* * * THE GARDENS OF PARADISE * * *

Meek’aym’ooz jerked awake from one of the nightmares involving hordes of well fed bizarrely dressed humans staring at him in a very disrespectful way. These had become all too common during the past half-century. It was then that he realized that it was the doleful sound of the Gong of Remembrance that had awakened him. He looked down at himself and growled in frustration. It had happened again. He composed himself and embraced his self-image.

The Great God of the lower mid tier; Meek’aym’ooz the King of Rodents, overseer of the Gods of the lower tier and their Gardens stepped out of the ridiculously oversized yellow shoes and the equally oversized barbarous red shorts. He shook the stupid misshapen white gloves from his elegant long fingered hands and incinerated the lot in one flaming, fulminating glare.

He stepped up to his mirror and checked on his appearance. He calmed the rat-tails growing on his upper lip and coaxed them into twining themselves together and settling into an elegant curve on his face. Satisfied that all was well he summoned his servants and slaves.

Two hours later, suitably anointed and dressed Meek’aym’ooz emerged from his luxurious chambers and went to discover what had caused all the ruckus earlier that morning.

Once he settled in his public office he started receiving his secretaries. He dealt with the ever-present problem of precedence and the delicate rearrangement of influence and status amongst his staff. It was a problem that was inevitable ever since he had felt it necessary to increase the number of his secretaries and palace staff last year. Hopefully things would settle down soon.

Then came lunch, with some of his more ambitious and ambiguous charges.

It was only when he was relaxing after a satisfying meal that one of his undersecretaries – after all the usual polite nothings needed to maintain civility said, “My lord Meek’aym’ooz, Fatagn the Slothful left the Gardens and attempted to steal the works and followers on one of the worlds of a minor goddess. She killed him.”

Meek’aym’ooz regarded his undersecretary for a moment. “I see, arrange a time for me to interview this goddess. I will need to inform her of the Emperor’s rules, and of her place in the Gardens.”

The undersecretary bowed low. “She rejected the honour sir. She did not ascend to the Gardens. I can send her a summons if you wish to see her.”

Meek’aym’ooz’s eyes narrowed in displeasure, he ignored his feelings of annoyance at the slight to focus on his immediate problem. “I am curious. How did such a lowly one know about the other worlds? Let alone know how to get to them? Find out please. And send the summons to whomever.”

The undersecretary dropped to his knees and knocked his head three times on the floor. “Thy will be done.”

Meek’aym’ooz watched his undersecretary crawl backwards out of his presence and worried. ‘This is excessive, what is he hiding from me. I must have him investigated.’

* * * PARTHIA – TOD * * *

Tod strolled along the docks of Maalaea Two. The town was much larger than it’s namesake on Earth. Especially as about half of it was built under the waters of the lagoon. It had been fascinating to explore a town that was built for and by sea humans and sea elves. Then there were tritons and meremen and those octopi that somehow shared Mary’s twisted sense of humour and attitudes.

There she was, the Queen of the Seas. A rakish looking schooner rigged brig. She was tied up to a jetty in a section of the docks reserved for the temples. He still felt faintly unhappy that he had to leave the planet of his birth. He squared his shoulders and used the gangplank to board the Queen of the Seas.

Tod was intercepted by a burly wolf ’folk sailor who took him to see the ship’s purser. Harold turned out to be a weather beaten balding man. He seemed amused, “Welcome aboard the Queenie. I trust you’ll have a pleasant journey with us. The Cap is damn glad you aren’t a fan of the arctic lands.”

Tod blinked at what seemed to him to be a non sequitur. “Ah... Will the trip take long?”

Harold grinned widely. He waved a contemptuous hand at some of the tubby round-hulled merchantmen that were sharing the port with them. “One of those tubs would take at least two weeks to Black Cove and another two to Vaar’s Beach. We’ll do it in one. Unless, the Cap gets impatient.”

Harold closed his ledger and rose from behind the table he had been using as a desk. “I’ll introduce you to Captain Gail Stormchaser, then I’ll show you to your cabin.”

