The Golden Disk

Rick Mason woke to the sound of humming.

The sound was almost soothing as it rose and feel in pitch, like a sweet song. He lay there listening to the sound as his mind slowly became aware of his surroundings. He was still in that pleasant state between dreams and wakefulness. He was tugged from his slumber as his mind became slowly aware that something was amiss. He opened his eyes and was instantly aware of the humming that filled the room with it’s strange pulsating song.

He looked warily around his bedroom, trying to ascertain where the sound was coming from. That’s when he saw it. He stared unbelieving at it as he muttered “What the hell?” to himself. His heart was pounding as he slowly sat up in his bed.

He couldn’t quite wrap his mind around what he was looking at. It was just to otherworldly for his senses to grasp and yet he couldn’t pull his eyes away from the slowly spinning object that seemed to float there. With each rise and fall of that maddening humming, the object changed from a shiftless glowing golden light to that of a funnel filled with a multitude of colors. Back and forth the object changed, mesmerizing him as he stared unblinking at it.

Soon the funnel became the predominant shape. As it came into focus, Rick could see that  the center of it was filled with a soft, golden light while the edges near the top of the thing began to form into pods of brightly glowing colors as they spun in unison with the endlessly whirling object. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the thing as the pods of light began spinning off of the object, filling the room with twirling ribbons of colorful lights that surrounded him as they pulsated in unison to the rise and fall of the humming sound.

The lights flowed past him as if they had a life of their own. He felt strangely calm as he watched them.  He reached curiously out to one of the lights as if to grab it and watched in wonder as the light passed right through his hand rather then over it as he had expected. He felt a slight tingling run up his arm as the light passed through it.

He laughed aloud as a new calm came over him. He became completely mesmerized by the slowly spinning object. He felt a peace that seemed to emanate from deep inside his very soul as he watched and listened to the amazing sight and sounds that flowed through and around him. A thought flashed through his mind that this thing was like a gem of the universe that one would only find with the most powerful telescopes imaginable and yet it was flowing within the walls of his own bedroom. Even though he knew he should be frightened, that strange calmness continued to fill his body. He felt as if he’d been drugged.

Gradually, he became aware of a change in the object. The ribbons of light were being pulled back into the object as it continued it’s slow spin. He thought of a black hole. Yes. That’s what it looked like to him as it continued pulling the ribbons of light back into itself. He could see the lights spinning inside of the object. Soon the multicolored lights filled the center of it, creating a dazzling display of ever changing colors that seemed to collide with each other, brightening with each collision.

The top of the object began to collapse inward upon itself. It looked like a whirlpool as it shrank, becoming ever more dense as the object filled itself with itself. Rick found this to be a beautiful scene and yet he knew it couldn’t be real.

He stared at the slowly shrinking object until it became to small for him to see from his vantage point on the bed, though he could still hear the humming and see the glow of the object. His mind was filled with wonder as he slowly lifted his legs and got out of the bed. He walked slowly around the bed. He realized that his legs were shaking and felt weak as if he’d just finished running a marathon. He wondered about this and then dismissed it as he turned and looked at the object.

What he saw amazed him and he laughed in delight as he stared at it. The object had indeed changed. It was no longer the small, spinning object that he’d expected to see. In it’s place was a round, golden circle about four feet in diameter that appeared in the floor of his bedroom. It seemed to have a kind of depth  as if it were a golden pond. The more he stared at the softly pulsating light that was contained within it, the more he became convinced that it was like a tunnel. But a tunnel to where he couldn’t fathom. Though he knew he should at the very least be nervous, he couldn’t help but be curious. The constant humming sound seemed to calm his mind perhaps to the point of irrationality.

As if he were watching his own body from a distance, he reached out toward the object. His numbed mind was convinced that it was so beautiful it could never harm him. He felt his legs weaken and he fell slowly next to the golden circle. Without even realizing that he was doing it, he reached out and touched the surface of the circle and felt a tingling sensation run through his mind, almost like a tickle but somehow different from the sensation he’d felt earlier when the ribbon of light passed through his hand.

