Cashis had always been ashamed of the wings he had been born with, and the horns, as he grew older, caused him no end of agony, for those he could not hide. His step-grand-mother, Willena, had bound the wings and hid them under his cloak, but as he matured the lumps on his back became noticeably larger and he was ostracized by the town folk as a freak. They nor he had knowledge of gods or demons, and to them he would remain someone to taunt and beat upon. The community had no love for him, and on the day Willena rolled over in her sleep for the last time he was chased from the village with clubs and threats of death should he be foolish enough to return. He was kneeling by the pool of rainwater looking at his reflection, hating the face with the long curved horns more with each passing moment, and was on the verge of taking his own worthless life when, with a whirling dust cloud that came from nowhere, there before him stood the Father, and the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. It was her! That face he had seen so many times. The dream girl. But she too has horns! And wings! The man  stretched out the wings that easily passed fourteen feet and flexed them majestically, with a great smile for him, and the huge horns that sprang from HIS forehead were stupendous! “What manner of beings are you? Where did you come from?” He rose to his feet and looked into the azure eyes of the beautiful young thing and said, “I have seen you in my dreams!” “And I you. Many times.” Muck stepped forward and said, “Cashis.” “You know my name? What are you, so like my own deformed self, and yet so wonderful to behold?” Muck said, “I am the Father of the gods! Throw down the rags that bind your wings! You are coming home!” “Home?” “Yes, home. You are one of us, and your mate is here for you! Meela, claim your young god, and get him ready to fly!”

She looked shyly up at the tall muscular young god and asked, “In your dreams, did we often speak?” “Your name is Meela?” “Yes. Did we?” Cashis looked sourly at the ground. “No. I was ashamed and ran from you. Every time.” Meela was hurt by the statement and said, “But, in my dreams, we were often lost in long talks, and went walking in beds of flowers near the stream in the forest, and had quiet lunches on a soft blanket in the shade of the willows.” She had tears streaming down her cheeks as she softly whispered her pain, and he sank to his knees in front of her, wanting to cry himself for the wonderful dreams he had run from. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were real! Can you ever forgive me? I thought I was a worthless freak, alone in my kind, and only good to taunt and make fun of. If I had only not run from you!” Then he did cry, for the loss, for his aloneness, for her pain.

Muck stood by, patient as forever, watching the play work itself out. Meela had stopped crying, but the boy had not, and down she went next to him. “Cashis,” she whispered, and the young god shook his head, not looking up, and said, “Please, let me wake up and be at home with Willena. Let her still be filled with life. Let this agony of heart cease. Let the dream that I love never come, for I know she never will.” His head was near the ground in his pain, and she placed her hand on the dark curly hair and softly traced the maturing horns and said, “I have come for you, and we will dream together from now to the ends of time, and we will share all things, you and I. Rise now, for you are mine and are coming with me.” There was a strength in her tone that demanded his attention, and he raised himself and once again dared to look into the azure depths. “I am yours?” “Father has given us to each other. You are mine, and I am yours.” “Truly?” She smiled and held out her arms to him, and he rushed into them.

“All right! Now, son, we’ve got quite a flight ahead of us. You been doin’ any practicing on the sly, or is this going to be the hard way?” “Well sir, I can get off the ground all right, but I still get a little bruised when I land sometimes. It wasn’t easy to find a place where I wouldn’t get caught by somebody and beaten.” “I can understand that. Well, Meela, you give him a few lessons. I’m going into the village and give them a few!” Muck was enjoying himself immensely by the time he found a shady spot near the council house and leaned back against the wall. He went totally un-noticed for about five minutes, and then there were screams and shouting and running people all up and down the dusty street.

A large stout red faced man puffed to a stop in front of the lounging Muck and demanded, “Who and what are you?” “I am your god! KNEEL!” Three hundred of them hit the ground as if pulled by a mighty force and could not regain their feet no matter how hard they struggled, and fear raged through them. “What’s happening? How did you do this?” the red faced man screeched, and Muck said again, in a much quieter voice, “I am your god. Be still.” There wasn’t a sound in the entire village. No babies crying. No bird calls. No wind. “For years my son walked among you, and you ridiculed him and threw stones and garbage in his face. Shall I allow you to escape my wrath? Why? Why not breathe you out of existence? Can one of you tell me why you should continue to live your unjust selfish lives?” From the back of the frightened crowd a small voice said, “My child needs me.” Muck smiled at the skinny little woman and said, “Indeed she does,” and Meela and Cashis walked into the center of the street.

The boy was magnificent in his unfettered head high glory and Meela glowed in her beauty and happiness and the astounded populace, after one long look at the shining couple, dropped their faces into the dust of the street and begged for forgiveness. Muck let them suffer for a long time, then Cashis reached out and took the skinny woman by the arm and raised her to her feet. “Hey, It’s all right. You folk have taught me to be humble, and showed me the depths of Human despair, and gave me the wish to dream, and in the end gave me that dream unknowingly. There is nothing to forgive, other than the very Human-ness we are all inflicted with. Rise and be kind to one another. That will be punishment enough.” “Well said,” said the Father. “You heard the boy. Now, I, or we, will return one day, and we will know if your commandment has been broken. An evil wind will blow if one more person is treated such as Cashis has been. I am watching.” He beckoned the young couple to his side and said, “Let’s rise slowly, do a few turns, and then fly like a bat out of hell to the sky. That ought to hold them ‘til the last of ‘em die of old age!” They did just that, and left an amazed frightened bunch of villagers behind them.

