Chapter 6: Maiden Voyage

1 month later…

"So what is this thing you're wanting to show me?" Arianasa asked curiously as the pair of them walked side by side through the large frescoed hallways of the palace.

Prometheus smiled in anticipation. "Something that I have been working on for years in my spare time, my dear."

Arianasa smirked at this. "Between running your empire, overseeing your priesthood and your industrial revolution, not to mention spending time with me, I didn't think you had any free time to spare."

"Being a god opens up many avenues of possibility my love." He responded easily. "One such avenue is compartmentalization. My mind has become advanced enough that I can communicate with Davis in real time, which is fractions of a second incidentally, and I also have the ability to partition my mind so that it can focus on multiple things at once without requiring my conscious attention."

"In other words you're just sparing me a little of your attention while you're working on ten other things at once." Arianasa suggested with a pout. "That's hardly a flattering thing to tell your Empress you know."

"Ah, but you have my undivided personal attention." Prometheus riposted with a charming smile. "All the other things I am thinking about right now are, in a sense, background noise, or at worst I spare a moment to consider the final result before making a decision and sending that decision to Beowulf, Davis, or whomever implements it. You are my focus, I promise you."

Arianasa giggled at this. "You know I'm just teasing you."

Prometheus smiled indulgently. "Of course."

"You still haven't told me where we're going." Arianasa said pointedly as the pair walked onto one of the balconies outside the palace.

Prometheus placed a talon gently on Ari's snout, silencing her as he took a moment to enjoy the fresh evening air and looked upward before removing his talon from her mouth.

"Look up and tell me what you see." Prometheus prompted softly.

Looking up quizzically, she gazed at the night sky for several seconds. "I see Celene, the moon. I see the stars."

Prometheus nodded. "Celene is the Elves' name for the moon. It is also known as Kule. Did you know that back in ancient times it is said that a race of beings lived there and built a civilization of their own?"

The silver Dragon glanced at him quizzically. "I never heard that, no. Is is true?"

"The Elves believe it to be true," Prometheus replied with a shrug, "and of all the races they would be the most likely to know the truth."

Arianasa hummed thoughtfully as Prometheus continued. "There are other worlds beyond the moon as well." He said softly. "Oerth is not alone in this region of space. Besides our sun and the moon there are several other worlds as well."

"Why do you tell me this?" She asked curiously.

Prometheus turned to look at her with a smile. "Because it is my wish that you accompany me to see them."

Arianasa blinked in surprise at hearing this. "You what?"

"I intend to visit them all." Prometheus stated. "Such a journey would be long and probably tedious. I would not have you remain here alone while I undertake this journey."

Arianasa frowned. "But surely you are needed here!" She protested quietly. "How will the empire function in your absence, nevermind the priesthood? Without you here to grant prayers and miracles to the faithful…"

"I have spoken with Celestian on this matter before I ever considered this project." He informed her calmly. "The power and influence of the gods extends to the outer reaches of this region of space, including all the planets. Even if I should be at the very edge of the solar system I shall be able to hear my worshippers and communicate with them, even provide assistance if need be. Nor shall I be leaving the people truly alone. As you know an avatar of my being exists at this moment on Earth, functioning as my human self to run my various organizations in my stead. One such will remain here to ensure my people are always protected and that they are able to see me or be near me. Davis will also be accompanying us as this will be a grand expedition and he will not want to miss it. To learn much of alien worlds is something he will not be able to resist."

"And Beowulf?" She asked.

"Beowulf, unfortunately, must remain." Prometheus replied. "He is not one for grand adventures and in any case one of my triumvirate should remain to oversee things. Davis can create duplicate bodies for himself and be in more than one place at a time, as can I. Beowulf cannot and his long absence would be conspicuous. Even still we shall be in constant contact due to my connection with him as High Priest."

Arianasa nodded thoughtfully before a smile of realization appeared on her face. "You're getting bored aren't you?" She asked slyly. "That's why you're doing this, isn't it? You need some new thing, some new adventure to excite you."

