Chapter 37

This is it – the climax pinnacle!

###

The Emperor had tensed for the fatal plunge, but then suddenly swayed, appeared physically distressed, and groaned loudly. Opening telepathically, Den-neer sensed a mysterious pain wash through the man.

'What?'

But there was no time for hesitation. Ztar must die. If Den-neer was required to act, that time had arrived. Then Ztar cried out Archangel's name, and a look of determination filled the strong features that said Den-neer need not need act after all. Odd relief ran through the assassin.

As the ruler was about to sacrifice himself, Den-neer's AI ship screamed in his mind through their neuro connection.

/ Den-neer! Stop Ztar! Do not allow him to die! /

He was stunned. / What? /

/ Phai's direct orders. Stop Ztar! /

###

Powerful muscles flexed toward his chest to drive the blade into its target. Incredibly, the dagger was ripped by invisible hands to hurl feet away and clatter to the stone floor.

'Huh?! Who? How?'

Ztar jumped to his feet, body already shimmering with reflex-ignited bio-energy. His mind leaped into action, as well, seeking the telekinetic he knew was the only explanation. "Who's there?! What are you doing?" Telepathic senses registered something, but only faintly. Psy-dampener? No, not that he could detect. What then? He searched fanatically for the intruder and the dagger. "You don't know what you've done!" he shouted at the unseen perpetrator.

###

/ You are certain it is Phai's order? Not a trick? If this is a Dark One's ruse, then we could destroy everything! /

/ I am in contact with Uulophar. She has transmitted Phai's authentication code. I do not believe this is a trick. /

/ Find out why Ztar is to live and find out now! /

The Emperor remained vulnerable…Den-neer could still kill him if he must. He watched the man snatch up the dagger in determined desperation and bring it to his bare chest once again. Den-neer had to make a decision and perhaps the very fate of a galaxy lie within his choice. He stepped out of the shadows.

"Emperor, you must live by the orders of Phai, Elder of Elders of the Shozen Council. Do not harm yourself!" The Turzent did not look convinced. / Star's Way, I need information…! /

"Something is wrong with Archangel! I must die or all is lost!" Ztar shook his head in denial and determination, black crimson hair flying in a timely gust of wind. "Phai was clear. There is no other way!" The blade was precariously close to making its deadly strike.

/ Star's Way! /

Den-neer snared the dagger with a telekinetic thread, but did not take it from the Emperor. Ztar needed to believe he was to live and only then would he calm. A hand left the dagger, and the Shozen operative barely erected a telekinetic shield as a blast sent him flying backward several feet. Every nerve in his body registered how very close he'd come to not being fast enough. Struggling to maintain the mental bead around dagger, he righted himself non-threateningly on knees and strengthened shields.

Information began flowing from the ship. A relieved sigh escaped his lips, but he still must to convince a very determined martyr. He gazed up at the monarch.

"Archangel is safe, Emperor. So is the Esha'Aru he travels with. U'larr technology has severed Archangel's attachment to you. That is what you felt – not his dying. I'm in communication with Elder Phai at this very moment. She is with Archangel. They are nearly ready to reseal the portal and stop the Dark Coming. Your death would be meaningless."

###

Ztar tightened his grip on the blade handle, weighing the intruder's words against what he was feeling. The pain that had gripped him moments earlier had completed evaporated, and the void inside was diminishing. The sensation was nothing like when Archangel had left Sat'rey – and that wasn't even death, only separation. Nor did it feel like Neu or the man's near death from the WQ virus. Was the intruder speaking truth?

"Archangel is alive and well?"

"He is, but still faces a monumental task. There are risks; I will not lie. If he and the others fail, his death will be but the first of trillions."

"They must activate the ancient U'larr technology – the device that maintains the barrier between dimensions." A dip of the head by the intruder acknowledged the correctness of his statement. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"Den-neer. I am Phai's…assistant. She sent me to ensure you did what needed to be done." Ztar gave the 'assistant' a narrowed-eyed look. "We had to be certain – the existence of our galaxy hinged in part on your death."

"Which you just stopped."

"She did not know the Nexus Sentinel could sever a soulbinding, especially one that should not have been possible in the first place."

