Europa Awakenings

by P. R. Garcia

“Hundreds of millions of years ago, the universe was a very different place than it is today. As Earth was struggling to create a habitual planet for life, several of Jupiter’s moons already had established life forms. It was on the moon you know as Europa our race began. Europa was then, as I hope it is now, a world covered completely in ice, under which lied a world-wide, lilac ocean. No land rose above her waters, no stars lit up her nights. Therefore, without land to crawl out onto, life began and evolved in her warm, nutrient-rich lilac waters. While dinosaurs still walked your earth, our race had already evolved into the top sentient being on Europa.”

  “Unbeknownst to us, our world was an isolated one. A layer of ice encased and shielded our watery sphere. For tens of millions of years, we had no knowledge anything existed beyond Europa’s ocean depths. We never ventured to the surface because it was a dark, cold, barren stretch of our ocean. For you see, Europa is the upside-down version of Earth. The ocean floor was the most brilliant and warmest part of the ocean, while the surface was the darkest and the coldest. The reason for this was the existence of millions of hot water vents on the ocean floor that shot columns of light particles and heated minerals into the water. Add in the fact that no sunlight reached into our oceans, most of our life on Europa, both plant and animal, developed their own luminosity, making our world as bright as a sunny day here on Earth.”

  “Possibly because we were so isolated and shielded from outside intervention, our race, known as the Oonocks, grew into a peaceful, yet extremely intelligent race. The words ‘greed’, ‘hate’ and ‘war’ did not exist in our vocabulary. We devoted our lives to the enrichment of our people. We pursued knowledge, philosophy, spiritual growth and intellectual learning. We were expert craftsmen and builders and we excelled in science and medicine. Our lives centered around families.”

  “Over millions of years, the Oonocks divided into many diversified groups, or clans, each governed by a special royal family. The numerous clans chose different expanses of the ocean to inhabit. Some clans were bottom dwellers and built their abodes on the ocean floor or in caves. Others were top dwellers and built theirs homes floating high above the ocean floor or on top of underwater mountain peaks. Each clan was unique and specialized in one or two expertise, such as medicine, physics, engineering, painting, wood working, metallurgy and so forth. And, just as you humans did here on Earth, occasionally some clans intermarried and established larger, unified clans. A clan’s members numbered from less than a hundred to tens of thousands. But no matter the clan’s size, each clan held the same importance, the same authority as the next clan, each ruled by its own royal lord and lady.”

  “One of the larger, top-dwelling clans devoted their talents to building ships, which enabled the trading clans to travel long distances in a short span of time. Because of their ship building, and the fact some of the younger clan members tended to drive their ships very fast through the ocean, this clan became known as ‘The Waters’. This is the clan we are descended from.”

  “But none of the clans, including our own, could have excelled had it not been for the wonder mineral called ‘bendicor’. Bendicor is a purple stone abundant on our world, a very powerful mineral that, even in its smallest form, can produce enormous amounts of energy. It was, and still is, the source of our energy, our technology, our very existence. Legend even credits it as the reason we are able to shape-shift.”

  “So the Oonocks have always been able to transform into other beings?” Europa asked.

  “Yes, as far back as we have history,” Chancee replied.

  “One day the world of Europa trembled, as if it had been hit by a massive earthquake. Buildings toppled, mountains fell, but no damage was done to the ocean floor. The oldest son of the Waters’ monarch found this very intriguing. This young male was your great-grandfather, Tyrigg. Determined to discover the cause of the shaking, he sailed his ship through the ocean searching for the cause. It did not take him long to realize the higher he went from the ocean floor the more severe the damage was. Therefore, he deduced the cause must have originated from above, not below. With the help of some fellow clansmen, Tyrigg built a special ship that was capable of taking him to the surface. It is important to remember no one had ever ventured to the surface of the ocean, so when Tyrigg ascended he was astounded to find there was a hard surface above the water – the layer of ice. He continued to glide below the ice and soon saw large cracks in the icy shell, cracks which grew to enormous size as he continued forward. Imagine his astonishment when the cracks led him to a large gaping hole, a hole created by a meteor that had smashed into our moon. It blew apart a large portion of the ice barrier miles wide. Through this hole your great-grandfather became the first Oonock to ever see space. He was mesmerized, as he saw the twinkling of thousands of stars and the planet Jupiter. It was then he realized how isolated his world was and how the ice barrier had protected them. Fearing his lilac waters could escape through this enormous hole in the barrier, he rushed back home to solicit the help needed to repair the shield.”

  “Jeanip, you had told me my great-grandparents’ names were Esoquin and Meeleena,” Europa suddenly stated. “Now you are saying my great-grandfather’s name was Tyrigg. Which is correct?”

  “Actually both, Your Highness,” Jeanip replied, realizing clarification was needed. “Your great-grandparents’ real names were Tyrigg and Bytroom. To hide their longevity to the humans, your parents assumed your great-grandparents’ identity for a while and later changed their names to Esoquin and Meeleena in order to cover up their own names of Enok and Medaron.”

  “Were my grandparents’ names really Enoquin and Messor?” she asked, now wondering if their names were also a fabrication.

  “Yes, those were their real names. Your parents were able to assume their identities using Enok’s parents’ real names.”

  “It does get a little confusing,” she softly said.

  “That it does,” Jeanip smiled. “Let’s see, where was I? Oh, yes. Upon returning home, Tyrigg informed his father of what he found and requested a special clan leaders’ meeting. At the meeting he explained to the clan leaders what he had seen and the danger it posed to their existence. Several of the clan leaders laughed at the possibility of there being other worlds outside of their homeworld and considered any investigation into the matter foolish and unworthy of their consideration. Luckily, his father and several other clan leaders believed him and understood the implications of the hole. An expedition was launched to determine what danger their homeworld was in. Tyrigg led a team of top scientists to the surface and they saw for themselves the fact that our isolated world was in mortal danger. They returned with confirmation of the ice barrier breach and the threat that our oceans could be pulled out into space. Tyrigg was able to unite the clans and, together, they designed, engineered and constructed a force field which kept our water from evaporating into space, but also kept it from refreezing, thus allowing us to study the world outside of Europa. Your great-grandfather was hailed as a hero for saving our world and, as his reward, the royal families united and made him the first Ruling Monarch over all the clans. And when he joined with his life’s mate, Bytroom, she became our first Supreme Monarch. A new palace was built to house the new monarchs and the clans pledged their loyalties to their rule.”

