"We don't mean to alarm you, sir?" Colonel North cut in. "However, BloodDark is under threat from a belligerent invader, the Kloog. Our space agencies have detected some movement in a not-too-distant planetary system, and we believe it to be—"
"Silence!" Drucinda commanded. "The Ancestor speaks and decides our actions."
"The Ancestor knows of what Earthmen think is happening in the heavens," Valori said in a kind tone, "and sees a different explanation. Our enemy is no more. The signs you've witnessed through your space telescope aren't the beginnings of an invading force, but the signs of a decaying civilization. It takes so long for the light from their worlds to travel to ours, that what you are seeing is not truly the present. They have been gone many, many time cycles."
"But my mission... I was told..." North sounded flabbergasted. Olivia almost felt sorry for him.
"This dire time does not require that we deal with an old enemy but a new one—one which can be full of trickery and deceit, but also simple ignorance." The Ancestor turned to the colonel and adopted the posture of an adult speaking to a young child. "Men from Earth have always been feared for their aggression, and yet your genetic material holds the secrets to our adaptation to this type of world, because it is similar in many ways to Earth. It is why we kept our presence a mystery, but we knew that eventually our world, and our kind, would be discovered."
The Ancestor looked upon Drucinda and Valori and smiled, then turned to observe the dozen or so councilors, scientists and security personnel who remained. "Our outward appearance has changed greatly, but I sense we are still one people in our heart."
The Ancestor's gaze rested upon Hernando and Olivia. It smiled. "There is love. Even when there is fear, there is love and goodness. Humankind shall not be allowed to destroy the good which has been planted here."
With a sweep of its long arm, the Ancestor turned and cried out, "Be gone, all which destroys the goodness of this land!"
A violent gust of wind came out of nowhere, knocking Olivia and the others to the ground. "Where did this gale come from?" she shouted.
"Cover your head!" Hernando pulled her closer, shielding her from the flying dust and debris. "It's a BloodDark tornado!"
The sky flashed lightning and the heavens turned an ugly red as black dust spun and whirled about into a gigantic twister, ripping buildings from their footings and shredding them into tiny pieces. The tornado winds tossed the robots, both large and small, high into its vortex and out into space.
A sense of déjà vu washed over Olivia. This—this was the same frightening scene which had appeared in her vision, just before she boarded the airship.
Everything is as it was ordained. Valori's message was meant to comfort her. Still, Olivia felt uneasy. She knew life on BloodDark would never be quite the same again.
Almost as soon as the wind manifested, it died. Olivia raised her head and blinked. "Everything's gone... It's all vanished."
She accepted a hand from Hernando and stood. All around, the others regained their feet and brushed the dust off their clothes, No one had suffered even so much as a scratch, but all around them, where once there had been buildings and equipment and a tower of nanobots now was nothing, just a level plain in the middle of a dry desert valley.
"Someone's missing." Olivia looked about and scratched her head. The Ancestor had vanished, too.
The assembly murmured how rare it was to witness such an amazing phenomenon. The Earthlings stood in shocked silence, their jaws open, their eyes wide. Olivia nodded and grinned at their predicament. She knew from personal experience that it took some time to get used to life on an alien world.
"The Ancestor has return to its slumber until such time as we are in need of guidance again," Drucinda announced. She nodded to Valori. "We must return our people to their homes and bring these soldiers to the council chambers for judgment."
"Yes, we must." Valori tapped a finger against her lip. "I suppose we can't travel the way we came before?"
Drucinda shook her head. "No, more conventional ways are best for the uninitiated, but we can help them regroup with the others at the foot of the mountains."
Valori winked at Olivia and Hernando. "Let's see if I can use some of what I learned today from the Ancestor."
She walked into the middle of the gathering. "Everyone hold hands," she instructed. "Be sure to include our Earth companions, too."
"Ma'am, my superiors will want to know what's happened here today," Colonel North began then his mouth snapped shut and his eyes bulged.
"We will tell you what we want you to tell them later," Valori said, tapping him on the forehead.
Once all had gathered in a circle and clasped hands, Valori touched the ruby pendant and chanted an ancient-sounding phrase over and over. The crimson crystal glowed.
"Do you see what I see?" Olivia whispered to Hernando. "Our Valori has really got some kind of—"
One second, Olivia was standing beside Hernando and Annara, holding their hands, and the next... The desert landscape in front of them folded like a painting on origami paper. When it unfolded, they found themselves standing at the foot of the mesa.
"Wow." Olivia blinked and rubbed her eyes. "I think we've experienced some kind of time warp without the benefit of the Portal device."
"I agree with your assessment," Corporal Tennant said, nodding. "She folded time and space about us. We didn't move at all."
"No, we did move." Annara narrowed her eyes and then smiled. "Hey, does this mean we don't have to take those oversized hot air balloons back to Penumbra City?"
"Let's ask Valori." Olivia searched the faces of the group for her friend. "Hmm, she and Drucinda aren't here."
We will meet up with you
