FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Blast from the Past

"You...know my origin," said Dairyu, surprised. "So, it is true, then. That agent is telling the truth about out arrival not being the first."

"That's because of my own arrival here, due to a mishap," said Richard. "But before I say anything more, I need your name. What is your name?"

"It's Dairyu Tsukasa," said Dairyu.

"An Eastern name. Quite fitting, given your form as an Orient."

"So, they called my race 'Orient', too."

"It's more of a collective. They have many variants. You, however, is a unique form. A Black Orient. Kind of the opposite of an albino, so...a melanistic Orient?"

"Okay, enough about my race. I need to tell you something, given that you look like an important person, and the only one who can make any sense from our problem. We came here because of a dimensional tear. My crew is investigating the other side of the tear because our ships are being drawn into it. I suppose the same tear also caused you to be stranded here, and by the looks of it, you have been stranded for so long."

"I've been around since the 80s. I returned back, helped my old friends, before I decided that my life is here, in this Draconian world, and I voluntarily closed the portal since it would cause 'leeching', as the experts say."

"Except I'm not that eager to wait for 30 years to go back. My universe is in danger of collapsing, and I need to go home and close the tear. I just...don't know how to close it, or where it is."

"You know, if I'm any other person, they might think you're a raving lunatic, but I won't regard you as such," said Richard. "I will help you, however necessary, in return of a favor."

"Name it. It's not my character to take something free. I mean, I'd love it to be free, but not always, especially since this involves security crisis."

"Huh, that's a rarity," said Richard, smiling. "But, no. You don't need anything to do with the terrorism."

This surprised Dairyu. "What?! But..."

"No buts. Look, you're need in something direr, something that this world has never experienced for 20 years. I have a feeling that your arrival brought that mess."

"Let me guess. Ghost sightings?"

"One that freaked out my family when my supposedly dead friend knocked my front door and said 'hi'. I was there when he died, clutching his body as he requested a final smoke. Of course, he was also bewildered to the fact that he came back to life, when he remembered being dead."

"Where is he now?"

"In my house, which I will take you after you get plenty of rest. That action must've made you very tired. Where do you currently stay."

"The same hotel that almost got bombed."

"Really? You must be pretty rich to stay in such elegant place."

"And here I am, thinking that it's a conspicuous thing to do."

With help from agent Tyrandor, they were escorted back to the hotel and into their room. They were given special exception from the Agency to stay in the same hotel that was the target of bombing, yet they still needed to be guarded by some agents and Tyrandor, personally.

Everyone was tired, but before they could rest, Dairyu called Capisa, who went to the living room and started talking with Dairyu about their first day experience and what would be next in their plan. While they did so, Dairyu offered Capisa a drink, which intrigued him with its sweet smell. He drank it.

"Say, Capisa," said Dairyu. "You've been to Terra before, right? Many times."

"Not really. Mako agents do not work with local governments and we tried our best to be neutral. That's why I came to that planet posing as a representative of the S'Hor company."

"Because no one suspected a spy when they see an Aquros with a lavish armor."

"That's right."

"Then, what's your opinion in early 21st century Terra equivalent?"

"Low-tech, but I guess it's not surprising. Still, you Terrans clearly have many things to do when you're not busy being a military empire. I mean, you don't see someone not fazed by us appearing out of nowhere, wearing armors, and discussing why we are all draconians, right?"

"Something like that," said Dairyu. "I haven't been home for so many years since I became a Warrior. I should've missed home, but eh, 20 years or so, and you forget what it's like to walk on natural gravity. The Azure was my home, and the Wind of Change has accompanied me for ten years since the Crisis. She's a hardy one."

"And she will be the best ship to ever come, if we survive. She might live on to be a museum exhibit."

"Yeah. Let's hope she appreciate retirement. Now, about you, agent Tyrandor..."

"Orthan, please. I'm not really comfortable with last names."

"Okay...agent Orthan. You can call me Dairyu, or Ryu, if you think it's hard. You do realize that we are basically talking like crazies right now, right? About we came from another universe and about me having spaceships and stuff."

"I might think you should be in the asylum if it wasn't for my boss talking about humans and other non-draconian races mostly found in fantasies, or even the fact that he was once a human himself. I still doubted the 'human' part, but I wasn't there when the Crossing happened, so it's not my place to say."