Prometheus snorted. "Please, my dear, I have quite enough to occupy my time. Even as a god I do not have time to be bored. Never mind the fact that we have been married for barely a month. That is the greatest adventure I could conceive of." He said with a smile, stroking her cheek with a talon.

Arianasa giggled at this. "You flatterer you." She said coyly.

Prometheus merely smiled before looking back up at the stars. "The last 15 years have been busy ones, helping the various kingdoms repair themselves and helping guide their expansions, not to mention Utopia's. Negotiating contracts for all of the various technological devices we have created and licensed for distribution through Ahlissa's trade networks, not to mention maintaining our own. Building and staffing the new schools and universities across the continent and teaching others about the basics of science and its applications as well as so many other things. I do not grow weary of such things as I once did and yet I find that parts of my humanity still cling to me, finding old notions of seeing new places and new discoveries exciting, the rush of acquiring new prospects. The empire functions well and the council handles many day to day things. Beowulf's priesthood continues to grow as do the number of faithful who dedicate themselves to me, increasing my power and influence in this world. The industrial revolution continues of course, and it will for quite some time, but I have plans to introduce various techniques and technologies when the time is right. Things have finally settled down to a more even keel and I find myself wanting to visit other places for a time."

"I never thought a god would need a vacation." Arianasa teased.

Prometheus chuckled. "Not a vacation in the usual sense, but as much of one as a god can take without abandoning their responsibilities." He took her paws in his. "I would have you come with me on this voyage of discovery, my heart."

Arianasa smiled up at him. "How could I possibly refuse?"

"I was hoping you would say that." Prometheus replied. "Now, allow me to show you how we will be travelling to these places."

Creating a large metallic silver disc beneath their feet he encased them in a bubble of atmosphere. The disc began to rise and soon the pair were rising amidst the clouds. Rising even further the blue of the sky began to fade to purple as the night sky became more and more pronounced. Finally violet and indigo faded to onyx as they rose above the outer edges of the atmosphere, entering space itself. Having never been so high Arianasa gasped in awe at the sight of the planet below her, the continents seemingly small enough to be covered by her paw.

"Incredible!" She whispered. "I never thought I would see something like this!"

"It does give one a sense of perspective does it not?" Prometheus suggested softly, enjoying the view as well. "This is why I prefer to live amongst my subjects and worshipers. From so far away they appear as ants, their lives brief like a candle flame or a vapor, and their actions seemingly insignificant. I would not look upon them that way as some of the other gods do, and yet I knew that, if I remained cloistered in my own realm, I would eventually come to see them as such in the fullness of time. I will not think so little of them for at one time, I to was one of those 'ants'. This view helps to remind me of what I could become if I do not consider the small things as well as the big picture."

Arianasa nodded absently before she looked over at him in confusion. "You say it helps you...you've seen this before?"

Prometheus nodded. "I have spent much time here, overlooking our planet, as I built the thing I intend to show you. It has taken much time and energy but at last it is complete and we shall embark on its maiden voyage." He said as he turned her to look towards the stars.

"Behold!"

Slowly a large structure drifted into view as the sun began to shine over it, dispelling the darkness of space that kept it hidden. The entire edifice was miles wide and constructed of various materials that glinted and shone in the sun; shining skyscrapers of titanium and steel stood next to brass and copper rotundas atop stone and concrete buildings, while spires and other geometric designs done in white and cream, to silver and gold, to onyx and pearl, rose up by the dozens across the massive flat expanse. Here and there she could see green areas filled with grass and trees and in the very center of the entire structure was a huge pyramid of shining silver and gold. As it floated closer she could see the foundation upon which the buildings stood appeared to be a combination of pure white concrete lined with steel and brass. Here and there she could see large statues easily fifty to hundred feet high, carved from stone and shaped to resemble stoic guardians of myth, several with pairs of wings upon their backs, all of them clad in armor and bearing a shield or downward-pointing sword. From the edges of the city extended multiple long and wide ramps that could serve as runways or ramps. Extending from the bottom of the structure were more buildings seemingly pointing downward as well as powerful engine exhaust ports hundreds of feet wide.

