Two days had passed since the message was sent and still no reply. Rose showed no sign of worry, but Igetis could sense that she was extremely nervous of coming events. He was quite impressed on how she was able to hide her true emotions.  She found that becoming their tour guide for this large civilization was a way to hide her worries. She stayed away from the obvious questions, such as where everybody was and focused more on the incredible sights. She spent hours explaining about the glorious forests, rolling hills and mountains, raging rivers, and beyond spectacular lakes and oceans. She spent even more time on the different types of animals, making sure not to mention the predators they encountered.

With everything else, it was like pulling teeth. Rose did explain that this large civilization located under the shadow of the purple mountain was destined as the capital.  She would not explain on where the other cities went.  She stuck with the very basics, and all could tell she was holding back on practically every question asked.  When asked about the large building they had been living in for the last week, she said that it was a place for all to meet.  They called it the Temple of the Sky.  No answer on why.  With the War-Room at the top filled with weapons of all types, plus not to mention the lower level that Igetis faintly recalled, they knew there was much more.

Another way Rose avoided conversations about the past was she continually changed the subject into something she quite enjoyed.  Food.  Now they were all in the dining hall, and Rose was giving everybody samples of all the different types of wonderful cuisine that was made from the most incredible tasting fruits, vegetables, animals, and anything else found on this planet.  She had platters filled with the most exquisite dishes that all were enjoying, except some were not too fond of the selection.

“Just try this, Igetis,” she ordered while sticking a small piece of perfectly grilled filet in his face.  “I promise you that you will like it.”

“I am sorry, Rose,” said Igetis putting his hands up with the long pale fingers in attempt to block her. “I try not to eat my own kind.  That smells like some type of fish.”

“You said that you are more amphibian, so this isn’t necessarily your kind.  I promise you that this fish was nowhere near as intelligent as you.  Plus, I doubt you taste as good as this filet.  Try a small bit.” She began trying to go around his hands while the rest of the group smiled.

Reluctantly, he took a small bite. His face showed no emotion. “That is definitely fish.” He continued to chew trying to guess what he was eating. His face then showed confusion. “I don’t believe I have ever had this before. What is it?”

“Is it good is the question,” remarked Tharros smiling at Igetis’s reaction. “I love eating fish, but there are types that I just will not touch.”

“I am good with fish,” opined Dyamion sitting across the table by Rose, “but I love me a good beast.” He put up his paws with five distinct fingers as if pretending to hold a large piece of meat. “The redder the meat the better,” he continued with his deep voice. His mouth appeared to be watering.

“I can eat red meat,” remarked Gennai in a deep tone trying to impress the group. He sat up in his large chair next to Tharros trying to make himself appear bigger. The rest of the group either rolled their eyes or smirked at the rat. Gennai then immediately jumped up and said in his high pitch voice, “But the variety of fruit you have here is superb! I have never tasted something so sweet and juicy!” He licked his lips and a giant smile appeared on his tiny face.

Rose’s face lit up when seeing Gennai reactions. She was enjoying interacting with this rat. “It is just so odd to talk to an intelligent rodent,” Rose commented while shaking her head.

“Let me know when you do,” joked Tharros, “I still haven’t spoken to one.”  Gennai stuck his tiny tongue at Tharros, and Rose gave a small chuckle.

“Seriously, are there many of your kind?” questioned Rose.

“There were many, now there are few,” said Gennai in a somber tone. “We are unique species compared to most.  My people are called Troks and not many think of us as intelligent.  We have surprised many with our advances in science and medicine.”  His eyes brighten and he looked directly at Rose.  “Maybe someday you and I can go visit my home planet.  It is a beautiful sight, or it was.”

“I would love that,” Rose responded.

A few moments pass and then Tharros said, “On my planet, rodents were our appetizers.”  She sat back and smiled.

“You are cruel,” said Gennai, knowing that Tharros was joking.  Everyone else rolled their eyes, but Rose gave a cruel look not knowing how these two sparred

“What!”  cried Tharros.  “I am sorry, but they are wonderful with this rich delicious sauce.  I swear, I down five or six in a minute.”

“That is horrible!” yelled Rose surprising everyone.  “How can you say that with Gennai right here.”

