My 2014 NaNo Entry

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

This year I decided to do a sequel to my FanFiction story "Who Mourns for Methuselah" as my "entry" to the NaNo 'contest'. The idea started after I wrote an epilogue to that story that suggested that after Atom, Uran, Titan, and Cobalt had "died" they would be reincarnated as humans in the distant future.

I had started to explore some ideas that involved mature themes for Atom, Uran, and Titan which would have required the story have an "R" ("M" to "MA") rating. While writing the story I did in fact create some such scenes which would require posting it here under the 18+ section and on FF.NET with an "M" rating (though some toning down would still be required for that site).

I am now slowly editing the story for submission the FF.NET as a complete novel. I need to correct some continuity errors that crept in during the rapid pace of writing it (I wrote 12,300+ words as I sprinted to finish the story in a single day!).

Not all of the various character encounters need to be left in their :d evil: form, I can distill some of that down "T" (PG13) by use of innuendo. Some of these scenes were done for comic purposes (such as the Rock Holmes encounter with a horse which I will leave to the readers imagination).

I think I will post the bulk of the story here with some substitution of content where necessary to be able to post various chapters in the main site. I will put the :d evil: material on the 18+ site, IE: the original chapter that was edited for the main site will be on the 18+ site, the complete story won't be on the 18+ site.

This story takes place some one trillion years (!) in the future. There are various cosmological theories as to how the Universe will age and I've made use of several of these ideas in this story. My original idea was based on parts of Philip Jose Farmer's "River World" novels, and Frank Herbert's "Dune" books. One or two of my OC's are based on characters from Dune, and some ideas of the planet's topology comes from "River World".

Atom, Cobalt, Uran, Titan, and a few other members of the 'star system' are reincarnated on a planet orbiting an ancient star in the very distant future. They discover their destiny while adapting to life as flesh and blood human beings. The ending of this story was inspired by the work of James Blish, and I dedicate this story the memory of this important SciFi author.

So I will be posting the chapters here as they are edited, for those over 18 that want to read my more :d evil: ideas a few duplicate chapters will be posted in a thread on the 18+ site, but the bulk of the story will be here .......

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

All there is, or ever was, or ever will be

Book One – The light in the upper valley

Zero.

Cobalt sat in the back of the MIT lecture hall absorbing the professor's lesson. As a robot he was the ideal learning machine having perfect concentration and total recall of everything he ever heard or saw. He knew that many of the human students felt uncomfortable around him, so he tended to sit in the back of the classrooms where they wouldn't have to notice him. The class on Cosmology and Astronomy was particularly interesting to him since it dealt with the forces of the universe that most paralleled religion and mysticism, the two things that humans were so often attracted to, something he could never quite understand.

'Most red dwarf stars were born in the earliest moments of the universe. They are of a class of stars barely possessing barely enough hydrogen fuel to ignite the nuclear fires of thermonuclear fusion. They are miserly lot, hording their precious fuel by barely generating much light and heat. They were still babies when the larger giants surrounding them blew themselves apart in tremendous supernova blasts which seeded the universe with heavy metals. They would then pass though the clouds of this debris picking up some of these elements, adding new lines to their spectra.
As new populations of stars were born the first galaxies formed. Second and third generations of new suns erupted into existence as the vast clouds of interstellar gas enriched by the heavy elements created in the death knells of the early giants condensed into systems of stars and planets. Now some 13 billion years after the big bang life came into existence on these new worlds. On at least one such world intelligent and self aware life forms sprung into being. These creatures pondered their own existence and wondered if they were alone in the vastness of the universe. Our civilization created machines in their own images, machines that could think and be aware of their own existence. Some of these machines would out live their creators. (Interesting speculation on the professor's part, Cobalt thought).

The universe will grow old, as everything must. All of the mainstream stars will burn out, and all of the interstellar hydrogen will either be used up in star formation, or will thin out by the ever constant expansion of space-time itself. No new stars or planets will then be created and the universe will slowly grow dark as the distance between stars increases towards infinity.

Then only the dwarf stars will remain. One trillion years into the future, they will have not even reached middle age. They will wander the universe in the space between the where the galaxies once stood. Torn from their systems when their suns had died, rogue planets will be drifting in interstellar space. Frozen balls of rock, their atmospheres clinging to their surfaces as frozen vapor these bodies will carry with them memories of a brighter time. On some of these rocky bodies life will have once risen and have died out. Perhaps two such rogue planets will capture each other, one a massive giant, the other an Earth like body. They will now be orbiting each other around a common center of gravity, dancing in a tight spin as they drift though the dark cosmos.

Fate, and enough time may allow the two bodies to enter the sphere of influence of a dwarf star. The small sun will have expanded as it aged, as all main sequence stars eventually do. Now nearly twice as bright as when it had first been born, the dwarf star might accept the two rouge bodies as its own. Orbiting within the dwarf's 'life zone' where enough radiant heat may be collected to keep water molecules in a liquid state, the smaller body will begin to defrost. Its atmosphere will out gas from the frozen surface, and its oceans will craw up from the depths of its mantle. The dead world will begin to come to life again. It may take millions of years, but what had once happened before can happen again anew.'


While to some of the students, the professors story sounded like a fairy tale, to Cobalt it seemed a likely prediction of how the universe would grow old and fade away. The idea of a swan song where a final surge of life was reborn seemed like a wishful thought, but somehow Cobalt liked it.

Of course there were other theories, things that he had already read in the later chapters of the text book. Perhaps the professor would cover some of them in his next lecture. Cobalt wondered about the mysteries of dark mater and dark energy and how the very fabric of the universe might someday expand so rapidly that it would actually rip itself apart, all mater disintegrating into a thin cold cosmic soup. Ah, but that would be hundreds of billions of years in the future, long after he'd have been rusted away and forgotten, or so he thought.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

One.

The lady Rebeca looked down from her bedroom window from the southern tower of the ancient castle. The morning's first light appeared in her window before it reached the village due to the elevation of her vantage point. She had a commanding view of the countryside below her from her window. In the distance were the forest covered mountains and the grassy valley at their feet. The mountains caught the moisture laden wind that drifted from the sea hundreds of miles away to the north. This wet wind would swirl about over the top of the tree covered horizon forming dark rain clouds that would dump the moisture which would pour down into streams running down hill into the grassy valley. From streams, into brooks, the water eventually emptied into the river which divided the known country from the distant lands beyond. Few had crossed the river and gone very far, fewer still had traveled down its length, for they knew that there was nothing good to be found beyond their borders, and that the lands beyond were taboo.

At the foot of the valley was the Village Town where all commerce took place and where all of the merchants plied their trades. The land surround the valley was farmed, the river itself was fished. Between the crops the farmers grew, the animals and fowl raised for their meat and the milk and eggs from the cows, goats, chickens and ducks; enough substance existed to feed the population of the country, but just barely.

For as long as the Lady Rebeca could remember, the valley and the surrounding farmlands, and the Village Town were all that there was. The population remained fairly constant, with the birth rate being about equal to the passing of the elders.

Far in the distance, connected to the Village Town by an ancient road, it was written in the ancient texts that there had once been other settlements known to the people. Contact with them had been lost many years ago during a great upheaval that was recorded in those sacred documents.

The population was divided into several orders. The farmers lived in small huts in their fields. They spent their lives tending crops of grains and vegetables and they produced the food stocks that the people depended on. Cotton and flax were grown to provide fibers for weaving cloths. Sheep and goats provided milk, meat, and wool.

Fishermen worked on the river with their nets to catch trout, and other fish. They were the boatmen, and traveled up and down the river as far as the boundaries of the known country. Goods traveled on the river faster than over the land.

