Vanguard Of The Mutants

3: Towards The Stars They Go

"Three. Two. One and lift off of the starship Vellamun!"

The boosters ignited, pushing the giant ship out of its dock with tremendous force. A wave of proud cheering erupted in the command center. The scientists who had worked on this project for so many years finally got to see it launch.

But the joy died down again quickly. As the bright light of the Vellamun's boosters slowly vanished in the distance, Pirene Station started to shut down. The scientists packed their suitcases, many with teary eyes. Soon, the secret service would come to clean up all traces of project Vellamun and turn Pirene into a trading post. Nobody else would ever know what happened here.

Doctor Moreau sat in a lonely corner of the command center. He had taken a seat at the very back, afraid he would break down in tears and cry upon seeing his creations depart. Yet for hours he sat there, looking at it. What would become of them now?

To his own surprise, he did not cry out in pain. Two dragons fought in his heart. One made of pride, telling him not to shed tears, for his children would do what none of these subhumans who ordered their creation ever could. The other dragon, made of grief, cried out to drown himself in tears, for he would never again breathe the same air as his most magnificent creations.

Aine sat next to him, holding his hand as he whimpered quietly, "I hope they'll be alright."

"Don't worry Max," Aine whispered, "They are better prepared for this than anyone else."

The newly married old couple remained in the command center for a while. Everyone around them quietly packed their things. On occasion, some of their former colleagues looked at them with sorrow. Maximillian just sat there, looking at the screen in utter silence with a haunting smile as salty rivers flowed down his cheeks.

Eventually, the lights went off on Pirene. Men in black suits with sunglasses scoured the station, opening computers, taking their hard drives out and packing them into armored suitcases together with numerous USB sticks and discs. Aine and Maximillian could only look at the big screen, even long after the Vellamun had disappeared in the darkness of space.

Then Mister Hatsokovy approached them, "Doctors, your shuttle is ready. The Astari are waiting for you two."

"So we are flying directly to Southampton Island?" Aine asked.

"Yes," Maximillian whimpered, "But the Astari and Imenu prefer to call it by its Inuktituk name, Shugliaq. The new country is called Astarema."

The command center's big screen shut off. The two Doctor Moreaus stood up, leaving Pirene Station for one last time. Doctor Moreau's journey ended in his new home on Astarema, where he and Aine could do naught but wait for messages from the Vellamun.

But the Vellamun's journey had just begun.

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Tapeesa, Valentina, Sheranee and Setanto all sat in their starship's cockpit, strapped to their seats as the ship launched. With the two little Apuas looking at them from inside their transport box and Tacitus flying the ship, the crew could do nothing as the force of the Vellamun's mighty engines pressed them into their seats.

Through the cockpit windows they saw the endless void of space ahead. On a screen, they could see Pirene station, their home, become ever smaller and smaller. Everyone felt a sting in their chest as the rotating wheel faded from view.

But the moon remained behind them in all its silver glory. Looking out the window, they could see Earth as the Vellamun started its first slingshot maneuver around the blue planet. Seeing the vast oceans reminded them of their ship's namesake. Vellamun, dragon god king of the seas from the legendarium Doctor Moreau had written for his creations. He represented the unknown, while his wife Kavijohka, silver dragon of the moon, represented skill and intelligence. Their son Avastaja the explorer, served as the protector of travelers.