Crewed mostly by half-breed Vartan-felines, but with a few full-blooded Vartans – and entirely unrelated Eeee – this airship makes its way toward a truly legendary destination: Paradys. It has made a few stops along the way with no practical purpose other than as part of some unexplained plan to throw off any possible pursuers, and here and there can be found plenty of talismans and warding devices … having no inherent magic whatsoever, but supposedly useful as wards against scrying magic of at least casual potency.

Zoltan carefully raises a little boy cub up in his arms and points at a cloud, "What shape does that one look like?" he whispers in his son's ear.

Enos squints his eyes, and ponders, then says, "SKOOWARE!" He's been "mastering" that shape as of late … and, perhaps not surprisingly, anything that doesn't easily fit itself into the other categories that he knows of … falls into that category. Including his sister, to her consternation.

Pouncer can be heard dashing across the deck, squealing loudly … Star in pursuit. Pouncer evidently sees this as a game of hide-and-go-seek, but Star's expression suggests otherwise. The kids have been getting pretty excited, what with a real "adventure" to break away from Temple Scout school for a while … and Pouncer, alas, has been getting a bit out of hand, despite her usually fairly well-behaved demeanor.

Herbir just snorts at the scene. It's his response to so many things. Probably his way of saying, "Boy, am I glad this isn't my problem."

The Vartan eyes the cloud and then ruffles the cub's head-fur up with his beak. Upon seeing the twin blurs of spotted fur rush past, he sighs and sets Enos down, moving to help Star corner the hyperactive cub.

Pouncer sees Zoltan coming … and just laughs and slips behind a stack of barrels. Star stands on the other side, faced with an uncertain decision – Pursue to the right, and Pouncer runs to the left. Pursue to the left, and Pouncer runs to the right. Go over, and … well, that wouldn't be a good idea. And, of course, if the standoff remains too long, Pouncer could simply head off straight away from the barrels, getting a head start as Star has to run around them to get to her. Of course, cheetahs are great sprinters … but Pouncer has the "size" advantage … and too often her cuteness has meant that a well-meaning crewmember might conspire not to go out of his way to point out her hiding place. Just so long as she doesn't get in their way, of course.

"Pouncer, the deck of an airship is no place for you to be running madly about. Either you calm down and stop running, or you'll be having dinner by yourself tonight. You're better behaved than this." Zoltan puts his hands on his sides and taps a hoof. "Now come here."

At first, Pouncer's kitten mind doesn't seem to register that playtime is over. Star braces to make a grab for Pouncer while the kitten is distracted, but she pauses, uncertain. Pouncer gives another look to Zoltan, and sees that he's not smiling in amusement at her antics. She looks to Star, and doesn't see smiles there, either. Pouncer's shoulders slump, and she sulkily drops her head and pads over to Zoltan.

Herbir watches the whole exchange attentively from his vantage-point, despite his earlier "not my problem" airs.

Zoltan kneels down and picks up the cub, patting her head. "Thank you. I promise that we'll do lots of running together on Paradys, but Auntie Star might not be any fun if she gets all of her running out here on the ship instead of saving it up. Remember how I told you about how we have to play more gently with Master Nicodemus than with your brother or me? Well, sometimes we have to remember to play that way with the grown ups as well." He pauses to wink at the cheetah and lets his face fall into a smile. "We'll be there soon. Why don't you cloud-watch with Enos and I? I saw one cloud that looked like a big pink hummer bug earlier."

Pouncer's eyes brighten at the mention of a "hummer bug". "Okay!" she scrawks.

Herbir shakes his head disapprovingly, let's out a hiss-like sigh through his beak, and starts to wander further across the deck.

Star casts a glance – and a frown – at Herbir's departing form.

The younger Vartan motions for Star to join them and then points out across the deck towards the skies. "That one… Ithink that's what one of your bugs looks like after you put them in the book." He lets a hand drop behind his back. "Need a moment to talk to father… keep cubs busy for me with clouds?"

Out of the corner of his eye, the Vartan can see a head nod … and a held hand-sign that looks like it might be "Caution" … as Star walks up to join the cubs. Pouncer casts her a sheepish look as she approaches.

"BAW!" cries out Enos, pointing at a lone floating bubble melon. No, not a waashu, thank goodness.

