In the vortex of alternating worlds (EXO-TERRESTRIAL-FORCES 6) E-Book

Jens F. Simon

• Herausgeber: S. Verlag JG
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Sigurd's spirit is in Marvin's body. He is transferred with him 200 years back in time. He is 25 years old and is imprisoned by aliens. His fight for survival begins in a world of chaos that threatens to be torn apart by the battle between two alien power groups. The 'Guardians of the Stars' have suddenly become his henchman. They are trying to get hold of him, while GLEESITT, the 'City of a Thousand Stars' seems to be on his side. When the aliens from Earth launch an attack on the mother ship KO and on GLEESITT, he must decide which side he is on.

Leseprobe

EXO-TERRESTRIAL-FORCES

Legacy of OUTER-SPACE Nanites

Volume 6

In the vortex of alternating worlds

© 2024 Jens F. Simon

Illustration: S. Verlag JG

Publisher: S. Verlag JG, 35767 Breitscheid,

All rights reserved

ISBN: 978-3-96674-762-2

The work, including its parts, is protected by copyright. Any exploitation without the consent of the publisher and the author is prohibited and will be prosecuted under criminal and civil law. This applies to electronic or other reproduction, translation, distribution and making available to the public.

Love is universal. Desire no less so. Desire is above both, and the balance is the rejection of non-human feelings.

Do not dare to challenge love, whether you are a human or an alien.

The soul is firmly connected to the human body. However, the spirit, the mental I, is something separate, something independent in the Christian faith. If, by chance, the firm connection between soul and body should ever be severed, it is unalterable that there is no going back. Is that so?

We are often not aware of how much we are influenced by a person's appearance. Only when we also get the opportunity to look inside, we will find the truth. But is it really the whole truth?

Table of content

Prologue (The prehistory)

The plan

Adversity planned

The other face of Saviier

Omega Centauri

The expedition

Continent of Krsutner

The catacombs

The last of her kind

Escalation

The female Krsutner

Saviier's last chance

Cella's kidnapping

Primal Xxiin

Mullokk's decision

Attack of the Akkattarier

The power of the mind

The end of the beginning

Past

Sgrull

The way of the brave

The power of the para-mutant

Majenna

The Insectoid Man

Raid

Path to new world

The departure

Dangerous journey

The old guy from Greenside

Muhlork ‘s scouts

Desert fellows

Restricted area

Ghosts

Takaarrath's secret

The gondola of stardust

Prologue (The prehistory)

Extraterrestrial intelligences operate on Earth undetected by the public. The largest, worldwide security service Life-Int-Ltd. becomes aware of this. Sigurd Westall, a new employee of the corporation, is sent to investigate the aliens right after his basic training.

No one, except his immediate superior, knows that he has had a special ability since puberty. He is assigned to a team of specialists who set out to track down the aliens. When it comes to direct confrontation, it is only thanks to this ability that he survives. Together with the female spaceship Paurusheya, Sigurd Westall reaches Saturn's moon Japetus.

There he finds a huge lunar station embedded in the ridge at the edge of the dark hemisphere. The station is also the destination of the strangers in the small spaceship he is pursuing. Sigurd initially tries to find his two abducted colleagues on his own. But when he is quickly discovered by the aliens, he is forced to fight back.

In doing so, he gets help from a side that plunges him into a personal crisis during the further plot.

Sigurd Westall was abducted from the Venus station TRISHARANA by extraterrestrial intelligences. While the Mernchen, an alien race, continue to infiltrate the Life-Int-Ltd. on Earth, the organic spaceship Paurusheya wants to start the search for him immediately. Sigurd is whisked away to the nearby Epsilon Eridani system, where the Xxiin people ask him for help against an overwhelming enemy. At the same time, he makes a stunning discovery that elevates him to ruler of the Nanites.

Mysterious events shake the native civilization. It seems that sorcerous powers and magic are at play.

Several assassinations attempt on Sigurd, which he survives only because of his special abilities, convince him that he must join forces with the new MBF organization to solve the riddles. His top priority, however, is to find the organic ship PAURUSHEYA, which also mysteriously disappeared 250 years ago.

