Chapter Summary: They finally find where the Prophets are hiding. And ask some questions and get some answers, though not necessarily the ones they want.
Chapter Word Count: 5,260
Andy looked at the others gathered in the ship's lounge. The discussion had gone on long into the night on what questions they would ask the Prophets. Eventually, they'd decided that Andy would present the questions for all of them.
"So, these are the questions you all want to ask?" She said, looking at her pad. "In order of importance?"
"Yes," said Ixchel. "Some they will likely ignore, others we don't expect a helpful answer."
"They may not answer any of them," Miranda said. "Prophets often claim to be speaking for a higher power, and the higher powers that have expressed an interest in these prophets have their own agenda."
"We can only try," Romana said, nodding. "This quest has already yielded unexpected rewards. If the Prophets can answer these questions we will be overjoyed."
"We prefer to be positive," Ginny said. "At the least we will learn what is so special about them."
"K'lli is outside waiting," Garnes said, interrupting their discussion.
"Ready?" Andy said. Everyone nodded in agreement. "Let's go find out if this was all worth it."
"The shuttle down to the surface is in bay Theta Three," K'lli said, when they joined him at the entrance to the docking bay. "Weapons are not allowed aboard the shuttle or in the presence of the Prophets."
"Understood," Andy said, "we are all unarmed."
They followed him out of the Lucia's docking bay, down an empty hallway for several minute. Standing in front of a large door was J'wanni who nodded in greeting, before opening the door. Everyone followed K'lli in, with J'wanni bringing up the rear.
"That's a shuttle?" Harry said, when they came within view of a large transparent craft.
"It provides transport down to the surface," K'lli said. "We hope it is comfortable enough."
A hatch on the side opened, and steps flowed down. "You can sit in any seat," J'wanni said.
"I call a window seat," Ginny said.
"They're all window seats, silly," Harry said, pulling her up the steps and into the shuttle.
"There are the exact number of seats," Andy said in a low voice.
"We know nothing about them," Miranda said. "They may configure based on the passengers."
"There has been some discussion about this kind of attention to detail." Sophia said. "My cousin hates wasting resources. Configuring a ship specifically for the number of passengers and crew is something they are looking into."
"The nanite configuring of the Lucia social spaces when we met with the Blue Clan crew seems like an early version of that," Andy said. "Though there must be drawbacks besides requiring an enormous amount of power."
"Dimensional manipulation is another level of sophistication," Miranda said.
They all took seats at K'lli's urging.
"It's like being in a bubble," Andy said, pressing her hands against a transparent substance.
Once they were all sitting down, the shuttle silently rose and exited the station through a large door, taking them out into space.
"It's like being out in space, but without a suit," Harry said.
"It's an interesting view," Ixchel said as they passed under the station and dropped down towards the moon's surface.
"Good shields," Ginny said as they entered the atmosphere. There was a faint glow to the outside of the shuttle but that was the only indication that they were moving quickly through a planetary atmosphere.
"Fleet doesn't have anything like this," Harry said. "In our shuttles you know you're entering atmo."
"A hard suit with this tech would be awesome," Ginny said. "Imagine being able to jump this high on a planet that has a real atmosphere."
"As long as the cooling system doesn't fail," Dolly said. "Otherwise it could get very hot."
"Like jumping on Venus," Ginny said.
"Which was a dare," Harry said. "You didn't have to actually do it."
"I never turn down a challenge," Ginny said, grinning. "And that was awesome. The suit I wore was designed for things like that, not for combat."
"No jumping from here," Andy said. "Just enjoy the ride."
"Clouds," Ginny said. "What's the value of a wonderful view if it's all just clouds."
"In general, the weather systems on Zion generate clouds," J'wanni said. "It's one area where we have not been successful in providing the Prophets with a home like their own."
"The Wind Clan home world does not have perfect weather," Memo said. "I'm sure they are happy with whatever you've done for them."
"They are not prisoners," K'lli said. "They were brought here for their safety and the safety of the time line."
"So, you have time travel or keep an eye on time travelers?" Miranda said.
"Time travel is one of the five unallowed activities," J'wanni said.
"But how would you even know if someone was doing it?" Harry said. "Do you have something that detects time travelers?"
