PROLOGUE
The elder being called One Zang moved toward three more of its kind who stood on the tossing waves of a gas giant’s upper atmosphere. They all stood immersed in infinity, watching the liberated energy flowing away from them in huge glowing explosions of radiation that created shock waves felt throughout the white dwarf star’s system and beyond. One Zang enjoyed the sensation of riding the wild force through its ups and downs. It had the urge to burst forth with a wordless thought of pleasure, but reined it in. One had to retain one’s dignity.
Like its fellows, the Zang’s senses extended infinitely far away from its corporeal body. Their minds were rooted among the stars, but centered upon a diaphanous form that occupied a space one meter by three meters by 1.45 meters and excited wavelengths in the visible light scale close to the ultraviolet. Some carbon-based ephemerals from certain star systems had described its shape as a chopped-off tree trunk or a gigantic half-melted gray candle. It felt outward with its extended senses, touching the substance of its fellows, then into the deepness they were studying. The immediate space, for nine hexaprag in all dimensions, was serene. Perfection. The process had been a success. Nothing more needed to be accomplished there to bring that portion of the present universe into harmony. Its colleagues had done well. Truthfully, it could not recall a time when they did not.
The other three Zang acknowledged One Zang. The four of them contemplated the shock wave that spread out from the place where the enormous, misshapen asteroid had been. One Zang sent out a portion of its consciousness and enjoyed the sensation, riding it like a light wave until the energy was dissipated to barely perceptible vibrations. Charm Zang, leaner and taller than the others, sent a thread of inquiry.
“Do you like it?”
“You have removed a disharmonious obstruction,” One Zang replied, overspreading its colleagues with waves of shared pleasure. It received some in return.
“The transient mass interfered with the orbit of two planets in this system,” Zang Quark said. It had the most opaque form of the four. “Now, it is energy.”
“It is good.”
Low Zang interjected a wobble of dissent.
“The asteroid might have had a purpose one day.”
“It looked bad. It had to go,” Charm Zang replied. It gave off a sensation of impatience that shook them all. “See how much better it does as dark energy?”
Low Zang retreated from its stance, both physically and in spirit. It was the newest to the group, and was uncertain of its mastery of matter. One Zang noticed the withdrawal and moved to include Low Zang in the group, wrapping it in warmth gathered from the tossing inferno of the gas giant’s surface. A gathering of the usually solitary Zang was rare, so it did not want to discourage Low Zang from feeling comfortable joining such conclaves in future.
“Why pull away?” it asked. “We are a unit.”
Low Zang lowered its aura until it was nearly drawn around its physical form. “I did not mean to imply the action to change its state was wrong.”
“It is not disrespectful. If you truly disagree, then it is wrong not to offer your input,” One Zang said, kindly. “We believe in you.”
“Yes, we do,” Charm Zang said, moving close. The tall being chimed its empathy. “We could have brought any of the others into our group, but we appreciate your insights into harmony and artistic arrangement.”
“You do?” Low Zang broadcast its wistfulness.
“Yes,” One Zang said. It gathered the approval of the others, and focused it upon the youngster. “So much so that we are going to permit you to decide which disharmony we will dispose of next.”
Low Zang was thrilled. Its person, out to the very ends of its energy streams, glowed with joy. The art that they created was beautiful, both in physical and aesthetic terms. Low must not throw away this opportunity. It had wished to be part of this unit for many ages. Eternity would be very long if it was dismissed from the group for making a poor decision.
It studied the cosmos for hundreds of hexaprag in every direction. Over eons, the Zang had rearranged or disintegrated errant heavenly bodies that interfered with the beauty of space. Low Zang turned its attention to a sector on a galactic arm that for whatever reason had never been well-furnished with stars, planets or other artifacts. Its emptiness suggested quiet meditation. It was a place much loved by the senior Zang, but like so many things in the chaotic universe, it could be improved further. Low evinced daring, a sensation that caused its fellows to hum along in tune. One gleaming ball in particular excited its interest. Its hazy blue color was not in tune with the other spheres that circled the lone, low-quality star at the heart of its system. The planet’s placement seemed superfluous, considering the larger orbs further out. Only one satellite circled it. The moon was much too big for the planet. Whoever had permitted the out-of-proportion spheroid to continue existing had not paid attention to that detail.
“That one,” Low said, highlighting it with a tiny burst of energy. “I feel that it does not belong there. It does not add to the flow of its system.”
One Zang projected pleasure toward Low Zang.
“We have chosen well, as have you. Agreed.”
“So you approve?” Low Zang asked, hardly able to accept the notion.
“Yes,” Charm Zang said. Zang Quark added the pleasant regard of its assent and One Zang enveloped them all in the sense of unity, making Low Zang feel warm to the tips of its being. “That will be the next planet we demolish.”