In a forgotten and impenetrable part of the world, in the middle of the dense Honduran rainforest in the region of La Mosquitia, Alethea and Sigurd come across the legendary city. Through the "Ring of Srem" he and Alethea, the former material hologram and avatar of the spaceship Paurusheya, are transported to the energetic half-world of the Zetschn'cha. There the hemisphere is the refuge of the mage Sol'altoo, the sole ruling tyrant.

Sigurd lives in the past of his own world. It does not know that he has become a prisoner of a living program. The digital world presents itself to him as reality. Only very slowly does he become aware that something can be wrong in his life. Sigurd manages to escape from the computer program. He gets help from a spiritual entity that can manifest itself in billions of mechanical units.

Due to the fall of the energetic half-world of the Zetschn'cha back into the normal universe, the universal energy constant in the solar system was affected. This was used by the 'Living Program', also existing on Counter-Earth, to bring Paurusa, whose paranormal strength became appropriate from him to them.

The fate tablets are stolen. As events unfold, it becomes apparent that Nin-an-ak, the living program, is responsible. The destination of Nin-an-ak seems to be the former planetary system of the Zetschn'cha, whose energetic half-world fell into the standard universe due to the destruction of the Magic Construct.

The planet ANUN'HA, where Sigurd and Alethea find themselves, was once a living entity. Today, on one of two continents there stands the Star Ziggurat, the only legacy of a very ancient star people, the Old Race of Krsutner.

The second continent is populated by human-like intelligences. They call themselves Akkattarier.  When the star ziggurat suddenly becomes active and attacks the spaceships of the 'Secret Invaders', Sigurd is involuntarily drawn into the incipient conflict and at the same time must defend himself against the fate tablets still in his shoulder, which have begun to manipulate him.

His goal of finding a way back to Earth suddenly seems a long way off. An expedition to the star ziggurat does not go as smoothly as originally planned. Also, another player unexpectedly appears in the ANUN'HA system.

The trader LieVen appears with his entire fleet to Mullokk's displeasure over the Akkattarier planet. As the star ziggurat attacks the trader's approaching battleships with its remaining 47 starfighter ships, Sigurd's mind battles the spiritual essence of MOhowkuh, the onetime scientist from the Krsutner people.

Sigurd's nanite body begins to change. The nanites begin to degenerate and multiply uncontrollably. At the same time, important cell components simply die. Did the fate boards leave him a Janus gift?

Was it the short fusion with a Lifebot that caused the changes in his body nanites? Sigurd is doomed to die. Saviier, specialist and gravo-designer suggested to send him back through the artificial black hole in his castle to where he once came from. It is his only chance. But it also means that he has to say goodbye to Alethea.

When Sigurd awakens after the passage, he is in his human body, lying in his bed. It is the year 2019.

And this is where our story begins, the story of the woman who sets out in search of her great love, unaware that between her and Sigurd lies not only a spatial distance of 15790 light years, but also time.

He is 250 years in the past and has resumed his old life, in which she does not appear. 

The plan

Alethea lay awake the whole night. Again and again she saw Sigurd's body, which was pulled into the maelstrom of the black hole and then simply disappeared.

Her spirit and her mind tried to fight in her against the feelings and the more and more judging hope that she would see Sigurd again. The probability was so low that the mere thought of it was a waste of time.

Nevertheless, for seven hours now, since she had just been lying in bed, she had been busy trying to find a way to see him again.

Again and again the hours with him flashed in her memory. The togetherness just during the last days had experienced a new, much deeper bond between them.

There just had to be a way to see him again.

Saviier, the specialist and gravo-designer, had unselfishly given her the apartment in his cottage near the castle for her free use for an indefinite period. It was the rooms where she had spent the last hours with Sigurd.

Perhaps for that very reason it would have made more sense to choose another place to stay.

The still constantly present and very vivid images in her memory showed themselves most strongly in this room. Long forgotten was her former otherness as an organic spaceship.

