The engine of the car came to life and it left the car port of the Cathedral and out onto the bumpy, grainy road.

"Would it be all right for me to take off this helmet in here?" asked the voice of Yaferni Gall through the microphone installed on his space suit.

"Sorry" Carlton told him from the driver's seat. "I don't expect the lizards will inspect this car any time soon, but if they do, they'll easily pick up elf scent in here" he said taking a turn towards the town.

"I've reviewed your plan for the evacuation" Gall said taking a look at his tablet computer screen. "You know this place better than anyone on our side for sure, so I will trust you. But I think you need to be a lot more selective in who knows about this plan."

"You're afraid someone here might tip the reptiles in on what it is we're doing?" Carver asked.

"Yes" Gall answered in an unabashed and apologetic manner.

"With respect, sir, I don't think you understand just how fed up with this lifestyle we are."

"I'm sure many of you are" Gall answered, "But Stockholm Syndrome is a real and documented phenomenon among humans. Don't be so sure that some wouldn't be more willing to spill the beans to live a lot more comfortably rather than go to some planet that only a small number of people know anything about."

"That's going to make it logistically a lot harder to get everyone on board the transport ships if no one knows about it" Carver said. "Shouting at people that you need to pack only the most important things and leave the planet forever right now isn't going to work that well" Carver explained as they drove into the main town square.

"I have worked out a solution for that" Gall said. "You will tell your followers in your next sermon of a prophesy made by Grithmeer ages ago that a fleet coming from very far away will come and rescue them, and that you think that day is near. The lizards will just ignore it and think it's more false hope and mumbo jumbo, but when we arrive it'll make it that much more dramatic and real."

Carver turned for a second to look at him. "You want me to tell them Grithmeer predicted that?"

"Yes. Grithmeer is considered a prophet in your church is he not?"

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"More a messenger than a prophet, really. I know you elves don't think much of the church, but we are more purveyors of wisdom rather than superstition. I would be making a mockery of the church in saying that."

"I am not attempting to pass any kind of judgement on your church" Gall asserted. "If you have any better ideas of how to make this crazy idea work I'm listening, but we're all going to have to get outside of our comfort zones to make it work."

"It might still not be enough" Carver remarked. "I want to avoid leaving anyone behind if at all possible. There's got to be a way to get them moving quickly."

"They'll be scared out of their minds." Gall said. "When we enter the warp gate it's going to be absolute bedlam. Frik is going to release a large number of flesh-eating insects that will only attack reptilia to deal with the ground forces and we will be furiously firing shots trying to clear a lane into space for the transports." Just then they arrived at a raised area overlooking a large, flat area where lots of people and robots were working doing welding and various other things.

"They're building the frames for the Star Viper's ships" Carver said.

"Wow" Gall remarked. "That emissary I told you about that spoke with Scythe said they're expecting the metaphysicists to conquer them."

"Doesn't surprise me at all" Carver said. "They've got way more ships than they could possibly need to keep us under control, here." Carver drove west to the green house area.

"So what do we know about this planet we're going to head to?" asked Carver.

"Actually, that's something else I wanted to ask you about" Gall answered. "I was looking at the specs for this destination planet on Nateedra's map" Gall said picking up his tablet computer and read the specifications off the screen.

"Gravity is 0.96 g's at sea level, the axis is 65 degrees from its orbital plane, period of rotation 24 hours and 28 seconds. Sounds like the specs of a planet you're familiar with?" Carver looked at him with an unsurprised look.

"What? You think he put it there as a joke?"

"The planet is even listed in his map as 'Eden'. I am familiar with human, terrestrial-age folklore. You don't think he put it in there as some kind of joke or something?"

"If that's the case, there are other places we can go where we won't be found" Carver answered. After a minute, they got to the greenhouses, which were actually pretty nice and high tech.

"Your community seems a lot more spread out than I was envisioning" Gall said. "We are going to need them close together to make sure they all get away."

"We will conduct the operation shortly after curfew. Everyone should be in the inner part of town then." Gall nodded his head. For a moment, neither said anything as the car made the slow and bumpy journey back to the cathedral.

"Don't forget that real people's lives and freedom here are at stake" Carver said. Gall turned to look at him with a sort of surprised look on his face.

"I'm not Grand Admiral Agorja and Zorthia is not Tarissa, Mr. Carver. If we were we probably wouldn't lift a finger to save you or any of your people here, let alone sacrifice ships we really could use as much as ever."