ing world. His head felt like it floated and he began to get weak at the knees. Sam Martin caught Walters unde

tz's version, but after meeting those little golden kids it seemed hard to condemn the whole populace. He noticed that four of the people with long ears looked muscular and had hard features like the first. The other five were

still intact. Shelly urged them to refresh themselves and meet her group in the dining area to speak in a few minutes. Bobby and Sam gathered up Dr. Walters and returned to the kitchen and dining area. She

ars, " said Sam, "I felt amazed to see fruit so well preserved but a living being? Imagine the implications. We cou

was not voluntary, " Shelly replied, "They kept i

ave her a charming smile. Walters occupied himself by taking note of their clothing and mannerisms in his communicator. Sam poked fun at him by insisting that since they were still alive, this wo

nned green biped with a long neck, tail, and big wings. He offered magical devices like the ones in the tower to his people. He asked for an envoy to return with him to meet his people and explore their potential for the races to live in harmony. The journey in

ighting start?

n't the one who we traveled with or his people that we fought. I think we fought other groups of captives. Sometimes, the terrain itself, s

ted to fight, their home world had not known conflict aside from competing for a mate. Wooril described how her mindset changed when they encountered other co

ge of time began to sink in. The ruins had been cottages, mills, and farms built when they realized there would be no end to their violent captivity. Some Grisdorans open

is world and there is room for you there. We could learn from you about this world and about the people who brou

bout my and Elsaap's story of the Anki, an off shoot of their people who fled to the stars, and the description of the person who had brought the Grisdorans here. The sim

their place would always be with the LARC colonists. Bobby and Sam leaped at the opportunity to fly with a shugarra again and quickly volunteered to escort them ba

e also relished the opportunity to learn their native tongue. The Pneuma's dialect of Sumerian already fit her thanks to its close match, and she loved the challenge of reaching fluency. It seemed unlikely that the Grisdorans' native dialect also shared a root language with humanity. Now that she c

r of the colony. Their faces gazed up at the sky, fingers pointed and hushed conversation passed between the onlookers. Sam couldn't blame the spectators. A group of what appeared to be bird men were approaching along the base of the mountain. When

deactivate their shugarra. Bobby noticed the Grisdoran woman he had been eyeing

" Bobby said to Sam in a whispe

a bit and pointed toward them. She gave Bobby a knowing smile. "I'm glad you are so eager to wel

lot more than we share with the Pneuma, " Bobby said,

al spectators parted briefly for the passing of Governor Paperman and MARC. The little silver robot issued a greeting in Sumerian. He repeated Paperman's greeting of welcome and asked i

ntire party to a proper meeting room. By now evening b

unity to learn, document, and share a new language. No linguist had the opportunity to discover a unique language on Earth, much less two! Her thoughts drifted to Travis, Shelly thought it nice to spend time with him while he recovered from his leg

ype before meeting us. It felt nice for her to have someone around in the evenings and to share breakfast. She wondered if Travis ever w

**

of people from several different worlds had all met the legends of Haran's past. They all proved to be wonderful contributions to our c

ers selected the location. Five towers identical to the Grisdoran tower rested on their continent. Although all three continents contained ruins, the towers were unique to the central land mass the colony had chosen. Shelly

a significant distance from the colony and ground transporters would have swallowed days with travel. Wooril sat next to Bobby and attempted what little small talk she could

viewing screen faced the swamp, its inlet, and the ocean beyond. Water edged right up to the open entryway inviting its dormant inhabitants into the still water, thick with plant life and the sounds of animals. Bobby Rogers darted his

nd Wooril joined Bobby and they began to empty the two cabinets filled with shugarra, car

ear swamps, " Vee

ran before?" Shelly asked, "Will

tle, " Veen said. H

ly forced to figh

d myself only

aggressive neighbor on their new home world. Shelly and the team located the supply closet and removed the silver pack