  “Several thousand years later, Tyrigg and Bytroom were blessed with their first of four younglings, a son, Enoquin, your grandfather. From the time he was little he was intrigued by what might lie out in space and dreamt of exploration. He was recognized, at a very young age, to be a gifted ship builder and designer. Putting those talents to use, he and a handful of Waters engineers devoted their time and talents over the next few millennia to constructing space traveling ships capable of holding several hundred inhabitants. It was during this time Enoquin took over the role of Head Monarch and married his life’s mate, Messor, the daughter of a rival clan’s leader.
Messor’s clan was known to have some of the best minds in physics, mathematics and aero dynamics; all important areas needed for space travel. But the clan’s leader did not support Enoquin’s desire for space exploration and contributed little to the development of the spaceships. To enlist their aid, Enoquin set out to win Messor’s heart and make her his life’s mate, thus assuring his access to her peoples’ talents. Since Messor was your grandmother, you know Enoquin won her heart, but few know the real story of their relationship as life’s mates. In our society, the joining of two people is something very sacred, very unique. We do not have a word for ‘divorce’ because such a thing does not exist in our world. When two people are joined together, it is for eternity, thus the term of ‘life’s mates’. Your parents were good examples of a proper match – they not only loved each other very much, they were part of each other, sensing what the other felt and was thinking, connected in a way that defies reality, that makes one totally incomplete without the other. This was not true for Enoquin and Messor – they were never meant to be joined as life’s mates. Mind you, they were fond of each other and, over the years, I suppose a type of love developed, but there was no real connection, no fulfilling the other one, no real love. It did not take Messor long to realize she had been used, that Enoquin had married her for the benefits she brought to his plan for space travel. But since we had no way for two beings to be unjoined, Messor remained Enoquin’s mate, unhappy and unfulfilled, resenting him more each day. As our Supreme Monarch, she stood beside him, supported him and led her people, hiding from them her unhappiness. She also fulfilled her role as Enoquin’s mate and, from their union, gave him three younglings, her one main joy in life. Your father was born first, then JeffRa and lastly a female, Quinsong, who died tragically at an early age. Enok, as the first born, was his father’s pride and joy. Enoquin denied him almost nothing, spoiled him and doted upon him. He showered him with gifts, praise and rewards as he prepared him to take over the leadership of the kingdom. He treated Quinsong the same because she was his only daughter and, by our tradition, destined to be the next Supreme Monarch. But Enoquin had no love for JeffRa and literally abandoned him to the care of Messor, who probably loved him the most of her three children. It was never known why Enoquin walked away from JeffRa. He was a fine, young Oonock and someone who deserved to be honored and loved. Some felt Enoquin saw his own lust for power in his second son, and therefore shunned the child. Others speculated JeffRa was not Enoquin’s offspring, but adultery is something else which does not exist in our society, so it is hard to imagine JeffRa’s father was not Enoquin.”

  “But whatever the reason was, Enoquin’s contempt for JeffRa made your father love him dearly and he did everything in his power to protect JeffRa. The two brothers were inseparable, the best of friends and shared everything together. Like his father, JeffRa was a natural engineer, a genius, and he developed many new ways to increase the ship’s energy output, as well as shield it and its passengers from radiation and other dangers of space. He even invented a new power chamber to harness more of our bendicor’s energy, thus giving our ships the ability to travel outside our solar system. Working together, side by side, Enok and JeffRa incorporated all of JeffRa’s ideas into a new ship they planned to use for an exploration to Jupiter. But such a journey was not in JeffRa’s destiny, for when the day came to embark on their voyage he was forced to remain behind. Wanting only his oldest son to receive the recognition and glory of exploring Jupiter, Enoquin ordered JeffRa to remain on Europa. Your father tried to persuade your grandfather to allow JeffRa to accompany him, telling him it was JeffRa’s ingenuity that made the flight possible, but your grandfather would not hear of it. He said as the first born, it was Enok’s right to get the credit for the mission, but, as the second born, JeffRa had no rights. It broke Enok’s heart to go without his brother, but, as a proper son, he followed his father’s orders. I think he always regretted not standing up to Enoquin that day and demanding JeffRa accompany him. How different things might have turned out if he had, for that trip to Jupiter was the beginning of the rift between the two brothers, a rift that would end our world and force our evacuation and eventual settlement here on Earth.”

  “Enoquin continued to deal degradation after degradation against JeffRa, each one crueler than the last. Enok did his best to protect his younger brother and include him in his experiences, but Enoquin’s favoritism toward Enok soon made JeffRa embittered and jealous of his older brother. Realizing he would never hold a place in Enoquin’s heart as long as Enok lived, he began to dream of Enok’s demise and moving up to first born, believing that would ensure his father’s love and acceptance. So this hatred grew with each passing day and with each new task, homage and adornment given to Enok until it completely consumed JeffRa. The final insult was the day Enok took Medaron as his life’s mate. On that day something inside JeffRa snapped, and the brother Enok loved was no more. In his place was an evil, vengeful being, determined to not only end Enok’s life, but to end his parents’ and sister’s as well and take over as Head Ruling Monarch. Thus JeffRa devised a plan to destroy us all.”

  “Knowing there must be others who were unhappy with their positions, JeffRa began to search them out, especially the male children of royal families not first born. Promising them glory and rise to power, he was able to raise a small army. With his army assembled, he waited for his chance to strike. That chance came on the day your father was named Ruling Monarch and your grandfather stepped down. JeffRa knew many of the clan leaders would be attending the celebration and would give his army the opportunity to eradicate many of them in one strike. Plus, he knew Enok and his father would be so distracted with all the festivities they would not notice anything unusual. And JeffRa might have succeeded in Enok’s downfall if their younger sister, Quinsong, hadn’t stumbled upon her brother’s plot. Upon learning of JeffRa’s plan, she raced to warn her father and Enok, but JeffRa and several of his followers intercepted her and a struggle ensued. Quinsong was seriously injured in the confrontation, by whose hand it was never known. She managed to get away and make it to her father’s side and inform him of JeffRa’s plot to kill them all at the ceremony. She died in Enoquin’s arms and he literally went insane. He ordered the immediate execution of JeffRa and his followers, refusing to hear anything Enok said regarding JeffRa. Civil war broke out. Many Oonocks died. Our utopia was destroyed. For the first time in our millions of years of existence, the words ‘hate’, ‘revenge’ and ‘war’ were added to our vocabulary.”

  “Enoquin was relentless in hunting down his son and his followers, determined to bring them to justice, not only for Quinsong’s death, but for the destruction of our way of life. Never in the history of the Oonocks had one Oonock killed another and, now that it had, Enoquin was going to ensure it happened again to his youngest son. He devoted every second he was awake to ending JeffRa’s life. Finally, after years of civil war, JeffRa was caught and brought before Enoquin. But Enok was now Ruling Monarch and he would not allow his father to kill the brother he loved. Since there was no law, no penalty for a crime such as JeffRa’s, it fell upon Enok’s shoulders to determine JeffRa’s punishment and pronounce sentence. But Enok could not end the life of his brother because he felt partly responsible for JeffRa’s demise. Runbee and I pleaded with him, explained to him the brother he knew and loved no longer existed, but our counseling feel upon deaf ears. Since Medaron was Supreme Monarch and her decree superseded Enok’s, we took our cause to her. With Chancee’s help, we pleaded with her to persuade Enok to end JeffRa and his followers’ lives. But our pleas fell upon deaf ears, for she sided with Enok, stating only that they had good reason for sparing JeffRa’s life.”

  “A decision that would change our course of history and destroy her happiness,” Chancee interjected. “She soon came to regret that decision and, I believe, regretted it to the day she died, even though she felt she had sufficient
reason to let JeffRa live.”