Ztar smirked wryly. "Archangel and I defied many rules."

"That you have – both jointly and severally. Two unique individuals with unique, galaxy-saving destinies."

Ztar's smirk morphed to a wary frown. "You could still be an Eilu operative. Nothing you've said convinces me that this is not a trick or that you speak for Phai."

###

Phai's foresight once again would make all the difference. Slowly rising to his feet, Den-neer repeated what Star's Way had relayed.

"In the words of the Elder of Elders, 'As your cherished lover sacrificed himself for his world, I know you would gladly for your people and for peoples you do not yet know…but that time is not now, my Chosen.'"

Recognition and relief swept across the handsome Turzent features as the dagger lowered. The man's stance moved from would-be martyr to that of an imperial ruler. Den-neer released the tension in his body.

###

Realization truly hit Ztar of the astronomical odds that he and Archangel ended up together – two people who would later be keys to saving the Mi-Tzanti Galaxy. Fate...life was truly amazing. And Ztar would fight to the death to protect it.

"What happens next?"

"Now that Archangel and his mate are soulbound, the Sentinel has allowed them within Etxan'Ir, one of three Nexus machines, to reinforce the barrier. The Call will be issued at any moment."

"And that is when my people need to offer up their lifeforce."

"Yes, Emperor. The Nexus will take what it needs from all those willing to give."

"When the signal comes, no recording will speak for me. I will address my people personally. I will be with them during the lifeforce giving. And I will give all that I have, as well."

The would-be assassin studied him for several moments. With a cock of a head, the intruder spoke.

"When Phai first championed you, the other Elders were leery and unconvinced. They said you were wild and unpredictable. Too much anger. Too much bloodlust. But she saw something in you the others did not. 'He will be a great leader one day,' she once told me. Elder Phai was correct."

A jumble of surprise, pride, remorse, humility swept by in quick succession for he knew Phai had been overly optimistic.

"My history gave me the drive to forge an empire, but Archangel taught me that compassion is what holds it together. If not for him, your Phai would have been proven wrong in the end."

"Then we must all be grateful you found Archangel."

Ztar smiled fully at that. "And that he saved my soul. Now let's save the galaxy."

###

The pavilion came into view as Jharda rounded the last pathway turn. Visions of Ztar lying in a pool of blood were more than she could bear. Tears flew off her face as she pushed herself the last long, endless distance.

Then she saw a dark figure with its back to her standing in the pavilion. Ztar? Was she not too late?! The next instant brought recognition that it was not Ztar – the body too thin. Who? She caught enough breath to cry out Ztar's name.

The stranger turned and stepped aside to reveal what had been obscured. Ztar! Standing! Alive!

Momentum alone carried her those final paces as she ran headlong into her lover's arms, burying her face in his broad, strong chest. His heart beat. His breath. Alive. So very much alive! Sobbing. Clutching. Nearly collapsing. She held on for dear life. Precious, sweet life. His arms enfolded her, and she felt a kiss on her head.

She caught herself and pulled up taut to turn toward the stranger. "You cannot have him!" She was ready to defend her mate to the last breath. "Find another way to free Archangel!"

The stranger smiled, but the expression inexplicably sent chills down her spine.

Ztar's hand turned her face back and up toward his. "My fierce Jharda, there was another way and it is done. Archangel is free. I won't leave you," he said with a stroke on her cheek. "I am so very, very sorry I put you through this."

She stared into the remorse-filled depths of the deep brown eyes. "You- You don't have to…" She couldn't say the word.

"No, my love. We can live to see each other grow old and our child grow to manhood."

In contrast, his spreading smile was like the sun, and her heart burst with joy. When his lips came down upon hers, she eagerly took them. What she nearly lost! When the kiss ended, all she could do was hug his warm body close. Except for one little thing.

"Womanhood, my husband-to-be, womanhood."

The vibration of his chuckle against her cheek was the most wonderful sensation in the universe.

###

He heard it in his mind from a nameless source as Phai had foretold. The call for Aru had come as Den-neer, Jharda, and he had been leaving the pavilion. The end of time was upon the Mi-Tzanti Galaxy. They had raced back to the palace and the lower level security area.

