Three days later, the ship was enroute to interstellar space. The navigation systems charted a course to a suitable anchor point to create a wormhole. With her duties complete, Pilot-Commander Devati upheld her promise to visit the Chief Xenoarchaeologist's laboratory.

She found Sorgon hard at work, surrounded by bins full of figurines that were stacked on every flat surface. "Are these all from the recent dig?"

"Yes. As I indicated in my failed supplication, we found the motherlode. Surely, they're a sign the world-pond is a source, if not the source, for all religions."

"Why do you think so many of the figurines were stored in that building?"

"My initial theory was the building was a religious shrine or place of communal worship. Located near the collection of statuettes, we found numerous photographs like this one." He handed her a picture of a group of natives. One of them held a large figurine over its head. "I first thought they were a high priest calling the faithful to worship."

"What changed your mind?"

Sorgon spread out several photographs on the table. "Notice how there are never more than three adult aliens? In each photo, they're surrounded by a dozen or more younglings holding the oblong symbol of station held by the gods in miniature."

"Except for their tiny eyes and lack of tails, I am reminded of the spawnmates from my youth in the rearing ponds."

Sorgon's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Based on the artifacts and building layout, I believe the dig site was an indoctrination center for their offspring. The idols were communal property. A small clutch of younglings, led by adults, were charged with the care of an individual god figurine."

Devati examined the boxes of statuettes and the photographs. "Where you only see similarities, I notice the differences from the other god figures we've found. Look at all the writing on them. I don't see that with other figurines." She slow-blinked in thought. "Perhaps they're not religious icons at all."

"Preposterous. Again, you posit the idea of a civilization that does not have religion as the prime force and motivation. The one thing I can say with certainty is that civilizations arise because a species becomes intelligent enough to form religious beliefs. Differences in representation are each species' perceptions of the gods being filtered through the lens of their experience and needs."

She smirked. "Although our society is guided by beliefs in many gods, our primary mission on these expeditions is scientific and not religious, correct? Why do you dismiss the notion alien societies might be guided purely by science?"

Sorgon waved a foreclaw at her. "The mission is scientific, but the knowledge we gain informs our religion. We once believed ours was the only civilization in existence. Science proved that false so we changed our belief structure."

"Because that's where the science led. Whereas you let your religious beliefs guide your science. We've only explored a single world-pond in a star system with dozens of habitable world-ponds. Maybe the people of this world-pond were zealots devoted to this one god. What you've labeled an indoctrination center could be a factory or warehouse for the figurines."

"One god? Now who is entertaining blasphemous notions? No, I hold to my theory that one set of gods is shared by all civilizations rather than numerous localized gods."

Devati sighed. "I've heard you give variations of this argument on half a dozen alien world-ponds," she said as she returned the tablet and figurine.

"And I will continue until it becomes accepted as truth. If we cling to the belief our gods are confined to the Betel system, we will never grow into a spacefaring civilization."

"In my service as pilot-commander, I have experienced firsthand the dangers of space exploration and assumptions." She pointed at her juvenile hindlimbs and tail bud.

"You weren't with us on the Zarthan expedition. We thought we understood that world-pond based on our observations," Devati continued. "We saw creatures that looked exactly like the docile herbivores from Betel III. Small, warm-furs with large, innocent eyes I assumed were harmless."

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She paused; her gaze distant. "We were terribly mistaken. They were vicious pack hunters and swarmed me before I could react. If the security team hadn't reached me in time, I would have lost more than my hindquarters." She trailed off, her auto-walker shifting slightly.

Sorgon's chromatophores paled. " I'm sorry, Devati, and apologize for my thoughtless comments at dinner."

"I'm not telling you this for sympathy," she said firmly. "Be warned, appearances can be deceiving, especially on alien world-ponds."

"I recognize the dangers, but believe isolation is a greater danger. Eventually our civilization will stagnate, collapse, and disappear like so many others. As a follower of the True Religion, I believe our gods are universal and gifted us with hyperspace travel to become an interstellar empire."