The silver Dragon's eyes were wide with shock as she beheld the massive floating city Prometheus had constructed in the isolation of space.

"How…?" She asked, nearly speechless with astonishment.

Prometheus chuckled softly. "Before the Demon War I was forced to 'import' my Terminators from Earth using my company's assets. Once the war concluded I had Davis build several multi-purpose construction facilities in Utopia and elsewhere, with my help of course, to produce Terminators as well as the other trade goods we have been supplying the citizens of Oerth with. When one has an army of workers that can operate in nearly any environment and do not tire, not to mention my own ability to produce advanced technology, all things become possible my dear. After proving that I could insert devices into space above the planet using a series of precise, cascading teleportation spells chained together, the rest was a simple matter. My first experiment involved putting a series of satellites in orbit around the planet to ensure they would be stable and could function properly. These devices could not only scan great distances into space, showing me the existence of the other planets in this system, but they can also be used to observe what happens on Oerth as it is happening as well as provide powerful communication capabilities."

"Why don't they fall to the ground?" Arianasa asked in slight confusion. "Are you using levitation enchantments to hold them up?"

"The satellites have a few glyphs like that should they begin to fall and the entire city structure is covered with levitation runes and glyphs, yes. But at the moment they are not active." Prometheus explained. "In simple terms, this far away from the planet gravity does not exist."

"To continue," he said, "once the main foundation of the city was constructed it was simply a matter of building up as well as down. The entire structure was planned down to the smallest detail to help ensure it is a model of efficiency and organized design."

"The design of the buildings…" she muttered thoughtfully, "I have never seen such things before except perhaps by masterpieces made by the Dwarves. They speak of precision and strength as well as...symmetry. Some of the statues show powerful figures holding up great globes. Why is this?" She asked, puzzled.

Prometheus smiled indulgently at her inquisitiveness. "Over a century ago on the world from which I came, there arose a peculiar form of artistic design after the first world war. It was called 'Deco', though the name naturally means little to you. It used streamlined and geometric forms that were pleasing to the eye in order to create a sense of order and power. The world prior that time had been using machines and mechanical devices to a limited degree but the artists at that time, seeing the primitive technologies of the time flourish, were inspired by what humankind could create in such a short span of time. They envisioned a future of human supremacy based on these new ways of doing things more efficiently and with less effort, hence the statues with the globes; humankind would hold the planet in its hands using its new inventions and machines to control it. Technology, geometry, mathematical precision, and straight lines were their future, each extolling the brilliance of the human mind and its ability to create such wonders as well as understand such profound mathematical truths, for no other race on the planet had accomplished what they had. Thus the artists went about creating lavish and stylized works as simple as pyramidal mechanical clocks to tall structures such as you see before you made of glass and steel. All of it seemingly in preparation for the glorious age that was to come. Sadly, within two decades a second world war erupted and the artists ceased their creations. However, the intention and symbolism struck me as poignant, even as a young man, and now with my status as Lord of Technology it seemed eminently suitable that I take up such designs again as the Earth will in time enjoy the glorious age those artists once envisioned."

"And the pyramid?" Arianasa asked. "I presume that is your temple or palace given it's location and its radiance. Your palace on Oerth seems much more grand compared to this plain design."

"You have not yet seen the inside." Prometheus remarked in amusement. "But I have been considering many things these past years, especially what I wish to represent when I return to Earth, as I shall. The pyramid has always been a symbol of power to the ancient peoples of my world and even today it is considered so. However, I do not use its shape merely to tout my own glory. The pyramid also represents ascension from a more base mode of existence to the highest level of self-actualization one can accomplish. I have, in essence, reached the pinnacle of existence for while I can increase my sphere of influence and powers with more followers there is nothing higher than godhood." He explained. "I have been a catalyst for change and self-improvement on Oerth, I wish to be the same for others as well: an animus or a driving force that allows them to rise from their current stations in life and become all that they can be!" He said in a soft, inspired tone, his eyes gazing into the future.