“I promise you that she is only joking,” commented Igetis in a calming voice.  “These two pick on each other all the time.”

“Still,” said Rose with an angry tone.  “Sounds grotesque to speak about eating someone else’s kind.”

“Sorry,” said Tharros shrugging her shoulders.  “Not too long ago, I did not know there were intelligent rodents.  Rat here was the first I ever met.”

“And she has loved me ever since,” said Gennai with his tiny smile.

Tharros rolled her eyes.  “What is even harder to believe is that he was a doctor on his world.”

“A rodent doctor, “exclaimed Rose.  “Who would have thought?  This Universe is filled with surprises.”

“Our species created medicines that healed countless diseases in other worlds.  We did great work,” commented Gennai with his tiny smile.

“It only shows us, that no one knows anyone’s true potential,” said Igetis smiling at Gennai. 

Rose looked at Igetis and nodded.  “Wise words,” she thought. “I can see why they look at him as a leader.”

Suddenly, Dunamis came charging into the room in a full gallop. “There is a ship approaching!”

Rose and Igetis locked eyes, and everyone rushed outside to view the approaching ship.  As they arrived outside, they could see in the distance a ship that seemed to be slowly making its way towards the civilization.  It seemed to be scanning the area around and being very cautious.  It now descended towards the other spacecraft that was still located out front of the large building on the landing pad.  The whole group stationed themselves close to this ship as they watched the new vessel descending. 

This new ship was smaller than the ship that Rose and Igetis had flown.  This vessel was built to hold only one individual. It was completely black except for dark red wings that extended from the front of the fuselage to the back. The wings were triangle-shaped and two large, rounded engines that were smaller at the front and larger at the back, sat underneath each wing. The fuselage was pointed at the front then widened as it extended back.  The fuselage where the cockpit was located was more rounded at the front and then near the back it flattened and ended with square rear thrusters.  The tail assembly of the ship had two horizontal stabilizers that form a V. There were four laser cannons across each wing and a directional laser cannon below the fuselage which was pointed at the group.

The new ship went into hover mode when it was about fifteen hundred feet above the group by rotating two of the engines towards the ground.  It hovered for a few minutes, which made all the group tense not knowing who this individual was.  Rose seemed to know which eased their nerves a little.  The vessel finally descended, and the landing gear came out and landed next to the other ship.

Dunamis came running up to Igetis and in a strong whisper, he said, “That is a Darkkarian ship!”  Rose heard him and turned her head slightly towards Igetis.  He saw that she heard and turned to Dunamis and nodded to signal to him that he knew.  There was no movement from the ship for what felt like forever, but a few minutes later, the cockpit door opened upward, and a ladder descended. An individual began to descend.  He was dressed totally in black except for a dark-spotted red vest that covered his chest.  His boots extended to just above his knee and he had armor around his waist and thighs.  He also had light-weighted armor on his hands, arms, and chest area sitting behind the vest.  As he reached the ground, he turned towards the group. His height was roughly around six and a half feet.  His head was covered in a hood, and he carefully lowered the hood to reveal his face.  His skin was pale white, and his dark black hair reached down to his shoulders.  It was thick and vibrant and caressed his face admirably.  His eyes were his most notable feature.  They were bright white except for a small black pupil that sat in the center of the eye that was constantly moving.  He had two swords attached to his back in an X shape and two small laser guns attached to his right thigh.  A larger laser gun was hanging from his left shoulder but attached nicely to his left side and did not seem to prohibit his movement.  He had come prepared for whatever he may find.

Rose stepped forward and nodded to the visitor.  He looked at her and returned the nod.  Then went back to scanning the others in the group.  Seeing this she said, “These are my friends, and my name is Rose.”  Confused faces showed in the group because they thought she knew this newcomer.  Then he began to walk towards her at a slow pace.

“You call them friends, but do not use your real name,” he stated as he now stopped directly in front of her.  He gave her a small smile because he could read the irritation on her face.  “It has been a long time.”  She nodded in acknowledgment.  He looked around at the surrounding area.  “Does not look like much as changed.”

“Many changes have happened, and they are not good,” Rose explained with slight fear showing on her face.

“Is it their doing?” he asked as he again looked over the rest of the group.  His eyes locked with that of Dunamis, and he could see the anger in his face.