Ztar nervously faced the holo-comm in the communication center of the palace. If he failed in rallying his people, the future died. Trillions upon countless trillion of lives would be snuffed out with nothing remaining to prove they had even existed. The weight was enormous. He felt nauseous. Jharda stood at his side, gripping his hand so tightly he felt even his nearly unbreakable bones may give way. He looked first into her eyes, and then together they looked down to her swollen belly. Her trembling hand rubbed over the precious bulge. For their child…for all the children of the galaxy…they had to succeed.

Military Intelligence had cleared all civil and military channels and activated the Turzent emergency comm system. Every communication device in the empire would automatically and simultaneously alert its citizens of the urgent message. One and only one signal would fill the vast imperial comnet – Ztar's Emergency Address to the Realm would be sent live and then repeated until the halt command issued.

Taking a deep breath, Ztar opened his mouth.

Swear words in Security Chief Lar's native tongue cut Ztar off. The man's hands were flying over comm controls. Ztar watched a visual display in front of the officer as a holographic representation of the interstellar communication network popped up. To his horror, relay station idents were winking out one by one until the network collapsed from loss of key hubs.

"My Emperor, we've lost the comnet!"

"Get it back online!"

Lar swung toward his emperor. "Sir, you don't understand. It appears the entire network is down – I can't contact anyone outside the star system!"

Ztar's heart froze. "By the Gods, what do we do now!?"

###

All across the Turzent Empire, holo-conferences, business transactions, automated data exchanges, in and outbound ship comms, and messages to loved ones – any manner of communication that needed to pass between sectors stalled. Commerce ground to a halt as access to the vast Imperial financial network collapsed.

At first, there were perplexed looks, confusion over what could have happened. Was it their own comm device, regional, or something more?

###

Comm systems of the major realms throughout the Trient went abruptly silent. Eilu handiwork. The news came as no surprise to Phai – they had expected the attack.

/ Activate our network, / was her simple telepathic command. Within moments, what they'd spent decades developing would be another key to the galaxy's salvation. Shozen relay stations hidden at strategic points throughout the Trient woke. Those would fill the signal gaps left by off-line relay stations and network cluster and booster hubs. Next, undetectable subroutines woke within the remaining comnet buoys and stations so that they recognized the new signal as their own.

The Eilu were intelligent – they would have known the Shozen had backup communications systems. Phai prayed to Ozshi'wanae that those devices had not been located by the enemy.

Soon, the wonder that is subspace was once again filled with comm noise as the vast and complex communication networks of the four major realms of Trient'Ir reawakened. Phai sighed heavily in tentative relief when Uulophar informed her that the network was functional.

However, time was not on their side. With activation, their stealth system became detectable. The messages to offer up lifeforce had to be sent and received by as many sentient beings as quickly as possible before the Eilu could react.

/ Rebroadcast the signal – make certain our messengers send their pleas! /

So many needed to make the grand plan work. So many beings that must hear and heed the plea. And still, the question lingered…would it all be enough?

###

Taer felt herself slipping…to where or what, she did not know. A sensation of letting go filled her…drifting… Part of her mind maintained the operation of Etxan'Ir; another edged toward distant, beckoning energies swirling and twisting just beyond. Their siren call vibrated and thrummed – pulling, tempting. She felt the bindings of corporealness untwine, thin, and begin to dissipate. Taer's sense of maleness and femaleness dissolved to an odd neitherness. Disassociation washed over her as she slipped further toward…

She jerked within the crystalline cocoon. A wave of fear crashed against consciousness.

/ Phai! /

/ I am with you, friend Taer. Focus on my touch and my mind. Stay with me. /

Taer clung to the calm, solid presence. She must remain non-corporeal to fulfill her role, but corporeal enough to remain an intact and a conscious presence. Phai's steady presence was the anchor, and she would not loosen her grip again.

The Nexus Trinity was capable of performing their work independently...except that their builders foresaw the potential for life-destroying misuse of their creation. Thus, only if the proper keys were present of freewill would power flow from the Esha'Aru to the great machines. Taer was the circuit breaker, and she must apply her will to continue the reaping of lifeforce or the safety would trip, Source flow would cease, and a galaxy lost.

