The Mother of the Universe surveyed the confusion and the chaos that ruled the Heavens. Determined that order should be brought where only disorder existed, she absorbed everything she saw, and stored it in her womb. Finally, when she had taken everything, she gave birth to the Universe. The Mother of the Universe looked out across the stars and the planets that she had caused to be and was pleased. All was uniform, and good. It was truly a wondrous sight.

But regardless of the beauty that she beheld, there was something missing, there was no one with whom to share. So she called forth two children, a son and a daughter, twins. When the children beheld what their Mother had created, the Daughter looked at the sight and wept at such beauty. The Son was unmoved.

"Why do you cry, Daughter?" Her Mother asked.

"All that I see here is the true beauty of the Universe, Mother, but I fear that it will soon be marred, for when you grow bored, and turn away from it, who shall watch over it?"

"I will watch over It." Her brother had said. "It shall be my playground!"

"No." Replied the Daughter, "For the vision that I have seen, the marring of the Universe, has been caused by your hand."

"Then, my Daughter, I shall pass the Universe to you, that you may care for it, and maintain its beauty."

"No!" Cried her son. "Can you not see her error? She is but a female, puny and weak. I am a male; I am big and strong. I will be able to hold the universe together, to bend it to my will. My sister will be unable to control it, it will surely control her."

The Mother of the Universe thought about this, and was tempted to agree with her son.

"Wait." Her Daughter said.

Before their eyes, the young girl created a new figure, another male.

"He will help me," She said. "He will provide the strength, and the will. I will provide the care and the love. Together, united, we shall be unassailable."

"Pah!" spat her brother. "He is lifeless. And if our Mother gives him life, then I too will demand a partner. And then where will that end? Shall we have a whole legion of siblings fighting over the Universe?"

"Nay, brother," she continued. "I shall not ask our Mother to give him life. I shall give him a part of my own."

The Daughter then gently divided her soul, her very essence into two, and placed it into the figure she had created. He came to life instantly, and when the two looked into each other's eyes, the love that shone was blinding like a sun.

"This is good Daughter," the Mother said. "This indeed proves that you should be the one to guard my creation."

"No!" screamed the brother, seeing the strength between them. "This must not be!"

With a blast of pure energy, the brother destroyed the newly created young man.

"The universe shall be mine!" He cried, and he fled into the darkness of the Universe.

The young Daughter collapsed to floor, crying her tears of anguish.

"I am sorry my Daughter." Her Mother said softly. "Now that you are only half of what you once were, your brother will seize the Universe. Already, I feel him disturbing its fabric. He is bringing forth life from the very bones of a planet. He is releasing chaos. I wish there were something I could do. I am sorry that your other half is destroyed."

"No, Mother," the Daughter whispered through her tears. "Not destroyed. He is still out there. And I will find him. Our souls are one, and will always seek to be together. We will find each other, and defeat my brother."

"He will seek to prevent this," Her Mother warned. "He will try to keep you apart."

"Then I will hide among the very beings he has created, until I find him. Each new being brought forth will house a soul of their own. When that being dies, the soul shall move on. That is my parting gift to the universe."

"Parting, my Daughter?" the Mother asked. "Where will you go?"

"So that our souls may be united, I must release mine out into the Universe. Therefore, I must die."

"I will give what aide I can, daughter," her Mother smiled sadly, knowing her Daughter spoke the truth, "but I must not become involved, lest our quarrel destroy the very thing we seek to protect, the Universe."

With that, the Daughter went unto the Universe, seeking the lost half of her soul. Born from the love a woman had for a man, the sole chance for the redemption of the Universe lies with the love between an unborn woman and an unborn man.

Journal of Hyphestis Fralos, Chief Technologist to Lord Tsooz, of the Dredni.

Celestial Age 9/5/303 01dc.

Journal Entry 1. My name is Hyphestis Fralos. I have been appointed Chief Technologist to Lord Tsooz, a Great Warrior of the Dredni clan. We are from the planet Vestinari. I now serve on his flagship. Until recently, we had been at war with the planet Dratov, a war that had lasted generations. With our final victory, we found evidence that the planet we know simply as K31/b2 had somehow originally created the life forms of Dratov, and gave them the technology to war with us. We seek to put an end to the threat of them repeating this. We now approach K31/b2, a new war approaches. Privately, I question its validity. The planet we are attacking seems at first glance to be peaceful. Our sensors detect no threat. I do not know what the inhabitants of K31/b2 are called, so I shall call them 'The Ancient Ones'. Personally, I believe our leaders seek to seize for themselves, the wonderful technology this planet must surely posses. Morale is high.