"What do you think, Star… Does that one look like a Kujaku or a Creen?" Zoltan nudges the Savanite closer. "I'm going to see if Pa-Papa wants to join us. I'll be back in a bit and I'll try to bring something to drink for us when I come back. Sound good?"

Pouncer enthusiastically cries out, "Yeah!" and Enos nods in agreement … then points at the cloud. "Kuku!" Pouncer immediately disagrees. "No, it's all snakey! It's a Creen! Or … it was!" she scrawks.

Nodding at the momentary bit of peace, the Vartan heads out across the deck after his father.

Herbir stands at the aft end of the deck, looking out through one of the large openings between the wide supports that attach the "cradle" deck to the envelope. Unlike "traditional" airships, this craft has been constructed with a compromise between the old "sailing vessel hung from a balloon" designs and the newer "zeppelin" designs – The deck is suspended from the bottom, but it is only open to the air at intervals … and those openings can easily be covered with netting – and sometimes shutters – if need be, to protect from boarders and other airborne hazards. Presently, though, the gaps are wide open, giving a panoramic view of the landscape passing by, far below, where it peeks through the clouds.

"Interesting view on this side. The air smells different coming in from the sea," Zoltan idly comments as he leans against one of the supports. He picks at a bit of loose down on his chest.

Herbir frowns. "I wonder if we even find Paradys," scrawks Herbir, using choppy Rephidim Standard rather than the more natural Vartan-speak. Of course, he might have reasons of privacy … since most of the winged cats are weak at best at the tongue of Rephidim. "Shoulds have seen by now. Captain say Paradys goings off course, after goings over Himar. Ptah."

Apparently Herbir has been paying closer attention to the passage of time to Zoltan. Nobody had given the younger black Vartan any indication that anything was amiss.

Zoltan's ears shoot up, "What?" He sighs and shakes his Head. "Nice of captain to tell me thats. Hrrr."

Herbir smirks. "I askings him many questions since leaving Rephidim. He very busy, he says."

A horn blows from the fore of the vessel. "LAND AHOY!" cries out one of the Paradysian "Vartans".

"Suspicious you thinks? I… " The younger Vartan's voice trails off at the announcement. He pokes his head out through one of the gaps to see if the island might have come into view.

At first, it's just a swirl of clouds … just the sort of thing that Enos can – and does – label "BAW!" However, as the airship gently passes through a thinner patch of the protective "wall" of mists, the glittering glory of Paradys is there, clearly seen, unmistakable. At first, it seems like Herbir will snort again, perhaps expecting disappointment … but his eyes are soon bedazzled by the scene of a legend … become reality.

A flight of winged warriors sets out from the island, forming an escort crew for the approaching airship … and several of the crew (winged, with the exception of three feline passengers) fly out to flank the craft as well.

Zoltan does his best to jam his head and as much of his torso as he can out of the opening. "Ahoy there! Hello!" He waves at the approaching Paradysians, hoping to see one or two that he recognizes.

Some cries of "Cambio!" from Vartans that recognize the black hippogryph (or maybe see his father and mistake him for his son) come in response. Herbir jolts in response … but smoothes his feathers when he realizes that they're referring to Zoltan by his surname, rather than himself by his first.

Pouncer and Enos can hardly contain themselves … and Star can hardly contain them, either, as she struggles to keep them under control. So far, though, she seems to be doing a decent job, as all they want to do is to get the best view of the sky island as they approach, scurrying from one vantage point to another as the airship slowly turns to make its way toward the newly-constructed docks at the rim of the old Airship Graveyard.

With a bit of effort, the younger Vartan manages to pull himself back though the open panel. His feathers are all askew and ruffled but he looks as happy as a child that's rediscovered a long lost toy. "Want to go meet the descendants of Shokar's crew?"

Pouncer and Enos both squeal, "YEAHHHHHH!"

Zoltan attempts to rub his feathers back down. "It looks much better than last time I saw this place. Babelites mess up island pretty bad," he scrawks and picks up Pouncer, leaving a much smaller cub for Star to try and keep under control. "I hope Kryago still around."

Pouncer pauses a moment at the name … remembering some of Zoltan's tales … but it seems like she can't quite place it right now. "Me too!" she still squeals in agreement.

