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.”
r /> 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.