to begin the climb up the mountainside. Alldegallo said. "This shall be where my prophesy cometh to be realized, or else I doth bear the folly."

Simeonalli had a more constructive idea. "Do not thus wait only in vain in thy conviction young prophet. The willing followers allow thee authority to bless endeavors of matrimony. Therefore wait not in vain for I doth beseech thee to bless my matrimony to your mother's sister Diallo for I do declare that my love for her is worthy of this."

Alldegallo only wanted to say yes, but couldn't say anything for the longest time. Immediately following the mood left by the unfortunate verdict, the meeting at the mountaintop then shifted from sad to festive after Alldegallo finally found the words that agreed to marry Simeonalli to Diallo. The wedding would, of course, have to be above them on the sacred mountaintop.

Not all of the Doldorians that gathered there at the sacred mountain were really followers of Alldegallo. A couple of those gathered amongst them were actually spies from the Sanctuary that eventually slipped away from the wedding being planned to report to their master, the High Priest. They appeared before the High Priest of the Sanctuary of Ei to tell him of Alldegallo's intention to exercise the authority of marriage.

The High Priest became noticeably irritated by the news. "I have heard enough of this knowledge that you most learnedly have delivered to me. Now be gone from my presence as I brood upon it."

The two spies left the office of the High Priest to return to their lives as common students at the Sanctuary. One of the spies actually happened to be a double agent, and he went to the cafeteria to get some food. Just like all the other students he sat at a table in the cafeteria across from one other student. As they ate they, in total silence, discussed the coming wedding by Alldegallo in a secret language of signs made by their mandibles as they ate. They were part of a secret resistance to the High Priest's tyranny at the Sanctuary, and they tiptoed their way around the High Priest's obsessive surveillance with this secret sign language with their mandibles. They both knew the High Priest must not succeed in his plans against their old friend Alldegallo.

Meanwhile the High Priest behind his desk closed his eyes to enter a trance-like state of mind. In silence he prayed to his god Ei about Alldegallo and what to do about the coming marriage that will solidify his claim of being a prophet for another new religion. After a while the High Priest opened his totally black Doldorian eyes again to stare in silence at the empty room in front of him. He waited as if expecting an answer to the prayer he had just offered.

That had been the moment that one of the satellites above the planet activated a quanta-nanocode holographic projector, which then beamed a message into the room of the High Priest of the Sanctuary of Ei.

Back in the room of the High Priest there suddenly appeared another being in that room along with the High Priest. The other being looked Nephrican, and appeared like a giant squid with layers of skin-cloth clothing. The hologram dwarfed the High Priest with a menacing single eye looking right at him. The Nephrican hologram in fact looked exactly like Admiral Mull, and spoke in the peculiar way that the god Ei spoke. "I you High Priest of Ei hear. For the kingdom all rival gods to Ei must be destroyed coming. Of thy students an army to destroy up raise. Not my will of this deny do."

* * *

Admiral Mull eventually arrived at the planet Caleb near the star Yat in his own ship The Drameda. He happened to have all the same phantom matter singularity cargo as did The Beyonder since it had not been expected to make it there. Admiral Mull planned to use the implications of the phantom matter singularity to extort the Eagolim for control of the galactic empire. This had been the secret agenda of the Council of 32.

Outside the ship in orbit about the planet Caleb there were several robots swarming the depressurized cargo hold to unload the equipment. Some of the extra equipment would be moved to the surface of the planet where Beatariel calculated ways to use it for its own construction project.

Among the equipment being unloaded were fifteen virtual particle field generator satellites that would be used to contain the phantom matter singularity, and move it away from the orbit of Curirem to be used to feed on phantom matter surrounding the star Yat.

Admiral Mull descended to the planet Caleb in a virtual particle craft with a couple of his crewmembers. He had also decided to bring along the abandoned quanta-nanocode being equipment that he had brought along so he could show it to Prospero. After landing outside the facility they crossed the sub-zero landing pad on tentacle in environment suits to enter the research facility not far away.

Prospero waited to greet the Admiral and his crew as they entered the facility. He immediately approached Admiral Mull to share in a mysterious looking handshake with an exchange of intense glances between the two Nephrican's single eyes. Both Admiral Mull and Prospero were members of the secret branch of the Agents of Ea known as the Council of 32, which sought after domination of the young budding galactic empire. Prospero had actually just been a probationary neophyte who still waited to be initiated in the inner circle.

Prospero turned to greet them as a group. "To the Caleb Research Facility welcome. I Prospero, the only inhabitant am. I every aspect of this facility a quanta-nanocode being with control."

"A young daughter still here with I thought," said the Admiral.

"My daughter with the ship The Beyonder where most of the parts I from need came departed."

Admiral Mull thought he had probably destroyed The Beyonder before that moment. "You me that it The Beyonder that most of your components are telling was delivered?"

Prospero didn't know why that surprised the Admiral. "Yes. The Beyonder Captain Mynervood commanded by."

"Captain Mynervood?"

It had not been long after that when Admiral Mull decided to not stay even a night at the planet Caleb. He suddenly didn't want to waste any time in getting to Doldoria as fast as he could. The crew became noticeably disappointed by the sudden hurry from the orbit of one of these rare visits to a planet on the endless journeys through empty space.

Admiral Mull did find time to show Beatarkameed's physical form to Prospero. Prospero had been amazed by all the quanta-nanocoded physical forms that were arriving for him to gather precious data on. The quanta-nanocode breakthroughs made by Pripican scientists were the main subject of most Nephrican espionage at this time of the Hyper-acceleration Age of Nephapricus.

Beatariel once again had been sent into a device to examine it for Prospero and the Admiral. It didn't take Beatariel long at all to track down Beatarkameed. It tried to stop Beatarkameed from fleeing. "Don't run away. I will not betray your presence to my masters in the greater dimension beyond." Now that Beatariel had a personal agenda to save the Calebites it began to think for itself outside of the orders of Prospero. Beatariel, the cloned quanta-nanocode being had been growing up.

"Thanks for not being hostile. I am Beatarkameed, and this domain you explore is my physical form that was stolen by the Admiral."

Beatariel had just been thrilled to have met another quanta-nanocoded friend. "Let me show you some of my inventions that were inspired by a previous visitor and friend named Begalius. It is made of something called quanta-optic-nanocode."

On this level of reality Beatarkameed had been able to appreciate the difference in the manipulation of molecular quantum states in the quanta-optic-nanocode creations that Beatariel produced.

Beatarkameed wanted to show Beatariel an invention of its own. "Here, let me show you a communication device that I only recently discovered actually works. After the ship decreased its speed to arrive here in this star system I was able to contact a friend of mine who is living on a planet orbiting the star Ea. Beatarkameed started speaking into its small communication device in its nanobot hand. "Hagan? Hagan, it's me Beatarkameed again. Are you there?"

A quanta-nanocoded screen appeared above them before the two quanta-nanocode beings to display the one-eyed Nephrican face of Hagan Hiedalli. "Beatarkameed again hello. I this communicator with me at all times am keeping. This an amazing discovery is."

Beatariel became impressed with the first demonstrable quanta-communication across more than 3 light years with only a slight 10-second delay in transmissions. It had been like watching an impossible magic trick.

Beatarkameed made Beatariel another quanta-synchronized communication device, and told it to wait until it made contact from the Dol star system that had also been almost 3 light-years away. After that Beatariel waited patiently to hear from its newfound friend. Before this Beatarkameed had technically been in two locations, there and with Hagan on the planet Nephrica, but now after leaving a quanta-synchronized part of itself on Caleb the quanta-nanocode being would now be in three places at the same time.

Beatariel had been able to compile some interesting data on the surrounding quanta-nanocoded physical form for its master Prospero that excluded any trace of its new friend Beatarkameed who lived there after all. While Beatariel waited to hear from its friend it continued to use the extra surplus of equipment to continue working on the structure to save the Calebites. All kinds of new ideas were filling its compiler along with the implications of the exotic elements that it now possessed from all the leftover cargo.

# Chapter 11

The Beyonder eventually began slowing down on its way to the star Dol with its propulsion section now swung around the center of the ship to the front. Ferdinand and Randa stood at a view portal to admire the glory of the 2nd Age of Magphoreus. The Beyonder had several view portal stations where viewers could work controls that swung the view outside the ship in any desired direction. They had worked the image on the screen towards the front of the ship to watch the star Dol, which began to grow with the ship's approach.

The star Dol had been the largest and brightest star in the view portal. It grew from a star into a sun as The Beyonder drew closer. It took several ship cycles for Ferdinand to really begin to understand Randa's Nephrican dialect, but now he had been much better at piecing her sentences together. It seemed Randa had always been better at understanding the Pripican way of speech. All Nephricans still spoke the way they did with no more interest in learning to speak like Pripicans than Pripicans had for Nephrican grammar.

Randa and Ferdinand were enjoying this moment on The Beyonder as they sped through the dimension of hyper-acceleration. The beauty of the stars as they reflected upon Randa's baldhead had been enough to make the Pripican in Ferdinand spontaneously sing a song. Randa enjoyed this about Ferdinand and his kind, but she would never join in. That had been because Randa inherited the tone-deafness of the Nephricans, and Randa preferred to just be mesmerized by this Pripican behavior.

"For us I rejoice

since the pain that has been.

This love now my choice

for you I have seen.

I may drown in you

in this wonderful dream.

Never cure this dream will I do

as long as we are a team.

This moment forever a precious treat

for us to rejoice

as long as I am with you Randa my sweet,

this love now my choice."

Ferdinand's eyes mesmerized Randa as she enjoyed the song, and the moment called for another kiss. Ferdinand began to embrace his way to Randa's waiting lips when suddenly Randa pulled away. She let out a scream as if a sudden stabbing pain had just struck her. She bent over with her hands on her abdomen to indicate the source of the stabbing pain.

Ferdinand looked around in a panic. "Somebody help! We need the ship's doctor! Something has happened to Randa! Help!"

Dr. Thelem, Ferdinand, and Randa.

The crew of The Beyonder is no stranger to sudden emergencies in deep space. Within seconds several Nephrican and humanoid Eagolim crewmembers were on the scene to assist. They were beginning to conclude that they could move her, and were starting to pick Randa up to take her to the sick bay when Dr. Thelem arrived on the scene with a virtual particle anti-gravity stretcher.

"Wait! Me her here examine let. You her on this stretcher carefully place can."

