Chapter 1 A shocking Discovery
Spoiler: show
Two thousand years had passed since the Great Renaissance as they called it, the Principal God Eiraiha had blessed the world with peace between humans and mamonme and nowadays it was completely common for mamonme to be involved in every facet of society. Having to skirt the relentless overtures of single mamonme in the workplace could be trying at times, however this was not the current focus of Danael's attention. The printouts of the latest data acquired from the Siruvian Deep Ocean Observatory Telescope had his full attention at this time.
"Hmm... Odd, this pattern is out of place for Beta Lyrillae.."
Nearby, Laelle Sorrel, a grey wolf, quietly scanned all of the data acquired before, her small spectacles perched elegantly upon her petite nose. Faint rings under her eyes spoke volumes about how many nights she had spent with minimal sleep. Her tail swayed casually, if a little stiffly upon the metal chair which she currently occupied.
"Something wrong Laelle?"
The mamonme simply grunted and continued reading, utterly absorbed in the information before her. Danael shook his head and sighed, grey wolves seemed to leave for another dimension when reading.
"Danael-nya~ What's up? You look like you found a rotten fish-nya~"
And here was mamonme culprit number one, Merreen Paerri, a Cat Si or cat mamonme. She was openly flirtatious with him at all times. The fact that their small observatory sat upon a tiny island merely compounded the issue as there was no way to escape her antics. Bubbly and cheerful, the mamonme didn't really seem cut out for astronomy, she was decent ofcourse, and her eye sight was second to none, however she got distracted easily. Danael looked her over again, with those large, beautiful almond shaped eyes, that soft, lustrous cherry pink hair with a large white heart occupying the area just above her bushy fringe and a silky tail and ears she should have been a model strutting the catwalks of the world, not holed up here on a tiny island in the Siruvian Ocean.
The mamonme draped herself over Danael, her soft breasts resting on his shoulder and giggled.
"Just leave that stick in the mud over there-nya~ You can come with me and eat these tasty fish I just caught-nya~"
Danael glanced at Merreen puzzled, Why would she go fishing when they had an Aedelynne's casket with a year's worth of food inside?
Laelle stiffened and looked up from her printouts. Inclining her head slightly, she levelled a glare over her glasses at the Cat Si, one which suggested icy cold water could be poured down the feline's back in punishment at any moment.
"Merreen, I do believe your actions count as sexual harrassment, don't they? At least I value my work and take it seriously-" the mamonme sniffed contemptuously "unlike some people I know."
The Cat Si's ears flattened immediately, her tail becoming as rigid as a lamp post. Her smile vanished and she now returned her co worker's glare.
"You take that back Laelle! Merreen takes this work very seriously!"
Danael watched the hostilities flying before him somewhat amused. The cat mamonme had slipped and used the third person, Laelle must have really struck a nerve with her comment earlier. Merreen however seemed prepared to make a dig of her own.
"At least I am not a prude!"
The grey wolf was on her paws in a second, all work forgotten as a cascade of papers fell to the floor forming something of a puddle around her. Her grey furred hands clenched into fists which trembled at her sides.
"A... a prude?! How dare you! Do you know how hard it is to remain as focused as I am? I am single mamonme on an island with a single human male! If I only listened to my urges, even I would-"
The grey wolf's face now sported a furious blush as she realised what she had just aired for the world to see, the fact that another two pairs of eyes now watched her did not make things any easier.
"Okay children, that's enough bickering, I think it is time for you two to apologise."
Danael spun on his heel to regard the woman standing behind him, when had she arrived trailing the Kaaiman Teeli at her side? This one was always popping in when least expected, she would probably make a hobby har proud. She was also culprit number two, Brynne Kaele, a belle dame. The mamonme's flirtation was never as overt as Merreen's, however whereas the Cat Si's methods were like those of a tailor who makes fine fashion for the runways of the world, the belle dame's own skills were more of the quality reserved for kings and queens.
Brynne sauntered over to a nearby table and rested her exquisite rump upon it, her ethereal, flaming dress resembled a petticoated skirt of expensive cut. Mere inches below where the skirt ended a pair of expensive looking, smoldering stockings swathed the rest of her sublime legs. The space between where her skirt ended and the stockings began offered a tantalizing glimpse of her smooth, pale skin and Danael swore that she dressed this way especially to show him what was within reach if he simply dropped his resistance to her efforts. Over all of this apparel she wore a snowy lab coat much like the others, barring Teeli and tailored to rest just above the hem of her skirt.
The belle dame turned her attention to the grey wolf who looked suitably rebuked.
"So Laelle, are you and Danael going to tell us what has the two of you looking so down? You both look like celebrities who have realised that they have been caught making fools of themselves."
Laelle sighed and sat down slowly, her eyes dropping to the papers on the floor.
"I'm going to have to sort those again aren't I?"
Merreen eyed her friend, her furry ears drooping.
"I - I'll help-nya, I'm sorry Laelle-nya, I said some things I shouldn't have."
The grey wolf nodded gratefully before turning to hold the belle dame's eyes with her own, she then turned to take in everyone in the dim room.
"It's Beta Lyrillae, as I am sure Danael can attest, it has been behaving rather.. strangely recently. Now, thanks to our current technology, we are able to directly image the star in real time. This means that whatever is occurring there, is occurring at the moment. I have been going over the data and have noticed a fluctuation in the star's neutrinos as well as the types of neutrinos present, it is slow, but it is definitely there... it's beginning accretion."
Danael eyed Laelle, his calm expression masking the alarm which was coursing through his body, he took in the dim room, flickering gently by the light of Brynne's silvery flames. his voice came out as no more than a strained croak.
"Are you sure of this Laelle?"
The mamonme nodded grimly and the human felt a great raking sigh tear itself from his body. Brynne drew herself up slowly from her resting spot, as if a great weight had been placed on her shoulders. Merreen let out a single whimper while Teeli's legs gave out below her, precipitating her onto the cold, concrete floor.
"How long do we have?"
"By my estimates, five hundred years, it won't affect you or I, but as I am sure you know, that is irrelevant.."
The grey wolf lapsed into an uneasy silence, the tension only broken by the stray beep of a CA system elsewhere in the room. Danael wiped his brow and looked at the rest of his colleagues.
"A type Ia supernova huh? I never would have been expected it from that star. Laelle's right, it is irrelevant, the star is less than five light years away. When it goes off all life will be extinguished on this planet."
This statement finally snapped Brynne from her stupor, this wasn't the time for weeping over the unfairness of the situation, now was the time to lead. Her flames blazed with focus, lighting up the gloom as she strode toward the centre of the room.
"Okay people we can't just mope over this situation, we need corroboration. Teeli get off your backside and on your MARE to The Minor Namide Observatory. Merreen stop whimpering and contact The Major Namide Close Range Telescope. Danael, I want you to contact the folks at Laramies Far North Observatory, you are the only one of us who can talk to them right now. As for you Laelle I want you to compile every last bit of data we get over the nexus, we have to get this information to those in charge ASAP!"
It worked better than the belle dame had dreamed possible, Teeli was already in a frenzied conversation on her MARE, her long glossy hair swaying to and fro as she held the device to her heart-mottled earfin. Merreen stood on the other side of the chamber, her tail on edge as she padded backwards and forwards arguing with someone on the other end of the vortex in reality. Nodding to herself she turned her gaze to the human, she really wanted to hold herself and sob.. scratch that, rather she wished Danael would hold her, but she had to be strong, he needed guidance in times like these and who better than one from a species born to lead. Her core pulsed as these thoughts ran across the matrices of her mind.
A few hours later a frazzled Laelle called her colleagues back into the room, her face pale and rings pronounced. Taking in the rest of her team her eyes shifted to a stack of papers, resting upon them with an air of pride. Tabs of various colours jutted from the miniature tower of reports at varying angles, more than likely indicating points of importance. The mamonme let out a deep breath.