At the edge of the valley, in the foot hills of the mountains, the miners dug into the Earth in search of their treasures. Coal, and metal ores were extracted from deep below the surface. These fed the foundries where goods of iron, copper, and silver were created. Shoes for the horses, gates for the houses, and table wares were hammered out of elements of the earth by the village Smiths.

Nearby, the lumber men felled trees and sawmills cut the lumber. Fire wood for the furnaces, and lumber for building houses and furniture were produced. The foresters minded the trees and the lumber jacks only selected only trees for harvest to meet the needs of the population. They pruned the forest carefully, leaving it healthy for new growth.

In the Village Town artisans crafted goods in their shops, and merchants manned their shops.

Then there was the order of the Matriarchal Clergy to which Rebeca belonged. They were the elite that kept the civilization in check. They were an old order, so old that few knew how they had come into being. All of the priestly order were women. They were sometimes called 'Witches' because it was said that they worked dark magic. In fact, the order had long practiced honing their mental abilities through the use of drugs extracted from the holy Teska trees, and hours of meditation. The priests claimed that they could see into the future, and look into the past. They held onto their power by controlling the menfolk though sexual prowess, it was said that they could control their own reproductive systems so as to select which sperm from which of their mates they would allow to fertilize their eggs. Thus they controlled the future of their own order.

The castle stood just outside the town, visible from anywhere in the valley. It was built on the highest ground in the valley, upon the the foothills in the otherwise flat countryside. It was said that the Witches had caused the land to rise up with their magic so that they could build their castle high in the air to have dominion over the region. No one knew how long the structure had been there. The huge granite blocks that had been mortared together to create it must have been carried a long distance, as there were no known quarries containing the green stone anywhere near the valley. The large blocks had been cut with such precision, and were fit together so perfectly that it seemed impossible such a monument could even be constructed, as no artisan in the village had the skills to do such mason work.

It was in the castle that the clergy women lived. It was from here that they ruled over the valley. It was here that they demanded tribute from the citizens of the valley. And it was from here that they pondered the fate of the universe, for they believed that they were the guardians of eternity. At night they would study the night sky while meditating in prayer. There were few stars visible as only the dim dwarfs were left. Even with optical aid only a few dozen points of light could be seen in the sky, but the patterns they made were noted and the order believed the movements of the few remaining stars carried messages from God.


The elder Mother appeared in Rebeca's room. Rebeca never heard her coming or going, the leader of the priests could project an aura that shielded her from visibility when she desired it.

“Did you see the apparition in the valley this morning?” the elder Mother asked.

“Again?” Rebeca quired.

“Yes,” She said, “The second time this month.”

“I suppose we will once again have newcomers in our midst” Rebeca replied.

It had started during the end of the last harvest season. A strange glow was seen in the upper valley not far from where the largest stream came down from the mountains. It appeared as a pinkish green glow two hours before sunrise, just as the fire flies were departing for the night. Each time the glow in the valley had appeared, several strangers would show up in the village. They would sometimes have no knowledge of who they were, or how they had arrived. They would tell stories of having died in a far off land and of waking up in the soft clover grass in the upper valley. It was as if they had been reincarnated from a previous existence and been placed in the upper valley above the Village Town. Doctor White, the village's only physician was one such newcomer who had walked down into the Village Town from the meadow in the upper valley.

“How many more mouths can we feed?” Rebeca asked.

“So far the newcomers have been bringing valuable skills with them.” The elder Mother answered. “The farmers have been producing bumper crops, and the river men have netted large catches of bass and trout. No one will go hungry this season.”

“I will go down to the village and keep an eye out for them.” She replied.

“You are still hoping that you may yet find the 'One',” the elder Mother asked.

“The prophesy says that a stranger will come who can pass the test of the Teska and survive ” Rebeca replied. “We are now reading in the stars that the end time is near and that a seed must be prepared to ensure that the universe regenerates and for that the next Elder Mother must find a suitable mate.”

“I know well what the prophesy says, child.” The elder Mother barked back. “Twice before you have put someone up to the test, and twice before the unfortunate subject paid the price of not being the 'One' with his life.”

“I know that only too well.” Rebeca said. “I also know that the stars are getting dim, we don't have much time left. When God's time is up and the Universe fades away it is our destiny to to regenerate creation.”

“Don't worry child. God will provide.” Elder Mother said. “He will send us the One when the time comes.”

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Two.

Dreams that had been frozen in time for hundreds of billions of years suddenly picked up where they had left off. Four of them in total, for there were four minds suddenly called back into existence. They had been frozen in place at the exact point where their power had run down to zero, frozen in the vacuum of the near absolute zero of outer space.

Atom had succumb to infinity lying against a frozen rock on a comet in a hyperbolic orbit leaving the yellow dwarf G class star for the first and last time. The last thing his eyes saw was the Earth slowly growing smaller as the comet headed into deep space. Even after all of his systems had shut down, his electronic brain still functioned on low power, its clocks cycling at mere kilohertz instead of their normal terahertz, with the effect that his dreams now ran at a snails pace. It took him months to run though events that had taken hours, as he dreamed of pleasurable thoughts. He saw his wife and children again in his mind, childhood friends Tamao and Kenichi, his brothers Kobaruto and Chitan, and sister Uran. The last thing he visioned in his minds eye were Tenma and Ochanomizu-Hakase, his two fathers.

Uran and Titan (Chitan) expired in each others arms in the frozen interior of the Venusian spacecraft. After rediscovering each other they soon realized that they were more to each other than brother and sister, for they were not actually created as siblings, but were truly unique individuals that complemented each other. Together they were whole, apart they were wanting. As their lives flashed back in their minds, their electronic brains cycling down to a snails pace to conserve their exhausted power, bits and pieces of their lives replayed before their blind eyes.

Uran looked up into Pluto's face and smiled. She wasn't afraid of the giant robot who had been sent to destroy her brother in single combat. Instead she had dressed up to look like Atom, wearing a pair of his black pants with the wide green waist band. She insisted that she was Atom, but the horned robot saw though this and demanded she reveal her brothers location. When she refused, she found herself stuffed into the giant robots chest, behind a locked panel.

The scene shifted and Uran remembered the time she had been split into two for her desire to compete in the roboting matches. Always the fearless tomboy, she had almost the same horsepower as her brother and wasn't ashamed to use it. The duplication of herself into two pieces left each part with less than half the power of the whole and she found herself outmatched in the ring and about to be destroyed when Atom showed up at the last minute.

As her power faded she saw the face of little Mars, the robot that had been created as an almost clone of Atom. Mars had been a little brat, who had a crush on Uran, and though she wouldn't admit it, she had one on him as well. Mars had been her first love, and after their all too brief marriage the little bot, now a grown up as she, had been killed by a stampede of wild elephants during their honeymoon in Africa on a mission to protect endangered species. The very last sight that lay frozen in her image processor was that of Chitan.

Titan had been born with the name Chitan, which is what Uran had always called him, despite his changing the spelling when he had joined Nasa. Unlike human children, Titan had total recall of his infant years, and fondly remembered how he could literally knock down walls with his cries. He remembered all too well the time he'd been kidnapped by robot thieves, and how he'd sent them running with his yelling that leveled an entire city block. There was the period of many years where he had been lost on a mission testing the very first transluminal spacecraft from earth. Upon his return to civilization on Mars he'd spent some time in the hospital, where he caused some trouble. First there had been his yell upon awaking that destroyed several rooms on the recovery wing of the hospital. And then there had been his reaction to a bowl of chili which had topped the Richter scale for flatulence. As his power reached zero, his sightless eyes last saw the face of Uran.