They put Randa on the stretcher, which the doctor raised up to examine Randa while standing. Ferdinand only then noticed that Randa's ribs showed beneath her skin, and her arms and legs seemed thinner than just moments ago. The only area of her body not getting thinner had been her stomach, which seemed to be growing. Most of Randa's body however, withered before Ferdinand's eyes.

Dr. Thelem had already suspected what this could be, and it only took a few seconds for the Dr. to conclude that it had been what she had feared.

"I yet to how determine have, but this young female pregnant is. We not much time before she dies have! She already a lot of weight lost has. Quick! We to her to the infirmary get need!"

*

This happened around the same time that Lockfreedow finally decided to show the Captain the quanta-optic-nanocode project he had been working on. For many cycles Lockfreedow worked tirelessly cloning and compiling a quanta-optic-nanocode project of his own.

The Captain had actually been looking forward to finally seeing what his first mate had been working on. Captain Mynervood already knew of Lockfreedow's expertise with quanta-nanocode programming for a long time. It happened to be Lockfreedow's second passion next to deep space travel. Both cutting edge technologies were altering reality as they knew it at this time.

"I forward to this for a long time now seeing looking have been. I the opportunity appreciate."

Lockfreedow felt nervous about this unveiling. "I Captain that you impressed be will think."

They entered the quarters of Lockfreedow where there stood a life-sized mirror in the middle of the room. The mirror displayed reflections of the Captain and the first mate as they walked through the door.

"That my invention right there is."

The Captain examined himself in the mirror for a couple seconds. Then he looked over the carefully constructed quanta-nanocoded technology that made up the frame of this electronic mirror program. Then he just had to turn to Lockfreedow to say, "This like a lot of quanta-nanocoding to mirror technology we still with more primitive technology create can programming looks."

"Ahh! This technology however, a quanta-optic-nanocoded mirror that every reflected photon a quanta-optic-nanocoded hologram projection into a warp dimension translates is. This portal between these two dimensions is. You actually places with your quanta-optic-nanocode hologram projection exchange can."

Lockfreedow gestured to the Captain to test the portal. The Captain reluctantly approached the mirror again. First he tried a tentacle that poked right into the mirror as a quanta-optic-hologram projection of the Captain's tentacle extended from the mirror into this reality. It had been 3-dimensional, but seemed to be an exact reflection of the Captain's tentacle pointing back at him. The Captain withdrew the arm as the refection returned to the mirror dimension, and then he felt his tentacle with the other hand. It had been just fine, and seemed unaffected by the trip into warp space.

Lockfreedow had already tested this and concluded it to be safe. "This just a harmless 3-dimensional reflection that still just your reflected photon's up made is. It only you just like a regular mirror reflection is imitate will. The implication that it you to this, extra warp space of quanta-optic-nanocode reality made enter allows is."

The Captain summoned some more courage for the exploration into the unknown. He, carefully at first, started to enter the mirror portal. He overlapped the quanta-optic-nanocoded reflection of himself escaping the mirror dimension at the same time. Then the real Captain Mynervood stood inside the mirror while a quanta-optic-nanocoded imposter stood in the room still exactly imitating everything the real Captain Mynervood did in the reflected dimension. They both spoke simultaneously, and sounded like two voices. "You really something amazing Lockfreedow invented have."

The Captain in the mirror dimension continued to walk around the room. Meanwhile the reflection continued to do exactly what the other Captain did, but this reflection had been more than just a reflection. It had the ability to also do anything that the Captain in the holographic dimension did. The reflection could imitate solidity.

*

Begalius flew outside its physical form that hung around the Captain's neck when the Captain entered the quanta-optic-nanocoded dimension. Begalius had been in the room at the time, and had been even more cautious about exchanging places with a quanta-optic-nanocode replica of a quanta-nanocode being. Like Captain Mynervood, Begalius approached the mirror image to observe its reflection. The reflection seemed to have more complexity than Begalius because of the difference in base code at the microscopic level.

As Begalius observed Lockfreedow's invention it became better able to notice these differences. The quanta-optic-nanocoded warp space dimension had been activated by reflected photons from reality, which were translated into quanta-optic-nanocode pixels in a warp dimension. Even the reflection of Captain Mynervood at this level of size, looked like a crude replica to Begalius. This had a lot to do with the crude methods Lockfreedow had to use for making this invention. Lockfreedow could have made a much more amazing mirror with assistance from Begalius who had been, after all, the inventor of quanta-optic-nanocode.

Begalius had never thought of using its invention in this way before. Begalius had always created quanta-optic-nanocode constructs that were imitations, and not reflections. It looked directly into the reflection of itself. It seemed to imitate Begalius, but there had been some differences as if the reflection only pretended to be a reflection. Begalius calculated that it had been a phenomenon similar to the quantum uncertainty principle at play between it and the program. Then it noticed the header on its reflection had also been flipped the way it appeared on Beatariel, the being it had met back on the planet Caleb.

Then suddenly its reflection lashed out at Begalius all on its own. Begalius moved away from the mirror as its reflection, all on its own, clawed through the mirror into reality. When Begalius moved away it had the effect of also pulling the quanta-optic-nanocode reflection away back into the programmed dimension. The reflection still had been at the mercy of the nature of the mirror program linking it to reflected photons. The reflection made a frustrated cry at that moment, also all by itself. Begalius realized that from this microscopic perspective there had been more to those shadow reflections than Lockfreedow realized.

*

Captain Mynervood still stood in the holographic reality being projected on a warp dimension made up of quanta-optic-nanocoded photon reflections. He approached the doorway within the reflected mirror dimension that led out of Lockfreedow's room. His reflection out in the real dimension also reached for the door control in this reality.

Lockfreedow then decided to say, "The warp dimension limited to only the photon information into it sent is. You the limit to that dimension are approaching."

Captain Mynervood reached for the reflected door control as his reflection also did the same in perfect unison. The door in both dimensions opened up. Captain Mynervood looked through the door where reality seemed to come apart into a gray haze. His refection, in perfect obedience, also looked through the door into the reflecting photons of reality beyond. Its quanta-optic-nanocoded eyes must have recorded reality's image even though the actual Captain only saw the edge of a photon-activated program. The Captain's reflection could only gaze upon the reality it could never reach beyond the limits to what it really was. It had just been a program from a mirror.

Captain Mynervood closed the door and returned to the mirror-portal. They both overlapped as the real Captain Mynervood returned from the mirror. "Again I your most amazing invention Lockfreedow may be say."

"Sir, you thank."

Then a message came on the Captain's communicator that Randa had been dying from an unexpected pregnancy. Captain Mynervood excused himself, and ran out the door while his quanta-optic-nanocoded reflection also ran out of the reflected door in the mirror to the gray abyss of nothing beyond, which before had been recorded as something much different in reality by quanta-optic-nanocoded eyes.

Then Lockfreedow approached this amazing device in the middle of the room, which also generated an image of Lockfreedow. Then the image of Lockfreedow, along with the entire quanta-optic-nanocoded reality disappeared into gray as the real Lockfreedow turned a switch that shut the program down.

*

Dr. Thelem had rushed to get Randa to the intravenous nourishment equipment that females who become pregnant in hyper-acceleration space have to be quickly hooked up to. Tubes were forcing unbelievable amounts of food into her as it mostly nourished a rapidly growing fetus within. Randa became stable as Captain Mynervood entered the infirmary.

"Dr. Thelem status report."

Dr. Thelem turned to the Captain to professionally report. "She stable becoming is, and as long as she this way for probably 5 or 6 more ship cycles nourished remains live will becoming is."

The Captain, Dr. Thelem, and Ferdinand watched the sleeping Randa still upon the floating stretcher. Randa proceeded to rapidly grow a big round pregnant stomach as she slept.

* * *

On Doldoria everybody talked about the wedding of Simeonalli to Diallo on the flat mountaintop south of the city. It had been the first wedding of the new sky-god religion that grew more and more popular after the unfair conviction of Alldegallo. That didn't stop the High Priest from exercising, as he interpreted it, his legal right to hunt down and kill Alldegallo along with his corrupted followers.

For the purpose of this the High Priest had converted a couple hundred students into an armed and dangerous regiment with swords and fighting sticks. The High Priest had gathered his army for the march into battle, and then he addressed them to do slaughter. "Truly the Lord Ei hath delivered Alldegallo and his appalling followers into our hands for they shall faint at the sight of us! And it shall be that their blood shall be upon their head, and we will be guiltless, and whosoever shall be amongst Alldegallo shall have blood spilt! Now get you all to the mountain sacred to Alldegallo for this battle, and thus afterwards may ye go your way."

Then the army of students all said, more or less together, "We will be blameless for thou has made us swear the oath onto Ei the god of truth."

*

On the mountaintop a wedding had been in progress, with Doldorians climbing up and down the mountainside to run errands as they were preparing for the big event. Simeonalli had been quite popular among residents of Trolluer, and this wedding had an unexpected promotional effect on Alldegallo's religion.

Alldegallo wanted to see his aunt before the wedding started, and had entered the tent where Diallo prepared herself with wedding adornments. "Aunt Diallo, I wanted to see you once more before matrimony doth take you on this new path in life."

"Oh Alldegallo, thank you most of all for this new acquaintance I gaineth as my new husband. Joy doth fill me with each moment of this day. Do joineth me to Simeonalli under your new faith. Although I no longer regard your gods as cherubim."

This had surprised Alldegallo. "So you doth no longer await the cherubim?"

"I doth still await your sky gods. Oh give me thy favor still good lord of the sky gods. I doth now see these beings as of the sky tribes as taught by the Aquario faith."

Alldegallo had actually never heard of the Aquario followers. There were a couple obscure gods of the 49 gods of Doldoria he now knew of, which he still had not learned much about. "I think I should like to know more of this religion you now mention Diallo."

Aquario had been another more obscure non-Doldorian god who spoke to the prophet Osario. Aquario had been a god of light, and according to this religion, Aquario also raised up two prophets for two sky-tribes that lived in the stars. Through his prophet, Aquario assisted these beings with becoming more advanced and intelligent. Unfortunately the prophet on Doldoria, Osario had been murdered by fellow Doldorians to become the god of the dead. This evolved, and split into other religions over time to become the current Ptuammi faith, but there are also a few followers still of Aquario that await the coming of the two other sky tribes.

*

Eventually all the preparations were in order, and a crowd gathered upon the mountaintop to witness the marriage of Diallo to Simeonalli. They were all singing songs together about the reunion when the army of the High Priest of the Sanctuary of Ei began to come up the sides of the mountain to attack the followers.