She had told the boy how it would be once they left the confines of the planet, but he was unprepared for the wonderful feeling of power and freedom that overwhelmed him once the atmosphere was far behind and the planet dwindled to a small star in the distance, and then disappeared altogether, to be replaced by the blazing suns and swirling nebulas they transpired in their flight. They looked at one another and smiled many times in the deep void, as galaxy after galaxy fell behind them, and Muck couldn’t help laughing long and loud in the vastness. “Get used to it, boy! This is what it’s all about!” and off he flew, ever faster, and time disappeared and stars became a blinding blur as the trio made their way from universe to universe and came, in a dizzying swoop, down to where the fleet awaited them. They were standing in Dorian and Sonja’s starship, and Mazina Sho’lee and Sidan both nearly fainted in fright at their sudden arrival. “Hiyadoin’, children?” “Father! Who’s the new guy?”

After the introductions, and the intense but short-lived disbelief, Mazina Sho’lee said, “Well, Mister Cashis, you certainly are a handsome Dhevill!” Sidan scowled at her briefly but then saw the humor of her statement, and laughed. “You didn’t even know you were a Dhevill, Cashis?” “No. I never had a clue, and when Meela and Father appeared I nearly died I was so afraid of them!” Mazina Sho’lee, who loved Meela intensely, hugged the both of them to her bosom. “I am so happy for you! Now the four of us can learn and grow together, on this long voyage across the stars.”

Ahead of them, close to a nearly burnt out sun that had attracted debris from it’s dead solar system, Welen thought he saw the glint of metal in the weak star shine and tapped Cathay on the shoulder. “What do you think of that, my sweet? Could it be a starship of some sort? It is rotating opposite directions from the other space junk. Better alert the fleet, huh?” “Are you giving the orders on this ship now?” the luscious curly haired girl asked with a grin, and he said, “Merely a suggestion, Darlin’! I wouldn’t dream of trying to tell my commander what to do! Unless maybe it was under battle conditions, of course. Then, as you know, my word is law.” He smiled with all the love he felt for this woman, and she returned it. “I know,” she said softly. “I wish you wouldn’t smile like that when I’m trying to be serious, though! I’ve sent out the alert, and we should hear from Muck momentarily.”

  Muck and his new addition to the crew were suddenly standing over their shoulder looking at the screens, and Cathay yelped “Who the hell is that?” Muck explained the curious situation, the dreams he had instigated in the pair from two opposing ends of the universes, and his giving of the one to the other. Welen welcomed the winged lad and warmly shook hands with him, whereas Cathay nearly smothered the boy in a motherly hug such as the youngster had never experienced, that brought tears to his eyes and put a large lump in his throat. “It does rather resemble a ship. Come Cashis, we’ll go investigate.Cathay, keep the com open, and I’ll inform you of it’s identity in a short while.” As he said the words his form was beginning to dissolve, and the boy, new at this game, smiled apologetically and did his best to follow, making two tries at getting out through the wall of the ship.

Cashis eased though the ancient metal side of the craft into a deep cold gloom, and Muck surprised him, coming out of a chamber just over his head. “What took you so long? Come on, there’s a tank in here with some strange life-form sleeping in it. Probably has no idea what happened to it, or where it is. Let’s wake him up!” He followed Muck back into the darkness and again was pleasantly surprised when the Father touched a panel and soft lights began to glow, and he saw what was in the tank.

She was about a foot tall, maybe an inch more, and was lying on her side in a slumber that had lasted for eternity, in a fetal position, knees pulled up to her chest, to avoid lying on the fragile membranes of her butterfly-like wings. Short antennae protruded from her high forehead, and the head, though hairless, was a thing of unearthly beauty. Muck was impressed. Her tiny pointed ears twitched when he said quietly, “Wow,” and he saw a frown flit across her features, swiftly, and was gone. He put his hand on the container and it came groaning into life and the top slid away, and he reached in and took the sleeping beauty up in his powerful arms and held her like a child and said, “The girls are going to love this. Look around for a space suit for her, and we’ll take her over to Sonja.” The boy quickly located the locker which contained the gear and helped Muck get her dressed and safe, then Muck pointed a finger at the side of the ship and it disappeared, and they exited the vehicle.

After going through the airlocks with his light burden he deposited the cocoon-like suit clad stranger on the berth next to Sonja and said, “I don’t know a thing about her, sweetheart, other than she is alive though asleep. See what you can do with her. Your touch will awaken her, though she may wish she had never woke up.” Sonja gently eased the childlike form from the suit. “So tiny, yet a woman of her kind.” Touching the sleeper’s face with a soft hand, the creature’s eyes slowly opened and gazed into those of the goddess, at first with a terrible fear, and then a reluctant acceptance of her fate. The mite said something in a tongue that was unintelligible to the watching Dorian, but Sonja spoke a few words in the same lilting language and the girl-thing began to cry.

