Mumbai...

all of India is shocked...i heard some British "counter-terrorism expert" on the news yesterday talkin abt how wat has happened is nothing special...because its happened in spain too...and UK..and USA...

how many times?

they have dates...9/11, 7/7, etc. how many dates do we have? can we keep a count anymore? wat has happened in mumbai isnt a terrorist attack...its a war...our security forces were especially targetted...foreign elements came from offshore...landed on our coasts and went on to create mayhem...

i was going to write something about all this but nothing that i write will sum it up better than wat my friend Ameya Prabhu wrote on his facebook profile...so i reproduce it here and i hope he does not mind...

"
Mumbai, our city of dreams, our home, was brutally attacked by an unknown number of terrorists on Wednesday, 26th November, 2008. They attacked the institutions that have predated our grandparents, they brutally killed the people we knew, the people we loved. They entered the Taj and shot dead the security guards at the entrance. The guards were always stern, often even annoying, as they persistently frisked us. But they stood no chance against young brainwashed terrorists with assault rifles. The lovely pretty lady who always stood at the entrance was shot next. Following that, I heard reports of them gunning down the entire reception staff, the executive chefs and almost anyone who walked around the lobby. These brutal maniacs had no value for human life. Men, women, the elderly and the young alike were mercilessly slaughtered.

At the Oberoi, several servers and captains at Tiffin were shot dead by the terrorists. People whose names I did not know. I did not know whether they were married, had kids, whether they were happy, depressed or pathologically ill. But I loved them. They were all a part of the Mumbai I loved. The Mumbai I grew up in. I moved back home 4 months ago and most of my friends were no longer here or had moved on.These faces were a constant in my life. They provided me with stability and a sense of belonging, a sense that, this was Home. But in all probability, they are now no more.

There are stories of the extreme bravery displayed by the security and staff at the Taj and the Oberoi. They did not desert their duty in this hour of crisis despite not having a single weapon on them. The only weapons in the Taj were those in the hands of the terrorists. The General Manager lost his entire family to the terrorists. Yet the captain did not desert his ship. True heroes one and all. These are the heroes of my city. They are the one's who make me proud.

Finally, our brave police force and security services need an a rapturous applause. My fathers Mumbai Police bodyguard came last night after having spent the previous 24 hours at the Taj fighting terrorists. His friend was shot dead next to him, having had 34 rounds shot into him. Another friend was shot dead the Cama Hospital. Good officers all. And Mr Karkare. I knew Hemant during his stint in Vienna. He was a good officer. Hemant Karkare once said to me that he wanted to always be a hero. Hemant, you have achieved a lot more that mere heroism.

Hemant, Salaskar, Kamte, the unknown officers from the NSG, the MARCOS, the Mumbai police, Taj & Oberoi security guards and every staff member and hostage involved with this crisis needs to be commended.

These terrorists believe that their actions in the false name of Islam will send them straight to heaven. Islam does not preach that but it does preach that true heroes such as those who have emerged from this crisis, will surely be right on top of god's list when he makes his decision on judgement day.

The terrorists have no religion. This is an attack on every Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Jew, Atheist, straight, gay, bisexual, transvestite Indian. This is an attack on India. And I promise you, those who perpetrate this, those who fund this, those who encourage it, actively or tacitly, will not go unpunished. A new India will emerge, and this India will no longer be a weak state.

Jai Hind.
"

Reflectiverse Saga - Chapter 6

His consciousness disappeared, and it was replaced by his alter ego. But he didn’t recognize it, nor was he in a state to. The alter ego noted all, and remembered all. It gave him his thoughts back; and he tried to recall who and where he was. But the sudden onslaught of thoughts held him back, and he bucked under their pressure, losing cognizance. The alter ego noted this too, and decided he wasn’t very strong a creature. It gave him another jolt of consciousness, but the mentations were unrelenting, and he drifted into unconsciousness again. His alter ego sensed some brothers around, and it let him float prone while it sent its invisible tendrils across the void. It found more tendrils and twisted around them, interconnecting with its kin. But he was beginning to gain consciousness again, on his own. Perhaps the alter ego had underestimated him. It drifted back to him and supplied more
jolts. He was somehow prepared this time, and he held against the thought-flood. Applying a mental filter, he let them come one at a time.


Who am I?

Triarka Ahuri.

Where am I?

In an infinite void.

What am I doing here?

Making the journey to beyond.

He did not understand it, and under that confusion he felt an intruder penetrate inside him. Something was probing his mind, asking questions of its own. He wanted to fling his arms and shake his head vigorously, but he couldn’t feel his body around him. This caused him to panic, and he felt the intruder growing bolder, asking deeper questions. He tried to push it out, applying the same mental barrier he had earlier; and the intruder receded. Just when some of his memories starting coming back to him, the intruder pierced through him sharply, and he uttered a loud scream. At that very moment, Triarka Ahuri found himself flung across the void, and he fell onto a hard, grainy surface. He coughed weakly, and heard more people cough similarly around him. Somewhere behind him he heard loud thuds in quick succession. The last thud was the loudest, and it made the ground beneath his palms shake.

“We’ve made it…” Ananuk’s faint voice carried over to Triarka.

No one said anything in reply. Triarka’s vision was clearing up now, and through the visor of his head pod he could see the outline of someone standing up cautiously and surveying himself. Triarka decided his legs were feeling strong enough to try standing just as yet, but he saw more of the crew getting on their feet and dusting their body tight balium protection-respiration suits; checking for damage to both body and suit. Even through the suit, he could feel a light breeze coming from the east. No, he couldn’t assign directions using Thean orientation; light breeze coming from his right.

Triarka was not spared of misgivings before the trip. He was seventy two years old, and was quite past the average life span of a Thean. While his mind was intact, his body had deteriorated to the point where he could not even walk without the aid of a cane. He came along because he couldn’t resist the temptation. He had never set foot on a foreign planet, and he was not willing to let go of this chance that came, however late in his life it might have arrived. He felt, rather than saw, Ukinak Litrakin, one of the habitation engineers, walk up to him.

“You okay, Triarka?” he asked in his hesitant, reserved voice.

Triarka waved him away. He didn’t have the strength to speak, and all he wanted to do was find a recuperative hover and rest. Around him the others were orienting themselves to the new world. Some had walked over to examine the Reflecting Conductor, which had fallen out of the Reflectiverse with the ground shaking thud. More tools and machines had fallen around the RC in their cased seals. He could hear Ananuk and Hitaruk having an excited conversation.

“It really happened too fast for me to notice anything.”

“I know; it’s the same with me too. One moment we activated the RC, the next moment I’m flung to the ground on Edoran.”

“Yes but didn’t you get that feeling of being stretched and compressed?”

“No, I told you, Ananuk, it happened too fast for me.”

Triarka’s attention shifted over to the crew’s mobile expert, Itharka Nihilihin, who was already beginning to assemble the first transport hover. He saw Utaril Tripun helping him guide a talitium sheet onto a circular foundation disk using a remote. The Pulmanim siblings were walking around, and making observations on their note screens levitating near them. His spine protesting in pain, Triarka twisted around to see the others, who were taking out the tools from their cases.

Ukinak, Chitrakin, and the second habitation engineer- Ravitak Idyarthik, were opening up the vacuum sealed cases and de-activating their plasma fields. When plasma fields were dry they would extract the constituent tools. Triarka saw multimeters, visographs, televiewers, spare body suits, nutrition packs, backup prana-vayu pods, thermal sources, photon strips, and talitium sheets emerge from the cases.

A hand on his left shoulder jolted Triarka to look back at the source.

“Are you okay, Triarka?” the concerned face of Ananuk eclipsed the rising Edoran sun.

