The Cape of the End of the World II: Revenge: The Cape of the End of the World Saga, #2

By g. vicente-arche

"No one humiliates a Frabont and lives to tell about it. An endless path of pain and suffering awaits you, you will be victims and executioners of your own incompetence. And when grief over your mistakes drives you to the brink of suicide, then we will end your pathetic lives."

This is the sinister threat posed by the General in Command of an incredible underground military base before turning his gigantic planet into a nuclear wasteland.

The evil game devised by one of the most advanced races in the Universe to destroy the Earth and with it the group of Atlanteans who thwarted their macabre plans to exterminate the human race, begins.

Now, they only have one objective:

REVENGE

• Language: English
• Publisher: BadPress
• Release date: Apr 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9781667465197

Book preview

THE CAPE OF THE END OF THE WORLD

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VOLUME II

REVENGE

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Translated by Denia Mc Grew

THE CAPE OF THE END OF THE WORLD - VOLUME II – REVENGE

© of the text: G. Vicente-Arche

© cover design: Julio César Fernández Mariscal

© proofreading: Irene Muñoz Serrulla

© Translated by Denia Mc Grew

Distributed by Babelcube, Inc.

www.babelcube.com

All rights reserved. The total or partial reproduction of this work is not allowed. Nor the incorporation into a computer system, nor its transmission in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the copyright holders. The infringement of these rights may constitute a crime against intellectual property.

A Family Dinner

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We are already in the middle of December. Today has dawned with an intense sea mist that soaks you to the bone, as is usual at this time of year in my beloved Galicia. Tomorrow my friends will go home to spend Christmas with their families, but tonight we are going to have a wonderful evening together. My aunt and uncle have invited them to dinner to celebrate the holidays in advance. This year has been a bit chaotic, I have spent a lot of time away from home and my aunt was waiting for an opportunity like this to bring the whole group together. Last year, I had organized a pre-Christmas dinner for my friends; then we were seven. Now the group has thirteen people. In total we will be sixteen, because Katy, Tom’s wife, will come in the end. At the last minute, she has gotten a babysitter to stay with the little one and she can come to dinner.

I got up very earlier than usual to go with my uncle Ramón to the market; my aunt Marta has given us a very long shopping list so that we do not miss something.

If we buy everything on the shopping list we’ll have to make two trips, my uncle growled, sounding a bit annoyed. But his protests were hardly credible, since he, like his wife, was delighted to play host to my friends.

I think we did not lack any market stall to visit. All except for the butcher shop, because yesterday my uncle had brought some good veal steaks from the slaughterhouse, so it was not necessary to go through it. The one we quickly swept away was the seafood stall, three huge king crabs accompanied by langoustines, barnacles, clams and eleven pounds of mussels. Oh, and of course octopus, lots of octopus.

But the worst was yet to come, and it was as we approached the beverage store. Four cases of beer, a case of red wine from La Rioja, another from Ribera del Duero, and two cases of twelve bottles of Albariño, as well as another case of homemade brandy.

Your aunt says that since she doesn’t know what they’re going to drink, it’s better to take everything with us. Alcoholic drinks take a long time to expire, he said with an enigmatic smile.

I’m sure the brandy and the Albariño won’t last long, I answered, while I smiled mockingly.

In the end we managed to buy and load everything in one trip, but the car was more crowded than when I was a child and we were going on vacation for a week. Between unloading what we had bought and putting it away, it was time for lunch.

Well, we’ll eat something of everything we’ve brought now, right? Asked my uncle, with a face as if he had whetted his appetite for so much delicacy.

Yes, of course, my aunt replied complacently. Now I’ll cook some barnacles and some mussels to eat, but not many. There is also part of the cod stew that I made yesterday, but don’t fill yourselves up, there is plenty of food for tonight.

After eating I began to prepare our house for the great evening. The truth is that our living room was very spacious and we should not have space problems, but for those of us who were going to be, the dining room table seemed small. I just had to take the table we had on the kitchen terrace and find some extra chairs.

Since early in the morning, my friends had called and texted me to offer their help, but my aunt had insisted that no, that they dress elegantly and to come around 8:30 pm. Luca, funny as always, to play a joke on me, asked my aunt whether to wear a tailcoat or a tuxedo, so I hurried to tell the rest of the guys to come casual-dressed, neither suits nor formal jackets. If any of them showed up like that, my aunt would soon be sending me up to my bedroom to put on a coat and tie, and I hated that with all my soul.