  “Sufficient reason?” Earon asked. “JeffRa tried to kill them and all their family. He brought war upon them. What reason could possibly be worth letting him live?”

  “So you knew, Chancee?” Jeanip asked.

  “Yes, Medaron told me may years later why she had not given the order to execute him,” Chancee replied. “Did she tell you too?”

  “No, Enok did,” Jeanip said. “I asked him after the last major war when he laid in the medical room fighting for his life while Medaron dwelled in a state of deep depression at their abode, fighting for her life also. I asked him why he ever spared JeffRa and was it worth all the destruction he had caused. To this day, I don’t believe I had the audacity to speak to him the way I did, but I was so angry, so totally enraged after Tiree’s death and the death of so many Oonocks, that I had to know if the sparing of JeffRa’s life was worth it.”

  “What did he say?” Earon asked.

  “He finally admitted it was not worth it, especially because of the sorrow JeffRa had caused Medaron. He told me he wished he had taken my advice and executed his brother,” Jeanip answered. “But he also said, knowing what he knew then, he still could have made no other decision. That’s when he told me the reason.”

  “Can you tell us the reason?” Europa asked, intrigued as to what could have prevented her parents from carrying out the needed sentence.

  “It should be your father that tells you the reason, but since he is not here and Jeanip cannot break Enok’s confidence, I will give you a very brief account of your parents’ reasoning,” Chancee stated. “Enoquin’s hate was so strong against his middle son that he did the ultimate act of betrayal, the one thing that would destroy his son’s chance at a future, happiness or a family forever. Enoquin learned Medaron had agreed to join with JeffRa and JeffRa had entered into negotiations with her father to join with her. Upon learning the news, Enoquin immediately forced Medaron’s father to abandon his promise to JeffRa and agreed for Enok to join with Medaron. Neither Enok, Medaron nor JeffRa had any knowledge of this agreed-upon union until it was announced to the people. And once it was announced, they were forced to honor the agreement and join. JeffRa was disgraced, considered a fool, someone unworthy of respect and homage.”

  “Why would he do that?” Terrance asked.

  “Which he?” Jeanip asked Terrance. “Enoquin did it out of sheer spite, out of a desire to destroy his son once and for all. He knew JeffRa would never recover from such an insult to his pride. As for my father, it was merely a political decision. Once Medaron joined with Enok, her status would be raised to Supreme Monarch, giving our father more power and prestige than he ever thought possible to obtain.”

  “Even though they could not terminate his life, Enok and Medaron did realize JeffRa and his followers had to be banished somewhere where they would not pose a threat. Both knew the only way to keep Europa safe was to ensure JeffRa and his men could not continue to live as Oonocks,” Jeanip continued. “They searched for a location where life was possible, yet hard enough to keep them busy surviving, somewhere where they had to live as land creatures, a place containing no large bodies of water. Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons, was chosen. It contained just enough water to sustain life, had sparse vegetation and mostly consisted of dirt and sand.”

  “Throughout the sentencing of his men and himself, JeffRa remained emotionless, never speaking a word. Some wondered if he even realized what was happening. But, as he was led away, he screamed out to Enok his oath of revenge, stating he would personally kill all the Waters’ royal family and any future born royals. And he would see our homeworld of Europa destroyed.”

  “The next several centuries passed quickly. Several assassination attempts were made against Enok by a handful of JeffRa’s followers who were missed when JeffRa’s men were gathered and exiled. These attempts served as reminders of JeffRa’s promise to eradicate the royal family, a promise Enok now realized his brother would never abandon. It was during this time he, along with Medaron, wrote and decreed the security laws and protocols that would keep not only the royal family, but all Oonocks safe. Together, they ruled the Oonocks and oversaw the clans while preparing for the war they knew would come. Craftsmen from all fields designed and built superior weapons. Strategists developed detailed evacuation plans. Astronomers searched the heavens for a location the Oonocks could relocate to if need be. Ship builders incorporated JeffRa’s ideas and designs into new, larger vessels that could carry thousands of Oonocks and withstand a long space migration to distant planets. Provisions were stored, the Orbs were gathered into traveling storage containers and an army was assembled in preparation for a future war. Enok and Medaron chose me to be the Chief Commander of their army and the Keeper/Enforcer of the security laws and protocols. With the assistance of Enok, I trained an elite army in combat and warfare, as well as a special unit to protect the royal families. Nothing was left to chance. We were ready for whatever JeffRa dealt us. And so we waited.”

  “Having little knowledge of the living conditions on Ganymede, and still feeling guilty about JeffRa’s downfall, Enok at first sent a supply ship each month filled with medicine and food to aid JeffRa in his exile. He hoped the supplies would allow his brother to live a decent life on his exiled world. But the ships did not return from their delivery, so Enok was forced to abandon the shipments after three months. He feared Jeanip might be capturing the ships and refurbishing them to launch an attack against Europa.”

  “We know little of what JeffRa did after his exile. Over the years we’ve been able to gather bits of information from captured Terrians concerning his activities. The story they told was that sometime after his arrival on Ganymede JeffRa encountered an intelligent race of beings called the Terrians. Although intelligent, they were aggressive, barbaric, fierce warriors with a tremendous thirst for blood, wealth, power and the demise of their enemy, characteristics JeffRa himself possessed. With his superior intellect and ability to shape-shift, JeffRa was able to overthrow their leader, finally obtaining one of his life’s dreams – to be a Head Ruler. He united several of the clans together and, with their help, began to plot the downfall of Europa.”

  Jeanip paused for a moment as he rose and poured himself a cup of coffee. After returning to his seat he continued his story. “I don’t believe I mentioned the fact our culture is a matriarchal society. Female monarchs are above the male monarchs. When Enok married Medaron, Medaron rose above him in status and her word and decisions were above Enok’s. And had Enok’s sister, Quinsong, lived, she would have become Supreme Monarch when she reached the age of Tiipow and Enok would have been demoted to Second Monarch.”

  “Tiipow?” Europa asked, hating to interrupt Jeanip, but needing clarification of the term. “What is Tiipow?”

  “Tiipow is the age of consent, when an Oonock becomes basically an adult,” Chancee answered. “In human terms, I guess it would be the age of twenty. When one is no longer a teenager.”

  “Is that why Mother gave me the amulet on my twentieth birthday?” Europa asked, as she reached up and touched the present around her neck. “I had reached the age of Tiipow in human age and was now an adult and ready to lead our people?”

  “Yes.”