“I have sorted all of the data from the various telescopes, it was tough, but nothing a grey wolf couldn't handle.”
The mamonme smiled wearily, a tired thing, but drew in a sharp breath when Danael's hand rested on her white clad shoulder. Danael knew it was not wise to provoke a mamonme in this way, but he knew enough to keep his hand on her white lab coat, avoiding the sublime skin of her neck.
“Good work Laelle, we all really appreciate your hard work.”
The grey wolf's cheeks flushed a ruby red and her grey-furred hand began making the unmistakable trek from her lap towards the human's hand. Merreen's eyes locked onto the mamonme's hand as she let out a low warning growl, causing Laelle to flinch before continuing defiantly. Brynne's eyes on the other hand, narrowed as she treated the grey wolf to a sullen glare which dared her to attempt what she was doing in the face of the consequences she would suffer. However before Laelle could place her hand on the human's hand, he removed it from her shoulder and instead walked over to a CA and messed around with the translucent keys.
Turning to take in the four mamonme he was treated to a sulky glare from Merreen, a haughty and notably frosty lour from Brynne, a red faced and disappointed Laelle, and Teeli staring between the three mamonme and himself, a confused expression on her face. Letting out an exasperated sigh he threw his hands up in the air.
“Oh come on ladies, I was just trying to congratulate her after working herself to a standstill to get everything sorted out! We've got bigger problems to worry about than this!”
Brynne sniffed contemptuously at that, rather preferring to hold her peace. Danael cleared his throat, his growing discomfort becoming visible.
“Regardless, I just got word from our sponsors on the mainland, we are to prepare for a trip back tomorrow, we will be flown directly to a conference in Karpathia.”
Looking over at Laelle, he took in her tired, dark eyes.
“Laelle, please, get some rest, you need it.”
The grey wolf nodded and dragged herself to her paws, making off in the direction of her sleeping quarters and followed by an indignant and gesticulating Merreen. He then turned to the diminutive Teeli.
“Teeli, there isn't time to generate a digital demonstration, we'll need you to read through the data and create a presentation with your own skills. Will that be possible?”
The petite mamonme nodded, her luxuriant hair flowing in waves before carefully taking hold of the papers and retreating to an adjoining room. The room was now quiet, save for the almost silent whirr of the CA's recording data from the main telescope. Danael was about to head for the door when a quiet, sultry voice cut in from behind, he swallowed inspite of himself.
“My my Danael, did you think you would be let off that easily?”
With a degree of elegance which would make a queen question her own station, the belle dame Brynne sauntered.. No, appeared to flow across the room towards him. A chalcedony clad arm slipped though his own, linking at the crook of his arm. A second hand rested daintily on the lapel of his jacket. Slowly, inexorably he was guided in the direction of the canteen.
“Now, let us have a conversation regarding your previous infractions with that Laelle shall we not? You are not going to get much sleep tonight.”
Danael could only resign himself to his fate, he knew she wouldn't force herself on him, it wasn't her way. He did however know that a long, long night lay ahead of him.
"Hmm... Odd, this pattern is out of place for Beta Lyrillae.."
Nearby, Laelle Sorrel, a grey wolf, quietly scanned all of the data acquired before, her small spectacles perched elegantly upon her petite nose. Faint rings under her eyes spoke volumes about how many nights she had spent with minimal sleep. Her tail swayed casually, if a little stiffly upon the metal chair which she currently occupied.
"Something wrong Laelle?"
The mamonme simply grunted and continued reading, utterly absorbed in the information before her. Danael shook his head and sighed, grey wolves seemed to leave for another dimension when reading.
"Danael-nya~ What's up? You look like you found a rotten fish-nya~"
And here was mamonme culprit number one, Merreen Paerri, a Cat Si or cat mamonme. She was openly flirtatious with him at all times. The fact that their small observatory sat upon a tiny island merely compounded the issue as there was no way to escape her antics. Bubbly and cheerful, the mamonme didn't really seem cut out for astronomy, she was decent ofcourse, and her eye sight was second to none, however she got distracted easily. Danael looked her over again, with those large, beautiful almond shaped eyes, that soft, lustrous cherry pink hair with a large white heart occupying the area just above her bushy fringe and a silky tail and ears she should have been a model strutting the catwalks of the world, not holed up here on a tiny island in the Siruvian Ocean.
The mamonme draped herself over Danael, her soft breasts resting on his shoulder and giggled.
"Just leave that stick in the mud over there-nya~ You can come with me and eat these tasty fish I just caught-nya~"
Danael glanced at Merreen puzzled, Why would she go fishing when they had an Aedelynne's casket with a year's worth of food inside?
Laelle stiffened and looked up from her printouts. Inclining her head slightly, she levelled a glare over her glasses at the Cat Si, one which suggested icy cold water could be poured down the feline's back in punishment at any moment.
"Merreen, I do believe your actions count as sexual harrassment, don't they? At least I value my work and take it seriously-" the mamonme sniffed contemptuously "unlike some people I know."
The Cat Si's ears flattened immediately, her tail becoming as rigid as a lamp post. Her smile vanished and she now returned her co worker's glare.
"You take that back Laelle! Merreen takes this work very seriously!"
Danael watched the hostilities flying before him somewhat amused. The cat mamonme had slipped and used the third person, Laelle must have really struck a nerve with her comment earlier. Merreen however seemed prepared to make a dig of her own.
"At least I am not a prude!"
The grey wolf was on her paws in a second, all work forgotten as a cascade of papers fell to the floor forming something of a puddle around her. Her grey furred hands clenched into fists which trembled at her sides.
"A... a prude?! How dare you! Do you know how hard it is to remain as focused as I am? I am single mamonme on an island with a single human male! If I only listened to my urges, even I would-"
The grey wolf's face now sported a furious blush as she realised what she had just aired for the world to see, the fact that another two pairs of eyes now watched her did not make things any easier.
"Okay children, that's enough bickering, I think it is time for you two to apologise."
Danael spun on his heel to regard the woman standing behind him, when had she arrived trailing the Kaaiman Teeli at her side? This one was always popping in when least expected, she would probably make a hobby har proud. She was also culprit number two, Brynne Kaele, a belle dame. The mamonme's flirtation was never as overt as Merreen's, however whereas the Cat Si's methods were like those of a tailor who makes fine fashion for the runways of the world, the belle dame's own skills were more of the quality reserved for kings and queens.
Brynne sauntered over to a nearby table and rested her exquisite rump upon it, her ethereal, flaming dress resembled a petticoated skirt of expensive cut. Mere inches below where the skirt ended a pair of expensive looking, smoldering stockings swathed the rest of her sublime legs. The space between where her skirt ended and the stockings began offered a tantalizing glimpse of her smooth, pale skin and Danael swore that she dressed this way especially to show him what was within reach if he simply dropped his resistance to her efforts. Over all of this apparel she wore a snowy lab coat much like the others, barring Teeli and tailored to rest just above the hem of her skirt.
The belle dame turned her attention to the grey wolf who looked suitably rebuked.
"So Laelle, are you and Danael going to tell us what has the two of you looking so down? You both look like celebrities who have realised that they have been caught making fools of themselves."
Laelle sighed and sat down slowly, her eyes dropping to the papers on the floor.
"I'm going to have to sort those again aren't I?"
Merreen eyed her friend, her furry ears drooping.
"I - I'll help-nya, I'm sorry Laelle-nya, I said some things I shouldn't have."
The grey wolf nodded gratefully before turning to hold the belle dame's eyes with her own, she then turned to take in everyone in the dim room.