Muck entered the cabin and said, “I have been back to her derelict ship, and it is evident that it has been caught in the dying sun’s gravity for eons. There is no way to tell for certain just how long she has slept, but it has been many thousands of years. She is alone, and has been for a long time, though I found traces of a full crew, that is no longer on board that ship. Dust lay heavy over everything and has not been disturbed until Cashis and I made entry. Very sad.” Sonja took the figure’s hand and gently told her what the Father had said and a sob shook the tiny shoulders, and Muck picked her up and held her like a newborn, his soothing voice eventually bringing her comfort. He put his thought in her mind and told her many things, and showed her where her new friends were from and while he was there he spoke a quiet command and when he put her back on the berth said, “And now, little one, welcome to your new family.” In a soft shaky voice she said, “Are you really the Father of the gods?”  “He is,” Dorian replied, “but a damn nice guy, too. Tell me, where was your home world? I don’t believe we have heard of your race of people.” The tiny woman with gossamer wings said, “Our world was there,” and pointed at the view screen.

They turned to look and saw a dark cold planet circling the now almost extinguished star, and Muck looked sharply at her. “What were you and your crew doing in space yet so close to home?” “We were the only ones that would fit into the shuttle, and were going to attempt to escape the gravity of the dimming sun and seek a new home, but were trapped. As our air grew stale and the others began to weaken, they put me in the case and put me to sleep. I fear that my friends, facing sure death, chose to leap into the void, for they are long gone.”

Dorian said, “Who are you that you were chosen for life, over the others?” “I have the magic.” Sonja asked. “The magic?” The golden skin and eyes of the tiny woman glowed with an inner light. “Yes. I was born with it. But I was helpless in the death of my world and loved ones.” Again she cried, and Sonja shooed the others from the cabin. “Lie down and rest, and I will get you some refreshments. Soon you will get to meet the others of the crew, when you feel up to it. What is your name?”  “Vleezha.” “Well, dear Vleezha, I know you are terribly sad just now, but I too have the magic, and I tell you that your sadness will be gone when I return with something good for you to eat. Smoked hog is a delicacy I will bet you have never tasted!”

News of the sleeping beauty flashed from ship to ship, and Welen and his warriors received the command to embark on a mission to the dead planet. The girl would not return. She had no desire to find all she had known and loved in the state it must surely be in. It was a tomb, and though she described in detail the once beautiful cities, she could not see them again. They were a peaceful people and had never heard of war or alien folk, though had thought that surely there must have been life among the other countless stars. The great misfortune that they had lived in a doomed solar system without means of escape saddened the entire fleet, and thoughts of other things than alien invasions and atrocities entered their conciousness.

“Father, how could the gods allow such a thing to happen?” Meela asked in her sorrow, being a goddess herself and feeling tremendous guilt. Muck took her quivering chin in hand and looked tenderly into the teary eyes. “If I had known, child, I assure you, I would have taken a hand, but this happened while I was deep in death beneath the Monument on Mother Mars in a different time. You must remember that we still remain many thousands of years away, and have not made the jump back into our own frame. I am truly sorry child.”

Meela and Mazina Sho’lee adopted the Faeri and soon they were fast friends, Vleezha’s sadness rapidly departing in the newfound love she was surrounded with.

Welen and his crew found a ghost world, with no trace of life but the many dust-covered little mounds that, when inspected, revealed the withered long-dead remains of the tiny people, who had perished by the thousands as their planet expired. They trekked through the ages-old ruins but could not enter the little structures, though Jasho pulled the roof from one and they looked inside. Welen reached into the dwelling and picked up a small jeweled ring from the floor, and placed it in his pack. He nodded to Jasho and the warrior replaced the roof, and they continued their tour. A non-technological world, there were no tools or machines in evidence. The little winged beings had no need for such, though they found many small garden plots and fields that were also windblown and semi-buried. “I don’t like it here. It’s like we are walking through a graveyard, and the spirits resent our intrusion. I think we’ll call a halt to this and return to the ship.” “Good plan,” Muck said, and Welen turned to see the Father leaning against a boulder near where they were hiking. “The gloom of this dark world is a heavy weight. I had only hoped you would find some small treasure for little Vleezha, and you have done so. Come, I’ll ride back up with you.”

When the squad had hung up their space suits and cleaned up, the girls rode over and came alongside and Cathay greeted them warmly, taking both hands of the hovering Faeri in her own and then hugging her. “You are so pretty! I just love your name, it fits you so well! All of us girls have been anxious to meet you! Did you ever think you would find so many women in deep space?” Vleezha smiled. “No! I honestly didn’t think we would find ANYTHING in space! I just went along with my friends because they made me go, thinking it would be better to at least try to survive than stay and surely die.” A tear escaped her eye, and at that moment Welen entered the command center and smiled. “Hey, little woman, come sit on my lap. I have something for you from your world.” She flew over and eased herself down onto the huge man’s leg and he put his hand tenderly on her. “Look. I have brought you back a gift.” His other hand opened and her eyes grew large in her suddenly pale face. “My ring! Where did you find it? How? I dropped it in the rush to leave and thought it was irreplaceably gone! Oh, thank you!” She was smiling and crying at the same time. “My mother gave it to me when I was a child, and it meant so much to me. Thank you!” She stood on his knee and threw her tiny arms around the massive neck and kissed him so many times that he lost track and was about to swoon just as Cathay said, “Hey, that’s MY man you’re kissin’ on,” and laughingly lifted the little woman from him.

