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Epilogue The Return（第2页）

TheMarshalgazedatFangsihennoddedhishead。

Afair-skiifulboyappearedingbyhisfacehewasonlytenyearsold，buthisstaturewasalreadythatofagrownman。Heheldaflowerwreathiehands，havingobviouslyjustbeenadance。

Blinkinghislarge，shimmeringeyes，hesaid，‘Ihearthatmygreatgrailllives。Iaskohingofyou，sir。Never，evere!Iamed!Whehinkofhumanity’slifebeforethewar，weareallabarbariclifethatwas，thelifeofcockroaches!YouandyoursoldiersofEarthreservethatlife!Youalmoststoppedhumanityfrthisbeautifulheaven!Howperverse!Doyouknowhowmuchshame，howmuchembarrassmentyouhavecausedme?Bah!Donotelookingforme!Bah!Goaerhehadfinished，heskippedofftojointhedanthegrassland。

Fangswasfirsttobreaktheawkwardsilefollowed。‘Hewilllivepasttheageofsixty。Hewillhavealonglifeandwillered。’

‘Ifitisbee，thenIamtrulygrateful。’theMarshalsaid，smilingmiserably。

‘Itdoesnabouthisary，hebecameverydepressedahfeelingsofhatredtowardyou。Suspreventedhismeatfrommeetingourstandards。’Fangsexplained。

AsFaheselastfewhumansbefeionsplayedaassiveeyes。Theirspacesuitswereextremelyoldandshabby，andthemawereettotheirfathepaleyellowoftheSun，theylookedlikeagroupofrust-staiues。Fangsclosedhisputerand，fullret，said，‘Atfirst，Ididnotwantyoutoseethis，butyouarealltruewarriors，morethancapableofdealingwiththetruth，readytnize，’hepausedfmomeinuing‘thathumancivilizatiooanend。’

‘YoulydestroyedEarth’scivilization，’theMarshalsaid，staringiance。‘Youhaveittedamonstrouscrime!’

‘Wefiedtotalkabain。’Fangssaidwithalaughandagrin。

‘Afterinvadingourhomeandbrutallydeveverythinginit，Iwouldthinkthatyouhadforfeitedallrighttotalkaboutmorals。’theMarshalsaidcoldly。

&hershadalreadystoppedpayiheextreme，coldbrutalityoftheDevourercivilizationwasjustbeyondhumaanding。Nothingcouldhavebeeerestihanadiswiththemaboutmorals。

‘heright。Inowtrulywishtotalkaboutmoralswithhumanity，’Fangssaidbefainpausing。‘How，sir，couldyoujustpickhimupahim?’heued，quotiaiwordsleftnobodyuheydidefromthetranslator，butcamedireFangs’mouth。Eventhoughhisvoicewasdeafening，Fangssomehowmaatethosethree-hundred-year-oldwordswithperfe。

Fangsued，resumiranslator。‘Marshal，threehundredyearsago，yourintuitiondidnotmisleadyou:Whentwocivilizatioedbyiellarspace–meet，anysimilaritiesshouldbefarmoreshotheirdifferelyshouldiswithourspecies。’

AsallpreseheirgazeonFaheywereoverewithaseionthataworld-shakingmysterywasabouttoberevealed。

Fangsstraightenedhimselfonhiswalking-stid，lookingiance，said，‘FriehoftheSun;ahisbothourspecies’fraternalhome，mypeoplehavethegreaterclaimtoher!Ourclaimisonehundredandfortymillionyearsolderthanyours。Allthosemillenniaago，wewerethefirsttoliveoifulplahisiswhereweestablishedcivilization。’

&h’ssoldiersstaredblanklyatFaersoftheremnantoripplediheyellowsunlight。Redmagmaflowedfromthedistaains。Sixtymillionyearsdowime，twospecies，eachtherulerofthisEarthiime，metiionontheirplunderedhomeworld。

‘Dino…saur!’someoneexashockedwhisper。

FaheDinosaurCivilizationaroseonehundredmilliooh，duringwhatyoucalltheCretaceousperiodoftheMesozoic。Attheeaceous，ourcivilizatioszenith，butedieedswereequallygreat。Inthewakeofourpopulatioheewasstretit，ahushedtoitsbrinkasitstruggledtosupportoursociety。Tosurvive，wepletelyars’elemeem。

‘TheDinosaurCivilizatioythousandyearsoh，’heued，‘butitstrueexpansionwasamatterofafewthousandyears。Fromageologicalperspective，itseffedistihoseofanexplosivecatastrophe;whatyoucalltheCretaceous–Tertiaryexti。

‘Finally，onedayallthedinosaursbiaionshipsand，withtheseships，sailediseaofstars。Ienoftheseshipswerejoihehisedshipreaotherstar’splaexpanded。Now，sixtymillioer，ithasbeetheDevourerEmpireyounowknow。’

