A Prime (Summary) Example Part 4

Fred 1 knows that Zular is unlikely to be pure as the driven snow (unless, Probe quips, the snow has marks from tires from Goodyear). Zular bears watching. 

discussing the possible reason why she's so advanced in her pregnancy (she's bigger than they figure that she should be). Seem that the Cyrstallic has a strange sense of humor, and had kept advancing her pregnancy every time she was transformed. Could have been something else, but... 

That's not important right now. 

After Zular has left, there's a quick meeting between the group and the queens of Allaria and Ethiopia. Probe is happy to give the gloating Zular the...bad news. 

Okay, before we go on here, one thing needs to be said. In the middle ages back on "Earth" there was a custom stating that only aristocracy could were aristocratic clothing. In other words, you couldn't dress above your station (on pain of inprisonment..perhaps even death). Duke Dredrick and friends were Dukes and such because Queen Astra had granted them land and titles (out of kindness and out of political need...the resources represented by the D'Honaires and such was much needed). 

Duke Zular was a liability, period. He'd be killed on the spot by any Aqualarian who saw him. That is because Zular looked like the Zular of Terra Prime. Astra didn't like the stories that she'd heard from Fred 2's family, so didn't feel like granting anything to Zular, anyway. 

Malachi Dronocis, Regent of Ethiopia, had the gift of empathy from her link with the land. She also had heard stories about this Zular. Either way, she wasn't going to give Zular anything in the way of a dukedom...in the way of anything except for a bit of land for him to work on (as a peasant). 

A almost gleeful Probe stopped Zular and told him that he's dressed above his station, and must change into the clothing of a peasant. Zular laughs in Probes face, but is cold cocked by Probe's fist. Probe strips Zular of his clothing and equipment, and dresses him in the clothing of a peasant (which is magically "bugged" to keep track of him). 

For the nest few days, Zular is living a nightmare. He's blocked from participating in any important talks or events, and is blocked by guards or Probe himself in listening in. Finally, a steaming Zular is granted audience with the Regent. 

Zular nearly loses it when he finds out that the Regent is really a dragoness. He's even more dismayed to find out that the Regent is NOT going to stop "this sick joke." Zular would be given a parcel of land down in Ethiopia to work upon, and nothing more. His needs were being looked after, and that's that! Zular's face was also going to be magically altered for his protection, since he wasn't very popular with Aqualaria (who would probably kill him on sight..so a face change would be a good idea). The Regent was kind enough to give Zular a few hours to pray, meditate, or otherwise prepare himself for this stuff. 

Of course, the Duke went and escaped by slipgate... 

Of course he sought revenge on those who'd humiliated him so, and went to the only place he knew of that somebody might be able to help him do this. He went to Stonehenge , the rumored meeting place of Turoc-Kith in his world and a few other strong (and vile) mages. He hoped to find this world's version of Kith there, also. He hoped to be able to pay for the ghostly mage's services by taking over his analog's position in the Black Market and providing anything the ghost wanted. He was right about the meeting place, but wrong about everything else. 

The ghosts of the paranoid Dr. Vincent, the spirit of Turoc-Kith, and the much living Zerm the Unspeakable (looking like an 18 year old, but towering at 7 « feet tall, and thousands of years old) were NOT happy about being interrupted in their meeting by Zular. Zular got maybe ten words out, being oily and smooth about it, before Zerm knocked him out magically and whisked them all to his hidden lair. There, they magically interrogated him to get the truth about who he was, why he was there, and such. Being that Zular had been kept out of earshot and kept in the dark about almost everything that Probe and the adventurers were doing, he didn't have any information that was of value to the malicious mages. Zular did find out one thing, that since Zular moonlighted as the leader of the Black Market Cult (under the disguise of a middle aged, balding man called the "Crimson King") that anything that he (Zular) could get, Zerm could get a hundred fold. 

Zular was in BIG trouble! He had nothing to offer up in payment to these mages. Nothing to appease the annoyed magic users except one of two things. Zerm didn't feel like taking Zular's life, because that would be too easy and...no fun. The only other coin that would appease these mages was entertainment. 