"Kryago is sort of leader of Paradysians; he keeper of tower," the younger Vartan scrawks to Herbir as he hefts the cub. "You see." He grins even wider and starts to prepare for landing.

As the airship approaches, the old Airship Graveyard can be seen in greater detail. A great deal of effort has been put into it … turning it from a mere junkyard into … well … something resembling a shanty-town crossed with docks, to be generous. It doesn't look like a slum, by any means, but it's as hodge-podge as the airship that is coming to visit it. Two other chimera-like airships are docked at the rim, and it looks like there are two docks free. A glint of light off of metal catches the eye, too … as the outline of a strange, almost bird-like vehicle can be seen in a flattened area off to the side. Portions of it are dull and rusty … but large sections have been polished to a gleaming sheen.

Zoltan looks wide-eyed out of the slat as the ship moves closer to the land. ( They recovered amazingly well. And these ships look a bit like the one Shokar had designed. It's good to see that the metal bird is still intact… )

As some of the fliers flit about … it's soon evident that there aren't just Sphynxes here. There are true-blood Vartans … Eeee … and even a few Vartan hybrids that probably don't have Paradysian parentage. The place doesn't seem to be swarming with treasure-hunters by any means … but it does appear that Paradys has accepted quite a few immigrants in the time since the "Boomer" incident.

The airship at last lands, after quite a bit of activity involved in guiding it into place and securing it properly. Rephidim influences are evident in the innovations used at the docks – the cargo nets, the design of the dry-dock, etc. – but it is still nothing compared to even a portion of the docks in Rephidim … not surprising, since Paradys is nowhere near as large as that sky island.

All the ports on the airship are opened, as its modest amount of cargo is unloaded and ferried to the jumbled "town" made from wrecked airships and crates and local materials … and, presumably, to the settlement in the "Tower" beyond, as well.

Herbir grins despite himself. He might be trying to suppress it, just out of habit … but he's failing miserably. He's as pleased as he could be, especially as he strides out of the airship, not bothering to correctwell-wishers that probably mistake him for Zoltan as he heads down the dock-way.

"Looks like it's time to step out. Pouncer, Enos… remember to be nice to the Vartans." Zoltan sets his daughter down and takes her hand, hustling out after hisfather and freaking out the natives who probably think they're seeing double. "It's beautiful… absolutely beautiful."

Not everyone would agree … but not everyone is a Vartan … or a cub raised with the heroic tales of this island, and kindly vague memories of actually being there some time long ago.

The younger Vartan rushes to catch up with his father. "So what do you thinks?"

Pouncer tugs and strains at Zoltan's hand almost constantly, and ends up running into his tail or legs when she's not. She's pointing at this and that, exclaiming in barely intelligible words just how neat everything is – especially the bugs. Enos mirrors her reaction in some ways, though he's held in the arms of Star … and his proclamations are all in the way of proudly identifying what shape everything most closely identifies. The airship envelopes, of course, are all "Baw!"

Herbir just smiles. "Paradys," he scrawks. "What needs say more?"

Zoltan pauses for a moment to allow Pouncer to show him a few bugs and some shiny stones before focusing on Herbir again. "I'll introduce you to Kryago… and from there you can see Shokar's cabin. I dearly hope it still stands."

A few diversions, and a short flight later (Herbir volunteering to carry Enos, and Star staying behind to oversee unloading of baggage from the ship), Zoltan and his family enter the tower in the center of the island, finding it still settled by the cat-Vartan hybrids who insist on calling themselves Vartans … but settling for "Paradysian Vartan" or "Paradysian" by way of compromise for purposes of identification. It's not as large a settlement as Zoltan saw before, by any means. Some of that could be because of so many that have migrated to the ramshackle dwellings in the old Graveyard, or have gone to find their fortunes in the world beyond … but a more likely reason is that the Babelites did in fact take a heavy toll on the natives in their zeal to secure the "Boomer".

A lion-Sphynx in a headdress, with stylized markings under his eyes, greets the visitors with a low bow.

"Greetings, Zoltanos Cambio of Mountain Shadow Tribe. It is with greatest honor that we receive you to Paradys," says the middle-aged warrior-turned-man-of-the-people.

