World of Good - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

“Our Deliverer...”

           

            The people of Onos were struck hard learning of the death of the Transo colonies. They quietly bowed their heads for several minutes of silence and prayer. It was obvious to me that without proper defenses, many more lives would be lost if a battle ensued. If there was any consolation, it would be that the few spheres that had escaped made their way back to the moon and rescued a handful of people who made it to the lower shafts beneath the surface.

            While the Onos Advisors determined what their next step would be, we were told to go back to the Sojourner. We tried to get some sleep that night, but most of us ended up tossing and turning. The next morning, it felt like I had run a marathon. I swallowed an energy drink and began to come up with my own ideas of a battle plan. Like Tom, I believed the Vlancos couldn’t win a battle without some sort of assertive attack on the Negritee. 

            I finished up a pros and cons list on my epad, then started daydreaming about Earth. Shelby walked up quietly and sat down next to me. 

            “You look far away from here,” said Shelby. “Thinking about home?”

            “Yeah, I was.” I set down my epad.

            She sighed. “What do you think their doing back there right now?”

            “I don’t know, Shelby. They’ve probably taken Carol out of stasis by now and are explaining the circumstances of our demise. You know what’s funny. Here we are full of life, and within 24 hours we could be dead. And yet, for all they know on Earth, we already are dead.”

            Shelby stared out the porthole. “What’s frustrating for me is that we’ve had a wonderful opportunity to visit another culture thousands of miles across the Galaxy, and we can’t even let our friends on Earth know about it.” She seemed to pause and search the distant sky for answers. She turned back to me and had a twinkle came to her eye. “You now know how I feel about these people, and why. You were there with the Ancients and yet I still don’t understand why you didn’t—you know.”

            I wanted to roll my eyes. “Pass through? We all have to take the right step at the right time.” I doodled on my epad. “Do you know what really surprised me on that trip?”

            “What, Alex?”

            “Dale.”

            “What about him?”

            “Of all people, I thought Dale would have been the last person to pass through.”

            Shelby tipped her head. “Why?”

            “I don’t know. I guess I thought you had to be sinless, or more intelligent, or...I don’t know... better looking for all I know.”

            Shelby chuckled, and faced me square on. “Alex, you have been a great leader for us, remember that. Also remember I pray for you and the rest of the crew, all the time. Not because I think you need it, but because it is such a pleasure to know God and know how he works in our lives.”

            “Thanks Shelby, I see you really mean it.” I gave her a hug right as Dale walked in the room.

            “Hubba, Hubba. I’m going to tell Carol,” he said, in kindergarten fashion.

            I released Sheby and moved toward him like Frankenstein. “I’m goin’ to give you another noogie!”

* * *

            I convince the crew to return to the military complex to find out what the Vlancos had planned for the future. On our way to the complex, we met up with Tooma, Tammy’s escort during the first week. Tooma was walking with a younger woman.

            “Hi Tooma, how ya doin’,” asked Tammy. “I’m surprised to see you around here. Where are you and your friend headed?”

            “Hello, Tammy. She smiled briefly. This is Sorfuon my great granddaughter. I am taking her to the military complex.” 

            Tammy nodded. “Well we’re going there too. Why don’t you come with us?”

            Sorfuon was breathing hard and erratically. Something wasn’t normal. Shelby walked up next to Sorfuon, then rested her hand gently onto shoulder.

            Sorfuon grasped Shelby in a deep embrace and let out a loud groan and burst of anguished tears of agony. 

            “Oh man! What happened! said Tammy.

            It was the first time any of us had seen a Vlanco give out such a display of  painful emotion. We stood there desperately searching for something to say.

            “Her family was killed on Transo,” said Tooma sullenly.

            “All of them? questioned Dale.

            Shelby took Sorfuon to a nearby bench and sat down with her.

            Tooma stayed back with us to explain. “All of her adjacent family members...her father, mother, sisters, and brothers. She only happened to be here on Onos for further spiritual training.”

            “I see,” I said. I peered over Tooma’s shoulder to watch Sorfuon bury her head into Shelby’s shoulder, soaking her shirt with tears of sorrow.

            Shelby held her, rocked her, and stroked her head with empathy, as we looked on.

            “I’d be furious if they killed my family,” said Dale.