  He quickly pulled his hand away but couldn’t stop staring at the object as the tingling in his mind subsided. He wanted to run. He felt a jolt of adrenaline rush through his body. He felt like he had to get away from this thing! He thought he felt fear but for the moment he just couldn’t comprehend what that emotion was. He wondered what kind of hold this thing had over him.

He felt like he was no longer in control of his own body. He felt helpless to stop himself as he watched his hand reaching very slowly toward the object even though his mind was screaming for him to stop. As he knelt next to the object, his weakened legs betrayed him and he lost his balance, falling forward. Instinctively, he reached out to steady himself and plunged his right into the circle up to his elbow.

As he calmly thought about the fact that the object really did have depth as a familiar tingle made it’s presence known within his mind. It intensified until it became a powerful throbbing that pulsated in time with the endless humming that still filled the room. At last the fear within him found a firmer hold on his mind and he shuddered violently as he pulled his arm quickly out of the circle. He watched in horror as the circle elongated, surrounding his arm in an intense golden light. He pulled with all of his might and the substance of the circle came with it, flowing into his body as he screamed aloud.

He shuddered but was no longer afraid. The fear was once again gone. He laughed out loud at himself. He realized at last that he really must be dreaming. That would explain the irrational calm that he’d felt. He walked back to his bed as if in a trance and settled in, pulling the covers over his head. For some reason, this gave him comfort. At last he closed his eyes, unaware of the faint glow that was emanating from his body.

. . .

Rick opened his eyes and saw the morning sun streaming into the room through the white pleated curtains, creating intricate patterns of light along the walls and floor. He yawned and stretched his arms upward as he sat up in bed. The humming sound from the night before was still clear in his mind, almost as if it were a background thought of it’s own.

He thought of the dream of the night before. He realized that he could remember it clearly which was unusual for him. Usually his dreams would vanish from memory the moment he tried to think of what had happened in them, but not this time. This time it felt more like a waking memory then a dream. He laughed to himself at this thought because he knew that what he’d seen in that dream didn’t exist in the realm of the waking world.

He smiled to himself as he got out of bed. Today was going to be a good day indeed. He could just feel it. He stretched again, raising his arms over his head as he yawned. He felt really refreshed and full of energy which again convinced him of the fact that it was only a dream he’d had the night before, even if it seemed so real.

He walked down the hallway, pausing to look at a picture of his father and mother that hung there. His mother had sent it to him last Christmas. They looked so comfortable and happy together.  His father was wearing his favorite green polo shirt and his mother was standing behind him with her arms wrapped around his upper body. She was smiling sweetly, her green eyes glowing with a pleasure that only true love could bring. He loved this picture because he could almost feel the warmth of love that radiated from it.

He walked through the large living room and around the breakfast bar to the kitchen. As he began measuring out the coffee and placing it into the coffee maker, he found himself thinking about that dream. He’d never had a dream of such clarity before and he wondered why he’d had one now. He added the water to the coffee maker and flipped the switch.

As he waited for the coffee to finish, he sat at the breakfast bar and again started thinking about that strange dream. He couldn’t stop thinking about the end of the dream when he fell into the circle of light. The thought of Alice in Wonderland and the rabbit hole popped into his mind, making him chuckle aloud.

He got up and poured himself a cup of coffee, realizing that he couldn’t get this dream out of his mind. He kept thinking about that strange circle that formed on the floor of his bedroom. It just seemed so darned real. An idea began to form in his mind. At first he dismissed it but it kept creeping back into the forefront of his thoughts.

At last he could resist the temptation no more. He got out of his chair and walked back down the hallway to his bedroom. He felt a kind of apprehension when he walked into the room. He walked around the bed very slowly. He never realized how nervous he actually was until beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Even as he realized how irrational it was to feel this way, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen and that this something was right around the corner of his bed.

He turned the corner and was relieved to see nothing unusual where the circle had been in his dreams. Now feeling silly, he turned and walked back to the door. Just as he was about to leave the room, he turned and went back to that spot. He kneeled down in front of where he thought it was in his dream and ran his hands over the plush brown carpet. All at once he felt a tingling run up his arms. He pulled his hands quickly away from the carpet.