“Not exactly,” she said as she turned and faced Igetis.  “This one here can give details on what has happened, but the tragic end of these past events is,” she paused and looked directly at the eyes of the visitor, “that he has escaped.”

“Impossible!” he exclaimed. His eyes appeared to blacken.  “I need to see this for myself.”

“That is why I sent you a message,” she explained.  “I do not know what to do next.”

“If this is true,” he stated, “then all we can do is wait until he kills us all.”  The rest of the group was stunned by his answer, and they began looking at Igetis for his response.  Igetis continued to stare at the visitor, trying to sense who this newcomer was.

Igetis stepped forward and offered his hand, “I am Igetis.  Rose has been very quiet about telling us anything about you. Now, I can see why.”  The visitor did not offer his hand which made Igetis lower his.  “The reputation of your species proceeds you.  But if you are a friend of Rose then you are our friend as well.”

The visitor’s eyes turned slightly blacker as he looked at Igetis.  “All Dagons I have met have never judged me based on my species,” he calmly commented.  “Why are you so different from them?”

“I only state the obvious,” refuted Igetis.  “I apologize if it came across that way.”

The visitor only smiled and then looked at Rose who gave him a nervous smile while looking away.  He then walked past Rose and Igetis and walked calmly towards the large building, which they now knew as the “Temple of the Sky”.  The rest of the group stood aside but kept a close eye on the newcomer.

“I guess we are finished,” said Rose to Igetis.  “That us follow him and let him see for himself what has happened.”

“He reminds me of you,” Igetis said with his smile.  “Your both are so courteous.”

She tilted her head and gave him an irritated look. “I am far more friendly than he is.”  Her face turned serious, “But I promise you that he will listen and will help.” They with the rest of the group began following the newcomer.

“He is hard to read,” remarked Igetis.  “But like you, he does not want to give the whole truth.”

“When the time is right, Igetis,” said Rose in an agitated tone.  “I promise.”

“Sir!” yelled Gelio to the visitor.  He turned his head to acknowledge he was listening.  “Since you and Rose are not giving out your real names, what should we call you?”

“General is what my species call me,” he replied with a smile and then continued to walk up the path towards the large building.

 

 

They stood in the room where everyone stood just over two days ago.  The new visitor, the General, was kneeling and looking at the glass orb that had been smashed to pieces.  He then scanned the rest of the area and saw the sword and could tell that this was what was used to smash the glass dome.  He pointed at it then looked at Rose.  She looked at Igetis and nodded.  He looked at Igetis and then stood.  “Rose assures me that this was not you’re doing.  Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

Igetis looked at the individual that called himself General and could see and feel that he was angry.  “Why do you call yourself General?”

“I am a General of the Darkkarian Military,” the General answered calmly. 

“When was the last time you were on…”

“Why do you hesitate!?” interrupted the General.  “You told the story to Rose, why not tell me?

“Because I feel that you will not believe any story that I tell you,” Answered Igetis.  “I see no trust or want to understand.  Only a want to accuse us of letting your prisoner go free.”

The General’s eyes grew darker, and he and Igetis continued to lock eyes for what seemed like forever.  The rest of the group stood silent not knowing if they should intervene.  The General finally looked away and began to walk around the room, pondering on what he should do next.

“Why did you crash your ship?” he asked suddenly, turning and pointing at Igetis.

“We were damaged and out of power.  The only choice we had left was to crash on the surface.”

“Why was your ship damaged?”

“I think you know that.  We were being attacked by the enemy we were trying to escape.”

“And you flew your ship into the nebula to hide.  Yes, that is what Rose told me.  But why would you fly deeper into the nebula knowing many have become lost and perish because of no power?”

Igetis looked down and pondered on how to answer the question. He then looked at him and said, “What has Rose told you?”

“Why does that matter?  Just tell me what happened.”

“It matters because if she believes us, why don’t you?”

“I want to hear it from the individual to which it happened.”  The General folded his arms and looked at Igetis with a look of scrutiny.  “The story Rose tells me is that you were called by some power that brought you to this planet.  It is a story that many would find very hard to believe.  This galaxy has been hidden for many years within a nebula that does not allow you to navigate because of the constant changes.  Where many, many ships have been lost.  Where many explorers using the most advanced technology, search deep inside the nebula, finding nothing.  How can a group of nine, escaping from their enemy in a damaged ship, which has a navigational system with minimal technology, happen to come across a galaxy that has been so well hidden that no one can find?”

