Cyberscott lay resting in a shaded grove on Frace's equator.  It was the height of summer and the cool breezes hinted at the presence of the North and South Deserts of Eternal Snows that lay within several hundred miles of this cold planet's thin equatorial temperate zone.  Next to him lay the dull black sheen of his master cyberlocator, its small red light pulsing slowly.  He had previously stumbled around the area placing two other locators as far away from each other as possible.  With the sensitivity set to max he hoped to get a signal from either Cybergal or Starm-D if they arrived anywhere in the stellar neighborhood.  The additional units would give him a rough idea of their position.

Scott was exhausted.  He had pioneered the Full-Body Spirit Mind Focus, as it was properly called.  Only a few had mastered the maneuver, and no one could do it and be cocky about it.  It was more of an emergency tactic than anything else as there was always the chance that one might die in the process.  Several had.  In fact, Scott's greatest concern was that Cye would confront Starm-D at less than full power.  He was here to even-up the odds.

Starm-D had just returned from the Stargellian sector with five new planets caged and functioning.  She monitored the inflow of lifecode energy and roared with glee.  "Bring me some of the original cargo from Cracxon5.  I'm hungry for some intellectual company."

The Same legions herded a group of similar humanoid bipeds into the makeshift temporary hall.  Starm-D was on the move.  Her permanent residence was still under construction on Starm-D's chosen home, the rugged third planet from Sundstrom9 which she had recently renamed Orelse. 

Starm-D towered over the bipeds who were encircled by Samenessians carrying electric prods.  Starm-D reached down, grasped several of the humanoids and peeled off their tattered simple clothing.  "Who speaks for Sameness, here?" she howled.

"I love Sameness!" pleaded one of the squirming bipeds.

"I wasn't talking to you," said Starm-D, glaringly.  With that she reached  across with her free hand, placed a finger on either side of the humanoid's head and squeezed gently, until its head popped.  Licking her fingers, Starm-D sucked the rest of the humanoid into her mouth while restating her question to the group of Sameness below.

One of the blank faces below offered, "We are all Sameness, my great one."

"Well, oh great little one, " Starm-D laughed, smacking her lips, "Come forward and receive your master's pleasure."

The Same person stepped forward gingerly.  Starm-D scooped up the hapless being and smiled, "I asked to speak to Sameness," and looking down at the rest of the legion, "Because next time I want you to be sure to remember to remove their rotten rags before you offer them to me." 

And with that, she turned back to her hand-held legionnaire.  "And here's your reward."  Grinning, she nibbled off first one arm, then the other.

A momentary fluctuation in the incoming power sensors caught Starm-D's eye.  She dropped her lunch, wiped the crumbs off her mouth, and adjusted the locators to ascertain the source of the power drop.  "Ergoth?" she screamed. "Those damn Cyberians.  I knew they would come.  It's time to put an end to their misguided efforts to promote looovvve of llliiiife!"

Cyberscott's cyberlocator came to life.  He rolled over and looked at the dial.  "Signal strength about .8 herans.  Tri-fix directional heading, 126 jerans.... taking gravitational flux into account, ... hmmm.  "Right about here."

Cybergal had appeared already within the atmosphere.  She came down over a frozen valley carved eons before when this planet orbited much closer to its star.  Today the water was frozen everywhere except during the summer at the equator.  And, summer came only as a result of the planet's eccentric orbit, not from the usual axial tilt.  Both the orbit and lack of tilt were the result of the gravitational disruption of a passing star.  The archaeological expeditions here revealed a rich history of plant, animal, and sentient species which either left or were frozen when the catastrophe occurred.  In spite of her primary reason for coming here to do battle with Starm-D, Cybergal's scientific curiosity was at work as well.  She wondered what cool tricks the Terresphere's link to sub-space might come up with when faced with such potent yet uninhabitable conditions.

Cye set down on the lip of the canyon wall and sent the Terresphere across the valley.  She set the confinement field on automatic and locked it down on several prominent landmarks.  Clearing her personal area, she sat down and without further delay summoned her body to her.  The distance to her initiation point on Creos was not that great now, having just about closed a rather zigzagged course around the Creon perimeter of the Doitmey Way cluster.

Her body came through and rejoined her spirit mind.  Cybergal collapsed on the preheated thawed ground she had prepared around her.  For several hours the only sound was the distant drone of the confined Terresphere whose leaking energy had already sprouted several long dead alpine wildflower species in the nearby loosened soil.  Both Cyberscott and Starm-D were having trouble finding the weak signal.

Cybergal awoke to her worst nightmare!  There, across the valley rose the horrid visage of Starm-D.  Roaring with maniacal laughter, she emerged from the frozen ground and immediately raised her hand from which burst a beam of energy meant to cage Cybergal forever.