  Seeing Europa’s question had been answered Jeanip continued. “It is important you comprehend this principle of female monarch status in order to understand what happened next. Enok’s parents, Enoquin and Messor, were getting close to the time when they would return to the waters from which they came. Although Messor knew of the horrible things her son had done, she still loved him. A mother’s love does not die easily, especially for her favorite child. Plus, she had learned of Enoquin’s deceit in arranging for Enok and Medaron to be joined. Feeling JeffRa had been unjustly sentenced, in addition to feeling very guilty for not stopping Enoquin’s cruelty toward JeffRa, Messor vowed not to leave this world without seeing JeffRa
one last time. She decreed a ship take her to Ganymede to see him and say her final goodbyes. Because she was still a Supreme Monarch, her decree was carried out although Enok, Medaron, and I voiced numerous objections. But her mind could not be changed. Finally, a compromise was reached and it was agreed a small band of protectors would accompany her. To everyone’s surprise, Enoquin stated he would also make the trip with her, a fact Enok was suspicious of. He knew the hatred Enoquin still had in his heart toward JeffRa, and he actually feared Enoquin might have some alterative motive for going. But if there was, Enok was never able to discover it. So, against his better judgment, Enok watched his parents leave. That was the last time he ever saw them. We never discovered what happened to them or if Messor every saw her son before she died. When Enok returned to his abode later that day, he discovered a note from his father stating that if Messor and he did not return within two rotations Enok should abandon Europa and set sail for a new home. He wrote that his failure to return would mean we and our homeworld were about to be destroyed.”

  “When your grandparents did not return, Enok and Medaron followed Enoquin’s advice and gave the order to evacuate our world, but not all the clans believed evacuation was necessary. Of all the clans, only fifteen chose to leave. The remaining clans remained on Europa, believing her layer of ice would keep them safe. A total of twenty ships were outfitted for the journey into space. Together they emerged from beneath the ice canopy, prepared to carry the Oonock race to begin an existence on a new world. It was decided to give the Oonocks who remained behind not only a chance of escaping JeffRa’s revenge, but a chance of survival. The force shield was deactivated and explosives set off to reseal the opening. The world of the Oonocks was once again sealed, protected and isolated from the rest of the universe under miles of ice, safe from outside aggression. Or so we hoped. We had just sealed the opening and were beginning to regroup not far from Europa when JeffRa’s revenge hit our homeworld, along with Jupiter and several of her moons. As we watched the magnitude of his revenge, we realized Messor’s irrational decree to see JeffRa had saved ours and many other Oonocks’ lives.”

  “This next part again is more speculation than actual known facts. We believe JeffRa’s plan consisted of melting off the ice covering on Europa and exposing her ocean to space and solar winds. Europa had almost no atmosphere, so without the protection of her ice, her waters would evaporate and eventually leave a dry, waterless world. And without water the Oonocks could not exist. To melt the ice JeffRa created an energy pulse emanating from Jupiter’s moon Io and directed that energy into Jupiter’s highly volatile atmosphere of methane and helium. The result would be a localized implosion on Jupiter’s soil, causing its hot, liquid core to erupt into a tremendous geyser which would cover the surface of Europa and melt all her ice within hours, perhaps minutes. But something went wrong. The implosion occurred too early and Europa was behind Jupiter, just beginning the longest part of its elliptical orbit, not in front of the implosion point, as planned. And JeffRa’s calculations for the energy pulse were also incorrect and produced a reaction too strong to remain localized. It rapidly spread across half of Jupiter’s surface, creating an unstoppable storm I believe even JeffRa was not prepared for. Fed by the magnetic energy impulse from Io, the implosion grew in intensity and size, ripping the very inner fabric of Jupiter apart. Hot molten liquid burst through Jupiter’s crust and spewed into space on all sides, igniting the helium, methane and other released flammable gases. The burning gases spread until the entire globe was consumed in a sphere of fire of unbelievable temperatures, incinerating everything, including the planet itself. Jupiter began to fold into itself, creating huge wind storms of dust and debris. Jupiter, the land planet, ceased to exist and was replaced by a planet of swirling, lethal gases with the originating entry point now visible as a raging red molten wind storm fed by the continuous energy pulse from Io. That storm still exists today. One can see it from Earth with the aid of a telescope. Humans know it as the red eye of Jupiter. JeffRa had released his revenge in a form we never, ever expected. But in his desire to destroy Europa, he inadvertently destroyed all life that existed on Jupiter, Callisto and many other moons. He also destroyed all life on Ganymede, including his newly formed clan.”

  “We know that Europa today is still covered by ice,” Terrance interjected. “Did those who remained behind survive?”

  “That, Terrance, is a question we have asked ourselves millions of times over the past few millennia,” Jeanip answered, unconsciously inserting the word ‘millennia’ in the place he usually said ‘centuries’, thus giving a hint as to the Oonocks’ time on Earth.

  “Millennia?” Europa quickly asked, having picked up Jeanip’s slip. “How old are you?”

  “If I keep stopping to answer questions not related to the current story, we will be here for days, Your Highness,” Jeanip replied. “I will answer your questions at the end if you so wish, but for now I need to continue with the story. And the answer to Terrance’s question is part of this story.” Jeanip looked directly at Terrance. “You are correct, Terrance, Europa is still covered by ice today, but we do know a good portion of the ice was melted away during the attack. Whether enough of a layer remained to protect those who remained behind, we do not know. To this day we have never heard a sound or received a signal from Europa. Over time the ice barrier did rebuild itself, so it may be the layer of ice is too thick for a signal to get out and those that remained behind survived. Or it may mean too little ice remained to protect them and all life was eradicated from Europa.”

  Jeanip turned his eyes back to Europa and continued. “Twenty ships left Europa, but only seventeen made it to safety. The last three ships were unable to obtain enough distance before the implosion occurred and were destroyed. Twelve of the ships set courses for worlds outside our solar system; five remained here. Two settled on Mars, which at that time was a lush, green planet full of life. Enok brought the last three here to Earth.”

  “When we arrived on Earth we thought we would live in Earth’s oceans, but we soon realized our bodies could not maintain their cohesiveness in its low pressure. We could, however, live in her depths, but it was pitch black there and we had no way of knowing what creatures might inhabit its depths that would pose a threat to us. Knowing it would take time to explore this world’s oceans and determine if a habitat could be built below, we decided to construct a temporary structure on the surface. We transformed into humans and lived as air breathers until the Ocean Complex could be constructed.”

  “Earth humans were still primitive at this time and their accomplishments were very minimal. Not wanting to contaminate their development and evolutionary growth, Enok and Medaron decided to avoid contact with humans as much as possible. They chose a secluded location in the ocean surrounded by a ‘C’-shaped section of land, which hid us from view. Using two of our three ships, we built a city in the circle of the ‘C’, a city that appeared to be made of gold. We were able to enjoy the wonders of this world’s oceans, explore her depths and begin life anew while remaining unknown to the humans who occupied the mainland. Or so we thought. Even with our best efforts to remain concealed and secluded, over time word spread of an advanced race who lived in a city of awesome architect made of gold. We became known for our wealth, our technical superiority, our great palaces and our machines that flew in the sky. The waters surrounding our city soon became a harbor for many trading vessels of various nations. Egypt, the dominant power at the time, became our friend and ally and was instrumental in helping us understand humans and their culture. While history describes us as a conquering people seeking world domination, nothing was farther from the truth. We lived in harmony with the human race, educating them with agricultural advancements, such as irrigation and field maintenance, while acutely restricting their knowledge of our advance technology. Thus we lived for hundreds of years at peace, a center for commerce and educa
tion, beings of air and water. Life was so wonderful that many began to believe JeffRa had been destroyed in the blast and we had escaped his wrath. But Enok never doubted his brother was somewhere out there feverishly searching for him and Medaron. Both insisted our military be ready for war, our weapons constantly upgraded and the security protocols followed to the letter. Our troops trained daily outside of the city, hidden from human eyes and prepared for any attack we dared to hope would never come. Only a small garrison remained in the city to protect the royal family. It was also during this time a suitable location was discovered in the ocean’s depths where the underwater Complex would be built and Enok ordered construction to begin.”

