Dromie popped in. "I will try again with my people to rescue prisoners! Rentappenen lied when he said he would kill them. He uses people's skills."

I looked at his eager face. It's wider than it is tall. He looks like a freakin' cartoon! His mouth goes from ear to ear, filled with blunt teeth that are wide, too. How can he smile like that? That neon green skin just makes those blue eyes seem to glow. But that's the same glow some Biehshah have, that Adia has, that Fhiahans have. It's upper level contamination!

He frowned. "It's not contamination! Yamotenanten gave us properties to fight Rentappenen, because he cheats. Gifts can't be Taken, once Given. That's why we have to go see The Padrisa Council when we finish. They don't know what to do with you, and with me." Now he did look kind of sad.

J~oie reached for him, but Wslarc appeared and frowned. "You should not be here! I exiled you!"

"Want to win this war? You can't win without me!"

"You can fight without contaminating this world!"

Dromie pointed to Adia. "Look at her eyes and tell me she is not contaminated also! Yamotenanten knows more than you do!" She trembled.

He sighed and it rumbled on us! "And he must judge us all. But I warn you, your people will pay."

"As long as we defeat Rentappenen, I'll be happy! Nobody wants us, but we can live on that planet with Granny and her family."

Wslarc frowned at him. "Did you think about whether she will like it there, or her family, in isolation? Gwen wanted to live in a Black city with friends. She is young, and friends are important to her."

"But, she has Granny, and Luna—"

"Earthans are a social species. They need others to be happy. No one will risk contamination to visit them—"

Molly got off the bed and bowed to him. "Pardons, but these Earthans are part of my people. I will visit them. I wish you would just let us do trade remotely. They will need supplies—"

"You do not understand. Dromie's server is contaminated, and will contaminate servers of the Alliance and Unified—"

"They are already contaminated! Look at her eyes. Fhiahans traded with Biehshah. Then they traded with Ye~ and Areon. What you call contamination is the Gifts Yamotenanten gave them to try to compensate for what Rentappenen did by supplying herbs from upper levels—"

"And, The Padrisa will decide what to do with all of us! This is your people's fault for siding with him!" Wslarc's rumbles shook the walls! We were back underground, and people filled this building and the garden, too! It was bigger than last time.

That cat-eared fella with the black fur popped in. "Oh, so dramatic! You are just a clone, so don't expect me to do what you say." His brown eyes watched Wslarc.

His face and body changed colors with lights, but not like Yamotenanten. His hands and feet kept twin fingers and toes. "Your people are also not supposed to be here!"

"Dromie brought us back. I am the reason Earthans have Gifts."

"Your people will also be judged! Why would you waste so many eons of Gifts on a primitive people?"

He laughed. "Because Rentappenen's well-laid plans can't compensate for their unpredictability! Your people should learn from us—"

"My people are weary of your people's disregard for this level's rules! You should stay extinct!"

"Well, I didn't have anything to do with it, not at all! Dromie brought me back.'

"And you released your people from Lidara's Hubs, where I put them! I warn you, I acted on behalf of the 2nd Level Council—"

"Which is now dead!"

Wslarc looked absolutely shocked! "Dead? My peoples are dead?"

"Yes! And the 3rd through the 5th in the Test Of Levels! Now do you believe how serious this is? What's to stop him from going after upper levels, if we do not stop him here? The Test Of Levels is gone, all of them! The 1st above it is gone, and the 2nd. The 3rd is not looking good. That's where Pirad's people fell from. Pirad is using tech from it to win this war for you. You can tell that to the 5th."

"This is why I have no contact with my Host?"

"Yes! Everything you know is gone. The 6th sent Wally, and he followed Rentappenen."

"Then, I must destroy the Imwa—"

"No, they are now fighting him, with us."

Wslarc leaned towards him. They're about the same height. "You do know we will earn a Reorganization from The Padrisa? They will start over!"

"I don't think it's as bad as all that—"

"Do you know what consequences this will have, Pinda? Never, in the history of The Padrisa, has there ever been a Council destroyed. Never! And you tell me that seven are destroyed? Rentappenen has not the power to do this. He used other weapons to do this, forbidden weapons. You were born of that technology, which was to be Taken." He pointed at Dromie.

"But, we're fighting him now! We learned."

"I do not believe you, or any of your kinds. Laruu learned war from the Lerk, who nearly destroyed The Padrisa. Bringing them back earned your destruction."

Dromie looked panicked. "I'll talk to Yamotenanten! He can see what I'm doing—"

"You think that will make any difference? You destroyed Councils for Rentappenen! When I present what I know, you will wish your people never received life!" His sorrow shook us all up!

"If we have to be destroyed, I will accept it, and for all our people. My father assents. But until then, we will fight for these people." He waved his little arms to indicate us. "They are already contaminated, but I will try to undo it when we are not needed."