Kobaruto was the last of the four to expire. He spent his final years on Mars watching as the planet turned green from the terraforming operation. After Ketchup junior had died, Cobalt found himself all alone, and he became less diligent on his own self maintenance. His final requests were to be buried in deep space, hoping that he might some day be rejoined with his siblings. Since he had been shut down instead of slowing failing his memories had stopped at a point of his own choosing. Somehow the last thing he recalled was his crash landing on top of Dr. Tenmas brand new automobile as he fell out of a tree trying to rescue a kitten. He had been the co-creation of the human boy Tobio, whose death in a traffic accident would be the seminal event that drove his poor father mad, thus setting the scene for Atoms creation.


In the high valley, just below the mountain forests, a mist began to rise from the ground forming a semi spherical bubble. It was still dark, the mornings first light had not yet began to appear in the east, the sun still lay far enough below the horizon that its light had not yet begun to brighten the dark skies. Yet the valley took on a strange light as the misty dome began to glow an eerie pink and green. Underneath this cover of glowing mist an apparition appeared as four somethings solidified into being.

The four bodies were laying on their backs facing upwards at the dark sky. In the east the first dim red light of the rising sun had just started to appear, and a cool breeze blew down from the mountains. The soft clover grass that the four of them lay in smelled from the dew that had accumulated in the moist predawn, and the gentle hum of insects darting from flower to flower was the only sound. None of the humanoids lying on the ground stirred, though the sound of their breathing began to become stronger. They were grouped in pairs, the taller males lay next to each other, while the smaller male and the female lie a few meters away, their hands lightly touching in an affectionate grip. The taller of the two males began to snore and cough, his eyelids flicked back and forth. The other, next to him seemed to be stretching the muscles of his arms as his mouth opened in a yawn.

In the distance birds began to chip, and from a nearby pond the croaking of the bullfrogs drifted over on the breeze. The new day slowly dawned, the blackness of the sky gave way to a dark blue as the dwarf star approached the horizon. The glowing mist began to clear, and it became possible to see beyond the valley where they lay. One by one their eyes opened and their became aware of themselves and each other.

Atom was the first to become conscious. He quickly blinked his eyes and rotated his head to confirm the fact that he was not lying on the cold icy rock of the rouge comet, but rather in a much more comfortable location. He pulled a handful of clover grass and brought his fist to his face to smell it. He looked down at his body. He was wearing a pair of soft, slightly faded jeans and a plain white cotton tee shirt. On his feet were a pair of long cotton socks covered by a pair of faded red leather boots. Atom pulled up his shirt to look at his chest, and was surprised. The first thing that caught his eyes was his navel. He stuck a finger in it to feel it, to make sure it was real. His skin gave way easily to his touch, unlike the artificial, metallic covering his body used to have. The most obvious thing was the absence of the panel door.
“I'm not a robot anymore?” he muttered aloud. Upon hearing his voice he received his second surprise. He now spoke in a pitch at least one octave lower than he remembered.

Atom turned his head to see Kobaruto stirring to life. His brother still had the two sharp cowlicks of hair sticking up above his head, and Atom quickly ran his fingers though his own hair to find that his own famous hair spikes were still present, at least in the form of long unruly tufts sticking out at the same angle as his star like spikes had once done. Cobalt was also dressed in a similar garb, but with dark blue boots, also somewhat worn. As his brother also self examined his own body, Atom laughed at him. “Yes bro, we are both flesh and blood now.” he said. “Don't ask me how, I don't know where we are, or how we got here either.”

A sudden loud cry broke the stillness, reverberating off the mountains behind them. It was a familiar voice, though an octave lower in pitch than they had remembered.
“Looks like Titan is also here and has awakened.” Cobalt said. “I wonder if Uran is close by.”

The sound of her familiar voice answered Kobaruto's question. Atom and his brother walked the few paces that separated them from their siblings. “Are we...” Titan started to ask.
“Yes, we all are.” Atom replied. “It might appear that the Buddha was correct all along. We are reincarnated eventually after death, even robots.”

“But we appear to be human now.” Uran said.

“Isn't that what we always wanted?” Atom smiled.

“I know it's what you always wanted.” Uran answered. “I guess deep down so did I, though I never thought about that consciously.”

Titan stuck his hand into his pants to confirm his suspicions. “I think I'm anatomically correct now.” he laughed looking at Uran with some lust in his eyes. Uran turned around and tested herself with her finger tips. She turned to face Chitan, a deep red blush on her face. “Oh my!” she laughed. The two of them suddenly locked lips as Atom and Kobaruto face palmed.

The sky brightened as the sun rose above the horizon. Cobalt shaded his eyes with his left hand and watched the orb as it cleared the rim of the world. Uran looked around and pointed toward the lower part of the valley. “If we follow that stream it seems to lead toward a clearing, maybe a settlement.”

“Did you hear that?” Titan asked.

“Yes I think I did.” Atom said. Cobalt nodded as well.

“You mean that kind voice?” Uran asked.

“Yes,” Titan agreed. “I didn't actually hear it, I sorta felt it. It was a suggestion in my mind that we go that way.” he pointed in the direction that Uran had previously indicated.

As they walked the sun rose higher in the sky. Despite having cleared the dense atmosphere the stars light remained a reddish color, unlike the way the sun appeared on Earth. Cobalt noted the fact, but he didn't comment on it. As they walked downhill they could see the outline of the village below them. Off in the distance, the sound of cows mooing, ducks quacking, and chickens clucking wafted towards their ears.

“Sounds like a farm in the distance.” Atom noted.

Uran looked up and pointed. Some distance away, the top of a tower could be seen, rising taller as they approached it. “It looks like part of a tall building, like a castle.” She said. “I wonder who lives there?”

They soon found themselves on a cobble stone road. Behind them, the pavement seemed to disappear towards the horizon as it lead away from the lower valley. In front of them, the road clearly lead into the village they were approaching. They passed though a gate in a a tall stone wall at the boarder of the town. Ahead of them came the sound of a clock striking 8 times. “8 O'clock in the morning.” Uran said. “We're just in time for breakfast.”


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey gang, comments welcome.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Three.

Bügermeister Köenig was used to getting up at the crack of dawn. His roots were in the farming community, and his parents still lived out in the countryside raising chickens and pigs. As the youngest child in the family, he knew that he was not going to inherit the farmland, and that he'd have to make his own way in life. With that in mind, he'd taken up an apprenticeship with one of the metalsmithes in the village and had become rather good at. When Smith Paul's eyes started to give out, Köenig took over his shop and managed to eek out a decent living making and selling household items of silver and pewter.

He'd become rather respected in the Village Town and his opinion on matters was well respected. Köenig had become a collector of books and he was quite well self educated. It wasn't too surprising then when he'd been asked to serve on the village elders council, and eventually was elected to the position of Bügermeister.


As soon as he had accepted the office, he began to wish that he'd hadn't. Mind you, it wasn't that the responsibilities were too great, the village really ran itself and the townspeople got along with each other just fine. Most of the Bügermeister's position was ceremonial anyway, presiding over construction of a new building, being the witness to the naming of a new baby, or giving a speech at a holiday festival. None of those tasks were terribly troublesome, and Köenig didn't mind the public notoriety. He also had to serve as the judge in the town court, but as the crime rate was practically zero, the job really consisted of being a rubber stamp for decisions involving an interpretation of the law when two parties had a disagreement. No, the job itself wasn't a problem, it was what came with it. The one part of the job that no one ever talked about, was having to deal with the witches.

Bügermeister Köenig knew who lived in the castle on the hill somewhere outside the village town. The matriarchal priests were not often seen, they spent most of their time hiding in their castle, where they contemplated the forces of the universe and wielded their mental control over the people who lived below them. It was said that whenever a strange thought came into someone's mind, if anyone ever did anything out of character, it was the work of the witch priests. Only they had a direct line of communication with God, and that fact was enough to put a deep fear of them into the hearts of anyone.

