《Gateworld: the Realm of Alex》


 Prologue: The Immortal Dawn

    A single rocket flew through the night sky, breaking past the limits of the atmosphere and into space.


    The war was over.


    Every cheer from the city and scattered towns below was heard up on the hill by the mother and her son. She smiled at him, cradling the baby in her arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sweetie. It¡¯s over.¡± She laughed when her infant child grabbed one of her fingers and giggled in her lap. They could move on at last. ¡°We¡¯re finally safe¡­you¡¯re finally safe.¡±


    He tugged her finger tighter, yet the child soon became distracted by a strange little spark of light that whizzed through the dew-scented air. It flitted around in front of a monitor that was floating beside them. His eyes wide with curiosity, he crawled out of her lap while she watched over him. He flapped his little wings, though he could not yet fly, and he made his way to the screen.


    The little boy reached up to it and watched as live footage showed a man speaking triumphantly, if a little worn out. A young girl stood beside the man, her clothes tattered and her eyes faded, but she almost seemed to look up at the screen with a glimmer of hope. It was like she knew there was something out there.


    The baby stared back, and he opened his mouth. ¡°S¡­save¡­¡± He tried to utter his mom¡¯s last word.


    The mother gasped. ¡°Oh¡­Oh Alex!¡± It was the first thing he had ever spoken. She slid herself over to him and couldn¡¯t express how great this night felt as she scooped up her child and squeezed him tight.


    He giggled and repeated the word, wanting to get the joyful reaction from his mom again and again. ¡°Save! Save!¡±


    They both smiled and laughed, sitting alone on the hilltop while celebrating with everyone across the star system, as the night sky glimmered with stars.


    ***


    One glimmer appeared suddenly in space. It was a sudden, brief flash, and then, as if out of nowhere, a dark robotic mechanism with a glowing green eye flashed into existence. The device was about the size of a humanoid¡¯s torso. It held suspended in the vacuum for a few moments, taking in the glow of the world below before the eye blazed sharper and it drifted down and entered the atmosphere.


    Somehow, this floating robot went undetected by everyone and everything.


    Down beneath the hunting robot sat a man in his house, his head in his arms as he slouched at his dinner table. His long silver hair messed, the black suit loosened, his body feeling alien to him¡­


    It was too much.


    He looked up. His own plate and 2 others were still there. The children were probably asleep by now¡­but it was hard to look any higher to the empty spot on the other end.


    The man shuddered out a breath and stood up.


    As he went to the refrigerator, a glow appeared from outside the house. He didn¡¯t really notice it yet. Then the green light was behind him. Confused at the glimmering reflection on the walls, he turned around.


    Nothing.


    Yet surely something had been there. He walked back towards the table, wondering what could have caused that hue. Back at his chair, he pondered. The kids wouldn¡¯t have brought home anything new. They just came back from the¡ªBang!


    Suddenly, a white light enveloped him, catching the man off guard as he jumped and looked around frantically. What was happening!?! The light was blinding, too hard to see. He shielded his eyes as his breath stole away.


    Then a powerful shiver ran across his body.


    ¡°You poor soul¡­¡±


    His eyes widened for a moment as he adjusted to the brightness. He looked around again, but he still saw nothing.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°You won¡¯t see me.¡± The voice was a horrifying mix of commanding yet gentle. Brimming with power. It made the man twitch, his nerves on end. ¡°But I am here to give you an offer¡­words are all that are needed.¡±


    A force gently landed on his shoulder. It felt like a hand, but this caused his body to feel even more tense than the voice alone did. ¡°Sit down¡­there is no need to be afraid.¡± The force pushed a little more to guide him. ¡°All we need is a little help in return.¡±


    Unwilling to push his luck, even if this was just a hallucination of some sort, the man obeyed and sat. Yet his body was on edge, his shoulders hunched up. He opened his mouth to respond¡ª


    ¡°Listen.¡±


    His eyebrows furrowed. He tried again¡ª


    ¡°Listen.¡±


    Apparently, this was to be a one-sided discussion.


    Another force, perhaps the other hand, rested on his other shoulder. ¡°You have been held back¡­forced to go through horrible things. All of you¡­¡±


    All of us? What did that mean, the rest of humanoid kind? Was this a foreign, alien creature?


    ¡°You want what everyone else wants, don¡¯t you? To get a chance¡­to break from all these limits. It¡¯s a dream that seems to elude so many¡­no matter how hard you fight.¡±


    At that last word, the fingers¡¯ grips on his shoulders tightened a little more. He winced. Yet the fingers gradually loosened again, gentler like before. ¡°But perhaps we can give you that chance. A gift, to build mutual trust. It would certainly help to get you from this small house into something a little grander¡­¡±


    The man¡¯s eyebrows furrowed again. He turned his head to address them¡ª


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t look either apparently, let alone speak. Yet he was lying if he wasn¡¯t considering what the apparition had said immediately before. Was this a¡­bribe? Some form of persuasion? He wasn¡¯t a man of any power. He just worked as a small-scale mechanic. In fact, he didn¡¯t even know anyone of influence. What could this elusive creature want with him?


    ¡°Why, we want to find allies.¡± The voice seemed to divine his thought process. ¡°What we want should be acquired through peaceful means. The secrets of this star system have, let¡¯s say, the chance to help us in our struggle, and to give you the means to help in all of yours.¡±


    Star system. That confirmed this being¡¯s alien nature. However, this seemed suspicious. It still didn¡¯t answer why ¡ª


    ¡°And the reason we are picking you is that we would prefer fresh faces, those who understand how important it is to ease the means of rising up.¡± One hand patted his shoulder encouragingly. ¡°It¡¯s time that your worlds had people in charge who aren¡¯t shy of breaking limits. Ready to do anything to protect those you care for, for example.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes flittered.


    ¡°But it¡¯s more than that. It¡¯s the chance to ensure their survival against all things¡­¡± The voice¡¯s cadence was ascendant with ambition. ¡°The forces of Nature¡­other humanoids¡­everything.¡± The apparition seemed to lean forward, to whisper this last part in his ear. ¡°It¡¯s time to stop being held back. To go beyond what Nature ever intended. If you at least agree with that, then nod your head.¡±


    He hesitated. It wasn¡¯t like he disagreed. He felt so helpless right now that it hurt. The ability to protect his children was all that he wanted right now. He couldn¡¯t let¡ª


    The thought started, but he couldn¡¯t finish it. He didn¡¯t want to even think about that.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if he should trust this thing, though. It wasn¡¯t clear that it was even real. Perhaps his feelings had gotten the better of him and he was having a strange dream. But if this apparition truly existed, and if what it was saying was true¡­


    By peaceful means. That¡¯s what it said, but the subtext was clear. This could lead to something dangerous ahead.


    He was about to lie and shake his head. However, his kid¡¯s faces appeared in his mind.


    Always protect them¡­


    Despite his concerns, he slowly nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Good.¡± The voice smiled through its tone at him. ¡°And don¡¯t worry, you have time to make your decision. We aren¡¯t without appreciation for your predicament. As a token of our trust, you should have a chance to witness the technology we have. To analyze and understand it¡­and to make of it what you will.¡±


    A thunderclap of sound hit the man¡¯s ears, causing him to convulse and cover them as he let out a loud grunt. ¡°GAHH!¡±


    The words hit his mind yet again.


    ¡°We will seek you out when you make your final decision. Feel free to make yourself a man that you can admire until then. These worlds are full of opportunity¡­¡± The voice sneered as it pulled its hands back, and the light began to fade. ¡°In a place like this, no one should be so disadvantaged.¡±


    The man panted and looked around as his dining room came into view again. ¡°W-wha¡­¡±


    ¡°Farewell, and may we find ourselves with a mutual understanding.¡±


    One more clap and the light was snuffed out.


    There was nothing but black once again.


    He glanced back and forth, trying to get accustomed to the darkness once more. This was all so strange¡­Yet even when he could see, he found nothing in his room.


    He searched around the kitchen, looked under the table, but still nothing. What exactly was this parting gift that the voice had mentioned? He didn¡¯t see anything. Maybe it really was a dream after all.


    ¡°Dad?¡± His son¡¯s sleepy voice came from upstairs. ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­nothing¡­¡± His boy had heard him scream from earlier. ¡°I just bumped my head, I think.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­Is there someone outside?¡±


    Confused, he looked out the window. ¡°Outside¡ª?¡±


    And there it was. The glowing green light¡­flashing through the glass barrier.


    His daughter started crying in her cradle.


    ¡°¡­Go check on your little sister.¡± The man rushed to the front door, grabbing his handgun, and ran out as fast as he could. ¡°And stay inside!¡±


    He leaped through the frame, slammed the door behind him and chased after the glow. It zigged and zagged away, he ran faster, it turned a corner, he almost skidded on his feet. Whatever this thing was, he had to catch it.


    But then he stopped. His eyes widened in shock.


    He could only marvel at what laid before him¡­

 A Bond is Forged

    Ten years after that hopeful and mysterious night, a wounded creature was staggering through the woods on Planet Elysia. It sported a significant bruise on its left leg as it whimpered, glancing around warily. The sun was rising on what promised to be a bright and happy morning for the rest of the world as the poor, fluffy brown rodent made its way toward the usual spot. Surely it could get some help.


    It was just one of many creatures roaming in the wild, or else among the people.


    Some avians flew through the air, little buglike critters that bounced with joy. They were dancing in a mating ceremony around what looked like a small, elegant stone altar, waiting eagerly for the ritual to begin. Some buzzed about the little rodent, who swatted at them in a grumpy fashion with its tail. It just needed¡ª


    ¡°Hey, there you are!¡±


    The boy!


    He came up from behind the little light-brown rodent and patted its head, eliciting a surprised squeak. ¡°How are ya, little buddy? Haven¡¯t seen you in forever!¡±


    The rodent turned and looked to its friend. The wandermouse was the size of a house cat, nursing its leg, but it stood almost as tall as the boy¡¯s kneecaps. She squeaked again, much more happily, as she verified it was Alex. His bare feet, black shorts, and colorful blue-and-orange shirt gave him away, even in a colorful forest like this. Alex picked her up and nuzzled her, and the creature playfully nibbled at his messy head of hair in return.


    She winced at the pain from her leg, however, and looked up with a pleading face to the boy.


    ¡°Aww, look what happened to you, Scally! Did you get into a fight again?¡± Alex got down on his knees in front of the altar and held the wandermouse up to inspect the wound. ¡°Next time you¡¯ve gotta be more careful!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should heed your own advice.¡± The smartwatch on his wrist chimed in. It was the home system monitoring him, and it detected that the boy had snuck off again. ¡°Perhaps Mom would like to know you¡¯re running around in the woods without permission, again?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Alex rolled his emerald-green eyes with a cheeky smile. Of course, one of those eyes was hidden behind a tuft of his messy hair. ¡°Just doing a little exploring¡­¡± He pressed two fingers on Scally¡¯s leg as the critter¡¯s long fluffy tail flitted from the hurt. Uttering an incantation, he watched intently as the bruise became enveloped in a warm soothing light, little sparkles rising from the spot until the fluffy little friend healed. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to know!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right. It will be much more fun to see how you screw up and she finds out, anyway.¡± The home system was always a little snarky, ever since he and Mom added a personality chip to it a few months ago. ¡°But why don¡¯t you at least help me save face and come back up here? She just wants you to be a little careful, that¡¯s all.¡± It sounded more concerned towards the end.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. But I¡¯m just hanging out with my friend here!¡± Alex tickled Scally¡¯s belly as it felt overjoyed to not be nursing a hurt limb anymore. ¡°Plus, the avian mating ceremony is today. I had to be here for that! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m running off with strangers.¡±


    The little avians flitted around Alex¡¯s head impatiently, jealous of the attention that the fluffy pal below was getting.


    ¡°Oh-hohokay!¡± He laughed as they buzzed and nudged him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry guys, I didn¡¯t forget about you!¡± The dark-haired boy raised his arms over the basin in the middle of the altar, and all the tiny flying critters immediately swung to the bowl-shaped crevice. They all danced with their partners, each flying in opposite circles around Alex¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Alright¡­you ready?¡± He began uttering a different incantation, and the avians¡¯s bodies began to glow. Each partner¡¯s glow began to meld with the other¡¯s, and as the light spilled over the entire basin, they began to fuse together, two by two, to create a different, more powerful species.


    The newly formed fusions danced together and flew from between his hands straight into the sky with excitement, the ritual now complete.


    And Alex watched, always loving to see them grow and take off like that. ¡°Look at you go¡­¡±


    He smiled, ushering Scally off his lap and standing up. He took a deep breath and looked at the sun rising higher still upon the horizon. It was a beautiful day already, although every day was as far as he could remember. It never seemed to be anything other than beautiful, simple, perfect¡­


    Maybe that was why it was boring to him, too.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll head back,¡± he said with a stretch.


    ¡°There we go, finally some sense¡ª!¡± Home System chimed in.


    ¡°¡­Right after a little fly-around!¡± Alex gave a cocky thumbs up to the smartwatch.


    ¡°¡­Yeah. That¡¯s right. Please give me the first-ever robot heart attack.¡±


    He laughed, petting Scally quickly, and spread his wings. The wandermouse looked up at him and whimpered, not wanting her friend to go yet.


    Looking up at the cliff ahead, Alex wiped back the tuft of hair that always hung over his right eye to get a good look. He began to walk forward¡­


    ¡ªAs a girl his age was walking towards the library-bound hoverbus from her home¡­


    Then run¡­


    ¡ªAs an 18-year-old young woman was preparing for her final game of the season¡­


    Then jump¡­


    ¡ªAs a 21-year old young man was getting ready for his duel¡­


    Then fly!


    And he shot up into the air like a rocket, soaring above the floating island below him where Scally chased after his shadow. Alex waved to other people and their companions as he zipped past their homes. Some commanded the creatures to magically sprinkle water on their gardens, while others had hovering or walking robots to help them with home projects. Everyone everywhere was finishing their chores now so they could be ready for the big impending announcement.


    He zoomed in the clear fresh air and looked around to the other massive islands floating in the sky, wishing he could go beyond them more often. Of course, he could never go too far¡­


    Still, the rush of being up here, feeling so free, would always give him goosebumps. It felt amazing being able to just explore the air, almost like swimming.


    And speaking of his want to explore¡­


    He glanced up and saw the massive megastructure on the horizon, a giant space elevator that attached the moon to his planet down below. One of the greatest marvels of engineering beneath the sun, it had gone into construction almost as soon as the war ended long ago. It stood as a sign of peace and interconnectedness for all the planets. Whenever it was in his hemisphere, Alex could always at least see it as a long line dividing the sky in the distance. Up close, it must be even more impressive. It would be great to ride that one day¡­to go into space for the first time!


    Alex just wanted to see the solar system, to take in its sights and learn everything that the sun¡¯s satellites and all its people had to offer. Maybe one day he could find¡ª


    ¡°Hey!¡± He wavered and swerved to one side as a flock of evolowls bustled their way forward. ¡°Careful guys, you almost ran me over!¡±


    They didn¡¯t seem to pay much heed to him as they stayed steady on their migratory path. Alex rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the stubborn creatures, but one turned back to look at him.


    Its eyes were an intense blue, as if filled with an unexplained determination. The elegant creature locked eyes with Alex for a few seconds before diverging from the other creatures.


    ¡°Hey wait!¡± Alex propelled himself forward with a heavy wing-flap to follow the evolowl¡¯s changed course.


    But a shimmer below on the planet¡¯s surface caught his attention, and he got distracted by one of the great rounded masses of energy that spotted this world and all the others.