Vleezha’s color had returned, along with a flush of quick embarrassment, and she apologized profusely for losing her head like that, but Cathay laughed. “Oh, I was just teasing! You can kiss him all you want. I sure do! Just don’t let the other girls at him!” The other girls all joined in the laughter then, though some of them would have killed for such permission! Vleezha looked demurely at the giant  and smiled shyly. “I love you. I love all of you. But I love you the most.” She floated through the air and kissed Welen again, and he said, “You had better give Jasho one or two of those sweet kisses. He’s the one who lifted the roof, and allowed me to find the ring.” She went immediately to the grinning man and put her arms as far as they would go around Jasho’s red neck and kissed him all over his face. He was happier than he’d ever been in that instant, and said, “Precious little lady, I’ll be your slave from now until the day I die, if you want me to!”  Sonja, who had the protection of the entire Dragon Legion, said, “That’s not a bad offer Vleezha. I’d take it if I were you. You can’t know what a good feeling it is to have great warrior’s in your service. He will protect you with his very life and last drop of  blood.” She still had her tiny arms stretched around the man’s neck, and she looked deep into his eyes. “Do you really want to protect me?” “Yes!” She laid her cheek on his and said, “I gratefully accept your offer sir, and will try to be a kind mistress. Thank you for your noble heart.”

They held a reception and party for the sleeping beauty who had joined them in such a lively way, there on the troop transport, and it was decided, mainly by the little one herself, that she would remain on this particular ship, where she knew beyond doubt she was safe. Any and all who wished could visit her there. Mazina Sho’lee, the new Queen of Mars, when her  status was disclosed, became the recipient of a few of those tiny kisses herself, as well as did Sidan, the king, whose hand she also kissed and pledged allegiance to for the remainder of the journey. “Gosh, I never knew a king and queen before! Gosh, I never knew gods and goddesses either! And mighty warriors! It’s like a fantasy come true! Am I still asleep and dreaming?” Mazina Sho’lee hugged her. “No, silly, we are real and we all love you! Don’t we, everyone?” This was the queen speaking, and everyone on board chorused loudly enough to vibrate the walls of the starship, “Yes! We love you, Vleezha! Welcome, and wake up!” Then, amidst the laughter and happiness they all were experiencing, the party wound to a close and the folk departed for their own ships.

Sonja was the last to leave, with Dorian, ever patient, waiting for her, and she asked the Faeri, “What form does your magic take?” “I can do many things. If I wish something to appear, it does. If I wish for something to cease to exist, it does. I don’t do that though, after my pet reen went away.” “You can make things stop existing? Wow. Wait ‘til Muck finds out! What else?” “I can make people happy when they are not, and feed them when there is no food.” “I think you and the Father need to have more discussions in the near future! It is entirely possible that you may be a goddess yourself, though of a different family than we. Again, I am so happy that we found and rescued you, and will see you soon, but dear Dorian grows weary of my yakking and we must go. I love you. ‘Bye.”

Jedan, Arrella, Muck, Baen and the children then arrived. Muck had not wanted to disrupt the party with his own and the alien girls presence during the party, but they too wanted to get to know the little dear, and had a party of their own for the mite. Sonja had passed on the information she had picked up from Vleezha about her abilities as they passed near the airlock, and Muck was desirous of  knowing first hand what the possibilities were, if any. Jasho, taking his new duties with a deadly seriousness, never left her side.

“Now,” Muck said, after an hour of quizzing her had passed, “do you think that, unaided, you can make your SELF appear somewhere else, like I can?” “I don’t know. I’ve never attempted to do such a thing!” “All right. I want you to wish that you and I are sitting in the gardens on the Avenue, near the fountain, in the City of Eden, on Mars.” “But Father, I don’t know where Mars is!” “Doesn’t matter. Close your eyes and see what I see in my mind.” She did as he instructed, and wished very hard, for she wanted to please the father of the gods.

The sweet perfume of the flowers floated on the cool evening breeze and the heady scent of the heavily loaded fruit trees was something she had never smelled, and she opened her eyes on a scene that would stay in her memories. The gardens of Eden. Muck took her little hand and said, “I thought so. Well Vleezha, welcome to the club. One of the old gods was indeed interested in your part of the endless universes, and you are the proof. It is shameful that he or she did not stay and take care of their creations. Now, how do you like Mars? This is the city where Sidan and Mazina Sho’lee make their home, and where young Lila was born recently. You, my dear, are a goddess yourself, though I am not sure of your ancestry, but, have no fear, I will find it out. We had better leave now before the throngs notice us and cause a disturbance. Wish us back with the fleet,” and she did.

Baen immediately pounced on Muck. “You both disappeared just as I was asking you how Jasho was supposed to protect her if she was somewhere he could not go! Well? How is he?” Muck eyed the warrior for a moment, then said, “I’ll make him an angel, and tie him to her forever, for she is indeed a goddess and he is her servant. What do you think, Jasho? Angel in the service of your god, or man?” “God! Make me an angel!” A heartbeat went by, and he was on the floor screaming in agony as he died and was transformed into an immortal soldier in shining armor sporting the snowy white wings of an angel, his crested helmet bearing the head of an eagle, and forever he would remain.