Between the three of us organized everything quite well. Before going upstairs to change my clothes, I lit the barbecue on the kitchen terrace with some good logs. "If someone wants a steak, the coals will be perfect," I thought.

I put on a pair of jeans that I had bought the day before and a heavy, dark green shirt. Maybe it was not very elegant, but since I was going to be in charge of the barbecue, and it was on the covered terrace of the kitchen, if I wore a thinner dress shirt in the end I was going to get sick from going in and out of the house so many times.

My friends came in groups. The first ones were Hans and Tekia. He was wearing dark brown chino pants and a light brown wool vest that revealed the sleeves of a nice white shirt. She was wearing a beautiful dark blue dress, made of a velvet-like fabric, which made her figure quite stylized. Tekia and my aunt Marta had not seen each other more than a couple of times, but the reunion between them was very affectionate. As soon as they greeted each other, the two went chatting animatedly towards the kitchen, and I could hear how Tekia commented to my aunt how beautiful Galicia was and how well it was eaten.

The rest of my teammates came almost altogether. Shamir arrived with Ari and Kinari. He was wearing dark blue dress pants, a very light cream-colored shirt, and a blue sports jacket with elbow patches. It was obvious that his clothes were made to measure, because they looked great on him and seemed to be of very good quality. Ari and Kinari wore two spectacular black dresses. Kinari’s was lower-cut and tighter than her older sister’s, but each one in her style looked great. Kinari wore long, flowing hair, the deep black of which shone brightly whenever she caught the reflection of the hall’s ceiling lights. Ari wore her hair in a pretty updo, which allowed her to show off some gorgeous ruby drop earrings. However, despite how different their outfits and hairstyles were, the resemblance between them was incredible, so much so that they could pass for twin sisters.

Next, Tom and Katy met at the door, with Irina and her sister Alexandra. Tom looked like he was wearing military clothing, dark blue pants and a light blue shirt. His wife, Katy, was wearing a pretty pale pink dress that fell just below the knee with a plunging neckline. Irina, fantastic as always, was wearing a rather long cream-colored dress, with a square neckline that highlighted her excellent physique. For her part, Alexandra wore a very youthful black dress, with a very short skirt and stockings of the same color.

Then Luca and Kiara arrived, both spectacular. Every time I saw him I was more convinced that the Italians had in their blood to dress well. Without a doubt, Luca and Shamir were the ones who had the most taste in dressing; they knew how to combine it very well and it always looked perfect on them. Some pretty maroon dress pants combined perfectly with a beautiful white shirt. Kiara, for her part, wore a white dress with a long V-neckline, and a bare back.

The lasts to arrive were Albert and Erika. Albert dressed very similar to Hans, chino pants, light shirt and woolen vest, while his sister Erika was beautiful in her emerald green dress, her long blonde hair and her wonderful blue eyes. She also wore heels that made her be at the same height as me.

You are beautiful, I whispered in her ear.

Sorry for the delay, she told me. I broke my heel just as we were getting into the taxi, I had to change my shoes again.

I escorted them to the living room to join the rest of my friends, and went to the kitchen to help my aunt finalize the dinner preparations.

But how handsome your friends are! My aunt exclaimed as she placed the langoustines she had just finished cooking in a large dish, and she took the opportunity to look at me out of the corner of her eye. You could have already put on other clothes, you’re the only one wearing jeans and that thick shirt that looks like it belongs to a Canadian lumberjack or something.

Auntie, I’ll take care of the barbecue later, and I’m going to freeze on the terrace. Besides, I’m more comfortable, and I’m just wearing these brand new jeans, I protested softly but firmly, as I uncorked a bottle of wine.

Of course, so it’s no wonder your pretty friends don’t notice you. Look how handsome and how well-matched Luca and his girlfriend Kiara are, my aunt added in a mocking tone.

Alexandra and Kinari had gone into the kitchen to help and overheard the conversation.

You don’t have to worry, Marta, Alexandra told her while she laughed in an amused way and looked at me with some complicity. Even if Santiago had come down to dinner in squared flannel pajamas, we would all fall in love.

The truth, Marta, is that you have such a good-looking nephew that, whatever he wears, he’s always very handsome, Kinari added mischievously, while she winked at me.

My aunt could not help but start laughing, and heartily. At that moment Erika entered the kitchen to help and Alexandra asked her:

Marta says that Santiago dressed like that is not attractive to women. What do you think, Erika? Alexandra asked in an amused tone, as she nodded her head as if to signal Erika to play along.