"It's Beta Lyrillae, as I am sure Danael can attest, it has been behaving rather.. strangely recently. Now, thanks to our current technology, we are able to directly image the star in real time. This means that whatever is occurring there, is occurring at the moment. I have been going over the data and have noticed a fluctuation in the star's neutrinos as well as the types of neutrinos present, it is slow, but it is definitely there... it's beginning accretion."
Danael eyed Laelle, his calm expression masking the alarm which was coursing through his body, he took in the dim room, flickering gently by the light of Brynne's silvery flames. his voice came out as no more than a strained croak.
"Are you sure of this Laelle?"
The mamonme nodded grimly and the human felt a great raking sigh tear itself from his body. Brynne drew herself up slowly from her resting spot, as if a great weight had been placed on her shoulders. Merreen let out a single whimper while Teeli's legs gave out below her, precipitating her onto the cold, concrete floor.
"How long do we have?"
"By my estimates, five hundred years, it won't affect you or I, but as I am sure you know, that is irrelevant.."
The grey wolf lapsed into an uneasy silence, the tension only broken by the stray beep of a CA system elsewhere in the room. Danael wiped his brow and looked at the rest of his colleagues.
"A type Ia supernova huh? I never would have been expected it from that star. Laelle's right, it is irrelevant, the star is less than five light years away. When it goes off all life will be extinguished on this planet."
This statement finally snapped Brynne from her stupor, this wasn't the time for weeping over the unfairness of the situation, now was the time to lead. Her flames blazed with focus, lighting up the gloom as she strode toward the centre of the room.
"Okay people we can't just mope over this situation, we need corroboration. Teeli get off your backside and on your MARE to The Minor Namide Observatory. Merreen stop whimpering and contact The Major Namide Close Range Telescope. Danael, I want you to contact the folks at Laramies Far North Observatory, you are the only one of us who can talk to them right now. As for you Laelle I want you to compile every last bit of data we get over the nexus, we have to get this information to those in charge ASAP!"
It worked better than the belle dame had dreamed possible, Teeli was already in a frenzied conversation on her MARE, her long glossy hair swaying to and fro as she held the device to her heart-mottled earfin. Merreen stood on the other side of the chamber, her tail on edge as she padded backwards and forwards arguing with someone on the other end of the vortex in reality. Nodding to herself she turned her gaze to the human, she really wanted to hold herself and sob.. scratch that, rather she wished Danael would hold her, but she had to be strong, he needed guidance in times like these and who better than one from a species born to lead. Her core pulsed as these thoughts ran across the matrices of her mind.
A few hours later a frazzled Laelle called her colleagues back into the room, her face pale and rings pronounced. Taking in the rest of her team her eyes shifted to a stack of papers, resting upon them with an air of pride. Tabs of various colours jutted from the miniature tower of reports at varying angles, more than likely indicating points of importance. The mamonme let out a deep breath.
“I have sorted all of the data from the various telescopes, it was tough, but nothing a grey wolf couldn't handle.”
The mamonme smiled wearily, a tired thing, but drew in a sharp breath when Danael's hand rested on her white clad shoulder. Danael knew it was not wise to provoke a mamonme in this way, but he knew enough to keep his hand on her white lab coat, avoiding the sublime skin of her neck.
“Good work Laelle, we all really appreciate your hard work.”
The grey wolf's cheeks flushed a ruby red and her grey-furred hand began making the unmistakable trek from her lap towards the human's hand. Merreen's eyes locked onto the mamonme's hand as she let out a low warning growl, causing Laelle to flinch before continuing defiantly. Brynne's eyes on the other hand, narrowed as she treated the grey wolf to a sullen glare which dared her to attempt what she was doing in the face of the consequences she would suffer. However before Laelle could place her hand on the human's hand, he removed it from her shoulder and instead walked over to a CA and messed around with the translucent keys.
Turning to take in the four mamonme he was treated to a sulky glare from Merreen, a haughty and notably frosty lour from Brynne, a red faced and disappointed Laelle, and Teeli staring between the three mamonme and himself, a confused expression on her face. Letting out an exasperated sigh he threw his hands up in the air.
“Oh come on ladies, I was just trying to congratulate her after working herself to a standstill to get everything sorted out! We've got bigger problems to worry about than this!”
Brynne sniffed contemptuously at that, rather preferring to hold her peace. Danael cleared his throat, his growing discomfort becoming visible.
“Regardless, I just got word from our sponsors on the mainland, we are to prepare for a trip back tomorrow, we will be flown directly to a conference in Karpathia.”
Looking over at Laelle, he took in her tired, dark eyes.
“Laelle, please, get some rest, you need it.”
The grey wolf nodded and dragged herself to her paws, making off in the direction of her sleeping quarters and followed by an indignant and gesticulating Merreen. He then turned to the diminutive Teeli.
“Teeli, there isn't time to generate a digital demonstration, we'll need you to read through the data and create a presentation with your own skills. Will that be possible?”
The petite mamonme nodded, her luxuriant hair flowing in waves before carefully taking hold of the papers and retreating to an adjoining room. The room was now quiet, save for the almost silent whirr of the CA's recording data from the main telescope. Danael was about to head for the door when a quiet, sultry voice cut in from behind, he swallowed inspite of himself.
“My my Danael, did you think you would be let off that easily?”
With a degree of elegance which would make a queen question her own station, the belle dame Brynne sauntered.. No, appeared to flow across the room towards him. A chalcedony clad arm slipped though his own, linking at the crook of his arm. A second hand rested daintily on the lapel of his jacket. Slowly, inexorably he was guided in the direction of the canteen.
“Now, let us have a conversation regarding your previous infractions with that Laelle shall we not? You are not going to get much sleep tonight.”
Danael could only resign himself to his fate, he knew she wouldn't force herself on him, it wasn't her way. He did however know that a long, long night lay ahead of him.
Spoiler: show
Danael's eyes creaked open as the grey light of early morning entered the small window of his cramped room. Brynne's lecture had lasted a few hours, but he had at least managed to get a reasonable amount of rest. As the cobwebs of sleep began to leave his mind, he noticed that his feet felt pleasantly warm... pleasantly warm and weighed down by something heavier than the thick duvets he typically slept under! Drawing himself up with his arms he caught a glimpse of a pink pyjama set, a cherry pink furred tail and a mop of cherry pink hair shot through with a white heart patch.
'Merreen'
The feline mamonme had a habit of sneaking into his room and curling up at the foot of his bunk. It was amazing that despite the many opportunities she had had when he was defenseless, she still never took advantage and claimed him as her own. The Cat Si really did seem to have a code of honour which she lived by. Slowly pulling his feet out from under her and the blanket, to mumbled protests, he slipped out of the bed and gently pulled the duvet cover over the sleeping woman.
After grabbing a clean change of clothes from a sturdy, prismatic birch chest of drawers, the human stole out of his room for a morning shower. The small facility was as cold and quiet as a tomb, the others would sleep for far longer and who knew when Teeli would surface. The poor kaaiman had still been at it when he had headed for bed the night before. That reminded him of the belle dame Brynne, it was strange to think of her as an undead, considering that she slept just like the rest of them. She had explained it before of course, how even though she didn't have a pulse, rest was of extreme importance to her kind... It helped replenish and reorder the energies which suffused her being? Pulling on a jacket from an old, worn hook by the door, Danael quietly opened it and stepped out into the chilly morning air.
The facility sat upon a small island in the Siruvian Ocean, positioned about halfway between Zipangu and Dryaes, and outside the Darkland's waters. To say the island was in the middle of the middle of nowhere was an understatement. Besides birds, some ocean mammals, a landing pad and plants, there wasn't much else here. Danael breathed in the morning air, it was deliciously clean, one of the perks of living out here. Exhaling, his breath formed a feathery cloud in front of him. A long, narrow path cutting through dense, low growing foliage, the leaves still wet with dew, led down to a rocky beach. Shoving his hands into his pockets, the man headed down the path, the sound of waves crashing against each other filling the salty air. The field surrounding the telescope's mirrors buzzed as a spell maintaining the integrity of the surface warded off airborne salt and dust particles.
