The Chronicles Ser2 (6-10)

was found. This had a different Cuneiform symbol; but the same Bachi script. It was as if the place
was abandoned in haste.
“What could have caused them to leave in a hurry and just drop everything?” Leeson asked quietly
“The city where the explosion occurred is too far away to be of concern here” he added puzzled.
They continued to explore further; when they noticed a small blinking light on one of the access
panels for an elevator. The door to the elevator had not shut properly because a farming tool was
preventing it from closing. Tuulk pressed a panel at the left side of the door and it opened up there
was a sack in the corner of the elevator. When opened it was filled with some sort of grain. Similar to
Maize; but the kernels were almost twice the size. T’luha picked up the tool and looked closely at it.
It seemed to be some kind of hand drill; but the chuck carried a crystal spiral instead of a drill. There
appeared to be six levels below this one; if the layout of the selection panel was accurate. Someone
had scribbled a graffito on the back wall of the elevator. It was a representation of a Minotaur with
an oversized male organ.
“Wonder if that was one of the experiments that went wrong?” laughed Leeson; then stopped when
he saw the look on the female ensigns face. She was a Delevan and daughter of a priestess. Their
principal deity was a Minotaur like beast. He apologised and they went down to the next level…

The Lunarians were having more luck with some of the Holographic Crystals however. There
was a detailed Vid of the creature now reanimating in the enclosure. From what was displayed the
creature was docile and reasonably intelligent. One of the Hurabash children was seen riding on the
creatures shoulders. It stood almost upright. It had six limbs the hind limbs being longer were used
in a bipedal fashion to stand and walk.
“Well it’s definitely insectoidal; but the size…? It must have a rudimentary lung structure like the
Gantrax” Sandra said
“This may well be the initial species the Hurabash altered genetically to create the Gantrax” Derek
added “it’s still going to be some time before the being is able to wake. But seeing this Vid; I’ll see
about relaxing the guard presence a little” he finished saying to the others and went to make the
arrangements. Ron Land was looking over some of the hive’s conversions of the Hurabash research
notes. They were incredibly detailed. The Hive had eventually cracked the Hurabash language and
was hurriedly catching up translating all the crystal’s contents.
“Some of this stuff is way beyond even the Osir. They were talking about altering genetics at a
molecular level” he said astonished. Denarius was quiet; deep in thought. Reading another set of
notes when she gasped
“Read this Lance it concerns the incident in Roswell and the Ulahri clones. Apparently the occupants
of the craft were “engineered” using Hurabash techniques. They were originally created from Ulahri
clones abducted from their home world” she said handing the notes to Lance. He read through them
carefully. And realised he needed to bring his friend Lars in on this. The notes made reference to
using substitution material from human subjects. There was a name that seemed only too awfully
familiar… Joseph Ibrahim Helstrom. This could be a possible ancestor of Lars…

… Dagnor had received a burst transmission from the platform. The Eloi had found reference
to a group of Human Abductees from old Earth being taken to Hylon in the early twenty first
century; old calendar. There was a list of their identities and their ultimate destination settlement.
That settlement was near to where T’luha and her team were. He had a message sent to them with
the list and a third team would arrive as soon as they’d equipped them with extra equipment.
“… There’s also a map of the underground service channels. Being the size they are you can’t call
them tunnels but more of oversized pipes. That’s why I’m sending the new team down with the
Venosian Mini Globes” he concluded. T’luha acknowledged the message and signed off. They had
made their way down two more floors and had come across signs of recent occupancy in the form of
discarded food containers. The lower levels were better illuminated and cleaner.
“The alien script must belong to the Human’s captors or controllers” she thought out loud

“Huh? What?” Leeson said absentmindedly. He was looking at a view screen on a terminal they had
managed to make active. From what he could make out; Hylon functioned both as an agrarian
centre and a Commerce hub for the other artificial worlds in the system. Two of the other worlds
were devoted to manufacturing; one more world for methane breathers was devoted to genetic
developments. The rest of the planets were divided into four for recreational; two were assigned for
educational purposes, and two were “storage”
“It seems the greater the intellect the greater the need for play” he mused “Midas will like this one
of the Manufacturing worlds; Ger’t’hav, is a machine world. No biologicals just intelligent machines”
he added
“I read that report they sent about the Island state they were exploring. I’m beginning to think
something like a domino effect happened in the control systems. If we get the Endeavour to scan the
planet’s entire surface, I’m betting we’ll find more nodes in the Polaron Grid have blown up. That
could have sent the entire population fleeing underground. It’s like what happened on Baraxis early
in its expansion phase. A population reliant on localised technology globally connected… It almost
led to a similar situation to Terra’s Economy Wars. If we hadn’t shifted from Polaron to Cold Fusion
generation our grids would have failed and we would have been thrown back to the Stone Age. I
think this abandonment of the surface is down to the complacency that comes from stable systems.
When they fail…” Tuulk reminded T’luha of her people’s history.
“Valid point Tuulk; Leeson, the rest of you we need to find out what’s down on the lowest levels. But
we must be methodical…” she was interrupted by the sound of something scuttling around in a
nearby corridor. They cautiously moved to the source of the sound. What they found couldn’t have

been more of a surprise. A small being about one and a
quarter metres in height was hiding from them behind a
mesh screen. It appeared to bear characteristics in
common with several distinct species; the same bony
ridges of the Eloi, facial features similar to Humans, with
skin like that of the Ulahri, its eyes were similar in
construction to the Ulahri, but were shaped more like
those of Humans. It had a ridge of hair that extended down
the back of the head; neck and almost to the base of its
spine. Its arms were spindly and ended in a hand with four
fingers that seemed to terminate in bulbous pads like those
at the end of the fingers of the Flutvarn. It looked almost
child-like. Though it was obviously an adult male; and it
was completely naked save for a pair of simple sandals and
what can only be described as a tool belt with pouches. It
seemed more curious than afraid. The team members
squatted down and let the being approach of its own accord. It did so with a jerky wobble to its gait.
If sniffed each of them in turn. Then it ran back behind the screen to retrieve something. It came
over to T’luha and offered her the object. It was a
glowing sphere of a crystalline substance. The small
alien seemed insistent that she take the orb. T’luha
carefully took the glowing ball from the alien’s hand
and he smiled. Then he ran back to the area behind the
mesh screen. It was now that the team realised that
there was a door behind the screen and it led to a well-
lit corridor. The alien beckoned them to follow. They
followed the small figure down the corridor to a pair of
huge doors. He did some kind of gesture in front of a
similar glowing orb that was mounted on a bracket
beside the doors. These slid back into hidden recesses.

The chamber beyond seemed to extend for two to three kilometres and went down for many
kilometres. On each wall of the hexagonal chamber were several columns of stacked Sarcophagi. In
each one was a form. This was stasis on a truly tremendous scale…

… The endeavour bridge crew were watching remotely the outputs from several of the
Venosian Mini Globes. The network of “tunnels” seemed to traverse the entire planet’s
underground. There was a flow to the air in these. And periodically they entered larger chambers. In
one of these they discovered a hexagonal cross sectioned cylindrical carriage.
“Oh; I get it now. It’s a form of pneumatic transport system. Though it would appear to be for goods
rather than people” one of the techs said.
“A Pneumatic what?” Dagnor asked for a better explanation. The Technician went on to explain that
it was a trans-global network system that could whisk items from one location to another rapidly
between locations discretely using air pressure and partial vacuum.
“Back in the early decades of the twentieth century; old calendar, office buildings, department
stores, even Banks would use these tube ways to move orders, paperwork, currency and small items
from floor to floor in a building or even between buildings. Remarkably efficient apparently” he
finished explaining. The image flow was interrupted by a Vid from T’luha. It showed the vast
chamber and its contents
“I hope you’re seeing this. My guess is this is where the population are; in hundreds of chambers like
this. And Captain; we have found the “maintenance crew”. The signal was interrupted and the
screen went blank before the feeds from the Mini-globes returned.
Was that recorded?” Dagnor asked. The Coms tech nodded “Then relay it to Midas and his team;
they need to look for the same where they’re at” he barked. The Coms officer did as she was told…

Chapter 7
A change of perception

On the platform Myra and Zyra were heading up the continuing exploration of the
surrounding systems with the aid of the fleet. The Third Galaxy was proving to be a fascinating place.
When Zuul had the Unity mission explained to him he came back with a statement that almost
floored the two of them
“The Great beam can be used for communication a well as transportation. Most of our system
worlds have much larger; more powerful versions of the technology. It may be possible for your
friends to use the stations to communicate with some old outposts in your galaxy” he said and did
the same enigmatic smile that Twinkle did. “You have the same strangeness about you as your
mother; I wonder what it is you’re hiding” Zyra thought. Zuul turned and looked right at her
“Not hiding; just holding back until you’re prepared for the revelation. Mother will decide when that
is” he said out loud making Zyra gasp.
“You’re telepathic?” she exclaimed looking aghast. Myra laughed
“I was wondering when you’d pick up on that Zyra. I had a similar experience with Twinkle; by the
way her proper name is Miah Kang. She’s a Matriarch elder. She explained some of it. Matriarchs
and their first born female children are always telepaths. Zuul is unusual in being a male and
telepathic. Males generally require the headbands. In his case it acts like a limiter; Miah uses one for
the same purpose. In many ways the Eloi are very child-like. That comes from their ancestors needs
to simplify their forms so as to reproduce naturally again” Myra explained “As to what else Zuul
referred to… I suppose we’ll just have to wait until they regain contact with the Eloi Home World”
she added. Miah; who had been present during this exchange, smiled and nodded
“Our people and my family in particular have not had any contact with Xeron for over six centuries;
using your measure of time. The last communication stated that the Civil war was over and peace
negotiations were under way. Xeron is so distant even using one of the larger beam stations; it
would take years for a reply” Miah answered Zyra’s unspoken question.