In a chocolate, the packaging is the least of it, the important thing is how good it is inside, Erika answered as she gave me a loud kiss on the cheek.

And she left the kitchen with a big smile and with a plate of langoustine towards the living room.

You don’t have to suck it up, Alexandra, my aunt Marta said as she took her arm and looked at her tenderly. I know that Santiago has left you an ashtray in the pantry and the window a little open so you can smoke in peace, so you don’t have to go outside and be cold.

Don’t worry, Marta, I’m used to smoking on the terrace of my house, in Saint Petersburg, and sometimes with temperatures of 4°F, Alexandra said as she put a cigarette in her mouth and left through the kitchen’s door. Also, with the barbecue on, I can smoke outdoors and be warm, and since it’s covered I won’t get wet if it rains.

Alexandra disappeared across the kitchen terrace to have a cigarette, and Kinari went to bring trays of mussels to the table.

I don’t know if you have many love affairs or not, commented my aunt, who was still dying with laughter, what’s clear is that with Kinari and Alexandra you don’t have time to get bored, that’s for sure.

No, Aunt, no, with them there is not a moment of peace or tranquility, I told her as I sighed.

Alexandra came back from smoking and between the three of us brought the last trays of food and the remaining drink to the table. As soon as we sat down at the table, it seemed to me like those medieval movies, in which there were many people sitting around a large table full of food. Three huge spider crabs were placed at equal distance from each other, as if they were gigantic centerpieces, and among them were platters and plates full of different types of seafood.

You know guys, at the table we don’t talk about work, or sad news, or about the aliens from last year, or any other tragedy, my aunt said with a happy face. Here one comes to have fun and to enjoy good food, and also good drink.

We began to have dinner and the jokes between us did not take long to appear. Perhaps the long it took us to drink the first beers and the first glasses of wine. Hans and Luca had decided to teach Tekia and Kiara how to split the legs of the spider crab, who had not yet tried it in the time they had been on Earth, and the situation became funny, since they were not very experienced either.

This creature is very good! Tekia exclaimed after trying a little piece of its leg, while Hans was fighting to break off another piece.

Guys, Alexandra said as she looked at Hans and Luca with a resigned face, it will be dawn before you finish splitting the first leg. Let me show the girls how it’s done while you fight with whatever you’re going to eat.

Alexandra began to open the legs of the crab with a skill that surprised everyone, and she left Hans and Luca open-mouthed.

Alexandra, what a good way you have, my aunt told her, surprised.

"In my country, the chatka or Russian spider crab, which is caught in the Barents Sea, is very typical, she replied as she broke the legs and removed the whole pieces of meat with astonishing speed. My father, my brother Boris and I love it, so if there’s good stuff on the market, my father buys some and we eat until we burst. Irina doesn’t like it very much, it’s because she’s very fancy and doesn’t like to stain her hands with food."

That was before trying the clams in green sauce that Marta prepares, Irina answered as she smiled and took one with her hand.

This spider crab is delicious, Alexandra continued after swallowing a good piece of leg. Undoubtedly better than the Russian crab, and it is very good.

You have to try the head, my aunt told her, delighted to see how Alexandra was enjoying the crustacean. I have mixed it with a secret sauce of mine and it has a lot of Albariño wine.

Alexandra picked up a spoon and tasted it. She made a gesture that it tasted great and prompted Tekia and Kiara to try it.

You girls have to try it, Alexandra advised in wonder. "In Russia the head of the chatka is like a boy’s brain, you can see that there is something, but you try it and it has no taste. However, the one of this spider crab is fantastic, it must be because it is a girl."

Ha, ha, ha, how cute. Well, for me, the brain of girls is like that of those clams that you find sometimes, that you don’t stop cooking and cooking and they don’t even open at all, said Luca as he struggled to open a closed clam with the tip of a knife.

It’s that you have to treat it with affection, Irina assured as she took the clam from Luca and, with great care, after inserting her fingernail a little between the edges of it, it opened before Luca’s astonished face.

Are you going to want more octopus? Kinari asked, as she picked up the huge earthenware dish my aunt had prepared it in, though without letting go of it. When I was here in December I ate and loved it, and since I came back I don’t go a week without trying it.

As I already know how much you like it, there’s another plate just as big in the kitchen, so eat as much as you want, my aunt said with a big smile, astonished by the good appetite of the diners.