  “Then one day Enok’s beliefs came true. We received a communication from the colony on Mars stating JeffRa had found them and they were under attack. The communication stated he was destroying the planet and there was no hope for their survival. It warned us to prepare for his wrath and wished us luck. Years later, we learned to what extent JeffRa’s revenge devastated Mars. The lush green planet of blue oceans and wondrous wildlife, Earth’s twin, had been reduced to a barren rock devoid of life and atmosphere, devoid of any Oonocks or any sign they had ever lived on that beautiful planet. The only water that remained on the planet now buried in her soil.”

  “Knowing Earth would be next, and not wishing the same fate for her, we sunk our city that night in a blaze of fire and lightening, hidden by numerous tidal waves and earth shaking as we moved it to the location where we were building the new Complex, deep in the depths of the ocean where no humans and no Terrians could find us. All records we or our city ever existed were erased from existence. All that remained were a few stories the people told each other over the years.”

  “That is until someone named Plato decided to write a record of it,” Chancee commented. “He almost blew our entire cover with his story.”

  Ignoring Chancee’s comment, Jeanip continued. “Our hope was, if JeffRa saw no trace of Oonocks or our technology from space, he would leave the planet unharmed and believe Mars was the only colony. Our identity now hidden beneath the deep ocean, we kept a constant vigil for JeffRa’s ships, keeping our gaze fixed on the heavens, but no attack came. We believed our plan was successful and we were able to hide our existence from JeffRa and therefore spare Earth Mars’ fate. We remained in the Ocean Complex for over a thousand years with no contact with humans. And, as before, prepared for JeffRa’s revenge while we waited and hoped.”

  “During this time scouts were sent out to explore the Earth for any sign of Terrians, none of which were found. Feeling enough time had passed, Enok and Medaron announced one day it was safe for anyone who wished to live in the world above. During the time we were gone, the human race had evolved and spread further across Africa and Europe, making it necessary to choose a new land location. We decided upon an isolated area close to the ocean in the Orient for our next city. Hoping not to repeat the same mistakes we made with our first city, we did not build elaborate structures of gold. Instead, we built a simple city made of wood and stone, designed to appear unimportant. We were able to live in isolation for a while, but soon word of an advanced civilization with superior technology and the ability to fly spread through the humans, just as it had happened at our first city. No matter how we tried to blend in and remain invisible, we failed to remain anonymous. Before long we were the center of trade and commerce once again. As before, we lived in harmony with the local inhabitants, teaching them agriculture, irrigation and other advances that made their lives easier. But soon the greed of men arose and several of the human leaders wanted more of our technology, technology we would not share with them. They declared war on us and tried to take over the city. Of course our technology was such we could easily have crushed them, but not wishing them harm, we decided to abandon the city and relocate, taking our knowledge with us. The city was destroyed, leaving behind only smashed buildings built by an unknown race. We once again returned to the underwater Complex and remained there for many centuries. During all this time there was no sign of JeffRa or his Terrians.”

  “Many Oonocks enjoyed living above on land and petitioned Enok and Medaron for another city above. Still believing JeffRa was alive and not wishing for another city to become the center of human activity, Enok and Medaron granted their peoples’ wish with the stipulation the new city would be built on land, far from the sea. And in case any legends remained about the advanced cities we once occupied, an area in the southern hemisphere along the Pacific Ocean on the opposite side of the world was selected. An area high on a mountain plateau, surrounded by a dense jungle, inhabited by very primitive people was chosen. It provided us with good surveillance of the land below and the opportunity to see any advancing army. The one drawback of the location was the lack of any large body of water. You may or may not have surmised that, as creatures of water, we must have water available to return to if needed. To rectify this we dug out a huge crater not far from where the city would be built and filled it with saltwater.”

  “I’ve never heard of a saltwater lake inside South America,” Terrance whispered to Europa.

  “Me either,” Europa replied.

  “No, you wouldn’t have,” Jeanip said, hearing Terrance’s comment. “We made the lake very deep, some places down to over nine hundred feet, and filled it with saltwater so the Oonocks would have a place nearby where they could transform into their true selves. Since we had never lived in an area where water was not readily available, our engineers miscalculated the amount of underground freshwater and freshwater from tributaries which would make their way to the lake and the problems they would cause. They had to constantly work on ways to keep the saline in the water. When we were forced years later to abandon this city, no one remained to correct the saline and eventually the lake became a freshwater lake.”

  Having solved that mystery, Jeanip continued. “Once the lake was completed, we began building the new city from materials the land provided. We carved huge stones out of a nearby quarry and transported them with our individual fliers, welding the stones together with lasers. In no time our city was constructed, complete with a center Complex, individual family houses, irrigation, gardens and livestock. Our purple stones provided us with energy for lights, equipment running and a city wide force field. To minimize human contact, we hid the city behind a fortress of high, red-sandstone walls with a huge double gate barring the entrance. But even though the local inhabitants were primate, humans are curious by nature and it was not long before some of the forest Indians followed our flying craft back to our city. From their reaction to the city and their actions later, we believe they thought their forest gods had come to live amongst them. Not wanting to repeat the previous problems with human interaction, Enok and Medaron ordered we have no direct contact with the natives. I remember even doing a few magic tricks and light shows to keep them away from ‘the city of bird men’.”

  “Bird Men?” Europa asked.

  “Yes, that is what the natives came to call us, probably because of our flying machines. In fact, they made such an impression on them they began to fashion small replicas made of gold. Occasionally we would find a broach or a necklace of these replicas left outside our gate – perhaps a peace offering or a present. I believe your mother has several of them in her jewelry box.” A solemn look crossed Jeanip’s face as he remembered Minnos had been destroyed and the jewelry box with it. “But now they are lost with the rest of her belongings at Minnos.”

  “No, Jeanip, one still remains. There was a golden ship broach pinned to Mother’s diary. It’s still on there.” Europa reached down in Terrance’s backpack and pulled out her mother’s diary and showed Jeanip the attached broach. “I remember playing with several of these when I was young. I always wondered why she had spaceships. Whenever I asked her about them, all she would tell me is they were a gift from a friend.”

  “That they were,” J
eanip stated. “An entire tribe of friends who would later warn us of JeffRa’s approach. But for now, during this time, we lived content and happy, isolated from the world, hidden high above the canopy. And once more we waited – but this time with a glimmer of hope, a hope that was doomed to fail.”