He had to try it again. He was starting to sweat again and realized just how nervous he was as he slowly placed his hands back on the carpet in the exact same spot. Nothing unusual this time and he realized just how relieved he was that this was the case. After a moment of kneeling there, he got up and went back to the kitchen to retrieve his coffee.

Walking back down the hallway to his large bathroom, he placed the coffee on the counter in front of the large mirror that was above the double sinks. He looked in the mirror and for a moment he thought there was someone else looking back at him through it.

“Get a grip.” he muttered to himself as he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. When he removed them he saw that strange person looking back at him again. He half expected his reflection to start talking to him.

He continued to stare at his own reflection, trying to figure out what was so different. At last he saw it. His eyes. They seemed to have a brightness to them that he’d never seen in them before. As he stared at himself, it seemed like the eyes were glowing from within, as if someone was inside of his skull shining a flashlight through his eyes. Finally, he decided that it was just the lighting.

He washed his face and lathered up to shave. As he was shaving he realized he was humming that strange sound from the dream. It wasn’t until he consciously stopped himself from humming that he realized that his head was tingling in unison to the sound. He thought that perhaps his dream had a greater effect on him then he’d at first thought.

He decided that he needed to get out of his apartment as soon as he could because he just kept freaking himself out. He warmed up the shower and hopped in. As he lathered his short blonde hair, he thought about the day ahead. And what a day it was going to be!

He was going to meet his father, Derrick at the new store that Derrick had just purchased for them. They were going into business together which was pretty amazing considering their past.

Derrick was a self made billionaire who made his money through technology when personal computers were fairly new. His company was one of the first to write compatible software for the companies that created the operating systems. He was first to create a word processor and many other tools that would be used by the home computer.

Having a vision of the future that differed from others, he snatched up all the brightest minds in the field as fast as he could and added them to his company. It wasn’t long before Absoft was making record profits. He married Cherry, his wife shortly after his first million was made and to them it felt like a match made in heaven.

He invested his money wisely and before long he was a billionaire. When he found out that Cherry was pregnant, he decided that he wasn’t about to have a child that was spoon fed with the proverbial golden spoon and so he closed up his mansion in Aspen, moved to Denver and bought a modest four bedroom house to raise his son in.

Things went along pretty well as Rick grew up. He had no clue about his fathers money until he got old enough to see through the ruse his father had designed. Still, by the time he did figure it out, he really wasn’t impressed with his fathers money.

But the deception got to him and his grades suffered. When he graduated high school with a mere C+ average, his father lost his temper and threw his son out of the house, thinking that the world could teach him the lessons of life better then his family could. He gave him ten thousand dollars to live on, telling him that this was his college fund that he obviously wouldn’t be needing now. And then he just kicked him to the curb.

Rick was lucky enough to find himself a temporary job with a U.P.S. distribution warehouse and through hard work, the job became permanent. Soon he was a shift leader and making a pretty good salary. He moved to the apartment that he was now in and banked most of the ten thousand dollars his father had given him.

He saved his money and invested most of it in treasury bonds because they were considered a safe bet even though they didn’t pay as much as other investments. It wasn’t long before he had six figures in the bank drawing interest as the years went by.

Derrick really didn’t have much to do with his son during this time, though Cherry kept in touch. When he did talk to his father, Derrick always spoke to him icily and the conversations were brief. Cherry showed him all of the love she could and told him that his father really did love him and would come around eventually.

During this time, Rick made good friends with a guy named Andy who worked with him. They spent a lot of time hiking the fourteen thousand foot peaks of Colorado and they both loved it. In fact, they went every weekend that they could. They even started trying to climb them in the winter which was considered dangerous at best and deadly at worst.

Then one day Andy showed up and he was really excited. He’d been reading about the expeditions that were climbing in the Himalayas where the tallest mountains in the world were. He’d decided that he wanted to try something really crazy. He wanted to join an expedition and climb Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world.