Sigurd had freed her from the rigid pattern of a huge flying body. She had not yet understood how he had managed to recreate her spiritual essence in the original material hologram that had served as the ship's avatar.

It must also have been due to the magical energy used by Sigurd that their human-like bodies were formed by organic nanites belonging to the original Xxiin people who had created the Paurusheya spaceship.

Thus, they had both become very similar, because Sigurd's body had also been completely taken over by organic nanites by now. They were both the perfect pair.

She was already beginning to miss their mind-body unions as a pair of singularities.

Now, finally, after an incredible number of adventures together, they had finally found each other, only to lose each other right away.

"That wasn't fair," she thought. Then she shouted it again loudly into the room, "THAT WAS NOT JUST!"

Suddenly she became quiet. Her thoughts arranged themselves into a linear whole.

Her mind had already taken on human traits in a way, although she could not imagine at all how such a thing could happen.

A plan had to be developed. A concept was necessary, and the desired goal had to be narrowed down and clearly defined. Now the clear mind slowly took over the initiative again and that was good.

Alethea began to remember her true origins.

The primordial Xxiin, the organic nanites that made up her body, did not hesitate and helped her mind as best they could. They began to reduce the sleep hormone melatonin in her brain.

Immediately, their entire hormone balance changed as well.

The happiness hormone serotonin increased, but so did dopamine and norepinephrine. She immediately felt more active and alert.

With a defiantly defiant leap out of bed that brought her almost to the center of the room, a new era of her existence began.

Within minutes, the previously so human Alethea became the alien Alethea.

The organic nanites of her body changed the entire hormone balance. They formed new hormone structures that had not existed before.

Thus, low-molecular compounds were formed whose basis was no longer the biochemistry of the human body.

Alethea noticed the first effects when she suddenly sank into the ground up to her ankle when she stood on the same spot a little longer.

She remembered this ability of the Xxiin. It had been completely forgotten by her.

Her body could move through solid matter if she wanted to.

A single thought was enough to have solid ground under her feet again. She had firmly resolved not to simply sit idle or even resign herself.

"I will find a way back to the Earth system!"

The thought was not a wishful thought, but a clear request to her subconscious to become active.

She did not have an independent subconscious acting on its own, as Sigurd had once possessed, but it was enough to give her a new will to live.

The goal of the plan was thus clearly outlined. Now it was a matter of getting down to the implementation. First, she wanted to talk again with Saviier about the possibility of passing through the black hole, just as Sigurd had done.

The next option was of course the conventional method, namely, to fly with a spaceship to the solar system of the earth.

The spaceship owner Mullokk spontaneously popped into her head. Sigurd had mentioned that the trader had a considerable space fleet.

The only question was whether he was still above the planet ANUN'HA after his defeat by the star ziggurat.

That was what she had to find out next before she even talked to Saviier. It all really depended on whether there were still ships over the Akkattarier planet.

The native species had no ships of their own. Their development had not yet progressed to the point where they had ventured into space. Suddenly, an unnatural tension crept into their consciousness.

The urge grew stronger to find out immediately if Mullokk was still in orbit around the planet.

She literally stormed out of the room and down the stairs. Saviier had to help her contact Captain Hagar-Rott, the king's strategist.

From him she hoped to get more information. If necessary, she would go all the way to King Šamšī-Rohh II.

Somewhat lost, she now stood in the huge living area of the cottage, looking around hurriedly.

Sunlight streamed in through the many floor-to-ceiling windows, making the room seem even larger. The colors and shapes of the flora outside made the light-filled room seem like part of nature.

Alethea forgot her resolution for a moment and let this special atmosphere wash over her.

Then she gave herself a jolt and continued to charge forward toward the exit.

Saviier was in his castle. There was his laboratory. There was the apparatus of the Gravo-Designer, with which he had created the artificial black hole.

The castle was a good distance away from the house.

She stood amid the colorful meadow flowers and looked wistfully at the small patch of woods where she and Sigurd had recently gone for a walk. Suddenly, a jolt ran through her and the body xxiin adopted her emotional world.

