The Space Vikings

By DD White

The Space Vikings were a species of Nephaprican Eagolim who survived old novae to become nomadic space travelers. When an ancient entity in the galaxy's core causes the star where the capital of Nephapricus orbits to go nova, the Space Vikings volunteer to the quest to the galactic center to avenge their fallen star. Join the Space Vikings on their voyage away from a galactic empire of immortal artificial intelligence and stars systems spread across the entire inner galaxy linked by the wormhole creating star-doors. The Space Vikings journey to defeat the undefeatable and adapt to the unadaptable inner core. There the supermassive black hole embodies their actual enemy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: DD White
• Release date: Nov 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463287606

DD White

DD White is the writer / artist who created the free online graphic novels called Fantazine. You can still read Fantazine at www.fantazine.net where DD White’s inspirationfor Aquari began in issues 4, 7, and 9 as the Aquari Trilogy.

Book preview

The Space Vikings

By DD White

Copyright 2018 Smashwords Edition

Contents: Chapters

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Contents: Illustrations

Gul

The Crypt Planet

Juvalian

Urd

Boarded Incapricans

Holdus Nova

Gardner in Warp Reality

Companion_144001

Ganechay

Forest of Ancient Pripica

Ancient Pripica Castle

Viking Battle

Skarlatos Finds the Star Door

Hatpeealiens

Gealadus

The Gardner

Transcendental Dimension

Map of Magphoreus

Mymere

Meeting of Star Door Beings

Mimi and Urd

The Space Dragon

Paradros

First Born

Galactillium

Golimechoid

The Space Vikings

Chapter 1

In the great whirlpool’s center with its gravitational politics known as the galaxy Magphoreus, a supermassive black hole waits a hundred million years for the perfect opportunity to destroy another distant defiant star. Following several million years of boundless patience, eventually, a giant star orbits this singularity at incredible speed finally surrendering to a final plunge into an irresistible gravity well. The gravitational pull from a mass four million times Earth's star successfully pulls a giant gas ball into a target size a bit bigger than Earth's sun.

Something very unnatural concerning this carried out what really should have been galactic nature’s course with the greatest of all black holes. This supermassive singularity is a super-intelligent entity. It waited over a hundred million years for this morsel to finally cross the event horizon in the thinned-out galactic core. The unfortunate star's last light disappeared in a spinning swirl never to shine again in this universe. The last time a star like this got swallowed, it provided enough energy for a gamma-blast destroying two of those defiant stars wandering out there in distant galactic outskirts, where the space between stars measures in light-years other than light-weeks in the core.

The entity evolved a plan through a mysterious language between its radio wave activity and those out there in the galactic arms of habitability learning to hear and speak the language hidden within those radio waves.

Now the black hole orbiting star added its mass to infinity. At the same time recording its entire existence as time and space on an event horizon point like data recorded on the ultimate multi-dimensional hard drive. While this ancient star plunged through that event horizon, the entity's intelligence gained new knowledge of a star that once even cast its light over days upon a habitable planet existing at room-temperature distance away in well-lit inner arms near the galaxy's core. That star once reabsorbed photons from a world evolving intelligent silicone-based life. Those life forms lived and died, life after life, until finally becoming extinct by the all-too-familiar stupidity developing right along with intelligence. Along with infinite details about that, this ancient star told all its stories to this supermassive black hole sucking the massive star's entire existence into a single point.

Then the black entity did the unnatural while the star disappeared in a glowing spaghetti plasma energy stream. The star caused a natural effect happening to such a quickly fed black hole giving way to a deadly gamma-ray blast that typically shoots out relatively harmless through the north and south poles away from the galactic hub. Deadly energy blasts like this usually point away from stars in the galactic plane. However, this time, the galaxy’s supermassive black hole quickly tilted its poles aiming at a target somewhere out there in the swirling star clouds. Unimaginably gigantic blasts shot out the most deadly energy ever known to come from the universe. These energies get classified as gamma, and they shot out from the over-stuffed black hole into stars along the galactic plane. Then the black hole returned its poles in their normal positions.