Journal Entry 2. We hold our breath. We cautiously stationed our ships in orbit, fearing what technologically-advanced weapons they must surely posses. We met no resistance. Lord Tsooz commanded that the ground warriors land without planetary bombardment. The warriors were terrified as they departed in the landing shuttles. We fear that at any moment, a death ray will obliterate us.

Journal Entry 3. It was not much of a war. The first forces on the ground reported that the planet was uninhabited. I was sent to the surface to evaluate captured technology. What technology? These people lived in crude stone dwellings and used beasts of burden and crude tools to work their land. How could this race have reached into space, and created life on other planets? The search continues, our leaders are furious. They are convinced they have hidden it from us. Where has the population gone?

Journal Entry 7. We have had some luck at last. A small company has discovered a cave, hidden high in the mountains. They had hoped that they might find some wondrous treasures, instead they found a crystal chamber. The chamber is circular, approximately 5 metres across, and 3 metres high. A dark inverted cone dominates the chamber, 2.5 metres high, suspended over a white crystal cone half a meter high. When I asked if anyone knew what it was, strange voices spoke in my mind. "We are the C’Laronolth." I do not like this thing. The others laugh at me when I suggest that perhaps the inhabitants have transferred their collective consciousness to the chamber. The thought scares me. What frightens me more was the message. Carefully inscribed on the wall were the words "Seek not to obstruct us." A warning, perhaps? Why was this so frightening? The words were written in our language, and appear to have been written centuries ago.

Journal Entry 10. In spite of my misgivings, the chamber has been safely stowed onto our ship. Morale is high, everyone celebrates. Why do I feel so insecure? Why do I feel the C'Laronolth is alive, and that it watches me? Why do the voices ask what we are doing? To avoid the strange feelings of watchfulness, I will stay on the bridge.

Journal Entry 32. I have never been so scared in all my life. It was from the bridge that I witnessed a sight so horrible, I still see it when I close my eyes. The planet Vestinari exploded before our very eyes. Lord Tsooz decorated the pilot for his quick thinking in using a wormhole to escape certain death from the fireball that was Vestinari, but I saw the Pilot. There was no way he guided us into the wormhole. He was quivering on the floor, like the rest of us. I have studied the space around Vestinari since my youth. There were no wormholes. Something or someone had created it! The crew of another ship had the presence of mind to follow us. We can only assume that the rest were destroyed. As I ponder why our planet should explode like that, the voices tell me we must help them finish what they have started, before it is too late. What do they mean?

Journal Entry 35. Lord Tsooz has commanded that I study the C'Laronolth. He believes that this technology may be how The Ancient Ones travelled to distant planets and created life. He plans to find a suitable planet, and create New Vestinari. We will be the fathers of a New World. The voices remain silent, but I sense their satisfaction.

Journal Entry 36. Morale is low. Our females are no longer fertile. Our sister ship reports the same. Our healers suggest that this is a temporary condition brought on by the time we have been in space. I suspect that the C’Laronolth has done this to us. Is this a punishment? They have already said we must help them complete their task. Perhaps this condition will pass when we do this. My colleagues think I am falling apart.

Journal Entry 37. This is incredible. It seemed that no sooner had we decided upon our course of action, than we came upon a new star system. We emerged from the wormhole to a galaxy in a part of the universe unknown to us. Our sensors indicated that there were five planets that were not only capable of sustaining life forms, but already held them. It is as if we have been lead here, for some purpose as yet unknown.

Journal Entry 40. As we approached the star system, which we have called the Vestinari Cluster, the five habitable planets formed an almost perfect ‘V’. Our spirits have been raised, for in our culture, this is the symbol for our healers. It means "If ill, will heal you."

Journal Entry 45. The five planets are very similar. Their gravity differs slightly, as do their temperate climates. However, the planet that we have selected to become our home has one major difference, it holds a much higher volume of nitrogen in it’s atmosphere that the others. From the moment we landed, I knew where to place the C'Laronolth. The voices told me. It now sits in a cavern, high up on a mountain. We have posted guards to watch it constantly.

