Chapter 7: To Boldly Go...

Prometheus stood within the apex of the pyramid, watching in silence with his hands clasped behind him as Oerth's moon grew ever closer. Arianasa had decided to wander about the pyramid a bit before joining him as this room was the tallest in the floating city, allowing for an amazing view. The center of the room held a massive spherical crystal filled with magical energy, making it glow white as it slowly turned. It was this crystal that allowed the consistent light beam to shine down through the center of the pyramid illuminating, among other things, the area just in front of his throne room as well as the public worship area on the main floor he had shown Arianasa earlier. While the tip of the pyramid was sheathed in gold he could easily make the top transparent, allowing nature sunlight to filter through the crystal and down into the massive tube that ran down the center of the structure, the crystal providing enough energy that the light's diffusion on each floor would not prevent it from reaching the bottom floor before dying out. The crystal had various other uses of course but at the moment illumination was all it was needed for.

The elevator on the other side of the room chimed quietly before its bronze doors opened, revealing his mate as she stepped out, looking about at the room and eying the crystal curiously before moving towards him.

"So this is what's at the top." She mused. "It's quite lovely." Moving next to Prometheus she studied the moon before her. "How long will it take us to get there?" She asked. "From what little I know of astronomy the distances are quite great."

"Approximately ten million miles." Prometheus agreed easily with a nod. "A vast distance indeed."

The fey woman's eyes widened comically at this pronouncement. "Ten million miles?" She asked in shock. "But it will take decades to reach it, centuries even!" She exclaimed in dismay. "How can we-"

"It will not take as long as you think." Prometheus assured her with a knowing smile. "Considering we are travelling at a speed of approximately twenty million miles per hour, we should reach Celene shortly." He said dryly.

The woman's knees nearly gave out at that statement, causing Prometheus to reach over in order to keep her balance.

"How?" She could only ask weakly.

"Partially because of the Infinity Drive and partially because of a combination of science and magic." He explained as he turned towards the moon. "Darlana's people are an advanced race, scientifically and magically. After absorbing the data core of her ship's computer, a repository of knowledge if you will, I learned much about not only about her ship and how it functions, but also about other technological and magical devices that they use. One such device, which apparently is used by other civilizations beyond our world, is called a Spelljamming helm. In essence it allows special ships to traverse the void between worlds and even between various dimensions."

"But you, or at least Davis, can already do that." Arianasa said, puzzled.

"This is true to a certain extent but Davis does have his limits." Prometheus replied. "He is able to travel between dimensions easily but he can only travel to a destination he is already aware of. He cannot simply 'point' in a certain direction and go to see what he finds. To do so would be extremely hazardous for him. Of course, I am speaking very broadly, the more precise details would not make sense to you."

The woman arched an eyebrow at this. "Try me." She said in a slightly challenging tone.

Prometheus smiled. "Very well. Technically speaking Davis is aware of the multidimensional coordinates for specific parallel universal phase-spaces thus allowing him to travel from our dimensional pocket to my original universe and back as well as the alternate Earth he was created upon. However, he cannot simply phase across dimensions in any specific direction; it is not like flying across the sky. While remaining in the same position he must transcend multiple dimensional phase-spaces in order to ascend to the higher order planes which allow not only for dimension travel across similar space-time variants with similar universal constants but also dimensions with different universal laws and requirements. From this nine-dimensional framework he would have to then locate the proper dimensional series of existences before paring them down to locate the specific time-space continuum he wished to access before descending from the multiversal nexus to normal four dimensional space-time. Given the nearly infinite number of potential space-time variants he would need to search through if he were attempting to locate a single universe manually, using multi-dimensional coordinates is essential. Is that clear?" He asked in amusement.

"As clear as a storm cloud." She remarked sarcastically.

Prometheus nodded. "Quite. Spelljamming, on the other hand, is rather different. One makes use of a Spelljamming helm to inject magical energy into a system whereby it is converted into thrust, allowing one to traverse the void. The more power one has at one's disposal, the further they can travel without a rest. The helm and the system combined allow one to travel extraordinarily fast in order to cross the vast distances between worlds. Spelljammers have a top speed of about four million miles per hour." Prometheus explained.

"Thinking about that still threatens to make me fall on my tail." She remarked.

"Indeed." Prometheus said with a smile. "To continue, Darlana's ship uses a kind of warp drive they reverse-engineered for their own use. I, in turn, was able to reverse engineer their warp drive so that I might create something similar for our use. While I did not have the means to recreate it perfectly I was able to create a version that can convert the energy collected by the Spelljammer helm to a more refined form before returning it to the engines, allowing us to travel faster than a normal Spelljammer ship."

"Where does the magical energy come from?" She asked curiously. "The crystal?"

"The crystal could be used for such a function, yes." He said. "But currently all of the power comes from myself. I will admit the helm functions slightly differently than a normal one but then this is not a normal ship. To make a normal ship that weighs several tons fly like this requires the entire magical potential of a single wizard of sufficient strength. Normally a city of this size is many thousands of tons in weight. Even a series of archmages working in tandem would be sucked dry trying to move an entire city of this size and still not move it an inch. However, given my status as a god, I have an incredible amount of power at my disposal. The Infinity Drive and the runic system helps to keep the city virtually weightless which in turn ensures the city can move much more quickly that it otherwise could. I could move the city without them, of course, but it would take far more power to do so."

As they watched the moon incrementally grew larger and closer in their view until it took up almost all of their view.

"Geosynchronous orbit with Celene has been achieved." Davis reported to them through the speakers set into the wall. "No life signs in detected in the local area below. No atmosphere detected. We can depart at your leisure."