Immediately, the cognitive thoughts and those of pure logic took over her actions.

Alethea had flown the distance from here to the castle several times in a glider. She estimated the distance to be only a few kilometers.

The direction was also clear, northwest. With long lunging strides, she accelerated from a standing start. She was neither human nor Akkattarier, that quickly became clear.

The nanites that made up her body were organic in nature, but they had extraordinary, non-human performance.

Like in a sprint, she accelerated in the shortest possible time to the greatest possible speed that her body Xxiin allowed.

At 95 kilometers per hour, her body literally flew over the uneven ground, where her feet left deep imprints. She took the direct route, and this led through the small wood.

When the first small and medium tree trunks rushed past her on the left and right and she had to take evasive turns without really slowing down, she suddenly began to enjoy the run.

Several times small twigs and leaves hit her in the face, which only spurred her on to go faster.

Twice her legs shredded rotten trunks lying on the ground, which she was unable to dodge in time.

Her body nanites reacted accordingly, making the pairs of legs hard as steel on the contact surfaces.

Then she was already shooting out of the small forest toward a clearing that continued to widen into a valley. 

At the very end of the valley, where the silhouette of a karstified ridge appeared, stood it, Saviier's castle. From this perspective, she had not yet seen his residence. It looked very archaic, like from old knight movies she had sometimes watched together with Sigurd.

But usually castles stood on hills or on high rock formations and not like here, almost in a hollow.

Alethea had further reduced her speed and now began to continue her way in a fast run.

It took less than ten minutes, and she was standing in front of the shiny metallic, two-winged entrance gate. It really shone and thus did not really fit into the overall picture of an old castle.

The very modern optical sensors embedded in the sides of the ancient-looking wall also looked like foreign objects.

Alethea stood somewhat forlornly in front of the gate, which was over five meters high. She had already brushed her hand over some of the easily accessible sensor fields several times, but so far without any visible effect.

There had to be some kind of opener or at least a switch panel with which she could make herself known.

Or did she think too much in human ways now? Sigurd had often mentioned that one should not use too much human logic when judging alien technology.

She took a few steps back to get a better overview, when suddenly a noise started behind her. Her subconscious immediately recognized the cause without her having to turn around.

A glider was immediately coming in for a landing. Then she recognized Captain Hagar-Rott, the king's strategist.

She walked a little way toward him, when the two halves of the castle gate moved slowly to the side.

Apparently, the captain had already been expected. Alethea stopped and looked back.

She recognized one of Saviier's associates in the castle courtyard.

"I didn't know you were still here. Have you found your partner by now? You were looking for him, right!"

Hagar-Rott approached her with brisk steps.

"Anyway, how did you survive the chaos on ENMERKAR? You'll have to tell me more about that!"

He now stood directly in front of her and looked at her curiously. In the background in the now open castle gate stood waiting WEbtab, scientist and employee of Saviier.

"This is a really long story. Shouldn't we go in first. Saviier will be waiting!"

Alethea didn't intend to tell him the whole truth. In general, she didn't want to make a big fuss about Sigurd's disappearance and his work within the expedition.

"All right. But I'm not going to let up. Come on!"

He gestured with his arm toward the entrance to the castle and let her go first.

"Alethea, you're probably the one Saviier least expected," she was greeted by WEbtab.

Captain Hagar-Rott did not make a face and simply walked past him.

"Don't talk so much. Just lead us to your lord and master!"

Alethea had to grin briefly when she heard Hagar-Rott speak like that. WEbtab and URgbei had always been very suspicious to her. She doubted that the two had ever enjoyed a scientific education.

They were more likely the Gravo designer's henchmen; vicarious agents nothing more.

WEbtab did not respond to Hagar-Rott's insinuation, but simply walked silently ahead.

Alethea had been in Saviier's castle several times and thought she knew at least the way to the laboratory wing.

The path WEbtab was now taking, however, was completely unfamiliar to her. They crossed a large foyer and arrived at a massive stone staircase that led upward.