“On to another matter; the last data burst from the
Endeavour had holographs of some objects found. I
wonder if you could shed some light on what they
are.” Myra asked Zuul. She showed him the
Holographs of the Shield Badges and the plaque
objects “The last one we have found out seems to be

a key used by the small aliens that appear to be doing the maintenance of the
artificial worlds” she added and showed him a holograph of one of the aliens.
It was Miah and Zuul’s turn to show astonishment
“Those are the badges of two of our ancestors’ ally races. The Jungva and the
Lingva; the small alien is known as a Trask; an artificial hybrid race. They were
“grown” like clones are as a form of worker race for the others. They were always grown neuter but
that one is most evidently male” Miah said puzzled
“They must have been adapted by the Oxygen breathers you call the Unthar; our ancestors collected
specimens of their ancestors too, mainly for their genetic memory transfer ability. I can only assume
from the damage I see on the other images; that some disaster overfell the overseers, the Jungva
and the Lingva. It would make sense; then that efforts would be made to make the system “self-
sustaining” till help arrived. Hence the modification of the Trask; it would also explain why the
“charges” were placed into stasis. But how could the Trask have maintained the system so long?”
Zuul added. For now that would have to remain a mystery. Miah suddenly sat bolt upright on the
lounger she had been reclining on. Zuul and two of the other females looked at her. Miah started to
smile. She said something to the two younger females and they went out one of the doors to
another corridor; the one that went to the cargo bay of the platform. Zuul was frowning slightly and
was obviously deep in telepathic conversation with his mother. He got up and went out through the
same door.
“We have a visitor; an old friend. He has returned from a survey of a nearby system. You will have to
forgive Zuul’s reticence; Bexar is his father. Zuul is not pure Eloi; he is part Lokian.” She announced.
That stunned Myra and Zyra; another race? Miah continued.
“I think I understand your confusion. We are Eloi; one of the descendants of the Aradash. The Lokian
are another of their descendants. Our two races may appear outwardly the same; but there are
genetic differences that mean we rely on each other for continued survival. Myra you wondered why
we removed the branches of the Kabrut. I can now tell you that they contain an alkaloid that the
Lokian body requires to be able to adapt. The Lokian are Hybrids like the Trask; Hybridised with
Jungva. The Jungva are Alasimorphs. Shape shifters. They can adapt their form to whatever
circumstance they find themselves in; become Oxygen breathers, Methane breathers, even silicon
based, any kind of being. The Lokian were once like us Eloi, but chose to modify their DNA to
incorporate the genetic code of the Jungva. The Lingva are similar; in as much as they can shape
change; but are fixed Nitrogen breathers. Our two species can interbreed; offspring like Zuul are
living proof of that. He and his father parted company on bad terms; I used my Kang office to order
him to reconcile with Bexar. The Eloi and Lokian bodies do not have the glandular structures to
produce the Alkaloid that triggers the change process. When it was discovered the Kabrut had a
chemical compound so close to it; the solution became obvious” she explained. Myra was about to
speak when Miah stopped her. “There is a downside as you surmised. We have become dependent
on a property of the Carbohydrate produced by the Kabrut. We have an addiction to one of its side-
effects. You past societies had a similar problem. I suppose you could call us “Pot Heads”, I believe
that’s the correct terminology” she chuckled. Zyra realised that she had forgotten that the Eloi were
Methane breathers. Certain Carbohydrates could have narcotic effects on such races. The Eloi were
obviously not immune to such effects.
They were interrupted by the arrival of a taller male Eloi and a little later Zuul himself. The
new figure seemed slightly older in appearance and differed in having four upper limbs. He made

bow with one of his upper forearms across his midriff. He stood back up and spoke in a deep
resonant voice; in English,
“I am Bexar; partner of Miah, father of Zuul. Forgive me for not being present when you arrived.
Unlike the Eloi, my kind are not telepathic. I understand your colleagues are investigating Hylon. I
have just returned from visiting the Jungva colony nearby. With your permission I would like to
interact with them on your behalf. They had lost contact with their Home Government like we have.
The data you possess may shed some light on things may I see it for myself?” he asked. Myra
replayed the holographs. Bexar asked her to pause at certain images. His head band would flash
periodically. When he had seen all of the recordings he sat deep in thought.
“It looks like the Polaron grid failed disastrously; which in itself is highly significant” he looked at Zuul
and said something in Bachi. Zuul looked at his father with wide eyes and an expression of dawning
realisation. He beamed a smile at Bexar and his mother then raced off to somewhere else on the
platform. Bexar turned to Zyra and Myra. “Is there any way we could use the great beam to contact
your colleagues?” he asked
“Yes: we have established how to make a link. Do you need to contact them with some insight?”
Myra replied.
“Not exactly; it would appear that your systems and ours are compatible enough. Let me explain
this; I am what you would call a “Transporter” engineer. I asked my Son to make some adjustments
to the Beam transceiver. What I have in mind could blow a number of circuits and it could take
months to repair the damage. But I believe it may well be worth the risk”…

… T’luha and her team were joined by the others from the city. The Trask were a real
enigma. With the knowledge from the rest of the Fleet in hand; and now understanding that they
were an “engineered” species, Leeson had set about doing biological scans of them. The relayed
data of the original “cloned” version of the Trask showed that many of the Trask’s original
“designed” features had been adapted” to allow the beings to survive in a polluted environment.
The reproductive organs seemed to have been an accidental revival of some dormant genetic code.
But all this did not explain why they were doing what they were. The Trask didn’t speak because
their vocal chords were little more than vestigial organs. It was assumed therefore that they must be
telepathic; this was born out by the genetic code sequences expected to be found. However; all
attempts seemed not to work.
“I can only conclude that they must be using a level that no other known race uses. It also appears
that this is a naturally evolved ability. Judging by the decay pattern of the radiations left from the
disaster; they have been slowly evolving for some twenty or thirty generations” Leeson announced
at a hastily convened meeting. Midas made a whistling sound
“What’s the situation with the stasis chamber occupants?” he asked. T’luha answered that question
“From what we can make out there seems to be a loop in the timer program that was inserted quite
a while back. The Trask seem reluctant to let us bring them round; though I doubt that we could do
so without specialist knowledge anyway. Bexar said he might know how; and he got evasive about it
when I asked if we could do anything ourselves. He’s planning something risky; but wouldn’t say
exactly what. I’m not sure if he can be trusted or not” she finished as Midas was interrupted by one
of the Engineering Techs.
“I’m not sure how; but why don’t you ask Miah, Zuul, Bexar and Myra in person” he said and they all
left the bunker to the staging area on the surface.

The sun was bright on the plaza outside the bunker’s staging area. Sure enough; the four of
them were there looking somewhat smug. Myra and Bexar came over to meet them while Zuul and
Miah went to talk with some of the Lander crews.
“I’ll explain how later, but Bexar would like you to take him to the Trask colony. He has some of the
communication headbands.” Myra said.
“I’m hoping these will work. Leeson’s data gave me a clue. Oh; the rest of the Fleet are staying in the
platform’s area as more ships from a local colony will be arriving. Mostly diplomats and officials; so a

sort of “First Contact?” I believe you call it, can be made. It is imperative that we find out exactly
what happened. If it was down to some kind of cascade failure of the distribution nodes; then the
safe guards must have failed or could have been tampered with.” Bexar said hurriedly. Midas and
T’luha led the way; Bexar explaining how their two races had become dependent upon each other.
The fact that they could interbreed was a bonus. His races’ ancestors had been the Hurabash. The
extra limbs were a genetic “enhancement” that had become a permanent genetic trait. He also
explained that their use of the Great Beam technology as a transport system would probably keep
the Eloi busy with repairing circuits for a few months.
“It had been known for some time; in theory, that the Beam could be used this way; but the power
requirements always risked the possibility of circuits failing drastically. I hope these headbands work;
we need to know what these people were thinking. I asked Zuul to talk with your Lander crews
about taking him to the Beam station here on Hylon. He should be able to find further clues as to
what happened and just exactly what they were attempting. I have my suspicions and if right… Then
it doesn’t bode well for the future of both our races” he said cryptically.