Gail Stormchaser turned out to be a tall woman with short cropped blue-green hair. She squinted at the sun when she saw him coming. “ZACK! Haul in the gangplank and cast off,” she bellowed, then she turned her attention to Tod. “Welcome aboard my Queenie. I’ll have you at Black Cove in four days.”

Then she was off bellowing orders. Harold grinned again. “Seems Cap is in a hurry. Hope you’re not the nervous sort. We haven’t capsized yet.”

* * *

That evening, after dinner Tod leant back in his bunk. The captain and more than a quarter of the crew were sea humans. There even was a sea elf on board, he understood why Mary had selected this ship; even if the captain seemed to be an adrenalin junkie.

He glanced at the sat-phone Moriarty had handed him and, almost against his will, keyed in a number. He wasn’t surprised when it rang.

“Commander Meadows here.”

“Evening Commander. Tod here. How are you sir? I thought I spotted you yesterday.”

“I really doubt that Tod. Yesterday I was on another world thanks to Mary. Where are you?”

“On Parthia. Sailing north on a speed maniac’s ship, a brig.”

“... How did you manage a connection? I’m not on Earth, nor on Parthia.”

“I don’t know sir. I’m using a sat-phone. So I assume there are comsats in orbit. And ... um ... I was told that certain individuals don’t want to be deprived of access to Earth. So... Ah ... where are you sir.”

Tod heard a short bark of laughter before Meadows voice came over his phone again. “We just left orbit around Fragatta and are headed for what we have been told is a twin planet. Looks like a big moon.”

“Fragatta? The frozen planet?”

“... Well, the melting planet. The aliens seem to be melting the ice.”

“Aliens?” Tod was unable to suppress a snort of amusement, “I see. Well I’m glad to know you’re well. I’ll call again. You can reach me on this number.”

* * * FRAGATTA – IN ORBIT * * *

Meadows glared suspiciously at his smartphone. He knew Tod only too well, Tod obviously knew, or thought he knew something about the aliens. Meadows pocketed his phone and looked at their alien guide. He was still droning on in French. Something was very fishy here.

* * *

Something caught Jake’s eye. It took him a second to realize that the naval officer was talking on a normal looking smartphone. He fished his own out of his pocket and sure enough he had a viable signal. He glanced out of the observation window at the stupidly large orbiting mirror. He knew that there was nothing like it around Earth. So here he was in orbit around another planet, and he could still use his phone.

It certainly looked like the naval guy had received unwelcome news by the way he was frowning. Jake dismissed his feelings and returned his attention to Jinny and their two visitors. ‘Wish Wiz was with us,’ he thought to himself. ‘And to think I nearly ignored the invite, if it wasn’t for Fidget and Swiftfall I’d never have visited two worlds, or met any aliens. Pity I can’t speak French.’

“I have to thank you both for insisting on us accepting Ms Silvestre’s invitation. Just that other world was beyond expectations. This, being in a spaceship is—” Jake trailed off.

Fidget looked up at him solemnly. “Parthia was interesting. Fragatta, well I spoke with some of the locals. One year ago it was all ice. A tragedy caused by one or more of the new gods. A sea goddess who is also a dungeon is... It is confusing.”

Swiftfall smiled happily. “My goddess is proving better than I could have hoped.” He rubbed the brooch he was wearing with a thumb. “Even the Tinkerer must be jealous of what she has access to.”

“The Tinkerer? Who’s that?” asked Jinny.

“He is the principal god on Tarifax. He is the father of the steam engine,” explained Fidget.

“Really, but steam is kinda primitive. Not much use for it anymore,” said Jake.

Fidget closed her eyes in pain. She sighed and looked around and out of the window. “Well yes. I am learning. It’s so frustrating that you all use such fascinating things, and you do not know how they work.”

“I truly don’t know what the Guild back home is going to make of all this. Or the fact that a goddess and dungeon is sponsoring your world’s Guild. And now I have overheard several military people speculating about orbitals and orbital bombardments. I suspect the mother of Monsters is going to gain a shrine at the headquarters of the Adventurer’s Guild,” speculated Swiftfall.

“I would recommend that,” said Fidget.