"You will accomplish your desires my love!" Arianasa assured him with soft reverence. "I cannot imagine it would be otherwise."

Prometheus turned to look at her with a smile and kissed her face softly.

"You speak the truth as always my dearest. And what I have created here will allow me to realize that vision." He said as he raised his hand, turning back to the city. Suddenly the entirety of the structure was encased in an iridescent bubble.

"The Infinity Drive." He said as Arianasa looked on in silent wonder. "The core of Darlana's ship, allowing it to not only travel between dimensional realms but to maintain its own bubble of local laws of reality and existence, even in universes where such laws would be impossible or even hostile. Once I understood how it functioned I was able to create a much bigger version of it. It, and several other independent backups, sit at the heart of the city, buried deep beneath the ground and behind walls of magic and other physical barriers as well. The engines, inertial barriers, guidance systems, even weapons and defenses, all were created by myself and my Terminators over a period of years. We completed the last of the construction and runes a few weeks ago and have been running tests constantly. All it needs now are people to fill it for its maiden voyage."

"And you plan to travel to these other worlds with it." She muttered quietly.

Prometheus nodded, his face becoming more serious. "These worlds and others when the time is right. Our empire will extend beyond the stars my love, and you shall be the Empress of Mercy to them all."

Arianasa looked out among the stars in the vast distance, lost in the wonder of it as Prometheus laid his hand on her shoulder, the silence more eloquent than any words.


A few days later…

Beowulf and Prometheus stood in the room which housed Davis's main body in the depths of the palace, waiting for Arianasa to arrive. As they waited Beowulf took a moment to reflect on the changes made to the machine over the years. Soon after the Demon War Davis had created a new, more permanent version of himself to reside within the palace. His original body still existed and was occasionally upgraded as the ability to travel between the dimensions at will, not to mention having mobility in general, was still extremely useful. However, given the fact that the machine rarely left the palace these days as well as the fact that the empire's data analytical requirements had increased many times as it expanded to include not only new territories to be monitored but also keeping track of the various breakthroughs and bureaucracies that came into being, even his powerful processors had not been enough to keep track of them all. When the room and its equipment had come online, Davis had shed the mechanical Terminator body he had used over the years, considering it outdated at that point. Prometheus had, at the machine's request, created and installed a combination of discrete high definition holographic projectors and directed sound systems in every room and area of the palace. This allowed Davis to project a perfect real-time solid image of himself anywhere inside the palace which included having his voice projected in the proper direction, Davis's main intelligence was now housed in a large segmented geodesic orb built into the floor that stood over 12 feet high and twice that in circumference. Surrounding it was a server farm of several dozen supercomputers linked together and to him by dedicated hardlines that allowed virtually instantaneous communication between them, allowing each of the machines to work in parallel with each other. The massive amount of raw processing power he had access to allowed him to perform deep level data analysis as well as creating extremely complex and robust simulations, allowing him to run various scenarios based on the state of the various kingdoms on the continent as well as other possible events.

A copy of Heaven's Light, Davis's ethically programmed counterpart on Earth, had also been installed as a separate module later on. While Davis had had his own set of 'ethics' programmed into him by the Human Resistance on the world he came from, they merely prevented him from acting against humanity and its best interests, ensuring that the machine would never return to its original directives and go on a rampage. Heaven's Light's programming had been much more comprehensive and detailed, have been created by Prometheus when he had been the human Asher Walters on Earth along with a number of ethicists and expert programmers he had hired. The Heaven's Light module had been installed as a compromise to help ensure Davis's good behavior without his will being subsumed into Prometheus's, thus denying him some of his free will. Like a human conscience it's recommendations could be ignored if he chose unless he attempted to go beyond the bounds of his dictated programming and attempt something that would be completely antithetical to Prometheus's goals or his own coded restrictions. Thankfully Davis had mostly chosen to go along with Heaven's Light's recommendations as they were not only based on ethics but also had a logical or utilitarian reason for following them that the machine could accept as reasonable.