They exited the elevator and walked down the service corridor to the Habitat of the Trask
colony in this location. When Bexar entered the main hall the Trask present froze and went down on
one knee. Bexar said something in Bachi and they came forward and each took a headband and put
it on. It was only now that T’luha noticed Bexar was using an ethereal shield form of the helmet on
the Eloi encounter suit. There appeared to be a filter/breather system in place. He obviously
breathed the same Methane/nitrogen mix that the Eloi breathed. When all the headbands were
handed out; Bexar closed his eye membranes and cleared his mind. The Trask imitated him. They all
stood silent like this for quite some time. About thirteen minutes passed before Bexar opened his
membranes and looked at the others.
“It worked. I managed to make telepathic contact and now know what
happened. The Trask will start reanimating the Human subjects first; then the
other races in turn. We should join my wife and son. He and I need to see the
result of the “Experiment” the Lingva and Jungva were trying. Apparently
something seems to have happened in our Home System and… Well let’s see
the Station before I explain further” Bexar said. One of the Trask brought him a
cone like the one found on the Eloi Platform. Bexar spoke in Bachi again and
the Trask smiled. He and the others left for the second lander.

During the flight to the Station; Myra and T’luha caught up with what had happened on the
Platform, Miah giving details when and where needed. Zuul, Leeson, Bexar and Midas went over
what damage the teams had found. Bexar and Zuul nodding when one detail or another came to
light; Bexar and Zuul occasionally looking at each other and having telepathic exchanges. At one
point Bexar laughed and Zuul’s skin colour flashed.
“What’s so funny Bexar?” Midas asked
“Forgive me my mechanical friend; it’s a “Biological” thing. It seems my son has stared the path to
adulthood somewhat early.” Zuul flashed more. It looked like the young Eloi was embarrassed.
Leeson smiled and took the young Eloi to one side. Myra had noticed this interchange and looked at
Miah. Who just did a very accurate imitation of a Gallic shrug and said “Biology. He’s growing” then
winked the membranes of one of her eyes. They both laughed. That seemed to embarrass Zuul even
more. She went over to him and explained things to Leeson; much to the further embarrassment of
Zuul; but he soon recovered when he saw Leeson’s reaction.

The Airship arrived at the location of the Beam Station. Outwardly the only damage seemed
to be an odd tilt to the transmitter array; and some cracks in the walls of two of the buildings. Some
Trask were scuttling about clearing an area for them to land.

“They are small enough to use the Pneumatic
Tunnel ships” Zuul noted “That’s how they get
about this planet so quickly” he added. The area
they were in was next to a huge lake system; and
the buildings nearby reminded Leeson of old
fashioned Nuclear Fission reactors; but in reality
were advanced Polaron reactors, far more powerful
and relatively safer. There were three of these near
one of the lakes. A fourth seemed to have been
almost totally destroyed in a massive blast. It
explained the residual radiation in the area being
higher than elsewhere. Even so; it was nowhere
near dangerous levels. The Trask seemed to be
happy doing the work so they left them to it and
headed for a low squat building that Bexar said was a control centre. Leeson recognised a Library
console of a type similar to a Kryst unit. He and Myra set about getting it operational. Zuul and Bexar
busied themselves with the main beam console. It appeared to have been left in a state of repair.
Perhaps the radiation levels had risen too quickly for the operators to continue their actions.
“Midas; T’luha, I’ll get two of the Trask to take you to the parts stores. There are a lot of circuits that
need replacing. The Trask will know what they are and will help you get them. Zuul and I will
continue to pull out the damaged parts till you come back. If any other items are needed I’ll
telepathically send orders” Bexar said and two of the Trask took the bewildered pair off down a
corridor in search of the parts stores.
Myra; Miah and Leeson managed to power up the Library console; during which procedure
Leeson accidentally activated the units’ telepathic linking circuit, much to the annoyance of one of
the Trask that was helping Zuul and Bexar. She stormed over and hit a sequence of buttons and
glared at him. Much to Leeson’s surprise she had activated the console’s translator and the display
now showed script and instructions in Interlac. Miah laughed.
“You should be a little more careful. The last recorded message was telepathically sent and was
quite rude in nature. It seems she knew the recorder” Miah explained. Leeson took a little more care
thereafter.
“That entry there looks promising. The time stamp is just before the disaster. It’s a holographic
recording of a Human technician?” Myra said. Leeson selected the file and directed the output to a
central viewer. It seemed to be a personal log.
The person who recorded the entry was a Human female in her late twenties early thirties;
blonde haired and had a pale complexion. She appeared to be standing roughly where Zuul and
Bexar were at that moment. The audio wasn’t present for the most part then she remembered to
switch on her microphone on her headset.
“… Sorry about that; as I was saying. I’m about to go back into stasis and the Untharans are uneasy
about the risks involved in this experiment. The theory seems sound enough; from my limited
understanding. They are building up reserves of power for the first test. The Jungva and Lingva are
doing this because they are desperate to get contact with “Home World”. The last communication
they had was short and has them edgy. I don’t mind being in stasis; besides we’ll be protected if
anything goes wrong. The new generation of Trasks are being given instruction as to maintenance of
all the systems should the test fail. We may be in stasis for quite some time if that happens. It’s for
the best really as the Jungva and Lingva would have to take the Hyper-drive ships if they go to the
system to find out what’s wrong…” A small hand was tugging at her sleeve “… Ok! I’m signing off.
Helen 8338-Terra last message to personal log before Stasis” she said and the recording ended.
“I wonder who she was.” Myra mused out loud “She must have been from Old Earth judging by the
clothing; probably around the early part of the Twentieth century old calendar. She must have been
what they used to call an “Abductee”” she added

Midas and T’luha had returned with the Trask and a small hover trolley loaded with parts. Myra
played back the recording to them while Zuul. Bexar and the Trask continued repairs. Zuul walked
over.
“It’s as my father feared. They tried the same procedure we did to get here; only on a grander scale.
From what we can tell; they almost succeeded. But the power couplings and circuits were not robust
enough. As they cascade failed; they sent surges back along the supply. There must have been some
kind of catastrophic fault in the regulation at number four reactor. That exploded and started
another cascade failure; this time of the distribution nodes in the Polaron grid. The resultant
explosions would have been very large but localised to the nodes and the surrounding area. We saw
that as we flew over. The radiation and exotic particle clouds must have caused widespread
contamination of the whole planet. It was a wise move to send the population into stasis” he said.
Miah flashed something telepathically to her son and he smiled. He went back to Zuul and passed on
the message. Zuul looked surprised them beamed a broad smile. The others not being party to the
conversation looked puzzled.
“It’s a personal matter that I don’t wish to discuss” Miah said and did another of her winks “Later
perhaps when all the upheaval is over. She added signalling a rest to the conversation.
“The location of that persons’ stasis pod is nearby, as is the base commanders. I wonder if we should
look to see if they are still present in their pods” she said after calling up a personnel directory.

The Trask were only too pleased to guide them to the Stasis chambers. The young woman’s
Sarcophagus was the easiest to locate so that is where they went first. She was still inside in a state
of deep stasis. The Commander’s pod had developed a fault some time shortly after the disaster so
she had not survived.
“That’s a pity; she may have been able to give us a partial explanation for the events” Miah said. She
instructed the Trask to attempt to mind dump the recent facility history files she’d found hidden in
an archive on the console. And her personal logs from the Endeavours history archive.
“He is going to do what the Ulahri alcoves do; and attempt to
bring our young friend here up to date with the situation before
she is reanimated. That way we should be able to communicate
better with her. Some of the other reanimated Humans are also
getting an education. They have a lot of history to catch up on”
Miah added. One of the other Trask brought Myra an orb. She
took it and examined it closer. It was a crystal ball of sorts, but
seemed to be glowing from deep within its heart.
“What am I supposed to do with this Miah?” Myra asked. T’luha
looked at the orb
“One of the Trask handed me one of those also, mine is green, and yours is white. Tell us Miah what
is the significance?” T’luha added
“They are Memory Orbs. Place them at the side of your temples and clear your mind of all thoughts”
she replied.