"I heard about the Crossing, but tell me more."

"A major worldwide phenomenon when a bulk of people from Richard's universe crossed our dimensional gate, then blended with our people, effectively turning them draconian. I heard there were a lot of them, but mostly humans and dragons. Then, I was told that magic was real in their world, and Richard's electrical ability is considered magic, or so he thought. He's more like a superhero for that matter, like the god superhero Raijin."

"Kinda poetic how his name started with an R, and the fact that it's Orient while he's western."

Orthan laughed. "Yeah, well, I liked to tease him about it. We may have a boss-subordinate relationship at work, but after the recent fiasco, I regard him more as a friend and mentor. He's a nice guy when you know him. It's just, he can be a little too serious at times, especially during jobs."

"He's your boss, Orthan. Don't get too used to it. It's good to be friends with him, but you gotta stay in line or you might get more enemies than friends."

"I know that. It's just...personally working with him for many years can make me that close. How about you? You seem like a leader kind of person. Are you a soldier in your world?"

"More like a mercenary. I was discharged...dishonorably."

"What did you do? I won't judge."

"I rebelled against the tyrant and I was exiled from my Earth. Then I got work as a freelancer/bounty hunter/mercenary. Went into exile again, pardoned by the new government, regarded as a hero, then here I am."

"I guess it explains your authoritative aura. A war hero in your Earth."

"I don't deserve it," said Dairyu, his expression sad. "I don't talk about it much, since it reminds me of my failure."

"Hit the wrong button, huh?" said Orthan while drinking the rest of his whisky.

"If you're someone else, I might punch you in the face for that casual remark."

"Don't get me wrong. I almost got punched once just because of talking. Unlike you, he is not trained in any martial arts, and my reflex kicked in. I should've taken that punch, but I have been in so many near-death situations that I cannot risk it."

"So, you're the douchebag kind of guy, or you're just full of wit?"

"Something in between, mostly the wit, but I can be a total douchebag if I want to. But anyway, nice talking to you, Dairyu. You should get some rest."

"Yeah, I should. Thanks."

And so, Dairyu slept, letting his worries and thoughts wandered away. He had never slept comfortably before, owing the time he had been living on the scrap planet. He clearly forgot how comfortable a well-made bed could be. The Wind of Change, while it had a captain's room, was given to Rose, while the Orient slept on a foldable bed near the kitchen. The whole ship was spacious enough for a group of seven, but the rooms were packed with supplies, given that no replicators were in the ship.

Sleeping on a bed, in a terrestrial hotel proved to be a luxury for him, and he slept soundly, only to be woken up by the alarm clock 6 hours later. Seiryu had been cleaning his weapons, while Xsatuki was preparing breakfast.

"Hey, sleepyhead. Got a good, silk-covered, sleep?" said Seiryu.

"There's nothing silky on my bed," replied Dairyu.

"It's just a figure of speech. Of course, these are normal sheets. Anyway, snake guy here is making a good morning meal, and I'm quite surprised. The Lizards don't really have good taste buds, right?"

"Depending on who you ask," said Xsatuki. He then took out a plate with stacks of pancakes, bacons, sunny-side up eggs, and toasts. He seemed to make a lot of them.

"Where did you get the ingredients?" asked Dairyu, surprised.

"A 24-hour supermarket nearby. Thanks to your credit card, I can buy foods enough for everybody, including the agents outside."

"You know the way there?"

"One of the agents was so kind to help me go around. I think her name was Sutera...well, I'll ask her later, anyway, eat."

"But we're not going to stay that long here, so why bother?"

"Even if we are visiting, it doesn't mean we cannot enjoy it. And besides, Dairyu, you are being too serious. This place is not as dangerous as our space, and yes, I am saying this as a Sslatha, an alien not from Terra. Anyway, call those agents in, then we'll talk about what you're trying to do. Oh, and tell Dajar, when he finishes his shower, to go to the balcony. We gotta talk about something."

Dairyu knew what Dajar and Xsatuki were planning to talk about, but he pretended to be oblivious about it.