Rick scoffed at the idea at first, telling his friend that they lacked the experience and technical training needed to achieve such a monumental task. Andy said that they could train. There were plenty of glaciers that they could climb in the U.S. and Alaska to gain experience. After much prodding, Rick agreed to at least start training. They trained hard the next year using every bit of spare time they had. After that year, they decided that they were as ready as they’d ever be.

A week later, Andy showed up at Rick’s apartment and told him excitedly that he’d found an expedition that would be willing to take them up Everest. It would cost them $60,000.00 each plus equipment fee’s and plane fair to Nepal. Once they arrived in Nepal and met the guilds, the rest would be paid for by the expedition.

Andy badgered him the entire week at work and at home. At last, Rick agreed to give it a try. It was a defining moment in Rick’s life. They made the expedition and Rick actually made it to the top, though Andy stayed at camp four and refused to go any higher much to the distress of Rick.

When he got back to the U.S. as one of a handful of people who had ever climbed to the summit, it boosted his confidence in himself incredibly and for the first time in his life he felt happy to be alive. There was just something about the torturous climb to the top of that mountain that gave one a different outlook on life. The torment of climbing that mountain just did something to a man.

A week after he got back, his father called him and congratulated him. For the first time in years, his tone didn’t seem so icy. He asked if they could have dinner together and Rick accepted. They talked long into the night. Not as father and son but as two people who were finding an incredible respect for one another. His father was truly interested in Rick’s experience, asking him to recount the entire climb in detail which Rick was happy to do and did very well.

By the end of the night, they had come up with an idea that intrigued both of them. A new division of Absoft that would outfit expeditions to the Himalayas. Rick knew from his own experience that there was tons of money to be made by a venture of this type if they could get the clients, especially if they also catered to amateur hikers.

His father offered him a starting salary of $200,000.00 a year and 50% of all profits. They would be partners in this venture and his father would put up the starting capitol himself. They would both work together on getting the company started. Rick was excited to be working with his father and believed that the time they would spend together could rekindle their relationship.

A week went by and they talked by phone quite a bit. Rick enjoyed being treated as an equal by his feather and thought that over time their relationship could be rebuilt as if there had never been a problem between them. On Friday of that week, Derrick called and told him that he’d purchased a building for the new company. It was a vacant three story building on the edge of downtown Denver. He told him that the building was slightly run down but in good condition for the most part and that by the time he was done with it, it would be a dazzling building to act as the world headquarters for the company.

Rick laughed when his father said “world headquarters” simply because he thought his father was going a little overboard with this company. When Derrick asked him what he was laughing at and Rick told him, his father said defensively that he never starts a business venture without jumping in with both feet because he believed that if the business failed that he wanted to know he did everything in his power to make it succeed. Rick realized how serious his father was about this venture and apologized. His father went on as if nothing had happened and after a bit more discussion, he said goodbye and hung up.

Today he was going down to meet his father at the building to discuss the future layout of the store and figure out what office equipment would be needed to begin placing orders for stock. Rick was pretty excited about this and soon the dream of the night before was in the background of his mind. He was feeling a confidence like he’d never felt before.

He finished his coffee and after rinsing the cup, he set it in the sink. He grabbed his keys and headed for the door. As he reached for the deadbolt, there was a click and the door swung silently open.

“Funny.” Rick muttered. “I know I locked that thing.”

He peered outside, half expecting to see someone there but there was no one. He noticed that there was no wind and wondered what pushed the door open. He shook his head, admonishing himself for being stupid enough to leave the door open. He walked out and locked the door, ready to face the world and his new life.

. . .

Deep within the universe and far from the Milky way galaxy in the blackness that exists between galaxies there is a planet made of pure energy. A place where no physical being could survive. This is the home world of the last three Ancients.

Aura had been feeling a tugging within her essence. For thousands of years she had been waiting for just this event. Ever so slowly, she became aware. She felt her essence reforming as she reached the point where she could pull herself out of her long slumber.

She and the others had placed themselves into this state of slumber long ago, when the waiting began. Her essence felt the very fabric of the universe course through her, forming her being ever so carefully as each new molecule fell into place.

As she became fully aware, she could sense the essence of Astor becoming conscious as well. She now felt her presence and could feel her body of energy complete it’s careful reconstruction of her self. She was fully formed.

