by Rudi James
Alex’s musings came to an abrupt end as they finally arrived at the pulsating globules of light. The deep rhythmic throb, throb, throb sound, had increased in volume now that they were so close. Alex wondered what the purpose of the light plasma was. Indeed, the purpose of the entire dome and Seggim's role in all of it. Little did he know that the truth was beyond belief and almost beyond comprehension.
Seggim had, by now, removed a shiny dark panel, just to one side of the pulsing light, to reveal an intricate mass of thread-like laser beams, thin strands of multicoloured light that twisted and turned, or ran straight up and down, but never crossed.
‘Ach!’ Seggim exclaimed. ‘I have it. The warning system light path is disconnected. It must indeed have been I that dislodged its position. I will fix it immediately.’
He put his hand inside the aperture and appeared to very gently tap something in front of the beams. Another beam sprang immediately into life. Seggim replaced the dark panel and stood back. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘in a few moments we shall see if we have any warnings.’
Alex watched with intense fascination. He was highly impressed by the fact that the replacement of the panel didn’t show up any seams or joins of any kind. In fact the entire construction of the dome seemed to be formed from a smooth, very dark, glass-like material. His thoughts were broken by Seggim's voice.
‘There it is. We have a warning.’
He pointed at the panel area which had a deep orange glow to it now. To Alex's amazement, dark lines, contrasting sharply with the orange, formed the same drawing that was etched on both Shirrac's and Drum's amulet; the drawing of Earth’s solar system with the unknown star system next to it. He heard Drum gasp with anxiety.
‘So Droch does have the amulet.’
Alex could sense that Drum and Hogarth were about to become very agitated when Seggim made an announcement to allay their fears; at least for the time being.
‘As I said, there is no need to worry unduly, the warning shows that the amulet is no longer in Shirrac’s possession; nothing more. If any one other than he attempts to use the amulet to get here the warning will turn red.’
Seggim looked thoughtful. ‘It would be unwise for anyone, apart from Shirrac, to come here. I think it is far more likely that Droch will use the hostages as a bargaining tool to force Shirrac to bring him here or to fetch the crystals for him. Having said that, Droch is unpredictable and he does have the amulet, so we must be prepared for anything. Come, let us go aloft to my chambers and discuss matters. You can meet my wife Adrena. Please be calm.’
Seggim looked up into the far reaches of the dome and clapped his hands. Once again a platform of light appeared. Once again an angled beam put a spotlight on the floor of the dome, just in front of them. This time no one appeared on the platform above; instead, they were asked to enter the spotlight. As they did so Seggim took Alex by surprise.
‘You have many questions going around in that young head of yours, I can sense them. Soon I will be able to communicate with you through my mind. That can only mean that you have been allowed to learn the use of one of the powders.’ He smiled at Alex. ‘Am I right?’
‘Absolutely right,’ he said, turning to look at Drum with a look of puzzlement.
Drum looked slightly uncomfortable. ‘I’m sorry, I forgot to mention a side-effect of powder use. It’s actually quite beneficial once you can control it. You will, or should, eventually, be able to see other people's thoughts, especially if you continue to use the powders. I'll tell you more about it when I get the chance.’
They had entered the spotlight and Alex stood still, completely dumbfounded by this new revelation. ‘You mean to tell me you've been reading my mind all along?’
‘Not reading as such,’ replied Drum. ‘We respect privacy and use mind-reading only when we think it necessary. If we suspect we could be in some sort of danger, for example. We normally just satisfy ourselves with sensing thoughts.’
Alex now knew how everyone at the banquet had known that Drum was about to make an entrance. He had also, on occasion, felt that Hogarth and Drum had sensed his thoughts.
At that moment he felt himself moving slowly upwards, with no visible means of support but a beam of light. He watched, somewhat tensely, as they approached the dome’s ceiling. The ceiling was totally transparent and he could see the inky black of space. Not a star to be seen anywhere, which he found very strange and most unnerving. Yet he was sure that there had been stars when they first arrived. He turned and looked up at the dome behind him. There they were, countless myriads of them. What perplexed Alex most of all was that they seemed to come to an abrupt end. He faced forward again as they neared the platform of light.
As soon as they were all assembled on the platform, Alex looked down. A sensation of tremendous height engulfed him, due partly to the fact that he felt as if he was standing on air. The feeling was different again to the one he’d had when he was in mid-air, using the flight powder.
Just then a portion of the dark glass-like material in a wall in front of them slid open to reveal a subtly-lit chamber. The light was a pale eye-resting green that cast soft shadows on the walls and the large plush furniture within.
Seggim bade them enter.
Once inside they were greeted by a decor that was both comfortable and stylish. At least that's what Alex thought. The outer chamber wall followed the contours of the dome and was therefore curved, as was the perimeter of the floor on which they stood. The ceiling was not transparent and had a strange luminescent silver glow to it, although this did not seem to affect the overall lighting. Huge sofa-like seating, semi-circular in arrangement, set against the curving contours of the chamber’s outer perimeter, was host to massive cushions embroidered in a golden thread.