Journal Entry 52. I have discovered a use of the C'Laronolth. I had wondered what effect the large inverted cone, which was itself a kind of chamber, might have on a foreign object. I placed a piece of rock from the mountain, approximately half a meter in diameter, inside this chamber. I was amazed to find that I could 'see' its molecular structure. In a flash of inspiration, I rearranged the structure in my mind, turning the stone into a pyramid, formed with steps. It was pleasing to me. For no reason at all, I created chambers inside the structure. I think that one-day, I might task the local population to build such a place for me. Momentarily, I thought of the mountain outside. When I ceased concentration, I was surprised to find that the rock I had placed in the C'Laronolth now took on the shape I had imagined. The voices seemed pleased. Were the voices responsible for my inspiration? When I left the chamber, I had an even bigger surprise. The whole mountain now looked the same as the rock, a huge stepped pyramid.

Journal Entry 56. Surprisingly, the dominant life forms of each planet are similar to each other; save for the unique adaptations the environmental differences require. Lord Tsooz has made contact with the dominant life form here on the planet we have named An'Tahar, which means ’Hope’. They are vastly different to us. Like the other planets, they are upright bipedal beings. With the appendages connected to their upper torso, they are able to physically manipulate objects, making a tool from almost anything. The beings appear to be very strong and durable. Why do the voices scream at me to leave them alone? We call the lands on which we have settled ‘D’Erra’, which means ‘Chosen’

Journal Entry 65. Lord Tsooz is pleased. The people of An'Tahar have proclaimed us as their Gods. They have called the sea upon which our Battle Cruiser floats a holy place. But all is not well. One group of these people have denounced us, claiming that we do not serve the true purpose. They do not believe we speak for the Universe. After warning the others that we will bring doom upon them all, these unbelievers have left, crossing the mountains to the east. The others tried to stop them, but they fought fiercely to escape us. Many people have died.

Journal Entry 3695. It has been a decade since we landed on An'Tahar. Using the C'Laronolth, I have been able to change the composition of the lands around us. Much of the land was barren waste, on hard rocky surfaces. The people had struggled to eke out a meagre living. This was not conducive to population growth, so I have created huge forests, which provide materials for shelter, tools and fuel, and helps to break down the rock. I have expanded the fields, and improved the fertility where the people grow their wheat and grain for their food. Unlike changing the stone, which only seemed to effect just the mountain, these changes seem more widespread. Perhaps the change has effected the whole planet. The D’Erran population grows, their life has been improved. They are building communities. Our females remain infertile, and we have noticed a new phenomenon. Whilst the crew of our sister ship have aged normally, by our standards, they claim that we have not aged at all.

Journal Entry 37043. Our people, the D’Errans are prosperous. It has been a century since our arrival, and they are rapidly advancing under our benevolent care. King Argostal has lead an army across the mountains to the east, intent on bringing the unbelievers back to the fold. The voices warn me that we that we are interfering, and tell me to stop King Argostal. The last of the crew of our sister ship has died. As with the others, we have consigned his body to the stars. Our own numbers dwindle, though none of us has died of old age, or disease, instead it is suicide. It was our warriors who went first. As they grew tired of this life, they 'fell upon their weapons'. We now number scarcely twenty. Is our apparent immortality a result of the C’Laronolth?

Journal Entry 37056. King Argostal has returned with only a fraction of the army he departed with. His sorry tale indicates that the unbelievers, who now call themselves H'Manz, have progressed technologically at a faster rate than our own people, the D’Errans. They have developed fearsome weapons, against which our army had no protection. Our own weapons were ineffectual against their protective devices. Lord Tsooz wants to use our own weapons against the unbelievers, but this is impossible, since we have lost our warriors, and the D’Errans are not physically capable of using them themselves. Fortunately, Lord Tsooz sees the folly in allowing the D’Errans to use our weapons. Instead, we use our knowledge to teach them, speeding them along their evolutionary path. The age of warfare is already upon us. The voices frighten me with their silence.

Journal Entry 40616. Things are going from bad to worse. Before we are ready, the H'Manz have dealt us a blow. They launched a surprise attack, and have forced us to flee. Fortunately, our losses were slight, and we were able to leave with the bulk of the D’Errans, and the C'Laronolth. As we moved the C’Laronolth, I ‘sensed’ it’s regret at the necessity of the war. I do not understand this. Neither do I understand the resistance it put up when we moved it. Regrettably, we have been forced to leave our ships behind, but we know they shall be safe, as it will be centuries before the H'Manz are technologically advanced enough to operate them. We have used the C'Laronolth to create a body of water between the H'Manz and our new lands, which we shall call ‘New Dredni’. This will keep us safe while we prepare. The voices are angry. They tell me we meddle in affairs that should no longer concern us.

