Chapter 21 (Contact)

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 thinking 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, and 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 preformed 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 preformed 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 agape, 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 past! 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 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 out cropping 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 changed 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 power problem.” Opening his hand like paw 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 factures 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 of the equipment there.” Ambrose told him.

Skylos thought a moment then nodded. “It will delay the hull facture 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 that 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 got large 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 though felt was impossible.

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

Looking at Roth’s serious face caused Ambrose to laugh longer. This of course scared Roth that Ambrose might have lost his mind.

Suddenly quelling his laughter Ambrose turned to his friend and knight. “I am fine though I am so unsure. I just finished with scans of you three, plus a detailed analysis of my blood. You might remember when I was a cub that outbreak of the bleeding paw disease?”

Roth’s eyes got wide as he nodded, “As I remember thousands died on all worlds. If I remember right it was your father’s doctor that found a remedy for it. It took mostly the young, and then suddenly struck those past adolescent age. Are you telling me that we all have bleeding paw disease? That’s Impossible! All are immune now!”