    He noticed the evolowl had sighted the towering natural structure¡¯s glow as well. ¡°Pretty, huh? I always wondered what¡¯s inside the Light Domes. Some people say it¡¯s where the Gods live!¡± He whispered this part like he was telling a secret. ¡°But whatever it is, it must be something amazing, don¡¯tcha think?¡±


    It ignored him and kept its keen eyes on the Light Dome¡¯s ethereal, swirling glare. The near-blinding surface shifted around much like the surface of the sun. They were always so bright and entrancing, like they demanded everyone¡¯s attention.


    Before he let his body and mind wander anymore, however, Alex realized he should probably get back home before Mom came home from work.


    ¡°Okay, I gotta go back, buddy! But you keep flying your own way, alright?¡± He winked at the bird and turned back towards the house that sat on the same floating island he had started on.


    The evolowl, meanwhile, kept drifting closer towards the Light Dome below.


    Within minutes, Alex landed on the cliffs and stretched his arms. That was quite a flight, hopefully Mom wouldn¡¯t realize he was out. The house was a few hundred feet away, overlooking the vast expanse of land from its high perch. He made his way over, wiping his feet with a moist paper towel he had brought to hide the evidence, and walked in through the back door.


    The home was a decent size, with a nice large main area encompassing the living room and the kitchen. All the furniture hovered in place, fitted with floating pads to keep them in the air. The house itself was installed with an electronic setup, the television and appliances and services all connected to a central computer that obeyed the owner¡¯s commands. Adorning the shelves were multiple knickknacks that his mom loved to procure. There never seemed to be any rhyme or reason other than that she thought they looked cool. Alongside them were pictures of Alex, his mom, and his grandma, who lived on the mainland below.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°There! No problem.¡± He stuck his tongue out at the glowing eye of the Home System on one wall, which scanned him to ensure that he was, in fact, not an intruder.


    ¡°Very good,¡± came the sarcastic response. ¡°So, what do we do about your friend?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Alex swerved around confused, but then he saw Scally huffing and crawling over to the doorway. ¡°Oh geez! Open the door again!¡±


    Alex rushed out and picked up the tired little fuzzball. ¡°What the heck, how did you even climb the cliff that fast?¡±


    Scally looked back longingly but tired, its tongue stuck out.


    ¡°Did you come all the way up just to say hi to me?¡± He petted the rodent and walked her over to the kitchen. Scally licked his cheek as confirmation. ¡°H-hey! You know, I could always come down to you next time, silly.¡±


    Alex typed in a phrase and pressed a button on the counter, and a small conveyer belt popped out from the ceiling. Grabbing a bowl of water for the little fuzzy handful, he watched Scally drink up.


    The boy took out a small drawing pad and sketched his little friend. They had been hanging together for nearly a year now¡­Maybe he could talk to Mom about adopting the little guy, and Connecting with him? He knew it was a risk to ask but¡ª


    ¡°You might wanna check out the door. Someone¡¯s about to be really happy to find a wild animal on the premises!¡± The home system¡¯s advice knocked Alex out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Wha¡ªno¡­Nonono!¡± He ran to the window, peeking his head out to see if he could catch a glimpse. And there she was. Mom was home faster than expected. She swaggered up to the door, flicking her red ponytail behind her, as her large black canine companion followed. It looked as alert and sullen as usual.


    Scally wandered over and peeked out the window with Alex.


    ¡°Gah, we need to hide you quick!¡± Alex picked the wandermouse up and, hearing the key being used on the front door, panicked and opened one of the cupboard doors where the condiments were kept. He placed the brown fluffy critter there and it squeaked curiously before jumping in surprise as he pressed a button which caused the condiments¡¯ platform to spin and face backward.


    ¡°Just hang in there for now, and no eating anything!¡± Alex said as he wagged his finger. Then he turned around, closed the conveyor belt, and ran to the door just in time as it kicked open, flooding the entryway with the morning light.


    ¡°Alex, I¡¯m hooome! ¡­Oh, there you are!¡± She had her hands resting imposingly on her hips as she stared down at her kid. A nametag reading Linda was embroidered on her work uniform. ¡°And what¡¯s up with you today?¡±


    ¡°Oh, not much¡­just went for a little walk in the backyard!¡± He grinned innocently, holding his hands behind his back. ¡°How was work last night?¡±


    ¡°Ah, pretty good,¡± she replied, smirking a little as she leaned forward to reach eye level with him. The light from the rising sun coming through the door illuminated her frame as she stared suspiciously at him. ¡°Just followed the orders and made some magic happen, as usual.¡±


    Alex tried to maintain his composure, though the canine creature peered at him with a sniff. It grunted as his mom stood up, and the two of them walked past him into the main part of the house.


    He followed, but his heart began to pound as she headed towards the kitchen. Inwardly gulping, he hoped that at least she wouldn¡¯t want anything requiring sauces or dressing¡­


    ¡°But I have to say, I¡¯m glad to be back home! Nice to see ya, Homie.¡± Linda waved to the central eye and then slumped into the seat at the counter, relaxing her neck and looking up at the ceiling. ¡°And how¡¯s the backyard looking? You took care of the chores?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, got the garden watered and picked a few fawnberries for you!¡± He was happy to have an excuse to give her a snack of his choice, rushing to the other side of the counter and grabbing the bowl full of berries.


    ¡°Aww you shouldn¡¯t have!¡± She lit up and grabbed a bite as he brought them back to her side, her expression melting with joy from the sweet taste. ¡°Mmf theywer gvweat!¡±


    ¡°And I think the school project I told you about is looking good! Maybe you can check out the transistors later, if you feel up to it?¡±


    ¡°Mmfmm svure,¡± she said through another mouthful, and she finally gulped them down. While her black scapehound sat in the corner, she turned around in her seat to look at Alex. ¡°You¡¯re really good with that stuff, though. Don¡¯t need to doubt yourself!¡± Patting her chest, she pressed the button to get a glass of water from the conveyer belt.


    Alex laughed at her encouragement, opening his mouth to say something. But then he froze as he saw who was sitting on the refreshments carousel.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to help you out, but I¡¯ll bet you have it under control.¡± Linda continued with a smile, not noticing her son¡¯s eyes widening as he counted down the seconds. ¡°Just keep your head high, I always say!¡± She reached for the glass and slowly turned to the drink¡­ ¡°And eventually, you¡¯ll get to what you¡¯re looking for¡ª¡±


    Her nose bumped into Scally¡¯s, and her smile disappeared as quickly Alex thought it would. He facepalmed.


    The house was quiet for a moment, one long tense instant¡­until Scally squeaked.


    ¡°Alex. What is this doing in my house.¡± They weren¡¯t questions as much as threatening barbs.


    Alex smiled guiltily, trying hard to ignore the smug home system eye looking at them, and attempted to stutter an answer. ¡°W-well, you see, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t wanna know.¡± Linda picked the wandermouse up by the scruff of its neck and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s skip straight to the part where we put it back outside!¡±


    ¡°Wait! Mom, come on, listen!¡± He chased her as she went towards the back door, her foot looking like it was itching to kick Scally¡¯s butt very far. ¡°Please! She was just lonely! And yeah, I went down the cliff to the woods¡­¡± He poked his fingers together. ¡°B-but that¡¯s part of our backyard, so I didn¡¯t technically lie!¡±


    ¡°Not the time, kiddo!¡± She turned around and glared at him. Her scapehound looked at them from the corner. ¡°Seriously! I told you, at least let me be with you while you¡¯re hanging out back there! And instead, you bring a little suzflea-trap into the house!¡± Linda dangled the wandermouse in front of Alex. Scally squeaked, not sure exactly what was going on. ¡°This thing could have bitten you!¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on! I wouldn¡¯t let her in the house if I thought she would bite me! I¡¯ve been hanging with Scally for a whole year! She¡¯s not gonna hurt anyone, I promise!¡±


    Linda raised an eyebrow.


    Alex sighed and glanced away. ¡°I¡­I was kinda thinking that she might make a good Connection¡­¡± He knew this was probably the worst time to say it, but it might be his last chance. ¡°She¡¯s been sweet to me and I¡¯ve been taking care of her¡­ And maybe I should have told you, but I guess I was nervous about what you¡¯d say. I know you wanted me to make a Connection with a domesticated creature, but¡­I guess I just fell for her.¡±


    Now it was Linda who let out a deep breath. ¡°Kid, I wanted you to get a domesticated one so you¡¯d be safer. And running off like this all the time doesn¡¯t really help my concern! It isn¡¯t just about this little guy; I know how you are when we go out anywhere.¡± She gestured around with her open hand. ¡°Every time you see something weird or ¡®cool¡¯ or interesting, you get distracted and you want one of everything. I don¡¯t know if you really want this fuzzball or whether you¡¯ll pick five more tomorrow, and it¡¯s hard to feel comfortable when you¡¯re out there by yourself because you can never seem to stay in one place for too long!¡±


    She watched him fidget, always unable to stand still. He was more than a handful¡­although to his credit, he never had broken a bone at least. He seemed to have some understanding of how to take care of himself. But it was clear that she still wasn¡¯t sure.


    The things that were out there¡­she just wanted him to be careful and ready.


    Yet maybe the best way to make sure he was ready was to let him finally have some independence. She glanced to her canine, who looked back expectantly¡­Maybe he needed to explore and find himself.


    A spark snapped in the air just outside.


    She took a deep breath and released it.


    ¡°¡­Alright. You really want a critter from the wild?¡± She tilted her head to catch his eyes. Almost immediately, she saw them glimmer like they usually did. ¡°You¡¯ll have to train her much more than you would a domestic one.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± He didn¡¯t want to push his luck, and knew that this was a big step for her, to give him a chance¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her all the time. I¡¯ll potty-train her and everything!¡± He felt a shiver. Was she really going to¡­?


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± She signaled to the outside door with a nod. ¡°You wanna do this? Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t believe it. His face burst with a smile and he followed her outside.


    Linda gave the wandermouse to Alex so he could hold her while she went back to grab something inside quickly. She called to her scapehound on the way back out. ¡°Come on, C¡¯esta, we need you out here!¡±


    The beast followed, and when all of them were outside, it looked Scally over with a strict snarl. She squeaked nervously in response.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Linda held out a little black container with a symbol on the cap. She unscrewed it and slipped her fingers in to scoop out a black granular paste. Then she beckoned for Alex to come forward so she could place some on his forehead, drawing it in a symbol matching the one on the container. ¡°I was saving this for next month, actually¡­We were gonna go looking for a Connection on your birthday.¡± She looked into his eyes and smiled. ¡°But I guess that you¡¯re okay with no present, in exchange for this! Gotta punish you somehow.¡±


    He smiled and nodded. ¡°I guess this is the best punishment I could have asked for, hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be snarky!¡± She handed the little black tub to him so she could apply the same signature on her. ¡°You¡¯ll be lucky if I bake you a cake, at this point.¡±


    They next placed a separate symbol on C¡¯est and Scally, and then the two of them sat down.


    Linda took a white cannister which looked similar to the other and sprinkled a pale powder around them in a circle. She then traced a symbol in the middle and placed her finger there. Alex mimicked her, feeling so excited at this point. They touched foreheads and their companions did the same, although Scally was a little fidgety. A slight growl from the scapehound got her to acquiesce.


    And Linda began chanting the incantation. ¡°Vela toola naie agos veln¡­Join these young spirits in the eternal bondage. Bena lefen anya vojie sctall¡­May they protect and strengthen each other through all times, both great and trying¡­¡± The circle and symbols began to glow a neon blue and pink. Strands of light formed and swirled in the air, connecting to each other and causing little sparks to appear in the air. Alex and Linda closed their eyes. ¡°Thene seile bovona tua alstan¡­ And may they divine a greater world from their kinship and deeds, as those before them!¡±


    A column of light appeared around them, shooting up high into the sky. The colors mixed and wove into varying blues, pinks, and purples, and the symbols on their foreheads melted away. The column shone brighter, brighter still¡­and finally, it evaporated.


    The mother and her son opened their eyes, and they looked to their companions.


    ¡°A greater world indeed.¡± Linda murmured as Alex joyously grabbed Scally, picking her up and hugging her tight.


    ¡°Aww, you¡¯re finally able to stay, little girl!¡± He squeezed the fuzzball as she uttered a suffocated squeak. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t have to say goodbye to me anymore!¡± They were now Connected, and she could live in the house with them as long as Alex lived there too.


    Sighing, the mother petted her scapehound and pondered. Maybe she needed to try a new approach after all, to let him see the responsibility he would have in life. She would need to hold herself back¡­he meant the universe to her, and she would do anything to protect him. But unless he truly needed her protection, she would try to restrain herself from interference.


    Off in the distance, she saw similar columns of light shoot up into the sky. Linda smirked; apparently a lot of young people were making Connections today. It was often claimed that this was a good sign.


    ¡°¡­Guess it¡¯s time for a change,¡± she whispered to C¡¯esta.


    At that very moment, the house beckoned them. ¡°Special news broadcast incoming. Sounds like they¡¯ve made a decision!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah! That¡¯s today, isn¡¯t it?¡± Linda pushed herself up. ¡°Ugh¡­I was just about to get some shut-eye too! Come on, Alex! This is important.¡±


    ¡°Ohohkay, just a second!¡± Alex was trying to fend off an equally delighted Scally who was on top of him and licking his face.


    The two of them sat on the hovercouch and the Home System turned on the monitor. A live feed came on.


    ¡°¡ªAnd this could have huge repercussions to trade, of course! We will have to see how a nation this vast is able to properly function under a single economy.¡±


    ¡°No doubt, and you think that enough countries are going to be swayed this time? Lots of people are saying this is a big leap, and some regions might be worse off joining Star Nation¡­¡±


    Linda held her son close¡­the worlds were changing much faster than anyone had anticipated. Everyone was sympathetic to achieving lasting peace and the prosperity that blossomed from it at this point, though not everyone agreed how.


    It seemed like one theory was on the cusp of being put to practice, however.


    As long as her son could benefit from this new venture, that was all she needed.


    Alex held her hand and smiled. With his other, he looked at the monitor and wondered what was going to happen.

 The Worlds Prepare

    Amy sat in front of one of the shelves at the hololibrary, a half-dozen hovering tablets floating around her in a circle as she held a seventh. Looking over the story of a magical hero wandering through a new world, she giggled as her little companion cooed from behind.


    ¡°H-hey, alright, alright!¡± She snickered from the cloudlike creature brushing against her long brown hair. It snuck under her beanie cap as she reached for it, playfully hiding. ¡°I was about done, anyway. We¡¯ll head home in a second, girl.¡± She patted her cap and the wisps of mist puffed out from the edges.


    ¡°Cooh Coooh!¡± The magicloud bounced with joy inside her hat at the news they could leave soon. It always seemed to understand her.


    But the little girl read over the last page as her own long fluffy tail flicked, entranced by the ideas in the holo-book. A person being able to change society like that¡­it must be amazing.


    The other books were a mix of magazines about the other planets and information on newly discovered species. There was always news of new creatures being formed through a fusion of other beings, mixed and matched and giving broader insight of what was possible. Of course, the way they could be evolved from those fusions was equally captivating. Scientists did their best to maintain a catalogue of the newest breakthroughs, although the systemwide regulations on what was allowed helped with that.


    Taking a brief stretch, she stood up and waved her hand to send most of the holo-books back to their shelves. ¡°Okay, Aliya. Let¡¯s get you home.¡±


    They made their way outside the freshly built high-tech building and walked down the steps to the hover-bus station. Amy basked in the sun and looked over the lush green landscape down past the road. The forest looked so wide from here, and she could see the faint glow of the far-off shimmering Light Dome in the middle, feeding the surrounding life with light and nutrient-filled soil surrounding the base. She walked over to the railing behind the station and stared at it, always a little curious, but always humble before them when she was in their presence.


    The bus arrived, and she turned and hopped onboard.