Whenever the matriarch's needed to make a request of the village (which was really a demand, for no one dared refuse them), they would communicate it through one individual only, and as that person would have to be someone of authority, it would be the current Bügermeister. Usually one of the younger members of the priesthood, a woman who had not yet become of age and had taken her final vows which would fully anoint her into the inner circle of the order, would carry a message to the Bügermeister, although sometimes a group of the priests of the Elder Mother herself would show up at his door demanding his attention. Sometimes the message was that the official was expected to come back to the castle to receive his orders, sometimes the message would be delivered directly to his ear in the village. Köenig much preferred not to have to enter the priest's castle. He'd been there only twice, and he figured that each visit had dissolved several years from his life.

The Lady Rebeca saddled her white horse and road out of the castle courtyard. She headed out on the cobblestone road into the village town. The task usually fell onto her to carry the elder Mother's messages to the Bügermeister, a task that she actually enjoyed for it allowed her to leave the confines of her domain and to travel freely in the world, even if only for a few hours. Very soon she would reach the age of ascension and would have to shoulder the responsibilities that came along with it. She would have to commit herself fully to the order, and become lost in the mental bond with the great beyond. That scared her somewhat, although she had accepted her fate. She was the eldest of the remaining minors, and was next in line for the priesthood to bring their order back to 13 in number. The Elder Mother was nearing the end of her existence, soon she would expire and one of the priests would be chosen to be converted to replace her. Rebeca had seen a vision telling her that Elder Mother had already chosen her to be that one.

The white mare trotted carefully along the cobblestone road leading into the village. Rebeca noticed the horizon slowly becoming brighter as the sun began to make its first appearance of the new day. In the Village Town, the populace would be just starting to wake and make their rounds. The shop owners would be getting ready to greet the day. The Lady road along the main street and arrived at the house of the Bügermeister. This wouldn't be the first time she'd greeted him at first light to instruct him to meet new arrivals to the Village Town. She hoped that he wouldn't be as rattled about it as the previous time.

Bügermeister Köenig, opened his door and timidly bade the Lady Rebeca to enter. The window shades were down, and the interior of the front room was illuminated by a pair of carbon filament lamps. From his nervous quivering, it was clear to the Lady that the Bügermeister still feared her, as did most of the village residents.
“Bügermeister Köenig,” Rebeca said in a calming voice, “I've come to request your assistance again in the matter of welcoming new arrivals.”

“Again?” Köenig asked.

“Yes,” the Lady replied. “The pink green light was seen in the upper valley again early this morning. This is the second time this month that it has been observed.”

“How many?” Köenig questioned.

“We never know, but so far there has always been fewer than a dozen at any given time.” She said. “You will see to it that the new arrivals are given lodging, and you are free to assign them suitable occupation. I'm sure that they will fit in, just as all the previous new arrivals have. I will be watching from a short distance away.”

“I've heard that your order believes a savior will be among them.” The Bügermeister blurted out, “That's why you witches take such interest in the appearance of these strangers. In fact, you are probably responsible for their apparition”

Rebeca gracefully waved her right hand in front of the Bügermeister in an nonthreatening gesture. She placed two non adjacent fingers of her hand on the mans temple as she spoke.

“We actually do not know what power is bringing these off worlders to our village.” She said. “We do think they are reincarnated souls from our own distant past, so it is quite possible that the one we seek will someday be among them.”

Rebeca removed her hand from the Bügermeisters forehead and leaned forward to place a kiss there. The touch of her lips had a calming effect on Köenig, and he no longer trembled in fear in the presence of the witch. Köenig opened the shades of the windows on either side of the front door. He found his topcoat and hat, and slipped his arms into the garment. He turned to see the door was now open, and the Lady Rebeca gone.

“How silently the priests move” he thought to himself. Köenig stepped out into the street, closing the front door of his dwelling behind him. He made his way towards the the road leading into the village town, and looked up at the clock in the square. The clocks hands marked half past the seventh hour. If today's apparition was on the usual schedule their newly resurrected arrivals should make their appearance within the next hour.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Four.

The Lady Rebeca walked her white mare towards a stand of trees that stood near the break in the wall surrounding the village town. Although she was concealed from view of anyone entering the village via the cobblestone road leading towards the large gateway in the wall, she had a good view of the plaza that was just beyond the gate. She waited, noting that the sunlight was now full on the entrance to the town.

Bügermeister Köenig stood in the middle of the plaza. From his vantage point he had a clear view of the gateway at the entrance way in the stone wall. The large iron metal gate was almost always left in the open position, but its hinges were kept well oiled to prevent them from rusting. He glanced upward at the clock in the town hall tower and noticed it was now just a minute to eight. His stomach growled a bit to remind him that he hadn't had any breakfast, something that the witch's appearance had distracted him from remembering to take care of.

As the tower clock began to strike the 8 O'clock hour, four figures appeared in the distance walking along the road toward the village entrance. As the early morning dew slowly evaporated, the fog like blur surrounding the four newcomers slowly disappeared and they could be seen clearly.

Atom and Cobalt lead the way, followed closely by Uran and Titan. They passed though the gateway and entered the plaza. Atom looked around him and saw a few townspeople going about their business, totally, oblivious to the presence of him and his siblings, Standing in the center of the plaza a gentleman wearing a clean suit covered by a top coat had his eyes directed their way. He slowly approached them, wearing a weak smile on his face.

“Welcome to our village.” the Bügermeister said, extending his hand in friendship. “I am Bügermeister Köenig”.

Atom accepted the mans hand. “I'm glad to meet you as well,” Atom replied. “My name is Atom, and these are my brothers Cobalt and Titan, and my sister Uran,” he added pointing to each of his siblings in turn. “I have quite a few questions to ask you.”

“I'm sure you do,” Köenig replied, “but I'm afraid that I have supply very few answers to them. I can tell you that you four are not the only newcomers that have arrived in our world recently. Many however have arrived with few memories, in many cases they have not been able to recall their own names. It does appear that all of you have been resurrected from a past life, and have somehow been left in the upper valley by an unknown power. Even the witches are unsure of how the newcomers have arrived.”

“Witches?” Uran asked.

“That is what the townspeople call the matriarchal clergy that live in the castle just outside the village walls,” Köenig replied. “Some believe that they have magical powers, but the more educated of us are convinced that they have advanced mental powers achieved and concentrated though years of inbreeding, and their use of various potions.”
The Bügermeister looked carefully at each of them before speaking again. “It is my responsibility to see for the overall welfare of the people in this village,” he explained, “and that includes all strangers that arrive at our gate intending to make our village their home. If you will contribute to the good of this village you are most welcome. If you will only be a burden to us, we may need to turn you away to be banished into the taboo regions along the river to the north. So far, that has not been necessary in the case of the several score of newcomers that have arrived here since the resurrections have started.”

“We thank you very much.” Cobalt answered.

“Very well, there are two modest dwellings available, you may decide amongst yourselves how to divide them up,” Köenig told them. “I will take you there, and then we shall see about some breakfast, I assume you are probably hungry.”

“Yes, thank you!” Uran and Titan answered in unison.

Bügermeister Köenig led the four of them to a building some distance from the center of the village. It was one of a cluster of dwellings arranged in a circle, surrounding a smaller building in the middle. They ascended several flights of stairs clinging to the outside of the structure and reached the top. Köenig opened a doorway at the top of the stairs which led to a corridor lined with a pair of doors on either side. He led them to the two at the end of the hallway and opened each one.

“These accommodations are simple, but clean.” He told them as they entered the first room. Köenig reached under the shade of a table lamp to find the switch. A small carbon filament bulb inside the lamp gave enough light to see the inside of the room clearly. There was a queen size bed near a window, that was neatly made up with clean sheets and a wool cover. The wooden floor was covered by several woolen throw rugs, the walls were clean, but the paint somewhat faded. A simple water closet in the corner with a sink and a toilet provided the bare requirements for sanitary necessitates. In another corner of the single room flat was a pantry next to a small kitchen area with a sink and a small stove. A table large enough to accommodate two had a small pile of clean dishes and utensils stacked on it.