"It is possible to detect time travelers, yes," K'lli said. "Though that is mainly artificial time travel. The time travel several of you have done appears to be what is known as natural time travel, or inadvertent travel."
"Yeah," Ginny said. "Some of us went through a Ring Gate that was sending people to the past. Fortunately, we had someone with us who figured out how to fix it."
"We abandoned that method of star travel many millennia ago," K'lli said. "It was determined to be too dangerous. Other races continue to use their version of the technique."
"Except for the accidental time travel, the Ring Gate system in our sector was reasonably safe when we traveled through it," Andy said.
"Hoe do you travel across large distances?" Ixchel said.
"We rarely travel," J'wanni said. "We still have several hyper-warp vehicles, such as the ones we used to retrieve the Prophets when they were attracting too much intense attention from the wrong beings."
"Such as?" Miranda asked. "Their culture is built around the concept of Seers and Prophets."
"There are beings who do not provide a positive existence for prophets," K'lli said.
"Why do the stories about the prophets say that the Winter Folk stole them away?" Memo said. "We have been unable to find any actual proof that the Winter Folk were involved in their disappearance. Just myths."
"It can be useful to camouflage as someone else," K'lli said. "Winter Folk are very distinctive."
"So you pretended to be Winter Folk?" Sophia said. "What did the true Winter Folk think of this?"
"They have been gone from this reality for a very long time," J'wanni said. "Those who brought the Prophets here meant no disrespect."
"The Winter Folk, are not actually gone completely from this reality," Andy said, "but that is really a discussion for another time. But your people were definitely responsible for them being here?"
"We were not alive at that time and cannot say who brought them here," K'lli said. "But they appear to be happy with their situation so it has never come up."
"Interesting," Miranda said. "And if they wish to leave?"
"They have not expressed that desire," K'lli said.
"I'm curious about their age," Romana said. "Are they the original Prophets or their descendants? Even Wind Clan do not have such a long lifespan."
"They are the original," J'wanni said. "They are ageless."
"Surely not," Memo said. "How are you keeping them alive beyond their natural lifespan?"
"I cannot explain it," K'lli said. "All we know is that they are ageless."
"Hmph," Miranda said. "There are many ways to achieve that. I'm sure we'll see which way it is being accomplished."
"Of course," K'lli said.
The shuttle landed silently in a clearing in a forest that had seemed to stretch to the horizon when they were coming in for a landing.
"Are these trees native to this moon?" Sophie asked, when they stepped out of the shuttle.
""Yes," J'wanni said. "These are the only examples of this biologic in the sector. The Prophets often go for walks underneath them in the evenings."
"Poisonous?" Ixchel aid. "Most thing with leaves that color tend to be very toxic to those with Clan physiology."
"No that we have observed," J'wanni said.
"I have many questions for the Prophets," Memo said, "about their lives here. Will they be allowed to answer them?"
"Of course," K'lli said, giving her a puzzled look.
"How much further?" Andy asked.
"Just over that ridge is their settlement," K'lli said. "We should get there in time for the midday meal. Which we are welcome to share."
"What kinds of things do they eat?" Ixchel said. "Some of the Clans have very specific dietary requirements."
"We are told that they serve a traditional meal without animal proteins," K'lli said.
"In general, Wind Clan do not eat animal proteins," Memo said. "It was originally due to religious considerations, but animal protein was rarely available in Clan ships."
"I'm neutral on the subject," Andy said. "If you are planet bound there are a number of options for protein."
"Lady Shadow occasionally shares her family recipes with the cafeteria and the cooks," Dolly said. "So we've all been exposed to them. It should be interesting to see what the Prophets consider traditional."
Other than introductions, lunch was a quiet meal, with the leader of the Prophets requesting that all questions be help until afterward. When the meal was over, they were guided to a small covered amphitheater.
There were five Prophets, though from what she could see, Miranda estimated a community of several hundred.
"Are you truly those referred to as the Prophets of Zircon Nine?" Memo asked, addressing the ancient looking men.
"At one time, that is what we were known as," their designated leader said. "Though you must understand we never called ourselves that."
"But you aren't from Zircon Nine," Memo said, "if it ever existed.
"No," one of the other Prophets said. "Our first true prophecy was about Zircon Nine. We predicted that it would be destroyed by the Kraal."
"And it was," one of the others said.
