by Lowell Boston and Jeff Blagg

Prologue

The Ship

"ship (ship) Bodies of water are held to represent ones unconscious emotional state. To see a ship in a dream represents
how one begins a voyage through these ever shifitng realms."

Excerpt from the Archaen Book of Dreams and Visions

Chief Ambassador Alain Chamaitre looked out the transpex wall of his office suite at the Great River outside, and he smiled. The river of energy sparkled and flashed,
swirling mightily to wash against and then through the world below. He was one of the few that had an office that protruded high from what could be considered a "polar"
region of Rosette Center. The world fell away below him, millions of miles in all directions, but his eyes were not set on that structure which, in all its immensity, befuddled
mere human senses.

Instead, his eyes looked away from the outer shell of the sphereworld below and out into the River itself. There, moored in one of the energy tributaries which joined
the river just outside the Center, was the Scrivenor- the first vessel in almost four centuries that would pass the line of the Old Enclosure and make contact with the rest
of the galaxy beyond. That ship was the reason that he and his kind existed, the service that they could give best, and had trained to give. His title of Chief Ambassador,
or Corunal, would finally make sense. He could be the Voice of the Listhani - now that there would be someone to speak to. His thoughts reached out and found the port
controller. "How long before departure?"

"The Scrivenor is fully stocked and prepared, Ambassador. Engineering crew estimates an extremely fast sail.
Quantum weather is not going to be a problem. ETP to the Old Line is 2.5 hours. Secondary drives appear to
be working up to Omnet's promised performance guidelines under test conditions. The crew is awaiting
your arrival"

Alain then went through the energy field to his personal shuttle, which sped off toward the Scrivenor. The long, sleek vessel was made up interconnecting planes of
bonded energy, in some places approaching the consistency of matter. The docking took place quickly, and he was soon seated in the Command chair of the main bridge.
He "spoke" softly to the Communications Officer, and was soon in visual contact with Vestis Morgannthal in the Omnet citadel on Rosette 3.

"Vestis Morgannthal, on behalf of the Listhani Assembly, I formally ask for the lifting of the Quarantine Accomodation
made between us. Our government feels that it is time for contact with our galactic neighbors. We are prepared for travel"

"Ambassador Chamaitre, it is the pleasure of Omnet to agree. All channels will be open for broadcast when you breach the barrier.
Welcome to the Galaxy- we are glad to see you have made up your mind."

With these words, the Scrivenor drew her moorings and accelerated down the Great River towards the Old Line. Soon, the knotted filaments of a quantum front
writhed and pulsated ahead. With little effort, the Scrivenor shot through the storm, its hull visibly thickening as it adapted to the rapidly changing realities of the front,
and its lights shifting into a more muted glow when it passed into the new Q-Zone on the other side.

"Ambassador," the captain of the Scrivenor announced, "we are outside. Communication stands by for your orders.
The engines are running smoothly, and we (the Captain, a Listhani, said this somewhat smugly) have adapted about
as expected. Sensors detect three vessels within extreme detection range, but none seem to pose an immediate threat."

"What vessels are these, Captain Lann'til?"

"The first," Lann'til responded, "it the Centirion destroyer, the Reaver, that we expected. The other vessels are of
unknown origin, but neither seem to have large energy signatures. Shields are in standby, as are weapons. Ship
status is secure."

Alain felt his palms grow warm in anticipation. "Communications, open long range hail. Pull out all the stops and
really let this signal fly. Kick in all hyperchannel boost, and request retransmit on Transcom 27."

He pulled himself straighter in his chair.

"Greetings, fellow sentients. You do not know us, but it is our hope that you will soon. We
are citizens of the Listhani Continuum, and I am the Voice of the Listhani people. We have
been told of many things taking place in this area of space, and feel that we can no longer
remain hidden. If this message is received, we would like to make contact with you. We feel
we have something to offer in the greater conversation around us. We await your response.
May the River's flow bring you fulfillment."

With these words, the carrier cut off, and the listening began....

* * *

*****[INCOMING TRANSMISSION: Open Hail. ENCRYPTION CODE: level 1. TRANSCOM: 27]*****

Chief Ambassador Alain Chamaitre
Listhani Continuum
Listhani Vessel Scrivenor

Dear Ambassador Chamaitre,

Allow me to make introductions. I am Empress Cavery Sasa'anna Farfel Marcello, Supreme True Dreamer of the August Empire of Archean.
I bid you welcome to the Greater Galaxy and offer to and the Listhani people our hand in greetings and friendship.

