‘Good.’ Maelgwn was most relieved by his resolve. ‘We can start questioning people on the way to the Aten, starting with Inanna’s officials.’
‘But everyone in the city shall have to be put into stasis for the journey.’ Zerrah’s mind boggled at the task, as they had not had cause to uproot Mazua in his lifetime.
‘Even better,’ Maelgwn granted. ‘Get on it at once, starting with —’
‘Inanna’s officials,’ Zerrah concluded with him.
Zerrah left with Uriah to see the city occupants through the evacuation procedure, which had only ever been a drill before this day.
Maelgwn stayed in the audience chamber to question the Lord Gibal about his commission for Inanna and his failure to mention it to him earlier.
I have many confidences, Dragon. The reason I have managed to stay out of the family feud is only because I keep my word to all and share my expertise.
‘If you are developing hardware for both sides of your kindred’s war, then you are the one fuelling the dispute!’ Maelgwn was appalled. ‘I must therefore ask you to choose a side as I cannot allow that chariot to be given over to Inanna. I know of its capabilities and will use all means at my disposal to prevent her taking possession.’
Don’t you think I chose allegiance when I gave the go-ahead to move my city, Dragon? Gibal was momentarily annoyed at being lectured by a Homo sapiens, yet he swallowed his pride to speak in a more obliging tone of voice. You may proceed with your mission as you see fit and I shall abide by your judgment. I should not have relieved you of your duty. I have brought this disaster upon myself, but pray that you can aid me in righting it.
Maelgwn derived more than he cared to from the Lord’s confession. ‘You didn’t ask mission control about me being at leisure when you are, did you?’ When Gibal shook his head, Maelgwn wanted to hit something. ‘Blast my diplomacy,’ he snarled. ‘I knew it!’
Please maintain your focus, Dragon. I shall explain all to my brother when we arrive at the Aten.
Gibal’s vow didn’t relieve Maelgwn of feeling like an idiot. He turned to Aquilla, who was quietly sitting in a corner nursing her overactive emotions. ‘Did Gibal send you to me, to keep me entertained?’
‘No,’ Aquilla vowed, standing to reinforce her claim before the Dragon got himself in more trouble.
What is going on here? The Lord noted that his bodyguard’s relationship with his assistant seemed to have taken on a more personal dimension. Perhaps it is time you did a little confessing of your own, Dragon. How exactly did Aquilla discover that which she is not supposed to know about you?
‘It was my fault.’ Aquilla stepped forward to assume responsibility. ‘I prevailed upon the Dragon to accompany me to the seaside, where he chanced upon a sand python and his wound,’ she dropped her voice to a whisper, ‘or lack thereof,’ Aquilla resumed her normal tone, ‘gave his secret away.’
Gibal looked to Maelgwn, who was sure he looked as guilty as he felt. ‘The fault was mine, we all know that. But shouldn’t we be doing something about correcting this error and that will be one of our worries solved?’
As we have much preparation to get my city space bound, I suggest we see to that problem once we reach the Sirius side of the wormhole.
Maelgwn wasn’t too comfortable with the suggestion, so Gibal reasoned further: You can accompany Aquilla to stasis immediately … she cannot do your mission any harm in that state. As soon as we revive her at the other end, we shall see to erasing the renegade information from her memory.
‘Fair enough.’ Maelgwn could see the logic, and the Lord’s suggestion gave him an idea that would tidy up their investigation somewhat.
He would leave all the citizens of Mazua in stasis and awake them one by one, once they’d reached the Aten. If questioned as soon as they awoke, no one could escape their investigation or be overlooked.
As Maelgwn accompanied Aquilla to the stasis chamber in her quarters, he thought to ask her about her last journey through space. ‘How much do you remember about the trip from the Aten to here?’ Maelgwn came to a standstill. ‘And now that I mention it, what were you doing on the Aten in the first place?’
‘Cornelin was sent to fetch you here. I tagged along, having heard I might be able to acquire a quasi-crystal from a black marketeer on the Aten … which, of course, I did.’ Aquilla frowned. ‘It cost me an arm and a leg too. It’s a good thing I wasn’t spending my own wealth.’