"But there is no record of that or your first prophecy," Memo said. "None of the Clan records mention it."
"The Clan was going to send colony ships to a planet, and it would have been called Zircon Nine," their leader said. "Because of our prophecy, that never happened."
"But the name stayed with us," the prophet furthest to the left said.
"So you remember when the Kraal last appeared?" Ixchel said. "What can you tell us about them?"
"We were all very young," their leader said. "We'd met at the Seer Center and discovered our talents lay in a more refined area. The Kraal were thought of like a natural phenomena. All we could do was move out of their way."
"So, the tactic for survival against them was to not be near them?" Andy said. "You didn't engage them in battle?"
"Some did," the last remaining prophet said. "But they rarely survived the encounter. We were able to tell our clan where not to be to avoid them."
"So there is no secret way of defeating them?" Andy said. "Just stay out of their way?"
"A thousand cycles ago? Yes," one of the prophets said. "None of our ships, none of our weapons could stop them. Not that they seemed to notice us."
"And now?" Andy said.
"You have everything you need to defeat them," the head Prophet said. "You have met the conditions necessary."
"So, there is a prophecy?" Miranda asked. "What does it say?"
"There is but it is not a useful one," a Prophet said. "It says that when Winter and Wind meet on the field of knowledge, the serpent shall swallow all."
"That is suitably vague," Romana said. "Does it mean anything?"
"It means what it means," a prophet said. "Most prophecies are self fulfilling. We do not interpret them,"
"A prophecy is a guide, that only the being affected by it can understand," their leader said. "You are clearly the three, the Wind, the Winter, and the Serpent. You have been gathering knowledge on your journey here. It will take a combination of your knowledge for the Kraal to be defeated."
"We knew that already," Andy said.
"As I said, it is not very useful. You are already doing what it says to do," he said softly. "There is no miraculous weapon that will enable you to defeat them."
"So, you can't help us with the Kraal," Andy said. "We suspected as much."
"And a Seer said you wouldn't, but we needed to ask anyway," Memo said.
"Why are you truly here then?" The head prophet said, "if you knew our answers would not be satisfactory."
"There re so many things we want to know," Andy said. "Things we want answers to. But it is not clear if you can give us straight answers or just vague prophecies."
"We cannot answer if you do not ask," one of the prophets said. "What you call prophecies take a lot of effort to produce."
"How so?" Miranda said. "The gods whisper them into your ears. You just have to repeat what they tell you."
"You know that is not true, far traveler," one of the prophets said. "What the gods tell us are often too fragmented to be accepted as true prophecies. Often they only give us hints to understanding."
"So, you make it up?" Andy said. "These questions would not get true answers?"
"Telling prophecies is easier than telling truth," their leader said. "The more vague a prophecy is the more beings believe in it. Often we have to take something very straightforward and make it hard to understand. But there are times where there is no true answer."
"We still have questions, even if you say there may be no answer," Sophia said. "We would like to hear what the gods have told you."
"Of course," their leader said. He held out a hand. "I am assuming they have been written down?"
Memo nodded, and handed over a scroll, the traditional form of communication with the prophets.
The lead prophet then handed a copy of the scroll to each of the others, somehow producing copies from thin air. He unrolled his roll and started reading through the questions on it. The other prophets did the same, making small noises as them read.
Then they quietly discussed the questions among themselves. Watching them, Andy could see amusement appear at one point. She wondered which question amused them so much.
"Some of these, we cannot answer, because there is no answer," the prophet who had remained silent until then said. "Or the gods have taken away our thoughts on them."
"We will need time to examine these," their leader said. "Please return in two rotations."
"We shall return as and when requested," Memo said, bowing slightly to them. The others followed suit. The Prophets rose and left the amphitheater.
"Back to the shuttle?" Romana said, looking at the others.
"Yes," K'lli said. "The Prophets will let us know when you can talk with them again."
Andy sighed. She had hoped for a quick response. Come back in a couple days was not it.
"It was as I suspected," Miranda said, speaking in a low voice so that only Andy, Memo, Romana, Ixchel and Sophia could hear. "They are simply Seers with more control, and freedom."
"Seers do not answer questions," Memo said. "They can only tell you what they've seen."
