Like humans, the Cantals’ early histories were drawn on walls of caves, slabs of stones, verbally passed on, and later documented on wafer delicate paper like scrolls. Though most documentation was destroyed, the few remaining made it to one man, a human, to guard the truth.
The few remaining Cantals had known the humans long enough to build up a solid trust. They knew the best hiding place to guard their precious truth, would be by keeping all remaining evidence off world.
Dr. Pete Reynolds was surprised, humbled and honored to be bestowed the study and ensure preservation of the precious remaining documents and artifacts. On his initial study, a lot bore resemblance to what he found in the temple in the Kingdom of the Old World.
Dark skies, invasion, and slavery were common. But one thing was different; the Cantal’s drawings depicted an invasion by some pretty yucky ugs that Tremaine had commented on.
A short time after they had made his acquaintance, Sataal had invited a few of the OBF teams including OBF1 to Ahmadeus for a few days’ education on their history and culture. Around the rebel’s campfire, Sataal told an incredible, compelling story of what Pete termed as a cruel manipulation of evolution.
The enthralled humans noticed that Sataal carried an altruistic and charisma that made his followers inspired and proud. He was a stout, good hearted warrior of legendary proportions, who had seen enough devastation to cause permanent shellshock.
“Several thousand years ago a primitive humanoid host discovered and invaded this new and innocent world. For years, they had been searching the universe for a stronger physical host to ensure a parasitic energy creature known as the Cathexistome would survive by blending the parasite with a new physical host: our beloved Cantal race. The Cantals, therefore, produced the heralded third Great Race–the Trimadians. They had on board vast life energy tanks for the Cathexistome, housing them in their true form. They were desperate to repopulate their species as an unknown plague was killing the primitive humanoid hosts, the yukky ugs.”
Sataal grinned at Tremaine.
“No known cure was discovered, and fear of complete annihilation was about to become a reality. When the Cantals were discovered living peacefully on Ahmadeus, it was an exciting new beginning for the Cathexistomes and virtual enslavement for the Cantals who had no defense against such an aggressive, predatory species believed to have originated from the far regions of the Nextraprime galaxy.
“Cantal hosts were rounded up by Trimadian hunting groups and shipped in bulk back to the Nextraprime galaxy, to a planet called Heliostronus and placed in the Cathexistome capital, known as the Necradome city, for selection and implantation. Resistance was futile as the growing population of Trimadians had powerful, sophisticated technology and weaponry. Once implanted, the Trimadians’ lifespan was believed to be at least four centuries, even longer, before the physical body gave up and the Cathexistome was either passed on to another Cantal host or housed inside energy chambers. Without the parasite, Cantals live an average one hundred and fifty years. Very little is known about this parasite. It is a life form that is devoid of personality and emotions and as far as we know, all are duplicates of each other. It is a true catalyst as it insidiously dominates the host, enhancing evil, dark traits.
“All Cantal children were educated to learn the way of the Cathexistomes without question. It was indoctrinated into their society. However, at puberty, only selected Cantal males were implanted with a Cathexistome, who provided their male hosts pure machismo, with the desire to dominate all without compromise, possessing high intelligence and cunningness. Many other so–called advantages were gifted through this exchange–good health, superficial wounds healed rapidly, superb strength, and longevity, which were beneficial for both races. Males not selected were either servants to their masters, or sent to work in the mines. The luckless female Cantals were never implanted. Selected ones were used for breeding fresh hosts and all others became slaves under the Cathexistomes.
“Leaders trained Trimadian youths in the ways of war craft and were designated as warriors. From that point on, a strict, disciplined existence combined with their war skills were honed to perfection. One of their ultimate tests was to be pitted against enemies and prove themselves to be the best.
When each individual satisfied their leaders, a Trimadian symbolical triangular tattoo was embedded on their upper arm. They would then continue to serve their Trimadian masters. Their reputation spread and they were known as the perfect killing machines.
“In fact, it was instilled from childhood that if a male did not possess a Cathexistome he would have no purpose of existence. Therefore, servitude or death was the only option. To speak of, or even to think of, removal of the Cathexistome was heresy punishable by death.
“There were class orders, just like your Hindu castes on Earth, you told me about, Pete, but, of course, only for the male of the species. The pecking order was war based, consisting of several rulers who developed their own domains. Below them were the various sub leaders, ranking officers, right down to the foot soldiers–the Cantal warriors–who made up the bulk.
“As they developed, there was a downside to the Trimadians’ constant aggressiveness, possibly brought about by the growing formation of this relatively new species. Not so much between the free Cantals and the Trimadians, but by feuding Trimadian warlords forming groups to war against their own kind to dominate and obtain the most prized possession–to be Supreme Commander overall and form one monolithic, dictatorial system. Each group was territorial, and violence would break out over Ahmadeus or any planet that was claimed. The underlying need for a single strong government and leader was urgent, or they could end up destroying themselves, as the plague earlier almost did.”
Sataal hesitated at that point, and took a long drink, as he carried on to the next dramatic part.
