For a while, the Earth looked a proper mess, which perhaps could be said of any renovation project. However, the planet was in safe hands, as the Aquatics had provided a similar service to Mars.
Over time, more water was added and they watched the Earth settle into its new look, a look that most of them were unfamiliar with since there was only one major continent.
The first part of the planet’s transformation was over and from the Aquatics perspective, the Earth was ready and colonisation could begin. A sign that this was underway was wave after wave of glistening objects leaving the Moon and falling into the oceans of Earth. If anyone had been on Earth at the time, it would have looked like a shower of rain from space, except these objects were a lot larger than your average raindrop.
It is now known that each object was guided by an Aquatic and composed of thousands of litres of water.
As easy as it would have been for the Aquatics to travel from the Moon to the Earth using a portal, this spectacle was a celebration.
The Moon may have been emptied of most of its water, but it would continue to support the Earth. The mechanics of its construction and ability to remain in a perfect orbit would be lost in time, even though the signs are there for all to see.
“What have these aquatic people got to do with us?” asked Clom.
“A connection exists between your race and theirs.”
“Are you saying we evolved from this aquatic race?” asked Lim.
“Not exactly,” said Huey.
They watched as the Aquatics established themselves, creating underwater cities that glowed, as our cities do today.
“I wonder where the Formless Ones fit into all this?” said Joeum, thinking aloud.
“I think we’re coming to that,” said Laja.
The Earth was pretty stable when the Femesumma visited for the first time and they felt like sticking around for a while, so they built a base on the dark side of the Moon. From here they could observe the aquatic race undetected or so they thought. This was normal procedure for the Femesumma and they stuck to their look but don’t touch policy. Little did they realise that they had inadvertently brought the Formless Ones to Earth with them and it must have come as quite a shock when the lights of the Aquatics’ underwater cities began to go out. The Femesumma investigated of course and were troubled at the speed in which this race was disappearing.
The Femesumma were unable to determine the cause behind the Aquatics rapid decline and were left with the moral decision to either help them or leave their survival to chance.
The Femesumma had encountered many intelligent races on their travels, but this was the first time they had stood by and watched one shrivel and die right before their eyes.
“What was the point of killing the Aquatics?” asked Joeum.
“Don’t misinterpret this act as simply annihilation,” said Huey.
“Do you call it something else on this planet?” asked Lim, sarcastically.
Huey ignored Lim’s question and refocused their attention on planet Vulsumar because it was from here that the Formless Ones had emerged.
“Is this the Formless Ones homeworld?” asked Clom.
“No,” said Huey. “The Formless Ones were imprisoned here, but we have not yet been able to establish where they actually came from.”
“Imprisoned! By whom?” asked Laja.
“That information is absent from the Femesummas’ records.”
“But you’re here representing the Harmonic Ones,” said Clom. “Are you saying that even they don’t know?”
“Your assistance here would not be needed otherwise.”
“I find it hard to believe that the Harmonic Ones don’t know more about these things and since it looks like they sent you to help us, I’m wondering how much use you’re going to be,” said Clom.
“You would not get very far without me.”
“Looks like I hit a nerve that time,” said Clom, looking pleased with himself.
“You are mistaken Com, I do not have nerves, as that would make me vulnerable. You are here to gather intelligence, intelligence that even the Harmonic Ones have struggled to obtain and I am here to assist you.”
“Are we stuck with this thing for the whole trip?” asked Clom.
“I believe we are,” said Laja.
If these Formless Ones were now free, then what chance did they have of stopping them?
Despite the facts, Huey explained that the Formless Ones were still prisoners on Vulsumar. They had simply adapted and the shackles that bound them had become flexible.
“What are we talking about here?” asked Joeum.
“They are tethered.”
If their physical eyes were able to see this tether, it would look like a cord and if the Formless Ones ever found a way of severing this cord, then all hell would break loose. The Femesummas’ technology, particularly their portals, had given the Formless Ones a glimpse of what freedom would be like. Freedom is the Formless Ones holy grail and they have never stopped searching and manipulating in a bid to find it.
It might seem inconceivable that an advanced race like the Femesumma could have possibly succumbed; however, the Formless Ones were always looking for a weakness, a way in and their offers could be very tempting.
Masters of mayhem, it was not beyond them to start a war between two races, so they could harvest the outcome.
When the Femesumma came to Vulsumar they saw a planet ravaged by storms, a hostile environment but not a lifeless one. On the contrary, this planet was teeming with life that had adapted and thrived. The Femesumma were tasked with taming this planet to suit their needs, without killing the locals in the process.
Believing they had factored in the needs of the wildlife and their own in equal measure, they set to work. But the Femesumma overlooked the Formless Ones and in the process of making Vulsumar habitable, they very nearly killed them. Being extremely resilient, the Formless Ones survived and then began infiltrating the Femesumma.