            “That is something that usually comes after the pain, Dale,” said Tooma. “However, I believe when Sorfuon’s anger surfaces, it will not be misused and will not cause her to transgress. She was training for guidance as a spiritual leader in our community, and I believe the Creator has used this event to strengthen her.”

            “Strengthen her? She’s a blubbering idiot,” said Tammy. “Oh I’m sorry, I just meant...”

            “I know what you meant Tammy, but you are wrong. Strength comes from pain in our lives, not comfort. Our strongest trees on Onos, live in the most horrendous climates. They grow from tender seedlings and develop into massive creations. Hurt will either destroy or strengthen us, and I believe she will be strengthened.”

            Tom stepped in between us. “I’d love to sit here and chat some more, but if we don’t figure out how to respond to the Negritee‘s advances, the death of those on that moon won’t be the only ones that’ll be exterminated.”

            I spoke quietly. “I don’t think the planet of Onos is depending on us, Tom. Let’s give Shelby a few more minutes.”

            Shelby and her new friend were in a deep and lengthy conversation by now. It seemed like an eternity to the rest of us. Soon Sorufuon regained her composure and they returned to the group, where we eagerly were waiting to depart.

            We eventually arrived at the military complex. It divided into the terrestrial multiplex and the celestial multiplex. We said our goodbyes to Tooma and her granddaughter. They went to the citizen affairs arena, while we split off to alien affairs.

            Stron approached us. “I suppose you have heard about the Transo colony, my friends.”

            I bowed my head in respect. “Yes, we heard. I want to offer my condolences.”

            “Thank you Alex, I appreciate your kindness. Due to the circumstances, we must be resourceful with our time. Please step into my quarters so we can discuss this.”

            We filed in like ants, into the room, then sat down.

            Stron opened up the discussion. “Would any of you like to express comments or concerns at this time?”

            Tammy crossed her arms. “Yes. I would, Stron. I hope you have a better plan than just hoping those jerks will go away, because it looks like you’re a little out gunned.”

            Stron did not crack a smile. “Tammy, I appreciate your viewpoint. But unless you had the opportunity to stay with the rest of your crew with the Ancients, you are the last one I would entertain a debate on defense. The Negritee technology is very deep, but their souls are so very shallow.”  He looked at me and said, “You know what I am talking about, do you not?”

            I nodded reluctantly. “I think so.”

            “What? What did I miss?”  Tammy asked nervously.

            I shook my head. “It’s too late to discuss it now, but Dale and Shelby and I have a good idea what it is all about. In a nut shell, the spirit is stronger than the sword.”

            “You will have to trust us, Tammy,” said Stron.

            Tammy looked at Tom for help. 

            Tom backed up. “Don’t look at me. I haven’t the vaguest idea what their talking about. Don’t forget that I was with you.”

            “Great! Is that the best you can do? Well I may be naive, but it’s pretty obvious their sword is their spirit. I can’t believe you guys trust in the Creator anyway. Will you just sit and wait for him to magically fix things? Well I think he may have gone fishing, because he didn’t help those people on Transo. So what makes you think he’s going to help you now.  I vote for getting in the Sojourner and finding our way home before we end up dead, or worse—slaves.”

            Dale raised an eyebrow. “Or dead slaves?”

            Tammy ignored him. Who’s in agreement?” She raised her hand, hoping others would follow.              The rest of us stood there biting our lips, looking to the sky, or what ever else we could do to avoid her suggestion.

            Tammy dabbed her eyes with her wrists. “Don’t any of you see what’s happening!  Fine! Let’s be heroic and get creamed by these a-holes!” She stormed out of the room to nowhere in particular.

            “Tammy!” said Tom, “I know how you feel, but unless we have some plan, taking off 25,000 light years from Earth is suicide.”

            She didn’t look back. “And staying here isn’t?  Do what you want!”

            “Where would we go to anyway?” beckoned Tom to Tammy. He turned to me. “Should I go after her, Alex?”

            I watched Tammy leave the complex. “No, let her be. Nothing would help her at this moment anyway. In fact, I don’t believe anything can help any of us.”

            Stron came to within a foot of my face. “Alex, I see you do not value your own words. What you learned from the Ancients, was to prepare you when the Negritee neared the inner planets. By prepare, I mean communion with the Creator. 

