Chapter 21: Contact

tinton - 2 1/2 seconds
specton - 2 1/2 minutes
Toton - 2 1/2 hours
minton - 2 1/2 days
daycon - 2 1/2 weeks
Malant - 2 1/2 months
quant - 2 1/2 years
galant - 2 1/2 centuries
Metson - 2 1/2 inches
maclon - 2 1/2 feet
heckson - 2 1/2 miles
tetson - 2 1/2 acres
unit - 2 1/2 ccs

Bill Axor (AKA Ambrose) - Lion clan, Cit-Chac-Coh
King Tomco Traxor - Bill’s dead father, Lion clan
King Tobias Traxor - Bill’s dead brother, Lion clan
Queen Trianna Axor - Bill’s dead mother, Lion clan of Mandria
Queen Niaco Traxor - Tiger clan, Tobias mate, now Bill’s
Twitty Glax - Grey Tabby clan, bill’s body guard and mate
Glenna Nox - Bengal clan, Bill’s body guard and mate
Mikos Glac - Chartreux clan
Skylos - Commander of star cruiser - Wire hair clan
General Roth - Leopard clan
Wrena - Leopard clan, Roth’s wife
Henna Glac - Chartreux clan, Mikos mate, Xendran Doctor
Theta Panadon - Cheetah clan
Cornelius Glax - one of Bill’s Uncles, Grey Tabby clan
Conrad Nox - Bill’s other Uncle Bengal clan
Assassin group - Jaguar clan
second assassin group - Ocicat clan
Gregor - Cougar clan
Cetana - cougar clan Gregor’s mate
Gwayne - Panther clan
Dawney - Panther clan Gwayne’s mate
Thomas - Lynx clan
Mileen - Lynx clan Thomas’s mate
Typree Maxor - Sub King of Mandria, Lion clan
Adina Maxor - Paladin Princess of Xendra, Sub-princess of Mandria, Lion clan
Timora - The great mother of the feline people, mate of first tribal leader

Ambrose could only stare at the young woman as she refused to get off the ground. “Please, I am not Cit-Chac-Coh; I am just a ... man,” Ambrose said after thinking for only a moment.

“But you changed right before my eyes! If you are not, then you must be a close helper of his! I am only paying you the respect you deserve; I am sorry that I was here and made you worry. Please don’t hurt my family,” the young teen woman said.

“I would never hurt your family. I have a few questions for you,” Ambrose stated.

“Yes, lord, anything I can do to help you and your guards,” the young woman spoke in low tones.

Ambrose just rolled his eyes. This was going to be harder than he thought. These people had an obviously deep belief. Sighing, Ambrose again tried to raise the young woman off the ground.

“Please stand so I may ask you. I do not like talking to you as if you are nothing,” Ambrose said to the still kneeling young teen.

“But Cit ... sir!” She started, then changed what she was saying as Ambrose held up his hand. “Sir, it is forbidden. I...”

“I want to remain unknown for now. I told you I am not Cit-Chac-Coh. Please don’t call me that again,” Ambrose said a little more forcibly, then cringed when the young woman fell to the ground trembling. “Please stand. I did not mean to sound angry with you. Please rise so I may ask you a few questions.”

The young woman tentatively looked up at Ambrose with fear still apparent on her face. Ambrose started to curse to himself when he saw tears start to fall from her eyes. “I will do all I can to aid you and your guards, sir.” The last part was spoken in a whisper of awe.

Ambrose nodded with a sigh, “First, what is your name? I wish to call you by it and not young woman.”

The young woman smiled, then spoke lowly, “I am called Timora, my lord.”

Ambrose’s eyes went wide as he looked at the stricken faces of his knights. Timora!? She was the first wife of the trial leader, and the one that held the tribe together until they were stronger. It was said that she had performed miracles that no one could explain. Ambrose could only shake his head; this great woman was bowing to him? Hell, he should bow to her for the bravery, ideas, and assisting leadership she later had and done.

A sudden thought struck Ambrose as she was there was no way it was the same woman. Was it possible that they taught her? Ambrose shook his head again; this was a great way to get a headache real damn quick. All the time paradoxes could drive one to insanity.

“My second question, young Timora, that is Acropolis over there, isn’t it?” Ambrose asked, though he knew the answer.

“Yes, lord, it is, though we are close to abandoning it. A strange ailment has broken out, many have passed. My father, the great healer, has not found a way to defeat it. I was here praying to all the gods for a sign that they hadn’t forgotten their people. Legends say that a seer long ago saw that one day we would leave this place. Going to one that was harsher but much better. I think that you appearing after I started praying is a sign.”