Princess that she was, Cye slapped the release mechanism for the sphere just as the merciless ray hit her broadside.  Hit like a wall of concrete, Cybergal fought the beam with her very soul, rising up on one foot to return all the firepower she could muster.  It would not be enough, she was sure.

She was losing.  She felt her lower limbs lock into the planet's crust beneath her and harden to solid rock.  But with her living eye she was yet to see two great events. (Plate 20)

The first brought her hope.  It was her man!  Her Cyberprotector!

Scott had arrived and landed solidly across from Starm-D.  He let fly with anti-bolts strong enough to sunder an asteroid.  Starm-D's concentration was broken and she split her power in two directions.

But, it was the second event that took the day.  Poor Xerec's misunderstood son, the Terresphere, had finally figured out what was required to set this planet straight.  Even as it powered up the immediate vicinity with green life, it grasped the planet's entire gravitational flux, established a cord of sub-space around Frace's star and began a direct reduction in the planet's orbital diameter. 

Plate 20   Cybergal and Cyberscott battle Starm-D

Scott and Cye realized it first and redirected their blasts to the base of Starm-D where she met the landform.  Cye's rapidly numbing free hand reached down and quickly altered the Terresphere's protective lock on the planet's gravitational flux to include all lifeforms except Starm-D's.  As the Terresphere dragged the planet closer its mother star, its orbital speed increased, much like a Cyberskater in a spin, pulling in her arms.

Negating Frace's gravitational pull under Starm-D sent her hurtling out of the bedrock and into deep space.  With no link to a cage to power her, Starm-D found nothing in an adventure that led her inexorably into the intergalactic abyss.

Scott flew to Cybergal's side, but it was too late.  The gal of gals was almost totally solid rock now.  With her last gaze he promised her he would wait for her forever.  She faded, then, frozen inside the last cage ever made by Starm-D. (Plate 21)  Scott unearthed her form from the planet.   He dared not try to resurrect her with the Terrespheres due to their unpredictable mutating effects.  He wanted his Princess back with not a curve out of place, her noble spirit intact.  He knew his Cybergal was still alive in there.  He just knew it.

Plate 21    Cybergal caged by Starm-D

The rescue was arranged, but the celebration was muted.  With the last of their royal lineage gone, the Cybernauts turned to a working democracy which continued to support freedom everywhere.  The Infinite remained as the Cyberians chief religion, but a new icon was added to the chapels flung around the lonely byroads of Creos.  There, and in the more well-known renamed Doityour Way cluster, images of the last Cyberian princess, Cybergal, in various heroic and contemplative poses, could be found.

On Ergoth, a pilgrimage route led to Cybergal Canyon where a huge relief of the Princess had been carved into the reputed spot where Cybergal had once used the legendary Terrespheres against Starm-D. (Plate 22)  On Tharsis, where World Lifecode Templates were once stored by the ancient Cyberians, a monument could be found to her memory. (Plate 23) 

 

Plate 22  Ergoth Monument (above)    Plate 23  Tharsis Memorial (below)

Perhaps most famous was the statue of Cybergal Aht Buddara raised at the site on Sundstrom9's third planet, Orelse; or, as it is known today, Orth. (Plate 24)  A replica of the famed Terresphere decorates her head on the very site where her arch enemy Starm-D once caged legions of Samefolk.

Plate 24   Cybergal Aht Buddara on Orth

The ages crept by. The epic stories were told and retold.  The great Princess Cybergal's fame spread far and wide.  She was remembered everywhere.

Cyberscott wandered the wilderness mountains of Gorcon, an old Cyberian nursery used ages ago to incubate lifecode templates generated for planets already inhabited by lifeforms.  The Cyberian Council had long ago outlawed the use of these templates on planets already under life's sway, and over the years Gorcon had been forgotten.  It's harsh mountain climate, lack of valuable minerals, and remote location placed it last on the list of everyone's favorite destinations. 

Forever was a long, long time, but Scott had nothing left on Creos, and no one else he would ever love.  He returned to the encased shell of Cybergal as he had done over and over throughout countless millennia. 

As he sat resting against his favorite boulder, he gazed again at the image of the statuesque Princess.  It's color looked different today, warmer.  He moved closer and felt the rock worn smooth in places by his frequent touch.  It FELT warmer, too, he thought.  Then he jumped back, startled.  There was movement!  A vibration!

He dare not help and risk damaging the matrix which held Cybergal.  Suddenly, the entire block burst open!  Molten spheres of glass flew outward as Cybergal emerged from her prison cocoon. (Plate 25)  She smiled at her Cyberscott, free at last from her royal duties! 

                            Cybergal is back!

Plate 25   The Rebirth of Cybergal