An invitation was delivered which instructed the Rath'ani map-maker to please grace the Temple with his presence, for a possible job opportunity. He was to meet with some priest by the name of Waversallo, in some department with a long and bureaucratic-sounding name.

Mircus has been here before, but the Temple still instills a sense of awe in him. After pausing outside to take in the sight again, the Rath'ani moves into the Temple in search of Priest Waversallo … or, more likely, someone who can point him in the right direction.

A bespectacled Rath'ani in priestly robes – one considerably older than Mircus – stands at the base of a weather-worn statue of one of the First Ones. He stops a plump Skreek pilgrim and asks, "Excuse me, my son … er … my daughter … are you a map-mak – Oh, bother! Of course you're not. So sorry."

Mircus perks slightly upon overhearing the older Rath'ani, and allows himself to be momentarily distracted. He changes course towards the statue, "Excuse me, sir?"

The priest looks to Mircus. "Hello there, young man! You wouldn't by any chance know a map-maker named Mircus, would you?"

Mircus slows to a stop near the old 'coon and nods, "Yessir. Er … I know him pretty well, actually," he answers truthfully. "I am him."

"Oh! Well, then, could you be so kind as to introdu – " Realization belatedly sweeps across the near-blind priest's face. "Oh! Greetings! I am Brother Waversallo. May the First Ones smile upon you! And thank you for coming so promptly! Would you be so kind as to accompany me to my office?"

Mircus nods bemusedly, "Um … sure … I'm kinda curious just what you want me to do, and all."

The priest takes Mircus by the arm, and leads him through the labyrinthine passageways of the Temple. "I'll tell you all about it once we get to my office… "

Brother Waversallo closes the wooden door, as he enters the room behind Mircus. "Please, have a seat! Have a drink of … Oh, the teakettle is empty. And if it weren't, it would probably be cold. Uhm … well … I hope you're not thirsty. I'm not, after all!"

Mircus shakes his head distractedly as he peers about the room, "No … I'm fine." He seats himself, and, with an effort, yanks his attention from the various clutter about the room and waits politely for the priest to speak.

The priest digs out a few charts, looks them over, then shrugs and sets them back down again. "Well, let's see. You worked for the Temple before … ah … something to do with mapping a Paquebot? Terribly odd. I'd imagine those would have been mapped already … and small enough not to get too terribly lost on anyway."

Mircus blinks and looks thoughtful, "Um … well … it was already mapped … right down to the airducts, actually. I got sent along… kinda as a guide, I guess. They wanted me to find some … uh … stuff." The 'coon wilts slightly. "Lotsa things happened. But yeah, I've worked for the Temple before… "

The priest nods, smiling, perhaps not knowing a thing about what actually happened there. "Well, that's splendid. Now, I think I may have some good news for you. Not only do I have a job opportunity for you … but I have several! More than one could possibly take on at once. Oh, QUITE more." He titters merrily to himself.

Mircus perks up slightly at the possibility of good news. "Really? Jobs like what?" Work opportunities – this is good news. On the other hand, the last job the Temple gave him…

"Well," says Priest Waversallo, "we have several places in need of mapping. First of all, the layout of the Himar has changed considerably. We seem to have lost Elamoore, for instance, and there's a new plateau there which displaced the bulk of the feral Jupani population. The "Red Cliffs", the area has been dubbed. That could certainly use some mapping. The local authorities certainly won't be tending to it, since they, ah, aren't with us anymore."

Mircus' eyes widen considerably. "Wh – What h-happened to them? Wait – new plateau? How… ?" Realizing he's babbling, Mircus closes his mouth, but it's still rather obvious he's got several questions.

"Oh? The weapon dropped by the Babelites, of course!" the priest says as if it's no big deal. "During the war with Babel, that is. Right before they dropped those nasty Plaguebringers on our heads, they paid a visit to Himar. Not that I can see what they had against the Jupes."

The priest says, "This marvelous weapon CHANGED the landscape. Most fascinating. I almost wish I were there to see it! But if I were, I wouldn't be there much longer to APPRECIATE it, of course!" He chuckles.

Mircus flinches at mention of the Plaguebringers, and twitches again at the thought of a weapon that can reshape the ground itself. He ends up staring, slightly slack-jawed, at the priest.

"In any case," says the priest, "we also have word that a previously sealed Forbidden Zone – that is, one in which you would die if you set foot inside – is now safe to enter. It's in the Himaat, and has some interesting ruins inside. We'd like to have that mapped as well. We're very interested in Forbidden Zones. Your job, of course, would mean that you would be exempt from the usual prohibition from entering such a place."

Mircus appears to have forgotten how to blink – he continues to stare at the priest, mind whirling.

"And that's not all!" titters the priest. "In the MIDDLE of this Forbidden Zone is an ancient First Ones ruin that is – oh, praise the First Ones! – a gateway to all of the Wanderers of the sky! Yes, gateways to each of those worlds, previously thought to be devoid of life!"

