you saying that Telluric’s largest continent doesn’t look like a huge rattlesnake swimming across a river when viewed from space?” Ogima asked.
“All I’m saying is there’s no need to be over-dramatic about it,” Rayan stated.
“Rayan,” Tadashi said, exasperated. “This landmass twists and turns, encircling half the globe and is two thousand miles wide at its head and a thousand miles across the body, with a hundred miles of volcanic rock at its end that represents the snake’s rattle. That’s why the Redskin Clan calls it Snakeisles?”
“Tadashi, my fine friend,” Rayan replied kindly. “All I’m saying is stop trying to attribute some sort of cosmic purpose to the shape of the continents.”
“It is fascinating though,” Sabir commented, “how your Whiteskin Clan named Telluric’s second largest continent Sewati (bear with claws), Rayan.”
“I’ll admit it does look like a huge white shaggy bear with its claws outstretched, sleeping on that frozen wasteland when viewed from space,” Rayan stated, then laughing, said, “At least we won’t cook in a tropical jungle that looks like a giant butterfly, Sabir, that’s too hot for my taste. You Darkskins can have it.”
“It’s amazing just how much it resembles a butterfly. The body of the butterfly is a mountain range that stretches four thousand miles in length and a thousand miles in width. The wings are tropical jungles of immense size that are so dense in places no one can enter and the beach surrounding the jungle is fine white sand. Oh no, Rayan, we of the Darkskin Clan are more than happy; that’s why we named it Aponi (butterfly),” Sabir finished.
“What about the Yellowskin Clan, Tadashi? Your continent looks like a dragon with smoke and flames coming from its mouth. Are your people content with your dragon land?” Ogima asked.
“Yes, thank you, Ogima, we love the fact it’s in the shape of a dragon,” Tadashi affirmed. “It may be the smallest continent in comparison to the others on Telluric. However, except for the head of the dragon, which is uninhabitable due to the volcano activity, the rest is all prime agricultural land with lakes, rivers, forests and broad plains. Our clan named this continent Eithne (fiery one),” Tadashi explained.
TOUCHDOWN
The Redskins were the first clan elected to land. Approaching Telluric in a gentle arc, the landing craft aligned its gravitational engines with the planet’s natural forces, allowing it to slip effortlessly through Telluric’s atmosphere. Descending through the night skies it circled the planet quietly and headed towards Snakeisles’ largest landmass and the light of day.
The spacecraft traversed a range of snow-peaked mountains and gradually descended over the other side, passing over an enormous waterfall that cascaded from the mountaintop to drop into a basin eight hundred feet below. A river stretched out from the lagoon across a lush open plain as far as the eye could see.
The craft silently touched down four hundred feet from the river’s source. A gentle hum of the extending ramps descending from the side of the spacecraft was the first unnatural sound to be heard by Telluric’s first inhabitants. People streamed through the open doorways and down the ramps only to halt spellbound at the sight of the mountain before them.
Glistening silver in the sun’s rays stood an eight-hundred-foot angel with wings outstretched. The formation of the mountain face, coupled with the flow of water spilling down its sides, gave the outward appearance of an angel welcoming them to their new home. So it was that the Redskin Clan named their first settlement of Snakeisles, Angeni (spirit angel).
With its high snow-peaked mountain ranges, deep valleys, rugged countryside, magnificent forests and sweeping plains, Snakeisles contained some of the finest farming and agricultural land on all of Telluric. Angeni was also home to the Woodlands and was the Snakeisles’ seat of parliament.
The Whiteskin clan was the second to touch down. The spring thaw had arrived by the time they landed and the once barren white plains and snow-covered mountain ranges had been transformed with the new growth of Spring. The mountains that formed the body of the bear were now a lush forest. Waterfalls tumbled from the rocky slopes to the valleys and rivers below that led across the open plains sown with a rich harvest of wild oats. Riddled throughout the mountains were subterranean caverns that provided a safe place to live. Deep volcanic vents kept the people warm with hot mineral springs for bathing. The Whiteskins chose the largest cavern to establish their legislative body and named their first city of Sewati, Teangi (earth).
The Yellowskins had requested to be last to settle so the Darkskins happily landed on their tropical paradise. They chose for their landing site the headland at the base of the head of the butterfly. Shaped like a crescent moon, a river ran through its centre to empty into a large bay cupped on either side by mountains; it provided the perfect place for their first settlement. The Yellowskins called their first capital of Aponi, Heli (sun), for it is on this continent that the sun shines the longest and hottest.
The Yellowskin Clan had chosen the smallest continent on Telluric. However, it was still a considerable size. The head of the dragon continent was approximately four hundred miles square, with a huge bubbling red mud pit representing the dragon’s eye. Steam vents formed the dragon’s nostrils and a smouldering volcano that had at one time erupted from its side formed the dragon’s mouth, sending gaseous substance skyward. The dragon’s neck was a lush plateau one mile above sea level, two hundred miles wide and five hundred miles long connecting to a rectangular-shaped body. The body was six thousand miles of prime farming land that travelled across a broad expanse to reach the dragon’s tail which was fifty miles wide, twisting up and around, resting just behind the dragon’s head. The Darkskins formed their colony at the base of the dragon’s neck and called their capital city and seat of parliament Nandali (fire).
ANTARES
Once the populace was settled on Telluric, Ogima called a meeting in Antares’ wardroom with the other clan leaders to discuss a crew for Antares.
“Antares,” Ogima began, “how would you like us to proceed with the recruiting of your crew?”
“First thing would be a captain, I suppose?” Antares ventured.
“Excuse me, Antares,” Sabir interjected. “But the captain’s position is already taken.”
“Really! By whom?” Antares asked, shocked.
“You, of course,” Sabir answered.
“Me!” Antares responded in surprised.
“No one knows the functions of this ship better than you!” Sabir stated. “Some of those new systems you had installed before we left Cadby are beyond our most qualified personnel.”
“The clan leaders have given this matter a great deal of thought, Antares,” Ogima intervened. “It was unanimously decided that there was only one candidate worthy of captaincy – you.”
“I thank you, gentlemen for your vote of confidence,” Antares began. “However, how will the crew react to a woman captain who is also the ship?”
“Excuse me!” Rayan hollered. “If they don’t like it, you don’t hire them. It’s that simple.”
“This is your command and the crew do as they’re ordered!” Tadashi exclaimed.
“Antares,”