Stars in light-weeks beyond could already be seen torn to pieces in the gamma-ray blast's wake. Somewhere out there, deadly gamma energy aims its way at light's speed towards some devastating purpose within distant time and space, where for 586 million years the galactic Nephapricus Empire remains linked together by wormholes near those defiant stars.

* * *

Glokodox the second planet from the star Holdus became the capital of the Nephapricus galactic empire. The capital’s population reflected this by representing all the diverse shades of skin color and hair or lack of hair that could be found amongst galactic humanoid descendants of those who first founded this empire. Evolutionary distinctions dividing them into two separate species called Negolim and Eagolim defined the Empire. Negolim on Glokodox were mostly hairless humanoids that were made up of descendants from the original, now extinct, species called Nephrican. Furry Pripican genes also existed in this population's DNA. However, for the Negolim, hair lost its practicality, and even Pripican species seemed to be evolving away from hair. Also walking amongst Glokodox crowds were blue-skinned Eagolim citizens still proudly displaying heads of long hair and beards in all colors.

Hairy blue-skinned species were genetic descendants of the Children of Dol. They incidentally carried DNA with the best blend of all three original alien genetic codes that first linked 15 stars with wormholes establishing the glorious galactic empire called Nephapricus. Those fifteen wormhole generators were now spread throughout the inner galaxy from one end to the other after a couple turns of the galactic wheel.

Skarlatos Stonespencer navigated this city crowd as a Negolim member of the investigative branch called the Space Rangers. The difference between Negolim and Eagolim was that Negolim only lived their lives on a single planet or planetary groups in a single solar system. Negolim rarely traveled between stars, and usually they just traveled with star door wormholes. That had a distinctive effect on their DNA causing lives to shorten to only one or maybe two thousand years. It seemed they were on their way toward even shorter lives as if evolution to galactic reversed itself. Eagolim lived lives across seven to nine thousand years, and they distinguished themselves genetically by traveling spacecraft at the speed-of-light across the voids between stars, which even extended those lives more because time is experienced differently at that speed.

They were the ones spreading the great Nephapricus Empire to stars beyond the wormholes throughout the inner galactic arms called Orion and Carina from one end of Magphoreus to the other.

Skarlatos genetically descended mainly from Pripicans. The old version of the word Negolim now became extinct, which before would have referred to the fur-covered 4-legged non-galactic terrestrial species called Pripicans. There were non-galactic alien species within this Glokodox population, including some even that walked on four legs. Still, they were from other planets and were entirely different aliens than ancient Pripicans. These days, lesser-evolved non-galactic aliens just got referred to as terrestrial.

Skarlatos Stonespencer walked through that diverse Glokodox crowd on his way to a teleportation platform taking him to the distant dome filling the western horizon. The star door dome greeted the city on the surface with a hundred-mile broad circular base. Even though he could see his destination in the distance, the white mound really poked above the horizon over a hundred miles away.

A bluish-skinned woman with pink hair greeted him to escort him towards an available platform to quanta-synchronize with a location providing a similar receiving platform. She was programming his place to the local star door while he stood in the teleportation area waiting.

So, a Space Ranger seeks the star door entity. That must be for some important business.

He naturally paused before responding to surmise whether this was small talk or maybe invasive interrogation by nefarious rivals. The star door entity has asked for a Space Ranger to be appointed for a personal investigation. I am not yet sure why he wants to see me. We often work with the star door entity on inquiries. It's not necessarily important business. Skarlatos thought she looked like his wife.

She finished needing to fill the time with small talk. Well, whatever that one-eyed program wants, you are now on your way to find out. Please remain still as the portal matrix around you shifts to your location's portal matrix. Now some feel what could be described as anything from euphoria to nausea. That all should just pass as your surroundings shift to your location. Thank you for traveling by teleportation. May this be a pleasant journey for you.

He waited for her required memorized words to complete the familiar phrases when the girl disappeared, and he turned his head a bit to see a one-eyed squid-like creature standing upright on three octopus-like legs.

Beatopanga, I am Skarlatos Stonespencer from the Space Ranger Investigative Division in response to your request for an investigator.

The star door entity spoke through a human-like mouth at the end to a long snout below a single large eye. It represented one of the original aliens that first established this empire. Thank you for responding so fast. I have an assignment that may require your total commitment across much time and may even involve space travel.