Myra placed the globe against the left temple and cleared he mind. She was instantly flashed
a series of memories. It was like watching several movies at once in high speed. The last image was a
bright glaring flash. She unfroze and brought the globe around in front of her. It was now just a clear
crystal ball. Slowly he brain began to untangle the “download” of memories and sensations. She felt
woozy and felt herself collapse before passing out. As she succumbed she heard Miah say to the
others
“This is alright; this usually happens the first time…” The rest was unclear and she fell into blackness.
She came round on a long couch in a well lit room. Her mouth felt dry and T’luha gave her a glass of
a bluish liquid. It tasted slightly sweet and smelled like strawberries.
“Whoa! Still feel dizzy; but I’m beginning to remember all the stuff I saw… I saw the disaster
unfolding” she managed to say. Her words sounded distant as though she was controlling her body
remotely. Then everything snapped back into place Miah was with Zuul and Bexar going over the

controls on the main console. Midas was talking Bachi with the Trask; the other members of the
teams were doing various checks of the other consoles and
equipment. One of the Trask dashed in to the room clutching
some coloured Gel Tubes. He delivered these to one of the
Techs; He in turn placed them in what looked like a giant fuse
board.
“Don’t tell me you are going to repeat the experiment” she
said harshly to Bexar.
“Relax Myra; we are only going to run a partial simulation
using the recorded data; what you would call a “Dry Run”. I
need to find out how the failure started. These Gel Tubes will

act like fusible links and disconnect the power quickly. If we can pinpoint when in the experiment
the cascade failures occurred; we might be able to adjust the procedure to compensate. If it is as I
suspect; they had some inferior technology installed” he said trying to calm her
“I saw what happened in that Trasks memory Globe. Let me see the console settings… Yes that’s the
panel; from what I remember from the memory flash; the first failure was that panel blowing up”
She said frantically. Bexar and Zuul looked surprised and pulled the replacement console out and
checked the layout again.
“There; that circuit I wonder if that was the error?” Zuul said removing a crystal circuit and handing
it to his father. Bexar took out a tool from his tool belt and scanned the circuit. His expression
changed to one of incredulity. The two of them exchanged some kind of telepathic conversation and
Zuul did the same with his mother. She nodded and went over to Myra. Miah took Myra to one side
and whispered
“Please calm yourself; I hadn’t expected you to have such clarity of detail, most of the time every
other race just gets jumbled or vague impressions. The memory dump is very complex. Tell me have
you any history in your family of what the Humans call “second sight”?” she asked
“On the Terran side of my family line certainly. But I’ve never shown any tendencies…” Myra
answered but Miah interrupted her
“That would explain a lot. I sensed that you had something about you. Our two species and another
two in nearby systems have the ability to trigger development of latent Telepathic and Empathic
abilities. When we discover what the true situation is in regards to our Home World; may I be
permitted to probe your mind?” Miah asked. Myra was dumbfounded for a moment then
considered the possibilities. It took a while before she answered
“I suppose that would be alright. Most of my relatives would probably disapprove; but I’ve always
been considered a bit of a rebel. Yes; why not!” she laughed and the two women chatted; Miah
explaining the simple procedure and the possible pitfalls, Myra agreeing more and more.

The Nimbob
While events were underway on Hylon; the Eloi and the
Fleet members that had stayed on the Platform had a visit from a
Nomadic race known as The Nimbob. Some of the Fleet vessels had
continued on to rendezvous with the Endeavour at Hylon; and the
Eloi on the Platform had not been expecting further visitors, so the
arrival of the Nimbob came as a surprise. In appearance they looked
just like the Vintar; except for skin colouring that is. The Nimbob
were far more colourful; having patches and stripes of colour all
over their bodies, with the head colour denoting male or female.
Males had a red crown; females were pale cream on the crown.
Their society was also a Matriarchal; it seemed many of the races in
the Third Galaxy were such. There was one race that had three
sexes and the Neuter sex was the dominant leaders of that society;

they were very reclusive and barely ventured out of their territories. The Nimbob though roamed
freely; striking up trading agreements and alliances when; where and with whom it pleased them.
They were also famed as “Healers”. The Women all wore a devotional bangle and carried devotional
objects associated with their races principal deity. There were six deities in all and H’Vru; was the
dominant female deity. It was a period in the cycle of devotions that the Nimbob were currently

celebrating. And it was a Holy day on the time of their visit.
H’Vru was the Goddess of Sharing and Giving; and the captain
of the vessel; her name was Umala, was in a particularly giving
mood. She presented Shiv; the next eldest female in the Eloi
group with a list of devotional tokens for her to choose three
from. The males of the Nimbob crew stayed down on their
knees until spoken to by their mates. The Captains mate was
her personal Groom and he was allowed to stand by her side
during the giving ceremony. Shiv chose three of the items and with a signal from Umala; they were
collected and brought to her.
With the formalities over the Nimbob relaxed and dispersed among all the Platforms
occupants; exchanging greetings etc. Umala drew Shiv to one side and ushered her Groom away. He
went to join the male members of the Fleet’s crews.
“It’s a pity your mother is not here; I have news of the Lingva contingent from the Heregan system. It
might go some way to explaining the situation of the closed Home system. Are you in
communication with her?” she asked Shiv
“We have only just finished repairs with the Great Beam. I could arrange for you to have a private
link if you wish?” Shiv offered
“These Unity people are a strange lot; and yes I would have preferred a private link. But if you say
they can be trusted I will take your word for it. I think it best that our findings are shared; maybe the
strangers could help” Umala answered and went on to explain what the Nimbob had discovered.
The Nimbob had found themselves in need of certain mechanical requisites so had headed
for the Heregan system to negotiate a trade with the Lingva outpost there. When they arrived the
place was in total disarray. It looked like there had been a massive battle; one of the artificial worlds
had been partially blown apart. When they eventually managed to meet with the Lingva emergency
parliament; the news was grim to say the least. An unknown enemy had entered the region from
one of the older disused Quantum Stream tunnels and had immediately set about subduing system
after system. At no time did the intruders show their faces; their communications were complex but
brief. And their ships all seemed to report back to one central command vessel that was heavily
shielded. The Lingva were the last race they encountered; but the enemy had underestimated the
Lingva and their determination. It took a great toll but the Enemy was eventually vanquished. It
seemed that once the central command vessel was destroyed the enemy fell upon and destroyed
themselves.
“Strange and odd behaviour I think you’ll agree” Umala concluded
“Yes indeed; but I seem to recall similar behaviour from one of our ancestor’s created races. The
Gantrax; but from your description of the vessels; it doesn’t sound like them; but I think you’re right
we need to get the word out on this. The Untharans have had experience of Gantrax activity; and
there is an Untharan contingent among the Unity Fleet crews that are here. I’ll introduce you to their
leader; He’s remarkably wise for a male, and a good listener” Shiv chuckled and took Umala to meet
with G’ingvur…

… The Unity was abuzz with the news from Lunaris. The prototype Gantrax creature was the
hottest news throughout the Galaxy networks. It had proved to be remarkably intelligent and
unusually docile. It could reproduce in two ways; sexually and A-sexually. In the case of the latter
method it “budded” offspring which were clones of the original; and much to the Biologists surprise’
they could change sex and become male or female at will. They were the ultimate servant/worker

race; though this one seemed to be Genetically Engineered to be more efficient at farm work. Other
discoveries at Fort Knox had fallen to “Back Burner” status; and it was one of these that had taken
the interest of Lance and Sandra. The teams had found an alien device that seemed to be a long
distance communications unit. But as yet nobody had managed to get it operational; the power
requirements seemed to be impractical.
“Derek has arranged for the unit to be transported to the Helios array out by the asteroid belt; for
now. The military have found some of the old Polaron Generators that used to power the early
experimental outposts too” Sandra said as Lance returned from his lunch.
“I suppose it’s a safer distance from anywhere; in case the bloody generators explode from the load
placed on them” He said and handed the latest projections of the units power requirements “these
are only estimates; we have no idea of what it was actually meant to do. The Hive-Net hasn’t fully
translated the data files found with it. Elosian is just as difficult a language as Kryst B apparently.
Some words seem to have many meanings” he noted. They were on board a military craft enroute to
the array. They were meant to get out there first to oversee the installation process. Lance was still
not accustomed to his new status as Assistant Head of Exo-Research. Neither was Sandra that fond
of being his superior as Head of Exo-Research either. Privately they had agreed to act jointly on
decisions rather than one taking precedent over the other.
“One good piece of news I got was that Byron Hellvang; the Lingaran Warp Physics and Technical
Engineering Master from Thule Academy is going to be our head of Technical and Engineering” she
beamed
“Your old flame from your Academy days! Wow! That’s going to set tongues wagging” Lance
quipped and she threw a pencil at him. It missed and hit the Gravity plating regulator and switched
off the gravity to the compartment. They both laughed as Lance tried to get the situation under