    Aliya flitted around Amy¡¯s seat, purring and nuzzling against her while she stared out the window at the city and lands around them on their journey home. She took out her drawing pad, sketching the sights that she had missed on previous trips, adding little details to make some things look cooler. Extra building here, extra tree there¡­but she paused when the mid-day sun was blocked by the behemoth in the distance. She glanced up at the giant robot, standing higher than a mountain, watching over the entire terraformed landscape below. Just like on the other worlds, there was at least one of them in every region. Of course, here on the Moon, there were more of them ever since the war ended¡­


    A spark of light snapped beside her.


    After a few more minutes, she was finally home and skipped off the vehicle. Thanking the driver with a smile and wave, she walked towards the house. A few kids walked past, some of them snickering as they went by. Amy ignored them as best she could, and she went into the front door of the modest dwelling at a brusquer pace.


    ¡°Vlania oolus tooq¡­Ah, welcome home sweetheart!¡± An elderly woman turned from her prayer to greet the child.


    ¡°Hey, Grandma.¡± Amy went straight to her and hugged tight, getting wrapped in an embrace from her loving elder. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Oh, very well! I was just praying for good fortune, with everything happening today.¡± She ushered her granddaughter in. ¡°Why don¡¯t you join me for a moment?¡±


    Smiling, the brunette sat beside her grandma and the two of them looked at a miniature sized version of the Light Domes found across the worlds. It sat on a small altar, made of fine carved wood, emanating a beautiful glow almost like the one from the real thing. They clasped their hands together and implored for their leaders to have the guidance to make the right decisions going forward.


    ¡°Givers of Life, Gods of Mystery, Our Holy Mother¡­give them the strength to deliver us to a brighter future.¡± The older woman, her grey hair tied in the ceremonial bun typical for a female house elder, led the prayer, while Amy watched the mini-dome.


    They held so many secrets that the world craved. Holy sites to some, scientific wonders to others¡­no one knew after all these thousands of years of research what exactly they were or how they came to be.


    ¡°And may we all build a path worthy of the Almighty.¡± Grandma had finished the prayer.


    ¡°Amen,¡± Amy chimed in.


    They got up, the young girl lending her grandmother a hand. Aliya settled on Amy¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°So, what did you get at the library?¡± Grandma smiled warmly as they walked to the couch.


    ¡°Oh, another adventure story.¡± The brunette pulled the folded holobook from her jean shorts pocket, lifting it up to show her grandma. ¡°This one¡¯s about finding epic quests outside the star system!¡±


    ¡°Oh my, well you¡¯ll be out there some day too! Won¡¯t you, my little rascal?¡± Grandma lifted her beanie cap and tussled her hair.


    ¡°Heeey careful!¡± Amy laughed and pulled her cap back on. ¡°Aliya just made her nest there!¡±


    Grandma responded with a booming laugh. ¡°Well, of course she¡¯ll come along too! You need to have your faithful companion with you to keep you safe!¡± She reached out and rubbed the translucent chin of the wisp creature.


    ¡°Coooh!¡± It responded by wrapping around the finger and then slipping back onto the sleeve of Amy¡¯s white shirt.


    ¡°Yeah, Aliya will cuddle them to submission¡­¡± The girl rolled her eyes at the thought of her friendly magicloud being any level of aggressive. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going upstairs for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Take care, sweety. Come back down in a bit for the announcement and food!¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡± Amy made her way upstairs into her room. She settled in her bed and listened to music, looking at the ceiling¡­wondering about the chance to change things.


    To be fair, the world was in a great place. But even the leaders saw some reason to take a bold new step, even though they said it was to preserve the good things the worlds had. There were definitely things that she would want to make better, if she was given the chance.


    A few minutes passed and she closed her eyes in thought¡­


    ¡°¡­Hellooo, Amy!¡±


    ¡°Ahh! W-wah?¡± The little girl woke up after much more time passed than she had anticipated. She looked up and saw her dad at the doorway.


    ¡°Woah little beansprout, didn¡¯t mean to scare you!¡± He chuckled and came in to sit on the bed with her. ¡°Just wanted you to know the event is almost on. Mom made your favorite for dinner while we watch.¡±


    ¡°Aww¡­¡± She yawned and rubbed her eye as he wrapped an arm around her. ¡°T-thanks¡­How was work for you guys?¡±


    ¡°Really good, actually! In fact¡­we¡¯ve got a surprise for you after dinner.¡± He had on the same mischievous look that he wore when he was hiding a new birthday present, a smile spreading on his thinly bearded face. ¡°But we will save that for later. Come on down and join us!¡±


    Amy cocked an eyebrow. What kind of surprise did he have, especially one that was related to work? Did he or mom get a promotion at the company? That would be a shock¡­they had only been working there for two years.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± he said as he patted her shoulder and got up, noticing that she was trying to figure it out.


    She stood up too and followed him downstairs, entering the tight confines of the kitchen to witness her mom placing the steaming dinner on the table.


    ¡°Oh, there you are honey! How was your nap?¡± Mom smiled and patted Amy¡¯s chair, signaling her to sit. ¡°We got your favorite, Valnean pasta!¡±


    Obeying and taking her place at the table beside the monitor, Amy smiled. ¡°Thanks, dad mentioned that already.¡± She waited for her parents to sit as Grandma winked at her from the opposite side of the table.


    ¡°I added my secret ingredient for you,¡± she whispered.


    Amy giggled and Aliya floated her way over to everyone else. The magicloud looked at each of them with wide pleading eyes and whimpered to sample the tasty meal.


    As Amy slipped her a bite, her parents looked behind her to the monitor and Dad turned up the volume.


    ¡°Okay¡­let¡¯s see where they¡¯re leaning.¡± He managed between bites.


    ¡°Mmf, I¡¯d be surprised if she can persuade enough people anymore.¡± Mom wasn¡¯t much better, swallowing and finally getting some nutrition after a busy day.


    ¡°Oh! There she is, the darling.¡± Grandma¡¯s eyes lit up as a woman in her early 30s with long flowing green hair, elegant dark skin, and a green glowing halo spoke with a reporter.


    Amy turned around to watch too, nibbling some pasta off her fork.


    ¡°¡­And we¡¯re proud of the concessions we got from the discussion. Moving forward, the best option is to make it clear that the Lunar Empire and our allies won¡¯t take lightly to building a monolithic government. We need to make a government that will stand the tests of time, greed, and power-lust.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t completely understand what Queen Zelinda was saying, but Amy knew all the adults loved her. The young woman spoke so eloquently and always sounded like she knew what she was doing. As Mom said, the Queen had to in order to be held to the same standard as some of her peers. But from what Amy knew of her, their royal leader was as wise and intelligent as she tried to sound.


    Mom smiled. ¡°Well, at least it sounds like she¡¯s keeping the worlds from going too fast¡­¡±


    ¡°Not like she has a choice when he¡¯s around,¡± murmured Dad.


    Everyone was silent for a moment, save for the monitor and a few happy coos from Aliya.


    ¡°¡­We just need to follow Her Highness and we¡¯ll be on the right path.¡± Grandma smiled and nudged her daughter. ¡°Pass me the fallow beans, will you dear?¡±


    Mom did as requested while Amy kept watching the screen. It looked like they were moving forward with some debate about a new star-wide administration.


    She wondered what that could mean as she took another bite.


    ***


    Far off on another planet, a Laserball game had just wrapped up. The winning team cheered, and their captain Jill lead the chant as she pumped her fist in the air to the stadium and cheerleaders applauding all around them.


    Finally getting off the field after shaking the opposing team¡¯s hands, she rushed over to her parents and younger brother. ¡°Woah, close one,¡± she exclaimed as she wiped some well-earned sweat from her forehead.


    ¡°You kidding? You smashed those guys!¡± shouted her mom, her face paint in the colors of Jill¡¯s team. ¡°GOOO SOTRANS!¡± She bear-hugged her daughter as her dad came from behind and slapped her shoulder.


    ¡°Atta go, girl!¡± Like his wife, his cheeks and forehead were plastered with the Sotran logo. ¡°Way to finish your high school career, now where are those talent scouts!?¡± He looked around enthusiastically, though partly in a joking manner, as they walked towards the changing room.


    ¡°Calm down guys, I¡¯m not there ye-woah!¡± She tripped over herself, in a way that was not too gracious for a varsity Laserball player.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± her brother, Kalen, sneered playfully, ¡°If you do want to be a professional, you should probably stop fumbling over your feet like that all the time.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, nerd.¡± She laughed and lightly punched his shoulder. ¡°You try going out there next time!¡±


    They all laughed with her for a moment, although it faded when the reality sunk in.


    It was the end of an era.


    ***


    Back at home, the victory party was raving. All the team members and the cheer squad had been invited to Jill¡¯s house to celebrate their bare yet triumphant season win. While some teens were getting visibly tipsy, the parents made sure to keep everyone in line. Yet the trophy was held high, and the release of school was around the corner. It felt like nothing could stop their momentum.


    The young orange-haired woman made her way through the crowd of cheers and congratulatory pats on the back, laughing with the others and doing a few in-team chants along the way. For the moment, though, she planned to head upstairs and check up on Kalen to see how he was doing.


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t the only one.


    ¡°Heeey Jill!¡± One of the cheerleaders, a bubbly girl with a rainbow headband and lengthy light brown hair, jumped beside her and rubbed shoulders. ¡°Great job out there tonight, you were able to get us out of that mess in the end!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I always make sure to clean those ¡®messes¡¯ up before the clock runs out.¡± Jill glanced at the jab from Salina with a smile and a squint. ¡°Glad you could finally motivate us to do it!¡±


    ¡°Ahah¡­¡± Salina made a short laugh and delivered the look right back. ¡°Well, I¡¯m always trying to be as focused and composed as you are!¡± To accentuate the playful insult, she made a dainty pirouette on her toes to walk backwards in front of Jill.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    They stuck out their tongues at each other.


    As Jill made her way up the stairs, Salina continued to follow. Twirling her hair a bit with a bounce in her step, she looked over to her old friend. ¡°Sooo, you asked him yet?¡±


    ¡°Nope. And I still don¡¯t see why you wanna be with him, anyways!¡± The athlete¡¯s foxlike ears twitched at the idea. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you two working out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Her effeminate friend pouted. ¡°We¡¯ve got so much in common! He likes building stuff and¡­I like¡­building new dance moves!¡± Her face lit up as if she made a brilliant connection. ¡°We can go on that show Dance Planet together, and he can whisk me off my feet with his cyber inventions lighting up the stadium¡­¡± Her mind drifted off to places Jill didn¡¯t want to know about.


    ¡°Yeah, you really nailed him down. I can see him breaking out his floating gravi-dance moves any day now.¡± They finally made their way to his room. ¡°Anyways, get your head back to Volda.¡±


    They opened the door and went inside, finding him hunched over his workbench. The redhead was tinkering on a virtual reality headset.


    ¡°Hey, bro.¡± Jill tapped him on the back. ¡°How¡¯s it looking?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± said Kalen without turning away from his project. ¡°Pretty good. The setup¡¯s almost complete!¡± He used his light-screwdriver to make a few more adjustments on the chipset.


    Jill peered over his shoulder. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re missing a connection on the display circuit.¡± She pointed to one spot.


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± Kalen wrapped up the work, then he examined the finished product and turned around with it in his hands. ¡°So! Which one of you wants to try it?¡±


    A spark popped and lit up the air.


    Before Salina could even start to reach out, Jill took it. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out! And in the meantime, you can tell Sally how to decrease her levels of Oxytocin.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure¡­huh?¡± Her brother¡¯s face scrunched in confusion.


    She gave a conniving smile to her pouting friend and placed the headset on.


    Once it activated, the ginger-haired girl was caught astounded by the highly detailed imagery around her. ¡°Oh, wow¡­you got feed of the Grand Star Station being built?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± She heard his voice as if it was muffled and in the distance. ¡°Have fun standing in space!¡±


    She looked down, and it indeed looked like she was floating in the empty vacuum. The colossal space station in front of her was already unimaginably large, yet it was barely started. Glancing around the serene environment, she frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t this like, classified or something?¡±


    ¡°Hey, not my fault they made their firewall weak enough.¡± Kalen snickered. ¡°¡­So Sally, what was that about hormones?¡±


    While hearing Salina groan, Jill looked over to one of the nearby planets, almost the size of a small round dot in the distance. She could guess by the orange color and bare general direction that it was probably Morphia, a planet that was just in front of Planet Volda in order from the star. She heard of the crazy stories there, of new species of fused and evolved animals being created every day in the vast colony domes. The innovations being made by her¡­


    ¡°Oh! Sis, dad¡¯s calling!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sounds like a big announcement interrupted the sports game down there.¡±


    Jill paused and looked to the far-off planet one more time. Pursing her lips, she took off the helmet.


    She groomed her neck-length bob-cut as they made their way to the oversized monitor where everyone was huddled. Dad and mom looked pretty annoyed, though everyone else did too in fairness.


    ¡°Dang it, who cares about this civics crap¡­¡± Mom grumbled.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t believe they¡¯re going through with it¡­It¡¯s insane,¡± Dad responded. ¡°Oh¡­there you guys are.¡± He ushered Jill, Salina, and Kalen over.


    Mom glanced at her kids and rolled her eyes. ¡°Take a look kids¡­a bunch of power-hungry idiots forcing us all together.¡±


    Jill made a slight smile and chuckle, but she looked over to the monitor. So, they were going through with it¡­


    All the countries and planets coming together under one flag, one united system. It was hard to wrap one¡¯s head around how huge this could become, and what exactly the new rules would be. The young woman looked at the screen and pondered. She didn¡¯t disagree with why the vast majority wanted to try something new. In the end, she guessed it all depended on what the system would be. Still, she held her wait-and-see approach to herself.


    She wasn¡¯t the only one watching. People from all over the worlds of the star system sat glued to their screens. Alex in his home, Amy in hers, Jill with her family, and a young, jubilant man watching on the celebratory streets of another far-off planet¡­


    Everyone focused on the live footage of the Grand Star Assembly as the reporters and Delegates alike went hushed.


    Another spark lit up.


    ***


    ¡°Our esteemed Delegates, members of the press, and devoted citizens across the star system¡­Please welcome the honorable President of the Delegates: Luc Joln.¡± The two leaders of the Upper and Lower chambers bowed their heads and made way for the President.


    In the center podium of the U-shaped Assembly Hall, a suited man in his late 30s finally came out to make his speech. The darkhaired, bespectacled official was the head of the factions that supported this bold process, championing it since he took on the role of guiding this Assembly. The hall was mostly filled with applause as he entered, save for notable but expected holdouts, and he raised his hand to signal the members to quiet down.


    As the ovation subsided, he smiled and gripped the sides of the podium with both hands.


    The speech began.


    ¡°Ladies, gentlemen, citizens under the Sun¡­How do you keep a Golden Age?¡± He looked to them with all the gravity that the subject deserved. ¡°That is the question we have had on our minds ever since the war ended 10 years ago, since prosperity began. We¡¯ve found ourselves in a place that we don¡¯t want to take for granted¡­a time that we don¡¯t want to surrender lightly.¡±


    Everyone watching agreed with at least this much. Even the children knew of the extraordinary transformation.


    Linda smiled somewhat proudly.


    ¡°Economically, we are doing better than ever before.¡± Standing applause sounded from the more receptive side at this. ¡°Near 2 percent unemployment! But of course, we always seek to do better for those who still need it, right? We have also had continuous peace over this era, thanks in no small part to the innovations of robosecurity from the esteemed and devoted scientists at Autosafe Corporation.¡±


    A small group in the VIP section smiled as the applause was directed towards them.


    Jill¡¯s mom sniffed in annoyance.