“The other flat is quite similar to this one,” Köenig said. “Later you can pick out some suitable clothing that will fit you in the general store. You'll be given some credits to purchase what you need, and you'll have opportunity enough to earn enough to pay back the loan.” He told them.

As they left the first flat the Bügermeister removed two keys from the inside lock of the door and handed then to Atom, who then gave one of them to his brother. “The keys to the other flat should also be in the lock on the inside.” Titan walked over to the other room and returned with the keys, giving one to Uran. They closed both doors behind them and followed Köenig down the stairs. “We'll now head over to the Tavern where breakfast is currently being served,” Köenig told them. “I haven't eaten yet either. You will be my guests for the morning meal.”

As they made their way back towards the center of the village town, Atom noticed a tall woman dressed in a long dark gray dress. She had a veil around her head that hid her hair, but did not cover her face. She wore no makeup, but her skin was pure without any lines, wrinkles, or any distracting marks at all. She had the most hauntingly irredentist green eyes Atom had ever seen. He starred at her for several long seconds before he noticed that both Uran and Cobalt had caught him in the act.

“Who is she?” Atom asked the Bügermeister.

“That is the Lady Rebeca,” Bügermeister Köenig said in a warning voice. “She is one of the witches, you would be best to keep as far away from her as possible.” Out of the corner of his eye, Köenig could see that the Lady had cast an eye at Atom as if she had already singled him out for some dark purpose.

They entered the Tavern and the owner nodded to the Bügermeister as they walked in. Köenig motioned his guests towards a table in the corner of the room next to two picture windows that looked out on the main street of the village. Through these windows Atom could see several horse drawn carts slowly plodding down the cobblestone road. Köenig raised his hand and motioned towards the center of the room where the kitchen area was. A large fireplace in the very center of the room was surrounded by many stove tops, and housed several ovens where fresh brown bread was being constantly baked. The tavern proprietor was a short, slightly rotund, balding man wearing a soiled white apron and a tall bakers hat. He sported a long white mustache that hung down under his nose like an upside down 'U'. The man made his way over to their table carrying a tray containing five large mugs with handles, and a good sized teapot. Their server set a mug down in front of each of them and poured each one full with the steaming brown beverage. He then set a large loaf of freshly baked bread in the center of the table, along with a sharp bread knife and a plate with a slab of cold butter. “Enjoy.” he said, adding “The grits will be ready in a few minutes,” as he hurried off.

Cobalt picked up the knife and carefully carved the bread into five equal pieces. He took one of the ends for himself and passed the tray to his left. Köenig presented the tray to Uran without removing anything for himself, choosing to wait till each of his guests had their pick. Atom took the other end of the bread, leaving the meatier parts for Titan and the Bügermeister. The butter was thick and rich, the bread chewy and tasty. By the time they had finished that, their server made his way back to them with another tray. He placed large bowls filled with steaming hot grits in front of each of them, and placed a handful of large pewter spoons on the table.

“Thank you, Mustachio,” Köenig nodded to the proprietor. Cobalt dropped a pat of butter into his bowl, and stirred the melting cow extract into the contents. The five of them ate almost silently, Titan however couldn't help making 'ummm' sounds. Uran ignored him, she figured his reaction was expected for someone that hadn't eaten for an eternity.

After they had finished their morning's repast Bügermeister Köenig led them outside, after leaving a few coins on the table as payment for their meal. “As promised our next stop will be at the village general store,” Köenig told them. They crossed the street and entered the establishment. The shop owner waved to Bügermeister Köenig as they walked in. The man wore a pair of black framed glasses sitting on top of a roundish nose, and sported a red beret hat on his head. The Bügermeister introduced his charges to the shop keeper and handed him a piece of paper, the document was written on the Village official stationary, was an open draft of credit. “Osmau, would you please take care of the new comers, they will need a few changes of clothing,” Köenig requested.

The shop keeper pulled a cloth measuring tape from his apron pocket and applied the ruler Atom and his siblings in turn, jotting down their size measurements on a scrap of paper. He disappeared into the back of the shop to rummage though the shelves of goods and soon returned with several piles of goods. “These should fit you well enough.” he said. To Atom, Cobalt and Titan he handed several pairs of well crafted jeans, and wool shirts and stockings. To each he also supplied a pair of good work shoes made of fine quality leather. There was also a pair of dress slacks and a matching formal shirt with a simple bow tie. Uran was supplied with similar goods, including a simple but stylish dress and blouse. Each was also given a wool sweater and a suitable water repellent coat and hat. They walked out of the mercantile and the Bügermeister walked back with them to the boarding house. They made a quick run upstairs to store their new goods and then rejoined Köenig who was waiting downstairs for them in the street.

“I'll be taking you around town now to introduce you to some of the masters that you may be working for,” the Bügermeister explained. “We need to find out where you will fit in, so you can make yourselves useful in this community. After looking you over I think I have some good ideas where that may be.”

As the five of them left the Tavern, the Lady Rebeca watched from afar though a pair of silver field glasses. She felt a bit hopeful that this time she may have found the 'One'. She knew that she would have to test him, but there was time for that. First she'd have to plant the proper subtle suggestions in his mind to push him along the proper path, so to speak. If all went according to plan, and if he responded according to her will, then she would test him. If he survived that and could be transformed by the Teska fruit, she might be able to fulfill Gods final wishes and insure the continuation of all of creation as the universe slowly dissolved.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Here is the next chapter. You might want to read the character descriptions carefully as I have imagined some of my OC's as members of Tezuka's star system and a few of them are included in this story under different names.

Five.

Bügermeister Köenig walked them to the stable in back of the mayor's residence. He started to attempt to hitch the pair of chestnut colored stallions to the surrey, but the spirited animals reared back as he approached them with the rigging. Uran noticed a bushel basket containing a few carrots. She grabbed two of them and approached the pair of equines. “Easy there boys” she said in a soothing voice as she inserted a carrot into each of their mouths. The animals nuzzled her with affection as Köenig approached them. Under Uran's influence they allowed themselves to harnessed to the buggy.

With the team now attached to the surrey, Köenig helped Uran into the back of the vehicle, Titan and Cobalt then climbed in and sat next to their sister. Atom got in the front of the carriage and sat next to the Bügermeister. Herr Köenig took up the reins and flicked them, and the two horses trotted along the cobblestone road.
“Our first stop will be at Dr. Mendelssohn's place” he said, “I have a feeling that your sister is exactly the person that he's been looking for.”

“I know nothing about medicine.” Uran protested.

“But you do seem to have an empathy with animals, don't you?” Köenig replied. “Dr. Mendelssohn is the village veterinarian. All of the farmers depend on him.”

They traveled along the cobblestone road for several miles before turning off onto an unpaved country lane. This they took for another quarter of a mile. They were now outside of the village town and in the countryside. They found themselves in front of a small country home site on a plot of land covering two or three acres. A rustic fence surrounded the property, and the sounds and smells of livestock filled the air. The Bügermeister got out of the wagon and assisted Uran out of the back while Atom and the others dismounted on their own. They followed Köenig toward the front porch of the house and the Bügermeister knocked on the door several times.
“I hope the doctor is in,” he said.

Almost immediately, the door opened to reveal a tall gentleman wearing an old, but clean pair of suit pants, a starched and pressed shirt, and a dark tie. He had a full head of hair and a long protruding beard on his chin. A pair of spectacles sat on his prominent roman nose. Atom scratched his head as the man somehow looked familiar to him.