control again.
“I have some interesting news also; remember our Abductee: Arthur Styles-
Cunningham? Well he’s only got himself the position of Head of Holographic
Presentation for the Flexor Group” Lance said when they were back to normal
“Flexor! The company that are handling the Communications network
throughout the Trust! I thought he’d retire with what he has in the bank” Susan
responded
“Apparently he gets bored doing nothing and he insisted he have some kind of
work to do. His skills were transferrable. I saw that presentation he did for you at
the conference. He’s good. And I took the liberty of asking if he wanted a side-line task of
documenting our efforts” Lance said nonchalantly
“I suppose he accepted or you wouldn’t be looking so smug. Did he ever find out more about that
girlfriend of his?” she asked
“Not much more than what we gleaned from the Alien reports. We’ll have to wait for more info from
The Endeavour; it’s gone to Hylon from the Eloi platform. As regards the Eloi being interesting;
they’re an odd race; and a Matriarchal society; your Grandmother would probably approve of them”
he chuckled and she threw a pad at him; missing him and knocking the gravity off again.
Arthur was distracted by the heaving chest of his PA; a young; brunette Delevan female. She
had been out jogging around the promenade of the Array’s living quarters. Of the many species he’d
encountered in the Unity and the Sonoran Trust; he found the Delevan female triple breasts a
welcome; but disturbing distraction, and the sharp canines of the Lemurr unnerving to say the least.
The Flutvarn frog-like smile he found he could cope with; but the Untharan female prehensile
nipples were just too gross for him. The males of each species just didn’t seem to bother him; it was
the females that he just couldn’t quite cope with. He missed his Helen. He had tried to satisfy
himself with a number of affairs with a number of Terran women from the Unity and Trust territories
and provinces. But nothing seemed to give him the results he wanted. As a consequence they all
ended abruptly. In short; as far as his sexual relations went, he was frustrated. He experimented a
few times with species of similar form; but none were like his Helen. He had hoped that when Hylon

was opened up to travel he might be able to find out what had happened to her. When the
opportunity arose for this position he jumped at the chance. It was a hope of a chance at least.

Brandie; that was her name, had a jolly disposition, but also had a boyfriend. He was a tall
blonde furred Lemurr. Perhaps he was just too “old fashioned” but he couldn’t get the interspecies
thing. Then again he’d been “out of touch” for quite some time. She sat down on a bench beside
him.
“Voarn asked me something last night about you. He wanted to know why you hadn’t tried to make
a pass at me. I hope I was right in what I said. “He’s just not interested I guess; maybe he got
damaged being in stasis so long”. Voarn seemed to accept that and let the matter drop. What is the
problem; if there is one?” she asked. The Delevan were a pretty forthright people after all.
“It’s just the kind of society I came from really; compared to the openness of the societies around
now; I guess you’d call the people from my time prudish and introverted” he answered. She laughed
“When you put it that way; I suppose it’s true. And it’s not as if you haven’t tried. I hear the
whispers” she said and got up to go to her quarters to wash and change. Arthur wondered about the
statement she made about being damaged in stasis. He decided to check up on that. He looked at his
wrist chronometer and realised that his compatriots would be arriving soon and he made his way to
the Transporter pad bay in arrivals…

… On the Eloi Platform the Nimbob were preparing to leave when Shiv was called to the
Communications room and Umala was asked to follow also. Puzzled the two went to the far end of
the station. At the Communication Room door was a perplexed looking Untharan member of one of
the Unity vessels; The K’Vrun Elar, He was their second in command. He whispered something into
Shiv’s ear and she looked surprised. They all went in to be confronted with a frantic team who were
trying to cope with what appeared to be several data streams. The Eloi in charge a younger brother
of Shiv’s called Enror; flashed a telepathic summary to his older sister. She frowned and turned to
Umala and spoke gravely
“It would appear that the enemy vessels you mentioned have returned to plague the nearby
systems. We still have no clear contact with our government so are trying our best to get word out
to all the surrounding colonies. One of the ships is headed for an outpost of yours in the Hilb System.
We cannot seem to contact your warrior cast on normal channels. Is it possible for you to make
connection some other way?” she asked
“That outpost is usually unmanned; mainly droids in residence; it’s used as a storage depot. What
possible use could an enemy have for the place; since at this time it could well be empty?” she
answered adding “As I stated before; this enemy does some strange things”. Shiv relayed the
information to Enror who had found out that coms were clearing and he’d managed to use the Beam
to send a message to Hylon. He had received back a message of what the others on Hylon were
about to attempt. He relayed this telepathically to his sister. She looked horrified. She rapidly
explained what was going on at Hylon. Umala nodded and looked shocked; and issued commands to
the remaining crew on her flagship patrol the area in case of problems. She and her command staff
were going to remain to assist wherever they could. She also ordered a scout ship to their outpost at
Hilb to see what the enemy was up to. A message was sent to Hylon; to say they were ready to take
on injured, and they were rigging the platform as a Medical Facility. This did mean that they would
have to divest most of the current Kabrut crop; but this was an emergency situation. Reports started
flooding in from attacked colonies; the casualties were seriously injured and not as many as might
have been expected; the first ships started to come to the platform with injured from various
Quantum Slipstreams. The second ship to dock brought news that a faction of the enemy vessels has
departed in the direction of the Eloi home world. Shiv prayed that her Brother and Parents would
succeed in their efforts. It was imperative contact was established quickly…

… On Hylon in the Beam Station the message of the attacks made the teams more
determined to see that the “dry run” test was successful. They had done all that they could to

safeguard against a repeat of the catastrophic failure that previously occurred. Zuul entered the final
sequence of commands and the Polaron generators ramped up their outputs. The switching circuits
seemed to be tripping over in sequence correctly. All was as it should be so far; then the modulation
mechanisms cut in and the energy was sent to the great array. The beam flashed out into the depths
of space in the direction of one of the Lingva colonies that had been in contact only a few years
earlier and had also lost contact with the Home Systems. If they got a reply then they would ramp up
the power further and try other stations farther away.

The system appeared to be stable and he message appeared to have been sent correctly so
the station was switched to receive. It was some time before a reply came; and the Lingva that was
responding seemed surprise by the contact. Miah had to translate the message for the others as it
was in an arcane dialect of Bachi. She had learned it from her Great grandmother while she was still
a child. She used to use it to talk in secret with her mother and Grandmother. She relayed what the
sender had said about the original disaster.
“It seems that the ships containing the Lingva made it to safety in two other systems. The ships
containing the Jungva fared less well; it was they who had attempted to traverse some of the
unstable Quantum Slipstreams in an attempt to get to the Home System sooner. They were unaware
of the conflict on Home world and the Enemy attacks and materialised right in the middle of a fire
fight. They were destroyed almost immediately.” She recounted.
“That’s awful. You have our sympathy. T’luha said. Myra remained silent for a few moments.
“Are those Slipstreams still around?” she asked. Zuul answered
“They may be; but after the incident all races stopped using them and sealed their entrances. That’s
why the Lingva were surprised at our contact. The beam was diverted in some way along one of
those discontinued streams” He said in answer to her question.
“Well we have proved one thing; the system works over the intermediate distance. Is everyone
ready to try a more distant outpost?” Bexar asked. They all nodded in agreement. To the Eloi’s
surprise the power used had fallen short of the projected amount. Midas was the first to realise why
this was. It was the diversion through the Slipstream that had reduced the power requirements.
Adjusting for another two; or three diversions, reduced the power requirements for the distant
communication accordingly. The adjustments made; a second test burst was tried. This time the
system showed a slight fluctuation. It was momentary and the safeguards took care of it. Again they
switched to receive and waited. About an hour later a short message came back in Bachi. Midas
smiled.
“It would appear that we have been asked to identify our location” he announced. The three Eloi did
a sort of short hop on the spot; their equivalent of a cheer. Miah sent an identification code and a
brief account of what they knew; and coordinates of the Platform for further assistance to be sent.
There was a short delay and a curt reply indicated that Home world was now in the control of the
Yenta; a more lenient political movement than the old regime. Home World would send help both to
Hylon and the Platform as soon as the Slipstreams were stabilised. In the meantime their engineers
wanted to know just how they had achieved the stable Beam over such a massive distance. Bexar
prepared a compressed data burst and sent a reply. Turning to Miah and the others
“We had best get the Trask to speed up the reanimations so that more “personnel” would be able
and ready to handle the incoming ships. One of the ships they are sending is the ARCADIA.” He
announced. The Trask all jumped and ran off in all directions diverting power to all the other Stasis
centres…

… At the array a remote control system had been set up on an asteroid; along with a power
generator and the unit. The pieces of the unit had been assembled in situ by a Mechanoid crew. It
was hoped that the strange antenna array had not deteriorated from its long time in storage.

