[center][h1][color=#880808]Old Gael, Old Gael...[/color][/h1][/center] 
[hr]
Vinaae stood watch over the gate welding, goggles in eyes just in case of issues. The gate was attached and surrounded by machinery made to manipulate it or at least try he hoped it would go this way. Rubbing his hands with excitement flowing, he soon said in the intercom. "Right, everyone, we are ready!" "Wait!" He heard turning his head to see Aseni putting on her welder goggles as she rushed to the window saying. "I wanna see this too." She soon stood next to him Vinaae then repeated himself saying. "Right, everyone! Ready yourselves we may explode our own stuff!" "...and possibly the gate itself." Aseni comments, worried as her brother puts his hand on the control panel after pressing a few letters and writing a command. He then pressed enter on the keyboard. Both soon watched on as the gate began to glow with intensity.

The station crew began to grow worried, some beginning to back away as the light glowed quite extremely. But soon the gate's mechanisms began to shift as it responded to the commands. Its rings rotate and align in a new shape as the gate opens again but this time in another system. Removing the goggles, Vinaae said with a wide grin. "So you can indeed change locations to go to!" Aseni gave a light nod looking up at him saying. "Yes it seems like the situation, of course it's better  to avoid people from the other side knowing someone is checking in then." Her brother thought for a moment before saying. "Better not... it's good to learn more about the people on the other side than being blind huh?" Aseni opened her mouth to protest before saying. "Honestly, it is a fair point to an extent;" He gave a nod with a wide grin feeling quite happy.

"Right, so we can explore the other star systems now that the gates are connected and..." He talked on and on thinking of the possibilities that may arise but as he spoke he soon was interrupted by his sister saying. "Actually, is it not better to keep it locked to Old Gael for now?" "What why?" He asked she rolled her eyes before saying. "You know that man that went to Old Gael"  Vinaae sighed remembering that event then he said. "Right, we will wait for him to return in the meantime. I think we may become an important trade port soon enough." Aseni gave a nod agreeing this could be huge if played correctly. 'What a streak of luck' she thought.

[hr]

The small fleet orbited around old Gael, the sacred earth where men of greatness stood. Now from the flagship, Teenizorii stood watching the greyed skies of Old Gael; his crew also watched on, some with awe and others with less-than-happy faces. Staring into the grey skies, he soon sighed and said. "Status of the system." An officer soon gave a nod saying. "For now our forces are hiding close to Old Gael; Meanwhile, there are several dozen ship signals around us. We weren't the only gate made to escape the end of Gael it seems. We have been avoiding them as you requested. Luckily, their forces are not close to us luckily." Teenizorii gave a nod, he soon turned to the man on his side who was wearing fine clothes and then said. "Status of the shuttles?"

Both moved through the hallways of the ship his right hand soon said. "The atmosphere seems toxic while it still is possible to walk without a full suit instead a respirator is all you need." "At least that remains of good in this world. What of the location of the landing? Did you get the map I asked for?" Teenizorii asked his old friend, and he put him as his assistant despite not liking the more fancy clothes. It was a role of respect. His friend checked his hand console before he pulled a map of the world zooming to a corner saying. "Seems like a continental planet with rather high oceans. Very different from Vusary." Teenizorii soon pressed his finger in a peninsula west of a continent saying. "This place we will land there." "Close to ruins by the looks of our orbital readings." His friend replied. "A good place then." He replied to his friend with him saying. "Yes but also prone to storms. I recommend you be quick to land and leave understood?" Teenizorii gave a nod as he headed out immediately he felt nervous at the thought, and he soon heard his friend shout. "Good luck!"

The shuttles soon departed from the ships going down to the surface of Gael their, speed was fast entering the atmosphere and inside most, talked in small chatter meanwhile, Teenizorii kept his calm on his seat, he maintained his calm only, mumbling only the words of the song he had heard many times when he grew up in Vusary.


[i]Oh Gael, Oh Gael
Mother of old, do you still accept your children?[/i]
...
[i]Old Gael, Old Gael
Do you forgive your lost children...[/i]

He began to take deep breaths as the shuttle landed and quaked the previous chatter of the shuttle quickly died down. He grasped an old necklace he had with him that had the symbol of a leaf. As the shuttle stopped shaking, he rose up putting a respirator on and took a final last breath moving to the unloader with a few guards as the doors opened. The wind that hit him was hot and humid making his cape be blown by it. The smell of salt was nothing new to him albeit he was used to being dry instead of wet.

He soon began to walk seeing the greyed yet somewhat blue-tinted surface, his feet walking in beach sand as guards moved on he could hear one saying. "Keep the perimeter secure. We don't know if our ancestors also built machines of war; some may still be active!" He walked through the sands but soon hit a small patch of dirt populated by grass, some dead, some still alive as he looked on, he soon began to climb a small hill the shuttle landed by. As he walked up he turned around looking back and some of his men were in obvious duty. Others were on their knees praying and making reverence. The sound of thunder and the illumination of it made him snap out of his view of the ocean; he had never seen something so big before the waves seemed big enough to swallow the sand yet they always broke before it could even swallow the sandy beach.

He soon turned around again looking into the rest of the hill and he continued his climb. Reaching the top he soon saw in the distance the black thunderstorm clouds with lightning hitting an abandoned old city in the distance, its ruins swallowed by the sea but some of its top parts still visible. The sea seemed turbulent and the air until now seemed without life looking on he soon fell to his knees his armour making a sound of metal hitting rock his ears began to have tears running down his face, and he soon began to take deep respirations. "Old Gael... your children return... and we are so sorry... Oh Gael... Please forgive us..." His hand grasped into the dirt and lifting it up he saw its greyness life, seemed weak here as it passed through his hands like sand. Lightning was the only sound he could hear besides the howling wind.

Looking to the side he finally paid attention to the ruin beside him, a destroyed bridge extremely large raising up, he began to move towards it entering the road that led towards the collapsed bridge, he could see cars half buried in dirt and sand. Some of the cars had skeletons inside and, as he looked at a sign, he could not read what was written he wondered what it was written it later would be translated as "Golden Gate Bridge" The bridge was destroyed the cables were long detached all that remained were the pillars now rusted and old.

Going down the hill, he could see his man already building a machine from afar he could easily tell it was a signal hailer strong enough that would be detected even further than the moon. Approaching the group he then said. "What is the need for this man?" "Sir! Just making sure everyone knows we were the first back on old Gael. Together with any smarties wanting to steal your honour, sir." His guard replied before he could say anything he stopped saying. "So be it, build this and let us go then..." he began walking back to his shuttle turning back he saw lightning again and he felt his heart sink more. He pulled his necklace and let it fall on the beach before burying it with his gloved hand and walking away feeling saddened. The shuttles soon took off and on the beaches of California, offerings were left to a dead world offerings asking for forgiveness.