Everyone, including the agents, ate their breakfast, and were particularly surprised that a 'Venom drake' (Xsatuki's draconian race) could make good breakfast, owing to their inferior sense of taste. Rose, intrigued, then asked the races around the Draconian world to Orthan, though he did not really understand the topic. He could, however, named the crew's races. Dajar and Capisa were based on sea drakes, amphibian draconians who had a massive underwater city somewhere in Pasafino ocean, and could be said a whole nation underwater.

Xsatuki's race was venom drake, a race of poisonous draconians with serpentine features, and one of the Mid-Eastern draconian races alongside the sand drakes. Calventis's race was mostly a muscular South Apachian, given his dark green scales and yellow eyes. Rose's race, however, was a unique one in Orthan's eyes.

"You sound like you came from Britania, but I've never seen a furred drake living there," said Orthan. "In fact, this is the first time I've ever seen your race. I mean, your face look like a wolf, along with those ears, but your body is draconian. Are you a hybrid?"

"Well, I am a werewolf in my own world, so there should be a template here. Anything that comes into your mind?"

"Hmm...not really. But...I'll see into it."

Finally, Dairyu and Seiryu were clearly from the Eastern region of Earth, and as Orthan said, they were the only furred dragons he knew. There were a lot of them living in both Apachia and Northornia, and many were popular people, either as politicians, business drakes, or even actors. The Eastern region, collectively known as Zen-a, is also the most populated region on Earth.

"So, there's a lot of us around the world?" asked Seiryu. "That's like...a complete reverse in our world. Orients are a small community."

"There is a small community of nomadic sand-based Eastern draconians in Mangala, at least that's what I learn from documentaries about them. But anyway...now that you know you represent your own race here, no one will look at you strange, unless you act strange. Now, it's your turn. Tell us about your world."

Dairyu then explained to the agents about their world, which, unlike the one Richard came from, was very science fiction instead of being medieval. It became so interesting that they called Richard and put him on a teleconference. The half-dragon was also intrigued with it, and by the time it was over, Richard concluded with, "Fascinating...if our future is somewhere like yours, I'd love to move there."

"Except the part of almost taken over by the Black Creatures, and the current ghost affairs, I think it's a good place to live myself," said Dairyu. "But again, we still have to sort out this world's problem, right? Can we meet with your ghost, Richard?"

"Let me warn you first. He was one of my friends and is regarded as a national hero. Orthan, do not be surprised by this. You've never met him before, but you know him from history books." Richard then talked to someone off-camera, before a youthful bright-red scaled winged draconian sat by the camera, causing a gasp from Orthan and the other agents.

"No way," said Orthan, surprised. "The ghost you mentioned...is him? He came back to life?"

"There is no other way to explain his presence here, and I, for once, knew his death was not faked," said Richard. "Come on, talk to them."

"Are you sure, Ricardo? Have you seen their faces?" said the draconian with a thick accent. Dairyu knew the accent's equivalent on Terra, which was the accent of the lizard people without the hisses.

"Don't worry. I've told them about you."

"Okay...hola. My name is Andreas De Juan Miguel, and yes...I came back to life, apparently 20 years or so from my death. I am well-aware of my death back in 1993, and I...don't know why I am here. I don't know if I have any purpose beyond mi muerte, but..."

"I heard enough," said Seiryu. "Do you feel cold, or hungry, or anything that might indicate that you are a living flesh?"

"I was...hungry, like I've never eaten for five days, and my clothes were the one I was in when I died. Is there something wrong with that?"

"This is worse than I thought," said Seiryu. "Richard, your friend there is a Solid."

"Solid?"

"It's our term to describe a ghost that has become a living flesh again," said Dairyu. "We haven't been able to understand why it happened, but it caused massive damage to the galaxy with ancient wars happening all over again, not to mention a total eclipse event that transcended anything we ever know. If Andreas is alive again, then the whole thing can happen here, too."

"You mean, the border crisis can still happen again? Can you be sure of that?"

"Trust us. We may sound like lunatics ranting about the end of the world, but...oh, right, we have a video to prove to you this problem, and Seiryu here...is one of the Solids."

"You know we can't accept with face-value, right?" said Orthan. "Do you have a proof for that."

Seiryu could see Dairyu pulling out his weapon, and he said, "Oh, no you don't. If you do that stunt, I'll be dead...permanently!"

