Chapter 1. Making PlansI was so excited to be on my way to see Mother and Father again. It had been such a long time, and I had so much to tell them. So much to tell all the Founders. So much promise ahead. But as I drew closer to home, other memories pushed at my thoughts of Mother and Father and the important ways this trip would change the destiny of our people. Memories of a time before the aggression of the war-like solids forced us to retreat to this dark land in the Omarion Nebula, and to keep its location a secret. Before the Founders sent 100 of us out into the galaxy to look for a new home. Memories of the one who had won my heart during those peaceful days so long ago. The one I had to leave when duty called my name. Where is she now? Is she married? Does she have children? Does she ever think of me, or even remember me?
I pushed those thoughts from my mind as I arrived in the Homeland, and went immediately to the place where I had grown up, hoping that Mother and Father still lived there. I was nervous as I knocked at the door. Perhaps I should have alerted them I was coming. But strangers opened the door. A woman I had never seen, an older man with whom I was not familiar. Of course, it had been a long time, and my people can change appearance easily.
"Hello," I said. "I am seeking Cardak and Laya, Founders of the Dominion. If this is no longer their home, perhaps you can tell me where they have gone?"
"Oh! My Son! My Artok! Is it really you?" cried the woman. I looked at her, and the man behind her, but saw nothing familiar in their faces.
"Mother? Father? Is that you?" I asked, tentatively.
"Yes my son, it is us!" responded the woman. "We are so amazed to see you! We have feared for your safety and every day I have dreamed of opening this very door and seeing you standing there! And now here you are, safe and sound, returned to us!" she cried, hugging me tightly.
"With much to tell, I presume," said the man, who apparently was my Father.
"You must be famished," said Mother. "I will make us something to eat. Cardak, show your son in."
"Yes, Father, I do have much to tell. But first, please help me understand your appearance on this day . . . and Mother's also . . . these skins are so different than any I have ever seen on you!"
"Oh, my son," said Father, shaking his head. "Before today, we have heard from only two of the 100 lookouts. Odo was the first to make contact, and ever since we linked with him, and your mother caught site of this Guinan woman in his thoughts, she has been fascinated with her . . . obsessed, actually. It's all "What would Guinan say about that?" and "What do you think Guinan would wear to this event?" and "What would Guinan do?" And when she isn't asking questions like that, she's spouting Guinanisms . . . more like Guinan channeling Yoda - and not in a good way - if you ask me. I'm hoping it will pass, but it's been several months and I still wake up to Guinan's face every morning. I am weary of this Guinan woman without even having met her."
"I see. Well that explains Mother. What about you? What is with the aged appearance and those . . .
ears . . . I've never seen anything quite like those ears!"
Father responded, chuckling, "Well, the aged appearance is to let your Mother know that this Guinan-business is getting old . . . and making me old to boot! And as for the ears . . . Guinan's people are a race of listeners. If your mother insists on trying to look like Guinan and talk like Guinan, I believe she should also try to
listen like Guinan. More listening means less talking. Sometimes your mother needs a reminder of that." Lowering his voice he added, "like every day."
I had to laugh at that. My mother was definitely more of a talker than a listener.
"What do the other Founders think of this appearance of yours?" I asked.
"Oh my word, they don't see me like this! I only use this particular skin at home with your mother. She pretends to ignore it, but I think I'm getting to her."
"You opened the door to me. What if I had been one of the other Founders?"
"My son, surely you do not think me so weak and out of touch that I would not know the instant you arrived back in our world? Of course I knew it was you. If I had changed my appearance, your Mother would have suspected something, and I wanted her to have the wonderful surprise of opening the door and seeing you there. As she said, she has dreamed of that since you left. Besides, I thought you would find this skin amusing. I based it on yours, after all . . . with many more years and much bigger ears, of course."
"Yes, those ears are definitely amusing," I laughed and poked at them.
Cardak chuckled, and then became more serious. "But you are not here to talk about my ears. Tell me what you have found in your travels."
"I will. But first, would you mind shifting to the skin I grew up with? I've been waiting a long time to see that guy again," I said, smiling.
"Of course."
"Oh geez, Father, NO, not that one! That one gave me nightmares!"
"Heh-heh-heh, sorry, couldn't resist," chuckled Father.
"Better?" he asked, after a more-than-necessarily dramatic morph.
"Yes. Thank you. I've missed that face," I said.
"Now, tell me about your adventures, my son," he said gently.
"I have seen much," I told him. "Many places we would not want to go; many beings we do not want to interact with. But I have also found a great world, perfect for our people. We will be welcomed; we will have meaningful work and we will live in peace; we will have children and know that they will live long and prosper; it is all there for us, beautiful houses just waiting for us to move into them."
"What is this world?" asked Father.
"It is called Simlandia," I answered. "It is a large world, with many communities and peaceful inhabitants."
"Tell me of it's communities."
"Oh, there are so many, and they have parks and lakes and beautiful beaches! This world is rich with gems and minerals . . . and the
sunshine! I can't even describe the feeling of being out in the sunshine!"