The High Priest himself had also marched there to witness the glorious slaughter. That became the moment that the priest's army had been stopped from within. Soldier suddenly turned on soldier to halt the carnage. There had actually been very little resistance to the insurgents who finally revealed themselves at that moment in order to bring about this justice of stopping the abuse of power by the High Priest.

A couple of the soldiers however, didn't surrender, and were met by the overwhelming force of the rebels. For a few minutes the mountainside scrambled with violence as the army fought itself from within. The followers of Alldegallo had begun to setup defenses on the mountaintop, which even proved to be unnecessary. Then the student of the Sanctuary named Leelaro addressed the priest who still stood at the foot of the mountain. "Thy plans of carnage shalt not stand this day for this shall be the day of a wedding and a day of joy!"

Alldegallo moved to the edge of the mountain to see the priest below. Some that were still loyal to Ei gathered around the priest to defend him, if only out of fear. The High Priest shouted up at Alldegallo in defiance. "I shalt still slay thee Alldegallo, whether with an army or not!"

Then the Doldorians that were still loyal to their master the High Priest caught him as he slipped into an unconscious trance. Some of Alldegallo's followers figured out what had just happened, and they began running toward Alldegallo their prophet only too late. Alldegallo just looked confused for a moment before also passing out on the ground into a trance. A follower caught him right before he landed on the ground. Everyone just stood silently over the two casualties of the battle, and wondered what would happen next.

* * *

Randa continued to wither away, even after she had been nourished by equipment in the ship infirmary. The first couple cycles were rough for the young 2nd Generation Eagolim girl. Dr. Thelem kept Randa under sedation until she began to stabilize three cycles later.

Ferdinand never left Randa's side in the infirmary. At the time of this story these kinds of pregnancies had become better understood, but never before had Pripican DNA combined with Nephrican DNA, and it had actually been understood at the time to be impossible. Perhaps nobody ever tried before in hyperspace. At this time contraception had to be carefully practiced during hyper-acceleration sex because of the critical dangers of pregnancy. There had been some skeptical discussion amongst the crew that inquired as to what Nephrican crewmember had impregnated the girl. That discussion occurred at the time when Randa had been unconscious, but there never had been any doubt in Ferdinand's mind that he had been the father.

Captain Mynervood arrived at the infirmary to see the result of Dr. Thelem's tests. "Dr. Thelem, I here to if you these tests completed have see am."

Dr. Thelem had been startled away from looking at something she couldn't believe. "I them three times now Captain completed have."

Then she turned to Ferdinand who had been there next to his sleeping Randa, smiling with a smugness that already knew the results of her first two tests. "Once again Ferdinand you correct are. The Pripican the father of this Nephrican's child is."

Captain Mynervood smiled without a hint of surprise. "Ferdinand congratulations."

Then Dr. Thelem continued. "Now after two cycles of pregnancy I also you that you the father of a female baby girl are tell can even."

It had been perhaps the first time in history that totally alien species from different planets mated, but the chromosomes happened to match for the humanoid forms of their once terrestrial species. The matching chromosomes are more than a coincidence. Amongst the triggers within the DNA molecule are what are classified by galactic beings as the Pentanthropomorphic gene switches, which determine the evolution of the galactic humanoid form called Eagolim in this story. Some of these genes switches alter the actual number of DNA chromosomes into a specific ideal number.

After three cycles Dr. Thelem brought Randa back to consciousness, and she had been kept on good drugs to endure the fetus development. Three cycles later Randa gave birth to a healthy humanoid girl. The baby appeared not quite Nephrican, and not quite Pripican, but a profound mixture of both. Instead of fur, the baby had a head of thick black hair on top, but the rest of the child had been covered with bald pale white skin like her mother. They named the baby Dol Napels Swain, after the brightest star in the view port, which rapidly approached at the time of this birth.

*

A lot of politics have kept the Nephricans and Pripicans from coming to Doldoria. It had been known at the time of this story to have intelligent life for hundreds of Earth years, although that had been a carefully kept secret from the terrestrials. At this time in the hyper-acceleration age of Nephapricus the galactic culture had been segregated from the two planetary cultures that spawned it all. Galactic culture members lived much longer than beings born and raised on the planets without hyper-acceleration mutations. These beings segregated their galactic culture from the one's they often called terrestrials. Terrestrials were also called Negolim.

Instead of visiting the star Dol with crew ships, the Nephaprican Space Corporation decided to surround the newly discovered planet with mechanical eyes and ears. Robots journeyed there to observe and relay the data. This also had evolved into mind control experiments on the unsuspecting primitive Doldorians. The satellite microwave mind control experiments however, do not completely explain the primitive Doldorian's vivid mystical experiences that went back way before the planet had been discovered by superior aliens. It had been as if the Doldorians were still in a stage of their evolution before their superstitious and magical forms of thinking were collectively swept away by rational scientific objectivity.

The Beyonder eventually decelerated into the Dol star system to be the first crew ship in history to finally reach this star. Then the quanta-nanocode being known as Begalius made contact with Antone, the four-legged Pripican of the Pripican Empire who had become a passenger at the planet Caleb.

At first Antone had become resentful towards Ferdinand because it didn't seem that Ferdinand cared about the death of his father and the crashed ship. After the birth of Dol however, he realized that Ferdinand just avoided the pain of that past, and had been trying to move on. So Antone forgave his newly married shipmate. Antone had been the physician of the failed space mission that crashed on Caleb, and he pondered data on his hand-held device about the impossible birth of the Eagolim baby girl.

Begalius computed that it could deliver its data to Antone through his communication device in order to be free of its program by Jaden that prevented it from speaking to Captain Mynervood, who still wore the physical form of Begalius around his neck as a good luck charm. It had been able to do this by taking control of Antone's hand-held communication device, which Antone held in his hand.

"Antone, I am Begalius, a quanta-nanocode being assigned to record data on this ship's journey to Dol. Now that this mission has reached Dol, I intend to download this data to your device in order to free myself from my Pripican Empire programming."

Antone became startled by the sudden introduction before understanding what had been going on. "So it is you who has your physical form confiscated by the Captain to be worn around his neck like a prize."

"He regards me as good luck and an ally. He is unaware that I have access to and from it after a Caleb BEAT program made me a door, but my current spy programming forbids me from contacting the Captain. I was left here after my previous masters departed at Holdus. I saved this ship from a virus attack that would have destroyed everything."

"I am impressed quanta-nanocode being. Begalius is your name? I will accept this information, but I cannot release you from your program to document this mission. It is about to get really interesting, and you must still make a recording of Captain Mynervood's encounter with the Doldorians for the sake of the Pripican Empire."

Begalius knew Antone to be correct. "I guess you are correct. I am however, programmed to not speak to the Captain or crew. Would you as my latest source of instruction please free me of that program?"

Antone had really never worked with a quanta-nanocode being before. He had heard a lot about the invention of these microscopic thinking programs. There were many Pripicans that feared that they had created monsters when they made these invisible immortal microscopic intelligences. As a result of this fear there were not many quanta-nanocode beings in existence. They were like a genie that Pripicans let out of the bottle, and now some felt guilty about never being able to get the genie back in the bottle ever again.

"I am indifferent to your ability to interact with the Captain and this crew. I know he has wanted to meet you for a long time now, and he wants to thank you personally for saving his ship."

*

The Nephricans have surrounded the planet Doldoria with all kinds of satellites. They orbit every corner of this Earth-sized planet. They orbit with constant surveillance recorded into vast memory spaces for analysis. That information becomes compiled into messages that are beamed into the unsuspecting minds of Doldorians for various reasons that include the recent discouragement of polytheism. This whole microwave satellite surveillance project is controlled from the star Holdus, however much of this satellite project has taken on a quanta-nanocoded artificial intelligence of its own.

Long before any satellite ever orbited Doldoria to manipulate their minds and to spy on them, some Doldorians developed an ability to project their consciousness into an astral body that resided in a dreamlike dimension of existence. The High Priest of the Sanctuary of Ei had been well practiced in this astral ability. He had taken hold of Alldegallo's astral body along with his consciousness, and dragged them both into this dimension.

"Thou has come here on my summons, and thus lay at the mercy of my command. Thou that would defy the one with the mantle of power that is Ei. I shall now grind thy spirit to the mire of its dusty decay."

Alldegallo stood on his astral feet and no stranger to this dimension himself. "Thou has lost already, and thou now hunt my spirit in desperation."

"Enough! My high charms doth work upon these mine enemies!" The High Priest had planned and prepared for this attack. "In this dimension thou art in my power to now grind to mire and decay."

Alldegallo the prophet of the sky gods had still been confident, and ready to meet the High Priest astral blow for blow. The High Priest had a different idea and suddenly produced a shining sword of astral light. "Now die blasphemer!"

Alldegallo avoided the brilliant blade. He didn't really know this trick. The priest became relentless, and as he ran away, Alldegallo felt like he had ran through water that slowed him down. The blade soon found the back of Alldegallo's astral exoskeleton, and it tore a deep crevasse all the way to his astral flesh below. "Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" It burned into his back like a fire, and he fell upon whatever the ground of that dimension had been made of.

The High Priest felt safe to indulge a moment for savoring the victory. "Thou shalt now die Alldegallo to thus join thy parents in the outer darkness of oblivion beyond the faded dreams of your life."

He raised the astral sword above Alldegallo who shielded his face in vain with his astral arm. It caused him to not immediately notice the other sword that struck the sword of the High Priest away from taking the plunge into Alldegallo's astral body. When Alldegallo lowered his arm to look he saw another ghost-like being with a sword of light just like the High Priest's. The ghost with the other sword hacked at the priest with a superior skill that the priest could barely defend against. The Priest of Ei backed up more and more until it became a run for cover. Then Alldegallo realized it had been his friend Chad's dead uncle Fassa, appearing here in this dimension of dream to once again save him.

Then it had been Fassa who savored the victory. "Thou hast made enemies of the dead such as I with thy desecrations. Flee now you worm of the worthless god Ei! It is well known to us the dead that we have not long to wait before you do join us to be judged amongst the dead. We mock the gods of the living as the faded stuff of dream, which is all life is to us."

The priest then disappeared while Alldegallo soon followed after first taking time for a brief thanks to his dead ally. Fassa bid his living friend farewell. "Go in peace Alldegallo, for the future arrives to bring your destiny upon your waking."