"Until the Grand Clerical Council of Her Most High Empress determines any part of your theory is true, it's dangerous to be so certain in your findings. Although I may find the theory compelling in private, I remind you to not spread your heretical beliefs among my crew."

* * *

The royal estate on Betel IV was a massive stone structure that formed an artificial marsh. Life-size statuary of The Many Gods occupied every corner. The main hall featured a central fountain where Empress Nimbu presided from a carved wooden Lilly pad. Sorgon wheeled in a cart stacked with figurines. Ten assistants pushing similarly laden carts followed him.

An elderly Priest-Attendant announced his presence. "Chief Xenoarcheaologist Sorgon, head of the Museum of Alien World-Pond Artifacts, recently returned from an off-world-pond expedition, requests an audience."

"He may approach." The empress focused her large frog eyes on Sorgon. "Why does your name sound familiar?"

"Your grace, my mother was a god-speaker for your mother's court. My brother is also a well-known god-seer who decorated your court to resemble the mythical Pond of Paradise."

"Your mother was blessed to spawn so many successful tadpoles. Why have you brought a collection of museum artifacts? Entertainment is normally reserved for dinner parties."

Sorgon bowed. "Esteemed Empress Nimbu, ruler of the land and waters of three world-ponds, these are not from the museum. This is a portion of the haul from my expedition. The carts hold religious figurines of one god found all over a single, distant world-pond."

A collective gasp rippled through the court.

The empress's eyes bulged and she leaned forward. "These are for one god? How many gods did you find?"

"Fifty-one and counting. The richest source of iconography we have found on any world-pond."

"A single world-pond worshipped fifty-one gods! Their priests must have numbered in the thousands."

"Every other culture we've located has a single dedicated worship center in their cities to hold religious ceremonies and iconography. All other public and private structures hold no representation of the gods. In this lost culture, nearly every type of building, including their residences, had one or more shrines devoted to their tiny golden gods. Individuals were permitted to worship their gods in private."

Unlike our stone statues of The Many Gods, the warm-furs created tiny gods of metal. Durable and portable so anyone could have one. They could be placed anywhere. Even on spaceships.

The priests flanking the empress glared at him with disgust and mouthed silent prayers to their respective deities.

Empress Nimbu rubbed the nictating membranes of her eyes in disbelief. "Although the priests consider it heretical, I entertain such notions of universal deities because ruling our empire is a daunting task. I require blessings and intervention from as many gods as I can find." She swept a large foreclaw to encompass the hundreds of altars covered with idols and attended by dozens of priests from every race of amphibian.

"The Empress grasps the core tenet of my theory then. When an ecological catastrophe left their world-pond unlivable, the gods traveled among the stars. They sought other races to share their knowledge and the True Religion."

"Thank you for bringing this god to me. How do I worship the god so it may bring blessings to the empire?"

"It is an honor to serve, my empress. I believe you raise your forelimbs in the air and wave them around while shouting and eating snacks."

The empress held up the golden figurine and spoke to it. "If that is all you required, what kind of god were you that you did not save them from destruction?" She aimed the camera of her datapad at the placard at the base of the idol.

She looked at the text translation on the screen. "Which of these words is the name of the god?"

"Translation of their language is ongoing and most of the words have no assigned meaning. However, due to its consistent use, I believe the last one."

A synthetic voice from the empress' tablet sounded out the words of an alien language not heard in a thousand years. 'Twenty thirty-seven state champions. Forest Pine High School Football'.

"As you can see here empress, there are many honorifics granted to the god Football." He held two more figurines for her to see.

"Here is another one from the same continent called 'East Valley High School Football'. This one is from another continent on the opposite side of the planet where they refer to the god as 'North Melbourne Kangaroos Football Club'.

He returned the figurines to the cart. "We also found hundreds of statuettes for gods named Baseball and Basketball. My belief is the who-man world-pond was the breeding pond for gods throughout the galaxy. I'm confident there are more gods to be discovered if you approve a return expedition."

The empress consulted with her advisors. "Approved. You are to accompany inquisitors of the Grand Clerical Council to the world-pond of the who-man warm-furs and bring us more of their tiny gods."