and, " Wooril said, "They surprised

law tipped, digits. Their hands were equally long and webbed to their second knuckle, leaving the tips free for articulation. Slits that ran down their ribs from armpit to mid back appeared t

burst out of lids that peeled back to reveal baseball sized orb

ffed up, and then deflating in an exhale. A deep rumbling voice resonated and projecte

ght at all, " Shelly sai

those who brought us

rned of your bondage when

ering on their speaker. A low murmur of croaking words passed through the group. A broad smile revealed th

from here and would be honored to h

nods of a

thing and eating on the various floors of the tower, the Saitarans dove into the brackish swamp and hunted the wildlife. He cringed as he saw one come up with a fish sna

he colony's structure, the Saitarans would pull some of the excess into a side stream they would dig out with help from LARC's construction team. Biologists would help to relocate native species of swamp flora and fauna to create t

**

ar games in the distant past. They flew to a deep jungle and through the thick canopy, made out the silhouette of the tower carved into a cliff face where the ground had br

on the limbs and flecked throughout. Two legs supported a frame around nine feet in height, far larger than the tallest human or Saitaran and almost twice his height. Two sets of arms, ending with three digits, hung motionless below a final set of deadly appendages. A se

e we use when speaking to the creator of the uni

group from its suspended state. He sure felt glad he'd had eyes for Wooril,

ght knot near the invisible elevator. A noise like crickets chirping resonated as some of the Craygarta rubbed two arms

y landed a city from space onto this planet and there is no si

bing together just like the chirping they used before. "Anki, the flying ser

of their intentio

ampions. Craygarta have a connection to the minds of all other Craygarta. When Anki entered our mind

their c

rth, water, fo

why such advanced technology lay about. If the Anki felt that advanced, beyond other sentient life, they may have viewed these terrible combat trials like human scientists viewed animal testing in humanity's recent past. Perhaps the Anki developed the champions as an army

the stars for a generation. We are all welcome there and these pe

ut of the room without another sound or so much as a glance back. The solitary being who remained str

r role in the universe, and practicing our martial art, " it sang. "We are of one mind so I will accompany you and live in the colony, so that

gnant now?"

is pre

hild in the womb until i

hen the habitat can support more Craygarta. T

minds of Craygarta on the wor

he Craygarta pointed a bladed tip at its cell. "Those who remain here will close the gap. We wi

eet living human ancestor

occupied by the tower and the shuttle. They sparred one another with incredible speed. Combatants arced scythe blades toward joints and weak points in their exoskeletons, then blocked and dodged the others attacks. Instead of the chirping native tongue or the singing tones of their speech in Sumeria

or a moment before the shuttle lifted off. The Craygarta sat in silenc

**

stalgia when they landed in a clearing between the pines. A thick fog pressed down on the forest and the troupe made their way to the tower without having seen it after their landing. Bobby had never s

It had been a quarter mile from the clearing to this tower and no one wanted to get turned around and lost in the foggy woods. B

"I can't get a good look at them, e

seen, a solitary species that hide and a

ey come back to the colony, that way we don't bu

fell over backward. Another whoosh and Bobby saw spots as something connected with his jaw. Another whoosh and Shelly got pushed into a chamber face firs

d. "We came to this planet to colonize and

ns, and Craygarta, " Veen said, "We will l

tack?" asked a figure materializing back t

Anki to be found on this planet or Haran, the other world in this solar system. The Pneuma living on Ha

occasional glance toward the group barricading the elevator entry and kept whispering. "We would be honored to see your colony,

ers who fled and extend our

or itself. We four have observed other species and their social ways. We have adopted the practice to thrive in this strange world. The five who fled yearn for their freedom and solitude. We will

ture, along with a map Shelly provided which detailed the location of the colony. The four Exendel accompanied Shelly and her group to the shuttle, and then each one took off in a

lked. He had been practicing with Shelly, Elsaap, and me in

ll married before we volunteered to go with the Anki. Veen is my fa

ressed into his chest looking up into his face as Bobby rested his hand onto the small of her back. Her breath smelled sweet and the feel of her embrace pounded

do get along with the other rac

y the intrusion. They both looked around

unannounced, " said the figure, which became a visible, blurred outline a few paces off into the brush. "Please a

ou and your people with bright outfits for wearing while at

her encounter with two who had fled and remained in the forest. They know of the map and that there are no enemies on the planet. They will tell the others a