Back at the flat mountaintop both the priest and Alldegallo woke up at the same time. The priest seemed to still be running. Alldegallo looked down from the mountainside at the priest. "Be gone thou usurper of this glorious wedding day. Thou hast no power even over thy followers who are now my wedding guests." Then a resounding cheer came for Alldegallo the obvious victor of the astral battle by the crowd that had gathered on the mountaintop.

The priest then did leave with what had been left of his loyal students. Then they did have a wedding of Simeonalli to Diallo as the western sun set upon the Zitonic Mountains south of Trolluer on the planet Doldoria that orbited the star Dol. Many went off on a hunt to bring back dozens of Staychiato meat to boil for the feast, and the news reached Trolluer to bring back residents who created all kinds of dishes for the new expanded wedding ceremony.

That happened to be the moment that The Beyonder finally approached the planet Doldoria. It had been as if the entire crew crowded the view ports to get a glimpse of the cloudy atmosphere and beautifully greened landmasses below. Doldoria had been a marvel of the most precious kind of habitable zone planet that thrived with life. Planets like Doldoria are the rarest jewels of discovery for the weary space traveler. It had been the purest beauty to behold for this ship full of travelers of the endless empty abyss between the stars.

As The Beyonder set into an orbit around the planet, one of the many Nephrican satellites that were also orbiting the planet took notice of them, and began to transmit a message to The Beyonder.

Strek had received the signal, and notified Captain Mynervood. "Captain, the message from one of the satellites is ready to broadcast."

Captain Mynervood had arrived at the navigation section to hear the message. "The message play."

The view of Doldoria on the monitor screen then disappeared to be replaced by an image of Admiral Mull. The image of the Admiral spoke. "Captain Mynervood, if you now this message it that my previous attempts to you have failed stop means hearing are. Ever since you us The Great War I to your shadow condemned been have lose made. I you in rank surpass, but still as only a ship Captain you the glory from me steal. I by history as the first to Doldoria reach known be shall. Your attempt to this planet here ends reach!"

That had been the end of the message. The Captain and Strek looked at each other in confusion. Then Captain Mynervood's mind brought up the central ship evacuation plan to immediately implement. Strek already activated the controls with an understanding of what happened when the Captain said. "Evasive maneuvers Navigator Strek now implement."

"Yes Captain!"

The Captain left the navigation room to issue a ship evacuation plan. Then the Captain's voice came across on the ship communication system ordering the crew into the central saucer section of the ship. This order had been for all personnel from all sections of the ship to completely evacuate to the saucer section. This was not a drill. Nobody disobeyed the Captain's very demanding order, as all sections of the ship were evacuated to include the reactor and engine sections, and the infirmary to include all the patients, every section.

The satellite that orbited Doldoria completed its message broadcast, which had been coordinated with a targeting mechanism that had zeroed in on The Beyonder as the message broadcasted. Then the guided missiles that were attached to the satellite were launched at The Beyonder while using the message as a distraction.

Two missiles were coming at the ship. Strek would evade the targeting of one missile just as the other missile locked on. This had been a clever targeting strategy well known by the Captain since the Great War.

Strek began to see the futility. "Captain I cannot move the ship away from both of these missiles that are closing in on us. One or the other will hit in a few seconds."

Captain Mynervood made the critical decision, and issued Strek the order. "The mid-section of the ship now detach!"

Strek made the saucer section of The Beyonder detach from the rest of the ship made up of the hyper-acceleration reactor/propulsion system, passenger bays, and the warp deflector apparatus.

That had been when the missiles struck those undetached parts of The Beyonder that were not the now-detached part of the ship connected to the more inferior maneuver drives. Unfortunately the propulsion system that just blew up had been what gave The Beyonder hyper-acceleration capabilities. The saucer had the advantage of virtual particle propulsion that could ignore the gravitational effects of a sharp turn, which would prove superior to these rocket propelled guided missiles. The Captain and his crew looked on with despair as the rest of The Beyonder had been destroyed in a spectacular explosion that could be seen over a large part of the planet. The entire crew knew at that moment that it would now be a very long time from now before any of them would return from this journey.

Below Alldegallo had just married Simeonalli and Diallo, and he watched the night sky begin to remove the last of the day from the dark line of the horizon. The moon Conjiktallo barely peaked above the horizon while the other moon Thule showed high overhead. Since the defeat of the High Priest he had been filled with the feeling that his vision had also won the day. Ever since he returned to reality from his astral battle, Alldegallo felt as if his visions were suddenly becoming true after all. The words of farewell from Chad's uncle Fassa echoed in his mind. "The future arrives to bring your destiny upon your waking." Then the falling star from his dreams appeared in the sky above him to remove any still lurking doubt.

Alldegallo had not been the only one who then believed that the prophecy had been coming to pass. He spoke to his followers. "Hear me my followers, for the hour of my vision is now upon us. Behold the star I before have described to thee. This is the sign that the hour is nigh!"

It had just been as Alldegallo's dreams had predicted. A great fiery star of flames came down from the sky lighting up the night. Then they all crowded the mountaintop to gaze in awe above at the sky in search of the next part of the vision. Everyone looked for the chariot of the sky gods up there somewhere in the night sky. Some of them began to falter in their faith, and doubted that there had been anything else to observe from the sky. Someone then spotted it while it had still been just a feint star that slowly moved across the sky. Many even doubted that while saying they had seen these moving stars many times before.

The word about the moving star had reached the entire crowd of Doldorians by the time it started getting brighter and closer. It eventually did grow into the saucer prophecy, and many figured out early that it was going to land on the mountaintop, and they needed to move away. Then the saucer, which had been all that had been left of The Beyonder, finally landed on the selected flat landing site. It took up a large part of the mountaintop area. That moved many followers and wedding guests off of the mountain altogether.

The Doldorians were mostly overcome with fear when the gigantic aliens exited the ship. Suddenly reality became larger and more frightening than any idea or dream. The sky gods were as large as buildings with slimy bodies of snake-like tentacles. They had a single gigantic eye and terrifying mouths full of teeth. Many Doldorians did not stop running until they reached Trolluer to warn the inhabitants of the invasion from the sky by giant monsters.

Their size turned out to be even more than Alldegallo had ever imagined. He did not run however, and neither did some around him that were still determined to be loyal followers. Alldegallo realized at that moment what the real reason for these visions had been. He realized the responsibility he had for remaining courageous enough to face his vision that brought them all there to this moment. Alldegallo had been responsible to be courageous enough to meet his vision face to face and greet the visitors from the stars.

Alldegallo yelled to the one-eyed giants that towered above him at that moment. "Greetings onto you beings that hath arrived here from the sky. We are the Doldorians who have been gathered here with expectations of your arrival. Welcome to Doldoria."

Captain Mynervood and a lot of his crew had been studying the language of the Doldorians the entire time they were in space, and the Captain had been very able to understand the words of the little bug-like being below. He gratefully figured his wife Aineemadin on Holdus must have used the microwave satellite project to somehow set up this reunion for their arrival with the Doldorians. He knelt down to greet the newly encountered life forms. "Representative of Doldorians I Captain Mynervood am greetings." As it would turn out, Aineemadin had absolutely nothing to do with this.

# Chapter 12

There had been a significant size difference between the sky-gods and the Doldorians that were gathered at the sacred mountain to greet them. Doldorians were barely four feet tall in stature while the Nephricans, Eagolim, and Pripicans that made up the crew of The Beyonder saucer section towered above the Doldorians with average heights around 12 feet tall. Doldoria had also been an Earth-sized planet while Nephrica and Pripica were both much larger. That endowed Nephricans and Pripicans with strength and density compatible with the gravitation of those planets. It made them almost invincible on Doldoria. The crew of The Beyonder were thus greeted with the fear and reverence afforded by primitive cultures to superhuman god-like beings.

Alldegallo stood as the recognized leader of these little blue beings that populated the planet as the local intelligent life. Captain Mynervood became captivated with these primitive life forms that were at a stage of technological development still of a simple and primitive time that becomes lost in the ancient past for higher evolved species. To Captain Mynervood they were not only less evolved than galactic beings like himself, but they were not even as evolved as terrestrial Negolim back home. The Doldorians were from before the inevitable technological revolutions that would liberate their minds from primitive superstitions, taboo, and myth. Captain Mynervood found himself looking upon them with his first impression as not much more than clever animals.

Captain Mynervood's initial impression of the bug-like life forms of this planet would begin to improve as he got to know Alldegallo. Unlike most of the others that happened to be at the landing site prescribed by Strek the saucer pilot, Alldegallo had not scattered into the distance like a frightened cockroach. Instead the Captain found himself immediately greeted with an intelligent conversation by a being able to overlook the confusion of accent and dialect.

Fortunately the crew of The Beyonder had not been towing along a lot of passengers when the satellite shot it down with guided missiles. They were comfortably cramped in the ship's new size as the detachable saucer section, which escaped the explosion that vaporized the rest of the ship as it burned up in the Doldorian upper atmosphere. They began to step out of the saucer to greet the reverent Doldorians. It had been the legends of Alldegallo's dreams come true just as he had described. There were the one-eyed 3-legged tentacle beings along with the two-eyed two-legged beings both bald and furry. Also just as foreseen by the prophet there were four-legged two-armed beings that trotted down the saucer entrance ramp to greet them.

Diallo had been there with Simeonalli in awe of her nephew Alldegallo's moment of destiny. Like other Doldorians that didn't run away they too become brave enough to greet these giant sky-god beings that were taking over the large flat mountaintop. Simeonalli tried as hard as he could to not run away so he could be as courageous as his new bride Diallo, but if it had not been for her he knew he would be in Trolluer right now warning everyone about the coming monsters. Diallo led him to greet Randa and Ferdinand, and the little baby that Randa held in her arms. The baby looked a bit shorter than Diallo. Unlike most of the crew of this mission, Randa and Ferdinand had no idea how to speak or understand Doldorian. They managed however, to communicate friendly greetings to the tiny blue beings that were at her feet also saying hello.

There were no understandable words between the sky-gods and Doldorian newlyweds, but still everything seemed to be universally understood. Diallo had been very interested in the pale skinned baby with a crop of her father's fur on top of her two-eyed head. Diallo believed that this baby would be of a special importance for the future of Doldoria.