“Dr. Mendelssohn, I think I have someone for the apprenticeship you've been asking about,” Köenig said. He placed his hand on Uran's shoulder and gently nudged her forward. “She seems to have a way with animals.”

Uran followed the doctor into the house. Several hound dogs entered the room from the back of the house where they had just entered from the back yard though a flap door. The mixed breed canines quickly surround Uran, their tails wagging furiously. One of them stood up on its hind legs and laid its front paws on her shoulders and proceeded to lick her face.

“My Gaud!” The doctor laughed, “Old Yeller never greeted a stranger like that since he was a pup. You must be emitting a kind aura that he picked up on. You'll do quite nicely, I would think.”

“Well I do like animals.” Uran said with a happy face.

“All right then, why don't you start right now, I've got to make my rounds at the farms, you can come with me.” The doctor said. “Were are you staying? I'll run you back to your flat at the end of the day.”

“I've got them in the old boarding house down the road from the village plaza.” the Bügermeister answered.”

“That's not bad.” Dr. Mendelssohn said.

“Don't worry about me Chi-tan, I'll see you later” Uran told Titan.

The doctor picked up his medical bag and motioned for Uran to come with him. Once outside in the back of the house he hitched a small white horse to a two wheeled cart and helped his new assistant to her seat. Uran waved as they drove off.

Bügermeister Köenig got back into the surrey, and waited for Atom and his brothers to climb on board. He took a good look at Atom, and grabbed his right arm to feel the thickness of his biceps.
“You look like a strong specimen there young man.” He chuckled. “I think I know where you will fit in.”

Köenig shook the reins and the team of horses broke into a trot. They road down the country road for a while and turned off of it onto a side path though the grassy valley. A short ways down this path they came to a rustic looking set of well weathered buildings on a large plot of land. There was a barn, a large stable, and a workshop up front by the road. Several other buildings stood on the back of the property. Dark smoke rose from a brick chimney on the side of the workshop building, and the sounds of metal banging on metal could be heard from within.

“I'm going to introduce you to our Blacksmith.” He told Atom. “Smitty Emmett Brown is nearing his 60's now and has been looking to take on an apprentice before he retires. I think you'll do just fine.”

They jumped out of the surrey and entered the shop. The front of the building was clean, the planking of the wooden floor was covered with a loose coating of straw. Several showcases contained various items of iron and silver work, they appeared to be examples of wares that were for sale. Several horseshoes hung on the walls, along with numerous photographs of horses. Between the showcases was a wooden gate which swung on a pair of spring loaded iron hinges. Behind these was visible the workshop. The heat of a coal fired furnace radiated toward them as the blacksmith pumped the bellows blowing a blast of air into the fire.

Köenig waited patiently as Smitty Brown removed an ingot of orange hot metal from the fire with a long pair of tongs and placed it on his anvil to hammer it into shape. The blacksmith turned his head and then noticed his visitors. He left the iron work on the workbench and walked toward the front of the room.

“Good morning, Smitty,” Köenig smiled. “I think I have an applicant for your apprenticeship.”

Atom extended his hand, “Pleased to meet you.” He told the blacksmith. Smitty Brown may have been in his early 60's, but he was a handsome, and healthy specimen. He had a full head of long white hair that stuck out in every direction. His frame was solid, but not overweight.
Brown took Atoms hand and gripped it. Atom felt the smith's muscular hand squeeze his fingers, and he returned the gesture. For a few seconds the two of them engaged in a brief contest of strength. Finally the blacksmith shook Atom's hand and released it.
“You have a good strong grip.” He told Atom. “You'll do nicely. Would you like to get to work at once?”

“Certainly!” Atom smiled.

“Well then, you'll need some suitable garments.” Brown told him. He disappeared into a side room, and quickly returned carrying a pile of heavy goods. “Here, go in the back and change.”

Atom carried the pile into the back room and examined the goods. A heavy woolen shirt, a pair of double weight cotton jeans, and a leather apron made up the attire. Atom changed his clothes and returned.

“Very good, they fit you well.” Brown said. He looked down at Atom's faded red leather boots. “Your footwear should provide good enough protection.” He picked up a face shield and placed it on Atom's head. “Let's see you try your hand at making a horseshoe.” he suggested.

Atom pulled the shield's dark green glass window over his eyes and and picked up the still glowing bar on the workbench with the tongs. He replaced it into the fire and worked the bellows with the pull chain hanging from the ceiling. A blast of heat erupted from the furnace as the coal fire brightened from the added oxygen. Atom removed the now yellow hot metal from the fire and held it on the anvil with the tongs. He picked up the heavy hammer in his right hand and began to beat the metal into shape. Smitty Brown smiled with approval.

“Not bad.” He said. “But let me show you how I do it.”

Bügermeister Köenig placed one hand on Cobalt's shoulder and his other on Titans. He led the two of them out of the blacksmith's shop toward the surrey.
“It looks like your brother will fit in just fine here,” He told them. “Now for our final stop. I think I can read you two perfectly, and I know that Engineer Tesla will be able to make use of you both.”

They climbed into the carriage and drove off, the sounds of the Smith's hammer on the iron faded in the background.

Köenig drove the buggy toward the river and followed it downstream. The sound of the running water grew louder as they approached, as the body of water widened into a lake. Not far ahead was the source of the sound, the spillway of a large dam. Tall towers carried heavy cables into the distance toward the town.

“This is our electric power station.” The Bügermeister told them. “Old man Tom Tesla is the only person left in the village town that knows how the system works. It was built many years ago before the dark era of which we have only now begun to recover from. I can see in your eyes that the two of you possess the intelligence to take over from him.”

They walked from the surrey onto the top of the dam and followed the narrow path towards the middle of it. Here were a pair of heavy metal doors that led down into the steel and concrete structure. Köenig yelled into an intercom tube near the door, and a faint answer came back. Several minutes later came the sound of the doorway unlatching from the inside. Köenig pulled the door open and they were greeted by the face of a short, balding old man with a large nose, wearing clean bib overalls. Tom Tesla had two puffs of white-gray hair on either side of his head that covered his ears. Cobalt blinked a few times as he tried to recall where he might have seen that face before as it looked rather familiar to him.

“Hello Tom,” Köenig smiled. “I've brought you two new assistants. I hope you can train them to take over the maintenance of the system.”

“Follow me.” the old engineer barked at Cobalt and Titan. The four of them mounted a circular staircase and descended down into the bowels of the dam. As they made their way downstairs the humming of the machinery became louder. Finally they reached the bottom of the stairs and stood on the large floor of the power station. There were at least a dozen turbines driving as many dynamos, the machinery emitted a strong smell of ozone as the open slip ring commutators sparked under their graphite brushes.

“Impressive!” Cobalt yelled. He noticed a panel containing several dozen large meters, and he and Titan walked over to get a better look. He quickly made note of the readings and mentally performed the necessary calculations. “Looks like several tens of megawatts” He said. “Not too shabby for an installation of this type and size. Looks like a bit of power factor correction is needed though.”

Titan nodded in agreement “Your efficiency can't be more than 82% the way it is now” he added.

“You seem to know your stuff,” the engineer smiled. “Why don't I show you two around and we can start calibrating things. With your help we can probably finish before dinner time.”

“Why don't you go back to town.” Tom Tesla yelled toward Köenig. “You can come by later to pick them up at the end of the day.”

The Bügermeister climbed the long staircase by himself, and walked back over the top of the dam to where the horse drawn surrey was parked. He headed back to town humming a tune to himself. He was happy that the newcomers fit in right away. This was the part of his job that he actually enjoyed.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Six.

In the lower levels of the castle on the hill the monks prepared the Holy Elixir and heavenly smoke that the matriarchal priests used in their ritual ceremonies. Both were prepared from the sacred Teska trees that grew in the valley. Only the monks of the castle were permitted to pick the fruit and the leaves of the Teska trees, anyone else who was caught doing so would be subject to the penalty of a horrible death by slow torture.

