Chapter 7

Back on the Titan Will and Deanna place their daughter into their beds kissing them on the forehead before leaving to their sleeping quarters.

"Catori is an amazing person isn't she?"

"Amazing couldn't describe her, how could a race dying take in guests whose own ancestors chased them off their land."

"Will that was thousands of years ago I don't think they hold humans responsible anymore. If you ask me it was the best thing humans could have done to them. Without us they would truly be extinct."

"They may already be."

"What do you mean Will?"

"I spoke to the medical staff before we got back they have found the cause of their infertility."

"What did Dr. Campbell say?"

"It's their atmosphere something in it causes their genetic structure to brake down. If we don't get them off that planet the Inca will vanish again."

"I don't think they will take kindly to moving away from their home. They have lived there for hundreds of years. It's going to take more than one man to move them."

"I know."

"So what did you learn about them?"

"Not much Catori is right only a few people have the ability to communicate telepathically. She and the Shaman's before her all had the ability. The others on the world have an empathic sense like I do but they can not communicate beyond verbal communication."

"What did you learn about them before you brought the children down?"

Will and Deanna sit down to the computer in their quarters.

"The Inca of Peru have long held a mystical fascination for people of the western world. Four hundred years ago the fabulous wealth in gold and silver possessed by these people was discovered, then systematically pillaged and plundered by Spanish conquistadors. The booty they carried home altered the whole European economic system. And in their wake, they left a highly developed civilization in tatters. That a single government could control many diverse tribes, many of which were secreted in the most obscure of mountain hideaways, was simply remarkable. No one really knows where the Incas came from that historic record left in stone for archaeologists to unravel through the centuries that followed. In 1438 the Inca set out from their base in Cuzco on a career of conquest that, during the next 50 years, brought under their control the area of present-day Peru, Bolivia, northern Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador. Within this area, the Inca established a totalitarian state that enabled the tribal ruler and a small minority of nobles to dominate the population. "

"So Catori wasn't lying they did leave Earth to find a better home where they can still practice their beliefs and religions. Look at this… most of the accounts agree on thirteen emperors. The Inca emperors were known by various titles, including "Sapa Inca," "Capac Apu," and "Intip Cori." Often, an emperor was simply referred to as The Inca. The first seven were legendary, local, and of slight importance. During this period the Inca were a small tribe, one of many, whose domain did not extend many miles around their capital city, Cuzco. They were warriors, almost constantly at war with neighboring tribes. Ritual sacrifices were common, evidence of which is found by archaeologists to this very day. Cusco was the center of the Inca Empire, with its advanced hydraulic engineering, agricultural techniques, marvelous architecture, textiles, ceramics and ironworks."

"It appears that the Inca weren't always as welcoming to strangers look at this… the incredibly rapid expansion of the Inca Empire began with Viracocha's son Pachacuti, who was one of the great conquerors, and one of the great men in the history of the Americans. With his accession in 1438 AD reliable history began, almost all the chroniclers being in practical agreement, Pachacuti was considered the greatest man that the aboriginal race of America has produced. He and his son Topa Inca were powerful rulers conquering many lands as they built their kingdom. Pachacuti was a great civic planner as well. Tradition ascribes to him the city plan of Cuzco as well as the result of many massive masonry buildings that still awe visitors at this ancient capital. The Incans gave their empire the name, 'Land of the Four Quarters' or the Tahuantinsuyu Empire. It stretched north to south some 2,500 miles along the high mountainous Andean range from Colombia to Chile and reached west to east from the dry coastal desert called Atacama to the steamy Amazonian rain forest. The Incas ruled the Andean Cordillera, second in height and harshness to the Himalayas. Daily life was spent at altitudes up to 15,000 feet and ritual life extended up to 22,057 feet to Llullaillaco in Chile, the highest Inca sacrificial site known today. Mountain roads and sacrificial platforms were built, which means a great amount of time was spent hauling loads of soil, rocks, and grass up to these inhospitable heights. Even with our advanced mountaineering clothing and equipment of today, it is hard for us to acclimatize and cope with the cold and dehydration experienced at the high altitudes frequented by the Inca. This ability of the sandal-clad Inca to thrive at extremely high elevations continues to perplex scientists today."

"At the height of its existence the Inca Empire was the largest nation on Earth and remains the largest native state to have existed in the western hemisphere. The wealth and sophistication of the legendary Inca people lured many anthropologists and archaeologists to the Andean nations in a quest to understand the Inca's advanced ways and what led to their ultimate demise. "

"I don't understand why Catori didn't tell us this when we first met them."

"Perhaps they feared that if we were told the truth we wouldn't help them and they again would become extinct."

Riker rubs the back of his neck lightly and yawns.

"We really should get some sleep, I want to go down there tomorrow and find out why Catori didn't tell us more about how their people survived. This could be the best kept secret in Earth's History."

Deanna nods and both she and Will head to their bedroom, changes their clothing and climb into bed.

"Do you believe Shaman when she told us that the baby will be special one day?"

"After what I just read I am more than sure it's possible that our baby will be special."

"I am beginning to believe things I never would have if I had not got this mission from Starfleet. I love you Deanna, now more than ever."

"The feelings are mutual Will. I'll see you in the morning."

They give each other a kiss and both drift into dream land.

TBC…Chapter 8