Blasen Goals

Location: AEWYZ (Blasen Homeworld)

Danzig brought Gruff into the transparent cube. After a few minutes, the side of the cube closed and it took off. Three days later, the cube landed on the Blasen homeworld. The cube opened to a vast and wondrous world. The sky was a pale lavender. The grass had more of a yellow tint. Two suns lay close to the horizon. One blood red. The other a light orange. It seems that one was going down while the other was coming up.

Gruff was in awe of the vast difference from his own world. He couldn't understand the differences of this new world. He was more amazed when he saw wild animals running through the heart of the Blazen city.

The uniqueness of the Blasen had worn off. A week ago, Gruff would have called you crazy if you talked about tigers who walked on their hind feet. Thena gain, he wouldn't have believed you if you had said that there were people living on other worlds. The uniqueness of the situation had definitely worn off.

Gruff had taken this journey as a goodwill gesture from Zernff to Blasen. As the prince of the Bugbears, Gruff was taking quite the chance. This could all go very badly. What if Danzig had planned this as a ruse to kidnap Gruff and try to ransom him off? What could the Bugbears possibly offer people who were able to fly between the stars?

As Gruff continued to survey the city, Danzig and his Blasen companions had left him alone. They understood that this was a great shock to the Bugbear. There was so much information to absorb in such a short time. Gruff walked around to the back of the cube.

Ten feet behind the cube a large circular object looked to have been carved out of a huge rock. Strange markings covered the circle. Gruff wondered about the markings, but his simple curiosity was the least of his concerns right now. He wanted to know what the Blasen wanted with his people. He had questions to ask.

The time for questions came soon enough. Danzig stepped behind Gruff. Twenty minutes had passed since they had landed.

“Spectacular, isn't it?” Danzig asked.

“Beyond words,” Gruff replied.

“I know you have many questions,” Danzig said. “If you'll follow me, I'll do what I can to answer your questions.”

Danzig and three robed Blasen escorted Gruff inside a large skyscraper. They took a series of escalators and moving sidewalks up twelve stories above the ground. They came to a very large conference room. In the middle of the room a large table was spread with some of Gruff's favorite foods from Zernff.

Danzig invited Gruff to take a seat at the table. The other Blasen looked disgusted with the vegetarian choices. The Blasen, like their primitive tiger cousins, were carnivores. Not having meat was a Blasen's worst nightmare. They'd rather eat sticks than some of the stuff on the table.

Gruff was delighted. The cube had very little for his vegetarian conscience. He had found things that worked, but it hadn't been filling. Three days with very little food made him famished. His questions disappeared as his stomach took over his entire body.

The Blasen watched in curious observation as Gruff devoured much of the food on the table. While Bugbears didn't have the typical appetite of a full-grown Blasen, Gruff was putting away his fair share of food.

When Gruff had enough to eat, Danzig sat down across from him. The other three Blasen stood near the walls. Danzig asked, “How was the food? Satisfactory?”

“Very good,” Gruff answered. “I had wondered about food after the trip.”

“I apologize for their not being much food to your liking on the cube,” Danzig said. “We thought we had researched your eating habits sufficiently. We made sure that there was plenty once we got here.”

“You said something about answering questions,” Gruff said.

“Direct,” Danzig answered. “I like that. What's your first question?”

First question. Gruff had to figure out how to prioritize his questions. After a moment's thought, the first question became obvious. “How many worlds have you traveled to?”

“Three,” Danzig answered truthfully. “You are the third planet we've flown to. The second populated one. Fifteen years ago, we landed as we did on your world on a savage planet. It started a decade-long war that nearly destroyed our planet. This city is the only civilization that went unscathed in the interstellar war.”

“What made you come to Zernff after that experience?”

“We know that there are many other worlds that aren't as bad,” Danzig replied. “The structure you saw in the midst of our city is a gateway to other worlds. We've traveled to dozens of worlds through it. We have many allies on other worlds that helped us defeat the Drow.”

“So there was a more likely good experience from this gateway,” Gruff replied. “My next question concerns your statement on Zernff. You said you had been watching my people for a while. Have you had one of your cubes orbiting our world?”

“No,” Danzig answered. “I was surprised initially when you stared unknowingly at the gateway. There is a similar gateway in the woods a couple miles away from where we landed. We've had several spies on your world for months. They've been watching from the outskirts of your settlement.”

“So,” Gruff asked, “you knew that it would be a safe landing on our world. Why not just go through the gateway?”

Danzig thought for a moment. Which version of the truth to tell? What would Gruff most likely want to hear? He finally said, “The effect. We figured that coming in with a show of technology and force that you'd be less likely to oppose us and our goals.”

“What are your goals?” Gruff asked. “What do you want from us?”

“We want you to see that you're not alone in the universe,” Danzig said. “We want to help you find your place in the great cosmic economic plain.”

“You've got to be kidding me,” Gruff said. “That's it?”

Danzig shrugged. “You wanted something more sinister? We're just looking to help Zernff take the next step.”

“What is the next step,” Gruff asked, “in YOUR opinion?”

“Teaching you to use the portal. You become part of the greater picture. You look outside yourselves.”

Gruff cocked his head to the side. “You have given me a lot to think about. I will consent to returning to Zernff through the portal.”

With that, Gruff and Danzig got up from the table and headed to the portal.