“One certain individual confronted the leaders and boldly claimed that he would become their ultimate leader; to unite all fleets under His rule. He had been watching them from a distance for some time and promised he would bring about great powers and an evolutionary change that would one day have the gods brought to their knees. Under his leadership they would want for nothing, earn great wealth beyond anything they could imagine, and he would show them wondrous technology that would make them the most advanced race ever to exist.
“Naturally, they laughed at his insane and excessive lofty claims, and challenged him. He stated flatly he would think very much less of the Trimadians, if he were not. But he was not a patient man that day. To stop all skepticism, he stated if he became their leader, he asked only one thing in return. That was total, unquestioned loyalty to serve under Him. Right then, many of the leaders challenged him, and all ended up second best.
“That was an historical day and a pivotal change for the race. The day the Trimadians discovered a being that looked like them, but could not die. An immortal! He earned their instant respect and fear. Though he loved the worship that fed his almighty ego, he was a man that preferred the path of discretion. The enigma that surrounded this seven-foot tall, muscular creature only further appealed to the masses, who viewed him as their god.
“Before claiming and organizing his new regime, the man-god stated he needed to leave Heliostronus to do one more task before he would devote himself to their world. Three days later he indeed returned, stating it was time to create a residence for him and a few good men. He named his new house Casus Belli–or Cause of War. A life size stature of him clutching a mighty sword was placed in the Necradome City and also in the gardens of Casus Belli to forever commemorate the Trimadian’s new leader, the one who called himself Kalvich, the Supreme Ruler.”
Sataal stopped and looked at Pete who was spellbound. “Do you think you should take notes to take back to Pilcher perhaps?”
“No need, I can remember it all, when I return I’ll just pop it on my computer for my bosses.”
“What!”
Mason grinned, “Our resident archeologist has
a photographic mind; in other words, he can see and remember everything, not like us mere mortals.”
Pete blushed slightly. “Yeah, but there are some things I would like to forget too!”
“Yeah,” said Tremaine. “All the ugly girls he dated.”
Mason and he laughed raucously.
Sataal looked at Pete sympathetically, still unfamiliar with this human need of derision. In his culture, there was respect, loyalty, and camaraderie. He himself would not tolerate such disrespectful outbursts in public.
“Would you like me to continue, Pete?”
Having a non-military background set him up for the occasional bantering from his teammates.
“Yes…please,” he groaned.
“The Trimadians never looked back. Their population was growing at a rate where their main goal in life was to seek out new planets to spawn and inhabit. Organic hosts were still sought after but not as much as territorial resources, especially minerals, crystals, and collection of alien technology.
“Once a world was dominated, they would journey to different worlds, causing war and anarchy in the search for land and possible hosts. Under Kalvich’s leadership, the Trimadians received various markings, to show which Trimadian group or fleet they belonged to. As the soldiers moved up in the ranks, different markings would be added to show their designation. Their fearful reputation was spreading throughout the galaxies. Their intelligence and unbounded sophisticated technologies made them unstoppable. Covert missions and spies were abundant. Their subsequent intelligence instigated many strategies adapted by the Trimadian warlords to onslaught their enemies.
“One thing was for sure, the behavior and rules they adopted would ensure they would never ever get close to extinction again. And with a powerful, immortal ruler they were guaranteed to be the most dominating race in existence.”
“So how have you hidden from them all this time?” Tremaine inquired.
Sataal grinned. “I have my, what you call talents too. With my scientific background, I have established a force field around our headquarters in the mountains, including our crytaalic supplies.”
“How do you generate such power?” asked Mason.
“Chemical reaction, using Crytaalic. I will demonstrate this for you soon. It is of course, the key ingredient to remove the Cathexistome from the host. It is an important, versatile weapon indeed. It has to be modified for its many uses. For expunging, the brittle, pure white crystal needs to be crushed, liquefied, and evaporated. Only then could it be administered safely, without harm to the Cantal host. The manufacturing process is difficult, but manageable. The Trimadians have the means to pick up the energy waves the crystal emits using their ships’ sensors from light years away. That is why I have the force field. To my knowledge, only raw Crytaalic can be found on Ahmadeus. It is also the only known substance the Trimadians were and hopefully are still afraid of, and they would do anything to destroy it and its users. Trimadians would confiscate or destroy any locatable supplies and torture any being if they were found in possession. If no more information was extractable, punishment was either execution or one-way trip to the mines on their home world. Occasionally, to discourage other would be dissenters, the Trimadians would publicly mutilate and execute offenders. Ironically, crytaalic energy was once regularly used as a power source by the Trimadians, but even then it was still a potential danger to both Cathexistome and host.”
“Shit,” said Tremaine, shaking his head. “It sounds quite possible we could use that as a weapon against them.”
“They have another energy source. A crystal called Zymergillian, worshipped and craved amongst the Trimadians. This particular crystal is the major ingredient that made up the Door of Endless Light.”
“So that is what it is,” exclaimed Pete. “It is impervious to radiation, can’t cut it, blow it up, not even chip it, it is virtually indestructible.”