"Seers communicate with the gods on the upper plains," Miranda said. "The difference between prophets and seers is more of a matter of degree. A Seer's ability is one way."
"So, if any of the Wind Clan Seers can do the same thing... they are unaware of the ability? We could have asked them, if we could convince them it is possible to ask?" Andy said.
"Yes," Miranda said. "It's a cultural blind spot, which has us at the mercy of these prophets."
There was a rustling in the trees as they pass out of the village and onto the path back to their shuttle.
"You were sent packing," a thin reedy voice said, seemingly from in front of them.
"Please show yourself," Miranda said, stepping in front of the others. A skinny pre-teen appeared on the path, leaning on a stick. They brushed back their hair and sighed.
"Who are you?" Sophia asked.
"She is no one of importance," K'lli said. "She was just going home, her mother is calling."
"My mother has been gone for many cycles," the girl said. "I have no home worth going back to."
"You have something to say to us," Miranda said, "please say it."
"The Prophets like to pretend they are all knowing and in touch with the gods of this place," the girl said. "They will answer almost all questions you have but some they will not. Please come to me for those."
"You do not speak for the Prophets," J'wanni said.
"No, but sometimes the gods talk through me," the girl said. She grimaced. "It is not pleasant to be a vessel of the gods but it must be done."
"How do we address you?" Miranda said.
"I am known by the Prophets as the Child Heretic," the girl said. "They do not know that there has traditionally been a Sixth prophet, such as myself, since we left the Wind Clan behind."
"The Sixth Prophet is just a myth," K'lli said. "She can claim to be them but there is no record of them existing."
"Why do you think you brought families with you when you stole the prophets?" The girl said. "The prophets have always been more than five old men."
"We shall seek you out after speaking with the Prophets in two days time," Miranda said. She nodded at the girl and gestured for the others to follow her.
"Knew there was something missing," Ginny said quietly. "Prophets should come in many shapes, sizes, and ages. Not just old man."
"So, the Prophets are very old, but the Sixth Prophet is someone with a very short life span," Harry murmured. "That does not seem to be very efficient."
"Just proof that the gods will do their own thing, ignoring the plans of other beings," Miranda said. "Whomever gives them their prophetic visions has decided to allow for another channel to communicate with them.
"It must wear them out fast," Sophia said. "Communing with the gods can be stressful on the old but the young have not yet formed any defenses so they are rarely put in such a position."
"We don't know anything about our hosts," Ixchel said. "They appear to keep a close eye on the prophets but call this child a myth."
"Our true answers will come thru her," Sophia said, shaking her head. "She is a better channel for the gods than five old men. She will not try to soften it into boneless pap."
When they reached the shuttle, they all climbed in and took their seats.
"Will you provide transportation when the Prophets call us back?" Andy said.
"Of course," K'lli said. After they were all seated, the shuttle rose silently into the air and headed back to the satellite. They were silent the whole trip back. They returned to the Lucia's docking bay. They were silent until then.
"Did you want to come back to the Lucia, Sophia?" Andy asked.
"Yes," Sophia said, nodding. "We have much to discuss and decide before returning to the Prophets."
"Yes," Miranda said.
"Such solemn faces," Ginny said. "We met the prophets, we know something more about them, and in a couple days we'll know even more."
"Lunch was enjoyable," Memo said. "Some of those dishes... have not been presented at public meals in many hundreds of cycles. And the variation between traditional Wind Clan dishes and those was interesting."
"You're right," Andy said. "We've met them and made progress. Next time maybe they'll have useful answers."
"And if not, there's always the Sixth Prophet,"Romana said. "Though a name would be helpful."
"Yes," said Memo. "Calling her The Girl or The Sixth Prophet diminishes her presence."
They came back two days later, summoned to meet with the Prophets. The trip down to the moon was the same, nothing looked different.
"I wonder if they have lakes?" Ginny said. "A fishing trip would be a nice break," she added.
"Okay Jack," Harry said, poking her.
"It's very restful," Ginny said, protesting.
"There's that one Gate world," Ginny said. "It has everything. Lakes, trees, fish."
"Was that the one with the pirates?" Harry said. "We could be pirates."
"You need crew?" Dolly said. "That sounds like fun."
"Ladies, it can wait until we're done here," Andy said. "You can take a nice long vacation and do all of the fishing you want."