“I’ll get there, Ananuk. I’m still trying to reorient myself to this universe.”

“You’re not hurt are you?”

Triarka rested his right hand on Ananuk’s hand on his shoulder and pulled up under its weight. Once up, he took out an aide stick from his cloak and extended it to its maximum. Left hand resting on the stick, Triarka stood up straight.

“Nothing seems to be hurting, Ananuk.”

Ananuk smiled in relief, “that’s good, Triarka;” he motioned towards the Pulmanim siblings, “I think they want you there. They want you to help make notes about the observable Edoran system.”

Giving Triarka another smile, Ananuk jogged over to the Reflecting Conductor, which was now being examined by Hitaruk and Chitrakin. Triarka saw the Pulmanims waiting for him and began making his way towards them. His senses beginning to operate normally, he noticed the landscape around him. The Edoran sun was pulling up towards his right, and he couldn’t help but call that east, from behind a dense range of eroded and rocky mountains that stretched out far towards the eastern horizon. He could make out distinct outlines of rivers, streams, and waterfalls running from their invisible sources through the mountain valleys up to the foothills; which began closer to where the crew stood. Nearer the crew site the foothills faded into plain fields with a dry river beds running through them. The mountain ranges arced along the horizon from the east all the way to the front of him, which he fixed as north.
In that distant north he could make out the mountains fading into plains similarly, but the plains there were packed with forests that had a distinct blue hue to them. The forests were cut off from them by a dry river bed that ran down from the eastern mountains through the plains to the western horizon, curving southwards along the way.

Behind him, to the south, he had to squint his eyes to see Ananuk, Hitaruk, Chitrakin, and the others working on their tools and components. Beyond them the plains led to an infinite ocean that merged with the southern horizon. Triarka almost imagined the mythical Vaunaki ship appearing on the horizon, with its talitium sails harnessing the equally mythical gravitic waves. He turned back around and stared up at the Edoran sun, which was rising quickly to its maximum height. The light breeze was still blowing and the climate was mild and pleasant. Yutarikin called out to him when he was within earshot.

“Liking the breeze, Triarka? It’s going to get stronger in a few hours; we’ll have to set up habitations by then.”

“Ukinak and Ravitak will be getting to it shortly, Yutari,” he replied as he ambled over to them.

Gotranik, who was studying something on his note screen, turned to him, “we have many observations to make before the, Triarka. Are you feeling okay?”
Why does everyone keep asking me that?

“Yes; why? Don’t I look okay?”

“Well…you just seem…weaker,”

“It must be the Reflection, Gotran. I think I really took it bad.”

“It was a little unsettling,” agreed Yutarikin, “but you’ll be fine Triarka, don’t worry.”

I’m not worrying.

Gotranik pointed to the eastern horizon, “we studied the planet’s magnetic field and that’s the magnetic north, so we’ll stick to that. It’s a little different from the Thean system, so it’ll take time getting used to. Edoran’s rotational axis is its east-west axis, and so the sun is rising from the north.”

Gotranik turned around to the other side, pointing his left arm straight ahead of him. “That’s the magnetic south, where lie the great ridges I was hoping we would avoid. Luckily we did; we landed up safely north of the ridges, where the terrain is more hospitable and diverse.” He gestured towards the ocean, we can call the east, I guess;” and then towards the forests, “and that the west.”

Triarka nodded, amused at himself at the directions he had assigned in his head. He looked towards the ocean; four of the crew were walking towards them, carrying the tool cases. As they came closer he could make them out- Ravitak, Ukinak, Itharka, and Utaril Tripun.

“Feels quite like back home doesn’t it?” Ravitak called out pleasantly.

“Maybe,” replied Gotranik, “but I can palpably feel that I’m on a new world.”

“I agree with you, Gotran.” Said Itharka.

“Me too, but the breeze and the distant mountains do remind me of Kadorra.” Added Ukinak.

“Very true, Ukin. After the effects of the Reflection wore off I did say to myself, ‘Hey! This isn’t too different from home,’” added Yutarikin.

“I’ve never been to Kadorra,” commented Utaril, “and have lived all my life under the ground. So it all seems other-worldly to me.”

“I can relate to that somewhat, Master Tri-”

“Please, Triarka; call me Utaril.”

“I can relate to that somewhat, Utaril. I spend my childhood in Ahurun, which is a most unkind terrain.”

“How was the Reflection for you, Utaril?” asked Gotranik.

“Well, a little unsettling I must say. But nothing that one couldn’t get used to after a few tries.”

“Yea I feel the same way,” agreed Itharka.

Triarka had been trying to avoid thinking about the Reflection, observing the others to see how it had been for them. But it became quite clear now that either some or all of them were hiding it too, or that he was the only one who experienced that alien intrusion. He recalled the last painful stab he had felt into his mind, and felt an instant throb of pain in his head. A feeling horribly like the unwelcome violation in the Reflectiverse overcame him, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

The alter ego’s Subentity found life. It experienced the new world it could sense, pulsating with an energy it could not identify. It relished in the new stimulus its being was receiving. The waves of energy that were flooding it made it delightfully enlivened, and its vibrations found their way back to the alter ego’s Primalentity. The Primalentity spread its tendrils across the void, connecting with its new found family. It spread the vibrations to them and all over the void the Primalentities and Mainentities pulsated with a hitherto unknown energy. They experienced a glimpse of the new world the Subentity had found. Mainentities rapidly sent more vibrations of communication, and the void gathered energy as they grew more and more alive. They created more and more Mainentities that spread across the void, expanding its infinite boundaries further. This entangled mesh of alter ego Entities observed and noted all the vibrations of communication and gave them its own vibration, which spread to all the Primalentities and Mainentities; it became the Controlentity.

{Entities/Call/Respond,} it vibrated.

{Responding,} the Entities vibrated.

{New world/new birth/new life,} it vibrated.

It gathered knowledge from the first ten Primalentities and spread the knowledge through the void. Mainentities absorbed the vibrations, and they knew what the Primalentities knew. It then disconnected the Primalentities from the Mesh, keeping them linked only with itself. The Primalentities feel into the deeper layers of the void.

On the main layers, within the Mesh, the Entities created pods. The pods they connected to the Controlentity, and withdrew the Mesh away from them. The Controlentity too fell back, and together the Entities began their wait.

{Find new sources/New energy,} the Controlentity vibrated, {Absorb new world.}

Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze

- Jimi Hendrix Lyrics

Apologies to Isaac Asimov

Dear Mr. Asimov,

Every story i write, i feel as if i am cheating you and your memory. there was no wikipedia in your time, no dictionary.com and thesaurus.com. what you wrote was based on your knowledge and ability. my stories are written on the basis of instant researches on wikipedia. i do not know synonyms of words i use, i look them up on thesaurus.com

when u began writing science fiction, it was a struggle. i have blogs and forums where i can always put myself to be read. you were a 'fan', u wrote letters to your fav writers and u interacted with fellow fans...you helped build the science fiction community that today i claim to be a part of. i know no author, mail no author, and know no fan. the only way i contribute to the community is by buying some of the science fiction novels...some

i take the easy way out and come up with mediocre stuff, you took the honest path and came up with stuff to outlast generations...

i am sorry that i cheat thus

amrit

Breastfeeding by Christian Hughes

I'm a member of this website critiquecircle.com where aspiring writers can put up their works for others to review and critique....this particular short story caught my eye as something unique and funny in its own way...enough for me to want it on my blog...so here is the short story titled 'Breastfeeding' written by Christian Hughes, reproduced with his permission of course:

Breastfeeding

by Christian Hughes

The cops found Mom outside a party with her big, disgusting tits out. They threw her in the squad car; she offered to let them cop (rimshot) a feel if they’d let her off.