As Empress and Supreme True Dreamer of our Empire my affairs are concerned with the domestic well-being of our people. First Contact
Protocols among new and neighboring empires are usually handled by my daughters, Princess Syona, First Contact Ambassador for the Empire,
and Princess Onia, Ambassador of State to Sectors G & H. However, the Tri-Sector is beset with several developing wars. Currently my daughters
are away on diplomatic missions, and even my husband and Monarch, Emperor Shadrach Farfel Marcello VI has been sequestered to the Selesthian
Ring Complex, within the Selesthian Empire to deal with one such conflict.

In his absence I am the Acting Monarch for our State. In this capacity I invite you and your crew to the White, the Fortress and Palace of the August
Empire of Archaen, to initiate First Contact between our sovereign states, and to be our guest of honor at an Imperial State Dinner. In truth the coming
wars have trouble the hearts and minds of many of our people. To welcome new guest and friends would be a welcomed reminder of how life should be
within the Greater Galaxy. By your leave I will also assembly a delegation to discuss trade, culture and diplomatic ties so that our peoples may better learn
of one another.

Our border patrols have noted your vessels course to the Spider Queen Theocracy. Once your visit has been concluded there, the Archaen border will
be opened to you and your crew. Encoded in this dispatch are the coordinates to the White. Please send to my loyal 'Sin-Guardian, Shafer Fa'zul, your
environmental and nutritional requirements.

Chief Ambassador Chamaitre I look forward to our first meeting, and to a continued future for our people. May Ishtar grant you peace and wisdom for
all of your days.

Sincerely,

Empress Cavery Sasa'anna Farfel Marcello
Supreme True Dreamer
August Empire of Archean
The White
Sector H

*************************[END TRANSMISSION]***************************

* * *

Message encoded Priority Gamma Transmission Method: Enhanced pinpoint beam punched through hyperspace

Empress Cavery Sasa'annaFarfel Marcello
August Empire of Archaen
The White

Dear Empress,

We welcome your greetings, and return them in like form. We are most interested in becoming part of the events occurring in the Tri-Sector area.
In fact, I would like to express our further desire to examine the mutual security agreements in this area, as perhaps we may be of small assistance.
We are supremely honored by your attention, and I am quite sure that First Contact Protocols will be quite successful under your leadership. Without
prejudice, we would be willing to meet with whomever your government chooses. We understand that the job of running an empire takes much time,
and we are rather easy when it comes to formalities. An Imperial dinner on the White would be wonderful. We accept.

I will bring my staff to assist me in any necessary negotiations. I, as Chief Ambassador, am fully empowered to make any necessary diplomatic decisions
- so business can proceed smoothly. We can provide some demonstrations of our manufacturing techniques as well. While it is possible that they will not
be as efficient due to leveling, I assure you that they might be of interest even on an inefficient scale.

Since we are an efficient people, we hope to make an appearance in your space soon. We are awaiting entrance to SQT space, and project a quick
conclusion of affairs there. May the River bring you fulfillment.

Corunal Alain Chamaitre
Listhani Continuum
The Scrivenor

Addendum: To 'Sin-Guardian Shafer Fa'zul

Environmental and nutritional requirements of the Listhani:

Humanoid contingent: Partial pressures of O2 minimum of 1KG/cm2 or better (or advise for supplement, basic nutritional requirements for any main form human.
Listhani contingent: None needed. Any environment will do, no nutritional requirements.

* * *

The sleek lines of the H.M.S. Executive dropped from warp, cocooned in a halo of light.

The Negotiator Class diplomatic cruiser eclipsed the light of a blue sun, highlighting battle worn scars along her hull like sunlight on a river.
Her recent journey from Archosaurian space had not been with out incident, or danger, but the elegant ship moved with a smooth and regal
bearing inherent to her class. Flanking her sides, and behind her, three Archaen cruisers decelerated to sub light speed. Their weapons hot as
Mag-shields came on line.

The small flotilla pulled along the Scrivenor at a discreet distance of a thousand kilometers. A small meteor shower passes between the
gathered vessels as if the cosmos herself were commemorating the event.

"Captain Bainbridge, you may hail them," spoke a voice, confident, yet youthful.

"Yes, your Highness. Line open."