    ¡°Most importantly, however, this is a special day for more than one reason.¡± Luc Joln looked at the delegates, the reporters, the cameras¡­ ¡°It¡¯s the 10<sup>th</sup> anniversary of deathless life.¡±


    Everyone cheered at this, whether or not they opposed starwide government. Everyone in the hall stood with pride, all the people at home murmured their excitement. Had it already been 10 whole years without a single person passing, whether by disease or famine, violence or age? It still left so many people stunned.


    And it wasn¡¯t completely known how it happened, either.


    ¡°I am most proud of that accomplishment, to be honest.¡± Luc was visibly emotional. ¡°The worlds have deserved this, ever since the spark of life shook nature itself many billions of years ago. One day, we must unlock the reason as to why¡­but until then, we must simply keep it. With all our might, we must keep it!¡± He pounded the podium enthusiastically. ¡°That is exactly why we are doing this. To keep our worlds, our nations, the humanoid civilization itself at peace. This Grand Assembly, as great as it is, can only do so much to maintain the good faith among us, stretched out as we are. And we will only stretch farther¡­soon, we may have the technology to expand beyond our sun Amon, to the worlds and stars outward.¡±


    Alex¡¯s eyes lit up and he sat up straight. He dreamed of those places, a space beyond the conquered worlds¡­ into the unexplored reaches. He dreamed of the possibility of alien life among them.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what we will find when that day comes. However, we do know that we need to keep ourselves from dividing and dissolving into separate factions. We need to stay together, as one!¡±


    The young man on the street smiled widely and nodded as everyone around him shouted their approval at the monitor.


    Luc¡¯s cadence rose. ¡°We have made a decisive vote in favor of that dream today. Ever since I was elected to lead this body two years ago, I pledged that this would be my number one priority. And today¡­109 of 160 Upper Chamber Delegates and 1353 of 1600 Lower Chamber Delegates have approved the measure to draft a Star Nation Constitution!¡±


    All the supporting members once again stood up and cheered enthusiastically. Many patted each other on the shoulders, and even those who had held out until the last minute embraced the groundbreaking moment.


    The opposition remained silent.


    ¡°To be clear, this is not a final vote on the matter. We will still have a vote to ratify the final language of the new Constitution.¡± He looked to the opposition. ¡°And I swear we will work with all our might to create a system that allays all concerns. It was thanks in large part to Queen Zelinda that we could set a fair and reasonable timetable.¡±


    Suddenly the opposition cheered at the mention of their de facto leader, though one sneered.


    Amy made a brief smile as she munched on her food. The Queen could always get a healthy compromise.


    ¡°She is right that we need to prevent any loophole from appearing, any chance for the system to be warped into something that goes against our goal. The purpose of this is to protect everyone, to keep us connected as we spread our wings across the stars, to ensure our survival and wellbeing¡­¡± He paused at that moment, as if in thought. He glanced to the leaders for a second before looking back at the cameras. ¡°Our survival is so important.¡±


    Jill wondered what was on his mind. He was suddenly more subdued.


    Luc nodded to what he had said. ¡°It¡¯s the most important thing. And as your leader, I promise that this deliberative body will ensure that we create a system worthy of encapsulating everyone, a system that achieves that goal.¡± He smiled and adjusted his glasses, more enthusiastic again. ¡°The new day is dawning, one where we find out if we can keep this extraordinary life we have built in such a short time. One that can sustain this prosperous momentum. One where we keep our Golden Age!¡±


    The Assembly cheered once more, and he became even more jubilant. ¡°I know we can do it! I know we will make the children of tomorrow proud and honor those who sacrificed so much to bring us here! That is what it means, to build a timeless legacy! So let¡¯s get to work, because we are nowhere near done!¡± With an almost rebellious wave of his fist, he chanted the Assembly¡¯s motto. ¡°May Amon shine eternal!¡±


    ¡°And may we all shine on!¡± The assembly and many viewers chanted back.


    All the viewers at home watched with their various thoughts. They were witnessing history take its turn. The question, however, was if it would stay on this course.


    Time had a habit of throwing curveballs.


    Luc stood in the applause for a few moments, waving and smiling to everyone that he could, before getting down from the podium flanked by the two chamber leaders. One was an ecstatic, similarly bespectacled man, although slightly hunched and clearly in his later 60s with his grayed hair. The other was a beaming woman in her late 70s, with short-cut brown hair. He descended triumphantly into the mix of Delegates who were eager to shake his hand and congratulate him. Even those in the opposition party wanted to speak with the young President, and he gladly met and conversed shortly with them as he made his way toward the exit. One hand was shaken after the next¡­


    Until he reached out and paused at one.


    ¡°Congratulations on your win, Mr. President¡­¡± It belonged to a tall, almost snakelike man with a halo of fire over his head. He smiled with all the authenticity of a used hovercraft salesman, a grin that was less trustworthy than being told you could jump into a deep lava pit and survive. ¡°You know I have to say, it was especially clever how you got those last few votes with a little trade concession! Funny how you manage to always buy your way to victory.¡±


    The cameras tuned into them to capture the moment.


    Another snap of light in the hall.


    ¡°Oh, I only followed in your footsteps, Rodal.¡± Luc finally shook his rival¡¯s hand with a tight grip. ¡°You seemed to be offering a similar deal, we just had the chance to make a better one!¡± He smiled wryly.


    As quickly as Luc¡¯s lips curved up, Rodal¡¯s bent the other way into a frown. ¡°Well, I¡¯m certainly delighted¡ª¡± The slick man tugged his hand away from the President¡¯s. ¡°¡ªthat you think so highly of my cunning. I¡¯ll have to be a few more steps ahead next time!¡± He eyed over the leader and his flanking supporters. ¡°It¡¯s always a pleasure to¡­discuss these important matters with you, sir. We¡¯ll have to catch a bite together in the afternoon so you recognize your opposition¡¯s actual leader in the future.¡±


    Luc¡¯s face lit up. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you ate in daylight! I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have a swell time.¡± He patted Rodal¡¯s back enthusiastically, almost causing him to lose his footing.


    ¡°Wohoah, be careful with your strength pal!¡± The snakelike man and his small band of sympathetic leaners smiled and began to walk away. Yet he grimaced and mumbled to himself. ¡°You don¡¯t want to push me too far¡­¡±


    ***


    He trudged to his hovership, a massive vessel docked at one of the ports to the capital. Soon the ship would traverse its way back to the home country, but he was pondering on other things.


    Rodal turned to one of his assistants. ¡°How are things going?¡±


    ¡°Very well sir¡­the informants are ecstatic about the amount of recruitments.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear.¡± He made his way into a luxuriously decorated main room with a fireplace at one end. On the other, a window overlooked the vast expanses above and below.


    The conniving man stood in front of the heat of the flames and pondered. The voice had told him years ago to prepare for an opportunity that could arrive any day now. If they got the support that they needed, perhaps they would be ready for the first major opening...


    Many followers sympathetic to the cause already trudged the streets and walkways of the planets, cloaked and prepared to act on a moment¡¯s notice. Their companions would walk beside them, heeding their masters and devoted to fulfilling their parts.


    ¡°I heard we have a possible location,¡± said Rodal as he peered into the strong glow of the fire.


    ¡°It¡¯s not certain-¡±


    ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°¡­But yes, it¡¯s possible we know where it will start,¡± finished the assistant hesitantly.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The pale man paced as he thought. ¡°If we can get a stalemate, that¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    ***


    Far away, the streets of a planet covered in terraformed patches of cities filled jubilantly with ecstatic supporters of the government unity movement. They chanted the interplanetary anthem, drank, danced, did everything they could to fulfill their urge to celebrate.


    Among them, the young man tried not to get mobbed as he listened on his holo-phone.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it Julian, it¡¯s finally happening!¡± His uncle was welled with emotions. More than most, Julian¡¯s guardian was delighted to hear that the nations might come together like this. ¡°Goodness, it¡¯s felt like forever since they began talking about it happening¡­¡±


    ¡°I know Uncle Galo, you should be out here celebrating too!¡± the spike-haired young man laughed as someone handed him a multicolored sparkler. ¡°Get out quick before all the juice is gone!¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s fine¡­I need to finish my shift, anyways. You have a great time for me, and tell me all about it when I meet you at home!¡± The older man scratched his goatee. ¡°By the way, how¡¯d the tournament go?¡±


    ¡°Oh, great!¡± Julian sifted his way through the crowd to a slightly more open spot, his blue jacket almost getting pulled off from the friction with other people. ¡°Velin and Stala did a great job as always.¡± He winked as his famiwolf and morsnake followed closely behind. ¡°Finally got their fusion to evolve to the next level long enough. The other guy didn¡¯t see it coming!¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s my kid! And here¡¯s a surprise for you: Save those winnings, because I¡¯ve got some splendid news too!¡± Galo leaned in closely and glanced about. ¡°I finally got selected for one of the company¡¯s famous employee get-togethers!¡± He grinned like he was 25 years younger.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome! Oh-excuse me¡­¡± The nephew got out of the way of some partygoers, including one man covering himself with a hood. ¡°Congratulations, I know you¡¯ve been wanting to join another of those for a while.¡±


    Galo laughed. ¡°Well, you¡¯re coming with me! That way, I might not go overboard this time.¡±


    ¡°Heheh, if you really need a chaperone, I¡¯m happy to help.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯ll be more fun than that! These things are legendary, you get to meet people from all over and have a swell time. I guarantee that the scenery will be gorgeous. There¡¯s dancing, drinks, probably someone cute too!¡± Uncle Galo winked.


    Julian rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­Well, I hope you¡¯re still able to have some fun there tonight. It¡¯s awesome they¡¯re on the way to pulling us all together!¡±


    ¡°That it is kid, that it is¡­¡± The older man looked off to the distance and sighed. ¡°Luc¡¯s right, we need to make a better place for you young folk. I¡¯m just glad we finally have the right people in office to do it!¡±


    ¡°Yeesh, I¡¯ve really gotta move out¡­¡± Julian smiled slyly as his dark skin shined from the sparkler. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll stop thinking I¡¯m a kid.¡±


    Galo boomed with laughter. ¡°Move out and I¡¯ll consider you ancient like me, you brat! Now, go have a good time!¡±


    ¡°Alright, see ya!¡± Julian smiled back and prepared to hang up. ¡°Love you!¡±


    He looked up towards the sky, standing nearby one of the towering robots. It was as massive as the super skyscrapers around him¡­The pathway he was on was nearly 15,000 feet in the air, and while putting the collapsed holo-phone in his pocket he couldn¡¯t help but be impressed at how far this planet had come.


    When he was 12, just before the war ended, the place was pretty weak in terms of technology and wasn¡¯t the best place to live in. It was basically written off, considered a place that wasn¡¯t worth saving. People liked to look down from safer perches and just assume that those who struggled should just help themselves¡­ignoring that maybe there were things keeping them from doing even that. But when the Grand Assembly was formed, negotiations and resources among nations helped transform the city of Beliviv into a bustling go-to megalopolis. The other megacities on the planet were similarly revolutionized through heavier stimulus and reformation. It was the big reason Uncle Galo loved the idea of every place joining together under one flag. It represented the belief that every place could be turned around.


    As long as the flag stood for a strong system, Julian thought, that was okay.


    A few robots zoomed past him carrying confections, and two guys chased after. He smiled and watched the spectacle, but then he noticed a young girl walking the streets by herself, skipping along. She had rainbow-colored hair in pigtails, and seemed to be alone for a moment. Maybe she was lost?He But then a tall man came beside her and she grabbed his hand, the two of them walking off together.


    Julian frowned, but he shrugged to himself and kept gazing out in thought until the two guys who had grabbed concessions walked past him again, this time with drinks in hand. The liquid floated around outside of the glasses as they directed it into each other¡¯s mouths.


    He listened as they talked about multiple things, ranging from their opinions on the big news tonight to previous stories about big tournament battles and laughable strategies. At one point eyes glanced towards their hands as they held each other tight.


    He smiled to himself. That might be nice...

 The Party Starts

    Alex looked up in awe. He almost dropped his suitcase looking at the massive size of the space elevator as it moved on a track spanning across the equator, held about 20,000 feet up in the air on towering columns.


    ¡°Woah¡­I can¡¯t believe it!¡± He looked back to Linda as Scally squeaked nervously looking at the gargantuan size. His light, frilly blue jacket flapped in the wind. ¡°I knew it was bigger up close but¡­dang!¡±


    His mom laughed and set her own luggage down beside him. ¡°It¡¯s pretty impressive, isn¡¯t it? Well, let¡¯s see what the ride up feels like!¡±


    Alex got all bubbly just thinking about it as his eyes sparkled. He was going to finally step into space and make his way to the first landmark for many on their initial voyage off the home planet: the Moon! Ever since the war ended, ever since Elysia and its satellite were connected, people from all over would mark their extraterrestrial travels with at least one trip to the first colonized body beyond the birthplace of humanoid-kind and all life.


    The young boy and his mom beckoned their companions and got on one of the hovertrolleys, which made its way up to meet with the docking bay of the megastructure. There was a large square platform around the atmosphere-breaching, stadium-sized cylinder, and it stood its own as a tourist attraction of its own right for visitors and travelers. Some passerby were taking out their holophones and activating their bubblecams to create three-dimensional pictures and videos. A swarm of floating nanobites wearing spinning, double-edged cameras would burst from the devices to record their surroundings. People could look down at the planet below and gaze in wonder at the near-endless scenery, stare in awe at the curve of the world on the horizon, admire the golden letters designating one Amalia Chasteny as the structure¡¯s architect¡­


    And once people were finished gaping at the view below, they could make their way inside through security to one of the four commercial terminals. There were of course concessions and souvenir stands for people to preoccupy themselves while waiting for their designated megalift to descend from on high, letting out old passengers and collecting new ones.


    As Alex bounced from one marvel to the next, he enthusiastically discussed the scenery with his mom. She laughed as he talked about how he didn¡¯t know this or asked if she knew that.


    It had been a year since he had forged his bond with Scally, and Linda had made a change too. Although her parental instincts still wanted to kick in, she allowed him more freedom and gave him more chances to take steps for himself. Sometimes he tripped, sometimes he learned, sometimes he succeeded. But he always kept exploring no matter what the outcome was, and she did her best to let him keep making new discoveries.


    ¡°Woah¡­.¡± At one point the young boy brushed the tuft of hair from his eye to gaze at a mural honoring the peace between worlds. ¡°I didn¡¯t know things got so¡­bad.¡±


    The image of a massive crater on the one side of a moon was well known; it served as a scar from the final battle that still haunted the many people who witnessed it. Sometimes, however, the schools for younger ages skipped the more intense details.


    Linda walked up beside him and held his hand. ¡°It got a lot worse at times¡­But good people knew they had to keep fighting.¡± She looked to him. ¡°It¡¯s important to know that things can get really rough in life.¡±


    Alex stared back at his mom, then to the image again. A number that he recognized was highlighted in the small summary of the war and its effects.


    Seven and a half billion people.


    Mom¡¯s hand squeezed tighter. ¡°It may be a little selfish of me, but I am happy you don¡¯t live in that world anymore. Just¡­remember that it happened, though.¡±


    Her son¡¯s brows furrowed in thought.


    Suddenly the voice for terminal information sounded from speakers. ¡°MEGA-LIFT FOUR IS ARRIVING. ALL PASSENGERS, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE LOADING DOCK.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go, kid.¡± Linda smiled, letting go of his hand.


    His body turned and he walked in the terminal¡¯s direction, even as he kept looking back to the mural.


    Scally hopped onto Alex¡¯s shoulder as they bustled their way through the crowds and into the lift, and he guided his mom towards the outer window to get the best look. His mind turned to the thrill of the incoming ride.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± He pressed his face against the glass excitedly. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna miss the liftoff!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, they¡¯re still loading everyone for the ride.¡± Linda got behind him finally. ¡°Now¡­I think our home is waaay over there!¡± She pressed her finger beside his face against the icy surface to point in the general direction. A series of floating islands filled the view, the green of nature colliding with the whites, silvers, yellows, and blues of artificial structures.


