Chapter 4 Travel.

Act 1 Preparation.

I observed as I placed my Vibranty companion on a moss filled rocky beach. She immediately re-molded her ship, turning it into a dome like structure with many bulbus bumps. and then a large soft tube was shot into the sea. and then nothing. . . after two rotation of the moon I stopped watching her, and went back towards the sun.

But Because I didn't want to disturb the systems, rotations. I went towards the star following the pull of smaller celestial bodies snacking and clearing both gas giants before slingshotting myself towards little azula. 

"Honey I'm home!" A low vibrations vibration came out of my mouth. Hundreds of bright hydrogen explosions can be seen if one was brave enough to look into a stellar animals mouth.

Now that I think about it, shouldn't I start moving? now that I have a "guide" I don't need to randomly slingshot towards the other systems. like I originally planned, I can go to the closest one refuel and then rocket myself to the next until I find something cool. . . or I can try changing again.

I vaguely remember the time after I finished eating my first asteroid my mind was unfocused back then, but I remember I had some control when I was in a new egg reshaping my body. making it possible to exist outside of my home gas giant.

That was an option, but I'm not sure if I need to do it. I can solidify further becoming smaller. . . small enough that I could probably ride with my Vibranty friend. and from what we've discussed the galaxy isn't as developed as Humanity had expected. . . we didn't think it was full on star wars or similar sci-fi expectations.

From what she showed and told me even her race that had already settled hundreds of worlds and explored an entire starfield and has only met 2 other advance races and they were close to what humanity used to be a type 1 plus civilization. but she did said that she as an explorer personally met a handful of intelligent races.

But nothing resembling Humans. . . I hope there out there somewhere reincarnated like myself in a new reality. I cleared my mind, and meditated on what to do next. . . I was sure, after a moment to gather my resolved I delved into little azula, I need more pure hydrogen and taking it from the gas giants would take to long.

With my insulating, pure metal scales, I was protected from the heat. yet as I swam deeper my consciousness started thinning, the warmth of the blue sun starting to penetrate my scales. I stopped when my body fully entered the star.

I wasn't planning to eat it's core, just bath in its energy feeding on the highly energetic elements. . . but as I took it in the candle like flame within me started to grow bigger, I was afraid this means I was about to explode like some kind of organic hydrogen bomb.

As I've learned that ever since I've ignited that flame inside of my body, I was able to do things I once had thought of as magic. but after thinking about it and remembering the centuries worth of studying I did in theoretical science, I now thought of it as possible, but very improbable to happen naturally.

But it is naturally happening inside of an stellar size alien, that started as a titanic jellyfish like eel on a gas giant into a steller sized Barbel like fish thing. . . and now I'm changing again, I can feel it, I just need to guide it, so I change into something that a planet can support. . .

Act 2 Recovered.

I opened my eyes, the room was dark, slowly becoming brighter and brighter until it was as bright as a moonlit night. but for me it was clear as day, an empty room my suit attached on the wall. I slithered on one side of the round room and with vibrating touch a mirror like surface appeared and I looked at myself.

What looked back was me, my reflection was mostly the same, but my tail had gotten thinner the fat stores within becoming less than I want it to be. who wouldn't want a thick tail? My rossy silken hair was the same covering, the top of my head up to the tip of my tail.

My skin the same light brown, becoming paler and paler until it was milk white at the tip of my tail. my eyes a four tip star black pupil surrounded with red, gold and bark. I closed them and remember the image of the humans. . . they're so similar? 

I've seen almost a thousand alien worlds, a few hundreds of them had life. . . more than dozen of them were intelligent. yet this race, coming from fruit eating, tree climbers. that my race used to have preyed upon, had developed and grew becoming so similar.

My younger sister's theory of galactic convergent evolution might not have been that far off. . . of course, I was one of her supporters, but only thought size was the only convergent point. but seeing how the humans looked, like tailless younglings, I could have been a bit less dismissive of her claims, last time we did a "sharing".

I opened my again and breathed out, I need to continue my work. and "Abyss" shouldn't be left alone, there intelligence is high, but I can feel it's instinctual need to consume is higher. I cannot let something as a terravore that can travel the galaxy be un-guided.

Plus, I still need to figure out away on how I can travel with him, using a vibration engine wouldn't work with something so large, and I don't think I can make an efficient enough amplifiers. well I can use his own vibration but I can't control that! they can't either will be lucky if vibrates into a star.

I thought more and more for a solution as my hands worked and opened up to show gauges telling my supply stores are full of both on explorer fluids and high carbon, organic mass, that I can cultivate, and process, while we travel.

After checking on my essentials, and then basic needs and then comforts. I looked and checked on what the big guy was doing and. . . saw nothing? I looked around using my ships scanners and scopes, yet he wasn't orbiting the moon. 

I then thought of the first time I entered the system, and saw "Abyss" near the star. . . I looked around the star but nothing, but for some reason the star had deemed. did it send out stellar winds? but it's not a young star. . . wait! did a solar wind struck "Abyss". I started scanning the other celestial bodies, but found nothing.

I started my ship's operations, and then wore my suit. If I want answers I need to look for it, rather than being earthbound.

Act 3 An Egg.

I found them. . . I think? I started circling the system checking on the recording system that little system set up before leaving. but after I did I found a records of "Abyss" going into the minor-class Ocean star, and what came out was one extremely particular asteroid.

It was a pure metal egg it shone a dark silver, with mirror like finish. I was touching it was now inside my ship, it was almost a quarter the size of my ship. as it took almost half of the space inside of it. as I held my hand on it's warm surface I felt pulse a strong one. . . and it was beating in such a way that it was almost like.