"Any ideas? We don't actually have any equipment to check anyone if they are ghosts or not, and we came into this world to investigate, not deal with ghosts again. Fuck...why everything must be so complicated?"

"If only we can find the Wind of Change...wait, what if it is cloaked?"

"No, I do not like cloaking my ship," said Dairyu. "Even if I want to, the ship is 10 years old, and the retrofit does not include cloaking device, or your father put something in my ship that I don't know about, Calventis?"

"Not that I know of. Father has a sense of humor, but his attempt at humor is very dry," said Calventis.

"Okay, everyone...any idea to get the ship back? We may need to get the ship here and access the data on Rose's console, and frankly, I think that's impossible without knowing where it is."

"How about the tracking beacon? Have you tried it?"

"Tracking beacon? Like the one put on enemy ships to track them?" said Dairyu. "Whose idea was it?"

"Father?"

Dairyu grunted, then smiled. He then walked towards Calventis and said, "Kid, tell Let later that I'm grateful for this, but next time, don't put a tracking device without my permission."

"Why? He doesn't want you to disappear again, just like last time."

"I am not a suspected enemy of the chiefdom, right? That's intrusion of privacy, and yes, I value my privacy. But I'll let you go, since we are in crisis. Do what you have to do."

Calventis walked into his room and pulled out a device that, when turned on, apparently showed the position of the ship, but was surprised when it is currently orbiting Earth.

"The ship's in orbit? Well, it's a relief that it's not gone, but why are we on Earth why the ship is nowhere near us? But, eh. Too many questions already. Call the ship down to...uh, where can we put a spaceship?"

"A private airspace over the beach," said Richard. "No one would suspect a spaceship there in the middle of the night, and the Agency have full autonomy around that region. I suggest you lower your ship's altitude slightly to prevent anything to come out on radar..."

"Cal, tell me you haven't pull out the stealth mode," said Dairyu. "I may not like cloaked ship, but I like to keep hidden."

"At least father knows that's important. Isn't that the device that let you get through the Crisis?"

"Can it be activated remotely?"

"Father has covered that also."

"Well...alright, then. Now, we just need to get there. Tell Calventis the coordinates you need us to land it. Richard, take the Solid with you to our meeting place. Let's go pack up and get back to our ship."

The rest walked to their own rooms, packing their things up, except Seiryu and Dairyu, who did not carry many equipment except their armor and sword. The rest did not have time to take their own equipment, so it was a brief packing. Xsatuki, however, decided that the foods and things they bought would be a waste to just throw, so he packed the most out of everyone.

After making sure everything was ready, they told Orthan, and walked down the hotel into cars readied for them. The damage from the attempted bombing was still there, but since no actual bombs exploded, the damage were mostly gunshots and grenades, yet Dairyu knew it cost a lot to replace the damaged goods.

They reached the car, and after putting things in, they set off.

"So, you two," said Orthan towards Seiryu and Dairyu, who rode with the draconian agent in his private car. "How can letting us see your spaceship help explain Andreas?"

"We don't have any equipment there, but we can show you proof of what happened. At least that's how we do back there. Other than that...we cannot say."

"How can we trust you?"

"You gave us some cars and drove us there. If it isn't for driving us to our execution spot, I don't know what is."

"Heh, you got a little of my wit there."

"At least I'm not the douchebag," said Dairyu smiling.

"I'm something in between, and the thing is, I trust you because of Richard."

"Because he's a being from another universe?"

"That, and I've seen for myself how our problem is similar to yours. Unlike you, however, we don't have any way to counter this, and unlike you, we still have time to prevent this."

"Why do you suppose _we_can do it? We are still trying to find the source leak."

"I don't know. Richard trusts you and I guess I can."

"So, all this is because of your boss? What if he made a wrong decision?"

"Then you'll take this car and drive there yourself, except you don't know where it is. Look, it's not just his decision. We made our own decisions. That's what it takes to be an Agency agent. He trusts you, I trust you, then it's settled. Even if you cannot sort out our problem, then trying to get you home is our priority. Then...let's hope for the best."

"Orthan..."

"Yeah, I know. It's a gamble, but at least we can stop this game of trust and be happy with one another. Besides, we have three hours of travel. Might as well tell me the future in your version. We are still in the 21st century, after all."

