The Zondon vessel sped on ever deeper into uncharted space. The spherical room in which the seven sat, whose walls provided a round-a-bout view, showed yet more stars, and more clusters, and constellations, and more stars.
    Each star expressed its own uniqueness, some shining forth a love for truth, others of knowledge and beauty, yet others a love of liberty, and other virtues. Whatever else they revealed of themselves, all expressed an intense love of life in whatever form it exists. Each star can thus be recognised by its own mixture of virtues.
    Thus knowing each star, no Zondon ever got lost in their own part of the galaxy, but here, all they could do was to gaze in wonder, while the stars themselves gave the impression of looking back at them with equal curiosity. There seemed to be a lull in conversations as stars turned their attention to the strange vessel that had intruded into their sector of the galaxy.
    The seven Zondon, while beholding each unfamiliar star with curious interest, didn't forget the reason they were there. This was not an exploration party. It was an important mission, and even the well being of each star, indeed, of every planet and comet, and each moon and asteroid depended on their success.
    Phondesh directed his gaze towards a cluster just appearing on the screen, and then moved the control crystal just slightly so that the ship changed direction and sped on towards it.
    The others followed Phondesh's gaze.
    Fezdroth said, 'I know none of those stars, even from the knowledge caches.'
    'It's none of these,' confirmed Phondesh, again adjusting the course. 'But we must begin a wide orbit. If you measure the arc we're in now, you should see it at the centre.'
    'Ahh,' said both Fezdroth and Gondrazel at once.
    'I do know that star,' said Gondrazel. 'I learned about it in my training.'
    'The knowledge caches are full of information about that one,' said Zigdreel.
    Indeed, it was the only star in the galaxy that didn't radiate a joy of life. By that alone, it was easy to recognise.
    'But isn't that the forbidden star?' inquired Khodzon.
    'Yes, Phondesh, are you sure we're doing the right thing?' said Fezdroth. 'You know, this is the star that the Supreme One set aside for His own offspring.'
    'I don't understand it either,' said Phondesh. 'I was given this co-ordinate, and I know that this endeavour is the only hope of containing the evil. I'm sure the crystal will tell us more.'
    Fragtsak glanced behind, and said, 'We have little time left. The Glaat vessel is gaining on us, fast!'
    The others also looked.
    It was a point of light steadily growing in size, and had entered the same circular path as the Zondon vessel.
    Just as each star revealed its nature in the light it shone, so did the Glaat ship. Those who had once come under the power of the Glaat and broken free, were the quickest to recognise it.
    The Glaat had expanded their empire by offering others power over their fellows. Enticed by the desire for power and all it brought, many had come under their control and into a never ending spiral, as the Glatt promised them (and they in turn, their own subjects) yet more power, riches, glamour, status, along with wisdom.
    It was their kind of wisdom -- not the sort loved by the Zondon and by the various stars they were passing, but more in line with the Glaat nature. It was a finely tuned skill in the art of subverting and gaining advantage so as to grasp whatever one wants; a wisdom that sees only what's useful to ones own happiness -- if happiness is the right word for it. It never sees other beings as having any value in themselves apart from their usefulness.
    This wisdom, the Glaat only give in small portions - just enough to enhance their underlings' control of those under them, to entice others into their web, but never enough to break free from the grip they were in themselves. For that, those caught in the web had to remember back to the original wisdom of the Zondon. But part of the Glaat wisdom was to induce forgetfulness, and even a disdain for anything that smacked of purity and innocence. Loyalty was maintained by gradually feeding their lust for more while promising them yet more to come.
    To have 'more' to give, the Glaat, of course found it necessary to grasp control of more and more of the galaxy. Now, little of it known to the Zondon was free anymore. Even in the unknown parts, the Glaat had been exercising influence.
    The point of light that followed was now filling the room with its essence. Everyone was revolted by it, especially those who had once been under its influence.
    The ratio between the distance of the pursuing craft and the intensity of its brilliance showed that this was a high ranking Glaat with powerful weapons at his disposal -- in terms of strength alone more than a match for the seven Zondon. But their hope wasn't in their strengh, but in the wisdom -- that in its purest form.
    'Yes,' said Phondesh calmly. 'It has come close - perhaps too close to carry out our original plan right away. But I was told this could happen. Now, we must consult the crystal.'
    From a hidden space among an array of crystals Phondesh produced a multifaceted gem and placed it in their midst. There it remained suspended, turning this way and that as though it had a mind of its own. It radiated a green, sometimes blue glint, depending on the angle, or which facet was giving off the glow.
    'A knowledge cache,' said Fragtsak.
    'Yes,' replied Phondesh, 'but much more.''
    Indeed, it was. A typical knowledge cache is usually a simple cube, a cone or pyramid shaped crystal. This one was the same shape as a Zondon compound eye on one side, and mostly flat on the other. It looked almost like a visual corrective device used by an ageing Zondon, whose own eyesight has gone bad over many millennia of use. More than one of those on that ship wondered how such a feature would be of use to them on their mission. Only a few of them knew that this one carried not just knowledge, but also the Wisdom.
    Phondesh signalled for all to listen.
    'As you know,' he began, 'each us was specifically chosen for this mission, and but for all of us working together and doing our part, it will fail. Now, the crystal, in its capacity as a knowledge cache, will instruct each of you what you must do, and how to do it. First, we must join our minds and look at once, and I am convinced that now is the time to do so.'
    The crystal began to emit a low hum and to radiate a green and blue light.
    They joined their minds and looked. Then, their doubts were answered.
   