Alethea looked around with interest. In fact, so far their paths had only ever gone down into the cellar vaults.

Above the staircase were grape-shaped hangings that looked as if they were made of precious stone.

Could they be lighting fixtures? As Alethea followed WEbtab up the wide steps, she glanced at the chandeliers hanging above her.

The ceiling was about ten meters above her and the massive pendants, hanging from a very thin chain, swung a few meters above her head.

"Pompous and snobbish what our dear Saviier came up with here, isn't it?"

Hagar-Rott's words dripped with derision. Alethea ignored him and continued to focus on the surroundings.

The staircase made a 45-degree turn and another twenty steps ended in a wide corridor, which had a dense, furry floor covering. The sounds of her footsteps, which had previously been very loud, disappeared.

The flooring muffled the further steps and made them literally float along.

At least that was Alethea's impression. WEbtab stopped abruptly in front of a wooden door.

It was about two meters wide and at least six meters high. It opened without any action on his part and Saviier stood in front of them.

His gaze caught Alethea's face, then slid in downright irritation to Hagar-Rott standing behind her, then immediately rested on her again.

"I wasn't expecting you. What are you doing here?" 

Adversity planned

I wasn't sure what to make of Saviier. He was behaving more and more strangely toward me.

I hadn't talked to him about my plan yet, yet he was acting so strange.

"I need to talk to you, urgently!"

That was all I wanted to say now, especially since Captain Hagar-Rott was also present. I didn't trust anyone since Sigurd had disappeared. Except Saviier, of course. He had offered me a place to stay and had behaved very obligingly toward me until recently. I noticed a brief flutter in his eyes, then he had himself under control again.

"My dear Hagar-Rott, please come in and take a seat. I'll be right with you!"

He stepped aside as an invitation to the person addressed to enter the room.

Then he turned back to me. WEbtab had already left without a greeting when Saviier pulled me aside somewhat roughly by the arm.

"Alethea, this is the wrong time right now. Please go back to the cottage. I will seek you out as soon as my time permits."

Before I could answer him, he had already turned and walked into the room. He just left me standing there as if I were his servant.

The door slammed in my face before I could decide to follow him. From the looks of it, I probably didn't have much more support to expect from him.

I had made a mistake, it suddenly flashed through my mind.

I had been too focused on Saviier, and that had to change. My plan was clearly outlined.

The way back to earth led only over the spaceship owner Mullokk. I had to make contact as quickly as possible, and that was only possible through the palace, that is, through King Šamšī-Rohh II or Captain Hagar-Rott, after all, he himself had been present during the exploration of the continent ENMERKAR.

That was also true for Saviier, but I had a bad feeling about him by now.

No, I should try to get to the government palace as quickly as possible without having another major discussion with Hagar-Rott or Saviier beforehand.

I looked back down the corridor toward the stairs. I found the way back in my sleep. Then I stood in front of the castle gate again.

This time from the inside and of course it could not be opened again. As I stood there, looking at the heavy gate, a thought suddenly came to me.

My body consisted entirely of organic nanites. I had already penetrated massive rock with it once, then on earth in a cave labyrinth in the Honduran jungle.

The same should actually be possible here. I concentrated on my body and imagined myself simply walking through the gate. Then I closed my eyes and walked slowly.

The gate was about one and a half meters in front of me. I took first one step, then two, three.

Now I should bump into the obstacle. Five or six steps further on, I spontaneously opened my eyes again and found myself outside the castle.

Despite knowing about this ability, I still had enough doubt in me that I didn't really believe in it.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Now there was no stopping me from proceeding.

I went at a run towards Hagar-Rott's glider. Without further ado, I penetrated the outer hull in the same way and found myself inside.

Now it was only a matter of finding a suitable place where I could hide.

I found it behind the two seats in a kind of cargo hold. Behind a cover, there was a cavity just big enough to accommodate me.

Now it was a matter of waiting patiently. I was not put to a very hard test.

Perhaps only twenty minutes had passed when I heard noises at the entrance.

Captain Hagar-Rott had returned. He did not notice me, of course. The glider took off and only a few minutes passed when I heard him speak.