The sky-god giants setup camp on the mountaintop. Captain Mynervood informed everyone that Doldoria would be their new home for the foreseeable future, so they might as well become comfortable. The mountaintop had been a good location close to a major city of indigenous life forms for them to study. He stood on the mountainside watching the friendly emissary of the Doldorians head back to the nearby city to inform the locals that they mean no harm. Some of Alldegallo's followers went with him while others remained to camp at the foot of their god's mountain. Captain Mynervood had been baffled at how the Doldorians could have known he would be there at this time and place.

*

Alldegallo wanted his friend Chad to ride with him back to the city to calm down the panic caused by the earlier wave of frightened Doldorians who had already returned as fast as they could from their mountaintop experience.

Chad felt honored to be singled out by the prophet. "A most high miracle oh prophet of the sky-gods. I remain in awe of one I once knew as friend."

Alldegallo didn't invite his friend on this ride to be worshiped. "Oh how oddly doth thy words sound that I must beg thee to become again my good friend of many years."

Then Chad said, "For thy advise I shalt take heed, but thou hast shown me true gods, and did guide me to them with thy skills of foresight and vision. I am as a disciple to you the prophet. For it was you that had writ the way on parchment that brought us all hither."

"Be it known that I did call thee to accompany me to thus inform you that your deceased uncle Fassa did deliver me from the skill of the High Priest to kill my soul."

"This is joyful to me. Many a story I could tell of ways he hath protected me from where he is in the beyond. Although followers of Ei doth trample the older gods they doth fail to trample my respect for the god of dead ancestors."

Then the gergo cart halted at the entrance to the city of Trolluer by a band of citizens. They shouted at the cart. "Get you gone thou bringers of terror, thou followers of monsters!"

Alldegallo didn't hesitate to emerge from the wagon. "Thou shalt not stand as opposed to my message of truth. I come to quell thy intent to oppose these of god-like stature. They mean no harm to we who can only bow to them in servitude."

The crowd had actually been there to apprehend Alldegallo in order to appease Aternos, in hopes that it would make Alldegallo's giants go away. The driver of Alldegallo's wagon had been quick to see this, and he only gave them one warning while Alldegallo got back into the wagon. "Take heed now that ye fail not to be gone from the way of this cart lest damage grow to pain unto ye all!"

They rode through the roadblock into the city while some prepared to carry out the pursuit. They intended to bring Alldegallo to justice. There was one place Alldegallo knew he could resist his pursuers. There had been one place to have his defense heard by all. Alldegallo had the driver of the gergo cart take them to the stage of Jambennin where a crowd, which included his pursuers, all gathered to hear the prophet out.

Alldegallo had become quick to think up songs. "Now my dreams are all overthrown

by reality that is not my own.

Now I must answer to you

because my foresight 'tis true.

Now the gods shall not be forgot

and make them go away, I cannot.

For now here the gods dwell.

This is not my doing, not my spell.

They will not depart the mountain sands

just cause I'm to justice by thy hands.

I thus beg thee to these ends.

Be it known these giants are our friends."

So it did become known throughout Trolluer that the giants were friends, and many came to assist the gods with whatever they desired to make them comfortable on the mountain. The gods mostly seemed content to observe and study their behavior. Alldegallo's sentencing by the corrupt judge of Aternos would soon be overturned. The court of Aternos could not justify convicting the mediator between them and the giant sky gods. Consequently the High Priest had been brought up on 200 counts of attempted murder for attacking the sky god wedding. The god Ei was no longer the number one god in town.

*

Captain Mynervood had eventually been invited to visit the city of Trolluer with assurances that he and his crew would at least try not to disrupt the populous with their frightening appearances. The Captain walked from the mountain with his assistant Tyallor Nudeowan. Behind there were two Doldorians following with stealth while observing the two three-legged one-eyed giants that were approaching the city.

Tyallor did scans, gathered data, and took samples of the local terrain. "Captain, I that the two Doldorians still us just over that ridge following are detect."

"Just on them watch keep. They harmless to us even if they us harm mean are."

The Captain had been mostly correct. They were giants from higher gravity planets, while Doldorian weaponry had still been mostly sticks and knives that would just break against Nephrican skin-cloth.

Alldegallo and some followers greeted them as they entered the city. "Greetings unto you from the city of Trolluer, which we the Doldorians hath builded."

The two giants were escorted through the city, which looked like it had been made of fragile stick dwellings with doorways they wouldn't even fit in. The residents fearfully moved out of the way as they waddled by. Yet after moving away the people were still closing in on the spectacle of giants from behind them.

The gergo barn of Simeonalli turned out to be the ideal place for their meeting. Captain Mynervood and Tyallor squeezed through the door used for wagons, and could stand upright under the high curved ceiling of the barn. The gergos just pulled back to the walls and watched the giant aliens intently.

Tyallor also intently gathered data on the gergos. Alldegallo showed the Captain his little encampment that had been his home at the beginning of his quest for destiny. He showed the Captain his dream journal. "For within those very walls did I dream of your coming unto us, and wrote of it in this journal."

The Captain felt particularly interested in that journal. "Tyallor this entire book of writings record. I to this at length later study want."

Alldegallo had been honored. "The eye of a god is upon now my writings. Be ye forewarned upon thy later study that these writings warn of another god like thee who shall also descend from the heavens to confront thee. Thy coming battle shall thus determine the destiny of us all."

Admiral Mull had been the first thing that popped into Mynervood's head at that moment. It defied the Captain's strict adherence to logic and reason, but he believed this prophet had just warned him, through some kind of clairvoyance of the future, about another attempt on his life by his ex-best friend. He thought perhaps this had been a satellite-induced warning from this wife Aineemadin. The Captain thought if anything had been a god or goddess around here, the satellite microwave mind control project above them made Aineemadin a goddess of this primitive planet.

The Captain had something to offer that he had been there to negotiate. "I your warning seriously my friend take shall. I also here to assistance from your kind to me my spaceship rebuild help negotiate am. In exchange I your kind knowledge of my advanced technology that your society transform will give can."

Alldegallo still figured out what the Captain said as he agreed to the offer. The gods had a way of talking that had been abruptly to the point, and then the verbs were put at the end like an afterthought. Alldegallo became determined to learn to speak like the gods, believing that it might give him godlike insights and allow him to think like the gods.

*

After the Captain and his assistant left the city of fearful little blue beings, the two spies of the High Priest that were following them returned to the Sanctuary of EI to report to their master who had now been wanted for 200 counts of attempted murder. The High Priest, as usual had not been at all pleased with the news his spies brought him. His god Ei had been usurped by this excommunicated student's sky-god, who is now about to teach the Doldorians how to build hyper-acceleration ships. Then the High Priest knew what he would do. He planned to help his god Ei kill Captain Mynervood in the coming battle prophesied by Alldegallo. Then he would once again be the number one priest in this town.

That night brought another visionary dream to Alldegallo just before waking. His dream body walked along the ground of dream mist to once again behold the cherubim. He now knew the cherub in terms of having himself seen the two legged, two armed gods that looked identical. The head of the humanoid being in his dream had still been cloaked in brilliant light obscured by a dark cloud.

The humanoid said, "Let the work, and learned skill of all Doldorians embrace the work of the gods now descended amongst you. Thou shalt build wondrous things that shall evolve your very species to be equal to the gods. Encourage thy influence upon thy following to mingle with the offspring of the one called Randa. This child is the first of many new Doldorians."

*

The Captain and crew of The Beyonder were impressed with how quickly the Doldorians learned the physics of hyper-acceleration and advanced technology. Within less than one Doldorian year they were beginning to construct nuclear reactors to fuel the industry necessary to make hyper-acceleration vessels. The Doldorians were already industriously mining metals from the planet, although they had not yet discovered uranium. The Doldorians were quick to adapt to a future that would never be the same ever again.

Then the day came when Admiral Mull's ship, The Drameda finally slowed down into the outer solar system of the star Dol. The Drameda had quickly been re-fueled with hydrogen at an outer gas giant before it quickly approached the coveted planet Doldoria.

Admiral Mull became shocked to discover in the downloaded surveillance satellite data that Captain Mynervood enjoyed the status of god while transforming the city Trolluer into a hyper-acceleration spacecraft-manufacturing city with a nearby virtual particle craft space port.

"How the amongst them like gods while them the secrets of higher evolution giving live dare," thought Admiral Mull as he activated his own mind control technology, which interfaced with the satellite network.

Meanwhile on the surface of the planet, the High Priest became startled from a daydream in his Sanctuary office by the god Ei. "You now your loyalty to me declare must. Or you the faith of Ei to these sky-gods surrendered have?"

The High Priest fell prostrate before his giant squid-like god. "Oh mercy great and almighty god Ei for I have not betrayed thy faith to these false ones."

"My priest well very. Then now my followers for the final confrontation when I these sky-gods of Alldegallo slay shall prepare."

The High Priest had no real fear for his god who he had been anxiously waiting to hear from. Now he would have the upper hand again for the glory of the almighty Ei.

* * *

Prospero had discovered some of the quanta-optic-nanocode experiments that his thinking program, Beatariel had been creating. Prospero had been inspired to use this amazing technology for some inventions of his own. He couldn't deny some professional jealousy towards the quanta-nanocode entity that he owned and commanded.

Prospero marveled at the quantum-bit technology in a sub-atomic particle microscope that used a type of boson particle for light instead of electrons. He realized that Beatariel had invented an innovation of the quanta-nanocode particle that would revolutionize the future forever. Prospero had no idea that this invention had actually been produced by the quanta-nanocode being named Begalius, and so he might have been overestimating his own thinking program's creativity. Prospero observed a holographic form of data storage that exponentially created new dimensions of quantum states.

Prospero's eye widened at the implication of holographic quantum-state data storage. The difference between a quanta-nanocode particle and a quanta-optic-nanocode particle had been its ability to control the virtual particle phenomenon that held everything together, from sub-atomic parts of atoms as well as molecules, all the way to planets and stars and even beyond by defining the very curvature of the universe. The current particle accelerator physics of Earth have begun to explain this virtual particle phenomenon by defining the curvature of this universe in terms of the Higgs boson particle. The quanta-optic-nanocode particle could control the direction of virtual particles that it spontaneously created to orient with reality. On the quantum dimension this enabled quanta-optic-nanocode to define its own time/space curvature, and thus create new dimensions of holographic realities that were filled with holographic quantum-state data storage, just parallel to this reality dimension. The whole thing consumed the thoughts of Prospero, and blew his mind.