Within inter-dimensional space, the three machines sat near one another in equilateral triangle formation. In normal space, they would be in the same configuration, but separated by one-third of the galaxy. That vast size differential allowed Ozshi'wanae and the U'larr to build a barrier around the Awn'Va Galaxy and shield it from Norzra'tir.

The Shozen Elder again marveled at the complexity yet simplicity of design. A triune within a Trinity…U'larr, Esha'Aru, and Nexus joining to link with two other triunes to form a Trinity that Source, Lifeforce, and Will powered. Theme of threes. Equilateral triangle – the mathematic symbol of ideal proportion. Equal units where each manifests the whole. Perfect balance. Perfect form.

Not allowing herself further distraction, Taer concentrated on maintaining the delicate balance between corporeal and not.

###

Ztar was staggered. How could this be? Was it already too late? Rage, despair, bewilderment overran him as bile rose up. Jharda looked to him, tears forming. She knew. She understood. Without communication, hope perished.

A single ident winked on. Ztar blinked – a trick of the eyes? Then another, and then three more in quick succession until a cascade of bright points lit up the holo display as the interstellar comm reawakened.

"Praise the gods!" he cried out.

Lar swung around to the royal couple clinging to each other. "Now, my emperor. We don't how long the net will remain on line."

Ztar released his empress-to-be, turned back to the comm panel, gathered himself once again, and began.

"Citizens of the Turzent Empire, I come to you today in greatest urgency…no less than the future of all we know. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you must stop. You must listen and do as I instruct. We must act immediately. We are at war, but a war like none ever fought. This is a war without swords and guns. It is a war of a single battle. A war of will alone."

He swallowed hard. So much riding on his words – would they be good enough? Would people believe?

"As a single force, we must rise up…every man, woman, and child. Together, no enemy can stand against our united strength. What I have to say will seem unbelievable, and you will ask if it is a trick. It is not. Trust I speak truth. Listen to my words and believe. Then follow my instructions, and let history speak of the day that the people of our empire saved the Mi-Tzanti Galaxy!"

Ztar continued to explain as Phai had instructed, walking the fine line between causing panic and convincing the citizenry of the realness and urgency.

Then the great man and the mother of his child sat cross-legged on the floor of the palace, along side Lar, Elite Guardsmen Gragne and Ab, and the rest of the comm center staff. Gripping Jharda's trembling hand, he scanned the face he loved more than life. Her eyes were already closed in concentration. He would take on any enemy, freely pay any price, and lay down his own life to save that beautiful face from death.

'My gods, let this work! Give us strength!'

Then his eyes returned to the camera. "My people – for the right to exist – send out your fighting spirit and determination to live now!"

###

Across the realms and lands of the technically advanced races, computers, subspace satellites, mobile communication devices, A/V transmission receivers, bio-implanted interfaces – all known means of communications – broadcast messages that the battle had begun.

Throughout the Turzent Empire, dubious glances were exchanged. It had to be a joke – a hoax. The image of their emperor and empress-to-be seated on the floor with hands clasped filled every comm display both public and private, whether in an office or street marquee, luxury starship or lowly freighter. A few people nervously followed their rulers lead. Many were hesitant at first, but soon more and more complied. Everywhere, the people of the realm sat where they were – homes, shops, walkways, ships, and mining colonies on desolate planets. Ground transports halted. Commerce ceased. Work, entertainment, leisurely distractions paused. Wherever Ztar's speech was heard, which was nearly everywhere, life in the Turzent Empire ground to a standstill.

In realm after realm, chosen Unifiers stood before their people to unite them in a fight for the right to exist. In the Etxan'El Trient, the leaders of its nine interstellar realms addressed their peoples. Trient Etxan'Ut, which realized the greatest success in unification, only two leaders addressed their incredibly vast territories. And finally, there was the Trient'Ir, which had seen moderate consolidation success. Four leaders stood before their people to announce it was time to give part of their lifeforce to save all they held dear.