"I guess I'll tell you whatever I can from history books," said Dairyu.

Meanwhile, in another car, Dajar and Xsatuki sat together while Calventis sat at the front, talking with the driver. The two were still thinking about their chat back in the hotel, and were not very keen to talk about it. Xsatuki was clearly very open about how things were between them, while Dajar, while he acknowledged the fact that he was 'different', felt overwhelmed by his openness.

Of course, Xsatuki, who didn't know about Dajar's conflicted feelings, felt like he did something wrong by calling him to the balcony and expressed his feelings towards him. It was awkward then, but then it was even more awkward when they were stuck together alone, unable to come out with something to talk about it.

Calventis, sitting at the front, knew how Dajar felt, especially since they were working in the same area. One day, while maintaining the engine room, the Aquros came to Calventis, inviting him to have a talk in the St. Vincent, which he agreed. They talked about many things, but Dajar was especially vibrant when talking about Xsatuki, almost to the point of loving him. That was when Calventis deduced that Dajar liked Xsatuki, yet was unable to be forward with his feelings. He asked for the conversation to be secret, though, since Dajar was still unsure about his feelings, or even if he felt Xsatuki was the right person for him.

The Scylla understood that Dajar and Xsatuki needed time alone, so he asked the agent driving them to close the separation window he noticed. The agent also understood, and he quickly put the separation window on, isolating the passengers and the front. When the agent was sure that it was separated and they were free to talk among themselves, Calventis sighed.

"I wish I know when to find someone to love," said Calventis. "I barely started my pilgrimage, and this is what happens."

"Are you in some kind of an initiation rite?" asked the agent. "I don't mean to offend you..."

"Why would you want to offend me? Do you get agent Tyrandor's intel?"

"Of course, I do! It's just...we have a place in the World where they have that kind of rite. They have a good standing with the rest of the world, and they procure advanced technology, too. It's somewhere in the Zulan continent. I think the place is called...Thumbasa, or something."

"If these Thumbasa people do a pilgrimage, too, I'm not surprised. I mean, it's a tradition, to remind us of simpler days, which in our case, is hundreds of years ago."

"Does that include mysticism, too?"

"Mysticism? No, we don't practice mystic arts. Terrans do."

"Terrans?"

"Our version of the World, basically. It's what you called it, right? The World?"

"So, only we practice mystic? No wonder space aliens get all the credits of being more advanced."

Calventis laughed. "Oh, no. It's kinda sad to know that, despite of an age of interstellar travel, you still stick to tradition. We lost that when the Civil War happened, where priests became engineers and tribe leaders follows their brains instead of soul. We haven't had any proper religion for 500 years. But, despite of it all, it's a thing most people won't bother returning to. We've gone past that, and we can't, and won't, change it back. The Pilgrimage of the King is the only thing we maintain, yet the meaning changed. Instead of being a pilgrimage of souls, it's a pilgrimage of connection and technological information gathering. Oh, and finding a spouse is one."

"A wife?"

"Wife, husband, anything that's fancy enough. Of course, being the only child, I need to find a wife, to continue the tribe's legacy. Ah, but I...don't like talking about that, given how the couple sitting behind us seems to be arguing about it."

The agent looked at the center mirror and saw the two of them mouthing words. From their body movement, however, they seemed to be arguing aggressively, but slowly died down when they looked at each other longingly before looking away, apparently in guilt.

"Lover's quarrel," said the agent. "Don't worry about it. It's normal in a relationship."

"Except they haven't gone steady yet," said Calventis. "I'm worried."

"What were their races before they became draconians?"

"An Aqura and a Sslatha, which are the equivalent of a shark and a snake."

"That's...well, that's interesting. In fact, I've never seen the pairing of a venom and an aquatic drake before, let alone gay pairings. 23rdcentury is such a liberal era, isn't it?"

"If there's no crisis, yes."

Calventis and the agent then talked more about the world of the future, including how Scylla culture evolved from a tribal one into something of a 'tribal fuure' world, though it was stunted due to the civil war. The agent listened all about it intently. It was as if he wanted to find an inspiration of a science fiction story and he got it from an alien coming from another universe from the future.