Judging by the content of his words, he was talking about the VVT (Virtual Visible Table System).

I began to prick up my ears, which was very easy for me, as the body nanites immediately amplified the power of my hearing accordingly.

"Of course, I have considered that the starship owner will not give up Mullokk just like that. Your Majesty can be completely reassured," I heard him say clearly.

Unfortunately, I did not hear what King Šamšī-Rohh II replied. Based on Hagar-Rott's words, I had immediately concluded that he was speaking to the king.

"The meeting date with Professor Yout'jang and former Lifebot Fraank is set. I'm on my way to the palace right now. We'll meet in exactly 3.5-time units."

A brief pause arose while probably the king spoke.

"I am of course aware of the importance and explosive nature of the further development of the Lifebot and the portable Karyo radiation safes. I also understand that an increased priority must be placed on research and development here. Professor Yout'jang will be specifically reminded of this by me again. Of course!"

A short pause arose again.

"I am also aware that there should be no contact between Professor Yout'jang and Mullokk. The fact that the two appointments are so close together is not my fault."

I was still pondering what it all meant when it seemed the conversation had already ended.

"Yes of course I will do everything I can to avoid a confrontation. Hagar-Rott out!"   

The glider of the king's strategist with Alethea cowering in her hiding place landed directly on the designated landing pad on the roof of the government building.

At first she wanted to try to follow Hagar-Rott secretly.

However, she quickly abandoned this plan. It was much too dangerous that she would be recognized and confronted by him.

From the VVT conversation she had learned that the spaceship owner Mullokk probably had an audience with King Šamšī-Rohh II today. This was the opportunity to address him. She just had to be in the right place at the right time, and that was even more difficult.

She waited until Hagar-Rott had crossed the landing area and was about to enter the building through a small, concealed side door.

In less than five seconds, Alethea reached the door as well and simply walked through it as if it were only made of a curtain of light rather than solid steel.

Just beyond the outer door was a narrow corridor.

Alethea had expected a passenger elevator and looked in amazement at the sharply winding, sloping corridor. In fact, the corridor ran out after only a few meters and ended in front of an elevator access.

"So it did," she thought, and operated the opening mechanism on the left side of the wall.

The elevator car had no controls. Normally, one could select the floor, or at least there was a display that indicated the current floor.

Here, however, none of that was visible. Instead, the cabin started to move as soon as it entered.

As it looked, there was only one floor that could be reached by the elevator.

The elevator reached its destination after a few seconds and Alethea suddenly found herself in a veritable madhouse.

A kind of huge foyer opened in front of her. Despite its size, it still seemed too small for all the people who were rushing around aimlessly, slowly, and quickly.

Their voices resounded to the vaulted ceiling, about ten meters high, and were echoed back twice as loudly.

Alethea looked at the throng only briefly and then leaned in. There could be no better cover.

No one really took notice of her. She noticed that many Akkattarier were uniformed. But there were also civilian-clad employees of the palace hurrying along busily.

One person caught her attention. She was clearly female.

Alethea hurried to follow her. It had been a gut decision. After all, she had to start somewhere and she didn't want to ask anyone, that would have been too conspicuous.

The female Akkattarier moved into a side corridor. Here it was already noticeably quieter.

Alethea increased the distance to her. Two more corridors crossed, then only the woman and she were on the way.

Now it was a matter of staying calm. She was still about five meters behind her when she abruptly turned right and stood in front of a double door.

Alethea had stopped as well. She watched as the woman routinely pressed a code generator against the door sensor and stepped through the silently opening door.

Alethea was quick, but unfortunately not quick enough to slip through before the door promptly closed again.

Right in front of her, the door leaf fell back into the electronic lock. She had been able to take a quick peek into the room behind it before.

It seemed to her as if the corridor continued there. But that made no sense at all.

Then why this rather massive door?

Alethea quickly looked left and right, and when she knew that no one was watching her, she simply walked through the double door as if it were not there at all.