            The only communion I knew was in the Catholic Church service. “We didn’t talk about communion. The Ancients talked about passing-through. What’s this communing? And how is it going to help?”

            “Communing with the Creator, coincides with passing-through.”

            My shoulders drooped. “I still don’t understand?”

            “As a race, we people in this star system will commune simultaneously with the Creator. We believe, the Negritee will use the arm of the flesh, but we will have the arm of the Spirit.”

            I scoffed. “That sounds like prayer. Do you really think a prayer is going to save your butts?”

            “I see you have heard our words with the Ancients, but still do not understand them. When we first heard about the possibility of an invasion from the Negritee, the Onos advisors entertained much dialogue regarding a response to the act. This is what they have decided.”

            “It sounds odd,” said Tom.

            Stron stepped back to look at all of us. “Are you are in agreement with Tammy?”

            “I’m not,” said Shelby. She turned to me. “The Vlancos have talked with the Creator their whole life, day in and day out, Alex. They know what God’s will is better than any of us could possibly know. And they would know if this ‘simultaneous communion’ would be of help to them—maybe even more than military technology.” 

            “I see you understand us quite well Shelby,” said Stron. “You see, Alex, many of our prophets and prophetess’ have been given some foresight as to what they expected to take place. For example, it was revealed to them that Transo would be devastated, even before it would happen.”       

            My mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding” You mean you knew before hand and you did nothing to stop it?”

              “There are many things we know, but few things we can do. That does not mean we let fate have its way, it meant that what was to occur, would occur. We are not omnipotent and omnipresent like the Creator.”

            “Well you could have—” I tried desperately to challenge.

            “Please, Alex!” Stron rubbed his temples. “There is far too much to do than continue a debate. It has also been revealed that soon the 3rd Premier will be contacting us again to threaten us, before trying to launch another attack on the Vlanco people.”

            “What do the prophets say is going to happen when they attack?” asked Dale.

            “We don’t know, Dale. That has not been revealed. But know this. It is expected of us to commune with the Creator, and we must obey. We have always found that it does not matter what we know, but rather that we obey. Our life is based on trusting in Him. It is our nature to trust Him to the end, and we will not change. Are you willing put your trust in us?  Because if you are not, I suggest you take our previous offer and leave Onos as soon as possible.”

            We all quietly stood there, distraught and dejected, realizing that our trust in everything seemed to be getting stretched to its full measure.

            Stron tried to smile. “Step back my friends and think of your situation. Would you have expected to be where you are now, on Onos, based on the knowledge you had five years ago?” 

            “No way,” said Dale. 

            The rest of us nodded in agreement.

            “Is the knowledge that other life exists outside your solar system, not less than extraordinary?”

            “Yes, it is,” I said.

            “Now look at that and all those exhilarating discoveries of your life, and I can assure you, there were dramatic events preceding it. That is how the Creator shows his power and strength and compassion for us. The greater the difficulty, the greater the joy. That is where we are now, my friends. If you are patient, all will be revealed in due time. It is our hope there will be a remarkable result.”             

            I extended my hand out to Stron and he shook it. “Okay Stron, we’ll trust you. I don‘t know if I have the hope you have. But you’ll have to give me some time to discuss some things with my crew. I’m sure you need to address some issues with your advisors.”

            “Thank you, Alex. You are correct. I must attend to other affairs, but am available if you have further questions.” 

            After Stron walked back to his colleagues, we sat there mulling over our dilemma. Shortly after, a low rumbling sound spread throughout the complex. It felt like a California earthquake, but without the seismic aftereffects. Everyone stood completely still, silently anticipating devastation, but nothing happened. 

            “What was that?” asked Tom, “Did the Negritee blow something up?”

            “I don’t know, Tom.” I moved to the console at the end of the room.

            “Querry?” asked the computer.

            “What was that rumbling that just occurred?” I questioned.

            The Onos computer’s female voice came alive. “Those were spatial harmonics from a variation in the Tri-Star gravitational field, Sir.”

            “So it wasn’t the Negritee, attacking the planet?”

            “No, Sir.”

            I breathed a sigh of relief.

            “It felt like a good size quake, to me.” said Dale.

