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2556 July 04, Hyperdyne Sector, planet New Chicago, Ghilsaer City

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Had terraforming gone any better, it would have been a fine monsoon day. The sky was dark with clouds and it wasn't particularly warm, she could even see some people with umbrellas ready on the roads below. She wished they were right, for a change. At least they could use their umbrellas against the dust clouds that were carried in on the east wind. A strange chill ran over her back as she looked past the neighbor skyscraper, off into the desert hills. She wanted to go there now, step out of the window and gravity wouldn't matter anymore ...

"Oihana, snap out of it!" Mahad's voice called her away from her mental wandering and she noticed she was leaning out of the window quite far. She withdrew slowly, savoring the height for a few seconds with an eerie smile on her face.

"I think I should close the window," Melanie said abruptly.

Oihana didn't move as the teen reached for the window with as much distance between them as possible.

Her eyes settled on the carpet, where there was a worn path being worn down further by Frank's pacing. He always said he was fine, but he wasn't.

"Are you getting anywhere yet?" Frank asked yet again, looking at the teen with his laptop.

"As of five seconds in the future, you bet." Mahad feigned calmness far better, and if he was worked up it was over excitement. Only Melanie actually was as collected as she appeared as she leaned on the back of Mahad's chair.

Oihana left the window and squeezed aside the two teens that now crowded the back of Mahad's chair. An irritated Melanie pushed Frank aside a little further, Oihana stepped aside on her own.

On the screen were images of ancients ruins on planet earth, zoomed in on sand scraped hieroglyphs. Oihana wasn't sure what she was looking at, but Melanie felt like she knew something, but said nothing yet, wanting to be certain. Mahad held up the laptop so she could see better. When Frank was about to speak, Melanie held up a finger and he fell silent.

Reaching out, she touched the screen and zoomed in on various more photographs. After a while she had assembled a row of two dozen cut frames.

"Alright, watch the details closely, I want you to recognize what I saw."

Oihana saw carvings, drawings and writing, missing parts enhanced by Jormungandr's imaging program. There was a superficial similarity, but not much meaningful to her. It could be coincidences, especially with how different the larger images were.

"These come from India, Egypt, Mongolia and all throughout South America."

"Jormungandr also got us a little tidbit from planet Albast, recently discovered at the edge of the New Eden sector. Watch again."

More strange patterns, more details. Melanie's finger danced over the screen and brought together all the pieces. This time Mahad wanted to speak, but Melanie held up her finger again. "Eh eh eh. Just watch. The following batch is of that nifty ruin on Carmander that supposedly doesn't exist."

Mahad snorted at the thought of the government's officialness. They all knew it was there, thanks to Jormungandr.

In high speed the images faded away to be replaced, and a structural pattern became obvious. Melanie withdrew her hand once there was a complex overlay of copies and pastes.

Mahad was the first to speak. "Well, that settles our assumptions about them invading the planet or enslaving us. Apparently they've already been to our world, and we are not their eternal slaves yet. Though, that's just my opinion, right Frank?" he said, trying to elbow the young man.

Frank sidestepped, annoyed more than he let on. "Give it a rest."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "If they were here to invade us, they would have started with Alexandria or New Eden. New Chicago may be a large military production planet, or rather have been, but it barely is a fraction of mankind's forces. Strategically, it would be ridiculous to start here."

"Oh, he knows that," a smirking Mahad said.

"It could be a spy ship, to test our abilities?" Frank tried.

Mahad shrugged. "Let's find out what species they match before we draw our conclusions, shall we? Zib's already going to be annoyed that we made progress without him."

"According to Jor, there are about five civilizations who might have been of influence on earth's ancient cultures, we have no more to go on that a few carvings," said Melanie stoically, then added with a hint of smugness, "Even if I helped him get a little further than before."

"I'm sure we can create a profile in no time. Oihana, can you and your mother find out more on that ship up there?"

"Off course," the girl said, her eyes turning to the corner.

Under the blanket there was a piece of tan metal, engraved in a way distantly similar to what Melanie had constructed. She walked over to pull the cloth away, kneeling down to run her fingers over it once more. There was a sting as it connected her to what awaited in orbit and she withdrew her hand quickly. Still the same violence behind it, so it wasn't ... wait.

There was ... it was coming here.

Quickly she stood up, turned heel and ran out of the room.