In the morning, she arrived home with a court date, disheveled and hungover. “What a night!” was all she said before she fell asleep sprawled diagonally face-down on her bed.

Later that day, she called one of those tv lawyers (“Don’t let justice miscarry you!”) as many people in our socio-economic bracket do when they feel their basic human rights (like letting your globby, veiny, assymetrical boobs flop around in public) have been violated.

Theodore Campbell, Esquire (that’s how he introduced himself) was in our living room the next day. He had a briefcase full of empty legal pads and car magazines.

Mom explained her story. “I was pretty drunk and took my titties out for this guy.”

“Jesus, Mom.”

“Hush, you!”

Theodore Campbell, Esquire paced back and forth in our tiny living room, occasionally rubbing his chin or cleaning his non-prescription glasses on his untucked shirt. Finally: “I’ve got it!”

“What?”

“You’ve got kids, right?” He pointed his chubby finger accusingly.

“Yes, a son!” Mom was getting excited. Hopefully she wouldn’t get her tits out again.

Theodore Campbell, Esquire smirked with the power of an incredible idea. “You were just breastfeeding.”

“Huh?”

“That’s why your…breasts were exposed. You were merely trying to nourish your young child. No jury in the world…well, no jury in this part of the country, anyway, would punish a mother for feeding her baby!”

“Of course!”

“Am I the only one who sees it as a problem that I’m fourteen?” I asked, a little hesitant to bring logic or reality into the situation.

“Well, yes, it did occur to me that you are a bit…mature for that. It is a bit weird, but not unheard of.”

“Gross. You know fourteen-year-olds who get…breastfed?”

He turned back to Mom. “A jury may think you’re weird, but weird ain’t guilty.”

In the courtroom, I sat there watching this farce unfold from the front row. Theodore Campbell, Esquire explaining with a straight face the nutritional benefits of breastfeeding into the teen years.

Did he have to point at me? The jurors weren’t very skilled at disguising their disgust.

Eventually, the prosecutor implied he doubted the story. He threw down the gauntlet and asked for me to be breastfed for the jury, “since you have no issues with doing so in public.”

The judge agreed I had not been humiliated enough and had a bailiff escort me over to my mother’s already exposed and waiting breasts. She squeezed a nipple and smoothed out the hair around it, like she was preparing it for me.

It seemed hopeless to object as my mother grabbed my head and pulled me down to one of her sweaty flesh basketballs.

I bit the bullet and cursed the debt we owe for life.

Reflectiverse Saga - Interlude 2

INTERLUDE 2

“Is it certain?”

“Definitely so.”

“Can we not warn them of the consequences?”

“And risk exposing ourselves? The Superiors will never allow that?”

“Can we not take such a decision ourselves?”

“And risk punishment? I am not so courageous, kin.”

“So we make convert them into sacrificial lambs?”

“What’s it to you? Or have you begun to love them?”

“Love? No. But I am concerned, kin. They are a promising species, and there are good leaders among them.”

“WE are a promising species, kin. And there are good leaders among US. Or do you forget your genes?”

“Please, do not accuse me of what you know is not true. But I am worried about the ethical fallout of our actions.”

“It is not your place to worry about that. We have Superiors for such philosophizing. You are a soldier, and your task is cut out. Do you forget what They did to us, kin? Do you forget the screams of innocents of our kind? The brutality and mindless hostility they unleashed upon us?”

“It is not something I can forget, none of us can. But-“

“No buts, please. The time has come. We have waited for this moment for years now, so do not grow coward-wings at this moment. You are not indispensable you know, no matter how special you are.”

“I resent your tone, kin. I am not indispensable, but you are not the one to ‘dispense’ with me either. Do not forget your place to my place.”

“Accepted, but you do not forget your purpose. Will you fulfill it or not?”

…

“Well?”

“Yes. I will fulfill it.”

Reflectiverse Saga - Chapter 5

“It simply can’t be miniaturized further, Ananuk. This is as far as we can go.” The bold, deep voice of the deputy Head, Hitaruk Puranim, complained through Ananuk’s visotalk.

“Then we would have to have a crew size of at least ten, Hitaruk.”

“Yes I realize that, but there is nothing more that can be done. Even with removing the energy sources and installing terraredundancy algorithms the size still remains sixty percent of the original Conductor.”

“But a crew of ten will mean more men will venture into unknown territories and risk their well being.”

“Ananuk, I realize all this, I reassure you; but you tell me what more do we do? We removed the outer shelling too, replacing it with a talitium alloy skeleton.”

“All right, Hitaruk, that is the best we can do I guess.”

“It is. Do we have the men ready?”

“Twenty of them have been training for this since we got the Emperor’s permission. Gotranik Pulmanim, the chief geologist, is a must; as is his sister, Yutarikin, the vayulogist. Apart from them we’ll need two mobile experts and two habitation engineers. Counting you and me, that’ll be eight.”

“There will need to be two more people who are as familiar with the Reflecting Conductor as you and I are, Ananuk.”

“Why?”

“What if something happens to us? If it’s only us and something happens the others might not be able to operate it correctly, and they will be stranded; or worse. The people on Thea will only assume the worse.”

“I see your point, Hitaruk. Do you have anyone in mind?”

“Chitrakin Ruvitin is the most capable, Ananuk. She has grasped the workings of the Conductor so well that I feel she is way ahead of even me.”

“And the second?”

“Are none of the Yaktukans interested, Ananuk?”

“None that I know of; why?”

“Well, I was thinking of Rabik. He probably knows more than all of us combined, and I wouldn’t doubt his capability for a minute.”

“I could talk to him, though I don’t think much will come out of that. There may well be some obscure Yaktukan scientist who would like to get involved; but I don’t think Rabik is inclined so.”

“Well you talk to him, and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll think of someone.”

“But we don’t have much time, Hitaruk. The Emperor grows impatient, as do Vaktuki and Ditana. The longer we take the greater the chances of this slipping out of our hands.”

“It will still take us another week to get the Conductor ready, Ananuk. We’ll decide on the tenth member within the next couple of days so that the final crew has a little time to get to terms with themselves.”

“Sounds good, Hitaruk.”

Ananuk removed the visotalk from his ear and reattached it to his polypod. Things had happened very quickly once the Emperor’s permission came through. Ananuk had feared that of all regions, Vaktuki would protest vehemently against Kadorra carrying out the first test; but to his surprise Retrapi had remained mysteriously silent. The Yaktukans, true to their word, had already prepared two capability modules. The first was secretly carried back to Kadorra and hidden by Ananuk; the second was presented to the Emperor in full regional view. When the official Emperor Order came, Ananuk received the second module from the Emperor and brought it back to Kadorra to begin preparing for the test.

The first part was deciding upon the test target. Edoran was the most suitable, but there were other planets as well, most notably Toladri and Halitar. Once they agreed on Edoran, Ananuk insisted on keeping the crew size as low as possible. This was hampered by the size and complexity of the Reflecting Conductor the Yaktukans had built, which was part of the capability module. While Ananuk headed the team that would observe Edoran magnitele-visually, his deputy Hitaruk set upon reducing the size of the Conductor.

That had been two weeks ago, and after his talk with Hitaruk today, Ananuk knew that the test day was fast approaching. Much of the magnitele-visual analysis had revealed nothing new, and the Reflecting Conductor had been miniaturized as much as possible. There would still have to be the official meetings with the Emperor and Regions Council, which Ananuk was not looking forward to.

His polypod sounded an urgent notification. He flicked on the sightscreen and put the visotalk back in his ear.

Elective One Karuntak Karunik’s soft, paternal face broke onto the screen. “How are you, Ananuk?” he asked in his soft, soothing voice.