"Shall we?" Prometheus asked with a smile.

The silver Dragon nodded and the two of them took the elevator to the bottom floor where Davis and a large squad of Terminators stood ready.

"Unfortunately my Lady, you will not be able to accompany us." Davis said regretfully. "Without atmospheric pressure to keep your bodily fluids stable you would expire within minutes."

"Dare I ask what that means?" Arianasa asked.

"It means that an atmosphere is necessary to keep your blood from boiling you alive from the inside." Prometheus remarked. "Air and the other gases that make up the atmosphere increase pressure on your body to keep your blood and other fluids stable and where they are supposed to be. Without it water and other liquids like your blood boil at very low temperatures and any air inside your lungs would be sucked out immediately. As my body is composed of more exotic matter and a Terminator's body does not require such things, we should be fine."

Arianasa nodded. "I understand. Do tell me all about it though."

"We will record everything." Prometheus assured her before kissing her cheek and bidding her farewell. As Prometheus walked towards the waiting shuttle nearby Davis began walking alongside him.

"The planet is tidally locked so we will be viewing the side that faces Oerth first." Davis informed him. "Long range scans indicated the other side of the moon has been blasted by tens of thousands of meteor strikes sometime in the distant past. Ironically it appears that the civilization that existed here built their cities within and on top of those craters. We'll send Terminators there to scout of course as well as do surface scans and other tests to see if there's anything useful beneath the crust as well as whether anything is left in the cities."

"Is there any chance of recreating the atmosphere?" Prometheus asked.

"Not without a massive terraforming project which we don't have the capability for at this point." Davis replied. "The Terminators would be able to make use of the planet, of course, but no living being could reside here for long unless we set up habitations with their own oxygen production and atmospheric pressure regulators."

Prometheus shook his head. "That would be rather too risky at this point I think."

The group came to the shuttle waiting nearby, the craft a simple and clean white color with a boxy body and stubby wings with engines on either side of the rear hatch. Entering the hatch Davis made his way to the pilot's seat while Prometheus sat down in one of the soft seats provided for the Emperor and Empress while the Terminators stood at attention along the walls. A few moments later the shuttle shuddered before lifting upward into the air, flying forward and into the city's sky, passing between the tips of various buildings. Flying beyond the Infinity Drive's barrier, normal space exerted itself on the craft, making it shudder slightly as Davis compensated. The craft quickly flew towards the darker side of the moon while Oerth hung in the distance like a blue and white marble that slowly rotated. Having no atmosphere the shuttle was able to quickly approach the planetoid with Davis reorienting the shuttle as the moon's gravity asserted itself.

We're scanning Celene as we go in order to try and locate more of the ancient ruins. Davis notified him.

As the shuttle flew over the dark blue barren landscape they eventually drew near to a large cluster of broken buildings.

Setting down. Davis notified him, the shuttle landing with a thump a few moments later with the roar of maneuvering thrusters.

As the rear hatch opened the air in the rear area of the vehicle escaped with a large burst of sound before the pressures equalized, the Terminators shifting slightly at the change. Rising from his seat Prometheus stepped out of the shuttle and onto the barren ground.

That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. Prometheus sent to Davis with a hint of amusement.

At least you didn't screw up the line like Neil Armstrong did. Davis remarked.

The Terminators began to disembark from the shuttle as Prometheus gazed about. The barren ground was devoid of any kinds of life and was a greyish-white the color of dust. Davis bent down and collected a chunk before rubbing it against his fingers.

Seems to have the consistency and texture of coal. He remarked. Surface temperature is about thirty-seven degrees Celsius.

Or one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Prometheus mused. A tad warm.

Considering the nature of this moon the temperatures must vary quite a bit. If it's this hot on the side facing away from the sun, how much warmer will it be on the opposite side? Davis wondered.

We may have the dubious pleasure of watching Terminators melt like popsicles. Prometheus remarked snarkily.

Very droll. Davis replied flatly. Buildings up ahead.

Prometheus nodded as the group made their way to the ruined structures nearby, the silence absolute. The broken buildings were made of smooth and dark chiseled stone. They were apparently once quite beautiful given the various damaged archways and the variety of shapes that littered the ground. Plinths and columns were strewn about haphazardly while other buildings, many having been several stories tall at one point, leaned treacherously to one side. Coming to a building where the bottom floor was mostly intact he examined the size and shape of the curved door frame.

Roughly humanoid in height and width. Prometheus considered. Not conclusive certainly but rather telling.

Stepping inside they found the floor to be made of simple smoothed stone with various tables and chairs in various states of disrepair. The interior walls covered with a rust colored coating. Moving to another room they found the remains of what appeared to be a food preparation area with long tables and bare cabinets along the walls. Another doorway led into a small area that appeared to be a bathroom complete with a damaged receptacle for waste that was, thankfully, empty. Leaving the building they wandered between them carefully, the ancient roads that had connected them long destroyed. As they made their way between the structures they appeared to change from simple houses and other dwellings to more ornate and wider structures, the walls have more fanciful designs inscribed upon them.

I've been doing some scans of the various buildings and the damage to them. Davis said. Interestingly a lot of the damage isn't from simple entropy or structural weakness due to the time frame between then and now. Also, these structures have not eroded as much as we might have expected if the atmosphere bled off slowly over time.

In other words this is not the product of simply millions of years of natural erosion taking its toll. Prometheus mused. Are you suggesting that the damage is artificial in origin?