Zerm the Unspeakable is VERY old! He was born in the land of Atlantis and watched it destroyed by people just like Zular. Zerm has no morals beyond loyalty to friends. He doesn't believe in a higher order of things. He doesn't believe in conforming to "lesser people's" mores. But he'll be d**ned if he'd tolerate Zular! 

Zular is one of the last living Atlantians, and as such knows the ancient arts of transmutation. Being a member of Lord Tesla's family, he had access to spells that altered the matrix of a living being. His spells weren't as quick in firing off as a person using a Crystallic, but he could alter somebody just as neatly and permanently. 

Zular screamed in pain as the magical sigils that Zerm formed in the air appeared on his body and burned their way into him and his soul. Zular awoke to find himself in another place. He screamed an eagle's scream upon seeing his new form in a nearby clear stream. 

Zerm the Unspeakable had changed Zular into a black griffin. Zular was going to wear that body that bore a remarkable resemblance to the family crest of the D'Honaires of his world..for the rest of his life! 

Dextrous claw/hands (the part that fade to bird on what would be forepaws of a lion) shake as they feel the beak and face of the black eagle head he now wears. 

Zular eventually finds that he can even speak, but he sounds nothing like a human being. He has a tendency to give off bird like squakes at odd times, mixed with hissing the "s" and rolling the "r" in every word he speaks. 

Now Zular has another set of people to plot revenge upon. 

After the scene fades in the magic mirror of the new griffin examing himself, we see the plans that Zerm and the others have on stopping the adventurers from curing the Phage. 

It's simple, really. Zerm has studied the Phage, and has unlocked the secrets within (comes from all that knowledge of magic he learned over the years). He doesn't plan on "stopping" the Alliance from killing the Phage. He just plans on releasing another Phage that is resistant to the cure they come up with. 

Good plan..if that was what the Alliance had exactly planned for the Phage....

 We soon see, after leaving the scene of Zerm gloating over how any cure released by the Golems will prove only to be a temporary thing, we come to the Room with Fred and Astra 3. They are discussing their plans on what to do with themselves and their lives once the Phage is actually cured. Amazingly enough, Astra and Fred are tempted in staying here on Terra Prime, for they see that the surviving humans could use the skills that such as they could provide. Before going to bed, they wonder if the Alliance (the Golems) could perhaps, instead of transporting them back home, could pass a note to Fred 3's father, so that he would know (and perhaps understand) just why his son and daughter in law have gone and vanished from the face of that version of Terra. 

We then switch to the sailing ship that holds Astra 1 within it's bowels. She has successfully negotiated a treaty of trade and mutual support between the Manimal Nation (who had hired her as their spokesperson/ambassador) and Aqualaria. She is sailing back with the crew of manimals from the Aqualarian island of Normandy, and was talking to her assistant, a manlion called Lynx, who had helped her frame the terms of the treaty. They talked about various things like how the manimals had at first frightened the locals, but had won them over when the manimals bent over backwards in helping the islanders get back on their feet. The talked about Lynx's choice of recreational reading (thick tomes of heavy subjects). Seems that with the lifting of the curse against a manimal reading and writing, their mind had become something akin to dry sponges....and the manimals found themselves fascinated with all things of the world of text. They had nearly mobbed the island book store the first day (at least nobody was hurt...and the funds that the manimals spent on books made the storeowner VERY happy!) 

Then, Astra 1 makes a magic mirror call to the Pack Leader, Frederigo D'Honaire the manfox, and told him of the dealings with the Aqualarian Ambassador, Tilbert. She had been annoyed by the man, who seemed to resent the orders given to him by Queen Astra and was out to bend the treaty to something of his liking. Tilbert had been difficult, but found that Astra 1 was no pushover. Tilbert was disgruntled, but he finally agreed to the terms that Queen Astra and Fred the manfox had already agreed to in private. A meeting that should have only been decorative had turned into a long, drawn out session, and this annoyed Astra 1 and Fred (and it turns out it also angered Queen Astra....but more on that later). 