As she waited for Astor to become fully aware, she scanned the universe to see what had awakened them, though she was sure she already knew the answer. And she was right. It had awakened. The prophecy had become a reality. She could feel the steady pulse of it as it sent it’s strong message to the very corners of the universe.

Astor had reached the point where he could pull himself into a full state of consciousness and was instantly aware of Aura’s presence. He felt a kind of delight run through his essence as he scanned the beauty of her. She was as beautiful a being of energy as there ever was amongst the Ancients, even in the old times when there were tens of thousands of them living throughout the universe.

Tall and proud she stood. Her oval essence of light glowed like the light of the sun and shifted between the colors of the universe, creating a beautiful display of the likes that could be found nowhere else. He, like all the Ancients was attracted to her but the attraction between her and Astor ran deeper, to the very core of their essences.

He was so taken by her beauty that the first telepathic thought to her was, “Aura, you are as beautiful an entity as you ever were.”

Aura’s color turned to pink, almost as if she were blushing. “Thank you Astor.”

Klintee, another of the Ancients reached the point where he could make himself conscious. He slowly rose from his slumber and felt the presence of Astor and Aura. “So it has happened?” he thought to the two.

“It has.” Astor replied. “We have felt it’s signal. The disk has been activated.”

“By what?”

“We do not know Klintee. We have just now become fully aware. Aura, can you scan for a location?”

Aura’s bright essence dimmed noticeably and her color turned to a deep purple. Both Astor and Klintee could feel the sadness emanating from Aura and it distressed them. Never was she one to feel this kind of pain. She was always the strong one when it came to feelings of the soul. Of the very essence that was the Ancients.

And so they stood together on this planet made of a misty light and looked into each others souls and felt the pain of Aura. At least Astor said, “Please Aura. Tell us of your pain.”

Aura dimmed a little more and thought, “Oh Astor. This is such a beautiful universe. Why must it always be in turmoil. Why must the positive and negative forces always be balancing each other. For this was the universe of our ancestors. This was the universe that our people treasured. And yet, when the others went to the other side of the universe, I felt so much a part of this one. I feel the very vibrations of this universe and to me it’s so soothing. This universe is a part of me and I never want to leave it and yet I know that when this is over, I must.”

Astor’s essence brightened and Aura could feel the compassion that emanated from him when he said, “Aura. It is the ways of the universe. You know this to be true. And who knows. The other side of the universe might prove to be beautiful as well. Perhaps even more beautiful then this one.”

Aura’s essence brightened a little and her color changed to yellow as she said, “Perhaps you are correct Astor. It’s not so much where we reside. So long as we are together then how could it be anything but beautiful.”

Astor glowed brightly as if he were smiling as he thought, “These feelings you have are true Aura. I feel much the same. But our primary purpose is to protect this universe from harm and to that end I feel we must continue with the task at hand. Will you scan for the location?”

Aura stared into the oval being that was Astor. Soon he would be completely formed. She longed to see him again in his full formed self. Her color turned bright red as her essence brightened and the orbs that were her eyes glowed brightly with a hue that was the color of static electricity. She stared outward into the universe until at last she thought, “I have found it. It resides in a galaxy near the center of the universe. I can feel it’s pulse.”

Astor’s color took on a glint of green as he thought, “Then perhaps others have felt it as well. We must move to this place at once!”

Klintee had been watching the exchange between his two counterparts with some interest. Although he was lowest on the command chain, he could remain silent no more and thought, “But what can we do? The disk is now in the realm of the physical.”

Aura glowed the yellow light of her smile and thought, “Klintee, we can observe.”

Astor’s being grew to it’s full color. He was one of the most powerful of the Ancients. This is why he was chosen to stay behind. Aura stared at him in wonder as she always did when he was completely formed. To her he was a thing of beauty like nothing she’d ever seen in this universe. He appeared as a blinding white light that was in the shape of a  twelve foot tall oval. His eyes were near the top of his being and showed the power that resided within him. They appeared as two piercing white lights that were brighter then two suns. The edges of his being glowed the colors of the universe and shimmered around him in endlessly changing patterns and colors.