They accepted outfits to wear while in the colony in order to avoid humans bumping into them unaware. Bobby and Wooril darted quick glances and smirks at one another upon hearing

**

ing. He had been milling about near the shuttle for a few m

manity had never encountered a sentient race before we arrived in th

. The grass, as tall as a man, waved gently in the breeze of the cool morning. The way it moved reminded Bobby of waves in the ocea

logy. A bull's head rested on massive shoulders and a barrel chest. The torso and arms we

" Bobby s

e?" Wooril asked,

s of a Minotaur who lived

harge like the Exend

put hands out in front of her in a peaceful gesture. One of the Minotaur took a few steps forward and took in the situation

We have come to set you free from this towe

Anki have abandoned their ca

and aside from captives in these tower

ssed and memory of our capture has been forgotten, " said a female, who rested a massive hand

s intended to plant. Aside from grass the Minotaurs enjoyed a number of the vegetable species native to Nibiru. Bobby mentioned the animals that MacDonald had begun domesticating and referred to steak. A series of

had brought to Nibiru. The shuttle ride to the colony felt cramped with nine of the enormous newcomers and the team. She

**

e visiting. Perhaps this land mass had been for the Anki's battles between the races they had captured, while they lived on the other continents. She hoped they would find records left behind by the Anki explaining what this was all about. Shelly wanted a reason

icions. Nine men and women stood motionless, their deep brown skin and black curly hair indicated their origins in th

woman asked Shelly. "Ha

were last awake. Sumer is known as the oldest culture on Earth. Men have po

istance. A man in his fifties put a hand on her shoulder and comforted her with soothing words

lgamesh?" Shelly

Sumer, until we

ldest stories were wr

they knew was gone, their Kingdom confined to legends about its founder, who stood among them. Gilgamesh agreed to

**

the discovery of the planet's ancient name, Nibiru. They would also celebrate the release of fifty four captives from an ancient kidnapper. The guests of honor gathered under a pavilion

ved. All among them agreed that the fighting had not been of their free will, but rather a compulsion from the Anki invading their minds and bending their intentions. Travis, Elsaap, and I spent

ushed from a nearby lake, which normally sat placid. The water stretched up and pulled me in, crushing until I no longer struggled for breath. My fellows su

en they left Nibiru? Travis shook his head as if the motion would clear away these strange thoughts. Awakened from a dead sleep into action, any intelligence the fire appeared to have, had likely been imagined. Nothing lived as long as Nibiru lay abandoned. Their new friends o

**

ed into the deep freezer. Grunden had denied Simon's requests for security patrol in the part of the colony near their quarters. Simon finished the beer he was grumbling into and ordered another with a nod and a hand gesture. The bug man had

itaran emerging from the deeper portion with half a fish dangling from its lips. The startled child seemed to embarrass the Saitaran, who quickly stuffed the other half into its mouth and

and replied that he had never become so terribly entangled in a Labyrinth in the first place. He commented that humans had a strange sense of storytelling, allowing the majestic bull hero to perish in

bright orange jumpsuit under a chair, or a pink outfit hidden near the center of a bush. Cienelle and Traynoir made a great show of trying to find the smalle

all farm plot of local vegetables next to their tower before the years had passed them by and wild grass reclaimed the land. They had stashed seeds with them in stasis and brought them to LARC1. Dr. Lancett offered Mina and her people wor

pted to the dialect used by the Pneuma and the others. When the face of a chubby bald man replaced that of a young woman and the topic changed,

C eagerly wanted Shelly and her young golden friends to investigate. The android suspected that Elsaap and I might recognize signs or clues that held cultural significance that may be