Kinari rose from her chair and went to give the hostess a hug and two tender kisses.

You’re great, Martha. A big kiss from me and the other from my sister Ari, who is always more dull and shier, because if I don’t share octopus with her now, she will kill me. If I like it, she likes it more, Kinari commented amusedly.

Without thinking twice, Ari got up and gave my aunt Marta a big hug and a kiss.

Thank you, Marta, I love how you prepare the octopus.

My uncle Ramón looked very happy, he had Hans on one side and Luca on the other. While my uncle was teaching Hans how to remove the meat from the barnacles, Luca took the opportunity to refill his glass of Albariño, in such a way that my aunt, sitting at the other end of the table, would not find out, which meant that from time to time my uncle gave Luca grateful and complicit glances, yes, without my aunt noticing.

On the other hand, my aunt was sitting between Erika and Katy, and between the three of them they did the honors to a large platter of langoustines. Erika peeled a very large one, and after dipping it in mayonnaise, she gave it to me to try.

Come on, you haven’t eaten any and at this rate you won’t have a chance, Erika told me, while she gave me a beautiful look of affection and tenderness.

Thank you so much, gorgeous, I whispered as I savored the langoustine and returned a loving smile.

Shamir and Irina, meanwhile, were eating the clams and mussels that my aunt had prepared with three different sauces. The ones who seemed to like seafood the least were Albert and Tom, so I got up from the table to prepare a grilled steak for them.

Yes, great, Albert told me at once, but I don’t want to bother you either, we’re in the middle of dinner and I don’t want to interrupt you.

Don’t worry, it’s just a matter of going back and forth to the barbecue a couple of times, I answered complacently. Besides, both you and Tom must be hungry, you’ve barely tasted the seafood.

I got up, went to the fridge for the tray of steaks, and headed for the barbecue. It did not take long for Alexandra to appear for a cigarette near the heat of the barbecue. Seeing how good those huge steaks looked, she asked me to prepare one for her, that she would find someone to share it with. I figured this would happen to the rest of my friends, so I put four more on the barbecue, in addition to Tom and Albert’s. The embers gave the perfect heat so that the meat was cooked just right, and surely there would be more than one who would sign up to try it. I pulled out the first two, and both Albert and Tom were impressed.

How tasty they look, but hey, they are very big! Tom exclaimed as he stared in astonishment at the tremendous steak.

A little over two pounds each, but between the fact that the meat is very tender and the bone is very large, one can finish it easily, I answered. I have four more that are ready. Shall I bring and share them?

They nodded, which I thought was an understatement, so by the time I removed the first two from the coals, I put in two more. I put one to share between my uncle, Hans and Luca, and my uncle cleared my doubts.

This, as an appetizer for the three of us, will be fine, my uncle sneered.

When I saw how the steaks were finishing, I put some more on the coals, until I saw that my friends could not eat any more meat. Although it may seem incredible, and after all the seafood we had eaten, of the eleven steaks that I prepared, only the bones remained, and we were sixteen people. The greatest faces of happiness were undoubtedly that of my aunt and uncle, they were very pleased to see that people had a good appetite and that they enjoyed their food.

After the meat, my aunt had prepared wonderful cream pastries for dessert. My friends started saying they could not eat any more, but the dessert tray ended up completely clean; the girls, much more greedy than the boys, gave a good account of the pastries.

And finally, of course, a huge queimada. We prepared it together in a gigantic clay container, each one had to add part of the ingredients. Of course my aunt reserved the liquor, emptying the contents of a couple of old liquor bottles into the jar. My friends were impressed by my aunt’s theatrics in reciting her incantation, with the lights off and the flames of the brew glowing. Alexandra and Kinari liked it so much that they asked my aunt to teach them the incantation and repeat it with them. So, before we started drinking it, we had to hear the incantation a couple more times. After all three of them recited it well together, Kinari and Alexandra slapped each other’s hands in celebration.

Ari and Irina, our dear sisters, Alexandra said as she wrapped her arm around Kinari’s waist. The time has come to fear us. At any moment we can make you disappear because deep down... we know what witches you are.

I’ll show you what it’s like to be a witch at home, as soon as I mix your white clothes with your colored clothes in the washing machine and everything comes out like rainbow, Irina answered with a mischievous smile.