    ¡°Right behind this dirt speck?¡± He giggled and rubbed it clean. It was way too far away to see.


    ¡°No, the other one!¡± She tussled his hair. ¡°Silly¡­¡±


    The speaker sounded again. ¡°HELLO DEAR PASSENGERS! TAKEOFF IS IN 30 SECONDS. PLEASE ENJOY THE TRIP AND VIEWS, AND KEEP AN EYE ON THE EXITS AT ALL TIMES! THANK YOU FOR RIDING THE STAR CONNECTION.¡±


    Everyone began looking towards the windows, either straight outward and below or up. The Mega-Lift was tall enough to allow people in the middle to still have a look at the outside as they broke the atmosphere.


    Alex counted down in his head with his adrenaline rising each moment. Three¡­two¡­one¡­


    A spark snapped beside him and his ears pricked.


    The elevator shot up and everyone bent their knees a little as the egg-shaped vehicle sped quickly along. The view was almost a blur as Alex watched Elysia¡¯s horizon shrink below them. The curved line bent in on itself as the seemingly endless expanse of the planet closed in.


    The sky faded from a clear lighter blue into something darker; they shot through even the highest-reaching clouds. Tiny dots of light appeared above them, and below Alex began to see the earth spinning. He got a bit dizzy from it all, but it was so extraordinary. As they entered space, he stared straight up to the domed window at the top. The universe itself seemed to surround them. Far off in the distance he saw the Moon, ready to welcome him and all the incoming guests.


    Of course, those on other planets had the more traditional method of entering the Moon. Jill and Julian had jumped on passenger ships with their families and cruised along the interplanetary highway to their destination: a big party to celebrate employee¡¯s devoted efforts and mark another year of success for the company.


    Amy and her family merely jumped on one of the lower-budget shuttles which scuttled along from one terraformed, encapsulated field to the next along the lunar surface. She enjoyed seeing the artificial sunny or night-filled skies in each terrapod, making sure to sketch a lot of pictures along the way of interesting sights.


    Everyone landed at the central location at about the same time. Jill and Julian¡¯s ships docked and they hopped out on their way to the city center. Jill pointed out a few cool sights to Kalen, who had never been here before. Julian¡¯s uncle did the same for him, although the nephew recalled flying past the Moon years ago. Amy got off the shuttle with Mom and Dad and quietly took in the scenery. The place was bustling with tourists excited to take part in a festival downtown. Aliya cooed and held Amy¡¯s things on top of her cloudy head while they walked beneath a mighty statue. Meanwhile, Linda and Alex had entered the atmospheric capsule and touched down on the lunar surface.


    Galanda was one of the largest terrapods on the Moon, full of marvels and exquisite sights. It had led the recovery once peace was achieved and quickly built diplomatic and trade relations with the other extraterrestrial colonies and Elysia. The prosperity that followed slowly spread across the rest of the terrapods and ensured that the golden age would not leave the Moon behind.


    The young boy and his wandermouse kept spinning around while walking to take it all in as mom followed suit.


    ¡°They really love statues here!¡± Alex smiled and looked at the towering figures which appeared to reach to the sky as if in prayer. One remarkable statue showed 6 figures, two of which held their little girl¡¯s hands in the middle. All stared upwards towards something far off ahead. ¡°Oh, this one¡¯s familiar!¡± He remembered reading about the Heroes of Unity who guided the Lunar Empire¡¯s people through hard times.


    His mom patted his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll see a lot more of them! Let¡¯s head downtown, honey.¡±


    All four families converged on the epic scenery lying ahead. In the middle of the high-reaching buildings there was a peninsula of trees and a beautiful waterfall stretching and splitting the city. The groups occasionally passed by each other as they took photos and selfies by the artificial water formation, never really noticing each other yet.


    Amy giggled as her Dad made faces to elicit a smile for one photo, Julian got some street food for Uncle Galo, Jill rolled her eyes to herself as her parents made a comment about how the technology was behind here. The place was sprawling.


    The light of the day slowly set. All the families made their way to their respective hotels to prepare for the first night of the party.


    ***


    The screen turned on and all the partygoers looked up. The hall was hushed as the man with long straight silver hair smiled and looked upon them all, sitting in an elegant oaken room behind his famous fine-carved desk. On one side was a placard with the name Armaday Frayan inscripted on it. Behind him, mounted on the wall, was a handgun.


    ¡°Welcome, everyone, to the tenth annual IronStar Corporation Anniversary Celebration. It¡¯s been another great year, hasn¡¯t it?¡± His eyes glimmered as he held up a glass of vintage aged wine. ¡°So many ups and downs¡­though mostly ups as usual!¡±


    There was a spattering of laughter and cheers throughout the hall.


    ¡°We¡¯ve fought hard to cement ourselves as a vital part of the star system, making new deals in the outer region and earning those hard-fought contracts with the Mass Solar Array Program around our sun.¡± He leaned in and his sharp custom-tailored red suit made a slight rubbing sound against the seat. ¡°In fact, with the final deals in place, it is with the utmost pleasure that I can say we are the highest grossing company across the star!¡±


    The cheers roared this time, everyone was ecstatic.


    ¡°This kind of success is exactly why we¡¯re able to have these illustrious events!¡± He waved across the screen to the near-royal event hall where they were situated. ¡°I always deliver the best to those who deliver to us, and believe me that you all are exemplary of our work ethic, or else you show tremendous promise going forward. So raise your glasses, dance the night away, and make a new connection while you¡¯re here! You never know who¡¯s going to be at the top next.¡± He cheered his glass to the screen, smiled wide with his head tilted forward, and the feed shut off.


    The audience of formally dressed employees clanked their glasses together as well, and the celebration began. It was time to party.


    Just at this point, Alex and his mom entered the giant lunar ballroom, the son skipping to the beat of the dance music that sounded from the middle of the crowd. His tussled hair bounced a little as he hopped alongside Linda, but once they entered the main event he stopped in his tracks. His expressive eyes grew wide.


    ¡°Woah! Mom¡­Mom, look!¡± He tugged the side of her sparkling red dress. ¡°They have a gravidance-floor!¡± He practically was bouncing in place already in his deep-blue suit. ¡°I¡¯ve gotta try it out!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Linda said with a laugh. ¡°Go have fun, but come over when I call you!¡± She flicked his ear, and he winced and giggled. ¡°And be careful! Something always happens at a party, especially with you around.¡±


    Alex nodded enthusiastically and kicked his feet against the ground to run his way over. His mom smiled after him, but then she got distracted by a familiar voice behind her.


    The boy immediately joined the others and looked around as all the kids had gathered to bounce around like crazy. Some of them were almost professional as they jumped off the elevated platform and floated into the air. It was the one area not encumbered with the artificial gravity that encompassed the rest of the terraformed dome where the city and forests lay. They swung together, some holding hands, as they danced in the air gleefully.


    Alex swung around with them, laughing and taking a few turns with partners as familiar hits played on the dance floor. He leaped and did rolls, kicked off the extremely high ceiling, and bounced off of others as they shuffled and glided around.


    Finally, though, his mom signaled him with a notification on his smart watch. He felt a buzz as he leaped high in the air and looked down at the crowd, saw her with four people, and landed his way back onto the floor to make his way over with a fulfilled smile.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what she said! And I¡­Oh there you are, kid!¡± Linda waved her son over and Alex bounced to her side. ¡°Julian, you remember Alex from eight years back?¡±


    The young man laughed beside his uncle. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a while, but yeah I think so!¡± He wore a little blush as his glass tilted in his hand. ¡°But sure, nice to see you again!¡±


    Linda patted her son¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh, I remember it like it was yesterday. He was following you around like a little trooper! Pretending to be like one of your Connections, poor kid in diapers!¡± She peered to her now-pouting son and fuzzed up his hair.


    ¡°Ah!¡± He laughed at the jab and poked her back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little guy!¡± Galo chuckled. ¡°If you think that¡¯s bad, this bundle of joy was supposed to be making sure I stay on the up!¡± He clinked his glass with Julian and elbowed him.


    The nephew rolled his eyes and waved off the indictment. ¡°Ahhh, I can handle a few more Besides, I¡¯m nowhere near as bad as you were at Belo¡¯s party last month!¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Alex chuckled as they got into lengthy detail about said party, though he glanced over to the couple who was quietly enjoying the conversation with everyone else. Although he barely remembered a younger Julian from a picture or two that Mom had around the house, these two seemed especially new.


    Galo noticed and laughed. ¡°¡­Oh, where are my manners? Little guy, these two are Mr. and Mrs. Laban. They¡¯re some friends of mine that I was just introducing to your mom!¡±


    ¡°Oh, fairest greetings!¡± Alex tried his best to make the proper Lunar gesture. ¡°I¡¯m Alex!¡± He reached out to shake hands.


    ¡°Oh, very polite young fellow!¡± The slightly-bearded man smiled back at the kid and shook back firmly but kindly. ¡°Fairest greetings to you, as well.¡±


    Mrs. Laban made a curtsey as she shook his hand as well. ¡°We heard a lot about you from your mom already. She tells us you love being a little explorer!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know the half of it!¡± Linda interjected and feigned a swoon. ¡°The number of times he¡¯s given me a heart attack, I¡¯ll tell you! But¡­¡± She flicked his ear again. ¡°I¡¯ve learned to let him have his fun. I know he¡¯s smart!¡±


    Alex rolled his eyes and Julian chuckled as he took another sip.


    Alex¡¯s mom lit up like she remembered something. ¡°Ah, by the way! Mr. and Mrs. Laban have a girl your age, you should go hang out with her.¡± She patted his back. ¡°Give her a good time!¡±


    ¡°Sure, where is she?¡± asked Alex as he glanced around.


    ¡°Oh, she said she wanted some quiet time to draw outside.¡± Mrs. Laban gestured towards the open end of the building that led out to a vast garden. Plenty of people were celebrating on the wide field. ¡°Look for a place without many people, she will probably be there.¡±


    Galo nudged his nephew. ¡°Julian, you take a walk with the little guy. I think you need the air!¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine¡­¡± said Julian, nodding sarcastically. ¡°Come on buddy, I¡¯ll take you.¡±


    Alex waved to his mom and the other adults. ¡°Okay, see you soon!¡± He and Scally followed alongside the spikehaired young man as they made their way through the party.


    ¡°So, you got more companions than these two?¡± Alex glanced over at the two creatures following Julian.


    ¡°Oh yeah, got a few that I¡¯ve trained at home!¡± The older boy tilted his head to the side with some pride showing. ¡°I actually fight with them in tournaments.¡±


    Scally¡¯s ears pricked up.


    ¡°Oh cool!¡± Alex brightened up at the sound of that. ¡°So, you¡¯ve seen lots of species? What¡¯s your favorite?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Well¡­¡± Julian trailed off as they sifted through two couples, one of which was two men and the other a man and a woman. ¡°Hard to say.¡±


    They kept walking as a young woman and her younger brother approached. Julian glanced toward the redhead tugging uncomfortably at her formal attire as his eyes drifted.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve definitely got a favorite,¡± said Alex. ¡°Mine¡¯s¡ª"


    Suddenly, the wandermouse leaped from Alex¡¯s shoulder and bolted past them, heading towards the outside. The creature¡¯s gallop was so sudden that the girl tripped backwards to get out of its way.


    ¡°H-hey, Scally!¡± Alex¡¯s face scrunched in confusion before he dashed forward to chase the rodent. He left Julian behind as the older boy helped the knocked-over girl get back on her feet.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, here, let me help you,¡± said Julian as his voice got fainter behind Alex.


    ¡°Ugh, what did that little furball eat!¡± The redhead massaged her side as she was pulled up. ¡°Little thing must be on something! What was that about¡­.¡±


    But that was about all that Alex¡¯s ears picked up before he turned the corner and entered the vast courtyard. He zigged past countless adults discussing how a big project was soon to be released, others who jumped out of the way of the frenzied little creature. Other connections yelped and called after Scally, looking as confused as their humanoid companions.


    This was going nowhere! As soon as it was safe to do so and he had enough room, Alex spread his wings and shot into the air to pursue the fleeting fuzzy troublemaker as she began climbing up a walkway to a hilltop.


    What was she doing? Why was she bonkers all of a sudden? The boy glided after Scally and couldn¡¯t figure out what had set her off. This wasn¡¯t like her¡­


    But suddenly she began slowing down at the top, passing underneath a nature-adorned arch arbor blooming with white flowers. Alex frowned he landed at the feet of the archway before chasing after her a little further.


    However, he found her at the feet of someone on a bench, finally stopped in her tracks. She was nearly motionless, even. However remained on high alert as someone¡¯s hand reached down and petted her soothingly.


    ¡°Scally, what¡¯s gotten into you!¡± He stomped over and pouted with his hands on his hips. ¡°You¡¯ve never¡­.¡±


    He trailed off. His emerald eyes had followed the hand up to the face, and they met with the gentle blue eyes of the girl on the bench. Her cloudlike pet looked a little anxious, and she had stopped in the middle of drawing something on her sketch pad.


    He swallowed back whatever words he was about to say. His heart felt like it bounced out of his chest.


    For once, he felt silent.


    ¡°O-oh¡­Hi there, is this little guy yours?¡± The brunette softly asked. ¡°I mean, I guess of course he is, t-that makes sense!¡± The girl was tripping a over her words as she blushed. ¡°You-he¡¯s very cute! I mean, uh¡­¡± she pulled her hand back from the creature shyly, her eyes as wide as saucers as she bit her lip.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Alex couldn¡¯t really even correct her at the moment.


    ¡°Oh, um¡­m-my name¡¯s Amy by the way, where are my manners! Fairest greetings.¡± She stood up despite her suddenly weak legs and curtsied, although she fumbled a little doing it. ¡°Uh, s-sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Buh¡­¡± The boy was feeling flat-lipped as he could barely utter a syllable. He felt his cheeks go a little pink even though he was begging them not to, but it was no use while seeing her shaky attempt to make a little bow in her silky white dress. Watching her tail tuck itself downward in embarrassment as she looked at him with a timid grin, he wasn¡¯t sure what he could even say to her at the moment.


    Before he could run out of variations of the word ¡°uh,¡± however, two familiar voices sounded from behind him.


    ¡°There you are, buddy!¡± The redhead stomped over beside him as the two kids broke eye contact to witness her. ¡°What was that all about?¡±


    ¡°H-hey wait up Jill!¡± Julian panted as he caught up with everyone else. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re fast.¡±


    ¡°Nah, you just can¡¯t keep up, mister. Anyways¡­¡± Jill poked Alex¡¯s temple. ¡°What happened back there? Little miss fuzzball left a lot of havoc!¡±


    ¡°H-hey!¡± Alex¡¯s voice regained its strength finally. ¡°She didn¡¯t mean to! She just got¡­¡± He frowned and glanced at the wandermouse. ¡°Actually¡­I dunno what happened.¡±


    ¡°S-she?¡± Amy¡¯s face got a little more pink as she followed everyone else¡¯s gaze onto the creature between them. ¡°Oh¡­What¡¯s her name?¡± She trailed her eyes up to Alex a little expectantly.


    ¡°Her name is¡ªUh¡­¡± Alex began to answer, but he got caught off guard again when he looked back at her. But he finally managed to get a few words out. ¡°S-Scally. And me, Alex.¡± He smiled about as confidently as Amy had earlier.


    The young girl couldn¡¯t help but giggle a little.


    The two older youths cocked their eyebrows in near unison before flashing a knowing look at each other.


