An invader! An invader hath uncovered the hidden city! Sound the alarums! Ring the klaxons! The beast must not reach Owa Prime and lay waste to our sacred homeworld!

Hey! I mean you no harm! We just want to talk to your leader! Yo! Peace!

Thou mayst approach Owa Prime. But should'st thou harm one coral in the watery shores below, a thousand thousand weapons shall lay waste to thy ship.

We do not wish to fight you.

Hail and well met, dweller in gaseous environs. Thou mayst approach Owa Prime and speak with the Reef Master.

Thanks.

Get out of the way or there WILL be trouble.

Our battle shall be full of glory and honor!

Sounds fishy to me. Get it?

Who art thou, O dweller in gaseous environs? From whence hast thou come? And what are thine intentions upon the secret and sacred world of Owa Prime?

We're humans from Earth, of the League of Sentient Races. We come in peace. How may we classify you, fellow sentient?

But verily, the full name of our race is the Great Protectorate of Owa, Keepers of the Creche of Life, Dwellers in the Oceanic Depths, Reef Keepers and Sailors Upon the Currents of Space, Defenders of the Rainbow Worlds, Seekers of Heroism and Glory for the Owa Protectorate.

Blub. But thou mayst employ our abbreviated cognomen and call us the Owa. I am Oflubum, the Reef Master of Owa Prime.

Hi yourself, liquid dweller. First you tell me who you are.

Very well, discourteous biped. We are of the Great Protectorate of Owa, Keepers of the Creche of Life, Dwellers in the Oceanic Depths, Reef Keepers and Sailors Upon the Currents of Space, Defenders of the Rainbow Worlds, Seekers of Heroism and Glory for the Owa Protectorate.

Blub. Now that thou knowest that we are thy betters, thou shalt die for thy obdurate contumacy.

Gotta go. Bye.

Goodbye, then.

Now that thou hast divined the sacred coordinates of Owa Prime, thou must die before thou mayst prattle to all the galaxy about the location of our most secret and sacred homeworld.

Very impressive.

Indeed. The world of Owa is most impressive. But it is also a secret. How hast thou found thy way unto our most hidden homeworld, which is known to precious few throughout the entire galactic quadrant?

Well la-dee-da!

None of your beeswax.

Thy mockery has no place here. Thou shalt die for thy obdurate contumacy.

We wish to enter peaceful relations with you and the Owa people.

Perhaps. But first, thou must tell us how thou hast thou found thy way unto our most hidden homeworld, which is known to precious few throughout the entire galactic quadrant?

Of all the rude species I know, you guys are the politest about your rudeness. OK. Ask your questions.

I can't tell you.

Then thou must leave.

Leave? Leave? I'll filet you first! Die, squid-face!

OK. The Harika told us, after we saved them from the plague of Xchaggers.

Why do you want to know?

Our protection is of the utmost import. Thou hast made a great show of thy peaceful intent, but there are many others far less peaceful. Now shalt thou answer our question.

How do I know you won't attack those who told me?

Should we pledge not to attack them, our word would be our bond. Is the Revealer of Secrets under the guardianship of thy League?

It was the Harika. They told us after we saved them from the plague of Xchaggers.

You might say that.

Yes. And we will not allow any retaliation.

I'll tell you if you pledge not to attack them.

We do understand such fidelity to a protectorate. We do hereby proclaim that the Owa shall not attack such persons in retaliation for revealing our secret.

But we may attack them for any other perfidy they may commit in subsequent days! This we do pledge.

Fair Enough. It was the Harika. They told us after we saved them from the plague of Xchaggers.

I won't say.

Very comforting. But no dice.

Then we have truly reached an impasse. We do require to know of the being who revealed our secrets to intruding outsiders, and you do require something greater than our word.

I see no way past this quandary, and no future other than the clash of hot plasma in the cold void of space!

OK. Your word is good enough. The Harika told us, after we saved them from the plague of Xchaggers.

Then put up your dukes, er, tentacles, squid-face!

I'll just leave peacefully.

I'm leaving now.

The Harika told us, after we saved them from the plague of Xchaggers.

Ah. We did not realize that the Harika knew of our homeworld Our strength hath long been our ability to steal away into the inky depths of space, away from all predators.