“I can see why the Femesumma would be useful to the Formless Ones, because of their technology, but where does the aquatic race fit in?” asked Lim.
Huey’s eyes brightened. “After analysing the Aquatics’ bio wave, the Formless Ones discovered they shared similarities.”
“Similarities?”
“Yes. The bio wave is a window to the soul and it was the soul that the Formless Ones were interested in.”
To become stronger the Formless Ones had to increase their numbers and they needed souls to do this. The Aquatics were as close a match to anything they had encountered before, which was a good start, but a close match wasn’t good enough. The Formless Ones needed a perfect match and the only way to achieve this was to take the Aquatics and create a physical being made for the job.
“A hybrid, if you like,” said Huey.
“I don’t like,” said Clom. “I have a feeling I know where this is going.”
“Would you like me to continue or do you want to keep talking?” asked Huey.
“I think that’s his way of telling you to shut up,” said Joeum. “Please continue, Huey.”
The Formless Ones plan was to drive the Aquatics to the brink of extinction and they achieved this with ease. Next came an invitation to help and it is assumed that the Aquatics did not know the Formless Ones were actually responsible for the atrocities that had befallen them.
The Aquatics were suspicious, but desperate and agreeing to the Formless Ones terms would turn out to be the worst decision of their lives.
The complete manipulation of the Aquatics took many cycles and resulted in the creation of a species that was physically flawed, vulnerable and easy to control.
“You’re talking about us now, the human race?” said Joeum.
“Correct. The human has been modified many times, to produce a soul that is a perfect match.”
“You make it sound like we are some kind of incubator,” said Joeum.
“That is a fair analogy.”
> “Wait a minute. The Formless Ones have had plenty of time to create an army, so how come they are still tethered to Vulsumar?” asked Clom.
“As their numbers have grown, the more flexible this tether has become. We believe it is close to being severed and if that happens we won’t be looking at the loss of a few civilisations or a few planets. The event will be catastrophic and we have to stop it at all costs.”
“What aren’t you telling us?” asked Clom.
“I am not withholding anything. That would be counterproductive.”
“Okay, okay. Then how do we proceed?” asked Joeum.
“With caution of course. We must first take possession of one of the Femesummas’ telepoints, as it is believed that the Formless Ones are concealing something with the help of this technology. Once the telepoint is in our control we should be able to see what they are up to.”
“Why a telepoint?” asked Laja. “Surely the tele-hub here in the city would be a far better option.”
“As you can see, the city has been destroyed and now access to the hub from within the city is impossible. A lot of the telepoints have also been damaged, but some are still active.”
“So we take control of the telepoint to access the hub?”
“Correct,” said Huey. “The telepoints are one of the few remaining technological advances that the Formless Ones haven’t taken out of commission.”
“But why? Surely if you’re going to cripple a race you take away all its technology?” said Clom.
“Not if you have a use for it yourself,” said Huey. “And clearly they do.”
“So we take over one of these telepoints. Then what?” asked Lim.
“That depends on what we find,” said Huey.
“Taking a telepoint from under the noses of the Femesumma won’t be easy,” said Joeum.
“Joeum’s right,” said Laja “The Femesumma and the Formless Ones have been fighting over this planet for a very long time and they’re not going to let us walk in and help ourselves to their technology.”
Huey couldn't disagree, but they’d forgotten one thing, they had at their disposal an RDU, a piece of Femesumma hardware that the Harmonic Ones had taken possession of.
Huey refocused their attention back on the dome. The star map faded and was replaced by a terrestrial one, which showed their current location as a blue hazy patch. Huey zoomed out and the map rotated and they could now see a yellow dot.
The yellow dot marked the location of the nearest functioning telepoint.
“Surely the Femesumma must know their telepoints are of particular interest to the Formless Ones?” said Clom.
“Of course, but the Formless Ones have successfully tricked the Femesumma into believing they want to destroy them. As result, the Femesumma are putting all their energy into defending the last of the telepoints because they are likely to be their only way off this planet.
“So while this power struggle continues, we are going to slip in and take control?” said Lim.
”Precisely.”
“How far is this telepoint?” asked Clom.
“Far. An expression you are familiar with, I believe, is a hundred miles as the crow flies.”
“Try all you like, Huey, you’re a lump of steel and about as unhuman as you can get, so drop the humanisms,” said Clom.
“I must correct you, Com, I am not made of steel, in fact, humans have not discovered the material of which I am constructed.”
“Like that makes a difference!” said Clom.
“Maybe not to you; however, the difference is significant. Of course, this is irrelevant. If there are no further questions then we should prepare to leave.”
“Just a minute. What do you know about the others we were travelling with?” asked Laja.
“Others? Oh yes, the others. Your journey to Vulsumar was staggered. The others that you speak of were set down closer to the objective. Unfortunately, they have been taken captive and are being held by the Femesumma.”