Most star door entities of the 15-star doors got created to resemble species from three alien types that first created these amazing star door wonders. The holographic quanta-optic-nanocoded squid-like Beatopanga body represented the ancient alien species known as a Nephrican. After 586 million years, they preserved the forms taken by the now extinct Nephapricus creators.

I am at your service Beatopanga. it felt suddenly strange to Skarlatos' Negolim nature to be telling a BEAT program machine he would be serving it.

Very well then, Skarlatos. Beatopanga wrapped a three-tentacle hand around the humanoid hand in a handshake.

Skarlatos soon found himself in another room with a view screen displaying another bald humanoid face with a greenish blond goatee-like beard and mustache.

Beatopanga waved a tentacle-fingered arm at the image. This is my person of interest. His name is Thorcal Bendamma, and he is actually an Eagolim of great age.

So you want me to follow him and find out what he's about? A star door organism like you can do that even more discreetly and at the speed-of-light.

I was doing this by myself in my microscopic BEAT program configuration, but that was only to discover that he set up detection technology to notice me. That is why I need you to find out what he is doing. If you are noticed, it will be seen as just routine Space Ranger suspicions.

Skarlatos wasn't so sure it would be at all unusual for someone to set up such defenses to just ensure their privacy from nosey microscopic spies. What is it exactly that you think this Thorcal Bendamma is up to?

I have evidence here for you to review. Bendamma conducts a secret club of thirty-one other known individuals of interest. He appears to be the main leader in this group.

Cults, religions, and secret clubs are not illegal. I could probably find you a million other similar groups all across Glokodox. Why are you so interested in this one?

I have composed for you many explanations that you can review on this equipment. A colleague who seeks out activities that Thorcal has been up to brought this to my attention. I even remember from millennia ago the significance of a group meeting privately with specifically 32 members. Please review this data, and then I will answer your questions.

Skarlatos reviewed the information. He got intrigued by whatever mischief they were up to. For many years while the sun was on one side of the planet's orbit, this group would meet inside at night to conduct some ritual or meditation. They were thirty-two highly successful eminent class types who all came from Eagolim families settling long ago on Glokodox to probably live like Negolim. He read about their involvement with exotic scientific research and experiments with radio waves and strange computer processing forms that could cross higher-dimensions. By the time Skarlatos got done reviewing the case so far, he became also convinced that this group indeed had been up to something suspicious, or at least incredibly fascinating.

I guess I just need an update on this Thorcal's current location for me to begin. I can update you and get further information from you as my investigation continues.

I shall teleport you near his current whereabouts.

Soon Skarlatos stood on a teleportation platform again. Beatopanga worked the controls. Good luck with this assignment, my friend.

Then the Space Ranger disappeared in a light flash while Beatopanga still waved goodbye.

After Skarlatos disappeared, a hooded humanoid with greenish skin appeared from what seemed to be empty shadows.

I know they have made contact with the dark one again. The group has genealogies that go all the way back to the Gralga and Fedor nova events.

You have compelled me with your evidence, Gardener, said Beatopanga. I calculate that the Space Ranger will probably get closer to them than we could, and he will find out what they are up to.

*

The Space Ranger put together a plan. Surveillance data cold pinpoint probabilities in the routine of this Thorcal individual to put Skarlatos at just the right place so his shoulder brushes up against Thorcal’s shoulder in the street as they passed each other. That indicated to an invisible partner what individual to follow. As Thorcal continued down the sidewalk without suspicion, Skarlatos turned a corner to stop. He took out a communication device. A pale-skinned hairless humanoid appeared on the small communicator screen.

I am securely parked on his person. I will collect all possible data on his activities and keep you informed.

Thanks, Beaticuloro. They are meeting tonight, which should be very interesting.

Well, it is nothing but boring right now. It looks like our suspect is stopping someplace to eat.

Keep me up-to-date, Beaticuloro. Skarlatos Stonespencer naturally behaved politely to BEAT programs and other forms of artificially intelligent quanta-nanocode technologies. Unlike Skarlatos, some Negolim exhibited an irrational hostility to artificially intelligent machines, or else they threatened their technologies constantly like some unkind animal owners rudely treating their pets. The approach that Skarlatos took proved to be better by having many friends and allies like Beaticuloro establishing him as the Space Ranger success that he was.