Before the loss of HyperSpace, we sailed to far-off planets for conclaves with the savage Harika and the clever Yorn.

They sought to draw us into their war against the Hegemonic Crux. After much debate, we refused to join their war.

But during our parley, I fear that a sympathetic elder of Owa Prime did secretly reveal the location of our homeworld to the wily Yorn emissary during our parley.

So now the Harika know. That is a most troubling vulnerability.

We won't let the Harika attack you.

The Harika pose no threat to you. But the Crux do!

So thou say'st. But doth trouble us to learn that the Harika live on. We cannot say we are pleased.

The Harika have been dangerous adversaries in the past. But we shall not attack them for telling you of our location.

How nice. Now then. We have a lot of questions for you.

Hold on. My questions first.

Thou understands not. As guests of the Owa, thou must answer us first. Such are the courtly courtesies of the Owa Protectorate.

My questions first, or nothing.

Never. Goodbye!

Mighty tolerant of you.

Aye. The Owa are truly great and compassionate. Now attend to us as we ask our many questions unto thee.

Fire away.

OK. What do you want to know?

Why have our ships ceased to function?

I'll only tell you if you agree to help me.

Thou overstepeth thy bounds! Answer!

Goodbye!

OK. Um... your anti-matter toxic wastes have fried your HyperSpace engines. Yeah. That's the ticket.

OK. Um...your anti-matter toxic wastes have fried your HyperSpace engines.

Impossible! We are not to blame! Thou hast lied! And for that, thou must die!

The answer is interdimensional fatigue. Too much use of HyperSpace has caused it to collapse. Ships are stalled all over the quadrant.

These are indeed grim tidings. How is it that your ship doth continue to function long after all other ships have lost their ability to enter HyperSpace?

Can't tell you. That's classified. Top secret.

Then we must wrest thy secrets from thee.

We have a special Precursor Warp Bubble technology.

This is most amazing.

We can help restore HyperSpace.

In sooth, such claims are made with ease, and kept with difficulty.

We need your help to fix the damage.

Thou believes that thou can restore HyperSpace travel? In sooth, such claims are made with ease, and kept with difficulty.

If you don't believe me, you can stay here and ROT for all eternity.

I CAN restore HyperSpace, but I need your help. Will you help us?

Repairing such deep and dreadful damage shall truly require the efforts of many.

If thou art sincere about wishing to restore our vital HyperSpace capacities, then lo, the Owa would prove most grateful, and shall provide assistance.

Thou mayst ask thy questions now.

I dunno about helping you stuffy guys. Can you grovel some more?

Thy mockery has no place here. Thou shalt die for thy obdurate contumacy.

That's what I like to hear!

Ask thy question.

Thank you for your time. We must leave now.

May the stellar currents carry thee to thy destiny.

Hail and well met, thou dweller in gaseous environs. How may the Reef Master of Owa assist thee??

Greetings Captain! We eagerly await thine orders, and do refer all your questions to our Reef Master upon Owa Prime.

Base villain! Thou hast laid thy wicked trap with a cunning hand! Thy fell sorcery may have nullified our ships' HyperSpace drives, but thou shalt not find us easy prey!

We shall fight for our sacred honor even unto death!

I'm getting tired of being blamed for stuff I didn't do.

Our battle shall be full of glory and honor!

You want a fight? You got it!

Wait! Wait! We mean you no harm.

We didn't nullify your HyperSpace drives.

A palpable lie! Dost thou expect us to believe that thy presence in orbit o'er this most venerable world is mere coincidence?

Yes. Complete coincidence.

Thou hast told thy final lie, villain.

Not exactly. We're here to search the Rainbow Worlds.

So thou admits it, villain! Thou knowest the Protectorate of Owa is the ancient Defender of the Rainbow Worlds!

The only way thou could'st gain access to this fabled world is by stopping the Owa Protectorate from sending more reinforcements!

Villain! Deceit is thy name! Divide and conquer is thy game!

The truth is that we want to search the Rainbow World for Precursor artifacts.

Do you intend to try to stop us from searching the Rainbow Worlds?

Aha! So though dost admit that thou art here to set thy foot upon Owa sacred ground!

Watch your non-existent mouth, bub.

Yep. What's it to you?

