Chapter I
Ëa of Nibiru gazed at the display with a grave expression. The IGIGI operating the RUQU-AMARU sat slightly hunched forward at his station and squinted at the array of activity before him.
"Are we certain?" Ëa asked.
"It is virtually guaranteed," the Watcher said.
His name was Zadkiël.
Ëa sighed heavily and bit his lip in consternation. The Far-Seeing device showed a number of tiny moving lights against the backdrop of space. There was a larger central dot around which several smaller pinpoints of light fluttered. They resembled a horde of bees swarming around a hive.
"How far is the incursion?" he asked.
Zadkiël leaned forward a little further toward the device and did some mental calculations.
"At present, they are nearing Gaga, the outermost planet," he said, "I estimate they will be within reach of Anshar and its rings within four Earth years."
Ëa straightened to his full height and stared into space for a moment.
"What of our home world?" he asked.
"Nibiru is long past," the operator said, "She traveled beyond the outer rings more than two years gone."
Ëa nodded and blinked in thought.
"That is one blessing in all this," he said, "There is no threat to them, though it appears we are now on our own. There will be no help coming from there."
Zadkiël nodded without speaking.
With a final sigh, Ëa left the room. He walked toward the shuttle bay as he tried to formulate a plan. His two Guards fell in behind him walking ramrod straight as their Lord set a brisk pace back to his ship.
By the time they climbed the ramp into the shuttle Ëa had come up with the ghost of a plan that might work. It would be a hard sell to the rest of the council, but if what he'd seen of the invasion was even half true, they would need all the help they could get.
His shuttle left the base on Phobos and flew toward the plain of Cydonia on the surface of Mars. On approach at an altitude only slightly higher than the mountain range that surrounded the valley, any other traveler would have sucked in his breath in alarm at their nearness to those ragged peaks. Ëa simply watched with vague interest as the plain unfolded beneath him.
First to come into view was the massive plateau with the carved face on the summit; Alalu's tomb. Immediately following that was the ziggurat made of enormous blocks of red stone. Both these had stood here since the Dingir first colonized this sector of the solar system more than three hundred thousand Earth years ago. Ëa himself had helped to design and raise these buildings.
He spared a moment to think about Alalu, his long dead father in law, and sighed.
The rest of the network of buildings came into view but he didn't even look at them. As functional as they were, they offered none of the aesthetic beauty the pyramid and tomb displayed. Instead he gave more thought to his upcoming meeting with the council.
'How they will howl!'
He grinned slightly at the thought and waited patiently as the canopy over the shuttle bay slid open.
His ship hovered in place until the cover was completely retracted. Then it glided gently downward to rest alongside the dozens of other shuttles already there.
The shuttle bay was re-pressurized and Ëa's shuttle opened its rear door. The door was the entire rear section of the fuselage. It swung upward on hinges set into the rear section of the roof panel.
He walked briskly but gracefully and his two Guards fell in behind him.
The great market opened up to his left with its vendors of food, clothing and any other thing the colonists needed. There were almost three thousand Humans living here, all of them brought here from Earth by Ëa's people. They were far outnumbered by the thirty thousand or so Dingir who had built this place.
He paid no attention to the market teeming with people of both races. Instead, he walked straight to the network of stairs leading toward the underground train.
The train system was a suggestion from the Human colonists. They stated they had trains working underground in many of their major cities on Earth. They were useful for transporting thousands of Humans around every day. Ëa had to admit the idea had been a good one.
He boarded the car furthest toward the front of the train. This car was reserved for Dingir nobility. He sat on one of the plush seats built into the side of the car and his Guards took up station at his side with their pikes planted solidly by their feet. There were no other riders.
Ëa did not move when the train reached the end of the line. He waited patiently while passengers from the other cars disembarked.
The car on which he sat disconnected itself from the forward section of the train and pushed on further. An aperture in the wall of the station opened and the car slipped through it silently. Then it picked up speed and traveled for another few minutes.
They were now deeply ensconced in the Dingir section of the Cydonia complex. Humans did not come into this area.
Ëa rose calmly and walked to the bank of elevators opposite the doors of the train. He spoke briefly in Dingir and the elevator rose swiftly to the top floor of the building.
The doors slid open to reveal two Guards dressed in their formal finery; polished bronze breastplates and greaves with the matching bronze helms and white under-tunics stitched with gold embroidery along the hem lines.
They stood to attention when he appeared and stared straight ahead. They slammed the butt ends of their pikes to the floor as he passed beyond the gilt doorway to the council chamber. His personal Guards joined their comrades at the entrance.
Ëa scanned the semi-gloomy interior and grinned. They were all here; his sister Ninti, his son Adad, his nephew Nannar and his son Utu and his niece, the fiery tempered Inanna.
This was half the council of twelve. The remaining six had departed for their home world Nibiru over five years ago. That included his brother Enlil and the greater part of his entourage. Ëa was left with this group to help him govern.
"You're late!" Nannar said unpleasantly, "As usual."
Ëa smirked and looked at the array of faces opposite him. Most of them were scowling like Nannar. Ninti and Adad were the exceptions. Adad showed no expression at all while Ninti smiled beatifically.
"I was unavoidably detained," he said, "There were matters of some importance that drew me elsewhere."
"Hardly an excuse," Nannar said with a sigh, "My father warned me not to let you run roughshod over the council in his absence."
Ëa smiled and leaned forward on the table directly across from the younger man.
"My brother does not trust me," he said, "Or like me when it comes to it. That is no secret."
"Nor is it a secret that you like to do things your own way," Nannar replied.
"Sometimes it is necessary to get things done," Ëa said, "Without the squabbling and endless debate within this chamber."
Nannar sniffed and sat back in his chair not cowed in the least.
"Have a care Uncle!" he hissed, "Anything you do requires this council's approval!"
"I bring news," Ëa went on, "Grave news!"
Ninti leaned forward with concern written all over her face. The rest eyed each other suspiciously.