“If my assumptions and the information that our Abductee
friend are correct; this is some kind of long distance
communication device” The director of the Array said.
Arthur corrected him
“It wasn’t just used for communication. I saw them use it to
transmit matter streams over interstellar space once or
twice between mother ships. But we don’t have the ability
to generate that amount of power here. So I suggest trying
a signal to the Eloi Platform. As a trial” he interjected
“Arthur is right; baby steps first; I’m not happy with the
state of the equipment. It looks like our ancestors were
responsible for some of the damage to certain crystal
circuits” Lucius Foxx; the array’s chief Engineer said adding
“That’s why I had the inhibitors fitted in the supply chain. If
they don’t work the system would explode destroying the entire asteroid. The replacement circuits
we made are at the limits of our capability; and the Kryst say they have nothing anywhere near as
heavy duty”
Arthur had brought some expensive recording equipment from the Flexor HQ on Eretti
Prime. He’d paid for it so if it was lost; it wouldn’t be an expense for the company. It was; after all a
chance to find out what had happened to his beloved Helen. Besides he could easily afford the loss
should it be a failure. And it was an excellent media opportunity he thought cynically. To add some
drama to the situation he’s asked for a countdown clock signal to be transmitted from the
equipment. It was fast approaching zero; only 40 seconds left. He looked at the recording equipment
readouts; all seemed stable and were already recording. The output of the unit was being modulated
to give a visible image when the directed burst fired out. He had been given access to the messages
that Terra prime had received from The Platform so knew that they were having difficulties;
however they had set aside a monitoring crew should this experiment work, it was they who would
reply.
From the platform a glow started to appear around the devices transmitting array. When the
operator pressed the sequence of commands that would send the burst; all the observers saw on
the platform was a blue-white beam shoot out of the array and off into the interstellar regions. And
then it fell blank. The device switched to listening mode.
“We won’t get the same spectacular display for a received signal unfortunately” Lucius said as they
waited for the tell-tale sign of a reply. The sight of the beam going out triggered repressed memories
in Arthur. He remembered now seeing the Beam array being used on one of the Motherships. He
also remembered how his guard had told him just what power it took to send such a signal across
the galaxy. He visibly trembled and Sandra had noticed
“Are you all right Arthur? You look pale” she asked
“It’s OK; I’m just remembering my experience of seeing this tech at work for the first time…” and he
recounted his treatment by the Team that had “acquired” him. “That’s right I remember now; they
referred to all of us Abductees as “Acquisitions” or Specimens. They used my First name and a series
of Numbers etc. for identification purposes. That unique identity code was also required to obtain
food from the “replicators”; devices that produced synthetic, molecular built, reproductions of foods
they had sampled” he laughed “They didn’t know about texture or taste though. The “Tomato” soup
was revolting at first; slimy and far too salty. It wasn’t until they found our Mental signature with
those headband things that they started to get things right. I had some pretty horrible meals. I think
the Untharans had it the worst; what with them being primarily meat and fish eaters” and he
chuckled some more. He snapped out of his reminiscences and turned all business-
like. He reviewed the data and image streams his recording equipment had
managed to capture. Sandra and Lance watched over his shoulder as he deftly
adjusted parameters. As they watched him work; cursing occasionally in arcane

English, Lance spotted something and asked him to pause and rewind a section
“Take it slowly; a frame at a time if need be. It was around about here… There freeze it Arthur”
Lance almost deafened Arthur with his shout. On the display it was obvious that there was
something strange about the cut off of the signal beam.
“Oh; Great Maker! Is that what I think it is Lance?” Sandra said. Arthur zoomed in on the part of the
image that was giving them concern. Arthur sharpened up the frame; and sent it to the main viewer.
The others present stood; silent with amazement. How had Arthur never seen this before during his
encounters with the technology? Granted; the image was almost subliminal, but there it was never-
the-less. A clear image of a Star map; and one that Arthur knew only too well… It was a Map of the
centre of the Third galaxy.
“It must be residual data that was in the system memory and the data fetch routine must have
retrieved it and tagged it onto our data burst.” Lucius said in amazement “Arthur can you make an
isolated recording of just that sequence?” he asked. Arthur nodded and did a separate data crystal
recording; looping the sequence repeatedly.
“I knew that they had taken me somewhere at one point. I didn’t think it was right out there. I have
some kind of recall block so I cannot recall all the details. He zoomed in on a Star system; the detail
was incredible; twelve planets orbiting around a Blue Giant. “That one there with the three moons;
I’m sure of it.” He said shaking. Lance and some of the other data techs set about searching for
references; any references in legends, stories etc. to the home of the Gods. Barely visible orbiting
around the fourth planet with the three moons was what appeared to be a building; it looked
remarkably like a Sultan’s palace from India on old Earth. Arthur found himself repeating one word;
whispering it over and over, Gandarah...

… On Hylon progress was being made. They had managed to get in contact with an
intermediate colony and had gleaned more information. This time form survivors of an Enemy
attack. They would also send out some ships to Hylon and the other system worlds to help with re-
establishing the colonies. It was while the Trask were busy reanimating a contingent of Untharans
that a Beam transmission from the Platform came in. Some of the Trask had been assigned to
monitor the Beam Station and what was attached to the message had them agitated enough for the
Eloi to telepathically try and subdue them Zuul was the first of them to see the captured data that
had been sent from Sol system to the Eloi platform. At first he didn’t see what the fuss was about;
until he saw the detailed frames... He rushed over to Miah and Bexar. Flashed them with the
message and showed Bexar the detailed frames. The Eloi don’t have eyebrows as such; but if they
had, Bexar’s’ would have been halfway over the crown of his head. Myra took the images and
handed them to Midas and Dagnor; who had decided to join them on the surface of Hylon.
“It can’t be! It just can’t be” Dagnor exclaimed “That’s Lord Shiva’s flying palace; or Vimana from
ancient Indian texts. It fits the descriptions exactly. But what is it doing all the way out there?” he
added incredulously.
“Who or what is this Lord Shiva?” Miah asked. Myra and Dagnor took it in turns to explain about the
Ancient Earth legends; of the Indian sagas known as the Mahabharata. About the Ancient Gods;
including Ganesh, Lord Shiva and the Goddess Kali and the rest of the pantheon. How they had
battled over who should be masters of the world; the skies and the universe. Midas checked the
Endeavours Hive for better references and example texts. It took some time but managed to find
some really ancient archives. He supplied these to the highly interested Eloi.

After the Eloi had read all the entries they and the Trask entered into a heated Telepathic
debate. Myra had tried to patch her Achenazi Headband into those of the Eloi; but the exchanges
were just far too rapid for her to get; in fact they physically made her head hurt so she gave up, and
waited patiently like the rest until they’d finished. When it was over a sheepish looking Miah came
over to them.
“I am not quite sure how to say this. It would seem that the crew of the mothership the beam array
came from; the unit your compatriots have used to send this message disappeared mysteriously,
About five or six thousand millennia ago; by our reckoning, they became one of the mystery stories
that wayfarers tell to pass the time on long voyages. That thing that is referred to as a Vimana; is in
fact an orbital laboratory our ancestors used to create their hybrids. Why it is where it is now; is
beyond comprehension. That region of space is so hostile to all biological life; we cannot conceive
why our ancestors would send Gangera Facility there. It’s possible I suppose that it drifted among
the Quantum Slipstreams and gravitated there. Whatever the reason; it could be of interest to all
races in all the Galaxies. It was there that they created monsters” she said ominously.

Just then; the Sarcophagus occupant that had identified herself in the recording walked out
onto the plaza. She was about two and a quarter metres in height; of slim build and definitely
Human. She came over to their group. She bowed her head to Miah and said something in an arcane
form of Bachi. Miah responded and took her hands in hers. The woman smiled and started to shed
tears. With Miah encouraging her she told them all her story.