It certainly appears that way. Davis replied. It's almost as if some massive force collided with the buildings at some point.

Bombardment from cannon or missile fire perhaps? Prometheus asked.

Nothing so mundane. Davis replied. The damage is almost perfectly consistent with a specific height across all the structures. The first floors of the buildings are mostly intact but second floor and beyond there's nothing left intact except for the ruins around us. Any kind of bombardment would leave haphazard building destruction based on differences in blast radius and payload strength. It's almost like a giant arm swept across the entire city and knocked the upper areas of all the buildings down. There's something else that puzzles me as well.

Prometheus raised an eyebrow at this. It's not often that you are puzzled my friend. Do tell.

The bodies. The Terminator said succinctly.

Prometheus frowned before looking around. I do not see any bodies here.

Exactly. Davis confirmed. Even after this kind of time frame you would still find fossilized or mummified remains since there's no oxygen or bacteria to initiate the decaying process. Bones, mainly, or at least parts of them if munitions of some kind were used. Even when nuclear weapons are utilized there's still some remains that aren't vaporized in the outlying areas beyond the immediate blast zone. The other Terminators have been scanning the ground of this entire area and there's no bones or fossils anywhere, no organic substances of any kind. If this place was bombarded or attacked some remains would have been left behind.

It is entirely possible that the people were evacuated before the attack began or the bodies were disposed of afterwards. Prometheus suggested.

Davis made a hum of disagreement. Given the radius of the area as a whole as well as the number of buildings, this city was designed to hold several hundred thousand people. Unless they left well in advance of any attack, which usually doesn't happen in war, they should have left something behind.

That would also rule out any sort of natural catastrophe. Prometheus said. Some massive earthquake or eruption. I also sense lingering traces of magical energy around the buildings. For those traces to exist for this long the stone itself must have been absolutely infused with energy at one time.

A magical war then? Or perhaps a magical calamity that engulfed the city suddenly? Davis asked.

Possibly, though it still does not explain the lack of bodies. Perhaps after the calamity occurred the people were able to migrate away from the city or even the planet itself. It could also explain what happened to the atmosphere if it was destabilized enough by what happened. We will need to examine the other side of the planet as well for comparison. Prometheus continued. Tell me, what are your thoughts about making use of this planet. Assuming the orbital bombardment of asteroids infused the planet with various metals, it could be useful for mining purposes.

More than that, I think. Davis said thoughtfully. We have here a seemingly empty void world that no living being can stand on. Terminators have no such weaknesses. Once we do a little bit of sculpting to make the ground level and rebuild the structures we could have the makings of a mining colony and forge world run by Terminators alone. With enough raw materials and machinery the output could be immense. If need be we could create structures with their own pressurized atmosphere for laser welding or other high temperature construction purposes.

Prometheus nodded. I will want this planet scanned thoroughly before any such project is begun and I will need to know the details before I approve it. He told Davis.

Certainly. The machine replied.

The group walked through the large city for another hour, cataloging what objects they found and taking more samples before eventually returning to the shuttle. Lifting off into the air again they flew perpendicular to the planet, circling around to the opposite side. The entire solar side of the planet was brilliantly lit and pockmarked with thousands upon thousands of asteroid strikes from tiny in size to several that were nearly a kilometer across. As pictures of the surface appeared on the screens around them Prometheus was surprised to see largely intact buildings situated on the edge of and even within the various craters like a collection of dispersed city-states.

I trust you are seeing what I am seeing? He asked Davis in slight amazement

If you're seeing a series of nearly intact buildings upon and inside the craters, then yes. Davis replied. I must say I did not expect them to be this intact.

Neither did I. Prometheus replied. It makes one wonder just when these structures were built and how given the devastation surrounding them. Such destruction on such a massive scale would surely have destroyed any plant life in the past and transporting such goods across the planet would have been extremely expensive and time consuming.

Presuming they used similar methods to the way such things were done on Oerth, perhaps. Davis remarked thoughtfully. But it's entirely possible they were able to utilize magic on a grand scale to help facilitate transportation of goods and services. Recall that the buildings still had magical residue on them even after all that time. If such magical saturation was common then it's possible these people were able to leech building materials from the soil to create their structures and teleport food to wherever it was needed.

Prometheus hummed in thought as the shuttle circled one of the cities that was built on the rim and into the walls of one of the massive craters. Touching down on one of the larger flat areas near the city the group disembarked and began walking towards it. The massive buildings were all several stories high and built of white stone in a vaguely Arabian style with large arches, balconies, and domed roofs abounding. The Terminators collected various weather-beaten artifacts like stone cups and bowls as well as various other curios that were lying about while Prometheus and Davis examined the architecture and the rooms themselves.

Solid stone, no sign of any technology in use or obvious magical constructions. Prometheus muttered mentally to Davis as he looked about one of the upper level floors. These buildings appear to have escaped the calamity that brought down the upper floors of the buildings on the other side of the planet. Any ideas?

Only conjecture and too many to list. Davis replied stoically. These cities might be the ones that instigated the attack on the others in the first place or they could be an entirely different civilization unconnected to what was going on. The previous cities could have done themselves in and these groups were able to live peacefully. The architecture looks rather different as well which suggests a different society rather than an offshoot. Still, that doesn't mean the two couldn't be in conflict with each other. I'll have the Terminators search through all the ruins but without some kind of records we're shooting in the dark.

I have found the lack of records rather curious, though I suppose time and the loss of atmosphere would have destroyed them. Prometheus remarked.

Most likely. Davis agreed. If anyone knows who they were it would probably be the Elves.