The occurrence was funny and we laughed a lot, and so we continued with the jokes until we finished the queimada, almost at dawn. We had to call a lot of taxis, because in anticipation of having a few more drinks, no one had come in their car. My aunt did not let no one help us clear the table, because they were all very elegant and I would have time to do it.

Dinner was good, right? My aunt asked me as soon as we were alone. The truth is that with the incorporation of Kinari and Alexandra to your group one can tell that you are much more animated. Before, the only joker was Luca who, thank God, is still the same as always.

Yes, it has been great, my friends have had a great time and the food has been spectacular, thank you very much, Aunt, I told her as I gave her a big hug.

Let’s go to sleep, Santiago. Tomorrow we’ll pick up all this mess in the house, she suggested with a tender look. Your uncle has already gone upstairs to rest.

Alright, I’m just going to go put out the embers that are left in the barbecue and I’ll go upstairs.

I went out to the kitchen terrace and poured some water on the fire so that it would finish consuming. While I waited for the embers to cool down, I went out into the back garden to gaze at the stars. The sky was clear and, although it was quite cold, there was nothing as calming as contemplating a beautiful starry December night.

At that moment I began to think about everything that was coming to us. As in January, the end of this complicated year would again put us to the test as Atlanteans, defenders of the Universe, and as protectors of this planet.

"How hard this year has been," I thought.

After the Council of 10,000 Planets at the beginning of the year we thought we could be more relaxed for a while, but we did not. I began to remember how difficult everything was from the beginning, since we began to form Tekia and Kiara as Atlanteans...

Training Begins

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Several weeks after we had liberated Bethany, and once we had reorganized our lives a bit, our first step was to teach Tekia and Kiara how to become Atlanteans. We were too few for the two great tasks that we had proposed to carry out. The first goal was undoubtedly to rescue the human beings who were still trapped on the Red Planets. We had to prevent them from being eaten by the Grankonians, remove the chip from them and transfer them to their new planet: New Lastia. The second, and no less important, was to prevent the Frabont military that were still alive on the Black Planet from rearming, repairing their spaceships and escaping. Although the Dalmite and Bethanian spaceships gave us a hand in these missions, nothing was comparable to the speed and firepower of an Atlantean ship, hence the need to incorporate Tekia and Kiara into our team.

Hans and Luca volunteered to teach their respective girlfriends, but Shamir and I did not think it was a good idea. We thought that they would spend more time flirting with their partners than anything else, so we decided that he and I would be the ones in charge of that task.

With the intention of being able to access the main gate of Atlantis, located in the open sea, Shamir had acquired a modern boat. It was the only way to get in there with Tekia and Kiara, since the entrance to the cave could only be used with our Atlantean suits and they did not have it yet, so we had to go in just like we did the first time. Like everything Shamir acquired, the boat, although not very large, was a marvel. With a modern and elongated silhouette, on the inside it had a small living room, kitchen, bathroom and two cabins that, although they were not very spacious, did not lack a detail. It also had two powerful engines of the latest generation, which would allow us to navigate very quickly.

So, on a cold March morning, Tekia, Kiara, Shamir and I set out to sea, searching for the gate to Atlantis. This time the spheres were not needed to locate it or to activate the gate, the helmet visor of my Atlantean suit indicated the coordinates. When we reached the exact spot, I warned Shamir and he turned off the engines. Moments later we noticed that the sea water was agitating vigorously and those millions of black spheres began to emerge which, just like the first time we entered this place, surrounded us on all four sides. The gate to Atlantis had been activated and shortly the spheres would once again form those huge walls that would protect the boat as it descended, like a lock, to the bottom of the sea.

Tekia and Kiara were shocked and a little scared, especially as the little ship began to descend.

Is this safe? Tekia asked a bit fearfully.

Yes, they didn’t collapse last time, they shouldn’t now, Shamir said doubtfully, like one who does not have it all with himself, seeing how the boat dwarfed in the magnitude of the colossal walls of spheres.

It’s impressive, Kiara commented in amazement. This could only be done by the Atlanteans.

It was the way to protect their world, and a very effective one, I said in wonder as we descended. It makes a lot more impression now, doesn’t it, Shamir?

Indeed, he replied. As this boat is smaller than the one we went down with the first time, the walls look much larger, and the feeling of fragility is greater.

It seemed like an eternity had passed when the gigantic stone closed over our heads. To the roar of falling spheres and the sea resuming its original position, Tekia and Kiara, in a panic, rushed at Shamir and me, hugging us tightly.