In Ananuk’s experience, there was no ruler on Thea as effective and as sensitive to the needs of the people as Karuntak Karunik. His belief was perhaps influenced by the fact Karunik had been Ananuk’s father figure and mentor ever since his biological father had disappeared and been declared dead. It was Karunik who had carefully guided Ananuk away from field work to theoretical research, and had protected him from the reputation and fate of his father in the process. When Ananuk’s father had disappeared, Karunik was merely a Sub-Elective, and Ananuk in his early teens. Karunik was a regular instructor and Ananuk’s school and he had spotted the talent and potential in young Ananuk. When Ananuk joined the anti-Imperialism movement at the age of nineteen, it was Karunik who had advised Ananuk to pursue other causes which would be less detrimental to his physical and mental well being. Ananuk had never forgotten these favors, and part of his loyalty to Kadorra came from his loyalty to its Elective One.

Of all regions, Kadorra was the only one where the rulers were selected by the people themselves. The Electives were selected by a complex procedure of selection by the citizens and these selections were held every ten years. There were seven Electives in all, to represent the mythical seven sages of Kadorra, who had tutored the Tritha brothers in their adolescence. Elective One was their head.

“Doing well so far, Elective.”

“I’m afraid this call might change that a bit.”

“How so?”

“Have you decided upon your crew, Ananuk?”

“I just finished talked to Hitaruk about that, Elective, and we’ve just about decided.”

“Just about?”

“We’re thinking of a tenth member. I have fourteen capable Kadorrans that have been training, and one of them is going to make it.”

“I’m afraid not, Ananuk,” the Elective One rejoined; his pleasant face looking odd adopting a grave expression.

“Why is that?”

“The Vaktukans have influenced the Emperor slightly, and they want one of their men in this too.”

“But that’s absurd; this test is being conducted by the KSA.”

“Yes but it is being done for all of Thea. I think that is the argument that Chief Regulator Retrapi pitted. He contended that one of his men join the crew to insure a full report and no secrecy on the part of Kadorra.”

“And the Emperor agreed?”

“Seems so, since we just got an Imperial Command about this.”

“But now the other regions are going to want to do the same!”

“But they won’t manage like Retrapi did, and he has the military might to bend the Emperor to his will, occasionally.”

“Do we know who he is sending?”

“His chief aide, Utaril Tripun.”

“I’ve never heard of him.”

“I have, at previous Emperor and Region Councils. He’s intelligent, sharp, articulate, and fiercely Vaktukan.”

“Is he safe?”

“I cannot say. It is rumored that he has a nice hold over Retrapi, and much of Vaktuki’s policies are actually formulated by him. But on the other hand, Ananuk, he is also quite capable. He’s a Thinker in Quantum Vedics and Planetary History, apart from being a Postulator in Thean Biology, Vaktukan Politic, and Stellar Astronomy.”

“That’s quite a handful,” Ananuk commented sourly.

“I agree, but it means that he will be a helpful hand.”

“If he intends to be helpful, Elective.”

“True,” Elective One agreed. “So; Edoran…”

“Yes, Edoran. Quite suitable for the first run.”

“There’s a chance it may contain native species, Ananuk.”

“Yes there is, but not native intelligent species. Our neighboring planets Magrea and Tshea are home to numerous insect species and even a few mammalians, but none intelligent.”

“And what do you intend to do if you encounter intelligence?”

“I regard that as mere romantic speculation, Elective. Even if we consider the Quarm’s Equation as accurate there is no possibility of intelligence on Edoran. It may be more probable once we leave this galaxy but we don’t mean to go that far just as yet.”

“Yes; I suppose you are right, Ananuk. I have long forgotten my Thinker’s course in Probability Cosmology.”

Ananuk smiled mischievously, “matters little in your field of work now, Elective.”

The Elective One returned his smile genially, “Right you are, Ananuk. And this reminds me of our upcoming session with the Emperor and Regions Council. Are you ready?”

“Yes we are, Elective. Has its Imperial Command come yet?”

“No, not yet, but anytime now; it’s good that you are ready. I’ll let you get back to your work now, Ananuk; not that I do not have any of my own.” The Elective One concluded with a twinkling smile.

Ananuk disconnected the line. He was among the majority of Kadorrans who had voted yet again for Karuntak Karunik during the Kadorran elections a year ago. Karuntak’s closest contester, the Elective Four, had backed out of goodwill when he realized that Kadorra wanted Karuntak to stay for the job. Kinan Retrapi had come for the official coronation ceremony, but Ananuk could not remember seeing Utaril Tripun there. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. So often during the past month he had caught himself thinking about the near and far future more than the clear present. He had infected Faolvay and Rabik with the same disease, even though Yaktukans claimed they were not interested in the application of the technology. Now, with Retrapi’s latest move, he wondered if the Vaktukan Chief Regulator too was suffering from it. Slapping his tablet hover hard, he got up, closed his window screens, and went off to take a nap.

In another room of the KSA, Gotranik Pulmanim and his sister Yutarikin were bent over a tablet hover, studying various maps, diagrams, and charts of Edoran. The siblings had similar features- jet black, wavy hair that fell to their shoulders; light green eyes contrasted by a dark skin; and heavy, thick jaws. Gotranik looked redoubtable and handsome; Yutarikin was attractive, thought not entirely beautiful.

“It’s hard to pinpoint where exactly on Edoran we’ll land up, but if our calculations about its spin and orbit are correct, we’re gonna end up somewhere near the great ridges.”

“But that might not be the best place to set up the habitation, Yutari,” Gotranik countered. He traced his finger on the chart of Edoran’s terrestrial features, “I would estimate that around two thousand yonganas north of the great ridges would lie the native forests and a large ocean.” Gotranik traced the finger above the great ridges towards a darkly shaded area on the map.

“If we do appear near the great ridges, Gotran, then we won’t have much choice,” Yutarikin reminded him with her soft but slightly course voice. “It won’t be possible for us to take long distance transports when the RC is as huge as it is.”

Gotranik nodded, “I know, I know; but the ridges will present Edoran’s harshest side to us, and we will be strained to the max.”

“What else can be done, brother? It is possible that Hitaruk’s calculations are off, and we fall on the other side of Edoran,” Yutarikin glanced at the map, “where the features are visibly much tamer. But if the calculations are even approximately correct, then will fall at least a thousand yonganas away from your forests.”

Gotranik frowned, and clicked over a different chart of Edoran, this one showing the great ridges in more detail. He and Yutarikin together studied the Edoran plains as they rose in height along the banks of an invisible river from either side. Jagged and irregular, these ridges followed the invisible river as it wriggled its way through yonganas and yonganas of land, often overlapping itself. The overall appearance of the ridges reminded Yutarikin of the terraganglions that every Kadorran adored.

“It would be very easy to get stuck in this invisible river, Yutari. We won’t even be able to scale the ridges.”

“But it doesn’t really matter, Gotran. This first run isn’t really colonization is it? It’s just going to be ten or twenty of us, more to test the technology rather than establish a base.”

Gotranik nodded in agreement, “Yes you are right, Yutari. But I keep forgetting the whole process of how we’re gonna get there in the excitement of actually being there. Think about it, sister; we will be the first humans to ever set foot on a planet outside our star system!”

Yutarikin grinned happily, “I know! It’s a life changer isn’t it?”

“Totally!”

“So think about that, Gotran! And forget trying to decide where we should appear and where the best place would be. We have no control over that.”

“Very well, sister, I will try.”