Her body of nanites made it possible. In fact, the corridor continued the other side, but widened as well. It now seemed more like a foyer.

The ceiling was also much higher than before. Alethea continued walking slowly.

She reached the center of the vaulted room after only a few steps.

There were three doors, which were framed by ornamented columns.

They were also double doors, and they went almost to the ceiling. Suddenly the middle door opened.

Alethea immediately jumped for cover behind the right column. The pillar was just big enough to hide her body.

Then, when the king's strategist, Captain Hagar-Rott, recognized her, she became alert.

When the door slammed behind him, he stopped, and she already thought he had noticed her. However, he looked fixedly at the corridor door with the electronic opener.

It was obvious that he was expecting someone. Now things were getting dicey for them. Hagar-Rott could not see her because of the pillar, however, anyone approaching the foyer from the front would notice her immediately after opening the double-leaf door.

After all, the entrance was only about five meters away.

Alethea was still thinking about what she could do when one of the double doors already swung open.

The person entering had to see her instantly standing next to Hagar-Rott and the column.

However, her subconscious had already acted and made her take another step back, even though her back was against the wall. That was no obstacle, however.

Her body penetrated the wall without any problems and suddenly she was standing in the room behind it.

She immediately ducked before turning around. Of course, she had to expect that there were people in the room and that she would be recognized.

However, she was lucky. There was no one in the room.

Massive seating stood on a very thick carpet in the middle of the room, which measured about fifteen by twenty meters.

The ceiling height was designed to match the dimensions of the room. Alethea looked at the gravel lights hanging in a row, suspended on long and very thin strings about five meters from the ten-meter-high ceiling.

The walls were paneled with a dark type of wood, emphasizing an early architectural style.

In contrast, the modern picture displays, and the columnar, shiny metallic technology desks on the left side of the wall looked very modernist.

A chest about two meters high caught Alethea's interest. It stood between two technology desks and was made of wood.

It resembled a coffin and was decorated with small ornaments. Between them was a kind of fresco painting.

The meaning of this chest, however, remained hidden from her.

On the wall side opposite the technology desks and picture displays was a continuous window front. Rays of sunlight suddenly illuminated the otherwise somewhat dark room, revealing millions of dust grains in the air.

It almost seemed like a snow flurry. Alethea had unconsciously walked to the center of the room when she heard louder voices behind her. She had not noticed that she had opened the door.

At least two people were talking to each other. She had no seconds to lose to hide.

She glanced around her in a hurry. The only option seemed to be the wooden chest. She quickly ducked and crawled on all fours towards the side of the chest facing away from the door.

She was just pulling her legs in when two people entered the room.

They were engaged in an excited discussion and had not noticed Alethea. The only problem was that the chest was right next to the seating furniture and the two Akkattarier would notice her immediately behind the chest as soon as they sat down.

Alethea recognized Professor Yout'jang, the head of the Virtual Reality Center, next to Captain Hagar-Rott.

She wasn't sure what she hoped to gain from the game of hide-and-seek.

Wasn't it easier if she revealed herself now. After all, she was known to them. Professor Yout'jang had even examined Sigurd after his body nanites began to degenerate.

On the other hand, she was still a stranger. Nor did she know what Saviier had told about her.

She trusted him with just about everything by now.

"Professor I am commissioned by His Majesty to get the expedition underway as soon as possible. Please sit down. It won't take long. I'm just relaying instructions!"

Alethea could wait no longer. Professor Yout'jang would notice her immediately if he sat down now. She had no choice but to slip into the chest. She only hoped it was empty. Her body nanites penetrated the wall without any problems and it became dark around her.

In fact, there was only a blanket and several pillows in the wooden chest. She still found enough room to stretch out.

"Even if King Šamšī-Rohh II commands it, I can't do magic. There are enough volunteers, but the Lifebots still need to be conditioned beforehand. I can't create an army out of nothing!"

Yout'jang's voice had grown noticeably louder.

Alethea heard his displeasure from it. Now she became even more attentive and put an ear to the wooden wall.