‘Did you know whose space base you were visiting?’ Maelgwn probed further.
Aquilla shook her head. ‘No. But if the scum of the space city are anything to go by, I feel sure the proprietor must be an outlaw.’ Then Aquilla made a connection. ‘Is that who you serve?’
Maelgwn only laughed. ‘At least now I know what you really think of me.’
‘I wasn’t meaning to say that you are scum.’ She was amused by the misunderstanding.
‘Can you remember if Cornelin was acting strangely on the return flight to Lura?’
Aquilla smiled when she thought about that day in retrospect. ‘He was in an awful hurry to get me into stasis, but besides that, no, he seemed fine to me. Mind you, I was so high from acquiring that rock that I probably wouldn’t have noticed even if he was acting a little weird.’
Once they reached Aquilla’s quarters, she stripped down to the bodysuit she wore under her everyday attire, and programmed her stasis module. It could only be opened again by the city central control system.
‘Well, I guess I’ll see you on the other side.’ Aquilla laid back in the module and got herself comfortable. ‘Sure you wouldn’t like to join me? Could be a real cosy flight,’ She teased.
‘Please, Aquilla,’ he smiled, finding the idea far too agreeable. ‘I am trying so hard to stay focused.’
‘Good luck.’ She arched her back a little, pretending to reposition herself. ‘Don’t give me a second thought.’ Aquilla winked as she passed her hand over the activation plate and was concealed in a tube of charichalum.
Maelgwn breathed a sigh of relief, but his reason for restraint angered him. ‘Curse the Nefilim and their enforced monopoly on immortality. What gave them the right to dictate the course of universal order?’
Suddenly it occurred to Maelgwn that Marduk was expecting him to abide by a law that the Lord himself had proven unable to keep.
He looked back to the black tube that housed Aquilla’s body for the trip. ‘Why did I not have these thoughts before she was encased in the toughest metal known to humankind?’
Was the universe trying to tell him something, or was it just being trying?
Zerrah and Uriah were the last to be put into stasis and Maelgwn had personally seen these two residents locked into suspended animation.
It was on his return route to Gibal that Maelgwn’s eyes beheld an event so wondrous that he was compelled to come to a standstill to witness it.
Beyond the windows and skylights of the top floor corridor down which he proceeded, the peripheral city dome began to harden in preparation for its deep-space flight. None of the transparency of the spherical force-field was lost in the process, but the lapping water of the surrounding ocean just ceased to permeate its surface area.
‘The power to create is an amazing thing.’ Maelgwn shook his head as he resumed his course; such things were never even conceived of in his time.
The city foundations suddenly began to rumble beneath his feet, compelling Maelgwn to make a dash for the closest transporter. Yet instead of making for Gibal, the Dragon willed himself to the rooftop.
Maelgwn stepped off the transporter plate, his eyes upturned to view the centre of the dome. The water level had begun to drop down the sides of the invisible force-field, gurgling with agitation as Mazua arose from the depths of the ocean. A clear dawn prevailed on Lura this day and hence surface conditions were calm and still. In short, perfect for take off. In the distance sheer, jagged landforms rose from the water — the steep, rocky terrain had obviously proven useless for hu
man habitation. The journey off the watery terrain of Lura served to make the city’s ascent into space even more spectacular, for, as Mazua rose high into the air, Maelgwn observed that the treacherous landforms extended far into the distance.
As the space vessel reached further out into the atmosphere of the planet, waves of coloured light rushed over the transparent field protecting Mazua. At first the wave was red, then orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, ultra-violet and with a great rush of white light, Maelgwn found himself looking out into deep space toward the illuminated entrance of the wormhole.
We are approaching the wormhole, Dragon, Gibal advised via Maelgwn’s communicator.
So I see. Maelgwn placed a hand over the device he wore to mentally respond. Should I come below?