Ambrose was listening to every word the young woman said. It was so close to what he’d learned about the great migration. It happened after the appearance of a godling disguised as a human. The godling performed many miracles healing a great multitude of those sick. Many people began to change slowly to the hybrid form that the feline race was now. It was said that the godling denied who it was almost to the end of the migration.

Ambrose’s mouth dropped open, what in the hell! Was he really the savior of these people and his own? Hell, come to think of it, these were his people also! Looking at his chronometer, he saw that they had been outside for almost a whole Toton.

Looking at Roth, Ambrose asked, “How are you feeling? Any loss of control?”

Roth looked down at himself, a little disgusted at his human form. An odd look crossed his face, then the faces of Gwayne and Gregor. “By the great feline! It’s strange; I felt it at first, then after we started to dig the young woman out, it passed! Are we immune, sire?” Roth asked.

“No, I don’t think immune, though I feel as you do. I think that we are building a resistance, although I am unsure how. We need to go in and discover why,” Ambrose started to tell Timora that they would be back soon when he spotted something around her neck. Then his eyes got wide as he saw the large sun-shaped necklace. “Timora? May I have your necklace for a while? I will do my best to return it unharmed.”

Bowing, she took the sun shape off, handing it to Ambrose. “You may have anything of mine, lord. I live to serve you and Cit-Chac-Coh. If you need my help, I will be here as soon as I can, lord.”

With that, she walked away from the small outcropping of rocks that the ship was resting against. Escaping inside as soon as Timora was out of sight, Ambrose walked to Skylos.

[So you like her, I take it?] came the thoughts of Adina.

[Of course! You know who she is, don’t you?] Ambrose replied.

[No, as if I care; although if she touches you, I will claw her eyes out!] growled Adina’s thoughts.

[Look, see her.] Ambrose told her.

There was a gasp, then a very low thought of, [Timora! By the great feline! The great mother of the feline people! I am sorry, Ambrose. You were respectful, weren’t you?]

[I and three of my knights saved her life.] Laughing a moment, Ambrose revealed. [She called me Cit-Chac-Coh, I am no god.]

Again, Ambrose heard Adina gasp. Then across the room, he heard her groan as she opened her eyes. “Yes,” she croaked. “I can see where she might think that. Cousin? Why are you in your human form?” Looking at the three knights, then back to Ambrose, “why are all of you in your human form?”

“Yes, I was going to ask you the same thing. Though all of you have a commanding presence in either form, we prefer your Xendran form,” Niaco said behind Ambrose.

“I thought that it might scare the young female away. We just haven’t changed back,” Ambrose said as he started to change, then stopped halfway through!

“By the great feline! What is this! Why can’t we change?” They heard a panicked Roth say.

Ambrose nodded his head, then continued on to Skylos. “I think I might have another temporary solution to the power problem.” Opening his paw-like hand, Ambrose showed the large sun necklace.

Skylos’s eyes got huge seeing the size of the necklace. “Yes, sire, this should help if we can position it. The oblong shape might make that difficult.”

Going to engineering, Skylos scanned the necklace, then opened another chamber. Reaching in, he removed two more burnt blobs of metal. Turning the necklace several times, he scanned again, nodding to Ambrose. Closing the chamber, he started to flick a few switches. Nodding again, he flipped a few more, watching as the power started to climb. Finally, five spectons later, a huge smile broke out on Skylos’s face.

“Yes! We have almost fifty-eight percent power. That might be enough to get the hull fractures repaired. Starting them now; it might get a few systems repaired also,” Skylos said.

“Will it be enough for the med bay? I have a need for the equipment there,” Ambrose told him.

Skylos thought a moment, then nodded. “It will delay the hull fracture repair, but yes, it is more than enough.”

Sighing, Ambrose nodded, “Good. I intend to find out a few things. Firstly, why we can’t completely change back.”

Skylos nodded as he watched Ambrose walk into the med bay, which was already occupied by Thomas, Roth, Gwayne, and Gregor. Nodding to all of them, Ambrose started a scan of their bodies.

It was almost a Toton later that Ambrose’s eyes widened when he saw the readings. Shaking his head, he went over everything again. Then he started a third time, still not believing what he was seeing!

Taking an empty syringe, Ambrose drew a small amount of his blood. Placing it on a slide, he passed it into the med computer for analysis. Again, his mouth dropped open when the med computer confirmed what he thought but felt was impossible.

Shaking his head, he started to laugh suddenly. Roth’s head snapped up, staring at Ambrose. “Sire, are you alright?”