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Despite the ventilation switched to highest mode, the walls boiled. Two times the system had been checked, either test reporting that all worked as it should. The weather was simply to blame, surely. The weather, as Andrew understood, surely shouldn't be this hot when there was cloud cover and the evening of a long day. Below was the deep, dark city with only a small lit center surrounded by miles of abandoned buildings. There was nowhere else to look from this chair, facing the window that rounded over above him. No wall to look at instead. Damn modern architecture.

When he was finally called in, the supervisor of the Aaron Count was still speaking through her headset, ignoring him entirely. Patiently, he endured it. After all, patience was his best virtue.

"Mr Edelburg, I presume you know why you are here?" the woman finally said after placing away the headset.

"I have no made the progress you wanted."

"Indeed. I have read your rapports and must admit, you have amazing skill to use many words to describe how little you found. Tell me, do you even take the task assigned to you serious?"

Andrew clenched his teeth, swallowed the implied accusation of laziness and said, "I am fully aware of the situation, madam. I do what I can."

"Then why do I get the impression you do not try hard enough? It is a mere renegade System and you have all the resources."

They both knew well this was not just the average virus, and he only had the resources of one faction.

"I am driving it into smaller spaces. It is a matter of ti—"

"Time we do not have, mr. Edelburg!" she said, voice raising higher than usual. She caught herself and leaned back against her chair, breathing out. "The board of direction has made a decision, Andrew."

"You will be given some limited control on the police units."

"How much control?" asked Andrew, shifting slightly in his seat. He was unsure of the situation and what to except, how could the police help him with this?

"As long as it does not interfere with public safety, Andrew. If our hackers fail, then we must find other means. Be creative with the law."

His curiosity was sparked. "You want me to isolate a few citizens who have a...let's say, suspicious profiles." She nodded briefly. "A variety of unexplained things have happened in the lower regions of the city, things that our own programmers cannot explain either. If it can't be tracked in cyberspace, then it must have more than hardware to fall back on."

"And the police will cooperate with me for this purpose," he said, thinking about what this could mean. It did not come as a surprise that Jormungandr had hackers, not to him, but he had a clue what to expect and he did not like sending the police there.

She took up the headpiece again and place it in her ear. "I trust you understand this all happen off record and out of cyberspace. You will meet with undercover agents in ways that Jormungandr cannot see. Maybe some activity in the real world will remedy your slow progress."

"I understand."

"You may go."

He nodded and stood up, only to rush out and stare. High in the sky a burning sphere hurled down.

"What is that?"

"Hm?" She stood up and looked through her still open door. "Must be an meteorite. Quite a sight."

"It's too big, and it's not burning up as it should." He watched the object descend to the east in a diagonal angle, as if it were a falling vessel with still partial thrust.

"You couldn't have seen that far."

"With all due respect, yes, I can."

"Come now, Mr. Edelburg. You are not going to argue Jormungandr can make fire rain from the sky, are you?"

"No, but we did lose control of a radio tower there is a ship crashing to our planet." he said. "Is there any reason why we are suddenly out of time?"

She bit her lip, just for a moment. "We don't know whether that is a ship. Wouldn't we have received a distress signal?"

"Maybe Jormungandr found a way to intercept it? Now, please, answer my question."

"It may be nothing in the end, but ... we lost control of the water plants again. Given the people that inhabit the lower regions of the city, we expect it to be handy to have some forces ready. Your agent will tell more of it. Remember, Andrew, this could all be a coincidence. We do not want another fiasco chasing one of Jormungandr's ghosts."

"I understand."

He also understood the slight tremor that shook the earth as something bore a crater into the ground not too far away.

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A direct hit, and total engine failure. Nra'tex-ne didn't need to be a technical expert to know they were in deep problems. The Elders were debating about what to do with infuriating noise. Should they detonate and take along all evidence of themselves, given how dangerously close the human city was? Or should they try to repair while the threat of the other clan still was there? Some argued it was most honorable to accept their fate and meet the Black Warrior with dignity, others claimed they would not be welcomed if they would not take the effort to clear their name, which they could not do if they were dead.

To him, the answer was clear. They had a whole tribe to return to, so their name had to be cleared. It was incredible there even was debate on this.

Leaving the Elders to their roaring, he made his way to the ships hull. Injured were being towed out of the halls, he saw medicine being salvaged and technicians scattered around to repair whatever damage they saw fit. As he was neither medic not mechanic, he made himself scarce.

The ship had collided with a sandy hill and was partially buried under a collapsed crater. Night had fallen and a creeping cold surrounded them. Sensors indicated the nearby city held the warmth that the ship soon would be missing, but it would be no use to them.