    ¡°¡­Anyway, you¡¯ve gotta be careful, buddy.¡± Jill made a gesture to the rodent. ¡°Scally-with-a-double-S here might need a little more training before joining big crowds. Has she freaked out like this at other social events?¡±


    ¡°N-no, never.¡± Alex shook his head and began to kneel beside the wandermouse. ¡°She¡¯s never acted this crazy.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s acting strangely too?¡± Amy chimed in. ¡°Aliya¡¯s been a little nervous as well, ever since a few minutes ago.¡± She patted the magicloud while the creature looked expectantly in the same direction as the wandermouse below it.


    A spark snapped nearby.


    ¡°Oh! Julian, you have any idea?¡± Alex asked the tallest of the group.


    Julian pondered while the others looked at him in anticipation. ¡°Hmm¡­I can¡¯t really tell. They¡¯re alert like something¡¯s going to happen, but I¡¯m wondering why the other companions aren¡¯t acting the same way.¡± He glanced to the forest nearby while he rested his chin on his fist. ¡°In fact¡­I¡¯m not sensing anything from any other creature at the moment.¡±


    Jill raised an eyebrow. ¡°That sounds weird¡­¡± She looked to her smartwatch and drew up a holographic search program. ¡°Wonder what¡¯s up with these two?¡±


    They were cut off, however, by the sound of cheers.


    Amy¡¯s face lit up. ¡°The fireworks are about to start!¡±


    The band of four got up and looked over the hedge behind the bench to the field down below. All the people in the courtyard far beneath them were dancing to the echo of drums reaching from the nearby city.


    ¡°That¡¯s where they¡¯re going to come from,¡± said Amy. She pointed to the metropolis, feeling elated that she could watch it again after 5 years of waiting. ¡°Falanay City. Mom and Dad said this is probably why the company¡¯s event was held here! I heard they are doing a special twist with the fireworks this time¡­¡±


    Alex looked over and saw how her eyes shimmered with excitement. It was such a funny feeling he got watching her¡­ He giggled and watched down below too.


    Jill was equally ecstatic. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been waiting for this all night! I read about them back on Sotra, they¡¯re famous! Wish they weren¡¯t illegal on my world¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? Wonder why they¡¯re banned there.¡± Julian placed a hand on the bench and watched.


    Each of them waited in silence for a few moments, an electric sensation building up. Four young individuals from around the star system together, waiting for a big bang.


    Julian smiled. ¡°Things are changing so fast. Maybe soon those fireworks will be available where you live.¡± He gave a nod to Jill.


    She returned his glance with a less certain expression before staring down at the launching site. ¡°I just hope they don¡¯t ban them here, too.¡±


    Julian tilted his head curiously before looking in the same direction.


    Suddenly, the night sky lit up. Four creatures flew up at the ready as their owners gave them the signal from the launch pad. Behind them, hundreds of rockets shot up into the air and began delivering a cacophony of beautiful, multicolored explosions. Showers of sparks glittered and popped, and after a few seconds the sound of the blasts rolled over the hills and upon the ears of Alex, Amy, Jill, and Julian.


    ¡°Woah!¡± Alex leaned further over on the railing to get a good look. ¡°Look at em go!¡±


    Amy¡¯s tail flittered with excitement. ¡°Just wait until the fire nobles do their part¡ªOh, there they go now!¡±


    The soaring creatures above began manipulating the explosions and sparks of the fireworks, twisting them together and swirling them into a beautiful mix across the tapestry of the night. Each new booming shot was greeted with another color swelling underneath the stars before it wisped into the rest. The creature in the middle then received a signal from below, and its arms stretched out forward before spreading out side-to-side. Just as quickly as it did this, the painted ceiling of fire parted down the middle like an ocean being split in two.


    The hues and shapes lit up the eyes of the young four, smiles brimming on Jill and Alex¡¯s faces while Julian and Amy simply took in the beauty. The night sky reappearing as a column down the center of this chapel of colors somehow added to the splendor¡­ a calm middle in a sea of iridescent waves. Everything above had a chance to attract their gaze.


    Then the other creatures chimed in with their own contributions. A series of new fireworks blasted off to join them in their midst, but these were different. They were less aggressive compared to the rest and all colored a distinct white that was beset by the technicolor cascade behind them. It was time.


    ¡°Oh, here they come!¡± Amy¡¯s voice barely rose above the explosions as her tail flicked expectantly.


    ¡°That¡¯s them?¡± Jill locked her gaze straight onto the sparkling orbs. ¡°Gosh, finally!¡±


    At that moment, the creatures unleashed the white firework orbs and sent them flying to the crowds down below. Each one landed in front of a lucky group, and after a few seconds the sparks crackled and enveloped those people in a hollow sphere of light. Some of them made their way from above the city to the IronStar Corp. celebrations.


    ¡°Oh! There¡¯s one coming this way,¡± said Julian, pointing to the crackling orb which shot in their direction.


    The young four watched as the firework stopped itself just a few inches in front of them. The other three looked at Amy curiously, wondering how to activate it.


    Amy smiled with a knowing look and reached out, gently touching the sparkling ball of white flames, and suddenly the orb shot open. White light encircled and surrounded them until they were fully encapsulated. But that wasn¡¯t the best part¡ªNext, the light transformed into more colors, turning the bare white into various new hues and finally forming a moving picture. It was a recording surrounding them.


    Alex¡¯s was fully captivated. He hadn¡¯t ever seen something like this.


    A young woman, probably 20 years old and dawning a red-haired ponytail, slowly appeared. She was dressed in a bikini and poking at the screen of fire.


    Julian and Jill looked at each other confused. Odd choice of outfit for a message like this¡­


    Beyond her, the recording was showing a somewhat busy beach just beside a large, advanced city. Her face was scrunched as she figured out the recording. ¡°Is this darn thing on? Well, shoot¡­Oh, there we go!¡± She grinned with a satisfied look.


    Alex frowned. Had he seen her somewhere before, a long time ago?


    ¡°Hey there, whoever you are! Name¡¯s Melly, and¡ªOh, come over here Brecken!¡± She gestured to someone who poked out from below the recording device that made this video. He waved happily, evidently having checked out to make sure it was working.


    ¡°So that¡¯s us, glad to have a chance to send this message to y¡¯all on the Moon!¡± She wrapped an arm around her dark-skinned friend. ¡°We¡¯re doing well over here by Amon, sending some Planet Icaria pride!¡± She pointed to the large sun in the sky there, beating down on the sand. ¡°So cool that you¡¯re lettin¡¯ other places send messages this year! But anyways.¡± She turned and began guiding the floating recording device while Brecken followed. ¡°This is our home, Balnac City. One of the biggest tech centers in the star system and still goin¡¯ strong!¡±


    Julian cocked an eyebrow before recognition swept his face. ¡°Wait¡­Melly from Balnac! I remember seeing her on the news when the war ended!¡±


    Jill shushed him.


    Melly continued with a hop in her step, grabbing Brecken¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m sure you folks¡¯ve heard of the famous Flight Fountain here.¡± She pointed to a large, majestic fountain far down a busy road. The fact that they could see it from this distance showed just how vast its scale was. Beautiful sculptures of women were bowing to a large divine creature at the top of the vast water structure, and the sprays and jets were magically warped to make circles and elegant swirls of water streams that lead to the being.


    ¡°And of course, one of the big HQ¡¯s of Devlab Corp!¡± She looked at a giant building and rolled her eyes. ¡°Those guys¡¯ve taken over everywhere! But we just gotta keep pushing forward as hard as we can. Gotta keep going for that perfect future, right?¡± She stuck her tongue out at the camera. She and Brecken began slowing down though, the skip in their step fading.


    She sighed, a longing look crossing her face while her hand squeezed her boyfriend¡¯s tighter. ¡°¡­Everything¡¯s been crazy these last few years, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    He gave her a reassuring smile and bumped her shoulder with his playfully.


    ¡°Heheh, cut it out silly.¡± She looked back to the camera. ¡°Well¡­only thing you can do is pray for a greater future! It¡¯s always gotta get better.¡± She poked the camera and giggled. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to see you all there!¡±


    Both she and Brecken waved at the camera and the feed began to mix back into white, the bubble still encapsulating the four young ones.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Alex and the others were so captivated by the moment. They looked at each other and suddenly the realization set in. Only 10 years ago, they wouldn¡¯t have ever been able to meet like this. A group from four different planets.


    It might seem like a long time, but it suddenly felt much closer.


    Alex finally mustered some courage to say something to Amy. ¡°This place is amazing. I wish we could have these kinds of fireworks on my planet!¡±


    ¡°Aww, w-well it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Amy smiled shyly and peddled one foot on the ground. ¡°Just a way to stick together, that¡¯s what Dad says.¡±


    ¡°Heheh, we do that with sports at my place!¡± Jill said confidently and pounded her chest. ¡°Sotran¡¯s team never lets us down. Everybody¡¯s on the team or out of luck!¡±


    Julian rolled his eyes and prodded her teasingly. ¡°Well if I remember right, we won the championship last year!¡±


    ¡°Oh shush!¡± She shoved him back and they all started laughing as the orb of light surrounding them began to dissipate.


    Suddenly, down below in the middle of a conversation with Amy and Julian¡¯s families, Linda¡¯s eyes widened. Her head jerked in the direction of the young four.


    One of the towering robots lit up and looked over that way too.


    All the animals were next.


    In the middle of the ceiling of technicolor flares from the fireworks, sparks began to shoot in every direction. Flickers of light flashed on the ground around people and in the air. More and more with violent popping sounds.The sparks in the center began to intensify and all the people looked up in confusion, other than the four in their white bubble.


    A strange fiery shape formed and appeared to warp space and light around it. The fireworks were swirled and swallowed up by the tear in the sky while it grew bigger and bigger still. Soon it was wide enough that people started panicking below and backing away. This couldn¡¯t be part of the light show, right?


    And that¡¯s when it happened. Something stretched through, further, further. Whatever it was must have been trying to keep itself together, until it blasted out like a slingshot.


    The form became clear. It was an alien space ship.


    As it flew through the air, something was happening to the spacecraft; the surrounding matter seemed to react and tear apart before coming back together, which caused shock waves around the vessel. The four creatures that had been guiding the fireworks were pulled in towards the distorting effects of the ship before being flung back out just in time.


    The ship flew towards the ground and hit it hard, ricocheting back off. The dirt it collided with seemed to explode violently before being pulled back together. It went up in the air before the crashing spacecraft hit the ground again. It launched up toward the hill.


    And the young four were still laughing by that time. All of this happened so fast, the insulating sphere of light fading more and more. As the laughter faded, they heard something strange outside.


    More of the orb dissipated. Alex was the first to see. His face filled with shock and the others were very quick to follow. The orb faded all the way.


    The large spaceship was heading straight for them, ready to crash into the ground.


    Jill and Julian acted fast and grabbed the younger two by the hand. Alex and Amy were pulled away, running and then jumping in opposite directions to leap as far as they could from the craft. The companions dashed with them, with all the wild creatures on the hill dodging the incoming impact.


    As they threw themselves into the air, the ship hit the ground where they had been and the young four were pulled back towards the ship before they too were thrust back out. Dirt rained on them, and Julian and Jill covered the other two as best they could.


    The ship propelled itself through the trees behind them and made its final crash landing. The buzzing of the engines whirred a few more seconds before everything went silent.

 Encounters and Engagement

    Alex¡¯s eyes were closed shut. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was safe yet¡­but as the silence swallowed the hill, he couldn¡¯t resist the urge to open them. He peeked out with one, then the other as he took in the path of destruction from the spacecraft. Looking over to the other side of the dug-out crater between them, he coughed from the dust and called out.


    ¡°Hey, are you guys okay? Amy? Jill?¡±


    Nothing.


    ¡°You guys!¡± He called louder.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re okay!¡± Jill called through the dust cloud between them.


    ¡°How¡¯s Julian?¡± Amy chimed in.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Alex looked beside him and realized that Julian had been thrown a little from the warped space launching them.


    ¡°Y-yeah, I¡¯m good!¡± The spike-haired young man pulled his head from the shrub he had landed in. ¡°Just a ruined suit¡­¡±


    All of them got up and looked at each other over the cavity carved out from the impact. They turned to where the ship landed. What just happened?


    Jill stared for a few more seconds before reaching for her holo-phone. ¡°We should call this in.¡±


    Julian slipped himself into the indent in the ground and grabbed Alex, guiding them both over to where Amy and Jill were. ¡°Yeah¡­I don¡¯t even recognize where that ship could be from.¡±


    Amy had a look of worry as Alex got himself up out of the divot. She helped him get on his feet.


    Typing in the emergency number, Jill kept looking over to the crash site and then back to her phone. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like anything from my end of the system, either.¡±


    ¡°You think it could be¡­¡± Julian clearly didn¡¯t want to sound paranoid. But the ship was so¡­different. It was fully black and checkered with little cubes floating around the spots where it had broken apart, like it wasn¡¯t actually put together. Like it was morphed together instead. It seemed just big enough to fit a small crew or some cargo, perhaps.


    Scally and Aliya came over to their human counterparts and acted protective over them, staring at the landing sight. The younger two looked at each other and back at the ship. A strange feeling crept up their skin, and something was¡­encouraging them. A feeling¡­


    Alex swallowed and reached out to Amy¡¯s hand, who bit her lip before slowly reaching back for his.


    They could hear the older two still talking.


    ¡°I dunno. Maybe, but we shouldn¡¯t just reach conclusions. Probably something from the outskirts? Or maybe a new model they were testing.¡± Jill wasn¡¯t getting a connection.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a ship making dirt and air explode¡­.¡± Julian said while he got to her side. ¡°Like¡­the air is buzzing.¡± He shook of a shiver from his shoulders.


    ¡°Dang it, I¡¯m not getting through!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We can make our way down the hill and get help, probably not safe to¡­¡± Julian trailed off as he and Jill saw the younger two make their way over to the ship.


    ¡°H-HEY!¡± The older two made their way over to them. ¡°WHAT ARE¡­!¡± Jill lowered her voice. ¡°What are you guys doing, we¡¯ve got to get you back to your parents and take care of this. We can¡¯t just get closer to that thing!¡±


    Alex furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°I just¡­thought I felt something.¡±


    Julian was kneeling and inspecting them for bruises now. ¡°Felt something? Okay, look, I know you guys wanna make sure whoever''s in there is safe, but we need a professional to do it! Let¡¯s just get out and¡ª¡±


    He was cut off as cubes on the side of the ship morphed and opened up like a door. The four kids jumped and clamored for a hiding spot behind some bushes.


    Alex peeked between the leaves to see what exactly was coming out. None of them could contain their curiosity.


    Their inquisitiveness was swiftly answered. Out from the opening came an anthropomorphic robot, but strangely, this one didn¡¯t seem even close to any robot the four had ever seen before. It looked softer and gentler, unlike the giant ones or other anthropomorphic designs. This one was almost welcoming in a way that even the helper and aid-oriented models couldn¡¯t match.


    It looked their way.


    They all gasped and backed up as the robot got closer. But the gentle, pacifying feeling that surrounded it held them from running or taking defensive action. Its blue eyes scanned them over as it calmly stepped in front of the young four. All of them stared back, confused and nervous.


    The tall mechanical being tipped its head to the side as it absorbed whatever data it was gathering, almost as if expressing a curious and surprised emotion. The air was silent. Then it reached out with a welcoming arm towards them. The four flinched back a little more. The robot opened its hand up and out came a little blue-white orb of light from the palm. It looked expectantly at the young ones.


    Alex frowned and looked at the orb, then back to the robot¡¯s face. Was it¡­offering this?


    He wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it. What should he do? Well, he knew what he should do but¡­something inside told him to try. He reached his hand out slowly¡ª


    ¡°Hey!¡± said Julian in a shushed voice. He grabbed Alex¡¯s wrist carefully and shook his head at the younger kid.