Journal Entry 40659. I fear we have made a mistake! At Lord Tsooz' command, I have used the C'Laronolth to change our people, splitting them into four groups, to prepare for the day when we reclaim D’Erra. The first group, the most numerous, I have changed to become the backbone of our people. They are now tougher and stronger, capable of long periods of toil. I have reduced their reasoning capability, to allow them to obey orders unquestioningly. We have called these people Tanbo-ens. The second group I have altered to become the plotters, the warriors. These will be the people who will lead our armies of Tanbo-ens. I have instilled in them an awareness of the future, the ability to sense that something will happen. We will not be surprised again. These, we have called Kalithen. The Third group, the Perdreians, I have altered to be the leaders. They will be the thinkers, the intellectuals, the technologists. It will be their task to create new technologies, to drive our people forward. The fourth group will be the wise people of the races, their spiritual leaders, aiding and supporting them all. They are unnamed, as they will appear from among those of the other three races. We shall, however, call those blessed with these gifts, simply The Seers, The voices do not like this, and they scream their displeasure. I had to work harder to effect these changes than ever before. It was as if the C'Laronolth was resisting me. I have found that by inserting crystal rods into the base, I can enforce my will upon it.

Journal Entry 41381. I have discovered another use of the C'Laronolth. It allows me to see the lands D’Erra. I want to see if I can use it to travel to the land that I see. I am reluctant to try for how do I get back? The voices assure me I can trust it, but as their gifts seem to have two edges, I am reluctant to do so.

Journal Entry 41383. It works! What marvellous uses we can put this to! Let our enemies tremble.

Journal Entry 41389. A strange new religion is sweeping our people. Those who follow the ideology call for an end to this preparation for war. They say we should live in peace and harmony, as one people. They call upon us to reverse the changes we have made to them, and to leave their planet. They call themselves 'Saviours of the Soul'. I have discovered that this cult is even found among the H'Manz. How can this be? We have had no contact with the H'Manz in a decade.

Journal Entry 63151. Catastrophe! King Shadoral of the Perdreians has the C'Laronolth. I do not know how he discovered its existence, or even its location, but he has it now. Lord Tsooz has demanded its return, but King Shadoral claims that it is safer in his hands. They no longer consider us their Gods, despite the fact that we appear no older now than when we arrived on this planet two centuries ago. He has demanded that we swear fealty to him. The voices have stopped talking to me. I have strong suspicions that the C’Laronolth wanted King Shadoral to take it. The warnings it gave me come to mind. Maybe I should have listened.

Journal Entry 63274. The H'Manz have attacked. It seems that despite our efforts, the H'Manz are still superior. How have they managed to maintain a technological advantage over the D’Errans, when they are unaided? Clearly, they have had assistance from somewhere. I fear we shall be overcome. They seem to be marching on King Shadoral’s palace in the City of Dredni. Is this where he keeps the C’Laronolth, and does it now call the H’Manz?

Journal Entry 63305. King Shadoral has learned how to use the C'Laronolth. He has effected a change to An'Tahar's atmosphere. I know this because tests show that the volume of nitrogen in the atmosphere is decreasing. He must have changed the three races to adapt to this change, but will the H'Manz be able to cope? What will become of them?

Journal Entry 63997. The last of the invading H’Manz forces have been driven from New Dredni. Over the years, they have not adapted to the changing atmosphere, and this affects them badly. Although they have protective suits that helps them breathe, they are no longer a match for the D’Errans. Plans are under way to return to D’Erra. It is obvious that King Shadoral has made more changes. They appear to have additional abilities. The Perdreians appear to be able to ‘alter’ their physical shape. We fear that this is an attempt to enable them to use our weaponry, should they acquire it. Another problem has arisen. When we originally altered the D’Errans, we desired the maintenance of the racial differences. To that end, we made it such that each race would consider breeding outside their race abhorrant. However, evidence suggests that Prince Traznor of the Perdreians, heir to the throne of An'Tahar is attracted to Princess Isozilde, daughter to the Kalithen King Kador. My initial reaction was to inform their parents, for who knows the power an offspring from such a union would hold. The voices have returned, and have spoken to me. "This is as it should be." I have decided to remain silent.