On thousands of primitive worlds, native peoples saw images of their gods or their heralds in the sky. Beings of light and awe in forms as varied of their believers. A singular message was spoken in thousands of tongues – send your prayers, your thoughts…your very essence out to your god or gods. Reach. Extend. Up!

And the people obeyed.

###

More and more Source was pulled. The Nexus chamber had grown brighter with each passing moment until brilliant white-gold, and he couldn't open his eyes if he tried. With body thrumming, Warren fought the urge to resist and struggled to focus on fully opening to the flow. As if the Etxan'Ir sensed the change, a tsunami of Source engulfed him to steal any sense of the physical.

Power. Brilliance. Formlessness. That became existence…all there was.

###

The three-in-one Nexus fully woke. They hung between time and space in triangular position. As Source provided the power, they reached through dimensional veils to the light and life.

With full awareness restored, the Etxan Trinity recalled the deaths of their Creators during the last two Dark Comings. Sadness swept through the crystalline entities as in unison, they sought familiar lifeforce energy patterns. A smattering, no more. The powerful signature of the U'larr was nearly extinguished. Was Ozshi'wanae's creation about to be lost? Would darkness swallow light? Hope waivered.

Sparks. Infinitesimal at first detection. More. And still more. A swell began, growing in strength and breadth. Across their scope of awareness, lifeforce was rising up. Not powerful U'larr Aru – far too weak. Who?

/ Young life, / came the simultaneous reply from the three U'larr commanding the Nexus.

And the Trinity confirmed…trillions upon trillions of small and immature points of energy…the new life the Creators had set in motion. The many progeny of the U'larr were uniting and offering up Aru willingly through Ura. En masse, the energy was building to exceed the U'larr's once mighty, unified power.

Hope grew. The great Nexus gathered the offering of the children of the Creators and marveled at what had been begotten.

###

What seemed like hours were passed in near total darkness. T'Qilla had found her way to the huddled pair. Volu hadn't spoken since she and Flint dove inside, but had eventually given them a small amount of illumination. Was the Eshaar'ne so close to death it was all she could muster? Gatebi felt ill at the thought of Volu's suffering, but there was nothing she, the Human, or Ettwanae's mother could do.

What was happening outside? Was the galaxy in its own death throws? Not knowing was maddening.

Flint had moved close not long after they entered Volu. He claimed it was to reassure her, but Gatebi could feel his fear and frustration at the unknowing. Encased in deathly silence and tension, they spoke little. And so as time dragged out excruciatingly, the Alcab and the Human huddled together with the Esha'Aru along side. Somehow, it felt unseemly to break their dark and quiet vigil.

###

With its keys fully engaged, Etxan'Ir gathered Aru and joined it with that from 'Ut and 'El. In an ever-growing stream, life's essence surged into the inter-dimensional vortex. The Nexus struggled with the intensity differentials – the young races did not have the strength of lifeforce of the U'larr, but they were making up for the deficiency with sheer numbers. And so, the great machines collected, concentrated, and directed the energy proffered by those trillions and channeled it into the vortex.

As the barrier once again solidified, denying Norzra'tir's anti-matter its deadly entry into subspace and Ozshi'wanae's most favored creation, a jealous god screamed from frustration and rage within his black realm.

###

He floated in golden mist. Was the mist. Quiet. Peace. Timeless. He sensed others. Two Ura/souls were near. Reaching out, he touched their essence. Strong. Whole. Stretching awareness farther, he found only void. Where was this place? Where were the others? There should be trillions upon trillions of lifewill points. Confusion. Concern.

"Do not fear, my favored one. I am with you."

In his formlessness, Warren turned to locate the source of the all-encompassing voice, but the sound came from nowhere; everywhere.

"Who are you?" he asked without a mouth.

"My names are many."

"Where are you? What are you?"

"I am everywhere. My forms are endless."

"I – I think I know you…"

"We have joined before."

He couldn't remember. "When?"

"Whenever your Aru and Ura fully opened to me. Part of me was within you. I saw through your eyes. Once, we destroyed his minions. There were other times."

At first, he was puzzled, but then… "Fjai?"