Danael mused over that as he made his way down to the shale covered shore. Magic was a science just like any other, the energy was intangible, yet it powered the telescope, appliances and vehicles used in everyday life on the planet. There had been decriers in the past claiming it was as farfetched as tales of a time when mamonme were not beautiful, others had made claims of how the planet was only a disk and not truly a globe, however the construction of the GCOS or Grand Celestial Orbital Station about five hundred years ago had put those theories to rest.
Finally reaching the shore, Danael crunched his way towards the large rockpools which lay exposed at this time between tides. Careful not to slip, he clambered over the slick outcroppings, finding a resting spot next to a large tidal pool. The transport would be arriving later in the day, perhaps in the afternoon. It was being sent directly from the Darklands and would arrive in Zipangu that evening. From there they would head straight to Karpathia City, where they would attend a conference on the distant situation.
Beneath the crystalline waters an amethyst hued sea pimpilowe wended its way across rocks covered in emerald green algae, leaving a clear path in its wake. Watching the spiny creature disappear behind a multitude of pink and orange seaplants which fringed the rocks of the pool, his mind began to drift. Was there anything their planet could do to stave off this situation, with Heaven still rebuilding its technology after its destruction two thousand years ago, much of their know how had been lost. The Komodi would more than likely be willing to help, possibly with an evacuation if necessary, but that left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth, the inhabitants of Praxis should do most of the work themselves...
Pulling himself up from his resting place Danael made the trek back up to the facility. They would be waking up soon and would be looking for breakfast, it was interesting how all of the mamonme at the facility depended on his cooking skills. Even the belle dame while unable to taste what he made, she would gain sustenance from the spiritus imbued in it during its creation. Shutting the door behind himself gently, Danael headed to the kitchen. Pulling the Aedelynn's casket, a large sleek, cupboard like device open, he retrieved four mozur eggs each the size of a human head from within. He also selected two large sides of kudeluk venison, and some bread for what would be the toast they would have with it. A fresh fish also joined the ingredients and within minutes Danael had spiced and was in the process of cooking the soon to be delicious breakfast.
As Danael finished giving the eggs yet another stir, a pair of soft hands pressed down gently on his shoulders, before clamping, long fingernails digging into his jacket and then releasing again. Soon he felt a soft pyjama covered bosom pressing into his back as a slightly sleepy voice spoke in his ear.
“Morning-nya, breakfast smells amazing-nya~”
It was Merreen who had awoken first, the cat si was purring, she was obviously looking forward to the meal ahead, however she was soon separated from the human as the curve of a well aimed feminine hip bumped her away and another pair of hands grabbed his top, this time around the waist.
“Nya! What was that for?!”
The silver haired Laelle was second to make it into the kitchen and she seemed unimpressed with Merreen's behaviour. Burying her face into the back of Danael's jacket she threw a mock glare over her petite glasses at the indignant cat si.
“That is what you get for trying to steal all of Danael's attention, Merreen!”
She then turned her attention to the human.
“Good morning Danael. You see? I rested properly, just like you said I should~♪ ”
Danael gave Laelle a curious look, one eyebrow cocked slightly. Her behaviour seemed completely different from the previous day.
“And a good morning to you too. What's going on Laelle? You seem like a different person today. In fact, you are being so bold.”
The grey wolf's face flushed a vivid red, letting go of his shirt she began tapping her furry forefingers together before looking up at him and then back at her fingers.
“Well, I mean, what I want to say is- I ummm- After what I said yesterday I realised I can't just continue acting the way I was, otherwise Merreen's going to-”
“My my, so the puppy has finally decided to come clean. It seems I have even more competition now don't I?”
Brynne sauntered across the kitchen, her hips swaying enticingly. She wore nothing but an expensive looking negligee made entirely of her silvery flames. She took her seat at the polished wooden table which occupied the dining area of the room.
“Good morning Danael, it seems you are quite popular this morning.”
The belle dame gave him a cheerful, teasing look. Her eyes travelled around the room, taking in Merreen who had taken it upon herself to brew a large pot of affeine, the dark liquid slowly trickling into the glass container. She then brought her eyes back to the human.
“Mm.. Where's that Teeli? If we add her into the mix we could have a quartet.”
Danael sighed as he began dishing up the food.
“You know she's only a colleague Brynne, she does not interest me in “that” way in the slightest.”
Brynne giggled softly behind a sublime hand.
“Ah, but we do don't we, in “that” way?”
It was Danael's turn to blush this time, however he quickly brought the food across to the table.
“Affeine's ready-nya~♪ “
The cat si carefully filled the four porcelain cups present at the table before fetching some crystallized aluraune nectar and some bovitauride milk from the casket.
Teeli walked into the room at that moment and quickly took her place at the table with a dainty hand covering her mouth as she let out a small yawn. As the belle dame took a bite of some kudeluk her face seemed to melt into a smile of satisfaction, her gaze drifted across to Danael as she sighed.
“This is the taste~ Ahh, It has been so-o long.”
Danael snorted at the absurdity of the comment.
“I made you dinner last night Brynne, it wasn't that long ago.”
“Not soon enough dear.”
Danael sighed before turning to Teeli who was taking on her fillet of fish.
“So Teeli, how's Kiven doing? Speak to him recently?”
The kaaiman's face quickly became a bed of roses in full bloom as she put her knife and fork down.
“I spoke to him last night, he's missing me. I told him we are leaving today for the conference, but I will be available tomorrow..”
The mamonme's blush deepened even further.
“After the conference adjourns, I'm going to make up for lost time with him.”
“Right, too much information Teeli.”
The other mamonme giggled at Danael's reaction before pulling the kaaiman into a quiet discussion.
A few hours later, with bags packed, CA's set to record data to the nexus based information bank, and the telescope set to autonomously focus on Beta Lyrillae, the close knit team heard the whine of a quad-lifter landing on the pad outside. Soon there was a brisk knock on the door which when opened, revealed a somewhat surly looking dark haired incubus and a similarly dour minotauride. The minotauride was dressed in what appeared to be a flight-suit, though the sleeves had been torn off to reveal her impressive physique. Her hair was a dark red and her eyes a dark green, like the murky depths of a bog.
“I am Lens, your pilot for this trip and this is the perpetually “single” Meris, she will be accompanying us as far as the Darklands and shall be your co-pilot.”
The way Lens emphasised the minotauride's marital status was clearly a sore point for the mamonme in question. She turned such a scowl on the incubus that the team of researchers took a step back.
“Just you wait Lens, you're going to regret that comment after this trip.”
Lens did not even flinch, in fact he merely gave the minotauride a charming and yet clearly derisive smile.
“Suits me just fine Meris, you can try that too. I'll be happy to have you wearing pink ribbons in your hair again, in front of all of your friends back home.”
Meris snarled, but headed into the facility and soon emerged, easily carrying all of the luggage on her muscle-bound shoulders. The incubus waited until she was out of earshot before turning to five sets of nervous eyes.
“Don't worry about her, this is just the way we do things in the Darklands. You cannot survive if you don't prove your strength, so we regularly have these tussles. She is an old friend of mine, we'll spar after this, she'll lose to me and it will be water under the bridge.”
That said the group followed Lens to the waiting airlift which they would take to the Darklands. It was black, jet black. Four arms protruded from a central fuselage, each ending in a large, cylindrical ring. Within these rings, sets of smooth disks waited in place, ready for ignition. Two medium sized catalyst cores were temporarily mounted on the outside of the frame, pipes running into the elongate arms attached to the cylindrical cores. Twin tubular rings mounted atop the body of the craft would provide forward thrust.