The brilliance was visible from the Glaat vessel. Realising that something was up, the pilot, Dosh of Asvork, took two clear pyramid shaped crystals, placed one on his forehead and sent the other speeding towards the Zondon vessel.
    Crystals of this sort, be they 'knowledge caches' or probes, be they Zondon or Glaat, are capable of being converted into different forms of existence, thereby enabling speeds many times faster than a space ship.
    Just as the probe approached the Zondon vessel, there was a greenish bluish flash, and something left the ship streaking across the black expanse into the distance towards a faint star, barely visible from the Zondon ship.
    'Why this particular star?' wondered the Glaat.
    Scanning the interior of the vessel, the probe spotted the Zondon, but now they were seven still bodies. No life could be found. No green brilliance.
    What was the meaning of this?
    Then, he did detect something - a powerful explosion was set to go off, one that would easily engulf both the Zondon ship along with his own. It couldn't be undone.
    The probe sped back to its sender, and Dosh turned his ship around and began speeding in the opposite direction.
    Another problem surfaced: Not only was an intense explosions set to go off, but the Zondon had programmed their ship to turn around and automatically follow the Glaat ship should it change direction. Dosh would thus never get clear of the nova that would shortly result.
    There was only one recourse. The probe...
    The crystal sped off, as fast as is possible for a crystal to travel, following a course that would cross paths with the green one at its apparent destination, the forbidden solar system.
    Straight ahead, was a greenish bluish planet, third from the central star.
    There was no time to be lost. The clear crystal sped into the atmosphere, and began a quick search for a suitable host, zipping back and forth from continent to continent.
    Here, he found a witch with a crystal ball. The use of a crystal was intriguing, but it wasn't good enough (it was no more than common crystal, entirely composed of the same primitive molecular structure throughout). There, he found a star gazer looking into the heavens. No. Then, a doctor with three comatose patients. A good possibility here. Was there something better? Out of time - the doctor would have to do.
    The doctor was a good prospect in that he wished for more power and wealth, and would do anything to get it. All Dosh had to do was make the probe appear to him and promise him all that and more. The doctor accepted, and obediently placed the small crystal pyramid on his forehead. It was still hot from moving so fast within Earth's atmosphere, and it burned the doctor's forehead. But once positioned so, he couldn't remove it. Then it began to melt through the surgical gloves.
    The part of the deal the doctor wasn't told about was that once having gained entry, the Glaat was now in control. The doctor was reduced to no more than a passenger inside his own body -- hardly better off than the comatose patients (though it would take awhile for the doctor to realise this fully, as his lusts would incline him to do anything the Glaat wanted anyway). Now, Dosh of Asvork had a human body. With it, came the doctor's memory (so he could carry on as though nothing strange had happened), a limited knowledge of the human body and fluency in about five earth languages.
    However, there was still more to be done.
    A Glaat brain (and a Zondon one too, for that matter) has far more capacity than a human one. That's where the comatose patients came in handy. Immediately on gaining control of the doctor's body, he went first to one and then another of the patients, placing the crystal on their foreheads until all the knowledge known by Dosh of Asvork was inside the brains of the doctor and his three patients.
    Finally, the other crystal pyramid departed from the now lifeless Glaat, taking with it two or three other crystal objects from the ship, and sped away, clearing the area just in the nick of time. All this had happened in the space of a couple of minutes.
   

The explosion was visible to the naked human eye, if one happened to be looking in the right direction at just the right time. A point of light appeared in a part of the sky where no stars are generally seen, stayed a few seconds and then went away.
    The astrologer who had been bypassed by the Glaat probe saw it. The next day, his newspaper column said those born under Sagittarius would be in for a brilliant but short lived flash of opportunity.
   
   
   

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