He stared at the other two with those piercing eyes and thought, “We may not be able to effect things in the physical realm of the universe but we have allies who can. We must first find and observe the disk and discover how it was activated. After we observe, we can decide what action might be needed to protect it.”

  “You would bring the Hastiggs into play?” asked Aura.

“If we feel the disk is in danger then we will do whatever we must to protect it.”

Aura knew all to well the need of protecting the disk. She also knew how difficult this could be since the disk resided in the physical realm of the universe while the Ancients lived in the realm of energy. They understood what could happen if they were ever to completely merge the two realms. Were this to happen, it could destroy the integrity of this universe and create a chain reaction that could destroy this and other universes.

“Shall I communicate with the Hastigg oracle?”

“You shall Aura. They must be ready to receive our instructions should the need arise.”

“And what do I tell them?”

“We must be careful at first. Simply inform them that the prophecy has come to pass and that they may be needed very soon. They are an honorable people. They will comply simply because they trust us.”

“Very well Astor. I will communicate and then follow your essence.”

“Hurry Aura! I sense that our time may be short. Klintee and I shall leave now. We must get close to the disk.” Astor said.

Aura watched as the space above them filled with a white light. A moment later Klintee and Astor stepped into the light and vanished. Soon they would be at the location of the disk. A planet that the inhabitants called Earth.

. . .

Near the edge of the Milky way galaxy, commander Slater sat at the helm of his command star pod. Being the sole occupant of his own pod was the way he’d conducted business since he came to this galaxy. It served him well because he was quite different from the primitive people that he controlled.

The pod was filled with countless view screens and control panels. There were several rooms in his pod but he generally remained in the command center. He didn’t actually sleep though he could go into a state of dormancy when he felt the need, which wasn’t very often. All he really did as far as body maintenance was ingest food.

He looked into the view screen in front of him and grimaced, his face contorting into a mask of hate as he stared. He stabbed a button on his communication console and said, “Scree! Has the planet responded?”

“No commander. Not a single communication.”

“Are you sure they’re receiving our communications?”

“Quite sure sir. They responded to the first one.”

Slater was getting quite tired of this planet. What the hell was wrong with these creatures? He slammed a monitor hard with one of his tentacles and said angrily, “Then target another of their large cities and destroy it!”

“Targeting now commander. Impact in five minutes.”

Slater was really getting tired of dealing with the primitive people of this galaxy. He couldn’t believe how stubborn these particular creatures were. He’d already showed them what he could do to them. Did they just want to die? He couldn’t understand why they didn’t want to join him. He had so much to offer them. He could give them star travel! He could give them technology beyond their wildest dreams!

So what if they had to abide by his rules. It had to be better then death didn’t it? After all, his goal was the safety of he entire galaxy. But sadly as he built his coalition one planet at a time, he’d realized that those who wouldn’t join him had to be considered to be the enemy and enemies must be destroyed before they tried to destroy him and his people. Their destruction was for the good of the coalition.

He watched the planet from his control panel and saw the dome build and then a flash. He smiled at this. He loved to see his technology at work even when it was used for the destruction of life.

“City destroyed sir.”

“Nicely done Scree. I saw it on my monitor. If that doesn’t wake them up then I’m afraid nothing will. Send them the ultimatum. Give them ten hours to comply.”

“Consider it done commander.”

A light lit on the console to the right of him. Slater knew who was on the other end and hesitated for a moment before he forcefully stabbed the button, opening a communication. “What is it?” he snapped.

There was a moment of hesitation and then, “Commander Slater, this is Hestor. I need to have a private communication with you.”

Slater hissed as he drew in a lung full of air, trying to control his anger at this interruption. “Do you understand that we’re in the middle of an assault Hestor?” Slater snapped back.

“Oh yes sir. But what I want to talk to you about is much more important then a mere planet.”

More important then a mere planet? What the hell was this creature thinking! How dare him interrupt during an assault! Still trying to control his anger and showing it in his voice he said, “What is it?”