I suppose I shall have to have a chat with their god Larethian one day. Prometheus mused.

The pair spent several more hours going from building to building and even dropping down partway into the crater to investigate the structures there as well. Unfortunately they found little beyond ancient pottery and empty homes. Returning to the shuttle, Davis lifted off with Prometheus and the Terminators in tow, swiftly returning to the city. As the shuttle touched down they were met by Arianasa who looked on expectantly.

"Well? Tell me about your adventure!" She said with an excited look.

"Hardly an adventure." Prometheus said with a smile as he disembarked. "We examined the ruins of two ancient cities but that was about the extent of it. Given the mysteries of the place we were not able to come to any definitive conclusions about what happened to the former residents. Perhaps we shall learn more in time with a more in-depth study. But for the moment all we did was take some samples and record the buildings."

Prometheus focused his senses outward as he began to commune with one of the many groups of Terminators located within the city. Take a medium range shuttle and return to the moon below with sufficient supplies to set up a temporary base. You will then perform a detailed and comprehensive geological and geographical study. Mark and catalog any civilization remnants you find there but do not disturb anything. Commune with me if any of you feel it necessary, especially if you should, for some reason, find intelligent life there.

The group of fifty machines acknowledged his orders and immediately began to gather materials for the trip from the various warehouses and storage areas located throughout the city. Within an hour they had filled the larger shuttlecraft with large storage containers full of equipment before embarking onto the craft and taking off from the landing pad.

"Hopefully nothing will happen to them." Ari said a bit pensively as she watched them take off.

"They have enough gear to ensure their safety if something has somehow survived on that moon for this long." Prometheus assured her. "It would take an actual assault force of considerable strength to overwhelm them. They are in more danger from a building falling on them or an earthquake occurring. Let us move on to the next world, it will give them enough time to survey much of the planet before we return for them."

Returning to the pyramid Prometheus entered his throne room before seating himself and placing the jeweled helm upon his head. Injecting more power into the engines the city began to move once more, sluggishly building up speed before accelerating to a small fraction of lightspeed, Celene leaping away from them. A moment later hidden projectors in the walls illuminated the area in front of them, creating a real time image of the moon's departure before turning about to see the "front" of the city, the stars in the distance slowly shifting position as they moved.

"Where are we headed next?" Ari asked.

"The planet Raenei, also known as Luna by the Elves." Prometheus replied. "Fortunately its orbit is bringing it fairly close so it will not take long. The others, I fear, will take more time as their orbits put them further away, some on the opposite side of Oerth and our current path."

True to his word the Emperor's city approached Raenei within an hour, seen from the throne room projectors as a blue-white sphere. As the city slowed its powerful sensors began to scan the planet below.

"Nickel-iron molten core with a mantle and thin crust similar to Oerth." Davis reported through the speakers as a rotating image of the planet appeared before them. "Dense atmosphere nearly identical to Oerth's as well. No indication of previous or current volcanic activity which is a plus. There's a powerful magnetosphere in place around the planet due to its core meaning that compass navigation is possible. Surface scans show mostly dry land with two major oceans, one in each hemisphere. There's about 250 square miles of desert located in the northern hemisphere here." Davis said, outlining a brownish area in red before moving on. "The equator sports a single consistent mountain range around the entire planet and there's another ring of mountains at each pole. All of them seem to get a lot of severe weather there, almost constant storms from the look of it. Temperature appears to fall within human tolerances. Mineral deposits appear to be on par with what we'd expect and the planet is in good condition overall so it didn't get bombarded by asteroids like Celene did. Surprising amount of forest, could be useful." Davis continued. "Planetary rotation is a bit faster than what we're used to, a day/night cycle is about sixteen hours here instead of twenty-four."

Prometheus nodded thoughtfully at this. "Are there any signs of life or civilizations?"

"Plenty of vegetation and animal life but so far no indications of intelligent life." Davis replied. "No city structures or towns of any size on the sensors and there's no radiating energy signatures to suggest power usage. Looks like prime real estate so far."

"Splendid." Prometheus said with a smile. "Let us all take a look while the scans continue their work."

Exiting the pyramid, Prometheus and Ari were joined by Davis and another squad of Terminators at the shuttle.

"At least I get to see it this time." The woman remarked with a hint of tartness.

"You would have found Celene dull and uninteresting, I suspect." Prometheus replied. "This planet should be much more enjoyable."

The shuttle trip down the surface was largely uneventful though Arianasa spent much of the time plastered to one of the windows, watching the clouds pass by a incredible speed and the areas of land below seemingly laid out in miniature. When they finally touched down on one of the many plains that covered the surface Arianasa quickly stepped out onto the foreign world, taking a deep breath of air with Prometheus and Davis following after her.

"The air smells a bit sweeter than on Oerth." She noted. "Odd."

"All part of being on a new planet." Davis remarked as he came and stood beside her, Prometheus joining them a moment later. "Sky is slightly lighter blue, clouds appear mostly the same. Grass is greenish at least. If I'm not mistaken that's a Bronzewood forest in the distance." Davis remarked with a gleam in his eye. "That stuff's as expensive as Mithril on Oerth due to its rarity."

"What is it used for?" Arianasa asked curiously.

"It's an ultra-dense magical wood which is tough enough and light enough that you can use it in place of steel and still make decent weapons and armor out of it." Davis replied. "If we used it for building material we'd have log cabins as study as a reinforced metal building."

Prometheus nodded in appreciation. "I believe the scanners did show there were large amounts of forest on this planet. Could they all be Bronzewood?"