Unspoken confirmation permeated the mist. "We looked upon Uras through your physical form, as I once did through my Chosen Ones," the presence continued. "But my Chosen are not as they were, and I no longer see my creation through my first children. I must now see through new eyes." Melancholy permeated the fog.

"Me?"

"You are a new covenant."

"I don't understand."

"You will."

"When?"

"With the passage of what you have named time. When you have replicated yourself multifold. When you look upon all you have sown, then you will understand."

He felt the presence withdrawing. "Wait! Please, tell me. Who am I?" He grew desperate to know what he feared to know. "What am I?"

"You are life. You are hope. You are whom you wish to be."

He took an incorporeal breath and held it. "Please, just tell me. Am I Human…Esha'Aru?"

"I do not know Human. Esha'Aru are my children's children."

"Am I Esha'Aru?"

There was a long pause. "Your Aru and Ura are as Esha'Aru."

"Physically – what am I physically?"

The deity did not answer immediately, and Warren grew tense. Finally, words rang through the golden vapors. "Your soul has rendered its essence. Your physical encasement is an older form."

What did that mean? Was he a genetic throwback? "I don't understand. Please, I need to know. Am I Esha'Aru? Human? Something else?" Then the hardest question. "Who were my parents?"

The entity sighed, but gently as a parent would with a child's endless but amusing and curious questions.

"A unique and powerful Lifewill may manifest its true form despite physical parentage. Soul inhabits but is not limited to corporeal shells. Remember, my favored one, bodily encasement is transitory. Do not reject the vessel for it is through its purity that we join."

Warren did not doubt the entity was dummying down for him. "So I'm not a Human mutant?"

"Lifeforce may only manipulate available genetic material to manifest the desired corporeal form. You appear as your Esha'Aru Lifewill made you. Ura is strong and with purpose...you are what and where you were to be."

He considered that. On the deepest level, it felt right. Genetically, he was baseline Human. He was also a mutant. But his true self – his soul – was Esha'Aru. Perhaps that's why he'd always felt apart even from his own kind and in ways mutation alone could not explain.

"The other souls nearby…what of them?"

"They are as all the rest…children of the old covenant. The Dark Coming will touch many. Some will understand, most will not. All are of Ura – the choice is theirs."

He felt ripples through wherever it was he was. What did it mean? Why riddles? The presence slipped further away.

"The barrier strengthens. You must return to your physical realm."

"But I have more questions!" he protested, fighting against the pull to be somewhere else.

"The answers are already within you."

"Will I remember you?" He was suddenly desperate to do so.

"Your soul will."

Suddenly, a rush of motionless motion and…

Warren took a sharp inhale as physical awareness returned. Golden brilliance was no more. He had form. Source no longer flowed in a gushing torrent. Had they succeeded? Was the seal repaired? Odd feelings came that had something had occurred he wasn't remembering, but what?

"Warren?" a weak, female voice called.

Turning his head, Ettwanae's concerned face greeted him. Warmth spread through his chest and butterflies flew up in mass in his stomach. God, he loved her!

"You okay?"

She nodded, giving him a small smile. "You?"

He took quick stock. "I'm tired, but good."

Taer was standing between them, back in her intense blue-skinned form, black hair flowing as a cape behind her.

"Rise slowly, but we must leave. Etxan'Ir is returning to standby mode." As if to punctuate her words, the door to the gangway rematerialized. Before either could get up, Etxan'Ir spoke.

"I am, but not before I speak," the voice of the Nexus vibrated against Warren's chest. "much has been lost since the last Dark Coming. The U'larr who created us no longer exist. The Esha'Aru people are nearly extinct. The First Age has passed. U'larr Taer, while you are not fully U'larr in form, you are in Aru and Ura, as is U'larr Phai and others. What has been lost can be rebuilt for those whom the Second Age is intended."

Taer appeared to understand what the machine was referencing, but Warren hadn't a clue. Before he could ask, the Nexus continued.

"Esha'Aru Ettwanae and Warren, you performed in accordance with your purpose and the creators would offer you highest praise. Your kind must now choose a new path in the Second Age.