Climbing into the slightly cramped passenger section Danael quickly found himself sandwiched between a regal and yet smiling Brynne, and Laelle. Merreen who found herself sitting next to the grey wolf sulked openly while Laelle wore a tiny smirk which absolutely radiated how pleased she was. The belle dame Brynne's flames danced over the sensible trousers Danael wore, and yet did not burn. In fact, they had no heat in them whatsoever. This however was just due to their etheric nature. Climbing into the quad-lifter, Teeli looked around for a space to sit. Brynne, despite the seats on the other side of the transport quickly took advantage of the kaaiman's dilemma.
“Teeli dear, come sit next to me!”
The belle dame, wearing a smug expression turned to Danael and the other two mamonme.
“Come on people, we need to make space for Teeli, it is quite important.”
In a matter of seconds, she had pushed herself almost onto the human's lap. Danael's mind almost blanked for a second as the nerves in his legs sent urgent messages to his brain screaming the message that the belle dame's hip was unbelievably soft and cool. Her bosom pushed against and rested on the sleeve of his jacket and soon another set of messages were racing up to his brain.
“Ah! Brynne! That's cheating!”
“Ah! Brynne! That's cheating-nya!”
The reaction which came in the form of a chorus consisting of Laelle and Merreen, was followed by a matching pair of glares. The incubus pilot snorted at that and flicked on a switch which brought the cockpit to life. A multitude of small displays featuring altitude, pitch and various other vital information as well as digital displays resembling buttons blinked on before Lens and Meris.
A minute later, with the turbines emitting a keening whine, the four mamonme and Danael watched the ground drop out from beneath themselves, grass and bushes danced wildly as if a crowd at a lorelie's concert as the craft lifted into the air.
Danael awoke with a start from a dream of wandering along one of the beaches near his home town, the wind gently blowing through his hair. He felt it must have been a combination of the turbines, their earlier wail, now merely an ever present buzzing, the air conditioning and the soft, silky smooth and cool pillows he was resting his head against that had caused him to pass out... Cool pillows? There was a sudden moment of clarity as he realised he had not brought a pillow, let alone two into the quad-lifter when they had set out. Opening his eyes he was treated to an expanse of pale skin, encompassed by silvery flames which had retreated to the outer curves of Brynne's impressive bosom. The belle dame's face appeared to float above him as she leaned over him, a milky hand stroking his hair.
“Ah, good afternoon Danael, I welcome you back to the world of the living.”
The undead mamonme giggled quietly at the irony of a being like herself offering such words to a living human. The human in question struggled, but was restrained effortlessly by a petite, chalcedony hand and resumed running her fingers through his hair.
“Ah, I could continue doing this forever, but we are about to arrive in the Darklands and I have to deal with a possible storm, so I believe you should sit next to Teeli for the time being.”
That said, the mamonme released him and shifted over to sit next to Merreen and Laelle, the two looking extremely sorrowful, tears clinging to the corners of their eyes. Her voice quickly dropped to a whisper as the three began a quiet and frenzied discussion.
“How, how could you-nya? You know Merreen-nya has had her eye on him since college?!”
The cat si sniffled, a tear tracing her sublime cheek.
“And what about me?! I have been preparing since high school and now you just flout decency and try to steal him from me?! I'd call you a thieving cat, but I don't want to insult Merreen!”
Laelle looked absolutely livid, that coupled with tears actually caused Brynne to blink before finally calming her thoughts.
“Girls, listen to me, I apologise for my actions, but he was sleeping and fell over on me and-”
“And you could have woken him up-nya! Instead you try to steal him-nya!”
“Skin to skin contact Brynne! That is unacceptable, and especially with that, that useless flesh of yours!”
The grey wolf looked down down at her own more modest chest before glaring at the belle dame.
“For all the advances Merreen made, she always made sure there was some fabric between them! “
The belle dame was shocked for a second that the cat si and grey wolf held such a low opinion of her, in fact she felt rather scandalised, but was determined to set matters straight with both of the women sitting next to her.
“Right, that is enough of that! Merreen, Laelle do you have such a low image of me that you actually believe I would do that to the two of you?! I am mortified that you would even consider it. We have been together with Danael since college I guarantee you I understand your feelings for him and as such have not marked him as mine!”
Relief immediately blossomed on the two mamonme's faces as the belle dame pulled them into a hug.
“R-really-nya?”
Laelle merely whimpered into the belle dame's arm as she tightened her hug.
“Of course, now is not the time to discuss this as we need to focus on the conference, but the two of you, sit next to him, hold his hands. We will mark him together after this.”
The incubus pilot snorted in disgust and looked over at Meris.
“Urgh, how sickenly sweet, gah, I'm going to have to find some women in Zipangu to bleach this scene from my brain.”
The minotauride seemed more jealous than disgusted, but nodded as the vehicle made its descent towards an airstrip on the outskirts of the Darklands. With a high pitched whine of the turbines, the transport hovered above a runway dotted with markings as a dark haired sorceress who appeared to be in a bad mood gestured with twin beacons of her energy. The woman slowly guided the quad-lifter to a vacant bay and with a great deal of shouting, the vehicle finally touched ground in the Darklands.
The mamonme and human looked out of the windows trying to take in the scenery. Lush plants and trees rose from pitch black rocks and ground. Due to the efforts of mamonme and incubi who had settled here, the continent was now something of a paradise. Old merfolk architecture still peeked out from amongst sturdy bushes and trees, a memory of times long past. Beyond a vivid forest, a city's many buildings rose in the distance, a large volcano belching up smoke beyond it. On the ground the sorceress now screamed abuse at her minotauride and melissae ground crew who were in the process of checking the craft and bringing new catalyst cores.
“You there! Astelee! Hurry it up with those cores!”
“Merilyt! Are you going to stand there playing with yourself or are you going to move your insignificant backside and help her!”
The two minotaurides glared at her before trudging over to the craft and disengaging the first core. The dark look did not go unnoticed.
“Well, well, I see we have two women who were clearly deprived of intelligence as infants. What happened, were your mothers so ashamed of you that they held back your first breath?!”
The sorceress then turned to a melissae who had touched down on the roof of the vehicle. Her lustrous blonde hair poked out from underneath a black cap in a ponytail.
“Meliise! Use those eyes your queen gave you and check the condition of the conduits. I want good news and no buzzing!”
The bee woman checked over the clamps and ducts which conveyed energy from the catalyst cores to the rest of the vehicle before nodding in satisfaction. She then turned a blasé look upon the sorceress whose expression quickly melted into a look of grudging respect. It was gone a second later.
“No problemzz here ma'am! Everything appearzz nominal!”
The dark haired woman turned to the two minotaurides who had returned carrying a pair of cores which dwarfed the previous pair.
“Glad to have you back from your little stroll Merilyt and Astelee, I want those two intercontinental cores mounted ASAP!”
The pair made short work of getting the cores positioned, they fastened them into their brackets and quickly connected the clamps which would keep the conduits firmly secured in place, and a second later the mellisae began checking the system. With a pleased smile she gave the sorceress a thumbs up. The woman sauntered over to the window before giving it two firm taps.
“All systems are nominal, your co-pilot will be here shortly.”
Meris squeezed herself out of the door. Before leaving she turned to favour the incubus with a somewhat respectful glare before the mamonme received eyes filled with jealousy. The three mamonme closest to Danael put their hands on the breast and shoulders of his outfit and returned her stare with eyes brimming with smug confidence. Teeli just looked on with a giggle. Finally the minotauride favoured Danael with a covetous gaze before turning and heading back to the facility, her hooves clip clopping on the tarmac. A sorceress with silky, muted violet hair sashayed towards the craft. Her uniform was identical to that which Lens wore, though had silk moths sewn onto it across the shoulders and down the sides. Her hair was adorned with moth shaped brooches which glinted in the late afternoon sun. She climbed into the quad-lifter before favouring everyone with a dark and sultry smile.