The travel went on without a problem, and they managed to reach the shore Richard was talking about at night. The golden draconian was already there, along with the crimson-scaled draconian beside him. They had just finished talking when the cars reached them.

"Good, right on time," said Richard. "Now, do what you must do. We've designated a landing spot near the shore."

"How big are we talking about?"

"Big enough to hold a fictional spaceship," said Richard. "Now, go on."

"We'll show you fictional," said Dairyu.

"You...don't understand what I mean, do you? Well, alright. Land it slowly."

Dairyu nodded to Calventis. The Scylla operated something on his wrist. He then used the stealth mode and let the auto-pilot on the ship designated its landing location.

Some minutes later, the ship appeared in the night sky as a black thing descending. The ship's engine was silent, so they did not hear any sound, at least until it was close to landing. Richard and Andreas, along with the agents, were astonished, while the crew was relieved that it was with them. Only Calventis and Dajar were shocked, however.

"By Leviathan," said Dajar. "The ship!"

"I can't believe the computer's still working," said Calventis. He pushed some button and opened the door, but a creaking noise quickly alerted the others of the problem.

"What the..."

"Computer, how long have the ship been orbiting the planet?" asked Calventis.

"The computer turned on, and with a garbled yet recognizable voice, it said, "28 years, 2 months, 13 days, 23 hours, 4 minutes, and 59 seconds."

"It's almost 30 years!" exclaimed Dairyu.

"The anomaly must've caused time discrepancy, so we arrived here, and the ship arrived 30 years ago," said Rose. "I'm surprised that the ship's stealth mode held on for that long. But what caused it? Why 30 years?"

"30 years, you said?" asked Richard, who overheard their conversation. "I wonder...I suppose that's when I was stranded here in the first place."

"I know. The Crossing, right?" said Dairyu.

"Not quite," replied Richard. "I was the only one stranded here back then. The Crossing is a recent phenomenon. It was all in the past. But, if your ship is stranded 30 years ago, while you're stranded here, then it makes sense."

"There are two instances of dimensional tears that led to this world," concluded Dairyu.

"Yes, except both were induced artificially, one by my old friend Ray, and the other by the scientists from Milsteir's Border Guards. However, the one we did hold on for at least 20 years until it expired barely 4 months ago. I don't think it's mere coincidence."

"It isn't. Right now, we need to induce another dimensional tear to get back home. Can you contact the scientists that headed the project?"

"I can't, but...Ray."

Richard remembered something when he said 'Ray', and quickly pulled out his phone. He looked at his agents, then to the crew, and said, "Do you mind if I take a call?"

There was a long wait, but then, Richard lowered his cellphone and sighed. "I reached his answering machine. Maybe he isn't home."

"Who are you trying to call?"

"Raithorakh Andaluvia," said Richard short.

"Your brother?"

"Not really. He took my family name since dragons do not have one to begin with. But, we're practically brothers, so it's fine. Anyway, Ray's the only other drake who started the whole incident 30 years ago, and have better knowledge of it since he was the one maintaining the unstable process until it closed. But, he's somewhere in Amerisia, and he might be working right now."

"Boss, you do realize that Raithorakh Andaluvia never bothered to take calls, right? Do you realize how famous he is?"

"I know that. Unfortunately, this is the only number I have on him. I could check the database, but it will take twice as long, and we are here."

"Or, we can use your database, then call him?" said Dairyu. "I wonder if they have virtual net in this world..."

"Virtual net? Oh, you mean 'internet'?" said Orthan.

"Internet is an old phrase, but since this is somewhere in our past, we'll stay with that. Let's go to our ship. It can access everything you need to find. Come into our ship."

Dairyu and the others walked in, followed by Richard and the other agents. But then, before they could get in, Dairyu turned and said, "One more thing. Do not try and do anything you must not do, including the use of our devices for your gain. That's the only thing that prevent us to force our hands, and to give you permission to step onto our ship."

"But, this ship..."

"Is not of this era, and especially not of this world," interrupted Dairyu. He then showed Richard his black long sword. "I am being serious." "Understood," said Richard. "But fair warning. Delete any information regarding our Agency before you leave. It may be useless there, but we must make sure interdimensional problems won't occur. I have my fair share on that, and frankly, it's nasty."

"I get that."

