“What do you mean it’s missing? There’s a hundred billion people there. How can it just be missing?” Twonger asked, sounding horrified.


    “It’s all empty space, one day all the communication was coming normally, then just gone about three years ago. Where the hell have you been?” Thorlen asked, his voice dropping.


    “Pretty far out of contact, been hanging around some backwater places like I said. Haven’t been near any of the big civilized hubs in a decade. Onelder and I were out hunting down treasure, figured we’d stay away ‘til we had enough to pay back your boss, or at the very least make ourselves rich out there, then shit got complicated,” Twonger explained.


    “How’d he die anyway?” Thorlen asked, a surprising amount of remorse coming through in the question.


    “That’s a private matter. You’re serious, though? How many of us were even out of the system when it happened?” Twonger asked.


    “Less than a thousand. With you alive, it brings us up to seven people with any native mana sources left. Starting to make a bit more sense why the boss just wants to talk?” Thorlen asked.


    “Yep, and I ain’t remotely happy about this. You think there’s any chance this is connected to you, Cal?” Twonger said as he turned to Cal. Cal had no idea how it could be, especially if this happened before the loop started, but it was a pretty big damn coincidence.


    “Probably not directly from something after we met. Time doesn’t really favor that idea. The Gryalth, though, who knows? We don’t really know how big their footprint actually is. Have to assume it’s pretty far beyond Earth and Pluto,” Cal answered.


    “When you say disappeared, do you mean literally everything? Like all the matter and energy in the star system just poofed out? Did any communication escape at all?” Bill asked, speaking up for the first time during the ride.


    “I like your friends, Twonger. They ask the right questions. I don’t have any good answers, but keep up that attitude for Klorn. He needs all the ideas he can get right now,” Thorlen answered, looking out of the window. “Speaking of, looks like we’ve arrived. Twonger try not to start a fight. We don’t need a civil war of the few of us left.”


    “Despite how this started out, believe it or not, I’ve had a lot of time to grow since you last saw me. In ways you can’t imagine, but I get the feeling you are gonna learn a lot about before this meeting is done,” Twonger answered, opening the door and hopping out of the car. Cal and the others followed after. Cal had resigned himself to the idea that it was for the best to let Twonger lead this meeting, no matter how bad the idea sounded.


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    The area they hopped out in looked like it had been designed to mimic an open street of houses. The roof far above them was obscured somehow in a way that looked like a beautiful night’s display of stars. Cal had a feeling during the day the view changed. All around them were what looked like real trees and plants, with kids and animals playing. The kids all looked like smaller versions of Twonger, and if what Cal had just learned was true, this may be all that was left of them. With that depressing thought, they were led through the front door of the nearest house by Thorlen.


    “Please, everyone, take a seat. Klorn will be here shortly. I’ll have the chef get started on dinner as well. Anything off limits?” Thorlen asked, gesturing toward a large table just off the room they had entered the house into.


    “Nah, I’ve had their food. I think most of our dishes should be pretty well suited for them. The furry one is gonna love the gjorklat, I can already tell,” Twonger replied.


    “Are you sure?” Bill asked, his eyes raised in an odd fashion for a capybara.


    “Yeah, it’s basically a spiced potato dish, you will love it,” Twonger said as another of his people entered the room.


    “Gentlemen, Twonger, glad you could make it,” the man said.


    “Klorn, tell me everything Thorlen said was a lie to get me here so you could kill me. I think I’d prefer it to the alternative,” Twonger said, the usual joking tone for his comments like this entirely gone.


    “Sadly no. I’d have reached out differently if I had known you didn’t know. Let me be the first to put old fights aside and say that I am truly sorry for the loss of your brother. I had hoped in the light of what had happened we could find a way to rekindle our friendship, but alas, fate has made sure to stop that as well,” Klorn answered dourly.


    “How…?” Twonger asked, trailing off, suddenly sounding broken.


    “I wish I knew, but I promise you I’m putting every single resource I have into finding out. I’m currently working on tracking down every single Cyclopean that was off world when this happened. I got my ship here as fast as I could when I learned you were en route,” he answered.


    “How the hell did you even learn about that anyway? I’ve been in a pretty remote area, not a lot of interstellar communication going on there,” Twonger asked, his voice turning suspicious.


    “One of the Drexian transports picked up your ship leaving the star system and sent me notice, I’m surprised you didn’t know they were there; I kind of figured it was you doing business with them,” Klorn answered.


    “It wasn’t, but I’m guessing that’s another big answer to some of the stranger questions we’ve had as of late. Alright, before my rage starts to take over tell me everything you know about our missing home, especially who might be involved. Because I’ve gotten a lot better at killing recently and would love a target,” Twonger said these last words with a noticeable snarl, stabbing a fork-like utensil into the table.