“You are in the presence of I Mohoella, I shall be the co-pilot for this leg of the trip.”
The sorceress took a seat next to their incubus pilot and strapped on a pair of headphones.
“Good work girls, drinks will be on me tonight!”
The words reached Danael's ears just as the door closed and the engines whined to life. The craft lifted off the tarmac and began heading north. Soon the Darklands fell behind them and they were once again treated to the empty expanse of the Siruvian Ocean. Mohoella's voice suddenly cut through the monotonous atmosphere.
“I heard from the higher ups this is an emergency trip, care to fill me in on what the situation is?”
The mamonme and human looked at each other before Brynne answered.
“I do not believe it would be prudent for me to share that information at this time, with all due respect of course.”
The sorceress's eyes narrowed slightly and a second later a window in space opened just behind her head. Through this window perception was focussed on Mohoella's breast where a flame wreathed knight's helm and a few badges they hadn't noticed earlier were pinned. The sorceress's voice drifted over to them again.
“And if I decide so, I may find it prudent to return us to the Darklands for a debriefing. I may be filling in as a co pilot, but I have the necessary levels to demand this information.”
Danael looked into the window which now showed Mohoella's waiting face.
“Take us back and you'll be busting your lips on us and receive nothing! Are we clear lady?”
Mohoella smiled appreciatively.
“Yes, you would do very nicely, however all jokes aside I rank higher than any of you scientists and will have you tell me.”
“The pilot?”
Laelle's eyes scrutinised the sorceress's.
“Who Lens?”
Mohoella chuckled.
“Never mind him, if he could not be trusted he would not be on this flight.”
Finally Brynne Kaele relented.
“Fine, fine. It is a nearby star, it will destroy itself in five hundred years, taking this planet with it in the aftermath-“
“Fenich's Tears!”
The incubus cursed, his face pale.
“Is there no way around this?”
“This information has to reach Karpathia so that we may come up with a solution.”
The sorceress nodded to herself, what a mess, was there any way to avert this disaster?
“None of you need worry, our ruler Fenich will deal with this, even if he has to destroy it himself.”
Danael's expression became one of bemusement.
“Seriously? Destroy a supernova? With what weapon? We are a speck of dust in the universe!”
With that the quad-lifter sped into the shadow of the world known as Praxis, arriving in Zipangu at the Aoiten airport with Aillaeah rising overhead. Lens said farewell to his passengers before a new pilot, a zenko with luxuriant, citrine hair and five fluffy tails slipped into the co pilot seat earning a contempt filled look from Mohoella the pilot. The craft spent the remainder of the night speeding across the Murasakisuisho Sea and soon the continent of Calavier. Mohoella, despite her earlier treatment of the zenko found she had a lot in common with the fox mamonme who had introduced herself as Mei. The two chatted as they sped towards their destination. In the back the four mamonme and the human slept soundly and by the first rays of dawn awoke to find that they had touched down in Karpathia.
'Merreen'
The feline mamonme had a habit of sneaking into his room and curling up at the foot of his bunk. It was amazing that despite the many opportunities she had had when he was defenseless, she still never took advantage and claimed him as her own. The Cat Si really did seem to have a code of honour which she lived by. Slowly pulling his feet out from under her and the blanket, to mumbled protests, he slipped out of the bed and gently pulled the duvet cover over the sleeping woman.
After grabbing a clean change of clothes from a sturdy, prismatic birch chest of drawers, the human stole out of his room for a morning shower. The small facility was as cold and quiet as a tomb, the others would sleep for far longer and who knew when Teeli would surface. The poor kaaiman had still been at it when he had headed for bed the night before. That reminded him of the belle dame Brynne, it was strange to think of her as an undead, considering that she slept just like the rest of them. She had explained it before of course, how even though she didn't have a pulse, rest was of extreme importance to her kind... It helped replenish and reorder the energies which suffused her being? Pulling on a jacket from an old, worn hook by the door, Danael quietly opened it and stepped out into the chilly morning air.
The facility sat upon a small island in the Siruvian Ocean, positioned about halfway between Zipangu and Dryaes, and outside the Darkland's waters. To say the island was in the middle of the middle of nowhere was an understatement. Besides birds, some ocean mammals, a landing pad and plants, there wasn't much else here. Danael breathed in the morning air, it was deliciously clean, one of the perks of living out here. Exhaling, his breath formed a feathery cloud in front of him. A long, narrow path cutting through dense, low growing foliage, the leaves still wet with dew, led down to a rocky beach. Shoving his hands into his pockets, the man headed down the path, the sound of waves crashing against each other filling the salty air. The field surrounding the telescope's mirrors buzzed as a spell maintaining the integrity of the surface warded off airborne salt and dust particles.
Danael mused over that as he made his way down to the shale covered shore. Magic was a science just like any other, the energy was intangible, yet it powered the telescope, appliances and vehicles used in everyday life on the planet. There had been decriers in the past claiming it was as farfetched as tales of a time when mamonme were not beautiful, others had made claims of how the planet was only a disk and not truly a globe, however the construction of the GCOS or Grand Celestial Orbital Station about five hundred years ago had put those theories to rest.
Finally reaching the shore, Danael crunched his way towards the large rockpools which lay exposed at this time between tides. Careful not to slip, he clambered over the slick outcroppings, finding a resting spot next to a large tidal pool. The transport would be arriving later in the day, perhaps in the afternoon. It was being sent directly from the Darklands and would arrive in Zipangu that evening. From there they would head straight to Karpathia City, where they would attend a conference on the distant situation.
Beneath the crystalline waters an amethyst hued sea pimpilowe wended its way across rocks covered in emerald green algae, leaving a clear path in its wake. Watching the spiny creature disappear behind a multitude of pink and orange seaplants which fringed the rocks of the pool, his mind began to drift. Was there anything their planet could do to stave off this situation, with Heaven still rebuilding its technology after its destruction two thousand years ago, much of their know how had been lost. The Komodi would more than likely be willing to help, possibly with an evacuation if necessary, but that left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth, the inhabitants of Praxis should do most of the work themselves...
Pulling himself up from his resting place Danael made the trek back up to the facility. They would be waking up soon and would be looking for breakfast, it was interesting how all of the mamonme at the facility depended on his cooking skills. Even the belle dame while unable to taste what he made, she would gain sustenance from the spiritus imbued in it during its creation. Shutting the door behind himself gently, Danael headed to the kitchen. Pulling the Aedelynn's casket, a large sleek, cupboard like device open, he retrieved four mozur eggs each the size of a human head from within. He also selected two large sides of kudeluk venison, and some bread for what would be the toast they would have with it. A fresh fish also joined the ingredients and within minutes Danael had spiced and was in the process of cooking the soon to be delicious breakfast.
As Danael finished giving the eggs yet another stir, a pair of soft hands pressed down gently on his shoulders, before clamping, long fingernails digging into his jacket and then releasing again. Soon he felt a soft pyjama covered bosom pressing into his back as a slightly sleepy voice spoke in his ear.
“Morning-nya, breakfast smells amazing-nya~”
It was Merreen who had awoken first, the cat si was purring, she was obviously looking forward to the meal ahead, however she was soon separated from the human as the curve of a well aimed feminine hip bumped her away and another pair of hands grabbed his top, this time around the waist.
“Nya! What was that for?!”
The silver haired Laelle was second to make it into the kitchen and she seemed unimpressed with Merreen's behaviour. Burying her face into the back of Danael's jacket she threw a mock glare over her petite glasses at the indignant cat si.