*

Later Skarlatos back at headquarters interfaced with his BEAT communicator displaying what Beaticuloro saw on a bigger view screen. The thinking program narrated the cult's activity.

Black robes are the uniform for whatever they are up to. Do you hear the noise they are making?

A silent moment allowed the background noise to articulate. … Ralus Xnoga. Ralus Xnoga. Ralus Xnoga. …

It really starts aggravating my circuit molecules after a while.

Skarlatos replied. I can hear it. It is evidently an entity that this group worships or something.

Then with their droning chant, they entered a room as a single file line to circle a vehicle parked in a black circle painted on the floor.

Beaticularo continued its report to Skarlatos. Oh, this is highly advanced. This is no ordinary craft. I think this forms counter oscillating positronic fields that go between dimensions. No.… This goes to higher dimensions.

All Skarlatos saw was the view through a tiny microscopic BEAT nano-bot program flying through quanta-nanocode circuitry. It just made no sense to the Space Ranger.

Do you see the basis of this technology? asked Beaticularo.

No, Beaticuloro, it just looks like technology to me.

Oh, this is exotic. I think I have an ancient memory from when I was into this sort of thing. It was called event horizon processing. Very exotic implications present themselves with this kind of technology that before I have only appreciated from within speculation's realm.

Skarlatos watched as one of the thirty-two cult members strapped themselves into the vehicle. It could only have been Thorcal, where the physical form of the nano-bot program watched while attached to his neck.

My physical form is going on this ride. I am going back into it, so I can watch what happens from that perspective. The group is going to use this vehicle to travel to higher dimensions.

It looked like a tiny carnival ride bumper car with a single seat Thorcal strapped himself into. He activated the controls causing the hyper-dimensional craft to hum. Then it started to glow before beginning to fade away from view. We are rising through dimensions, Skarlatos. I do not know if my quantum-synchronization will ….

Skarlatos lost contact with his BEAT program. He started to worry about the trouble he would get into if he damaged or lost that equipment.

*

Beaticuloro no longer existed in this dimension, and the scenery surrounding the vehicle changed with each dimension as if the light itself presenting reality shifted from some version of visible to infrared and beyond. The craft arrived to orbit around a giant black sphere that, to the BEAT program along for this ride, seemed merely a caricature of a singularity in space. The surroundings glowed with the presence of tightly packed stars around a central void with just a few in visible orbits. Beaticuloro could tell this had been some stylized miniature view of the galactic core.

Then a voice like thunder roared from the black sphere below. You have not come alone, Thorcal. I detect an intruder on your neck.

Oh-oh, was all Beaticuloro peeped before a bolt of lightning shot out from below onto the point on Thorcal's neck occupied by the physical form of a microscopic BEAT program. Bluish electricity fizzled around Beaticuloro and all its surroundings leaving the nano-bot body broken into two separate inanimate molecules within a tiny construction known as a physical form. That physical form had been no more prominent than the head on a pin for this mission’s sake. Thorcal pried it off his neck as the craft reappeared in this dimension.

Thorcal un-strapped himself from the dimensional craft as he told the other thirty-one, It is soon time for us to leave this star system to a safe distance from any of these star door stars. Someone get me something to secure this BEAT program with. We need to find out what this actually is and who planted it on me.

* * *

It is a sight that does take away my remembrance for breathing when we do come upon a habitable planet such as this, said Dundar the Wayfarer Captain of an entire spaceship fleet.

Ardray Dunnan worked as the High Priest of the Ei religion, which Eagolim taught to primitive intelligent life forms they came across in their travels through the stars. I sense intellectual life down there with primitive cultures. It appears that these life forms have already evolved pentanthropomorphic viability.

So already in our image they be made, said Gul Cumbuviyet, the brother of Captain Dundar Cumbuviyet.

I shall take the Mynervood pyramid spaceship to the surface as an emissary to these competent life forms, said Captain Dundar.

Not for that honor to the non-expendable Captain, my brother. Gul knew he could win this argument and get to be the first to breathe the breathable air on a planet after so many uninhabitable star systems before.