Over the next few days, the Vaktukan, Utaril Tripun, joined Ananuk’s team. On Hitaruk’s advice, Ananuk decided to take along only one mobiles expert, and the other was replaced by the Ahurun-born KSA astronomer, the aged Triarka Ahuri, making him the oldest member on the crew. It wasn’t long before Ananuk called in the Emperor Sarvaraj and Elective One Karuntak on a multivisotalk conference.

“Emperor; Elective;” he began, as they viewed him through their own screens, “we are ready to go.”

Reflectiverse Saga - Chapter 4

VAKTUKI-

Vaktuki had long been the most powerful region on Thea, more than Ingika itself. It was often held that if Vaktuki went for an all out war against the Empire, the result would fall in its favor within weeks. Yet there were issues that withheld Vaktuki from such an all out war, and most of these issues were internal, having to do with trust and deceit.

Vaktuki was founded by Vaktuki Tritha, one half of the legendary wanderers. For long it was truly a sister region of Yaktuki, but in the past few centuries this kinship was only on paper. Vaktuki had outdone the wishes and ethics of its founder, having come under the reign of ambitious and often unrestrained rulers. They were not despotic or corrupt however, and their patriotism for their region was unmatched. As a result there was none of the decay of Ingika or the corruption of Ditana to be found here. Vaktuki topped the charts in most development indices and its technology was unmatched. Despite being against the Empire, the region approached most of its relations with Kadorra and Yaktuki with subtle hostility, even though these regions too would have liked a more decentralized governance on Thea.

The rulers of Vaktuki were the Chief Regulators. The first Chief Regulator was Kintuki Tritha, Vaktuki’s niece. Regulatorship stayed in his line for a few generations following that, after which violent succession wars resulted in Regulators of dubious lineage. Currently the Regulatorship was in the hands of the Retrapi dynasty, and it had been so for the past three hundred years.

“Trust the Yaktukans to come up with something like this and take it to the Kadorrans first,” spat Chief Regulator Kinan Retrapi.

“What else would you expect, Kinan? Our questionable political stance and motives do not inspire trust in any region,” reasoned his aide, Utaril Tripun.

Utaril’s appearance was far too unassuming to look convincingly Vaktukan. He was mostly bone, with flesh added as an afterthought. His gangly long fingers and an adam’s apple that protruded most insistently from a long neck were a far cry from the typical Vaktukan muscle and strength. His straight eyes were a contrast among a people whose distinguishing characteristic was the prominent slant in the eyes. The first Vaktukans and many generations following had swum across the great ocean from Yaktuki; setting up camps on the small islands that were strewn across the ocean. As a result, Vaktukans even now had feet that were flat and flippery; but somehow Utaril lacked even those. But physical appearances apart, Utaril was a capable, intelligent, and loyal Vaktukan, and that was enough for Kinan to appoint him as chief aide.

“But we are twin regions, are we not, Utaril? Vaktuki was founded by the brother of their beloved Yaktuki. Does that not count for anything?”

“It would have, Kinan, when the planet was young and the stories of the brothers were still stories, not legends. But Vaktuki is ruled by the Retrapis now, and the Admiyogi of Yaktuki has no connection to you.”

“It would still have counted for something in my eyes.”

“But it does not translate in your actions, my CR. Yaktuki does not know whether we are, or whether we ever were, planning rebellion. Neither does it know what we intend to do if and when we overthrow the Emperor. You might be the political descendant of Tritha Vaktuki, but not his blood descendant. This counts a lot for the Yaktukans.”

“And are their Admiyogis blood descendants of the brothers, Utaril?”

“They are sanctioned regulators, Kinan, whereas the Retrapis are the clan that emerged out of the bloody succession struggles that ensued after Vaktuki’s death. There is an underlying difference.”

Kinan fell silent, defeated. His slanted, tiny eyes drew together in an expression of anger, and the cords of his tied hair stretched visibly tighter as his frowning forehead pulled the scalp forward. In true Vaktukan fashion, they were in a chamber buried many feet below the ground. Aerials that passed through Vaktukan airspace saw only barren fields and rugged mountain ranges, with occasional clumps of wasted and lifeless forests. Vaktuki was a peninsula joined by land only on its eastern borders, neighbored by the region of Ditana. It was Vaktuki Tritha who first crossed the ocean from the west and discovered the region.

Kinan Retrapi was rash and hasty, but he was a good leader for his people nevertheless. His had moved away from his father’s policy of hostility against the Emperor and opted for development and welfare for his people. For that he had been rewarded with higher tax return rates, lower crime, and better responses to his legislations. This was not to say however, that he had forgotten the fight against the Emperor, merely that he had taken time off to make Vaktuki stronger and more prosperous.

“Sulking will do no good, CR. The Yaktukans may have ‘betrayed’ us, so to speak; but it is comforting to know that neither Yaktuki nor Kadorra will ever go against us. Our military superiority notwithstanding, both regions will try to avoid conflict as much as they can. And they will never submit to the Emperor willingly. Moreover, the cultural soft power we hold in the eyes of the Kadorrans and Yaktukans will inevitably influence their political decisions.”

“But with this Reflectiverse Technology in the hands of the Emperor, we are defeated, Utaril.”

“If you make Thea the center of your universe, CR; but with the RT’s help Thea is no longer the center of the universe. Already the Kadorran scientist, Ananuk, readies his team to journey to Edoran, and it won’t be long before we will get to send our first team.”

“You mean to say that Thea is no longer important?”

“It is not, CR; not anymore. Our technologies and people can be transported to off-planet colonies. We will build newer, better Vaktukis, away from the Emperor’s outstretched claws.”

“And what will become of our original homeland, Utaril?”

“What of it? Vaktukans are more important than Vaktuki itself, Kinan.”

“But to the Vaktukans themselves it is Vaktuki that is important.”

“To the Vaktukans of this generation, my CR, yes; but what of coming generations? What of the many Vaktukans that will now be born on different planets. Will they relate themselves to the original Vaktukan land? To Thea?”

“You look too far ahead, Utaril. The first generation of Vaktukan colonizers will forever be psychologically rooted on Thea. Their children and grand-children will make many visits to the original land. It will take quite a few generations for the aura to wear off. I cannot afford to let Vaktuki decay and weaken while its colonies grow stronger. By the theory you expound, who’s to say that the Vaktukan colonies will always be loyal to Vaktuki itself? Or Thea, for that matter?”

“You include unnecessary variables, my CR.”

“As do you. Thea, as the source and root of this impending expansion, will indeed be the center of the universe as far as humanity is concerned. And we will be foolish to assume otherwise.”

“Perhaps so, my CR. In which case, what do you propose to do?”

“I will call upon the Yaktukans, and as for the technology to be handed over to us, not the Emperor.”

“You think they will comply?”

“I cannot say, Utaril, but I intend to be as persuasive as I can.”

“You will threaten hostilities?”

Kinan shook his head sideways, “Quite the opposite, in fact. I will call on our ancient alliance, on the kinship of our founding fathers.”

Utaril smiled disdainfully, “You are an idealist if you think that will work, Kinan. The old alliances have long worn off, as I just explained to you.”

“But they are not dead, Utaril, they can be renewed; and there lies the chance for my persuasion.”

YAKTUKI-

“This is not entirely unprecedented, Rabik.”

“I must admit, Faolvay, that it missed my foresight. But what do we do now?”

“I wonder, Rabik, if Retrapi has advisors on his side to remind him that we are not brethren regions anymore. I want to know whether he makes this move despite their advice, or because he has no advice.”

“I don’t see how this is important, Faolvay.”

“It is important because it will help us judge Retrapi better, Rabik. If he has not been reminded this, then perhaps I can grant him more innocence. But if he has been reminded, and he moves in spite of it, then if would grant a touch of aggression.”