A number of other hunters had made it outside, amongst which his sister. He could clearly smell her and tracked her off the hull, finding her exploring the area.

She was hunched down at the ground, running her hand across the sand to test it.

"Is your scanner defect, sister?"

"No," she growled. "I don't need the damn thing to find water. We never needed it. So, did the Elders figure out what they want yet?"

"Not even close. Forgive my disrespect, but given how thin oxygen is here, I hope it will not take too long."

She thrilled her mandibles. "I can just see them argue for the time it takes for us to choke to death. The idiots are holding the wise down."

Standing up, she dusted her hands off and walked to one of the still standing walls of the crater, looking up.

"A number of us say we can collapse the rest of the crater to hide the ship, and we can do it before dawn if we use all our new tech. The stuff that isn't broken anyway. Think it'll work?"

"I think I need to ask Karga'te's friends about that. In any case, I agree. We don't want any curious humans."

"Tsss, off course."

A sudden loud thud drew her attention as something landed on the ridge above her. Instinctively she extended her wrist blades, ready to take a challenge if it would be presented.

Instead of an attacking beast, she was presented with a thick goo splashing all over her mask. Nra'tex-ne stared up at the young yautja, not needing even scent to guess who would emerge there.

"Greeted, honorable Meidache. The first medicine compartment has been opened, as I am sure you have guessed already. Hur'dhaxe said not to tell anyone though, so have my apologies for spilling it," Karga'te said with dripping insincerity.

While wiping the fluid further off her mask, Meidache glared up at the ridge that was just out of jumping reach. Unlike their full blood siblings, this 'brother' was not one she could appreciate and she never hesitated to make that clear. Nra'tex-ne was glad he was so high up and that Meidache was one of the most lenient females around.

"It is forgiven," she said just as insincere, only to continue dead serious. "At least until and if I find out we don't have enough medicine to go around."

"Off course, high lady," said Karga'te, bending his head in submission. As he sat on the ridge, high above her, he was still looking down on her.

As much as Nra'tex-ne had a secret amusement over his brother's antics, he had little tolerance for disrespect. He feigned walking away for important matters, then raced around the edge and up a higher ridge, as quiet as he could be. Jumping down, Karga'te had no chance to respond before he was shoved off the ridge. With a graceless tumble, he bounced off the slope and narrowly landed on hands and feet.

"Is that all you will do, Nra'tex-ne?" Meidache asked, now taking her turn to look down.

"You said he was forgiven, sister," he said easily. "I merely made sure he meant his apology."

From up here, he could see Kah'oneh and Tahlpake approach them. Gesturing in their direction, he told Meidache, "It appears the Elders have made a decision."

"Already?" she muttered under her breath. "Right. Karga'te, scram. Go scout or something. Find some water."

She took off to meet the others. Nra'tex-ne jumped down and offered his brother a hand, but Karga'te declined it with an irate hiss.

"I tell you again, do not taunt Meidache She is the only solid reason your attitude is tolerated."

"I know the story, Nra'tex-ne, She's just so..." He did not finished these sentences.

"I know. I just deal with it better than you do, that's why she is less annoying to me than she is to you. It's a vicious circle, what you two do."

Karga'te kept quiet, and Nra'tex-ne's mind returned to the quaint little disaster that had happened. He didn't really feel like thinking about what he couldn't change, and he would rather have Karga'te back in a distracting mood.

"Oh, about that medicine. What were you doing, spilling the knowledge?"

A mischievous look came on Karga'te's face. "Well, the medic did tell me to get the hell out of the working space. Didn't even give me the chance to put down the bottle of medicine in my hands. So I got the hell out of the ship and did not tell anyone. I just dropped the bottle. Now Meidache just happens to know there is intact medicine in my part of the ship."

Nra'tex-ne thrilled. True, Karga'te was one obnoxious little youngling with a serious authority problem, but he had his unorthodox ways of helping out. Still, it was best if he disappeared out of sight for a little while after that.

"Come, I believe you were told to scout for water. You already got your weapons anyway, maybe you can find something edible too."

"Do I ever have them not?"

Nra'tex-ne nodded, and placed his hand on Karga'te's shoulder. His brother returned the gesture briefly, and gleefully disappeared into the desert.

Nra'tex-ne might have placed a second thought on sending his little brother out, but he was already thinking about other problems. Things like the Uendouktil Mue, the other House with which they shared the ship. Doubtlessly, there would be struggles over how the few medicines would be divided. There was no honor in dying from a mangled body and as Karga'te had indicated, the would be a shortage.

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