"But U'larr and Esha'Aru, understand this – the barrier will weaken. The threat is not eliminated – only held at bay. In time, your kinds will be needed here again to protect all Ozshi'wanae begot. The Etxan trinity will wait until needed once more. Do what must be done to ensure U'larr and Esha'Aru continue without further genetic degradation. Our creator's laws limit us. Ensure that when we are required again, someone remains to command us."

Disregarding Taer's advice, Ettwanae jumped to her feet. "Please wait! My people – do you know where more are? What do you mean by a new path? Should we still be gatherers?"

Taer gave a warning touch to Ettwanae's arm. "We must go."

"But my questions! You heard what it said. I need to know if any of my people are in hiding somewhere. How many of us are there? Please!"

Ettwanae's desperate expression tore at Warren's heart, but they may not be given time for more answers.

Taer moved toward the exit. "Etxan'Ir is shutting down – we have to leave."

As the chamber began darkening, he slid off the seat and reached for her hand. "Ettwanae, Taer's right."

"No!" She yelled, blue eyes flashing. "I demand to know! I've searched too long and risked too much. Etxan'Ir, answer my questions!"

The room instantly vibrated and went darker, causing everyone to jump.

"I think it's telling us to go…as in now." Warren insisted, grabbing her hand.

"Esha'Aru Ettwanae," the feminine voice boomed, "speak to Sentinel Ta'uii."

The chamber went abruptly black; the only light spilling in came the door from the antechamber, and even that was growing dimmer.

Warren pulled Ettwanae forward. "Come on!" That time, there was no resistance.

With blackness closing in from all sides, the trio ran for the opposite end of the catwalk. The air grew incredibly cold, and their breaths formed clouds in their wake as lungs burned.

As soon as they crossed the threshold into the Sentinel, the doorway to Etxan'Ir dematerialized. Hands to aching chests, they steadied themselves as Phai hurried over.

"We did it!" the excited Shozen took her fellow Elder's hands into her own, palest white skin contrasting sharply against deep blue. "We really did it!"

Taer's normally stoic air, melted into unbridled happiness. "We did, Phai!" Hands broke apart to pull one another into a joyous embrace, despite the awkward height difference.

Warren turned to Ettwanae. Hugging looked like a fabulous idea. "Happy ending – time to kiss the girl," he proclaimed with a silly grin. Before she could speak, he wrapped arms around his soulbound and captured her mouth passionately. He put all his love and joy into the kiss as realization dawned of what they had accomplished.

They'd done good – very, very good. But Warren's joy could be killed by the answer to a single question. Catching Phai's attention, he sent his one-word question to the powerful telepath.

/ Ztar? /

/ He lives. /

Warren closed his eyes and took Ettwanae into another hug as soul-deep relief and thankfulness inundated. / Thank you, Phai. / Warm feelings floated through his mind from the alien.

Twisting in Warren's arms to face the Shozen, Ettwanae's expression became one of worry. "Volu, my mother – everyone else? Are they okay?"

Ta'uii answered before the Elder could.

"Your Eshaar'ne waits impatiently. I have explained you are unharmed, but you may wish to reassure. Neuro-link communication is available."

Warren could only imagine what the protective Volu had done trying to reconnect with her Poda. He watched Ettwanae's expression soften from concern to alarm, then tenderness and reassured. She 'returned,' and raised eyebrows at Warren.

"Volu is badly injured, but not in fatally. She is resting. Uulophar and Mother are tending Bae."

Warren did a double take. "Bae?!"

A huge grin spread across the beautiful visage. "Yes! Bae survived! Shozen technology came back online at the last moment and dampened the impact. She is very badly injured and will need a long time to recover, but Mother is providing healing Source and Uulophar is confident she will live. Flint and Gatebi are with Volu, and Flint's complaining about sitting in the dark for hours."

Relief washed over him. "Thank god everyone's okay." It was the best possible outcome…except for the clones. He'd not let their deaths haunt too long, but he would do what he could to ensure they were not forgotten.

Ettwanae pulled back, eyes locked to his. Warren read the look. "Ask your questions," he whispered.

"Oh, I plan to do just that!" She made clear with a twinkle in her eyes.