As reverently as he can, the younger Vartan bows in return. "It is with greatest pleasure that I return, and I am greatly sorry for the suffering your people have felt even after the dark witch and her followers were destroyed." He rises up and gestures to his family. "This is Cambio Herbir, and my two adopted children, Pouncer and Enos." He grinds the edges of his beak nervously. "Kryago… is he still here?"

The lion-Khatta bows low to Zoltan's father, and he smiles as he nods to Zoltan's adopted children. At the mention of Kryago's name, however, he shakes his head. "I am sad to say, but he was injured when the Babelites violated Paradys, having gone to mediate with them after their lies of peace. He never recovered … but now he navigates the skies with the spirits of his ancestors and comrades."

"You have my deepest apologies, Krazuu. I hope you takesome comfort in knowing that the Babelites' airship and all those aboard are no more. I came on the Intimidator but arrived only to see them leaving, and we gave pursuit. The madman that sent them here is gone as well, and Prince Boghaz sits in his place." Zoltan bows again. "Did the tower itself take any damage? I have heard that the island has changed its course."

Krazuu nods solemnly at the news, bows his head again, and begins to move away from the open area of the tower, leading his guests to one of the adjoining chambers – with seating appropriate for those with wings. Some spicy Vartan drinks have already been set out … as well as some assorted snacks. Pouncer give Zoltan a "can I?" look.

Krazuu answers the question once inside the chamber. "No, the tower withstood the attacks, to the frustration of the invaders. But, yes, Paradys has been erratic in its movements. It still moves from Forbidden Zone to Forbidden Zone … but its course is no longer uniform. We do not know whether it has taken a new course, or whether it is random in its movements. All we know is that we detected the first aberration in its movements after passing over the place known as Himar, and the red plateau that was not there before."

"Even though it was not a Forbidden Zone," continues Krazuu, "Paradys paused there for a day … then continued, on a new course."

Zoltan glances at Herbir to see how he's faring and then nods to Pouncer, offering her one of the more tame drinks and a few cookies. "Has anyone consulted the helmets for a reason why?"

Krazuu shakes his head. "The Navigator was not in condition well enough to consult the helmets … and with his passing, it has not yet been decided who should follow him." Krazuu adds, "Heritage is not necessarily guarantee for succession."

The younger Vartan itches at his neck as he contemplates, "May I try? I know the dangers, but it might not be good for Paradys to become lost again after so long."

Krazuu's neck-hairs bristle, and a worried look creases his brow, but he nods. "If you wish, Zoltan Cambio. It is well known that you have braved its dangers before."

Herbir, meanwhile, has his beak right up next to one of the walls, inspecting every nook and cranny, his expression suggesting that he's finding treasure in every corner.

"Could you summon someone to watch my children for me while I do? I… hrrr… " Zoltan's voice lowers, "I would rather my children not see me as I was right after I had used the helmet."

A servant moves to the door, ready to show the way to the most secure of places within the tower…

In the depths of the tower, in a circular chamber lit by electrical lamps and occasional discharges of strange energies from ancient machinery, Zoltan is guided to a chair – and to its version of the "Learning Helmet" used in the Temple.

Herbir looks somewhat timid as he comes into this room … While this may be technology, it is alien enough to most Vartans to seem to be magic … and he understands it about as well.

Zoltan seats himself as well as he can. "Be ready. If I seem to go crazy, you have full permission do whatever is necessary to stop me from hurting myself or anyone else here." He reaches up and grasps the helmet. "I don't think it will come to that, but it would probably be best to be prepared for anything." And with that he leans back and pulls the metal helmet down on his head.

Krazuu places a hand on Zoltan's shoulder. "I shall offer up prayers for you, that the Dreaming Machine will show you what you seek." And then … everything becomes very dark.

A strange, shocking sensation passes through Zoltan's body … and then he senses/hears a voice chiming, "Lingual compatibility established."

The helmeted Vartan stiffens at the darkness but tries to force himself to relax. He's done this before. "The island has changed its flight course. Why?"

"Warning," chimes the voice, after a pause. "Neural matrix profile not registered. Prolonged usage of this interface may result in irreparable psychic damage."