“So, you admit that you hid this galaxy?”  asked Igetis.

“Not just me, but yes, it was intentionally hidden?”  answered the General.  Rose did not show any emotion.  Everyone else stared in shock and wondered why.

“Why was it hidden?” asked Igetis.

“First answer mine,” the General demanded. “How did you find this place?”

“It happened just like I told Rose.  I sensed something, something that is hard to explain,” Igetis said with power and conviction.  “The best way to describe it is being given knowledge of future events that would lead us to a better path.  Something calling us and leading us from danger.  I felt that it was vital for us to follow its promptings and come to it.”

The General looked at Igetis with penetrating eyes, trying to see if he was telling the truth.  “Has this happened before?”

Igetis nodded.  “Not with as much power as I felt with this experience, but I have had other experiences like this before.”

“Explain one,” the General requested calmly.

“The Kraken attacking our planet.”

The General seemed a little startled but then asked, “You knew your planet would be attacked?”

“I did.  Many months before it happened. But many leaders did not believe me and so we were found unprepared.”

“I can attest to that,” answered Filos, his skin changing all different colors.  “I was there.  He told everyone he could.”

The General looked at Filos and gave him a small grin.  He then looked at Igetis with the same penetrating look.  “You have loyal followers.”

“They are not my followers,” Igetis said with anger in his voice.  “They are my friends.”  Rose gave a small smile, but when the General looked in her direction, she immediately erased it.

The General now looked at Igetis and his eyes were pure black.  Everyone could see that he had reached his tipping point.  Rose became fidgety, wondering if she should intervene.  “You are all liars!”  he yelled with a powerful voice that terrified everyone.  He began to walk around the room again violently moving his hands as he spoke.  “That me tell you who I believe you are and what actually happened.  I believe you are followers of him!”  He had stopped moving and was pointing at the glass orb.  Everyone looked quickly at the smashed orb and then back at the General.  He began to walk around the room again using his hands and arms as he spoke.  “You were able to gather information on where this galaxy is located from a source that Rose and I did not know about and used it to put together this plan! You pretended to be survivors running from a powerful enemy then crashed your ship on this planet!  You found the civilization after an exhausting search, freed the prisoner, and then used information found in the system’s computers to find Rose’s location!  You then attacked her and then allowed her to beat you so you can tell her this ruse that you were brought here by some supreme being that overpowered your mind!  Now you bring me here so that you might overpower me so that I will give you all the secrets to this place!  Tell me that I am right!  Where is this prisoner that you are hiding!?  Tell me that you are just waiting for the perfect opportunity to spring the trap and take over this world!”

Everyone from the group began to yell at the same time at the General.

“Have you lost your mind!” yelled Tharros, her wings completely spread. Her eyes glowing.  “That is absurd!”

“We do not even know who this prisoner is that you speak of!”  screamed Filos. His skin showing an angry red.

“What evidence do you have that supports such an incredible lie!?”  shouted Dyamion. His large teeth showing. His claws ready to attack.

“How would we even get into this room!?” cried Atromitos. Her fur standing on end. Her tail moving violently. “Rose told us of this memory lock.  How would we get through that!?”

“Your story is full of holes!”  screamed Gennai, his whiskers twitching.  “Holes bigger than me!”

“Just like a Darkkarian to accuse us of such nonsense!”  yelled Dunamis. His eyes glowed a dark red.

“You are plain nuts!”  shouted Gelio with her tongue flicking.

“That story is slightly less crazy than the true story!”  yelled Makarios in a nervous tone. All eight legs fidgeting.

Igetis held up his hands to calm his friends.  He looked at Rose, who smiled back to say she was sorry.  He nodded quickly at her and then looked at the General whose eyes were still pure black and was looking directly at him, patiently waiting for his reply.  He walked towards the General and stood a few feet from him.  He looked at him for a moment, trying to sense what he was thinking.  “I know that what has happened here has shocked both you and Rose.  I can sense that you thought this would never happen.  I cannot tell you how it happened.  I can only tell you what I know.”  He paused waiting to see if he replied.  After a small moment, he continued, “I was overtaken by some powerful creature.  I was made to do things that I did not know what I was doing.  I saw things in my mind that haunt me to this day.  Whoever this creature or spirit or being of any sort, was not our friend.  We came here because something told us to come here.  We came here looking for help.  That is the whole truth.”