Davis's smile grew wider. "Not all of it I'm sure but from what I saw about half of it should be. We have something of a windfall here."

"Just try not to strip the planet bare of trees." Prometheus said in amusement.

Davis snorted. "Unlike those morons on Earth I know how to invest in the environment. I'll make sure to harvest plenty of seedlings so we can create farms of them and set up some reservations, among other things."

As the group wandered about they found a few large and horned furry creatures similar to buffalo grazing placidly on the tall grass. Arianasa carefully walked up to one, allowing it to watch and sniff at her scent before slowly raising a hand and stroking its brown pelt. The creature grunted neutrally as she stroked it bovine face and snout before it snorted at her with its large nose and wandered away, disinterested.

"Something tells me it did not want to be your pet." Prometheus suggested teasingly from a short distance away.

Ari looked back at him dismissively. "I was merely introducing myself, thank you. It's a lovely creature, I have no interest in making it mine."

"We'll need to collect a few specimens for study." Davis said. "Not to mention soil, mineral, water, plants, and other animals. I'll send teams down to have them start surveys as well as looking for specimens we can acquire without causing significant environmental impact."

Prometheus nodded. "We will need to make sure there are no surprises waiting for us here as well as plot out habitable areas for construction."

"You plan to begin colonizing this world already?" Arianasa asked in surprise.

"Not colonizing yet, though in time I intend to. Rather I intend to simply start creating places and infrastructure where people can live assuming there are no obstacles." He replied as he looked about, his many senses stretching across miles of land.

The group stayed for a few more hours with Arianasa and Prometheus taking a flight around the area to stretch their wings and enjoy the feeling of the wind about them while more shuttles bearing teams of Terminators and containers of research equipment landed nearby. Before long they heading back to the shuttle returning once again to the city. Having confirmed from the sensors that no obvious civilizations existed on the surface the massive structure soon accelerated away from the planet, jumping across the vast gulf of interplanetary space. After a few days of travel they slowly approached the large orbiting yellow sun.

"Incredible." Davis remarked as the city flew nearer and nearer to it. "This isn't a sun as we understand it."

"What do you mean?" Prometheus asked curiously.

"There's no nuclear fusion taking place within the core." Davis replied with an odd note in his voice. "It's literally a ball of normal fire. Hot certainly but not millions of degrees hot."

"Could you stand next to it." Arianasa asked curiously.

"It would be like standing next to the biggest bonfire in history but you could do it." Davis replied in a slightly shocked tone. "We're currently much closer to it than we would have any right to be if it functioned like Earth's sun, yet we're taking no damage and the thermal readings are well within acceptable parameters for life to survive. Did Pelor simply create it whole cloth or..."

"Allow me." Prometheus said before he launched his consciousness towards the massive ball of fire, his mind and senses scanning the interior of the massive sphere of pyrokinetics before retracting himself. "It would appear there is a three-dimensional portal at the heart of the structure, a spherical gateway that is one way only. Based on what I sensed I believe it is connected to the elemental plane of fire."

"So that's where the fuel comes from." Davis muttered. "These planes are supposed to be infinite in size so it would never run out of energy. But that's still not enough energy to heat the planets nor ensure its light reaches them."

"Pelor." Prometheus supplied in an indulgent tone. "You cannot apply scientific principles to objects that are controlled by the gods, for they act as Their will dictates, not how you believe they should or by the rules of any physical law. It is by Pelor's constant application of will that light and heat reaches Oerth as well as the other planets in their appropriate measures, all balanced perfectly so that some regions are colder than others, allowing for snowy regions and other, hotter, desert regions. The other gods work in tandem to control the seasons, the weather, and all other such aspects of existence. Thus they create general laws that nature and reality follow due to their insistence but these matters can always be changed if they desire it. Hence the ability for magic and miracles to function and change reality as desired."

"Cheaters." Davis muttered causing the pair to chuckle.

"Perhaps." Prometheus allowed. "But it does make things more interesting does it not? In any case, let us continue onward. We can examine the sun more at a later date."

The city travelled onward for several hours, further beyond the nearby worlds until they came to a massive asteroid field.

"They call it the Grinder." Davis explained as they approached the various asteroids floating in the aether. "This absolutely huge asteroid field is actually spherical in nature and surrounds the inner planets like a bubble of rock."

"Do we have any information on how it was formed." Arianasa asked as she looked at one of the holographic displays floating in mid-air next to them, the blue screen showing the solar system and the massive encirclement of asteroids sitting in the middle of it. "It's almost as if some massive rock exploded outward in all directions from where Oerth now sits."

"Not at the moment." Davis replied. "It'll take quite a while to get enough data from the asteroids to make any kind of judgement statement about why they are positioned the way they are. And even then we could probably just blame it on Celestian wanting to confuse the astronomers. The gods can be fickle like that." He said jokingly.

Arianasa snorted in amusement. "I cannot argue with that." She admitted. "Will the city be in any danger?" She asked as she peered at the display closely.

"Not from the asteroids." Davis replied as they continued to fly closer towards the field. "That screen you're looking at is very compressed in regard to scale, these asteroids are actually many thousands of kilometers apart. You could drive a small continent between them and still have room to spare. Naturally there's lots of smaller debris that would make passing through somewhat dangerous for a Spelljamming ship but we're big enough that it doesn't matter."

"We should be able to make good use of them for strip mining." Prometheus mused as he gazed about at them. "They should hold quite a lot of metallic wealth."

"Or we could just make a living selling space rocks." Davis remarked. "Wizards on Oerth would pay through the nose for chunks of those asteroids hoping to have 'star metal' to work with."