“WOW! I never get tired of seeing you do stuff like that, Muck!” Arrella was almost beside herself, and Vleezha was ready to faint, though gods couldn’t do that. She didn’t know. She was ready to faint! Lila and Little Jo looked at each other and grinned, and Jo went over to the little goddess and whispered, “We know you, me and Lila,” and the Faeri felt a bond with them as old as time, and smiled at her with love. “Yes. I see that now.” “Don’t tell!” Jo said, and Vleezha whispered back, “Your secret is safe with me!”

Sergeant Grott, watching the dead sun recede in the port, said to the sweet Wani, his favorite in the crew, “Ever since we left Earth all we seem to do is come, look, find, and leave. I’d kinda like to get in at least one battle with a giant serpent or something, even a huge rat, anything!” She looked at him, again thinking to herself that he was one good looking man, and said, “Are you out of your mind? Those things could kill a man! Look what the serps did to Jedan and Welen!” “Yeah, I know, but look at how their women look at them! That’s how they won their hearts. How am I ever gonna get you to look at me like that, if I don’t kill some monster to save you?” He quickly cleared his throat and returned his gaze to the port, deeply embarrassed at what had slipped out. She smiled at his back. “Turn around!” she commanded, and Grott sheepishly did so, and she WAS looking at him like that! “You don’t have to kill something to make me your woman, Grott. I WANT to be yours. I know you would, if the need arose, and have for some time. I just needed to hear you say something for reassurance. I’m sorry I’ve taken so long to let you know.” “No! I’m the one who is sorry! How could I have been so foolish? We’ve been together and the best of friends since the blastoff from Kasil! We could have been…” “We can catch up!”

 Welen, wondering what had become of his sergeant, asked Cathay if she had seen him several days later, and she grinned, “Didn’t you know? He and Wani are on their honeymoon, so to speak. I’ll buzz them,  if you need him.” He smiled at the grinning woman and answered, “Naw, I just wondered if he jumped overboard or something.” “He might be thinkin’ he did, by now!” They had a good laugh over that and were commencing to go overboard themselves when the com sounded and Dorian’s voice interrupted.

“What’s all that noise coming over the com? You woke me up from my nap!” “Oh! I must have accidentally sat on the button!” “I don’t want to know! We’re ready to jump over to the next system. We’ve cleared the last of the debris and space junk, and Muck wants to see if his calculations are correct regarding time waves. He thinks time has a surface not unlike the action of water in the oceans of Earth, and that planets, suns and other bodies may have an effect on it, like the moon of our world controlling the tides, or something. He’s driving me nuts with that strange talk, and I am just going along for the ride. I don’t pretend to understand, and simply ain’t gonna try.” Welen said, “I know what you mean. Everything he does is a little over our heads. Him bein’ who he is and all.” Dorian said, “Yeah. Well, batten down the hatches and hold on to something. See you when we get there, wherever it may be.”

The only ship Vleezha had been on was the ancient shuttle that had gone nowhere, and the ride was fascinating to her. “Cathay! This is so wonderful!” They were in overdrive and the stars shot by in a blur as she spoke, her small head whipping back and forth as she tried to focus on one or the other as it zinged past the port. “I wouldn’t watch any longer if I were you! You will snap your pretty neck soon! Welen says they make him as dizzy as my kisses when he watches them for too long.”  Vleezha looked at her with one eye squinting as she thought about what Cathay had said and then a sharp laugh broke from her lips. “Oh! Some day I wish to make a man dizzy too!”

Big Jaw was the first of the giant lizards to go into rut but, it didn’t take long and the ferocious roars of all the male dragons shook the ships that carried them, the raspy moans of the females creating a harmonious vibration that was felt in the very bones of the crewmembers. Dorian commed Muck. “You hear that ol’ pal? What do ya think, maybe we better find a planet to set down on for a few days?” Muck said, “Yeah, and it better happen fast. As luck would have it, there’s a  system dead ahead that may provide the answer. I’ll jog out there quick and let you know what I find.”

The Father wasn’t gone long. Dorian had just wiped the soap from his shave on the towel when from beside him Muck said, “You’re not gonna believe this.” He turned and the beautiful creature that was standing just behind Muck smiled shyly at him, saying, “Hi.” He looked her up and down and said, “Hi, yourself! Sonja! Come quick!”

Sonja and Meela entered the cabin, and after a flurry of questions and answers it was found out by the amazed Dorian that this exotic female was the daughter of Erik and Gina, who had left Earth thousands of years into the future in an ancient starship that had been sent for them, taking them to an even more ancient starliner, OW1, where she had been born. “I was very young when I was separated from the other gods and angels, and for many years have wandered the heavens in search of them, and have seen no other living soul in all that time. It is so wonderful to finally find someone!”