Very well then, brother. Take with you the intelligent hatchet and a hyper shield for defense.

I'll make a quantum-communication to Nephapricus Priests to tell of another life form that we can teach the ways of Ei, said an excited Ardray on his way out of the observation control room.

Well, give my regards to those Negolim, answered the Captain as the Priest left.

All Eagolim in this fleet were blue-skinned descendants of the Children of Dol, with hair on their heads like lion manes and facial hair on men. They were the great star travelers that were powerful Eagolim that derogatorily consider individuals on star door planets as nothing more than Negolim. Negolim began meaning planetary galactic life forms not living in vast empty deep space voids like they did. Thus Negolim became a word always coming off the Eagolim tongue with a hint of a sneer. Eagolim were faster-than-light space travelers traversing the depths of the abyss between stars at speeds exponentially slowing the time flow. The Eagolim regarded themselves as the genuine Nephapricus citizens serving with pride as the galactic empire's lifeblood.

The planet could have been Earth with familiar green foliage and trees except two non-spherical captured asteroids performed in the sky as moons. The planet appeared only a little larger than Earth, and ten thousand Eagolim space travelers in the sky above got anxious to start a colony there. However, that wasn't going to happen on this planet because they discovered intelligent life already thriving below. There would, however, be a discreet location like a remote island where they could still come on down to the planet to enjoy some Negolim time.

They would still probably leave a small Ei priest colony behind to cultivate the Ei ways into the culture below after they first carry out procedures establishing themselves as superior beings, or as primitives liked to call them, gods. The first step to accomplishing that would be landing a mountain-sized pyramid spaceship on the planet. Any sentient life form would be in awe of the commanding shape upon the landscape, as well as any personages flying such a giant mountain.

So the triangular pyramid bigger than any surrounding mountains landed at a place with no detectible life forms, yet still close to an alien civilization barely masters of fire according to the starship's computer analysis from above. It appeared like a mountain like no other mountain anyone on this planet ever saw. It had different lights with colors; some blinked like phosphorescent signs in a city that advertised this mountain was the gods' home.

Then one god came out of the mountain wielding a giant battleaxe of such an exaggerated size it appeared half as tall as the god carrying it. The god’s name was Gul. Gul also took a round shield that, despite a glowing red circle at its center, still looked like ancient Romans used it. He defied the gravity even stronger than Earth's as he swung the giant ax into trees and foliage it sliced through like butter. Gul trail-blazed, a path in the direction towards what, from above, looked like a road. Gul lived for this while breathing deeply the surrounding atmosphere. He cherished these moments when he explored planets that no Eagolim had ever been to before.

On planets like this one already cultivating intelligent life, these wayfarers from the stars usually tried to establish local monolithic locations to attract the primitive terrestrials. Then they would pose as gods instructing them in civilization and agricultural ways. At the same time, they would manipulate their DNA making them evolve toward the pentanthropomorphic ideal with two legs to walk upright on and two arms usually featuring four fingers with an opposable thumb.

Gul, the Space Viking

Gul got immersed in his task clearing a path through a jungle of trees and nature’s growth. He understood this usually would be the terrain to deal with when finding a spot to land a mountain without crushing anybody’s home or developed property. They even preceded the landing with invisible frequencies that caused most animal life in the area to leave in a mass exodus. That even provided further evidence for intelligent terrestrials that they were being visited by superior life forms.

Finally, the humanoid Eagolim in a spacesuit swinging an ax came out of the thick vegetation onto a stone road. He looked like some samurai in battle armor with a helmet able to generate invisible shielding that kept him alive in outer space, but with that shielding turned off, it looked like something an ancient Viking would wear into battle. He spoke into one helmet horn pointing toward his mouth. This is a sophisticated road that is made from some kind of processed stone-like material laid out and smoothed over. I am not sure what Ei is going to be able to teach these primitives, Ardray.

You should take to the right where you meet that road. There exists a civilization close to that direction by three to four more pyramid-lengths. Dundar spoke from inside the far-off pyramid spaceship in the background, but Ardray the Ei priest undoubtedly also listened inside the distant mountain.

Gul spoke to the giant-sized ax. You can lighten up a bit now, Nir.