Prometheus raised an eyeridge curiously at this. "You are correct. Metal from beyond Oerth is often said to contain mystical properties. Of course we will need to test some to be sure but it is an interesting point. Once we reach one of the asteroids we shall hold position for a short time to dispatch several probes and analysis units."

"Understood." Davis replied.

The city continued its rapid acceleration through the massive encirclement of stone, stopping only briefly to dispatch teams of spider-like machines to scan and drill into its interior before continuing onward. Passing beyond the asteroid field they traveled for another day and a half before arriving at a large gaseous world.

"Analysis?" Prometheus prompted, looking at the light blue featureless sphere before them.

"Scanning now." Davis replied as powerful beams of energy scoured the blue gas giant.

"This world appeared to be a self-contained sphere of air with large land masses scattered around the outer edges of it." Davis reported several minutes later. "It's as if a planet had decided to explode outwards before being halted in its progress."

"Curious." Prometheus muttered. "How is it the atmosphere does not escape?"

"Getting some very odd readings about that." Davis replied. "There appears to be a powerful gravitational field at the center of the sphere but there's no solid matter there, only more atmosphere and the gravity is only strong enough to hold an object in place. To hold that much atmosphere in place with that amount of precision the gravity well would need to be far more powerful than it is. Interestingly there also appears to be some kind of membrane surrounding the outer edge of the oxygen bubble. It's completely permeable and self healing from what I can tell." Davis muttered. "I am detecting a large number of life forms around the land masses as well."

"Well then, it appears the gods created this place for a purpose. Let us take a look." Prometheus prompted. "Head towards the nearest landmass if you please."

"All ahead." Davis remarked as the city flew closer to the planet. As they approached the clear membrane separating the planet's atmosphere from the void it began to flow around the bubble created by the Infinity Drive, sealing itself immediately after the city had passed through. As they watched on the monitors they could see the landmass slowly come into view like a huge floating island with forests and mountains scattered about its surface.

"Picking up lifeforms on the scanners." Davis reported. "Quite a few too by the look of it."

"I should think so." Prometheus suddenly said with a broad smile. "I realize where we are; I've been here before."

"You have?" Arianasa asked in surprise. "How?"

Prometheus chuckled at this. "Do find a good parking spot Davis. I have some friends to greet. Come Ari, allow me to introduce you."

Wrapping an arm around her Prometheus teleported them through the dimensional barrier and into the open air as he transformed, holding himself and Arianasa aloft. His aura unfurled from his body like a crack of lightning, attracting a large number of flying creatures in the distance.

"How do you know them?" Arianasa asked as she transformed as well.

"Not too long ago they fought alongside me in the Demon War." Prometheus replied. "Perhaps you remember them from the final battle at Utopia."

Arianasa blinked as memories came to the surface…

Suddenly above the battlefield a massive blue portal easily a quarter mile wide erupted in the sky, swirling with power. Those gazing up at it saw a rich temperate land filled with forests and mountains and a clear sky with a horde of glistening flying creatures flying towards it. A moment later Dragons surged from the portal by the dozens, their scales flashing myriad metallic colors in the sunlight. On the backs of many of the Dragons sat men in silvery plate armor and at the head of the massive force was a Dragon all of them knew well.

"Protect the Ascendant!" One of the Dragons shouted, the other Dragons forming an honor guard around Prometheus on all sides as they cast shielding spells.

Whirling blades of conjured blessed light shot from Prometheus's paws, spinning towards the Demons like sawblades as other Dragons fired spears and bolts of power strong enough to impale a Dragon or burst through their scaled hides. Shields imbued with unholy energies splintered and broke before the onslaught as the Demons themselves were shredded into pieces. From the backs of the Dragons the silvery knights drew their weapons, aiming their sniper rifles and firing into the horde. Heads and limbs exploded as the powerful rounds tore through the Demons' supernaturally strong skin, the Terminators aim unerring.

"The warrior Dragons from the portal!" Arianasa breathed in realization. "Then this must be…"

"The Dragon Sanctuary." Prometheus confirmed. "The dwelling place of the Metallic Dragons throughout the long ages since their exile at the end of the Dragon Wars. Bahamut transported me here after I escaped from Critwall where I helped organize the counter attack with the help of the Council of Wyrms."

"The Ascendant returns!" Cried one of the Dragons as the large group of over two dozen flew closer, their scales shining brilliantly in the sun.

"Do you feel his aura?" One of the Gold Dragons asked. "His power has grown to immense proportions!"

"What news of Oerth, Ascendant?" A Brass Dragon called out. "We have heard naught since the end of the war!"

"My friends and battle brothers!" Prometheus called out to them. "It does my heart good to see all of you again!"

As the group of dragons neared they gasped in astonishment at the power of his aura for it was unlike anything they had ever encountered except upon those rare occasions when they would be in Bahamut's direct presence.

"Great One! The power you wield...have you become as like unto the gods themselves?" A Gold Dragon asked in amazement. "Even the greatest of Ascendants in all of our history have never risen so high!"

"A god I am." He confirmed with a smile. "By the blessing of Bahamut and in accordance with the will of the Council of Gods I am the Divine Lord of Technology and Innovation."

The dragons immediately inclined their heads in reverence to him. "We are honored that you should come before us Great One!" They murmured.

"Please my friends, raise your heads to look upon me as you always did." Prometheus said gently. "A mere fifteen years have passed since the war ended and I rose to my current status. I am not so old and set in my ways that I neglect the friendships I cultivated such a short time ago. Come! Allow me to visit with you as in previous years that I might know of your comings and goings."