Salli’an was a dark skinned beauty of the Venusian gods, with a glowing red-brown color and black eyes and long flowing midnight hair, and a smile that lit up the cabin when Meela suddenly appeared. They were of an age in appearance, though Salli’an was much older in experience, having been on her own for so long a time. Meela went immediately to the new arrival and folded her into her arms and heart, and they both began to cry like the young girls they were. After the tale of the ancient starliner’s quest in a time far removed from their own had been told, Meela said, “You must share your story with Vleezha so she will know that she is not alone. Somewhere are others of her kind, and we may somehow be able to find them. How wonderful!”

“We were flying through the nebula, even those among us that had no wings, and I, newly born just weeks previously, was soaking up the powers of the old gods just as were the rest of the party. It was glorious! OW1 was floating in the vastness a thousand miles behind us when of a sudden Peach, Sam’s tiny friend and personal angel, told me to look at this amazing face formed by the gas clouds, and when I looked I was sucked into it! Never since that day have I seen another living person, though have found traces of ancient people in nearly all parts of the heavens I have visited. That planet below us is one such place, and there are remains of fabulous cities and seaports perched on high cliffs where the oceans once lapped upon the shores. The people, whoever they were, though, have long since disappeared.”

Muck said, “It is a perfect place for us to sojourn while the lizards get the rut out of their systems, and we’ll do a little exploring while we’re here. You never know, perhaps we may find something useful, and our young king and queen will see that there were indeed ancient civilizations on other worlds. This will be their first taste of such knowledge, and will be a great adventure for them.” With that he gave the command and the fleet commenced preparations for the landing.

Grott, Wani, Welen,Cathay, and Vleezha took the star cruiser down in the lead of the scouts to find the best zone for the temporary city that would need to be set up for the crew. They would be here for possibly ten days or more and would need a supply of water that would support a large group. The world was by no means deserted, just the people who had lived here were gone. The wildlife remained, and would require that they keep on their guard, for some of the species were large and ferocious, according to young Salli’an.  She had only been on the planet for a few days so was uncertain whether the whole world was devoid of the former race who had inhabited it, or if there might be small bands of nomads in locations she had not visited. It would be an armed camp, ready for whatever may come.

The air was good, and the sweet smell of life floated on the morning breeze, when Sonja and Meela stepped from the starship onto the sand strip near the small stream. Exotic feathered creatures flitted from tree to tree in the dense undergrowth, and an occasional four-legged climber could be seen peering from among the leaves at the strange newcomers. Camp was set up here, for the precious water was not to be found in many areas nearby, and there was room for the lizards to run and enjoy themselves in the rut on the flat plain just over the horizon.

Just over that same horizon lay a ruined city, overgrown by thousands of years of vegetation and neglect, that must have been home to many hundreds of whoever had lived here, and the crew was anxious as the dragons to get loose and run.

Welen led his team there after a quick lunch, and spent the rest of the day securing the area. The long-abandoned structures housed many varieties of creatures that they did not wish to have surprise them in their explorations, so they hunted them out and chased them from the vicinity. A group of bipeds, some form of hair-covered primate, resided in a tower near the center of the city and could be seen scaling the walls in frenzy, and howling threats at them as they approached. “We may not want them fellows for neighbors, either. The rat-things and snakes were bad enough, but these guys look dangerous. Sergeant Grott, take your squad in and roust them!”

Red eyes watched their cautious  approach, and a snarl escaped the lips that covered the long yellow fangs. He had retained tenacious control over the tribe for the last ten years by being the most vicious of them, and having no hesitation when it came time to do murder in their midst, tearing out the heart of the opposed and eating it to halt the rebellion. His mate, equally as ugly in both looks and nature, shared his instant hate of the strangers. She growled long and low as Grott neared the tower, the claws of her paws clenching and releasing as though they were already upon the throats of the invaders. Uurrg looked at her and grinned evilly, enjoying the bloodlust that was rising in her, and fondled her hairy backside. “Yes, Grek, we shall dine well! If they think they can drop down from the skies and take over the world of our ancestors with no opposition they are dead wrong. The gnawed bones of the last who tried still lie in the plaza!” Grek nuzzled the fur of her soul mate’s thirty inch neck and said, “They are puny little things, these alien creatures! I hope there are many more of them, for the meat has been scarce. I have grown to dislike the taste of our own kind.” “It don’t bother me! Meat is meat!” Uurrg said jokingly, as he resumed his watch.

They were giants in the eyes of the Humans who were standing with blasters at the ready, calculating the risks of entering the tower. Welen had come up behind the squad with the rest of his men, sensing that a great danger faced them, and he told Grott, “That big one lookin’ out the window up there is the ugliest sumbitch I’ve ever seen!” “Yeah, she’s homely, but wait ‘til you see her husband!”

Welen flipped the switch on his com and said, “Clem! Get those feisty dragons settled down and saddled and armed! We got a little project for you up here.” “They are not going to be easy to control in their present state,” Clem stated, “But I’ll see what I can do.” Welen gave him a quick sketch of what they had encountered and Clem whistled. “That big!” “Yeah. And damned mean lookin’ too. Twelve and fourteen feet, and must weigh close to a ton. Huge.” “Be there right away!”