            I continued. “Why did it occur at all? Is it dangerous?”

            “There has been an increasing amount of magnetic flux in and around the Tri-Star system for the last decade. Within the last year, activity has increased at an exponential rate. It has been considered potentially dangerous to Humanoids. However, it is unknown to what extent the damage will be and when future episodes will transpire, Sir. 

            “Based on the past occurrences, when do you expect the next episode?”

            “A probability of 84% one will occur in the next two days, Sir.”

            “And the magnitude of the episode?”

            “Unknown, Sir.”

            “Worse than the last?”

            “Yes, Sir”

            I turned to face the crew. “Remember back in 2030. The high intensity solar flares that impacted computers and electronic equipment all over the Earth.”

            “Yeah. Who doesn’t remember that,” said Tom. The Earth’s crust took a major shift on the surface of the land masses and the ocean. Volcanoes in the Pacific rim and the earthquakes working in tandem devastated highly populated areas. But after we put safeguards in place, we didn’t have to worry about that again.”

            “I wasn’t even born then,” said Dale, “I just saw it in the history archives. Didn’t Japan lose about 15% of its people at that time.”

            “That’s right,” confirmed Tom. “And I don’t even want to discuss what happened in southern California. Now you can understand why it was so important the Continental Congress was formed. If they hadn’t pooled resources for rescue resolutions, we’d be in deep trouble.”

            “Excuse me my friends,” Interrupted an aid to the complex advisor. “I have been instructed to inform you that it is time.” 

            “Time for what?” I asked.

            The aid didn’t answer. He turned and left as quickly as he came.

            A second later, a melodic siren wound up and resonated throughout the complex. As if on cue, Vlancos moved quickly out of the building. We began to follow the crowd outside, but weren’t sure as to where to go or why. As we walked we saw some Vlancos weeping; no doubt for the loss of friends and relatives lost on Transo. Most were calm and orderly, and were headed to distinct destinations. 

            “Where is everybody going?” asked Dale.

            I watched the throngs to find a pattern. “I don’t know. Lets find out.” I grabbed a lean guy hurrying by. “Where are you headed?”

            “You must prepare. Find the Advisor, he will assist you.” He hurried off.

            “I know I must prepare! But...how?” I said, calling to him. I spun around. “Are the Negritee attacking?”

            Tom shook his head. “You know what the Negritee weapons can do.”      

            I waved them to follow. “Let’s try to find Stron.” 

            We walked back inside the complex, to look for Stron, but it was vacant.  I checked the console to access his whereabouts, but the computer said he had left the building. Why didn’t he come back to tell us what to do?

            “We can’t stay at this military complex. We’d be sitting ducks,” said Tom.

            Dale was a little shaky and the rest of us weren’t far behind. Except Shelby. Shelby was drifting off, away from the group, like she knew exactly where she should be. She was at the entrance of the facility when I caught her. 

            “Shelby!” I called out.

            She glanced back and waved for us to follow her.  We trotted over to her to find out were she was going.

            “Where are you headed?” I questioned.

            “To the Worship Arena of course,” she answered calmly.

            “What? Why?”

            She sighed. “For once, be a follower.” She turned and trotted away.

            The rest of us looked at each other like idiots. We followed her. She was the only one that seemed to know what was happening. A few minutes later, we approached the Worship Arena.

            Shelby turned to me, as we entered the building.  “Do you remember what Stron said about communing?”  She confidently walked toward the main arena.

            I followed. “Right. What about it?  Is that what we’re supposed to do now?”

            “It’s the only thing that really makes sense, Alex.”

            We stopped at the archway that opened into the center of the arena.

            “Well?” asked Shelby.

            I saw no other option. “Okay, let’s go.”

            Hundreds of Vlancos moved around us to fill the space. Melodic chanting caught my attention. As we moved closer to the center of the worship arena, I heard the words. 

‘Our Deliver is present, He will use his mighty power;

Our Deliver is present, His strength is clear and final;

We must doubt what we see, We must doubt what we hear,

For our Deliver is present, His strength is clear and final.

            Shelby and even Dale were joining in on chanting. We were carried into the flow, like a leaf on the water, dragged by the current the group.

* * *

            Tammy had made it back to the Sojourner. She had worked her way through the opposing current of the crowds, like a fish swimming upstream. 