  “This next part again is speculation on JeffRa’s actions. We believe after destroying Mars, he searched Earth for any signs of Oonocks. For some reason, perhaps he thought he saw something or perhaps we left something behind divulging our existence on Earth, he brought his two remaining ships very close to the planet over the Mediterranean. His ships must have been damaged in his battle on Mars because the ships became caught in Earth’s gravitational field and could not break free. The ships crashed in the African desert, marooning JeffRa and his men. Now remember, JeffRa and some of his men were Oonocks so they possessed some of the same powers we did. We believe they used these powers as they advanced across Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean, pillaging and plundering as they searched for us. That would account for the legacy we were given of a superior military race with advanced weaponry that stormed across the continents. After centuries of finding no evidence of our existence, JeffRa turned his eyes toward the continents across the ocean – the Americas. But, with his ships destroyed, he had no way of crossing the ocean and reaching our landmass. He was not able to obtain the resources, either from the Earth or from his damaged ships, to build an ocean vessel or a flying ship.”

  “Couldn’t they transform into ocean creatures like you do and make the journey?” Terrance asked.

  “Luckily for us, they could not,” Jeanip answered. “To preserve our true form, it is necessary for an Oonock to return to water and transform into their true self every thirty or forty years. That’s why Enok and Medaron chose an almost waterless world to exile him too. Evidently, even when it became available, JeffRa and his Oonocks had not returned to the water for thousands of years and therefore were no longer capable of transforming into water beings. Plus the majority of JeffRa’s soldiers were Terrians and did not possess the capability of transforming into other creatures. Only Oonocks can transform. We believe he did not wish to leave over half of his army behind. So, unwilling to leave his Terrians behind, along with the fact humans did not possess at that time the technology to build the type of sea vessel JeffRa needed, it would take him hundreds of years to find a way to cross the ocean and step foot on our continent.”

  “I’m confused,” Terrance stated. “You said earlier JeffRa was a natural ship builder, a genius. Plus he possessed many of the same powers and technical knowledge you did. Why didn’t he just build his own ships and sail across the ocean?”

  “We have speculated on that question many times,” Chancee responded. “Perhaps he lost his advanced tools when his ships crashed, perhaps they didn’t think they were needed and left them behind, perhaps he just didn’t feel like taking the time to build them, which I find very unlikely.”

  “We believe the real reason is he had brought something with him on his ships he could not leave behind, something numerous and heavy,” Jeanip stated. “He could not travel across the Atlantic until he found a way to transport these objects safely because he needed them to destroy us.”

  “Whatever his reason was it gave us many years of peace and happiness and I personally am thankful he didn’t come across earlier,” Chancee commented.

  “As am I,” Jeanip continued. “But he did eventually come across. And Medaron sensed his coming. Terrance, since you know little of our monarch, you would not know she had a gift whereby she could sense imminent catastrophes. In fact, I failed to mention she was instrumental in Enok’s decision to follow his father’s advice and evacuate Europa when he did not return from Ganymede. Shortly after Enoquin and Messor’s departure, Medaron started to have an uneasy feeling, a feeling of pending disaster. It grew stronger every day the elder monarchs were gone and she kept Enok apprised of her uneasiness. When his father did not return within the designated time, he added in Medaron’s feeling and immediate ordered his people to leave. Just as before, one morning in our newest city, Medaron woke feeling something was wrong, but what she could not tell. The feeling persisted and grew stronger each day, a feeling without clarity or substance. Remembering the incident on Europa, Enok put everyone on high alert. Believing in the possibility our enemy was alive and in the vicinity searching for us, and to preserve our concealment, no flying ships were used to patrol the area – everything was done by foot. About a week after Medaron’s uneasiness begun, one of our patrols came across a native village which had been attacked by jaguars. The inhabitants had been torn to pieces by the animals, yet none of them had been fed upon, which was not in a jaguar’s nature. Plus, these people were excellent hunters, yet not one dead jaguar could be found. They searched for survivors but were only able to find one young woman who was clutching a small gold ship in her hand. The patrol tried to help her, but her injuries were too severe. Just before she died she handed her golden ship to one of the soldiers and uttered one word – ‘JeffRa’.”

  “Realizing the severity of the situation, the patrol transformed into horses and galloped back to warn us of the impending attack. However, JeffRa was waiting for them and set up an ambush about half way to the city. As before, the Oonock-Terrians attacked as jaguars while the true Terrians engaged in hand-to-hand combat. They caught our soldiers by complete surprise. Transforming into bears and outnumbered three to one, they engaged our enemy valiantly but took heavy casualties. I believe they all would have died and we would never have known of JeffRa’s presence had it not been for our unknown friends. I mentioned before the local forest natives believed we were their forest gods who had come to their land to live. Unbeknown to us, they had taken on the role of our protectors and had been protecting us from other tribes for years – in fact, since the day we arrived there. They viewed this new adversary the same. Using their silent blow guns and camouflaged by the jungle, the natives in death-like-silence attacked JeffRa’s men and were able to kill a large majority of them. I don’t believe they ever knew what hit them.”

  “Four of the natives helped our survivors back to the city, physically carrying two of them; the rest remained behind to assure no Terrians followed. When they arrived, Enok invited them in, to not only thank them, but to also give them sanctuary. They would not hear of it. They returned to their comrades to continue their fight and to protect us from the army that was advancing toward our city.”

  “The force field was activated and, with the indestructability of the stones we built the city with, we were impenetrable. Years of preparation ensured we could remain behind her walls for years, perhaps even decades. We had an inexhaustible food and water supply, all waste products were recycled, our power source was limitless and contained within the Complex and our new weaponry was ready. We were ready to engage our life long enemy –and again we waited.”

  “But at least this time we knew he was coming and there would be an end to our wait,” Chancee interjected. “No more speculation, no more wondering if he was still alive.”

  “Yes, we knew,” Jeanip replied. “And to his astonishment, JeffRa realized we were aware of his advancement and his element of surprise was lost. Too late he saw the flaw in his plan in regards to the natives. When he realized he would have to deal with them first before he could reach our city, JeffRa delayed his attack and sent his troops out to hunt them down and exterminate them. Luckily, once again JeffRa miscalculated the natives’ abilities. Having fought amongst themselves for centuries, they were masters at disappearing into the forest, of hiding where they could not be found. After a week of searching, JeffRa gave up his search and set his sights once more on our city. As the sun rose on the eighth day, we heard what sounded like thunder, but soon saw it was the footsteps of thousands of Terrians marching upon our city from all directions, with JeffRa leading the frontal attack astride a white stall
ion, a stallion who was one of the transformed Oonocks from our village. Somehow JeffRa’s men had captured him and prevented him from transforming into another form. We could also see he had been horribly tortured. JeffRa shouted to Enok that his day of reckoning had arrived as he leaped from the stallion, removed a sword from its sheath and slit the stallion’s throat. Helpless to do anything, we watched our soldier fall to the ground and return to his true form as his heart stopped beating. His body began to dematerialize and our valiant soldier’s life flowed out onto the ground. We stared in disbelief as JeffRa did the most horrible thing a being could do - he purposely stomped the soldier’s water into the ground, grinding it into the dark brown dirt until all that remained was a circle of black, thick mud. I still to this day remember the look of joy and satisfaction on his face. Shouting the circle of mud was soon to be the fate of all Oonocks, he gave the order to attack. His army stormed the walls, blasting them with their advanced weapons, but unable to cause any damage due to the force field. They next tried catapulting fire bombs but they too were stopped. Everything JeffRa tried failed. We watched attempt after attempt to breach our walls fail for forty-two days. As long as the force field was active, JeffRa could not reach us, but we were also prevented from firing upon them, for just as the shield prevented anything from entering the city it also prevented anything from going out. The Terrians stood outside our walls and the front gates, taunting us, yelling obscenities at us as no harm was inflicted upon them. Finally, tired of the standoff, on the forty-third day JeffRa’s army fell silent and withdrew into the forest.”