Her job done, Astra 1 then tentatively broached the subject of Fred getting the mages to teleport her to see the new analogs (set 4 and set 5), as well....as her sister, Astra 1. It seemed that something was troubling her heart, and she kept awakening with a name on her lips. It was all very troubling, and she hoped that if she talked with her sister over the matter of Fred 1 and the children....that she could perhaps lay the issue to rest in her troubled heart. 

Fred was able to do this, and we soon see Astra 1 talking with her sisters down in the treasure vaults of Ethiopia. They had been discussing things as names for Astra 5's children, and they had a chart showing what had already been used. They also were discussing an alternate means of saving Astra 5's children from dying at birth (or Astra dying giving birth to SEVEN children). It was a suggesting by Inquirer, the female AI/golem. She suggested that the children be removed from Astra 5 by c-section and placed in the advanced version of Alliance incubators, machines that mimiced the enviroment of a human's womb much better than present 20th century machines. Astra 5 was still a bit nervous about it, but was also beginning to like the idea. The only other safe way of saving her and/or her unborn children would be for her and her unborn children to be: changed back into demifoxs, her pregnancy accelerated via Crystallic magic, have the kits delivered, and then have herself and her children changed BACK into normal humans! All god and well, except that: her Matrix had probably been strained and muddied to near the breaking point with the ham handed ministrations of their greedy lawyer, Rift. The mages COULD do all this safely, but the effort would put them down again for days as they recovered. Gods know how long it would be before the evil mage known as Zerm and his hench mages/ghost: Turoc Kith and the Dead Dr. Vincent! Also, there was the fact that the slipgates were still going to finally collapse and destroy the world if nothing was done! No adventurer was sure when THAT was going to happen (actually Zerm was planning on letting the adventurers fix the slipgates and THEN attack when their Crystallics turned themselves into useless hunks of glass with the destruction of the slipgates....leaving the adventures at a decided DISADVANTAGE....since the Crystallics at least gave them even footing with Zerm's magic). 

That done, the others leave to let Astra 1 and Astra 2 speak together alone. And boy what a discussion they had! 

The Astras talked, and Astra 2 revealed that she had been surprised at how Astra 1 had gone off and not even considered exploring a relationship between her Fred and her children. That hit Astra 1 like a blow. The reason why Astra 2 was surprised was that.....they were almost the same person up to a point. It was possible for Astra 1 to not fall in love with Fred 1 and infants, as Astra 2 had fallen for her Fred and babies. However, what actually happened was that Astra 2 had done the infants the courtesy of at least looking at them in the face before deciding what to do with them. Astra 1 hadn't done that. When Astra 2 looked into her children's eyes, she found her heart melting...and herself on a road that eventually lead to her falling for Fred 2 and finally becoming wife and mother to the brood. Astra 1's road to falling in love still happened, but it happened to take longer. Now, Astra 1 DID love Fred 1, but she was too proud to admit it even to herself, though she cried out at night for Fred and her children to come back to her. She might be able to lie to herself while awake, but in dream and sleep....nope! Astra 1 protested, silently afraid of what Astra 2 was saying was right, but all barriers to the truth broke down when she looked her children in the eye. They didn't laugh, coo, or do anything but look silently up at her....but Astra 1 sensed that despite all that had occurred....that they still loved her. 

Astra 1 was aghast, and desperate. She panicked at what she had seen, but couldn't deny it. She even now saw that she was actually in love with Fred 1, who'd only been nothing but courteous and kind...even going out to find her and rescue her AGAIN after being swept away by an ill timed sneeze when their Dr. Vincent had been restoring Fred 1 back to normal (curing his scissor hand condition). Astra 2, seeing her sister in distress, came to her aid, and said that if she truly wanted Fred 1, she would have to go out and first ask humbly for Fred's hand in marriage from Duke Drederigo. And then, with permission given, using Norse tradition (the D'Honaires were sticklers for tradition and honor and that was a good way to butter them up)....asked Fred 1 for his hand in marriage. And so.... 