Therefore thou art a threat to the Rainbow Worlds!

Yes. But we didn't nullify your HyperSpace engines.

So thou say'st. But until we hear otherwise from our Reef Master on our homeworld of Owa Prime, thou art a threat, and may not set thy foot upon the sacred soil of the Rainbow World below.

Come on. Please let us go there.

No. Thy pitiable pleading cannot melt our frozen ventral aortas. We refuse.

No. Thy pitiable pleading cannot melt our icy thoracic aortas! We refuse.

OK, I asked nicely. Now I get mean. Time to cook up some frozen fishsticks!

Owa sacred ground? The Rainbow Worlds belong to all races.

No. They are only for the Owa.

Rainbow Worlds exist everywhere in the galaxy, including places with no Owa.

That matters not to us.

I'm gonna make you change your attitude.

Come then. Let us enter into sacred battle.

Why are the Rainbow Worlds sacred?

What's so important about the Rainbow Worlds?

The Rainbow Worlds are the birthright and sacred trust of the Owa. They are the repository for the toxic effluvia produced by our advanced anti-matter research.

Don't try to stop me. I'm going down there.

What anti-matter research?

Why are you doing anti-matter research?

But I have said too much. I can say no more. Suffice it to say that I shall do my sacred honor and prevent you setting foot upon the Rainbow World.

How can I change your mind?

Only our Reef Master on our homeworld of Owa Prime can change our orders.

But you can't HyperSpace over to your homeworld to get your orders changed!

Alas, it is true. So thou may'st not visit the Rainbow World.

So get them to change your orders.

Thou knowest we can no longer use the HyperSpace engines that are the source of our travel. So there can be no change in our orders.

That's a catch-22! That's not fair!

Thou say'st true. There is no justice in thy situation. And no justice either in our accidental exile.

So just tell me where your homeworld is, and I'll ask them to change your orders.

I have an idea! Join my battlegroup, and I'll take you to your homeworld to get your orders changed!

We cannot tell a potential foe the location of our most venerable homeworld.

I'm gonna find your homeworld. Any message for your people?

Yea, verily. Tell them we did our duty and forbade your visit to the Rainbow Worlds even at the cost of our lives.

Deal. And now I have to go down to that Rainbow World. Sorry to have to kill you first.

No deal. Die.

It's a deal. Looks like I won't be going to the Rainbow World right now. Goodbye.

Tell 'em yourself, squid-face. Goodbye and have a good exile.

Now that thou hast learned that Owa cannot send reinforcements to the Rainbow Worlds, thou art dangerous to us.

We regret that we must destroy you now, or perish in the attempt. Battle should be glorious, but we take no joy in attacking you.

This is nothing personal, but I have to go down to that Rainbow World. Sorry to have to kill you to do so.

Let's cut this short shall we? I need to get down onto that Rainbow World, and you have to do your duty and attack me, so let's get it over with.

Reef Master Oflubum hath commended thee to grant safe passage unto me.

Thou may'st proceed.

We killed some of your warriors in orbit around a Rainbow World. We want to tell you that they did their duty, and died to protect the Rainbow Worlds.

So. So it hath come to this. Our warriors have been slaughtered in the dry, empty wastes of space while doing nothing more than their duty!

Good. Our thoracic aortas swell with pride.

Enough about those guys. I have more questions.

Say what?

Uh, yeah. My thoracic aorta, too.

Yes. They were dedicated, all right.

Their deaths bear witness to their nobility. They remained heroic to the end, and never wavered from their true duty, even without fear of sanctions. Lo, they shall breed!

Say WHAT?

Uh, I got news for you about how reproduction works.

To preserve the nobility of the Owa race, we do only allow breeding by the most heroic of Owa.

All Owa are forbidden from breeding according to the ordinary decree of nature. Instead, all Owa donate our reproductive materials to our great seed reserves.

Those Owa that prove their nobility are allowed to breed in vitro. In such manner we ensure that the heroic always do breed, even if the hero is dead. ESPECIALLY if the hero is dead.

As for thee, Human, I tell thee this: Though I mourn the loss of my warriors, I praise thee for thy nobility in conveying their final message unto their homeworld.

For all such future encounters, thou my bespeak all such marooned Owa warriors as thou shalt find, saying thusly: "Reef Master Oflubum hath commended thee to grant safe passage unto me."

