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still can't believe this is happening for us, after our long search."
"But the whole time we searched," Pareen said, "we knew we would find what
we were looking for."
"You did, perhaps. You always had faith. But I had begun to think we were
wasting our time."
"Did you?" Pareen asked. "You never said."
She smiled. "I'm the captain. I can never show weakness." She glanced at the
screen. "At least I couldn't before."
Pareen shook his head. "I think your weaknesses are few. If it had not been for
you, none of us would have survived to enjoy this day. How many times did
your quick thinking save our mission from disaster?"
Sarteen was thoughtful. "But what was the usefulness of our mission? To find
what we sought, we have come home. Don't you find that ironic?"
"No. I find it appropriate." He paused. "Something bothers you, Captain?"
She shrugged. "It's nothing. It's just that I feel somehow our journey was cut
short. That we came to our goal too soon." She touched her chest as she stared
at the sun. "I felt in my heart that it would be longer before we reached
paradise."
Pareen chuckled. "A thousand years was not long enough for you?"
She had to smile. "I agree. It should be long enough for anybody."
The hours passed slowly, as time was wont to do when the present moment
was not as enjoyable as the promised tomorrow. The sun grew in brightness,
the outer planets became visible, the gas giants shimmering in the glow of a
star that had given life to a race that supposedly could tap into universal
truths.
Over the long distance from the galactic core, where the Elders resided, had
come a partial explanation for the purpose of humanity, and why they had
been isolated from the Elders the last million years.
Mankind was the creation of the creator gods, who had been directed to this
part of the universe by the Prime Creator Itself, that glorious being that could
only partially be comprehended even by the brilliant Elders.
The creator gods had been directed to build a biological creation in the physical
realm that would be capable of manipulating matter and energy over the entire
spectrum of frequencies. From the pure inexhaustible white light of the Prime
Creator all the way down to the most inert matter.
The secret to mankind's role was in its twelve chakras, or centers, which
resonated with its twelve strands of DNA. Each center in each human being
was able to tap into a different frequency. When they were "plugged" back into
their power source, the rest of the Confederation, these centers would vibrate
with incredible energy. The whole of the galaxy would shine, and stand as a
beacon for the remainder of the universe. In a sense, being contacted by the
Elders was the same as being contacted by their more subtle half. At least that
was what they said.
"They are me," Sarteen whispered to herself in her quarters. "But they are not
me. I had forgotten them. They did not forget me."
She was alone. Her room was dark, except for the glow of her viewing screen,
which remained fixed on the distant sun, and the glimmer of her crystal
column, which, by some strange alchemy, shone without an external power
source. After linking with the Elders, she had been inspired to build a staff
made up of different precious stones that she had collected from a dozen
worlds. No one had told her to construct the thing and so far she had shown it
to no one, not even her dear friend Pareen.
The staff was roughly as tall as a human being. The first seven stones were set
at equal distances along the top half of the gold rod; the remaining five were
fixed in a silver wheel that crowned the pointed top. These last five were the
unseen centers, Sarteen believed. The ones above and beyond the body. They
were the cosmic centers that connected them directly to the Prime Creator.
Each of the jewels she had used had come to her as if by magic: one she had
found in the cave of an asteroid that tumbled between the stars; another in the
many tentacled arms of a giant insect that had crawled out of a burrow in a
tree as tall as a mountain; and still another had fallen from a sweet fruit she
had bitten into on a planet where there was only one tiny island, the rest
water. When the jewels began to glow, as she set them in place, she leaped
back in surprise. And since then she had been unable to stop staring at the
staff. It was almost as if looking at it were like staring into a mirror and seeing
a goddess.
"How did I forget?" she asked the crystal staff.
The communicator on her desk beeped. "Yes?" she said.
"Pareen here. Something is terribly wrong."
"Specify?"
"Our fleet is under attack. A large fleet of alien vessels, with incredible speed
and power, has appeared close to Malanak. The fifth planet is under heavy
bombardment. What is your command?"
Sarteen stood. For some reason, the news did not surprise her.
"I will be on the bridge in a minute," she said. "For now, veer us away from
Earth."
Pareen was shocked. "Turn away? But our people need our help."
"Do as I say. I am on my way."
How different the mood on the bridge was from when they had exited
hyperspace. Rather than coming home to a wonderful party, they had returned
to invasion.
Sarteen found it impossible to believe the Elders had anything to do with the
attack, yet the coincidence was disturbing. Why today, when all sorrow was
supposed to end?
"Report?" she snapped as she stepped onto the bridge.
Pareen glanced up from his monitors. "Approximately three hundred alien
vessels have materialized inside the orbit of Malanak. We are fighting back, but
these ships, though small, are exceedingly powerful and maneuverable.
Already, in this short time, ten percent of our fleet has been destroyed. The
aliens have demanded our immediate and unconditional surrender. Our
admiral is considering giving in to their demand."
"Have you been able to confirm the status of Malanak?" Sarteen asked.
"It has been destroyed," Pareen said.
Sarteen was shocked. "The entire planet? That's not possible."
"The destruction is confirmed. It is rubble."
Sarteen was confused. "How were these alien ships able to exit hyperspace so
close to the sun?"
Ordinarily they could come out of a hyperjump only far from the powerful
gravitational pull of the sun, or any star, for that matter. Gravity greatly
distorted travel through hyperspace, ripping ships to pieces.
"Their technology would appear to be far in advance of our own," Pareen said.
"They are able to change speeds rapidly. Certainly their weapons are far
superior to anything we have."
"Has our fleet been able to ascertain the nature of their weaponry?"
"No. It appears to be a new form of energy. Our shields can stand against it for
only a short time."
"Has Earth been attacked?" Sarteen asked. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]