Clem blew the alarm and the lizards, superbly trained and always lusting for blood, forgot their present interests and ran to their masters, and within minutes were thundering across the loam hungering for battle. Sherri was first in line, having just washed her beast in the stream, and was polishing the gleaming harness in the light of the four suns as the call for action came. Armed and dangerous, she skidded the dragon to a halt at the feet of  Welen and Grott, and throwing a well executed salute said, “What seems to be the discrepancy?” “Well, it appears that we may have stumbled over something that is a little too large to handle, hand to hand, so we called you guys in for the rough stuff, just in case.” “Excellent!” the excited beauty returned, just as the stampeding dinosaurs and their riders reined in alongside of her ride.

Uurrg looked at Grek and said, “Damn! I never expected something like that!” Big Jaw was looking him dead in the eye at that moment, and his long slimy tongue traced the foot-long slavering fangs, and Uurrg was frightened for the first time in his life. “We may have to negotiate,” his hairy mate whispered as she felt a chill of fear run through her own body. “They are certainly meat-eaters, and I have no wish to be eaten!” Uurrg rubbed his chin in deep thought, and then turned from the window and called his lieutenants. “Here’s the deal,” he growled, “That bunch is like nothing this world has ever seen, and the weapons they possess look deadly enough, but the creatures they ride are pure nightmare, and hungry! Do you wish to die, or shall we attempt to parley a truce?” The hairy giants gathered at the windows and gazed down at the group of warriors congregating beneath them and all but one  immediately voted for peace. Uurrg latched onto the fur on the back of the dissenter’s massive neck and threw him bodily from the high window, to land near the feet of the prancing Big Jaw, who instantly bent down and snatched the bleeding corpse, threw it up in the air and caught and swallowed it.

“That’s what I mean,” Uurrg said, and the rest of the frelem nodded soberly. They decided, with Uurrg’s help, that Zreg would be the emissary that would initiate contact with the aliens, and the poor fellow, fearing death was near, descended the ancient stairwell. He walked on all fours, backwards, to the group that awaited him after he was spotted, and stood there subserviently until they decided he was not threatening them in any way, and wished to communicate with them instead.

Welen and Clem went over to the massive thing and walked around to face him. Even bent over like the creature was he was still on eye level with them, and the red eyes rolled from one to the other then back to Welen, and Zreg grinned and said, “Gooxserwi?” Clem pinned a translator to the fur on it’s chest and asked Zreg to repeat what he had just said. “Hello! Are you friendly?” the hair covered thing replied.

Clem grinned back at him, “Most days. Unless we are challenged by some threat or other. How many of your tribe are there?” “We are all that is left.” “What became of the rest of them?” “Ate.” “I see. Well, stand up and talk like a man. Tell your companions to come down from the tower so we can meet them and see what to do with the bunch of you.” “You will not kill us?” “No, we will not kill you. Go get them.”

Zreg rose to his full height and scurried back up the side of the immense tower by traversing the window ledges and soon disappeared in the vine and creeper covered mists overhead. Uurrg and the others were anxious for his report, having feared that the giant animals below would have swallowed him whole, and when Zreg told them they would not be killed and must come down from their sanctuary they decided to do as ordered, though taking orders from complete strangers was something they had never considered before. Taking orders was something they only did on fear of death, and they all glanced nervously at Uurrg. “We will go down. Zreg will remain in the lead, and if his report is false, will be the first to be eaten.” They went to the crumbling stairwell and descended slowly to meet their destiny.

Nearly fifty of the frelem were gathered on the way down, from dark chambers where they had their nests, and when they had entered the sunlight and stood anxiously before the Dragon Legion they trembled in fear for they had never seen such ferocious creatures; they were the predator on this world. Muck and Cashis had appeared by this time, and Muck walked over to the group. “Hiyadoin’? Who’s leader here?” Uurrg stepped forward and looked down on the Father of the gods and said something the others could not comprehend, but Muck laughed and said, “They do as you tell them or you rip their heart out. I see. Well, while our people are on this world, you will be under our command. If you do not act as a civilized group you will have to be put down. I myself will do the honors.” As he spoke he pointed to one of the nearly buried structures and blew it apart in a tremendous thundering fireball. The giant hairy frelem dropped flat to the ground and began to scream and moan, and he laughed again, enjoying himself. “Get up!” They were standing upright of a sudden as if pulled by invisible strings, and very afraid of this winged being. Uurrg approached Muck and said, “We will do as you command. I myself will see that your orders are obeyed.” “Excellent! Come then, and help us set up our camp over the hill. We would rather have you in our midst than behind our backs.”

They walked upright but when they ran they were on all fours like a huge dog crashing through the undergrowth, and once the fear left them many of them began to enjoy this new adventure and ran in and out among the dragons, teasing them and becoming friends with them. Big Jaw especially was having a fine time, nipping the large frelem in the buttocks when they ran by him and Clem, and tossed his head and laughed in his dragon’s way. Clem was proud of his beast, knowing he was just playing, but also reminding the captives of who was in control. Big Jaw was.