Then shalt they NOT perish in vain, but live on until the Day of Rescue.

Why did you dump anti-matter on the Rainbow Worlds?

To fulfill our Grand Destiny, the Owa must find a technology greater even than thy Warp Bubble engine. We must learn to transcend the gross shackles of the physical boundaries of space.

And so we do require great experiments into the nature of anti-matter. But alas, the wastes our experiments discharged did prove ruinous to our planets.

We lost many worlds in cataclysmic implosions before we discovered the Rainbow Worlds. The wonder of the Rainbow Worlds is such that they can contain a seemingly limitless store of anti-matter without imploding.

What gives you the right to dump your dangerous wastes on the Rainbow Worlds?

We may use the Rainbow Worlds in any such matter as we desire, for the Rainbow Worlds are the birthright of the Owa Protectorate.

If these wastes are so bad for your planet, why use the Rainbow Worlds?

Look, even if the Rainbow Worlds are yours to use as you please, why do you think they should be used as toxic waste dumps?

We do dispose of our anti-matter wastes upon the Rainbow Worlds because only the indestructible Rainbow Worlds can contain the wastes' explosive power.

The wondrous Rainbow Worlds do exert a neutralizing field that keepeth the wastes from erupting. Verily, the Precursors must have built them as toxic waste mounds.

Why would the fabled ancients create so indestructible a set of worlds, save that they then wished to use them to be rid of dangerous wastes?

I think you may be seeing the Precursors through your own eyes.

Maybe they made the Rainbow Worlds indestructible because they perform a vital function for the universe.

Oh. Hm... The Owa had never considered such a thought. We must mull over this notion. Ask a different question while we ponder.

I have a question on another topic

We've got some other questions.

We need to examine the Rainbow Worlds. How can we safely search them?

How do we search the Rainbow Worlds?

Seek not to undertake so frightening a duty. Such a task is difficult and fraught with peril. If search thou must, then thou must first cleanse the Rainbow Worlds of all anti-matter wastes.

Thou must collect all the anti-matter into one small area on the Rainbow World. Only an Owa Anti-Matter Scoop can accomplish this.

How do I get this Scoop?

Will you give me this Anti-matter Scoop?

Thou must prove thine heroism.

Forget it! You can stay here and ROT for all eternity if you want.

Cripes. What goofy task do we have to complete?

Very well. Put us to the test! You will not find us lacking.

I say unto thee, no such tasking is necessary. Thy nobility is evident. Thy inborn heroism or cowardice shall be amply demonstrated during the course of the Significant Events of the quadrant.

No tasking? No kidding. Wow. That's a first.

You wouldn't believe some of the stuff I've had to do to get other races to cooperate with their own salvation.

Indeed? Perhaps thou hast hitherto associated with lower orders. We Owa are close to the Precursors in development, and therefore far nobler than other races.

Here is the Anti-matter Scoop. It will scoop the anti-matter toxins from a single Rainbow World, and contain them but temporarily.

Say unto our warrior ships in orbit around the Rainbow World: "Reef Master Oflubum hath commended thee to grant safe passage unto me." Then thou mayst use the Scoop.

But remember - yon anti-matter toxins must remain upon the Rainbow World. Shouldst thou take the anti-matter away from the shelter of the Rainbow World, lo, shall the anti-matter erupt in fury, shattering thy ship - Yea, even thy Precursor vessel!

In that way we do prevent thee from fashioning a weapon from the wastes.

Thanks. Bye.

Thanks. Now I have more questions.

Ask thy questions.

What is this grand destiny of yours?

It is the destiny of the Owa to find and join with the Precursors, and be acknowledged as the most noble of all races.

Yeah. Right. You and every other race.

Thy scoffing is not becoming to one who would aspire to heroism. Ask thy questions or be off with you!

Moving right along to another subject, I have another question.

Sounds like we could use some of these anti-matter wastes.

We shall not oblige such greed. The anti-matter wastes have far too much potential as a weapon to allow other races to control them.

We have pledged to never use the anti-matter wastes to devastate a world, or allow any other race to do so. Therefore we shall not share such devastating power with another race.

Even if we promise to never use the wastes on any world or being?