The ax named Nir responded by becoming so light that it almost floated. Gul then swung it over his shoulder to carry it with its sharp dual-blades behind his head. His suit provided enhanced strength, but the quanta-nanocoded ax still seemed bulky and a challenge to hoist at its natural weight.

I am heading down the road. It looks like wheeled transportation often uses this. Track marks are unmistakable.

Eventually, after Gul had walked down the road a couple miles, his shield suddenly lifted itself up in the air to catch arrows bouncing them harmlessly to the ground.

The natives are attacking now. Mejul just saved my face from projectile weapons with some mean-looking sharp tips.

Minimize casualties for the sake of sending some back with stories. Bring back an exemplification of their species for us to study.

The shield now became detached from his arm catching more arrows, flying around bouncing projectiles to the ground like it played some game, and it was very good at this game. The inhabitants on this planet were humanoid with fur-like hair coming down their backsides to their legs. A small tail dangled to the knees between the back of their anthropomorphic legs. Their front sides were pinkish skin with many nipple-like features, but they were unmistakably humanoid-like.

They kept shooting at the magic shield with bows and arrows, and Gul wondered if it had really been from just the usual collective fear of this strange adversary.

Well, Nir, just destroy their projectile delivery devices, and wound me one to take back.

The ax made a mechanical noise in response to say, okay, before Gul hurled the giant ax at his attackers. The ax flew right through all the bows to break them all. Then it swooped back around the seven attackers as they began fleeing while wounding one in the leg. The planetary inhabitant fell in visible pain as the others disappeared down the road leaving him behind.

The alien looked terrified by the blue humanoid in body armor that never got touched by a single arrow. In … Incapricans. Please! Take me not to your deep abode.

Did you hear that, Dundar? The translator used the word Incaprican. I think he thinks I am one of those reptile aliens we encounter from time to time.

Very interesting, Gul. Bring him back, and we’ll rejuvenate his leg and ascertain what he portended by that.

This lost wayfarers fleet was made up of the nomadic Eagolim that got cut off a hundred million years before when the stars Gralga and Fedor both went nova at about the same time. They still communicated with the rest of the Nephapricus Empire by quantum-synchronized communication technologies, but they remained too far away from any star door star. They now resigned to the purpose of traveling from star to star, encouraging the evolution of life in their image. Now, after so much traveling the galactic arm, these Space Viking wayfarers were finally getting close to the star door star called Ea.

*

Ardray Dunnan served as the primary mystical chaperone for the Eagolim wayfarers, who still maintained communication with the High Priest of Ei on the planet Doldoria. A blue-skinned hairless Doldorian priest hologram appeared in the light from the quantum communication device.

Brother Ardray, it is amiable that your image shows you with maintained exuberance. The hologram made a hand signal to indicate he was done speaking.

Your viability also appears as animated as ever, brother Dostol. I have established this contact to report that there are already intelligent pentanthropomorphized life forms that are thriving on the planet E dash three three four eight six dot eight eight nine nine dash zero eight dot two four dot four four dot five. They build cities and walk upright and feature thick fur on their backsides with pink frontal bellies. Their cranial capacity is quite well developed. He returned the same hand signal to indicate he was done talking.

There always existed a few seconds pause to deal with in quantum communication. I look forward to a more detailed report when you can dissect a specimen.

We have a specimen but are only going to interrogate him. We may leave some priests behind but do not plan on any genetic or quanta-nanocoded experimentation. Life is too far along on its own genetic course here for us to interfere. he signaled for the pause.

We come again to our point of dissent and disunity among Priests of Ei. Life is never too far along to interfere with.

The disagreement between the priests had to do with the purpose of the quantum-bit processing code called quanta-nanocode, which became a self-replicating catalyst for creating its own life form. Scientists were divided between the Negolim and the Eagolim about what to do with the implications of this technology. Negolim wanted to use it to further their own evolution, but the Eagolim tried to take it to distant stars to do their own experiments with creating and evolving other life forms.

Ardray Dunnan was among an order of Ei priests who believed that the Eagolim existed as bearers of this technology to ultimately create a life that would be more evolved than them. They taught that the BEAT programs and the star doors were early attempts to fulfill that divine purpose. The Ei priests were split into factions over this purpose. One sect believed they were to create their superior being who would be more intelligent, stronger, and live a longer life than mere biological organic life forms. The other faction wanted to use the same technologies to turn the Nephapricans into those superior immortal entities.

