//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8:  The Fated Meeting and the End of the Beginning. 
// Story: The Conversion Bureau EarthGate Saga:  Through the EarthGate 
// by Dolphy Blue Drake 
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The trio of Protean Terrans exchanged glances with General Perkins, who silently nodded.  The four of them climbed down the steps into a heavily-reinforced underground complex.

“What is this place?” Perkins asked in confusion.

“It’s the Federal Bunker!  It has to be!” Henry exclaimed.  I’ve heard about it, but I’ve never seen it until now!”

“You are correct,” the male voice from before replied as a man in camouflage-patterned robotic armor approached.  “Follow me.  You must speak with President Gray Eye at once!”

The man beckoned for them to follow, so the group of four started chasing him as he dashed through the immense underground complex, past military bunkers, civilian living quarters, the Congressional chambers, the Supreme Court’s relocated facilities, and even deeper into the complex until reaching the Executive Offices, which also served as the dwelling place for the First Family.

Secret Service agents tried to stop the soldier from bursting into an office they were guarding, but he shoved them aside and forced the door open, revealing the current President of the United States of America’s underground.  As was traditional, he was dressed in a black business suit, and he wore a lapel pin of the U.S. flag.  By his skin tone, he was an American of native descent, but tribe can’t be determined just by looking at a man.

The President scowled at the soldier who had interrupted him, and looked like he was about to yell at him when he noticed the four others with him, especially General Perkins and Henry Williams.

“Henry Williams?” the President gasped.  “But they potioned you before you could escape to your private bunker!  They turned all of Willcorp’s facilities into sites to manufacture more of the potion as well as producing other ways to break down our defenses!  How are you human again?  And who’s the blue lady?  How is that skin even possible?”

“I’m not human, Mr. President,” Henry said with a shake of his head.  “The three of us did have our humanity restored, but we were then artificially evolved to a state beyond human.  General Perkins here is from the civilization who gave us our salvation.”

“Mister President, it is such an honor to meet you,” General Perkins said with great reverence.  “I am General Natalia Perkins of the Clerisiac army.  Our leader came here a little over two weeks ago hoping to reestablish contact with the great nation that sent our ancestors to the cosmos more than six millennia ago, but all he found was the newfoal settlement that had sprung up in the place of the grand District of Columbia.  Now that we know the state Earth is in, we have turned to military tactics to liberate all of Earth and restore the legendary cradle of the human race.”

“Wait, six thousand years ago?” the President asked in confirmation.  “Who are you?”

“I’d rather our great leader, whose family has led us in pursuit of the dream to return to our roots during those six thousand years tell you himself,” Perkins said while pulling a communications device from a pocket in her armor.  I’ll set up a channel for you two to talk face-to-face, even if the divide between us is slightly more than eight light years.”

After pushing a few buttons on the device, a three-dimensional holographic display appeared in the room, projecting the words:  ESTABLISHING A SECURE CHANNEL.  PLEASE WAIT.

Within seconds, the display changed to an image of the man who inspired hope into all of Clericorum:  Chimeron Joe dan Bohr CI.

“General Perkins?” the Chimeron exclaimed.  “What’s going on?”

“Mr. Chimeron, there’s someone you need to meet,” Perkins said with pride.  “We’ve found the President.”

Noticing the man staring back at him in disbelief, the Chimeron dropped to his knees, unable to contain his joy, tears flowing from his eyes as he gazed upon the President of the United States.

“Mr. President, you have no idea how great of an honor this is for me to speak with you at this moment,” the Chimeron said with even greater reverence than General Perkins had used.  “My people and their forebears have waited six thousand years to finally speak with the man or woman in your position.  I am Chimeron Joe dan Bohr CI of the Proteocracy of Clericorum.  May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

“I am President Waya Gray Eye of the United States of America,” the President replied.  “Where are you?  Why did you desire to speak to me so badly?”

“Clericorum is one of seven nations in the Lalande 21185 system, a little over eight light years from Earth.” the Chimeron replied as he slowly rose back to his feet.  “Four of the nations have human ancestry, while the other three have klackon ancestry from their own homeworld of Kholdan.  But we have merged our biologies to become the pinnacle of human and klackon development:  Proteus Sapiens, or simply Proteans.

“As for why I’m so touched and honored to speak with you,” the Chimeron continued, wiping tears from his eyes as he returned his gaze to the American leader, “Our human ancestors left Earth six thousand five years ago in a colony ship bound for Alpha Centauri.  Your nation is the one who sent them on that fateful journey.”

“But contact was lost, and apparently they never reached Alpha Centauri!” President Gray Eye exclaimed.  “Aren’t you furious with us for not trying to locate you?”

“We never once were angry with those who sent our forebears into space,” Chimeron dan Bohr replied with a shake of his head.  “At first, our people wanted to abandon Funestis entirely and return to Earth, but over time, we’ve grown to love our people’s new home, and as we grew more and more advanced, we instead wanted to share the gifts of our knowledge with you.

“Earth is much closer than Kholdan,” dan Bohr continued, “So even those descended from the klackons wanted to make contact with Earth, to combine the knowledge of the Solarian nations with that of the Lalandean ones and devise a way for Pun Elleco, Jildan, and Det Pinra to contact their ancestors’ world as well.  We want to establish a peaceful inter-system relationship between our three star systems where the exchange of knowledge, commodities, wealth and ideas flow freely between us.

The Chimeron continued his message to the President with a mixture of joy and sorrow filling his voice.  “The greatest gift we wanted to give you was the gift of being Protean beings, but when we arrived and found no one but former humans and their oppressors, we were heartbroken.  We thought our long-held dream had been dashed to pieces.  But after taking three newfoals back through the EarthGate we opened and to Clericorum, we discovered that we are able to undo the process that robbed them of their humanity and free will.  We then gave them the gift of Proteanhood, and now they are working with us.  Due to us discovering the secrets of Total Immunity some time ago, we have combined it with Protean artificial evolution to create a people who can shift form at will, are free from disease, and display no signs of aging.  The immunity even blocks the effects of the potion, for the ponies tried to use it on us, and it had no effect at all.

“But we have finally contacted the nation of our forefathers, and I am very grateful for this moment, President Gray Eye,” dan Bohr said with a huge smile full of hope, hiding no worry whatsoever.  “Now, if I may ask, I have noticed that you are of native descent.  Could you tell me your tribe?”

“I see,” Gray Eye chuckled.  “Your people have been gone for so long that you no longer recognize a Cherokee name when you hear one?  Well, I am of Cherokee descent.  I look forward to meeting you in person someday, Chimeron dan Bohr.  Farewell for now.”

“Farewell,” dan Bohr replied happily before the connection was cut.

“We have more to explain, but may we take seats?” Natalia requested.  After Gray Eye motioned to a set of chairs against the wall across from his desk, the four Proteans took seats and began to explain in detail all that had transpired up to and including the liberation of the site of the District of Columbia.


Corporal Zachary Jenkins continued to hurl insults at the armored mare holding him captive as he tried to escape her grip.  No matter what he said, he couldn’t anger her, and no matter how hard he tried to break free using his armor’s ability to redistribute its mass, he couldn’t break her hold.

“Stop squirming,” the mare giggled as they continued to travel north.  “My magic is too strong for you to escape, you know.”

“You frickin she-dog!” Jenkins shouted.  “You’ll pay for this!  If you don’t want all Hell to rain down on you when they come to rescue me, you’ll release me this instant!”

“How cute,” the mare gushed.  “He thinks his friends are going to save him!  Hold onto your delusions for as long as you can, young man, for pretty soon, that’s all you’ll have left.”




END OF BOOK 1