Journal Entry 63462. The Perdreians, the Kalithens and the Tanbo-ens have returned to lands of D’Erra. The H'Manz, weakened in their protective suits, are being slaughtered as they are found. I can almost sense the wails from the C’Laronolth, for I know now that they did not want this. Prince Traznor and Lady Isozilde implore their fathers to seek a peaceful solution, but they are ignored. Followers of the 'Soul' cult also cry for peace, but are struck down by their own kind as traitors. Extinction beckons for the H'Manz. I wish I could help them.

Journal Entry 63463. I had a dream last night. I have not had one since the day we took the C'Laronolth from the planet of the Ancient Ones. In my dream, an old man appeared before me. He looked like a H’Manz, or the D’Errans, before we changed them, but he was small and frail. He had long white hair, and a short white beard. He wore black robes, with gold piping, and leaned against a staff of gold. He suggested that we gather together the remaining H'Manz aboard our Battle Cruiser, and take them to a new planet. I saw the planet in my drean, and the man told me that we should "Fly towards the sun." When I suggested this to Lord Tsooz, he surprisingly agreed, for he claims to have received the same dream. A delegation sent to the H'Manz returned with even more surprising news. They have accepted our offer. Did their leader have the dream too?

Journal Entry 63496. As we flew directly at the sun, as commanded, we came upon a wormhole. As we enter, I can scarcely believe that we have actually escaped. We had managed to gather the remaining H'Manz on the plain of D’Erra where we first arrived. With our Battle Cruiser on the water's edge, we had already loaded a good proportion of the H'Manz on board when the massed forces of the D’Errans arrived, lead by King Shadoral and King Kador themselves. They had not come to talk, and there was no way our ship was ready to leave. All seemed lost, and we resigned ourselves to our fates as the slaughter began. A booming voice called from the pyramid above us. "Stop!" it had ordered, and no one could resist his command.

The being was the Perdreian heir to the throne, Prince Traznor, and he was wearing the golden robes of the "Saviours of the Soul" cult. At his side, also clad in gold, and holding Prince Traznor's hand was Lady Isozilde. A shield of power, a shimmering green film, appeared between the remaining H'Manz and the army before them. Prince Traznor turned to his father at the head of the columns and demanded that he allow us to leave. He warned that the Guardians of the Universe were not pleased, that he was tampering with their plan. King Shadoral's reply left it clear that there would be no peace that day. He warned Prince Traznor to step aside, or he would remove him from the line of succession. At the king's command, the massed armies hurled their might at the shield. We managed to load the last of the H'Manz as the shield finally dropped.

Our ship quickly put to sea and as the shore became distant, we left the planet An'Tahar, knowing we will never see in again. Completely unbidden, a holographic projection appeared in centre of the bridge. It was of the scene below. We were forced to watch in horror as King Shadoral and King Kador led their Royal guards up the pyramid. Prince Traznor was quickly subdued, and bound in chains. Beside him, Lady Isozilde was cut down, slain by a hand unseen. The suspicious looks the two Kings gave each other indicated that the alliance was over. The prince stared in horror at the lifeless body of Isozilde, and when he finally spoke, the despair in his voice was clear.

Journal Entry 63496. Too late, we realised we have left our sister ship behind. We should have destroyed it. There is a strange mood that pervades the ship. The H'Manz are fearful of their future. We are all fearful of what we have witnessed. One question worries us. Who or what is "The Soul of the Universe"?

Journal Entry 63497. I have had another dream. In it, I learned how to create a new C'Laronolth. I started to build it the moment I awoke.

Journal Entry 64126. It is complete. It has been a strange experience. As soon as I determined that I needed material I knew we did not have on the ship, it was found in the storeroom. How is this possible? I know we loaded no supplies, yet our hold is full. At no time did we consider loading food for the H'Manz, yet no one has gone hungry. What miracle is this? I wonder if the C’Laronolth spoke to each of the H’Manz, and they brought sufficient materials with them? It is the only explanation I can think of.

Journal Entry 64127. We finally emerged from the wormhole, two years after we have left An'Tahar. It ended near a large, blue, uninhabited planet with eight moons. There were rings around the planet. The sun was so distant, it was a small spec. We wondered if this could be the planet from my dream, for it too was blue. A voice tells me no. It is strange, not at all like the voices I heard back on An'Tahar. They were many, almost as if the population of a whole planet spoke. This is a single voice. It was the same voice of the old man in my dream. We continue towards the distant sun.