"And pirates," Ginny said. "You can come with us, Andy. Didn't you learn how to use a sword last time?"
Andy sighed. "Not a cutlass."
"Can we get lightsabers instead?" Ginny said. "I saw some interesting experimental ones. They should be usable by the time we get this done."
"You'd probably cut an arm off," Harry said.
"It'll grow back," Ginny said. "And it's so hot you'd never feel it."
The shuttle landed silently. They trooped out into the clearing.
"Why do far away from the Prophet's settlement?" Sophia asked. "You are able to land with almost no disturbance."
"The Prophets insisted," K'lli said. "They believe the shuttle drive interferes with their abilities."
"Unlikely," Miranda said. "Tapping into the higher planes to speak with the gods is not normally affected by something like that."
K'lli shrugged. "We could not prove that it wouldn't harm their ability to commune with their gods. It wasn't worth the effort for those who brought them here."
"The fake Winter Folk," Andy said. "Is there any record of their journey here? Or of their meetings with the Prophets? Are any of them still alive?"
"For what purpose?" K'lli said.
"My mother would like to have a word with them," Andy said. "If someone is going around claiming to be Winter Folk, as the current Matriarch of the remaining Family in this reality, she was concerned."
"You mother is true Winter Folk?" J'wanni said. "We were not aware of that."
"We didn't mention that?" Andy said. "I'm sure we mentioned it to your Elders."
"You may not have informed them that you have been in contact with the Winter Folk," Miranda said.
"We mentioned what the Wind Clan Seer told us, didn't we at least do that?" Andy said.
"I believe so," Sophia said. "But not all of us have met your Family, so when they attempted to scan our thoughts they may not have received a complete picture of you team."
"They may be powerful, compared to some, but they could only read surface thoughts," Miranda said.
"You knew that the Elders were reading your thoughts?" J'wanni said, blinking in surprise.
"They certainly attempted to," Sophia said, "But it may not have been as successful as your Elders thought. The Clans have a number of methods to prevent such things."
"And some are more resistant to such interference," Miranda said.
"It doesn't matter at this point," Andy said. "We preserved our privacy."
"Oh," J'wanni said. "Does this prevent the Prophets from providing advice? It has been determined that there is a mental aspect to their skills. They can provide more useful advice if they can mentally connect with their questioners."
"If I understand it correctly, from our earlier meeting with them, it is their gods who read their petitioners, and we don't have a perfect method of preventing that from happening." Sophia said. "And trying to stop the gods can be detrimental to one's continued existence."
"That would be a no," Andy said. "And the Prophets may have certain abilities, but they are still Clan, and the psychic abilities of Clan are known."
"You are obviously not Clan," Ixchel said. "Such things are not a secret."
They were silent for the rest of the walk to the Prophet's settlement, where they were taken directly to the amphitheater. The Prophets were already waiting for them.
"Prompt, good," the lead Prophet said. He took out a scroll, and unrolled it. Reading it he hummed. "Some things we can help with, others not, as I'm sure you expected."
"We're listening," Andy said.
"First, the most important one, of course," he said. "We cannot provide any advice for dealing with the Kraal. Our gods are silent on that problem."
"We expected that," Andy said, "the gods have already indicated that we will need to deal with the Kraal without any 'special' help, but we needed to ask anyway."
"Of course," he said, nodding. "No one can fault you for asking. You are already aware that the Winter Folk did not bring us here?"
"Yes," Andy said. "The Winter Folk themselves have denied any involvement and the Elders of those who were involved spoke with us. They do not have any special or powerful weapons that would help us. They prefer to avoid contact with the Kraal. Something we cannot do."
"Yes," one of the other Prophets said. "They did not tell us who they were before they took us away, though we were already aware they were not who they said they were."
"What of our other questions?" Andy asked.
"If the Serpent Clan can survive the Kraal, which we cannot see, the signs are promising for a long future in their sector," the Leader said. "The gods are happy with their progress. They will not be held back by the Council of Clans."
"You asked us about the return of the Furling," one of the Prophets said. "They may never return to this reality. They have traveled truly far from here. There is nothing to bring them back. Families such as the Sachs exist in every reality visited, knowing that they may never return."
"There is a good possibility that these disparate Furling Families will be able to communicate with each other, so all is not totally lost," one of the other Prophets said. "The gods have expressed a desire for this to happen."