*

The alien no longer appeared terrified, and he even looked a bit relieved, but he still seemed confused. Translation technologies translated the conversation both ways for each species’ ears.

Who are you supreme beings? Where … Where are you from? Did your mountain not come up from down below where the scaled ones dwell?

Dundar spoke for the blue humanoids. This mountain has come down from the great stars of the mighty Magphoreus in your sky above. We dwell in the stars, and we have many of these mountains that are still up there looking down. What are the ‘scaled ones’ from down under that you speak of?

I was raised on the legends and have known a few in my life fallen victim to the scaled ones. They usually come in the night to take chosen ones to where they live down under the ground to never be seen again. I have seen them before, and we try to make them go away with our weapons, but they always take some of us with them before they leave. It is said that they feed on we who dwell on the surface, just as we feed on the livestock we cultivate in meadows and pastures.

Aha! interjected Gul. That is not the first time we have stumbled upon Incapricans that were eating other sentient life forms. They are anthropophaginian at their essence.

Dundar had a similar yet less audible revulsion. Let’s do some high-frequency wavelength analysis on the insides of this planet. Let’s see what kind of unnatural architecture might show up.

* * *

We do not have any other BEAT programs with this office! That makes this loss beyond a price, Skarlatos! You have destroyed a priceless piece of equipment, Space Ranger!

I am still not yet sure what really happened, sir. I lost contact with the BEAT program and did not regain it after Thorcal returned from his dimensional trip.

That only means that the BEAT program would be here right now if it had not been captured or broken! Who did you say you were following with this BEAT equipment?

His name is Thorcal Bendamma, and he is the leader of a secret cult of some sort.

I heard about Thorcal Bendamma, and he is a prominent member in the higher echelons on Glokodox. We are going to catch adversity from above when he learns about this investigation.

I do not think he is aware of us yet, sir.

Well, he is going to be just as soon as we search his premises to reacquire that BEAT program. We will be organizing a raid this afternoon to find that BEAT equipment! As of now, you are off this case!

I was appointed to this case by Beatopanga, the star door entity.

I know that, and I do not care. As of now, you are off of this case. Be here in three cycles to help out with the search of Thorcal’s premises. You say the physical form was attached to his neck?

That was before I lost contact. Thorcal might have secured the device elsewhere since then.

I guess we will learn more after we obtain the official accreditation for the raid. You can be dismissed now.

Skarlatos got into a lot of trouble for using the BEAT program named Beaticuloro, and his boss, Musmar Kanipan, yelled at him for the last hour or so. Now he had to tell Beatopanga he was off the case. He brought up a one-eyed hologram of the Holdus star door entity with his communicator.

Skarlatos! I have been waiting to acquire contact with you. I was told by your communicator that you were in an official meeting.

That was a polite way to say I was getting yelled at by my boss. I lost a BEAT program that I used to watch them when they took some kind of craft to a higher dimension or something.

Oh, I see. My precaution to you was that they could detect such things. That was why I sent you instead of going myself.

Yeah, wrong move. I am afraid that it damaged the little guy beyond repair. There will be a raid to retrieve the equipment as soon as Musmar can get official authorization.

That will put an end to our loose association with this investigation. Perhaps I can perform that invasion for you. I’ll be right back.

The communication ended, and Skarlatos stood in a Space Ranger headquarters hallway wondering if he should go anywhere or not. He thought his boss, Musmar Kanipan, could be such a Negolim prick sometimes. Negolim ran Nephapricus from star door planets like an aristocratic bureaucracy class. To the star-traveling Eagolim, they just appeared absolutely corrupt.

Then the real Beatopanga appeared right next to him. I found your missing BEAT program within this physical form. Between two tentacle fingers, the one-eyed squid organism held a tiny disk. Thorcal had it secured in a magnetic field container. The BEAT program got broken in two pieces, and currently no longer functions.

The squid entity showed Skarlatos a tiny quanta-nanocode spec.