I just realized something, and then started to mold the walls around the egg into a translator. this time, I was doing it slowly, making sure I was making it right, and not something barely usable because I was panicking.

And then done, what appeared was a flower like circular fractal structure whirling around the egg with connective tubes I can interface with fully unlike the basic integration I did using the ship as a rough translator.

I wrapped around the egg my tail and body fitting perfectly into the groves of the structure and then with my helmeted forehead tapped the head attachment and then started vibrating slowly powering the structure.

"Hello? "Abyss" are you conscious?" I waited for almost a quarter of a cycle of this system. before I felt them, there thoughts and words completely alien, unlike before where he felt rough and child like in intent and memories.

They showed me an image of our ancestor, and then showed my "name" and then showed a sleeping cat and then an alien ship leaving there star system, and then finally 10 cycles of the local system.

"I think I understand, you want to be an egg for 8 more local cycles, but I can now travel with you?" I felt joy from the egg, even without the "words" they were trying too teach me. they were quite gifted in understanding my language, the "Light lovers" have taken more than 20 galactic cycles to be able to communicate with us well enough, and the "Shelled ones" 10, but they were better translator's. . . but this member of the "tailless" race had only took 2 galactic cycles.

Well from what they had told me they've been an intelligent race for more than 300,000 of there local cycle. and from how he had explained of there home system and I convert that to the galactic cycle we use. . . they're 200 thousand years older than us. . . but for some reason it's only been the latest 1 thousand years since they've advance enough to leave there system.

Wonder what held them back? "Alright, will be traveling, I'll head to the "Shelled ones" first they have the best translation tech my race had ever seen. will learn more of each other when we get there."

After sending out my reply in the form of intent and images, I was already detaching and remolding my ship for travel. hopely we make it safely, even with my lifetime of experience in exploration, space is still one of the most deadliest places to be. The oldest jungle where everything wants you dead.

Act 4 Memory.

"Dad? Dad. Dad! wake up!" my chest felt heavy as I opened my eyes and saw a small ebony haired girl on my chest. I looked at the room it was small, dome like, I was under soft blankets, nylon fibers, with cotton fiber stuffing.

"Alyssa?" I took the head girl and hugged her as I stood, and then let her go.

"What's the problem?" it's odd that one of the gene children to wake me, is one hurt? as the thought came pass my thoughts I started to wear my soft shoes and then morning coat.

"Dad! no one's hurt!" I looked back and saw worry in Alyssa's eyes, in my haste I must have looked frantic and showed a side she never liked. I breathed out and then sat with her on the round bed.

"What's the matter Alyssa?" I gave her a warm smile to as I gently patted her head. she stopped frowning and then I gripped her head. " And didn't I told you kids not to wake me if it isn't important? unlike you kids I still need sleep." I let out a little of my annoyance. but then ease up smiled. as she rubbed her temples. "Ahh! that hurts!"

"Dad. . . I just want to ask. . . is it true?" She was looking down playing with her nails, a nervous thick she picked up somewhere when I wasn't with them.

"Did you kids start reading the logs?" She nodded, well that can't be helped.

"Yeah, I'm getting older and I think this body of mine needs to go into the tube again." I told her the truth she's the 3rd oldest and the most attached to me of this batch of gene-children. if I don't stopped babying her the ship wouldn't function without a head security officer.

"But! we still need to learn and. . .and. . ." She was about to cry again so I gave her a hug to stop her but it didn't work so I patted her back as she cried.

"It's fine Alyssa, caretaker Rose would take my place and I'll go to sleep for a few years to get back to my prime. . . this isn't are first goodbye you know?" She was still crying but it had slowed now, even with so much investments we put into this kids, there still kids. . . I really hope it was the right choice to make a new better race of humans, that could do what we cannot. I looked down at her expose rabbit like tail.

Act 5 Shelled Ones.

After 5 G-cycles I was finally in the Shelled ones space, as I felt a foreign mind try to connect with me even though I wasn't connected to anything but my ship. "Visitor?" The same elderly intent as the one that I encountered in my first time exploring this region of the neighboring starfield.

"Hello "Elder Greenskies" I have come seeking guidance, as I found a special "friend"." That intent was new to me, for some reason both the Shelled ones and the Humans had that intent, and the human even had explained it to me better than Elder Greenskies. as it means a being that will help you and support you if you ask them, or even if you don't.

It was odd as shouldn't everyone be a friend? as every member of my race was all friends we sometimes have different views but we don't stop being friends because of it. what mystery that this to covergently evolve to have such developed conceptual intent.

I drove and followed the Elder Greenskies prompting as they guided me to a vibrant moon, it was a well developed nursery like planet. forests, seas, jungles, oasis. . . and other natural wonders well maintained to Culture the next generation.

I landed near the foot of the tallest mountain on the moon. "Lady Visitor, welcome to the greenskies sanctuary." the large mountain moved piercing the clouds of light emerald skies. a head of a large reptilian, slithered out of the mountain, it's head was bald, it's lower mouth had a foliage of vines reaching into the large mountain, cave there head came out of.

I landed my ship on a neighboring mountain peak, and molded it into a platform the egg in the middle on an altar like structure. "Oh? And egg? it is much like ours but larger and metal?" I felt confusion and understanding in his intent.

"Elder Greenskies, The friend is awake within the egg, please communicate with them." He's intent was thoughtful but after a time he made up their mind and agreed with connecting with the friend inside the odd egg. 

"I promise nothing, Friend Visitor, but I would try." The land shook as green flames appeared on the head of Elder Greenskies, it reminds me to research if there natural way of communicating was heat base rather than the vibrations that my race had developed. . . and if "Psynonics" is a natural second step.