If you want to become Atlanteans, you’ll have to get used to these sensations, Shamir said reassuringly, as he gently released Tekia’s arms, which held him in such a way that he could hardly breathe.

We disembark and head towards the first door. Tekia and Kiara were frightened by the magnitude and solemnity of the place, compounded by the dim light that gave it a somewhat eerie look. During the walk Kiara would not let go of Shamir’s arm and Tekia would not let go of mine. I felt her nails dig into me when the Voice was first heard.

Welcome, Santiago, Shamir and company, greeted the Voice.

Who is it? Tekia asked me in a breathy voice.

It’s some kind of artificial intelligence that controls all these facilities, I whispered to Tekia.

I did not expect to find this, the surprised Voice continued.

We have to train more Atlanteans, here we bring you two candidates, I informed the Voice.

Atlanteans, Bethanians, Castios and Dalmites, the four races of creation willing to fight as Atlanteans to protect the Universe, the Voice said admiringly. A wise decision.

The truth is that we didn’t do it on purpose, it came about that way and we thought it would be a good idea, I admitted to take away a merit that we did not have, because it was the result of chance.

Well, now we will test if, regardless of their origin as a race of creation, they are capable of serving Atlantean interests. The vault room, their Faith in the Creator and in the Universe, and the spirit of the Atlanteans found in the pendants, will decide, the Voice sentenced as it opened the door to the next room.

It’s just like being in outer space, Tekia remarked in wonder as we entered the vault room.

How beautiful the Universe is! Kiara exclaimed, stunned by the beautiful sight the vault offered.

Choose a pendant each, the spirit of the Atlanteans resides in them, the Voice requested solemnly. If you show the necessary Faith in the sacred task of protecting life, your suit will activate.

Tekia chose one with a fairly simple A with blue stones and Kiara a slightly more elaborate A, with red stones.

You have noticed the one of your boyfriends, right? I joked with the girls between laughs. Hans’s has an A with blue stones and Luca’s has and A with red stones.

We did not have to wait long, once the pendants were put on, Tekia’s suit activated within seconds, and a couple of minutes later Kiara’s.

Dalmites and Atlanteans, always so alike, the Voice said, realizing how quickly Tekia’s suit had activated. And the Bethanian has not done badly either.

Shamir and I started teaching them how to use their suits, both to protect themselves and to attack. Tekia began to show great attacking ability, although she neglected her defense a lot, which caused her a good number of bruises. Kiara took blows extraordinarily. She could bleed from a leg or an arm and she continued with her attack without flinching.

Kiara, you have to give yourself and your suit time to recover, I repeated over and over again. If your suit does not recover enough, your attacks are weaker, even if it seems that you put the same intensity.

I’m Bethanian, I can handle pain well, she would say without stopping for a moment, not even after receiving several shocks that would have left anyone breathless.

And also stubborn. It’s not that you can stand the pain anymore, which is fine, but if you don’t recover a little, you won’t be able to attack with force. If you were surrounded by Grankonians, you wouldn’t be able to take them down, I chided her.

After three days of training with them, Shamir and I thought it was time for both of us to rejoin the rest of our teammates.

I think they’ll manage just fine on their own, Shamir told me. We have to go up and help the others. They take turns going to the Red Planets and on surveillance duties on the Black Planet. We would have to relieve them, they will be tired.

Sounds good to me, I replied. I’m also concerned that we still haven’t located three of the Frabonts’ four underground bases. If they managed to get out, neither the Dalmite spaceships nor we would be able to stop them.

You should not go, the Voice said, as it entered our conversation. You have gathered the four races of creation under the auspices of the Atlanteans. You should learn to fight together if you want to successfully face the threats of the Universe.

We have to replace our teammates, I told the Voice. We still have a lot of work up there.

Besides, we haven’t brought enough food for the four of us, Shamir added.

It is important that you stay, the Voice repeated.

The Voice did not usually insist on many things, so I looked at Shamir and nodded.

If it is necessary to stay we will stay, we can ask the guys to bring us supplies. Well, I can also bring them, I have to go see my aunt and uncle without fail. I told them I was going to be away for three days at a conference in Gijón, if they don’t see me show up they’re going to worry, I told Shamir.

If you want, go tonight to see your aunt and uncle and let the guys bring us food, so we can talk to them, Shamir commented.

Night came, I got on the Shadow-Maker and headed to my house. I surprised my aunt in the kitchen, while she was preparing dinner. I crept up behind her and gave her a big hug, by way of surprise.