Musmar came out of his office as if he had been listening in. That’s my BEAT program, and you broke it, Skarlatos. This is going to affect your galactic credit account, I promise you, Space Ranger!

It felt like a historically bad day in the career of Space Ranger Skarlatos when Beatopanga spoke up. Actually, this once happened to me a long time ago before I became a star door entity, and I think it might reassemble with just a little electromagnetism in the right place. Here. Hold this for a second.

It placed the pinhead-sized disk in the palm of Skarlatos’ hand and disappeared.

The two Space Rangers shared a tense moment together, wondering if this would work. Then the tiny spec made a noise. …think it’s some kind of black sphere entity in this other dimension. Ahh! …

Beatopanga reappeared. Beaticuloro is now reassembled and fully functional again.

I am back to report an extraordinary journey, Space Ranger Skarlatos, said the now hovering physical form.

He and you are off the case, Beaticuloro. Musmar grabbed the tiny hovering physical form right out of the air and returned to his office. The automatic door slid rapidly shut behind him.

I can still get the report from the BEAT program Beatopanga. Musmar is just contemptible at the moment. Thanks for fixing that program. It will really help with me talking him into letting me back on this case.

You should stay with this investigation Skarlatos. This is quickly developing into what I most feared.

I can continue unofficially, said Skarlatos. At least until I get in trouble for it.

Investigate the family history of those thirty-two individuals that were at that meeting. That will help open your eyes to what I fear they are up to.

*

Later Skarlatos worked on his computer to investigate all thirty-two members.

His wife got disappointed in his dedication. Oh dear, why must you continue working into late hours? Come sit with me and relax.

I’m sorry, Garlaplil, but I have been given an assignment by Beatopanga, the star door entity of Glokodox. It is imperative. Garlaplil Stonespencer was his wife. She always struggled with being a dedicated Space Ranger wife.

He was accessing data banks on Glokodox history for thirty-two of the most prominent families on the planet. It’s a good thing Beatopanga could retrieve the missing BEAT program because Musmar was never going to get that official accreditation, thought Skarlatos. The 32 lineages went back several million years, and they only interbred while keeping wealth in the families. They met in secret lodges that he always saw around the planet before and wondered about. It was an exclusive club that most were never worthy of belonging to and never would be. Skarlatos got told before that it was based on specific bloodlines.

As the research night dragged on and his wife gave up on him, he began learning significant history related to these families. It went back a hundred and eight million years of past when the Fedor and Gralga nova events occurred. He learned the entity he sent a BEAT program to get attacked by was really out to destroy the Nephapricus stars. Those two novae were the last times it succeeded. He found out these families each produced one of the thirty-two to communicate with an alien organism encompassing this most obscene ambition. That was the original reason why the Eagolim surviving those two nova events now traveled from star to star spreading the Nephapricus mammal species in defiance of the entity wanting to eradicate them. Skarlatos Stonespencer felt astonished by this revelation, and he understood at that moment that this investigation had to continue.

Chapter 2

Chair, adjust to the higher position. Skarlatos always had to tell the chair to do that after his wife sat in it. The chair then rose about three inches in response to the Space Ranger's command.

Garlaplil could be heard in the other room arguing with the food production mechanism. I did not request this spheechop to be so spiced up. I would discard you to the trash if not that all you food producers never get this right.

The food production mechanism seemed obligated to defend itself. I accessed a highly acclaimed recipe for a marinated spheechop calculated to be appreciated. You requested that I spice it up like a high-class establishment might serve. The recipe I chose is served in many acclaimed establishments.

Well, you have overdone it again, you incompetent excuse for intelligence.

Skarlatos, however, thought the spheechops smelled so good his stomach growled. He figured she got that poor program trying so hard that tonight's dinner would taste extra delicious. It occurred to him that Garlaplil never complemented technologies. He started worrying she might treat their child the same way before he realized there was a universe of difference between quanta-nanocoded artificially intelligent technology and a child they tried to make together.

Quanta-nanocode inundated all Nephapricus technologies. That gave everything a hint of individual intelligence.

Technologies were mostly self-healing, and they did their own maintenance. That became fortunate for Negolim generations since technology experts became hard to come by.

The spheechops were mouth-wateringly delicious. Even