Mircus squeaks faintly. "A gateway to … " This is an awful lot to absorb at once. Either that, or the priest in front of him is …

The priest nods. "Yes. A gateway to twelve worlds! Well, that is, if you count the sun. We don't have any plans to map THAT, though. We have its location figured out well enough as it is."

The priest looks ponderous, then says, "Oh. Wait. We're already ON Sinai. So that doesn't count. Okay, ten worlds to explore."

Mircus startles slightly, "But … but … Twelve? I thought … Aren't there nine planets, though? Even counting the sun … Ten other? Whaa?"

"Well," says the priest, "we have rumors coming in that there are now eleven worlds wandering around Primus. But we won't know for sure until we send someone there, no?" He smiles, adjusting his spectacles.

Mircus shakes his head, "No, we won't, but … but … " He stops suddenly as a thought hits him, "But … I couldn't possibly map eigh – er … ten whole other worlds!"

"Well," says the priest, "I don't think that would be realistic for one person. But you could get a nice head start! In any case, I think we mostly just want to make sure we know how to GET there, first. Maybe map the area right around … oh … " The priest waves his hands around. "Whatever is on the other side. Don't be overwhelmed! Think of it as … great job security!"

"Plus," adds the priest with a smile, "and this is my favorite part – you might even get to name a geographical feature or two!"

Mircus ums thoughtfully, "Are … are there any giant poisonous squids?"

The priest says, "Well, if there are, be sure and mention it in your report." He smiles cheerfully.

Mircus ums, "What … what exactly are you wanting me to do, then? Map an area of the Himar? Or am I supposed to map a F – Fo – Forbidden Zone? Or … "

"Well," says the priest, "that's your choice. We have a lot of openings right now … and you're at the top of the list to start filling them! Or the first on the list that we could find, anyway."

Mircus glances around at all the papers scattered around the room … and decides not to ask further about just which list he topped. "Oh … so I could ask to explore the Forbidden Zone? Or maybe look through the … um … gateway?"

"Certainly! Yes, most certainly," says the priest. "That's exactly it. The more you map, the braver you are, the better you get paid. I'll have to leave the details to the Audit representative to explain to you in excruciating and minute detail, but the bottom line is that it has the potential to be quite lucrative." The old Rath'ani sighs wistfully. "If it weren't for my eyesight … and my poor back … I'd jump at the opportunity myself!"

Mircus says, "So … I could choose to … say … visit Morpheus." The young Rath'ani brightens considerably. "Okay. Sounds like fun. So what do I need to do next?"

"Well," says the priest, "you fill out a wee bit of paperwork… " He grunts as he heaves a stack of papers onto the desk. "… and you stake a claim on just what you're going to map … so that we don't assign the task to another map-maker at the same time. Wouldn't do to have two maps of the same place, after all. Inefficient. And I'd hate the extra paperwork that would produce. Then, you'll need to read these documents to make sure you understand all the legalese involved … " He starts flipping through the papers, rambling on about this place to sign and that. It's perfectly routine to HIM, after all.

Mircus wilts. All of a sudden, this is sounding like a lot less fun.{Well … as long as I can survive getting there.}

"So," asks the priest, "what do you plan on staking a claim on?"

Mircus hmms thoughtfully, "Well … it might be interesting to map a Forbidden Zone … and it might be neat to look at a new plateau. I mean, you don't see one of those very often. I think I'd like to map part of a whole different world, though. Um … Morpheus?"

The priest nods, and points to a few places. "Morpheus. Sounds splendid! Just sign here, here, here and here … and it's in triplicate … and another for the Audit … and another for my records … and this one's for the Inquisition … and this is for the Bridge … and this is an extra copy for the Bridge … and … "

Perhaps an hour later, the paperwork is complete. Or, at least, all the paperwork the priest has. The old Rath'ani claps the younger one on the back. "Congratulations, my son! You are now prepared to make … HISTORY!"

The priest hands Mircus a wooden box with a symbol on it that resembles a crescent.

Mircus stares down at the symbol for Morpheus on the box. He nods weakly to the priest's comment on 'HISTORY!' and curiously opens the box.

Inside the box is a little wooden globe made of gray wood, with a few marks on it – the few features that astronomers could discern on the world's surface through a telescope. "With the favor of the First Ones," says the priest with a laugh, "you'll be able to get one with a lot more detail on it when you get back!"

Mircus peers curiously at the little ball, then nods to the priest, "Although I don't think you'll be able too see much detail of it on something this small… " He closes the box and grins, usual vigor returning from the battle against the legal forms. "I hope not to disappoint, sir."

Mircus' mind is soon drifting off as he winds his way back out of the building wondering just what he might encounter on another world … and … {… gee … I can hardly wait to see the look on Morpheus' face when I show up!}