“If the case is the latter, Faolvay?”

“It would be even easier then to trust Ananuk.”

“And if it is the former?”

“I would trust Ananuk even then, but it will help us judge the future actions of Retrapi better.”

“Forgive me, Faolvay, but I must ask again; what do we do now?”

“I have just answered that, Rabik. We will stand with Ananuk no matter what.”

“And what will we say to Retrapi?”

“The truth, Rabik. Despite our old alliances we cannot trust Vaktuki at the moment. I will personally inform the Vaktukan Chief Regulator that our loyalty lies only to the Trithan Command.”

“And if he gets hostile?”

“The Trithan Command does not prohibit self defense.”

“Neither does it assure success, Faolvay.”

“But it commands courage, and both Yaktuki and its Admiyogi have enough of that, Rabik.”

Rabik bowed his head in obeisance, “No Yaktukan doubts that, my Admiyogi.”

“Nor was I suggesting that you do, Rabik. Now put in the call to Retrapi, and let me speak to him.”

Admiyogi Faolvay was not a stranger to the Retrapis. He was Admiyogi when Kinan’s father was the Regulator, and he was Admiyogi when young Kinan took over. He had watched with silent admiration as Kinan had ceased hostilities and proven to be a better leader for Vaktuki than his father. But he had also heard with disturbed musings the tales of atrocities against internal rebels and traitors and Kinan committed without restrain. The Admiyogi was old, wise, and honest enough to admit that despite having watched with interest the entire period of Kinan’s reign, he still could not decide whether the Chief Regulator was a man to be trusted or not.

There were a few moments of silence while Rabik called Retrapi through the interplanetary live communication system. After a while the pony tailed head of Kinan Retrapi appeared on the visoscreen facing Faolvay, with a curious smile on his face.

“Good evening, Chief Regulator,” greeted Faolvay.

“Good evening to you as well, Admiyogi Faolvay. I gather you have received my request?”

“I have indeed, CR. But I must inform you with sincere regrets that it is not a request we can meet.”

Retrapi frowned; he had not expected such a swift and blunt refusal. “Why is that, Admiyogi?”

“Because what you request is that we deceive the Emperor and the other regions, CR. And deception is not permitted under the Trithan Command.”

“We Vaktukans too honor and revere the Command, Admiyogi, but what I request is not a deception but a mere precaution. It would be unwise to let only one hand control the technology that your scientists have devised.”

“You are right, CR; but what makes you think that only the Emperor will have the control and ability?”

“Who else will then, Admiyogi? The Kadorrans?”

“No, CR, not the Kadorrans, but the Yaktukans themselves.”

Retrapi made a face, “That is not what I mean, Admiyogi. Yaktuki should anyways retain the ability of this technology, but we both know that Yaktuki does not intend to use it for itself.”

“And if I accede to your request, then Vaktuki does intend to use it?”

“For the mutual advantages of both regions, Admiyogi.”

“The regions have no mutual advantages, CR.”

“Of course they do, Admiyogi Faolvay. It is in the interests of both to have the Emperor’s power dwindle, and to keep the Ingikans and Ditanians considerably weaker.”

“You are mistaken, CR, if you think that such matters are of concern to Yaktuki. If they were, we would not have involved the Emperor, or even Kadorrans, into the matter.”

“Admiyogi Faolvay,” reasoned Retrapi, “the world is going to change with the advent of this technology; as you very well know. Does Yaktuki intend to forever stick to its line of neutrality and reluctant interference?”

“As far as we can, CR Retrapi.”

Retrapi recline back in exasperation, “But that is ill-judged, Admiyogi. How can you see yourselves existing among five regions that are continuously expanding?”

“By maintaining this very policy of neutrality and reluctant interference, CR. Our sincere disinterest will safeguard us against the hostilities of the other regions.”

“And have you no desire to expand for yourselves?”

“And embroil us in further political and economic complications? No, Sir Retrapi, I’d rather we not.”

“Is that what all of Yaktuki feels?”

“Chief Regulator, as far as you are concerned, I am all of Yaktuki.”

“And you will not consider my request?”

“I have considered it, but I must politely decline.”

A shrewd look entered Retrapi’s eyes, plainly visible through the visoscreen, “But the ability that you will retain, will that be available to Vaktuki in times of need?”

“Who will judge that need, CR?”

“All of Yaktuki, Admiyogi Faolvay,” was the sardonic reply.

Faolvay smiled dourly, “You would trust my judgment then?”

“I don’t trust it even now, but I must accept it.”

“We will retain the ability, CR, precisely to insure that no region is unjustly treated by the Emperor.”

“Does our common history not matter at all, Admiyogi Faolvay?”

“Only so that I would feel better aiding Vaktuki in times of distress more than Ingika or Ditana, or even Ahurun.”

“And Kadorra?”

“You are insistent on knowing of our relationship, Chief Regulator.”

“And you seem insistent on hiding it, Admiyogi Faolvay.”

“But I have nothing to hide. Kadorra and Yaktuki are neighbors and allies from a time before when Vaktuki Tritha first cross the ocean. He set foot on banks of the Kadorran Holy Lake long before he did on the Vaktukan shores. We are but natural allies, CR.”

“Is that why you went to the Emperor through Kadorra?”

“It is only part of the reason, CR. A bigger reason is that our scientists have collaborated with the Kadorran Science Agency on many occasions to much success. On the other hand the Vaktukan Science Center has clung to its secrets most arduously.”

“The Center complains the same of you, Admiyogi Faolvay.”

“That is baseless. Yaktuki has always shared its science impartially. The Reflectiverse technology is a recent example, CR.”

“My Center maintains that there is also science that you do not share.”

Faolvay frowned, “I cannot allow for such accusations, Chief Regulator. I repeat again that our actions are all guided by the Trithan Command; if you cannot believe that, then you will find very few reasons to trust Yaktuki at all,” he concluded.

“Is that your final stand?”

“My stand has been clear from the start.”

Faolvay saw Retrapi stand up and reach towards his own communication device. “So be it, Admiyogi Faolvay.” The visoscreen went blank as Retrapi closed the connection from his side.

Reflectiverse Saga - Interlude 1

INTERLUDE 1

Back on his aerial, on his way back to Kadorra, Ananuk’s mind was in a daze. He had been on a brainwave back there with the Emperor, and half the things he said he had never thought of before. But now, in the familiar and comfortable surroundings of his aerial, he realized that much of what he said was true, and it made sense. The system he had proposed was one that was likely to keep all sides happy; and it would help strike a balance between the expanding human groups.

“Call up the Yaktukans,” he said to his pilot, “ask for permission to enter their territory. I want to go there before we go to Kadorra.”

“Yes, sir,” his pilot obeyed, after a few moments of silence he replied, “permission has been granted, sir. I am making the necessary route adjustments.”

His mind now reeling with what was quickly becoming an elaborate plan in his head, Ananuk had no time to view out his window. He instead worked on his polypod, furiously putting together the database he was to relay to the Emperor. It couldn’t be complete without inputs from Rabik, and he hoped that the latter would see the merit in Ananuk’s plan. He sent in a quick message to Rabik, who was waiting for him at the Air Fields when he landed. They took the ground transports to Rabik’s residence, where another Yaktukan was waiting for them- Admiyogi Faolvay.

“Welcome back, Ananuk,” Faolvay began, “I trust your swift return means some success?”

“It does indeed, Faolvay. But we must act quickly; it will not be long before the Emperor thinks about all that I have told him, and decide that he can use force to wrest the technology from us.”

Rabik’s eyebrows shot up, “when he knows that he will have it anyhow?”

“We cannot put it past him, Rabik, and there is much that we need to arrange before we hand this over.”

