"Harper?" it was HoloAndromeda.
"Yeah?"
"Did you have another vision?"
"Yep"
Later, Harper worked on the device for the allotted three hours that he had, and he made hardly any progress, when he thought.
"Why did I ask where the artifact was, when I have it right here? What a bonehead!"
Suddenly, he got a visit from the prophets.
"You must find that Dragon called Lia, and seek her council on the object you found." it was the Dylan prophet speaking.
"Oh I see. I was the one who was meant to get it?"
"The Harper is correct."
"So.. what do I do? Will it help me prevent the peace talks?"
"The Harper must go seek Lia."
"How? Where is she?"
"We will tell you when the time is right"
One day, a week later, when he, Dylan, Beka and Trance were at some diplomatic function on some planet, he got a vision of a cave somewhere in the countryside. So, discreetly, he left the party, and hitchhiked with a university student, who was driving something called an air pod, and he was rather reckless. Finally, Harper was dropped off in an area near the cave.
Once in the cave, he called out "Lia! I was sent by the prophets or nebula aliens to find you. I found the artifact!"
"I sense your good intentions" Lia told him telepathically.
"I seek advice regarding that artifact"
Harper could not believe that he was talking to a real live dragon. She had eyes the color of jade and light purple skin. Also, Lia did not look too lizard like, as some dragons that he had seen in pictures. She had a certain beauty and wisdom about her.
"What sort of advice do you seek?" she asked telepathically.
" I wanna know what the heck it's for" Harper found himself using telepathy.
"You are not ready to know yet"
"Come on! I was told by them that you would give me advice."
"But not right away." she replied simply.
"So you know them well?" he asked.
"They are the prophets, who are worshipped by many and are scattered throughout many many worlds and universes."
"I see, They told me that they originally came from a wormhole and that some of them immigrated to the nebula."
"I see."
Meanwhile, Dylan went to talk to Rommie at the diplomatic function.
"Rommie, where is Harper?"
"My sensors can 't pick him up?"
"Do you suppose he left the party?"
"Knowing Harper, it wouldn't be a surprise."
"Where could he be?" Dylan was trying to hide his annoyance with his 'party smile'.
"It's hard to tell. He could have gone to the local downtown area, like he did last time."
Back at the caves, Lia, insisted on Harper's life story, after which she told her own.
"I grew up on a planet called Dala. My family was a part of a huge dragon community. We lived a separate lives from the Gedahous or people, unlike our ancestors who lived side by side with them. We, worshipped the prophets, whereas the Gedahous had their own gods. I had a great childhood, and adulthood. When I was a young adult, I became a keeper of the Beacon of the Sorceress Oreva, which you are in possession of now. I was to keep it until a mistress of magic took it to put in a safe spot, to wait for the right person to take it, and that person was you."
"But why me?" Harper asked.
"You will understand that when the time is right"
Harper just groaned at this response. Why must he wait for his answers?
Meanwhile, the reception finally ended so, Dylan, Rommie, Trance and Beka went to go look for him in the local downtown area.
"Where could he be?" Dylan asked.
"Maybe he went to pick up some women?" Beka suggested.
"Beka, you and Trance search on that side of town." he ordered as he pointed to the right.
"Rommie and I will search to this side" Dylan then pointed to the left.
So they split off to find him, as they had to be somewhere else very soon.
The dragon had her servant, who was a person with blue skin, white spots, and a nose that was odd looking by Harper's standards, cook him some food.
"I hope that you enjoy it. My cook wasn't sure of what to cook for a human"
Harper tasted it, and found himself savoring it. He sat a some comfortable chair, which the dragon obviously had for company.
"This is soo delicious!!" It was a bowl of soup with all kinds of things in it.
" I am please that you like it." She and him were communicating telepathically.
"How can I communicate telepathically with no problems" he asked.
"It is a mystery even to me" she replied.
Back the downtown area, no one had any luck finding Harper, despite asking around discreetly. Luckily, an old woman had seen him.
"I saw him hitchhike with a young man on one of those fast flying hot rods"
"Thank you" Dylan said, trying to be polite as he was getting more angrier. Not only did Harper cause them needless worry, but he ditched an important function, and slightly insulted their hosts.
"Did you see where they went?" Beka piped in.
"I heard them talking and the little skinny one wanted to be taken to some caves."
"Which caves?"
"There are some over yonder" she answered pointing to the left.
So, they asked around some more and found out where the caves were. They rented a vehicle, and went to look for Harper.
For Harper, things took a surprising turn, when the dragon's servant whispered something in her ear.
"I'm sorry, my son, but I must go. We will see each other again."