Apparently Hestor didn’t hear the anger in the commanders voice as he said, “Something that shouldn’t be talked about over open communications. Something incredible! Something that will help us to control the entire galaxy, if not more.”

Slater was getting really tired of this one. Why in the hell did he think he needed him so badly when the reality was that Hestor was nothing but an annoyance to him? Sure, he’d proven useful in the days of his taking control of his first planet of this galaxy, but why did he keep him around? He could easily have killed him or left him stranded on a planet somewhere and yet he didn’t. In the end, he knew the answer. Hestor was loyal to him. Very loyal. And because of this he was the only one out of the entire fleet that he could trust completely. And so through clenched teeth he said, “Very well Hestor. Join me in the command pod. And this better be good!”

Slater waited in silence for the inevitable arrival of Hestor. He heard Hestor’s pod dock with the command pod and almost cringed at the thought of him.  He listened as Hestor clambered noisily out of the pod and heard the footsteps as he approached the command center.

Slater pressed a button, opening the door to the command center and Hestor’s thin body stepped through the door. For some reason that he never could quite fathom, the mere sight of Hestor unnerved him. Perhaps it was the large head that stood on top of that long, thin neck that bothered him or perhaps it was the large, bulging eyes that seemed to stick out of his skull and pierce right through him. He wasn’t sure. What he was sure of was that there was something he instinctively didn’t like about this one.

The commander sighed aloud and said, “What is it Hestor?”

Hestor was obviously excited as he said, “It has come to pass sir. It’s just so unbelievable! I can barely believe it myself! I’m so happy I kept up the search. My instruments picked it up an hour ago and I have tracked it to it’s location. It’s amazing to be sure. Actually incredible! I was actually right for a change. It’s not a legend. It’s real!”

Slater stared at this thing that was bouncing around like a jack in the box in front of him, with that long neck sending his head into spirals as he spoke. He was getting angrier by the minute. He couldn’t contain his anger any longer as he screamed, “What in the hell are you talking about Hestor?”

Hestor, realizing his commanders impatience seemed to visibly deflate in front of Slater which amused him greatly. Hestor’s neck finally stopped that maddening spiral as he said in almost a whisper, “Sir. The golden disk of legend. Not only does it exist but I’ve found it’s location.”

Slater had no idea of what Hestor was talking about. He liked to be in control of every situation. He really didn’t want to appear stupid in front of one of his subordinates and yet he had become curious so, trying to conceal his impatience he said, “Disk? What disk Hestor?”

Hestor stared in disbelief at his commander. His eyes bulged outward, looking like they could pop out of his head at any moment as he stared at Slater. He couldn’t believe that the commander could so easily forget the task he had given him so long ago. Hestor had been sure that Slater wanted to find the disk very badly and Hestor had spent much of his time looking for it.

“The one I told you about years ago. You yourself told me to set up the long range scanners and to send out probes to find it if I really believed it existed. I followed your orders as always sir.”

Slater still had no idea of what this imbecile was talking about, though his mood softened a little. He was always giving Hestor little petty projects to work on, mostly to keep him out of the command center. He couldn’t understand why he cared enough about this creatures feelings to keep him busy rather then just tell him that he was a nuisance but somehow this strange little thing amused him at times and on other occasions made his blood boil. Still, the creature may have actually found something useful this time. Or perhaps not.

He decided to hear him out and said in as pleasant a voice as he could muster, “Perhaps you can refresh my memory?”

Hestor still couldn’t believe that the commander didn’t remember what could be the most powerful artifact in the universe. He had a hard time disguising the disappointment in his voice as he said softly, “Legend has it that the disk was created by a race called the Ancients several thousand years ago.”

“The Ancients?” Slater said, interrupting Hestor. “That’s all they called themselves? Who were they really?"

Sensing that Slater was becoming interested, Hestor continued with more enthusiasm. “The Ancients are said to be a race that once lived within our universe. According to legend, they became so advanced that they evolved into pure energy. Even as advanced as they were said to be, there was another race that was far more advanced then them. This more advanced race had reached the point where they were ready to evolve. To where is not known but it is said that they handed over the protection of the universe to the Ancients before they left. It became the Ancients task to watch over and protect the universe.”