Mayhap we could, if we decide thou art heroic enough.

I'd like to ask about another subject.

Tell us about the Owa.

The Owa are a great race of warriors and scholars with a distinguished past. But yea, our future looks grim.

Yea, verily, we do regret the loss of the old millennia, when wars were simple, and the fate of the galaxy did not ride upon the outcome.

The battles were glorious, and the space lanes rang with the splendor of epic battle. But now the Kessarri Quadrant is filled with invaders from other quadrants seeking to plunder the galactic core.

Scavengers of the Precursors, instead of reverential and restrained admirers of the Precursor legacy. How we do long for the old ways.

What do you know about the Crux?

The Crux seek an alliance with the Owa. And there are those among the Elders of Owa who would join the Crux. Before we lost our HyperSpace capacity, we had entered into discourse with the Crux.

They sought ongoing access to our anti-matter wastes and our waste-handling technology. But they lacked the nobility of a truly advanced civilization.

Beyond their power, they are mere plate-pated ruffians. We wanted no part of them, and retreated to our hidden worlds before we lost our HyperSpace capacity.

But if thou couldst find our hidden world, it is likely that the Crux can as well. Therefore we must decide if either League or Crux are worthy of our alliance.

But we shall give neither of you our anti-matter. Even though the Crux now have some.

What? How did the Crux get some anti-matter?

In the days before we did lose our HyperSpace abilities, the Crux sought to procure our anti-matter wastes. They succeeded in deceiving us into giving them an Anti-matter Containment Pod.

They took anti-matter from a Rainbow World and fashioned it into a great shield for their Precursor vessel.

Any ship that tries to traverse the boundary of the anti-matter shield is torn apart in a furious swarm of electrons. So you see, we cannot give any other race access to the anti-matter.

Well now. We need some anti-matter wastes just to gain parity with the Crux.

We dare not deliver that unto you.

Then we'll take it by force!

What do you know about the Kessarri races?

The Harika are most ferocious foes, though their Yorn brethren do temper their appetite for carnage. Together, the two races do exhibit some measure of nobility.

The Vyro-Ingo are an ignoble pack of contemptible, poxied beasts. The Lk are mysterious and withdrawn, and we have seldom seen them. And the Exquivan are naught but an enigma.

What do you know about the Precursors?

The Precursors are the great Lords of the Reef. Lo, in countless ages gone, they did make the waters of a barren, sunless world fruitful with life, and thus were the Owa born.

We seek the Precursors and all their lore, that we may partake of their legacy. We are their spiritual children, and one day, if we remain noble and steadfast, we shall reunite with them. It is our destiny!

What do you know about the Eternal Ones?

We know of no such beings.

The League needs guys like you. Want to join us?

Alas. We cannot join. Yea, though our destiny is difficult, we must cling to it with all our verve.

For the destiny of the Owa Protectorate is the greatest heroism. We cannot join thee, for thou hast a lesser destiny.

Lesser destiny? Why, I oughta...

Contain thy wounded pride. All who are not Owa have a lesser destiny.

Hey, our destiny is pretty damn impressive.

Our destiny is every bit as great as yours!

I beg to differ.

In sooth, such claims are made with ease, and kept with difficulty.

That's true. Now I have some more questions.

So are your claims!

Anything you say, Reef Master Oflubum. Anything you say.

We'll soon see about that.

If you say so.

If thou hast further questions, ask them.

I have some other questions.

We think we can stop the evil Eternal Ones from massacring us all! We just need you to contribute some sentience.

Thou hast proven thy nobility and heroism. We shall trust this procedure.

We need to explore all the Rainbow Worlds to find the missing Mmrnmhrm! Can you help us?

We shall oblige thee in thy request. We present thee with a prototype Anti-Matter Explorer Vessel.

It will allow thee to thoroughly search all the Rainbow Worlds, though this is a prospect so terrifying that we have not tested it. May thou findest what thou doth seek.

Thanks. Got it! Bye.

Thanks. Now I have another question.

Thanks. Now I have to go.

We refuse. Begone.

What? Thou could'st not know about such a matter unless thou hast been to a Rainbow World, and butchered our marooned warriors! Die, villain!

You want a fight? You got a fight.

Sure we could know about it! The Harika told us!

Deception upon deception!