On board the Listhani Continuum diplomatic vessel a signal was received, blurry at first, but growing in focus and form, until it revealed
the image of a young Human girl. Her hair was short, and raven dark, above an oval face perhaps fifteen or sixteen years in age. Her body,
slim, yet showing signs of the young woman she would one day be, was dressed in the Imperial Blue robes of an Archaen diplomat. Her eyes,
light and egg shell blue, cast off a tranquil light, one that made her appear twice her age, and infused with wisdom. With a statuesque face,
displaying not a single emotion, she crossed her palms to her chest, and courtly bows. Gracefully raising, she spoke in a commanding voice.

"Ambassador Chamaitre please forgive our unexpected appearance and... our silence.
I am Princess Syona Sasa'anna Farfel Marcello, First Contact Ambassador to the August
Empire of Archaen. I'm afraid your arrival has corresponded with several events. My
secret return home, and the flushing out of a possible Ghoiite strike force somewhere
within this parsec. As I speak, several AiD Pact ships are now engaging various
locations, searching for these NGN vessels. It was my decision not to contact you directly,
least we place you in danger by alerting the Ghoiites of your presence. Though your ships is
impressive, and I have no doubt, quite capable of defending itself, many fanatical Ghoiite
tribes would not hesitate to ram their ships into yours, sacrificing themselves if they felt
your vessel was a potential ally to our empire."

The beamed image continued to build in depth, revealing the Archaen's location - a holographic platform, and the shadowy presence
of her loyal Assassin-Guardian standing behind her. Lady Sy continued.

"Ambassador Chamaitre it would be my honor to escort you, and your crew to our home stars
where we may properly receive you at a reception on the White. My mother, Empress Cavery,
has informed me that a gala celebration has been staged just for your arrival. Though the winds of
war are gathering within the Tri-sector, you will find the hand of civility, and polite company within
our empire. I await your response."

In a shimmer of light the Princess was gone.

* * *

"Whoa! How did we miss the approach of that?"

Captain Lann'til looked around at the sensor data as it revealed the HMS Executive 1K to starboard, flanked by three Archaen crusiers. Checking the
logs with the Tactical officer, he soon saw why. A recent glitch in the dynamic lattice tracking system ahd brought it offline. Tac had never noticed. That
was a problem, and Tac knew it. Even more, he knew that the Captain knew it, too. There would be some words over that failure later- and it would not
happen again soon.

Alain was called to the Bridge to receive the message from the Archaen Princess. Reviewing the message as it played out, Alain was pleased to note
that there seemed to be no deception in the eyes of the Princess. Allowing his senses to sweep out, he found a wholeness about the crew of the Executive.
He did not of course probe- he merely rested his thought upon them. He composed his thoughts and replied in kind:

"Your Highness, we are thankful for your kind escort. The Ghoiite strike force was not in our mission area
brief from Vestis Morgannthal. Omnet, however useful they might be, is of course not infallible. We appreciate
the security your ships can help the Scrivenor function in, and hope that should it come to combat, we can return
the favor."

At a signal, the carrier launched a full flight of Heavy Fighters, the Bolts forming up in Double Diamonds around the Cruiser group, staying well outside
the Mag-Shields of the escorts and making no threatening moves. Alain continued

"please convey to your mother the Empress our delighted anticipation at the celebration ceremonies prepared.
As our two states have recently worked together to promote peace coreward of here, I am sure that there is much
to celebrate. On behalf of the Listhani Continuum, I accept the proffered hand of civility, Princess Syona Sasa'anna
Farfel Marcello. Lead on and we will follow. Corunal Alain Chamaitre out."

With that, the LCDS Scrivenor took a guard position above and behind the HMS Executive, and the small convoy began the trip to the White.

* * *

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi,

Welcome to the first installment of Dreamwalkers.

Ordinarily this story would be posted under the Starshield heading under Books. However, due to the fact that my last Starshield story - The Dark Lead has yet to receive a single review, I've decided to post here under sci-fi originals. Allow me to explain before anyone goes postal. Starshield is a author driven universe created by Tracy Hickman. Its original concept was an interactive website where contributing authors are invited to created worlds, cultures and civilizations that would interact with each other in a writer driven universe. Dreamwalkers is one such collaborative effort. Because only a few components of Tracy Hickman's 'Greater Galaxy' are mentioned, along with the fact that all of the characters are original, I've decided to post this tale here. If I get enough complaints, I'll be happy to remove it.

If anyone is interested in Starshield, read Sentient Enlightenment, and Omnet Chronology in Fanfiction to get a better flavor for the genre.

Lowell Boston