Taer smiled. "You are a determined one."

"Etxan'Ir relayed your demand."

Warren couldn't help smirking at the stiff, yet amused tone of the Sentinel. That earned him a feigned disapproving glare from his love.

"You will answer them?"

"If I have the information, I will answer."

"Sentinel Ta'uii, do you know how many of my people are alive?"

"The Nexus Triune detected 37 in Trient'Ir."

Her mouth fell open. "Just 37?!"

Color left Ettwanae and Warren instantly wrapped an arm around her waist, offering physical support. Murmuring his concern, he guided them to the floor to sit.

"Your numbers were never great, Esha'Aru Ettwanae."

"And the Eilu were efficient," Phai elaborated bitterly. "Actually, that number is more than we thought. We were aware of possibly 26, including you and Warren."

Warren wanted to protest and say he was Human, but it suddenly felt so meaningless. A wisp of memory tickled his consciousness, but he couldn't grasp it.

"The others roam freely, U'larr Phai. Do not loose hope, Esha'Aru Ettwanae. 37 is a sufficient number for repopulation in this Trient."

Warren was dubious. "But only thirty-seven scattered over a third of the galaxy?"

"That needn't be the case," Taer offered, but without detail. "What else do you wish to know, Ettwanae?" the Shozen pressed.

"What about other Eshaar'ne?"

"Their numbers are also sufficient for repopulation."

"How can I find my people?"

"Through the amulets. All have been summoned here so your people may be reunited."

Ettwanae pulled out her amulet, her face going sad. "Mine is missing so much history. I have questions, but I don't know where to begin. My ancestors…did P'Tiaera and her soulbound visit here? What happened during all those years after the last Dark Coming?" The blue eyes left the talisman and found Warren's face. "My brain isn't functioning right – can't think of everything I wanted to ask."

Warren gently brushed her cheek, and tucked a lock of hair behind one ear. "We've been through a lot today."

"Esha'Aru Ettwanae, much data is available to me, including your lineage and data your amulet nodes lack." The amulet's jewel-toned nodes burned brightly for a moment before going dark again. "I have deposited information you may find enlightening."

The young woman's face lit up. "Thank you, Ta'uii! You have been very kind. I have one more question. Are my people to return to the old ways? Gather knowledge for the library?"

Several silent moments followed. Ettwanae and Warren exchanged glances.

Finally, the sentient machine answered. "Since the last Dark Coming, many things have changed. The Second Age is dawning. A new covenant has begun. life seeded by the creators has taken root and grows strong. The U'larr as they once existed are no longer. Old ways may be shed for new."

Ta'uii paused, and once again, a sensation of familiarity came over Warren as 'new covenant' repeated itself in his head. Something about that…

The Sentinel continued. "U'larr Phai and Taer, as descendants of the creators, what is your wish? Shall they continue to serve their design purpose?"

The Shozen women looked to one another. Years with telepaths told Warren they were trading views. Surprisingly, it was only moments before Phai spoke.

"Sentinel Ta'uii, the Esha'Aru are of freewill – they will determine their own destiny." Phai gazed intently at Ettwanae and Warren. "I look forward to furthering our peoples' renewed relationship…your kind and mine, once again working side by side. Both of our people have a greater priority for the foreseeable future – to be fruitful and multiply…the words of the oldest recorded proclamation. Do you agree?"

Ettwanae nodded vigorously. "Agreed!" Then she turned and gave Warren a quick peck on the cheek. "You don't disagree, do you?"

Oddly enough, Warren felt heat in his face as he grinned. "I think making babies is a very good destiny."

###

Hope this chapter worked on the many levels I intended. I know it's a lot packed into a single installment, but fingers crossed you agree it was the right decision to not break it up.

The next three chapters I intend to post all at once unless something changes my mind. Those chapters will wrap up a tons of minor details and some not so minor. You can expect many life changes for our characters – after all, the big adventure will be over, right? What will become of everyone…where will they go?

Til then, thank you as always to everyone for sticking with this lengthy tale. While there has been but a couple reviewers, know that all my readers from around the world have made the writing of this tale so worth it!