The fruit of the tree resembled an apple, but it contained a large quantity of a thick syrupy liquid. This liquid would be boiled and filtered, and then allowed to ferment in large vats. After being aged in the cool subterranean vaults under the castle for many months the Elixir would be ready for consumption by the witches in their rituals. The wine like elixir had the power to greatly enhance the power of the mind to see beyond sight, and to reach out to contact God, or so the priesthood believed.

The leaves of the tree were also prized for their mental enhancing properties. They would be left to dry in the sun for a few days after being picked, and then slowly roasted over the smoke of the burning wood of the tree. The leaves were also used to prepare a thin tea that had a milder effect than the elixir which the priests used while meditating. The lumber of the Teska trees was kiln dried and turned on a lathe to manufacture the sacred pipes that the priesthood used to smoke the dried leaves. Used as a kind of tobacco, the carefully prepared Teska leaves enhanced the effect of the Elixir. The lumber that was unsuitable for turning was ground into a fine powder and burned as an incense during meditation.

The monks were the sterile male children of the elder priests. At the top of the order was the Elder Mother. She almost never left the castle, and devoted herself to the task of talking to God and watching the universe. It was her responsibility to govern the world, to pass God's orders down to the people though the sisterhood. The current Elder Mother was well into her second century, nearing the end of her life. It was assumed that she had already selected her replacement from the priesthood who would undergo the transformation after her passing.

The sisterhood itself consisted of Thirteen members, made up of the offspring of the Elder Mother, or her sisters. The sisters were what the common folk referred to as the priests, or more often witches. At the moment there were only twelve fully ordained sisters.

Below the sisterhood, the order consisted of the monks and the Ladyhood. All of the male offspring of the sisterhood were castrated served the order as monks, except for a select few that were left fertile to serve as studs. The females were destined to enter the Ladyhood.

Below the full sisters was the Ladyhood. These younger females were raised into the order and would take their place in order either as full priests in the sisterhood, or as their assistants. The Lady Rebeca was next in line for the sisterhood, she was destined to become the Thirteenth full priest in the order. This would happen within the current season.

The sterile male monks prepared the meals, kept the castle clean, and created the holy Elixirs. When it was time for new blood to enter the order a male from the townspeople would be seduced into providing the required seed. The witches used their enhanced mental abilities, plus their control of their bodies pheromones to lure their studs into performing the required service. The women used their sexual control over the males to insure the continuation of their line.

Only the women had the ability to reach out to contact God. They alone could focus their mental energies with the aid of the Elixir and the holy smoke to see beyond sight. The prophesy did foretell of a male that would come into their midst who would have even greater second and third sight than they did. The pages of their holy texts revealed that their order was set in motion eons ago by such a man, and that yet another one would come along as the universe wound down. Only then would they be able to leap beyond the current existence and into the next. Their vision beyond sight had already told them that the time was near, and that they needed to prepare.

As the sun arrived at its noon station the twelve sisters gathered in the holy sanctuary below the castle. One of the monks entered the darkened room carrying a single candle and a large jug of the holy Elixir. He walked inside the circle of women standing in the center of the room and poured from the jug, filling each of the cups in their outstretched hands fill to overflowing. Another monk entered carrying a large wooden pipe, the bowl of which was filled with the pungent green ground leaves of the Teska tree.

The pipe was handed to the Elder Mother who lit it from the flame of a candle that she held. As the sisters drained their cups of the thick Elixir wine, their Mother inhaled from the pipe and blew a large cloud of smoke towards the ceiling. She passed the pipe to her left and then drank her fill of the Elixir. One by one the sisterhood inhaled from the holy pipe as the room became filled with the dense fog of the holy smoke. The intoxicating combination of the ingredients from the Teska trees clouded the eyes of the women, yet their vision became clearer and sharper. They saw beyond their sight, even as the candles burned out and the room was cast into pitch black darkness.

Elder Mother started to chant the prayer of vision and the sisters repeated her words. The women held hands and starred into the beyond though their closed eyes. Together they looked beyond the present and into the past, their sight went beyond the barrier imposed by the great distances that separated the stars. A blue green world orbiting around a yellow sun came into their view, a world accompanied by a smaller rocky one tightly bound into orbit around it. The double planet was the third in the system from the star, one of eight other planets in the system. Their vision was from a far distant corner of the universe, a vision that crossed a trillion light years to reach them. Then they shifted their sightless vision the other way, toward a dark starless void. Here they glimpsed the barely glowing embers of the fading universe, the lifespan of all of creation unfolding before their sightless eyes. As they watched they saw the few remaining stars expand and pull themselves apart into a thin cloud of subatomic particles that rapidly thinned out into non-existence.

It wasn't the first time they had repeated the ritual, and it wouldn't be the last. Each time they endured the pain of the vision they saw just a tiny bit more of the puzzle. Gradually the drug induced trance that held the group together evaporated, and they returned to the present within their own bodies. Elder Mother opened her eyes first and fumbled in the pocket within the folds of her robe for a match and lit it. She applied the flame to a candle and then used that to light several more. As the sisterhood regained their earth bound senses, they mounted the stairs leading up and out of the bowels of the castle to partake of the midday meal, their weekly ritual now over.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Seven.

The sun now hung above the western end of the sky sending its reddening rays of light over the landscape. Uran road with Dr. Mendelssohn in the front of his buggy back into town after spending the day making house calls throughout the farmland to care for the live stock. She had helped deliver a mare and a calf, had mended a dog from a scrape with a wild boar, and had the unfortunate task of putting down an old horse with a broken leg. As they pulled up to the former boarding house she saw not too far in the distance the rear of the Bügermeister's surrey driving away. Cobalt and Titan were sitting on the steps leading up to their rooms as she got out of the doctor's cart.

“I'll be by to get you tomorrow morning,” the doctor told her.

“Perhaps I'll get up early and walk.” Uran smiled at him.

“Well then come the way we just went and I might meet you half way.” The doctor replied as he flicked the reins and drove off.

Titan took Uran's hand and led her up the stairs. “Let's get our little flat in order, shall we?” he said.

Cobalt followed and put the key in the lock of the other room and opened the door. He turned on the light and closed the door. Entering the water closet, he stripped off his shirt and pants and filled the sink with water. Using a wash cloth and a bar of lye soap he washed the day's grime from his skin. Without a tub or a shower this was the only way to clean up. There was a public bath house elsewhere in town, and some people used the river for bathing, or so he had been told. He'd figure that out later, but for now this would have to do. No sooner than he had dried himself with a towel he heard a key in the lock and the door creaking open. He turned to see Atom enter the room.

“Oh my, you're filthy!” He laughed at his brother.

“I guess I am covered with soot and grime.” Atom laughed. “I'm also quite sore from all the work I've done today. I think I made a dozen horseshoes and put half that number on several horses. Smitty Brown gave me quite a workout, but I'm sure he's quite pleased with my work.”

“Well go wash yourself up before dinner!” Cobalt told Atom. “There are clean towels in the water closet and good strong soap.”

Atom took his time washing, he repeated the ritual several times looking at himself in the mirror as he scrubbed the days work off of his skin. When he was finished the washcloth was several shades of black darker and the towel was almost as grimy. They both selected some clean clothes and changed for dinner.

Next door Uran and Titan went through the same procedure. They left their rooms and walked back downstairs to the street level they found Köenig waiting for them.

“I hope you had a good first day here.” The Bügermeister told them. “I almost forgot one thing.” He handed each of them several gold and silver coins. “This represents wages for several days of labor.” he told them. “From this point on, you'll be on your own and be expected to manage your own affairs of finance. I've heard nothing but good reports from your new employers, which doesn't surprise me because I've always prided myself on being a good judge of character.”