Your location within the city will not change the wormhole’s effect on you, for it passes through fourth dimensional space, although sometimes there is etheric leakage into the passage. If we pass through a leakage reality can appear to get rather chaotic, for that is the nature of the fourth dimension. Just observe any strange occurrences and don’t react to them as the disturbances will right themselves by the time we reach the Sirius system. This passage may seem instantaneous or seem to take forever, but do not panic as time is an illusion after all.
Thanks for the advice. I shall bear it in mind. Maelgwn let go of the communicator and collapsed onto a floating outdoor lounge to endure what promised to be a truly cosmic episode.
As the huge mouth of the time-space tunnel drew closer, it proved impossible to maintain a reclined position. The bright swirling matter that lined the tubular passageway was mesmerising and Maelgwn’s fixation with the glowing, brightly-coloured substance found him seated forward on the lounge, staring hard at it. The wormhole almost seemed to be drawing them in, accelerating them ever faster into its grasp, until suddenly their transport was shot forth at incredible speed. At this point, everything around Maelgwn became blurred. It appeared that every atom that comprised each individual component of the immense city was racing to keep up with the matter to which it was normally bound.
‘Bizarre,’ commented Maelgwn, but his voice came out sounding deep and warped to the ear. This amused him greatly, and his laughter sounded as bent as his speech.
A barrier of blue-white light, the like of which Maelgwn had always associated with etheric world occurrence, passed over Mazua, and an eerie, sweet-smelling mist descended.
‘O … h … n … o …!’ Maelgwn braced himself for events unpredictable.
A glistening lightform came floating down through Maelgwn’s distorted, misty surrounds, and although it had no definable form, its molecular structure appeared completely intact. Until the glowing mass divided into twelve equal parts that circled down to surround the lone warrior.
Just observe. Maelgwn refrained from voicing his questions and watched intently as each of the twelve portions of etheric light matter assumed a different image of himself. The event answered most of Maelgwn’s unasked questions, for he realised that around him stood the constituents, or human incarnations, that comprised his higher self.
Greetings, Chosen One. The thought-form that exhibited all the physical traits of the Delphinus broke formation with the circle and moved forward to address him.
Durak? wondered Maelgwn.
His Delphinus counterpart nodded. You recognise us for who we are, but if you were more intimately familiar with us, our combined knowledge would enlighten your current situation much. For, at the point in time and space where you stand, I still dwell amongst the living.
This information came as quite a rude shock to Maelgwn. If you are not dead then where are you?
Now you are aware of my status, I trust you shall be able to deduce that yourself, Durak, replied as he floated back to his place within the circular formation.
Although Maelgwn had thought to explore his twentieth century and Atlantean incarnations, it had not occurred to him to investigate his past life as Durak.
Open your inner eye, another of his selves, who was tall, lean and attired in long white robes, advised. And you might, for example, learn that the credit for the creation of the chariot is ours.
I knew it, Maelgwn conceded.
Only because we blinded you with hints, Maelgwn’s tall counterpart said. Your apathy is unacceptable.
Apathy! With all that the universe had put him through since stealing him from his home and loved ones, it dared accuse him of being apathetic?
Yes, we accuse you!
Maelgwn stood and turned to confront the most primordial-looking incarnation of all his Homo sapiens selves. In a mental, spiritual and physical sense you must find wholeness within yourself, Maelgwn. That is what the current plight of the Chosen is all about. He frowned and smiled at once as he posed the suggestion: Two strong pillars, side by side, does a strong basis for a doorway make.
Maelgwn considered the saying to be rather beautiful, knowing the entity referred to the doorway to the next level of consciousness, and he nodded to concede he could relate to what he was being told. Still, Maelgwn failed to see where their advice was leading.
The Nefilim evolved along a path completely distinct from humanity, and were not meant to reside in the physical plane of existence for as long as they have. By continuing to lust after the desires of physical existence, the Nefilim who remain in the Middle Kingdoms are exceeding their Logos’ threshold for endurance. With physical existence came mental, emotional and physical duress, the pleasure of reproduction and its associated desires, as well as Nefilim offspring that proved beyond their forefather’s control. Much damage has been done to and by the soul-minds of the Nefilim breed who ventured into a physical state to aid with the evolution of the human breeds; damage that has to be repaired on a physical level.