The General continued to look at Igetis with his pure black eyes.  He did not move or say anything for a few moments and then without any noticeable tension said, “Ok.”  His eyes turned back to their white color, and he began to walk towards the exit.  “Rose,” he said as he continued to walk, “are there still those pastry items down in the dining hall?”

Looking confused, she answered, “I think so.”

“Great.  I am heading down there.”

“Wait!” said Tharros, looking very confused as well.  “You are just leaving?”

“You accuse us and then just walk away!” yelled Dyamion as he watched the General exiting the room.

“I got all the information I need.  I will see you down there,” the General said as he continued down the hall towards the now-famous gold-plated doors.

Everyone, not knowing what to do or say, looked at Rose for answers.  All she could do was shrug as she saw everyone looking at her.  She then looked at Igetis.  He was smiling the biggest smile that she had ever seen on his face.  She looked at him bewildered and asked, “Why are you smiling?”

He turned to her and said, “He is a very clever individual.  I did not see that coming.”

She tilted her head at this response and not knowing what to say, could only shrug.  They all headed towards the exit to go back down the mountain.

 

 

They found the General in the dining hall eating his favorite pastry and drinking a white liquid in a tall glass.  He was dipping the pastry into the liquid and then eating it with great delight.  Everyone watching him could see that he was enjoying every morsel.  They all sat around the table where he sat watching him carefully.

“Is that milk?” asked Gelio with her confused serpent-like face as she continued to watch him dip his pastry into the white liquid.

“It is,” he answered with a look of indulgence on his pale face.  “Comes from the many beasts that roam this planet.  It is wonderful.  Creamy and smooth.  Found nothing else like it anywhere.”

Everyone began to look at each other with confused faces.  They were a few moments ago defending themselves from someone who appeared to be a tyrant accusing them of strong misdeeds. Now they were watching someone who was enjoying what many thought younglings eat.  Rose, on the other hand, was not surprised at what he was eating.  She had seen him eat this many times.

“It would not be my first choice in what I think a Darkkarian would drink,” explained Dunamis with a tone of hatred in his voice.  “Blood of their victims would have been mine.”  Many looked at Dunamis and could see anger in his eyes.  The General continued to enjoy his pastries and milk.

Igetis could not stop smiling as he seemed to be enjoying the General’s behavior.  “You are very crafty, General,” complemented Igetis.  “You had us all tricked into thinking that you were a dictator and were ready to execute us for our actions.”

He was about to take another bite from another pastry but stopped after hearing Igetis.  “There are many roles that I need to play to be a General in the Darkkarian military.  A strong dictator is one of those roles.”

“Then this is just an act?” asked Tharros.  “You are not a General.”

“Oh, I am a General and I lead the Darkkarian Military.  It is you that makes me act that role,” answered the General and he took another bite of his pastry dripping with milk.

“Me!?” said Tharros, stunned from what he said.

“All of you,” explained the General, gesturing to everyone at the table.

Igetis’s smile became larger and began to lightly laugh. 

Everyone looked at Igetis with confused and daunting looks.  Rose, too, began to laugh and she quickly covered her mouth trying to hide her laughter.

“I knew when I exited from the ship and saw your faces, the role that I needed to play,” explained the General.  “None of you have ever seen me or heard of me before.  But I knew from your reactions, who you thought I was.”  He took another bite of his pastry and enjoyed every second of the bite.  “So, I use that to my advantage.” Igetis, of course, was still smiling, but everyone else’s faces began to show they understood.  All except, Dunamis.  His face still showed anger.  The General continued, “When I saw your reactions to my arrival, I knew everything that Rose told me was true.  I just wanted to make sure you were not hiding anything, so what better way to get the whole truth than to accuse you of something so outlandish.”  He then gave his own sly smile and said, “You should have seen the fire in your eyes when you defended yourselves.  It was powerful, but it was the truth.  Also, I wanted to see for myself that he has escaped.”