“When were you going to tell us that?” asked Clom, getting angry.
“I just have.”
“Smart arse.”
“Show us on the map,” said Laja.
Huey turned back to the map and along with their location and that of the telepoint, there was a red glowing dot. This indicated where the others were being held.
“If that map is to scale, then the other members of our group look a lot closer than the telepoint,” said Joeum.
“Closer. Different direction,” said Huey. “Please think before you make your decision.”
“I’m going to rip that damn things head off in a minute,” said Clom, and Lim was getting ready to restrain him.
Huey informed them that the others had been intercepted pretty quickly and the reason he was trying to influence the group’s decision, was simple, the Femesumma would be expecting a rescue party.
Laja wanted to know what this little detour was going to cost them. Huey resisted the temptation to say, it could cost them their lives, as he’d already alerted them to the dangers.
“The group is being held about twelve miles from here.”
That wasn’t a great distance, but in reality, it could mean two or more days, factoring in the resistance they were likely to encounter.
“We’ll have to make it work,” said Laja. “No one gets left behind.”
“I am here to assist you, in any way I can. My advice is not to attempt this rescue. By doing so you have lost sight of your objective.”
Laja reaffirmed their intentions, rescue the others, then continue and without further delay, Huey led them to the exit.
“What are our chances?” asked Joeum.
“Your chances are slim at best and that was before you decided to rescue your comrades.”
“This bag of bolts is as cold as the steel it’s made from,” said Clom.
Huey chose not to correct this human for a second time and moved off through the open door.
“Can we trust this thing?” asked Clom.
“Given our circumstances, this is the best the Harmonic Ones could have done. Its interpersonal skills need tweaking perhaps, but we mustn’t forget that these RDUs weren’t designed for this role,” said Laja.
Huey was up ahead, near the end of the tunnel and the weather conditions hadn’t improved from earlier.
“Is it always like this?” asked Lim.
“The storms are worse in the cities.”
They knew they couldn’t wait for the storm to subside because a storm like this could rage for days, so it looked like they were going to have to take their chances. Huey had come prepared for this and retrieved a number of small devices from a concealed compartment on his body. He explained that these devices were capable of creating a weak force field. They were silver in colour, about four inches in diameter, convex on one side and flat on the other and could be clipped onto a belt or piece of clothing. The force field would enable the wearer some protection. It was strong enough to deflect a bullet or small projectile travelling at speed and would also reduce damage taken by larger objects.
Huey wanted Clom for a demonstration. Once clipped on, Clom couldn’t tell the difference himself and neither could anyone else.
Huey picked up a rock and without warning, he hurled it straight at Clom’s head. Clom ducked and believed he had been quick enough. In truth, the rock had bounced off the force field and continued down the tunnel. With the force field still active, Huey reached out his hand and touched Clom on the shoulder and this concluded the demonstration.
“Thank you, Com. As you can see, this is a very practical device.”
The device would work whether attached or not, so a force field could be created around other objects. However, the device had its limitations and would only create a force field around objects that did not exceed ten cubic metres.
“Wearing these won’t make you invincible,” warned Huey. “Now, we have about seven hours of daylight and I have plotted our route to enabl
e us to have reached some form of shelter before nightfall.”
Huey moved out into the wind and his armoured shell pinged with multiple hits from flying debris. A short demonstration without his force field and then in an instant, Huey activated it and the debris could be seen streaming past, about six inches from his body.
Their individual force fields would protect them from the storm, but there were other dangers lurking out there, only Huey didn’t go into detail about these. He was confident he could keep the group safe, his systems were all online and he was built to withstand anything Vulsumar could throw at him.
With some help from the Formless Ones, this once tamed planet was reverting back to its wild days and the wildlife that had been kept at bay and away from populated areas was making a comeback.
Travelling anywhere on foot was best avoided, but since the planet had gone to hell it was unavoidable and this must have been particularly frustrating for the Femesumma survivors. They had to adapt to the loss of their technology, an experience the Shamozolts knew all about.
“What goes around comes around,” muttered Clom.
The wind howled like a demon through what was left of the buildings of this city and even though this place looked deserted, they knew without a doubt that their progress was being monitored.
The protection devices that Huey had given them were very efficient, but it was still nice to step out of the howling wind from time to time. It was during these brief stops that Huey would impart more information about the Femesumma or the planet in general. The fact that the Femesumma survivors were fighting amongst themselves confirmed their suspicions and perhaps this was inevitable, since they had been under the influence of Formless Ones for so long.
“How did it get this bad?” asked Joeum.
Once the Femesumma realised their race had been infiltrated, they didn’t know who they could trust and this led to conflict. The Harmonic Ones discovered a recurring pattern to the work of these Formless Ones and the Femesumma had reached the last stage before total annihilation. Basically, they had come to the end of their usefulness.
Alliance Page 3