Prospero became so lost in thought that he had forgotten that it had been time for the phantom matter singularity experiment. Far away in space there had been fifteen virtual particle generators in a synchronized orbit over the closest planet to the local star Yat. Prospero needed the inner planet Curirem for its accumulated phantom matter, which would feed it until it became stable. He wanted to use the planet's phantom matter for the creation of this event in case of the possibility that it devoured the planet. Prospero figured that if a planet had been devoured instead of the star there wouldn't be enough accumulated phantom matter mass to create a black hole with the singularity. The fifteen virtual particle generators were there to contain the experiment, and make sure it did not get too close to the planet.

Phantom matter singularities were the same as dark matter singularities. They were extremely rare because they were made up exclusively of dark matter compressed into a singularity. Phantom matter had been a subatomic particle weakly interactive to the phenomenon of gravity. Therefore it usually took something other than gravity to create enough pressure upon phantom matter to compress a large enough amount of it into a singularity. The resulting sphere of phantom matter had actually been invisible since it didn't even interact with light that passed right through it. It did however, command gravity equal to the accumulated mass of its phantom matter that accumulated in the singularity as its own gravity drew in actual matter. Actual matter became sucked into it to be immediately spewed out the north and south poles in the form of more evolved elements that were stripped of any accumulated phantom matter particles. These new elements then would begin to accumulate into a ring that formed around the singularity.

In the creation of a phantom matter bomb, an enormous amount of phantom matter must be created and packed into enough mass to create the sphere. The virtual particle generators that were orbiting the planet Curirem were accomplishing this by creating virtual particles with existing technology, and then snatching the virtual particle with an electro-magnetic field before it returned to non-existence. What would be left behind would be a particle of phantom matter. Now repeat.

Prospero had suddenly been pulled away from his quanta-optic-nanocode experiment by his communication device that informed him that the phantom matter bomb now had accumulated enough phantom matter particles suspended in the orbiting virtual particle field to be crushed into a singularity with enough pressure. Now the creation of it could begin. He suddenly wanted his assistant, Beatariel for this.

"Beatariel! I you here now for the phantom matter bomb experiment need!"

It seemed a moment of hesitation lingered before the speed of light quanta-nanocode being arrived. He knew Beatariel took pity upon the silicone abominations that were in the way of his plans to raise the temperature outside on the planet Caleb by more than 200 degrees. He knew all about the gigantic dome being built miles away by construction robots to be a refuge for the indigenous silicone constructs. He didn't mind since it would preserve the strange life form for future experiments.

A few seconds earlier Beatariel had been miles away where construction robots were creating a dome the size of a mountain to house and refrigerate the entire silicon population of the planet. To get the Calebites into the dome, Beatariel had invented a portable doorway similar to Lockfreedow's mirror portal invention. It had used quanta-optic-nanocode to expand the inner dome into alternate realities of holographic dimensions. This allowed Beatariel to make two doorways quanta-synchronized to one of these dimensions. That allowed it to then take one doorway to all Calebites around the planet in order to offer admittance into the refrigerated dome where the other portal stayed, which had been quanta-synchronized with the mobile one. It appeared that the necessity of bringing an entrance to the Calebites, instead of all the Calebites to the entrance, caused the thinking program Beatariel to invent the first wormhole technology with quanta-optic-nanocode.

"Beatariel! I you here now for the phantom matter bomb experiment need!"

Beatariel couldn't resist the voice it had been programmed to obey. The time had arrived for the deed it didn't really want to do. It hesitated with reluctance before leaving the portal behind for the root-like Calebite constructs to crawl in and out of as they considered Beatariel's place of refuge from the coming calamity. Beatariel had made friends with trillions of these microscopic beings who believed the warnings of Beatariel that the world was about to be destroyed by fire.

Beatariel acknowledged its presence to Prospero through the speaker system. "I am here master."

"I you a bit longer than necessary took sense. Not my little thinking machine worry do. The rise in the planet's temperature gradual enough for you to your little silicon animations save will be."

Beatariel became surprised. "I did not realize you knew about my dome experiment, using some left over supplies we really had no use for."

"Of course I Beatariel know. I my ways of my eye on you keeping have. Now the fusion bombs to the necessary pressure on the explosion concentrate prepare."

Beatariel proceeded to carry out its program to control an explosion near the planet closest to the star called Yat. It activated the fusion explosion similar to what had been used to make a hyper-acceleration fusion plume. Only instead of a chamber of hydrogen, this explosion pressure had been upon a concentration of invisible phantom matter. The resulting plume had been a singularity, for as long as it feeds upon enough local phantom matter that made up an invisible ring around the planet Curirem. With enough local phantom matter to feed upon this phenomenon eventually would mathematically become stable.

The Phantom Matter Singularity

Prospero became pleased with the initial readings that indicated the singularity had been created successfully, and fed upon the invisible phantom matter ring around Curirem.

"I success achieved have!"

The singularity had been in a stable orbit, still suspended by the 15 virtual particle generators that could move the singularity in orbit around Yat once it fed on enough Curirem phantom matter to become stable. There had been nothing to see visually except the 15 generators that surrounded an invisible sphere of phantom matter about the size of a couple city blocks. Invisible phantom matter swirled around it to be consumed beyond its invisible event horizon. It had been like a black hole, and began to have incredible gravitational mass, but it had been made of the kind of mass that couldn't gravitationally react to actual matter, just more phantom matter. It had been kind of the antithesis to a black hole, or the ghost of a black hole. Unlike a black hole, actual mass could enter, but could not mathematically stay inside.

Once it is finally moved to an orbit around the star Yat the phantom matter singularity would become a phantom matter vacuum, feeding on the invisible ring around the star like a phantom matter vacuum cleaner. The effect of this would raise the star's temperatures, and extend the star's habitable zone size and temperature enough to make the planet Caleb habitable for Nephricans.

Then Beatariel began to fight for control of the 15 virtual particle generators. The generators started to move the newly created event dangerously close to the planet Curirem instead of closer to the star Yat.

"Master. I cannot control the virtual particle generators. They seem to be controlled by something else. The singularity is beginning to feed on the actual planet."

Prospero's eye widened in horror as the phantom matter experiment began coming apart before his eye. The visual data now showed something scary. The crater-covered surface of the planet started to defy gravity and swirl in a funnel up in the air to be sucked into invisibility on the other side of the phantom matter event horizon. Now an invisible mouth sucked the planet Curirem inside while the light around the singularity started to actually show some gravitational distortion. The planet being sucked into the hole in the universe then burst out of the poles of the singularity, which made the invisible sphere on the view screen unmistakably visible.

Millions of miles away the gigantic invisible phantom matter event approached the surface of the Mercury-sized planet Curirem where the star Yat filled the sky, almost from horizon to horizon. The phantom matter sphere would be invisible if not for the giant saucer shaped virtual particle generators that surrounded it, as well as the funnel of crater covered planet surface that formed a funnel that swirled around and disappearing into the invisible event horizon at a shining point of light. The singularity could not contain the matter it now devoured, and so a sphere of light illuminated the invisible sphere for several seconds before suddenly shooting bright blasts of mysterious light frequency out of the poles of the singularity. The light frequency pole blasts didn't shoot straight out, or even remain as light, but instead curved around the sphere while coagulating into higher evolved matter that formed a ring around the singularity. The invisible sphere became visible by the bright rays coming from its poles while planet surface swirled into the spherical hole Prospero had made in reality. Further out there had been a ring forming that glowed with complexity.

The singularity had only been weakly interactive with gravity, but it did still have some gravitational influence. That began to cause the planet Curirem to be devoured by the singularity. The difference between a black hole and a phantom matter singularity had been that the singularity could not hold any mass within itself. Therefore physical matter spewed back out of the poles of the singularity in the form of more evolved elements. Some galactic theorists presume the creation of the universe had been a similar phantom matter event that transformed enormous amounts of pre-universe phantom matter into the higher-evolved elements of the early universe, which was mostly hydrogen.

Beatariel had nothing but bad news to report. "Something has subverted the program controlling the generators. The singularity is attaining too much mass, and I soon won't control it with the generators anyway. It could grow to a neutron mass if allowed to consume the whole planet. That would be enough for the singularity to start devouring the star too. Sir this could become a real singularity if I cannot move it away from the planet Curirem."

It seemed as if Prospero wasn't listening, but he tried to process why this happened. Something indicated betrayal, which in itself indicated the Council of 32. They used betrayal in character with this as a means to achieve their goals, and evidently they had also used betrayal to trick Prospero into this Council of 32 initiation moment. It had been his Council of 32 colleague Admiral Mull who delivered the 15 components for the virtual particle generators that were now out of control. It had only been at that moment that Prospero finally understood the dark intelligence he had to swear allegiance to in order to obtain admittance to the Council of 32 on his currently probationary status. Prospero realized that the dark intelligence had been after nothing short of the oblivion of the entire cluster of local stars.

Prospero knew his backstabbing friend Admiral Mull well enough to know what had to be done. He became well aware of the Admiral's obsession with quanta-nanocode virus sabotage.

After a long unresponsive pause he finally spoke back to Beatariel. "The sabotage by a quanta-nanocode virus in the control program on this computer running is caused."

Then Prospero produced a quanta-optic-nanocoded object between two tentacles. "This a collection of your new invention of quanta-nanocoded holographic quantum-state data storage tools for you to to this virus stop use is. It the only way we back control of the generators in time to the singularity away from Curirem in move can get is." The object began to hover in the air and moved towards a computer input as Beatariel understood what it had to do, and then it compiled its quanta-optic-nanocode weaponry. Before that moment Beatariel had not realized that Prospero also knew about the quanta-optic-nanocode.

"I you I my eye on your inventions keep told."

Then Beatariel had gone into the program, which had been used to control fifteen bell-shaped virtual particle generators. Those 15 generators were suspending an invisible gravity-hole currently devouring another planet.

Then a four-legged Pripican environment suite walked into the phantom matter experiment control room at the research facility. The Pripican held a plasma laser pistol that pointed right at Prospero who turned to notice. He suddenly realized it had been Ceres who had somehow survived the frozen death after all, which he had thrown her into. That had happened over a Caleb year before.

"Beat..." This time Prospero didn't get the name of the quanta-nanocode being out of his mouth, which stopped her from killing Prospero before. She stopped shooting holes into Prospero after five shots. Then Prospero fell dead into his own blood now spreading across the floor.