"We'll try to be quick, then. Why has the island changed course?" Zoltan asks of the voice.

"State the nature of the emerg – " the voice begins to chime, then pauses, reacting belatedly to Zoltan's input the second time. "Processing."

The Vartan continues to try to relax, although he feels coiled up inside as he eagerly waits for the reply.

"Change in movement of this unit is not due to functions of this system. Falls within theoretical parameters of function of pre-existing systems," chimes the voice.

"Will the flight path stabilize or will it continue to be erratic?" the Vartan asks, trying to digest the previous answer.

"Processing hypothesis… " chimes the voice. Something in Zoltan's sensations seems to flicker for a while, and then to clear up. "Prediction of future movements of this unit is beyond the capacity of this system to calculate. Variation in movement may be due to detected fluctuations in levels of quantum activity in surface nodes."

The chiming continues. "Path may be erratic until stabilization of fluctuations into acceptable parameters. Definition of acceptable parameters to pre-existing systems is not available."

( The Abaddon rock! ) "Is this a danger to the island?" Zoltan asks. "Or will it eventually be corrected?"

An image forms within the Vartan's mind … it is spherical … a representation of Sinai, for certain. Somehow, he is able to see all of it at once. Focusing too hard on just how this is possible only causes the Vartan's mind to hurt. Lines across the surface, connecting dots labeled as "nodes" seem to trace Paradys' current course, compared to its previous circuit around the planet. It appears that, in its present course, it has spent more time in certain locations, less in others … and in some cases gone back to revisit certain sites before continuing its very roughly eastward journey around the globe.

"No damage to systems has been detected, nor is expected due to change in course," chimes the voice. "But you never know if something else might decide to cause some damage. Warning: Psychical imbalance in user detected. Immediate ejection recommended."

Zoltan jerks at the sudden change in voice and bristles. "Do you know how long before the imbalance is corrected?"

"Recommend treatment by measures defined in Section 2.95 of the Medical Guide," chimes the voice, followed by some garbled gibberish.

Some data that Zoltan can identify as the contents of the Medical Guide looms over him, ready to fall upon him like an avalanche of information.

It's absurd, of course, but somehow, the information looks terribly heavy.

"I mean the imbalance on the ground. But it looks like I've had enough… Eject me now," Zoltan says nervously, looking up at the pile of words and pictures that seem to be a little to eager to bury him.

"Unknown – EJECTION INITIATED – " chimes the voice, just as the volumes of data come crashing down like a tidal wave. But, before Zoltan is hit with any more than a few sprays of credits and obscure legal copyright notes … the sensations are blotted out … and reality resolves itself into darkness. Darkness caused by the blocking out of light by a golden "crown" covering the Vartan's head.

"Zoltan! Zoltan! Are you all rights?" scrawks Herbir, sounding somewhat agitated.

Zoltan shakily reaches up and pulls the helmet off, creaking an eye open to look around. "Wha?"

A dim whisper of "Procedure aborted. Session terminated… " echoes in the Vartan's short-term memory as he catches sight of more logical surroundings. Well, just for a moment, he's treated to the disorienting specter of staring into his own face … until reason steps in again, and it's evident that it's just Herbir. Zoltan, after all, isn't quite that old yet. For a bit, things look as if they aren't quite the right color … but that effect fades far more quickly than it did with Zoltan's first little adventure with this device, and things seem to be back to normal, save for an annoying ringing in the Vartan's ears.

Krazuu waves his hand in front of Zoltan's beak. "Did the Dreaming Machine leave you unharmed?" he scrawks.

"I almost got hit with a medical book, but I think I'm all right." Zoltan squints at Herbir as his eyes focus in and out on things. "Nothing seems to be popping this time… but I know why the island has changed course. I just don't know when it will become normal again."

Krazuu nods. "So … why has it changed course?"

Herbir smirks. "Suspense killings us!" He gives Zoltan a rough pat on the shoulder, apparently convinced that the hippogryph has survived this ordeal intact.

"The Red Cliffs," Zoltan scrawks, rubbing his eyes. "I think that whatever it is Paradys does over Forbidden Zones, it's doing the exact opposite over the Red Cliffs. If you show me a globe, I think I can show you the basics of the new path, although it might hurt my head to do so. I can try asking again later, but I think I need some time to recover."