    Alex almost responded when voices suddenly echoed from the opening of the ship. He and the others silent and looked at the entrance, not sure what to do.


    The robot looked to the opening and stood back up. With the young four staring on, it sauntered its way back to the ship and stood silently, waiting as four new figures emerged.


    Alex, Amy, Jill and Julian couldn¡¯t believe what they saw: one tall, broad-shouldered blackbird-like figure; a gelatinous blue organism in the shape of a more heavyset woman; another a tiny, pixie-like creature in a bright, bubbly shade of yellow, buzzing its wings around like a fairy; and an amorphous feline-like creature that kept changing shapes as it floated alongside the others. All of these beings were speaking in an unintelligible language.


    They really were aliens.


    The anthropomorphic blackbird caught the other¡¯s attention and snapped his fingers. Out came a deep voice. ¡°¡­Okay, local language testing¡­looks good.¡±


    The birdlike man took some steps forward to lead his group to the robot. As Alex watched his bare feet, he noticed something; with every step the birdman took, the ground beneath him seemed to shimmer and traces of glowing particles seemed to shift in and out between the foot and the ground. Like it was circulating the matter¡­


    It was strange. The air and space itself seemed to curve around the silhouettes of the four figures.


    ¡°Well, hopefully we can explain away the crash!¡± The little fairy¡¯s eyes were like dancing emerald pearls, flitting about to take in her surroundings. She scratched her beehive-styled blonde hair. ¡°Good golly, we made a mess. And what are you doing out here, anyway?¡± she exclaimed in her high bouncy voice and pointed to the mechanical biped with her other hand on her hip.


    The robot stared back at the crew with little chirps emanating from where its mouth might be.


    ¡°Hmm¡­we seem to be adjusting properly to the environment so far.¡± The gelatinous one leaned down to inspect a leaf. ¡°Matter interaction took a little getting used to though.¡±


    Before she could touch it, though, the floating cat slipped his face in front of her and gave a broad, sly smile. ¡°Ooh, but it gives a delicious buzz when you swing through it!¡±


    As he was pushed away by her, he seemed to hone in on something with his spinning eyes. ¡°Curious¡­Something does seem unstable, though.¡± He looked over to the others. ¡°I thought it was still a result of the intercosmic friction from the ship, but it¡¯s big, whatever it is. We¡¯ll want to inspect it.¡±


    The young four were just dumbfounded at this point. Aliens¡­four aliens stood in front of them, inspecting things with as much curiosity as young ones had watching them.


    Alex had never been deeper in a mix of delighted and anxious.


    The tall blackbird stopped in front of a pebble, picking it up before he beckoned his cohorts over to him. ¡°Wait before you start looking around. We should figure out the mechanics of this universe¡­¡± Holding up the pebble in the middle of his palm, surrounded by the other three aliens as they huddled around him, he lifted his other hand over the small rock and flinched his fingers.


    As the young four looked on, they bore witness to the strange creature tearing apart the matter of the rock. Both ends of the pebble split, and in between them, the individual particles spun around and seemed to react to whatever the alien was doing. The bare elements were warped and glowing, yet did they didn¡¯t explode as they should. It was fission and fusion at a speed that was unheard of.


    ¡°¡­Before we interact with it too much.¡± The black-feathered birdman continued. ¡°It seems similar to ours, with some essential differences. Much more heavy, yet excitable.¡±


    ¡°I agree. It probably has some affect on the local lifeforms.¡± The blue translucent woman beckoned one of the particles over. ¡°We should be prepared for matter-conductive species.¡±


    The little one buzzed over and landed on her bigger counterpart to watch the blue one pick apart the matter. As she held her chin in thought she slowly sunk into the jelly. ¡°Hmm¡­I bet they¡¯re on advanced stages, from what I can sense.¡±


    When she was knee-deep in the blue matter and was subsequently pulled out by her dragonfly wings by an annoyed blue hand, she looked to the others. ¡°So¡­what should we do about the little ones over there?¡±


    Crap.


    Alex and the others glanced to each other nervously and began to creep backward, prepared to dash at any second as needed. They had been there too long, distracted by the novel discovery in front of them. Now they were finally snapped back to reality, desperate to get out of there. Slowly they turned around. Maybe it was too late to run, but¡ª


    ¡°Elloooooo!¡± They were face to face with the little pixie. ¡°Now don¡¯t panic but¡ª"


    All four screamed and jumped back through the bushes and into the open. How did she¡ª!


    Then they realized they were exposed. They twisted around in fright, staring up to the other three aliens who looked back down at them.


    The young four gulped.


    ¡°Well, well.¡± The birdman kneeled down on one knee, inspecting them. ¡°Are you four okay?¡±


    None of them answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I know this is probably shocking to you. We had hoped to make contact with older iterations of your species, but why don¡¯t we take you back to the group of people down there?¡± He smiled, no doubt in an attempt to reassure them.


    The mention of the party down below, however, only heightened their panic. Julian slowly raised his finger behind his body. He sensed them there, and they felt hostile to the aliens, too.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I know you want to defend yourselves.¡± This alien seemed to be able to sense a lot. From behind him the cat creature raised an eyebrow, as if in anticipation.


    Julian stayed steady. Jill got ready to move the two kids.


    ¡°Now¡­let¡¯s just¡ª¡±


    Suddenly the older ones acted fast, grabbing Alex and Amy¡¯s hands and jumping back away from the four aliens. Julian flicked his wrist and suddenly the wild animals hiding in the forest leaped out in front of them, hissing and staring down the foreign creatures. Some of them fused together to make larger, stronger beasts.


    Even Scally and Aliya, as well as Julian¡¯s companions, joined in to defend the young four.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, okay?¡± cried Julian, his hand ready to command the wildlife.


    ¡°Just let us go and nobody needs to get hurt,¡± uttered Jill with a low threatening voice.


    ¡°Oh¡­extraordinary!¡± The cat creature¡¯s lazy eyes widened with curiosity. He drifted closer to them to inspect the animals. ¡°So, your species has formed some sort of connection with other life forms! And biological fusion¡­Now that¡¯s not something you see very often¡ª"


    With his eyes tensed, Julian flicked his wrist again and the animals struck out, leaping to the aliens.


    However, the foreign ones were ready and flicked their own wrists, causing most of the wildlife and companions to fly backwards. One creature opened its mouth and a furious beam of energy formed, gathering strength to get brighter and bigger before shooting directly at the cat creature¡ª


    And by raising one hand, the alien stopped the energy in its tracks. He smiled with a big, strange grin.


    The young four swallowed hard. Their hearts pounded, but now it felt like they could do nothing about it. They were helpless against these extraterrestrials, weren¡¯t they?


    ¡°And energy conductivity¡­These life forms are truly on another level than most!¡± The cat reigned in the energy and morphed it into different shapes with its paws, as if experimenting. ¡°Why¡­with enough help¡­¡± He glanced at the other aliens.


    The birdman raised his head, getting the message. He looked over to the humanoids. ¡°Now, let¡¯s try this again.¡± He walked close to them. ¡°We know this is frightening you. We understand you have no reason to trust us. But we want to help you, and we want to meet with your leaders to warn them.¡±


    The young ones looked at each other. Warn them?


    Alex licked his lips and tried to speak through his dry mouth. ¡°Why would you need to warn us?¡±


    The aliens shifted their gaze amongst themselves, then turned back.


    ¡°¡­We aren¡¯t the only ones coming from far away,¡± said the bird man.


    ¡°¡­More of you?¡± Julian chimed in.


    ¡°Well¡­not exactly us.¡± The fairy flew close with her wings, flicking her scorpion-like tail. ¡°More like¡­well, this guy!¡± She pointed to the robot who had been watching the whole time. ¡°But different. A lot more scary!¡± The bug-girl raised her hands over her head and made an exaggerated angry face.


    ¡°Robots?¡± asked Jill. ¡°Why would they be coming? And why should we believe any of this?¡± She got on her feet cautiously. ¡°We¡¯re not going to bring a bunch of¡­Well, we¡¯re not going to bring you guys over to anyone, unless you give us a good reason.¡±


    Although it was risky, Alex could tell that she wanted to see if she could prod their nature out by threatening to not show the aliens their ¡°leaders.¡± If they reacted harshly¡­


    ¡°Then we should just get you to safety,¡± said the birdman. ¡°We have no idea how dangerous it could be here right now, with you staying around us for too long.¡± He looked to the opening on the hill. ¡°You head out and we will look for answers on our own.¡±


    The young four frowned. That was too easy.


    Jill wasn¡¯t buying it. ¡°C-come on, you¡¯re serious? Just a second ago you were saying how important this thing is.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re right.¡± The big blue one stepped forward. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be wrapped up in all this. It¡¯s best for us to find someone better suited to establish contact with leadership.¡± She was still focused on the leaf in her hand, willing it into the air to spin it around. ¡°This is an important mission that could help save the life forms of this universe.¡± She looked up at Jill and raised her eyebrows. ¡°The best thing for you four is to stay safe.¡±


    Jill tilted her head down while keeping eye contact. It wasn¡¯t clear if they could believe what they were being told, but they should get a move on, anyway. There wasn¡¯t much else they could do.


    ¡°¡­Come on.¡± She reached for Amy¡¯s hand while Julian gestured to Alex with a look. The young four turned, ready to go back to their families, taking one last look at the four creatures. All eight of them staring at each other.


    Suddenly the aliens¡¯ eyes widened and they turned toward the hill.


    A spark snapped in the air, exactly where the foreigners were looking.


    Each of them walked with urgency toward the spot and stared at where it fizzed out, their faces in shock.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    They looked beyond the spot to the open hilltop.


    Alex and the others were taken aback. What was happening? Why were they reacting this way? They turned back to the aliens.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Jill.


    The blue alien turned with confusion. ¡°You didn¡¯t see that?¡±


    ¡°See what? The spark? That happens all the time.¡±


    The aliens looked at each other.


    ¡°Things just got much more curious¡­¡± The cat alien floated forward to the open spot.


    The birdman responded to the confusion of the young four. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be normal. That¡¯s not just any spark. We may be dealing with some dimensional friction¡ª¡±


    ¡°Woah woah, what?¡± Julian shook his head. ¡°Dimensions? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± said the little fairy alien. ¡°We¡¯re dealing with unstable space and time, there¡¯s something crazy going on!¡±


    ¡°Er, speaking of which, come over here!¡± The floating feline gestured to the others. ¡°I may have found the source of the problem!¡±


    The other aliens reacted swiftly and dashed to the hilltop, sifting through the branches and breaking their way into the open¡ª


    And each of them grew a look of horror.


    ¡°¡­Get the young ones to safety.¡± The birdman looked at the humanoids, who crept up to see what the aliens were looking at.


    It was the white-lit dome of energy down below.


    ¡°Wait wait wait¡­what¡¯s wrong?¡± Julian pulled back when the fairy reached her hand out. ¡°Are you freaking out about the Light Dome, there?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, you¡¯ve seen that thing before?¡± The blonde alien buzzed in front of his face. ¡°Now that¡¯s what we were worried about! A little pocket dimension that¡¯s just waiting to burst!¡± She flung her hands out and made a little fireball in the air to demonstrate her point. ¡°That is not normal!¡± The little one pointed to the Light Dome.


    Alex was getting confused. ¡°But those things are all over the place! We¡¯ve had them around forever!¡±


    Amy¡¯s reaction was the most confounded. A pocket dimension¡­? The ecological temple that her family prayed to?


    The birdman turned himself completely around to them. ¡°Are you serious? They¡¯re everywhere?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they started popping up hundreds of millions of years ago!¡± Alex glanced at the Light Dome below. ¡°We were told in school that they created life¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªWell, that¡¯s the theory anyways.¡± Jill looked at the confusion spreading over the alien¡¯s faces. ¡°What do you think they are? Beyond pocket dimensions, I mean.¡±


    The blue alien paused before answering. ¡°¡­Light Domes like that occur when a pocket dimension gets close to flooding into the larger universe it resides within, but it shouldn¡¯t take millions of years or more to do it. They should have inflated larger and larger until the theoretical dam breaks, and all the matter from within would just¡­pour out.¡± She looked at the Light Dome. ¡°And it would likely destroy everything. At least, everything within a one-fourth light-year radius.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like decay!¡± The feline hovered above them, looking over the blue one¡¯s shoulder. ¡°A small dimension rubs against the bigger one, goes pop, and then we all get a violent explosion of entropy. But the fact that it¡¯s somehow stable like this is crazier than Ludwana¡¯s appetite.¡± He glanced at the tiny fairy who stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°There¡¯s only one reason they might be like this, but on such a scale¡­¡± He rubbed his chin, trying to calculate the possibilities.


    This was all swiftly flying over the young four¡¯s heads. Amy stepped forward.


    ¡°¡­S-some people here think that gods live in them.¡± She glanced among the four alien creatures. ¡°We worship them. Is it possible that there¡¯s something inside?¡±


    The aliens glanced at each other and back to the little girl.


    The birdman kneeled down again. ¡°Well¡­¡± He looked to the floating cat creature, then back to them. ¡°If Fann is right, then I think there is someone in each of them.¡±


    ¡°Someone?¡± Alex tilted his head.


    ¡°Someone like us,¡± Fann said mid-thought.


    BANG!


    A burst of energy shot through the opening at them, causing the four young ones to turn swiftly towards the light and sound of the beam. Their eyes flashed with horror, then confusion, as the beam was frozen much like the one from the wildlife had been before.


    The aliens had moved into swift action. Fann and the blue alien had swiftly shielded the four young ones.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t take long to¡­argh! Find us!¡± The birdman had thrust his arms out and was pushing the beam back with the others. ¡°Ludwana, the ship!¡±


    ¡°Aye aye, captain!¡± said the little one, making a salute before she snapped her fingers at the ship.


    The craft shifted and slowly lifted into the air. As Alex and the others watched, it appeared to invert on itself and twist to aim towards the group of eight.


    The alien robot jumped into the air and entered inside as the flank of the ship opened up an entrance like before. Then the spacecraft sifted its way through the trees, the strange black metal substance simply breaking up around them like streams of water before reconnecting after each rock, branch and stump. It shot towards the group, and before the young four could fully understand what had happened, it enveloped them and they were suddenly inside the cockpit.


    The feline slipped into the cockpit chair and waived his hands over the strange marking on the glowing panels. ¡°Alright, little ones! Let¡¯s get you all to safety!¡±


    ¡°W-wait!¡± Alex and the other three were so confused. Everything was going too fast! ¡°What¡¯s happening, who shot at us?!?¡±


    Julian¡¯s eye caught a stream of electricity out the window and he jerked his head to see the birdman still outside, shifting his arms vertically to split the beam of energy in two. He followed the stream of light to the source and his breath caught in his throat. It was one of the colossal Defender units.


    ¡°I take it you¡¯re associated with them,¡± said the blue alien.


    Julian turned to her in confusion. His mind, like the others, was thrown deeply into a rising tower of questions.


    She sighed in response as the young four buckled a little. The ship was taking off. ¡°It¡¯s not unexpected, but they aren¡¯t your technology.¡±


    Jill thrust herself back up on her legs and turned indignantly to the alien. ¡°Wait a minute! You can¡¯t just take us off like this, they¡¯re after you! Not us!¡± The more she listened, the less she bought this story. ¡°You¡¯re talking about the Defenders? Those things are around to fight anybody who causes severe trouble! And I can guess that you¡¯d qualify!¡± She stomped her way to the big blue one.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense though¡­¡± Julian shook his head to himself. ¡°They aren¡¯t supposed to attack unless they¡¯re provoked!¡± He looked to the aliens. ¡°Maybe the crash landing¡­B-but still! The Defenders are reactionary, they aren¡¯t supposed to get violent like this, especially that much!¡±


    The spacecraft shot into the air to escape its pursuer. The birdman bent his legs and sprung forward to the enemy.