‘Whywouldyoueatyourownhomeworld?Arediofallse?’someoneasked。

Fainthought。‘Itisalongstory。Iellarspadeedvastaitisalsodifferentthanyouwouldimagihattrulysuitus，asadvan-basedlifeforms，arefewaween。AdustcloudblocksthewaytotheilkyWayjusttwothousandlightyearsfromhere。Thereisnowayforusthit，andnowayforustosurviveinit。Abeesanareaofpowerfulradiationandalargegroupblackholes。’Fangspaused，beforeg，stillspeakiohimselfthantothehumansbeforehim。‘Ifweshouldtraveliedire，wewouldjustetotheendoftheMilkyiralarmafarbeyohingbutalimitless，desolatevoid。TheDevourerEmpirehasalreadypletelyedalmostalltheplacouldbefouableareasthatexistbetweewobarriers。Now，theonlywayoutistoflytoanotherarmoftheMilkyWay。Wehaveawaitsusthere，butifwestayherewewilllybedoomed。Itwillbeajoureenmilliusrightthroughthevoid。Tosurviveit，wemustbuildlargestocksofallpossibleexpendables。

‘Rightnow，theDevourerEmpireisjustlikeafishinadryimustmakeadesperateleapbeforeitsletelyevaporates。ItrealizesthatthemostlikelyendisreagdrylandandsugtodeathuhesgSuheslightcethatitmayfallintoaneighbwaterholeandsosurvive。’Fangslazetowardthehumans，bendingdowntoalmosteyelevel。‘Asfarasseised，wehavelivedthroughtensofmillionsofarduousyearsandfoughtstellarwarsbeyoheheartsofthedinosaurracehavelongsined。NowtheDevourerEmpiremusteasmuchasitpossiblypreparationforourmillion-yearjourney。’Fangsagainpaused，deepinthought。‘Whatiscivilization?Civilizationisdev，ceaselesslyeating，endlesslyexpahingelseessed。’

TheMarshal，too，inthought。LookingatFangs，heasked，‘thestruggleforexisteheuniverse’sonlylawofbiologidculturalevolutioablishaself-suffitrospectivecivilizationwherealllifeexistsinsymbiosis?AcivilizatiooftheEridanians?’

Fahouthesitationorpause。‘Iamnophilosopher;perhapsite。Thecruxis，whowilltakethefirststep?Ifone’ssurvivalisbasedoionandptionofothersandifthatshouldbetheuniverse’sironlawoflifeandcivilization，therejefavourofiioainlyperish。’

WiththatFaohisspaceship，buthere-emerged，nathin，flatboxinbothtalons。Theboxwasabouttesquare，anditwouldhaveeasilytakeocarryit。Faheboxonthegrouop。Tothehumans’surprise，theboxwasfilledwithdirt，andgrasswasgrowingonit。Onthislifelesswreeouched。

AsFahebox，heturhehumans。‘Thisisprewarsoil。Aftertheutallofourplasandallofitsiosuspeion。hauries，theyhaveawinally，Iwaakethissoilwithmeasamemento。Alas，Ihavethoughtmoreaboutit，andIhavegedmymind。Ihavedecidedtoreturnittowhereittrulybeloakehanenoughfromourhomeworld。’

Astheygazeduponthistih，sofulloflife，thehumaomoisten。Theyhedinosaurs’heartshadohosescales，dcruellerthansteelandrock，beatheartsthatlongedforhome。

Fangsrattledhisclaws，almostasifhewaofftheemotionsthathadgrippedhim。Slightlyshaken，hesaid，‘Allrightthen，myfriends，wewillgotogether，backtotheDevourerEmpire。’Seeingtheexpressiononthehumans’faces，heraisedaclawbeforeg。‘Youwill，ofotbefoodthere。Yreatwarriorsandyouwillbemadepire。Aillworkthatneedsyourattentiohehumancivilizatioobebuilt。’

TheeyesleEarthsoldierturheMarshal。Hestooddeepinthought，thenslowlynodded。

&heother，theEarth’ssoldiersbs’spaceship。Becauseitsladderwasintendedfordinosaurs，theyhadtopullthefulllengthoftheirbodiesupeabiheMarshalwasthelasthumantoboardtheship。Graspirungoftheship’sladder，hepulledhisbodyofftheground。Justatthatmomehinginthegrouhhisfeetcaughthiseye。Hestoppedinmid-pull，lookingdtimehehuionless。

Hehadseen…anant。

&hadclimbedoutofthatboxofssightofthetiheMarshalletgooftheladderandsquatteddhishatohisglittohisface，hecarefullystudiedthesmallcreature，itsobsidianbodyglinti。Holdingit，theMarshalwalkedovertothebox，wherehecautiouslyreturhetinybladesofgrass。Asheloweredhishaicedmoreantsgaboutthesoilbehegrass。

RaisiuroFangswhowasstandingrightbyhisside。‘Whehisgrassaswillbethedominah。’

Fangswasatalossforwords。

&h’scivilizedlifeseemstobegettingsmallerandsmaller。Dinosaurs，humansandnowprobablyants，’theMarshalsaid，squattingba。Helookedon，hiseyesdeepwithloveandadmiratiochedthesesmallbeiheirlivesinthegrass。‘Itistheirturn。’