“So,” said Gelio tentatively with her tongue flicking, “Darkkarians do not act like we think they act?  You are the first one I met, but I have heard awful stories.”

“If you want to know Darkkarians, ask the Centaur,” the General said, without looking at Dunamis.  All eyes turned to him.  He immediately lifted his head, and his eyes still showed anger.

“I can tell you stories, Darkkarian,” Dunamis answered in a strong powerful voice.  “I can tell you stories of your kind attacking my planet and how we defended ourselves from your wrath.  How you attacked other planets and forced others to do your bidding.  Your species is hated by many as it should be.”

Igetis face turned serious.  “Dunamis, that is long in the past.”  Dunamis looked at Igetis and his anger soften.  “We all know that Darkkarians was an evil species.  We all have heard of their conquering other planets and trying to expand their power.  But then they changed.  Very much for the better.  They became admirable in their dealings with others.  My species traded many items with them, and we became friends.”  He looked around at the others and he could see that they were all listening including the General.  “Then all of us know the history.  Their planet was destroyed by some event and now there are very few that are found today.  Some of us wish they were still around because they would be a great adversary to the Kraken.”

“The fewer the better I feel,” remarked Dunamis.

The General held up his glass of milk to Dunamis and took a drink.  Dunamis shook his head, but there was less anger in his eyes.

“I am still confused,” said Dyamion looking at Igetis.  “We know the General has been here before as he stated.  They planned to capture this creature then hide this galaxy from everyone.  Does that mean Rose conspired with Darkkarians to capture this creature then have them help hide this galaxy?  That is quite an incredible task once you ponder on what had to happen to do that.”

“There are many questions that are needing answers,” Igetis said as he turned to look at Rose.  She met his gaze and nodded knowing the time had come.

“Yes, and who was this creature?” asked Tharros.  “We have tried to get an answer to this many times, but no one is saying anything.  Also, if he was that bad, why did you decide to keep him alive?  Why not just end it with his death?”

“The name of this planet is what I would like to know,” explained Filos.  “Also, where are all the species that lived here?  No intelligent live anywhere?  You two know the answers but why are you so afraid to tell us?”

“It is difficult to answer these questions because…,” Rose began to explain but then she paused wondering what to say.  “Because answering them brings back so many bad memories.”

“That is true,” stated the General with a serious face.  “But I believe it is time to tell the whole story.”  He looked at Rose and she hesitantly nodded in approval.  “But I must warn you, that it is not an easy story to hear.  There will be parts where you will grow hatred for us.”  Everyone became uneasy and began to fidget, except Rose who looked down and sighed heavily.  “I ask you to reserve your feelings for us until the end.”  He locked eyes with everyone, and it seemed to him that everyone agreed, even Dunamis.  Then his face changed unexpectedly to that of happiness.  “What we need for this story is a lot of food and drink.”  He turned to Gelio and pointed at her and said, “You, the talking snake.”

“Her name is Gelio,” Igetis gently corrected him.

“Sorry.  Gelio.  Could you please bring in a bunch of food and drink from inside there?”  He pointed at the food prepping area behind him.

“Sure!” Gelio said with enthusiasm.  She began slithering in that direction.

“Maybe that Arachne,” said the General pointing at Makarios.  He paused and looked at Igetis.

“Makarios,” answered Igetis.

“Makarios, could you help out?”

“Absolutely!” he said and began walking behind Gelio.

“Giant Spiders,” said the General.  “You think they are horrible mean creatures and then you discover they are one of the most pleasant creatures around.”

“You are not a giant insect on their web,” commented Gennai.

“Very true,” said the General, nodding in the affirmative.

Many platters of food and a lot of glass bottles were brought and set before the group.  No one grabbed anything because they were anxious to hear the story and have their questions answered.

“Please,” said the General as he gestured towards the food and drinks on the table.  “It will help in hearing the story.”  Everyone began to grab types of food and drink and began eating and drinking.

The General then gave a heavy sigh. “This will be a long story and some things will be confusing, but I promise you that all questions will be answered when I am done.”  Some of the team nodded and others showed faces of anxiety, waiting for the story to begin.  “Now, like with any good story, it is always best to start from the beginning.”