Several long transparent tubes, suspended above and placed strategically around the seating, contained pale yellow bubbles of light that rose slowly and appeared to burst into nothingness when they reached the top. The bubbles were not dissimilar to the plasma lights they had seen below and they provided more specific lighting which, strangely, did not clash with the green.
Seggim's guests, apart from Drum, looked around, bemused. Once again Alex felt like pinching himself.
‘Please be comfortable,’ invited Seggim, indicating the seating.
Boris was able to sit down without any problem, as he was almost as large as their host. The others, including Alex, had to almost hoist themselves up with some considerable effort to gain a seat.
Alex found himself to be extremely comfortable, supported as he was by one of the huge cushions. He had to smile at the sight of Drum and Hogarth, sitting there in the plush and massive leather-like confines of the seating. They resembled small dolls and the cushions engulfed them almost to the point of swallowing them.
A large round table, of the same dark glass-like material as the dome itself completed the relaxation and living arrangements.
The table was not plain but had a gold pattern etched into it around the entire circumference. There was also a large gold pattern in the centre. The pattern was most unusual, in that it resembled hieroglyphic lettering. In the middle of the table stood another of the lighting tubes and as each of the bubbles burst, the gold etchings in the table seemed to very subtly change to a slightly lighter shade.
‘I think Adrena is about to bring in some refreshments,’ remarked Seggim, as an inner wall panel at the far end of the chamber slid open to reveal another room that was brightly lit. Moments later a figure appeared.
Alex’s eyes opened wide. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen stood there. She was extremely tall, about as tall as Boris, and had long jet black hair that covered her shoulders. Her elegant frame was draped in the same style of robe worn by Seggim but was a very subdued pearl grey, rather than white. She wore matching sandals and, as she approached, Alex noted her very deep blue eyes. Like Seggim, she had high cheekbones. She was not, however, nearly as pale of complexion as he.
‘This is my
wife Adrena,’ announced Seggim as she placed a tray of drinks on the table in front of them.
Alex was about to stand up when Adrena raised her hand and smiled directly at him. ‘There's no need to get up,’ she said, in a soft and lilting voice.
Alex could scarcely take his eyes off her as she removed the drinks from the tray and passed one to each of them.
At this point Seggim introduced her to Alex, Boris and Hogarth. She nodded her head slowly in response, still smiling.
‘You've already met Drummy,’ said Seggim.
‘I certainly have’ she replied. She looked at Drum. ‘It’s been quite a while. You mustn’t leave it so long between visits.’
Drum smiled back at her. ‘I'm sorry, but we've had a little trouble back on Earth, in my realm, and to be honest the journey here is anything but pleasant. No offence.’
Adrena raised her head slowly in acknowledgement. ‘None taken, I understand completely.’ She sat down at one end of the seating, facing them. Seggim approached and sat down next to her. He reached for the drink that had been placed on the table for him.
‘Come, my friends, you must be thirsty after your journey.’ He took a sip from his glass.
Alex hadn’t realised it, but Seggim was right. He did feel thirsty. He took his glass and stared momentarily at the cherry-red liquid, not daring to imagine what it might be.
‘Go ahead,’ said a voice. It was Adrena.
Alex looked at her.
‘You'll find it quite delicious.’
It was unmistakably her voice again, yet she had not appeared to speak at all.
Bewildered, Alex looked around at everyone. Boris seemed unaware of anything unusual. He was taking a sip from his glass and was quite obviously enjoying its contents. Drum and Hogarth, however, were smiling a little. Drum somewhat sheepishly. Seggim too was smiling.
Alex shook his head as if to try and clear it, then looked back at Seggim.
‘You heard correctly,’ Seggim assured him, still smiling. ‘Adrena is the first to be in communication with you. Mind to mind. She always was very sensitive to developing telepaths.’
Alex felt the blood drain from his face and could only gape at Seggim.
‘You mean she can read my mind?’
Seggim looked at Adrena. ‘Can you?’
Adrena shook her head. ‘Not yet, but he can most certainly receive me. His power of transmission is not high enough yet, and as I am not a true telepath myself I cannot extract thoughts from his mind. I have to rely on his being able to transmit.’
Alex heaved a sigh of relief. ‘Thank goodness for that. It could prove embarrassing.’ He shot Adrena a glance. ‘Not that I was thinking anything er . . . ’ His voice trailed off.
Adrena threw her head back and laughed, and this time she spoke. ‘Don't worry young man. When you do finally have the power to transmit thoughts, you’ll find you will very soon be able to control it. Just like speech. If you don’t want anyone to receive you, they will not.’ She smiled mischievously. ‘I was testing to see if you were sufficiently advanced to receive. It was naughty of me, I know, but now at least you know you are developing a very special gift.’
Alex breathed another sigh of relief.
Seggim leaned forward and patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. ‘Now, on a more serious note,’ he said. ‘I expect you want to see the crystals, Drummy, and to discuss what to do about Droch. As you know, I cannot interfere with what goes on in your realm, not directly. But perhaps I can advise you.’
‘I hope so,’ replied Drum. ‘We have no real weapons as you know. Only the powders.’