"You'll do it, for your in love, sister." Astra 1 says, looking into her sister's eyes. "Love is a rare, wonderful thing. To deny it for pride would mean you are suffering from FOOL's pride, and that's nothing to be proud of." 

An hour later, a surprised Duke Dredrick is approached and asked for his son's (Fred 1's) hand in marriage. The elder Duke's heart had been softened by what he'd seen and heard of Astra 1's work on her mission of diplomacy, and saw that Astra 1 was worthy. Convincing his wife wasn't easy, but finally.....permission is given. 

Fred 1 then is approached by Astra 1, who's dressed in the traditional clothing of a woman of Norse time. She then gets down on her knee and asks for Fred 1 to marry her. 

Her delivery is perfect, and it cuts through any bad feelings that Fred 1 may have been harboring (not that there had been any). Fred cries as he accepts, and they both cry and hug each other. 

Arrangements are made for a double wedding for Fred 1 and 2. Fred 1 and Astra 1 will be having a traditional Norse wedding. Fred 2 and Astra 2 will be having a traditional wedding of the religion of Aqualaria. Fred 2 will become a Thessamer while Astra 1 will become a D'Honaire. 

They are wed the next day, and it's a question indeed to decide just WHO's happier in this wedding ceremony. Fred 1? Fred 2? Astra 1 or 2? Nobody can say, not even them. 

After the ceremony, the newlyweds are dazzled by it all, but still are with the others enough to participate with an important meeting. 

Probe and Inquirer revealed that they had found tow things in their quest for a Phage cure. One was a means to neutralize the deadly aspect of the Phage for Humans, still leaving it deadly to the Enemy. The other was the actual cure. The Golems wanted to keep the Phage around just a bit more before using the death ships that the Military would assemble and power with Terra's tiberium and smash the Enemy held worlds into rubble (by crashing into them at light speed)....just to twist the knife into the scaly SOBs a little more. 

When the Phage was cured, the counter organisms that made the Phage safe for humans would still be around, able to counter any other Phages that happened to be floating around in other parallel universes.... 

With a LOT of persuasion, Probe is able to get a shuttlecraft to automatically land and deliver the incubators. The shuttlecrafts are expensive, and initially the High Command didn't want to lose one, for anything that lands on Terra Prime can't leave, due to the infectious nature of the Phage. Probe points out, with lots of force, that if the Military could have done something to save the lives of Astra 5...but DIDN'T than the relationship between the Military and Terra would suffer dearly! Also, the incubators are too advance to produce locally, even with Alliance help. Magically reproducing them via Crystallic was out. (Just telling it: "Produce seven incubators" would probably have produced the equivalent of a shrug of incomprehension.) 

The AIs had to perform the operation on Astra 5 themselves, since no doctor from the Military felt like going down to Terra Prime (and risk the Phage). They were able to download the needed procedures electronically, and the operation was done. 

Had it been a normal birth, Fred 5 would have wanted to be present. As it will be a Caesarian, he, Astra 5 and Probe all agree that it is better that he should not be. The operation goes smoothly, and soon the seven infants, weighing between one pound four ounces and one pound eight ounces, are safely in the incubators. Technology has moved on since the twentieth century, and these incubators mimic the womb far better than those of our own day. Thus the babies' chance of survival is excellent. Fortunately Astra has had a chance to "bond" with her babies in a very unusual manner before their birth [4288], so her inability to hug or feed them until they are removed from the incubator some weeks hence will not be a problem. 

Soon Fred is able to see his wife and babies. The combination of the Alliance's advanced technology, coupled with a bit of magic from Inquirer, will guarantee Astra's rapid healing. She shouldn't even be left with a scar. However, to her evident frustration, she will have to stay in bed for a day or two. The incubators are just across the room, so that she can see her babies at all times. Fred walks across and looks at them. His view is slightly obscured by the artificial amniotic fluid. He can see that the babies are tiny, red and wrinkled, though, and that they have artificial placentas plugged into their navels. Astra reassures him that, though tiny, they are all normal. 