"Wait! What about the advice you were going to give me?"
"You are not ready"
"No way!"
"I am sorry"
"How am I gonna do my next mission?"
"You will find a way"
So, she magically disappeared.
A while later, as he was wallowing in anger and annoyance, he heard familiar voices.
"Harper!" it was Dylan "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to visit a dragon.
"Excuse me?!?"
"Yeah, the nebula aliens gave me a vision to come here, and I visited a real live dragon, but she had to go"
Everyone, but Harper just looked at each other.
"Don't you guys believe me? Look if the nebula aliens could help me find that artifact, why not a dragon?"
"We saw the artifact, not the dragon" Rommie replied.
"So, you think I made this all up?"
"We believe that you are being talked to by these nebula aliens, but not that you talked to a live dragon." Dylan replied.
"So you think that I'm in this cave for my own health?"
"He's telling the truth, Dylan" Rommie commented.
"So, what did the dragon tell you?"
"She told me about herself, and that her people worshipped the nebula aliens. She was gonna give me advice, but she had to go"
"I see" Dylan remarked. "Harper, what you did was rude. Even if the prophets gave you a vision to come here, you could have waited."
"But she left early." Harper piped in.
Dylan just glared at him. Beka did too.
"Look Harper, I'm tired of you caring more about the agenda of these aliens than about the Commonwealth"
"That's not true. I care about the Commonwealth!"
"Then please try to not to just run off without telling anyone"
"I'll try."
"Don't try, Harper" Beka commanded "Do!" She was angry as she had been worried.
Two weeks later, the peace talks that Harper so dreaded started. Dylan confined him to quarters, as he was afraid that Harper would do something crazy. However, as consolation, and to keep him busy he allowed Harper freer access to the device. So, Harper brooded and try to forget about his worries by working on the device. Then, Harper found himself in the white room.
"The Harper needn't worry." The Trance prophet said.
"Huh?" Harper did not get it.
"There are other ways to prevent this evil empire" now it was the Tyr prophet's turn.
"So, you guys have a plan B?" Harper asked, hopefully.
"We do" the Trance prophet was back.
"What is it?"
"You will be told when the time comes."prophet/ Rommie replied cryptically.
"That's a lot of help."
"Just continue on your path"
"You mean work on the device and do research on the artifact?"
"Yes"
"Yeah?"
"Did you have another vision?"
"Yep"
Later, Harper worked on the device for the allotted three hours that he had, and he made hardly any progress, when he thought.
"Why did I ask where the artifact was, when I have it right here? What a bonehead!"
Suddenly, he got a visit from the prophets.
"You must find that Dragon called Lia, and seek her council on the object you found." it was the Dylan prophet speaking.
"Oh I see. I was the one who was meant to get it?"
"The Harper is correct."
"So.. what do I do? Will it help me prevent the peace talks?"
"The Harper must go seek Lia."
"How? Where is she?"
"We will tell you when the time is right"
One day, a week later, when he, Dylan, Beka and Trance were at some diplomatic function on some planet, he got a vision of a cave somewhere in the countryside. So, discreetly, he left the party, and hitchhiked with a university student, who was driving something called an air pod, and he was rather reckless. Finally, Harper was dropped off in an area near the cave.
Once in the cave, he called out "Lia! I was sent by the prophets or nebula aliens to find you. I found the artifact!"
"I sense your good intentions" Lia told him telepathically.
"I seek advice regarding that artifact"
Harper could not believe that he was talking to a real live dragon. She had eyes the color of jade and light purple skin. Also, Lia did not look too lizard like, as some dragons that he had seen in pictures. She had a certain beauty and wisdom about her.
"What sort of advice do you seek?" she asked telepathically.
" I wanna know what the heck it's for" Harper found himself using telepathy.
"You are not ready to know yet"
"Come on! I was told by them that you would give me advice."
"But not right away." she replied simply.
"So you know them well?" he asked.
"They are the prophets, who are worshipped by many and are scattered throughout many many worlds and universes."
"I see, They told me that they originally came from a wormhole and that some of them immigrated to the nebula."
"I see."
Meanwhile, Dylan went to talk to Rommie at the diplomatic function.
"Rommie, where is Harper?"
"My sensors can 't pick him up?"
"Do you suppose he left the party?"
"Knowing Harper, it wouldn't be a surprise."
"Where could he be?" Dylan was trying to hide his annoyance with his 'party smile'.
"It's hard to tell. He could have gone to the local downtown area, like he did last time."
Back at the caves, Lia, insisted on Harper's life story, after which she told her own.