  “We saw nothing of them for fifteen days. And once again we waited, but this time our wait would not be a long one. At noon on the sixteenth day we heard the thunder once again of their advancing footsteps. But this time they advanced only from the front and brought with them a weapon so powerful our blood turned cold as we saw our impending doom. JeffRa had brought up the mountain numerous dark purple boulders of bendicor the size of automobiles, which he must have brought with him on his ships. We believe this was the reason it took him so many years to cross the ocean to reach us. He had to transport the stones and would not have taken any chance they would be lost at sea.”

  “This was the same purple stone that fueled our spaceships, powered our cities, and energized our weapons. We were familiar with the tremendous power our small stones yielded and realized stones of this size, in this quantity, would easily bring down our city walls and end our existence. We knew we had no defense against this destruction and prepared for our city to be entered and hand-to-hand combat. We turned off the force field and began to fire upon the Terrians as they advanced, taking down as many as we could, but their numbers made our killings insignificant. They continued to advance, rolling the bendicor boulders amongst themselves until they had a line of bendicor against the front gate and walls. Seeing their plan, we retreated from the walls and waited at two side entrances planning to exit, swing around and surprise them as soon as the gate was blasted apart.”

  “The blast was so enormous it not only blew apart the front doors, it also took the front walls with it in addition to part of the side walls. The ground shook severely as huge fissures opened up in the earth outside the fortress, swallowing up many Terrians. Chunks of rock and dirt rained down from the sky, crushing both Oonocks and Terrians alike. Once the shaking subsided, and we were able to regain our footing, we exited the Complex and opened fire on the Terrians, surprising them for only a moment. A huge battle ensued. With the protection shield down and our walls compromised, the Terrians were able to finish blasting apart our structures, eliminating any place for our young ones to hide. The majority of our aircrafts were destroyed in the debris from the blast, but several were able to lift off seconds before the explosion and attack from the air, giving our youth some cover as they ran into the forest. We engaged the Terrians for two days, even fighting through the night as our weaponry lit up the darkness. We killed hundreds, perhaps even thousands of Terrians, but they kept coming. Our ammunition started to run low and our numbers continued to dwindle. We realized we were losing the battle and prepared for our annihilation. But then, as before, out of nowhere appeared hundreds of our Indian friends. They engaged the Terrians and the battle began to turn in our favor.”

  “Throughout the fighting JeffRa had looked for only one person – Enok. On the third day JeffRa finally spotted his brother and fought his way toward him. Before Enok knew it, JeffRa was behind him and delivered a serious blow. He fell to the ground next to a huge fissure that had opened in the ground. JeffRa stood over Enok while his men surrounded them, fighting off any who came to Enok’s defense. JeffRa removed from his belt a special gun he had created just for killing the royal family, identical to the one Terrance gave me on the boat. He aimed it at Enok and prepared to fire, but JeffRa did not realize Medaron and I, along with a handful of others, including Sunam and Misso, had broken through the barrier and had come to Enok’s defense. Medaron aimed her weapon at JeffRa’s back and discharged her weapon, delivering a direct blow to JeffRa. She did not notice Enok trying to speak in order to prevent her from firing. JeffRa spun around to face Medaron and, to her horror, she saw clenched in his arm was Tiree, hers and Enok’s first-born son. I remember the look of satisfaction on JeffRa’s face as he smiled and fired his special weapon into Tiree’s side. Medaron reached out to grab her son as JeffRa plunged himself and Tiree both over the side and down into the fissure, dropping his gun onto the ground as he fell. Medaron screamed and collapsed. Had Enok not grabbed her foot I fear she would have followed them over the edge.”

  “Her son?” Earon softly said. “I never knew I had an older brother.”

  “No, you wouldn’t have,” Chancee somberly stated. “Medaron never spoke of him, blaming herself for his death. And not wishing to cause her any pain neither, Enok nor anyone else ever mentioned him.”

  “With JeffRa gone, his regiment lost heart and withdrew,” Jeanip continued. “Runbee was able to put together a small battalion and, with the help of the natives, hunted down the remaining Terrians. We always believed none escaped.”

  “We lost almost two-thirds of our Oonocks during the battle. Many more were wounded. Our city had been blasted apart and we only had three ships which were still flyable. Medaron was in shock and Enok was gravely injured. Having nowhere else to go, we decided to return to the Ocean Complex. But it was a long way to the ocean and, if Enok was going to have any chance for survival, he had to return to the Complex at once. If we did not get him immersed in our home waters within the next few hours, he was going to die and any home water we had in the city was now blasted away. Leaving Sunam in charge, I flew Enok to the Ocean Complex. Medaron followed in another flier. The third flier carried one of our few living medical personnel. The trip to our Complex took three hours to get there and three to return, plus unloading time. Since the fliers were only capable of carrying one Oonock at a time in addition to the pilot and, the fact it was a seven hour round trip, taking the wounded out by flier was not feasible. We had to come up with another plan or lose a good portion of our wounded.”

  “We decided Sunam, along with a handful of Oonocks, would put the severely wounded in stasis at the bottom of the saltwater lake where they could remain until we could retrieve them and take them to the Complex. They also needed to search the forest for our youth, who had sought refuge in her undergrowth. Once these two tasks were accomplished, Sunam was to start down the mountain and work his way toward the ocean, taking with him the less wounded and anyone who was able to walk. Their exodus would take four days to complete, and we agreed I would meet them at the ocean’s edge to help bring our survivors back to the Complex. With the help of our native friends, Sunam was able to quickly find our lost youth and transport the severely wounded to the lake, where he and several other Oonocks took them below. The natives then helped bring the survivors down the mountain
and through the jungle, but even with their help, it was a horrible journey. About a fourth of the injured did not make it. We had arrived on this planet with thirty-two hundred Waters. About ninety children had been born since our arrival, ten seniors had died, seventy-two were in stasis at the bottom of the lake and three hundred and eight had remained either at the Ocean Complex or were living apart doing studies or just enjoying themselves. When Sunam met me on the beach, his band of Oonocks totaled eight hundred and thirty-nine. JeffRa’s revenge had taken a heavy toll.”

  “Once everyone from the beach was back at the Ocean Complex, Sunam, Misso, Runbee, Graybin, Swaybuk and I, along with several other Oonocks, returned to the lake to retrieve our injured. Luckily, there had been three fliers left at the Complex thus giving us a total of six ships to transport our severely wounded. When we returned, we were surprised and very pleased to discover our native friends had remained there protecting our people below from any possible enemy. We brought up six Oonocks at a time and flew them back to the Complex.”

  “That’s incredible,” Europa commented. “I cannot believe the natives continued to guard our people. Did any of the Oonocks you brought from the lake survive?”