“Well thank you.” Uran said politely. “Will you be joining us for dinner?” Titan asked.

“No, I'll be dining at home.” the Bügermeister replied. “If the dinner menu in the Tavarn doesn't fit your fancy, there are several other establishments further down the street.”

They started to walk back towards the tavern, and the smell from the cooking attracted Atom. As they walked in, the place was illuminated by the central fireplace where a huge rack of beef was slowly rotating over the flames. “Now that's what I'm having for dinner!” Atom cried out. They found themselves an empty table and sat down. Atom waved at the proprietor who recognized him from earlier in the day. The man walked over to their table and noticed that both Atom and Cobalt were staring at the half cow in the rotisserie pit.
“May I assume you'd like some of our roast beef?” he asked.

“Yes,” Atom, Cobalt and Titan answered in unison.

“And for the lady?” their server inquired.

“Do you have any beef in a stew?” she asked.

“Yes we do,” he answered, “and it's excellent if I may say so myself.”

Before they knew it, three plates full of juicy carved beef served with sides of potatoes and greens were set before the guys, and a huge bowl of steaming hot beef stew loaded with carrots, potatoes, onions, and mushrooms was set before Uran. A large pitcher of meed and four large mugs was also delivered. All four of them suddenly realized how famished they really were, having not eaten since the morning.
As they finished off their evening repast, four generous slices of pumpkin pie were set down before them.
“Our evening meals always include deserts” the tavern master replied, “we're proud of our fresh baked pies here.”

Atom dug into his pocket and pulled out one of the gold coins. “Is this enough to pay for our meals?” he asked handing the money to the proprietor.

“More than enough.” The man replied. He took the coin and quickly returned dropping about a dozen smaller gold and silver coins in Atom's hand. “Your change.” he replied.

Atom tried to leave one of the smaller coins on the table as a tip, but the owner pushed it back at him. “The only gratuity we accept here is your satisfaction with our food and service,” he insisted.

“My how different this world is from the one we left behind.” Atom remarked after the restaurateur departed.

“Indeed.” Cobalt answered. “There is quite a lot I need to discover.” he added.

[Tetsuwan Penguin]

Eight.

Gradually, the four of them settled down into their own routines. Each of them found themselves totally happy working where the Bügermeister had placed them. Each of them could not imagine themselves ever being anywhere else. For the moment, they let the memories of their previous lives fade into the dark recesses of their minds and soon it was as if they had always been living in this new world.

The blacksmith shop where Atom labored covered several acres of land and consisted of several buildings that he had not seen on his first day. Smitty Brown eventually led Atom round and showed him the entire layout. “Years ago I had several assistants working here, and we did a lot more than just blacksmithing.” Brown explained. “Out back there is a foundry for the casting of metal and the smelting of raw ore into usable material. The equipment still works, but it has fallen into some disuse. With some careful restoration the equipment would be able to produce items of gold, silver, pewter, copper, brass, bronze, and of course iron.”

“Yes, I saw some items other than iron in the show cases at the front of the shop.” Atom had remarked to his employer.

“True, but I've not done such work for some time now.” Brown sighed.

There was also a small sawmill, lumber yard, and wood working shop out in the rear of the property. “The Artisan that worked in this shop with me passed away last year.” Brown told Atom. There are other wood shops elsewhere in the township, but I think we turned out a better product.”

Atom quickly learned the blacksmith's trade. He tinkered around with the foundry equipment, restoring it to operation with some advice from Smitty Brown. In his spare time he gradually got the wood shop up and running again as well and taught himself how to use the tools. About a month and a half after they had arrived in this new world, Smitty Emmett Brown handed the place over to Atom.

“You've learned everything I could teach you at quite a rapid pass, Atom.” He said. “I've never had an apprentice that took to this work like you have, it's almost as if you were a blacksmith in a former life or something. Anyway it's time I retired, I've gotten too old for this line of work.” He handed the keys to Atom saying, “The place is yours now, you can move in into the dwelling adjacent to the shop if you like.”

“But where will you stay?” Atom asked.

“I'll be living with my brother by the river.” Smith said. “He's a few years older than I am and I need to look after him now. He's now no longer able to care for himself. I've got enough stashed away to take care of both of us for some time.” Before Atom could object Smith added, “When it's time you'll pass this place on to your successor just as did, I inherited it from the man who had it before me.”

Atom accepted the keys and gave Brown a long hard hug. Over the next week he gradually moved out of the room that he and Cobalt were sharing, leaving the place to his brother.

Cobalt and Titan didn't need very much instruction on how to run the power plant. Old man Tom Tesla knew the workings of the machinery like the back of his hand, but it was clear that he didn't really understand the physics behind the operation of it. Everything he knew, he had learned by groat from someone who had been in charge before him. Likely the chain of command had been passed down like that for over a century. Cobalt had seen the shop where the equipment was repaired and spare parts were stored. While the equipment was reasonably well maintained, the supply of spare parts was dwindling and the technology was no further advanced than that of early 20th century Earth. Tom Edison, Nicolai Tesla, and George Westinghouse would all be at home here.

There was a small factory near the power plant about a quarter kilometer down the river from the dam that manufactured light bulbs using equipment that was barely out of the stone age (or so Cobalt thought). Bulbs were blown by hand, and filaments were made from carbonized fibers. Simple mechanical and mercury bubble vacuum pumps exhausted the air from the bulbs. The process left much to be desired, and resulted in low efficiencies.

“We've got to restore this equipment, and modernize things.” Cobalt told Titan. “It seems that this world was once a quite vibrant society, but it has slipped back into a kind of dark age. If we hadn't arrived here when we did, the village town would soon be lighting their homes with candles again.”

Not far from the power plant was an abandoned facility that had probably once been some kind of laboratory and place of learning. Here Cobalt found tools and instruments for scientific research in multiple fields of endeavor. One section of one of the huge buildings contained apparatus for chemical research (though much of it resembled an alchemists laboratory). There was what appeared to be a medical science facility with microscopes and surgical equipment, most unused for scores of years. Another wing housed an ancient telescope under a domed roof that hadn't been opened for so long that the mechanics were rusted stiff.

Yet another building seemed to be some kind of school. There were classrooms and lecture halls all covered with layers of dust. The place had been abandoned for some time. The last part of the facility that they discovered was a small dormitory facility. One of the larger set of rooms was in decent condition, with plumbing that seemed repairable. Cobalt decided to renovate the place and move in.

“I want to live near this facility so I can devote myself to it full time.” He explained to Titan. “I want to explore this facility and discover what was abandoned here so long ago. I need get the research labs working again so I can learn just what happened here, and exactly where we are. I'll need your help.”

Somewhere between the Village Town and Dr. Mendelssohn's country animal hospital, Uran and Titan ran across a small abandoned estate.
“The family that owned this property were friends of mine.” The doctor told Uran. “They didn't have any children, and neither one of them had any siblings either. Before they passed away they willed the place to me, but I have no use for it. There's not much land here for a decent farm with livestock, but you could grown enough food to make by on.”

“True,” Uran said. “but, I'd like to continue to work with you, if you will have me.”

“Are you kidding?” the Doctor laughed. “You're a natural Veterinarian. It's gotten such that I'd be lost without your help.”

Having remembered dying together, Uran and Titan felt more like sole mates than siblings. They mentioned to Dr. Mendelssohn that they desired to marry, and his reaction was quite positive.

“I never thought you two could possibly be brother and sister.” He said. “I have an eye for genetics you know, and you two are no closer related blood wise than maybe third cousins at best. I'm sure the Bügermeister would be more than happy to perform the ceremony when you are ready.”
The doctor helped them fix up the old estate and they soon moved in.