Hello, Santiago, my son, what a fright you have given me, I must be going deaf because I haven’t heard you arrive. How was it in Gijón? She asked me affectionately.

Hello, Aunt, good, although a little exhausting, we have not stopped all day.

No, that’s for sure, you haven’t called once, she said reprovingly. Who in the group went?

Shamir and I, the rest were too busy to go, I commented distractedly, at the same time that I broke a piece of tuna patty that was on the table. Three days with a meal based on rice, pasta and a variety of cans were more than enough for me. I longed for the excellent food that my aunt always prepared.

"Wow, what a disappointment. I thought you had gone off with one of the girls and that’s why you were too busy you didn’t even have time to call your poor aunt. Come on, stop gulping down the patty, take a quick shower and come down to dinner, this is almost ready," she told me as she finished stirring something in the casserole.

I went up to my bedroom, while devouring another piece of patty, and went straight to the shower. It seemed that I had it timed, because just when I came down from my bedroom my aunt and uncle were sitting at the table. I gave my uncle Ramón a very loud kiss and sat down with them.

I haven’t bothered you too much because I know that in the land of our Asturian neighbors you also eat well, my aunt said with an affectionate smile.

Yes, but it lacks such things, my uncle contradicted her in a sarcastic voice, while he took a langoustine out of the stew my aunt had prepared. There is nothing better in the world than the fish and seafood stew that you prepare, Marta.

More than in the world, in the whole Universe! I exclaimed, ecstatic at the good taste of it, while gulping down a good piece of monkfish.

Well, what are your plans now? My uncle asked innocently. I suppose you’ll have work at the excavation, but you could give me a hand on the farm over the weekend.

Sorry, Uncle, actually I’m leaving tomorrow morning with Shamir. They have asked us to go to catalog some petroglyphs that they have found in the Peaks of Europe, and since the universities of Gijón and Santiago de Compostela have signed a collaboration agreement, I have no choice but to go.

You don’t stop for a minute, my uncle said with a sly smile. It’s normal, I didn’t do it either at your age, right, Marta?

You two are exactly the same in that, she replied in an amused tone, as if the mere memory of something amused her. And couldn’t you better go with Ari?

One might think it was a silly question, perhaps banal, but I could tell that she was eager to know if I was dating Ari or not, that, on the other hand, she liked her very much.

No, but I can already tell you that the head of the excavation in Peaks of Europe is my age, and she is a very pretty Asturian girl that I met at the congress in Gijón, I told my aunt with a smile from ear to ear. By the way, is little coverage there, we will live in tents in the mountains.

Okay, okay, it was a dump question, she replied with a happy face for the comment I had made. It’s fine to make new friends. They are also Asturian, surely you will not lack good food in the camp.

We finished dinner and my aunt made two wonderful cups of coffee for my uncle and me. I savored it with great pleasure.

Santiago, I don’t know where you go, but every time you return from one of your trips you savor your coffee with a greater taste than your uncle when he brings one of those giant king crabs, she commented as she saw how I was delighted with the cup in my hands.

The three of us looked at each other and started laughing, because she was so right. My face must have been the same as that of someone who wanders through the desert and finds an oasis, and that expression did not go unnoticed in the eyes of my aunt and uncle. In the Atlantean chamber, or out there lost in the Universe, what I always missed was a good cup of coffee. After dinner I gave them a goodbye kiss, because I told them that I would leave very early, and I went to sleep.

I left the house at five in the morning to meet Kiara, Tekia, and Shamir again. I had rarely gone in and out of Atlantis with my ship, I had almost always accessed it by other means. The first time, as now with Kiara and Tekia, we had done it by boat, but then the usual thing was to enter through the tunnel of the cave. The entrance of the spaceships to the Atlantean base was further from the coast than the main one. The spaceship descended slowly, and as soon as it touched the sea water, a spiral of bubbles and drops of water formed around the ship, as if it were a great whirlwind. It would descend for another five minutes or so, until was heard a huge stone hatch close overhead. The bubbles would disappear, and then another door would open, giving access to the hangar.

Once in the hangar I went to the training room, but no one was there. "They must be asleep on the boat, it’s very early," I thought.