Beowulf was quite sure that the machine had been sorely tempted to kill him many times over the years and would have gladly done so if not for those original bindings and the ones that were installed later.

A moment later Arianasa thumped into the room in her dragon form, squeezing through the slightly small door.

"Well then, everyone is here." She said. "Would you mind telling me why we are meeting down here like this, love? I find it rather silly, as if we were a bunch of children plotting to play a prank on our elders, especially considering you can speak to us mentally."

Prometheus smiled in amusement. "I suppose it is a bit overdone but there are times that I prefer to speak face to face in privacy."

"I have been transporting Terminators to the city using a portal between here and the city's palace." He stated as he stretched forth a clawed paw that glowed with silver and gold light. "The time to depart is nearly upon us and so the time has come for the final pieces to be placed upon the board."

As he spoke power from his hand coalesced near them into an amorphous form before refining itself into the form of a dragon. As the light began to fade the figure became more and more detailed until a perfect replica of Prometheus stood there, glancing about at them.

"My Avatar will take my place while we are gone." The duplicate stated. "While he does not have my full power he is me in every respect and any thought that is known to one is immediately known to the other. Thus shall I rule my empire in my absence."

"You mentioned that Beowulf could not come along." Arianasa said. "It didn't occur to me at the time but I cannot create duplicates of myself either, except for simple illusions. Surely I will be missed as well."

"I will provide excuses as to why you are not seen regularly at the palace." The avatar said. "You could easily be summoned by the Council of Wyrms to help train others in becoming clerics of Bahamut or something similar."

Prometheus nodded. "That sounds plausible."

"If you have no further need of me I shall take my place in court." The avatar said. "It would not do for me to be gone too long."

Prometheus nodded and his double thumped out of the room, leaving them alone. Beowulf turned to look at Prometheus.

"I know in my soul that your avatar is an extension of yourself and that you can speak through it." He said wistfully. "Even still, I feel as though we are saying goodbye for a while. It is difficult for me to recall a time when I was not by your side. It is...unsettling." He admitted with a winsome look before looking over at Arianasa. "I shall miss your presence as well, my Empress."

Prometheus smiled gently at this as he projected strength into his voice. "Do not fear and do not pine, my brother. I shall be with you in all ways that matter. The connection we share shall never be broken." He insisted as he sent comforting emotions down the link the two shared, strengthening Beowulf's spirit and filling his heart with joy. The Gnoll's eyes misted over at the powerful support he received from his god, his insides feeling as though they were filled with brilliant light.

"Thank you Alpha!" He murmured huskily, wiping his eyes to clear them.

Prometheus smiled gently at this. "Come now, join me in court as you always do. Before you realize it you will forget your anxiety and continue on as you always have. This is not goodbye or farewell, merely a change in perspective."

Bowing to Prometheus in thanks the Gnoll departed.

"Are you ready to depart Davis?" Prometheus asked.

"Quantum Entanglement Communication system is online...my alternative systems at the city are fully functional and reporting no errors. Core intelligence files and all ancillary data storage syncs are complete. Cross checking data integrity...reporting no data corruption or mismatched files. I'm ready to go."

"Good." Prometheus replied. "We will see you there shortly."

Gesturing for Ari to follow him, Prometheus strode out of the room and over to a guarded elevator, the pair of them transforming into their human forms in order to fit as the guards saluted them both. Stepping into the elevator, the interior covered in golden metal, Prometheus pressed a stud on the control panel. The compartment descended several floors before opening. The pair stepped into the hallway and moved towards one of the heavy bulkhead doors which opened at his mental command. Against the back wall sat a large archway of white and silver metal with a control panel nearby. Multiple armed Terminators stood about the room and another stood before the controls, manipulating them. Suddenly a flood of power surged over and around the archway before coalescing in the center as swirling mass of violet and blue energy.