The dragons raised their heads and smiled, glad that the comradery between them still existed. "And who is this lovely specimen beside you?" A Silver Dragon asked with interest.

"Another Ascendant, raised up by Bahamut." Prometheus explained, glancing at Arianasa. "She is my Empress and mate, Arianasa."

"We are honored to meet you, Lady of Radiance!" The Silver said graciously. "You are fortunate indeed to have such a mate for there has never been one such as he!"

"The gods have favored me greatly indeed." Arianasa said in modest agreement. "He has made me very happy and I, him."

Prometheus smiled. "Our subjects as well. Among them she is called the Queen of Mercy."

Arianasa ducked her head a bit at this in slight embarrassment. "They do love to bestow such silly titles on me. I do not deserve them."

"Ah my dear, if anything they are well-deserved." Prometheus assured her before turning to the others. "Come! As much as I enjoy these flights I would prefer to feel the ground beneath my feet!"

Nodding, the group reoriented themselves and began to fly towards the massive floating island, all of them flying around the pair in a loose bubble of wings and scales, assuming the positions of honor guard though it was hardly needed.

"Tell us Lord, of the great structure you bring!" One of them requested. "We have never seen its like before! Have you brought your own island to join us here?"

Prometheus chuckled at this. "It is a lovely idea my friends, but no. I created the floating city you saw for other purposes but perhaps one day it shall reside here. At the moment she is on her maiden voyage to ensure everything works as intended as I make my way between the worlds!"

"You are visiting the other planets that float within the void?" They asked in surprise.

"Little is known of these other worlds apart from the farsight and memory of the Elves." He explained. "Very few on Oerth even consider them in their daily lives. I would know them and what they are, what peoples live upon them if any. There is much knowledge and much potential to be gained from such explorations."

"Your aspirations are far greater than ours then!" They laughed.

"We may love knowledge but we have no interest in venturing beyond the sphere of our home." One of the Bronzes said. "It is why we did not stay after the battle for your world even though the Council decided to migrate there. I trust Alsharak and the others are well?"

Prometheus nodded. "They are indeed well and have carved out a territory for themselves in the north. We keep in regular contact."

"That is good news!" A Copper agreed. "We have not heard from them since and while it has not been a long time we did wonder."

"I shall endeavor to create a way for you and them to communicate across the vast distance." Prometheus promised. "I would not have you ignorant of their doings and of news from Oerth. Indeed it was an oversight on my part and I humbly apologize for not taking your needs into consideration."

One of the Bronzes waved a paw in dismissal. "You need not apologize Great One. No doubt there was much happening after the war and we played but a tiny part in it. We are, at best, bit players on the grand stage of history. Our time has been gone for many centuries."

As the island drew ever closer Prometheus shook his head. "There will always be a need for us my friends." He assured them. "Dragons have returned to Oerth and are constantly improving and changing the world for the better. It is my hope that one day all of you may join us; there is much that has been forgotten by the mortal races that you still recall with ease. That knowledge and memory of ancient times alone would be invaluable to many."

The dragons chuckled at this. "You present an amusing proposal." A Silver said. "Perhaps one day we shall consider it. But for today, welcome back to our home!"

The group flew lower as they reached the island, circling about one of the open areas near the lip of the continent before landing. As they came to rest on solid ground another group of Metallics approached with an older Gold leading them.

"By Bahamut's grace!" He exclaimed in surprise, his voice somewhat deep and gruff. "When I sent you to investigate that massive island I did not expect this! Welcome back Great One!"

"Krion'fanthicus." Prometheus said with a smile, recognizing the Wyrm. "Fifteen years it has been since we met and yet to me it feels like yesterday. It does my eyes and heart good to see you again."

"As you do mine." The Dragon said warmly as they clasped each other's forearms. "Your aura has grown powerful indeed my friend. In fact I almost mistook you for Bahamut himself when you arrived!"

"The gods have been kind to me in allowing me to ascend even further." Prometheus said. "But we can discuss such matters later. How is your mate Agrelia?"

"She is well." Krion'fanthicus said. "No doubt she will be glad to see you as well. Since we talk of mates, I take it this is your betrothed you told me of?" He asked, looking over at Arianasa.

Arianasa smiled as she walked over to him, inclining her head in respect. "I greet you Krion'fanthicus."

"She has ascended as well!" He exclaimed in surprise upon sensing her aura. "By Bahamut you have been blessed child!"

"He did indeed bless me." Arianasa agreed. "On the day we married he appeared before us and blessed me with Ascendancy so that one day I could be as close to divine as I could be, compared to my husband."

"Such wonders that go on in your world!" He muttered in amazement. "But come, join us for a meal and tell us of all that has happened since the war!"

The group left the beachhead and moved further inland through a large forest before coming to a large open clearing where a simple living area was constructed for several dragons. Agrelia, another Gold dragon, embraced Prometheus and Arianasa as they arrived, excited to see the pair of them, Prometheus having met the female briefly during his time in the Sanctuary. Dragons from miles around traveled to the clearing as word of the new island and Prometheus's arrival spread. Hours passed as Prometheus described the activities of the Council during their time on Oerth as well as the spread of his own empire and the industrial revolution he had been creating on Oerth during that time. The Dragons listed with academic interest as he described some of the new innovations that had come about but it was clear that the Dragons that lived there prefered a more rural and carefree existence than more modern life, having lived such simple lives for many centuries. As evening set in Prometheus used the magic at his disposal to provide a banquet for the various Dragons that had come, from meats and cheeses of all kinds to breads from across Oerth as well as drinks, desserts, and various delicacies most had never sampled. The impromptu party lasted well into the night as the Dragons ate and drank with delight while sharing stories with Prometheus and Arianasa as well as each other. Prometheus and Arianasa in turn described harrowing stories about what had happened during the final days of the war, some of which the Dragons had been privy to and some they had not. Finally, after spending a few days enjoying Krion'fanthicus's hospitality and learning more about the Sanctuary as well as the other dragons who lived there, they decided to take their leave. They promised to return one day with many of the Dragons swearing minor oaths to serve should he ever call upon them for aid in the future.