A short while later, back in the greater comfort of the meeting chamber, Krazuu presents a wooden globe – an import from Rephidim, recently made – to Zoltan, along with a marker and some tacks.

Herbir seems quite divided, paying close attention to Zoltan and to the globe … when he's not distracted by something exotic and shiny to be seen just about everywhere here.

"And it keeps doubling back to here or staying longer here and here," Zoltan scrawks as he marks the path down. "It couldn't tell me how long it was going to do this or when it would settle down into something trackable, so it still might get a bit choppy following the island for a bit." Occasionally the Vartan will close his eyes and pull the image of the globe from his mind again, shake his head and then adjust his markings here and there.

Krazuu nods. "It seems to still be travelling fairly straight from Zone to Zone. If we can calculate which Zone it is headed to next, and how long until it gets there – assuming steady speed – we can predict its location … until it reaches the next Zone."

Herbir says, "Well, looks like you doings good enough so far, if not rights on the shekel." He shrugs.

"Fa-… er… Herbir, could you looks this over?" Zoltan scrawks, dropping back into Standard. "You probablies know flight paths better than I does." He points to a spot on the globe. "Like we was supposed to meet Paradys here… but instead we don't gets to it until here." Yes, he is indeed setting his father up… but there is sincerity in the question as the older Vartan probably does know the skyways better than he does.

Krazuu smirks. "Actually, this could work in our favor. With too many out there knowing that Paradys is real, and wishing to find it … and our ships making contact with outsiders … someone may take notes of where our ships show up, and calculate Paradys' path. If nothing else, this may make us harder to find. … Just for ourselves as well as others, if we're not careful."

Herbir shifts his beak, then notes a point on the globe. "Slightly offs here. I thinkings captain was expectings island to be goings same speed from this Zone to that one. Mights have to make new calculations – not relies on old ones."

Krazuu nods, attentively, taking notes. Herbir helpfully writes down coordinates for him, and some other notes. Apparently, he was keeping a regular watch on how much time had passed during the trip … and when the ship actually reached Paradys.

The younger Vartan mutely nods his head, momentarily distracted. He falls back into Vartan-speak. "Krazuu… did you find anything new about what happened to Shokar when you started building the new city in the Airship Graveyard? One thing I would like to resolve while I am here is perhaps what happened to him." He glances at the globe. "My only other option would be to see if the helmet might know when he might have left."

Krazuu almost smiles. "Not precisely … but we did find some things. We found his notes, and we have almost mastered his art of making an air that lifts ships even better than hydrogen. And … we found an airship we believe to be made by none other than Shokar itself. It was hovering all this time, suspended in between the three cones on the bottom of the island, for who knows how long."

"Have you cleared out the rakhtors? Last time I went down there I almost became dinner to one." Zoltan smirks and rubs his beak. "I'd like to see the ship and go over his notes when I can. In fact, I think I know what the ship looks like already… "

Krazuu says, "Really? But, no, we have not cleared them out – though we've dealt with the more aggressive ones, and we distracted the rest so we could do our exploration. We've retrieved a few eggs … and in due time, we may be able to raise a few to have a more favorable demeanor toward us."

"As for the ship," says Krazuu, "it has not been closely examined since it was retrieved. We have been so busy with other projects … and wished to let the ship wait until we could give it proper attention, rather than to rush through it negligently. You would be most welcome in looking through it as you see fit – and the books, as well."

"I could teach some of you how to ride while I'm here." Zoltan stands up, wobbling on his hooves. "How soon can we see the ship?"

"Right away, if it is your wish," answers Krazuu. "And you can see the books as well." He stands up as well.

The second half finally registers. "Books?" Zoltan scrawks. "Were new ones found besides the crumbled up ones in his cabin?"

Krazuu nods. "Yes … though in dreadful condition. Much work has been put into trying to decipher them. I'm afraid that all you will be seeing will be replicas and reconstructions, rather than originals."

Herbir rolls his eyes. "Eck. Puzzles."

"I'm quite happy with that." The younger Vartan glances back at Herbir and smiles. "How about we just work on this globe a bit more then, and we'll see the ship after I know for sure it's not going to pop the moment I touch it."