The young gods had set up their tents in a secluded area near the pool but far enough away to be out of way of the animals finding water. Salli’an was the center of attraction at the fire that night, and regaled the troupe with her earliest memories of the ancient starliner from Mother Mars, OW1. “Father, you have been on that ship, you and the great eagle Ska. I remember you, though you are different now. Where is the mighty bird? Clem has one but it is not the same one. “ “That was in another time my dear. Ska is still with me in my heart.” With that he became the great eagle and screed a shout to the skies, and quickly became himself again. All the group around the campfire exclaimed in awe over this feat, and Salli’an said, “Father, can you tell me about my mother and the others on OW1? Are they alive somewhere, and will I ever find them?” Muck was very fond of the new foundling, and said, “ Sweetheart, I will go off in search of them, and take you along if you wish to go. All of you youngsters are welcome to come. Meela has flown with me to the ends of time across the stars, when we brought Cashis home. We will not be needed here for a while and it will be a great learning experience for the lot of you. Go to your beds and sleep, and we will dream ourselves across the galaxies!”

Sonja, hearing this statement as she came close to the fire, said, “Does that invitation include me? I also would accompany you if you allow it. Will we find Swan? Perhaps little Vleezha and her angel could go?” “Yes! Of course you may! Take to your beds now, and dream!”

Meela and Cashis, the tiny Vleezha and her angel Jasho, Sonja and Salli’an found themselves flying with the Father in the twilight of that old world and rounded the curve of the planet to see the four suns, and Muck said, “Follow me,” and winged his way out of that solar system and into the void.

The waves of time, that Muck had tried to explain to Dorian, eddied and swirled and washed up on the banks of the galaxies and universes and the young gods flew. Nebulas and pinwheels and exploding stars shot by as they stretched their wings, and Salli’an yelled to Muck, “This is so exciting! I didn’t know this was possible! When I was searching I was forced to go from one galaxy to the next so slowly!” “Yeah. Well, I only found out by accident one day when I took a nap. It’s a damn fine form of entertainment, if I do say so myself!”

Ahead of them, lumbering through the vastness, was a moving object that showed many sparkling lights from her viewports, and beckoned them and pulled them like a huge magnet, and before they knew what was happening they stood on the deck of the command center behind the unsuspecting Sam and Swan. A huge warrior heard a noise behind him and turned his head. “Hello, Roi! Good to see you again!” Swan turned quickly to face the Father. “You look different.” “Well, I am. New body.” “Oh! No wonder! Little Star will be so pleased! And who are your companions?” Sam, the most powerful of the gods next to the father himself said, “Salli’an, welcome home,” and took the crying goddess in his mighty arms.

Swan opened the com and yelled, “Attention crew! Eric, Gina! Salli’an has been found by the Father himself, and brought home! Assemble in the cafeteria immediately!” Peach and Peen were hovering near the scene and came to ground on the floor in front of where tiny Vleezha stood, with Jasho close beside her, and Vleezha could not stop her tears from flowing as she saw them. The mites were smaller than her but not much, and she said, “I thought I was alone and would never see another like myself. How wonderful!”

The cafeteria was crowded, and Swan had a quick memory of the ballroom of the king on Venus where the band had played her melody, and, with the Father standing there in the midst of all, the young Meela beside him, was overwhelmed. Muck knew this and said, “Dear Swan, one day, all of us will be re-united, and be as we once were, in a time where all is in harmony. There will be no destruction and death, no invasion, no remorse for the dead. Time is a strange force that we shall overcome, and when that occurs it will be as if no one ever dies. You will have to trust me on this; I’m still working on it.” He grinned happily at her while she hugged the lost child, Salli’an, to her heart.

“We have made progress,” Star said to Muck, after the tears of their reunion had dried, “and have been able to rescue some few of our people stranded on destroyed worlds, where the Gleen left them to perish, and have managed to search out and eliminate a great number of the aliens.” “Well, don’t kill them all! My wife, Baen, and Jedan, the son of the King and Queen of Mars’ mate, Arrella, are of their persuasion. Our children Jo and Lila are a mixture of our races of people, and will one day end the hostilities between us. Though the Gleen hate the Humans, they are a Humanoid race much like the Dhevill are, and once they know this fact, may yet become our brothers.”

Eric and Gina, having not seen their daughter since her loss in the Ghost Head Nebula as a baby, were deliriously happy at her return, and amazed that she was now a beautiful young woman. It had only been weeks since her disappearance.

Vleezha woke up lying on her side in the tent and yawned. What a dream! She was wearing a happy smile when she rose, and when she departed the tent saw that Meela was coming in her direction, also wearing a smile. “Was it real, Meela? Did we really go? Is it true we may never see Salli’an again?” Meela took the tiny goddesses hand and said, “Yes, the dream was real. What an adventure! Be happy for Salli’an, for she has found what she had lost. As have you. May that come true for all of us in the end.” Cashis wandered over to them and said, “That Sam sure impressed me! And Star; what a beauty!” “Be careful, Cashis!” “Oh, you know what I mean! I worship her, but not like I worship you!” Meela smiled and hugged her mate. “Yes, I know what you mean. She is nearly as beautiful as Swan, and very easy to love.” Cashis turned her loose and said, “What are we going to do with those mangy critters over there?” He pointed to the group of nearly fifty long-fanged frelem that were hungrily watching them from the trees, and Muck appeared in their midst and said, “Damned if I know. Let’s see if they can do tricks and stuff. Maybe they would like to try a little different diet. If we could wean them from their own meat they might make a squad of soldiers, with some intensive training, though we don’t have much time to find out. The Dragons will be finished mating in a few days, and we will blast off for the next stage of our quest.”