"Step through and we shall arrive." Prometheus said with a smile as gestured for her to accompany him through the gateway. A moment of disorientation and they were through, the steel and stone walls giving way to onyx with elaborate brass overlays. Soft lighting was set into the ceiling and the floor was a continuous strip of chrome-like metal. The large hermetically sealed bulkhead before them unsealed with a hiss before sliding open smoothly, revealing another corridor in onx, copper, and chrome.

Arianasa smiled as they traveled down the corridor. "You styled this place after the scales of Dragonkind."

"Indeed, although that was not the only reason for choosing a metallic theme." Prometheus remarked. "The art style I mentioned to you before was done predominantly in metal and expensive stone."

Entering the elevator at the end of the corridor they swiftly ascended before the doors opened with a quiet hiss. As the pair stepped out the doors closed behind them and a large statue just to the right of the doors slid back into place with a quiet grind of gears, perfectly concealing the elevator's existence.

"We are now in the temple proper.." Prometheus informed her as he guided her down the statue-lined and high-arched hallway,

Arianasa looked about, marvelling at the intricate designs set into the jade and onyx walls from simple horizontal motion lines to intricate intersecting straight lines that curled at ninety degree angles back onto each other. The lamps set into the walls consisted of rising segmented fans of frosted crystal and glass atop a base of brass or gold.

"How were you able to obtain such stone as this?" She asked. "The amount alone…"

Prometheus chuckled at this. "Ah my dear, I am nothing if not efficient. To dig up such quantities of stone and metal, refine it, and bring it here would be exorbitant even for me. Observe." He said as he stretched out a claw and created a slash in the wall, his claw tip coming away covered in dull metal. As Arianasa watched the wall repaired itself.

"The entire structure is composed of nanites and dense building materials." He explained. "Thus, not only can it repair and clean itself, but if need be I can change the interior as I see fit." He explained.

"Brilliant." She said with a smile.

"They have various other functions as well though I see no need to dwell on them." He remarked blandly. "But suffice to say I control all that goes on within my own temple."

"Come." He said, guiding her down another hallway that led to the exterior wall of the temple on the ground floor. The massive overlapping panes of transparent material that made up the exterior wall allowed her to see into the city beyond as well as the vast dark vista of space above their heads, the Infinity Drive's transduction barrier a faint glow in the background.

"I thought these were made of silver or chrome." Ari remarked. "How is it we see through them clearly?"

"These panels are made of something much stronger than glass my dear. As for the visual effect, it is similar to how a two way mirror works." Prometheus replied. "There is an ultra thin silver coating on one side that reflects half the light away from the surface, thus the silver translucent effect on the outside, yet we can see clearly through it on the opposite side which has no such coating."

Walking along the corridor lit by the light of Oerth's sun he continued to point out various pieces of architecture before moving into the main entrance hall. Stepping into the room the silver Dragon looked about. The massive space was easily fifty feet high and thirty feet wide, done in elegant wood and onyx, the floor a single continuous slab of glazed tan porcelain tile with darker brown lines that seemed to flow from the entrance doors to the back wall. Smooth pillars of red marble edged the room at regular intervals with panels of gold and brass in between them, each panel a masterwork of intricate design. Some displayed Prometheus in his human form, dressed in armor and bearing a sword and shield while others displayed his dragon form in a regal position. Other panels showed complex geometric tracings or sunbursts while a few captured the muscular human form holding a radiating sun or planet in their hands. The ceiling was arched and seemingly made of gold panels with silver edgings from which hung rectangular lanterns. Against the left wall stood a life sized statue of Prometheus as a dragon in gold metal while on the opposite side, standing easily ten feet tall. was his human form, once again in armor and armed, this time done in silver. The back wall consisted of a massive segmented portal of chrome with gold-paneled doors inlaid with a perfect orb in the center, bisected by the doors themselves with lines radiating from it. Leading Arianasa through the doors they came to the main worship area.