  “Luckily, they all made it, although some had long recoveries and were permanently disabled,” Jeanip continued.

  “But not only did they protect our wounded, they had actually caught eight Terrians and held them captive,” Chancee added.

  “They had Terrians?” Earon asked, amazement clearly visible on his and on the other two listeners’ faces.

  “Yes,” Jeanip replied, smiling. “You can imagine my shock when I saw these eight Terrians hanging from a tree. We were able to interrogate them and learn what JeffRa had been up to the past few hundred years.”

  “What happened to them?” Europa asked.

  Jeanip looked at Europa. “You must remember, Your Highness, we were at war and these Terrians were our mortal enemies. Law dictated their execution. But, as a reward for all they had done for us, I allowed the natives to decide their fate.”

  “Did they kill them?” Terrance asked, intrigued.

  “Let us say they disposed of them according to their way,” was all Jeanip said.

  “While we transported the injured, several of our soldiers began the task of collecting any fragments of the purple boulders still remaining. This stone is capable of so much energy and power, even in its smallest form, we could not chance it falling into human hands. Their search for fragments produced only a small sack of broken stones because the energy of the blast had vaporized most of the boulders. After collecting the stone, they then began the task of removing any advanced technology from the destroyed city and erasing any indication of our existence. The human world would never know of the great battle fought between two alien races, other than the fragmented blocks of granite and sandstone and the stories passed down through the centuries by the natives. I understand the humans have in recent years been excavating in the area of our city and have uncovered several pieces of the original front doors and side walls. There has even been some speculation it was built by some alien race.” Everyone chuckled at Jeanip’s statement.

  “I wonder what people would say if they knew their speculation was the actual truth?” Terrance stated.

  “Luckily, all they have is speculation,” Chancee laughed.

  “After the area had been cleaned and proof of our existence erased, Sunam and I returned to do a final inspection and to thank the natives for their tremendous help. We surely would have perished without their intervention. But when we returned they were gone, retreating back into the cover of the forest. The only sign that remained to show they had been there were the hundreds of flower bouquets laying where our gates use to stand.”

  “Did you ever find them?” Europa asked.

  “No, we never saw our friends again and we never got to thank them. My last act before leaving the city for the last time was to gather some of the flowers they had left and throw them into the fissure where Tiree had fallen.”

  “Enok recovered at the Complex, but his injuries were more serious than anyone realized. In fact, it wouldn’t be until centuries later the true extent of his injuries would be known. As Enok fought to live, Medaron remained secluded in her habitat in a dangerous state of deep depression, grieving for the son she had lost, blaming herself for his death. She saw no one except Misso and myself and never said a word to either of us during this time. We could not even get her to visit Enok at the medical building. Enok laid on his medical bed fighting for his life, desperately needing to return home to help Medaron deal with the loss of their son, but physically unable to. Medaron laid on her bed, withdrawn into a world of silence and despair, unaware of anything except her sorrow.”

  “I thought we were going to lose them both,” Chancee sighed.

  “How did they pull through?” Earon asked.

  “Somehow Enok found the strength to get well and return home, although he left the medical facility way too early,” Jeanip answered. “I have often wondered if he would have stayed longer if he might not be afflicted now with that breathing problem. But recover he did and he saved them both. I believe he willed himself to remain alive because he knew if he flowed out we would also lose your mother.”

  “A quanish has great power and can even defeat death,” Chancee quietly stated, turning his gaze to Terrance.

  Jeanip disregarded Chancee’s remark and quickly returned to his story. He knew if he paused for even a second there would be all kinds of questions. “While we waited for Enok’s return, Misso and I tried to convince Medaron Tiree’s death was not her fault, that had she not shot JeffRa Enok would be dead also. I don’t know if she heard what we said or not. She spent her day staring at the purple stone with her face carved on it, the same purple stone that had powered the weapon JeffRa used to kill Tiree.”

  Terrance reached into his pocket and removed the purple stone Mr. Dark Feather had given him. “Was it like this one, the one you gave me, Mr. Dark Feather?” he asked.

  “That IS the stone,” Chancee answered. “I remember the day I got it like it was yesterday. It was the day Enok returned from the medical building and I went to visit him and Medaron. When I entered their habitat I saw a very concerned Enok sitting in the front room with Jeanip. Like Jeanip, I believed he left the medical building too early but knew he felt his place was with Medaron. Enok told me he was not able to get Medaron to break her silence, to come out of her room even though he felt she was glad he was there. I will never forget the look on his face as he asked me if there was anything I could do to help bring her back to him. I agreed to try and asked for permission to enter her room. Upon entering, I was shocked to see her. She had lost a lot of weight and there was no life in her eyes. I could see she was walking a very fine line between death and life and understood instantly Enok’s concern. Not knowing if I could help or not, I sat down beside her. That’s when I saw the stone from JeffRa’s gun in her hand. She had worn the edges smooth from turning it over in her hand again and again. I reached over and gently took it, promising her I would keep it safe and, to my dismay, she let me have it. After saying a prayer over her I reminded her she was our monarch, and now, more than ever, her people, and especially Enok, needed her. She looked into my eyes but said nothing. She must have heard me because two days later she emerged from her room and once again became our monarch, putting the needs of her people above her own and nursing Enok back to health. If she continued to grieve she did it privately.”

  Europa held out her hand. “May I see that, Terrance?” she asked. Terrance placed the stone in her outstretched hand. She turned it over and looked at its carvings. “Why is my mother’s face carved on the stone?” she asked, lifting her vision to meet Mr. Dark Feather’s. “Why did he not use his own face for the carving?”

  “I believe Jeanip has that answer,” Chancee stated.

 
; “JeffRa fashioned a special weapon to kill the royal family,” Jeanip said, looking at Europa. “Its power source a small purple stone on which he carved Medaron’s face – sort of a bullet with your name on it. He would use only this weapon with this marked stone to complete his revenge.”

  “But why my mother’s face? Why not my father’s or the person he was going to kill?” Europa asked, still wondering why JeffRa chose her mother as the symbol of his revenge.

  “I have my suspicions, but I don’t know for sure,” Jeanip confessed. “I believe your father may know the reason.”

  “How did you know, Mr. Dark Feather, to give the stone to Terrance, that we would need it on our journey?” Europa asked, handing the stone back to Terrance and looking directly at Mr. Dark Feather.

  “Somethings one just knows,” was all Chancee said.

  Terrance held the stone out in his hand to give it back to Chancee. “No, Terrance, you keep it,” Chancee said. “I feel its power is still needed on your journey. But I do ask one favor of you three,” he continued, pointing to the three young beings. “When you arrive at FarCore, place it on one of the tables and leave it there. There it will be safe for all eternity, as I promised Medaron.”

  “What is FarCore?” Earon asked. “I have heard it mentioned several times over the years.”

  “FarCore? Mother mentioned in her diary that FarCore is where the Orbs are kept. Has our destination changed? Are we going to FarCore instead of Saint’s Isle?” Europa asked.

  “No, Saint’s Isle is still our destination. As for FarCore, that is another tale,” Jeanip answered. “For now, I need to complete this one.”

 

  REBUILDING