Slater was beginning to wish he’d never engaged Hestor in this conversation. He really needed to get back to his assault of the planet beneath them and was again losing patience. As the thought passed through his mind that he might just leave Hestor on the planet below after all he said angrily, “This sounds like a lot of superstitious crap! Perhaps you can get to the point!”

“Yes sir, I’m getting there.” Hestor said nervously. “Anyway, as legend has it, there was a horrible war in one of the galaxies of our universe. The two sides were destroying so much of the physical fabric of this galaxy that the Ancients feared it could collapse that galaxy. Their theory was that this in turn could create a ripple effect that could possibly destroy the entire universe. The Ancients felt compelled to end this war before any of this could happen. The problem was that they couldn’t effect the physical side of the universe.”

Slater was getting angrier by the minute as he said, “The point Hestor! Get to the point!”

Hestor looked as if he’d been slapped as he said sheepishly, “Yes sir. Still getting there.”

He began talking faster obviously aware that Slater was losing patience with him. “Again, according to legend, the disk has the power to destroy an entire galaxy if the possessor so wished. And it is said that the disk contains much of the knowledge of the Ancients and that this knowledge in turn becomes the knowledge of the possessor.”

Now Slater was becoming interested again. Could this thing be real? Could it really be the ultimate weapon? It all sounded so ridiculous and  yet the idea of such a powerful object intrigued him. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that if this thing were real and he didn’t possess it then his entire conquest of the galaxy might be at stake. That if someone else were to possess this artifact then they could end his plans in an instant. But then again, what if the disk wasn’t real and was only some crazy legend passed down between generations.

“Do you know how this disk works?”

Hestor lowered his eyes, afraid that he might anger Slater again and said to the floor, “No sir. The legend only tells of the powerful disk. It doesn’t mention how to use it at all. But I’m sure we could learn once we possess it.”

“And what if this turns out to be nothing?”

Hestor thought about the question for a moment before he replied, “If it’s nothing, then we’ve lost nothing. If on the other hand it is indeed as legend would have it, then I feel we should be the ones to possess it.”

Slater sighed to himself and thought abut the possibilities. He could try to possess the disk without really changing his plans much. After all, time was not a problem for him. Should he lose a week, month or even a year it wouldn’t effect his current plans. This primitive galaxy could be conquered without a set timeline. But if the disk was real and he could figure out how to use it as a weapon then his plans could include other galaxies as well. The possibilities would be limitless.

“Hestor, you say you know where this thing is?”

“Yes sir. Again part of the legend that turned out to be true. When the disk is activated, it sends out a powerful signal. I learned this part of the legend from an inhabitant of one of the worlds that joined us. He even knew the pattern of the signal it would send which adds even more credibility to the legend. He claimed that it would emit a kind of pulsating humming noise that changes in pitch kind of like, MMMMMMMMOOOUUUUUUUU!, MMMMMMMMOOOUUUUUUUU! MMMMMMMMOOOUUUUUUUU!”

Slater stared at Hestor as he moved his head up and down in rhythm to the horrible noise he was making. The sound seemed to tear right through Slater’s skull as he shouted, “Hestor! Would you stop with that horrible noise this instant!”

Hestor stopped immediately. “So sorry sir. I guess I got a little carried away.”

A little carried away? Slater could still feel the sound shooting through his brain. He was really getting tired of this conversation and wanted very badly for it to end.

“Alright Hestor! Can you just get to the point before I vaporize you?!”

Hestor was visibly shaken by the commander’s outburst. All he wanted to do was please Slater and so far it seemed like he might only be antagonizing him. This meeting wasn’t going at all like he’d hoped it would. He decided he’d better be more cautious with the rest of the conversation. Choosing his words as carefully as he could he said, “Well sir. As I said before, on your orders I set up the long range scanners and sent out probes throughout the galaxy to seek out the signal, and yes the scanners found it. I triangulated the readings and came up with the exact planet that these readings came from which in turn means that we have the location of the disk and as luck would have it, good luck that is, it resides within our own galaxy.”