* * * * * * * * *

CHAPTER 5:

"Repository"

Bubbles emerged from the small waste disposal chamber on Xianea’s ship. She looked green as she leaned dizzily against the bulkhead, trying to keep her balance. "I thought you said…these singlearity jumps…would get easier…"

"They will," Xianea said, from the ship’s controls. "It’ll just take some time."

Blossom and Buttercup were still seated in the passenger seats, but they didn’t look too well, either. Buttercup mumbled, "How are you holding up, Red?"

"Me?" Blossom said, forcing a small smile, "I’m just great…never better…"

Buttercup grinned back, "It’s almost time for breakfast. Whaddaya say we have a nice broiled ilyae root? Wish we were still on Earth, ‘cause we could’ve had bacon, and eggs, and…" Blossom knew what Buttercup was trying to do…and unfortunately, it worked. She covered her mouth and flew out of the seat, soaring past Bubbles into the waste disposal chamber, while Buttercup stifled a laugh.

Bubbles floated over to her seat, and asked, "Xianea…how long before we reach your planet?"

"Not long," she answered. "We’re passing through the outer reaches of Centraxian space now." The past few days had been a rather uneventful journey…they weren’t yet in any heavily inhabited portion of the galaxy. Still, as uneventful as it was, the trip was still interesting, because the girls had shared stories with her about themselves and Earth. Xianea was pleased that the rumors about their planet were true, that it contained a wealth of information, history, and culture.

Blossom finally returned from the waste disposal chamber and sat down in her seat, glaring at Buttercup, who just smirked back. She gave up, and just sat back in her chair, saying, "Hey, could you tell us more about the Centraxians? We want to be as prepared as possible when we get there."

"Certainly," Xianea replied. "Long ago, our planet was dominated by a race of organics that, for one reason or another, decided to obliterate each other in a war. Most of the fighting was done using robots they had created, but eventually carried over into the population itself. One of the final acts of this war was the detonation of a number of nuclear-based devices…it ended up destroying them all, robot and organic alike."

"That’s terrible…" Blossom remarked.

Xianea nodded, "Yes, but it hadn’t destroyed them completely. Thankfully, there were still remnants of the robots across the planet, and plenty of single-celled organisms. We’re not sure how, exactly, but somehow the radiation that was left behind from the nuclear devices caused a mutation in those cells. They fused with the metal and microchips of the robots, and amazingly, a ‘natural’ biomechanical cell was created."

"What do you mean?" Bubbles asked.

Xianea explained, "These cells provided all the same functions as a normal organic cell. It could grow, even divide into other cells. The cell itself, however, was completely mechanical, made of metal and silicon, and with programming instead of DNA. We believe the fragment of programming that was integrated with that first cell came from a recon program…information gathering. Which is why it’s the driving force of our race today."

"But you look like a regular living thing," Buttercup said. "You don’t really look like a robot at all…"

Xianea held out her arm, "Take a closer look. When you explained your powers to me yesterday, you girls mentioned that you have microscopic vision, correct?" Blossom nodded, and peered closely at Xianea’s arm. As she looked, she saw that the cells were arranged and operated much like normal skin cells, but as she looked closer, she was amazed to see that the individual cells themselves were indeed small mechanical constructs, almost like tiny robots.

"Many thousands of years passed from the formation of that first cell," Xianea continued. "The cells that followed grew and prospered across the planet. With the nuclear radiation that was left behind, they had an ample supply of energy to feed on. Eventually, they grew into what we are today."

"Amazing," Blossom said. "You actually evolved?"

"That’s right," Xianea replied. "We had actually also evolved a number of abilities which greatly assisted our search for knowledge. One of the most important was our memories; everything we’ve ever learned is encoded into our ‘genetic’ programming, and passed on to our children. They aren’t able to use much of it unassisted, but with the proper equipment, anyone can tap into this vault and view anything that their predecessors had learned."

"Wow," Bubbles said. "Wish we could do that. We wouldn’t hafta go to school."

"Yes, it is…’handy’, as you would say," Xianea admitted. "It was then that we knew we could fulfill our potential and start searching for ultimate knowledge. To that end, we began setting out across the galaxy, gathering as much information as we could acquire, and compiling it all into one massive storage, the Repository of Knowledge."