    ¡°Uhm, they¡¯re kidnapping us! Hellooo?¡± Jill threw her arms up. ¡°I think they have a reason to get a little aggressive!¡±


    ¡°T-then why are they shooting at us?¡± mumbled Amy. ¡°They aren¡¯t supposed to fire at civilians¡­¡±


    Jill was taken aback. On the one hand, she knew they were right. These steel behemoths didn¡¯t just fire at anyone, and certainly not without severe provocation. But on the other, they were being scooped up and whisked away by aliens! The four of them didn¡¯t even know if the aliens had done something else before this! She was drowning in information like they all were, but there was more than just some room for doubt in anything the aliens said.


    ¡°We¡¯re dropping you off with your kind,¡± said the blue alien to Jill. ¡°You¡¯re right, it¡¯s safer for you to be with them right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll take care of the big guys!¡± said Ludwana from her control panel beside Fann. She waved her hand, and the sound of a laser shot came from outside, zipping across the span of the window.


    Ignoring their wary reactions, the blue alien raised an arm. ¡°Make sure to keep them safe as best as you can. Tell them to keep making their way to shelter.¡±


    Flicking one finger, she caused the floor around Alex and the others to shift and envelope them in an orb. All of them gasped and huddled together, not knowing what was going to happen.


    Fann turned his head and smiled before the orb closed around them completely. ¡°We¡¯ll see you around!¡±


    Suddenly they felt the sensation of an elevator quickly dropping from a skyscraper¡¯s highest floor. The orb became transparent, as if it could tell they were freaking out. As light and visibility flowed into their confined transport, the young four registered their surroundings and froze in place. The mountain-sized Defender stood staring intently at the birdman and space ship, unleashing a wave of smaller minion bots that tangled and fought with the foreigners. But even that paled in comparison to the next intake; 2 more Defenders flew in the direction of the fight, their grim shadows casting down from the already-darkened night sky.


    Alex and Amy had no idea what was happening. This wasn¡¯t what they had seen in videos of the Defenders in action. And when did they have minion bots like that? What was happening?


    ¡°This is really weird. I know they might have been updated, but I thought most of these things were going to be stored for emergencies only, over the next few years!¡± Julian was as confused as they were. ¡°What the heck are they doing?¡±


    Jill shot a bewildered look at the others. A part of her didn¡¯t understand why they were so attached to the safety of these aliens. The creatures had thrust them into their ship; no one had any idea what they were planning. Sure, the creatures hadn¡¯t done anything to harm the four of them, but it was still too early to tell whether the foreigners were trustworthy!


    And yet¡­


    A part of her agreed that this level of reaction was too much. The way these robots were attacking the four newcomers was needlessly violent at best and crisis-inducing at worst. What would happen if any of these aliens were badly hurt or killed? Would the star system be thrown into a war, subjected to revenge and overwhelming attacks?


    One Defender ordered its smaller army to unleash a thousand beams of energy upon the bird man and the space ship behind him, both of which scattered the energy and shot the beams right back.


    At the very least, she agreed with the other three that the Defenders were going too far.


    ***


    Inside the ship, the three aliens continued to guide their craft out of harm¡¯s way. A beam shot straight towards them and Fann flicked his paw to pull out one of their tricks.


    ¡°They¡¯re certainly feisty this time!¡± He growled excitedly while the ship split into two pieces. The beam shot right by his head, through the gaping rift, and he looked back at the others. ¡°Keep an eye on the humanoids below, we¡¯re in for a bumpy ride!¡±


    ¡°There must be a reason that they¡¯re this cocky.¡± The blue alien sat at one of the holographic screens that fed data about the giant robots. Running her fingers along the surface, she looked for useful information as they scanned their foes. ¡°Two more incoming, and they¡¯ve definitely been here for at least a decade!¡±


    ¡°Hit me with more info, Bel!¡± Ludwana¡¯s little wings twitched in concentration. ¡°We talking full-force or just assimilated baddies? I really can¡¯t tell at this point!¡±


    ¡°Assimilated¡­but you¡¯re right, their power is extraordinary.¡± Bel watched the little fairy struggle to keep the rays of energy from hitting the ship, or them, dead on. One of the laser shots that missed arced back towards them.


    Fann thrust his arm forward and the ship dodged sharply, spinning off to the side. ¡°I¡¯d wager they¡¯ve already started finding what they want, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t be so hostile if they hadn¡¯t!¡± Bel rubbed her chin in thought, looking through the data at light speed. ¡°I might need to help Gell out there.¡±


    She took a few steps towards the side of the ship, relaxed her body, and suddenly thrust forward and shifted through the black element into the night sky.


    ¡°Just in time!¡± Gell was locked in a duel with dozens of the Defender minion-bots before snapping his hands closed and crushing their heads. ¡°I think more are on the way!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still worried about the big one!¡± Bel bodied her way through the chests of a battalion that was creeping up on Gell from behind before taking a quick look at the seemingly empty sky. ¡°It¡¯s just watching¡­I know you don¡¯t want to do it before we explain it to the mortals, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°If it comes, it comes! We¡¯re going to do what we can without resorting to that yet.¡± Gell pounded his way through a field of minion bots before being shoved far back by the Defender that was unleashing them. He winced at the gash on his cheek that slowly healed and regenerated. ¡°Ugh¡­how are the young ones?¡±


    ¡°On their way back down to the others. The four of them are more than a little confused.¡± With a slash of her arm, the giant robot menace in front of them was split in half before the cross sections were desintegrated.


    ¡°Heh¡­I bet!¡± The bird man shot himself forward towards the next enemy battalion, staring for a moment at the debris falling towards the ground as it desintigrated. The glow of the Light Dome below shimmered in his eye. ¡°That makes the both of us.¡±


    They split and shattered and pummeled their way through the barrage of minion bots and two of the Defenders, finally getting some momentum on their side as the ship behind them broke past the metal armies as well.


    The towering mechanical forces would have to turn the tide if they wanted to win at this point. A newly joining group came in from behind, pursuing them closely. They readied their cannons to draw the foreigners¡¯ attention¡­


    ***


    The bubble containing the young four safely made its way closer to the ground, but not without some shocks and reverberations from the nearby air-skirmish. All of them watched with worry, but Alex was especially nervous about how this would turn out.


    He wanted to help. He didn¡¯t know how, but he wanted to do something. This was the first time that extraterrestrial life had been discovered, and even if they did turn out to be enemies, the only shot at truly knowing more about their origin would be to somehow subdue and capture them. Yet the Defenders were shooting to kill.


    Another laser shot nearly engulfed Gell, but the birdman narrowly evaded the energy blast. Surprisingly to Alex, even after the shot was well past Gell, he took the effort to dissipate the energy and transform it into glittering dust particles before it hit the ground.


    Without even having time to think about how that was possible, he was already thinking on why the bird man would do that. The young boy looked towards where the shot would have landed and saw a herd of wildlife dashing away, seeking cover.


    Was he¡­saving them?


    Suddenly another shockwave hit the bubble, and they all trembled from the turbulence.


    ¡°Jeez, they don¡¯t play gentle!¡± Jill shook her head. She looked behind to see that they were almost at the field in front of the building where their parents were. Without wasting time, she caught the other¡¯s attention. ¡°Okay, I dunno how this thing works but get ready to run if it bursts. We¡¯re going straight to the crowd and sticking together, okay?¡±


    ¡°S-should we really be near other people after being so close to them?¡± asked Amy. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re good or what they¡¯re planning, but either way we might want to keep away from everyone else for now, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about germs or something?¡± asked Julian while keeping his eye on the fight.


    Another beam was torn to shreds, this time by the spaceship.


    ¡°I mean¡­it¡¯s possible they were carrying something, even if they had good intentions¡­¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, we¡¯ll get near them but stay far enough away.¡± Jill patted Amy on the shoulder, mustering a smile to help calm the younger girl. She knew they were all confused and at least a little scared, and the best thing was now to focus on a plan. Her smile gave way to a more serious look as she stared down at the crowd rushing into the building. ¡°We¡¯re still gonna tell them what happened though.¡±


    ¡°Did you try your phone again?¡± asked Alex while comforting Scally. The four creatures inside the descending spherical capsule were all acting aggressively towards the lopsided dogfight overhead. They kept hissing and barking at the spaceship and the two aliens outside, but Alex could swear that Scally was occasionally howling at one of the Defenders, in the same way that she did with the foreign beings.


    ¡°Easy girl¡­don¡¯t worry!¡± He soothed her and raised his hand, using his healing ability to calm the wandermouse.


    Jill fumbled with her phone. ¡°Dang it, still no signal¡­oh! I got¡ª¡±


    BOOM!


    A thunderous noise crackled through the air, and the shock wave rendered all the occupants of the capsule to their hands and feet. It shook the land below. The whole crowd was knocked off balance, and the building shook around them.


    Alex was shellshocked. They all were. Slowly he looked up past the ringing in his ears to see the nearby mountain blown to pieces. His eyes went wide. He looked for the source of the assault¡­


    One of the Defenders had its arm outstretched. The barrel in its wrist had the faint hint of light from the beam that had emerged from it.


    The only problem was that it was facing towards the capsule, not the mountain.


    ¡°¡­WHAT THE HELL!¡± screamed Jill. ¡°These things are going haywire, it almost killed us!¡±


    The remnants of light in the air faded, leaving the impression of a U-turn on their eyes that headed straight to the giant dust cloud and flying debris. It was obvious to them where the path would¡¯ve led had it not aggressively changed course. And right behind the four of them was the crowd below.


    Gell was in front of them, right where the direction of energy blast had been warped and bent. He lowered his hand and turned to meet their eyes for a single moment.


    Alex wasn¡¯t sure, but it felt like there was the slightest hint of confusion on his face too.


    The birdman turned back to the fight, hurling himself towards the defender and punching through the armored chest of the behemoth to send it flying into another.


    The young four¡¯s transportation bubble slowly, finally made its way to the ground and dispersed itself. It felt like no time for them, though. They felt cornered from this whole mess with almost no time to think, to take it in.


    Amy was shaking. Jill and Julian took notice and tried to comfort her, even though they were lost for words.


    Alex had gotten in front of them, like he wanted to be a shield. Everything was numb.


    Suddenly, they didn¡¯t feel safe anymore.


    ¡°¡­ALEX! KIDS!¡±


    He turned around, hearing his name. There she was, at the head of the crowd, a few dozen feet away. ¡°M-mom¡­?¡±


    A blast came from behind them.


    ***


    ¡°What in the bumfairy was that about!¡± Ludwana looked at the others in disbelief. ¡°I mean, I know they¡¯re already acting bold, but this is just nuts!¡±


    Fann watched the bubble land through the walls of the ship. ¡°Strange things indeed¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Gell put his wrists together in an X formation before breaking it with some effort, sending a shockwave that tore another Defender into microscopic pieces. ¡°The most important thing right now is to break these guys and get to that rift!¡±


    Bel swept her hand in the air and the line of Defenders coalescing around her were shredded into bare matter. ¡°It¡¯s been relatively stable this whole time. I admit it¡¯s a bit hard to multitask¡­Hmmph!¡± She levitated the giant chunks of falling mountain all the way towards them at near-light speed, then with a strange gesture caused them all to explode like nuclear bombs as they hit the flying fleet of robots. ¡°But I¡¯ve only sensed a tremor or two, nothing that¡¯s going to set it off!¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± said Fann. ¡°But with all the excitement going on around here, we have no idea if that¡¯s going to last, now do we?¡±


    Ludwana turned and pouted at the cat. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m being as careful as I can! You couldn¡¯t be more in-control than me if you¡ªwoah!¡± One of the beams she shot out flew at the Defender, and in a surprise move it deflected the blast much like Gell had. It flew back towards the people below, but the sprite collected herself quickly. ¡°Ohhh no you don¡¯t!¡±


    She reached out with her hand and clenched a tight fist, making a pulling motion that turned the blast right back at the defender and blew it up from the side.


    Wiping her forehead and heaving out a sigh, the sprite went straight back to work fighting off the rest in her range. ¡°Phew! These things are getting antsy!¡±


    Gell stared down at the crowd 10,000 feet beneath them. Their faces were full of horror and confusion, not just from the narrow miss of the beam slicing a hundred feet above their heads, but from the fact that the Defender had deflected the shot in their direction.


    ¡°We need to stop this now.¡± Gell guided the creatures safely from the remains of the mountain, gently landing them down as far away as possible while Bel defended him. ¡°I¡¯m getting concerned about the local lifeforms.¡±


    ¡°But what are we going to¡ª¡± Bel paused.


    They all looked at once.


    ¡°What in the¡­! Now where are you going?¡± Fann shouted.


    Yet before they could do something about it, the Defenders launched another offensive round.


    ***


    Alex saw it first.


    Everyone was getting up on their feet again after dropping to the ground to escape the blast, as good as it might have done them.


    ¡°Amy! C-come over here, we need to run!¡± The young girl¡¯s mom struggled to get up on her legs. The rest of the crowd around the young four and their families were staggering away from the danger.


    Amy was covering her head, still too scared to move at the moment. She slowly took in her mom¡¯s voice and peeked up. ¡°Mom? I-is Dad okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, honey! Don¡¯t worry¡ª¡±


    Bang!


    Another blast overhead.


    ¡°Jillian, you get your butt over here!¡± Jill¡¯s parents began stomping over to retrieve their child, her younger brother in tow.


    ¡°W-wait! Not yet!¡± Jill raised her hands to signal them to stop, remembering Amy¡¯s warning. ¡°We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s safe, just stay a bit away from us for now!¡±


    ¡°What do you¡ª¡± Her mother stopped.


    Amy had already noticed too. She and Alex were watching it descend.


    Jill and Julian turned around. They saw it up in the sky, floating down with grace until it landed just a few feet in front of the four of them.


    It was the robot from before, the one that came with those four beings.


    Alex and Amy shakily got up as it approached them, the calming presence lending them some strength again. The two of them felt nervous, but they felt like it was here for a good reason.


    Jill and Julian got up to stand by their sides, feeling more protective of the younger two than ever. Still, they couldn¡¯t say why exactly, but they didn¡¯t get the impression it was here to fight.


    The robot kneeled down on one knee, much like before. It stared peacefully at all of them, extending its hand.


    Linda stared at it blankly, then her expression softened. She looked between the robot and her son.


    The other family members were more concerned.


    ¡°W-what is that thing?¡±


    ¡°Julian, get those kids over here now!¡±


    ¡°Sis, stop screwing around!¡±


    Yet the four were staring expectantly at the robot. For this moment, everything else felt like it was drowned out. They all wanted one thing right now.


    The glowing ball of blue energy appeared once more in the palm of the mechanical being.


    Jill bit her lip. Julian stayed silent, not sure what to do.


    Amy and Alex looked at each other, though. They could both feel it. She looked nervous, and he felt it inside. But they turned back to the robot¡¯s outstretched arm, each lifting their own¡ª


    ¡°Alex??¡±


    The boy turned around to his mom. Linda stared back, like she was going to say no, like she was going to tell him to ¡°get over here¡± and let it be.


    He expected her to tell him to stay safe and go by her side.


    For a single moment, she was likely going to. She furrowed her brows and took a breath, ready to speak.


    But it caught in her throat as she saw the look on his face.


    It was that same look from a year ago. That look that he always gave when he felt like he needed to do something. It caught her off guard. She couldn¡¯t say it.


    All those years to stay safe.


    She closed her mouth and lowered her chin, still keeping eye contact.


    Alex blinked, not expecting that at all. But another explosion sounded from overhead. He looked back at Amy, who returned the stare. She was still shaking a little, but they both knew they had to do it.


    They just wanted to keep everyone safe.


    Both of them reached out and grabbed the glowing orb.