“That is what you get for trying to steal all of Danael's attention, Merreen!”
She then turned her attention to the human.
“Good morning Danael. You see? I rested properly, just like you said I should~♪ ”
Danael gave Laelle a curious look, one eyebrow cocked slightly. Her behaviour seemed completely different from the previous day.
“And a good morning to you too. What's going on Laelle? You seem like a different person today. In fact, you are being so bold.”
The grey wolf's face flushed a vivid red, letting go of his shirt she began tapping her furry forefingers together before looking up at him and then back at her fingers.
“Well, I mean, what I want to say is- I ummm- After what I said yesterday I realised I can't just continue acting the way I was, otherwise Merreen's going to-”
“My my, so the puppy has finally decided to come clean. It seems I have even more competition now don't I?”
Brynne sauntered across the kitchen, her hips swaying enticingly. She wore nothing but an expensive looking negligee made entirely of her silvery flames. She took her seat at the polished wooden table which occupied the dining area of the room.
“Good morning Danael, it seems you are quite popular this morning.”
The belle dame gave him a cheerful, teasing look. Her eyes travelled around the room, taking in Merreen who had taken it upon herself to brew a large pot of affeine, the dark liquid slowly trickling into the glass container. She then brought her eyes back to the human.
“Mm.. Where's that Teeli? If we add her into the mix we could have a quartet.”
Danael sighed as he began dishing up the food.
“You know she's only a colleague Brynne, she does not interest me in “that” way in the slightest.”
Brynne giggled softly behind a sublime hand.
“Ah, but we do don't we, in “that” way?”
It was Danael's turn to blush this time, however he quickly brought the food across to the table.
“Affeine's ready-nya~♪ “
The cat si carefully filled the four porcelain cups present at the table before fetching some crystallized aluraune nectar and some bovitauride milk from the casket.
Teeli walked into the room at that moment and quickly took her place at the table with a dainty hand covering her mouth as she let out a small yawn. As the belle dame took a bite of some kudeluk her face seemed to melt into a smile of satisfaction, her gaze drifted across to Danael as she sighed.
“This is the taste~ Ahh, It has been so-o long.”
Danael snorted at the absurdity of the comment.
“I made you dinner last night Brynne, it wasn't that long ago.”
“Not soon enough dear.”
Danael sighed before turning to Teeli who was taking on her fillet of fish.
“So Teeli, how's Kiven doing? Speak to him recently?”
The kaaiman's face quickly became a bed of roses in full bloom as she put her knife and fork down.
“I spoke to him last night, he's missing me. I told him we are leaving today for the conference, but I will be available tomorrow..”
The mamonme's blush deepened even further.
“After the conference adjourns, I'm going to make up for lost time with him.”
“Right, too much information Teeli.”
The other mamonme giggled at Danael's reaction before pulling the kaaiman into a quiet discussion.
A few hours later, with bags packed, CA's set to record data to the nexus based information bank, and the telescope set to autonomously focus on Beta Lyrillae, the close knit team heard the whine of a quad-lifter landing on the pad outside. Soon there was a brisk knock on the door which when opened, revealed a somewhat surly looking dark haired incubus and a similarly dour minotauride. The minotauride was dressed in what appeared to be a flight-suit, though the sleeves had been torn off to reveal her impressive physique. Her hair was a dark red and her eyes a dark green, like the murky depths of a bog.
“I am Lens, your pilot for this trip and this is the perpetually “single” Meris, she will be accompanying us as far as the Darklands and shall be your co-pilot.”
The way Lens emphasised the minotauride's marital status was clearly a sore point for the mamonme in question. She turned such a scowl on the incubus that the team of researchers took a step back.
“Just you wait Lens, you're going to regret that comment after this trip.”
Lens did not even flinch, in fact he merely gave the minotauride a charming and yet clearly derisive smile.
“Suits me just fine Meris, you can try that too. I'll be happy to have you wearing pink ribbons in your hair again, in front of all of your friends back home.”
Meris snarled, but headed into the facility and soon emerged, easily carrying all of the luggage on her muscle-bound shoulders. The incubus waited until she was out of earshot before turning to five sets of nervous eyes.
“Don't worry about her, this is just the way we do things in the Darklands. You cannot survive if you don't prove your strength, so we regularly have these tussles. She is an old friend of mine, we'll spar after this, she'll lose to me and it will be water under the bridge.”
That said the group followed Lens to the waiting airlift which they would take to the Darklands. It was black, jet black. Four arms protruded from a central fuselage, each ending in a large, cylindrical ring. Within these rings, sets of smooth disks waited in place, ready for ignition. Two medium sized catalyst cores were temporarily mounted on the outside of the frame, pipes running into the elongate arms attached to the cylindrical cores. Twin tubular rings mounted atop the body of the craft would provide forward thrust.
Climbing into the slightly cramped passenger section Danael quickly found himself sandwiched between a regal and yet smiling Brynne, and Laelle. Merreen who found herself sitting next to the grey wolf sulked openly while Laelle wore a tiny smirk which absolutely radiated how pleased she was. The belle dame Brynne's flames danced over the sensible trousers Danael wore, and yet did not burn. In fact, they had no heat in them whatsoever. This however was just due to their etheric nature. Climbing into the quad-lifter, Teeli looked around for a space to sit. Brynne, despite the seats on the other side of the transport quickly took advantage of the kaaiman's dilemma.
“Teeli dear, come sit next to me!”
The belle dame, wearing a smug expression turned to Danael and the other two mamonme.
“Come on people, we need to make space for Teeli, it is quite important.”
In a matter of seconds, she had pushed herself almost onto the human's lap. Danael's mind almost blanked for a second as the nerves in his legs sent urgent messages to his brain screaming the message that the belle dame's hip was unbelievably soft and cool. Her bosom pushed against and rested on the sleeve of his jacket and soon another set of messages were racing up to his brain.
“Ah! Brynne! That's cheating!”
“Ah! Brynne! That's cheating-nya!”
The reaction which came in the form of a chorus consisting of Laelle and Merreen, was followed by a matching pair of glares. The incubus pilot snorted at that and flicked on a switch which brought the cockpit to life. A multitude of small displays featuring altitude, pitch and various other vital information as well as digital displays resembling buttons blinked on before Lens and Meris.
A minute later, with the turbines emitting a keening whine, the four mamonme and Danael watched the ground drop out from beneath themselves, grass and bushes danced wildly as if a crowd at a lorelie's concert as the craft lifted into the air.
Danael awoke with a start from a dream of wandering along one of the beaches near his home town, the wind gently blowing through his hair. He felt it must have been a combination of the turbines, their earlier wail, now merely an ever present buzzing, the air conditioning and the soft, silky smooth and cool pillows he was resting his head against that had caused him to pass out... Cool pillows? There was a sudden moment of clarity as he realised he had not brought a pillow, let alone two into the quad-lifter when they had set out. Opening his eyes he was treated to an expanse of pale skin, encompassed by silvery flames which had retreated to the outer curves of Brynne's impressive bosom. The belle dame's face appeared to float above him as she leaned over him, a milky hand stroking his hair.
“Ah, good afternoon Danael, I welcome you back to the world of the living.”
The undead mamonme giggled quietly at the irony of a being like herself offering such words to a living human. The human in question struggled, but was restrained effortlessly by a petite, chalcedony hand and resumed running her fingers through his hair.
“Ah, I could continue doing this forever, but we are about to arrive in the Darklands and I have to deal with a possible storm, so I believe you should sit next to Teeli for the time being.”
That said, the mamonme released him and shifted over to sit next to Merreen and Laelle, the two looking extremely sorrowful, tears clinging to the corners of their eyes. Her voice quickly dropped to a whisper as the three began a quiet and frenzied discussion.
“How, how could you-nya? You know Merreen-nya has had her eye on him since college?!”