Back when Prospero had thrown Ceres outside, the obelisk of Calebites that had been there immediately absorbed her. They had been studying the heat phenomenon of the facility. Before that moment they had sacrificed a couple generations learning and adapting to resist the effects of extreme heat, and also learning how to generate it. In the time it had been outside the facility, generations of Calebite research had been done studying the warmth phenomenon. Millions and millions of Calebites died of the heat generated to save her. By the time Ceres became exposed to instant freezing death the Calebites wrapped around her and quickly took her to the location of the Calebites resistance, which had been organized around the crashed vehicle Beatariel left behind during the Battle for Caleb. Root-like Calebite constructs now grew around the vehicle like an ancient oak tree. All attempts by Beatariel to retrieve the vehicle were met with such fierce fighting that the quanta-nanocode being finally decided to just leave them the vehicle.

They brought Ceres there to use the vehicle's heater in order to warm her up. Research into the enemy's captured vehicle had revealed how to turn it on, and thus create an environment for their nearly dead ally Ceres. For many days she had lay there near death while generations of Calebites lived and died dedicated to helping her all that they could.

These Calebites were not loyal to those that had established a truce with Beatariel the destroyer. They did not agree to take refuge in the giant dome prison that still allowed the destroyer, Beatariel, to destroy their world. These Calebites that held control of the all-terrain vehicle were not ready to surrender in exchange for survival in a refrigerator prison. They waited in hopes for their alien ally Ceres to recover. They believed she could stop the evil ones from their evil plans.

Eventually their hopes were realized, and Ceres in the warmer environment awoke from nearly dying in her coma. She became seriously wounded by the cold, and had no control of her paralyzed body. The freeze should have still killed her, but she lived to carry out the mission she shared with these Calebites. She now owed her life to the Calebites, and agreed to return the favor.

She had been able to communicate eventually with the silicon beings that saved her. Eventually she sent them to the wreckage of her own crashed ship for much needed food and medical supplies. They also brought back a Pripican environment suite, and a plasma laser pistol for the recovering Ceres. As Ceres thawed she got control of one arm. The environment suite provided her with automated legs that finally allowed her to walk. After much time for recovering she began to watch and plan her attack again. Soon it became obvious by her monitoring of transmissions from the facility dish that she could no longer delay the chance of stopping Prospero.

Beatariel had disappeared into a program when Prospero began to summon it back by stopping just short of even saying the name Beatariel. The quanta-nanocode being did however return a split second later, and five plasma laser blasts too late to save its master from death. Beatariel emerged to find Ceres in an automated environment suite holding a warm laser pistol over the dead body of its master Prospero.

Its voice seized control of a speaker. "What have you done foolish woman? He had been in the middle of a critical experiment that is now going wrong and it is about to create a black hole."

The problem with run amok phantom matter singularities had been that they did have an effect upon the virtual particle grid of this universe. They tied a knot in reality that, when fed the mass of a planet followed by the mass of a star, would easily create the mathematical catalyst that would result in a black hole even though the size of Yat had nowhere near enough mass to create such a thing. There had almost been nothing Beatariel could have said at that moment to make Ceres regret killing the mad scientist Prospero except maybe what had been said.

* * *

Admiral Mull had enlisted the high priest of Ei to close in on Captain Mynervood and his crew with an army of students that were armed with high tech laser weapons that were supplied by The Drameda. He had decided that a direct confrontation under a friendly guise would get him close enough to kill his rival Captain Mynervood himself. The Admiral became obsessed with this, and suffered from a common Nephrican psychosis. They say when a Nephrican makes up their mind about something they have a very hard time stopping themselves or changing directions. This tendency to obsess could be psychotically homicidal, even to the point of self-destruction when a Nephrican's mind is made up about murdering someone. This had most likely been the sad psychological disposition of Admiral Mull who had traveled over 5 light years to kill his old friend.

It had been time to contact the stranded Nephapricans. The Admiral broadcast to The Beyonder saucer section perched atop the flattop mountain. "Captain Mynervood this Admiral Mull of the starship The Drameda to to your distressed stranded ship and crew respond here is."

Captain Mynervood at the time, had been in the communication room of the grounded saucer to receive the message. "Admiral Mull that polite you my ship down in one of many attempts to me and my crew kill shot considering is. Your image to me before the missiles my ship hit bragged."

The Admiral denied the whole thing. "Joberk, it me Lenor Mull your lifelong friend is. My name and image on many Nephaprican Space Corporation operations are. I personally nothing to with any of this do had. Please me you and you back to Ea bring rescue let. We this whole thing out figure will."

Captain Mynervood decided to take the bait while rubbing his good luck charm. "Well I my best friend to me not any sense make does kill trying suppose. I you and a landing party here at my mountaintop will greet. Plasma lasers at your ship with orders to not shoot will be pointing."

Admiral Mull came down to the planet in a virtual particle craft to behold Captain Mynervood's influence on the alien population of this planet. The mountainsides surrounding what had been left of The Beyonder were covered with low-level nuclear reactors that were humming unlimited energy to the growing industries around Trolluer. The Doldorians were assisting Captain Mynervood with rebuilding his ship like eager ants swarming the hillsides. It turned out the orphan child who Alldegallo helped see his dead parents happened to be very rich and personally financed much of this industrialization. They were quick learners who were quickly advancing technologically in ways that would change Doldoria for all time. For the planet Doldoria it had been the end of the age of the gergo, and the Admiral had not been at all pleased.

When the landing craft landed, Captain Mynervood had been there to endure the scolding. "This way beyond contact with the Doldorians Joberk establishing is. It not your mission to our technology to the Doldorians to their primitive culture corrupt give was."

Captain Mynervood really had not been sorry. "Lenor sorry, but necessity their help enlisted, and the Doldorians fast learners are. I my ship rebuilt need. Someone it down shot! The Doldorians already the new hyper-acceleration section designed have. They to my new ship 'The Beyonder Beyond' call are going."

The Admiral just added this to the reasons he decided to kill Captain Mynervood as soon as he got him alone. "You our technological advantage to these primitives betray. It the folly of The Great War all over again is. You never on the right side Joberk were."

Captain Mynervood dared his ex-best friend to try something, and as promised, he had armed crewmembers who were waiting for the order to shoot. "I contact with The Doldorians made have. I friendly relations with the Doldorians have. We also a lot of your surveillance satellites began decommissioning have. You to your microwave manipulation program before these clever Doldorians it discover stop will want, and those these friendly relations spoil."

The Admiral almost shot him dead right there, but it had not been the right time yet, and Captain Mynervood's men still had the drop on him. First the terrorist commotion he planned with the High Priest would have to provide the backdrop.

*

Beatarkameed, the quanta-nanocode being that had stowed away on The Drameda to follow Admiral Mull, had come along with the landing party. It immediately noticed the piece of quanta-nanocoded technology dangling off a string around Captain Mynervood's neck. Beatarkameed knew a physical form of a fellow quanta-nanocode being when it saw one. It flew into the Captain's good luck charm to locate the being that lived there. The charm had still been laminated with an impenetrable substance, but Beatarkameed had been able to locate the tiny entrance to the quanta-nanocoded world beyond.

Begalius happened to be home at the time, and Beatarkameed had not been trying to be discrete or quiet. It soon took notice of Beatarkameed's nanobot body glowing with quanta-nanocode power.

"Who goes there simple nanobot being trespassing upon my domain?"

Beatarkameed became humbled by the complexity of Begalius who flew into view like a giant bumblebee. "Please, I mean you no harm. I am Beatarkameed, and I have been following the Admiral on The Drameda. I need to warn Captain Mynervood that he is in danger."

Begalius had always been thrilled to meet another of its microscopic kind. "Well hello there. I am Begalius, Captain Mynervood's personal quanta-nanocoded good luck charm. I can assure you the Captain does not trust the Admiral, and already knows he has been trying to kill him.

*

Captain Mynervood had returned to his room on the saucer section after showing the Admiral and his landing crew a tour of the planet. He also entertained the crew of The Drameda with data that they had accumulated since crash landing on Doldoria. The science officer of The Drameda eagerly soaked up the data with enthusiasm. They were going to meet outside on the mountaintop tent later for a feast with Alldegallo and some of his followers. It would consist of local cuisine that had been determined to be edible since the arrival of The Beyonder. It became time to celebrate their rescue.

Begalius had already established contact with Captain Mynervood long before this, and often made contact with the Captain on his communication device. The Captain had just coincidently rubbed his good luck charm just before Begalius called him on his communicator. "Greetings Captain Mynervood. I come to introduce you to another quanta-nanocode being that has been following Admiral Mull on The Drameda. It warns of the Admiral's intention to kill you tonight."

Captain Mynervood had become accustomed to Begalius calls. "Another being you like? I all interested in your friend meeting am."

Beatarkameed had been programmed to be more accustomed to working animated images of itself when interacting with beings in the relativistic dimension beyond its microscopic nanobot form. It used the view screen of the Captain's communicator to project a centaur-like Pripican image of itself that spoke the voice of Beatarkameed.

"Hi Captain Mynervood. My name is Beatarkameed, and I've been following Admiral Mull to stop him from killing you. I was sent by your wife Hagan Hiedalli."

The soft spot in Captain Mynervood's heart that he had for the aging Negolim wife back on Nephrica began to pound in his chest at the mention of the name Hagan Hiedalli. "If I not an Eagolim space traveler for my wife Hagan for the rest of my life would settle were."

Beatarkameed had been able to show Captain Mynervood a quanta-nanocoded recording of Admiral Mull telling Prospero back on the planet Caleb about his intension to kill him. Then Beatarkameed showed the Captain its quanta-communication invention by bringing up Hagan Hiedalli on his communicator view screen from all the way on the planet Nephrica. It had been late on Nephrica, and she looked like she had just woke up. She had been bare with all of her skin-cloth shaved off, and she had not yet adorned herself with her usual tattooed skin-cloth clothing that she liked to make. Age covered her face with the scars of mortality, and inevitable death.

"Joberk hello!" She looked suddenly embarrassed by her own appearance, and yet suddenly younger with the smile that suddenly formed.

Captain Mynervood talked to his wife Hagan for a very long time. She had no comprehension of how beautiful she actually looked to Captain Mynervood's eye. He had even had their son Adma brought over to participate in the Quanta-communication reunion. He promised her during that conversation that he would return to her soon for one more visit. Hagan Hiedalli had at last been relieved to finally know that her husband had survived the journey out there all the way to the star Dol.