            She stormed into the ship and straight to the control imager. “Bill! prepare for lift off! I am setting in the coordinates now.”

            “It is customary for Alex to give the order for launch procedures, Tammy.  Is he and the rest of the crew incapacitated?”

            “Yes, you could say that, Bill. It’s an emergency, and looks like it’s just you and me, hon.”

            “Wait one,” said the computer. “My sensors tell me your vital signs prove your truthfulness.”

            “Can we leave now?”

            “Affirmative. Prepare for launch. Sequence will initiate in five minutes.”

            Tammy sat down in Alex’s seat and prepared for lift off. She gritted her teeth and wiped a tear from her eye. 

            “T-minus four minutes and counting,” said the computer. “A physiological analysis indicates you are experiencing some difficulty, is that correct, Tammy?”

            “Don’t worry about it, Bill. I’m okay,” she said breathing heavy.

            “T-minus three minutes and counting,” said the computer. “This is an unusual request Tammy. Is there something I should be aware of?” the computer asked calmly.

            “Yes! You could say that! Give me some silence please!”   

            “Affirmative.” The computer kept quiet until the next countdown. “T-minus two minutes and counting,” said the computer. 

            Tammy sat in front of the Sojourner’s imager, alone. She drooped her head and started crying.

            “What am I doing here?” she said, sobbing. “Where am I going to go?”

            “Are you requesting an answer, Tammy?”

            “No!” she said wailing.

            At ‘ten,’ the imager brightly displayed the numbers with audio, “10, 9, 8, 7, 6—”

            “Stop!” She said between sobs. She buried her head in her hands.

            “Launch sequence has been terminated, Tammy. Is there any thing else you require of me?”

            “Yeah, go take a flying leap!”

            “Could you repeat that, Tammy?”

            “Never mind, Bill!”  She shouted between intermittent and anguished sobs.

            She wiped the tears from her eyes and eventually poised herself like a statue. She pulled up a picture of her and her original and foster family on the imager. She strummed her fingers on the imager panel control with one hand and leaned her head against the other hand. 

            “Bill. Show me the alien ships—excuse me, the Negritee ships within the Tri-star system.”

            A simulated three dimensional image of the ships and the planets came into view. It was only a matter of hours before the Negritee would arrive at the heavily populated planets. She looked back down at a data file on her family. She scanned her brother’s and sister’s file when they were kids, before they were separated from her. She had previously dumped all the files on her fiancé, after he ran off with her best friend, but she had one picture of him at a family gathering. 

            “Bill, take a message.”

            Tammy stood, so the viewer could record her whole self. She summarized the events that occurred to her on this planet, said her goodbyes to her friends and family, and encapsulated it a small probe. She went to the launch bay and inserted it into a missile. She programmed it to send out the media signal every 15th day. Tammy pressed the launch button and watched as the probe rose up into the atmosphere. This could be the only trace of her existance. She watched through the porthole as pobe rocketed out into space in the direction of Earth.

            Tammy went back to the imager in the control room. The Negritee vessels appeared on the monitor. They were within striking range of the planets, when the secondary imager lit up the screen.

            “Greetings Vlanco people. I am the 3rd Premier of the Negritee, and would greatly appreciate a surrender of your system,” he said with a chuckle to the world below him. “Your Preeminent from Onos is indisposed at the moment, so I will assume any response by the Assembly of Advisors to be acceptable.”

            There was no response. He turned back to the assistant on his ship. He validated that the message was transmitted to all of the inhabited planets.

            “We are presenting ourselves to every line of communication. Your lack of response, will not help your cause. If you do not respond to our conditions, we will attack. If you are aware of the destruction Transo, I suggest you respond.”

            Again no response. Nothing was more maddening, than for a Negritee to be ignored.

            Disguman’s face turned red. “There will be no more warnings Vlanco Scum!  You have no defenses that can match our fleet’s weaponry. If you do not respond to my conditions of surrender, in a click of your stars, we will completely eliminate your people from existence! Transmission terminated.”

* * *

           

            All inhabitants of Onos and Donos, as well as the outlying planets had made their way into meditation areas. No communication ports were located in those places. And, therefore, had no opportunity to hear what Discuman had said.