"Gifts cannot be Taken. Even you have not got the power to do that. The destruction you earn will affect them. We have rules on the 6th, and we must follow them."

"Rentappenen broke the rules first! It's not fair!" Dromie stomped his three-toed foot.

The cat-eared fella licked a paw and smoothed his ears. "Rentappenen acted on his own. My people acted as observers. You are tied to the Council, not to the 6th as Wally is. I would not be surprised if all of us lost our seats—"

"You think this is merely a loss of seats as Kirnonos and Pirad lost them, and started their Test Of Levels again? No. This is final judgment of your peoples. If The Padrisa finds against you, they will destroy you to the point that none of you can come back. You saw the fate of Ferfresshannanan, did you?"

"But, Yamotenanten didn't kill Rentappenen, did he? No, he left that task to us because he can't! You and your rules! You let Rentappenen destroy and destroy, but you will condemn us for stopping him?" The cat-fella stood with his legs apart and pointed at Wslarc.

Who frowned, and the building shook! "I have authority of the 6th, not of merely the Council just above this tech level. I am showing them all that both of you said! I warn you, Pinda—"

"You can warn, but you aren't fighting Rentappenen. We are. All your rules didn't prevent him, or any of the other threats we'll have to fight. If you destroy us, The Padrisa can get destroyed again by the next threat, if we aren't there to protect you. In fact, Dromie's people pulled your fat out of the fire! They are saving your 2nd Council members as we speak."

Wslarc got this flabbergasted expression. "They are breaking our rules to do this! Are they unafraid of extinction?"

"Some things are worth dying for." Dromie stomped his foot. "If my people have to die because they saved you, we will still do this. I am not afraid to die, if you think I deserve it. But I think your rules do not work, because they allowed Rentappenen to merely ignore them and destroy people who wouldn't follow him. You have forgotten how to talk to each other. The Lerk decided negotiations didn't work and merely took what they wanted and burned worlds.

"Rentappenen showed us the Lerk and we thought that was how to act. Then I met Granny's family, and they taught us to love. Now I fight for them!"

"You are foolish, to change your entire civilization because of one person."

"You are foolish, to make rules that no one understands, but you! Everyone should participate and agree on them. Other levels worked that way, but the 6th didn't. Yamotenanten thought he would impose rules on everyone and make them work. I think he'll change his mind soon."

"Yamotenanten has more important work than you know!" Wslarc's exasperation made the building shake again. Some of the Earthans dove under the huge table!

Pinda slashed a paw across his front, and the white shirt waved. "So important that he decided to send Rentappenen to the 5th to learn, and each council decided to demote him? Every time they sent him to another lower level, he gained strength. Why? Because corrupt Council members helped him. Then, he took their power and destroyed their peoples!"

"Oh, we thought he would learn—"

"Do you people not understand? People like him don't learn. They pretend. My people are observers. We saw many people like him rise to power and corrupt governments—"

"We are not like you, and Rentappenen is not like anyone who ever lived—"

"That's where you're wrong! People are not that different! If there's one thing I've learned in these eons is that history repeats. There are similarities between all civilizations. Rentappenen admired the Lerk and their thirst for war. His plan is to build a multi-level place of warfare like Deesamor was for scientific pursuits!"

Wslarc trembled. "You are sure of this?"

"Very sure. Rachanar found traces of contamination from the 15th, where Dromie's people came from."

Kerponie popped in, that scientist who created the tech for making Dromie's species. He's got four arms and legs. But Kaswpas did, too, the scientist who did it. He looks like Dromie? He's the Councillor I found in that mine!

Wslarc saw him and bowed low!

"I am Kaswpas, Councillor Of the Blue Lens Of Secrets." He bowed, then rose and Wslarc did. "I—"

"I am Cunigundae, Host Of Blue Lens Of Secrets. I can find them, no matter how well they hide!" That Areonian bowed to him.

"You can wait to speak! You are Host Of The Blue Cube Of Secrets, not the Lens—"

"I gave him your lens." Dromie laughed.

"That is not funny! You can't do that! He is too weak to use it! All of them are too weak for Lenses! We only use them to resolve a dispute—"

"Rentappenen is the biggest dispute—"

"You would do well to listen to me! All of you are like disobedient children, playing with weapons you do not understand! I come from the Council Of The 15th, which also has rules which lower levels must follow! You created all manner of disorder! Wslarc fears The Padrisa, but we created it. Our council is much larger than you comprehend. Now that I have communication again, they are dismayed! Yamotenanten!"

He popped in and bowed low!

"This Earthan has more sense than all of you! Rentappenen captured me when I tried to stop him. Now I regained 5th level strength, but I need 15th level strength that I do not have! You must stop because all of you are not powerful enough to stop him! We must seek aid from higher levels, and I return to tell—"

Dromie pulled at his arm. "We are winning!"