“Yes,” continued Sataal. “The hardest known substance discovered to date. Trimadian’s derive their energy and weaponry source, and due to its incredible tensile strength is used for the hulls of their warships. It is found plentifully on Heliostronus, and is their primary mining product. All attempts to steal it have been fruitless, let alone trying to manufacture it. Zymergillian is extremely complex, and the Trimadians guard their secrets from everyone. Their technology grows quickly, and they have developed it to power their engine drives. Not one known race to date can match the speed of their ships. Once Zymergillian is manufactured, they call it Zymergy. Journeys, which would take you Earthlings generations to travel, in effect take a matter of days or weeks, depending on the point of origin. Heliostronus is one hundred and forty million light years from here, in the Nextraprime galaxy. The Trimadians, utilizing Zymergy powered engines would only need a few days at the most. They have always devoted all resources into refining and experimenting with this incredible substance.
“There were rumors Zymergillian was also present on Earth thousands of years ago, and possibly on Ahmadeus. So naturally, they established mining sites on both planets. I am not too familiar with the human history but for a short period, there were many human slaves at the Trimadian’s mercy. Some humans were even relocated to Heliostronus.”
Pete was ecstatic. “This is fascinating, this alters our popular history, this is what I need to learn. You must spend some time on Earth with us. Perhaps you can help unravel some mysteries.”
“Yes, of course, but my men need me here to, we live in dangerous times. Now, where was I, that’s right. Unfortunately, for the Trimadians, their scientists calculated that their beloved home world would soon be dry in a few thousand years, so the hunt was on. That was yet, another reason why they attacked other planets that held the possibility of fresh supplies.”
He took another long drink. The humans had wisely learnt to go easy on the Cantal’s supply of liquor, which was at least ten times stronger than their own.
“So, how did you form the Cantal rebellion?” Tremaine asked.
“In my position as a chief scientist for the Trimadians, I oversaw most technical projects. I became one of the most trusted high ranking officials to serve under my master, Lord Marone of the Empyream fleet. One day, Marone discovered my extracurricular activities. Whether he was tipped off or had his own suspicions, I don’t know. But my notes on Crytaalic crystals and their effects on implantation he classed as acceptable and useful. However, he managed to break into a coded file I thought I had removed from the computer. A proposal to use Crytaalic to free the Cantals from the tyranny of the Trimadians wasn’t taken so well. It was pure blasphemy. I managed to escape before they could arrest me.
“Marone put a bounty on my head, to capture me alive, in order to further extract and study my secret chemical research to overcome the Cathexistomes’ power. He knew it could be a very valuable weapon against any outside Trimadian group that could attack his fleet.”
Sataal stood, his face screwed up in painful recollection, his voice strained with emotion.
“However, to this day, Marone has never caught me. I paid a price though, in retaliation, Marone executed my whole family and known friends as punishment for my betrayal. I will never let them catch me alive. I believe in my cause too much. I cannot let the Cantals die out. One day, I swear I will seek revenge against the Trimadians as a whole.”
He sat down again, amongst his men and the humans. Not a word was spoken. Though there was strong camaraderie, Pete could feel the ache in the rebel leader’s heart.
Sataal took a deep breath and continued. “Of course, with my extensive knowledge of the technical projects, I became their number one enemy. Naturally cautious, they would make the other Trimadian scientists modify their technology to minimize any security breaches.” He grinned. “I managed to escape from Heliostronus in a small ship, with a load of equipment that we still use now…”
Pete had reluctantly excused himself to relieve his aching bladder. It had occurred to him that though OBF had
made positive contact by opening the portal to Ahmadeus, it could become a double-edged sword with the likely hood that these parasites may discover an unsuspecting Earth.
Sure enough, it did not take long for Doctor Reynold’s worst fears to be realized when he matched up symbols and signs from the Cantals’ documentation with evidence he had collated from the Temple of Junghis in a time when Ancient Egypt was known as the Kingdom of the Old World. He made the astonishing discovery that the Cantals were indeed linked to human history; that the Trimadians had visited Earth, but around six millennia ago as shown in the Junghis temple. But there was no indication they had returned, or were going to return. Stories and rock drawings of the Cantals, the humans, and a host of other aliens that had come and gone on Earth over thousands of years was all there as well, and now, relocated at Divisions’ headquarters.
So little Earth evidence was found regarding the Trimadians, it was not surprising it was overlooked. Dr. Reynolds concluded it was due to strict censorship by the Trimadian leaders. Judging by how the Trimadians’ wanted to destroy the Cantal’s depiction only further strengthened that belief.
After the campsite meeting, Tremaine, through orders from Pilcher, had extended an official invitation to Sataal and his men to visit their homebase, to get a more human induction.
Sataal did in fact visit Earth several times himself and had Divisions’ physicians examine him. On the outside, Cantals were almost identical to the human race, except the average height was between six and seven feet tall. Internally, they had an extra lung and a stronger heart, and their physical strength was ten times better. Many lived in high mountains so the thin oxygen was not a problem. It was not mentioned, but the Earth scientists were hungry for a Trimadian, or just the Cathexistome to study.