The Chosen’s karmic debt to the Nefilim? Maelgwn expressed his belief.
His primitive self nodded in response. A Karmic deal was struck between the Nefilim Logos, Anu, and the members of the allied Logi systems, including your own Apsu. For if Anu’s Nefilim race were to brave the physical realms to contribute to the development of the human and superhuman breeds of the Allied Systems, then the Nefilim had to be compensated for the hardships and confusion they would ultimately endure there … lacking emotional understanding as they did. They did not evolve on the physical plane as we did, but on the mental or third plane of existence. However, the know-how and vision of their kind made the Nefilim the perfect candidates for the job. And for a long time they lived up to the expectation of the Allied Logoi. But, as was inevitable, those Nefilim who decided to stick it out in the physical plane for as long as possible, instead of ascending back towards their Logos once their work in the Middle Kingdoms was complete, lost the plot completely.
Enter the Chosen Ones, Maelgwn put forward.
It was decided that the dormant immortal gene in those Homo sapiens set apart as Chosen would be activated … so that, equal in capability and with superior emotional understanding, the Chosen Ones could guide their fallen carers back to their soul source. It is the destiny of the Chosen to challenge the Nefilim’s interstellar rule on this plane of existence, and you, Dragon, are destined to prepare the way for that rebellion.
Maelgwn was overwhelmed a moment, as the directive was clearly seditious. You seem very knowledgeable about the Chosen Ones?
I was the personal assistant to the Nefilim Master, prophet and scientist known as Enki … or Bedi, as your tribe knew him, he explained. Homo sapiens were his brainchild, but our perfection was not reached overnight. I was the first Homo sapiens to be born in the likeness of the Gods in that I was free of body hair when I was born. My birthplace was the genetic labs of Ninharsag, or Keridwen, as you know her. The Lord Enki was so pleased with the child that had been born of his genes that he adopted me as a son. Adama, he called me, meaning the model man of Ninharsag.
As in the Adam from Christian religious texts, who ate of the forbidden fruit? With this announcement, Maelgwn sank
into his seat, too stunned for words.
All of our species who were created before me were but slaves to the Nefilim and laborers in the fields of Eden. These souls had a certain amount of intelligence and cleverness to be of good service to their Lords, but I showed extraordinary skills of comprehension and Enki, as a scientist, couldn’t help but develop these. His brother, Enlil, took the view that Homo sapiens were not yet ready to evolve to the level of learning that Enki was subjecting me to, and maintained that my education would only come to grief. But, unbeknownst to Enlil, Enki was also instructing me in a secret doctrine that had been revealed to him by his Logos, Anu. This doctrine related to the nature of the cosmos and advised of the true role of the Nefilim as our minders not our Masters. Once I had obtained this knowledge, the plight of my fellow Homo sapiens became unacceptable, and I set about tutoring those of my kind, born after me, about our true destiny. My first prize pupil being a maidservant of my father’s house whom I had become rather fond of.
Eve, Maelgwn assumed.
Adama nodded. The soul you now know as —
Tory, Maelgwn concluded surely.
Together we began a revolution that got many of our kind booted out of Eden, into the harsh wilderness. Still, we did not perish as expected, but flourished and prospered.
Maelgwn’s head was spinning and he felt as if he might throw up.
We have led humankind to greatness before, Dragon, and now you must do it again … only this time you are fully equipped to finish the job.
But I am a mere novice in the interstellar world … I wouldn’t know where to start. Maelgwn’s first reaction was to reject the responsibility.
You will know, and you will have aid. Adama assured. There is a short period of darkness ahead of you, but take heart, for unseen forces will be at work with you. What seems to you unfortunate shall, in the end, be to our favour. From injustice, justice will be done. Endure and overcome, Dragon, then you shall find the paradise you seek.