The cat si sniffled, a tear tracing her sublime cheek.
“And what about me?! I have been preparing since high school and now you just flout decency and try to steal him from me?! I'd call you a thieving cat, but I don't want to insult Merreen!”
Laelle looked absolutely livid, that coupled with tears actually caused Brynne to blink before finally calming her thoughts.
“Girls, listen to me, I apologise for my actions, but he was sleeping and fell over on me and-”
“And you could have woken him up-nya! Instead you try to steal him-nya!”
“Skin to skin contact Brynne! That is unacceptable, and especially with that, that useless flesh of yours!”
The grey wolf looked down down at her own more modest chest before glaring at the belle dame.
“For all the advances Merreen made, she always made sure there was some fabric between them! “
The belle dame was shocked for a second that the cat si and grey wolf held such a low opinion of her, in fact she felt rather scandalised, but was determined to set matters straight with both of the women sitting next to her.
“Right, that is enough of that! Merreen, Laelle do you have such a low image of me that you actually believe I would do that to the two of you?! I am mortified that you would even consider it. We have been together with Danael since college I guarantee you I understand your feelings for him and as such have not marked him as mine!”
Relief immediately blossomed on the two mamonme's faces as the belle dame pulled them into a hug.
“R-really-nya?”
Laelle merely whimpered into the belle dame's arm as she tightened her hug.
“Of course, now is not the time to discuss this as we need to focus on the conference, but the two of you, sit next to him, hold his hands. We will mark him together after this.”
The incubus pilot snorted in disgust and looked over at Meris.
“Urgh, how sickenly sweet, gah, I'm going to have to find some women in Zipangu to bleach this scene from my brain.”
The minotauride seemed more jealous than disgusted, but nodded as the vehicle made its descent towards an airstrip on the outskirts of the Darklands. With a high pitched whine of the turbines, the transport hovered above a runway dotted with markings as a dark haired sorceress who appeared to be in a bad mood gestured with twin beacons of her energy. The woman slowly guided the quad-lifter to a vacant bay and with a great deal of shouting, the vehicle finally touched ground in the Darklands.
The mamonme and human looked out of the windows trying to take in the scenery. Lush plants and trees rose from pitch black rocks and ground. Due to the efforts of mamonme and incubi who had settled here, the continent was now something of a paradise. Old merfolk architecture still peeked out from amongst sturdy bushes and trees, a memory of times long past. Beyond a vivid forest, a city's many buildings rose in the distance, a large volcano belching up smoke beyond it. On the ground the sorceress now screamed abuse at her minotauride and melissae ground crew who were in the process of checking the craft and bringing new catalyst cores.
“You there! Astelee! Hurry it up with those cores!”
“Merilyt! Are you going to stand there playing with yourself or are you going to move your insignificant backside and help her!”
The two minotaurides glared at her before trudging over to the craft and disengaging the first core. The dark look did not go unnoticed.
“Well, well, I see we have two women who were clearly deprived of intelligence as infants. What happened, were your mothers so ashamed of you that they held back your first breath?!”
The sorceress then turned to a melissae who had touched down on the roof of the vehicle. Her lustrous blonde hair poked out from underneath a black cap in a ponytail.
“Meliise! Use those eyes your queen gave you and check the condition of the conduits. I want good news and no buzzing!”
The bee woman checked over the clamps and ducts which conveyed energy from the catalyst cores to the rest of the vehicle before nodding in satisfaction. She then turned a blasé look upon the sorceress whose expression quickly melted into a look of grudging respect. It was gone a second later.
“No problemzz here ma'am! Everything appearzz nominal!”
The dark haired woman turned to the two minotaurides who had returned carrying a pair of cores which dwarfed the previous pair.
“Glad to have you back from your little stroll Merilyt and Astelee, I want those two intercontinental cores mounted ASAP!”
The pair made short work of getting the cores positioned, they fastened them into their brackets and quickly connected the clamps which would keep the conduits firmly secured in place, and a second later the mellisae began checking the system. With a pleased smile she gave the sorceress a thumbs up. The woman sauntered over to the window before giving it two firm taps.
“All systems are nominal, your co-pilot will be here shortly.”
Meris squeezed herself out of the door. Before leaving she turned to favour the incubus with a somewhat respectful glare before the mamonme received eyes filled with jealousy. The three mamonme closest to Danael put their hands on the breast and shoulders of his outfit and returned her stare with eyes brimming with smug confidence. Teeli just looked on with a giggle. Finally the minotauride favoured Danael with a covetous gaze before turning and heading back to the facility, her hooves clip clopping on the tarmac. A sorceress with silky, muted violet hair sashayed towards the craft. Her uniform was identical to that which Lens wore, though had silk moths sewn onto it across the shoulders and down the sides. Her hair was adorned with moth shaped brooches which glinted in the late afternoon sun. She climbed into the quad-lifter before favouring everyone with a dark and sultry smile.
“You are in the presence of I Mohoella, I shall be the co-pilot for this leg of the trip.”
The sorceress took a seat next to their incubus pilot and strapped on a pair of headphones.
“Good work girls, drinks will be on me tonight!”
The words reached Danael's ears just as the door closed and the engines whined to life. The craft lifted off the tarmac and began heading north. Soon the Darklands fell behind them and they were once again treated to the empty expanse of the Siruvian Ocean. Mohoella's voice suddenly cut through the monotonous atmosphere.
“I heard from the higher ups this is an emergency trip, care to fill me in on what the situation is?”
The mamonme and human looked at each other before Brynne answered.
“I do not believe it would be prudent for me to share that information at this time, with all due respect of course.”
The sorceress's eyes narrowed slightly and a second later a window in space opened just behind her head. Through this window perception was focussed on Mohoella's breast where a flame wreathed knight's helm and a few badges they hadn't noticed earlier were pinned. The sorceress's voice drifted over to them again.
“And if I decide so, I may find it prudent to return us to the Darklands for a debriefing. I may be filling in as a co pilot, but I have the necessary levels to demand this information.”
Danael looked into the window which now showed Mohoella's waiting face.
“Take us back and you'll be busting your lips on us and receive nothing! Are we clear lady?”
Mohoella smiled appreciatively.
“Yes, you would do very nicely, however all jokes aside I rank higher than any of you scientists and will have you tell me.”
“The pilot?”
Laelle's eyes scrutinised the sorceress's.
“Who Lens?”
Mohoella chuckled.
“Never mind him, if he could not be trusted he would not be on this flight.”
Finally Brynne Kaele relented.
“Fine, fine. It is a nearby star, it will destroy itself in five hundred years, taking this planet with it in the aftermath-“
“Fenich's Tears!”
The incubus cursed, his face pale.
“Is there no way around this?”
“This information has to reach Karpathia so that we may come up with a solution.”
The sorceress nodded to herself, what a mess, was there any way to avert this disaster?
“None of you need worry, our ruler Fenich will deal with this, even if he has to destroy it himself.”
Danael's expression became one of bemusement.
“Seriously? Destroy a supernova? With what weapon? We are a speck of dust in the universe!”
With that the quad-lifter sped into the shadow of the world known as Praxis, arriving in Zipangu at the Aoiten airport with Aillaeah rising overhead. Lens said farewell to his passengers before a new pilot, a zenko with luxuriant, citrine hair and five fluffy tails slipped into the co pilot seat earning a contempt filled look from Mohoella the pilot. The craft spent the remainder of the night speeding across the Murasakisuisho Sea and soon the continent of Calavier. Mohoella, despite her earlier treatment of the zenko found she had a lot in common with the fox mamonme who had introduced herself as Mei. The two chatted as they sped towards their destination. In the back the four mamonme and the human slept soundly and by the first rays of dawn awoke to find that they had touched down in Karpathia.