As they came into the ship, the whole interior turned on. The Wind of Change had seen better days after being neglected for 30 years or so. The foods in the pantry were all rotted and caused a strong putrid smell that forced everyone to get out of the ship while Xsatuki and Dajar swept everything out. After they did so, Richard implored them to burn it, which they did. The whole ship was then sanitized to remove anything biohazard, for the foods had become so after 30 years, with many of those extraterrestrial in origin.

After the initial preparation (and mishap) was over, they turned on the full functionality of the ship, amusing the draconians while the crew started going to their stations. Dajar and Seiryu went to the cockpit to check on system and engine, Calventis went back to the engine room to clean up and check engine integrity, Rose went to her abandoned science station and, despite all her research were basically destroyed, she kept the datalog from the past 30 years. Finally, Dairyu went to the communication room, and tried turning on the whole machine. It went on, but not for long.

Richard heard his sigh of frustration and said, "This is your only computer?"

"It's broken," said Dairyu short. "There's another computer I can use, but this is our main tactical interface. You heard my story about the problem back in our universe, right?"

"I understand," replied Richard. "But, let's not delay. We need to find Ray."

Dairyu directed Richard to another computer, which was different from the communication console. While it still worked with holographic interface, it was smaller and less detailed, as its purpose was to access the virtual net. Dairyu reprogrammed it to connect to the internet, and after inputting the name 'Raithorakh Andaluvia', it quickly tried to find his relevant information. There were millions about him.

"I guess it's your turn, then," said Dairyu. "He's your brother, after all."

Richard started refining his search, and was surprised when many details of Raithorakh's life was detailed, including his search history and his contacts. Richard found his private number, and called that number.

While dialing, he turned to Dairyu and said, "Delete your data after this."

"We will," said Dairyu. Richard then continued to call Raithorakh, until a click was heard, then the voice of a loud music.

"Hello? Who's this?" asked the voice.

"Hi, Ray, this is Richard. I don't have time to explain, but where are you now?"

"In my home. Why?"

"I'll speak to you later."

"Wait, Richard. How did you get this..."?

Richard ended the call, which prompted Dairyu to say, "We go now?"

Richard nodded. "Did you trace the call?"

"Right in the database. We'll go when you're ready."

Richard nodded, then told the other agents on his intention to fly with the group. They were all reluctant to accept the fact, but nevertheless, they stayed. Dairyu closed the door and nodded to Capisa, who then made adjustments and controls.

"Let's hope she still flies," said Capisa. "Orbiting a planet for almost 30 years bound to have some screws loose."

"Hey, I heard that," said Calventis from the intercom. "Do not underestimate Scyllan technology."

"I'd say the same to you about Aquran technology. This was an Aquran-designed spaceship."

"But the engine and the body are..."

"Guys, I appreciate the rivalry, but please, we need to focus," said Seiryu. But then, under his breath, he said, "Why am I the straight guy?"

Richard looked at the banter. He was utterly confused by the closeness of the crews and their apparent way to not making things serious. He likened them to many workspaces, which was very unlike the popular sci-fi TV show about the future, where they seemed to be very commanding and cold at the same time. That was when he realized that it wasn't a 'classic' one, but closer to the 'modern' one.

He then asked Dairyu about it, even name-dropping the shows as 'Star Journey' and 'Lightbug'.

"To be honest with you, we're both. The first one is more of a Federation thing. We're more of the latter," said Dairyu. "But hey. What you think as a fiction is our reality, so both can happen, or not at all."

"What's your version of the past, then?"

"Mostly like this one, except we found touch screens and smart techs, as you say, around the turn of the century. I think in Terran year, it's 2001. We colonized our moon around 2008, then the Red Planet in 2024. Our first contact is uh..."

"2089, Terran year" said Capisa.

"Right," said Dairyu. "2089. That's a long time ago."

"So, it's more of a blend, then," said Richard. "I hope we get to be like that, except right now, we still held on to Athir Cren's quote."

"And that is?"

"Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."

Dairyu contemplated on those words, as did the other extraterrestrial beings currently on the ship. The words still had weight on them, apparently since it had been proven many times, throughout history, that the universe is mostly undiscovered.

It cemented its terrifying reputation ten years ago, during the Black Creature Crisis.