"You are creating disorder! Even we have rules we must follow, and you brought back Condemned Species that we locked away forever! Where do you get that kind of power?" He pulled his green arm out of Dromie's hands.

Dromie shrugged. "Rentappenen showed me. Now I'm using it against him—"

"After you finish this Battle Of The Cubes, what will you do with these weapons? Wslarc is right to exile you, but that will not stop you—"

Dromie's father popped in and bowed low. "We are loyal to you, Father Of Our Race. I am their king, but you did not name me, or us."

"You lied to me. All of you are liars!"

He wept. "We are, but now I learned to speak truth. We will do as you say—"

"You broke our rules! You lied about it!"

"But, we are here and we are fighting Rentappenen. He is using up his Collective because of us. Because we are sneaky, we can get into his facilities to destroy vital components." He clapped his hands together and rubbed them.

"You did not wait for me! I need to contact my Council—"

"If we wait, Rentappenen will kill these galaxies and you cannot bring them back!" Dromie stomped a foot again.

Now Kaswpas looked awkward. "We came to restore order—"

"Rentappenen uses order to kill. Shouldn't we use chaos to disrupt his plans? While you sit at tables and negotiate, people die! We can't wait centuries for you to make a decision! This is how Rentappenen gets his power. He doesn't wait!" Dromie shook his fist at him.

Kaswpas spread his green arms out. "But, if we don't do things in order, there will be more chaos!"

"Rentappenen created chaos. Get used to it! Unless you want us to stop him—"

"He's more powerful than you!"

"We're more sneaky," said the king.

"We're winning!" Dromie jumped up and down.

"You cannot last! His troops are on more worlds than yours!"

"We are better at destruction! Do you think he has unlimited capacity? He can't go to as many times now, and that is getting worse. When he can't pull troops from the Padrisa any more, we win!"

"How many civilizations will you destroy before you have your victory? All of them are not soldiers."

"This time, we ported them to other worlds, to hide them."

"I am Cunigundae, Host Of Blue Lens Of Secrets. I can hide them, no matter how well Rentappenen looks!" That Areonian laughed.

Kaswpas frowned at him. "What are you?"

"Laruu—'

"You, my friend, are not Laruu!" Pinda stared at him. "Where are your ears, if you are Laruu? We take animal forms, not whatever that is." He stared at his neon green skin and gnarled, tri-digited extremities.

Cunigundae frowned. "Our species, our civilization, never had names. We felt things. Other species exploited us, because we knew what they could not. Earth calls Dromie's kind goblins, but we existed before Earth made that up. Our people died before the creation of The Padrisa."

Now Kaswpas looked scared! "You pre-date us! Who brought you back?"

He shrugged. "I never died. My people aged, they died, but I hold the Lens and I do not die. But I cannot bring them back. I am the last, and when I die, all my knowledge will die with me."

"Share it with me, that my people will know. We will keep your people's knowledge."

"And use it for your purposes? We had weapons that no one had, and no one should. My people destroyed each other and every civilization who had contact. I will not share any of it. All of our knowledge was of weapons, secrets, and deceptions.

"I use it against Rentappenen, then I will allow myself to die, and a portal will take my body to a sun for destruction."

"How can we trust you?" Kaswpas spread his green arms wide.

"You cannot, because I can't be known. This is why I hold the blue Lens Of Secrets. I gather them, but I do not share them. Ever." He folded his arms.

"Did you reveal any to Rentappenen?"

Cunigundae shook his head. "No. He does not know this species as well as he thinks he does. I appear like others he has seen and I made my body function as they did for short times when he looked. I pretended to give him secrets, but his people's facilities had—accidents. There were purposeful mistakes in my secrets to fail his purposes. While I stand here, my otherselves are prisoners in his facilities giving him false secrets. They die quickly apart from me. When I run out of otherselves, I die, so I am self-limiting."

Kawspas looked very frustrated. "The 15th Level is very upset! I think they will want to see you instead of the Padrisa Council!"

"Oooh, we're infamous, Daddy!" Dromie high-fived his father.

Cunigundae stared at them. "You want to die?"

"No." The king stood on the table and Earthans moved away. "We want to convince your Council to let us live."

"They fear you! They fear us! So we will do the honorable thing and kill ourselves!"

Dromie shook his head. "I think you're stupid to do that! Why should you die? We aren't willing to die again."

"We have honor enough to know we are too stupid to live! Most civilizations learn to coexist."

"You learned. Why should you die?"

The arguments just went on. They sounded like any group with a disagreement. Dromie paced and so did the king. Cunigundae didn't go further.

Finally, Kawspas sighed and the building shook! "I will take your comments to the 15th. Defeat Rentappenen and we may show you mercy, both of you."

They all ported away, even Wslarc.