Helen had been taken about a month after her boyfriend had gone missing. She had been
subjected to various harsh tests by her captors; who then treated her with much more respect.
Unlike some of the other “taken” she had been treated with respect as she was found to have latent
Telepathic and Empathic abilities. She had been placed into stasis as a means of securing her as a
specimen for the future. That was many thousands of years ago now but it helped her to secure a
sort of trust. This had afforded her a chance to become a systems Technician and her administrative
skills helped her too. She had been present on Hylon for about two years when the first signs of
unrest began to show. She had opted to go into stasis periodically to prolong her usefulness. It was
later found that she could use the “Educator” units to enhance her knowledge and be more useful
during one of these sessions she found out that her boyfriend had been taken also and whereabouts
he was being held. She resolved to keep herself viable to him by whatever means she could. So the
periodic stasis sessions were her means to achieve that. When one day; word came through about
the Aradash colony “bugging out” and dispersing she had again asked to help. She had hoped that
she might find out about Arthur and his whereabouts but had been disheartened by what had
happened. She did manage to find out that they may be coming to Hylon. That was when the links
were lost to the Home Government World. The accident happened when the remaining Jungva were
attempting to make contact. She had stayed present until the last minute. The Trask had been
ordered to secure all of the specimens and keep them safe. The last transmission from the Aradash
said they were under attack; she could do nothing about it so allowed herself to be placed in stasis
until the situation was over.

When she discovered how long she and the others had been kept in stasis she was
dumbfounded. But it was only very recently; according to the Trask, that a normal “Oxygen
breather” environment had been stabilised. If the Endeavour had come barely six months earlier
they wouldn’t have been able to land and walk about so freely. The Trask had not maintained the
power grid as they had sufficient backup systems to continue the stasis protocols. Upon her
reanimation she asked for an update and the Trask that were nearby had given her a memory dump.
“I’m one of only a handful of humans that are still here; a lot of the menfolk volunteered to help
fight the invaders. In a way the accident saved this world from the ravages of the invaders. The
Aradash and Hurabash, who used these systems worlds as species colonies, were caught unawares
by these invaders. They had thought their ancestors had rid the galaxy of them long ago. But that
seems to have not been the case.” Helen finished recounting. Myra brought her up to speed with
recent developments and Zuul brought her an “Educator” for her to get a history lesson. She would

be learning for many days ahead. In the mean time she set to helping the Eloi and the others recover
the infrastructure that had been damaged or lost. As she learned more about the Terran race’s
history between her time and the present she became resolute that she wanted to return to the
Human community in the Unity in some way. When she found out about Arthur she got far more
enthusiastic. What Arthur didn’t know was she had found the ring he’d hidden when clearing out the
cottage. She had kept it with her on a chain around her neck. She was physically still around the
same age as him now, so wanted her survival kept secret until it was safe for her to return back. She
put all of her efforts into obtaining that goal. It was about two days later that The ARCADIA entered
the system. It was a massive construction vessel. It would probably have been capable of
constructing another planet; but was here mainly to manufacture all the supplies that the Trask
would need. The Endeavour looked like a tiny mouse by comparison…

…Much to the Surprise of the Eloi on the platform; word had come through from the battle
front that some of the enemy had been captured. They were not Gantrax as had been feared; rather
a similar natured “Hive Mind” race that had somehow arrived in this region of the Third Galaxy. They
were actually denizens of a tract of Subspace. They were acting on impulses that would secure their
survival in a hostile realm. If one of their “queens” was lost then the entire colony destroyed itself. It
was an inherited imperative that was genetically programmed into them. It was hoped that
examining the creatures might lead to some means of constructive communication; possibly even
some kind of peace treaty or such. The message stated that the captives had been placed in stasis
and were in transit to the Platform. The Nimbob were extremely interested in this news and Umala
asked for some more Nimbob vessels to rendezvous with the Platform. She would see to it that their
genetics people had a presence and skills handy.
“Zyra; we have had a recent communication from the Unity ship Saratoga, they say that they have
found out about one of the Gantrax’s origin species that has been found in a stasis pod. They want
you to look at the biological data they have on it. Apparently your home world once had such
creatures on it” Shiv announced. Zyra; who had been going over the medical reports from the crews
of the other ships, looked up and took the pad from Shiv. As she looked her eyes widened; and she
mouthed the words of the report
“Shiv; I know these creatures. They aren’t actually from our world; they came from a moon in a
system close to ours. They were the last few of a colony of survivors from a dying world. They were a
peaceful race; and just wanted to live out their last days in the company of other intelligent life. We
and they; were unaware of any others of their kind anywhere else. I believe only one other survived
from that colony. It is in stasis on a distant outpost. It had asked to be placed there; some kind of
religious mumbo jumbo. As a sort of sentinel; for the lost souls of its peoples. Can we establish a link
back to the long distance array in my Galaxy?” Zyra asked
“I don’t see why not; with all the extra help we now have it seems we have spare communication
capacity. The Nimbob are adept at adapting and improving technology. I’ll see that it’s done; why
are you asking?”
“Oh; I think I could persuade the director on Lunaris to obtain that “Sentinel” If we could only
reproduce the transport system Bexar and Zuul devised; but more stably. Then we might be able
to…” Zyra started saying. Shiv smiled and did a wink
“I’m way ahead of you. I wonder if their species have males and females” she chuckled. “But if they
are from the same time period as the expansions… I could see that it would be an advantage to get a
working history of the Galaxy back then. I too have the same Historical interest” and she sent an
order to the array staff.

The stasis pods and their occupants arrived with a Lingva battleship that had wounded
aboard. The Captain was relatively young Lingva male; and from Zyra’s experience; his species
looked remarkably like the Flutvarn males she had seen. The Lingva were one of the few races that
did not have a Matriarchal society. There were some marked differences between the species; but
outwardly they seemed very Flutvarn like. Their moods and temperament were entirely different.

They were more serious for a start. They seemed remote and not as
eager to “experience” things like the Flutvarn were. Their skin too
seemed to be not so amphibian like. It was probably just a case of
Parallel Evolution she thought. Their eyes were more like those of the
Untharans; but that froglike mouth and smile put paid to a common
ancestry. The colour of their skin was iridescent. It was a bluish green as
opposed to the tans and browns of the Untharan skin. The females also
had crests; there were a few in the crew. Zyra wondered if there was
some way of distinguishing the sexes. The Lingva male surprised her by
answering to her unspoken question.
“Males don’t have the crest colour change during mating season” he said
curtly. The Lingva it appeared had telepathic ability. “Our telepathy surprises you; forgive me I’ll
have to remember to curtail my mental scanning. But I too find your species intriguing. You are a
mixing of two races I gather. Terran and Delevan; we had some Delevan in our protectorate a while
back. Since the change of political stance at Home System; we have sent them back to their Galaxy
with our apologies for our Ancestors actions.” He added. Zyra didn’t quite know how to react to that
news. “My name is Xing Chu. If you would be willing I would like to probe your mind deeper for your
species history; but I will only do so with your consent. I will keep it brief” he asked. Astonished she
agreed and she felt a strange tingling sensation for a few minutes. After which Xing dropped into a
sort of blank stare. “I can see where you derived your assumptions from; but you are wrong. If
anything the Flutvarn could be distant cousins developed from seed materials sent out in deep space
probes long ago. It would take closer DNA comparison to see what genetic markers our races have in
common. What intrigues me more are these Terrans; such a young race and so insatiable in their
curiosity. Our Galaxy is going to become a much more interesting place should they stay. As to your
unspoken desire about “compatibility” who knows; but it could be interesting to find out” he said
apparently unashamed. She glared at him and he apologised for being too forthright. It was just in
his species nature not to hide feelings…

The pods were taken to one of the Unity fleet vessels that had large biological facilities; so
the occupants could be studied more freely. All information found was to be shared; that had
already been agreed. Basic scans had shown the creatures to be insect-like in appearance; but
internally they were more like primitive mammals. They had the equivalent of lungs rather than
breathing tubules; their “exoskeleton” was actually more like a thick leathery skin that the chitin of
insects. Their brain wasn’t as centralised as higher life forms; theirs seemed to be split into three
nodes. The one in the creatures head seemed to also have some kind of cybernetic attachments;
with connections to two springy, metallic looking antennae. Although their bodies seemed to be
primitive; their minds apparently, as shown from their behaviour when brought out of stasis, were
very much like social insects. They seemed to have both sexual organs within them; but, as
“workers” they were under developed. For some reason that was not initially obvious; they seemed
to be able to control their mental state. They seemed to be equally curious about their captors as
the Eloi and the others were about them. It later transpired that they had been captured before
receiving the signal to self-destruct.

It was a few days after the delivery of the pods that a beam message came through from the
Eloi home ship Helexar. They were setting up a relay point for matter transport via beam to Hylon
from Home world. Specifications had been changed some time ago and these changes were being
implemented to most of the Beam stations in the sector. Home world wanted to try for a greater
distance. In short they wanted to try a transport link with the Beam unit that was situated in Sol
Asteroid belt. It was hoped that the distances involved would minimise the detrimental effects upon
the receiving unit. It was asked that the Platform set up a relay link with the Unity Central Council
and inform when that had been accomplished. It took about a week to make the necessary
adjustments; and confirmation of the link was sent. It was relatively easy to guess what the intended
transmission would be.

