World Builders

Second attempt at an opening page.

Helspa,  not large in comparison with the majority of life supporting planets, had a diameter of four thousand miles. Natural evolution had created large landmasses that were divided only by a single salt-water ocean, Hasper Prime, and a number of fresh water land-bound lakes. A solitary mountain range drifted across her dry land from snow-capped giants in the North to a sprinkling of hills in the East. Distance rather than biological barriers separated the indigenous peoples. A problem, though once conquered, that had upsetting consequences. 

Humans congregating together for mutual benefit rapidly increased in numbers outgrowing their water supply. The need for trapping water soon took precedence over all other considerations and the man-made fresh water sea of Hasper Minor with its numerous tributaries was created. Unlike the benevolent ‘Mother of Life’ Hasper Minor remained a violent and treacherous youngster. Her crater was unstable. Large upheavals took place often close to the shorelines causing uncontrollable flooding. Shortage of water was no longer a problem, but rather the overabundance of it soon caused a loss of living space. Still, even with the advent of space travel, the people of Helspa had no desire to resettle so strict laws of propagation remained intact.

Cabrea of the DeDiann sang loudly in time to his running feet. "Son of battle and danger.” His Exercisemate speeded up and slowed according to its predetermined program. "Can you trust the stranger?” His breath came faster but his lung capacity easily compensated so his voice never faltered. A sharp citrus scent from the sweat that peppered his flesh mingled amiably with pumped-in pine and heather smells, enhancing the outdoorsy effect of the closed-in chamber. Two gloriously orange-crested emerald parrots chatted on a low Maple branch, while higher above in the trees a pair of Morning Doves cooed to each other. Created for his pleasure, Cabrea appeared to be running through miles of grasslands, while in reality he remained in one small area.

The surfaces within his cubical had been coated with several layers of liquid reflection allowing him the perfect view of his naked body. In his armpits and below his tight belly the body hair was as curly, crisp, and wheat colored as any onetime birthed of his clan.  Smooth unblemished skin, allowed only the barest kiss of tanning, fit snugly over sculptured muscles and bones. After several lifetimes, the DeDiann still enjoyed his sensuous flesh and the warmth of the blood flowing through his veins. His forehead now measured twenty inches up from the tip of his nose, caused by the cranial enlargement required to accommodate his multiple-brain. Still, he had not gone bald. For this he was required to thank his ancestors. He did each time he brushed the golden mane that grew naturally on his head. Fueled by humorous thoughts, his lavender eyes brightened to lilac.

A Face to Face. He laughed out loud. The Bonsigh Witch was up to her tricks.  Lovely Cray never admitted it, but Cabrea had guessed before their second life cycle, that the Bonsigh Witch deliberately called the face-to-face sessions. There was no doubt one of Cray's reasons was to force their colleague Meath of the O'Enra to put his neglected body into some semblance of a human shape.

In his mind the DeDiann now pictured the O'Enra.  The idea of that over-fed blob of fat cells and unused muscles wiggling on an Exercisemate, whimpering for the machine to be gentle, increased Cabrea's amusement. They had been competitive youngsters during primary school and hadn’t cared for one another then. And so while the O'Enra possessed intelligence equal to if not surpassing his own, the DeDiann still took extreme pleasure in ridiculing his associate. It was not because Cabrea was intentionally cruel; it was just Meath was so uncommonly easy to tease.

The boisterous music began to slow into a ballad as the program created the cooling down atmosphere. Cabrea spread his body on the Transporter that disengaged from the main machine and moved towards the far wall. The wall folded in on itself as he drew near, the opaque colors became translucent and then spread out disclosing the white beach and melon green waters of the bay.  The first of the planet's suns was rising to the east. Mist filled the air as powerful suction from the blue-white giant drew water from the oceans to create the clouds of the morning sky. The second sun, a small golden sphere rising in the west, followed to splash shades of color across the pale horizon and bathe the land and water in glittering light. This natural phenomenon, more attractive than any artificial display, was an enjoyment this DeDiann never intentionally missed.

His new 'Womb' had just been issued assuring him of yet another lifetime. Cabrea was spending this final year of his present life engaging in activities he wouldn’t normally attempt. Before noonday he often found himself wandering the ‘olden time’ city streets.  He found pleasure in watching the onetime birthed—especially their rowdy children.