Chapter 5

At several points in time during its time on this planet, Vyagar had tried to make contact with the life forms near his hiding place. Procta's programming had specified the conditions he was to seek in a planet as well as what type of being he was to contact. So far in the five hundred or more rotations this planet had made around its' star, he had only found a dozen or so life forms who seemed completely conscious of the beauty around them. An appreciation for beauty was an essential part of Procta's criteria; however Vyagar knew that it was not enough. Also essential was an ability to understand science and technology for how else would someone be able to cherish the beauty and elegance of the items in Vyagar's care.

The Artificial Intelligence Procta had placed in charge of the vessel he had created had been faithful and diligent in carrying out its' assigned tasks. Now at this point in time a life form matching Procta's criteria had finally arrived within range of the vessel's probes and sensors. In the centuries past, as he had tried to assess the minds of other life forms passing near his vicinity, they rarely noticed. Those few who had the necessary mental sensitivity had not had any of the necessary scientific or technological knowledge. Most often these came seeking a 'vision of beauty' and Vyagar saw no reason to deny them this simple pleasure.

This time things were different. Though the human only held a rudimentary understanding of science and technology, for the most part what he did know was accurate and he seemed to have the intellect to learn much more. In fact he carried tools with him that were the most technologically advanced that Vyagar had ever seen on this planet. Procta had longed for another life form to see, cherish, and utilize the best that his planet and specie had developed in beauty and technology and this life form that knew itself as 'Dale' fit the criteria.

Once again, Dale found himself unable to sleep; but this night, instead of guilt, remorse, and anger keeping him awake, he just found that he wasn't sleepy. He checked the fire to make certain that it wouldn't flare up, grabbed his flashlight, put on his shoes and socks, and left his campsite. He didn't have any particular destination or route in mind - just the urge to walk a bit and maybe then he'd be able to sleep.

Although his path may have seemed somewhat aimless to him, Dale was actually following a route that Vyagar had set for him. Soon enough he was picking his way up the side of the mountain somehow avoiding all of the dangerous drops, snags, and slides that could have caused him harm. Eventually he reached a large boulder that he had often seen as a child; but never really thought about for some reason. The boulder was enormous and now that he was right beside it Dale saw that it hid the entrance to a cave. Normally Dale would have been quite focused on the potential dangers of entering a cave at night; but for some reason he didn't hesitate on this occasion.

The moonlight had provided quite a bit of light while he was still outside of the cave; however, now that he was entering the cave, Dale was glad he'd brought his flashlight. Once he had slipped passed the boulder and into the mouth of the cave, he spent a few minutes looking around with his flashlight to get some idea of what the space was like. He didn't see any sign of animals and that surprised him somewhat. This cave would have made a wonderful place for a bear, lion, wolves, or bats; but for some reason it was empty. The size of the place, including the entranceway, reminded him more of a large airplane hanger than a cave. If the boulder did not hide the large entrance you'd probably be able to see the cave from a long ways off.

Dale walked further into the cave and was surprised to find that it was comfortably warm inside. As he walked around, he noticed that one section of the floor was particularly smooth, flat, and hard. This was more like what you might expect to find on an area exposed to flowing water or blowing wind for great lengths of time; but no water or wind was present. Suddenly Dale felt very sleepy and sank to the floor of the cave where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. In his sleep he had a vision of Procta's world. As the images played out in his mind, he saw a great race accomplish much and then die as their sun exploded. Just before the explosion a small spacecraft left the dying star's system.

He woke up and looked at his watch. It was three in the morning. Many thoughts and questions were running through his mind. Why'd I fall asleep in this cave? Man that dream was incredibly vivid. How come I can remember every bit of it? I wish I knew what happened to that space ship?

He closed his eyes for a moment to contemplate the dream and a name seemed to pop into is mind: Vyagar. "Vyagar? What kind of a word or name is that?" he said aloud. Suddenly he saw a shimmering light appear about ten feet in front of him. The light seemed to coalesce into golden being like the one in Dale's dream. He could see it; but he could also see through it since it was somewhat transparent.

"I am Vyagar," the image said.

Although he was an avid fan of science fiction, Dale still couldn't believe what his eyes and ears were telling him. He thought he must be in some kind of dream.