A buzz from the control panel alerted her. She started working the controls again, and said, "We’re approaching Centraxia. Prepare for deceleration." The girls got back in their seats and held their breaths. Xianea initiated another singularity, pulling the ship to a stop. Even though the breath was forced out of them again, they had been better prepared for it.

"That wasn’t so bad this time, was it?" Buttercup remarked.

Blossom, though, was too engrossed by the view outside the cockpit to reply. The others looked as well, and were equally spellbound. The planet they were approaching gleamed brightly in the light of the system’s sun…it looked like the entire surface was covered by city. Besides a few areas obscured by clouds, they could see towers extending up into the sky, even at this distance.

The ship slowly descended towards the planet, at the view kept getting even more amazing. The giant buildings, walkways, tunnels, and other structures covered the landscape entirely, and all of it a bright, shining silver. The ship approached one of the tall towers that stuck up above the clouds, which contained a landing platform at the top. It touched down gently.

"I don’t believe it," Buttercup said, still gazing out of the window. "This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! It’s all one giant city?"

"Yes," Xianea said, powering down the ship and getting up to head for the exit. "It took us almost a hundred years to build. That may not seem like a lot of time, but that’s because we’ve learned advanced construction techniques from several other prosperous planets."

They emerged from the ship as she spoke, and stepped out onto the platform. It was wide, large enough for a hundred such ships, but they could still approach the edge and look out over the city far below. Or at least most of it, as there were a few clouds drifting by on one side that blocked their view in that direction. "I don’t know what to say," Blossom said. "This is one impressive planet you have here."

Xianea smiled and said, "I think you’ll find that much more impressive." She pointed in the direction of the clouds, which had begun to drift clear of their view. The girls gasped as they saw what was revealed.

It was an absolutely massive building, in the shape of a diamond standing up on edge. They almost couldn’t grasp the scale of it at this distance, until they could see by the clouds around it that it must be several miles tall. The outer surface was very shiny, almost like a mirror, reflecting the rays from Centraxia’s sun. They were quite far from it, and it still seemed to fill the sky.

"The Repository of Knowledge," Xianea said proudly. "Centraxia’s greatest accomplishment. Everything we have ever learned is stored within, the combined knowledge of countless species across the galaxy…and it is added to, every day."

"Wow…" all three girls said, breathlessly.

Xianea started heading for a lift nearby, "We should proceed directly to the Repository. Everything you’ve told me about Earth needs to be entered, and you can also ask your question."

Blossom nodded firmly, "Right. Let’s do it!" The four of them got onto the lift, which descended towards the grand city below. All three of the girls were excited…this was what they had been waiting for, and now it was finally coming to pass. They were finally getting their opportunity to find out if there was a way to save the Earth after all.

* * *

The Repository loomed overhead as they traveled the remaining distance through the city. They had taken several small transports to reach it, and were travelling the rest of the way on foot. Or rather, Xianea was; the girls just hovered close behind her.

The city was just as amazing up close. Thousands of other Centraxians went about their daily business. They looked a lot like Xianea, except with different markings, or features in slightly different shapes. Like Xianea, as well, they were all friendly. Even the occasional passerby on the street greeted the newcomers to their planet kindly. The girls also noticed that they needed no money to ride the transports, or to do anything else. This was almost a utopian society. Everyone lived and worked in total peace and harmony.

They reached the Repository at last. Several Centraxians, who were standing guard by the doors, glanced warily at the girls, then at Xianea, who nodded back to them. They stood aside and let them pass. Blossom thought their reaction was unusual…so far, it was the only non-friendly reaction anyone had given them here.

As they entered, she explained, "Outsiders are normally not allowed into the Repository." She thought for a moment, trying to come up with a parallel that they would understand, and said, "It’s sort of like ‘holy ground’ to us. A Centraxian can bring in visitors, but only if they can be trusted." She smiled, "And I am certain this is the case with you. You’re very trustworthy."

"Don’t worry," Bubbles said. "We’ll be on our best behavior."