            Where we had entered, there was no speaker in the center of the worship arena, as Shelby had described in her earlier encounter. Many hundreds of Vlancos had taken their seats, in an orderly manner. The chanting had stopped. It had a very organized and eerie quietness about it. After everyone entered, they waited, and waited, in quiet to what seemed like an eternity. Tom and I looked at each other with trepidation. Shelby sat peacefully, Dale whispering to her. 

            Finally, ten gong-like sounds permeated the building. On the tenth gong, everyone moved forward and sat on their knees. They leaned forward, and bowed there heads and hands to the ground in prostrate. Tom and I followed suit. I assumed I was supposed to pray, but I couldn’t help but peek around to see what others were doing. They were like statues, all crouched down, in still silence. 

            I didn’t know at the time that every Vlanco in existence was in this same position, doing the same thing, at the same time.

            A half hour must have past, and I was starting to fall asleep. Then I heard some whispering sounds in the crowd. The whispers grew louder and developed into dialogue. The voices seemed to take on a musical harmonious effect. I couldn’t quite understand the dialogue, but at the moment it seemed to make sense.

            Shelby and Dale were both deep in prayer, eyes closed yet talking. 

            The volume grew and grew, and I felt a tingling sensation throughout my body. It was almost like electricity was passing through one hand and out the other. I felt like lifting my hands up from the floor, but something compelled me to stay put. The tingling sensation pulsated through me like a shock gun. Then, without warning, everyone simultaneously, and quickly, raised their heads and hands upward and gave a great shout skyward for several minutes.

            I took a deep breath and tried to stay within the flow of things. 

            The electricity I had been feeling, changed into a rumbling, within my body. It passed through my hands and into the floor, then moved through the building. It was a smooth series of rumblings that started low and rippled from one end of the building to the other. The rumbling wave continued so much so that the whole building rocked and swayed. Everyone was shouting and swaying with one another, with the building, as if they were one with the event.

            After a minute, it reached a peak then abruptly stopped.

            I took a breath and looked at my hands to see if there was a scar from the jolt.

            The Vlancos shouted joyfully and raised their hands to the sky. They were all smiles.

            Tom was in a daze.

            Shelby turned to us. “Alex, Tom. It is done.”  She was grinning from ear to ear. “I will never forget this as long as I live.”

            “What is done? Was it an earthquake or what?” asked Tom.

            “You’ll see.” She slapped Tom’s chest. “You’ll see.”

* * *

            Tammy mumbled to herself. “From what I heard about the moon’s destruction, we won’t survive. But I’d rather die on the ground, than in space alone.”

            She walked out from the ship to get one last glimpse of the blue-green sky, a nearby planet, and the three stars that hung playfully in place. It was quiet, too quiet. No animals of any type were heard. The air was clean and fresh. She inhaled a generous breath of air. Then she felt it.

            “What the?”

            A rumbling beneath pulsed through the area slowly. Then again and again, until it reached crescendo. It almost knocked her over. She clutched the side of the ship to steady herself. The rumble passed by and moved away from her. Above the land was a visual distortion. It was like a hot ripple in the air that crossed the width of the landscape. It rolled farther and farther, until it rose beyond the eastern horizon. The rippling wave moved up and out to space, and gained size and strength as it went.             

            Tammy ran back into the ship, to the imager. “What was that, Bill?”

            “Unkown,” replied the computer. 

            She adjusted the imager to display an enhanced view of the energy wave. The wave moved out into space and connected with waves from the other planets. Once connected, the super wave continued to grow. It pushed outward from the center of the Tri-star system.

            Tammy leaned in to the imager. “Ya know, Bill. It reminds me of the time I was a kid and had my bubble pump that blew up a huge bubble.”

            The computer responded. “This unknown bubble has a series of turbulent electromagnetic tunnels in the walls of the spherical expansion. I have calculated a tremendous power output from the energy field.”

            “Man!” Tammy zoomed in on the hundreds of Negritee ships surrounding the star system. “Oh no!” Tammy, held her hands to her cheeks.

            The phenomenon progressed out into space and advanced toward Negritee vessels clustered in a military formation. Within seconds, a brilliant light filled the viewer with white.

            Tammy shielded her eyes and turned away.