"That little Furling you encountered on your journey would be a place to start," the Prophet leader said. "She and her associates are very aware of such things."
"We cannot say who among you will survive this journey or the Kraal battles," one of the Prophets said. "We do not really work on that scale. The Wind Clan seers would be a better place to look for answers to those questions."
"But they will make it home from this quest as a group," a Prophet said, speaking energetically. "But your quest does not end here."
"Our quest was to find the Prophets, you," Romana said. "What have you seen that has us continuing on this journey?"
"That wasn't seen," their Leader said. "Just that there is more for you to accomplish before you can go home and join the Serpent Clan in its battle against the Kraal."
"And our other questions?" Andy asked.
"The answers to them were not revealed to us," their leader said, shaking his head. "Sometimes the gods will express displeasure of the questions they are asked, which can tell us something, but in this case they were completely silent, as if they didn't hear them."
"We thank you for your time and consideration," Andy said. "You have given us much to think about."
"Of course," their leader said. Standing, the Prophets silently filed off the stage and out of the amphitheater.
"Well, that was exceedingly unhelpful," Andy said. "The goal was to get answers of some sort that would help against the Kraal."
"They are messengers of the gods," Sophia said. "If the gods don't want to help, they won't."
"Often the gods can't help," Miranda said. "Most of them are not as powerful as some may wish. And they may not see the future much better than us."
"I'm not faulting the gods," Andy said. "They have their own reasons for helping or not. But I was hoping for something, anything that would be more than engaging the Kraal in battle."
"No sense in staying here," Ixchel said. "Discuss this back at the ships?"
"We need to decide what to do next," Andy said, nodding. "Whether to go home now or not. They seem to think there is something else for us to do on our quest."
"That was a puzzling answer," Miranda said. "We've met the goals of this quest, even if the answers were not what we wanted."
"Maybe the Sixth Prophet can clear things up," Romana said, nodding at the girl waiting for them out of sight of the settlement.
"At least a different perspective," Sophia said.
"We'll catch up," Andy told K'lli and J'wanni, when it looked like they would protest.
"You heard the Prophets answer our questions?" Miranda asked the girl when they reached her. "Can you expand on the things they said, or didn't answer?"
"They can be overly conservative," the girl said. "The gods do not always provide answers they understand. Or want to understand."
"What of our questions?" Sophia asked. "They did answer the most important ones, but their answers seemed lacking."
"The Kraal cannot be defeated by standard strength of arms," the girl said. "They have always been relentless in motion. Some of the gods are entertained by them and how they shake up the civilizations of the galaxy as they pass through it."
"So, those are the ones who refuse to help?" Andy said. "Are there others?"
"The Blue Clan gods have lost their will to assist their people," she said. "If you could give them hope they would help. The Serpent Clan gods? You already are aware of their feelings. If they could help more they would. They have already steered you in a direction to make survival more probable."
"So, they are helping but we don't see it?" Romana said. "They have never been very involved with our people."
"We don't need godly intervention," Sophia said. "We have talented Clan. We can work with hints."
"The Wind Clan gods do not speak through me," Memo said. "But they are known for providing guidance when needed. But the Prophets are not that guidance that we sought."
"No," the girl said. "There is a good reason why the Wind Clan has prospered without the Prophets. The gods do not like giving direct answers and the Wind Clan gods tired long ago of the vagueness speaking through the prophets gave to their words."
"But you aren't," Miranda said. "You are speaking freely, without convoluted phrases. The Wind Clan gods must see value in speaking through you."
The girl shrugged. "I have been told to tell you to seek out the Jewel of Mars and the Blessings of Time. I do not know what that means. Or if it will help in your quest."
"Well, that sounds like a reason to continue our quest," Andy said. "We thank you with your assistance. If we survive, we will be in debt to you and your family."
"Yes, you will," the girl said, grinning. "Some day you will return us to our people and your debt will be paid."
"Okay..." Andy said.
"We wish you prosperity and peace until we return," Sophia said.
The girl nodded, and then disappeared back into the forest.
"That was interesting," Andy said. "Back to the Lucia to discuss this?"
"Yes," Sophia said.
"So, more quest?" Ginny said. "Can we still be pirates when we get back?"