Xianea nodded, and glanced about. The chamber they were walking through lead to another door, and she smiled, "It’s not busy. We’ll be able to just go right in. Are you ready?"

"We’re ready," Buttercup responded. The other girls nodded as well.

"All right," Xianea said, opening the next door. The four of them entered into the main chamber of the Repository. Above them, stretching for a mile, was a large open space, and in the center of it floated a giant crystal…it was transparent and multi-colored, like a prism. It rotated slowly, and the method by which it was staying suspended in the air wasn’t readily apparent to the girls.

While the girls just gaped, Xianea stepped forward into a small circle on the ground and stretched out her hands. She spoke something in Centraxian, "J csjoh lopxmfehf pg qmbofu Fbsui…qmfbtf bee ju up uif Sfqptjupsz." As she finished, a cone of energy beamed down on her from above, surrounding her with a white glow.

After a few moments, the beam stopped, and a deep voice boomed from around them, "JOEPSNBUJPO TUPSFE."

This startled the girls a little, but Xianea smiled, and stepped away from the circle. She motioned towards it, "The Repository will be able to understand you now. Please, step forward and ask your question."

The girls looked at each other. Buttercup said, "Go ahead, Bloss. It was your idea…"

Blossom nodded and stepped forward, into the circle. Looking up at the crystal, she felt a little overwhelmed by it, but she gathered herself and spoke, "Repository…our planet, Earth, was destroyed by a collision with a giant asteroid. Is there a way we can bring our planet back from destruction, as it was before the disaster?"

The voice boomed again, this time in English, "PROCESSING QUESTION." A few seconds passed, and it began to speak again, "GIVEN: PLANET DESTRUCTION BY CELESTIAL COLLISION, PLANET INHABITED BY LIVING CREATURES, PLANET RECONSTRUCTION DESIRED WITHOUT LOSS OF PLANETARY LIFE."

Blossom nodded, but didn’t say anything. It paused for another few seconds and continued, "THERE IS INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A DEFINITIVE ANSWER. NO CONFIRMED METHOD EXISTS FOR THE REVERSAL OF AN EVENT OF THIS MAGNITUDE."

Blossom hung her head sadly, and the other girls did as well. Bubbles whispered softly, "At least…we tried…"

The voice continued, though, "ONE UNCONFIRMED METHOD EXISTS, CLASSIFIED AS LEGEND. CHANCE OF LEGEND’S EXISTANCE BASED ON CONFIRMED DATA IS FIFTY-TWO PERCENT. CHANCE OF RELIABILITY OF METHOD ASSUMING CONFIRMATION OF LEGEND IS NINETY-EIGHT PERCENT."

What? Blossom thought. There’s some kind of legend? Well, at least a legend is better than nothing…and it still might be the solution to our problem! "Repository," she called out. "What is this legend?"

"THE OMEGA PARTICLE," the voice replied. "THE LEGEND DESCRIBES THAT A POWERFUL OBJECT CALLED THE OMEGA STONE WAS CREATED BY AN ANCIENT GALACTIC RACE. IT HELD THE POWER TO SHAPE THE UNIVERSE HOWEVER THE POSSESSOR WISHED. EACH WISH THAT WAS MADE UPON IT CAUSED THE STONE TO BECOME SMALLER, UNTIL FINALLY AFTER THOUSANDS OF SUCH WISHES, THE STONE HAD BEEN REDUCED TO THE SIZE OF A MERE PARTICLE, WITH ONLY A SINGLE USE REMAINING."

The four of them listened with interest as the voice continued the story, "NOT WANTING TO SQUANDER THE FINAL WISH, AS THEY HAD FOOLISHLY SQUANDERED THE PREVIOUS ONES, THE ANCIENT RACE TOOK THE OMEGA PARTICLE AND HID IT SOMEWHERE ONLY THEY KNEW OF. UNFORTUNATELY, THE LAST OF THEIR RACE SUPPOSEDLY DIED OUT LONG AGO, WITHOUT REVEALING THE PARTICLE’S LOCATION."

"So then," Blossom asked, "How could we ever find it?"