The large room was split into two sections, the front half extending forward with an arched ceiling while the rear was more rounded and wider. Along the walls at regular intervals a series of bronze and brass buttresses inlaid with straight-edged designs rose up from the floor before tapering off near the top of the ceiling. At the apex of the rounded area of the room the center consisted of a massive circle of clear crystal, allowing light to filter down from higher levels of the pyramid, the area around it sheathed in gold. Lanterns hung from the buttresses creating a long oval pattern above, the smooth floor a mix of burnished gold and brass with exotic and flowing patterns. A pair of winged and wide rising walkways covered in tan carpet with a long metal banister flowed around the sides of the round area before rising up even higher and moving back the way they came, allowing others to view the proceedings from higher up on multiple levels while the ground floor widened to accommodate a large crowd.

"When light streams in from the opening in the ceiling it will shine down upon whomever is speaking at the rear." Prometheus mentioned.

"How appropriate." Arianasa replied with a smile.

"Come, let us adjourn to my throne room." He suggested. "The tour can continue once we are under way."

Leading her back to the main room one of the panels between the pillars split apart to reveal an elevator, the inside made of black marble and dark wood.

"Level 2." Prometheus stated and the elevator began to rise.

"Your throne room isn't at the top of the pyramid?" Arianasa teased.

Prometheus smiled in amusement. "I have no intention of making my followers travel to the top of this massive building simply to meet with me. Besides, that would be too obvious a target if we came under attack."

The silver Dragon snorted. "Only you would worry about someone targeting you as your are now. I think Davis has been rubbing off on you."

"I resent that remark." Davis's voice replied snidely from a grill in the ceiling, making the female Dragon look up in surprise.

The elevator chimed a moment later, allowing them to exit. Walking down the exterior corridor they turned right at a large segmented doorway with a pair of silver doors covered with engravings of Prometheus's symbols. The room within was wide at the entrance and converged to the rear at the end making the throne its natural focal point. The floor was done in black with complex geometric figures and lines in gold inlaid into it except for a gold-lined straight path that bisected the room, leading directly to the throne. Upon the walls were crimson tapestries that held more shapes such as diamonds, straight lines, angles, sunbursts, and more in golden thread. Before the throne, inset into the ceiling and the floor, were more crystal circles, creating the effect of a shaft of light just in front of it. The throne itself was thin but high and made entirely of gold with white cushions on the seat and arms. The backrest of the throne done in the design of a fan with segmented rectangles, its highest segment in the center with the rest pointing upwards and away from it, each segment covered in complex designs.

"No seat for me?" Arianasa asked loftily with a teasing smile.

Prometheus smiled. "I have not forgotten my love." He said as he gestured.

The throne immediately slid to the left and another throne of a similar design but made of silver and with more graceful lines rose from the floor so that the two were side by side.

"Much better!" Arianasa replied happily as she walked up to the silver throne and seated herself on it. "Won't you join me?" She asked in arrogant amusement.

Shaking his head with a chuckle Prometheus moved to the back of the room and seated himself on the throne.

"I believe I could get used this." The silver Dragon said with a sigh.

"No doubt." Prometheus said with a smile before looking up at the ceiling. "Davis, I trust everything is in order?"

"The Terminators all report readiness and are at their stations." Davis reported through another pair of grilled speakers nearby. "All systems are green and the Infinity Drive is stable. We are ready to depart."

"Where are we going?" Arianasa asked him.

"Celene." Prometheus stated. "I would see our moon first. After that the other planets as well as near to the sun as we can get. I would know this entire region and what it holds." Reaching down next to the throne he placed an ornate crown of silver, gold, and gems on his head, the stones immediately beginning to glow with power.

"Let us away then!" Prometheus declared with a hint of excitement in his voice as his eyes sparkled. "First star on the right and straight on till morning!" He declared, quoting from Peter Pan.

Jets on the sides of the superstructure began to fire gouts of blue flame and the entire city shuddered slightly before slowly starting to move away from Oerth.