Arthur had decided to stay at the Beam Control Platform; and to that end he was present
when the information about Helen was passed over to Unity Central. He couldn’t believe his luck;
she was alive and well. Suddenly his life had purpose once more; and an aim to it. He became
determined to reunite with her whatever the cost or dangers involved. He became driven by this
thought. As it happened he would end up with her sooner than he thought was possible. The
Terraforming of Terra one (the name chosen for the re-terraformed Earth); had taken a massive leap
forward thanks to what was now being called the Genesis device. The Terra forming crew had made
great strides in understanding how to operate the technology safely and effectively. The newly
formed crust and oceans were divided into two main land masses equi-polar in placement separated
by a broken ring-shaped continent that meant there was a broad channel between the northern and
southern oceans. Arthur had resolved for the two of them to be among the first “Colonists” to return
back to Mankind’s origin planet. Already he had determined to be settled on a northern pampas
area with a ridge of mountains splitting the area. He became like a demon possessed. Managing data
streams for the Platform far better than some of the artificial intelligences. He seemed to just have a
knack for it. So it was fairly soon after the initial links were made that he was present at the first
tentative relay test. It was to be a single complex stream was all that the Endeavour team on Hylon
would say. It was to be sent to a Gateway device rather than a transporter pad array. Apparently the
Gates could handle the massive power inherent in the beam. So a sub link was made to the Anasazi
Pueblo cave unit as this had recently been rebuilt to Krall specifications discovered in an ancient
Crystal; the beam station in the asteroid belt acting as a secondary relay…

… On Hylon the Fleet vessels had arrived in time to see the
Great Beam station there relay the initial stream in the direction of
Sol system. It entered into what appeared to be a small Gravity
distortion; The Eloi called this phenomenon “The Eye of Horus”.
That was the entrance to a Quantum Slipstream that would flash
the stream across the intergalactic distance to the Asteroid Belt
Station. From there it would be relayed on to Mars and then Gate
Device. The stream would consist of two bursts. The first was a data stream with compressed entries
from The Eloi Archives from their Home World. That would be diverted to Terra Prime and the Unity
Central Archive. It would be the second part of the stream that would be relayed on to Mars. Arthur
was among the crew monitoring the procedure on the Asteroid Platform. The Fleet were subjected
to an amazing display. The Eye of Horus rippled with shades of blues and indigo as the beam entered
the opening. Lighting up a swirl of gas clouds in the nearby vicinity. There had been much discussion
as to the content of the second stream burst on Hylon and the Helexar. A decision that satisfied all
was eventually reached; and it was decided to be the transmission of living matter.
The first stream came in as expected with complete integrity. The system worked perfectly.
The diversion relay to Mars switched in with a couple of seconds to spare; and the second stream
flashed out from the Beam unit on the Asteroid. Arthur monitored the stream as it went through the
buffer. It was incredibly complex; as matter data streams are for Transporter pads. And the power
levels were too high to allow safe materialisation via a Trans Pad; even one of the Heavy duty Cargo
units. The Gate Unit had been a wise choice. A subspace channel had been cleared for a video link
back to the station and other interested parties. It was understood that the Gate unit would take a
few seconds to build the matter from the data that would go into it massive buffer. The delays were
down to the multiple integrity checks. If this worked a whole new way of traversing the space
between Galaxies was in the offing.
Watching the last data empty from the Beam transmitter buffer Arthur flicked the feeds of
his equipment to tie in with the equipment on Mars. He had patched the output to the main viewer
of the Platform. Slowly a shimmer began to appear in the centre of the Gate pillars. Slowly it
coalesced into the hazy shape of a figure. Gasps went out around the control room. Arthur froze;
transfixed at the sight in front of him. Gradually the haze cleared as the shimmer finally cleared and

there stood a form… One Arthur knew only too well… “Helen” he gasped and started to shake; sweat
and tears mingled as they ran down his cheeks and the broad smile on his face. “My Helen!” he
croaked. People were coming from all around him slapping him on his back. Lances’ voce in his
headset brought snapped him back to reality
“Arthur; she’s alive and I’m getting you a flight on the next shuttle…” he didn’t hear the rest he was
already running to his quarters he was looking frantically for something. He managed to find it in a
sock drawer. He put the object in his coverall pocket and headed to the docking bay. As he waited he
whistled a tune from a past era; it had been the song playing on his car radio the day he first met
Helen on that summer’s day so long ago. A Lemurr female was eyeing him quizzically. He explained
with tears in his eyes what had just happened and the woman smiled showing her incisors and shook
his hand. Arthur wasn’t even perturbed by the sight; he was going to meet his beloved Helen…

When word reached back to the Eloi platform; Hylon and beyond that the transmission was
an unqualified success it was soon realised that a new means to travers the vast distances of space;
and a new era of expansion was now on the Horizon. It would be a few decades before sufficient
systems were in place for the first tentative Intergalactic travellers set foot upon new realms; years
later for trading routes and rights to be established and with that the foundation of a new Unity; The
Tri-Galactic Unity, would become a working prospect. Many more systems, worlds, and races would
become part of the Family of Life. One final mission for the Terrans; Eloi and the Mechanoids would
see the eventual recovery of Gangera Facility Platform from the hazardous region of space it had
drifted into. It would be many decades after that when the vast store of the Ancestors Archive would
be decrypted… And finally the answer as to the hidden code in the DNA of so many races would be
discovered. It seems the Ancestors of the Aradash and the Hurabash had an obsession… They were
Collectors of information. They wanted to amass all that was knowable. Something that they had
passed on with their genetic memes to every race they had touched. But that would be much later
and for the more near present…

… Helen could not believe her eyes when they had met for the first time on Mars. Her Arthur; was
there alive and looking better than ever. When they eventually had some time alone together; she
took off her necklace and handed him the ring she had kept close to her all this time. He beamed a
smile at her and took her in his arms and kissed her long and hard. He then stood back took the ring
and went down on one knee and proposed on the spot. Helen took hardly one second to reply in the
positive. He placed the ring on her finger; stood up and embraced her tightly.
“I’m never going to leave you ever again.” He whispered in her ear.
“You’d better not; I haven’t waited this long just to lose you. By the way; I was informed I have an
Attorney waiting to see me…” she said
“Ah; then I hope you’re ready for a few more shocks yet. Mark’s a persistent young man and a
bloody good Lawyer. If your inheritance stuns you; wait till you see where we’ll spend our
Honeymoon” He replied. He pulled out a wrist mounted Holographic display. Hovering above its
surface was an image of the newly finished Terraformed terra One. “Old Earth 2.0 as we would say
back then” and he expanded the image so she could see the new world in all its glory.

They got married in one of the Pueblos on Mars and took a private flight to terra One
Equatorial Space Station; called New Canberra. Helen had been stunned by what her inheritance had
become; Arthur had been right. Leaving the clamour of the Space Station behind the used a
personal hovercraft to go to a point on the Northern Continent…
“Well these are the coordinates. Looks a lot different now than it did then” Arthur said mysteriously
“Arthur where exactly are we?” Helen asked “And why are we here?”
“This is the spot where our story all began that morning when I went out Jogging. That Tree over
there marks the spot where I came round. That lake and the mountains are where the fields and
trees were beside Crawlboys Lane. This is the spot I stood and did this” He said and pulled something

from his pocket and held it up to the sky. The sun was high above them and it back lit the clouds
drifting by. In his outstretched arm their image was inverted in the Crystal Ball.
“Welcome home Helen, welcome home” he said and pulled her close to his side.

The Beginning… ?

From the Author…

Throughout this last series I have used images to illustrate or highlight certain aspects of the stories.
Some of those images are clearly modified pictures. These are from free sources to the best of my knowledge.
Some are clip art modified to suit my purposes and again from free sources as far as I could ascertain. However
there are also images that are sketches in Pencil done by my own hand. As this is the last in The Chronicles of
the Tribe Series. I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have in writing them. But my writing doesn’t end
there…

I have planned a follow up to New Pastures detailing the lives of the Children of the Brandt-Moran
dynasty. I also intend to do more stories involving both Unity Space and Sonoran Trust Territories. These will
be individual stories and longer than the individual Chronicle stories. I intend to revisit Kelgar and The Force. I
also want to do stories from The Federal Unity and later The Tri Galactic Unity. But these again will be
standalone works. I will take more time over these and may have to change the age group of certain stories.
Rest assured there will be sufficient warning of Adult content in such works.

Now; all that remains is to wish you “Safe Journey and May the Maker be with you” or if you prefer

“Slàinte mhòr agus a h-uile beannachd duibh”

Yours…

Malcolm Wright