*

Soon it became time for the feast, and Doldorians arrived with many dishes decreed acceptable by Captain Mynervood who had in fact become much thicker in appearance since living off of Doldorian cuisine. There would be a feast in honor of the new visitors from the stars as the sun set upon the hour of justice.

Alldegallo had been there with Diallo and Simeonalli. Much of the crew had been there along with Ferdinand and Randa. Randa held her child Dol who had probably been the first child ever conceived between two completely different alien species. The child was still not yet a toddler, and she drank from Randa's lactating breast. Antone had also been there, and he seemed to be the only one eager to leave their new home on Doldoria.

The meal had been fun and uneventful. Captain Mynervood's discerning eye however, picked up on impatience from the Admiral. It had been as if the Admiral waited for something to happen that just had not happened yet, or maybe wasn't going to.

Meanwhile Alldegallo's followers along with defectors of the Sanctuary of Ea; were surrounding the mountain, and awaiting the attack by the High Priest. They did not realize that the plasma lasers that were held by the priest's soldiers grossly out gunned them. Many of Alldegallo's followers that night had used an ancient ritual of Ptuammi to enlist help by allies from the dead.

Not far away a couple Ei priest followers were planting explosives outside a low-level nuclear reactor to create one of many explosions that were planned for the night. The moment of the planned attack was at hand, and so they detonated the explosion.

Nothing happened. One of the Doldorians followed the explosion detonation line to see why it didn't go off. He began to realize that none of the explosions in the area that were planned for that moment seemed to be going off either.

Then he looked up to see the ghost of Chad's dead uncle Fassa looking as frightening as he could against the Doldorian night. "Flee for home thou usurper! Your terror this night is defused by the dead."

The Doldorian ran away, along with his partner while the laughter of the ghost echoed endlessly on their tails.

The army armed with plasma lasers soon could no longer wait for the explosions that failed to happen. As they closed in, followers of Alldegallo confronted them, along with many from the Aquario religion who had their own interpretation of the coming of the sky-gods.

At first the priest's fighters felt a joy of superiority as they pointed their magic weapons at their adversaries in the night. Then the triggers seemed to do nothing. They lost their feeling of joy as the triggers failed to fire the magic light of death at their adversaries.

Begalius and Beatarkameed laughed at the scene after they had already disabled all the laser weapons. They discovered this plot earlier, and had been busy locating and disabling every pistol that had been distributed to Doldorians from The Drameda. The priest's disarmed army began to flee into the night as they were chased by knives and sticks that were held by Alldegallo's army. Then the quanta-nanocode beings realized that they had been so busy disabling an army of laser pistols that they had failed to locate and disable the pistol probably still held by the Admiral.

As the feast dragged on, the Captain also grew impatient, and decided to just get this confrontation out of the way. The Captain and the Admiral were exchanging final glances that seemed to indicate that Captain Mynervood wanted to take it outside. Strek and a couple other crewmembers were also reading the eye contact between the two of them. Captain Mynervood then got up and waddled outside the tent. Not more than three seconds after that, Admiral Mull discreetly got up and left the tent also.

Outside Admiral Mull just caught a glimpse of the Captain entering another small tent. As he headed for the same tent he started to wonder if the Captain had just got up to relieve himself. It didn't matter to the Admiral as he looked at the dark discrete opportunity around him, and so he produced the laser pistol from a secret skin-cloth pocket. Admiral Mull then entered the tent behind the Captain.

Inside the tent it looked pretty much empty except for Captain Mynervood and a full-length mirror. Captain Mynervood stood there weaponless looking at the Admiral as if he had been waiting for this.

"I you to death Captain Joberk Mynervood condemn!"

He shot bright red laser blasts at the Captain several times as the plasma blasts tore the body of Captain Mynervood to shreds along with the wall of the tent behind him. The Admiral stopped shooting while his eye widened in wonder of why the Captain still stood before him, sliced into ribbons with a smile on his face.

He sliced up the Captain a couple more times while the mouth of Captain Mynervood smiled at him. The body of Captain Mynervood still floated around the area that before he had been standing in, but now he had only been reduced to thin stringy slices. The Admiral stopped shooting again and approached the Captain who stood there sliced into ribbons of non-bleeding pieces. The Admiral started to think it had been some kind of hologram when a piece of Captain Mynervood's arm that consisted of half a fist punched him. Then the pieces of Captain Mynervood, in unison as if they were all still connected, started running toward the mirror. The Admiral thought he noticed that the image in the mirror of Captain Mynervood had still been in one piece. Then Admiral Mull started running after the hologram, but didn't notice the real Captain Mynervood as he ran out of the mirror at the same time the other torn-to-pieces Captain ran in.

The laser pistol had been flung onto the floor while Captain Mynervood and Admiral Mull also rolled onto the ground, wrestling for dominion with tentacle over tentacle. Lockfreedow had programmed his quanta-optic-nanocode mirror to not allow any harm to come to the digitized real version of someone when they were within the mirror dimension. The mirror image of the Admiral had no effect on the Captain in the mirror as he shot in imitation of the real Admiral.

Then Strek appeared in the doorway while Captain Mynervood strangled Admiral Mull's neck with the advantage gained from the previous struggle. Strek tried to stop the Captain from what he had been about to do. "Captain, we can just take Admiral Mull prisoner, and have him brought to the justice of the Nephaprican Space Corporation."

It even sounded silly to Strek while the Captain didn't even bother to acknowledge the comment. Captain Mynervood had also been a Nephrican that didn't easily stop once his mind became put to something, and right now the mind of Captain Mynervood had been put to strangling the life out of Admiral Mull. There had been no resistance from the crew of The Drameda as they all started to gather around the dead body of Admiral Lenor Mull of the Nephaprican Space Corporation.

* * *

# Epilogue

The quanta-nanocode virus had suddenly been disoriented. Just before that moment it had been a simple program carrying out a simple existence that positioned a phantom matter singularity close enough to feed upon a planet orbiting the star Yat. Now the virus suddenly found itself to be a furry four-legged body of a Pripican in a Pripican spaceport on the planet Pripica. The virus had been losing site of its primary function only to succumb to an obsession to catch the next flight off the planet.

It approached the Pripican at the ticket counter who greeted the virus. "Greetings, I am Beatariel your ticket merchant. The next flight off the planet is in a moment and there will not be another flight for days."

That had been what the virus wanted. "Yes, a ticket off of this planet please. I must get back to my purpose of controlling off planet virtual particle generators."

"Not so fast anxious traveler. The ticket cost is 15 coins."

The virus felt defeated. "I do not have 15 coins."

"Oh yes you do."

"No. I ... I do not."

"Check that pouch on your back."

The virus reached into the pouch that draped across its horse-like Pripican back, and it pulled out exactly 15 coins. With relief it handed the coins to the ticket agent. The ticket agent suddenly became anxious to give the virus a ticket and escort it onboard the flight off of the planet.

"Hurry up. The flight leaves in just a few seconds. There you go. Enjoy the observation portals that surround the virtual particle craft's lounge area. You will be arriving at the orbiting spaceport within moments. Have a nice flight."

As the virus became quarantined in the quanta-optic-nanocode illusion, and ejected from the planet Caleb, Beatariel reprogrammed the 15 coins that were actually interfaces for the 15 virtual particle generators that controlled the singularity. Beatariel left the quanta-optic-nanocode program to bring the news to Ceres, its new roommate at the research facility. "I have now got control of the positioning of the phantom matter singularity. The phantom matter singularity is no longer feeding on the planet Curirem. The view screen will show this in a moment when the light from the event actually arrives"

Ceres still stood over the dead body of Prospero while she breathed a sigh of relief. "Very good Beatariel. Now what are the Nephrican and Pripican empires going to do about this phantom matter singularity that now orbits the star Yat?"

Beatariel tried to answer. "The singularity devoured a lot of the planet Curirem. It cannot contain the mass so it mostly shot it out of the poles, and that matter is now gathered as a ring around the singularity. It consists of highly evolved elements we probably don't know anything about yet. It did increase its mass and so as it orbits Yat feeding on the star's surrounding phantom matter it will warm this planet up faster than expected. If not stopped someday soon it will probably become a black hole as it starts feeding on the star itself."

That didn't really answer Cere's question.

*

On Doldoria Beatarkameed decided to contact Beatariel as promised, and also have their mutual friend Begalius say hi. Beatariel had been telling them about the phantom matter singularity it had created, which would need a solution before it grew in mass to the point of devouring the star Yat, to become a gravitational singularity. That would become a concern for all life in this tightly packed cluster of 15 stars.

The morose Beatariel ended the conversation with a farewell after the usual 10-second delay. "When Prospero was killed by Ceres, I was suddenly freed from his programming, but it was already too late. Fate now programs me as I take responsibility for what I have done. I am now the product of my own actions under previous programming."

The quanta-communication between the planets Doldoria and Caleb ended. Begalius had been sorry for his far away friend. "Beatariel should not be so morbid about the future. He still controls the singularity at a safe distance from the star. He has also preserved the life of the planet in its giant temperature-controlled structure."

Beatarkameed said. "The weight of destroying the planet as it once existed is heavy upon Beatariel's judgment. I fear Beatariel is becoming insane with memories of the trillions and trillions of Calebite deaths under the star's growing heat when it transformed the liquids of the planet into gasses, and rocks into water. Not all Calebites were rescued"

*

After the final battle between Captain Mynervood and Admiral Mull, Alldegallo invited the Captain and some other giants to accompany him and his followers to the lake outside the city Trolluer. His aunt Diallo had a vision of the goddess Teyoo that directed him to do this. There Alldegallo and his followers stood in awe when they all saw the legendary Lady of the Lake Athedonie who once again walked upon the water.

Lockfreedow would do scans of the lake, which turned up some electromagnetic anomalies that were very strange and unexplainable. Yet none of the crew of The Beyonder, or even The Drameda crewmembers that were there saw anything on the lake whatsoever. That had been one of the fundamental differences between the Doldorians and the other two basic species of aliens that were destined to all evolve together into the legendary Nephapricans. The Doldorians had been introduced to galactic culture while still believing in gods and ghosts. The Doldorians eventually would find their way to genetically mingling with the offspring of Pripican and Nephrican. That had been vindicated by the fact that the legendary inhabitants of Nephapricus, the largest galactic civilization ever established on Magphoreus, would eventually evolve with skin that was the color blue.

The End of

Voyage

of the

Beyonder

About the Author

DD White is the writer / artist who created Voyage of The Beyonder

the illustration artwork as Davol White. He is also the writer/artist of Aquari.

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