"I grew up on a planet called Dala. My family was a part of a huge dragon community. We lived a separate lives from the Gedahous or people, unlike our ancestors who lived side by side with them. We, worshipped the prophets, whereas the Gedahous had their own gods. I had a great childhood, and adulthood. When I was a young adult, I became a keeper of the Beacon of the Sorceress Oreva, which you are in possession of now. I was to keep it until a mistress of magic took it to put in a safe spot, to wait for the right person to take it, and that person was you."
"But why me?" Harper asked.
"You will understand that when the time is right"
Harper just groaned at this response. Why must he wait for his answers?
Meanwhile, the reception finally ended so, Dylan, Rommie, Trance and Beka went to go look for him in the local downtown area.
"Where could he be?" Dylan asked.
"Maybe he went to pick up some women?" Beka suggested.
"Beka, you and Trance search on that side of town." he ordered as he pointed to the right.
"Rommie and I will search to this side" Dylan then pointed to the left.
So they split off to find him, as they had to be somewhere else very soon.
The dragon had her servant, who was a person with blue skin, white spots, and a nose that was odd looking by Harper's standards, cook him some food.
"I hope that you enjoy it. My cook wasn't sure of what to cook for a human"
Harper tasted it, and found himself savoring it. He sat a some comfortable chair, which the dragon obviously had for company.
"This is soo delicious!!" It was a bowl of soup with all kinds of things in it.
" I am please that you like it." She and him were communicating telepathically.
"How can I communicate telepathically with no problems" he asked.
"It is a mystery even to me" she replied.
Back the downtown area, no one had any luck finding Harper, despite asking around discreetly. Luckily, an old woman had seen him.
"I saw him hitchhike with a young man on one of those fast flying hot rods"
"Thank you" Dylan said, trying to be polite as he was getting more angrier. Not only did Harper cause them needless worry, but he ditched an important function, and slightly insulted their hosts.
"Did you see where they went?" Beka piped in.
"I heard them talking and the little skinny one wanted to be taken to some caves."
"Which caves?"
"There are some over yonder" she answered pointing to the left.
So, they asked around some more and found out where the caves were. They rented a vehicle, and went to look for Harper.
For Harper, things took a surprising turn, when the dragon's servant whispered something in her ear.
"I'm sorry, my son, but I must go. We will see each other again."
"Wait! What about the advice you were going to give me?"
"You are not ready"
"No way!"
"I am sorry"
"How am I gonna do my next mission?"
"You will find a way"
So, she magically disappeared.
A while later, as he was wallowing in anger and annoyance, he heard familiar voices.
"Harper!" it was Dylan "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to visit a dragon.
"Excuse me?!?"
"Yeah, the nebula aliens gave me a vision to come here, and I visited a real live dragon, but she had to go"
Everyone, but Harper just looked at each other.
"Don't you guys believe me? Look if the nebula aliens could help me find that artifact, why not a dragon?"
"We saw the artifact, not the dragon" Rommie replied.
"So, you think I made this all up?"
"We believe that you are being talked to by these nebula aliens, but not that you talked to a live dragon." Dylan replied.
"So you think that I'm in this cave for my own health?"
"He's telling the truth, Dylan" Rommie commented.
"So, what did the dragon tell you?"
"She told me about herself, and that her people worshipped the nebula aliens. She was gonna give me advice, but she had to go"
"I see" Dylan remarked. "Harper, what you did was rude. Even if the prophets gave you a vision to come here, you could have waited."
"But she left early." Harper piped in.
Dylan just glared at him. Beka did too.
"Look Harper, I'm tired of you caring more about the agenda of these aliens than about the Commonwealth"
"That's not true. I care about the Commonwealth!"
"Then please try to not to just run off without telling anyone"
"I'll try."
"Don't try, Harper" Beka commanded "Do!" She was angry as she had been worried.
Two weeks later, the peace talks that Harper so dreaded started. Dylan confined him to quarters, as he was afraid that Harper would do something crazy. However, as consolation, and to keep him busy he allowed Harper freer access to the device. So, Harper brooded and try to forget about his worries by working on the device. Then, Harper found himself in the white room.
"The Harper needn't worry." The Trance prophet said.
"Huh?" Harper did not get it.
"There are other ways to prevent this evil empire" now it was the Tyr prophet's turn.
"So, you guys have a plan B?" Harper asked, hopefully.
"We do" the Trance prophet was back.
"What is it?"
"You will be told when the time comes."prophet/ Rommie replied cryptically.
"That's a lot of help."
"Just continue on your path"
"You mean work on the device and do research on the artifact?"
"Yes"