"There is Sunset Valley - a quiet, peaceful town, with a lovely beach, a beautiful park in the center of town, and many lakes great for fishing. And there is a community called Riverview, where our people can live a quiet, peaceful life near the river, fishing and pursing arts like painting and sculpting and music. And for those who like the nightlife, there is a community called Bridgeport, where the buildings stretch high into the sky, and the disco balls keep the party going all night."
Father looked confused. "Disco balls? What is this . . . disco balls? Is that some kind of being?"
"No, Father, it's not a being," I said. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. What matters is that there are so many wonderful communities in Simlandia! Moonlight Falls, Appaloosa Plains, Twinbrook, Hidden Springs, Starlight Shores, Barnacle Bay . . . I could go on and on!"
"And what of the inhabitants of these communities? How will they react to us?" Cardak asked thoughtfully.
"Oh, that's the best part - they already have so many species living there, we'll fit right in, whatever shape we choose to take!" They have werewolves and vampires, fairies and genies, ghosts and mermaids, even witches. The bland appearance that some Changelings prefer will hardly be noticed, but of course our ability to to take the shape of any of these beings makes it all the easier. And think of the learning opportunity! Our people can choose to live as a genie among genies, as a vampire among vampires, as a fairy among fairies. There is no better way to learn about all of these creatures than to live among them, as one of them. As we link and share what we learn about them, we will all be stronger and better able to blend in wherever we go!" I couldn't help feeling excited as I talked about what this could mean for our people.
Father was pleased. "Very good work, Son! It certainly does sound like a great opportunity. I am
very proud of you."
"We will link with the other Founders tonight and review all you have learned, and then we will make a decision. Now, let's go see what your mother has made for us to eat."
Later, after we'd eaten something Mother called "Guinan's Fave", I prepared for the linking and thought about my people. In the time since we'd retreated to this sunless land, lit only by technology, some had become so filled with anger and hate that they had become aggressive themselves.
That aggression was one of the things the Founders considered that night as I shared my thoughts and experiences with my people through the link. The Founders knew that hate and aggression would destroy us. Our people could only survive if we could find a world where we could be the peace-loving race that we were born to be. They agreed that Simlandia sounded like the place for us.
Of course, the Founders were wise, with a long memory. And they knew that peace is a fragile thing in a world controlled by solids. They knew that eventually we would need to overtake our new communities completely. At first, I felt bad about this - it didn't seem fair to take what they'd built, but I knew the truth of Father's words when he said, "The solids have always been a threat to us; that's the only justification we need."
As they reviewed my memories, the Founders saw that Simlandia was full of families, so they decided to send a male and a female to each of these communities to live among the inhabitants and have families of their own. In addition to having offspring, each couple would be allowed to call other Changelings to their communities, through a process called Cloning. These Changelings would initially appear as a younger duplicate of the Founder who called them, but would ultimately be allowed to take whatever shape they chose in the new world. And when a community no longer had available homes, our offspring and clones would become friends with original inhabitants still living in houses, and would kindly and lovingly convince them to move out.
After the meeting, everyone talked about Simlandia. Many were excited, and there were more wanting to found the new communities than could be accommodated.
The Founders asked everyone interested in going to Simlandia to gather in the square in the morning for the choosing process. The Founders would choose who would go, where they would go, and who would be mated with whom.
I was the only exception. As the discoverer of Simlandia, I was given first choice of communities, and was also given the opportunity to choose my mate.
As I prepared for sleep, I thought about that. I didn't really know anyone here anymore. Still, there was one person . . . one I'd like to have with me . . . working and playing and raising a family. I had sensed her in the link earlier, but there was so much excitement about Simlandia that I wasn't able to get a read on her at all. I didn't know if she would come to the square in the morning; didn't know if I'd recognize her if she did. And if she did come, would she agree to be mated with me? The only thing I knew for sure was that I had very little time to choose a mate to go with me to a new world. And if Aya did not come to the square in the morning, and agree to accompany me, I'd be going with a stranger.
I slept fitfully, my dreams alternating between the hope of a new life with a true love, and the fear of an unhappy union with a disagreeable mate.
The next morning, as we gathered for the choosing, I searched the crowd for Aya. I knew I would only recognize her if she wanted me to, for I had no idea what skin she wore these days. As I searched, my eyes landed on a face of great beauty. It was not a face I recognized, but it was a face that I could not take my eyes from. As I stared, she started walking toward me.
A thought flitted through my mind - something - the walk perhaps? Something seemed familiar, and as I considered that, the face and body began to morph, and then I knew her, even before the change was complete. She smiled as she reached me, looking just as I remembered her, and as she looked into my eyes I knew that my hopes were not in vain. Aya would be going with me - living with me, raising a family with me, sharing a life with me.
When all the traveling Founders were chosen, Father gathered us around to wish us all the best. Some who were staying feared for the safety of their loved ones going to this new world. To them, my Father said, "Do not fear, your loved ones will be safe. They will enter these communities, live quietly among the solids, and become their friends. They will peacefully grow in number, and will call us to join them when the time is right. The solids will leave happily, blissfully even, and we will fill the communities completely. We will be in control, and what we can control can't hurt us."
As the crowd cheered, Father continued, "We are a peaceful people, seeking peace. And we shall have peace! And not just peace! We shall have
DOMINION!!"
I heard that last part, but I was too lost in Aya's eyes to think much about it.