"IT REMAINS POSSIBLE THAT A WAY TO DISCOVER THIS LOCATION EXISTS," the voice answered. "MANY STORIES, RUMORS AND LEGENDS EXIST ABOUT THE OMEGA PARTICLE, AND THEY MAY CONTAIN CLUES TO ITS WHEREABOUTS. SUGGESTED STARTING POINT: THE HKRATTH LIBRARY ON THE HKRATTH HOMEWORLD. ONE OF THE ORIGINAL CREATORS OF THE OMEGA STONE LEFT A JOURNAL THERE, BUT THE TERRITORIAL NATURE OF THE HKRATTH PREVENTED THE ACQUISITION OF THE DATA WITHIN THE LIBRARY BY THIS REPOSITORY."

Blossom smiled, and said, "Thank you!" She stepped back off of the circle and flew over to the other girls, who seemed just as excited as she felt. "Do you know what this means?!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Buttercup answered. "If we find this Omega Particle, we can bring the Earth back! Who cares if we gotta look all over the place to find it? It’s worth it!"

"So let’s go!" Bubbles said. "To this…hhhk…hkr…"

Blossom helped, "Hkratth Library?"

"Yes! To the Hkratthhhh Library," Bubbles sputtered.

As they walked out of the main chamber of the Repository, Xianea said, "I’m happy that you’ve found a possible solution to your problem. Hopefully, the legend will turn out to be true. Well, whatever the case, I wish you luck on your journey, wherever it may take you…"

"What?" Buttercup said. "Aren’t you coming with us?"

"No…I must continued my studies here on Centraxia," Xianea replied. "I still have much data to analyze."

"But…we don’t have a ship," Bubbles said. "We don’t even know how to fly a ship…"

"Yes, and besides," Blossom added, "don’t you want to get all the stuff that’s in the Hkratth Library? I’m sure it’d make a great addition to the Repository…"

"Hmm…" Xianea said, thoughtfully. "That it would…it’s something we’ve been trying to obtain for years. They don’t like outsiders in their boundaries, so we’ve had no luck so far. But…if you somehow manage to make it there, it would yield a substantial amount of data." She nodded, "All right, you’ve convinced me. I’ll help you out however I can."

"Yay!" the girls said together, all three of them hugging Xianea…she was surprised a little by this, but then smiled again. She walked the rest of the way out of the Repository, carrying the girls with her…

* * *

Back on the ship, the girls waited for Xianea, who walked in carrying a box filled with small devices and other objects. "I’ve gathered the supplies we need," she said. "We can begin our trip now."

Blossom flew up to get a better look inside the box, and asked, "What are those?"

"A few things to help you out," Xianea explained. Setting the box down, she lifted three small cylindrical objects out. "I’m going to attach these to your spacesuits. They’re air recyclers…they’ll be able to take the carbon dioxide you breathe out and convert it back into oxygen for you, effectively giving your suits an unlimited air supply…at least, as long as the twenty-year power supply for the device holds out."

"That’s great!" Buttercup said. "What else?"

She pulled six tiny object out of the box…each was smaller than a dime. She handed two to each one of them, and said, "These are translation devices. Put one inside each of your ears. They’ll allow you to understand and speak any language."

Blossom and Buttercup carefully pushed their hair aside and put the devices into place. Bubbles, though, handed them back to Xianea and said, "That’s all right, I don’t need them…"

"Of course, I’m sorry…I forgot," Xianea said, smiling. She unloaded the rest of the box, "More food for the trip. I admit, such food is scarce on Centraxia, but we’ve had some imported from other worlds for any visitors that come here."

"Great…it looks like we’re all set, then!" Blossom said.

Xianea headed over to the ship controls and said, "Indeed…let’s go. We’ll have a number of checkpoint stations to pass before we reach the Hkratth homeworld, but it shouldn’t be too long of a trip. Ready?"

The girls finished attaching the air recyclers to their spacesuits, and quickly flew back to their seats, "All set!" Bubbles said.

Xianea nodded, and initiated the launch sequence. The ship lifted off from the platform and soared up into the sky. The girls gave one last look at the Repository of Knowledge before the ship cleared the atmosphere and initiated a singularity jump, starting on its way towards the heart of the galaxy…