I decided to go to the Atlantean cemetery to talk to Sakro, he had told me that I should come back whenever I wanted and that he would tell me more. I asked the Voice to allow me access, the huge door opened and I entered. I do not know what it was about that place that I loved being there, there was a peace and tranquility that seemed to be in harmony with the entire Universe. The soft light and the enormous sculptures in the tombs, together with the humidity in the atmosphere and a slight mist, gave it a mysterious and magical character, and it caused me an attraction towards that place that is difficult to explain. Lost in the majesty of the place, it took me almost two hours to locate his grave. If it had not been for the fact that I broke off a corner of the tombstone the first time I went, and fixed it a bit sloppily, by the way, I do not think I would have been able to find it again.

Located at the foot of such a simple grave, I concentrated to try to contact him.

Sakro, are you there? I asked doubtfully. But there was no answer. I tried several times, but got no result.

I sat on the tombstone for a while. Half an hour later, I started to feel a slight hum inside my head. I noticed the typical sound of someone just waking up and stretching his muscles, and then I started to hear it.

Good morning, Santiago, how early you came, you caught me asleep.

Here you have plenty of time to rest, I told him in an amused tone, while my gaze was lost in the infinity of graves.

That is it, do not believe it, between listening to one and the other, time goes by very quickly.

And what is being discussed around here? I asked out of curiosity.

Well, especially about you, that you have incorporated into the Atlantean discipline descendants of important Bethanian and Dalmite lineages, in addition to the Castia lineages that you already have in your group... is the main conversation of the entire cemetery. Some say that it is a success, others that it is a great mistake. The truth is that this place has never been so alive.

And what do you think? I asked, wanting to know his opinion.

That you are very unoriginal, he replied between yawns.

How am I unoriginal? I protested puzzled.

"In the last three days I have heard the question ‘what do you think?’ thousands of times. You could ask me, how do you see it? What is your opinion? But the, ‘what do you think?’ is very unoriginal."

Okay, then, how do you see it? I asked him nervous to know what he will tell me.

See what? Sakro inquired with his sleepy voice.

The fact of incorporating Bethanians, Castios and Dalmites into the discipline of the Atlanteans, I said a little desperate due to the apathy of my interlocutor.

Well, I do not see it.

Why don’t you see it? I continued with the interrogation a little restless.

Because stuck here I cannot see anything. Think, Santiago, if I do not leave this place, what do you want me to see of what happens outside of it? Sakro sneered.

Wooow! I told him relieved. Well then I don’t know how to ask you.

Well, if you do not know, do not ask, and when you know, you ask. I do not do the things I do not know how to do, and the things I do know how to do, I do, he continued mocking.

Wooow! I exclaimed again at his comment, which by the way was overwhelmingly logical. Well, tell me something interesting.

"Something interesting, he replied. What for you want me to say something interesting, you could have chosen another phrase like the star gives heat or something like that."

You’re right, Sakro, it’s very early, I’m not very lucid, and our conversation is getting stuck, I said sadly.

"Of course, that is what I told you. Well, now that I am a little more awake, let me tell you that I think incorporating members of the oldest and most unique lineages of Bethanians, Dalmites and Castios under the Atlantean banner is a success. I already told you the other day: there was once an Atlantis with millions of purebred Atlanteans and that Atlantis died. Now you have to give it a second life and you will have to do it with Faith, with honesty, with rectitude and also with a lot of imagination, because we are not going to deny that your resources are rather scarce. You must always keep in mind two things: the mission of an Atlantean is to safeguard life in the Universe, whatever it may be, and that in Atlantis the Faith of all is the Faith of one and the Faith of one is the Faith of all. With these two indications everything will be fine."

Hey, why did you mention that these are the oldest and most unique lineages of Bethanians, Dalmites and Castios? What is special about my friends’ ancestors? I asked him very curiously. As far as I know, neither Puno, Tekia’s father, nor Dr. Icudo, Kiara’s grandmother, have flaunted the importance of their ancestors. Neither did Shamir and Ari; they have always talked about how proud they are of being Castios, but never that they come from an important family or that their lineage is special.

Wow, I think I have screwed up. There are things that it is still early for you to know, both you and your friends, but do not think about it anymore... you will find out. For now, do not say anything about this to anyone. Come on, a friend calls me, I have to leave you. Come back another day, Santiago, but if possible not so early. And Sakro’s voice disappeared from my head without having time to ask anything else.

Perplexed by the information he had given me, I looked for the exit of the Atlantean cemetery. If Sakro had asked me not to tell my friends anything, I would do so, and if they knew the importance of their ancestors, surely the time would