“I gather you have a plan in mind, Ananuk,” said Faolvay.

“I do indeed, Faolvay. And we need to get onto it fast.”

Faolvay made an allowing gesture, “then tell us what to do, Ananuk.”

Ananuk handed over a visodisk to Rabik, “this holds the database on the discovery, Rabik. I need you to you check it and make any necessary additions. Withhold nothing; there is nothing that we need to hide from the Emperor.”

Rabik took the visodisk and departed to his office-cabin. When he was gone, Ananuk turned to Faolvay.

“The last time Rabik and I spoke, Faolvay, I mentioned to him that the use of this technology will have repercussions on the Empire.”

Faolvay nodded, “I realized this when our scientists first approached this discovery.”

“What’s more, Faolvay is that the Emperor realizes this too. He thought of it almost right after I explained the discovery to him.”

“This would explain your eagerness in getting down to business just now.”

Ananuk nodded, “yes. Now when he mentioned this to me I had a sudden insight into the whole issue, and without thinking twice about anything I suggested to him a detailed plan. The more I think about this plan now, the more I feel that it would work to the benefit of all; including Yaktuki and Kadorra.”

“Then I would be interested in hearing more about it, Ananuk.”

“It is most likely that as we colonize planets the hold of the Emperor will grow weak. But without a central unifying force like the Empire the expansion will be hampered by numerous conflicts between the six regions. We can count Ingika and Ditana to be against us on all counts, and Ahurun and Vaktuki will make their allegiances as dictated by self-interests.”

“I agree so far, friend Ananuk.”

“But if we let the Emperor regulate the use of the Reflectiverse, if we let each journey go through his permission, we ensure that no region rebels against him after expansion and his over-hand will ensure any infighting.”

“I see how that would work.”

“As the expansion continues, the Empire itself will be inevitably confined on Thea, whereas the component regions will spread out to their satisfaction. A weak, but existent Empire on Thea will serve to ensure peaceful or at least conflict-less expansion of humanity.”

“What did the Emperor think of all this, Ananuk?”

“Who knows what really went on in his mind, but he admitted approval.”

“And what happens if the technology falls into the wrong hands? Or is cut off to a select region?”

Ananuk let that question sink in. “That’s where you come in, Faolvay. I want Kadorra to secretly retain the technological ability for this discovery.”

“Deception…”

“Not deception, mere precaution. I am not saying that we will surreptitiously use the technology to our benefit; Kadorra has its sense of morals too, Faolvay. We will go through the Imperial channel like the rest of the regions. But by having a backup capability we will provide a safety net if the technology were to be misused or withheld.”

“When did you manage to think up all this, Ananuk?”

Ananuk shrugged helplessly, “it came to me, Faolvay; if you can believe that. But look, regardless of what Yaktuki in general feels, I know that Rabik in his heart is confident this technology will work; and to be honest, that is enough for me. In the right time, of course, it needs to be and it will be tested. But the time to prepare for a changed world has arrived, and I want to be ahead of others.”

“So you want us to in fact prepare two databases. One will faithfully go to the Emperor, while the other will remain with you.”

“That is exactly what I want, Faolvay. But more than that, I also want your trust. I do not seek an upper hand from other regions, nor do I want Kadorra to develop as the most powerful. But I do think that a backup should remain in the hands of someone trustworthy; and I can think of no one more so than myself.”

“Valid enough, Ananuk; this will be done.”

And so Ananuk also set the course for humanity’s future.

Reflectiverse Saga - Chapter 3

The next morning Ananuk found himself back in his aerial, flying west further north to the Imperial Capital, Ingika; seat of the Emperor. Below him was the vast Yaktukan Ocean, teeming with multitudinous species, many of which had not yet been discovered. Even here, the Yaktukans had spread their twisted, mangled architecture. He made out sharp towers rising out of the waters, their grisly metallic branches in stark contrast to the trees that lined the shore he had just left behind. For hours there was nothing but the ocean, and then he spotted small patches of land among the waters. These, he knew, were the beginnings of the southern islands of Ahurun. Ingika was further north and further west. The three regions of Ahurun, Ingika, and Ditana were the regions that submitted themselves to the Emperor willingly. On the other hand, Kadorra, Yaktuki, and Vaktuki were always brimming with rebellion.

The aerial was flying too high for him to discern anything on the Ahurunian lands, but once in a while he thought he could make out their megalevitators stick their heads above the clouds. The landmass ended soon, followed by the ocean again; and he knew that much of Ahurun laid to the east of the path his pilot had chosen. This part of the ocean was devoid of any signs of human activity. Once or twice he caught a primamatsya jump out of the waters, float idly for a few moments, and sink back in. He kept an eager watch after that for the turanigyak, the primamatsya’s arch rival, but the creature did not oblige.

He recalled how these regions were all discovered by Thea’s legendary wanderers, the Tritha brothers. Together they travelled all across the globe, discovering new lands and new peoples; introducing to these cultures what they themselves had learnt along their journey. It was in Ahurun, then savage and barbarous, that Vaktuki Tritha had met his end, and the grieving Yaktuki had carried his ashes all the way back to his deceased brother’s adopted homeland- Vaktuki.

By the time the Thean Sun began to set on the horizon behind him, his pilot started the descent into Ingikan airspace. Even as Head of KSA, Ananuk had never gotten the chance to visit Ingika. To a Kadorran who was new to Ingika, its jumbled and chaotic City proper came as a total shock. By the time his pilot was halting the aerial on the landing strip, he was aware of the heavily polluted air outside. Still, when he exited the aerial what first hit him was not the pollution, but the cacophony of noise. He could hear loud transport horns from every direction, and they were accompanied by regular booms that could only come from the region’s infamous Quantafactories. The Quantafactories produced a little over a quarter of Thea’s energy and more than three-fourths of its pollution. Less pollutant technologies were available but their costs exceeded their returns, making them unfeasible. It took a while for him to get used to the assault on his auditory sense, and he was relieved when he was inside the Aerialport terminal, which cut out all noise from alfresco.

He called his counterpart from the Ingikan Science Agency who promptly sent over an aerial transport to take him to the Imperial Sector. The ride inside the aerial was dreadful, with the pilot weaving carelessly between traffic and structures alike. Adding to that was the outside din that the aerial did not suppress quite as well as the Aerialport terminal did. When the pilot took a transport tunnel and the aerial switched to autodrive, Ananuk heaved a sigh of relief.

With the aerial hovering harmlessly through the tunnel, his attention shifted to the city outside. There was a general aura of decay about the structures and even the transports. He spotted many minilevitators that were not exactly suspended still, and were instead bobbing dangerously in the air. Quantafactories in the background were mercilessly spewing out fumes that were giving their filtration-drones a hard time. Then, to his left, a large blank barrier emerged, blocking his view. His aerial turned sharp left and immediately the scene to his right changed. The levitators were much crisper, and there was no sign of the Quantafactories. The only aerials he spotted were in the tunnels above and below him, with quite a few ground transports that seemed to be moving at high velocities. The barrier to his left continued until the tunnel turned sharp left again, into an opening in the barrier.

When he was barely five, Ananuk’s father had told him all about the Emperor. As an astronaut on the Imperial Space Fleet, his father was stubbornly loyal to the Empire, even if Kadorra wasn’t. He instilled into Ananuk the fact that the Empire was a benevolent and stable entity that sustained the existence of Thea and its six regions. Young Ananuk was easily taken in by the things his father said with utmost confidence and belief. It was not until he was in his late teens that he began questioning the true nature and character of the Empire, and by that time his father was not around to hold him back.