Seggim leaned forward slightly and passed his hand over one of the symbols etched in the perimeter of the table. The symbol burst into light, a bright golden light. Yet another panel opened, and what was revealed was breathtaking in the extreme.
‘The crystals gentlemen. The Shanglo Crystals.’
Alex, Hogarth and Boris gasped at what they saw before them. Very precisely stacked, within a recess, in the shape of a pyramid, were about two dozen diamond-shaped, multi-faceted, glass-like objects although, of course, they were not glass. Each one was around the size of a hen’s egg and each was identical in shape and size. The only difference was the reflection of light from each of them. All the colours imaginable sparkled brilliantly from the hundreds of facets. The reflected light pulsed rhythmically, in synchrony with the bursting of the bubbles in the light tubes, and radiated powerfully outwards, making the immediate surroundings of the pyramid seem fuzzy and a little obscured.
‘These,’ said Seggim, ‘are what Droch wants to lay his hands on. But not because they look pretty, but because of the power they have. We must at all costs prevent him from achieving his goal.’
He turned to Drum.
‘Speaking of which, Drummy, we had better monitor the warning system.’
He swept his hand over another of the symbols at the edge of the table. A huge area of the wall to one side of them suddenly lit up to resemble a massive video screen. They could now see a large expanse of the dome area below, including the plasma lights at the perimeter, still moving slowly along. Another deft hand movement from Seggim and the vision homed in on the warning system.
‘As you can see, the alert is still orange in colour,’ remarked Seggim, ‘so there is not a problem at the moment. The problem lies in dealing with Droch, before he has a chance to activate any of his plans.’
‘Perhaps we can use the powders again,’ said Drum.
‘The powders?’ queried Seggim.
‘Yes,’ replied Drum, and told Seggim all about Alex’s idea.
Seggim seemed very impressed. He looked at Alex. ‘An extremely sound idea, young man. I see no reason why it would not work again.’
‘Except,’ said Drum, ‘that we used a very large quantity of our powders for what was really only a minor skirmish. Goodness knows how much we would need for a major battle. I doubt if the powders would have enough time to replicate, in sufficient amounts, for us to fight for long.’
Seggim looked thoughtful. ‘Yes, I see what you mean. Nevertheless I cannot intervene directly. I can protect your crystals. That is all. I will, however, seize on any opportunity to help, should one present itself.’ He turned back to the crystals. ‘As you can see, the crystals are intact and perfectly safe. Only Shirrac and I can open up the recess in which they reside. The symbols in this table will respond only to the two of us.’ He leaned forward again, towards the table. ‘Shall I close them off again?’
Drum nodded.
Seggim passed his hand over the same symbol that had revealed the crystals. The panel slid shut and the crystals were once more hidden from view.
‘I should tell you something about the crystals that even you may not know, Drummy. In fact while you’re here it would be a good opportunity to tell you a little more about my relationship with Shanglo. In the meantime, would anyone like food?’ He looked at Adrena. ‘I’m sure my wife would not mind preparing something.’
They all shook their heads. Food was the last thing on anyone’s mind.
‘Then perhaps I can explain to your friends, Drummy, what we do here and the purpose of this dome. You, of course, know all about it, but I can sense an immense curiosity from a certain young man.’ He looked at Alex and smiled.
‘It might be wise for us to go back to Earth now,’ remarked Drum. ‘Heaven only knows what’s going on down there, in my realm.’
Seggim pointed to the screen. ‘The indicator is still showing orange and in relative terms you will only have been away for a few moments. Come on Drummy, you know how space and time travel works. Especially when you have travelled far in excess of the speed of light.’
Drum thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
‘Very well then, I can sense Alex’s curiosity too. And Boris’s and Hogarth’s if it comes to that.’ He looked at Alex. Alex was nodding his head vigorously.
Seggim rose from his seat. ‘Come then, we shall re
turn below.’
Adrena had also risen from her seat. ‘I shall retire if you don't mind,’ she said, briefly grasping Seggim’s hand as she headed back to the room from which she had emerged. The panel slid shut behind her.
Alex and the rest of the group found themselves once more on the platform of light outside Seggim's chambers. Seggim spoke as they began their descent.
‘Countless aeons ago my ancestors, members of an extremely advanced civilisation, made a disturbing discovery regarding the cosmos. Their home had always been at the very edge of the developed universe. By that I mean they had always been just inside the boundary of that part of the universe that contained stars and matter and cosmic material. The dark empty space you see above you, ahead of that wall of stars, is exactly that. An empty space which contains absolutely nothing. That empty space is, however, always being filled as the fingers of creation creep ever outwards, radiating away from the formed universe and seeking to form new stars and planets.’ He paused as they stepped onto solid ground once more.
‘My race discovered that the expansion was not always uniform and that on a number of occasions whole galaxies had been destroyed by a process they termed “formation runaway”. This runaway, they found, had the potential to completely destroy everything; and I mean everything, the whole cosmos, unless it could be controlled. Sadly though, they made this discovery too late to prevent the destructive forces from laying their own part of the universe to waste. They were, fortunately, in time to construct sufficient outposts such as this one, from which the formation of stars and galaxies could be monitored and controlled.