"We want to forestall Mullokk and take possession of the continent of ENMERKAR for our people. But this can only be done with the presence of an adequate host. In terms of weapons, we are vastly inferior to the alien races from the stars. It is only possible with cunning. We have already talked about this at length."

Hagar-Rott had sat down only briefly. Now he stood up again and leaned against the wooden chest.

"How many Lifebots can you provide right now?"

Silence had fallen in the room for a moment.

"An army, as I said, it's not. It will be less than two hundred troops. But for that they are physically a match for any Maul'aafen, and that even though these species are fifty percent faster in their movements than a normal Akkattarier!"

"That will have to do. The mission gliders and personnel carriers are heavily armed for emergencies. We don't want to provoke anyone, but we also let it be clear that we are serious!"

"What about Mullokk?"

Professor Yout'jang's question surprised Hagar-Rott.

"What about him?"

"Does His Majesty really think he's just going to stand idly by while we land on ENMERKAR?"

"He doesn't know about the existence of the Lifebots yet. These artificial nanite bodies are our chance, believe me Yout'jang. He will be careful not to destroy them. After all, he must assume that they are living Akkattarier. He will not be so presumptuous as to start a war with an entire planet. Not after he's already lost one spaceship. Besides, the Lifebots are not as defenseless as appearances might suggest. You know that better than anyone, dear professor."

"It sounds like His Majesty actually wants to go to confrontation with the 'Secret Invaders'!"

Alethea listened intently from inside the chest. She knew the term 'Secret Invaders' that Professor Yout'jang had just mentioned from the first encounters with the Akkattarier from the Virtual Reality Center.

At that time, the spaceship owner and self-employed trader Mullokk had been called that because the strangers from space operated more covertly.

That had changed radically with the attack on the star ziggurat. At least Alethea knew that Mullokk belonged to the Maul'aafen people.

They belonged to a galactic trader ring made up of descendants of several different races.

They had been crisscrossing the known and sometimes unknown parts of the galaxy for centuries, always looking for a good deal. One subgroup was the so-called 'Moderate Marauders'. They blackmailed underdeveloped planetary peoples, threatening them with their superior weapon systems and enforcing recurring forced dues.

Mullokk had a space fleet of thirteen ships left.

Here arose an opportunity for Alethea to leave this planet. She hoped to get in contact with Mullokk somehow. Perhaps now the opportunity arose. She continued to listen to the conversation.

"His Majesty will have a meeting with Mullokk later today. It will be seen how cooperative the Maul'aaf will be!"

Alethea clearly heard a snide emphasis and wondered.

She had hitherto known Hagar-Rott as a rather Akkattarier of integrity without prejudice.

A palace servant abruptly entered the hall. He walked directly up to Captain Hagar-Rott.

"His Majesty awaits you in the vestibule, Captain!"

"You heard, Yout'jang. I'm afraid I must cut short our little gathering."

Hagar-Rott was walking toward the exit when the door opened again and Fraank entered.

"You're too late, my dear!"

The captain was about to pass him when an astonished exclamation was heard from behind.

The palace servant had opened the lid of the wooden chest to take out a sheet of cloth, noticing Alethea. Willy-nilly, she had to make herself known.

"Alethea, what are you doing here?"

Professor Yout'jang was visibly taken aback by her appearance. Hagar-Rott had stopped and was now walking slowly toward her. He, on the other hand, did not seem surprised at all.

"Saviier has already reported you missing. He was quite upset when you disappeared so easily. What are you doing here? Hardly playing hide and seek."

Fraank studiously held back and just observed. Before Alethea could respond to Hagar-Rott's question, he activated a sensor pad on the side of the door frame.

Immediately, two palace guards appeared and saluted him.

"Take the woman there and escort her back to Saviier Castle. I have no more time now. The king is expecting me!"

Fraank stepped aside and let the guards pass with Alethea in their midst.

She smiled briefly at him as they passed but was otherwise silent.

He wondered what she had been doing here in the first place, remembering the last few minutes before her partner Sigurd had passed through the black hole.

He could well imagine that she was very desperate and missed him.