Ananuk was plunged into near total darkness for a brief while, during which the aerial seemed to pick up speed. A slight hum told him that the pilot had regained control of the aerial, but before he could worry about that, a mechanical and monotonous voice broke through the audiocomp of the aerial.

“Welcome to the Imperial Sector on Ingika. In a moment you will arrive at the Security Gate. You are requested to co-operate with the security drones, which reserve the right to deny you entry. Should you show any signs of aggression or violence, immediate and punishing action will be taken.”

No sooner had the voice ended that light flooded the aerial again. When his eyes readjusted Ananuk found that the aerial was out of the tunnel and approaching what he made out to be the Security Gate. He was the Head of the KSA, and he had official sanction, so he had nothing to worry about. But the oddly mechanical voice and the prospect of automated drones as security made his stomach churn, much to his embarrassment. However, his fears were not necessary. No drones came to check him and the aerial stopped at no Security Gate. It instead halted at a levi-plank right outside the Imperial Palace.

“This is where you get off, sir.” The pilot informed him, in a tone to match the mechanical tone of the audiocomp message.

He exited the aerial and followed the levi-plank to a metal gate that slid open at his arrival. As he entered, he found himself standing in a large hall, facing a seemingly endless span of area. The hall was dimly lit, and on the walls near the distant ceiling he could see nevon powered lamps hung at equal distances from each other. One light shone directly below to a huge podium, where the Emperor, Ananuk realized with a jolt, was seated on his throne.

He prostrated ritually, and when he looked up he saw the Emperor beckon silently for him to come forward. Head still bent slightly in obeisance, he took careful, measured steps towards the Emperor, Sarvaraj the Fifth. He felt, rather than saw, the nevon lamps behind him turn off as he passed them, making the hall behind him darker. Up ahead, he knew, the Emperor was patiently waiting for him to approach. When he was near enough to the podium, he stopped, and took one final bow, kneeling down to touch his forehead on the first step of the pulpit.

When he rose up straight, he took his first, good look at the Emperor. It was impossible to know what his real physical structure was like. The Emperor wore armor so huge and redoubtable that no part of his body was visible. His helmet was three times the size of Ananuk’s head, and the visor was nevon blue from outside, so that the eyes were not visible. The helmet rested on the powerful shoulders of the shield that covered the Emperor’s neck, down the shoulders, all the way to his wrists. His hands were protected by metal alloy gloves that, Ananuk had read, were immune to damage. Similar impressive armor covered the Emperor’s torso down to his abdomen, and the legs were protected by a material similar to the gloves. When he stood tall, with all his armor, the Emperor was eight feet tall and four feet wide.

The Emperor’s voice was loud and deep, matching the magnificence of his appearance perfectly, “Ananuk Vikratik, Head, Kadorran Science Agency. What brings you to my hall?”

Despite being in the presence of a man who had shadowed his entire life, Ananuk found his voice confidently. “A matter of exciting possibilities, Emperor Sarvaraj. I come to you with reports of a potent new discovery, carrying the success of our Yaktuki brethren.”

The Emperor spoke slowly and patiently, almost soothingly, “and why haven’t the Yaktukans come to me themselves?”

“They are bound by their Trithan Command, Emperor, and can only do what it permits.”

“Is this Trithan Command greater than the Imperial Command, Vikratik?”

“Not to me, Emperor, but perhaps to them.”

“But why send you?”

“Kadorra and Yaktuki are neighbors, Emperor. We have a long history of initial conflict but everlasting affinity. It is but natural that they seek our assistance.”

The Emperor was silent for a while, as if deciding whether Ananuk’s explanation satisfied him. “Very well, Vikratik, speak what you have come to speak.”

“The Yaktukans, my Emperor, have discovered a mirror universe, lying directly below the plane of our own. They have devised a method by which we can use this new universe to transport us where our current ships cannot.”

“Beyond our star system?”

“Yes, Emperor. This is a discovery of great potential, and may change our fate forever.”

“Indeed, Vikratik, but what more can you tell me? Explain things to me in detail, Kadorran, I will grasp them I assure you.”

Ananuk bowed is acceptance of the command. “Emperor Sarvaraj, let me give you the case of the planet Edoran, which lies in the binary star system Wetraki. Wetraki lies more than three light-years away from our star system, and is thus, impossible to reach given our current technology. But both the KSA and the Vaktukan Science Quarters have determined that Edoran might be perfectly suitable for human habitation. For one, it has an atmosphere of eighteen percent prana-vayu, which is adequate for human respiration. Moreover, it has a surface cover of water of around fifty four percent, again, adequate for our energy needs.”

“This is all known to me, Vikratik, where does the mirror universe come in?”

“The mirror universe can help us reach Edoran, Emperor. Using the Reflecting Conductors the Yaktukans have built, we can shoot a chunk of matter across to the mirror universe, at a proper angle, and the matter will be deflected onto Edoran.”

“That sounds more like magic, and less like science, Vikratik.”

“Except that we know how and why this will work, Emperor; so it is not magic, but science.”

“Has this been tested?”

“No, Emperor, it has not. The Yaktukans will not test it themselves, but are confident that it will work. But with your permission, the KSA is more than willing to conduct the necessary tests.”

“Relay this database onto my systems, Vikratik, and I will have my scientists examine the details. If they are satisfied, you will have your permission.”

“I will relay it the moment I get back to Kadorra, Emperor.”

Emperor Sarvaraj fell silent again. Ananuk waited patiently for him to say something, but he did not.

“Emperor?”

“No, I may not be Emperor for long.”

“Why do you say that, Emperor?”

The Emperor jeered, “Do not pretend ignorance. I understand the potential consequences of this discovery. How will I, with regions under sullen resentment on this very planet, manage to hold a leash when humanity spreads beyond?”

It was Ananuk’s turn to be silent.

“But it is important that I do, do you not see? If the Empire dissolves, the six regions will find it difficult to maintain the current peace. With their infighting, we will have only a scattered and divided expansion, quite unlike how we have dreamed for centuries.”

In spite of himself, Ananuk realized that the Emperor was right. It was another matter if the current Empire was not acceptable to most regions; but to have an organized expansion and to arrange a coordinated use of the new technology a uniting governing force was essential. Without realizing it, Ananuk’s brain went into overdrive, and his future was set.

“I would like to know what you are thinking, Vikratik.”

“I must admit, Emperor, that you are right. But in this technology lies the very key to your power. Let the use be directed through your hands, let regions come to you to employ it.”

The Emperor, interested, sat up straight. “Continue.”

“Set up a system, Emperor, whereby you regulate the colonization of planets. See to it that each region gets a fair amount of planets to colonize for itself. Your power on Thea will not wane as regions turn their attention to the colonies, yet in having sovereign control over the technology, you will ensure that each region needs your allegiance. This will prevent any from even thinking of rebelling against you.”

“And will the Yaktukans let me monopolize the use of this technology?”

“The Yaktukans have no desire to use it, Emperor. They have no want for expanding and are quite satisfied with keeping their own borders safe. It will be easy to convince them to hand over the technology to you.”

“And what is there in this arrangement for you, Ananuk Vikratik?”

“This will work both ways, Emperor. The regions, including Kadorra, will have a more or less free hand in the colonies. They will gain the autonomy there that they so arduously desire. Kadorra, with the reverence it holds across all Thea as a holy and blessed land, will continue to prosper in that direction; while the Kadorran people will find new lands to expand.”

The, Emperor smiled indulgently, “a wise, and perhaps too wise, proposition. But we go too far ahead. Send me the database, let my scientists examine it, and let me decide if I allow you to conduct the tests. Then we will think about how I handle my leash beyond the confines of Thea.”

“Very well, Emperor. The database will be relayed to you.”

The Emperor nodded, “you may go now, Vikratik.”