The Avenger sped for home bearing the best clue and clarification of the sphere yet to be had.  The UW Science Council sat awed as ADAM’s data poured into their computer base like an electronic tidal wave.  ADAM’s very existence awed them, a sentient, living cybernetic device, well over a thousand years old.  The ability of the sphere, and ADAM to (jump) from one time into another, and ADAM’s assurance UW ships could soon do like wise, had them in near hysteria.  As Avenger was only an hour and some minutes from landing, they were as impatient as children sent to bed on Christmas Eve.  The holovision cameras floating on their platforms shot every angle as Russell Carlin, Debra Hilds, and ADAM emerged from Avenger’s launch bay door, Murray Dean and the three rescued hopper crewmen behind them.  The balance of Avenger’s crew filed out to meet and embrace their families and friends.  At the approach to the landing berth Chairman Hughes, Jeff Calan, Dr. Hopewell, Professor Sackett and Sergent Major Harmand awaited them with stately dignity.  Chairman Hughes hugged each of them tightly and waited to be introduced to ADAM.  Hands were shaken all around between the fellows and Debra Hilds received several kisses to which she presented whichever cheek was closest.  ADAM, feeling crowded in this human tangle, levitated above it.


    “Madam Chairman,” Russell began “I wish to present to you and the United Worlds of Earth, the only free representative of the hegemony of Hathlon, known to us as Deneb five.  The war correspondent, reporter and historian, ADAM Logam, son of Rath Lagam eminent cyberneticist and engineer.  ADAM, the Chairman of the United Worlds of Earth General Assembly, Security Council and Science Council, Chairman and member respectively Madam Linette Hughes, Dr. Hopewell and Professor Edward Sachett.”


    “I am proud to meet you all, gentle beings,” said ADAM, “I feel more alive than I have for four hundred years.”


    “Well,” allowed Chairman Hughes, “our worlds are at your service ADAM, just tell us how to help our common scourge out of the universe.”  The UW Science Council spent every minute of the day pouring over ADAM’s war and history records.  From those records and much interpretation of later events during the Shaper-Denebian War, and after it, left the scholars with no doubt as to what and whom they faced.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ‘Shapers’ was a term used to describe the race which had originated on Alpha Lyrae four about twenty eight thousand years earlier.  Much like primitive humans, the dominant (or modern) form of their race was evolved while its forerunners (as neanderthal was to cro-magnon man) still roamed their world.  Also, much like humans they hunted and harried this race nearly to early extinction.  The pre-Shaper race subjugated the Shapers spread rapidly and occupied nearly seventy percent of their worlds mass.  Shapers were fiercely territorial and vicious, loners by choice and warriors by nature.  The forerunners of humankind had seemed to melt away once the newer species had arrived.  On Vega four however, events took a more sinister route.  The pre-Shaper race was enslaved and used by its successors to provide labor, security and entertainment as desired.  The Shapers penned and harumed both Shaper and pre-Shaper females.  Some of the most vicious and rapacious males had dozens of females in their retinues.  As primitive man had, they began tribal life using natural shelters, caverns and hollow trees at first, later the Shapers built huge kraal-like compounds and eventually fortresses.  The pre-Shaper race (it was learned from ADAM’s records) still existed to this day enslaved and abused by their own descendants.  Until about thirteen thousand years ago, the Shapers had no knowledge of space travel or alien life.  Then the Shapers were in a feudal age with numerous small city-states making constant war on each other, destroying and rebuilding their world over and over.  They practiced war so much; to their primitive society, it became a necessary part of each males life to kill at least one hundred enemy soldiers before he could choose a name for himself or breed.  The majority of each lord, army was made up of such untitled males.  The working force of each city-state consisted of the elderly, mostly wounded or maimed males, discarded females no longer attractive in the harem and the children of the lord whose only pursuit was the preparation for battle.  While the old males and hags worked to feed, clothe shelter and arm the tribe, the lord continually and relentlessly bred his females to produce more and stronger warriors to expand his power over his lands.  After each war, woman were consigned to the victors harem, the old and lame to the workhouses and all males of breeding age were slaughtered outright.  Thus, the victorious always retained control of their race’s evolution.  Each war and breeding period afterward have accounted for every modification of the Shaper race.  Different Saromes (father king from Vegan language) have had differing ideas of what should be bred for.