Once Probe and Inquirer have finished their medical duties, and ensured that Astra 5 will be properly looked after (the nurse being given strict instructions to make sure that her charge, headstrong like all the Astras, remains in bed for the time being), they join a council of war that is being held elsewhere in the palace. This has been called by Malachi Droconis. She knows that whilst the two ghosts should not prove a real threat, at least not away from their own homes, Zerm is a different matter. It may be necessary to take action against him whilst they still have the advantage given them by operational Crystallics, remembering that once the slipgate system is closed down that advantage may cease. 

In spite of what was said earlier [5240], Fred and Astra 4 fear that this could mean that their own business with the mages will have to wait. 

Yet another meeting is called by the Regent, and we see Malachi Dronocis, dragoness of nearly 5,000 years.....horrified to find herself blushing in delight like a little schoolgirl when she and her love, Dragon Sigin look at each other. 

"Let's..begin, shall we?" Probe coughs, pretending not to notice the little exchange. 

Malachi, Regent of Ethiopia, notices that her sister and her husband: Malachi D'Honaire and Dragon Fred, give both a slight nod and an understanding smile. 

She also sees Sigin Vulpine and Rosepaw smiling with a foxy, but sympathetic, smile. Of all those present, THEY would know the power of love has over her heart! 

"I called this meeting to discuss a most disturbing turn of event that can be summed up in one word," Malachi begins, gathering herself. "Zerm." 

A few heads nod, having already guessed the purpose of this meeting. This even includes the aged head of her mentor and presently head of the diplomatic team from the East, Sato. 

"It almost seems like divine irony that an Atlantian would rise up after all these centuries," a small, white haired oriental man chuckle mirthlessly."Rise up to yet AGAIN threaten all." 

"It has indeed, Sato-San." Malachi Dronocis says sadly, shaking her head. "Ironic that a member of the group that laid the groundwork for this entire tragedy would be here again, menacing us.." 

It dealt with the origin of the web of power that the Council of Wyrms ruled through. The nation of dragons may have appeared invisible to outsiders, but it was ALL too evident and apparent to the dragon citizens within! Some reveled in it. Those few dragons like Malachi suffered silently within it, blocked in open methods and reduced to clandestine operations to further her beliefs...and desires. 

It was now a well-known story, the strife between the nation that had called itself the "Elder Race" (or "Elder Races" for some reason) and non-humans. Seemingly overnight, a race of gifted human mages had appeared as if from thin air, and commenced to enslave the world. The threat had been so large and fierce that this had done something that had never been thought possible, it united the what had then been a wildly diverse and fiercely individualistic race known as "Dragons" Oriental, Occidental, strong, old, weak and strong! The dragons had joined together, in a pact of mutual defense...Protection. ONLY by the combined might brought about by such a pooling of mystical power and resources would the draconian race have any chance of survival as a free species. By garnering more and more treasure into their Hoards, the newly formed Council of Wyrms, a group dedicated to directing the defenses and resources (such as spell and power enhancer) of the dragon race in the best way possible, they hoped to be able to withstand the threat (and do more. eventually). 

The dragons, scared of the threat the Atlantians represented, were thus ruthless in their actions. In those early days, all other races were seen as just a liability if the "noble" dragons tried to join with them in defense. Instead, the dragons took from the other races what they needed, by force if necessary! When the dwarves refused to freely give their treasure of gold and gems, the dragons took by force with such fierceness that the dwarven race was sent teetering to the brink of extinction. In any event, these and other acts of desperation broke the backs of many non-human nations, which is an irony. It made the task of conquest by the Atlantians that much easier. 

These facts had been buried or forgotten by the other non-human races; forgotten either out of pride or out of the fact that there had been more of an emphasis on bare basic survival than recording events. Thank the Lord that none would believe the truth now (Tarin believed, but he knew better than to spread such an antagonizing truth amongst his people that he was trying to be a part of again). Why rock the boat? 

Atlantis, instead of finding nations able to halfway
 
 

1. Atlantis, instead of finding nations able to halfway defend themselves, found a land ripe for the picking, ready to be plucked of it's "potential slave/toys" assets. 

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