Returning to the city it slowly exited the airy world before launching itself across space once again. For several weeks they flew through the vast gulf of space, criss-crossing the solar system and pausing at each planet they encountered to analyze and inspect it. The next planet they reached, Conatha, was an odd elliptical water world with two solid cores that orbited around each other. While populated by many piscine creatures, including merfolk and sahuagin, orbital scans revealed they lived primitively in underwater cities. Unwilling to disturb them Prometheus merely left several satellites in orbit to scan and observe both the planet and its denizens passively before continuing on.

The next world they arrived at, known as Ginsel, was a crescent-shaped airless world that resembled a fruit with a giant bite taken out of it as if a massive impact had occurred upon it in the distant past. Detecting no signs of past life or structures Prometheus nevertheless dispatched a scientific team of Terminators to analysis the planet and provide a report on its usefulness in the future upon his return voyage once the survey of the system was complete.

On their way to the outer edge of the system they passed near Borka, a dense spherical asteroid cluster that contained pockets of atmosphere within them. Analysis of the asteroids confirmed that it had formerly been a planet inhabited by Orcs, Goblins, and other humanoids, but had been devastated. Prometheus's senses soon discovered the destruction had been caused by powerful magics of seemingly Elven creation, the few remaining humanoids eking out a primitive existence within the bubbles of air found there. Dispatching more satellites to watch over the creatures there they continued on their journey. At the edge of the system they discovered the odd world known by Oerthians as the Spectre, a flat, circular disc of rock the size of a planet. The name given to it soon became clear as the vast piece of stone appeared to vanish and reappear when viewed edgewise before rotating to show its full face. Curiously Davis discovered that the flat planet included an atmosphere breathable by humanoids as well as water along with vegetation, forests, and mountains but no animal or intelligent life.

Dispatching more Terminators to set up a research station they made their way back towards the inner area of the solar system, passing the final planet Gnibile on the way, a massive red gas giant vaguely similar to Jupiter that floated in the middle of the system between the Grinder and the Spectre.

"Data coming in." Davis reported as the pair sat in the throne room. "Interesting, but not entirely unexpected, given the strange properties we've seen on the other planets in the system. Apparently this is a gas giant with a solid core in the center but the center is composed of dense rock and other exotic matter, it's not gasses compressed into liquid or metallic form by intense gravitational pull. The gravity pull of the giant is enough to keep the atmosphere in place but the core is inhabited."

"Inhabited by what?" Arianasa asked curiously.

"Undead." Davis remarked darkly. "How they got there I don't know. There's also some kind of dark energy anomaly coming from the center of the core as well. Unfortunately I can't get any solid readings on it or most of the core given the power fluctuations coming from it."

Prometheus frowned. "Let me see if I can find anything." He suggested before focusing his mind and launching his consciousness towards the planet. His senses flew through the vast cloud of multi-colored gas surrounding the massive rocky core of the world. Upon the surface he found many thousands of undead, mostly skeletal creatures milling about aimlessly. Following the outpouring of dark energy to its source he found himself facing a massive natural portal of rock from which a constant stream of negative energy flowed, its power gushing from it like a dark river of oil.

"Not a place I wish to visit." He muttered in trepidation. "Still, a small probe should be sufficient."

Sending a spike of his consciousness carefully into the portal, he probed its interior before it was suddenly pulled along. A sensation of moving at impossible speeds overcame him as hellish scenes filled with undead of all kinds flashed before his mind's eye in rapid succession. Suddenly a smooth, baritone voice intruded upon his mind, reeking of amused darkness and arrogant power.

Soo...we met again little enkindler! The Outsider from another realm who plays at being a savior of men! One day we shall meet and on that day all that you have built will come crashing down! But not yet little fool, not yet! Begone for I have much to do and you are but an errant thought to me!

Prometheus hastily withdrew his probe, his senses still for a moment as he processed what he had seen and heard.

A great fortress of stone and iron upon a great hill with undead moving about through a decrepit city...a powerful figure cloaked in black standing on a balcony...fire and flames surging through the sky as the land erupts...

Prometheus withdrew his consciousness back to his body, his mind recalling a similar incident years ago when he was in the middle of a battle. The same voice...the same arrogant tone...he knows the significance of my name yet how could he? I did not sense him as being directly on the other side of the gateway...so where does this creature hail from and how does he know of me?

Focusing on the room around him he found Arianasa gazing at him in concern.

"What is it?" She asked. "Your aura...twitched for lack of a better word. I've never felt it do that before."

"I encountered something I...did not expect." Prometheus admitted thoughtfully. "Davis, send down satellites to monitor the planet. However, I also want monitoring equipment set up discreetly around the portal I discovered. If something emerges from that portal I wish to know about it immediately."

"Understood." Davis replied.

Prometheus pondered the matter a moment more before refocusing on his objective. "Once the equipment is in place we must pick up the remaining Terminator teams and decide what is to be done regarding each planet. After that, we return home."